Chapter Text
The doctor had received word of the need for his assistance on mission just a few system hours back. As usual, he was required to aid the embodiment of inefficiency and illogical risk: Aventurine.
He had also been tasked with overseeing the logistical "optimization" of a risky resource extraction operation. Ratio shifted, lengthening the distance between himself and another group of agents. His arms were crossed, gaze sharp with annoyance. Their travel plans had already been delayed once.
By him, the blonde Stratagist stood, or rather, leaned against a pillar. One foot was crossed over the other loosely as he juggled two chips in his hand. Aventurine held himself with such flourish, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. Two men approached him, as Ratio watched Aventurine begin to speak. Ratio couldn't hear them, but he could see Aventurine smirk and laugh, as though telling a story to the two. He radiated his usual performative confidence, a whirlwind of flashy gestures and exaggerating words.
A suited officer walked over, as he spoke to Aventurine. The frown on Aventurine's face was evident, as his voice grew louder. "Routine? Haven't we already signed all the lovely paperwork?"
Ratio found himself straining.
The officer's words were clear and concise. "Just a minor update, a little procedure. It won't take more than two minutes." His tone was flat, stern, "Designed for... high-value assets such as yourself." Aventurine seemed to still, just for a spilt second, before he rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. Just be quick, can't keep them all waiting." Aventurine found Ratio, winking.
Ratio raised a brow, expression remaining stoic.
The officer escorted Aventurine into the medical bay.
Ratio watched them go. He watched Aventurine disappear into the small room. He watched the door close. He watched as seconds later, the same officer left the room, alone. Minutes later, another officer exited, and Aventurine was still not with him. Ratio frowned.
It took maybe, another fifteen minutes for the blonde to be seen again. Aventurine reappeared with his trademark smirk, as his eyes found Ratio almost immediately. He patted down his jacket and pants as he approached his partner. He smiled, bright, almost too bright.
"What'd I miss?" He stated, as though he'd simply gone to the restroom. He smelled faintly of medicine, like a dentist's room.
"A redundant delay," Ratio stated flatly, face as stoic as ever.
"Oh doctor," Was all he said, with a theatrical laugh.
All the officers backed away, making way for the people to enter the line of travel vessels. Aventurine moved to the back, where he took a seat, with the doctor following suit. He'd prefer sitting next to an annoyance that he knew, over an annoyance he didn't.
Aventurine, usually restless as he strode through the vehicle, didn't get up from his seat this time. Without Ratio's questioning, he stated simply, "Just a little woozy from the check up. Need the beauty rest." That was a low-level anomaly in itself. Ratio sighed, and closed his eyes, leaning his head backwards. Perhaps the 'routine protocol' had genuinely tired him.
Their destination had been a planet cloaked in a persistent, suffocating shroud of mist. It oozed with the stench of metal and rot. The air was heavy with moisture that clung to skin like cold sweat.
Their base camp was swiftly put up, flimsy but functional.
They each settled into their own makeshift quarters. Ratio didn't hear from Aventurine the whole night. Maybe the smothering air had really taken a toll on him.
Aventurine rose to a dull ache in his head. It didn't hurt as much as he was used to. Perhaps his endurability had increased.
The investigation had begun. Most had already gone, though he managed to catch a glimpse of the familiar purple-esque hair in the darkness.
"Waiting for me," Aventurine swung past Ratio, grinning, "Doctor?"
Ratio scoffed. "Just wouldn't want the blame on me if something happened to you while I'm gone, gambler." He eyed at the Stratagist, who was just... standing there while he listened. His smile looked almost grim. "Not that I wouldn't be able to shake myself of the accusations."
"Just admit you wouldn't be able to live without me."
The joke fell flat.
Ratio raised a brow, but made no comment as they walked. Aventurine followed behind. Odd. His eyes darted to the sides occasionally, like in one of those horror films.
"The sky's pretty dark, huh? Like a bad hand already dealt," He mumbled, giving a small, humorless laugh, "Maybe this dampness is getting to my joints. Getting old, Doctor."
"You are hardly 'getting old'. Your observable parameters indicate peak physical condition, barring any recent, unrecorded interventions." Ratio didn't falter, didn't turn back. He just walked forward.
"Unrecorded interventions? No, it just a shot that they gave me. Routine, they said. Felt a lil' dizzy for a sec, but cleared right up." Aventurine waved a dismissive hand.
Ratio tried to ignore the squelching of Aventurine's boots dragging upon the sticky mud.
The pair approached the cave the other employees were in. Men scrambled, as a few ran out, their faces illuminated by the flickering light of emergency lamps, casting long, dancing shadows on the slick, damp walls. The air hung heavy with the stench of burnt metal and something far more sinister. Ratio strode over, his eyes falling upon a younger man laying on the floor, a pool of crimson flooding the ground beneath him. Oh.
The doctor didn't have to turn, didn't have to look at Aventurine, to know something was off.
The man didn't speak, didn't move. He didn't even make a joke.
Accidents were inevitable, and Ratio knew Aventurine had seen many, many... unfortunate events. He had looked for Ratio, and played it off, though Ratio was hardly a fool. He knew Aventurine was merely searching for an output, for a distraction.
He felt a soft wind against his shoulder, as Aventurine simply stepped over the corpse. No glance, no hesitation. Just outstretched legs that avoided getting soiled with red.
Ratio followed, though making sure he walked around the body. A sharp breath escaped his lips, one he hadn't realized he was holding.
He hid his worry, his horror, as it ate at him.
"What happened here?" He questioned.
The smile that creeped upon Aventurine's face was slow. "Oh, doctor. You always were such a stickler for detail, hm?" His voice was steady, flat. He glanced at Ratio, before quickly adding, though his voice held no urgency or empathy, "The casualties are... regrettable."
Ratio shoved his unease down, deep inside his being, burying it in the cold recesses of his mind.
The two went deeper into the cave, searching for any clues towards the planet's odd enviornment, the only lightsource being the two lamps they held. The dull light illuminated Aventurine's face, enunciating his lifeless eyes.
They walked, the only sound being soft breathing and the light scratch of soles against stone. Minutes past, then hours. Ratio was starting to slowdown, a bead of sweat forming. He glanced back at Aventurine, the blonde's face was flushed, though he made no complain. They passed by a scratch in the wall Ratio had made eons ago, for the umpteenth time.
It was clear they had lost their way.
"Brilliant idea, gambler," Ratio grumbled, the fatigue taking it's toll on his muscles, "Taking the left tunnel. Look where it's left us. If we perish down here, the blame's on you."
He hadn't meant to anger Aventurine, but as the gravity of his own words sunk in, he stole a glance at the shorter man.
Nothing.
He didn't look away, didn't retaliate, didn't do anything.
Physically, Aventurine's weariness was evident. But the man made no move to stop, no move to whine. His stride was smooth, steady.
Ratio's words had bounced off him. Not ignored— just dismissed. The spark that should have fueled his rage was supressed before it even began.
Aventurine's eyes had always been... melancholic. They lacked the shine most people had, his jokes and laughs always seeming a little forced, though his facades were trained. Now, he was just a sickening facsimile of his past self.
Ratio's shortlived anger dissipated into silent worry. The air surrounding them was tense.
He couldn't take it anymore. The distant, vacant stare, the unsettling stillness of the man— It was all too much.
Ratio stopped in his tracks, his breath hitching. The cave was silent, walls wet and slimy. It all seemed to mirror the uneasiness in Ratio's chest. He turned, voice low.
"Gambler." He resisted using the man's name, his title, in fear it'd expose his uncertainty. Aventurine stilled in his tracks. "What's the issue with you?" He couldn't let his worry show. His voice wasn't accusing, it was raw, shaky.
Aventurine stood, no emotions flickering through his face. He shrugged, his usual arrogance a ghost.
Ratio could feel his frustration rising, his chest tightening. "Aventurine-"
The ground shook, the tremor sending Ratio's shoulder into the rough rock wall. He winced, eyes bolting towards Aventurine. Dust and fragments of stone rained down, as the doctor sheilded his face. A low groan emanated from the earth itself. The top began to buckle, the force almost sending Ratio to his knees.
He reacted almost instantly, as he reached towards Aventurine, pulling him by the arm. Large chunks of rock, loosened by the tremor, plummeted to the ground. Ratio sheilded the blonde with his body, as he shoved themselves over towards a smaller cave. A calculated choice.
A sharp ache exploded through Ratio's arm, as a massive rock hurled down. There was no time to register it fully. There was only agony, roaring and fast, like fire coursing through the limb.
He groaned, voice laced with torment. There was no time. Ahead, the narrow opening, their only visible escape, was rapidly vanishing. Rocks tumbled down in waves, first pebbles, then slabs the size of refrigerators. Dust swirled into the air, choking and thick, turning the world into a dull haze of suffocation and panic. Ratio could've sworn he heard Aventurine whimper.
Then, everything went black as the world devoured their bodies.