C҉R҉O҉W҉ | ᴍᴄᴜ x ᴍᴀʟᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

XVII - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥

A/N: The SEASON finale has come. It's about to be one hell of a ride so buckle up.

G I O L A B S

THE CHEMICAL LAB laid in ruins, shattered glass and twisted metal littering the floor. Smoke hung thick in the air, mingling with the acrid scent of chemicals and the coppery tang of blood.

Y/N struggled to rise, his body battered and broken. Every movement sent waves of pain coursing through him, but he forced himself to stand.

Azrael stood over him, his face a mask of cold indifference. He kicked Y/N back to the floor, his boot landing with a sickening thud against Y/N's ribs.

"Pathetic." Azrael's voice was like ice, "You thought you could stand alone for this city? You can't even stand against me."

Y/N gritted his teeth, pushing himself up once more. His vision swam, but he refused to give in.

"This isn't. . . over." He gasped, "I-I'll never stop."

Azrael shook his head, smirking, before he lunged with deadly grace, his movements a mirror of Y/N's own but executed with brutal precision. Y/N swung a punch, but Azrael caught his wrist effortlessly, twisting it until Y/N cried out in pain.

Y/N wrenched his arm free, retaliating with a kick aimed at Azrael's side.

But Azrael anticipated the move, dodging easily and delivering a blow to Y/N's temple that sent him sprawling. The world tilted, and Y/N's vision darkened at the edges.

"Is this what you wanted?" Azrael continued, his voice low and menacing, "To be a martyr? To die for a cause that was doomed from the start?"

Y/N's breaths came in ragged gasps as he forced himself up once more.

Azrael's scoffs, eyes of amusement and apathy as he moved in close, too fast for Y/N to react, and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

"You're fighting a losing battle." He whispered, "And in the end, no one will remember you."

With a swift motion, Azrael threw Y/N to the ground, the impact jolting through his bones.

••••••••

A F E W H O U R S A G O

Y/N SAT ON THE COUCH staring blankly at the wall. His hands were clasped together, his eyes swollen with deep eyebags from the amount of tears he had wept.

Felicia moved quietly around the kitchen before she brought him a glass of water and placed a plate of food in front of him without asking.

"Here, eat." She said softly.

Y/N glanced at the plate, then back at Felicia.

"I don't have an appetite right now." He muttered.

Felicia frowned, rubbing her temple as she sighed, sitting down next to him, her eyes filled with empathy.

"I know it's been hard. . . I know." She said, voice barely a whisper, "But you need to control what you can only control now. . . you think in your own mind that you are what this city always needs?"

"No. . . but I am the one that this city created."

Y/N gritted his teeth, slowly shaking his head as he looked down, tears yet again tempting to well.