Somewhere To Run To || Lunch Club AU

passengers waving goodbye

"Do you think we can stop?"

Ted didn't know how long they'd been driving. Once the adrenaline from their escape had worn off, they'd been constantly on edge in the tense silence, listening for sounds of more monsters in the dark who could have been drawn to them by the explosion. Both Schlatt and Ted were in no condition for another fight, so he'd tried to get them as far away from the scene as possible. He didn't know how much longer he could keep it up, though.

Ted sighed, exhaustion weighing down his limbs and fogging his mind. "We should be far enough for now, I think we can take a break."

As the car rolled to a stop, Ted glanced at his companion, the full weight of the situation finally sinking in. J fucking Schlatt was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, alive and (relatively) well. Schlatt, of all people. What were the chances of that?

Despite himself, Ted began to chuckle to himself. They'd blown up a monster, he'd found a friend, he was on his way to a safe haven. It had been so long since he'd had a cause to celebrate. For a moment, Schlatt looked at him as if he'd gone insane, but then began laughing as well.

"Holy shit, Ted." Surprise, relief and gratitude mingled in his voice, and Ted grinned back at him. His smile only widened when he remembered who they were headed to.

"Oh, Charlie's gonna be-"

...Charlie. Ted's grin shattered.

The radio.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

Panicked, Ted glanced around the car, fruitlessly looking for the something he knew wasn't there. He knew exactly where he'd left the radio. On the roof of his car at the gas station, now probably lying on the ground somewhere behind them.

He slammed his fist against the steering wheel. "Fuck!"

"What?" Schlatt exclaimed at his sudden outburst.

"I lost the fucking radio. I-I can't contact Charlie anymore, I... How did this happen? Why the fuck would I do that?" Anger and regret filled his mind, mainly at himself.

"Wait, Charlie?" Schlatt's eyes widened. "As in-"

"As in Slimecicle Charlie, yes." As Ted realized what Charlie must be thinking now, what the last thing he'd heard from him was, his anger towards himself was overtaken by concern towards his friend. "Fuck, he must be worried. The last thing he heard from me was me running into a burning building like an idiot."

Schlatt leaned back in his seat with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Charlie, huh? Well, it's good to know he's alive, but he probably thinks we're dead now." Ted winced at his bluntness, but sighed as well. After a moment, Schlatt continued, "...I need a moment to process this. Um, do you have any medicine on you? Because..." he looked down at his hand, Ted remembering his burns with a jolt.

"Oh, fuck, right. At the back, come on."

Ted stepped out into the night, a shiver running down his spine when the cold air hit his skin. It was deathly quiet except for the chirping of crickets and the sigh of the wind. Schlatt mirrored his movements on the other side of the car, but as they both walked forwards Ted noticed that he walked with a slight limp.

They met at the back of the car. For a moment, they simply stood there, Ted fully taking in the man standing in front of him for the first time since the chaos had begun. Schlatt looked more tired, more worn, just as Ted imagined he looked himself, but still so, so familiar.

Without thinking, Ted stepped forward and pulled Schlatt into a hug. He hadn't realized how much he had been starved for human contact until he did. Schlatt must have been thinking the same thing, because he inhaled sharply with surprise, and it took him a moment before he raised his arms to hug him back. But he did.