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Rudo was having the time of his life today. He finally got to fly a little more solo on the mission, with Enjin saying he could take down one trash beast all by himself. He immediately challenged Zanka to a race to see who could take down their trash beast first. Zanka told him he was on, you little shit, and Riyo declared she was going to beat all of them.
They were all fighting some smaller trash beast at the moment. Zanka declared that he had taken down three more than Rudo so far.
Rudo grit his teeth and started smashing them more recklessly. He was doing pretty well until one of them, who hadn't been paying attention, lunged at him. Shit.
Suddenly, it got smashed to the ground, rendering it immobile. Enjin was pissed.
“Damn it, Rudo!” he shouted. “The fuck have I told you about paying attention, huh?”
Rudo winced. He never liked disappointing Enjin, but he still growled out, “I had it handled! You’re just hovering.”
“You had it handled, huh?” Enjin said, crossing his arms and giving him a look. “From where I was standing, you almost lost an arm there.”
“AND YOU,” Enjin started, turning him to Zanka, who visibly recoiled at being scolded by Enjin. “Stop agreeing to challenges. You know how reckless he can get.”
“Sorry, Enjin,” Zanka mumbled.
After a good minute of lecture, the trash beast let out a loud roar, signaling that it was time to get back to it.
“Be careful,” Enjin stressed, staring at Rudo directly before running off to handle a trash beast.
“I'm still gonna beat you,” Rudo challenged, then ran off to take one down. He didn’t have to turn around to know that Zanka was already fighting his along with Riyo.
Rudo’s trash beast was big. There was a flicker of worry that maybe he should get Enjin or Zanka, but he shook it out of his head. He wasn't a baby, and Enjin was already reluctant to take him out because of what he called “his magnet of bad luck,” let alone have him handle a beast on his own.
Rudo activated his vital instrument upon picking up a long chain and wrapping it around a tire. The beast was hard to fight, and after a while, Rudo couldn’t keep up his instrument with this item. It crumbled. He searched for another one, scrounging around for something else. Rudo didn’t notice a smaller beast that lunged—shit again? Maybe Enjin was right, and he really did have a bad luck magnet. Rudo took a bar and slammed it into the creature. He got it, but in the process, he lost his balance and tripped, slamming his head on the ground. Then everything went black.
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When Rudo woke up, his head hurt, his ears were ringing, and his vision was blurry. What had happened?
He didn’t feel good. His stomach suddenly flipped, and he sat up quickly, which didn’t help his head. He threw up. After a couple of seconds, Rudo tried to figure out what was going on. Then he realized the bigger trash beast was closing in.
Shit.
Rudo scrambled up, picked up a sign, activated his vital instrument, and stabbed the beast multiple times, hitting it until it finally let out a screech and went down.
He sighed in relief. That was over. Did he need to do something afterwards? He couldn’t remember.
Rudo sat there, thinking for a minute, before he heard someone calling his name.
“RUDO! THE HELL ARE YOU, BRAT?”
Zanka. Oh right, he had to go meet up with them because they finished their mission.
Standing up, he stumbled for a second. His head ached, and his vision was blurry, but he managed to make his way to the jeep where Zanka, Riyo, and Enjin were waiting with varying levels of worried expressions.
“Rudo!” Enjin shouted, running to check him over. “Are you alright? We got worried when you didn’t check in on your collar.”
Oh, right. He was supposed to check in with Enjin when he was done.
“Sorry, Enjin,” he mumbled. “I forgot.”
Zanka’s eyebrow twitched. “You forgot?” he hissed. “Damn it, Rudo. You’re always so damn reckless. You could have been dead!”
Enjin raised a hand to stop Zanka from saying more. “Rudo, kid, you know how important it is to check in so we know you're okay, right?”
Rudo nodded again.
“If you can't remember to check in to let us know that you’re safe, I can’t let you do solo stuff. Understand?”
“Okay,” he mumbled.
“Alright,” Enjin said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s head back. If we book it, we might make it back in time for lunch.”
Riyo gave his hand a light squeeze before they all climbed into the jeep. Enjin stared up at the car, and now that Rudo was sitting down, he suddenly became aware of how badly his head hurt—a throbbing pain. He also couldn’t help but notice how much his stomach was doing somersaults and how tired he was.
“Why the hell are you laying on me?” Zanka asked.
Rudo snapped back into it, hazily realizing he had ended up leaning on Zanka’s arm.
“Sorry, I’m tired,” he mumbled. Wait—why did he keep mumbling? Ugh, the noise hurt his head more.
Zanka gave him a very long look, side-eyeing Riyo and then looking back at him. Riyo was shooting him a concerned look from the back seat.
“Well, don’t fall asleep on me. I don’t want you drooling on me. We’ll be back soon, and then you can sleep.”
Rudo made a sad face that looked like he was a kicked kitten. Zanka didn’t think he’d ever seen that expression on Rudo before.
Zanka thought about it. Enjin, Gris, Bro Santa, Tomme, Semiu—nearly every adult had tried to get Rudo to sleep more. Ever since he had come to them, it had been clear that Rudo was chronically sleep-deprived and had a host of other health issues.
They knew it wasn’t entirely his fault—sometimes, nightmares and chronic pain made sleep difficult. Add to that the fact that Rudo seemed allergic to bedtime, no matter how hard Enjin or any other adult tried. Rudo almost never slept.
Was he really going to tell Rudo not to sleep on this rare occasion that he was actually seeking it out?
He sighed. “Fine, but don’t drool on my shoulder, alright?”
Rudo gave a soft hum and leaned against him. A few moments later, he was out cold.
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“Rudo, come on.”
Rudo slowly opened his eyes, a soft whine escaping his lips as the harsh light made his head throb painfully. His vision blurred slightly, and he winced, instinctively pressing his hands to his aching forehead
Zanka was staring him down with a look of worry on his face.
“We’re back. I've been trying to wake you up for a couple of minutes now.”
Enjin was standing by the door, also looking worried. His head hurt—so badly he wanted the pain to stop. What did he do when his pain got this bad? Should he say something? No, it was just his hands causing the headache; he could handle that. His mind flickered to memories of Regto, hugging him tightly when the pain was too much to bear. Rudo longed for that comfort now. His body trembled, Rudo wanted his dad He whined and reached his arms out to Enjin.
Enjin paused for a moment, stunned, then quickly scooped Rudo up under his armpits. Without hesitation, Rudo buried his face in Enjin’s neck, whimpering softly.
“Are you okay, kid?” Enjin asked softly.
Rudo nodded into his neck. “I wanna go t’bed.”
“You want a nap?” Enjin was surprised but recovered quickly. “You up for eating some lunch first? Gris can cook you something if you want.”
Rudo shook his head stubbornly “I wanna nap,” he repeated
Enjin was silent for a moment before he started walking into the building. Rudo felt like he blinked, and suddenly Enjin was taking his shirt and shoes off, slipping a nightshirt onto him.
He got tucked under the blanket, and Rudo sighed in relief. His room was blissfully dark. His eyes slipped shut.
“Rudo,” a voice said, waking him again. Enjin was sitting on his bed. “Did you eat breakfast or anything today?”
Rudo had to think, but thinking made his head hurt worse. It was a long time before he mumbled that he had eaten breakfast. (He thinks.)
“Well, I want you to take something. I know your hands are hurting you.”
He noticed?
“Yes, I noticed, kid. You’re not very good at hiding it.”
Did he say that out loud?
“Yes, you did,” Enjin replied. “Take these, and you can sleep until dinner.”
Rudo sat up so Enjin could help him take some water and swallow the pills
Enjin eased him back down, and Rudo sighed, feeling the prospect of sleep take the pain away.
“Get some sleep, okay?” Enjin whispered, running a hand down his back. Rudo hummed and leaned into Enjin’s side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hey Rudo, wake up.”
Rudo blinked awake.It felt like he’d just closed them a moment ago, yet everything was blurry and heavy. His head throbbed painfully, worse than before he’d fallen asleep, and a dull ache lingered behind his eyes. The room was dim, but the pounding in his skull made everything seem more intense.
“Go ‘way. Enjin just gave me some drugs, so lemme sleep,” he mumbled hoarsely, voice barely above a whisper. His eyelids fluttered closed for a brief second, desperate to return to the foggy comfort of sleep.
There was a pause.
“Rudo, you fell asleep hours ago. It’s time for dinner. Enjin sent me to get you so you can eat and take something for your hands.”
Rudo looked up to see Zanka sitting on the edge of his bed, with a worried expression. The mere idea of eating made his stomach churn and flip over. He was overwhelmed by nausea, his body protesting even at the slightest movement.
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After several moments of Zanka gently nudging and softly calling his name, Rudo finally sat up, wincing as the sudden movement sent a sharp stab through his skull. His head sank into his hands, and he let out a soft, pained whimper. The world spun slightly, and he wished he could vanish into sleep again.
They moved down the hall, each step echoing in his throbbing ears. As they drew closer to the dining area, the noise grew louder—a chaotic jumble of voices, clattering dishes, and distant laughter. The smell of the food intensified, filling the air with tempting warmth, yet it only made his nausea worse, twisting in his stomach
The sensory overload made him whimper softly, feeling overwhelmed. Zanka gently guided him to the table and eased him into a seat.
Gris carefully placed a plate in front of him, chicken he thought was mashed potatoes, and broccoli—though Rudo’s eyes only flickered over the food.
Normally, the smell of food would make him hungry, but this time, it increased his nausea. He picked at the food, hoping his stomach would settle.
“Stop picking at your food,” Zanka said, glancing at him.
“Rudo, you gotta eat, kiddo. I know you're tired, but you need to get something in your stomach so I can give you more pills. You're not going to get better if you don’t eat.” Enjin said from beside him.
Riyo, sitting nearby, leaned forward with a teasing grin. “You just need more food in general. Honestly, you're all skin and bones, Rudo.”
The words stung, but they were said with affection. But the verwhelming sensory input, the bright lights, the loud voices, the strong smell made him feel even worse. His eyes welled with tears, and without thinking, he buried his face into Enjin’s side, seeking comfort and warmth.
Everyone at the table was stunned by his sudden display of affection Rudo seeking out affection was rare; the kid was severely touch-starved but didn’t ask for it. Enjin simply rubbed his back, hoping to coax him into eating some food, knowing he hadn’t eaten much today.
“If you can eat some chicken and potatoes, you can go to bed, okay?” Enjin murmured, trying to persuade him to eat.
“Anyone notice that Rudo’s been kinda clingy today?” Riyo said before popping a piece of broccoli into her mouth and munching on it.
“Yeah, the brat fell asleep on my shoulder on the drive back,” Zanka added.
Rudo eventually took a couple of bites of chicken and some mashed potatoes, and Gris made him eat two pieces of broccoli.
“Tomme made cookies, you want one?” Enjin asked, trying to get something more into him. At this point, he was willing to agree to Rudo eating anything so he didn’t go to bed on an empty stomach.
Rudo’s stomach did a huge turn where the chicken and everything else almost came right back up, and he shook his head, which was a bad idea because it made his head feel worse, and now he felt even sicker.
Everyone was shocked, Rudo refusing sweets? Who the hell was this kid and what had they done with Rudo? That got people’s attention.
His head was aching, throbbing, and stabbing. The light made it worse. His vision was blurry, and he was dizzy. Rudo held back a sob, which got everyone’s attention at the table.
“Rudo, what’s wrong, kid?” Enjin asked gently. The pain and pressure got worse, and Rudo couldn’t hold back the tears as he choked out, “It hurts.”
Enjin and Gris looked alarmed. “What hurts, Rudo? Your hands?” Gris asked gently.
“M-my head, it h-hurts,” he sobbed, leaning into Enjin, wanting the pain to go away. Dad’s hugs made pain better—that’s what Regto did.
“Your head hurts?” Enjin asked, and Rudo nodded, then choked out another sob at making the pain worse.
Enjin pulled him away from him, which caused Rudo to whimper.
“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I gotta see what’s wrong with you.”
By now, the room had gone quiet as all attention focused on one of the youngest Givers.
Enjin asked for someone to get him a flashlight, then asked Rudo to follow his finger. Doing that hurt his head as Enjin moved it up and down, then diagonally and side to side.
“Can you tell me what your name is?” Enjin asked.
“Rudo,” he answered.
“And do you know where you are?”
Rudo had to think. He couldn’t remember for some reason. Thinking hurt his head more.
“Do you know what day it is?”
Rudo couldn’t remember that either. The more Enjin did, the more concern grew on his face.
Enjin did not like what he was seeing. Rudo’s left pupil was blown, and it seemed like his eyes couldn’t focus at all. Someone brought the flashlight, and he shined it into Rudo’s eyes. Rudo winced and whimpered at the light, but Enjin caught how his left pupil didn’t contract. He knew from his limited medical training that this was not a good sign.
“Rudo,” he asked carefully, “did you hit your head earlier, when we were on the mission?”
Rudo tried to think, but his memory was so fuzzy that he couldn’t remember anything about the mission. Was that bad?
“I-I don’t remember hitting my head,” it was more like a question than an actual answer.
“I think you need to be seen by Eisha, kid,” Enjin said, getting up and trying to herd Rudo down to the medbay.
Rudo suddenly got scared. “N-no, I don’t wan’a g’ to Ei’ha,” he said, starting to cry, not realizing he was slurring his words at the end.
Enjin looked alarmed. “Rudo, you need to go to Eisha. This isn’t a debate. I think you have a concussion, and I’m worried.”
Rudo began to shake his head, crying, which only made his head hurt more. His ears began to ring, and his head reached a new level of pain. His vision started to get blurry, his hearing was cutting out, and his brain started to go fuzzy. He could see Enjin’s mouth moving—was he shouting? He felt like someone was laying him down, and then his brain went all static, his vision went white, and he blacked out.
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Rudo woke up slowly, feeling as if he had just emerged from a very long dream. His body felt heavy, like weights were pressing down on him, and his head was foggy, clouded with a dull ache that lingered. The pain was faint now, nowhere near as bad as it had been earlier, but it was more soft. Why did his head hurt so badly before? He couldn’t quite remember. The memory seemed distant.
He felt so tired and sleepy that he struggled to keep his eyes open. When he finally managed to do so, he recognized the ceiling of the medbay. He could feel something snugly wrapped around his head, and something was inserted in his arm.
“Mmmh?” he mumbled softly, his voice barely more than a whisper, as he tried to piece together what had happened. His mind was sluggish, foggy with sleep and confusion.
“You awake, kiddo?” a familiar voice asked, and then a face leaned over him.
It was Enjin. His hair was messier than usual, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.Despite the tiredness, there was something comforting about seeing him.
Enjin reached over and gently ran a hand through Rudo’s hair. Rudo stiffened for a moment but then leaned into the touch. It felt nice, soothing, and he hummed softly.
“How are you feeling?” Enjin asked gently, continuing to card his fingers through Rudo’s hair.
“My head aches, and I’m tired,” Rudo murmured softly. Enjin chuckled a little.
“That makes sense,” he said softly.
“What happened?” Rudo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Enjin’s hand paused for a moment before resuming its gentle movement. “You had a nasty concussion. You must have hit your head during the mission at some point.”
Rudo winced. “Oh.”
“By the time we noticed, your brain had started to swell, and you had a seizure. Eisha had to poke some holes in your head to relieve the pressure, and then you had a couple of healing sessions. You’ve been asleep for about two days.”
Rudo’s hand drifted up to his forehead, feeling the slight tug of the IV in his arm. He had never seen that device before.
“That’s an IV. It’s giving you fluids and medication right now,” Enjin explained.
Rudo was not a fan of the IV. It made him feel vulnerable, exposed. Then, his eyes fell on his hands, wrapped in bandages, but his gloves were gone. The realization hit him suddenly, and his heart fluttered with panic.
He looked at Enjin, eyes wide with worry. “My gloves…?”
“Your gloves are safe. We just took them off to rewrap your hands.”
Oh.
“Sorry,” Rudo murmured.
Enjin went quiet for a moment, softly studying him before speaking again. “Why didn’t you tell us you were in pain, kiddo?”
Rudo hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. “I don’t know,” he admitted quietly, turning his head away, feeling fragile and unsure.
Enjin’s voice grew gentle but firm. “That’s not good enough. You almost died, Rudo. You’re not invincible, you need to tell us when something’s wrong.”
“I thought it was just my hands hurting. I didn’t remember much. I thought I could handle it,” Rudo admitted, his voice trembling.
Enjin sighed. “Rudo, you don’t have to handle everything alone. We care about you.”
Tears welled up in Rudo’s eyes, and he didn’t know why he was crying. Enjin gently shushed him, lifting him carefully and bringing him into his chest.
He cried softly for a little while before finally calming down.
“Regto used to hug me to make the pain go away. I miss him,” Rudo mumbled.
Enjin hummed softly, holding him a little tighter and rubbing his back. “Is that why you were reaching out to me so many times? Because I reminded you of him?”
He didn’t remember that. His memory was hazy and fragmented.
“You were a bit clingy while you were in your concussion. You wanted hugs a lot,” Enjin replied gently, reading his mind.
Rudo flushed, embarrassed, and buried his face in Enjin’s chest. Enjin chuckled, his chest rumbling as he did.
“It’s kinda cute, you know. You’re always so closed off. It’s okay to seek out touch now and then,” Enjin said softly.
Did Enjin remind him of Regto? His dad? The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he did—at least in some ways. Enjin wasn’t Regto, but he was Enjin. The feeling of missing someone so dearly made his throat tighten again. He sniffled softly, missing him terribly.
“Are you in pain?” Enjin asked gently.
Rudo shook his head.
Rudo hesitated for a moment, then softly mumbled, “Can I get hugs more? Because they’re nice…”
Enjin looked at him with a gentle smile, his eyes kind and reassuring. “Of course, kid. You can have as many hugs as you want.”
Rudo’s lips trembled slightly, and he looked down, feeling a little shy but also comforted by Enjin’s words. A small, fragile smile formed on his face.
“Can I go back to my room now?” he asked?
“ Not yet. You need to rest and get better first. You can’t leave until Eisha says you’re okay and are not actively dying.”
Rudo’s shoulders sagged with reluctant acceptance. He knew Enjin was right but he still hated the medbay
Enjin’s tone softened. “Youll be outa here soon just be patient”
“And from now on, after every mission, we’re going to check you out. No more hiding shit?”
Rudo nodded slowly, he wasn't happy about that but was too tired to argue
As the quiet settled over them, Rudo’s eyelids grew heavier. His eyelids fluttered, and he started to feel the pull of sleep creeping in. He fought it for a moment, stubbornly mumbling, “Nooo… I’m not tired…”
Enjin chuckled softly, his hand still gently stroking Rudo’s hair. “Yes, you are. You need to sleep now, kid. Rest is the best medicine for you right now.”
Rudo’s head lolled to the side, his eyelids drooping further. “But I don’t wanna… I wanna stay awake…”
Enjin’s voice was tender but firm. “I know, but your body needs sleep. You’ll feel better once you rest. Just close your eyes Rudo.”
Reluctantly, Rudo gave in, his eyelids finally fluttering shut. The faintest whisper escaped his lips, “No… I’m not tired…”
But his body had already surrendered to the gentle pull of sleep, and he hummed softly at being safe in Enjin's arms