#doctoronceler

"He knocks hesitantly on the office door, fiddling lightly with his sleeves as he waits for a response. "Mn..." He chewed on his bottom lip absently."

Lock was the one to answer the door,rifle lock and loaded under Don’s orders to shoot the Trickster on site as soon as he appeared. “…Hello,Doctor.” The bodyguard greeted quietly as he stepped aside to allow Doc into the office,the Don watching him from his seat at the desk without uttering a word. 

 "He returned the greeting with a small smile, and walked inside. "Ah.. um.. hello, sir. How are you this evening?" He smiled sheepishly, though it looks like he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself."

“Sir?” The Don chuckled,”I think we’ve gone past using such formal language with each other already…Doc.” He voiced the name with a slight grin.

“I’m doing well.Even better now that you’ve decided to visit. You left rather abruptly at dinner last time…” He paused,not mentioning that Uphir had paid him a visit a few days ago as well, “What do I owe the pleasure?” 

"The doctor blushed lightly at the use of his nickname and cleared his throat, smiling sheepishly. "I am sorry about that.. about leaving so suddenly, I mean..." He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing off to the side before sighing. "..I suppose I just get right to it..." He was silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts before, "...I found evidence of contamination in the hospital... traces of the virus.." His voice was low."

Don gestured to the chair opposite him in front of his desk,”Contamination?”he asked,attitude serious now they were on this subject,”You mean its spreading to affect others too?”

"He sat down, fiddling with his thumbs, and giving a curt nod. "Yes... I noticed it recently in a couple of patients... One patient's health is deteriorating rapidly, obviously his body can't handle the infection.. the other doesn't show signs like Uphir, but his blood has definitely been altered and is resulting in various forms of anemia...." The doctor trailed off, and finally looked up at the other once-ler. "....I think I might have to be isolated from the public... before something worse..""

“It’s no use isolating you if the virus has already started to spread.” Don stated blandly,he wasn’t a man equipped with as much medical knowledge as the Doctor,but that much he knew.

Doc seemed to be caught off guard at the answer,probably already knowing that the older Onceler was going to say the same thing he had assumed himself. “Do you know when or how the virus started to spread?” The Don said,breaking the silence.

"..I can only assume it's from Uphir's attacks.. these two patients were survivors, and I treated their wounds myself.. but the longer I study this condition of mine, the more I realize that since he's a virus, the more I realize that it can be transferred.. obviously not air-born, otherwise many people would have it... but.. perhaps through bodily fluid, via kissing, biting, etc.." He trailed off, sighed, and looked at Don."..which means you may have been exposed, we'll need to test.."

“Good thing it doesn’t affect corpses.”Don stated blandly,or else he’d have more trouble cleaning then mess up compared to clearing Zombie’s territory of the undead.

“I suspect that the Trickster is more exposed to your virus than I am,Doc.”The mafia boss grinned,not that he was really worried,his own laboratory was already in the process of creating a serum to counteract the effects of the Uphir virus,and besides,having a dark counterpart would only make him more dangerous,more feared. Something he thought was greatly missing nowadays. “Nevertheless,you may what you need from me.” 

"Yeah, I know tricky is more exposed, but for some reason, it seems his own condition prevents much change... and Abigail is fine.. so is Fem.. Fem may have experienced some personality changes, though.. It's hard to tell..." The doctor paused, noticing the calmness about the other man and raised an eyebrow. "..you say it as if you yourself are not worried about the virus you may have contracted..."

“Hm? I am worried.If only just a little.” he smirked,”But I do not see the point of crying over spilled milk.It’s not like there’s much I can do if I really have contracted the virus,correct?” He left out the part about his lab concocting an anti-serum as they spoke.He had made a deal with Uphir,after all,not the Doctor. The mafia Onceler would be going back on his word should he totally wipe out the virus.The anti-serum was only a precaution,nothing more.

"I-i suppose so..." He looked down and fiddled with the bottom of his shirt. "Well.. I just thought I'd let you know... I'll fix this, I promise.. I'm sorry.."

Don nodded understandingly,”I’m sure you will,Doctor.” And they fell into silence again. “…Let me know if you need any further assistance.” 

 "It was sometime after their meeting, at least a day, when he decided to call the Don, hoping he answers, and at the same time, hoping he doesn't. He idly twirled his pen in his fingers as he waited."

“Good afternoon,this is the Don’s-” The woman on the phone didn’t have the chance to finish her sentence before the Doctor blurted out “Don?” into the speaker,anxiety making him lose his composure at a simple phone call.

He immediately apologized profusely,quietly asking for the Don.The secretary asked for his name then put him on hold,classic music playing on the waiting line when Don’s deep voice answered,”Don speaking.”

 "He stuttered lightly and cleared his throat. "Hello, Don. I hope I'm not bothering you--"

“You’re already on the line,Doctor.” The Don chuckled,”Unless you’re brave enough to just hang up on me now…”

"The doctor gulped, and fiddled with his pen. He almost did hang up the moment he heard the don's voice, but resisted. "I just, just wanted to ask you something completely irrelevant to anything business-like.. l-like.. um.. perhaps..ah.. h-how is Damian doing?" He asked the last part in a rush, before smacking his forehead for chickening out on his real question."

On the other end of the phone.the Don raised an eyebrow.”It’s Damon.And he’s doing fine.” He went quiet for a while,expecting the Doctor to get to the main subject without prompt,but he didn’t. “Did you call just to ask about my dog?” The man broke the silence,slight impatience seeping into his voice. 

 "He got the dogs name wrong. OH god, he was such an idiot. "..n-no, I didn't..." He finally said quietly, sounding defeated. "...just wanted to see if you'd like to go out for some coffee.. but.. I kinda ruined that.. sorry for wasting your time." He hung up and put his face in his hands, sighing. He already irritated the Don, why should he worry about hanging up on him? Oh, he could feel the Don's opinion of him going down the drain. Why did he want to cry?"

The Doctor had his face buried in his hands when his phone ringing scared him into jolting upright.He quickly answered with a stammering “Hello”,when the Don’s voice sounded. “That was rather rude,Doctor.” The man said,”You should know better than to hang up on a mafia boss like that.” he paused for dramatic effect,”And coffee sounds delightful.” 

"O-oh.. really..? Aheh.. well.. I know this really nice cafe in town.. it's been around since i was a boy.." He was still surprised the Don even called back."

By now thr Don had proceeded to hold the phone between his ear and shoulder,hands already getting back to his paperwork. “Give me the time and place and I’ll be there,Doctor.”

"The doctor smiled a little to himself and gave the Don the information he wanted. "I'll see you then.. I'll let you get back to work now. Bye, don." He said, letting the Don hang up first, before getting up, wondering what he should wear."

As always,the Don was slightly early,sitting outside on the terrance in his more formal attire,with dark shades hiding part of his face. Thr twins sat at another table behind,on guard as their Boss sipped at a cup of Earl Grey,Don patiently waiting for the Doctor’s arrival.

The Doctor didn’t have much formal wear, so he had decided to just to go in his normal clothes. Perhaps investing in some formal wear would be good for him. Make him seem more professional, yes. It was a nice day, a little cloudy but nice. There weren’t a lot of people out and about either, so the sidewalk was clear so it didn’t take that long before the Doc arrived at the cafe, glancing around for Don. When his eyes recognized the older man and he smiled, approaching and giving a little wave. “Am I late, or are you early? Aheh.” He noticed the twins in the table behind them and gave them a small smile as well, before sitting down across from the Don.

The twins nodded at the Doctor in a small greeting. "We were early." The mafia Onceler replied,smiling over his cup of tea.Seeing the doctor brightened up his mood,the man had abruptly left and not returned till the day he visited his office,trying to explain his situation,the mess he's caused.

He was going to let the Doctor lead the conversation,so all he did was ask whether the other would like some tea or desserts,lifting an arm in the air to ask for a waiter as he did so.

“Ah.. coffee is fine—” He told the waiter, before returning his attention to Don. No matter where he went, he always looked so dashing and handsome, like he stepped out of a movie. The doctor was a little envious, here he was with his permanent bed-head temporarily tamed and not-very formal clothing. He kind of looked… like a slob compared to someone such as Don. Definitely investing in some formal wear, yes. ”..again, I am sorry for leaving so suddenly, don. I’ve been.. all out of sorts lately, aheh.” He smiled sheepishly at the other, holding his hands in his lap.

“We all have those days, doctor.” Was the other’s reply, and that made the Doctor blink. “Aheh.. I suppose.. surely, you don’t have those days often, hm?”

"It has been known." The man replied,grinning a little.The doctor merely chuckled sheepishly at the answer,before reducing to staring at his knees. Don left him alone,glancing away to watch the passersby,the passing cars,the young couple across the street holding hands as they sat on a bench... The arrival of the Doctor's coffee jolted both men out of their own train of thought,and the Don reached out to take hold of his cup of tea again. Perhaps the younger Onceler would loosen up after his coffee.They had time to spare. 

Thank god, he couldn’t function normally without his coffee. Not that he function normal anyways. He added a bit of sugar, and cream, stirring before sipping, relief on his features. Oh yes, that hit the spot. He relaxed his shoulders a bit, which had been tensed the entire time, and he smiled at the Don. The other was so quiet, it seemed to him he should be the one keeping up the conversation this time. “Ah… I was talking to Bliv the other day, and I’ll be having Abigail staying with me this weekend, perhaps you would like to meet her?” He ventured, smiling pleasantly, his fingers tapping the coffee glass. 

“Ah, I’ll make sure she wears her best dress if you do, she looks absolutely adorable in it.” The doctor seemed happy enough to ramble on and on about his little girl, when he paused and looked at Don. ”..do you want kids, Don?”

"Are you sure you want to introduce your loved ones to someone like me,Doctor?" The mafia boss replied,slowly twisting his head from the sidewalk to look at the Doctor Onceler,face one of full seriousness.At that moment,the Doctor was reminded who the man was,what he did,how authoritative and intimidating the Don Onceler really was.He could literally feel himself pale and his blood run cold at the words.

Until the man grinned,"I was joking,Doc.Relax." And he took another sip of his tea,"I would have no reason to threaten any of your close ones." The other male was still slightly taken back at the reply,but let out a shaky breath of relief nonetheless,patting his chest gently to calm his beating heart."...Unless you give me reason to." And the Doctor's breath hitched once more,even when the mob boss started chuckling,obviously enjoying teasing the other.

Going back to Doc's question,"I haven't really thought about it,in all honesty.Having children..." The Don hummed,"I imagine who I am wouldn't be a healthy or safe environment for raising a child.Nor do I believe I'd be able to find a suitable lifelong partner to have one together." The man wasn't particularly sad when he explained that,to him,it was his way of life.He'd accepted it.

"But yes,I imagine it'd be lovely should I get to meet your Abigail." he paused,tentatively adding,"Was she named after that patient of yours?"

“Don, don’t tease me like that, I have a high enough risk of heart attacks without your help.” He smiled sheepishly, taking another sip of his coffee. He always kept the truth in the back of his mind, but that one look made him realize that yes, the man sitting in front of him is powerful, and very dangerous if he chose to be. How could he forget…but that’s probably the beauty of things, forgetting you’re suppose to be afraid or kissing up to such a man as the Don Onceler, and instead treating him like you would anyone else. In the doctor’s case, The Don was still kind, didn’t change the way he acted or reacted much around the Don, and treated him like a good friend, not like a mafia leader. Some might find that offensive, but…

“What about heirs?” He questioned curiously, tilting his head. It sounded sad, to what the Don had sentenced himself to. He wanted to reassure the Don that if he were to ever raise a family, with the way Don was, they would be more than safe. He wanted to tell him that he’d make a good father, regardless of what he might think. A father isn’t define by who you are, nor what you do.. a father is defined by how you raise your children, raise them with morals and knowing the difference between right and wrong, showing them how to be kind, how to be generous…

But he had no right to say anything. He didn’t even think himself capable of having children before Abigail, worrying about his condition affecting his loved ones…

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the Don’s question and he smiled a little in response. ”..yes, she was. I couldn’t think of a name more suited than Abigail.”

"Heirs? Lock,maybe." The statement loud enough for the sharp-shooter to hear from the table behind,whom smiled a little at the thought."Shock is too hot-headed to manage my business." Don added,even louder this time,and the younger twin merely shouted a "Hey..!" in reply before getting smacked on the head by his partner.

"You should have brought her here today," The Onceler suggested,"This is a lovely coffee house indeed." And the Doctor nodded in approval,blushing lightly at the thought of his daughter."Who's the lucky lady,then?" Don chuckled.

“Ahaha, I should’ve. It’s not very far to get to Bliv’s house, I could always go pick her up.” He smiled, happy the Don was interested to meet such an important person to the Doctor, and also proud he chose a place the Don approved of. However, the Don’s next question had him back-tracking, and he blinked. “…lucky lady?” Doc questioned, blinking, not sure if he understood. Then he realized: wait, does he mean Abigail’s mother..? Oh… oh dear.. The doctor smiled sheepishly, not sure how to explain himself.

“Aheh.. uh, there is no lucky lady, just me and Bliv.” The doctor said sheepishly, sipping at his coffee. “A-anyways, ahem, if you would like to meet her, I can go pick her up early. You must excuse her shoes, though, she refuses to wear regular shoes, and only wears her hummingfish slippers.” He rambled on again, hoping to avoid the question. The Don merely raised an eyebrow at the Doctor’s sudden subject change, and set down his tea. “Doctor… Doctor..” When the other didn’t hear him, the Don sighed and snapped his fingers in the Doctor’s face, causing him to blink and go cross-eyed as he tried to focus on his hand. “Eh?”

“If it’s a touchy subject, then I won’t pry, dear Doctor. And hummingfish slippers are fine.” The Don smiled slightly, and his counterpart returned it with a slight shrug and a tiny smile. “A-alright then…”

Don kept quiet,but inside he knew the meaning behind the Doctor's explanation.Magic Anons,most probably.More a nuisance than a blessing,as always.He didn't even want to venture into how the Doctor managed to birth his child,cringing slightly at the little scenes he imagined,so he just settled with sipping his Earl Grey and calming his senses.

They fell into another bout of silence,the mafia boss zoning out for a little bit as he overheard the twins' conversation behind them,something about a new batch of weaponry being shipped over next week and that they couldn't wait to try out the new tech.Ah yes,he'd almost forgot.Which in turn,reminded him of the Doctor's little problem. "As much as I'd love to meet your little girl in her hummingfish slippers,I presume that you have called me out here today for a more important reason?" the mafia Onceler began,setting down his cup of tea as he awaited the serious conversation that was soon to begin.

“Oh.. right.. I almost forgot..” He cleared his throat, tapping his fingers along the coffee mug. He didn’t necessarily like thinking about the more serious issues, if only he could be blissfully unaware as well. “Well… if you and your lab is willing… Uphir currently has his own body… for a limited time.. but perhaps this way.. we’ll be able to learn more without him disappearing or reappearing without warning.” He said slowly. ”..and without worrying about being delicate around my sanity..” 

The doctor sighed, and lifted his gaze back to the older man. “…for some reason he’s been rather compliant, too, with my orders.. so.. this might be the easiest attempt made to understand the complexities of his existence…” His fingers stilled, as he noticed he was out of coffee and called the waiter back over, requesting another cup. Once they were left alone again, he glanced off to the side. He was much more relaxed than he was back in the Don’s office that day, but he still seemed distracted. A mind plagued with worry, doubt, and self-loathing, the stress easy to see in his eyes, as much as he smiled, there was always that hint. “What do you think, Don?”

"I see a definite improvement in your relationship." Don replied,putting on a marriage therapist voice,nodding with a small smile on his face,which quickly turned into a full-fledged chuckle as he watched the Doctor's mouth gape slightly at the conclusion.

"Tests can be arranged,of course.The lab is still awaiting your return,despite the little surprise Uphir gifted them with during your last visit." The mafia boss continued,"If he is,as you say,much more compliant,I'm sure we could learn even more about him." The man filled him teacup with more fresh tea,but paused when he brought the cup within 2 inches of his lips,"If he is separated from you..." he started slowly,"Where is he now? I hope you were smart enough to contain him,Doctor..." Don looked at the Doctor,a hint of doubt in his eyes as he waited for an answer.The virus did not prove to be particular trouble when Don took him out the last time,but he did not really want to imagine the chaos it would cause should it be left to roam free.

Was he questioning the doctor’s common sense? Really? Was he really doing that? Okay, so maybe he hadn’t been proven to be most reliable in that field, he was sort of clumsy and often not paying attention when he goes off into his own little world. But still, ouch. “Of course I did.” Doc replied, frowning at him, the act forcing him to wrinkle up his nose. He looked more pouty than upset. “Like I said, he’s been more compliant, but that’s also because of the fact that he seems to have developed a temporary physical attraction towards me, and I can’t go anywhere without him trying to, ahem, jump me. So I locked him in a padded room.” Well, that would explain why the doctor seemed more tired as of late. Having a creature like that trying to get in your pants constantly would make you tired. 

“I would appreciate a bit more trust in my competency, sir.” He stated, smoothing down a bit of his hair sticking out, before crossing his arms.

"Forgive me." Don chuckled,realizing that he may have insulted the other,"I just thought someone as busy as yourself would let slip some certain details.After all,you never had the liberty of containing Uphir when he was set free in your body,no?"

"And so the virus even has sexual urges,my,my,the things we have yet to learn." Don mused,plucking the sunglasses from his collar to put them on.Leaving some money on the table,he stood up,"Well then,let's set off." And he began to strode out of the terrace,the twins immediately following closely behind their leader.

They took the limo again,and as the car started,the twins took out two cans of soda from the hidden fridge,the cracking of opening the cans and the sizzing of carbon dioxide in the beverage sounding louder than usual in the quiet of the car.

The doctor sat there for a moment, looking down at his coffee mug when he heard the Don’s voice again. “Aren’t you coming, Doctor?” Oh. “I-I wasn’t aware you were talking to me, too, aheh…uh..” He stood up and followed behind, pushing his bangs out of his face as he entered the familiar limo.

His legs bounced anxiously, as he looked out the window. This felt different than when he first rode in the limo, excitement replaced with anxiety. Why was he so nervous? Was it what they might find? Was it because of Don’s prolonged company, something he hadn’t had in awhile? He dared a glance at the other, wondering what was going through his mind. The silence was suddenly broken with the opening of the soda cans, causing the Doctor to jump and blink in surprise, snapped out of his thoughts. When he realized it was only the twins, he relaxed back into his seat, putting a hand to his chest with a sigh of relief. Wait, where were they even going? 

The mafia boss noted the anxious behavior of the Doctor,the fidgeting and bouncing of the legs,even the little jump he made when the boys merely opened two cans of sodas. "Relax,Doctor." he assured,"We're going back to your institute.I'd like to meet Uphir before exposing my lab techs to him once again."

The drive was long,but quiet.The only conversation was the quiet mutters between the twins,what they were saying almost inaudible to Doc's ears despite the fact they were in the same small,enclosed space. Upon arrival of the institute,the Doctor couldn't help but notice that the twins had brought along extra weapons from a hidden compartment in the limo,"Boys..I don't think those are necessary..." he laughed sheepishly.Both men ignored him,and the boss didn't waste time explaining to the Doctor either, "Lead the way then,Doc."

The additional weapons the twins were bringing put the doctor on edge. He trusted the Don and his boys, probably more than he should, but nevertheless, it made him nervous. He took a deep breath, and proceeded to walk towards the padded room he had locked uphir in, his heart beat speeding up with every step. The institute was oddly quiet for this time of day, the echos of their footsteps in the hall was a bit unnerving. His strange-colored eyes glanced around, taking minor notes of patient behavior through the quick passes of their windows. Even they seemed more quiet than usual.

Soon they stopped at the last door of the hallway, a dead end, all the other rooms empty near it. Doc took out his keys and unlocked the door, glancing at the others before opening the door and stepping inside, leaving the door open so that he’s standing in the light, looking out at the dark. “Uphir?”

There wasn’t a sound for a few minutes, those minutes ticking by slowly. Then a familiar hiss filtered through the darkness, those eyes lighting up. ”..what took you SO LONG, freckles? YOU EVEN brought company. How sweet.”