writing random MCSM oneshots until I get motivation

Jesstra [Leave Me]

[AU: Jesse prepares to face her death after fighting Aiden in Sky City, Petra refuses to leave her]

-

It's cold. Wet. Raindrops slipping harshly from the sky onto barren ground. Thunder, it's loud. You can hear it rumbling beneath you, shaking the holds of Sky City to it limits.

Lightning crashes furiously, the storm screaming and screaming as if something had caught its throat. The wind howling lashes out in a frenzy.

Her body is already cold, shaking slightly. Blood seeping into her clothes and dampening onto the cracks in her armor make her warm. It feels contradicting, slow. Strands of hair stuck to the side of her face and over her eyes. It's numb.

Skin blooming with purple, bruises, a few broken bones. Light and deep scratches that mark her up like a canvas, stained with a deep shade of scarlet. A line of blood trickles out of her mouth, pooling in with a threatening scar on her cheek.

And despite the air—for some reason it seems crisp, clearer than usual—it's hard for her to breathe.

Lightning crashes, and the crumbled throne room is lit in a frightening display. The floor marked visibly with dents, furniture tossed and ruined. Blood everywhere. And for a second she can see a silhouette of Aiden, falling off the edge where she had pushed him, right after he had stabbed her through the gut.

His face, an expression of fear, terror, rage. Maybe a bit of remorse. Every last bit dead to the latter. He's gone now. Well, gone from here.

She blinks. She knows the waterfalls will lead them to safety. She knows that Petra and Ivor are leading them, thinking she'll be right behind, that Lukas will be waiting down below to guide them. They're fine. They will be.

No use dwelling on her.

Jesse knows she's done for. And the scary thing is, she's fine with it.

As long as they'll be safe, as long as they'll be safe.

She never asked to play hero. Did she get too cocky? Did she get too comfortable with the fame? No.

Every memory locked in her brain is filled with little sparks of hope. Of smiles, little bits of laughter. It's all the little things she can remember now. And despite everything, it's kinda nice.

A raspy chuckle merges with a painful cough, she spits out a spray of red. Her vision blurs, she's tired. She can't move. With an arm across her stomach and the other resting on the ground along with her broken wrist, she shuts her eyes. Thunder roars, she can feel the throne room shake, this land slowly crumbling. And then-

"Jesse!"

No.

She recognizes Petra's voice immediately. And her body is shot with full with fear. No, no no. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to.

How was it she was fine with dying just a few moments ago?

Jesse's face is suddenly wet, tears streaming down her face, body racking with sobs that only make the pain worse. Every little shudder agonizing, bursts of pain exploding all over. She's in Petra's arms before she knows it, dark eyes glimmering with a newfound desperation.

"Jesse, Jesse look at me." Her voice is uneven, shaky, different. She can barely hold her correctly.

"Go." She chokes out, letting out another brutal cough. "You need to-"

Jesse's grip tightens on her arms, head resting slightly against her chest. She's still sobbing, shaking her head furiously.

"No, you listen to me." Petra holds her the slightest bit harder. "I'm not fucking leaving, you understand me? We're getting out of this. Come on, stand up."

She says this sort of confidently, as she always does. Jesse was always amazed at how she could keep it together, no matter what. How strong she was, it was what she admired about her.

"I can't." Jesse's voice is raspy, quivering. She lets out a pained shriek as Petra attempts to haul her up, falling harshly back down to the ground. Her armor cracks even further.

"Let me-" there's something in her expression, what is it? "let me carry you."

"Stop-Petra stop, please-" she lets out another pained cry as Petra attempts to carry her, only failing miserably. Another sob racks her body, hands gripping her arms.

"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU HERE JESSE!" And that's when she sees, despite the heavy rain and the quaking, she can see tears in her eyes. Teeth grit firmly, biting her lip in a show to try and hide it. "After everything, you're just gonna sack it here? When have you ever given up? When have you ever let anything get to you?"

Jesse's eyes meet hers, they're both a furious mess, but none of them care. She wraps her arms around the redhead, burying her head in her shoulder, with all of her remaining strength, Petra's heart beating against hers.

"This is what I want, okay?" It's a whisper, it's soft, her breath lingering on her ear. "I want you out of here, now."

"Jesse, I won't-"

"I love you." She says it so simply, as if the world wasn't crashing around them. Petra's grip tightens around hers, almost in disbelief, arms wide, holding the injured girl with such care. "I love you. So you have to go. Please."

Her voice is muffled in Petra' sleeve, and just as quick, Jesse plants her lips onto hers-for a mere second-her mind goes blank. And then finally, to her reluctance, Jesse pulls away, the warmth gone.

Another violent cough escapes her mouth, and her chest heaves, the bittersweet smile surrounded in blood, an image implanted in the other's brain.

Jesse mouths one last thing.

Go.

Petra's always been horrible with goodbyes. She shuts her eyes, and turns around, Jesse now nothing more than a memory in her head.