Looking Back

About this fic.

May 28th was the last appearance of the character of Krupp in the Bochum production of Starlight Express (and since I don't think there are any other productions or tours, this means that Krupp is completely gone, at least for now.) I've read a few different reasons as to why the character was cut, and this is my attempt at writing an in-universe reason for his departure.

I was not likely to ever see the show in Bochum, but still, the thought of a Component leaving the gang just saddens me. Electra + Components are my favourite of the favourite of this show. Electronents 5eva.

Krupp still exists as a Component in my head, though. No one will ever break up my sweet little Electronents family!

Now on to the fic.

Contains some light Krupp/Wrench and lots of feels. Safe for work, aside from the feels.

In retrospect, leaving in the middle of the night was not the smartest idea. Krupp rolled a few feet outside his now-former shed and stopped, cursing to himself, blinking at the darkness and trying to get his bearings. It was easier to navigate things in the daylight, but only just. And before too long, it would become entirely impossible.

What would happen to an armaments truck that couldn't do its job? The scrap heap, probably. Maybe he could be repurposed. It didn't matter to him. Working for Electra had never been easy, but he wouldn't have traded it for the world. If he couldn't do that anymore, then he didn't care where he ended up.

He'd picked a track and was about to roll away when a voice halted him. "Krupp."

It was probably the only voice, aside from Electra's, he couldn't ignore. And most likely the only voice that would stay burned in his memory long after the image of her disappeared. "Wrench," he said, turning in the direction of her voice. He had trouble making out much more than her silhouette. He was happy she'd run into him one last time before he left, and heartbroken for the same reason.

The silhouette moved, wheels rolling softly on the gravel ballast. She came to a stop and placed her hands on his chest. "Krupp, no. Not like this. Please."

"You know why I have to go."

"There are still treatments I haven't tried…"

"… and if they work, it won't be for long." Krupp took her hands, squeezing gently. The beautiful, strong hands that had seen him through so much. "Wrench… you know there's no way around this. It's only going to get worse."

"Electra needs you."

"Electra is going to get hurt because of me. I can't do my job like this. I'm a failure waiting to happen."

Krupp wished he could see her face. He could imagine it though, tight with determination. Her breaths were steady, but trembled on each exhale. She was silent for a few long moments before suddenly gripping the back of his head, bringing their foreheads together.

Krupp couldn't help a small smile. "Wrench, if you're trying to think of something else to say to change my mind…"

"I'm not," she said tightly. The trembles in her breath grew stronger. "That's the problem. I know you well enough to know there's nothing I can say."

"Because you'd do the exact same thing in my place," Krupp said softly. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, wishing he could see her face clearly.

"Shut up." Wrench wasn't sobbing exactly, but the shudders running through her body made it clear that the tears were coming. Krupp held her tighter. "I tried… I swear I tried everything I could think of…"

"I know you did, love." And she had, on top of keeping his secret. Wrench was the first to know about his blurred vision, and the spots that kept interfering with his line of sight, and the one to sneak him into her room to try every procedure and treatment she could think of to save his eyesight. Before long, it was obvious to them both that there was no stopping the blurry shadow that would soon completely consume his line of vision.

She was the one who gave him his first pair of shades, to hide the discoloration in his periwinkle-blue eyes and to help with the sensitivity. Everyone loved his new accessory. Together he and Wrench carefully guarded his secret, until the truth was obvious to them both: his eyesight was failing, and it was not coming back.

And a bodyguard with no eyes was… well. He had no confidence in his ability to spot danger and protect Electra from an attack or a bullet if he couldn't even properly see the face of the repair truck right in front of him.

"Electra's going to be furious," Wrench said. She sounded as though she had a half-smirk. "He's going to rant and scream and call you every name he can think of. That's how we'll know how much he'll miss you."

Krupp smiled weakly. Electra was going to be fine. He would find a new bodyguard, and everything would be fine. His fiery little Joule, his cool and steady Volta, his elegant companion Purse… they would all be fine without him.

Even Wrench. His strong, unflappable Wrench.

Together, the six of them had made a strange little family. A strong little family, who would survive long after he was gone.

"Don't forget me," Wrench said. She took his head in her hands, keeping it steady while she sidestepped him, appearing briefly in his peripheral vision, the only reliable vision he had left. Oh Starlight, he was never going to forget her face. "Don't forget us."

"Never." He pulled her back in, back into the darkness that forever marred his vision, but he didn't need to see her to feel her body against his. He kissed her, sweetly and briefly, and reached into a side compartment to pull out his shades. He pushed them in her hands and felt her tremble. "These are yours now."

"I'd rather have you," she said. They hugged again for a long time, long enough for Krupp to commit everything about this to memory. He was probably going to have to rely on his memory a lot more now.

They pulled apart and he raised his hand, carefully, until he found her face, caressing it gently. "Good-bye, Wrench."

"Good-bye, Krupp."

When she finally released him, he rolled away, choosing a track and seeing where it would lead him. There wasn't much use for him to turn for a moment and look at the shed they used to share, but he did it anyway.

Sobs.