Five sentence fic - “I can’t lose you like I’ve lost everyone else.”
Thank you so much for this ask!!! This is going to be set in a fantasy universe created by @actress4him and is part of the AU we both fell in love with
Kamaria belongs to the one and only @actress4him!! She's one of a kind and I can't thank you enough for letting me write her and Bruno's adventures when I have the spoons to do it, Jada. Love you!!! <3
CW: death mentions, assassination mention, organized crime, explosions, knives, violence, murder of npcs, head injuries, emotional whump, ptsd, and all the whump goodness!
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It’s supposed to be a simple in and out mission like it always was. One that ended with success and laughs around the campfire that night. Bruno was always great about drawing all the weapons on him and dodging the rampant waves of bullets, arrows, and knives. Kamaria had a way about her that let her slip undetected, kill the target, grab some information, and bounce. They were a deadly duet that had begun to gain a lot of traction in the area, usually called ‘The Brute and Shadow’.
They rarely failed and they never had any issues with getting the results they needed, one way or another. It was like clockwork.
It wasn’t meant to fail.
Bruno was waiting for Kamaria to escape the compound and rendezvous with him so they could both escape by navigating through the forest and crossing the river that divided the nations of Ethorcon and Delator. Using the brand-new rifle that he bought from some well renowned gun smiths over in Agrias, he picked off guard after guard on the top of the compound’s walls, chuckling as he barely felt the recoil at all. He loved the intricacies of the design, from silver and gold patterns along the stained wood of the stock to the engravings across the barrel of his favorite saying in the Vaya language. It was a craft like none other, and he enjoyed the missions where he got to use it. He cursed to himself when he ran out of another clip of bullets, reaching over to grab yet another clip and sliding it into the magazine well of the firearm.
There were more guards than previously mentioned during pre-mission briefing with the client they were hired by, but it didn’t bother Bruno at all. After all, he and Kamaria were the dream team for assassinations and intel gathering; they could handle anything thrown at them.
The alarms were blaring all over the compound, the sound of distressed guards shouting for reinforcements and for the rangers to look for the intruders, but Bruno remained calm. It was normal for both Kamaria and Bruno to get the enemies riled up and scared; made it a lot easier to get them to scatter and leave the target open for a thirty second interrogation, execution, and removal of intel needed to continue the mission.
It was all part of the plan, and it was going swimmingly to the point that it felt like child’s play.
Minutes go by and by the time Bruno is wondering what could be taking so long, he sees her in all her wondrous and shadow-like glory. A figure is now on the top of the outer walls, dropping guard after guard with precision and skills unlike anyone else. No matter how many folks he has ran into that talked big game about their knife work, Kamaria always made it look like it was natural. The blade was simply an extension of herself, and by default, he loved all of her, knives included.
A brief smirk painted his face at the memories of times she had threatened to gut him, and even actually stabbed him with a knife. It was a playful joke between them that her knives are a part of her love language, and that she greatly loved Bruno after all the times he’s been playfully cut, stabbed, or downright pinned with a blade to his jugular.
And even through all of that, he still loved, admired, and respected her more than he ever thought possible. She gave him a reason to smile, and that was all that he needed to keep going and fight for a future where they can both reside happily, away from the darker parts of their lives.
She made her way across the wall, and she managed to use a rope from up there to rappel down, dodging whatever sharpshooters were firing at her, which prompted for Bruno to return suppressing fire to shield Kamaria’s way to him. Just like they had practiced time and time again, Bruno waited until Kamaria ran past him to collect his gear and sprint off with her, the only trace of them having been there being the left-over bullet casings that the rifle had ejected.
“Did you get what we needed for the client? He seemed adamant about wanting the codex and the key the commandant had around their neck.”
Kamaria flashed the necklace with the key on it to Bruno and pointed at her pouch. “Yes, that wasn’t so bad, but I am annoyed. I left one of my better sets of knives behind. Some guard thought he could sneak up on me and it took two knives to take him down. Can you believe it?”
“Oh, so you are saying you are impressed some dead bloke can take a knife, because last time I checked, I am your royal knife cushion and handsome pillow.”
“Oh, shut up, Bruno.”
Bruno kept up with Kamaria and both laughed as though they had robbed a candy store as children. It was clear they loved what they did, and they found a great enjoyment doing that with one another. Bruno loved her with a passion, and he swore he’d keep her safe for as long as he can draw breath. Nothing could get in the way of true-
Bruno flew to the side, his back hitting a tree with the force of a battering ram, knocking the air out of him and making everything fade in and out, coughing up the dirt and smoke. It was almost like… an explosion just happened. His heart skipped a beat and he pushed himself off from the ground with shaking muscles, the shock of the previous event still getting registered by his mind. His ears were ringing and he looked around the area while his vision adjusted to scene: a medium sized crater in between him and Kamaria.
Wait. Kamaria.
“Kamaria, are you okay?”
No answer… Nothing at all besides the blaring sound of white noise in his ears.
Bruno scrambled up to his feet, swaying and using the tree to keep him steady, staring at Kamaria laying down on the ground. She wasn’t moving.
She didn’t even look like she was breathing. Bruno’s worst nightmare is manifesting into reality, the man throwing himself over the crater and getting to her, rolling her onto her back and seeing the gash on the side of her head, blood flowing out at a rate that made him feel scared.
“K-kamaria? Okay, okay, I am going to touch you and help stop the bleeding, okay?”
No answer yet again, but he couldn’t let it get to him. Oh, how he failed so terribly.
He immediately tore at his tunic, getting a portion of it and gently wrapping it around her head and tying it off, ensuring pressure is placed over the worst of the gash. He was used to her looking peaceful when she slept with him, but this was all so wrong. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to get hurt.
“Kamaria, love, I need you to wake up now…” He gently patted her cheek, a small smile on his face. “You really had me worried there; you know? I… Kamaria?” He realized she still didn’t look like she was breathing, and he felt something in him tear. He was going to lose her. She was going to die on him, and it was because of him.
He lost Miranda to an explosion many years ago, and right when he had finally opened his heart to the wonders of love yet again, another explosion took Kamaria away from him. He shook his head fervently, tears prickling his eyes as he hunched over her, sobbing like he had just lost everything. He did lose everything.
“Kamaria… please come back… don’t leave me here alone again. I can’t lose you like I’ve lost everyone else. I can’t live like that again.” He felt his tears fall onto her and it was like everything was crumbling around him all at the same time.
Nothing mattered anymore. She didn’t feel cold to the touch yet and he leaned down to kiss her clothed forehead, his hand gently holding her cheek. He didn’t know if it was his own pulse or hers that he kept feeling, but his eyes locked onto Kamaria’s peaceful face, looking for any sign of life. “Love?”
Bruno heard someone- or a group of people- stepping on the fallen branches and leaves of the forest. The sounds only grew louder, and he knew they were going to be right on top of them. They were coming for them. As if he was going to let those sorry fucks ever get near his Kamaria. His hand wrapped around Kamaria’s favorite blade that was beside her, gripping it with a strength that made him feel like the handle was cutting into his own hand.
Everything felt off now for Bruno. There was nothing tethering him to the world. He had to assume Kamaria was dead now, and that alone awoke something in Bruno that he never thought possible. They hurt her, and they were going to pay.
Standing up slowly, blade in one hand and pistol in another, Bruno’s jaw was clenched hard, and he let out a guttural growl. He turned to face the group that had followed them, and his eyes narrowed, his vision turning red with a rage he welcomed back with open arms from the previous wars he had been in. The main leader of the group stepped forward, a crossbow in hand and aimed at Bruno.
“Drop your weapons!”
He wasn’t going to do that. If he was going to die, he was going to leave the world with honor and the dignity of a warrior dying with their weapon.
“I said, DROP YOUR W-“
They crumpled to the floor and writhed, their hands clawing at their throat with a knife now in it.
Bruno made his way over to the ranger and ripped the blade out, his eyes probably appearing to be devoid of any humanity left. “You took my love, so I am going to make sure you all drown in your own blood by dusk.” With that, he let out a roar and charged the remaining group with a bloody knife and pistol ready to fire, probably more coming behind them.
Let them come. This is for my Kamaria.
