Archive of Our Own ^beta

Life on the road for a band like the mayhem was the only thing they ever knew. Some folks would stay in one place forever wanting to no longer chase destiny, they would sit and do things they never were happy with. All While the band was out there, they’d often get described as odd since they refused to settle in one place for their whole life, they couldn’t let destiny pass them by, they rather chased after it and lived in the moment. And their often wild and over the top parties were proof of that. From the early formation of the band they’ve just been cruising in their brightly painted van around the country and would hit bar to bar, playing gigs where they regularly passed on the option of getting paid. What they were getting paid back for was their loyal fans, their smiles are what made this all worthwhile.

Still. When nothing was happening at the Muppet show, the band would simply pack up and head out onto the open road. Not spending their time sitting around and waiting for the next show to begin, unlike the others, the band were an eccentric motley bunch who practically had an addiction to adventure. Even with their new album having been released, the mayhem were just anticipating the beginning of the next big step that would surely lead them into multiple separate shenanigans. Perhaps this time even a world-wide tour, or maybe head down to Malibu and invite some of their closest friends for a lil’ celebration.
Either way, whatever would come for them next, they’d just let it happen. They would let the universe decide for them and they will follow it once it calls.

For now. They had to make their usual one-night stops to rest up and practice a few of their new songs. They wanted to make a few surprise appearances on the muppet show once more, so that they could officially say goodbye to the whole theatre family and then move onto the next set of tours.

Luckily for them, Kermit treated the band to a stay at the boarding house in Hensonville. The band immediately jumped to his offer and practically ripped the keys out of his hands. The Boarding house held glorious memories for the members, even for Zoot if he could remember that far back, It would be nice to go back for one night and relive some of their past moments on the estate. However, one vivid memory that each one of them shared was the continuous arguing and almost hour-long-waiting for a spot in the bathroom to be free. Each Morning was a total catastrophe but they made it work.

At least the new residents of the house would only be six.
The vibrant and psychedelic colored van came to a halt at the front gate of the estate. Each Member of the band hopped off the bus in just a brief second as they marveled at how the house kept its original charm over all these years. It felt as if they never left.
“Man..” Was all Floyd could manage out. For Ordinary people this didn’t seem like such a big deal, they could easily just look at it and be like Oh, It never changed since the last time I was here, how nice! But the muppets weren’t ordinary people, nor were the mayhem.

The Boarding House was one of the only true places they could call home, other than their van. And seeing how it hasn’t changed a day, they were joyous of that fact. Though suspicious as well, the front yard was taken professional care of and there were no such cracks or anything slightly broken in the pavement or the construction.

Janice was the first one to enter the estate, taking a small moment to observe the gorgeous daisies planted along the fence-line until she was right in front of the door. Wanting to put in the key to unlock the door when it hadn’t already opened by itself, and with it stood a frail yet well-groomed elderly gentleman. One such man that Janice could easily identify as, “Carter!?” Her eyes widened.

“Greetings, Ms. Janice.” he replied, hands behind his back as he smiled at the serene Guitarist. She hadn’t expected for the butler to still be here, even after everyone moved out. But nevertheless, this was a pleasant surprise.

Janice could not stop herself, her arms wrapped around Carter. The two chatted for a bit as they neared the van, the others taken aback yet pleased to see an old friend once again. The Butler had explained how he quit working for Howard Tubmann due to classified reasons he’d rather not get into. Now that he had been out of a job, Kermit was looking for someone to look after the boarding house because he himself didn’t want to reside in it any longer, rather wanting to go back to his cabin in the swamps. Since Carter was of old-age, he thought it would be best if he could settle down in the old house he worked part-time at and live out the rest of his short life.

He had all the freedom and time, spending most of it gardening. Which Janice commented on, on what beautiful work he had done with the daisies and the tulips. The group talked for a few more minutes, finally getting back to the situation and Carter helping them with their bags and equipment. Just because they were resting for a little while didn’t mean they couldn’t jam for a moment or two as well, they even made sure to do it in the basement so that none of the neighbours would have to deal with the early noises of a loud house band rather than the quiet soothing sounds of a sparrow.

It all went smooth even with a keyboard and a full drum set having to be transported into the house, all until Animal threw his snare drum of his set down from the hood off the van he was currently seated on, the object almost rolled down the whole sidewalk and away into the streets if Floyd hadn’t caught it beforehand. He yelled back at his friend over his sudden outburst, “Cool it, man! Don’t you know how expensive snare drums are..” Floyd shook his head, handing the drum part over to Lips as he took it into the house with him.

Animal merely growled, not having taken Floyd’s comment into account.

Dr. Teeth shouted out from inside the building, asking Floyd if he could bring Janice’s acoustic guitar inside seeing as he stood conveniently by the van. Floyd turned to step back into the van to grab the guitar, coming back out only to get pushed back into the vehicle as Animal jumped straight from the hood off the van down onto the ground. Right where the bassist had stood. Startling Floyd slightly.

Animal hadn’t even seen Floyd before he jumped, he did not even take into mind that Floyd had been thrown back into the van thanks to that sudden scare. With an exhausted exhale, the Bassist got back on his feet along with slamming the door of the van shut, successfully getting Animal’s attention as he turned around.

“You’ve been really cranky, lately.” Floyd mentioned. He put the guitar in his left hand and with his right took Animal by his chain to lead him inside.

Once Janice had neared Floyd to take her guitar, the bassist turned back to his little buddy. It’s no secret he has been rather – annoyed as of lately, the whole band had suffered from his multiple outbursts though they could never figure out how to stop it, things like these especially with Animal just had to go by naturally. Thinking he was just in need of blowing off some energy, Floyd let him go run circles around in the backyard. Seeing as that was one of the best tricks to tire him out.

Floyd spent a few seconds gazing at his friend’s rogue manners, he was just taking his sweet time and ran around in the same circles over and over. Floyd only left the porch as Janice called him back inside, closing the mosquito net door but leaving the in front wooden door open so that he could check on Animal from time to time.

The Kitchen was filled with chatter from the band, Janice and Lips had both hopped onto the bar stools. Lips took a few seconds to spin around in the chair as he noticed that the seat was loose. Carter soon came down from the upstairs to inform the band of their chambers being ready and prepared.

“Your beds are all made and your bags have been loaded off.” he held his hands behind his back once more, retaining his good mannered figure.
Carter however looked uncertain, he met the eyes of the usually laid-back bassist to ask him, “Though, Mr. Pepper. I still do not understand why you’d want me to put up a hammock rather than prepare another bed.”.
Floyd simply chuckled, both him and the band, before going on, “Animal doesn’t do well with beds, it’s either destroying them or sleeping on the floor.” he replied.

Carter had known the wild drummer was a rather peculiar fella, didn’t talk much and when he did it was only in short sentences, always running around the house or sometimes chasing after the penguins.

Nevertheless, he complied to Floyd’s request and hung up the hammock. The difficulty was where exactly to put it, the walls were a bit far apart and the ceiling was higher than in the other rooms. Somehow Carter made it work, attaching the hammock to the two closest walls and situating the hammock so that it would hang diagonally to the bed. It wasn’t particularly reachable even for Carter so his plan was to shove the treasure chest in front of the bed, that way a person would only have to get on that chest to reach the hammock.

Not an ideal way to sleep though if drummers preferred that way over normal beds, then he’d keep his mouth shut.

“And drop the formality, Cart’. You can call us just by our first names” Floyd continued on, grinning a bit as he patted the butler on his back on his way out of the kitchen. The sudden move startled the butler a bit. That was one thing he didn’t miss about the mayhem. Their chill attitude with no sense of following rules, he just hoped they would at least keep the place clean on their own. Especially a certain someone who trashed the house a lot in the past years. Carter coughed to get his throat clear, “Yes well. I do have to remind you that since Kermit and I invited you to stay at the house as guests, I expect you all to leave the house just like you entered it.”. Dr. Teeth, already knowing where the orderly Butler was going with this, reassured him that they’ll be on their best behaviour, “Oh we’ll keep it clean, we promise”.

The Band nodded along to his comment. Carter could only raise an eyebrow on how true they were to this “Promise”.

Janice sensing the further worry in Carter’s aura, hopped onto the bus and assured him that they will be careful, “Don’t worry, Carter. We’ll like, take really good care and make sure none of us break anything." Along with her remark came some separate sounds of agreement from the four members present.

“So I hope..” Carter said as his last words before leaving the kitchen, Floyd entered the room again to inform his friends of his discoveries from having been upstairs. He talked about how every exact detail in his memory from this place was still the same even under Carter’s care, the bathroom held its original touch, the bedrooms looking quite dull but yet continuing to hold their memory of the past residents.

The Band couldn’t help but chuckle and laugh as they shared some of their memories, all while time seemingly passed on in a brief second. Floyd was getting a bit worried over Animal not coming by himself inside like he usually does, he asked Lips if he could check on him, he replied with a mumbled answer which must have been a yes since he got up and headed for the porch. This also gave them the opportunity to bring up the topic of Animal’s recent – tantrums, if you can call them that. As if he would just wake up more angry than he usually was.

For instance, just earlier he threw his snare drum from his drum set down from the hood of the van without a single care if it would break, he was always so careful and protective of his equipment. “It’s like, he doesn’t even care about anything.” Floyd pondered, having explained the incident he was a witness to, to the rest of the band.

But they knew Animal like their own little brother, sometimes even as their son, they knew he was the wildest beast you could ever meet in the world who had slight anger issues but never so extreme that he’d go out of his way and destroy everything in his path intentionally. That didn’t sit right with any of them. Their shared concern and proposals of why he was acting the way he was, was interrupted as Lips hurried back to the kitchen with a panicked expression.

He talked frantically, not managing to get a simple word out even through his normal mumbles. The Trumpeter did manage to calm himself down for just a second, yet his mumbling was still present.

“Hold- hold on, Lips. What’s going on?” Teeth questioned, though there was no time for explanations as Lips gestured for the rest to follow him. Not leaving any time as he ran back outside to the backyard. Only then when the rest peaked out into the backyard of the boarding house was it clear why Lips was so panicked. There, right in the warm green grass laid a seemingly unconscious Drummer. Their Drummer. Along with Lips who was close by Animal’s side, though the typically chill trumpeter did not look so thrilled, he had fear practically painted all over his face.

For the rest, they couldn’t do anything else other than freeze right there on the porch. All but Floyd as he shouted Animal’s name in shock and jumped down the stairs rushing to his friend’s side to aid him. Stumbling a bit while he ran before collapsing right next to Animal onto his knees.

Thank God Animal could hear the sound of the bassist's raspy voice, at least he did not completely lose consciousness. Once the wild man heard it, he didn’t want to lose it so Animal simply reached for Floyd’s hand and grabbed it, squeezing it tight. This sudden transfer from blatant anger to this quiet and calm, seeking for comfort attitude did leave Floyd with some alarming red flags.

He only ever got this touchy when he was– Floyd’s sense of panic washed away like a gust of wind, his suspicions were proven to be right once he felt Animal’s forehead and detected a warmer feeling radiating off it.

They could all rest easy, before Animal would catch a cold he’d always get so fed up with everything and then when the sickness did get to him he would just pass out anywhere and stay quiet. Though another possibility could have prolly been that he ran too fast in the same circle over and over which could have made him dizzy and therefore he must have fallen down. Floyd responded to the grasp of his hand with the bassist’s thumb gently rubbing against Animal’s, Floyd looked up to Lips who he reassured, “Just a fever.”

The Trumpeter, who was relieved with joy that it wasn’t something else far more deadly that could have caused for Animal to fall down like a dead fly, grew a slight smirk before turning to the rest of the members, who were somewhat still frozen in shock on the porch, a thumbs-up to ease their hearts that everything was alright.
Floyd asked Lips if he could help carry Animal back into the house and even all the way up the stairs, Lips himself had nothing against it and so attempted to grab Animal by his legs but the drummer quickly pulled away in a blink of an eye and forced his whole body to stand up.

Unfortunately, his body and mind weren’t exactly working align, therefore Animal would have immediately fallen back down if Floyd and Lips hadn’t caught him in time.
Now with them holding Animal upright by his arms, the two helped him get back into the house. Passing the equally relieved yet still concerned over Animal’s well-being members.

Janice was the second one to spring into action, letting Floyd know that she was gonna brew up a special herbal tea to make their fallen-ill drummer feel at least a bit better.

Holding balance while walking up the stairs especially with a weary wild man like Animal in between both of them was quite the challenge, fortunately they did manage to get him all the way up to the second floor.
Different from his typical rogue and feral attitude, Animal had gone unnaturally soft and calm like a kitten with catnip. Though his changed behaviour was not that big of an alarming sign, he’d just be like that whenever sickness caught him. Lips used his foot to push the wooden door open, the two entered the shared bedroom where Floyd, Janice and Animal would be crashing in for the night. Dropping the percussionist like a ragdoll onto the soft fabric of the bed, gaining them a quiet groan from Animal.

While Floyd went ahead and took care of Animal in the moment, Lips put both his hands onto his back as he let go an exhale, mumbling something to comment on the current situation out in which it ended with him bursting into his signature laugh and leaving the room. The Trumpeter, after having closed the door behind him, was then approached by Dr. Teeth who enquired to know what had happened prior to Animal passing out.

Surprising that the band were the only ones who could make out what the mumbling trumpeter said at times. Lips simply replied that he observed how Animal slowed to a halt, looking incredibly exhausted and sweat dripping from his face. The only logical thing Lips did after Animal had fallen limp onto the ground was to get the others. That’s when they saw him passed out as well but the doctor couldn’t shake his worry off himself over what Lips told him, it didn’t sit right.

The Awkward silence was cut off by Zoot who walked behind the two and into the shared bedroom with the rhythmic players of the band. Along with the door opening once again, Dr. Teeth and Lips stayed close by the door frame to oversee the scene before them. Zoot handed Floyd the electric thermometer he had picked up from the bathroom, Floyd positioned the device under Animal’s armpit and held his arm tightly against it so that they could get an accurate read off his temperature.

While they waited, Janice entered the bedroom with a tea cup in her hand, filled with a pleasant smelling liquid that was sure to aid Animal getting back on his feet.

The Thermometer eventually began beeping, Floyd taking it out only to frown at the high 38 degrees it displayed.
Animal himself had perked his body slightly up, even if it felt like such a struggle to keep it upright in a sitting position, “38 degrees. You know what this means, buddy.” Floyd grew a slight smirk as he met eyes with the drummer, Floyd patted Animal’s hand lightly, “Bed rest for you.” Animal let himself fall back onto the bed with a groan. Being sick wasn’t exactly his favourite thing in the world.

Janice gently put a hand on Floyd’s shoulder, gaining his attention away from Animal, “I prepared some honey ginger tea for him, it should help him to some degree.” she said, the bassist acknowledging the cup of warm tea she set aside on the bedside table, specifically for Animal. In response, Floyd put his hand on top of Janice’s along with a smile directed to her.

A grin formed on her face as well, patting Floyd’s shoulder before she left the room, along with Zoot following behind her with his hands buried deep in his pants’s pockets.
Lips was the third to eventually walk away, leaving only the doctor and the bassist behind.

“Everything alright?” Dr. Teeth questioned, wanting to know that everything is and would be fine before he left. Floyd did not even turn to the doctor’s direction, he simply replied, “Yeah.”.That was enough for Teeth to close the door and leave the two.

Floyd was too occupied looking after his friend, he kept his hand on the drummer’s head, brushing his fingers through Animal’s wild mane to comfort him. It seemed to do the trick as a slight smirk grew across Animal’s lips, Floyd could only chuckle at the enjoyment his little buddy was experiencing. Light brushes through his hair, head scratches and underneath his chin were always greatly appreciated by Animal.
As Floyd’s hand moved further down Animal’s head and as he slowly let his hand rest on Animal’s cheek, the drummer leaned in to the touch that gave off a warm yet comforting feeling. Floyd’s smile grew at this sight before him.

Though since both of them had nothing to do for the later evening, Floyd thought it would be best if they changed out of their clothes and into something more snug.
Without a word exchanged, Floyd got off the bed and grabbed his suitcase that Carter put aside.

Opening it to unload a few essential things he hadn’t had the time for, one such crucial thing were both his and Animal’s pyjamas. First Floyd had to get changed, wasn’t much of a deal since he just had to strip down to his undershirt and boxer shorts to put the loose shirt and pants over it. But then came the hard part, changing Animal. Even with him getting sick he surely would get fussy about getting out of his clothes. Proof of this was when Floyd took the drummer by his arm and pulled him upwards, Animal did manage to stay upright for a bit though ultimately fell back down onto the bed, too exhausted to go on.

“Come on, man..” Floyd rolled his eyes, but he didn’t blame Animal that much. Poor guy must have been all worn out from the long ride to the boarding house and then getting sick on top of it. Floyd took him by his arm once more, making a deal for him to stay in a sitting position until his pyjamas were all buttoned up. Animal did manage to sit on the edge of the bed for a little longer, though his closed eyes gave it away that he couldn’t stay like this for just one more second.

Floyd was quick at helping him put on his bright yellow, patterned with black swirls pyjama. Well Floyd wasn’t relatively helping much, instead he was the one who had to put it entirely on him like a mother dressing up her four year old. Getting Animal’s t-shirt and pants off wasn’t the biggest obstacle but putting the pyjama on next was quite the challenge. Especially since Animal hadn’t had the strength to stretch his arms fully out so that the shirt could go on. 

His Weakened state caused the bassist to grow concerned, then again Animal usually did get severely fatigued due to the fever once he had caught it. And considering the bedroom was the only place Animal would be staying in, Floyd took the risk and took his chain collar off. Dropping the heavy metal to the floor. Animal had heard the thump of something dropping and his neck feeling lighter. He cracked open one of his eyes to affirm what just happened and sure enough, his collar was off. He didn’t think much about it, only that he was glad he wouldn’t have to keep wearing it in his current ill state.

Floyd buttoned the shirt all the way to the top and once Animal knew everything was done, he threw himself backwards onto the bed once more, and wanting to stay in this lying position, possibly for forever.

Floyd stretched his arms along with his back. He wasn’t exactly getting younger each day, with getting older certain things change and sometimes they can leave you with agitating back pain. Floyd hopped right down onto the bed, Animal crawled by himself closer to Floyd’s side. Putting his head into the bassist’s lap so that he had no option but to stay right in bed, none of the two were exactly planning to go anywhere so they just enjoyed each other’s company.

With Floyd taking care of his sick buddy while Animal cherished this moment he had in which Floyd chosed to stay by the drummer’s side, even if he had no choice. Floyd proceeded to rub Animal’s back, up and down in a slow pattern to get him to fall asleep.

Later in the evening, Dr. Teeth was especially the one needing to check if everything was alright with his two close friends.

Pushing the door open ever so slowly, the doctor stopped to cover his mouth, not letting the abrupt laugh that threatened to escape out of his mouth by the view in front of him. Sgt. Floyd Pepper fast asleep with his head leaning back against the headboard while Animal in comparison slept like a curled up puppy next to him, head laying in Floyd’s lap. It was quite adorable to look at, so much so that Dr. Teeth didn’t want to wake the two up.

He closed the door with a steady hand, walking backwards away from the room with light steps so that his feet wouldn’t automatically make the creaky floor – you know, creaky.

Once he reached a safe distance, Dr. Teeth giggled along with shaking his head at what he had just seen. He walked down the stairs, being awaited by the worried glance of Janice.
“And?” she asked, wanting to know how the two are doing.

The doctor turned to her, a smile shining bright across his face, “Fast asleep like babies, although, I would advice you to keep it down when you’re getting into bed later.” he chuckled, fully letting it out as he entered the kitchen.

Janice looked up to the room she would be sharing with the two, starting to giggle softly about what would come for her when she would enter the room later tonight. The next morning rolled around, in which the band was practically exploding with joy over going back to their origins and taking part for a small time in the muppet show.
Though in this current state there was nothing to be so joyous about as only four of the band were being forced to wait. Four as in only Janice, Zoot, Dr. Teeth and Lips being ready and done to hit the road, two important members of the band however were taking their sweet time with getting dressed.

“What’s taking Floyd and Animal so long?” Zoot inclined to know, turning back to the house. Janice let go an annoyed groan, storming back into the house to yell after her partner, she wasn’t the kind to get mad but if he was gonna keep them waiting all night then they’d miss their reunion with the gang for sure.

“Floyd!” she shouted desperately for him to hurry up, a reply coming from the room with the open door, “Just a sec!”.

Floyd was still in a bit of a pickle with helping Animal get his legs through the pants’s openings. The Bassist was kneeling close in front of Animal, once the pants were secured to stay on for the whole day, the bassist kept his position so that he could look Animal straight into his eyes.
“Alright now remember what I said,” Floyd put his hands over Animal’s to gain his full attention, “You’re off the chain for tonight but you’ll promise me that you won’t bite anyone, okay?” he asked.

Animal nodded along, he knew what it meant to be off the chain for tonight and he was willing to control himself so that he could stay that way even with him still running a high fever. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to go along with them to the show, he felt quite nauseous. But he didn’t want to tell Floyd of it since he sincerely missed some of the other muppets, Miss Piggy excluded.

Throughout it all, Floyd kept going, listing all the things that Animal should not do if he wanted to stay off the collar, “And that also includes chasing after someone, jumping and then attacking them- “, he rambled on with Animal continuing to grow more annoyed at each thing Floyd listed.
“And please don’t go all feral on someone just because they looked at you the wrong way.” he finally came to the end of his long philosophic book, now for Animal getting the chance to say something, “Oh-kay..” he let out in a sort of grouse voice.
Floyd’s expression softened, a sigh escaping his mouth before he looked back up to Animal with an accompanying smile.

Grasping hold of Animal’s hands and leading him to get up, “Come on, let’s get this show on the road.” he grinned from ear to ear, Animal soon letting himself laugh along, excited for tonight and especially because he’d get to drum again.

It felt like a year had passed since he last beat down on them.
The Excitement and joy he was feeling in the moment washed away like a waterfall as soon as he rose up to his feet, bending his back as his hand took hold of his mouth. It was definitely Nausea.

Floyd’s smile equally relinquished and he became concerned if Animal was truly feeling better than from yesterday, “Are you really feeling okay?” The bassist insisted that if Animal wasn’t truly fine then he should just stay here and have Carter take care of him, although that idea would surely fall down a cliff when you have a butler Animal barely knew well forced to take care of him. Animal nodded his head rapidly and pulled Floyd with him out of the bedroom and out into the outdoors.

Boarding the van with the rest of the members who had already forgiven Floyd for taking his time with Animal, the wild drummer regularly caused such a huge squabble about getting dressed up, at least not as bad as when his annual bath time rolled around.

The Bright lights and the glowing sign let the band know they were in the right place, and kept their memories just right of what the place looked like. All six of them hopped out of the van, entering the building through the backstage door and walking further and further into it when they were met with the green frog himself. Kermit’s smile shined big from ear to ear, if a frog would have ears. He hugged each member and chatted with them for a second. Everything was going great with the reunion of them and their old leaping friend.

However, Kermit grew concerned as Animal let out a roaring groan, his head falling down on Floyd’s shoulder who held it with great care, even ruffling through his wild hair.

Kermit blurted out his question of why Animal, of all wild drummers, was off his chain.
The clipboard in his hand being used as a make-shift shield if he needed it, the frog himself was good friends with Animal but the sudden change of no chain collar keeping him in control threw him slightly off.

The Band reassured him that their rogue drummer wouldn’t be such a big trouble causer for tonight, he felt under the weather and usually with catching a cold he’d get so unenergetic, constantly tired even.

That kept the frog shut, just rolling with the fact the wild man was free to roam wherever he pleased. Even if he didn’t want to go anywhere at the moment, other than to let his head lay on Floyd’s shoulder. But other than that, they began to talk about the on-going show, with the set list of the songs they needed to be played in the orchestra pit and of course one song that the mayhem especially wanted to play to say farewell for a temporary amount of time due to their next plans of big tours across the country.

The Band headed up to their old dressing room, their memories of this old dusty theatre flooding back into their minds as they went down a small set of stairs. The Five began to gush about their separate memories to each other, how even something so insignificant like a crack in the wall that still remained there since the last time they were here. Except for one memorable member of the band who was not so eager in talking at the moment, the whole room felt as if it was spinning, round and round like a wheel.

It made him so queasy, if it wasn’t for Floyd who led him by his hand to the dressing room then Animal would have surely lost his balance and crashed right onto the floor.
They reached the room in just a matter of seconds allowing Animal to finally let go of the Bassist’s hand and crash down onto the couch. 

A pleasant surprise for the band that all their old stuff was still here. The same couch, same vanity desks, heck even that old acoustic guitar Floyd used to have was set aside into a corner, covered with dust and spider webs as it was forgotten over time. The band just hoped that parts of their old instruments they used on the show would still be here and in good condition to be played.
The room filled with chatter and noise once more, possibly even louder this time, Animal wishing that they could all just be quiet. This whole situation was making him so uneasy, particularly with the nauseous feeling that kept stinging him. He began to feel the burning urge to move, hand covering his mouth.

Lips seemed to be the only one that wasn’t so distracted with the pointless chit-chat, that he put a hand on Animal’s shoulder along with kneeling down to check if he had gotten worse from yesterday. The Trumpeter’s thoughts began to race wild at the alarming yellow and weirdly brownish substance flowing down from behind Animal’s hand, the gooey substance escaping through the cracks of his fingers.

Lips knew what this meant, stumbling in his steps with fetching the small trash can from the door and bringing it to the aching drummer. Animal grasped hold of the can to fully bend his back and throw up. There goes his breakfast. Maybe letting Zoot cook wasn’t the best idea after all.

At least him puking out all his insides managed to cease the room’s noise, though it didn’t feel better to have all eyes on him now, even if they meant to be good eyes staring at him. Filled with concern over his well-being.
Floyd sat down on the end of the couch, a gentle hand on Animal’s back while Lips took to holding the trash can for Animal, keeping it steady. 

Murmurs starting to spark up, “Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to bring Animal.” Janice admitted, feeling slight sympathy for their little drummer whose vomiting didn’t seem to stop at any time soon.
“But we can’t go on without a drummer, we need a percussionist.” Dr. Teeth argued back, he admitted that he as well didn’t want for Animal to perform, especially now with him puking everything out of his system.

“Why not use that guy in the orchestra pit, he plays the drums in his free-time.” Zoot put in, making the rest of the band’s heads turn to the hazy saxophonist who was seated by one of the vanity desks close by the couch, arms folded on top of it. “Clarinet guy number 2, I think–” he scratched his chin, trying to remember the name of that mysterious guy he knew back before the band started on their solo project and had to leave the show without a final goodbye.
Dr. Teeth shrugged his shoulders, if Animal was incapable of performing for tonight then they’d have no other choice but to get a temporary replacement. His puking had finally stopped and he laid with his back on the couch, hand covering his eyes so that the room could stop spinning for just one second.

His weakened state left him immobile, surely he wouldn’t be capable of playing the drums even for a fast paced song that they specifically requested to play for tonight.
Seeing no other choice, the band left it at that.
All but Animal who wasn’t so keen on getting replaced, even if it was for just one night. This night was the final one at the theatre before they’d hit the road again and he wanted to play with them, so bad.

He let out his signature roar of “Drums” though this time it was mainly reduced to a quiet whimper, Floyd brushing through Animal’s hair to soothe him.
The Bassist did share an equal sense of uncertainty, it wouldn’t be the same not playing with Animal behind them all for the closing number. But what else could they do, have him play in his current state or let him rest and take it easy for tonight.

The Band said their goodbyes for now, leaving the room and behind a heartbroken drummer. A silent tear escaped from his eye, though this wasn’t the time to cry about not getting to play his drums, he was determined to get at least behind the stage to watch the closing number. So much so that he swung his legs over the couch, gathering up all his energy he had left to stand up. Immediately regretting the first try at getting on his two feet because of the next set of nausea overtaking his body, nevertheless, he pushed himself up.

His whole system forcing him to lean against the wall and to hold himself against it as a weight supporter that aided him in getting to his destination. Panting heavier than he typically did, mostly because of the room spinning once more. Taunting him as if he were weak.

He kept pushing himself to walk further and further, the real obstacle was when he had to walk up multiple stairs and even pass by some of the muppets with their eyes glued to his every step. Both out of fear of his chain collar being nonexistent and because of his odd and questionable demeanour. Definitely not the Animal they knew off. He could hear them all, their questions, mutters and blurts of worry and fear over this so-called beast of a drummer.

Some of these muppets were some he recognized, but couldn’t give a care to what they had to say. His hands clutching the wall, each step becoming more unbearable.

“Is it just me or is Animal acting a little–?” That squeaky voice could only belong to one man, the crazed daredevil Gonzo. Who held a safe distance from Animal out of, well, safety precautions.
A rat acknowledged Gonzo's comment, “Calmer than usual?” as a result Gonzo must have shook his head since there was a negative grunt after Rizzo’s in-put.
“Distant?” must have said the King-prawn.
Gonzo waved that word off as well, “I wanted to say eccentric but even that word wouldn’t fit”. That was the last straw, Animal had to come to a full-stop, both for his own good and theirs. He threw his head into the direction of the three, the trio flinching upon meeting his agitated gaze, all three bumping into each other out of panic then running off into separate directions to escape the drummer.

As soon as Animal finally reached the backstage area, he was approached by an anxious Kermit who insisted on knowing what Animal was doing here. The Band had explained why they needed that clarinet guy to perform with them on the drums for the final number, the frog had shared sympathy for their drummer and promised the band while they were in the orchestra pit that he and Scooter would take care of the ill Animal.
Though now that he was here and up on his own two feet, well not anymore since he collapsed in a blink of an eye and held onto the desk for dear life as if he was falling from a cliff, Kermit pulled up a chair from the prop stand behind him so that Animal could rest on it.

Kermit was hesitant to take Animal by his hand so that he could lead him there, but he was a friend and part of the muppet family despite his explosive behaviour, Kermit pulled him along by his arm with cautious steps over to the chair. Where he collapsed in exhaustion from the long way to here, his breaths quickening and seeming as if he had trouble breathing. The Frog took notice of this, lightly rubbing Animal’s back up and down to soothe him.
As he could hear the further fainting noises of music, the orchestra members each passed through the backstage and looked behind their shoulders to the infamous Animal. A shout of worry escaped the usually chill bassist’s mouth as he frantically rushed to Animal’s side upon seeing him unwell, once he could look up that far to see Floyd’s troubled expression, Animal wrapped his arms around Floyd’s torso and refused to let go.
He could be quite the bear-hugger if he wanted to.

Floyd let out an exhausted sigh, leaning into the hug as he put his arms on Animal’s back and began running his fingers through Animal’s wild mane. Now that he thought about it, the drummer did feel a lot warmer than he did yesterday. It was their own fault dragging him along to the theatre, they should have just kept him in bed but either way it wouldn’t have been safe keeping him alone with some old butler who was severely frail.

Kermit stumbled over his words, apologizing for Animal’s sudden appearance that he wasn’t even responsible for. 

Zoot, who came after Floyd to the backstage area, told him that there was no need for sorrys to be said, Animal simply had to be let go wherever he wanted to go and if he wanted to follow after Floyd and them then that’s just what needed to happen. The next band member to come into the scene was Janice and the clarinet guy who will be filling in for Animal.
And one who especially didn’t sit right with him on the good people list.

Animal snapped his head to the man, who nervously clutched his clarinet in his hands upon hearing the feral drummer’s growl directed at him. The Clarinet guy would have booked it right then and there if Janice hadn’t put a hand on his shoulder, letting him know that that’s just how Animal was.

Floyd reassured him, “Don’t worry man, he’s just disappointed he won’t get to play the drums tonight.” he chuckled lightly, though stopping immediately the second he looked back at Animal’s pouting face with sorrow spread clear as day across it.
The Clarinet guy responded to this information, “Disappointed? I’d rather say he’s angry..” Janice couldn’t help but to giggle.

Fortunately in the end Kermit was the one to save the Clarinet guy from Animal’s grudge against him, getting him to head back to perform for the At the dance skit.
Causing the Clarinet guy to quickly dash off back into the pit, Kermit reminding Zoot that he too was in this number, they needed all brass instruments for this sketch.

Animal and Floyd remained in their position for a little longer, Floyd never stopping with the short head pats he’d give his buddy every few seconds. An idea sprung into the bassist’s mind, “Hey Janice, when did you say the Veterinarian's sketch was coming on?”.

“I’m pretty sure in like, 20 minutes.” the guitarist replied, good thing she always wore her outfit for that sketch underneath her orchestra suit. Saved much more time. Floyd leaned back, gesturing for her to come closer so he could make sure Animal wouldn’t hear about this, “Could you, do something with Animal. He’s just upset that he can’t play his drums and I think he needs an easy-going activity to get his mind off of that.” he pleaded with Janice, well not much begging was involved since Janice was always happy to engage in certain exercises together.

The two had not much in common, she tried to involve him in some of her meditations or getting him to do yoga with her but he could never stay still for long. The thing they did manage to work out that earned them a little bonding time was when she would go on her morning jogs and Animal could with no other obstacles run along beside her. Now she was getting a new idea, she had wanted to try doing something involving Arts & Crafts with Animal for a long time. Floyd could already imagine Janice’s joy over his request.

Took a little bit to get Animal to release his strong hold on Floyd, but he pulled away eventually.

Floyd promised him that he’d be back in just a few minutes, reassuring him that Janice would take good care of him while Floyd was gone.
Not to get him wrong but Animal loved Janice, he really did, he just felt more safe with Floyd by his side.

Janice held out her hands to Animal, a bright smile plastered across her face. Animal took a few seconds before eventually putting his hands into hers and steadying himself as he got up from the chair. Janice let go of his hands to push a crate down as a make-shift table, taking two pillows from the prop box and throwing them onto the floor.
She patted the pillow next to her, signalling for Animal to come sit down, that’s just what he did.

Janice got back up to grab some empty sheets of paper from Kermit’s desk, a few scissors as well and a glue stick.
She was ecstatic at the sight before her when she opened a drawer of Kermit’s desk, who knew he kept different coloured construction paper in it. But these were just the things she needed.

Her set-up did get some curious eyes from other muppets passing through, one such muppet who just so happened to pass by and stop to gaze at the scene in front of him, earned the attention of Janice; she asked Scooter if he’d like to join in. To which he replied that he hadn’t had any other plans at the moment so he’d be glad to.

Another Muppet who had stumbled upon this crate with scattered coloured paper and scissors was Lips who took one good look at the material and puzzled Janice’s plan together. He joined the three in their session, both him and Scooter having pulled two more pillows from the pop box thanks to Janice for directing them to it. The activity could now start and Janice was in charge of supervising her students, though once time rolled around for when the Veterinarian's sketch would begin.

Janice had to leave the table, putting Scooter in charge while she was gone.

The three kept on crafting, building colorful origami out of the material that were available to them. And when her sketch officially ended, Janice came back after 10 minutes to check back up on her students, “Alright! Time’s up.” she declared, Lips putting down his scissors while Scooter was putting his finishing touches on his piece. Animal, it seems, had given up on his creation long ago.

“Class, what can you present today?” Janice jokingly asked around the table, sitting back down on the pillow to observe what they all made in the time she was gone. Scooter went first, presenting a lovely origami flower made out of a dark blue material, Janice awed at the skill Scooter had. And this was folded perfectly, it did not fall apart like beginners usually experience. Scooter rubbed his neck, it really wasn’t a big deal, he just does a lot of origami in his spare time to help with stress. Well it was a lovely hobby he had, Janice had to admit it.

Janice stuck the flower into her hair as Scooter practically made it just for her. That’s when Lips stepped in, mumbling against Scooter and wanting everyone around the table to know that he too had made something special for Janice. He handed her a little crown made out of yellow paper, it looked quite adorable. Especially since it was a miniature crown, too small to fit on anybody’s head, well possibly a rat’s head would be best suited for it.

Janice thanked Lips for the lovely gift, though keeping it off to the side for now as she wanted to know what Animal had done during the time.

Not only Janice turned to him, but scooter and Lips too. Animal reached for the roughly cut piece of paper, opening it so that they all could see he had attempted to cut a paper family out of the white material, ultimately having given up and once he pulled it apart, it sort of ripped with the force and one side fell off. Earning a low growl from Animal as he curled the piece of paper up and threw it away.

Folding his arms to keep them on the crate, sinking his head deep into them.

Scooter would have definitely made a run for it if Animal would go on another rampage, yet he didn’t. He did not even throw the crate with the materials on it, that certainly was new.

Janice disliked seeing Animal gloomy, or any type of sadness for that matter. She figured out a little idea, picking the origami flower out of her hair and instead sticking it into Animal’s wild mane with steady movements.
The sudden feeling of something sticking in his hair made Animal perk his head up at what just happened, his gaze met Janice’s who carried her usual honey sweet smile.

There it was, that warm grin that always pulled Animal back to Janice whenever he felt blue. Something about her always kept him closer to the serene guitarist than to the others, maybe it was her care-free attitude to all things around her or perhaps it was her way of treating Animal that kept him close. She felt like a real mother to him. Someone he could depend on when he felt depressed.

She was one of the only people he trusted just the same amount as he did with Floyd, her calm and soothing voice could drive his every tear away.
He just felt so at ease with her. Especially considering Janice took all the time in the world to make sure he was alright every day, she was much more patient and knew just how to calm him down in the toughest of situations.

It was then when he couldn’t bring himself to stay apart from her any longer and he just threw himself into her arms, her hands meeting his back as she petted his head, giggling while doing so as the guitarist was caught quite-off guard with that sudden leap towards her. Scooter and Lips themselves chuckled along.

The three remained in their positions for a while longer, going at a round two of their arts & crafts session, this time Janice helping Animal in his creation. The next attempt at him redoing the paper family was way better than the one from before, they even stuck together when you would pull them apart. Showing him that it was alright to be mad at the first broken piece he made, but he couldn’t just give up. Sometimes you had to make mistakes before you can create perfections.

Caught up in this moment of joy, Animal totally forgot about his sickness and the nausea, all thanks to Janice.
He just wished this moment could have stayed for a little longer, but the closing number rolled around and Janice plus Lips were forced to get on stage.

With the absence of the two, Animal could feel himself spiraling back into his burning fever.
Scooter himself had tried to ask if everything was alright but he had work he needed to get back to, for now he merely looked down onto a broken drummer as he sat all alone.

Not entirely alone. He still had the little flower in his hair, that kept him quiet for the time-being. Too calm even as the fever forced his system to shut down, his eyelids got heavier with each blink and he couldn’t do anything else other than succumb to the fatigue. Folding his arms once more on the crate and resting his head in between.

He must have been way deep asleep. The burning fever had not gotten better one bit during his slumber, proving that even when he wanted to rest did it never leave him alone. The only thing he wanted and really needed was a well deserved deep sleep, but how could he with this damned ache throughout his entire body. Not just the fever.

He began to kick his leg in a panicked manner. A whine escaping his lips as he did.

Not planning to be met with an ice-cold hand touching his face, which was the cause of him waking up in a hot sweat and agitating mood, he must have been way deep into his slumber as he was already back at the house and sleeping in his hammock. And the hand that touched him? Animal turned his head in all directions to scout the source of it, a bit difficult with the darkness covering the room.

A soothing yet familiar voice calmed him, he knew it well, It had to be Floyd. His eyes met that of the worried Bassist, overwhelmed with joy over seeing his best friend, he just had to jump directly into his arms.

Causing the bassist to lose his balance and forcing the two to fall down onto the bed, Floyd held Animal close in his embrace. Refusing to let go for even one second, particularly not with the pained cry he heard, they didn’t seem to cease either as it just went on with the drummer. Animal was basically begging at this point for Floyd to do something so that he wouldn’t have to continue to live through this pain. Locating the exact area where the aches came from was easier said than done, it came from everyone, his head, his stomach, his legs, everything caused him distress one way or another from head to toe and it didn’t seem as if it would be getting any better.

It felt excruciating, like a white hot pain burning all throughout every edge of his body. Animal buried his head deep into Floyd’s chest, tears streaming from his eyes as the bassist couldn’t believe that his buddy was actually crying.

He rarely ever cried, Floyd could only remember one time where Animal flat-out bawled his eyes out but that was back when he was just a little baby, and that’s saying something.
Unfortunately the Bassist was clueless on how to help ease it all, the whining of Animal pulled at his heart strings bit by bit, he knew he couldn’t do much yet he felt useless for not doing the exact right amount, he just continued to pat Animal’s back to soothe him.

That was when another figure hopped onto the bed.

Floyd wanted to question Janice on what she was doing but her expression said it all, the usual sense of kindness a mother would have settled on her face. She took Animal into her own arms, brushing her soft delicate fingers through Animal’s hair as a mechanism to calm him down. Floyd scooched a bit to the left for her and Animal to have more room on the bed.
She was way better with this type of stuff, he never had a sense for words, or knowledge of what to do in certain emotionally driven situations.

Janice did everything she could, whispering sweet words to him as she gently rocked him back and forth so he could go back to sleep. Her attempts at easing his pain just by a little did seem to work, she had picked up on his aching soul from hours before though sadly never had the chance to make it all better. However, now especially with the desperate whines could not stand to sit around any longer, doing nothing while their wild drummer suffered severely from his fever. 

Floyd wasn’t the only one who was affected by Animal’s cries for help.

Janice took all the time in the world Animal needed until he could go back to his peaceful sleep. With the straining fever raging on, but at least this time it would remain within so that it wouldn’t cause too much pain. The two lovers took this moment to look each other into their eyes, a soft gaze meeting both of them. With no further words exchanged they settled down into the bed, Janice and Floyd laying close by each other with Animal in between.

Floyd ruffled through Animal’s hair for one last time, his smile growing to see his little buddy go back to normal from his previous frightened state. “Fast asleep..” he muttered in an exhausted tone, marvelling at how quick Janice managed to do all that. The two lovers stared into each other’s eyes for a while longer, their hands interlocking in a passionate embrace.

The couple lost themselves to fatigue, it has been a long action-packed day, with a small bonus during the middle of the night. And when the Bassist finally did wake up again, Animal looked much more at peace than he had possibly a few hours ago. The Bassist lightly stroked through his buddy’s hair, his eyes navigating to Janice as she was still sound asleep.
Light illuminating the room, shining through the closed curtains and forcing Floyd to get up out of bed.

Carefully escaping out of Animal’s hold on him so that he could swing his legs over the bed and race to the bathroom first. Cracking his back plus arms as he stood on his two feet.

The presence of Floyd’s soul leaving must have woken Janice up, he never quite got it with these whole psychic things the guitarist commonly engaged in. Her yawn caused him to turn and gaze at her with love brightening his face.

She smiled back, mouthing the word ‘morning’ so both of them wouldn’t wake the fast asleep drummer.

They had to be extra careful, usually Animal was a heavy sleeper, even a clash of two cymbals together wouldn’t get him to wake up. However once he fell sick, he was the lightest sleeper you could ever meet. You could be so careful with your every movement but each time he jumps right awake. Their attempts at keeping quiet went particularly well, he didn’t even stir when they walked further away from the bed. The two lover’s took hold of each other’s hand, faces lighting up as they left the room. First goal in the early morning was to get to the bathroom as fast as muppetly possible so that they could jump straight into the shower, hogging it for themselves.

Bad Luck for them, as soon as they entered the bathroom Lips was already wide awake and standing in front of one sink, brushing his teeth. He turned his head to his band mates, holding up a peace-sign as a way to greet them. They shared a couple of good mornings before they too joined him at the sinks to brush their teeth. Guess the lovers had to wait for later where they could use the shower in peace.

Dr. Teeth was the fourth to join them, bathrobe secured tight around his figure. In comparison with the others he didn’t brush his teeth first, he rather flossed them since that was always his utmost important priority in the morning. The last awaited was Zoot, whose biggest strength wasn’t waking up at 7 am like the rest seeing that he was wobbly with his steps.

It’s as if the strength underneath his feet gave up and he let himself crash into the wall, falling to the floor with his eyes closed. Maybe he should have stayed in bed for a little longer, they weren’t exactly going anywhere soon.

Having come last night back from the muppet show was a mixed rollercoaster, on one hand they were worried about Animal who they found fast asleep where Janice and Lips had left him. But furthermore, they were overjoyed with the outcome of their performance, the audience loved it, the rest of the gang loved it, heck even the guy who usually played the clarinet was happy about the temporary instrument change he got to participate in. Just one little curtain call and the band were back on their way. Of course not without a proper goodbye to the rest of the family, it seemed like they would be gone forever due to the tears that spilled last night, though they reassured everyone they would come back as soon as their next country-wide tour would be over.

Who knew how long this tour would go on, especially with Animal still laying in bed, sick with a raging fever.

Zoot’s head was leaning further and further to the side, threatening his whole body to basically fall limp if Carter hadn’t brought him back to consciousness. Zoot shook his head a few times, trying to clear his mind of the exhaustion he still experienced. “Mr. Zootowski?” Carter wondered if everything was alright with the typically tired Saxophonist. Being sleepy around the clock was his most famous trait but the butler was still inclined to know if he was fine.

Zoot looked up to the butler then back to the ground, waving for him to just go away and let him be. He was thinking about getting up and going back to bed, but currently he doesn't have the strength for it. Carter took his hand off of Zoot’s shoulder and let him in peace, luckily teeth marched right out of the bathroom humming a melody that caught him before he turned his attention to Carter and Zoot.

The Butler began to explain how he kept hearing a strange yet guttural noise coming from the bedroom down the hall. Pointing directly to the exact location of the noise left the Doctor with a less bubbly attitude, he wasted no time in booking past the butler to the room. Even Pulling Zoot with him who protested against being moved but still kept close behind Teeth. Dr. Teeth practically ripped the door off its hinges with the way he bursted into the room, Zoot leaning on the door frame as a weight supporter. There, on the bed to the left, laid a familiar curled up into a rock figure.
Knees to his chin and arms wrapped around his legs.
The Doctor examined the drummer’s every move and turn, stumbling as he rushed to the bed. He hopped onto it, putting his hands on Animal’s tight shoulders to pull him into the keyboardist’s embrace in an effort to soothe him. Rubbing Animal’s back up and down. The tears practically fled like waterfalls out of his eyes, the accommodating whimpers didn’t make it any better for all three of them. Zoot remained by the door, though ultimately leaving his position to go to the kitchen when Dr. Teeth asked him to bring a bowl of cold water.

Once Teeth had gotten onto the bed and held Animal in his arms, he could feel how the drummer’s body was practically on fire. His forehead felt painfully hot and sweaty, maybe that was one of the key factors that caused the drummer to break down into tears like this. And who could blame him.

The sudden change of the cheerful atmosphere in the air caught notice from the Butler, he had known of Animal falling ill when the band came back from the theatre.  He offered to help in getting Zoot the bowl, plus a clean rag.

Dr. Teeth tried everything with Animal, stroking through his hair, rubbing his back and even soothing him with assuring words. Though the tears kept on falling, it wasn’t because of Teeth but it must of surely be the raging fever. The keyboardist kept his embrace around Animal tight, drawing little circles on his back to ease him. Whatever he did, Animal kept on pushing himself closer into Dr. Teeth’s arms.
The Drummer was already so close to him that it seemed impossible but he wanted for the doctor to stay, he had to get him to stay, he was the only one who currently helped him in this fight. Animal clutched to the doctor’s bathrobe for life, tears staining it though Teeth didn’t mind.
He just let him cry it all out.

Thank god that Zoot and Carter came back quickly and with them the rest of the band, Floyd rushed to the bed, taking Animal into his own arms who was filled with joy and relief to see the bassist again.
He let go off Dr. Teeth but instead found someone else who he could hold onto. Animal buried his hands deep into the Bassist’s shirt, his sobs only continuing. He thought Floyd had left entirely, leaving the poor drummer to succumb to his aching pain. Animal was content with the truth that he hadn’t forgotten about him.

Carter handed the bowl over to Teeth, passing along the rag. Dr. Teeth dipped the rag into the cold liquid, letting it soak up in the substance. He brought it back out, squeezing as he turned it to let some unnecessary water out. After that was done, he put the rag with care on top of Animal’s sweat covered forehead.

The cool and refreshing rag allows the drummer to cease his cries. In just a minute it had relinquished to quiet sniffles. The Bassist didn’t let him go and Animal didn’t let him. Floyd kept holding him like a baby in his arms. Funny enough, this exact moment brought him back to old times when Animal would get sick as a baby, the bassist could vividly remember how he used to rock the ill fallen drummer back to sleep with such ease.

Nowadays with him being grown up it’s more of a struggle than anything. Janice sat on the other end of the bed, putting Animal’s legs over her lap and tangling her arm around Floyd’s shoulder.
The room went quiet, with the other four leaving after a certain amount of time.

The day had to go on, but it wasn’t a secret that each member wanted to stay by Animal’s side and aid him on the road to recovery. Carter Himself as well.

With only Dr. Teeth, Zoot and Lips taking residence in the downstairs area of the house, they engaged in a little jam session but couldn’t see any further point in continuing without their guitarist, bassist and most importantly their drummer. It didn’t feel right. Which is why the three went about the house, doing their own stuff.

Zoot crashed back into bed, with nothing on the calendar he could spend this free time sleeping without a care in the world. Lips and the doctor resided in the kitchen, Dr. Teeth writing down on pieces of empty paper some ideas for a new song. Chatting with Lips over new compositions for it all while the Trumpeter prepared himself a sandwich.

Who knew where Carter was this time, last they heard he informed them that he was gonna spend the whole day in the garden. The appearance of their guitarist caused the two to give her a few acknowledging smiles, instead of her being her cheerful self, a grimace laid on her face that didn’t fade away even as she sat down on the bar stool by the kitchen island. 

“How’s our little drummer doing?” Dr. Teeth broke the uncomfortable silence, wanting to know if he got any better over the small time that flew by.
Janice on the other hand, supported her exhausted head on her hand,“Fine, Just fine..” she answered his question.

Then the room fell quiet once more, “Janice?” Lips tried to get her attention as she almost nodded off. She jumped slightly, blinking to get that blurry vision out of her eyes and as she looked at the two, it was clear that they wanted to know the truth about Animal’s condition. Janice exhaled to clear her mind, “He’s been really sensitive as of lately,” she mentioned, folding her arms on top of the counter all while she explained, “Each time me or Floyd pull away from him he’ll like just whimper and begin to sob, it’s as if he doesn’t want us to leave his side.”

“If he doesn’t want either of you to leave him, how come you’re here?” Dr. Teeth asked, putting his pencil aside.
“I promised Animal that I would only get a glass of water, Floyd had to reassure him that as well.” Janice explained, that’s when the talk went on for a little longer.

With both Dr. Teeth and Lips being forced to be the voices of reason with Janice, it was a rare sight to observe, Lips and Teeth having to be the ones to ensure their flower child. Usually she would be the one to keep them calm.
Besides the repeated words of optimism from her bandmates, Janice couldn’t help but feel as if there was something way worse going to happen.
So much so that not being able to find out caused her lower lip to quiver and with it, tears starting to take shape.

 “Janice, look at me.” She had no choice but to turn her head to Teeth’s direction, her eyes filled with sorrow just waiting to be set free. Dr. Teeth reached out for her hand, she put hers in his.
Janice kept on going, talking through her choked up words, “He’s not getting any better, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” she couldn’t hold herself together any longer, the tears spilling from her eyes with her head dropping once more, not baring to look the doctor into his eyes in her current condition.

Lips walked around the kitchen island, sitting down next to Janice as he put his hand on her shoulder, easing her soul from the troubles that plagued her. “Janice you can’t blame yourself, sickness is not something that can go away that easily.” Teeth rambled on, rubbing her hand with care. Along with the two acting as a supporting pillar, she did feel somewhat better however not that much to shake the bitter sense out of her.

“dun worry.” Lips assured through his mumbles. Perhaps they were right, she’s possibly just overreacting. She hopped off the bar stool, forgetting to fetch the glass of water and instead running back upstairs. The shouts of her names followed close behind but not so much that they raced after her. Janice threw the door of the bedroom open, Floyd ripping his head towards her direction. He didn’t have to stare at her tear-filled face for long to know what was wrong, he outstretched his hand for her to take it.
Which she did, falling back onto the bed.

Settling back down next to her lover, plus right in front of the Drummer as his head remained in Floyd’s lap. Rag covering his forehead, the fever was like a wild storm. Never ceasing its outburst for even just a second. Janice laid her head on the bassist’s shoulders, tears having faded away. She lightly ran her fingers through Animal’s hair, in response getting a quiet wail from him.

“I feel like there's something way worse going on with him.” she just had to speak her mind, she couldn’t keep on staying quiet from Floyd with her theory.
“Oh, baby.” Floyd put his arm around Janice, pulling her in closer so that he could give her a delicate kiss to her forehead, “Everything is gonna be fine. He’ll be alright.”

“He just needs some time.” just like Lips and Dr. Teeth, Floyd abandoned her nervous theory and merely concentrated on making sure she could ease herself from her alarmed mind. Janice had to admit it, maybe they all were right, perhaps she was just crazy.

Nevertheless, her hand remained on Animal’s cheek, rubbing it gently so that he knew she was back in bed with him. The two lovers settled into each other’s arms, time seeming to pass by as darkness clouded the room. Floyd himself couldn’t shake Janice’s comment off, it plagued him as he slept. The thought of Animal having caught someone more severe than a simple cold was like a nightmare to him, a deep-seated nightmare that startled him awake. His hand rose to his forehead, cleaning the cold sweat and panic off it.

All of a sudden the bassist heard a questioning sound that should have gotten him right out of bed.
He switched on the lamp on the bedside table to find the source of the noise.

The situation with what he was met with was Animal starting to dry-heave, a serious sign that needed immediate attention devoted to it or else he would have to deal with Carter about the puke stained bedspread. Floyd took hold of Animal by his arm, rushing with him straight out of bed and to the bathroom down the hall.

As soon as the bassist switched on the lights in the dark bathroom, Animal grasped hold of the toilet and emptied everything out of his system.
Floyd frowned upon the scene, opening the cabinet above the mirror to get a toothbrush cup out, filling it with water and setting it aside on the counter for Animal so that he could have something to drink to clear his throat and to ease his upset stomach.

He hadn’t even eaten anything today so why he was puking at this exact time was a mystery.

Another person that the two startled awake on their way to the bathroom was none other than Janice, she examined the scene in the dimly lit bathroom and took it in her responsibility to brew up some herbal tea. She knew just the thing to clear up an upset stomach.
Floyd kept his hand on Animal’s back the whole time, rubbing it up and down to help him clear everything out.

Subsequently when Animal was done, Floyd pushed down the handle for the puke to disappear into the water system.
He was definitely gonna get some perfume to clear the stench in the morning, but for now he had to look after his buddy. Floyd put a second hand on Animal’s shoulder as the drummer remained in his bend over position over the toilet. The Drummer hadn’t even responded to his name being called.

When Floyd attempted a second time, even with shaking his already aching shoulders, The Drummer did nothing.

Animal eventually slipped off and tipped over, losing consciousness. “Animal!” Floyd took hold of Animal by his shoulders to keep him steady, Floyd took one good look at his already sweat covered face and his uncertainty over Animal’s well being sunk further, his bright orange skin had not only become pale but around his lips a sort of bluish discoloration began to set in. This was definitely not a good sign. He shouted out for Janice who came back into the bathroom in a split second, “Get the van ready, we need to go to the hospital.” He requested, Janice didn’t even question why, she just ran back downstairs. Part of Floyd must have known she had already sensed the far left turn of events, which she did. From the whole start on.

Floyd rushed back to his own bedroom, he wondered if he should pound on the door of the shared bedroom with Teeth, zoot and Lips to inform them of the current situation, though he didn’t want to risk it and disturb their sleep. He put this whole responsibility of taking care of Animal on himself, leaving only him and Janice needing to drive to the hospital as fast as possible.
Floyd quickly rushed into the bedroom, taking both his denim jacket, Janice’s sweater and a light-weight blanket for Animal.

He put his denim jacket on all while he ran back to the bathroom to catch Animal, the drummer laid right where he left him.

Still unconscious, now they really were racing against time, who knew how long Animal could keep on going in this current state.

Floyd wrapped the blanket around Animal’s shoulders, throwing the sweater over the bassist’s own and going in for the final move. He carefully picked Animal up from the ground, Hands underneath the Drummer’s bottom with his whole body positioned to lay against Floyd’s chest, Animal’s head rested on the bassist’s shoulder. Floyd wasn’t a relatively strong dude but with what little strength he had he was determined to use it all for Animal.

The Only obstacle was when he needed to transport him down the stairs, Floyd leaning his head a bit more to the right so that he could see every step.
But he had to be quick, he wasn’t entirely sure if Animal suffered from something way worse that could have caused all this but one thing was clear, he didn’t want to lose his friend to this unknown disease if he wasted any more time.

He Sprinted straight out of the front door, Janice having the van ready to go while she helped the bassist get Animal into the back seats. Since he was gonna be the one to drive, Janice decided to sit with Animal and to act as a further support to him. Laying his head into her lap as she traced her fingers through his tangled mane.

The long drive to the hospital wasn’t generally appreciated much, with both of their worries over Animal’s health proceeding to soar higher and higher with each minute that passed. The drummer felt the slight urge to move, he stirred in Janice’s arms, slipping in and out of consciousness though thanks to the warm and vibrant touches of Janice did he manage to stay with them for a while. Animal’s weakened eyelids began to flicker open just slightly to be met with Janice’s comforting smile, bright like the sun.

It made him feel at ease with everything going on. So much so that he closed his eyes yet again. He only wished smiles could heal pains and aches from within.

The Drummer felt himself being moved for possibly a hundred times, his arms and legs being grasped on several occasions. Unfortunately he hadn’t had the strength to be aware of what was even happening, he only fell deeper into his sleep that felt so peaceful. Unnaturally peaceful, he had just severed from a severe spike in his temperature but now, it felt like he was floating on a cloud.

Whatever this new feeling was, he didn’t want to lose it ever again.

Floyd and Janice couldn't do much to help, the doctors had taken it over since they brought Animal inside the clinic. They desperately held on to their string of hope, to at least wish that Animal would be alright. Floyd side-eyed his lover, who hadn’t said much in their current position.

What he hadn’t noticed earlier was that Janice had already broken into a fit of tears, she didn’t want to cry, especially not now though what else could be done other than let the sorrow out.

Floyd swung his arm around Janice’s shoulder, pulling her into his own arms. His gentle comforting hold on her was just what she needed, she let herself sink deeper into the bassist’s arms while she wept. Likewise, Floyd himself couldn’t help but let a tear shed from his eye. Animal was his little buddy, ever since that fateful night with the crazed drummer having been dropped off at his doorstep. And he felt as if he failed in being the responsible caretaker for him. The Sweater Floyd had gotten specifically for Janice was hugging close to her figure. The Guitarist pulling the sleeves off it slightly further up to cover her hands. It looked rather silly for her to wear that right on top of her usual nightwear, but who was he to say that it looked funky, he wore his denim jacket on top of his own pyjamas. It felt kind of strange to wear such clothes like these in public. Though they really hadn’t had the time to properly change into something casual.

Their moment of togetherness was broken when the nurse stepped into the scene, she let them know about Animal’s current state. Telling the lovers that the doctors had gotten him into a stable condition, though still unconscious and needing time to rest up.

They had hooked him with some IV antibiotics, directly injected into his veins.
The cause behind all this was a case of severe Sepsis, that must have been left untreated for a larger amount of time. Unfortunately what the cause behind Sepsis was a mystery to the couple, the nurse explained that with the tests coming back positive, it was clear that he suffered from a type of bacterial infection that lead up to the extreme response to the infection. The doctors couldn’t do much else than give him some antibiotics and keep him in the unit for his own safety.

Floyd, inclined to know if he was allowed to stay with Animal for the night, the nurse denied his request since it would go against their guidelines.
Though he was persistent, saying that if he wouldn’t be beside Animal when he would wake up then the whole building would fall into chaos. That kept the nurse shut and gave him the honor of staying.

The lovers staged a small plan, Janice would go back to the house to inform their friends and get some sleep for herself while Floyd would reside with Animal in the hospital. The Bassist gave his sweet lover a gentle kiss on her cheek, the two parting ways and Floyd entering the room.

Never would he have thought he’d have to step into a hospital because one of his own dear friends would get admitted to it. Yet here he stood, closing the door behind him and sitting down on the chair set next to Animal’s bed side.

The Monitors let a constant beep go as Animal’s heartbeat showcased to be steady. The in and exhales of air were faint yet normal. Chest rising with every breath. That kept Floyd at ease, a smile growing on his downcasted face, the sight of Animal being in stable condition was comforting for him to some extent. At least he wasn’t totally lost to Sepsis.
Sepsis, he shook his head as he kept thinking about what the nurse told him, whatever the hell this sepsis thing was. The Bassist wasn’t some all knowing doctor with a degree, he was a normal dude whose only medical knowledge consisted of knowing how to treat a bruise.

He depended fully on the doctors to tell him what would come next for his buddy. And what he, most importantly, had to do to ensure Animal would stay healthy.

The clock ticked, ticked and ticked. Floyd couldn’t remember when he fell asleep, it must have been somewhere around midnight, who was he to keep track. All that he wanted to do was to just close his eyes for one second, though that second turned into a full minute and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

The grasp of his shoulder jolted him awake, a shriek escaping his lips as his eyes met the keyboardist who couldn’t resist to chuckle at the scare he put Floyd under. The Bassist sunk back into the chair, hand on his heart.

“The hell, man-” he exclaimed, looking back at Dr. Teeth who apologized while biting back the urge to laugh out loud.

“Good morning to you too.” Teeth greeted, hands deep into his pants’s pockets. Morning? Floyd turned around to gaze out the windows and just as the doctor said, it was early morning. Possibly 7 am. He glanced back to the Doctor, rubbing his thigh as he greeted him too. The room felt stuffy with an awkward silence looming in the air.

Teeth met the gaze of Floyd, who looked as if he was expecting something to come after the ‘good morning’. Only then did he explain what the Nurse told him, although his memory was hazy from yesterday, “The Nurse said he had a bacterial infection that caused all this–” he shook his head, stumbling over his own words, “I don’t know, I zoned out when she kept talking.” he concluded, hand to his forehead. Keeping his eyes on Animal throughout his recollecting of what happened yesterday. Dr. Teeth had a special gift of sensing if someone felt gloomy even from miles away, he couldn’t just let Floyd drown in his misery. The doctor walked back around the bed to the Bassist’s side.

Laying a hand on his shoulder, a hand that assured Floyd that he wasn’t the only one struggling with Animal’s current situation.

Floyd turned his head, tear filled eyes meeting Dr. Teeth who simply raised a vibrant grin to the bassist, “Everything’s gonna be okay..” he said. Floyd looked down to the floor, his thoughts all over the place with how true Teeth’s words actually were, nevertheless Floyd put his own hand on top of Dr. Teeth’s.

Meeting his eyes and nodding.

The Doctor pulled away, walking back to the door while he announced the other member’s presences, “Me and the rest are in the hall talking with the doctor, we’ll come check on you two in a second.” he said before leaving. The Bassist and drummer all alone once again.

Floyd took hold of Animal’s hand, squeezing it with slight pressure. His thumb rubbing against the Drummer’s. The Bassist head once again dropped down to the floor, he and words were never good friends and if Animal was gonna need some words of encouragement to get out of his unconscious state then perhaps he should get Janice.

Though it never hurt to try, the only way he really could make sure Animal would be at ease at times was with the little baby lullaby. The Bassist began to hum the melody, eyes landing on Animal for any signs of a response, nothing. That didn’t matter though, at least it was something Floyd could do to pass the excruciating long time.
The Band members were originally gonna join the two right after they entered the hospital, but Dr. Teeth specifically wanted some information on what they had Animal undergo. The doctor who had been in charge of treating Animal from last night was luckily still clocked in, he reassured all of them that the drummer would be able to get back on his feet in no time.

With some needed rest in between and he would be just fine, though he did prescribe pain relievers if Animal experienced any discomfort once he was home.

Any further questions had to be stopped since the doctor had his hands full of other patients. It fell quiet upon the band members, their attentions were brought to the room Animal was situated in where a loud, cheering voice could be heard from. A voice they recognized as the Bassist. They rushed to the room with a heavy weight being released from their hearts as soon as they saw Animal wide awake and sitting upright in the bed, embraced in Floyd’s hug.

Floyd himself took notice of the others, his smile wider than it could ever be. They neared the bed, surrounding it practically as each one took a turn hugging Animal. He himself felt great, energetic even for that matter. Tired yet alright. Those Antibiotics worked wonders, the drummer looked down to his hand where a strange needle was inserted into his skin. Out of instinct, when something was unknown and new to him, he bit down on the cord.

The others jumped in to get him to let go of the cord. “Animal, no!” Floyd warned him, Lips and Janice attempted to pull him from the other side off the cord.

“You need that man.” Teeth exclaimed, having gotten the drummer to lay off the weird thing attached to him. Floyd should have known he would do that, this was the drummer’s first time being in a hospital after all. He definitely had a lot of questions on his mind about all the weird appliances around him.

Floyd’s gaze softened, managing to get Animal’s full attention directed to him, fully forgetting the cord, “You sure did scare all of us..” he admitted, his hand still tangled up with Animal. “Yeah, Lips thought you were dead.” Zoot put in, to which his comment earned a quiet sniffle from the Trumpeter though he was alright now that he knew Animal wasn’t completely gone. It took a moment before Animal looked all around the room, observing everyone’s gaze upon him. It was incredible how they all stuck with him throughout this whole ordeal. His mouth opened, yet upon trying to spit out something his system instantly reacted to start coughing. At least to clear his throat up.

Janice put a hand to his back, patting it so that he could get whatever it was all out of his airway. Animal lifted his head up, voice hoarse yet determined to get the needed word out, “Family” he spat with another cough. The others seemed so shocked at his word, their mouths hung open and Animal began to rethink if what he said was right for the current moment.

He was met with Floyd’s hand stroking through his mane, turning to see him grinning from ear to ear. Voice turned brittle, as if he was on the verge of breaking down.
“Yeah, that’s what we are.” Floyd assured him, losing himself to the moment and wrapping his arms around Animal to hug him. Didn’t take much long for the others to join in the hug pile, each member keeping their arms around Animal.

The Drummer blinked briefly to know if this was the reality he was living in. Arms were all around his body and securing him tight in the other’s embraces. He didn’t complain much, instead the arms around him made him feel so content. As if this was just where he belonged. Not exactly caught in between arms but being in the band. Playing the drums was one thing but actually being surrounded by people who cared for you and kept you safe, like a real family, that’s everything he needed out of this life.