Chapter Text
There was a person in their airlock. Breathing and dripping in what Akira could only guess was the contents of the ocean. He wanted to get in there and check to see if they were conscious but the shock had left him stone still, hands on the latch to open the door but they didn’t move. Monas babbling had been going on for a few seconds now but he couldn’t hear it very well, his brain too focused on the fact that a PERSON somehow got on their ship. It must be whoever was on that submarine. It’s gotta be. There’s no other explanation, ah what was he thinking there was no explanation for any of what just happened in the last few hours. One crazy thing after another he may as well just accept it as reality for now. He had quite a long time to ponder and figure this out, with any luck whoever this mysterious person is they might have some answers. Akira took a deep breath in, shoulders and chest rising as he held the air in puffed out cheeks, his arms pushing the latch down at long last. The second the door cracked open a pungent stench of iron filled his nose, he recoiled a bit desperate to get away from the smell, a hand clapping over the lower half of his face. Then came the realisation. It was actually blood. That smell couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. It was far too much to be just their own. The floor was covered in it, they may as well be swimming in it for god sake. Akira forced his hand from his face, now wasn’t the time he had to get them to the med bay and make sure they were alright. He rushed inside and his face scrunched as the iron got stronger. He was thankful he’d spent the last few months climbing ladders the way he had, he probably wouldn’t have been able to carry them as easily if there wasn’t some muscle built up. The blood was thick and slippery making it difficult to keep a grip on them, grunts vibrating in his throat as he resisted the urge to bounce them back into a steady grip. There was no telling if anything was broken and moving them too much could just cause more damage, they were out like a light though. Still breathing but it was concerningly weak which only made him move faster. Monas ball followed close behind, still talking and talking but Akira still wasn’t listening.
The blood was starting to soak into his clothes and latch to his skin, it was warm. He panted as he laid them onto the bed.
“Armando! Help!”
He put his fingers against their neck, the pulse wasn’t as slow as the breathing thank god. Now he had a chance to see them properly and believed the person was a he, still too difficult to get a decent look at his features though. Oh he hadn’t noticed that. He was missing his left arm, a worse for wear sleeve hiding the damage underneath but he could tell well enough that only about half of his upper arm was still intact. What could’ve done that he wondered. Armando, the ever useful helping arm descended from the ceiling, getting to work quickly.
“New human sound very…weird. Dying, question?” Mona spoke as he rolled into the room, keeping place at the other side of the bed.
“Not on my watch i tell you, we should be able to get him stable. Damn. You think armando can stitch up his arm?”
If it couldn’t Akira would likely have to try and stitch the wound closed himself but he was no surgeon, needles and sewing were never a strong suit so he’d really rather not have to do this. He’d never forgive himself if it got infected or made things worse.
“Patient sedated.” The small voice from armando spoke. “Severe facial lacerations and left arm is missing. Burnt tissue on legs and torso.” Okay so basically a lot was wrong with him. The thought to ask how came first but there’s no way he was getting the answer to that right now.
Thankfully armando was already getting to work on his arm, must’ve been the bigger priority which would make sense. Don't want him bleeding out, there was enough blood on the ship as is.
“Bad bad bad! Body in not good condition! What we do, question?” Monas claws clicked together rapidly, an action Akira had long since identified as anxious.
“Right now? Not much, I'm afraid. I’m gonna try clean him up, get as much of this stuff off as possible. The medical stuff we gotta leave to armando.” Akira sighed and looked over at Mona, a gentle smile on his lips. This was a mess but he couldn’t have Mona worrying too much or else that infectious energy would spread to him in turn.
Akira grabbed whatever cloths, towels, sponges, tissues, literally anything he could find to wipe down the new man. Though about halfway through his face armando started stripping the stranger down without warning, leaving Akira red in the face and scrambling to look away, towel bundled up in his hands, excess blood dripping to the floor just between his feet. Seriously no matter how much he cleaned there was still more covering his skin. He’d run out of clean towels at this point. Once the stranger had been changed into a standard medical gown and was stable he sighed with relief, hands pressed on the edge of the bed as he looked at his face. Surprise on his own face as he wiped down the remainder of the blood covering his cheek. Lacerations wasn’t the right word to describe what he was seeing, small teeth were protruding from the skin along his jaw and cheekbones. The skin looked irritated and damaged in between- it definitely looked like it would scar badly. Akira reached a finger towards one of the teeth, they were barely the size of the first joint of his pointer finger. Smooth and sharp too. Of course he’d heard of people having extra teeth that sometimes grow behind or in front of the rest but this didn’t look anything like at. They were up closer to his eyes, teeth don’t just grow there let alone break skin this bad. Another roster of questions to add to the list.
“What happened to you?” He frowned and wiped long strands of hair away from the man's forehead, the blood beginning to dry and make the hairs stiff and clump together.
“I’m gonna wash his hair, go do your thing Mona. Though come back in a bit. Watch him sleep for me while I clean and run some tests.” He wanted to know exactly what that ocean is made of, there’s no way it was just blood.
Mona didn’t protest, simply humming a small trill in conformation before scampering off back to his workshop. Akira went to the bathroom and grabbed a bucket, filling it most of the way with water, a bottle of shampoo and conditioner under his arm. One bucket definitely wasn’t enough he could tell, one dunk in it and it’d be opaque. It wouldn’t kill him to go back and forth so that’s exactly what he did. It took two rounds before the water started to stay relatively clear, good enough in his eyes. His hands gentle as he massaged the shampoo into the man's scalp. It wasn’t much but it was all he could think to do for the poor guy, once he woke up and gathered his bearings Akira could show him where he can clean up properly. He didn’t want to get too invasive so most of his skin was still stained red other than his legs, arm, neck and upwards. Damn he still needed to change himself, the blood on his clothes was starting to dry and flake off. Now he wasn’t sure how exactly his clothes got washed but he doubted these stains were ever coming out without industrial strength bleach. And he doubted that kind of thing was on the ship. It only took about fifteen minutes to get the guys hair washed and free from any residue. It was long, passed his shoulders and a mousey brown colour, very nice.
Akira smiled and rested his hands on his hips, clearly proud of himself. With the hair wrapped up and washed now he should begin cleaning the airlock and floor but….why would he do that when he had endless samples of that terrifying ocean?
“Alright Mona, come back up!” He spoke as he gathered the towels and cloths left on the floor, throwing most of them towards armando to deal with, only keeping one or two of them for his samples. They’d since dried out but that was fine he could get some from the airlock that was still liquid, less likely to be dry if it’s in pools.
Mona wasn’t long about getting there, opting to stay in his tunnel about a foot away from the bed. Probably wanted to keep working.
“Will tell Kira if anything happens. You should rest before become stupid.” Monas carapace wiggled in what was supposed to be a threatening manner but it was too cute to be.
“Ah i’ll be fine Mona. Mary isn’t exactly gonna clean herself, is she?”
Screw cleaning Akira made way for the lab as soon as he saw Mona get settled, dropping the towels on the table replacing them with slides and a dropper to gather the blood. Thankfully the smell of iron had long since dissipated due to the air filtration but his nose remembered and coiled up at the phantom scent. He squatted down and gathered a sample in the dropper, just enough for two slides. The pools left behind had started to coagulate, further proving the fact it was blood but he wouldn’t believe that until he saw what it was made of with his own two eyes. The airlock door closed with a push of his back, eyes fixated on the liquid as he carried it back to the lab. Just like that he got to work, a dried sample sat next to the microscope while he pushed the still wet one underneath. The arm of his glasses held between his teeth as he leaned down to look, flicking between the light settings. Right. It was definitely blood. More than that though- it wasn’t one type. They were mixed together so it was hard to tell how many types there are but he could see A and B clear enough. He wanted to think it wasn’t just human blood but what he was seeing was telling him otherwise. What the hell was going on? There is a massive ocean probably close enough to the size of earths filled with human blood. That just seemed far fetched. All of this was far fetched to be fair but this was just…horrifying. The body can only hold, what, five litres? If every person on earth was bled dry it wouldn’t even come close to filling that much space. A drop in the bucket barely. It was just impossible. The dry one next. It showed the exact same results, it was still blood. Akira pulled away from the microscope and folded his arms across his chest, ignoring the horror of it and instead trying to figure out how to identify the planet. If there was a blood ocean out somewhere in the universe he could find it somewhere in the copious amounts of papers and data that the laptops were given. Still he should know about it. This would be a crazy discovery back on earth. Surely it would be widely known among academics? But he never heard a peep about something like this existing. The sound of glass cracking caught his attention, glasses shoved back on his face as he looked at the wet sample. It - it was bubbling. He tried to pick up the slide but his hand whipped back as heat touched his fingertips, a hiss pushed through clenched teeth. Now this was really odd. He held his hand over the glass, lowering it steadily but no heat seemed to radiate from it despite it nearly burning his fingers. He should be able to feel that kind of heat at a distance but it seemed to be focused inside the glass. He watched intently and kept a finger hovering above, occasionally poking at the glass for a split second to gauge the heat and christ it was getting hotter. What was making it do that? The blood on him hadn’t heated up at all; he'd definitely feel that on his skin. He poked at the dry one under the scope to see if it was safe enough to grab and yeah- it was cold. No change in temperature at all. Was it because it was dry? No liquid left? He put the two slides next to each other and kept watching and feeling, his spare hand flailing to find the handle of a drawer next to him and pull out a thermometer, the same one they used to determine the temperature of astrophage. It took a minute to get a feel for it since he didn’t want to pry his eyes away in case something happened. The sensor was pointed towards the dry one first, room temp. The wet was- jesus christ it was almost at boiling point! Ninety eight degrees and it was climbing slowly. Oh god. The airlock.
Akira leaped from his chair and ran for the door, pulling the latch and swinging it open. The pools left read the same and were also climbing up but the room was still cool, was it like astrophage in that sense? Stored heat as energy in its cells? But why was it doing this now? Mary could handle the heat. He wasn't worried about the floor or anything but he was absolutely fascinated. Was it trying to dry itself out? Or maybe adjusting to its new conditions? Why in heaven's name was blood doing this? There were way too many questions and none of them were answered. He’d like to keep the pools but there’s no way he could, it would dry out eventually and there was the risk it caught fire on something. He didn’t know how it released that energy and Mary was not the right place to truly mess around. One mistake and they’d be kaput. May as well gather some, just a small bit to mess around with after cleaning up. If it was still usable by then anyway. He got enough to fill about ten slides and two tubes for the centrifuge, only a drop in one and then two and so on. There wasn’t a solid reason as to why but different quantities could yield different results. No harm in it. He’d love to get to it right away but alas, the place did have to be mopped up.
—----------------- —
The last thing Akechi could remember was being in that fuck ass iron lung and up to his nose in blood, slowly getting smothered by it, barely having enough breathing room to scream for help and mercy. Panic consuming every cell in his body as he clung to the pipes. A voice spoke directly in his ears,
“Do you want to live?”
Whatever came after was gone. His fingers twitched.
“Eye movement detected.” The voice sounded robotic and distant, he couldn’t open his eyes to look. His body felt so heavy. Was he dead? A breathing tube was pulled from his throat, a gag and cough pulled out with it. Alive then. But where? Without intending to, his brain kicked right back into full swing once it woke up, his chest tight and his lungs moving faster and faster as he felt around his body, adrenaline sending him flying off the bed in a desperate attempt to flee the vessel he was no longer in. Right back where he left off.
“You can’t- you can’t keep me in here you sick fucks! I won’t go! You can’t send me back down there!”
Akechi screamed, falling to his knees. The iv snapped tight and got pulled from his hand by the force. The C.O.I had somehow gotten him out of that death trap they called an ocean and lord knows they wouldn’t just let him go. He forced his eyes open, senses slowing coming to the front. This wasn’t the iron lung. The room was white and padded, an irritating sound that sounded like someone trying and failing to play five instruments at once was coming from behind him and the banging. His head whipped around to look over his shoulder and somehow he screamed louder.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!”
Unsurprisingly he fell on his ass, leaning back on his hand as he used his feet to push him towards the wall and further from whatever the hell it was he was looking at. His hand reached for a bucket that rested under the bed and he flung it across the room, it bounced right off the barrier and back towards him.
“Get me OUT of here, now! I did what you wanted! We had a fucking deal!”
He ranted and raved at the speed of light, hyperventilation making his voice deafening loud, eyes stuck on how that creature in front of him scuttled around. Nothing within arms reach to defend himself besides a now cracked bucket. In the blink of an eye a figure stood in front of him blocking the fluorescent light and casting him in partial shadow. How long had they been there? How did he not notice? A hand reached down to him, palm upwards.
“Hey, it’s okay. You’re sa-”
Akechi went to smack the hand away and turned his head to the side but there was no feeling of skin on skin contact. For just a moment he held his breath and looked down to his left hand only to find nothing there.
What. The. Fuck. His face twisted into a look of shock and fear and confusion. His breathing got more erratic as he waved his hand, he could feel it moving but there wasn’t anything to move. His eyes drifted to the figure above him and followed as they took a few steps back before crouching down.
“Sorry I know you’re scared but-”
“The fuck did you to my arm?! Was it not enough that I almost DIED for you people?! Let me out of here!” Akechi bared his teeth, the sensation of skin stretching near his jaw sent pain right to his temples.
“Please listen to me. I did nothing to your arm, I promise. I need to you calm down and breathe, okay?” The stranger put his hand on his chest and took a deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it.
“Follow my lead. You’re safe here. I swear.” And he repeated the action, forgoing the squat to sit properly on the floor, moving even further back. Trying to seem less threatening is he? Well it’s not working. Eyes as black as the night were staring right at him.
“What’s my name? Tell me!” The C.O.I should know it, he could’ve sworn he told her before everything went to shit. “Say it!” He barked, body jolting as he did.
“I- what? I don’t know.” The man looked genuinely confused but he didn’t believe it. Not one bit.
“Yes you do! I told her! You know my name!” Akechi insisted, slamming the palm of his hand against the floor. All he got in return was a frown and a worried expression.
“I don’t. You just…appeared on our ship, I've never seen you before in my life. I’m Akira.”
Ship? He was on a ship? No that couldn’t be right, the C.O.I doesn’t have a ship unless you counted the contraption he was stuck in. His breathing slowed slightly as he looked around the room and to the man who introduced himself as Akira.
“Look, you're confused and scared out your britches, I understand. I just want to help, swear. Breath with me? Please?” That smile…it was unlike anything he’d ever seen. Something about it compelled him to follow along.
Before he knew it he was copying the rise and fall of Akiras chest and slowly but surely began to come down from the adrenaline and panic fueled will to survive. Whatever energy he had was gone. He barely had enough in him to keep his eyes open and focused.
“Fantastic, nicely done. Okay. Now that we’re a bit calmer…can I ask your name?” The urge to say no climbed up his throat but given how exhausted he was he didn’t have the energy to decline.
“Akechi.” The word mumbled as he pushed himself closer to the wall, as if he could get any closer without phasing through it. For a moment he felt it was worth it, the look he got back was enough to tear down whatever walls he had. That is- if they hadn’t been built so high and so tight.
“It’s nice to meet you, Akechi. Over there, that’s Mona.” He peered over Akiras shoulder at the thing he’d thrown the bucket at earlier. It had since backed further into its…tunnel?
“He’s harmless. Do you want some help getting up? The bed is a lot more comfortable than the floor ya know.” A chuckle rang out and wow he’d never heard anything like it. Still he shook his head, he didn’t want to move right now.
“That’s alright, here.” Akira leaned back and reached under the bed, pulling out a blanket and a pillow from the supports. “These are clean. I’ll go get you some food and water, rest. If you’re gonna nap on the floor I'd prefer you don’t get too cold. We’ll be back in a few minutes okay?”
And a few seconds later he was left alone with a pillow so soft he might pass out the second he rested his head on it. What was going on? If they aren’t with the C.O.I then who the hell are they? Why bother saving him? Where was he anyways?
There weren't many clues to go on from where he was sitting, all he could gather was that it was a room he’d never seen the likes of before. The walls were soft and padded, the oddly shaped dome that was in the corner looked like it was built later. It didn’t fit the scenery at all. Obviously it was that…things. Mona or whatever it was called. Akechis eyes trailed down to the floor, it was mostly clean besides a few streaks of red that were clearly more stubborn than whoever was cleaning it. Then he got a look at himself, a medical gown covering his body, what an ugly shade of blue was his first thought.
—-------------—
On the other side of the ship Akira and Mona were having a bit of a tiffy.
“Bad human! He try to hurt Kira and Mona!” He sighed and knocked his knuckles on the top of Monas ball.
“He’s scared Mona! We don’t know what he went through down there, you heard him didn’t you? Begging to not be sent back down. I’m sorry you got a fright but it’s a natural response. Especially if you don’t know where you are.” Akira couldn’t blame him, he certainly didn’t act calm when he first woke up here.
“What if dangerous, question?!” Mona nudged the ball closer to Akiras legs and did a stomp of disapproval.
“I understand you’re worried Mona but he only yelled at me. Look, we just need to give him some time. He’s here now and I don’t intend to kick him off the ship and to his death, okay? We’ll figure it out. We always do. Right?” He smiled and pressed his first against the ball, head tilted.
“Fine. But I not like him.” Mona slowly raised his hand and bunched his claws, pressing them against Akiras first.
“Okay! Now that’s cleared up, I'm gonna get him something to eat and let him rest. While we wait, I have got to tell you about the blood. I’d like to hear your theories and bounce ideas. Wait for me in the lab?” He gave another tap to the ball before heading towards the bedrooms and called for food and water. A burrito and water came from the ceiling like normal which he placed on his bed for the moment. He couldn’t leave Akechi in that uncomfortable cloth and his clothes were crusty beyond belief. He wasn’t sure they would be recoverable but it wouldn’t hurt to try. For now he’d just have to deal with whatever Akira could give. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a graphic tee from his pile of clothes, a periodic table printed on the fabric. Nothing fancy but they didn’t exactly send him up here with a suit and tie. With his arms full he went back to the med bay, gently knocking on the wall with his elbow before walking in. A sweet smile on his lips as he stepped inside, glad to see Akechi still awake and not freaking out. He moved closer though it was slow, like he was approaching a wounded animal. Gently he placed the tray on the bed next to him.
“Eat up! It should still be warm. Oh and here’s some clothes to change into. Sorry if they don’t fit, just let me know and I'll try to find something else. Just outside across the way is the bathroom as well, no proper shower but there’s body wash and stuff to clean off with. I tried to get you as spotless as i could but well- i’m rambling sorry. I haven’t talked to another person in god knows how long.” A nervous laugh left his lips as he reached back and squeezed at his neck. This felt so awkward, talking to an actual person and not Mona was weird.
A few seconds of silence went by and he cleared his throat, clapping his hands together in front of his stomach. A few steps taken back.
“I’ll leave you to it. Shout if you need anything at all and I'll see what I can do. When you feel like you’re up for it I can give you a tour of the ship!” Just as he reached the edge of the room Akechi finally spoke up.
“Thanks…i guess.” It was muttered but he did catch it, Akiras hearing had gotten a decent bit better since meeting Mona, nowadays he didn’t need the translator at all thanks to it.
He turned and flashed a toothy grin, glasses slipping down his nose.
“It’s no problem at all, don’t mention it.”
—----------------—
Akechi stared at the plate next to him once Akira had left the room. It was a big meal and with a decent amount of water too. Whoever Akira was, he was clearly loaded if he was able to just give away food like this. Still he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth and grabbed the burrito, digging into it like it was the first thing he’d eaten in days. Now that he thought about it, it might be. He couldn’t recall the last time he ate at all. He was messy and sloppy as he ate, food falling from the corners of his mouth to his lap but they didn't stay there long, fingers picking up the stray pieces and popping them into his mouth. Before he knew it the whole thing was gone, not a crumb to be seen. It warmed his stomach and settled rather nicely. Before a food coma came to hit in the face he stumbled from the room and looked for the bathroom so he could change. He very badly wanted to lose his shit but there just wasn’t enough energy in him. The missing arm, the mystery of ending up here, why this man was so kind. He was screaming in his face not too long ago and still approached with a smile. It made his heart squeeze tighter. Something just wasn’t sitting right with him about this. Akechi sighed and closed the bathroom door, he wanted to be out of this gross shade of blue. For the most part Akira had done a good job, he only had to focus on his torso and upper legs and thankfully it didn’t take very long. These clothes were soft! A bit tight but not uncomfortably so, just snug.
Akechi smoothed out the shirt and exited the bathroom, the thought of sleep dragging his eyelids down. His head snapped up before he could doze off, arm reaching for a wall to keep steady so he could get back to the bed. God what did they drug him with? His system had gotten out all its panic for now so it was begging for a deep sleep. It took longer than he would’ve liked but he did get to the bed, pushing the plate and cup towards the end so he could lay down properly, pillow set beneath his head and his entire body covered by the blanket. And just like that, he was asleep.
“Sleep well, Prince.”
The layered voice whispered in his ear and bled into his dreams.