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burndownthehousetonight · 7 years

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((You know I was concerned about this @tinyredartist RP being slow at one point BUT THEN))

Manic was usually happy to take the two hour drive to play with the Fourth Degree. Usually.

"Are you kidding me?!" Manic could only scratch his head at the news. But the text wasn't changing as many times as he read it over.

{DETOUR: Drench dared Dante to throw a bottle of hot sauce at him and now he can't see and he's at the hospital. No show tonight.}

"Come on, we're almost there!" Manic grumbled. The freeway exit wasn't that far away, either. "What're we supposed to do now?"

Scourge gave Manic a look. They knew exactly what they were supposed to do now. Manic started the call. "Heeeey, Ari!" He did his best to not sound disappointed and slightly concerned for Drench. "Uh, I had plans in town, but it looks like it's not gonna happen. You wanna hang out, or summat?"

Aria rolled over in bed, laying on top of her mate and mewling softly as she struggled to reach her phone. Terra shifted and handed it to her, making Aria squeak in thanks.

“Hi Manic. Sure, what’s your eta?”

The small hedgie struggled to resist the urge to lie back down and snuggle the bat. She struggled to get up after her nap and went to gather fresh clothes to change into after a shower. She checked a text from Detour and sighed. “Sorry about your show. Those boys are idiots.” Her phone blipped soon after with another text. {DETOUR: I am so. tired. I just want one day.} {DETOUR: Just one day Aria} The van was clunking and trundling through the city streets Manic had learned incredibly quickly. "...I mean, it was a joke, I didn't think he'd actually do it." "You didn't think Drench would." Scourge smarmed back smugly. Manic just elbowed him and grinned. He knew he should have known, but it was too late to do anything now. They had to meet up with Aria, and they were already pulling right into the parking lot of her building. “Okay, let me hop into the shower and we’ll be down in five. Did you want to call Scourge?” She responded to Detour's text.

{You can’t even go on vacation because you’re their impulse control)

She went to wake her mate up with a kiss and get into the shower while Manic called the king and Detour tried not to kill either of his band mates. "You got it," Manic said back to Aria. They'd spent the whole afternoon driving and waiting to get to a show they weren't going to play anyways, what was a few more minutes? Evidentally a lot to Scourge, who was tapping his foot impatiently to the beat of a song playing on loop in his head. Manic phoned up the king and waited. The beep of the answering machine surprised him. "Heeeh?" Manic said, looking at his phone like it had tried to bite him. "What the hell, he's always got his phone." "Lemme try," Scourge said. He grabbed it out of Manic's hand and autodialed Scourge again. One beep, followed by a second, a third, a fourth... "Hey," Scourge greeted the king simply. "We're in town, thought we'd chill with Aria. You comin' or what?" Scourge too, rolled over in bed, trying not to wake the person sharing it with him. Unlike Aria though, the person in his bed wasn’t a significant other, rather a friend with benefits.

“Hullo….” He answered with a groggy voice, barely listening to the invitation. He was about to say no when his bedmate rolled over and gently kissed his shoulder. “You should go. It’ll be good for you”

After a few second of silence, the king answered his alternate. “…sure. Lemme just get ready. Where are we meeting?” "...Hm, hand't though about that," Castillo admitted. "Manic, where're we going?" "I was supposed to play at Maroon Blue, maybe we can find somewhere nearby? Like, there's a movie theater there, we could check something out. Or there's that beer kitchen place nearby." "We're going to ladybird's beer kitchen." Scourge decided. "We're at Ari's place right now, maybe half an hour?" Scourge typed in the location and grunted as he got out of bed. “Yeah… I can do that. See you then.” Click. Odd. He wasn’t usually so blunt to them. Castillo would probably pick up on the king's unusual behavior.

Scourge sighed, crawling back into bed if only to kiss the other male in it. “I hate you for being logical”

“Yeah yeah. Go shower pretty boy,” the other insisted, slapping his ass to get the other to move. The king managed to drag himself away to shower.

Half an hour later he was waiting outside the beer kitchen for his friends. Soon enough, he would see their van speeding towards the restaurant, Castillo waving at the king through the window. He seemed tense, and Manic yelling at Drench over the phone certainly wasn't going to help. By the time they'd found a place to park, Manic was still insistent on yelling at the crocodile. "No... No, I'm at dinner! I made other plans, I'm not breaking 'em to do this stupid crap, dude!" His anger was strangely restrained, not like the explosive anger Scourge dealt out. "Now get back to your bed, and you rest! Yeah, I know it was "my fault," I'm- Okay, I'm not talking about this any more, dude, this ain't worth yelling about. Stop worrying about the bet." He could see everyone else was uncomfortable when he finished the call. "Hey, dude, uh... Sorry about that. Drench said-" He sighed. "He said the bet was he could take TWO bottles of hot sauce to the face, and he wants me to sneak one to his hospital room." ”…. I don’t think context would help me understand anything you just said," the king insisted.

Everyone was greeted by the king but it seems forced, like he was trying to hide something. But with all the drama surrounding the croc, no one noticed the king's forced smile.

Good. He wouldn’t have to put much effort into this outing.

“Should we go in? I already got us a table." "Hell yeah, dude." Manic responded. "It's not a super long story, don't worry. ... ..." The walk to the table and looking over the menu was all accompanied by Manic telling the king about an old conversation with Drench and what it unfortunately lead to. He didn't seem as normally amused as he would have been, but then again, they didn't know his humor perfectly. Maybe he had some limit for cringe they'd passed? But Manic didn't even buy that explanation. "...Detour needs like, five vacations," Manic added. "But that's my ramble, what kinda hot sauce shenanigans are you guys getting up to?" “Haven’t been doing much really. But you’re right, he does. But who would babysit the others?” The king joked, tone falling flat at the end.

Aria was rolling her eyes at the story, having noticed Scourge's unusual disposition. Also the barely visible bandages he was hiding under his jacket, wrapped around his shoulder and collarbone. She chose to say nothing.

Their waitress stepped up to the table and everyone ordered a drink. Scourge merely ordered a water. "Living on the edge, dude?" Manic joked at his order. "Maybe you should've saved the honeymoon for Detour. I'm gonna drop off a few bottles of that stout he likes when we're done here, he needs it." “That boy needs a lake full in order to get any compensation,” Aria said. Castillo leaned over to his alternate. "You doing alright?" He asked him. Judging by his tired posture and off glare... he came to the wrong conclusion. "You a bit hungover?" “Yeah… I drank a bit too much last night.” Not too far from the truth. He had been drinking the night before. "We aren't starting too much drama back home," Manic said, not noticing the two Scourges. "We're just looking for a job for Scourge and doing some stupid paperwork crap. What about you, Ari? How's Terra been?"

“Oh she’s good. Just sleeping between shifts right now. It's nice, we work the same days so we have the same days off.” The girl sighed lovingly. Castillo patted the king on the back when he mentioned his drinking. "Been there. I won't tell 'em," he promised. That seemed to be enough for Scourge, who popped into the conversation just in time to hear Aria gush about Terra. "So how serious are things getting?" He asked, watching their waitress start towards their table with their drinks. Aria blushed. “Pretty serious… I was thinking of taking her to the forest… Maybe to see my parents. She doesn’t talk much about her family though… And I can sense some deep issues. The girl is a weapons expert and she keeps one of her guns in my bedside drawer. But she’s so hesitant to talk about who she was when she was younger. I don’t know. I don’t ask, cause she won’t tell.” She shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "Oh man, we should've asked her to come along!" Manic said, looking like he'd just had an amazing idea. "We could've double dated! You know, and- Nah, we ain't leaving Scourge out, and he ain't a fifth wheel. Maybe I could call up a hot date for you?" Manic joked. "I know an orange cat who's horrible and annoying you'd hate~"

Scourge declined Manics ‘generous’ offer. “I think I’m good. But I think I’m more a spare tire than a fifth wheel,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood. Their waitress arrived, giving everyone their drinks with a glass of water. "Don't say that, dude." Manic said with a smile. "You're never gonna be a fifth wheel or a spare tire. You held our wedding, don't talk about yourself like some kinda gutter trash. I'm the only one who's supposed to do that." Castillo noticed the sadness in the king's eyes. Like there was something seriously wrong with what Manic had said. He watched the king from over the edge of his glass, seeing if this was something more serious than a hangover. He had a suspicion... "Hey, take all the time you need, with family stuff, dude." Manic reassured Aria. "Actually, with family stuff... You know Sonia and her husband from the wedding? Uh... it turns out they're pregnant with their second kid." Manic wasn't helping Castillo's suspicion. He subtly nudged Manic, but it was too late to get him to stay quiet. Scourge smiled softly at his friends attempts to cheer him up, merely nodding gently in an embarrassed sort of way, messing Manic's quills.

He was too tired to notice the other Scourge's critique of him, and let his act fall for a split second, hiding it behind his glass as he drank.

Aria on the contrast, lit up as Manic told her the news. “That’s wonderful! I didn’t realize they had children, I must have been rushing too fast at the wedding to notice!” "I'm gonna grab a smoke outside," Scourge said to Manic. His own way of saying, 'I'm leaving, do not ask questions.' As he stood, he motioned for the king to follow him. Manic just nodded and let him leave, turning his attention to the other two. Manic giggled. "No, they've just got the one kid, Felicity. They left her home. I mean, I love seeing babies and kids and stuff, but they didn't want her crying at a wedding... ..." Manic and Aria gushed on about Sonia's kid while Castillo stood outside. He had a candy cigarette in his mouth, more for appearances than anything. "Relationship stuff still hard?" He asked when Scourge finally appeared. He might have seemed blunt to most people, but in his own mind, it was being stable. Scourge was surprised the other invited him out, but did so anyways. He figured the other wouldn’t want to hear about children with all the drama with Fiona.

He was not expecting an ambush interrogation.

“I came because I thought it was tough for you and you wanted company. I’m fine. I’ve come to terms with it.”

He stayed quiet but his answer was too defensive, too short. Scourge was hiding something. If only Castillo knew what. Castillo nibbled on the end of his candy cigarette as he thought of what to say. "Don't lie to me," he said quietly. "We'll poke fun for stupid shit, we aren't gonna insult you for having trauma. We all lie too much already." Part of the candy was snapped off in his mouth. "I don't even smoke." Scourge said. "Let's head back in and drop all this crap about Terra and Sonia, aight?" He gave Scourge a gentle pat on his shoulder, pretending he didn't notice his new bandages. “I’m not lying.” He lied, like a liar. Still he let his alternate lead him inside to save face. He didn’t want a fight.

The return to the table was quiet and Scourge said almost nothing the whole dinner, choosing to listen instead. Their topics would cycle around from music to movies to silly recent event to trash-talking Sonic. But Castillo didn't forget about Scourge's lies because of that. He kept going on tangents to change the topic when they would get on the topics of relationships, or in the case of when they sat down, joking fake names for Sonia's child. "Hey, hold on." Castillo said near the end of the meal, when only Manic was left scarfing down on what was left of his food. "When's the last time you've shown up to one of his shows?" He didn't sound any different from how he'd been speaking with the others, and he was technically talking to both Aria and Scourge, but the question still carried a strange heaviness between the two. Aria answered first. “A while. I’m sorry. Just you always play on nights I’m working. I was gonna come to tonights show but…”

Scourge merely shrugged gently. “It has been a while. Sorry about that Manic. Nothing personal, just busy with paperwork”

Scourge looked remorseful, as did Aria. His lying was good, or he was telling the truth.

His lying was good. Manic smiled and laughed. "You guys are fine. I'm not pressuring you or nothing. Take your time." Castillo didn't push the point. He wasn't giving answers no matter what, and he didn't want to fight him. Especially not after what he'd done the last time they'd visited. And hell, whatever happened last time definitely wasn't helping his mental health. Manic had definitely noticed how much they were trying to look at each other without letting anyone notice, but that was for them to figure out. Rather, that was for Manic to press his lover about on the drive home. He handed his card to the waitress. "We've got this, don't worry, guys." Both Aria and Scourge protested. Aria making her bets pouting face and Scourge merely protesting, which was the most animated he’d been all night.

“Come on, I was the one who needed saving last, its my turn to pay!” The king insisted, and the waitress took his card instead.

The king was tired. His ‘social battery’ was drained and he needed to go to bed asap. But he stayed quiet. Castillo was silently happy that the conversation had turned for the better... and that the king ended up paying. By the end of the meal, they all seemed happier, or at least less concerned about Drench's situation. The meal was paid, drinks were finished, and the four lounged around for just a few extra minuted talking about nothing. This was all going to come to a close when Manic inevitably went back to his original idea. "Seriously, Ari, we should totally double date," Manic insisted. "I'll think about it," Castillo said, standing up to try and get the others to follow. Once again trying to cut a conversation off before it started. Scourge got up as well. “Now, do you all have those bottles for Drench or do we need to go get them?”

He desperately wished the others would protest him coming, if only he could go back to sleep. He was tired. Very tired. And the hot dude back in his bed wasn’t a good push to stay out. Manic might have seen the signs, but he could tell from his voice that he was exhausted. "Uh, yeah, dude, we're good. Detours getting the drinks though, Drench has had enough bottles thrown at him." He moved out of the booth, motioning for Aria to stand. They waited for Manic and Aria to walk in front. Castillo gave Scourge another pat on the shoulder. He knew taking him to dinner was probably a horrible idea. Scourge smiled softly at his alternate, getting up and walked with their friends to the car, not trying to be rude. “Right right. Sorry.”

Aria noticed it now too and raised a brow. “Want me to warp you home?” She offered. "Yeah, uh... You've been acting kinda tired, dude." Manic admitted. "You should probably sleep or something. Yeah, I say warp home." It didn't take long before Manic and Castillo were driving Aria home. Scourge's driving was definitely less careful than Manic's, but he didn't get into any accidents somehow. "Oh man, thanks for coming." Manic stretched his hands over his head as he talked. "I'll tell Detour sorry for you." He stopped stretching, and looked at Aria. "Has Scourge been acting like that a lot? That whole meal was kinda naff." Castillo stayed silent. Even if he was being kind to his alternate, he still wanted answers. “… I haven’t… I haven’t noticed…. I’ve been so busy with work and Terra that I haven’t hung out with him.”

She felt awful. Crossing her arms and whining gently.

“I think he feels left out… Maybe we should invite him out more,” she mused. "Maybe he's recovering," Manic thought aloud. "I mean, I don't wanna force him to do anything, but yeah! Uh... Right, I don't think we were planning on doing anything tomorrow. Maybe we just drink tonight with Detour, and we could hang out tomorrow. What're you thinking?" "If he's up for something." Scourge shrugged and nodded in agreement. The van pulled up to Aria's apartment building. "Oh man, sorry about that show, Ari." Manic said. "I'm gonna punch 'em both when they're out of the hospital." “Please, let me help,” she offered, clearly frustrated with the band mates. “Actually wait. No. Just tell him I’m disappointed. That’s worse.”

She hugged the green boys goodbye and got out of the van. “Just… Could you check on Scourge once in a while in case I forget?” Manic gave a thumbs up and a slightly goofy smile. "Dooon't worry, we'll keep up with him. You go be cute with Terra or something, we'll call you tomorrow. See ya." Scourge and Manic made good on their promises. Detour seemed surprised o see the two hedgehogs, but quickly relaxed once they realized they were just at his house to drink. The two followed up their dinner and drinking with even more drinking and stupid jokes. Detour blatantly needed someone to drunkenly ramble to about his two stupid, stupid, STUPID band mates. ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ Aria's phone went off late in the morning again. Another call from Manic, but nowhere near as peppy as his last call. "Heeeey, Ari." Manic's voice oozed with confusion. "Uh, is Scourge up to something today? I called his phone a bunch of times, and he's not picking up." Aria was already awake, hair up as she tried to paint. The phone call was met with confusion. “That’s unlike him. Usually he doesn’t turn it off… Should we go check on him?”

She was already washing her brushes off, her mate's ears perking up at the noise. "It's probably nothing... but like, yeah, let's check it out." Manic didn't quite believe himself it was nothing, but Aria didn't need to know that. "I'll be at your place in like... ten minutes?" Scourge was still laying in the backseat, slightly hungover but drinking some water. "Alright, we're checking out Scourge's place," Manic called into the backseat. His lover sat up and nodded. "Good," Scourge responded. "He wasn't acting right yesterday." “Don’t bother. Just meet me at the castle.” Aria ordered, throwing on some decent clothes and warping herself out with a kiss goodbye to her mate.

They all met up at the castle doors. Aria walked in without knocking and made her way upstairs, calling out for the king. Manic and Scourge simply follower her. It had been their first time visiting since the incident, and though the halls felt oddly empty, it wasn't half as imposing. Aria's calls were still not being met with any answers, though, and the two were starting to get impatient. "Maybe he passed out drunk?" Scourge said bluntly. He was hungover the other day, allegedly. So he opened the door to the sitting room with the bar- "Hm?" He grunted. The door was locked. Another rustle didn't help. Scourge started testing the knobs on other doors, Manic following along. It seemed that most of the doors had been locked. Aria immediately shot upstairs and called out again, hesitantly. “Scourge?”

His bedroom door was open and when the Castillos joined her, she knocked. “Scourge? You okay?”

The king was asleep, the room a mess. It looked like he hadn’t left much in the past few weeks. He was unresponsive but alive.

“Do we wake him?” Manic and Scourge didn't seem to know what to make of his condition. "What...? Uh, you sure he's alright?" Manic headed further into the room, bending down to get closer to the king. He was breathing lightly. "Alright, yeah, he's not gone or anything, but what happened?" There were sheets scattered around the bed at all angles, and Scourge's usual well-kept clothes were littered everywhere. It looked more like a bachelor pad than a king's private room. Scourge had stepped to the other side of the bed instead. He noticed a few condom wrappers thrown in the trash can, but pretended not to see anything. "Scourge?" Manic nudged his shoulder. "Scourge, are you feeling alright?" “He’s breathing… I’ve never seen this place so messy… This isn’t normal,” she stated, starting to pick up dishes and setting them aside.

Scourge merely rolled over at the stimulus, groaning into the pillows and kicking at Manic gently. He was resisting the pull of consciousness.

Aria noticed a shirt that belonged to a friend of Scourge's and folded it nicely anyways. She had guessed what they were up to. Manic didn't know Scourge's wardrobe, and the wrappers were the only evidence, leaving him the only one in the dark about everything that had happened. He kept prodding the king, but he seemed insistant on staying asleep, so Manic finally pulled back. "God, even our place doesn't look like this," Manic admitted. "I mean, it used to, but that was when I was super depressed... ..." The point stuck a bit too much for him to be comfortable with. He nudged the king harder this time around, not determined to get him to wake up rather than vaguely passive. Scourge's whines and protests got a lot louder and a lot harder. He did NOT want to be woken up. Eventually Manic did manage to rouse the king, but he was angry.

“Leave me alone! I’m trying to sleep!!” He yelled, rolling over.

“What are you all doing here this late at night?” Manic, Aria and Castillo looked between themselves, before turning back to the king. "It's almost noon," Manic added, as though he could judge someone for sleeping into the afternoon. "We kept calling and you weren't picking up," Castillo said bluntly. "We knew you werew home, wanted to make sure you were alright." He took a long look around the room, letting the king take in all the messes. "What's going on?" “I’m tired as fuck.” The king groaned and buried his face in his pillows. “That’s all that’s going on! Now leave!”

He rarely ordered anyone around. He rarely yelled. Something was wrong. They would be better off leaving him there.

They weren’t gonna do that.

Aria slapped Scourge hard. “Wake up! This isn't like you!” Manic was glad Aria bit the bullet and hit him. Manic and his Scourge held him by either shoulder, picking him up by his arms and trying to get him to sit up. His kicks and flails his Manic and Scourge a few times, but they were persistent on getting him to stay up. "The more you fight, the more you're gonna hurt yourself," Castillo said severely. Manic let go and let him hold the king in place. "We all know something's wrong, and we're sick of you bullshitting. You want us to go, fine. Give us answers, and we're outta your house." "Dude, how long've you been living like this?" Manic said, still somewhat surprised by how messed up the room was. "This is a depression kinda lifestyle right here." “I don’t fucking know. Nor do I care. Now let go and GET OUT,” the king ordered again, easily tossing Aria and Castillo off of him.

Well not a toss, more a hard shove that just caused Aria to stumble back a few inches. It moved Castillo just enough for Scourge to get loose. The king was weaker and thinner than he should have been, his quills greyer and the bags under his eyes dark upon closer inspection.

“Just leave me to myself.” He demanded again and curled up into the blankets. "No," Castillo growled from the side of the bed. "What're you gettin' outta this, huh? You wanna stop feeling like shit, you tell people why you feel like shit." "Yeah, man." Manic sat down on the side on the bed and looked at the king. "I've been right there with you, I know how good it feels to do nothing. But if you just give in and do nothing, nothing's gonna change, and you're only gonna feel worse about whatever. We've waited out stupider stuff than this, so we aren't leaving 'til you let us help." Castillo sat down in a side chair in the room and just glared. Manic and him were serious. “What if I don’t want to stop feeling like shit? What if I just want to lay in bed and suffer by myself? You want to help? Fine, leave me alone.”

The king was far too tired to fight them for much longer, so he curled up, spines out, pulled his blankets up, and went to sleep. Manic and Castillo stared at one another for a moment. They'd waited all night to get tickets to concerts Manic was excited about. Waiting nine hours tops for the king to way up? That was nothing. And so they waited. Manic, Scourge and Aria all crowding around Scourge or Manic's phones to watch some dumb video, or listening to some music, or even cleaning the king's room more to entertain themselves. Whatever it took to keep them entertained. They were going to make sure Scourge stopped these episodes, no matter what it took. Minutes turned to hours, and hours piled up, but Manic and Scourge were still waiting for the king to get up and give them answers. Every hour or so they would check to see if he was breathing. Nine hours turned into ten. Ten to eleven.

He roused himself at odd hours and got up only to use the restroom and to grab a snack from the depleted mini fridge in his room filled with junk food.

He flipped thought a ton of channels on TV, not finding anything interesting. All in silence. He was pretending the others just weren’t there. Aria had gone to work and wouldn’t be back until later. Manic and Castillo didn't press him for answers. Their presence was probably uncomfortable enough for the king as is, even if Aria was gone for the time being. Neither of them seemed deterred. IF anything, the time they'd waited only fueled their need to get answers. It was time they acted more rude. Manic laid back on the sheets Scourge had thrown aside and watched the channels he flipped through. "Oh man, that's an awesome game show... Wait was that...?" He commented again and again on the various channels with the mindless blathering that contributed nothing. Castillo was a bit more subtle. He reached into the fridge himself and pulled out one of the few bottles of soda left. "You got a bottle opener?" He called out to Manic. “The edge of the fridge has one built in,” the king stated, continuing to needlessly flip through channels until Manic found the remote in his lap.

“Turn on what you like. I can’t be bothered to. Just nothing lovey or violent.”

He turned on his phone and a few texts showed up, but all were quickly read or ignored. Manic settled on stopping at a news channel. They weren't here to be entertained, they were here for answers, and the more they could bore the king, the more he'd want to get out of there. The two presenters droned on and on about foreign economic policy, reiterating points again and again to pad out the air time without adding anything to the conversation. Castillo popped off the bottle cap and drank the cola slowly, watching the king from his chair. He read from his own phone, now plugged into the wall to charge. And Manic certainly didn't mind watching the news. Hell, it was some kind of mental stimulation. They let the bland moment sit in for far too long, quietly anxious for the king to say anything. "You doing any better?" Manic finally piped up with. The king had spent his childhood in meeting rooms, bored out of his mind. Nothing was boring to him, especially not news on economics.

“Nope. Still want you to leave,” he insisted, getting up to use the bathroom.

Aria sent a text to Castillo.

{How is he?} Castillo was busy. As soon as he was out of the room, he took the few foods and drinks left in his fridge and stashing them under the king's bed. He'd have to get up to eat eventually. {Finally woke up, just as pissy} "What the hell do half those words mean, anyways?" Manic was glaring at the two dowdy presenters running through bizarre and far too involved economic terms for a general audience. Even if the segment wasn't working on boring the king, it was certainly working on Manic. "What should we try next?" "Lemme handle the talking, we'll stop fucking around when he gets back," Scourge said. Scourge returned, flopping on the bed. The tension was bad in the room and all the king wanted to do was get the others out.

“Just say your piece then.” "I was right about it being Fiona, wasn't I?" Castillo cut right to the chase. "All the date take, that dance at the wedding, it was all getting under your skin, and you wanted out. That's it, ain't it? Then you get that whole nonsense with the ghost. Now you're trying to live with all kindsof emotional bullshit and your mind's tellin' you to shut down and do nothing. 'Nothin' lovey or violent,' you think that was subtle? You think you're any good at hiding why you're so pissed off?" Scourge leaned forward in his chair and stared him down. "We ain't angry at you, and we sure as hell ain't angry about you being traumatized. But get some help, damnit, don't make us try and help you by force." He let that line dangle in the air for a few seconds. "Where're Rosy and Glare? Where's a doctor, man, where's anyone?!" He listened to the other tell him off, yell at him, fly into a rage. He was calm… Almost indifferent.

“… Rosy's baby is sick. Very sick. Something they didn’t catch. They’re suffering. It hit home, and I sent over our whole medical team to care for them. It wasn’t Fiona and it wasn't the possession and it wasn’t even the date okay?!”

He stepped up to Scourge, his first confrontation with the other all day. He was slightly taller, slightly bigger, much older.

“Stop talking like you know me. We may be brothers in DNA, but we are NOT the same.” "Of course we're not the same." Castillo didn't care about getting hurt by his alternate, he just wanted to get some answers. "I'm a criminal some green kid pulled out of the trash, you're a king. Of course our problems are different, that mean I don't know how I can help you? Manic lived with this same shit for years, I know how depression works." He seemed to be trying and failing to cool his anger. "I've got a kid too. Yeah, it's a completely different situation, and yeah, I know I can't know what shit you're dealing with. But you can't tell me you're laying in bed because her baby got sick, tell me it's cause you've lived through some shit, and then tell me Fiona and the spirit AIN'T at the heart of the problems." Manic could only watch from a distance, but neither Scourge seemed to initiate a physical fight. "So where's a doctor?" Castillo reiterated. "A shrink. Where's someone to help YOU recover from everything?" “Just because they're the cause doesn’t mean I can’t move on. I’m tired of hiding and suppressing it all. Let me mope in peace. Let me just… Cry it out for a while. I’ll be okay. I just can’t… I don’t know how much more I can take.”

He sat, groaning as he bent to do so. “I’m too old to keep hiding and doing it all. I just need time. I need rest. I’ll go to a therapist soon but not today… Let me rest.” "You need a therapist, dude." Manic said. He sat facing the king, trying to get his lover to calm down while he spoke to the king. "You've been through a ton, you need to talk this out with someone. But like... you can't be a recluse and hope you're gonna get better. Yeah, it helps to have time alone, but you've been spending tons of time alone already, and you're not doing better." Castillo sat back down, still ready to argue but his anger simmering down. Manic kept speaking. "You just slept for eleven hours. You're not gonna be more rested." “Well, I don’t have the energy to move.” And into bed the king crawled, creating a burrow to nest in.

“I’ll go find a therapist… Tomorrow.”

Looks like the boys would have to help him along. "Nope, you're finding one right now," Manic said, opening up a chest of drawers and starting to look for some clothes. "Scourge, you get looking for some people, I'mma choose some clothes for him." Manic's choices were simple. A pair of black dress pants. The black dress shirt his friend had left. A pair of simple black shoes. A more or less monochrome outfit. Manic grabbed the edge of the blanket and tugged it hard to try and get him to tumble out of his nest. "Wakey wakey, it's time to mental health!" Scourge was looking up some information on his phone. Eight o'clock. Almost all of the clinics that he could find were closed this late, or he couldn't find phone numbers. "Come on, we've got to find someone...!" Scourge growled at the pages of failed results. He sent a text out to Aria as Manic tried desperate to get the king to get some better clothes on. {You know any therapists?} "You know..." Manic pondered. "You know, my mom might be able to help." He seemed torn between whether or not this was a bad idea. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed it off to the king. "Mama knows best, after all... and you don't wanna make mom sad, do you?" Scourge groaned and watched his friend. “The black shirt isn’t mine, it’ll be too big,” was all he said. He yelped as he was pulled out of bed. “I don’t want to mental health,” he whined.

Aria texted back

{No one I can think of}

“Manic, no offense, but I’d rather not go to your mother. It's fine. We can wait until tomorrow.” He insisted. "Are you suuuure?" Manic said. He opened his contacts list and lingered over the auto dial for his mother. "She can help out a lot more than you think-" Castillo huffed as he finished his search off for the moment. "Manic, it's eight o'clock." He admitted. "No one's open. We've gotta wait." He didn't mention Manic's mother. It seemed he wasn't too sure what Aleena could do, either. "Fine, we'll wait 'til tomorrow. But we're getting you to a therapist as soon as you get up. And if you ain't up, we're waking you up." Manic put on an exaggerate pout, and sighed. He threw the clothes aside. "Fine, dude, whatever. But you're letting us bring you to the doctor tomorrow. Promise?" “I promise, I promise,” he mumbled, getting into bed and burrowing into it.

“…I’m hungry.” He said suddenly, stomach sounding off just after his sentence. He stick his nose out of the blankets and sniffed a little.

“Can you hand me something from the fridge?” There was a slight problem with that that Manic had the perfect segue out of. "Sure," he said, leaving out the bedroom door. He was gone for a few minutes. Castillo leaned against the wall, the anger gone and his expression almost caring. "We're staying in the guest rooms tonight and making sure you ain't leaving," Scourge commanded. "Don't pull any stunts." Manic finally returned, carrying a plate with a simple healthy sandwich and a tall cup of water. "You gotta specify more, there's all kinds of stuff in your kitchen fridge." He decided to conveniently gloss over the three doors he had to lockpick to get to the kitchen. Castillo meanwhile sent one more text to Aria. {Rosie's kid is sick, taking it hard. Nabbing him a therapist tomorrow} {I heard. I sent them Damian to help. The little one will be fine, but Rosy isn’t gonna be back to work for a while.}

Scourge sniffed his way over to the small pantry next to the fridge and grabbed some chips to throw on the side for sodium. He ate quietly, upset that the others were giving him a hard time, but too tired to fight.

Once his dinner?… Breakfast?… Meal was finished he cleaned the crumbs off his sheet and into the trashcan by his bed, then burrowed back into the sheets. The two hedgehogs shrugged, happy he was eating at least. "Seriously, dude, we aren't trying to be mean or anything," Manic assured him. "But this ain't a way to live. You'll-" Manic let out a sigh. "You'll be fine. Get to sleep again, we'll figure stuff out tomorrow." "Night," Scourge left him with. Scourge opened the door and lead Manic out, turning off the lights and closing the door as they left. ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ Manic and Scourge more or left slept in shifts. One slept while the other sat on a chair outside of Scourge's bedroom door, keeping a close eye to make sure he didn't bolt. The one thing that passed the time for them more than anything was texting Aria, and impatiently waiting for when she'd show up again. "Uuuuugh..." Manic groaned. He wasn't used to sleeping in shifts, and he still felt a bit too fired. It was eight o'clock, unfortunately time to start searching again. Aria had crashed at home, Terra having texted the boys in her mate's stead to tell them such.

Scourge was curled into a spiky ball again when the boys went to rouse him, leg twitching. It was a childish behavior that he didn’t seem to have grown out of. This was the most peaceful they had seen him in a while. Manic and Castillo were both somewhat tired, but they didn't want to wake up Scourge immediately. He didn't seem to be having bad dreams, and even if it wasn't any kind of psychological help, Manic knew sleeping felt better than suffering. The two watched on for a moment and let him rest a few moments more. "I'll start looking again," Scourge grumbled, opening up the internet in his phone. Manic walked up to the king, not quite sure what to do to get him to wake up through the wall of quills. He gave two knocks to the headboard, hoping the sounds would be enough to get his attention. "Scourge?" He asked in his normal tone. "It's morning, buddy." Scourge grumbled a little, stretching out and yawning a few minutes later. The bags under his eyes were still huge, but not as bad now.

“Morning…. So breakfast then shower then therapy?” He submitted to the others plan easily. He figured it was the easiest way to be left alone. "Pretty much." Manic agreed. "We'll get something ready downstairs, anything you wanna eat?" Within a few minutes, Scourge was in the shower Manic and Castillo were in the kitchen downstairs, Manic putting his limited cooking abilities to use. That and a recipe pulled up on his phone. "Yeah, I'm a representative of the king. King S-C-O- Damnit, she cut off again!" Castillo yelled, closing the dialing pad. "Why ain't anyone believing me? I AM a Scourge!" "I mean, if some dude came up and told you they knew the king of wherever, would you believe em?" Manic shot back. He thankfully wasn't burning anything for once, but it was clear that everything he was doing was distinctly amateur. Scourge turned the water to an almost boiling point, basking in the heat as it turned his exposed skin red. He thought to the male in his bed earlier in the week, and wished his ‘services’ could have been provided in the shower as well.

Regardless he got out when he was finished and dried off. Pulling on his clothes, he walked downstairs and chuckled softly at his alternate's struggle.

“I have my own physician. But he is with Rosy right now. Gimme the phone and the number.” "'ts highlighted." Scourge handed his phone over to the king. A page for some local therapist's office was opened, and at a glance, he could tell Scourge had several other tabs for several other offices opened. "Hey, sorry if it's not perfect or nothing, but I'm not a perfect chef." Manic reiterated. He plated the king's meal quickly, a tomato and cheese omelette and some toast. He didn't want to coddle the king and cook too much for him, but he knew if he didn't, he'd probably just each more junk food or nothing at all. "Aria said she got Damian to go and look after her kid," Manic said. "I mean, he's kind of a dick, but he's a hell of a doctor. Everyone's gonna be alright, man." “Thank you. Aren’t you two going to eat?” Even though he had been served his whole life, he hated it, the feeling intensified by his friends being the ones to take care of him.

He dialed the number and let it ring. “Hi there, I was wondering if you did walk in appointments or same day booking? Yes, this would be for me. Any time of day really, but the sooner the better. No. No. Yes. Depression and some anxiety. If I may ask, how do you feel about magic?…. Good. Yes I will see you then. Thank you. Oh, a name? Roi. Spelt R-O-I. Thank you. Goodbye”

He hung up and started eating.

“When in doubt, use descriptive words in other languages,” he insisted. Manic almost seemed to scoff the idea of them eating. "We've been chowing down all night to stay awake, we don't need food." He smirked. "I'm lucky I got one omelette finished without burning it, I'm not gonna get that good with a second." They let him make his call. He wasn't backing out on them, at least things were going well. Manic turned off the stove and left the skillet in the sink. "What language was that, mexican or something?" A chair was pulled out, and Castillo sat at the table near the king. "I'm sorry about yesterday," he apologized. "Know I shouldn't've gotten... pissed." It was clear that every word coming out of his mouth was forcibly ejected, rather than naturally flowing. It was killing his pride to do this. Even Manic seemed a little surprised at the action. “French. It means king.” He explained and was surprised by his alternate's apology.

“Don’t worry about it. I needed an ass kicking. You’re both just what the doctor ordered…. Or will be ordering?” He ruffled the other's quills and finished scarfing down breakfast.

“‘Sides. Its the only way to get you two to stop worrying so it's not that big a deal.” Scourge seemed a bit embarrased by the ruffled quills. "Don't make me sound like some softie," Scourge protested with an amused, embarrassed grin. "Hey, I'm just glad the worst of it's over." Manic said. "I know I'm just the green dude who sometimes plays a drum, but like, I know a lot about depression. If you don't wanna be mopey and alone and hate everything, call me up, and I'll drive down and we can be depressed together." He sat down casually, eating a pear from the fruit basket like it was an apple. "You mind if we text up Aria and let her know?" “And tear you away from this sap? I can’t do that,” he joked, lightly tilting his head to motion to his alternate. Even this joking was tiring him out, but he could hide it well.

“Sure, but she should be asleep, she was working a night shift… I know this sounds a little random, but I think Terra is sort of balancing Aria out. They’re a good mix. Although all of you need to tone back the eye fucking.” "Whatever, dude." Manic shrugged it off. "You know we ain't stopping, and you know Terra and Ari ain't, either." "...You ready for this?" Scourge asked, getting up to finally get on the road. "It shouldn't be too far." The two kept a close eye on the king while they brought him to the van and started the engine. He still looked tired, but he was functioning more, and he was on his way to get professional help. They took the drive slowly, and put on something more low-key for their tastes, so try and stop him from getting overwhelmed. "I know it feels like garbage to try and get to therapy, but you'll feel like less garbage when it's over, trust me," Manic reiterated. "You want us to wait outside?" “Yeah if you could? I just don’t know how tired I’m gonna be when this is all over. I’m not good at opening up to strangers.”

Soon they got to the therapists office and were let into a waiting room that felt welcoming. Warm mahogany wood was used on all the bookcases and floors. He checked in easily with the receptionist. And sat to wait. The few others sitting around the waiting room seemed surprised. The king, here? With another alternate, and some strange third green hedgehog? No one seemed to say anything outright about it, but there was a shared confusion between the others. And of course, it didn't take long for the king to be brought in to talk to talk to someone. The door quietly closed behind Scourge... ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ "Yeah, really." Manic said happily. "I'm happy for you, you've been looking a lot healthier." Doctor Hellings had been seeing the king for only two weeks at that point, but the differences were already being made clear. The two Scourges, Aria, and Manic were all sitting around the living room, snacking on take-out nachos and tacos and just enjoying seeing a more sociable Scourge, even if he wasn't completely healthy yet. “The meds have been giving me the energy to get up and do shit, so yeah I mean it's not a bad effect.”

He had started working out again to burn the excess and it was sort of a mental exercise to get himself to go. But it was helping.

Aria was relaxed. Finally Scourge was feeling better. She kept quiet and just enjoyed the company. Manic and Castillo were just happy to see him making progress. Even just seeing his friends to have some conversation and make some stupid jokes was fun. Manic was always in the mood for good company, and he could easily bleed the kind of positivity Scourge needed in his life. "Come on, let's celebrate all that mental health with something gross and unhealthy." He glorped up a large amount of the hot nacho cheese into a chip and held his oversized soda in the air like a toast. "To Scourge not feeling like ass!" Castillo just laughed at the light jab and went back to his own drink. "Did you see the rumors that tabloid was makin' up about us?" He asked, clearly not torn up by the thought. They all toasted to Scourge's mental health. Then they all continued stuffing their faces.

“I have actually. They think you, Manic, my fwb and I are having a constant foursome.” He snorted, laughing at the thought.

Aria looked up from her food. “So… What do they think of me then?”

Scourge shrugged. “They don’t see you cause you don’t leave from the front door like a normal person. A while back they thought I kidnapped you until you showed up with soup.” Manic just smiled and snorted at the king's comment. "What, really?!" Not that he hadn't read the tabloid headline, he just hadn't put together who Scourge's friend really was. "You know two thieves, think that'd be enough for 'em," Castillo said. "I'm surprised Ari ain't in that story, too. Surprised that band ain't part of it, either." "...Uh, how is Drench doing, anyways?" Manic asked with plenty of visible concern. That moment was enough for another large gob of nacho cheese to fall off of the chip and his the carpet. "Oh, sh-! Sorry, dude!" "Lemme call up Drench," Scourge said. "One of you grab some cleaning crap or something... damnit, Manic, why doesn't anyone in your phone have a normal name?" Aria went to grab some cleaning supplies and Scourge just flipped through the tabloid that he had found on his doorstep in the morning. He just laughed at the photos and conclusions drawn.

“There's nothing as funny as jumping to conclusions and falling flat on your face… Look for ‘the biggest idiot’. Chances are that's what he’s saved under.” Castillo kept scrolling through the pages of names and symbols. He eventually stopped at what he presumed was the name. "Alligator symbol, 'the boy', grinning face, 'with', clapping hands, 'the', clapping hands, two knives, 'pointy', knife, 'sharp', knife, 'teeth', two more knives, five chili peppers, and a peach." He read flatly. His own phone went off before he could finish sending his text, the third time that day. Castillo only peaked at it quickly. "'nother robocall," he said, finishing up his message. "What else are we getting accused of?" He said, reaching for the tabloid himself. “Robocall?” He asked, and handed over the magazine.

There was quiet a few photos of several different people Castillo didn’t know going in and out of the castle. None of them had clear faces.

“I wish they would leave my friends alone,” he shrugged. "Just some phone scam," Castillo added, scanning over the pictures. The few people he could identify were castle staff or some of the king's friends. "No one takes this crap seriously anyways. If they're gonna fuck with you, they're wasting their time." His phone rung again. He pulled it out and looked at the number. "Motherf-" He growled to himself and slammed the button to ignore the call, and put it back in his pocket. "This call ain't giving me a break," He grumbled as he threw the tabloid back to the king. "Think they'd learn to take a hint." "Uh... how far away is the cleaning stuff, anyways?" Manic thought out loud. "Ari's been gone for a while, is there like a secret maze we don't know about or something?" Aria came back with a damp cloth. “Sorry. Avalanche in the pantry.” She cleaned the cheese up and joined in the conversation.

“Telemarketers? If you threaten legal action they usually back down.”

The tabloid had tons of photos of different people, some women but mostly men. Aria peeked at it and smiled, clearly knowing one or two of them. Castillo sipped his drink, seemingly unaffected by the comment. "Maybe I'll try it," he said. "Maybe they'll just stop calling and give me a damn break." "Speaking of legal action, you sure there ain't anything you can do about this tabloid stuff?" Manic said, looking over the tabloid. "I mean, even if you're a figurehead king, you're still a king, right? There's gotta be something you can do." There was another phone call, but this time, not to either of the Castillos. Scourge's phone silently rung from his pocket, a number that wasn't in his contacts list. “Not that I know of. Suing for defamation is an option but I really don’t care. Let them think I’m a bad boy, the attention isnt-”

He felt his phone go off and it vibrated and rang. “Weird. My number is unlisted… Be right back, guys.”

He got up to take the call in the hallway. “Hello? Who is this?” The sigh of relief sounded strangely familiar. When the female voice started speaking, it became all too clear. "This is the king, isn't it?" That was doubtless the voice of Castillo's Fiona. "It's the woman from the wedding." Fiona said, audibly annoyed. "I was trying to talk with Scourge, but he's been hanging up all my calls. Petulant little shit..." Another sigh. "I need you to tell him to take my calls," Fiona commanded. "He's just ignoring everything, and- His kid drank some bad milk at school and he's got awful food poisoning. Faolán's been throwing up for days and he thinks he left his... His gametari thing at the wedding, and he's complaining about not having his 'save file.' The kid's throwing up so much I don't want to ask any questions. Make him take my call. Got it, Scourge?" He listened and looked over at the lively party and knew he had to cut it short a bit. Admittedly he had a weak spot for kids.

“Hang on a sec, was it green? I picked one up and figured it belonged to him, but I had no way to reach you. Lemme tell Castillo what’s going on… Have you taken Faolán to a doctor?”

Castillo perked up at his son's name and Scourge motioned him over. “Castillo, there weren’t telemarketers. Fiona is trying to get a hold of you.” He just grumbled and sighed at the news. "I know," he admitted. "She still trying to bitch me out for something?" "You have it?" Fiona seemed surprised. "Good. Yes, he's seen my doctor, he's- He's very fragile. His immune system just doesn't work right, and he's on heavy medication. He should be fine, but his system can always relapse..." The following sigh was quivering with sadness, the first emotion he'd really heard from her other than surprise or annoyance. "I'm trying my hardest to get him healthy again, your majesty," she said, lacing the sad speech with a strangely serious proper title. "I just want to end this call and stop talking to Scourge and get him to bring Fao his stupid toy-" Fiona took a breath and growled out the words. "Give him the device and get him on the phone." “Faoláns sick.” He told his alternate.

To Fiona, his tone grew gentler, unsure of how she’s handling herself. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. If you need anything at all, call me again and let me know.”

He handed his phone off to Castillo. “Don’t be too tough. She's upset. I’ll be right back, I found something of Faoláns at the wedding and I’ll give it back now. Didn’t realize it was his.”

He sped upstairs and found it in the pocket of his suit and ran back down, handing it off to his friend. But by the time he would get back downstairs, it would be clear that attempts to stay calm had failed. "...then message me!" Castillo was yelling into the phone. Manic and Aria had closed the door, and were awkwardly trying to pretend he wasn't yelling on the phone. "You know I don't wanna hear your shit! Like this- Like this shit right here. Tell me he's sick. Tell me you need something, an' I'll bring it to you, but then you start screaming and interrupTING ME! I love that kid, and don't fucking tell me- DON'T FUCKING INTERRUPT TO TELL ME that I'm not tryin' my best here, what the fuck else can I do? You don't wanna give him my number, don't wanna see me, the fuck do you expect from me?!" Scourge could hear Fiona's muffled yells from the phone, Scourge interspersing it with spiteful, loud "yeahs?" and "so whats?" as she went. "Fine, FINE, we'll drive your- WE WILL DRIVE. The kid's game to him. We'll cut our plans and piss everyone off and drive it down. But don't you-" As soon as Fiona started yelling again, he slammed the 'end call' button and gave the phone over to Scourge. He rubbed his forehead with one hand while Manic opened the door again. "We've gotta-" Scourge seemed angry and regretful. "Fiona wants me to bring her something tonight. We've gotta leave now." Scourge ran into the kitchen and grabbed some of the soup Aria had made for him. He had frozen it so it would keep, but he figured the kid could use it.

He brought the game and a freezer bag out to Castillo. “I’m sorry. Upsetting you wasn't my intention.”

“I can warp you,” Aria offered, trying to help. "You're fine... You're fine." Castillo grumbled, taking the bag and the game. "Fiona lives six miles out by car, don't wanna strain you. We'll just pick up some games or somethin' for him on the drive." It was clear he was regretting the argument already. Manic just patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry guys, but we've gotta get going. You just get to the car, dude, I'll grab our drinks." Castillo exhaled heavily as him and Scourge walked to the van. Manic shared the sentiment. "Sorry, Ari." Manic apologized. "You don't wanna know how their fights in person get... it gets rough. Scourge isn't gonna take this whole mess too rough, right?" “Poor Faolán.” Was all Aria said.

Scourge said nothing for a bit, looking at the other.

“Promise me something? Don’t fight with Fiona in front of Faolán. It’ll only make you look worse. You two need to sit down with a neutral third party and sort yourselves out… As for Faolán, here… This guy is an amazing pediatrician. He can help with the compromised immune system, or at least try.”

Scourge pulled a card from his pocket that he had picked up from upstairs and handed it over to Castillo. "We don't," Scourge admitted. "He's got enough shit to deal with." Scourge looked down at the business card for a while. He looked at the door. Manic and Aria seemed temporarily distracted. He walked forward, out of eyeshot, and gave him a firm hug with one arm, punctuated by a pat on the back. "Thanks," he said quietly, but sincerely. "Kid needs all the help he can get." He pulled away and looked into the room again. Manic and Aria were on their way out, Manic carrying some of the food and both large drinks. "Hey, maybe you can give us a boost out a little further? So like, we don't have to drive 6 hours boths ways?" Manic asked. "That'd be perfect, dude." He hugged back, just chuckling. The other was far too shy about showing emotions. “Sure, I can warp you the whole way there, and then you can take the ring to warp back.”

He pulled it from his pocket and waited to toss it open.

Aria hugged Manic and Scourge goodbye, worried clearly but saying nothing. "We'll be alright, Ari," Manic assured her, "really." The two stepped through the ring, out into the lobby of a particularly fancy casino hotel. It was a long walk. Around the usual fountain, to the elevator, up to the top floor... and some conversation with bodyguards to get into the penthouse elevator. By the time the doors opened, Fiona was surprised to see them. She noticed the warp ring. "You didn't tell me-" "We want to see him." Scourge said, pulling the gaming device out of his pocket. "Now." She didn't want a fight in earshot of her son. So the two walked through the slick, modern rooms until they reached the familiar bedroom door. Scourge silently handed over the business card. "This doctor's the best with kids," he said quietly. "He deserves the best." Fiona took it quietly, reading over the text again without so much as a thank you. Through the open door was his room, decorated in expensive yet child friendly furniture. Faolán laid with a bucket next to his bed, a laptop plugged in, and an IV of clear fluid stuck into his arm. "Hi, dad." He greeted. "Why are you here?" "You left your games at the wedding." Scourge smiled and sat down next to the bed, handing the device over. "I didn't know you were this sick, kid. Someone give you that bad drink on purpose?" "Franklin said he'd give me five dollars if I drank it." He said, with little remorse. Scourge smiled and laughed. "You're your dad's kid, alright. Don't poison yourself, kid. Your body can't handle that crap." ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ It would be two hours before the two stepped through the ring again, out in front of the castle. "Whoo... you doing alright?" Manic asked, patting his husband's back. "Yeah," he said. "He's doing better." A car was in the driveway. One they didn’t recognize. For the time of night, visitors were unusual, especially since cars late at night gave the media a new idea or two. That wasn’t normal.

The castle was dark. That wasn’t normal either. A quick survey of the car would leave nothing defining in sight. No way to judge its occupants. A little trash, but not enough that the car was a mess. Kept clean and free of any personal effects. Odd.

Except for a bumper sticker that said “I love the brain”. Love was replaced with a realistic heart and brain was a drawing of the organ. Weirder. Manic and Scourge came to the same general conclusion. "Do you think it's one of his special friends?" Manic asked. "Probably," Scourge admitted. The two walked into the house, but not too far. They were both tired, and they knew Scourge would have a fit if they slept in the van. They walked over to the living room, cuddling up against one another and trying to fall asleep. "Are you sure?" Manic asked. "I don't think he'd want someone to drive over." "Hmm." Scourge mumbled, holding Manic to his chest. "We'll bother him tomorrow." For once, the two decided to leave him alone, and hopes both him and Scourge's kid were on the path to getting better. About an hour later they would hear voices if they were awake.

“Sorry Doc. I just… I couldn’t handle it.”

The therapist smiled. “I’m glad you came to me for help. This is good. This is progress. This is…. Who are they?” The doctor pointed out the two on the couch and Scourge just laughed quietly.

“Friends. This door is open to all at all hours.” He laid a blanket over the two and propped their heads on pillows. Manic slept soundly. Castillo's slumber was more angry and broken up. He wasn't allowed to see his kid when he was sick like this... He should have said something! He wanted to be there, he wanted to play one of those games with him or keep a close eye in case anything happened. He woke up a few times in the night, clutching to Manic and hoping he was alright. Thankfully for Castillo, the child slept through the night easily, and didn't suffer any worse symptoms. This wasn't going to end up being good news for the king, however. There was another call to the king's phone, early in the morning, from the same number as before. "Our son is healthy," Fiona reiterated after the beep. It was clear from her voice that she was thoroughly exhausted. "He got his game back and is sleeping. The doctor said... the doctor said he's alright. I don't know why I'm leaving you this voicemail at three in the morning." It sounded as though she was making every word come out by force. "Goodnight, Scourge." The call cut off after those lines.

Scourge listened to them in the morning before he left for a bit of a run. He texted the number, hesitant at first but then figuring Fiona was tired.

{I’m glad he’s feeling alright. But this is the wrong Scourge. I’ll tell Castillo for you though.)

{I figured the soup would help, it works wonders)

Then he left for his run, with a note for the others on where he was. His phone would quietly buzz with a text from Fiona while he was out for his run. {Delete that message and forget it.} By the time the two would wake up, Scourge was still out for his run. Manic and Castillo did their normal morning routines. Grabbing some new clothes, eating some less than healthy breakfast, making jabs and bad puns at each other, all their usual guff. Just with Scourge being a bit more somber than usual. "So what are you thinking?" Manic was sitting out the back doors of their van with his feet dangling. "Wanna drive back there and give him something'..." Scourge admitted as he searched through his roughly identical jackets. "Maybe another game for his game device, or something." "Didn't you already bring him food?" "Yeah, but a real gift." Scourge shot back. "Not just a bowl of soup." Manic smiled for just a few moments as they spoke about Scourge's kid. "Yeah... Yeah, me too." He admitted. Scourge was finally done finding his jacket, and moved to sit next to Manic. The didn't say anything, only sat and thought about his kid. Scourge returned a while later, reading the text. He felt bad for ever having brought it up.

“Hey guys. How’s it going?” He asked, having grabbed a towel from inside to dry the sweat off. Then he saw his alternates mood and seems concerned.

“Everything okay? Oh, Fiona left a message on my phone for you.” "Hey, yeah, we're good." Manic greeted him. Thanks for letting us sleep here. Didn't wanna come in, but we knew you'd want us to." Scourge seemed surprised by the message, listening closely as it played. But he only leaned back and sighed. "Don't think this is changing anything. She's always back an' forth. We ain't fixing what we've got... but thanks." "That warp ring's on the table in the living room." Manic interrupted with, desperate to change the topic. "We were just gonna drive home, get some stuff done, then drive to Fiona's place and get some stuff for his kid." But as Scourge crawled into the front passenger seat of the van, Manic hopped out the back and got a bit closer to Scourge with a sly glare. "And if you're gonna invite your 'friends' over, don't have 'em drive, people are gonna snap pictures. Just warp 'em over, it'll be more secret." "Oh that wasn’t any of them. That was the therapist, cause things are… Tense in a way. Talking to a Fiona alternate is… Surreal. Especially one who hates me and Castillo so much…. Anyways, have a safe drive.”

He ruffled the others quills and went to see his alternate. “How you holding up?” "I'm fine." Castillo said through the open passenger side door. "He's taking it well. Don't think he really understands what food poisoning means to him, but he'll heal. You said that guy's the bed kid doctor, right? Fiona can afford it." "She can afford all those video games, too, but she doesn't buy him a lot of those," Manic admitted with a pout. Castillo just shrugged. "Then we get 'em for him instead." He looked at Scourge again as the van turned on. "Don't let her get to you. Ain't worth your anger." "Not anger just… Just upset. I feel bad for Faolán. Maybe try talking Fiona into letting you see him more? The warp ring is yours to use whenever. Be safe.”

He backed away from the car so Manic could drive off, then turned around to go inside. The castle, empty for the first time in a while, felt too lonely for him suddenly. It might have been a long drive, but the two had long grown used to long drives. The back of their van had records and a portable turntable, their guitars, plenty of space to nap, everything they'd need to keep themselves entertained. Their trip was interspersed with various stops. Not just to take a rest stop or grab something to eat, but to nab some treats for Faolán. Some extra games for his console, one or two for a console he was pretty sure he had, sweets and chips for when he got better, a book of guitar chords... Scourge felt awful about not knowing his kid was sick. Him and Fiona were texting back and forth rapid fire for most of the drive, both making good points and ignoring their partner's entirely. But their drive finally ended, and they finally got to see him in person. Even if Fiona was pissed beyond belief, she was too busy, and the two had the whole afternoon to play video games with her child and look after his health. In spite of everything, it was Scourge's kid, and Manic loved kids in general. It was oddly fine for them all. They didn't want to break the mood, so they didn't call or blatantly text. He said it was surreal, not necessarily bad. He was going to recover. Right? Scourge wandered through the empty castle walls. Even through the old wing, which had been repaired. He stayed away from the study, as far away as he could get. He was left alone to his thoughts.

That was never good.

He unlocked the nursery next to his bedroom and opened the door, grabbing Luke’s baby book. His therapist had told him to try to look at them, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“What would you have been like, hmm? What would you have seen or done or said? I’ll never know.” He mumbled to himself, fingers tracing gently over the photos taken of his wife and child. Would he have taken after his mother, perhaps, and grown into a fine young man? He would certainly grow without the same trauma Scourge himself had to live with, but how much did that shape his personality? Perhaps he would have been the child Scourge himself had never been fated to be. And what of Faolán? It was a different name, a different appearance, an entirely different set of parents, but could he have been a glimpse into what Scourge could have been meant to deal with? Would his own immune system have grown compromised, but live with that same pep and vigor he'd seen? Everything he had been shown at the wedding showed that he loved life, he loved both his parents in spite of their situations. Maybe this was the personality he was never going to have? Never going to have. Never going to have. There were many alternates of Scourges and Fionas, many alternates of how their relationships had shaped. Relationships torn by Scourge's too weak to want to have a child. Children who were never born. Children doomed to live in volatile, unhealthy environments with terrible parents. Faolán's existence seemed to stem from years of trauma for both parents, and he was cursed himself. Luke was never going to have a full, happy life. It was a curse. Scourges and Fionas could only have a doomed child, he should have known. He should have known. It was his fault for bringing the child into the world, his fault for not seeing these patterns until years past their relevance, his fault, his fault, his fault, his fault. Scourge let his mind run wild with the thoughts. Thoughts that intruded, painted images too painful to think of on his own. His gaze fell to the picture of Fiona, cradling her full belly the day before he was arrested. She was young, but still lit with pride in their unborn offspring. She was the star that crossed him every which way, and he had always been the Scourge to go against the system.

“Doomed before we started. All of us.” He admitted aloud. “And all because of me.”

He chuckled, laughed even until the laughter turned to tears and he pushed the book delicately off to the side so his tears wouldn’t stain the pages.

The pages.

The only proof his child had been in the world were yellowed pages and a marble tomb. His wife only survived by similar pages and photos and stone. Fiona… How would she have been? He tortured himself with the thought of multiple children, of his wife with greying hair and tired but jovial eyes. He tortured himself whenever he thought of her, truly. But oh he would face the pain, and much much more, if only to remember her smile. And even then the picture of her was fading. Millions of Fionas, but she was different, carried herself different, looked different. She was easy to pick out in a room of millions of alternates. He did so in his dreams, but also whenever he met another version of her. Did they share her eyes? Her smile? That little beauty mark on her cheek? The crinkle of her nose when she laughed, or her mismatched dimples?

The answer was always no, they didn’t look like her. He wouldn’t be able to handle the day when the answer was yes. This alternate Fiona did not look like her. Not at all. His Fiona's face was just barely creased to show how she smiled to anyone who gave her a chance. This Fiona looked unnaturally aged by anger and torment. She had no beauty marks, only tiny burns and scratches. Her eyes were dim, her smile never there, it was easy to guess she didn't carry his old wive's dimples, either. The faintest glance would tell anyone they weren't the same person. So why was she allowed to survive with her child? His Fiona had done nothing but enrich their lives, a delightful woman from a sea of alternates, cut down in her prime. Maybe he only knew this other Fiona from a few choice encounters, but she was spiteful and petty. The woman to wear a wedding dress to someone else's wedding just to stir confusion. The woman to bear a child and not allow the father access. All the stories Castillo had told were of a woman running an illicit empire off the back of crooked casinos and a strange, looming mob of goons that lurked through countless cities and towns. Merciless and wrathful to anyone but her child. But here they were. Fiona and Luke were gone to the world at large, a faint speck at most to anyone else. Perhaps she was... too good for a Fiona? Perhaps the universe couldn't handle a Fiona and Scourge who lived a good, enriched life. Was this some strange god-like hand restoring the way of things? Are the only Fionas slated to survive the worst of the lot? His Fiona's death was just... order. The sad, sad result of a universe desperate to keep order. And if that was true, what did that say about himself? Miles and Fiona were too good to live. But he was a killer. A patricidal lunatic, a weak facade of a king clinging to a land he had no power over, a shell drowning in the remains of his own life unable to move on. No one. He often replayed the events of years ago in his mind. Key events spread over months and months of jail time. What could he have done?

In a moment of clarity a chain of events came to light.

Fiona died because of his father.

His father died because of Scourge, who was seeking revenge for Miles.

Miles’ death was caused by Scourge refusing to be beaten any longer.

The beatings were caused by his fathers anger that his wife was gone, taken out on his child.

His mother was gone because of post-partum complications leading to an excruciatingly painful existence, kept alive only by her husband’s desires for a backup heir.

His fault.

The chain of death was his fault. ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ Castillo might have had many troubles with his family life. Many, many troubles, but there weren't these levels of self loathing or trauma present. He could still see his child. He could still call them his kid. Even if he didn't get to see them very often, he did have a chance to talk to him. And right now, he at least had a chance to sit with his kid and be a fun dad. "An' the fire magic's good against the earth magic, right?" He asked, sure himself but letting his kid feel smart. "And also the ice ones," he said. The two were trading off a gaming device between them as much as they wanted while Manic sat in the main room, trying to have a conversation with Fiona. "You said you want him to have a father, right?" Manic said. "He wants to see him, man, just let him see his kid!" "He ruined me once," Fiona shot back. "I'm not having him destroy our kid, too." Manic wanted to argue the point, but Faolán didn't need to have more arguing in his life. And besides, his phone went off without warning. "Huh?" Manic said, looking at the screen. "We're still talking about this, I've gotta take this." He checked the contact again, and took the call. "Heeeey, Ari. I'm kinda in the middle of something right now, what's up?" “Um… Have either of you talked to Scourge? He’s not answering his phone and I’m not sure if that’s because one of his ‘friends” is visiting or what.“

Aria was pacing, nervously. She was pulled to sit on Terra's lap to try and calm her down. It didn’t work.

Faolán was enjoying his time with his father, the bonding time raising his spirits. "Uh... I don't really know what's going on. He has been going through a lot lately, maybe...!" It struck him far too late into the game. The reaction to Fiona's call, the arrival of the doctor the previous night, the stories about Rosy's baby. What on earth was the king going through? "Oh my god, I think we've made a huge mistake. Dude, you go down to the castle. The front door's pretty easy to pick if it's locked, just take a jag pick and a large diamond pick- Eh, just hop through a window or something. I need you to open a warp so we can get over there. ...Yu huh, the same place it opened last time it was used. ...Sounds good." He hung up the call. "Hey, Scourge, we've gotta get..." Scourge didn't get too many chances like this where Fiona wasn't chewing him out. "Scourge, I'm warping back to the castle, the king wants to talk. See ya, kiddo." He gave a goofy two-finger salute to his kid, and left while immediately removing his fun tone. The king was going to be fine, right? Aria opened the warp ring for Manic, red faced and out of breath when he stepped through.

“He’s… He’s not in the castle… No one has seen him all day… But I found… Luke’s baby book on his bed.” She held up the book, looking up at Manic with concern.

“Manic, he didn’t warp. I can’t track him, I have no idea where he is. He’s not at Fiona’s grave, but there’s fresh flowers so he was there.”

Castillo’s Fiona listened through the open warp, curious as to what was going on in her house. Fiona could hear Manic opening the baby book. Not just pictures of Luke, but Fiona, too. His presumption was right. He let out a long, heavy exhale as he gave the book back. "Ooookay, we need to make sure he isn't hurting himself." Manic said, simply. "You can't submit a missing persons report for a while, so we've gotta find someone else who might- or someone who can lure him back here, or whatever? Do you know any of his special friends? Maybe he's at this therapist?" He scanned the castle grounds around him. They were never visible, but they had to be there waiting for pictures. "You know, if we're looking for the king, no one's watching him more closely than the gossip rags." “A few, but they’re all at work and he doesn’t like bothering him there. I had one of the servants call the therapist, and he’s not there either… Where would he go? If not to Fiona then to who? Miles is too far away… He wouldn’t go to see his father…”

Aria looked over at the bushes as well. “I tried. They ran when they saw me… I don’t know what to do…”

“Aria, there’s a cap for a bottle of vodka open in the lounge but no bottle.” A servant said after walking up to them. "Okay, he's been drinking," Manic admitted. "He's been drinking heavily, he's been gone for a while. He could be just about anywhere. But he's nowhere local, he's probably taking... Maybe he's taking a road trip so no one can tell where he's going? Maybe he got drunk and drove to an old vacation spot? Like, had some good memories, wanted to go back to the good memories? Is there like, anywhere he went with his wife?" His wife... "Wait!" Manic said, coming to a realization. "Wait, wait, wait, I might- I might have something!" Manic said. It was a long shot, especially since he didn't warp anywhere. But there was a vague chance it MIGHT have been true. He hopped through the warp, not surprised Fiona seemed to be listening in. "Fiona, that king who held out wedding? Look, I think he's trying to see you. Is anyone trying to get in here, or something?" The goons checked and no, the king wasn’t anywhere near the building. In fact, Aria revealed, the king couldn’t drive.

But Aria had a thought that made her sick. “What if… Fiona’s grave has a giant river next to it… You don’t think…”

Aria turned heel and took off in the direction of the river, leaving Manic and Fiona to follow, the fox calling out to her child that she would be right back. Fiona was just blindly following. What was she doing? It wasn't her Scourge. It wasn't any Scourge she's significantly known. But here she was, more or less forcibly following Manic to some gravesite she hadn't even known about mere minutes before. The castle was strange for a Scourge. Scourge's ran horrible dictatorships out of imposing castles. They ran criminal organizations from cushioned mansions. They ran fluorescent cities from drug-stained offices. But this was just... a plain castle. Put alongside a row of other medieval castles, it would have been completely bland and unmemorable. And this one seemed to have friends actually concerned about him. Friends that weren't criminals... well, friend, and even then, she didn't know about Aria. All she knew was Manic seemed frantic while they rushed through the entrance to the gravesite. Manic and Aria were desperate to find the king if he had jumped in. Fiona seemed frozen at the sight of what appeared to be her grave.

The grave itself was plain, but the smaller grave was no better for her stomach.

“You’re not my Fiona,” he had said to her the night of the wedding. “But we’re the next best thing.”

That suddenly made a lot of sense.

The wind picked up and Aria looked around the shore of the river for any hints of Scourge. None that she could see, only anxiety growing in her belly until…

The jacket his wife had given him years ago, hung up gently and with care on a tree branch, shoes kicked off, the empty bottle laying on the sandy bank. Manic's eyes fell on them soon after Aria had spotted them. The implication was obvious. "Come on, what are we doing?!" Manic said, kicking off his own shoes and throwing down his vest. "Come on, we've gotta find him!" He dove straight into the water, immediately startled by how cold it felt but not caring. The river looked pretty from the outside, but it wasn't easy to see through the clouded water. Where was he? The river wasn't too deep, Manic could swim to the bottom easily. He didn't drift downstream, did he? Manic breached for air, only to swim straight down again as he searched desperately for the king. Fiona stood frozen in space. Aria did the same, giving Fiona her phone. “Call Zonic, tell him where we are!”

She dove into the water and helped Manic look. She could stay down for far longer than he could, used to the water. She thought she saw a green arm but it was just Manic.

“He must… Have floated downstream! You stay here, I’m the stronger swimmer!”

Aria took off, praying they weren’t too late. As she looked, she thought. Water, why the WATER? True, he loved to swim, but it didn’t make any sense! None of this did.

The currents pulled her further downstream and she let it, coming up for air every so often. Fiona didn't like being given orders, but she was willing to make an exception. She hit the emergency button and tapped in 9-1-1, waiting for the line to pick up. Manic wasn't just going to sit aside and do nothing. Barely taking the time to tear his vest off of the branch, he ran into the house with his wet feet leaving a clear trail through the grass. He didn't have much time. He knew the layout, but he didn't have the time. He had to get in and out of the servants entrance as quickly as possible. They may already have been too late. He could only hope he wasn't. He followed the river downstream, carrying heavy towels and a first aid kit from the servant's hall entrance. Where was Aria...?! Ah, there she was, bobbing down the river! Her swimming was strong enough to fight against the currents thankfully. "Come on, he couldn't've gone too far!" Aria dove back under, catching a mouth full of river water and surfacing to spit it out. When she went back down something green in the water caught her eye. Stagnant, save for the motion of the current, Scourge's body floated. She pulled him to the surface and looped her arm around his chest, attempting to swim back to shore. It took a while, Scourge was much bigger than Aria and she needed help herself. Every time she would open her mouth to call out, river water would splash in.

She eventually dragged him onto the sandbank and started coughing up river water herself. She managed to sit up long enough to check for a pulse, but the fast surfacing made her dizzy.

As Manic ran up to them, Aria started chest compressions on Scourge, but let him take over before collapsing, shivering from the cold. One hand over the other, pressing down with the ball of his hand. He'd done this before, on his own Scourge, on his friends, many times over. Some times more ssuccessful than others. He wanted to throw one of the towels over Aria and try and keep her warm, or do the same for Scourge, but Scourge was on the brink of death if he wasn't past the point already. He just kept pressing harder and harder, hoping he could get his heart pumping or his lungs moving, anything! Just get some sign of life! "I don't know the area!" Fiona could be heard yelling over the phone. "It's the one behind the castle! Yes, the castle, it's - he's on the bank of the river. ...I don't know! I don't know this city!" Fiona kept tugging at her necklace in frustration. "There's someone laying dead on the ground, that's all I know!" 'Laying dead' struck a chord with Manic. Attempts to get his chest working again. CPR. back and forth in rapid succession. Was this working? Was this ever going to work?! HE just wanted a cough or a gag or anything. "Come on, dude, get back here...!" Manic screamed through terrified frustration of his own. “Keep calm ma'am. We are tracing your call now.” The dispatcher calmed Fiona, or at least tried to.

The compressions forced water to trickle out of Scourge's mouth, his unconscious body convulsing as some more water was forced out. Alive, for now. But he wasn’t shivering like Aria was, no. He was still, which meant he was at risk of hypothermia.

Sirens wailed in the distance approaching from downstream. So close… What was Manic supposed to do?! Fiona's yelling and mere presence had sent Manic's already overwhelmed system beyond feeling overwhelmed. His hands felt numb, his actions seemingly unconscious. The towels were wrapped tightly and quickly around Scourge's chest, his body, as much of him as he could cover with the few towels he'd grabbed. Aria was going to have to keep shivering on the ground. Manic knew this. Manic hated himself for not being able to help them both. But his body refused to shut down, and kept making decisions for him as his concious mind became too warped to unravel. The more he covered of Scourge, the easier it became for him to see him as his own husband. When almost all distinguishing marks were covered, his default Scourge was his own, and his overwhelmed mind couldn't take it. By the time dispatchers arrived, Scourge was unconcious, Manic was petrified and clinging to his chest, Aria was still shuddering from the sudden cold, and Fiona was simply dumbfounded. Fiona, ever hesitant, gently pulled Manic back from Scourge's body as the paramedics arrived and took over. “It’s not Castillo. It's not. It's a different one. It's not him.” Stern maybe, but she tried.

Scourge was rushed to the ambulance as fast as possible, and a second one took Aria, waiting to see if Manic was coming.

Regardless if he climbed in or not, soon both Aria and Scourge were en route to hospital and Fiona was calling Castillo to explain what had happened. He'd barely left his son's room by the time the call turned sour. "What do you mean, he's in the hospital?" The conscious Scourge demanded. "What'd you do?!" "He tried to-" Fiona was trying to say anything through her anger. "He drowned himself, your kid saved him, and now they're in the hospital. What else do you need?" "A trip back?" Scourge yelled. "How the hell did you get there in three hours tops, Fi?!" Fiona tried growling the words to stop hurting her throat. "There's a warp by the elevator. Aren't you happy I'm telling you?" Scourge stepped around the elevator in the living room, and the adjacent rooms quickly. "There's no warp, you warp me over!" He said, trying to keep his voice down. "I can't," Fiona replied. "I didn't make the warp!" The girl who had made and closed the warp was of course under medical care at that point, Manic in tow having missed the chance to go with the king. "I don't care how you get the ring, you're finding a warp ring, and you're bringing me right the fuck over. Got it?" "Fine." Fiona said bluntly. They slammed the end call buttons at the same time, each not not only scared but infuriated. Manic however was just scared, and holding one arm around Aria while the paramedics checked her and tried to help with her body and her trauma. Fiona made her way to the open castle doors. Deserted, the place was cold and empty and just… Sad. Some force, benevolent or not, made her follow a path through the castle and up into Scourge's bedroom. The book was where manic and aria had left it, open on the bed.

How jarring it was, to see photos of oneself, but not the right one. Not the right age, not the right baby. But still, Fiona was easily alarmed by it.

The golden ring sat on the dresser and whatever force had lead her there slowly dissipated, closing the book delicately as it vanished.

Spooked, Fiona opened the ring for Castillo to come through. She had the sudden urge to hug Faolán.

Hours later, Scourge and Aria were in their shared hospital room, both hooked up to machines to help them breathe, and to clear the fluid from their lungs. Neither were awake, but Terra was sitting by Aria's bedside, stroking her girlfriend's hair.

Scourge had been restrained as well, just in case he tried to panic when he woke up. Doctors came and left quickly. All the others were gone their own ways. Scourge was standing outside the door, not wanting to look at the two half-drowned hedgehogs. There was no music, just beeps and faint conversations in the distance. Scourge was more or less alone with his thoughts. He just wanted to calm down, but he wasn't leaving the hospital to drink, and while he was getting better at ignoring the faint urges to take hits with eery passing month, the threat still lingered and itched at his arm. Fiona was back home. She didn't show emotion to most people. She's shown emotions to Scourge years ago, and that only wrecked her more. None of her future lovers had grown close enough to her to warrent her true feelings. All she had left was Faolán, who didn't seem to understand just why she looked so sad, or why she seemed so concerned about his recovery all of a sudden. Refilling the IV when it was barely emptied at all, washing his bucket again, hiding that junk food they thankfully didn't open for him. Most importantly, he didn't know why she was holding him and letting him know that she loved him. There must have been another bad fight with Scourge he just didn't hear. Manic was nowhere to be found. Standing outside wasn't helping. Scourge slowly entered the room again, and sat down next to the king. It was strangely humbling to see himself more or less in that position. Terra and Scourge didn't share many looks. "You scared, too?" He asked, not knowing what else to say. The bat sighed. “No. She’s gonna be fine… So will he. Eventually. Recovery won’t be easy but its not impossible.”

Was she speaking from personal experience? Was she lying about how worried she was? Hard to tell. All the bat did was cling tighter to her girlfriend.

“Go find Manic. Doctors said he was shaken up and a little confused. He needs you right now. Scourge will be fine. He’s restrained and sedated.”

He was sent away and found his husband a while later. He wasn't in the waiting room, though. He wasn't back at the castle, or Aria's apartment, or even at the van. The hospital had some kind of a courtyard of patients in the center of the building. He'd find Manic at the corner of the area, leaning against a wall, looking at the ground, and talking to someone on the phone. "...I thought he was done for," Manic admitted somberly. "We could've gotten there before he passed out." There was an excruciatingly long pause as the other person spoke. "But I didn't even know he couldn't drive! I don't know where he'd go!" Another pause. "Yeah... Yeah, I know you're right." He pinched the bridge of his nose and clamped his eyes shut in frustration. "You're always right." It was while this person was talking that Manic had finally noticed Scourge sitting on the edge of a small fountain. "Uh, mom, it looks like my babe's back. Can we talk about this later?... Yeah, thanks. Love you too." Scourge noticed as Manic ended the call. He tried to act casual, but he was clearly speed walking up to Scourge, who held his arm out over the space next to him on the fountan. Manic leaned into his arm, and down against his partner. "They're gonna recover," Scourge promised him. "You saved his life." Manic didn't seem to want to talk. He just held onto Scourge and reminded himself he was there. "How about we get some food and come back when they're up?" Scourge offered. Manic nodded, but didn't seem to want to stand just yet. One fast food meal later and one long stop for Manic to hold Scourge, they were waiting outside the hospital room again, watching videos on Scourge's phone to comfort Manic and waiting for someone to say they could come in. Scourge was still down and out, but Aria's eyes had just begun to open as Terra let them in.

The blurry eyed hedgie smiled up at her girlfriend. “This must be heaven because you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

She was still a little sedated, so the urgency of her condition hadn’t hit her. Not yet. “Oh hi Manic. Hi Castillo. You okay?” She asked, tilting her head and yawning. She seemed abnormally happy for everything that had happened. Almost like she was in denial, or simply didn't realize it. Whatever the case, she was happy, and they were going to try and keep her happy for as long as possible. "Yeah... Yeah, we're fine." Manic sat down on the same side Terra was sitting on, away from the unconscious king. "I was gonna ask the same thing, but I guess you're doing fine." "Snuck in something for you," Scourge said, handing over a fast-food smoothie in a travel cup. He placed some coffee in a similar cup next to the unconcious king before sitting with Manic. It was hard to ignore the obvious questions, but they were trying not to be too cold. "Fao's recovering." Scourge said simply. Not entirely true, but not really false, either. "Kinda wish I'd gone all out and gotten those games and crap for you, hospitals are boring as hell." “Thank you for the drink… But I think I’m good for now.” She slurred her words, laying back and playing with Terra's hands.

“I’m glad that he’s doing good… Where’s Scourge?” She looked around, confused. The curtains were drawn, preventing her from seeing the sleepy king. Suddenly the heart rate monitor sped up.

“Wait… Please tell me that was all a dream and I just hit my head, please tell me he’s not-”

“Shhh, shhh… Its okay, its okay…. He’s okay… Shhh…” Terra comforted Aria, and the doctors came in to see what was wrong. Scourge backed away, not wanting to cramp the doctors who came in. Manic sat closer to Aria, acting out a convincing small smile. "We're here, dude, and we're safe. Yeah, it's terriying, but the terror's over. You're safe, he's safe, we're all gonna be alright." There were enough people standing around Aria's bedside, and Casitllo was curious about the king himself. A few silent steps brought him behind the curtain and near the unconscious king. He'd long since been dried off, and almost all the discoloration to his skin was gone. But he was heavily bundled and hooked up to an IV bag to show just how unhealthy he was. The coffee would be cold when he woke up, most likely. Terra and Manic were tending to Aria very actively. Scourge instead waited passively, reclining on the guest chair and idly watching the lines on his heart monitor scroll by. The doctors gave aria oxygen and anti anxiety meds to calm her heartbeat.

Surrounded by white sheets, he still looked pale and sickly. Mentally, he was probably far worse off.

On the second chair on his side of the room, his jacket was left. Washed and cleaned for him, along with a bouquet of several different colored roses. No card, must have been brought in person.

Glare texted Scourge's phone, and the sound alerted Castillo. Curious, and probably having to tell him of the kings location anyways, Castillo checked the message.

{Where the hell are you?} {You left the door open} {Scourge answer me now} {Are you okay?} Scourge held his alternate's finger to the phone to unlock it. Did Glare really not know? With the mess of police and paparazzi that were surely present? {He's at the hospital.} Blunt and short - probably a bit too short, but the point was across. He didn't turn off the phone, in case Glare started asking more questions. The roses probably meant something together, but Castillo didn't care too much about those kinds of things. Who had left them? Terra would have brought some for Aria, Glare didn't know, Rosy probably wouldn't know if Glare didn't. He heard from Manic that Scourge's friends were all at work. That only left any of the castle workers and... Before the doctor left, Scourge stood up to talk to one of them. "Has a red fox been in here?" He asked. “Hmm? Not sure. Doctors don’t really monitor rooms, however if you ask the nurses they may be able to tell you”

As Glare spammed Scourge's phone with texts and calls, trying to figure out what was going on, Castillo found the nurse that was on her way to refill Scourge's IV.

“Oh yes, a red fox was in here. He was just between sedative doses but he seemed to recognize her… I think? Its hard to tell.”

The nurse lefts, and a closer inspection of the flowers would show them a cheaper selection, likely from a grocery store of some kind, thrown together in a rush. But the thought was what counted. Truly, did she really come in here? But why? She hated Scourges with a passion. She had seen what had happened to several of them before, she shouldn't have brought in any kind of gift. The more he thought about the situation, the more it started to make sense. Perhaps it was more inspired by the gravesite- Another call? Scourge had already told Glare the basics over text and he wasn't stopping. He clenched the phone in his hand and stared typing. {You're annoying everyone. Aria's going through trauma. Stop.} Manic didn't seem to care as much about the calls as Scourge. Him and Terra were still helping Aria come to terms with what had happened and somehow relax. Manic was flipping through the channels looking for something Aria would be fine with. Her and Terra were still holding each other, and Manic understood completely. The calls stopped and the phone went silent once more. Terra had crawled onto the bed with Ari and the hedgie had snuggled tightly to her. Clinging desperately as she tried to calm down.

Hours passed, a full day in cycle. People came in to see both patients, many of Scourge's friends unknown to Manic and Castillo, and it was tough to tell who were the ‘special friends’ Aria had mentioned.

But Arias side of the room was lively. Seven tigers, the sibling of the tech guy who had helped Manic with his set all those months ago, came with their mother to see her. From what Castillo gathered, this was only about half of a litter.

Damian, his wife and their son showed up later, and Damian made his way over to sit with Castillo, who was watching Scourge.

“What happened to them? Maybe I can help?” Castillo just looked up at Damian for a moment. He'd spent a long time doing nothing in the room and trying to give the king someone to talk to whenever he woke up. The last person he wanted to see was Damian. He glared back to let him know that he hadn't forgotten his previous addict comment. His kid seemed to be distracted by Manic temporarily. "The king tried to drown himself," Scourge growled quietly, so only he would hear. "He's been on these machines all day, don't know how fucked up he is right now." He let the moment hang a bit longer. "Don't pull any crap, kid." Scourge was watching Damian's every move from a distance as he read the patient's chart. Fluid build-up in body and lungs. Intense hypoxia. Hypothermia. Nothing that mentioned his doubtless mountain of mental issues “Don’t call me kid. I’m older than you” Damian stated, more of a fact than anything rude. After reading the charts he sighed. “I’m afraid my magic can’t help any more than the doctors here already have. But if they keep doing what they’re doing then he should be fine… Drowning is odd. Not usually used because our bodies naturally try to pull us out of cold water, its instinct.”

Even more unusual.

With an apology for not being able to help, Damian returned to his sister's side and hugged his child closer.

Exactly 24 hours after he tried to drown himself, the king woke up. Unlike Aria's gentleness, he woke up suddenly, bewildered and confused, heart rate thought the roof.

“Wh-where… Wha…” He started to ask, confused. Castillo immediately darted his head at the sound. He sat still, and tried to move slowly. "You had a nasty accident," Scourge lied. Better than reminding him of everything that happened for the moment, he didn't want Scourge to go into shock. "Looks like you weren't messed up too badly, should be good soon." As doctors were alerted to the sudden heartrate increase, Manic stood up to check and make sure he wasn't hearing things. The king was awake, and looked shocked. He immediately wanted to leap and grin widely, but he could see that his own Scourge was acting very slow. Maybe he was trying to stop Scourge from panicking? "You're up, dude." Manic said, clearly very happy to see him fine. And then he remembered the restraints. "Ah man, the nurses or whatever said they didn't want you going into shock or something? You still feeling kinda jank?" The king suddenly and inexplicably burst into tears. The sobs wracked his body, and he stopped breathing for a while as he thrashed about. Heart rate increasing.

The doctors rushed in, trying to calm him. People were rushed out of the room and Aria was left to watch the doctors try to calm the king with medication and more restrains.

After about twenty minutes for medication to kick in, everyone was allowed back in. Scourge was sedated and almost drunk off the meds, head rolling around and unable to support his heavy head. Scourge and Manic had seen plenty of people in similarly delirious states. But they were always a self-inflicted kind of delirium, sad in it's own right. Nothing like this situation. "Holy hell..." Scourge grumbled, walking up to the king. "You're safe, Scourge, I ain't gonna bite." Manic could see how uncomfortable Aria was, just from the sounds. It seemed hours of work had been suddenly done-in, and Manic could understand entirely. He searched for something that wouldn't be out of place. "He's not hurt, Ari." Manic said. "Hey, let it out, dude... we're here for you. Don't hold back tears or anything, just let it flow." With the sudden burst of sobs having been nullified by the meds, all that remained was the tears flowing down his cheeks.

“Anyone got a tissue and some water?” He slurred out, and was given said items. He was quiet for a long time.

“Ari?”

“Yeah?” The female asked, unsure of why he was asking for her.

“Did you… Did you ever want just one more day with your parents?”

Aria looked at Terra confused and bewildered, but answered anyways. “Yes. Always. Why?”

Scourge's sigh was shaky, and he rubbed his eyes. Thankfully the restraints were off for now. “I got one more day with Fiona. And it hurts even more.” What were they supposed to say to that? 'I'm sorry,' a bland, useless apology? A detailed apology that would force him to relive what he was suffering through? Chipper advice on moving on that would only drive him further into the ground? There wasn't anything they could say to that that hadn't already been said. Aria and Manic could watch one another's faces twitch and skew with many forms of sadness. Castillo was still oddly stoic with his true emotions. Yes, this was terrifying, but any signs of that were repressed down far enough that they didn't show. He waited silently and thought of what to do. The roses and jacket... he would say they were Terra's doing and tell him the truth later. He just needed an answer for right now. The tears running down his alternate's face were just as humbling to Castillo. And everyone save Terra knew he could be soft. So Scourge finally moved in, hugging Scourge yet again. Although this time, his head was rested on Scourge's shoulder, letting the warm tears trickle down onto his leather jacket. "Just let it flow..." Manic reiterated from the distance between the beds. He looked back at Aria, hoping this wasn't going to tear her up too badly. The king relaxed just a little, leaning into the warmth of someone else and sniffling. No words could help him. Not yet, maybe not ever. It was an unspoken thought that he imagined the whole interaction between him and his dead wife when he flat lined, but he didn’t want to think about it.

“Sorry..” He mumbled when he was finally done, wiping tears away, still very slow due to the meds. “For all of this, I’m sorry… ”

He looked over at Manic, unable to see Aria in the hospital bed. He thought she was just standing with Manic. “I’m sorry… I just couldn’t take it anymore.” Manic wanted to tell Scourge something to help. Something, anything like his mother had told him. But he didn't have her tune-in to human emotion, and could only relate to the way he felt his own pain. He'd lost a partner before, sure. He'd gone through many bad situations like his before. But never anything like this specific situation. He could only sight and feel helpless. Castillo laid down Scourge slowly when he was done. "Don't gotta tell us nothing," Scourge admitted. He held Scourge's hand to give him some kind of physical comfort. "We know you're sorry." Scourge didn't think of himself as good at comforting others, as he wasn't. Manic was more subversive and gentle when helping people. Played off of Manic's softer actions, it could work well on rare occasions. And out of all the times they've needed to give comfort to someone, this was the rarest level of raw emotion. "Do you want us to get you anything?" Manic asked. He couldn't believe the way he asked that, it was like he was his sister or something. “No..no I’m okay… I just… I’m so tired.” He rubbed his face and laid back in the plushness of the pillows.

“It's… It's been hard. Everyone around us has someone, and I'm not complaining, I’m glad you all have each other but… It's just made me miss her more. And seeing your Fiona, and Faolán's health just… Just set me off I guess… Wait how did I get here? Did I wash up on shore?”

Aria shook her head at Manic. But it was too late as Castillo answered the question. “Aria dove in and pulled you out.”

“What… What were you thinking?! That water was ice cold! You could have gotten hurt!” The king turned towards the curtain Aria was behind.

“… You do realize how stupid that sounds, right?! I was trying to save your life!”

“I was trying to die without dragging anyone else down with me!” "If you go down, you're taking us all with you." Scourge delivered almost immediately. "You don't kill yourself without hurting other people, too." He'd just effectively been called dumb and thoughtless. Manic stepped in as a silent way of shushing Scourge. "Look... We don't blame you, dude. We've all gone through trauma. And I get what it's like. You act like I ain't tried the same thing, too." He gave a quiet, grim laugh. "You aren't dumb or thoughtless. When you wanna kill yourself, you brain gets warped. It's like it keeps screaming louder and louder at you and tuning out everything good. It's a sickness, dude. We aren't gonna blame you for being suicidal, it's like blaming someone for having, like, appendicitis or whatever." Both of his hands were on Scourge's arm gently. He almost blushed asking. "Hey, I don't mean this as rude or anything, but... Physical attention helps a ton. Would it help if I just laid down with you? Like, nothing serious, just... attention?" He looked up at Castillo, who nodded to give his approval. Scourge let go of his alternate's hand and physically curled back from everyone as everyone said their piece. He sniffled as he realized the damage he had caused everyone and denied Manic's request. He didn’t deserve the attention. Affection was a luxury he had taken too much of in his dream world, or the spirit world. He didn’t deserve it now.

“I’ll be fine. Although another blanket could be nice.” Just a task to busy Manic. He just wanted to be alone.

Aria clung to her pillow, because Terra had stepped out of the room. She was cold too. She was lonely too. But she had the bat to cuddle. Scourge had friends who fucked him, but no romantic relationship to speak of. Maybe one of those boys would be worth a call. "I'll go and try to find one," Manic said, standing up. "I'll be right back." When Manic was out of the room, Castillo looked back at his alternate. Not with anger, but disappointment. "Don't say you'll be fine if you won't." He said. His voice almost went angry next, in spite of his words. "You are worth all the help he can get. I don't care if you don't think you're worth it, you are a KING. You're one of a fucking kind, got it?" Scourge's words had brought out some kind of pocket of raw emotion from his alternate. "He's warping home tomorrow to play a show, and coming right back. We're staying right here 'til you get the help you need. Got it?" He laid off and walked towards Aria as Manic came in. He was holding the large, fluffy blanket from the back of his van. "This mess is better than anything the hospital's gonna have, anyways." He said, draping it over Scourge. "That any better?" Castillo sat down, seemingly regretful. "Shouldn't've yelled with you in here," he groaned. "How are you holding up, red?" Silence from the king as he was told off, rolling on his slide to sleep. Sleep was best for him right now. When Manic returned, he would find the king curled up, which wasn’t good for him, but there was little he could do to change it.

Aria looked up at her friends and sighed. “He’s so… This isn’t like him. I’ve never seen him so sad… I don’t think anyone ever has. I think its just taken all these years for it to hit him that she’s gone. We aren’t helping with all the couple stuff but… I just don’t know what to do… Maybe give is separate rooms and call one of his friends… If nothing else, the physical touch will be good for him. He won’t take any from us.” "Alright, I get that." Manic said, realizing just how little he wanted their attention. "We'll head out and try and get you guys separate rooms. You guys alright being left alone?" Castillo walked up closer to Scourge. "We ain't prying into your phone," he said. "Call whoever you need." The two were out shortly, talking to a few nurses and hospital staff. The whole time, they felt... helpless. Scourge needed his own time, Aria had Terra to comfort her, what could Manic and Scourge do other than worry? And the further they went to get them some help, the more Scourge had to come to terms with how much he'd screwed up in yelling. But with a few papers and some busywork, Aria and Scourge were being moved to their own private rooms. The couple followed Aria into her room as soon as she was done being set up to monitors. And by this point, Scourge was holding his head in his hand and groaning at his own mistakes. "What can we even do?" Manic asked out loud, expressing everyone's thoughts. “Stop beating yourselves up for one. Two, put him on suicide watch. Three, let his friends see him as he pleases. If I know him, which I’m not even sure I do anymore, he’ll booty call someone. There’s a list of FWB he calls when he needs to forget. He joked to me once when he was drunk that it's much easier to forget it all when he can’t even remember his name. We get him therapy, we chain him to a damn table until he listens and heals… But for today, we lock him in a room with his therapist or someone who he can tongue fuck.” Aria declared.

This had clearly taken a lot of energy out of Aria. She laid back in bed and Terra smoothed her hair out of her face, kissing her gently. “Rest. You’ve overexerted yourself.” "Should already be on suicide watch," Scourge said, sitting down and exhaling. "So basically give him space. Got it." Manic deflated into a nearby chair. The day was exhausting for everyone, but they weren't going to say a word of it to Aria. Her and Scourge had the worst of it, and they didn't want to complain, anyways. "Today's been so goddamn long..." "Ain't today anymore," Scourge said. There certainly wasn't any sunlight coming through the window. "Let's give Ari and Scourge some space. G'night." Scourge stood and walked for the door, Manic in tow. "If you need anything, we're here, dude." Manic added, stumbling out the door with Scourge to pass out in their car. “Be careful. Don’t beat yourselves up. Make sure you stop in and see him to say goodnight, just a formality… Goodnight” she scooted over and Terra snuggled against her. The girls clung to each other as the boys left. Aria sobbed into Terra's arms, clinging to the bat tightly. The days events were too much, the thought that her girlfriend had felt the same urges scared her. Everything scared her now.

Scourge was looking out a window, waiting for his make out buddy to show when the boys came to say goodnight.

“Hey, we’re gonna go crash… You need anything?” Castillo asked the king.

“No. I’m good, thanks. Take this blanket, you’ll need it and I’ve got a heat source on it's way.” Manic smirked, trying to act casual and comfort him. "You're shameless, dude." Manic said, picking up the blanket and smiling. "You've got our numbers, hit us up if you need anything." Castillo nodded at the king before leaving. He didn't feel humble enough to actually apologize yet... that would have to suffice for now. The king would be too distracted to worry, anyways. So Scourge and Manic made their way back to their van, wrapped themselves in the soft blanket, and said nothing. They didn't do anything, either. Just sat in the silent back seat, against one another, thinking. Thinking about the implications of everything that had happened that day... Scourge leaned Manic over and kissed him, acting on the thoughts Manic didn't want to say. He wanted to break down crying right then and there. But his own Scourge was alive. He was alive. It was too close for their own good. Too close for anyone's good. They held one another close, and hoped that Scourge would feel better in the morning, knowing it was virtually impossible for any kind of change to happen that quickly. "I dunno, you wanna eat the pain away or..." Manic huffed. "We tried that. Maybe find some easy robbery job?" "Don't wanna risk nothin' right now." Scourge said into Manic's neck. The doctors were called to Scourge's room several times throughout the night for his heart rate elevation. His friend the guilt culprit, but not ashamed.

The next day Scourge was covered in hickies and a burly male shared his bed, holding him tightly. This was his coping. Meaningless lust-filled kisses and a hand down the back of his pants.

Aria's coping was pressing herself to Terra's skin, listening to her heart beat. Her mate was a source of everlasting comfort. Aria was Terra's coping as well. Manic was hesitant to do the same with Scourge. All throughout the rather sleepless night, he would get up and step outside for some fresh air. He'd lost Scourge once and lost his coping mechanism for everything. If he disappeared again, he'd be crushed just as hard. Yet the sight of another Scourge virtually dead struck a chord of fear in his mind and kept him going back to hold on while he was still there, as though his Scourge was going to go and drown himself the next day. Castillo slept soundly through it all, not noticing a single movement. ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ "Breakfast time," Manic said, walking into Aria's room after the hospital breakfast time. Scourge was carrying a holder with three hot drinks, both of the boys holding their own. They handed two of them to the two girls. "Got you a tea, Ari. You any less jank right now?" “You’re a Godsend.” Was all the hedgie said, hair a mess and super relaxed. For a moment one could assume sedative, but Terra was nibbling on her ear, so that may have been the cause. The bat thanked them for the drink.

“You look exhausted… You haven’t slept, have you?” Aria asked, looking up at Manic. Terra helped the hedgie sit up and looked at the green hedgehog.

“Talk to me Manic, what’s wrong?” Aria asked.

Busted. Scourge seemed surprised at this, too. Manic just looked away subtly. "Yeah... there's a lot on my mind, y'know? It's hard for me to stop thinking without all this stuff going on." He shrugged and frowned. "I just need like, a few... days of sleep." "That why you got three espresso shots?" Scourge shot at him, patting him on the shoulder. "I should've gotten a whole cup of espresso shots," Manic admitted. The two sat down, Manic now feeling open enough to lean against Scourge and close his eyes. “Maybe sure you take your own advice and get some professional help, okay?” Aria patted his hand and laid back, gulping down her tea. She gave a look to Scourge that read ‘comfort your husband.’

The bat got up once she was done her coffee and kissed the hedgie gently. “Imma go home to shower and eat and then I’ll be back. Did you want your paints?”

“Yes please.” Aria purred and Terra left. “So what are we gonna do about Scourge?” "He needs professional help," Scourge said. He was letting Manic cuddle against his chest, but he certainly didn't look happy. "Forget a shrink, he needs to talk to my mom," Manic said. Scourge was just as surprised as Aria about that sentance, but for totally different reasons. "Manic, you know she's..." Manic sat up. "Look... I mean, I get it, but if we can get a nurse or someone to help... like, she knows emotions better than anyone else. It's scary, it like she can read minds. No doctor can just do that straight up." Scourge didn't want to argue the point immediately. "Hell, we've got to keep Fi away, too." He added to derail the point a bit. "She ain't here, right?" “…It's worth a try. I mean, Scourge had no maternal figure growing up so I’m unsure how close he will let her get. But it's all we’ve got.”

Aria put her head in her hands, sighing. “She didn’t come see me. But Scourge is probably still with the FWB so I’m unsure if anyone is allowed in at all. Regardless, he won’t see her… He won’t let anyone… Close.”

A deep sigh from the tiny hedgie. “Okay… Call your mom and his therapist.” "You got it," Manic said, standing up. "And you'd better drink all your tea, we went to that snobby coffee place where everything's like eight bucks." He picked up his own drink and the last drink in the tray, and left. He sat down near Scourge's room, but not too close. Both drinks sat close as he first phoned Scourge's therapist. A short, brisk call. The call with his mother was what was concerning him more in this case. This was probably a horrible idea... "Hey, mom." Manic said into the phone. "It's Manic. ...Yeah, I'm doing good here. I don't wanna ask too much of you, but some stuff's come up over here, and my friend needs some help... ...Yeah, I need you to talk to him about his emotions. Can you write that down?... ...Alright, he's in an awful place. Like, as depressed as I got..." The call whittered on, with Manic telling his mother detail after detail of Scourge's condition and hoping Doctor Hellings could help her with the conversation as much as she'd helped Scourge. Both feet tapped impatiently in a rhythm when the call eventually ended. When was the doctor going to arrive? And more importantly, when was Scourge's friend finally leaving? The FWB in question was just walking out of the room. Red, muscular and tall, he radiated power and dominance. “You sure you don’t want me to call off work? Stay to keep you company?”

Scourge answered from the room. “Nah, I’m okay. Go to work.” He said, a lot more cheerful than Manic expected.

“Okay then… Please be careful.”

“Don’t be so sappy. I fell in by accident, it's not like I actively swam out there. I’ll be fine.” The king lied, assuring the red male before he left, not noticing Manic at all.

Doctor Hellings and the doctor in charge of Scourge's physical health met Manic at the room a few minutes later. “What’s the plan?” "I mean, I know we've talked about my mom helping, but like..." He scratched his head. "That's gonna have to be over video chat, she can't leave her assisted living kinda place and drive for two hours. It'd be best if we did that over video chat, she can handle it. She's got everything she needs to know on hand. He picked up Scourge's coffee. Thankfully still warm. "Look, I know you're the shrink and everything, but trust me. She's real good at this stuff. Just talk to him, and if he's getting stubborn or lying or whatever, we can call her up, alright? And if you don't like it... we can just cut the call and y'all can take over, right?" The three stood uncomfortable, before approaching the room, Manic still holding the coffee and hoping Scourge's doctor wouldn't mind. "Heeey, Scourge." Manic said, entering with some happy words. "Picked you up something at that place a few miles out. Both doctors entered shortly after. "Good morning, your highness." Doctor Hellings greeted him. "How are you feeling today?" Scourges neck was covered in hickies and bites and it was painfully obvious that the night before had been eventful.

"Morning. Thanks for the coffee.” He took the drink and took a swig. Curling up a little. “Aria convinced you to get her tea, hmm?”

The doctors came in and Scourge nodded at them. “Doctor, please don’t use my title. We’ve been through this.”

“Sorry, habit.”

“Its okay… Is this some sort of intervention?” Manic didn't want to lie, but he wasn't entirely sure himself. "Uh... I guess a little, dude." Manic admitted. "Look, we just- We just wanna help you, dude. We're just trying to get you some professional help, and... I mean, if you can't open up to us, we can't help you with your problems." "He opens up very much, please don't use that language," the doctor assured Manic. "We're more concerned about you not being TOTALLY honest about your feelings, and Manic said he had someone he thought could help with that." Manic was acting casual in contrast to the doctors. "We ain't judging. If anyone's gonna get bottling stuff it, it's... I mean, it's either me or Ari or Scourge, but you get my point. Can you trust me on this one, dude? I get she's kind of a weird pick, but... would you be fine if we talked about some of this stuff with Aleena?" He said, hoping his mothers name would make it sound more professional. "I wouldn’t want to be a bother to your mother… ” he hesitated, knowing from his previous experience meeting her that something was off, but not knowing what.

“I mean, not to sound ungrateful but… Why would your mother want to help me? I barely know her… Plus I think I’ll be fine with just doc-” A sudden look at Manic. “You haven’t been sleeping. What's wrong?”

“Don’t change the subject” The psychologist stated and Scourge rolled his eyes like a stubborn teenager. "YOU'RE what's wrong." Manic shot back, not even missing a beat. "We're scared like hell for you. I'm surprised ANY of us got any sleep. We just want to help, and just... not letting us help is only gonna make everything worse. I don't need a psychology degree to tell you that." "Manic." Doctor Hellings shot at Manic. He sat up and adjusted his tone to something more friendly. "My mom can help, trust me. And besides... she loves people. Like, everyone. Honestly, this whole thing started as her idea. You need someone who's gonna love you unconditionally, and a mom's the only place to get that from." Hesitation was still obvious in his eyes. "Look, do you want to get healthy or not?"

"Well I wouldn’t know the feeling and I was fine up until this whole thing started. But if it makes you get some sleep, fine. I’ll talk to your mother.”

The doctors exchanged wisdom, whispering quietly. Seems like the king was lacking in self-preservation. Severely. But his empathy was high… Maybe…. Just maybe…. That might be their way out.

He let Manic set up a computer, but he clearly wasn’t happy about it. The doctor wrapped the bite marks on his shoulders. Manic opened up a voice chat program, and started tapping in some numbers. Soon, the call was dialing, and the four waited in anticipation for the call to be picked up. When it finally opened, Aleena was sitting there. The poor lighting in her room showed off the gentle creases on her face that came with age. The background showed a studio living area decorated fairly nicely. There was a nurse sitting with Aleena, holding a notepad. "Good morning," Aleena said with that same smile she had at the wedding, and the same regal tone. "You must be Manic's Scourge friend, correct?" "Yes, he is." Manic said, leaning into the shot and smiling for her. "Uh... You know a lot has happened recently, right? He could really use some serious help, mom." "I know," Aleena said softly. She shifted her attention to the king. "I know that you tried to jump into a river... Could you tell me a little more, dear? I'd like to help." Her gaze was piercing in how innocent it was. It looked as though an evil thought had never crossed her mind. Scourge bowed his head the best he could to the woman he saw as a queen. Truly she must have been at one point. She carried the same air that he put on when he was being professional, but hers was organic.

"Well… I’m not sure where you want me to start… I guess it was always… I dunno, an option in the back of my mind? But lately everyone around me has been… With someone. They’ve all got romance and are getting married or having a family and… And I never got to experience that. It was all taken away from me way too soon… And all of this aggravated it. But the river…. Was close. Convenient.”

His ears twitched, subtlety. Barley noticeable. She immediately seemed surprised by those last lines. She held both hands in front of her, daintily playing with her rings. "From what I've been told, you've... lost your wife." She reiterate, the nurse to her side whispering something in her ear. "The loss of a loved on is absolutely terrifying, isn't it? I've lived through much the same trauma, I understand your pain, and I'm truly sorry for everything you've gone through." She shifted back in her seat, looking almost sad by her follow up. "But we won't be able to help if you're lying to us, your highness." she said softly. "There was nothing close about the river, was there? It must have been a more deliberate choice than you lead it to be. Is this accurate?" Her smile was back, warm and hopeful. "Could you please tell us the truth?" Whoops. Okay, maybe she was good.

He did seemed surprised about her noticing, but slunk back from the computer anyways like a child with his hand in the cookie jar.

"No… My wife loved the water. She helped me get over my fear of it… I learned to swim in that river and it was the first time that I had her full attention without distraction. I thought it… Fitting.”

He curled in on himself, ashamed and sad. Gone was the jovial act put on for his fuck buddy. Now it was obvious that Scourge was just a sad scared child.

“Please don’t call me by any royal titles,” he asked quietly. "I'll be sure not to," Aleena assured him. She took a second to run through the points in her mind over and over again. "It must be a lovely location," she told him. "You sound so reminiscent when you speak about it... it's clear you have a great deal of love for Fiona, too. You must have a lot of lovely memories of her. I wish I could have met her." Something was still off. "Is that your only reason for choosing the river?" She asked, dancing around her point. He wasn't lying, but he didn't seem totally honest. "It seems hard to believe you would want to hurt yourself in a place with such happy memories." This woman was odd. She relaxed him and he opened up quickly, as if he knew she was trustworthy and not judgemental. Was this what parental affection felt like?

"She was the love of my life and the mother to a child that has joined her in the afterlife. She was the perfect woman. I don’t know how to move on.” A pause as he thought out his words

“… Naturally when we jump into cold water, we instinctively try to get out. I fought my instincts as a type of torture for myself. I… I don't know why. Maybe I just wanted to suffer because that’s the only way I can feel anything.”

It was all out onto the table, but voicing it only made him feel worse. Doctor Hellings murmured something under her breath. The nurse to Aleena's side wrote something down and whispered into her ear. Even Manic seemed a little surprised by the statement, reaching over and patting Scourge's shoulders. But Aleena herself kept her same gentle expression. "It's very, very hard for you to discuss her," Aleena said, slowing down on each iteration of 'very.' "If you were to ask the same things of my late husband, I would feel the same way. I don't want to make you burst into tears. Perhaps we could discuss something a bit different for the moment?" She thought for a moment, reading over the pad of notes she had on hand. "You've said you don't feel anything unless you... suffer, was that the right word? Are you saying that you don't feel happiness anymore? Or is it more that sadness seems a constant background hum over your mind?" "Its…. Difficult… And hard to explain. Most of the time I’m just… Neutral. But then when someone else comes along who’s happy, I’m happy. But the sadness is always just there…. Waiting. In more private encounters, it shows. The pain is something so that its not just… Sadness. Bites and rough treatment make me feel better. Pain makes me feel better. Its the one feeling I know is real. Everything else is… Hazy at best. Usually my scars are enough but they’ve healed mostly.”

He shied away from Manic's touch, curling in on himself more. The sadness was coming back. It was awful, he just wanted to vanish. "As in depression?" Aleena asked. "I thought..." He could see the nurse saying something to her. "Oh, no, you have been diagnosed... right? The problem with depression is that it seems almost logical. Your brain keeps justifying that you need to feel sad, because of your own actions. Does this sound right?" Once again, she started playing with her rings. "I've raised a child with depression... I know how it works. What I want you to remember is, it is a disease. You cannot blame someone for depression anymore than you would blame them for, say, appendicitis." Strange. Those words sounded oddly familiar. "But the hardest part of these diseases is that your mind fights its own treatment. When Doctor... Hellings? When Doctor Hellings suggests treatments, do you follow through with her suggestions?" Scourge sighed. "Evidently Manic turned out okay. He’s said the same words to me before… I’ve tried maybe three of the five, and they didn’t work. Meditating does no good for me. Being alone with my thoughts is dangerous… I am not artistic at all… Looking at the source of my pain and anguish gives me panic attacks or I end up…. Here. The solutions I have been given sound like nonsense and nothing helps…”

He suddenly grew tired, almost aging years worth in a few seconds. “I am too old and too tired to continue trying to ignore my illness. But I don’t know what to do.” Those words stuck a serious chord with Aleena, one she hadn't felt in a while. The vibrations of emotion were visible for a few moments, but she smiled and tried to work through it. "Neither do I. And neither does anyone else, your majesty," she said. She received another whisper from her assistant. "I'm sorry, Scourge. No one else does, Scourge. Everyone experiences depression and trauma in their own ways. You aren't going to know what's going to work for you until you try it. But this is the disease worming it's way through your mind and eating away at you. You may need someone to force you to go to treatment, but you must follow through. What I want you to remember is, it is a disease. You cannot blame someone for depression." Those last two lines were delivered with exactly the same inflections as before. She motioned for her nurse to step aside with a subtle hand wave. Some bit of genuine sorrow crept through her exterior, and for the first time, Scourge could see what looked like raw emotion through what was kept as a mostly fake exterior. "I'm over sixty, Scourge." Aleena said, the lines of her face suddenly seeming more pronounced. "I've asked myself the same question many, many times. What's the use in seeking treatment for everything I've been given, if I could only enjoy it for perhaps three or four more years." She shook slightly as he exhaled. "And there isn't a treatment for me. But you have that opportunity. You have friends who want to see you happy, and a country who's relying on you to lead them well. Could you truly tell me you wish to be in my position? Do you truly want to accept your sickness and become an old, withered shell of a formerly great monarch?" When the smile returned, it was more warm. The almost unnatural innocence of her glare was gone. "I won't have you end up like me," she said with a smile. "No matter how silly it seems, if Doctor Hellings suggests it, I need you to follow through for me, even if your friends must force you through it. Can you promise me that?" To everyone in the room, he looked old and tired. To Aleena, he probably looked like a scared child. He didn’t know how to handle affection very well, especially not maternal nurturing.

”… I mean… I'll try… I’m sorry…“ Why he was apologizing he didn’t know, but Aleena looked like she needed a hug or something and he didn’t know what to do.

"I mean I don’t think what I think matters such, but you seem like a great monarch to me, no former necessary.” The words did seem to help, as he smile slowly started growing back. The nurse to her side seemed confused and opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but Aleena spoke first. "Thank you, your- Scourge." She said, looking at her notes. "Manic speaks very highly of you. I'm certain you're a wonderful ruler. Please don't apologize to me for suffering from an illness. But I don't want you to say you'll try. The way you speak of these things will change a lot. You should say that you will, Scourge. Don't present it as an option to yourself, you should... you should... ..." Aleena seemed confused for a moment. She looked at the notepad, carefully reading what was written down. "I'm sorry," she said. "I think I was saying...? You should promise yourself you will, and you need to promise it to everyone around you. You're a king, with every treatment option you could want at hand. What's best for yourself is best for everyone you care about, too. It's clear you have a great deal of love for your friends." Once more, the last line was delivered in a strangely familiar way. She smiled at Scourge with that same hopeful, innocent smile. "Can you promise me that?" "Okay, I promise.” He didn’t want to risk tiring the queen out. She was sick evidently, and Scourge would have hated to be a bother to her, anymore than he already had been. He laid back in his pillows and the doctor stepped in.

“Maybe that is enough for today. Scourge is probably tired.”

The king nodded, yawning. Facing his issues was a mind boggling task and all he wanted was a nap. "That's perfectly alright," Aleena said. "Take good care of yourself, mister... Scourge? And Manic? Please look after him." "I will, mom, dooooon't even worry," Manic said. He was doing enough worrying for them both. The goodbyes were brief, and the call hung up shortly. Manic sighed, and closed the laptop. "You feeling any better, Scourge?" Manic asked, sitting down next to him. "Wait, uh... Do you guys want me to leave now?" "No, stay… I… I feel like an idiot, but I guess that’s gonna be a common feeling, hmm?… What else is there for you all to do?” He asked the doctors as a nurse came in to refill his IV.

“Well I want to do a psychoevaluation to see how you handle all of this…” DoctorHellings stated, sitting and opening her clipboard.

“And I wanted to take a look at your heart. Just routine checkup.” The stethoscope came out and Scourge let the doctor see his back. Manic stepped out of the room and gave Scourge his space to perform the evaluation honestly. And who was he going to run into in the hall but Scourge? "You going for your run soon?" Manic asked, walking up to his lover as he drank from his running water bottle. Castillo tilted his head over, and nodded. "How'd the talk with your mom go?" He asked. Hands wrenched around each other and Manic wracked his brain for the right way to describe it. He looked up with a smile. "Perfectly." As soon as Hellings was out of the room, Manic and Castillo were headed straight for him, curious as to how he would be handling everything. "You alright?" He'd hear asked asked through the open door. Scourge curled up into a spiky ball as he was getting ready to sleep, but poked his head out to nod. Had he been crying? Maybe. "Y-yeah. That evaluation just hit a little hard. Imma nap.”

A little hard was an understatement. The woman doctor had picked his brain until it fell apart. He felt vulnerable and weak and a nap would at least make him feel better. "We'll give you space, dude." Manic said. "Don't be too harsh on yourself." The door was closed, leaving the king all alone. From the inside. He was on suicide watch, and his alternate and Manic knew he wouldn't escape a hospital like that to take his own life. All that was left was visiting Aria. Manic ran over the basics on what had happened to them both, leaving out plenty of details for his privacy. "...I mean, I know he's gonna have to stay a while longer, but I'm glad my mom could help, right?" He looked up at Aria and grinned. "And once you're outta here, you can help us bother him again~" "The doctors want me to stay for just a little longer too. And I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she scolded Manic, playfully.

Evidently she was bored, for there was a full sketchbook on the table and she had started doodling on the cover. Lots of bat wings and fruit motifs. Someone had the bat on her mind. "I know... Honestly, I'm kinda terrified." Manic admitted. "But we've done all we can right now. Maybe when you're both outta here, we can take you guys out and get some food or something? Like just, give him some more company?" Manic smiled as he sighed, trying to trick himself into being happy. "It's the ebst we can do." Scourge flipped the pages of the book idly, seeing that they were all indeed filled. He didn't want to keep being serious. "Want me to grab another?" He asked, indicating the sketchbook. Aria rested her hand on Manic's arm. "Hey. You did wonderful. You helped him so much.”

She gave him a comforting smile and turned to his mate. “Ah, no thanks. Terra is on her way back with my paints. Silly bat, she forgot them the first time.”

A lot of the pages were full with her mate's figure or face. Seems like Terra was her muse, or at the very least was around often enough for all these poses. Quite a few were of the bat tangled up with Aria in bed, asleep.

“Sorry… That book is mostly studies of Terra.” Scourge grinned while he put the book down. "Why apologize? You know I'd do the same with Manic~" "You know I'd burn the sketchbooks on those." Manic shot back without missing a beat. "I mean, not like I'm against that stuff, but because Scourge is just like the worst artist." Scourge didn't even bother defending the comment, elbowing Manic and getting a chuckle out of him. "You think you're any better?" Scourge shot back at him. "I can make hideous 80s patterns in hideous 80s colors," Manic said, knowing full well that wasn't impressive in the slightest. "And honestly, what else do you need in your life?" "Awwww,” she playfully cooed at them, reaching for the book that had fallen off the bed when Scourge had put it down.

The page it had fallen open to was another drawing of Terra wearing very little to nothing. Aria just turned bright red and eeped.

Of course Castillo picked it up, closing it quickly.

And then the face.

That smug “I’m never gonna let you live this down” face. Aria was embarrassed enough for the moment, so he silently handed it over and backed away, Aria knowing full well what Scourge was thinking. Manic thankfully didn't seem to catch what was happening. "Dude, you just dropped your book, don't get so worked up!" Manic said. "What, did you drop it in water, or something?" Scourge just gave him a pat on the shoulder and a chuckle, knowing he would come to the right conclusion soon enough. And they had plenty of time to come to conclusions, as just trying to get out of the hospital was an ordeal in and of itself. Sure, she was physically alright, but there were tests that needed to be performed to make sure she was really ready to go, paperwork to fill out and all variety of nonsense to put up with. IT was tedious, to say the least. By the time Aria was about done, Scourge walked away from the group, hoping to check in on the king. He'd been alone all day, it must have been torturous. Aria was thankful that Castillo hadn’t said anything. But eventually she would be teased for it, and all she could do was fill out paperwork and hope for the best.

Scourge was awake, and Castillo caught a blond fox coming out of scourges room. The king had some more visible hickies, and his heart rate was slightly elevated.

"Oh hey, sorry just wasn’t expecting any… Company… Other than you guys. What’s up?”

If he wasn’t laying in a hospital bed, he would have seemed back to normal. "Thought you'd want some company, thought I guess you got that handled," he joked. A smug elbow nudge was almost audible in his voice. "Ari's filling out some crap to get out of here, she's good to go. Doctors sasy when you can get outta here?" It was almost amusing. The upbeat attitude after horrible incidents, making out with someone to keep himself entertained in the hospital, these were exactly the steps Castillo would have taken to keep himself amused in the same position. Even if he was a good hedgehog, and even if he was in a much more depressing situation, he was still a Scourge. "We're planning on driving you guys somewhere when you're outta this dump. Anything sound good?" "Not anytime soon. Not until I get the okay from the doctor… Heh.”

He blushed a bit more. “Let’s just say that having friends who think you’re sexy has… Benefits when you need company. Frankly I’ll be forever in your debt if you could sneak me a burger.”

Falsely formal but a good mood. That was good. Seems like his fwb had kisses that did wonders. The marks from the morning had grown in number. Castillo walked closer just to ruffle his quills jokingly. "Glad you're doin' fine." He grinned. "We'll get you that burger in an hour tops." 'Glad' was a complete understatement, but Scourge understood the sentiment well enough. "Take care, kingy." Scourge playfully batted the others hands away and smoothed his quills down. Sticking his tongue out and pouting in a childish way to sass his alternate. He left almost as quickly as he'd arrived, knowing full well that he'd want any kind of privacy for him and his friends. Was it actually helping him, or was he just putting on a brave face? Whatever it was, something was getting him to smile. He had his suspicions about just how much he thought Manic's mother could have helped, but maybe she was as good with people as Manic said she was. "The king wants a burger," Scourge said simply as he walked up to the two in the main lobby. "Hell yeah, dude." Manic said, closing his eyes and nodding in approval. "I wanted to stop at Holy Picante anyways." "Let’s go then! I wanna bring home dinner as an apology for throwing myself into danger.” Aria admitted.

She grabbed a bag full of her stuff that the hospital staff had given her. She waved happily at a brown hedgehog that passed her, heading up to Scourge's room, and she broke off to talk to him quietly. Scourge and Aria had gone through enough. As much as the couple wanted to eavesdrop, as much as they absolutely wanted to follow every step and poke fun at them over every word, they somehow chose to stay aside and let them have their conversation in peace. "She still wants to apologize?" Manic asked his partner. "Like, she saved his life, she's fine. He shrugged. "She ain't getting over issues overnight," he said. The worst of it was still over, and Aria and Scourge were feeling better. They were on a path to some kind of recovery. That was all they could ask for. Aria rejoined the couple, the other hedgehog having walked off.

"Sorry, I haven’t seen him in ages… Nice to know that Scourge isn’t just calling up his fwb… Shall we go get dinner now? Terra's hungry and I told her not to start cooking.”

Aria seemed to be looking to apologize to Terra for her behavior, not Scourge. They walked off towards the van and Aria tossed her stuff in the back.

"Where we going?“ "Let's grab some crap from Holy Picante!" Manic said excitedly, not even missing a beat on the offer. The key swiveled around, and the car was already off, leaving Scourge alone with his thoughts once more. With a therapist to help him and his personal effects left at the castle, there wasn't the same utterly present self doubt. In fact, it was pleasant. Maybe the sterile hospital environment would have come across as a bit harsh, but it was a place for healing. And of the many things that could have helped their healing, bad fast food was certainly not going to hurt. The door to his room was slammed open barely half an hour after they had left. Manic followed up the dramatic entrance by handing a paper-wrapped burger over to Scourge happily, and flopping down onto one of the visitors chairs to keep munching on an entirely oversized container of french fries. Aria, Terra and Scourge all piled in shortly after, enjoying meals they shouldn't have snuck past the nurses. "Hey, do you know when you should be getting out of here?" Manic asked through a fistful of fries. "We've been planning..." He grinned at Aria. "You wanna tell him or should I?" "Not a damn clue. Doctors haven’t said anything to me all day. I’ve just been here, getting my IV filled all day.”

“And some tongue kisses,” Aria teased, tossing a fry at Scourge.

The king caught the fry in his mouth and swallowed it. “Haha. Like you two haven't been caught before.”

Aria just turned bright red and eeped. Terra smirked and nuzzled Aria's ear, saying nothing.

“Looks like you should tell him,” Castillo suggested. "Alright, guess we'll put it off 'til whenever you get out of here." Manic admitted, rathre uncomfortable at being put on the spot. "We were gonna head out together sometime, we figured you could call up one of your friends for a date, or summat?" That devilish smirk came back. "Of course, there's always that Bubsy dude I know..." Scourge elbowed Manic. "He's not kissing Bubsy," he commanded, "He's got enough bullshit to deal with." Manic smirked right back. "What, you wanna smooch Bubs instead?" "Don't even fucking joke about that," Scourge growled. "But yeah, dude, if you wanna call someone up, we can totally like... triple date, if you want. I dunno, would you be cool with that?" "I would like that actually but… That’s not how those relationships work. Could always invite Otto out as my sixth wheel though. He’s not one of those kinds of friend, he just overworks himself.”

Aria leaned over to explain, still flushed. “Otto was the cow that did the photos at your wedding. Scourge, what about that girl you went out with a few weeks back?”

“Didn’t work out.” He shrugged.

“Why? I thought you liked her?” Aria asked, tilting her head

“She thinks the earth is flat.”

“Dodged a bullet then,” Terra joked. "It isn't?" Scourge slapped Manic's head playfully, Manic just smirking at his own stupid retort. "Yeah, that'd be cool, dude. Invite whoever the hell you want, we ain't too picky. Just give us a day aaaaand we'll see if we can make it up here." They could see Manic realize something. "Uh... What day is it? It's monday, right?" "Tuesday," Scourge said. "Ooooookay...." Manic pushed his quills back nervously. "Damnit, we're gonna have to head back on Thursday. I'm guessing tomorrow ain't gonna happen, so... I dunno, Ari, you wanna head out tomorrow, and we can all go out some other time?" "You boys are always welcome to come over but tomorrow I think I’m just gonna stay in bed. The doctors told me to rest, so I can’t warp you either.”

“We can always catch you next time you’re free Manic, it's fine.” The king insisted. "Hey, I mean... alright, guys, if you say so." Manic smiled at the three city residents. Manic patted himself down, finding an old napkin and scribbling out a phone number, handing it over to Scourge. "That's my mom's number, if you wanna talk to her again." Manic said. The day started to pass. Manic would drive Aria and Terra home, and speed right down the highway towards their own home city. The week started to pass. And as Manic finished his normal set and a one-time performance a few days later, Scourge would finally be out of the hospital. Manic, Scourge, Aria... they were all concerned with just dating and having their fun. But not Scourge. Scourge was alone in his castle yet again, not worried about some kind of date night the others had planned for themselves. In fact, it all started a bit familiarly with him coming across the old baby book. Of course, it was left where Fiona had found it, closed and rested on the bed, waiting. The king was hesitant to touch it, but did so anyways. It was time to get over this fear of remembering. He was still bedridden due to some side effects to the meds he was given, but he flipped through the pages. Lovingly looking at his wife and their baby. He didn’t feel like crying. He didn’t feel as upset. It was sad for sure, but the intense mental work that the doctor put him through helped, as well as Aleena’s advice.

He got to pages he had never seen, photos of Luke and Rosy’s oldest child, still a baby. There was a note on the last full page he hasn’t seen before, and he settled in to read it.

My love,

This book was merely a starting point for what you’ve missed. You, Luke and I are a family now, and while this wasn’t what we originally planned for ourselves, I know in my heart that no matter what happens to me, I wouldn’t do anything different. I know you’re incredibly brave and strong, and I’m so thankful that I’m in your life.

With all the love I can offer, Fiona.

PS: I want more then one

The king sat back, set the book on the bed beside him and closed his eyes to remember his wife fully. The image of her was clear and bright in his mind. He fell asleep like that, the faintest smile on his lips.

Healing would take a long time. But this was as good a start as any. ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ "What do you mean he can't come?" The king was finally able to get out of bed, and Scourge already had plans? Phooey. "We've been planning this for weeks." "Just said he can't come." Castillo told Manic tensely. "He's a king, probably catching up on some kind of political bullshit or whatever..." None of the three others in the van bought it. "You're lying," Manic said, reflecting Aria and Terra's thoughts. "What's going on in there, dude?" Castillo waited before replying, still trying and failing to repress his anger. "Tried talking him out of his plans, but he said it was "for the best"...." "Please don’t tell me he’s gonna try and kill himself again.” Aria asked, worried, holding tightly to Terra's hand. The bat wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, trying to comfort her.

Castillo shook his head. "No, no not at all… But he’s gone to see…“

Somewhere else far away, Scourge knocked on a door, holding flowers. The goons intimidated him just a bit, but Doctor Hellings said this would be very beneficial for him.

It was a wonder she had agreed to this at all. Vaguely he wondered why. The door open and he smiled a bit.

"Hi Fiona…” Fiona still wasn't certain of this herself. Having someone actually knocking on her door after leaving the elevator wasn't something she was quite used to, either. She had many plans. Plans to prod him about Castillo's past, plans to make him nervous... but there was something different about this Scourge. He wasn't a scumbag, not a deadbeat, not anything of that sort. The flowers were a surprising gesture. Not that he would show up to her apartment with some kind of gesture of kindness, that was perfectly normal. No, the surprise was the flowers themselves. Lovingly hand selected roses - purchased from a flower vendor back home - in yellow, white, and peach blooms. It was the same kind of bouquet she'd got for Scourge, but much nicer than the set she'd grabbed in a hurry. Fiona slowly picked them up out of Scourge's hand, not sure what to think. "...Thanks," Fiona said. Where was a vase she could put these in? Certainly not in the entrance room. "Hold on," Fiona said, walking to the kitchen and coming back with a simple glass vase hurriedly filled with water. It was placed center on the coffee table. Why was she bothering to do all this again? Ah yes... She shivered slightly and turned around to look at the king. "I'm guessing you just want to see Faolán?" She asked, arms crossed, but pose slightly less imposing. He felt a little awkward waiting by himself, but when she returned he relaxed just a bit.

"Really, I’m more here to see you. But I’ll go say hello to the little one, I know how boring a hospital bed can be…”

As they walked to Faolán's door, he looked over at the alternate. “I’m… I’m sorry. For everything you got involved in because of me… Admittedly I wasn’t expecting a crowd at the river, but thank you for being there and helping and the flowers anyways.”

He felt almost as nervous as he had on his first date with his Fiona. But this was a different nervous. Fiona quietly walked with him. He was still apologizing... for what? Scourge's tended to die in a few ways. A fight that goes bloody quickly, a horrible accident as a result of their own actions, an overdose of some kind. Even if they got suicidal, it was never something this intentional. They'd always find some other patsy to push their frustration on. The most Fiona leaned about this Scourge, the less she realized she actually knew about him. Who the hell was she walking with anymore? She didn't offer anything in direct response. She didn't say it was fine, she didn't say he shouldn't be apologizing. She instead finished the walk at her child's door, creaking it open. "We have a visitor who wants to say hello," she told him gently through the door. Faolán's condition had clearly been improving. While the bed seemed gone, the IV was still there, and he was now allowed to walk around his room just a bit for exercise. Several games were stacked by his bed, some still wrapped in plastic that he hadn't gotten to yet. It was also clear his diet had gotten less strict. Either that, or he'd been sneaking jelly fruit slices from an overstuffed bag his father had given him without telling his mother. Like father, like son. Hell, like mother, like son. Fiona just stood near the door but out of sight, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. Who was Scourge really, and why was he offering an apology? He was a Scourge... right? Scourge chuckled quietly at the candy Faolán's father had snuck in. Yup. Definitely Castillo’s kid.

"Hi there kiddo. Do you remember me from the wedding?” He asked, slowly kneeling to be eye level with Faolan. He remembered from his time babysitting Rosy's kids that getting on their level made them more comfortable.

“I’m a friend of your dad. How are you feeling?”

He was gentle and respectful, even to a child that wasn’t his own. Fiona didn’t know him. She didn’t know him at all. It was easier to look at the similarities between him and a Sonic than it was to look between him and any other Scourges. Sonic... Heh, she though Sonic was a bad boyfriend. It had been years since she'd even spoken to him. A Scourge who acted like Sonic should have been her worst nightmare, and yet... "Yeah, you were the speaker guy." He said. He seemed more energetic than he did at the wedding, even in his sick state. "I'm alright, dad got me the new 'hoshiko' game." He wasn't totally comfortable with the new person in his house, but the low position and kind words definitely seemed to keep him relaxed. Near the goodies left near his bed, Scourge could also see a child sized electric guitar stashed behind he head of his bed with some booklets of beginners practice songs. Seemed his interests didn't stop at just listening to music. He could see that Scourge wasn't entirely sure what the game was, and immediately hopped in with a bit of excitement. "It's a game where you find these star animals, and... ..." Fiona had do smile while she listened in. He was so into some silly came about collecting animals. He'd take any chance to talk about his favorite creatures, or just talk about how you played the game with bizarre terms. She didn't understand a word of what he was saying, and he was saying it with so much passion, it was always a delight to hear. He wasn't anywhere near as jaded as either of his parents. The child gained Scourges undivided attention as he explained the game, and followed along intently.

"Wow. You’ve sure got a lot of them. You must be really good at this game.” He praised Faolán as he showed off his collection. The child like innocence and passion for life was refreshing. Even if he had never experienced it himself, seeing the kid so happy made kneeling on the floor until his knee locked up a bit totally worth it.

It was a glimpse, just a small one, of what the king would have been like with a child of his own. A different color, a different name, probably a different illness if any at all, but this would most defiantly have been how Luke would have been treated. With respect and undivided attention. "Yeah!" He said, excited at the praise. There was a beat as he remembered what he'd been taught to say. "Thank you," he added. "And I've got four of the... of the solar instruments!" Some collectible macguffin type device the character was questing to find. "My friend Dorato got them all!" The mention of his friend seemed to get to him a bit. "I haven't seen my friends since I started staying home. I think I'll get to go back to school and see them next week!" "The doctor said you can see them as soon as Friday, but you need your rest." Fiona informed him as she finally walked in. "It's nine o'clock. It's bedtime." Faolán tried to push the bag of sweets aside. Fiona noticed and didn't particularly say anything. Her posture was more relaxed and welcoming around her son. "Can I ask him something first?" Fiona nodded. Faolán looked at Scourge again, interest in his eyes. "Do you have a Gametari? Have you ever played one of these games?" "Well not a gametari. A long long time ago, I had something similar though. Think of it like the Gametari’s grandfather. And I haven’t played this specific game, but I have played the original games. Now you need your rest kiddo. You wanna get better don’t you?” He used the doorframe to help himself up, rubbing his locked up knee and stretching it out a bit to loosen the joint.

He waited in the doorway as Fiona tucked her son in and kissed him goodnight. That taste of parenthood, just a small one, was enough to help him out a lot. The lights were off, and the game device wasn't on, though how long it would stay like that was anyone's guess. The door was closed quietly behind Fiona as she left. She lead Scourge back into the main room of her apartment. A penthouse view, expensive furniture... she was clearly a wealthy woman, whatever she did. The question spiraled around the fox's mind. Should she ask it? She knew she was going to, but should she have asked it? It was probably a terrible move on her part, but it was his health, after all. "It's been a week," Fiona said bluntly. "You seem healthy. You don't have any lasting injuries, right?" Even if she was trying not to show it, she was clearly just a tiny bit concerned for him. The concern was appreciated and he nodded, looking out onto the city.

"No added conditions, but a few got worse. How about you? Everything okay? Faolán seems to be getting better, but you haven’t said much.”

He turned to look at her with a gentle smile, trying to connect on an emotion level with her in a gentle way. She was hesitant to all of this, but seemed calmer. She was uncomfortable now more than ever, now that she was being called out on it. She crossed her arms and faced the city view alongside Scourge. "I don't like Scourges," she reiterated. Her gaze out at the city was hollow and confused, as though she was looking through the buildings and towards nothing. Everything the king had done was strange to her, and she wasn't sure how to justify this to herself. "But you don't seem like a Scourge." Another pause as she searched for the right words again. "You aren't really a Scourge, are you?" She said, thinking she'd come to the right conclusion. He laughed quietly. "You hate Scourges so much that rather than amend that statement, you just sorted me into a different pile. Well you’d be wrong there. I am a Scourge.”

He moved to sit down, rubbing his sore knee. “My universe is… Backwards in a way. See, in the prime verse I’m connected to, Sonic is a bad guy. I’m the good side. In fact, he’s so evil that Sonic alternates are usually attacked on sight in my realm.” The window was just reflective enough to give Fiona a view of Scourge sitting down. Even as she looked out to try and avoid watching him, she could still see him speak. She watched him speak through the corner of her eye and looked down on the streets below. Fiona moved to sit down finally, hesitantly watching Scourge. She didn't know the first thing about his Fiona, but the frantic comments she'd heart Manic mumbling told her not to press that particular wound. This wasn't about to dissuade her impressions, he was basically a Scourge without the defining traits of a Scourge. But she did at least try to shove down her prejudice to speak to him. "It you're good, then why are you talking to me?" Fiona said, sounding harsh but not angry. "I'm sure they've told you everything about me." In fact, they had said quite a bit. About how the city she lives in is run by her unseen hand, an illicit empire creeping through the veins of the city. About her rise in power coincided with a rise in violent acts committed by herself. And about how absolutely no one could even try to hurt her. "You're putting yourself in danger," she warned him. Was that... sadness on her voice? Was she actually sad to say that about a Scourge? "Because you wouldn’t hurt me. And even if you did, even if I somehow pushed you to snap, because I doubt you’d just flat out attack me for no reason, who really wins here? A week of intense psycho therapy doesn’t make me want to die any less. Am I coping? Of course. Am I better? Probably. Do I still wish I was dead? Every other minute. But you won’t hurt me. If you didn’t want me here, if you were willing to hurt me, you wouldn’t have called the ambulance and you wouldn’t let me in the door or anywhere near Faolán.”

He was silent and then added. “They told me about what you’ve done, but you’re not evil… Or not as evil as your reputation paints you to be. Trust me. I would know what evil looks like. It does not look like a mother doing everything to ensure her son gets better.”

The looked at each other, silent until a soft beep came fro Scourge's phone. He checked it and sighed. “I don’t mean to be rude but could I have a glass of water? I need to take some medication.” Not evil? No, she was still very much evil. She knew she was still a bad person through and through. She was an ally of Scourge's for years! ...but then again, that was all past. She wasn't the woman she once was. Instead of loving Scourge and wanting to have his child, she was sitting in her living room... talking with... Scourge. "Sure." Something had hit her emotionally. She stood up and walked towards the kitchen, jut a bit quicker this time around. She would return with two waters and an asprin for herself. This visit had already gotten intensely emotional for her. She was going to need something. After handing the water over, she sat down and sipped the drink, not quite sure what to say. He just came, gave her flowers, visited her kid... was this some kind of a long con? Was he building up to some request of her and trying to bring her guard down? Even Fiona wasn't buying that, even if she tried to tell herself. Scourge didn't seem like an evil man. Giving her a bouquet of roses like the one she'd given him was a bit cheeky, but it seemed like his heart was in the right place. 'Mildly cheeky' was the worst he had been. "What do you mean, Sonic's are evil?" She asked with more apparent interest. "I've never met a bad alternate before." "It’s… Difficult to explain. He’s seen as a hero, but he extorts the victims. He’s greedy, very greedy. Does everything for show. If you can’t pay him once he’s saved someone you love… He goes back and finishes the job. The last victim was a little kid, shot right through the forehead. Probably only a little bit older than F… Five”

He wasn’t gonna draw that comparison. Not in front of her. He was already a burden enough as is. Scourge took meds from a bottle and shivered. “He not only scares me, he makes me mad. Someone like that is hailed as a god by the people who don’t know what he does… And children pay with their lives.” Fiona didn't need the comparison to be drawn, she pieced it together herself. She was better at hiding her shivering, but some of her emotional walls had cracked. Just enough to let him see her try and stifle a gasp. That look in his eyes was too... personal to ignore. There was some personal connection there, even if she didn't know exactly what it was. "I shouldn't have asked," Fiona said, getting close to apologizing but not uttering the words. "It's hard for you." She sipped her water again. She wanted answers, but she didn't want to actually upset Scourge. There was a strange closeness there. In the similar traumas, in their actions, in how extreme their trauma had driven them... She gave in and sighed. "You knew someone, didn't you?" ”… Alicia. She went after him to try and end the reign of false heroism. I… Still don’t know if she’s dead or not… No body was recovered. It's been many years. I gave up on her and I feel bad but… There’s no chance anymore.“

He seemed deeply troubled by all of this, but stayed quiet about his feelings. He let the silence hang in the air, thick and heavy but ultimately useful for switching to the next topic of conversation.

"Do you and Faolán need anything?” Fiona jumped on the chance to drop the topic. She glared out the window at the skyline. The gorgeous neon skyline. "We've got everything we could need," Fiona said quietly, still sipping her water like it was some luxurious drink. "We're fine... thank you." The thank you was sincere, but Fiona needed to force it out of her throat. She had made many errors, and helping to save Scourge clearly wasn't one of them. It had been far too long since she'd had someone over to actually talk. Not to plan business. Not as some kind of formality for an awkward date. Just a casual conversation, and even if the topics were grim, it all felt natural. Comfortable, even. The prejudices against Scourges kept slamming against her mind, but she didn't want to stop it for once. They barely knew each other, but they already knew a lot about one another, and neither was sure how to react. Fiona might have looked placid, but she couldn't hide her tears. She reached around, desperate for some kind of rag and ending with some uncomfortable throw blanket to dab at the thin stream of tears. "You stupid...!" She seemed to say to herself. "I don't know what's happening to me. I'm sorry." "Woah ..um… I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you upset … But if you need to cry you should. It's not good to hold all of it in.” The king apologized, offering her a tissue from a pack that was in his pocket.

And yet he still stayed back. For her comfort, for his mental stability. Always just out of arms reach, but close enough to know that someone was there. Fiona seemed hesitant. She didn't want to bawl, but showing any amount of vulnerability was hard for her. She eventually caved and reached for the tissue, dabbing her eyes as the weak flow of tears quickly stopped. "I'm tired of worrying about Faolán's health," Fiona eventually admitted, cramming the tissue into her pocket. "That Sonic's type should've been killed in the womb...!" The tears seemed to do away with some of her makeup. Not much of it, but the few lines and creases he could make out on her face looked too defined for her young age. Like she was prematurely aged by stress. "I don't know why I agreed to this," Fiona lied, standing up and huffing. "This whole visit was a mistake." "I see. I’m sorry. I won’t bother you again.”

He was a little upset, sure, but got up. He bowed to Fiona, almost formally and made the move to leave, opening the door.

That had not gone where he had wanted it to. However he was no longer welcome in this place, so he pulled out his phone to text Aria, checking if they were all still up for hanging out. He would receive two texts in return, one for Aria and one from Manic, both happy to let him come along still.k Just because they planned on ending their night soon didn't mean that they couldn't extend it for longer and enjoy a night out with their friends. Fiona spent that time at home, thinking. Thinking and feeling. It would only be that next morning that the king would find himself with one more text from Fiona. The bitter informative texts from the previous week would hang heavy over a curt five word message. {I'm sorry about last night.} {You don’t need to apologize} {I pushed too hard. I’m sorry} {How’s Faolan?}

He stretched out, cracking his spine as he got out of bed. He probably should find a better way to apologize than just a text, but he couldn’t think of anything.

He had an appointment with the doctor today. Hopefully she would be of use in finding out what he did wrong. {He's just about healthy. He should be able to go to school tomorrow} The "now typing" symbol appeared on Scourges phone, then disappeared, then reappeared again. She was having trouble saying whatever she was about to send. {I'm sorry about breaking down and insulting you like that} {Really shitty of me} Even if it wasn't explicitly said, the long pauses were enough to tell Scourge how guilty she felt, and how hard it was for her to say this to him. {You didn’t insult me at all.} {Last night actually really helped, so thank you}

He hoped that she understood how thankful he was for her cooperation. After last nights breakdown and the apology texts, he probably owed her dinner.

{I have to go to an appointment now.} {Talk to you later?} Fiona was actually sitting on her bed as she sent the texts, barely wanting to get out of bed that morning and feeling awful. She had to think before responding. Was it really worth the risk of talking to another Scourge? All she got out of this was someone she could feel guilty around. The response eventually came to her as a bit of a no-brainer. {Talk to you later}

#TinyRedArtist #Show's Over #There's A Melody Playing #Strong Language

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