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Fu’s room was small, but he had grown used to that. Small spaces were easy to understand. Everything had its place, and once Fu memorized where things belonged, the room stopped feeling unfamiliar. At the moment, he was pacing. The floorboards gave quiet complaints under his feet as he walked from one wall to the other, hands clasped to his chest where he held Hii. His steps were slow and methodical, the same measured path repeated over and over.
“They talked to me today!” Fu announced aloud, particularly giddy.
Of course they did, Hii replied. You didn’t completely embarrass us for once.
Fu nodded faintly, accepting the assessment without protest. Ever since he had joined Team Akuta on their hunt for the Information-Broker, the other Cleaners had stopped watching him like he might betray them at any moment. It was rather nice! Earlier that morning, someone had even laughed at something he said.
“I think the other Cleaners find me funny!”
How sweet. Hii said flatly. You’re anything but.
Fu resumed pacing, clearly undeterred. “They asked me to help carry equipment afterward!” he added, voice bright.
Because you’re useful when lifting heavy things. Because of me! Don’t get sentimental about it, bastard.
“They said I did a good job. Can you believe it, Hii?”
Which is the bare minimum expectation, idiot!
Fu smiled anyway. The memory of it left a small warmth settling quietly in his chest. They had spoken to him like he belonged there. He slowed to a stop near his bed. “Don’t you feel like...” he said carefully. “—my reputation has improved?”
Hii hummed in thought. A little.
Fu beamed. “A little is good!”
It only means that they’re starting to tolerate you, Hii corrected.
Fu nuzzles into the doll, breathing in its familiar scent with a content smile on his face. Today's been a good day, he thinks, as he gets ready to settle himself into the covers. As his eyes flutter shut, a scratch is heard at the window. It’s a faint and hardly noticeable sound, but in times like these, Fu finds himself feeling thankful for the heightened senses that Hii’s interconnection with his body had granted him. “W-What was that?..” Fu whispered to nobody in particular, snapping his eyes open. Of course, Hii responded anyway.
How am I supposed to know? Hii shot back immediately. I can’t see squat from here. The doll says, voice a little muffled from being pressed into the sheets. Good point. Fu thinks, releasing Hii from the hypothetical suffocation he would’ve been suffering from, had he ever needed to breathe.
Get up and check if it's bothering you so terribly.
And so Fu does, peeling himself from the covers and letting his feet hit the cold, wooden floors. He crept toward the window, slow and careful. A bead of sweat rolls down his cheek.
Walk faster, damn it, Hii instructs from his right hand, but Fu pays him no mind. All of a sudden, his window began to slide open. Fu freezes mid-step and is certain that his heart has stopped. He forgets how to breathe.
Hii shouts in his ear, telling him to press up against the wall and to let him take over, but he isn’t really listening. A head pops through his window. The individual has a hoodie slung over their head, but Fu can see long, heavy wicks spill out from underneath. They obscure the person's face, and Fu thinks that he’s surely going to die.
“Heyy, I had a feeling this was the right window!” An unexpectedly familiar voice exclaims. “What's up, Fu?”
It’s Jabber. Fu sighs with relief. He knows that something is deeply, fundamentally wrong with him because the sight of Jabber calms his nerves instead of blowing them out of proportion. His shoulders loosen, walking closer to the window with wobbly legs that have clearly not recovered from the shock as quickly as the rest of his body had. “..Jabber,” Fu starts once he’s about a foot away. “What’re you-“
Wait.
Fu’s brain had conveniently been leaving out a crucial detail about this entire situation.
Jabber— The same person who he—no, Hii fought hardly even a month ago. The one that they had bludgeoned into the ground, and if Fu remembers correctly, the one whose limbs they had personally crushed beyond repair. Under normal circumstances, Fu might have smiled recounting the memory.
That was pretty sick. He thinks.
It felt like a victory at the time. He was more than happy to make himself useful to the cleaners, and his efforts had certainly paid off. But now, standing face to face with the result of that fight, all Fu was capable of feeling was dread. Jabber had come back for revenge. And Jabber was surely going to kill him.
“W-Wait!” Fu stumbles back, falling to the floor with a dull thud and hurriedly scrambling away from the window. “Don’t kill me—p-please!” He blurts out, panic spilling out of him, watching as Jabber expertly climbed through his window, landing lightly on his floors and staring down at him with a look that Fu wasn’t able to read. “I promise! I wasn’t the one who— well, you see, without an order, I-I wouldn’t have—“
Jabber crouches down in front of him, and suddenly, they’re eye level. For a moment, neither of them say anything. The only sound in the room is the quiet hitch of Fu’s breathing as he struggles not to cry. Jabber reaches out an arm. There’s a sharp, sickening pop from it, which was unmistakably the sound of a bone that has not fully healed.
This is it.
Fu braces himself. He knows that any second now, Jabber will activate Mankira, flood his system with foreign toxins and finish what their last fight started.
Instead, Jabber rakes a ringed hand through his hair, ruffling it playfully.
“Damn! Chill out, man.” Jabber laughs. “I don’t got a bad bone to pick with you. Thought you’d be more excited to see me.” He grins. “Kinda hurts my pride, y’know.”
Fu blinks, completely stunned. “You’re…you’re not…mad?”
“I’m freakin’ ecstatic!” Jabber says, retracting his arm with that huge grin still plastered on his face. “Boss-man couldn’t quit bringing you up after that sick-ass fight we had, and—seriously, I just jumped at the prospect of seeing you again!”
“..But I..we— broke your arms?” And your legs, and your back, and probably everything on your face, too. Fu thinks, as his eyes scan over Jabber’s body. Hii promised to give him hell, and by the looks of it, he definitely did—Although to Jabber, it probably felt more like heaven.
“Damn right you did.” Jabber tips his head back, looking almost blissful at the memory. “Man, I knew you were tough, I was betting on it. But shit. You’re one hell of a threat!” He lets out a breathy laugh. “I’d start a fight with you again,” he adds,”— but seeing how good your game is, I’d be out of commission for real. And that just ain’t my style.”
Jabber pushes himself onto his feet and strolls back towards the window, tiny skips sneaking into his steps. “When we get back to base, I’ll put in a good word for ya to the boss-man.” He says easily. “Hey, maybe he’ll even promote you to the front lines with me!” He plants a foot on the windowsill and stretches those awfully broken arms of his over his head. He stays there, waiting, as Fu stays right where he is on the floor.
A few seconds pass before Jabber glances over his shoulder. He knits his slit eyebrows together slightly as he stares at Fu, who hasn’t moved an inch.
“..Yo, Fu,” he says. “You coming or what?”
Fu blinks up at him. “Coming…uh, where?”
“..Base? Back to the Raiders?” Jabber says slowly. “You know, we figured you just got lost or somethin’. Since you never came back after the whole trash-beast mess.” He scratches the side of his head, thinking it over. “But I was like, nahh, getting lost is my thing.” He laughs at his own joke. “Guess I was wrong, though, ‘cause next thing you know we find you ridin’ around in the backseat with the Cleaners!”
Fu still remembers how his heart dropped when he ended up face-to-face with Zodyl during the Information-Broker chase. Really, he doesn’t think he’ll ever forget.
Jabber suddenly drops his arms, another sickening pop echoing from his joints as he turns fully around. “Hey, tell me something,” he says, grinning. “Did they kidnap you or what?” He tilts his head. “Just sayin’. You could’ve used those sick moves you pulled on me. If you crushed them all for real, we wouldn’t even have to deal with the Cleaners anymore.”
He’s fairly certain that if he admits he voluntarily followed the Cleaners around like some kind of obedient lapdog, Jabber would laugh directly in his face. And honestly? Fu wouldn’t even blame him.
Jabber's expression goes blank at the lack of response. He exhales slowly through his nose and brings a finger against his temple. “Look,” he says, “everyone back at base has you figured out.”
Fu tilts his head with wide and uncertain eyes. “..What?”
“Yeah. We dug real deep into that whole thing you got going on with orders. “ Jabber shrugs. “ So, the boss-man sent me out here to find you and give you one.”
Something flashes in Fu’s eyes.
This.. this is what he had been waiting for!
He would have never needed to join the Cleaners had Zodyl just given him an order in the first place, had he not left him in that massive trash-beast! And now, finally, he was being given one.
And finally, the Raiders were coming back for him!
Jabber must have caught the sparkle in Fus's expression, because he takes on a large grin as he continues to speak. “The order,” he says. “is for you to come back. “ For a moment, Fu doesn’t move. But something in his posture shifts that allows him to push himself off the ground, wobbling as he stands. His brain doesn’t bother arguing with the command as it slots into place, clear and simple. He take a step forward, and Jabbers grin widens.
“There you go.” He purrs. “Man, we’re going to have so much fun together—“
Fu takes another step, and then abruptly stops. His foot hovers in the air before he slowly sets it back onto the floor. “Um.” A crease forms between his brows. “Err…Wait.”
Jabber's grin falters. “What?”
Fu’s gaze drifts downward as his thoughts try to grind themselves through the new problem that has appeared. “W-Well… it’s just that.. I’m a Cleaner now… so.” His words come out slowly, as if he were reminding himself as much as Jabber.
Jabber stares at him. “Are you really?” he says. “‘Cause you didn’t look the part when we saw you. Still decked out in our uniform and everything.”
“That’s—!” Fu stops himself, deflating slightly. “…Just because I’m on trial,” He says weakly. He rubs the back of his neck, clearly struggling to sort out the logic. “Point is…um… Boss technically isn’t my boss …anymore.” He said in a small, pathetic mewl. “So I don’t really have to follow his orders.” He blurts out the last part quickly, as if Zodyl himself was lurking in the shadows.
Jabber watches him for a moment. “Hey, come on, Fu. You’re overthinking it.” He removes himself from the windowsill and moves a little closer. “You’ve known us for longer, haven’t you? You know the people, the place.” He gestures vaguely. “Man, Boss literally sent me out here to grab you. Everything’s sorted.”
Fu’s gaze flickers to the window. For a moment, it really looks like he might follow. Jabber notices this, a slow smile spreading across his face. His voice drops into something lower, an attempt to coax him. “C’monn.” He says. “We get up to way more fun than those Cleaner guys do, and you know it.”
He’s right. Fu thinks. But he can’t help but feel utterly conflicted. His shoulder shifts, and he almost takes that final step forward, but he doesn’t. Fu awkwardly rubs at his arm. “I only just got them to trust me..I just—well…“
Jabber sighs, the fight draining out of his posture. “Forget about it.” He says, running a tired hand through thick wicks.
“..Sorry.” Fu says sheepishly.
“Nah. It’s all good.” Jabber shrugs. “Persuasions never really been my thing, anyway.”
And so the two of them stand there, facing one another. It’s rather awkward, really. Fu’s gaze drifts between the corners of the room, the walls, the floors, anywhere but Jabber's face. He was certain that he’d be met with an expression filled with nothing but judgment.
“Boss—”
A beat.
“...Zodyl, is going to be even more angry with me, isn’t he?” Fu murmurs, the thought slipping out before he can stop it. Jabber glances down at him and lets out a little bit of a chuckle. “Oh, yeah. Definitely.” He replies. Fu winces. “Man, you’re making me real jealous,” Jabber continues. “Boss man only ever gets mad at me for show when we’re fightin’.. Bums me the hell out when I notice.”
There he goes again. Fu thinks. Was Jabber trying to make him feel lucky, or something? Because it really wasn’t working.
“You think I should copy your flow?” Jabber goes on casually. “Do a little treachery? Damn, even out of the Raiders you’re making yourself useful, giving me ideas and shit—”
Fu fidgets with his hands at his sides, eyebrows knitting together. “....You shouldn’t.” Fu mumbles. It’s quiet, and Jabber hardly catches it.
“Eh?” Jabber chirps, perking his head up. Fu refuses to look at him. “Um, be treacherous, I mean, and leave–”
“Why not?” Jabber grins, tilting his head to the side. “Made one hell of a statement, didn’t you?”
“Well,” Fu takes a second before answering, as if he was trying to phrase something that’s been sitting in the back of his mind for a long time.”You’re worthy.” He says, and cringes at his words the moment he lifts up his head and sees Jabbers wide eyed expression. Fu ran a hand over his face, feeling heat seep into his cheeks. “I–I just mean– gosh– you’re strong, and you fight well… The boss likes that!” His voice isn’t bitter, exactly. Just matter-of-fact, like he’s explaining a simple rule. “He got rid of me because I.. I’m not … that.” He awkwardly rubs the back of his neck.
The room is filled with a deafening silence. Earlier, Fu thought he was going to die. Now, he wishes he did. Jabber stares at him, like a kitty would when fixated on something of interest. “Eh??” Jabber says again, though this time more baffled. “Who told you that?”
Fu blinks. “..N-Nobody..?”
“Then, why’re you actin like it’s fact?”
Fu faintly shrugs. “It makes sense, d-does it… not?” Jabber stares at him for longer, and Fu wonders how he hasn't been turned into stone yet.
“Nah, not really.” He says at last.
Fu jumps, slightly startled. Now it was his turn to be confused. “H-Huh?”
Jabber takes on a light smile, stepping closer to the other boy. “You didn’t get left cuz’ you were useless, or whatever.”
Fu frowns, expecting Jabber to say a reason entirely worse. He has to stop himself from closing his eyes as if he were bracing for impact. “Then… why?”
“It’s because...” He pauses. “You’re an oddball.” A light flick to his forehead catches Fu off guard. He yelps, placing a hand to the impacted era. He watches Jabber softly laugh through the gaps in between his fingers.
“-and 'cause Boss is one hell of a douche sometimes.”
That gets the corners of Fu’s mouth to curve up a little. No kidding, he thinks, as he slowly puts down his hand.
“Just think about it,” Jabber says. “If you were worthless, I wouldn’t have come all this way to getcha.”
“And you know me— I wouldn’t even have bothered fighting you, that’s for sure.” Jabbers grin grows as he looks at him. “If there's one who’s been watching you for things like that, it’s me.”
Fu stares at him.
“… It’s good to know I’m not the only oddball here.” His tone is flat, a little bit deadpan.
Jabber laughs, louder this time. Fu has to glare at him to tone it down. It was the middle of the night, after all. “Alright, alright. Boss man doesn’t waste time on dead weight. There. Better?” He says, throwing up his hands in mock exasperation. Fu allows himself to smile then. He stands there, processing his words. Jabber's way of… comfort was strange, but even stranger was the way it eased his mind. “..Still feels like I messed up,” Fu admitted. “Big time.” Jabber shrugs. “But that fight you gave me? Man. Totally worth it!” He beams. “So, stop thinking dumb stuff.”
Fu blinks. He sat there quietly for a moment. The knot in his chest loosening just a little. “…Okay,” he said softly. Jabber nodded once, satisfied. “Good.”
After that, the conversation slowly fizzled out. Jabber yawns, and it’s not a polite yawn in the slightest. A full, jaw-cracking, eyes-watering one that makes him scrunch his face like a disgruntled cat. Fu glances over. “…Tired?” Jabber rubs one eye with the heel of his palm. “Mm.” He almost leans over, catching himself just in time. His head tips slightly as if gravity has suddenly doubled. “Lack of action does this to me,” he mutters. “Kinda boring, y’know.”
Fu nods slowly, though he’s not quite sure what that feels like. Jabber lets out another yawn, the same intensity as the last, as he lazily glances around the room. Then, his eyes land on the bed. “You got room for two on there?” He says, gesturing to it.
Fu blinks. “…Huh?”
“Your bed.” Jabber clarifies, tilting his head.
“..I see the bed, Jabber.”
“Great,” Jabber says, already pushing himself up. “So?”
Fu’s brain stalls. The question itself isn’t strange. Not really. When Fu was still in the Raiders, he distinctly remembered nights— particularly colder ones, where Jabber would just show up. He’d plop down beside him, curl up next to Fu on a mattress that most certainly didn’t fit the both of them. They made it work, though. Legs intertwined and shared breaths, in the physical sense, Fu doesn’t think he’d ever been that close to someone before.
But that was before.
So, Fu had assumed those habits stopped the moment he left. Apparently, Jabber had not received that memo. Jabber stretches again and starts walking towards the bed like he’s already committed to the idea. “You good?” he asks when Fu stays frozen. Fu sits there for a second longer, blinking rapidly. “S-Sorry. Um… It’s just that—You’re… staying?” Jabber looks at him like that was out of the question. “I’m not leaving empty-handed.”
“T-That doesn’t mean—”
“I’m tired, Fu.”
Fu opens his mouth and closes it shut. Jabber waits, drastically unbothered compared to the other boy. Eventually, Fu sighs softly. “…Okay.” Jabber grins like he just won something. He silently cheers as he flops down onto the bed without ceremony, bouncing once on the mattress before rolling onto his side. His hoodie bunches under his neck as he settles in, stretching out with another heavy exhale.
After a beat, he cracks one eye open, peering down at Fu, who is still standing in the middle of the room looking like a deer in headlights. “You coming or what?”
Fu panics, scratching the back of his head. “U-Um... Haha… I’m… not all that tired.” He mutters, pitifully. Jabber gives him a look that makes his act collapse. “…Okay,” Fu admits in defeat. He climbs onto the bed more carefully, perching near the edge at first like he isn’t entirely sure where to put himself before lying into the sheets on his side. Jabber shifts first. It’s not dramatic or anything. He just scoots a little closer, little by little.
Fu pretends not to notice until suddenly there’s an arm draped lazily over his waist. He is very quick to stiffen. Jabber’s voice is already thick with sleep. “Relax.”
Fu stares at the wall.”I am relaxed!” He chirps out. He did not mean to chirp that out.
“Mm.”
Jabber’s chin ends up resting somewhere near Fu’s shoulder. His grip isn’t tight, and his body is warm, heavy with that loose, sleepy weight of his that Fu has grown familiar with. Eventually, he does slowly relax into it.
“You smell different,” Jabber mutters drowsily, slowly nuzzling into the crook of Fu’s neck as if to reaffirm. “...Do I?” Fu blinked in the dark.
“Yeah, like… soap or something.”
Fu thought about it. “Oh.” He paused. “I took a shower today.”
“Hm,” Jabber hummed. “It's not bad.” He added lazily. Fu stayed still while Jabber settled more comfortably against him. “What did I.. smell like before?” Jabber pauses before answering. “Rust.” He says. “N’ something burnt.”
“That sounds awful!” Fu almost shrieks, terror lacing his speech. Jabber has to stop himself from cackling. “Nah, nah.” He coos, tightening his grip on him. “I liked it.”
How?!
Fu didn’t really know what to say to that. So they fell into another extended period of silence, more comfortable than the last. What an interesting day this had turned out to be. Fu thought to himself. He doesn’t know why, but things like this always seemed to happen to him. Jabber shifts slightly, pulling him a bit closer without thinking. “You thinking again?” he murmurs.
“…Maybe.”
“Quit that.”
“…Okay.”
Another quiet stretch passes. Fu stares into the dark for a long moment before speaking again, voice softer now.
“…Did you…”
Fu hesitates. He laughs awkwardly under his breath. He’s not too sure where this sudden strike of boldness came from, but he felt like matching Jabber’s energy.
“…Did you miss me at all when I was gone?”
Jabber answers instantly. “Nah.” Fu freezes. For a moment, his brain quietly collapses in on itself. “Oh,” he says faintly. Fu stares harder into the void.
Somewhere behind him, Jabber snorts. “Why would I miss you?” Fu doesn’t know how much harder he can stare into nothing. His soul is currently attempting to exit through his spine.
Jabber lazily taps the choker around his neck. “I could’ve seen you whenever I wanted.”
Fu blinks back into reality. “…What?”
Jabber yawns again. “The chokers, genius.” He nudges Fu’s shoulder with his chin. “We’re still connected. Same blood link.” Fu’s eyes widen slightly. Right. A faint realization starts creeping into his brain.
“…You knew where I was the whole time?”
“Yeah.”
“…You could’ve contacted me?”
“Yup.”
Fu takes a moment to process this. “…But you didn’t.” Jabber shrugs. “Didn’t need to.” Fu turns slightly so he can look back at him.“…You didn’t want to?” Jabber squints at him sleepily. “You’re literally here now, aren’t you?”
Fu pauses. That… is technically true. He slowly faces forward again…But something about the conversation sticks in his mind. Fu touches the metal around his own neck thoughtfully. If he was really going to stay with the Cleaners…
“…I should probably cut contact,” he murmurs.
Jabber makes a sleepy noise. “Mm?”
“With the Raiders.”
Jabber’s arm tightens around him slightly, more instinct than decision. “You think too much before bed,” he mutters. Fu glances back slightly.“…Sorry.”
“If you keep apologizing, we’re gonna be fighting for real.”
“Sorry.”
Jabber exhales slowly, already halfway asleep. “Just sleep.” Fu lies there quietly for another moment. Then, he finally relaxes again, letting himself sink back into the mattress. “…Okay,” he whispers. A few seconds later, Jabber is completely out. Still holding onto him.
Hii is tucked nicely under the covers, right next to Fu.
Vibrations were a noise that Fu found Hii was capable of making when he was particularly furious.
You should’ve pushed him out that window while you had the chance.