Anger Management [Meloghia]

Chapter 31: A Heaven Out of Hell

Fugo collapsed to his knees as his plagued hand freed itself from the door. Sale must have been far enough away that his stand was losing its potency. He tried to use his damaged hand to dig through his pocket but his hand wouldn't respond and neither would the diseased one.

Fuck! I can't grab the damn antidote!

He looked up and saw that Purple Haze was no longer stuck in place either. He noticed both of its hands were similarly damaged but it continued to clench and unclench its fists as it howled in pain. Stands probably can't sustain nerve damage since it isn't human.

"Purple Haze! Come here!" Fugo tried getting to his feet but he was in so much pain he collapsed to his knees again. The stand turned to its user and approached. It drooled as it continued to clench its fists in distress. It looked at Fugo as if waiting for further instruction. "Reach into my pocket and grab the vial. Open it and put it in my mouth!"

It carefully reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the vial of pink liquid. Purple Haze tried to use its other hand to take the top off but it wasn't coordinated enough to get the grip it needed.

"Bring it here, quickly!" Purple Haze got closer and Fugo bit down on the top of it and yanked the lid off with his teeth. He opened his mouth and Purple Haze poured the bottle in. It was a foul-tasting potion but after mere seconds of swallowing, the plague damage began reversing itself. Thank god. He stood up and looked Purple Haze in the eye. It looked back at him. He very rarely had his stand out, it was strange to have this personal moment with it. It was almost like it was thinking as it looked at him. Could stands have a personality? Thoughts? They were just an extension of the user, like a tool, right? He looked back into those purple eyes and wasn't so sure.

Fugo looked back down at his bleeding hand and knew he had to tend to it. With his other hand, he pulled off his tie and began wrapping it around his hand. He heard Risotto's voice in his ear.

"Is anyone there? Respond," He said gruffly.

"Fugo, checking in," he said. He awkwardly wrapped when the fabric slipped and he had to start again. He struggled to perform such a basic task one-handed when large lavender hands took the fabric from his grasp.

"Fugo! Thank god. Prosciutto and Sorbet need backup. They're in the center of the complex." Risotto sounded relieved. Fugo looked up and watched Purple Haze wrap his user's hand with care and precision. It was meticulous in its method of binding. It was tight but not too tight.

"Alright, I'm on it," he said into the earpiece. He looked back up at Purple Haze who had finished its makeshift tourniquet. "Thanks," he said shyly. Purple Haze groaned in response and Fugo de-summoned him.

"Step it up, Fugo!" Ice shot through his heart at the angry voice in his ear. Illuso continued speaking to him, "Sorbet can't hold Tulmine off much longer."

"R-right...uh...s-sorry, Illuso...I-I'm going now," he stuttered.

"I'll direct you there but you better be careful," Illuso warned.

"Thanks, I will," Fugo responded.

"I didn't mean you," he snapped. Fugo swallowed at the harshness of his words. "I don't care what happens to you, just bring back Sorbet and Prosciutto without killing them." Fugo took a deep breath. This was as bad as he'd feared, Illuso really did hate him. If he hadn't fucked up at the mixer...

"Fugo!" Risotto barked in his ear. "Move now!"

Fugo took off down the hallway.

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Formaggio pushed Melone out of the way of the next blast. Man, he thought he was gonna just kick back with Melone while the others did the heavy lifting. He knew "backup" actually meant "sidelined." Why else did Illuso get to stay behind? Because the two of them were practically useless in search and destroy missions. Give them a good sting operation and they were perfect for the job. But this? It was all going belly up fast. Prosciutto had been hit and no one else could be reached, and now this shit. A fucking bird woman? What the hell was anything anymore?