Chapter Text
It had been a long night, Zanka had pulled an all-nighter because of an engineering project that was due soon. It wasn't unusual for him to be stuck in the building long after everyone had left, but this time the lights had turned off. When he first started staying late, the lights had turned off on him because the janitor didn't know he was there. He didn't think much of it, until the lights wouldn't turn on when he tried. He stepped out of the classroom to see that all the lights in the building were turned off.
It was past twelve. Usually there were still two or three people left in the building. He had heard that there was a party he had opted on not going to, he assumed that's where everyone else was. Everyone was stressed lately it made sense that they needed a break. Zanka wished he could let himself relax like that.
He took his phone and turned the flashlight on. The engineering building was connected to the chem majors. He honestly doesn't know why anyone would want to major in chem. It was so complicated and seemed really gruesome.
Apparently, there was someone else in the building. He heard some loud clattering coming from down the hall of the chemical building. As he made his way down, a hefty smell invaded his nose. It smelt like throw-up and metal. When he made it down the hall, he had to cover his nose with his sleeve. One of the classrooms had a small light coming from it, it was also where the smell was the strongest. Above the door was a sign with the word “LAB”. He assumed that someone had messed up an experiment or something. Zanka flashed the light through the window, he couldn't see anything, so he opened the door.
He saw a shirtless deadhead in pajama pants, Jabber. It was an understatement to say he didn't like Jabber. He hated the man, he was sure the other had it out for him. He tried to turn around before Jabber could see him, but the flashlight had given him away.
“Heyyyyy, Mr. Bad Attitude, ya miss me?” Jabber said with a smile too big for his own good.
Zanka swirled around with a groan. He really didn't want to deal with Jabber right now.
“Not particularly man.” The response got him an even wider smile from Jabber.
“Are you the reason why the lights are off? Zanka asked
Of course, he was the reason they turned off. Jabber was a trail of mischievous, everywhere he went something bad would crawl along with him. He liked to keep his distance away from him, but luck has never been on his good side.
“Yeah, I needed them off for my experiment,” Jabber answered, distracted. He seemed focused on whatever he was working on. He didn't even look up to see Zanka’s annoyed reaction, which didn't bother him at all.
“Couldn’t you have just turned that lights of in the lab?"
“Yeah, but then how else would I have gotten you to come see me Zan-Zan” Jabber said teasingly. Zanka was done with the conversation, he would just find a way to turn on the lights himself. He turned around to leave but turned back around when he heard glass shatter.
A beaker had exploded leaving glass and some sticky purple glowy stuff everywhere.
“Jabber.”
“Oops?”
Zanka faced palmed, honestly, he didn't even know why he tried with this man. He always ended up making a mess. He was loud and always bothered Zanka to his last nerve. Yet somehow, they always crossed paths. He was sure that was why he was always thinking about him, or maybe Jabber had poisoned him with some weird chemical, he wouldn't put it past the man,
Ever since he had seen Mankira for the first time, he became even more weary of Jabber's experiments. The first time he had seen her, Jabber had “accidentally” poisoned himself. Somehow, Zanka ended up being the one taking him to the nurse. He carried a delirious man in his arms who blabbed Hamilton nonsense. It was not a fun task. He had tried to take Mankira away from him, but Jabber had started saying something about poisoning him if he did. Whatever, Jabber had taken made him very jubilant. He ranted about Zanka, and at some point, he started praising him. By then Zanka was ready to leave him on the floor to be someone else's problem. Now, whenever he sees Mankira he makes sure to keep a 10 foot radius between them.
Nonetheless, he always seemed to end up on the wrong side of Jabber's experiments.
“None of that got on you right? Cause it totally is harmless and definitely good for your health” Jabber said very convincingly.
“Nothing got on me, stupid”
“Oh, keep going zan-zan” Zanka groaned loudly, Jabber laughed at the others distress.
“I'm leaving, you can clean that up by yourself” Zanka said as he turned around for the third time attempting to leave. He spotted the mysterious glowy substance on the door handle and noticed that the metal was starting to melt. He turned around yet again to question the man
“Dude, why is the door handle melting” Zanka asked
“Ya probably shouldn't touch that”
“What did you do!”
“Man, calm down, it's just an experiment gone wrong, I just needa make an antioxidant and we’ll be fine”
“I didn't touch it, I don't need an antidote”
“Yeah, breathing stuff in is not good for the soul”
“Then, why aren't you wearing a mask?”
Zanka was sure that Jabber was just saying this stuff to keep him here. There probably wasn't anything harmful about breathing it in, sure it stinked but that didn't mean anything. Jabber just liked to mess with him, but Zanka wasn’t stupid.
“Because I my friend like the smell, but your brain definitely can't handle all that” Jabber giggled at himself.
Zanka walked over to Jabber making sure not to step on any of the weird stuff. When he was finally toe to toe with him, he slapped him. Of course, Jabber made a sound which he will not call a moan but a yelp.
“Is that your way of saying thank you?”
“Fuck you” He slapped him again, which didn’t make things better. But it had released some of his anger. He walked away from Jabber and sat down on one of the stools.
He was so sick and tired of ending up in situations like this. He was now stuck in a room alone with Jabber for God knows how long. He could have been working on his project. He had a stuff to do, but of course misfortune decided to be on his side. Zanka was sure that whatever god exists, hated him. This was the third time that quarter that Zanka has ended up in a situation like this.
God that smell was truly atrocious.
“What were you even trying to do?” Jabber practically lit up at the question.
“I was tryna make something for Mankira, but it kept on eroding metal, so I tried to add some Zinc, and it worked, but you know it wasn't cool, so I added some Oxalate Ester but now it erodes everything expect Mankira” He explained enthusiastically. His hands moved around with the beakers and glasses as if he wasn't afraid to spill them. He looked at Zanka for confirmation he was listening while he just grunted and nodded in response.
“What are you doing here so late anyways?” Jabber asked
“I have a project due soon” Zanka answered
“Oooooo, maybe we can be study buddies” Jabber asked. Zanka immediately shaked his head “no”, while Jabber shaked his head “yes”.
“You’re such a buzz kill man.”
“Or, maybe I just don't like you”
“Gasp you wound me, Romeo”
“Shut up”
“Whatever you say Zan-Zan”
“That's not shutting up”
Jabber mimed, closing his mouth with a zipper and throwing it away. For some reason Zanka chuckled at that. He was hoping it would go unnoticed, but it didn't.
“I made ya laugh! Ha, you do like meeee” Jabber said as if he'd won. Zanka groaned and buried his face in his hands.
After that, Jabber focused on making the antidote. For some reason Zanka couldn't take his eyes off him. His hair was loose and free. He was partially worried that some of it got on Jabber's hair. But he was even more interested in how it didn't get on Jabber's skin. He was half naked, hair out and everything and not a single drop ended up on him. He doesn't know how this man works, all this stuff was seemingly distracting yet Jabber was really focused. He knew that Jabber took this chemistry stuff really seriously, but he looked so interesting.
“Ok, Zan-Zan the antidotes ready” he said as he held out Mankira.
“Nuh uh, no way, absolutely not”
There was no way in hell that Mankira would be entering Zanka's body. He got up and walked to the back of the room keeping his eyes on Jabber. Jabber followed him with a loud grin. He did not want to know whether or not that was poison or antidote, and he sure as hell was not finding out.
“C'mon man I let you hit me with lovely Assistaff”
“That was for sparring. This is way different and don't pretend like you didn't like that,” Zanka said as his back reached a wall.
“Man it'll be super quick, you ain't even gonna notice it”
“Fuck no, get away from me”
“Stop being such a wuss, I'll let you hit me and I'll act totally normal”
“You’re lying”
“I’m not”
He thought about it for a couple of seconds. It can't be that bad, right?
“...Fine” Zanka knew he was going to regret it, but it was fine. He would be fine.He closed his eyes and hoped for the best.
The next time Zanka opened his eyes, he was laying in a bed that was not his. The room was filled with science-y stuff and stuff that definitely was not allowed in the dorms. Zanka tried to sit up but he couldn't. Every bone and limb hurt like hell. He tried to recall what had happened last night. Most of it was a blur, but he did remember Jabber.
Of course, Jabber was involved, he's always involved, Zanka thought.
He assumed the room was Jabber’s, which made sense with all the stuff that shouldn't be in there and the mess it was. As Zanka observed the room, the door opened slowly.
“Oh Zan-Zan you're up!” Jabber said with a tray in his hand.
“You piece of shit, what did you do to me?” Zanka tried to question in an angry matter, but the shake of his voice didn't make him seem that scary.
“So, I may or may not have miscalculated your chemical tolerance and gave you too much, but you're fine.”
“I don't feel fine,” Zanka stated. He felt like a corpse that had been rotting in a casket for years while simultaneously having experiencing torture that it couldn't feel but damaged done, nonetheless.
“I know, I know, but at least you get to hit me” Jabber said while putting the tray down. It did smell good and hitting Jabber without any weird reaction was the deal.
“What’d you make?” Zanka asked as his stomach grumbled.
“Broth and rice,” Jabber said as he brought the tray to Zanka.
Zanka didn’t know how Jabber knew his favorite food, but he was very grateful he did. He immediately starts eating, and the food doesn't just smell good, it tastes good too.
“Is it good?”
“I guess” he answered knowing it's the best thing he's eaten since college started. He hadn't been eating well, he had felt homesick missing his family. He wasn't sure why now he had the appetite to eat.
When he finished the food, he was finally able to move. He stood up and made his way to Jabber who was in the kitchen. He called Jabber and when he turned around he kicked him in the nuts.
“Dam-” Jabber was cut off by Zanka’s stern look, he turned back around and made his way back to the room. Zanka slept in peace, satisfied with how the situation turned out.