Creature Comfort (Zach x Chris)

Part 2: Fight or Flight (or Fate)

I know it's been a bit since the first installment. Sorry about that, I plan on being more consistent in the future :))

"Chris?" Martin called into the night. "Chris, are you out there?!"

Martin hadn't yet seen the pair in the hammock, but had brought a flashlight out to find his brother, and it would be only a matter of time before he succeeded. Zach started to stir from his deathly slumber, murmuring incoherently, prompting a "SHHHH" from Chris (discreetly, of course).

Maybe not as discreetly as he thought, however, as Martin responded with yet another call into the darkness. "Chris, why are you shushing, you know that I can hear you, right?"

Chris, not being the most rational thinker under pressure, made the decision any closeted brother would when threatened with being outed (especially with the chance of being caught with his "mortal enemy") - he stood up and responded with a convincing, "No! I'm not out here!"

Shit.

Zach had awakened fully by now, and Chris could just barely see him slap his palm to his face in the minimal light. "Great cover, Kratt. He's definitely going to leave us alone now." he whispered angrily. Zach rolled out of the hammock soundlessly, his lanky frame and dark clothing almost disappearing into the night as he did so. He felt Zach trying to hide, dropping to the ground beside his legs, which would have been very welcome in any other context.

"Chris, are you sleeping the hammock again?!" Martin's flashlight beam was moving dangerously close to where Chris was awkwardly standing. Zach's hiding place in the savanna grass wasn't going to cut it if Martin got any closer.

Fortunately, neither Chris nor Zach were spotted by Martin first.

Unfortunately, they only realized they had forgotten about the unattended Zachbot when the beam of the flashlight landed on it, making it glint ominously. Martin stepped back in surprise.

"What in the -"

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Chris had always known he was a little different.

He and his brother had done everything together for as long as he could remember, attending the same wildlife protection training academy as teens, where some would even say that they were attached at the hip due to their identical schedules (courtesy of their overbearing mother). At least, that's what Martin thought.

Chris had never been content with living exactly as he was expected to. Sure, he wanted to protect wildlife along with his brother, but he also had a knack for engineering and a inventive spirit that drove him elsewhere. One night, when he couldn't sleep, restless with creative energy and a need to tinker, he decided to break the rules and leave his dormitory (which he shared with his brother, of course) after hours.

After closing the door quietly behind himself, (more so for fear of waking up someone in a neighboring room, as his brother slept like a coma patient) he made his way down the modernly designed hallways. They were meant to inspire a positive view of the future for the students, but only seemed cold and unforgiving in the dim glow of the fluorescent lights.

His destination: the engineering wing of the school, which had any and all of the tools and materials he could ask for to satisfy his imaginative urges. He crept through the doorway that led into a giant workroom that almost looked like a warehouse, stocked from wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-ceiling with work desks, power tools, sheets of welding metal, bolts, wheels, the list goes on and on. Despite having only been in this room a few times (he unfortunately had no classes here) and still being impressed by the sheer amount of mechanical objects packed inside, this was not the most surprising thing.

It was that he was not alone.

In the far corner of the room, a shadowy figure hunched over one of the welding tables, sparks flying into his shielded face as he worked. Chris was tempted to just turn around and sneak back to his room unnoticed, but figured he would take a chance, considering that this other person was also out at 2 in the morning against school rules.

Not trying to be talkative, Chris promptly set up his station as far away from the welder as possible, before taking out his sketches he had drawn up just a few hours earlier in his bed. He had an idea for a power suit, one that would allow the user to mimic the abilities of different animals. The research possibilities were endless, and he was determined to make this sketch come to life.

"What in the world is that?"

Chris nearly jumped out of his chair. He was startled to see the other late-night tinkerer standing right behind him, looking over his shoulder through his welding mask. How had he gotten so close without Chris noticing? Maybe he'd been lost in thought again?

"Excuse me?" Chris replied self-consciously, not wanting his work to be clowned on by some stranger. "What ever happened to hello? How are you? My name is-?" Chris had just started to compose himself after being frightened, but he found himself in shock once again when the stranger lifted his mask and frowned down at him.

It was a boy he recognized from his grade, who he maybe had one or two classes with, but otherwise he didn't know anything about. He couldn't even remember his name. However, he had only ever observed this boy from a distance. Up close, his skin was noticeably very pale despite the dim lighting, and his sharp black eyes looked right into Chris's, with a hint of judgement. Chris couldn't help but notice how handsome he was, in a sinister kind of way. When the boy responded, his voice was sarcastic and dry, with almost a musical ring to it.

"Excuse my manners, how could I be so rude? Hello. How are you? My name is Zach. And this silly prototype doodle you have here is quite possibly the worst idea I have ever seen."

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Part 3 on the way very soon...