Arknights One Shots

Tears (Mephisto x Faust)

A/N: So kinda spoilers for chapter 6 but . . . I was pretty disappointed with what happened with Faust. Like, so much character development going down the drain. Not to mention, Faust and Mephisto didn't exactly get a proper goodbye. So, this is a tad self-indulgent on my part, but oh well. Hope y'all enjoy! Oh, and the song above is an Arknights OST lullaby originally posted on Billibilli. I thought it was fitting for this chapter.

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The artificial lights flickered as they continued further down the tunnel. Mephisto was slack in the crossbowmen's grip, his blank stare listless as the small brigade kept on moving forward. This wasn't the first time Reunion suffered the loss at the hands of Reunion, but the result of this most recent battle had left them all more than disheartened.

And then there was Faust.

Faust.

No, not Faust.

Sasha.

Carried in the arms of another hooded Reunion member, the bloodied face of Faust was pressed up into a chilled shoulder. Mephisto had long given up trying to look at Faust, at Sasha, who deserved better than what was given. This was all so wrong. It had been sheer luck for the few members who backpedaled to cover their escaping tracks to have found Faust worse for wear, hanging onto life by a mere thread. He needed medical attention if he was to survive.

But Mephisto didn't know if Faust even wanted to live at this point.

And the thought of him not wanting to live at all was far more terrifying then anything else.

And he might get his wish soon.

Something in his stomach sunk. He had no words to express the bile which choked him up. The distant part of his mind remembered the few nights previous, back when they were still traveling. Faust, no, Sasha, had asked him if he ever considered going to Rhodes Island with him. It was a stupid question at the time, or at least what Mephisto had thought. The inward part of him, with another name from another life, had said different. All they wanted was to be happy together. Why did this happen instead?

It's your fault. All your fault.

"I think we should be okay here." One of the grunts murmured.

"I don't know . . . Those black raincoats . . ." Another one intoned.

"We haven't heard from them in the past hour now. I don't think we're the biggest fish to fry at this point. Do you?" The third member spoke.

"I suppose so." The first one answered. "But one can never be too careful."

"Then let's get a little further then."

And so that's what they did. The floor blurred from all the movement, or maybe it was just the stinging pressure behind his eyes. Thankfully, his face wasn't visible to the grunts, allowing him the chance to feel emotions freely. All of this heat in his face was strange. The way it burned, the way it made his eyes water . . . all of it felt awful. But he supposed he deserved it. There were so many things he did wrong, but not noticing Sasha's pain until too late was worst of all. His dear . . . Companion (they'd always felt more than friends, closer than family, especially after they left that city together) had been fading away and what had he done? Nothing.

There were signs. So many signs.

Why did he not notice them? They were supposed to be the closest in the world.

His thoughts were mingled with pain as the hours bled away in his consciousness, before a heavy blackness claimed him once more. Sleep took over his mind. A broken bow held tightly in his hands went slack.