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Chapter Text

Soft light fell onto the dusty pavement of Moonbury’s streets as the young man closed the tavern’s door behind him. A soft sigh left his lips when the click of the lock behind him sounded and he was reassured that his job really was over now.
Exhaustion weighed down his shoulders, the bags under his eyes dragging the heavy lids down, sending him into a trance between sleep and wake.
The moon stood high, watching his every step, slowly, but with certainty, nearing his home and therefore his bed.
The street lamps projected their lights onto his way, illuminating the small moths around them and throwing shadows onto the wall of his neighbour’s house.
Kipps giddily tapped around, still widely awake as a creature of the night, chasing the small bugs that came out only when the sun had fallen. With the huff of a laughter the chemist blew her a kiss and continued on his way, for once not stopping to pet her.

Although the noise could get annoying, he surely was glad at that moment, that he lived this closely to the establishment owned by Yorn. Only a few more meters to walk. Oh he was sure his feet were littered with blisters. A pair of new shoes would do quite nicely.
It could get annoying when another citizen, who had one or two too many root beers, knocked on his door and woke him from his well deserved slumber.

Remembering all the instances, where his help had been in demand, made the kind hearted chemist tuck the corners of his mouth into a smile.
As troubling as it could get, being the helping hand, the relief of problems, the stepping stone, it was his own favourite pleasure.
Through the window he was greeted by Cassandra shyly waving at him, her nicely embroidered nightgown slightly messed up and her hair carefully put up in a shiny silken bonnet.
He guessed her anxiety had kept her up until now.

Forcing his smile just a little brighter, he made a drinking gesture at her, insinuating that she should take a sip of the anxiety reducing potion he gave her. She deserved a good night’s rest just as much as the chemist did.
She smiled hesitantly and gave him a nod of the head before she waved again and mouthed a “Good night” before pulling the curtains shut.
Shaking his head, but still smiling, the young man turned to the left, already eying the door to his house.
His trusty dog slept tight in her little dog house, snoring softly, paw twitching in the depth of her dream.
Another wave of fondness rolled over the chemist, finally reaching the door, looking around before opening it.
Soft green grass was now dipped into moonlight and the clinic, only a few steps away from his home, laid quiet with peace.
Thankfully no citizen had fallen sick in the past week.
He liked taking care of his clientele, yet it was obviously better if everyone was well off and healthy.
The less a medical professional had to work, the better.

Finally he twisted the golden doorknob and the thick smell of medicinal herbs immediately welcomed him.
Ah. Home.
With precise steps he moved past the still warm cauldron to a large cabinet, made out of high quality wood from the Glaze Iceberg, crafted masterfully by Reyner, to stock his materials.
It hadn’t even taken him a month to fill up his first storage space.

Putting the almost freshly cut flowers onto the drying shelf was an automatic movement at that point.
No matter how often he did this, he just couldn’t grow tired of it.

After tightening the noose around the basil stems and hanging it up on a hook, he, at last, closed the cabinet doors and stepped back.
With the last bit of concentration his tired mind could muster, he went through his checklist, if really all tasks had been finished.
Truly he had finished a ton of work on this normally slow Sunday. With a small smile on his face he looked into the hallway that led to his bedroom.

Finally

As swiftly as his feet would carry him he speed walked towards the old cranking door, throwing off his shoes while walking and throwing the warm cape of the Medical Association’s uniform over the crowded research pult.

With his clothes on he let himself fall onto the old bed, inhaling the smell of his blanket.
The chemist’s back hurt horribly, his spine feeling sore from all the running and then standing around uselessly, listening to people talking about things he didn’t care for.
Why would he care that some other chemist messed up once?
He himself was here now to fix all the mess. The past was in the past.

Quickly he shook those thoughts out of his exhausted and incomprehensible brain.
Not caring about his uncomfortable work clothes the young man shuffled over to prop his head onto the pillow and carelessly blew out the lit candle on his nightstand.
He already planned to go to bed before he was called to bandage the injured Dan.
Dev would surely be upset when he next woke up in the strained body.
He and his alter really had to work out some boundaries.

After an Incredibly short while the young chemist already started to dimmer away, sounds of long left friends in his ears and pictures of his old home in his head.
Although the candle flame wad no longer burning, the heat around him caused the man to break a sweat.
The blanket had been shoved off the bed and a button on his work shirt poked his collarbone.
Still he felt as though it was the most comfortable he had ever been in his life.

It couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes until he found himself on the hardwood floor.
Stunned the chemist blinked the sleep out of his eyes to pinpoint what woke him up so unkindly.
Voices.
Screaming voices and panicked knocking on his door.
In seconds the sleepiness was gone, replaced with an uncertain feeling of panic.
Something had happened.
Dread started building up in his chest as he rushed to the door, picking up his cape and shoes on the way.
Without even attempting to tie his shoes he ripped the door open, a strong gust of bone freezing wind blowing loose paper around.
His hands had started shivering uncontrollably.

“Chemist!”

It was Dean and Osman.
Both of them looked incredibly upset, Osman still a little groggy and his nightshirt peaking out under his police uniform.
Tears were forming in Dean’s eyes, which only made the feeling of dread grow in an uncomfortably quick pace.
Osman gripped the chemist at his shoulders.

“Please tell me you know where Derrek is.”

Realisation hit him like lightning.

“He didn’t return this evening and nobody knows where he went! He never stays out this late! Ther moon’s already going down, oh no, he’s surely dead by now, oh no oh no, my brother!”

Osman turned around to shake Dean like a tree just to get back to gripping the chemist’s shoulders.

“Do you know something?”

Pressing his lips tightly together he shook his head and eased the police chef’s hands off of him.

“I don’t know where he is, but I’ll help you find him. I know my way around. Have you looked everywhere in town?”

For the first time during the encounter he spoke. His voice was weak and scratchy, maybe shaky from worry.
Derreck always went out to do reckless shit.
What if this time was the last time.
The chemist had even told him to take it easy.

Taken over by nervousness he tugged on his own hair.

“Yes we went to every house. All of Moonburry is up and on their toes! He’s nowhere to be found!”

Dean had started to sob uncontrollably.
With care the chemist slipped past the taller man to pat the brunett’s shoulder reassuringly. Even when he couldn’t find much reassurance in himself. Derreck was gone. Officer ‘I’m strong enough to wrestle a bear with my bare hands’ Derrek.
The man with the most stunning smile in all of Moonburry.
Embarrassed at his thought, the young man scratched his nose.

“I don’t believe that.” he finally said.

With a simple whistle, his dog was by his side.

“She believes it even less. Come on girl,”

He kneeled down to gently pat her and take something out of his pocket. It was an embroidered cloth.

“Hey, that’s Derrek’s!”

Cheeks dusting with pink, the kneeling man held the cloth in front of his animal companion’s nose.

“He must have left it at the clinic once and I simply forgot about returning it. Can you find him with this scent?”

A blatant lie.

After taking a deep sniff of the cloth, the small animal barked out hysterically and just started running.
Without wasting a second the men started sprinting after her. Again and again she had to stop for them to catch up. Their two legs couldn’t compare to her four.
Past the police department, over the repaired bridge, through overgrown grass always direction Meadow Range.
The two rangers stood outside of their cabin, eyebrows tucked together with worry.
Only now the chemist felt how cramped his facial muscles felt.

“Have you found him!?”

Bubble’s voice was shrill, echoing through the small clearing.

“We’re on our way!”

Osman’s voice sounded even louder now that he was running.

The two younger men couldn’t bother replying, too distracted by their piercing emotions.
Deep shadows made the path through the forest almost unbearable. Collectively they all decided to simply ignore the enemies on the way. Not enough time to hold up on anything.
Out of habit, the young medical professional almost got his small scythe out, but came to his senses quickly and began to run even quicker.
His lungs felt as though they were about to burst.

Cold showers ran through his body as the small dog took the path upwards towards a very well known cart.
His shoulder was grazed by a bone mask when he didn’t dodge in time, yet he couldn’t feel any pain.
He couldn’t even tell if the pants he heard were his own or the ones of the men behind him.
They were still following him foot, even though Dean looked very pale, almost sick.
He wasn’t used to exercise like this.

At that point it wasn’t long until they reached the cart that brought travellers across the bottomless pit before them.

“He must be on Glaze Iceberg!”

What a smart observation. Yet the revelation of the police officer wasn’t a reason to calm down. Without proper equipment, a normal person could barely go three hours up there, even less a whole night.
Snow blew down onto the chemist’s nose.
Angrily he swished it off.

“Oh Derrek boy, what did you do now.”

Osman had taken his cap off, sweat running down his forehead.
Against his better judgement, the former doctor spoke his worries.

“If you guys go up like this, you will surely get sick. The cape of the Medical Association is made for these instances.”

Naturally he was punished with a judgemental look and both men pressed by him, into the cart.
The last one out sighed and followed them, after picking up the small dog into his arms.
She was scared of the motions of the cart.

After a few painfully long minutes they finally arrived at the top of the mountain, dog jumping immediately out of her owner’s arms and continuing her desperate chase.
Wrapping himself tightly into the cape, the chemist sent one last look back and started sprinting again.
His feet were numb with cold and pain.
Past shielded monsters and annoying blossom shooters, their way led to a cave at the northwest of the mountain.
Gulping, the young man, that had walked this path a thousand times already, tried to suppress his suspicions. Unsuccessfully.
Tasking a deep breath he entered the freezing space and was immediately met with his worst fear.

Dean cried out in shock and even Osman choked.

The sight they were faced with made even the usually so collected chemist twist his face in pure stupor. He had seen cases like this in the past, but only when they were already in a hospital bed, taken care of by nurses. The real thing made him swallow hard.

On the floor before them laid an unconscious young man, half naked and one foot still dipped into the freezing water.

Faster than he could even think, the ginger dragged the other man away from the water and wrapped his cape around the unclothed torso. The face beneath him was still handsome, but now it's lips were blue and the skin an unnatural pale colour. Quickly the chemist hugged the other young man close to his chest, before getting up and catching the police chef’s eye.

“We need to get him into the clinic. Quickly!!”

Without asking any further questions, the tallest man heaved his subordinate onto his shoulder and started making his way back, still in a quick pace, but no longer running.
Dean was still standing helplessly In the middle of the cave, tears running down his face.
Quiet sobs were audible, echoing through the closed space.
Gently, his friend hugged him.
After letting go, the police officer looked a little better already.
His moss green eyes were bloodshot after all the crying he had done that night.

his whole body was trembling.

“I should’ve started looking for him earlier. I just thought-“

Another sob escaped him.

“I thought, ‘Hey it’s my brother! Nothing is going to happen to him’”

The ginger bit his lip and looked towards the exit.
Osman was probably already halfway to the cart.

His legs were significanly longer than theirs and he was far more trained as well.

“I know what you mean. It’s Derrek. He’s… you know.“

“Incredibly reckless?”

“That too.”

An exhausted giggle escaped them.

“Come on, let’s go. Now the both of us are exposed to the cold.”

The scrawny ginger could already feel the frost creep into his bones. Such extreme temperatures weren't a casual occasion in the capital. His city limbs always protested against his advances to build up some sort of resistance. And it seemed that Derrek wasn't any more resistant either. Flashes of the already darkening limbs on his friend's body forced themselves into his memory. He shivered.

With their arms linked, they advanced through the snowy fields and finally arrived at the cart.
It had just descended with the other pair, so the two had to wait for a few minutes, for it to come back up.

The ever so lovely dog offered her support by laying on their feet. Her thick coat was perfect for this weather in comparison to the two men's skin and clothing.

The way back was less stressed still. Dean even offered to hold the little fur ball on their way down. Working together, they managed to find their way back easily, even in the dark..
Although Derrek couldn’t do much way finding in his condition.

A shiver ran down the chemist’s back when he remembered the man’s body temperature.
His skin had been cold as ice. He couldn' catch a proper look, beyond the colour of his limbs, before wrapping him up, but something told him that he would be greeted with an unpleasant revelation once he got back to the clinic.
Yet somehow he had managed to be an unrivalled beauty, even only a knife’s tip away from death.

Quickly the ginger hit himself in the head.
Inappropriate!

Some weight was lifted off his shoulders once the warm forest air welcomed him back down.
And with the slight relief, the tiredness came back as well.
He forced himself to speed walk the way back.
He couldn’t pass out without knowing how the younger man was holding up.
As a patient and as a friend.

Passing past the rangers again, both of them looked affected. They must’ve noticed the officer’s condition.
Pressing his lips Into a thin line, the chemist picked up the pace even more and was now almost running again.
The sun was already peaking over the horizon as they reached the clinic.
On the way, they had met multiple concerned citizens.
Dean took onto the responsibility to explain the situation as the other sprinted to the messy building that he called his clinic.

Before stepping through the door he composed himself.
There was no tellling what he would find in there.
Chances were, his friend would never wake up again.

Finally he stepped in.
And there he was.
Wrapped in multiple blankets and the chemist’s cape laid Derrek, a stoic expression on his pale face, lips still blue.

In a split second the other was next to his bed, cupping the unconscious man’s cheek.
There was warmth.
Not much, but he was definitely alive.

With sudden lightness he sunk down, leaning his forehead against the blanket cocoon.

You’ll be healthy in no time. I promise, Derrek.

Chapter Text

Blinding sunlight flooded the wooden floor. The whole clinic basically steamed with all the measurements they took to keep the unconscious man warm and running.
The night had quickly melted away as the chemist had worked away, checking off every step on his checklist in order to keep sane.
Dean had brought by dry and warm clothing for his brother and helped to strip him down in order to get rid off the wet clothing.
The freckled young man had pressed his eyes shut, determined not to peep.
Still he held up the brunett in his arms tightly, his cold skin directly touching the chemist’s warm skin. Burning skin. He was burning up with worry. Looking at the usually so energetic and bold man in this uncertain slumber was like torture. He wished to just wake up from this nightmare. His heart cramped painfully.

Although it seemed obvious, he later broke the official diagnosis to Dean and Osman.

“Derrek suffered from severe hypothermia. I will be taking blood samples and I might request someone from the capital to come and make a brain scan.”

He took a deep breath and swallowed hard.

“He has frostbite on both of his feet. The tissue hasn’t completely died off yet, but I worry I won’t be able to fully cure it with my current equipment. I can keep the tissue alive for now. I’m not sure about his brain function. For now he’s in a comatose state. Hypothermia attacks the brain, the heart, the kidneys and general life functions, especially when it’s this severe.”

Nervousness rose in his stomach. He felt sickness rise.

“I will continue to keep him warm and breathing. He’s incredibly strong. I trust he’ll get through this. But-“

All of their eyes were moist. The short man didn’t have to say anything for them to know.
‘But nothing is certain’ were the unspoken words.
Even the best of doctors would be cautious about promising recovery.
For a short moment the room was nearly silent, only the rough breathing of Derrek filling the room.
He was once again covered with and wrapped in blankets.

Now the room was quiet. awfully quiet.
Osman and Dean had long since left to carry out their duties, including the ones of Derrek.

Derrek.

He lied there in his cocoon, unmoving, troubled breathing, irregular heartbeat.
The rough way back from the cavern to the clinic had messed with his vitals.
On the first day, cold sweat had constantly run down his forehead. Thankfully it no longer did.
His face looked almost healthy again.
Blue lips back to a lively red, plush bottom lip quivering from occasional shivers.
The blood circulation in his face was as good as normal again, tinting his cheeks and nose in a light pink.
The chemist caught himself staring at the handsome person in the bed next to him.
He was conveniently sitting on a cushioned chair next to his patient, gently patting his hair. The sleeping face stirred, mouth pulled into a deep frown, nose twitching lightly. The chemist’s gaze softened.
Even with a tube, filled with a vitalising serum, connected to his veins, Derrek looked almost as breathtaking as he was usually.
Brown hair fell messily over his sleeping face, long lashes resting on his cheeks.

It worried him, that the brunett hadn’t showed a sign of waking up. The occasional stirring and his skin, now warmer to the touch, gave him a sliver of hope.
Nevertheless was the coma a barrier for further recovery.
He still hadn’t gotten around to check the endangered limbs of his patient yet.
The serum he’s injected should keep everything alive, but not necessarily for too long.

The police officer needed to wake up.

The ginger sighed and brushed a strand of orange hair out of his face as he stood up, knees cracking at an eyebrow raising volume, to leave the clinic.
As much as he would’ve liked to stay and watch his most critical case so far all day long, he still had other responsibilities to tend to.

Once he left the old building, he was immediately greeted by Cassandra’s worried face. Her long black hair was tucked into an elegant bun and she dusted off her already tidy dress when she saw the chemist approach.
In her hands she held a finely crafted basket, contents covered by a grey cloth.

Her smile was sweet as she spoke to him.
“Good afternoon, chemist. I hope you’ve been well with out Derrek?”

He returned her kind smile.

“We’ve been well, yes. His condition is stable as per now. Have you come to visit him?”

The middle aged woman nodded, lifting the basket a little to illustrate her following words.

“Yes, I’ve decided to spend a little time accompanying him. You must be tired keeping an eye on my-, on Derrek all this time. And maybe he notices someone beside him. Would he?”

The young man’s heart bloomed at her words. She was such an angel to him.

“He might indeed notice. There have been studies that people in comas do in fact hear their surroundings subconsciously. And thank you for staying with him. I was already worried about leaving him alone.”

“I can imagine! And you have so much do to after all…”

Comfortingly he put a hand on her shoulder. It was a bit embarrassing since she was just a little taller than him. A breeze blew one of her dark curly strands of hair into his face.

“Thank you, really. It’s alright. I’m positive he’ll appreciate it once he wakes up.”

He then pat the shoulder lightly and walked off, setting an eager pace towards his house.
It was time for him to brew new potions. His rations were limited after all.
Glancing into the notebook, usually kept in his cape’s pocket, he mentally noted down all the ingredients he’d have to gather to stock his cabinet back up.
The vitalising serum he used to keep Derrek warm was quite rich on different plants and other materials. He was lucky to have even found a replacement for the chemicals used in the capital.

In situations like these he missed his old workplace quite a lot. The Capital Hospital had been a peak in his career. Back then he’d been a prestigious doctor, now reduced to a simple chemist on a tiny island.

Quickly he swallowed his ego and pushed the door to his home open. The cauldron was still running hot, filled with fresh water from the near lake. The floor was cramped with boxes and buckets he didn’t get around to clean up during the last few days. It was bothersome, gathering the needed ingredients to replace the used up potions. But after having repeated the very same process so often now, the tincture was brewing flawlessly after just a few minutes. Maybe half an hour.
It would take another two hours until he could fill the liquid into the small glass containers the chemist kept for his serums.

“Maybe I should opt to fill them into larger bottles to save space.”

He mumbled to himself as he closed the door behind him once again. Taking a peek through the window of the clinic that was facing his yard, he could see Cassandra knitting besides the unconscious body of Derrek, her lips moving, forming words, maybe encouraging him, maybe just telling the tales of her everyday life. A smile sneaked back onto the chemist’s face. The pair looked quite peaceful.

After another quick glance onto his notebook he started heading towards the bridge, connecting town and forest.
The air was warm, despite the nearing autumn, the smell of rain and heated pavement lingering in the air, and the buzzing of the last, eager bees reached his sensitive ears as he strolled past Osman and Cassandra’s home.
The curtains were still shut, despite the time of day.

The sun had long moved past the centre of the sky, already nearing the horizon again.
Eyeing the light orange glow of the clouds, the chemist picked up the pace as to reach the rangers’ cabin before sunfall.

The wood of the bridge creaked under his short physique, ignoring all reparations that had been done just a few months back.

The lush greenery of the forest already greeted him, grass slowly starting to turn yellow at a few patches.
The young man pulled out the notebook during his jog, noting down the potion he’d need to increase the ground’s minerals during the winter. The forest was his main ressource and he couldn’t risk being dependent on the Assossiation during colder months.

After only ten minutes he finally reached the cabin, Bubble quitting her activity of watering the plants to greet him by waving cheerfully.
Her short blonde hair swayed in the upcoming wind.
The clouds had turned darker and thicker during his walk.

“Hey chemist, need something? How’s Derrek doing?”

She cocked her head to the side and crossed her arm.

“His condition hasn’t worsened I hope?”

He smiled and shook his head dismissively.

“Nothing of the sort, Bubble. I was just hoping to make an order for materials? I’m running short on sunflowers, lavender and silver nuggets…for now.”

“Ah yes, you can’t really afford to go out for gathering them while he’s still not awake, huh? Yeah, no worries, I’ll put down your order as a priority. Forrest is going to get them first thing tomorrow.”

It felt as though a giant weight was taken from his shoulders. He knew he could count on his co- citizens.
The ginger let out a deep sigh and took the woman’s hand to shake it enthusiastically.

“Thank you so much, Bubble! You’re making my life at least twenty percent easier!”

She laughed at his dramatics and squeezed his hand back, before looking up into the sky.

The smile faded from her face. Confused, the chemist followed her eyes upwards.

“What is it?”

“The weather is worsening. This isn’t going to be a normal storm. You should hurry back to look after your dog and Derrek. The clinic isn’t laid out for a stronger storm yet.”

His eyes widened and his muscles tensed up.
Forgetting to say bye, his feet started sprinting, taking him back as quick as his body allowed him to.
When he reached the police department, thick raindrops started falling down onto the still warm pavement.

Quietly he let out a curse and pushed to run just a little quicker. The adrenaline rush made him forget his hurting legs.
Reaching the house, his trusty companion barked at him and immediately went to scratch at the clinic door.
A concerned Cassandra opened it and stood in the doorway.

Throwing away all courtesy, he rushed past her and started stripping Derrek from his cocoon.
It would worsen his condition a little, but he needed to be moved to the main house.

The gentle woman was still speechless.
For once the chemist lost his patience.

“Cassandra would you please stop staring and help me get him into the house?!”

After a stunned second, she nodded erratically and gripped Derrek under his armpits. For such an anxious woman she was surprisingly strong.
The two of them made it through the rain, drenched and exhausted from carrying the way larger man.

Cassandra panted heavily, leaning against the wall of the chemist’s bedroom, while the young man wrapped his patient back into a blanket. His own blanket this time. It wasn’t optimal, but the house was warm from the constant boiling of potions and the hardwood floor.

After the crisis was mostly avoided, he sank to the floor in exhaustion and looked up to Cassandra with apologetic eyes.

“I’m very sorry. I needed to act fast.”

The rain and wind were dragging at his roof and he was honestly glad to be inside now.
Hesitantly he looked at the woman standing in front of him.

“Do you…want to stay the night?”

Although he’d rather not, since his social battery was very empty from the stress, he also didn’t want to send her out Into this weather.

She shook her head gently.

“Do you think you have a potion that would guard me for the way?”

Of course. A potion. He was a chemist after all. Mentally he slapped himself while scrambling to stand up.

“Yes! I do! I have a prepared one even!”

Cassandra had to hurry a little to follow.
He stuck his head deeply into a cabinet and pulled out a dark blue tincture.

Quickly she downed the liquid and was on her way, as to not worry her husband.
She grinned slightly at him, cocking her head in the direction of his bedroom, which lead to a state of confusion on his side.
But she wouldn’t offer any explanations and simply vanished between the raindrops into the quickly fallen night.

Now that his house was quiet, he was finally able to take a proper breath. His head was spinning from the hectic last hour.
Exhaustion taking over, he slumped back to his room, closing the door behind him forcefully.

His dog preferred to stay near the door, if she had to stay indoors, so he didn’t have to worry about her.
The bigger of his worries was stirring again, shaking in the comfortable double bed, as if he was freezing to death.
The chemist’s heart nearly stopped. He didn’t have any more blankets in the house. He never needed them here.
And he couldn’t go to the clinic.

With blood pumping in his ears, he tried to remember medical school. What to do against hypothermia, if no other source of warmth is available?
He started pacing back and forth, rubbing his temples.
His forehead felt warm against his cold fingertips.

It hit him like a brick.

“Sharing body heat!”