Chapter Text
Agent glanced down over the balcony's railing below. City lights glowed and blinked below him. He wore a comfortable, slightly oversized white T-shirt that hung against his lean frame. He paired it with grey shorts that went down to his knees. A trail of smoke curled around his fingers as he brought the cigar to the tip of his lips, taking a long drag before exhaling it. Agent's eyes were still on the buildings below. A thought— wait, no, more like a voice— popped in his head.
What if you just killed yourself? Would anyone care? What a GREAT way to start the night.
"No, obviously not. Why am I thinking about this? I need to stay alive for the hospital's sake."
Oh really now? Didn't Head Nurse already point out earlier that Secretary could easily replace your role there? Okay so it's talking to me?
"Yes, but he already has a crap ton of work in his own sector. I highly doubt he would take on being security too."
You do know that hiring a security guard really isn't that hard, right? They could easily replace you.
"They don't have as much experience as me in dealing with anomalies."
That's obvious, but knowledge on how to locate anomalies is already public and extremely accessible, no? They could always learn.
"Oh, shut up. I don't need you to try to persuade me to jump off the railings."
You don't have anything to live for, Agent.
"I do."
I'm part of you, Agent. I know better than you. I'm a reflection of your inner thoughts. If you think you know so much, then list those reasons, won't you?
Agent stayed silent. The voice had a point— he didn't have anything to live for. He couldn't think of a reason to stay in this god-forsaken world.
Cat caught your tongue, hm?
-
Agent took that one quite literally.
-
"Intern. I suppose he still needs me. He promised to help me anyway." Gosh, he sounded like a child right now.
Oh, don't be silly. Unless you're head over heels for him, I really don't think you'd mind letting him go. He is just an Intern, after all.
"I suppose I like him." He didn't know what he was saying— he really didn't. It wasn't entirely wrong, though. He did like Intern, just not romantically, yet. This time, it was the voice that stayed silent. Not like Agent minded the silence.
Just then, as if it were an orchestrated act, the doorbell rang, completely shattering the peaceful silence. Agent flicked his wrist towards his face. His analog clock revealed the time— 8.50 pm. Who would visit him at such an hour? He guessed he had a clue to who it may be, but he decided not to jump to conclusions. He crushed the cigarette beneath his digits. Agent silently made his way towards the door. He unlocked the lock and swung the door open, and correcting his suspicions, Intern stood there. He probably smelled like smoke and nicotine, but he was sure Intern didn't mind.
"What the— how the hell did you find my address? Who sent you here? Aren't you supposed to be on your shift? And why are you here at this hour?" Agent shot rapid-fire questions directly into Intern's face. He eyed Intern carefully. The said bunny was still in his usual grey hoodie paired with grey trousers. Intern was sweating a little; he had probably walked here. Agent's apartment block wasn't necessarily far from the hospital, anyway.
"System files, Head Nurse asked me to check on you, she let me clock out earlier, and I had some extra work to get done before clocking out, so my apologies for being here kinda late." He paused.
"And, I kinda just wanna hang out." Intern gave him a sheepish smile. It was unusual to have someone on his doorstep, especially at night. He didn't expect Intern to want to just,
hang out.
Agent was mildly confused, and he was sure it showed on his face. Intern chuckled.
"What? Never had friends to hang out with?" Intern playfully teased him.
"No its— whatever. Just, get inside, I guess." Agent closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his muzzle. Intern let himself inside the apartment. Agent noticed he froze in the middle of his living room, unsure what to do. Agent smirked, looks like he didn't have any experience either.
"Get on the sofa if you want." Agent pointed towards the sofa that rested in the middle of the room. Intern nodded and sat down. Agent disappeared from the living room to get Intern some water. He reappeared just as fast as he had gone, resting the cup in front of Intern on the coffee table. Agent joined Intern on the sofa.
"So, other than to just 'hang out', is there any other reason you're here?" Agent made air quotes when he emphasized the word.
"Well, I wanted to make sure you weren't overworking yourself."
"I'm at home, Intern. How am I supposed to be overworking myself...?" Agent tilted his head to the side a little as his eyes narrowed.
"You never know, 'cause you always find ways to tire your own body out." Agent flashed back to the multiple all-nighters he took in a row at the hospital. He sighed.
"Touché"
-
"Do you have any experience working or dealing with anomalies before?" Secretary was flipping through his clipboard, going through pre-made questions and writing down answers.
"Yes, I was formerly a security guard for my neighborhood where anomaly attacks would happen regularly." A grey bat-like animal sat across from him. She wore the classic security uniform, along with a cap that spelled 'SECURITY' in large letters. Two pointed wings sprouted from her back, bending to the shape of the chair she was sitting on.
"Do you perhaps have any kind of medical experience?" He continued to question the bat. This interview had been going on for at least 15 minutes. Head Nurse monitored the interview from the back of the room.
"I do, but fairly little. My brother used to teach me how to do first aid— he's in medical school." Secretary hummed, jotting down the answer.
"Do you have any medical allergies?" He continued after he had finished writing,
"No, I do not as of currently."
"Do you work well with other people?"
"I'd say I prefer to work alone, but yes, I can work perfectly fine with others."
Perfect. It shouldn't take long for her to get used to working alone then.
"If you were to hypothetically be the only security guard in the hospital, would you be able to handle the job?"
"I believe I am capable. The property isn't as large as I expected, so I can handle it."
I really did hit the jackpot. This candidate is very capable. Lots of potential.
Secretary looked up from his clipboard to glance at Head Nurse, she had the same spark in her eyes. They clearly had the same idea.
"That wraps up today's interview, then. Thank you for taking this interview with us, and we'll get in touch with you as soon as we decide." Secretary was satisfied enough with her answers— she had shown herself to be very competent in the field she would be working in. She looked at him in disbelief as she stood up from the chair. She definitely didn't expect the interview to be this short, but considering how short-staffed they were, it was definitely no shock that they'd started to hire basically anyone.
"Fine by me, thanks for offering me this position too." She bowed down, tilting her cap forwards slightly. Secretary returned it with a nod. She walked out of the room. Secretary turned back towards Head Nurse, clipboard in hand, with a beaming smile.
-
Agent stared at the water cup on the coffee table. The past few minutes had definitely been slightly awkward. Agent broke the stare and walked over towards the TV stand. He opened a drawer and took out a pill bottle. Intern glanced from behind curiously. Agent took out two and kept both in the middle of his paw. He put the lid back onto the bottle. Agent grabbed a cup of his own, filling it with water and taking the pills on the spot.
"Agent,"
"Hm?"
"You remember that promise that we committed to at the hospital, right?" Agent's face flushed red at the memory. He turned his face away.
"Yeah, what about it?" Agent replied after he gathered his bearings.
"I think it's about time I unofficially be your therapist." Agent nearly choked on his water. He gave Intern a blank look.
"Don't lie, we both know you need it," Agent opened his mouth to complain and deny before deciding against it and shutting it closed.
"You're gonna pin me down again if I deny, won't you?" One look at Intern's face gave him the answer.
"Just tell me one thing that's been bothering you. Just one," Agent absently traced the rim of his cup with his paw pads. He hummed in thought.
"Sensitivity, the spot that Secretary tased me in and the area around it is really sensitive to touch now." Agent shifted his weight to one leg. Showing the marks of charred fur on the back of his neck. He didn't want to reveal too much to his unofficial therapist yet.
"Does wearing collared clothes bother you, then?"
"I'd say not really, for the collar doesn't really reach the area unless I lift my shoulders." Agent's memories replayed once more— him getting tased and thrown into a hospital room. He found himself staring at the wall.
"Agent?" He brought himself back to reality, shaking his head slightly. He closed his eyes and gave Intern a thumbs up before the other could ask. He opened his eyes again— he saw disaster strike.
Shit.
Intern grabbed a canister-shaped object and fiddled with it.
"Wait— Intern, put that do—" It was too late. The laser pointer flashed on, projecting a laser dot at the wall behind Agent. His eyes darted across the room directly onto the wall where the laser dot sat. Agent's pupils widened, and his tail swished behind him. And before he could stop it, his arms flew towards the wall. He slammed the area where the spot once was.
"Intern! Turn that off!" Intern stilled the pointer before moving it rapidly— Agent's eyes chased it. The dot landed on the floor, and Agent followed it by pure instinct. Then it went to the sofa, on Agent's supposed spot. Agent landed on his fours, using his hind legs to boost him onto the sofa. His front paws landed safely on the sofa, but his hind legs caught on the armrest. Agent toppled over and landed face-first directly into Intern. Agent placed his arms in-between him and the armrest located on Intern's back. Only then did Intern turn off the pointer. Agent felt heat run up to his face. They just stared at each other for a while. Both were flushed red. Intern was the first to make a move. He just placed his arms on Agent's back, holding him in a hug. He flinched hard, yet— Agent, unusually, didn't mind it as much as he should've.
"I didn't know you could be so clingy, Agent!"
"Oh shut it, you got us here." Agent looked away, his face only reddened further. Intern held Agent's waist, spinning him over so his back was positioned at Intern's front— Agent let out a yelp. Intern rested his chin between his ears, and Agent flinched slightly at contact.
"So are we just gonna stay like this?" Agent croaked.
"Yep!"
-
Secretary basically sprinted towards Head Nurse, a smile beaming on his face.
"Did you see that? This candidate is near perfect!" The canine shoved the clipboard into Head Nurse's face. She pushed it down with her index and middle fingers.
"Yes, I saw that, Secretary. They're qualified for the job, hire them." Secretary didn't need to be told twice. He left the room in a flash to search for the bat from earlier. He found her sitting on one of the waiting room chairs, one arm over the armrest whilst holding up her head, the other fidgeting with a taser. One of her legs sat perpendicular on the other. She perked up when Secretary entered her vision.
"Hello, Miss Security, we've gotten your results."
"Let me in on it, won't ya?"
"You've proven to be very capable and competent in your field of expertise."
"So I'm hired?"
"Yes, you are hired." Secretary watched as Security sat there in shock.
"No way, thank you so much!!" She stood up abruptly, taking Secretary's hand and shaking it up and down aggressively. Secretary was caught off guard by the sudden response, his glasses tilted to one side. After the handshake ended, Secretary pushed his glasses back up with his index and middle fingers. He looked up— Security was bouncing on her feet. He offered his crafted smile, handing her a clipboard.
"Your first shift will start tomorrow, and you may clock in at 5.00 am."
"Is that the first shift?"
"Well, yes, but not quite. The first shift actually starts at four instead of five, but since it's still your first day, I figured you'd be allowed to come later."
"Ah, I see. Will I be working with anyone, by the way?"
"Temporarily, yes. I'll introduce him to you tomorrow. He'll show you around, too."
"... Temporarily?" Security tilted her head in confusion.
"I'll elaborate on it tomorrow, and you may see for yourself why I said 'temporarily.'"
"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Secretary."
"Oh please, just call me Secretary, I am, after all, your co-worker now."
"Then please, just call me Security, too."
"If that's fine by you. Goodnight, Security." Secretary saw the bat glance back and give him an enthusiastic wave. He waved back.
-
"Hey Agent, I just noticed something about your fur." Agent felt Intern's fingers run through his fur. Intern dragged his chin away from the area it was once in.
"Hm?"
"One side of your face has slightly darker fur than the other." Intern's finger circled the area.
"Huh... Do you think it's a side effect?" Agent put his paw on the darker side of his face.
"It's the same area that goo was on when you tried to eat me." Agent's posture stiffened slightly.
"...goo? Could you elaborate?" Agent hadn't known how he'd looked during the attack. He was undoubtedly curious. He heard Intern hum in thought.
"There was this black sticky substance thing that formed on the side of your infected face and right arm, and it dripped everywhere so we had to clean it." He paused, and Agent let him continue.
"Your right eye glowed red and two more opened, above and below your left eye. Your other eye had falling tears. Tentacles grew from the back of your head, too." Intern lightly tapped the area where the tentacles had shown up. Agent put two fingers under his chin.
"You remember a surprising amount of details for someone who was under extreme pressure." Agent's eyes looked down towards his right arm. The gauze that was once there had come loose at some point during the attack. Though he didn't mind it and decided to just leave it there.
"What can I say? I'm a visual learner," Intern rested his chin back between Agent's ears— it caused Agent's ears to fall flat. Agent tilted his head up and saw Intern's face centimeters from his. He turned his head back forward. Instead, he leaned back against Intern's chest.
Agent's phone buzzed from the coffee table. He extended his arm to the side to grab it. The lock screen showed a notification— it was an email from Head Nurse. Intern peeked from Agent's shoulder.
Hello, Secret Agent. I hope you're doing well.
I wrote this email to give you early notice of the new employee who will be working here starting tomorrow, so please don't shoot her down.
...Questionable choice of words...
Be sure to be here tomorrow morning— we need you to introduce her to our hospital's working procedures. I'll attach a file to her resume. Please treat her nicely. I'll have Intern and Nurse teach her about basic treatments. Thank you.
Head Nurse
"Did you know about this?" Agent turned his head back slightly.
"No, they never told me anything about interviewing someone new." Intern's ears tilted along his head.
"Weird, guess I'll be there tomorrow."