Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1.

Damn it. Damn it all, damn it all to hell—

Kel couldn't form a more coherent thought as he shook on the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks, the cold linoleum robbing him of whatever little heat he had before going on this mission. The danger wasn't over, very much the opposite, but he could do nothing more than whimper and try not to cry out in pain from his arm, that felt like it was on fire.

He was in an old hospital that was being used as the hideout of some criminal groups, the chilly air of the morning filling the dusty, stained room. His target—or former target, was already long gone, cackling cruelly at him, saying something about children wanting to play at being adults, after literally breaking his arm.

And Kel...Kel should be chasing after him. He should be trying to apprehend him, make him talk and spill information, prove himself in his first proper mission ever for the Garden, but all he could do was kneel and shake.

He should have known. He should have known, because nothing had been inherently wrong, nothing had been out of place or suspicious, and yet, and yet—

Something in him had told him he was not alone.

And Kel entered the room anyway. Like an idiot.

He couldn't help but flinch at the sound of shouting, banging and clattering out in the hallway, and when footsteps approached the door he ducked his head, ashamed at his fear but not wanting anyone else to kick him while he was down, to laugh in his face and stomp on his arm so hard it—

"Oh, Kel, what happened?!"

Kel's shoulders instantly went down at the sound of his friend's voice. With difficulty, he opened his eyes and blinked away the blurriness, coming face to face with an ashen faced Basil, kneeling in front of him. He had one hand extended, like he didn't know whether to touch him or not, and he looked a little banged up, his cheekbone swollen, but not out of commission. Not like Kel was.

"T-T-The man—" Kel stuttered, thinking quickly. "We h-have to—he could c-come h-here—!"

"No, you're safe," Basil reassured, eyeing Kel's fallen knife with furrowed eyebrows, and then his hand clutching the hurt arm. "Is your arm broken?"

Kel's breathing picked up, and Basil shushed him gently.

"No, no, no, it's okay, it's alright. You're safe. We're safe."

"The guy—!"

"Out of commission," Basil promised, giving him a wobbly smile. "Everyone must already be finishing up. I'll call someone to come get us."

"I c-c-can't—" Why were Kel's teeth chattering so much? It was cold, but not freezing.

"You're in shock, Kel," Basil said, gently maneuvering him so that he was sitting against a wall instead of kneeling. Kel gritted his teeth as the movement jostled his injury, and fresh tears sprung to his eyes.

"It hurts—"

"I know, I know," looking worried, Basil rummaged around and fished out some white tablets from his pocket. "H-Here, take one, it'll help with the pain."

Kel shook his head, he couldn't let go of his arm, not when the pressure helped reduce the pain. Reduce it by, like, a 0.000001%, but it was better nonetheless. Basil, nonplussed, simply tore the package off himself and took one tablet to his mouth, feeding him gently.

"It dissolves in a minute or two," he explained lowly. "T-They're quick to take effect as well, and our medical team is really good, so don't worry. You'll be just fine, I promise."

Irrationally, his words calmed Kel down, as the tears slowed and he breathed a little easier. He was still shaky and ghostly white, but as the pill melted in his mouth, he could feel his arm numbing a bit, and Basil's tranquil demeanor aided in lowering his heart rate. Like this, he could see there was no blood, and silence coated the building, save from some muffled voices downstairs. Since no one was screaming...they must be from the Garden.

"...Did..." he swallowed. "Did we win?"

Basil smiled. "Yeah, Kel. We won."

"I'm sorry," Kel shut his eyes, feeling heat gathering behind his eyelids again, as the situation crashed in full. "I'm sorry, God, I'm such an idiot—"

"Don't say that," Basil shook his head. "Y-You did very well."

"But it wasn't good enough," he sniffled. "I wasn't good enough. I thought something seemed off, but nothing looked wrong, so I..."

Basil fell quiet for a while, and then sat next to him, legs stretched out in front of him.

"...Trust your instincts, Kel," he said, quietly. Some of earlier's fear still seeped through his words. "In this line of work, m-maybe that'll be more useful than weapons...Instincts are going to be what saves your life m-more than once."

"...I'm sorry I messed this up," Kel mumbled, now more tired than in pain. "...Pluto will be disappointed."

His trainer was kind and strong; a tall, wrinkly, bald man that was pure muscle and caffeine, and he'd been such a huge help in showing him the ropes ever since he enlisted...he taught him the basics in spite of being old enough to be retired, and him and Basil had helped the Garden feel like a second home in just a few months. Pluto had sent him off on this mission with such a hopeful look on his face...and he just let him down.

"Pluto will be happy you didn't get killed," Basil countered. "Do you know how m-many agents get everything right at fifteen? Not many. And why are you acting like you didn't knock out like five people before?"

"Beginner's luck," Kel frowned, still glum. "Why was I able to take those five but not this one? He wasn't even that strong, he just...took me by surprise."

"Y-You can't have been seriously expecting to succeed completely on your first mission, right Kel?" Basil blinked at him, disbelieving. Kel blushed and looked away.

"Kel."

"Well, that's just not how it's supposed to go, okay?" he blurted out. "I was supposed to beat the odds and stuff, and make you guys proud of me...classic underdog story, y'know?"

Basil huffed. "An underdog story still has failures, Kel. A-And this is real life. It's g-going to be more challenging than stories!"

"Yeah, well, I know that now," Kel felt so mortified right now. He'd been so sure he would go back as a hero...the rookie that carried on the legacy of the Garden or something, but he was just...Kel. A beat up fifteen year old kid with a broken arm. "It's just...losing like this is..."

"You did great," Basil firmly said, his eyes earnest. "F-For being your first mission, you just having a broken arm is impressive."

"...I don't know if I should be flattered or scared."

"Be flattered," Basil giggled and took out a phone, shooting a quick message. "Now, breathe with me."

A few calming exercises and a hundred reassurances later, other agents came to get them, as promised. They were all very nice, in that rough way of theirs, and assured him he was a great help. Kel ducked his head, kind of embarrassed at the attention, but felt better knowing his little hiccup hadn't hindered the mission. The Garden also didn't immediately bust down his door and kick him out into the streets, forever stripping him of his title as agent in the cold rain, like he feared, so he guessed he had that going for him.

...Being wheeled into the med bay and being treated for his arm was not fun though.

It wasn't even broken broken, just fractured, but the doctors worked their magic and told him it would be good as new in a few weeks, and Basil and Pluto kept him company the entire time, both buying him a cake as celebration for his first successful mission. Kel thought he saw Pluto tearing up, but very carefully did not mention it, tired of being lectured after Basil snitched about his thoughts of disappointing him. Good news was, Pluto was proud of him. Bad news? He got chewed out while reviewing his mistakes.

"...This was kind of a mess, huh?" he said, munching on a piece of cake. Pluto chuckled, voice raspy.

"Be proud, boy! You helped catch a multitude of evildoers!" as eccentric as ever, he pumped his fist up towards the sky. "Now say it!"

Kel smiled. "When I flex, I feel my best!"

"I can't hear you!"

"When I flex, I feel my best!!!"

Pluto nodded while Basil hid his laugh behind his hand. Kel sighed, arm still aching but his belly full and satisfied, surrounded by friends. He wished he could mark this occassion on his calendar. However, there was still the issue of...

"...So, what are we going to tell my parents?"

Pluto smirked.

"Well, you like climbin' trees, don't you, boy?"

Chapter Text

2.

Of all injuries Basil had gotten on the job, minor ones had to be the ones he hated the most.

Yes, it was less pain and less strain, but that was exactly the problem. They weren't life threatening, but they were juuuust painful enough to annoy him the whole day.

Like his cracked ribs right now.

Not hurting enough that he would keel over, but just painful enough that it was severely irritating, plus he had to sleep upright for the early stages of healing, which sucked. Basil wasn't the type to get annoyed often, but...

"So it'll take six weeks?"

"Give or take," Basil grumbled, Kel making a sympathetic noise next to him. They were in the Suzuki's kitchen, tasked with cutting the fruit for their picnic with friends, and Kel had taken one look at Basil's murderous slicing of a poor pineapple before he asked him what was wrong.

"Man, that sucks," Kel said, sympathetic. "I've had cracked ribs before, so I totally get it. If you need anything, just ask, okay?"

"Thanks, Kel," Basil sighed, irked when the simple action sent a stab of pain up his sides. "I just...I don't want to snap at anyone.  I wouldn't exactly be able to explain, and they would get suspicious."

"I think they already are," Kel snickered when Basil sent him a look. "What? It's not often that you get this mad! It's kinda weird."

"I'm not mad," Basil snapped, ironically stabbing the heart of the fruit right as he said it. Kel's booming laugh echoed through the kitchen just as Aubrey stepped in.

"Are you guys done?" She asked. "Mari already put down everything else."

"Yup!" Kel smiled, showing their slices, put haphazardly on a plate. Aubrey made a face at the messy fruit.

"Ugh, Kel, couldn't you have organized it a bit better?"

"They are organized," Kel pouted, looking at a slowly dripping piece of mango. "Kind of. But what does it matter? We're gonna eat them in a minute."

"It's the principle of presentation, Kel! Nobody would eat this mush in a restaurant!"

"It's going to be mush in our stomachs anyway, Aubrey!"

Basil plopped the pineapple slices on the plate and put the knife down on the counter, maybe with too much force, judging by the way his friends fell silent. Aubrey-Kel arguments were exasperating on a good day, but Basil really didn't have the patience to listen to their incessant banter with his sides throbbing to hell and back. Still, the clatter had been entirely unintentional and Aubrey's wide eyes made him feel bad. It wasn't her fault he was hurt.

"S-Sorry," he said nervously, a bit of red making its way to his cheeks. "My hand slipped."

"...It's okay," Kel smiled in understanding. "Well, either way, things are ready, so let's head out, shall we?"

"Fine," Aubrey eyed him a little, then stepped forward. "Let me carry the plates, yeah?"

"Um, okay, t-thanks Aubrey," Basil watched as she gave him a soft smile and she headed out into the Suzuki's backyard. Kel leaned down.

"Told you they noticed," he whispered. "She's being extra nice today, and Sunny avoids you like the plague."

Basil pressed his lips together, feeling the guilt seeping into his heart. He didn't want his friends to act like this around him, but he couldn't help it. Kel and Aubrey butted heads daily, Sunny got all huffy when he was mad, and even Mari got snappy once or twice, mostly when there was some mess involved, like Kel's accident with the orange juice on their carpet, but Hero and him tended to be the calmer ones, he knew. Seeing him like this must be strange—almost like seeing an actually angry Hero. You didn't quite know how to deal with it, so you walked on eggshells around them.

He...didn't like that at all.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled back, the ache from his ribs now transferring to the center of his chest. "I didn't want to be mean."

"You're not being mean," Kel raised his eyebrows. "You're just annoyed! Honestly, maybe you should be angry more often. Let it out, y'know?"

Basil fought hard to keep his face composed, but he couldn't quite keep the memories away. 

Let it out. Be angry.

Yeah, right.

Last time Basil let his base instincts lead like that, it hadn't ended well for literally anyone involved. If there had been anything he was willing to admit his parents had been right about, it was that showing anger was unbecoming, and simply made things worse. It only ever led to him being punished.

In all the senses of the word.

"Um...I d-don't think I want to," he confessed, conjuring up a smile he didn't really feel. "I don't...I don't like being angry, really."

"...I get it," Kel smiled a little, but his eyes were a little sad. "Well, I guess you're not that kind of person. I just worry a little. With the stress of our job and everything..."

"I know," Basil appreciated Kel looking out for him, but he'd been doing this long enough to know how to relieve that stress. Or at least he liked to think he did. Fortunately he'd had Ivan and other people to help him get rid of less healthy habits. "That's what gardening is for, you know? I really do enjoy it."

"So keep doing that! I'll get you some fertilizer later!" Kel went to clap him between his shoulders, in the friendly gesture he always did, but he stopped himself just in time, both of them tensing. "Oops, haha...bad idea."

Basil shook his head, exasperated, but the irritation that had been building up since morning had been snuffed out more than he expected. Kel really was a good friend.

Well, he supposed they should join their friends now, and he could try to be a bit more approachable. He wouldn't be up for any games they would play, but well, making flower crowns didn't require much movement, did it?

Bruised ribs sucked, but there was only so much pills and rest could do for the pain. He would just have to suck it up for the remainder of his recovery and try and be more careful next time.

Chapter Text

3.

In hindsight, it was a little funny.

Kel had been notoriously known for having an affinity for sports since...well, since forever! He was always playing with some ball or jump rope or roller skating all over town without even thinking about it. Any and all sports he could get into, he did, and his parents were surely very relieved when he spent his nearly boundless energy into something 'productive'. His metabolism was pretty fast too, so he could gobble up any and all sweets he found without a worry, up and ready to go challenge anyone he could to race or play soccer with him, which was mainly his dad. When his dad's knees got too old to keep up—no matter how much he denied it—Hero took in the mantle of being Kel's playmate full time. And when Hero got too busy studying, Kel always had his new friend, Sunny, to keep him company. 

However...well, Sunny was very very bad at sports, full offense. 

Kel never told him so, of course, but he always knew Sunny preferred to stay inside and read or draw than play basketball seven times in a row. Sometimes he indulged Kel, but other times he literally hid behind Mari and made some weird hissing noise, like a disgruntled cat.

Mari was out of the question for obvious reasons. She wasn't lacking in energy or anything, but her knee kind of made her tap out early.

Which was why Kel was so incredibly annoying with Aubrey, he would say.

But, come on, she was the perfect playmate! She had lots of energy, was good at sports, and had a competitive streak to match his, as well as ample time to play. Kel poked and prodded any time he could to get her to go to the park, or to the jungle gym, or just to run around, and as much as she complained, he thought she liked playing with him too. They were the sporty members of the group, whereas say; Mari and Hero were the nerds, and Basil and Sunny were the artists.

Or, well, Basil was plenty sporty too. In a lethal kind of way. But he didn't find out until later.

However! All of this to say, Kel wasn't afraid of anything, and could conquer all sports thrown his way! 

Which included swimming.

Kel loved water. Ever since he was a baby, he'd been swimming around like a little dolphin. That had actually been his nickname for a while, before he grew up more and insisted such names were below him. He wasn't afraid of it like Sunny was, didn't clam up and start to sweat like he did, but now he kind of understood the need to hide. After all, he wasn't scared because he knew he could swim away if something went wrong.

But it was kind of hard to do that when you were forced underwater by someone who definitely definitely wanted you dead.

Kel had had his brushes with death, of course, he couldn't not have them, given that he was a secret agent.

But somehow, it never quite sunk in until his vision faded to an awful black.

The man holding him down had a death grip on him, putting all of his weight on his back and keeping one hand on his neck, so tight he knew he would bruise if he survived this. Kel had tried everything—from punching to pinching certain areas, then to simply bucking and struggling to lift his head even a little. He'd given that guy quite a beating before, had even nailed him with two shots to his midsection, but they were both running on adrenaline, so the only thing it did was slow him down for some minutes. Kel knew he wasn't supposed to panic when faced with restraints or threats or any danger, but his heart was beating right out of his chest, so hard he was sure anyone could hear it, the ringing in his ears from when the man had punched him intensified into an unbearable screech, and worst of all—his limbs were slowing down. 

His limbs were slowing down and his vision was so black he couldn't even see the bubbles of precious oxygen leaving his mouth. He'd already exhaled. A few seconds more and he would inhale. A few seconds more and he wouldn't be able to breathe.

A few seconds more and he would die.

But fortunately, just when the burning of his lungs forced him to breathe in a torrent of water—

Light. Movement. Noise.

And Kel was free.

The first thing he did was shoot to his feet, uncoordinated and unbalanced, but there was still the threat of that man, and so his body moved on its own, widening the space between them until he crashed into a wall. He still couldn't see, and his chest burned, and he kind of wanted to pass out, but he couldn't. Not yet, not while the mission was still ongoing.

"Agent!" a voice he recognized as Cris' entered his ears. Not his usual partner, Basil, but a girl he'd only spoken to once or twice. They'd bonded pretty quickly though, thanks to their love of sports, specifically swimming.

Swimming. Funny, now that he'd almost—

"Agent—Ag-Kel, breathe," she commanded, and he still couldn't see her, but he did what she said and oh, he hadn't been breathing—?

The first breath was awful. His lungs protested and so did his throat, and he did a weird spasm before vomiting right in front of Cris, his light lunch earlier and pretty much all the water he'd been forced to swallow. He would have been embarrassed, but he was too busy trying not to fall unconscious. Cris—bless her aquatic soul—stayed with him while his body expelled the last of the water, patting his back reassuringly and not looking fazed in the least.

"That's right, we're okay. You're okay. I dispatched the guy already," she murmured sweetly, helping him to straighten up carefully. "You helped me a lot, you know? He was already weak from your shots."

Kel panted. "That's—" a stab of pain went down his throat, and he coughed, his heart still beating so hard it kind of hurt. But if it hurt, then he was alive. "That's good. That's great."

"Do you need a sec? You're pale."

"No, I'm—I'm good," Kel shook his head, blinking dark spots out of his vision and squeezing Cris' shoulder. "Thanks, Cris."

"Don't mention it," Cris wasn't a senior in the Garden, but she was still of a higher rank than him, and it showed. She was always pretty calm and collected in emergencies. They didn't cross paths much, since her missions were mostly at sea or submarines, but still, she taught Kel many things about fighting underwater. Not that it did much good.

Now that he could actually see, he surveyed their surroundings, his pulse slowly but surely gowing down. An abandoned buiding with many burst pipes, so old and decaying some parts were submerged under greenish, dusty water puddles of varying sizes. The man was face down on the dirt, still breathing but slowly bleeding out from Kel's bullets. They would have to patch him up before leaving...this mission wasn't intended to be lethal, it was only retrieval, but the unexpected always seemed to happen, he guessed. Still, he couldn't help his line of sight from going to a particularly shallow puddle. He felt his stomach doing a somersault.

That. That was not a lot of water. It wasn't even the size of a small pool. And yet he'd almost drowned in there. Cris finished typing something in her phone and followed his gaze.

"Yeah...pretty crazy, right?" she said, somehow reading his thoughts without a problem. "Water is beautiful, but it's also deadly."

"You said it," Kel muttered, feeling goosebumps breaking out on his skin. Whatever, he was fine. He was alive, and that was all that mattered. He sighed, the action still burning his throat, but he was way calmer now, and that was half the battle.

"Man, do they have the goods yet?" he asked, a little more confident, to which Cris giggled but nodded. "Great, then let's get outta here, I'm freezing. Get the others to patch this guy up."

"After you," she made a little bow, and he chuckled, clumsily mimicking a curtsy before exiting the building. While Cris went for their ride, he sighed and opened his own texts on the spare phone, hair dripping wet and chilling in the night's icy air.

A: hey dumbass, the school finally fixed the floors on the pool

A: want a rematch from last month? we can get mari to  tine us

A: time*

Kel blinked. Aubrey was really looking forward to beating him, huh? Made sense, last time Kel had won and she'd argued incessantly that he'd cheated. He went to respond with an of course, if you feel like losing twice! automatically, but his thumbs froze over the screen.

He was still so cold. Trembling, even—tiny shakes that made his fingers wiggle. A small droplet of that disgusting water slid down his nose, hanging on for a second before splashing down on the phone's screen. He pressed his lips together.

...Maybe later. Kel had just...Well, a pool was different, wasn't it? There would be more people there, it would be daytime, it was normal chlorinated water, and more importantly, nobody would be trying to drown him, but...but...

Such a shallow puddle.

The school's pool was pretty big.

Water is beautiful, but it's also deadly.

He shivered, and this time, it wasn't from the wind. He'd been doing better at recovering after crises on his job, but...

Kel shut down his phone.

Maybe later. After a couple of weeks he was certain he would get over it. But right now, he didn't really want to be inside any body of water for a while, not even a bathtub—only showers for him, thanks very much.

He sneezed.

Man, Aubrey is so persistent though, what should I tell her?

...Welp, that was a problem for tomorrow's Kel. Hopefully he would catch a cold before then, and he'd have his excuse.

Chapter Text

4.

"There, easy does it," Kel advised, gently taking his elbow and leading Basil down his house's stairs.

"Here's your crutches, Basil!" Aubrey helpfully handed them to him, and Basil slowly put his weight onto them. Not bad. 

Sunny exited his house last, making sure his door was locked, Basil's backpack hung around his shoulder alongside his own. Basil felt himself blush a little.

"Y-You guys really don't need to go through all t-this trouble," he said, to which Aubrey ruffled his hair. He groaned.

"Nonsense, Basil! What are friends for?"

"Still...um, I can carry my backpack at least," he motioned towards Sunny, but he only blinked at him. "That must be heavy, Sunny."

"It's fine," his friend shrugged, looking funny with two bags on each arm. "If I get tired I'll get Kel to carry them."

"Hey!" Kel pouted. "But, well, yeah, I would."

"Don't feel bad, Basil, it's not like you're at your best with a sprained ankle," Aubrey rolled her eyes and pointed down. "You'll probably just fall on your face if you try and carry everything."

"You shouldn't even be walking," Kel mumbled, so low only Basil could hear, but he still chuckled, sheepish. Kel could actually pull off Hero's "disappointed doctor" look pretty well, even if he didn't realize it.

He looked down, the corners of a bandage around his ankle peeking through under his baggy jeans. Mostly just for show, since his ankle was just fine. He moved one step, then two, and bit back a hiss of pain at the burning in his thigh, also wrapped in bandages—the real injury. Kel was kind of right.

He should not be walking with a bullet wound.

But life had to go on, and he'd already gone through the pain of actually getting shot, then through the humiliation of having Ivan scold him the whole ride home, so the last thing he was going to do was get bad grades because he had to miss school.

And maybe, not being able to get out of the house was making him a little antsy.

Though, the shot wasn't fatal or anything, it didn't hit bone, just the edge of his thigh, but it still took a good chunk out and it hurt like hell. It was steadily healing, but walking was very difficult and he had to craft a story about tripping and falling, which everyone readily believed...kind of too fast, in his opinion. He wasn't that clumsy!

But well, with so much help from his friends, no matter how undeserved, he was able to make it to the bus and to school without too much trouble.

At least Mari and Hero didn't know about this little hiccup.

Sitting in class was kind of awkward though, favoring one side over the other, but overall, it was nothing he couldn't handle.

...That is, until breaktime came around.

His friends had gone to the cafeteria to get their food, Aubrey and Kel securing lunch and Sunny making sure they found an empty table, and they insisted heavily on him staying back in the classroom until they could pick him up—Kel had even glared at him to stay put, or, well, tried. His friend just wasn't good at intimidating faces, Basil thought fondly, but did as he was told, sat at his desk and pillowed his head in his arms, taking the chance to get a much needed nap.

...And ended up sleeping for about thirty minutes. Basil sighed as he blinked awake and saw the classroom still empty, his stomach rumbling. What could be taking them so long?

They left you here on purpose suddenly blared inside his head as loud as a siren before he shut it down with practiced ease. He didn't have much of these thoughts anymore, they were more frequent when he had just met his friends, but sometimes they still popped up once in a while, mostly when he was stressed. He glanced down at his phone just in case, only to see he already had some messages.

Aubrey: Basil!!! we're so sorry! theres a freaking line as long as the whole damn cafeteria!! 

A picture was attached. The cafeteria's queue was in its full glory, Sunny's face being cropped at the bottom, looking distinctly displeased. Basil grimaced. Oh, that was a lot of people. 

Aubrey: It's apparently pizza ddya today and we forgot

Aubrey: day*

Aubrey: So everybody wants to gets seconds and stuff. We'll try to get a slice as fast as we can!!

You: Oh, it's alright, Aubrey! 

You: I was actually napping before, so I don't mind waiting a little!

Basil sighed. Well, he was a bit hungry, but he could handle it.

But there was something he couldn't.

Someone opened the door to the classroom, and Basil supressed a wince when he saw who was coming. One of the guys who always liked to bully him, Cliff, seemed surprised to see him there, but soon got over his shock and his mouth spread in a smirk. Ah, here we go again, Basil thought, pressing his lips together.

"Well, well, well," Cliff began, beelining for his desk with an ugly expression. "Didn't expect to see ya in here. Did your friends finally ditch you? Maybe—"

Basil tuned him out and tried to look the right amount of scared as he spat out his usual spiel. That Basil was a wimp, and a loser, and really, wasn't he tired of picking on people? Basil wasn't really intimidated by a school bully of all things, but sitting there and letting someone insult him, even though it was necessary for his cover, wasn't his idea of fun, so he slowly stood up and tried to reach for his crutches. Cliff blocked him.

"Where do you think you're going, huh?" he looked down at his bandaged ankle. "Hurt yourself again, didja? Man, can you do anything right for once?"

"Please let me go," Basil whispered, attempting to go around him, but again, he was stopped, this time by a hand on his shoulder. He tensed. 

"Boo-hoo. You gonna cry? Hah, good luck getting around school without these," Cliff grabbed his crutches, and pushed him hard. Basil froze as he lost his balance, and his leg instinctively shot back to prevent his fall, but he couldn't contain a strangled sound of pain as his foot slammed down and shockwaves of tension ran through his injured leg.

Just his luck.

His knee buckled, and he toppled over, managing to break his fall with his hands, but it did nothing for the bullet wound that had certainly reopened. Cliff seemed startled at the exaggerated reaction, but before he could say anything the door opened, and Kel was suddenly there, shoving Cliff away. The boy paled, though he tried to hide it—Kel's strength was something nobody wanted to mess with—and he ran away, mumbling something about revenge that slipped past the blood roaring in Basil's ears.

"—kill him one of these days!" Kel was saying, and he knelt beside him, putting a hand on his back. "Basil, are you hurt?"

He sucked in a breath, trying to steady his breathing, his thigh pulsating painfully. "I landed—ah, I landed on my leg."

Kel winced. "Shoot. Think the wound reopened?"

"You tell me," Basil clenched his teeth and looked down at the same time as his friend, watching as a small pool of red bloomed through the fabric of his jeans.

"...Damn," Kel sighed heavily and went for his backpack, rummaging around the hidden pocket of it and pulling out an emergency first aid kit. He put it under his arm and placed himself at Basil's side, throwing his other arm around his shoulders. "I told the guys I would keep you company 'till they arrived. Think you can walk to the bathroom?"

The fabric of his jeans, as baggy as it was, rubbed nauseatingly on the wound, and the bathroom seemed miles far in this state, but Basil couldn't be whiny, so he just nodded and threw back the question,

"T-Think you can clean it and re-stitch it before they get here?"

"Ten minutes?" Kel widened his eyes. Basil gathered enough strength to give him a grin.

"What, i-is it too hard?" thankfully, Kel seemed to relax at that, and matched his expression with a smile of his own.

"Not at all, just watch me. I'll get it done in five."

Chapter Text

5.

This was not ideal. Not ideal at all.

"Kel, where are you?!" Basil wasn't usually this firm, but he was supposed to meet up with his partner twenty minutes ago, and their mission deadline was rapidly approaching. They were supposed to close a small case today, but instead, here Basil was, at 7 PM across the city with a distinct empty spot next to him where Kel was supposed to be. His partner made a noise at the other side of the phone call.

"What? I'm at home, man. Do you need something?" he sounded kind of weird, but Basil overlooked that as he swallowed the rough sigh that wanted to come out.

"Don't joke around, Kel. You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!"

A beat of silence. "...Okay...uh...and when you say 'here', um...where do you mean, exactly?"

Basil paused, irritation fading at the repeating weird tone of his friend's voice. He sounded...heavy, slow. 

"...W-What do you mean? East of Crystal city? To close the Peters case?"

Worry rose up in him when Kel muttered a stream of curses, clatters and muffled bangs sounding close to his ear, like Kel had jolted up. 

"Oh my God, how did I forget?!" Kel hissed. "Damn, I'm so sorry, Basil, give me fifteen, no, ten minutes and I'll be there—"

Something wasn't right. Kel didn't simply forget cases. Basil knew he'd been a bit...out of sorts, lately, but...Basil frowned and listened more closely as Kel continued to ramble.

"—still in the house but I'll just make up an excuse, uh...damn, where's my gear? Anyway, I'll meet you in Amber—no, Crystal city so just wait—"

Basil blinked. No. Kel didn't sound slow, his speech was slurring. His speech was slurring and he had apparently lost his gear and had also almost gotten the city wrong even though Basil had just said it.

All of this paired up with the fact he had been massaging the same specific spot on his head and flinched at a car honk yesterday...

Ah.

Basil shoulders sagged, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, interrupting Kel's string of incoherent words.

"Kel, are you concussed?"

Silence. Damning silence that would be funny in any other situation, but now it was just worrying.

"...No?"

"Kel."

"Just a little!" his friend defended himself. "It was just a bump, okay? I'll be right there, so—"

"You are not working with a concussion, Kel, are you insane?"

"I can do it! Look, man, I've already got my shoes on—"

"Where's your gear?"

Silence again. Basil sighed and started walking, knowing now he'd have to close the case by himself, and quick, so he could go back and take care of his dumb partner.

"I'll...I'll just take the spare..."

"Are your lights turned off?"

"Wha...? Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Turn them on."

"Why?"

"Just humor me, please."

A sigh and a click, and then a yelp so loud Basil swallowed back his laugh. Kel grumbled.

"...Jerk. Fine, so I've got a headache and lights hurt, so what?"

"Kel, please just stay home. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"No way, I can help...I can..." he trailed off.

"Kel?" Basil asked, concerned. Kel groaned.

"...I just realized my shoes are different sizes. What the hell, is this Hero's boot?" 

"Proving my point."

"Whatever," Kel huffed, but there was the sound of springs of a mattress, so it was safe to say he'd gone back to bed, or at least sat down. "Fine. I admit it."

"Just go back to bed, okay? Maybe when you wake up, I'll be there."

"...Alright. I know I'm...not useful like this..." Kel sounded embarrassed, and Basil wanted to reassure him, but there was no time. "Be careful."

"Always."

And that was that. Basil looked up at the night sky. Well, that was one issue taken care of, now he just had to hope Kel wouldn't get himself into trouble before he arrived.

...Which is, of course, what he came back to.

As soon as he was able, Basil changed and went back to Faraway, and even though the mission didn't take too long, it was still nine thirty by the time he arrived. He knocked on the Ramírez's door, and was welcomed by a messy-haired Hero under the guise that his uncle wanted to ask if they had any spare sugar they could borrow last minute. He, of course, welcomed him with open arms, only asking if he could be quiet, since their parents were already asleep and only he remained awake, studying for an exam.

"Thanks, Hero," Basil said lowly, holding the now refilled sugar container in his hands as he tried to approach the actual reason he was here. "So, um...w-where's Kel? He's usually not asleep this early..."

"He told me he was feeling a bit under the weather, so he turned in earlier," he paused. "Actually, he also said to wake him up if you came by. I wonder..."

Basil resisted the urge to sweat. Seems Kel was chatty.

"Oh, y-yeah, he...I lent him some of my notes for the science exam and...I was supposed to come back for them."

"At this hour?"

"T-Tommorrow, really, he probably meant that you should w-wake him up tommorrow when I came by."

"...I see," Hero frowned, and Basil worried he would call his lie out, but fortunately, he only said, "I think he might be sicker than he let on...he seemed distracted...more than usual, I mean."

"T-That's fine," Basil would just sneak him some pills, check his pupils and drop some hints of a knock to the head, and then he would leave. "If y-you don't mind, I could get my notes real quick? I'll be s-silent, I promise."

Hero nodded. "Go for it. Also, for the record, you're not imposing."

"Aha..." Basil chuckled awkwardly, embarrassed his train of thought could be read so easily, but turned and went to Kel's room. It was dark again, and there was an unmoving lump on the bed. He had to step over several shirts, comics and—wait, was that one of Kel's daggers under the bed?! Basil snatched it up and tucked it under his sweater, exasperated. Kel really was out of it. Now to check his friend.

Basil approached the bed silently and prepared himself, stopping at a healthy distance and taking a pillow. Then he nudged Kel with a finger.

Thump!

The subsequent punch was muffled by the pillow, as half hearted as it was. He thought this might happen with Kel this injured. 

"Wh—who's there?!" Kel shot up and squinted at him, slurring his words again. "Don't mess with me, I'll...I'll shoot."

"With what gun, Kel?" Basil smiled and patted his shoulder. "Relax, you're safe. It's me."

"...Basil?" Kel blinked a few times and finally seemed to recognize him. The way his whole body sagged warmed something inside Basil's chest. He was glad Kel trusted him this much.

"That's right," he nodded and fished a little pack out of his pocket. "Here, I got Tylenol for you. A-Also some Zofran if you get nauseous, but I can't give you anything else, okay? How long have you been concussed?"

Kel seemed to take some seconds to process. "...How long? My previous mission...don't remember how, but I knocked my head on...on something."

"Your previous mission?" Basil's blood ran cold. "Kel, that was three days ago!" 

"...Didn't think it was a big deal."

"...I'm going to tell Hero about this," Basil muttered, the concern that lied dormant flaring up once more. Kel whined and plopped back on the bed, wincing.

"Don't. He'll just worry more."

"Should've thought about that before hiding a hit to the head for three days," Basil stood up. "Honestly, Kel, sometimes you have the self preservation of a fish."

"I don't...need to hear that from you," Kel buried his head in the pillow and threw a stray sock at him. He missed. "Ung...my head hurts."

"Kel..."

"...I fell, okay?" Kel mumbled, an admission of defeat. "I was skateboarding...without a helmet and I fell."

Taking the hint for what it was, Basil wasted no time, and went back to the living room. Hero lifted his head and widened his eyes at whatever expression he was making.

"What's wrong?"

"I think Kel's concussed," he swallowed. Hero instantly shot up.

"What?"

Basil explained everything then, how he'd snuck in the room but Kel had woken up, and then he'd noticed something weird, adding the excuse his friend had given, and the way he'd been hiding his symptoms for three days. Hero had looked on the verge of murder, and honestly, Basil couldn't blame him.

What followed was a chaotic night of waking up Kel's parents to take Kel to the hospital, and three very concerned people scolding his friend all the way out the door, until Kel told them their chatter was only making his headache worse, which then made them all fall comically—and sullenly—silent. Even so, Basil was a little impressed, because throughout all the confusion and panic, Kel managed to stay vague and stick to his story without saying anything incriminating.

"We'll keep you posted," Hero was saying while they helped Kel into the car. "Thanks again, Basil. I don't know what could have happened if this idiot didn't tell us he was hurt."

Basil tried not to think too deeply about that at all. It was already a miracle that Kel was sort of okay after three days, but Basil knew some injuries were way worse than the surface told. What if he'd decided to keep it secret for longer? What if Basil hadn't picked up on it and he'd allowed him to come on the job?

He didn't want to even imagine.

"It's...it's fine," he whispered, hating the shaking in his voice. Hero's face softened.

"...He's going to be okay, Basil."

He could only nod. Through the guilt and the pain and the what-ifs, at least Kel would be alright.

...And Basil would be right there when he got better to get Pluto and yell at him together.

Chapter Text

+1.

Hero would like to say he got his eight hours of sleep at night, but sadly, that would be a bold faced lie.

Maybe he did, before, or he tried to—culinary school was hard, but Hero knew the value of resting your body to be sound of mind, and so he made himself a cup of tea, always read a good book or put some relaxing music before bed, then put on his sleeping mask, the one with pink flowers Mari had gotten him and Kel always made fun of him for, and drifted off to sleep.

That whole routine kind of went up in flames when he found out his little brothers were secret agents, though.

Even though it had been a while since the whole disastrous game night had happened, and apologies from borth parties had been given, things still hadn't returned wholly to normalcy, and Hero's sleeping schedule was no exception. Mari was still borderline overbearing with the two, Aubrey was, for lack of a better word, pissed off, Kel sometimes got defensive, and Hero was this close to early hair loss because of those two. The only semi-normal pair were Basil and Sunny, but well, those two had always had a special way of getting over their issues.

Kel and Basil being secret agents changed surprisingly little, a bit too unfairly in his opinion, but the untouched atmosphere seemed to stop at the actual two people involved. Everyone else was struggling to cope, especially when they needed to go to their little 'missions' which they just called a job, like it was at a fast food place and not a secret organization.

"I have to wake up early to go to work tommorrow," said Kel yesterday, and the sentence was so normal Hero wanted to laugh, but if he did the hysteria might come right with it, so he'd just given Kel a curt nod and sent him on his way with a tight hug and promises of pain if he didn't call to tell them he was done.

Kel said they might get back at night, around 11 PM.

It was close to 1 AM now.

Now, the reason why Hero was just laying on his bed, awake, instead of doing something unproductive like sending out a search party or simply bursting into tears, was because he had received a call at 11:45 from Kel, saying they shot their tires so they had to find another way to get home.

Who 'they' were he had no clue, and the fact that there had been guns involved made a full body shiver pass through him through his better judgement, but Kel had sounded okay.

Tired, hushed, like he was just exhausted after a day of doing sports, but okay. Alive. And being informed that Basil was there in one piece too was the final word that sent his shoulders all the way down. They were alright. They were alive. And that was all that mattered right then.

Hero had shot a text saying this to his friends, just so they'd go to sleep too—he knew they would be awaiting news, and they always called Hero first—but he himself stayed up, despite Kel's endless reassurances that he could go to bed and he would be there in the morning.

There was simply no way to rest without seeing his siblings with his own eyes.

So there Hero laid, under the covers, eyes closed and breathing slow, but as alert as any day, when he heard the window of their room rattle.

He wanted to snap upright and see what it was, though he already had an inkling, but he stayed put, also wanting to see what Basil and Kel would do and how long it would be until they realized he was actually awake.

After a while, the window opened incredibly silently, suspiciously so, in fact, before Hero realized it was because Kel had knocked a ball into it when he was four and it had creaked ever since then, but it wasn't now.

It hadn't creaked for a while, he thought, and wondered when Kel fixed it, and more importantly, why.

Wondered if he would have been able to tell when he became an agent the first night it didn't creak.

"He's sleeping," came a whisper, so low he had to strain to hear it, but it was there. Kel. A pair of feet silently dropped down on the wooden floor, seemingly with no shoes, and made their way through the room, just next to Kel's bed.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Kel again. There was a pause. "Alright, but I dunno if we have enough bandages, man."

Oh, he was going to kill his brother, Hero thought, his whole body tensing as he heard the sentence. Bandages. Bandages meant someone was injured. Not enough meant it wasn't simply a scratch. Basil still not talking meant—

A shift, then something being opened and someone sitting on Kel's bed.

"Come here, I'll give them to you and you can go to the bathroom."

Silence again, why wasn't Basil saying anything?

"...What?"

More silence. A sigh.

"Wait, wait, again, slower. My signs aren't that good."

Another sigh, quieter.

"'Ou can jus' gi' 'em to me an' I can go."

"Shh—Basil, don't talk, you'll get blood all over the floor!"

...Alright, Hero had heard enough.

He turned and switched on the bedside lamp in one fluid motion, having the satisfaction of seeing his brother literally jump in the air and make a strangled yelp when he saw him.

"H-Hero!" he hissed. "I thought you were asleep!"

He was sitting on his bed, comically wide eyed, with the black outfit he'd seen that day in the Garden, shoes off to the side and pants pulled up to reveal bloody knees. Basil, who was still by the window, had instantly turned around when the lamp flicked on, but he was standing upright and didn't seem too bad. Seem, being the key word.

"Well, it's nice to see you two," he groaned as he sat up. "I'm glad you made it home safely."

"...Thanks, it was nothing," Kel said, and glanced down at his knees. "H-Hero, this is just—"

"Please don't start, Kel, I'm not in the mood," Hero sighed and stood up all the way, kneeling down and opening the bottom drawer of his side of the room, pulling out a sturdy, clean first aid kit from it. Kel widened his eyes.

"When did you...?"

Hero sent him a look. Kel chuckled uneasily. "Right, right. I would say I can treat it myself, but I have a feelin' you won't like that."

"Your knees look awful," Hero deadpanned, moving closer and flicking on Kel's bedside lamp too for extra light as he went. "What happened?"

"Drifting on concrete isn't fun," Kel replied, and Hero already felt a migraine coming. Kel's knees were all but skinned, like a grotesque, exaggerated version of the wounds he used to get when he was little. There were even...Hero swallowed. There were even bits of flesh hanging from around the edges. God, how wasn't he screaming in pain?

"Alright, take your pants off. Basil, don't even think about it—" he added, turning to his other friend to find him halfway through the still open window. He hadn't taken his eyes off him and he still tried to run. Really, were all agents this stubborn? "And turn around, would you? I know you're hurt too."

Basil did turn around, just a little, and gave Kel a look that clearly said 'help me'. He had his hands over his mouth, arms pressed close to his chest. Kel grimaced.

"Yeah...okay, so, Hero, you know those little cuts that are super uh...superficial, but like, still bleed like there's no tommorrow?"

Hero narrowed his eyes. "...Yes."

"Right. So just keep in mind it's like that."

"Just let me see, Basil," Hero addressed the shorter boy directly this time, and Basil sent him an apologetic look, but obeyed, slowly coming over to the light and letting his hands fall.

His chin, neck and front were covered in blood. Hero felt faint.

"Oh my God."

"It's fine, Hero. Well, it's not but you get it—"

"What even happened?!"

"I bi' ma' tongue," Basil said, sheepish. Hero blinked. Then blinked again.

"You bit your tongue," he repeated, incredulous. "What—why do you look like a cheap horror movie then?"

Basil had the decency to look guilty. "...I bi' it hard."

"Shut up, Basil, you'll make it worse," Kel scolded, and Hero wondered when he'd died and gone to some other dimension, because his brother and his friend were in his room at 1 AM bleeding profusely and not looking nearly as worried as they should have been, in Hero's humble but very much panicked opinion.

"You two are killing me," Hero thought about the thirteen tabs, two youtube tutorials and the free first aid online course he'd taken over the course of the weeks. Somehow, his knowledge didn't seem enough for these two.

Still, he had to try.

So Doctor Hero put on some mindfullness music—for his sake more than theirs—slipped on disposable gloves, and started his journey.

3:30 AM found him cleaning the bloody bathroom while Basil went to get some lunchables because Kel had been craving them and he wasn't allowed to walk. His hands shook as the last swirl of red went down the drain, and he sat back, heaving a sigh of finality at the shining tiles. Everything had to be done in utmost silence so nobody in the house woke up, but now it was finally finished. He was glad his parents slept like a rock, anyway. The real danger had been Sally, but she'd also been blissfully unaware. Hero glanced at the tied trash bag with the bloody rags and bandages. How did doctors do this on a daily basis? Was it different because it was family he was treating? He didn't know.

A knock on the bathroom door made him lift his head in a panic, but it was just Basil, equipped with the lunchables and a mug of something that smelt really good. His jaw was still red, but the cold compress he was holding to his cheek with his other hand should take care of that.

"How are you feeling?" Hero whispered. Basil gave him a smile and glanced at the mug, extending it towards him.

"For me?" he took it and sniffed. His favorite tea. "...Thank you. I looked that bad, huh."

Basil's smile widened and he followed him out the bathroom to Kel's bedroom, where, surprisingly, he was petting Hector as he waited. The dog was licking his hands, and looked as pleased as punch even though he usually preferred to sleep outside, inside his heated dog house. He perked up at seeing them.

"I think he smelt the blood and came in," Kel mumbled with a grin. "Little guy must have been worried."

Hector, the good boy that he was, stood up and greeted everyone, pausing to smell Kel's knees and Basil's face, though the blonde refused any friendly licks. Then he went over to Hero's bed and plopped down on it. Hero just...kind of watched, feeling drained.

"He's...not supposed to be on the beds," he said. Kel snickered and rolled over, looking comfortable in his baggy pajamas.

"I think he knows you're stressed," his smile dimmed a little. "I'm sorry bro. You know we try not to get hurt, but sometimes..."

"I know, I know," Hero pressed his lips together, not wanting to dwell on that particular conversation. He just wanted to sleep and maybe forget the last three hours ever happened. He wanted to forget the whole secret agents thing, really, but life was unfair, so he only rubbed his dry eyes and guided Basil to sit on Kel's bed.

"Let's all just go to bed, alright? Basil can sleep in here, there's more than enough room," and before the blonde could protest, Hero put his foot down. "It's not up for discussion. I'd feel better if I had you both with me. I'll go get the futon."

Kel and Basil obeyed and stayed put while he did so, and he could only catch the tail end of the conversation as he returned to the door.

"...weird, but not in a bad way."

A beat of silence. Probably Basil signing a response. Kel's voice was quiet, something fragile in his words.

"Yeah, I know. It's...nice, to be taken care of for once. Not having to hide anymore," Hero's heart squeezed. "Even if I feel bad about makin' them worry."

Another silent answer.

"Yeah. We'll be more careful. We owe it to them."

Hero blinked hard to dispel the tears that wanted to come out. How funny. He had to be the adult here, he had to stay composed, even if he wanted to run in and hug those two idiots, tell them that of course they would be taken care of, they should be, they didn't have to hide at all—!

We owe it to them.

Hero bit his lip. These feelings...this stress, the sleepless nights, the constant worry...what was it that agent had said back then?

We agents are people too.

They were just kids. Seventeen wasn't grown at all. Hero clenched his jaw. Even though they kept their composure, even though nobody had cried or made a single noise, even when he'd applied disinfectant or pressed his fingers to the wounds, even so it must have hurt. 

It must have hurt.

Hero wiped his eyes and took a deep breath, finally going into the room to get everything set up. And as they lay in bed, both of his sibling's breathing evening out and slowing, Hector's warm furry body next to him, Hero found that, contrary to the immense stress of the last hours, it wasn't hard to sleep at all.

His precious people's breathing was his lullaby. Knowing they were safe and taken care of was all he needed to relax.

For this, every gray hair was worth it, Hero thought, drifting off to dream land at last.

For them, who went out and battled daily, who tried to make the world a better place a little bit at a time, any hours of sleep lost were a small price to pay. It wasn't hard.

Kel snored noisily, and Basil sleepily threw a pillow at him. Hero smiled.

No, it wasn't hard at all.