NatePat One-Shots

Sky Raiders

this is from a book series by Brandon Mull
cool guy, great books, check em out

When Nathan Sharp opened his eyes he lay flat in the dirt, the sky cloudy with promise of rain. The area was already covered in mist, a little rain shower couldn't hurt. But where was he? Had he fallen asleep at some park? Had he passed out drunk from a party? The ground was also moist but that wasn't what concerned Nate, it was the fact that three moons shine brightly in the sky.
One red.
One blue.
And one yellow.
They glowed brilliantly in the night sky, a pitch black darkness dotted with bright stars. Nate sat up quickly and frantically looked around, swiveling his head in all directions with wet eyes. Where was he? This wasn't home, nor was it his planet. His arms shook from weakness and he fell back onto the dirt, a dizziness threatening to crush him back into unconsciousness. His whole body felt numb, Nate couldn't recall anything before he woke up. His left wrist stung like fire, his mouth was dry, and he felt like his stomach was imploding on itself. How long has he been out? How much has he forgotten?

"How curious," a slightly gruff voice mused, "it seems someone from the Outside has fallen yet again."

Nate scrambled to his knees as a robed figure approached, hood hiding his face as his hunched over position provided enough shadow to mask it. Heart racing and eye twitching, Nate let out a yelp as he was viciously pulled up by his left arm with a vice grip. The figure examined the inside of his wrist before chuckling and letting him fall to the floor, clutching onto his sore arm tightly. The robed man removed his hood and revealed the oldest man Nate had ever seen, wrinkled skin tinted yellow, red rimmed eyes that seemed bug-like, and a large scar on the right side of his face. He let out another laugh before straightening his spine, appearing at least 6 feet tall once he stopped stretching.

"Your bondmark is that of a slave, looks like no one owns you." There was a suspicious gleam in his eye.

Nate was mortified, this guy was a creep, a goddamn nightmare. Wherever he was, he wanted out. He prayed that he'd find the courage to fight back, but he only felt the shaking of his knees, the adrenaline pulsing through him, this couldn't be the end. Just as the disgusting man loomed over him, another cloaked figure slid in front of him so he was in between the exchange. With a thick branch in hand he swung it and knocked the old man to the floor, a loud crack echoing through the clearing, notifying that something had broke. The man sputtered out various curses before retreating into the woods beyond, leaving the other figure panting and Nate in shock.

"Are you alright?" The voice was familiar.

"Uh, yeah." Nate stuttered, placing a hand on his forehead.

"Good, I never thought I'd find you, Nate." The cloaked figure said.

In an instant, the hood was removed to reveal Matthew Patrick, a fellow YouTuber who had the biggest smile on his face. Nate's heart stopped as soon as he saw him and he immediately latched onto him, eyes wide open and grip tight around Matt's body. Matt felt Nate shaking and returned the hug, thankful that he'd made it before the musician was taken or injured. No matter how much Nate wanted answers they'd have to wait, this moment was too important. He couldn't believe Matt had saved his life, even if the threat wasn't that dangerous, there was no telling what could've happened.

"Wait, where are we?" Nate looked Matt straight in the eyes.

"I know about as little as you, Nate." Matt looked scared, the kind of scared that would traumatize anyone. "I'm sorry."

Nate had asked so fiercely that he didn't even stop to breathe, he quickly wrapped his arms around Matt and tried to make both of them feel better. He finally relaxed and they simply say there, leaning against each other with just the right amount of weight to keep them comfortable. With time, Matt eventually closed his eyes and drifted into deep thought, he wanted to go home, he wanted to find his friends, there was so much that Nate didn't know and there was only so much to tell.
There were so many others.
So many.
They wouldn't be able to save them all.
Couldn't they try?
But they were slaves.
Nate nuzzled Matt and brought him out of his dark thoughts, a warmth spreading to battle the chill that swirled around them.

"Matt, tell me what happened..." Nate asked weakly, almost to tears.

"We were on our way to a convention, Mark, Felix, Jack, Wade, Bob, almost every YouTuber was going. There was this booth that introduced a new way of gaming, we all were so excited, you and I were so skeptical about it that we almost didn't think to look into it. We were so stupid, Nate. I was so stupid." Matt sucked in a breath, clinging to Nate tighter. The memory was so fresh, it was a wonder they were still here. "They were showing us some sort of gaming room, it was a hole with a hatch, they insisted that everyone join. Nate, it's all my fault. I convinced you to check it out, I wanted you to have fun, I was so upset with myself! The next thing I knew some lady was digging her nail into my wrist, now I'm a slave! A goddamn slave! You were out cold, they thought you were dead, they left you here. I escaped and found you."

Nate shook with intensity and felt his head ache, he remembered it all, he'd thought it was all fake and decided not to go. Then there was Matt, he just wanted Nate to have a good time, it wasn't his fault.
But, oh god, Nate was blaming him.
He didn't want to.
It wasn't his fault.
But this was a disaster.
Matt was silently crying as he sensed Nate's obvious fear and rage, he knew he hated him, it was his fault he was stuck here. Oh god, they were in deep.

"Shut up, dammit!" Nate exclaimed, gripping Matt's arms. "I won't let you blame yourself for this!"

"But I...!" Matt was lost in Nate's stare.

"I know you convinced me to do it, but I wasn't going to leave you alone! I went along because you were the only thing I cared about, you still are, and I'm not going to let you get killed! We are fugitives now, Matthew! In a world where there is no sense of law!" Nate grit his teeth, tears of frustration dribbling down his face. Pain lingered in his voice as Matt only stared, his eyes wet and constant frown unchanging. "So just shut up and let me do this for you!"

Matt was awestruck and his heart wrenched, more tears spilling from his eyes but his expression never changed. Nate's grip lessened and he panted, staring back at Matt with equal force and misery. Without warning Nate connected their lips, Matt letting out a strangled yelp as a mantra of feeling swallowed him. His eyebrows knit together and he tried to keep his eyes open, saliva running down his chin as Nate disregarded every attempt he made to stop him. Pushing him away was out of the question, pulling back was nearly impossible, and keeping quiet was pointless. Moans of all kinds were swallowed by Nate, egging him on and making him pull Matt closer against him. It was now or never, he had to do it or he might've never done it, Nate kept telling himself this before he realized that oxygen was important. A thin line of saliva connected them, their tongues still slightly visible. Matt's gaze was half-lidded and his eyes were clouded over, his mouth slightly open and his lips bruised.

"I'm not... letting you go..." Nate panted, closing his eyes.

"I... I know..." Matt answered, just as breathless.