Lost Passengers
Dimension Shredder Hong Lu x GN Coworker Reader
Summary: W Corp. was going under. That much was for certain. Yet it paid well and was ideal if someone could stomach what went on in the trains. Some people did go missing, but that was rare and generally unheard of, so it's fine. Or, it would be fine if you weren't the one to go missing this time. Luckily there's someone there to help you adjust! Even if he seemed to have changed a lot.
Warnings: Body horror, gore, spoilers relating to W Corp. and the trains, possessiveness (doesn't go too far), possible slight ooc
Length: 2.6k
(Name) didn't exactly know just how much time had passed since the accident.
Stranded in a seemingly endless void that was a mockery of the roads and train stations they knew so well in the real world, it was surprising how they hadn't gone mental at this point when they couldn't find any exit.
All they had wanted to do was do their job well at W Corp., try not to die from handling the severed and mutilated bodies of the passengers, and get their retirement from the place once they got older and unable to work as effectively. Especially if it meant their memories got wiped from the entire experience? Yeah, it was a sweet deal. Money, early retirement, and they didn’t have to pay a dime on any therapy afterward.
Of course, there were some people who didn't want their memories tampered with, or didn't like how the job was done. There had also been many cases where once a new employee did realize what actually went on, they had tried quitting almost immediately, unable to stomach the job.
Those instances weren't very pretty to witness.
But maybe those people weren't entirely unreasonable, now that (Name) was trapped here... Wherever here was. They weren't even sure how they exactly got here to begin with. They had hidden in the designated hibernation pod reserved for the employees in a dangerous situation, and it was supposed to be safe.
Supposed to be.
Something must have malfunctioned. (Name) has seen multiple other workers come out of there in desperate times, so they knew it worked. It wasn't like W Corp. could afford tricking its own workers, either. It had been going under for a while—getting people to use the trains or even to work for them in the first place had been hard. The company just couldn't afford it.
“Are you serious..?”
(Name) sighed, staring at the crossroads ahead of them. They thought they had seen this area before just a while ago, but everything looked the exact same, so they couldn't be too certain. Their muscles were aching, and they wanted to sit and rest for a while, but they already knew that wouldn't do anything. It was best to just ignore the discomfort and keep walking.
A low sound rumbled through the station.
(Name) froze at that, hand gripping their axe tighter.
There weren't supposed to be others here... right? The company lost passengers before, but... that was a while ago. And that one recent employee that also went missing. Had one of them found their way to this area? Is the station just one big maze or–?
No, stop. They couldn't think about something like that. It hurt their head, and besides, there was a far bigger (potential) threat right now.
Maybe that's what was their downfall. Overthinking. It's why they had used the pod when they should have just tried toughing it out and actually do their damn job. They had gotten overwhelmed too fast from their own thoughts and—
“There you are...!”
A rip above them.
Instinct from doing their job for so long kicked in, and (Name) has just barely managed to scramble out of the way, putting their axe up to try blocking the attack. Their heartbeat quickened.
They had to see and analyze the threat, had to—
They were knocked down almost immediately. Pathetic. L3 and they were already losing to something they should know how to handle.
Looking up at their attacker, their eyes widened when they saw the once familiar heterochromic gaze looming above them.
“Hong Lu...?”
Just where did his suit end and his skin begin? Were they merged together? (Name)’s eyes lowered to look at the flesh that was visible beneath the bloodsoaked teeth that seemed to expand out of the clothing he wore. Blackened skin, bloodied, veiny…
That didn’t even begin to compare to what happened to his arms and hands. A writhing mass of flesh and teeth shaped into an elongated jaw on one arm that seemed to stick onto him.
“What… happened to you?” They usually weren’t so shocked by, well, much of anything, really, since their job had desensitized them quite a bit. Yet, the state of their former coworker seemed to do just that. As much as he annoyed them at times and managed to get under their skin, they did still care about him. Enough to notice smaller things, like how he fiddled with his weapon before cleaning up yet another WARP train, or the quiet sighs he'd let out when he thought he was alone. Which was extremely rare. Somehow he just.. knew whenever someone was around. It was always such a strange thing.
And his eyes… Something (Name) used to always compliment and study whenever they thought Hong Lu wasn’t looking, the same eyes that usually held so much mirth with that underlying look of loneliness they could never really figure out - all of that was gone. What replaced them were ones filled with despair and aimlessness.
His state was to be expected in this place, but it never really clicked with them until now just how horrifying it really could be. Having the task of restraining the WARP train passengers after they arrive at the station was one thing, and actually seeing their coworker become one of the abominations was another. Despite their inner turmoil, they couldn’t help but examine him closer to see if it was signs of self-mutilation or someone else’s hands. If there even was another person in the area, which they doubted. They had to avert their gaze once they caught onto these thoughts, a bit guilty for falling into their habit at this time. Again.
Hong Lu’s eyes widened slightly, a look of recognition slowly coming over him. “(Name)?”
Relief.
He got off them and helped them up, and (Name) was glad that they weren’t going to die today. Or get torn apart and have to live with it, since dying wasn’t exactly an option here. Hong Lu was proof of that.
(Name) didn't know just how much time had passed in this space, they knew WARP trains acted differently and that it took a huge mental toll within one, but getting lost was a whole other issue. Judging by the way Hong Lu had shuffled over to them and hesitantly reached out before pulling them into a tight hug, it likely had been far too long since he last saw another sign of a living person. They tried not to grimace in disgust as they felt the writhing mass of flesh against their clothing.
Deciding to indulge him for a bit since he looked like he badly needed it, they wrapped their arms around him as well, feeling him tremble in their grip and clinging on a touch tighter. They thought he would cry (they wouldn't blame him for doing so) but he didn't. (Name) was almost expecting him to cry, so it came as a bit of a shock when he didn't. Even now when he looked like death itself, he somehow managed to hold himself together. Or maybe that was just all the trauma he had gone through in the strange space they both were in.
Attempting to pull back once the hug was going on for a bit too long was clearly a mistake on their part, as Hong Lu resisted the movement and spoke in a bit of a frantic plea.
“Don't go.”
Well… guess they weren’t doing that anytime soon.
Sighing quietly through their nose, they let him do what he wanted and stayed put for now. They’d have time to question him later, so there was no point in pushing him right now. Neither of them were going anywhere for a very long time, most likely… Although (Name) hoped it wouldn’t come down to that, the likelihood of getting out was very slim. Sure, the two of them were trapped here in this hell and there have been no accounts of any missing people making it back (but those cases were low in general, almost unheard of), but they’d both be different. Dying here simply wasn’t an option, it was physically impossible. Maybe immortality wouldn’t be so bad, though? They’d have to stay here forever, but…
They should stop thinking for now.
Hong Lu made no movement still, and (Name) made sure to keep their arms around him still as they attempted to look up at him as much as they could with his head atop their own still. “Are you okay?”
Of course he wasn’t okay, but in this situation? What were they even supposed to ask? They weren’t good at dealing with people. That was usually Hong Lu’s job. They needed a paycheck, and they got it by cleaning the WARP trains. They didn’t get money from chatting up their coworkers, so talking was useless. It was a complete contrast to what Hong Lu did, somehow managing both his job and social life to the best of his abilities with people usually turning his requests down to go to the cafe nearby. It was clear he never really fit in, and (Name) eventually felt a bit bad for him.
“I’m fine.” He clearly wasn’t. They both knew that, and his words sounded more like an autopilot response rather than what he was actually feeling. “Just… stay with me.”
“Well, we can’t stay here forever.” They were trying to be gentle with it, to try encouraging him to let go so they could take a proper look around. “I wasn’t going to leave you even if I could.”
They let him stay in that position for a while. It was only fair, after all, considering what he had to go through. Despite not being friends with him. They'll just… blame this on their mental state later. Yeah. That could work.
Hong Lu felt conflicted. On one hand, he desperately wanted (Name) here, he needed (Name) here, but on the other... He really didn't want them to go through what he had to for who knows how long. The loneliness was insufferable and always made him want to do anything to get rid of it, to ignore the numbness. His body held evidence of that.
Selfish, selfish, selfish—
The loneliness was catching up to him. He tried to calm down, tried swallowing down the sudden emotions that were welling up inside him, but it was hard. It felt like hours had passed that he was holding onto them, but for (Name), it was only a minute.
(Name) felt him shake a bit in their hold, and they tried to pull back a bit to look at him. His grip only got tighter. “Hong Lu? Are you okay?”
There was a pause. Then, a choked sob. (Name) was stunned.
Hong Lu was one of the last people they would ever expect to cry, considering how he normally is.
Their eyes softened, a frown on their face as they held him closer. “Hong Lu...”
A hand moved to his hair, strangely well kept despite the circumstances and his overall appearance, lightly stroking his head. That seemed to break him.
“Sorry, sorry sorry—” Through sobs he apologized to them, yet made no move to pull away despite that. (Name) felt their uniform get wet. It was durable material so blood couldn’t get through it unless they were truly soaked, but they could still feel any cold or warmth through it.
Okay, so (Name) must have severely underestimated his mental state. Either that or they just weren't used to seeing him like this. Even more than they originally thought.
“You're alright,” they were quickly trying to come up with something, anything, to make this better. “You're okay. I'm here now, see?”
This was difficult. They weren't awful at comforting people, but they certainly weren't good at it either. Their mind scrambled at finding the right words, to not accidentally invalidate his feelings or make him feel even worse off than he already was, but it was hard. Their work never trained them for this. All they knew was how to rearrange genomes and stabilize the more rowdy passengers on the WARP Trains to put them back in their correct seats before the train arrived at the destination. Never this.
Just being there, letting Hong Lu hold onto them while they stroked his hair seemed to do the trick, though. It did take a bit, but it was fine. Time didn't work properly here, so technically they both had all the time in the world right now.
His eyes were red and puffy when he reluctantly pulled back.
(Name) tried to smile gently at him, ignoring their conflicting thoughts and feelings about the entire situation right now. “Feel better?” They quickly tagged on, after seeing his expression, “well, I mean, at least a bit. Obviously.”
Hong Lu huffed a small breath, and (Name) wasn't sure if it was supposed to be in amusement or annoyance. Then again, it could be anything else other than that. It had to have been good, though, since he hadn't yet pulled away from their touch.
“Come on,” they tried pulling him along, taking care to avoid the fleshy bits. “Let's find a way out of here. I haven't been looking too long, but I think—“
“There's no way out.” He cut them off. “I've looked.”
He couldn't even muster the usual cheery facade anymore. Not when his emotions were still raw and his brain was still going through every possible traumatic experience and thinking so many awful words towards himself. At least some people would delight at his suffering. Although the ones that really mattered would care more about the new company he had with him.
“Then... we'll keep looking.” It was hopeless, futile, but (Name) tried keeping a brave face on.
It was thanks to his family's constant trainings that Hong Lu was able to not shift uncomfortably in place. He felt exposed and vulnerable with (Name)'s gaze set on him, and it was a relief when they turned around.
As they began to walk in a random direction, Hong Lu didn't have it in him to tell (Name) that he's already explored every possible place in this area. More than once. Hell, he practically knew it like the back of his hand at this point. Still, he let them guide him all the same.
Hong Lu didn't know how much longer he could endure this, but he had to.
If he was going to be stuck here, forever hopping through dimensions, then at least he had (Name) here with him. He didn't deserve it, but it was a comfort. It was fine, he supposed. It was far better than the alternative.
He’d just have to make sure (Name) stayed well away from the other mutilated employee that lingered in the warped space, which would be easy enough when he knew every possible entry and exit and where it led to.
(Name) didn’t look back. Yet Hong Lu’s gaze stayed on them as they walked. He didn’t need a guide and had no need for any sort of light they emitted, but he’d let them take the role of one. Just like he would now take the role of their protector, despite knowing they could take care of themself.
His hand slipped into their own, and he felt (Name) flinch a bit, fingers curling awkwardly as they fought the urge to pull back and away from the exposed flesh. Looking down at them, he gave a small smile, his usual barriers slowly being rebuilt.
As long as he had them near him, everything would be alright.
