[FRAG] Grieve in Blood

Morning Star opened his eyes. The gun was trained on Jubilee, unfired. He hadn't pulled the trigger, after all. But the other was still bearing down on Sundae.

He blinked, eyes flicking down. His hands were shaking, violently. Actually, it felt like his entire body was. Morning Star lurched forwards, bile rising out of his throat, stumbling to the floor and vomiting. It stung his mouth.

He heard Sterling call his name and rush to his side, whatever battle he'd been fighting forgotten. He could see Jubilee glance up from the corner of his eyes, startled. It was hard to concentrate on any of that, though. It felt like a dozen wasps had settled into his head and were vibrating at the speed of light, like they'd burst out of his skull any minute. 

Morning Star blearily clutched his head as blood leaked out of his mouth. What was happening to him?

In the panic he'd started, the fighting had stopped. Jubilee had scrambled off Sundae and picked his way carefully to Morning Star's side, staring with wide eyes, as if he'd seen it all before. Sundae looked equally shocked, mouth slightly ajar. Morning Star really wanted to ask them what was going on, but if he opened his mouth, he was sure he'd puke up more acid. That didn't sound too nice. 

A small, tiny whine escaped him. The pain in his head had worsened, and his mouth was slick with the taste of his own Magninium. Py... Pyatiugolnik hadn't killed him, right? This wasn't an elaborate form of murder, right?

The pain ripped up and down his spine, and Morning Star involuntarily screamed, muscles twitching and spasming as he collapsed on the ground. Everything fogged up, slow as molasses, hard to move or think. Words didn't feel real anymore. Thoughts were slow. Muggy. Hurt.

Hands twitched, fingers twitched. He stood on the edge of a cliff, teetering, about to fall into an abyss of water. He didn't want to, but he instinctively knew that he wanted to. It all hurt. It all hurt, so much.

Someone pushed him.

And when he hit the water, he felt it rush into him, into every bit of him, until he and the water were one, a single entity, a sole being. There was no Morning Star, in the face of the abyss he had fallen into, this primordial, primeval, deep reservoir. 

He couldn't possibly hold all this water. It couldn't all be a part of him. But where could it go?

Perhaps outside of him.

And with that thought, the magic brimming on Morning Star's hands, his fur, his hair, his blood, ignited.

It was both exhilarating and painful as his body violently rejected the Blessing, magic forcibly wrenched from his body and thrust out at the world as his brain struggled to keep up with it all. The force of the blast knocked the Fragments who had gathered around him over, but it didn't harm them - instead, it caught them gently, setting them on the ground softly. 

Morning Star groaned as his vision swam and slowly brought itself into focus. His head hurt, still, but it was manageable, like a overzealous headache. He stirred, pulling himself to his hands and knees before sitting up, slowly. He smelled like puke. Eugh. It had gotten all over his shirt.

Blearily, he glanced around. Sterling was on the ground closest to him, blinking like a deer in headlights. Jubilee and Sundae were a bit further away, and both gawked. Morning Star slowly tilted his head. This didn't feel quite right? Like they were supposed to be doing something e-

-Oh, stars, he'd been fighting Jubilee five minutes ago.

The Overseer didn't look to be in a state of battle-readiness, though. He sat there, clothes scuffed and torn, bleeding from several cuts, bruised in others, mouth hanging open. It was almost comical. No, it was comical. Morning Star stared, and slowly, a smile broke over his face. Between breathless wheezes, he snickered.

Then laughed.

Incredulously, Jubilee slowly smiled as well, letting out a huff before letting himself double over in giggles. Sundae caught it next, glancing wildly from Jubilee and Morning Star before he had to hide a smile behind his hand. Sterling just flopped backwards with a loud sigh, but he still was grinning.

It shouldn't be this funny. But it was.

Morning Star pulled himself to his feet, still snickering like mad. He glanced around the room. The other Overseers, seemingly healed, were all stirring at different rates, dragging themselves from the ground to sit up. They looked just as surprised as Morning Star had when they awoke to find Jubilee laughing with their would-be murderers. 

The incredulousness of the situation caught them, and a few found themselves laughing.

"Holy shit," Morning Star barely managed, "Holy shit."

Sundae had calmed down first, and was back to staring at Morning Star with recognition in his expression. The two shared a quiet look. 

"That wasn't your magic," Sundae started, eyes sparkling.

Morning Star blinked. It wasn't... was it?

Sundae held out his hand. It lit with magic, quietly, but Morning Star's eyes widened. He could feel it, vibrating along with his own magic, on the same frequency. But then - that-

His expression told Sundae everything. The other dissipated the magic and stood, dusting off his pants and trotting to Morning Star's side. Sundae put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Congratulations," he spoke, tone genuine. "You're the second Fragment who's been blessed by Pyatiugolnik."

Morning Star blinked, slowly, feeling his breath hitch in his throat. On some level, he already knew, but to have someone else say it to him, to smash the truth into his face - he almost staggered back, feeling the bile rise again. He kept his mouth clamped shut. No more vomiting.

Jubilee stared for a second longer before pushing off the ground and standing. "Are you speaking the truth?" he asked to Sundae, guarded.

"I have no incentive to lie," he replied, simply.

Morning Star rubbed his forehead as Jubilee narrowed his eyes appraisingly. "I suppose the magic you let off was at least of Magnitude Fragment quality. If it was Pyatiugolnik... that is unprecedented."

"What the fuck," Morning Star mumbled.

"Hm?"

"We're just-" he gestured awkwardly, "talking like this? After what I pulled?"

Jubilee gestured to the other Overseers. Morning Star glanced over. "Well, that magic you blew off served as a healing spell. So you ejected the gold from the others and healed them, evidently - Magnitude Fragment magic is capable of that, when applied, of course. And, well, you aren't attacking us now."

"I'm telling you, it's Pyatiugolnik's Blessing," Sundae insisted, confident, as he patted Morning Star's shoulder.

Valentine let out a groan, rubbing his forehead. "I mean... I was trying to invoke him."

"But," Morning Star squeaked, "you're all - fine with - me?"

"Let me put this to you simply." Sundae patted him once more. "You are high off Pyatiugolnik's magic. Even if the other Overseers wanted to stop you, you're too wired and energized. You'd kill them with the bat of an eye. You're literally too powerful to ignore, now."

Jubilee and the others fell awkwardly silent at the stark truth. Morning Star blinked, rapidly. The conversation was still fresh in his mind, still resonating. He... he had been given ultimate power. A Blessing from the most powerful Magnitude Fragment, which had - of a few minutes ago - once only belonged to Sundae, and Sundae alone. He was one of two. 

"Oh fuck," was all that could work its way out of his mouth. He sat down on a chair that materialized as he leaned. 

Sterling pushed past Jubilee, tense, expression worried. He kneeled by Morning Star's side, putting a hand on his knee. "Are you okay?"

"Um... I think so?" Morning Star rubbed his eyes. "I don't know."

"It's exhausting," Sundae cut in, tone sympathetic. "It takes some getting used to. I'd get some rest, if I were you."

Jubilee brushed past Sundae. "You should stay in the Sanctum, even if just for a little bit. There are Fragments that will feel the disturbance of Magninium. Word will spread. You'll need time to heal, to recuperate."

"But I just hurt you," Morning Star mumbled.

"Yes, we know. Must I repeat myself? Sundae is right, you are too powerful to ignore. But further than that is the fact that you are reeling from your Blessing. Most of us have gone through one; it would be cruel to not give you our advice to make the transition as easy as possible. A Blessing is more than a power boost. It is an alteration to your entire way of life. It has opened doors that you could not have dreamed even existed, before."

He breathed, heavily. "Oh."

"And," Jubilee added, after a pause. "You learn to forgive easily when you're in a position of power... and really, really old."

Morning Star stared at the floor.

"Obviously, there will be repercussions. But there's no need to kick you while you're down, and if you already regret your actions, then there's no point trying to punish you more than you would have done to yourself. You seem to have reservations about your actions. I am sure you had a reason for doing what you did, and we will listen to your reason after you've recovered. If nothing else, you made a statement."

Jubilee was so calm, like he'd done this before. Had he? Were other Overseers... did they have explosive beginnings, as well? Violent uprisings, and then inductions into their ranks? Morning Star wiped his nose on his sleeve. His head still hurt too much to really focus, but he was grateful that he didn't have to fight anymore. Regret had long since set in.

He didn't like hurting people, he decided. Maybe it didn't make him feel sick anymore, but he didn't like the indifference that ate all his other emotions and sat pretty in his chest. That wasn't who he was. He wasn't an indifferent, uncaring monster. 

"Okay," he croaked, when the silence went on too long.

Jubilee turned to tend to the crumble of still-startled Overseers. Most were able to climb to their feet on their own, and quiet talk filled the room. Sterling still held onto Morning Star, staring up with wide, worried eyes. Sundae kept his distance, glancing over to Jubilee every now and then. It was all so strange. Five minutes ago, they had been at each other's throats.

Was he being honest? Was it really that easy to move on when someone was as old as the foundation of the Coalition? It made sense. It always seemed hard to carry grudges, especially for as long as an Overseer like Jubilee was alive. Morning Star wiped his nose again. 

A low groan sounded from the far end of the room. Morning Star looked up, blinking slowly, until he realized the source. His eyes widened.

Magnotris.

He stumbled out of his chair, even as his strained joints and pained muscles screamed against him. Sloppily, nearly tripping over himself, he crouched next to Magnotris, reaching forwards to touch the other's shoulder gently and shake. With a few other muffled noises, Magnotris raised his head, blinking softly.

He glanced around before lifting his head and staring right into Morning Star's eyes. After a brief second, a smile spread across his face in recognition.

"You're okay," Magnotris choked out as tears filled his eyes.

Morning Star gave him a shaking smile. "You're okay," he echoed.

Magnotris sat up, wrapping arms around Morning Star and dragging him in close. Relishing in its warmth, he accepted the hug, feeling Magnotris' arms curl tightly around his shoulders and squeeze. His nose buried itself in Magnotris' shoulder and he paused to truly, really appreciate the other; the way his breathing made his chest move, the familiar smell, the soft cuddle.

Another pair of arms snaked around him. He knew. Sterling. Morning Star wrapped his second arm around him, giving the other a comforting squeeze. Slowly, they all pulled away, still quiet and subdued. The air seemed to still.

"You're okay," Magnotris whispered.

"I'm sorry," Morning Star began, and the dam broke. It all spilled out of him, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I should've talked to you, told you about... the stupid plan I had. I shouldn't have left you in the dark like that, made you worry. Made you hurt."

"It's okay, it's okay," Magnotris shushed, hugging him and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "It's all okay. It's in the past. There's nothing to worry about anymore... nothing. It's all fixable. We can repair it. I just - I missed you. I'm glad you're okay."

Morning Star hugged back tightly. "Me too."

Sterling beamed at them both, "Me three!"

They all glanced up as footsteps drew near. Jubilee coughed politely above them, and Morning Star let go of Magnotris.

"I don't expect you to have a decision right away," Jubilee admitted, "nor do I expect you to necessarily agree. But it's a requirement at this point, to at least offer to everyone Blessed by a powerful Magnitude Fragment."

Morning Star didn't respond, still just looking the other in the eye.

"Formally, I have to extend to you an offer. Again, if you decline, I understand. But... with your actions earlier, I felt frustration in them. At us. I'm sure you have an itemized list of why you were so angry. Just... think about it, alright? It may be your best shot to accomplishing what you've wanted."

No. No way. After everything, were they really about to-

"Morning Star, consider this a formal invitation to join the ranks of the Overseers."

Morning Star breathed in, slowly. It was all he could do to keep the surprise from turning into vomit again. After all that had happened, after all the ways he and Magnotris had suffered... and he, in the end, walked away with an invitation. To be an Overseer. To hopefully have a way to change the world for the better.

He looked to Magnotris. The other had declined his invitation. He probably didn't want Morning Star to agree. But there was time. They could talk about it. Weigh the pros and cons. Come to a conclusion like a couple, like a team, and stop running off on harebrained schemes all alone. It still felt too good to be true, to brutally attack the Overseers and then walk away relatively unscathed, unscolded, and with a free invitation.

But maybe they could feel it, too, the way the air curled around him different, the way his magic surged and stirred in his body, the way his movements were slightly too jerky. Maybe they could feel his remorse. Maybe they could feel his guilt, and found it self-punishing enough.

Slowly, but confidently, Morning Star raised his head. "I'll think about it."

"Excellent." Jubilee flashed him a smile. "That's all I could ask for."

He turned and marched off. Morning Star stared after him for a few seconds before leaning to rest his had on Magnotris' chest. The exhaustion was setting in, and he knew he needed rest. Getting to curl up in the arms of Magnotris sounded absolutely delightful.

Jubilee was right. So many doors had opened for him, all for a seemingly arbitrary choice. But it wasn't arbitrary, was it? Pyatiugolnik had said so himself, that he had seeked out people with high empathy. Nurtured them. Helped them grow. It felt somewhat disconcerting, but not to an uncomfortable degree. This didn't feel like a long, orchestrated game. Perhaps there had been a few tweaks here and there, to keep him on the long and narrow.

Oh, wait. He had a message to deliver.

"Sundae?"

The aforementioned Fragment glanced over. "Yes?"

"Pyatiugolnik wanted me to tell you that he is sorry."

Sundae froze, blinking rapidly. He averted his gaze, paused for a few seconds, and then turned back to Morning Star. "I see. Thank you."

He dully nodded into Magnotris' chest. It was so warm and familiar. It was a refuge away from the rest of the world, soft and comforting, a place where Morning Star could nestle and know that he was safe the entire time he rested.

There was so much lying ahead. He couldn't even begin to name everything that needed working on. It all felt overwhelming, and his brain was too tired to properly focus on anything, anyways. Magnotris was so warm. He was asking for more cuddles.

Morning Star let his eyes close, and let his mind dream of heros and idealism.