Chapter Text
Infinite
A few days passed after that incident, Infinite was awoken by the sounds of Gadget arriving for his shift with confectionaries in hand. The wolf had placed down a steaming dark coffee on the jackals table before standing at his side, his expression set in a muted determination.
The look in his eyes brought the villain into alertness much quicker than normal, he blinked the sleep from his eyes while pressing the bed’s button into a sitting position.
“What now?” he sluggishly asked, ignoring the coffee in favor of keeping his stomach settled for a potentially bad conversation, dread setting in as his mind started to make assumptions.
The jackal’s question seemed to snap the wolf out of his own mind, bewilderment flashing across his face before a look of recognition and embarrassment replaced it.
“Sorry, nothing bad.” Gadget reassured with a soothing motion of his hands.
Infinite stared at him with a pinched expression, annoyed at having been woken up for nothing.
"So?" He snipped impatiently.
"Uh, okay I was thinking-"
"Impressive." The jackal snarked with a deadpan voice, causing the wolf to break his focus in favor of scowling down at the villain, waiting to see if the other would interrupt again before trying again.
"We should probably give you a new name, like how you broke ties with your past in choosing Zero."
Infinite stiffened at the use of his past name, the moniker held only bad memories nowadays. It annoyed the jackal that the other was using it so casually, as though it wasn't heavy enough to sink a city.
"And … why would I do that?" He cautiously asked.
Gadget seemed to expect the question, diving into his explanation with ease.
"It's best to get used to a new name early so it's second nature by the time that you leave."
"You do realize that a new name doesn't actually cut ties with the past right? Just because I take on a new name doesn't mean that I'll magically become an upstanding functional member of society."
Gadget’s ears fell back in exasperation.
"Obviously, but it also means resetting expectations of your character, and hides your identity."
"Wow I feel so redeemable, this little ploy you guys have going is absolutely succeeding with it’s blatant need to cover up my past just to have a chance of it working." The jackal harshly remarked.
The red wolf pulled back in guilt, likely knowing that the villain was right.
"I know it'll be a fight for public favor, but it's our smartest play. If you have a record of making up for the past then they might be more willing to accept you."
The jackal rolled his eyes, he knew that no matter what he did, nothing would change. A fact that the others blindly refused to acknowledge, it really showed how little they knew of the world they 'protected'.
"Please? It's your choice on what name." Gadget implored.
Infinite knew he didn't actually have free will to decline the name change. The Restoration had the final say on how things would play out so the best he could do is go along with it and pretend to conform to his new identity.
If he didn't provide a name they would just force one on him. It was a drag to cooperate but he needed to stay in their good graces until he regained enough power to topple them.
It was then that a thought flashed through the jackal’s brain, like a lightbulb. He tried to hide the corners of his mouth turning up. If he had to play along with this stupid game, he might as well get a kick out of it. Malicious compliance had its highlights when the opportunity arose.
He leaned back, swiping the coffee off the table as he hummed.
"Hmmmm fine then, in that case I'll go with Finn."
The hero stared blankly, letting out a sigh before complaining. "You know that's way too close to Infinite."
"Which means it's easier for the heroes that already know my identity to switch, not to mention nobody would dare call me out on it without making themselves out to be a prejudiced asshole against jackals as a species." He smirked.
Gadget quietly groaned at his comment, rubbing his temple from the headache that the villain was giving him.
Seeing the wolf so perturbed was massively improving his mood, he really ought to do this more often.
Infinite eventually relents, throwing his fellow canine a fabricated olive branch.
"Plus it can be spun to the masses that I wasn't hiding my identity through an entire name change, that the Restoration planned to go public with who I was from the start. Especially if I get outed before you guys intend and things get out of hand."
Gadget seemed to genuinely contemplate that, likely not having thought in depth on the repercussions of a trusted organization hiding a fugitive so blatantly.
As expected, the wolf ultimately gave in with a defeated exhale.
"Okay, Finn it is."
Thankfully the group of heroes hadn't bothered him since that initial interrogation, leaving him to heal in peace while Gadget continued with his remote work.
The scarlet wolf had initially asked him a few questions regarding his squad to send information that would aid in finding what had happened to them, though most of that info was in regards to appearance and names that they may have used as aliases. Never anything too personal, which the jackal appreciated.
Given how long it had been, he would assume that they were either cremated or buried in some mass sanctioned grave. Lost to time, never to be known, not by any that would care anyways.
Having been one of the most lethal mercenary groups in the larger area of Kammit, they had been feared and respected. They primarily took on personal heists back then, stealing the highest riches to sell on black markets. Though they definitely didn't turn away from accepting handsomely paid commissions by the largest monoliths of the underground when the opportunity arose. Those jobs mostly consisted of escorting payloads, Security detail on less than legal dealings, Intel gathering and even taking hits out. Though they did occasionally stray from their usual jobs if the pay was worth their time.
Infinite himself was the most known of his squad, with the title of ‘Ultimate Mercenary’ for his prowess in combat and operations. Though his crew was nothing to scoff at with each member holding unbridled power in their chosen skillset. Suffice to say, with how well known they were, he wouldn't be surprised if their identities were immediately clocked and registered when their bodies were abducted by G.U.N.
He supposed it was just a waiting game to find out their final resting places, hopefully if they were cremated he could still recover their ashes to bring back to their homeland. Allow them the dignity to end their life’s path in the place they held the most renown, as was the culture’s death rites.
Until then, he needed to focus on growing his strength back and push forward in his own plans.
With time, he was given the good news that his casts were ready to come off. The relief that came from the announcement was a welcome one, he had been having a hell of a time with itches and pains that he couldn't do anything about, hidden away just out of reach and relentless in their torment.
He was expecting to be trapped in a cast for at least a few months longer, however according to his doctors, the crystal that he had been fitted with when he had first arrived carried the unexpected advantage of boosting his healing. Taking what was meant to be four to six months of healing into three and a half, his cells working at an accelerated speed.
He was still on mandatory bed rest regardless, due to the degradation of his muscle mass while trapped in the room and on the off chance that the bones had healed brittle. The jackal could finally move on to physical therapy soon, giving the villain a much needed way to set and track personal goals again. He felt like he was wasting away the longer he had to sit without taking action, the lack of direction other than his mind’s ramblings for what was to come was enough to drive himself mad. So the opportunity of change and moving forward was heavily appealing to the jackal.
This also meant that he could finally shower again, something that he was desperate for after the months of shitty sponge baths that he was subjected to.
The doctors made quick work of sawing off the plaster, departing with words of caution in putting too much stress on the now exposed limbs. Feeling the air on his previously covered fur was bizarre, the casts having flattened the hair on his leg and arm into a disgustingly greasy mess. Thankfully all of the bandages and stitchwork that he had been buried under in the beginning had been slowly reduced as the weeks went by, the last things that needed removal being the casts.
Nurses arrived a short while later, Infinite somehow managing to convince them to help him into the attached bathroom with the promise of ceasing his bullying of the staff.
They left him to clean himself in the large stall shower with the addition of a clunky plastic seat to perch on, not the most ideal but it was heaven regardless. The hot spray of water and suds sliced through the worst of the dirt and washed away months of filth.
He took extra care to scrub out the grime in his locs, allowing himself the time to work through the large volume of hair more than once to really make up for the extended mistreatment that a prolonged hospital stay forced upon it . It was well worth putting up with the humiliation of being transported to the shower via wheelchair, basking in the heat of the shower as the steam swirled around him.
The future assurance of strengthening his body back and regaining self sufficiency truly carried him through the demeaning circumstances of transport. Soon enough he wouldn't have to rely on the assistance of others to perform the most menial of tasks, especially with his newfound healing ability. He just had to put up with it for now, avoid lashing out at the nurses to ensure that they let him keep this luxury.
Until then, he had to live with the reality that bathing and toweling off was enough to knock the wind out of his weakened body, the energy he had left leaching out of him in waves alongside the loss of heat that the shower provided. It was pathetic really, with how easy this used to be before and how insurmountable it was now.
He could feel his frustration growing, so he switched tactics, throwing on his socks and gloves before calling the nurse waiting on standby to wheel him back to his bed. They took advantage of the villain being away from his bed, the sheets having been swapped out for a clean set, as well as the windows having been cracked open to allow the fresh chilled air into the room.
Gadget was in his usual spot on the couch, hunched over his laptop as he typed away. Infinite was assisted in getting back onto the bed, shuffling under the covers to combat the frigid air running across his still damp fur. When he glanced back at the wolf, he caught the other paused from his work watching him with a borderline awed expression. The unexpected attention caused him to tense, hackles rising in discomfort.
“What! the hell are you staring at me for!” he snapped at the smaller canine, jolting the hero out of his stupor.
“S-sorry, just… you look fluffier, more like you.” he stammered with a hand rubbing his neck.
Infinite scoffs, “hardly, I look like a drowned rat. There's still way too much water in my hair, it's going to take forever to dry out.” he grumbled.
Gadget tilts his head questioningly “there’s no blow dryer?”
The jackal could feel his former frustration resurfacing, leave it to this damned wolf to hold a mirror up to him and force the villain to look at his pathetic failings once again. A growl rumbled in his throat as he spoke.
“I think it's about time that you got back to your work wolf, I only have so much patience to deal with you and your ridiculous line of questioning. Quit while you’re ahead.”
Gadget watched the other for a tense moment before steeling his resolve and pushing his way off the furniture and into the bathroom, Infinite could hear the opening and closing of cabinets and drawers inside until the other reappeared with a procured blowdryer.
There was a standoff between the two, Infinite’s ears pinning back and face pressing into a murderous death stare, a blatant show of aggression. Gadget stood in the middle of the room with the dryer clutched between his paws, a clear unyielding expression sitting confidently on his face.
The hero took a step forward, “The season’s getting colder, it's better not to risk getting sick.” he tried.
The Jackal narrowed his eyes, it was obvious that Gadget had caught onto why he didn't blowdry his own hair. It was a tactful choice to avoid the real reason and frame it into another problem, but he was still locked in a simmering rage at the implications that he needed to be coddled over his helplessness. He desperately wanted to lash out and regain control of the situation, but he knew that this hero wouldn't back down and cower like the rest of the staff. It would be a pointless endeavor, wasting more energy fighting the wolf on this when he was already in such low reserves.
It would also be nice to have his hair not borderline sopping wet with the frigid air swirling its way through the cracks in the window.
Gadget seemed to take the jackal’s silence as a go-ahead, calmly making his way over to the outlet closest to the jackal’s bed. Infinite watched his every move, coldly glaring daggers at the other canine as he moved around the space while letting out a low annoyed growl.
Once everything was set up, Gadget turned to the other with the dryer in hand, gesturing with a twirl of his finger as he spoke. “Could you swing your legs over the side?”
Infinite fought with himself on complying or holding his ground in their stubborn fight for dominance. Eventually the desire for dry warm hair won out, the jackal grumbling as he awkwardly shifted his body away from the wolf and shakily threw his legs over the side of the bed into a sitting position, he refused to face the other.
Gadget swung the cord of the dryer to the villains side before hesitantly climbing onto the bed to better reach the other’s hair. He could hear the other settle behind him, the villain’s senses on high alert as he anticipated the wolf’s movements.
The click of a switch was all it took for the quiet room to be encased in a high toned hum, Gadget delicately moving the warm air from the dryer over Infinite’s hair. The jackal kept himself still as the wolf worked, shifting his ears away from the noise and out of the other’s way.
He was startled by the shift of a hand pushing through his locs, flinching away at the unexpected touch. The wolf quickly retracted his hand, “Sorry, I should have given you a warning.” he mumbled with a lowered voice, the closeness of the two canines allowing for the jackal to hear him without issue. “I need to get to the other layers to better dry them.”
Infinite tried to cover his reaction to the other’s contact with an annoyed huff, “Fine just hurry the hell up.”
“Okay, I'm gonna move your hair again.” the hero confirmed before diving his hand back into the mane of ivory.
Gadget worked with a gentle touch, pushing through damp interlaced pieces with care to reduce any damage to their form. The jackal could feel the moisture being wicked away as he worked, his hair slowly growing lighter. The repetitive motions were soothing, allowing him to relax his shoulders as the hero worked. Though he would never admit it.
The angle was a bit awkward as the wolf advanced towards his scalp, so he subtly tilted his head back to let the other continue his ministrations. Gadget huffed in light amusement but otherwise kept his comments to himself, putting his attention towards ensuring that the jackal’s hair was completely dry. Once he had accomplished that task he moved to the other’s tail, making sure to warn him before starting. He focused on the tip of the appendage, as that held the most density in fur, carefully working toward the midpoint of the jackals tail but not going past that.
Infinite was silently appreciative that the wolf respected his boundaries towards unnecessary touch. Touching the base of someone's tail wasn't exactly intimate but it was definitely reserved for much closer relationships like close family and partners, sometimes extending to friends. This was due to how sensitive the nerves were, the same applied to a lot of mobian’s ears, and most definitely all mobian’s exposed paws.
Thankfully his tail was easier to dry than his large mass of hair, so the process was much quicker. Gadget marked the end of his task with a click of the dryer, throwing the room into a sudden silence once again. Though this silence didn't feel as charged as the first one, it held a tranquility to it, with both canines in a more relaxed state.
Gadget moved off the bed to unplug the dryer and wind up the cord, looking over to the jackal as he spoke up.
“There, that should do it.”
He made his way back into the bathroom to drop off the dryer, Infinite pushing himself back into the center of the bed, pausing at the warm imprint left behind by the wolf before pulling the thicker cover back over his legs. Now that the haze of the odd situation was starting to dissipate, the jackal felt a bit ashamed at his acquiescence to the wolf’s requests. He should have held his ground, not lost his foothold on the little authority he had left.
Gadget strolled back to the couch, pulling his laptop back into place. The wolf grimaced at the screen, scratching his neck before leaning over the screen to read through whatever was on screen.
“What’s that face about?” the jackal probed to distract himself from his demeaning thoughts.
The scarlet wolf sighed, lifting the glasses off of his muzzle and rubbing his eyes. “I’m supposed to send a deliverable for a build efforts project by tomorrow afternoon, it's not going well.”
Infinite quirks up an eyebrow, baffled “then why the hell were you wasting your time throwing around a blowdryer for the better half of an hour?”
Gadget looked through the gaps in his fingers at the jackal, watching the other for a moment before responding “I’d rather make sure you’re comfortable, if I'm late with this they'll be fine.”
Infinite didn't know what to say to that, he really wasn't used to people doing things for him at their own expense, unless they had something to gain obviously.
He looked away, shifting so his body faced away from the smaller canine. He could hear the others' clothes shifting as he leaned back on the couch, seemingly settling in for a long haul of working through his duties.
He knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer, the exhaustion tugging at his consciousness as he settled into his side. It felt too weird to leave their conversation off on the hero’s admission though, so he decided to mumble a near silent “thanks.” while the other typed away. He partially hoped that the wolf wouldn't hear it, but the clacking of the laptop's keys briefly stilled after his hushed reply before starting back up as though nothing ever happened.
He could have sworn he heard the idiot’s tail swishing back and forth against the back of the couch before he drifted off.