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Callan had been told by the plant thing that if Ezra knew what was in that room, she would go against orders. Callan knew that his niece could get in, too. He knew she had that skill. They had taken the boy who seemed to waver in the last fight. Ezras eyes had softened, maybe even tear up, when she saw him. They exchanged something that Callan knew was dangerous on the battlefield. Ripley had explained that they were dating, or had been before he betrayed her. He didn't fight when they drugged him so he fell unconscious. Callan took a deep breath before opening the door, tightening his grip on his bare sheath. They couldn't risk bringing weapons into where he was being held. The room was small, with a couple of metal bars between Callan and the prisoner. Callan walked past the metal bars. The prisoner was hunched over, sitting on his knees with his ankles shackled to the ground and his wrists shackled to the wall. He had his eyes closed, and looked up a little bit. Callan hunched down so he was balancing on his toes.
“Ez… Ezra?” He weakly called out her name. Callan gripped his cheek, and scowled.
“You have no right to speak my niece's name after you shot her,” he grumbled.
“Who are you?”
“Lu… Lucas.” His breathing was heavy.
There was nothing else to say.
The next time Lucas heard the door open, he knew it was really her. She unlocked the door and swung open the metal barred door before closing it behind her.
“Ezra,” Lucas couldn't help but groan. She didn't move. Just slumped down with her back sliding down the wall.
“HI,” she whispered as if noise would break the fragile moment between them. Silence.
“I didn't like when they said they had you in chains. You're not a rabid animal”.
“I shot you,” Lucas recalled. Silence.
“You look tired,” Ezra sighed. “There's no need to run. I'm not running.”
“That's the problem”. Silence. “I don't want to hurt you more. But they do”. Ezra didn't ask who they were. She wasn't here for information. She was here for her boyfriend. Lucas heard her shuffle forward.
“I missed you”, she muttered. He shuddered, silently demanded the voices in his head to quiet down. He heard a click, and his arms fell. Ezra had unlocked the shackles. He felt a chain click around his neck with some unseen force though. He wasn't fully free. He didn't know if he would ever be fully free.
“Please fight them,” Ezra whispered. Lucas looked up at her.
“I know you were never much of a fighter, but please, come back to us. To me. To what we could be.” Her hand was pulling to cup his face, but she froze.
“I wish I taught you how to fight,” she sighed. Lucas’s face faltered. She had done that. Ezra looked up at him, and he saw that she was close to crying. She reached out for him.
“Please don't become my favorite what if,” she whispered. Her hand brushed his cheek that was still stained with the black, wiping it off with her thumb gently.
“I don't want to,” he assured. “But they do. I don't know how to fight them”.
“Gods I just want you back. Please. I could be a good girlfriend. I want to be your girlfriend. I made you promise not to let me run”. Tears were streaming down her face softly and silently. “I don't want to run. Don't push me away again”. Lucas took a sharp breath.
“Ezra,” he sputtered. “I'm not good. I shot you for them. I'm not the man you fell in love with”. Ezra had been reaching out for him with her hand before he said that, but she recoiled.
“you were the first person I didn't want to run from,” Ezra sputtered out as she moved in closer.
“I'm sorry,” Lucas groaned. Her eyes flashed.
“Why are you sorry?” The sound of the chains going slack echoed through the room as Lucas tried to reach out for Ezra but couldn't touch her.
She moved in closer.
“I never gave up on you. That night when… look, you were the only one that had enough willpower to still be yourself and not a puppet. You've been fighting them. You're the strongest out of all of them. Please just come back to me”, Ezra moved her hand so that it hovered over Lucas’s shackled wrist. “To us”. Lucas’s stomach flipped. He shuddered, fighting the hisses in his mind.
“you won't fall in love with me again. Not after everything I've done, I'm not the same,” he sighed. He could feel ebony tears prickle around his eyes. Ezra looked away, her own eyes glossy.
She took a shaky breath, pulling her knees closer to her.
“If that's the case, when I'm exhausted and tired and come to you, don't give me comfort. Don't rest with me”. Her voice was cold as stone. Lucas couldn't hold back, and the chains snapped as he tried to get closer.
“no! That's not- I can't do that!” he really didn't mean to shout, but he did anyway. Ezra snapped her head to him, a tear dripping down.
“Only my boyfriend and the man I love would say that, so I guess that makes him you”, she hissed back. Tears ran down as she took heavy fast breaths.
“Ezra…” Lucas whispered.
“I have, I do, and I will always love you. I don't care what you do or what happens. I've been waiting and missing you”. She was finally close enough for Lucas to brush her, and that made her crumble, hugging him. Lucas had been fighting, but this close to her with her scent in his nose made his slip as his teeth dug into her neck.
“Lucas,” Ezra practically moaned out a gasp, bringing Lucas back to reality and immediately snapping away. She had flinched, melting and recoiling.
“Gods I'm so sorry. Fuck, I just-” he scrambled to cover the bite mark that was already bleeding. It was a good amount of blood for such a shallow bite.
“It's, it's OK. We just need to work on your will. They just got to you for a moment.” Ezra had been looking down at her shoulder trying to see the bite, but her eyes flicked up. She cupped his face with her palm as her expression melted.
“You've been fighting for so long. You look tired,” she muttered. Lucas sighed.
“I am.”
“You can close your eyes. I'll be here”. Ezra sat beside him, still stoic. She dropped her head to his shoulder.
“I love you”, she whispered. “Ill never stop loving you. You're the one I run to.” That finally shattered Lucas, causing black tears to roll down. He melted into her as much as the restraints would allow him.