Chapter Text
Rudo and Regto didn’t move for some time. The boy had crawled up onto the infirmary sheets and laid his head down on his father’s chest, listening to that sweet, sweet thumping rhythm that came with the simple action of breathing.
His father. Alive. It still felt bizarre to him, even if he’s been in this room with his dad for what was likely hours. It was strange and so, so comforting all the same though.
Regto had explained how he got here, but Rudo missed half of it, dozing off to his father’s comforting rumble as he rambled about what had happened.
What Rudo had caught as that Regto was never a Spherite, and originally went up to the Sphere to care for Rudo. He had connections on the Ground, one being Corvus, who took him in.
The two dozed weakly on and off, both exhausted from rather an injury and/or emotional exhaustion and relief. All of their worries had floated away at one glance of their makeshift family, and just being near one another brought out enough relaxation they hadn’t had in months to make them sleep.
Rudo didn’t want to spend his birthday doing anything else. When he did wake up, he could feel his dad’s diaphragm working in a normal manner, his heart echoing pumps of blood slowly as he too slept on. His hands were curled in the warmth of the man’s stomach, one of his father’s own undamaged appendages laying on top of Rudo’s in comfort.
Rudo felt warm; not the uncomfortable, sweaty way, but in the way that felt sweet and slow, like a summer breeze that was just starting to roll in with the comfort and weight of a perfect blanket to accompany him. He imagined this feeling to smell like sweet flowers, to feel like one of Riyo’s faux fur pillows, to taste of a warm homemade meal.
He didn’t want this moment to end, simply. Nor did Regto, as he made little action to move.
They spent their morning basking in the familiar frames of each other, holding onto the other like if they let go, that may be the last time they embraced.
Which maybe for them, it would be. Maybe this was the final time Regto or Rudo saw each other, like how suddenly they were clawed apart by unfortunate circumstances months ago.
Maybe, or maybe not. They weren’t ready to take chances again, though.
…
Rudo woke up, like, fully woke up, to a hand buried in his hair, head resting on a warm chest. There was a conversation going on, so he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to decipher it in his drowsy state. The owner of this frame laughed, chest heaving so wonderfully and full of life. Rudo shifted, and so did the attention to him.
”Hey buddy.” came Regto’s voice, and Rudo blinked his eyes up in sleepy disbelief before he remembered what had happened today. He burrowed himself further into his father’s side, earning another chuckle from him and another person.
Rudo looked over and embarrassingly saw Corvus perched at the foot of the bed.
He sat up straight at the sight of his boss, greeting him with even more laughs that turned his cheeks red. He pouted and looked to the side, wanting to hide his embarrassment.
“Well. I’d recommend getting some lunch. We’ll discuss living quarters later my friend.” Corvus sighed, getting up and placing a hand on Regto’s shoulder with a heartwarming smile. Rudo turned back around to watch as they bid farewells for the moment, and as Corvus left the room. Regto watched the man for a moment before turning to his son with a gentle smile.
”I know I’m hungry. Whaddya say?” He asked, nudging his shoulder with his own, and Rudo let out a playful huff.
”I guess…”
Regto let out his own playful groan as he swung his legs over the bed, ruffling Rudo’s hair as he got up. Rudo followed shortly, the man waiting by the door before they made their way down the hallway.
Regto, surprisingly, seemed to know his way around the Cleaner’s HQ. Rudo kept in step with the man as he led him to the cafeteria.
”How do you know…?” Rudo questioned and Regto grinned.
”Kid, you weren’t listening? I’m a Groundling. I know this place because I worked here.” An elbow slung its way around Rudo’s neck, some of the man’s weight leaning on Rudo. “I took care of the record keeping before I met you.”
“Huh.” Rudo mused, not wanting to shove his father off despite the awkward gait he had to take up to support him. Regto slipped away on his own, though, going quiet to take in this building.
Rudo didn’t know what to make of that. It had to be fifteen or so years ago when Regto left, and a lot of HQ was younger people; he likely didn’t know many if not any of the people here, except for Corvus Rudo had figured. Thankfully for him, Rudo knew all of the Cleaners who made their home here in HQ.
The cafeteria was empty all things considered. It was just past the typical lunch time, and a few supporters and Team Child milled around socializing or chewing on leftovers. They made their way over to where the food was, Regto grabbing some creamy stew and a side of broccoli while Rudo grabbed a full plate of cornbread and apple butter. Regto’s one eyebrow raised, unimpressed.
”You need vegetables, dude. Not… just that.” He scoffed, grabbing Rudo’s collar as he walked away. Rudo scowled in return.
”Says who? What do veggies even do?” Rudo rolled his eyes, trying to stalk off before Regto’s still prominent hand snagged him back.
”You’re a growing teen. You can’t live off of cornbread; you need fibers.”
”You don’t know that. There’s gotta be some fiber in there.”
”Not enough.”
”Then I’ll just eat more.”
”Then you’ll get sick.”
”…no...”
Regto shook his head, setting down his plate and grabbing Rudo’s slyly, placing a good sized amount of chopped up broccoli onto the boy’s plate, much to his dismay. The man walked off, and Rudo scrambled after him, not wanting to be left behind. They found their way to an unused table in the corner of the room, away from everyone else, and began to eat their lunch. Rudo began to explain his time down here, Regto butting in with snarky remarks.
Regto didn’t think he was seeing Rudo again. Not after they had dragged him away from his cooling body, a fist cracking into his sensitive childish face, Rudo’s frame going limp. That was the last of what Regto remembered of that day. When he had woken up again in the hospital for richer Spherites, he’d learned Rudo had been dropped. Had been blamed for a crime he didn’t do. Had been alone, falling to what would lead to his death.
Now, Regto had faith he’d survive the fall. The kid was a Surberec and had a part of the Watchman Series for crying out loud. It was where he was dropped that scared Regto, as it was smack dab in the middle of a No-Man’s Zone chalk full of trash beasts that would come after the noisy kid in a heartbeat. If the beasts didn’t kill him, then the air surely would. Rudo was scrawny and had limited movement in his chronic pain flare-up’s; he wasn’t lasting alone out there.
Thankfully, Rudo didn’t seem to be alone.
They chatted, and Regto watched as a tall blonde frame burst through the doors in a style where he acted as if he owned the place. He recognized him faintly as the guy who held him back last night as he writhed in pain and confusion. His stab wound had gotten better when he came down, but some tussles had reopened it and it got infected pretty quickly. He blearily remembered making his way to the Cleaners HQ in hopes of finding Corvus and help, which he got, but was lost to delirium. Thank the gods for that Eishia girl; she’d worked wonders on him.
The man lumbered over quietly, looking away despite the fact that he was walking straight towards Rudo. Regto raised his guard slightly but didn’t make a comment, but letting his eyes linger too long on the guy who was clearly sneaking up on his son. His hands snuck out of their nonchalant position of his hoodie pockets, in a grabbing position as he crept closer, winking—
Hands snapped onto the back of Rudo’s neck and shoulders, seizing his trapezius. Rudo jumped out of the seat, his excited rambling getting cut off as he shrieked, whirling on his attacker who had an evil grin. They wrestled standing up, Rudo trying to gently punch the man who blocked and dodged, grabbing his forearms and preventing him from landing a hit. Rudo had a growl on his face, but Regto could tell it was playful.
They settled down some when the blonde was able to mess up Rudo’s hair, a lazy arm slinging around his neck as he leaned on the skinny (yet growing Regto realized) frame.
”Glad to see you’re doing better. Hope Rudo here isn’t talking your ear off.” He looked over at Regto with a teasing snicker, dimples indenting his cheeks as Rudo scoffed.
”He likes it when I talk,” his boy snapped back, elbowing the older man. The guy pushed him away softly, rolling his eyes. “What? He does!”
“Sure…” he played out, word drawling slowly over his lips. Rudo rolled his eyes and made his way back down to the table to sit across from Regto. The man, to Regto’s surprise joined them, plopping right next to the white haired boy.
”Sorry for last night. You look a whole lot better. I’m Enjin.” The blonde, Enjin, offered his tattooed hand out in an offer of friendship. Regto took it and shook it with a little force behind it.
”Regto.” He offered with a nod, hand sliding back to his side. Enjin’s eyes practically popped out of his head, looking over at Rudo and pointing a thumb at the man he was told to be dead. Rudo shrugged.
”I was wrong. He didn’t die.” He shrugged. Enjin squawked, baffled.
”You seemed pretty sure he was dead.” Enjin scoffed back, leaning against the back of the chair with his arms crossed.
”He did take a fist to the face…” Regto suggested in support, and Rudo flushed, embarrassed. Enjin just shook his head in dismissal, that easy smirk returning.
They slipped into conversation, and Regto began to grow somewhat fond of Enjin. He had been the one to save Rudo from air pollution and take him under his wing, showing him the Cleaners and their society of people who were easily accepting.
These two seemed to share a brotherly bond. Regto could tell that Enjin hadn’t lost the temperament of a young adult quite yet, being rather playful and teasing in a way that got along swimmingly with a teenager, except for the present power imbalance due to ages.
With their easy conversation, the other team present in the room ran over. The one girl, Guita, carried a board game and a deck of cards, tugging on Rudo’s sleeve until he agreed to play with her and the other child, Dear. Their parental figure settled down by Enjin and the ever creeping closer Regto, sharing his excitement when he realized that Regto was Rudo’s fabled adoptive father. The three adults swapped stories of their children as they played what looked to be a card game, most likely Old Maiden. Regto and Rudo ate between the conversations and playing, Enjin stealing some of Rudo’s cornbread and leaving the vegetables for him.
More people began to filter in as their stomachs rumbled for snacks, specifically more teens. A red haired girl stalked over (Riyo, Regto learned) and a dual-colored blonde and dark brown haired older teen (Zanka) followed. They settled next to the children playing card games, starting a round of Monopoly when they finished, Guita coming in top.
Corvus joined the group shortly as they began to set up, and was pressured into joining by Riyo, who then turned on the other adults.
”You guys should join, too!” She cheered with a grin. Enjin wasted no time in making his way closer to Rudo again, snagging the last crumbs of his food much to Rudo’s anger. They argued as Enjin grabbed the car piece, Rudo snagging the lucky dog.
”Are there even enough pieces?” Bro warily asked, watching as Zanka grabbed the top hat, Dear the boot, and Guita the wheelbarrow. Corvus shook his head.
”We can always use spare things. I’m sure Rudo has an object that could work if we need it.” The man replied calmly and warmly, which made Rudo pause from his scrabble with Enjin to puff out his chest with pride. That earned a quiet chuckle from Regto.
Regto grabbed the cat piece, earning a cheer from the group who was willing to play. Bro sighed and grabbed the thimble, leaving Corvus with the battleship.
Game on.
…
Zanka had quickly taken over banker position after the mistake of leaving it with Enjin, who was caught stealing a one hundred dollar bill in the first few rounds. They almost lost the dice towards the middle of the game, earning everyone a break from raging at each other as they bought or landed on the wrong pieces of land. When the offer to trade came up, the group quickly agreed; they all had mismatched areas of land that didn’t help anyone.
Enjin ended up going bankrupt first, even with the Boardwalk and a railroad. Regto had managed to get a set before the trades begun—the only one to do so—and Enjin had dumped all his money on unlucky rolls into his areas. Riyo, Rudo, and Guita spent a majority of their game snugly in jail once most of the properties were sold, and Guita almost went bankrupt herself when she couldn’t get out. Corvus had to excuse himself, and offered all his belongings unfairly to Riyo. That earned scoffs, grunts, and growls from the rest. Even Dear landing in the ever-missed jackpot last minute wasn’t enough to catch up with her balance.
Riyo, unsurprisingly, won the thing.
The group wrapped up, Riyo earning high-fives from some and grumbles from the others who were forced to clean up.
Regto truly felt like he had learned a lot about these people.
Dear was quiet, yes, but had a very bold personality for such a tiny frame.
Guita was very excitable and energetic, but not in a bad way; just in a way that echoed optimism.
Bro was very caring and gentle, making a phenomenal father figure for the two children under his care.
Zanka, in his teenage fashion, tried to act aloof but could clearly get easily ticked off (specifically by Regto’s own child who, Regto ironically found out, was Zanka’s mentee).
Riyo also was optimistic, clearly analytic but not letting it distract her from fun.
Enjin too, despite his laid back and uncaring demeanor, made a wonderful character for his team to look up to. He may have been trying to cheat the whole time and didn’t pay attention, but he continued to encourage them despite their anger or lacking confidence. Regto was grateful for that.
Corvus was the same as he remembered, fondly helping others and giving his employees good deals, trying to let the younger ones especially collect the ego they needed to boast playfully. Despite this, though, he had the most money during the game until he gave it up; Regto kept track.
Finally, Regto knew they had learned some things about him, too. That he always had an eye on his kid who didn’t seem to notice. That he analyzed before acting, trying to calculate risks despite this being a game of half chance and half smart decisions. That he was extremely patient, especially when someone (Enjin) struggled to count their bills correctly.
They continued to clean up, finding things they didn’t assume to be on the floor or in pockets in said positions.
Whilst cleaning up, the doors burst open, shocking the group to stare at the newcomers.
A pale-blonde man with blue eyes, a scar creeping down his left eye and a muscular frame did the “bursting”, holding the door open for another man, this one much younger and holding a cake with candles on it, his black hair glistening with the lit flames, amber eyes excited and joyful. Corvus followed behind them, that same old gentle smile placed on his face carefully.
The two in the front both wore grins, eyes snapping to Rudo who shrunk in on himself at the attention.
”Happy birthday Rudo!” “Eye-scar” cheered with a giant grin, the black haired young adult also sporting his own. Enjin cleared his throat, hand dramatically placed in his chest with his pinky raised.
”Happy birthday, to you~” he began to sing, alone and teasingly, but others quickly joined in. “Happy birthday to you!”
”Happy birthday dear Rudo,” Regto smiled, also joining in to his son’s absolute dismay.
”Happy birthday to you!”
…
The cake was delicious, as expected.
Rudo didn’t care for the flavor: cake was a sweet. And Rudo loved sweets.
The attention made him squirm anxiously, though—it’s not that he didn’t like it, no—he just wasn’t used to it being positive. But as his friends and newfound family poured their love into him prominently today, he tried to force that on guard feeling to dissipate.
Regto being there helped. He had seemed a bit anxious about all these people, but after the game and surprise cake, he had also relaxed.
Rudo got the first giant slice, and Enjin finally wasn’t stealing off of his plate as there was a crowd watching them this time. The adults broke out some booze, pizza also being delivered.
Rudo spent most of the party by the other non-drinkers, mainly being the children, letting the adults socialize. He kept glancing back at Regto, who didn’t have a drink in hand, but was still chatting with the others.
As much as Rudo wanted to pretend that he hated all this attention, he bathed in his family’s affection, because that’s what they were, celebrating him and enjoying the night. Because of him, simply living another year, they celebrated. He didn’t have to do anything monumental to be appreciated, which was so unlike the Sphere.
Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t so bad.
…
Regto really liked this set of Cleaners.
They were lively and fun, finding games to partake in and enjoying the moments where they could.
What he really liked was how they treated his son.
Of course the Cleaners were outcasts; rarely anyone took the job to just fight trash beasts. But Rudo was especially prickly and costed a lot of sold for parts.
Instead of just a Spherite, they saw him as a boy. A fifteen-year-old who needed some guidance. A child who could have so much empathy underneath that layer of rage that stuck to him like glue.
Yes, it took time to remove and unstick, but once you wormed your way into Rudo’s giant heart, it was hard to claw back out.
Regto was so, so happy that his son had made a family, despite everything. That he was willing to move on. That these people let him move on.
Regto watched as his son sleepily leaned against his also sleepy mentor. Zanka sent him a stink eye but made no mention of it, eyes closing as he leaned against the couch arm. Not yet asleep, but resting. Corvus slunk into the spot beside him, also watching the interaction.
”It’s getting rather late, isn’t it?” Corvus hummed, and Regto nodded.
”Poor guy probably doesn’t want to leave his party.” Regto sighed, rubbing the beard on his chin. Corvus chuckled.
”I believe Enjin has taken it over.” The impressive man responded, folding his toned arms over each other. Regto sighed in agreement, shoulders slumping. Corvus looked over at his friend, some emotion or thought or something dancing in his eyes gently before quickly slipping away like it had never existed. He dug into his pockets and pulled out a book. A tattered thing it was, but awfully familiar. “If you’re to be a Cleaner again,” Corvus began, offering the journal to Regto, who looked at it with relief and excitement. “You’re going to need a vital instrument.”
Regto took the Watchman Series book, flipping through the pages with a smile before slipping it into his coat. “Thank you.” Corvus nodded once more.
”No need to thank me. It is yours. I’m sorry about the sleeping arrangements: I should have had something done sooner…” the man trailed off, gray eyes flicking to Regto’s blues who hummed.
”It’s fine. I’m sure a little someone won’t mind sharing.” Regto responded, warning a hum from Corvus.
”It stinks in that room. Mainly because he’s a teenage boy who loves trash.” Came the Cleaners’ bosses warning, earning a chuckle out of Regto.
”I’ll live.”
…
Rudo woke up the next morning, wrapped in warm arms. A chest gently rising and falling, in tandem with his own; at least, until he woke up.
Rudo peeked his head up, looking at his sleeping father. Quiet snores escaped his lips, which Rudo would have found annoying, but it signified that he was alive. Alive and well and healthy.
He burrowed his head back into Regto’s chest, white hair tickling the older man’s face. He got a drowsy groan and shifting closer to him, before his father fell back to sleep.
Rudo let his own eyes fall shut, too.
Rudo had his father back.
What more could he want?