neverstudied | Victory Road IC Inbox

... Yeah.

[God bless Kölliker. Her little quote gets him to laugh, and somehow, that makes it a little easier to keep talking.]

I, uh. I know it's stupid.

[Venkman thinks for a moment, trying to pinpoint what part of this mess he's willing to elaborate on first.]

Half of the stuff you've told me about the other version of me sounds like- well, me. And the other half makes me want to kick his ass. And it kills me to realize how close I am to being the kind of guy who acts like that. If I'm not already.

[Bill Murray Angst TM]

...Ah.

[A puzzled expression appears on Egon's face. Can he not see the logic behind it?]

But the fact that you do not act as such and are worrying about acting as such already separates you from various other dimensional versions of Peter Venkman who would not be under considerable stress at the thought of it. All human beings, given similar circumstances and being placed under stress, are liable to react differently. [A pause.] Such as those ridiculously biased prison psychology experiments.

[Kölliker's still watching them. It's fine, this'll be filed away in her brain as to how to deal with emotional problems in a healthy(?) manner.]

That's kinda what Ray told me, yeah. I know that I'm not gonna spontaneously become an asshole because another version of me is. But still- that's not just some random variation of me out in the multiverse- that's the Venkman you know. Or knew. Or whatever.

And I hate that you have that to compare me to. And I hate that-

[He sighs.]

God, this really isn't fair to you. I know you don't know how to fix my bullshit, and I'm not asking you to.

[Egon idly threads his fingers between Venkman's, racking his brain for solutions to this conundrum. But if Venkman's concerns aren't rooted in logic, it's hard for Egon to come up with a logical response.

Well, not difficult, per se, but not an entirely good response. He tries anyways.]

If it helps, I have not thought about comparing the two of you for the last month or so.

...How long has this been on your mind, exactly?

[Kölliker quickly grows disinterested. They're just sad, have something exciting happen! Maybe she can help somehow? Or spice things up a little, make things fun. She glances around, trying to see if there's anything she can use...

Ah! She picks up the book on trains--the one that Egon gifted Venkman on Valentine's Day--and chucks it as hard as she can at Venkman. This is sure to make this more interesting! Look out!]

It does, a bit. And, uh- this has been on my mind since I found out what your version of Venkman was like, but I've been worried about other stuff, too, basically since you figured out we came from different dimensions.

I-

[Then Venkman gets a book smacked into his chest, and he wheezes, doubling over. After he takes a moment to catch his breath again-]

Feel like I just got hit by a train.

[At least he can still make stupid jokes.]

[The book comes out of nowhere, and Egon jumps a little, staring at Venkman. He tentatively reaches a hand towards Venkman's chest, concerned.]

Are you alright?

[He then casts a confused glance towards Kölliker, who giggles mischievously.]

Kölliker, why on earth would you do that?

[She doesn't answer--at least, not conventionally. She just sends the mental equivalent of ":^)" and then zooms back out of the room. Her job here is done.]

Did you not think to discuss these issues with me before?

It's fine. I probably didn't crack my ribs again. [A beat.] Seriously, though, it just caught me off guard. 'm fine.

[He picks up the book and just kind of. Stares at the cover for a bit.]

... Thought about it, yeah. Didn't want to bother you with a bunch of shit you can't change. Wasn't sure how to bring it up, either.

[Egon glances down towards the book. He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. After a brief pause, he says:]

I, um--I apologize if this is difficult. To talk about. Especially at such a time of night when you are usually in REM sleep.

[Another pause.]

And, ah, I find social situations difficult to navigate. But I greatly value the emotions of all of my partners, even if I cannot say what is meant to be said. [He squeezes Venkman's hand a little tighter.] I hope you understand that.

But at least at home we had a lab I could still work in while I waited to get better.

[And then get even more injuries as a result.

Ray curls up next to Venkman in turn, patting Garfield softly.]

I hope so. I need to show you Sprout Tower sometime. We can only go on the first flow right now, but I hear you can go up the tower with the gym badge here, and I think Lotus and Crackle have a good chance against it.

[Venkman hugs the book to his chest and leans against Egon with a sigh.]

I know, man. And I love you. A lot. [After a pause, he tilts his head up and kisses Egon on the cheek.] Thank you for listening. And, uh, trying to help me deal with... whatever this is.

I know. That's why you usually get chemical burns when you're supposed to be bedridden with a cast.

[He looks thoughtful, though.]

That gym's the one that uses only flying types, right? I thought about trying it myself with my collection of birds. Birds versus birds. Could be interesting.

What's wrong with a few minor chemical burns?

[Ray sticks his tongue out at Peter before nuzzling against him.]

Make sure you have some good rock or electric moves on your birds, I don't want to see our kids hurting too badly.

[Egon runs his hand through Venkman's hair.]

Of course. I love you, as well.

[He pauses. It seems to be getting easier to express this thought out loud, despite the fact he has always struggled to convey such feelings with such imprecise and fickle words. Whether this is an effect of the dimension or the fact that he's able to spend so much time with his partners unabashedly engaging with them...

The thought is interrupted when Kö bursts back through the door, holding an entire box with cake in hand. She picks up a piece in her hand, crushes it, and then pushes it into her "face", allowing it to assimilate into the cytoplasm.]

< Dads better now? >

[Maybe she should throw books at people more often and see what they do. That can be a future experiment.]

I don't think any of 'em can learn rock or electric moves, but I'll check. Either way, I'm pretty sure they'd all be up for the challenge. Bond especially.

[He kisses Ray on the forehead. Garfield is a little squished between them but it's fine.]

No more trying to run off and get yourself killed for now, alright? I don't care if we can't actually die in this dimension.

[He hums softly, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch, his concerns momentarily forgotten.]

Love when you touch my hair. Feels good.

[Venkman's getting drowsy again.

And then, of course, Ko returns, and he starts, his eyes snapping open.]

... Yeah. Dads're better now, I think.

Worst case scenario I know of a few gyms that Bond would do really well in!

[Ray grins softly.]

No promises.

... You know, as boring as this is, it’s kind of nice to be fussed like this.

Does it?

[Hmm. He makes a mental note to do it more often. He ruffles Peter's hair and gently pushes a hand against his chest to encourage him to lie down.]

You should rest. It's late, and you're usually in a bad mood when you don't get at least six hours of uninterrupted sleep.

[Kö continues to stuff her face with cake. Egon scoots to the edge of the bed, then pauses.]

I'm going to put Kölliker back in her containment unit, but I will join you again momentarily. Alright?

Mhhhm.

[Venkman lies back down easily, still cradling the book to his chest. Idly, he wonders if Ko knew exactly what she was doing when she chose to throw this book at him. Probably.

They really do grow up so fast.

By the time Egon comes back, Venkman's already beginning to nod off again, his face in a pillow and the book on the nightstand.]

Yeah, she'd wreck shit in a gym centered around flammable stuff; but she likes challenging anything that moves.

What, is my presence not interesting enough for ya? I'm wounded.

[Egon walks to the other room where he left the PokéBall. Kölliker willingly goes back into her containment unit, though Egon first has to prompt her to take off Ray's clothes and put them back where she found them. When he comes back, he's put on his pajamas. He carefully closes the door behind him and wanders over to his partner. Spengler brushes a stray hair from the man's face and plants a gentle kiss on his forehead before making his way to the other side of the bed.

He sits on the edge of the bed and inches towards Venkman before lying down next to him, wrapping an arm around his chest and burying his head in the space between Venkman's neck and shoulder. He doesn't exactly sleep the same amount as his partners, but that doesn't mean he won't sleep with them. Being awake leaves plenty of time to think, and that conversation has given him plenty to think about.

At this moment, however, his thoughts are clouded with only one subject, and that is how much love and adoration he feels for his partners in this dimension. He threads his free hand through Venkman's hair again, gently ruffling it and observing how it falls across his head.

The night is quiet.]

I’ll be excited to see her in action then! Battles are more fun like that.

[Ray sticks his tongue out at Venkman.]

I don’t love you because you just sit there.

[When working on particularly interesting projects, Egon sometimes goes through certain phases where he enters a cryptid-like state, only being witness when he wants to be seen, and disappearing in all other instances despite best efforts to track him down. Today is one of those days. The only evidence that he's actually still in the apartment is the empty food wrappers that intermittently scatter themselves throughout all surfaces.

Sometime in the afternoon, while the boys are lounging about in the hotel room, a quiet, mechanical sounding noise can be heard from the other room, sort of like a computer fan humming. The humming grows louder, and a strange Pokémon floats into the room, gliding along and bobbing its head back and forth like a drinking bird. It doesn't seem to notice Venkman or Ray as it glides straight towards the wall. Just when it looks like it's about to crash, it pauses in its flight, lets out a pleasant chime, then turns to select a different path.

It begins to move towards the corner of the room, and when it draws close to the wall, it beeps again and turns. Only...it's facing the other wall now. It beeps, turns, and tries again. No dice. The poor thing is stuck turning around, and around, and around, and around....

Egon pokes his head in through the door, frowning at the Porygon2.]

Not again.

[Venkman watches this whole ordeal with growing concern, particularly once the spinning starts. Once Egon walks in, he turns his attention to him:]

Egon, did you break the Pokemon I got you for Valentine's? 'Cause I don't think there's refunds at the casino.

[His Mimikyu appears completely unphased, on the other hand. Kirby skitters over and reaches out a tendril to Q*Bert, intending to spin them in place until they're facing away from the walls.]

[Ray was busy playing around with a Mimikyu doll with Annie when he heads all this commotion going on. He cranes his neck at the Porygon2 and frowns slightly.]

You think it’s possible they have a glitch? It sounds weird saying his about a living thing, but they are man-made...

They've had an issue with their pathfinding AI ever since they came under my care. I thought the upgrade would have patched this issue, but...I suppose not.

[Thankfully, Kirby manages to right Q*Bert and direct them in a non-obstructed direction. They turns their head to give a grateful beep at her, then glide back over to Egon. Egon pats it on the head, then walks over to join his partners.]

I've been attempting to write my own code for this creature, but I am not familiar with the language used. [A pause.] Have I missed anything important?

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