Chapter 2 No Escape

Seeing Larry lying on a lab table, charging up while stuck in an unconscious state, is a sight that Roy will NEVER get used to. He always gets nervous, every single time without fail. This time was no exception. He supposed that he should be impressed that Iggy was able to function on a normal level while Larry was charging up, because honestly? He was terrified.

"Oh man, I hope Larry wakes up…" Roy said as he started to shake.

"Oh, he will," Iggy said as he put one of his machines away. "We just need to be patient."

Roy let out a breath. "Being patient blows." He stepped closer to his little brother's unconscious form. He had no idea how much time Larry had left to charge. It felt like they had been in the lab for an eternity, and yet Larry was still out cold. Seriously, why did time have to be so cruel? Why couldn't unbearable experiences breeze by? Why was it the fun experiences that never seemed to last long enough?

"Roy…" Iggy approached, his eyes on Larry. "I understand that this is stressful, but…" he paused. If Roy were to guess, he would say it was because Iggy actually had no idea what to say. He probably wanted to reassure his brother, but since Iggy was… well, Iggy, doing so was more than a little difficult. But to be fair, even if he could say the most perfect thing in this scenario, it would mean squat. Nothing except for Larry waking up would calm Roy down.

Thankfully, Larry's eyes opened with a gasp, bringing relief to Roy and saving Iggy the embarrassment of saying something awkward. He rose into a sitting position, blinking his eyes out. Despite his confused and even kind of miffed state, Roy still smiled and laughed with relief.

"Oh, Larry!" He leaned forward and embraced his brother. Larry's body felt ice cold, but he didn't care. He was going to hold onto him for the rest of time.

"Why did you guys charge me up?"

Roy's eyes grew wide at that tone. It was so unbelievably aggravated and annoyed… how could that be? Roy and Iggy just charged Larry's battery back up from absolute zero; why in the world would he YELL at them for that? Roy let go of his youngest brother, and if hearing Larry's tone made him feel bad, seeing his face was a million times worse. This was because there was the subtlest hint of sorrow present in the angry creases of the expression. It made Roy's stomach churn. It made him want to disappear.

"Larry…" he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Just an awkward little sound that wasn't even close to being considered a proper syllable. He closed his mouth and backed up, doing something that he had never done before. That being, hoping that Iggy would come to his rescue.

Thankfully, Iggy did. "Larry, you were lying unconscious in the castle courtyard. Leaving you there would be unacceptable!"

Larry sniffed. "Well, the least you could've done was just take me to my bed."

Roy blinked. "Why? Do you think it would've been the better place to charge?"

Larry shook his head. "No, but it would've been the best place to SLEEP!'

"Sleep?" Roy was confused. "But you can't sleep as a robot…"

"I can if I run out of battery!" Larry protested with a heat in his eyes. "Why else did you think I let myself run out? There's nothing good coming out of being awake." He paused hanging his head. "And since I can't sleep normally anymore, I figured that running out of charge would be the next best option…"

Silence. No one in the lab said a word. In Roy's case, it was because he had no clue what to say. Looking into Larry's face, which revealed that the youngest Koopaling was doing his best to not burst into tears, Roy had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that Larry was beyond help. Sure, the logical part of his brain, as small as that may be, reassured him that that was an unfounded fear. But he didn't know; looking into the face of a hopeless person doesn't exactly inspire optimism, and Roy couldn't help but feel saddened as a consequence.

"Larry…" Iggy was the one to speak up, much to Roy's chagrin. He wanted to know what to say, he wanted to offer Larry so much. But he couldn't, which in turn meant that someone else had to speak up before him. Perfect. "Larry, I understand that you're upset about what happened to Tec, and I don't blame you. I really don't." Larry wiped his face as Iggy cringed. "But as hard as it may be, you can't stop living as a result."

Larry bit his lip. "I know that, but…" he turned his head away. "I've never felt this way before." His tone was softer and more strained than Roy had ever heard from him before. "There's this dark feeling inside me. Everywhere I go, I feel like I'm on the brink of tears. I…" he sniffled. "I know that people want me to be okay. But…"

"You aren't," Roy said.

Larry sniffled again and nodded his head. "And I'm really sorry guys." He pulled his legs up to his chest. "You were right to want to charge me back up. I shouldn't have yelled at you about that, and I'm really sorry." He paused. "But being awake right now isn't going to do me any good. I can't turn off how much I hurt when I'm awake. When I'm asleep… it's an escape."

Roy did a double take. "So… what, we just leave you be next time you run out of charge?"

"It would be appreciated."

Iggy groaned in frustration. "Larry…" Roy turned to Iggy and saw that his glasses were off and he was pinching his brow. "We can't do that. You know we can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because letting you run out of battery is dangerous!"

Larry snorted. "That's only the case if I run out outside the castle. I'm perfectly safe inside!"

"True." Iggy stepped forward. "But even still, it is not a pleasant experience for anyone! It hurts, Larry! Do you even know what you look like when you run out of battery? You look like a corpse!" Iggy shook again. "It causes everyone emotional distress, and… we can't leave you that way!"

Those words had an interesting effect on Larry. On the one hand, he looked like he wanted to yell and scream. On the other, he looked defeated. Despite his anger, he didn't want to argue with Iggy. Probably because he cared about his siblings and didn't want to cause anybody any unnecessary pain. As such, he stayed silent.

Unfortunately for Larry, silence didn't satisfy Roy in the slightest. "Look." He took a step forward. "Maybe the problem is that you aren't talking about your feelings with anyone."

"HA!" Larry practically glared at Roy. "What would that accomplish?"

"Well, for one… it'd give you an opportunity to vent." Roy removed his sunglasses. "I mean… when there is no real solution to your problems, sometimes talking about them to someone you trust can help you feel a little better. Even just a little bit."

Larry sharply exhaled, a response that really caught Roy off guard. "Venting won't make me feel better! Tec's gone! Nothing we can do will bring him back! He's gone because of me! He's DEAD because of me!"

Iggy cleared his throat and stepped forward. "That may be the case, but do I need to remind you that you did him a world of good? In fact, you brought so much good into his life that he was willing to SACRIFICE himself for you! And based on what I've gathered, he was very happy to do it! That isn't something to ignore or scoff at. Larry, you were a blessing to Tec!"

"True." Larry put his head in his hands. "But every blessing becomes a curse after a while."

Roy felt a pang. Oh man. He wanted to deny that, but… he couldn't. In a world such as the one the Koopalings lived in, all good things come to an end. Dreams wither into dust, whether it be because they never see the light of day or because they come true and bring ruin. Friendships can last a long time, but they all come to an end. It's inevitable, and not just because of death.

With that being said, death shouldn't be ignored. Death is the inescapable fate of all who live. No scientist has found a cure for it, they only found ways to slow it down. It was a harrowing fact to think about, but it was true. Eventually, everyone was going to die, and everyone who loves someone will have to experience grief. Grief is the price for love. Roy believed that with all his heart.

But he really wished it didn't have to be. And not just because of himself; seeing how his baby brother and best friend dealt with all these complicated emotions at such a young age hurt him. It was almost like Roy was grieving Tec's loss alongside him, even though he had no connection to Tec, to the point where he never had a full conversation with him.

"Larry, I…" Roy ran his hand over his head as Larry gave him a raised eyebrow. "I…" he sighed. "I really wish I could say that this is going to be okay, but… you and I both know that won't make you feel better."

"No. No it won't." Larry sat still for a few seconds before sighing and getting up off the cot. "Look guys, this has been fun, but… I need some time to myself right now."

Roy wanted to scoff. It seemed like Larry had been needing nothing but time to himself nowadays. Nevertheless, he let him go back to his room without protesting. Iggy allowed it too.

Or, at least, sort of. "Hey! Make sure you do not exhaust your battery again, okay?"

"I make no promises," Larry said before walking out the door and closing it behind him.

This just left Iggy and Roy. Roy stood in silence for a little bit before getting an idea. He turned to Iggy, putting on a hopeful expression when he did.

"Iggy, you're smart. Is there any way to fix this?"

Iggy did a double take. "Well, if you're talking about bringing Tec back from the dead, I'm afraid there isn't. His programming is obviously way too advanced for my expertise."

Roy shook his head. "No no no, I know that! I was wondering if you have any idea how we can help Larry." He stepped toward him. "Do you have any knowledge about how to deal with grief?"

Iggy blinked again before, much to Roy's surprise, he hesitated. "Well… seeing how I have a degree in Psychology, I do know a thing or two about it."

Roy's spirits rose. "Great! So you can help Larry, right?"

Iggy wiped some sweat from his brow. "I could. Conceivably, I could. But if Larry isn't interested in receiving help… there isn't really much I can do in terms of the analytical side of things." He stood up straight. "We can support him. We can be there for him; not causing him any unnecessary distress, making sure he's comfortable and feels like he has space to grieve, but… if he doesn't want my help, I can't really give it to him."

And just like that, Roy's spirits fell back down. "I… I understand."

"I really am sorry, Roy," Iggy said. "Loss is a… complicated process. While there are common patterns in regards to it… I mean, the Five Stages of Grief exists for a reason… everyone experiences grief in their own unique way. And forcing them to try to conform to what you expect the grieving process to be like… it's not a good idea."

Roy sniffled. "I understand." He wiped his eyes. "Dang, this is all really difficult."

"That it is, Roy." Iggy looked back at the lab door. "That it is."