Teamwork is a skill we lack. (II SUPERHERO AU FIC)

62

The first thing Fan did when the two made it back to the base was head straight for his room. He had a lot of sleep to catch up on, having not slept at all the night prior. A passing 'rest well' from Testtube as she headed straight for the stairs down to her lab. Check up on Paintbrush...

She let out a gasp at the scene in the room, the blanket they had draped over them at some point kicked away and half off the bed, along with Paintbrush themself on the ground, looking weak, and unconscious. She quickly moved to check their breathing, which still seemed regular enough.

She lifted them up in her arms, making sure to be careful as they let out a small whimper, their eyes fluttering a bit as she set them back down on the medical chair.

"Paintbrush..?" Testtube asked in a soft tone, hoping maybe they were responsive in the moment.

Their eyes fluttered open, looking in her direction again, but not quite at her.

"Can you--"

"Lightbulb..." They spoke, barely louder than a whisper. "Wh... where..." They seemed to lightly wince, but for the most part managed to keep their eyes open. Whatever the reason for them being found on the floor, it must have left them rather weak. That being said, Testtube knew the honest answer would not be something Paintbrush wanted to hear now.

So she lied.

"I'll... Go get her." She gave a fake, brief grin, knowing they wouldn't be able to notice the difference, as she carefully laid them back down on the bed, and sped walked out of the room... Just standing in the hallway. She put a hand to her head, and mentally cursed herself. She couldn't just make Lightbulb come back, or even stay , but she also still felt so bad for lying.

There was nothing to be done.

So she stood out in the hallway for a few minutes, just having to hope Paintbrush would be asleep again by the time she re-entered the room.

Luckily for her, they were.

This was still not something to be happy about though.

~

Everything was dark. He felt like he had been slammed shut, and that he couldn't move, or breath. All he could do was hear the commotion around him as he struggled to open up, or move, or regain the sensation of breath-- but nothing.

And then something. He regained his breath quickly as the grassy opening in the wooded area surrounding their base seemed to materialize around him. He was sitting with a dazed Testtube in his arms, both of them completely stuck in fear as they watched Paintbrush get ever so close to Lightbulb, who looked at all of them with nothing but hatred in her eyes... No, that wasn't... Right?

A flash of lightning changes the scene again, Paintbrush is down, but Lightbulb is still in her power fueled trance.

"That's... not what happened..." Fan mumbled to himself, but didn't have much time to think about it, as Lightbulb's hatred was now directed at him... And Testtube. She outstretched one of her hands, electricity already forming.

It all happened so quickly, Testtube shoving him out of the way. The deafening shattering noise, the glass that scattered across the ground, the bright green liquid that stained the grass, and-- and...

Her glasses.

The last thing he saw as Lightbulb turned to him, were Testtube's glasses.

--

Fan jolted awake with a yell, putting one hand to his chest, and the other to his eyes to wipe away the tears he already knew were forming.

None of that had happened... It wasn't real, it wasn't... Real. Fans head reeled as he felt around the bedside table for his own glasses, and his phone. First thing he did was text Testtube, if only to just reassure himself that it really was just a nightmare.