#mking it my life mission to torture him /j/lh

[sabyfangirl]

Alone

After the brothers had a huge argument, Chris accidentally fell out of the Tortuga and into canadian woods in the middle of a snow storm, leaving his guilt-consumed brother to go looking for him with the help of the team.

After another successful creature rescue, the Tortuga team had decided to head North America, Canada to be more specific. Unfortunately, the timing was not the best since there had been serious ice storms and blizzards in most of the areas, forcing the gang to stay inside the Tortuga for what they planned to be a "short period" of time, which quickly turned into days - driving the Kratt brothers insane.

"Martin, turn that racket down! Can't you see I'm trying to read?" Chris yelled from across the room. He was reading a book in his hammock - about science and biology - while Martin was playing the guitar on a floor cushion.

"Well I wanna play my guitar, I gotta do something to keep myself from getting bored!" Martin replied moodily, strumming even harder this time.

They both stared at each other angrily.

From the other side of the room, the girls watched as the tension between the brothers intensified.

"Oh, the storm outside is nothing compared to the one inside," Aviva sighed exasperatedly, Koki nodding her head.

"Yeah, I've never seen them fight before, like ever!" she pointed out with a disappointed tone.

"It's really not like them, we've been cooped up in here for so long it's making them crazy!"

After bearing the sound for one more minute, Chris had enough. "Will you stop playing for just five seconds?!" he snapped.

"You're not the boss of me, so no," Martin said with all of his chest.

"That does it," Chris slammed his book closed, "I'm going to the garage where I can be alone," he shot his brother a hard look from the corner of his eyes.

Martin, barely looking up, simply shrugged. "Whatever," he scoffed while tuning his guitar. Aviva and Koki shared unhappy looks as Chris disappeared out of sight.

"Enough is enough." Martin looked up to find Aviva looking down at him, Koki right beside her. "What has gotten into you guys?" Aviva started.

"You've been fighting over small things lately, and it's getting worse," Koki persued, a firm look on her face.

Martin layed down his guitar and got up. "Oh come on, he's the one who started it!" he said defensively.

Aviva and Koki gave him the uh huh look. He kind of felt as though it was his fault, but wouldn't admit it. He walked by the girls only to accidentally sit on a particular switch.

In the garage, Chris was looking for a good spot to read in peace. "Argh, why does Martin have to be so annoying," he let out with a frustrated tone.

He eventually sat down against a pile of boxes.

"At least he won't be bugging me here," he buried his face in his book... but couldn't bring himself to focus on reading. He looked up and sighed deeply.

"Maybe I should-"

Suddenly, the garage hatch opened right in front of him.

"Oh no!" Chris yelped as he got sucked in, his hands grasping the edge of the hatch as he held on for dear life, having let go of his book as it disappeared into the darkness.

Other objects flew past him, but just as he thought he was going to make it, he got hit in the face by one of the boxes, sending him falling out of the Tortuga.

"AAAH!"

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was, you gotta talk things out with Chris," Aviva insisted.

Martin looked away, arms crossed, but deep down he knew he had to do the right thing. "Okay fine, I'll go and apologize to him," Martin sighed in defeat as he reluctantly made his way to the garage, Aviva and Koki sharing delighted expressions.

"That's more like it."

"Chris," Martin called out as soon as he entered the garage.

No answer.

"I know you're in here somewhere, I just wanna talk-" he stopped short when he noticed the garage hatch was wide open, and Chris was nowhere to be seen.

His stomach dropped. "Chris!" He ran over and looked down from the hatch. It was like staring at a black hole, only being able to see endless snowflakes, but no sign of his brother.

"No..." He stood there for a moment, processing what had happened.

"NO! CHRIS!" Martin cried out, but it was pointless.

He then rushed back to the main room. "The garage hatch is open! Chris is gone!"

"WHAT?!" Aviva and Koki looked stunned.

"But how?" Koki looked over her shoulder. "Someone sat on the switch," she glared at him.

Martin's eyes widened as he realized what he had done. Just a moment ago he felt angry, but now he was consumed with guilt.

"And it's freezing out there!" Aviva paused and slowly turned her head to look at Martin. "...What was Chris wearing?"

The question caught his breath. "Nothing but shorts and a sweater..." Martin's voice trailed off as he gradually felt himself panicking on the inside.

Noticing this, Aviva grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard. "Martin focus, we gotta go back and find Chris." Martin took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll go tell Jimmy to turn back and let him know what's going on," Koki dashed to the pilot room, leaving Martin and Aviva looking at each other with concerned eyes.

"Oh, brother..."

In a snow-covered forest, lay an unmoving body. Suddenly, weak moans started to escape him. The green Kratt was slowly returning to the world of living, the soft but horribly cold touch of the snow making it harder for him to get up from the ground. He gritted his teeth as he sat up and brushed the snow off his clothes before he looked around with blurry eyes; it was pitch dark, with nothing but the harsh winter wind howling in his numb face, snowflakes dancing around him. Part of him was actually grateful he had landed in soft snow. Cold but soft. Though he wished there was such a thing as warm snow, as silly as it sounded in his head. In a shiver, he wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to stand up, almost failing at it. He was so cold, acknowledging that his attire wasn't suitable for the weather. His skin felt like it could easily rip any moment. His teeth chattered so badly, the vibration could reach his brain. A thought suddenly came to him; he dug his trembling hand in his pocket...only to find that he didn't have his creature pod on him. He must've lost it during the fall.

Fantastic.

He squinted his eyes as he tried to spot anything that might be useful; the boxes that accompanied him during his fall were mostly wrecked, some were even sticking out of sharp branches, like marshmallow during a campfire. He swallowed hard as a chill went down his spine. It could've been him.

"This is g-great," he muttered to himself, trying hard not to panic. He had no clue where he was nor for how long he was out cold, all he knew is that he couldn't stand there for too long. "G-Gotta f-find sh-shelter." He picked a random direction and dragged his feet in the thick snow.

"Land the Tortuga right here, Jimmy!" Aviva pointed at a clearing, which could be seen thanks to their searchlights.

"Righty-o!" Jimmy landed the Tortuga, slow and steady.

With no time to spare, the gang got geared up and ready to go out on the search. They all headed to the garage and decided to take the Creetera - Aviva had modified it to make it move through the toughest of conditions, including snow. With Jimmy behind the wheel, Koki next to him and Aviva and Martin in the back, they took off to find their brother and friend... Before it was too late.

"We're coming, Chris."

Everything around him felt cold, vicious, biting and blinding. The wind was roaring in his ears, he had snow in his hair and he was shivering badly. The black and brown thorns wrapped around the forest, almost like teeth waiting to tear at him. Each trudge felt longer and harder than the last. He was getting colder and weaker. He couldn't stand it anymore. All he wanted was a warm bed and a soft blanket, and to think that he had all that and more not long ago. He stopped and looked down at his hands: his fingertips were already turning blue.

Blue.

Martin.

Part of him wanted to blame him for everything, but the other just missed him so badly. He could even hear his voice echoing in his head.

Well I wanna play my guitar, I gotta do something to keep myself from getting bored!

The random cracking sound of wood suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. His eyes danced around to spot the source of it, when they landed on what seemed to be... a hut.

Wait... A HUT!

Slowly but surely, he made his way to what he considered to be the perfect shelter, but when he got close enough, he began to have doubts; the hut was pretty small, so small that not even a horse could fit in it. It had no door, and even with all the snow, he could still tell it wasn't very solid.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Without another thought, he bent his head to enter the hut. It was dark and he could hardly see, but at least he no longer had snow blowing at his face. He walked deeper into the hut, until he found a corner where he sat down. His numb hands touched the ground and he felt smooth, humid grass, which was more preferable than snow. A shaky sigh escaped his chest as he looked around him. A bit of dim moonlight pierced through the cracks and holes, creating a somewhat comforting scene. A weak smile crept across his face, but it faded as soon as he remembered his misery. He also remembered the moment he fought with his brother.

Will you stop playing for just five seconds?!

That does it, I'm going to the garage where I can be alone.

Alone.

Now he was truly alone.

He felt a small tear forming in his eye, but he held it back. He wondered if the crew noticed he was gone yet. He hoped they were already looking for him, having no idea how long he could possibly last out there. The weather was bad enough, but the lack of clothing made it far worse. He calculated the possibilities and the chances he had to survive. He felt his breathing getting faster as the realization hit him. He was freezing. His whole body ached from the cold. He already recognized the early signs of hypothermia; he felt numb, sluggish and his heart rate and breathing had increased. He knew that by staying completely immobile, his symptoms would only get worse. But just as he had the idea of getting up and walking around a little, he heard the loud booming sound of snapping wood right outside, then-

BOOM.

"Stop!" Martin cried out. Jimmy immediately smashed the breaks, and the Creetera came to a halt. Everyone turned to look at Martin who was pale as a sheet.

"Martin?" Aviva approached him, concerned. "What's wrong?

Martin slowly looked up at her, a petrified look on his face. "It's Chris," he swallowed hard.

"What about him?" Koki raised an eyebrow.

"He's hurt, I-I can feel it." He placed a few fingers on the side of his head.

The others exchanged worried looks. "You think you might know where he is?" Jimmy asked.

"N-No," Martin shook his head, still staring into the void. "All I know is that he's hurt." He then looked at them, distress painting his face. "We need to find him fast!"

"We will." Aviva placed a hand on his shoulder. "We promise."

"Uhh, guys," everyone's attention turned to the ginger guy. "What's that?" He pointed at something sticking out of the snow in front of them, illuminated by the headlights.

Martin was the first to hopp off. He went over and pulled the object out of the snow, letting out a loud gasp.

"Martin, what is it?" Aviva knelt beside him.

"It's Chris' book," he managed with a trembling voice, eyes fixated on the title.

"Wait, that means we're on the right track," Aviva said. "...Martin?"

You're not the boss of me, so no.

"Martin?" Aviva shook the blue Kratt. "Snap out of it!"

"It's all my fault," he muttered.

"What?"

Martin looked at her dead in the eye. "This is all my fault. It's my fault Chris is lost out here, it's my fault that he's probably hurt and it's my fault that-"

"Hey, hey, hey..." Aviva cut him off, her voice calm and gentle. "None of this is your fault, we'll find your brother." She grasped his shoulders in a comforting way. "Everything's gonna be okay," she smiled reassuringly.

With glassy eyes, Martin gave her a thankful smile.

"We better get moving," they heard Koki say from behind them. "If he landed here, Chris most likely would've taken...that path." She pointed with her finger, before heading back to the Creetera, followed by Aviva and Martin.

The ringing in his ears grew larger and larger...before it stopped. He gasped as his eyes flung open. The pain was so intense. He tried to move, but his body screamed in response. He put up a shaky hand to his throbbing head, and flinched... He looked down; blood. He felt crimson flowing from the side of his head. Cuts and bruises were all over his body, but he was in too much pain to notice. He then stared at both hands with wide eyes. No!

At that moment, tiny splinters of wood started falling in front of his face. He looked up to find, to his utter horror, a HUGE tree trunk that had burst through the roof, having completely destroyed half the hut. The damage was indescribable. And since the tree trunk was only a few inches above him, Chris used all of his remaining strength to crawl away from it. Oh, the pain was immeasurable. He finally made it to a safer corner, sucking in his fragile, frozen body. He couldn't feel his limps anymore. He then looked at his hands one more time...and his eyes filled with tears. It felt hopeless. He could feel himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness. He clenched his achy chest, his breathing shaky and unsteady. He just wished he could've seen his brother one last time, just hear his sweet voice, or feel one of his hugs.

"M-Martin," his voice was weak and stained with agony. "Help..."

Then the world around him turned black.

Help.

Martin gasped at the familiar voice echoing in his head. He clenched his chest. "Chris?"

"Jimmy stop!" Aviva let out as soon as she noticed. "Martin?"

"He's near, I can feel it." Martin looked around frantically. "Over there!" He pointed at a strange structure in the distance. 

When the Creetera got close enough, the crew gasped at the sight. "A tree fell on this hut!" Koki exclaimed.

"Whoa, that's some serious damage," Jimmy let out in awe.

"You don't think...?" Aviva's voice trailed off.

"Only one way to find out." Martin hopped off the vehicle, not forgetting his bag. "You guys stay here, it's too dangerous for all of us to get in."

The crew nodded. "Be careful," Aviva said.

Martin took out a flashlight as he entered the half-demolished shelter. As he walked deeper, he noticed the trunk sticking out of the ceiling, the sky vomiting snow all over. Then, he noticed an unmoving form in the corner. His eyes widened as he held up the flashlight with a trembling hand. When his eyes landed on him, he felt as though he was stabbed in the heart.

"CHRIS!" he cried out, throwing away his flashlight and dropping on his knees. "No, no, no, no, bro, wake up, it's me, Martin!" his voice was filled with despair, holding his face close to his. He then grabbed him by the shoulders and almost shook him, but didn't. He had to remain calm for his brother's sake. He noticed the dry blood on his face, already getting an idea of how it happened. If the trunk were a person, he would've punched them so hard. He then noticed the state of his hands and gasped quietly.

Frostbite.

He gently leaned in and pressed an ear against his chest, holding him close with his arms as he closed his eyes. "Please, please, please..."

...

Thumb. Thumb.

A faint heartbeat. It was shallow, but very much there.

Martin breathed the biggest sigh of relief he ever had, tears welling up in his eyes. He felt like breaking down and sobbing right then and there, but he abstained himself. He quickly wiped his eyes with a sniffle, then dug his hands in his bag and took out a weighted blanket. He wrapped the fabric around his brother's delicate, frozen body, careful not to harm him.

All of a sudden, Chris gave a whimper which startled his brother.

"Martin, is it time to go to school?" his voice was inaudible, barely louder than a whisper.

Martin's heart ached. He gently picked him up bridal-style, his brows furrowing with inquietude. "No, bro, just go back to sleep," he whispered, but it didn't stop his brother from rambling, only making him even more worried. "Hang in there, Chris."

Back outside, the crew was patiently waiting for Martin to show up. Once he stepped out of the hut, Aviva and Koki gasped in horror while Jimmy let out a screetch at the sight of Chris hanging in his brother's arms, with his head all the way back, a sign of his body's complete and utter limpness, blood covering nearly half his visage.

"Is he okay?!" Jimmy cried out.

"His head's bleeding, he's ice cold and he's delirious," Martin said, almost mechanically, positioning his brother in the back of the Creetera, laying his head on his bag. Then he stole a glance at his hands sticking out of the blanket. "And his hands took a beating," he sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around. "Hey, he'll be alright." Aviva smiled warmly, Martin forcing a feeble smile in return.

"Step on it, Jimmy!" Koki earged.

Without a second to spare, Jimmy smashed the accelerator and the Creetera instantly took off like a bolt of lightning.

Soon enough, the team made it back to the Tortuga, the entrance wide open and welcoming.

Everyone burst in the emergency room, Martin carrying Chris behind them.

He layed him on the emergency bed, then rushed off to grab a piece of cloth to wipe off the dry blood covering his pale face. Koki took off his blanket and threw it away, then she opened an IV bag warmer to heat IV fluids up for Chris before administering it to him. Aviva filled up a recipient with warm water before placing it on the bed, then she slowly dipped Chris' hands in the liquid. He instantly let out silent cries, whimpering at the newly discovered pain. "Sorry Chris," Aviva said with a desolated tone, "I know it hurts but it's for your own good."

Just then, Martin walked up to him with a cool washcloth and knelt beside the bed. "Hang on, bro, this will only take a sec."

Just as he pressed it against the wound, Chris grunted, slightly moving his head to avoid the contact. Regardless, he continued the process. Just as he placed the bloody cloth away, Jimmy walked up with a pile of blankets, carefully covering Chris up as much as he could without touching the recipient or the IV needle. He was making a huge effort at hiding his discomfort from it all, being slightly hemophobic and all that. Finally, Martin took care of wrapping up the wound on his brother's head, finishing with the gentle brush of his hand against his cold cheek.

Dead silence. Everyone circled around the bed, contemplating.

"That's all we can do for now," Koki finally said. "We should all go get some rest, it's been a long night."

Martin pulled a chair close to the bed and sat on it. "You guys go ahead," he said, not taking his eyes off of his brother. "I'm staying."

"Martin-" Aviva tried to reason with him but was instantly cut off.

"I said I'm staying," his tone was harsh and intense. Aviva sighed in defeat, knowing there was nothing she could do to make him leave.

"Fine." She walked by him and sympathetically patted him on the shoulder, before exiting the room, followed by Koki and Jimmy.

They were alone. Just the two of them.

Martin looked down at his brother's face, his eyes were closed shut, almost in a lifeless way.

The memory of everything that had happened flashed before his eyes. He sighed heavily, rubbing his face. He hated himself so badly.

Just then he heard a timid knock on the door. It was Jimmy. He walked in with a mug full of tea in his slightly shaky hands. Martin turned around and tried to wear a small smile.

"Thanks, JZ." He grabbed the mug and the ginger guy made his way out of the room.

"No problem."

Martin looked down at his brother's icy face, the cold refusing to go away, and gently lifted his head before approaching the mug to his slightly open lips. Chris drank most of the tea which made Martin feel at ease, then he placed the mug on the side table and slowly lowered his head back on the pillow. He adjusted the blanket around his form as much as he could, his eyes twitching at his fingers dipped in the water.

Another sigh, this one filled with mixed emotions; he was scared, angry with himself, overwhelmed with relief. But mostly, he just hoped his brother would ever forgive him for not being there for him when he needed him. He wished he could've been there sooner, wished he could've done something to prevent this, but all he could do now was hope he'd recover and that his hands wouldn't suffer from permanent damage. The thought formed a lump in his throat. He reached out a shaky hand and brushed it against Chris' slightly warmer face, tears on the edge of his eyes.

"Everything's gonna be alright, I promise," his voice cracked. And before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face. He buried his face in his brother's chest, sobbing in silence. At some point, he drifted to sleep, a protective arm unconsciously wrapped around his brother.

Hours later, he woke to the sound of grunts, followed by a faint call. "M-Martin..."

Martin's head immediately flung up. He looked down at his brother's closed eyes. "Chris?" his voice was hopeful. "C'mon, buddy, wake up." He squeezed his shoulder.

Chris' eyes slowly started to open, not completely, but enough to look at his brother through half-opened eyelids. "Chris," Martin's voice contained a shred of relief, "Can you hear me?"

Chris stared at him weakly, before nodding.

At that, Martin sighed shakily then reached out to feel his temperature... A little feverish, but he was awake and that was all that mattered.

"How are you feeling?" Martin tried to fake a smile to bring comfort to his agonized brother.

Chris opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead was a dry cough, followed by a shiver. Martin looked at him with sad eyes. Chris slowly looked down at his hands to find that they were in a recipient full of water, also noticing the IV needle sinking into his skin, like a snake's fangs. His eyes widened.

"It's okay, bro," he heard his brother say with a tender tone. "You're gonna be fine."

Chris looked at him for a moment, then smiled weakly. He then gave him a familiar look. Martin knew what it meant. He leaned in and gently wrapped his arms around him, trapping him in a long embrace.

Chris sighed as he snuggled in his brother's shoulder. If his hands were free, he would've wrapped them hard around him and never let go.

Sniff. Sniff.

To his shock, he felt tears falling on his back. "I-I'm so sorry," Martin sniffled between his words. "This is all my fault, I never should've gotten angry with you." 

Chris pulled away from the hug, looking into his brother's eyes. "I-I'm sorry, too," he managed with an unbelievably raspy voice, tears on the edge of his eyes. "I was s-scared, bro... I-I thought I'll never see you a-again, I..." A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Shh," Martin wiped off the tear with his thumb. "Everything's gonna be fine now, I'm not going anywhere," he smiled warmly, his voice soft and reassuring.

Chris seemed to relax after that. "Thanks bro," he sniffled.

"You get some rest, I'll go let the others know you're awake." Chris nodded weakly and closed his eyes with a quivering sigh as Martin got up from the chair and headed to the door. He stopped, turned around to steal one more glance at his brother, smiling sadly...then left the room.

A few days had gone by, and chris was gradually healing; the hypothermia had completely gone away a few hours after his first conversation with his brother after the incident. His head injury was slowly getting better, and according to Aviva, he didn't seem to be having any internal issues that might've been caused by it, much to everyone's relief. All that was left was the frostbite. His hands stayed dipped in warm water 24/7, day and night, which was driving him a little crazy despite being told a million times it was the best way to treat it. He was mostly scared, however, that his hands would never get any better and that he would never be able to use them again. The thought always nearly brought him to tears, but thankfully he had his brother by his side to cheer him up and bring him hope, every step of the way. The older Kratt kept his word and never left his brother's side, he even went as far as reading him that book he had lost in the snow since he never truly finished it, and it always brought a smile to his little brother's face.

One day though, a miracle occured. Chris woke one morning, his brother sleeping beside him, his head resting on his bed, still sitting on that same chair. The sight always made a warm-hearted smile crack on his face. He always told him to sleep in his own bed but the stubborn sibling refused, not surprisingly. The green Kratt looked around the chamber, a bit of sunlight shining through the window and creating a golden string, his eyes following it until they landed on his hands. His hands. Something felt...different about them. He cautiously sat up to look down at his hands, still trapped under the water, and with slight hesitance, he slowly took them out, droplets of water raining on the cover as he approached them to his face.

He paused for a moment, gulped...then curled his fingers into a fist. His eyes widened, a short laugh escaping him, followed by a cry of joy and relief.

Martin suddenly came back to the world of living, he looked around frantically, still not fully awake. "Chris, wha-" He rubbed his eyes and noticed his brother staring at his hands with an exaggeratedly large smile on his face, his remaining sleep disappearing.

"Are you okay? What happened? Are you feeling worse?!" He shot him with a bunch of questions, Chris only laughing even harder.

"Martin, look!" He extended his hands for him to see; the frostbite was gone. Both brothers cried and hugged and sobbed for a while, they were just so happy.

"See? I told you everything was gonna be alright!" Martin cried, the smile on his face accompanied by matching tears.

"Yeah," Chris wiped his face, the amazing sensation of using his hands again washing over him. "I don't know what I would've done without you."

Martin gasped softly, smiling warmly.

After updating the others on what happened, Martin came back to Chris' room with some tea, his brother finally being able to hold his own mug. He then took out the book for Chris to grab.

Chris reached out his hands, but paused...then lowered them, seeming pensive. Martin looked confused.

"Actually..." Chris snuggled back on his pillow with his tea. "I like it better when you read it for me," he smiled.

Martin looked at him for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. "No problem," he chuckled.