pokebox | we all got expectations and sometimes they go wrong

we all got expectations and sometimes they go wrong

[Jaeger knew it was a mistake to stay and fight this thing.

He had tried to get Wesker to leave, but in the end they agreed that it needed to be taken care of. If Wesker couldn't handle it, who could? So if they don't kill it, someone could get seriously hurt or killed, and it's best just to remove it from the picture now while they're here. It doesn't matter that this place is unnerving Jaeger so badly he's having a hard time shooting straight, the important thing is that this monster is taken out.

It looks like Uroboros, and the more Jaeger sees of it, the more unsteady his aim becomes. Using the sword or scythe won't work - he can't imagine getting any closer to it than he already is, and even though the rifle's shots don't seem to be doing anything, he can at least pretend to be useful from back here. Wesker's got plenty of weaponry, so surely he can find something that will damage it better than Jaeger's limited options. It's times like this he really does wish he was a better fighter, but even if he was he'd be at a severe disadvantage. Look at the size of this thing.

It's been ignoring him for the most part, focusing on Wesker and otherwise just sort of watching them with its hundreds - thousands? - of eyes. The mechanical sounds continue in the background and it's all so oppressive Jaeger can barely think. But he's trying his best to maintain his focus, because even though he's damn near useless, he could never turn and run and leave Wesker to face this alone.

One of his shots is a lucky one - he hits a particularly large eye dead on and the blast causes it to sink in further to the disgusting mass, no longer working. Immediately, all the other remaining eyes turn on Jaeger. There's something absolutely horrifying at having all of them look directly at you, and Jaeger freezes on the spot, rifle still at the ready like he's going to take another shot. He knows he should - or better yet, he should move, but he can't seem to will himself to do either.

The mass of eyes doesn't move, but an equally horrifying appendage of tentacles (also filled with eyes, of course) swings around and then straight ahead, with the intention of impalement on the sharp pieces of metal imbued toward the end of the writhing mass. If it hits, Jaeger won't survive, and he's all too aware of that. It's only then that he starts to move, and it's far too late for him to get away.]

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[This thing is more complicated to fight than he would have thought.

Certainly there's some difficulty in just facing anything this similar to Uroboros, but it isn't just that; it's...a lot of things - the oppressive atmosphere, the fact that his emotions and thoughts are so overactive and uncontrolled, the notion at the back of his mind that even if he can't kill this thing, maybe it will kill him and then all of this can finally stop. He's so tired of all of this - of being used by people, of being manipulated and having things like this forced on him again and again, not just by Retrospec but across lifetimes, and the only thing that's keeping him any semblance of "here" is the notion that something might happen to Jaeger if he isn't focused.

Jaeger shoots; the thing shifts immediately. Wesker is more than aware of it.

He assumes, for the briefest of moments, that things will be fine - that Jaeger will move, or he'll shoot again or he'll do something that isn't freeze up, but then that hideous mass is aimed directly at him and there aren't any thoughts or assumptions or anything anymore, there's just an abrupt spinal reaction and a calculation being fired off in his head as to whether he can close distance between them fast enough to matter (and of course he can, he knows for a fact that he can) and he doesn't really register deciding to move so much as he just does, the enhanced speed and reflexes he's been granted reacting far faster than conscious thought.

Conscious thought doesn't really catch up until he's reached Jaeger and shoved him somewhere down and out of the way, and it was probably nowhere near gentle and Wesker isn't sure if he's injured him or not, but the point is that Jaeger's probably not dead or dying and that's about when something...else registers, and it takes him a moment to recognize it as pain, and he doesn't know what the thing has done to him but it's probably very, very bad.

He can feel it when the appendage retracts, and it probably takes a fair amount of him with it but he can't afford to think about that right now.

His breathing is jagged and he doesn't entirely drop, but he does end up taking a rather forced knee on the ground for a moment; he needs to rest, to recover and let himself regenerate but he doesn't have time for that right now and he almost immediately starts trying to force himself to stand.]

...Jaeger. Are you all right?

[He's entirely too slow to make it out of the way - hell, he would have been too slow in his past life too, and maybe that's something he can take comfort in after he's dead because that's exactly what's going to happen—

And then suddenly he's shoved out of the way, pushed further out and down, landing hard on his left arm somewhere above his elbow and just short of his shoulder. It's good that he didn't land on either; the force of the fall might have broken them. The pain isn't really registering right now though anyway, because there's really only one thing that could have happened to spare him from death.]

Albert!

[He's already getting up and he remembers to reach for his weapon after a moment (is it damaged? that doesn't matter right now) before he's already on his way to Wesker's side. He reaches out to catch him, to try to keep him from moving.]

Don't move you're—

[Injured is how he wants to finish that, but a blow like that...

No. No, he's fine. He's fine.]

I'm okay. I'm fine. Don't worry about me, okay?

[The words are shaking far more than he wants them to, but he's doing his best to be as confident and controlled as possible. The last thing Wesker needs right now is to worry about him on top of everything else.]

[He nods a bit at that; he's listening, he heard, if Jaeger is going to insist that he shouldn't worry about him, then he won't for now - that can come later, after this thing is dead.]

I... I'll be all right, I can recover from it. We need to... We need to finish it, or we're going to die here, do you understand?

[Just...let him get up, he'll be all right for now.]

[He doesn't want to, but he lets go and allows Wesker to go.]

Yes, I... Yes. I'll do what I can.

[He isn't sure how much use he'll be, but he returns his attention to his gun - damaged, not badly enough to break it, thankfully - and moves to get in position. Shooting directly at the eyes will cause this exact same thing to happen again, so he'll just have to be careful. He's still useless, but he'll serve as your backup.

Wesker can heal after this thing is dead. It'll be okay. It'll be fine.

His hands are shaking more than they were before, however.]

[He only remembers feeling pain like this once in his past life.

It hadn't been when Uroboros had taken him - the euphoria had been too strong for him to be aware of the pain then, even though he knows that between the cores and the appendages threading their way through his body he absolutely should have been in massive amounts of pain. The time that springs to mind had been years before, when he was still human and the Tyrant had killed him - he'd been impaled, and when he'd been thrown and the claws left his body they'd taken a fair amount of him with them then as well, and if that's what his mind is drawing comparisons to even with all of his enhancements and ability to heal himself, he can only imagine exactly how injured he is at the moment.]

Jaeger, get out.

[He's been hesitant to use the more high-powered explosives that he has, because setting those off against something like this in an enclosed space has struck him as a bad idea all around. But the fact of the matter is that the assault weapons aren't doing enough, and this hurts, and it's making focusing hard and he absolutely can't afford to lose focus now; he's becoming increasingly aware that there's too much internal damage for him to keep doing this, that we need to finish this now - ]

...I'll be right behind you, I promise. Just go.

[He's already pulling the explosives out, preparing to set them; it's likely obvious why he's telling you to move, we don't want to be in the room when they go off.]

[Normally he'd double-check. The explosives say everything they need to, but normally he'd ask again anyway, just to make sure Wesker really will be right behind him. But for once he doesn't ask, he just nods. He's a bit worried he won't be able to speak without the words shaking again, and to be honest, he just really wants to get out of here.

He doesn't hesitate then, he transforms his weapon (it's not taking too kindly to that and the briefcase form isn't quite folded up properly, but at least it's mostly working), then heads on out. He's much slower than Wesker, so he doesn't waste any time in picking up speed, since he's sure Wesker will catch up. They need to put distance between themselves and that thing, and he's not going to make Wesker carry him right now.

It'll be fine. It'll be fine. That hideous thing will die and Wesker will be fine.]

[He doesn't wait to visually confirm that Jaeger really is leaving before he begins setting the explosives; he just trusts that he will, and if he doesn't...well, he'll cross that bridge if he comes to it.

He sets the explosives, and he leaves.

Even if his body is resisting movement right now in a way that he doesn't really like, he's going to make himself put distance between himself and the chamber that thing is located in; the hallways here are fairly straightforward, and thankfully he doesn't have to worry about those glyphs for the time being - the imagery is leaving him alone, and eventually he will manage to catch up with Jaeger. It's not as quickly as he would have liked - it's nowhere near as quickly as he would have liked - and it isn't long after that he has to stop, bracing himself against the wall for a moment.]

That... It should be enough for now, I need a moment.

[Wesker doesn't catch up as quickly as he expects, so Jaeger turns to confirm Wesker is following. He must be badly injured.

Well of course he's badly injured, he was—

He doesn't want to think about it. So for now he won't.

He stops when Wesker does, moving to rest a hand on his arm without thinking about it.]

It's okay, it's...

[fine, but it isn't. And it won't be until Wesker's fully healed. He... will be fully healed, won't he...?]

We can stay here for now. It should be fine, ja? So just... rest, okay?

...Yes, of course.

[He's vaguely aware of Jaeger touching him, but he isn't going to remain upright for much longer. When he makes his way to the floor it's with the assistance of the wall, leaning up against it and just...letting himself slide down, dropping to the ground with his head bowed a bit; it isn't much longer before the explosion itself goes off, and it's loud and it shakes the building, sending vibrations through the walls in a way Wesker doesn't like but this is a big industrial complex, it'll hold well enough, he didn't set enough to bring the entire place down. Just enough to make sure that thing's dead.

His breathing is incredibly labored, though he still isn't looking at Jaeger. Just...trying to catch his breath; he seems to be having difficulty doing so.]

Did I... Did I injure you earlier, I didn't...

[mean to, but it kind of had to be done.]

[Jaeger moves with him, sitting down. The explosion rocks the place and he glances back for a moment before returning his attention to Wesker. That thing is probably dead, and if it isn't, then it isn't his problem anymore. He's far more worried about his husband.]

No, you didn't. I'm okay.

[His arm does hurt a bit, and it'll probably bruise pretty badly, but that's not important right now.]

Thank you for... I... Thank you.

[He's not sure how to express just how much it means to him, but that's something he can figure out later.

(Right?)

For now he'll just sit with Wesker, a hand still on his arm as he tries very hard not to panic.]

[It's not getting any easier to breathe.

He knows it should be, he should be recovering by now, but it's difficult; he can feel his body trying, but...]

You...know you don't have to thank me. For that.

[The words are tight and quiet; they're punctuated by a sharp intake of breath between gritted teeth.]

Of course I do. It's... It's really important to me.

[He's not recovering. He isn't recovering, is he? He's having trouble breathing, so...]

Albert, are you...

[He trails off there, suddenly deciding he doesn't want to ask. If Wesker isn't recovering... What the hell is he supposed to do? They're so far away, there's simply no way he can get help in time. So what... What is he supposed to do?]

...I'm all right.

[He isn't, he knows that he likely sounds like he isn't, he's tired and he just wants to sleep, but some part of him - some primal lizard-brain reaction - knows that that's a bad idea. The pain comes in waves, causing his muscles to tense involuntarily from time to time; after a moment he shifts a bit, seeming to seek out Jaeger's hand with his own.]

I... I'll be fine. It's just... Just taking a while.

[He tries to find comfort in that. He wants to believe it, he wants to believe that everything will be okay, but...]

Of course.

[The words don't sound as confident as he wants them to.]

I... I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. It'll... It'll be okay, ja?

[That's more of a question than he wants it to be. He takes Wesker's hand with both of his own and grips it tightly.]

Yes... Y-Yes, of course.

[He's...trying to respond as well as he can, but another wave of pain hits him then; his grip tightens a bit before he makes himself relax, and overall it isn't as firm as it probably should be.]

[Jaeger's grip tightens again before he forces himself to relax it a bit. He doesn't want to hurt Wesker anymore, but he's certainly not letting go.]

G-Good. I... I love you, Albert. And I... You saved me. I don't... I don't know if I can ever thank you enough for it.

[He can feel himself starting to slip a bit; it's not something he's unfamiliar, sliding into that sense of blank nonexistence that implies that everything is starting to shut down; he tips his head back against the wall, trying to force himself to keep breathing, to focus on what Jaeger is saying, but it's...difficult, in a way that he doesn't like.

He tries to say something in response, to find words and force them out, but they don't want to come; he can't say they'd be coherent even if they did. After a while he just...gives up, offering a vague, brief sound that's probably more pained than anything, but he does nod a bit. He's...listening, he knows.]

[The sound worries him, and he moves a bit closer, his grip tightening again on Wesker's hand. He doesn't try to relax his grip this time.]

It... It's going to be okay. I promise, it's going to be okay. No matter wh-what happens...

[His voice shakes far more than he wants it to, but he can't stop it now.]

[He can feel it coming on again, that sense of slipping, that he's not going to be awake for much longer

(that he's not going to be alive for much longer)

and despite himself his grip loosens again against Jaeger's; it's getting so hard to focus, so hard to breathe, and it would be so much easier to just stop trying.

But he needs to try to stay here, to keep telling himself that he can recover even if some part of him knows that he can't; it's...too much, his body can't handle it, and he tenses up again a bit as his nerves fire off again, the pain barely registering anymore even though he knows it's there.

He's...trying, but it's obvious it's not going well.]

[Jaeger releases a shaky breath and raises a hand. He reaches out and runs his hand through Wesker's hair gently.]

I'm right here. I'm... I'm right here, and I won't leave. Ever. S-So don't... Don't worry, okay? It'll... It'll be fine.

[He wants to promise that, but he can't.]

[The hand in his hair gets a soft noise out of him; not enough to really constitute a proper response, but enough to indicate that he knows Jaeger is there.

It's all he manages to give before his body gives out on him.

He draws another few labored, difficult breaths before everything just...stops; he's vaguely aware that Jaeger has said something to him, but he has no comprehension of what. He passes out hard, all consciousness leaving him and sending his grip against Jaeger's hand oddly slack; after another few moments, his breathing stops entirely.]

[His breath catches when Wesker stops breathing. His grip tightens on Wesker's hand and it takes him several long moments before he's able to speak up.]

Albert... I...

[What is he going to say now that Wesker's...

No, he doesn't have anything to say. He can't find words, no matter how hard he tries, so instead he ducks his head and cries. It's full-body shaking sobbing and he can't stop, but how could he ever stop? His husband is dead.]

[Overall, the virus is very, very efficient.

Wesker is gone, certainly, and for the time being he's going to have to stay that way; it's to Progenitor's benefit, however, to ensure that he isn't like that for too long. As soon as he dies it's already prioritizing; some things, bluntly put, are more important than others. Processing the blood that's filled his abdominal cavity, and healing the source of it so it doesn't just continue to seep all over; sealing and repressurizing and ensuring tat he'll be able to breathe as quickly as possible. Ensuring that he won't take brain damage from a lack of blood and oxygen, repairing anything that's too far gone to fix just by restoring blood flow...

It's complex work - but again, the virus is efficient in ways that human medicine could never be.

It takes about five minutes total for him to start breathing again. For his brain to tell his heart to restart, for another of those soft, vaguely pained noises to leave him. Because there is still pain; the process is efficient, but it isn't perfect.]

[To be honest, Jaeger is in no position to realize that Wesker's body is healing itself. He's certainly known that Wesker can heal himself after death, but it hasn't occurred to him that Wesker could come back. It seems so final, so permanent...

And then suddenly he's breathing again and there's noise, and Jaeger's gasping.]

Albert! Albert!

[His hand tightens on Wesker's and he resumes running his hand through Wesker's hair, desperately now.]

[...Oh, that's...]

...Jaeger...?

[It's quiet and it's breathless but at least it's something, even if he doesn't seem to be responding very well physically yet.]

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