(A continuation of day 4: Heat)

Leonard was intimately familiar with exploiting people’s weaknesses. While he loved his clockworks dearly, in combat he relied more on control over people’s bodies and minds, their fears and insecurities.

Leonard knew how dangerous giving in to fear could be.

He also knew that there was nothing he feared more than what was currently happening.

The bedroom door opened and softly closed, Remi exited the room. One last look at the manuscript that he hoped wouldn’t be needed, and Leonard braved coming up to the frowning cleric.

“How is she?” he asked tentatively, despite all still hoping she’d found a solution.

Remi shook her head. “She’s still getting weaker. Whatever it is, none of the treatments I or anyone I consulted could come up with had worked. Leo… I really am sorry, but I don’t think there is anything we can do.”

He nodded numbly. For the last several months that had been what everyone was gently preparing him for – to let go, to accept it.

They seemed to be afraid he’d do something distasteful if Faye died, but that was a truly ridiculous idea.

There was no way Leonard was letting Faye go.

“Do you need to talk, Leo?” Remi’s soft voice brought him out of his thoughts. “I know it’s hard, but you’re not alone, okay? Don’t shut yourself out.”

Leonard forced a smile. “I know. Maybe later, yeah? I… I’d like to see Faye now.”

She relented easily. She’d mellowed out over the long nights of dealing with Faye’s pain and Leonard’s growing fear, mild-mannered and patient as she’d never been before – yet another sign of how things went wrong.

“I’ll see you later, then,” she squeezed his shoulder as she moved down the corridor. “Please remember to take care of yourself, too, okay? We worry.”

Leonard nodded again, barely listening and tiptoed into Faye’s room.

“Hey,” he asked, as gently as he could. “Are you awake?”

“Mhmm,” Faye hummed in response. She didn’t hold up conversations much these days – even talking tired her out. Still, she looked up and gifted him a small smile, propped up half-sitting on a mountain of pillows, almost comfortable if not for the way her mouth twitched with pain from time to time.

“Look…” Leonard started, unsure how to approach the subject. “I… I found this story… and… Remi’s saying there isn’t anything she can do, so I was thinking this could be the way to help you.”

He slid the page towards her, more for illustration than for her to read.

“It’s basically…”

“I know this book,” she interrupted quickly, looking surprised at recognizing it. “You… you’re not seriously going to try it, are you?”

“I am,” defensive, Leonard straightened up. “If you’d let me, I will do it. What other options are there? The healers are powerless, you’re not getting better… What else can I do?”

“It’s just a myth,” Faye smiled sadly. “What did you tell me about chasing miracles? Don’t be silly, Leo.”

“No,” Leonard shook his head. “I’m sure I can do this. It’s real, it has to be real. I’ve done the calculations, it won’t be easy, but it can work.”

He fell to his knees and pushed the sweat-soaked hair away from Faye’s face. Her eyes widened, mouth falling open as her brother’s face was suddenly level with her own, insanity and grief written all over it.

“Please let me do this, Faye,” he begged, willing the tears not to fall. He had to be strong, he had to be confident.

She looked at him with bleary eyes. Leonard had the impression that thinking didn’t come easy to her these days, and waited patiently for any hint that she might be at least considering his plea.

“Why?” she whispered. “It’s alright. Really, Leo. If it’s my time, then that has to be fate, right?”

“Screw fate!” he surged up to grab her pale, thin fingers – something to ground him as he tried to keep himself from blowing up. Screw gods, screw everything that says he’s wrong for wanting things to change – he would forge Faye’s fate himself.

“Don’t… don’t you think it won’t be me anymore?” Faye questioned meekly. “I don’t think I’d want that…”

“You will always be you,” Leonard reassured her, determined. “You’ll be more yourself than you are now! You’ll have a body that won’t be in pain all the time, you’ll go on walks again, and I’ll brush your hair and we can work on clockworks again – isn’t that what it means to be human?!”

She blinked, silent.

“Please,” he breathed out again and again. “Please, let me save you, Faye.”

She squeezed his hand back weakly, and there was a spark of recognition in her eyes. So she figured him out – how could she not?

“Please, don’t leave me alone,” was what he was really saying. “Please don’t go where I can’t follow because I’m afraid of what would become of me if you do.”

“Okay,” she forced a smile. “If you think that’s for the best.”

“I wouldn’t do it for myself, but I would do it for you,” she didn’t say, but Leonard heard.

When he finally exited the room, he startled as his eyes met Orion’s knowing ones.

“You’re about to do something stupid,” Orion said matter-of-factly.

A hundred thoughts rushed through Leonard’s head. It would probably be wrong to knock out a friend, or to wipe his memories, but he’d probably consider it if it meant Orion couldn’t stop him.

But Orion just flipped a dagger and asked, “Anything you need help with?”

Relief flooded Leonard and it must have shown on his face because Orion pocketed the dagger and smirked, “Hey, I got you. Tell me what you need, and I’ll do it for you.”

“A gem,” Leonard breathed out. Honestly, Orion was probably the better person to find something like that. “At least an inch in diameter, highest quality you can find.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Orion said, calm and without further questions, reminding Leonard why they became friends in the first place. “Is there a deadline?”

Leonard paused, remembering all of his conversations with Remi. “She probably won’t last more than a week,” he said in lieu of answer, and Orion nodded.

“I’ll be back in five days,” he promised. “Do try not to burn the world down.”

That forced a chuckle out of Leonard, but Orion seemed to be serious. “Look, I’ll miss Faye as much as the next person, but I’ll miss you, too, if something goes wrong. So figure your shit out and I’ll see you in five days.”

Orion left, and Leonard locked himself in the workshop, safe in the knowledge that he wasn’t alone in this.

The empty porcelain mask was already waiting for him at the workshop. Leonard took a deep breath and let his fingers warm up with a tingle of magic, preparing to carve the unforgettable features onto it.

For Faye, he’d do his best to create a body that would feel like home to her.

For himself, he’d create her a body that would protect her forever.

—–

I love Faye and Leonard so much, you guys have no idea.