Work Text:
He was in the wrong place at the wrong time!
He'd completely forwent his Mama's warnings to strike out alone and made it a solo adventure within the Asylum whilst his Mama taught the Groom a thing or two about surgery and its arts.
The 'Pack' who helped round up Kiddies or lost Ducklings weren't aware of their Mother Ducks illegitimate son roaming the halls alone, nor did Silky or Dennis, two close friends he'd made in his time growing up within this Hells enclosed walls!
So when someone came up behind him and struck him senseless, no one was there to fetch the Doctor before another blow was given, nor another, and another, and another!
Walking through the lobby, talking about what he'd learned with the Doctor, Eddie is who spied the body poised over Roman's nearly dead bloody body.
Tragers only eye soon followed Eddie followed up by an inhuman RAGE that took him over as his son lay bleeding and quiet before the feet of his Father, the very bastard he'd been warned roamed freely and was why he needed someone with him at all times!
The fight didn't last long!
For the first time in his life with the Nanites, living Host to the Walriders DNA, Trager used them to slaughter the man unaware of his being until it was too late.
The only moment he saw Trager was the moment their eyes locked.
The moment past 'lovers' saw abuse, rape, hatred, violence, betrayal, and pain!
Then-
Then Blaire, the man who'd sent Trager into the Engine BECAUSE of Roman, because the choice had been made by Trager to end all the abuse and find happiness in the mistake they'd made, was torn apart without mercy.
A Wispy blackened form of what might have been Trager once pulled Blaires insides out with claws the size of scythes, breaking his bones as they remained inside his body with the Nanites crawling through his marrow, and lastly, imploded his brain for which all this nightmare and its 'DREAMS' and been his all along with the single thing that had hurt Trager most in all that Blaire had done to him in their whole time spent together!
Seeing Roman and finding the first object that could hurt him which was acid!
Thrown upon a babies face-
A baby HE'D made the likes of which if ANYTHING-
Could have been along for the ride if Blaire had chosen to love him!
-
Blaires smoking body lay in pieces around Roman's own still one.
Eddie had put himself over the youth to protect him from the flying bits and pieces until he felt it was safe enough to get up. In which time, he found Trager the withered looking man as before, shaking, heaving, now broken from once so confident and bold.
"H..he's breathing.." Was all Eddie could muster out as Trager moved almost through him and towards Roman's side.
The side where the acid had been thrown years ago had been dealt in, his skull caved in-
Yes he was breathing, but his stare was distant, his 'breath' was pitiful at best, blood bubbling from his nose and mouth, a trickle from his left ear told Trager the damage was done.
He wouldn't believe it!
"Mama's here now, Buddy~" He whispered and tenderly went to lift his son up.
He was limp from the neck down, but he registered the voice! Trager saw it!
The remaining eye began to burn, even just a bit!
"Hey.. It's Mama.. Mama's here~"
The eye blinked so painfully slow and every millisecond it was closed, Trager held his breath.
It opened and he sighed before trying to stand.
Eddie ultimately made the decision to lift both Mother with son in HIS arms, within his own and carried the two back into the Hospital Ward, a familiar place Roman would know.
Upon arrival, Trager encouraged Eddie to bring them into the calmer section and simply told the larger built man to break his way in, to which he did.
He never knew it was THAT easy! The barriers put up made it seem much harder-
No Ducklings were here now, it was empty and silent as they made it into Tragers own room.
It was a simple hole in the ceiling.
Yet it was filled with a blanket, pillow, and the best medical supplies!
And, it was so out of reach of attackers that Eddie had to release the Doctor in order to allow the Doctor himself to carry on the rest of the way with his son.
Lo and behold, Trager managed to make it into his ceiling based home to where Eddie imagined a Mother making every effort to make 'her' son as comfortable as 'she' could in such a state.
He knew Trager was diligently working with what he had on hand to make Roman feel no pain with the medications he had hidden away up there, as well as loved every single second, and tried looking into the ceiling hole from time to time, hoping maybe to see it for himself.
He KNEW as well as Trager what was going to happen but BEGGED it not to be and called out softly into the darkened hole above, "I'll be back, Darling! I'll see about something easy for Roman to eat, alright?"
To which he got a soft, "Love you-" Back then silence.
He hurried off, loud work boots signaling his leave to everyone everywhere!
Within the hole above, Trager nested beside Roman and purred the news of what Eddie was doing, his sons battered in face turned this way to keep from getting stuck onto the blankets and pillows as he worked, "Your Dads grabbing some good, Buddy~ He'll be back shortly."
To which Roman breathed.
The blood had dried in his nose but Trager was worried about cleaning it.
Not really a Doctor, not trusting himself, he dare not harm his Duckling, he gazed at the caked on ooze and instead touched the youths shoulder though he couldn't feel it and whispered sweetly, "Mama's here~ You'll be good as new soon, okay?"
A wheezing sound and Trager held his breath.
Roman gave a shaky breath out and Trager nosed him along the ribs.
"Keep those lungs going~"
The sound of clopping work boots told Trager Eddie was back and he sighed with a relaxing smile.
"I'll chew it up, whatever he's found and feed it to you, okay? Kinda like a real bird, hu, Buddy?"
No reply but Roman breathed.
Trager fixed it so he could see his sons burning amber eye-
'Burning', it looked on in a tired like pain again-
"It's grapes.. Not many but they were right there!"
"Means the world, Eddie~" Trager gushed as he took the fruit and vanished again inside.
True to his word, he chewed up the food, packing one side with the juice and his mouth with the fruit and ever so tenderly moved Roman's mouth into an 'open' like position.
He leaned down and deposited the food then liquid into his son's mouth then carefully closed it, waiting for his Adam's Apple to bob as he took in the offering.
Instead, Roman gagged and it projectiled back into Tragers face.
Lifting Roman's head and upper body up, he tried helping Roman get the little bit of bile that remained out of his mouth only to feel a counter weight and pulled back some.
What he saw was the stuff of miracles!
Despite his pain, Roman was smiling~
Tragers cloudy gray eye was beaming, teary as he held his son, overjoyed at this turn of a miraculous event then heard him gurgle out, "U..ve u-"
"Mama loves you too, Buddy~"
In pulling his son back in for a hug again, assured by the talking he had done that he was breathing and had taken a little bit of the food, Trager felt the weight of Roman settle upon his body and nuzzled him, sighing a Mothers relieved sigh.
A sigh that came when 'she' knew 'her' son would be okay!
A sigh that, despite KNOWING what should have taken place, HADN'T after all!
-
"Ro?"
Eddie flinched.
He'd been on pins and needles since hearing Roman convulse!
He had only JUST begun to feel some ease as Trager above sounded elated in his 'love yous' to his son when suddenly, the voice change came like a punch to his gut.
"Roman?
He couldn't! He just couldn't!
He broke through the barrier that kept Tragers ceiling room safe and clawed his way up into the tightly lined hole.
Blood trickled from broken boards that had sank their claws into him as he went but their pain did NOTHING to him as he looked in and saw the bloody mess that was Trager as he held his son away from him!
The Doctors face COVERED in chunks of Roman's own blood and vessels hemorrhaged in his final moments.
"Roman.. You're scaring Mama.." He gently shook Roman who just moved with the shake.
"Come'on, Ro! Roman!? Ro, baby!? Come'on!"
Eddie couldn't get himself further in. If he did, the ceiling would collapse. But he could not bare to let the Doctor believe he was alone!
"Darling.."
"Edd..ie.. Roman.. Why's he.. E..ddie?"
"Darling.."
"Breathe, Buddy.."
Eddie couldn't reach Trager where he was but held out a hand anyways-
It wasn't empty for long!
Like a boa constrictor, Trager took hold of his hand with one hand but refused to release Roman from his other, the absolute wailing noise that came from his mouth breaking the Groom's heart completely.
It wasn't even a sound!
It wasn't even a sound…
Yet it was the loudest sound he had ever heard and he'd never be able to unhear it-
The sound of a Mothers loss, the sound of a love light gone!
The sound of silent grief!