A/N: Right off the bat: I've been in the fandom for less than a week, but I read up on everything and think I understand it for the most part? I wanted to do something that was post Plastic Beach but pre-DoYaThing video? I don't know if everything is 100% accurate, but I did do my best. I just had a lot of feelings about 2D and his relationships with Noodle and Murdoc. And just so nothing is misinterpreted: This is not a 2Nu fic- just good ole' fashioned platonic and familial love.

Also: Has not been edited.

Damages Done

Faint sunlight filtered in through the shutters, leaving a dusting off golden yellow across 2D's face. The man woke slowly, yawning and stretching as he went. When he finished rubbing the sleep from his eyes, 2D looked around his room and frowned when piles of clothes and various furniture items strewn about greeted his vision. It took him perhaps longer than it should have to remember why his room looked different from what he'd been used to.

He promptly reminded himself that Plastic Beach was behind him and threw the covers off, getting out of bed to prepare for the day.

The new place they'd taken up residence was foreign to him, but he'd navigated it enough times to at least know how to get to the important places without getting lost. He was pretty sure they'd been there for a while at that point, though he'd only recently joined them, so he couldn't be completely positive.

He was just glad to have everyone back in his life. He didn't much like being alone. It was even nicer to have Noodle and Russel back, because when it was just him and Murdoc… well, he prefered having other people around to buffer the effects of Murdoc's treatment towards him. When they were around he at least had someone to hang out with after being yelled at by the bassist. At least it wasn't like Plastic Beach, when the only other person besides Murdoc in the immediate vicinity was a Cyborg- and that wasn't even technically a person.

Murdoc had told him it was as good as having the real Noodle around, but 2D hadn't much agreed. The real Noodle was warm and playful and sweet, whereas the Cyborg had been cold, distant, and in some cases, mean. Sure, the real Noodle could have her nasty streaks, same as any, but she always got over then and was rarely ever mean to him. Cyborg Noodle just did whatever Murdoc wanted her to, which was also unlike real Noodle.

He'd accepted the cold replacement as best he could, though. As heartsick as he'd been over the potential loss of their youngest band-mate, having a fake one had been better than nothing. He'd managed to convince himself of that, at least, because it was better than constantly agonizing over whether or not the real Noodle was alive or dead and not knowing the answer. Nonetheless, having Cyborg Noodle around had been weirdly uncomfortable for him, and he couldn't say he missed the damned thing- it had never been a proper Noodle and he'd never been able to fool himself into thinking it was.

2D paused in front of the room of the woman in question before heading downstairs. He didn't knock before cracking the door open to peak inside to check up on her; she was always asleep until at least seven, but sometimes he felt the need to make sure. He half expected to see cold eyes staring back at him when he found her form huddled under several blankets. He was relieved when he saw her hair falling around closed eyes set into a soft face. A gentle smile formed across his face and he closed the door, satisfied with his findings.

It was silly to think she wasn't the real one back, but sometimes his head did things that made no sense. When that happened it was better to just show it the truth instead of fret. Noodle was fine and she was there, just as he'd known she was. He sighed to himself as he made his way down the stairs. He was glad to have the proper Noodle back in the house. Her presence put everyone in a better mood, even Murdoc.

It was interesting, how she was able to affect everyone by simply existing in their space. He was glad for it, though. He liked feeling happier. He liked that Murdoc seemed happier too- if the word "happy" could be applied to the man, anyway. 2D liked that he wasn't getting smacked around as much. He wished Murdoc would stop hurting him altogether, since it would make life more comfortable, but since that would never happen, he could be content with what he had.

Even so, 2D found himself bummed that he couldn't just chill out and be himself when he was in the bassist's presence like everyone else seemed to be able to do. Noodle and Russel could shoot the breeze and when they were irritated with Murdoc, they could tell him off. He didn't have that luxury. He was always on edge around the Murdoc. He always had been, but since Plastic Beach he'd only gotten jumpier. And it wasn't just Murdoc that got him fidgety either; dark rooms weren't exactly a comfort to him anymore- though, whether it was because it reminded him of being stuck in a suitcase or a whale, he wasn't sure. Not that it mattered all that much, because it wasn't like he could control his fears.

As if summoned by his thoughts alone, the moment 2D sat on the sofa to relax a bit before breakfast, he found himself being harshly shoved off. He yelped and his butt collided with the floor around the same time Murdoc's order to "move it, Dents" registered in his mind.

He rubbed his back where some pain lingered, but didn't have much time to feel any relief before he was scrambling back to avoid having feet connect with his skull. Murdoc paid him no mind as he settled his legs on the coffee table with a tired groan and 2D blinked, still surprised to see him up so early.

Normally the man wouldn't wake up until much later in the day- or even if he was awake, he stayed in, doing whatever the hell it was he did in that pitch black room of his. It was a habit of his that 2D had come to rely on. He knew what times he could kick back and honestly relax without having to worry about someone coming in and yelling at him or something, so Murdoc being awake now and ruining that routine weirded him out.

"You're up early, Murdoc." His comment was carefully spoken as a casual observation more than a question.

Murdoc didn't look up from the TV. "'Spose I am."

2D stood up and wrung his hands awkwardly. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to make the conversation go from there, or if it was even a conversation after all; Murdoc had shut him down pretty effectively. It sucked, that he could do that and people would just leave him alone. Well, actually, 2D was really the only person who left him alone, but he supposed that was just because that was how their dynamic worked. He listened to what Murdoc told him to do most of the time and in return, Murdoc left him be. Not that that happened all that often- the Murdoc leaving him alone, part. Murdoc would make it out like he was gonna go away and then he'd do something like throw a boot at his head. Still, that was pretty tame compared to what he used to do.

2D resisted the urge to touch the corner of his eye with the thought, and instead let his arms hang loosely at his sides. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. Murdoc had taken his seat, and with it, his sense of security. 2D supposed he could sit on the opposite side of the sofa, but he knew he'd just be on edge the entire time he did so, and since nobody else was around, and it was early, Murdoc would probably not hesitate to kick him for the hell of it.

It wasn't fair. The others didn't have to deal with the level of anxiety around Murdoc that he did. It was a little stupid, too. After so many years around the bassist, 2D figured he'd have gotten used to the emasculation and abuse, and just learned to deal with it better, but in the end, he was just as sad and pathetic as when everything had started. It was so frustrating. Russel wouldn't have taken so much crap from the man, and Noodle would've told Murdoc to go back to hell.

So why was he just taking it?

"Oi, you just gonna stand there all day?"

Murdoc's voice made him start. 2D forced a nervous laugh.

"Oh, sorry I's just finkin'."

Murdoc snorted and pulled a beer bottle from between the cushions, popping it open with a simple flick of his thumb.

"Ha, sure you were."

The comment served to strike a cord of indignation inside of him and 2D narrowed his eyes at man. The fact that Murdoc was intruding on his personal time was upsetting enough, but the fact that he now was calling him dumb, yet again, aggravated 2D in a way he assumed was Russel and Noodle's default around the man. Suddenly, the idea of sticking his tail between his legs and running off wasn't so appealing to him and 2D huffed, crossing his arms.

"Ya don' haff to be mean, Murdoc."

That wasn't exactly what he'd originally been planning to say, but, seeing as how much adrenaline was shot through his veins at the small quip, that was probably for the best. It was also probably good for preserving himself, seeing as how moody Murdoc could be when he was given attitude. Honestly he was walking a fine line already.

"'Scuse you?"

Murdoc looked amused even as his tone warned 2D to say anything else.

2D shrugged, but didn't change his stance, even if his eyes did flicker to the floor. He knew he should say nothing and let Murdoc win, but his attitude of thinking he could walk all over 2D was beginning to grate. He opened his mouth before he could think to stop himself.

"Said you don' haff to be a prick."

Murdoc looked shocked by his attitude for half a second, and in that moment 2D felt highly pleased with himself. If that was how it felt for the others when they stood up to the bassist, he could see why they did it so often.

As soon as that half second ended, 2D remembered why he didn't talk like that around Murdoc. The man was out of his seat and grabbing a fistful of his collar before 2D could react. He didn't fight it when Murdoc slammed him against the nearest wall.

"Wanna run that by me again, Face-Ache?"

At the close proximity 2D could smell the beer on his breath and he swallowed hard, that pleasant feeling for standing up to Murdoc long gone, probably never to come back. His irritation quickly bled away to fear, and then resignation. He knew there was no fighting off Murdoc. He'd pushed him a bit too far, so anything that happened next would be his fault.

Still, he thought of some way he could diffuse the situation. Because if there was anything worse than having his morning routine interrupted, it was having it interrupted while also getting the crap kicked out of him.

He dropped his eyes to the floor and shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to egg Murdoc on by speaking. He tensed his body even so, expecting a punch at the very least. To his utter astonishment, though, all Murdoc did was shove him hard against the wall again with a snarl.

He released him and headed for the kitchen after that. 2D blinked several times, watching the man's disappearing back while trying to work out in his head what exactly had happened. It didn't take as long as it normally might have, because when Murdoc passed a frowning Noodle, it made sense. Murdoc didn't tend to give thorough beatdowns in front of the young woman, and though he'd never say it aloud, 2D suspected it was because Murdoc was just as attached to Noodle as the rest of them. It was just another reason to be happy about Noodle's presence in his life.

As the bassist brushed past her, though, 2D doesn't miss the grumbled comment of his.

"Idiot's lucky I don't have another whale."

2D flinched despite his best efforts to remain calm and he knew that even if Murdoc had said it in a generalized way, he'd meant for him to hear it- he was underhanded like that. He knew exactly what to say to get under his skin.

Music came blasting from the kitchen soon after that and 2D finally paid attention to Noodle, who was looking at him with a curious tilt of her head. He smiled a little and waved in greeting.

"Are you okay?"

"Mhmm." 2D nodded, even though everything in his brain was chiding him for lying to her. He reasoned that it didn't really matter- he was used to it, at any rate.

He sat back down on the sofa after another moment of silence, pulling his knees to his chest as he let his eyes lock on the television. Noodle came to join him, sitting directly at his side and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"What are you watching, Toochie?"

The nickname normally would've made him smile fondly at her, but he barely looked at her this time around. He shrugged. He couldn't focus on what was actually flashing across the screen, though if Murdoc had been watching it he assumed it was a raunchy music video or something. He wasn't actually trying to watch anyways, but still, he couldn't have even if he wanted to, so he gave up and instead turned his attention towards Noodle.

He was thankful for her presence, and not just because she'd saved him from further abuse from their band leader. He liked spending time with Noodle. She was so nice to him, and she seemed to actually enjoy his company, which was a nice change of pace for him. The fact that she could also get Murdoc to chill out was a perk.

The moment he caught sight of her face in the corner of his eye he found her staring right back at him. Startled, he flicked his gaze towards where Murdoc had disappeared. He wondered if he should've thanked Noodle, for her help, even if helping hadn't been her intention. There wouldn't be any harm in doing so. Knowing Noodle, she'd probably just shrug it off with a smile.

"Fank you, by the way."

Noodle paused, looking at him with confusion even as she nodded, and even if he was the idiot Murdoc so loved to point out, 2D got where the look his coming from and elaborated.

"For distracting Murdoc, I mean."

"Oh." Noodle blinked, her eyebrows pulling together. "Sure."

That was all she said and 2D wondered what she was thinking about. She still looked pretty confused about his gratitude, but he couldn't understand why; she knew how Murdoc could be, after all- she'd almost been on the receiving end a few times. Or maybe she wasn't thinking about anything and was just tired still. That wouldn't have come as a big shock to him, seeing as how she usually slept until a little later. Everyone usually woke later. He had odd sleep habits, so he was usually asleep and awake when nobody else was.

As he was about to let it go and shift his attention back to the telly, Noodle spoke, and her question was decidedly unexpected.

"Aren't you afraid of whales?"

"Er- yes?" 2D squinted one eye and tilted his head to look at her better. He wasn't sure where that question had come from.

"What was Murdoc talking about when he said you're lucky he doesn't have another one?"

2D froze. He hadn't been prepared to answer any questions along the lines of "whales", and he was even less prepared to answer that one. He knew how to answer the question, sure, it had an easy answer. Not a simple one, by any means, but an easy one. He bit his lip, turning his attention back to the spot past Noodle's head, half expecting Murdoc to appear.

He wasn't supposed to talk about it- wasn't supposed to tell anyone what happened on Plastic Beach. Murdoc wouldn't be happy if he did. He wouldn't be happy at all.

Somehow, that knowledge only made him want to tell Noodle exactly what had happened. There were only so many times he could go against the bassist's wishes, and he liked to take every chance he got, just to remind himself that the man didn't control him, because he was his own person. 2D wondered if Murdoc even knew he still remembered everything about Plastic Beach. He doubted he did, since Murdoc was always the one quick to tell people that 2D didn't remember much- he was more of a pretty face than a brain.

Yeah, Murdoc wouldn't be happy whatsoever, and wasn't that just what made defying him all the more appealing? Because spiting the bassist right then would have been pretty fun. However, the way the throbbing sensation in his throat from before still hadn't left, reminding him exactly why, no matter how tempting, it wasn't a good idea.

No, he should stay quiet about it, not tell anyone- though he doubted anyone would believe him if he did, since they saw him as the brain damaged moron... But even brain damaged people knew when they were being treated badly.

The word "nothing" built up in his throat but died on his tongue when he glanced and saw Noodle giving him that patient, imploring face.

He shouldn't say anything to her, true, but he also couldn't not tell her. Holding back would make him feel even worse, because this was Noodle, the girl he'd watched -albeit through intervals- grow up, the one who'd managed to form a strange but special bond with each of the band members- even Murdoc, which, was astonishing to that day. And he knew she wouldn't degrade him for his fears and pain, and she wouldn't give Murdoc a reason to hurt him if he told her.

Besides, they'd been separated for a long time and he missed being able to just talk to someone without having to worry they were going to laugh at him or something equally bad. He'd missed the security of having a trustworthy confidant- hell, he'd missed talking to anyone who didn't have an ulterior motive for entertaining him. He'd missed… He'd missed her. He'd just missed her, and that was all it came down to. It was Noodle and she wanted to know what's wrong and he wanted nothing more than to tell her.

2D looked over her shoulder again, where Murdoc was only a room away, music blasting loud enough that if he was quiet he wouldn't be heard. Paranoid as it may have been, he had to be sure nothing he said would be overheard. Once he was satisfied with the security of the room, 2D took a deep breath and fixed his attention back on the TV; even if he was going to talk about the happenings of that time, he didn't want to look at her.

"Well, see…" He hesitated on where to start. It was hard, talking about the things he'd kept under wraps for what felt like such a long time. Noodle didn't rush him though, only waited patiently for him to continue.

"Well, I-I dunno exactly who did it- I fink it was Murdoc, but he says it was that, um, that Boogieman, an… I dunno. But a-anyways, they kidnapped me. They sorta um, gassed me and, um, shipped my in suitcase to Plastic Beach an' such."

He staved off a shudder at the memory of being trapped inside that small cage, choking on his breath as he tried to understand what was going on before finally being able to get the damned bag to pop open and release him. He still didn't completely believe Murdoc when he insisted that the dark creature was the one who'd captured him, because it seemed more likely that the bassist would have been the one to do it, considering his track record. However, Murdoc seemed stuck to that story, so 2D had no choice but to at least accept that that was the only sort of confession he was going to get from the man.

"An' Murdoc," he continued, lowering his voice at the mention of the person in the opposite room, "he wanted me to sing for the new album an' everyfing, so h-he kept me inside a, um, a room under the beach. It was in under the water, actually. See, he, he ah, wan'ed me to sing, an' when I didn't wanna, he didn't like that- you know h-how he gets."

2D wrapped his arms around his knees, staring at the dirty surface of the coffee table as he gnawed on his lip. He didn't feel like he needed to say exactly what Murdoc did when he wasn't pleased with his refusal to do what he wanted. Noodle could probably figure it out based on what she knew of Murdoc, and how she'd seen him treat him in the past.

He didn't want to have to say it aloud, how Murdoc had been moodier than usual because of everything that had been going on during that time, and had taken that moodiness out on him. How he'd forced him to stay locked up for days, or even weeks on end until he needed him to perform. Any illusions that 2D held about Murdoc caring about him as a friend and not just a band-mate had been shattered and pulverised during that time. And he'd been so angry about that. He'd never wished death on Murdoc more than he had during his days on that stupid island.

He felt bad about it now, but when Cyborg Noodle had tried to murder her creator, 2D hadn't felt particularly concerned for Murdoc's health. Now, he knew he would've been sad, if for no other reason than because Murdoc was the backbone of the band a lot of the time- but no, he would've been sad for other reasons. They were reasons that confused and upset him, but he chose not to think about those- he barely understood his own brain sometimes, he didn't need to have those weird and nonsensical thoughts running around. Murdoc had done nothing but hurt him since the day they'd met, so why did he still care what might happen to him?

2D shook his head with a heavy sigh. He didn't care to think about that stuff; it did nothing but make his head hurt. He didn't want to make it hurt any more than it already was. He thought about getting up to grab some pills, but didn't because he remembered he was supposed to complete the story for Noodle. Noodle, who wouldn't be very pleased if he left her alone because he wanted drugs.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose instead, hoping to relieve some of the pressure building up in his skull as he went on.

"So yeah, um, while he had me down there, he kept this whale guardin' me. Don' even know how he did that. Said he paid the thing." 2D swallowed hard at that particular memory.

Out of everything that had happened on Plastic Beach to scare him, that had to have been the worst. Murdoc, he was used to, so it had just been a matter of readjusting. But that whale… with those huge eyes and slimy looking skin and impossible amount of teeth in constant close vicinity…

He couldn't hold back a shudder that time and Noodle touched his arm out of concern. He closed his eyes and laughed softly. "It was so big an' it would just swin around and around me room all day. Jus' starin' at me with it's giant eyes, laughin' at me. Murdoc knows how scary they are…"

He really had been so scared. He'd never felt that level of fear in his life, being so near the thing that terrified him and knowing he had nowhere to run in order to escape it. It had left him unable to think straight, and sleeping had been near impossible during those days. When Murdoc had first announced who his warden would be, 2D thought it might have been easier if the man had just punched him in the stomach until he bled out.

His eyes burned and 2D was quick to try and wipe the moisture away before it could become noticeable. He didn't mean to cry, but it seemed he couldn't stop himself. Remembering everything all over again and saying the words aloud turned out to be a lot more emotionally straining than he'd thought it would be.

He looked at Noodle over his arms and found her looking shocked. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, and for some reason, he both did and didn't want to know. He said nothing, though, leaving to whatever was running through her head while he tried to quiet the sniffles that escaped him.

When a particularly loud sniff was pulled from him Noodle began rubbing tight circles on his back.

"Murdoc did that?"

She sounded genuinely perplexed by the very thought of that being truth that 2D wanted to cry even more. He didn't though. He nodded instead.

"Y-yeah."

Noodle's expression suddenly went startlingly blank.

"Really."

She sounded… 2D hadn't heard Noodle mad a lot before, but he knew she sounded something like that. Somehow, though, this was worse than the mad he knew to expect from her. This time, it sounded like she was livid, like how Murdoc got before he really went to town on someone for irritating him. It made 2D flinch and he sniffled again, the tears suddenly falling harder.

He'd already figured nobody would believe him, sure, but he'd also trusted that at the very least, Noodle wouldn't judge him. However, her tone suggested she was doing just that. He'd already expected disbelief, but hearing Noodle honestly question him, like she really couldn't believe what he'd said, hurt so much- maybe even more than anything nasty Murdoc had ever said about him.

2D hid his face in his arms and tried to quiet the sobs that were pulling themselves from his lips. He hadn't meant to make Noodle angry, and yet he'd still managed to. It seemed he just couldn't do anything right lately.

"S-sorry."

The circling on his back stopped suddenly.

"What are you sorry about?"

He shrugged and took a deep breath to try and calm down, but only succeeded in adding hiccups to his growing list of problems.

"M- I… I dunno, makin' you mad an'…"

"Oh, Toochie, no." Noodle sighed, and the sound was almost sad. The hand on his back shifted and 2D stifled a yelp when he was suddenly being enveloped in the younger woman's arms. He stiffened, not sure what to do with the change in events, not sure if he could do anything. He wasn't exactly sure why Noodle was hugging him in the first place, though he wasn't about to complain- he'd missed hugs.

"I'm not mad at you," she said quietly, "and I'm so sorry that happened to you."

2D didn't realize how much he'd needed to hear those exact words until they were running into his ears and wrapping his head and heart in an embrace as tight as the one his body was receiving. His arms moved without permission to wrap around Noodle, and 2D clung to her as his sobs came out louder.

Of course he'd misinterpreted her reaction, of course he had. He was stupid, after all, when did he not make mistakes? Of course Noodle cared. She was Noodle and she always cared. That nature was what made her Noodle.

It had been a long time, it felt, since somebody cared.

He cried harder because of that too, and soon enough he was stuck hiccuping and wiping globs of snot on his shirtsleeve to keep them out of Noodle's hair. He knew he should've felt embarrassed for breaking down like that, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Crying made him feel better sometimes; it was what he did when things got to be too much, and now was no different. Noodle wasn't judging him him for it, that much he now knew.

She shushed him every time he whimpered loudly and the two of them remained like that until his sobs died down and his breathing evened out. He didn't release her immediately though, and she didn't try to pull away. She gave him a tight squeeze and he gave her a wet chuckle in return.

"Feel better?"

2D wasn't sure how he felt, honestly. He'd gone through a lot of feelings in the past several minutes and then he'd emptied them all out and now… now he just felt a content sort of empty. He probably could've fallen back asleep, honestly, but doing so would only further wreck his already strange sleeping schedule.

For Noodle's sake, he nodded. It was easier to do that than explain his lack of functioning feelings. Besides, it was nice to not focus on how he felt for a second and simply enjoy the comfort of being embraced by someone who cared about him.

However comforting Noodle was to him though, his mind caught up with him eventually and he was left with the realization that before his complete breakdown, Noodle had been utterly pissed off. But she hadn't been angry with him. But that also had to mean that she was… angry with Murdoc.

The very thought of that was a novel concept to him- sure, all the band-mates got mad at Murdoc for one reason or another in the past, but he'd never heard that level of anger in Noodle's voice directed at anyone in their dysfunctional little family. It made him wonder if she would have done anything if he hadn't melted down like that.

"Noodle?"

"Mmm?"

"Did you-"

"For fuck's sake, can ya stop sniveling long enough for me to write this damn bit?"

Murdoc stood to the side, a hand on his hip and a pen clenched in the other. He glared at him and 2D shrunk back instinctively. He knew Murdoc hadn't heard anything he'd been talking about, but that didn't stop fear from raising its ugly head when he saw him. The fact that Murdoc had heard him at all, even with the music going as loud as it had, wasn't a great comfort to him.

Noodle tensed beside him too and 2D's eyes widened, the irrational part of his brain screaming at him that he shouldn't have said anything to her, because she was going to tell Murdoc and then he was going to be in trouble. And that only led him to feel extremely embarrassed, because he was a grown man, he shouldn't have been allowing himself to feel so small and cornered by a guy who was shorter and more of a bitch than him.

And then he felt horrible for even entertaining the idea that Noodle would rat him out like that. Noodle wouldn't do something like that- she knew how important trust was, and how much he didn't like Murdoc. So she'd be quiet about the whole thing.

All he really needed to do was reply to Murdoc in a way that would placate him so that he would go back to his work and leave them be.

"Sorry, Mur-" Noodle put a hand over his mouth and muffled the rest of the apology.

He sent her a curious look and her response was to let go of him and get slowly up from the sofa. She was being very calm, and that was a bit alarming, though he couldn't put his finger on why exactly that was. At least not until she was standing right in front of Murdoc, driving her fist into his gut.

The man grunted and tried not to double over as 2D shot up from the couch and hovered behind Noodle, who was picking up Murdoc up by the collar and shoving him into the wall while pulling him down to her level, much like he'd done to 2D not too long ago.

"N-Noodle stop, really it's- it's fine."

He put a hand on her shoulder, figuring he'd just pull her back and that would be the end of it. Shockingly enough, however, she shrugged him off and landed another blow on Murdoc in the same motion.

"What are you on about, love?" The man growled, clearly winded by the punch but trying not to show it.

2D only stared on in growing worry when Noodle smacked Murdoc in the face, giving him a bloody lip. He'd never seen the girl so violent before, and he wondered warily if this was a special situation for such a side of her to surface, or if this was what he could expect from the new Noodle. She hadn't seemed any different from before when they'd first met back up- maybe a bit more mature and weighed down by her journey, but that was it.

Noodle continued with the beating and 2D was even more shocked when he didn't see Murdoc lift a finger to defend himself. Perhaps he was too surprised to fight back, or maybe he just couldn't bring himself to hurt Noodle, 2D couldn't quite figure it out. He did know that this wasn't like Noodle and it hit him just how mad she was with Murdoc, and suddenly, every punch that landed felt like a physical blow to him, because he knew he was responsible for the whole ordeal.

"Noodle, please stop."

He asked that several times before Noodle finally slowed down to reveal Murdoc's bloodied and bruised face. It didn't look as bad as 2D's been anticipating, but it still looked painful enough that he cringed upon seeing it.

When Noodle released him, Murdoc he groaned, wiping a drizzle of drool and blood from his mouth while he frowned down at the woman.

"I suppose that was a long time coming."

His tone was airy enough, which seemed paradoxical, considering the displeased expression he wore. Noodle only glared at him in response and Murdoc chuckled.

"Fair enough. But I do think it's fair to let me know what that was all about?"

Noodle's glare only seemed to intensify and 2D had to resist the urge to grab her, fearing she might lunge at the bassist again. The silence stretched on for several uncomfortable seconds before Noodle finally reached out to latch onto his hand. 2D looked down and squeezed tightly, more to make sure she was staying put than anything. When he looked back between the two, he saw Noodle's eyes narrowed until they were almost slivers and she was meeting Murdoc's gaze dead on.

"You touch him again and you'll be answering to me."

Murdoc's eyes lit with understanding then and 2D flinched when the man turned a hateful glare his way. He didn't know what Murdoc was going to do to him, but he didn't look forward to whatever it was. He waited for an attack that never came and started again when Noodle cleared her throat impatiently.

Murdoc seemed to have a short internal battle as his eyes flicked from 2D to Noodle and back again, but eventually one side won and he growled once more before giving a single, sharp nod. 2D had to be careful not to gawp like a fish out of water. Seeing Murdoc listen to someone else was a rare sight, and seeing it be done on his behalf was even rarer still.

Noodle gave a satisfied nod of her own before tightening her grip on his hand, moving to lead 2D away, back upstairs. 2D followed willingly, wanting nothing more than to be far away from the man attempting to murder him with his hateful glares.

Before they could disappear around the corner though, 2D turned to check if Murdoc was still staring at their retreating figures. He was, and he met the bassist's bruised gaze long enough to see a flash of, maybe -almost?-, regret, before it was washed away by a look that told 2D he'd have to tread very carefully around him if he wanted to live. It also said that he'd better be glad Noodle was around, because if she hadn't been, things likely would've turned out much different.

2D gulped and turned back around to pay attention to where they were going. He asked Noodle what she planned on doing and she shrugged.

"Wanna play video games?"

The offered distraction was a welcome one and 2D smiled as he nodded, though the expression didn't come anywhere near his eyes. Because even though he now knew how far Noodle would go to protect him, and that knowledge warmed his heart, he had to deal with the fact that he'd created a permanent rift between Noodle and Murdoc.

And that was something Murdoc would never forgive him for.

Even if it was never said in so many words, they all knew Noodle was Murdoc's favorite. He was just as attached to her as any of them. That was why he'd never taken the time to look for a new guitarist, instead spending his time creating a cyborg that looked exactly like the band member they couldn't find. It was probably why he hadn't hit Noodle right back, and it was most certainly why he'd nodded along with what she said. Because, whether he admitted it or not -and he never would- Murdoc, in his own weird way, cared about Noodle as much as the rest of them.

So it was very unfortunate for him that she happened to care about 2D, something he couldn't feel completely bad about. He liked having someone who liked him enough to defend him against those who wanted to harm him. He felt cared about and like he was protected, and that was a little more of a new feeling for him, and it was nice.

Even so, he knew the fact that he'd probably, accidentally ruined that relationship, was going to haunt him for a long while.

In the end, the whole ordeal was rather bittersweet.

A/N: I don't hate Murdoc, by the way. I just have very mixed feelings about him, and I don't like the way he treats people.

Reviews are appreciated, especially in this case, cuz I'd love to know how I did with writing the characters (I honestly have no clue if they're OOC or not! lmao)