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It was another normal night in the labs when Plague Knight realized something terrifying, so absolutely horrible and abhorrent, and maybe even a little sickening…
…He had a crush on his lab partner, Mona.
It had been about a couple of months after their first meeting. Truthfully, it was a day like any other for Plague, save for his fateful meeting; mischievery, petty theft, illegal alchemical warfare, the works. He was on the run from the local authorities after stupidly getting caught (another common occurrence, although he swore it was always Percy’s fault when questioned), and while trying to reach for a bomb from his satchel tripped on a pothole and fell headfirst into her: Mona Mopes. He had no clue who she was. She had seen him on countless wanted posters. And yet, when he tumbled into her, guards barreling toward him, she grabbed him by the hand and led him to the safety of the alleyway shadows, using a homemade smoke bomb to throw the guards off their trail. A strange change of pace to be helped for once, Plague had thought back then.
But, of course, everything came at a price in this world. When he had collected himself in that alleyway, she thrusted her hand into his for a handshake.
“The name’s Mona. You’re Plague Knight, right? I’ve been looking for you.”
“Ooh, hee hee, a bounty hunter! Heh, listen, I’ve got somewhere to be, and my bounty isn’t that high, so I suggest we go our separate ways before things get ugly and time consuming!” Plague said, mindlessly tapping on his staff with one hand and the other slowly reaching for a bomb from his satchel.
“I–what? No, I’m not a bounty hunter; I’m an alchemist, or at least, an aspiring one. I’m so tired of keeping my research a secret, of no one understanding my work…I want to meet other alchemists. I want to join your team, Plague Knight.”
“Hmm…hee hee hee, a fellow alchemist, I see…well, heh, what’s in it for me? Seeing as you saving me from those guards didn’t just come from the kindness of your heart, hee!”
“Um, well, I have plenty of my own ingredients and research that I’d be willing to share.”
Plague tilted its head as if to tell her to go on.
“...and I also won’t turn you in for this seemingly small bounty, which is still on the table if you’d prefer…” Mona deadpanned while crossing her arms.
Plague thought about it to himself. He knew nothing about Mona; could he really trust her with his lab, his fellow alchemists, with himself? But she had saved him, risked her life and reputation just for this. Plus, her smoke bomb from earlier was a major improvement compared to his… And besides, did he not openly welcome such chaos into his life just for a little fun? The Explodatorium could use fresh new ideas like hers. And so, Plague Knight agreed, and they walked off in tandem toward the secret path to his home.
And though he hadn’t thought much of it back then, Mona was still in his lab as a loyal member of team Plague to this day, and now it was all he could think about; It had finally dawned on him during their most recent experiment.
“Hmm…if we added ectoplasm, this potion would finally start to stabilize if our calculations are correct. Could you grab us some, Plaguey?” Mona said while studying their recipe intensely.
His heart skipped a beat. Years of building up his hardened, maniacal facade, a lifetime of strife and solitude all seemed to crumble in Plague’s mind at the sound of a nickname. Was it really that stupid to let its guard down to the first woman who was nice to it?
But this was so much more than that, Plague thought further. Mona is different. It had been so long since it thought of anyone in that way, if ever; he was starting to think he couldn’t feel that way at all, just another sign it really was destined to be a social outcast from the start. And as he found his way deeper into illegal alchemical wonders, he found himself caring less and less about it; who had time for normal people things like “dating” or “romance” when there was science to be done? But now, there was science to be done…with someone else. Not someone like Percy or his minions, who he mostly tolerated for convenience. Mona was brilliant and thoughtful, quick witted at a pace Plague struggled to keep up with. It was exhilarating. Working in tandem with her as the hours ticked away like seconds; there were no dull moments when Mona was around, and when she was gone, he couldn't help but find himself waiting until the next time they would meet.
But now there was nothing to be done about its predicament. he was too far gone to be any sort of decent suitor. If Plague ever told her, she’d just laugh and laugh… the thought of it made his heart sink like a stone. But to keep such a secret to himself was agony. He’d become quite the liar over the years, and whether it was a habit, a compulsion, a tool in his arsenal, or potentially all of the above, it served him well. He reveled in confusing and deceiving others, never giving a second thought to the moral implications. Yet, with Mona, it felt wrong. There was no sense of pride with this secret; it was a mark of cowardice. But the rest of him was worse. There was no way, shape or form she'd be attracted to him… unless…
unless he was a different way, different shape, a different form?
“Plague, the ectoplasm…?”
“–Hee!! Just found it!”
He snapped back to reality, walking the ingredient over to Mona. He tried to pry the lid off for her; she gestured for the jar after his efforts proved ineffective. She popped it open with only a little force. Of course. Just another example of how incompatible they were, how imperfect he was compared to her. But despite this, when she poured the ectoplasm into the caldron and stole a quick glance from Plague with her beautiful, focused gaze and her faint smile, suddenly nothing else seemed to matter…
Plague snapped out of it and drifted back to his thoughts. What if things were different? What if he were different? Why, he had an alchemist’s haven at his disposal, and with Mona, there was nothing the two of them couldn’t create! A potion to change himself for her, the ultimate demonstration of love… how had it not thought of this sooner? Plague would be forced to keep this potion’s true purpose a secret from Mona, along with his feelings for her. But if he completed his quest, she’d come to understand how the ends justified the means, and all would be well. It was the perfect plan.
Mona had gotten every last drop of ectoplasm out of the jar. At first, nothing happened. But after a moment of shared worried glances, Plague and Mona watched the caldron’s contents burst into a bright, shimmering pink: a success!
“Finally, we’re getting somewhere with this!” Mona exclaimed. As they both watched their concoction bubble, Plague was already planning their next project; something much more ambitious and risky, something way beyond either of their current alchemical expertise, but something he knew that would be very, very worth it for the both of them. Finally, they were getting somewhere indeed.