BonkRadiation: The Teenage Frankenstein

Midnight Drive [TBE]

The lab was relatively silent. Fritz worked on paperwork at his desk, letting the idle sound of the AC serve as background noise. Any other day he would’ve simply flicked on the radio, tuning to one of the many encoded stations or using the bare static to focus. The doctor took a second to reflect on his environment. He'd documented the results of the on-going experiment he’d been working on for the past couple of weeks, his pen nearly running out of ink due to the extensive explanation he’d written down. Earlier that day, he’d heard Scooter kicking his legs idly in the background, sitting atop one of the gurneys he used during work. Usually, Scooter came over for a couple of hours, talked at him about whatever was on his mind, attempted to help around the lab, then left. Today, however, he’d been sitting in silence, after switching between reading the comics he'd packed in his backpack that day, drinking soda as silently as he could, and simply staring at the doctor going about his day. It was unusual for him to sit still for so long, to such a point Fritz had begun to wonder if he’d actually fallen asleep. The pen gave out halfway through writing a sentence, and a quick examination of the ink chamber confirmed his fear of having to get a new one from the supply cabinet. The doctor ran his hands through his hair, sighing heavily as he allowed himself to feel the exhaustion spread through his back. Turns out, being hunched over a way-too-small desk for hours on end wasn’t exactly kind to his spine. He glared at nothing in particular, standing up from his chair and stretching his legs and arms. Fritz walked across the lab, flipping through the keys he’d fished out of his pocket. The cabinet’s metal door complained with a low scrape, being pulled open after a couple of weeks of being ignored. The box of replacement pens was empty, and for a second the doctor wondered if he really had burnt through a hundred pens in less than three months. As he turned around to return to his desk, he spared a quick glance at the gurney his companion occupied, realizing Scooter was wide awake, and staring directly at him. The surprise on his expression must’ve been clear, given that his peer tilted his head in confusion.

“Don’t you have a base to return to?” Fritz questioned, staring back at Scooter with slight disdain. His throat felt dry as he spoke, only now realizing that dehydration had begun to set in while he worked. He hadn’t intended to seem shocked about his presence in the first place, it had simply taken him mildly off guard. Scooter shrugged, leaning back on the gurney.

“Called in to let them know I was sleeping out tonight,” Scooter took off his 3D glasses, folding them and stuffing the pair in his backpack. “Figured we might, y’know, spend the night or somethin’.” Fritz glared at him, stopping his half-hearted attempt at tidying up his desk. He turned to look at the clock. 1:03 in the morning. The doctor put away his papers and took a deep breath before wearily speaking.

“And you just assumed I would be okay with that?” Fritz’s tone was distinctly sour, tiredly staring at his companion. Scooter’s eyes looked around the room nervously for a second, before putting on a smug act, as he usually did.

“I can just go pay a motel if you want me to leave, doc.” Scooter giggled under his breath as he leaned all the way back on the gurney, crossing his arms behind his head to act as a pillow. “Or I can just sleep here, in the lab. Freezin’ to death.”

Fritz rolled his eyes at the dramatic display, keeping silent as he grabbed his coat off the back of the chair. More often than not, leaving it there ended with the tail of the coat full of lint and dust, but most of the time he couldn’t bother to put it somewhere else. It was already rare enough for him to take it off anyways. The doctor made his way to the door, mentally checking he’d put his keys back in his pocket after the issue with the supply cabinet.

“Where’re you goin’ doc?” Scooter eyed him, perking up slightly. There had only been a few times where the doctor had taken him somewhere, either on one of the HQ’s vans or on his motorcycle. Admittedly, he preferred one way over the other.

“Out.” Fritz flatly explained, opening the door to the hallway and making his way out. Scooter rushed to pick up his things before running after him, struggling to balance his backpack on his shoulder as he slipped on his jacket.

“I’m comin’! I can come, right, doc?” Scooter smiled warmly at Fritz, fixing the strap of his backpack across his chest. The doctor only spared a glare, barely turning his head to look at him. There was no sarcastic remark or physical attempt to stop him. Scooter took that as a sign he was allowed to accompany him. The outside of the lab felt colder, somehow. The walls were stained with black streaks left from the water damage, the sounds coming from the air ducts mounted on the hallway’s wall and the low buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead united in a steady white noise, a ghastly chorus rather than a relaxing ambience.

The fresh air from outside was a welcome change, Scooter thought, considering some parts of the HQ were slightly isolated from the air conditioning, giving everything around the damp smell of old, gathered dust and moist concrete. Fritz made a beeline for one of the garages, followed closely by Scooter. The doctor flicked the lightswitch on, flooding the garage with a yellowed light. Scooter shuffled awkwardly next to the door, expectantly waiting for his companion to pick out their vehicle for the night. Fritz fumbled with his keys for a moment, standing beside his motorcycle. After slipping on his helmet, he turned to look at Scooter, silently hurrying him to get ready. Scooter did as instructed, digging through his backpack to fish out his helmet. He’d tried to convince the doctor to let him use his helmet a couple of times, most ending with him being told off and having to search for his own. After being left behind once for not having his helmet on him, he’d bought one for himself, instead of relying on the HQ’s spares. Fritz fixed his grip, waiting for Scooter to adjust his position before taking off. Scooter’s leg bounced nervously as he attempted to find a way to stabilize himself without accidentally groping the man in front of him. He settled on grabbing the doctor’s shoulders, having to lift his arms slightly to reach them comfortably. Fritz started the engine, giving his companion a couple of seconds to make sure he was secured before taking off.

The night sky was dusted with stars, barely hidden by stray clouds that drifted slowly alongside the horizon. The trees framing the road to the nearest city rapidly passed them by, the engine’s constant rumbling bouncing off the environment. The city they were heading to wasn’t particularly large. Scooter had never taken the time to learn its name, but he was almost certain Fritz could name at the very least two of the neighbouring towns, though he doubted the doctor would do so if he asked. The current road, half overtaken by roots, rocks, and other kinds of debris, made for quite a bumpy ride. Scooter had nearly slipped off the seat twice by then. As the motorcycle went over a particularly large root in the middle of the highway, Scooter bounced slightly off his seat, leading to him wrapping both his arms around Fritz’s waist for support. He pressed the side of his face to his companion’s back, trying to recover from the mild panic. The doctor made no attempt to acknowledge the gesture, and Scooter assumed he simply hadn’t noticed. The flora lessened as they got closer to the outskirts of the city, a couple of abandoned buildings and junkyards attempting to fill up the space too far out to be taken up by businesses or apartment complexes. Fritz made a mental note of the seeming emptiness of the area, keeping the idea to use later in his work. Small lights coming from the city slowly peeked out from beyond the scarce trees and broken buildings; the highway became more refined, as the more condensed civilization took over. The first thing they spotted was a gas station. A neon green sign by the door displaying the word “Open” gave them everything they needed to know. Fritz pulled over to park off to the side of the establishment, avoiding the large windows on the front. The front wheel gently hit the concrete bump, designed as a limit for the parking space. Both of them got off the motorcycle, Fritz walking ahead towards the front door and Scooter following behind.

The inside smelled faintly of cleaning products, and a strong sugary scent hung in the air. The clerk sat behind the counter, distractedly reading a beaten up magazine and occasionally glancing at the outdated monitors hooked up to the security cameras. The front door had a small bell mounted on the frame, ringing slightly every time someone walked in or out. The clerk looked up from his magazine as Fritz and Scooter wandered through the aisles, each searching for something different. The doctor stood in the middle of the aisle, staring at the scarce supplies left on the shelves. Scooter dug through the different brands and flavours of chips and candy, seeking out his favourites. A couple of minutes and a lot of glances from the clerk later, the both of them exited the gas station with their respective purchases. Scooter turned to look at Fritz, arms full of various snacks and drinks.

“Hey, hey, hey, doc, have you ever tried any o’ these?” Fritz stared at him, then at the bags he carried. Scooter haphazardly walked backwards in order to face him directly, trusting in his own ability to remember where everything was in the parking lot.

"No?" Fritz replied after a few moments of silence. Scooter's face lit up as he began looking through the plastic bags. They were approaching the spot where they'd parked the motorcycle, sitting down on the small sidewalk outside the gas station. Scooter fished out a couple of brightly coloured drinks, then a packet of disposable glasses. The doctor stared at his companion, watching with concern as he mixed everything in one of the glasses, dropping several gummy worms into the glass at the end. Scooter smiled at him as he handed him the glass.

“C’mon doc, take a sip! It’s really good, me and my brother make it all the time!” Scooter stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to try his concoction. Fritz stared down hesitantly at the glass, slight disgust painted in his expression at the overly sugary smell emanating from the drink. Taking a deep breath in, the doctor closed his eyes and took a small sip from the cup. The contents of the glass were a mixture of carbonated acid, and what Fritz could only assume was sugar diluted in water with food colouring added in. He spat out the drink a couple of seconds after tasting it, wiping his mouth with his sleeve before turning to scowl at his companion.

“There’s no way in hell you actually drink that stuff.” Fritz made a face of disgust, setting down the cup as he opened a bottle of normal, pure water to wash down the concoction. Scooter took the glass from the sidewalk then downed it without so much as making a slight sound of satisfaction.

“It’s onea my favourites.” Scooter smiled at the doctor, before fishing out the gummies from the disposable cup. Fritz’s disgust made itself clear once more as his companion ate the wet candy. As the night went by, Scooter had slowly inched closer to the doctor, shuffling slightly every few minutes until he was practically leaning on him. The dark sky had been almost entirely covered by clouds, late night rain creeping in. Scooter looked up at Fritz, taking a moment to remember the way he looked with the last light from the moon lighting the environment.

“So, doc, do ya wanna head back maybe?” Scooter stared up at the sky, watching as the first few drops of rain fell to the ground. Fritz repeated the action, staring down at the ground and watching the small circles appear. “It’s gonna get bad soon.” Fritz coincided with a flat noise of agreement and a nod, making his way to the motorcycle after pulling himself up from the floor.

Scooter picked up and disposed of the garbage in the bin by the entrance. After climbing back on the vehicle, and tightly clinging to the doctor, his companion brought the engine to life, and began the drive back to the HQ. Scooter pulled his face flush to the doctor’s back, guiltily enjoying the moment of alleged intimacy. It was rare for the doctor to be so responsive to the displays of affection Scooter craved so much. He assumed Fritz had simply brushed it off as a strange attempt to steady himself, rather than allowing him to enjoy being so close together. Scooter made a face before rushing the thought out of his mind, returning to taking in the details of the ride back rather than overthinking their already confusing relationship. It felt nice for him to be able to stare at the scenery passing by while knowing the doctor was there with him of all people. Scooter would’ve lied if he said he wasn’t disappointed when they arrived at Fritz’s workplace, knowing whatever they had during the trip was probably out of his companion’s mind, research and gross experiments being the topic of preference. When the doctor began to walk towards his living quarters, Scooter’s mind began rushing with anticipation and anxiety. The possibility of being allowed to spend the night with him made him feel fuzzy and shuddery, permanently nervous about the experience. The doctor didn’t make any small talk as they made their way around the HQ, Scooter’s awkward humming and muttering being enough interaction for the moment.

Fritz fumbled with the keys to his “apartment” inside the HQ in complete silence, acutely aware of Scooter’s presence behind him. He opened the door without bothering to flick on the lights, simply starting to take off his coat as he walked in. The doctor heard an awkward cough coming from outside, Scooter standing in the door as if awaiting permission to enter as well. Fritz rolled his eyes at his companion, tossing his heavy coat over the desk, then turning to look at him.

“Well?” Fritz flatly said, annoyance clear in his voice. Scooter seemed to jump slightly at the word, shuffling in his spot nervously. “Are you coming in or not?”

Scooter’s face lit up at the question, nodding enthusiastically as he rushed in the room, making his way to the bed before staring at the doctor expectantly. Fritz sighed as he walked closer, making a gesture for his companion to make space. This was going to be a long night.