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It was your average day, besides the whole casually owning a bazooka. Rocket went up to his dad, Zuka.
“Can I go to Swords?” He asked with a stupidly bright smile.
“Yeah, can you walk there?” Zuka asked him, cooking.
“Yeah!” He said, still with his bright smile.
“Alright, then. I’ll call Sword's mom later to see what time you need to come home, okay?”
“Okay!” Rocket replied and left. “Bye, Dad!”
Zuka smiled and continued cooking.
“Bye, mijo.”
Rocket walked to Sword's house, enjoying the slight breeze in the air. He's been to his house so many times he memorized the way there. But he didn't notice the presence walking behind him until he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder.
Rocket stopped walking and quickly turned around to see it was just the Broker. The Broker worked with his dad, but Zuka didn't like him. Rocket didn't like him either, he was a shady guy.
"Um, hi," Rocket said.
The Broker smiled funnily. "Hey kid!" he said. "Your mom asked me to take you to Sword's house."
"Why?"
"Oh, she was just worried about you going alone, I guess."
"Uh, okay. Do you know how to get there?"
"Sure. I know where everything is!"
"Okay." Rocket thought it was kind of weird how the Broker knew where his friend lived, but the Broker is a weird guy in general, so he decided not to question it.
They walked to Swords house, occasionally talking about how school was and things like that, but then the Broker started walking in a different direction.
"Where are you going?" Rocket asked. "That's the wrong way."
The Broker smiled again. "I know a shortcut. Just follow me."
"Why?" Rocket asked again. "We don't need to take a short cu-"
"Just follow me."
Rocket reluctantly followed him. He had a voice in his head telling him he probably shouldn't, but he pushed it aside. What's the worst that can happen?
But after a while, it didn't seem like they were going to Sword's house anymore.
"Where are we?" Rocket asked nervously. "Are you sure this is a shortcut?"
The Broker smiled again, but it seemed insincere. The smile unsettled Rocket. "I'm sure," the Broker said. It had been about 2 hours and they made it to a small, musty shed.
“I don’t think this is his house..” Rocket said with a fearful tone. He was about to dash away but the Broker grabbed his arm and shoved him inside.
“Let go of me-” He was cut off by the Broker taping his mouth.
The Broker smiled with that insincere, unsettling smile again as he grabbed a knife. Rocket didn't have time to think about what he was going to do with that knife before he felt it stab through his stomach and protrude out his back. Rocket let out a scream that was only muffled by the tape on his mouth as he collapsed onto the ground. He heard the Broker's footsteps exit the shed, leaving him to bleed out and die in there.
Rocket cried and shook as the fear of death and pain overwhelmed his mind. He clawed at the tape over his mouth until he managed to get it off, although he knew nobody would be able to hear his cries for help. He wished somebody did though. He just wanted someone, anyone, to come save him. He just wanted to go home.
He thought back to all the decisions he made in the past few hours. How could he have been so dumb? What if he hadn't followed the Broker? What if he hadn't even gone outside? He felt angry at himself knowing there were so many things he could've done differently that wouldn't have led him to this pathetic situation he was in.
He didn't want to die. Not like this. Not alone, in a dark and scary room. He didn't even get to say goodbye to his parents or Sword.
There must've been something he could do to get out of this dire situation, but what? He realized there wasn't anything he could do now, and judging by the amount of blood he could feel gushing out of his mouth and the wound in his stomach, he knew he wouldn't live long enough to do something anyway.
Rocket sat in the darkness and sobbed for a little longer, each breath being an effort as his lungs felt as if they collapsed in on themselves. He could feel the horrible, throbbing pain in his stomach getting worse and worse until he could no longer handle it. He felt himself fading from the world as the pull of death dragged him away.
Zuka went to call Sword’s mom. “Hey. What time do you want me to come get Rocket?”
“Rocket's not here.”
“That’s... odd. I’ll call you later I guess.” Zuka hung up and turned off the stove, he was genuinely confused. Where the heck was Rocket? He decided to go around the neighborhood and ask. It seemed odd he was knocking on people’s doors sure. He eventually stumbled upon the Broker and tapped on his shoulder.
“Can I help you, Zukes?” the Broker asked, smiling.
“I told you not to call me that. Have you seen my kid?”
“Yeah, just follow me!”
The Broker led Zuka down the same path that led to Rocket's untimely demise. Zuka was growing more anxious by the minute. He just wanted to see his child so they could go home and have dinner and everything could be normal.
Eventually, they reached the shed. "I think I saw him playing in there, I can go get him!" the Broker chirped.
“No need.” Zuka pushed past him and opened the door, the smell of blood immediately assaulting his senses. He ran inside and saw Rocket. Fear washed over him as he knelt down to him, holding his lifeless body in his arms.
How could anyone do this to Rocket? He was just a kid, just an innocent kid with a big taste for adventure and a smile that lit up the room and the only source of joy in Zuka's life and so many other things. What kind of monster would choose to snuff out a child's life as if they were nothing but an insignificant bug?
“I’m so sorry Rocket...” He held his son closely as tears fell from his eyes. He held the body closely, blood getting on his shirt as his cries became audible. He put Rocket down after a while, going back upstairs to the Broker with a clenched fist and rage clouding his judgment.
“Zukes! You’re ba-“ the Broker was cut off by Zuka punching him.
“What did you do to him.” He didn’t seem to be questioning, more so demanding an answer. He continued to punch the Broker, unable to think to do anything else at the moment.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean!” His fist was starting to bruise. He didn’t seem to notice until he finished hitting him, he went back home with blood covering his hand.
Zuka walked into the bathroom and washed the blood off his shaky hand. He fell on his knees and started crying again.
How could he have let that happen to Rocket? What was he gonna tell his wife? He had thought that with all his experience as a soldier, he would know a thing or two about saving people, but apparently not. He wiped his eyes but it didn’t seem to stop anything. His wife came in the door and hugged him, unaware of how to help him. He cried into her shoulder, unable to put a sentence together to explain what happened. What he saw.
“Are you okay, Zuka?” Crossbow, his wife asked.
"He's gone.." Zuka sobbed.
"What? Who's gone?"
"Rocket... I couldn't save him.."
Crossbow was shocked. "Wait, you mean he's...?"
Zuka hugged Crossbow tighter. "I'm sorry.."
They sat on the bathroom floor and cried together, unable to do anything else at the moment.
Later that night, Zuka lay in his bed, but he couldn't sleep. All he could think about was Rocket. He sighed. He would give anything to have been able to save his son. And to wipe that stupid smile off the Broker's face.
He hated the fact that he didn’t find out sooner. All he can think about is how he’s at fault, he didn’t save him in time. How could he let this happen? He let his own son die, and it was the Broker who killed him, someone he knew he shouldn’t have trusted since the beginning. It was his fault for letting Rocket go alone and not going with him. He failed as a soldier and now he failed as a father.
The next few days were torture, it was as if the gods were punishing him for his careless mistake.
Every day, Zuka would come home from his shop and be greeted with this jarring, empty silence instead of Rocket's high-pitched voice. The voice that he would never hear again.
Zuka knew he had to do it eventually, but he dreaded it. He had to start planning Rocket’s funeral. He couldn’t hold back tears as he wrote the obituary. He continued muttering useless apologies as if they would bring Rocket back. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, he started to burn himself, just to feel something other than this stupid pain that haunted him.
The day of Rockets funeral came around, of course the Broker decided to show up, with his stupidly fake tears and his stupid smirk. He was so lucky this was Zukas son’s funeral or he would’ve wiped that stupid smirk off his face. He kept his composure, besides when he had to give a speech about Rocket and how he would never understand why someone could be so cruel.
Zuka so badly wanted to turn the Broker in, to see him rightfully trapped in a cage in the deepest darkest pits of the Banlands and never be able to see the light of day again, but he knew he couldn't. It filled him with overwhelming rage knowing that getting rid of the Broker would mean he would probably lose his job and his house and everything else.
But maybe Zuka did deserve to lose everything else. He already lost the most important thing in his life. He made his way home, curling into a ball on his bed and crying. Breaking down fully, unable to think straight. Crossbow watched him, trying to soothe him, rubbing his back gently. She spoke sweet nothings into his ear.
The next morning Zuka awoke to a pounding feeling in his head, he stood up, holding his forehead with a gentle pained expression on his face, all of a sudden his eyes fell upon a blade. A blade he could use to.. He shouldn’t. Rocket wouldn’t want him to cut himself after all, but, how else can he cope? He picked up the blade, dragging it along his leg. Blood dripped from the cuts, he stopped after the first 3. He bandaged his leg and got ready for the day. He walked out of his house, only to (hopefully) see an older version of his son. The blonde boy was no older than 22, having 2 prosthetics, one for his left leg and one for his right arm. He went up to Zuka with a smile, looking at him slightly confused.
”You look younger, and sad. Are you okay, dad?” Zuka’s heart ached as the boy spoke. It wasn’t his Rocket and he knew that but maybe he could reminisce for a moment. He nodded at his question and the version of his son wrapped his arms around him gently. Zuka could’ve broke down there, and he nearly did. His chest heaved with soft sobs as he hugged the boy back, Rocket was confused, rubbing his back gently with a little hesitation. He stood there, allowing the younger version of his father to calm himself in his embrace.
After many hours, the boy faded from Zuka’s arms and he wished anything that this Rocket didn’t have to go, needing the moment with his son for a bit longer. He went to his shop to be greeted with the Broker’s stupid smirk and gleaming eyes.
“Zukes!! How are you today? I’m surprised you came in!!” Zuka scoffed at his words.
THE END!!!!!!