Yeah, my work ethic sucks.

Chapter 5: The Aftermath

The latest attempt to capture Luigi Martin was, without a doubt, a complete and total disaster. Several tons of expensive Aran International military equipment had been destroyed, the test subject for the latest super soldier serum was a bag of broken bones and squashed organs, and people had seen the giant monkey in public. Ocelot resisted the urge to bang his head against the side of a bulldozer. If he got another chance to bring Martin in, it was going to be his last. There was no denying that fact.

At the moment, his soldiers were currently raiding Daisy's home, looking for any kind of clue as to where they would run once Martin regained control. After the display at the college, the Kong probably wouldn't harm the woman, so at least she was temporarily safe. Ocelot himself was listening to a mission report from the complete idiot who'd been shooting at the Kong with a pistol before Mumkhar had decided to get himself killed.

"So I fired again," the soldier continued, "And then Ah missed. And then Ah fired, and then Ah missed. Ah fired, and Ah hit something, but it wasn't what Ah was going for, so Ah guess Ah missed. And then Ah was ran outta bullets, and then Ah got sad. Ah ate a pickle, and then Ah passed out on the ground. Then Ah woke up, and Ah reloaded, then Ah fired, then Ah missed. This went on until Ah ran outta bullets again. Ah threw a rock at him, and ah missed. Ah packed another rock, into mah gun, and Ah missed. And then I-*"

The man was cut off by Ocelot punching him right in the nose, knocking him unconscious. He couldn't listen to that mentally deficient bag of crap anymore without shooting someone, most likely himself. "Take him away," he yelled to another soldier, "Have him give his report to Jerry, or somebody. I don't care."

Ocelot stormed out of the house, stopping on the porch. He noticed Peasley sitting quietly on the only chair, staring off into the distance. He walked over to him.

"You did the right thing, calling us," he said to the man.

"Yes, well," Peasley snapped, not even looking at the general, "I'm beginning to seriously doubt that."

Ocelot's friendly demeanor quickly faded. Alright, if that's the way this guy wanted to play it. "Look," he shot back, "She's in danger with him. You saw what he's capable of. If there's anyway you can help me find her, you need to do it."

"Yes, I have eyes," retorted Peasley, "And I saw that he only became that because you attacked him. Not to mention your attempts to battle that creature would've got her killed if not for him."

"I'm trying to save my daughter!" Ocelot growled back, "Why can't you understand that?!"

Peasley stood up, looking Ocelot full in the eye. "I served for two years in the Air Force," he said, quietly, "And I had a lot of superiors who lied to us. Sometimes it was to booster our confidence, sometimes to stroke their own egos. The point is, I learned to recognize the signs. You? You aren't even fooling yourself with that lie."

Ocelot resisted the urge to punch this guy in the face, too. "You do realize," he said, his voice a bit calmer as he repressed the knowledge of Peasley's last few words, "That I can have you prosecuted for obstruction of justice?"

Peasley held up his hands. "You're wasting your time, General. I have no idea where they'd go. She didn't entrust me with anything. Having had this conversation, I can see why."

Ocelot buried his face in his hand, before turning around and walking down the steps towards his car. Peasley called after him "If it's any consolation, she never talked about how much of a jackass you are!" It took all of Ocelot's will not to turn around and shoot him in the face.

The Kong stomped aimlessly through the pounding rain, Daisy Ocelot cradled in his massive, hairy arms. The massive beast had fled to the outskirts of Virginia, far away from any signs of civilization. Tired from the battle in front of the university, he was now searching for a place to rest, and regain some of his strength. Of course, this was the first time he'd had a passenger with him during one of his "outings," so he had to account for her as well. The act of caring so much about a normal human was new to him, but he accepted it.

The Kong eventually settled on a small cave overlooking a grassy plain. Climbing up the rocky outcrop, he slid under the roof, placing Daisy in a leaning position against the wall. He sat down himself, taking the opportunity to study Daisy's face in detail for the first time. When he had awoken the day he was born, he'd payed little attention to her, instead simply lashing out like the frightened animal he was. Now that he truly saw her outside of Luigi's thoughts, she looked considerably more peaceful than expected. Perhaps even...

His thoughts were interrupted as Daisy began to stir. Her mouth released several nonsensical words as her eyelids shifted. The first thing she noticed was the darkness, followed by the fact that she was soaking wet. The next thing was the giant gorilla creature kneeling down in front of her. While she wasn't afraid of the Kong, the shock was still enough to send her jumping back with a gasp.

The Kong, just as surprised as Daisy, leaped backwards, bumping his head on the roof of the cave. The pain was negligible, but he was hurt more by Daisy's reaction. As if that wasn't bad enough, the shock seemed to have "awoken" Luigi from somewhere deep inside their shared brain, and he was now screaming at the top of his lungs inside Kong's mind.

"Leave her alone!" he screamed, desperately trying to wrestle back control from the Kong, "She didn't do anything to you! Stay away from her, you mindless monster-!"

"KONG NOT MINDLESS!" the beast roared, seizing a loose bolder. Imagining he could see Luigi, floating freely as a ghost in the rain, he hurled the massive stone with all of his might towards the man. Of course, the projectile passed through the vision, landing somewhere in the distance with a monumental crash, leaving the Kong to roar with all of his fury into the night.

At the same time, Daisy had become fully alert once more. Seeing the gigantic beast raging, she came to the conclusion that perhaps she had upset him by freaking out. Daisy swallowed her fear, and tried to fix this potentially disastrous situation. She got to her feet and walked up behind the giant Kong, holding out one hand.

"Luigi?" she breathed, in a voice barely above a whisper. She almost fainted in shock when the Kong rounded on her.

"LUIGI NOT HERE!" the beast shouted in her face, "ONLY KONG!" Daisy was terrified once more, but she forced her fears down. Her logical mind was barely able to kick in, giving her more words to say.

"I don't believe that," she responded, somehow managing to keep an even voice, "I saw your eyes. There was some of Luigi in them. I know there was."

For a moment, the Kong looked like he was going to retaliate, but then, to the shock of both Luigi and Daisy, his expression softened. He lowered both of his gigantic arms, breathing slowly as he looked at Daisy. The creature then spoke, his words catching his mental companion completely off guard.

"Kong...not all...Luigi."

Daisy smiled, looking as though she'd known exactly what the creature was going to say beforehand. She held out one of her hands, presenting the palm to the hairy beast. The Kong, unsure of how to react, responded in kind, laying the back of his hand directly over the top of hers. An unspoken agreement passed between the two, and Daisy calmly took him by one finger.

"It's okay," she breathed, turning around, encouraging the Kong to follow her. The creature obeyed, remembering to duck under the overhang of the cave. Daisy returned to her previous position on the side of the cave, joined by the massive Kong, as they both leaned against the wall. The lightning flashed, followed by a clap of thunder, and the Kong briefly turned to snarl at the sound, but stopped when he felt a hand on his arm.

"It's just a storm," Daisy said calmly, "It can't hurt us." The Kong relaxed. He knew what a storm was, the word instantly bringing Luigi's memories to the forefront of his own mind. Daisy rested her head against the giant muscles of the Kong's arm, eventually falling asleep.

Inside the Kong's head, Luigi was still reeling from what he'd just witnessed. He'd thought the Kong would only attack everything it could reach. This was the first time he'd ever seen it react without rage or fear.

"I...I don't understand..." he said, but his alter ego did not respond. He had already fallen asleep.

Walking down the halls of a military hospital, Ocelot was unsure of how to feel. A call had come in a few hours ago, informing him that Mumkhar, despite all logic, had actually survived getting smacked out by a several hundred pound gorilla monster. This was, admittedly, the best bit of news he'd received all day. Of course, all things considered, death might've been a better option in this case.

"So...how is he?" Ocelot asked the doctor, "Any chance of him getting out of bed on his own again?"

"Unlikely," responded the man, his voice remaining stable. This, surprisingly, wasn't the worst he'd ever faced in his career. "His bones are smashed to gravel, and that did not do any wonders for his organs, let me tell you. Really, living through the night would be a miracle at this point."

He pulled back the curtain to Mumkhar's bed, giving Ocelot proof of his words. Mumkhar Valek was a broken and bloody mess on a mattress. His arms, legs, and torso had all been bound by casts, and had metal braces placed around them. His face was heavily bandaged, his eyes almost completely swollen shut. He was only breathing due to several, unpleasant-looking life support machines attached to his body. If it weren't for the vital signs clear on the monitor, Ocelot would've believed he was looking at a mangled corpse.

"Goddamn," muttered the general. He attempted to say more, but words failed him in the face of the figure lying before him. He settled on murmuring a quick apology to Valek, before turning around and walking away, leaving the doctor to his work.

Unknown to either of them, Mumkhar's fingers started to twitch, as if reaching for something. His eyelids lifted as much as they were able, trying to take in his surroundings. A single word, heard by no one, escaped his lips, filled with fury.

"Martin..."

The next day

Sleeping in a deserted cave in the middle of nowhere, during a heavy rainstorm, is not a pleasant experience. Nonetheless, when she recalled that night later, Daisy Ocelot actually felt like she slept a great deal better than she had in years. Perhaps it was the feeling of safety, knowing that the Kong would never lay a finger on her. Or the bliss of sleeping in the same location as Luigi Martin after so long.

When the young woman felt her eyelids rise, she found herself sleeping not against the hairy arm of a giant gorilla creature, but lying on the back of Luigi, having returned to his normal body. His shirt was gone, but his pants were thankfully intact. Rousing him from sleep took longer than anticipated, due to him rolling over and going back to sleep several times. Transforming into a gorilla creature can take a lot out of a person. Eventually, she managed to wake him up, giving the cold man her jacket for the long walk they'd need to take.

Thankfully, they weren't too far from civilization. About an hour of walking later brought the pair to a not too disgusting motel, where they could at least find a place to rest. Still wearing his loved one's jacket, Luigi Martin lay huddled down behind the vending machines while Daisy payed for a room. She returned a few minutes later, leading him by one arm.

"Come on," she said quietly, "It's right over here." Luigi made no response as she took him to their room. His brain was completely numb, terrified of what he'd done and what he could do, apprehensive about having her with him, and more. It was enough to make him ache all over.

Daisy soon left to try and get Luigi some clothes. The man himself went to take care of several personal issues, starting with a shower to brush off all of the filth from the night before. He then gave himself a light shave, possible thanks to Daisy forgetting to take his razor out of her bag the day before.

As he dragged the bladed appliance down his cheek, Luigi looked into the mirror, once again seeing his reflection replaced by the familiar image of the Kong. The creature looked almost docile this time, not glaring at Luigi or baring his teeth. Unlike last time, he didn't jump back in shock, as he'd hoped he'd get this conversation sooner or later.

"Why'd you protect her?" he asked the creature.

The Kong didn't answer, looking everywhere but at the man he shared a body with.

Luigi grew frustrated. "Answer me!" he demanded, "I don't understand! Why did you help her?! I thought...I thought all you ever wanted was to destroy."

This time, the creature looked back at Luigi. Looking into his eyes for the first time, Luigi noticed they weren't pure brown. Faint sparks of blue lingered near the pupil, the same color as his own. When the Kong spoke, it wasn't the rage filled roars he'd heard before, but a calm, albeit deep, reply.

"Luigi...would protect girl."

Luigi's mouth fell open in shock. "But...why do you care what I want? I thought you hated me..."

"Luigi...not Kong. But Kong not all Luigi. Kong...feels what Luigi feels."

Luigi had no response. He stared down at his own feet for a moment, confusion filling his mind, before looking back at the mirror, where his reflection had returned to it's normal place. Luigi sighed, then moved to the toilet for his next unpleasant task.

Daisy came back into the hotel room, dragging several large shopping bags filled with clothes. Most people would assume she was falling apart at this point, considering her life had been completely uprooted by the arrival of an old boyfriend, who was capable of transforming into a giant gorilla monster. Oddly enough, even after ingesting everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, she was relaxed. Being on the run with Luigi just felt like another day, almost like nothing had changed.

Of course, hearing her beau retching in the bathroom was a bit of a shock.

"Luigi?" Daisy called nervously, putting her bags down. She crossed the room, preparing to open the door, when Luigi himself swung it open. He looked a little pale, and drops of what looked like vomit sat on his chin, but he seemed okay otherwise.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said, sheepishly, "Just had to retrieve the data." He held up the flash drive in it's protective casing, still wet with his saliva and other bodily fluids.

"Wait...you ate it?!" exclaimed Daisy.

"Pretty much," Luigi answered, "I couldn't be sure it wouldn't fall out if I put it up my-**"

"Okay, okay!" Daisy interrupted, trying to steer the conversation away from that topic, "Anyway, I got the stretchiest ones they had." She pulled out a pair of dark blue pants and tossed them to Luigi.

He took the clothes, pulling them as far as he could across his waist. Unfortunately, they only came just past his hips, unlike the last pair he'd used.

"Uh, are you sure about these?" Luigi asked, "I'd kinda prefer that nobody saw my you-know-what next time I transform."

"Oh, come on!" laughed Daisy, "Even if it ends up on Twitter, it's not like anybody's gonna know it's you."

"Whatever," Luigi sighed, reaching into the next bag. He pulled out a small box, containing a replacement for his heart monitor. "Good thinking, we need this." He clipped it to his wrist.

Daisy rummaged around in another bag. "I got some sedative drugs," she said, "Not hospital grade stuff, but it might help you prevent another shift at the inopportune moment." She produced a pair of hair shears. "You need a trim?"

"Maybe a little," Luigi admitted, running his fingers through his messy hair. He sat down on the nearest chair, allowing Daisy to trim his brown locks. She was no barber, but she knew what she was doing.

"You're lucky you don't keep all that extra body hair after you change back," Daisy joked, "You'd look like a neanderthal."

"Oh, this coming from the lady who went without shaving her armpits and legs for months just to annoy her father?"

"Hey, a little hair in places you don't normally see isn't the same thing! Besides, it was hilarious just to see the look on his face."

"Yeah, well, at least you didn't have to worry about keeping clean shaven while on the run."

"You didn't use to shave your chin so much," Daisy noted, reaching down with one finger, "Because you were so ticklish down here." Her finger began to brush across his skin.

"What? No, hey, stop that!" Luigi shouted through his own laughter. His attempts to throw Daisy off of him resulted in both of them flipping out of the chair onto the bed, while Luigi tried to find a spot where Daisy was vulnerable. Ultimately, they both dissolved into laughter, ending when they started to kiss for the first time in so long.

Of course, all good things end, and this one did when Luigi noticed the steady beeping. He glanced at his wrist, behind Daisy's bushy hair, to see that his heart monitor had kicked into overdrive, showing speeds approaching 160 beats per minute. Panic flooded his system, which only added to the speed of his heart. Desperate to stop it, Luigi pushed himself off of Daisy, taking several deep breaths to calm himself.

"What's wrong?" asked a confused Daisy, panting herself.

"We...we can't," Luigi admitted, sorrow and misery filling his voice. He showed her his monitor. "I can't get too excited."

Daisy expression faded to a somber frown. She numbly grabbed his arm, placing a soft kiss to the back of his hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

General Ocelot was currently fighting the urge to break something. As if the event of the past two days hadn't been irritating enough already, some idiot college students had witnessed the fight at Woohoo Hooniversity. Footage of the Kong, though blurred and amateur, had gone viral, and reporters were now dogging the military for answers. Ocelot's superiors had already registered their frustration with his latest failure, making it abundantly clear that he wasn't getting off the hook for this one. If he ever got the chance to throttle Martin's neck without releasing the Kong, he would take as much time as possible doing so.

Ocelot was interrupted in his thoughts by a lone soldier knocking on the door. "Sir?" she said, a young woman with blond hair, "It's, uh...it's Valek."

Ocelot sighed, getting to his feet and following her. "So, do we have his will?" he asked, "Any family?" He was not looking forward to getting yelled at by Mumkhar's relatives and blamed for his death, but he'd dealt with it before. You had to in Ocelot's job.

"Well," said the women, "That's just it, sir." They'd reached Mumkhar's bed, and she reached over and pulled back the curtains.

Ocelot's mouth flew open, only to be cut off by a call of "Language!" from down the hall.

Mumkhar Valek was completely restored. The lacerations blanketing his body had sealed up, not even leaving any scar tissue. He sat upright, like a man who's bones hadn't been shattered like twigs. Doctors were busy removing the brace and bandages from the man's body, and he looked up at Ocelot.

"Sir," he said simply, as though this was just another day.

Ocelot's bewildered face faded into a smug grin. He reached over and felt up Mumkhar's biceps, his smiling growing wider and wider as he felt the raw strength of the muscles. Satisfied, he looked Mumkhar right in the eyes.

"Up for round three, soldier?" he asked.

"Hell yeah," responded Mumkhar, "One thing though." Ocelot looked puzzled for a moment. "That stuff you've put in me? It's good." Mumkhar leaned forward, his own smile growing. "I want more."

*Once again, Game Grumps, I am very sorry.

**Get your mind outta the gutter!