Rebel: A Monstercat Fanfic

029 - Breathe

Song of the Chapter: Boombox - Throttle (Electro)

(Phantom's POV)

Thunder cracks outside, sounding like it could split the earth in half. I jump in surprise and Noisestorm laughs at me. "Shut it," I mutter without moving from my spot by the window.

I keep my eyes glued to the streets, even though it's pouring rain now and I can barely see anything. Is Braken still out there, alone? Knowing him, he'll be a lot more than just alone. He'll be cold, afraid, depressed, exhausted ... I hope Aero Chord found him alright.

We were all notified of the dangerous man on the loose - and we got his description, too. We all know it's Tristam, but there's nothing we can do about it. We're confined here until further notice. I hope he's okay, too. It's my fault we have three artists out there on the run tonight. If I hadn't been so afraid of heights, Tristam would be here, which means Braken wouldn't have run off and Aero wouldn't have had to go after him. Even Rogue probably wouldn't have sprained his ankle. He can finally walk in it now, but he's still limping and sudden movements make him wince in pain. I definitely screwed up that night.

Noisestorm comes over to me, sitting on the bed where Braken usually lays and picking up the discarded paper bag. He bites into one of the chicken nuggets thoughtfully, gazing out the window with me. "It's not your fault, you know," he finally says.

"Yes, it is." I don't look at him. I don't want him to see how much this hurts me.

"How?"

"If I hadn't passed out from terror on the roofs, Tristam wouldn't have come after us and gotten caught."

He's quiet for a minute. "That's not your fault. At least you were brave enough to try, right?"

"Maybe." I rest my elbows on the window sill and sigh.

"Do you need a hug?"

"Definitely not."

He stands up and brushes the crumbs off his hands, onto his pants. "Well, I'm going to give you one anyway, because I want one."

"Noise, no ..." I protest half-heartedly as he wraps his arms around me, holding me close to him. I try to push him away, but he's unwilling to let go. After a moment, I relax and hug him back, resting my head on his shoulder. I can feel his chest rise and fall as he breathes deeply, and it starts to calm me down. He's taller than I am, and I feel safer with him.

"I ship it," Nitro whispers loudly from across the room.

We both snap up and release each other. "Don't you dare - " I growl, matching toward him.

Noisestorm grabs my arm and holds me back. "Leave it. We're not together, so it doesn't matter what he says." Even so, I can hear the anger in his voice.

I glare at Nitro, but relax my tense stance. Noisestorm's right. It's not a big deal.

Nitro gives me a smug grin and mouths the words, "You two should kiss."

I glance at Noisestorm and he starts forward, starting to release the anger. His nails dig into my wrist as he clenches his fists. "Noise," I say softly, and he shifts his attention to me. We share an understanding look and he lets go of me. "Ready?" I say, grinning.

"Get him."

We both tackle him, one on either side, and crash painfully to the floor. Nitro shrieks in pain and laughs in amusement, fighting us and trying to wiggle out of our grip. We've pinned him down, though, holding his shoulders and his wrists so he can't move. I start to tickle him, just because if I physically hurt him, Stephen will yell at me. Nitro screams and I swear he almost dies of screeching laughter, kicking at me and Noise, but not making any difference, since he's totally spazzing out and trying to curl up to protect himself. Noisestorm shifts to hold his arms down and I continue to tickle him.