Virus: Insanity

~2~

The bullet wound was taking a long time to heal, like all wounds did with humans. Stephen was bedridden for days, waiting for his stomach to close up. All the while, he was thinking about the man whom he had met. He hadn't seemed like a mutant at first, but his eyes gave him away. The eyes of all mutants were piercing, as if they could see into your soul. An effect of the virus, no doubt, the virus that everyone had, but many could avoid. The one that turned you into something less than human. Through many years of science, breeding and failure, the disease in nearly everyone stayed static. But, there were some people who didn't go in every month for their free vaccinations. The inhumans who accepted their other, infected side as who they were. The idiots, Stephen thought. These were the people who would destroy the world. The mutation virus made you crazy, erratic. It destroyed your mind, one piece at a time. He'd seen it. Being mutant was not a good thing. That's why he joined the Purebloods, a force for eradicating mutant-kind. And now that they were armed with more than teeth and claws, the Purebloods would have to up the ante. Stephen smiled. He couldn't wait to get back in the field. Someone knocked on the door, and he looked over at it.
"Come on in," he said. Luna opened the door and smiled sweetly at him.
"Hey," he said, smiling back. She walked in and held out a plate of mac-n-cheese with bacon on the top to him.
"I brought you your favorite," she said, "to help you heal.""Thanks," Stephen replied, taking the food and starting to eat.
"I'm sorry things didn't work," Luna said, sitting down next to him. "We'll try and be more prepared next time."
"It wasn't your fault," he said, taking a bite and finishing it. "No one's been able to figure out the location of the Survivors, and you'd have no idea that they'd ask that."
"Well, I still feel bad," she said, leaning forwards on the bed and letting her hair fall around her face, tucking some of it behind her ear. "I should've at least sent you with backup, or had you linked into a comn with me or someone with more information, or just planned better."
"Look, Luna," Stephen said. "It's fine, I promise. Everything turned out okay, and we're gonna get 'em back before you know it." He smiled and gave her a gentle nudge with his elbow as he took another bite. "You're good." Luna smiled a little.
"Thanks, Stephen," she said.
"Sure thing," he said, nodding at her. "Y'know, you don't need to worry so much about me. I can hold my own."
"I found you crying in a trash can," Luna chuckled.
"I was eight!" Stephen protested. "I was freaking out, and the trash can was contained and nice and dark!"
"You're so weird," Luna laughed, shaking her head. "But seriously, you'd probably be dead if it wasn't for me."
"Yeah, probably," Stephen admitted, nodding. "You'd probably be alone if it wasn't for me, though." Luna nodded.
"Yep," she said. "That day was really rough for both of us. It changed our lives forever. "
"But, just like then, as long as we stick together, we'll end up better than ever," Stephen replied, wrapping an arm around Luna's shoulders and giving her a squeeze. Luna hummed happily and leaned into the hug.
"Sounds good to me," she said, wrapping an arm back around him. "I'm still gonna protect you for as long as I can, though." Stephen smiled to himself, nestling his head in the curve between her shoulder and neck.
"I won't argue with that." 

           
{A.N. Hey guys, if you liked this, I'd appreciate it if you voted and/or commented on it. Thanks for reading!}