A/N:- Hey again. Just did this. It's pointless, it probably has more spelling mistakes than anything but I started it and wanted to finish. Just offloading it here, it would probably fit in before my other story.

Shit.

Damn that hurts, it hurts so much he can't think, can't move, can't even groan louder than a whimper. And he's scared, of course he is, he's not gonna come off all macho in his own head when no one can fucking hear him. There's blood everywhere and so much pain, he wants it to just end already and leave him in peace. Yet he doesn't really, not yet, not after a measly fucking 3 months on this rock of a planet and nothing to show for it.

He can hear Bloodwing above his head circling endlessly, faithful and reliable and not for the first time he wishes his pet could understand him. Just for the moment, he wants to vent at someone, something before he's dead.

He wants to shout about the fucking Siren and her fucking mental phasewalk, stealing his kills from nowhere and causing all of this. He's so fucking angry he wants to roar, yet he can't and that just makes him angrier. He's been dying now for half an hour and it's getting fucking boring.

There should be a moment of release, where he goes so numb that nothing matters and the pain just stops. He longs for it, yet fears it at the same time; at least pain makes him alive, even if it is only a temporary thing.

There had been a bandit camp, he'd crouched upon a cliff to the right of the settlement and grinned to himself. In the shadows, undetectable and with a clear view of everything. So, he'd planned his attack; vaguely of course, just scoping in on their heads and running through a list in his head. Giving them all an order of which to attack, it had taken him barely 5 minutes before he was checking his sniper rifle over briefly for his attack.

And then, Lilith.

Zooming in there, all purples and blues as he growled high above. She disappeared momentarily, crackling back into existence with a gun to some guy's knee. Blam, the guy had fallen screaming to the ground and she was moving on again. Pointing her stupid little revolver at everyone and firing happily.

He thought about killing her, seriously thought about it. He had gone so far as to aim at her, a red little dot floating over her face as he matched her bobbing and weaving with a minimal amount of effort. He even pictured it briefly, the look in those alien eyes as he took her life. It offered a sort of comfort, just imagining a payback.

Then, to somehow sate his anger he'd taken a shot at one guy just in front of him. Running away from the strange mess of limbs and girlish laughter behind him, arms flailing by his side and an almost comical look of fear and confusion upon his face. The shot had split his head open like a fucking ripe fruit.

And then, he can't really make out what happened. The bandit's arm had come up with the force of the impact, his gun swinging up to Mordecai even as the headless shit had started to fall. A spasm of nerves as the body had shut down, a finger pulling a trigger and one lucky shot had sent a bullet flying into his ribs.

And now, he could do nothing but marvel at the series of events.

Really, it would have been funny if it wasn't happening to him. Even he could see that, the humour of the situation. What a way to die, accidentally, he shook his head minutely to himself and tried to stop the cringe that was crawling up his spine.

"What are you doing, dickbag?"

He gritted his teeth so hard he could feel the muscle in his jaw strain, the ache all the way down his neck before it joined every other fucking ache in his body. He wanted to rip her apart and feed the chunks to the Rakks, just briefly before he realised how tiring anger was. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from glaring as hard as he could at her.

She looked cocky and disgusted at the same time, eyes going from his face to the blood on the rock he sat upon. Arms crossed, hip jutting out as usual and with a scratch on her cheek that had gone a little too close to her eye.

He waited for a moment, just long enough for her to drop that self satisfied fucking smirk.

"Bleeding," he growled through gritted teeth. "What the fuck d'you think I'm doing?" Voice raising, Lilith had the fucking balls to look angry at his tone. "Getting a tan?" Voice going a little too high that time, Mordecai gave an involuntary groan at the end as his stomach muscles protested against him.

She watched him struggle for a moment, heels digging into the dirt and he snarled at the sky like a caged animal. The shadow of Bloodwing passes again and again over his face, she took to counting the bird's patrol to amuse herself. It was a fair while before Mordecai was still again, lying limply by her feet.

"I think I've got a health vial," she said, arms still crossed tightly across her front. "Should keep you going 'til get back to Fyrestone," A shrug, take it or leave it. He gave a tight nod, hands still tight around his waist to somehow offer some form of support. He waited for a while, eyes closing to shut out the red tinted world he lived with constantly thanks to his goggles. Red, there was definitely too much red right now.

He listened for a sign of movement, got nothing for his troubles. "You gonna get that vial or would you like an invitation?" he muttered, chin against his chest and sun baking him alive. She sighed heavily, followed by the sound of a zip being forcefully ripped downwards. Shuffling by his side, a shadow against his arm that cooled his skin a degree. He jumped as a vice like grip clamped down on his elbow, followed by a jab in his arm and hissing.

Then, the adrenaline.

It was hardly anything, really, but he had to fight the sigh of relief. The constant buzzing in his head had died down to bearable, the world had stopped swaying and he was left with nothing but the thrumming of his pulse in his back. Stronger, but only just. He soaked up the feeling for a while before realising Lilith was still watching him, barely a foot away and probably getting bored.

This little act of kindness (no matter how fucking strange) did not make them even.

He scooted into a seated position, bent knees with his elbows resting against them and his head bowed. He still felt shit, of course he did, but he could safely say he wasn't dying.

Stumbling only slightly, he stood; patting down his trousers but getting more blood all over his hands in the process, blood and dirt. He gave a shrill whistle for Bloodwing, alerting the bird to his movement as he flew down to his shoulder. The weight, however comforting, almost sent him off balance. He started walking, occupying himself with his faithful pet instead of the strangely quiet girl behind him.

"Hey, jackass," she shouted, right on cue. "My pleasure, not like I might of needed that for myself or shit," she called, but he could just tell she was marching up behind him. Easily catching up to his still pathetic speed.

He chuckled dryly, refusing to look at her as she came level with him. Both walked along together, Lilith glaring and doing her best to catch his attention as Mordecai kept petting Bloodwing with his gaze fixed ahead of him. They walk for far too long before he finally glanced at her severely pissed off face, no emotion or expression on his face and turned away again.

"Fuck you," she grumbled, hands going to her back pockets and he can literally feel her mind working over the next line of attack. "Should have just left you to die," she doesn't disappoint. He groaned lightly, shaking his head as she bristled beside him. "What does that mean?"

"It means," he started, voice a forced calm and yet his accent made it sound like a growl. "You were the reason I was lying there,"

"You what?" Lilith had laughed once, sharp and more like a bark.

"You stole my kills," A beat. "Flying in like a child and turning the whole fucking thing into your playground," he continued, realising the look of confusion sent his way even from the corner of his eye. He gave her a moment to process the information, not willing to explain it all to her.

And hallelujah, there it is. A light flickers on and she becomes animated once more, as always. "The camp," A thumb over her shoulder. He didn't bother nodding, it would've been a waste of energy."So, it's my fault you got shot, because I stole your kills?"

It sounded pathetic when she said it like that, but he had a fucking point and he knew it. He didn't reply, didn't nod and didn't look at her. 10 minutes in her company and already he wished she would just fuck off.

And then she was laughing. A kind of teasing sound, strangely musical and pleasant had it not been directed mockingly at him; those amber eyes looking him over before shaking her head. Lilith ignored his brief stumble in the dirt, her laugh never faltering even as Bloodwing screeched from the sudden drop of his perch. He had caught himself before his pet took flight, and tried to ignore the talons digging into his shoulder.

"Fuck man," she stared at him in some form of amazement. He wanted to break her jaw. "You're pathetic."

He stopped dead. Lilith stopped half a step after him, arms immediately crossing and that fucking smirk upon her lips. "Lilith," His voice was the very embodiment of anger, it literally dripped with threats of violence and death. At least, he thought so. "You are a fucking child, now get away from me,"

She looked insulted, it was wonderful. Wounded and pathetic before she covered it up, were it not for the certain look in her eyes as she stared over his shoulder without seeing he wouldn't have believed his own eyes. It lasted a second at most before she was grinning at him again. "Well, you must feel like shit right now then. Seeing as this fucking child saved your fucking life,"

They both stared at one another for an age, Lilith balling her hands into fists before releasing them again. Repeating the process every second in an attempt to calm herself down. Mordecai just stood there, ignoring his pet for the moment and staring at her with a stance that gave nothing away.

Really, she was asking for it.

And without another word, he walked on. Mentally he was screaming, the pent up anger making his muscles ache. He really didn't have the energy for this, any of it, he just wanted to get somewhere with medical supplies and get this bullet out of his fucking side.

He sighed and glared as she walked beside him once more, shaking his head and staring ahead defiantly. Fuck her. He didn't need to babysit a spoilt little alien bitch right now, or ever, for that matter. It was a good few minutes before he realised she was staring at him every few minutes, eying him up and down. Going on just his peripheral vision alone, he couldn't tell if she was sizing him up or merely watching him stumble and shuffle his way slowly forward.

"What?" he spoke quickly, he hadn't wanted to say one word to her but intrigue had got the better of him.

She hadn't given away any surprise, even if he had literally snapped at her with nothing more than one syllable. Lilith didn't reply straight away, taking her time to carry on her casual surveillance. "I'll walk back with you, Fyrestone isn't far," And she had looked away, chin raised and somehow he knew she was waiting for an argument, just for the fun of it.

He couldn't, not now, he just couldn't be bothered to be witty and sarcastic and still manage to walk in a straight fucking line. He sighed, some of it from relief, some of it a resignation to his fate. Either way Mordecai looked at it, he was glad. "Thanks."

Ha, she had flinched.