Archive of Our Own

Rudo couldn’t wait for this day to end.

It started out slow, the morning dragging on painfully with absolutely nothing going on and nothing to do. He trained with Zanka for a bit, just some simple hand-to-hand combat in case a job came up, but even that struggled to hold his attention. Mostly because he already knew how to fight, no matter what Zanka had to say about his stance, his movements, or his fighting style. They were perfectly fine, and his mentor needed to get a damn grip before Rudo got a grip around that idiot's stupid neck.

Still, somewhere between another lecture and another painfully uneventful hour, Rudo had found himself silently praying for a job—anything to break up the boredom.

Now… He honestly wished he hadn't.

By noon, a sudden influx of calls and requests hit HQ hard. What had been a slow, uneventful morning quickly erupted into a frenzy, sending cleaners scrambling in every direction. Each team was dispatched to deal with clusters of trash beasts spotted around nearby towns, caravan roadways, and outside some of the larger cities. According to Semiu, it was one of the biggest outbreaks they'd seen in quite a while. Enjin had mentioned that days like this only happened every once in a while, but they were rare enough that most cleaners hoped they stayed that way. 

At first, Rudo was fine with it, more than ready to go now that he had something to do. But, as the day wore on, it quickly dissolved into chaos. Teams started out together, Akuta, Child, and Eager all heading off on jobs of their own with a handful of supporters tagging along. By the second or third round of calls, though, no one seemed to stay with their original group for very long.

Every trip back to HQ turned into another scramble. Jeeps rumbled in through the entrances, their engines left idling as cleaners jumped out before the vehicles had barely stopped moving. Boots thundered across the floor as supporters rushed past with crates of supplies and equipment. Some cleaners returned streaked with dirt and trash beast sludge, others with small cuts that were quickly patched up before they were sent back out again. 

In the middle of it all, Semiu's voice somehow carried above the noise. She was already calling names, pointing people toward different vehicles or waving others back inside. It looked completely chaotic, but Rudo knew better. Semiu wasn't just throwing people wherever she could. She was matching teams to the reports coming in, based on the types of trash beasts reported, the size of the outbreak, and the strengths and abilities of the people she had available at that time.

At one point, Rudo saw Riyo split from Team Akuta and was suddenly climbing into Team Child's jeep, while a pair of supporters squeezed into whatever vehicle still had room. Everyone seemed to be moving at once, never staying in the same place long enough to even catch their breath. 

As soon as one team returned, there was a good chance they'd be split apart and sent somewhere completely different. Sometimes Semiu would call a few cleaners back to HQ before they even reached their next destination, while the rest continued on without them. Other times, whoever happened to be standing closest to an open jeep was told to climb in and go. Before long, hardly anyone was working with the same people they'd started the day with. 

For most of the cleaners, the constant back-and-forth was just annoying. But for Rudo, it was becoming a real problem.

By that point, he was already on his second weapon, his eyes still glowing a bright red as he forced himself to keep his Jinki activated. The first one hadn't even survived the first few jobs. During a particularly rough fight with a trash beast, one heavy blow had struck the weapon head-on, splintering it with a sharp crack that raced through its frame. The moment its structure gave way, the fractured pieces burned away into fine grey dust between his fingers, the Anima no longer able to cling to something that had lost its form. Ever since then, he'd been clinging to the second one like his life depended on it. 

The constant red glow behind his eyes had long since settled into a slight burning ache, while a faint pressure continued to build behind his temples. Keeping his Jinki active wasn't something he could simply tune out, either. It demanded his focus every second it remained manifested, a constant drain at the back of his mind that slowly chipped away at his energy. The longer he held onto it, the harder it became to even think straight. More than anything, he wished he could just dismiss the damn thing for a few minutes and give himself a chance to breathe. 

But no, he couldn't.

Other Givers could dismiss their Jinki between jobs, catch their breath during the drive back, then activate it again whenever they needed it. Rudo didn't have that luxury. His Vital Instrument, 3R, could only be activated three times. Once a weapon disappeared, whether from taking too much damage or by simply fulfilling its purpose and being dismissed, that use was gone for good. If he let this one slip away too, he'd only have one use left for the rest of the day.

So he stubbornly held on.

He needed to make this weapon last as long as he possibly could, especially with no telling how many more calls Semiu would throw at them before the day was over. The last thing Rudo wanted was to become dead weight because he'd run out of ways to fight.

He sat in the back seat of the jeep, riding with the smallest group they had yet. Himself, Enjin, Gris, and Tomme. His gaze remained lowered toward his lap, barely registering the barren scenery rolling past the windows.

He felt absolutely fucking wiped.

Exhaustion had settled into every part of him. His body felt heavy against the seat, and even keeping his head up seemed to take more effort than it should have. His thoughts drifted in and out, never quite settling on anything for long. Every now and then, the vehicle jolted over a rough patch of road, briefly pulling him back to the present before his mind began to wander again. 

He shifted the weapon resting across his lap, readjusting his grip around the old speed square as his fingers tightened almost instinctively around its edges. Once it had been nothing more than a chipped, rust-stained piece of scrap Rudo found in a trash pile a few days ago. Now, his Jinki had honed its blunt edges into something sharp enough to cut deep. Letting his concentration slip wasn't an option. 

He caught Enjin's and Gris' gazes in the rearview mirror from time to time. Gris never tried to hide the concern written across his face, his brows pulling together just a little more each time he looked back at him. Enjin wore a tired, almost bored expression, but his eyes lingered on Rudo longer than they probably should have, especially considering he was supposed to be watching the damn road.

"Doin' alright back there, kid?" Enjin eventually asked, the question pulling Rudo from another zoned-out daze.

Rudo looked up, blinking once before giving a slow nod. It was a lot easier than talking right now. The speed square shifted slightly across his lap as his fingers tightened around it again, almost unconsciously checking that it was still there. Unfortunately, his team leader didn't look too convinced.

Enjin and Gris exchanged a quick glance. Even Tomme's eyes drifted toward him from where she sat beside him in the back, concern flickering across her face before she looked away again. The jeep settled into silence, broken only by the rumble of the engine.

Finally, Gris spoke up. "You're doing really well, Rudo. Hopefully all of this will be over soon."

Hopefully... That was all Rudo could think, unable to muster the energy to even answer.

But hoping didn't do much as Enjin's collar crackled to life again. Another call from Semiu. By that point, they were all starting to blur together. Another location. Another trash beast. Another ride back to HQ.

By the time they got back and Enjin threw the jeep into park, they already knew better than to get too comfortable. It was only a matter of time before another call came through, and they were sent right back out again. Even so, everyone silently hoped for a few minutes to relax before the next job. 

Rudo was slow to climb out of the jeep, the exhaustion from the day catching up to him faster than he would’ve liked. His thoughts felt increasingly sluggish, and it was getting harder to stay fully present as he moved. 

He wasn't even sure what happened. Honestly, he was barely paying attention. But somewhere between stepping down from the jeep and his boots hitting the ground, his concentration slipped for the briefest moment.

He felt it immediately. A tiny flicker. A pulse that ran through his powers, through his body, and through the item still clenched in his hand.

His stomach dropped. Before he could tighten his grip or force the connection back into place, thin cracks raced across the speed square's surface. They spread in an instant, splitting through the sharpened metal until the whole thing gave way beneath his fingers, crumbling into grey dust that scattered across the ground at his feet. 

Rudo's first instinct was to get angry. To curse up a storm. To slam the jeep door hard enough to dent it. To kick the dirt until something, anything, made him feel a little less aggravated. Instead, all he could do was stare silently at the dust drifting between his gloved fingers before the breeze carried it away.

He only had one item left...

No one said anything. Enjin looked over first, his expression tightening just slightly before he let out a quiet sigh and began moving forward. Tomme glanced toward the handful of dust still clinging to Rudo's glove before looking away again. Gris, of course, lingered the longest.

Without a word, he stepped over and gave Rudo a gentle pat on the shoulder before moving on. It was meant as both reassurance and encouragement to keep going. The jobs weren't stopping, and neither could they.

Rudo closed his hand around empty air for a moment before finally letting it fall to his side and following after the others.

Dirt and loose rock crunched beneath their boots as they stepped inside. The cooler air of HQ washed over them almost immediately, a welcome relief after spending hours out in the heat. By now, everyone was coated in a layer of dust and grime, clothes damp with sweat and faces showing the exhaustion of a long day spent running from one job to the next. For the first time in what felt like forever, Rudo let himself think they might actually get a chance to breathe, maybe even chill out for a few minutes before the next call came in. It wasn't much to hope for, but after everything they'd been running around doing, he'd take whatever he could get. 

Unfortunately, the moment they crossed the threshold, those hopes were instantly crushed. Before Rudo could even breathe in the cool air of HQ or even get the chance to process the loss of his second weapon, Semiu's yellow, cat-like gaze settled on the group.

"You're up again," she said in the same calm, even tone as always.

Rudo just stared at her, feeling way too many emotions crash through his exhausted mind all at once. He wanted to scream. He wanted to argue and freak out. To punch the nearest wall just to vent some of the frustration building in his chest. More than anything, though, he just wanted to be done. He was just so tired. Really, really tired. The constant stream of jobs, the endless driving, the strain of holding onto his Jinki for hours on end... it all felt like it was finally catching up to him. This was fun for maybe the first hour, but now he was completely over it and, honestly, wasn't above calling the whole thing torture at this point.

He instantly deflated, his shoulders sagging as his head dipped toward the floor. Enjin and Gris exchanged a glance out of the corners of their eyes, both wearing the same hesitant expression that suggested they wanted to say something. Enjin, for once, seemed to think better of it, keeping his mouth shut. Gris, however, had never been particularly good at keeping his concerns to himself when it came to his teammates.

“Semiu, maybe Rudo could sit this one out?” Gris suggested, his brows knitting together with concern. “He’s had to keep his Jinki active for most of the day, and I don’t think that’s doing him any favors. The poor kid’s exhausted.”

The suggestion sparked something back to life in Rudo’s actively dying brain cells. 

Sit this one out?

Absolutely not!

His head snapped up before he even realized he'd moved. Sure, he was exhausted. His body felt like it had been dragged across half a trash-filled wasteland, and all he wanted was to collapse somewhere quiet for a few hours. But sitting on the sidelines while everyone else went out to do the job? No way! He wasn't some helpless kid who needed to be coddled. Just because he wanted to stop didn’t mean he was going to. Regto didn’t raise a damn quitter. He'd stop when the job was done, or when he dropped dead.

Semiu's sharp yellow eyes shifted between the Sphereite and the supporter, weighing the suggestion in silence. But before she could say a word, Rudo had already straightened to his full height, forcing a bit more life into his exhausted posture. 

“I can keep going,” he insisted, the words coming out almost immediately, driven by stubborn determination. “I'm fine.” 

Enjin let out a quiet huff beside him that sounded suspiciously close to a laugh. That was probably why he hadn't bothered speaking up before. He already knew it would've been pointless. Even if Rudo was five seconds away from face-planting onto the cold tile floor, he was stubborn enough to insist he was fine until his body physically refused to cooperate.

Semiu studied him for another moment before giving a small shrug. Whether she believed him or not was impossible to tell, but with the number of calls still pouring in, they needed every cleaner they could get. It wasn't even a minute later when another team filtered through the front doors, looking just as worn out as everyone else.

"Ah, right on time," Semiu said, already reaching for a piece of paper on her desk, and the reshuffling started all over again.

Names were called once again as cleaners peeled away from their groups without so much as a second thought. A few exchanged tired nods and quick words as they passed each other while Semiu pointed them toward a different group. Rudo watched Bro break away from the group that had just returned, Dear right beside him with his small hand wrapped tightly around the older man’s, while Tomme was waved toward another jeep waiting outside. 

Before long, Rudo found himself climbing back into the jeep with Enjin, Gris, Bro, and Dear. It was a strange combination, one he never would've expected to see together at the start of the day, but by that point, none of the teams resembled what they'd originally been. Everyone had been scattered in so many different directions that the mismatched groups hardly seemed worth questioning anymore. There were still jobs to do, and until every last one was finished, they would simply have to make it work.

Bro spent part of the drive chatting with Enjin and Gris, mentioning that he'd been separated from Guita an hour or two earlier. He'd argued against it at first, not wanting either of the kids split up from him, but there hadn't been much of a choice. Guita had ended up with Zanka and Riyo, who'd both promised to keep a close eye on her until everything was said and done. In the end, Bro had reluctantly agreed. As long as they didn't separate him from Dear, he could live with it. Not that anyone would ever be crazy enough to try.

Enjin was behind the wheel once again, weaving around potholes and loose debris scattered across the roadway with the same reckless confidence he'd had all day. Gris sat in the passenger seat, gripping the panic bar so tightly that Rudo thought he might rip the thing clean off. Bro rode in the back with the two boys, both of whom looked thoroughly fed up with the day's nonstop chaos.

Dear sat with his arms crossed and his brows pulled into a tired little scowl, staring out the opposite window. Bro smiled to himself before reaching over to give the young boy a gentle pat on the head.

"Don't worry, you two," he said. "The calls have slowed down quite a bit. This should hopefully be our last job for today."

Rudo glanced over before looking back out the window.

You two? What was that supposed to mean? Why was he part of the pity parade?

Sure, he and Dear were the youngest in the jeep, but Rudo wasn't about to sit there and be lumped in like they both needed comforting. If anything, Bro should've just been worrying about Dear. Rudo could handle himself just fine.

...Even if he was starting to get a little cranky.

The thought earned a quiet scoff from him before he let it drop. He remained silent for the rest of the drive, his fingers drifting toward the last item tucked safely inside his bag. They lingered there for a moment, brushing lightly over the familiar shape beneath the fabric.

Hopefully he wouldn't lose this one. More than anything, though, he just hoped they could get this over with quickly.

The jeep gradually slowed to a stop, its tires crunching over loose gravel before settling onto the dusty roadside. The scenery had changed considerably over the last several miles. The flatter stretches of open wasteland had given way to towering rocky and sandstone formations. Faded reddish-orange cliffs rose from the earth in jagged walls, shaped by years of wind and sand. Deep fissures scarred the rock, while enormous boulders rested where they had probably broken off long ago. Here and there, scattered mounds of trash sat half-buried beneath layers of drifting sand and dust. 

Everyone pulled on their gas masks before climbing out of the jeep one after another. Dust stirred around their boots as they stepped down onto the dry ground. Rudo lingered beside the vehicle for a moment, quietly observing the area.

They had parked alongside an old dirt roadway, with worn wagon tracks winding through it. Faint hoofprints from ground horses crossed the packed earth, weaving between the rocky hills that extended in nearly every direction. The road ahead seemed fairly open, but the scattered cliffs, fallen boulders, and sudden drops made it difficult to see what waited beyond the next bend. 

Heat radiated from the stone around them, pressing harshly against Rudo. Sweat clung uncomfortably to the back of his neck, and every breath seemed to carry the taste of dust, even through his mask. Between the relentless heat, the hours of nonstop moving, and the constant strain of keeping his Jinki active, he felt grimy enough that a hot shower sounded fucking heavenly right about now. 

It was almost unnervingly quiet. Aside from the crunch of their boots over dirt and scattered stone, the landscape was completely still. A breeze occasionally slipped through the towering rock formations, carrying fine grains of sand across the ground with it before settling again. 

Enjin eventually stepped up beside the Sphereite, Umbreaker resting comfortably against his shoulder as his own eyes continued scanning the landscape.

"According to what Semiu said," he began, his gaze never settling in one place for long, "a merchant traveling through here nearly got trampled by a couple larger trash beasts."

Gris let out a thoughtful hum as he looked toward the distant cliffs. "They're lucky they managed to get away."

"Yeah." Enjin gave a small nod. "Soon as the beasts lost sight of 'em, they wandered off toward those hills."

He shifted Umbreaker off his shoulder and gestured with its tip toward a series of rugged stone formations rising in the distance. "Let's head that way and see what we can see," Enjin said. "Keep your eyes open. Big things don't just disappear."

The group set off toward the distant hills, the two youngest trailing along a little less enthusiastically than everyone else. The terrain quickly became rougher beneath their boots, the old roadway giving way to more gravel, scattered debris, and patches of large exposed stone. There was no chance in hell the jeep would've made it through here. 

Every few steps, Rudo found himself watching where he planted his feet. One loose rock shifted beneath his boot, forcing him to catch himself before he rolled his ankle. A rusted piece of scrap poked out from beneath the dirt a few feet later, nearly catching the toe of his boot. The rough ground and oppressive heat were starting to wear on him, and he was beginning to wonder if the trash beasts planned on showing themselves anytime this century. 

They'd better. The last thing he wanted was to spend another hour wandering around these stupid hills only to find out the beasts had moved on.

"Stay close, Dear." Bro's quiet voice drifted from behind him. Rudo glanced back just long enough to see the larger man tighten his grip around Dear's hand. The young boy answered with a short grunt that sounded far more irritated than obedient, earning the faintest softening around Bro’s eyes before they continued on.

Enjin gradually slowed his pace until he was walking beside Rudo, Umbreaker still balanced casually across his shoulder. He tipped his head toward the kid, a mischievous look in his eyes that usually meant he was about to say something annoying. "Got your last piece of trash, kid?"

Rudo shot him a brief look before dropping his gaze back to the rocky ground. "Yeah."

"Good." Enjin nodded. "Don't lose it."

Before Rudo could even think of a comeback, Enjin used Umbreaker to lightly bop the top of his head. Enjin chuckled to himself and kept walking, leaving Rudo to glare after him. 

Rudo rubbed the spot Enjin just whacked with an annoyed scowl. "I'm not going to," he muttered under his breath. He knew exactly what was at stake. There wasn't any room for another mistake.

No one said much after that. There really wasn't much to say.

The walk dragged on for several more minutes, each step carrying them deeper into the rocky landscape. What had looked like a few distant hills from the road slowly rose around them, narrowing their view and forcing the group through winding passages between the cliffs. The deeper they went, the more enclosed the landscape began to feel.

Silence lingered around them. Their boots crunched steadily over dirt and rock, the sound carrying farther now as it bounced softly off the surrounding rock faces. The occasional breeze whispered through narrow gaps in the stone, stirring sand across the ground. Other than that... Nothing.

Every set of eyes continued sweeping across the landscape, searching for any sign of movement. The merchant had sworn the trash beasts disappeared behind these hills, but so far there wasn't so much as a distant roar or fresh trail to suggest anything large had passed through recently. Weren't they supposed to be on the somewhat bigger side? They shouldn't have been that hard to miss.

The terrain continued to rise and fall as the group rounded another bend, squeezing between two sandstone walls before the passage finally opened into a wider area of rocky ground. Large boulders and broken cliffs surrounded the area, leaving plenty of places hidden from view. Rudo's gaze swept across the formations as they moved, searching for any sign of the trash beasts. 

Enjin slowed to a stop. Everyone else instinctively followed as his gaze swept slowly over the terrain ahead.

Dear crossed his arms with an impatient huff, looking seconds away from stomping his foot. Bro crouched beside him, quietly murmuring what was probably another attempt at reassurance, but Rudo barely spared them a glance. He was starting to get irritated himself.

They'd spent the better part of the afternoon running around like idiots, and now they were hiking through this giant pile of rocks just to find nothing but dirt, old trash, and more dirt.

He was just about to ask Enjin if they were even sure they were in the right place when something strange rippled beneath his boots. It was faint enough that he almost brushed it off at first. A subtle vibration climbed through the soles of his boots before fading quickly. Somewhere above them, a handful of pebbles skipped down the face of a stone wall, clicking against the rock before disappearing into the dust below. Rudo frowned beneath his mask, his gaze sweeping across the cliffs around them as he tried to figure out what he'd just felt. 

Before he could say anything, another tremor rolled beneath the ground, this one lasting long enough that everyone felt it. Loose stones shifted beneath their boots as another shower of grit spilled from the nearby rock face. Somewhere farther ahead came a deep, guttural rumble that rolled through the cliffs around them, low and drawn out. Rudo's stomach tightened. Whatever the hell was making that sound, it was huge. 

Enjin's expression immediately hardened, his grip tightening around Umbreaker. "These might be bigger than we were expecting."

The group exchanged uneasy glances before pressing onward, though their pace was noticeably slower this time. The farther they went, the more often the tremors came. They weren't constant, only occasional pulses beneath the earth, but each one was strong enough to send small stones tumbling from nearby ledges and dust trickling from cracks in the rock. 

Another narrow passage curved one final time before widening, and the group emerged into a much larger stretch of open ground. The cliffs and hills were still there, but they stood farther apart now, scattered across the landscape rather than closing in around them. Enjin slowed to a stop once again, and Rudo nearly walked right into his back. 

The man’s eyes narrowed as he looked across the rocky expanse. He stood there for a moment, staring. "Well, shit." 

Curiosity got the better of Rudo, and he stepped around beside him. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before them. 

There weren't just a few oversized trash beasts. There was an entire herd.

The massive creatures lumbered across the rocky landscape ahead, each one large enough to dwarf the abandoned merchant wagons scattered throughout the area. Their silhouettes vaguely resembled some kind of oversized desert predator, with long legs, lean, powerful bodies, and sharp teeth. Narrow, skull-like heads with elongated snouts swept slowly from side to side, while thick, weathered horns curved from their heads like those of an enormous mountain goat. Pieces of rusted metal embedded in their shoulders stuck out at odd angles like barbs, while broken, rusted chains dangled from a few beasts' horns as if they had been tangled there for a long time. 

One shoved its way between towering sandstone formations, its broad shoulders scraping against the rock hard enough to shear away chunks of stone that crashed to the ground below. Another lowered its skull-like head into the splintered remains of an old caravan, crushing thick wooden beams beneath powerful jaws like brittle twigs. Every slow, deliberate footfall of a beast sent another vibration rolling beneath the cleaners' feet.

The merchant hadn't exaggerated. If anything, they had undersold them.

They weren't quite as enormous as the monsters Rudo had fought back in Mono after falling from the Sphere, but they were close enough that he wasn't about to underestimate them. Almost instinctively, his hand drifted to the pouch resting at his hip.

Great... His last item wasn't exactly impressive. Just a rusted old butcher's knife. But it would have to do.

Before anyone had a chance to speak, one of the beasts stopped. Its massive head slowly lifted, and empty eye sockets lit by an eerie glow drifted across the landscape until they settled directly on the cleaners' position. For one long second, everything seemed to freeze. 

Then the beast threw back its head and unleashed a deafening roar that thundered across the rocky expanse. The others answered almost immediately. Their calls echoed from every direction as enormous bodies began to stir, heads lifting one after another while the earth beneath the cleaners' boots trembled with greater force.

They couldn't just stand there anymore. It was time to move.

“Spread out!” Enjin barked immediately, already swinging Umbreaker off his shoulder. “Don’t let ’em bunch up!” 

The group moved almost instinctively, slipping into a familiar rhythm. Gris broke off toward the right alongside Enjin, while Bro tugged Dear in the opposite direction, keeping the smaller boy close as they quickly veered left. Rudo remained between the two groups, his hand already diving into his pouch as his fingers closed around the worn handle of the rusted butcher's knife, pulling it free.

The familiar surge of 3R ran through Rudo's arm, spreading from his fingertips as crimson energy bled across the battered blade. The rusted butcher's knife trembled beneath the glow before its short blade began to shift, the metal expanding outward until it formed a long, broad weapon. Its dark surface remained rough and uneven, with a thick spine that gradually narrowed into a heavy, curved edge. What had once been a small, rusted knife was now closer to a large machete, its oversized blade looking crude but vicious enough to cleave through anything in its path. Thin crimson lines pulsed faintly across the metal, following the length of the blade. Finally, the red etchings of Rudo's name settled across its surface. 

Last one, Rudo reminded himself, tightening his grip around the worn handle. Don't screw this up.

It wasn't exactly the ideal weapon for trash beasts this size. They were too big to overpower head-on. But he wasn't planning on fighting fair. All he needed was one clear opening, and he'd bury the blade straight through one of their skulls.

The nearest beast lowered its horned head, going almost unnervingly still, as if sizing them up. Then it exploded into motion.

It launched forward in a violent burst, shattering every expectation its size had created. Rudo's eyes widened. Something that big had no business moving that fast. Its hooves tore across the valley, sending debris flying in every direction as it barreled toward them. One sweeping horn carved through the side of a stone pillar, tearing away an entire section with an explosive crack. Fragments rained down around the charging beast as the pillar collapsed behind it. 

Rudo tightened his grip on his weapon, muscles coiling as he prepared to move. But Enjin beat him to it.

The man surged forward without a second's hesitation, driving Umbreaker straight into the beast's skull. The impact thundered through the valley, the force of the blow sending the enormous creature off its feet before hurling it sideways into the nearby cliff face. The entire rock wall seemed to tremble as the beast slammed into it, sending fresh fractures racing through the stone. More boulders broke overhead and crashed down the slope as a rolling cloud of dust spread across the area. 

Then all hell broke loose.

The remaining beasts answered with thunderous roars of their own, echoing off the surrounding cliffs. The ground shook again as several more burst into motion. Dirt, trash, shattered rock, and clouds of dust exploded across the valley, swallowing the space around them until shapes blurred into shifting silhouettes. 

Suddenly, a hulking shape burst through the drifting dust, and Rudo barely had time to react. He threw himself sideways just as the beast's jaws slammed shut where he'd been standing a second earlier. The snap of its bite cracked through the air, a gust of hot, rancid breath rushing past his shoulder as he hit the ground hard. Dirt and gravel scraped across his arms while he rolled with the impact, pushing himself back onto his feet before the creature could turn around.

Splintered wood and twisted scraps of rusted metal protruded from its jaws like grotesque teeth, clattering together every time it snapped at the air. But the beast's sheer size worked against it. Missing its charge, it lumbered and was slow to recover. Rudo didn't hesitate, taking his chance.

Loose rock shifted beneath his boots as he darted alongside the creature instead of away from it, forcing the massive beast to wrench its skull around to follow him. It bellowed in frustration, its long horns gouging deep trenches through the dirt before carving through empty air as Rudo slipped just beyond their reach.

He quickly spotted his opening. Planting one foot against a fallen slab of rock, Rudo launched himself upward with everything he had. The butcher's blade came down in a violent arc before plunging deep into the beast's glowing eye socket with a sickening squelch.

The creature instantly shrieked. Its entire body convulsed as it thrashed wildly, trying to throw the boy off. But Rudo refused to let go. He planted both boots against the beast's skull, muscles straining as he drove the blade deeper and deeper before wrenching it sharply to the side.

A sudden crack echoed beneath his feet. The trash beast staggered before its legs finally gave out. Its enormous body crashed into the valley floor with enough force to send another tremor through the surrounding area.

Rudo landed in a crouch beside it, breathing harder than he wanted to admit. He ripped the butcher's knife free just as the beast's body began breaking apart, its massive frame collapsing into heaps of lifeless trash that began to disintegrate and scatter across the ground.

Well, one down…

Rudo sucked in a breath, forcing himself up again as he lifted his head. Dust hung thick over the area, swallowing nearly everything beyond just a few yards. The valley had become a blur of movement. He couldn't see Enjin anymore, or Gris. Every so often, a silhouette flashed through the haze before disappearing again. Somewhere off to his right came the unmistakable boom of Umbreaker slamming into something solid, followed by another distant crash. 

"Dear!" Bro's voice cut through the chaos. "Stay close!"

Rudo turned toward the shout. The dust shifted just enough for him to catch a glimpse of Bro weaving between two charging trash beasts, one arm stretched desperately toward a much smaller figure several yards ahead.

The young boy's eyes glowed a bright blue through the haze as he darted over the uneven ground, slipping between fractured boulders before Bro could close the distance between them. The kid never looked back either. If anything, he seemed determined to push farther into the fight with a confidence that made Rudo's stomach tighten.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rudo muttered under his breath, his brows pulling together.

The kid was acting way too recklessly, even by Rudo's standards. Yeah, he wanted this whole miserable job to be over just as badly, but throwing yourself headfirst into a battlefield without thinking was just asking to get flattened. There was a difference between taking risks and being stupid, and Dear was definitely starting to blur that line.

It was exactly the kind of thing Zanka was always getting on Rudo's case about.

He barely had time to process what he'd seen before another horn came hurtling out of the dust.

It slammed into the ground beside him with enough force to split the stone apart. Rudo threw himself backward just as shards of rock exploded around his boots, pelting his legs and kicking up another thick cloud of dust into the air. 

Great. Another trash beast…

Its hulking silhouette loomed through the haze, and somewhere beyond it came the heavy rhythm of more footfalls pounding across the valley. The sounds overlapped with Bro's increasingly desperate shouts until everything blended together into one overwhelming cacophony of crashing stone, snarling beasts, and echoing voices. 

The creature lowered its horned skull and lunged. Rudo ducked beneath the sweeping horns, feeling the rush of air as they tore over his head. The beast's momentum carried it farther than it intended, and one massive horn slammed into the side of a weathered rock face with a violent crack, and stone fractured beneath the impact.

The beast jerked its head, trying to wrench itself free, but the horn had lodged deep enough to slow it for just one precious second. That was all Rudo needed. He surged forward before it could recover, closing the distance in three quick strides. His blade plunged beneath the beast's jaw, slicing through tangled rusted wire, twisted scrap, and blackened metal until it cut deep into whatever passed for the monster's throat.

The trash beast shrieked. Its entire body bucked violently, nearly throwing Rudo from his feet as it thrashed from side to side. He gritted his teeth and refused to let go. His shoulders burned, and his arms screamed in protest. Still, he planted himself against the creature's skull and forced the blade farther through the tangled mass inside its neck before ripping it sideways in one brutal slash.

The roar dissolved into a harsh scraping screech, and the beast staggered just like the last.

Rudo braced one boot against its lower jaw and shoved hard, wrenching his weapon free with a sharp pull. The creature managed one last guttural groan before its enormous body hit the earth with a heavy crash, and it too began to crumble apart. Another beast down.

He bent forward, one hand braced against his knee as he fought to steady himself. His lungs burned, and the exhaustion he'd been ignoring all day came crashing back now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade. 

His jaw tightened as he forced himself upright again. Somewhere beyond the haze, the fight was still raging. The distant roars and crashes hadn't stopped, a constant reminder that the others were still fighting while he struggled just to stay on his feet. 

"Dear!" Bro's voice rang out again, louder this time. Rudo's head instantly snapped toward the sound.

He managed to spot Bro through the shifting dust several yards away. The man was locked between two enormous trash beasts, desperately trying to force an opening. Every time he pushed forward, another sweeping horn drove him back again. He swung his Jinki at one creature, only for the second to lunge from the side, forcing him to pull back and retreat another step.

Rudo frowned when he saw that the space around Bro was empty. Where was... 

A knot tightened in Rudo's stomach as his eyes swept frantically across the battlefield. Dust still rolled through the area, and for several agonizing seconds, he saw nothing but shifting silhouettes and flashes of movement. 

Then, after a few seconds, he finally spotted him. A small figure stumbled backward between a pair of large boulders. The boy wasn't charging recklessly anymore. Now, he was retreating, one careful step at a time. 

The kid's eyes stayed fixed on the massive trash beast stalking toward him. Its large skull hung low as it advanced, each heavy step sending a faint tremor through the fractured ground. Dear's Jinki was still active. He could have punched that thing into oblivion if he wanted to. But without Bro beside him, the reckless confidence he'd carried only moments ago was completely gone. His shoulders were tense, his footing uncertain as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. 

Rudo followed Dear's retreat for only a second before his blood ran cold. The ground behind the younger cleaner gave way to a narrow crevice, its jagged edges dropping into darkness. Dear never seemed to notice it, his attention locked entirely on the beast inching closer with every slow, crushing step. 

Without thinking, Rudo broke into a sprint.

His grip tightened around the handle of his weapon. Every instinct in him screamed to intercept the trash beast before it could reach Dear, to get in front of it and drive the blade beneath its jaw before it came any closer. But there wasn't time. Rudo had only one chance to act, and he had to choose now. 

Dear took one hurried step backward, then another until his heel found nothing. His eyes widened, arms shooting out as he desperately tried to regain his balance, but there was nothing there to catch him. His weight shifted, and he tipped over the edge. Rudo's legs screamed as he forced himself forward, squeezing every last bit of speed from his exhausted body. He knew he was too far away. 

Still, he dove anyway.

The world lurched beneath him as Rudo threw himself across the uneven stone, dropping hard onto his chest and stomach as he reached for the falling child. His fingertips brushed against Dear's sleeve before finally catching around his wrist. The butcher's knife remained clenched in his other hand, his fingers refusing to let go even as Dear's weight yanked him toward the edge. Rudo's chest slammed against the rocky ledge, knocking the breath from his lungs as jagged stone scraped painfully across his arms. His upper body slipped farther over the edge, loose gravel skittering into the darkness below as he fought to keep his grip on Dear. His free hand dug desperately into the stone above the ledge, gloved fingers scraping for purchase until they caught against a protruding section of rock and finally stopped their slide.

Dear dangled beneath him, suspended over an endless stretch of darkness. Rudo's fingers locked around the boy's wrist with desperate strength as he fought to keep his grip, every muscle in his arms straining beneath the combined weight. His breathing came in ragged gasps, his heart hammering so violently he could feel it in his throat.

Behind him, another heavy sound rolled through the canyon. The trash beast, of course. It hadn't stopped; the damn thing was still on them.

Each thunderous footfall sent fresh vibrations through the weathered stone beneath Rudo's body. Pebbles skipped past his elbows and disappeared into the blackness below, followed by thin streams of dust that drifted endlessly downward. Tiny cracks slowly spread beneath his forearms, creeping across the ledge one fracture at a time as the beast lumbered closer. 

"Shit..." Rudo breathed, sweat stinging his eyes as it slipped down his face. He tightened his grip around Dear's wrist, forcing his aching fingers to hold on. The younger boy stared back up at him, bright blue eyes wide with worry as the darkness spread endlessly beneath them.

Dear slipped another inch, and Rudo's heart lurched. "Hang on," he grunted through clenched teeth. "I've got you."

Every muscle in his shoulders screamed as he began slowly hauling the younger boy upward. His free hand dug desperately into the rough stone, searching for anything solid enough to brace against while he pulled. Progress came painfully slow. Dear wasn't heavy, but holding another person's full weight over a drop while barely keeping yourself from sliding over the edge was a hell of a lot harder than Rudo would've liked.

Behind him came another ear-piercing roar. The trash beast was close. Way too close. Rudo didn't dare look away from Dear, but he could feel the creature drawing nearer through the tremors running along the ledge. His arms trembled with the effort of holding on, his fingers aching around Dear's wrist as he fought to pull the boy higher.

Then another violent tremor ripped through the ledge, and Rudo's free hand slipped. The butcher's knife, still clutched loosely in his fingers from the desperate dive, jolted free before he could react. It struck the edge with a sharp metallic clatter, bounced once against the fractured stone, and dropped away.

Rudo's breath caught in his throat. He could only watch as the weapon spun, the crimson glow shrinking with every rotation until it became nothing more than a tiny ember swallowed by the black. And just like that, his last item was gone. 

As Rudo stared into the darkness below, his eyes followed the faint path of the knife until it disappeared completely from view. He couldn't see the bottom. Couldn't even tell how far down it went. The thought settled uneasily in the back of his mind, and something cold began to twist in his chest. He tried to pull his gaze away, but for a moment, he just couldn't. Nothing but darkness waited below him, and slowly, the sound of distant chants began to fill his ears, growing louder with every passing second. That same sickening, weightless feeling started to settle in his stomach, dragging memories to the surface before he could push them back down. His pulse hammered against his ribs as his fingers tightened around Dear's wrist, almost desperately.  

The sharp, frightened sound that escaped Dear pulled Rudo from the panic threatening to swallow him whole. His eyes shifted back as the younger boy stared directly at him, his eyes wide with fear. No... not at him. Past him.

Rudo twisted enough to glance over his shoulder and caught one last glimpse of the trash beast looming over the crumbling ledge. Its massive skull dipped low as it lunged toward them, but the fractured stone beneath Rudo's chest finally gave way first. The entire edge collapsed beneath their weight, and suddenly there was nothing left to hold onto.

His stomach lurched as gravity dragged them both downward. 

The world spun violently around him. Wind rushed past his ears, tearing at his clothes and whipping through his hair as the narrow strip of daylight overhead grew farther and farther away. The roar of the trash beast quickly faded, swallowed by the darkness beneath them, and before Rudo could stop it, another memory crashed into him with frightening clarity.

Everything seemed to vanish around him, and Rudo was falling through open sky all over again. 

He could see the edge of the Sphere shrinking above him all over again, the chanting becoming more and more distant until it disappeared beneath the howl of the wind. His chest tightened so painfully he could barely breathe. That same helpless, weightless feeling settled deep in his stomach, dragging him back to the day everything had fallen apart. He was falling again, and just like before, there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing to grab onto. Nothing to stop it.

His fingers tightened around something and movement drew his attention downward.

It was Dear. The younger boy's wrist was still locked firmly in his grasp, his small body tumbling helplessly through the darkness alongside him. Fear was written plainly across his face, his free hand instinctively reaching toward Rudo as though he were the only solid thing left in the world.

It was then that something inside Rudo shifted.

His own fear didn't disappear. It was still there, clawing at the back of his mind and making every instinct scream at him to fight, to grab onto something, to make the falling stop. But Dear was here too. The kid was terrified, and there wasn't anyone else who could protect him.

Without allowing himself another second to think, Rudo pulled Dear firmly against his chest. One arm wrapped tightly around the smaller boy's middle while his other hand slid behind the back of Dear's head, gently pressing his face into the space between his shoulder and neck. Then he twisted his own body beneath him, ignoring the panic clawing through every nerve as he angled himself toward the darkness below.

If either of them was going to take the full force of the impact, it wasn't going to be Dear.

Rudo shut his eyes tightly, holding the younger boy as close as he could. The last thing he felt was Dear's fingers bunching tightly into the front of his uniform, desperately refusing to let go. The last thing he heard was the endless rush of wind filling his ears. Then the world went dark. 

Enjin let out a long breath as the last trash beast collapsed into a heap of crumbling scrap and dust. The valley slowly fell quiet around them; the deafening roars faded, leaving only the steady patter of crushed stone tumbling down battered rock faces. Dust still drifted lazily through the air, turning the setting sun into a dull orange glow behind the thick smog.

He gave Umbreaker a quick shake before letting the Anima fade from it, the umbrella returning to its ordinary state as bits of dirt and shattered stone slid from its surface. His shoulders rolled with a quiet pop, every muscle reminding him just how long the day had been and that he was totally not getting old.

Gris' footsteps crunched across the ground as he made his way over.

"Not too bad, right?" Enjin said with an easy chuckle, glancing over his shoulder. "Could've been worse."

Gris looked at him as though he'd just said the dumbest thing imaginable.

"Not too bad?" he repeated flatly. "We were given the wrong estimate on both the number of trash beasts and their size. We were lucky no one got seriously hurt. We could've used another team out here." He pulled his hat off, running a hand through sweat-damp hair before settling it back onto his head with a weary sigh. "Honestly... I shouldn't have been the only supporter."

Enjin couldn't really argue with that. Still, he shifted his grip on Umbreaker and gave a small shrug. "Yeah, but HQ had its hands full today. Semiu was sending people wherever she could. We got the job done, didn't we?" 

"I suppose," Gris muttered. 

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The wind carried more dust across the open terrain, and the sudden quiet felt strange after everything they'd just fought through. Gris turned his head toward the darkening sky. Even through the thick smog, the fading light made it clear that evening wasn't far off. 

"Let's just find the others," he said quietly. "I'd like to get back before it gets any darker."

"Sounds good to me." Enjin had just started forward when another set of footsteps echoed across the scattered stone.

Bro emerged from the thinning haze, his clothes streaked with dust and scraps of debris clinging to his sleeves. Relief briefly crossed his face when he spotted the two men, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. His eyes swept past them, searching the area behind them.

"Enjin... Gris..." His voice was unusually tight. "Have either of you seen the boys?"

Enjin slowed, and Gris exchanged a quick glance with him before answering. "We lost sight of Rudo pretty early into the fight," he admitted. "There was so much dust that..." He hesitated for a split second, glancing around. "We figured he was still fighting somewhere nearby."

At the time, Enjin hadn't thought much of it. Rudo sometimes had a habit of disappearing into the middle of a fight, and the kid was more than capable of handling himself. With rocks crashing down everywhere, dust filling the air, and everyone moving in different directions, losing sight of each other for a few minutes wasn't exactly unusual. 

But now... Now the fighting had stopped, and Rudo still hadn't shown up.

Bro lowered his gaze for a second before speaking again. "I lost Dear after a few of the trash beasts cut between us." His voice remained steady, though his worry was becoming harder to hide. "He ran ahead, and every time I tried to reach him, something got in my way. By the time I finished dealing with them... he was gone."

Something uneasy settled in Enjin's stomach, but he pushed it aside. "Relax," he said, keeping his voice as calm as ever. "They're probably both wandering around trying to find us. With all that dust, it's not surprising we got split up."

He looked around the battered valley, taking in the shattered rock formations and scattered wagon remains. "We'll spread out a little. Call for them. They'll show up." 

Bro remained tense for another moment before giving a reluctant nod. "...Right."

Without another word, the three of them headed off in different directions, their voices soon echoing across the rocky landscape.

"Rudo!"

"Dear!"

But only the wind answered them.

The first thing Rudo registered was pain. A deep ache spread through nearly every part of his body, while a sharper sting pulsed somewhere in his right leg. His head throbbed with every sluggish beat of his heart, leaving his thoughts slow and muddled.

Then, something jabbed at his shoulder. Once, then again, and again, until a hand finally grabbed him and gave him a rough shake that jostled every bruise on his body.

A quiet groan escaped him before he could stop it. His eyelids felt impossibly heavy as he forced them apart, only to squeeze them shut again against the blur that greeted him. Whoever was shaking him didn't seem very satisfied, and another impatient shove rocked him where he lay.

"S-Stop..." The word came out as a weak mumble.

Rudo tried again, blinking several times as he fought to clear his vision. Dark stone blurred together with deeper shadows, and somewhere above him, a faint patch of pale light seeped through the darkness. His eyes tried to follow it, but everything still seemed to swim in and out of focus. He couldn't tell where it was coming from. 

Movement caught his attention next. A blurry figure was knelt beside him, one arm still stretched toward his shoulder. As his vision slowly steadied, the shape sharpened into a familiar mess of black and white hair and a pair of worried blue eyes that were no longer glowing.

"Dear?"

The younger boy immediately straightened, relief flickering across his face for a split second. His brows remained pinched with worry as he scooted a little closer, never taking his eyes off Rudo, as though he was afraid to be too far away from the teen. 

Rudo finally forced his heavy limbs to cooperate, planting both hands against the ground as he slowly pushed himself upright. The movement immediately sent another wave of dizziness through him, making the world tilt around him. Before he could get his bearings, a sharp, burning pain ripped through his right leg again.

He sucked in a quick breath through clenched teeth, quickly freezing where he was. For a few seconds, all he could do was brace himself and wait for the pain to ebb into something more manageable. His gloved hands drifted in and out of focus against the stone beneath him before his vision slowly steadied once more. "Shit..."

Carefully, he twisted enough to look over his shoulder.

A long gash tore across nearly the length of his calf, the red fabric of his compression pants torn open in jagged strips. Fresh blood had soaked into the cloth around the wound, darkening it almost black in the dim light, while a thinner trail had already worked its way farther down toward his boot. The edges of the cut looked rough, as though something sharp had scraped along his leg rather than sliced cleanly through it.

He couldn't tell how deep it was, not with this shit lighting, but it hurt enough to tell him it wasn't just a measly scratch. He must've caught it on something during the fall. The thought drew his attention to what lay only a few yards away from them.

A mound of broken furniture, twisted sheet metal, splintered wood, random bags, and countless other discarded objects rested against the base of the rock wall. It wasn't scattered throughout the cavern like the trash beasts' territory above. Instead, everything had collected into one giant heap beneath the opening above, as if years of wind and falling debris had slowly piled it all into the same spot. 

Rudo followed the slope of the pile with his eyes before lowering his gaze again. That must've been what broke their fall... He stared at it for a moment, then realized just how close they'd come to slamming against the stone floor. They’d gotten lucky.

Rudo shifted carefully, doing his best to keep the strain from showing on his face as he tucked his injured leg beneath him. The movement sent another ache through his calf, but he forced himself to ignore it. Casually, he tugged the torn leg of his cargo pants down as far as it would go, hiding most of the damage beneath the loose fabric.

The cut looked... bad. Really bad. But if Dear hadn't noticed it yet, Rudo intended to keep it that way. They were already in a shitty situation and didn't want to worry him more. One problem at a time.

With that thought, his attention drifted back to the younger boy still kneeling beside him. He quietly looked Dear over from head to toe, searching for anything he'd missed. Dirt and grime clung to the boy's clothes, leaving dusty smudges across his overalls and cheeks, but Rudo couldn't spot any obvious injuries. His gas mask had somehow survived the fall as well. Aside from a few fresh scrapes and a coating of dirt, it looked completely fine.

That was good. At least one of them had gotten off relatively easy.

Rudo's eyes locked onto Dear's when he noticed the kid was staring at him. The younger cleaner's expression was unreadable, his eyes fixed on Rudo with silent intensity. After a moment, Dear slowly lifted one hand and tapped his own forehead, just above his eye, with a single finger.

Rudo blinked. "What…?"

Dear repeated the gesture, this time pressing his finger a little more insistently against the same spot.

Rudo's brows pulled together in confusion, and only then did he notice the faint sting just below his own hairline. He reached up cautiously, fingertips brushing the tender spot beneath his hair. The touch immediately sent a sharp sting through the cut. When he pulled his hand away, a small smear of fresh blood streaked across the leather of his glove. He sighed, then gently felt along the cut once more. It was shallow, thankfully. Not exactly a small cut, but at least it didn't feel deep. His head hurt more from the impact than the wound itself, and it wasn't like his brain was leaking from his skull or anything. 

Rudo pulled his hand away, wiping the thin smear of blood across his pants before giving Dear a small shake of his head. "It's nothing. I'm fine," he insisted as his attention shifted back to the younger cleaner. "You're not hurt, though... right?"

Dear paused for a second as if taking a moment to think about it before giving a small shake of his own head.

Rudo just nodded, going completely silent after that. His eyes drifted upward again, this time lingering on the faint light filtering through the darkness high above them. The opening they'd fallen through was barely recognizable now.

Massive chunks of fractured rock had collapsed inward, sealing off nearly the entire hole. Only thin cracks remained between the rubble, allowing narrow shafts of pale light to spill into the cavern; dust still drifted slowly through those slivers of light.

Now he was convinced they were unbelievably lucky. If those rocks had come down a few seconds earlier... Or they hadn't stopped where they did. They could've been crushed. Rudo quickly pushed the thought away. Well... Looks like they weren't getting back out that way.

Rudo pressed his lips together, trying not to let the knot forming in his chest tighten any further. It’ll be fine. They'll figure something out. Enjin, Gris, Bro... they were almost certainly looking for them already. At least, they would be once the fighting stopped.

His gaze flicked back toward the blocked opening.

Except... They had no reason to think the boys had fallen into some dark-ass underground cavern. As far as the others knew, Rudo and Dear could have been anywhere. There was no telling how long it would take them to figure out where they'd gone. 

Rudo released a slow breath before reaching up to the communicator around his neck. He pressed against the choker and tried to activate it, contacting the first person who came to mind. “Enjin?” His voice echoed faintly through the cavern. However, nothing but a faint crackle answered him. Rudo frowned and tried again, adjusting the choker against his throat with more irritation. “Enjin?” Another burst of static crackled through the device before cutting out. He clicked his tongue and tried once more, but the result was the same. Great. Just fucking great... 

Lowering his gloved hand, he stared at it for a long moment before looking toward Dear. “You tried yours, right?” he asked, his brow furrowing. “Did it work?” 

Dear hesitated for only a second before slowly shaking his head. The last bit of hope Rudo had been clinging to had just slipped through his fingers.

His shoulders sagged as his gaze drifted to the ground between his knees. They couldn't contact anyone. The entrance was blocked. The adults had no way of knowing where they even ended up. As far as everyone above knew, Rudo and Dear had simply disappeared somewhere in the middle of the fight. 

"...Damnit." The word barely left his lips. He swallowed hard, trying to force the frustration back down where it belonged. They were alive. That’s what mattered. They could figure something out. They had to. But the thought just wouldn't fucking stick.

Instead, every miserable part of this shitty day came crashing back all at once. The constant calls. Running from one fight to the next. Keeping 3R active for hours without a break. Losing one weapon after another. The pain burning through his leg. Getting trapped underground. The silence from the choker. It was all so fucking frustrating! 

His fingers curled into the dirt. "Damnit..." The anger he'd been holding together all day finally snapped.

"DAMNIT!" His fist slammed into the packed earth hard enough to scatter dust and tiny pebbles across the cavern floor. The shout echoed off the surrounding stone before fading into an almost suffocating silence. Rudo shoved himself to his feet so abruptly his injured leg nearly gave out beneath him. He caught himself with a sharp hiss before rounding on Dear, every ounce of fear, exhaustion, and frustration searching desperately for somewhere to go.

"This is all your fault, ya' know!" he snapped, pointing an accusing finger toward the younger cleaner. "If you would've just listened to Bro instead of running off like an idiot, we wouldn't even be down here!"

Dear froze for a second, surprise crossing his face at the sudden outburst. Then it disappeared as quickly as it came. His brows pulled together as his own aggravation boiled over. He let out a sharp, offended grunt before marching straight toward Rudo and driving a swift kick into the teen's shin.

"Ack—!" Fresh pain shot through Rudo's good leg, forcing him to stumble backward as he instinctively grabbed at it. Before he could recover, Dear planted both hands against his chest and shoved him. It wasn't a particularly hard push, but it was enough to reignite the irritation flaring inside him. Without thinking, Rudo shoved him back.

Dear staggered a single step before digging his heels into the rocky ground and throwing himself forward again, practically driving his shoulder into Rudo's chest. With one leg throbbing and his balance already compromised, Rudo didn't stand a chance. He landed straight on his ass with a grunt, another bolt of pain racing through his calf as he caught himself on his hands.

For a few seconds, they simply stared at each other, neither making another move. 

Rudo glared up at Dear, breathing harder than he realized. Dear glared right back, shoulders tense as his chest rose and fell with uneven breaths as he huffed through his nose. For several long moments, the only sounds filling the cavern were their breathing.

Slowly, their anger began to lose its edge.

Dear's shoulders were the first to sag, the fight draining out of him as uncertainty crept back onto his face. Rudo felt his own anger beginning to fade as well, leaving him with little more than exhaustion and the uncomfortable realization of what he'd just said. And of course he was the first to look away.

Rudo swallowed hard, his hands tightening into fists against the dirt before slowly loosening again. He let out a breath, feeling the anger drain away almost as quickly as it had come. God... he was being absolutely pathetic. He was the oldest between the two of them, yet here he was picking a fight with a little kid. The realization left a bitter knot of guilt sitting in his chest. 

He slowly lifted his head and looked back toward the younger cleaner. Dear still hadn't moved. The boy stood a few feet away, his arms hanging at his sides as he stared stubbornly at the ground between them. 

Rudo sighed quietly through his nose. He couldn't pin all of this on Dear. It wasn't fair. It wasn't like the kid meant for any of this to happen. He'd gotten fed up, made a reckless decision, and now they were both paying the price for it. Yelling wasn't going to change that. Sitting here, pouting, and pointing fingers wasn't going to get them back to the surface either.

No... Rudo was the oldest. He was supposed to be the one who stepped up. He needed to think of a way to get them the hell out of there. 

Rudo planted a hand against the ground and carefully pushed himself back to his feet, trying not to put too much weight on his leg. A deep ache immediately flared through his calf, but he ignored it as his gaze wandered through the cavern around them. Aside from the mound of broken trash piled against one wall, the chamber was surprisingly bare. Jagged stone opened into several wide tunnels that disappeared into darkness, their walls carved with long grooves and deep scars. They didn't look like caves that had simply formed over time. The passages were too rounded in places, almost as if something enormous had dug its way through them over the years. 

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, but he tried not to dwell on it. "Come on," he said at last, his voice much quieter than before as he looked back at Dear. "We should get moving."

The younger boy finally looked up at him.

“We've gotta find another way out,” Rudo continued. “The others probably don't even know where we ended up. We can't just sit around waiting for them. For all we know, they're searching somewhere completely different.” 

Dear hesitated, glancing up toward the blocked opening far above before looking back at Rudo.

"There has to be another exit," Rudo said, more to reassure both of them than because he actually knew. He honestly had no idea, but there was no need to be a pessimist right now. His eyes drifted toward one of the wider passages disappearing into the darkness. The opening was easily large enough for something massive to pass through, its floor worn smooth in a way that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. 

"Especially since..." he slowly trailed off as Dear followed his gaze. Rudo could only hope that whatever had carved those tunnels wasn't still somewhere down there. 

"Come on," Rudo said, turning toward the nearest tunnel. He’d barely taken a step when something tugged lightly at the back of his jacket. Rudo stopped and glanced over his shoulder. 

Dear stood where he was, his hand still curled around the fabric for just a second before letting go. The boy looked past Rudo instead, his gaze lingering on the stretch of darkness waiting beyond the mouth of the tunnel. He didn’t seem particularly eager to step inside. 

Rudo held back a sigh. "It's not that dark," he said, trying to sound more reassuring than impatient, though it wasn't working too well. "Come on."

Dear still didn't move, though. Instead, he shoved a hand into the bag on his back and started digging through it. 

Rudo shifted his weight from one foot to the other, resisting the urge to throw his head back and groan in annoyance. Every instinct told him to keep moving. The longer they stood around, the longer it took to get the hell out of here. 

After another few seconds, Dear finally pulled a small flashlight from his bag.

"Of course you have a flashlight…" Rudo muttered.

The boy clicked it on, and a bright beam immediately cut through the darkness before swinging directly toward Rudo's face. He threw a gloved hand up with a wince as the light hit him full force. "Okay, okay, it works," he grumbled. "Congratulations. Can we go now?"

The flashlight immediately lowered. Dear stared up at him with a distinctly unimpressed look before falling into step behind him, the narrow beam bobbing gently across the uneven stone floor as they finally got moving.

Rudo simply picked a direction and started walking, silently hoping it wasn't the worst decision he could have possibly made. Dear's flashlight cast a short beam ahead of them, barely reaching far enough to show what waited a few steps in front of them. Their footsteps echoed through the corridor, each one seeming strangely loud in the otherwise complete silence. 

As they continued deeper inside, something else began to stand out to Rudo. There wasn't much trash down here. Aside from the heap they'd landed on after the fall, the tunnels were surprisingly clean. A rusted can here, a bent pipe there, maybe a piece of broken machinery half-buried in some dirt, but nothing close to enough to explain the massive pile they'd fallen onto. 

Rudo slowed his pace. If all of that junk had collected beneath the opening they fell through... His eyes drifted farther down the tunnel. 

...Then maybe another pile would mean another opening!

The thought settled into the back of his mind as he came to a stop and glanced over his shoulder. Dear nearly walked into him before stopping as well, tilting his head curiously.

Rudo looked around the cavern one more time before slowly reaching for the straps of his gas mask. "Keep yours on," he said firmly, loosening the buckles.

The moment the mask came away from his face, relief washed over him. His cheeks were sore from wearing the damn thing nearly all day, and it had long since become hot and uncomfortable against his skin. He rubbed at the irritated bridge of his nose before cautiously drawing in a slow breath.

The air was dry and stale, carrying the faint scent of dust and old stone, but it wasn't toxic. His lungs didn't burn. His throat didn't feel like he’d just swallowed glass. There wasn't even the familiar rancid smell that usually lingered around heavy concentrations of trash. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but compared to what he'd expected, it could have been worse. Even so, he wasn't about to gamble with Dear's safety.

The two continued walking in silence for several more minutes while Rudo paid close attention to how he felt. He waited for his chest to tighten or his breathing to become difficult, but neither ever came. Eventually, he nodded to himself.

"Alright," he said, glancing back at Dear. "I think it's safe. You can take it off."

Dear wasted no time pulling his own mask free. He let out a quiet breath through his nose the moment it came off, looking just as relieved as Rudo had felt only minutes earlier. With that settled, the two continued deeper into the tunnels, the flashlight's beam swaying gently between them as Rudo's crimson eyes searched every corner they passed.

"Keep an eye out for trash," he said after a while.

Dear looked over at him, clearly puzzled for a moment. Then his expression shifted into something that almost looked... skeptical.

Rudo frowned instantly. "No, not because I want to dig through it," he said flatly, already recognizing that particular look. Zanka had given it to him about a hundred times. "Look, the pile we landed on had to come from somewhere. The wind probably blew all that stuff down through that crevice that you stupidly walked into." He ignored the look of annoyance Dear gave him. "So if we find another pile like that, there's a good chance there's another hole leading back to the surface."

Dear's brows slowly lifted as understanding spread across his face almost immediately. For a brief moment, he stared at Rudo as though the older boy had just said the smartest thing in the world. Then he gave a firm nod, tightening his grip around the flashlight.

Now with a plan, the two pressed onward, their footsteps disappearing into the quiet path. 

Enjin huffed quietly as he leaned against a fallen boulder, raising a hand to his choker for what had to have been the fifth time. Somewhere out in the settling darkness, Bro and Gris were still calling for the boys, their voices bouncing off the cliffs before fading into the valley. It had been nearly two hours since the fight ended, and the last traces of daylight had finally slipped behind the rocky horizon, leaving the landscape bathed in dull blues and deep shadows. 

His thumb idly tapped against the handle of Umbreaker as he waited, listening. Once again, the only thing that answered him was the quiet crackle of static. "Come on, kid..." he muttered under his breath.

Still, he once again got nothing.

Enjin let out a long sigh, lowering his hand as irritation and worry settled over him. He pushed himself away from the boulder and started toward the others, his boots scraping softly across the gritty stone. 

Gris noticed him first. "Anything?" he asked without missing a beat.

Bro immediately looked over as well, a spark of hope flickering across his face for only a second.

Enjin slowly shook his head. "I still can't get through to them." His eyes drifted toward the dark sky overhead before he rubbed at the back of his neck. "I think... we should head back to the jeep. We can—"

“We can't just leave them, Enjin.” Bro's voice came sharp, cutting him off completely. His usual relaxed expression had disappeared, replaced by a strain that was impossible to hide. He was worried about his kid, and Enjin didn’t blame him one bit. He was worried too. Bro stepped forward, his jaw tight as his eyes remained on Enjin. “I'm not leaving without Dear.” 

"That's not what I'm saying," Enjin replied quickly, holding up a hand before Bro could work himself up any further. He scrubbed another tired hand over his face, searching for the right words. "Well... I guess it kind of is, but not for the reason you're thinking."

He let out a quiet breath and glanced back toward the dark valley behind them. "Trust me, man, the last thing I want is to leave them out here." His voice stayed calm, but there was a firmness to it now. "But we can't just wander around blind all night hoping we stumble upon them. Besides, since they're both missing, there's a good chance they're together. Right now our best shot is to come back with daylight, fresh eyes, and more people."

Bro stiffened a bit. He looked like he wanted to argue again, but nothing came out.

Seeing the hesitation, Enjin continued. "There's a town not far from here. We head there, I’ll contact Semiu, tell her exactly what happened, and we get some rest. Then we come right back here at first light and hopefully get some more cleaners out here to help search. We'll cover more ground that way than we ever could stumbling around in the dark."

For a long moment, no one spoke. Gris stood quietly beside them with his arms crossed, his worried gaze moving between the two men. Bro stared out across the valley where the boys had disappeared, his jaw set tight. Eventually, he closed his eyes for a brief second before giving a reluctant nod.

"...Deal," he said quietly. The word sounded more defeated than anything else. "First thing in the morning."

Enjin nodded once. "First thing in the morning."

Their eyes swept over the valley one last time, searching for any sign of the missing kids, but they still saw nothing. With no other choice, the three men finally turned and began the long walk back toward the jeep. 

Rudo had no idea how long they had been wandering through these underground tunnels, but damn, his leg was starting to fucking kill him. Every step sent another sharp ache up the back of his calf, the pain flaring just enough to make his jaw tighten. The blood that had soaked through his pant leg earlier had mostly dried by now, leaving the torn fabric stiff where it clung to the cut beneath. Every so often it tugged against the wound when he walked, sending another unpleasant sting through his nerves. He was doing everything he could not to favor the leg, refusing to limp no matter how badly it ached. The last thing he needed was Dear realizing just how much it hurt.

The fall left him sore; their little spat had done little to help, and his entire body felt worn down. His shoulders ached, his head still throbbed a bit where he'd hit it, and his stomach had started reminding him just how long it had been since he'd eaten anything. None of it mattered right now, though. They just needed to keep moving. 

Dear walked quietly beside him, the beam of his small flashlight drifting across rough stone walls, low ceilings, and the occasional narrow passage splitting off into darkness. Every now and then the boy slowed to peer down one of them before hurrying to catch back up. Rudo was honestly relieved the kid seemed to be handling things as well as he was. He wasn't exactly good at comforting people, and he wasn't sure what he would've done if Dear had started crying or panicking or something. But the kid was honestly pretty tough. 

A minute later, the flashlight in Dear's hand began to stutter. The beam flickered across the cavern wall before dimming, sputtering back to life for another second. The boys gradually slowed to a stop in a wider section of tunnel as Dear’s eyes narrowed at it, giving the flashlight a few light smacks in hopes of coaxing it back to life. Unfortunately, it didn't help. The beam flickered one last time before fading completely, plunging the cavern back into near darkness. 

It was obvious Dear was disappointed. His expression settled somewhere between sad, irritated, and just plain grumpy as he stared down at the useless flashlight in his hands, his brows drawn tightly together. Beneath all of that, though, Rudo caught something else lingering there. Unease. The kid clearly didn't like how dark it suddenly felt. Rudo let out a quiet sigh through his nose. He wasn't exactly good at comforting people, and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to make things better, but he figured he should at least try. 

"It's not that dark," he said with a small wave of his hand toward the path ahead. "Just stay close, alright?"

Figuring that was about as reassuring as he was capable of being, Rudo turned and started walking again. He barely managed two steps before something tugged insistently at the leg of his pants. He stopped with an exasperated breath and glanced back. "What?"

Dear looked up at him for a second before silently holding the dead flashlight out with both hands. Rudo blinked at it in confusion before raising an eyebrow. "Just put it back in your bag," he said. "I'm not carrying it for you."

The response immediately earned him an irritated groan. Dear shook his head hard before stamping one foot against the stone floor impatiently. Rudo frowned, completely lost now. "Then what do you want?" 

The younger boy stared for a moment, then he pointed directly toward one of Rudo's gloved hands.

Rudo stared back at him for a long second before the realization finally clicked.

...Oh.

Ohhh.

The teen dragged a hand down his face, holding back a tired groan. "Dear... I can't fix your flashlight. I already used 3R three times today." He lowered his hand again, giving the flashlight another glance before looking back at the boy. "Besides, it's not even broken or trash. The batteries are just dead. That's different."

Unfortunately, Rudo's explanation didn't seem to convince Dear at all. The younger boy continued glaring between him and the flashlight, his eyes narrowed as though he were trying to find some sort of flaw in Rudo's argument. After another second of silent contemplation, he let out an irritated grunt and suddenly dropped into a crouch. 

Rudo frowned, watching as Dear carefully planted the flashlight upright against the cave floor before wrapping both hands around it.

"...What are you doing?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the young boy.

Dear didn't even look at him. Instead, he lifted the flashlight high above his head, clearly preparing to slam it straight back into the stone.

Rudo's eyes flew wide. “Hey, don't—” He lunged forward and snatched the flashlight away just before it could come crashing down. The sudden movement nearly sent him face-first into the ground, and he stumbled a step before catching himself. “No!” Rudo scolded, clutching it protectively against his chest. 

Dear immediately reached for it again with another annoyed grunt. Rudo twisted away, but the younger boy followed, trying to grab at the flashlight with both hands. Rudo held it tighter, trying to keep it out of reach as Dear stubbornly tugged at his arm.

Rudo then quickly yanked the flashlight over his head before the kid could grab it, forcing Dear to lean awkwardly across him and stretch onto his toes. Rudo stumbled backward under the unexpected weight, nearly losing his balance. 

"I said no," Rudo huffed, twisting his shoulders away to keep it out of reach. "I'm not letting you break it just so I can fix it. That's not how this works!"

Dear only groaned louder, reaching again. Rudo shifted the flashlight to the other side, and Dear followed immediately. He shifted it back, and Dear followed again. “Would you quit it?” Rudo grumbled. 

Dear made another grab for it, and Rudo held the flashlight even higher, stretching his arm until his shoulder started to ache.

"Besides," He continued, "do you have any idea how long I'd have to keep my powers active just to keep this stupid thing running? I'd be wasting energy on a damn flashlight! And after I'm done, it'll just turn to dust anyway." He shook his head firmly. "Nope. Not happening. You're not destroying a perfectly good flashlight just because the batteries died."

Dear stared at him for another long moment, cheeks puffed up and clearly unhappy with the outcome. Eventually, with one final dramatic huff, he folded his arms across his chest and looked away.

Rudo slowly lowered the flashlight, giving the sulking boy a sideways glance before shaking his head to himself. "Come on," he sighed. "We're stopping for now anyway." He wandered several paces farther down the passage before easing himself against a broad section of stone. His sore leg ached immediately, drawing a small wince from him as he slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the ground.

Dear followed a few moments later, though not very enthusiastically. He plopped down several feet away with another disgruntled huff, arms still folded tightly across his chest. 

He drew his knees up as he leaned back against the rock wall, pointedly looking anywhere except at the white-haired teen. Rudo didn't need to be a mind reader to know the kid was annoyed. The look on his face practically screamed it. 

Rudo let out a quiet scoff. "Why're you acting like such a turd?" he asked. "You were doing the same thing earlier, too. Bro kept telling you to stay close, and you just kept running off anyway."

Dear answered with nothing more than another stubborn grunt. He turned his head farther away, resting his cheek against one knee as though Rudo wasn't even worth looking at. A second later, he made a dismissive little wave with one hand, like the whole thing had been blown completely out of proportion. 

Rudo watched him for a moment before shaking his head again. He tucked the dead flashlight into his pouch and leaned back against the wall, crossing his own arms as his gaze drifted toward the jagged cave ceiling.

“You think you can handle anything,” he muttered. “Like nothing bad is ever gonna happen to you.” He let the words hang there for a second before huffing quietly through his nose. “Guess what? You can't.”

His expression softened just a little. “Trust me... I know. I was exactly like you.” He paused, shifting his injured leg. “Hell, I still am.”

Dear still refused to look directly at him, keeping his eyes fixed somewhere off in the darkness. Even so, Rudo caught those blue eyes flicking his way every few seconds before darting away again. The kid could pretend not to care all he wanted, but it was obvious he was listening.

“Regto always made sure I knew it,” Rudo said quietly. His voice barely rose above a whisper, yet it still felt strangely loud in the quiet cavern around them. “He used to tell me the exact same thing.” 

His gaze drifted somewhere beyond Dear, unfocused as old memories came creeping back. “Whenever I'd get caught by the Apostles while I was out trash picking... or come home covered in cuts and bruises because I'd gotten into another fight.” He paused, his fingers brushing absently over the rough stone beside him. “He always had this look on his face.”

Rudo's mouth pulled into a faint grimace. “He didn't yell. Not right away, anyway. He'd just look at me. Upset. Worried.” He hesitated. “Disappointed… I hated that look.”

Across from him, Dear's posture slowly began to loosen. His arms were still crossed, but not nearly as tightly as before. After another moment, his eyes finally shifted back toward Rudo.

“Regto didn't yell much,” Rudo continued. “Honestly, that's what made it worse. Whenever he actually raised his voice at me, I knew I'd really screwed up.”

His gloved hand wandered across the cave floor until his fingers found a small rock. He rolled it between them absently as he spoke. “Then he'd tell me I wasn't allowed to go on trash raids for a week. One time, he grounded me for a whole month.”

Rudo finally glanced toward Dear. “A month,” he repeated, looking almost offended. “Can you believe that?”

Dear's eyes followed as Rudo chucked the small stone down one of the nearby tunnels. The two of them listened quietly as it bounced against the walls, each hollow clack echoing farther away before the sound disappeared completely. 

Rudo leaned his head back against the rock, his gaze slowly dropping toward his hurt leg. Even through the torn fabric of his pants, the dried blood around the cut was still visible. He stared at it for a long moment before speaking again.

“Now I'd give anything to hear him yell at me.” The words slipped out before he could stop them. He swallowed, fingers curling loosely against his knees. “I'd give anything just to see his face again...” His voice had gone quieter. “Even if it was that stupid disappointed look I always hated.”

He understood it now in a way he never really had before. Back then, he'd always thought Regto was upset because he'd broken the rules. Because he'd gotten too reckless while trash picking. Because he'd gotten himself into another fight.

But that wasn't it.

Regto hadn't looked at him like that because he was angry. He looked at him like that because he’d been scared. Every reckless decision Rudo made gave him another reason to wonder if his son was going to come home at all. The punishments, the lectures, the disappointed sighs... they had all come from the same place. Because Regto cared. Because he loved Rudo more than anything. 

The quiet lingered after that, settling heavily through the area. Rudo swallowed against the tightness in his throat before finally risking another glance toward Dear.

The younger cleaner had turned completely toward him at some point. His irritated expression was gone, his eyes locked onto Rudo, wide and unblinking, as if he'd been listening to every single word.

Rudo immediately felt heat creep up the back of his neck. He scrubbed a gloved hand across his face before turning away with an irritated click of his tongue. Seriously... what the hell had gotten into him? He hadn't meant to dump all of that on the kid. But he couldn't help it; the words just kept spewing out of his mouth like emotional vomit.

His shoulders slumped as he shifted onto his side, settling against one of the larger rocks with his back now facing Dear. If he couldn't see the kid staring at him, maybe he could stop feeling so damn exposed. 

For several long moments, Rudo didn't say anything. Eventually, he let out a slow breath. “...You should listen to your dad more,” he muttered. “Even when he's being annoying.”

He heard the faint rustle of fabric behind him. Dear shifted, but he didn't move away. If anything, Rudo could still feel those blue eyes lingering on him.

“Just get some rest,” he said.

Another rustle followed, then the cavern settled into silence again. Curious despite himself, Rudo glanced over his shoulder.

Dear had curled up only a few feet away, knees drawn against his chest, finally still. Rudo watched him for another second before turning back toward the wall.

He finally let a little more of the tension that had hung over him all day bleed away. A quiet sniffle escaped him, and he pulled his gloved hands close against his chest, curling protectively against them as he tucked himself tighter against the chill. He closed his eyes after that, letting the darkness swallow the last of his thoughts as sleep slowly pulled him under. 

"Watch your step..." Rudo grumbled for what was probably the third time in the last ten minutes.

He and Dear were moving again, though Rudo had no idea how long they'd been walking. Time had started to blur together down here. The constant darkness made it impossible to tell how much time had passed, and Rudo had long since lost track of how many turns they'd made. For all he knew, it could still be the middle of the night—or maybe morning. Hell, maybe an entire day had passed already. 

All he knew for certain was that he was still tired as hell.

He'd managed a few hours of sleep at most. After that, he'd spent what felt like forever lying awake with an annoying rock digging into his shoulder blade, listening to the silence around them. He'd thought about moving a dozen different times, but every part of him felt too heavy and just too tired to care. So he'd simply stayed where he was, staring into the darkness until Dear finally began to stir. The second the younger cleaner woke up, Rudo had them moving again.

Now, every step drove another sharp pulse of pain through his right leg.

He kept his pace steady anyway, refusing to let himself limp no matter how much his body insisted otherwise. The cut had definitely gotten worse. When he'd checked it while Dear was still asleep, the skin surrounding it felt warm, almost hot. It also felt firm and swollen beneath his touch. It wasn't bleeding nearly as much anymore, but the dried blood had glued sections of his torn compression pants against the wound, tugging painfully every time he took another step. Here and there, fresh blood still seeped sluggishly through the torn fabric, leaving darker stains across his pant leg that were becoming harder and harder to ignore.

He didn't need to be a doctor to know it wasn't looking good.

Still... they had bigger problems. He wasn't about to stop walking just because his leg was hurting. 

Whether Dear had finally noticed something was wrong, Rudo couldn't tell. The kid hadn't said anything, but then again, Dear never says anything anyway. What Rudo did notice was that Dear hadn't strayed far from him. He stayed close as they walked, occasionally glancing over at the white-haired teen before turning his attention back to the path ahead. Rudo wasn't sure what to make of it. Maybe Dear hadn't noticed anything at all. Or maybe he had, and was just waiting for Rudo to admit it first. Like that was gonna happen… 

They had been walking for maybe a couple of hours now, and he could tell Dear was starting to get a bit bored and annoyed. 

Every now and then the passage narrowed enough that they had to squeeze between rough stone, only to widen again into another empty corridor. Their footsteps echoed softly through the underground, broken only by the occasional scrape of gravel beneath their shoes. 

Occasionally, they reached another split in the tunnels, forcing Rudo to stop and silently debate which direction looked the least terrible before picking one and moving again. A couple paths ended only a few minutes later beneath collapsed stone, leaving the boys with little choice but to turn around and retrace their steps. Each dead end chipped away at what little patience Rudo had left. 

Still, he tried not to let it show.

The cut along his leg had now settled into a constant, nagging ache that flared every time he climbed over another fallen slab of rock. It wasn't unbearable yet, just enough to make him grit his teeth every few steps. Still, he refused to slow down because of it. The sooner they found a way out, the sooner someone else could worry about his leg.

Behind him came the soft shuffle of Dear's shoes.

Rudo glanced back just in time to see the younger cleaner stop beside one of the cave walls. A cluster of strange grooves had been carved into the stone, winding upward before disappearing into the darkness. Curious, Dear stepped closer and reached toward a nearby boulder, clearly intending to climb up for a better look.

“Don't,” Rudo warned immediately.

The word came out with the same firm, automatic tone someone might use to stop a puppy that was already halfway into doing something it knew damn well it wasn't supposed to. Dear froze halfway through pulling himself up and slowly looked back over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing into an unmistakably annoyed glare.

Rudo stared right back at him without even flinching. "Seriously," he sighed. "Quit climbing on shit. You're gonna fall and crack your head open, and then I'll have to deal with that too."

Dear continued staring at him for another long second, looking very much like he was debating whether or not to ignore him out of pure spite. His foot remained planted on the rock, his fingers still hooked over the edge.

"Don't even think about it," Rudo warned again.

Dear's nose wrinkled. With one last defiant look, he climbed back down as dramatically as possible, letting out an exaggerated little huff before trudging after him.

Rudo turned forward again, dragging a hand over his face before starting down the passage again. He let out a long, miserable sigh. Dear eventually caught up again, staying close at Rudo's side as they continued deeper into the tunnels.

Rudo was getting really fucking tired of looking at rocks. At this point, all he wanted to see was trash. A pile of anything would be enough. Trash meant they might finally be getting somewhere. It meant another chance at finding an opening and getting out of this place.

Instead, they stepped into another broad chamber containing nothing but scattered rubble and bare stone. Rudo stared at it in disbelief. Of course.

He stopped near the center of the room and let out yet another long, weary sigh. Closing his eyes for a moment, he drew a slow breath through his nose, trying to decide where the hell they were supposed to go next. 

That was when a foul, pungent smell suddenly filled the air. Rudo recoiled, his face twisting as he pulled a gloved hand over his nose. “Ugh...” 

The odor hung thickly as it filled the air, heavy enough that it almost felt damp in the back of his throat. Rusted metal and oxidized iron mixed with the chemical stink of melted plastic. Beneath it all lingered something earthy and rotten, like crushed insects left to decay beneath wet leaves.

Rudo knew the smell of old trash. This wasn't it. This smell was strange and completely unfamiliar. Rudo kept his hand over his nose and mouth as he glanced around the chamber.

Dear hadn't moved either. The younger cleaner had already pulled the collar of his uniform over his nose, his brows drawn together in obvious disgust. 

Rudo was just about to suggest they keep moving when a strange sound slowly drifted through the cavern, causing the words to die in his throat. At first, it was so faint he almost mistook it for loose pebbles shifting somewhere deeper in the tunnels. But it didn't stop. Instead, it grew steadily louder, accompanied by a strange chittering that echoed softly off the stone walls. It wasn't loud enough to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from, only that it was getting closer.

Rudo stayed where he was, listening. A moment later, Dear stepped closer. Small fingers curling lightly in the back of Rudo's jacket, both of them listening to the unsettling sound creeping closer through the darkness. It seemed to grow louder with every passing second, and something about it made Rudo's stomach tighten.

The chittering wasn't particularly loud, nor was it even threatening. Besides the clicking, there was what sounded like the faint scratch of metal dragging over stone, a steady shwip... shwip... shwip... that wormed its way beneath Rudo's skin. He found himself grinding his teeth together without realizing it, every muscle in his shoulders slowly tightening as an uncomfortable feeling settled deep in his chest. He couldn't explain it. He didn't even know what they were listening to yet. But something about that sound had every nerve in his body on edge. 

Then something crawled out of the darkness, and Rudo forgot to breathe for a second.

The creature wasn't large. If anything, it was tiny, barely bigger than one of his gloved hands. Long, crooked legs of twisted wire and thin, rusted metal rods carried it effortlessly across the uneven ground, each careful step producing the same dry metallic scrape they'd been hearing. Behind it dragged a swollen abdomen pieced together from dented cans, tangled scrap, and bits of warped metal that shifted faintly as it moved. At the front of its body protruded two long, rusted needles where fangs should have been, while a cluster of tiny glowing eye sockets blinked to life one after another.

Rudo just stared, and all he could think was…

What the fuck is that?

Then another one emerged from the tunnel... And another.

Soon they were spilling into the chamber in unsettling numbers, crawling over rocks, weaving between cracks in the stone, and even climbing along the walls with unnerving ease. They weren't in any hurry. They simply spread through the cavern, moving slowly and steadily as they changed direction at random, as if they were guided by some silent understanding shared between them all. 

The sound only grew worse.

Every tiny step produced that same metallic whisper, hundreds of little legs scraping over stone until the noise seemed to fill the entire chamber. It reminded Rudo of Riyo's scissors, that sharp little snip whenever she opened and closed them while cleaning them back at HQ. Only this wasn't one pair. It was dozens. Maybe even hundreds. 

A chill crept over his skin, prickling the back of his neck and racing down his arms. His hands trembled at his sides, and he found himself rooted where he stood, unable to tear his eyes away from the creatures steadily surrounding them. They weren't the biggest trash beasts he'd ever seen. They weren't even close.

So why the hell was every part of him screaming that something was wrong? 

He wanted to reach into his pouch. His hand even twitched toward it before he remembered. He didn't have a single piece of trash left. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. All he could do was stand there, staring at the creatures creeping closer, their twisted legs clicking and scraping over the stone in erratic, metallic rhythms that made his skin crawl.  

Every tiny chitter echoed inside his skull until it became impossible to focus on anything else. His stomach twisted violently, and his breathing became shallow as an overwhelming urge to back away seized him.

What the hell was wrong with him? He'd fought monsters far bigger than these without thinking twice, but something about these creepy little things left his mind completely blank. Maybe it was the way they moved, or the dozens of glowing eyes staring back at him from the darkness. Even the way their rusted legs skittered across the ground made something inside him recoil. The air suddenly felt far too thick, refusing to fill his lungs no matter how hard he tried to breathe, a wave of nausea rolling through him. His fingers curled uselessly into trembling fists at his sides while his pulse hammered painfully in his ears. 

Somewhere beside him, Dear shifted.

Rudo barely noticed. The boy's eyes had begun to glow a brilliant blue as Centralian activated, the pacifier still clenched firmly between his teeth. Soft, repetitive thuds hardly reached Rudo's ears as Dear began driving his small fists into the ground one after another, each impact stronger than the last. Normally Rudo would've asked what the kid was doing. Right now, though, he could barely hear anything over the relentless scraping of metal legs drawing closer. 

Only when the stone beneath his boots began to tremble did his thoughts finally start to snap back. Pebbles danced across the cavern floor, tiny vibrations racing through the rock until they became impossible to ignore. Rudo blinked hard, his gaze finally tearing away from the approaching swarm just as Dear darted in front of him.

Before Rudo could even process what was happening, Dear planted one foot forward and slammed his fist into the ground with everything Centralian had built up. The cavern exploded with force. Stone fractured beneath the impact, jagged cracks racing outward in every direction as a violent shockwave tore across the floor. The ground lurched beneath them, sending loose rocks tumbling from the ceiling while the swarm was thrown into complete disarray. Some of the creatures were tossed onto their backs, their thin legs flailing wildly as they struggled to right themselves, while others staggered awkwardly across the jagged stone, their eerie chittering suddenly shifting into frantic clicks.

The tremors slowly faded, leaving only the echoes rolling through the tunnels. One by one, the spider-like trash beasts hesitated, their glowing eyes fixed on Dear for a few seconds before they abruptly turned and scattered. Their long wire legs carried them back into the darkness in a frenzy until the opening swallowed them whole, and the awful chittering gradually disappeared with them.

When the last of the creatures finally disappeared, the crushing tension that had seized Rudo's body slowly began to ease. His shoulders sagged, and he drew in a slow, shaky breath that still felt strange in his lungs. He flexed his fingers inside his gloves, trying to work the stiffness from them before turning his eyes toward Dear. He wanted to thank the kid. The words were already there, sitting on the tip of his tongue after Dear had stepped in without hesitation and scared the swarm away.

Instead, they died the moment Dear looked back at him. The younger cleaner still wore his usual expression, brows drawn together, his eyes still glowing a bright blue. At first glance, nothing looked different. Then Dear raised one eyebrow. It was only the slightest movement, barely noticeable, but the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly beneath the pacifier. It wasn't much. But Rudo definitely noticed it.

Was...

Was this brat smiling?!

Rudo immediately felt his face heat up. Was he seriously making fun of him? Sure, Rudo knew how ridiculous it probably looked. He stood completely frozen while a bunch of hand-sized trash beasts crawled toward them. But come on. Did Dear not see those things? They were disgusting and freaky! The legs, the eyes, the creepy chittering... Anyone would've been creeped out.

Rudo let out a sharp huff and quickly looked away, balling his hands into tight fists until the leather of his gloves creaked softly. "D-Don't look at me like that," he muttered, doing his best to sound irritated instead of embarrassed. "Let's just get moving before they decide to come back."

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and deliberately chose a tunnel that was very much not the one the creepy-ass spider beasts had disappeared into. He marched forward with a little more determination than necessary, refusing to look back when Dear's footsteps quickly followed. 

They only made it several steps when a low rumble rolled through the ground beneath their feet. The stone trembled just enough to make loose dust sift from the ceiling overhead, drifting lazily through the stale air. Rudo slowed, glancing back over his shoulder as the echo faded into silence.

That probably wasn't anything good... 

Still, he didn't linger long enough to find out. With a quick motion of his hand, he urged Dear onward, and together the two disappeared deeper into the winding corridors.

As the day wore on and they continued wandering through the endless maze of tunnels, Rudo's leg only seemed to grow worse with every passing hour. The sharp pain that flared only when he put weight on it had settled into something worse, a relentless ache that refused to leave him alone. Every step tugged uncomfortably at the torn muscle, while the skin around the wound had grown increasingly hot and tender.  

Unfortunately, it wasn't just his leg bothering him anymore.

His entire body had begun to protest. His back ached from hours of walking over rough ground, his arms felt strangely heavy at his sides, and a dull soreness had settled into muscles that shouldn't have even been hurting at all. Sweat dampened the hair around his temples despite the cool air filling the cave, leaving the back of his neck uncomfortably clammy, while his lips had long since become dry enough that every time he licked them, they stung.

Still, he refused to complain. He kept putting one foot in front of the other, forcing himself to walk as though nothing had changed, but the farther they traveled, the harder it became to hide it. His pace had slowed without him meaning for it to, and every now and then his weight shifted just a little too much onto his left leg before he caught himself. He wasn't limping—at least, not much, anyway. 

More than once, he caught Dear looking at him out of the corner of his eye. The kid had to know something was wrong by now.

Rudo hadn't said a word about the cut, but there wasn't much left to hide. The blood staining his pant leg had spread farther throughout the day, and no matter how much he tried to keep his expression neutral, pain still slipped through every so often before he could bury it again. Still, Dear hadn't pointed any of it out; he just kept walking quietly beside Rudo. 

Eventually, Rudo realized they needed to stop. Not because they found a good place to rest or because Rudo wanted to, but because he needed to. He stood there for a moment, staring down another dark stretch of tunnel before quietly admitting defeat to himself. His body simply wasn't cooperating anymore. As much as he hated the idea of wasting time, he couldn't keep pushing forward without stopping to catch his breath.

By now, Rudo had completely lost track of how long they'd been down there. For all he knew, they'd been wandering for hours.

Except they hadn't...

His stomach had been empty for so long that it hadn't stopped aching since they got up. The last real meal he'd eaten had been breakfast, before the emergency calls started piling in and everyone had been scattered across the region chasing trash beasts. Even the exhaustion settling behind his eyes felt different now. It wasn't the kind a quick nap would fix. It sat heavy in his bones, making every step feel just a little harder than the last.

He couldn't say exactly how much time had passed. But he was almost certain they'd been down there for at least a full day. And still... No trash. Rudo was trying not to let his mind wander to the possibility that maybe there was no other way out. 

When they came across a small open area tucked beneath an overhanging shelf of rock, Rudo finally stopped. He glanced around for a moment before sinking slightly against the nearest wall. “We're staying here,” he breathed. 

He carefully lowered himself to the ground, trying to make the movement look casual. The moment his weight shifted onto his injured leg, though, a sharp stab of pain shot up through it. He swallowed the hiss threatening to escape and eased himself the rest of the way down before stretching the leg out in front of him. Keeping it straight hurt less than bending it, and at this point, he'd take whatever relief he could get. 

Dear lingered on his feet for another second, glancing around the dim cavern as if he was checking for anything lurking nearby. Satisfied enough, he finally wandered over and settled a few feet away, dropping onto the floor with a tired little huff. He idly poked at the dirt between his shoes, tracing absentminded lines through the dust while the silence settled around them once again.

Rudo leaned back until the cool cave wall met his shoulders, letting his head rest against the stone. For a few moments, he simply sat there with his eyes closed, hoping the break would take some of the pressure off. It didn't do much, but at least he wasn't walking. 

The cave felt colder than it had the night before. Another shiver ran through him before he could stop it, tightening the muscles across his back. His compression shirt and jacket clung damply against his skin, the sweat cooling far too quickly in the stale underground air, while an uncomfortable heat still lingered beneath it all. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to curl tighter into himself or rip the vest off completely. Apparently, his body had decided it was going to be miserable either way, and he was starting to hate every second of it. 

After sitting there for another minute, he reluctantly opened his eyes.

Dear was clearly watching him. The younger cleaner had pulled his knees against his chest, resting his chin on top of them while his gaze remained on Rudo with unmistakable concern.

Something in Rudo's chest twisted. He didn't know whether it was guilt, irritation, or simply that same sick feeling that had been hanging over him all day, but whatever it was, he didn't like it. "Tch..." He folded his arms across his chest and deliberately looked away. "Quit staring." After a moment, he added more quietly, "I'm fine."

The words sounded way less convincing than he'd intended, though. "Just get some rest..."

Rudo watched as Dear slowly shifted onto his side, curling in on himself with his knees drawn toward his chest. He wrapped his arms around them, trying to hold onto whatever warmth he had left. 

After a long moment, Rudo finally lowered himself the rest of the way onto the cold ground. He lay flat on his back, one arm resting across his stomach while the other lay limply at his side. The rough ground dug into his shoulders and hips, and every now and then another dull throb pulsed through his injured leg. His eyes drifted toward the ceiling, but the rock above faded into darkness long before he could make out its shape.

Sleep should have come easily. He was exhausted enough that he should've been out the moment he closed his eyes. But for him, it was never that easy. Instead, he simply lay there listening to the silence. 

Another chill rolled through him. He clenched his jaw, trying to fight it off, but his body betrayed him anyway. A shiver ran through his shoulders before settling deep beneath his skin, leaving him feeling somehow colder than before despite the lingering heat clinging uncomfortably beneath his uniform.

With a quiet breath, he turned his head. Dear was still curled into himself. Every few moments another small tremor ran through the younger boy, each one making him tuck himself a little tighter as if he could somehow keep the cold from reaching.

Rudo watched him for what felt like a long time. Then, with another tired sigh, he rolled onto his side.

Without a word, he reached across the short distance between them, caught a fistful of Dear's shirt, and gave one firm tug. The younger cleaner let out a small sound of surprise as he slid across the rough stone, but Rudo didn't stop until the boy was close enough.

He adjusted his grip sort of awkwardly, guiding Dear against his chest before tucking the smaller boy’s head beneath his chin. One arm settled loosely around him while Rudo curled in, his own body shielding Dear from as much of the cold cave air as it could. Dear stiffened for only a second before the tension gradually melted away. Without hesitation, he leaned into the embrace, carefully settling against Rudo until the space between them nearly disappeared completely. One small hand gathered a fistful of Rudo's jacket, holding onto him like a lifeline as the pitiful shivering that had plagued him slowly began to ease.

Rudo remained still. This was embarrassing as hell. If Enjin or the others ever found out about this, he'd never hear the end of it.

But right now, he couldn't bring himself to care. He was too exhausted to be embarrassed. Too cold to push Dear away. Too worn down to pretend he didn't need the warmth just as much.

Rudo finally felt some of the tension leave his body. His breathing slowed, and the aches that had been bugging him all day gradually faded beneath the warmth pressed against him. Sleep came easier this time, slipping over him before he even had the chance to fight it. His eyelids grew heavier until the darkness around him finally pulled him under. 

Rudo wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but for the first time since falling into this stupid cave, it had been actual sleep. Heavy, dreamless, and just enough to dull the constant ache that had settled into his tired body. Unfortunately, it didn't last. Because something suddenly felt... off. 

At first, he barely registered it. A faint pressure against his injured leg, almost like someone lightly poking at it. He let out a sleepy grumble and lazily shifted, giving his leg a small kick in hopes whatever it was would stop. The feeling paused for a second before returning. Tiny, irregular taps crept slowly over his calf, followed by the unmistakable sensation of something catching against the fabric of his pants. Little hooked feet clung to the torn cloth before letting go again, steadily climbing higher. His groggy mind tried to brush it off. Maybe it was just the pain messing with him, or maybe his leg had fallen asleep. But no... 

Something was crawling up his fucking leg.

Rudo's eyes flew open, immediately darting down to find one of those disgusting little spider-like trash beasts nearly halfway up his calf, its thin wire legs snagging against the ripped fabric of his pants as it continued climbing. A totally not embarrassing sound tore from his throat before he shot upright so fast he nearly smacked his head against the cave wall. 

Dear jolted awake beside him just in time to watch Rudo frantically kicking and shaking his leg like his life depended on it. The tiny creature finally lost its grip, landing with a metallic tick before skittering across the stone and disappearing into a narrow crack in one of the walls. Rudo didn't stop there. He continued scrambling backward until his spine hit solid rock, his heart hammering against his ribs as he stared at the tiny opening. Even after the creature vanished, his skin continued to crawl, a violent shiver racing up his back that he couldn't quite suppress.

Dear's sleepy gaze drifted from the crack in the wall to Rudo, then back again. His expression remained as flat as ever, but one corner of his mouth beneath the pacifier twitched just slightly before he quickly turned his head away. His shoulders gave the faintest little shake. 

Rudo narrowed his eyes at the back of the kid's head. "Shut up," he grumbled, sounding more embarrassed than genuinely irritated. He pushed himself to his feet, determined to put the whole thing behind him and pretend it never happened. The moment he put weight on his hurt leg, however, a sharp bolt of pain shot through his calf, forcing a hiss through clenched teeth. He caught himself before he could stumble, taking a slow breath as the pain settled back into a miserable throb. 

Dear watched him for a moment; whatever amusement had been lingering on his face quickly faded. He got to his feet and brushed the dirt from his clothes. Rudo gave him one last irritated look before turning away, and the two of them set off again. 

Unfortunately, they didn't get very far.

Rudo's injured leg started dragging more with every step he took. The feverish haze in his head had grown harder to ignore, leaving him feeling unbearably hot despite the cool air around them. Still, he kept going anyway, forcing his pace back whenever it started to slow. Whatever was happening to him, he wasn't about to let it stop them now. 

Unfortunately for him, a certain young cleaner had clearly caught onto his struggles and had had enough of Rudo’s pathetic display. 

Rudo had barely rounded another bend when something caught the hood of his jacket and gave it a firm tug. He stumbled half a step before turning around, annoyance already crossing his face. Dear stood behind him, one small hand still wrapped tightly around the fabric, his eyes fixed on Rudo with an intensity that made the older cleaner pause.

"What?" Rudo asked, a little sharper than he meant to.

Dear didn't react to his tone. Instead, he glanced toward a broad span of wall where the path widened slightly before looking back at Rudo again. His grip on the jacket remained firm as he gave another small tug, then pointed toward the ground beside the wall. His meaning couldn't have been any clearer.

Sit down.

Rudo blinked once before letting out an exasperated click of his tongue. "I'm fine," he insisted, quickly pulling his jacket free. He turned back toward the tunnel with a dismissive wave. "We can't keep wasting time sitting around. I'm getting real tired of staring at the same fucking rocks."

He'd barely taken three steps before Dear hurried ahead and planted himself directly in the middle of the passage, blocking the way. Rudo stopped so abruptly his injured leg nearly buckled beneath him. He caught himself with a sharp breath before glaring at the kid. "Move."

Dear crossed his arms, his firm gaze never leaving Rudo's face.

Rudo stared back at him. "Seriously."

Nothing. Dear didn't budge an inch. He simply stood there, arms crossed and looking up at Rudo like he'd already made his decision and clearly wasn't interested in hearing any arguments.

The teen's eye twitched. He then let out a long, frustrated sigh and dragged a hand over his face before finally looking away. "...Fine," he muttered. "But only for a few minutes."

Even then, Dear still didn't move. Rudo shot him an irritated look before trudging back toward the wall he'd been pointed to in the first place. He lowered himself with a quiet grunt, carefully stretching his injured leg out as he settled against the stone. Only when Rudo was actually seated did Dear finally seem satisfied. The boy gave a small nod to himself before dropping down beside him, close enough that their shoulders nearly brushed. Rudo couldn’t help but pout just a bit.

Of course the kid had to look so damn pleased with himself.

He sat in silence, trying to ignore the sweat slowly trickling down the back of his neck and the strange lightheaded feeling that was quickly taking over. His thoughts felt fuzzy, and every pulse behind his eyes made it harder to focus. After a long moment, he let out a quiet breath and finally glanced down at his leg. Maybe... maybe it was about time he actually got a good look at the thing. He hadn’t checked it much recently. 

Leaning forward carefully, he reached down with a gloved hand and hooked his fingers beneath the hem of his pant leg. The fabric had long since stiffened where blood had dried into it, and peeling it away made his stomach tighten uncontrollably. He pulled slowly, trying not to disturb the wound any more than necessary, though the rough cloth still dragged painfully across the sensitive skin beneath. Beneath the torn cargo pants, his red compression pants were stained several shades darker. The fabric had ripped open around the gash during the fall, leaving just enough of the wound exposed for him to carefully pull the frayed edges aside.

The sight that greeted him made him grimace.

His calf no longer looked anything close to normal. The normally pale skin surrounding the cut had turned an angry shade of red, swollen enough that it looked tight and tender. The edges of the wound were crusted over with dried blood and cloudy yellow drainage, the skin around them peeling and irritated where dirt and debris had scraped against it. Deeper inside, the cut remained damp, sluggish beads of blood mixing with pale streaks of pus that slowly seeped from between the inflamed tissue. Even without touching it, the wound looked hot enough to radiate heat of its own.

And then there was the smell. It was faint beneath the lingering scent of old blood and damp earth, but it was there all the same. Sour and unpleasant. Just enough to make him wrinkle his nose.

Yeah... It was definitely infected.

Rudo quickly let the torn fabric fall back into place, covering the wound before Dear had any chance of catching a glimpse of how nasty it was. He tugged the leg of his cargo pants back down over it and leaned heavily against the cave wall, letting out a slow, tired breath as another deep throb rolled through his calf. A moment later, the ache spread upward, settling behind his eyes once again until all he wanted to do was close them and pretend, just for a little while, that none of this was happening.

They remained there for another minute, Dear sitting quietly beside him while Rudo let his head rest against the cold stone wall. The cavern had settled back into its usual stillness, broken only by the occasional shift of fabric or the soft sound of their breathing.

Then Rudo's nose twitched.

He frowned and drew another slow breath, wondering for a moment if his exhausted mind was playing tricks on him. But there it was again, faint but unmistakable. It wasn't the awful metallic stench that had clung to the spider trash beasts. This smell was different, and strangely familiar. Rudo leaned forward, breathing in a little deeper as his tired mind suddenly sharpened.

Beneath the scent of dry stone and old earth was something he knew far better than he probably should have. He'd spent years digging through it, sorting through it, and searching for anything worth taking and fixing up.

Trash.

Rudo's crimson eyes widened. After everything, he could actually smell trash.

But if he could smell it, the scent had to be coming from somewhere. It wasn't just lingering in the stale air around them. It was drifting in from somewhere ahead, faint but noticeable now that he'd picked up on it.

Rudo slowly turned his head, trying to follow the direction the smell seemed to be coming from. That could only mean one thing. The air had to be moving through the tunnels somehow.

A draft. And if there was a draft, there had to be an opening somewhere nearby. Maybe even a way out.

Rudo launched to his feet before his brain had time to remind him his leg was still fucked up. Pain immediately flared through his calf, but he barely acknowledged it as he sniffed the air again, slowly turning until he found the direction the scent seemed strongest.

"Dear..." he said, his voice carrying an energy that hadn't been there in what felt like forever. "Do you smell that?"

The younger cleaner blinked at him before taking a cautious sniff of his own.

"It's trash," Rudo said, unable to keep the excitement from creeping into his voice. He pointed farther down one of the tunnels, already taking a step toward it. "Actual trash."

Dear's gaze drifted from the passage back to Rudo. He slowly pulled the collar of his uniform up over his nose, his eyes narrowing at the older cleaner. He was clearly convinced Rudo had finally lost his mind down here; he seemed way too excited about huffing lungfuls of trash. 

Rudo stood there for a moment, staring into the tunnel. It was easily the darkest passage they'd come across yet, the shadows swallowing nearly everything beyond the entrance. Still, that was where the smell was strongest. He glanced back at Dear.

"It's this way," he said, shifting toward the opening. "Come on."

But Dear didn't move.

Rudo paused and looked back again. Dear had gotten to his feet, but that was apparently as far as he was willing to go. His eyes remained fixed on the mouth of the tunnel, his brows drawn together just enough to show the uncertainty he'd been trying to hide. Rudo couldn't really blame him. The passage looked like it swallowed light whole. If he hadn't caught the scent of trash drifting from somewhere beyond it, he probably would've turned around himself and picked a different way. 

With a quiet sigh, Rudo held out one gloved hand. "C'mon."

Dear's gaze immediately dropped to it, but instead of reaching out, he simply stared. Seconds passed awkwardly without either of them moving. Rudo frowned slightly, glancing between his own outstretched hand and the boy standing in front of him. "What…?"

But Dear still didn't take it.

It wasn't until then that something slowly clicked into place in the older cleaner's mind. Thinking back on it, Rudo realized Dear had never once grabbed his hands. Whenever he wanted Rudo's attention, he'd tugged on his arm, caught the hood of his jacket, or grabbed hold of his pant leg. Even when he was uneasy or a bit scared, he'd clung to his clothes instead. Never his gloves.

Rudo lowered his eyes to the worn leather covering his hands.

...His Jinki. Of course.

Bro had probably taught the kid better than to grab someone else's treasure without permission. It wasn't that Dear didn't want to take his hand. He'd just been avoiding it because he thought it would be rude. The realization caught Rudo off guard a little. It was... honestly kind of sweet. Rudo immediately shoved the thought aside before it could linger, though. He didn't have time for all this mushy crap.

"It's fine," he said, his voice softening despite himself as he lifted his hand a little higher. "You can take my hand. Okay?"

Dear searched his face for another second, as though making absolutely certain Rudo really meant it and wasn’t about to change his mind. Only then did he step forward, and slowly, almost cautiously, he slipped his small hand into Rudo's waiting one.

Rudo closed his fingers around it without hesitation. Dear's hand felt warm against the leather of his glove, surprisingly small in his grip. He gave it a gentle squeeze before nodding toward the tunnel once more. "Let's go."

This time, when Rudo stepped into the darkness, Dear followed right beside him without the slightest bit of hesitation.

With that, Rudo led the boy into the dark tunnel, putting all his trust into his nose and instinct alone. He kept one hand firmly wrapped around Dear's while the other occasionally brushed along the rough stone wall, his fingers finding cold rock whenever the darkness became too thick to see through. The smell of trash grew stronger with every turn, winding through the stale cave air and pulling them deeper. They squeezed through narrow passages that scraped against their clothes, rounded twisting corners, and climbed over fallen slabs of stone that forced them to slow down. The path seemed endless. 

They'd been walking for what felt like forever when something finally caught Rudo's attention. 

A faint glow spilled across the cave floor from somewhere ahead, and both of them slowed without meaning to. At first, it was only a sliver of pale light, barely visible from where they stood, yet it seemed almost startlingly bright against the surrounding stone. Rudo's chest tightened as hope flared through him. Beside him, Dear had gone completely still. 

Rudo found himself squeezing the younger boy's hand just a little tighter. "Come on," he murmured, his voice quieter than before.

They hurried forward, the light growing brighter with every step until it washed softly across the tunnel walls. The smell of trash grew stronger too, carried on a faint draft that brushed against Rudo's face. He could feel open air somewhere ahead now, and the realization sent another spark of hope through him.

Before they could reach the opening, the cave suddenly groaned beneath them. Loose stones rattled across the floor as the ground lurched, followed by another heavy tremor rolling through the rock beneath their feet. Rudo recognized the vibration immediately. It was the same one they'd felt earlier, right after the smaller spider trash beasts scattered. 

Rudo didn't hesitate. "Move." He pulled Dear after him, rounding the final corner just as another rumble echoed through the cavern.

The passage suddenly opened into a chamber far larger than any they'd crossed before. The ceiling extended high overhead, disappearing into shadow, while massive chunks of fallen rock were scattered across the cavern floor. Several yards away, pressed against one side of the cavern, sat exactly what Rudo had been praying to find. 

Trash. A mountain of it.

Rusted metal, shattered furniture, twisted pipes, broken appliances, rotting wood, and countless scraps of forgotten junk had piled together into a massive slope that climbed nearly to the ceiling. Sunlight poured through a long crack in the stone overhead, casting bright golden beams across the cavern. Dust drifted lazily through the light, making it seem almost unreal.

Rudo's breath nearly caught. That was their way out. His body moved before his brain had the chance to catch up.

Then the cave shook again, but this time, it wasn't just a tremor. A loud crash split the chamber as stone exploded outward from one of the other nearby tunnels. Rock shattered across the ground while dust erupted into the air, and something enormous forced its way through the opening.

Rudo stopped dead, staring at whatever had just emerged as the dust settled. 

The creature looked like a massive, grotesque version of the smaller spider-like trash beasts they'd encountered before. This thing dwarfed them completely, its body nearly the size of a small truck. Jagged sheets of rusted metal overlapped like crude armor across its abdomen, while bundles of twisted wire and bent rebar formed eight impossibly long legs that scraped violently across the stone. Every step produced that same horrible metallic shwip that had already crawled beneath Rudo's skin earlier, only louder and harsher now. Clusters of glowing eyes blinked from its head in irregular rows. Its massive rusted fangs clicked together as it emerged fully into the chamber.

Rudo's entire body locked up. Every instinct screamed at him to get away, but his feet refused to move. His skin prickled beneath his clothes, and his stomach lurched so violently he thought he might actually throw up. He couldn't even force himself to breathe. The scraping of those massive legs made every muscle in his body tense until they ached.

No. Not again. 

This was no time to freeze up. The creature fixed every glowing eye on the two boys. Then it charged.

"Shit!" Rudo spun around and shoved Dear toward the trash pile with both hands. "Go! Move!"

Dear stumbled forward, catching himself against the shifting heap before immediately scrambling upward. Loose trash rolled beneath his shoes, forcing him to drop onto his hands and knees as he clawed for anything that would hold his weight. Rusted cans went tumbling past him, followed by chunks of broken wood and scrap metal that disappeared somewhere below.

Rudo's gaze flicked toward the charging creature.

They couldn't fight that thing. Not here and not now. Not when his leg was still messed up, and neither of them had the strength left to take on something that massive. One wrong hit could bring half the cavern down on top of them. And this opening really could be their only way out; they couldn't afford to waste it. Escape was all that mattered right now. 

Dear was already several feet up the mound when he glanced back, seeing Rudo still below.

"Go!" Rudo shouted, stumbling toward the pile as the creature's legs hammered against the stone behind him. "I'm right behind you!"

Dear hesitated, his eyes darting between Rudo and the enormous creature closing the distance. For one brief second, he looked like he might climb back down.

"Dear, go!" Rudo shouted again. 

That finally got him moving. He turned and scrambled higher, grabbing fistfuls of whatever he could find as the mound shifted beneath him. Rudo reached for the base a second later and hauled himself onto the pile after him.

Every step sent garbage sliding beneath his boots. Rusted cans rolled away, broken wood snapped underfoot, and unstable heaps of scrap collapsed without warning. His cut leg screamed every time he pushed himself higher, the muscles trembling harder with each movement. Sweat poured into his eyes, making his vision blur, while the pounding in his head seemed to shake with every frantic heartbeat.

Behind him came that horrible scraping. It was getting closer, the sound growing louder as the entire pile shifted beneath the weight of the massive spider beast climbing after them. Cascades of trash tumbled down the slope around its legs, metal clanging against stone while broken furniture splintered under its weight.

Rudo risked a glance over his shoulder and immediately wished he hadn't. The creature had made it several yards up the mound already, steadily gaining ground as its long legs picked their way through the unstable debris. Its glowing eyes remained focused on him.

His stomach dropped. He turned back and forced himself higher, grabbing whatever he could find and hauling himself up another few feet. Dear was farther ahead now, already nearing the top, while Rudo struggled to keep climbing behind him. His breathing came in ragged gasps, and his injured leg threatened to buckle every time he pushed against the shifting pile.

Then his boot slipped.

Rudo lurched sideways as the scrap beneath him gave way, sending him sliding several feet down the mound. He clawed desperately for anything that might hold, his hand catching around the edge of an old wooden cabinet wedged in the pile. The cabinet groaned beneath his weight but held long enough for him to stop himself.

Rudo sucked in a sharp breath, gripping the cabinet as he fought to get his footing back. He'd lost most of the ground he'd just gained, and the creature was still climbing somewhere below him. He pushed himself up again, dragging his injured leg after him as he searched for the next stable place to climb. Above him, Dear was already reaching the top of the mound.

The younger boy hauled himself over the edge and disappeared into the sunlight. Relief immediately surged through Rudo. At least one of them had made it.

Then a small hand appeared over the ledge. Rudo looked up.

Dear was lying flat against the ground outside, stretching as far over the opening as he could. His arm was extended toward Rudo, his fingers reaching desperately for him. Rudo stared for half a second before reaching up.

He still had several feet to climb before he could reach Dear's hand. Grabbing onto another piece of scrap with his free hand, he hauled himself upward, his muscles burning with every movement. Dear stretched farther, nearly half his body hanging over the edge as he reached down.

Their fingertips brushed, and Rudo pushed himself higher.

This time, their hands met properly. Dear's smaller fingers wrapped tightly around the leather glove he'd spent the entire trip carefully avoiding. The younger boy dug his heels into the ground and leaned back with everything he had, pulling with all his strength.

Rudo clawed at the edge of the stone with his free hand. His injured leg nearly gave out again, but he forced it beneath him and pushed. Between Dear's pull and one final desperate shove from his good leg, he managed to drag himself over the ledge.

The two of them tumbled onto solid ground together, kicking up dirt and dust.

Rudo landed flat on his back in the dirt, every breath tearing through his chest as though he'd forgotten how to breathe properly. The smog-filled sky hung above him, familiar and strangely comforting after so long underground. For several long seconds, he could do nothing but lie there and stare up at it. He never thought he'd miss seeing that miserable sky so much. 

It was then that a harsh screech echoed from below before Rudo could fully process the relief.

He forced himself onto one elbow just in time to see the massive spider trash beast lingering beneath the opening. It climbed only partway toward the light before abruptly stopping. Daylight spilled across its rusted body, and the creature recoiled almost immediately, several legs pulling back as though the light itself had burned them. After a moment of tense silence, it let out another angry chitter before retreating into the darkness. Its glowing eyes disappeared one by one until nothing remained but the fading scrape of metal somewhere deeper in the cave.

Only then did Rudo finally let himself collapse back into the dirt. 

For several long moments, neither of them moved. The only sounds were their own ragged breathing and the distant rustle of wind drifting over the rocky landscape. Dear remained seated beside Rudo, still watching the opening as though expecting the creature to come charging back out. When nothing happened, he finally turned his attention toward Rudo. 

Rudo dragged another deep breath into his aching lungs before letting it escape in a long, tired exhale. "Thanks," he muttered.

The word felt strange coming out. Dear had saved his ass twice now, first with those creepy little spider things and then by grabbing his hand and hauling him the last few feet out of the cave. Rudo wasn't exactly eager to think about either moment, but he couldn't deny it. The kid had come through for him.

He really owed him one.

Rudo glanced over at Dear before looking away again. Maybe he'd share some of his sweets next time.

Dear answered with nothing more than a small nod before pushing himself to his feet. He dusted the dirt from his uniform, then slowly turned in a circle, taking in their surroundings.

Rudo stayed where he was for another moment, too drained to move right away, but eventually he pushed himself to his feet and looked around. The cave had spat them out into a broad, barren patch of dirt and scattered rock, with low, rocky hills rising in the distance. Above them, the sky felt impossibly huge after being underground. 

They really were in the middle of nowhere. Still... It beat being trapped in that cave.

Rudo brushed the dust from his gloves before letting out a tired breath. "Let's get moving," he said, only to pause and nearly cringe at himself. ...Man, he was getting really sick of saying that.

Dear let out the faintest huff beneath his pacifier.

"Hopefully we'll find a road," Rudo continued as he started forward again. "Roads lead somewhere. A town maybe."

Dear rubbed at one tired eye before falling into step beside him without complaint. They were both running on fumes by now, but neither of them stopped. But for the first time since they had fallen into the cave, each step finally felt like it was actually carrying them somewhere instead of deeper into the dark. 

Rudo trudged across the barren landscape, boots kicking through dirt and small rocks with every step. The open air felt strange after being in that cave. It wasn't exactly fresh, not with the heavy blanket of smog hanging overhead, but at least there was a breeze now and then, carrying dust across his face as he walked. 

Even with the sun hidden somewhere behind the thick clouds, the heat still settled harshly against him. Sweat clung to his forehead, dampened the hair around his temples, and soaked through the collar of his uniform. His mouth felt painfully dry, every swallow scraping down his throat like sandpaper. His muscles ached with every step, and the throbbing in his leg had spread higher, creeping up into his hip. His head swam every time he lifted his gaze from the ground, but he stubbornly forced one foot in front of the other anyway.

He'd spent the last day forcing himself forward whenever his body told him to stop. He wasn't about to listen to it now. 

After a while, he noticed the footsteps behind him growing farther away. Rudo slowed just enough to glance over his shoulder. Dear trailed several paces back, his shoes dragging through the dirt. His head hung low, shoulders slumped beneath the oversized uniform, and his arms barely swung anymore. The kid hadn't complained once, hadn't even made one of his usual irritated little grunts, but he didn't need to. His exhaustion showed in every slow step he took.

Rudo found himself stopping every few minutes, waiting while Dear slowly closed the distance between them before they started moving again. The first few times, he ignored it. By what felt like the tenth time, he grumbled, getting a little tired of it. 

He then turned around and crouched down, lowering himself enough for Dear to climb onto his back. "Get on."

When nothing happened, Rudo glanced over his shoulder again.

Dear was staring at him with those familiar pinched brows, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and concern. His gaze drifted over Rudo's sweaty face, lingered on the bloodstained pant leg, then returned to Rudo's eyes again. He clearly wasn't convinced this was a very good idea.

"Hurry up," Rudo muttered, but Dear still didn't move. "Come on. You’re slowing us both down at this point..."

That earned him a glare. Dear remained exactly where he was, arms crossed and feet firmly planted as if he had no intention of giving in. Rudo stared right back. He could be just as stubborn, if not more so. The two held the look for another few seconds before Rudo finally jerked his head toward his shoulder with an impatient breath. "I'm not asking." 

Dear grunted quietly through the binky, clearly unhappy with the idea. Still, after another moment of reluctant hesitation, he stepped forward and carefully climbed onto Rudo's back, making an obvious effort not to put too much weight on his bad leg.

Rudo hooked an arm beneath Dear's knees and slowly pushed himself upright. The movement sent a sharp bolt of pain through his calf that nearly made his knee buckle beneath him, but he swallowed the reaction before it could escape. After taking a second to steady himself, he adjusted Dear a little higher against his back and started walking again. 

The first several minutes honestly weren't that bad.

Dear was lighter than Rudo expected. Beneath those baggy clothes, the kid didn’t weigh all that much. At first, the extra weight barely slowed him down. He adjusted Dear a little higher against his back every so often and kept putting one foot in front of the other, convinced he could manage it. But that confidence didn't last.

The landscape hardly changed as they walked, staying the same dusty ground and scattered rocks stretching out beneath the smoggy sky. Rudo gradually lost track of how far they'd gone. All he knew was that Dear seemed to get heavier with every step because he was running out of strength. 

Every few steps, Rudo had to shift his weight to keep his bad leg from taking too much of the strain, forcing him to adjust his stride and keep moving. His vision swam occasionally, and a faint ringing had settled in his ears, but he pushed through it. Carrying Dear wasn't exactly helping his situation either. His back was starting to hurt, which was becoming a problem of its own. Rudo let out a tired breath through his nose.

Was this what Enjin was always whining about when he complained about his back...?

His shoulders burned beneath Dear's weight, and his spine felt like it had been hammered apart one vertebra at a time. At this point, he was starting to think it might actually snap in half and crumble into dust like one of his trash weapons. 

He wasn't about to complain, though. He pushed forward like carrying Dear was his damn job now. At least, that's how Rudo saw it. As long as he could still walk, he'd keep walking. But he honestly wasn't sure how much farther he'd make it.

His vision had begun swimming again, and his legs felt strangely disconnected from the rest of him, moving more on stubborn instinct than actual strength. He honestly felt like he was only a few steps away from collapsing when Dear suddenly shifted against his back and let out a muffled sound through the pacifier. 

It wasn't the usual annoyed grunt. It sounded excited. Before Rudo could ask what was wrong, Dear's arm shot past his shoulder, pointing somewhere ahead.

Rudo reluctantly lifted his head from where he'd been staring at the ground. He hoped it was finally a road, or anything that looked remotely familiar. Instead, through the haze clouding his vision, he could only make out several dark shapes standing in the distance. At first they were little more than blurry silhouettes wavering against the dusty horizon as sweat stung his eyes. He blinked hard, trying to force the world back into focus. 

Soon, another sound reached his ears. It sounded like a voice.

At first, the sound was only a distant shout carried across the barren landscape. The words blurred together beneath the pounding in Rudo's ears, but he knew he wasn't imagining it. Someone was calling out to them. The dark figures ahead suddenly broke into a run, and before Rudo could fully make sense of what he was seeing, Dear began squirming against his back, letting out a muffled sound as he shifted insistently in his arms. 

"...Okay," Rudo breathed, his voice rough.

He carefully lowered himself, one trembling leg at a time, until he was kneeling in the dirt. Every muscle in his body protested the movement, his leg threatening to give out before he managed to steady himself enough for Dear to slide safely from his back. The younger boy didn't hesitate. The moment his shoes touched the ground, he took off running.

"Rudo!"

"Dear!"

The voices were much clearer now. Rudo slowly lifted his head as the blurry figures ahead finally began to sharpen through the haze clouding his vision. Enjin, Bro, Gris, Follo, and Tomme were there, along with a few other cleaners who had joined the search. 

Dear ran straight into Bro's waiting arms without slowing down. The larger man caught him easily, pulling the boy tight against his chest and holding him there for a moment. 

"Dear..." Bro breathed, relief softening his voice. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Rudo watched quietly from where he remained kneeling in the dirt. Only then did the strength finally begin to leave him. His hands dropped to the ground to catch himself as he leaned forward, palms pressing into the dry earth while his breathing came in slow, ragged pulls. Sweat dripped from the end of his nose, disappearing into the dust below, and another wave of dizziness rolled through him hard enough to make everything way.

Rudo had nothing left in him. His whole body felt worn down to the bone, but for once, he didn't care about any of it. Right now, all he could think was... Finally. 

It was only a moment later that Rudo felt a firm hand settle against his shoulder.

He stiffened instinctively and slowly tried to lift his head, but before he could push himself upright, the person in front of him gently steadied him, the hand on his shoulder offering just enough support to help him sit back. The movement felt strangely effortless after forcing his exhausted body to keep going for so long. When he finally looked up through the haze clouding his vision, he found Bro crouched in front of him.

The larger man had a soft look on his face. Relief was written plainly across his features, easing the tension that had likely been there since Dear disappeared. A small smile tugged at his lips, tired but genuine, and before Rudo could think of anything to say, Bro reached forward and pulled him into a firm embrace.

Rudo completely froze.

His eyes widened slightly as he remained kneeling in the dirt, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides while Bro held him against his chest. Every muscle in his body locked up, not because he wanted to pull away, but because he just didn't know what to do.

"I'm glad you're okay too," Bro said quietly. He gave Rudo's back a gentle pat before looking toward Dear. "And... thank you, Rudo. Thank you for looking after Dear." His gaze lingered on the younger boy for a moment before returning to Rudo. There was a small smile on his face. "I can tell he was in good hands."

Something tightened painfully in Rudo's chest. But he figured he was probably just dying after all the bullshit they went through. That explanation was a whole lot easier to accept than whatever that strange feeling actually was.

After another moment, Bro finally pulled away, though his hands remained resting on Rudo's shoulders. There was a hint of pride in his expression that made Rudo want to turn away and look anywhere else. If his face hadn't already been so hot from the fever, the color in his cheeks would have been super embarrassing. Behind him, Dear stood with one small hand curled tightly around the back of Bro's coat, refusing to let go now that he'd found him again. His usual look was still there, but his shoulders had dropped, and he no longer looked quite so on edge. 

Bro eventually rose to his feet and stepped away, Dear still tucked securely against his side. Rudo watched them for a moment from where he remained kneeling in the dirt before his own head began to feel heavy again. The world tipped ever so slightly, and he shut his eyes with a quiet sigh, trying unsuccessfully to chase away the dizziness.

A shadow fell over him only a second later.

When Rudo looked up again, Enjin had crouched beside him. He wore almost the same expression Bro had, though it fit him differently. His usual easygoing grin was still there, but it had softened around the edges, relief replacing the casual confidence the man normally carried so effortlessly. His hand came to rest against Rudo's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze as his eyes traveled over the teenager, quietly taking in the dirt, dried blood, sweat, and exhaustion across every inch of him.

"Good to see you, kid," Enjin said with a small smile. "Looks like you had one hell of an adventure."

Rudo let out the faintest groan. Adventure wasn't exactly the word he'd choose, and he really did not want to talk about it.

The sound earned a quiet chuckle from Enjin before the older cleaner shifted around and crouched with his back toward Rudo. The man then hooked a thumb over his shoulder in invitation, almost mirroring the exact way Rudo had crouched for Dear not that long ago. "Alright," he said. "Hop on."

Rudo blinked at him. "...Seriously?" he weakly managed. 

Enjin only glanced back over one shoulder with a grin and a nod. "Seriously."

Rudo's brows drew together, his expression twisting into immediate offense. He quickly shook his head, only to immediately regret it when stars burst across his vision, and his stomach lurched. "N-No... I'm fine. I can—" 

"Kid," Enjin interrupted smoothly, "you look like shit. And I'm not letting you walk around on that bum ass leg anymore." He waved his hand impatiently over his shoulder. "No arguing."

Rudo frowned a bit. He absolutely hated this.

He wasn't some little kid who needed to be carried around because he scraped his knee. He could walk fine... Mostly fine. He'd been walking this whole damn time. Sure, maybe everything had gotten a little blurry, maybe every muscle in his body hurt, and maybe he felt about two seconds away from collapsing face-first into the dirt... but that wasn't the point.

The point was that he could still do it. Probably… 

Unfortunately for him, arguing required energy, and he had precious little of that left. In other words, he was absolutely done. 

With one long, defeated sigh, Rudo finally leaned forward and carefully shifted onto Enjin's back. Strong hands settled beneath his legs to steady him before Enjin slowly pushed himself upright with a theatrical grunt that sounded more like an old man getting out of a chair than one of the strongest cleaners at HQ.

Rudo weakly rolled his eyes. "You're so dramatic."

"Back's not what it used to be," Enjin replied without missing a beat.

"You're not even that old..." Rudo mumbled into his shoulder, settling against him. 

Ahead of them, Bro continued walking with Dear resting quietly against his shoulder. The younger boy looked utterly spent now, his head tucked against Bro's neck, one arm hanging loosely over his shoulder. Even so, his tired blue eyes kept drifting back toward Rudo every few moments, as though making sure he was still there.

Enjin kept an easy, careful pace, mindful not to jostle the injured teenager more than necessary. After several quiet moments, he glanced slightly toward the boy on his back. "You can rest now."

Rudo weakly shook his head. "No... I..." Even speaking felt like dragging the words through thick mud.

Enjin was quiet for a moment before speaking again, his voice losing its teasing edge. "Rudo." The teen slowly lifted his head. "Your job's done, kiddo."

The words settled over him more heavily than he expected. "We've got it from here."

For a long moment, Rudo said nothing. His eyes drifted ahead to where Bro carried Dear, the younger boy still watching him sleepily over Bro's shoulder. Somewhere farther ahead, a voice called for water, someone else shouted for medical supplies, and boots crunched steadily over the dry ground. The search was over. They were safe. Other people were handling things now.

For the first time since everything had gone to hell at Headquarters, Rudo didn't have to keep pushing himself forward. 

So, the fight simply... left him. The tension he'd been holding onto for so long finally started to drain away as he slowly let his weight settle against Enjin's back. His cheek rested against the older cleaner's shoulder, his heavy eyelids slipping shut almost on their own. The distant voices faded together into a faint murmur, swallowed by the rhythmic sound of footsteps beneath him. 

And before long, Rudo was out.

The first thing Rudo noticed was how soft everything felt.

His brows furrowed as consciousness slowly began to creep back in. Instead of unforgiving stone digging into his back or rocks pressing against his side, he was lying on something warm and cushioned. A blanket rested heavily over his body, holding in a comfortable warmth that felt almost strange after being in a cold, dark cave for so long. 

For a moment, he simply lay there, caught somewhere between asleep and awake.

His body still felt heavy, but moving his limbs no longer seemed like such a monumental task. His injured leg was wrapped tightly in bandages, and while he could still feel a faint throb beneath them, the pain was nowhere near as bad as it was. His mouth was dry, but no longer painfully so, and his head felt much clearer.

A different smell reached him next. It wasn't stone or dust, and definitely not the stale metallic stink of blood. Instead, the room carried the familiar scent of disinfectant, clean linens, fresh bandages, and something faint, like medicine. Rudo knew the smell immediately. The infirmary at HQ… Normally he found it annoying. Right now, though... It was probably the nicest thing he'd ever smelled.

He let out a slow breath and finally forced his heavy eyelids open. Bright light spilled across his vision, making him squint as the room gradually came into focus. Only then did he realize he wasn't alone. 

A chair sat beside the bed, and slouched comfortably in it was Enjin, sprawled across it like he didn’t even know how to properly sit in a chair. Yeah, the man complains about his back, but then sits like that... 

The older cleaner looked as though he'd been there for a while. His arms were folded loosely across his chest, one leg stretched out lazily in front of him while the other rested beneath the chair. Whether he'd been awake the entire time or had dozed off waiting, Rudo couldn't quite tell. Either way, the moment the teenager shifted beneath the blankets, Enjin looked over, a lazy smile already making its way onto his face. 

"Welcome back, kid." Enjin leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms against his knees as he gave the teenager another once-over. "How ya' feeling?"

If Rudo was being completely honest...  "Shitty..."

A quiet laugh escaped Enjin's nose. "Yeah," he admitted with an easy nod. "Can't say I'm surprised."

The man leaned back again, folding one arm across the back of the chair while the other rested on his knee. "You were dehydrated, running a pretty nasty fever, and that cut on your leg..." He let out a low whistle. "That thing was gnarly. Deep enough on its own, then it got infected on top of everything else. Honestly, kid..." He shook his head. "I don't know how you stayed on your feet as long as you did."

Neither did Rudo. He slowly lowered his gaze to the blanket gathered over his legs. He hadn't really thought about how he'd done it. Every time he wanted to stop, there had been another reason to keep going. Dear had been counting on him, so he just... kept walking. Simple as that.

Enjin watched him for a moment before continuing, his tone lightening again. "Anyway, Eishia got you patched up." He pointed lazily toward Rudo's bandaged leg. "She had to put in a little extra work because of the infection, but the wound's mostly healed now. Doesn't mean you're gonna feel great, though. According to her, you're still gonna feel like absolute crap for the next couple days."

"Great..." Rudo let out a long sigh and slowly pushed himself upright, careful not to move too quickly this time. The muscles in his leg still complained as he shifted it across the mattress, but the sharp, fiery pain was gone, replaced by a lingering soreness that was pretty manageable. His hands had hurt worse. 

As he started to settle against the headboard, Enjin casually leaned over, reaching to straighten the pillow that had slipped slightly behind Rudo's shoulder. The movement was so ordinary that Rudo barely noticed it. That was until the man's sleeve brushed against his arm.

Rudo’s body reacted before his brain did. He jerked violently away, nearly knocking himself sideways and off the bed as a cold jolt shot down his spine. His skin prickled all over, and for one horrible second, he could practically feel those little metal legs skittering over his clothes again, tiny hooks catching against the fabric as that awful chittering filled his head. 

He then blinked and looked down. Nothing was crawling on him. 

The room instantly fell quiet. Enjin froze exactly where he was, one hand still hovering awkwardly near the pillow as his brows slowly climbed toward his hairline. "Uh..." He blinked once. "You good?"

Shit. Rudo didn't mean to freak out like that. Heat immediately crept up the back of his neck. He was so damn lucky Dear didn’t really speak. If Enjin found out about the whole spider incident, he’d have a fucking field day with it. 

"Uh... yeah," he muttered, turning away and avoiding Enjin's eyes. "I'm fine."

Enjin continued staring at him for another second. "You sure? Cause that looked—"

The sound of the infirmary door opening filled the room before he could finish. Rudo had never been so grateful for someone's terrible timing in his entire life. 

Enjin glanced toward the doorway before looking back at Rudo, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Up for a couple visitors?"

Rudo tilted his head slightly. Visitors?

Enjin then leaned to the side just enough for Rudo to see past him. Standing in the doorway were Bro and Dear. Dear's small hand was wrapped securely around Bro's, but the instant his eyes landed on Rudo, he let go without a second thought and hurried into the infirmary. His shoes tapped softly across the floor as he crossed the room, heading straight for Rudo’s bed. Bro followed at a much slower pace, an amused smile creeping onto his face as he watched the younger boy rush ahead.

"Easy, Dear," he called after him. "I’m sure Rudo's leg probably still isn't feeling the best." He came to a stop beside Enjin before looking over at Rudo with an apologetic smile. "I hope this is alright. He's been wanting to see you all morning."

"It's fine," Rudo answered quietly.

He watched Dear come to a stop beside the bed before the younger cleaner leaned forward, resting both forearms against the mattress as he studied Rudo's face in complete silence. At first, Rudo simply blinked back at him, a little unsure of what the kid wanted. But after everything they'd been through together, Rudo had gotten better at reading the kid, and it didn't take long to figure it out. Dear wasn't staring because he was curious. He was checking up on him. Making sure Rudo was really alright.

The realization settled somewhere deep in Rudo's chest. He let out a slow breath before giving the younger boy a small, reassuring nod. "I'm okay." His voice came out softer than he expected. After a short pause, he tilted his head ever so slightly. "You okay?"

Dear watched him for another second before finally straightening up and giving a small nod of his own. 

"Good."

After another moment, Rudo slowly lifted one gloved hand from atop the blanket and held it out toward Dear.

Dear looked at it for a moment before reaching forward and taking his hand. His smaller fingers settled naturally against the worn leather, and Rudo gently closed his hand around his, giving it the faintest squeeze.

After the hell they went through, Rudo was starting to think maybe Dear understood him a little better now. And Rudo figured he understood the kid a little better too.