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Pounding footsteps were his only warning seconds before a large mass barrelled into him. D-Horse cried out as they were knocked off the path and into the brush, Venom just barely managing not to be crushed by the horse’s weight as they rolled. Dark fur and snarling teeth charged at him.
Venom lunged away from the charge and aimed his tranq gun at the beast, but it wasn’t going down without a fight. He shot it once just before one of its massive paws slashed downwards.
Heat erupted across his torso, and he rolled. Another shot, but it was still coming. Razor teeth clamped down on his right leg, the bone shattering under the force. Venom yelled in pain and fury, using his prosthetic to punch it several times in the nose.
Finally it let his leg go, and as the bear shook off his attacks, Venom once again nailed it with three more tranqs. This time they seemed to take effect, and the beast wobbled on its legs. He shot it once more for good measure, watching with bated breath as it slowly toppled sideways - finally asleep.
Venom layed there for a moment, the events of the past minute replaying in his mind, before his wounds began to make themselves known. His leg was broken - he didn't need to see it to know - but the wounds on his torso were a different story. Large, bloody claws raked across his chest and down his left side. Blood was quickly flooding out of the deep lacerations and staining the sand beneath him scarlet.
His hand had a slight tremor as he opened his comm line. “Snake to Pequod. R-Requesting immediate pick up.”
He activated the emergency signal on his iDroid and slumped against a nearby boulder. The blood loss was starting to really affect him now. Everything around him looked gray and distorted. He didn’t even know if D-Horse was alive or not - he couldn’t spot the horse’s white coat in the sandy darkness.
“Pequod to Snake. Approaching LZ.”
Bright lights shone briefly across Venom’s slouched figure as the helicopter prepared for landing. He tried to stand, to hold himself up using the rock at his back, but the moment he was upright his vision swam. He stumbled forward, accidentally landing on his broken leg and letting out a yell of pain.
“Boss? Boss!” There was a voice above him and suddenly arms were dragging him towards the door of the helicopter. Pequod managed to pull his limp body onto the chopper before running to the cockpit.
“This is Pequod to Mother Base. Snake is seriously injured. Requesting medics on standby.”
—————
Venom didn’t remember much after collapsing into the sand. He didn't remember Pequod getting him onto the helicopter, nor did he remember the flight over. It was only when the helicopter landed and hands began tugging at him did he become lucid again.
“Boss?” One voice stood out among the medics and staff. Kaz was rushing over to him as he was being placed on a gurney. Seeing the state he was in, Kaz grabbed the nearest soldier.
“What the fuck happened to him?” He yelled.
“W-We don’t know, sir! He was just brought in!”
A mask was placed over his mouth and the gurney was being pushed across the platform towards the medbay. The last thing he saw before darkness took him was Kaz’s worried face.
———
A blue eye blinked slowly up at a white ceiling. Something - a machine? - beeped steadily off to his right. His body was numb, like floating in a pool of water.
This felt familiar… the beeping machines, the numbness, the faint smell of antiseptics. Absently, he brought his hand up to feel at his face, only then noticing the prosthesis.
Memories flooded back in. The helicopter crash. The hospital in Cyprus. Diamond Dogs. The bear attack.
Kaz.
The heart monitor sped up as he attempted to leave his bed. He couldn’t stay here - he had work to do, jobs to complete, missions to run. He got as far as standing next to the bed before his energy left him. He slumped heavily on the bed, hissing as his wounds throbbed.
The door suddenly wooshed open, and Kaz stepped through. He took one look at Venom, rolling his eyes. “I figured you’d try something.”
Venom grunted. “There’s work to do. I can’t stay here.”
“In your condition, you won’t be getting much work done anyway. Doc says you have to be on bedrest until he clears you for duty.”
He frowned at Kaz’s amusement. “I don’t have time to lay around in bed.”
“Well, guess you’ll have to make time.” His tone got serious. “You’re not going on missions until you’re healed.”
“Dammit, Kaz. Why are you so adamant about this? You know you can’t run Mother Base by yourself. I need to be out there, doing my part.”
Kaz straighted, his jaw set firm. “First of all, I ran Mother Base for years while you were asleep in a coma, so don’t you tell me I can’t handle it.” He walked over to Venom and jabbed at his bandaged chest. “And secondly, you were just mauled by a bear. You need to take it easy before you hurt yourself further.”
He swatted Kaz’s hand away.
That seemed to be the last straw. Kaz stamped his crutch against the ground fiercely. “For fuck’s sake, Snake, we almost lost you! You were basically sliced meat by the time the doctors got to you. It was a miracle you even survived at all!”
His voice only grew in volume as he yelled, the words straining his voice. Venom found himself sitting in slight shock at the outburst. He had never seen Kaz this upset before, especially not towards him. He played over his words and actions in his head. He was acting like a dick. Where did that come from? After all, the injuries he sustained were severe. Why had he snapped at Kaz like that?
When Kaz had finally finished his rant, Venom looked up at his second in command. The younger man was glaring at the wall instead of him, refusing any eye contact.
“I’m sorry,” Venom said.
Kaz huffed.
“No, I’m serious.” His hand reached out to grasp Kaz’s arm. The man looked down at him, surprised. “I’m being a dick. I’m sorry.”
Kaz… didn’t know what to say. Snake had never once done something like this. Maybe Ocelot was right and the shrapnel really had caused changes to Snake’s personality.
“It’s fine,” he finally said. “I just… I was worried. When you were dragged out of the chopper, I -“ His mind flashed back to the scene earlier that day, interspersed with memories of the tragic night nine years ago. “… I was scared you wouldn’t make it.”
Venom’s thumb absently rubbed the inside of Kaz’s wrist. “I’m sorry.”
He looked down at the action, feeling a sudden rush of warmth crawl up his face. Did Snake even realize what he was doing? He cleared his throat. “Like I said, it’s fine. Not your fault. Just… don’t go getting into situations like that again, okay?”
Venom’s expression was determined as he nodded. “I’ll be careful.”
Nodding back, Kaz made to leave. As he walked back to his office, the sensation of Snake’s fingertips lingered on his skin.