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Wind whipped through vibrant strands of deep sapphire hair, restless fingers curled about the handlebars of a motorcycle, tapping to the beat as he sang to himself.
Behind him, Murdoc was seated, the weight of a truth-serum filled syringe ever present in his jacket pocket.
He began to grin, giddy with excitement as he grabbed the syringe. He’d finally get that damn portal to work! If only 2D had just given him the secret to turning it on instead of acting all dumb.
Well, maybe just behaving dumb, he likely wasn’t acting.
In any case, he had to take his chance. Russel wasn’t fair behind, Noodle practically on their tail.
Green-toned hands lightly made contact with 2D’s waist, receiving a surprised, but not at all opposed hum. It nearly made Murdoc’s heart sting as he leaned into the touch.
“I’d do the same for you if I weren’t driving.”
“What was that?”
The wind in their ears made it much harder to hear, convenient. Responding to affection with aggression was much easier to justify when the affection wasn’t perceived, even if he’d just pretended to not notice.
Giving the syringe a light tap, he rested his hand over 2D’s abdomen on the left side, closing his eyes as he pierced through the jacket, broke skin, and injected the serum.
2D cried out, clutching his side with his right hand without thinking.
Murdoc grabbed the dropped handlebars, but the damage was done. The motorcycle had begun to spin out, tire marks appearing as they screeched along. 2D was entirely keened over now, underneath Murdoc’s chest as he leaned over to -attempt to- steer, Noodle suddenly at their side.
“What did you do this time?!”
He glanced over at her, snarling. To be honest, he didn’t have much of a plan. He’d hoped to have injected the serum when they’d pulled over and had a nice lunch, maybe a drink or two, but Noodle and Russel had ruined all of that.
His stomach dropped as he looked back, the motorcycle swerving off the road, nearly into a nearby gas station. Unable to stop the vehicle from an imminent crash, Murdoc wrapped his arms around 2D, throwing himself and his singer out of the motorcycle as it drove into the grass.
Panting, Murdoc sat up on the concrete, flipping a disoriented 2D onto his back. He was not without bruises and not exactly pleased.
“The hell was that for?!” He cried, coughing.
A go kart parked nearby,
“Tell me how to open the portal.”
A car door slammed open then shut, a disgruntled figure stepping out.
“Huh?”
“The Song Machine, tell me how to use the portals.”
A golf cart pulled up beside the kart,
“I know what portals you mean, but why did you need to stab me?”
“I didn’t stab you, idiot, I-”
His words were cut off as a large hand grabbed his collar, dragging him away from 2D.
“Russ! Ah- D and I were just out for a drive, he just had a bit too much to drink, hm?”
“Don’t run your mouth, tell me what the hell you just did.”
He glanced over at 2D, who was helped up by Noodle, who quickly discovered the oversized needle prick in his side. Lifting up his jacket with a growing bloodstain and shirt to reveal it.
“Did you drug him??” She exclaimed, gesturing to the wound.
Russel growled, fire in his eyes as he noticed the syringe beside the motorcycle’s smoking corpse in the corner of his eye.
“Just a little serum, never hurt anybody.”
“He’s bleeding!”
It was true, a small trickle of blood dripped down his abdomen where the needle had been.
A quick needle to the side was nothing to Murdoc, he’d done copious amounts of heroin with 2D in the past, but the sight of the wound and the blood froze him in place.
Distantly, memories of a bloodstained beach and the cabin of a pirate ship echoed in his mind.
The screams.
The sound.
The blood.
His, all his. All inflicted by none other than Murdoc. This was all his fault.
Even a flying fist couldn’t snap him out of it, yet another black eye gracing his features. Hah. Not the first, likely not the last. Noodle kept Russel from seriously injuring him, but it was difficult: he was furious.
2D, now uncontained, was suddenly between Russel and Murdoc. It was clear that the truth serum had begun to work its magic.
“I forgive him, please not again.”
Russel faltered. Decades and decades ago, a fight had nearly torn the band apart, would violence destroy them once and for all?
But then Murdoc called out to him, getting his attention once more.
“Please? Just tell me how to open the portal. That’s all I want.”
“I’m telling you, I don’t know what’s wrong, it should work.”
Noodle pushed 2D out of the way, typically it would've been relatively harmless, but his disoriented state caused him to hit the ground once more, but, besides the small cut on his upper lip, he was fine.
She stared down at Murdoc, expression full of disappointment.
“I can’t believe you.”
Hissing, Murdoc rose to his feet and swung half-heartedly at Noodle, a small bruise over her left eye.
He fell to his knees once more at the sight, images of a burned and bruised young girl flickering through his mind all the while. Her facial scars hidden by a mask painted with a cat face, her eyes bloodshot and hazey.
Songs of broken love and burning windmills filled his mind as he slipped out of consciousness, likely from another blow from Russel.
x x x
Splayed out across a couch, he regained his consciousness, an ice-pack beside him. 2D was in a chair nearby, his middle bandaged, a small bloodstain apparent.
“Ah, you're up.”
“Unfortunately.”
They sat in silence, 2D watching as Murdoc bounced his leg nervously, stress radiating all throughout the room.
“You alright?”
“That was stupid, I wish I hadn't hurt you like that.” He muttered.
“Why?”
“I don't know, I just felt… left out?”
2D laughed softly, “I meant why do you feel sorry, but that works too.”
“... What do you mean?”
“You've certainly done worse, I don't get why you feel bad now.”
“It's different this time.”
“I just- you felt left out? You? The one who went to live on an island of garbage with a robot and a human punching bag as your only friends?”
Murdoc buried his face in his hands.
“I know you’ll never forgive me for that, but please at least pretend to, for my sake. I'm not the same person I used to be.
“... I forgave you a long time ago.”
Murdoc looked up at 2D, who smiled, a toothy -missing one, of course- grin.
“And, for what it's worth, I prefer this Murdoc. Although I might forgive you even more if you do that thing with your hands, without a needle.”
Murdoc began to laugh, a composite of all different types of tears. Happy, sad, pained, all blurring together. This was exactly
what he'd wanted for years, not a magical portal or an orgone accumulator; a fresh start.