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"Take that!"
Peppermint was watching Chai through the screen of her monitor as he cleared out the robots in the SPECTRA room. It was his fifth attempt so far, these tests were becoming ridiculously hard for no apparent reason, and she didn't like how these were so catered to Chai. Nonetheless, they needed to get these cleared out.
Chai occasionally called her or Macaron into battle, but since Korsica was on the clock in her office, she was only watching and offering advice.
Finally, after the sixth attempt, the room's challenge was finally complete and the string revealed itself to her.
“Another SPECTRA room cleared out and done for,” Chai boasted, twirling his guitar in the air in a victory pose. "You got the string-thing, Peppermint?"
Now that Chai had cleared the room, she was able to trace the signal and get what she needed. But the whole thing was still incomplete, at least three more. The more doors they completed, the more anxious she became. Just what were they meant for?
She gritted her teeth, gripping her mouse as the memories of her late brother returned. Why couldn't this thing just be over and done for?
"Peppermint?" Chai's voice asked again.
"Yeah, got it, Chai," she told him, bringing her attention back to the present. "Come back to the hideout for now, I still need sometime to square in on the next one."
"There's more?" Chai groaned. He started walking out of the room and towards the new set of stairs they had started building in the Atrium. "How many of these things are there? What's so important that- "
Chai never finished his sentence because he tripped over one of the stray tools on the ground. He smashed his head on a pillar then tumbled down the stairs, 808 managing to avoid it all by reverting into her ball form, though she too was knocked awry. There was a loud crash offscreen and when 808 managed to refocus on Chai, he had crashed into a pile of scaffolding which had also unceremoniously dropped on him.
"I told you to put the tools away!" a VA-SER unit said to another.
"No way, I told you to!"
Peppermint rolled her eyes, moving 808 physically so her focus was just Chai.
"Chai? You okay?" she asked through her feline robot.
Macaron exclaimed beside her, "that was quite a tumble."
It took a moment for Chai to respond, or move for that matter, and Peppermint started getting worried, but he lifted his head, dazed.
"Ugh…" Chai shoved the debris out of the way. Some of the robot units had hurried over to help get things out of the way. "Think so. I just trip-"
As he was trying to stand up, Chai suddenly violently recoiled, flinging himself back onto the ground, clutching his area below his knee. Chai looked like he was in total shock, like he was unable to comprehend what was wrong. He testily poked at a part of his leg, looking nervous.
"Chai?" Korsica's voice asked from her office.
"That hurt. Like really hurt." Chai was looking down at his leg in disbelief.
"Are you okay?" Peppermint asked again, now seriously worried once more.
“Ow, ow… It’s fine, I’ll just walk it off,” Chai managed to say, voice strained with pain. A moment later, there was another crash as Chai fell right back into the pile of debris. “Okay, you know what, nevermind… I think I’m just gonna… lie down.”
Peppermint narrowed her eyes, sending off a command to 808 to give her a reading on Chai’s vitals and see what’s wrong. His heart seemed fine, though his stress levels seemed quite high. It wasn’t until Peppermint saw the scans for his leg did she finally understand what was wrong.
“Your leg’s… broken, Chai,” she said, unable to believe what she was saying. This guy shot himself out of a cannon unscathed and he broke his leg falling down some stairs?
“Oh no!” Macaron exclaimed just as CNMN said, "Oh dear!"
“My leg’s what!?”
"We're so fired… " one of the VA-SER units mumbled.
“Keep calm, Chai.” Korsica’s face came onto Peppermint’s screen. “I’ve sent down a medical unit to your location. Stay still and keep your leg stabilized. Sudden movements will only make your injury worse. I will be with you in a moment.”
Korsica blipped out soon after and Peppermint sighed in relief. Korsica's professionalism was really grounding and the medical wing was probably better than trying to lug Chai to the hideout.
“No problem,“ Chai responded. “Don’t feel like moving anyway. Oww… yeah okay, no… ”
808 meowed, reverting to her feline form and curling up by Chai's side, ears flat on her head.
“Hang in there, Chai,” Peppermint told him. 808 wasn’t really equipped for in-depth scans so she didn’t know how bad this break was, but it seemed like he was in genuine pain. This was different than all the other times he had gotten knocked around.
Thankfully, the medical team got to him quicker than she had anticipated, only about five minutes. It looks like Roxanne had really cleaned Vandelay a lot in the short time they had taken the reins from Kale, things were becoming efficient and easy to get to.
"Armstrong Ambassador Chai, we are here to assist you," one of the units said.
Suddenly Korsica materialized right in front of them, startling them all.
"Korsica?" Chai exclaimed.
"Stay still, Chai," she reminded him, turning to the medical units. " He has broken his leg, make sure to properly stabilize it for transport. And… please take care of him, he is a dear friend of mine."
Seeing as Korsica had things handled on that end, Peppermint quickly scampered to her feet.
“Come on, guys,” she said over her shoulder to CNMN and Macaron as she hurried out the exit of the hideout to start making their way to the medical wing.
“Right behind you, Lady Peppermint!”
Unfortunately, it took longer for them to actually get to the medical wing. The L.I.F.T. was still being repaired for transport and the only way they could get around quickly was the old Vandelay truck. On top of that, 808 and Korsica were kicked out of the hospital room due to sanitary concerns, so there were no new updates on how Chai was doing. She supposed it was fair, but she didn’t like not knowing.
“I’m sure he’s fine, Peppermint,” Macaron assured her as he made a turn and finally slowed to a stop. “Chai’s the strongest person we know, something like this wouldn’t get him down.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Peppermint replied, bringing up the map for the quickest route to the medical wing for when they arrived. “He’s never injured himself like this before, even doing more reckless things than this.”
“Your concerns are quite valid,” CNMN stated, stepping out of the vehicle. He had a sad face drawn on his faceplate. “Even I cannot compute what Chai’s reaction to such an injury would be.”
“Let’s just hurry and check in on him,” Peppermint said, hopping out of the back. "C'mon."
They had raced in, though were immediately told to slow down by some of the staff, which they reluctantly obliged to. Outside the room Chai was in, Korsica was there, absentmindedly stroking 808 on the head on a waiting chair outside.
Upon seeing them, she rose to her feet, looking relieved to see them. "You're here.”
"How is he?" Macaron asked, looking at the closed door. The letters ‘SURGERY IN PROGRESS’ were clear to see in the scrolling text.
“He went in a while ago, but no updates so far,” Korsica told them. “I was told it wasn’t a bad break, but he was writhing around the whole way to the medical wing.”
Peppermint was uneasy, but at least Chai was getting treated. "Just like Chai to break a bone in the most mundane way possible, when he has survived unscathed in much worse."
"Sometimes it's the littlest things that catch you off guard," Macaron said with a smile.
"Yeah." Peppermint smiled, catching on to what he really meant.
With nothing else to do but wait, they all took seats back in the waiting room, all waiting in bated silence as they waited for news on their friend. Sometime later, after Korsica had downed her firth cup of decaf, the words on the door changed to ‘SURGERY COMPLETED’ and the doors swung open.
A procession of doctor and nurse units marched out, hurrying away, but one stopped looking around, before spotting them.
"Are you Mister Chai's companions?" it asked.
"Yes, we are," Korsica responded, hopping to her feet.
"Ah yes, Miss Korsica." The bot gave her a datapad, crossing its arm behind its back. "You can find the full report of Mister Chai's injuries there. He has broken his femur, a clean break, but he has also strained his Armstrong implants, which we have also repaired. We have put him in a Vandelay HYPERCast and prescribed some medication, which will put his recovery period at roughly…one month. Please ensure that he makes it to his appointments in two weeks so we can monitor progress." It spoke with such quickening efficiency, Peppermint could barely keep up.
"Any questions?" it finally asked, taking a small breath.
"Uh, well-" Peppermint tried to say, but the med bot interrupted her before she could finish.
"Any additional info can be found in the report. If you excuse me, I am fully booked for the next fifteen months. If you need any assistance, please press the blinking blue button to call a NRS-42 unit."
The doctor bot briskly brushed past them and hurried down the hall to its next appointment. Peppermint was bewildered.
They all stood there stunned by the whirlwind of an encounter.
"Sorry," Macaron apologized, looking terribly sheepish. "We've had an influx of patients come into Vandelay campus to get treated. We've had to shift the medical personnel to overdrive to keep up the demand."
"It's okay, big guy," Peppermint assured him. "Let's go check in on Chai."
The friends walked into the room to see Chai looking just as bewildered as he laid in his hospital bed. His left leg was encased in a robotic enhancement of some kind, but it was just a fancy cast that would only be temporary until Chai's leg healed. Besides that, he looked fine, which was a relief.
"How are you feeling, Chai?" Peppermint asked as they approached.
He blinked, still looking a bit shell shocked until 808 jumped out of her hands and onto his stomach and he lurched.
"Oh hey!" He reached to pat the cat’s head, who was furiously rubbing her face under his chin, incredibly happy to see him okay. "Uhh, I think I'm good…" Chai stared at them. "Am I?"
"You have broken your femur, Mister Chai," CNMN informed him. "A painful, but recoverable injury."
“Is it really broken?” he asked, looking like he still didn’t trust what he was hearing.
“Yup,” Peppermint replied, coming to sit at the edge of his bed, making sure to give him enough room to move around if he wanted to. Korsica moved to the foot of his bed and Macaron to the other side. “You just had to break your leg in the most normal way possible after all we've been through." She smirked a little, just happy to see he was okay.
Chai frowned, making a funny face. “Yeah, how come I can get thrown around by a giant werewolf and laser-sword wielding psychopath, but falling down the stairs breaks my ‘fee-mus’?
“Femur, Chai, you broke your femur,” she corrected him, shaking her head slightly as 808 moved to curl up against Chai’s head, watching them all curiously.
“From what the report says, your Armstrong implants have been shielding you, until now,” Korsica said, looking at the datapad. "The implants have simply given out due to the constant stress when you fell down those stairs." She pulled out another datapad from her pocket. "We will have to redouble our safety protocols to prevent more workplace accidents."
“But I’ve only got a robot arm,” he responded, gesturing to it. “And I guess the music-chest-thing too, I guess.” Chai tapped a finger on his chest, referring to it.
“You didn’t think your arm was the only thing that the surgery had changed, right?” Peppermint pointed to a monitor nearby, which showed a diagram of Chai’s body. “There are under the hood implants in your body. Just think of them as extra parts to help your brain control your arm and how SPECTRA was able to control you. They've also been protecting you from certain doom this whole time. You’re lucky they've only started giving out now.”
”Huh, okay,” Chai mused. “Does this mean I can’t fight anymore?” He looked disappointed.
“No, those parts have been repaired or replaced,” Korsica replied with her own encouraging smile. “You will return to your regular durable self once your leg heals.”
“Speaking about that, how long until it gets better?” Chai folded his arms behind his head, 808 moving to sit on his head.. “Should be back on my feet in a few days, right?”
“Actually, you need at least a month’s rest, little guy,” Macaron said, reciting what the doctor unit told them earlier.
“A whole month?” Chai nearly jumped out of bed in shock, but he winced in pain having jostled his leg. “That’s like… forever!”
“It is only about thirty or so days, Mister Chai,” CNMN reasoned.
“Doesn’t Vandelay have, like, some awesome medical tech somewhere that can fix my leg?” he asked, looking suspiciously around the room for the very thing.
Macaron shook his head. “It’s true we have one of the best technologies for the medical field in the world, but even we can’t fix a broken leg instantly. Normally, the healing process would take up to three months or more, but with our technology we have shortened it just to a month.”
"There's really no other way?" Chai questioned again.
“Just short of replacing your leg for what is a recoverable injury- “ at Peppermint’s words, Chai’s eyes widened, grabbing his leg. “- you’re just gonna have to take it easy for a month, alright?”
“But what am I going to do?” he complained.
“You could practice your guitar?” Macaron suggested.
Chai had always looked happy to practice his guitar and always jumping at the opportunity given the time, Peppermint saw how hard he studied and how much joy he had learning music, but now he just looked genuinely frustrated. There was a strange undertone to his expression that Peppermint couldn’t quite place. It felt like… fear.
“This is totally lame,” he muttered.
“A correct term for your predicament!” CNMN pointed out happily.
Normally, Chai would enjoy a pun, being the number one pun-maker of their little group, but Chai just groaned, turning his attention to the side, out the window. She exchanged concerned glances with the others, who also all seemed to sense something was wrong. 808 lowered her head, pawing Chai’s hand to get him to pat her, but he didn’t.
Now Peppermint was sure that something was off, but she couldn’t figure out what.
“You’ll be okay, Chai,” she told him, trying to remain positive.
Chai just grumbled in response.
-~*~-
Chai had to stay a few extra days in the medical wing to make sure he was fit enough to go around. He had been absolutely restless in those few days. She, 808, and CNMN did their best to keep him entertained (as Macaron and Korsica both had to return to work), but he was acting pretty strangely. More annoyed and constantly brushed them off.
He cheered up for a while when Roxanne sent him a gift basket as a get well soon present, which seemed to keep him entertained until they left.
Then the trouble started.
Meow.
Peppermint snapped her head around to see Chai trying to sneak out of the hideout again, without his crutches. 808 was biting the edge of his scarf trying to tug him back towards the sofa. She gave him a death glare and he froze mid-limp.
“Uh, I was… going for a walk?” he said, hopping on his good leg as she approached. 808 hissed, batting his good leg.
“Chai, I’m serious, you need to rest if you want your leg to get better,” she said, grabbing his arm and helping him back to the sofa. “You’re not a kid, you shouldn’t need me to tell you that.”
“But I’ve been here the whole day,” Chai whined as she dumped him back on the sofa.
Peppermint sighed, rubbing her head, feeling a slight headache come on. She knew all too well being trapped like this in one place wasn't a pleasant pastime, but why did Chai insist on moving around so much? Especially without his crutches. “Why don’t you practice a new song?” she suggested, trying to keep her own temper.
“I’ve already done that,” he muttered, avoiding her gaze. “I’m just tired of being cooped up like this. I don't like this." He gestured to his leg, looking less friendly now.
Whatever anger she had building up fizzled away. There, he was acting moody again. Normally, Chai would love lazing around on the couch, reading his musical books and learning new songs, but it’s like having a broken leg deleted that part of his personality. Now all that's left was this uncharacteristic annoyance, one far from usual for him. He has always been a friendly oaf, its strange and worrying to see him being anything but that.
"Chai," she began. "I'm sorry if-"
"You're working on that SPECTRA thing right?" he interrupted her, folding his arm behind his head and laying back. "I know you drew the short end of the stick looking after me. Just… go do your thing, I promise I won't try to leave anymore." His eyes closed, like he was trying to sleep.
Peppermint was taken aback by his attitude. He has never been this rude to her, even when they had just met. But despite that, he sounded hurt, and she just couldn’t figure out what was really bothering him.
808 meowed, looking in between them worriedly.
“Alright…” she conceded. Peppermint paused. “Chai, you know you’re my friend right? And I care about you. I want you to get better.”
Chai's eyes snapped open and sat up to meet her eyes, a look of realization on his face. "Sorry, I just…" He ran a hand through his hair. "Just- I know you mean well…" Chai looked down at his hands. "Actually, I don't feel like talking right now."
She frowned, but she wasn’t going to push it. “Okay. Just let me know if you need something, okay?”
Despite returning to her desk, Peppermint found that she couldn’t focus on trying to find those SPECTRA signals. She kept stealing glances at Chai, wondering what exactly was going on with him. She tried to work up the courage to talk to him about it, but it looked like he wanted to be alone.
She understood the feeling, she felt just like this before they had met, before the whole gang met up. Maybe all he needed was some time to get used to it.
But over the course of the next few days, his mood did not improve.
Yesterday had been Korsica’s turn that day to keep an eye on him, but apparently she has had a pretty hard time getting him to sit still, as did Macaron and CNMN the previous day. Every so often, Chai would try to pull himself onto his feet, without his crutches to walk around and do stuff. It wasn't like he had a goal or anything, it was like he was trying to ignore the fact his leg was broken.
Peppermint knew he was an idiot, but she didn’t think Chai was this much of an idiot. Something else had to be going wrong.
So today, under the guise of getting some pizza for dinner, Peppermint took both Macaron and Korsica aside to talk about what was going on, leaving CNMN and 808 to keep an eye on Chai for now. She wasn't certain how long those two could keep Chai from moving around, but they had to talk things out.
“He’s just not listening to me,” Korsica said to her, crossing her arms in frustration. “I’ve tried to explain to him what would happen if he didn’t rest, but he just won’t listen.”
“Maybe the whole broken leg thing is just getting to him,” Macaron tried to reason. “He’s just not used to having an injury like that."
“I understand that, but he should know better,” Peppermint replied with a sigh. “Something must be bothering him.”
“Maybe we should try asking him?” suggested Macaron.
“I’ve been meaning to, but I've been getting the feeling like he doesn't want to talk about it." She recalled the time she had kept her relation to Kale hidden. "It might be… sensitive."
“If something’s wrong, we should try and find out what," Korsica decided. "He can't push us away forever."
Just like Korsica to use the most straightforward solution. "I suppose you're right. Let's go talk to him then."
So with a plan in mind, the three finally made their way back to their hideout, to find Chai trying to wrestle out of CNMN’s grasp.
“Mister Chai, you must sit down if you want your femur to get better,” the robot said as Chai was trying to shove his hands away.
“I’m fine, CNMN!” Chai growled.
“Oi!” Korsica snapped loudly, taking them both off guard.
CNMN was so shocked, he released Chai, who fell back onto the floor with a grunt. “Oh my…” he fretted.
“Chai!” Macaron quickly hurried over to check on him. “You okay, buddy?”
“I’m fine,” Chai replied, trying to pull himself up. Korsica appeared in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“Alright, that’s enough adventuring for one day,” Korsica decided, crouching down and sweeping him off his feet. Chai’s face grew extremely placid, totally in shock, as Korsica carried him back to the couch.
Peppermint almost found herself blushing. She knew Korsica was strong, but wow.
After a moment being back on the couch, Chai’s brain seemed to catch up with him and he shook his head, looking up at them. Once again, annoyed. He pouted, crossing his arms, but he didn't say anything.
“What’s going on with you, Chai?” Peppermint questioned, coming to the couch. “I know you have problems listening, but this is beyond that. You know better, but you're still risking it."
Chai just made a face. “Nothing really,” he muttered.
“I know you're tired sitting down all the time, but it's not something you can help right now,” Macaron said gently. “Just rest up and you'll get better before you know it.”
He didn’t respond, just leaning back onto the sofa, looking even more unwilling to talk.
“I believe I know what’s wrong.” CNMN walked up to them. Chai even looked up at the psych robot, eyes wide.
“Hang on-” Chai tried to say, but CNMN continued.
“It is my conclusion that Mister Chai fears that his injury may be permanent,” CNMN stated. “And is trying to cope by pretending it doesn’t exist.”
Peppermint narrowed her eyes, turning to look at Chai, who was avoiding everyone’s gazes. “Is that true, Chai?”
"Ehh…" Chai looked away, dodging the question. Just from that, Peppermint was able to discern that it was definitely true.
“The doc said that your leg should make a full recovery,” Macaron assured him. “Vandelay Technologies has one of the best medical equipment in the world. You’ll get better, I’m sure of it.”
Chai winced at the comment, crossed his arms, leaning back on the sofa, not quite responding to everyone yet. 808 had crawled up onto his side and he absentmindedly reached his robotic limb to pet her on the head.
“What’s really going on, Chai?” Korsica asked, her eyes studying their friend. “This isn’t one of your silly antics, is it? I feel like it’s much deeper than that.”
Finally he sat up, sighing slightly. “I’ve just… heard that story a lot, y’know?” he finally said, purposely being vague. It was almost like he was testing them, something Peppermint thought he would never do (or was ever capable of doing). He was honest and blunt to a fault, so why act secretive now?
“What story, little guy?” asked Macaron gently as Peppermint moved herself so she was sitting on the unoccupied part of the couch.
Chai made a face, looking a bit annoyed, but more on himself than any of them, before fiddling absentmindedly with his fingers. “I mean, like, you guys know why I volunteered for Project Armstrong in the first place, right?”
“Well, actually I don’t,” Peppermint replied honestly. It was true, she really didn’t know much about Chai before they met. She had tried digging into his files to learn more about him soon after they met, but hadn’t turned up much until after he had started being a nuisance. All she knew was the purpose of his arm and the music player in his chest.
Actually… she didn't really know a lot about Chai. He knew a lot about her, but she didn't know much about him other than his aspirations of being a rockstar and being a Project Armstrong volunteer.
His eyes widened. Then he looked at Korsica. “Don’t you know?”
Korsica crossed her arms. “I’m Head of Security, Chai, it’s my job to protect secrets, not pry for secrets. I don’t go sniffing around customer information.” Then she muttered under her breath. “That’s more of a marketing thing…”
“Huh.” Chai looked thoughtfully into the distance. “For some reason, I thought you guys all knew.”
“You have never told us, Mister Chai,” CNMN replied factually. “Although I was able to gather information based on your personality, even I cannot read into your past.”
“So why did you join Project Armstrong?” Peppermint asked the big burning question.
They all waited for Chai to speak, but it seemed like he was reluctant. For a guy who was always ready to throw out quips and puns, this was incredibly odd. Whatever was bothering him, Peppermint knew it was very serious.
She scratched an itch on her own leg, where her flesh connected to her prosthetic robot limb.
“It’s not a very interesting story,” Chai told them.
“That’s for us to decide,” Peppermint countered.
Chai pursed his lips, looking at them all before sighing, finally relenting.
“When I was born, something was wrong with my arm,” he explained, lifting up his robotic arm and looking at it, making his hand twirl around. “I don’t remember all the details, but it never worked right. It was okay when I was a kid, but it just got worse and worse.” He flexed his metallic fingers. “People used to tell me all the time that it would get better, but…" Chai sighed. "It just never did.”
Peppermint’s own heart lurched as she remembered the accident that took her leg, feeling a horrid realization.
Chai looked down at his leg in the cast, looking depressed. “I guess I’m just…kinda scared of it happening again.”
She felt like kicking herself. This whole time, she had been under the impression that Chai had gotten his arm to become a rockstar, at least, that’s how he had always implied it. He’s never mentioned otherwise, even when she brought up her accident. Project Armstrong had been marketed by Kale as a trend, not as what Roxanne had envisioned it as, she had just assumed… Well, she was wrong for thinking Chai was ever that shallow.
Peppermint remembered how excited he was to finally sit down and play the guitar, how happy he was to be able to hold it and strum music. It wasn’t that he was lazy before, he literally couldn’t.
“I’m… so sorry, Chai.” Korsica said softly, shaking her head slowly. “That… must’ve been very tough.”
“I had no idea." Macacon looked guilty and sympathetic, glancing at CNMN who shook his head, a drawing of a tear under his eyes. "I can’t imagine what it must have been like."
Chai shrugged, avoiding all of their gazes. "Eh, it's not really relevant anymore. Got a cool new robot arm now and the job of my dreams.” He forced an unconvincing smile. “...don't know why it should be a big deal now…"
Before he could continue that line of thought, Peppermint interrupted him angrily. "Because it is a big deal.” Chai looked up at her in surprise, and so did everyone else. She cleared her throat and tempered her anger.
"Getting that arm, it was life changing for you, wasn’t it?” Chai shrugged again, seemingly not willing to answer that. She looked down at her leg. "Just like how this leg was for me."
Her friend finally met her eyes.
She touched his non-robotic shoulder before she spoke, as earnestly as she could. “Listen, Chai, as someone else who lost her leg, you’re strong. And not just because of your robot arm, or because you have a music player attached to your chest.”
Peppermint patted her own leg. ”When I lost my leg when I was a kid, it took me a whole year before I was ready to go outside again, even after mom made this leg. But you…you lived with your arm for almost your entire life. It’s no wonder you’re such a strong fighter.”
Chai’s eyes widened slightly, watering slightly as the words sunk in. He seemed to have not realized he was crying until tears began dripping down his face. His lips trembled into a smile, but he angrily wiped away his tears, sniffling a little, trying to hide his emotions.
“It is okay to cry, Mister Chai,” CNMN said supportively. “It will help release your stress and I guarantee you will feel better afterwards.”
“I’m not crying,” Chai tries to insist, comically looking at them with tears streaming down his cheeks.
They all gave him kind, but incredulous looks.
“Okay, I am,” he finally admitted, rubbing his eyes again. “Just a little…” Chai added, ever so quietly.
“Aww, come here, little guy,” Macaron had tears in his own eyes and smiled, leaning over to him to gently give him a hug.
“Awh, Mac, that’s just making me cry even more, ” Chai protested childishly, but it looked like he needed the hug more than ever.
“You’ve always been an inspiration to me - to us,” Korsica gestured to all of them. “Now you’re that and a little more. And I think you’re the perfect Ambassador for the Armstrong Project. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
808 meowed, hopping onto Chai’s lap and pawing his chest, trying to comfort him. Chai sniffed, touched by their words, but unable to respond.
Peppermint smiled, relieved that this was all out in the air now. But still, even with this out there, it’s not like it addressed Chai’s fear. Peppermint looked down at her leg and stared for it a long moment, recalling the lengthy healing process she had gone through.
“Hey,” she said.
Chai looked up, tears and nose now running. CNMN was in the middle of offering him a box of tissues. “Realistically, there’s a small chance your leg might not get better.”
“Peppermint…” Macaron replied, horrified that she would say such a thing.
She held up her hand. “Just hear me out,” she continued, looking at Chai again. “Sometimes, there are some things that just happen … and no matter how hard anyone tries, it won’t change anything.” With all her old memories coming to the surface, now she was getting emotional too.
“But whatever happens, you’ve got us by your side, right?” she said, echoing his own words right back at him.
Chai’s lips wavered and he rubbed his eyes again, before looking at her seriously. “Thanks, Peppermint." He looked at all of them. "All of you. I guess, I didn’t know how much I needed to hear the things you said.”
“You’re welcome, Chai,” she said in return, the others just nodding. Then, she reached over and shoved him back onto the sofa. Macaron stepped back to give him some space.
“Ow!”
“Still.” Peppermint stood up, crossing her arms and giving him a look. “Resting does increase the odds that your leg does get better.”
The young man stared at him before he chuckled, stretching out a little before leaning back into the sofa. “Okay, I got it. No more walking around for me. I’ll stay put, doctor’s orders.”
“Your friends’ orders,” Peppermint corrected him
“I could bring you some movies,” Macaron offered. “Maybe we could watch some together!”
Chai gave them a funny look. “Don’t you have work tomorrow?”
“I’m sure Roxanne won’t mind if I take a few days off to care for a friend.” The older man smiled. "Plus, I still have a few months of vacation days left from our adventures."
“I won’t be available tomorrow due to an important internal event, but I will be after that,” Korsica said. She paused, looking seriously to one side before adding, “and I… could also bring a few movies.”
"Never took you as a movie person, Korsica," Chai commented, brows raised.
"I… haven't watched one for a while, but there's no problem with picking it up as a hobby now." She looked at all of them, her eyes lingering on Peppermint's a little. "Especially now that I have the company."
Peppermint looked away, blushing slightly. Was that an invitation for a movie date? That had to be one right? She shook herself out of it when CNMN started speaking.
“Ohh! We can have one of those famous ‘movie nights’, how exciting!” CNMN exclaimed, scribbling large excited eyes onto his face. “I believe ‘Cyborg Ninjas 4’ has just been released! Or perhaps we can watch something Mister Chai would enjoy, how about 'Poppy's Adventure at Rainbow Isle'?"
Chai made a face. "Hey, I like animated movies as much as the next guy, but that movie is literally for babies."
“Considering your mental age, I thought it would be an appropriate suggestion,” CNMN responded, as seriously as he always does.
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
Even with their words of support and encouragement, Chai was a fidgety person by nature and it was always going to be tough to get him to sit still. But she and the others did their best to entertain him for his recovery period. Despite it all, Chai seemed to take her words to heart and just seemed happier.
They had their movie night and this time, at least some of them tried to have time to keep his brain occupied (which was fairly easy). They even managed to get a hold of some exclusive Hibiki album, all autographed by the band themselves.
“No way, how did you guys even get this?” Chai looked at her in disbelief.
“We’ve pulled some strings,” Korsica stated simply. A request from Roxanne Vandelay for the Project Armstrong ambassador was simply a request too big to ignore.
Chai looked down at the album, his face happier than ever. “Thanks, guys. You’re the best.”
“You know it.” Peppermint could only grin.
It wasn’t long before Chai’s leg started getting better and with therapy, it began moving around just like he used to. Knowing how reckless he was, maybe she could get him to invest on slightly stronger implants, to ensure that things like this don’t happen again. But knowing the shenanigans he got into, it very well will. But whatever happened, as long as they were together, they could face anything.
“Look at you,” Peppermint said, as Chai stepped out of the medical wing, now fully cleared from his injury. “Back on your feet.”
Chai huffed, then made an exaggerated rockstar pose with a jump. “Yeah!” He grinned.