Chapter Text
The world came back to him in snippets, a few minutes at a time; blurry visions and sentences cut short before he could fully process them. The darkness clung to him like cobwebs. It made him uneasy, being unable to tell where he was and who was around him. He tried to focus on the vibrations in the room — faint movement from two spots, one near his side and the other further away. He was fairly sure he heard Sneeg talking at one point, his voice low and frightfully calm.
How had he ended up back in bed? He didn’t want to be in bed! Foolish squirmed, trying to get his limp body to cooperate. Someone placed a hand on his forehead, speaking quietly. Their touch was soft and cool, but Foolish flinched away.
“Don’t…” he rasped. His skin felt tight and itchy and wrong .
But when was the last time he’d been touched so gently?
An indeterminate amount of time passed, and he sensed that someone had left the room. The person by his bed shifted, and Foolish caught a flash of silver before he was overwhelmed by a warm, coppery scent.
Foolish’s mind reeled as something deep and primal stirred within him. Long past were the days when he’d tear his enemies to pieces, gorging himself on their flesh. But the hunger lingered, in spite of everything. No matter what world the universe threw him into, no matter what role he played, the one constant was the deep, aching bloodlust. It was easy to ignore, so long as he kept himself busy.
Warm skin pressed against his mouth, and the scent of blood flooded his nose. He didn’t hold back, latching onto the open wound and drinking deeply, a surge of strength coursing through his limbs. God, why had he deprived himself of such sweet nectar? Without a second thought, he sunk his teeth into the flesh, eager for more.
“ Ow! Hey, no biting!”
Something smacked against his shoulder. Foolish started sharply, instantly letting go. He stared blankly up at BadBoyHalo, who was hastily bandaging his wrist, blood dripping onto the stone floor.
“Jeez, were you trying to take a chunk out of me?! I swear, you do this every time…” Bad fussed for a bit, muttering to himself.
“Bad?” Foolish croaked, hiccuping sickly. “You’re…in my room.”
“An astute observation, Your Majesty,” Bad said drily.
“But…how’d you…?”
Foolish swallowed hard, his stomach flipping. Bad must’ve seen a change in his expression, because he quickly turned Foolish onto his side, holding his hair while he retched. Blood and bile stained the stone beside his bed.
“Such a waste.” Bad shook his head. “I should’ve known you’d drink too fast.”
“You didn’t…have to do that,” Foolish said, panting. He let his head hang over the edge of the bed. It was still pounding in time with his heart, but it didn’t dominate his thoughts. “I would’ve…would’ve been fine.”
Bad hummed. “Oh, sure. And that whole bit where you dropped like a sack of bricks and were completely unresponsive – that was supposed to be a display of good health?” His thin fingers tightened painfully in Foolish’s hair. “It astounds me how you continually live up to your name. You constantly toy with powers that are beyond your comprehension and control, and then you can’t understand why you’re punished for it! Do you think death is something to be played with? I swear, you’re almost as bad as Pili and they haven’t even reached a full millennia.”
Foolish growled. “You did what you came to do. You can go now.”
“I didn’t have to help you, you know.” Bad carefully pulled Foolish back up onto the bed, laying him against the pillows.
“Then why’d you do it, scumbag?”
Bad sighed, sounding incredibly tired. “Do you know anyone else who would willingly give you their blood without question?”
“Ros might,” Foolish said.
“Maybe. But even then, she only has so much to spare. I think you forget how fragile mortals are.”
“And you don’t? We’ve both lived for a long time.”
“Oh I know exactly how fragile they are,” Bad said, smiling wickedly. “Such brittle bones, such weak flesh. Not to mention their minds. And for the record, I am far older than you. Now here – ” He dug into his bag, producing a faintly glowing bottle. “Drink this. It should ease any lingering aches and pains.”
Foolish shook his head, wincing as the movement sent a spike of pain through his skull. “Can’t…I’ll get sick again.”
Bad huffed. “Foolish, I have plenty of health pots. And I will gladly pour them down your throat until they stay down. So make this easier for both of us and just drink it!”
“Okay! Fine, don’t have to be mean.” Foolish squinted up at Bad. “You’d better not be trying to poison me.”
“Foolish, if I wanted to do that, I already would have. You’re in a pathetic enough state as it is. Besides, Ros and Sneeg are too close for me to kill you and get away with it.”
“Lucky me,” Foolish grumbled. He reluctantly allowed Bad to help him drink the health potion, getting about half of it down before it came rushing back up. Foolish cringed at the growing puddle beside his royal bed.
“God, this sucks . Why didn’t I come back fine like I do every other time?”
“I mean, you did have a stalactite dropped on your head,” Bad said. He took out a bottle of clean water and passed it to Foolish. “You’ve got a pretty nasty concussion, by the looks of it. You’ll be lucky if you don’t have any lingering health issues. Have you been feeling off since you woke up?”
Foolish drank slowly, avoiding Bad’s gaze.
“I was a little dizzy,” he admitted. “But that was it! I thought I was okay!”
“And I thought kings were supposed to be wise.”
“Who said that?”
“I don’t know. I read it in a book or something.” Bad squeezed Foolish’s shoulder. “Think you’re finished puking, Your Majesty?”
Foolish grunted. “There’s not much left in the tank anyway.”
“Can you handle another health potion?”
Foolish swallowed, wrapping his arms around his stomach. “Maybe in a bit.”
Bad nodded, setting a potion on the nightstand. “You made quite the mess.”
He knelt down, waving his hand over the sickly puddle. The air around it rippled briefly, and with a faint crackling, it vanished, leaving the floor spotless.
“Didn’t have to do that,” Foolish said, his face flushing.
“Well I certainly wasn’t going to leave it there. It’d be disrespectful to Ros.”
Bad stood, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed. “Do you really think you can bring peace to your kingdom?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“An honest one.” Bad folded his hands in his lap. “You know as well as I do that peace doesn’t come easily. It’s something you fight for. Your sacrifice for the Red faction was noble, I’ll grant you that, but it was also stupid. You left your people without a leader for a full week. Their loyalty to you kept them here, but what would they have done if war was declared? Who among them would make decisions on your behalf?”
“Ros would be my heir – I already said that. She’s more than capable.”
“Is she?” Bad tilted his head. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s an excellent architect, and a decent fighter. I’ve seen glimpses of the anger she’s holding on to. She wants violence, but she also wants peace. It’s like two parts of her are fighting each other.” The demon shrugged. “I’m just saying, I don’t think she knows what she truly wants.”
Foolish waved his hand in a vague gesture. “She’ll figure it out, she’s a smart cookie. Clown’s been a good mentor.”
Bad frowned. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you weren’t capable of taking anything seriously.”
“I can be so serious when I want to be!” Foolish protested. “I just feel like this situation will resolve itself, that’s all.”
“Whatever you say, Foolish.”
Bad ran his nails along Foolish’s scalp. In spite of himself, Foolish melted into the touch. They stayed like that for several minutes, until Foolish felt his eyelids growing heavy.
“You know, you look even more regal when you’re asleep.”
Foolish blinked. “You…watched me sleep?”
“Of course. You were unconscious, what else was I supposed to do?”
“Okay – don’t say that like it’s normal! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“You’re only truly quiet when you’re asleep. Not that I don’t like your voice, Foolish, but you’re quite the yapper.”
Foolish snorted. “Takes one to know one, pal.”
Bad swept a lock of hair from Foolish’s forehead; the king shuddered.
“If you tell anybody about this, I’ll hang your head over the castle gate.”
“Yes, I suppose it isn’t a good look for the king of fools to collapse in his own castle, is it?” Bad laughed quietly.
Foolish grabbed Bad’s collar, pulling him down.
“I mean it, Bad,” he said, firmly. “If you use this against me, I swear I’ll be the one to take your last life.”
Bad froze, momentarily caught off guard. Then he beamed. “Nothing would make me happier!”
Foolish scowled, shoving him back. “God, you’re a freak. Get the hell out of here.”
Sighing dramatically, Bad stood, his robe swirling around him. “You wound me, Foolish. Would it kill you to show a bit of gratitude?”
“Yes.”
“ Ugh , you’re such a child.” He pulled his scythe from the air with an arcing motion. The shadows rippled, sliding down the wall to pool at Bad’s feet. “Whenever you’re done with your pity party, make sure you clean yourself up.” Bad drew the edge of his robe around himself, glancing over his shoulder at the king. “Take care of yourself, Foolish. You may be immortal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be hurt. And if I lose you, who else would I have to play with?”
The shadows swept up like a wave, and when they slid back into place, Bad was gone.
Foolish finally allowed himself to relax. He licked his lips, the memory of fresh blood lingering on his tongue. The hunger remained, as always, but it was muted. With a grunt, he managed to get up, wavering slightly on his feet as he walked to the wash basin.
“Son of a bitch,” he grumbled. His reflection was pale, with a startling smear of blood across his mouth and chin. The sight almost made him sick again. He took a deep breath.“It’ll be okay. Keep it together.”
A minor setback, that was all it was. He had promised to come back stronger, and he would – no questions, no excuses. The health potion on his nightstand glimmered tauntingly. Foolish glowered; he would never admit it, but Bad had made a good point. Perhaps he had been naive to imagine that he could cultivate peace through diplomacy alone. Violence was the only language that anyone seemed willing to speak – just like last time, and the time before. But Foolish wasn’t going to sit by and be a pawn for the powers that be. Subservience had brought him only more suffering, and in the end it hadn’t protected the ones he cared about.
Foolish scrubbed his face until the clear water turned a light pink. He would have to dump it before anyone saw. But for the moment, he dragged himself back to bed, begrudgingly drank the health pot, and tried to think of something other than sinking his teeth into BadBoyHalo’s throat.