Chapter Text
A scientist lays limp on a bed. The atmosphere around him — stale, dry, almost clinically clean. The clock on the nightstand near him illuminates midnight. Staring at the ceiling in the dark, inphernals outside the corridor rush around the sleeping quarters, some heading to work, some heading to report to higher ups.
Life has always been like this for Blackrocks scientists. Forbidden from the outside world, working strictly with a schedule: report, write, study, work, work, and if you fall behind, you get sent to the army.
The rules were strict, banishing anybody who decided to break them. The scientists, who are inphernals with support gears spawned specifically to work in laboratories, have never seen the sun outside.
The demon laying in bed is on break. Two hours until he has to get up and return to researching. He should be asleep right now, trying to get rest before he is obligated to work for the next eleven hours, but he can not stop thinking.
He and his lab partner are about to make the biggest breakthrough in Blackrock history. An infinite energy source. The higher ups do not know of this, which is worrying the both of them quite a lot.
They have decided to not present their research, allowing them to experiment with its use before sending in the report. Well, because something like this… should be worked with carefully. It would affect the state of Blackrock's politics, more specifically its military capabilities, but not only. Medical, economic, financial, and so on.
The alarm next to him blares.
Already..? You've got to be kidding me.
He sluggishly gets up, shutting the door to his room, and makes his way towards his work station, which is located in the biomedical section of the underground laboratory. He always had a knack for medicine.
There is a small room with his name on one of the two metal plates, stuck to the middle of the steel door. The room is connected to a smaller lab section, only two demons assigned to work in it. Pushing the door open, he walks over to his desk, scooting away a pile of empty files.
The scientist got into an argument with his lab partner a few hours earlier. He's tired, stressed and burnt out over this… thing. This crystal with healing properties that he pulled out of his coat pocket, now on his work desk, lays seemingly just to insult him. He feels an outburst of anxiety, fear, panic and anger. But that quickly bubbles down the second he sees the crystal on the desk react, rattling aggressively.
His eyes widened. That was new. He picks up the green crystal and inspects it. His confusion amplifies alongside the vibrations the crystal is giving off.
The crystal responds to… surrounding emotions? But why? More importantly, how?
The scientist hurriedly snatches one of the files from the pile, titled ‘No. 7: Energy sources’ , gets up, and heads to the lab.
There, multiple other energy crystals were in small dishes, each illuminating a different color, but most, if not all of them were predominantly shades of blue, teal and green.
Before he could experiment and write down anything, he heard his partner quickly shuffle into the lab. Turning around, he's faced with red horns, grinning like a child, holding what he thinks is a crystal.
“Subspace, look, I think there's something wr-”
“Med, Med! You need to see this, like, right now!” He cuts him off, uncovering the crystal that he was holding. “I was in Grav's lab, testing out how the crystals would react to chemicals, and I think I managed to revert the properties of this crystal. Look, the color changed.”
“What the- what do you mean ‘revert the properties’? What does it do?”
“You know how we usually got crystals with healing properties? The color on this one is inverted. It's like a pinkish-red. If I'm correct, it should be explosive. Can you imagine that?!” Subspace set the crystal down on a glass dish. “The capabilities of these things are unique.”
Medkit stares at the presumably explosive crystal.
“Are you sure? Have you tested it out?” he asked, picking up the dish and observing it. “It's got a different shape too… Subspace. I think… we shouldn't be making these type of crystals. At all.”
“No, no. Imagine what we could do for Blackrock! Check this out.” He grabbed the red crystal, reaching in between Medkit's green horns, which warranted Medkit to step back a bit in confusion. “Your horns' spawn energy should keep this crystal in place.”
Medkit felt a surge of dizziness and nausea as the crystal hooked onto its place, and he quickly grabbed Subspace's hand, which was still holding onto the crystal, and shoved him away.
“What- in the Swords, Subspace?! You cannot just do that!” Medkit scolded him. The crystal he was holding started shaking.
“Ahah, sorry! Should've asked! But, you get it, right? Once we tweak the formula a bit, we could use crystals to amplify soldiers' gears. Their powers-!” He stumbles back a bit, swiftly slipping the crystal back onto the dish. “Why- Why is it shaking like that?”
“Listen, Subspace. We do not know what these crystals are in the first place, outside of just an ‘energy source’. I… I've noticed the crystals start reacting to their surroundings. It's too risky. We can't produce these.”
“Could it be that it's just a side effect? We can't stop now, Medkit. The higher ups are already growing impatient, considering we haven't turned in any papers yet.” Subspace said.
Medkit knows what he's saying is true. But… he's scared of what would happen if these crystals were used as weapons.
“I understand where you're coming from, Subspace. But I do not wish for these crystals to be used for harm. Especially as an explosive. We could stick to balancing the healing crystals, to help soldiers in case of injury. I want… it to be used for the greater good.”
Subspace stayed silent for a moment, before his eyebrows furrowed and a small smile plastered onto his face.
“You always do this, Medkit. Shutting down my ideas for your own. I've already gotten enough mouthfuls from our sector boss over our inventions only being useful for healing. Do I look like I'm capable of being forced to become a soldier?!” He said, pain laced into his voice. The crystals nearby started rattling with every word he said, shining brighter than they did before. “I'm tired of being overshadowed by you. I thought you were the only one that cared.”
Medkit's fingers curled into a fist. “I do care, but you can't do this, Subspace. People's lives are at risk. You know what happened with that Protograft. It spewed out of control and killed two scientists. Grav is still devastated over Warp. Didn't we want to advance Blackrock's medicinal capabilities? Less deaths? Less unsafe, immoral experiments? And not killing machines?”
“That's why we can balance it! You said it yourself. We have time, our bosses aren't pushing that aggressively for something new yet.. and It is for the greater good.”
“The crystal is unstable. When- you hooked that thing on my horns, I could tell. It'll take more time to balance out that type of crystal, if it's even possible, compared to the others. We do not have that time! We're not taking that risk. We can not let people die for this.”
“We have time. We have until tomorrow to stabilize them…” Subspace started fidgeting with the hem of his lab coat.
“We don't! I thought we agreed to report the healing crystals today. Do you imagine how many protocols we have to break to get this one deemed safe for use in one day?! We've been working on these for the past month. A month of work cannot be done in a day.” Medkit stressed. “You're missing the point here. I'm not involving myself with that thing. We're supposed to work together here.”
“What's it to you? We're never going to see them in use, anyway. All we need to do is make them usable!” He stepped forward, reaching for Medkit's arm. “Just… trust me on this one. We can send them in.”
Medkit slapped Subspace's hand away. “No! Do you even hear yourself right now?!”
Subspaces demeanor shifted.
“I get it now. I get it. You want to take the credit for yourself, don't you? That's why you're so adamant on keeping one type of the crystal only.”
“What? You know that's not true. We worked on this together.”
“Stop lying! You… you did this last time.” Subspace was angry, eyes narrowed, teeth gritting and shoulders stiff.
“Because it hurt people. I told you- hnrk-!”
The sound of a punch resonated through the lab, as Medkit stumbled back, eyes wide. He reached to touch his cheek, feeling small specks of blood start seeping. Subspace was breathing heavily.
Medkit felt small tears pricking on the corners of his eyes from the pain. “Why are you-”
“-Shut up…! Shut up. I'm turning it in.” Subspace reached for the file. “Don't- spew that nonsense.”
Medkit reached forward and grabbed Subspace's arm, trying to stop him, but that seemingly triggered Subspace even more. “Subspace- wait-”
“Stop it!! Stop… shut up!! You always do this!! Stop ruining everything!!” He shouted as he pushed Medkit to the ground, falling right onto him, seemingly forgetting Medkit was still holding Subspace's arm. Crystals clattered on the countertop near them.
I’m tired of you.
Medkit shrieked as he felt claws desperately scratch at his face, fingers pushing into his eyes. His arms were trying to shove away Subspace, hooves lashing around.
“I j-just want to be useful…-!” Subspace choked out, leaving red marks over Medkit's face.
He's planning to kill me, isn't he?
“G-get off of me-!” A hard kick slammed Subspace into the countertop, the dish with the red crystal falling, shattering right onto the padding on his right shoulder. Subspace faltered as he saw Medkit's face twist from fear, to shock, to despair in a matter of seconds.
“Subspace-”
It felt like everything went silent for a moment, before the crystal exploded. It sent out pink fumes and glass shards, drowning out both of their screams with a high-pitched buzz.
Subspace's right claw went deeper, on accident, completely digging into Medkit's eye, screaming and crying as half of his face, horns and shoulder were being burnt from the crystals sticky-like fire. Tears dropped down onto his face.
The fumes made both of them cough aggressively, still holding onto each other for a split second before Medkit pushed Subspace's body off him. His skin was boiling.
“Med- Med-! H-Help me, help me, ple-ease- it burns-” He sobbed out.
Medkit shuffles to his hands and knees, getting up slowly, staring down at the writhing body. He can’t feel his face at all.
“I’m sorry… I-I’m so sorry.” He whined out, holding the bleeding side of his face, letting out small sobs, curling in on himself. “I didn’t mean to make you feel this way.”
Subspace tries letting out a coherent reply, but everything that comes out of his mouth are pathetic coughs and groans of pain.
“The crystal-” his breath hitched, the realisation that it was the crystal that exploded hitting him all at once.
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. This is my fault, isn’t it? I’m sorry.
He can hear ringing in his ears.
Run.
Medkit spawned his gear, clicking open the kit and shoving in the remaining crystals, alongside the files documenting them. He needs to stop the bleeding from his eye quickly, but his first priority is getting out of this place.
He takes one last look at Subspace. The bones on his shoulder are exposed, half of his face melted away, leaving visible flesh, muscle, and his skull. His vocal chords torn apart, only letting out whistles and incoherent babbles. The view makes him want to vomit.
The previously red horns have now shifted to a magenta, pinkish color, similar to the explosive crystal. It’s a gruesome sight, the smell is atrocious, reeking of blood and iron and whatever the explosion let out.
Heaving out a cry, he reaches into Subspace's pocket, taking out his ID card. It’s obvious. It’s too late to save him. And he knows he’s a criminal in Blackrocks eyes now.
If he wants to stay alive, there’s no other choice than to flee Blackrock, forever.
…
There’s no time to think about where to go as he hears his own hooves click with each running step on the concrete floor. Blood drips onto the floor. Relief washes through him, thankful the rest of the scientists are in the cafeteria, eating whatever slop they’re offering for breakfast.
Medkit spots a staircase leading up. He knows the laboratory is located underground, so it only makes sense the exit is upstairs.
Sprinting up, he slams his fist into the keycard reader, surprised the door actually budged, pushing it open. A gust of freezing cold wind blows straight onto his face, making him squint at the cool feeling on the burns and wounds on his face, before shutting the door closed.
Well, I wasn’t really expecting that. I’m going to freeze to death if I go out there.
A thought suddenly pops up. The crystals. Opening up his gear, he takes out one teal colored crystal.
I cannot believe I am doing this.
Reaching up, he lets the crystal hang and stay afloat in between his green horns. The dizziness spreads through his body, not as intense as the other crystal, but present nonetheless.
While letting his body adjust, he rips the fabric of his sleeve with his teeth and wraps it around his head, covering the now blind left eye, the crystal already doing its work and slowing the bleeding.
He gives himself a moment before pushing the metal door once again, forcing its way through thick snow. The crystal should stop his limbs from dying to frostbite, but he’ll still feel it. That’s for sure.
Medkit pauses, as a feeling courses through his body. He stares into the night sky with awe. The light blue light from the sun reflects off the moon beautifully, and the sky — a soft gradient of dark blue and purple, stars, specks of light littering the dark background.
I probably shouldn’t be waiting around.
The image of Subspace’s body forces its way into his mind. He convinces himself the wince on his face is from the cold. He contemplates turning back, try saving him, but the uneasiness forces his legs to move further into the thick, untouched snow.
The heart deep in his chest thumps loudly.
...
I remember the first time we held each other.
It felt like I had salt in my head.
Do you remember? When I was in your arms?
I was happy, being next to you. But I was never yours.
You were always the opposition.
I think I hate you.
A visceral scream from a co-worker with light-purple horns echos off the walls of Blackrock's underground laboratory.
…
It feels like a day has passed since Medkit escaped the laboratory, and only now is he reaching a warmer area. Place. Whatever. Maybe his body was used to the cold, already.
He's not sure where he is. He's been walking on the side of a road for who knows how long.
Thankfully, the snow around him has significantly lessened, meaning he’s already out of Blackrocks vicinity.
His body aches, legs throbbing in pain from running. He's sure he passed out several times in the snow. There's something tugging at his heart, guilt.
It didn't have to end like that.
The prior events have been playing like a broken record in his head, on repeat, not letting him have a moment to think about anything else. He fights the urge to vomit on the side of the road. Not again.
I'm hungry. I'm tired.
Blinking sluggishly, he proceeds to make his way closer, vehicles occasionally passing him by every few minutes, but paying no mind for some reason. Medkit can see the silhouette of a city not too far away. He should try catching the attention of a driver. Otherwise, he would collapse from exhaustion and starvation.
Looking behind his back, he spots a small grey car heading his way. Stopping, he turns around and starts jumping and waving his arms desperately. That seemed to be useless, as the car just drove by. Medkit heaves from the unnecessary waste of energy.
He gives himself a moment to stare at the city not too far away. Fear resonates through his body, knowing he hasn’t been in places other than his workplace underground. Never met people outside of the small classroom of scientists spawned with their life already planned out for them. It’s nerve-wracking.
“-Hey! Are you… okay?” A voice suddenly attacked Medkits ears. He jumped back, startled.
There, in a small black truck, sat what he thinks are two young adults. The older of them has two sets of wings, one on the sides of his head, and the other on the bottom of his back, red horns glimmering in the sunlight, dressed like a casual knight.
The younger – grumpy, two sets of blue spiky horns, a large shark-like tail flicking in the back, and gills on the sides of his neck. He was dressed in a casual jacket, jeans having sewn on patches of fabric. He had a pair of shades with a blue-to-yellow gradient resting on his forehead.
“--ello? Hello? Dude, Rocket, help me here.”
“What am I supposed to d-”
“U-Uhm.. Hello.” Medkit hurriedly replied.
“You look gnarly, old man.” The blue one, who he assumes is Rocket, said.
Do I seriously look that old? I’m 35…
“Stop being so rude-! Are you injured? Do you need a ride to the hospital?”
“Of course he’s injured, Sword, his eye is missing.”
Sword pushed Rockets face away with his palm. Rocket replied by slapping Swords back with his tail. They gave each other a glare, playfully.
“I could use a- ride? To that city over there… if that would be okay.” Medkit pointed to the buildings.
“Oh! Crossroads! That’s where we’re headed. I’m sure your dad would let him in, right?” Sword asked Rocket.
“He wouldn’t care. As long as he, like, doesn’t try murdering us both and stealing his prized truck.”
“Sweet!” Sword shifted to make space for Medkit to sit on.
Medkit sighed in relief as he finally got the chance to rest his legs. He can hear the two demons whisper and murmur to each other. Sword shifts to face Medkit, reaching to give him a bagel.
“I don’t know your situation, but I have a feeling you need to eat something.”
“...” Medkit stares at the bagel in his hands.
“Take it..?”
“Oh. Thank you.” He warily takes the bagel, taking a small cautious bite before deeming it safe to eat.
The ride to ‘Crossroads’ was silent. Well, for the most part. The stares he occasionally gets from the two feel loud. Medkit looks out the window of the truck, noticing they fully passed the snowy terrain, and now green grass, trees, unique flowers litter the land alongside the road.
It’s beautiful. He’s never seen something like this before. The wind blowing through the window smells refreshing, soothing his worries, at least a bit.
Medkit fidgets with his gear, furrowing his eyebrows. He can’t help but feel more regret. Guilty he’s the only one able to witness this.
Looking into the side mirror, he’s shocked, seeing as his horns have shifted from green to teal, matching the crystal floating in between his horns.
He remembers Subspace's horns turning pink as he was dying. The same color of that cursed crystal. Subspaces pleas for help ring through his head, for what seems like the hundredth time.
To think he didn’t get the peaceful death he was hoping for. He doesn’t unhook the crystal, though, afraid the healing effects coming to a stop might knock him out completely. It doesn’t stop the nausea returning at the thought.
I killed him. But… At the same time, I didn’t. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know anything, other than the fact that he’s gone. Forever. It should've be-
“-Hey, what’s your name?” Sword asked, snapping Medkit back to reality. He panics internally for a second.
It just now hit him that these fellows might be affiliated with Blackrock, considering they were coming from its direction. Should he give a fake name? Would they recognize him? Are they secretly soldiers, sent to look for him?
“I, uh- I, um- I’m Mech-” Now that he thinks about it closer, if they were sent to look for him, they would’ve recognized him from his appearance. “I mean, I’m- Medkit. My name is Medkit.” He winces at the stuttering.
“Oh! Nice to meet you, Medkit! My name is Sword, and this is my partner, Rocket.” He seemingly pays no mind to Medkits slip-up. However, Rocket scowled.
“So, Medkit, what brings you to Crossroads? Where’s your spawnpoint?” Rocket asked, narrowing his eyes, maintaining eye-contact with him.
You should probably keep your eyes on the road.
“I’d prefer the unnecessary questions to the minimum, please.”
Rocket slowed down to a stop.
“Hell no. Whatever is going on with you seems suspicious. You either answer my questions, or get the hell out of my damn truck.”
“Rocke-” Sword started, just to be quickly cut off.
“I said what I said.”
All three of them stayed silent for a moment.
“I’m seeking shelter in the city after an incident back home. I’m…” Medkit contemplated whether he should say the truth or lie. One look at Rocket's face tells him everything he needs to know. “I’m from Blackrock.”
“Blackrock, huh?” Rocket seemed amused at that piece of information. “That’s unexpected.”
“Stop scaring the poor guy, Rocket. It’s none of our business.” Sword said.
“Fine.”
Rocket started the car again, and silence made its way for the three of them once again.
…
Right as the car came to a stop in front of Crossroads hospital, Sword briefly stopped Medkit before he left the truck.
“Hey, excuse my girlfriend. He’s just like that. Here, I have some spare Bux to help you figure stuff out, and a paper with my phone number written on it. If you ever need help, feel free to call me. I’m sure we can figure something out.” Sword told him with a sweet smile on his face.
“Oh. Thank you so much, Sword. I’ll find a way to repay you in the future, that’s for sure. I appreciate your help.” Medkit took the paper, alongside 700 Bux. Sword's smile infected Medkit, as he felt a small smile slip back as well.
“Well, we need to head off now. We wish you the best, Medkit!” Sword said, not letting Medkit reply as Rocket hit the gas.
Someone’s adamant on getting home, jeez. What the hell is a phone number?
Medkit keeps the paper in his gear, in case he’ll actually need help in the future.
Looking up, he stares at the hospital building, pausing, before swiftly turning away.
I don’t have any existing medical records, do I? It’s unlikely I even exist outside of Blackrock’s databases. Or maybe I do exist, with Blackrock tied to my name. I’d be dragged to prison for fleeing the laboratory without clearance. There is a small chance that’s true, and I don’t want to take that risk.
He’s alone now. He needs to find a place to stay.
And so, starts Medkit’s amazing search. His minimal knowledge about the ‘outside’, causes way too many issues, way too early into his ‘new life’ as he walks down the sidewalks of Crossroads, searching for something he isn’t even sure he’ll get.
People seem to blur by him, some occasionally bumping into his shoulder, some sending strange looks at him. It’s understandable, his appearance at the moment isn’t amazing. Torn up lab coat, now dried blood that had once seeped through the makeshift eyepatch half a day ago..
His stomach growls. He can feel his breath quicken with every stare sent his way. Cold sweat that makes him feel clammy. Pace slowing down, heavy pants leave his body, as he notices more and more foreign strangers pass by him.
I need to get myself together.
Medkit darts into a nearby alleyway, back pressed to the cool brick wall of the building. He feels like his entire body is shaking. Now that the imminent threat of death isn’t knocking at his mind, the clarity hits him hard, like a bubble popping. Way too hard.
Everything was lost. His job, his autonomy, his routine, the people he grew up with, all gone. Now, he's in a completely unknown world. He remembers the devastation Grav was feeling over Warp's and his lab partner's death. The look on her face.
…The look on his face.
He killed them. He’s a murderer. Hypocritical of him, really, since he was the one preaching about ‘keeping their inventions strictly safe for healing’.
Get it together. You need to move on.
I cared about them. They cared about me. I don't really grasp what I did, do I?
His quick breaths turn to desperate gasping, fists clenching, claws digging into his palms.
Stop thinking. Get it together. I can't change what has already happened.
I could've. No, no… I'm wrong. I should've.
Stop. Pitying is useless. I have better things to worry about.
Right.
The shaking of his body slows as he hugs himself. The teal light that was shining bright just a few seconds ago dims. Medkit lets tears roll down his face, before aggressively wiping them away and pushing away from the brick wall. Heaving out deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
He exits the alleyway. His stomach growls in hunger. He avoids bumping into people, matching their pace, searching for a place he could get something to eat. Medkit cannot even begin to understand what most of these stores littering the streets are for, nor what they sell.
Spotting a couple exit a building, holding what looks like a… sideways sandwich, he shuffles right into the place they left, and, luckily for him, it is in fact a place to get food. Although unluckily for him, there’s a line of people at the register. The place is nicely decorated with vibrant colors, a window near the checkout displaying various salads and treats.
Some people look at him and chuckle, while some give him a concerned look as they leave the store. Medkits shoulders stiffen, but he ignores it.
After a few minutes of waiting, Medkit finally meets the eyes of the demon working the counter. The worker gives him a bright smile, completely ignoring his appearance.
“Heya! What can I get for you today, ma’am?” She asked.
“Uh… A sandwich, please.” Medkit replied.
“If you look at the menu on the display, you can see we sell hotdogs here!” She chuckled lightly.
“Oh.”
That explains the weird sandwich.
“Well, could I get a…” Medkit stares at the menu, trying to make sense of the unique names of the order items. “...A medium… awesomedog..?”
“Of course! Would you like any drinks with you?”
He squints at the drinks section of the menu.
“Black coffee.”
“Awesome choice! Anything else?”
Medkit looks around. “No, thanks.”
“Alrighty! Your name for the order?”
He sighs at the excessive amount of questions. “Mecha.”
“”Kay! Your total is 302 bux. Cash or card?”
“Cash.” Medkit murmured as he took out a crumpled ‘500’ bill that Sword gave him earlier, handing it to her.
“Your change is 198 Bux. Your name will be called out when your order is ready.” She handed him a piece of paper, a ‘’100’ and ‘50’ bill, alongside a few coins.
Medkit looks down at the paper as he moves away.
Details of my order, I assume. Got it. This isn’t as hard as I was expecting it to be.
Medkit sits at a nearby stool, looking out the ceiling-to-ground windows. People walk by. The sidewalks are slightly littered with small pieces of garbage, and cars speed through the busy road. It’s something he’s not used to. He looks down at his hands. Curls and uncurls them.
The tips of his fingers have attained a teal gradient. Medkit isn’t surprised for some reason. He wonders if his entire body will shift color. Unlikely. Actually, now that he thinks about it, nobody seems to care about the crystal floating atop his head. He shrugs.
“Order for Mecha!” Well, that was uncharacteristically quick. But, what does he know? He’s never had to order food in a restaurant ever.
Medkit comes up to the pick-up counter. muttering a ‘thanks’, before returning to the stool he was previously at with a tray.
The food is greasy, a line of red and white sauce on top of the sausage and lettuce. A stark difference from what he’s used to. He takes a bite from the hotdog.
It tastes good. Really good. Actually, so good that he cannot stop himself from taking another bite, before he even swallowed his first one.
Is this what heaven tastes like?
Taking a sip from his coffee, he feels content.
He can see somebody in his peripheral vision sit on the stool next to him, placing down a drink. Medkit pays no mind.
“Never thought I’d see a worker from Blackrock in this area of the city. In uniform, nonetheless. You look like you just went through hell and back.”
He pauses his chewing, swallows, then slowly turns his head to the stranger. “Excuse me-?” He suddenly pauses. He recognizes this person.
B. Zuka
The man looks older, way older than the last time Medkit saw him. Once vibrant blue horns now grey, dressed casually, and an arm missing. He looks extremely tired, but has an amused expression on his face. Unusual. It’s uncanny.
Medkit has once met B. Zuka before. He and Subspace presented their inventions to the Ambassador around a decade ago, multiple times, when they were teenagers. He remembers. It’s not everyday that Medkit meets a new person. Such an important figure. A strong, influential one.
Medkit tenses up. His breath quickens slightly as he stares into the older man's face.
“Are you here to kill me?” Despite putting in so much effort to escape Blackrock, he knows he has no chance against somebody like Zuka. Their gear could easily erase Medkit’s bones from existence. It’s easier to just accept his fate instead of attempting to run away.
Zuka bursts out in extremely loud laughter, actually slapping his knee. He manages to laugh even harder at Medkit's confused expression. “Oh, no, no. Whew! That was a- haha! A good one, son.” He wipes a finger under his eye. “I’m not here to kill you. I just like the lattes here.” The man pats Medkit’s back. Medkit weakly pushes his hand away.
The what now?
He continues. “I’m not affiliated with Blackrock, or the factions, at all anymore. If that’s what you’re worried about. Medkit, was it?”
Medkit slowly nods.
“You have sauce on your nose.” He blinks.
I don’t think I’ve ever been this baffled before.
Medkit grabs a tissue from his tray and wipes his nose and the corners of his mouth, face flushed in embarrassment.
They stay silent for a moment.
Zuka takes in Medkit’s appearance. Left eye is covered in make-shift bandages with blood stains on it, as well on the neckline of his uniform. A healed burn peeking through the wrappings, alongside scratch marks on the right side of his face. In between his horns floats a mysterious crystal. His horns are a different color. His fingers are a different color. His hooves look ragged, his pants having a dark, wet stain.
Something has happened very recently. He figures at least a few hours ago. Eyes keep on snapping back to the crystal.
Medkit goes back to eating his hotdog, occasionally sipping on his black coffee. Zuka's eyes narrowed.
His hands are shaking.
“So, Medkit, what happened?” He asked once Medkit finished his meal, now just sipping on the remainder of coffee in his cup.
An eye snaps to Zuka, his eyebrows furrowing.
The smell floods my senses again.
I can hear him screaming at me.
“Med- Med-! H-Help me, help me, ple-ease- it burns-”
Medkit scowls.
“Why should I tell you? For all I know, you could be lying about not being an Ambassador anymore.”
Zuka scoffs. “Take a damn look at me, stag. I got no arm, drinking a sickly sweet latte in the busiest part of town. I couldn’t care less about those deities nor politicians anymore, I got a son to take care of back home. Also, open a history book. The Ambassador program isn’t a thing anymore.”
He sighed. “Well...I needed to leave if I wanted to stay alive. That’s all you really need to know.” Medkit would prefer not remembering the details of the ‘incident’.
“Understood. I assume you got a buddies place to stay at? Considering you managed to leave Blackrock without freezing to death.”
“...No. I was capable of managing on my own. Leaving, I mean.”
The sound of people shuffling around fills the silence between them.
“Intruiging.”
“....Probably going to sleep outside, though. What’s it to you?”
“My son is disabled. He needs new prosthetics, as his current ones are completely rusted up. You’re an engineer.”
“And?” He cocks an eyebrow.
“Make him new prosthetics in my workshop. You’re capable of doing that, right? In exchange I’ll provide you with a place to stay, temporarily, and food, until you find yourself a source of income. Sound good?”
“...” Medkit looks down at his cup of coffee. It’s cold. “I guess, sure. Why the hassle, though? I’m sure there’s other people in town who are equally as capable.”
“I once was in a similar situation as you. And I can guess you invented that crystal above your head. Hah, what can I expect from Blackrocks best?”
Do this one thing right, for once.
Ignoring his comment, Medkit downs the rest of his coffee before getting up. “Very well then. I’ll see what I can do for your son.”
I can hear his voice in the back of my mind.
“That’s the spirit.” Zuka chuckles lightly, getting up as well.
…
Rocket pushes a flustered Sword away from his lips as he hears a loud knock at the front door.
“Rocket, calm down-”
“Dude, wait! This place is a mess! Why is dad back home so early?!”
The place is in fact, a mess. The couple left groceries near the front entrance, shoes haphazardly scattered on the floor. An empty pack of candy and an empty bottle of soda sit on the coffee table, left there after their game night the day before.
Sword pulls his vest back over his chest.
“-Your fault, by the way. You decided to pounce right onto me the second we came here.”
Rocket pauses, knowing he’s right. “Shush.” Groaning, he gets up from the couch, where he was delightfully making out with Sword for the past hour and a half, and marches to the door, swinging it open.
“Dad, you always come home at the worst time-” Rockets jaw quite literally falls to the floor. “What the- what the hell are you doing here?!”
Medkit was never even going to begin expecting this.
“You guys already met?” Zuka asked, slipping off his shoes and walking to the living room. “Why is this place a damn mess?”
“Me and Rocket offered him a ride to Crossroads earlier today! But, what is he doing here?” Sword said.
“I asked Medkit to make Rocket new prosthetics. He'll stay here for the time being. Now get up and make this place presentable.” Zuka shook Rocket lightly by the horn, like a parent would to their child.
Rocket squinted at Medkit still standing in the doorway, stiff. As if he was trying to read his intentions.
“-Calm down, kid. Remember what we talked about earlier.”
“Yeah, yeah, but do you even know if this guy is capable of making them?”
“Oh, haha, he definitely can! I've seen what he's made before. He's a darn talented engineer.”
“...”
Rocket rolls his eyes.
“Let's tidy up!” Sword, sensing the stiff atmosphere, said cheerfully, trying to lighten up the tension in between the two. Rocket hummed, and the both of them soon started shuffling around, throwing away stray pieces of trash.
“Oh, right! I'll have to leave after this. I got training with Venomshank.”
Zuka turned to Medkit, who was still standing in the doorway. “Well? Are you gonna come in or not?”
Medkit, who was zoning out, snapped up to Zuka, and winced. “Ah, right. Apologies.” He doesn't have shoes to take off, so he just wiped his hooves on the doormat and walked into the living room.
“Why are your feet like that?”
“-Oh, um, it's a spawn defect.”
“...Okay. You can take a spare change of clothes from the bedroom. Take a shower too, and you should probably throw away your uniform. Oh, and there's a roll of bandages under the bathroom sink. Wrap and disinfect your eye properly. The workshop is in the building next-door. Take Rocket's measurements there. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”
Zuka pointed to his bedroom, and received a nod in reply, the other scurrying into the room.
…
Medkit shuffled through Zuka's drawers, searching for something visibly rarely worn. Upon successfully finding a grey t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants that are actually his size, he flips the light switch to the bathroom.
I still don't understand why he's letting me in here. There has to be some ulterior motive.
He discards his clothes, alongside his makeshift bandages. The mirror in front of him seems insulting. He feels like he hasn't seen his own face, his own body, in years. He leans his arms on the sink, unconsciously tapping his hooves onto the tile floor. Medkit finds himself staring in the mirror, eyebrows furrowed.
The scar has teal specks on them. It takes up a large portion of his face. He's still not used to being half-blind, so his coordination is a bit skewed. His hands are still shaking.
I cannot stand looking at this anymore.
Stepping into the shower, he feels the warm water soak his light fur and hug his body. It's relaxing. He picks up the shampoo on the rack. Sea-scented. Squeezing a generous amount onto his palms, he massages the product into his head, foaming it up on his scalp. It smells nice.
I'd love to visit the beach one day.
And so, Medkit falls deep into his thoughts. Thoughts, where he'd feel sand in-between his fingers. Thoughts, where he'd hear the sound of waves crashing onto the shore.
The smell of fresh air. The sun setting, leaving the sky in a triad of beautiful colors. And Medkit, nude in the water, finding various shapes of unique seashells and what-not. These are just fantasies of a life that seems unreachable. He hopes it isn't.
I wonder if there are any beaches nearby.
Medkit rinses out the soap on his head, moving on to lather up body wash on a wash cloth. He's used to short showers, so he doesn't take a long time before eventually stepping out of the shower. Picking up a towel conveniently hung up nearby, he proceeds to dry his horns and fur.
The cabinet under the sink squeaks open with a gnarly sound. Medkit rummages through various cans of shaving cream and deodorant, packs of disposable razors and nail-care supplies. The bandages are almost buried behind them all, in a small kit.
He quickly finds a bottle of skin disinfectant and cotton balls, though. There is seemingly no need to keep his eye wrapped up nor disinfect it, as it's already fully scarred, but Medkit does anyway.
Dressing up in the clothes he had acquired earlier, Medkit looks up to the mirror.
Much better. I feel refreshed.
He's not used to looking this casual, though. Bunching up his Blackrock uniform, he throws it into the bathroom's trash bin. It feels like a weight has been lifted off of him as he walks out the bathroom. Slightly.
...
Art of Medkit walking through Crossroads made by super oomf Hailowy!!!! Thank you boy.♡Heart♡
