Chapter Text
From somewhere in the operations room, S. Agent heard a blaring elephant's trumpet and the roaring cackle of a fire. The nurse, Nioma, ran across the hospital, attending to the burn victim as soon as she could. From the chairs in the lobby, patients whispered to one another, awaiting to be checked in. The new secretary, a sheep named Shannon, was nowhere to be found because she needed to stop a ritual in another room while the unnamed Intern ran from a moving shadow on the wall.
In short, it was utter chaos this shift, and there was only so much coffee available for five. Stress drains one's sanity, tampering with one's thoughts throughout the day, making one question everything. S. Agent was a victim of this, knowing he hadn't had a chance to reach for the coffee machine in hours. The others were busy treating patients and seemed to be using the appliance whenever S. Agent thought he could get his hands on it. It didn't matter much now; the coffee should be done soon.
He clutched onto the vending machine where energy drinks awaited their consumption. Unfortunately, energy drinks don't restore sanity the way a hot cup of coffee does. S. Agent's ears and tail were lowered, and his eyes were wide. He needed a coffee as soon as possible. He pushed himself off the machine and began making his way to the front desk. He needed to stay focused! He must get a coffee and help Shannon with the anomaly that somehow snuck past his sight. Oh, but the walls were starting to turn; his own footing felt unfamiliar and strange. He swore under his breath as he looked around and saw a tall, black stalker, feeling his sanity depleting by the second. The sudden rush of despair nearly made him lose his footing, and the dizziness wasn't helping. Curse that thing, and curse his senses for deceiving him.
It was strange, feeling your sanity exhaust so fast; it was something he only began to experience after the infection began to spread. Each animal responded differently to losing their mind. Some would scream, others would faint, and S. Agent had yet to discover how he'd react. It might be the anomalies that tainted the hospital, but this place knows how to make anyone act up; thus the reason for coffee. He cursed the anomalies he vowed to take down and used this anger as an anchor. Just get to the machine.
His hand no longer held a steady grip on his gun or the doorknob as he turned it open. How long was he holding onto his gun? He didn't recall pulling it out of its holster. The door creaked as he looked at a fresh cup of coffee in someone's hands.
Nioma. She tilted her head up and drank the final drops, greedily licking her lips and grinning so dearly as if she needed that coffee her whole life. Then, she saw S. Agent, and her smile dropped. "Oh dear, you were waiting for that, weren't you? Sorry!"
S. Agent's glare was furious, emotions unchecked compared to his typically steady demeanour. On any other day, he would shrug it off with a mysterious remark, but today, his words refused to formulate. Nurse Nioma gave an awkward look before rushing off. "So sorry, Agent! Just wait a bit; it'll brew up soon! I have patients to see!" She didn't even bother to wait another second. The thought annoyed S. Agent more than it should; the audacity to leave so suddenly shook him.
Oh, but he can't get too mad; the stress will toll on his sanity some more. He stumbled over to the table and gripped the edges of it, thinking of his sanity. If he were to guess how low it is right now, it would rest in the 5s. But he has to wait around 10 minutes for the next coffee.
At some point, he realized maybe the coffee won't brew in time. He lifted a paw to his face, licking his fur despite the obvious health hazard. Grooming was explicitly not allowed for obvious reasons, but Agent needed something to stop the hallucinations, impending doom, and spinning vision all at once. It's fine; Dr. Harlow will never find out.
He rolled down a bit of his sleeve, using his tongue to comb his fired-up fur. He has never let his sanity drop this low, and he didn't know what to do other than wait for a blessing or coffee. He focused on the repetitive, practiced motion that felines like him do, thoughts dispersing.
Intern grabbed an anomaly, pulled them into an empty room, and slammed their head against the wall repeatedly. Their absent eyes looked into the mouth of the creature, the same mouth as theirs, but Intern was different; Intern would never eat someone alive in such a brutal way, but they'd suck the blood out of a corpse. The difference between a corpse and a walking animal is that one is already dead, so it's okay.
The Intern had let the anomaly fall on the floor, twitching and reaching up, as if trying to get another, final bite before its death. They kicked at the corpse one final time before leaning down and draining the last of its blood and biting its flesh to satisfy Intern's hungry desires.
After stepping outside and throwing out the body, they turned to the hallway. The firefighter, Falvika, was cleaning up the burnt room. How it got on fire was a mystery, one that all the employees were too tired to ask about. Nioma was back to running from room to room, and Shannon was restocking one of the shelves, avoiding signing in more patients after that mess.
Where's S. Agent? Intern wondered. Perhaps he's shooting down anomalies at the entrance. Intern decided it would be a good idea to go and check that out; maybe they could grab a coffee on the way!
Suspiciously, Intern didn't find anyone at the front doors other than distracted patients who spoke amongst themselves. The mix of chatter and buzzing lights was almost soothing. But never mind that; maybe they should get a coffee.
They entered the room and first spotted the machine. The scent of coffee filled the room as the machine was nearly done brewing, only 20 seconds left!
That's when they spotted a shadow under the table. His eyes were either deceiving him, or that was an anomaly. They knew what to do. They grabbed the taser and stepped back before peeking under.
Huh?
A pair of dilated yellow eyes caught his gaze midway through grooming his shoulder. Lying on his back, his black vest and white shirt were both unbuttoned, gun abandoned beside him. There was an almost crazed look in his eyes as he processed who was in front of him.
Intern waved slowly. It was S. Agent, no doubt, but something told him there was no way he'd understand sign language at the moment.
S. Agent barred his claws and scratched at the air in front of him, yowling at them to leave. Intern jumped back, immediately raising their hands. The idea of S. Agent acting so out of character was foreign to them, and they might've laughed if they weren't getting increasingly concerned.
He huddled back into his corner, gently beginning to lick his shoulder again. Intern needed to snap some sense into him, but how did this happen? Maybe he needed coffee? Maybe a ghost possessed him? What if this is a secret twin of S. Agent?
Intern shook off the nonsensical reasoning and focused. He's a cat. How do you tame a cat?
They remembered the psychologist, Pax, treating a particularly feisty patient one time. He held out his hand and explained that there was nothing to be afraid of. Would the same thing work for S. Agent? Might as well try.
They raised their hand close to the cat, trying to gain some trust of sorts. S. Agent saw it, stared at it for way too long, and then tilted his head. Intern silently prayed that Agent would find him friendly. The anomaly in him and his absurdly wide smile better not sabotage this.
S. Agent leaned in and licked Intern's paws, bending closer. This is their chance. Intern gently brought their fingers underneath his chin, caressing the fur. They reached over with the other hand and watched Agent enjoy the sensation. It seemed to calm the intern down too. S. Agent's eyes drooped, his head falling into Intern's hands with a small meow. They'd never heard such a soft sound come out of Agent... Their smile widened, crinkling their eyes.
Then a purr; he was relaxed. The low rumble meant so much in terms of trust and understanding. His tail rested on the floor beside him, flicking occasionally. He purred again, giving Intern a gentle blink with his sly, golden yellow eyes. His sanity must be so low; God knows what he's seeing or thinking right now. Intern smiled at the success. Their best plan to help their friend was to get S. Agent to taste the coffee. They reached and pressed a button on the coffee maker, patting Agent while the mug steamed with warm, dark caffeine.
Intern carried the cup and gradually brought it to their level, introducing it to S. Agent. His wide eyes widened further, showing that he registered the drink. He brought his tongue to the cup.
The effect of coffee was immediate, especially when it was bitter without any sweeteners or creamers. S. Agent took the cup in his own hands, posture straightening and eyes returning to their normal state. Then, when the cup was done, he sighed and hummed in relief. Then, suddenly realized and recalled what he was doing. Intern snickered, seeing embarrassment take over. They reached out and pulled Agent's white button-up back on his sleeve.
"I- Thank you." Was all S. Agent said, buttoning up his shirt and coat at a remarkable speed. Everything would still seem hazy for Agent; the coffee didn't recover all of his sanity, but enough to bring him back.
Intern waved their hand, a small 'Don't worry about it' implied through the gesture. Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, Agent very much seemed worried. He ran a hand through his fur and looked at the empty cup. The restorative drink was gone, and all that was left were stains. Thoughts began to cloud his vision. That was a close one for him, way too close. He could've lost his mind under this table; then what?
He sighed and glanced at Intern, who still had their hand on his shoulder. To his shock, Intern's hand reached under Agent's neck, as if testing whether or not he would get a similar reaction as before. S. Agent stiffened, his ears flicking up, then he rested again, feeling the soft but icy cold paw on his neck.
"You can stop." He smiled, albeit somewhat awkwardly. Intern could see the effect it had on him even when his sanity wasn't as low. It was hard not to notice now how his ears fell back, and his tail curled closer to Intern.
But, alas, they had to stop eventually. It was a hospital, and for goodness sake, they had work to do. The others should be done treating their patients, meaning it was time to go back to work. The intern stood up first, grabbing S.Agent's hand and lifting him with remarkable strength. Intern couldn't help but notice the way Agent's demeanour shifted when he stood in the light. From a gentle cat to the determined agent he is. They also couldn't help but wonder whether or not S. Agent would be easy to get to purr again. For scientific reasons, of course.