The Star Patient

“Marvin? Why are you up and about? You haven’t sounded the alarm yet -- and really, you shouldn’t at all. You should not be out of bed in that state,” Schneep remarked as he rose to intercept him. Sluggishly Marvin shook his head as he padded down the hall.

“It’s today, I’m supposed to do that thing today,” he mumbled, shivering faintly and rubbing up and down the arms of his rumpled pajamas. “The thing with the...where I...” He gestured vaguely, wavering as the words wouldn’t come.

“The thing where you spin right round and reunite with your bed. There’s nothing else to be done with only half a brain awake.”

Just a couple of wholesome, snarky, rough-around-the-edges boys <3

“Come on. You’ve already got me cold juice, popsicles, a fan and lightweight pajamas. I’m telling you, I’m fine! My body’s always like this; it’s nothing to freak out about,” Mag insisted, huffing in exasperation as he watched the doctor scuttle around with supplies. 

“Is not! I do try all of those things and still the thermometer says there’s too much rise in you; the good doctor must make you cool again, stat!” He paused briefly as he juggled the cold packs and sponges in his arms, concerned expression overtaken by a small giggle. “Stat. I always want to say that before! Do not worry, kitty, you’re in my best hands!”

“This is why you wash the soot out the night of the show; you cannot go to bed with all this, letting it sit on the scalp and breathing it in,” Schneep scolded lightly as he poured hot water over Marvin’s head, watching the way his long hair swirled and danced along the outer edge of the drain. It looked strangely alive, brown and green streaks spiraling through the shampoo. 

“But when I get home that late, I don’t have you to wait on me hand and foot like this,” Marvin murmured lazily, eyes closed -- a fortunate thing, as Schneep flicked some water at his cheek in retaliation for that comment before shifting to massage his scalp. “Hehe. Seriously, though, it’s really nice...Mm. Might start falling asleep sooner or later.”

“Yes, well, do not expect that I can carry you to bed.”

“Just give me a towel to use as a blanket; I’ll make it work.”

“Ah, Marvin. How was the nighttime show?” Schneep paused for a beat, head cocking at the sight of the magician slumped over at the table, resting on his arms. “No good if you won’t even talk about it, hmm?”

“M’fine,” he mumbled, shivering in on himself. “Fine, jus’...really tired...and s’kinda cold in here. Is it cold in here to you?”

“What? Cold? I never hear that word from your mouth; you run the hottest of all of us.” Marvin didn’t resist when he felt Schneep’s presence close in, fingers brushing through strands of his hair and then across his forehead. “And much hotter now than normal! You’re running a fever, Kater.”

“Mmm.” As the soothing hand pulled away, he stirred in discomfort, glassy eyes flickering half-open. “Nnh...Why’d you stop...?”

“I’ll be back, don’t you worry. You need water and medicine more than petting right now.”

“Now that the outside layer is off, we begin the incision! It ought to be a very sharp knife, so to cause less damage to the cell walls. That means less of the irritants for your -- oh, no, no, no! Parallel cuts to the root, Marvin! You -- ahh. Ah, well. Too late.”

“Ugh, this is almost as miserable as allergy season. Am I allergic to onions now?” Marvin groaned, reeling back from the cutting board to wipe his wet eyes against his sleeve. Schneep huffed with a rueful smile.

“If you listen to your teacher and let him finish his sentences, you might learn a little something,” he quipped, taking up the knife with a flourish. “Watch the master surgeon.”

Jackie basically gave them the ultimatum of figuring out all that crap on their own or going to therapy for it. From there it just took one more bad fight (I think it was the one where Schneep threw a paperweight at him?) for them to finally get it through their thick heads that it was completely out of hand and set aside their pride enough to really think through their issues. Neither of them liked being angry at each other all the time; it had just been so long that they weren’t sure how else to feel.

Marvin wrote his apologies in a letter, asking what he could do to make it right, and Schneep eventually asked if they could start over with a completely clean slate -- grudges and debts wiped away, no bringing up old arguments for spite, actually making an effort to communicate like adults -- basically reintroducing themselves to each other. They still needed Jackie’s help mediating sometimes but eventually they got the hang of it.

As for the scar, Marvin felt guilty about it for a long time, even after the clean slate thing, but now it’s been buried under the scars that Anti inflicted. He can’t find it on Schneep’s arm anymore amidst the rest.

“I don’t know about this,” Marvin huffed as Splendor pinched thick strands of his hair in the hot wand. “You’re sure this is going to turn out alright?”

“Of course, of course! You must trust me! Women like the tall, dark, handsome man with curls and waves,” the magician promised gaily, rocking idly back and forth as he twisted the curler. “We oil and brush and oil and brush, twirl it up and suddenly you will have a lovely shine for your date! If not, I will just add a few ribbons or pinches of glitter. You would look lovely with sparks of blue!”

“Uhhh...no. No, thank you. I came to you so I could get cleaned up, not to make a bigger mess.” 

“Spielverderber. When you braid my hair, I will expect both ribbons and glitter -- and I’ll wear them much better too.”

He wouldn’t be consoled. No matter how Marvin soothed or shushed or promised him that he wouldn’t be hurt, it wasn’t enough. They were doing this the hard way, Marvin dragging his hands through Splendor’s tangled hair, forcing his head down against his shoulder, and the magician screaming and screaming into his shirt until his voice gave out to heaving sobs.

Marvin ached as he held him, trying not to flinch away as needy fingers clung and dug and bruised. He hated seeing him like this; he wanted a miracle, he wanted the demons gone, he wanted him whole and sane again -- but that Splendor, it seemed, had died with Puppetmaster.

“You need to breathe,” he pleaded, drowned out by wheezing moans in German. “Henrik. Henrik, you need to breathe for me.” Prying one arm free of him, he groped for the nearby mask and its lead. Tightening the grip of his other hand on Henrik’s skull, he guided him. “Here. This is going to help you, okay? Your asthma. Trust me. Please, trust me. Big breath now.”

And with childlike trust he obeyed, his watery cries muffled under the plastic. It seemed as if he only registered what was happening halfway through, as bloodshot eyes shot open and he bleated in a panic, struggling to twist his face away. It didn’t last long. Marvin kept his head down, held the mask firm, and finally, finally felt free to weep when his friend went limp and soft in his hold.

“What were you thinking, just charging into the water like that?! That was crazy, Schneep; you should’ve let the owners handle it! It was their dog, their responsibility!” Marvin reproached as he peeled the doctor’s sopping wet coat away from his quaking shoulders.

“T-Th’ dog would d-drown bef-fore they c-called for help,” he chattered, accent markedly slurring as he swayed on the spot. “I was th’ help.”

“Yeah, you were, and now look at you. They didn’t even check to see if you were okay.” Sighing, Marvin pulled off his cape, twisting it to run a methodical hand down one of the seams. The stitching writhed and pulsed softly in the wake of his fingers, welling with a muted green light, and only then was he satisfied to drape it over his friend. 

Schneep made a startled noise at first contact and then sagged in utter relief, burying himself deeper into its dry, comforting warmth. “Ohh…t-t-thank you…”

“You’re welcome. Let’s go get you checked out.”