Chapter Text
"Look at that, May. The city is cheering for us again. Isn't that great?" He chuckled, heart full and bittersweet. The cacophony of emotions that he felt were still all swirling in him, but overall, he felt so warm.
They did it.
They defeated NSR.
Then helped protect it.
But even as the crowd's cheers grew slowly closer as they descended, he gave a quizzical look to his best friend, not hearing her response.
"May?" He turned towards her, seeing her just standing there, glancing around, still a bit dazed, a familiar expression on her face. Her eyes then trailed to her guitar, as did Zuke, and he felt the fullness of his heart drop.
Her guitar was completely wrecked, even beyond their capabilities at the workshop. The signature smiley face absolutely smashed, the neck looking absolutely strangled. He quickly approached her, reaching out.
"Oh no, your guitar!" He paused to try and survey the damage. "Did it break in the last battle?" He gingerly touched it, trying to gauge if they could maybe even send it to someone else to get it repaired. Maybe- maybe that Neon J guy? He didn't like 1010, but anything to try and fix the guitar.
He looked up at his uncharacteristically quiet band mate, who was just staring up at him, eyes wide and shiny.
"Yeah...I'm overwhelmed, too." He sighed, assessing her too. He scratched the back of his head. He glanced back at her, then it finally clicked as to why her expression was so familiar. "May?"
Wide, unfocused, glassy eyes, darting around slightly. Small beads of sweat dotted her forehead as her shoulders rose and fell heavily as she tried to take in gulps of air.
She looked as if she just woke up from a night terror.
Afraid.
"Hey, hey, May?" He tentatively wrapped his arm around her should comfortingly, giving it a squeeze. "We- we can always try and fix it?" He offered weakly, taking the guitar from her gently and holding it with his free hand, but knew there was something else to her fear.
They gotta get back to the sewers.
He's gotta get her home.
"Hey, uh, let's go home, okay?" He offered, Mayday looking up at him and mumbling out his name. He gave her another light squeeze as they finally reached the ground, both squinting at the dozens of lights that snapped on and off around them; cameras. Cameras accompanied by a cheering, adoring crowd.
Neither felt like celebrating.
It kind of felt ironic, really; all they wanted was to have a crowd cheering then out, cheering on their band, but right now, both wanted to get as far away from here as possible. Away from the people, away from the cheers, just away. If he wasn't so worried right now, he'd make a joke about this.
But as he looked at the guitarist, he swallowed thickly, attempting to lead her away and to the side. Her eyes were still unfocused, but her breathing started to become less ragged, instead hitching every now and again as she let Zuke drag her along silently.
At least, that was the plan.
"You guys did it! You two saved the NSR tower!"
A voice burst in, causing Zuke to swivel to face him. A familiar yellow skinned reported approached them; it was the same guy that talked to them after Sayu, right. Zuke glanced down at May, who was just staring at the man, her face showing confusion. He let go of his hold around her shoulders and stepped in front slightly, blocking her from the cameraman and reporter, who just continued on.
"How do you guys— wait." He paused, squinting a bit and finally recalling where he's seen the two. "Aren't you enemies with NSR? What gives?"
Zuke gulped, raising a hand to try and block his own face from the cameraman who zeroed in on him. "Uh, we're, we've gotta go. You can um, you guys can talk to Tatiana?" He offered, turning back to face Mayday, who he realized was lightly clutching unto his jacket, eyes still unfocused.
"Hey, hold on now! This opens up to so many questions!" He called out to the two of them, Zuke trying to tune him out. "Are you guys retiring? Are you buddies with NSR now? Who was piloting that helicopter?"
"Just ignore him, May." Zuke mumbled to her as they walked away. Mayday didn't respond, eyes forward and blank and wide and glassy and he's gotta get her hom—
"You think I'm just going to let you take off like that?" A much more placated, somewhat teasing voice interjected his thoughts. He twisted again, feeling more shocked. Feeling him tense beside her, Mayday also turned, letting out a breath.
"Tatiana." Mayday whispered; eyes wide. Zuke saw not only Tatiana, but all of them; DJ Subatomic, Sayu, Yinu, Neon J., Eve. The two locked eyes for a single moment before Zuke set his eyes downwards guiltily.
Even after their fight, when they talked, he still wasn't sure where he stood with the diva. Did she still like him? Did she still hate him? He wouldn't blame her if it was the latter, or even some strange mixture of the two. As Tatiana spoke again, he snapped out of it.
"You could have taken the city for yourself but instead chose to save my enterprise. You have my deepest gratitude." The CEO smiled warmly at the guitarist, who just stared at her blankly. She tilted her head at Tatiana, and Zuke carefully approached May, touching her arm.
"S-sorry to interrupt, Tatiana, but we- I- I gotta get May home." He pleaded, receiving a cocked eyebrow and a skeptical look.
"Oh? Leaving so soon? I have an announcement to make," She faced towards Mayday, giving her a nod. "I was hoping you'd stick around to listen to my offer."
Mayday looked between Tatiana and Zuke, same confused expression on her face. Zuke shrugged; he didn't know the offer either. And frankly, that can wait.
"Uh, we'd love to hear it, but we gotta go." As Zuke moved to lead May away, she clasped his gloved hand with her own tightly, letting him bring her back to the sewers.
A low chuckle came from Tatiana, confused by otherwise understanding. "Alright then, but you two better turn up in my office tomorrow."
Zuke nodded, raising a hand to wave 'goodbye' to the NSR artists; it may have seemed a bit rude, sure, first wrecking the place and then ditching them to fix it up, but that wasn't the priority right now. the priority was—
"Hey, Mayday! Catch!"
Zuke swiveled around just in time to see Tatiana- No, Kul Fyra's- guitar fly through the air, the light catching the metallic black and red design- only to collide with Mayday's head. She fell to the ground with a cry, landing on her knees.
"May!" Both Zuke and Tatiana, as well as the other artists, rushed to the guitarist, who rubbed her head. Zuke slid unto his knees, clasping her face.
"May, are you okay?!" Zuke asked, worried. He tried to examine her head, and thankfully there wasn't any blood, but that sounded hard.
Tatiana looked reproachful as she also kneeled down to Mayday on the ground. "Sorry, May. I thought you'd be able to catch it." She apologized, also examining the guitarist's head.
"Why didn't you catch it?" Sayu asked.
"She said, 'Hey, Mayday', Mayday!" Yinu reprimanded.
"Perhaps the Plutonian was too tired to catch it." DJ stated matter of factly.
"Still, the least the soldier could have done was dodge it!" Neon J. harrumphed, crossing his arms.
"Maybe the pedestrian girl couldn't be bothered?" Eve offered, disinterest on her face. This was answered by getting a stern look from Tatiana.
Zuke tuned them out, examining Mayday. He moved from the back of her head to look her in her eyes. "May?" He whispered, noting a stray tear fell from the corner of one of her eyes. He quickly swiped it with his thumb as the other artists bickered. "May, what's wrong? Talk to me!" He pleaded, speaking over the loud, too loud, artists that were speaking behind him. He didn't even realize that his own tears started falling as he continued calling out her name, with her not even acknowledging his voice, eyes darting between him and the artists that were arguing behind him. Her breathing became more ragged again, chest heaving and shoulders rising and falling, face distraught. Both of them were.
Why isn't she answering?
Why were they all quiet?
This wasn't funny anymore.
If they wanted to prank her for wrecking the city, they're doing a damn good job of it.
The least they could have done was allow Zuke to talk.
Why was he miming with everyone else?
Why couldn't she hear his voice?
Why couldn’t she hear the NSR artists?
Why couldn't she hear anything?
Why was it so quiet?