Chapter Text
Relearning to be human after spending the majority of her teenage and adult life either in a lab, as “Goddess Fawn”, being unleashed as a punishment, or as “The Boogey” was a challenge, to say the least. How was she supposed to know how to just be Gem after she was consistently denied that right for years for one reason or another? It’d only been a month since she healed everyone she had harmed- and even less time than that since she was allowed to leave the hospital!
Even after Gem finally managed to escape the cult she grew up in, she was still a victim of the pain and suffering they caused. She also caused others’ pain and suffering, not that she ever wanted to. It was what they had designed her to be, cursing her with life-long struggles that she didn’t believe she would ever be free from. The persistent nightmares and unhealthy coping mechanisms only reinforced that thinking for her.
Even after she was reunited with her brother, Scott, and was nursed back to health, Gem still found life difficult. She was no longer The Boogey (though it could come back if she wasn’t careful), and she was no longer physically controlled by them, sure, but her mind hadn’t recovered. Gem hoped that she would be okay one day, but she doubted it. Being with Scott again already felt like a cruelly hopeful dream.
Even after everything, she was still here. Somehow. Gem hadn’t thought that there would ever be a day she would be able to escape again, but here she was. Her hope and spirit had been squashed several times over, so she was having to work tirelessly to bring it back up. It was such a draining and emotionally exhausting process, but she was working on it. She had to.
Considering the fact that Gem was a problem the Traffic City Hero Agency had to deal with, and that she could always revert back into The Boogey if she became severely malnutritioned and unstable again, the hero agency had been given the responsibility of maintaining her health. They assigned her a therapist licensed to work with heroes and associated people (like people in her situation), and required her to attend routine checkups at the Traffic City Hero Agency Lab. They told her the section of the lab she was being sent to was more like going to the doctors than being experimented on, but Gem was still uneasy about the whole thing. She didn’t exactly have a choice but to go, though…
All of that led her here, sitting in such a bright waiting room that she wouldn’t be surprised if splotches started peppering her vision and partially blinding her. Gem tapped her foot against the floor as she glanced around the room anxiously with her deer-like ears flicked down. True to their word, this section of the lab did remind her of doctors’ offices, not that she had much experience with that either.
Gem had gone to their small town’s doctor’s office a few times in her youth, but those memories were pretty faded and old now. While elements of the building were more like a doctor’s office, several things were extremely lab-like. These little things, such as the strong smell of sanitizer and the spotless white walls, only made her anxiety and paranoia spike to high levels. It was a struggle to try and keep them down enough to attempt to partly function.
“Gemini Cherry?” A cow hybrid in a lab coat called her name, her gaze instantly snapping to look at them.
If Gem were a regular civilian and this was a normal doctor’s appointment, she may have said “That’s me!” while flashing them a polite smile, but this wasn’t that. Instead, Gem hesitantly rose to her feet before forcing her heavy, stiff-acting limbs to follow after them. The cow hybrid led Gem to a private room and gestured for her to enter first. Gem swallowed hard before doing as she was told, a tingly sensation uncomfortably spiking up her arms from her fingertips.
The door slammed behind her, causing Gem to jump. She whipped her body around, eyes widening and mouth gaping open. A small, broken cry left her lips before being swallowed and forced back down her throat. Gem held her hand against her throat, feeling her barely-noticeable Adam’s apple bob against her palm. They didn’t like when she made distressed noises, after all. Gem was assured that this place would be much kinder (a rather low bar), but Gem could never be sure.
Gem slinked herself into a corner, her back slamming against the wall with a harsh THUD! She hugged her knees to her chest to make herself as small as she could. If she was small enough, maybe they would leave her alone.
A perk (if one could call it that) of being malnutritioned and near-starving throughout a good portion of her developmental years was that she was quite short. It not only helped her feel small when it felt safer to do so (giving her some sense of ease, however small), but it also helped relieve some of her dysphoria. She was grateful she wasn’t as tall or taller than Scott, for he was a man and she wasn’t.
Scott. Oh, how Gem wished Scott was allowed to come in with her. His presence wouldn’t solve all her problems, but he would help. He’s always helped her before, when they allowed them to see each other before they were sent home for the day. This place wouldn’t allow him in despite her begging, unfortunately.
Another high-pitched whine akin to a fawn’s bleat grew in her throat, communicating her distress to the empty room.
Apparently, only those employed by the Traffic City Hero Agency (or special cases like her) were allowed anywhere near the lab. Scott was simply an ordinary civilian in the government’s eyes, so he was not permitted entry, and their willingness to let him in would only decrease if they knew he was also the villain Starflower.
There was a fervent pounding growing worse in her head as her vision became null and her lungs ached with every strained gasp for air. Gem figuratively lost connection to the world she was in as her consciousness was mentally transported to a soul-crushing void. Everything warped into itself as panic squeezed her overworked, throbbing heart. It was all too much. She couldn’t handle it anymore! It was just too much, too much, too much-
“Hey, Gemstone, you in there?” A voice called for her attention, like an angel talking to her from the heavens. The void dissipated from around her as she followed the comforting voice toward the light. Her vision started to clear up the closer the voice got and the more the void faded away. “Tell me what you need right now.”
Gemstone? She inwardly questioned the nickname, briefly wondering how she knew the speaker. It must be someone she knew; why would they give her a nickname otherwise? She dismissed the question, her mind not having the resources to spend on evaluating it. Gem may have pondered it longer if she wasn’t currently having a panic attack of sorts.
“What you’re feeling is scary, but it’s not dangerous,” he continued to talk to her in a calm, almost fatherly voice. It was strangely enthusiastic in a way Gem had never really been talked to before. “It’s human to feel like this, though it isn’t fun, that’s for sure! Can you wiggle your arms for me? Oh, good job, Gem! You’re doing so well. Can you count to ten with me? One, two, three, keep going, good job!”
Gem did as she was instructed to the best of her ability, letting his praise and kind words guide her away from the panic tornado that continued to try and pick her up and throw her around haphazardly. She squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could while the tingling sensation faded and her breathing started to even out.
When she opened them again, she was met with a man with vividly blue eyes, neatly trimmed stubble, and a friendly smile crouching down in front of her. His smile turned more into a grin when he recognized she was doing better and was more aware of her surroundings. “Hey there, Gemstone! Feeling better?”
“Who are you?” Gem croaked, her throat still sort of scratchy and sore. Had she screamed and simply didn’t remember it? When did her throat get this dry? “Why-?”
“I’m Skizz. I don’t know if you remember me, but I remember you.” Skizz must have realized how that sounded because he continued quickly after with, “I don’t have any hard feelings toward you, don’t worry! I was just one of the people you disinfected about a month-ish ago, something like that. I was in my hero outfit though, so maybe you would remember the name ‘Skizzleman’ better? I never really kept up a true secret identity, so it was more like a stage name, but you’re not from ‘round here so I don’t expect you to know that.”
It was a bunch of information all at once, but Gem sort of liked his talkative nature. It was like he was simply open and honest, unable to cover plans of harm if he had any. It wasn’t a guarantee, of course, but it did help put Gem at ease… somewhat. Not fully, but it would have to be enough. It’s not like there was an alternative or better option.
Gem
did
feel guilty though, her guilt weighed heavily in her stomach, but she was well acquainted with that feeling at this point. Gem had infected a lot of people over the years, even before the media discovered her and called her “The Boogey”, and, as “Goddess Fawn” she’s healed plenty as well. It never really got easier… “I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault, kiddo.” Skizz looked like he was about to ruffle her white-speckled ginger hair between her broken antlers, but he held back from touching her. It was for the best, for Gem had developed an aversion to touch by most people, especially strangers. Scott was the only one with a pass, but Scott’s best friend, Pearl, and his boyfriend, Tango, were slowly gaining a pass as well. They’ve been helping Gem along with Scott, and hanging around the apartment and the Galaxy Duo lair a lot, which were both places Gem spent the majority of her time. “What matters is that those people are okay now and that you’re getting the help you need.”
Gem didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything at all. She simply stared at him with tears wet on her cheeks. When had she started crying? She didn’t know nor did she really care. Gem wasn’t sure why she did it, but next thing she knew, she was hugging him tightly with her face buried into his shoulder. The closest reasoning Gem could come up with was that she had this overwhelming feeling to be
held,
and she wasn’t sure when it had become too strong for her to deny herself from it.
Skizz’s arms wrapped tightly around her, his hold strong, protective, and safe. It was like a single hug could keep the world at bay, even if it was for a few moments. It was unrealistic, but Gem was willing to latch onto the idea despite that.
“I’m sorry that all that happened to you, Gemstone,” Skizz apologized when Gem should be the one apologizing to him, “but I’m glad you have a chance to have the life you deserve now. I’ll get infected hundreds of times over if it means the outcome would result in helping you. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to do more for you.”
This man was confusing Gem. Why did he treat her like this? It was more than she deserved for the atrocities she’s caused, willingly or not. Another sob escaped her throat as she continued to soak Skizz’s shirt.
“Would you like me to stay with you for your appointment?” Skizz offered altruistically. “I can wait with you after as well, just until your brother or whoever else picks you up.”
“Would you do that?” Gem asked, her voice tiny and weak.
“Of course I would,” he responded like it was no big deal- when it was, at least to her.
Gem broke the hug to blink rapidly at him. She didn’t know what to do with him, but she did her best to try and match his smile, though hers was significantly smaller. “Thank you, Skizz. I would like that.”
Skizz didn’t say “You’re welcome!” or “No problem” or anything else of the sort like she might have expected. Instead, Skizz pointed out a long, thin cut on the back of her hand. “Would you like me to heal that?”
Gem frequently wore long sleeves and pants because she was constantly cold, meaning she was not exposing much skin, yet Skizz zeroed in on the one visible place she had marked up on her body. The cut was a stupid incident involving her doing the dishes to help out and a kitchen knife. She also had several smaller cuts from other (equally stupid) situations like paper cuts or the rough edge of plastic wrapping. Her immune system was fairly weak, so they took forever to heal.
“What do you mean?” Gem inquired, squinting her eyes at Skizz’s question.
“I can take on people’s wounds and minor ailments from their bodies and put them on my own,” Skizz explained his ability, trying to give details while not being too complex. “I have a fast and strong immune system, so it doesn’t take as long to heal, especially when I’m healthy and have lots of energy. It’ll be really easy to heal it up for you and I’ll barely feel it.”
Gem hesitated as her gaze fell to the cut on the back of her hand before turning it over to reveal her marked-up palm and fingers. Should she let him heal her? It would be nice to be able to wash her hands without it stinging her uncomfortably…
Skizz gingerly took Gem’s hands in his after she nodded. The wounds lit up like they could glow for a few heartbeats, Skizz’s hands the next few, and then the glow was gone. The glow’s existence was the definition of “there one moment, gone the next.”
Gem flipped her hands over several times, observing them and running her fingers against the clear skin that was previously scuffed up. She lifted her head some to observe Skizz’s hands, which now acquired identical markings to what Gem had previously. It had only been a minute max, but they already looked to be further along in the healing process than they had when Gem had them.
The door to the room swung open before Gem had time to properly react or thank Skizz. The cow hybrid doctor (or scientist? Gem wasn’t sure) had returned, though they furrowed their eyebrows. “Mr. Heart? What are you doing here?”
“Skizz is good, doctor,” he corrected lightheartedly, but he didn’t dwell on it, “and I’m here to accompany Gem through her appointment. Surely that isn’t any trouble.”
The doctor’s cow-like tail flicked as they examined their chart, glanced over their shoulder, examined their chart again, and looked back up at Gem and Skizz. They sighed before walking into the room the rest of the way, closing the door behind them. “No trouble at all. Shall we get started?”