I’d say “if villain why hot” but I don’t work against my own interests
And on that same note:
I find it nice that Mori didn’t even question the ADA’s innocence from the start. I only wonder how much of it was just him believing dear, idealistic to a fault, Fukuzawa uncapable of anything more evil than denying Ranpo sweets.
⤷ ゛ ˎˊ˗ summary: A little lamb becomes the reason of reconcile!
warning: I haven't reread it, so there might be mistakes. Experiments, blood, etc.
The laboratory smelled of antiseptic, iron, and burnt flesh as usual. To anyone else, it would have been unbearable, a suffocating mixture of chemicals and blood that lingered stubbornly in the air no matter how many windows were opened, but to Dottore it had long since become indistinguishable from the scent of home. It clung to the coat he wore, seeped into the leather of his gloves, and left stains on the polished floor beneath countless examination tables. Same tables that were occupied by the day’s test subjects, who were meeting a fate no different from that of the ones from the day before.
One by one, each experiment reached its inevitable conclusion.
Some quietly perished under the weight of their transforming physiology; their hearts ultimately gave out after they rejected every attempt to adapt. Others resisted to the very end; their bodies rejected the substances forcibly injected into their veins, while their claws scraped futilely against steel restraints. Their struggle was short-lived, though. And their fate was predictable.
After another series of observations scribbled into an already crowded notebook, with one practiced movement he removed his gloves with the help from his teeth, only for a careless spray of warm blood to strike across the sleeve of his white coat as the carcass was discarded onto a waiting cart.
He barely spared the stain a glance, that was the view he got used to. His coats were no longer white anyways, neither his soul.
His attention had already shifted toward the final enclosure resting at the far end of the laboratory, it was the only cage that remained occupied.
The lamb lifted its head with curiosity the moment his footsteps echoed through the room. Compared to the other subjects, this little lamb waited calmly in its cage without a sound. Perhaps it was because she had brought it, Dottore thought to himself. She really liked this lamb but Dottore didn't allow her to take it to herself. And whenever such minor disagreements arose between them, Dottore would tell her that she was merely an assistant and ought to listen to him.
That is why Dottore spent the entire day alone in the laboratory; his assistant had walked out after being denied the lamb. Thinking she might return one way or another, Dottore had rushed from one experiment to another all day long.
Of course, it wasn't for distracting himself, why on earth would he be thinking about his assistant?
Its pale ears twitched once before it wandered lazily toward the iron door, waiting patiently while Dottore unlocked the mechanism with a metallic click.
"You've been very patient and calm compared to the others," he said it flatly, more an observation than praise.
The door swung inward and the lamb stepped out without hesitation. For a fleeting second, it merely stood there.
Then, with all the innocence expected of an ordinary farm animal, it pressed its small head against his leg, soft wool brushing against the blood drying on his boots before rubbing affectionately along the side of his coat as though greeting someone who had simply returned home after a long day.
And this had taken Dottore somewhat by surprise. "Do these test subjects act as if they’ve been given a sedative just from spending a few hours with you, y/n?"
"The fact that you gave more love than necessary made it believe that even someone like me is worthy of receiving affection."
Tsk, he sighed loudly.
Before he could reach down to inspect it more closely, the lamb suddenly skipped backward, its tiny tail flicking once as though pleased with itself, only to turn and dart out through the still-open laboratory door.
His body was already weary and aching, and now his final test subject had escaped outside. He closed the notebook resting upon the examination table, collected his discarded gloves from where they had fallen. Taking another deep breath, he pulled on his coat which was already stained with blood, and slowly stepped outside after the lamb to follow the muddy little hoofprints disappearing into the freshly fallen snow outside.
The lamb would trot a little way ahead and then bleat while waiting for him. It was as if it were saying, "Come on, follow me."
He had slowly followed the tiny lamb for a while like this, paying no heed to the snow. He could have actually finished it off in a split second had he wished, but it was clear that the lamb wanted to lead him somewhere. And Dottore was the sort of person who granted privileges to test subjects that showed signs of intelligence, it made no difference to him whether they were human or animal.
As they ventured farther through the snow-covered woods, the sharp chill in the air gradually gave way to unexpected warmth. Thin wisps of steam drifted between the trees, growing thicker until the forest opened into a small clearing. A secluded hot spring lay hidden among smooth, dark rocks; the clear waters rippled gently as mist curled sluggishly into the cold winter air. Snow blanketed everything around it, making the pool seem almost hidden from the rest of the world.
The lamb, seemingly satisfied with where it had led them, wandered over to you instead. It let out a cheerful bleat before rubbing its head against your hand, completely ignoring Dottore now.
Dottore's gaze lingered on the spring in quiet surprise. He had explored these mountains before, yet he'd never known a place like this existed.
With the axe in hand, he approached you and slowly crouched down. "When did you make the lamb your own man?"
You started speaking while stroking the little one's head. "I didn't make him my own man; I just fed him a bit, petted him a bit, and played with him a bit. I think he takes me for his mother now." You smiled at his cuteness.
He flung the axe he was holding aside and let himself drop to the ground. There were so many things he wanted to tell you, or rather, to scold you about: that you shouldn't get so emotionally entangled with the test subjects; that if you kept getting attached to every new arrival like that, you wouldn't make any progress; and that your behavior was unbecoming of an assistant, and so on.
But you two had already argued, and he had been left all alone in that cold laboratory all day. It was your fault for getting him so accustomed to your presence and then suddenly walking away; you made him feel bad enough to follow a lamb.
Just as the lamb had laid its head down and begun to drift off to sleep, you moved slightly through the water and drew closer to Dottore. "Don't you want to come over here? You look tired." You were speaking like a siren trying to lure him into the water, and you looked like one too.
He looked at you for a while, but then he gave in. He took off his outer garments and draped the coat which was stained with the blood of the other test subjects, over the lamb's tiny body. You moved aside to let him enter the water, but you couldn't tear your eyes away from his body.
As the hot water enveloped his entire body, he let out a deep breath, leaned back against the stone, and turned his head toward you. "How long have you known about this place?"
Leaning your back against him and wrapping his arm around your own body, you started speaking with a grin. "Just two days ago, this litte guy over there brought me here when I fed him. I think he tried to say thank you to me."
A thoughtful hmm, escaped from his mouth. "I get why he’s thanking you, but why did he bring me along, especially after seeing me torment the others all day? Turns out he’s not exactly a bright lamb, after all."
You spoke while playing with water, "I suppose he felt sorry for you when he saw what a wreck you were without me."
He caught the hand that was playing with the water, brought it to his mouth, and bit it gently, "You are giving yourself too much credit, aren't you?"
end.
Tag List: @yunziuu @fireriyu @luvttore @sapphirevic @anselmrael
Dottore has those cold ass doctor hands that smell like bleach and Pantalone has sharp ass nails with a perfect manicure and together they terrorize you 😔
dottore enjoyers.. we moved on too quickly from both boss forms. im fucking with the segment love and the og dottie love ( yall have put out peak content and im all over it ).. but what about the bosses.. what about them?
