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The last thing Rudo heard before static took over his hearing was Enjin and Zanka yelling his name. After that, everything was ringing, and his vision went oddly fuzzy and grey.
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The morning had been filled with chaos. First, it involved waking up with Riyo’s foot jammed into his neck and Zanka’s foot kicked over his stomach as they both continued to snore softly. He had no clue where Rudo was or how he had escaped the pile, but that could come after he got himself up without waking the other two teens. Then, it proceeded with remembering the ribbon and braids Riyo had put in his hair, and how he’d need to spend at least twenty minutes getting them out before meeting up with the Boss.
Enjin sighed, running a hand down his face as he finally removed himself from the tangle of limbs without waking either of them. As he headed towards the connected bathroom, he heard screeching echoing down the hall, and he quickly came to the conclusion that it was August humoring Guita and chasing her through the halls. He fondly rolled his eyes before entering the bathroom and immediately being met with wide red eyes and screws covering his floor.
He tamped down a shriek just in time, ignoring his now racing heart in favor of running a hand over his messy hair. “Hey bud, what’chu working on?” Enjin asked softly, turning towards the mirror and beginning to untie the ribbons and undo the braids. For a few minutes, it was silent except for the soft clinking of screws. Enjin glanced at the kid, quickly coming to the conclusion that today was probably going to be one of his quieter days. That would also explain why he had returned from drinking with Semiu to the kids grouped in his room.
Finally, Rudo softly responded with, “…’re clock was broken. Pissed me off, so ‘m fixin’ it.” He held up the little side clock that would normally be sitting on Enjin’s side table, and the man blinked at it, surprise flashing through his eyes.
“Oh, thanks for doin’ that!” Enjin exclaimed, eyes crinkling around the edges as he grinned. Rudo huffed, turning his head back down to his project. They fell into a comfortable silence after that. Enjin had just pulled the last ribbon from his hair when he heard his door crack against the wall. Growling under his breath, Enjin threw open the bathroom door. “Oi! Watch i—”
“Riyo, wake up! We’ve got a mission we gotta leave for, remember!? Gris is gonna kill us if we’re late to the jeep!” Follo gasped, sounding as if he had just run across the whole HQ. Riyo was sitting up in a blur of red, green eyes wide at the mention of her mission.
“Oh crap, you’re right. See ya’ later Zan-Zan.” Riyo snickered, clambering over Zanka to jump off the bed. Enjin winced sympathetically as he watched her elbow land on his calf, and Zanka cursed at the girl. She paid him no mind as she grabbed her shoes, threw her jacket on, and double checked for her mask and Ripper. “Later guys! I’ll race you, Follo!” Riyo cheekily grinned, eyes glowing with mirth as she took off down the hall with her shoes in her hands, leaving Follo to dart after her with a shout. His door swung shut, and Enjin sighed as all the noise seemed to move down the hall.
Running a hand through his hair that was now loose, Enjin began to throw his outfit together, grabbing Umbreaker before peaking back into the bathroom. Rudo was still sitting on the floor, tinkering with his clock. “I’ve got to meet up with the Boss, be back soon,” he said, receiving a thumbs-up in response. Walking past the bed and ruffling Zanka’s hair, Enjin grinned at the irritated mumble he received in response. “I’ll need you up in thirty kid, just a fair warning.”
“Mhm,” Zanka mumbled drowsily, barely cracking his eyes open to see Enjin. The man snickered, ruffling the kid’s hair once more before leaving his room, firmly closing the door behind him. The distant sounds of training, laughing, music, and running steps filled the walls and echoed down the hall as Enjin walked, and he pulled out a cigarette with a fond sigh.
The morning had started off chaotically, but he wouldn’t change it for anything else at the base.
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Enjin had left, and all the distant noise happening outside his room had left with him. Rudo could hear Zanka still sleeping, and a twinge of guilt flashed through his mind. Maybe Zanka’s sleep routine wouldn’t have been interrupted if he could just get his shit together. Rudo shook his head, chasing the thought away because both Zanka and Riyo had told him many times over to not worry about that. With a determined huff, Rudo began screwing on scraps that he had found resembling the color of Enjin’s tattoos. When he was done fixing the clock, it wouldn’t be so boring anymore.
Time passed in a weird haze that it always did when Rudo found himself deeply focused on a project. Nothing else existed but his calm breathing, the methodic ticking from the clock, and the pieces falling into place. At some point, Zanka had shuffled into the bathroom with a yawn. He lazily ran a hand over Rudo’s hair before moving to the sink and splashing water on his face before shuffling back out.
It was… peaceful, and Rudo felt his lips twitch at that. Small moments like this that were beginning to happen more and more were some of Rudo’s favorite moments here on the Ground, since not many peaceful, relaxed moments had been found on the Sphere.
He finished Enjin’s clock. With a proud hum, Rudo pushed himself to his feet, wobbling as tingling started in his asleep feet. Moving forward, Rudo exited the bathroom and found Zanka just finishing getting his uniform on. He glanced at the younger teen, watching him set the now fixed clock back on the desk.
“Ah, Rudo, ya’ done with yer project?” He asked, picking up his Lovely Assistaff. Rudo nodded, pride gleaming in his eyes, and Zanka smiled softly. “Glad ta’ see it. Perfect timin’ too, get yer coat. Enjin got assigned a mission, but we’re going with him to the town for a ‘side quest,’” Zanka made finger quotes as he rolled his eyes.
“Only he’s fighting a trash beast?” Rudo questioned, shoving his feet into his boots and slipping on his coat, following Zanka out of the room. The older teen merely shrugged.
“Sounds like it. But he told me Boss has us runnin’ a quick errand since it’s in the same area, and that he’ll make quick work of it to meet back with us.” Zanka explained, waving at Semiu as they passed her desk. Rudo nodded his greeting, and Semiu waved back, preoccupied with her magazine. They met Enjin at the jeep, being greeted with a playful grin, and they were off.
Enjin and Zanka held idle chatter in the front seat, the music blaring through the jeep and out the windows. Rudo sat in the back, tinkering with another object he pulled from his bag. The journey was smooth- or, at least as smooth as it could get with Enjin behind the wheel. Before he knew it, the jeep was coming to a stop, parked behind an empty shed. Rudo could hear the bustling of the town not far away, and he slipped his mini project back into his bag as they all stepped out the jeep.
With a groan, Enjin swung Umbreaker over his shoulder and fixed his mask onto his face. “Alright, this is where we’ll part ways for now. I’m heading outside the perimeter to find our lil’ trash friend here. Rudo, don’t stray too far from Zanka, he has the list Boss man sent for you guys. This shouldn’t take long!” Enjin called over his shoulder as he began to leave.
Rudo huffed, kicking at some dirt as a pout played on the creases of his face. “I wish I could go fight the trash beast,” he muttered, following behind Zanka as they delved into the bustling town.
“Sounds like it’s a bit stronger than yer skill level right now,” Zanka explained, glancing at the paper in his hand before taking a left. He looked over his shoulder, and Rudo could tell he had a calm grin on his face under the mask. “Besides, looks like our job is findin’ things for yer dad’s headstone that we’re startin’ on.”
Rudo perked up, eyes shining excitedly as he peered over Zanka’s arm to see the list of things. Hope rushed through his veins, and he hummed. “It’s fine then,” he said softly, and the corners of Zanka’s eyes creased as his grin grew.
“C’mon then. Let’s make this awesome,” Zanka encouraged, and the two teens excitedly wove through the bustling crowds.
They spent the better half of an hour wandering around the town, peering into stalls and bickering over the best things to get. They were sitting on a bench when Zanka’s bracelet started to ring. He glanced at Rudo, who was gnawing on a caramel apple and answered his band. “Yo.”
“Yo, Zanka! I finished up the trash beasts a hot minute ago, then totally got distracted by this tobacco shop! Man, there were things there I hadn’t seen for ages! Anyways, I’m headin’ your guys’ way now!” Enjin exclaimed, voice booming through the band. Zanka blinked at it, a confused furrow appearing between his brows.
“…do ya’ not want our location?” Zanka asked, grimacing at Rudo when the kid made a face at him.
“Nah, I’ve got this hunch on where you two are, so I should be there in five minutes. Sit tight!” With that, the line disconnected. Zanka sighed, leaning back against the bench and settling in for the short wait. Rudo took the time to finish eating the apple, and the two sat in content silence. People continued to bustle past their spot of silence, but Zanka was more than pleased to people-watch, seeing where people were going and different emotions flicker across their faces. Rudo shifted next to him, giddily peering into the bag, excitement rolling off him at the idea of having a way to honor his dad here on the Ground, so far from home.
A snap sounded from right behind them, and both teens jumped, already whirling around, adrenaline rushing through their veins- just to be met with the top of Umbreaker. The two glanced at each other, then dumbfoundedly blinked at the umbrella. Enjin started cackling, swinging the umbrella over his shoulder, eyes glittering with mirth. Zanka sighed in exasperation as Rudo hissed between his teeth.
“Glad you guys would be on the ready for an attack.” Enjin cackled, leaning over the back of the bench and peering into the bag. He grinned at Rudo. “Bet’cha Regto is gonna be real happy to see this when it’s done.”
“He will! So, let’s go!” Rudo jumped to his feet, excitement radiating from him. Enjin and Zanka shot each other pleased looks, and Zanka pushed himself to his feet as well. Rudo nodded in approval, before spinning around and running into someone that was walking by.
“Oh, my ba—” Rudo looked at the man and froze, horror locking his limbs into place at grey hair. No, no no no no, he isn’t supposed to be down here! He isn’t even supposed to be alive! Rudo’s thoughts were kicked into a panicked flurry as his mind jumped back to another tall figure with grey hair. Another tall figure that was always cold and angry, always returning late at night with splotches of red covering his clothes. Of another tall figure that loomed over Rudo, throwing him into shadow with a snarl twisting his face, cold fury and intent to hurt rolling from him in waves.
A tall man with silver hair that reeked of death, his snarl being the last thing Rudo remembers seeing before blinding hot pain wrapped around both his hands and pulled. Pulled him into a state of mind-numbing pain, agony that had to burn just as hot as the sun. Pulled his hands into being disfigured and covered in terrible scars, pulled him into becoming the monster of the town.
Rudo didn’t even hear what the man had to say as his heartbeat sped up and as his breathing quickly sped up. Belatedly, Rudo realized his limbs felt funny and his chest felt tight, like there was a rock on it. His mind didn’t hold it for long as it threw him back to the image of shadows, red eyes darker than his own, and grey hair that always seemed to be streaked with crusted red now.
Spots danced across his vision, and his heartbeat was loud in time with his funny breathing, and the last thing Rudo heard before static took over his hearing was Enjin and Zanka yelling his name. After that, everything was consumed by ringing, and his vision went oddly fuzzy and grey.
The world sort of… vanished.
}{}{}{
Rudo had turned and ran straight into a guy walking down the street. “Ag, watch it kid.” The man gruffly muttered, continuing on with his walk to another storefront. His gruff words cut into the beginning of Rudo’s softly spoken apology, and Zanka frowned at the eerie silence that seemed to have overtaken Rudo. The kid had just… frozen, and- were his shoulders starting to shake?
“Rudo,” Zanka tried calling, stepping closer to the younger teen and peering at his face. He frowned at the blown wide pupils, shallow breathing, and paler than usual skin. He lifted a hand, but hesitated, worrying that any touch would send the kid into a panic and make him run. Shade fell over them, and Zanka glanced over to Enjin, seeing the man had a concerned furrow forming between his brows.
“Kid, can you hear us?” Enjin asked, quickly stepping closer as shallow breathing turned into shallow gasps, and Rudo’s skin went a shade paler, if that could even be possible. Zanka watched his eyes grow wider, and the pieces clicked in his mind, stitching together what was about to happen. The same conclusion was drawn by Rudo, if the sharp intake of breath was anything to go by. They both lunged forward as Rudo’s eyes rolled back and he began to collapse.
“RUDO!” The two yelled. Enjin threw an arm around Rudo’s shoulders, concern flickering through his eyes. Zanka gently worked the mask off Rudo’s face, moving to remove his own mask. Worry beat a hurried thrum under his skin, and he looked at Enjin, unsure of what they should do. Rudo was semi-conscious, but his breathing was still erratic and coming out in gasps. Enjin lowered his own mask, revealing the full force of his frown.
“Zanka, let’s get his to that shed I parked the jeep next to. It’s isolated and quiet enough to get his focus back to us,” Enjin started, taking his free hand and maneuvering the mask fully off his face, clipping it to his belt. Zanka nodded, clipping his mask and Rudo’s to his own belt. “I’ll carry him, since it’s a bit of a longer distance. I’m gonna entrust Umbreaker to you while we walk.”
Woah, THE Enjin is trusting me enough to hold his Jinki? An ultimate show of trust! The excited thought flashed through Zanka’s mind, before he threw himself back into the situation. He gave a determined nod, then, with shaky hands, grabbed Umbreaker’s handle when Enjin held it out to him. After his Jinki was safely secured, Enjin moved Rudo onto his back, making sure his grip was secure before nodding at Zanka.
They set a brisk pace, ducking into side streets to avoid the larger, midday crowds. Umbreaker was a sturdy weight in Zanka’s hands, and Rudo’s breathing continued to skip, jumping from smooth to erratic.
“Yer such a scuzball, Rudo.” Zanka muttered, walking beside Enjin and speaking as if Rudo was fully awake. “I don’ know what happened there, but it would’ve been cool if you didn’ drop on us like dat, but sure I guess.” His accent slipped out a little heavier than usual, and Enjin found himself with a small grin on his face. As much as Zanka complained he didn’t like Rudo, he knew that was becoming more of a lie day-by-day.
Soon, they reached the shed, and Enjin set Rudo down on the ground, propping him up on the wall near the jeep. Sitting beside the kid, Enjin lifted his bangs away from his eyes, worriedly peering at half-closer red eyes. Zanka slowly squatted on Rudo’s other side, furrow tugging on his brows.
“Hey kid, what’s going on?” Enjin asked, dropping his hand from Rudo’s bangs to lightly brush his fingers over Rudo’s hands. At the slightest contact, Rudo’s eyes were flying open, but the relief was extremely short lived as a shriek tore its way past Rudo’s lips. He snapped his hands up by his chest, slightly curling around them as he pressed himself back against the wall. His eyes were wide and dazed, snapping around as if looking for a threat.
“Don’t touch my hands!” He seethed, pressing further against the wall as if he was trying to mold with it. “They- they-they are bad…” He stuttered, breath hitching as his eyes landed on something in the distance. His pupils blew impossibly wider, and he let out a small whimper, curling further around his hands.
Enjin turned around, looking to where Rudo’s eyes had landed, but there was nothing there. He looked around, but there weren’t any threats nearby. Still, he grabbed Umbreaker. Better to stay ready. Meanwhile, Zanka crept a little closer, frown in full effect on his face.
“Rudo, it’s just me and Enjin with ya’, nothing is gonna get to you. Your hands aren’t bad, so take a deep breath, alright?” Zanka calmly coaxed, leaning Lovely Assistaff against the wall near Rudo, freeing up both hands. He held out one of them to Rudo, leaving the other to loosely dangle at his side. Wide, red eyes flickered around until they found steady blue ones, and Rudo’s breath hitched.
“Za- Zanka?” Rudo gasped, eyes jumping to Enjin. “Enjin? W-what…?”
“We don’t know, only you can tell us that buddy,” Enjin answered the unasked ‘what’s happening?’, and he laid Umbreaker across his lap. “Let’s start with what Zanka suggested, and then we can elaborate, alright? You’ve gotta breathe so you don’t collapse again.”
Rudo looked at Zanka’s extended hand, shakily dropping one of his own onto it. Calmly, Zanka brought his hand to his chest, over his heart, and breathed in deeply. “Like this scuzz. We’ve done this a million times; you can do it.” He encouraged softly, continuing to breathe deeply. After a pointed look, Rudo began to copy him. His gasps still shook and occasionally jumped in a short burst of panic, but the other two remained calm, leaving a steady air to bring Rudo fully back down. After a few long minutes, Rudo’s breathing had pretty much evened out, and his eyes weren’t so wide. He was no longer curled against the wall or into himself, and when his shoulders slumped, Zanka and Enjin shared a small, satisfied smile. With tired eyes, Rudo blinked at the two of them.
“You bumped into some guy, back in the town, and then you froze. What happened Rudo?” Enjin explained, resting his head in one of his hands as he gave Rudo his full attention. In turn, Rudo ducked his head, in an almost shy or embarrassed manner.
“H- his hair was similar to him. It reminded me of my father. The scummy one that damaged my hands,” Rudo whispered, ducking his head even more, letting his bangs hide his eyes. Like that, he missed the shock that flashed through Enjin and Zanka’s eyes, followed by the concern and light curiosity. Rudo’s hand curled into Zanka’s uniform where it was still resting over his heart, and he took a deep inhale when he felt his heart start to race at the memories that had been dragged up.
“Ya’ remember what he looks like?” Zanka asked curiously, tilting his head slightly to try and find Rudo’s eyes. “I thought yer hands were damaged when you were real’ young.”
“I don’t exactly remember his face, I just remember how he would look at me. How he would treat me. I remember the tone of his voice, but not the sound of it. The pain wound up consuming a lot of my clear memories about him, but I’d prefer it that way. Not like there would be much anyways.” Rudo bitterly added, almost like an afterthought. The bags under his eyes seemed darker than usual, and his skin was still paler than usual. An occasional tremor ran down to his hands, and he still refused to look up at them.
Zanka glanced at Enjin, and the man gently smiled in response to the unasked question. Pushing himself to his feet, he leaned over and ruffled Rudo’s hair. The boy squawked at the sudden movement, and he finally snapped his eyes up. Enjin grinned at him when he did, pride gleaming in his eyes.
“Sorry you had bad memories dragged up during your fun outing,” Enjin started, barreling on when Rudo opened his mouth. “But thank you for telling us about what made you freak out and get upset. We really appreciate it. How about we head on back to HQ then, get outta this town that freaked you out.” His suggestion was an opening, and even though Rudo slowly nodded, the other two knew to take it as a glad acceptance. Zanka hauled Rudo to his feet, and they all climbed into the jeep, Zanka sitting in the back with Rudo this time around.
Rudo shot him a look. “What’re ya’ doing turdface?” He questioned, though it lacked any heat. He was blinking sleepily, and his eyes had that dazed look he got when he was about to enter his half-awake- half asleep state. Knowing this, Zanka snorted, crossing his arms and turning to stare out his own window as Enjin began to drive.
“Watchin’ yer back, dumbass.” Zanka shot, his voice also lacking any heat. In the front, Enjin snorted, fondly rolling his eyes. Rudo hummed, not even fighting it as he slumped against the window, eyes lazily tracking the heaps of trash they passed. Internally, Zanka let out a breath of relief, glad to see the kid no longer panicking. It always left a weird, jittery feeling under his skin when he saw Rudo freaking out, especially because they still didn’t know the kinds of things that could freak him out. At least they had got him to calm down, and the ride back was held in comfortable peace.
When they got back to HQ, Rudo stumbled out of the jeep, sleepily rubbing his eyes. Zanka followed, carrying the bag of things they had bought, Enjin whistling behind him. In a burst of speed, there was a flash of red, and Riyo was tackling Rudo onto the dusty ground, already trying to tie a sparkly ribbon in his hair. Rudo had shrieked, instantly waking back up, and began to try and wriggle away from her. Zanka scoffed, starting to walk past them when a gloved hand snatched his ankle back, causing him to trip and fall into their tangle of limbs.
“Ya’ fuck ass punk!” Zanka shouted, now being added to struggle of avoiding getting a ribbon tied into his hair. Their squabbling voices carried through the air, and Enjin loudly laughed, quickly walking away to avoid having more ribbon in his hair within the same day. He was already opening a door to get inside the base when his kids realized he had escaped, and thundering steps sounded behind him, followed by shouting and bickering. His quick steps turned into running, and he ran through the halls, laughs bubbling from his throat as he made internal bets on which one of them might catch up with him first.
The day had started off chaotically, and it had been filled with different kinds of chaos. Hell, it was probably going to end in chaos too. That’s just part of what came with being a Cleaner, and it’s part of what came with being a part of their pieced together family.
The good moments and the not so good moments, the different kinds of chaos were things he would never change, not in the entire world.