#they're so angry at everything happening to them and ziri but there's this wonderful undertone of helplessness

[frantic-fuck]

Snakelet - Chapter 5 (cont'd)

@augusnippets Day 8 - Protective Caretaker, with an undertone of Found Family

Word count: 518

Masterpost

Content: Post-torture injury, implied lab whump, caretaker doing their best for whumpee's sake, when the caretaker is takered care of

Honestly I just wanted to follow the last snippet up bc I like writing Zop lmao

~

Seeing as Janessa's 'forgotten' to free Zop from the operating table, they do their best to make themself comfortable — not an easy task in her presence, even without restraints. "And just how d'ye plan on fixin' him up, eh?"

She looks at them like they're an idiot. So, the same as she always does. "I'll commission a healer, and he'll be good as new."

"D'ye really think that's it?! He's bein' tortured, for fuck's sake! Get ye the best healer in the world, it's not gonna fix his mental scars!"

"Of course not. That's your job." She boops them on the snout, hurriedly drawing her hand back when they snap their jaws with the full intention to bite her finger off. ...Probably why she's left them tied down. "I expect that he'll be perfectly capable of going back to normal within... a week, let's say. I'm sure you can manage that. You want him obedient as much as I do."

"Oh, fuck off. We both know yer not gonna ruin yer little deal over somethin' out of his hands. Yer damn lucky he'll let this slide." They flex their leg, instantly regretting it when agony washes over them anew.

"Fine. Then I'll take it out on him instead. I'm sure he'll have plenty of fun new buttons to push. Is that better for you, Zop?"

They snarl, refusing to admit defeat outright. "Fuck you. Never said I wasn't gonna try. I'm used to fixin' yer mess, anyway."

"This is not my mess."

"Don't ye start, it's yer fuckin' fault he—"

With narrowed eyes, Janessa dismisses them, responding from outside the gem as Zop collapses into Maya.

"Clearly, he didn't adequately salvage your mental capabilities. We'll have a discussion about that when he returns."

"Meh meh meh, I'm a little bitch, I am." Zop sneers weakly, more concerned with the blood pouring down their leg. "Ye think we can clean this up? Don't want him fussin' over me when he gets back."

"...Let us worry about that after we stop the bleeding, yes?"

"Aye, right. Help me there, will ye?"

With Maya's help, Zop staggers to the crack in the floor, which they've made considerably wider this past week. Solstice places a hoof on the crack and faer horn on Zop, and slowly but surely, their leg closes up.

They carefully flex it and suck in a pained breath. Still hurts like a bitch, but at least the blood's staying inside.

"Good enough. Now I can—"

"Sit down, is what I assume you are going to say, correct?"

Zop squints at Maya, who stares back up at them, and eventually sighs in defeat. "'Course. Don't wanna open it back up, anyway."

Satisfied, she helps them lie down comfortably on the jouch while Solstice addresses the other janimals about 'jleaning jhe jlood.' They prop their leg up on the jouch's arm with a groan.

"Dunno how he manages to deal with her all the time."

"She does not stab him, for one."

Maya plops her furry head on Zop's chest, and they stroke her soft, denim fur.

"Aye. Lucky me."