Chapter Text
Kankri taps his foot quickly on the smooth white floor of the infirmary. The building is placed near the center of the generated area, made of mismatched parts as it had originally started as a small tent and had been added onto as time went by, now a small brick building with tinted windows, so patients could see outside but no one could see inside.
Kankri gently rests his head on Cronus's shoulder, hovering slightly, afraid to put too much pressure on him.
“Kankri?” The younger Maryam steps out from behind a door and Kankri feels his palms start to sweat. He did not want to strip naked and be examined by a troll who looks exactly like his moirail.
“Yes, hello, um,” He stands up slowly, hesitating. “My apologies, I don’t mean to be rude, but are you the only medical professional here at the moment? Not that I don’t trust your skills, I’m sure you’re very talented, however you-”
“I understand,” She interrupts. “We want you to be as comfortable as possible. Equius is also here, or I could call Rose in if you’d like to be seen by a human.”
Kankri doesn’t know Equius and he’s perfectly fine with that. It feels easier to be completely vulnerable in front of a stranger versus someone he slightly knows. “I’d prefer to be seen by Equius, if that’s okay.”
Kanaya smiles and nods. “Yes, that’s understandable. Equius is in the back, I can get him.”
Kankri smiles in return, standing awkwardly, bent slightly in pain. It’s only a minute before Equius comes out of the same door Kanaya had, wiping his hands off with a towel. He snaps a pair of gloves on his hands and gestures behind the door. “Kankri?”
Kankri follows the outstretched gloved hand and Cronus follows close behind them.
“So what seems to be your issue?” Equius asks, gesturing for Kankri to sit down on an examination table.
“I-”
“He’s been in pain a lot-” Cronus interrupts. “Like, tired all the time and constantly in pain and just- not normal! He doesn’t want to do anything, or get out of bed, so I’ve been worried he’s like, dying or somethin’ and I finally got him to come here so someone could take a look at him.”
Equius blinks and clears his throat. “That’s very interesting, Cronus, but I was wondering how Kankri feels.”
Kankri shifts on the crinkly paper of the examination table. He’s not in the mood to be the center of attention. “Just like Cronus said. It hurts. A lot.”
Equius nods. “Hm. Alright, then, I can continue with the examination in a moment. Cronus, if you wouldn’t mind stepping out?”
Cronus sputters. “Why do I gotta leave? Kankri’s my matesprit!”
Equius glances at Kankri. “I prefer not to crowd the room. This is a building of medicine, having unnecessary contaminants-”
“What, I’m a contaminant now?” Cronus exclaims.
“Cronus,” Kankri huffs. “Please just go.”
Cronus pauses, glancing around the room before muttering something under his breath and storming out, the door slamming behind him.
“I’m sorry about him-”
“It’s alright, you don't have to apologize for him. I would just like to make sure that your relationship is-” Equius pauses, looking for the word. “I would like to make sure you are safe-”
“Yes, of course, Cronus is very good to me, he- he just gets a little- excited isn’t the word, overeager perhaps.”
Equius nods. “And he’s not too... controlling?”
“No, he’s changed from the way he used to be, he has been very respectful of my needs. He hasn’t forced me to do anything, really. I mean, he did encourage me to come here.” Kankri lightly rubs his stomach. “But I can see that I’m not like other trolls. It was a struggle to even get up today and I’m taking pain medication.”
“And is your pain mostly in your stomach?” Equius grabs a clipboard and writes a few things down.
“My stomach area, though it’s not like any normal stomach pain. And the rest of my body feels swollen and heavy. My horns and my feet ache, and raging headaches almost every hour of the day.” Kankri explains. “If I eat too much the pain turns to nausea but of course if I don’t eat enough I get dizzy and tend to pass out if I stand up too quickly.”
Equius quickly scribbles down some notes. “I see. Would you mind taking off your sweater? I would like to take a closer look at a few things.”
Kankri swallows. “Yes, of course.” He carefully removes his sweater, cringing at the stiffness in his muscles. Underneath he’s wearing one of Cronus's white shirts with his symbol on it.
Equius washes his hands and slides on a pair of gloves. “I have a few ideas of what could be causing your pain. Do you remember when your last molt was?”
Equius holds a stethoscope to Kankri’s chest. “Oh, I- I’m not sure. I’m afraid that was before I died, I can’t remember an exact date.”
Equius’ hands falter slightly. “You haven’t molted since the resurrection?”
“No. Is that an issue?”
Equius pushes lightly on Kankri’s shoulder, moving him to lay flat on the examination table. “It could be an issue. Nothing dangerous, of course, but in relation to your pain, yes, an issue.” He pushes up Kankri’s shirt, feeling around his hips and grubscars.
Kankri hisses as Equius pushes too roughly on his skin.
“Does that hurt?” Equius pushes again.
“Yes. It’s- I’m sore. My skin is sensitive.” Kankri tries to pull away from the gloved hands.
Equius moves to feel around Kankri’s ribcage and his neck. “What I’m feeling- especially around your grubscars and your neck- is your chitin plating is starting to grow and rub against each other-” Kankri gasps in pain as Equius digs his fingers into his collarbone.
“Typically when our bodies grow, we molt, shedding our old skin. However, your body seems to be growing without molting, stuck in your old skin.” Equius steps away, taking off his gloves and returning to his clipboard to write something down. “I’m not sure if it’s an issue with your death or an issue with your blood mutation, but luckily it has a simple solution.”
Kankri sits up, rolling his shirt back down. “Really?”
“When the body is about to molt the brain produces a large amount of hormones. Hopefully, by giving you a pill supplement of the right hormone, we can trick your body into kickstarting your next molt.”
“And are you sure that will work?”
Equius chuckles to himself. “Yes, I’m fairly certain it will work. There will be some side effects, though nothing out of the ordinary. I will be giving you a steroid hormone, so your emotional state will be heightened as well as your sex drive. And of course you’ll be molting, so expect everything that comes with that as well.”
“Oh. I see.”
“I’ll need to step out of the room to alchemize the pills really quick, would you like me to bring Cronus back into the room and explain the situation to him?”
Kankri glances at the door, knowing Cronus is sitting on the other side. “No. I’m not sure if I want him to know.”
Equius tilts his head slightly. “Well, that’s your choice. It isn’t something you’ll be able to keep a secret forever, but you are welcome to tell him in your own time.”
Equius disappears behind a different door than the one that leads to the waiting room. Kankri glances at the clipboard Equius was scribbling notes on. Putting on his sweater, Kankri reads the first line.
Matesprit- Cronus Ampora. Trust issues?
Kankri returns to his original position as Equius returns with a container of pills. “I recommend you take one pill each day in the morning with a meal. If we don’t see any change after a perigree we’ll change it to twice a day.” Equius hands the bottle to Kankri. “It should still be a few weeks before anything happens and if you’re in any pain unrelated to molting then contact me immediately.”
Kankri nods, hiding the bottle in his pocket so that his sweater covers it.
“That’s all you should need to know. And don’t be afraid to call me or come into the clinic.”
Kankri swallows. “Of course.” Equius holds the door open and Kankri exits the exam room, Cronus sitting in the waiting room with his arms folded across his chest.
“Finally, you’re back. What’d he say?”
Kankri shrugs. “It’s nothing serious, just… growing pains.”
“Whaddaya mean? Did he at least give you something to help with them?” Cronus glances back at the door towards the examination room.
“Cronus. I’m tired.” Kankri reaches out, fumbling and grabbing Cronus's hand tightly. “I’m sore from being poked and prodded. I’ll give you all the details later.”
Cronus squeezes his hand in return and exhales loudly. “Yeah, okay.”