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“Meouch, where’s my pylon?” Sung called from the kitchen with a vague hint of annoyance in his voice. Meouch shifted slightly, nestling deeper into the couch cushions in a form of response.
“No clue.”
“You sure? Because Havve has been charging for the past few hours and Phobos says he hasn’t seen it.” Meouch grumbled, still not relinquishing his position on the couch.
“Dude, I really don’t know. You’re acting like I took it or something.”
“No, no, nothing like that. I’m just remembering the time you used it as a scratching post.” Meouch sat up, jaw clenched.
“That was just a bad joke, okay? I don’t fuckin’ have it.” Sung stuck his head in the room, frowning. His single eyebrow was arched in a judging expression Meouch didn’t particularly care for.
“Okay, then let me check your room.” That got Meouch off the couch in a flash.
“Nuh-uh, no way. You are not digging around in my room.” Sung raised his eyebrow even higher, folding his arms.
“Oh? Is there something in there you don’t want me to see?” At this point, Havve and Phobos were peering into the living room, watching the developing argument from a safe distance.
“Yeah, my fuckin’ personal stuff!” Meouch snapped, beginning to lose his patience. “Why don’t you trust me?”
“You’ve pulled pranks on me before.” That really got Meouch going, the ‘disappointed-parent’ act that Sung liked to pull when he got his spandex in a bunch about something that someone had supposedly done.
“If this was a prank, would I be getting this mad? No, I’d fuckin’ laugh and give it back or something! ”
“Maybe you just misplaced it,” Havve offered from the doorway, causing Phobos to glance up at him in surprise and alarm. “We’ll help you look for it.”
“Sure, as long as I can look in Meouch’s room,” Sung shot back, standing his ground. Meouch threw his arms in the air, whirling around to face the wall so Sung wouldn’t see the snarl forming on his muzzle.
“You always do this,” he said in a low, quiet voice as he tried to steady the tremor of anger in his voice. “You treat me like a fuckin’ kid who keeps screwing up.” He glanced over his shoulder in what he hoped was a menacing glare. “To imply that I would steal your stuff is just...” He trailed off, shaking his head.
“I’m not implying,” Sung replied coldly. “It’s happened before.”
“When I was new and scared and didn’t know how to act!” Meouch shouted, wheeling back around. He took a kind of sick pleasure in seeing the shock on Sung’s face. “We’ve been a band for what, seven years? And you still treat me like a criminal!” He brushed past Sung, making sure to hit his shoulder harder than was strictly necessary. “Well maybe I’ll just fuck off then. Seeing as you obviously can’t trust me.”
“Meouch, wait, I-”
“Don’t try to apologize,” Meouch interrupted. “I know how you really feel.” He threw the door to his room wide open, throwing things into a bag. “Oh look! No pylon! What a surprise!” He finished packing his things, brushing past the others and out into the backyard.
‘Meouch, please,’ Phobos wrote on his arm. Meouch looked down at the shorter alien, his expression softening just a hair.
“Don’t try to follow me. I just... need some space.” And before Sung could catch up to him, he was in the ship and the loading door was closing. Sung skidded to a stop on the grass, staring up at the ship as it began to rise. It hovered in the air for a brief moment before the engines flared and it warped away.
No one spoke for a very long time.
---
“I mean, I know I was a little harsh, but he was arguing way too much! It made him seem guilty!” Phobos only sipped his tea silently, his brow furrowed. “I mean you agree with me, right Phobs?”
‘You didn’t have to bring up the past like that,’ he signed after setting down his tea. Sung rubbed his temples.
“Yeah, I know, that was cruel. But... it’s true. I don’t think he realizes when he takes a joke too far.”
‘It wasn’t a joke this time,’ Phobos reminded him curtly. Sung sat back, sipping at the tea Phobos had picked out for him. It all tasted like grass to him, but he would never tell Phobos that.
“All I’m saying is that if he had stayed, I could’ve apologized to him. He overreacted.” A drop of tea hit the table, and Sung noticed that Phobos’ hand was shaking. “Phobos? You alright?” Phobos set his tea down, standing and knocking his chair down in the process.
‘You know how hard Meouch has tried to overcome his past. He’s come so far since we all found each other, and you managed to set him back by years in a single argument.’ Phobos’ hands were moving so fast that Sung could hardly keep up. ‘He tries so hard to get along with everyone, but you had to go and assume the worst. No wonder he left.’ Phobos grabbed both teacups, dumping their contents down the drain.
“Phobos, I-”
‘ Good night,’ Phobos signed as viciously as possible before pivoting around and stalking off to his room, leaving Sung alone at the dining room table.
---
The morning darkly promised a shitty day full of shifting clouds and cold breezes. The sky was grey, but there was no forecast for rain, so it held no excitement, no promise. Sung sat in the kitchen, staring down at the cup of coffee he held between his hands. Steam had been rising off of it at some point, but now it was implacable; a still, black mirror.
He jumped as he heard a door open. Meouch? Had he come back already? He raced to the front door, pausing when he realized it was Phobos. The alien’s usual happy glow was noticeably dim, and the bags under his eyes told a story that Sung didn’t want to know. Phobos stared at him for a few moments, his brow furrowing as if in slow motion. Sung noticed the rucksack in his hand and the jetpack on his back.
“Phobos, no, don’t go” he pleaded, following his friend as he strode down the hall. “We don’t even know where he went. He’ll come back on his own, we just have to give him space.” Phobos paused, his shoulders hunched, before wheeling around to face Sung. All four of his eyes were narrowed in anger.
‘You know how he gets! If someone’s not there to talk to him, he’ll convince himself he’s better off alone.’ Phobos grabbed a bag from the back hall, opening the door and pausing inside the door frame to give Sung a final blow. ‘I’m starting to think he’s right.’
Sung felt his heart skip a beat as the door slammed shut behind Phobos. He stood stock still, frozen in place for an indeterminate length of time. Just as he realized that tears were pricking at the corner of his eye, he felt a familiar, comforting presence in the back of his mind; his mental link with Havve. He must have been projecting his mental state, and Havve was trying to calm him down.
‘Havve, are you awake?’ he asked telepathically.
‘I don’t sleep,’ Havve responded, deadpan. Sung shook his head, hurrying to Havve’s room. ‘Is something-- oh.’ He cut himself off as Sung entered the room. Havve pat the space next to him on his bed, an invitation Sung gladly accepted. He buried his head in his hands, running his fingers through his shaggy hair.
‘Phobos left too,’ he said after a long silence. He could feel Havve stiffen next to him. ‘Said he was gonna bring Meouch back. I...’ he trailed off, not sure of how to continue. Havve just sat quietly, processing the news. ‘Everyone is upset because of me.’
‘You can be overbearing sometimes,’ Havve admitted.
‘I’m just trying to make this work,’ Sung explained, looking up and out of his hands. ‘I want everyone to get along and cooperate.’
‘I think we do a good job of that already without you having to act like our dad,’ Havve said. Sung stood, wiping the tears away with his forearm.
‘Thanks for your honesty, buddy.’ He turned around to face Havve. ‘I... I think I’m gonna go away for a few days. I need some time to work on myself.’
‘And leave me here all alone?’ Havve asked, one eyebrow raised in an expression that was anything but playful. ‘I thought you were against people making rash decisions based on strong emotions.’ Sung threw his hands up in the air, rapidly reaching the end of his emotional rope.
‘Look, I’m sorry, but I just need some time to think things through. Work on myself, you know? It’s personal.’ Havve’s expression was edging dangerously close to the one he used to wear when he was actively trying to murder everyone.
‘Sung, we can communicate our thoughts and feelings to each other telepathically. You can’t get much closer to someone than that. So why can’t you tell me what it is?’
‘You wouldn’t understand,’ Sung said, desperately trying to keep his voice from rising in pitch. ‘It’s just something I have to do.’
‘Y’know, when you found me in that cave in the Ice Age, I was so happy. I thought I would have a family again.’ He stood, brushing past Sung. ‘But I guess that was too good to be true. See you in a few days.’
If broken hearts could kill, Sung would be dead on the floor.
---
Sung got moving before he could think about anything too much. He cashed in on a favor with Danny, taking his time machine spaceship for his trip. Once he had everything packed, he left without a word. He got the feeling Havve wouldn’t exactly wish him safe travels.
Once he was in the cockpit, he found himself blinking back a sudden wave of tears. Was he really about to run away from his problems just like Meouch? He shook his head, starting the ignition. He wasn’t running, he reasoned, just backing away from the situation for a few days to clear his head.
He already felt better as the blue of Earth’s sky gave way to purple, then to the inky black of space. He turned on the radar, haphazardly hoping it would pick up a sign of Meouch. But wherever he was, he was long gone from this galaxy. He set a course just east of Lyra, shifting into hyperdrive.
He slumped back into the captain’s seat as the stars streaked past. Despite his best efforts to convince himself otherwise, it really fucking felt like he was running away. He thought of Havve alone at home, disillusioned and angry. He thought of Phobos and Meouch, out somewhere in the vast universe as they tried to decide their place in it.
Maybe he was an idiot for thinking the band could last forever. There was bound to be a disagreement at some point, creative or otherwise. All he wanted was to make a difference in the fight against boredom, but it looked like he would remain insignificant.
That’s why he needed this trip - to remind himself of why he was doing this all in the first place. The streaking stars suddenly snapped back into their regular shapes as he reached his destination. Just the sight of the planet was enough to bring a smile to his face and tears to his eye.
Ladyworld. His home.
---
It was drizzling slightly, but that suited Sung just fine. He wended his way along the overgrown path, picking flowers and arranging them in his hand as he went. As he climbed the cracked steps up the cliffside, he found himself humming an old song he hadn’t thought about in years. Nostalgia would do that to you, he supposed.
He reached the top of the cliff, taking a deep breath and letting the smell of the ocean permeate his body; it was nice to be home after wandering for so long. He knelt at the foot of the small stone marker - his mothers had never been one for grandeur - and placed the makeshift bouquet down.
“Hi Mom. Hi Maman,” he said quietly. The ocean wind ruffled his hair. “It’s been a long time. I’m sorry I haven’t been to visit.” He sat back on his heels, looking up at the stars. “I’m in a band now. I brought together three incredible people to help me fight boredom, so nobody ever has to suffer again like you did.” Tears were pricking at the corner of his eye. “But it’s all falling apart. I was too... myself, I guess, and they left. I don’t blame them. So, I came to sit and think. If you’ve got some suggestions... that would be great.”
He closed his eye, gathering his legs underneath him in a lotus shape. There was no sound except the crashing of the sea against the base of the cliff and the roar of the wind. Sung began to silently cry, but the tears were instantly wiped away by the force of the wind.
“I love you guys,” he choked out, his throat tightening up in grief. “I wish you were still here. You’d know exactly what to do.” He chuckled, the sound mangled by his tears. “Remember that time Mom tripped you into a mud puddle, Maman? I thought you were gonna be so mad, but you just laughed and pulled her in right next to you. You always seemed to love each other constantly. Our family was always so close.” He paused, swallowing hard.
“My new family seems to be falling apart. We’ve had fights before, sure, but never this bad. No-one’s ever left. I don’t know what to do.” He opened his eye, turning his whole face up to the sky. “Is it my fault? Because I’m positive it’s my fault.”
He felt a light touch on his shoulder, and he wheeled around to see who had stumbled across his mad ramblings, but there was no one there. Just as he turned back to face the little obelisk, he caught a whiff of something light and floral. He knew it was just the bouquet he had brought, but it smelled just like Maman’s favorite perfume.
Sung had never needed a hug so badly in his life. He wrapped his arms around himself, squeezing his eye shut. His stomach hurt. His head hurt. His chest hurt... or maybe it was his heart. A sob forced its way up his throat and out his mouth despite his best efforts to stay silent, but he managed to choke it back down, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
“Mom? Maman? I love you guys, but I think I need to go back now. I’ve got to do my best to fix the mess I made.” He stood, wiping away the rest of his tears and letting the wind dry his face. He put a hand on top of the old, weathered monument, the stone warm under his fingers from the beating sun. “ Je t’aime .”
---
Sung began to sprint as he neared the ship; he could hear voices despite the fact that he had landed in a field in the middle of nowhere.
“Hey, I’m sorry if I landed illegally, I just needed to-” he called as he ran over a ridge, freezing when he realized it wasn’t the space traffic police. Whoever they were, they were already loading the ship onto tracks in order to take it away. Sung’s mind ran through his immediate options; he could push through them and take off, but there were probably accomplices on board. His nunchaku were on the ship as well, so he’d be fighting bare-handed.
“Don’t cause any trouble, buddy,” one of the thieves threatened. “There’s way more of us than you.” Sung didn’t budge.
“Don’t you know theft is punishable by expulsion from the planet?” Sung asked, edging towards the group and trying to get a read on their numbers. “You guys better clear out before I call the authorities.”
“Fucking hippies,” the apparent leader of the group sneered. “What are they gonna do? Hug us to death?” Sung took a step forward. “Hey, don’t try nothin’.” He pulled what looked to be a laser pistol from a hip holster. “We’re armed and you ain’t.”
“You got me there,” Sung admitted, shrugging. He grinned broadly as the perfect retort came to mind. “Good thing I’ve got legs!”
He darted forward, kicking the leader’s gun out of his hands and up into the air. In the time it took for him to realize what had happened, Sung had already dispatched him with a follow-up kick to the head. The two other thieves in view shouted in disbelief and anger, rushing towards him. Sung dispatched the unarmed one first, feinting around him and buckling his knees with a well-placed sweep. He wheeled around to face the other one just in time to receive a punch to the jaw.
He reeled at the punch, staggering backwards and spitting out a bit of blood. The thug had backed up and was taking aim with some kind of rifle, but Sung zig-zagged up to him and kicked it out of the way, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and throwing him into the dirt next to his accomplice.
Sung ran up into the ship, alert for any sign of remaining thieves. After searching through it, he sat in the cockpit, opening up the communication channel and dialing the Ladyworld authorities.
“I’ve got some thieves for you to take in,” he said, suddenly realizing how out of breath he was. “Sending you my coordinates now. I’ve dispatched them, but they may be waking up soon. They had weapons as-” He cut off as he felt a sharp pain in his back.
“Hello? Sir?” the operator on the other end of the line asked. “Are you still in danger? What’s the situation?” Sung slapped the ‘send’ button for his coordinates before slumping on top of the ship’s console, his consciousness spiraling down a long, dark tunnel.
---
Back on Earth, Havve jolted out of charging mode, sweating and panicked. Something had happened to Sung; he had felt it loud and clear through their mental link.
‘Sung, what happened?’ he sent. There was no response. Fuck. He jumped out of bed, struck with the frustrating realization that there was nothing he could do; Meouch had taken the ship. He paced around, flexing his hands uselessly. He knew he was supposed to be mad at Sung right now, but that was stupid. He could never be mad at Sung... for long, at least.
Something occurred to him and he raced to his dresser drawer in a flash, tearing it open and sifting through it haphazardly; maybe there was something he could do. He found what he was looking for near the back, and he pulled it out gingerly, careful not to damage it.
‘This is only for emergencies,’ Phobos had told him when he had given the distress beacon to him. ‘Just press this button and I’ll come right to you. Keep it safe, Havve.’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Havve pressed the button.
---
Phobos nearly burst into tears when he saw a familiar bushy mane at the bar. He walked over, trying to keep his pace slow and deliberate as he slipped into the seat next to Meouch.
‘I thought I’d find you here,’ he wrote on Meouch’s arm. The lion man jumped, slapping a hand to his forehead when he realized who it was.
“Fuck, Phobs, you nearly scared me out of my pelt.” He looked back down at his drink, readjusting his headband. “What do you want? I ain’t comin’ back yet.”
‘I just want to talk,’ Phobos reassured him. ‘I didn’t want you to be alone. I know what that’s like.’ Meouch smiled thinly, taking a sip of his drink.
“Sung didn’t put you up to this, did he?” Phobos frowned, pursing his lips.
‘No. I need some time away from him too.’
“He’s a good guy, he really is,” Meouch admitted, “but he just gets so damn bossy sometimes. Like he’s my dad or something.” He sighed, resting his elbows on the weathered wooden bar top. “Maybe I should’ve given him a chance to apologize.”
‘I don’t think he would have. He will eventually, he just needs time to realize what he did.’ Meouch nodded, downing the last of his drink.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Now, whaddya say we go sightseeing? Haven’t been out to this star system in ages. I hear there’s a-” he paused. “Phobs? What’s that sound coming from your jetpack?” Phobos took it off and set it in his lap, staring in fear at the blinking red light.
‘Havve’s in trouble.’
---
The minute Meouch landed the craft in the backyard, Phobos ran into the house. He ducked his head into every room, searching for Havve; he wished he could call out for him. Just as he reached the kitchen, he felt a cold, metal hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, visibly relaxing when he saw it was Havve, who appeared to be unharmed.
‘Havve, what happened? What’s the emergency?’
“Sung is in trouble,” Havve said plainly - he was never one to mince his words. Phobos blanched at the statement. Out of all the possible scenarios he had dreaded, this was not one of them.
‘What do you mean? Did he contact you?’
“I just... felt it through the link. He left for a few days to clear his head, and now he’s hurt. I’ve been trying to contact him, but wherever he is, he must be too far away for words to reach. I’ve just got a faint aura.”
‘So he’s alive at least.’
“Yes.” Havve grabbed a bag he had packed, walking towards the door with a determined gait and a steely look in his eyes.
‘Wait, I thought you were mad at him too,’ Phobos questioned, jogging to catch up with him. Havve paused for a moment, fixing his gaze straight ahead before carrying on.
“... I’ll be mad at him again once he’s safe.”
---
Sung didn’t really know much of anything right at the moment, but he could identify three things with certainty. One: it was cold. Two: his head hurt. Three: He was only wearing a thin hospital gown. Okay, from those three clues, he could piece together that he had been taken to a hospital on Ladyworld. But why did he need to go to the hospital? Then he remembered the thief on the ship and his head hurt even worse.
He sat up, groaning audibly with pain. His muscles were weak from disuse, and his eye took what felt like hours to adjust to the light. None of this was helping his headache. Once he could finally take in his surroundings, he saw that he was in a medical facility of some sort, but definitely not a hospital.
Just as he was about to try getting off of the cot he was on, some kind of robot glided into the room on a track as a metal door slammed shut behind it. It stopped right next to Sung, holding still for a few moments as processors whirred inside its head. Just as Sung leaned in to get a closer look at the serial numbers and logos on it, he felt a sharp pain on his left bicep. The robot had injected him with some kind of syringe.
His head hit the thin cot as his vision began to lengthen into a familiar dark tunnel. It was turned to the side, giving him a perfect view of the alien lying next to him. He had quite clearly been dead for at least a day. Just before he went under completely, he gathered up all his metaphorical strength and mentally screamed at the top of his lungs.
‘HAVVE! HELP!’
---
Havve doubled over, clasping a hand to his mouth, afraid he might vomit. A sudden shockwave of terror had just hit him like a sonic boom, and there was only one place, one person it could have come from.
“Everything alright, big guy?” Meouch asked from the controls. Havve shook his head, waiting for the nausea to subside before trying to speak.
“S-Sung... he’s in danger.” Phobos cocked his head slightly.
‘What did he say?’ Havve took a deep breath to steady himself.
“I don’t know. I just felt... terror.”
“So we still don’t know what kinda danger we’re rushing into,” Meouch quipped dryly. “Great.”
Phobos ignored Meouch. ‘Havve, where did you say you sensed him again?’
“Near Ladyworld. Maybe on one of its moons. The link gets stronger the closer we are, so I’ll be able to tell once we’re there.”
“And he can jump out from his hiding spot and say ‘ha, gotcha! Aw, you really are worried about me!’ Yeah, no fucking thanks,” Meouch snarled. Havve felt his blood run cold and his 808 speed up.
“What,” he asked coldly, “are you talking about?”
‘Havve, I’m sorry, but he might be right,’ Phobos said timidly, resting a hand briefly on Havve’s shoulder. ‘Him not being more specific is suspicious. And this whole ‘link weakening’ thing has never happened before. What if he’s just... tricking us? Trying to lure us all back together again so he feels better about what he did?’ You could practically see the gears in Phobos’ head spinning. ‘He probably doesn’t even realize it’s wrong.’
“Are you suggesting that the pain and terror he just felt was... an act?”
Meouch laughed humorlessly. “Wouldn’t put it past him.” Before Havve could stop himself, he had grabbed Meouch by the collar and lifted him up against the wall, eyes narrowed.
“Commander,” he began, his tone icy cold and raging hot all at once, “I’ve ignored your little snarks up until now. But I will not sit by while you insult Doctor Sung any more.” He got closer, looking Meouch right in the eye before letting him drop. “To imply that he would trick us by pretending to be in mortal danger is...” he trailed off, counting to ten in his head to try and suppress the rage uncoiling like a great black serpent inside his head. It didn’t help.
‘What Meouch was trying to say was-’ Phobos began, but Havve silenced him with a look.
“I will continue this rescue mission. If you have any objections, you can take the escape pod back to Earth. The man who saved my life is in danger, and I’ll be damned if I sit here and let him die.” He sat in the captain’s chair, programming a course to Ladyworld into the controls.
Meouch stood perfectly still for almost half a minute before pivoting and walking into the cargo hold like a programmed machine on a track. Phobos followed him shortly after, casting one last worried glance in Havve’s direction before he left the bridge.
He found Meouch sitting on the floor in the cargo hold, fiddling with a cigarette. It wasn’t lit, of course - Sung would kill him if he smoked on the ship. Even if Sung wasn’t here, and possibly in danger, and... oh.
“What am I doing ?” Meouch asked no one in particular. His voice sounded hollow and scared, which, in turn, scared Phobos. “Sung is the only reason any of us are still alive. So he gets a little snippy with me once and I just up and leave?” He closed his eyes. “What the hell kind of friend am I?”
‘Meouch, it’s okay. You couldn’t have known this would happen.’
“He’s in trouble because of me,” Meouch moaned. Phobos shook his head briskly.
‘No, don’t say that.’
“The only reason he went to Ladyworld was because I left! You heard Havve, he went to clear his head or whatever. I made him go.”
‘Then I guess I share the blame too,’ Phobos signed sadly, his long ears drooping. ‘I left the day after to go look for you, and I said some... some pretty terrible things. I was so mad at him for making you leave that I just wanted to hurt him.’ He closed his eyes. ‘So it’s my fault too.’
“Phobs, c’mere,” Meouch beckoned. Phobos opened his eyes, sitting on the ground next to Meouch. Meouch wrapped an arm around his waist. “I’m so lucky to have someone like you. S’not every day you find someone who would fly across the stars to come find you.”
Phobos, momentarily possessed by some great spirit of confidence and love, leaned over to press a kiss to Meouch’s muzzle. He could feel Meouch’s purring resonate into his own body, and it felt like the world’s best hug. Even though their relationship was an ever-shifting patchwork of heated arguments and long, cool nights spent with their arms around each other, Phobos felt that he had done the right thing.
‘As much as I’d love to sit here for a while longer... We have a friend to save.’ Meouch nodded, grabbing Phobos’ hand and standing.
“Hell yeah. Been too long since I kicked some enemy ass.”
---
The ship touched down on the barren, gray moon in a puff of dust. Havve stepped out first, grimly eyeing the metal hatch in the ground. It was locked, but he didn’t plan on letting that stop him. He knelt, pulling out a small blowtorch and cutting through the ancient padlock like a hot knife going through butter. Behind him, Meouch and Phobos shifted from side to side, weapons at the ready. There was no telling what kind of danger lurked inside this secret base.
Havve wrenched the door open, the red eyes on his mask lighting the way in an eerie, bloody wash of color. Before them lay a long, deserted hallway. He motioned for the others to follow him inside.
‘Sung?’ he called out through their link. ‘Sung, can you hear me?’ There was no response, but he could feel Sung’s presence strongly; they were in the right place. They crept down the hallway, freezing when they heard movement. A robot glided past them on a rail, seemingly paying them no mind. Attached to it was an unconscious person on a cot being towed along. They were missing an arm, and the severed limb was lying next to them on the cot. Meouch’s eyes widened.
“Holy shit,” he whispered. “What is this place?”
“Don’t know,” Havve responded as he strode down the hallway, “but we aren’t staying long.”
---
Sung felt like absolute, total garbage. He could barely open his eye, even though he knew he needed to... for some reason. Where was he again? Whatever. Just as he was about to roll over and try to fall back asleep, his eye shot open. Havve was here.
He rolled out of bed, wincing when something tugged painfully in his arm. He yanked out the IV he had been hooked up to, noticing with sudden, startling clarity that black dotted lines had been drawn around his core in a circular shape. Were his unknown captors trying to study it? Take it out? Whatever, didn’t matter - focus on escape.
‘Havve? Hello?’ he called out, searching his surroundings for an exit.
‘Sung! Where are you? We’re here.’ Sung breathed a massive sigh of relief, letting his lungs empty out and re-inflate before responding.
‘I... don’t know. I’ve been out of it a lot recently. I’m in some kind of... hospital? But an illegal one, I think. They’ve been injecting me with a lot of weird stuff... things are sort of hazy.’
‘Are you well? Can you walk?’
‘Yeah, I think so. Kinda light-headed though, I might-’ He fell silent as a live person entered the room, the first one he had seen since he had been taken here.
‘Sung? Sung! What’s wrong?’
‘Someone’s here,’ Sung said, spreading out his weight and shifting into a fighting stance.
“You aren’t supposed to be awake,” the man said, anxiously tapping at his tablet screen. “We had you on a sedative drip!”
“Where am I?” Sung asked in as intimidating of a voice as he could muster. His captor took a step back, activating an alarm with a panel on the wall.
“So much waste,” his captor murmured as he made for the door. “And we’re already so low on subjects.” Sung sprinted for the door, managing to catch it before it shut. He grabbed the man, wrestling the tablet away from him.
‘I’ve got a tablet. Trying to pull up a map now,’ he told Havve. The man seemed too frightened to try and take it back, so Sung ignored him, sprinting down the hall as he tried to navigate the tablet’s various menus. ‘Okay, got one.’
‘We came in through the main door, then took two lefts,’ Havve relayed. The alarms blaring in the background weren’t doing much to help Sung’s pounding headache.
‘Take a right!’ Sung shouted, trying to make his way to where they were. He kept guiding Havve with the use of the tablet, barely looking up to see where he was going - he wanted out, out, out. Just as he rounded a corner, he looked up to see one of the robots that roamed the place blocking his path and brandishing what looked like a bone saw. As Sung wearily prepared to fight it, he heard an awful metal screech and saw a knife slice through its arms.
“Havve?” he called aloud, disbelieving. Someone kicked the robot over from behind, revealing Havve, Meouch, and Phobos on the other end of the hallway, breathing hard. Sung walked towards them as if in a dream, quickly breaking out into a sprint and jumping the last few feet to embrace them.
“Are you okay?” Meouch asked as he wrapped a furry arm around him. Sung nodded, tears immediately springing to his eye.
“M-Meouch, I missed you so much. I’m so sorry for-”
“Later,” Meouch said, giving him one last squeeze before grabbing his hand. “Right now, let’s get the hell out of here.” Sung nodded, wiping his tears and looking down at the tablet.
“Okay, We’re close to the exit. Is the ship ready for a quick takeoff?” Phobos gave a thumbs up, drawing his blaster and peering around the corner. “Alright, let’s go!” He took a few bounding strides forward before his weakened legs gave out beneath him. He cursed, grabbing his calves and trying to massage feeling back into them.
‘No time,’ Havve said, picking him up. ‘Can you hang onto my back?’
‘Yeah, I think so,’ Sung nodded, wrapping his arms around Havve’s neck. They took off again, with Sung shouting out directions as they rounded corners at top speed. Phobos took point, blasting any robot blocking their path. When they made it to the hatch, Meouch clambered up first, giving Havve a hand up. Phobos fired down the hall one last time before climbing up to join them.
Havve slammed the hatch shut, bolting to the ship with the others. They arrived on the bridge out of breath, and Phobos slid into the captain’s chair and closed the loading door. In only a moment, they were off.
The whole group breathed a collective sigh of relief. Sung slid off of Havve’s back, staring down at the floor as he tried to let his brain catch up with the rest of him. Havve headed towards the barracks, returning with a simple tunic which he tossed onto Sung’s lap
‘What’s this for?’ he asked.
‘You’re pretty much naked,’ Havve responded, completely deadpan. Sung looked down at himself, noticing with a hot flash of shame that his hospital gown had lost some structural integrity during the escape. He slipped the tunic on, standing slowly.
“Guys?” he asked in a small voice. Everyone turned to him. “I just want to say... I know I was pretty awful to you all. And I’m sorry you had to come save my incompetent ass. I get it if you’re... if you’re still...” he sniffed, blinking rapidly to try and keep tears from forming. “I’m sorry.” Everyone was still for a moment.
Phobos was the first one to step forward and enfold Sung in a hug. Meouch and Havve quickly followed suit, surrounding Sung in a circle of warmth and love. He grabbed onto Havve’s arm for support, doing his best to return the hug. Even when beeping from the console indicated that they had exited the warp, no one moved.
No one dared.
-Epilogue-
“Okay. Thank you for following up,” Sung said before he hung up the phone. He sank down into a dining room chair, closing his eye and releasing a held breath.
“Was that the Ladyworld cops?” Meouch asked from the doorway, causing Sung to jump in his chair.
“Yeah. They, uh... they figured out what was going on. Some kind of illegal medical testing facility. The guys who took my ship must’ve... I dunno... sold me, or something.” Meouch came into the room, sitting next to Sung at the table. “Danny and Brian located their ship, and I’m gonna go with to help them get it back. It’s my fault it got stolen.”
“No, dude, you need rest!” Meouch insisted, his brow furrowed in concern. Sung smiled softly, tiredly.
“It’s okay, I’m fine.”
“Yeah, physically,” Meouch retorted. “Aren’t you even a little bit shaken up by all that shit?” Sung looked down at the table, tracing the grain of the wood with his fingers.
“... I guess I am. But I don’t think they would’ve been able to do anything to me. I think they got the dosage on the sedatives too low. They assumed I was a different species or something. But... yeah. I’m tired.” He turned to face Meouch, resting his hand on Meouch’s paw. “And I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t even worry about it,” Meouch assured him, putting his other paw on top of Sung’s and giving it a squeeze. Sung shook his head, standing as he held onto Meouch’s paws.
“No, what I did was terrible. I was an asshole, and I said things that weren’t true. A-and it’s totally fine if you don’t want to forgive me, but can we at least try? Try to keep our family together? I promise I’ll work on being better.” Meouch stood as well, looking into Sung’s teary eye for a long moment before drawing him into a hug.
“Just try to get rid of me.” Sung smiled into Meouch’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around his friend. He felt a light tap on his shoulder, and turned around to see Phobos.
‘Are we doing hugs?’ he asked. Sung laughed, holding out an arm to welcome him into the embrace. ‘I’m sorry for all the things I said. None of them were true.’
“Hey man, it’s a forgiveness party today,” Sung said, giving him a squeeze. “It’s a fresh start for everyone.” Phobos smiled quietly, slipping his hand into Meouch’s as Sung wrapped his arms around both of them.
---
It was late - the kind of late that made your bones feel like lead and your thoughts feel like television static. Sung, unsurprisingly, couldn’t sleep. At the moment, he’d be fine with never sleeping again. Well, he thought as he slid off of his bed, might as well do something productive. Just as he was about to open his bedroom door, he was startled by a knock from the other side. He sat back on his bed before answering.
“Come in.” Havve opened the door, looking nearly as exhausted as Sung felt. Sung blinked at him, trying to remember how to talk. ‘What’s up?’
‘Sung, I said some horrible things that I didn’t mean to try and get you to stay, and that was selfish of me, and I’m... sorry.’ Sung blinked again - this was way too much to process this early in the morning.
‘Havve, what are you talking about?’ Havve came into the room, closing the door behind him. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was fidgeting with his hands.
‘I wanted you to stay, so I said the first awful thing that came to mind.’ Sung stood, looking up into Havve’s downcast eyes.
‘... Why?’
‘I don’t know. Because I couldn’t handle the thought of you dealing with this on your own. Because I was worried you might not come back.’ He paused, taking a small breath. ‘Because I love you.’ If Sung hadn’t been so tired, he might have understood the implications of that confession.
‘I understand. It came from a place of concern.’
‘But I could’ve just said that instead of making it worse! I can’t even say what I’m really feeling. How stupid is that?’ Sung put a hand on his arm, fixing him with a stern (but still mostly sleepy) look.
‘You aren’t stupid. And you also aren’t perfect. We all make mistakes, Havve.’ Havve took Sung’s hand, moving it up to his cheek and holding it there.
‘I just didn’t want to lose you.’
Sung felt his blood freeze in his veins and his heart leap into his throat. It was entirely possible he was reading the situation wrong, but for once, he felt totally certain about something. And, wonder of all wonders, it seemed Havve was on the exact same page.
It was a completely normal kiss from an outside observer’s standards, but combined with a potent mix of exhaustion and euphoria, it made Sung feel like he could melt into a puddle on the ground at any moment. He placed his free hand on Havve’s bony hip, touching the body he had built in new, unexpected, intimate ways.
‘I was so worried about you,’ Havve admitted when they parted. ‘You were so afraid.’ Sung smiled, resting his head against Havve’s collarbone.
‘I can never be too scared with you guys around. After all, I’ve got the best family in the world.’