Chapter Text
Caleb always knew he was crazy.
It started with his first memory being surrounded by white walls and medical equipment. Test after test they broke his little body down and eventually his mind. There was only one thing keeping him firmly in reality, and that was his pipsqueak.
Have to be strong for her.
Have to keep her safe.
No one else in that damn place would.
When they decided to use her to keep him in line, they thought they were caging his power. All they did was make a bigger monster out of him.
Monster.
Weapon.
Tool.
He made it his mission to be her protector. If he was a weapon, he would be hers to wield.
Keep her safe.
He did his best to be more than her shield, he would be her friend.
Would do anything.
No matter how many times she forgot him he would remind her of who he was and what they meant to one another.
She was everything.
Escaping the Gaia Research Center was still a blur to him. Resonance, an explosion, countless hours of lost time.
Time.
Always losing time.
Even the chaos caused by the Chronorift Catastrophe didn’t make him fear for his life. He was used to the loud noises and the pain he felt stumbling through the city. What he was scared of was losing the missing girl.
Should be holding her hand.
Should be protecting her.
He was always failing at keeping her safe.
Failure.
Failure.
A fucking failure.
He passed out frantically trying to find her.
When he woke up in the hospital he thought he was back at the research center. His head hurt but as it cleared that gave way to confusion. They never left them in the same room after experiments. There wasn’t any fear of retaliation as he crept from his bed to take her hand in his.
Have to get to her.
Have to keep her safe.
She likes when I hold her hand.
Have to hold her hand.
He feel asleep doing just that as the exhaustion caught up with him. The next thing he remembered was a familiar voice talking to him while a hand shook him awake.
Can’t be back here.
Must protect her.
He slapped the older woman’s hand off of his shoulder and grabbed her wrist. He could feel her bones begin to give way.
Can’t have her.
Can’t take us.
He could see the panic in her eyes as she pleaded with him. Her name was Josephine. She was going to take care of them. Make up for her mistakes. They could be a family.
Family.
At that word he loosened his grip but didn’t let go. She made promises of safety, of a normal life. He could have cared less about those things for himself. But for his pipsqueak, he would give anything and everything.
His pipsqueak…
His pipsqueak…
His pipsqueak..
Gone…
Gone…
Gone..
Dead…