Chapter Text
He’s happy.
He’s so, so happy. Peaceful, euphoric. He knows he shouldn’t be. It’s why his cheeks are wet, though he can’t really feel his face anymore.
Floating, he’s floating. But it’s okay. Everything’s okay. God, he’s so happy. It should be wrong but it feels so good and it’s not like he could stop it anyway, so why resist it? Why not just stay floating until he’s no longer allowed to?
Not that he really can resist it. Mm.
He might be upright, but the world feels flipped on its head. He’s somewhere dark and safe. Everywhere’s safe.
The thought should make his ribcage tighten, but it doesn’t. Instead, his heart is soothed, held aloft. Nothing can hurt him right now, nothing can reach him.
So many “should”s and “shouldn’t”s in his brain. So cluttered, ahhhhh! Why does he think so much all the time? It should – another should! – feel really bad to not be thinking, but god, he’s smiling. He probably looks really silly right now, and that only makes him smile wider.
He can barely feel himself. Mm, it’s nice. It shouldn’t be. There’s another one, wow… He should be keeping score.
Ah, no, he can’t focus enough for that. Empty, empty, empty.
“I’ll check down here.”
Oh, he’s not the only one in the dark place anymore. The other person sucks in a breath.
There are hands on his arms, but the touch feels removed from himself. The person in front of him… he knows her, he does, but she’s out of focus. Not contributing to the haze, so he doesn’t need to worry about her.
“Doc. Doc, can you hear me?”
He doesn’t think he has to answer. He’d rather just keep floating. His mouth’s been open for a while, anyway. The only sound that leaves is a delirious giggle. God, he’s happy.
“Oh, god,” the person says. “Doc. Listen to me. We’re gonna sit down, alright?
So he was standing. Hm. When they lower him to the ground, he doesn’t fight it. His limbs were barely supporting him anyway.
He can’t fight anything, really. Anyone could do anything to him right now, haha. Everything’s funny. He might’ve giggled again.
The person isn’t clear, but he knows she’s sad. That’s a shame, when he’s so at ease, and it prickles around the haze. He’s too happy to let it fester, but he knows he should be upset that she’s upset. That he should do something. But he can’t do anything right now, and it’s so terribly blissful. He’s trapped inside himself and he’s so so so so happy.
“You found him?” A new voice. He knows this one, too, but he’s the same as the other one. Out of focus.
He knows they’re both his friends. That’s nice. He likes having friends. Even if he shouldn’t have any after what he is, but the haze doesn’t let him focus on that thought for long.
“Abolish. I-” she chokes. “He’s…”
The new person crouches in front of him, so he smiles wider in greeting. “Oh. Okay. This is a little out of my wheelhouse.”
“I can take care of him,” she declares.
“You sure?”
“Yes. Watch our backs, but… give us privacy.”
The new person dips his head once. “Got it. Let me know if you need me, Cleo.”
Down to one person now. He likes this one, and he liked the other one, but he likes everything right now. So uncomplicated.
Being on the ground makes him feel sleepy.
“Doc,” she says. “Please. Just… listen to me. I don’t know exactly where your head’s at right now, but I need you to wake up.”
His mouth’s still open, and something might tumble out of it, but he doesn’t feel it. All he feels is pleasure.
“I know. I’m sorry. But you have to wake up. Please. I don’t want to make you.”
“Uhhhhhh,” he replies. His tongue’s so heavy, but he can’t be upset about it. He chuckles at how full of cotton his mouth is. “I ‘unno.”
The other person looks more upset. “I don’t… I don’t know how to get you out of it, alright? I’ve never been… god, Doc, just snap out of it.”
He can’t hold his head up anymore. It falls to his chest, eyes shutting.
“‘S okay,” he assures. “‘M happy. ‘M veeeery happy, Don’ worry about me.”
Her voice sharpens. “God, even like this, you’re…” Then she pauses. “Doc. Legundo, Doctor, we need you. We need your help right now. We need a doctor.”
Uh? Clicking in his brain where there should only be floating. Mm, he doesn’t like that.
He…
He doesn’t like that..?
He-
The doctor-
Legundo throws his chin up and gasps. He coughs.
He’s no stranger to rude awakenings. The heavens can attest. It feels like the aftermath of meeting the business end of a bayonet, or maybe a seriously inadvisable hangover.
Legundo blinks. Assess the situation. Check for threats, for patients, for…
Cleo is in front of him. Bloody tears are staining her cheeks, though her face is stony. Is she injured? In distress?
They’re in a crypt. It’s dim down here.
“Cleo? Are you alright?” Oh, he feels light-headed. The action of speaking brings a wave of nausea, and he’s too drowsy to push it down. “Fuck,” he mumbles, then adds an apology for the blunder.
“Doc,” is all she says, and there’s something unreadable in her tone.
Perhaps Legundo should take more stock of himself. He feels almost detached. Does he have a concussion?
He doesn’t remember how he got here with Cleo. It doesn’t exactly feel like after a bout of nostalgia, though. He needs more information.
Legundo notices with a slight inhale that his cheeks are wet, his eyes sore. “Was I… crying? Sorry, I hope I didn’t upset you-” He realizes what felt strange when he spoke. The wetness extends to under his lip, down his chin. His mouth is wet with saliva.
He is… drooling? He covers his mouth in embarrassment.
Cleo looks like they’re about to snap in half from tension. “Doc. I… There’s no easy way to explain this.”
Legundo’s brow furrows. Through his hand, he asks, “Explain what? Tell me what happened, please.”
“You…” She places her knuckles against her lips. “There’s a vampiric ability that we haven’t encountered yet. One that… affected you.”
Legundo sobers instantly, dropping his hand to his knee. To think that only a few weeks ago, their sentence would’ve caused him no small amount of rolling his eyes. But things have certainly changed. “Oh?”
“I’ve never been affected by it myself, but I recognize the signs.” Cleo sighs. “Right. It’s hypnosis, Doc. You were hypnotized by someone, and I don’t know who.”
“I…” Legundo swallows. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”
He was familiar with hypnosis, of course, even if it wasn’t a treatment he employed himself. He knew it saw success on the field, but there were easier ways to calm a patient. Anesthetics, mostly.
But the way Cleo was looking at him made it clear that the vampiric variety was a different beast.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t,” Cleo mutters. “Some vampires can… If you look into their eyes, they can have power over you. They draw your mind into a state of bliss so they can feed off of you easier. You’re more… suggestible.”
“...What?”
“I’m sorry, Doc,” Cleo says rigidly. “God, I’m so sorry.”
Legundo is frozen.
He… isn’t sure how to proceed.
“So… I can’t remember how we came here… because my mind was altered?” he asks tentatively.
Cleo’s voice is raw. “Yes. Whoever did this brought you here, maybe. I don’t know for what reason.”
Legundo doesn’t feel a bite mark. There’s still a heartbeat in his chest, so the worst has not come to pass. He’s still human. He’s… in pain, but not anything from a physical wound. Just a feeling of… heaviness inside of his skull. Pressure. “I… Oh.”
The tightness in his eyes threatens to resurface. No. He will not cry in front of Cleo, more than he apparently already has.
Get a grip. Be the rock. He is in control.
He has to be… in control.
And if he wasn’t… just moments before…
His throat clenches.
Fresh blood slips down Cleo’s cheeks. “My god. I didn’t think this would happen.”
“It’s not your fault,” Legundo soothes immediately. Focus on her. Not on himself. That’s something he can do. “It’s alright, Cleo. Everything’s going to be alright.”
“Cleo,” Abolish calls, as if on cue. “We have a problem.”
“We have a problem everywhere, Abolish!” they hiss.
She rises to her feet. Legundo tries to follow suit, but color drains from his face in the attempt. The world is spinning. He stumbles back to his knees.
“Doc,” Cleo utters.
“I’m alright, Cleo,” he insists. “Help Abolish. Please. I… I think I need a moment alone.”
That last part is for her sake. It’s something he thinks will convince her to leave him behind. Thank god it seems to be working. He doesn’t want to inhibit her.
Cleo clenches her hands, looking around the dark room. “If anyone was here, they’d have to have snuck past, so…” She sighs. “I’ll be right back, got it? If you hear anything, do not open your eyes.”
“I understand,” he replies.
With a hesitant look, Cleo dashes out into the light.
After a moment, Legundo props himself on the cave wall. He shouldn’t be on his knees.
The movement aggravates the liquid feeling in his brain. He does not want to dwell on the implications of what has apparently happened to him, not when there’s trouble nearby, but he can’t help but wonder who was responsible for this.
Scott, probably. The name comes so easily, Legundo almost feels remorseful about the assumption. Keyword almost.
He strains his ears to check outside, to hear if anyone needs his assistance. If they do, he can push through the pain. It’s what he does best.
Legundo’s hearing isn’t what it used to be.
But he catches the rock that someone kicks on accident.
He snaps to attention. Danger.
Despite every instinct in him telling him to keep his eyes open, he throws a hand over them. Just the good eye, actually. No need to save the glass one. His palm presses uncomfortably against the monocle, but he can’t worry about smudging the lens.
“Who’s there?” he calls. He wants to not assume the worst, but someone was hiding for a reason. He can’t take that chance.
Not when his own mind can betray him. Not when he is a danger to his allies if this someone is the same to have plunged his mind into a haze.
Cleo will be back soon, but regardless, he can take care of himself. And if he fails, he prays Cleo will take their sweet time. They should avoid the aftermath of whatever happens.
“Relax, Doctor, or have you forgotten your oath?” the voice croons, and of course it’s him.
“Owen,” Legundo sighs. He lowers his hand, but he keeps his eye shut. He doesn’t want Owen to think he’s a threat to him. “Please stay back. I don’t know your intentions right now.”
“Jumpy, are we?” Owen sounds far away. “What’s happened?”
“Were you not listening in?” Legundo isn’t relaxed enough to cross his arms, but the urge is there.
“Don’t think so little of me.” Bold for Owen to say when he’s done nothing but eavesdrop since the moment he could turn invisible. “Why aren’t you looking at me?”
“You’re invisible anyway, aren’t you? Not much point.”
“I’d drop it for you.”
Legundo huffs. “Owen. I’d… prefer to be alone right now. We can talk later if you need something.”
“I don’t need anything from you.”
There are claws on Legundo’s eyelids before he can open his mouth to reply.
Of course Owen lunged at him – foolish, he’s such a fool!
Legundo tenses his face, don’t look, don’t look, don’t look-!
“You need something from me,” Owen says calmly.
He grips Owen’s arm, tries to throw him off, do anything, but Owen pries his eye open and Legundo-
He hopes, in the second he has to hope, that the look of betrayal on his face stays with Owen for the rest of his eternal life.
Then, all he can see are Owen’s eyes. Dizzy, dizzy, dizzy. He watches them, he sinks into them.
Hmmm… oh.
Oh.
He’s happy again. Legs’s smile returns, right where it belongs. His head rolls, eyelids heavy.
The people from before had been fuzzy. Out of reach.
Owen is picturesque.
Perfectly opaque. Eyes at the center, every detail on him alive and calling to him.
“I leave you for two seconds and you do this,” Owen hisses. “How much did they learn?”
Legs is pliant. He’d tell Owen anything. He shouldn’t, but oh well! “Dunno,” he blinks slowly, but returns to Owen’s eyes quickly. “‘M sleepy. Can I sleep?”
“Later.” Owen glances around. “Come with me. I don’t want them taking you away yet.”
“Okayyyyy,” Legs giggles. Owen is so funny. He likes Owen.
When Owen takes Legs’s hand, oh, he can feel it. He couldn’t feel the other two people very well, but Owen’s touch buzzes and soothes him. His skin is cold but it’s so so nice.
Owen tugs Legs deeper into the dark place. Legs’s legs – hahahaha – are very wobbly, but Owen helps him. How nice of him.
It’s easier to talk to Owen. The cotton is softer than ever. Legs hums cheerily, “Why do I listen to you? You order me to do stuff.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Owen asks flippantly.
“Orders are bad,” Legs slurs through the drool already pooling in his mouth. “Mmmm, not good! Noooo. Don't like ‘em.” He can’t be very upset about it right now, though! Owen’s eyes console him.
“Why not?”
“Made me do bad things!” Legs grins. His teeth chatter. “Called me good, but it wasn’ good. Nuh uh.”
The haze blankets around any thoughts and memories that would arise from that train of thought. Shuts it out, bye bye… Ah… If it weren’t for the rapturous bliss, Legs would hate that so much, but he can’t now. Wow.
“If I knew you would be this difficult, I hardly would’ve bothered,” Owen sighs.
“Good idea. Why’d you want me at all?” He laughs brightly. “I’m disgusting.”
“You’re not,” Owen says sharply. Aww, he thinks Legs is redeemable. How sweet. Legs doesn’t deserve that kindness. “Why would you think that?”
Legs’s lip trembles. His grin is straining, but he can hardly feel it. “Don’t make me say it.”
Owen stares at him for a moment. “I’ll deal with whatever that is later. For now I just need to get you out of here.”
They’re moving. Legs is floating. So easy, everything’s so easy right now. So weird. “Y’re different when I’m different.”
Owen sighs. “I will not even attempt to decipher that. I wasn’t expecting you to be this chatty. I knew you would be docile, but I was prepared for vacancy, not… this.”
“So happy. ‘M so happy,” Legs mumbles. “Why ‘m I so happy? I should never be this happy.”
“Isn’t this good, then?” Owen argues. “I can help you feel like this. I can bring you peace, doctor. Wouldn’t you want that? For it all to be out of your hands?”
“Don’ wanna feel good,” Legs giggles. “But I do feel good. I dooooo!”
“That’s right. You’ll thank me later,” Owen grumbles.
They’ve reached somewhere else. Dark and cozy, underground. Owen pulls him to the floor, clearly surprised at how willingly Legs drops.
“They shouldn’t find us here,” Owen notes. “We should have some time.”
Legs collapses against Owen’s chest. His cold feels so nice. Makes Legs more awake, aware of himself, but not in the bad way that being aware usually is.
Owen barely reacts, just shifting Legs’s head to face the same direction as his. “Don’t drool on me,” he orders.
“I won’t!” Legs bobs his head and returns to Owen’s eyes. “I see you.”
Owen tilts his head.
“I like looking at you,” Legs chuckles.
“Is that right?” Owen asks, a trace of confusion on his face. He’s so serious all the time. “You don’t have the capacity to lie to me like this, you’ve made that abundantly clear.”
“Owennnnnn,” Legs drawls. He loves how Owen’s name sounds right now. Like bells. “Owen, Owen, Owen.”
Owen huffs. “It’s like you’re intoxicated.”
“Mm-mm,” Legs denies. “Wellllll maybe at first. But then ‘m all sad. Now I feel so gooooood…”
Legs dips his head back against Owen’s shoulder. Owen glances at Legs, giving Legs a good long look at those entrancing eyes. Oh, so good, better. Swimming, haha.
Owen almost smiles. “See? You feel better like this. I wasn’t sure if this was the right play, but I was convinced to give it a try, and look at you.”
The presence of Owen gives Legs enough focus to ask something. “You done this before?”
Owen looks to the side. Ahhhh, get those eyes back here! But Legs can’t even feel disappointed right now. “Admittedly, today is my first attempt at the ability. But I think you’ve adapted well.”
Legs giggles at the praise. To think that normally praise makes him all twisty and complicated. Now he can just be grateful. “Thank you,” he coos. “But I’m gonna go back?”
Owen’s gaze narrows. “Why say that all of a sudden?”
Legs’s face feels wet. He knows somewhere that he’s not crying from happiness, but that’s all he can believe. “You can let me go. Gotta go help. Gotta do good.”
One of Owen’s hands holds Legs’s elbow. “You are doing good. Right now. You’re helping me.”
“I am?” Legs blinks sluggishly.
“Yes. Just stay with me. Just for a little while. You won’t leave me.”
“Mmmmm okay,” Legs agrees. He snuggles up against Owen and shuts his eyes.
So happy. So happy with Owen. The moment stretches and engulfs Legs in honey. So slow, so much. He can’t stop smiling. Owen is with him and everything’s alright.
Is Legs breathing heavier? It’s harder to feel his body now. Oh well. Mm.
Owen notices, so observant. “Doctor? Is… Tell me if something’s wrong.”
The cotton is heavier in his mouth. “I ‘unno. If there is, I can’t feel it. Too happy. So so so happy…” He nuzzles against Owen’s collarbone.
His face is more wet. Feels weird. Different, but it can’t feel bad.
Owen shifts. His voice is tight. “Your nose is bleeding.”
“Ohhh,” Legs chuckles. “You wan’ the blood?”
“No. I have standards.” Owen maneuvers Legs to face him. “Right, I’m not… sure what went wrong, but this clearly isn’t working. I’m going to send you back. Listen.”
Fuzzy. Compressing down on him. “Mmmhm.”
“I’m going to leave. Once two minutes have passed, you’re going to wake up. You’re going to know the way back, and you’ll return to town. You’re not going to remember that I’m the one who caused your current state. Understand?”
Sleepy. He’s so sleepy. “Mm.”
The sound must be good enough for Owen, because he props Legs against a wall. He glances from Legs to the rest of wherever they are. “I didn’t mean for it to be like this, Doctor. I wanted to try…” Owen shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. Be seeing you.”
“Byeeeee. Love you,” Legs mumbles.
Owen might make a sound. Then he’s gone. No more eyes. Legs is feeling cloudy, but still happy, duh.
Well. He’s by himself again. Lonely, but it can’t feel bad. It’s okay. Everything’s okay.
Owen said he’d wake up, but after a little bit, right?
That’s good. Legs giggles to himself. He’s so sleepy. He’s gonna sleep until he wakes up and goes home.
Yeah. Good plan. Boneless, Legs lets himself crumble to the ground. The softness covers and chokes him.
Goodnight, then.