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The digital clock on the nightstand rang its annoying alarm at full volume. It beeped repeatedly and ruthlessly, without a care for the little Pippin that it was waking up so harshly. Battat's eyes slowly fluttered open. Well, as open as they could while his eyelids were practically glued together by sleep. He was facing the ceiling, laying on his back. He reached his arm out towards the clock but quickly moved it back with a pained grunt as a sharp pain shot throughout his whole chest. What a lovely way to start the day.
With a bit more caution this time around, he reached for the clock and turned the alarm off. He turned his head to look at the time. It was six in the morning, just like it always was when he was being woken up. Why did he even feel the need to check the time? He sighed and put his arm over his forehead. It was way too early to already be suffering. The others weren't even awake yet. They usually got up at seven, as the Pippins started work at eight. Battat liked to come to the studio early though to work on the theory corkboard and avoid the rest of his kin. (And maybe also show off his dedication to work so that someone would eventually notice, but only a little. Only just a little.) He couldn't imagine actually sitting down to have breakfast with them. He usually managed to avoid having meals with them but from the times he didn't, he knew it was complete and utter chaos. And he wanted no part in it.
Still, with how things were going, it seemed like he wasn't going to get up so early after all. He assumed that the pain was from stress, which was usually the case for any unexplainable aches he had, especially right after waking up. Well, at least he knew what was wrong with him (probably). It didn't really help his case tho. It still hurt when he tried to get up. He let out a short, annoyed sigh. He was just going to have to wait it out. He still had a lot of time before he needed to clock in, the pain would surely subside after a while. It couldn't last forever. He just needed to be patient.
He zoned out pretty quickly, losing track of time. The pain wasn't as bad when he just laid still but it didn't go away either. He didn't pay it much attention though, as he was deep in his own head. That was, until he was pulled out of his thoughts by a noise coming from the outside of his room. A soft pitter-patter of multiple footsteps along with cheerful chatter. A little dazed, he looked over at the digital clock. Three minutes past seven. The other Pippins were already up and awake and the pain didn't even lessen. Great. At that point, he was going to end up being dragged to eat breakfast with them the moment he stepped out the room. IF he was going to step out, that was. His torso still ached.
And if that wasn't enough, his mouth felt dry. Lovely. He looked over at the nightstand where the clock stood. A small lamp, some papers, Ibuprofen.. and an empty glass. Right. He probably drank all the water from it when he woke up that night. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. Something to drink would be amazing in that moment, not just because he was thirsty but also it might've been able to help with the pain. Hydration helped with pretty much everything, after all. Or at least he'd be able to take the Ibuprofen that was laying right within his reach. He COULD swallow the pill dry but that didn't mean he wanted to.
If he could just grab the glass and make it to the kitchen or the bathroom to get some water. He wasn't in THAT much pain, right? He was confident he could get up on his own and make the short trip. He put his hands on the mattress. Well, there he went. He slowly pushed himself up, just to fall back down with a loud, pained groan. Well, there he not went. It hurt more than he anticipated. Way more. The sharp pain was relentless, keeping him better off laying than even trying to move. He put his arm over his eyes with a sigh. Amazing.
He didn't have much time to lay there and contemplate the meaning of his suffering as he heard a voice call out from behind his door. "Greenie? That was you?? You're STILL in your room???" Battat froze, startled. Only now did he realize just how loud he was. And now they knew he was still there rather than in the studio. That wasn't good. He didn't have nearly enough strength and energy to deal with them at that moment. He decided not to respond and to stay silent. Maybe they would brush it off as just their imagination or something. "Come on, we know that was you! Don't try to pretend it wasn't!" he let out a quiet, defeated sigh. Of course they wouldn't fall for that. He should've known better than to get his hopes up. It was like they could read his mind half the time. "Ugh... Yeah, I'm here! Just.. go on ahead, I'll catch up!" he responded, doubting that they would actually listen to him.
And they clearly didn't, as he was given a more teasing response from another voice: "You?? Catch up to US?? What, is it opposite day today!?" he could hear three different voices laugh. Awesome. As if dealing with one of them wasn't enough already. "Oh, just quit bothering me and scram, you lowrollers! I'm not in the mood!" he shouted. "Are you EVER in the mood tho?" a third voice chuckled. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't true, he was never in the mood to deal with them. But that morning he ESPECIALLY wouldn't be able to suffer through their teasing. It didn't seem like he had much of a choice though, as more laughter rang out from the already noisy hallway. "What's wrong, greenie? Scared of little, ol' us~?" "Awh, come on, greenie! We aren't gonna bite, we pinky promise~!" "Feeling a little lazy? You can trust us, we won't snitch to Tenna and ruin your perfect, hardworking image~!" Battat let out a quiet groan and put his arm over his eyes, trying to ignore the playful remarks and snickers. But one thing that he couldn't ignore was the constant aching in his chest. His eyebrows furrowed. He underestimated how much it actually hurt and he was starting to feel desperate for any sort of relief. What was he even stressed about? He had gone to work a thousand times already! Why was it hurting NOW, out of all days?? It was infuriatingly nonsensical. And the three other Pippins outside of his room weren't making it any better.
The three others... He bit the inside of his cheek. As much as he hated to admit it, they COULD be of SOME help. If only he were to ask them for a glass of water, surely they'd get it for him, right? Maybe it would be able to lessen the pain, at least a little. On the other hand, though, was he really about to ask THEM for help? It wasn't like he was on bad terms with his kin, but he wasn't all that fond of them either. To him, they were quite annoying and completely out of control. He could still hear them laughing by the door. He avoided talking or interacting with them as much as he could. He couldn't stand them most of the time. He lifted his arm up a little to look at the door. But would they really refuse to get him something as simple as water? They would most likely tease him for not being able to get it himself but...
He squinted him eyes and let out a defeated grunt. He was going to regret this... "Uhm... Hey?" he called out, weaker than he meant to. The giggles quieted down out of curiosity. "Yeah?" one of the voices asked, still a bit giddy. Battat hesitated for a moment before responding. "Can you, uh.. get me some water..??" he reluctantly requested. It came out much more vulnerable than he wanted and he was mentally kicking himself for it. The snickers went fully silent. An awkward moment passed before a different voice broke the tension. "You're.. asking us for water??" "Uhh..." he grimaced. "... Yeah...?"
"... Um..." the voices sounded perplexed at the admission. It was quiet again before the same voice spoke up. "Why can't you get it yourself?" He didn't answer right away, not sure what to say. Tell them the truth? Lie and make it sound better than it actually was? Make it sound WORSE than it actually was? Trying to gain pity? Try to AVOID pity? His mind was running every possible scenario at light speed, but it was clearly not fast enough as the Pippins, tired of waiting for a response, decided to come up with their own assumptions. "What, you feeling THAT lazy?" " Aww, does somebody want some extra attention from us~?" "Maybe he's just feeling lonely and needs an excuse for us to stay for longer~!" they laughed, clearly not taking the situation seriously. Battat pressed his lips into a thin line, growing frustrated but also desperate. They wouldn't do anything unless he told them the reason, would they. He tried to come up with something but his mind was drawing a blank. Screw it. It's not like it could get any worse than what it was now. "My chest hurts."
The voices went quiet almost immediately. The air felt heavier as tense silence settled in. Battat felt his gut twist. The regret was instant. Damn it. Maybe he shouldn't have admitted that. "... What?" The green Pippin closed his eyes tightly, already regretting everything that led him to that point. "My... My chest hurts. I can't.. get up..." It sounded so ridiculous now that he said it out loud. He can't get up because his chest hurts? Yeah, right. He should have just sucked it up. He wasn't a kid anymore. His eyelids pressed together tighter, to the point where his eyes felt a little sore and he was seeing colours. He was sure they were going to say something snarky or mocking. Why wouldn't they? They had every right and reason to. He was being pathetic and embarrassing.
"... R-right, we're getting you the water! Just hold on, we're gonna be quick!" one of the voices stated after a moment of stunned silence. The other two hummed in agreement. Wait, what? Battat didn't get to respond as he heard three pairs of footsteps scurry off. He opened his eyes, absolutely bewildered. Wait, were they ACTUALLY going to get him water? Just like that, without laughing at him or anything? He looked at the door. It had to be a joke, right? They were probably going to come back with a bunch of other Pippins to mock him or something. There was no way THEY would help him. Why did he even think they would just a few minutes ago?? Was he in so much pain and desperation? Was he delirious from pain? Well, he felt sober enough now to realize it was a stupid idea. He groaned and snatched a pillow from underneath his head, shoving it over his face instead. He was such a gullible idiot.
He didn't get to beat himself up too much though, as the familiar sound of three sets of footsteps hurried towards his door. He lifted the pillow off of his face to look at it, just before it started to open. As it did, he saw three Pippins peeking into his room, one opening the door, one holding a glass of water and one just looking. All of them wore concerned expressions, somewhat hidden by their forced smiles. They ACTUALLY did get him water. And without laughing at him for it! Well, for the most part, anyway. Battat felt sick looking at them, especially because of how sincere they seemed. It was a different unpleasant feeling from being mocked. It was much, much worse. He hated how they looked genuinely concerned. He hated to see the pity on their faces. And he hated just how good the thought of them caring enough to do this felt.
"Hey..." the Pippin holding the glass started in a disgustingly (in Battat's opinion) soft voice. "We've got the water... Anything else you want us to grab for you...?" The suffering dice grimaced, half from pain and half from the caring question. He would've much rather have them laugh at him at that point. He just couldn't make up his mind about how he wanted them to act, could he? "No..." he mumbled out, putting the pillow away. The Pippin with the water gently pushed the door open and walked in, the other two shuffling behind him with a hint of hesitation, feeling slightly uneasy with the unfamiliar situation. He reached his hand out to the laying Pippins to hand him the glass. With a grunt of pain, Battat slowly lifted himself up with his arms, wincing as he moved himself back and leaned against the headboard. He took the water and quickly put it up to his lips, taking a generous sip.
He coughed a little after he was done, lowering the glass onto the nightstand. He felt slightly better. The pain in his chest was lifted a little. But only a little. It didn't help nearly as much as he expected, and wanted, it to. He let out a hoarse, quiet whine and laid back down on his back. It was quiet for a short moment until one of the three Pippins spoke up. "Are you.. feeling better now...?" Battat exhaled through his nose. "No." he stated bluntly. "But you can leave now. Um.. thanks, I guess." he murmured that last part. He couldn't believe he was thanking THEM, of all Darkners. Just his luck, he supposed.
But they didn't leave, not yet, at least. They stood in place awkwardly, as if not knowing what they should do in that situation. The green Pippin internally rolled his eyes before closing them, externally this time. He figured if he didn't speak to them, they'd leave eventually.
That was what he thought, until he suddenly felt a new weight place itself onto his chest.
His eyes immediately opened, wide in surprise as he took in the sight before him. One of the three dice laid his head down on his chest, putting a gentle and warm weight on it. The rest of his body was on the bed, right beside the suffering Darkner. The other two quickly followed suit, getting on the bed as well. One of them even laid down over his stomach, making the third one giggle. The mood seemed to have lightened from that previous discomfort.
Battat cringed, not from pain, but from the fact that they were SO dang close right now. They were TOUCHING him, for Angel's sake! That was WAY closer than they usually were! He put his hands on the head of the one on his chest and started to try and push him off, albeit weakly. "Ugh, get off!" he groaned. The other chuckled. "Nope! We're not leaving you here dying all on your own!" "Yeah, we're not!" another one giggled. The grumpy Pippin let out a grunt but stopped pushing him, opting to lay his arms over his head instead. If he were to be honest, it was quite.. nice. He'd never admit it, but the warmth against his chest felt quite pleasant. And, for some weird reason, it seemed to ease the pain a bit. Not to mention he could feel the tension in him relax. There was something so nerve-wracking about skipping work alone, even for a valid reason, and something so comforting about having someone skip work with him FOR him. But he'd never dare to say it out loud. He'd be done for with all the teasing material that'd bring for the future.
With a quiet sigh, he let his eyelids fall over his eyes, and his head soon tilted to the side. He could already feel sleep taking a hold of his body. The last thing he could remember was the warm embrace, holding him as if he belonged there from the very start.