As soon as they’d made it back to their ship, he spun around, facing Soren. “You saw it too, didn’t you?!”
The Harpy frowned. “Saw what?”
“Yesterday and today, Cyrus was blushing, wasn’t he?! Yesterday, specifically right before he fled the room with his small rain cloud.”
Soren blinked. “Yes, he was. He is admittedly acting very weird, but what about it?”
“I KNEW IT!” he cried. “I’m not being paranoid at all! And like, it’s more than just Cyrus being weird. I caught him and his pretty Siren staring today! I’ve had the same feeling of being watched since yesterday, and I think they’ve been doing it anytime I enter the same damn room as them! On top of that, the Grimm keeps sputtering and blushing! But Severo was like ‘oh, you’re just being paranoid, Ender.’ The FUCK I am!”
Soren chuckled. “I mean, to be fair, you are super paranoid on the regular.”
Ender glared. “Fuck you.”
The Harpy eyed him pointedly. “You look tired.”
He rolled his eyes and started towards his quarters, snapping, “Just ask the damn question.”
Soren followed silently until they entered Ender’s room. “How bad is it?”
Taking a seat on the couch, he looked at his brother, and felt a touch of worry for his safety, because the fact was, shit wasn’t good. “I’ll be sleeping in the cell tonight.”
“It’s that critical already?!”
“Yeah, it is. Have them move a bed in there. Preferably not the one in here, as it’s going to be torn the fuck up.”
Though, he wasn’t sure if anyone would survive if he broke out, so his efforts to keep the nice bed intact may not even matter.
“Where are you, memories-wise?”
He took a deep breath. “I unburied them all.”
“What?!” Soren’s eyes grew wide. “How are you that far already? It has always been at least a six-day countdown from the day after the first dream! That has never happened until day?—”
“I know! I don’t understand what is going on, but that is where I’m at.”
“Fuck!” Soren rubbed his face. “Ender, I don’t know if these barely holding it together ships can withstand you rampaging for long.”
“I know…” He smiled. “And if the time comes, where I am about to break through the cell…eject it.”
“Ha.” Soren let out a bitter chuckle. “No.”
Ender’s gaze narrowed. “That wasn’t a request, it was an order.”
“Still, no.” The Harpy’s eyes sharpened, and the smell of fire started to seep from him, as the air near the man heated up from the man’s anger. “You listen here, little brother. You can order all you want, but there is no way in hell I will eject you into fucking space.”
“You’ll do it, or you’ll be risking the lives of every fucking person on these blasted broken ass spaceships. Children’s lives, if you didn’t remember!”
Soren flinched. “You would never hurt a child.”
“I don’t know what that side of me will do, Soren.”
“Do you even realize what you are asking me to do?!”
“I know.”
“DO YOU?! Do you really, Ender?! Do you know what happens when you disconnect part of the ship from the whole, specifically a prison cell?!” Soren shouted, before his voice broke. The Harpy was practically whispering when he finally continued, “The power cuts off first, and the temperature plunges. Then, the only question is whether you’ll freeze to death first, or suffocate when the oxygen supply finally runs out. You’re asking me to kill you.” The Harpy took a shuddered breath. “I can’t, Ender.”
“Then find someone who can.”
