Glitch awoke early in the morning, Dream waking him up personally, going to wait outside while the skeleton got ready. He grabbed one of his new pale-colored t-shirt and black pants, admiring how the clothes fit him. Lightweight for fighting but still keeping him warm, the shoes he was given similar, grey in color. It was weird not wearing his sandals for once. Next, he put on the pale blue running jacket, or whatever it was, that’s just what Dream had called it, and finally wrapped his scarf securely around his neck.
The gold of the pin beamed at him in the mirror, it still felt wrong. It wasn’t like he betrayed his friends anymore. He did betray them. He had to keep repeating in his skull: “I’m doing this for them.” his fingers itched to let out his anger now, to destroy everything and say fuck JR. To go out to the hall and fight Dream right now, to run and try and find Strings.
He looked over to his bed, the sheets still messy, the knitted blanket he made the day before hiding slightly under the bedding.
He allowed himself to hug the blanket before stowing it away in a drawer, then finally leaving his- no not his. This isn’t his room. His room was with strings, it was small, none of the furniture matched, sometimes it was messy, but it was the room he shared with strings. Finally, he left the room.
Dream stood tall outside the room, off to the side of the door. For a moment, the human seemed to stare through him, seeming like he wished to ask something, but he said nothing.
The CEO gave a short nod, and turned around, beginning to walk, Glitch following not far behind. With the early hour, none of the halls were crowded, and the skeleton was pleased to learn the there were separate food halls for the different districts of JR, so the dining hall wasn’t that crowded either.
The winged human had Glitch follow him over to a smaller table, Ink begrudgingly joining shortly after. Dream was quick to get both of them talking, at least find some common interests or subjects since they were going to be working together.
“What about those eccentric internet jokes you keep trying to show me?”
“Memes, Dream. They’re called memes. S-M-H.” Ink shook his head, glaring at Dream “You could try not acting your age for once, ya’know.”
“L-O-L.” Ink looked over to Glitch, surprised. As surprised as an emotionless being could look that is, “DOn’T knOw a LOt Of mEmEs, buT I knOw a bIT.” The skeleton smiled, playing with his food a bit, after being in that cell so long, he was trying to get used to eating again.
“Noice.”
“That’s not even the correct pronunciation-”
“Drop it, Bossman, just drop it.” The artist shook his head once more, looking like they had that argument several times previously.
Training that day went a little better, Ink and Glitch working together against Dream, and using the CEO’s lack of understanding of memes against him. It gave the two of them a few laughs at least.
Lunch came and went, they finished training for the day, and Glitch was allowed back to his room.
“Can’t believe I gotta work with ya, asshole.” Ink spoke casually, not acting like he meant it.
“SamE tO yOu, abomination.” Glitch chuckled back
“Nice one.” Ink stopped at a pair of doors, “My stop, see ya in a bit at dinner, ya walking corpse.”
“YEaH, yEaH, sEE ya fLEsH-bag.” Glitch commented back, getting the final laugh. It was nice, being able to do the back and forth insults, if only he could get along with his own Ink this well.
It wasn’t long until his room, only a few doors down from Ink’s, his leg’s barely carried him to an armchair. His eyes focused on resting, his body’s magic spent, it’s been a while since he used up so much of it at once, his skills were getting dull.
Then a familiar voice came, his whole body going rigid in a second, paralyzed.
My, my, you settled in quick, didn’t you, Ru?” A soft, baby doll voice echoed off the walls, “You hurt me you know,” Glitch dared to open his eyes, Blue lounged comfortably across from him on one of the couches, “It was awfully rude of you to leave without so much as a goodbye.”
Glitch didn’t say anything.
“Nothing to say to little ole me?” Blue mocked, putting on a mockingly innocent puppy dog expression, “I thought I taught you some manners! You really have nothing to say to your boyfriend?”
“...yOu ...REn’T a... On...” The skeleton managed to mumble, eyelights fuzzy as if looking off in the distance, not looking at blue.
“What was that, Ru?” Blue sat up, getting off the couch and strutting over to Glitch, Dangling himself around the skeleton. Letting almost his full body touch the haphephobic monster, “Oh, what did everyone else brainwash you with? You were so good being my quiet little lover. Never a peep, who taught you that you could speak up?”
The destroyer’s fingers twitched, and suddenly Blue’s soul lit up and was thrown back onto the couch, flinging the human’s body onto it painfully.
“YOu wEREn’T a gOOd bOyfRIEnd… and yOu’RE nOT my LOvER.” Glitch’s sockets were empty as he stood up from the armchair.
Blue coughed a little as he regained himself, limping a little as he stood back up, fixing his hair and clothes as he did.
The snake slithered back over to him and wrapped himself around Glitch again before the skeleton could do anything.
“Oh? And one of Nightmare’s pathetic little group of outlaws is? Or maybe Nightmare himself?” Blue whispered, holding the destroyer’s chin in his hand, digging a nail into the bone for a moment, Glitch making his eyes return, understanding the silent demand. Blue had him wrapped around his finger, “Where is your partner? Where is the so-called meme squad? Wouldn’t they have come for you already? Why are you here, being held by me, instead of with them?”
The skeleton could hear faint knocking, and someone yelling through the door, but his focus was still on Blue.
He didn’t say anything, once again, he heard another faint noise, the sound of the door lock jiggling.
“They aren’t here… but I am.” Blue leaned in and kissed Glitch.
His eyelights disappeared again, and more tears fell down his skull.
Suddenly Blue was off him, and his legs buckled. He couldn’t think of his pride at that moment. The only thoughts in his mind was that Blue was off him and that he had just cheated on Strings.
He curled into a ball as one hand covered his mouth and the other furiously wiped at his eyes.
Just as abruptly, all his tears disappeared, and he felt dull happiness as if it was fake.
Dream helped him uncurl and wrapped the knitted blanket Glitch had made around the skeleton. Blue was gone. The fake happiness left him and his tears returned. The CEO and Artist did their best to comfort him as he cried, but they couldn’t help much.
Ink left for a time, and came back with a dinner plate, they stayed with Glitch and eventually managed to get Glitch’s backstory with Blue. Dream managed to cheer up the destroyer a little with the absolutely pissed expression he wore.
Eventually, his new colleges left, the winged human informing him of guards outside the entrances of the bedroom. Glitch was left to the cold again.
