Professor Broome had gone about two days with no sleep, it wasn't all that bad, and he wasn't really as grumpy as he thought he would be. His son on the other hand was a completely different story. Hellboy was almost twelve now and in the short years he had been with his father, he had already shown how…protective he was.
As he finished translating the scripture some agents had brought in this morning, he heard his study door opening and closing. He knew exactly who it was and why they were here, poor boy, he just wanted his father to go to bed.
"Father?" Hellboy asked before peering in. Just recently he had started trimming his horns to look more human, the reason he had was that he wanted people to believe him when he told them the Professor was his father.
"Come in son. Don't worry I'm just about done here." He spoke gently as his son stooped down to the floor beside him. His son's normally smug grin was replaced by a tired and worried look. His yellow eyes were focused on the contents of his father's desk.
"So, what was so important about this stuff you couldn't let be here till morning?" Hellboy asked looking up at his father, who had smiled and shrugged.
"Just some things the bureau was worried about, nothing all too dangerous, but they still wanted to be sure." The Professor laid a hand on his sons head and gave him a wary pat before standing up to go to bed.
"Oi, finally I thought you were turning into a vampire or something." Hellboy joked as he stood with him. He stretched and yawned like a wild lion as he followed his father out. Abe swam in his tank and flurried his gill flaps up as they walked past him. Hellboy waved at him with a grin and turned his pages.
"Thank you," Abe said as he continued to read through his books.
As they walked through the pristine silver hallway, Hellboy had to remind himself that he couldn't boss his father around; he was his father after all. However another part of him said when the time came he would have to at least try to get him to take it easy. Staying up as late as he did was not healthy especially when his father was getting grey hairs, lots of grey hairs. It scared Hellboy to know that his father wasn't invincible like he was. He could die, and what then? Hellboy would be all alone. Sure he would have Liz and Abe, but no one could replace his father.
No one.
Before he knew it or even realized it, Hellboy had followed Broom all the way to his room. When his father nudged him out of his depressed state he quickly apologized and attempted to walk off.
"Hellboy if something's wrong you can tell whatever it is, you know that right?" The professor said reaching up to lay a hand on his sons shoulder.
"Yeah I know…nothing's wrong; promise." Hellboys tail flicked and curled as his father scratched under his jaw. Hellboy always loved it when he did that.
As he walked back to his bedroom, hooves clicking against the white tile, he saw Liz strolling out of her room, half asleep he guessed, in her panties. Hellboy raised a brow and walked next to her as she, quite literally, strolled down the hallway, hips rocking from side to side with every step.
"Hey, Liz, you know you don't have any pants on right?" Hellboy asked as he tried not to stair (which was becoming increasingly difficult by the minute, it was a bit hard not to). Liz just shrugged and continued to walk down the hallway; not even glancing at the agents giving her puzzled expressions.
"Meh, I'm just getting a drink, I'll be back in my room before you know it Red." She said stopping at a vending machine. Hellboys bushy black brows furrowed, but he kept his mouth shut.
Hellboy stood in front of his bedroom mirror. He had been outside the bureau plenty of times before to know what a human boy looked like. He ran his flesh hand over his horn stubs and flinched at how raw they still were. Black scruff was forming at his chin and temples, he knew for a fact that twelve year olds didn't have that. He winced at his own aging and wished to be someone ells, someone normal with a normal face and normal skin. He didn't want to be red over six feet tall and able to lift three hundred pounds. Hellboy let out a stressful groan and face planted onto his dresser. His ears perked at the soft metallic hiss of his safe door being opened.
"Hey big guy, a brought you a Baby Ruth, I know how much you love these things." Agent Clay said as he strolled in waving it around in the air like a trophy. Hellboy poked his head out and walked over to the shorter man, yellow eyes focused on the candy bar in his hands. Clay let out a wry chuckle and tossed it to Hellboy, who then caught it in midair like it was a fly ball. Hellboy tore the wrapper off in one yank and chomped it down in two large bites.
"Haven't you ever heard of savoring the taste?" Clay asked with a creeping smile. No matter what age Hellboy really was, he would always act like a kid in his own ways.
"I just eat it, it's not an expensive French dish you get at four grand; it's a cheap candy bar at a drug store." Hellboy grunted as he scooped a cat up to pet. The calico mewed and rubbed her head under Hellboys chin.
"Why do you like cats so much anyway?" Clay asked sitting down on one of Hellboys exercise benches.
"Well they don't run and scream when they meet me, that's one example." Hellboy answered tail flicking from side to side. Clay raised a brow and twisted his head.
"Your dad didn't run and scream. He rescued you, doesn't that count for something?"
Hellboys eyes twitched as whipped his head around, looking more than a little agitated.
"That counts for everything and you know what I meant." He ground out trying not to sound too mad. Clay's body tensed ever so slightly, he nodded and made his way out the safe door. As it slid back into place Hellboy could only imagine what kind of jerk he had been, a world class one sounded about right. Hellboy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he set the feline down.
As he strode down the hall, Hellboy heard shouts and screams echo down to his left. Not a minute after a red alert blared to life and rang throughout the complex.
"Damn," Hellboy huffed under his breath as he sped down to the chaos. A two headed monster raged and bit the heads off of every agent that came near it. As far as the report said it was a premature Nessy or something- but Hellboy didn't care, he just needed to put the thing out of their misery. He tackled it to the ground and wrestled with it for a little before it threw him into a wall evidently cratering it. As Hellboy struggled to his feet- or hooves to be more accurate, he brought his revolver out and aimed at one the beasts writhing heads. A loud inhuman shriek filled the corridors and rang in Hellboys ears. He had made a clear shot, but that only seemed to piss it off. It lunged before Hellboy could make another attempt at shooting it. It sank its teeth into his shoulder and made a pleased growl. Hellboy let out an agony filled yell, not a scream. Hellboy the monster hunter did not scream.
"Damn it! That's it, you're definitely dead now Nessy!" Hellboy snarled before aiming the barrel of his gun to the beasts head and firing a column into it. The beast slumped and stained Hellboys over coat with thick dark green ooze. Hellboy shoved the thing off and pulled himself up to assess the damage, it wasn't too bad, a few dead agents, but nothing worth a law suit.
"What the hell happened here?" Hellboy turned to the voice as he clicked his gun back into place after reloading it.
"That thing," Hellboy grunted to Manning as the balding middle aged agent gaped at the mess of blood and gore. Manning looked at Hellboy who only stared back, a dozen other agents rushed down to clean up and give first aid after a few minutes of disbelief and deadpan staring.
"Professor, you have got to keep a tighter leash on that- that pet of yours." Manning exclaimed as the Professor limped over; cane in hand; a scruffy robe wrapped tightly around his waist.
"I've told you time and time again Manning, Hellboy is my son." The Professor said a stern look in his eyes. Manning glowered for a moment before turning to order the new recruits around. Hellboy walked over to his father fully expecting to get scolded for being reckless.
"You did very well," he spoke, a faint British accent brought out. He only did that when he felt like being affectionate. Hellboys pointed demon ears perked at the quirk, and he let himself feel just a smidgen of pride.
"Thanks, mind patchin' me up? I'm not all that handy with first aid and all." Hellboy joked reaching up to run the back of his neck, but flinched as the wound reminded him that he was losing blood, and at a fairly fast rate at that. Hellboy let out a groan and fell to his knees, the hot bursting pain seemed to spread, and as he tried to look straight ahead his vision got blurrier and blurrier by the second. Damn.
That stupid thing poisoned him.