Chapter Text
Rick K-021, aka, Mentor, if there's one thing he really hated, it was monotony. If everything is so monotonous, if every day is the same, nothing new happens, he doesn't learn anything new, he can't grow, he can't change on something, he can't travel to new places, to new dimensions, to look at new stars.
And this was every day at the Citadel.
For him, the Citadel is the last place he would most like to go, among the thousands of his counterparts, the many versions of him who are worse than worse. There were so many, thousands of different versions of him, yet they were all the same asshole and drunk.
It was bad for him to think, it made him nauseous about what might happen here at the Citadel. He didn't want to participate in these, he didn't want to participate in so many versions of his grandson's abuse, the mockery, and the various mysterious smugglings that were commonplace here.
The many mysterious encounters, whispers, rumors.
If there was one thing he came to the Citadel for, it was self-defense training.
He hoped that he and Morty could study together, but the system and the rules did not allow the Mortys to participate, only the Ricks. Mentor didn't want to participate in training, not when his Morty couldn’t come along. This rule, this Rick-centered system, only made him hate the Citadel more. Although Morty insisted his grandfather go, that while Mentor was at training, he could work somewhere.
Mentor didn't really like the idea at first, but he agreed.
He had never lived here permanently, nor had he planned to, but now, after his Morty's death, due to an adventure gone wrong, he had no choice. Here he was, stuck on the Citadel, with an expensive fine in hand, without his grandson, his Morty.
It had been almost a week since his Morty died, and the days had flowed together, his sense of time lost. He barely sleeps and barely eats anything. He was constantly poisoning himself, drinking alcohol daily, crying, and suffering from nightmares. He felt that he was constantly stressed, anger was boiling inside him, but he couldn't break out.
Or worse, he yelled at others for no reason, Zane.
“It's not your f-fault, it's- just- promise me you will never change”
Morty's last words are constantly in his head, this sentence, he tries to forget it, but he can't. It's hard for Mentor not to change when he has to be here, on the Citadel. It's hard for him to look in the mirror right now, hungover, and see if he's just like the other Ricks, an asshole, an alcoholic, an abuser.
Mentor always claimed himself different, never saying he was better than the other versions of himself, but he tried not to be the same. Even so, he had, and sometimes still has, doubts that he would be the same Rick as the other terrible versions of him.
His friend, Zane, has been patient with him, knowing that this is a difficult time for him.
He doesn't knock on his room unless it's mandatory, but he still expects him to do the bare minimum, like wash himself, eat, and get some fresh air on the small terrace. He knows Mentor, he can always get back up when something doesn't work, when he doesn't succeed, his perseverance was much stronger than any Rick here. He knows he will survive this too, and he hopes that Mentor will get better over time.
Until then, he can only wait, also waiting for the call just like Mentor, waiting for the notification from the boss that he will be called in and hopefully hired.
While he's at work as a security guard, he constantly asks his boss, who was also a Rick, if he's received the paper about Morty's death, but nothing, the paper is late. The police are busy "investigating" in Mortytown, but Zane somehow suspects that the Ricks working at the police station are just lazy, especially since it's about a Morty. His boss is trying to arrange something, but he asks them to wait.
It's late when Zane gets home from work, his schedule this week was from morning to evening, Monday to Friday. Today was the last day of the week, so he had to leave Mentor alone in the apartment all week.
As he enters the living room, he finds Mentor sitting on the floor, his back against the couch, hunched over, hugging his knees.
Zane finds it scary, he knows Mentor, he's never been a drinking type or has rarely been.
“Mentor, hey, I'm home” He quietly unpacked his things, took off his green jacket, and crouched down next to him.
Mentor groaned.
“Mentor, I'm Zane” He whispered softly, but Mentor barely moved. Zane saw him breathing, his back rising and falling, but very slowly. He gently grabs his shoulder, shaking him.
“I'm- I'm- I'm awake- I- I d-don't- I just- I ha-hate- Zane-" His voice is wet, trembling.
“Mentor, come, I'll help——” Honestly, Zane doesn't know how he can help. He understood when someone needed to be sobered up or helped to feel better, but now he was at a loss.
“I just- fucking m-miss h-him- and- now I'm here w-with a fucking m-meaningless fine and- I don't e-even understand it” Mentor muttered, his voice turning angry.
“Mentor- it'll be- it'll be sorted out, okay, just- I already talked to B-33 and——”
“And what- I don't understand- w-why do I have to stay here- it's fucking p-pointless— and- and- the fact that I was in a dimension that was forbidden- is— w-who says w-which dimension is f-forbidden for what?” Mentor's voice is getting more and more angry, he tries to get up, but his legs are too weak, shaking, uncertain, and now Zane sees all the damage he's done during the day, all the empty bottles next to him.
“Mentor, hey, fuck- we'll figure out, okay- I know you're hurting and missing Morty, I miss him too, but- Morty wouldn't want you to give up on alcohol poisoning” Zane keeps his drunken roommate stable, holding him tightly by his shoulders.
“So- what- what's your big fucking plan, Zane?” Mentor growls.
“First you have to somehow stop drinking, you can't drink during the day anymore, and- I'll help you with that” Zane said firmly.
“Why do you want- I mean- you-” Mentor could barely get the words out, they slipped away, he spoke incoherently.
“We'll talk about it in the morning, you won't remember this tomorrow anyway” He led him into his room, took off his black jeans, and left his sweatshirt on. He covered Mentor and turned off the light.
It hurt Zane to see his friend like this, and although he wanted alcohol too, it was because of all this, and because of the Citadel, the pointless system, the rules, but he can't do it. He doesn't want to be the same Rick as all the other counterparts here. He just hopes that Mentor will get better, that he will find some reason, some chance for a new beginning, and in the meantime, Zane will give him as much time as he needs.
He's by his side all the way, supporting him.
The apartment already stinks of vomit and alcohol, Mentor is aware that it's not good, and he admits that Zane is starting to worry more and more, as is he, but he can't stop. Luckily, Mentor wasn't a vomiting type, but it happened once or twice this week.
So, Zane tries to get Mentor active a little, he usually doesn't work on the weekends, he asks him to help clean, cook, and shop. Fortunately, Mentor doesn't drink that time, he still has enough resilience to not drink as long as he's busy with something, although it's still hard for him.
Days pass again, Mentor struggles, he tries not to drink all day, but even so, unfortunately, he drinks during the night, when he can't sleep. He promised Zane he would try not to drink during the day, not to sneak off to the little liquor store down the street, but even then it wasn't easy.
He falls asleep in the living room, on the couch, from fatigue, and his head is pounding from the pain and hangover. He doesn't even know how many days he's been living here at the Citadel, how many days since he lost Morty.
A loud phone ring wakes him up from his sleep, he squirms on the couch but can't find the sense to answer the phone. He hears footsteps coming from the kitchen, Zane picks it up without a word.
“Yes, hello?” He asked on the phone, leaving the living room to his room, so as not to disturb his friend's heavy sleep.
“Am I speaking to K-021? We received the paperwork regarding your Morty's departure and would like to call you in for a meeting” Zane's boss answers the phone.
“No- I'm- I'm Zane, Z-909, you know, we're roommates” Zane's heart skipped a beat when he finally got the call after two weeks.
“I see, sorry for the delay, we just received the paper about Morty's at this very moment”
“Fucking finally, two weeks have already passed, and now what, they're going to hire him, right?” Zane was starting to get impatient as the days passed, and he was starting to worry that there wouldn't be enough time to pay this fine.
“That's why I want to talk to him, maybe you can give him the phone?” His boss asks.
Zane looked out of the room and at the far end of the apartment, Mentor was lying on the couch, seemingly sleeping more peacefully than he had in the past two weeks, he didn't want to ruin that.
“He doesn't have time for it right now, but I'll pass the information on to him” He speaks after a short silence.
“I would like to make up for the two-week delay by calling him in for a meeting today, where he would also receive Morty's last month's salary”
“And how much would that be?” Zane was afraid to ask. He offered to help Mentor with the money, to contribute to this amount, but Mentor is too stubborn, claiming that this is all his fault and that he has to take care of it.
“Not much, we barely called him last month, so his last month's salary is only around 1100 credits” Zane noticed that they had hardly seen each other in the past few months, Mentor had hardly come to training, but he didn't blame him, in the last few weeks or even month, the training room reputation has started to deteriorate, and the Ricks who studied there and misused the martial arts were evident on the Citadel.
More and more Mortys are getting injured by the rude Ricks, by their training partners.
“Fuck- but- they're going to hire him today, right?” Zane was trying to keep his cool, trying to stay calm, but he was really worried about the whole situation, about his friend.
“If it meets the expectations, then yes, if he come in at 2 pm, we'll discuss the details, and he could even get a trial day today”
“And- what are those expectations?”
“For example, come in now in good condition, rested, and if possible not drunk” Zane guessed these expectations, he quickly checked his watch, it showed 11 am. “If I remember correctly, you signed up for the afternoon shift today, you might as well come in together”
“Yes- yes, I know, we'll go in together— then at two in the afternoon?”
“I'll be expecting you at two, come on time” He hung up the phone with that. Zane swallowed hard, from across the room he could see the rough, dark circles under Mentor's eyes, his pale face, his dirty hair. Mentor was squirming more and more on the couch, which meant he was slowly waking up.
He poured a large mug of coffee and placed it on the small coffee table.
“Who called?” he muttered between the blankets.
“The boss who- well- just got the notification about Morty's departure”
Mentor looked at his phone, checked the date, and suddenly jumped off the couch.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck— how the hell did it take two weeks— wasn't it said they'd call me back within a week?” Mentor began to pace the apartment, his head pounding even more.
“Mentor, calm down, we'll go together at two in the afternoon, discuss the details, and you'll even get a trial day today” He firmly grabbed Mentor's shoulder.
“And- what did they say, then- Do I need to bring something?” Mentor asks, his voice is full of panic.
“No, but we really need to fix you, you look terrible, we have only a couple of hours”
Mentor went into the bathroom, looked in the mirror and was amazed at how pale he was, his beard and stubble were even longer, his hair was dirty and unkempt. Under his eyes there were heavy dark circles from lack of sleep. And let's not even talk about his breath.
“You might be able to get your head back in order, but a Rick can easily spot you're terribly hungover from afar”
Mentor sat back on the couch, tired, and sighed.
“And- did he say anything else— like- what was Morty's salary last month?” Mentor was afraid to ask, knowing that Morty had hardly been called in in the past few weeks, the past month.
“About 1100 credits.... Mentor, this is not the last time I offer this, if necessary I can help and——”
“No- no need- just- I'll figure it out, just- hire me and it'll be fine….” He doesn't want to drag Zane into this, his friend into his own mistake.
“Come on, there's a serum that helps with drunkenness and hangovers, I somehow guessed you would need it” Zane followed his friend into the bathroom, took out the first aid kit, which was filled with lots of medicines, gauze, and bandages.
And that serum.
“But wait- this- you can only get it with a special permit and it's fucking expensive, how?!”
“The only good thing about it is that I still have acquaintances with the police” He gave the serum to Mentor, the small vial that helped the Ricks sober up instantly.
He drank it right away, in one gulp, and immediately felt its effects. He looked in the mirror, saw that the dark circles under his eyes were fading, his skin was starting to have color, it wasn't so pale anymore. His eyes aren't that red either and his dark circles disappeared under his eyes. And his breath wasn't so awful anymore.
“Zane- this- wow, this- thank you” Mentor touched his face, which was no longer so unpleasant to touch.
“I suspected it would be necessary, now take a shower, shave, while I prepare something to eat” Zane left the bathroom and headed straight for the kitchen.
Mentor felt better, not completely, but he no longer had that strong feeling of sickness, nausea, or loss of appetite. He was already missing the delicious flavors, which even though he couldn't get at the Citadel, he already wished for more. But he already missed Zane's cooking, his food, he always cooked well, he was good at it.
He went into the shower stall and took a long, hot shower. He knew well that he was undemanding to himself, he didn't follow the days, the nights were only filled with nightmares and drinking. He wanted to change, now that he knew that two weeks had passed of him just feeling sorry for himself, drinking, crying, constantly hungover, he hated it. This just only proves that he is just like the rest of the Ricks.
He still misses Morty. He will never stop, he can't stop missing him for a minute, as if an important part of him has been torn out of him, an irreplaceable part. If there was any way to get his grandson back, clone him or give him a new chance, he knows that's not the solution. Cloning would be too expensive, but even if he could do it, he knows it wouldn't be the same, it wouldn't feel the same. It hurts anyway, he knows it would only hurt more if he saw him again.
He sighs, he has to get over him somehow.
He feels the soft, silent tear flowing down. He doesn't even know how long he's been standing under the warm water, he's already washed his hair.
“Mentor? Is everything okay?” Zane knocked, speaking loudly from behind the door.
Mentor suddenly flinched, lost in thought. His thoughts are just spinning in his head.
“Yeah- I'm fine, I just- I just finished” He turned off the water and tied the towel around his waist.
“The food is almost ready, I hope you have worked up an appetite” As Zane spoke again, Mentor could hear his stomach begin to rumble. Maybe now, after two weeks, he felt the hunger he had neglected so much.
He stood in front of the sink, took out his razor and comb, and tried to make himself look better. He didn't even really notice that he had grown so much, he was increasingly aware of how much he had neglected himself, which had never shown itself. Slowly, he shaved off most of the stubble, but left it on his chin.
When he finally feels ready, he leaves the bathroom to get dressed, not knowing what to wear, but he prefers to prepare himself and dress a little nicer and more elegantly.
“Finally your face looks a little more human and not more like a living dead person” Zane speaks loudly from the kitchen, teasing.
Mentor selects a gray button-down shirt and a slightly cleaner pair of black pants from the wardrobe and lays them out on the bed.
“Maybe I feel a little better, thanks to that serum” Mentor smiled slightly.
“I hope you don't want to get used to it, I just got this one, I can't get it every day without it being suspicious” Zane warned.
“No- I- it's just— It was about time to stop with all this... drinking and doing nothing…” Mentor's smile immediately fell.
“It won't be easy, Mentor, and- there will be relapses, I- I'm not saying we should just act like everything's fine right now, but- the fact that you're admitting it's time to stop is- a good start” Zane speaks in a calm voice. He smiles kindly, supportively at his friend.
“Thank you- I- for being here- it helps more than I've ever said or admitted” Mentor smiled, still feeling the pain, the lack, the emptiness inside him, but hoping that Zane could fill it.
The atmosphere in the apartment was no longer as depressing and dark as it had been in the past two weeks. They sit down together at the dining table in pleasant silence and have lunch together.
Mentor didn't even notice that he immediately ate the lunch Zane cooked. He didn't know he could really be that hungry. But it felt good, Zane has always been a good cook, good with flavors and spices in the kitchen, which can't really be said about Mentor. Maybe while he's imprisoned here at the Citadel, Zane could teach him a few recipes.
After lunch, they started getting ready. Mentor is starting to feel the fear and tension within himself more and more, the questions in his head are just raging, what if he doesn't get hired, what if there isn't enough time.
Mentor takes a deep breath, tries to stay calm. He leaves the room and immediately notices Zane's work clothes. A pair of black jeans, a black button-down shirt with a tie, and a jacket with ‘Security’ written on the back.
“Look at the only bright side, you're a Rick, they'd hire you anywhere in a minute” Zane tried to calm Mentor, trying to bring a little smile to his face that he hadn't seen in a long time.
“Really? I remember it took Morty weeks, maybe months before his resume was even read” Mentor rolled his eyes. Although many Mortys work in various jobs, some are doctors, lawyers, police officers, but it is very difficult for them to get into it. “It took days for him to be accepted here” Mentor sighed.
Those weeks had been stressful, and Mentor didn't really want to leave Morty alone until he had a secure job here at the Citadel.
Zane packed his things into his backpack and they headed to the grocery store. It wasn't far, just a few blocks away, maybe just 10-15 minutes, and they walked past the training room. Out of the corner of his eye, Mentor spotted a large sign, all in big red letters.
‘For sale’
Mentor stopped and looked at the building. The glass door and windows were dusty and covered in cobwebs. He slowly looked into the building, the large window allowed one to look into most of the room from the outside. The tatami, the cabinets, everything seemed so dusty, so quiet.
“It's been closed for weeks, maybe even a couple of months now” Not far away, Zane spoke.
“B-But w-why, because of the Ricks?”
“In essence, the ratings had deteriorated so much that new students didn't want to come, and the old ones had given up on training. Also the reputation had deteriorated quite a bit, not because of our coach, F-279, but mostly because of the Ricks who misused what they learned, and it got quite a bit of publicity”
“And- what about F-279?”
“I don't know, we don't really keep in touch, we talk sometimes, I think they've offered him a job in another dimension, but I don't know what it is”
“And- but- what about the gym?” Mentor didn't like the training sessions much because of the other Ricks, but the room was really well equipped, clean, and well maintained. Practice weapons, shields, point gloves, all in good quality, and Mentor sees that everything is in its place, dusty.
“When he said he was closing the room, he said he wouldn't sell the room to just anyone, considering most Ricks would convert it into a newer bar, some casino or some shit,” Zane crossed his arms. “He'll probably sell it with the equipment, hopefully there will be another gym, which is quite rare here at the Citadel, but would be more useful”
Mentor can't help but look at the entire room, the entire building. As if the room were calling him. If he felt something about this room, that this was the chance Zane had told him about, a new beginning.
“Come on, Mentor, let's move on and get over with this conversation” Zane sighed and started walking further, but Mentor followed only later. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, brushed them aside, and followed his roommate.
The walk to the grocery store was quiet, Zane didn't really talk to him, he didn't want to stress him out unnecessarily, and Mentor didn't really ask questions about his boss or the store.
The weather is pleasant, not so cold, but it still seems so gloomy.
Mentor was too absorbed as they walked, looks around the streets, and everything is so same, every street, every building is so similar, every street has a little dangerous, long alley, where he sees bad-looking Ricks out of the corner of his eye, but doesn't want to make a fuss or make eye contact with them.
He doesn't stop, he walks next to Zane the whole time.
“Okay, here we are, Mentor, the boss's office will be at the end of the store” The plastic glass door opens by itself, Zane walks forward, Mentor follows him.
A door leads into a warehouse where there are various boxed foods and drinks, turn right and arrive at a small waiting room. One door says changing room, the other says bathroom. In the middle is a door, probably the office, and Rick, wearing a light blue shirt and glasses, is coming out of the door.
“Z-909, you finally arrived very early, come in” Rick has a cheerful disposition and he ushers the two of them into the small office.
“You must be K-021, I guess? I am B-33” He sat down in the middle of the desk and started typing on his computer.
Mentor doesn't know how to respond, he feels like his heart is about to jump out, he feels like he's freezing. Zane nudges him a little and sits down on the chair in front of the table.
"Yes, it would be me, and- my Morty worked here- and I would like to know—” Mentor's voice faltered, he didn't feel confident.
“Oh, yes- my sincere condolences on the loss of your Morty, it must have been devastating for you” B-33's big smile fell and he began searching through his drawer. “I guess you came to collect his salary, last month's”
“And my friend Zane mentioned- maybe I could take his place here and–” Mentor took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
“Yes, of course, I have a few questions about that and today you will spend a trial day here, I will explain everything” B-33 spoke in a calm voice, not seeming to be in a hurry. He looks up at Zane. “Please, Z-909, leave the office, unpack and start your work, I would like to speak to K-021 alone”
Zane nods and leaves the office. The office is filled with heavy silence.
“So, I hear you have a serious amount to pay, and the job is urgent?” B-33 is holding an envelope with Morty's name written on it in large letters, presumably last month's salary.
“Yeah- well- it's a long story and- I don't have much time to collect the money for this fine” Mentor would have preferred to avoid the topic of what happened and where they were. “We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time…”
“Yes, I know, I apologize for the 2-week delay, the police have been delaying this paperwork quite a bit”
“I guess that's the custom here when it comes to a Morty, right?” Mentor rolled his eyes.
“Unfortunately, we were expecting this paper ourselves, not just you, but we would make amends by giving you Morty's job, and I have your last month's salary here” B-33 handed over the envelope containing the 1100 credits.
“And what working hours would it be?” Mentor asked as he counted the amount in the envelopes. Exactly, it's in paper value, fortunately they didn't cheat and didn't give less than what he initially said.
“4 times a week, part-time, but since the money is urgent, you receive your weekly salary at the end of each week when you finish your shift”
“Really, seriously, part-time? Money is very important and I still have a month and a half to save it up” Mentor tries to stay calm, although he feels that he is close to losing it.
“I'm aware of that, K-021, but for now this is what I can offer” B-33 remained calm. “If you were still late with the money, maybe I could offer you a raise of about— maybe a 10% right now”
“Maybe that could help…” Mentor sighed, not knowing what to do, not wanting to ask for help, even though Zane kept mentioning it. “And today? You mentioned a trial day, what should I pay attention to?”
“It should be mostly at the cash register, easy to handle, on the other hand, sometimes, every hour, checking the shelves, and if they are running low, tidying them up and refilling the products” B-33 explained, and took out a bunch of keys.
“Here's the key to Morty's locker, and the key to the cash and the warehouse from which you can bring in the products that need to be filled” He handed over the bundle. “You'll find Morty's stuff in the closet and a blue shirt, take it and start working”
Mentor grabbed the key and walked towards the office door.
“Oh, and one more thing, we have a new product, a new soft drink, Mortster, it has had to be refilled a lot in the past few weeks, make sure it is always refilled in the fridge” B-33 spoke, stopping Mentor. Mentor has never heard of this soft drink.
“What- what is this drink?” Mentor asked.
“Just an energy drink or some shit, even Ricks and Mortys buys it a lot, so make sure it doesn't run out of shelves and refrigerators”
Mentor nodded, leaving the office and entering the changing room, where he found a few tall but thin metal lockers were lined up next to each other. It wasn't hard to find Morty's closet, he didn't have many things stored in it, just a few little things he had acquired on his adventures, some small colorful gems, crystals, and also two more framed pictures.
In one of the pictures, there are the two of them. In a pleasant dimension, it was a good adventure, they had a good time. In the other picture, there were three of them, together with Zane, at home in the apartment, maybe the picture was taken on one of the game nights.
These were pleasant memories, but he didn't know that Morty had somehow obtained these pictures and had them framed. He feels a small tear roll down his face, but he smiles calmly.
He puts his own things on the shelves and puts on his shirt. He takes a deep breath and walks between the shelves to the cashier.
There weren't many people in the store, new customers came in about every other hour, maybe 7 or 8 customers. Most people bought 2-3 Mortsters in addition to other products. But compared to that, Mentor himself was surprised that it didn't seem as terrible as he thought. Not the best, but he was glad that he was finally not lying at home, miserable, among bottles of alcohol.
The day of this trial passed quickly, he met a few pleasant faces, both Ricks and Mortys. The Mortys smiled pleasantly at him, a couple of Ricks looked at him grumpily, but he didn't seem that bad.
“Well, that didn't go so badly, Mentor, what do you think?” As the closing approached, Zane moved closer to Mentor.
“Maybe, I don't know, it really didn't seem that bad” Fortunately, Mentor handled the company and people well, communicating well with both the Ricks and Mortys.
“I think this went better than I thought, K-021, you're handling it better than I initially thought” B-33 came out of the office, headed straight to Mentor. “Here's your schedule, Monday to Thursday, 4 hours a day, next week from 2 to 6 p.m.— I would be happy if you accept it”
“I accept it” Mentor doesn't want to talk himself out of it, doesn't want to seem overconfident. “Hey, umm- I found a couple of things that my Morty left here, can I take them?”
“Of course, there are smaller and larger cardboard boxes, you can take it in them— and- here's your advance payment for today, it's been a while since I've seen so many smiling Rick and Mortys come out of here” B-33 smiled pleasantly. He took out a small envelope and handed it to Mentor. The envelope contains about 500 credits, not much, but better than nothing. They shook hands and the shift ended.
Mentor gathered all the things that belonged to Morty and put them in the small box. Every little treasure, gem, crystal, each one came from a good adventure, good moments. As soon as they packed up and changed clothes, they started heading home. The walk home was quiet, Zane didn't really ask questions, nor did Mentor initiate conversation.
Mentor couldn't help but stop again as they passed the training room. It's like he feels something in his stomach but doesn't know what, like he senses something but doesn't know what it is. Suddenly he remembers that he doesn't even know where his Gi, his training clothes. Maybe it's at home in the closet? But he pushes these thoughts, these feelings away, he doesn't want to deal with it.
“What's in the box?” As they entered the apartment, Zane asked, seeing Mentor place the small cardboard box on the dining room table.
“Morty's stuff... that he left in his closet” Mentor opened the box, containing the two framed pictures and small items.
“I remember this night, Morty beat us hard at this board game” Zane laughed as he took the picture in his hands.
“Yeah- that- that was a good night, Zane” Mentor smiled, feeling the silent tear flowing down. Suddenly, he feels the urge to drink alcohol again, to drown out the pain, the oppressive feeling in his stomach.
“Hey, how about- you help me make dinner, I could teach you a trick or two” Zane patted him on the back and led him into the kitchen. The oppressive feeling disappeared, faded in Mentor's stomach, it felt good that his friend understood him without words, that he was there for him.
And they started cooking, Zane told a lot of stories, they laughed a lot, he even showed him a lot of tricks, told him about special spices, and told him where he got them, just as he had to take part in field trip training at the police station, distracting Mentor from the alcohol. Mentor laughed a lot, he didn't even know when he laughed so casually, so freely.
Maybe Mentor feels he can give this a chance, try to enjoy it. If his roommate, his good friend Zane is here by his side, maybe it won't be so bad, maybe he can give it a chance for this new beginning.