“You really should go to the hospital, Oli. Why are you so insistent on me doing this instead of a trained professional?”
Oliver grimaced, both at the thought of explaining to the hospital staff-and the police- how he got a bullet partially lodged in his shoulder, and at the pain of having said bullet removed with a pair of pliers. As gentle as Polina tried to be, something like this was beyond anything she had trained for.
Still, she was more than capable. He doubted he could have done better, though that was partially due to the extra difficulty of trying to work on himself. It was an unfortunate truth that he had a good deal more experience than her at patching up a variety of wounds and injuries. He blamed his childhood, mostly.
“It's not that bad, really.” He waved it off through gritted teeth. “Honestly, I've had worse. Several times, I'm sad to say.”
Polina grumbled under her breath as she worked, carefully tugging the bullet free. “Ha! Got it!” Quickly dropping the pliers and deformed bullet on the table, she grabbed the antiseptic and bandages. Her brow furrowed as she started to clean the wound, as part of his shirt stubbornly clung to the wound, refusing to come loose no matter what she tried- that, and the complete lack of blood flowing from the bullet hole. “Why the hell isn't it bleeding? And what do you mean that you have had worse?”
Oliver sighed softly. “Remember how I told you about my father and how he was a complete bastard? Well, he never shot either of us... But there were plenty of other things he did to hurt us.”
Polina threw her hands up in frustration at being stymied by the stuck shirt. “Ok, I can kinda understand that Oli. But what is the deal with this shirt? And why won't you go to the hospital? What the hell happened to you?”
She slumped in her chair, frustration and uncertainty radiating off of her. “I'm trying to be understanding Oli, but all of this-” She waved her hand vaguely at his injured form. “Has me worried. I haven't pushed when it came to your, frankly mysterious, 'job'. But you suddenly disappear for a couple days and come back all sorts of fucked up!?”
Leaning forward in her seat, she took his hand gently with both of hers. “I've trusted you a lot, Oli, but trust goes both ways. And after this, I have to wonder what you've been keeping from me. So just level with me. I can help if you're in some kind of trouble, but only if I know what is going on.”
Oliver flinched at the ache that formed in his chest from her words. Despite him showing up bloody and shot, her first instinct was to try to help him. There was no accusation in her tone, only sympathy and love.
“I'm not sure I deserve you.” He whispered, head hanging low.
With a gentle touch, Polina raised his head and gave him a tentative smile. “Just talk to me, Oli. I love you, and I really don't like seeing you hurt like this.”
Oliver leaned into her touch, basking in her gentle affection for just a moment... Because he was afraid that, once he explained things, he may never feel it again.
“It all started after the first time Carl tried to kill me. I woke up in the hospital the next day with no clue how I got there...”
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It took nearly an hour for Oliver to tell her everything. The system, with its attributes, commissions, and bounties. The auctions, including selling off Carl and Jess... Even the people he had killed.
He held nothing back, knowing that he couldn't keep secrets from her anymore. That he didn't want to keep secrets from her.
Polina sat quietly throughout the entire explanation, never interrupting to comment or question anything. Her expression fluctuated constantly, often too fast for him to pick out individual emotions... Though the predominant one was worry, by a large margin.
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His heart raced as she took a minute to digest what he had said.
Holding his hand tightly, she finally spoke... And what she said surprised him. “Oli... You've been through a lot. All the stuff with Carl, then his father piling shit on and getting you kicked out of school... And with all the trauma from your past, it's honestly not surprising that this could cause you even more issues.”
“But I promise that we can find someone to help you, and that I'll be by your side the entire time. Ok?”
It took several seconds before Oliver understood what she was saying... She was interpreting everything he said as being some sort of psychological breakdown... Which, when he thought about it, did kind of make sense. Except he knew it wasn't. Especially since Tyrone had seen some of the more fantastical elements himself.
It would have been easier to just let her believe that, but he couldn't. Not if he really loved her.
Oliver sighed as he shook his head slowly. “I know that it looks like I finally cracked... But I can prove what I said, hon. But me showing you proof will change... Everything. The way you see the world... And the way you see me...”
Polina only hesitated for a second before she nodded firmly. “Ok Oli, show me. But!” She held up a finger to stop him before he could act. “If I'm not satisfied with your 'proof', will you promise to go with me to get you help? I don't want to sound like I'm doubting you...”
“But this just sounds too unbelievable?” He supplied with a sad smile. “Yeah, I can promise that.”
With a wave of his hand, a 50lb bag of rice thumped to the floor, pulled straight from the system warehouse. “This is a function of the warehouse I mentioned. I've got several bags like this piled in there, along with an assortment of other things.”
The bag of rice disappeared, replaced by a change of clothes. Then a rifle. A laptop. A toolkit. After a few demonstrations, he stored all of it away again and moved on. With flex of his Will, his Psi Blade formed in his hand. “This is the Psi Blade I mentioned. It's formed from pure psychic energy, or 'Psi'. I can't demonstrate magic because the only spell I have is an aura that most people can't see.”
With a sigh, he sagged in his seat and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I'm not crazy... I mean, I guess I am, but I'm not delusional.”
Poli reached out slowly, running a finger along the glowing purple sword. Despite the slightly mystical appearance, it felt like steel to her hand. She jumped in surprise when Oliver released his hold on it and the sword seemed to quickly unravel before her eyes.
“You...were telling me the truth. About everything?” When Oliver nodded in confirmation, she let out a shaky breath. “That...”
Her expression shifted rapidly once again, but this time Oliver could just barely follow it. Part of the worry till remained, though it was tinged with other complex emotions. Fear, uncertainty, confusion...
Anger.
“You killed people?”
Her voice was somehow plain, with just a hint of disbelief. Oliver nodded slowly, knowing this was likely the tipping point... And unsure if their relationship would survive it.
“Yes.”
“Why!?” A touch of heat entered her voice. “I know you said that they were terrible people. Evil people, even... But we have laws for a reason! There's a system in place to handle those kind of people!”
The ache in Oliver's heart grew with every word. He had no idea how to salvage their relationship... “I want to say I did it because the system failed, that those assholes, and Hardeman, did whatever they wanted and got away with it. And that someone needed to do something about it...”
“But I can't say that...” He shook his head slowly, his eyes distant and introspective. “I did it... I killed those assholes... Because they killed people that they thought of as beneath them... And anyone that isn't white is 'beneath them'... And the very idea that they would happily burn you to death just because of the color of your skin made me... Angry...”
“And I killed Hardeman because he would have done the same or worse. The only reason he didn't have Eve target you is because you're a cop and he didn't want that level of attention.”
His gaze grew firm as he nodded slowly. “I know it's fucked up, but I won't hesitate to kill anyone that threatens you Poli... Even if you hate me for it...”
Conflict raging in her eyes, Polina's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment before she spoke. “I... I don't know what to say. Or think.” Tears flew from her eyes as she shook her head. “I... I need some time to think about all of this Oli... I just...”
Turning away from him, her shoulders shook as she cried. “I won't tell anyone... But I need... to figure out what to think and how I feel...”
“I need some time...”