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Last I had seen Rookie, we went flying together after work. Afterwards, I took him straight home. We kissed goodnight, I went home and that was that.
Not once did he say anything about being unable to come to work the next day. Nor did I hear about him calling in sick before the workday began.
However, Rookie had not showed up at the headquarters that day, and any and all calls made to his phone were left unanswered.
Agents were sent to look around the island and ask civilians to keep an eye out, and Jetpack Guy took it upon himself to fly out and do multiple thorough searches for him, in every area he could think up. He had stopped by the green-haired agent’s home several times in the midst of these searches, though his knocks on the door were met with silence as well, and from what he could see through the windows the place did not look like it had been broken into.
When he was not out looking, Jetpack Guy would be back at base, pacing anxiously around the room in between unsuccessful phone calls. He had become increasingly worried and frustrated, having been doing all he could to try and find Rookie’s whereabouts to no avail, and the feeling of helplessness on top of the fear for his partner’s safety was more than enough to drive him over the edge of his sanity. It took the remainder of his mental strength not to lose his composure, and even that remainder was dwindling at this point.
“At the risk of sounding hypocritical, you can’t simply stay up and keep watch for him all night…”
Gary’s voice cut through his train of troubled thought, the scientist sounding deeply concerned himself. Jetpack Guy did not even glance over at him as he released a heavy sigh.
“What else am I supposed to do?” he asked, his voice giving away his already apparent stress. “All I can do right now is wait for him to show himself somehow. If I can’t even do that, then what kind of…”
What kind of boyfriend am I, failing to protect the one I love most and now not doing anything to save him, what kind of worthless, powerless—
“I understand how you feel,” Gary responded gently, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. Jetpack Guy could not bring himself to look upward even then. “But when the time comes when you can do something, it will be all for naught if you don’t take care of yourself. At the very least, you should let me take over for a while so you can get some rest…”
“Not right now.”
It was no use—he was just too stubborn to listen to any reasoning. With a sigh and a shake of the head, Gary turned away and began to walk off to the backroom.
“Very well. I will be in the lab. Don’t hesitate to call me over if you need anything.”
Footsteps moved further away from him until they stopped entirely, and the sound of the door closing silenced them indefinitely. Jetpack Guy took a seat at the table, where his sunglasses, jacket and a cup of coffee sat. The titular jetpack he usually wore on his back was sat in a chair of its own—why would it not? It used to be the most important thing to him, now second only to—
…to Rookie… The red-haired agent rested his head in one hand, trying to calm himself. Where are you, Rookie? Why haven’t you said anything to me? To any of us?…unless you’re in a place where you can’t say anything…
The sound of the headquarters’ phone ringing pierced through the air, leaving his thoughts once again interrupted. He hurried over and picked it up, though in his mind he tried not to get his hopes up, setting himself up for the disappointment of hearing yet another update about the search party’s fruitless efforts.
“Everyday Phoning Faci—”
“Ah—! Jet, it’s you! There’s not a lotta time!”
And just like that, the rhythm of Jetpack Guy’s heart took on a faster tempo. He clutched the phone tighter in his hand, as if his life depended on it. “Rookie? Where are you? Where have you been today—!?”
“Jet, Jet—hey—” Rookie’s voice stammered through the receiver, and Jetpack Guy quieted down to hear what he had to say. “L-Look, I know I usually don’t have any helpful info, but I hafta tell you something important right now…”
“Of course,” Jetpack Guy managed, overlooking the first remark for the time-being—but make no mistake, he would bring it up later when this was all said and done. “What do you have to tell me?”
“Okay, so this thing I have to say is super, super important,” the younger agent started. “First thing, um…I think Herbert’s coming for the EPF soon.”
The sound of the statement made Jetpack Guy’s stomach drop before his brain had even fully processed it. “What…?”
“Yeah! Yeah, I can’t really explain it, but…but I really think he’s gonna be dangerous again,” Rookie quickly rambled on. “Prolly the old Rookie Intuition hard at work, y’know? I just have…a really bad feeling right now…”
The old “Rookie Intuition”, huh? Never heard that one before… If circumstances were normal, Jetpack Guy would have rolled his eyes at the statement, but even then he knew well that Herbert posed a recurring threat, and that was discarding the fact that he still did not know of his partner’s current whereabouts…
“We’re keeping a sharp eye out for him,” he reassured, “but I’ll inform G and the director right away. What about you, though?”
“What about me…?”
“I haven’t seen or heard from you at all since last night,” Jetpack Guy said, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice whilst maintaining a firm tone. “Neither has anyone else. Everyone’s been calling and searching for you the entire day, with no response. What’s going on?”
The other end of the line was silent.
“Rookie…please.” Jetpack Guy’s tone softened as he spoke—he knew he could be tough on the green-haired agent at times, and he knew it was having an effect on his sense of self-worth amongst other things. He was only so harsh at times because he wanted to protect him with everything he had, but he knew that was no excuse to keep letting that temper get the better of him. “No one is angry with you. We just want to make sure you’re safe. If something’s going on and you can’t talk about it, we can—”
“I’m leaving the island!” Rookie blurted out.
The longest pause followed.
“What are you talking about…?!”
“I’m leaving the island,” Rookie repeated, his tone growing nervous. “That’s the…less important news. Just…to see what’s out there, y’know? I-It’s a huge world and I wanna see some of it…”
“…Rookie…”
“D-Don’t get me wrong! This island will always be my most favorite place in the whole world! B-But I…I…” Rookie’s voice became more shaky and unfocused, as if he was having trouble thinking of what to say. “…I…wanna explore some, I guess…prolly see if I can make it on my own, without anyone being dragged down with me…”
“You are NOT dragging anyone down,” Jetpack Guy snapped, clutching the phone tighter in anger. “And what do you mean, less important? I would think that leaving your home and the people closest to you would be the most important announcement to make, more important than any intuition you might’ve felt. You’re not seriously trying to lie to me about this, right?”
The other end went silent again, and he realized he had gotten carried away. Before he could apologize, Rookie spoke up again.
“I just…I-I just..thought your safety’s more important…” His voice was little more than a murmur now, and had become all the more shaky. “I-I just had a b-bad feeling and wanted you all to be okay…I’m safe…r-really, I just wanted to…”
A sniff was heard from the other end, and Jetpack Guy could not wait to intervene any longer. “Rookie, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to lecture you like that. Just…after not hearing from you all day today I was…stressed out.” His voice grew even lower and softer in case anyone might have been around to hear him. “I…love you too much not to worry about you…keep that in mind, and don’t ever think that your wellbeing’s any less important than anyone else’s, okay…?”
“…mm…m-mhm…” Another sniff was heard, and the red-haired agent held in a sigh. Of course, the first time he made contact with him after he went missing he just had to scare him to tears. I really am a horrible boyfriend, aren’t I…
“I-I’m sorry,” he heard Rookie whimper. “I-I’m sorry to m-m-make you all worry f-for no reason…”
“Don’t apologize,” Jetpack Guy reassured him. “It’s not your fault at all…just…if you really want to travel outside the island, let me know ahead of time and we can plan on it together, all right?”
“…sorry, Jet…b-but, I’m leaving now, a-and I need to go alone…b-bye.”
And just like that, the line went dead, leaving an uneasy feeling hanging ominously in the air. Something felt most suspicious about that entire phone call. Perhaps it was but a mere case of paranoia, but…
Jetpack Guy rushed to the lab to notify Gary about the conversation.
————
Rookie remembered that particular cellphone all too well. It was an older model back from the days of the PSA, his very own which he had foolishly lent to Herbert, a mistake that allowed the villain to escape from his cage.
How ironic that the thing Herbert used to escape would be the same thing Rookie would use to warn his friends and co-workers. He could have been able to teleport away from the lair too, but it seemed that that function was taken out of the device long ago. Herbert must have taken it out to make a teleportation device of his own, is what he might have thought if he had enough mental and emotional stability to theorize properly.
But also, even if it was still there…what if I ruin everything just by going back again?
Maybe if the function was still there, he would have disregarded the thought and escaped anyway, but since it was not an option, he was left to drown in the suffocating anxiety and depression he would always work his hardest to cover up with laughter and a smile.
Before he could drown any longer, though, he heard the door open and a pair of heavy footsteps approach him.
“Well, well! I knew my craftsmanship was a work of art, but it’s never held a member of the Extremely Pathetic Failures for this long before! Although, I should keep in mind that you’re the extra pathetic one…”
At that remark, Rookie could not keep his emotions at bay any longer. Against his wishes the tears welling in his vivid green eyes poured down like warm waterfalls down his cheeks, his mind feeling like it had been swept away by a chaotic river and becoming entirely overwhelmed.
“Ah, I see you’ve decided to prove my point,” Herbert snickered. “Nevertheless, you can still be of some use to me, believe it or not. Even with your immense uselessness, those dim-witted idiots you call colleagues still value you for whatever reason, so I could use that to my advantage and lure them over here to capture someone more—”
“No—!!” Rookie yelped, jumping up and grabbing the bars of the cell, his tear-stained face now panic-stricken.
“No? You don’t agree? Hmm.” Herbert looked down at the ground whilst putting on a thoughtful expression, then looked up at the ceiling in surprise as if a new idea had just come to him. “I’ve got it! I can threaten your safety and send them a message, and they’ll give me full control of the island to make sure you come back in one piece! Brilliant!”
“NOO—!!!!” Rookie yelled, shaking the bars. “Please, please…I know you hate all of us but please don’t hurt them!”
“Oh? And why ever not?” Herbert glanced over at him amusedly, narrowing his eyes. “What could an empty-headed, worthless little weakling like you possibly offer me in exchange for their safety? Go on, I could use a good laugh.”
Rookie had to think quickly for a possible offer. In his broken and desperate state of mind, he could only think of one to make.
“W-With—With everyone being smarter and cooler and just better than me…they’ll—they—they’ll get away from you be-before y-you can do anything to them…b-but—but you’ve…y-you have me r-right now…y-you can…get your r-revenge a-and take all of your anger and hate o-out on me…” He wiped the tears off his face, a useless action as they were only replaced. “…I can be your punching-bag-test-subject-person…w-with no hope of leaving…”
His hands slipped off the bars and he fell to his knees, holding his head as his sobs grew harder.
“Hm…I never looked at it that way,” Herbert mused. “Granted, I’m still going to capture your foul (fowl?) friends in the future…but you’ll provide me with adequate entertainment for now.”
Rookie hiccuped in between sobs. He had not saved his friends from Herbert forever, but at least he had bought them some time. And at least they won’t be weighed down by me ever again…
“Now then…what shall I do with you first? There are some new serums I’ve been meaning to test out—”
A loud crash was heard from the other room, startling the both of them.
“What the—?!” Herbert jumped up and looked towards the door, glowering. “Who could that be? An intruder—!?”
The door was busted down, and a red and black blur flew in, kicking Herbert and sending him to the ground. As the villain grumbled to himself and contemplated what was happening, the red-haired agent ran over to the cage with a very conveniently found key and unlocked the cell door.
Rookie stood still where he was, his position stiff and hesitant until Jetpack Guy pulled him out of his prison and held him tightly in his arms. “Are you okay, Rookie? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
A loud growl echoed through the lair before Rookie could answer, and the stronger agent lifted him up and set the jetpack to its highest power setting, allowing them to fly at top speed past Herbert and out of the lair, leaving him coughing from the smoke clouds left in their wake. By the time he would have gained a sense of clarity again, they were already far off in the sky and racing back to headquarters.
————
Jetpack Guy kept Rookie cradled in his arms as he navigated the two of them across the sky. It always felt nice to have the green-haired agent close to him, but his softness and warmth seemed extra comforting to him now—now that he knew he was safe again.
Rookie was acting fairly unusual, however. At first he had his arms wrapped tightly around Jetpack Guy’s shoulders, normally out of instinct so as not to fall, but after they were far enough from Herbert’s lair his arms had slipped away. In addition his body felt stiff, and during the brief glances Jetpack Guy sent his way in the midst of focusing on what was ahead of them, not once did he see him attempt to make any eye contact.
“I need you to hold onto me, Rookie,” he reminded him gently. “We’re a good few miles off the ground now. I don’t want you falling on accident.”
Rookie gave a meek nod and put his arms back into their former position, albeit a bit more loosely than preferred. Jetpack Guy did not push further, for fear of upsetting him again.
“Was Herbert in the room when you called the agency?” he asked.
Rookie looked up at him, his expression resembling that of a deer frozen in the headlights. “Wh-What?”
“You called to warn us he was active,” Jetpack Guy explained, “but you never mentioned that you were in danger yourself. Was he listening in on you?”
Rookie was silent for a little while before he mustered out a soft “yes”.
Jetpack Guy’s intuition told him he might have been lying, but he did not want to think about why Rookie would lie about that. So once again, he did not push further.
————
After confirming the success of the mission with the EPF, the two of them ended up situated at Jetpack Guy’s place—the red-haired agent insisted that Rookie stay with him, wanting to keep him by his side after knowing he’d been in Herbert’s clutches for so long.
As it turned out, Rookie had decided to meander outside his home after Jetpack Guy dropped him off the previous night, and Herbert ended up catching him by surprise and taking him away. By complete luck, he had found the old phone buried underneath his prison and while Herbert was taking a break from interrogating him for secret information on the agency, he managed to make a quick phone call to the headquarters. From there, Jetpack Guy got Gary to trace the call to its location, and set off on a rescue mission where he prioritized his partner’s safe return above all else.
What Rookie did not tell him was that he did not intend for anyone to come save him. He had made the call to the agency just to warn them about Herbert, to protect everyone else. But he never wanted anyone from the agency to find him. If they had stopped searching and forgotten about him, he would never be a hinderance to their missions ever again.
What am I doing here? I shouldn’t be here. I make JPG worry all day and now I’m staying at his house and he’s wasting all his kindness on me and and and and and and and—
“Rookie? Did you hear me?”
Rookie snapped out of his trance and looked over at his partner, who was intently staring at him with concern. “Oh—n-no. Sorry…”
Jetpack Guy frowned, then guided the two of them to the sofa and sat down, pulling Rookie down with him. Once they were sitting side-by-side, he took the younger agent into his arms and held him in a close and tight embrace. Rookie leaned into the hold more out of habit than anything, burying his face in the crook of his neck in an attempt to find more comfort—comfort he felt he did not deserve.
He loved Jetpack Guy more than anything else in the world, there was zero doubt about that. And that only made it hurt more to think that, if he had not come to his rescue, he could have had a much easier and freer life without him. Maybe I shouldn’t have made that call at all…but I still wanted to make sure they were safe and…hear from them one more time…
“It’s okay,” he heard his lover’s low voice murmur into his ear. “It’s okay, I’ve got you. You know I would always find you…” He pressed a kiss to his forehead, about as soft and tender as the tone in his voice. “I would never let you stay in harm’s way, I promise.”
Rookie felt the tears coming back to his eyes, threatening to leak out at any moment. He choked back a sob. “I-I know.”
There was another forehead kiss, followed by one on the cheek. “I’m going to stay by your side for as long as you need me to, okay? No one’s going to hurt you again, not on my watch.”
“Y-You do-on’t h-have to…”
“I do,” Jetpack Guy responded. “I have to make sure that the one I love is safe. I can’t let you fall into danger again.”
“What if I-I’m the danger though?” Rookie asked as the tears began to spill out on his cheeks.
Jetpack Guy gave him an incredulous look. “What are you talking about?”
“I-I’m the one wh-who’s dangerous,” the green-haired agent stammered, shivering more and more with every sob he released. “I a-alwa-ays keep getting i-in trouble a-and disappointing everyone, a-a-a-and I always g-get kidnapped and y-y-y-you guys always hafta keep re-escuing me a-a-and you’re always super help-helpful and amazing b-but I’m just useless and annoying a-and—”
He couldn’t get anymore coherent words out, dissolving into complete sobbing. He hid his face in his hands as he wept and tried moving away from Jetpack Guy, ashamed to have him see him like this. Despite his squirming, however, his partner continued to hold him tightly. Eventually he stopped wriggling in his arms, and just resorted to crying everything out until he didn’t have any energy left in him.
————
Soon after the crying stopped, they both laid upon the sofa, Rookie lying limp upon Jetpack Guy whilst the latter kept him wrapped up in his warm embrace.
“All I’m good for is bothering people,” the younger agent murmured weakly. “Maybe I should actually go and leave the island.”
“You can’t do that, Rookie,” Jetpack Guy responded, tightening his grip on him.
Rookie sniffed. “Why not? If I left I wouldn’t hurt or worry anyone ever again…I’d never make any mistakes that cost the EPF’s missions…no one’ll notice if I’m just gone one day…” The tears began to well up in his eyes again, but he didn’t have the energy to get into another crying session. “…they’ll actually prolly be really happy…”
“No one would be happy if you left, Rookie!” Jetpack Guy snapped, locking his firm gaze with Rookie’s teary eyes. “What happened last night was not your fault. You just happened to be outside at the wrong time. You can’t blame yourself for some evil waste of breath taking advantage of that. Yes, you don’t have the best luck and you’re not steady on your feet, but…” One of his arms moved out of its position, his hand cupping one of Rookie’s cheeks and caressing it tenderly. “…I meant what I said before…nothing would be the same without you. Not the agency, not the island…nothing would feel right if you weren’t there anymore.”
“You don’t mean that,” Rookie responded, his voice very soft and tired. “You’re just…trying to cheer me up…right?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” Jetpack Guy insisted, voice coming down from its harsh tone and taking a gentler approach. “You…You bring life and light to everything you’re involved in. If you disappeared, it would be the same as drowning the island in darkness.” He hated sounding so corny and mushy but he knew that Rookie, being the little cornball that he was, loved it when he talked like that because of course he did, and if it helped make sure the most important person in his life would be happy and stay safe, he didn’t care how embarrassed he’d get about it in the future. “I would sooner surrender myself over to Herbert than let you suffer. You are extremely important to me—to all of us—and I’ll defy anyone who says otherwise...even if the one who says otherwise is you.”
It felt like he was choking down a coma-inducing amount of sugar, but he was desperate to lift up his boyfriend’s spirits.
“I’m really sorry,” Rookie mumbled into his chest. “For causing so much trouble. I just didn’t want you guys worrying about me. That’s why I didn’t tell you I was there…”
Jetpack Guy squeezed him tighter. “If we didn’t worry about you, we’d be pretty bad friends. And I’d be a horrible boyfriend to not want to keep you safe and happy. So don’t ever think for even a second that you’re bothering any of us, okay?” He let a soft smile grace his usually stern features. “Because I love you with everything I’ve got…we all do.”
Rookie remained quiet in his arms for a little while, which worried him a bit, wondering if his partner was still considering running away to spare the rest of the agency any hassle. But then he felt his face nuzzle his chest, fluffy green hair tickling his chin.
“I love you too, JPG…”
The voice sounded soft and meek, but he could feel the emotion in his words. He allowed the smile to spread a bit as he felt his lover relax on top of him, with no doubts in his mind for once.
This was who he wanted to protect.