Chapter Text
The night was... something, to say the least.
Using some wood they found nearby, the two had started a small camp fire inside Avery's room. Derlord was initially against it. He bored Avery to death with his rambling about how flammable certain things were; how they could suffocate from the smoke; he even brought up the possibility of them being more vulnerable due to the either the unique brightness of the flames or the smoke seeping through their windows. Avery ignored him and lit one up anyway, even forbidding Derlord from using it as punishment for his doubts.
By dinner, though, Avery's conscience started to sink in. As he heated up some food for himself, he couldn't help but feel bad at the sight of Derlord distantly watching him from the corner. He didn't expect him to truly take his words seriously. Did this guy not understand that Avery was just joking earlier?
"Are you not gonna eat something? I was bullshitting you about the fire, you know?" Avery asked, horribly trying to mask his concern with sarcasm. "I can't have you dying here. Getting rid of corpses is a total hassle."
"When I said you didn't have to worry about me, I meant it," Derlord replied. "Think only of yourself, Avery. You've done enough.
You've provided me shelter. That is all I ever asked of you." Avery recognized the finality in his tone.
He thought it was weird. Back at the library, he didn't notice any stashes of food or drinks close by at all. Derlord hadn't eaten the whole day they were together either. Well, not that Avery was paying too much attention to him. His new companion seemed grown enough to care for himself. He should know when to eat.
As if he heard Avery's thoughts, Derlord reached for something in his messenger bag. He soon pulled out a can with a label Avery didn't really recognize – which said a lot considering all the stores he's looted.
Upon hearing the faint click of the can opening, Avery fully expected Derlord to remove his helmet for a drink. Instead, the latter tilted his head piece, merely revealing his bristly chin, before taking a sip.
"What the fuck?" Avery exclaimed. "Are you attached to that thing or what?"
"What's it to you?" Derlord shot back. He carefully placed the can to the side, the metal clinking on the dirty floor. "Were you watching me just now?" He asked, tilting his head towards Avery's direction.
Although his question was valid and delivered in a neutral manner, Avery's ears had twisted it into something accusatory; maybe even condescending. He shot Derlord a look.
"Weirdo," he scoffed, totally avoiding the actual query. He was definitely not about to admit to something like that. To Derlord, of all people.
However, when it was time for them to sleep, Avery once again found himself observing his roommate. He knew too little about him. Though he can excuse it for now, he really should do something about that soon – especially if this was going to be a long-term arrangement. Setting up his singular sleeping bag, Avery wondered what Derlord planned to do for his own sleeping arrangements.
"I'll look out for the night," Derlord declared. Avery was baffled yet again.
He propped himself up on his elbows. "Dude, no need to be so paranoid," he said with a chuckle. "I've been camping out here for a while and I've never gotten attacked. You can chill out."
"You never know," Derlord replied with a shrug. "Besides, I've nothing else to do. It's not like I have a sleeping bag of my own."
If he was doing this to psychologically manipulate Avery into feeling guilty – safe to say, it was working tremendously.
"Whatever, man." The way his hands curled into fists betrayed his casual tone. Still, Avery wasn't going to say it out loud. He was both too tired and proud to even think about it.
It had been a long day for both of them. Derlord barely had any rest nor sustenance; a total contrast to Avery who even napped earlier that day. Derlord was probably exhausted. And even though Avery was being an absolute asshole toward him, Derlord was still the guy who saved his life. Surely he owed that man something more than just a roof over his head.
"Good night," Avery bit out. He laid down, immediately turning away to face the wall. His pride had gotten the best of him.
Derlord was doing this voluntarily anyway. He also told Avery not to worry about him. The sleeping bag comment must've been something born from observation rather than a form of guilt-tripping. Definitely.
Already drifting in and out of consciousness, Avery was sure he heard a low voice hum from behind him.
"Night."
Avery woke up the next day to the blaring sound of the make-shift public announcement speaker outside. It was looping the same message over and over like a broken record.
"Our government has abandoned us. They've left us to die. They've betrayed us."
After the fifth or sixth time, Avery decided he'd had enough. He had plans to sleep in today, for crying out loud! He sat up, looking around. He found Derlord curled up by the door – hugging his knees closely as an attempt to keep warm. Their campfire had long burnt out in the night.
If Derlord had heard the words being blasted outside, he did not show it. Avery was certain he was fast asleep behind his helmet.
Begrudgingly, Avery got up. He made his way to the open window. He barely cared to mask the thudding of his footsteps. They wouldn't wake Derlord – not if the man could sleep through the morning cacophony. His weariness had clearly overcome his paranoia from last night.
"Our government has–"
Taking a pebble he found on the floor, with all his might, Avery swung at the sound system. Miraculously, he had aimed well. The speaker produced a low, choppier version of the audio before dying out entirely. Avery smirked at his victory.
His smugness quickly evaporated as he heard something behind him shuffle. Metal. Derlord groaned a second later.
"Seriously?" Avery turned to look at him in disbelief. "That's what woke you up?"
"You weren't exactly being considerate," Derlord coughed out. He slowly rose to his feet, one hand holding his helmet as he stood.
Avery watched him with a mixture of irritation and bewilderment. Seriously, was Derlord doing this on purpose? Does he have selective hearing or some sort? Every explanation seemed more absurd than the last. Avery was sure he'd get a headache if he bothered dwelling on it longer.
They didn't have much to eat for breakfast. In order to save his stock, Avery opted to eat his left-overs from last night. Derlord, meanwhile, was drinking another can he pulled out from his bag. This time, Avery was squinting hard at it.
"Dude– are those protein shakes? Have you been surviving off protein shakes this whole time?"
Derlord let out a breath as he lowered the can from his lips. His headpiece tilted with it, concealing his features once more. "Where are we going today?" He asked, avoiding Avery's question; the latter had a strong hunch that he was right, though.
It took him about a second to register Derlord's words. 'Where are we going today?' He said. We. Like they were some sort of duo. The idea made Avery scoff.
"Let's see, I will be going out to find more supplies!" He announced. Avery had childishly made sure to stress the pronoun in his sentence. He wanted Derlord to understand that although they were now staying under the same roof, that didn't mean they were now a package deal. One rescue wasn't going to suddenly join them to the hip. Besides, if Avery had survived this long by himself, then he sure as hell didn't need a team mate.
"You can stay here," Avery added. "Or go somewhere, I don't know. You're a grown ass man. You should be fine."
His sentiments, however, were ignored. The moment Avery stepped out the door, Derlord followed. When he made his way downstairs, Derlord was one step behind. When he walked down the road, footsteps trailed nearby.
Derlord was unshakeable.
No matter how many detours Avery made, he couldn't shake him. He was like an eager dog that refused to stay away no matter what. Avery didn't like it one bit. Hated it even. By the seventh turn, he whirled around.
"What the hell, man?! Are you my stalker now?!" He exclaimed with irritation. "Why are you following me?!"
"You forget," Derlord said too calmly, "I saved you last time. You didn't see that attack coming. You were lucky I was there."
"Holy shit bro, can you not?" Avery was on the brink of pulling his hair out. He's never met anyone so persistent before. What did Derlord even gain from all this pestering? "Look, listen.
You met me yesterday. I've done a lot without you, okay? Sure, I would've been cooked but that was a one time thing! I was distracted! It happens!"
"And you could've gotten infected," Derlord cut in. His tone was laced with a strictness that Avery couldn't quite decipher. There was absolutely no reason for him to be this concerned over someone he barely knew. It made no sense.
Still, Derlord was undeterred. He sighed as if he was the bothered one. "Come now, Avery. It's better this way. I watch your back and you watch mine."
For a long time, Avery had lived with the belief that survival was easiest alone. If your only priority was yourself, then everything would work out one way or another.
But as he stared into the unmoving masked man in front of him, Avery suddenly considered his proposal. Derlord wasn't completely wrong about having someone to rely on. There had been many times when Avery had been off-guard recently. Yesterday's attack had simply been a slip-up. It most certainly wouldn't happen again, but how could he be sure? It wasn't like he had full-control of them – his thoughts, fate, and time.
What could've happened if Derlord wasn't there to axe the infected? Avery would've probably been walking around with bloodshot golden eyes by now.
"Fine," Avery conceded begrudgingly. He took a step closer to Derlord, his gaze locked on to that shining metal.
"This doesn't mean I owe you," he bit out. "And we aren't a team."
Derlord chuckled under his breath. "Wouldn't dream of it."
True to his word, Derlord was very attentive during their trip. They had a few run-ins, though none that got too close. The duo fought back with spontaneous weapons. Despite the incident, Avery was actually quite capable of fending for himself. He didn't really need Derlord as his protector. He had a wooden stick in his backpack for a reason.
Not that Derlord knew that.
"How long has that been there?" He tilted his head in confusion. "Do you carry that all the time?"
"Pretty much." Avery shook the weapon in his hand – warming up.
"Then how come–"
"If you're going to bring up the whole bullshit about 'saving me', like I said, that was one time."
With how they've been going at it, Avery fully expected Derlord to retort. This time, however, as if he finally accepted the excuse, Derlord said nothing.
They soon arrived at a hospital. It was getting late into the day. Although exhaustion was already seeping into their bones, Derlord had insisted that medicine and bandages were just as important as their edible resources. Begrudgingly, Avery acknowledged the point. That was how they ended up digging through various old, rusty drawers and cabinets.
"I'll check the office over there," Derlord called out. He did not wait for Avery's response, already walking over to an adjacent room. The darkness seemed to swallow him whole.
"Yeah, okay, but after that we're done, alright? I really want to get home."
Feeling weary, Avery decided to leave all the searching to Derlord. This was his idea, afterall. Avery's salvaged his fair share of items; surely, he could slack off.
As Avery turned at a corner, he suddenly bumped into something– no– someone.
Alarms started ringing in his head. He immediately reached for his stick. He had kept it in a more accessible compartment this time. That way, he'd be ready for any surprise encounter.
He was just about to swing out of impulse when he finally registered who he was looking at. Avery froze, stunned as his eyes scanned a confused young girl. She had bright red hair and she was dressed rather oddly, almost like a clown. She was staring back at Avery as if she too was surprised to find him there.
"Moe? Did you find your horn? Please tell me you found it," a voice echoed. It was coming closer, Avery realized. Sure enough, a man appeared.
"We gotta get back, Moe. I swear, if Regect is pulling some shit when we get home I'm going to put a bullet through his fucking–" the man paused as he saw Avery. He blinked for a few moments, confused and vigilant. Avery did not miss the gun in his hands.
The latter took a deep breath. He mustered up a smile. "Hi, Ze."
"Holy shit, you're alive?!" Ze exclaimed with so much bafflement that Avery internally felt offended. "Bro, I genuinely thought you were gonna die!"
Beside him, the young girl, Moe, flinched. Ze was loud as always; he was too close to her ear for comfort. Ze was quick to notice this. He placed a hand on her head, petting her apologetically.
"My bad, Moe. Too loud, huh?" Moe nodded.
"What are you doing here, exactly?" Avery asked. "Any of you injured or something?"
"Oh, no no. Nothing like that. Yikes." Ze shook his head animatedly. He glanced back at Moe, pointing his thumb at her. "She kinda lost her horn here while we were looking for some mattresses yesterday. Regect was being a bitch and he ripped the only one we had. Can you believe the fucking nerve of that guy?!"
Ze then went on a long, explicit rant about his husband – at some point he even slandered the way he breathed. Though silent, Moe contributed by nodding and shaking her head from time to time.
Avery silently observed them both, not daring to interrupt. Well, not like he could anyway. He had met their trio a few months ago when he was in search for a place to stay. He travelled with them for a while after that.
They were an odd bunch. For one, Ze and Regect were always at each other's throats; it got to the point that Avery sincerely doubted their affections for one another. Their only mediator was Moe, short for Moenella. She was like a daughter to them, Avery thought. He's never heard her speak, and she was always dressed like a clown. She even communicated with a small horn – the one they were looking for as of now.
"Oh my days, Avery, he pisses me the fuck off!" Ze gritted out for the upteenth time. "I don't know what's wrong with him. I wouldn't even be surprised if he has Iudi– whatever the fuck you call it!" The last remark made Avery look up.
It was Regect's condition that made Avery leave them in the first place. The man had a uniquely dark complexion, a few missing limbs, and a pair of questionable gold eyes. When he first saw them, Avery had assumed he was infected. Despite getting to know Regect and his comical personality, Avery just never felt safe around him. Regect could approach Avery for a simple conversation and Avery would tense up like someone truly infected was in close proximity.
Ze had ultimately assured Avery, also with questionable reasons, that that was not the case. He even confidently showed off a bright leash on Regect's neck. "Not to worry!" Ze had said. "If he ever has it, we can just pull him! Cool, huh?"
Avery left not long after.
He was mulling over these thoughts when Ze paused from his tirade. He looked at Avery suspiciously.
"Hey, wait a sec, didn't you take some of our food the last time we saw y–"
"I found a few things. Some pain killers, gauze, and scissors," Derlord announced obliviously. He patted his messenger bag as he made his way toward them. He was too busy examining something in his hand to realize that he had walked into the middle of a conversation. "I also found something bizarre. There's this horn– oh."
Ze let out a humorless chuckle. "Okay, who the fuck is this? And what's with the cosplay?"
"Um..." Avery scratched his head, unsure of his next move. He was actually grateful for Derlord's interruption; he did indeed take some of Ze's stock before leaving them, but that was something he'd rather not talk about right now. He'd do anything to get away from Ze's scoldings.
His inconvenience now, however, was having to explain who Derlord was.
Avery tried coming up with something. "He's..."
The next problem was figuring out what to refer to Derlord as. Team mate? No, they drew a line over that earlier. Room mate, then? But if Avery said that, that meant he was announcing Derlord's permanent residency in his lodgings. He hadn't really decided on that yet. Companion? Wasn't that too formal? They were anything but formal.
One thing was certain, however. Derlord was not his friend. Never will be.
Sensing Avery's hesitation, Derlord decided to take matters into his own hands. "I'm Derlord. I met Avery yesterday and am now accompanying him for the time being," he said with a friendly tilt of his head. "Are you a friend of his?"
Before anyone could answer, Moe beelined toward Derlord. She quickly swiped the horn from his hand, smiling innocently at him as she did. She gave the rubber bulb a squeeze; the horn honked happily.
"She says thanks," Ze explained with a relieved sigh. "Feeling better now, Moe?" She turned to Ze before honking again. She skipped to his side, seemingly celebrating the item's return. Ze fondly watched her for a while.
"Thanks for finding it. She was getting real depressed without it, man," he said.
Derlord, though confused, was simply glad for his good deed. "You're welcome...-?"
Later, when they were all making their way toward the hospital exit, Ze re-focused on the duo. When Moe was a tad bit ahead, skipping joyfully with her horn, he finally spoke in his usual volume.
"So let me get this straight," he started. He turned to Avery, "you got saved by Shitlord over here and now you're letting him stay with you for free?"
"Derlord," the man himself corrected.
"Whatever."
"In a way-?" Avery answered shyly. He felt like a deer in the headlights. He couldn't understand why he felt so embarrassed at the idea of having someone like Derlord stay with him. It wasn't like there was anything unusual about it, right? Just two guys sharing the same room because survival left them with no other choice. Yeah. That was just that. Nothing crazy.
The look on Ze's face said otherwise. "I'm surprised. I thought Avery was a lone wolf and all that shit." He laughed to himself. "Glad to know you got a partner."
"He is not my partner!" Avery burst out. "Don't get it twisted!"
"Sure man," Ze wheezed. He gave Derlord a playful nudge. "Listen Shitlord. Take care of this one, yeah? Slimy fucker. Takes stuff."
"Noted," Derlord grunted with a nod. He didn't particularly enjoy his new nickname, but he figured that reasoning with Ze would be like talking to a wall; he tried ignoring it. "Was he with you before?"
Ze held his chin like he needed to think about it. "Yeah, couple months back.
But he got weirded out by Regect and ran away. I can't even blame the guy. Regect is hella fucking weird!" He turned to Avery with a frown. "I don't appreciate the whole stealing thing, though."
"What's wrong with Regect?" Derlord followed-up. His curiosity had him unconsciously matching Ze's footsteps. They were now a little ahead of Avery, who was trying his best to avoid the conversation entirely.
Ze clicked his tongue. "Let's just say he looks weird. That was pretty much it." He crossed his arms. "I think the nail in the coffin was his freaky ass eyes. They're gold, you know? But he's not infected. Just so you know." He said casually.
Derlord tried to suppress his reaction to that statement, simply nodding at Ze's words. Only Avery noticed the way Derlord's hands curled into fists on his side. He did not say anything either.
When they finally returned to the motel, Avery's first course of action was to flop down on the floor. It had been a long, exhausting day. The sky was already dark when they arrived; he was grateful they didn't have any encounters by then.
He heard Derlord shuffle around. Suddenly, Avery became painfully aware of his presence. A strange feeling bloomed in his chest. His brows knit as he tried to steady himself. Avery even started gripping his clothes – a stupid attempt to rip it out of him.
"You okay?" Derlord quickly glanced at him before returning his attention to fixing up the fire for the night.
"What do you think of Regect?" Avery asked, avoiding the first question completely. "Pretty sure I heard Ze mention the whole thing about his eyes to you, right?"
The fire roared a few moments later, softly illuminating their figures. Avery stared as Derlord sat down in his corner. He pulled another can from his bag, opening it with ease. It was only then that Avery realized that he too hadn't eaten much all day. He scrambled for some biscuits.
"I don't think it's Iudicium," Derlord said after a while. Avery stared at him in surprise.
"Really?" He had a vague assumption that Derlord knew more than he let on. Avery found him in a library, of all places. Derlord must've been book smart. Perhaps he's read about Iudicium and understood certain things Avery couldn't fathom. That was all he could think of.
"No one in their right mind would stay with someone with Iudicium," Derlord reasoned with a sigh. He leaned his helmet on the wall. "Besides, with the way he described Regect, he didn't seem hostile nor insane."
"Ze makes him sound crazy," Avery pointed out.
"Still not insane," Derlord countered. "Iudicium alters the mind to the point of irreversible damage. A quirky personality is far from that."
Avery chuckled, nearly choking on a cracker. "You thought Regect was quirky?"
"He sounded like it," Derlord shrugged. "At least he doesn't steal things."
"Oh come on! Not you too!"
As they soon drifted off into a casual, almost friendly conversation about their day, Avery's strange feeling washed over him again. His chest was squeezing tightly with every word that slipped from Derlord's mouth. He found himself unable to look away as Derlord's hands gestured when he talked. And when Derlord moved closer to emphasize something, Avery's stomach did a flip.
"What the fuck..."
"Hm?" Derlord tilted his head. "What?"
"Nothing. Sorry. Tired." Avery sucked in a breath before shifting in his sleeping bag. "I'll turn in soon." He looked at Derlord, who nodded at him. "Are you offering to keep watch again?"
"Probably. I'm not too sleepy."
"Whatever, Shitlord."
This time, Avery heard Derlord laugh. It was a light, crisp, yet deep sound that replayed in Avery's head even as he turned to face the wall. He felt his stomach churn. It was an odd feeling that Avery didn't want to dwell on. The lack of real human interaction under close proximities was totally taking its toll on him.
"This is Ze's fault," he murmured to himself. "I'm this way because of Ze. His stupid suggestions. Why would he even say that? What's up with him, huh? Fuck him!"
Somewhere, laying on their new mattress, Ze sneezed. Regect, who was next to him, looked at him with concern.
"You okay?"
Ze shrugged, rubbing his nose. "Yeah..."
His gaze drifted to Moe. She was curled up on one side. She was fast asleep; her horn resting close to her. Ze smiled.
"Its good that you found her horn," Regect whispered.
"Yeah, dude. Who the fuck do you think I am?"
"Incompetent and stupid. That's what."
"Fucker. Lazing around all day."
"Where'd you even find it?" Regect asked, crossing his arms. "We sweept the place up yesterday and we couldn't find it."
"Oh." Ze scratched his head as the memory returned to him. "Some guy with a weird ass helmet found it. He's with Avery."
"Avery? Like– the guy with the weird Hawaiian shirts?"
Ze chuckled lightly. "Yeah. Him."
"So? What? He got a better teammate now or something?" Regect suggested with a playful smile.
"Well..." Ze laid back down, the mattress dipping under his weight. "He denies it, but it's not like Avery ever knows what he's getting into anyway."
Though none of them knew it yet, Ze was right.