Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was much easier coming to terms with killing a man than Rody originally thought. Maybe because said man killed his ex-girlfriend, cooked her, tried to serve her to him then tied him up in a walk-in freezer and then bit off his left ear, but he wasn’t 100% sure.

The burger joint he stumbled upon had an obnoxiously large sign for such a small building, other than that, there wasn’t anything note-worthy about it. Maybe it was because of the events of the night or just because he was so fucking tired, but he didn’t even bother hiding the fact that he was covered in blood. Entering the fast-food restaurant hurt his eyes. The lights were too bright for someone who had spent the better part of the evening in the dark. It also didn’t help that his eyes stung from crying. When Rody walked in he was met with absolute silence. The girl behind the counter had long black hair that she pulled into a ponytail and very dark eyes and all Rody could think about was him. It made him sick. She was just starting at him with wide eyes which gave him a bit of an idea about how he looked.

“Hello.” His voice sounded destroyed. Gravelly from the crying and screaming he did not even an hour prior. The girl finally seemed to have found her voice; “Holy shit!” She was on her feet almost immediately, “Are you okay?! Sh- should I call the police? Or an ambulance?” He appreciated her worry but he felt fine. Fine might be a bit generous, but he didn’t feel like he was dying or about to pass out which he took as a good sign. “Yeah, I’m fine,” as he said it, he walked closer to the board. 

“Dude, you- you need to like, see someone. You look like - you’re covered in blood! That, like, doesn’t seem good!” Her voice was shaking and if he had the energy, he would feel really guilty. “I’m fine.” He snapped, all he wanted to sleep, to go back to his shitty apartment where he could space out or cry or scream or drink himself silly just to stop the numbness he was feeling. He knew it wouldn’t last, knew that soon he would have to deal with the fact that Manon was dead, he was dead, and he was pretty sure that he died tonight as well. “Um… just a number-….” Rody suddenly feels sick at the thought of eating any form of meat. He swallows thickly. “Just a chocolate shake and a large fry..” He finally chokes out. She still looks distressed and shakily types in his order before reciting the cost. Grabbing his wallet sends a jolt of pain through his right arm. He opens it and grabs the exact amount printed on the screen in front of him (which happened to be a little over half the money he had on him) and handed it to the girl.

When he was sure their interaction was done, he turned on his heel to find a place to rest his aching feet. He didn’t bother looking around, there were 2 cars packed out front so he assumed there was at least one other person in the restaurant. He sat down at the nearest table and was about to close his eyes when a voice spoke up.

“Looks like you had a pretty shitty night.” Rody turns his head to look at the stranger in the booth to the right of him. He’s a large man, tan skin and brown hair. His eyes bore into Rody, soft despite the deep tiredness apparent in them. He wears a white tank-top which Rody thought was strange considering the chill in the air outside, his tattooed arms on full display. Overall, he looks calm despite the bloodied man in front of him.

Rody stares at him blankly for a while, only snapping out of it when his order is called out. Before he can move, the tattooed stranger stands and grabs his order for him. The tray is tossed onto the table and the man casually slides into the seat across from Rody, abandoning his own (likely cold) food. “What.?” Rody asks. The man only raises an eyebrow at him. “I’m fine. Just…” He trails off. Suddenly, almost like a switch was flicked he felt all the emotions from the night- no, from the day Manon broke up with him, flood in. He makes a strange choking noise and the damn breaks. As the tears rush down his face, his mouth starts moving… the ringing in his remaining ear is so loud, he has no idea what he’s saying. The words keep flowing from his mouth, he vaguely catches some of them; killed, butchered, fire… It leaves him feeling exposed and vulnerable, more so than he already felt, and by the time he’s finished talking, his food has gone cold and the morning sun is peaking over the skyline.

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And that is how Rody found himself in this situation. Sat in the car of a stranger (who introduced himself as David Wymack), driving from Louisiana all the way to South Carolina… a ten and a half hour drive… As he sat there, some old rock and roll song playing quietly, he thought about a lot of things, excluding what transpired earlier that night.

He had two main questions; one, why was David Wymack, a man who said he lives in Palmetto, South Carolina and coach of a collegial exy team (a sport Rody had never personally heard of), in Louisiana and two, what Rody was supposed to do now. He knew he needed to leave Louisiana, find a new job (preferably one without a psychotic boss), maybe change his name.. he was a 28 year old with no family, no friends, no place to stay, $2.81 to his name and he had just murdered a man and lit his bistro/house on fire… He was royally fucked. About an hour into the drive, he finally spoke; “Why are you doing this.” He asked, his voice embarrassingly cracking on the first syllable. Wymack looked over at him from the corner of his eye before letting out a sigh.

“The foxes are about second chances, Rody. It’s about you getting one more chance than what anyone else was willing to give you.” As he spoke, his eyes remained facing forward so he missed how Rody trembled with the effort to not cry again. He was incredibly impressed that he could still cry. “I don’t know how to play exy..” He said in a weak attempt to discourage Wymack from wasting his kindness on him. “I wouldn’t be able to help you or your players..” Wymack let out an amused huff before speaking, “No offense kid, but I wasn’t offering you a position-“ Rody felt quite stupid for assuming he would take him in before he heard the rest of what Wymack was saying, “but, if you’re interested… My coaching assistant has brought in a lot of negative publicity. He’s an exy player, but he got hurt a little while ago.. his old team’s fans started vandalising the campus grounds around the stadium and gym. The campus cleaners are breathing down mine and the boards necks… if you were willing to help clean up, I could convince the collage to pay you for your efforts..”

A silence fell over the two as Rody digested Wymack’s words. This was what he needed. A fresh start with a person who knew what he had done. The guilt of lying wasn’t there, and he would be able to move on with his life. Move on from him, move on from Manon… “Yes. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.” His voice is shaking and he turns in his seat to face Wymack, even if the older man keeps his gaze facing forward. This was it, this was his new start…

Chapter Text

He felt cold all over. His limbs frozen as he slowly cracked open his stinging eyes. He was there… his dark eyes bore into Rody’s, a cruel smile on his face. He was saying something, a manic glint in his eyes, but Rody couldn’t hear him, too focused on the large butcher knife in his hand.

Rody shook as Vincent took two large steps towards him, looming over Rody’s tied body. He lifted his hand and held up five fingers and slowly lowered them. Rody’s body moved on it’s own, he struggled before getting to his feet, stumbling out of the walk-in freezer.

He ran but it felt useless, he knew the doors were locked, he had no weapons and, despite being much stronger than Vincent, he knew he couldn’t fight him…

Rody took one step out of the kitchen when he felt a burning pain in his back.

His hearing seemed to flood back as a scream tore it’s way out of Rody’s throat. Vincent shoved him to the floor.

The knife was yanked out of him with a sickening squelching sound before it was brought back down onto his back again and again and again. Vincent began to whisper deranged professions of ‘love’ in his remaining ear, twisting the knife in his back.

He was suddenly flipped. He let out a pained whimper as Vincent grabbed his chin, forcing him to make eye contact with him. Vincent leaned down, his face inches from Rody’s own. Rody screwed his eyes closed as he felt Vincent’s cold breath fan his face, his cologne suffocating.

——

He awoke with a gasp, shoving the hand that was perched on his shoulder off. He curled in on himself, panting and shaking as his eyes darted around his surroundings.

“Rody! Rody can you hear me?” He faintly heard over his own pounding heartbeat. His eyes snap over to the speaking man, almost expecting to see him sat next to him. He let out a relived sob when he saw David Wymack.

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Wymack had stopped at a gas station, his hands hovering in front of himself like he was trying to gain the trust of a feral cat. Rody almost laughed at the thought. “You alright kid?” He asked, wearily looking over Rody’s face, pointedly avoiding looking at his lack of left ear. They both knew the answer to that question but Rody nodded anyway.

He leaned back in his seat, staring up at the ceiling of the car. It took awhile until Rody spoke, “He got me.” It was all he could bring himself to say, the feeling of cold, boney hands on his face still so fresh. It felt so real. He felt so real. Wymack kept his eyes trained on Rody. By the look on Wymack’s face, he didn’t need to explain himself.

He wondered how much he told the man when he spilled his heart out.

Wymack let out a breath, rubbing a hand over his face before he spoke. “You should have a shower, I’ll go ask for the bathroom key.”  Rody nodded, understanding why he wasn’t invited to come in with Wymack, no need to traumatise another service industry worker.

Wymack disappeared into the gas station but quickly re-appeared, key in hand as well as a t-shirt and sweatpants. Rody got out the car and met him half way, gently taking the goods when they were handed to him. Wymack pointed out the bathroom before walking over to the gas pump. Rody made his way to the bathroom, not wanting to keep Wymack waiting.

The bathroom reminded him of his own, covered in black mould and smelling of damp and sweat. The shower was small but it was heavenly. He scrubbed his skin with his nails, clawing off the caked on blood and some of his own skin.

He realised when he stepped out the shower that he didn’t have a towel… so he used his formal-work button-up. It was the least dirty of his clothes, hardly any blood but a bit of sweat… He finally pulled on his new clothes. His body ached in protest, but it was all worth it when the soft cotton touched his skin.

He still felt like shit but he didn’t look like the final girl in every horror movie anymore, at least not entirely.

Wymack was waiting in the car when Rody left the bathroom. He quickly returned the bathroom key to the elderly man behind the counter, getting an odd look in return. When he finallt got back to the car, Wymack was watching him, eyebrows furrowing when he heard the quiet hiss that left Rody’s mouth as he sat down.

“I’ll have Abby check you over when we get to Palmetto.” He said, starting the car. “Abby?” Rody asked as he buckled his seat belt. Wymack’s eyes seemed to soften the tiniest bit at the mention of the woman.

“She’s the team’s nurse, she can treat some of your smaller injuries.. She can also schedule you an appointment at the medical centre on campus.” He says as he pulls out of the gas station. It was quiet again, but it was more comfortable than before.

“Can I ask some questions?” Rody asked out of the blue. Wymack turns down the music in lieu of an answer.

“Why were you in Louisiana?” Wymack’s hand clench around the stirring wheel slightly. “One of my old players had an accident, I came to check up on them.” Rody nods, from the little he knows about the man, this seemed pretty on point for him. “Are they alright?” Rody asked hesitantly, all he got in repose was a nod. “What about that player.. the one who’s an assistant for you now?” Rody says, trying to move past the previous topic.

“Kevin Day,” Wymack started as they drove past a sigh advertising an iHOP a mile away. He seemed kinda amused by the fact Rody knew nothing about this Kevin Day, “Like i said earlier, he got hurt during a skiing trip. His left hand got damaged and it’s highly doubtful he’ll be able to play again.” Rody noted the strange tone Wymack used.

“Was he a good player.?” Rody hesitantly asked, his eyes trained on the white dotted in the middle of the road.

Wymack chuckled before speaking, “Good player? He’s one of the sons of exy.” The turn-off sigh for the iHOP came into view and Wymack turns into the left lane, preparing to turn off. Rody raised a brow at the title but didn’t say anything else.

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The seat Rody was sitting in was sticky, as was the majority of the iHOP they found themselves in. A plate of chocolate-chip pancakes sat in front of Rody, his bacon pushed as far away from his food as possible. The two men didn’t speak but Rody could feel Wymack’s eyes trained on him even as he ate his own breakfast. Rody contemplated a few things as he avoided making eye contact with Wymack, such as the fact that he up-and-left Louisiana without even going to his apartment to grab the few items he owned, like his guitar.. or the clothes Manon picked out for him… He wondered why he so quickly agreed to get in the car with a stranger, maybe some part of him knew that no one could be worse than him - oh who was he kidding! Vincent was a monster, a murdered and a cannibal but Rody was technically a murderer too! And almost cannibal (he thanked whatever possessed him to not touch any of the leftovers Vincent gave him)! It made him feel sick and he could feel bile build up in his throat.

He glanced up at Wymack to see him starting right back at him. Something must have shown on his face because he was by his side immediately, quickly leading him to the bathroom. Rody hardly made it to the stall before he was vomiting up his breakfast. He jumped as he felt Wymack’s large warm hand on his back, slowly rubbing circles onto his crumpled grey t-shirt. He felt a sob escape his throat, although he was unsure if it was caused by the disgusting feeling of throwing up or by the comfort the man provided. His hand was so warm.. too warm to be Vincents and he was so thankful.

It felt like an eternity before Rody finally stopped, Wymack never ceased his silent comfort. Rody nodded slightly to let him know he was finished, Wymack took a step back, removing himself from the open stall. Rody remained hunched over the toilet for a second more before he stood. He grabbed the remaining toilet paper from the holder and wiped his mouth not wanting to dirty his new clothes. His shoulders were slumped, head bowed as he made his way to the sink, again avoiding making eye contact with Womack. He let out a pathetic sounding thanks as he wiped away the evidence of his weak stomach from his hands.

Wymack remained silent and, once Rody was done, led the two of them back to their table. Rody sat and played with his food as Wymack finished his black coffee.

“Ready to head out?” Wymack asked, casual as ever. Rody nodded, guilt eating at him for not eating all his food. He opened his mouth to speak when Wymack cut him off, “Don’t worry kid, the school’ll cover it.” Rody blinked in surprise. He learnt a new things about Wymack; he was excellent at reading people…

When they arrived at the car, Wymack opened the back door, gesturing for Rody to get in. “I’m getting demoted to the back?” Rody asked, trying to lighten the mood. Wymack huffed in amusement before explaining, “So you can sleep, just watching you in the front seat hurt my neck.” Wymack gestures for him to get in again and Rody sheepishly grins before climbing into the back seat. As Rody gets comfortable in the back seat, Wymack gets into the front and starts the car.

“I need to ask you something before you doze off again,” Rody tilted his head, “I’m calling Abby, can I tell her what you told me?” Rody felt his body stiffen. He knew exactly what Wymack was talking about and knew that it was a necessary evil. “Sure.. but can you wait ‘til I’m asleep? I don’t want to hear it…” Rody replied, trying to calm down his racing heart. Wymack nodded before turning up the music volume again, Rody already felt his eyes get heavier as the quiet rock and roll calmed him. He found it funny, he never enjoyed rock and roll before, at least not to the point that it comforted him, only Manon’s flute and his father’s guitar could do that… the last thing Rody heard when he fell asleep was the soft voice of David Bowie and the sound of the car rumbling.

Chapter Text

When Wymack heard the soft snores of the boy in his back seat, he turned down the music. He took a deep breath, finally ready to try and mentally comprehend all the awful things Rody told him. David Wymack was a man not unaccustomed to the cruelty of the world - or rather the cruelty of people, but Rody’s story was… a lot.

David believed every word Rody said, not because he was a naïve or stupid man(despite popular belief), and especially not because he refused to acknowledge the faults of his players, and apparently his new janitor, (another popular belief). Rody’s conviction, his pain, was what convinced David. It also helped that he saw the blood, the missing ear and felt like he was choking on the kicked-puppy vibe that the boy gave off.

He glances over at Rody’s sleeping form. He looked so pained even in sleep. The terrified eyes of the boy was still so fresh from earlier in the day.. It reminded him of his younger self, terrified about his parents, not because of their violence towards him, but towards themselves and each other. David sighed heavily for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past hour. He rubbed his eye, keeping one trained on the road, trying to scrub the image of that fear from his mind. He saw the sign for a gas station and turned off. They still had about 5 hours of driving but David was too tired to care about the excessive amounts of breaks they’ve been taking.

Before getting out the car, David checked up on Rody. He looked fine, relatively. There was a small furrow in his brow, soft snores still escaping him. This was the most peaceful David had seen the boy in the last (very long) 12 hours they’ve know each other. He made up his mind. He would let Rody sleep and just quickly get a coffee, maybe a few snacks.

The small bell on the gas station door jingled when he stepped inside, the distinct small of gas station hit him and he never missed Abby’s cooking more.

He grabbed a black coffee, a pack of Rothmans and some chips - salt and vinegar and cheese and onion. He paid, eyes darting over to the car to make sure Rody was still okay, unaware of the concerned glances  the cashier was giving him.

When he got back to the car, he closed his door as quietly as possible, glancing back at Rody one more time before dialling a very familiar number. He dropped the phone into the empty drink holder as it rang.

“David?” Abby’s sweet voice lifted a weight off his shoulders. He sighed heavily before speaking; “I’m going to be a bit late for dinner.” His voice sounded tired even to his own ears. He could practically feel Abby’s concern through the screen. “Is everything alright?” He could hear her moving around and wandered what she was doing before he called. He considered asking but then he remembered the battered boy in his backseat and decided to shelve his question for now.

“I found a kid and I’m bringing him back. He’s willing to work as a janitor for the foxes. Oh, and he needs medical attention when we get back to Palmetto.” David spoke as casually as he could manage. The silence that filled the car was loud. “How bad are they?” Abby asked, her voice was so so soft, David felt his heart flutter before he cleared his throat.

“His ear is missing. There are other injuries I’m sure.” He spoke, trying to keep his voice calm and level despite the anger that he felt beneath the surface. He had known the boy for less than 24 hours and he already felt his protective streak strike again. “Oh god..” Abby’s voice was quiet and he knew that tears were likely forming in her eyes. It was silent in the car again, David knew what he needed to say next - he had to tell Abby about the horrible man that hurt Rody. He, despite “collecting traumatised kids like Pokémon cards” (a very helpful comment from the one and only Nicky Hemmick) was not very good at the emotional comfort bits, Abby, on the other hand, was amazing at it.

And so he began talking. He left out a lot of the gritty details that Rody included in his dissociated ramble. He talked about Vincent - his cruelty as a boss, his strange obsession with Rody and his despicable crimes. He left out the reason for Vincent’s actions, although he had Rody permission to share this with Abby it still felt like a breach of privacy…

Cue another round of silence, broken occasional by Abby’s soft sniffles. Abby eventually spoke and David was reminded once again about her kindness - how perfect she was… “I’m so glad you have him. I’ll get all the supplies I need from my office. Will he be staying with you or should I set up the guest bedroom?” Her voice wobbled occasionally but she still somehow sounded so strong.

“Thank you,” He said, his voice full of an emotion he didn’t want to delve into at the moment. “I’m not sure what Rody wants to do yet… I’ll ask him when he wakes up.” Abby hummed in acknowledgement - he heard her stand up and walk through her house, likely going to get her keys. “Is he okay? Well.. I know that’s a dumb question, of course he’s not.. but do you think he will be?” Both of them knew that they would never forget their trauma - knew that their foxes would never forget - but it got easier, not because the wounds healed but because they became less painful over time. David prayed to a god he didn’t believe in that Betsy could help. “I’m going to call Betsy next and ask her to put him down from an appointment.” He said in lieu of a real answer.

David noted the sign above him, Atlanta was printed in bright white letters on the green background and he rolled his neck as he realised they still had 4 hours to go. “I’m about to head out, is there anything you need from your office?” Abby asked over the phone, he heard her pull on her shoes and the jingle of her keys, he unconsciously imagined the keychains she had on them - a pink fox (gifted from Dan, David also had one in the god awful orange of their uniforms), a bedazzled ‘A’ (bought by Allison and bedazzled by Renee) and a mini exy racket (unsurprisingly from Kevin). He felt a soft smile spread on his face. “Nah, I made sure I had all my important work at home - I refuse to step into that building until Monday.” Abby let out a little laugh which broke some of the lingering tension.

David suddenly remembered something very important just as Abby was saying her goodbyes; “Wait, have to started dinner yet?” He asked, hoping she hadn’t. He sighed in relief when she said no. “Good. Do you think you could use a recipe without any meat?” He heard Abby begin to ask why when she suddenly stopped. He figured she felt a similar sicknes in her stomach as he did - they both thought back onto Vincent’s… attempted diet change for Rody. “Of course… um, how about my cauliflower casserole?” She asked after an audible gulp - she sounded a little queasy. “Sounds amazing.” He responded.

They bid their goodbyes - Abby making sure to make him promise to dive safe. Silence filled the car once more as he was left with his own thoughts. What was he going to do? He had no regrets for taking Rody (he winced internally at the wording) but he was still dealing with Kevin. He had lots of help from Abby (as well as Andrew but his methods were… a lot unconventional). They would both still be occupied by Kevin and David worried about the quality of care they could provide Rody. He glanced back at the boy when he heard him shift - he was still fast asleep, the furrow gone from his brow. He hoped he was having a nice dream. He turned his full attention to the road. It was relatively busy, cars wizzed past his beat-up Nissan truck and the sounds caused his eyes to grow heavier. He grabbed his coffee cup, which was now lukewarm, and chugged the contents. Just a little longer and then he would be back home and he could stuff his face with Abby’s delicious casserole and then pass out on his too-lumpy mattress...

Chapter Text

David drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He had just gotten off the phone with Betsy and made an appointment for Rody to meet her on Sunday. They both decided that they would meet at David’s house rather than Betsy’s office as he wasn’t sure how Rody would react to being forced into a shrinks office.

He had called Kevin when his call with Betsy ended but he didn’t pick up. Part of David was worried until he checked the time - it was Kevin’s “bully the other foxes into training on a Saturday” time. He sighed heavily, glancing longingly at the gas station they passed but he had a feeling that if he had another cup of tasteless, watery coffee, he would scream.

His thoughts of his beautiful coffee machine were interrupted by his phone ringing. He grabbed his phone, not taking his eyes off the road. “David Wymack speaking.” He spoke, cursing under his breath when a car rushed into the small space between him and the car in-front of him. “Coach.” Kevin’s aggravated voice spoke through the speaker of his phone. David fought to keep himself from rolling his eyes, obviously Kevin was shut down by the other foxes.

“We’re getting a personal janitor for the foxes.” He heard Kevin shift before he responded, “Okay? What does that have to do with me?” Some of the aggression in Kevin’s voice was gone, replaced by confusion and slight indignance. David gave up trying to suppress his eye roll. He took a deep breath to prepare himself for Kevin’s likely panic and just hoped that Andrew was close by to calm him down. “Since he’s going to be cleaning after the Raven fans, I want to know if I can tell him about why you’re no longer a Raven..” Kevin was silent and David started to realise how often that was happening to him during this car ride. He heard Kevin made a strange choked noise over the phone before he started shuffling more. “I don’t have to tell him, it’s up to you.” David spoke again trying to calm down the boy. Kevin didn’t respond for a while and David imaged him on his bed, staring at the wall blankly like he so often did. “Can we wait?” David was surprised when he heard Kevin’s voice but quickly confirmed. Kevin’s voice sounded raw and the guilt of dredging up the Raven’s ate at David. They both bid goodbye quickly, Kevin hanging up before David got the chance. He sighed heavily before he heard shuffling in the back seat, he glanced back through the rear view mirror. His eyebrows raised up minutely in surprise when his eyes met a pair of green eyes.

“You’re awake.” David said, a statement more than a question but Rody answered him anyway, “Yeah…” His voice was croaky and still sleep laced, “How much longer?” He asked, stretching his arms over his shoulders. David glanced over at the clock in the car, it read 16:09, “We’re about 3 hours away from my apartment.” Rody nodded, moving around the backseat as he got comfortable. Just a little longer…

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With two hours left, David could hardly keep his eyes open. Rody kept glancing over at him, slightly concerned that they were doing to swerve into traffic. “Um, David, do you want me to drive?” He asked hesitantly, he learnt how to drive when he was 18 but he hadn’t driven in so long since he couldn’t afford a car, he was like 97% sure he could still drive…

David shook his head no, eyes still trained on the road. Rody glanced out the window and saw a sign advertising a gas station a few miles ahead, “Maybe we could get some coffee?” He asked, “It’s only a mile ahead..” That was all the convincing David needed before he was turning off the highway.

Rody walked into the gas station, a $10 note in his hand. David had sent him in with directions to get a black coffee and a drink for himself. Rody made a b-line for the coffee machines in the back of the gas station. The aisle he was walking down had three people in it, a young girl and her mom, the girl giggling and pulling on her mom’s shirt with a bag of gummy worms in her hands, a huge grin on her face, and, on the other side of the aisle, a woman with hood pulled over her head and an overall exhausted expression on her face, much like David’s. When he made it to one of the coffee machines, he grabbed the largest cup and filled it as much as he could with the watery coffee. Coffee wasn’t his favourite but he loved the smell. On his way to the counter, he grabbed a Gatorade, specifically the blue one. It was Manon’s favourite.

He cued up at the back of the line behind a blue haired woman, her hair was the same colour as his drink… He was forth in the slow moving line and let his eyes wander. They found their way to a stack of newspapers and Rody suddenly remembered the bistro… He asked the woman in front of him to hold his spot (which she agreed to easily) and quickly grabbed one of the newspapers on top, not bothering to read it just yet. He knew that if the bistro was even mentioned he would panic and he didn’t want the poor people in the gas station to witness that. It was bad enough that he ended up sobbing in front of David almost every time they spoke.

He quickly paid for the goods, shoving the change into his pants pocket, and rushed out the store. When he made it back to David’s car he jumped into the passenger seat, gently handing David his lukewarm coffee. David took notice of the newspaper as he took a sip of his coffee, “Didn’t take you for a newspaper in the morning kinda guy.” David said casually as he put his coffee in the cup holder, he pulled out their parking spot. “I just need to check…” Rody trailed off, holding his Gatorade between his thighs as he flipped through the newspaper. He looked up when the car suddenly stopped.. they were in a parking spot behind the gas station, away from prying eyes. “What?” Rody looked over at David to see him already looking at him. David’s eyes held an emotion Rody couldn’t identify. “In case it’s in there.” David spoke and Rody realised that he didn’t even have to say anything, David just knew what would happen if it was in the paper and that the last thing Rody needed was to breakdown in front of a bunch of strangers.

Rody nodded, trying to push down the uncomfortably warm feeling in his chest, he looked back down at the newspaper and continued to flip through the pages, the smell of the print was so strong it burnt his nose.

It was there. On the second to last page, a photo of the burnt bistro and a picture of Vincent’s face. Rody felt his face go pale, felt sweat start to fall from his forehead and could smell the fire, Vincent’s cologne, the blood, the salt of sweat and tears and most horrifyingly, the smell of burning flesh. Rody hoped and prayed that Vincent was dead. It felt awful and Rody was sure that his parents’ god would condemn him for that but he didn’t care. He couldn’t bring himself to care for that horrible man, for the man who ruined his life, who killed his Manon, who ate his fucking ear.

He distantly heard his name being called but all he could focus on was the words on the page. Vincent was alive. Printed in the same font as the rest of the article was the evidence, ‘ Mr Charbonneau thankfully survived the fire and is currently recovering, the hospital that he is staying in has remained anonymous for his own safety as officials are still searching for the culprit of this horrendous crime. Members of the community have placed signs and flowers outside of the burnt bistro commemorating Mr Charbonneau’s strength and resilience in these trying times. Mr Charbonneau has made only one official statement; “I hope the police will find the person who did this. Not only for my sake, but for the community as well. The thought of someone dangerous running around our streets keeps me up at night…” There has been no further news from the Louisiana state police. ’

Rody hated him. He hated him and hoped he had burned to death in that god-awful bistro. Fuck him and his fake concern, how dare he continue to gain praise for being strong, for being brave when he murdered Manon! When he tried to eat him! How dare he survive. Rody hated him with all his heart and couldn’t wait for the day when he got what he deserved. He heard his teeth creek with how tightly his jaw was clenched, his hands clenched so hard around the newspaper in his hands that it ripped the edges, his vision zoned in on the picture of Vincent, it was the one used in mostly all of the articles of him, a side view, his eyes focused on the camera and a smile on his face. Rody though he looked nice in that photo before he started working for him. He knows better now. The smile doesn’t reach his eyes and the it really was just grimace posing as a smile. It made Rody feel sick to his stomach.

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David watched as Rody’s eyes darted over the paper. Then they stilled. They re read a section over and over again before his eyes found their way back to the top of the paper. At that angle, David couldn’t see what the article said but he knew it must have had to be about Rody’s ex-boss. He reached his hand out but didn’t touch the boy, his hand just hovered over his shoulder, close enough incase Rody needed him. He called his name a few times and when he didn’t get a response, he fell silent, allowing him to process what he had read. It was a few minutes before David decided to finally pull him from his own mind.

He placed his hand on Rody’s head, not moving it. The boy’s grip on the newspaper loosened slightly, his jaw relaxing, but his eyes remained on the page. “Rody. I need you to listen to me, can you hear me?” David demanded. All Rody did was nod, but it was enough.

“No matter what happens, I will protect you. I will not let that man anywhere near you, okay? You’re a fox now, foxes protect each other.” David spewed the first thing that came to his mind, he meant every word but his voice had an awkward inflection, not used to comforting someone. Rody let out a strange sound that showed David’s words weren’t helping. David was at a loss so, he just started talking. He talked about his foxes, about Dan’s strength in the face of ridicule, her demand to change the uniform to be bright orange so nobody could ever ignore them again. He talked about Kevin’s career, his stats and his bitchness. He talked about Abby and how wonderful she was, how her cooking was to die- how it was amazing. When he noticed Rody’s breathing start to slow and his shoulders relax, he let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. Rody blinked his eyes before slowly folding the newspaper. He dropped it to the floor of the car and leaned back, his head pushing closer to David’s palm.

David continued to talk, from his everyday routine to his parents, his early years playing exy, then his accident and finally his years as a coach. Rody had calmed down and was now watching David, his eyes glassy and a little empty but they held a shine to them that showed the boy was present. David slowly removed his hand from Rody’s head. They stared at each other in silence before Rody spoke, his voice small and shaky, “How did you do it?” David waiting for the boy to elaborate. “How did you live after they died?”

“It was hard.” David started. He opened his mouth a few times before he finally got the words out, “I was angry, but I loved them. It was strange. I spent so long so worried about them and then I was so angry and I couldn’t look past that. When they died I just felt numb. I knew it was going to happen, I also kind of knew that that was how they would die, but it still surprised me somehow when I got the calls.” David had turned his attention to the back wall of the gas station, focusing on the poorly done graffiti, the words ‘Be Free’ written in bubble letters and it made him chuckle with no amusement.   

“When my parents died I also felt numb.” David glanced at Rody from the corner of his eye. “My dad died first, he got really sick. He died soon after he moved back in with us, we couldn’t afford the room in the hospital anymore. I tried to look after him, look after them. I dropped out of college and got a few jobs but the apartment was covered in black mould and it was so cold even with all the blankets in the house. After dad died mama went soon after.” This was an exchange, an exchange of trust. David expected silence to fill the car again which was why he was surprised when Rody kept talking, “When I found out Manon was dead, I felt numb again but I knew it wouldn’t last. It’s hitting me and I’m scared. I feel so angry.” Tears fell down Rody’s cheeks as he also stared at the graffiti, he felt a similar sence of bitterness to David.

“I’m here, I’ll be here, so will Abby and our friend Betsy. Betsy’s a psychiatrist so she knows all the fancy words and all the way to help but me and Abby can just listen, if that’s what you need.” Rody started at the man before a sob broke out from his mouth. He nodded his head, his face buried in his hands. David reached out, holding the boy as best as he could from that angle, the consul of the car digging into his side. They sat there for a while, even after Rody stopped crying and David removed his arms from his shaking body. They sat there and started at those stupid words.

———————————————————————————

They started driving again, the radio playing softly in the car. They didn’t say anything but they both felt a bit better. Rody reflected on what David said, he knew that he would never forget Manon or what had happened but he hoped that Ms Betsy would be able to help a little. He re focussed his mind onto a happier topic, he was too exhausted to cry again. David mentioned Dan, Kevin and Abby. He knew a little about Abby and the more he heard about her from David, the more he liked her. He also had an inclination that David and her may be a bit more than friends… He couldn’t keep the small smile off his face, David sent him a raised brow.

Kevin seemed kinda asshole-ish but very talented. He had dealt with people like Kevin before, the stuck-up rich guy type and it was not fun. He just hoped he could avoid the guy as much as possible… Dan sounded really cool though. She seemed so strong but also so understanding. Her idea with changing the uniforms made him think of his mom, that refusal to stay quiet in the face of prejudice...

Rody’s thoughts were interrupted by David, “You’re not panicking on me again, are you?” He tried to sound casual but Rody could hear the slight concern that seeped into his words. “I’m not, don’t worry. I was just thinking about Kevin and Dan.” He said before taking a sip of his room temperature Gatorade. “Can you tell me about the other foxes?” Rody asked, his elbow against the armrest of the passenger side door, leaning his chin on his palm.

David hummed before he started speaking, his voice overpowering the guitar that filled the car just seconds ago. “Well, there’s Dan Wilds, she the captain of the team, as you know. She became captain during her first year and she’s an offensive dealer. That means that she serves the ball during games, she focuses on offensive playing rather than defensive. She dating Matt Boyd, he’s a backliner which means he’s the teams defence. Then there’s Renee Walker, she’s a goalie, which I hope I don’t have to explain,” Rody snorted but shook his head, “Okay, then Allison Reynolds, she’s a defensive dealer, so unlike Dan, she focuses on defence rather than offence. She’s on-and-off dating Seth Gordon,” David seemed to pause as something came to mind, he quickly changed the way he explained the team, “You’ll notice when you meet the foxes that there’s a divide between the players.” Rody tilted his head in confusion but didn’t say anything. “First we have Dan’s group, that’s Dan, Matt, Renee and occasionally Allison. Then we have Seth’s group, that’s Seth, Juan Cruz and Dwayne Brooks, all three of them are strikers, then there’s Reggie Hughes and Kirk Johnson. Reggie’s a goalkeeper and Kirk’s an offensive dealer. Allison will hang out with them when she and Seth are together.” Rody blinked, trying to memorise all the names. “I’ll never remember all that…” He said, sounding dumb to his own ears. “You don’t have to, I’ll have them introduce themselves when you meet the team, I’m just giving you a quick run-down so you know why they all act so damn stupid.” David said, his voice held its normal gruffness but also a deep fondness that made Rody crack a small smile. “Okay, then we have Andrew’s group, that Andrew Minyard, a goalkeeper and his twin brother Aaron who’s a backliner, then their cousin, Nicky Hemmick, he’s also a backliner. Finally, Kevin’s apart of this group.” David finished before taking a swig of his cold coffee. “I thought Kevin was your assistant coach? Why would he be a member of one of the cliches in your team?” David seemed to think about it for a second before he answered, a serious expression on his face that seemed so out-of-place given the casual topic.

“Kevin’s a… special case.” David finally said after an awkwardly long silence, Rody was learning very quickly that Kevin was a bit of a touchy subject… “Okay.. are there any other groups?” He hoped to stir the conversation in a safer direction.

David cleared his throat which seemed to dissolve the tension in the car. “Not really a group but the last two players keep to themselves most of the time, Damien Cox and Ian Morris. Damien’s a backliner and Ian’s a defensive dealer.” Rody nodded, “Great, that’s 14 names I need to eventually remember…” Rody groaned, flopping back against his seat, David huffed at him in amusement before he turned up the volume of the music.

———————————————————————————

Rody’s gaze trailed over the scenery as they pulled closer to David’s apartment. It was an apartment with a pretty tall gate in the front, the building’s light grey with a white trim around the windows and doors. He looked through the front window as David parked in the closeted parking spot to the entrance. “Home sweet home.” David spoke, his voice slightly sarcastic as he removed his seat belt. When he got out the car, his bones made a painful crunch from his lack of movement, Rody felt a bit guilty for not being more persistent on taking breaks.

Rody got out the car and looked up at the grey building in front of them, David used his distracted state to grab his small duffle bag from the boot of the car before making his way to the entrance. Rody scurried to follow him.

The inside was pretty clean, the tiled floor click under Rody’s dress shoes (which looked ridiculous paired with the grey baggy shirt and black sweatpants he wore), the sound put him on edge. When they were waiting for the elevator (which was on the 5th floor), Rody let his eyes wonder. Upon further notice he realised that the apartment wasn’t clean, it was just kinda un-lived in. It had a pretty dreary atmosphere, the dead plant in the corner didn’t help… David seemed to notice his concern and spoke up, “Hardly anyone lives in this building so it’s pretty dead.” Rody hummed. “It must be nice to live somewhere so quiet…” He said thoughtfully thinking back to the never ending sound that he lived in, from the bistro, which always seemed to be busy enough to keep him on his toes and keep a buzz in the air, to his apartment, which was in a shitty part of town that never slept. Hell even Manon’s apartment was full of movement which always left the faintest bit of noise.

Before David answered, the elevator doors opened. They stepped inside wordlessly and David hit the 7th floor button with the ease of someone who did it everyday. The elevator had a strange smell, like alcohol, throw up and disinfectant. Rody didn’t even have a good sense of smell and it was strong for him. He glanced at David to see his normal impassive face.

When the elevator doors opened again, Rody practicallty threw himself out of the confined space as casually as he could, taking a deep breath to try and clear his nose of that awful smell. David chuckled at him and walked past, heading down the hall towards his apartment. Rody quickly caught up. “I’m the only one living on this floor at the moment.” Rody’s eyes widened in surprise, “Really?” That sounded like a dream come true… “These apartments were built at the same time as the exy stadium, the thought was that the buzz of exy would draw in renters. Didn’t really work.” David unlocked his apartment door and held it open for Rody. The apartment was covered in coffee mugs (in different states of fullness), ashtrays and papers. Yet another thing that made him think of his own apartment… “Sorry about the mess.” David called as he tossed his duffle bag into the room Rody assumed was his bedroom. “It’s fine, far better than what mine looks - um, looked like.”

David watched him as he looked around the apartment before moving a stack of paper work from the couch, grabbing a blanket and pillow as he tossed the stack of paper onto the coffee table. “I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the couch.” David dropped the blanket and pillow onto the cleared couch as he spoke. “I don’t, I slept on my couch back in my apartment.” Rody answered easily as he continued to look around. David’s apartment felt lived in with all the odd trinkets that filled the empty space, it was nice despite the mess.

“Abby’s making dinner.” David spoke, watching Rody look around, he just nodded as his eyes landed on a framed photo. It was of David surrounded by a group of people clad in neon orange uniforms, Rody assumed these were the foxes. There was a range of emotions across the faces of the players although they all held a hint of exhaustion, sweat visible on their faces. David, despite not flashing a big grin like the woman next to him, looked content, Rody unconsciously smiled.

Rody was torn from his thoughts when something soft hit the side of his face (the one with an ear). He looked down to see a bundle of clothes at his feet, slowly clocking what happened, he looked up to see David standing there, arms crossed over his chest. “You get the tour, than you can take a shower, get changed and when you’re ready, we’ll head over to Abby’s” Rody nodded and collected the clothes from the floor, quickly following David through the apartment. It was small with just the main area (which consisted of the kitchen and living room), a master bedroom, a bathroom and a spare room David used as an office.

David left him at the bathroom door with the promise that he was just down the hall. Rody watched the man walk into his office, he left the door slightly open. Rody eventually made his way into the bathroom. It was nice, surprisingly not cluttered, and free from any mystery creatures (the amount of time that Rody spent tying to figure out what was growing in his bathroom was concerning).

The shower’s water was so hot and the burn made Rody feel a bit better. He stood there for a while, watching his skin flush pink, he looked down at the water running off his body, half expecting to see it tinted red. He thought back to the quick shower he had at that gas station in the middle of nowhere. It felt heavenly when he first got in but being in such a cramped space surrounded by his and Vincent’s blood had quickly caused his head to spin. He wondered distantly how long it took for the nurses at whatever hospital Vincent was at to scrub the dried blood off of the man, though about how much evidence they washed down the drain. His blood covered Vincent, his main question was if the police would believe him over Vincent. He was powerful in the community and this incident only made him more liked. Rody was a no one who contributed nothing to society. It wasn’t hard to guess who they would take the side of. But, it didn’t matter. Vincent, for reasons only god knows, didn’t rat him out the second he woke up, maybe he didn’t remember? Maybe the fumes from the fire killed off some part of his brain that held any memory of Rody, but that was just wishful thinking. He sighed heavily as he began to wash his body on autopilot (David used the same three-in-one shampoo that Rody did), all he had to do was lay-low and hope that Vincent wasn’t angry about him cutting open his neck with a broken wine bottle and setting him on fire as well as his bistro/apartment… he 100% wouldn’t be angry about any of that! It’s not like he nearly burnt the face off of some poor cook when they didn’t follow his recipe to a T! He was totally chill and always had been and always will be. 100%.

He stared blankly at the wall as he fell down the mental rabbit hole of what Vincent would do to him if he ever found him. Maybe he’d slowly cut him up and eat him and make him watch as he did it. Would he cook his flesh or just eat it raw? He ate his ear raw, why stop there! He had to stop thinking about this or he might drown himself in David’s semi-clean bathroom, he worked too hard just to die when he was finally (kinda) safe.

He made quick work of rinsing off the remaining sudds from his body and hair, hissing when some of the soap got in his eye. His stomach started to rumble, apparently not eating anything for roughly 24 hours was a bad idea, who would have thought. He finally stepped out of the shower, shivering when the cold air hit his skin, he made quick work of pulling on the clothes David gave him.

The clothes were so much softer than the gas station ones. The red t-shirt had a faded print of some band Rody didn’t recognise, a list of dates and locations on the back. The pants were black and about 2 sizes too big for him. He used the draw-string and tightened it (which caused quite a bit of discomfort in his injured arm) to fit his waist as he walked over to the bathroom mirror. He looked up and made eye contact with scarily empty green eyes. He looked awful.

As he stood there and stared at his face, he debated what he looked like when David first found him. That cashier in the fast food place gave it all away with her reaction, he must’ve looked like hell. He wondered what Vincent thought… He quickly shook that thought from his head just in time for David to knock on the bathroom door.

“You haven’t drowned in there, have you?” Rody swallowed thickly but took a few deep breaths before he opened the door, a strained smile on his face. David gave him a once over as if searching for injuries that he might have missed. “Ready when you are.” Rody spoke, his voice sounded more confident than he felt. David seemed to take this as a good sign, he nodded before making his way to the front door, Rody followed closely behind. They pulled on their shoes and started the trek to the car they’d spent too long in already, Rody just prayed it would be a short trip.   

Chapter Text

Abby’s house is only about 10 or 15 minutes away from David’s apartment. It’s a cute one story house in a cull-de-sac, the only light blue one in the neighbourhood. The white accents, despite being similar to the ones on David’s apartment building, give off a very different vibe - it might be because they look like they’ve been pressure washed recently…

David pulls into the driveway with the ease of someone who does it often. Rody allows his eyes to skim over the green grass and the shrubbery around the outside of the house. It’s all very well maintained and, given what David had told him, he wondered how she had time to do this all, the foxes seemed like a handful.

Rody glanced over at David to see him already looking at him, “You ready?” David spoke for the first time since they left. Rody nodded in reply before clambering out of the car, attempting to keep his bad arm as still as possible.

Rody studied the house further as David got out the car. There was a small porch by the door with a set of three steps leading up to it, a welcome mat sat in front of the white door and a little potted plant was tucked under the door-bell. Rody’s brows furrowed when he noticed a strange discoloured spot on the covered area, he would have missed it were he not staring at the spot. It almost looked like someone had dumped blench onto the concrete…

He didn’t have much time to dwell on his thoughts when David suddenly started walking to the door. Rody followed close behind, giving a pointed look to the mark on the porch once they climbed up the stairs. He stood on the third step as David pulled a set of keys from his back pocket. There were about 10 keys on his ring clip, how he knew what they went to Rody had no idea. A miniature fox keychain clinked against the metal, it was swallowed up by the ridiculous amount of keys every time he moved them.

David opened the door and kicked off his shoes before looking back at Rody, he gestured for him to do the same and Rody made quick work of clambering inside and removing his own shoes. The two men walked through the hallway into an open kitchen-dinning-living area. A blond lady stood in the kitchen, her hands busy with placing cheese on the top of some sort of casserole. She turned around after the cheese was all added and when her eyes met David’s they seemed to soften.

Rody used this time to take in her features - she was tan with dirty-blond hair (which leaned more on the blond side) that she had pulled-up into a pony-tail. She wore a pair of light-grey sweatpants and a grey t-shirt with an orange collar and sleeves, the words “Palmetto State University” were printed across the shirt in the same obnoxious orange.

In the time Rody was taking in her features, her grey-blue eyes had drifted over to him. David took that as his sign to leave. On his way to the dinning-room table (a rectangle table with 4 chairs and a bench on one side) he grabbed the awaiting utensils, plates and napkins. Rody gave her a faint smile which she quickly returned. She took a step towards him before holding out her hand.

“You must be Rody! It’s nice to meet you, I’m Abigail but most people just call me Abby.” Her tone was kind but Rody didn’t miss how her eyes swept over him, likely checking for any visible injuries. Rody was thankful that he kept putting off cutting his hair.

“It’s nice to meet you Abby.” Rody spoke, taking her hand and giving it a small shake. She had a strong grip. Rody stood there awkwardly once she let go of his hand, unsure what to do next. Abby just smiled before speaking again. “I need to put the casserole in the oven, it’s cauliflower and cheese, I hope that’s alright.” Rody nodded and watched as she turned back to the oven. She made quick work of putting it in and setting the oven’s timer for 25 minutes. “I like it crispy.” She suddenly spoke before turning back to face him. Rody suddenly realised that he had just been standing there and quickly offered his help.

“That’s sweet but I have everything covered.. Although there was one thing I wanted to talk about.” Rody nodded in response, a little shocked at how quickly she became serious. “David mentioned some injuries.. would you let me look at them?” Rody knew it was coming but it still made him a little queasy. He spent so long in hospitals when his father was sick, it made it difficult for him to go into them anymore, plus he can’t afford health insurance much less the extortionate prices that hospital visits cost. He also wasn’t too fond of asking for help, or admitting that something was wrong, a lovely trait he inherited from his mother. Manon had once yelled at him about it during one of their fights - called him a “selfish-selfless asshole”, which was quite contradictory (a comment that didn’t go over well with a pissed-off Manon).

Abby seemed to have sensed his hesitance and glanced over at David who was still trying to pretend that he was setting the table (a task that he had already completed). “We have to head up-stairs, that where my supplies are.” Abby’s calm tone comforted Rody and he agreed, a small tense smile on his face.

He trailed after her as she made her way up the stairs. Rody noted that while the majority of the walls downstairs were covered in pictures of Abby with others (likely family or friends) - most notable was the same picture he saw in David’s house, the wall decorations along the staircases wall seemed to be Abby’s credentials - two degrees (a nursing one as well as one in psychology), a few framed notes and letter (he wasn’t too sure what they were about as he was a pretty slow reader and walking up a flight of stairs wasn’t the easiest reading environment) and a framed photo of Abby and another woman. She had short brown hair and was a bit paler than Abby, a pair of thick black-rimmed glasses sat on her nose, the size of which was only exaggerated by then thin brown glasses Abby wore in the photo.

Abby kept walking up, even as Rody slowed to examine the contents of her walls, she just glanced back and smiled. The upstairs of Abby’s house was carpeted (a nice rest-bite for Rody’s sock-clad feet, no more slipping on laminate flooring). Abby gestured to the first door on their right, he gently pushed open the door and was greeted by a bathroom. It smelled faintly of cleaning products and was very neat, untouched and impersonal.

“I’m just going to quickly grab something, are you alright to wait here?” Abby’s voice broke Rody from his train of thought. “Oh, yeah go ahead..” Rody watched as she walked away and sat down on the closed toilet lid. He stared at the two dark grey fluffy towels across from him and when that got boring he took to examining the white shower curtain. Abby came back a minute later with a small box. She placed it on the counter before crouching down. She opened the cabinet under the sink and started rummaging around. She suddenly pulled out a large first-aid kit - it was so big he was slightly surprised at how easily she lifted it. She closed the cabinet with her hip before setting down the kit.

“So, David explained to me that you were injured. I don’t know if he explained but I work as the nurse for the foxes..” Rody nodded along as she spoke. “The reason I’m mentioning that is because I want you to know that I’ve seen bad injuries - exy’s a very aggressive sport-“ Rody wondered if she had ever treated a severed ear. “Now, with all that out of the way, can you please remove your shirt?” Rody hesitated again, not because he didn’t trust Abby’s expertises but because he had struggled to get his old shirt off and his new one on, he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of someone he had just met. After a second or two of hyping himself up mentally, he began the painful process of removing his shirt - it took him two tries before the garment was removed.

Abby nodded and thanked him before gently taking his right arm into her hands. Her hands were slightly cold but Rody had always run hot. She prodded and moved it around, stopping whenever she pulled a hiss from Rody. She gently leg go and hummed before speaking again, “You’re shoulder is sprained. Luckily it doesn’t seem too severe, it should only take a week or 2 to heal.” Abby nodded to herself as she spoke before unlatching the lid of the first-aid kit. “What do I do then?” He asked as she pulled out a few creams and a packet of sterile wipes. “We’ll put your arm in a sling for the first few days, just to prevent anymore swelling and after that you just have to be careful with it. I also have some pain killer that I can give you if the pain gets too bad.” Rody shook his head no to the offered pain killers as he watched her get organised.

“So, for your scrapes, I’m going to use these wipes to clean the area then apply a pain reliever cream. After that I’ll bandage them. Are there any other injuries I should know about?” Abby asked and Rody wondered if she explained what she was doing to all her patients, it was nice. “I have a few others.” Rody spoke as she started treated the scraps on his arms and shoulders. “Where?” Rody knew that Abby had been told about his ear (at least he assumed as David had said that he was going to call her…) but he figured she wanted him to tell her himself. So he didn’t. At least not yet. “My legs..” She instructed him to roll up the hem of his pants, which he did with his uninjured arm. When the match he used hit the gasoline , a few flames licked his pants, burning through the fabric and hitting his skin. Luckily for him he moved away in time so they were only 1st degree. Abby gently applied a cooling gel and ordered him to let the burns (and his other injuries) breathe from time to time. With that she wrapped a bandage around his lower legs and rolled down his pants for him.

“Why do you have all this stuff? Like I get that you’re a nurse but shouldn’t this be at your office?” Rody asked, watching as she returned the cream and gel to the kit. Abby chuckled before looking up at the man. “The foxes have a tendency to get injured, it’s just easier to have medical supplies in my house since I’m here most of the time when I’m not on campus.” She spoke, idly tapping along the lid of the kit. She glanced over at the left side of Rody’s head before meeting his eyes again.

They both stared at each other for a while before Abby rose an unimpressed brow at him. He sighed heavily, averting his eyes before speaking. “My ear.. area.. also is.. messed up.” He gestured to the left side of his head. “Do you mind?” Abby asked with her hand hovering over the hair that covered the side of his face. He silently turned his head to give her better access.

This new position still allowed him to see her face from the corner of his eye so he knew the second her mind recognised what she was looking at, or more aptly what she wasn’t looking at. Her face contorted into a mix of horror and some emotion he couldn’t place. Her free hand covered her mouth and she looked away, focusing on a random spot of the bathroom. Rody hadn’t looked at it yet, wasn’t even able to stomach the thought.

“H-How..” Abby cleared her throat before continuing, “How bad is the pain?” He had always had a very high pain tolerance but he could imagine the amount of pain he was supposed to be in. At the moment it was just a constant throbbing pain, sore enough that his eyes occasionally blurred over with un-shed tears but not painful enough that he was screaming so… He shrugged a little before answering, “It’s throbbing.. and kinda burns.?” Abby nodded before turning her gaze back to Rody. Her face held a more professional expression but her forehead was still creased in worry.. “If i knew David wasn’t exagerating I would have waited at the clinic for you..” Abby mumbled more to herself than him. She took a deep breath before leaning back, still sitting on her knees in front of him. Rody turned to face her.

“Okay. So, you have two options.” She spoke, meeting his eyes. Rody nodded in response. He figured she would have just chosen one for him, that’s what normally happens anyway. “One, we can go to the clinic, it’s about 20 minutes from my house and then we can do some proper tests and then contact a surgeon. They may be able to reconstruct your ear, maybe.” Rody wasn’t too fond of that idea, he could distantly smell the sterile air of a hospital, the constant beeping of a heart monitor and the constant movement of nurses and doctors. “The other option is that I do it here. I’ll have to sterilise the bathroom and then get the equipment ready. David warned me earlier so I have the supplies here. I would have to sew your ear, I wouldn’t be able to reconstruct it but I can clean the area and make sure the wound closes and doesn’t get infected.” That sounded like the much better option so Rody nodded, he wrung his hands in his lap, hoping that it wouldn’t be painful. Abby waited a moment to make sure he was sure before she nodded. She stood, her knees cracking painfully from the extended time crouched. “I’ll prepare the room and get the stuff I need, can you go tell David for me?” Rody stands when she walks out the bathroom, agreeing when he passes her. She enters the bathroom again as Rody makes his way over to the stairs. “Oh! Rody wait.” He jumped but returned to Abby when she gestured him over. She held a sling in her hands and gently put it on him. It hurt a bit to lift his arm up but the relief he felt once his arm was supported made the pain worth it. She gave him a smile once his arm was situated and walked back into the bathroom. Rody took that as the dismissal it was and made his way down the stairs, glancing over at the framed photo of Abby and the woman as he passed.

David sat at one of the chairs, his flip-phone in hand. He looked up when Rody approached him. “How’d it go?” David asked, glancing down at Rody’s new sling. “Um, Abby’s going to.. fix this..” He gestured up to his head, David hummed in acknowledgement. Rody took a deep breath and the smell of the casserole hit him. It smelled heavenly. Rody felt his mouth water and was tempted to ignore the pain in his ear and ask Abby if they could eat first. “Smells nice, huh?” David asked, a small grin on his face as he saw Rody’s expression. Rody nodded eagerly and swallowed audibly. Before he could respond Abby called him back up the stairs. David chuckled but made a shooing motion that caused Rody’s shoulders to slump.

Rody made the trek up the stairs and entered the bathroom. Abby’s hair was pulled up into a slick bun now, a pair of gloves on her hands. She gestures for him to sit again which he does. He, when instructed, moves his hair to the side, using the clips Abby had placed on the countertop to remove his hair from the area. She nodded, giving him a calming smile. “This is Lidocaine spray. It’s a pain killer that I can apply to the area so I don’t hurt you, are you alright with that?” She asked, holding up the small spray bottle. Rody nodded and turned his head away so she had full access to the area. He flinched when the cold spray hit the side of his head. It hurt a bit when the liquid hit his lack of ear but the coldness distracted him from that. She applied a couple more sprays before capping the bottle and putting it away. “This’ll have to sit for about 5 minutes. If you can still feel the area after the 5 minutes I’ll apply some more spray and then we’ll wait for a bit longer. Do you want a book or something to keep yourself entertained?” Abby spoke, cracking her fingers as she turned to look at him. “That’s alright..” He said, glancing up at her. Abby nodded, smiling, “Any questions?” Rody thought about it before speaking, “When can we have casserole?” Abby chuckled and leaned against the counter, keeping her hands slightly in front of herself. “Once you’re all sown up, I’ll cut you a big square, do you like the corner piece?” Rody nodded, a smile on his face. His stomach rumbled and he took another deep breath, he could just smell the food under the smell of steriliser.

They talked for a little longer, Rody learnt that the lady in the framed photo on the stair wall was named Betsy and that she was the team’s psychologist, and now his psychologist. Abby talked about her time in school, about her degree in psychology and how she met David. She spoke about him with such fondness that it made Rody’s heart clench. She mentioned some of the foxes, primarily Andrew’s group - apparently they lived with her during most of the breaks and had only moved out a few weeks ago.

The 5 minutes seemed to fly by as they chatted but before he knew it, he was facing the shower curtain again with apply standing between his knees. She gently turned his head a few different angles before settling. Her hands were gentle as she got his attention, he looked at her from the corner of his eye to see her smile at him, “Ready?” He swallowed thickly before returning her smile.

It had to be done one way or another, he would rather her than someone he didn’t know. He nodded and averted his gaze back to the curtain as he felt the slight prodding of the needle.

Chapter Text

With shaky hands Rody shoved the pointy animal bone into the fan, his hands sticky with animal blood from the meat cutter - or at least what he hoped was animal’s blood… The jammed fan provided little rest-bite from the freezing fridge but it did give him time. He hoped down from the bags of flour, eyes darted around the room. Nothing useful… He needed to pry the door open or maybe break the glass but all the things in the walk-in freezer likely wouldn’t help, plus he needed to be quick if he was going to get out unscathed, there was no telling when Vincent would be back.

He stumbled over to the door, legs weak from the shock and horror of the past few hours, the sub zero temperature probably also didn’t help, and tried to yank the door open but it wouldn’t budge. He grabbed his tie and wrapped it around his dominant hand before reeling it back and smashing it against the glass. He could hardly feel the stinging pain in his hand and wrist, too focused on the now shattered glass. His height allowed him to reach through the window and fumbled blindly for the latch. His cold fingers made quick work of the lock and the satisfying click that soon followed was almost enough to bring happy tears to his eyes.

The door creaked open ominously and Rody slipped through when there was just enough room for him to do so. He was greeted by the spotless kitchen he had become so accustomed to, had it not been for recent events, Rody would have been none-the-wiser to the horrors this kitchen has probably seen. He rushed over to the backdoor; locked. The key was probably with Vincent… or in his office…

Rody’s eyes landed on Vincent’s office door and prayed that it was empty. He began to walk closer, hunched over to make himself smaller, when something caught his attention. A plate. On it sat what appeared to be a grilled stake… it looked nice and in normal circumstances he would have been tempted to eat it, as long he knew it wasn’t made by Vincent.

Just as he was about to walk away from the plate, he heard a door open. His head slowly turned to see Vincent in all his psychopathic glory. His hair was messy, a far-cry from his normal put-together appearance. His eyes were wild, mouth pulled into a grimace that made him look older than he was. He was hunched over, hands hugging his body. Rody was surprised he didn’t start rocking himself back and worth. Vincent’s intense gaze was trained on Rody and after a too-long pause, he took a step forward. They stood in silence for a while more, Rody occasionally glanced at the door that led into the dinning area - Vincent was closer to the door but Rody was 50% sure he was faster. Before he could put his stupid plan into action, Vincent took another step forward.

“H-hey, maybe we can talk about this?-“ Rody voice sounded foreign to his own ears, he sounded so scared and weak. It caused him to cringe inwardly and he just had to hope that Vincent couldn’t hear his fear.. see the shaking of his hands.. the rapid rise and fall of his chest or the way his eyes darted around like a cornered animal.

Before Rody could blink, Vincent was coming towards him, his steps quick and heavy. “Wait! D-Don’t come any closer!” He yelled, backing away, his back suddenly hit the counter top and he could do nothing but stand like a deer in headlights as Vincent closed in on him.

He watched in slow-motion as Vincent’s hands wrapped around his biceps, his face inching closer and closer and for a split second Rody thought… thought that maybe this was all a dream. That Vincent never hurt Manon… never hurt him and he was just worried about Rody’s bloodied hand, that maybe he would patch him up like when he got cut by that piece of glass… that maybe he was leaning in closer to embrace him like a worried lov-

Rody naïve thoughts were shattered when he heard the sicking crunch of cartilage being crushed by teeth. He watched as a spectator as Vincent pulled back, Rody’s ear in his mouth… He watched himself scream even though he couldn’t feel the pain… and then he did. The seemingly never-ending searing pain that started at his ear and traveled through out his body. He used all his strength to shove Vincent off of him as he desperately clutched at the side of his head trying to minimise the pain. It wasn’t working. He was going to die. He could feel his warm, sticky blood gush from the hole in his head, could feel it rush down his cheeks, trickle into his eye and coat his hands. The iron smell sent him reeling. He could taste blood but he wasn’t sure if it was from his ear or his raw throat. His screaming finally came to an end as his throat gave out but the pain never stopped. It was getting worse, so much worse. His blood ran down his neck and stained the collar of his dress-shirt. He used his free hand to try and smear away the blood rushing down his neck but all it did was spread the deep crimson liquid. He could feel Vincent’s hungry eyes on him, could almost smell his glee and desperation to sink his teeth deeper into Rody.

He heard himself start to talk but could hardly register the words over the all encompassing pain; “You- You..” His eyes tracked his ear as he watched Vincent swallow it whole before they were diverted to the man’s lips as he licked away the blood. His lower face was covered in it. In Rody’s blood. Some sick part of Rody’s mind thought about how red was definitely Vincent’s colour. The deep tone contrasted beautifully with Vincent’s pale skin… his dark hair… it seemed to accentuate the man’s dead eyes. He wondered if this was how he looked when he murdered Manon… Now he wanted to throw up for more than one reason.

The two continued to talk but Rody couldn’t hear what was being said… something about Manon… about food and… and… His head felt so foggy, like someone stuffed cotton in his ears and spun him in circles. Suddenly Vincent was stalking towards him, he tried to run but he was caught before he could even turn around, the blood loss was making him too dizzy and too weak to fight. This game of cat and mouse continued a few times more before Rody realised how close he was to Vincent’s office door… his eyes snapped over to Vincent’s deranged ones and, using strength he didn’t know he had, he shoved him off. It sent Vincent stumbling into the island in the middle of the kitchen and Rody made quick work of getting the door open and managed to shut and lock the door just as Vincent was re-gaining his footing.

Rody backed up until his lower back hit Vincent’s desk, his shoes crunching against the broken wine bottle on the floor. His eyes traveled along the jagged sharp edges of the broken glass as it glinted in the dim light of the office. He suddenly jumped when Vincent started pounding against the door, the door shook with the force of his fists. Rody debated it for a second more before he grabbed the broken bottle. He adjusted his grip so that he could comfortably hold it and braced himself for what he was about to do… was this really the only option..? He hated Vincent, the very thought of the man caused an anger to bubble within him, an anger he didn’t know he harboured. It was so shocking. He considered himself a pretty calm person, kind even… this overwhelming anger caused him to get a bit light headed… He knew what he had to do…

He ignored the way his body and mind screamed for him to stop as he made his way towards the door. The pounding had stopped at some point and Rody was left in deafening silence. He knew Vincent was still on the other side of the door. He swore he could hear the man’s heartbeat - or was that his own? He reached for the door handle and shoved it open. Vincent had been leaning against the door, his ear pressed against the stained wood, so the door being roughly opened caused him to stumble backwards.

Rody hardly blinked before he was lunging towards him, the broken bottle in his outstretched hand. He didn’t know where he was aiming for, he just hoped it hurt. His vision seemed to go black and when he came back to himself, he was standing over Vincent’s crumpled body, blood gushing out between his fingers as he tried to stop the bleeding of his neck. A strange sob-laugh sound bubbled from his chest and before he knew it, he was laughing uncontrollably. His vision blurred with tears, the salt burning his eyes as he stared down at the blurry figure of his former boss.. of the man he once considered a friend… a presence to fill the void that Manon left… He could almost hear Manon in the back of his mind seethe at that thought…

He backed away from Vincent’s body, watched as Vincent’s soulless eyes followed him. He needed to do something. Anything. He needed Vincent dead. The thought of stabbing him in the heart sounded fitting considering what had happened but Rody was hardly holding back his vomit as it was… he couldn’t handle doing that. But you know what he still had? The match box. It could work… frame it as an accident! Fires happen all the time in kitchens! And if Vincent’s body go burned up, no one would see the stab marks in his neck! His eyes found their way back to the freezer and he stumbled over to it. He had to be quick, his vision was swimming and he wasn’t about to pass out next to that psycho.

He grabbed the first bottle of cooking oil before heading back to Vincent. He stopped when he saw the shimmer of something from the corner of his eye… Manon’s locket. His heart clenched as he stared down that hunk of silver. He spend his last damn dime on that. It was a representation of everything he lost. His mind screamed at him to grab it, to hold on to the last memory of his soulmate… his Manon… yet his legs carried him back into the kitchen, locket less.

He stared down at Vincent, their eyes locked. He had been so nervous to look into Vincent’s eyes before, always avoiding them when he could but now? He couldn’t look away. He reached down after a while and plucked the front door key from Vincent’s pocket before he un-corked the oil. His feet took him around the kitchen, spreading the oil until there was about 1/3 of the bottle left. He created a circle around Vincent before pouring the rest on his stomach. He seemed to be trying to move but he couldn’t. He was loosing a lot of blood so it didn’t surprise Rody. Still, he watched as Vincent wriggled around for a second more than strictly necessary. He stepped over Vincent’s body and made his way closer to the door. Finally, he lit his final match and threw it into the corner. It was the farthest point from Vincent that he could reach and figured he deserved it. Maybe it would make him feel like Manon did before she was butchered.

He slowly made his way to the front door, unlocked it and didn’t even look back as he walked out of La Gueule de Saturne. Once he made it across the street he turned and watched as the building caught fire. He hoped Manon’s soul rested in peace and that Vincent would spend the rest of his existence burning.

“I should get something to eat…”