[gold] you've got me in chains

Isaac quickly looked to Oliver when he awoke, with a small reassuring smile. If only he had gotten here sooner. And to think he had winced at a little prick on his palm to open up the stairs. Oh, he felt so bad, this was all his fault. If he hadn’t stood him up, then maybe he would have been with Oliver when Gold had taken him. If he hadn’t been a coward, none of this would have happened. If he hadn’t been an idiot, he could have actually be able to hang out with his best friend, the person he loved most in the world, but he pushed him away, and that was his biggest mistake.

“Oliver… you’re not dead. I’m sorry.” He worked more frantically on getting Oliver free from these chains, one wrist now undone, but his movements becoming sloppy. At least in Neverland they learned tricks like this in case they were ever in a situation where it was needed. He thanked Pan that he was able to learn this, otherwise, he wouldn’t know what to do in order to get Oliver out and it would probably take longer. Who knew if Gold was going to come back to do more damage to him.

Isaac’s eyes found Oliver’s when he asked if he was working for that monster who had taken him. Oh no, he really thought that low of him. Again, all his fault and he knew it. He took a deep breath as he free Oliver’s other wrist from the chains. “No! No, I promise. He’s a monster, Gold is. I can’t believe that he…” Isaac trailed off. “We’ve got to hurry. He could be coming back any minute.” Isaac looked towards the entrance as he freed Oliver from the rest of the chains, ready to catch and support him the instant he needed it, and he knew he would with the injuries Gold inflicted on him. “I would never kill you, Oliver. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Isaac helped support Oliver, knowing that his body wasn’t going to move properly, though careful at to where to hold him, not wanting to hurt him anymore than he already was. After this was over, Isaac didn’t care. He was going to kill Gold, or die trying for this… shit. He would get Pan if the worst came to worst, though he preferred not include him, mostly because he was probably working on some scheme that required him to remain not known as Pan. Probably keeping it a secret because of Gold. How Pan could create such a monstrosity was beyond Slightly.

The words stung him for a moment before he began contemplating exactly what he had meant. Broken his heart? But to him, they really had just met. Oliver couldn’t understand the lifetime they had spent together already, and yet Isaac had already broken his heart. He was screwing things up so badly this time around, he just wished Oliver could remember when he didn’t screw everything up. This time it was because of he was trying to be so careful because he didn’t want to make things any different, because he was in love with his best friend this time and he had accepted that fact a long time ago.

“I’m sorry, Oliver,” Isaac wasn’t sure how many times he would say it, but it would probably be a lot. He couldn’t express the feelings running through his head, the guilt. “I… I was just scared, Oliver. It doesn’t happen often, but… I care about you a lot. It’s like I’ve known you my whole life.” Well, it was true, most of his life Slightly did know Oliver other than those few terrible first decade and a half or so of his life.

“I can’t leave you, because I have a heart. I can’t… let that monster to anything else to you.” Isaac glanced at the entrance again, paranoid that he would come down any second and probably end up killing him, or torturing him as well. That would be just wonderful. Isaac would see both his best friend tortured and be tortured himself. No. No, he wouldn’t allow it. “You’re the best person I’ve ever met. You know how to have a good time, you’re fun to be around, you’re adorable when you smile, you won’t take shit from anyone, even me. Oliver, please… I don’t want to lose you.” He was trying hard not to reveal anything that would be awkward later, like how he loved his bunny friend, but this could be written off, Isaac told himself, though there might have to be a ‘no homo’ added once he had Nibs back, just to be sure he didn’t screw up their friendship.

Ah damn it. He said the wrong thing. Of course he didn’t know how Oliver felt right now. He hadn’t ever really had to deal with that before. Oliver had to be really scared right now. Oliver was probably scared out of his mind and Slightly could not understand what he was going through. He was in a state of mind that he didn’t really give a flying leap what happened to anyone but Oliver. He had to save Oliver, he had to heal him, the wounds making Slightly want to hug him tightly and tell him that he would never have to go through anything like that ever again. He would protect him. And he wanted to be able to do that. He was unable to protect him this time, he had found Oliver too late. Slightly had no magic, he was no match for Gold. He was no match for anyone with magic. He was weak, and this was the evidence. The person he cared the most about was hurt because of his weakness.

“Oliver…” He didn’t know what else to say, he didn’t know what to respond with, he didn’t know how it felt to be Oliver right now. After he basically just rejected any notion of friendship between the two of them when he ditched Oliver on their day planned together. Slightly just was worried that Oliver might take it the wrong way. Or that he would do something to Oliver that would step over the line, his self-control finally at its breaking point. Or that Oliver would just find Isaac plain and boring and stupid and leave him and he would lose his friend forever.

“No! No, Oliver you aren’t. You’re so much better than him. You’re brave. I don’t doubt that you stood up to him, despite him… being stronger. You stand up when you’re needed. You care with your whole heart. I know you a lot more than you think…” Oh shit, he sounded like a stalker. Okay he was a stalker. But that wasn’t the point. Anyone else in his position would have done the same. “I just could tell the instant we met. It was like I knew you for my whole life.” Okay, maybe that made him sound less like a stalker. Oh he didn’t want to scare him even more after the shit he had to have gone through.

“No, no, no, you’re a wonderful person, Oliver. You don’t deserve any of this.” Isaac wrapped an arm around his torso, which turned out was one of the least injured places, and patted his back carefully, praying to Pan that he wasn’t hurting Oliver. “It’s okay to be scared.” Isaac continued this embrace for a short moment, not talking at all, before pulling away and looking at Oliver with a very serious look. “But we have to get out of here, alright?”

It tore Isaac apart as he watched his best friend say that he wasn’t brave, that he wasn’t worth it. They had heart to hearts from time to time, but none of them were quite like this. He wanted to make him believe in the truth, that he would fight for him for as long as he had life, and beyond that if he could, he would give his life for this wonderful person in front of him because he was worth it. He was worth everything in the world. Isaac wanted Oliver to believe that. But he didn’t know how to show it to his friend other than being his friend, without compromising his true feelings. After all, it was easier to feel loved and worthwhile when there was someone who would love you, and show how they were willing to give anything for them, kiss them, tell them they were the most beautiful person they ever met, how you would be lost without them, how your life had no purpose if they hadn’t waltzed into your life. But those were things that as just a friend he could admit, not really without giving him the impression of what truly was brewing in his mind.

“That’s all bravery is. Being scared, but pretending not to, standing up and saying no. Fighting for what you want, and pretending nothing scares you, facing your fears head on.” Isaac said trying to give him a reassuring look which he was sure came off as scared, because right now Isaac was scared. He was scared out of his wits that Gold would just come back. That Gold would come back and torture him too, or worse, torture Oliver again. He didn’t want Gold to know anything he knew, especially since Isaac remembered. Isaac remembered and he didn’t want Gold to know that he remembered. And he didn’t want Oliver to have to suffer ever again. As soon as Pan carried out whatever he was planning to make him act as if he were cursed along with everyone else, Gold would be in a world of hurt.

“We’re… in the forest somewhere. Graham said that Gold was supposed to own property out here but there was nothing, and… so I searched. Graham had to go back.” Oh shit. Where would he bring Oliver? Would it be smart to go to the hospital? Gold would find him, and there Isaac couldn’t stay by his side to make sure that didn’t happen, the hospital had certain visiting hours that Gold could take Oliver. Maybe he could go to Pan. Even with his act right now, he wouldn’t let Oliver suffer right? Right now, however, getting out of this place was the most important thing. Walking didn’t seem to be able to cut it with Oliver, no pun intended. His leg was too damaged, Isaac thought to himself. “I’ll get you out of here. Just… just bear with me, okay?” He hooked one arm under his legs, while the other supported his back, lifting him into his arms.

Isaac wasn’t in any condition to be lying to Oliver right now. Any questions his friend had he would answer as quickly as possible, because he wanted to get out as fast as he possibly could, their time ticking away. It could already be up and the bastard who did this to Oliver could already be watching him, just waiting to give him hope of escaping before trapping both of them in there and allowing the terrible violent fantasies that had been going through Isaac’s head to become reality. No, he couldn’t wait any longer, he had to answer, and he wouldn’t even have time to think about lying to him.

“I was by Game of Thorns when he took you. It was… like magic, you disappeared in a puff of smoke. But I knew it was Gold. I saw him afterwards with that stupid evil grin of his. I went to Graham, because I thought he would help,” Isaac answered quickly. He knew he would never leave Oliver here. He would rather die. He would rather die than leave Oliver here. If he had to choose, then he would stay here in place of Oliver. If he had to choose, he would die by Gold’s hand rather than Oliver. He would rather die than leave Oliver here. And that statement kept ringing through Isaac’s mind. He would rather die than leave Oliver here. “I would rather die than leave you here, Oliver.” Oh look, he thought it so hard that without thinking he said it.

At the moment, Isaac was running on adrenaline, and coupled with his usual higher than average strength, he had only a little bit of trouble carrying Oliver, slowly making his way towards the stairs and then one foot after the other, slowly climbing the steps, his advance slow thanks to Oliver’s weight slowing him down.

“It’s okay. I deserved it. I mean… I stood you up, what else were you suppose to feel?” Slightly smiled ever so slightly at the thought that Oliver called him a hero, a bitter sweet smile. “I’m just a friend. I’m no hero.” Though in many ways Slightly wanted to be a hero, running about, saving Oliver and his fellow Lost Boys from trouble, but he knew that role was reserved for Pan. “If anyone’s a hero, its you, Oliver. You brought light into my life when there was only darkness. You’re a bright star, Oliver, and it was scary that there could be someone as wonderful as you. I mean, we barely met, but I could tell, when I met you. ” He made sure to add that last part, though it was much quicker than the rest, trying to cover his tracks.