Chapter Text
It would be so easy. All Tamsy had to do was stand back, let actions run their course, and Rudo would be shattered. As he stared into the eyes of the cleaners most favored member, Tamsy couldn't help but admire how all his hard work would pay off, right here, right now. Watching Enjin struggle, the pulse in his neck jumping as he fought for breath, hands curling as adrenaline kicked in. A body battling to live was a beautiful thing in Tamsy's eyes. How they changed color when oxygen left the brain, how their muscles grew tight, before releasing like a puppet cut off its strings.
His eyes never left Enjin's, even as they rolled back and fluttered shut, even as he heard the piercing screams of the Akuta members behind him. Tamsy savored the moment, a deep sigh from within his chest, before he grit his teeth beneath his mask and drew Tokushin back...
Tamsy never had much of an opinion on Enjin, to be honest. The man was a good leader, in the sense of encouraging his teammates and guiding them. Though, planning was not amongst his strong suits. He made up for his lack of skills with personality. Enjin, without a doubt, was the glue that held the cleaners together. Which is why Tamsy agreed to their earliest mission; the potential risk of getting rid of him.
After the debacle with Amo, and the failed operation with Follo and Rudo, Tamsy quickly got to thinking what would make the kid's psyche fall apart. All signs pointed to the elimination of his peers, his safe spaces, his cozy lifestyle. It only made sense to start with Enjin.
It was their only mission for the day. A town deep in the Southward sector, towering trash beasts infiltrating their walls. It was a large-scale operation, and Semiu had asked Team Eager to join alongside Team Akuta. Considering the risk of such an attack, Tamsy agreed without a fuss. The battle was tedious and difficult. While there were only a total of about three main trash beasts, their enormous size and odd characteristics kept Tamsy's focus solely on them. Hitting them made them stronger, so they had to be chipped at bit by bit, and then destroyed from the inside. He watched close calls befall several of the members but nothing lethal.
When it came to simple, mindless monsters, The Cleaners worked harmoniously. They relied heavily on Tamsy's capture weapon in the end with Rudo finding creative ways to use 3R, while those with attack weapons were forced to help with the few straggler beasts the big ones trailed in from the outside.
Tamsy hoped something would befall Enjin during the battle so he wouldn't have to make the effort in killing him. But alas, Enjin did what he did best during a fight; practically nothing at all. It was frustrating. The strain of a rough job coupled with the disappointment of receiving no benefit to his plan made Tamsy irritable. So when he'd usually stay behind and help assist his teammates in the cleanup, he instead tagged along with Akuta to head home. Delmon, Gris and Tomme remained stationed to help the supporters with the civilians, and Follo, still riding the high of being a newly received giver, held back with them. Which gave Tamsy an easy out (and shotgun for the first time in awhile.)
Enjin's driving wasn't as erratic as it usually was, which Tamsy was grateful for. Glancing at the rear-view mirror, Tamsy could see Rudo tinkering with an item in his hands, while Riyo and Zanka lay against each other, eyes shut, their breath evened out. Tamsy could do with some sleep himself.
"Tired?" Enjin's voice breaks the barrier between Tamsy's mind and reality. His eyes, nearly closed, flutter open before they land on the other man, scripted smile pulling at his lips.
"Aren't we all?"
Enjin nods in understanding, teeth fiddling with the unlit cigarette in his mouth. It was clear to Tamsy how badly he needed a smoke.
"I'm sure the children won't mind if you indulge." Tamsy says as he rests his elbow on the car door, cheeked propped up on his fist. He really needed a nap.
Enjin waves him off, "Nah, air's already shitty enough as it is. They don't need me hotboxing the car."
Tamsy hums. Their interactions pretty much always go this way. Clipped and dry. The man really had nothing to say to Enjin. With the added frustration of watching him survive another day, the last thing Tamsy wanted was to be stuck in a car for forty minutes with no music or interesting conversation. If devine intervention wanted to, it'd flip this car over.
To anyone else, it'd probably seem odd to daydream about the death of a supposed friend with them in the same vicinity. But it gave Tamsy an odd thrill. Perhaps he was getting cocky. Tricking these people felt delicious. Indulging in their culture, their friendships, their lives, without them suspecting a thing. Even if they did, they couldn't do anything about it. Tamsy had plans, foolproof and airtight plans. His eyes drifted to the mirror again, keenly watching Rudo. It won't be long now.
"Hey, you even listening to me?" Enjin cries out, hand smacking the steering wheel.
Tamsy blinks at him. He must've been too lost in his own head. "Sorry, you were speaking?"
"Yeah, dude, I was just asking if you wanted to stop somewhere for food." Enjin clicks his tongue.
"Oh, no thank you. Apologies, Enjin, but I'm a bit out of it." Tamsy says lowly, attempting to mimic remorse for actions he couldn't care less about.
"Yeah I get it. You were kicking ass back there." He tosses his thumb behind his back, "Even the kids' zonked out. Might be the first time they've all fallen asleep with me driving..."
Tamsy glances back, only to see Rudo also dozing off, the trash he was meddling with threatening to slip through his gloves. Geez, he was just awake!
"It would appear so. And you seem spry as ever." Tamsy comments. It's teasing at best, but the way Enjin's eyes narrow doesn't go unnoticed.
"Woah, hey, I did stuff too. I drove everyone here and helped with evacuees."
"Of course, how could I forget. You just left the big bads for us to deal with." Tamsy's tone is light as usual, so if there was any hidden animosity (which there was) he was sure Enjin couldn't tell. Unbeknownst to him, that's where he was wrong.
"C'mon, my vital instrument was no good for that fight. You and Rudo handled it better than I would've. Those jumper cables he used were pretty handy in helping you tie them down."
Tamsy hums, "Yes, well, Rudo picks things up very fast."
Enjin nods, pulling the cigarette from his lips to tuck behind his ear. "Yeah, he's a quick learner."
A beat of silence passes. Tamsy would think they're done again if weren't for Enjin's mouth opening and closing a few times, glancing over to him, then back at the road. It's a little aggravating. He should just ignore it. But Enjin's relationship with Rudo was important, and him bridging this friendship could be an asset. It's only logical to at least remain on good terms before he tries getting rid of him.
"What is it?"
Enjin taps his thumb against the steering wheel, an irritating nervous tick, "I just...I appreciate what you did for Rudo, back there. Honest. But uh, dontcha' think you're overstepping a little?"
Tamsy blinks. He almost asks Enjin to repeat himself, because that...was not what he was expecting. Everything's still for a moment as Tamsy takes in Enjin's words. Truthfully, he thought the man was joking, until he realizes the silence was going for too long and Enjin's eyes were locked on the road. Tamsy could only narrow his, "Excuse me?"
Enjin still won't look at him, "Y'know, protecting him at Amo's, tagging along during his solo mission with Follo, and just now. It's cool and all but I think it's better for him if you held back a little, yeah?"
"...You don't approve of my teaching methods with the trainees?"
"That's not what I meant."
Tamsy could feel the facade slipping away. It usually does when members of the cleaners piss him off. Delmon with his boisterous voice at the crack of dawn, just before anyone's had any breakfast. Semiu when she demands he take more group missions than he can carry knowing he has better things to attend to. Tamsy should really just drop it. But just because he's pretending to care about these cleaners doesn't mean he'll let them blatantly disrespect what he does. "I mean no offense, but I believe the way I decide to educate a teammate is none of your concern."
"You're putting words in my mouth." Enjin's jaw ticks. "All I said was to give Rudo a chance to do shit on his own."
Tamsy sighs through his nostrils to stop himself from reprimanding the other, "We were all new once. And he’s from The Sphere. Rudo’s a natural talent but he still has much to learn. Don't you think he needs all the guidance he can get?"
"Of course I do. I wanna help him just enough where he can stand on his own two feet."
"You want him to be independent."
"Duh. That's why I try to stand back as much as possible. I don't want them relying on me. Obviously I want them to be stronger. But you gotta let them do things themselves without having to hold their hand. I love these kids but I don't wanna pamper them."
Tamsy raises a brow, "You think I'm 'pampering' Rudo?"
Enjin gestures with an open palm, "Thats literally not what I said!"
"You just admitted to holding back because your experience with your vital instrument wasn't good enough in a fight. You want to lecture me about responsibility on the children when you've only taken steps back to avoid guiding them?" Tamsy scowls. He should really shut up now. He has a bad habit of going lower than that other person when he's upset, can't really hold back when they egg him on. And his mouth was always bigger than his brain.
"We're all on the brink of exhaustion because we've pushed ourselves and each other, but here you are, seemingly with so much energy that you're arguing with me. Either you're overcompensating for lacking the knowledge to educate your pupils or you genuinely lack the skill, but regardless, you shouldn't be telling me how to do my job."
The tension was thick in the car by now once it went quiet again. Tamsy doesn't understand how they got to this point, truly, and he could see the cogs turning in Enjin's head to salvage what little civility remained, face pinched in an uneasy expression that could be read as frustration or constipation. Tamsy turns back to the window. He really shouldn't let himself get so worked up, but Rudo was a sensitive subject. He understands why Enjin would see Tamsy's actions as babysitting, but he has no clue what Tamsy's got going on. Enjin shouldn't stick his nose in other peoples business, because frankly, he doesn't know what Rudo needs.
"You don't have to be an asshole about it." Enjin's voice is loud in the quiet car, usual blasé tone gone. "You showed me up back there, and the kids really look up to you, I was just suggesting-"
"Showed you up?" Tamsy almost laughs. Of course, so this was insecurity! No wonder Enjin's so sensitive. "I was simply doing my job. And might I remind you, you decided to hold back. You started this fight. You accuse me of something I have no part in because of your own faults; don't take those frustrations out on me."
Tamsy's reminded of the fight with Rudo and Follo. Follo's insecurities got the better of him and he lashed out at the wrong time. Tamsy wouldn't call this the wrong time, but it definitely came out of left field. At least Enjin was grown enough to admit his feelings after the battle, but Tamsy was grown enough to not entertain the immaturity.
Enjin's face twists like he's sucked on a lemon. Good. Tamsy doesn't care if he's upset. He’s exhausted and disappointed, and to hear someone as lazy and inefficient as Enjin call him out on his work makes his skin prickle with a quiet rage. Before he can rebuttal, though, Enjin’s choker begins to buzz. He still won't look at Tamsy to notice the glare the other cleaners throwing his way.
Enjin's fingers grab his collar with a sigh, "What's up?"
"Hey, Enjin." Semiu's voice cut through. "Mind giving me your current location?"
Enjin's eyes scan the road ahead, "Uh, just outside the East Ward. We're heading Northbound up to HQ."
"Perfect. I need y'all to make a quick detour if it's not too much trouble."
"A detour?"
"Yeah, a village a few miles up ahead reported trash beast activity right on the outskirts. It wasn't labeled emergency, so I just need y'all to check it out."
It's the last thing Tamsy wanted to hear. He strokes his forehead with a sigh as Enjin answers her.
"C'mon, Semiu, can't you send another team? The kids are passed out and I'm starving."
She sighs, "I'm sorry for giving y'all another job, but it's supposed to be quick. I'm swamped with calls and you're the closest there. It shouldn't be anything too serious."
"Yeah last time you said that we got ambushed by raiders." Enjin huffs, but he's slowing the car down. "What're the details?"
"Seems like a burrowing, maybe scavenging type. Something's messing with the trash by that waste water river. Might be a bit messy, so be careful."
Enjin grumbles, 'yeah, yeah,' and Semiu recites the exact coordinates. As Enjin steers the car around, all Tamsy could think about was how long it would take to simply walk back home and leave this mess for Akuta to clean up on their own.