Chapter Text
Avid didn’t like blood.
Well, really, who did? And it was quite obvious once he thought about it; there was a reason he never became a doctor, or a soldier, or anyone else dealing with blood, besides the biggest reasons of not wanting to be one and his dad finding it a worthless pursuit, especially because Avid would have to take over the family business one day.
There may also have been one other little reason Avid didn’t like blood.
(Smoke. Fire. Alarms flashing red and ringing out. Blood. He couldn’t even feel the pain yet, but he could see it. He was the only victim who was conscious.)
(One of his legs felt numb; he could hardly see it either, besides a dark messy shape that seemed way less leg-shaped than it should.)
(Marm lay over his upper body, unconscious or worse, her right arm a shredded, burned mess of blood and bone. He sat up slowly, head buzzing, trying to hold her body gently, trying to shield her like she’d tried for him.)
It probably wasn’t important, though.
Anyway, he was reminded that he didn’t like blood when it started gushing out of the claw wounds that Owen gave him, located at the crook of his neck and shoulder. It… really hurt, but he would just have to deal with it for now. Scott was injured too, with a dozen little scratches placed all around his body, and he’d already made enough of a scene.
It was fine. He was the president of DoakTech, the head of the totally-real board in the Dark Oak Kingdom! The grandson of the founder of Doak ‘N’ Go! The son of… him.
Avid Doakie III, the high-energy, self-assured heir to DoakTech. He could take a scratch.
“You okay?” Shelby asked him, blinking worriedly up from her notebook.
“Yeah. Didn’t expect… this.”
Just then, a whole group of people appeared down the path—the Oakhurst people.
“What happened?” Cleo demanded.
“You’re injured!” Legs barked, rushing ahead. “Did Owen do something?”
“No, we collectively fell into a thorn bush,” Scott said dryly.
Legs made a disapproving face as he fussed over Avid’s wound.
“Owen attacked us,” Avid confirmed. Shelby looked at the ground.
“Owen was trying to find out what happened to his coven when an annoying hunter came around to throw insults at him,” the man they were discussing slid out of the shadows, voice harsh. Was his hair a little more silver than before?
“Owen, please,” Legs started.
“Step back, ye beast,” Ren growled.
Cleo stepped forward. “Let’s try to be civil for two seconds. Owen, these don’t seem to be the same Scott and Avid. They’re from another universe. Leave them alone.”
Owen crossed his arms. “That can’t be possible.”
“How do you explain everything, then? They magically got new clothes and grew horns and tails and metal legs?” Cleo snapped.
Owen frowned, considering.
“I think they’re right,” said a voice that made Avid straighten instinctively. Pyro stepped out of the crowd, black-and-red eyes darting to-and-fro nervously, not at all like the person he resembled and sounded like to Avid.
Legundo pulled out a cloth and started wiping at the scratch, but Avid shied away. Perhaps it was that the Legs he knew was rather… chaotic and would not be great at healing. It was probably also because that cloth did not look very sterilized.
“Avid, I’m sorry, I have to—” Legs started, but Avid shook his head.
“It’s fine! I can do it. I know basic first-aid, which is probably better than whatever… primitive techniques you use here.”
Legundo looked vaguely offended. “Is your world really more advanced than ours? I still have the experience of a doctor, you know.”
“Really, I can do it, it’s not a problem.”
“Let him do it,” Scott piped up. “The wound’s not that serious, anyway. I don’t trust Avid much with injuries, but, no offense, I trust you less.”
“So it’s decided!” Avid clapped his hands, winced, and then started to push through the crowd to get back to Oakhurst.
He saw Pyro edge around Legundo. He really looked so much like… Dad. Was he this universe’s version of him? His name hadn’t been Pyro, though. As far as Avid knew.
His father had no name of his own. Neither did Avid.
“Hey, so—” Pyro started.
Avid felt a sudden, inexplicable rush of rage. “Don’t talk to me,” he snapped, voice rough and sharp like a serrated knife. “I have nothing to say to you.”
Pyro flinched, brow furrowing. “O-okay, I was just going to—”
“You’re going to do nothing because I owe you nothing! I don’t want to see or hear from you. Get the hell out of my face.”
Several people said his name warningly. Legundo was one of them. He didn’t remember the names attached to the rest of the voices. It didn’t matter. None of them mattered in the end. Avid had no care for the people, after all. That’s what he always demanded of him.
He took Scott’s arm and dragged him through the crowd without another word.
-
Marmalade had decided to go ask Jungle for a couple sheep, as Doak was on better terms with them as far as she knew, though if they refused she couldn’t really care that much.
She’d never had much affection for the first Scott, and she had exactly zero for this one. She was not going to barter for him, she was not going waste resources getting him animals for him to drink the blood out of.
Really, though she considered a good amount of the people here to be friends, the only one she really cared about was Avid.
And Avid was gone. Replaced with one who didn’t recognize her.
And she was wasting time flying to Jungle instead of working on getting him back.
Marm landed heavily on Jungle’s road and sprinted into the Kingdom. “Legs! Mig!”
She was greeted with silence. Huffing, she flew to the other end to make sure she hadn’t missed them. Nope, they were not there.
She wondered if it was a terrible idea to try to steal a couple sheep. She dismissed this idea immediately. Again, she had no love for this Scott and it wasn’t worth risking conflict for him.
Even if that’s what he depends on for food? a little voice said. Ugh, yes, conscious, maybe she should try a little harder to make sure someone didn’t starve. She’d seen enough people struggle back in her and Avid’s world.
(And it was usually because of the Doakie family stripping away money from the people to fund its expensive projects which usually harmed the environment and didn’t at all help the people)
(She’d never really gotten to fund healthcare enough to spread her ideas for better prosthetics)
(Her metal arm was a reminder of that)
(Had she betrayed the rest of society by working with for Avid?)
Marm lifted off into the sky again, heading toward Birch Kingdom.
But she saw Legundo then. Talking with Avi—not her Avid. The crazy vampire hunter. He didn’t look to be doing so well, while Legundo seemed somewhat confused.
She pivoted quickly. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she needed to make sure this Avid didn’t ruin everything she and Avid had built.
-
Scott frowned when Avid practically barged past him, eyes wild. What had happened? Why was he so upset? Was it the blood? Avid got so upset over such little things. He would be a worthless vampire.
“Whoa. What’s up with him?” Drift asked nervously.
Scott shook his head. “I dunno. He’s kinda volatile, though. Maybe we should stay back so he doesn’t attack us.”
Drift looked uneasy. “He might need help, though?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather keep my life,” Scott drawled back.
Drift frowned, but didn’t move to follow Avid.
-
“Oh—” Scott jumped slightly when Avid grabbed his arm and dragged him through the crowd. He let him, because he clearly wasn’t at his best, and honestly, neither was Scott. Both were good talkers, but their social batteries had drained, and there were just too many people right now.
Avid let him go when he reached an open part in the road, turned around, and gave Scott a full study for wounds. Really, this wasn’t necessary, Scott was fine, but if it would make Avid feel better, he may as well let the man doctor him.
Avid frowned and shuffled through his belt pouches for something to help with this. He turned up with a small pink vial filled with water and a packet of tissues. He rinsed Scott’s scratches with the water, and wiped them up with a tissue.
“Avid,” Scott interrupted. “Your wound is worse, I’m fine.”
“Don’t remind me,” Avid muttered. “Hmm. I still think this one is bad enough for a bandage,” He pointed to but didn’t touch a particularly deep claw mark on Scott’s arm.
“Avid, this is—” Scott suddenly stopped when Avid reached for his own tie and started to loosen it. “W-what are you doing?”
Avid snorted. “I’m making a bandage, what does it look like? Isn’t this what you wild people do?”
“We don’t usually use dress ties.”
“Oh well, you’ll have to deal with it this time.” Avid undid the sky-blue tie, gently pressed a clean tissue to Scott’s scratch, and secured it with the tie.
The man was still snarking at him while the sleeves and collar of his fancy coat were torn and his dress shirt was darkened with blood from Owen’s claw marks. “For the love of the gods, take care of yourself before you pass out.”
“I’m not gonna pass out, I was just about to tend to it, and it’s not even that bad.” Avid replied smoothly. “I’m more worried about my coat. This is my favorite one and that bastard tore it all up. It’s drafty in this world.”
“It’s not that cold. You come from a world of sky and wind.”
“I don’t come from there, either,” Avid told him. “My homeworld is warmer. Mayhaps due to global warming, but you know. Things happen. I tried to create a renewable energy source, but my dad didn’t let me. He… doesn’t like my ideas. You know. It’s whatever. And anyway, even the sky doesn’t feel as—”
“Avid,” Scott interrupted. “Please.”
Avid blinked and studied him for a moment. “All right, okay. I’ll see to the wound. Calm down.”
Avid shrugged off the right side of his coat, then unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt, which did not help Scott with the “calming down” thing.
“Now what are you doing?” Scott exclaimed.
Avid gave him a flat look. “I’m making it easier to reach. Can’t exactly clean the thing through my shirt. God, for such a flirtatious talker and a man whose own shirt has a low collar, you’re kind of a prude.”
“E-excuse me?” Did he just call him a prude? “Can I not ask a question?”
“Oh please. I could see the little gay panic going on in your head.” Thank the stars, Avid was actually pulling out a wad of tissues and the pink vial again to clean his wound while speaking.
Scott snorted. “I don’t panic about my gayness. That’s more of a you thing. Though you’re a bi panicker yourself.”
“I don’t panic because of my sexuality, I panic because of unexpected social interactions. It breaks the routine of dynamics. I’m not panicking now, am I? That’s because this is an agreed-upon dynamic that I am familiar with.” Avid explained in a clinical voice, like he was talking about his DoakTech.
This was actually quite interesting to Scott. “You’ve only known me for like, two weeks though.”
“I can read people pretty well. It comes with being a celebrity and having to talk to people.” Avid winced as he touched the wound. “Oh, man. I don’t like that.” He pressed the tissue to the wound, gritted his teeth, and pulled out a pocket mirror with the other hand. How much stuff he had, Scott had no clue, but he was glad nonetheless.
“I can hold that,” Scott offered. Avid handed him the mirror and Scott angled it so Avid could see what he was doing, which made the engineer draw in a shaky breath and look vaguely ill.
“It could use stitching, but we don’t have any,” Avid mumbled to himself. “Or at least, none I trust. A bandage will have to do. But what to wrap it with…”
“We could tear off a piece of your coat,” Scott suggested.
Avid glared at him sharply. “Keep your claws off my coat. I’m not having it destroyed more than it already is.” He looked down at the reddish-brown vest. “Now this, I can do without.”
“You know,” Scott pointed out conversationally while Avid struggled to tear a strip off of his own vest. “I feel like we could’ve waited just a little longer for the doctor guy to give us some gauze or something.”
Avid finally pulled out a knife (since when did he have that?!) and cut the vest. “Well—it’s—don’t judge me.”
“I wasn’t.” Scott said, judgingly. “I can help you wrap that.”
Avid handed him the cloth and the tissues, and Scott carefully wrapped his shoulder.
He jumped slightly when Avid leaned his head against the crook of his neck and muttered something inaudible.
“Sorry—what was that?” Scott asked.
“I wish Marm were here,” Avid whispered.
Scott felt a pang of sympathy—and yearning for his own partner in crime. He’d kind of been blocking it out. “Oh, Avid. I know.” he murmured back.
“Aww, you’re so cute,” Shelby squealed, appearing suddenly in front of them. Scott and Avid flinched and separated.
“Shelby, what?” Scott yelped. “How—what—”
“Vampiric invisibility, it’s pretty cool,” They smiled. “Do you need help getting back to town or somewhere…? Everyone else is going home. Or, well—to Oakhurst or the castle.”
“Owen and Pyro are at the castle, right?” Avid interjected.
“Yeah…” Shelby shuffled their feet. “Do you have a problem with Pyro or something?”
Avid seemed to blank out for a moment. “I… don’t have a problem with Pyro. Well, I mean—besides the fact that they helped Owen kidnap Scott.”
“Well, I guess… but they were both confused at the time and they didn’t mean any harm,” Shelby offered.
Scott snorted. “Right.”
Shelby lowered her head. “If you don’t need help—”
“I mean, I don’t know, the way back to town seems pretty clear,” Avid noted.
Scott poked him. “We could still use the help or—”
Avid suddenly grabbed him by the waist and pulled him close, making Shelby say “Oh!”. His metal wings unfolded, somewhat crooked but still functional, and he said “Hold on,” to Scott before activating the rockets and flying into the air.
Scott may or may not have made a shrill noise of fear, gripping Avid’s coat for dear life. “Can this support two?!”
“It’s DoakTech!” Avid yelled, flipping his goggles down to cover his eyes.
That wasn’t a particularly comforting response, but Oakhurst was within view, and they were gliding toward it, so hopefully they wouldn’t crash before getting there.
Good news: they landed safely in the middle of town.
Bad news: other people were there, and no one looked happy.
Ren, Martyn, Apo, and Sausage looked toward them.
“Explain this sorcery at once, Young Avide!” Ren spat. Sausage nodded eagerly, while Martyn and Apo looked uneasy and grim.
Scott stepped behind Avid. “Don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me,” he whispered frantically.
Avid seemed confused. “This is technology… sorry you guys are so primitive?”
“Ouch, rude!” Sausage gasped.
Apo furrowed her brow. “Okay, just tell us what that is.”
“And don’t judge Specs for being suspicious,” Martyn said quickly. “He’s had a bad experience with a witch. We’re just being cautious.”
“Aye, and I will not let anymore harm to these innocents,” Ren growled.
“Excuse me? Are you calling me a witch?” Avid snapped.
(Fire, fire, fire)
(“Monster!” “Wicked creature!” “If he’s a demon, then that girl must be a witch!”)
(“I won’t let them hurt you,” Drift whispered.)
(“You’ll just get hurt instead,” Scott hissed desperately. “They don’t like you anymore.”)
(“They never liked me much anyway,” Drift muttered. Still, he saw the regret glimmer in her eyes. “Let’s run. I’ve got you, bud.”)
(Fire.)
(Drift screaming.)
(Townsfolk screaming.)
(Slitted yellow eyes staring up at him from the broken glass.)
“He’s not a witch,” Scott hissed. “Back off.”
He saw fear in their eyes. Avid glanced back at him with confusion.
(Not again.)