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Going after Reaper yourself was a ridiculous idea, you knew, but you had to. You wanted nothing more than to take him down and have bragging rights for the rest of your life. But it wouldn’t be easy. Your team repeatedly tried stopping you, your commander even threatening lower your rank if you did, but nothing could stop you. As you stepped out into the night, you slung your weapon over your back, pulled your scarf up around your nose and mouth, and tried your best not to look afraid. But you were. The name ‘Reaper’ struck fear into the hearts of everyone but you told yourself that he was only a man in a mask—a man who could turn into a wraith—but a man nonetheless. You can do this. You gave yourself a little pep talk as the wind seemed to whisper eerily around you. You tried not to jump at every sound you heard but your hand stayed on your weapon, at the ready. Your other hand drifted to the dog tags you kept in the inner pocket of your body armor. “I know you’re with me every step of the way, Gabe,” you whispered sadly. If only he were here. He would cheer you on instead of trying to hold you back. He had always been your biggest supporter and now that he was gone, you only had yourself…and these small reminders of him close to your heart. You took the dog tags out and looked at them longingly before pressing them to your lips. He was the only man you ever loved, and he was taken away from you before you could say goodbye. It wasn’t fair but…life wasn’t either. Suddenly, you heard laughter in the wind and you shoved the dog tags back into your pocket before drawing your weapon. You quickly wiped away the tears that had filled your eyes and sniffled quietly. “I know it’s you!” you shouted into the night. “I am not afraid!” Your hands shook, and you steadied them. “Looks like you are to me,” a voice said behind you and you turned quickly to see a cloud of black forming into a body. Reaper. You shot at him, but he only laughed and dodged your bullets, disappearing into a black cloud again. You lowered your weapon and looked around frantically. “Are you afraid of me or something?!” Though your mouth was covered by your scarf, your words came out strong and clear. “No,” the sinister voice said and the next thing you know, you’re being thrown to the ground and Reaper himself is standing over you. You inched away, using your feet to push you. “You’re afraid of me.” You were surprised that he let you stand without making a move. You pulled your scarf away from your face. “I want you to see the face of the woman that took you down singlehandedly.” He chuckled darkly, and your lip trembled in anger. You took him by surprise as you lunged at him, but as always, he was ready and wrestled you to the ground again. He had knocked the wind out of you, but you were able to focus on the mask that was inches away from your face. You wanted, no, needed to see his face. You swung as hard as you could, and he grunted as his head turned away and his mask clattered a few feet away. Finally. He turned on you, teeth bared, and your heart stopped. It couldn’t be. No. He was playing a trick. He was playing with your head. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t. “No,” you whimpered. “No…” His face seemed to soften a little, but he moved away too quickly for you to be sure. You blinked a few times while he had his back to you. “I didn’t want you to find out this way…” He said quietly, his voice sounding more like you remembered. “No,” you repeated. It was all you could say. You covered your face and sobbed into your hands, too weak to even move, to care. “You’re not Gabe,” you said tearfully. “You’re right, I’m not.” You looked up in time to see his shoulders slump as he shook his head. “I wanted to tell you. I wanted…” Before he could finish, you stood up, walked over to him and slapped him as hard as you could, hurting your hand in the process. “Goddamn it!” you hissed and held your hand. “You…you…” What were you trying to say? “I loved you so much, Gabe! How could you?” “…I can’t tell you,” he said, voice cracking. “You used to be able to tell me everything.” You started crying again and he turned to you. “Tell me why…all this time I thought you were dead. I was so hurt…so hurt…” “You don’t think I was!” he shouted, and you flinched but stood your ground. “Don’t you dare do that! I’m not the one who pretended to be dead only to join the enemy! I looked for you! I even kept these!” You pulled the dog tags out and threw them to the ground. He bent to pick them up and looked at you again. “One day you’ll understand why I’m doing this. One day we will sit down together again…” You scoffed. “No Gabe…Reaper,” you said, disgusted though something in you longed for that. “You’re part of the organization that killed my friends. I could never fraternize with the enemy.” “What are you doing now?” he asked in that smart-ass tone of his. “I'm…talking to you…” He let out a short laugh then held the dog tags out to you, but you refused to take them. He sighed and shoved them back into your pocket. “Keep those safe for me.” “What if I don’t want to now?” you asked defiantly. “You want to,” he said…so damn sure of himself as always. Tears filled your eyes again. “I just don’t understand, Gabe. I don’t get it. What happened to you?” “One day I will tell you everything you need to know.” “I could have killed you! I wanted to! I’m so angry.” You balled your fists up and slammed them into his chest over and over again until he grabbed your wrists. Even with his clawed gloves, he held them gently. “Let me go,” you said weakly before falling against his chest and crying. “Gabe…” He wrapped his arms around you and let you cry. “I know,” he said. You looked up at him and he let go of your hands, letting you reach up and touch his face. Even in the dark you could tell he wasn’t the right color, but his face still felt the same though it was cold to the touch. “You used to be so warm,” you remembered. He leaned into your touch and you felt wetness on your hands. “My Gabe…” When he had first cried in front of you, it had shocked you so much that all you could do was hold him. Now here he was again, and you were still not sure what to do. You stood on your tiptoes to kiss him, but he only stood there stiffly, eyes wide. “Don’t…” But as he spoke, he tangled his fingers in your hair and met your lips again, kissing you like he used to. “I’ll never be able to stop now,” he said before kissing you again, your tears mixing with his. He eventually pulled away and put your head against his chest. “I love you,” you said so quietly that you weren’t sure he could hear you. “No, you love Gabriel Reyes.” He scratched at your head gently, like he used to, and you closed your eyes. “You are Gabriel Reyes.” You sighed. “I don’t understand right now, but if you say there’s a reason for this then…I believe you. I don’t know why I do…but I do.” “I love you so fucking much it hurts,” he admitted. “Now that I know what you feel like again, I never want to let you go.” “When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting,” you promised. “I know you’ll be able to find me.” “I’ll find you and take you away from all of this. Things will be the way they used to be with us.” He finally let you go to pick up his mask and put it back on. “I miss you already.” He touched your face gently. “Don’t forget about me,” you said. “Never.” “I love you, Gabriel Reyes,” you said, patting the pocket where you kept his dog tags. “I love you more.” You watched as he turned into black mist again, swirling around you before vanishing. “I love you the most,” you said with a smile. |