Are We Cool Yet? [Complete!]

Please

Larry's POV

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We have everyone except Peanut.

And now we have to decide what to do. I'm not exactly in favor of leaving him behind, but we're lucky the rest of us got out. We should lay low for a little while, anyway.

It's just me and Shy right now, because Doc's off having his little case of Stockholm Syndrome. Mask's screaming at him about something or other, but I'm trying not to pay attention to it. It's clearly bothering Shy, though he doesn't say anything about it either, just unfolds and refolds his hands anxiously.

"So, uh, how are we gonna get Peanut back?"

"I don't know if we can-- but we will try," I add when I see the look on his face. I guess there's something between them. I'm pretty sure it's just platonic, though. "It's probably best we wait it out a bit, though."

"What if they do something to him, like they did to Doc? Or--or they kill him?"

"They probably won't." I realize that really isn't that reassuring. He's shaking so bad... I put an arm around him, "Hey now, calm down. I'll go have a look around if you like."

"Okay." He starts to relax a little, in my arms. Damn, this is some cheesy shit. 

But I don't care. Shy is mine.

"When you go, can I come with?"

I blink. "I don't think you should come. What if they catch you?"

"What if they catch you? I don't want you to go."

He doesn't want me to go.

"Of course you can come, if that's what you want. But I'm gonna be real with you, Shy, it's a bad time for you to go out there."

"If it wasn't for Peanut, I'd still be waiting there... for them to kill me. Or maybe I'd already be dead."

I... there's nothing really I can say to that, is there? No words can fix something like that. I freeze for a second, when he rests his head on my shoulder.

Oh. My. God. Yes.

***

Before we go, I gotta let Mask and Doc know, but I'm not looking forward to it. Oh well. By the sound of it, they're in Doc's room.

Mask is doing that thing he does when he's upset-- the lights flicker when he yells. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me!"

"You want to stay HERE! You want to go back to the Foundation and let them do more creepy-ass experiments on you!"

Doc closes his eyes. "It's not all that bad, Mask. They give me subjects, they let me cure. If we went outside, the people there would kill us."

"How do you know that? Because that's what they told you?"

"Dr. Hamm did say that, but it's obviously true--"

"Guys?" I say, but neither seem to hear me.

Mask takes a swing at Doc, clocking him in the jaw. "Snap out of it!"

He stops, realizing what he's just done.

Doc doesn't say anything for a moment, as Mask breathes angrily over him, just puts a shaky hand up to his jaw. His yellow eyes flash, and he catches sight of me. "L-Larry?" he asks. "Take me back now, please."

"DOC--"

He turns his back on Mask. "You said you loved me, Mask, and you..." he shakes his head," at least the Foundation doesn't put up false pretenses."

Mask grabs Doc's shoulder. "I do love you, you asshole! I'm trying to save you!"

Doc shrugs him off and hides behind me. I don't want to put him back in the Foundation, no matter how much he seems to want it, but I'm a little afraid to leave him here with Mask.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

"Please," he says, "I just want this to be over."

"I can't give you back to them."

"Why not?" he shoots back.

The walls are dripping with blood, and Mask seems to be summoning appendages out of them. I need to get Doc out of here until he calms down.

I close my eyes, and take him to a small, empty room. There are no doors here, he'll be safe until I come back.

I melt through the walls and back to Shy.

I find Mask towering over me. "Where the fuck is Doc?"

I take Shy's hand, and we leave my dimension.