Chapter Text
The pair traverse over piles of garbage in silence. Enjin had picked up a mangy stray, and now they were heading back to Cleaners HQ. It was a surprisingly smooth mission considering the fact that they were in a No Man’s Land.
Ten minutes earlier, the Cleaner had made a false promise. Zodyl said he would join the Cleaners under the condition they help him reach the Sphere. Enjin just grinned and shook his hand. But now, he was actually considering the consequences.
He glances at the younger boy, whose face was unreadable, now covered by the borrowed mask.
This guy is going to flip his lid at me if I make him work and don’t have any Sphere-related info to give him. But I can just push the blame on the Boss, right? ‘He told me to fetch you!’ Yeah, that’d work.
The coat-wielding giver speaks up, snapping Enjin out of his thoughts.
“Where will I live?”
“Oh, right. All Cleaners have a room at HQ. You wanna take a detour and grab your stuff? That totally slipped my mind.”
“This is all I have.”
Enjin gives him a look over. All Zodyl had were the clothes off his back and a water canteen.
It was a bitterly familiar sight.
“Well that saves us some walking, heh.”
At last, they make it out of the polluted zone and into safety. Enjin unclips his mask and lifts it off, breathing a sigh of relief. He runs a hand through his golden hair, bringing back some volume. He glances at Zodyl, catching him watching.
“You can take that off now, bud.” Enjin gestures to his mask.
Zodyl complies. He reveals messy, two-toned hair, oily bangs matted to his forehead. His pitch black eyes meet Enjin’s, corners smudged with purplish-black wrinkles. Enjin balks a bit. His stare was unsettling as it was enrapturing.
“Huh, look at that, seems like we’re about the same age.”
“I’m 18.”
“Only 18? Jeez, you look older than me.”
Zodyl glowers. Enjin waves his hands. “I mean, you look more mature!”
The broody young man stalks away, coat flapping. Enjin groans, jogging after him. “It’s nothing personal!”
“…”
“You’re going the wrong way. We’re almost to HQ! Let’s go!”
• • •
Zodyl sat on a couch in the Cleaners HQ common area, quietly contemplating his good luck.
The recruitment process had been painless. The Cleaners asked nothing about his past. All they wanted to know was if his vital instrument was useful, and Enjin already vouched for his abilities. All that was left was to pass their trial, and he would have the Cleaners’ full support to reach the Sphere.
And a roof over my head, and a bed to sleep in…
His eyes lid as his thoughts wander.
Zodyl had forgotten how many years it had been since Armageddon. The catastrophic trash storm that rained endlessly upon his commune. He still remembered squirming in his mother’s grasp, screaming for help, fighting uselessly against her suffocating embrace.
Yet it was that very embrace that saved his life. His mother’s limp body, pierced by a piece of rebar, acted as a shield for him until the rain stopped.
And then there was silence.
“Yo!”
Zodyl’s eyes fly open, and he clutches his coat protectively. Enjin snorts.
“It’s all yours, buddy.” He plops down next to him, holding his umbrella.
“I came to check up on you. What were you doing in a No Man’s Land anyway? Fighting a trash beast all by yourself. You must have had a death wish.”
“…I heard there was a tower that was tall enough to reach the Sphere. I was looking for it when I got ambushed.”
Enjin scratches his chin. “Uh… pretty sure that tower is in Penta, not Mono. Whole different No Man’s Land. Also, it doesn’t actually reach all the way up there, it’s just the tallest building on the Ground.”
Zodyl looks down, jaw clenched. Shit.
“Dumb mistake. Happens to the best of us.”
The boy is silent. Enjin runs a hand through his own hair, exhaling. He wanted to ask him more questions, like why he wanted to reach the Sphere in the first place, and why he could use a piece of the Watchman Series without side effects, but… seems like Zodyl clammed up already.
“…Man, I don’t know about you but I’m starvin’,” Enjin yawns, stretching his arms. “Guess I’ll go to the kitchen. Bet there’s all kinds of food in the fridge.”
Enjin stands up and walks off casually, leaving the newbie in the dust. He grins to himself when he hears a weight lift off the couch, then footsteps plodding well behind him.
Too easy.
• • •
“Uh, what the hell are you holding.”
Zodyl shows him what he picked up. “Fuel.”
Enjin’s face contorts in disgust upon seeing the shiny brown carapace and hairy wiggling legs of the bug his new recruit was holding between his index finger and thumb. “LET IT GO!”
Ignoring him, Zodyl lifts the bug to his lips and bites its head off with a loud crunch. Enjin turns away, putting a hand over his mouth, trying to tune out the sound of munching.
What kind of freak did Boss ask him to drag in this time?
Be cool, Enjin. He’s a kid with nothing but the clothes on his back, of course he’s been through some shit. Look how emaciated he is. Be nice.
He glances back, seeing Zodyl shove the rest of the roach into his mouth, munching. His dark eyes scanned the kitchen floor, as if hoping there was more where that came from. Enjin drags his hands down his face.
“—Hey, why don’t you eat something else?”
“It’s good for Mishra. It gives me power.” Zodyl wipes his mouth.
“Listen, man. We’re not on a mission right now, you don’t need that. Just eat for yourself.”
The new recruit just stands there, silent. Enjin pinches his brow. If Zodyl was the type to just eat bugs off the floor, he probably didn’t know how to cook anyway.
“…Alright, I guess I’ll make you a sandwich.”
Enjin opened up a bag of communal shokupan, took out four slices, and put them on two plates. He feels Zodyl’s intense stare, watching his every move. He sucks in a breath.
“You’re gonna bore holes through my skull, dude.”
“I don’t have that power.”
Enjin hangs his head in defeat. This guy…
He shakes it off and opens up the fridge. He takes out some ingredients and fires up the stove. He’s done assembling the sandwiches within five minutes.
“Which one do you want? Sweet or salty?”
Zodyl sniffs. The aroma of the food was mouthwatering. Both sandwiches looked good, but the smell of butter and caramelized meat was too good to pass up.
“Salty.”
“Good! I wanted the sweet one anyway.”
Enjin grins and slides him the second plate, before taking the seat next to him. Zodyl peels open the sandwich with his dirty hands and peers at the contents. Egg, ham, and mayonnaise.
He thinks back to all the ‘food’ he’s eaten his whole life. It was all but rot. A simple meal like this felt like an inconceivable luxury. A part of him didn’t feel he deserved it.
But the other part was hungry.
Zodyl takes a bite of the sandwich… then another. He tears into the sandwich voraciously, a melody of savory flavors mixing on his tongue. The caramelization of the fried ham, the fluffiness of the egg, and the softness of the bread.
It was so much more delicious than the cockroach.
Enjin smiles and takes a bite of his own strawberry and cream sandwich. It was nice seeing Zodyl finally enjoy himself. At least, he thinks he is.
“Ish good, right?”
Zodyl squints one of his eyes, and wipes his cheek. Some of Enjin’s spit just flew onto him.
“Oh, shorry.”
The newbie makes no response, and just licks each of his fingers. Then, he drags his wet finger on the plate and picks up all of the breadcrumbs, finishing it off.
“…I don’t need food like this everyday. I can forage myself.”
Enjin meets Zodyl’s dead serious eyes. He’s… pitiable. This kid, hardly an adult, making himself small to fit in here. The blonde haired man has a brief memory of himself at the orphanage, where there was never enough food to go around. He, too, was like that once.
“Zodyl. You’re a Cleaner now, and Cleaners eat like this everyday. So don’t sweat it. You can be a little selfish.”
Zodyl’s eyes widen. Selfish. It sparked a memory. After having everything taken from him, he learned how to take. Holding the coat in his teeth, refusing to let go like a rabid dog… that was the day he obtained Mishra.
I can be selfish.
Zodyl looks down at his empty plate, then at Enjin’s hands. With a sudden lunge, he grabs the last bite of his strawberry cream sandwich and shoves it into his mouth. Enjin’s jaw drops, before he grits his teeth and grabs Zodyl by his massive oversized collar and shakes him.
“THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!”
Zodyl licks his lips, completely unapologetic.
…It’s sweet.
Enjin groans, letting him go and putting his head down on the table. “That was the best bite, too… I ate all the crust first so all the strawberries and cream would be in the middle…”
The new recruit, seeing Enjin wallow in despair over his stolen bite, finally cracks a smile.
“…Thank you for the meal.”