Hiii @uni-fusion !!! Thank you so much for your patience. Here's your fic!!!!
Total word count: 10k
I hope you like it!! If not, then I'm willing to change whatever you don't like :]
Delta × Uni
~~~
It had been a fairly normal day for Delta and I.
We had just finished swapping stories about our work days over dinner. Being a mechanic, he always had some crazy story to tell. Today it was about one of their regulars that kept getting different vital parts of their car cut. Apparently, it was the break’s turn to die.
I had told him about a new place in town I had walked by. Just by peering through the windows, I couldn’t quite tell what it was. I remember seeing food and drinks on tables, and in a separate room, clothing racks and bookshelves. Another ‘everything’ store, most likely.
We sat together on the couch, watching TV, procrastinating getting into bed. I laid my head on his shoulder, with his arm around my waist. I reached my hand to the back of his neck and gently rubbed it. I knew he had had a long day. Neck rubs always made him sleepy.
“Do you have work tomorrow?” I asked, tilting my head up to study his face.
He nodded, leaning into my hand from behind. His eyes closed. I felt his body relax into my touch. “Yeah, I do. You?”
I shook my head, “Nah.”
“Alright. We’re not-” he yawned, covering his mouth. Before pushing his head back to lean on my hand more. “We’re not doing anything else tomorrow, are we?”
I shrugged. “Not if we don’t want to. I’m happy to just stay home.”
After around 30 minutes, he spoke up softly. “Are you tired yet?” That was his cue that he was about to pass out. He was excellent at phrasing things to ask for my opinion before stating his own.
I shrugged, “Sure. You wanna go to bed?”
“Yeah. Been a long day for both of us.” He yawned again, turning his head away from me.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fair enough.”
We got up, letting each other go for just a moment to stand. I turned off the TV, while he used his magic to cut the lights. Then, we went to the bedroom.
We had already changed into pajamas earlier, and had gotten ready all the same. I traveled to my side of the bed, opening the covers for both of us while Delta turned off the lights.
I laid with my arms open for him to crawl into. And crawl he did. Again, he used his magic to cover us both with the blankets.
“Goodnight.” Delta murmured, pulling me close. He held my head against his chest, playing with my hair.
I smiled, moving closer as I stretched my arm out to hug him. “Goodnight.”
Delta was out like a light within minutes. But it took me a little while. Until finally, I began to drift off to sleep…
[The crowd was loud. Hundreds of people littered the streets. The only thing tethering me away from them was Delta's hand, holding me tightly as he pulled me along.
The path we were traveling was narrowing down due to the people on the sidewalks. Delta had gone from having his arm linked firmly around my shoulders as we walked, to walking ahead of me and excitedly tugging my hand along.
He was taking me to a ‘surprise’, was what he had told me at our apartment while we were getting ready. Based on the way he kept glancing at street names and the different shops around town, we were going somewhere new.
“Where are we going?” I raised my voice over the noise.
He hesitated to respond, but figured it'd still be a good surprise even if I knew what was happening. “That new place you told me about last week on Tuesday!” He called back happily.
I was surprised. “You remembered that?”
“Yeah! Cause we were talking about what happened on Tuesday today, and I don't remember what you said, but it reminded me of the place you wanted to go. So we're going!” He turned back to look at me with a grin.
I couldn't help but smile back. We kept walking in comfortable silence. I watched as we moved through the crowd.
People I had seen at both my work and his passed by. Though, after a while, I noticed something strange. They were all wearing the same expression. Their faces were blank, eyes dead. And although noise was all around us, no one’s mouths were moving.
That’s really weird. But maybe I’m just not paying attention enough. I picked a stranger, and tried to focus on them…
I felt someone grip my shoulder from behind. Then, they let go, and traced a finger from shoulder to shoulder as they moved.
I flinched. The movement made me shiver as my stomach dropped. I tightened my grip on his hand, and looked back. But no one was there. All those who were behind had their backs turned to us.
He squeezed my hand in response and pulled me closer. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just- someone probably bumped into me.” I replied nervously. But I wasn’t quite sure if I believed it. It seemed too… deliberate.
“Who did it? Did you see them?” His voice hardened protectively.
I knew where he was going with this. I shut it down. “No, I didn’t. But even if I knew who did it, they’d be gone by now. I’d rather not chase them.”
“Fine, fine. You wanna go in front? I can give you directions.”
“No no, it's okay! I don't mind. It’s probably better if I stay back here.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. If something happens, I’ll let you know.”
“Alright.”
We continued on before I felt a pang of fear. It felt like someone was watching me. Like the crowd was staring right at me.
I tried to look at their faces again. Every passerby was still staring straight ahead, not daring to look our way. I assumed it was because Delta was silently threatening every single person within a single foot radius of us.
Still… something was wrong.
“... Delta?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you… feel like we’re being watched?”
He hummed as he thought about it. I knew his intuition never led him wrong. Though I didn’t fully understand how he was so accurate, I knew I could trust him.
“Maybe? I don’t see or feel anything. But I’m also focused on getting us to that store, so there might be things I’m missing.” He admitted, and turned back to look at me. “Why?”
I shook my head, an anxious smile coming on my face. “It’s probably nothing, I just… I feel like I’m being watched. Like someone’s following us.”
“Oh.” He stopped walking, and turned to face me. It made me nearly run into him.
His eyes shimmered in the daylight, looking both protective and worried. He reached for both of my hands to hold. “It’s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Just don’t let go of my hands, okay?” He smiled reassuringly.
I felt my cheeks heat up, making me smile. “Okay. I won’t.”
He gave me a quick peck on the cheek, and then turned back around, letting go of one of my hands. “You’re good to keep walking? Because we can turn around and go home if you want.”
“No, I’m good to keep walking!” I chirped, tracing a circle with my thumb over the cold metal covering his hand. I saw a light orange blush appear on his cheekbones. My smile grew. It wasn’t often that I could fluster him, especially in public. So when I did, I took it as a win.
We continued, mostly in silence. Delta paused again, slowing his walk, and took out his phone. He pulled us to the side of the crowd, near a storefront. “Sorry. I forgot to look at the directions.” He admitted sheepishly, sighing to himself.
I laughed softly, stopping to lean on the wall. “It’s okay! Take your time. We’ve got all day.”
He nodded, smiling faintly back at me. After a minute or so, he pushed off the wall. “Okay, got it handled!” He announced cheerfully. “We’re about 5 minutes away. You ready?”
I nodded in return, “Good job! Yeah, I am.”
I saw the praise make him blush again. I giggled softly to myself, proud. We picked up our regular pace.
For about five minutes, we continued walking. I saw him glance back a few times, just to check on me. I smiled when he did. He always smiled back.
The familiar feeling of being watched came back. I felt someone rush past behind me, whispering something incomprehensible. It made me shudder. The apprehension made my stomach ache.
“You okay?” He called out, glancing back. He could tell something was wrong.
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
But I wasn’t. Something was wrong. It felt like danger was coming closer. He seemed to feel it, too. I saw him grow tense.
Someone shoulder-checked me, hard enough to make me stumble to the side. I yelped, letting go of Delta's hand instinctively to catch myself before my head met the brick wall of a storefront.
I immediately realized my mistake.
He was gone within the crowd in seconds.
“Del?” I shouted into the crowd, panic rising. “Delta?!”
Someone was staring at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them. I couldn't figure out what they looked like. But I turned away when I saw them. Someone was watching.
“Uni?” I heard Delta shout back. “Where'd you go? Uni?”
I couldn't see him anywhere. But someone was getting closer. I saw them near a storefront. And I know they were looking for me.
I tried desperately to look at any stores for their names. But there were none. It was all blank.
His voice was getting farther away. “Uni? where are you?”
I tried to pull to the side to call him. I felt around for my phone. It wasn't there. My stomach dropped.
“Where did it…?” My breathing quickened as I frantically pat my pockets, before turning my eyes to the ground. Maybe I dropped it. I could’ve sworn I had it. Where did it go?
Someone was getting closer. There was more of them now. I saw them passing by, staring at me with a dangerous look in their eyes. But they too were swallowed by the crowd before I could fully see them.
Someone grabbed my shoulder. My breath hitched in shock, turning to see who it was. Fear clouded my mind as my stomach churned.
No one was there. But someone was watching me. I knew it. I could feel it.
“She's crazy.” I heard a whisper of a passerby's voice.
Crazy? I'm not crazy. I know someone's here. I'm in danger. Someone's following me. I know something's wrong!
“Delta?!” I called out again. I thought I heard him call back, but he was too far away now.
And then I saw them.
I froze, holding my breath.
There they were. The person who's been following me for weeks. And they were staring right at me, smiling, waiting for the right moment to approach.
An overwhelming surge of panic rushed through my body. I felt my skin grow clammy, frozen as I stared at them. I had to remind myself to breathe.
My legs shook with effort as I finally forced myself to move. I ran in the direction Delta and I had been heading in. Maybe he was waiting for me there. Or maybe I'd get lucky and find him in the crowd.
I didn't dare look back. I wanted to ask others for help, but when I tried to look at them… they were all faceless. Just bystanders, unable to do anything but watch without eyes.
No one could help me now.
I grew dizzy with fear as I tried to run. I pushed through the crowd. Desperately, I wanted to call out again. But every time I opened my mouth, my voice died. I was silent.
Someone grabbed my wrist. I shuddered, unable to force myself to look back. I ripped my arm away with surprising speed, and picked up the pace.
I heard someone scowl behind me. Probably whoever was following me. I reached into my pocket, praying I would find any kind of weapon. I had stopped carrying them when Delta was around. I knew he would protect me. But how can he protect me if he’s not here?
The familiar doubting voice from before was back. “No one’s after them. They must be dreaming.” I heard someone mock me, followed by laughter.
Dreaming?
Was I dreaming?
No. No, I can’t be. This is- this is too real to be a dream. There’s no way.
Right?
Would it be better or worse if this was a dream? My vote goes to it being better. Maybe this is just a dream. But if it was, why was Delta here with me?
Someone grazed their finger across my back from behind. It stole me away from my thoughts. And made me break into a full-blown sprint across the sidewalk.
I ran into the street. It felt like the whole surrounding crowd was watching me, waiting for me to be distracted before they played with my mind again. I couldn’t let that happen. But I felt powerless to stop it. There were hundreds of them, and only one of me.
I tried to call out again, but my voice caught in my throat. I looked around frantically.
Everyone was staring. It made me want to curl into a ball and hide. But I couldn’t. Not when it wasn’t safe to do it. Not yet. Just having the idea of it made me feel like someone would try to hunt me down if I did.
“She’s scared.” I heard someone else whisper, laughing. “They’re perfect.”
I gasped at the voice. I didn’t know who it was. But I knew it was the person who was following me.
Against my better judgement, I turned around to face them. But when I did, they were gone. No one was there.
Eyes enclosed all around me from the bystanders. They gawked and laughed, whispering cruel, doubting words about me. It made my face flush with embarrassment.
Maybe I am just crazy.
I shook my thoughts out of my head. No. I couldn’t let them win. I had to keep running.
“Uni?” Delta’s voice shouted. I could hear him getting closer.
“Delta! I’m-” I was cut off by someone quickly covering my mouth from behind, their other arm going around my shoulders to hold me back. I froze, eyes wide in fear.
“Don’t speak.” A gravelly voice commanded.
Without thinking, I licked their hand, and started thrashing around. When they pushed it in closer, I bit it as hard as I could until I could taste their blood in my mouth. And then threw my head back to headbutt them. I felt my skull connect with, presumably, their nose.
I heard them swear in pain, until their hand was away and their arm was loosened. I pushed out of their grasp, and ran.
I threw myself into the crowd, panting. “DELTA!” I screamed out, tears threatening to fall.
I desperately listened out for any call back. My chest heaved, as the pain of being restrained made my body ache. It felt like I could hardly move anymore.
Someone ran up behind me.
“Uni! There you are!” I finally heard Delta's voice shout through the crowd. I felt his arms wrap around me tightly from behind.
But I couldn't focus on him. Not when the person who was following me was staring right at me.
They walked towards us.
Delta tried to pull me away.
They started running.]
My eyes shot open. I tried to call out, but my voice got caught in my throat. I couldn't. I still felt eyes on me.
I frantically reached out to the other side of the bed, hoping that even if I couldn't speak, Delta would feel me next to him and wake up. But when I swung my arm out to get his attention, the space was empty.
He wasn't there.
It felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. It dropped to my stomach, leaving a sore panic.
I wanted to get up. I wanted to move. But what if there was a reason he wasn't here?
What if they got to him first, so they could get to me?
A dizzy wave of adrenaline pushed through my body. I reached out to my bedside table, feeling around for something, anything. Whatever object that could be used as a weapon.
A rough, knobbed object finally met my hand. The grain of wood told me it was a baseball bat, not the lamp, which was a bit farther of a reach. Delta always kept one by the bed. Just in case I had to use it before he woke up.
I then searched for my phone with the other hand, rolling over as silently as possible. If anyone was inside, I didn't want them to hear the creak of the bed.
[“If anyone were in the room, they would have made sure you weren't moving before you woke up. And if they saw you, they'd have stopped you.”] Delta's words echoed in my memory. He was right. If someone were near or in our room, they would've made sure I couldn't move.
I finally found it. I unlocked it to call him, but froze. What if the stalker had his phone? What if the noise would lure them to me?
My breath quickened. I tried to hyperventilate as silently as possible. I gripped the bat's handle tighter and pulled it up into bed with me.
[“Let your eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. Once you convince no one's there, you can take charge of the situation. Then whoever you find, if anyone, is at your mercy entirely.”] His voice reminded me.
I stared up at the black ceiling until my eyes adjusted enough to see the details. The light, the scratched patches of paint, the creases along the walls. It all reminded me of where I really was. After a minute, my breathing slowed slightly.
My grip on the bat loosened. After building up my courage, I slowly tilted my head to the left.
I saw my side table, full of small things I needed and a lamp. Our shared closet was in the corner. The doors were still closed. Next to it was an organizer, filled with papers and random things that we couldn’t figure out where to put. The drawers were still in place.
I turned back, then to the right.
I watched the curtains stir softly from the airflow in the room. My eyes adjusted to see the bookshelf in the corner near the door. In front of the window were two large reading chairs and a small table between them. Along with Delta’s bedside table, accompanied by his pill bottles for insomnia and depression, and his own lamp.
I turned back to stare at the ceiling. Okay. No one was in the room. Unless they were under the bed. Which they couldn’t be, because we have thin tubs under there to fit things in. I would know if those tubs had moved.
[“Steel your emotions. Don't allow them to see your fear unless you need to manipulate them with it. This is done to make sure you have total control over them. They won't fear a scared, cautious girl with a bat - they'll fear a confident, stoic, angry girl with a weapon. So breathe slowly, look dangerous, and use that mask to your advantage.”]
I forced myself to practice a deep breathing exercise. I could hardly think straight enough to do it. But I know that if I could just get it under control, I could fix whatever mess this is.
[Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 6, out for 7.] I reminded myself. With every exhale, I pushed the air out of my mouth as slowly as I could. I didn’t want anyone to hear me breathing, or for myself to accidentally whistle.
It took about 10 rounds of the exercise to finally get my breathing to slow. I then practiced holding my breath until I had to breathe. If someone was in here, there was a very real chance I might have to play dead.
Though the total panic began to subside, the fear still controlled me. As I held my breath, I forced my expression to ease up. Once it was at rest, I focused on feigning anger. If I can fake it, I can make it. Just how Delta told me.
[“When you run the possibility of being faced with someone dangerous, it’s best to walk silently. Here’s how I do it; you start slowly on your heel. Then you roll forward onto the balls of your feet. Try to stay on the edge of your foot, if that makes sense. Never put your whole foot on the ground. Shift all your weight onto the foot that you’re using at the moment. If you step on something creaky, pull back and hold your breath.”]
I began to sit up as slowly as possible. I needed to ensure that no sound was made from it. And after a long minute of movement, I took off the covers, and readied myself to walk.
I did what I remembered Delta explaining to me. I placed my feet on the ground softly, before standing off the bed as cautiously as possible to prevent creaking. I used the bat for support.
Once I was standing on both feet, I lifted the bat off the bed, and held it in my hands. And began to walk to the door how he had told me to.
With every step, I looked around the room for movement. I checked every corner, up and down, any hiding place that was obvious. But I didn’t make it evident that I was looking. I used the bat to lightly pull up the bed covers, just to double check.
No one was in here.
[“Move slowly towards the door. Put your hand on it, but don't turn it. Look around. Use your surroundings to check for people watching. Listen out for anything abnormal. Then, once you're sure you're safe, turn the door handle as slowly as you possibly can. Try to lift the door as you open it. Peek out when the door is open enough for you to see out of. Don't leave until you know it's safe.”] His voice coached me mentally.
I did as I remembered. Once the door was open enough, I looked out.
No one.
I opened it slightly more, just to ensure I was right.
Nothing.
I continued to crack it open and observe slowly. Until the door was fully opened, and I knew no one was there.
[“Never announce yourself if you think someone's in there with you. Your best chance is to take them by surprise. If you find them, attack first. Even if it ends up being someone safe. Collateral damage is better than risking no damage at all.”]
I waited until my eyes adjusted fully before I stepped into the hallway. I looked at the rooms surrounding me - the bathroom on the right, the study on the left, the living room in front of me, the kitchen further down. The doors to the bathroom and study were wide open. I didn’t have the strength to look inside them both. But I certainly listened out for any movement.
With a deep breath, I stepped into the hallway.
I steadied my feet and expression. I tried my hardest to look more intimidating than terrified. As I did, I peered into both rooms.
To my relief, no one was in either of them. I didn’t hear or see any hidden movement. Two rooms down - two to go.
Eventually, I moved into the living room. I examined it with care, keeping my expression and breath stable. I still didn’t see or hear anyone.
I moved onto the kitchen. I faintly thought I heard the click of a floorboard. I jumped, but tightened my grip on the bat as I looked inside.
No one was there.
I didn’t trust it. I know someone is in here. They must be doing a better job at hiding than I thought.
I felt my breathing quicken. I was too terrified to fully turn my back on the kitchen. So I turned half way, and walked back towards the living room
Through the closed curtains covering the glass door entrance to our balcony, I saw a figure.
My grip tightened on the bat, heart jumping in fear. I forced my breathing to steady, but my mind was racing. What if my stalker was out there? What if this was a trap?
I threw the balcony door open with a surprising amount of force.
There he is!
Delta's back was turned to me as he stood at the railing of the balcony. Just staring up at the stars. He was in his usual pajamas, which suggested that he was either sleep walking or had just woken up from a nightmare.
But… something wasn't right.
He didn't flinch or acknowledge my presence when I threw the door open. Nor when I began to approach. By now, he'd have turned around, or at least spoken to me.
But he didn't. He was silent, and still. Too still.
Relieved tears choked my voice as I struggled to call out his name. “De-Delta?”
He finally flinched when I called him. It was harsher than usual - I must've startled him pretty bad. He quickly turned, eyelights white and flickering with orange, “Uni? You okay?”
My chest rose and fell with uneven breaths as deja vu arose. I accidentally let go of the bat, allowing the wood to clatter on the floor.
He acted the same in the dream as he did in real life. Unfortunately, it made me feel like I was being watched again. And the fact that there were people who could be watching from below, above, across the street-
“Uni, breathe.” I felt his hand guide my face, lightly tilted my chin up. Forcing me to look him in the eyes and focus on him and him only. “Just breathe for me. It's okay. What's wrong?” His eyes were shadowed with worry.
“I- I can't- they're watching!” I sobbed out. I felt my knees grow weak, though my feet stayed firm on the ground. Still, it was getting harder and harder to stay standing.
Without any hesitation, Delta reached forward to hold me up. “You're safe with me. I got you. Let's go inside. If you want, I can do a sweep of the house?”
I wasn't sure how to reply to his offer. Sure, the reassurance would be nice. But what would happen if he found some kind of evidence that turned my nightmare into reality?
I flinched at the thought. Frantically, I shook my head no. “I- I don’t- what if they hurt you?”
“Who's gonna hurt me? Did you see someone?”
“No…”
“Okay, that's good. But you want to know for sure that no one's in there, right?”
I nodded as my vision blurred with the tears. A sob escaped my mouth, and I turned my gaze away from him.
His hands drifted down to my shoulders, and pulled me close to him. I latched onto him quickly, sobbing into his shirt. He held me tight against his chest.
“... okay. How about this. We stay out here and I'll check the cameras. I'll shut the door, and make sure no one sees you. Is that okay?” His voice dropped to a gentler tone. I guess I must've looked like I was spiraling.
I had forgotten about the cameras. He had installed them at the front and balcony doors. Just to make sure no one was breaking in (and if they were, he could figure out where they came from).
I couldn't find the words. I nodded, almost frantically. Trying to blink the tears away so I could calm down.
“Okay. Sit down, I'll protect you. It's okay.” His hands trailed down to wrap around my waist, though he moved back to allow me space to walk. His grip was tighter than usual as he led me to one of the cushioned patio chairs.
I sat down and curled into it. He remained firmly by my side, sitting on the arm rest to hold me with one hand. While looking through his phone for the camera app with the other.
I couldn't help but coil into his arm. I turned to the side to wrap my arms around his waist, clinging tightly to him. He tensed at first, but relaxed after a second. He gently moved his hand to my back, tracing small circles into it. His touch was warm, and comforting.
Tears still rolled down my cheeks, but slower now. Just him being here was enough to help calm me down. But the idea of someone being out there, just watching…
“Breathe, love.” He pulled me closer, though didn't glance up. He was focused. “It's okay, I won't let anyone hurt you.”
I hadn't realized my breathing had sped up. But I took a slow, deep breath, and then let it out. I felt a finger tap on my back. He was keeping count of the breaths and seconds for me.
I sniffled, wiping my tears as my grip on him tightened. “Is anyone inside?” I whispered hesitantly, fearing the answer.
“Nope, not at all. Are you okay? What happened?” He put his phone down, and turned to fully embrace me.
I whined, “I had a nightmare…”
Delta paused. A low hum came through, a sign he was thinking deeply. “Do you… wanna talk about it? You don't have to.”
I felt my arms begin to shake just thinking about it. I tightened my grip around him. And hid my face on his shoulder.
He reached to scoop me up. “Sorry, gotta move you for a sec. Hold on.” He explained as he lifted me off the chair with ease.
I did as told, hanging on tightly to his shoulders. It wasn't abnormal for him to just lift me up into wherever he needed me to be. It stopped being scary once I learned he wouldn't drop me.
He sat himself down, then gently lowered me onto the other half of the seat. He caressed my face with care, gently wiping the tears away. His orange and white eyes stared into mine as he tried to figure out what was wrong. “Is someone threatening you? Are you okay?”
I shrugged, feeling the tears dry in my eyes. I wiped them and took a breath. “I had- I had that nightmare again. About being followed.” I muttered, glancing away from him.
He nodded. “I'm sorry. Can I help? Do you wanna go inside?”
I couldn't get it out of my head. I looked around the balcony, unable to tear my eyes away from the edge of it. What if they were watching again?
I felt fresh tears come into my eyes all over again. His voice was drowned out by my own thoughts. [Someone’s watching. They’re here. They’re across the street. They’re below us. They’re going to hurt me. They’re coming after me.]
“Th-they’re coming!” I hissed, bursting into sobs. I frantically pushed my head deeper into his chest, trying to hide.
He seemed to get the hint. He pushed himself in front of me, kneeling as he held me tight. I was gently laid in the corner of the chair. He used his arms to block any view of me from the side.
“Shh, it’s okay,” He whispered, stroking my hair with one hand as the other held me close. “No one can see you. No one’s coming for you. It’s okay. I got you.”
I pulled him closer as tears soaked his sweater. He tensed for a second, before melting into my grasp. He cradled my head and let me cry.
He continued to whisper soft reassurances to me, “It’s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you. You’re safe here with me. I promise.”
But I couldn’t listen. I could hardly think.
“Uni, breathe.” He reminded me. A hand trailed down to trace slow, small circles on my back. “It’s okay, just breathe.”
I gasped for air. My chest tightened, a deep pressure building in my body. I felt like I was going to crumble to death at any given second. I felt my arms grow limp.
“Uni!” Delta’s voice grew more concerned than I had heard in a while. He shifted his arms to hold me up. “Hey! Stay with me, please, don’t pass out.”
I felt a strong warmth glow from his chest. Instead of orange, it was a mixture of green and turquoise. A combination of healing magic and calming magic. Color and Epic taught him, and they loved to tell the story.
He stroked the bottom of my hair. Softly, I heard him begin to hum. A song we both enjoyed.
I felt the knot in my body slowly release. It was still hard to breathe. I whined, burying my head in his chest.
He pulled me closer. Slowly, he started rocking back and forth. Mostly as a distraction for himself, I was aware. He needed to stim when comforting people. If he didn’t, he’d lose track of what he was doing, and eventually get so distracted, he’d start to dissociate.
My chest grew lighter as air entered. I tried my hardest to count my breaths so I could do the breathing exercises I knew. But thinking was still far too difficult at the moment. Spiraling wasn’t going to make it better, even if the paranoia prepared me for the worst-case scenarios.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, I could breathe easy. Once again, my tears were slowing.
Delta, ever steady in his presence, continued to hum and provide his magic to help me calm down. He was rocking slightly faster now, but held me no less.
“Are you okay?” His gentle voice asked me.
I nodded, sniffling. “Ye-yeah. I am. Thank you. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” He said sternly, but no less lovingly. “You had a pretty bad nightmare, huh?”
“Yeah… yeah. It was pretty bad.”
“Do you wanna talk about it? You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But if you do, I’m here to listen.”
I smiled faintly, pressing a soft kiss into his shoulder. “I… I don’t know. I think I need you to listen? But I- I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to talk about it.”
Delta smiled lightly, and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “That’s okay. We can be quiet until you’re ready to talk.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
His hands gave me a firm, gentle squeeze as he held me. “It’s not a problem. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I felt renewed tears come into my eyes again. I wiped them away, before resting my head on his shoulder.
We stayed there for a while, sitting and holding each other. Delta’s warm presence was the best reassurance I could ever ask for. Still, I felt the weight of my nightmare building up in my stomach again.
“... Can I talk about it?” I whispered as quietly as I could. So sure my voice would be carried along by the wind, swallowed into the night never to be heard.
Luckily, my voice was listened to, and given light. “Of course, Uni. You can tell me anything you want.” He answered.
I smiled faintly as I pulled back. He seemed hesitant to allow it, but did so. Even in the darkness of the night, his light still illuminated his protective care.
“Youu were taking me somewhere new in town as a date. I don’t really remember where, but we were in a crowd. We were being followed again. And… someone was stalking me. Someone hurt me.” I turned away, avoiding his gaze. My voice trembled slightly as I recalled it.
His body went rigid when I mentioned it. It made me pause. I tried to look up at his expression, but he turned away from me. Usually he wasn't this distant. He must've had a nightmare, too.
"... who hurt you?" He whispered in response.
"Just... I don't know. I can't really remember. Someone random, I think." I tried to make sense of the face stuck in my head. But by now, it had faded. All that was left was the memory and emotions of the chase.
Delta paused again. He stared off, but not at the inside of our apartment. His eye sockets went empty for just a second, before he blinked and his familiar orange eyelights reappeared. Whatever he's thinking about, it must be pretty important for him to look that focused.
"Was I there?" His voice seemed almost quieter now. Like he was afraid to ask it. Like he was afraid of my answer.
"Yes." I smiled, not noticing the way his body tensed. "You held me, at the end when you found me. The dream ended before much else could happen. And before, you did your best to not let go of me, especially in the crowd. I let go of your hand because the stalker forced me to.”
I saw his tension release. Whatever he was worrying about, I must've said something to ease it.
“That's good. I'm glad you're okay.” He said, though he didn't sound as sure of himself as he usually did.
I nodded, taking a deep breath. “We… we got separated in the crowd. I let go. I tried to find you, but I… I just couldn’t.”
He knew where I was going with this. “Not your fault. You said that stalker guy forced you to, right? You had no control over that.”
I smiled bitterly, avoiding his gaze. “I know. But, I could’ve-”
“Uni, it was a nightmare. You couldn’t have done much else. It wasn’t your fault you let go.” His voice was gentle, yet stern. He cupped my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “Besides, you said you tried to find me. It’s not like you were helpless. I know you. You probably did everything you could.”
I stared up in shock as he spoke. But once he finished, I sighed softly. I leaned into his hands. “Thank you.” I whispered.
He smiled, and placed a kiss on my forehead. “You’re welcome.”
We stayed like that for a long moment. I noticed his hands were trembling slightly, holding me cautiously. But he didn’t shy away from me.
I glanced up at his face to check on him. He looked the same as usual, only slightly distant. But once he saw me looking, he steadied his expression and closed his eyes.
I didn’t question it. Instead, I moved my hand to his, and held it there.
His hands were shaking. Just slightly. It was abnormal for them to do so - they only trembled during and/or after flashbacks, nightmares, or emotional moments. And to my knowledge, only one of those was true at the moment.
“... did you have a nightmare, too?” I blurted out, quieting my voice to match his.
His hand froze in place. It took him a moment to reply. “... no. I'm fine.” He answered.
Delta didn't have tells when he lied. But to me, it was always obvious to an extent. There was nothing to prove I was right about him lying. But I knew I was.
“Del, it’s okay if you did.” I tried to reason with him.
But he just shook his head in response, and forced a smile. “No, it’s fine. I should be worrying about you right now, not the other way around. I’m fine.”
I frowned. But didn’t have the strength to argue about it with him. Instead, I laid my head on his shoulder, and got comfortable. “I trust you. So it’s okay if you trust me.”
Delta still seemed uncertain. He held me with a delicacy I hadn’t quite noticed before. Like he was afraid that if he touched me wrong, I would be hurt. I could see it in his bright orange eyes, the fear he tried to hide.
“Is there anything I can do to make things better? Do you wanna go inside?” He offered, rubbing my back.
I leaned on him again. “I just… want to be held right now.” I whispered.
He tensed at first, before relaxing. He wrapped his arms around me. “Okay. Then we can stay out here until you’re ready.”
I nuzzling myself against his chest. He held me closer. I could hear his Soul beating as I stared up at the stars.
The longer we stayed like this, the more I felt him relax. Eventually, he rested his head on my shoulder. I could tell he was getting tired.
My hand drifted to his back. I traced small circles on his shoulder, making him shiver. Soon enough, he melted into my grasp. It made me smile.
“You still awake?” I joked.
He nodded, pressing a kiss into my shoulder. “Yup.” His muffled voice made me giggle.
“You wanna head back inside?” I offered.
Delta hummed, before picking his head up. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
We untangled ourselves from each other. Delta got up first, arching his back to stretch as he did. I followed suit, shaking out my legs to make sure I could walk. I picked up the bat from earlier.
Once we were ready, he opened the sliding glass door. He peeked inside, just to check. “Okay, we’re good.” He said softly.
I appreciated it. I smiled as I went in, “Thank you.”
He followed me in, shutting the door behind him.
The darkness was startling. I felt uneasy as my nerves resurfaced. What if someone was in here after all?
Delta reached for my hand. “It’s okay. I’ll check the house and turn on the lights.”
My grip on his hand grew firmer. “Can I come with?” My voice was quieter than I expected.
He nodded, “Of course!” And gave me a small peck on the cheek. Then, with one hand, he used his blue magic to flick the lightswitch.
The sudden illumination of the room made me jump out of my skin. I hadn’t expected it to be that fast. I fearfully tightened my grip on his hand. He did the same, moreso to reassure me.
“It’s okay. No one’s in here. All we’re doing is making sure of it.” He said lovingly as he looked around the living room.
I nodded, only half-believing his words.
He walked to the couch, dragging me with him. “Can I see the bat?”
I handed it to him. Watching with curiosity what he was going to do with it. “Please don’t hit the couch.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t!” Instead, he knelt down and used the bat to feel for anything under the couch. Nothing was there.
“Couch is good. No one can really hide anywhere else in here.” He said, getting up and walking to the kitchen. “Check the pantry, and I’ll check the cabinets.”
“Okay.” I tried to let go of his hand. To my surprise, he held on tighter. I relented, and stayed by his side. He relaxed.
“You okay?” I whispered, patting his hand with my other one.
He nodded. “Yeah. Just… don’t go.” He whispered back, almost pleading. He kept his tone the same as before. But I knew he was afraid to let go.
“Okay. I won’t.” I gently squeezed his hand. Moving with him as he checked cabinet after cabinet. “Uh, do you still want me to check the pantry, or…?”
Delta hummed, before shaking his head. “No. I changed my mind. You stay with me.” He replied softly.
I smiled. “Alright.”
It didn’t take him long to circle back around to the pantry. He looked through it, before waving the bat around in there. Using it to move around things that had fallen down.
“Hey, you said you picked those up earlier?” I asked, raising a brow.
He smiled sheepishly, “I forgot. I’ll do it later.”
I sighed, but smiled back. “Sure. I’ll write a note.” I teased.
He chuckled. “If you can remember to do that, then sure.” He responded playfully.
We moved out of the kitchen, and walked through the halls. Delta first stopped at the study, flicking the light on. “I’m gonna take a look. Watch my back?”
I nodded, using my thumb to rub his hand. “Always.”
A light orange hue made its way to his cheeks. It made me smile.
I turned around, watching the bathroom behind us. It felt unnerving staring into the darkness from the light. Luckily, he was quick. There wasn’t much to check.
“Study’s good. You okay?” He questioned, turning to me.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I answered.
He nodded, and left to check the bathroom. Before he exited the study fully, he looked both ways, just in case. “All clear.” He stated.
“Thank you.” I replied, peering over his shoulder to look down at our bedroom. I shivered at the memory of waking up without him.
Similar to the study, there wasn’t much to check in the small space. He turned on the light, before using the bat to open the curtains while I checked the cabinets. He never let go of my hand.
“All good!” I told him. He nodded in response, and we exited.
Finally, the bedroom.
He stepped forward. I hesitated.
He stopped, and turned back to look at me. “You okay?”
I didn’t answer. I was too afraid. He must’ve seen it on my face, because he pulled me close, wrapping an arm around my waist.
“It’s okay. I got you.” He whispered. “Tell me when you’re ready.”
It took me a few minutes to build my courage. But eventually, I spoke, “I’m ready. Just… don’t let me go. Please.”
He pulled me closer. “I won’t. I promise.”
Delta led me into the room, and turned on the light.
At a glance, no one was in there. But I didn’t trust it. I wasn’t sure if I could.
Delta used the bat to push up the covers on the bottom of the bed on all sides. Then, he knelt down. “Uni, grab my hand. I can’t hold you next to me while I look.”
I did as told. His grip was firmer than before.
He pulled out the bin to check. He put the bat down, and took out his phone. He turned on the flashlight and looked.
He was silent for a long while. My anxiety built itself in the cracks of doubt that were left behind. “Is everything okay?” I fretted.
“Yep!” He sat up and put his phone away. Then put the bin back, and picked up the bat. With a groan, he got to his feet. I pulled his arm up to help.
“Thank you.” He smiled, then glanced over my shoulder to the closet. “Let’s check there next.”
I stared at the closet with fear. But I let him check.
When he opened the doors, I ducked to hide. I didn't want to look. I didn't want to be proved right.
“It's okay.” He reassured, rubbing my hand. “No one’s there. I promise.”
Slowly, my body relaxed. I hadn't realized how tense I had gotten. I peeked out from behind him. “Are you sure?”
“I'm sure.” He said, turning around to smile at me. “Everything's okay. No one's there. Let's check the other side?”
I nodded, but didn't come out from behind him as he walked. He moved to the bookshelf next. It was closed, similar to the closet.
I couldn't help but glance at the chairs. And then my eyes wandered to the bed.
“All clear!” His voice made me flinch as he turned around. I had gotten distracted.
“Oh, sorry. You okay?” He asked, worry in his eyes.
I nodded, finally letting out a breath of relief. “Yes. Sorry. Thank you.”
“Don’t apologize.” He smiled kindly. “Wanna head out of here?”
“Yes!” I pleaded, arms trembling just slightly. The memories were getting too much.
He was quick to rush me out of the room, and into the living room. When he got there, he pulled me into another tight hug. “It's okay. Take a deep breath. You're alright. I'm here.”
I hugged him back just as tight, burying my face in his shoulder again. I felt his hands trace circles in my back as I took deep breaths. He was counting for me again.
After a minute, I pulled away. “Okay. I-I'm okay. Thank you.” I whispered, keeping my head down.
He smiled sadly, and kissed the top of my head. “It’s okay.”
I nodded, leaning on him. We stayed standing like that for a long while.
“Hey. Do you want anything to drink?” He offered, pulling apart and nodding towards the kitchen. He already knew my order. He just wanted to make sure I wanted it.
I couldn’t help but smile as I peeked up. “Yes, please. Hot chocolate.”
He smiled back. “Alright. You can stay on the couch. I’ll be back in a few.” He turned away from me and tried to walk away.
My smile dropped. “Wait!-” I grabbed his sleeve.
He froze, looking at me with surprise. “Huh?”
“I… I want to stay with you.” I said shyly, glancing away.
Delta paused, but nodded, slowly. “... Okay. That’s fine. You want to sit down on the counter, or help me make it?”
“Um, I’ll sit.” I answered, looking back towards him.
“Alright.” He held his arm still as he walked so I could hang on if I wanted to. He pulled out a chair for me.
I smiled at the gesture. “Thank you, Del.” I followed his lead and sat down.
He shrugged, “It’s no problem. You want any extras?”
“Double the marshmallows, please.”
“You got it.”
He turned around, and walked to the cupboard. He opened it, and brought out my favorite mug. But his hand wavered a few seconds in the cupboard. I wasn’t sure if he was reaching for something, or if he was going to close it.
After a long moment of hesitancy, he took out a second mug.
[So he did have a nightmare!] I thought. Delta usually only drank hot chocolate with me if he was struggling with his sleep. Usually he’d just go for coffee.
I watched him make the hot chocolate, unsure if I should bring it up. If I did, he might try to change his behavior in the future so as to not worry me. If I didn’t, I’d feel guilty for ignoring him. Maybe there was a way I could bring it up without stressing him…
The shutting of the microwave door startled me out of my thoughts. I flinched, but tried to relax.
Delta noticed. “You okay? Sorry, I should’ve done that quieter.” He said, walking over to sit with me as he waited.
I jumped at his presence. I hadn’t heard him coming. But I nodded, smiling sheepishly, “I’m fine! It’s okay.”
He nodded back, “Alright. Thinking about something?” He asked, shifting his position so he could hold my hand.
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. “... a little.” I admitted.
He was about to reply, before he was cut off by the microwave beeping. He sighed, “I’ll be right back.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, before letting go and walking away.
I watched as he took out the mugs. The steam rising from them didn’t seem to bother him at all, thanks to his gauntlets. And after a few more minutes of him putting on the finishing touches, he walked back over.
He set my mug down on the table behind me. “Careful, it’s hot.” He warned.
I nodded, “Thank you.” I turned around fully in my seat to gently blow on it.
He sat back down next to me. His eyelights went blank momentarily. He carefully swirled the hot chocolate in his mug.
“... you okay, Del?” I moved my hand on top of his.
He flinched, sitting up straight as his eyelights resurfaced in an instant. “Huh?- yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He muttered, rubbing his eyesockets with the empty hand. “Sorry.”
I stared up at him, trying to gouge his expression. But he must’ve noticed, because he was keeping his face strategically blank.
“... how about we head to the couch?” I offered softly.
He seemed hesitant, for some reason. But he nodded. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you want.”
We got up. He reached for my hand again. I gladly took it. And I led him to the couch.
We placed our hot mugs on the glass coffee table in front of the couch. Delta went to lay down. Then, once my hands were free and I didn’t run the risk of bumping into the table, he pulled me on top of him.
I felt heat rise to my cheeks at the swift motion. But I didn’t mind.
We laid there for quite a while, content with the silence. Still, though, something was off with him. And I was very intent on finding out what it was.
I reached for his hand and trailed it up to my mouth. I gave his knuckles a gentle kiss, before lowering it and intertwining our fingers. “It’s okay.” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.
He nodded, playing with the fabric of my shirt. “You alright? You want the TV on?” He offered.
I shook my head. “No, thanks. But if you want it on, then that’s fine.”
“Okay.” He mumbled, pulling my body up against his just enough that he could hide his face in the crook of my neck.
I reached for his hands. And began to lightly massage them. “Do you wanna take your gauntlets off?”
“No.” His answer was quick, before he paused and re-worked his tone. “I mean… no, not really. It’s best if they stay.”
“... are you okay?” I asked, looking him in the eyes.
He looked away from me. Anywhere but me. “Yeah. I’m fine. You don’t have to-”
“But I will.” I sighed. “I will worry. Because I love you. And you’d do the same for me.”
He had no response. He knew I was right.
“You can be honest with me. I only ask because I care. I don’t mean to pry or annoy you.” I rested my head on his chest.
He perked up, mortified, “You don’t annoy me at all! Did I make you think that?!”
“Oh- no, you didn't! I didn’t mean it that way!”
“Are you sure? I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”
“I’m sure! You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“If I did, you can tell me.”
“Same goes for you.”
That made him pause. He shifted uncomfortably.
I sighed. "Del, it's okay. I'm not gonna judge you for having a nightmare. You know that, right?"
"... yeah." His voice was quieter than normal. He still couldn't look me in the eye. Nervous tic of his.
I gently cupped his face, and tilted it towards me. It made him finally meet my gaze.
"It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
“I won’t judge you if you do. You can talk about these things. You don’t have to worry about how I’m gonna react to it. It’s okay.”
He nodded, eyesockets going empty. It took him a long time before he spoke again. “... someone hurt you. In my dream.” He squeezed me lightly.
I frowned, Leaning my head against his. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. My fault, anyways.” He kept his voice even. But his eyes showed a different story. Pieces of unreality glimmered in his eyes, mixed with forced apathy. A mask.
“Not true. It was a dream. You can’t control that.” I stated.
Delta held me tighter. He closed his eyes, taking a few breaths, before opening them again. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”
“Well it does to me.” I shifted to hug him fully. He loosened his grip only slightly so I could do so. Once I was settled, he held me close again.
We laid in silence for a little while. Until I broke it. “Do you want to tell me more…?”
He was silent for a minute. I thought he had fallen back asleep, until he answered. “No thanks.”
I nodded, and accepted his answer. “Want the TV on? We can watch something. Our drinks are probably cool enough by now.”
His eyes shot open, filled with minor panic. “I forgot to put the milk back!”
I flinched, before giggling and getting off of him. “It's okay! We were busy.”
He sat up, stretching lightly. “Think it’s still good?”
“I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.” I shrugged. “Del, it’s alright, you don’t gotta worry about it that much!”
Delta sighed as he walked to the kitchen, “I know, I know.” He said in a playful tone.
I smiled, and picked up my hot chocolate. I took a cautious sip. Luckily, it was the perfect temperature by now.
He came back after a second. “Drink good?”
I nodded, “Yeah. Thank you for making it.”
He smiled, sitting next to me. He picked up his mug, swirling it around before taking a big gulp.
“Don’t chug it!” I reminded him. I didn’t want a repeat of the soda incident of last week. It would take far too long to clean up.
The mere mention of it nearly made him choke with laughter. He was quick to cover his mouth. Once he swallowed, he turned to me with a teasing look, “You nearly had me do a re-enactment!”
We laughed, and kept talking well into the night. Until an alarm went off.
Delta reached for his phone in confusion, flicking off the noise in surprise. “The fuck?” He took a closer look.
He paused. Eyesockets going blank.
My heart skipped a beat. “Del? What’s wrong?”
“... Uni. That was my work alarm. It’s 5 am.” He answered, turning to look at me with a stunned expression.
My jaw dropped. “What?! How? No way!”
“Yeah, so, I’m gonna go ahead and call off.”
“What? Why?”
“Cause the last time they realized I went there running on two hours of sleep and multiple energy drinks, they threatened to write me up?”
“Oh… what was that for, again?”
“I lost half of our ratchets in one single car. Including all our 10 millimeter sockets.”
“Ah.”
“And I also almost cut their breakline on accident.”
“What?!” I gawked, leaning back. “You didn’t tell me that part before!”
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away as he smiled nervously. “Yeaaah... that was strategic.”
I stared at him incredulously. “Delta.”
“Well, I didn’t end up cutting it! It’s not even that big of a deal-”
“Delta!”
“- that’s why they won’t be pissy at me when I call off! And plus, what are they gonna do, fire me?”
“They could!”
“Yeah, but they won’t, though.” He grinned arrogantly. “Besides! Means we can do whatever we want tomorrow. Or, well, today.”
I sighed, smiling softly. “Yeah. That sounds perfect.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. He put his drink down, and stroked my hair gently.
We sat there in silence for a long while. Before he made an offer. “Well, the sun'll come up soon. Wanna watch?”
I smiled, and nodded. “Yeah. That'd be nice.”
We grabbed our drinks. I grabbed us a blanket while Delta opened the door to the balcony.
We went out and sat on the cushioned chair. I draped the blanket over us, as he linked his arm around me. I leaned on his chest. And together, we waited for the sun to rise.
Day 20-31: Rusted chains, metamorphosis, teeth everywhere, dismembered dolls, walls that bleed, inner demons, splitting headache, voices in the flesh, broken mirror self, feast of gore, red rain, rebirth in blood
Tw: Chains, abrasion mention, non-sexual nudity, dolls, implied portal to hell, teeth, jumpscare, dismemberment, weapon mention, implied psychotic break, hallucinations, blood, voices, gore, self-harm, self-mutilation, attempted (failed) suicide, pills, maggot mention, implied possession, mirror, themes of death, medical equipment mention, cannibalism, dead bodies, organ/anatomy mention, blood lake, demons, demonic summoning, human sacrifice
[Tape 20]
The sound of chains shifting against the floor was heard.
Someone else was holding the camera again, showing us to watch the woman, now shackled.
She lunched forward as her legs trembled at the weight. The rust began grinding on her skin. The abrasions felt like they were going to rub off what was left of her skinny arms.
She panted as she moved towards where the butcher was leading her. She could barely walk, keeping her feet planted firmly on the floor while she tried to shift them forwards. She couldn't lift her feet to walk normally. She could barely lift her head.
The butcher led her with a chain lead, though refused to be rough. One wrong move, and she would collapse. He was kind enough to slow down, allowing her breaks and a moment to breathe when she grew too weak. But they had to keep moving. Stopping meant death if they didn't reach their destination.
As they grew closer and closer, a red glow began to light the way for them. It was blinding, though seemed to have no impact on them. Eventually, their bodies were covered in the red tint.
They were getting closer.
-
[Tape 21]
The camera panned to where the light was shining from.
A young girl's naked body hung in the middle of the room. Strung up like a marionette on strings, her eyes remained closed, though she was breathing. She was the perfect vessel.
The camera began to glitch. The ground shook, sending all who were near it tumbling to the ground - but they couldn't stop. Not now.
The desperately tried to move forward in any way they could, but her magic was too strong.
The ground shook harder, making everyone crash to the ground in pain as a dark pressure kept them down. What looked like a pit of flames opened up beneath the girl. Screams of the damned exposed her origins as she opened her eyes, and looked at the camera...
The woman let out a sharp gasp. Her head tilted back, a blinding white light suddenly glowing out of her eyesockets and open mouth. The magic had possessed her.
She must become the perfect sacrifice.
The camera glitched hard, becoming almost inverted for a split second before changing back to static.
The static cleared, only to show a red tint covering the blank room. No one could be seen or heard.
A flash of an image struck it. It was incredibly difficult to make it out - just barely able to be seen before static resumed.
But after a minute, another flash appeared. The image of what looked like a head.
And another. This time, a wide grin full of teeth.
And another. A demonic being, jaws unhinged, showing rows upon rows of teeth.
Flashing images of teeth popped up every other second, each one more horrifying than the last.
Until it all went dark.
The camera turned back on to find the same red-tinted room it was in before. But now, there was a tall black creature in the very back...
With the blink of an eye, it disappeared.
But just when safety seemed possible, it reappeared, rushing at the camera and unhinging its jaw as if to swallow it whole.
The camera cut, and static resumed.
-
[Tape 23]
When the camera woke back up, the woman was holding it again. Her body trembled as she was locked in a room filled with dolls.
Each doll was formed after someone she had once knew. Patients, doctors, family.
Her daughter.
...
Her task?
Destroy them all.
With a sharp inhale, she picked up the weapon that had been given to her. A knife.
She cautiously reached for the first doll.
A doctor. One that had been cruel to her during her stay - the one that had ripped her away from her baby girl.
She stabbed it's leg first. Then, cut off its arms - before slowly moving its felt hair aside and cutting a clean like through its forehead. She decapitated it quickly, and finally stabbed it through the heart to make sure it was dead.
A surge of manic adrenaline flowed through her. She couldn't help but offer a light smile to it, as she dropped it onto the ground like trash. Just as he had done to her.
She reached for the next one.
A fellow patient that she had once considered a friend - until they betrayed her.
She started by turning it over and stabbing it in the back, pressing the knife deep until she could see the tip piercing out of its chest. She held it for several minutes, fantasizing with a smile what it would be like to kill them in reality.
Then, she turned it back over, and stabbed it through the heart before decapitating it as well.
A soft laugh escaped her mouth. She tossed the doll aside as she frantically reached for the next one.
For what felt like hours, this continued on. With each dismemberment, she more desperate she grew - the more she found she enjoyed this. Manic laughter began to spill out. She got faster and faster with each new doll - until the only doll that was left was her daughter's.
She froze. The knife clattered to the floor. With shaking hands, she gently reached for it.
Tears dripped onto it as she examined it ever so carefully, gently stroking the felt hair. She couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to destroy it.
But she had to.
With a silent plea for forgiveness, she picked up the knife.
She started with the hands. She sliced around the wrists carefully, only serving to peel the first layer off to leave the stuffing. She headed for the legs after that. She made small incisions just below the knees, until they popped right off.
Her breath hitched as she held the little legs in her hand. A heartbroken sob echoed throughout the room. She silently pleaded to be done - but she couldn't. Not until it was decapitated.
With a prayer, she closed her eyes, and sliced off the head.
Once it hit the floor, the sound of a door being unlocked shot through the room. But she didn't move. She couldn't. Not when the guilt had already overtaken her.
She held the dismembered doll of her daughter close to her chest as she wailed. Until the grip on her chains pulled her out of the room. Her daughter was stripped away once again - and she was now locked out of the room.
They could no longer let her rest. They had to reach the vessel.
-
[Tape 24]
She was placed in front of the puppeteer once again by the butcher.
She didn't turn her head to look up at the vessel. She couldn't. Not this time.
To their relief, the vessel merely stared. The hellish portal was closed for now - though something had come from it.
It roared to life behind her, though couldn't be seen. The building shook at the sheer volume of it, sending the woman and the butcher tumbling to their knees again.
The walls began to bleed. The souls trapped inside screamed, audible until a fierce wind tunnel sparked behind the vessel. Slowly, the shreiks diminished as they were dragged towards the darkness as if they were being eaten.
The vessel opened its eyes. They were pure white. Safety was not yet a guarantee, nor was her pleasure in this new sacrifice.
The ground shook once more as static overtook the camera. The sound of a thud rang out, before a door slammed shut.
Static resumed.
-
[Tape 25]
A swirl of voices surrounded her mind. A scream vomited out of her throat, making her almost gag at the horrendous noise that left.
The voices all but grew louder. Whispers, shouts, cries consumed her.
The camera had been placed perfectly to the side, though was being held by someone. Something. Who?
... what does it matter?
She tried to scream over them. Frantically, she clawed at her head, digging her lengthy fingernails down into her scalp past her falling hair. She desperately ripped chunks of it out, trying to get straight to the skull. Blood began to leak as bits of flesh flew out with the hair.
She pleaded for the voices to stop, for the feeling to stop, for everything to stop - but it wouldn't. It couldn't.
She has to pay for her sins.
Her body trembled as she scratched deeper and deeper. Blood, tissue, flesh - it escaped her frantic grasps for control as they flew out beside her. Until all that was left on the sides of her head was her skull.
Someone slid a hammer to her.
She took it without hesitance, and slammed it straight into her forehead.
Flesh and blood squirted out as a dent entered her head. Her eyes glazed over with a dull gray color.
She swung again.
The flesh melted onto the head of the hammer as the tendons and muscles were exposed.
Swing.
Red oozed down her face as her eyes rolled back.
Swing.
She felt it connect to bone.
Swing.
Shards of bone shattered around her, though she felt no pain.
Swing.
The deeper she hit, the closer she was to freedom...
Swing.
The hammer connected with her brain.
The voices stopped.
With a heaving chest - or whatever was left of it, she was no longer sure - the hammer dropped.
Her lifeless body collapsed to the floor, taking one final breath...
Until she felt the familiar sting of healing.
She wasn't done.
-
[Tape 26]
The sting continued to infect her wounds. Her head ached to an indescribable degree, though one could only try to understand it by imagining the pain of what she had just done to herself.
Ringing overtook her hearing as she tried to understand. Why? Why had she done that?
Who gave her the hammer?
Does it matter?
She should be dead.
Why couldn't they have just let her die?
...
Her body was forcefully turned over onto her back by the butcher. He shoved a small, circular object into her mouth.
He told her to swallow.
She coughed it up.
With every movement, every noise, her head grew worse. One wrong move, and it would come clean off.
But they couldn't have that, no. Not yet. She hasn't earned it yet.
The butcher allowed her a moment to breathe. Cautiously, he gripped her jaw, and popped it open. She choked out a gasp as what felt like a pill was dropped directly down her throat, followed by a steady stream of dirty water. He forced her to swallow before letting go.
She gagged as it entered her body. She coughed, but nothing came out.
Her mind recoiled at the feeling of the cough. It began to grow blinding, as a white nothingness overtook her...
-
[Tape 27]
She woke up in what looked like a mindscape.
Her head had been wrapped in cloth.
When she looked down, her clothes were pure white - not a single stain to them, not a spec of dirt.
But none of that mattered to her.
She could still hear them.
Whispers. Cries. Shouts. Screams.
Why couldn’t they have just died with her?
Why couldn’t they just leave her alone?!
Why? Why?! WHY?!
…
No matter. She didn’t deserve peace.
She must pay for her sins.
The voices felt like they were bubbling out of her demented mind. Her flesh moved as if the mere sound forced what looked like soundwaves to cascade across her body.
She could feel them consuming her slowly. It started with her throat - the loss of speech. If she couldn’t speak, the voices would go quiet. Right?
… right?
It spread down to her lungs, fueling the air she held within with agony and hatred. She coughed up a mix of dirt, blood, and maggots - she still was not free from the parasites within her. But what was a parasite, truly? What infiltrated her body, or what was already in her body to begin with? The infection, or what was infected?
No matter.
Why would one care for her aimless inquiries?
They passed into her chest, targeting her heart as it flowed through the body like blood. A dark pain caused her to collapse, gripping at where her heart once was. Which one was more defective? What it once was, or what it is now?
Who cares?
Not the voices.
She gasped for air, but all that entered was the sound of her demons taking over her. An agonized scream escaped, but it was no longer her own.
They moved down towards her gut. Vomit spewed out of her, refusing to stop until her organs and stomach lining followed out.
Why? Why was this happening? Why were they torturing her like this?
Then, it traveled to her legs. Her bones grew frail and weak within her body, shrinking down slowly, until her legs looked deflated and empty. There was no longer pain. Only an empty void in what used to be a haunted body.
Finally, she gave up trying to fight it. It won.
She collapsed in dull silence, succumbing to her voices. Her gray-blue eyes turned empty as she fell into a soft slumber…
-
[Tape 28]
She stared into the mirror with hatred.
An image of a younger woman - smiling, mocking her, was seen. She was clad in a small baby blue sweater, malnourished and empty. Her legs trembled lightly as she tried to support her protruding belly with weakened arms. An IV was latched into her left forearm, supplying her with blood and water.
This was never the plan. This was never supposed to happen.
For once in her life, her family had been able to tolerate her presence. And naturally, that tolerance was diminished quicker than it was built.
She just had to go and trust that doctor, didn’t she…?
With a heavy fist full of pain, she slammed it into the mirror, breaking it instantly. Shards exploded everywhere around her, some getting embedded into her fist.
Her chest - or whatever was left of it - heaved in self-hatred. She glared with tears in her eyes at her shattered self.
After a moment of examination to ensure the mirror wouldn’t return, she gently ripped out the glass pieces. But upon looking into the reflection again…
She saw her daughter’s eyes staring back at her.
She dropped the shard. Grief overtook her once more.
Falling to her knees, she desperately tried to piece the mirror back together. She had to. Any chance to see her daughter again…
But when she did, all she saw was the body.
A void entrapped her heart. Coldness took over.
She grabbed the shard that held where her daughter’s heart was located. And stabbed it into her own.
-
[Tape 29]
She was dragged back once again to the vessel by the butcher and the camera. Put back together physically, but not mentally. Nothing could break her now.
Perfect.
Upon seeing the dead-eyed form of the woman, the vessel smiled upon her, and opened her eyes. The piercing white shone out once more, but had no impact. Exactly as it should be, and should have been from the start of the offering.
The vessel stepped aside. She motioned for the woman to pass by, her strings twirling her almost elegantly as they prepared to detach and reattach to the new sacrifice.
The chained woman staggered along. She did not dare to meet her new master’s eyes. She’s already learning - what a good sacrifice.
Slowly, she crawled into the room. It looked similar to what used to be a cafeteria. But when she entered…
She gasped.
Bodies.
Bodies everywhere.
Blood and organs spilled out across the floor as piles and piles reached towards the ceiling. Fresh skin, rotted skin, young and old - hundreds, if not thousands. The stench was unmistakable, but the woman barely recognized it anymore. Dismember parts rolled down against the fuller ones, some eyes and brains even following through.
A creature spoke from behind her.
"̴͈̉̔F̷͈̗́e̷̦͔̍̐a̷̙͎̋ș̵́t̵͓͛͐.̷̡̮̈͝"̶̥̯̉
She lunged forward without hesitation, and dug in.
The vessel smiled from behind her. It gave an affirming nod to the butcher. The butcher remained stoic, and watched the woman as she feasted on her final meal.
-
[Tape 30]
She was taken out into the garden to bathe herself in the blood of the fallen. She had to be cleansed from the taste of their bodies before she could be deemed the true sacrifice.
Red rain showered down. The sky was a disgusting dull red. The ground felt like flesh beneath her feet. The trees looked akin to bone. And hundreds of darkened creatures with glowing white eyes watched as she stepped into the pool of filth.
She stepped further down, reaching the staircase that she didn't notice before. Step, step, step... until her entire body was coated with the bloodied water. Everything but her head.
Her body took a moment to adjust to the lukewarm temperature. Still fresh, but decently old.
The camera watched from behind, observing to make sure she was fully bathed. Once her filth was fully cleansed, she turned her body around under the water and swam back towards the stairs.
She emerged. Her wounds felt as if they had been healed, though they were instead highlighted perfectly by the crimson gore encasing her. She no longer staggered, but held an erratic, almost hungry look in her eyes as she moved forward easily.
A trail of red flowed behind her as she was welcomed back into the building.
It was time.
The final sacrifice was ready.
-
[Tape 31]
She entered the dominion of the vessel.
The marionette stood in the middle of a perfect pentagram, glowing red. It was time to give the final offering.
The woman sunk to her knees submissively in front of her puppeteer. The puppeteer grinned.
With a soft incantation, the summoning began. Pleas and demands fell out of her mouth, words of demonic sorcery. But she wasn't the only one speaking.
The butcher stepped up to hold the woman down. He clasped his hands down on her shoulders, making her unable to move. He joined in the chant.
Whispers of the fallen slowly added to their voices. Her own demons called upon their master's name. The forgotten souls from the bodies she had consumed murmured in agreement, their screams of pain echoing across the halls.
The woman stayed silent.
She knew her place.
After many minutes of callings, the demon appeared.
It rose through the summoning circle with a bloodied glare. A black spider-esq creature with a human torso and head. White eyes littered it's body, but the main ones it used for seeing was a darkened, fleshy red. It's 12 legs released hundreds upon thousands of little insects oozing with negativity. It had no mouth, and yet it spoke - or rather, the spirits it had taken as sacrifices spoke through it.
The spirits inside screamed and begged for freedom. They pleaded with the woman to run, to fight back, to do anything - but she couldn't. She was paralyzed in horror as she watched it's womb move where the souls were kept. The others all fought desperately for freedom, trying to tear their way out, but to no avail.
Her new master was eager to prey upon its new sacrifice.
The chanting stop. The vessel greeted her master, as the butcher stepped away from the woman, releasing his grip of protection on her. The camera shook with anticipation.
She felt her heart drop when it locked eyes with her.
She scrambled back in fear. It seemed to like that. But with a single leg, it pounced, and pierced her chest to keep her still.
She gasped one of her final breaths as she felt the sharp sting puncture her lungs. A deflating sound emitted from her chest.
Slowly, it moved forward. It examined this new sacrifice with excitement. Grief clouded her eyes as it leaned down to take a bite...
“My baby…" she panted through hyperventilations, barely managing to turn her head away and raise her arm to block the sight, "Eliza!”
Crunch.
. . .
The camera cut one final time, before all went black.
@howlsofbloodhounds here's the fanfic I promised! Sorry it took me so long lol (and sorry that it's so long in the first place. I meant for this to only be 5k but... judging by the fact that this ended up being 10k, that didn't quite happen, did it?)
@adler9944 because you wanted to read it as well!
Also, the first half of the chapter is a flashback that sets the tone for the story. You can skip it if you want, but I wouldn't suggest it.
I also posted this on Ao3. I hope you like it! Enjoy!
The Right Time and Place
(Cw: swearing, dissociation, self-deprication, mention of blood, PTSD nightmares/flashbacks, etc.)
5 months.
It had been 5 months since Color escaped the VOID. 5 months since Core found him, 5 months since he had been accepted into the Omega Timeline, 5 months since he began to get adjusted to life outside the VOID, and 3 months since he had been introduced to Delta.
Color had learned a lot from being with Delta, casually observing his friend's behaviors to mirror them. He still didn't quite know how to act now that he was out of the VOID. But life seemed a bit more normal now, much easier than it had been - much better.
He watched Delta's movements and attitude with utmost curiosity, unintentionally mirroring it all. He felt like he knew everything about his friend - his hand movements, his interests, where he worked, his attitude, his sarcasm and sass, his confidence, his knowledge.
Color felt like he knew everything about Delta.
It was about 10 pm as Color thought about this. His drifting, heavy eyes slowly began to close as he thought about it while drifting off into dream. And for once, his memory served him well - he remembered how they met almost perfectly...
[For the first two months, Color had stayed in the hospital while Core tried to find a suitable roommate for him, or at least one that would be willing to try.
Luckily, their newest tenant in the apartments a couple blocks from the hospital seemed up for the challenge.
When Core had first approached him with the idea of a roommate, Delta naturally asked who they were, why they were here. He was curious, but needed to make sure it'd be safe for him to room with this person.
Core couldn't tell him much - just that his supposed roommate had arrived two months ago, depressed and malnourished, from a dark VOID where he was held captive for around 20 years based on the doctor's observations.
They weren't able to tell him much more.
It took Delta all of 10 seconds to make his decision. Core offered him time, but before they could even finish their sentence, he had decided to accept this new person.
He asked if he could at least visit his new roommate in the hospital. Core explained that he was near catatonic, and wasn't used to people - but that the doctors would help his new roommate get adjusted by stopping by once a day. (Bit intrusive in Delta's opinion, but if all of what Core said was true, then it was incredibly necessary to have the doctors stop by.)
He gladly accepted.
Once Color had been discharged, Core took him to meet Delta if he was feeling well enough for it. And luckily, at that moment, he was.
Core led him to a peaceful park at dusk, not wanting Color to be overwhelmed by the sun and the busy lives of the people who lived here just yet.
After a short walk, they found Delta, who was sitting on a bench and patiently waiting to meet his roommate.
The two hit it off the bat immediately.
Well, Delta did, at least. At first, his bright orange eyes - a sign Color later learned that meant he was on guard, or that Beta was watching from inside - deeply intimidated Color, with their white dragon-like pupils unintentionally glaring down at him.
But once he saw Delta smile, and happily introduce himself and offer a handshake, Color couldn't help but relax. He was... charismatic, in his own special way.
Their clothes were covered in dirt and grime, having just been called after work. He barely had time to take his goggles and apron off before rushing to wherever Core needed him.
(Truthfully, they had been expecting a fight, but were nonetheless happy to meet someone new.)
And from what Color could hear, Delta had been taking up work at an engineering place of sorts - making new gadgets, weapons, safety items.
Needless to say, Delta's first introduction to Color wasn't him at his prettiest. (Not to say he'd look bad in his work clothes covered in dirt, though...)
Yet still, Color felt himself being drawn to them. Something about them - their voice, their appearance - made them enticing. And it didn't go unnoticed how the Bravery Soul inside of him felt suddenly at ease, watching the other still closely but much more relaxed. There was some sort of... attachment, on Delta that he could feel.
Something new. Something he hadn't experienced with any other Sans before.
It was overwhelming at first. Delta was very excited to meet someone new - he couldn't seem to stop talking, unable to stop asking all the questions that came to their mind as they lightly bounced on their feet. They had an almost childlike curiosity to them.
Core gently shut them down, being direct yet cautious. They knew Delta had no idea about Color's past, and was rightfully curious - a bit too curious, but innocent in his curiosities.
Unfortunately, Color did not take that well.
He was polite, at first. He was able to smile and force himself to keep calm. But the longer the noise carried on, the more questions Delta asked that he didn't want to answer, the brighter the lights around them seemed to get - it was all quickly too much.
But upon seeing the distressed and aggravated look in his new friend's eyes, Delta stopped. He froze momentarily, seeming deep in thought, silently wondering if he was being too much already.
To fix this, they whipped out their backpack, quickly unzipped the big pocket, and pulled out some headphones.
Without hesitating, he offered it to Color.
The other tried to deny his needs at first, not wanting to seem like a burden so early on - look at him, how selfish he is. Burdening a stranger on their first meeting. And he hasn't even made it back to the apartment yet, barely even spoken a word to this stranger! What if he was being rude? What if Delta didn't want to be his roommate anymore because of this? Was he going to be left alone again? Was it his fault? What if this was a trap? Was Delta tricking him to trap him and keep him here forever? What if he was? What if he wasn't? What if-
His breathing began to grow heavy as these thoughts filled his mind. The lights, the noise - it was all too much. The fire in their skull crackled, glowing brighter by the second as a sharp, violent pain overtook their skull.
Instinctively, Delta tried to gently touch Color's shoulder to get him to focus and take the headphones. They could see the pain in Color's grimace, and wanted to help.
Unfortunately, Color snapped.
He jumped back, almost screaming at Delta to get away, making the other flinch and take a quick step back.
Before he could even process what was going on, Color had sunk to his knees as he trembled, violently restraining his sobs as his thoughts and pain overtook him. He frantically tried to cover his broken skull with his hood, desperately trying to block out all the lights around.
Silently, after he overcame the shock, Delta quietly began to analyze him. The Bravery Soul inside him demanded an answer for the outburst, but Delta didn't have one - that was, until, he heard faint sobs from the other.
He came to the quick conclusion that Color wasn't mad at them. He was mad at the world - for reasons unknown to Delta, obviously. He had only been told bits and pieces of vital information when Core had first approached him about it - he always needed to know what he was getting himself into before deciding something major.
Core glanced almost nervously at Delta. They knew his demeanor quite well - and they knew that if such kindness was rejected so harshly, it could get an even harsher reaction out of the hot-head. His silence was a bit unnerving.
But instead of growing irritated or aggressive, Delta opted for comfort. As much as people may know him for his his brash attitude and doubt that much good can come out of it, he knows when the right time for a fight is - and now is not that time. He wasn't gonna just start fighting someone who so obviously needed help! (Maybe not his help specifically, but it didn't look like anyone else besides from Core was gonna be of much use, so why not do what he can?)
Needless to say, both were surprised when Delta gently and cautiously crouched down in front of Color - still keeping his distance - and quietly called out to him.
Color managed to force himself to peek up from his hood, to see Delta sitting down and smiling a bit sadly at him, empathy glistening in his eyes.
Delta began to sign to him, unsure if it would work or if Color even knew sign language, but he knew that he shouldn't speak more to aggravate the other further. He kept his body a bit closer to the ground, not wanting to make Color look up in the light any more than he had to.
Cautiously, Delta offered to take Color somewhere quieter and safer. He mentioned that there was a library they could go to, it had a sensory room with blackout curtains if he needed a nap, and a Cafe in case he needed a drink or caffeine.
Color froze at the options. What was all of this that he was speaking of? A Cafe? Library? He didn't remember those words anymore. Stars, he could have sworn he heard about them in his dreams.
Was this all a dream, then? Was any of this real? What if it wasn't? Was he trapped somewhere, was he dreaming again? Was this reality or not? How could he tell?
But after Delta had finished signing, Color realized that he had stopped shaking so much. He didn't feel much calmer, as he was still hyperventilating, but he was able to see Delta clearly enough to listen. He found himself breathing a tiny bit slower, his body slowly relaxing the longer Delta held eye contact - he couldn't look away.
Color managed to regain his voice after a moment. He hadn't experienced kindness from someone else in so long... it felt amazing. And yet, that feeling was quickly overtaken by terror and suspicion.
Tears rolled down his skull as he managed to choke out that he wanted to go home. But what was home? Was it the VOID? His AU? Where was it, what was it? Was it with anyone?
Delta and Core were both quite surprised, but upon seeing the despiration in Color's eyes, Delta decided to back off on taking his friend anywhere new.
Core softly spoke up, offering to take Color back to his new apartment. But Color shook his head, unsure of where that was - if it even existed.
After about an hour of trying to talk Color down, Delta had managed to bring him back to reality and get him to take some deep breaths. He handed Color his water, which the other immediately snatched and downed in one go.
Delta was surprised, but gladly let the other take it. And once Color had managed to ground himself and calm down, they slowly stood and offered a hand up. (In truth, with how sudden the panic attack happened, he wasn't quite sure if Color would be able to walk without help.)
Color flinched back, his shaky hands tensing at the sudden movement. But when he saw Delta was genuinely offering to help, he paused.
He hesitated, unsure if touch would send him back over the edge. But the pain in his legs made it feel impossible to get up on his own.
He didn't want to get hurt or tricked. But the kindness in Delta's bright orange eyes told him that he was safe.
For once in his life, something was telling him he was safe.
Slowly, he reached out a shaking hand.
Delta gladly took it.
His tight, strong grip was like no other Color had felt - not in a while, at least. Their hands felt strong and safe, comforting Color and silently telling him that not a single Soul would dare to harm him - not if Delta was around to help it.
The orange metal gauntlet was a surprisingly smooth, almost soothing texture. It was slightly cold, but warmer than Color was expecting - was it always like that, or did Delta just do that for him?
And as Delta pulled him up with ease, Color felt their body practically melt into his hand. It helped that Color couldn't feel his bones - the gauntlet covered his hand fully, blocking out any physical contact from under it. And the fact that it was smooth and not rough or jagged or cold like other metals was the icing on the cake.
Quickly pulling him to his feet, Delta held his hands out just in case Color stumbled or collapsed again. But once his new friend was stable, Core began to lead them to the apartment.
Color still doubted his surroundings. He yanked his hand away from Delta after a moment, but mumbled a quiet 'thank you'. Delta responded with a bright smile.
As they walked in silence, Color couldn't help but notice a protective energy around the group - as if something was watching over them, keeping them safe, protecting them.
He glanced over at Delta.
He figured out where the energy was coming from.
If anyone dared to look in their direction as they made their way to the apartment, they were met with a fiercely protective glare from Delta - a silent promise of hurt if they dared approach with ill intentions. Their hands were kept firmly at their sides as they surveyed the surroundings, keeping track of every alleyway, every person, what they looked like.
Color felt safe. He didn't know why or how, or if it was a trick. But he felt his body relax slowly as they continued walking.
And after a 10 minute walk, they arrived at the apartment.
As Delta carefully held his keys as still as possible so they wouldn't jingle too much, he slowly cracked open the white door, and entered in.
It was fairly clean, though evident that Delta had been living there - he hadn't expected to have company so soon, but had a short warning beforehand (three days) so he could at least clean up the place. Everything was swept and dusted, but his work clothes and apron had been carelessly tosses into a pile near his bedroom door.
The dark, dull beige walls of the apartment greeted their eyes first. The light brown couch was lovingly worn down from Delta alone, with the TV remote resting on the class coffee table in front of it.
The TV stand was nothing fancy, either - not that Delta cared, anyhow. It was tidy with a few movie boxes and a DVD player on it, on the small shelf below the TV itself. The TV was a decent size, nothing huge but definetly big enough for multiple people to enjoy.
The big light above them had been left on, but Delta quickly shut it off as to not overwhelm Color. He silently slipped his shoes off before fully entering to reach for the lightswitch, walking on the cold wooden floors.
Looking a bit to his left, Color could see the open entrance to what Delta described as the kitchen. He could faintly see what looked like chairs and possibly a table.
To his right, he saw a hallway. Delta explained that it led to the bathroom and bedrooms, though Color couldn't quite remember what that meant.
Color remained frozen in the doorway. He saw dozens of items he had a vague memory of, but didn't know the names.
Delta silently awaited a reaction, wanting to ensure Color didn't get overwhelmed. Though, to him, there wasn't much to get overwhelmed about. But judging by Color's earlier reactions, he wasn't quite sure if it would be the same.
Softly, Color asked what the new items were.
Delta was quite surprised by that. But, he cautiously described each and every one, giving Color breaks when he saw his face twist in confusion.
Eventually, Color managed to walk into the house. He took a close look around at the bleak walls, into the kitchen and down the hall. There were so many new things - but all he cared about right now was sleep.
Before he got fully settled, however, Delta offered both him and Core lunch. He wouldn't be able to cook much (the oven was most likely still broken from the last time he attempted to use it), but he could at least feed them a snack or something.
Color's demeanor suddenly sparked up at the mention of food. And upon seeing the sudden shift in attitude, Delta took it as a yes and immediately headed to the kitchen to make them some sandwiches.
To his surprise, Color followed.
The creaks in the floorboards startled him at first, along with Delta's silent footsteps - why couldn't he hear them? Were they really there?
Delta glanced back, to see Color looking confused and uncomfortable. He was about to ask what was up, when Color softly spoke out and asked why he was so quiet.
Delta was surprised, but apologized and explained that he didn't want to overwhelm him. He made sure to walk a little louder. He could see the distant look behind Color's blank eyes.
But he noticed something else - Beta had pointed it out - that concerned him. Color was fidgeting with his hands, pacing in circles around the kitchen on his small square, keeping his eyes on Delta's hands the entire time.
Color nervously glanced at the food. He barely remembered what it was like to eat something - he didn't remember what the name or ingredients of what Delta was making, but made sure that the other wasn't adding any pills or something strange.
Color still wasn't sure if he was safe. Could Delta be trusted? What if this is a trap? Are they going to poison him? Would Core allow that? What if they're the one who suggested it?
Upon seeing Color work themselves up again into another panic, Delta quietly offered for him to come help, if he wanted. He didn't want to make his roommate uncomfortable, but it was clear neither of them knew quite what to do.
Color was startled out of his thoughts, quickly looking up to Delta as he froze in place again. He could barely think, but after a few minutes of debate, he decided to learn about whatever Delta was doing.
As he cautiously approached, Delta made sure Color could see all the ingredient lists and what he was using, how he was using it and where it belonged in his organized mess of a kitchen.
Color had no idea what to do with any of the items, or what they were. And despite not knowing if Delta would tell the truth or not, he decided to ask.
Delta was visibly surprised by this, but made space for Color on the counter and patiently explained the process of making a sandwich, including all the ingredients. They weren't sure if it would be too much for Color to handle, but tried to help anyways.
Color was quick to learn. When he wanted to taste the items first before he put it on his sandwich, Delta didn't stop him. He made sure to separate his sandwich from Color's for sanitary reasons, though.
As they observed from their seat on the windowsill, Core couldn't help but smile. They knew they had made the right choice to pair these two together in spite of their differences.
After the boys had finished making the sandwiches, Delta let them sit anywhere in the apartment as he gave Core their sandwich.
To their surprise, Color scarfed his sandwich down in mere seconds. Delta was worried he'd choke, but somehow he didn't.
After making sure Color wasn't sick from eating so fast, Delta offered to make him another sandwich. Color frantically agreed.
As Delta got up to make him another sandwich, Color stood and asked if he could do it. He truly meant no offense, but he just didn't trust Delta enough to let him make the food.
Core smiled. And, as to not startle Color, they announced their leave.
The two bid Core their goodbyes, and Core left silently as Delta continued to teach Color how to make a sandwich.
And despite Color's clear distrust and fear, the two had been inseparable ever since.
Of course, their relationship has had its ups and downs over the few months they had known each other.
It was certainly an experience for Delta when he first found Color on the kitchen floor, sleeping peacefully with the lights dimly lit up.
Delta, having thought the poor guy was fully unconscious, immediately tried to wake him up while frantically calling the doctors in charge of Color's care at two in the morning.
Color woke up quickly, startled and hostile, kicking and screaming in shock. Delta had jumped back, but breathed a sigh of relief - and hung up after telling the doctors that Color was alive.
That night turned into a long conversation, which led to them helping Color get situated in his new room with the offer of full control over it. The doctors came by to check on them about 15 minutes later, but once they judged that Color was safe, they left.
Another late night memory that Color happily reminisced on was a comforting reminder that he was no longer alone - Delta had caught him playing chess by himself at 1 am, muttering his moves to himself.
Delta, who was somehow both the lightest and deepest sleeper that Color had ever known (even though they were his only friend), was awoken by mutterings coming from the couch.
And upon investigating, visibly concerned of what he would find, he was relieved to see Color.
Delta had asked what he was doing, making Color flinch at the interruption. But when he explained, Delta, in his half-asleep state, managed to say that he didn't have to play alone anymore because Color had him now.
Against his better judgement, he offered to play with him. Color thought for a moment, but accepted.
They both managed to fall asleep as they played chess, waking up on the couch as the warm beam of sunlight gently awoke them from their peaceful slumber.
And it was definitely fun to remember how he had met Beta for the first time - the day he realized that he wasn't alone in having a human Soul with him.
They had walked in on Delta and a glowing orange outline of a body softly talking early in the morning - it sounded like they were talking about some kind of dream. By the tone, Color could tell the spirit sounded nervous as Delta made him some kind of drink that Color didn't recognize.
When he called out to them, the two flinched and swiveled around - but upon seeing him, relaxed.
Color remembered asking who the figure was.
The two looked startled, glancing at each other, before the spirit turned back to Color with the biggest grin he had ever seen.
Excitedly, the kid introduced himself as Beta, explaining who he was and why. He was thrilled that Color could see him - he thought no one other than Delta could! He was so excited!
Delta tried to calm his kid down, not wanting him to overwhelm Color. But for the first time, Color felt something stirring inside of him as the spirits in his head managed to force him to say hi.
A few who were more powerful were able to make themselves into spirits to say hello. Beta was practically jumping up and down when he saw that.
That was probably his favorite 3 am experience with Delta.
He remembered his first panic attack in the house, when Delta had gone out to buy groceries early before work as to not wake up Color. He remembered frantically calling Delta, in tears when the other picked up.
Within seconds, Delta had managed to steal the cart with the groceries still in it, slap a $50 on the counter for the cashier, and teleport home - where he literally slipped on the floor and dragged the cart down with him on total accident.
Yet still, once they managed to get up somehow unharmed, they left the groceries on the ground so they could run to help Color.
He remembered when an ignorant Monster had decided to challenge Color's flames, mocking his body. He remembered the shame and humiliation - and how it quickly turned to utter shock when he saw Delta clock him in the jaw, breaking it almost instantly and knocking the man out.
Color remembered the way Delta had grabbed his hand, quickly pulling him up from his seat in the Cafe and began to run. They ran all the way back to their apartment practically at the speed of light, and when they got in and locked the door, they took a moment to breathe.
They looked at each other, still in mild shock that that had just happened. But then they immediately burst into laughter, in awe that no one had stopped them or caught them yet.
(They got caught later that week cause the guy who got his ass beat saw Delta visiting Color in the hospital during one of his more frequent checkups. He bitched to Core about it and Delta got a earful from the kid. Color couldn't stop laughing.)
He remembered one of the many times when the sheer emptiness of the walls had trapped his mind into thinking he was back in the VOID - alone, cold, and scared.
Thankfully, Delta was home at the moment. He rushed to help as usual, bringing Color back to reality.
And for the first time, Color began to speak.
He spoke about the VOID. The darkness. The same dull scenery, a memory long forgotten and yet forcefully re-experienced every single day.
That was when Delta decided to paint the walls.
He let Color help, of course. He allowed Color to pick out the paint, while he went to find the paint brushes - they remained in each other's sight the whole time, not daring to stray too far.
Color ended up picking out a blue-teal color, and once they had gotten home, they began to rearrange the furniture momentarily so they could protect the floor and such.
It took about three days to paint, which was a bit longer than either had planned. But in those three days, they had begun to talk, both sharing their respective stories about how they had gotten here.
Delta was much more open about it than Color was. But Color, being intuitive as ever, noticed that Delta never went into specific details - he only managed to say that things happened, and instead preferred to go on about his adventures fighting bad guys in the multiverse.
Color asked, once. Out of curiosity. He had asked why Delta had chosen to do that of all things.
Delta managed a quick response. It was witty, Color gave him that, but based on the guilt and hidden shame in their eyes, he knew it wasn't the full truth.
He asked if something had happened to make him not want to talk about it.
Delta dodged the question by changing the subject.
They didn't bring it up again.
He remembered the first time he had recieved a hug from Delta. It was during a panic attack, where Color was doubting his reality and everyone around him, desperately reaching out for anything to keep ahold of.
Delta could see the despiration in his eyes. The desperation to be loved, seen, wanted, remembered. He saw it. Without much thinking, they held him, drawing him close in one swift movement.
It was magical. Color truly had no idea what he had been missing until he had it - but he wasn't ready to let it go missing again.
He remembered collapsing into Delta's arms, sobbing into his chest as he desperately clung to him while Delta coaxed him down gently.
After about two hours of calming him down, Delta was allowed to make the mistake of attempting to let go. Color refused.
Luckily, Delta learned quickly, and did not attempt to let go until Color was ready. Color stayed attached to his hip for the rest of the day, terrified that if he let go, it would never return.
And during some of their late night talks, sometimes Delta would say that he couldn't remember a time where he didn't know Color. Days all blended together - unless something particularly exciting happened that set it apart from the other days.
Color wished he could say the same.
But in these months, these three fresh months, never had he felt so exhilarated and overwhelmed at the same time.
Every moment with Delta was precious. Delta had even managed to score Color a job at the same place so that he'd feel less alone - and would be able to adjust better.
Delta had always been the stronger one of of the two of them - from how he carried himself, to the way he'd threaten violence at any given second if someone so much as dared to breathe incorrectly in Color's direction. It was clear he was capable of great violence. Especially with how much he bragged about his fights in the past.
Color had never been more grateful to find a friend who was willing to tolerate his codependency. And Delta happily entertained it - they would never dare to admit it, but they were incredibly lonely.
And Color had learned how to carry himself, too - how to carry himself with utmost confidence, ensuring no one would dare to doubt him (except himself). He learned how to get away with most things, lying flawlessly without guilt if it was necessary. He learned that it was okay to ask for help when he needed to, when he wanted to. He learned how to love himself, even if it was just a little bit.
He learned how to interact with his Souls and Beta, and how to accept them as his reality. He learned how to be reckless and how to fight, but to also calculate and plan out moves and escapes when necessary. He learned that although life wasn't kind or safe all of the time, he had the power to make it a little kinder and a little safer - if not for himself, then for others.
He learned that for once, he had power and control over himself and his surroundings. He learned to apologize for mistakes and move on instead of deflecting them, and that it was okay to be angry and process the trauma that had been caused to him.
He had learned so much in these three months with them.
He remembered how he had doubted Delta at first, as he watched silently, analyzing every move and what it meant. Delta carried himself with nothing less than reckless confidence, so much so that no one dared to doubt him - even when he was blatantly wrong about something.
But when Delta showed him the kindness of acceptance, he doubted him a bit less each time. It didn't take too long for Color to feel comfortable enough to trust him with important things - buying and making the food, getting water, keeping them entertained and safe. Such simple things to Delta were the most important things to Color.
Yes, these memories and experiences were the core of their relationship - his favorites by far. But these dreamy memories of his were cut short by a sudden loud clang, triggering a harsh memory of when Delta had awoken to Color screaming after he accidentally hurt himself while making a late night snack.
The blood gushed out of his palm as the knife clattered to the ground, as Color frantically began to hyperventilate at the sight of his own blood.
Delta sprinted out of his room, running straight at Color as he managed to dial for help at the same time. How his hands were so steady as he sprinted at full force, Color still couldn't figure out.
He dragged Color to the bathroom, immediately beginning to hold it above Color's Soul to help stop the bloodflow as Delta got a tourniquet above the wound, on his wrist. He quietly reassured Color that the ambulance was on its way. His hands lit up in a soothing green glow, as they gently held his palm close.
He remembered the pure fear in Delta's eyes as he forcefully woke himself up, trying to hide it as they comforted Color. They whispered kind words of reassurance, holding him close as they let him cry on their shoulder.
He remembered when he was half asleep in the hospital bed, that Delta was sobbing as quietly as he could. Color couldn't hear it - but when he tried to roll his head over to look at Delta, he saw the other keeping their head down, shaking lightly as they breathed deeply, trying to hold it all in.
That was the first, and only, time that he had ever seen Delta get so scared that he cried. And it killed him to know that it was his fault his friend was crying.
In the morning, when Color woke up, Delta had clearly been awake. He wasn't sure if they had slept at all. They did not talk about the tears of last night, rather opting to check in on Color and his wound.
They did not bring it up again. And Color vowed to never make that kind of mistake again.]
Color jolted awake, with a short gasp for air as the loud, shattering clang echoed through the apartment.
His mind raced as he tried to figure out if he was still dreaming or not. He rushed to check his palm, only to see the wound closed up and scarred.
A thud followed.
His heart skipped a beat, as his body began to move without thinking. Within seconds, Color had ran from his bed to the kitchen...
... to find Delta collapsed on the ground, a pile of broken glass surrounding him.
His eyes were blank, a dull shade of the usual bright orange that greeted Color when he woke up. His expression held nothing of its normal composure, as his body slumped towards the ground on his knees.
Color froze, his eyes widening as he felt his Soul drop into his nonexistent stomach.
What the fuck?
What just happened?!
"Delta...?" His voice trembled as he spoke softly. He didn't want to startle the other.
No response.
[Is he sleep walking again? How did this even happen?] Color thought, slowly moving closer. He examined his roommate, checking for any external injuries, but there were none.
So, cautiously, Color reached out to lightly shake Delta's shoulder.
Still, no response.
Color's breathing began to get shaky as his mind raced with terrifying possibilities as to why they could be acting like this. Did something happen? Are they hurt? Were they dying? Did they need to go to the hospital? Was it even really them?
Delta wasn't even blinking. And with his hand now hesitantly resting on their shoulder, Color couldn't feel them breathing, either.
Color flinched when he realized that there was not a single movement from Delta. No flinching, no startle, not even breathing. Nothing.
He shook his roommate a little more aggressively, his breath catching in his throat as he desperately called out for him, "Delta?! Hey, come on, wake up!"
The harder Color shook him, the closer he got to getting Delta to snap out of it, even if it was just a little.
Finally, Color got desperate enough to smack him on the shoulder as hard as he felt comfortable.
As the hit landed, Delta's hand shot up and grabbed Color by the wrist, making the other flinch and gasp lightly in shock.
Delta's empty stare turned to Color, making him shiver.
He spoke softly, calling out to him, "Delta?"
Delta still gave no response. Didn't even blink. But after a minute, he slowly released Color's wrist from his grip. His hand dropped back down, hanging limply at his side.
Color was startled at how motionless it was. There was such little weight to his grip - nothing at all like he was used to. As his voice still shook, he called out again, "Delta?... can you hear me? Are you- can you answer me, please?"
He pleaded.
Luckily, he got a blink this time.
Color felt a bit relieved, at least knowing that Delta was awake now. But still, he awaited some kind of response, anything at all.
Their blank, empty stare was unnerving. There was absolutely nothing behind their eyes - just like the rest of their expression.
They tried to speak. Nothing came out.
Color's eyes widened in horror. "Delta?! Hey, hey, what's wrong? Is- is something wrong? Are you hurt? Why can't you speak? Did you-"
"I'm fine." An empty, desolate voice muttered in response.
Color flinched back, ripping his hand off of Delta's shoulder.
No. This wasn't him. This- this can't be him, right? It barely even sounds like him!
No, it can't possibly be. His eyes are too dull, voice too bleak. He wasn't even wearing his usual clothes, Color noticed. He was wearing a tank top, no gauntlets on, and black shorts and socks.
He had seen Delta sleep in those clothes before, but now it just looked wrong. Like it wasn't really them.
Was he having another nightmare?
Was this real?
There's no way this was Delta. There's just no way! There was no spark, no energy, no emotion, nothing! It was honestly creeping him out.
Seeing his brightest - and only - friend so lifeless just... wasn't right.
The Souls inside his head spoke softly, discussing what they should do to snap Delta out of it, if there was even anything they could do about it. Color listened to the options, but they all eventually agreed to try to talk to Beta first - see if he knew what was going on.
"Beta? Kiddo, you there?" Color called out, eyeing the time. It was around 3 in the morning. Surely the kid would be asleep, but maybe he could wake him up.
No response. But upon hearing his name get called out, Delta's eyes seemed to glaze over even more as their orange color slowly drained into white.
His eyes went wide as he helplessly watched all the color dissappear from their eyes.
"... okay. So that didn't work. Let's just... take him out of the glass." Color muttered to himself, slowly moving closer to Delta again.
Cautiously stopping outside of the ring of glass, Color reached down and grabbed Delta by the arms. Then, he slowly pulled him up, and dragged him out of the glass. He managed to lift them high enough to get him safely out of the ring.
Delta's body practically collapsed into Color, startling the other entirely. His whole body was just limp in Color's arms.
What was going on with them?
After adjusting the other, Color picked him up fully, and carried him over to the couch.
He gently lowered Delta onto the couch, having him lay down on his side in case anything happened. He sat on the ground in front of them.
There was a long moment of silence, before Delta spoke again.
"Are you here?" They murmured, staring emptily at the wall.
Color was surprised, but quickly nodded, "Yeah, I'm here, Del. I'm right here. Can you talk? What's going on?"
Delta tried to speak again, but nothing came out. So, slowly, they forced their arms to move up and began to sign.
'I'm sorry.'
Color was taken aback.
"... sorry for what?" He asked softly, moving a bit closer.
'I messed up. I failed.'
"What do you mean?"
'I hurt them. I couldn't save them.'
"Who couldn't you save?"
'You know.'
Color paused. Who was Delta talking about? Did they even know it was him?
"Do you know it's me, Delta?"
Delta paused for a moment. In truth, they really didn't know. But they felt the Bravery Soul nearby, and assumed it was Beta. 'Yes.'
Color breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. But, who are you talking about?"
'Frisk.'
Color froze.
"... what do you mean? How did you fail them?" He murmured, looking over Delta's body language. But there was nothing to look at.
'They died. You know that. Don't make me say it, please.'
"Did you... have a dream about them?" Color asked, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. Why this sudden memory? And why now, of all times?
'Yeah. Was hurt again.'
"I'm sorry to hear that."
'Nothing we can do about it.'
"Do you... wanna talk about it?"
'I failed them. I couldn't save them. I killed them. It's all my fault.'
There was a long pause in their conversation. Hesitantly, Color asked, "... is something else bothering you?"
'I can't do it anymore.'
Color froze, his eyes slowly widening in terror as his Soul skipped a beat. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"
'He's hurting and I can't make it better. I'm failing him.'
The air around them held still as Color silently stared into Delta's dull eyes.
"... what?" He shakily reached to cover his mouth, absolutely horrified.
'I wanna help him so bad. But there's nothing I can do. I can't do anything right.'
"Hold on-"
'He hurts cause I can't make it any better. It's all my fault. I don't wanna fail him like the others, but I guess I'm not much good at protecting, either.'
"Delta."
'What do I have if I can't help him? Nothing. Got nothing. He got taken here so someone could help, and I can't even do that right.'
"Delta!" Color desperately tried to shake him awake, as tears pricked his eyes. What was going on? Did they really feel this way?
'It's all my fault. He's hurting and it's all my fault. Maybe they should put him with someone better. He deserves better than me.'
"Delta, listen to me-"
'First I hurt Frisk, and then Paps, and now I hurt him. Why can't I do anything right? Why can't I do what I'm supposed to? I wanna help but I keep hurting people. I'm so stupid.'
"Hey!-"
'I'm worthless if I can't help him. I have no use. They only like me when I can be useful, and I can't even do that right now. I'm such a burden. What is wrong with me?-'
"STOP!"
Delta stopped, as Color's chest heaved, breathing shakily as tears dripped down his skull.
It killed him to see how much pain Delta was in. He was heartbroken. Why hadn't they told him about this? Did they really feel like this all the time? No wonder they were so stressed out, the poor guy!
But seeing the still blank look in their eyes, Color knew he had to help.
He took a deep breath, wiping his eyes as he restrained his sobs. He couldn't cry. Not now. Not while his best friend needed him.
Once Color had calmed down quite a bit, he gently cupped Delta's face, holding it in his warm hands.
As small tears still leaked from Color's eyes, he spoke, voice trembling, "Delta, I need you to listen to me, please." He pleaded softly.
Delta nodded, 'Okay.'
Color took a deep breath as he spoke, "Delta, I don't know why you think these things or if anyone made you think them, but you are not a failure. You are not a burden, not to me or anyone else.
I don't know much about you. What you've been through, what you're going through, I don't know. You've done a really good job at hiding that. You let me know what you want me to know. I can't blame you for that - I do that, too.
But I don't want you suffering in silence. I may not be the best with emotions, and I might not be the best guy to hang around sometimes, but I care about you.
I'm sorry if I ever made you feel this way. But listen to me now - I don't think that you're a failure. I don't think you're a burden, or at fault for any of the things you've been through. Okay?"
Slowly, the color began to return to Delta's eyes. But still, he signed, 'I'm sorry. I'm weak.'
"No, you're not." Color insisted sternly, gently stroking the side of Delta's skull with his thumb, "You're not weak. You're not any of the horrible things you claim you are.
You're not weak. You're not a burden. You're certainly not a failure. And you're most definetly not stupid."
There was another pause, as Color calmed himself. And gently, still cupping Delta's face with his right hand, he trailed the other to Delta's hand, which had slowly dropped back down when they had finished speaking.
Delta managed to speak. "Why?" They whispered.
Color's eyes saddened. "Well, if you really don't know... then let me tell you.
Listen, I know we've only known each other for a couple months, but... you've helped me more than anyone else ever has. You've put up with me when no one else wanted to - when even I didn't want to. But you stuck by my side, didn't leave me alone, even when I annoyed you.
You protected me. Remember when that guy at the Cafe harassed me? You punched the shit out of him and then brought me home. You didn't let him hurt me, even though you didn't know anything about me at that point.
And the nightmares? You stayed with me. You woke me up when we stayed together in your room, even let me sleep in your bed while you slept on the floor when I was too scared to be touched. And even when I woke you up screaming, you held me, calmed me down. And you never got mad! You never yelled at me, even when you had work in the morning.
And at work, whenever I was able to show up, you always protected me, made excuses for me when I couldn't show up. You always kept me safe, even when you weren't around. They knew they couldn't hurt me because you'd hurt them back, even if you got in trouble for it.
You've helped me more than you even know. You taught me how to live again - literally! I didn't even know how to eat when I first got here, but you were patient enough to teach me how to use the utensils. You even helped me wash up when I physically couldn't do it myself.
You always got me to my doctor appointments, even leaving work early to drive me there. You put up with me even when I didn't want to go, and when I exploded because I was so scared of them. And you always made sure to call the doctors when I needed help and couldn't call anyone for myself, even when I got mad at you for it.
Even when I was tired and depressed, you took care of me. You made sure I ate and bathed at the very least, even if you couldn't drag me out of the house. You did everything that you could to help me, and succeeded. No one had ever done that for me before. You were the first.
You stuck by my side, even when I got sick and got you sick in return. I didn't mean to, I still feel kinda bad about it. But you never made me feel like a burden, or like it was a mistake that you got paired with me. You've always been so good to me.
You never made me feel like an asshole, even when I acted like it. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like this, but... you've saved me more times than I can even count.
Like that time when I was too paranoid to let anyone in the house, including you. You were patient with me and talked me down from the other side, even though I was having a panic attack because I was alone. You stayed with me until I was calm enough to use logic and let you in. And even still, you weren't mad at me! I honestly don't know how you put up with me sometimes.
And remember when I cut myself on accident that one night? You woke up and were literally at my side in seconds. And you called for help while calming me down, trying to keep me from passing out. You certainly weren't useless then, so why would you be now?
I know we didn't talk about it again after that night, but... I saw you crying when I woke up. I didn't even notice it at first - you were so quiet about it. But I saw it. And I'm sorry that I didn't say this before, but you're not weak for crying.
I'm not... even sure if that's what you're thinking right now. But in case you are, I really don't think you're weak for crying.
You never made me feel weak for crying. So why make yourself feel that way? You don't deserve that hate, even if it's coming from yourself.
I know I don't say it a lot, but I really care about you. Even when I'm scared or angry or overwhelmed with the world, you're the only good part of it. You've practically kept me sane! You've helped me in more ways than I can even count. And I certainly wouldn't call that failure, now, would I?" He smiled.
The longer Color spoke for, the more the orange spark return to Delta's eyes. And by the time he finished, Delta had come back into reality fully - having no clue what was going on or why, but appreciated being woken up from whatever had happened with fond memories and kind words.
Color smiled softly at them. "Hey, buddy. Glad you're back."
Delta nodded, propping himself up with the arm that Color wasn't holding. However, he gladly let Color's hand stay on his face, and lightly nuzzled into it, still confused, "Uh, hey... what happened? How'd I get here?" He asked softly, glancing around.
"I honestly have no idea. I heard glass breaking and saw you in the kitchen, but you weren't answering me - totally out of it. So I got you away from the glass and brought you over here. You didn't look hurt, but... you started talking, and-"
"Wait, wait, lemme stop you there. What do you mean I was in the kitchen?" Delta asked, his eyes going slightly wide as he realized that there was no lying out of this situation. He was going to have to tell Color about the episodes.
He sat up fully, making Color back up a bit and take his hand off of Delta's face. However, when he tried to let go of Delta's hand, he instead tightened his grip slightly - he didn't want to let go yet.
Color gladly obliged.
"Well, I got woken up by the glass, and saw you in the kitchen. You were on the ground and the glass was all around you. Don't know how you got there, though - your guess is as good as mine." He answered.
Delta nodded along, turning to look back into the kitchen. And sure enough, the ring of glass was still there, not yet cleaned up.
"... huh. That's really weird." They muttered.
Color couldn't help but snicker at that. "You're telling me, man." He replied.
Delta turned back, his brain still processing all of this, "You said I woke you up? Shit, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to."
"Hey, no, don't worry about it. Whatever happened, didn't look like you had much control over." Color replied, smiling reassuringly. "Do you remember anything?"
"Uhh, sorta. I remember I was laying in bed, then-" a look of realization dawned on their face. "... oh."
Color tilted his head. "What?"
"... um. Okay. I got something to explain." They muttered, sighing.
Color was even more confused. He motioned for Delta to go on, and he did. "So, I had a nightmare last night. And, sometimes, when I have nightmares, I tend to... dissociate."
"Dissociate?" Color repeated. The hell did that mean? Delta hadn't taught him that word yet.
"Yeah. Um, I lose grip on reality, I'd have no clue what's going on whatsoever. That brings me to a question, though. Did I say anything weird?" Delta looked nervous even asking it.
Color thought for a moment. Would he classify those things as 'weird'? I mean, they were definetly abnormal, so maybe that's what they mean.
He nodded. "I mean, for you, kinda. I've never heard you speak that way before."
Their Soul sunk. Oh fuck. What did they say?
"Oh, that's great." He muttered sarcastically.
Unfortunately, Color didn't quite understand sarcasm yet. He quickly replied, "Not really. It was kinda scary - you started going on about a lot of things, things I didn't even know you were thinking about. Do you want me to repeat it?-"
"No."
The sudden venom in their voice was startling enough to make Color stop. He quietly examined his friend. Had he said something wrong? Were they angry at him for talking too much? Why were they upset?
But when he looked at them, instead of anger, Color saw hurt. Their face was twisted in a deep sadness, clearly having not expected things to go down like this.
They didn't talk for a good few minutes, until Delta spoke up first.
"You weren't meant to know." He muttered, staring at the ground in shame.
Color tried to say something, but Delta continued on, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to be weak. Not when you needed someone to help you. It'd be unfair of me to burden you after you just got out of basically solitary confinement for 20 years of your life.
And after everything I've seen you go through, fuck, you've been hurting so much. And it's not your fault at all - I ain't saying that I'm uncomfortable around you or anything like that, just... didn't think I'd need to tell you so soon. I'm sorry."
Color stared up at him for a long moment, before asking, "Do you think I'm weak for needing help, Delta?"
Delta tensed, instinctively looking up with pure worry in his eyes, "What?! No, not at all!"
But before he could say anything else, Color replied in an even tone, "Then why do you think that you're weak for needing help?"
Silence.
Delta stared at him, his eyes wide as he tried to figure out if Color was joking or not - if they had said something to upset him. But when they saw the empathy in his eyes, they realized what it really meant.
"... I guess I didn't... really think of it that way." They sheepishly admitted, glancing away from him.
Color couldn't help but smile, as he moved closer. He sat on the couch, and Delta gladly made room for him. Instinctively, like Delta had done many times for him, Color slinked an arm around his shoulder and held him close.
Delta tensed at first, but eventually relaxed into Color's arms.
"That's alright. I'm not mad, obviously. Can't really get upset at you for hiding things when I haven't exactly been the most vulnerable," Color said, making them both chuckle lightly.
"But, still. If you have these problems, I wanna help. It's not fair if you only help me and I don't help you back. So let me help. Okay?" Color asked softly, smiling at him.
Delta was surprised. He wasn't used to being able to let his guard down - he never knew when it was safe to relax without worrying about someone catching him and picking a fight when he was vulnerable.
Vulnerability was not a concept he was comfortable with yet.
But as he looked deep into Color's eyes, he knew that he was safe - he didn't know why, but... something inside him was telling him that he was safe to let his guard down.
He relaxed, nodding slowly as a smile crept up on his face. "Okay."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Alright. You, uh, wanna talk about it?" Color offered, still concerned.
Delta thought for a moment, but shook his head. He really didn't. He didn't want to think about it anymore.
Color nodded, "That's okay. I definetly can't blame you for that. But, if you do, let me know - I'm here to listen, alright?" He asked, gently rubbing Delta's shoulder.
Delta nodded. "I will. Thank you."
"It's no problem. Think you can go back to sleep, or do you wanna stay up? We can watch a movie, or play a game - go on a walk, if you want." Color offered, knowing that Delta would probably need different options if he wanted a distraction.
Delta thought for a long moment, quietly speaking to Beta about what to do. They settled on a movie.
"I don't think I'm ready to go back to sleep. Could we watch something?" They asked quietly.
Color nodded, "That's fine. Need anything to drink, eat?"
They shook their head, "No, I'm alright. You can get something if you want to, though."
Color paused to think. But after all of this, he decided to just get up and grab Delta some water anyways. "I'm gonna get some water. Wanna come with?"
Delta debated it for a moment, but decided to get up with him. And the two quickly stood, and walked over to the kitchen.
"Watch the glass," Color reminded him, as he used his magic to get two mugs down for them.
Delta was distracted, however, and was now focused on getting something Beta was demanding - hot chocolate.
It was always the kid's favorite drink of choice after a bad nightmare. And after a night like this, they deserved it.
Color only seemed to notice when he heard the microwave start humming. He quickly turned around, to see Delta ready with a hot chocolate packet and extra marshmallows ready.
They both just stared at each other for a moment.
"... want one?" Delta offered. Color nodded, and went over to get started on his.
It took only a few minutes to prepare it, but Color was still confused. However, he wasn't sure if it'd be okay to ask.
Delta, intuitive as ever, knew he was confused. They answered before he asked, "Tradition for Beta and I. After a bad night, we get hot chocolate."
Color nodded, smiling lightly, "Awe, that's sweet."
The two finished their hot chocolates, and quickly headed back over to the couch. They placed their mugs on the table in front of them, getting out blankets and pillows so the couch would be more comfortable.
Once they had finished setting up, Color handed Delta the remote. "You pick."
Delta nodded, thanking him. But, to Color's surprise, he immediately started looking for The Lion King.
Color quickly turned to them, making Delta chuckle lightly, a bit embarrassed. "Tradition."
He chuckled, nodding back as Delta clicked 'play'. Color slung his arm around them again, holding them close as they drank their hot chocolates and watched the movie.
After a little bit, Delta found themselves getting lulled back to sleep as their body slowly relaxed. They tried to resist, not wanting to have another nightmare, but Color gently coaxed him into it.
The rest of the night was peaceful, as Delta fell asleep in Color's arms, holding them close - keeping them safe.
The camera was picked back up the next day. The first sight it was was the poor stitching done to her arms - twine, string, even bits of vine had been sewn into her disgusting, bloodied arms. Bits of glass that she had been unable to get out were still stuck in.
[Tape 2.]
Static overtook it once more.
Another animalistic growl was heard.
A flash - what looked like eyes stared back at you.
Who are you to be watching her?
...
The camera switched back on. It was now focused on a conjoined doll - a child's doll.
The woman's heavy breathing was heard again as she stared at it.
Slowly, her shaking hand reached for it. And picking up the doll, she turned it around, and looked at the sole of its left foot.
Her breath hitched in her throat. Inscribed in cursive, the name 'Eliza' was written. She checked the right one, too - just to be sure. And inscribed in that foot was the name 'Beth'.
The air in the asylum held still. Not a sound was made - not her breath, not the floor or the walls, not the animals. Total silence.
It was broken with an agonized wail.
The camera fell with a loud thud, static resuming. But you could still hear her. She screamed, wailed, wordlessly begging for something no one understood.
The sound of her stitches being ripped apart echoed against her screams. Silent pleas for mercy escaped her trembling voice. Wordless, incapable - and yet, you could almost hear her prayers. Before the camera cut and the sound of her pain was silenced once more.
Tw/cw: hospitals, blood, PTSD/flashbacks, dissociation, recovery from what I put them through
Delta came crashing through one of the many walls in their apartment, arriving with a startled scream of pain as he landed on the cold floor. He dislocated his shoulder in the landing almost immediately as he felt his leg break even more. Blood threw itself onto the floor, and for a second, Delta thought his head had cracked.
He saw his two roommates practically jump out of their bones upon his chaotic arrival, as his therapy dog - Zorox - started frantically barking.
Color was the first to move. "DELTA! HOLY SHIT, WHAT THE FUCK?! ARE YOU OKAY?" He shouted, sprinting over as Epic and Zorox followed.
Zorox made it faster than the others, and immediately got to work. He sniffed his owner all over, before realizing what was happening before the rest. The pup dashed off with a bark of determination, and rushed to the medicine cabinet to retrieve bandages.
But Delta, still running on pure adrenaline, jumped to his feet. Their eyes were wild and frantic as they replied, not noticing how badly their body was still shaking, "I was gone- for three days!" He gasped out, attempting to catch his breath.
Epic looked confused. "Bruh, you were gone for 3 hours. What do you mean 'days'?" He asked, using air quotations for emphasis.
Delta paused. Then, he groaned, "Fuck! I forgot timezone changes! Okay, so that AU I got a distress call in- I got taken and they held me hostage for, like, 3 days in their time!"
Their best friends looked at him in utter shock. Delta continued, catching his breath, "And Nightmare- wait, did Killer ever mention that that bastard kidnapped a little girl? Anyways, doesn't matter, her name is Eliza and she's hurt and she needs help!"
"Why didn't you take her with you?" Epic muttered, his mind reeling as he tried to process it.
"He held her at gunpoint until I agreed to leave without her."
You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed.
"... Delta, why is there blood on the ground?" Color muttered, noticing the trail of blood from the now broken drywall leading to them.
As if on cue, Zorox ran back over with a large roll of bandages, antiseptic spray, and a tourniquet.
Delta was starting to get woozy. They swayed as the adrenaline slowly began to wear off, "Oh, yeah, my leg got broken."
More silence. Zorox dropped the items at Color's feet, before running to Epic and gently placing his hand in his mouth. He tried to drag the Skeleton towards the kitchen to grab some water for them.
Luckily, Epic took the hint and searched for the water as Zorox sprinted back over. The pup immediately pressed his nose into their leg, nudging them until they sat down.
Delta hit the ground with a thud, as the room began to spin. Darkness slowly clouded his eyes, his body shaking as the adrenaline crash began. Zorox stayed right by his side, whining and laying on their chest to provide pressure.
The room began to spin. He felt himself slowly deteriorating, as he managed to slur out, "Okayy. I'm gon-na... go t-take a nap."
They collapsed to the floor as the adrenaline drained out of them.
Zorox yelped, and barked as loud as he could to get the other's attention.
Epic ran back over as Color hopped into action, attempting to roll up Delta's pant leg to take care of the wound. But instead of letting him, Zorox carefully nipped at his hand to stop him. It wasn't the leg that was the issue - it was something else.
Color stared at the barking dog in confusion. "What, buddy? What is it?" He asked, leaning down.
And that's when they saw Delta's body twitching.
Their eyes went wide. "Oh shit. Epic, call the hospital!" He shouted, running to grab a pillow for their head.
Within seconds, a seizure started up. Zorox whimpered, but carefully moved off of Delta before digging his nose into their pocket. They pulled out their phone, and laid besides Delta, whining for help.
Color rushed back over, handing Zorox the pillow. He gently pulled Delta's head up for the pup to slide it under. They very gently laid him back down, as they carefully rolled Delta onto his side to prevent choking.
Meanwhile, Epic was on the phone with 911. "Hello?!- yes, hi, it's Epic! Delta's having another seizure, his leg is broken, and he might have a concussion because he was talking all weird!"
Within minutes, paramedics arrived. They rushed into the apartment, and prepared to get them loaded up onto a gurney for treatment.
---
Once again, their mind woke up before the rest of their body did.
Where were they?
The last thing they remembered was crashing through the wall of their apartment. But were they truly home? What if it was just a trick Nightmare was playing on them?
As the rest of their body began to wake up, they felt something holding their arms and legs down. They assumed it to be restrains again, but they didn't hear Eliza anywhere.
Movement was all around them. Worried voices asking questions, someone answering, something barking or whimpering occasionally. They barely recognized it.
Their mind was silent for once. Shell-shocked, you could say. Beta was inconsolable, completely dissociated. Sans wasn't much better, but being the adult, he took the reigns and tried his best to help.
But the louder the strange noises got, the more paranoid they got - did they get recaptured? Where were they? Who was around? Would they have to run again?
Unfortunately, they fully woke up fighting.
The first thing he saw was a doctor standing above him. Their mind flashed to Nightmare for a split second, still unsure of where they were or who was there - but what they did know, was that someone they didn't recognize was standing above them, and their gauntlets were gone again.
They swung.
The doctor yelped as he stumbled back, cradling his now broken nose. The harsh sound of the pop made the two figures in the chair besides them jump from their seats, and rush to help.
"Delta- heyheyhey, calm down!" Color quickly lunged to restrain him, grabbing him by the wrists tightly as Epic rushed to hold his legs down so they wouldn't kick.
But that only made things worse. Delta flinched hard, and immediately ripped his hands out of Color's and started to thrash as he screamed, "DONT FUCKING TOUCH ME!"
Without hesitance, he slammed the closest fist right into Color's jaw, as he kicked hard to get Epic off. And they succeeded - they managed to practically give Epic an upper-cut with his leg. Delta still didn't recognize them.
The two fell off with loud groans. He wasted no time jumping out of their bed and tearing out their IV - and made a break for the door.
"Shit- nonono!" Epic scrambled to his feet, and full-body tackled them to the ground. Delta yelped in pain, and the two began to struggle as Epic tried to get Delta to remember where he was.
"Delta- DELTA! Relax, it's just us!" Epic shouted, managing to pin them down by the shoulders, using his own legs to keep theirs down.
Delta was hyperventilating as he tried to fight Epic off, still half unsure as to where they were. Were they safe? Was it just a trick? Where were they? Who was around?
They heard a bark.
Delta froze. Immediately, they stopped struggling as their eyes went wide, looking over Epic's shoulder. They saw a tail wagging rapidly back and forth where Color was.
A name came to their mind before they could stop it. "Zorox?"
The tail stopped. Delta saw a dog- no, their dog pop his head out, staring at them expectantly.
"Zorox, is that you?" They called again, as the rest of reality started to catch up to them. They quickly looked up in confusion, "Epic?"
Epic sighed in relief, slowly sliding off of him, "Yes! It's me! You're in the hospital, and Color's here too." He explained, catching his breath.
Delta looked so confused, shakily catching their breath as they managed to sit up. "Where- where am I? How'd I get here?"
Upon hearing that, Zorox raced over. He immediately laid himself in Delta's lap to comfort him, and licked his face to hopefully bring him back to reality, just how he was supposed to.
Delta flinched back at first, but eventually let the dog do his job as things started to process.
The doctor got back up after a moment, wiping the blood from his nose. Color got up as well, stumbling to his feet and using the bed as a crutch. His fire sparked harshly, but they were more concerned about Delta than themselves.
"Well, it's nice to know you're able to walk in spite of the fracture, Delta." The doctor said, breaking the tense silence.
Delta flinched hard, immediately snapping his head towards him. "Where am I? Who- who are you?"
The room fell silent. They all stared at him.
"... please be joking," Color whispered, trembling slightly. Epic rushed to console him, but Delta still looked confused.
"I mean, I- I know who you are, I just... I don't know how to explain it. It's really weird. Where's Eliza?" He asked, hands slowly drifting to pet Zorox for comfort.
They stared at him in confusion now.
"Who?" Epic couldn't help but blurt out.
"... am I not in the castle?" They muttered, still in a complete daze. His head spun with questions and memories he wasn't sure actually happened.
Color narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong. "What castle? What are you talking about?"
He frantically looked up at the two before him, "Nightmare's castle. Am I not there?"
The room froze again, as they all processed what this meant.
"... Delta, get back on the bed please. I need to fix your IV and check you." The doctor murmured, walking over and hesitantly offering a hand up.
Delta flinched hard, but cautiously took it. He gently pat Zorox, signaling him to get up. The pup quickly hopped off their lap, standing next to them expectantly.
They stood, but nearly collapsed out of pure exhaustion right after. Epic and Color instinctively raced over to help them up.
Unfortunately, they were still running on instinct.
Naturally, they freaked out again. He immediately made a run for the door, and nearly got out this time - if it hadn't been for Zorox grabbing him by the closest part of his clothing and quickly dragging them back.
They yelped as they collided onto the floor again, as the doctor threw himself in front of the door to stop him.
"Delta, relax! It's just us, we're not gonna hurt you!" Color said, staying exactly where they were and holding out an arm to prevent Epic from getting any closer.
Delta turned quickly, but Zorox stood behind them. He barked, before pushing his head against their back to prop them up.
He did as told, making sure to not lean too much on his precious dog. He turned slowly towards them, petting Zorox as a 'thank you'.
"Okay. Delta, I'm going to come closer slowly." The doctor narrated, very carefully moving towards them. "Those two will stay put. I'm going to help you back onto the bed."
Delta nodded, still completely confused. But once the doctor reached him, he took the help and stood slowly. Zorox did his best to help them up.
"Good. Now, I'm gonna transfer you to the bed. Be slow, don't get dizzy." He explained, as he slowly led them onto the bed. The pup stayed right at their side, making sure they were stable enough to not fall.
Delta carefully limped to the bed, before managing to sit down. The doctor offered help getting his legs back up on the bed, especially in account of his broken one. He gladly agreed.
Once his legs were propped up and the bed was adjusted to their liking, the doctor warned him before putting the IV back into their Soul.
"It's gonna hurt, Dee." Color warned, slowly approaching with Epic close behind. Zorox hopped right up onto the bed, sitting on their chest to provide pressure so that it would hopefully hurt a bit less.
Delta nodded, gripping the railings tightly as he braced for impact.
What felt like a smoldering needle pierced their Soul. They restrained a gasp as their entire body tensed up. Zorox quickly put his head closed to their neck, licking their face gently to distract them.
But for a short moment, they felt everything go dark, and their body went limp. That is, until, Beta regained control. They woke up quickly, flinching in pain.
"Del, we're gonna come closer, okay?" Epic called out, clearly worried both for Delta and for himself and Color. They'd prefer to not get attacked again.
Delta nodded, but still looked so lost - maybe even moreso than before. "What's happening? Where- where's Eliza? Did he hurt her?" Their voice had a bit more of a childlike tone.
Color and Epic paused. It was clear to them Beta had taken control - the way he looked was constantly looking around, his voice, how he instinctively went to hold his arms tight to their body for comfort.
Something was wrong.
"Delta, who is Eliza?" Color asked again, slowly approaching the bed. He kept his tone gentle and cautious, not wanting to scare the kid.
"Nightmare's nurse!" They answered, becoming more and more distressed by the second. "She's hurt! He kidnapped her!" They frantically explained, shaking at the memory of her bloodied body hitting the ground as she seized. They started to frantically scratch up and down their arms as a stress stim.
The heart monitor the doctors had placed on their chest started beeping rapidly. Delta flinched hard, starting to hyperventilate again as they desperately tried to block out the noise. It was too much - the noise, the lights, the texture of the bed and blanket - they couldn't do it anymore.
They split.
Beta separated from the body, and raced straight out of the room faster than anyone could stop him. Sans gasped for air once the child parted, but his breathing started to slow.
"Zorox, go! Find!" He commanded. The dog hesitated, before barking and bounding off after the boy.
Epic and Color glanced at each other in surprise. From the looks of it, they shared the same thought - 'well, that was quick.'
Color cleared his throat before turning to Epic completely, "Go get the kid! I'll stay with him! Hey doc, doc, can you go too? You're scaring him."
Epic immediately protested, panicked, "What?! I can't see him like you can! He only let's me see him if he wants to be seen!"
"I don't care! Go find him, now!" Color commanded sharply, as he rushed to their friend's side. "Hey, you're okay! You're okay!"
Epic paused, before cursing and chasing after Zorox and Beta. The doctor exited calmly behind them, shutting the door.
He sprinted down the colorful checkered floors of the hospital, keeping Zorox's tail in sight. His head was pounding with questions as he tried to understand what was happening - why was Delta talking so much about Nightmare? Did he do something?
He shook the thoughts out of his head, and continued running.
He dodged doctors and nurses, sliding past the nurse's station. Where could Beta be going? Was he hiding? Was he trying to find someone?
"Kid, slow down!" Epic shouted after him. He saw Beta's figure disappear behind a hallway, with Zorox barking and racing after.
He sighed, and quickly teleported around the corner. "Beta! Come back here!"
But Beta gave no sign that he even heard Epic. He just sprinted as fast as he could. He turned another corner, heading for the stairs.
Epic sprinted faster and faster. He was gaining on the child quickly - until Beta managed to juke him out.
Epic stopped running. Shit. Where did the kid go?
He heard barking coming from the opposite direction. He swiveled around, to see Zorox chasing after Beta. They were heading for the stairs.
Epic's eyes went wide when he realized that Beta could be trying to straight up leave the hospital. He bolted straight for them, listening out to for Zorox to make sure he was going in the right direction.
He heard Zorox stop running. He rushed to catch up.
Zorox stopped just before the stairs, waiting for Epic to be in sight. Once he was, the pup barked, and sprinted down the stairs faster than any person could.
Epic groaned, taking a breath before sprinting down after the dog.
The stairs ached his legs as he sprinted. He kept his hand on the railing, careful not to fall. It was a good couple stories, but nonetheless exhausting.
His chest heaved once they reached the end of the stairs. After he had rested for a moment, however, he realized he didn't hear Zorox anymore.
"Damn it, kid, where'd you go?" He muttered, before taking a deep breath and sprinting off in the direction he thought they might have went in. And luckily, after a few short minutes of running, he spotted Zorox.
He heard nurses exclaiming in shock as they ran through. But the dog was faster - and quickly, Epic lost sight of him again.
He groaned, taking a moment to stop and think. One direction led to the cafeteria and chapel, while the other led to the waiting room.
[Okay, okay, think. If I were a scared child, where would I go?...] Epic thought for a long while, before deciding on the cafeteria.
Without a second thought, he sprinted off to the left.
The rooms and steps blended into one big blur as Epic ran past. He heard soft chatter in the distance, and perhaps a small bark. Stars, he hoped it was a bark.
[What the hell could have happened to make him run?!] He questioned mentally, trying to grasp any understanding of the things that had happened.
All he knew, was that Delta came crashing through the apartment, blacked out, freaked the fuck out when he woke up, kept talking something about Nightmare and some girl named Eliza, and them Beta made a run for it.
What the hell was going on? Did they get kidnapped again or something? Did they get into some kind of fight with Nightmare? But that wouldn't explain why Beta of all people was running...
The food court was closer than he thought. He called out again, "Zorox?! Beta?"
He thought he heard barking. Epic allowed hope to creep into his mind, as he raced into the court. He sincerely hoped that the two would be there.
The food court was large, with dozens of options available. The windows stretched across the whole room, showing the pristinely kept lawn and fountain.
He dodged tables and chairs, running in a circle around the whole cafeteria. But still, he couldn't find the two. Where could they be?
He thought back to the map Color had showed him earlier. If he left the cafeteria and took a left, that would lead him back to the elevators - the way he came. But if he headed right, he'd find the chapel.
"Oh, fuck it." He murmured. "Lets go to church."
He sprinted from the other side, dodging worried workers as they stared. But he didn't give a damn. He needed to find them, and quickly.
A worker stopped him, stepping in front suddenly as Epic screeched to a halt. "Hey! What are you running for?!"
"I'm trying- to find my friend's service dog!" He panted, taking the time to catch his breath. "Have you seen him?! A- a dog with white and orange fur? Anywhere?"
The worker paused. "... come to think of it, I think Stacy mentioned something along the lines of that. Come with me!"
Together, the two raced for the nearest nurse's station. Epic was both thrilled and terrified. He needed to find them.
"Why'd the dog run off?" The worker asked, seemingly in no hurry.
"My friend's kid bolted, and the dog went after!" He explained, rushing the man along. "Come on! We gotta find them!"
The worker's eyes widened. This was much more serious than he thought. He took out a radio and mentioned some kind of code as he sped up, but Epic was lost in his thoughts.
[Shit! Where are they?! Does Delta have some kind of tracker on Zorox? Did he stay with Beta?] He frantically thought, before catching the eye of a nurse nearby.
The worker called out, and they sprinted over. "Stacy, there you are! His friend's service dog ran off to find a child, I already called security to make sure the kid can't run out of the hospital. Where did you see them last?"
The nurse looked startled, but nodded and pointed to the left, "Yes, there was a white dog running that way. Do you need any help finding them?"
"No thanks, I can take care of it! Thankyou!" Epic zoomed off, leaving the two stunned as they watched.
He sincerely hoped that they hadn't called security too late. Was Beta still even in the hospital? Did he run out already? Where could he be going if he did? Home? But then why wouldn't he say something?
He had no idea who Eliza was, either. Why did Delta keep bringing up her name? And why did they keep talking about Nightmare?
He hoped Color was having an easier time talking to Sans.
Epic could have sworn he heard a bark. Instantly, he swiveled around, freezing in place. It was a small cut-off to another hallway.
He heard it again. He booked it.
His breathing got more and more labored as he chased the invisible sound of barking. Was he even still chasing Zorox?
Another turn into a hallway nearly slammed him into a wall, but luckily Epic held his arms out to prevent any damage. He sighed, before turning around and running back the way he came.
The pale walls blended together, any decor blurring in his vision as he ran. "Beta! Zorox?! Can either of you hear me?" He desperately called out.
No answer.
He sighed, before turning right and racing down another hallway. Where could those two be? Why? He couldn't understand what was going on!
What was going on?
Epic shook the thoughts out of his head. All that mattered right now was finding the kid.
Another left down a new hallway left him nearly breathless. Should he give up? Should he keep searching? What if he couldn't find them?
It was almost 20 minutes of aimless running before Epic thought he heard barking coming from another hallway.
He twisted around right away, sprinting down and down and down. How much longer would he have to run? What's gonna happen if he can't find them? Did they go outside? Will they come back?
He nearly ran past another hallway, before freezing and turning to stare down it.
He heard barking coming from the chapel.
Zorox peeked his head out. They made eye contact.
Epic threw up his arms and rejoiced as quietly as possible, as to not disturb other patients. He cheered softly, grinning wildly as he ran straight for the dog. He was so relieved to have found both of them, even moreso that Zorox kept such good track of Beta!
Zorox barked in affirmation, and zoomed back into the chapel. Epic ran in shortly after.
He sprinted into the chapel, quickly closing the doors behind him. "Beta?! Hey, are you in here, kiddo?" He quickly called out.
He heard something hit the wall hard from somewhere behind him.
Whirling around, Epic spotted a brightly glowing Beta in one of the corners, frantically mumbling what Epic recognized as the Act of Contrition prayer in Tagalog. Zorox was trying to console the terrified child, but once he heard Epic, he paused and started barking at him for help.
Epic's eyes went wide once he saw the state of the poor kid. "Beta!? Buddy, you okay?" He asked quickly, approaching slowly and keeping his body low to the ground.
Beta damn near jumped 2 feet off the ground when he heard someone moving towards him. The kid immediately threw his hands in front of his face, curling up to protect himself.
"Shit- sorry, sorry! It's okay buddy, I'm not here to hurt you!" Epic cautiously sat himself on the ground in front of the child, making the same motions he's seen Delta do - sitting on his knees, palms resting up.
Zorox quickly booped the child, and put a paw up to gently drag his hands away from his face. He knew Epic could help, but wasn't sure if Beta knew.
"Beta, can I come closer?" Epic asked softly. He didn't want to move just yet.
Beta nodded, trying to breathe. Epic couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment - the glow typically meant strong emotions, especially anger or despair.
He slowly crawled over to the child, and sat next to him. He pet Zorox as a hello, and the dog gladly accepted them.
Beta was breathing heavily, still guarding his face with his hands. He was trembling and muttering things under his breath that Epic didn't quite understand yet.
"What'd you say, kiddo?" Epic questioned, leaning towards the boy. Beta growled, his glow becoming more and more unstable.
"I'll kill him! I'm gonna FUCKING KILL HIM!" He shouted. Before Epic could do anything to stop it, Beta twisted past him and slammed his fist straight into the wall, denting it and leaving burn marks.
"Shit-" He muttered under his breath, before jumping to grab Beta's hands and take them away from the wall, "Hey! Breathe, kiddo, you're gonna hurt yourself!"
Zorox quickly participated, and gently bit the end of Beta's sleeve, trying to drag him back. He didn't want to hurt him, but knew restraint was needed.
Beta was seething with rage, and immediately ripped his hands out of their grasps, growling audibly. Epic quickly backed off, and instinctively put an arm in front of Zorox just in case.
"Zorox, hold, please." Epic whispered. Zorox huffed, but laid down, whining as he awaited further instructions.
But Beta wasn't thinking straight. He immediately slammed his fist into the wall again, this time punching clean through it. Blood from his now broken knuckles flew off when he drew his fist back for a third hit.
Epic jumped, and grabbed him by the arms harder this time, "Beta! Stop that, listen to me, you're gonna hurt yourself!" He raised his voice only slightly to be heard, trying to restrain the child.
Beta flinched hard as a stinging pain coarsed through his knuckle. He didn't even notice the blood leaking onto the floor at first - all he saw was Epic trying to control his anger.
He ripped his arms out of his grip and slammed his other fist into the wall.
"Beta!" Epic raised his voice more, yanking the child's fist out of the wall again. This time, Beta noticed the blood.
The child froze. His chest was heaving, barely able to catch up with the rest of his body. He looked so lost and angry, his glow only growing brighter.
Epic sighed, staring at him in worry as he pulled out a roll of bandages from his pocket. He gently wrapped both of Beta's knuckles in silence, as the kid caught his breath and realized what he had done.
Once he was done, he gently held the child's arms, making Beta look at him. "Beta, what is going on? Are you okay? Why'd you do that?"
There was silence for a long moment, before Beta's wrathful expression crumpled and he burst into tears. He suddenly hugged Epic tight, clinging to him as his body wracked with heartbroken sobs. The child could barely breathe, as he began to hyperventilate.
Epic instinctively tensed, his eyes going wide. Slowly, his arms wrapped around the sobbing child, his body moving to comfort him before his brain could catch up. He was caught completely off guard - even Zorox perked up in surprise.
What was going on?
"Hey, hey, it's okay kiddo! I'm right here! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, are you okay?" Epic whispered to him, gently petting his hair.
"I'm sorry," the kid sobbed out, his hoarse voice just barely above a whisper. He clung almost too tightly to Epic - as if he was afraid of him disappearing if he let go.
"I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to! I didn't- I did-" Beta was barely able to stutter out a sentence, sobbing into Epic's chest.
"Breathe, buddy, take your time." Epic soothed him softly, holding him close. "Take a deep breath with me, okay?"
Beta nodded, and followed Epic's breathing pattern. Epic gently counted it out for him, "In for 5, kiddo... yes, there you go, very good. Now hold that for 5 with me, okay?"
They held their breath together, and he continued once they were done, "Good job! Okay, now out for 5, and do it slowly." They breathed out slowly.
They repeated the exercise as many times as it took for Beta to stop hyperventilating. The whole time, Epic kept petting his hair, and Zorox cuddled right up to them to distract.
Finally, after 20 minutes, he could breathe easy.
Epic smiled sadly, "Good job, kiddo, I'm so proud of you... just keep breathing, okay? Do you want to talk about what happened?"
Beta sniffled, wiping his tired eyes. But he nodded.
"We, um... we got kidnapped again. By Nightmare." He muttered.
Epic froze. "... what?"
"He- he send Dust and Horror after us. We were going to that distress call we told you about. And, um, they drugged us and took us back.
We were there for three days. And... he has a girl with him." Beta started to get choked up again.
"What? What kind of girl?- hang on, are you two hurt?!" Epic had so many questions he needed answers to. But when he saw Beta get that haunted look in his eyes again, he stopped asking and focused on helping.
"He- he hurt us," tears began to flow again, "He, um, chained us up. I think we got drugged at one point, and waterboarded. He tazed us in- in the spine right were the scar is. But... but he hurt her really bad."
Epic looked even more concerned. "Beta, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to-"
"No." The child cut him off, breathing heavily. "No. I promised I'd get help."
And with a deep breath, Beta recounted everything. "When we were there the first night... Nightmare called us into a room, and demanded we give him information. It- it was about Killer. Don't worry, we didn't say anything. But he... he decided to hurt us for not telling him anything.
He kept referring to us by a number, and he hurt Eliza. He- he whipped her in the back, and then tazed her wounds. She was... s-she was screaming, and crying and there was so much blood... and when she finally passed out, she h-had a seizure. And we couldn't save her because it was all our fault.
When she was... done seizing, we fought him. But then he... h-he tazed us in the spine, and... and we pased out. She was there when we woke up. W-we apologized, but... she was hurting so bad, and... and we just..." His breathing became erratic, as tears streamed down his face. Zorox again wormed his way into Beta's arms, putting a barrier between him and Epic as Epic kept holding him.
They both pet the dog as Beta continued, "And we- we fixed her, but she said that no one had ever helped her before, and when she came in later that-that night, she said that Nightmare was making her h-hurt us, and that she was sorry and-"
"Beta, I need you to breathe for a moment." Epic gently cut off. "Copy my breathing. You're gonna pass out, and we don't want that."
Beta nodded, whining softly in pain as Epic guided him through the breathing exercise again. Once Beta was a bit calmer, Epic let him continue.
"Um, we woke up tied to a chair. And... he made us listen to the screams of th-the people he killed, and how they died, and Eliza, and it went on for so long. But we didn't relent, we didn't tell him nothing. So he... he sent us to a chamber.
And it- it filled with gas, we couldn't escape, we started seeing and hearing things! It was so dark and tiny and we couldn't escape! And we passed out again! I saw- I saw my sisters, and Papyrus, and I could feel them touching me, I didn't like it! It was terrifying!"
Beta's mind was consumed by the memories of what had happened. Epic tried to help him breathe, but he just couldn't - he had to keep going.
"We figured out a plan but Eliza didn't want to go with because there was a- a tracker in her! And she s-said she'd DIE if he ever found her again!She thought the way- the way sh-she was getting treated was normal! She hadn't even been hugged before!
But we still tried to save her, she even helped us! When Nightmare waterboarded us, we faked limp and she took us to the medical room and gave us supplies and told us where our stuff was! She right EVERYTHING just to help us, we we just- we just leave her?! We j-just abandon her to die there?!" He sobbed out, leaning more on him.
"He had a gun to her head! We didn't- didn't know if it was loaded or not, but w-we still could've done something, we could've fought, we-"
The longer the child went on for, the worse his breathing got. Zorox had to make him take another break, just to make sure he was still breathing.
By the time he was finished, Epic was completely lost in his thoughts. His expression was nothing short of horrified. Beta was weeping hard, clinging to the other two.
"She- she couldn't have been any older than me!" He sobbed, slowly leaning on Epic, "She was younger tha-than me! She- she-" without much thought, Beta started to viciously scratch his arms, doing anything to make the mental pain stop.
Zorox immediately wiggled his way up into Beta's arms, blocking him from scratching himself any further. He quickly hugged the dog, sobbing into Zorox's soft white fur as bits of blood transferred onto it. The pup whined, gently licking Beta's face to comfort him.
"I-I can see her! I can still- h-hear her! She's in my head, make it stop, make it stop!" The child pleaded desperately, gasping for air, "I can still s-see her in my head! Please, make it STOP!"
Epic didn't know what to do. He looked to Zorox for help.
The pup kept up his work. He gently nudged Beta as a warning, before quickly pushing Beta onto the ground and sitting on his lap to provide pressure. Once Beta allowed his dog to do so, he started trying to distract the child by licking his tears away and asking for pets.
Luckily, it worked. Beta got distracted and mildly confused, letting Epic go slightly so he could pet his dog.
Slowly, Zorox helped the child to breathe more steadily. The pressure did wonders for him, and after about 20 minutes, he stopped hyperventilating.
Once Beta could breathe, Epic very gently pulled the boy back into his arms. Beta's sobs filled the crushing silence.
The boy wept even harder, clinging to him desperately as he gasped out, "It- its all m-my fault! I hurt her! It- it's all- I didn't mean to-"
"It's not your fault, kiddo," the stunned Skeleton murmured. "It's not your fault in the slightest."
"I didn't- I didn't mean to hurt her! I didn't want to, it was an accident! I didn't mean to do it!" The child bawled, rocking back and forth as he frantically covered his head.
"Beta, I need you to breathe for me, kiddo." Epic said gently, but refrained from touching him. He didn't want to scare him.
"I'm sorry," he buried his head in his knees, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it, I promise I didn't-"
"Beta," Epic gently chided again, looking down at the poor boy with concern. "Kiddo, can you please take a big, deep breath for me? I'm not mad at you, but I need you to breathe. I don't want you to pass out."
Beta whimpered, and tried to do as told, squeezing his eyes shut and breathing deeply. But the image of Eliza's seizing body on the floor as blood pooled out of her was too much for him.
He flinched hard as his eyes shot open, nearly gasping for air as he tried to block the memory out. He frantically started scratching himself and pulling at his hair, trying anything to make it all stop.
Luckily, Zorox knew how to help. He very gently pushed his face in between Beta's hands, attempting to distract the kid and make him stop hurting himself.
He started to hyperventilate again. The dog continued to provide pressure, but it wasn't working - nothing was.
The boy desperately tried to block it all out. He just couldn't take it anymore. Nowhere was safe - was this even reality right now? What if they were still in the castle?
Epic saw the distant look in his eyes, and gently began running his fingers through Beta's short hair. A tactic Color had taught him to help bring the kid out of a dissocation spell.
It worked just enough for Beta to be able to lean on him. The child wept hard, as Zorox desperately tried to distract him with any means possible.
He couldn't breathe. His head began to spin, as he nearly collapsed against the two.
Epic rushed to hold him, "Hey, hey, stay with me buddy! Stay with me!" He begged, holding him tight against his body just in case he actually did pass out.
But the more he hyperventilated, the closer he got to passing out. Epic and Zorox could feel his body slowly getting heavier and heavier, as Beta began to look more and more distant. His eyes became clouded with greif as his body started to go limp in Epic's arms.
Epic grew tense, and wordlessly looked to the service dog for help. Zorox acted quickly. Without warning, he practically knocked the child straight into Epic's lap.
Beta flinched, looking at his dog in confusion as he laid there in mild shock. Zorox met his gaze with unwavering determination, and made his place right on Beta's chest, happily laying down to provide pressure. He puzzled himself just under Beta's chin, his tail wagging and hitting the kid's hip slightly.
Beta couldn't help but laugh a little through his tears.
Epic smiled sadly, and continued to gently run his fingers through Beta's hair. "You're okay, buddy, it's all gonna be okay... just breathe with me now. You're safe, I got ya..."
The kid wept into Epic's lap, curling up slightly. But he began to relax, as Zorox stayed close and gave cuddles.
"Kiddo, do you want to talk about it more, or do you want a distraction?" Epic offered softly.
Beta sniffled, wiping his eyes. He tried to answer, but couldn't - he was so scared. Scared of Nightmare coming to find them, scared of getting taken again, scared of what was going to happen to Eliza now that they couldn't protect her.
He couldn't stand to imagine what Nightmare was doing to her right now. Was he hurting her? Did he kill her?
Was it their fault?
Zorox quickly alerted Epic that Beta was getting stuck in his own head again. The older man acted quickly, and held Beta's hand, "Hey, stay with me bud. I'm gonna start counting, okay? We're gonna do that breathing exercise." He explained quickly.
Beta whimpered, nodding along. He held Epic's hand back tightly, as the other stayed on Zorox, petting him.
Zorox licked Beta gently, snuggling right up as the kid followed Epic's lead.
"Alright, I'm gonna have you breathe in for 5 seconds, just like last time. I'm gonna start counting, are you ready?" Epic asked.
The kid was caught off guard by it slightly. Delta and Color usually just waited the beat before continuing counting, but this was actually much more easy for him to follow. He took a big, deep breath in.
Epic smiled, "Good! Now, I'm gonna have you hold it for another 5 seconds."
Beta nodded again, and held his breath. It made him slightly dizzy, but luckily, he was already on the ground.
"Awesome. Now, out for 5, you ready?" He affirmed just in case.
On cue, he started to breathe out slowly. The dizziness faded after he let it all out. It felt like a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders.
"Great job, kid. Do you need a break, or do you want to do it again?" He asked.
Beta took a moment for himself. The breathing had distracted him enough that he wasn't breaking down completely anymore, but it still hurt him badly.
Zorox adjusted himself, fully laying down on Beta's entire body. Within seconds, he felt himself relax as Zorox gently licked his tears away.
But still, he couldn't get the images out of his head - the image of Eliza's body hitting the ground, the scars and blood on her back, the way her eyes glossed over as the bullet pierced her leg.
"I couldn't s-save her," he choked out, moving his hands over his eyes. His body trembled violently as he began to breathe heavily again, "I-I couldn't- its all my fault!-"
"Beta, hey, hey." Epic cut him off, gently pulling the child's hands away to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself. "Its not your fault, okay? It's not your fault."
But Beta didn't believe him. He frantically tried to get his hands out of his grasp, starting to panic, "No- no, no, it is! We- we didn't know if the gun was l-loaded or not, we could've saved her!"
"Listen to me, kiddo." Epic said softly, but sternly. Beta flinched, but shut up and listened.
"You did the right thing. I know it doesn't feel like it, but running away to get help and not try to save her yourselves was the best option. If you had tried it yourselves, she could've died. It was very brave of you to make sure that you protected yourselves first before trying to save her." He said softly, wiping Beta's tears away.
Beta whimpered, but nodded as he leaned into Epic's hand. He was still struggling to breathe, but Epic made sure he kept breathing deeply.
"You both did so good, kiddo. We're all very, very proud of you two." He reassured sweetly, cradling the child close as he wept.
Beta clung to them both tightly. The pressure from Zorox kept him mostly calm, but the pain from knowing that they had to leave someone so innocent behind was crushing. He still could barely breathe.
"I can't-" He gasped for air, his body starting to shake violently as a haunted look passed through his eyes, "I can't, I can't, I can't-"
"Beta, listen to me!" Epic snapped quickly, holding him down. "You need to breathe with me now, kid. You're gonna work yourself into a seizure."
But Beta wasn't listening anymore. The sounds of screams in their ears consumed their mind. They frantically tried to cover their head, trying to escape it.
Epic let him, but still looked to the pup for help. He knew what to do when Delta had flashbacks, but wasn't sure if it was the same for Beta. He didn't want to make things worse for him.
Zorox took control of the situation. He threw his paws up to the sides of Beta's head, and put them on his shoulders. Then, he gently pulled his hands down and kept licking him to distract him.
Beta flinched hard, but was quickly taken out of the flashback by it. He looked so confused, but pet his dog back as tears streamed down his face. Was this real? Was it another trick? He didn't know anymore.
Epic gently pet his head, "You're okay, kiddo, you're okay... it's all gonna be okay... I know it hurts right now, but I swear, it'll get better."
Beta nodded, and sobbed out, "Are- are we g-gonna go back for her?"
The older nodded, "Of course we are. But right now, we can't help her if we can't help you. Can you take some deep breaths for me, please?"
"I- I can't-" He choked out, gasping for air. The rest of his body was starting to jerk around.
"Yes you can, I believe in you. All I want you to do right now is take a big, deep breath with me. Can you do that for me?" Epic did his best to stay calm, but in his mind, he was panicking - was a seizure about to start? Could he help?
Zorox snapped his head towards Epic, and started aggressively nudging his leg and barking.
Epic flinched slightly, but quickly dove into his pant pockets - what could the pup be looking for? He started pulling out every item he could. Phone, charger, random things, a pill bottle-
Wait.
A pill bottle?
"Zorox, are these his pills?-" Zorox answered by snatching them out of his hand and attempting to pop off the cap.
Epic quickly took it back, and told him, "Go find me a waterbottle! Get one from the foot court!"
Zorox barked in affirmation, and hopped off. He sprinted right out the door, leaving his boy in the care of the older.
He took a right on his way out, zooming by startled visitors and doctors. He barked to make them move out of the way, and dodged people using walkers or aids.
A doctor yelled out in surprise, but Zorox paid them no attention. Someone tried to grab him, but he wormed his way out and continued on his way towards the food court.
He was faster than Epic was getting there. At the first counter he saw, he jumped clean over, nearly knocking over the food of a visitor.
The workers yelped in shock, jumping out of Zorox's way. Zorox headed straight for the back, where he knew beverages were kept - one time he had managed to sneak into a fast food place because he was bored and hungry, and had practically memorized the back section of it. He knew right were the drinks were.
Upon seeing the cooler, he jumped onto the counter closest to the door, and nudged it open. Once he could fit his snout inside the little crack, he grabbed a water bottle and pulled it out.
He barked in triumph, dodging workers as he jumped off the counter and went right back out the way he came.
Leaping over the counter again and bolting out of the cafeteria, he happily jumped around as he made his way back to his human. He was glad he found water.
Rushing back through the chapel doors, Zorox practically threw the water bottle at Epic, who had managed to calm Beta down.
Epic and Beta both jumped in shock, but the older caught the bottle and gave Beta his pills. As he did this, Zorox trotted around the chapel to get the rest of his energy out before walking back to Beta and making his place on the child's chest.
Beta took his pills, and chugged the entire bottle of water with it. He relaxed after a moment.
It took hours to calm the poor kid down. But finally, as the sun set and shone through the stained glass, the boy had finally stopped crying.
Epic kept a good grasp, "There you go, buddy. Are you feeling better?" He murmured.
Beta nodded, wiping his exhausted, red eyes. "I wanna go to bed..." He mumbled in response.
Epic nodded, "Okay, thats fine. Do you want to go back to the room?"
"Mhm.." He whined in response, still petting his dog.
"Alright. Tell me when you're ready to stand, okay? Don't rush yourself. I don't want you getting dizzy on me." Epic reassured softly.
Beta nodded, and began to sit up slowly just to see how he felt. The world still spun, but he felt safer - warmer. Like nothing could hurt him.
"How are you feeling?" Epic whispered.
"Dizzy." He replied, leaning back on their chest. "But I wanna try to walk."
Epic looked incredibly concerned, "Are you sure? Don't rush yourself. We don't want you getting hurt."
But Beta insisted. "No, no, I can do it. I can do it..."
Epic hesitated greatly, but sighed. "Alright. Zorox, buddy, can you move off for a moment please?"
Zorox refused. He huffed, plopping his head on Beta's chest to keep him down.
"Aw, c'mon Z, don't be like that!" Epic whined a bit playfully, giving him scratches behind his ear. "Hey, tell you what, we got treats for you up in the room. If you get up, you can have them?"
Zorox debated it, but his wagging tail showed his mind was made up. Still, he checked with Beta to make sure it was okay with him.
Beta nodded, and whispered to him, "Its okay, you can get up." Zorox obliged.
After gently getting Zorox off of his lap, Epic helped Beta stand. The child swayed as he did so, completely dizzy. Epic gently held him up by the arms.
"Are you ready to go back?" Epic asked, his voice just above a whisper.
Beta thought for a moment, wiping his eyes. But he nodded, "Yes. Thank you." He desperately wanted to go to sleep.
"It's no problem. Do you want me to pick you up, buddy?" He offered, opening his arms for the kid.
Beta sniffled, nodding again. He was far too exhausted to stand any longer. He walked right into Epic's arms, hugging him tight.
The older man hugged him back, smiling sadly, "Okay, bud, you got it. Do you want to go eat something?"
"No, I wanna sleep," the drained child replied. He wasn't sure how much longer he could will his legs to hold him up.
"That's fine, kid." Epic gently picked him up, carefully holding him close as Beta instinctively went to wrap his legs around Epic's waist for support. Epic was a bit surprised, but let the kid adjust before they started moving.
That is, until, Zorox got a certian look in his eyes.
Epic's eyes went wide as he slowly backed away from the pup.
"Zorox, no." He muttered, holding Beta tighter. The kid peeked his head up, confused.
Zorox bent down, as if preparing to jump. His tail was wagging like never before.
"Zorox no! I'm holding Beta- nonONONO DONT-"
Zorox jumped high, and Epic braced for impact immediately, rushing to shield the kid.
The happy pup landed right on Epic's shoulders, and gladly laid himself down, licking Epic and Beta as a thank you. If Beta's getting carried, then so is he!
Epic sighed, but couldn't help chuckling as he pet the dog back. Beta, however, was laughing a bit.
It was good to hear him laugh after all the tears.
"Alright, alright, you two!" Epic snickered, "Lets get back. B, you can sleep if you need to, okay? Don't force yourself to stay up."
Beta nodded, and relaxed himself in Epic's arms. Zorox kept licking the kid, booping him with his nose to keep him distracted.
They started the journey back up to the hospital room. Nurses stared as Epic passed by, a phantom in his arms and a fluffy service dog on his shoulders. None of them dared to question him as he passed by.
The way back seemed so much shorter, now that he knew where he was going. "Hey, do yall want the stairs, or the elevator?"
Beta yawned, settling himself in there. "Elevator..." The sleepy child mumbled. Zorox licked the kid's forehead to keep him awake. Beta just whined and wiped his head in response.
Epic chuckled, "Zorox, bud, let him sleep if he wants to. He's okay!"
Zorox perked up, but rested his head on top of Beta's. Epic smiled lightly as he moved towards the elevator, pressing the button with his elbow since his hands were occupied.
The elevator dinged, and he quickly walked in. Luckily, no one else was in the elevator with them.
As the doors closed, Beta asked softly, "How's Sans doing?"
Epic thought for a moment, "Y'know, I'm not too sure, kiddo. We can check on him once we get back, okay?"
Beta nodded in affirmation. He rested his eyes.
Epic stepped out of the elevator, and started making his way towards their room. There was no talking, though, which concerned him. But that reminded him...
"Hey, kid, if I can ask. Why'd you run out in the first place?" He asked softly.
"It was too much. And the bedsheets are bad." He explained sleepily, unable to resist a yawn.
Epic nodded, smiling sadly, "You could've just told us, bud. And don't worry, we can change the sheets."
"It was too loud. The lights were really bright. It's a hard adjustment," Beta explained further, his sleepy eyes locked on their hospital room.
They gently knocked on the door. Color answered, opening it for them.
They looked surprised, but let them in, "Epic?- wow, you sure got your hands full. Uh, you- you want some help there?" He offered, startled.
Epic glanced over at Beta. Beta nodded, and reached out for Color.
Color gently took the boy in his arms, holding him close. Beta immediately leaned on him, whining softly.
They looked incredibly concerned. "Are you okay, kiddo?"
Beta nodded. "I wanna sleep," he muttered, pointing at the bed.
Color glanced at Epic for confirmation. Epic quickly nodded, slowly kneeling on the ground so Zorox could get off safely.
Color nodded back, and led the boy to the open space Sans had left him. They put him down right in front of the hospital bed.
Beta quickly crawled back in, and wiggled himself right into Sans' arms. They fit like two puzzle pieces, and finally, Beta relaxed. Zorox joined them soon after.
Epic made his way over to Color, the two exchanging nervous glances. Something bad happened, but Color didn't know what - Sans hadn't given him much to work with.
They waited nearly an hour before speaking, wanting to make sure the two were actually asleep and not faking. Epic strictly insisted on it. Color didn't argue.
However, once the two were guaranteed to be asleep, Color turned to look at Epic. "Did you get anything out of Beta? I couldnt get anything out of Sans. He just kept apologizing over and over and repeating her name."
Epic took a deep breath, choking back tears as he recalled what Beta had told him, "Nightmare's outdone himself this time," he whispered. "I've never seen him cry so hard before."
Color's eye went wide, and quickly sat Epic down on one of the chairs. They gently rested their hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to tell me right now if it's too painful."
But Epic just shook his head. "No. You need to know."
He retold Color everything Beta had said to him. He couldn't look at their face as he gave the horrific details of the torture they had been through, or the things Eliza had said.
It took longer than he thought it would to get it all out. And when he was done, he nervously turned to look at Color's face.
Color was stunned. For once, the Souls seemed to be quiet - until Justice and Bravery took over. A quiet rage showed in their gradiented eyes.
They stood.
Epic jumped to his feet, "Uh-uh. I know that look. Sit back down." He quickly said, gently pushing Color back down.
"I'm gonna fucking kill him," they growled out. Epic wasn't sure if it was Bravery or Justice talking on that one. Could be both.
"Yes, I know, I know. But right now we have to help Delta, and then we can go kill Nightmare. We need a plan, too." Epic was swift to reason.
Color seemed to calm down slightly at that. He nodded, relaxing just a bit.
They turned to look at the two on the hospital bed, curled in each other's arms, finally safe and asleep. It would be a decent time before they fully recovered, both physically and mentally, but they knew Delta could do it.
"Stars, it's just... horrible. I mean, I know it's Nightmare and all, but how could he do that to an innocent? Especially a Human?" Color searched for any line of reasoning within the thoughts, but there was none. They put their head in their hands.
Epic nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I don't know, Col. We should probably tell the doctor when they're ready."
"Not right now, though."
"No, yeah, not right now. We gotta let them rest."
There was a quiet pause.
"... how did Zorox do?"
"He did really good. Beta started having trouble again, so he went to go get some water for his pills."
"And he actually got a water?"
"Yeah. The pup did really well."
"Good to hear."
"Mhm. How was Sans?"
"Hurt. He was just... completely dissociated. He explained a little bit of what happened, but he went nonverbal after a while. The guilt was eating him alive."
"Yeah, I can tell. I mean, it makes total sense, they were both struggling a lot."
"Yeah. His medicines disappeared, though."
"... is that how they got in my pocket?"
"Oh!"
"I mean, I'm glad I had them, but I was wondering how that happened!" Epic couldn't help laughing a bit.
Color shared a chuckle with him, "Hey, at least we know where they are. I'm assuming that's the trouble you were referring to?"
"With Beta? Yeah, it was. He almost worked himself up to a seizure, but Z and I stopped it before it could happen."
"Good job."
"Thank you. Any trouble with Sans? I mean, aside from what you told me."
"No. I mean, he was just... so distant. It was kind of weird."
"I can imagine... how are you feeling about all this?"
Color paused to think for a moment. He sighed, leaning slightly on Epic, "Its just... a lot. I'm angry, but also hurt that they had to go through all that. It's not fair for anyone involved. And as shitty as it is to say, I'm glad they didn't rat Killer out."
Epic nodded in understanding, "I'm glad, too. It's okay to be glad for that."
Color nodded back, "Thank you... what about you, though? You had to hear it first hand." They gently rested a hand on Epic's shoulder.
Epic tensed at first, lost in his own thoughts. "... I'm not sure if it's gonna be safe for them to sleep for a while." He muttered, eyeing the two. "But they really need it. Also, we should probably get them some food when they can stomach it."
Color looked a bit confused. "I mean, yeah, that's kind of a given. But how are you doing with it all? I know it must've been a lot."
Epic stared at the ground.
"... I'm pissed that this happened. None of them deserved this. Honestly, just... hearing it from Beta made it so much worse. I don't think I've ever seen the kid cry so hard. It's just a really fucked up situation - like, Nightmare kidnapping a human?! What the hell is the point?"
Epic took a second to lower his voice, and take a breath. "But. We need to help more than question. If they're able to handle it, I think we need to talk to them tomorrow, the both of us. And with Zorox here, things are gonna get a lot easier for all of us."
Color nodded along. "I feel you. I can't even begin to understand their pain. But Stars, this is fucked up."
The conversation fell silent after a little bit. They watched over the three on the bed, and Color noticed that Sans' stats had gotten up to much healthier levels now that Beta and Zorox were back.
Neither had much to think as they processed it all. But once thing was for sure -
Day 14-19: Bloodied relics, rotting flowers, parasite infection, body cocoon, molting skin, hollowed out
Tw: blood, statues, religious themes, cult mention, death themes, starvation, mold, maggots, vomit, body bag mention, skin falling off/melting, raw anatomy, implied lobotomy, stalking
[Tape 14.]
The camera clicked back on.
The statue of the angel was covered in blood - from itself.
A white glow emitted from its eyes and open mouth once more but, whoever was holding the camera didn't move.
...
Who is holding the camera?
...
Doesn't matter.
It was turned slightly to be able to see into the cultists' room. The skull had been placed back upon the altar, bleeding, cracked - just like the skulls of those who had served it.
A sudden bought of static resumed on the screen.
-
[Tape 15.]
A faint humming was heard. Soft, melodic - like a long-forgotten lullaby.
How long has it been since she has sang a lullaby?
... why can't she remember?
...
After so long of staying inside, the woman was finally chased out into the garden.
She panted as she collapsed, pressing herself against the cold, moist ground.
Relief flooded her senses. How long as it been since she had last eaten? Without hesitance, she put the camera down, and shoveled handfuls of soil into her mouth as she took the time to breathe. She crunch of the rocks between her teeth made her flinch just slightly, but she couldn't care less - she needed food.
Grateful tears flowed from her eyes. She attempted to mumble a prayer of thanks to anyone who was listening, but her fallen voice wouldn't allow her to speak.
Eventually, after what felt like far too long, she finished her meal and picked up the camera.
She stumbled to her feet as what felt like a drunken daze filled her mind. Barely, she managed to hold herself steady enough to walk the trails of the long-forgotten garden.
The soft hum continued. But not by her voice.
It was getting closer.
The flowers were all dead, rotted, even moldy. But beautiful nonetheless - more beautiful than the woman had seen in so long.
Carnations, marigolds, monkey orchids, red spider lilies, rosemary, wolfsbane - just a number of the elegant flowers she remembered the names of. And in the center of the garden was one, lonely black rose.
She fell to her knees before it. So badly, she just wanted the scent of roses to fill her mind just once more, but... what use was it if it was dead?
-
[Tape 16.]
She collapsed next to the rotted rose with a scream. Something had entered her body when she had smelled it.
A shooting pain traveled through her stomach, making her vomit the soil she had eaten. But when she looked...
Maggots.
Maggots were everywhere.
A gasp escaped her lips once she realized what she had done. A horrified screech allowed itself out as she frantically clawed at her stomach to induce more vomit. She pounded against it, feeling sharp, stabbing pains with every hit - but it was necessary. She couldn't let them win. Not now.
The familiar burn reached her throat. Without hesitance, she jabbed at herself, causing vomit and blood to spew out.
She gasped for air as more maggots flew out of her mouth. The camera had been long dropped - but picked up on something coming up behind her.
Static resumed.
-
[Tape 17.]
The camera awoke to see a hard, silky substance encasing the woman like a cocoon. It formed what looked like a body bag around her. Movement could be faintly seen inside.
The camera laid still, perfectly positioned to see it.
No noise was heard. But it didn't need to be - the thrashing against her newfound skin was enough.
Harsh jabs and prods were thrown against the sides of the cocoon, seeming all the more frantic the longer it took. But finally, she was free - but not unchanged.
Gasping for air, she trembled as she watched her skin slowly getting peeled off by the maggots. Muscles and tendons were exposed, and eventually, the skin around her face fell clean off. Her eyes nearly popped out, but stayed just barely in tact as red oozed down into a puddle on the ground.
It didn't hurt.
Nothing hurt anymore.
She was free.
...she was so close to being free...
But not yet.
There were more plans for her.
The camera cut once more, as static resumed.
-
[Tape 19.]
When the static cleared, the camera was facing her once again. Her skin was back, but she looked... wrong.
Her pale face was much more gaunt, cheeks and eyesockets sunken. Her now dull brown hair was falling out in clumps. And her blue eyes held a certain emptiness to them that would remind one of a doll.
She looked so... hollow.
A sharp incision line scored across her forehead. But she didn't seem to notice - or care. It wrapped around the entirety of her head. One wrong move, and the top half would come unhinged like a trap door.
With trembling hands, she panned the camera down. Her stomach had a large hole in it - literally. Although no blood remained, signs of torn organs and bones were eminent.
