NIKOLAI
HE/HIM
TWENTY-FIVE
CYBER BOY
GYM LEADER
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
TAG WITH @nikolai
NIKOLAI PETROV
his phone rings.
his blood runs cold.
"anna? what's wron—" all it takes is a single sob to sober him up. he's off his seat and out the door even before he finishes his sentence. "stay on the phone. i'm on my way."
her words are inaudible; they escape as soft, fleeting breaths that disappear far too quickly. "just stay with me. don't leave me yet. please don't leave me." he moves with a sense of urgency never seen before, meandering through the thick of the crowd, up and down the long alleyways that cut through different roads, all in a desperate attempt to reach her in time.
but it's not enough.
"i'm almost there. don't worry, i got y—"
the line cuts.
"anna?"
all he hears is nothing. he almost gives up at that point but he wills himself to keep moving; tells himself that it's not over yet, that she's still alive. that his family is still alive. his mind never rests, not even once as his fingers find and calls another one of his contacts.
it rings for far too long. "the house, cormac. the fucking house. now!" he hangs up before a response can be given because both of them know how dire the situation is. he makes it in under a minute.
his breath catches in his throat at the sight of orange; fire burns away at his heart, at his home, scorching it in its entirety until there's nothing left. he doesn't hesitate to run through the fires, embracing its searing hot heat that lick away at his bare skin.
he finds her unconscious body in the middle of the living room. "fuck, fuck—" he doesn't have time to think, no time to call out his pokemon to help. he rushes to her side, knees skidding against the harsh ground as his arms wrap around her. her body burns but he embraces her, pulling her close before rushing out of the building.
she's burned but not nearly enough to be disfigured, and that's the worst part: he sees the pain on her face, the helplessness in her eyes. she's no longer breathing, far from it, but he lays her down on the ground and attempts cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
"no, no, no, no, no—don't leave me. not yet. not now." his hands never stop pumping, breaking her ribs but it's to no avail and he knows it. "please! fuck. i can't lose you. please, anna." he doesn't look away, he doesn't stop trying, not even when he feels hands on his shoulders.
they try to pry him away.
"i'm here now; i'm here. i promised i'll be here."
'she's dead, nikolai.'
he can't hear him. he has to be dragged off of her, held back by the arms of a man of equal strength, but in that moment he feels much, much weaker.
'i'm sorry.'
tears cascade down the side of his face; they have been for a while now. guilt turns into rage because blame is easy to be cast aside. "fuck you, cormac! you were supposed to keep them safe. why are they dead? why did you let this happen?" he thought he could trust the league commissioner; thought that with his help, they could turn the tide.
but the truth is, he let this happen on his own volition. they're dead because of him.
still, it doesn't stop him from throwing a punch. and another. and another. cormac takes it because he can; because it's all he can do to help nikolai. after the fourth punch, cormac catches it and throws one in return. the impact sends nikolai to the ground.
with hands sprawled along the warm dirt, he finds his sister once again and clings on to her for dear life. "i'm sorry." he sobs. and cries. and screams.
"i'm sorry."
@ezra |
|
|
