Work Text:
Every inch of Player’s body ached. His hands were tied behind his back, binding him to a thin pole and forcing him to remain upright, no matter how he tried to adjust himself. He’d been in that same position since he woke up here a couple of weeks ago. He hadn’t been fed, and water only came every few days, leaving him weak and exhausted.
“Just hang on, Player,” Carmen’s strong voice spoke up. “You can do this.”
Carmen had also been captured and was secured to the opposite wall, but her binding was through a chain cuffed to her ankle so she could lay down. She hardly did though, and Player had started to wonder if she purposefully was trying to not point out the clear favorite here. Along with the difference in restraints, she also wasn’t slipping away the way he was. He knew they must be bringing her food and water separately when he was asleep, but he didn’t mind. He was glad she was in better shape than he was, both because he wasn’t sure how much longer someone could last like this and because she was the more likely of the two to get them out of here.
Player certainly wouldn’t be much help anytime soon.
His stomach grumbled, a near-constant occurrence, and Player winced. Neither of them needed reminders of how hungry he was.
“It’s water day. They should be coming any minute. You’ll feel better then,” Carmen reassured and Player forced his head up to see a glimpse of his best friend.
As always, she looked far cleaner and healthier than him, and the reminder that she was mostly okay helped force himself to stay conscious. He didn’t know what the Cleaners would do if they couldn’t wake him up when it came time to give him water. Did they even care enough to make sure he got it some other way, or would that be when the Faculty finally decided he wasn’t worth the effort?
He met eyes with Carmen and saw the same concern as she’d had for a week there. The terror she felt now would be nothing in comparison with the anguish his death would bring. And he couldn’t leave her to face VILE alone, no matter what his body seemed to think. He needed to keep fighting.
“I’m okay,” he croaked out. “Just tired.”
Carmen pursed her lips, clearly disagreeing with his diagnosis but before she could comment, the doors swung open and the Cleaners walked in. Player could hear the sound of water sloshing in the bowl they always used. “Chin up,” Vlad said.
Player tried to lift his head, but it refused to move. He was just so tired. But water was so close, if he could just get his neck to respond...
“He said chin up,” Boris said, giving him a swift kick, ripping a yelp from Player.
“Hey!” Carmen yelled. “Leave him alone!”
The pain response brought Player back into alertness enough to lift his head some. Almost immediately, the bowl was put under his face and a hand shoved his head down. There was a moment where he couldn’t breathe, but once his tongue felt the water, he hardly cared. Sucking it down greedily, he soon was able to breathe again as the amount of water lowered. It emptied far too quickly and he couldn’t help the small whimper as they pulled it away.
“Wait!” Carmen cried as they headed to the door. “That wasn’t enough water! Please, he needs more! He needs food, too!”
As always, though, the Cleaners completely ignored her. It was the same every time they came. Carmen would plead, threaten, and do anything else she could think of to get him more, and the Cleaners wouldn’t even glance in her direction. VILE was obviously enjoying riling her up, showing her just how helpless she was. Player was just the spectacle, here to make Carmen suffer without physically damaging the merchandise. From the desperation in his friend’s voice, it was clear they were succeeding.
The heavy doors slammed shut, followed by the locks moving back into place. Player let his head fall back forward. His face was still damp and every so often he’d slip out his tongue in hopes of getting more water, but his skin absorbed it too quickly.
“Are you okay?” Carmen asked, all harshness from before gone.
Player mumbled something in reply, his stomach starting to roil. As badly as he needed the water, the way he was forced to drink it all at once was hard on a stomach that had nothing to digest for days but itself. It was a part of the process he had become used to, but that didn’t mean it was easy. The last time he threw up, he hadn't been sure he was going to make it to the next water day. The smell was probably the only reason he was able to keep himself conscious until the Cleaners finally came, glaring at him as Boris took care of the vomit.
“You’ve got this,” Carmen said softly, knowing the process as well as he did. “Just keep it down and you’ll start feeling better soon.”
Player swallowed, unable to respond in fear of losing control of his stomach. Carmen kept up a line of reassurances though and he focused on her words.
“...going to get us both out of here soon, I promise. You just need to hold on for a little longer. Fight a little longer and you’ll be just fine. We’re going to...”
The nausea eventually faded and Player gave himself a mental pat on the back for getting through the hardest part. The fight had exhausted him even further though, and he allowed himself to sleep as his body slowly accepted the bit of water it had been given.
Three days later, the same thing happened. Player struggled to stay awake, Carmen pleaded for more sustenance, the Cleaners ignored her, Player fought down nausea as Carmen encouraged him, and then he passed out.
Another three days later, it repeated again.
And again.
And again.
Occasionally, the Cleaners would give him a small basin to do his business in, but most times, his body didn’t have anything to give. Between the tiny amounts of water and no food, going to the bathroom was a low priority.
Besides that, the only thing that changed were Carmen and Player’s conversations. They weren’t much of conversations though, since Player could barely talk. Carmen always knew exactly what he needed to hear though, and he focused on the fact that she was okay and hadn’t given up to get him through the day.
His energy depleted quickly, and he slept most of the non-water days away. By the end, Player couldn’t even lift his head on his own, and the Cleaners had started pouring the water directly into his mouth.
He thought it couldn’t get worse. He was wrong.
The next water day came and went with no sign of the Cleaners. He knew that they were bound to come any time, so Player forced himself to stay awake. He’d faded in and out a bit, but stayed conscious enough that he would be ready when they finally came.
In the background, Carmen was trying to keep his hopes up. “Please, Player. You need to hold on for me. Just a little longer. I’m sure they’ll come soon.”
But they never did.
As the day passed and no sign of the Cleaners came, Player’s slow brain finally realized that they weren’t planning on coming back for him. It had been days and Player was pretty sure he was approaching the longest humans could physiologically go without water. Even as Carmen’s desperate hopes and pleas filled his ears, he knew that VILE had decided he wasn’t worth it.
“‘M sorry,” he choked out, and Carmen stopped speaking. Player’s words were mumbled and he didn’t even have the energy to open his eyes. He knew what was coming, though, and he needed Carmen to know he didn’t mean to leave her.
“M sorry,” he said again. “I— I d’n have anyth’n left in me.”
“Player, you can’t give up,” Carmen said adamantly. “You can’t leave me alone with VILE.”
Player swallowed, the motion hurting his dry throat. He didn’t want to. He’d promised he wasn’t going anywhere, but he couldn’t keep holding on. “I can’t,” he said, trying to get his mouth to move more. She needed to understand. “They aren’t com’n back.”
“Maybe they are! Player, just a little longer. Please, I need you!”
“I n’d you to know, it— it wsn’t y’r fault. G’t it?”
“Player—” Her voice cut off with a loud bang, before speaking again, this time in horror and echoing off the cell. “Player?!”
“M sorry, R’d,” Player said, knowing that even if the Cleaners had come it was too late. He couldn’t drink and he wouldn’t be able to stay awake. All he could do was to make sure his best friend knew he was sorry for leaving her. “I c’nt hold on long’r. M sorry I couldn’t make it. N’t y’r fault.”
“Player? No, no, no, no, you can’t give up! Not now!”
The voice was much closer now, and a hand suddenly lifted his head. It wasn’t the cruel, forceful touch of the Cleaners, though.
“Player, please open your eyes. I’m here now. Everything’s going to be okay!”
Taking everything he had in him, Player opened his eyes just enough to see Carmen’s distressed face right in front of his own. There were large bags under her eyes that he didn’t remember being there and her hair was a mess. “R’d?” he asked, his slow brain struggling to figure out what happened. “How’d you g’t out?”
A huge grin split across her face as she saw his eyes open. “Player,” she cried, eyes growing wet. “I’m so sorry. I’m going to get you out of here right now, okay? Just stay awake for a couple more minutes. Can you do that?”
Player hummed in reply, still confused but too tired to do anything about it. Carmen gave his face a gentle stroke before slowly lowering his head again. Player forced himself to not give in to the darkness as Carmen made quick work of his ropes.
As soon as the restraints were gone, Player started to topple forward, but Carmen’s warm body stopped his fall. “I’ve got you,” she said softly, a hand going to the back of his head as she held him against her. “I’m never letting go, okay? Please, don’t ask me to.”
Player just fought to keep his eyes open, the comfort of his best friend’s presence making the desire to give in all the more tempting. He slumped into her and she gripped him tightly, his head propped up by her own. Frowning, he took in the completely empty cell. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something felt wrong about it.
Before he could think about it though, Carmen was lifting him up bridal style and he could no longer see anything but the dark ceiling.
“I’ve got him!” she cried, her voice echoing in the small space and making Player’s ears ring. Unable to hold on any longer, he slipped off to the sound of the Boston voices mixing with Carmen’s as they ran.
_____
The next time Player awoke, his whole body felt different. Everything still hurt and his head felt foggy, but his tongue didn’t feel like a brick in his mouth. Forcing his eyes open, he found it much easier than before.
“Player?” a tired voice asked, and Player looked down to see Carmen sitting in a chair by the strange bed he lay in. Glancing around, it became clear that he was in a hospital, an IV in his hand and a heart monitor beeping to his left.
“We— we made it?” he asked, awed both at their escape and at how much easier it was to force the words past his throat.
“Yeah,” Carmen smiled, water filling her eyes. “The doctor says you’re going to be just fine. I’m so sorry it took us so long, Player.”
Player smiled, feeling the weight slip off his shoulders. He didn’t need to worry about staying awake at the risk of missing water, and the shriveled feeling in his stomach was almost gone. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said honestly. Taking a closer look at her, Player found that she was more of a mess than he’d remembered, but he really hadn’t looked up at her in a couple of days. Plus, now that he was getting fluids, he could recognize just how out of it he’d been in that cell. Carmen’s voice had really been the only thing keeping him going. But his memory still didn’t make much sense.
Frowning, he asked, “How did you get out of the cuff?”
Carmen looked confused. “The what?”
“The ankle cuff,” Player clarified. “Chaining you to the wall.”
Carmen was starting to look worried now. “What cuff? Player, I was never chained to anything.”
Player struggled to comprehend what she was saying, wracking his brain for any memory to give him a clue. She’d sounded like she hadn’t moved from her spot across the room until the sound of the door banging open. He briefly recalled Ivy and Zack’s distant voices. “Did the siblings let you out?” he asked. All of this thinking was starting to hurt his head. “Or did a Cleaner release you while I was asleep?”
Neither quite made sense, but Player wasn’t sure how to make sense of Carmen’s response.
Speaking of Carmen, she looked just as confused as he felt. “Player, what are you talking about? I wasn’t there.”
The words slammed into Player and all of the explanations he was trying to think of skidded to a stop. “You— what?” he said, voice cracking. What was Carmen saying? “But I saw you. We were talking right before the door opened.”
Carmen’s eyes flashed with something between shock and anger before she squeezed them shut. The emotions fell from her face and when she reopened her eyes, all that they held was sadness. “I’m sorry, Player. It wasn’t me. You were the only one taken.”
Player’s eyes widened and he shook his head, breaths starting to speed up. “No, no. You were with me the whole time. You kept me awake, remember? You—”
“The doctors mentioned that there was a drug in your system when we brought you in,” Carmen cut him off as gently as possible. “You must have been hallucinating.”
Player’s eyes started to well with tears, something he’d thought he’d never be able to do again, as he processed her words. “No, but you— we talked. You would try to get the Cleaners to—”
But the Cleaners never looked at her. Never even gave any sign of hearing her. And the way she always looked in perfect condition, despite him never seeing her sleeping or eating. And the way her voice suddenly had echoed so much more in the emptiness of the cell.
He gasped lightly as he remembered the strange wrongness as he’d looked over Carmen’s shoulder. There had been no sign of the shackle.
“You— you really weren’t there,” he choked out, hands flying to his head. “None of it was real.” He couldn’t trust anything his own memories said. His eyes shot up to Carmen’s. “How long was I gone?”
“A couple of weeks,” she said gently. “I’m so sorry they had you for so long.”
A couple of weeks.
He’d thought he’d been gone a month. He’d thought there was a chain attached to the wall. He’d thought Carmen was there.
None of it had been true.
“Hey,” Carmen said, cupping Player’s face like she’d done in the cell. Or like Player had thought she had. He didn’t know what to think anymore. “I’m real now, okay? Look at my face,” she said.
Player did, seeing the signs of the sleepless nights worrying about him. He saw the greasiness of her hair. He saw the way her brow twitched as she tried to keep from looking worried.
She was so much more real than the hallucination.
“Red,” he choked out, the truth finally hitting him. He’s been alone and starving, but now he was out. She was finally here. She’d saved him.
Carmen squeezed his arm gently, her own lip starting to tremble. “I’m so sorry,” she said through a tight voice. “I should have been there.”
Player shook his head, grabbing her hand and using it to pull her down to give him a hug with Carmen awkwardly bent over the chair.
“You were there when I needed you most,” Player said. “You got to me in time.”
“Thank you for holding on,” Carmen replied in a whisper before pulling away. Player kept a hold of her hand though, the physical touch reminding him that this was the real Carmen. She used her free hand to wipe at her eyes. “I— I was so close to losing you, Player.”
“But you didn’t,” Player said. Then, fiddling with the blanket awkwardly, he added, “And you were kind of there. I know you weren’t really, but it was your voice that kept me going. Every time I felt like I couldn’t make it, I’d hear your voice, asking me to hold on just a little longer. Reminding me that you needed me. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Carmen’s breath hitched as new tears streamed down her face. She didn’t look like she knew how to respond to that, so Player added lightly, “Now, I am absolutely exhausted, so I’d like to take a long, voluntary nap if that’s okay with you.”
Carmen snorted, the sound half sob, half laugh, but she was grinning. “That sounds like an acceptable request.” She sat up, pulled out her phone, and started to type. “I should let the siblings and Shadowsan know you’re awake. They’re all eager to see you.”
Player was already feeling the pull though and Carmen’s enthusiastic expression changed to fondness as his eyes slipped shut completely.
“You just rest. They’ll be here when you wake up,” she said, and Player was grateful for the hand she rested on his leg as she added, “We all will.”
Letting the light pressure ground him, Player let himself forget about the rest. He was out of VILE’s grasp, Carmen was here, and this was real. In the end, that’s all that mattered.