Futuristic Rage against the dying of the light (fru x arcsteel)

[Fru]

“To me?” he echoed, brows lifting—only to furrow as she cupped his cheek and leaned in. He raised his hand, fingers brushing lightly along her arm as he studied her face, the frown deepening.

“I mean… it depends,” he said quietly. “If there’s a virus or faulty code, anyone connected to the Nexus would be affected.”

“Automated units and disconnected Whisperers wouldn’t. We’d be able to maintain ourselves for a while, at least—but eventually, there’d be no updates. And I don’t know how that would affect us.”

He hesitated. “The longest recorded disconnected period is around nine months. Some rogues have been sighted after ten years—” he gave a small shrug, “—but no one knows how they’re functioning. Or if they really are.”

Unable to help himself, his fingers slowly trailed up her arm, his hand settling over hers where it rested on his cheek. This rollercoaster of emotions threatened to break his heart.

But then again—he thought as he held her gaze—it was hers to break.

 

[arcsteel]

The trail of Silas’ touch left goosebumps in its wake. River felt a shiver of pleasure run down her spine, like that of listening to a smooth whisper.

What he told her instilled her with hope. Still, it was evident she couldn’t go about saving the world with his help quite yet. Not until she could make sure Silas wouldn’t go down in the process.

She wished she could decipher what thoughts went on behind those wonderful blue eyes of his. With a faint smile, she leaned even closer, voice dropping soft and low.

“Then there’s hope. But I don’t wanna lose you. I can’t…” The words caught in her throat. Did it matter in the end? If he was leaving her to go back to being her enemy, would any of it matter? Rip leaned in closer still, lips brushing against his. “I wish you could stay. I don’t want to part from you, or become the antagonist to your purpose. If there is a way for you to be free, I will find it. If…”

Rip’s voice broke in the silence. “If you’ll let me.”

 

[Fru]

Silas didn’t dare move when she leaned in, breath catching in his throat. The crease between his brows deepened in quiet confusion. Her words were full of conflict—just like the look he’d seen in her eyes a few moments before—and it tore at him.

He had given her something that could tip the balance of this war, something that could give humans a fighting chance. And yet… she didn’t want to lose him.

It broke something inside him...

… and mended something else.

At a loss for words, he closed the small distance between them, pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. His hand rose to her cheek, fingertips brushing gently over her skin as the kiss lingered. Then it drifted back, threading into her hair. The storm of emotion stirred inside him, and he wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Breaking the kiss, he pressed his face to the curve of her neck, brow still furrowed as he held her close. He drew a long breath—deep and shaky—breathing her in, letting that warm, rich scent of her calm him. Comfort him.

He didn’t care about being ‘free’. But…

“If it means I can stay with you,” he whispered softly against her skin, voice tender, “I’ll let you do whatever you want.”

 

[arcsteel]

He wanted to stay. Rip trembled at the relief of his heartfelt words, savouring the warmth of his embrace. Silas might not be human like her, but that didn’t stop him from speaking straight to her heart. Ever the charmer. She clasped her arms around him, as if their proximity wasn’t enough.

“I’ll remember that,” she chuckled, though her voice barely carried through the hurricane of emotions. “And of course you can stay. I’ll make sure of it. I want nothing more.”

It was the mad truth. Her purpose had been to fight for humanity, putting her own needs and very life second. Now she and Silas made the top of the list. Hell, she actually prioritised the two of them over all of humanity. Selfish wasn’t a strong enough word anymore. For now, wrapped in his arms, those qualms didn’t bother her enough to reconsider. And with that, she tilted her head and guided his face up to meet hers again—capturing him in a second kiss.

Rip’s hands slowly roved down his chest before grabbing onto the soft fabric of his hoodie, pulling him down over her as she leaned back against the firm mattress. Her lips never left his, and her breathing fought to escape through her nostrils as she drew him close and parted her lips to further catch the taste of his mouth.

She gently caressed Silas’ tongue with her own, mixing their saliva as she explored before closing the kiss. The sound that escaped her was the mix of a sigh and a moan, but there was nothing eager in her body language. Only tender affection.

“I’ve lost all sense because of you,” Rip whispered, eyes barely open as she gazed up at Silas.

 

[Fru]

Holding her tighter, her words drew a smile against her skin, the furrow between his brows slowly easing. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to put into words what he felt in that moment—only that warmth had begun to settle in his chest, easing the tightness that had gripped him through the long uncertainty since the night before.

Willingly, he let her pull him down over her as their lips met again. The kiss was long, tender, and full of the emotion behind everything they’d just promised each other. He let himself get lost in it.

When it ended, he opened his eyes slightly, drawing back just enough to look at her. One arm braced against the mattress as a soft, affectionate smile curled at his lips. He brushed a few strands of hair from her face, his eyes following the motion before they returned to hers.

At her whisper, something flickered in his gaze and he let out a low hum before leaning in to kiss her again, slow and soft. Contemplative. Then he pulled back, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk.

“It can’t be my fault,” he murmured, voice low and teasing. “You hardly had any sense to begin with.”

As the words left his mouth, he ducked his head, burying his face against her neck with a quiet snicker, muffled against her skin. He pressed a kiss there, smiling through a soft whisper;

“My unhinged woman.”

 

[arcsteel]

Rip’s brows crawled up, and she scoffed while smacking him on the shoulder. Bastard. Though, there weren't any hard feelings. She enjoyed the banter, even if it broke the moment and made her feel like a cheesy idiot.

Before she could say anything, Silas nuzzled in against her neck and whispered words that stuck more than he probably knew—more than she expected as well.

She was his.

The flutter in her stomach overflowed, filling her chest as she tried her best to hide it. The feeling wrapped itself around her—building her a cocoon of safety and… and that other feeling she didn’t dare even voice in her mind. Good thing she had his jabbing insult to address.

“Who’s the bigger fool? The one without sense, or the one who falls for her?” The small smirk playing across her lips snuck into the sound of her voice. “Now, I hope you’re planning to make up for calling me daft. Comments like that stick with a woman, you know.”

Rip’s hand travelled south, pulling up his hoodie and t-shirt in a slow tug before placing her hands flat against his skin. Hooking her thumbs under the fabric, she began to ride it up as she felt every muscle beneath her fingertips, gliding up the sides. Her breath grew heavier, and she couldn’t help herself from pressing her pelvis up—asking for connection.

 

[Fru]

Silas chuckled softly against her neck, pressing another kiss to her skin before lifting his gaze to meet hers. The smirk still played at his lips, but his eyes were filled with nothing but warmth.

“Oh, I’m a bloody idiot,” he murmured, gently nibbling at her lips. She’d said as much—and he could only agree. Her touch made him that way. The warm trail of her fingers on his skin spread through him, consuming all thoughts, leaving only her. It was as if every last part of him had tuned itself to her.

His lips found hers again, soft at first, but quickly deepening as heat and hunger rose with every heartbeat, with every inch of skin she exposed. His hand trailed along her side, down to her hips, gripping them as he pressed her up against him—his own hips grinding into hers with growing hunger. A low sound escaped from deep in his chest, muffled only by the intensity of their kisses.

He broke away with a sharp inhale, eyes dark with desire, and reached to help her pull the hoodie and t-shirt over his head. Sitting up, he freed himself from the fabric entirely, revealing his toned torso underneath. The scars on his shoulder and arm were still red, fading slowly. But there was barely a trace of the bullets he had taken the night before. Only the slightly paler, smoother marks that would soon be completely gone.

His gaze dropped to her as his hands followed the curve of her thighs, coaxing them to rest on either side of him. Then his fingers traveled up to her hips, and in one, demanding motion, he yanked her closer—his hips pressing firmly against hers, the fabric between them taut.

Following the movement with his eyes, he slipped his fingers under the hem of her shirt and began to lift it, deliberately slow—revealing her olive skin inch by inch, as though savoring the sight of her for the very first time.

 

[arcsteel]

Some might deem it reckless to sleep with a Whisperer. If not only for being morally indefensible, then surely because it was dangerous. But what one should and shouldn’t do didn’t go hand in hand with reality.

Who knew how long they went on for. The sheets were a mess—wet and bunched up. It was nasty, and Rip still couldn’t care any less as she settled on the mattress, which now needed a good flip. She was panting hard as she came down from her high with bliss written on her face.

Blinking slowly, Rip looked at Silas with hooded eyes. The dim light of the starry sky beside them made a stark rosy hue evident on her cheeks. A happy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she slumped.

It wasn’t just the fact that he was an amazing partner in bed. No, this was so much more. She’d given herself to him fully. Going exclusive felt a bit unreal, but that was what this was, right? How lucky she was to call Silas her own.

“Okay, I’m tired now,” Rip smiled, huffing a laugh in between her heavy breaths. She might have claimed to not be sleepy in the least, but now she felt exhausted. In a good way.

 

[Fru]

Silas was still catching his breath as he settled beside Rip—but more than anything, it felt like he was settling back into himself. Like everything inside him had been reset, rebooting after a short-circuit. As if she had reached in, claimed every part of him—and only now let go.

Lying on his side, head propped on one hand, he watched her in the dim light. His other hand traced slow, idle patterns across her skin. His gaze lingered on her face, watching the soft flush, the happy smile tugging at her lips.

She was beautiful.

And for the first time, he realized he truly understood what that meant. Not in a clinical sense. Not aesthetic data points or symmetry. But beautiful. The kind that made his chest ache.

It brought a faint smile to his lips, and his hand raised to her face, gently brushing his fingers across her cheek. It was strange—just last night, he’d thought he’d lost her—in more ways than one. And now here she was, lying beside him like this.

He wanted to tell her. To explain the fear that had chewed through him. To say how much she meant to him. But the tenderness gave way to a soft chuckle at her words. He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.

“What happened with ‘I’ve slept for too long already’,” he teased, voice warm with laughter. Then it dropped lower, more playful, as he leaned in to kiss her. “And here I was, hoping you’d show me again what that mouth can do.”

“It’s okay, though,” he said as he pulled back, that amused smile still playing on his lips. “You should rest. I reckon you’ve got quite the day ahead. They’ve been eager to debrief you.” The frequent visits to check if she was awake had said as much.

His hand slipped down to her waist as he shifted closer, wrapping her in a loose, easy embrace. It wasn’t need that drove it—just comfort. Closeness. Who knew when he’d get the chance again?

“Speaking of which…” he added, his voice thoughtful now. A crease forming between his brows. “I’ll need your help if I’m going to stay. I doubt they’re thrilled about a—” he paused, smirking, “—refugee tagging along on a military operation. We’ll need a plan.”

 

[arcsteel]

Brazen bastard, Rip thought and gave Silas a light shove when he suggested she took care of him—again. Still, she appreciated the lighthearted teasing. It kept her from thinking about the reality outside. Not that it mattered, because Silas made sure to remind her in the next breath. Maybe he was a bastard after all.

She’d rather pleasure him one more time than face the debrief and hearing that awaited her. Talking to a new commander after everything they’d been through, bringing it all up again, was opposite of what she wanted to do right now. But she couldn’t escape forever. Perhaps it was better to rip the band-aid off.

Rip let herself be wrapped by him as her gaze dropped to his chest, the smile wiped from her face. If only they could stay this way. Maybe the others would forget about them if they just hid inside the capsule long enough?

With a sigh, her eyes turned up to meet his again. “I need to make sure you’re indispensable, somehow. It will be hard with a military company, because they have personnel a Ghost team could only dream of—even if we’re bloody good. You can’t go against the report we have on you, based on the interrogation you went through when you first arrived. But you might also need to show a skillset which they can’t turn down.”

Rip settled in his arms, savouring the warmth as she placed a hand to his chest, feeling the heartbeat through his skin. So human, and still not at all.

“What are the probabilities of them figuring out what you are if we tell them you know a thing or two about Binary language?”

He would know the exact odds, right? Rip didn’t really know how much of his brain was AI. The unease in her demeanor didn’t come from that though, but rather the thought of having to part from him. She couldn’t.

 

[Fru]

Silas hummed lowly and nodded in agreement. They needed a plan—something that would allow him to integrate with the unit. As Rip had pointed out, that might prove difficult. This was a military operation, one with the ability to communicate directly with their Dome. They could bring in personnel as needed, which meant there was no real reason to keep him around. From what he understood, they were already planning to send him off under the refugee program.

Her suggestion made him huff a short laugh, shaking his head.

“High,” he replied. “Humans can’t comprehend binary. You need to use some form of AI equipped with quantum processors for it.” His gaze shifted to the screen showing the starry landscape. “Too risky. Hackers would pick up on that instantly—it’d raise suspicion.”

His attention returned to Rip as he pulled her a little closer, fingers gently brushing over her skin where he held her. There was something in her expression—something uneasy—that made his chest tighten. He wanted to comfort her. Keep her close. The cold that had crept into him the night before was stirring again. That same fear of losing her.

“However…” he drawled, eyes narrowing thoughtfully, “we could frame it as something simpler. Say I just know a lot about drones. That lines up with the report. I could tell them about the Sweeper I hacked—say I understand how they're built, and how to rewire them to use human—regular—code.”

Looking at Rip, he raised his brows, as if asking what she thought. It was not a great plan, but there was a small chance it could work.

“Of course, the other option is that you shoot yourself in the foot and go back to your Dome with me,” he added, a teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Not that I recommend it.” The words were playful, but there was a seriousness beneath them. Entering a Dome would activate protocols he wasn’t sure he could stop.

 

[arcsteel]

The tiny flicker of hope sank in Ripley’s chest. She truly didn’t have a plan then. Maybe she’d resort to begging on her knees before the commander. Not that she’d ever do such a shameful thing. Instead, she nestled in Silas arms and tried to focus on his heartbeat—and his breathing. To not feel those breaths in her hair on the daily would dig a hole inside her. One she didn’t know how to fill given all the bad that was happening around her.

That’s why Silas’ little However came like a gift from above. She turned to look up at him, searching his face as he spoke. Thank god he was still bright enough to figure something out, even if it sounded a bit vague. His second suggestion earned a smack on his pecs though.

“As if! First of all, I’ve been shot enough, thank you very much. Secondly—the security is way higher when you enter a Dome. At least Dawn. Then scan your brain and everything. I don’t know how you got through the field-checks this far. You’re clearly advanced, but I wouldn’t take my chances with a Dome. Unless you take the less legal route…”

Rip pondered for a second, before shaking her head at the idea. Then, her gaze dropped and her lips pressed together in thought.

“About that,” Rip began, tracing lines across his skin, savouring the feel of his body against hers. “I, um… I’m not going back. What you said earlier changed quite a bit. If dad and Terry are alive out there, I have to find them.”

She looked up at Silas’ again, worried about his response. Maybe he would try to stop her. The worst part was that she wouldn’t step down from this task whether Silas wanted to join her or not. He’d said she could do whatever she wished, as long as he could stay by her side. But did it entail a journey like this? Doubt coated her gaze as she searched for the answer in his eyes.

 

[Fru]

Silas laughed when she smacked him, but instead of moving away, he only pulled her closer.

“You think I'm advanced?” he chuckled, raising his brows. “That might be the nicest thing you ever said about me.” It was not much, but it was better than moron and bloody idiot.

He was about to push her further about that less legal route, but she continued, and the more solemn look on her face made the amusement fade from him. He drew his brows together, a crease forming between them. In the same time it took for her to even say the last words, he had already simulated a large amount of scenarios in how that was supposed to happen. Unhinged woman, indeed.

“And how are you planning to do that?” he asked, voice careful, almost hesitant. “I told you, I don’t know where they were moved to. There are at least five different options and none of them are within walking distance. And they might not even be there anymore.”

For him, it was not a question about coming with her or not. He would. For as long as she wanted him by her side.

“You are not thinking of deserting are you? I mean, it would make things easier for me to just sneak out of here, but… Not great for you.”

 

[arcsteel]

If only they could have stayed with the easy banter, which did a good job at forcing the horrors of the world away. But no, they weren't so lucky. This had to be dealt with, even if Rip didn’t feel anything but worse at the careful treading of Silas’ voice.

“I take it you’re not overly fond of the idea,” she murmured, voicing her thoughts. He almost sounded like he didn’t want her to go. “Look, I’ve barely had time to figure anything out since you told me. I don’t have a plan yet. And no, I don’t wish to become a deserter. It’s not who I am and it’s not what I believe in. This job is still my second home, and we have shit to do here. With what I know now, thanks to you, I can’t just leave.”

There was a slight tremble to her lower lip as she grappled for the right words to say. A tang of anxiousness dug a crease between her dark brows.

“But when I leave, I’ll walk to every Eden if I have to. I don’t care how long it takes, or how many boots I wear down. If they’re out there, I can’t just…” Rip took a deep breath to collect herself. This time she looked Silas straight in the eyes.

“Remember when we talked about being alone? About belonging somewhere? They belong with me. And I will go to the ends of the earth for the people who belong with me.”

She never meant for it to get this deep. Still, her hand gently found his cheek and cradled it as she watched the stars from the screen glisten in his blue eyes. It felt like staring into the sky both day and night, and it was enough to get lost in them.

 

[Fru]

The crease between his brows deepened the more she spoke—not because of what she said, but because of how she said it. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arm more tightly around her as their eyes met.

He remembered that conversation. Word for word. What he’d meant then. And what it meant now.

Leaning into her touch, his gaze searched hers, his brow still furrowed.

“I remember,” he said softly, voice barely more than a whisper. “And I understand. I understand why you have to go.” A faint smile passed over his lips. “Still… you’re right. I’m not overly fond of the idea. Because it’s dangerous. And I’m afraid to lose you.”

He paused, fingers tracing lightly over her skin where he held her.

“Like yesterday,” he murmured, voice dropping lower. “I was terrified I’d find you dead.” He pulled her even closer, resting his forehead gently against hers. “And I can’t even explain what it felt like when I didn’t. When I found you alive. But then, you found out what I am.”

He hesitated, drawing a deep breath, as if searching for the right words.

“Seeing that fear in your eyes—fear of me—was as dreadful,” he whispered. There was a slight tremble to his voice, and he swallowed. “It felt like I’d betrayed you—just by being what I am. And at that moment, I thought I had lost you forever.”

A pause.

“So when you go,” he said, firmer now, “I go with you. No matter how dangerous it is. Because I belong with you, Rip. And you… you belong with me.”