(November) Prompt #3 - Two Sides of a Single Coin

[Chat Noir]

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The third prompt of November is the phrase, Two Sides of a Single Coin.

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[Chat Noir]

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If you have any questions about how to participate in this event, please visit the rules thread or PM me.

Happy writing!

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[Omac]

I felt like I been walking for hours by the time I came to a tower surrounded by a river of lava. I couldn’t cross it as there wasn’t a bridge. I had to think of a way to get myself from one point to another. I heard someone call my name from behind me and I was hesitant to turn around. I was looking at the face of the most annoying person I’ve ever met, Nat, who came running until she reached me nearly out of breath. Great. I thought I ditched her back at the shop… but now her she was looking more cheerful than ever.
“I’m so glad I..” she inhaled a big breath, “I’m so glad I found you. I been looking for you for the past few hours. I saw those goons kidnap you, but I felt defenseless. I don’t even have any weapons. But, I trailed them long enough to see you fight back there. I was so worried,” she came in for a hug and I almost bad for her. Until she pulled away with my flute in her hands, “Alright, he’s all yours!”
That’s when the Punisher came out of hiding holding a death grip onto his axe from behind a tree. I should have noticed him considering he is a more chubby man and the tree was really thin. I looked to Nat in completely shock. I knew there was something about her that I didn’t like, but other than the obvious reasons I couldn’t quite place it. I couldn’t wipe the horror from my face. I was simply blown away.
“Nat, why?”
“It’s obvious, yeah? Like, serious Omac you didn’t think I was going to let you bring back Piper, did you? He knows too much about our lord and savior, Pip. He went into the battle against Pip and I was the one to strike him down. He barely made it out with his life. I can’t let you harm my master,” she flipped up her jacket hood and her face fell into darkness with only her blood red eyes staring back at me. Her voice became deeper, “I am the end of your days, you die here and then Piper can never return here,”
Meanwhile the Punisher made his way next to Nat, “I knew I couldn’t ever defeat you as long as you had that flute. So it was the luck of the draw when I came across my ally, Nat here. It’ll be fun chopping you into tens of pieces,”
I backed up, “Looks guys, I don’t really want to fight. I’m more of just trying to get the crystal from Pip. If you could convince him to trade me something then I wouldn’t have to slay him. Deal?”
“The crystal is what keeps our master in power, if you take it he won’t have the strength to rule this land with an iron fist,” explained Nat as she stepped forward putting out her hand as a small flicker of purple fire lit up from her palm. “Last chance to turn back and live your life out as Piper,”
“Don’t you want the witch defeated? The witch is going to destroy this land completely and then it won’t matter if Pip has enough power or not. Nothing will be left,” I explained hoping to reason with them.
“Enough talking,” the Punisher moved quickly with his axe aiming at my head. I was able to dodge forcing him to bash his weapon against the ground. “Stop moving and and I’ll take care of you. I promise it’ll only hurt.. A lot,”
I had a plan on how to stop him, but it was extremely risky. I didn’t have much time to consider it any longer when I was stopped dead in my tracks. It wasn’t like it was before with the glass walls, but instead I couldn’t move a single muscle. I was frozen in place with one leg of the ground. I looked over to Nat who was holding her hand out, the flame now missing, and I couldn’t tell through the darkness of her robe, but I knew she was smiling.
I couldn’t move, but I heard something small fall out of my backpack and into the puddle of lava. At first nothing happened, but then the ground began to shake. I couldn’t turn around to see what was happening but it had to be huge going by the shocked reaction of the Punisher. He was so out of it, his axe fell to the ground. At that moment the spell was broken and my first thought was to do a u-turn. What I saw was a tree sticking out of the boiling lava connected to the ground that kept growing higher and higher…!
I turned to face my enemies while I had the chance. I quickly picked up the axe and swung it at the tree. It put a dent in it, but nothing powerful enough to knock it down. I needed more force. I kept thinking of what items in my backpack could have caused a random tree to appear and my only thoughts were that green coin with a leaf on it that I obtained when battling with Fudge.
The Punisher and Nat came out of their daze coming to face me. Nat reached out her and attempted to shoot a ball of fire at me, but I ducked out the way. Instead of hitting me the ball of flames blasted into the tree causing it to explode into flames. A large hole from the attack remained. I pulled the axe out it, forcing myself back, and then took a second swing. And, down it came giving me a burning path to run across. I dropped the axe into the lava before moving forward. I didn’t have time to fight these enemies so I hurried to the tower door.
“Where you do you think you’re going?” Nat asked trying to use her abilities on me again.
I was stopped once more, an inch from the door. That’s when my shirt began to glow a bright blue color, I figured that my starfish gem did the same. Nat’s hands fell to her side forcing my freedom and even the Punisher looked madly in love with me. Little hearts were swinging around and above their heads. What kind of power is this? After a second of it the color in my clothes started to return to grey so I didn’t take anymore time and pulled open the door and pushed myself inside. Pip, I’m coming for you!

[ArtisticVicu]

Usually a sixteenth birthday was a big deal but how families handled it varied. Some threw parties, some kept it private, but there was always an eagerness to read the first words a soulmate would share.

But sometimes life makes it hard to keep that kind of thing consistent.

"You can see him now."

The doctor's voice pulled his eyes from his wrist. His parents moved with a stuttered urgency. He reached over for his little sister. "Come on," he coaxed the five-year-old. She didn't utter a word as she let him help her gather all her crayons and paper before following after their parents. He knew where they were going even with how overwhelming the hospital was.

The recovery wing was stagnant compared to the waiting room. He hated it. Entering the room with his little sister's hand in his, he let out a silent sigh of relief as the stagnant of the recovery wing stopped at the door.

"Grandpa!"

Her hand slipped from his. She hurried over with that bright grin and calling out for their grandpa a second time. His parents chastised her even as the man on the bed roused. They were scared but his sister knew what he knew; their Grandpa was going to be just fine even with the long recovery.

"Mark."

He had settled underneath the window in the morning sunlight when friends and more family had arrived. He had contented himself to watch the different life lines shift and change around him. But his attention was drawn back to the man on the hospital bed in the empty room at the sound of one of his nicknames. An unconscious check told him his mom was taking his sister to the restroom and his dad was still seeing family and friends off. He got up and walked over, hopping up onto the edge of the hospital bed at his Grandpa's beckoning. The old man grinned at him. "Well, let's see it then."

He blinked, confused. "See what?"

His Grandpa chuckled. "Your wrist. Don't think for a moment this whole ordeal has made me forget what day it is. You still turned 16 today."

He recoiled from that, snapping his gaze back towards the window where it was safe.

A strong, weathered hand wrapped around his left wrist, fingers caressing the one thing he wanted to ignore. "That bad, huh?"

He didn't fight when his Grandpa pulled his arm up to read.

"Pathetic," his Grandpa read.

He flinched.

"Hey now, we don't know context," his Grandpa reminded him even as his heart ached. "Come now, Marcus. You have to remember that first impressions never go as we would like them to go."

"I know," he let out, the words heavy with his disappointment and fear. "I just-I was hoping for something more-"

"Romantic?" his Grandpa guessed. He nodded. "Well, when you find them, you'll have to tell me just how romantic it turned out to be."

He laughed and was choked by a sob. "You really think it'll be romantic? 'Pathetic'?"

His Grandpa shrugged, grinning. "I bet it will be something extraordinary for sure. Two sides of the same coin and all that. I'm sure whatever is on your soulmate's wrist will make it all alright. You have a good heart, Marcus, and I believe in it with all of mine."

"Onyx!"

"I see them!" he shouted back, already diving into the first floor of a crumpling building. He felt Jade's ability ripple through the structure as he followed the life lines he could see. Over a crumpled wall, through a half blocked doorway, and up a stairwell that had no stairs for two floors before he found the one worse off. "Third floor. Evac out."

"On it." A different voice. "Show me where."

He ran to the nearest wall and dragged the marker in a massive 'X' over the wall. He turned away as Jade got to work, returning to the life lines. He went to the one he had found and knelt beside them. The life line was fraying but a new strand was fading into existence. He touched the stranger's shoulder, urging gently, "Hold in there, ok? Help is coming to get you out but I have to go save another."

The stranger jerked at that and the new strand's opacity stopped, wavering on the edge of fading in or out of existence. He tightened his grip on their shoulder. "You're not going to die," he stated flatly. "When I step away, you are going to be alone for a whole ten seconds. My teammate it making way for the evac team and they will be at your side stabilizing you before you can worry yourself to death." The new strand popped into existence but it wouldn't hold the person there if the original life line frayed completely. It was out of his hands, though. He had done what he could to make sure they had a chance.

He moved way, catching sight of the evac unit landing at the start of a series of holes Jade had made for them. He moved away from the stranger, stating, "All yours, Garnet."

"How many more?" echoed from the evac unit and his headset.

He dipped back into the stairwell. "One more."

They were hiding in a closet. It was strangely disconcerting but he knelt outside of it, watching the life line. "Hey," he offered gently, "my name's Onyx. I'm with UneTra. I'm here to get you to safety." Not a sound. The life line wavered. "Jade won't be able to support the building for much longer. It would be best if we left now."

A long pause stretched between him and the closet as the only noise that broke it was from the fighting three blocks away. There was chatter on the channel but he was good at ignoring it.

The door opened and he smiled, opening his arms to this stranger. "Let's get you to safety."

The life line suddenly shattered.

He moved without thinking, years of training shoving him forward and around the stranger. He pulled them up and he got lucky as they clung to him instead of fight him.

The explosion threw them out the window but the life line had reformed, so that was good.

Garnet caught him at the height of free fall, dragging them through the air to safety. A second evac appeared and he passed the stranger off.

Garnet's life line caught his attention mid transfer.

It didn't even register in his head what he had done till he was falling again, foot towards the sky and head towards the ground; he had kicked Garnet's wing.

Garnet's life line was starting to fray but it was slow and already there was a new life line solidly there, nothing like the sudden unraveling it had been.

The attack, however, had caused Garnet to let go.

Something kept the impact from doing much harm but it still hurt.

There was a ringing in his ears. It was all he could do to push himself onto his back and crack an eye open. His life line was fraying but the cut end was still very much there so he wasn't overly worried.

He registered someone was standing over him when they shifted their weight. He couldn't tell who they were. Everything beyond his own life line was still blurry.

A foot connected with the center of his chest, kicking the air out of his lungs. He was stunned he didn't hear a crack as he gasped for air. He blinked and the world was suddenly crisp around him.

Above him stood Creed, a supervillain that every Support feared if they were smart. Creed was a top ranked villain and there was a reason.

All he felt was a weariness and the familiar tug when he saw the cut life line.

Creed sneered at him. "Pathetic."

"At least," he gasped out, "I'm not as pathetic as you."

Strange, those were not the words he had meant to say.

There was a ruckus from the 15-year-old's bedroom. Seven boys were all laughing and shouting as four of them played some video game. The eighth boy - the 15-year-old now 16 who's room was full of friends playing - was in the bathroom staring at his wrist.

Ice filled his veins as dread seeped through him. He scrambled to find something to hide the words written on his wrist, ideas of how to keep people from asking rushing through his mind.

He knew it was all futile.

One of his friends had found him mid panic. The news quickly drew the other boys and they were as vicious as he expected. His dad wasn't far behind as his mom sent the seven boys home. His dad's reaction was just as painful as every other word that flew out of the man's throat.

'At least I'm not as pathetic as you.'

He hated those words. He hated them worse than he hated his parents, than he hated society. At least he was able to hide his abilities as they manifested. Now, ten years after that scrawl had shown up on the inside of his wrist, he was anything but pathetic. Nothing like the weak human beneath his shoe. He sneered when he caught sight of a familiar flicker in the man beneath his boot that he had seen in far too many others he had once tried to help. "Pathetic."

"At least," the man gasped, "I'm not as pathetic as you."

Something shot through him so hard and so fast, that he didn't realize he had lifted his boot till it was slamming into the man's chest again as he screamed. He wasn't sure what he had screamed but the man underneath him coughed, wheezed, and met his gaze with one eye barely open against the pain; there were at least two ribs broken now. "Sorry." He blinked. "Not what I-" another cough- "wanted to say."

"What?" escaped his throat drowning in his bewilderment.

He was too distracted to notice the bodies that slammed into him.

The glass was cool against his face as he watched Creed on the other side. The man was pacing back and forth like a caged animal but the life line was what held his attention. Never had he ever questioned what his ability had him do but to spew such awful words to someone whose line had been cut like that?

But it had worked, and he didn't understand why, for the villain's life line was nice and long again.

"Onyx?"

He turned his head, still keeping the one point of contact with the glass he had, to look at the man who had spoken. The speaker had a male and a female companion. "You shouldn't be out of the medical ward."

"Is everything alright?" the female companion inquired. Her tone carried the same concern that was on all three faces but he was sure the concern wasn't there for the same reasons. "Do we need to put him under a stricter watch?"

He pulled away from the window. He knew what she was asking about. This wasn't the first time they had found him at the glass. He wondered if he wore the same hollow gaze now or if it was just that common of a reason for his presence. "No." His voice was raw in his throat and he swallowed against a cough. "He's fine now."

That gained him confused expressions. The male companion clarified, "So his life line had been cut on the field?"

"But what you said to him..." The man looked to the two companions.

He wasn't surprised they had heard his strange words. "I want permission to go in and speak with him."

This gained him suspicious looks. He just looked back at all of them, exhausted. The man glanced at the two companions before giving him a nod. "Five minutes. We'll be recording it."

He nodded. That was to be expected.

What he didn't expect was facing a strangely panicked Creed. He felt the other man's abilities wash over them and knew immediately that whatever happened in the room now was going to stay in that room.

Creed's file was incomplete which meant that the rest of the organization was unprepared if Creed realized it.

"What do you want," the villain snapped, the length of the table between them.

He shrugged, eyes never leaving Creed even as his entire torso screamed at him for shrugging. His exhaustion pulled at him more seeing the other man so tightly wound. "A simple answer, really."

Creed scoffed in his direction. "Oh? And what would that be? Who I really am? What abilities do I have?"

"What are the words on your wrist?"

The reaction was immediate and he blinked, surprised to see Creed gripping at a covered wrist with a grip so tight, he was surprised there hadn't been the audible sound of a bone cracking. "Why the f-"

"Your life line changed." He watched Creed's expression change, how the other's thought process derailed and then kicked back into gear.

"What do you mean my 'life line changed'? What life line?"

He fought the urge to shrug again. His body was still screaming at him. "It's my ability. I can tell when and roughly how someone is going to die by their life line. When its frayed, it means I can coax a new life line into place but not guarantee life. Sometimes fraying will happen in the middle of a life line which means that whatever is killing them won't kill them with proper aid. When it shatters, it means the person is about to die suddenly and whether or not it stays shattered depends on what is going to kill the person; I was able to get a shattered life line to reform by pulling them out of the way of immediate danger." His words stalled briefly. "When it's cut, it means someone will take their own life."

Disbelief was prominent on Creed's face. He was used to that as a first response. "And when exactly did mine change?"

"After I had said something about not being as pathetic as you." He watched as something clashed on Creed's face that he didn't understand and he shook his head, stepping forward. The one arm not in a sling stretched out to his side. 'Pathetic' was faded on his wrist but still clear enough that he knew Creed could read it as the villain's gaze moved to it. "You said mine first, though."

He was certain shock had settled in as the villain pulled at the long sleeve hiding the other's words without looking. Creed brought his wrist up slightly higher than his elbow before breaking his gaze from Marcus's word and looking at whatever had been written on the inside of his wrist.

Marcus watched as the villain just stared.

"Creed?" The villain's gaze snapped up. There was a heavy pause between them before Creed lowered his wrist and Marcus was able to read the fading text upside down. 'At least I'm not as pathetic as you' stared back at him and he found himself smiling. "I'm glad," he offered truthfully, and he looked up, meeting Creed's bewildered expression. Compared to Creed's life line, his looked pathetic with its cut end. He gestured with his word. "Now I don't have to fret over this anymore."

"You're not seriously expecting me to suddenly change my ways and love you?" Creed spat as a knock sounded on the door.

His soft smile grew a bit at that as he shook his head. "No." He started for the door. "Of course not. That would be stupid and impractical. After all..." He wrapped his hand around the door handle and looked back. "You're life line is still far longer than mine and that's on me."

He opened the door and stepped out, cutting off Creed's shout for him to come back with a click of the door shutting.

"Everything alright, Onyx?" The man from before. He was without his companions.

He offered a tired smile. "I should be getting back to the medical ward. Excuse me, Director."

It was a strange relief when the Director didn't stop him.