Chapter Text
I slept through the night
This was the first thought that Bobby Choi, Huntrix Manager and former k-pop idol thought when he woke in his bed in his new home, the Huntrix Tower. It was the first quiet night he had in about two months. His sleep, previously, was plagued with hellish and demonic nightmares of demons, Appa, and worse, frightful images of his girls dying in a fire. But as he opened his eyes to the dawn, Bobby was overcome with relief. Somehow, someway, he had slept through the night!
Bobby laid in his bed, on the verge of tears. He didn’t have any nightmares. He was able to get through the night unscathed from his own mind. He allowed himself a few tears. It was such a new sensation to him to wake without feeling like he was dying.
This is it! Bobby excitedly thought I’ve turned the corner.
Recovery hadn’t been easy for him. Two months ago, a campaign of terror had stalked him at every turn. He’d seen visions of Appa, demons, and when he was at his lowest, he was kidnapped and maimed. He carried the scars of his kidnapping. His right leg had been maimed beyond saying and a thin scar was drawn across his neck. Bobby did his best to never look at his neck. He didn’t want to be reminded of his time in the compound. It had been a terrifying affair. He had seen his girls, his wonderful, darling girls, be attacked by some demon creature. He was never able to tell what had kidnapped him, but it wasn’t human in nature. He fought against it the best that he could, but he hadn’t been successful. It took his girls fighting on his behalf to escape the hell that he was in. Bobby was unable to remember what happened after the fight, but when he did wake, his leg was gone and his girls were worried sick about him.
Celine encouraged him to take some time away and he did his best to. She routinely took away his cellphone and laptop at night to ensure that he actually followed her orders. It wasn’t too bad. He had his girls to keep him company. Nearly every night was spent playing videogames, doing facials, nails, and doing trivia games. It was great! Spending time with his girls, his daughters (what a wonderful thing to be able to say) was just the medicine that the doctor ordered.
He was finally starting to feel normal again as he sat up in his bed. His joy was quickly dashed as he sat up far too quickly. At once, Bobby was bombarded by a terrible headache. Aura headaches were new to him, but now, he always knew when a particularly nasty one was coming on. His aura headaches came with an impossible to ignore warning - a shimmering tapestry that weaved over the land like the sea. He quickly clicked the button for the curtains and was graced by the darkness. Bobby rested in the dark. Maybe he would stay in bed for a little bit longer. He placed a warm hand against his eyes. It brought a sigh-inducing moment of peace for him. His peace was dashed when he heard a familiar growl in the darkness. Somewhere in the dark, heavy footfalls were walking towards him. Bobby kept his eyes closed.
No, if I don’t see it, then it doesn’t exist.
This small mantra was how Bobby got through the worst of the side-effects of his medication. The headaches were bad enough, but now he was experiencing hallucinations of the most peculiar sort. A blue tiger with vivid orange eyes liked to prowl around him. The tiger had appeared almost immediately after he lost his leg. It liked to sleep next to him sometimes. Then, there were other times when the tiger disappeared into the aura that followed his headaches. His pain medication did come with a warning of visual issues and Celine had given him ample warning that the various head injuries that he had suffered during his kidnapping might leave him with permanent headaches.
Hallucinations and headaches were part of his life now.
Bobby felt the tiger jump onto his bed. He didn’t want to acknowledge the technicolor beast. He wanted his headaches and hallucinations to be gone. But the tiger wasn’t content with being ignored. It opened it’s large mouth and licked Bobby’s face. He felt his hair stick up with saliva. Bobby opened his eyes and glared at the tiger.
“For a hallucination,” he said, his mouth in a tight frown. “You’re very touchy.”
The tiger slipped it’s massive head under Bobby’s arm. It demanded pets and would not be denied. Bobby, pinned down by the beast, was left with very little recourse. As scratches were given to the tiger, he couldn’t help but wonder if other people’s hallucinations were as demanding as his was.