#zinfic

It was funny how everything could change in the span of two days.  In just two days, you had watched your sister and her friends die.  In just two days you had gone from the happy-go-lucky 16 year old to a war-hardened vet.  You had seen everybody around you get brutally murdered, had seen your older brother get possessed and try to kill you, had fought against forces best left unseen.

And now, you were dying.

Everything hurt.  Your body felt like it was on fire, and you felt cold.  As you lied on the ground next to the lifeless body of Annie, you struggled to prop yourself up on your one good arm.  Each movement brought fresh waves of pain that had you whimpering.

You had come so far.  So fucking far.  And for what?  To bleed out just when the demon had been defeated?  What a joke.

Your brother crawled over to where you and Annie laid, and you could see tears drip from his eyes as he helped you to sit up.  "We did it," he gasped.  Blood dripped from his head from one of the many wounds he had gotten in his own fight against the Kandarian demon.  "No, no, c'mon kid, stay with me!"

Ash was rapidly smacking your cheek, the sensation stinging.  You didn't realize your eyes had been closing, and you groggily opened them back up, staring up at his panic-stricken face.

"M...  Really tired."  Your words were slurred, and he began to shake you.  In any other instance you would have scolded him for being so rough.  If somebody was bleeding out, you didn't try to give them shaken baby syndrome!

"God damn it, stay awake!"

"Why... are you always so loud?" you rasped.  Before he could respond, though, the cabin door flung open, revealing what could only be described as a worm hole of sorts.  It sucked everything in indiscriminately, and you watched with faint amusement as you could see Ash's car be pulled in from outside.  That was rough.

"Agh!"

Ash cried out, holding you close with his one good arm.  You appreciated him not bringing his chainsaw hand near you, although perhaps that would be the final step to put you out of your misery.

"How do you stop this?!"  Ash exclaimed as the two of you began to be pulled across the floor.  You grimaced at the feel of being pulled by such a strong force.

"Don't worry 'bout me," you muttered.  "Just go."

Ash held onto you tighter.  "No!  First Cheryl...  I'm not losing you, either!"

It was easier said than done, though.  Neither you nor Ashley were strong enough to resist the pull of the vortex, and with no solid grip, you were the first to be pulled in.  You offered no resistance, weakly clutching onto the Kandarian dagger that you had managed to pry from Annie's back.

He cried out your name as you felt yourself lift up off the ground; and the last thing you saw was his distraught face before the world around you turned black.

You were dead.  This, you were certain.  After all, not only were you standing in complete darkness, but you were completely uninjured.  You didn't feel any pain, and both of your arms were in perfect working condition.  You even flexed your left fingers experimentally, relieved to see everything was in order.

Everything that had happened was fresh in your mind, which was why you knew, without a doubt...  

You were dead.

So where were you?  Was this limbo?  Was this truly the afterlife?  Desolate and bleak?  You had at least been hoping to see Cheryl again, but even she was gone.

You were completely alone.

Your knees buckled underneath you, the weight of everything that had happened weighing on you.  You sank to the cold ground, and you let out a shuddering breath.

"You're not dead yet."

Your head snapped up, but you made no move to stand.  In front of you stood...  Well, something.  You weren't sure if it was exactly a person.  Their form seemed to shift and phase.  It was humanoid in shape, but you couldn't really process any features, as if your mind was incapable of handling such a feat.  At this point, you weren't surprised.  The past few days had been literal hell for you.

"What does that mean?"

Slowly, you forced yourself to stand back up.  Your legs trembled, but you stayed standing.  The figure was only a little bit taller than you, and their voice was layered.  When they spoke, it was as if many voices were speaking at once, an amalgamation of tones that created a dissonance in your mind.

"You fought well against the Kandarian demon and the Deadites, child."

"The....  huh?"

The entity sighed, although it seemed to be more in amusement than anything else.  Its tone remained calm and patient, addressing your obvious confusion.

"The ones you once loved, possessed by demons from another plane...  Those beings are, of course, the Deadites I refer to.  It is rather unfortunate that you had to encounter them...  But it is, whether you like it or not, the best."

"The best?  Those things killed my sister, my friends — me."  Your voice was choked up, cracking.  But the being said you weren't dead yet.  Was there hope for you?

"Indeed," the entity did not seem phased by your outburst.  "You and your brother, Ashley Joanna Williams, were prophesized to be the ones to fight against the Kandarian demon, far before your ancestry could be traced back.  Whether you like it or not, it is your duty to protect the Necronomicon from those who wish to wield it.

"You and Ashley Joanna Williams...  Are set to save the world, one day."

You shook your head.  Your throat felt dry.  "No.  No.  We're just...  a couple of idiots from Michigan.  We've never done anything remarkable throughout our lives.  You...  Have to be mistaken.  This was all a mistake.  A simple case of the wrong place and wrong time."  You shook your head again.  There was no way...  No way your fate was to do something so scary.  It was a mistake.  You refused to believe otherwise.

The entity was not perturbed by your adamancy, nor did it budge.  "Whether you want to believe it or not, it is true.  When you are much older, you will face off against Kandar the Destroyer."  The entity paused in its wording, before continuing.  "However...  I do not believe it is time yet to thrust you into such a role.  As Ashley Joanna Williams has been sent to find his own way and truth, so will you."

"Where is my brother?"

You took a hesitant step forward.  If this meant Ash was still alive...  You could at least rest a little bit easier.

"1300 A.D."

You nearly choked on your spit, slapping your hand over your mouth.  "He's where?!"  Your voice came out in a squeak.

"Fret not, child.  I will not be sending you so far back in the past.  His job is to save that era from darkness.  You, too, will be sent somewhere where your presence is needed."

"I want to go back home—"

The entity waved its hand.

"And in time, you shall return to Elks Grove.  But for now, you have your own part to play.  Rest easy, child.  Your story...  Is just beginning."

 The darkness began to lighten up, and you watched as the entity began to fade.

"Who are you?"

The entity spoke next, but it was pure static in your ears.  Brightness engulfed you.

When you woke up, your body was in pain.  You were surrounded by darkness once more, but you could tell this time it was because you were in an enclosed space.

Is this...  a coffin?!

You felt like you were going to throw up.  Sharp pains radiated throughout your torso, and you held your hand up to your abdomen only to find it sticky.  You were still bleeding.  Even worse, only your right hand had any movement, your left arm dangling uselessly at your side.  It was for the best you couldn't see it right now; when possessed, Ash had driven his chainsaw through your forearm.  It was a miracle it was still attached.

"Well, at least somebody had the decency to stay in their coffin before I could grab them!"  The muffled voice was flamboyant in nature, and you winced as light began to crack through the lids.  "Once I grab this last student, we can be on our way to the entrance ceremony to get you all sorted— hm?!"

As the lid was removed, you couldn't help but fall forward.  You landed on the ground with a rough thud, and you were grateful you didn't break your nose in the process.  The room was tinted blue, and you could have sworn you saw books floating around you in the peripheral of your vision.

"Sevens — what has happened to you?!  There's so much blood....!"

The voice was panicked, and you were rolled over onto your back.  You saw glimpses of two faces; one covered in a strange, black mask, and the other of a person with long black hair and worried silver eyes.

"Never in all of my tenure...  No matter!  We must get her to the infirmary posthaste!"

"What the..."

“Dr. Whitaker,” Dr. Robby said, emphasizing the prefix, “We have two traumas coming in. You take one, I take another?”

“Sure,” Dennis said, adjusting his stethoscope. He began to look up at Robby, but noticed Gloria on her way just behind his shoulder. “Well, maybe another time. You might have your hands full. She doesn’t seem too happy today.” Robby turns to see what he’s referring to and his shoulders deflate. He gave Dennis’s shoulders a hard pat.

“Mohan! Second trauma’s all you. Give Whitaker the first one,” Robby shouted toward Dr. Mohan, giving Dennis a smile before making his way toward Gloria.

Trinity came up beside Samira and Dennis, “Need any help with these?”

“We’ll take it,” Samira said.

“Robby just got pulled away,” Dennis explained.

“Oho,” Trinity says, “While the adults are away, the pittlings will play.”

 As if she summoned them, two stretchers pushed through the ambulance bay doors along with a constant screaming coming from an accompanied woman who must have known the victims. Samira’s stretcher had a middle aged man with burns along his hands and arms. Mohan rushed past to check on him. 

“I’ll take care of the screamer,” Trinity said, chuckling to herself and peeking at the stretcher that belonged to Dennis’s patient, “Look like you have a fun one. I’ll join in once I quiet her down.”

The stretcher coming toward Dennis had another middle aged male patient, but one of the EMTs bringing him in had her hand physically stuck inside the patient.

“I told her not to,” the other EMT said, shaking his head in disapproval. 

“I couldn’t find another way to stop the bleeding,” she said defensively, “The gauze bled through immediately. It’s my first week.”

“Well we’ll get this figured out and have you out of there,” said Dennis, “Even if I have to stick my hand in here myself.”

Garcia walked into the trauma room, taking a quick scope of the area. “What? No boss man today? Must be my lucky day. What do we got?” Dennis rattled off all the things he’d noticing as Princess repeated the patient’s vitals. Garcia turned to the EMT and said, “I’m going to open him up to assess the situation. The pressure you’re applying must be keeping an artery from opening. Keep still.” The EMT nodded and Princess handed a scalpel over to Dr. Garcia. As she was bending over the patient, Trinity burst into the room.

“Dr. Garcia, I have to speak to you,” Trinity said. Whitaker looked up at her in concern, which she returned.

Oh. That’s not good.

“Not now Dr. Santos, I’m in the middle of something,” She said, lowering the scalpel.

“Yolanda!” Trinity raised her voice.

This is very not good.

Dr. Garcia looked up at Trinity incredulously, but recognized the seriousness that Dennis had clocked in her eyes. She handed the scalpel back to Princess and walked over to her where they whispered in hushed tones.

“I wonder what’s going on,” the EMT said. Whitaker could see that she was starting to sweat.

“Could be anything here,” Dennis said. He placed his hand on her forearm, “Just try to keep this stable.” With the constant beeping around the trauma room, he couldn’t make out much of their conversation. Something about “Code Black” and a mention of Dana. What he could make out was the expression on Trinity’s face before she darted behind the curtain.

Scared. Trin never looked scared.

“Everything alright, Dr. Garcia?” Dennis asked, hoping their conversation wasn’t related to the patient they were talking about. 

Garcia turned to the EMT. “What can you feel?”

“Um…” she began to shift, but Garcia lifted her hands.

“Carefully.” 

“Something hard. Maybe ribs?” The EMT said.

“We are worried there is a foreign object inside his chest cavity,” Garcia said slowly.

“What kind of foreign object?” The EMT asked. This wasn’t good. She had started to shake and Dennis could feel it under his hand.

“Garcia…wait,” Dennis said, hoping to ease the blow better than this.

“We believe it’s a UXO. Unexploded Ordnance. We need you to remain calm,” Garcia said. The EMT was already at a breaking point. Dennis could see it. Garcia had to see it. Princess began backing away. The klaxons began outside the room when the EMT pulled out of the body, running toward the door and letting in the full sound of the alarm. Garcia and Princess hit the floor, covering their heads. Dennis didn’t. His hand was almost on top of the EMT’s when she pulled out, so without even thinking, he slid his in at the same time. Garcia and Princess rose slowly from the floor, looking incredulously at Whitaker. Different kinds of butterflies entered his stomach. A menacing feeling that felt more akin to caterpillars crawling around his insides.

“What did I do,” Dennis said, more a statement than a question. “What did I do. What did I do. What did I do.” Dennis didn’t know what he had done, but he did know the feeling on his fingertips was definitely not the patient's ribs.

~~~

Robby was in a heated argument with Gloria. She had gotten off his case for a couple weeks, but it must have built up for it to get this bad. Every time he’d try to walk away from their discussion, she’d threaten to let a doctor or some of the nurses go for their “budget.” He wasn’t sure why, but he felt she was serious this time. While he was preparing for a rebuttal, both of their phones went off at the same time. CODE BLACK appeared as a system warning on his phone. They looked at each other for a moment and the argument dissolved, both of them rushing down to the emergency room. Gloria was already on her phone, talking quickly to several people. The ER floor was thrown into a chaos only Dana could control. He could hear her shouting at nurses, EMTs, and security to help move patients outside and sent to Westbridge.

“Dana! Code Black?” Robby asked. Dana grabbed his sleeve.

“Yes, we’re evacuating,” Dana said, checking her tablet, avoiding eye contact, but not letting go of his sleeve.

“Where’s the explosive?” Robby looked around the ER before his eyes rested on Gloria talking gravely into the phone while staring at Trauma One.

“Robby, don’t,” Dana said, losing her grip on him. 

Robby rushed over to Trauma One, catching only a quick glimpse inside of who was inside. Garcia. Santos. Princess. His heart stopped. He turned heel and exhaled, rubbing his hands through his hair.

No. No, no. Not Whitaker. God, not the kid.

~~~

Dennis held firm when outside the trauma room got hectic. He held firm when they switched to an ambu bag to remove the oxygen from the room. He even held firm when his best friend and colleague, Trinity, entered the room to replace Princess’s hand on the ambu bag, despite how scared he was for them both. The quick glimpse of Dr. Robby through the glass door made him lose composure.

“Trinity, he can’t come in here,” Dennis pleaded, “You can’t let him come in here.” She knew immediately. He had never told her explicitly of his one-sided crush with Robby, but she was smart and put things together long before Dennis had for himself. She nodded at him.

“Garcia, please try to stop Dr. Robby from entering. At least until we know more about what we’re dealing with,” Trinity said. Dennis wished she would have left that last part out, but if it was serious, he wouldn’t deny himself one last three squeeze shoulder touch from Robby. 

“Gladly,” Garcia said. She took off her gloves and exited the room with a reassuring glance to the two of them.

~~~

All eyes went to Dr. Garcia as she was exiting the room. Robby exhaled a breath he’d been holding.

“How bad is it?” Robby asked. Garcia stood there, looking around the almost emptied ER. Robby wasn’t sure he’d ever heard it this quiet before, with only Gloria talking urgently on the phone with several people.

“Pretty bad apparently. We’ll know more when the bomb squad gets here. You all need to evacuate,” Garcia said.

“I’m staying with my doctors. I’ll need to correspond with the bomb squad. Let me go check on those two,” Robby tries to push past Garcia, but she puts a hand firm on his chest, pushing him back.

“You can’t go in there,” Garcia said firmly. Robby blinked a couple times. He’d enjoyed their back and forth banter in the past, but she’d never spoken to him like this before.

“Excuse me? This is my ER and I’ll go where I please,” He said, attempting once more to move, but her hand was still planted on his chest.

“It’s my patient,” she said, pushing him back out of her reach. Gloria’s talking had ceased. Robby could sense Dana approach him from behind.

“Dr. Garcia, I’ll kindly ask you to step aside,” Robby threatened.

“They don’t want you in there, Robby!” Garcia exclaimed. She lowered her voice. “You can correspond with the bomb squad while Gloria makes sure the rest of the hospital is secure,” Garcia continued as Gloria nodded and walked toward the exit. “You’ll just make them nervous and we can’t have that right now.” Robby was seething inside, but his shoulders fell as he deflated. 

“Let me swap with the kid,” Robby said quietly, eyes locked on Garcia. She looked at him like he was an idiot. Maybe he was. “He shouldn’t have to go through this.”

“You’re an idiot,” she said.

Yup.

She stepped up close to him, inches from his face. “Don’t put all of our lives at risk for your suicidal ideation.”

Robby shook his head, not breaking eye contact. “That’s not fair.” Garcia was about to respond when Dana put her hand on his shoulder.

“Robby. We still need you out here,” Dana said.

Footsteps padded through the ER as several armored men made their way toward the three of them. Toward the front was a handsome man with dark wavy hair. 

“I’m Dylan Young. Bomb Squad. We got a statement from the other parties. Homemade replica of a M91A Bazooka. Likely incredibly unstable,” he said. Robby rubbed the back of his head again, cursing under his breath. “Where is it?”

“This way,” Garcia took over, though Robby stayed behind her, away from the glass but enough to sneak a glance at Whitaker occasionally.

~~~

Garcia came back to Dennis and Trinity with an armored unit, likely from the bomb squad. He was silent as he examined the scene. Dennis didn’t want to break the silence, but felt it was needed.

“So you are the cavalry?”Dennis asked.

“Yes. With Bomb Squad. My name is Dylan Young. Yours?”

“Dennis Whitaker.”

“Trinity Santos,” she added. There was a twinge of fear in her voice that Whitaker picked up on. He got it. Seeing the bomb squad in the flesh made everything start to feel real.

“Dennis, I’m going to ask you to keep incredibly still and level. We’ll need to x-ray the area,” he said, turning to Garcia. Garcia turned toward the door, seeing Robby just staring at them all.

“Robby! Grab an x-ray!” Gracia shouted. Dennis saw Robby jumpstart as if he was already dissociating. As if he was the one with a hand around a bomb. Dennis saw him disappear off to the side. Another armored officer came into the room, carrying giant armored aprons.

“We need to put these on you two. Carefully, while we’re fetching the x-ray. You too,” Dylan nodded at Garcia. They took the next several minutes wrapping the shield around Dennis. He wasn’t sure it mattered given his close proximity, arms length, touching, but he wasn’t about to complain to the knowledgeable man wrapped up in even more extensive armor.

He stole a glance at Robby when the x-ray was wheeled into the room.

Has Robby ever looked this concerned? Not since the Pitt Fest shooting…

He thought it must be pretty traumatizing watching your star pupil prepare for probable death. 

That’d explain why he was on the verge of tears. 

As the x-ray took the picture, everyone stared at Dennis with concern. He had noticed, even if he couldn’t keep direct eye contact with anyone.

“You doing okay, Dr. Whitaker?” Dylan asked.

“Phenomenal,” Dennis replied. “Never felt more alive, unfortunately.” He wanted to laugh at his own joke, but was too worried about the outcome. Thankfully, Dylan did it for him.

“X-ray is done. I’ll go examine this with Dr. Garcia and come back with a plan,” Dylan explained, leaving the room and leaving Dennis alone with Trinity, who remained slowly pumping air into the dying man’s lungs. They sat there in silence for several dragging minutes.

“I told you,” Dennis said, breaking the silence. 

“What?” Trinity asked.

“This morning. I told you I had a feeling,” he said, finally meeting her eyes. She was the first to look away.

“I wasn’t about to watch you miss work because of a bad dream,” Trinity said, shifting her feet. “Your gut must be better than mine.” They stood there in silence for several minutes.

Dennis continued, voice shaky, “They’ve been gone too long.” He lifted up his other hand, placing it on top of the ambu bag. “I’m going to take this. You figure out what’s going on.”

“I’m not leaving you,” she said defiantly.

“You’re coming back,” Dennis said. It comes out more like a plea than anything.

Trinity nodded. “No more than 5 minutes.” She left Dennis alone. He let out a long breath as the trauma doors closed behind her. A couple tears rolled down his cheek as he realized he’d need to relinquish a hand to wipe them away. He let them fall onto the body armor.

~~~

Seeing Whitaker in that body armor affected Robby more than he wanted it to. He blamed himself for leaving with Gloria when he should’ve stayed with the trauma patients. Whitaker wouldn’t be in this situation. They could’ve avoided this situation altogether maybe…somehow. He leaned on the nurse’s station with his head down, facing Dana.

“I think it’s time we evacuate, Robby,” she said, “McKay, Javadi, Mohan. They are all outside with their heads barely above water.”

“I know. I know. I just–,” Robby looked up to her. “I want to talk to him–them. Before they try to operate.” Dana gave him a pitying look that he wasn’t too fond of. 

“You just make them nervous,” she said. “No one likes their boss breathing down their neck, especially in stressful situations like this.”

“I don’t believe that,” he said. Their heads jolted up as they heard a sound from the trauma room. Robby’s heart leaped in his chest for a moment before he realized it was just the door opening and a rushing Santos exiting toward the bomb squad headquarters. 

“Santos!” He called after her, but she was already too far away. He looked back at Dana, hoping for some kind of approval. She peered at the room, unable to see inside due to the curtain that was pulled in. 

“Okay, okay. Just-Robby,” she pulled him close to hug him. He let himself melt into it, holding her firmly. “Be careful. Don’t spook the kid.”

Robby parted with Dana and made his way up to the door to have a peek at Whitaker. He looked like he was shaking, eyes fixed on the body in front of him. Robby really couldn’t stand seeing him like this. Santos had left him with one hand wrapped around a bomb and another squeezing the ambu bag at even intervals. Robby tapped on the glass of the door. Whitaker snapped his head up, but kept his hands steady, if a little shaky. Robby pushed the glass door open.

“Are you doing okay, kid?” Robby spoke in a hushed tone, trying not to be overbearing. Whitaker put his head down, ignoring him to focus on pumping the ambu bag. Another tear fell from his face. Robby walked around the gurney slowly until he was just beside Whitaker. He put his hand over Whitaker’s on the ambu bag, threading his fingers through the divots. His protégé’s trembling hand was cold as Robby pressed his palm to the back of it. Robby squeezed three times, inflating and deflating the ambu bag. The pressure seemed to calm Whitaker’s shaking hands.  

“I can take this from you,” Robby whispered. Whitaker took his hand out from under his and used it to wipe away a few tears that had escaped his misty eyes. Robby took over, squeezing breaths into the man beneath them. He had a plan in mind, risky as it was, but he couldn’t bear seeing Whitaker stuck like this. Loathe as he was to admit it, he’d grown fond of the young doctor. Whitaker helped him through Pitt Fest and kept his secret for all these months. A shift without Whitaker always felt like it was missing something. It was the least he could do to try to get him out of this situation.

~~~

Robby was in the room alone with him. Dennis felt like this was the first time they’d been in a room alone together since the “moment of quiet reflection” during Pitt Fest. He’d purposely avoided being in a room alone with him because of his inappropriate crush on the much older doctor. He didn’t want to add more kindling to a spark he was trying to snuff out. Then, Robby sauntered into the room he was alone in for no more than a minute or two, started speaking to him in hushed tones, and put his hand on top of his. Dennis pulled his hand away from the ambu bag before the fireworks in his stomach threatened to detonate the bomb themselves. 

“You should be evacuating,” Dennis said, whispering. 

“I feel responsible,” Robby replied, keeping his sultry, hushed voice, “My ER. Can’t leave until I know everyone is safe.”

“Never felt safer.” A lie. “Dr. Garcia is an excellent surgeon.” The truth.

Robby inched closer to Dennis until their shoulders were touching. “And you are an excellent doctor, Dr. Whitaker,” Robby said. 

Dennis closed his eyes. He could feel Robby’s breath on his ears. The fireworks in his gut threatened to breach the body armor and set the room ablaze. He almost didn’t notice Robby’s other hand hovering over Dennis's wrist inside the patient, holding the bomb steady and level.

“You don’t have to lie to me. I know you’re scared. Let me be the one to handle this,” Robby pleaded as his fingers brushed Dennis’s wrist. His soft voice masked the cold line that pierced Dennis’s heart. His eyes shot up at Robby, riposting the piercing he’d just received. He watched the old doctor remove his hand from near Dennis’s and he backed away from Dennis’s shoulder, coughing, trying to mask some shock. “I just meant–” Robby started.

“I know what you meant,” Dennis cut him off. “God, Robby, that's low even for you.”

“I–”

“You put yourself in danger at every opportunity, and then come in here whispering about how you’ll handle it,” Dennis yelled at him now. He was eerily still, shakes gone and tears wiped away. “Here I was,” he laughed at himself. “Here I was hoping you were going to reassure me, encourage me, talk me through some plan you came up with to save the hospital but your plan was to try and get yourself killed. Give me the ambu bag,” Dennis hissed, sliding his fingers under Robby’s and smacking his away. He focused on the patient now, ignoring the older doctor.

Robby looked shocked. He opened his mouth a couple times, but no words escaped. Making his way around the bed, he paused before opening the door, “If anything were to happen to you, I–”

Dennis looked up at him again, holding onto the anger. “You’ll what? Stare at the concrete from the top of the hospital?” The indignant look on Robby's face made Dennis want to push a little more, punctuating his interjections with a squeeze of the ambu bag. 

“Or maybe come into work on your motorcycle without a helmet?” Dennis snapped. Robby huffed with annoyance. Dr. Abbott had informed Dennis a couple weeks prior that he’d noticed the trend. Told him to keep an eye on Robby. Dennis took it a step further.

“Take a bomb for your pathetic intern?” Dennis went to the final blow. Robby was defeated, looking away with deflated shoulders.

“You don’t realize just how many people love you, do you? Dr. Abbott loves you. Dana loves you. I-” Dennis stared at the pitiful man he was so angry at moments ago. There was so much pain in Robby’s eyes, buried deep like so many of his emotions. Dennis could die. If the bomb didn’t kill him, embarrassment might. Even so, his tone shifted to be softer, less angry. “I love you, Robby.” Dennis would’ve sworn time had stopped if he hadn’t been squeezing the ambu bag in steady, even intervals.

“Dr. Robby!” Garcia came stomping up with Trinity and Dylan in tow, opening the door behind the speechless Robby.

“It’s okay Dr. Garcia. Dr. Robinavitch has decided to evacuate with Dana and was coming to wish me luck,” Dennis said quickly. Garcia looked up at Dr. Robby.

“Look at you. Coming to your senses,” she said, slipping past him with Trinity to check the patient and relieve Dennis of the ambu bag. Dylan sticks his hand on Robby’s chest and makes him walk backwards out of the room.

“Evacuate. Now,” Dylan said, emphasizing with a point of the finger. “You!” he yelled, pointing at who Dennis assumed was Dana. “Make him evacuate!” Dylan closed the door behind him before taking a deep breath, he stared at Dennis. “We have some bad news.”

~~~

Robby was a bit shellshocked on the short walk to Dana. He loved me? Surely he meant how Dana loved me. As friends. But it felt too sincere. Was I so much of a father figure in the ER that he learned to look at me as a dad?

“Hey, Robby. What was going on? I heard shouting,” Dana said, pulling Robby with her toward the ambulance doors outside.

“Nothing. It’s nothing. The kid’s confused. Going through a lot,” He let Dana pull him to the exit. They entered the chaos of the outdoors. The bomb squad ushered them past a trail of barricades, separating everyone from a possible blast radius. Robby felt like he was being dragged along the pavement, letting Dana hold onto him as she led him to a small group of nurses and doctors. They perked up when they saw their chief attending come their direction. Princess was the first to rush forward, helping Dana keep him propped up. Javadi looked at them, concern plastered on her face.

“Do you have any updates? We’re feeding on scraps out here,” Javadi said.

“I don’t–I–,” Robby cleared his throat, masking his concern. “Dr. Whitaker and Dr. Santos are with Dr. Garcia. There is an unexploded ordinance lodged inside a patient.”

“Why do they need three doctors in there? Surely Garcia could manage–” she was interrupted. 

“Dr. Whitaker has his hand around the bomb, keeping it stable while preventing the patient from bleeding out. Dr. Santos wouldn’t leave his side.”

A few gasps came from his audience. Almost everyone brought their hands to their mouths. Javadi was stunned. Dr. McKay turned around, trying to hide tears. Robby started to tear up too, mask slipping. He tilted his head up to the sky, hoping the tears would soak back in. When they didn’t, he returned his eyes to the pavement. His voice cracked as he tried to speak again, “They’re in good hands.” The remaining nurses and doctors held each other, offering reassurances, as they stared into the doors of their trauma center.

~~~

“I can’t so much as wiggle my fingers, because you’re worried it’ll shift the ammo, but you want me to move rooms?” Dennis said, exasperated. He could barely believe what Dylan was telling him. 

“Yes. This room is directly above the oxygen line that distributes to the whole hospital, so if it goes off in this room…,” Dylan said slowly as if to ease Dennis into a calmer mental state.

“Yeah, the whole hospital,” Dennis said. “Got it.”

“I’ll go ahead and turn North 7 into a makeshift OR,” Garcia said. She nodded to Whitaker. “Slow and steady, got it? I’m leaving Dr. Santos in your care.” Dennis could sense the concern in her voice. Trinity’s gaze followed Garcia as she walked out of the trauma room. When she was out of earshot, Dennis teased Trinity, trying to relieve his own tension.

“Woah. It’s getting serious. Might have to graduate from penetrating feet with a scalpel.” The look Trinity gave him was worth it.

“When we’re out of this I’m smacking you so hard, Huckleberry.”

Dennis chuckled softly, worried what actual humor would do to his currently steady hands. Dylan brought in more of the bomb squad as they prepped to move the patient. The thought of laughing quickly disappeared.

~~~

Robby was seated out by an ambulance’s tires when he saw a bit of commotion coming from the bomb squad near the barriers. When they started moving the barriers much closer to the doctors and nurses waiting around, Robby bolted up.

“What’s happening?” He asked the nearest technician. The poor guy must have felt bad for all the staff waiting for the fate of their friends because he actually answered. 

“Oxygen line under the patient. Moving the OR and barriers for extended blast radius and  better security.”

“Moving?” Robby asked, incredulously. More concerned whispers spread around the staff. 

“Just a precaution,” he added before making himself busy.

Robby couldn’t take this much longer. His heart was beating faster than it had in a while. He went back to the tire he was leaning on and tried to take deep breaths without people noticing, but Dr. McKay noticed. She sat beside him.

“You doing okay?” she asked. Robby couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, maybe that was a stupid question. I think I mean to ask,” McKay paused for a moment, looking Robby over, “Did something happen in there? Maybe between you and Whitaker?” Robby looked at her, puzzled.

Does she know something? How? What am I missing?

“I just know you two have a pretty deep connection. Y’know, mentor, mentee. It just sometimes seems like it could be–,” she continued before Robby cut her off.

“I love him,” Robby blurted out. McKay, to her credit, only nodded with a grin on her face. “How the hell did you figure that out before me?” Robby questioned with another laugh.

“You mean you just now figured that out? While he’s stuck in there? Did he say anything to you?”

Robby thought about that conversation with Whitaker again. He rubbed his hands through his hair. “I have to-” Robby tried to stand up, but McKay pulled him back down.

“Tell him when he makes it out of there. Have some faith,” she said, patting his arm. Robby tried to calm down, but he was running low on faith these days.

~~~

“Tell me something,” Trinity said between slow, short footsteps beside the gurney. 

“Like what?” Dennis replied.

“Something. Anything! Your hand is on a bomb. We could die at any second,” Trinity continued despite a small protest from Dylan at that last statement. “Tell me something!”

“I told Robby I loved him,” Dennis said quickly, knowing he’d miss Trinity’s and his gossip chats after a shift if this were to go sideways. It delivered the anticipated response when Trinity’s mouth went agape.

“What did he say?”

Dennis shrugged with one shoulder. “He didn’t get the chance to say anything. You guys came in before he could. Good timing too. I kind of forced him to evacuate.”

“That’s why he looks so gobsmacked! I can’t believe you did it.”

“I don’t think he,” Dennis frowned, “got it, y’know?”

“Then we’ll make him get it when we get out of here,” Trinity said. That made Dennis smile, thinking of the two of them approaching their chief attendant about the complexities of romantic feelings that Dennis Whitaker has for him. “And you were right about Yolanda and I. Yesterday, I told her I loved her.”

“You didn’t,” Dennis said in faux shock.

“Well, it was 3am and she was asleep, but I said it, so…,” Trinity paused, “It’s in the air now.”

“Look at us,” Dennis said, “Couple of Love Birds.” Dennis saw Dylan roll his eyes a bit from the front of the patient. “Alright, Dylan. Walk me through it again.”

Dylan looked relieved in the change of subject as he started rattling off the plan, keeping his voice at a slow pace with the gurney. “The device is shaped like a rocket, about 8 inches long. Dr. Garcia will be in place. My team will be in place. I’ll ask you to put your other hand around the nose of the device.”

“And pull it out,” Dennis finished for him.

“Level,” Dylan emphasized. “It has to be level.”

The rest of the trip to North 7 went slow and uneventful, meaning Dennis’s nerves grew. Garcia was waiting for them and they started the procedure immediately. In a matter of minutes, Garcia had made her cut, extending the wound Dennis’s hand was in.

“Alright Dylan, Whitaker’s ready,” she said.

“Alright, Whitaker, place your hand around the nose cone,” Dylan instructed. Dennis couldn’t move. He was stuck in place by that same feeling of dread that attached to him this morning from a nightmare he still couldn’t remember. “Dennis,” Dylan said to no response.

“Dennis?” Trinity tried. 

Dennis was trying to pull himself together, but it was like holding sand. “Tell Robby I was joking. That I just wanted him safe.”

“Dennis, no. Don’t do this,” Dylan pleaded.

“Tell him. Tell him I didn’t mean it. That’s not fair to him.” The dread took hold of Dennis once again.

“Pressure’s dropping. Whitaker!” Garcia insisted. Dylan was staring directly at Dennis.

“I can’t. No. I can’t. This is crazy. Dr. Garcia, Dr. Santos, you’re gonna go. Go now,” Dennis turned his gaze to all three of them. “You all should go. You go.”

“Nobody is dying today, Huckleberry,” Trinity said.

“Dennis, I want you to look at me,” Dylan said. “Look at me.”

Dennis turned his frantic eyes to Dylan, settling on the calmly speaking man.

“I know this is bad,” Dylan said softly, “And I know I’m just a stranger ordering you around all day, so you pretend that I’m not. You pretend that I’m someone you love. Whatever you need, but you need to listen to me.”

Dennis tried to slow his breathing as he looked down at the patient. When he looked back up, Dylan was gone. Dr. Robby was standing in his place. It felt like they were the only two people in the world. Even the patient disappeared. Dennis gazed into those deep brown eyes. He wore a soft smile you only got to see once in a blue moon.

“I’m scared,” Dennis said to Robby.

“I know,” Robby said, using that same low voice from before, “You got this, Whitaker. It’ll be over in a second.” They stood there staring at each other. Dennis’s breath slowed as Robby continued. “You can do this, Dennis.”

“Ok,” Dennis inhaled. When he exhaled, the vision of Robby faded back into Dylan. Dennis lifted the bomb level and passed it carefully to Dylan. A flood of relief washed over his body.

“You did good,” Dylan said quietly. “Now it’s my turn.” Dylan slowly turned around toward the door, starting a dangerous trek down the hall to where the rest of the bomb squad was waiting to contain the bomb.

Dennis shook off the relief when Trinity and Dr. Garcia began mending the ruptured heart. He turned his back on Dylan as he put his full focus on their patient. The door behind him had barely closed before he felt the rush of heat.

~~~

The blast knocked out the glass ambulance bay doors, rattling everything not nailed down, including Robby’s heart. Everyone was on their feet in a second. The quiet that followed was infinite.

This. This is why.

The boots on the ground began rushing toward the explosion.

You started to open your heart. This is what you get.

A cacophony of shouts erupted from around Robby. The EMTs asked where they were needed. The bomb technicians barked orders.

You know what happened. His hand was on the bomb.

Dana gripped Robby’s sleeve, bunching it up in her fist.

Pink mist. That’s what they’ll call his remains.

Robby collapsed to the ground, pulling Dana with him. His body shook with sobs. Dana put her arms around him.

“I lost them, Dana,” he said between hyperventilating breaths, “Santos, Garcia, Whitaker. Oh, fuck. Oh god Dennis. I’m so sorry.” Robby felt more hands clutching onto him. He thought momentarily about how pathetic he should feel before he could make out the cries from everyone around him. All three of them were friends of the whole department. They’d been through so much together. Robby let out another sob, “I’m so sorry, everyone.”

~~~

Dennis woke with a sudden cough as smoke billowed overhead. He shoved some sort of metal pole off of himself, battling a wave of nausea. His head was killing him. A sharp, throbbing pain that destroyed concentration and blocked any memories from more than a couple seconds ago. Dennis lifted his right hand to his head when, even in the dark, he saw it was shredded and bright red with blood.

“Shit,” Dennis croaked. He looked around the room. It reminded him of the old before and after photos they’d use to warn about the dangers of tornados. Their patient was obliterated, shrapnel penetrating him at multiple points, not to mention no one had been breathing for him for God knows how long. He let his adrenaline propel him over to Trinity and Garcia, laying near each other but thankfully saved from the bulk of the shrapnel. If he was right, they’d be waking up soon with a headache to rival his own. He kneeled down beside them both, checking their pulse, just to be sure. He noticed blood pooling around Trinity’s stomach and a panic light went off inside him. He rolled her over to assess the damage, but there wasn’t any to be found. Her scrubs had barely been ripped.

“Shit,” Dennis whispered to himself. The blood was his. A couple inches of glass protruded out of his thigh. The movement of stumbling over to his friends probably opened the wound more. He wondered why his hand didn’t hurt as much as this. He reached his left hand around to feel his back, producing multiple sharp pains that the adrenaline failed to mask. Sure enough, he could feel the edges of multiple glass shards jutting from the armor that was supposed to protect him. The pain of twisting his shoulders back was unbearable. He collapsed between Trinity and Yolanda, weakly stammering, “Hey Trin? Yolanda? I need you to wake up now.” They didn’t respond to him.

“Shit,” Dennis said one final time, wishing he could say goodbye to Trinity, as strength and consciousness left his body.

~~~

“We got wounded!”

Those words seemed to propel everyone into action. The sobs stopped and instincts took over. There was no more time for mourning. No more time for crying. Robby shoved it down, just like he shoved everything down. He tried his best to ignore that faint glimmer of hope. Hope was for the family of patients. Hope had abandoned Robby long ago.

Pearlah and Princess started wheeling over gurneys immediately. Robby ran over, just behind them, with Javadi and Mohan in tow. They made their way through the shattered doors as flashlights from the men around them pointed in every direction. Multiple “Clear!” shouts echoed from the men up ahead. Robby approached the opening of North 7; the entire door and frame became a gaping maw into the heart of the room. A fine red mist coated the glass covered ground. Up ahead, the bomb squad was helping two men to their feet, hearing multiple cries for God. 

Robby's heart dropped as he pulled his focus to the room. A river of blood trailed around the overturned gurney. Two men from the bomb squad had their flashlights pointed on the ground behind the gurney.

“Dead!” One of the men yelled. Robby sprung forward past the gurney to see who they were referring to. Relief washed over him as he realized they were referring to the patient, only to be swept away by a wave of guilt. In front of him, Whitaker was wedged between Trinity and Garcia. Blood pooled beneath all of them, making injuries hard to assess at a glance for the other two. Whitaker’s wounds, however, were on full display. Glass had entered his back at multiple locations, piercing through the armor and leaving him sprawled on his side like a fucked up porcupine. More shards had lacerated his hand and pierced his thigh.

“Pulse is thready!” One of the squad members shouted.

Robby snapped to attention. “Three gurneys in here!” Everyone was in the room, carefully stabilizing their three new patients. They helped carefully place their friends on their beds. Dana could be heard barking orders to turn the oxygen back on to the rooms. Robby heard Dr. Mohan shout that Garcia and Santos had a few deep lacerations and began to work with Dr. McKay, who had made her way through the rubble. Nothing about this was ideal or sterile. Rubble still littered the ground, but Robby knew that Whitaker wouldn’t make it to Westbridge. He started to work on Whitaker with Javadi and Dr. King. He squeezed his shoulder three times to see if he would come around. Whitaker moaned weakly. The spark of hope inside Robby rekindled as he started the procedure. 

“You did good, kid. I got you.”

~~~

Three days passed before Dennis would wake up again. There were several moments where he felt like waking up. Pains shot throughout his body. He could make out muffled shouts about treatment filled with concern. When Dennis could finally open his eyes, bleary shapes formed near his bedside. He blinked away tears from his eyes. To his left, he saw Trinity in a chair wrapped up in a scratchy blanket. She was wearing her cozy off-shift clothing, so he assumed she must have been discharged already. He was able to smile a bit at how peaceful she looked. He slowly moved his head over to the right where Michael fucking Robinavitch was sitting in a chair, slumped over his bed, sleeping. Not only that, but his head was just barely grazing Dennis’s blanketed thigh, sending sparks up to Dennis’s stomach. 

His mouth was dry, but he managed to croak out, “Where am I?” Trinity bounced up to his bedside. 

“Robby, he’s awake!” She said, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Robby bolted upright, but Dennis could tell he’d been asleep for a while. He wanted to smile, but from his hospital bed, he produced a look of confusion, looking up at Trinity.

“Who are you?” Dennis asked.

“I- um,” Trinity said. The look of concern she shot Robby was very sweet, but Dennis could tell maybe he went a bit too far. 

He let the smile escape his lips, “Kidding, Trin.” She moved as if to punch him, but restrained herself.

“I owe you a beating once you’re healed, Huckleberry.” She laughed, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“Yolanda?” Dennis asked.

“Like me,” she said, wiping away the tear. “She was discharged the same day and is helping with the investigation.”

“How’re you feeling?” Robby interrupted. The earnest look in his eyes almost moved Dennis himself to tears. 

“The pain is manageable right now, but I,” Dennis lifted his arm, showing his bandaged hand and wrist, “I can’t feel my hand.” Robby nodded, but didn’t say anything. No one was saying anything. Dennis put his head back on the pillow. “How bad is it?”

“It’s going to be a while,” Robby said. “We’re hoping for partial functionality. Perhaps with time and PT…” He trails off.

“Will I be able…” Dennis started. There was so much he still wanted to do. How will it affect his ability to practice medicine? When can he get back to his internship? Cooking? Tying Shoelaces? His mind started to spiral.

Robby latched onto Dennis’s forearm, giving it three quick reassuring squeezes.

“You’re going to get through this, Dennis. We’re going to get through it together.” They stared at each other for a long time. Dennis could feel something more behind his words, but wasn’t sure what to ask, so he just kept staring. It must have made Trinity a bit uncomfortable, because she coughed. 

“I’m going to go grab us some coffees, Dr. Robby,” Trinity said. Robby went to stand up, but Trinity stopped him. “No, no. You two should talk.” She put on a jacket and before leaving, said, “I’ll be back in a second. Keep an eye on our Huckleberry.”

They stared at each other again, Dennis softly smiling. Robby broke eye contact, looking down at the floor. After a moment, a shake crept through the old man’s body that Dennis identified as a sob.

“Hey, hey,” Dennis tried to console. “You said I’d be fine.”

“I thought I’d lost you. I was an idiot. I’m so sorry.” 

Dennis laughed weakly and Robby looked up at him confused. 

“You are an idiot,” Dennis said, settling into the pain that laughing caused. He half-jokingly added, “But I promise next time I profess my love to you, it’ll be in better circumstances.” Robby squeezed Dennis’s arm gently three times again.

“I promise that next time you do, I’ll have earned it.”

Dennis got lost in his dark brown eyes again, shocked at such a sincere response. Dennis wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but he wanted to figure out.

~~~

It was several weeks before Dennis could leave the hospital. Trinity and Robby agreed to take joint custody of him, driving him to physical therapy a couple times a week. Several months after the explosion, Dennis still couldn’t move or feel his right hand and when he did, it was sharp stabbing pains and constant pin pricks. Robby helped him through some of the worst times in his recovery. Eventually, he’d spend nights at Robby’s home, who would let Dennis sleep in his bed while he took the couch. 

On a particularly bad night, Dennis had another nightmare about the day of the explosion. That combined with the pain in his non functioning hand caused him to wake up, sweating and screaming. Robby laid down next to him in his own bed, petting his hair and wiping his brow until he fell asleep. Dennis woke up to Robby sleeping next to him, slightly snoring. The early morning light was shining on him, casting a warm glow on his face, highlighting his messy bed head and currently unkempt beard. He was still the most beautiful man Dennis had ever seen. He hesitantly lifted his hand over top of Robby’s forearm, placing it between his fingers and palm. He focused with all his might, willing himself to squeeze it once. With a painful grunt he succeeded, muttering, “I.” Robby’s eyes shot open. Whitaker squeezed again, grunting, “Love.” Robby’s head shot up. “You,” Dennis said softly, when one more squeeze sapped all his strength. 

They gazed into each other’s eyes, smiles growing on both of their faces. “I love you, Michael Robinavitch.”

Robby planted a kiss on Dennis’s forehead, on his nose, and finally on his lips. “I love you, Dennis Whitaker.”

Trinity opened the door into the living space she shared with Dennis Whitaker. He was already dressed and over the stove, frying some eggs in what had to be the bacon grease. Speaking of the bacon, it sat piled high atop paper towels on the countertop next to him.

“Rise and shine, sleepy head,” Dennis said, flipping an egg. His voice was tired, but he had a smile on like he usually does when he’s cooking. Trinity ignored him and grabbed a piece of bacon. She couldn’t contain her vocalization when she bit into it, closing her eyes to savor the flavor. Dennis grinned. “You bought a good brand this time. And enough to last the week if we don’t eat it all this morning.”

“Absolutely no promises,” Trinity said, grabbing another piece. She grabbed two plates from the cabinet, setting them beside Dennis. He scooped up an egg for each plate and grabbed some toast he’d made earlier. They both sat on the couch enjoying the breakfast Dennis made.

“You get any sleep?” Trinity asked, noticing the bags under his eyes. Not that those were an accurate indicator, though her suspicions proved correct when he looked up at her guiltily.

“A solid three hours,” he said with a mouthful of bacon, “You?”

“Five,” she commiserated. “We’ll stop for some red bull on the way in.” They stopped for red bull before almost every shift. It was like a tradition for them, or maybe a ritual to try and summon a good day. It always worked in the mornings at least. Dennis grinned again, mouth full of egg this time.

“I’m going to shower,” she said, crunching on the last bite of bacon and brushing off her hands. “Leave in 30?” 

Dennis shoved the last piece of bacon in his mouth before saying, “15? I like to get there before Dr. Robby. Shows initiative.” She took his plate from him.

“15 and no red bull?” Trinity asked, casting a cheeky glare at him. Dennis looked like he was contemplating it for a second before he hung his head. 

“30 works,” he said as she set their plates in the sink to worry about later. Rather, for Dennis to worry about later. She really did appreciate everything he’d done for her since he moved in. She’d help with some of it of course, but she always hated cooking. She’d almost convinced herself breakfast was a scam until she went a whole shift on one of Dennis’s meals. When she felt she wasn’t going to collapse when night came, she told Dennis she’d buy any breakfast foods he wants if he makes her some too. 

Her shower was quick, opting for the quick spritz of dry shampoo rather than hassling with a blow dryer. She left her room knowing Dennis would be ready and waiting by the door. She also noted that the remainder of the bacon had disappeared, presumably in the fridge, and the dishes were already clean on the drying rack. He noticed her looking around.

“I’m earning my red bull,” he said, peering over his phone. She couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Let’s get a move on, Huckleberry.”

Trinity hadn’t had a best friend for a while. She thought about that for the first time when they entered the convenience store a block from their apartment, bee-lining directly toward the brand specific mini fridge. She thought about her last best friend often now, thanks to the non-mandated-but-welcome-i-guess therapy sessions that work was providing. There was a lot of baggage there left to unpack. For the longest time, she blamed herself. Then she blamed him. For the longest time after that, she would swear she’d never have a best friend again. So many of her walls and barriers came crashing down when she saw Dennis dancing alone in that hospital room. She was pretty hard on him that first day, a day that was already hard on everybody. 

Ever since she invited him to stay with her, Trinity and Dennis had become very fast friends. They would gossip about work with each other and decompress at the gay bars after their shift. She’d still never share anything too deep with him, but he wouldn’t either. It worked for them.

Dennis grabbed a regular red bull for him and passed her a mixed berry. He stood there as the cooler door closed, staring at his drink. Trinity shot him a confused look. She was about to say something when he spoke up.

“Do you think Dr. Robby likes me?”

Trinity let out a laugh that was more akin to a cackle. “Are you kidding? You’re his favorite student. He let you do both thoracotomies last week.”

“Not like that…” Dennis fiddled with his red bull.

“Like how then?” Trinity said, grabbing a granola bar. She turned to look at Dennis who avoided her gaze. There was a long moment of silence when he didn’t answer. Her eyes widened. “Like how, Whitaker?”

“I just think–”

“No.” She turned around to head toward the cashier.

“He texted and ca–”

“Nope.”

“He’s just always got his hands on me–”

“Because if he puts his hands on any of the women, HR will be notified.”

“And there was one time where he brushed his thumb on my cheek,” Dennis started. Trinity whipped around, scrunching her brows, trying to detect if he was telling the truth. He continued, “It was totally innocent, but we were alone and it…” He shrunk down in his scrubs in a poor attempt to hide his blushing cheeks. “Lingered…It was nice.”

She looked into Dennis’s eyes over and over again until she saw a glint or a glimmer that would tell her he was just messing with her.

“You like him? Like that?” She asked. Her genuine question caught him off guard.

“You’re right. He's our attending,” he said, trying to brush past her. 

“Ask him,” she said bluntly, stopping him in his tracks. “You’re adults. If he does, yay, and if not, your mentorship will grow stronger with honesty.” Dennis nods. 

“That’s good because it’s been a bit more than just—“ 

“I don’t want to hear this. I need plausible deniability for when it blows up in your face.” He laughed and started to walk away. Trinity caught his bicep, surprised for a moment at how it filled her hand. He’d been eating well these past several months and it was showing. 

“Just be careful, Huckleberry,” she said, letting him go. “Guard your heart.”

“Proverbs,” he chuckles. “Yeah, I will.” 

They made their way through the candy aisle toward the counter. As soon as they left the store, they cracked open their red bulls and headed toward work. 

Trinity waited until Dennis had started taking a drink. “So is it a daddy/son or the teacher/student thing that really gets you going?” The desired effect was achieved when Dennis snorted the drink and red bull flew out of his nose. Trinity grinned when he looked at her, a betrayed expression on his face. She continued as he wiped liquid with his sleeve, “You have to warn me if he comes over to our place because I am not letting him see me in a bra.”

“Trinity!” Dennis said, offended but failing to hold in a laugh.

“We could offer him some bacon!”

Dennis playfully shoved Trinity, spilling a couple drops of red bull that she tried to slurp off the top of the can.

“I don’t think I can state clearly enough that you can’t tell Princess or Perlah,” Dennis said, finally getting a full gulp.

“Maybe they know if Dr. Robby likes you back?”

“I’ll just ask him, like you said.”

They walked up to the emergency room entrance, making their way past the bleeding, coughing, and fidgety future patients. Clocking in a few minutes late, they discovered, to their surprise, that they had made it to work before Dr. Robby.

~~~

Robby wasn’t sure what went wrong last night. His alarm clock was set. It was never unset. His bedroom was eerily silent as he squinted his eyes open, confused as to why light was already beaming on him. He looked up to see the break in the curtains doing the shining. He sat up, looking around his apartment. Everything was quiet. Everything was dark. The TV was off. 

Shit, he thought. The TV was off. He whipped around to look at his alarm clock behind multiple cans of beer. Also dark. He remembered taking out the 9V battery from the bottom three months ago to shut up a chirping fire alarm. He didn’t remember replacing it. He grabbed his phone from the other side of his bed, letting the light from the screen blind him. Robby’s heart was in a free fall to his stomach. It jumped with the thin red line beside the 10%. It fell further when the large white numbers read out “7:10”. His heart was a splat in his gut by the time he saw 3 missed calls from Dana. For the first time in decades, Dr. Michael Robinavitch was late to work.

He leapt out of bed when his foot crunched painfully down on an empty beer can. “Fuck! Shit!” Robby shouted. He hopped on one foot over to the light switch. Clicking it a few times produced no results so he hobbled over to the window, opening the curtain completely. He was able to see the full extent of his room. Several cans he didn’t remember drinking lay toppled on his nightstand, several fallen to the floor as he unfortunately found out. That would explain the splitting headache, nausea, and irritability, not that he needed an excuse for that last one.

The one thing that Robby couldn’t explain was the crumpled up tissues next to– oh god. He winced at a foggy memory and pinched the bridge of his nose. After he composed himself, he grabbed his phone and unlocked it. There they were, clear as day. A drunk text to his favorite med student, Dennis Whitaker. He laughed at himself when he read it.

Robby: you willl be a gret doctor cant wait to see you tomrow

Dennis: are you okay??

Robby: yeh dunk

Dennis: lol

Dennis: goodnight robby

They had grown close in the past couple months, probably because Dennis had already seen him at his lowest. Hell, the kid had helped him get through it all afterward too. Most importantly, he hadn’t told anyone and that meant a lot to Robby. Trust went a long way, so Robby decided to pay it forward. He let Whitaker observe and practice some of the rarer cases that were handed to the ER. He was devoted to becoming a great mentor for him, so they spent a lot of their days together. 

Things got too muddy for Robby a few months later. Whitaker had just lost a patient, so Robby pulled him aside for a pep talk. He put his hands on Dennis’s shoulders and had him look up at him. Robby just got lost in his eyes and just…forgot to speak. Robby’s hands got closer to his neck and Dennis didn’t move. Eventually, Robby had a hand on his cheek, rubbing it with his thumb. He could barely control himself when Dennis leaned into it. He wasn’t sure what would have happened if Dana hadn’t come looking for him.

Unfortunately for Robby, that memory was burned into his mind and he used it often as jack off material, explaining the used tissues by the beer cans. While he knew the fault of sleeping in should lie on the power outage, he couldn’t help but blame himself. He has to end this fantasy of his. Be more neutral to all the interns, med students, and residents. Dana’s face appeared on screen, calling again. He answered, “Power Outage. Running late.”

“You sure know how to make a hectic day stressful,” Dana said. “Abbott’ll be here until you are.” They hung up and Robby immediately threw on a shirt and some scrubs. He grabbed his bag from the countertop. Making his way down to his motorcycle, a reflexive hand went to check for the helmet on his bag. He never wore it, but liked to keep it on him. It quelled the gossip and rumors from spreading too quickly around the ER. His check went awry when his hand brushed nothing but the cloth of his backpack. Swearing in his mind, Robby was already late, so that’s as good an excuse as any.

Flinching as the monster dove straight at you, you couldn't help but call out the one person you needed most, wishing for one last time to have been able to see him.

"MALLEUS!"

And if you opened your eyes, you would have noticed the fireflies appearing around you.

The blow never came, though, and when you did open your eyes, you saw a familiarly tall and imposing figure in front of you.  His back faced you, but those tall horns were a tell-tale sign of who exactly your savior was.  Green flames licked at the blot monster, and it screeched, rearing back.

Malleus Draconia was relentless, though.  Even as the creature retreated, he easily used his magic to surround it in flames — but before they could reach the monster, it dove back into the mirror, shattering it as it disappeared.

Time seemed to freeze before he turned around, green eyes practically glowing as he regarded you.

"Malleus...  You came...?"  You breathed out heavily, feeling exhaustion weigh over you.  His expression softened, and he reached out to cup your cheek.

"You called," he simply stated, his eyes sweeping over you.  "Are you alright, Child of Man?"

You wanted to cry at the nickname for you.  You hadn't heard it in years.  You hadn't believed anybody would ever call you that again, but here Malleus was, as real as you were, standing right in front of you.  Before you knew it, you were wrapping your arms around him, startling him from the sudden show of affection.  Your hold on him solidified the fact that he was real.  He was real.  And he was here.

It was difficult, but after a beat you managed to nod.  "Yeah...  Yeah.  I'm fine.  Thanks to you."  You had to get it together — now was not the time to get choked up!

After the disappearance of the blot monster, the other smaller monsters seemed to have disappeared — or perhaps they, too, had been eaten away by Malleus' flames.  Whatever the case, they were gone, and with the monsters gone, people began to flock to the streets again.

"Did you see that?  That thing was fucking huge!"

And with people converging back to the streets, all eyes were on you.  Well, actually, they were on Malleus.

"MY LORD!"

You'd recognize that loud voice from anywhere, and turned towards the noise only to see two familiar people stepping out of what you could only describe as a portal.  You couldn't see through the other side, but staring into it felt like looking into a starry abyss, as if it led straight into space.

And stepping out of that portal were Silver and Sebek Zigvolt.

Sebek immediately rushed towards Malleus, not even noticing you for a second as he made sure Malleus had no injuries.  You had stepped back the moment you heard Sebek's voice.  No need to deal with his complaints right now.  "You can't just run off like that!" he exclaimed, before turning towards you finally.  His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, before he gave a small nod.  "Human.  Good to see you're... well," he managed, Silver trailing right behind him.  His expression was serious.

Malleus' expression slipped back into one of stoicism, although his gaze was still soft as he regarded you.  "We need to go," he told you grimly.  There was a hand at the small of your back, and you found yourself being turned around to the glowing black portal.  He barely even acknowledged Sebek, although you assumed time was of the essence right now, especially as police sirens grew louder and louder.  No doubt somebody had reported the phenomena, considering a giant, winged monster had appeared from a mirror.

"Wait!"  Yuna called out, clambering to her feet and catching up to you.  "I'm coming too."

"What?" you asked her, eyebrows raising.  "Wait, where are we even going?"

Before anybody could answer, Yuna was speaking up, her eyes narrowed behind her glasses.  "You already got me invested and involved, so I'm coming along too.  Besides, I am not sticking around to explain this situation to the police and how you disappeared.  Again."

"Yuna, it's way too dangerous!  Did you not notice that giant monster that just attacked us?"

She stood her ground.  "I'm coming with," she insisted.  "I'm not letting you do this alone."

You gave her an incredulous look, and Malleus, Sebek, and Silver stood off to the side, looking out-of-place in your argument with your roommate.  "No offense, but we're barely friends, Yuna.  I thought you could barely stand me."

Yuna rolled her eyes.  "I barely know you," she pointed out.  "Despite rooming with you for a few months now.  But I can stand you perfectly fine, or else I would have moved out by now."  She sighed.  "Just let me come with you.  I don't want you to do this alone.  Besides, girl solidarity and all that, right?"

You wanted to argue that you technically wouldn't be alone, but you knew the brunette wouldn't drop it.  Instead, you gave a defeated nod.  "What if we can't get back?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, I suppose."

You wondered if it was just the adrenaline talking for her, but you were done arguing on the subject.  "Alright.  Alright.  Come on."

Malleus seemed relieved that you two had hashed things out, ushering you towards the mirror once more.  You made sure to grab both of your phones and your backpack.

"We're...  Really going back to Twisted Wonderland?" you asked Malleus, and he gave a nod.

"Yes . . .  We're going home."

Your heart was doing backflips in your chest as you glanced at the portal once more.  With nothing else to lose, you took a step through it, seeming to sink into it as the world around you disappeared.

It was nauseating.  You lost all of your senses for a moment — taste, sight, sound, smell, touch...  You felt completely nothing.  And then, colors seemed to swirl around you.  Next moment you knew, you were standing in a familiar room, stumbling and leaning on a desk.  Yuna didn't fare much better, practically collapsing onto the floor as she gasped.  All around, traveling through that portal was an unpleasant experience, although you were glad your arrival this time didn't entail you waking up in a coffin.

"Welcome back!  It is so wonderful to see you again!"

The jubilant and over-the-top voice had you grimace as you looked up.  "Headmage Crowley.  A pleasure to see you again, too."  Was it actually a pleasure, though?  Crowley's negligence was a huge reason why your school life had been wrought with chaos here.

Behind you all, the portal had closed, revealing the Dark Mirror.  Yuna had quit gasping, but was still struggling to stand for a moment.

Crowley nodded at your saviors, crossing his arms.  "While I loathe for our reunion to be like this, as you are probably already aware—"

Cutting Crowley off was a door opening, revealing another familiar face.  "Malleus!  You cannot just run off like that, especially now of all times!"

Still short and looking as youthful as ever despite his age was Lilia Vanrouge, although he did look weary despite it all.  As his eyes landed on you, his gaze softened slightly.  "Fufufu...  It's nice to see you're alive and well at the very least, [Y/n]."

"You too, Lilia."

You accepted the hug he gave you, before pulling away.

"As much as I love reuniting with you all...  I need an explanation of just what the hell is going on."

"Yes...  It would be wise to contact Mr. Shroud to discuss the situation," Crowley agreed with a nod of his head.

It seemed like there might be more going on than you initially thought.

"But first things first...  Who might this be?"  your former headmage looked over at Yuna quizzically.

Okay; introductions first, and then calling Idia.

══════════════════

"I can't believe the Prefect is back," Idia muttered on the other end of the video call.  "Although I guess you're not really a prefect anymore."

Idia had been half muttering the entire time the call had been going on, pre-occupied with whatever he was doing on his end of things.

You sighed.  "I can't either," you admitted.  The entire situation seemed so surreal, still.  "Do you have any idea on what is going on, though?"  You had been quick to explain everything that happened back in your world with the mirror and the blot monsters.

"IDK," Idia grumbled, "but we've also been having earthquakes and the like here.  It's weird, NGL."

"I didn't realize people actually spoke like this," you heard Yuna mutter under her breath, thankfully inaudible to Idia.

"Not to mention the disappearances..."

"And the vandalism!"  Headmage Crowley interrupted, clutching his chest as if that was the biggest issue that was going on right now.

"Um...  Can both of you elaborate?"

Silver was grim.  "A few former students have gone missing, and three of the statues of the Great Seven are also gone."

You recalled Ace and Deuce mentioning that Riddle was missing when you were on video call with them, and you had a sinking feeling in your stomach.  "Riddle is one of them, right?  Ace mentioned it when I called him back in my world."

"Along with Azul and Leona," Silver confirmed.

"I didn't realize Leona was also missing," Lilia's eyebrows raised.

Three former overblot victims and dorm heads...

"And let me guess: The statues missing are the Queen of Hearts, the King of Beasts, and the Sea Witch?"

"Why... Yes!  How did you know?"  Crowley exclaimed, and you wondered not for the first time how somebody like him had ever managed to become headmage of such a prestigious school.  With the threat of an oncoming migraine, you gritted your teeth.

No point in responding to Crowley.  "And just to guess, again, they were probably kidnapped in the order of Riddle, Leona, and Azul.  Right?"

"Yep."

"It's the order of those who overblotted," you pointed out.  But you weren't sure why the statues were being stolen.  Of course, you had easily pieced together the connection between the overblot victims and the Great Seven years upon years ago, but what did stealing a statue have to do with anything?  What was the point?

Then again, why were overblot victims being kidnapped once more, if not STYX related?

It was as if Idia could sense your skepticism.  "Wait, I swear it's not me or anybody else in STYX!"  he exclaimed, and while you still remained somewhat skeptical, you found yourself believing him.  After all, Idia had also overblotted, meaning he was in an equal amount of danger now if the kidnappings continued.

"Jesus," you muttered, leaning against the wall.  A wave of dizziness and fatigue washed over you.

"Child of Man?"  Malleus questioned, finally speaking up.  "Are you feeling unwell?"

". . . Just tired," you sighed, crossing your arms.  This was...  A lot to process.  You couldn't really wrap your head around everything.  Was everything connected?  The natural phenomena, the disappearances, and the leakage of blot in your world?  Were they all coincidences?

. . . Probably not.  Twisted Wonderland wasn't knowing for 'coincidences'.  No doubt, this was all connected.  But how?  Why?

Yuna had been silent the entire time, listening grimly.  You wondered how much you were going to have to explain to her later; probably most of it.  Unlike you, this was all completely new to her, although Yuna seemed to be a fast learner.

"Perhaps we should rest and regroup," Lilia suggested.  "As it is, Malleus, you must return.  You shouldn't have ran off like that."

Malleus frowned a bit, but didn't refute the statement.  Still, he looked displeased.  Upon seeing your confused expression, Lilia sighed once more.

"Our Young Malleus has finally accepted the crown to become King of Briar Valley, and thus, really shouldn't have ran off.  Oh, to put an old man in retirement in such a position..."  The sigh was more dramatic than it needed to be, and you glanced up at Malleus.

"Oh.  Congratulations...?"

"Is that all you have to say?" Sebek asked incredulously, and you wondered how hard it was for him to keep his voice level.  The Sebek you knew would have screamed it, although six years was a lot of time for somebody else to change.

Malleus chuckled.  "Thank you," he told you instead.  "Briar Valley is open to you and your friend, of course."

You hesitated.  You would have loved to stay in Briar Valley and remain close to Malleus, but you knew better.  Instead, you turned to Crowley.  "Is...  Is Ramshackle still a viable place to stay?" you asked him.  "Not that I don't want to stay in Briar Valley, but...  I need to stay somewhere that is central to everything."

Plus, you knew Ramshackle and NRC campus a bit better than a castle in Briar Valley, and the familiar playing grounds was somewhat of a comfort to you.

Headmage Crowley crossed his arms once more.  "Well...  If you promise to solve the missing persons cases and the acts of theft upon Night Raven College, you are most welcome to stay back in your old dorm!  Although it may need some fixing up once more...  Oh, aren't I so gracious to host you once more?"

Gracious?  Once again, he was dumping problems way out of your league on you, a magicless human.

You were far used to it, now, though.

"Yes, you sure are," you sarcastically replied.  Crowley didn't pick up on the sarcasm, seeming to preen under your 'praise'.

"Come on, Yuna.  I have a lot to go over with you."

Bidding the others 'goodbye' and ending your call with Idia, you were tempted to pinch yourself.  Was this all really happening?  Everything was moving so fast in a blur, as if this were all some fever dream.  

"Ah, just a moment!"  Crowley followed you and Yuna out of the office, the latter looking around in veiled awe at the interior of the castle.

"What."

You didn't mean to sound so grouchy but, in your defense...  It had been a day.  

"Before you head to the dorm, please take a visit to the courtyard.  We cannot figure out how these statues are missing, and each one is invaluable, as I'm sure you remember—"

"—Yeah, yeah.  We'll swing by the courtyard."

Not even giving Crowley anymore time, you left and dragged Yuna behind her, taking her to the courtyard.

You had previously explained a bit of the world to her, but experiencing it was a different thing.  Recognition flashed over her face; it was dark out, but there was ample lighting to reveal the remaining statues.  You allowed her a moment to circle each of them.

"We're missing the Queen of Hearts, Scar, and Ursula," you told her, before nodding at the statue of Ja'far.  "I'm guessing he's going to go missing next...  maybe.  I don't know.  I really want to sleep."

Yuna ran a hand through her hair, matching your look of exhaustion.  "Me too.  Shit...  Just what am I getting dragged into?"

"You're the one who asked to come along."

"Yeah, touché."

══════════════════

"It's been six years since you've been back."  Your therapist, Melanie Dorsett, leaned back into the chair that she sat in, eyes boring into you.  Not at all concerned, you were lying on the couch, eyes rolling up towards the ceiling as your feet propped up on the armrest.  "And you are still having these nightmares of...  overblots.  Are you still taking your medication?"

"Yes," was your tired response.  "And it's been helping...  A bit.  The nightmares aren't as frequent."  A lie.  If anything, they were more frequent.

Melanie nodded, setting the clipboard she had been writing on to the side.  You glanced over at her, waiting for her to speak.  "What you went through..."  She hummed.  "It's not something that is easily forgotten."

You snorted.  "You don't even believe what happened to me actually happened."

"I'm not here to discuss that," she countered.  "It doesn't matter if it actually happened because it's real enough to you that it's affecting your day-to-day life.  This alternate world...  Wherever you were, you were gone for three years, [Y/n].  It's clear it's left trauma."

Of course it did.  You were suddenly snatched from your home and woke up in a coffin, only to realize you were in a literally different universe where everybody except you had magic — and you couldn't even enjoy said magic, because you were too busy playing pseudo-therapist and fighting giant monsters as everybody had mental breakdowns!  It was a good thing you couldn't overblot.

You didn't say that, though.  You'd just be regurgitating information that you have told your therapist plenty of times before.  Tired, you could only ask her: "Do you think that Twisted Wonderland exists?"

Melanie sighed, pursing her lips.  ". . ."  She was contemplating her words, but her hesitation spoke legions.  You knew her thoughts before she finally spoke them.  "I do not," she started.  You snorted again, averting your eyes to stare up at the ceiling.  Of course.  "I believe that whatever you went through, wherever you went...  Your mind had to make it up to cope with what was going on.  I don't believe you're just making this up for attention.

"With that said, I don't believe you're, as you so eloquently put earlier, 'fucking crazy' either."

A dry smile tugged your lips upward, amused at her quoting you.  "Appreciated."  That smile died down quickly, though.  It was nice somebody at least didn't believe you were going insane.  Even your parents looked at you as if you were a freak, despite them actually seeing you step out of a mirror into their living room.

So much for familial support, huh?

Melanie looked up at the analog clock that ticked away on the wall, and you followed her gaze.  "It seems that's all the time we have today.  Do me a favor...  Consider this as homework, if you will.  I want you to meditate before going to bed tonight.  Try to calm your mind, and see if that will help with the nightmares."

You didn't think it would, but you thanked her anyways and promised you'd at least give it a try.  Bidding her goodbye, you left the small office, nodding at the receptionist before exiting the building.

Outside, the sun shone brightly, but it only could combat the autumn chill of September so much.  Tugging your coat closer to yourself, you started walking down the sidewalk, putting your headphones on and trying not to dwell too much on the nightmare that had disturbed both you and your roommate earlier.  It was always the same nightmare, too, although it seemed to add on stuff every time it came to plague your sleep.  This time, it was the clouds dripping in blot — that was a new one.

The weird thing was, the nightmares had started recently.  It had been six years since you had wound up back in your world, devoid of magic.  Granted, you had nightmares from the start, but they had been few and far in between, not to mention anything like these.  These nightmares, the vivid ones, had started a few weeks ago, only getting more detailed as time went by.  Were your anxiety meds not working?  You weren't sure.

You didn't have classes today — besides therapy, it was a rare day off for you, and with nothing else to really do, you started heading back to your dorm.  

Beneath you, the ground rumbled lightly for a moment, and you stopped walking on the sidewalk.  Other students had stopped as well, but nobody seemed too alarmed.  Earthquakes had been weirdly common for the past month, only growing more and more frequent, but not anything that caused too much damage.

You heard car alarms go off, even as your music was playing through your headphones, and once the rumbling stopped, you were back on your way to your dorm. 

Nothing else had happened on your way back, and your roommate was out at her classes, leaving you by yourself as you let yourself in and turned on your television.  Unsurprisingly, the news was going over the recent series of earthquakes and other natural phenomena that had been plaguing the country.  Conspiracy theorists claimed the world would be ending soon; the smarter conclusion was that global warming was causing all of the natural occurrences.

Using the television as background noise, you went over to your bed and pulled out a shoebox from underneath it.  It was small with few belongings, stuff you had managed to bring back from Twisted Wonderland.  A couple of cards, some trinkets, a bat-shaped charm...  But most importantly, and what you were aiming for, was an old cell phone.

At first, you had been afraid that once it died, that was it — the charger for the phone obviously didn't exist in this world, but you had been lucky enough to figure out that wireless chargers did work.  The concept was the same, there just wasn't the specific type of cable for the Twisted Wonderland phone (which made sense but had still been annoying).

Unlocking the phone screen, you paid no heed to the "NO SERVICE" that flashed in the top corner.  Instead, you went to the photo album, scrolling through the photos you had taken with your friends.  Some of them were pretty blurry, selfies of you and your first-year friends progressing into all of you graduating.

You felt homesick.  Kind of funny, considering Twisted Wonderland hadn't been your homeworld, and up until you left, your only goal was to survive there and make it back here.

Ironic, how this world works.

If you continued to look through the photos, you'd get sad.  Exiting the album, you went over to the messaging app, shooting a quick message to Malleus.  It was undelivered, of course, like the hundreds of messages you sent him and everybody else in the past few years, but even just typing out the messages was cathartic.

The messages remained undelivered, the circle next to them all remaining empty.  Messages that would never reach the receiver.

There was no point in making yourself feel more down right now.  It's not like MagiCam would work, considering it wasn't compatible with the internet in your world, and so you locked the cellphone again and shoved it back in the shoebox.  You slid the shoebox underneath your bed before settling back into the covers.

A quick nap wouldn't hurt, especially considering you barely got any sleep prior.

With the television as background noise, you fell into a light slumber.

══════════════════

A scream was what aroused you from your sleep this time.

Eyes wide and heart nearly palpitating in your chest, you shot upright into a sitting position, knees drawn up to your chest protectively.

"Huwha—?!"

You could feel a bit of dried drool from the side of your mouth, but you paid no heed as you immediately looked over at your roommate.  It was her who screamed, face ashen and charcoal eyes widened behind her rounded glasses.  Nothing seemed out of place.  No intruder, nothing grotesque or broken or missing, but she looked terrified all the same.

Still tense, you swung your legs over the edge of your bed, momentarily looking out the window.  You had well slept past the hours of a 'nap', but perhaps that was your fault for not setting an alarm.

"Yuna.  Breathe.  What happened?"

Yuna looked over at you as if you had grown an extra head for a moment.  She blinked a couple of times before seeming to snap out of her trance.  "I..."  She swallowed thickly, glancing over at the floor-length mirror she had set up.  It was a cheap five-dollar one, and it seemed completely normal, but the way she was glancing at it made it seem like it was possessed.

Well...  Wait...

Your eyes were still slightly bleary from just waking up.  Rubbing them, you squinted, noticing something black and smudged at the top of the mirror, and you stood up to try and take a closer look.

"What the..."

Your heart stopped for a moment, before picking up even faster as you realized what was at the top of the mirror, dripping down slowly as if the frame itself was leaking.  It was a thick, black substance.

One you were more than familiar with by now.

Yuna noticed your apprehension and slowly tried to explain herself.  "I just got back...  When I turned on the light, I swear I saw something in the mirror, and it was dripping — dripping whatever this is."

Something in the mirror...?

"Is it blood?"  She asked, leaning closer, and you instinctively put a hand on her shoulder and brought her back gently.

"No...  It's..."  Damn.  How did you even explain this?  You'd have to fill her in a lot, and even then, you doubted she'd believe you.  More importantly, though...

It had been six years since you had last been in Twisted Wonderland.  Everything had more or less fallen back to normal, and there had never seemed to be any clue on it existing or how to get back save for what little belongings you had.

Which begged the question...

Why was this happening?  Just what was going on in Twisted Wonderland to have it leak into your world?

Earlier that day....

There weren't many things that surprised Lilia Vanrouge nowadays.  Part of it was just his age — 700+ years of living would do that to anybody.  The other part was that, in his last year at Night Raven College, he had pretty much seen it all, thanks to an otherworldly traveler who, despite being magicless, had fought off a plethora of overblots and managed to practically unite the school.

Leave it to this little human to be the one to surprise him once more.

Lilia Vanrouge had been enjoying his retirement, living a cozy life away from all the chaos and spending his days picking up new hobbies, improving his cooking, and playing video games.  Today was gaming day since a new event was starting in the co-op him and Idia were currently playing, but as he was setting up his computer, he decided to check his phone.  There was no reason to, but something in him was compelled to pick it up and open up Magicam...

Only to see that one person he thought would never be seen again was online.

Lilia's eyebrows raised.  Nobody had her account information, but the account was kept up for classmates to look back and reminisce.

Before he could even do anything, a text came through from Idia, talking about how he was still caught up in something and might not be able to play today.  Naturally, Lilia immediately asked if it was about the former Ramshackle prefect's sudden online presence, only to earn a 'what???????'.

The old fae hadn't planned on spending his day on the phone with Idia trying to figure out what was going on, but that's how it ended up.

"IDK how this is happening... ugh, terrible timing, too..." Idia grumbled over the phone.

"Ahh, that's right.  You're still working on those missing persons cases, right?"  That... was another worrisome thing.

Idia was silent for a moment.  "Yeah...  Nobody has been found yet."

Lilia couldn't offer any reassurances, but he did know that their previous classmates going missing was certainly worrisome.  Among other things going on in the world...  He wondered if it was related to the prefect's return.

Idia clearly thought the same thing.  "Ortho's running a scan now.  Are we having a sequel or something..?" 

"Big Brother!  The signal is gone!"

Sure enough, the prefect was no longer online.  Lilia could hear Idia's groaning over the line, and after a bit more talking, the two hung up with Lilia mentioning he would tell Idia if it happened again.

With this on top of three former NRC students missing...  Lilia couldn't help the foreboding feeling in his chest that he may be having to come out of retirement.

══════════════════

Idia Shroud couldn't stop thinking about the earlier phone call with Lilia and the fact that the former Ramshackle prefect had been online.  Even if it was only for moments, it was still bugging him.  He didn't need this added stress — and as cool as the prefect was, there was trouble wherever she went.  Not that she wanted said trouble, but she unfortunately had that main character energy that naturally attracted it.  Cool, but completely overwhelming for Idia at times.

Pouring over the files in front of him, Idia kept on going over the security footages of the latest disappearance.  Due to the nature of the disappearances, STYX had been tasked to look into them — and since Idia had gone to school with the victims, they were hoping to get added insight.

So of course, this meant more work for Idia.  And he would complain that it dug into his video game time (especially since Project Idol came out with a new installment), but deep down he was worried.  Not just for the ones who disappeared, but if things kept up...  He had a feeling it wasn't going to stop.

"Big Brother!  The prefect is online again!"

This caught Idia's attention.

Immediately switching monitors, Idia had started to try and track the location signal.  Moments later, his phone started ringing, and Idia picked it up.

"I know, I'm on it," Idia told Lilia curtly.

The signal was weak — but it was there.  Idia could hear conversation in the background on the phone, but he didn't pay much attention to it as he continued to trace the signal.

PING.

"Got it!"  Idia cheered a bit too loudly, cringing at himself immediately.  Thankfully, Lilia didn't comment on his voice and instead asked Idia to send the location.  Idia did moments later — better Lilia than him.  He did not want to travel and see what the hell was going on over there.

"Wait— Malleus!"

Idia cringed as he heard Lilia's stern voice call out to him, using his first name rather than his newly-appointed title.  After a few moments, Lilia sighed.  "That child...  I suppose I'll follow him.  Maybe it's for the best.  I was getting outta practice as it is!"  Despite the bravado of cheer, Lilia sounded bone-weary.

"Um..  yeah.  GL, HF," Idia told Lilia, who chortled and thanked him before hanging up.

And Idia couldn't help to think once more about how everything happening was probably connected right now.

Keeping an eye on the signal to make sure it didn't disappear once more, Idia went back to work, rapidly typing away at his keyboard.

"Ace?!"

Even through the bad resolution that was no doubt the product of terrible service, you would recognize the two faces anywhere.  Six years had passed since you had last seen them, but they still looked more-or-less the same, if not more mature.  Just by a bit, though.

"YO it's actually you!" Ace exclaimed, the audio cutting out a bit.  You could see Deuce attempting to shove more of himself into the frame.

"Dude, move over!"

You were quick to cut them off before they started bickering.  "How... Shit, I mean— what the fuck is going on?!"

It was hard to get your thoughts together.  So much was happening, between the mirror and the earthquakes and now this!  You struggled to wrap your head around it all, and you knew it was all connected somehow.  There was no way it wasn't.

"We don't know either," Deuce responded.  "But it's bad over here!"  The audio started to glitch out worse.  "Riddle is — ing!"

"Wait, what?  I can barely hear you!"

"Riddle is missing!" Ace said louder, static still crackling.

"Wait, what?!" You repeated, although this time you did hear them, you just couldn't believe it.  Riddle was missing?!  How the hell was that possible?

They started to say something else just as the ground began to shake again.  It started out gentle before it seemed to get worse.  You vaguely heard Yuna call your name as you toppled onto the grass, your phone nearly flying out of your grasp as you waited for the tremors to stop.  Almost distantly you could hear people screaming, car alarms going off violently at the earthquake.

You weren't sure how long this one lasted.  Between Ace and Deuce yelling for you, Yuna yelling by your ear, the screaming and the car alarms...  It was overwhelming.  You squeezed your eyes shut, fists clenching at the grass as you waited for it to stop.

Even when it did, you felt as if the world was still trembling around you.  You were barely aware as Yuna helped you to your feet.  She looked disheveled and frazzled; no doubt you matched her appearance.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked, her glasses askew.  You nodded.

"You?"

She gave you a shaky nod, before her eyes widened, looking behind you.

"Wha...?"

You turned around to see what she was looking at, only to feel the blood leave your face.

The mirror wasn't just leaking blot — it was now bubbling, hitting the grass in acidic splashes that killed the plant life.

"Guys..."  You turned to face the phone camera at the mirror, hearing broken up exclamations from your friends at the sight.

"Is that blot?!"

Deuce spoke up over Ace.  "I thought your world didn't have magic!"

"It doesn't!"  But even despite the irrefutable fact that magic didn't exist in your world, the blot kept pouring fourth, covering the entire surface of the mirror and pooling dangerously on the ground around it.  You dragged Yuna back with you as you noticed the pool of blot getting closer and closer to your feet.

What were you even supposed to do in this situation?!  It's not like you could just magic it away!

"You have more of those magic friends, right?"  Yuna asked, grabbing at your arm without tearing her gaze away from the mirror.  You nodded, your mouth dry.

"Uh... yeah."

"Can you Instalive it?  Or whatever their version of Instagram is called?"

That was...  Actually a good idea.

"Guys, I'm hanging up to live stream this in hopes others will see this," you told them.

"WAIT—"

You hung up before they could say 'goodbye'.  Unfortunately, you didn't have a lot of time right now.  Fumbling with the Magicam app, you managed to get to the livestream feature, immediately making sure the camera was facing the mirror as you hurriedly began to try and explain the situation.  You noticed a couple of usernames, but tried to ignore the comments as Cater immediately started to bombard you.

"What the hell is that."

You looked over your phone at the mirror, only to see in horror what was rising up from it.

A blot creature.

Well, sort of.

It was clearly fashioned out of blot, but it didn't look like the previous blot monsters you had faced off again.  It was a lot smaller, with a dripping, goopy head rather than a glass bulb.  It almost looked like a Kingdom Hearts villain, but more...  Malleable?  Liquid?

Either way, it definitely didn't bring forth any positive feelings.

And of course, because life really liked testing you, more of these mini blot monsters started to form.

"Oh fuck me," you muttered under your breath.  Before you could even say anything in the live stream to see if somebody had an idea to help, your phone powered off, dead.  Probably for the best — you were going to need both hands for whatever shit this was about to be.

Yuna called out your name in a panic as you both backed up.  Those who were outside immediately noticed the monsters appearing, phone cameras popping out to video this when all you wanted to do was to yell at them to fucking run!  

But... the monsters didn't seem to care much about you or anybody else around.  They all started to crawl towards your dorm.  Exchanging confused glances at Yuna, you tried to think of what the hell could be important in the dorm unless something was hidden in there.

Like, say, a shoebox under your bed.

You swore again.  "Yuna, we have to get back to the room."

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"I think they're after something I brought back from Twisted Wonderland!"

"Then let them have it!"

You gave her an exasperated look before sighing.  You didn't have time to argue this right now!  Shaking your head and gritting your teeth, you started to run towards the dorm, ignoring the burn in your legs and lungs.  Yuna cried out in frustration behind you before following you.

It was nice to know that your current roomie was apparently a ride or die at the very least.

"If we get killed, I'm going to kill you!" she shouted at you as the two of you ran into the building, avoiding the monsters as if they were the plague.  You skidded to a stop by the door, grabbing the fire extinguisher mounted crookedly on the wall.  It wasn't a great weapon... But it was better than trying to square up with a blot monster with your bare hands and wet noodle arms.

The weird thing about these monsters was that they didn't have the helmet heads.  Without hesitation, you swung the fire extinguisher down on one that got too close to you and Yuna, only for it to immediately splatter into harmless ink all over you both and the walls.  Some got in your mouth, tasting like dirt and ash.  Ew.

Ignoring Yuna's commentary, you continued to run up the stairs, mind racing.  The blot didn't sting — not that you were complaining, of course.  Not to mention there were so many, and as long as you didn't get in their way, they didn't seem aggressive.  And that made you wonder...

Was it actually blot?  Or was it the product of somebody's unique magic?

Maybe you were overthinking it.  You tended to do that a lot, paranoia being one of your best friends, but there was a hell of a good reason for that.  Your time in Twisted Wonderland had unfortunately taught you to be wary and cautious of everybody you met, to suspect everybody had ulterior motives.

Besides — how else could this all be happening?  Somebody had to be behind it.  But if they were, were they behind the earthquakes and other disasters happening?

Ugh.  You wished you had more time to think, but time was of the essence.

"There's so many...!"

Yuna was kicking at them, and a part of you feared of her after you saw her splatter three without breaking a sweat.

Note to self: don't ever get kicked by Yuna.

Thankfully, there were none of these monsters in your dorm room yet.  Shutting the door behind yourselves, you immediately went to pull the shoebox out from under your bed, trying to sift through the items.

"Um?!  Do we have time to go through everything right now?!"

. . . Yuna had a point.  Grabbing your backpack, you started to dump all of the items inside, one of them catching your attention.  Without thinking twice, you caught it, gazing at the shimmering green gem stone.

It was a simple necklace, with a silver chain and what was apparently green sapphire.  It looked simple, but considering the gift giver, it no doubt cost more than your college tuition.

"Come on!"

Slipping the necklace on, you grabbed the backpack and started to leave the dorm room — only to get swarmed.  Yuna shrieked, kicking one away from you and stomping on it as you two traversed the narrow hallways once more to leave the dorm.  Now the monsters seemed to be targeting you, which proved your theory right.  Something in that shoebox was attracting them.  But what the hell was it?

Progress was annoyingly slow but eventually you and Yuna made it out in the fresh air again.  There seemed to be no end of the small monsters, and you could feel yourself getting winded.  Yuna didn't look much better.

"What now?" she asked.  You didn't have an answer, grimacing as one got you with sharp claws through your jeans.

"Hell if I know," you responded breathlessly.  Wait until the cops show up?  What could they even do?

The ground started to shake again.  It hindered the monsters as much as it hindered you, and you and Yuna held onto each other, attempting to stay upright to no avail.  It didn't take long for both of you to topple like dominos — the pavement you were standing on was less forgiving than the grass you fell on earlier, but you could barely focus on the numbing pain as you saw the ground cracking a few feet away from where you and Yuna were.

Through the earthquake, you could shakily make out something larger leaving the mirror, squeezing through and ballooning out.  Yuna watched it with wide, horrified eyes; you were sure your expression mirrored hers.

It was nothing like the small menaces from before.  This thing was the size of your dorm, with large, bat-like, inky wings that dripped blot threateningly.  On it's head was the signature black helmet of a blot monster, and its talons tore up the grass as it stepped out of the mirror.

It was horrifying.

And it was the exact same creature from your nightmares.

As the ground stopped shaking, you pulled yourself and Yuna up, your legs feeling both like jelly and lead at the same time.

"Run," you breathed, tapping Yuna's arm without looking at her.  "RUN!"

The two of you started to bolt just as the blot monster swooped down, cleaving through the pavement and causing you and Yuna to dive in separate directions.  You barely registered the stinging scrape of pavement against your flesh, scrambling to your feet as the monster instantly turned to you.

Welp...  At least Yuna will hopefully be safe, because there was absolutely no chance you could dodge this one.

Flinching as the monster dove straight at you, you couldn't help but call out the one person you needed most, wishing for one last time to have been able to see him.

"MALLEUS!"