Chapter Text
Around the time Rudo first fell down into the pit, Zanka had been working overtime trying to give off this rather… mentorship relationship. He wanted the other to learn as much as he could from him, even if that left Zanka accidentally setting some pretty bad examples and habits for the smaller one to end up picking up through those gloves of his.
Including this one.
Zanka had been feeling pretty down these past few days. And he didn't know why. During missions he was noticeably more sluggish. Not enough for the rest of the team to really focus on it, but it was definitely there. Even Follo had to step in a couple of times and help Zanka recoup… much to his own total embarrassment. Just for Zanka to almost lose his footing or stop paying attention again.
Zanka couldn't tell what the hell was wrong with him?! So he just ended up training harder, taking it as maybe… Maybe he was just slacking now that the younger one was picking up more and more of the work. Which made him feel… inferior, in a sense. It was hard to describe, but he didn't want to feel useless during missions. Even in his own mind, he struggled with that a lot, especially after this new recent craze with Jabber. It all felt very much like a hindrance, and no matter how much he pushed himself, that feeling just wouldn't go away.
So there he was, fighting for the whole morning… until he saw the lights slowly start to dim. That was when he finally snapped out of his dissociative state.
His eyes started to unfocus, the surroundings going blurry before he caught himself staggering and supporting his body weight onto the staff. “Th' hell...?” he grunted out. His throat felt really… dry. He was having a hard time swallowing his own words.
He needed to get to his bed. Quickly.
He shuffled his way through the HQ, taking the less rowdy path that led by Semiu's office. Semiu called out to Zanka, though he barely registered it, his mind cloudy. It wasn't until she called his name again that he looked up. “Zanka, are you okay? Seem a little ditzy around the heels.”
Zanka tried to seem as normal to his superior as possible. Trying to stand upright, but it felt like his body was physically shoving to force him down.. Down to the coldest surface available, which right now was the floor. Instead, Zanka leaned heavily against the hallway frame. He tried to speak, but his words blurred together. “Pretta fine… jus' super exhaush'ed…” He rubbed at his face, blinking heavily. “Need some sleep, tha's all.”
Semiu looked rather unimpressed with him. Guessing the male had once again worked himself into an early grave.
It wasn't exactly uncommon.
He was known around HQ for being the teen who worked himself the hardest, never once asking for days off. If he wasn't training, he was helping somebody else. Most days it had been everyone else forcing him onto breaks for his own well-being. Even then he'd sneak out and train anyway.. Semiu just noted the sheen of sweat pooling around him and the dull expression in his eyes.
“You look like you need it.”
She lifted a hand, signaling for Zanka to leave. He didn't need to be told twice. Turning toward his room, though, he suddenly started feeling physically sick.
He needed to hurry.
He tried pushing the feeling down as best he could while fumbling with the knob to his room. It took a couple tries.. By the third time his hand was shaking enough to make him hiss under his breath."C'mon…” before it finally opened, and Zanka instantly made a b-line for his trash can. He couldn't really remember much after that, but he'd been hunched over it for more than ten minutes. Chunks and chunks came up until it was nothing but stomach acid. Maybe he ate something bad? He couldn't even think straight as he rolled over onto the floor, letting his sweaty forehead press against the cool wood with a satisfied moan.
Damn, that felt good..
But he knew he couldn't just lay on the floor all night. Especially if someone decided to check in on him. Or one of Riyo's usual sleepovers. Plus Lovely needed somewhere cozy to sleep.
So with a groan, he tried getting up. Immediately regretting it, his body didn't know left from right anymore. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to get sick again. There was no way he was getting out of his cleaner clothes tonight. Fuck, there was barely enough energy left to stand.
Halfway crawling onto the bed, unable to actually properly get on before all the energy left him, Zanka simply collapsed. His head felt light, his limbs heavy, and the moment his face met the mattress, he was out.
Zanka's eyes automatically opened around 8am. The old time he was flushed awake at the Hell Guard Training Academy. He hated thinking about it. But this was the routine he had every day for… well... years. No matter how hard he begged his body for one more ounce of sleep, it physically wouldn't let up. His eyes would snap open, and that would be it.
And Zanka could only groan and complain slightly. As he tried to get up, he noticed… the world was pretty sideways. With that, he tried to sit up only to meet the floor soon after. Not to mention his neck hurting from… what he could guess was the crazy position he slept in. His shoulder aching from where he landed didn't help much either. He let out a tired groan into the floorboards before pushing himself back up.
Looking at himself. He didn't even have time to take his shoes off.
…Well, at least he didn't need to put on his clothes. They were already on! Small victories, he guessed.
So he tried his best to make it out of the room, using the wall to support his weight. And his staff almost like a cane as he tried to get around. His feet dragged against the floor. Every couple steps his vision swam slightly and he'd have to stop. His mouth still felt dry and disgusting. And damn, his body felt heavy. Like someone had strapped weights to every part of him while he slept.
Still. He was moving. So he wasn't dying… hopefully?
In his head he only thought some of the most horrible things. He wondered how soft he had gotten since leaving the academy. That at least there they wouldn't let this type of shit slide. They would physically and mentally force his body into such inhumane conditions that there were many times he had simply fainted. Or puked. Or worse.
But at least then he wasn't babied.
He hated being babied.
He fucking hated it!
He hated people fussing over him.
He hated when people looked at him like he was fragile.
He hated when they told him to take breaks.
He hated feeling useless.
He hated it.
He hated it..!
He…
“Holy hell, what happened to you? You look like absolute shit! Zanka!”
He didn't even notice the younger male had been awake..
Rudo.
Why the fuck was he awake so early!?
He didn't question it too hard as he immediately slammed his Assitaff against the other's head. Furrowing his eyebrows as he began to quietly yell.
"Oi! Shut yer trap, li'l brat! Why th' hell're ya even up s'early...?" Zanka grumbled, the words running together more than he intended. "Ain't normal fer ya!”
Zanka scowled while Rudo rubbed the spot on his head where he'd been hit. His eyes slightly watery from the unexpected smack.
“Ergh! Quit givin' me crap! My fault for carin', I guess. Everyone's been up for ages already. Don't tell me you forgot… we've got a team bonding event today, dumbass!”
Damnit.
That's right.
They did have that today..!
After a few more R-rated words came spilling into his consciousness, he sighed.
How could he have forgotten something so important!? He could've sworn he had marked the date in his calendar. He remembered putting it there. He remembered thinking about it all week. But holy damn, whatever bug was inside him made him too drowsy to think straight. His thoughts felt sluggish. Like they were swimming through mud.
Zanka had already stumbled into the kitchen, not listening to whatever shit Rudo was ranting about in the background. He couldn't even listen if he wanted to. The words were just noise at this point. His stomach still felt fucked and he figured maybe getting something simple would stop him from puking again.
Which was when he ran into Riyo.
“Zanka?”
He almost didn't notice her from how quiet she was. She tapped the other on the back, lifting a brow.
“Yikes. You look like hell. Don't tell me you were dumb enough to practice all night…”
He at least wasn't dumb enough to miss the growing concern in her voice. Even if it was only the smallest amount. He could tell.
It got easier over time to tell Riyo's emotions. Especially after learning most of her backstory. It made it hard for her to really turn off that switch between forced detachment and actually caring. He knew her too well for that.
But he could definitely tell this concern was genuine.
"I'm fine, Riyo... jus' havin' caffee... caffine withdr'wal.” He lied. "S'not a big deal.”
He could tell Riyo didn't believe him by any means. The look she gave him practically screamed it. But he also knew she wouldn't keep pushing if he didn't want to tell her.
At least not until it got too bad.
And Sphere, he hoped it wouldn't get that far.
Zanka opened the fridge and grabbed something random. He didn't even know what it was. Didn't really care either. But the second the smell hit him, his stomach twisted violently.
He froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
Instantly expecting to see something rotten. Or spoiled. Something that had gone bad.
But to find…
"Nothin'...?"
He looked genuinely surprised. Which slightly cleared away his nausea through sheer confusion.
Riyo looked up at him with a raised brow.
Zanka only brushed her off.
He didn't dare reply anymore. Not if he wanted to avoid suspicion. But then he realized not replying would just make it ten times worse!?. Which left him in a dilemma.
Sphere, why did thinking feel so hard?
After a few seconds, he hitched a breath and forced out another slurred sentence.
"S'fine.... I’m jus' gonna wait in th' car.”
He shut the fridge and left soon after, not wanting to give Riyo any more fuel. Not noticing the concerned stare that followed him all the way out.
He tried to make it to the car in one trip, but the nausea was just getting so unbearable that he decided to stop by the commons room for a 'little' bit.
Zanka wasn't sure if he could test his body enough to make it either back to his room or all the way to the car without shutting down. Since that had been one of his main coping mechanisms after he was shifted off to the academy. Instead of learning how to thrive like all the other recruits. He learned the easiest damn way out. A cowardly way. At least that's what they called it.
'Sleep' through it.
'Sleep' through the pain.
'Sleep' through the hunger.
'Sleep' through the fear.
'Sleep' through the sickness.
Sleep through everything until his body decided it wanted to work again.
He hated it.
Hated that he still did it.
Hated how easy it came to him.
Hated how his body just… gave up.
No...
Rested.
That sounded nicer.
Less pathetic.
Zanka didn't want to think about it any longer.
His body relaxed onto the couch as soon as it hit the surface. The cushions sinking underneath him. Damn, that felt nice. Immediately, Zanka felt all the energy leave him. Not even enough to lift the small blankets hanging off the side up against his shivering body.
His fingers twitched slightly toward them.
And stopped.
Everything felt so terrible… His head. His arms. His legs. Even his eyes.
The chills kept coming despite his forehead burning. His staff slid from his grasp and lightly clattered against the floor. But even that sound felt far away.
His stomach had stopped hurting... Or maybe he just couldn't feel it anymore.
That was good enough.
Just for a little bit, until he felt better. Maybe he should have just a small nap? He could still make it to the team bonding event. Probably. He just needed… A few minutes.
Once he hit the mattress cushions, he was put out again. Not even bothering to pull the blanket over himself.
Enjin had just come back from a smoke break. It was really the only time he got to himself; nobody else on the team smoked, and most of them preferred not to be around someone who did. The only exception was Gris, who only indulged once in a while.. mostly to humor Enjin. Then there was Follo, who tried to pick up the habit. Keyword: tried. They'd caught the idiot attempting it after a mission, all because he'd spotted a few girls and decided smoking would make him look cool. Dumbass.
But digress.
He was the only one who mindlessly smoked every day. Maybe because he knew being on the team would inevitably bring him to an early demise anyway, so what was a little more damage to his lungs? The gray hairs those children gave him were already enough to put him in a coffin. He flicked his cigarette butt away and lingered outside for a few more minutes. Partly because he enjoyed the quiet, but mostly because he didn't want to reek of smoke after catching some of the looks Zanka tried not to give him. The kid never outright complained, but Enjin wasn't stupid. He noticed the way Zanka would quietly shift away or crack open a window whenever he thought Enjin wasn't looking. Never enough to make a fuss over, but enough that Enjin would stay outside another minute or two.
Eventually, he headed back inside.
There he found Zanka on the couch. He was about to plop down on it if it wasn't for hearing shallow breathing coming from it. It made him do a double take.. He'd expected to find Rudo there. Or maybe Fu. Hell, maybe one of the brats had finally crashed after staying up too late.. But no… he saw…
“Zanka!?”
Enjin paused, blinking in surprise. Of all the people he expected to find passed out on the couch, Zanka hadn't even crossed his mind. And yet there he was. Seeing the teenager flushed, with damp hair stuck to his forehead, Enjin immediately frowned. The kid didn't look well. Sweat clung to his skin, but he was shivering all the same. And despite the blanket hanging right beside the couch, he hadn't even bothered to pull it over himself. Worse, his breathing sounded off.. too shallow for Enjin's liking.
“Holy shit…” Enjin muttered under his breath.
He crouched beside the couch, his plans to relax instantly forgotten. He moved closer to Zanka. “Oi, kid…” he called softly, reaching out. “The hell happened to you?” He was about to check the boy's temperature, figuring Semiu… or someone, at least would've said something if they knew Zanka had gotten this bad.
But before he could even touch him, Zanka's eyes shot open almost instantly.
The teenager jerked slightly, pupils unfocused. Looking around wildly before landing on Enjin. For a second he looked genuinely confused. Like he couldn't tell where he was. Or who he was looking at. The look reminded Enjin a little too much of fresh recruits getting yanked awake after drills.
“Woah, woah. Easy there, kid,” Enjin muttered, holding his hands up.
There were certain smells that could trigger Zanka, and cigarettes had to definitely be one of them. That was one of the first things he always smelled whenever he walked into the leaders' section of the academy. It was what he smelled with his parents. Then eventually his siblings. Everyone did it. Somehow it became even more popular because drinking was definitely taboo, so they had to figure out some "semi-cool" way to slowly let threads loose in their lifespan.
So when Zanka smelled that all too familiar scent, his brain was confused, going into overdrive as he forced his heavy eyelids open even when he didn't want to. It was comfy… but wake. If you're seen in this rather vulnerable state… they will eat you fucking alive.
Wake up!
Zanka immediately sat up, his eyes not even having time to adjust before he met the eyes of—
"Go...ka...?" Zanka frowned, the syllables dragging together as he squinted at him. "Tha' ya..?"
Once his eyes adjusted, he saw… Enjin!?
Most of the drowsiness seemed to leave him. He felt embarrassed, immediately blurting out, "Need t' go use th' bathroom!"
It was extremely uncharacteristic of Zanka. Even he could say that for himself. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And as much as he would have to humiliate himself, at least it was a superior, so that wasn't anything new..--
‘…Ugh, what th' fuck am I thinkin' about!?’
By the time he made it to the garage, he was waiting for the rest of the team. This time, he sat behind the car, sneaking in a few more moments of rest.
Finally, everyone started coming out, being late. Which was nothing new. He had climbed into the car, ready to close his eyes, and once he opened them… they were there. They had gone to a… festival? Or well, that's one way he could put it. He hadn't been to many, but this was one of the craziest ones yet. So many different shops open, lights everywhere, voices blending together with music and laughter.
A total nightmare in its current state.
Zanka couldn't keep up with it all. His eyes had really started to become unfocused, spacing out during conversations and barely having the chance to recover before somebody was already talking again. It felt like everyone else was moving just a little too fast while his brain lagged behind. Until—
"We're going home."
Enjin spoke bluntly, cutting straight through Zanka's haze.
"Wh’…?"
He couldn't even form the rest of the sentence. He just stared at Enjin with the most dumbfounded look. Why? He had tried his fucking hardest not to ruin one of the only good outings they'd had in awhile. He didn't want to question his superior… or well… Enjin. But..--
"Kid... you know I'm not blind, right?" Enjin let out a tired sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can tell when something's wrong with you. Maybe not right away, maybe not every little thing, but I notice." He folded his arms, fixing him with a look far gentler than his words. "You've been running yourself ragged for hours, acting like everything's fine. Like nobody's gonna notice. That's not how it works around HQ, alright? You don't get to just suffer in silence and expect us to pretend we don't see it.” Enjin shook his head.
"Quit getting the wrong idea. We ain't trying to boss you around or anything. We're just worried about you, kid. We want what's best for you, 'cause we care about your ass." His voice softened for a moment before turning firm again. "Would you quit trying to do everything on your own for once? You don't have to carry all this crap by yourself. So stop being stubborn and let me help.”
Zanka was trying to listen to the heartfelt words of his superior. He really, really was trying to. But he could feel himself becoming foggy. If that was even a real thing…? His heartbeat was rapid, though he couldn't tell if it was because he'd disappointed his leader or something else entirely. But… but… it…
He tried so hard to focus on Enjin…. Really, he did. But his thoughts kept slipping away before he could finish them. The lights around him had started leaving streaks whenever he moved his eyes too quickly. Little spots danced at the edges of his vision, fading in and out no matter how hard he blinked. His ears rang softly beneath the chatter around him, words becoming muffled and stretched together.
Shit.
He stumbled back.
He really shouldn't have been standing that long.
His legs felt weird. Not weak exactly. Just… delayed. Like they were listening to him half a second too late. His head felt strangely light, yet heavy at the same time. The ground tilted just enough to make his stomach turn, and every breath suddenly felt too shallow.
Someone was saying something. Hands moved toward him. He tried to answer, but… nothing came out. And before he could even understand whatW̵̦̉̕h̵̢̠̗̱̰̙̦͈͍̺͌̎̀͐͘a̶̢̛͉̮̗͇̙̭͎̗̼͖͔̗͚͂̀̕t̶̨̢̜̬̫̲̟̘̜̒̆̒͗̊̇͆̀.̴̢̧̛͓͖͖͖̳̻̞̘̒͂̈̅̎̀̕ͅ.̴̨̻͔͔͖̼͎̤͋̋̆̑͋.̸̧̭̟͓̩͍̆́̇w̸͔͇̰̫̲͌̈͝ḁ̶̢̝͓̰͚̱̌́̌̓̔̈̆̀͐͝ş̸̨̧͍͍͈̥͙̻̭͈͇͇̇̈́̓̈́̾͝.̶̓͑̋.̵̛̾̆̊ ̵̔̑͐ ̷ḧ̷̨͉̘̘́́̿̄͝ȃ̶̙̫̻̱̖͑̓̎̂͊̊̔̕͠p̴̡̼͚͚͈̼̞͇̬̝͕̓̊͜p̷̞̬̓ẻ̵̛̞̬̙͔̱͈̰̱͎̠̤̑́̅͑͌̃͜ͅņ̴̞̠͎͉̭̝͉̲̓̓̅͂̔̋̉̅̅͘͠͝ỉ̵͎̦͈͓͎̋̄̇͋̎̐̄̕ņ̴̨̺̙̫̟̗͙̰͎͖̘̥̄̈́̓g̶̺̰̘̘͕̀́̍̀..
Everything went black.
…
"Damnit! I knew something was wrong too!" Enjin groaned, suddenly taking all of Zanka's body weight as the boy collapsed against him. His eyebrows furrowed. It wasn't like the kid was heavy. Far from it. It had just happened so damn fast.
He internally groaned too. He should've stopped this behavior the moment he got his first warning, back when he'd found the other asleep on the couch. But Enjin had second-guessed himself, thinking it was some sort of night terror or something. It wasn't uncommon for these kids to get them. Rudo had the more extreme ones. Zanka had his more frequent ones. Even Riyo had a few every now and then. Hell, he usually had to tuck one of them back into bed almost every night, leaving little sleep for himself.
But damnit!
He'd already called for Eisha to be on deck as soon as possible… but she hadn't answered her choker. Which only made him think the girl had gone on one of her visits to her grandma. That thought alone made Enjin even more on edge. Without Eisha's powers to back them up… he wasn't sure what to do if this turned into a real emergency.
Especially when he finally got the chance to press a hand against Zanka's forehead.
His eyes widened.
"Shit…"
The kid was burning up.
A fever.
Now that he knew the answer, it was all starting to make sense. The spacing out. The sluggish movements. Hell, the fact he'd been passed out on the couch earlier.
And he'd missed all of it.
Enjin let out a frustrated sigh, adjusting the boy in his arms so he wouldn't slip. Zanka barely stirred.
"What am I gonna do with you, kid…" he muttered quietly.
The outing was over.
It had been around an hour since Zanka and the others had made it home. With Tomme and Follo once again in their drinking endeavors, Gris had to make sure they made it back safely to their rooms, leaving Enjin and the rest of Team Akuta alone with Zanka. After a bit of reassurance from Enjin that he could leave, Gris eventually did.
Rudo was sat up on a chair on the other side of the medical bed, looking down at the feverish male.
"...He doesn't look good. What's happening to him?"
Rudo curiously looked up at Enjin, though he looked a little shaken. Enjin wasn't entirely sure which part the youngest member was questioning. He was sure Rudo knew what a fever was. But had he never seen one this bad before? Enjin scratched his neck, trying to think of a reply.
"...It's the fever." Enjin looked over at the younger boy, trying to explain it without frightening him even more. "His body's fighting off something. Usually people get hot, sleep a lot, complain, then they're fine after a few days." His gaze lingered on Zanka's flushed face. "...This is a little worse than usual, though."
Enjin rubbed the back of his neck, trying to find the right words.
"When your temperature gets too high, it can mess with you. Make you dizzy. Confused. Sometimes people start seeing or hearing things that aren't there." He swallowed. "That's why we're keeping an eye on him."
He wasn't trying to scare Rudo. rather... mainly.. explain. But judging from the younger's wide eyes, it definitely hadn't helped.
To Rudo, that sounded like Enjin's way of breaking the news gently. Not that he'd say it outright, but the meaning was there all the same: Zanka wasn't getting better. He was going to die.
The boy was used to sickness ending with bodies.
Back in the Sphere, people liked to pretend things would get better. They'd tell themselves the sick just needed rest. That they'd be back on their feet in a few days. That everything would be fine. Some families would cling to prayer, begging whatever otherworldly being they believed in for a miracle. Others would quietly withdraw from everyone around them, shutting themselves away in shame or grief. Anything but admit the truth… that most times poor people just didn't get better...
Then a few days later, there'd be another body.
Nobody had enough money for medicine. Nor had enough resources to actually help. The upper elites hoarded everything while everyone else suffered for scraps. People would beg on their knees for something as simple as herbs to ease the pain and still get turned away.
Rudo had seen it happen over and over again back in the Sphere. A fever. A cough. An infected wound. That was all it took. One day someone would be walking around like normal, and a week later they'd be gone. People would cry, pray, tell themselves it had been fate, and then move on because they had no choice…
But.. It was different, now.. Life without Zanka?
The thought alone made him feel sick.
No. No, that wasn't right. Zanka wasn't supposed to be one of those people.
Zanka was annoying and arrogant. The type of guy who acted like he knew everything and rubbed it in your face whenever he was right. Half the time Rudo wanted to punch him. The other half, he was already trying to.
But...
That didn't mean he wanted him dead.
His stomach twisted painfully.
Maybe Enjin was just trying to be nice about it. Maybe that was his way of saying there wasn't anything left they could do. Rudo didn't understand all the medical stuff. He didn't know what temperatures were supposed to be normal or what all the treatments did.
All he knew was that Zanka wasn't getting better right now.
He'd been sleeping forever. Nobody looked relieved. And Eishia wasn't here. That thought made his chest tighten.
Eishia fixed things.
At least, that's what it felt like.
Whenever someone got hurt, she was there. Whenever something went wrong, she usually knew what to do.
But she wasn't here.
What if that meant she couldn't do anything?
Rudo immediately hated where his thoughts were going… What if everyone else already knew? What if they were just waiting? His hands clenched into fists.
No. No, Zanka couldn't die. That was stupid. The older was too stubborn to die. Too damn annoying.
Too...
"...Zanka."
Rudo swallowed hard, the words refusing to leave his throat. He tried to stay strong. Really, he did. But the longer he sat there looking at him, the harder it became to ignore the awful feeling growing in his chest.
Because for the first time...
Rudo wasn't sure.
And that scared him more than anything.
He tried to hold himself together. He really tried. But before he could stop it, he felt the tears gathering along his lashline. He wiped furiously at his eyes. Tried to force them back down.
But...
He wept.
"Kid!?" Enjin grunted, completely thrown off by the sudden waterworks. Yeah, Zanka was sick, but it wasn't life-threatening! Nothing that called for pre-funeral tears.
"Rudo… hey, hey, what's wrong?" Enjin frowned, glancing over his shoulder at the unconscious teen before looking back. "Okay, yeah, I think he'll be fine in a couple days. That's just my guess. But it's not like he's on his deathbed or anythin'. So why're you cryin' like that?"
Rudo sniffled, batting away Enjin's hand as tears continued to spill.
"Don't treat me like an idiot!" he snapped through broken breaths. "I know what this means! I'm not some damn kid, so just say it straight—!"
Before he could continue, both of them froze. Slowly, Zanka pushed himself upright.
Rudo stiffened.
"...Huh?"
"Heheh..."
The sound was soft. Weirdly light.
Both heads turned.
There sat Zanka, the cooling towel still lopsided on his head, staring at absolutely nothing with a stupid little grin on his face. And then--.
He burst out laughing.
At nothing.
"...Aw, jeez..." Enjin groaned, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his face. It immediately reminded him of all those times he'd had to babysit Zanka after some freak he'd fought had pumped him full of whatever messed-up concoction they'd cooked up. The brat always got weird when he was drugged.
But this wasn't that.
"...Delirious."
Riyo's voice made both of them jump. Neither had even noticed her walk in. She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, eyes fixed on the giggling teenager.
"He's delirious," she repeated flatly.
Rudo didn’t quite understand what she meant, but the moment he saw Zanka’s eyes open, he lit up instantly.
His whole face changed.
“Zanka! Zanka! You’re awake!”
He was up before anyone could stop him, already moving to the bedside, hands gripping the frame as he leaned in too close. Relief hit him all at once!
“Rudo, wait–”
Enjin’s voice cut in, but it was already too late.
Rudo had been talking a mile a minute for nearly a full minute straight, words spilling out without any pause, he was trying to make up for all the time Zanka had been gone. But Zanka wasn’t really listening. His head was lolled slightly towards the direction of the noise, eyes half-lidded, he was trying to focus but couldn’t quite hold onto anything in front of him.
Then he spoke.
"D..don’t come clos’r… get away from me… y’hear me!?” His voice dragged, thin and unsteady, it hurt just to push the words out. He sucked in a shaky breath, shoulders tightening as he tried to lean away even further. His words came harsh. "Jus’… stay back!”
Rudo stopped.
His expression shifted almost instantly, excitement dropping into something confused and hurt. Damnit, that phrase brought back some really fucked memories. His brows furrowed as he leaned in just a little, he didn’t fully believe what he was hearing.
“You’re kidding, right? You don’t mean that!”
The words came out quieter now. Zanka flinched at the closeness anyway.
"Get… th’ fu…fuuck away!" The words forced out again.
That did it.
Rudo stumbled back, eyes widening in shock. “Zanka…” He looked genuinely hurt now, as if he’d been shoved without the older even touching him. Confusion and shock flashed through his expression all at once, nothing making sense in his mind. His posture shrank in on itself before he could stop it, trying to act unaffected, but failing. His lip still quivered anyway. What had he even done wrong?
Enjin stepped in immediately, hand catching Rudo and pulling him back from the bedside before he could spiral any further. “He doesn’t actually mean it, kid,” Enjin said lowly, steadying him. “He’s just not in the right state right now.”
With that, the three began rotating shifts watching over Zanka, taking turns to care for him. Enjin ended up being the one keeping watch the most, mostly because he didn’t trust the other two to get even a bit of sleep otherwise.
It was his turn now.
Coffee in hand, since he was actually the one who hadn’t gotten any sleep this time around. Between paperwork during the day and meetings stacked on top of that, and now this.. taking care of Zanka through the night… Coffee was the only thing keeping him upright.
He just sat there, checking Zanka’s temperature every hour and changing the damp towel once it started to feel like it was burning again. He’d also been the one tasked with changing Zanka out of his Cleaner’s clothes into something more comfortable, after a certain long blonde hair cleaner had pointed it out earlier.
“He’s gotta be drenched under all that… that can’t be good for his fever. Poor thing… doesn’t even realize it’s making it worse.”
So Enjin had finally gone and done it. He left Zanka’s muscle shirt on, but swapped the rest into shorts. Only now did he really realize how bad those layers had been on him, and he cursed himself for not doing it sooner.
“Sorry, Zanka…” Enjin sighed.
He moved over to a makeshift desk Gris had set up near the bed and tried to get some paperwork done while still keeping an eye on him. At some point, though, he didn’t even notice himself dozing off.
It wasn’t until he felt the coffee in his hand again.. fresh, not lukewarm..? that he blinked awake, confused. He looked around, trying to figure out what had happened, and saw Gris standing next to him, watching over the boy.
“Get some sleep,” Gris said quietly. “I’ll watch him.”
Next it was Riyo’s turn. It was early morning by then, late night fading into it, and she took over to Enjin and Gris’s dismay. Still, she noticed both of them half in and out of sleep and decided that was enough of an answer. It was her turn now, whether they liked it or not.
She made her case quickly, saying she’d be up anyway and that they needed their team leaders functional. Tamsy even volunteered to temporarily run their team if they couldn’t work the next day. That was what finally got them to cave in.. slowly, begrudgingly, but they let her take over.
Riyo spent most of her time just watching over the sleeping man. Every so often she’d swipe his hair away from his sweaty forehead before pressing the towel back into place, making sure it stayed cool. She leaned against the bed rails, occasionally poking Zanka just to make sure he was still responsive, still there.
Eventually, she saw him stir in his sleep.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” she said with a soft grin.
Zanka looked confused, eyes half-lidded and unfocused. “Haa… what y’er doin’ here… y’not s’posed t’be here…”
Riyo only watched him for a moment, not really sure how to respond to the state he was in. Delirium, maybe. Fever talking. Either way, she needed him to get something in his system. She wasn’t even sure if Enjin had managed to feed him earlier.
She stood up and came back with something from the fridge in the office, then sat beside him again and carefully helped him sit up.
“Well, your nurse is here,” she said, holding out a spoon. “Open up. It’s cold, yeah, but you’re not exactly in a position to complain, are you?”
She offered him a spoonful, but Zanka stubbornly turned his head away.
“I’m not takin’ anythin’ from ya…! Is this a trick?!”
Riyo sighed and, without a word, took a spoonful herself first. “Relax. I’m not poisoning you. If I had, I’d be on the floor too. So just take a bite already.”
Zanka eyed her suspiciously for a moment before finally relenting and taking a small bite.
“Ergh… it’s col’!”
Riyo let out a quiet chuckle, barely holding it back as she prepared another spoonful. “You tricked me!”
“All I said was it’s not poisoned,” she replied. “I didn’t say anything about it tasting good. So the quicker you eat it, the less you’ve got to think about it.”
And with that, Zanka begrudgingly kept eating.
"Rudo’s turn? Yeah, that almost didn’t happen." Enjin scratched the side of his cheek, clearly still a little unsure about it. "I didn’t know if it was gonna help him or just… overwhelm him. Kid’s unpredictable when things get serious."
He exhaled.
"But we had a mission the next day, and I couldn’t stay. So I did what I could.. gave him the basics and trusted him with it. Not much else I could do.”
…
So now there was Rudo sitting excitedly at the bedside near Zanka, holding a flower… It was fake, but he still treated it like it mattered. Real flowers were almost impossible to get in the Pit, so that was the best he could do. He didn’t really mind. He just waited for Zanka to wake up, watching him closely the entire time.
And it was a long wait.
There were a lot of moments where it seemed like something was happening. Zanka would stir slightly in his sleep, shift his weight, or mumble something under his breath, and every time Rudo would lean forward immediately, expecting him to wake up. But nothing ever came of it. Zanka would just settle again, still asleep, leaving Rudo sitting back down with nothing to do but wait. It went on like that for a while, and the quiet started to feel louder the longer it dragged on.
That was until Rudo heard a sound again. This one was different, a clearer movement from the bed that made him pause instead of immediately reacting. He stayed still for a second, watching carefully, and then Zanka shifted again before finally sitting up on his own. Rudo’s eyes widened as he leaned in.
“Zanka?” he called out.
Zanka blinked a few times, trying to focus on him. “Rudo…?” he muttered, then immediately grabbed his head and let out a rough breath. “Augh… shit, m’head… everythin’… fuckin’ hurts…”
Rudo didn’t hesitate after that. He suddenly rushed forward, almost tripping over himself in the process.
“ZANKA! You’re awake! You’re—”
Zanka flinched hard and cut him off right away. “Sh… shut up, brat… y’too loud…”
That was enough for Rudo to stop completely, freezing in place for a moment before slowly easing back. Even like this, it was still Zanka..!
Rudo went quiet, stepping back to give him space but still hovering close, he wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. He looked like he wanted to say something again, but held it back this time, only watching Zanka closely instead. Zanka was still sitting there, adjusted to being awake, one hand still pressed to his head.
“Where… am I…” Zanka muttered after a moment, voice rough, eyes scanning the room.. it didn’t fully register yet. His shoulders tensed slightly as he tried to piece it together, then he exhaled through his nose when it still didn’t make sense right away. Rudo hesitated for a second before answering, stepping a bit closer again but keeping his voice lower this time.
“You’re in the infirmary... You’ve been sick. Like really sick. Everyone’s been taking turns watching you,” Rudo said quickly, then added a little more carefully, “You’ve been out for a while.”
Zanka frowned at that, clearly not liking the sound of it, but he didn’t argue right away. Instead, he shifted a little, wincing as his body reminded him of everything at once. His hand dropped from his head slowly and he stared at it for a second before letting it fall back to his lap. “Sick…? Tch…” he muttered, but there wasn’t much strength behind it.
Rudo watched him closely, then remembered the flower still in his hand and awkwardly held it up. “I, uh… I brought this. It’s fake, but I thought you might like it anyway. I didn’t really know what else to bring.”
Zanka glanced at it for a moment, then back at Rudo, expression still tired but less confused now. "Ya sat here… th’ whole time… jus’ for tha’…?” he asked, voice still rough, but a bit more grounded now.
Rudo scratched the back of his head, suddenly a little embarrassed. “Well… yeah. I mean, you were out cold. Someone had to wait.” He paused, then added a bit quieter, “Don’t go dying or anything. It’s annoying.”
Zanka let out a slow breath, almost a scoff but not quite, and leaned back slightly against the bed again. “Yeah… don’t plan on it,” he muttered, eyes half-lidded as he settled. But he didn’t push Rudo away.