Work Text:
———🎲
Battat sluggishly limped out of his room, the word feeling like it’s revolving. Each step felt like a weight was glued to his feet, each step heavier than the last. Just get to the coffee machine and everything will be better, battats probably just tired… and warm? he chose not to question it any further for the convenience of his aching head; why are there so many dots though? Whatever, he just needs some coffee. They need to be fully functional and aware for tenna. their mike shift is in 20 right?
Battat staggered out of his office and into the kitchen to find jongler and Pluey on the couch playing a game together, it was probably those marble brothers or something like that. Pluey was the first to notice and went over to greet him. Jongler however, seemed to notice something was wrong,or they just were adjusting their eyes; Battats eyesight was too blurry to tell.
Pluey let out a saxophone trill that took a moment for him to translate: ‘good morning, how are you?’ “Oh I’m good..!” His voice sounded hoarse, hopefully no one would notice. “Hey pardner!” Jongler started. “Youse feeling okay?” Of course they noticed… “yeah I’m feeling all good; just haven’t had coffee today.” It came out more like a question than a response. Pluey twiddled her thumbs then attempted to press her hand against the dies forehead, yet he backed away and walked backwards to the coffee machine in hopes that it would possibly make things better. ‘You sure you’re okay? You're sweaty and shaking.’ Pluey walked towards them like she was approaching a skittish cat. Jongler also got up and approached him,but at a farther distance. Battat felt his heart rate spike and his breath started hitching; the die’s vision began to fade in and out yet they still attempted to step back. They stepped back5… 4 actually? No 2 3 to 5 times… or was it 4? No 2, 6 or just once..? He couldn’t tell, he couldn’t see, he couldn't move, only shake and sweat. His breath sped up; Was there something in his lungs? He hitched over and grabbed their chest. Their brain felt like it was going to burst but it wouldn’t shut up for a second. The word revolved around, their body heat was abnormal; ringing overtook their ears………… and just like that, everything went black…
———📱
“BUDDY YOUES OKAY?!” Jongler exclaimed. They carefully picked Battat's limp body; even though they were wearing layers of clothes as well as gloves, they could feel the die’s body heat (not good). “Plues! Are youse able to gets a ice pack for em’?” Pluey struck a thumbs up and walked off. Jongler walked into the bedroom and set battat onto their shared bed and started to take off any extra layers of clothes in hopes to cool them off. ‘i brought him an ice pack and a bucket just in case.’ “thankes pardner.” Jongler took the ice pack and gently placed it onto battats forehead. “i’ll fill in for ‘em and see if tens gives pto. can youse look after ‘em for me?” Pluey shaked her head yes and made their way over to the bed and sat on it. “Thanks plues. I'll be back.”
———🎷
Jongler left just like that. Maybe they should make herself comfortable? Pluey headed to the corner of the bed and watched her partner rest. How bad did conditions have to get for him to get to this point? She pondered what she should do once he woke and pulled out a switch in hopes she’d be up when he woke.
———🎲
It felt like he was in a kinetoscope; no it looked like he was in one. Last he remembered, he blacked out and now he was in a world of shapes and colors. Was he dead?… Is this the afterlife? Angles Heaven? Hell? Limbo? Rebirth?no, only lightners can be reborn… right? He walked farther into this stained glass cavern, rubbing his hand against the wall. He got deeper and deeper yet everything felt like a loop. He heard a clank and studded the room for a moment. “Hello?” They’re voice sounded strained. Nothing but an echo replied. Battat walked forward and heard slightly heavy breathing with a hint of… saxophone notes? Pluey? He ran towards the roots of the noise and saw pluey in her mike suit, but her mike paws were all gone; she looked like a shadow. “P-Pl-Plue?” His lungs tightened a little. “Is-wh- are you okay?” ‘#@+*&$¥?’ Their usually melodic voice now sounded like a 6th grader was playing a trumpet for the first time. Battat backed up for a moment, that’s definitely not the pluey they know. It approached them with a raspy breath and a half hearted smile. It approached him and pinned them to the wall. ‘*#$p_q… @$€£§~.’ “W-what? Pluey ar-?” Then a blinding light ray pierced through their eyes, colors and shapes that he couldn’t even comprehend. Bells chimes in his ear along with a horrible headache; he shut his eyes closed in hopes that it would console the pain, but it only made things worse. So he opened his eyes; it felt like he was in the sun, physically and visually. He wanted to call out for help but no one would respond so he floated in the void until it turned to darkness in the blink of an eye, with only spirals as far as the eye can see.
They heard melodic purring, unmistakably plueys. Are they here to look after him? Don’t they have their shift? He wanted to get up or do something but it felt as if they were trapped in their own body from how bad they felt, the only anchor being the purring that pluey produced. After a few minutes the purring stopped and steps that sounded like jonglers made its way out then back into the room. A cooling sensation fazed through their head and arms soothing their headache as well as their body cooling down. “t-tha-nk… y-ou” he managed to let out weakly and slightly above a whisper. “no problum pardner.” Jongler replied lightly rubbing their hand on Battats face.
Then darkness returned to his vision; purely darkness. Tight darkness with stars in his vision. Everything was too tight, even his clothes. He tried to move but the box just got smaller; so he just stayed put. Every minute like clockwork the box got tighter, despite his effort to stay still. He was suffocating. The die closed his eyes shut and cried. Where’s pluey or jongler? God I wish they were here right now, they would know what to do. Minutes feeling like hours passed by and his breathing slowly restricted as his temperature rose. It felt like something went through his head, like a dagger. It took a while of being in this state for him to feel a cooling sensation and the box finally was big enough for him to be able to breathe. And move around freely; but he was still alone and in pain.
Hours probably went by in this state, every now and then was broken by a sudden flash of light. He wanted to ask for help but what type of help can you attain in a spiraling dark void. After a few hours the die finally inspected the prison he was put in. They inspected the walls and banged on it but all it did was cause a flash of light. Then they clawed at the box and it made the spirals worse. He gave up and laid on the ground dozing off in a field of flower and tv static.
———🎷
It had been about a day and a half since battat had fainted. From what pluey observed, his fever broke a few hours ago, yet they had been facing many fever dreams from how squirmy they had been. Jongler left a few minutes ago to get medicine for battat for when he eventually woke. Pluey checked his ice pack, then forehead. The fever is down now, but he’s still warm. She made her way to the kitchen to get a new ice pack. “pluey? jongler?…” Pluey wiped around and went into the room. ‘Battat? You okay?’ Battat sluggishly sat up with a weak and groggy look on his face. “Hey plue.” Battat's voice sounded hoarse. ‘Your up!’ Pluey ran over to him and held his hand. ‘Are you okay? Nasua, heart burn, indigestion, upset stoma-’ “i’m feeling fine pluey. just… tired and kinda nauseous. I'll manage though.” Battat closed one eye as if they were flinching from a sharp pain, he grabbed the ice pack and placed it onto his forehead. “Thanks Pluey.” ‘No problem, happy I could help!’ Pluey got into the bed and sat next to Battat and traced the freckles on his arm.Battat laid down and stared at the ceiling fan. The duo sat in silence for a moment just enjoying each other’s company.
“How long have I been out?” Battat finally managed to let out after a few minutes ‘… about 36ish hours?’ “36??? What about Tenna and Mike? Did I miss my shifts?” Battat rushed out of bed and immediately fell down. His face grew paler somehow. ‘Don’t worry. Tenna gave us a PTO for a few days and everything will be okay. Please relax.’ The die hunched over for a moment before crawling into Pluey's arms and letting her pick him up and set him back onto the bed. They're a workaholic even when sick. They went back to the way before and Battat finally looked relaxed for the first time in weeks. “Heys buddies, m' home!” Jongler made their way into the bedroom. “Hey boss!” Jongler sat on Battat's side “i broughts some medisin for youse. want some?” “ m’ good jon” jongler put the medication on the bed side table. “gots it. anything else? ” battat pulled out their arms in a hugging motion and jongler scooped up pluey and battat, snuggling them in the blankets. Battat being the first to drift off followed by jongler and pluey.