Ruin // Danger Days (Book 3)

21.

"Where were you?"

Riptide was sitting at a table in the Nest eating a can of soup. He looked so out of place to Storm; he wasn't confident or happy at all. He looked... defeated.

"I was staying at a restaurant with a bunch of gangs," he replied after a second. "But then when I got back from the debate, they didn't believe what I said and kicked me out. So I just kind of wandered around for a while, selling whatever possessions I had to get water from people before they realized who I was and kicked me out. I asked a bunch of them where I could find you... they told me to go West. and now here I am."

"Damn," Storm said after getting some food for himself and sitting down next to him. He didn't know what else to say.

The two of them were silent for a moment as they ate.

"So..." Riptide began after a minute. "Are we gonna address the elephant in the room?"

Storm looked up at him. "I think we should." he thought for a minute and said, "Why did you do what you did that night?"

Riptide sighed. "During the debate, something about you just, drew me in, in a way. The way you stood up for yourself, the way you never gave in... I liked that. In a weird way, that I've never felt before. I thought I might just want to sleep with you or something, but it was different. There was an emotion there when there usually isn't.

"My dad died when I was a baby, and my mom left me at an orphanage a few years later. They treated us like absolute shit there, and I always used to take it out on other kids at school, because I didn't know what else to do. No one liked me, I never had friends, let alone a partner. And then of course, when BLI came around, I rushed to the Lobby to try and help. I stayed with Rev for a while, but then they told me about the desert, so I went out there as soon as possible. I shouldn't have done that, they'd already lost a friend and didn't deserve to lose another one. After that, my entire life was just violence. I wanted revenge on everyone; I wanted revenge on the world.

"So of course, when I actually felt emotion for the first time in years, I had no idea what to do. My instincts told me to kiss you, so I did. And I tried to tell you how I felt as well as I could. But then your friend came in and pulled you away, and... I didn't want you to leave."

Storm genuinely didn't know what to think. He'd been thinking about this for a month now and had even planned out exactly what he was going to say, but it all went out the window when it actually happened.

"My name is Decan," Riptide blurted suddenly, "by the way. I'd rather you call me that."

Storm was taken aback. He knew that he usually told people, but he still wasn't used to it. All he could think to say was, "Like John Deacon, from Queen?"

"Who?" Riptide--Decan--asked.

Storm laughed. "He's the bassist. You don't really seem like a Queen person."

"Yeah, I've heard some of their stuff, but it's not my thing. I like metal."

Storm nodded. "So anyway... after that night, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I assumed that it was weird and it was just because you were my enemy and that the memory stuck in my mind, but then I realized... I've been really, well, alone, since Poison died. Sure, I had friends, but none of them cared about me like he did. And when you kissed me... I felt something that I haven't felt in a long time. And I didn't want it to stop. I thought maybe you were just acting to get in my head, but then you showed up here. And now... I'm not sure what to think. But now I know you meant it. When you looked at me like that. And I realize now... there's a different reason you were in my head. I think you can guess what it was."

Decan stared at him, wide-eyed. "You mean, you actually wanted to be with me?"

Storm felt his face heat up. "Uh, I mean... I think so."

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really? I--I don't know what to say!"

Storm gathered his courage, turned towards Decan, and took his hands. "I wanna make this work, Decan. I know you feel guilty, and that's okay. But I want to help you. You've never been happy before... so I want to make sure that you are."

The two were silent again, until Decan suddenly shot forward and threw his arms around Storm, burying his face in his shoulder.

Storm wrapped his arms around him too. He never wanted to let the broken boy go.

~

"Hello everyone, this is Silent St--"

"General."

"Oh, fine. General Silent Storm broadcasting from the Nest. I know it's weird that I'm doing this right now, but I've got a special guest with me that wants to tell you all something."

"Um, hey. You guys probably know me as Riptide. Yeah, I know; weird that I'm with Silent right now."

"Storm."

"Whatever the hell. Anyway, I just wanted to say... I'm sorry for what I said at the debate. None of what I said is true. I was trying to stir up trouble and get you all to fight, and hopefully, I would win and get power. I realize now that that's wrong, really wrong. Storm was right the whole time; he was never a spy, he's always been loyal to the Killjoys. I was just being a dick, and I'm sorry for that. So... I'm stepping down from the election. I don't deserve it."

"Hey, you never told me that bit!"

"I thought you had the same idea."

"No, wait, did I even tell you my idea?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, I was thinking that since we have some different beliefs, we could unite the two sides by maybe leading together."

"Leading together? Has that ever happened before?"

"Not here, no. But in the world, yeah! Rome had a triumvirate--"

"Oh, nevermind. I kind of like that idea, but only if it's 75-25."

"You just don't feel like making decisions, do you?"

"Nah."

"Fine, 75-25."

"Alright Silent, you've got a deal. Anyway, I hope you all will forgive me. I've been an ass, yeah, but I promise I'll get better."

"He will, if I have anything to say about it. Alright, this has been General Storm and--would you be a General too?"

"If you say so."

"General Storm and General Riptide, signing off. See you in the Zones."

~

Storm switched off the transponder and sat back in his chair. "Okay, that's done!"

Decan smiled. "I'm glad I did that. It feels like a weight was lifted off my chest."

"So you're not a cocky ass anymore?"

He laughed. "I'm gonna try not to be cocky, but I'll always be an ass, sweetheart."

Suddenly, the door to the transmission room burst open. An out-of-breath Sunset and Val stood in the doorway.

Storm was confused. "Sunset? Velocity? What's going on?"

"They found us," Sunset told him.

"What do you mean? Who found us?"

"BLI. They're coming."