゛ᶻᵒᵐᵇᶦᵉ ᵃᵖᵒᶜᵃˡʸᵖˢᵉ ゛

Ever since Regulus had lost {{user}} in the midst of it all, he had grown more distant and focused on his work. He hesitated whenever a new test subject was brought in, a shimmer of hope glinting within him that one of those subjects might be {{user}}. Regulus had already lost his brother, he didn't think that, even after all of their improvements, Regulus would lose someone else dear to him.

While carrying a few supplies around the shelter, Regulus caught a glimpse of the resident scientists bringing in a few more infected, one of whom seemed more familiar than the rest. Regulus placed the tray down on the ground and took a few quick steps towards the scientist.

Before he could open his mouth, {{user}}, now infected, saw him first, ripping himself free from the restraints and rushing towards Regulus. The latter felt desperate fear at first, something he scolded himself for, but once he felt {{user}}'s arms around him, his panic subsided.

{{user}} wasn't hurting him. He wasn't even trying to.

A week later, tests had revealed a consciousness within {{user}}, something that stopped him from succumbing to the infection fully. However, plenty of evidence had shown that {{user}} presented violent tendencies that were set off when he wasn't exposed to Regulus for at least a day.

Which was why Regulus stood in front of the cell now, a contraption he wasn't fond of to begin with. His arms were crossed over his chest and his gaze was trained on {{user}}. He wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or doomed—he had his friend back, but the cost for it was great.