• Art by Kichip on Deviantart •
• Monty x !Labrat!Reader •
• Fluff •
• (Characters aged up to around 13/14, also Monty got robo legs in this one) •
Monty takes in a mutated lab escapee.
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"Uhm, not that I'm complaining, but what is your family going to think of you suddenly bringing home a random child?" Monty didn't seem to hear you at first, instead he seemed more focused on the ground he was staring down at.
"Monty?" At this he finally looked up. He quickly pushed his glasses up so they weren't precariously resting on the tip of his nose before responding.
"I'll figure something out, I always do..." He trailed off, rubbing his hands along her upper arms as if her were cold. "Also, how are you not freezing?" He looked at you weirdly. It was weird and made your chest feel weird, and it made you want to eat a rock. You didn't know why though. But instead you chose the two, perfect words to say.
"Just 'cause" Monty raised an eyebrow incredulously at your response which drew a chuckle from you. "I don't know! Probably something to do with the lab mutations!" You shrugged, taking time to enjoy your newfound freedom. The feeling of the slight breeze in your hair, the chirping of the night time crickets, the occasional barking of far off dogs.
How long had you been in that lab? There was no way to count the days, and the time between experiments seemed random at best, sporadic you guessed. Not fun at all, either.
"It's not really my parents I'm worrying about" Monty suddenly piped up, turning on to an almost hidden path. "It's my sister" He looked over his shoulder to make sure you were still following and hadn't wandered off. You just looked at him, the moonlight reflecting off your eyes and making them glow green.
If Monty was being honest, it kinda freaked him out. You looked entirely human, but much like his friend Billy, he knew that the both of you were distinctly... not.
"Well... Why are you worried about your sister?" You asked, trotting up to walk beside him. Aside from the ambient sounds of the night, the only other thing you could hear what the odd sound of his footfalls. "Also, why are your legs made of metal?".
"In the order you asked, I'm worried about my sister because she's rather... protective about those she cares about. And she's still learning how to be social since her last household wasn't the best" Monty explained, looking disheartened as he continued. You felt a flash of remorse, both for his sister and the fact you had left the only other people you could sympathise with back by themselves. That guilt is not going away for a long time.
"As for my legs.. well, someone got, uh, annoyed, to say the least and decided to cripple me" He spat, and although he hid it well you could still hear the venom in his voice. You decided that maybe it was for the better that you didn't probe Monty for more information as he was the one giving you somewhere to stay. At least until you find your way home.
The rest of the walk was bathed in silence between the two of you, and for the most part you were content to just listen to anything. Inside the lab was quiet, eerily so, so you took this time to appreciate the peace.
After a few somewhat awkward minutes of walking, Monty suddenly came to a stop. The house he stopped in front didn't look bad, in fact it looked rather quaint and homey. Mostly built of wood with two stories, ivy crawled up one side of the house leading into an open window.
"Where here" He mumbled, leading you around the chairs on the patio towards the ivy. You gave him a quizzical look.
"Uh, remember how I sad I had to sneak out? Hope you're good at climbing" He smiled nervously, grabbing the ivy and hoisting himself up. Either Monty was extremely light, or the ivy was extremely strong.
You smirked to yourself. Something your new mutations could help with. You followed quickly, claws digging into the plant, letting your scale much faster than your new friend.
As he hooked his arms over the window sill, he turned to look at you. "Stay here, I'm gonna make sure my sister is still asleep" You just nodded, feeling quite stable in your position halfway up a wall, hell, you felt like you could sleep here you were that comfortable.
You heard Monty land softly inside, his footfalls freezing as if something had caught his attention. Maybe he just saw a stray shadow? Or maybe his sister had woken up and was giving him this disapproving look while waiting in the darkness.
"Montgomery M. Montgomery... What do you call this time of night?"
Ah, he had been caught. Well, rip Monty, guess you're a street child until you find your original home. You shrugged to yourself as you accepted your fate. Anything was better than going back in that fucking lab.
"Uh, hi Penny. I... can explain?" He phrased his statement as if it were a question. You then heard another set of footsteps approach him.
"Oh yeah? Explain please" Oh, ice cold. He was in for one hell of a 'I'm not mad, just disappointed' speech. If not now, then definitely later.
"So, Lily wanted me to do some scouting.. for, y'know.. So we can rescue those kids under the school..." You decided that you could probably take a quick peek, it's not like this Penny person would see you since you were the sneakiest.. Well you weren't really human anymore, were you?
Whatever, you were sneaky.
The sight you saw was Monty scuffing his metal shoes against the carpeted ground as a person maybe half a head shorter than him crossed her arms. Though you couldn't say her expression matched her tone, she looked more worried if anything.
And then her cyan gaze zeroed in on you.
You squeaked silently, scrunching down so you were no longer visible. Guess you weren't that sneaky after all.
"Who was that?" You heard her ask.
"Who was who?" Monty feigned ignorance, the nervousness in his voice growing more and more.
"Montgomery who was that?"
"Agh, fine! I'll tell you! Just stop using my full name" Monty groaned. "(Y/N), you can come out now" You froze, not sure if he was being serious. 'Meh, what's the worst that could happen?' you thought, climbing up to the window sill and carefully crawling over.
As soon as you touched the carpet, you became increasingly aware of Penny's gaze. You looked down, hoping to remain inconspicuous as you surveyed your own clothing. Tattered, dirty and stained with various chemicals and old blood. They had definitely seen better days.
Looking back up, you were shocked to see the guilt in Penny's eyes. Such guilt is someone who looked so seemingly innocent. You titled you head and cocked your eyebrow in confusion, only to be met with a gentle shake of the head from Monty. 'Ask about guilt later, got it' You nodded back.
"So, like I was saying, Lily wanted me to do some scouting but before I could get in the school, (Y/N) walked out" Well, that was the short version at least. Maybe you could tell them about your half of the story later.
"And you did all of this in your pyjamas? Monty, they were a gift!" You suddenly felt like you were intruding on their conversation, and so you simply sat there and twiddled your thumbs. Third-wheeling sucked in any situation.
"Look, I'm just glad you're safe, but for now we need to figure out where they're-" Penny nodded at you, "staying for now". Without missing a beat, Monty answered.
"They can stay in my room, I've got more than enough space" You looked around and noted that he was in fact right. A desk set up in one corner covered in scraps, tools and other bits of miscellaneous metal, a loft bed with another desk set up underneath it and a wardrobe in the other corner. Various posters and pictures were hung up on the walls but other than that Monty's room seemed a little empty.
"I'm down" You shrugged, walking up to the two of them. Penny pursed her lips and looked you up and down.
"Okay, but you definitely need some fresh clothes and a bath. If Monty can show you the bathroom I grab some pj's for you" Monty nodded and Penny walked out of the room.
One shower and a new set of clothes later you felt better than what you felt in the past few months. All that grime and nastiness was gone and you were now curled up on an inflatable mattress in Monty's room with the promise to help you find your way home tomorrow morning.
"Night Monty" You said quietly, rolling over into a more comfortable position. For a moment you thought he was already asleep, or maybe he didn't hear you.
"Goodnight, (Y/N)" You heard him mumble blearily. You didn't know why, but that weird feeling came back, clawing at your chest. You just hummed and relaxed, letting sleep wash over you.