War's Antidote | Chapter 2 [Ivan x Reader]

    "Come on, Commander!" Luddy wheezed. The dramatically long list of requests Ivan had given him to earn his trust were just... impossible. But Ivan refused to let the German off easy. He had put his partner in crime out of commission for a bit, afterall. 

    "Maybe if you would not have trespassed on people's property, you wouldn't be here." Ivan retorted.

    "It wasn't my idea to come barging in on you!" He whined, "Please, I want to prove you can trust me, but I can't do all of these things."

    "I could, [Name] could, why can't you?"

    "Well, could anyone you know of lift up a Soviet truck for 5 minutes?!"

    'I could.' Ivan thought to himself, "No, but if you want my trust..."

    "What if I gave you some secret files and led you to the antidote?"

Ivan sat forward in his chair at the mention of the antidote. He figured this was a medicine easily put together with combining ingredients. 

    "What do you mean, lead me to? Can't this be easily concocted?" 

Luddy shook his head, "Nein, it can't. This medicine has been under lock and key ever since the injection was invented. Only certain German officers know how to get to it."

    "You are not a German officer." The Russian pointed out.

    "No, but I am a medic."

    "What? But you are carrying a rifle!"

    "They needed more soldiers so they took me out, trained me and shoved me on the fields. I'm not technically supposed to be here right now."

    "Then you will tell me what can ease [Name's] suffering until we can obtain the antidote." Ivan growled, grabbing his rifle again.

    "A-a s-stool hardener w-will lessen potential a-accidents...and her speech can be cleared w-with a bit of time..."

    "You will be going out and obtaining the stool hardener... got it?"

    "Y-yes sir!" The German saluted.

Ivan looked to the window and then back to [Name], who was slumped, asleep, in a chair. He sighed with worry. War was no time for games and injections and uncertain bladders. He needed her beside him to fight with him. Together they were a great team. He didn't want to lose that. With no words, he stood up and walked into the kitchen, getting a radio out. Changing frequency to the Red Army's, he sent out a distress signal to his comrades in a base not so far away. It was answered and they chatted for a little while, about twenty minutes, before he came back into the living room.

    "There is a team of rationers and medics on their way. You will tell them what she needs to get better faster and I will get this place some rations. And then, tomorrow you're getting a uniform change and we're all heading out to obtain this antidote."

    "W-why do I have to change uniforms?"

    "I don't want anyone to recognize you, and I also don't want to stop every three miles to answer questions concerning you. So, you're now apart of the Red Army. Congratulations." 

    "I...! Sigh... alright..."

    "There are... other alternatives..."

    "H-hey now!" Luddy spoke quick, laughing nervously, "No need to take out the little guy, ahaha..."

A few minutes of long and awkward silence later, [Name] began to stir from her second nap that she'd taken. She blinked her eyes open and looked around quickly, remembering the last situation she'd been in when she was conscious. She looked for Ivan first; she found him one chair over to her right, his gaze stuck to the window and the blizzard. As she opened her eyes more however, she noticed her vision was blurred. She panicked. 

    "I-Ivan!! I-I c-can't see!"

He whirled around quickly.

    "What?! You cannot see!?"

    "I can s-see but... you're blurry!"

    "LUDDY!" Ivan screamed - the shaken German soldier was a mere few feet away from him.

    "C-Commander Ivan, s-sir!"

    "[Name's] vision is BLURRY! You'd better have a damn good reason for this!"

    "T-The injection... has a s-small chance of blurred vision... Time will cure it... it will clear up within a few hours or so..."

    "You'd better hope it does, or else I'm--"

    "Oh, don't scare him anymore! He's already terrified to death."

Ivan stopped dead in his tracks and turned to [Name] with a very confused expression. The half-blind girl was shaking her head in disapproval and frowning. The last thing Ivan would have expected were to see her defending Luddy.

    "Haven't you terrified him enough?"

    "...But--"

    "No! Don't 'but!' me! Answer the question."

    "I... well, probably..." Ivan muttered.

    "Cut that out." [Name] commanded.

        'Did this... injection change her personality too? Surely she must still be foggy in the head. Surely she wouldn't defend an enemy?'

    "... Alright, if that's what you want. But if he puts a SINGLE hand on you, I swear I'll--"

    "We know; you'll tear him from limb to limb." [Name] sighed.

    "Are you feeling alright? You are different." Ivan inquired; he half gazed at Luddy as he said it, glaring.

    "Am I feeling alright... what kind of question is that? Of course I'm not feeling alright! I can't half see, earlier I sounded like a moron, I probably can't walk straight and I'm utterly worthless!" she spat.

        '...You're not worthless to me.' The General thought to himself.

    "Well just because this happened doesn't mean that it's a set back, I mean--"

    "If Stalin were here," [Name] looked down, "he wouldn't waste any time on me. You probably shouldn't either."

    "But, [Name]!" Ivan protested.

    "In this state, I'm worthless to the State. And everyone knows, the State's status is more important than I, a regular soldier."

Luddy watched from the sidelines, feeling his emotions stir. Was the Soviet Union really so cruel? Would treatment really not be an option for her? He twiddled his thumbs a bit before standing up to talk.

    "...Would they really not... treat you...?"

[Name] shook her head.

    "Finding the antidote for this... whatever it is-- well, wait, my speech is back to normal; why do we need an antidote?"

Luddy gulped, but said nothing. Ivan glared at him.

    "Luddy..."

    "...I-I..."

    "What else is in this injection? You said it was "potentially lethal", but if her speech is fine, her vision will clear up, and the bathroom issues--"

    "Will also clear up in a few days..." Luddy trailed off.

    "Then why do we need an antidote? None of that is... lethal."

    "..."

    "Luddy.., I'm giving you five seconds to tell me why we need an antidote."

    "B-Because... it's a poison."

    "POISON?!"

    "Y-you gave me a POISON?! What are you trying to do to me?! Don't you think I have enough problems?!" [Name] demanded.

    "...You have approximately seven days to live, [Name]."