Queen's note: -yeets some fluff, over the blood–
Garnets
Chapter Fourteen:
Back Again
The Slayer dropped the last bag he had as he came from the portal. Waiting for a moment to be sure nothing was trying to follow him through the portal until it closed. He felt the air pressure change more than hear it over the music in his helmet as Vega started to clean the air of the gasses that came from the portal.
The Demigod shifted, stretching his neck as he just…cooled down for the first time since he left. Hours? Days? Week or more?
This was the hardest part, as the rage and energy finally pulled back.
He started to reach up, saw the stains and fresh coating of… something on his right arm. Possible intestines from the last part of the horde. The Slayer flexed his hands slowly, looking them over for the first time, and getting a proper look at himself.
A low growl vibrated out of him, not that pleased with the new claw marks on his front.
He stalked out of the bridge, trusting that the lingering cleaner drones would get out of his way. Not the lower bath chamber, but to something closer. It would sting and bite somewhat, but the decontamination shower would get the vast majority of the demonic filth and junk off his person and armor.
Vega did not heat the chemical cleaners and water, if anything it was all chilled. Had it been a normal human, the AI would have warned against taking the armor off in the decon shower. Let alone the helmet as the Slayer finally pulled it off, eyes closed in the cold shower. Tossing the heavy pieces aside one or two parts at a time until he could peel off the undersuit. Scrubbing at his short hair as if it was not practically acidic water, as the demon blood and bits sizzled and foamed into something that can drain away and be purged from the fortress.
It would leave chemical burns to most humans, even some Argenta, but the Slayer's own skin was fine. Maybe a little red around exposed cuts. If anything there was an odd wispy, orange tinted mist around him.
At some point the flow of fluid did change, becoming soapy and then just plain water to end.
The slayer reached out to stretch his right arm, the mist lingering around him finally fading as the water dimmed as the limb finished knitting its muscle damage back together.
He pulled his armor to one side of the room, feeling much cooler now. He would take care of his equipment after Vega fussed with it by way of the mobile cleaner drones.
Times like this he was glad he had two sets of armor.
The Slayer made it ten paces before stopping, turning back to finish with cleaning his armor after all. By the time that was done, Vega had a second stool setup with some dry, clean sweat pants and a sleeveless shirt.
"We do have a guest." Vega reminded the Slayer, his voice just coming from the nearest speaker in the room. "It may be wise to at least put paints on sir."
"...?" The Slayer paused for a long moment from where he was still sitting beside his armor. Then his mind visibly caught up to him as he looked down for a count of three. His memory came up with the image of the small human female, and he remembered how young she seemed.
Right.
Paints.
Paints were a good thing.
With a low rumbling sound in his throat, the Slayer got up. Rinsed his feet one last time, made sure he was mostly dry and then found the pants at least to put on. The shirt tossed over his shoulder for now, as he still felt too hot going back to the bridge and poked at the assorted supplies he had tossed through the portal over…
Days he had been gone?
Where is the small one? The Slayer signed as he walked back into the hall a second time. Glancing down to find his footprints leading in had been cleaned up already by the little scuttling cleaner drones.
"Lily is back in the greenhouse floor," Vega was happy to inform, "She was originally in the kitchen area when you arrived but I thought it would be wise for Lily to stay away in case you emerged less than presentable. Again."
The Slayer snorted as he altered his path, taking a left instead of right at a cross of halls. Curious now that one type of numbness of his fighting had eased from the familiar mindless actions of cleaning.
He paused once at the right floor, realizing that there was no emptiness of the Fortress for the first time. It was quiet, but not empty. The Slayer listened and placed it, in the semi distant there was some sort of music playing. Tracking it down to the inner greenhouse.
The Slayer was actually more pleased than annoyed that he had to pass through three locked doors. It kept the little fuzzy 'army' safe and unable to get lost in the Fortress, as well as Lily's cats.
The demigod had to remember to make his footsteps a little louder as he came up to the last door. Peering through the windows, something that was a transparent metal of the Argenta, not real glass. He could see the lights were in the evening setting, and one of the cats skittering across the ground after a bell toy.
There was also a second guinea pig corral fully set up outside of the small room.
The music playing inside was not rock, or metal, barely instrumental. Yet, it was nice.
It sounded like there were some instruments in the distance of the forest. Atmospheric, that was the word. Not just jungle sounds but some cooler forest with water drops. The Slayer lifted his free left hand, finding there was some misting.
Parts of the greenhouse level were working again. Lily had been busy while he was gone.
A black guinea pig whistled an alert at spotting the new person, getting the others in both groups to start whistling first alerts. Then demands for attention as they recognized him.
"That better not be a cat getting where you're not supposed to be!" Lily called from where the original tree was in the center of the gardens, sounding a bit exasperated.
The Slayer reached out, rapping his knuckles on one of the plant growing pods that had come from the sea platform. Glancing inside to find a network of climbing beans or peas.
"...John?" A hesitant voice called out, helping the man locate where she was.
She had somehow gotten the flowing water working again, as what he originally thought were large empty tracks were cleaned of dirt and debris. Now flowing with clear water, and the dirt on either side seemed to be real… dirt. Not dried out and looking sad, but dark and almost healthy looking.
Lily was sitting beside the biggest of the artificial streams, legs dangling in the warm water. She had shorts on, and a tank top, but also one of those colorful, too bright shirts over top, the sling vest folded back on her bed. A tray from the kitchen was in her lap, while another bowl was set off to the side, filled with something the three cats took turns coming to eat.
The Slayer, John, came right over, sitting heavily on the ground. Legs bent and his back to the water. He sat quiet for a few minutes, watching the guinea pigs and cats, as he was being stared at as well. Letting that last lingering edge in his mind soften.
Lily stayed quiet, confused at first, but had been warned that he may not react at first.
John looked… tired.
She also could not help staring at the good three inch cut on his upper bicep. It looked red and angry, but not bleeding, and as if it had been healed half way from the inside.
Lily looked down at her tray, admittedly her eyes had been too big for her stomach, and there was a lot left of the homemade mac and cheese. Mostly homemade, with the block of shelf stable cheese instead of 'real' cheese, and bits of hot dog cut up in it. It was a special, comforting treat she had made. There was also still quite a lot of the melon she had been eating all afternoon.
A memory coughed up, of seeing her mother sitting calm beside her stepfather. Head on his shoulder as he had come home late with a similar blank expression.
Eyeing the nearer arm, with the open cut on it, then how John was sitting and not quite watching the fussy army. Lily wondered if she had a good idea or not as she shifted the tray between them. Seeing how the bigger man shifted his head, aware of her moment though not looking.
He blinked only after Lily had come around to his front. Twisting to sit between his legs with her back against his front. With his left leg stretched out and the right partly bent and resting inward it was just putting herself into a near stuck spot with the Slayer.
Lily leaned to her right now, under his arm to the tray, grabbing two wedges of watermelon. She hesitated before lifting the bigger of the two slices up in a clear offering, careful of her shoulders.
Slowly, as carefully as he had been that first time they met. As if John was afraid she might just break, the man took the wedge, staring between it and the girl.
Lily pointedly did not look up, just nibbling on her own piece. Leaning back partly on the living wall of muscle… and a little fat? Not much but there when John relaxed, likely could vanish if he flexed.
She peek at the bag to the right, but stayed in her current spot until the massive man shifted.
The demigod lowered his left arm, wrapping it loosely around Lily as a low rumble came out of him. A deep sound, yes, Lily could feel it as much as hear, but it was… neutral. Calm.
She could feel the Slayer breathing, moving a bit in time with it.
Why did he have to be so much like her dad sometimes?
John leaned forward, the slice of watermelon now gone in a few bites. Rine and all. It was sweet and tangy.
He liked it.
The slayer closed his eyes, both arms wrapped around the smaller human. Stooped as if subconsciously trying to be a shield against the reality outside of the Fortress. Or perhaps he was grounding himself, getting a bit of that human side of him again.
"Feel better?" Lily asked after a while, her melon slice finished, the rine shamelessly stolen and eaten by the bigger man.
"Hmm," John gave another deep rumble, looking down as he put one of his hands under Lily's to look at. Finding signs of work but no stress. The swelling on the shoulders also had gone down too. Though her right side was still bruised, being very impressive in different shades now, it was a sign of healing.
He sat up a bit, reaching for the bag on his right, putting it into Lily's own lap.
Gift. John carefully signed so she could see.
Lily held the bag, staring at his hands before looking up for the first time. "Wait, you really got me something?"
The severe and scarred face was not as hard as normal. The faintly glowing eyes were bright blue. If anything he gave a half smile. He gave a chuff like huff, not really a grunt or snort. Arms loose again, he nudged Lily before finally turning his head to eye the tray of food.
Lilly turned the purple bag over, it was the size of a carryon really, but clearly stuffed full of something squishy. The handles were stained darker, a bit damp and smelled like disinfectant, but nothing questionable came off.
With her left overs being sacrificed to the Demigod, Lily squeaked as the first thing to pull out was a strange plushie. Still a plushie but it was a rolly-polly. Dirty from dust and being semi exposed to heat, but would likely be quite soft once cleaned.
Lilly turned it over in her hands, looking at the brown and yellow colors. Remembering seeing something like this, but a crab. Something that she had debated giving to her mom for the next christmas. "Look at you, a squishy isopod. I love it."
Another deeper, and clearly please rumble came from the man. No hesitation now as a big hand rested on Lily's head, before motioning to the bag again. A happy grumble coming from him as he found the mac and cheese was not plain like when he made it. Not sure what seasoning or spice was used, but it was good.
John kept his eyes on the girl the whole time she pulled some things out, two more small squishy, plush keychains, or backpack charms. One was a rainbow fish, the other an off white bunny.
"Do you know the story of the rainbow fish?" Lily asked, carefully squishing the fish charm, finding it squeaked in a way that attracted one of her cats. Even if they would not get closer than five feet to John.
The big man shook his head, setting the bowl down, the watermelon almost gone but for two smaller slices left for Lily. He shifted to pull his left leg up, arm propped on it to lean on. Fist closed under his jaw and watched the girl.
It was a little more than imposing, and into personal space, but then John had no personal space in the first place. Lily knew she was partly (completely) to blame too, as she was the one to all but sit in his lap in the first place.
Overall though, it was not so bad, as Lily explained the old story from her childhood while pulling things out of the bag. fabric squares, and rolls like from a craft store's scrap bin. Not sure what to do with them, but they were pretty! Her story stopped near the end, interrupted by a gasp.
The Demigod gave another lopsided smile, eyes half closed as he watched Lily pull out the first skene of yarn. There was no real theme to the colors picked. Mostly just what was looking the best and not dirty. But the excited reaction was worth having an open portal longer than normal.
John blinked as his right arm was hugged. Reflexively started to curl it tight around the young woman, but made sure the brief pin was not too tight.
He liked this.
It smelled nice, sounded nice here. It just felt nice now.
The Doom Slayer could, for a moment, forget the rage and be something else. He could get a yip and then squeak out of the young human as he closed his arms around her. Internally revealing in the fact that there was one living being not scared of him again. That was not an aware AI.
He was definitely attached.