Chapter Text
Life in Gardenview was very, very boring. Everything was the same almost every day. Go down the elevator, complete machines, come back up, and pretend to have a social life.
Glisten didn’t really mind it. But there was one constant that pissed him off to no end.
Glisten HATED Rodger.
He hated the way the detective was so stuck-up and proper. How he was able to read everyone so easily, how he could get anyone’s attention with just a word. He hated how he dressed so simply and still pulled out compliments from everyone’s throats. He hated how Rodger hated the attention.
Glisten hated how perfect he seemed.
Glisten was the only perfect thing in the fucked up place of Gardenview. No one could beat him at extracting. It was his best event. He outshone every other toon around.
It was annoying how Rodger was good at it too.
Not as good, of course. But he was still good.
That pissed Glisten off even more. He couldn’t escape the magnifying glass’ gaze no matter where he went. There was always some sarcastic remark or snide comment just waiting to fall out of his glass face.
Every run with him was a nightmare. They had never been paired up before, but they had gone with squads together, and it was endless bickering between them.
It dragged down Glisten’s reputation. One of the most important things to him.
He would not let some stupid detective claim his spotlight. The one he deserves.
Glisten had just left his room for the morning to an empty living area, as usual. He was the last to sleep and the first to awaken.
Anything to not be alone.
He saw Sprout and Cosmo whipping up some breakfast, chatting amongst themselves quietly.
“Mornin’, Glisten! Pancakes today,” Sprout grinned.
Glisten smiled. “Wonderful! One of my favorites.”
“Yeah, we saw how messed up ya got last run. Figured it’d help,” Sprout said, looking down to Glisten’s bandaged arm, black stains just barely visible underneath.
“I’m fine, Sprout, really! No need to worry about me,” Glisten chuckled, hiding his injured arm behind his bow.
“Well, if you ever need a change of bandages, come give me and Cosmo a visit, yeah? We’ll be happy to patch you up.”
“Thanks, Sprout, but I’m really fine. I can handle myself,” Glisten forced out through gritted teeth. He hated how vulnerable he felt.
“If you say so. Pancakes’ll be ready in a bit!”
Glisten nodded, speed walking away from the bakers to settle down on the very edge of the couch, hiding his arm behind a pillow.
He did not need anyone to see how fragile he was. He was perfectly fine, thank you so much.
The schedule he made in his head to predict the times of awakening for other toons were pretty accurate. Finn was always up next, cracking marine jokes like they were sent down from a comedian’s paradise.
“Nice to sea you this morning, Glisten!” Finn said, adjusting his purple sweater to fall over his yellow shorts. “You look eel-xhausted!”
Glisten sighed. “I’m ok, Finn, thank you.”
Finn shrugged. “If you say so,” he responded, dragging his tail over to Sprout and Cosmo to strike up conversation.
Gigi was looking up to chat with Connie, who floated overhead lazily, scanning the environment for what Glisten could only assume to be the next victim of one of her schemes.
“Hey, Glisten,” Connie greeted, barely mustering the energy to wave at him. Glisten smiled, rolling his eyes.
“Don’t even think about it,” he threatened playfully.
“No thoughts, head empty,” she reassured him, turning back to (somewhat) focus on her conversation with Gigi.
The next one to awaken was the one Glisten always dreaded the most.
Toodles charged down the hall, running up to Sprout and Cosmo to talk about what they were making for the morning.
Behind her was a very tuckered out Rodger from trying to match her pace, and failing miserably.
Glisten snickered. At least he was slow enough to make fun of.
“Morning to you too, sunshine,” he grumbled, dusting off his suit jacket and adjusting the silver watch on his wrist.
“Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of bed,” Glisten shot back, voice laced with venom.
“You’re never asleep for long enough to know what the wrong side of bed is,” Rodger responded, squinting his eye at Glisten.
“I sleep perfectly,” Glisten sneered.
Rodger rolled his eye before joining Toodles to greet the cooking pair.
Glisten hated how Rodger could match his petty banter with ease. It was infuriating (and a little exciting, but Glisten would never dare admit that to anyone).
He was relieved to see Flutter silently emerge, feeling a little more relaxed as she approached him.
He didn’t notice his heart beating hard in his chest before. No reason to think about that.
“Morning, my favorite butterfly! How’re you fairing?” Glisten asked, smiling genuinely for the first time this morning.
“..!”
“Oh, really?”
“!!”
“Well, I’d love to discuss that with you. Meet me in my room later, mk?”
Flutter nodded, and Glisten could tell she was smiling with her eyes. He did like to hear about the drama she always managed to keep silent from everyone else.
When she departed, Vee dramatically collapsed onto the couch right next to Glisten with a groan.
“Well, hello, sleeping beauty,” he teased.
“Shut it, gayboy.”
“Mmmm, I’d rather not.”
Vee sighed, tilting her head to the side. “I hate mornings.”
“You and me both, girl,” Glisten agreed.
“How’s you and the detective getting along? Any recent developments?”
Glisten frowned. “It’s very much known that I’m not too fond of him. Why are you asking?”
Vee shrugged. “I know things you don’t. It’s fun to hang that over your head.”
“Alright, alright, I get it. But don’t go snooping around in other people’s business.”
“Connie and Gigi already do that for me.”
“Yeah, but that’s their thing. You don’t actively snoop because you don’t need to snoop.”
“I’m aware. I still enjoy the act of snooping.”
Glisten chuckled. “I know.”
Vee flicked her microphone tail aimlessly, staring into the wall.
“What’s so interesting?” Glisten asked, leaning over to look at her screen.
Vee’s eyes weren’t there. It was one of the few times she was so deep in thought that they appeared on her face.
Glisten rubbed his hands together evilly, trying to hold back laughs as he saw a ghost and a gumball machine floating around in her static.
Vee could hear his snickering, snapping out of it and looking panicked when she saw Glisten staring at her with icy blue eyes.
“Get out of my head!” She hissed, pushing him to the side.
“Aww, got a crush or two, Vee? Your secrets are safe with me.”
“I don’t. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Shut up.”
“To think the T.V would fall in love,” Glisten sighed dreamily.
“Fuck off, I don’t,” Vee grumbled.
Glisten giggled as Vee rolled her eyes in annoyance.
When Glisten recovered from his laugh attack, he sighed, satisfied with his morning after a minor setback, thoroughly enjoying the teasing about Vee.
He was so invested that he didn’t notice a certain magnifying glass staring at him with fire in his eye.
After the lovely morning Glisten had, he decided nothing could make it worse.
He was horribly wrong.
He and Vee were wandering the halls of the rooms, talking about nothing and enjoying a slow day.
When they came across the boards for the groups going down today, Glisten’s heart dropped.
“They paired me with him?! ” he cried, holding his face in his hands.
“Get over yourself, buddy. You’ll be fine,” Vee said in a monotone voice, not bothering to comfort her devastated friend.
“No I won’t! He’s such an annoying, stuck-up, rude asshole,” Glisten muttered.
“Yeah, but you think he’s hot, so.”
Glisten lifted his head, eyes widening. “ What?? ” No I don’t! Where’d you even get that from??” He asked, trying to calm his racing heart.
“Oh please, every time you guys bicker you take an extra long minute just to glare at him. Normal rivals don’t do that.”
“No idea what you’re talking about,” Glisten mumbled.
“It’s ok to hate someone and be attracted to them, honey.”
“But I just hate him.”
“Uh huh.” Vee squinted at him, nodding slowly.
“Hating him is a very fun activity, I will have you know,” Glisten informed Vee.
Vee just kept nodding along, clearly tuning him out.
“Oh, please. I’ll show you.”
“I’m sure you will.”
Glisten scoffed.
“Hey, is your arm ok?” Vee asked, reaching out to brush up against his darkening bandage.
Glisten jolted away, momentarily panicked. “Haha, I’m perfect! Everyone knows this, Vee,” he laughed nervously.
“You should really have Sprout and Cosmo take a look,” she urged.
“No need! Doesn’t even hurt. I feel brighter than sunshine.”
Vee squinted her digital eyes in suspicion. “If you say so. Just get going, I’m sure your boyfriend is already waiting for you.”
Glisten’s body burned. “Not my boyfriend!” He called after her as she walked away.
He rolled his eyes at her antics, holding his head low as he approached the elevator and saw Rodger staring straight through him, an annoyed look in his eye.
“You’re thirty-two seconds late,” he informed Glisten matter-of-factly.
“You’ll survive,” Glisten shot back.
As they entered the elevator in painfully awkward silence, Glisten could feel Rodger eyeing his arm.
“Are you going to be ok for this?” Rodger asked flatly, not showing any true concern.
“Of course. I’m perfectly fine.”
Rodger hummed. “Perfectly annoying, sure,” he muttered under his breath.
Glisten snapped his head to face Rodger. “What’d you say, old man?”
“Nothing,” he said smoothly, suddenly taking an interest in the far wall.
“When I get my hands on you,” Glisten threatened, grinding his teeth in frustration, inhaling to continue as he was (rudely) cut off by Rodger.
“What’re you going to do? Hm?” Rodger asked, stepping just a little closer to look up at Glisten.
There was almost a playful look in his eye. Glisten couldn’t really find himself feeling any real anger. It was hard to look away.
“Pfft, nothing. I wouldn’t tell you my threat. It’d ruin the surprise,” Glisten scoffed, standing up straighter to look ahead of Rodger.
“Disappointing,” Rodger responded, shuffling away as the elevator doors opened to the first floor.
The first floor went by without an issue. Cosmo and Boxten were easy enough to avoid, and Glisten was fast enough to outrun them if need be. He didn’t want to teleport unless absolutely necessary.
Teleporting made him dizzy, leaving his legs feeling fuzzy as he struggled to stay upright. He’d be able to catch himself on railings and walls, but he didn’t want to risk it with the detective, who’d surely catch him lacking the moment he looked off.
Rodger was the last person he wanted to know about his imperfection.
He shook those thoughts away, pressing on until finishing the last machine and running twice his pace to the elevator, thanks to his trusty vanity mirror.
Rodger was already there, looking smug as usual.
“Any difficulties on these shallow floors?” He asked, clearly pushing for more.
“Of course not. These are easy.”
“Are you sure?”
Glisten eyed the detective. He wouldn’t return the favor, observing the elevator door closely as if he could see through it.
“Are you running into any ‘difficulties’, detective?” Glisten asked, smirking as he saw Rodger’s eye widen in surprise.
“Pfft, what a silly question. Of course not. What’d make you think otherwise?” He asked, voice faltering.
“You just look a little nervous, is all,” Glisten commented.
“I’m plenty well-kept, for your information,” Rodger grumbled.
“If only you plenty well-kept your fucking mouth shut,” Glisten said under his breath.
He had to suppress a laugh as he saw Rodger slowly turn his glass face towards him to stare at Glisten with a furious expression.
“I’m suddenly willing to take you up on your threat,” Rodger said.
“I don’t think you want to,” Glisten hummed.
“Oh, please. You can barely keep yourself upright on those twigs of yours.”
“Excuse me! They look fantastic, and I keep myself up perfectly well. The ground shakes and shudders every time you take a step.”
Rodger laughed. “You never seem to be far behind.”
Glisten let out a growl, lunging for Rodger and falling onto his face as the magnifying glass stepped to the side calmly.
“Watch your step, pretty boy,” Rodger mocked, leaving Glisten to groan in pain as the elevator door opened, revealing the next floor.
Glisten sat up, feeling his glass to make sure there were no fractures. Felt perfect to him, as per usual.
He was on his second machine when he thought back to the words Rodger said, face warming.
Why the fuck did he call me that before?
The next few floors had gone by without much trouble for the unlikely pair. Avoiding twisteds wasn't much of a challenge for the speedy mirror and “stealthy” magnifying glass.
They had run into each other avoiding Looey and Yatta respectively, catching their breath behind an empty bookshelf.
“Y’know,” Rodger started in between breaths, “you’d probably be noticed far less without that large bow trailing behind you.”
“You clearly don’t know fashion if it hit you in your flat face. I need it to look good.”
“Looking good doesn’t matter when you’re trying to outrun mindless monsters that can see you from twenty miles away, you dunce.”
“I can outrun them just fine, for your information.”
Rodger rolled his eye, a little amused. He walked off, shaking his head as he mumbled things to himself.
Glisten lingered for a minute longer. It was easy to listen to Rodger’s low voice.
He had to stop himself from slapping himself on the face. He was losing himself. He needed to get back to his perfect image and continue on with his machines.
The next few elevator rides were, once again, coated in silence. They both purchased a band-aid from Dandy, who was gracious to them with healing items before they needed it.
“Having fun, you two?” He inquired in his high-pitched voice.
“No,” they said at the same time, side-eyeing each other in frustration.
“Lighten up! You guys make a good duo. You’ve gotten farther than larger teams have this week. Floor 15 is up next! Have fun!” Dandy winked before pulling the lever to let himself descend below the elevator.
Rodger peered over the counter, trying to see where the hatch led.
“I wonder where it goes,” he said to himself, squinting to try and see better in the darkness before the lid covered the hole.
“Maybe you’d find out if you fell in,” Glisten smirked, trying not to laugh at Rodger’s angry expression. His short stature wasn’t very threatening.
“I don’t believe that’d be necessary.” Rodger cleared his voice.
“Well, you sure do look anxious for someone who was just very intrigued.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you scared of heights, Rodger?”
Rodger froze, looking anywhere but Glisten’s direction.
“Oh my god, no way! You totally are!” Glisten exclaimed with a smile.
“I’m not!” Rodger yelled, regaining the animation that was briefly lost.
Glisten giggled as the elevator door opened and Rodger charged out as fast as he could, clearly avoiding conversation.
Glisten was finishing up his first machine as he heard heavy breaths close by, inhaling mixed with what sounded like thick liquid.
When the machine was completed, he turned to see Sprout just behind a nearby wall, unaware of Glisten’s presence.
Glisten spedwalk out of there faster than he needed, having no desire to slow down and face the consequences of getting tied up with a main on his bow tails. He saw Rodger at work on the next machine, intensely focused on his task, tuning out everything else.
Rodger made it look impossibly easy. He spun the valve without a second thought, rarely missing a skill check and avoiding the creaking noise of the pump getting stuck at the top.
Raging hot jealousy spread through Glisten like a wildfire. He was much faster than Rodger, of course, but skill checks were no easy feat. He’d lose track of his task and pray that no twisted was around the corner to make him face his mistake.
Watching Rodger was encapsulating. Glisten was forced to look away when he felt a pair of red eyes on him, a twisted Yatta reaching out for him like he was the first toon she’d seen in years.
Glisten quickly spun around to outrun her, looping around a pile of boxes a few times to get her off his tail. By the time she wandered away, Rodger had finished, leaving one left.
They ran into each other right before either of them could grab the valve.
“You can do it,” Glisten offered, trying his very best to be nice to the stubborn magnifying glass.
“No, I insist. Your hands are speedier than mine.”
“Your skill checks are easier to hit, you should.”
Rodger shrugged. “If you say so,” he said, and Glisten could hear the smug tone in his voice, making him bristle.
Letting him do it turned out to be a horrible idea. Rodger seemed very distracted when Glisten was breathing down his neck. He missed most of his skill checks.
“Any day now, detective ,” Glisten urged.
“Well, if you know any better, then why don’t you have a go at it, Mr. Perfection.”
Glisten glared at him as he crouched down to finish the machine, gripping the valve tightly, intending to show off in front of the smug detective.
He managed to hit his skill checks perfectly, finishing the machine faster than Rodger could blink.
When he finished and the panic button came on, he rubbed his hands together, cracking his knuckles as he looked over to Rodger, staring up blankly at him with a conflicted expression. The very bottom of his glass face was fogging up.
“The hell you starin’ at me for? Get a move on!” Glisten barked, jogging past Rodger towards the elevator.
The elevator ride was silent. That seemed to be a trend for the pair. They decided on assisting their stamina through one of the cards they could choose from, since it’d be harder to avoid more twisteds as they descended deeper.
Rodger was observing Glisten from the opposite side of the elevator. His eye burned a hole through Glisten’s head.
“Got a staring problem?” Glisten asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the railing of the wall.
Rodger blinked, seemingly snapped out of his trance. “No, of course not.”
Glisten hummed as he looked away, getting lost in his own head. He didn’t notice how Rodger continued to stare at him from afar.
When the door opened and the pair heard barking, they both froze.
They shared a momentary panicked glance before pressing on, the only thing they could do at this point.
There were about 8 machines in total now, not a fantastic amount considering there was a twisted Pebble wandering around.
Glisten quickly got to work, extracting as fast as he possibly could, trying to remain focused as he listened to make sure his surroundings were safe.
When he finished his third machine, he looked through a window to see Pebble creeping up on an unsuspecting Rodger, who was enthralled in completing a machine.
Glisten tried banging on the thick glass to get Rodger’s attention, but to no avail. Pebble let out an unearthly growl, ichor dripping from his distorted snout, teeth stained black.
Rodger looked up at the right moment, letting out a shriek of surprise and panic as he bolted away from the disfigured pet.
Glisten watched helplessly as Rodger was chased around a larger room, unable to lose Pebble because of his speed.
Guess there was nothing else to do but help him.
Glisten sighed, scanning his surroundings for any useful items. He heard Rodger’s loud panting, heart thumping in his chest as he tried to push panic away.
He looked around the corner and grabbed an air horn lying nearby, setting it off to reveal his position.
Right as Rodger was about to come to a stop, the twisted picked up his head, tilting it to the side before charging towards Glisten, letting out rabid barks as he approached.
“Yeah, come and get me, you stupid rock!” Glisten yelled, only running away right as the twisted snapped at him, narrowly avoiding his hair.
He managed to fool the twisted a few times around a bookshelf, but the monsters weren’t completely stupid.
Pebble had managed to predict one of his jukes, grabbing hold of Glisten’s already injured arm, tearing through him with sharp canines.
Glisten let out the most ear-piercing scream he could muster, surprised that his voice could even reach that octave.
His arm was almost torn to shreds, ichor leaking out of him like a waterfall, pooling on the ground below.
The pain was burning, stinging, almost unbearable. While the Pebble was distracted from the force of the bite, Glisten managed to scamper away, feeling his legs tremble under his weight.
Rodger had seemingly finished the last machine right on time. Glisten dragged himself to the elevator, a certain thought causing him to feel even more anxious with dread.
He’d have to teleport.
He screwed his eyes shut, putting the last of his strength into opening a portal, right in front of a panicked Rodger.
Glisten could barely open his eyes before needing to lean against Rodger, who caught him in his arms before he could fall over.
“Wow, hold on, you need to sit down. I need to take care of that,” Rodger directed.
“M’ fine,” Glisten murmured, barely having the strength to speak.
“You’re about to pass out, you fucking idiot. Sit down,” Rodger commanded, guiding Glisten towards a wall to lean against as he slid down, cradling his blackened arm.
Rodger pulled out a band-aid from his pocket, reaching out for Glisten’s arm, sighing as Glisten jolted away from his touch.
“Glisten, I have to fix this now , before something bad happens,” Rodger said.
Glisten looked up at him with empty eyes.
“Please.”
He nodded weakly.
Rodger relaxed, letting his tense muscles release their hold on him as he wrapped the bandage around Glisten’s torn arm, pushing through the whimpers and the wincing from the burning touch.
The ichor oozing through the layers of the bandages made Rodger feel sick. The pained expression on Glisten’s pale face was even worse. He may not like the egotistical mirror, but he certainly doesn’t want him to die .
Once Rodger was finished and Dandy was back to his chipper self, his eye darkened.
“We need to go back up. Now.”
Dandy deflated. “But you guys are getting so far! I’m sure your partner will be fine.”
Rodger bristled. “We aren’t partners . I’m just making sure he doesn’t die. ”
Dandy blinked. “If you say so! Going up, I suppose.”
Rodger sighed in relief. He stumbled back over to Glisten, who’s eyes looked glossy.
“Are you mad?” Rodger asked, kneeling to be eye level to the injured mirror. “That was stupid and reckless. What were you thinking?”
Glisten forced out a strained laugh. It tugged at Rodger’s heart.
“You’re n’ old man, Rodg. Saw Pebs sneaking up on you. I’m the perfect role model of a good person, so, y’know. Made sure you weren’t torn to shreds.”
Rodger was silent. For the first time, he didn’t have a witty comeback for Glisten.
He felt bad, more than anything. Which is odd. He usually didn’t take up that much headspace and heartache for Rodger.
“You need to be more careful,” Rodger said, voice a little softer than usual.
“You need to lose a few pounds.” Glisten smiled, some shine returning to his eyes.
“Bet you know a lot about losing,” Rodger shot back, feeling more relieved now that Glisten was able to form cognizant sentences.
“Hm? How so, detective?”
Rodger stared at Glisten, having trouble formulating a usual quip. He wasn’t in the right mindset for this.
“You’re a loser.”
Glisten’s grin grew wider until he started laughing, which made Rodger’s heart skip a beat from something that wasn’t anxiety.
“That was lame as hell. Knew I shouldn’t have helped you,” Glisten mocked.
Rodger let out a chuckle, and it was probably the first time Glisten got a laugh out of him.
He has a nice laugh.
Glisten blinked, ridding his head of that stupid thought.
Glisten hated Rodger. That was the main constant of Gardenview.
He was awfully hard to hate now, laughing about their banter, a smile showing through his eye.
He was a little handsome. Maybe Vee wasn’t wrong.
When they reached the top, Dandy must have spread word of Glisten’s condition, due to the fact that a very angry Sprout was waiting for him with Cosmo in tow.
“Glisten, you fuckin’ moron! Over here, let’s go.” Sprout took hold of Glisten’s uninjured arm, leading him towards the medical center that he and Cosmo looked over.
Rodger watched as Glisten was dragged away, ichor seeping through the tight bandages holding his arm together.
“What happened?” Cosmo asked.
“Pebble. He saw me, but I was too slow,” Rodger said slowly, feeling the repressed guilt bubble up.
Cosmo nodded.
“He saved my life,” Rodger clarified, not making eye contact as the guilt began boiling from putting Glisten through that.
“He’d do the same for anyone. He isn’t too unbearable once you get to know him, y’know,” Cosmo informed him.
“I figured that out just fine,” Rodger responded.
“Let’s get you looked at, big guy,” Cosmo said, taking hold of Rodger’s wrist and leading him to a room separate from Glisten.
Cosmo silently examined Rodger.
“Only scrapes and bruises. You got lucky. His teeth are sharp.”
Rodger nodded, lost in thought.
Cosmo frowned. “He’ll be ok.”
“I’m not worried about that,” Rodger scoffed. “He did something stupid. That was the consequence.”
Rodger wouldn’t meet Cosmo’s eyes. The pastry toon sighed. “I think there’s more to him that meets the eye. You could always try talking to him.”
“I do that enough,” Rodger decided after a brief moment of silence. “Thank you for the help. I appreciate it.”
Cosmo didn't look at Rodger as the magnifying glass walked out.
Rodger hesitated before leaving the medical center.
He could go check on Glisten. Cosmo did say he’ll be ok.
But his arm looked bad. There were weeping tears in his skin, ichor falling out at rapid speeds.
It was all his fault.
It was probably best just to go see if he was alive.
Rodger swallowed his anxiety and poked his head around empty, dark rooms until he heard soft chatter from a room with light seeping through the crack at the bottom of the door.
Rodger gripped the doorknob way tighter than he needed to, pushing it open to see Sprout, Vee and Looey crowded around a sleeping Glisten, arm fully wrapped in several layers of bandages.
Sprout must’ve heard the door creak open, because his eyes softened when he saw Rodger nervously looking in.
“Hey, Rodger. It’s alright, come on in.”
Rodger nodded, closing the door silently behind him, feeling very out of place.
“He’s not in critical condition. You wrapped him up real good,” Sprout informed him. “Mighta been worse if you hadn’t gotten to him on time.”
Rodger nodded, a heavy, indescribable emotion settling in his chest.
“It’s all my fault,” he whispered without thinking.
Looey and Vee looked at each other before looking back at Rodger with surprise.
“No, Rodger, it’s not your fault,” Sprout said softly. “You couldn’t have heard him. He wanted to protect you.”
“The first thing you should do when he wakes up is thank him, though,” Vee added. “Like how I’m formally thanking you for saving his life.”
Looey smiled, his tail lifting up from its once drooped position. “Could say you saved each other,” he laughed. “Isn’t that romantic?”
Rodger felt uneasy. “There’s no romance involved,” he huffed, crossing his arms. “I patched him up because he would’ve died if I didn’t. We barely tolerate each other outside of this.”
Vee and Looey squinted at each other, smiling knowingly.
“Right. Of course,” Vee muttered.
Rodger rolled his eye, turning around to leave.
“But really,” Vee said, “thank you.”
Rodger nodded in response silently, feeling a little lighter than he did before.
Three days had passed before Glisten was allowed to go back to being a normal person. Despite not being allowed on runs for another few days, it was good to get back out there and show Gardenview what he’s made of.
It was not good to be treated like a sensitive, fragile toddler by everyone he encountered.
“Make sure you get some rest later, yeah?” Sprout told him in the morning.
“If you need anything, please tell me, Gliss. We were worried sick,” Looey urged him afterwards.
“If you want to talk, you can come to me,” Vee agreed.
“Guys,” Glisten interrupted, getting frustrated, “I’m ok. It’s just an arm, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Glisten,” Vee said harshly, “If it weren’t for Rodger wrapping you up, you’d be dead.”
Glisten stared at her blankly.
“You should say thank you to him. After you rest,” she frowned.
“I don’t need rest, darling, I told you I’m fine.”
“Doctor’s orders. Come on.” She grabbed his good arm, not allowing him to escape from her cold, metal grasp.
“I hate you,” Glisten whined.
“Love you too,” Vee responded, not looking back at him.
The first time Glisten saw Rodger again was later that day. He seemed to be moping around by himself.
His usual daily activity.
“Good to see you still brooding like a teenager like old times,” Glisten said.
Rodger hummed. “At least I’m not a cripple.”
Glisten rolled his eyes. “At least I wasn’t about to get crippled from my old man bones.”
“I’m not that old!”
“33 is pushing it.”
Rodger glared at him with frustration.
“You shouldn’t be wandering around with a limb barely attached to your body,” Rodger informed him.
“Why do you care?” Glisten asked coldly.
“I don’t.” Rodger looked away. “But everyone else does, and they’ve been nagging me about it all day long.”
“Hm.” Glisten acknowledged.
“I suppose a thank you is in order. For not letting me bleed out,” Glisten muttered.
Rodger’s eye widened. “Oh, what was that? What’d you say?”
“I said,” Glisten started, smiling through his teeth, “thank you for not letting me die.”
“That’s so peculiar, because I don’t believe I heard you. What’d you sa-”
“I’m going to flay you,” Glisten growled, rolling his eyes when Rodger snickered.
“Well, I’m not a particular fan of blood, so making sure your arm didn’t fall off was top priority, I suppose,” Rodger said.
Glisten didn’t respond, but Rodger could tell he acknowledged his statement.
“Glisten!!” A voice in the distance called, high-pitched and squeaky as it approached.
Glisten seemed to recognize it immediately, brightening as the vivid colors of Looey became visible.
“Hey, Looey, what’s got you running around?”
“I figured I’d warn you, because Sprout’s been scurrying around to find you and drag you back to your room.”
“I literally just left-”
“I know,” Looey interrupted, smiling sympathetically, “but he just wants you to heal as fast as you can. You’ve been threatening to bite people more than usual.”
Glisten flushed in embarrassment and groaned when he heard Rodger chuckle.
“Not surprised,” Rodger muttered.
“You’re next, fuckface,” Glisten threatened, shooting daggers at Rodger with his eyes as he allowed himself to be dragged away by Looey.
Rodger smirked. “I’m terrified,” he said sarcastically.
He scoffed as he watched Looey chatter away to Glisten, who nodded with enthusiasm.
Glisten held his injured arm close to his chest, trying to shield anyone from seeing it.
Rodger squinted. Glisten clearly had something going on that he was hiding.
Well, Rodger was a detective. He supposed he should do something about that.
Glisten was lying in bed, staring at his plain ceiling in the dark, thinking over every life decision he’s ever made that’s led him to this point, before hearing a timid knock on the door.
He’d figured it’d be Sprout, Looey or Vee, in order of likeliness to visit him in his vulnerable state. Glisten managed to cover his mangled arm with his blanket, refusing to sit up.
“Come in,” Glisten mumbled.
His visitor was the last person he expected to see.
It was Rodger, standing timidly in his doorway with the light pouring in behind him, glancing into Glisten’s eyes before looking away.
“This is Sprout’s doing, I’m afraid,” Rodger said, answering Glisten’s unsaid question. His voice was softer than usual.
Glisten made a noise of acknowledgement, hiding the surprise in his voice.
“Well, half his, half mine,” he continued. Glisten’s eyebrow quirked with curiosity.
“His half was sending me to check on you.”
Glisten groaned.
“I know, you’re fine or something. He sent me to change your bandages.”
Glisten didn’t need to look down to know the current layers were stained black.
“I don’t care if you’re hurt, just let me do this so I can leave,” Rodger grunted. Glisten nodded weakly in response.
Rodger gently lifted the covers off of his injured arm, stifling a gasp as black liquid leaked through the layers of bandage.
“How long have you had these on?” Rodger questioned, staring right at Glisten’s face, icy eyes refusing to meet his gaze.
“Not too long. Two days, maybe.”
Rodger sighed. “That’s way too long.”
Glisten rolled his eyes. “It’s not like you care.”
Rodger shook his head. “Just sit up, it’s easier for me.”
Glisten huffed as he begrudgingly obeyed, hunched over, bow loose around his waist. Even while sitting, Glisten looked down on Rodger, who situated himself in front of Glisten’s crossed legs.
As Rodger looped the fabric around Glisten’s arm, brushing against his skin tenderly, he cleared his shaky voice. “The second part of my visit was on my own accord.”
Glisten nodded slowly.
“I wanted to thank you.”
Rodger suppressed a flinch as Glisten straightened up suddenly, clearly confused.
“For saving my life.”
Glisten blinked. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes you did,” Rodger said. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d most definitely be dead.”
“I’m sure you had more in you.”
Rodger finished applying Glisten’s bandage, pulling on it slightly to draw out a small whimper from Glisten.
“I know I didn’t,” Rodger said.
Glisten sat there, no words coming to mind. He just shook his head.
“I’d do it for anyone. You aren’t special.”
“It’s not about me. It’s about what you did for me.”
“Which wasn’t much,” Glisten shrugged.
Rodger let out a breath, slightly leaning forward, just enough for Glisten to uncross his legs and lean back in response, eyes widening in the dark.
“I’m generously giving you my thanks and you are making it impossibly difficult,” he muttered.
He could see Glisten’s sly smile. “It’s what I do best, no?”
Rodger sighed shakily. “You’d be right. I’m off, then.”
“Am I allowed to leave the confines of my room, at least?” Glisten asked, feeling his heart thump in his chest. Rodger hadn’t moved from his awfully close placement near Glisten’s face.
“Sprout said no, I’m afraid.”
Glisten frowned. “I’m not made of glass, I’m not fragile. I’ll be fine.”
Rodger shrugged. “Doctor’s orders.”
Glisten tried to shuffle his way out of Rodger’s body, struggling to stand before Rodger narrowed his knowing eye.
“It’s not good for you to be up and about when you should be resting.”
“And it’s not good for me to be sitting around doing nothing,” Glisten hissed.
“You’re resting. That’s enough.”
“It’s never enough!” Glisten snapped, grabbing Rodger’s arms and forcing them to the side with a tight grip.
“What are you talking about? Are you alright?” Rodger asked.
“I’m holed up in my room like some fragile object. The pain is unbearable and I thought I was going to lose a limb. Sprout and everyone and now you have been bugging me about it nonstop and I’m tired of being treated like a child!” Glisten cried, throwing both arms into the air and wincing as trickles of ichor leaked down the injured one. He clutched it close to his chest protectively.
Rodger frowned in concern. “Is that what you really think?”
Tears pricked at Glisten’s eyes as he refused to meet the detective’s purple gaze. He didn’t need a response to know the answer.
“Glisten,” Rodger started, taking Glisten’s hands in his, “no one thinks that of you. Sprout and Cosmo just want you to heal. Looey and Vee are your closest friends and they care deeply for you.”
Glisten said nothing, staring down at the contact.
“They don’t think you’re fragile. They just want you to be ok.”
Glisten sighed, the first sound he made in a while.
“M’ sorry,” Glisten murmured, leaning forward to stand up.
Rodger grabbed Glisten’s waist forcefully, the momentum causing Glisten to fall back onto the bed with Rodger leaning over him.
Glisten breathed hard, butterflies swarming at the touch.
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Rodger whispered, voice barely audible.
Rodger couldn’t see it clearly in the dark, but he could feel Glisten lean up to brush his fingers against Rodger’s wooden frame, feeling around to grasp his handle and pull him in closer.
Rodger crawled onto the bed over Glisten, letting his hands trail up to find Glisten’s cool glass face, feeling it warm up under his touch.
Rodger’s knee nudged Glisten’s legs apart, free hand traveling down to grip Glisten’s hip. Rodger closed the distance between them as Glisten whined, hips bucking up to meet Rodger’s leg separating his thighs.
It was messy and heated and passionate, but it felt right to Glisten in every way. His nerves were lit aflame and he had never felt more alive, the pain in his arm easing away.
Rodger pulled Glisten in closer, deepening the kiss right as someone knocked on the door.
They jerked away from each other as a familiar voice rang clear.
“Hey, Gliss, I know you’re moping around in there,” Looey said, leaving the door unopened.
Rodger adjusted the crooked collar of his jacket as Glisten sat up, trying to push his messy hair down.
Rodger power walked to the door, looking back at Glisten with a conflicted expression before opening the door to slip past Looey without sparing him a glance.
“...What was that?” Looey asked, looking Glisten up and down, noticing how his makeup was smudged and his bow was slipping down his torso.
“Just a replacement of bandages,” Glisten forced out, voice hoarse. He could taste Rodger on his lips every time he spoke, making him dizzy with emotion.
Looey nodded slightly, eyeing him suspiciously. “If you say so. I figured you wanted some company.”
Glisten had to hold back a laugh. He already had plenty of company today.
By the next week, Glisten’s wound had stopped leaking through the bandages. The first time Sprout revealed his mangled, scarred skin, Glisten almost fainted.
His arm looked terrible, despite healing properly. Chunks of his skin were lighter and puffier and the bite marks were still prevalent, embedded onto his arm as a permanent reminder.
“It’s really not that bad!” Sprout exclaimed, a large smile peeking over his scarf on his freckled face. “It’s healin’ exactly as it should. I reckon it’ll be fine in a week or so, but you’re clear for runs.”
Glisten cheered. “Finally!” He leapt from his bed, twirling around with joy.
“You just have to be careful, though,” Sprout warned. “Your skin is still tender and I wanna make sure you’re in tip-top shape for next month.”
“I’ll be fine, ” Glisten insisted.
Sprout nodded. “I hope so. Rodger would be real mad at me if anything happened to you.”
“Rodger?” Glisten asked, desperately trying to hide the blush that rose to his face.
“Yeah, he’s been awfully worried about you since you got injured. He thinks it was all his fault. Poor fella.”
Glisten stood frozen, body lighting aflame at Sprout’s words.
“Well, you’re paired with him today anyway. Tell him that he’s alright, yeah?” Sprout smiled at him.
Glisten nodded. “Mhm, yep, sure.”
He spedwalk out of there before Sprout could add in anything else.
Rodger was waiting for him by the elevator, as per usual. He glanced down at his watch before looking back up at Glisten.
“Eighteen seconds late. Better than last time.”
Glisten narrowed his eyes at Rodger, lacking the usual frustration. He found the purple tint in Rodger’s eye to be pretty.
“Best be on our way,” Rodger said, interrupting his train of thought.
When they entered the elevator, they didn’t separate to their respective sides as usual. They stood close, Rodger’s shoulder almost brushing against Glisten’s arm.
Glisten’s breath hitched as he felt Rodger’s hand brush against his own softly, the touch sending waves of heat through him.
Glisten looked away, anywhere but at Rodger, who was staring straight ahead with ease. There was fog at the corners of his glass.
The large metal door screeched open, and Rodger broke the contact to march forward to complete the needed machines. It took Glisten a moment for him to gather his thoughts before he followed Rodger out of the elevator and into the cold diner before them.
The first few floors went by without a problem. Glisten felt more tired than usual through each passing floor, dragging himself to the elevator forcefully by floor seven.
When Glisten teleported next to Rodger to get into the elevator on floor eight, he almost fell into him.
Instead of Rodger pushing him away and eyeing him suspiciously, he caught Glisten in his arms, straightening him up before patting his shoulder and wandering away to get to the machines ahead of them.
He froze when he heard barking in the distance, ringing loudly through the walls of the diner.
Rodger looked back at Glisten, who lost his breath, frozen in place. Rodger looked over his shoulder before walking back to Glisten, taking a wrist in one of his hands to ground him.
“I’ll be fine,” Glisten nodded, ignoring the way the fear melted away in favor of a violent heat that pooled in his gut as Rodger looked up at him with a worried eye.
Rodger nodded, squeezing Glisten’s wrist gently as he departed to actually look for the machines.
As much as he didn’t want to be alone, it was for the better. Rodger distracted him.
There were five machines between them, so Glisten had done three of them by the time Rodger signaled he was on the last one.
Glisten would normally feel relieved, if twisted Pebble wasn’t looming over an unassuming Rodger.
“Rodger!” Glisten cried, fear coursing through his body as Rodger and the twisted snapped their heads to look at Glisten.
It was good timing, because Rodger finished the last of the machine by the time he registered Pebble was frothing at the mouth next to him.
He jumped up, sprinting away from the rabid twisted as fast as he could, though the dog was hot on his tail.
Glisten had already made it into the elevator, freezing up again as Rodger ran towards the safe area desperately.
Glisten stepped out of the elevator to pull Rodger in, screwing his eyes closed as the elevator door slammed shut behind them.
They didn’t move right away. Glisten breathed hard, trying to calm himself down, feeling Rodger curl up against him.
When Glisten finally cleared his mind, he shoved Rodger away, fear replaced by fury.
“Are you stupid?” He asked, ignoring the confused look in Rodger’s eye.
“You have no awareness of your surroundings! You would’ve been mauled to death!” Glisten exclaimed.
Rodger frowned. “I was perfectly aware of what was going on around me. I was already finished. I had plenty of time.”
“I had to pull you in so you weren’t snatched up like a snack!”
“You didn’t have to do anything,” Rodger shot back, approaching Glisten angrily. “I can handle myself just fine.”
“Clearly not. You have no idea what you’re doing without me,” Glisten muttered.
“Well, someone has to keep you in check,” Rodger responded, leaning in closer to get into Glisten’s personal space.
Glisten should be mad. He should be shoving him away, rolling his eyes and hating him forever.
He should not be staring into his purple eye, feeling butterflies swarm in his stomach as he admired just how pretty Rodger was.
Somehow, it didn’t feel as wrong as it was supposed to.
Glisten was about to protest before he felt Rodger take his face into his hands and drag him into another kiss.
It was aggressive and messy and Glisten whimpered into it like he would die without it. He pulled Rodger in closer by his waist, stumbling backward before Rodger had him pinned against the cold elevator wall.
Glisten thought someone had lit him on fire as Rodger deepened the kiss, wandering hands settling on digging into the fabric of his bow. Glisten wrapped his arms around Rodger’s neck as Rodger found a way to loosen the knot on the bow so he could slip his hands under the fabric and dig his fingers into Glisten’s sides.
Glisten gasped, struggling to stand upright with all of the new feelings betraying his healing body.
Rodger pulled away, and Glisten felt much colder than he had before.
“One moment,” he said in a smooth tone.
Glisten nodded wordlessly, trying to steady his fast breath as he watched Rodger loom over the hatch in the elevator, giving Dandy a look as he rose from the floor.
“Going up?” Dandy asked cheerfully.
Rodger nodded.
“Sounds good! Wouldn’t want to overwork your… whatever he is.”
The moment Dandy was out of sight, Glisten couldn’t help but feel nothing but excitement as Rodger almost sprinted back towards him to press their glass together in another fevered kiss with Rodger pulling Glisten in by the waist again.
Glisten was much more prepared, sighing into the kiss comfortably and looping his arms around Rodger’s neck as he did before.
Glisten swore he felt a tongue poking at his lips before the elevator reached the surface and Rodger jumped away from Glisten like a cat, bristling as he scanned the area to make sure no one was around.
When the coast was clear, Rodger grabbed Glisten’s wrist and dragged him to the closest available bedroom, which just so happened to be Glisten’s room, with dust floating around due to it never being cleaned.
Rodger slammed the door behind them and captured Glisten’s lips in another messy kiss, feeling up his sides beneath the bow tied around his torso before pushing him back onto the bed.
Rodger eyed Glisten hungrily in a way that made his stomach twist into knots, like a predator identifying prey before going in for the attack. He crawled on top of Glisten, pushing his legs apart gently with a hand, squeezing one of his thighs as he kissed him again.
Glisten suppressed a cry, fire spreading through him, untamed, at the unfamiliar touch, arching his back into the kiss.
Rodger pulled back, just enough to catch his breath.
“I’m going to ruin you,” he whispered, making Glisten shudder.
“ Fuck, please,” Glisten pleaded, untangling his arms from Rodger’s neck to claw at his back.
“Gladly,” was all Rodger said before kissing Glisten again, feeling his sweet taste on his lips.
The next morning was hazy. Glisten awoke at his usual time, feeling incredibly sore, questioning what could’ve happened to him before it all came crashing down.
Rodger was still next to him, sound asleep, a hand lazily sprawled across his chest as his face was tucked next to his neck, snoring softly.
It felt oddly nice, letting his guard down and having someone be all domestic with him. He could picture Rodger with him every night.
Well, that was an entirely new thought. He didn’t really mind it, though.
Rodger looked oddly peaceful when asleep. He didn’t look as alert and worried as he did when wide awake.
Glisten laid there, taking in the new, wholesome feeling. He didn’t notice when Rodger started to stir.
Rodger made some grunting noise before blinking sleep from his tired eye.
He seemed to panic for a moment, looking up at Glisten, who was still staring at the ceiling.
“Morning,” Glisten said softly, picking his head up to meet Rodger’s gaze.
Rodger relaxed almost immediately, letting out a breath of relief as he leaned up to kiss Glisten.
It was much softer than their last kisses. It made Glisten’s heart skip a beat, and he smiled into it a little, cupping Rodger’s face gently and bringing him closer.
Rodger sighed into it, gently caressing Glisten’s torso where the bow would have been, had it not been discarded the night before. It made Glisten shudder again.
Glisten felt something warm swipe across his bottom lip, tensing as Rodger became more insistent in his ministrations.
Glisten pulled away, giggling as Rodger visibly frowned with his entire body.
“Hold on, tiger, it’s a little early. I can barely function,” Glisten laughed.
Rodger hummed. “Understood.”
Glisten felt the butterflies re-awaken as Rodger pressed his glass to Glisten’s forehead.
“You’re very pretty,” he whispered.
“Uh- yeah, uh, what brought that on?” Glisten chuckled nervously.
“Just figured you should know, for when we do this again.”
Glisten audibly gulped. “Again?”
Rodger’s soft face dropped into worry. “I mean, unless you don’t want to, then-”
“No,” Glisten interrupted, smiling at Rodger’s concerned look, “this is definitely happening again.”
Rodger brightened, the stress falling off his shoulders as he lowered himself next to Glisten, curling himself around Glisten’s cool body for comfort.
“Clingy much?” Glisten quipped.
“Shut up,” Rodger mumbled.
“Make me, old man,” Glisten laughed, rolling his eyes in amusement.
He didn’t expect Rodger to force himself up to kiss and bite at Glisten’s sore, bruised neck, making him squirm and whine against his touch.
“Alright, I get it,” Glisten said, pushing Rodger off of him.
Rodger chuckled, low and gravelly, and it made Glisten’s heart jump in his chest.
Glisten closed his eyes again as Rodger curled up beside him.
He didn’t mind having a late start to the day anyway.