Ones Who Bump Back ~ A Hellboy Fanfic (Abe Sapien x OC)

Chapter 8: Stand By You

The shining walls and glossy stone floor seemed to light up my mood, glad to be back in a familiar setting. After every mission, coming back was always a relieving feeling for me.

I looked through the window to see the gang surrounding Hellboy as he was stretched out on one of the infirmary tables. I merely stared as Abe inspected the wound on the demon's arm. I slowly opened the door, sliding through quietly as I approached the four men.

The professor glanced up at me as I drew in closer. Abe concentrated on studying the wound, deciphering what may have caused it, before clarifying, "You were burned by some organic acid."

"I'm lucky that way," Red smirked, before he turned to see me as I stopped, observing the both of them, "Well look who decided to join the party."

A smile crept on my lips, happy to know that even in these situations he still had his sense of humor. "Couldn't help myself," I turned my attention to Abe, "Other than being burned, how's his arm?"

"Nothing too severe," Abe responded, a hint of amusement creeping within him as he turned to see Red wince, "He'll live."

As Hellboy glared at his friend who continued to move his utensils through his injury, Professor Broom let out a sigh, "I worry about you."

Red shifted his gaze to look at his father, who walked around behind him, "Me?"

"Well, I won't be around forever, you know," my eyes saddened as I could feel the professor's sorrow, barely flexing the subject of his possible upcoming demise on his son.

"Damn!" Red winced, whipped his head back and golden eyes narrowing at Abe, dismissing the professor's statement, "Can you please be a little more careful?"

Abe hummed, nodding his head as his blue eyes beamed up at the demon. Even with his goggles on, I could tell his brows were lifted. If he wasn't wearing his apparatus, I would bet that his gills were fluttering. That was his usual look of pure amusement. "You big baby."

I chuckled slightly at Abe's remark, who rolled his chair over to where the stinger lay. I watched as he picked it up with one of his tools; it still writhing as he placed it in a bowl, "So, how long was it latched onto you?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe about five seconds," Red replied as Abe turned back, looking into his wound to make sure nothing else was there.

I could see that Abe had latched his tool onto something, pulling it out as Hellboy's face tightened again, "Wait, Professor, look."

As the pair observed it, Myers and I looked at each other before leaning in to see it was a small orange ball with a darker spot within it. Red also turned his head, "Is it bad?"

"Touched you five seconds, laid three eggs," Abe murmured.

My eyes flew open as Abe turned back to a microscope to better examine the egg, "Now you're telling me that these immortal resurrecting bastards lay eggs?"

Abe pulled away before getting up, displaying the eggs at a much closer angle on one of the small screens, "I'm afraid so. Apparently the stinger detaches itself from the tongue and injects the eggs. They're very sensitive to heat, light. They need a humid and dark environment to breed."

I looked back at Red, Myers tilting his head slightly, "Did you ever lose track of him?"

Red sighed, thinking for a moment, "Well, let's see, there was that moment I had the train on top of my head."

"We can't risk it," Professor Broom said, "Tomorrow you'll go back to the tracks with a group of agents and search the whole place top to bottom. Find those eggs and destroy them."

After Abe finished patching up Red's wounds, and Professor Broom and Myers went back to their quarters for the night, I approached my friend who remained in the infirmary. "You're still in here, Abe?"

He turned towards me, "I was going to ask you the same question."

I sighed, looking down at the ground, "I'm worried about you. Ever since the mission, I could sense you weren't yourself."

His eyes fell too, as he stood, hunched over, defeated, "You're right, I haven't. I'm just trying to hold the group together as best as I can, that's all."

My heart yearned slightly, telling me to go up to him and comfort him, but I pushed away from what it was telling me. I just kept convincing myself to just stand here and talk. Even still, I could feel his sense of trouble, trying my best to hold myself back from losing it in front of the man in front of me.

"You know that I know you're hiding something from me. Tell me the truth," I pleaded.

He huffed, his blue eyes opening up as he looked back up at me, "So much has happened in one day. Hellboy got injured, Professor Broom is ill, Sammael is on the loose, and now we have to go back to find those eggs--"

I couldn't hold back anymore. I walked towards him, wrapping my arms around his torso, letting my hands run along the leather material of his suit. Abe slowly gave in, and I could feel his muscular body return the embrace as I let my head sink into his chest. I listened to the sounds of his apparatus as it filtered the water being brought to his gills, and could lightly hear his now slowing heartbeat.

"It's okay, we'll figure something out," I pulled away, despite not wanting to leave his arms, "As of now though, we should turn in for the night and figure this all out tomorrow before we leave."

He nodded, his expression softening as he took a deep breath, "Right, tomorrow. That's a good idea."

We exited the room, but before we parted ways, he laid his hand on my shoulder, "Thank you, Vivian. I don't know what I'd do without you here. You're one of the only people I have left that keeps me going everyday in this place."

I could feel my heart soar, and my stomach flutter. I looked away for a second, a smile growing on my lips. As he approached the elevator, I called after him, "Of course. You're one of my best friends, Abe. No matter what happens between us, I'll always stand by you."

I could see a smile creep onto his lips, nodding his head before he disappeared into the floor below.