Thrax and Ozzy were now speeding up the External Carotid Freeway, with countless police cars chasing them. The noise of the sirens was deafening and the two men had to shout to be able to hear each other.
"Almost there, baby, and remember, once I scratch the throat, hold on to me and don't let go. Do you hear me?", Thrax yelled. Ozzy nodded and turned to look straight ahead. He could see the road thinning out, meaning that they were getting close to the opening of the throat.
"Turn left after the second capillary and we're there!", he shouted.
Suddenly, a large police truck came from the side and hit their car, sending them spinning. Thrax tried to get control of the steering wheel, but it was no use. He threw himself over Ozzy just before they crashed against the highway wall.
They were both conscious, but Thrax seemed to have dislocated his left arm. He groaned and looked at Ozzy with a pained expression on his face, while clutching his shoulder.
Ozzy quickly grabbed his jacket from his backpack and fashioned a sling for him, while also taking the letter he had written and putting it in his back pocket. The police quickly surrounded the car and turned off their sirens.
The Chief stepped out of a van holding a megaphone. "Will Osmosis Jones and the virus step out of the car. I don't want to have to ask you twice."
Ozzy noticed that the cop nearest to his door had a few smoke grenades attached to his belt, and he had an idea.
He looked up at Thrax and gestured with his head that they should get out, before leaning over and whispering, "it'll be fine, just make sure to cover your eyes when I say so."
Thrax furrowed his brow, but decided to trust Ozzy, and carefully hauled himself out of the car, holding his one good arm up in surrender. Ozzy stepped out of his car door and started up a random conversation with the police officer who had the grenades.
"Hey, Hank, how's the wife? How're the kids?", he asked cheerfully.
"My name isn't Hank and I haven't got any kids, now turn around so I can put these cuffs on you, Jones." The distraction was just enough for Ozzy to discreetly take two grenades from the officer's belt and hide them in his pockets.
He shot him a cheeky grin, put on his sunglasses to protect his eyes and quickly stepped to the side, before yelling "now, Thrax!" He threw one of the grenades at the ground and ran around the car to take Thrax's hand, leading him through the police officers, who were all yelling and panicking about where Thrax and Ozzy could be.
They were making their way out of the smoke, when suddenly, someone grabbed Ozzy by the wrist and pulled both he and Thrax behind a van, where the smoke wasn't as thick.
Ozzy blinked and looked up at who had grabbed him: it was Drix, with a mixture of anger and confusion plastered across his face. Ozzy let go of Thrax's wrist and turned round to look at him, before saying in a hushed voice, "I'll be quick, just give me one minute." Thrax nodded, but glared at Drix as a warning in case he tried anything.
Ozzy took off his sunglasses, took the letter he had written out of his back pocket and handed it to his friend, before saying, "I'm so sorry, Drips, I don't have time to explain, but this letter pretty much covers it." He gave him a big hug and Drix quickly reciprocated, which made Thrax growl.
He'd always been the jealous type, which he wasn't proud of. He tugged at Ozzy's shirt and whispered through gritted teeth, "come on, Ozzy, the smoke is starting to fade back there. We need to get to the throat, now!"
Ozzy looked up at Drix and smiled sadly, trying to convey to him that he was fine, and that everything would be okay. "Thanks for everythin', Drips. You better keep practisin' them dance moves, ya hear? I hope to see you around sometime soon. Give the letter to Leah when you've read it, would ya?"
With that, the two men ran past Drix towards the opening of Frank's mouth. When they arrived, Ozzy turned around to take one last look at the only place he had ever known. No cell in their right mind would ever leave their body willingly, yet here he was about to do just that for the second time in one week.
He still wasn't sure if he was making the right decision, but what he did know was that there was nothing left for him here. Despite the risks, he knew that Thrax was his only chance at finally being happy.
Thrax interrupted his train of thought, saying "Ozzy, I-I can't use my claw to scratch the throat right now…", gesturing at his injured arm, with slight desperation and alarm in his voice.
Ozzy's eyes opened wide and he was about to start panicking, before remembering that he had taken two grenades from that police officer. He grabbed the remaining grenade from his pocket and held it up in front of Thrax.
Thrax grinned and bent down to kiss Ozzy on the cheek. "You little beauty", he whispered, before taking the grenade with his good hand and standing up straight.
"One more thing, I need two hands to be able to glide out of here. When Frank starts to cough, you'll have to hold my cloak open on this side. Got it, baby?" Ozzy nodded and Thrax picked him up.
"Hold onto me, Ozzy", he ordered, and he threw the smoke bomb onto the ground, before jumping down into Frank's throat. The smoke made Frank cough, sending the two men flying into the air. Thrax opened his cloak and Ozzy held the left side open, allowing them both to glide out into the open air.
Ozzy clung onto Thrax and dared to look down. He saw Frank below them, coughing all over the place, with Shane sitting next to him and trying to get him to drink some water.
"Shouldn't we go into Shane? I can't be out here for too long, y'know!", he yelled up at Thrax.
Thrax didn't reply, and simply smiled to himself as he glided down to land on a small mouse that was in the corner of the room. He waited for Ozzy to let go before slumping down against a strand of hair and holding his injured arm.
"Hey, Thrax, let's hurry up and get inside! Didn't you hear me before? I'm gonna coagulate if I spend much longer outside!"
Thrax smiled again and looked up at Ozzy. "I wouldn't worry too much about that if I were you, baby."
Ozzy furrowed his brow as he looked down at Thrax and threw his arms in the air. "What the hell do you mean?!"
Thrax rolled his eyes and smiled even wider. "Haven't you figured it out yet? My genetic material alters the DNA of other cells."
"Your genetic material?", Ozzy asked, pointing down at Thrax's crotch, and Thrax nodded. Ozzy's eyes opened wide and he gasped. "Y-you mean…?"
"Yep", Thrax interrupted. "Those times we... y'know… well, it altered your composition."
Ozzy crouched down in front of Thrax and grabbed him by his collar, making him grimace as his sleeve tightened around his injured arm.
"And you decided to tell me about this now? What the hell, man? What even am I?! Am I a virus now?!", Ozzy barked.
Thrax looked Ozzy in the eyes and put his good hand on his shoulder. "Oh no, you're still a white blood cell, but with a bit of virus DNA circulating around you."
"What the flying fuck does that even mea-", Ozzy started to say, when Thrax cut him off.
"It means you can be outside a human body for much longer, and also means that no virus can infect you like they can a normal cell. You're also probably a bit tougher than you were before, while still being as pliable as ever. You're welcome, by the way", he said, grinning.
Ozzy's face changed from anger to confusion and he sighed, letting go of Thrax's collar. He took the two backpacks off and sat down next to him, before stretching his arms into the air and yawning.
Thrax took the sling off to slowly put his arm around Ozzy as best he could and tried lighting up his claw. It flickered a bit before lighting up completely, and he held it over Ozzy's arm. Ozzy flinched and instinctively tried to pull away, but Thrax shushed him.
"Let me show you something."
He held it close to Ozzy's arm, and Ozzy could see how his blue membrane now had a slight purple tinge flowing around it. His eyes opened wide as he stared at his arms.
"And as an added bonus, you're even prettier now!", Thrax said, grinning down at him, before leaning his head back against the strand of hair and sighing.
Ozzy tore his eyes away from looking at his hands and peered up at Thrax. "So... why did you decide to land onto this mouse instead of Shane?"
"That girl will have a lot of immunity cells and they'll be on high alert after seeing us fight on her eye the other day. They will probably have heard me threatening to take her down", he replied, while laughing.
"Mice immunity cells are primitive and gullible, it'll be easier to get in and stay low. Even if they do catch us, we can just make up a lie and they'll most likely believe us."
Ozzy looked down at his lap and gulped. "You really know a lot about this, huh?"
Thrax smirked and looked down at Ozzy's wrist, before taking it in his hand. "Do you think I'd have all of these DNA beads if I didn't know a thing or two about infiltrating bodies? You relax, baby. Let Big Daddy Thrax handle things from now on."
Ozzy scoffed at that. "Oh yeah, you really 'handled' things back there. Admit it, without me you'd have been caught by immunity straight away."
Thrax frowned and let go of his wrist. He titled his head back and closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. "Okay, you're a quick thinker, Jones, I'll give you that."
"And…?", Ozzy said, nudging Thrax in his side.
Thrax grinned. "And without you… I'd have been caught. There, ya happy?"
"Very." Ozzy nuzzled against Thrax and pulled his arm around him. He looked straight ahead, watching as Frank flopped back down onto his La-Z-Boy recliner with a huge bowl of Cheeto's and a six pack of beer.
He scrunched up his face and subconsciously started trailing his fingers up Thrax's thigh. He looked up at him then and said in a quiet voice, "thanks for bringin' me with you."
Thrax stroked his cheek with his thumb. "Thanks for coming."
Ozzy smiled up at him for a moment, before stuffing his jacket into his backpack and standing up. He held out his hand to help Thrax to his feet, but he shook his head.
"Give me a second to just…", he said, as he pushed his arm back into its socket, wincing at the pain. "Okay, that's it, let's go in."
Ozzy stared at him with wide eyes while putting one backpack on each shoulder. He helped Thrax stand up, before locking arms with him and running into the mouse's ear.
Despite them being near the brain, Ozzy noticed the sheer lack of security around them. It was all too easy for them to get through the ear and down to the shoulder, without so much as a suspicious glance from a few red blood cells.
Ozzy clung onto Thrax's arm whenever anyone looked their way. The cells in this body were very different in appearance from what he was used to. They all had claws and sharp teeth, and a feral glint in their black, soulless eyes.
Ozzy and Thrax went over to the least rancid looking hotel they could find. They walked through the doors and saw a particularly dodgy looking mouse cell behind the front desk. They approached the counter and Thrax started to explain that they were just passing through and would only stay a couple of days, before he was interrupted by the cell.
"I don't care who you are or what you're doing, just pay the fee and don't make a mess", he spat, making Ozzy's eyes widen in shock. He doesn't even care that Thrax is a virus, he really doesn't give two shits about his city.
Thrax snarled at him and slammed the money on the counter before snatching the keys and putting his arm around Ozzy. They made their way up the creaking stairs to their room, cautiously looking around every corner.
Ozzy put the key in the lock and tentatively opened the door, peering round to get a look at the room before stepping in. The room was surprisingly tidy, albeit a bit drab, and came with a small kitchen and a four-poster bed.
Ozzy grinned, dropped the two backpacks on the floor and ran over to the bed, before jumping in the air and scrambling to get under the covers. He wiggled around, heading towards the bottom of the bed, and stuck his head out of the covers to look at Thrax.
"It's so comfy! I can't believe it! This is way better than my bed back home… that's kinda embarrassing." Thrax laughed and sauntered over to sit on the bed beside where Ozzy was laying under the covers.
Ozzy pushed the covers off himself and lay his head on Thrax's lap. He smiled up at him, before shutting his eyes and sighing as Thrax ran his claws through his hair.
"How do you feel, baby?", he asked, prompting Ozzy to sit up on the bed and face him.
"I feel… strange. I don't think it's sunk in yet; it all happened so fast that I don't think my brain has caught up."
Thrax looked concerned, and Ozzy continued, "but I'm so happy that I'm here with you, and that we can be together without havin' to worry about bein' caught!"
Thrax grinned, but then shook his head and put his hand on Ozzy's knee.
"Don't think we're in the clear yet. The cells around here are much more dangerous than what you're used to, and they don't have the same level of empathy or emotional complexity as we do. We have to stay close to each other at all times… I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt."
Ozzy lightly punched Thrax's good arm before saying cockily, "are you sayin' I can't defend myself? I almost beat you back when we were fighting!" He balled his hands into fists and pretended to slow motion punch Thrax in the face.
"Ha! Pull the other one! You're a good little fighter, Jones, I won't lie, but we both know that I would have won that fight if that girl hadn't blinked. You got too cocky and did that ridiculous high kick in the air, which allowed me to whack you around the face and send you flying", Thrax said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, and then you called yourself Big Daddy Thrax and started stranglin' me with this chain, you dirty perv!", Ozzy retorted, gesturing at the chain around his wrist.
"Heh, you enjoyed it really… why else would you save me after that? You got a taste of me and couldn't resist coming back for another bite, baby, it's okay to admit it." He smirked at him and pushed his hand through his hair.
Ozzy scoffed and prodded Thrax in his side. "Someone's awfully full of himself. Need I remind you who came on to who?"
"Whom", Thrax corrected, prodding him back. "Well, you've got me there…" He shoved him down onto the bed and leaned over him, planting his hands on either side of his shoulders, "...and now I've got you", he said in a low voice, before leaning down to press a kiss to his neck.
Ozzy gasped and his eyes rolled shut. He grabbed onto Thrax's jumper and pulled him down to press their bodies together, wrapping his legs around his waist. He let out a moan and tilted his head back as Thrax continued to leave slow kisses up his neck, sucking a few bruises in his skin.
Thrax felt Ozzy's bulge against his stomach and stopped kissing him, before chuckling and whispering in his ear, "see, you can't get enough of me, baby."
Ozzy opened his eyes to see Thrax laughing above him. He pouted, before letting go of his waist and wriggling out from under him. He muttered something under his breath and lightly hit Thrax on the shoulder again, making him laugh louder.
"You're cute when you're mad."
Ozzy frowned and got up from the bed pretending to be angry, but failing to hide the smile that was now creeping over his face. He headed over to the window and looked out at the street below.
Fuck, it's completely different from Frank. This is without a doubt the most ridiculously reckless thing I've ever done.
He started biting one of his nails as he continued to watch the mice cells aimlessly crawling down the street. I hope I made the right choice.
He sighed and turned around to look at Thrax, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed and smiling at him. Ozzy softened his face and forced a smile. "What should we do now? I've never been to a new city before, I don't even know where to start..."
"Well, the best way to get to know a new place is through the club scene. What better way to celebrate your first night out of Frank than with a few drinks?" He winked at him, before frowning and adding, "as long as we don't have to drink beer."
Ozzy laughed and went to get the backpacks from the floor. He tossed Thrax's at him and started mumbling to himself as he took his clothes out one by one and laid them on the bed, trying to decide what to wear.
Thrax put his hand over Ozzy's pile of clothes and smiled warmly. "How about we go shopping first? I sure as hell am not going to a club wearing a thick sweater, and besides, I'd love to pick some new stuff out for you. I still owe you for buying me those clothes back in Frank."
Ozzy walked around the bed to stand in between Thrax's legs and put his arms around his neck. "Okay, fine. But just don't buy anythin' that'll make me look ridiculous."
Thrax smiled up at him and cupped his face with both hands. Ozzy remembered Thrax's injured arm and asked, "what are we gonna do about your shoulder? We should go get it checked out."
Thrax simply shook his head. "No doctor would ever treat a virus, and anyways, I wouldn't trust the doctors in here as far as I could throw them. It'll be fine, it's back in its socket, just give it a few days."
Ozzy looked concerned, and Thrax continued, "don't worry, baby, I've had worse, trust me. We viruses are sturdy."
The two men strolled out into the street and put their sunglasses on, trying to look as confident and intimidating as possible. They walked around the small streets, looking for somewhere to buy some new clothes, and more importantly, some groceries. They hadn't eaten since the day before, and Thrax had noticed that Ozzy was starting to get crabby.
They turned the corner onto a seedy looking street and saw that there was a small market set up. Ozzy tugged at Thrax's sleeve when he saw the food laid out on one of the stalls, and Thrax told him to go choose whatever he wanted. Ozzy hovered around the stall before grabbing a basket and filling it with every ingredient he recognised, while Thrax made his way to the clothing section.
He started looking through the shirts, humming all the while, and found a few things for himself and two pairs of matching black jeans for him and Ozzy.
He couldn't see any shirts special enough for Ozzy, until he stumbled upon one in particular that caught his attention.
He grunted at the seller and threw some money at her, before quickly stuffing the clothes in his backpack, wanting to surprise Ozzy with the shirt later on.
He walked over to where Ozzy was hurriedly filling up a second basket with food and laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Do you think you've got enough food there, Jones?"
Ozzy jerked his head up to look at Thrax with a wild look in his eyes and quickly nodded.
Thrax looked into one of the baskets and said, "what on Earth are we gonna make with... an onion, a jar of pickles, some Coca-Cola and some... what is this... ground beef? Jones, what the hell is all this?", he started laughing before saying, "this mouse must've been eating from Frank's fridge."
"Well, I had to get a little bit of everything. You're the chef here, I have no idea what I'm doin'", Ozzy answered, shoving his hand into his pocket and throwing some money at the vendor without bothering to count it. He grabbed both of the baskets and started tottering off back to the hotel, singing to himself.
Thrax waited until Ozzy had turned around before sneakily taking a bottle of whiskey from under the table and stashing it in his cloak pocket.
Ozzy was halfway down the street when he turned around to see Thrax laughing at the way he was practically skipping home.
He rolled his eyes and yelled, "come on, use those stupidly long legs of yours and keep up! I'm fuckin' starving here!", while grinning from ear to ear.