loving you is a losing game ~ mbb x fem reader

we fell silent.

25th December, 1769

Nora and Mary Louise ran down the woods in the freezing cold, worry fear and panic gripping their hearts.

"did we lose them?", Mary Louise asked, breathlessly.

"certainly looks like it", Nora said, out of breath too.

"Nora...if anything happens-"

"nothing will happen. nothing. we will be fine, my sweet Mary", Nora cut her off, caressing her face.

"I cannot believe leonardo did this to me...", Mary Louise said, definitely hurt.

"darling, he isn't worth all your emotions. let him be. all alone. hurting to the core", Nora said, letting mary louise's sadness be one of her prime concerns.

Mary Louise bent over and laid her head on nora's shoulder, searching for comfort in her. Nora's hands slowly and gently stroked her back to make her feel better. from time to time a few sobs could be heard from mary.

"do not worry, love..", Nora whispered into her ears.

Mary Louise brought her teary face up to face nora's. she placed on hand on Nora's cheek.

"Nora. darling. I love you so so much. and no matter what happens, i will always love you. even if hell freezes over. remem--", Mary Louise suddenly fell silent.

"hey, mary- oh my god-", nora saw it. Nora saw the bloody wound on Mary Louise's back. a little bullet stayed engraved in there as Mary Louise's panicked eyes looked straight into Nora's.

Mary Louise could not speak as she collapsed into the arms of the girl she loved, still conscious, seeing everything that was going on. she felt paralysed. like the world came crashing down on her head and all she could was stand there helpless, unable to do anything but to accept it. 

nora's terrified eyes then saw leonardo standing behind the spot Mary Louise was standing and confessing her love to Nora only a moment ago, with a pistol in hand. Nora slowly shrank away from Leonardo's raised arm that held the bronze pistol.

"you bastard... do you have any idea of what you did to Mary?", Nora said, anger raging at her heart like hellfire.

"i did what i had to.", Leonardo said, his expression showing nothing. not regret, not anger, not even happiness. just nothing.

"YOU SAID YOU LOVED HER. YOU SAID YOU LOVED MARY! HOW COULD YOU-?", nora exhaled, placing her right hand on her forehead, unable to continue what she was saying.

Nora bent down to check on Mary Louise and her bullet wound. Nora slowly sat down, tears flowing silently from her eyes. she took Mary's hand in hers, laying Mary's head on her lap.

"mary mary talk to me...please", Nora pleaded to her.

"i had to do it", leonardo said, staring straight ahead at mary's wound.

"well how could you leonardo?", Nora said.

Leonardo clenched his fists. he gritted his jaw and closed his eyes as his mind worked carefully to prepare an appropriate answer and explanation to nora's question and what he did. he tried hard but could not come up with anything. because simply there was no explanation to the misdeed he had just done. he slowly opened his hollow eyes, unable to come with an answer.

"that was what was expected i suppose", nora muttered, still raging on the inside.

"nora...take me... somewhere ... safe... where we ... can be... alone.", mary louise slowly spoke, through all the gasps and winces of the gunshot wound. her pain did not subside. it got worse as the bullet stayed in there. she could feel it grazing her heart as she squeezed her eyes shut to try to not make a sound. little drops of water fell out of her eyes as nora could only watch her misery, not being able to help.