Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The night air surrounded Branzy, blowing him gently as he stood by the window. The moon shone brightly on Lifesteal, revealing a starry sky. It was almost taunting how close to freedom he was.

When Branzy teamed up with Clown, (Or rather, was forced into his servitude) he had expected some chores, maybe some distractions to help with traps. But definitely not being trapped in the Casino, like a pet waiting to be let outside. But it wasn't that bad, he could still leave the Casino with permission! It's not like he was TRAPPED, that would just be ridiculous. But when an idea of escape plummeted from above and landed in his mind… Well, who was Branzy to ignore it?

[ClownPierce] whispers to [BranzyCraft] ' I'm heading out for the night. '

[BranzyCraft] whispers to [ClownPierce] ' k '

Perfect. Alright, time to carry out the most dangerous thing he's ever done - Betray ClownPierce.

Branzy tore through the Casino, collecting his few items before heading to the window sill. A ripple of doubt enveloped his mind. Did he really want to do this? Could he actually pull off a water bucket clutch? He looked out the window and felt beads of sweat form. Well, he doesn't really have a choice.

He took in a deep breath, put his foot on the window sill, and jumped.

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Branzy tumbled through the air, pulling out his bucket desperately. He uselessly fumbled before hitting the dry ground beneath him. A second too late, he felt water pool around his feet.

Crack

Hot, sharp pain shot through his body as he staggered to a tree, wincing through his teeth. Not wanting to look down, he sat against the oak tree, struggling to breath. His body writhed with agony, but he limped onwards to one of the only safe havens he could trust; one of his closest friends. Rekrap.

The sun had begun to rise by the time Branzy had made his way to the castle. By now the blood was beginning to pool under his pale skin, making a large purple bruise on his leg. Making his way over to the door, Branzy's ears began to pick up on some noise inside the base. After he knocked on the door, he heard quiet shuffling from inside. He took a shaky breath and spoke.

"It's Branzy"

He cringed at his voice crack, clearing his throat as the door opened to reveal the shapeshifter. The look of slight confusion was quickly replaced by one of concern as he looked from Branzy's face to his leg. And Branzy could see why- the large bruise had now turned a deep purple, along with several gashes he had acquired on the way here.

"Oh…my gosh. Branzy, what hap- you know what, actually, just come inside."

Branzy winced as Rek grabbed him by the arm and eased him inside carefully. Once Branzy was sat down on the makeshift couch inside, Rek had hurried out to get his first-aid kit from his Ender Chest. He could feel the nerves in his leg throbbing constantly, was it normal for them to hurt this much? There couldn't have been too much damage, right? It was just a fall from…how high was that window again?

*BZZT*

Branzy's train of thought is interrupted by a buzz from his left pocket, followed by a little chime. A ping and a message from the sounds of it, but who would be messaging him? He pulled out the little device, green light illuminating his face as he turned it on. After reading the name on the screen, Branzy felt his heart sink into his stomach.

CLOWNPIERCE > Private chat

4:33 am

@BranzyCraft

Where are you.

A cold sweat broke out on Branzy's forehead. Clown had returned to the Casino, only to find it empty of his servan- partner. Oh, Branzy was one dead man.

Chapter Text

Rekrap was having a typical day. He woke up, checked for players and traps, gathered resources, worried about players and traps, and organized his chests. As he finished sorting his "Ores" chest, he heard a knock at his front door. Immediately, suspicions flooded his mind as he quickly got out his sword. He was about to drink an invisibility potion when he heard a familiar voice.

"It's Branzy."

Rek took a breath and approached the door. He looked through the hidden window above the door, and seeing the silver top of his friend's head, opened the door to greet him. It was kind of odd for Branzy to show up unannounced like this, especially at such an early hour. (Rek knows he usually can't stay up past 11, so this is particularly strange) He's standing like he could pass out at any minute, too. Then Rekrap looks down.

A trail of blood droplets glistening in the moonlight- leading up to a bruised, bloodied leg surrounded in cuts and gashes. Rek tries his best to hide his shock, but his mind is screaming at him. What happened to Branzy? Why is he hurt? Why did he show up? Is he being hunted? Who did this? What- Rek cuts his thoughts off. He has more important things to be doing right now than worrying- he'll do that later.

"Oh…my gosh. Branzy, what hap- you know what, actually, just come inside."

Because of how unstable the leg wound (and, frankly, his friend) look, he helps his friend to the couch of his living room and goes to get medical supplies. He comes back with his first aid kit, and finds Branzy looking even more dreadful than when he first arrived. The man's eyes are wide and his mouth is slightly open in shock, staring at his communicator.

"Branzy?" The man looks up, expression still mortified for a split second before breaking out into an sheepish smile. "Are you ok?" (This is a stupid question. Of course he's not ok- look at his leg! Rek mentally facepalms.)

"Heeeyy! Sorry for just…showing up. I guess I'm just…Uh…y'know…" Branzy looks away with a bit of nervous laughter, something Rekrap heard long enough to know it means something awful has happened. He throws Branzy a reprimanding look, because he does NOT in fact "y'know"- but he DOES know that he's dodging the question.

Branzy's stopped talking, and is now looking dazedly at a pillow on the couch. Rek sighs and looks back down at the leg and sets down the first aid kit on the nearby table. Questions later, treatment now.

"Can you move your leg?"

This seems to snap Branzy back into focus and he grimaces slightly. "I can, sorta move my knee up and down? So, kind of?" Rek highly doubts he can- at least effectively. By the looks of it, his leg is broken and dislocated. The brunette sighs.

"Branzy, this is going to hurt a bit, but I need to prop your leg up. I'm not sure if your leg muscle is torn, but we can't heal that either until the bones are in the right position."

Rek gingerly lifts his friend's leg onto a pillow and gets to work, wiping the wound with water and then gauze to clean it. Branzy winces at the pressure and yelps when the alcohol touches his open wounds. He bites his lip after that, but Rek can tell it hurts. Judging by the bruise, Rek approximates the area of the break and wraps it in the splint in place with bandages.

"Branz, I need you to try and move your leg forward and backward, kind of in a kicking motion."

The man complies, wincing in effort and pain as he attempts to move his leg. Rek watches with sadness as the leg barely moves, and Branzy cries out briefly in pain. Rekrap sighs. "I think you tore your leg muscle. I can heal it with a regen potion, but it's going to hurt a lot more… Sorry."

"O-h, uh, ok." Both his voice and body are trembling. Rek sympathetically pulls out the regeneration potion from the box, and puts a hand on Branzy's shoulder as he drinks it, who writhes in pain afterwards. Finally, Rek sanitizes everything again and puts away the materials.

"Ok, it's all finished." He looks over at his friend, who is staring with an empty gaze at the ceiling. Rekrap wants badly to ask about how this happened, about why he came to him in this state, about where he's been. But he settles on a simple question. "…Are you ok, Branzy?"

Branzy just closes his eyes softly, and Rek watches as a single tear slowly streaks down his cheek. His voice is creaky and quiet.

"Yeah."

Chapter Text

Branzy lay awake, staring at the ceiling of Rek's base. He was almost motionless, not wanting to wake his friend, who had fallen asleep several hours ago. The sunlight was beginning to trickle in through the cracks in the forest behind Rek's base. Suddenly, the thought occurred to him that this was, in fact, the first morning he'd spent away from the ClownPierce in… well, he can't exactly remember. A long time.

His communicator lay on the wooden table beside the couch, faintly glowing the hour and date. A barrage of unread messages lay beneath them on the pale-green screen.

[Unread message from: ClownPierce]
[Unread message from: ClownPierce]
[Missed call from: ClownPierce]

Ah, right. That.

Branzy quickly averted his eyes.

Suddenly, hearing Rekrap start to stir, he closed his eyes and tried to look as asleep as he could. He heard his friend stretch quietly, pause, and rise from the couch- Branzy presumed his pretend-sleep has worked. Rubbing theatrical sleep from his eyes, Branzy slowwwlyyy sat up, letting out a fake yawn for good measure. As he got to a full sitting position, Rekrap shook his head.

"Don't get up yet. It's only-"

He paused to check his watch.

"7:30. You need more than 5 hours of sleep, especially after an injury like that." The brunette gestured lightly to his leg, which had since turned a deep purply-black color.

Branzy winced. It looked worse than the night before, even all bandaged up. But the pain (a stinging, burning feeling the night before) had faded into a dull ache. Picking at the splint, he sighed in resignation and nodded his agreement. Rek smiled slightly, and walked off towards the kitchen.

Immediately after Rek was out of sight, Branzy attempted to get up. He hadn't moved his leg since he got to the couch last night, or even tried! Surely the regen potion had healed it some, right? As soon as he put any pressure at all on the leg, electric pain jolted through his spine. Branzy had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from yelping as hot, aching throbs sent from the leg.

After crashing back onto the couch, the pain slowly subsided back to wherever it was hidden before. The man brought in a shaky breath before slowly adjusting back to his original position. Branzy's mind once again starts to wander to the night before.

He remembers little of the escape, only the intense building dread in his chest, the sharp adrenaline of the fall. The sickening crunch as his leg broke beneath him. Much of it is hazy after the fall- but he doesn't try to see through the fog in his mind. He gets the sense it would be like squinting your eyes through the trees until you look straight at the sun.

Branzy slowly becomes aware of a needling pain in his broken leg. Looking down, he realizes he's been picking at one of the cuts from the edge of the bandage- It's been reopened by the contact. He stares at it absently, wiping away the small drops with his thumb, lips parted slightly at the bright crimson. The thin smear of blood quickly slowly fades into a copper on his fingertip.

As Rek's footsteps returned, he quickly wiped off the stain onto the hem of his jacket, picking the dried blood from under his nail as inconspicuously as he could. The tray of food Rek had set down on the coffee table felt like a warm offering, a steady yet not overbearing presence. Branzy quietly took a slice of bread to nibble on.

As he ate, he tried to fill the silence- he really did- and yet he had nothing real to say. He had nothing to ask, nothing to prevent the inevitable conversation except to try and fill in the lack of it with whatever nonsense filled his head. He knows Rek will never start the topic into the conversation, never push his friend for an answer like that. But Rek's waiting.

And Branzy, knowing what he's waiting for, must oblige.