With thanks to @fluffysomething for letting me use their character
Jonathan covered his face with his jacket, but it did little to save him from the bulletstorm of hail firing into him.
The county was facing one of its worse storms in years, and Jonathan was trapped outside with nowhere to call shelter. He’d already passed two drowned Fluffy families and one floating dead mare with two still chirping foals on her back, wondering with fear and confusion where their mother was ignoring their cries for help.
Because of his situation, having just broken out of prison, Jonathan was avoiding his usual safe-houses in case any of them had been compromised. Unfortunately this meant that he had nowhere to turn to save him from the flood, even finding a shelter and trying to sleep rough for a night was out of the question when hypothermia was a real concern.
There was one option though, and Jonathan knew he was close enough for it to be a real consideration. But to take that choice would mean opening up old wounds and facing someone he hadn’t spoken to in over a decade.
Weighing up his options, it took an icy blast of pain to shoot through his fingers to remind him that potential awkwardness was preferable to definite death from exposure, and with a heavy sigh in his chest he took on running for the only safe haven he had left.
Dr Harriet Roseman was sitting in her living room with a glass of wine, the soft classical music from her speakers and her double-glazing window kept out the noise from the storm and the dimmed lights made for a relaxing atmosphere.
In the other room she could hear the reason for her temporary reprieve, the cannibal Fluffy Orange was mere days away from giving birth to a host of virus babbehs, mistakenly thinking they were her own. Harriet had given herself a moment to collect herself in preparation for the big event.
“Owange wub babbehs, babbehs wub Owange, bestesh bab… GIT WAY FWOM SOON-MUMMAH!”
“Huu, Eff-vee-seven-fouw-wun-zero jus wan knyo babbehs am ok.”
“FV-7410, FV0446, leave Orange alone, she can look after her tummeh-babbehs by herself.” Harriet called through to the other room. She listened out for two grumbling but obedient Sickie-Friends trudging away before returning to her wine.
She didn’t even get a sip in before there was a loud and rapid knocking at her door.”
“EEK, Nu wike woud noisies.” Came a sharp cry from the other room, followed slowly by the faint stench of shit.
“It’s ok Orange, I’ll deal with it.” Harriet approached the door but kept well back as she shouted to whoever was on the other side. “Sorry, we’re not interested in anything today.”
“HARS IT’S ME!” A muffled male voice called out over the wind and the rain.
Hars? Harriet hadn’t been called Hars since college, since…
“John?”
Harriet rushed to the door, the sudden explosion of weather nearly took her off her feet but she was able to look out towards her visitor. Even after over ten years, and currently drenched and dripping, she recognised the messy blonde hair and scruffy beard of Jonathan Mongola.
“John, what the hell are you doing here, I thought you were… get inside before we both freeze to death.”
Jonathan nodded and rushed passed Harriet, trying to find a good spot where he wouldn’t be dripping on anything important. Harriet closed the door and turned round to face him, the two of them stood there for a moment, staring at each other in silence with nothing but the drips off Jonathan’s clothes onto the hardwood floor.
Eventually Harriet broke the silence with a sigh.
“Bathroom’s down the hall, second door on the right. I’ve got some of my dad’s old clothes in a box, I’ll try and find you something to wear and I’ll dry your clothes off for you.”
“Thanks Harriet, I swear I’ve got…”
“I’m sure you’ve got your reasons for being here John, but we’ll discuss them all once you’re not freezing to death.”
Not wanting to make the situation even more uncomfortable, Jonathan nodded and took off towards the bathroom, trying not to slip as he hurried along the wooden floor. Harriet waited until the bathroom door was shut before letting out a deep breath she hadn’t even realised she was holding.
Harriet’s relationship with the Mongola Brothers was… fractured to say the least. She had enjoyed a friendly rivalry with Jonathan’s brother Josef when they were both studying, even afterwards they had shared notes on Fluffy anatomy and research, although Josef was far more into the lengths of physical and psychological abuse than she was.
Jonathan though was a different story, Harriet had met Jonathan through her roommate in college and had grown use to seeing him about their dorm, even getting quite friendly with him before they graduated. Harriet went into the medical field while her roommate went on to marry Jonathan.
Her roommate Martha.
Martha whose funeral was the last time she saw Jonathan.
Knowing that THAT conversation was inevitable, Harriet moved quickly so they were both prepared for it. She rushed to her room and grabbed some of her father’s old clothes, trying to find something neutral so as not to lead to any more embarrassment. She had only agreed to take in the clothes when her mother said they needed a week to fit in the new wardrobe, now two years later and she still hadn’t asked for it back.
Harriet suspected her mother was just making space by throwing away the stuff that didn’t fit dad anymore.
Finding a pair of faded jeans and a navy blue polo shirt, Harriet returned to the bathroom, knocking on the door to let Jonathan know she was there.
“I’ve got a couple things for you, they should fit but don’t worry too much if they don’t.”
“Alright, thanks.”
The door opened slightly and a hand reached out, Harriet passed the clothes and the door closed again just as quickly.
“Just bring your wet stuff to the kitchen, I’ll throw them in the dryer for a bit.”
Jonathan gave a noise that sounded between exertion and affirmation, likely trying to get something on or off of his soaked body. Leaving him to his struggles, Harriet went through to the kitchen, finding Orange laying on her bed whilst scowling at FV-0446 and FV-7410, the latter of whom was holding their face as viral fluids dribbled down a broken nose.
“Huu, mummah, meanie Owange gib Eff-Vee-Seven-Fouw-Wun-Zewo facies huwties.”
“Well I did tell you to leave her alone, the tummeh babbehs will do just fine. Now come on, mummy has a guest over and I don’t want you two bugging him with questions.”
“Gess?” FV-0446 queried with a smiling growing on their face. “Nyu fwiend?”
“No, this is… it’s a long and complicated story, he’s less than a friend but more than a stranger, I’ll explain it all another time but for now I need you two gone.”
Harriet picked up the two sickie-friends and carried them through to their enclosure in the other room. She returned to the kitchen just in time to see Jonathan standing in the doorway staring quizzically at Orange.
“Hewwo, am yu mummah’s wess-dan-fwiend?”
“Uh… sorry what?”
“ORANGE! You leave Jonathan alone, he’s only here to escape the storm.”
“Ooh, yeh. Owange nu wike sky-wawa, bad fow tummeh-babbeh.”
Jonathan shot Harriet a look but didn’t say anything, Harriet gave him one back, silently telling him she’d explain later.
“Ok well mummy’s going to wash Jonathan’s clothes now, you stay here and keep safe, we’ll just be in the other room.”
“Ok mummah, Owange wook afta tummeh-babbehs. Mummah wub babbehs, babbehs wub mummah…”
As Orange went back to singing her silly little songs, Harriet took Jonathan’s drenched clothes and threw them into the dryer, she then motioned for him to follow her through to the living room, leaving Orange alone in the kitchen.
“Hars… how old was that Fluffy, because she barely looks older than a filly and yet she’s about ready to pop. I’ve stolen enough Hasbio data to know they can’t get pregnant that young, what’s going on?”
Harriet couldn’t help but smirk. “What if I told you she’d not REALLY pregnant? She’d currently experiencing a faux pregnancy brought about by a viral infection and when she gives birth – which should be within the next 12 hours or so – she won’t give birth to foals, but to little viruses.”
Having seen the Hasbio production line first-hand before blowing it up, Jonathan was used to seeing some fucked up Fluffies, but Fluffy born viruses took him by surprise.”
“And just why the hell are you… breeding viruses? Especially Fluffy viruses.”
“Scientific curiosity. Orange is a cannibal Fluffy, I think part of her genome unlocked when I fed her her mother… long story. I’ve dealt with Fluffy viruses before, my two parental viruses, or Sickie Friends as I sometimes call them, have infected many Fluffies before but I’ve never found a cannibal Fluffy before, I’m curious as to see what happens with the result.”
“You haven’t been chatting with Joey have you?”
Despite herself, Harriet chuckled. “No, I heard about his experiments and he did send over some of his research. It was far too brutal for my tastes, I don’t agree with his views of Fluffy Eradication, especially not as grotesque as what he was suggestion. My Sickie Friends are far more… personable, would you like to meet them?”
“Say what now?”
“Meet them, they’re quite friendly. Through here.”
Harriet led Jonathan through to the Safe-Room, inside their enclosure, FV-0446 and FV-7410 readied themselves for the arrival of their babbehs, ready to be the best parental viruses they could be. Until they saw the door open and their mummah arrive with her guest.
“Mummah, am dis nyu fwiend?”
“No FV-0446, this is Jonathan and I’m just letting him give you a look over so he can see you better, he’ll be leaving shortly.”
Jonathan eyed the two figures with shock and intrigue, the two of them looked nothing like Fluffies, they were small and completely spherical save for some stubby arms and legs, not even a head just a face on their body. And yet despite that, they talked and acted very similar to Fluffies, even down to the need to welcome anyone they deem as a ‘New Friend’.
“Jesus Joey would shit himself with excitement if he saw this.”
Harriet’s proud smile slowly dropped from her face, for a brief moment she had forgotten that a wanted man, a Mongola of all people, was in her home and had gotten lost in the science. She hadn’t had anyone who understood her line of work to talk with in sometimes.
She got overly excited, and forgot who she was talking to.
“John… we still haven’t talk about why you’re here.”
She could see Jonathan’s shoulders slump, knowing that they couldn’t avoid the conversation for very long. Reluctantly he stood up and followed Harriet back to the living room.
“Your work is impressive.” He said with a smile on his face but not in his eyes, sitting down comfortably in one of the sofas.
“John I’m serious. Last I heard you were in prison, and no offence but given our history I know you didn’t come here by choice. I think you owe me an explanation at least.”
Jonathan paused for a moment, his mind working out how much to share with Harriet.
“You’re right, I was in prison, I broke out once I heard about Joey.”
“I heard, for what it’s worth I’m sorry.”
“Thanks, and don’t worry this isn’t some ultimate revenge quest, not yet anyway. As for why I came here specially, again you’re right, it wasn’t my first choice. I can’t trust any of my usual hiding spots and the only person closer is my friend Theodore and… well let’s just say we’re on iffy terms right now, I made some difficult choices regarding a herd invasion at his place and he disagreed with my actions.”
“A Mongola being difficult? How shocking.”
Jonathan chuckled at her sarcasm. “Yeah, I guess somethings never change.”
“You did. I remember how you were before John, with Martha.”
“Hars I…”
“No John, we can’t ignore the ghost in the room. Martha was my friend too, long before she met you. I’m not saying my loss is any greater or lesser than yours, God I can’t even imagine how you feel, but you’re not the only one who lost someone that day. It’s because of Martha that I’ve not called the cops yet and it’s because of Martha that I even let you into this house. Now please, for whatever little friendship we have left, tell me what you’re doing here.”
Jonathan smirked. “I thought we were ‘less-than-friends’.”
“Don’t deflect the question John, you and Josef were always good at that but I’m not in the mood for it.”
“Alright, alright, I guess I owe you that much. I just want a roof over my head Hars, and a place to sleep that’s not a fucking hole in the dirt. I know I have no right to ask you, but I’m out of options and I can’t stay outside, not tonight.”
Harriet sighed, she had figured that was what he was after, but hearing it out loud just made her chest feel heavy.
“John… No. I’m sorry but you’re a criminal, whether you deserve to be called one or not is a different question but you are one and I can’t afford to risk keeping you here. My work is too important, what I’m doing with the Viruses and their effects on Fluffies could unlock a whole new realm of Fluffy care, or even poisons and toxins.”
Jonathan smiled, but once more there was little light in his eyes. “It’s alright Hars, I figured it be a long shot. Honestly I half expected you to slam the door in my face and call me a murderer for what I did to Martha. The dry clothes and the short reprieve from the storm more than enough, for what it’s worth I am thankful.”
Harriet sat down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, a sad laugh on her breath. “Unlike you John, I don’t blame Fluffies for Martha’s death, my work here is purely scientific, not malicious. And unlike you John, I never blamed YOU for Martha’s death, I remember your family, I remember how toxic your father’s influence was and I do not blame you for killing him. Martha would’ve come back, maybe not as your wife but she would’ve stayed your friend, she just needed time to herself. What happened in Cleveland was just a horrific accident, and that sucks because you can’t blame anyone for an accident, even if you need to in order to focus that rage somewhere.”
Harriet watched Jonathan’s face tense up, his eyes shut tight and his breath held still, she was confused for a moment until she realised what he was doing.
He was trying not to cry.
After a moment Jonathan released the tension and a smile reappeared on his face. “Well it’s been nice catching up Hars, thank you again, but I should probably be heading off if I can’t stay. Don’t want to be caught in that shit once it’s dark.”
“John I…”
“No, no. I understand everything and I don’t want to overstay my welcome, not when…”
“You can stay until the rain’s off. I know that’s not perfect but it’s better than nothing. Besides, I’ve missed having someone to talk science with, you Mongola boys might be insane but you know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m no scientist Hars, Joey was the brains of the family, I was just some mad bastard who knew who to make a bomb. But maybe a little catching up would do me well, be nice to have some human contact for a change.”
As if on cue, the dryer let out a little chime telling them both it was finished, Harriet went to stand up but Jonathan stopped her.
“No, let me, it’s my stuff and I need to get changed anyway, no offence but your dad’s clothes are a little tight.”
Harriet giggled. “Ok, just turn the machine off when you’re done.”
“No problem, won’t be a moment.”
Harriet sat back down as Jonathan rushed through to the kitchen, it wasn’t fun bringing up old wounds, especially regarding Martha and the circumstances of her and her son’s death, but seeing Jonathan again, it reminded her of a simpler time, before her life revolved around Fluffies and researching them.
Given their circumstances there was no feelings towards Jonathan, but she was thankful there was at least a courtesy between them both.
At least she did until she realised 15 minutes had gone by and there hadn’t been a sound from Jonathan in all that time.
Concerned, Harriet got up and went through to the kitchen, the dryer was empty so he had at least come in here. She turned to Orange, still mindlessly humming to her ‘foals’.
“Orange, did you see the nice mister come through here?”
“Mummah wub bab… nice mistah? Yeh, Owange see him gu dat way.”
Orange pointed her stubby little leg towards the back hallway, Harriet followed the direction, wondering why Jonathan had gone that way.
She got her answer when she came across her father’s clothes discarded on the floor beside the backdoor. Harriet peered out of the window, but with the nigh encroaching fast and the storm laying on thick, she could barely seen her own garden in the gloom let alone any figure that might be there.
Jonathan was gone as far as she was concerned.
Harriet sighed and picked up the clothes as she returned to the kitchen, she couldn’t help but feel a little dejected, she was surprised just how much she was looking forward to chatting to Jonathan, nobody else in her inner circle knew science as well as she did.
Nobody else knew Martha as well as she did either, Harriet actually felt bad about almost forgetting her.
“Mummah?”
Harriet looked down, broken out of her thoughts by Orange.
“Whewe nice mistah gu?”
Harriet felt a smile growing on her face, sure she didn’t have any humans to talk to anymore, but she was far from alone. And Orange was so very close to be a LOT more interesting.
“Oh he had to go home Orange, nothing you need to worry about. You just keep yourself nice and cosy, your babbehs will be here soon.”
“YAY BABBEHS, mummah wub babbehs, babbhes wub…”
Harriet left Orange to her singing and went to prepare herself, quickly putting Jonathan and his return behind her.
Old wounds weren’t worth the hassle, Harriet was far more interested in new wounds.
