Soooooo... what are you guys gonna do now? How long do you think you'll have to wait before the septics find a 'cure'?
“I guess we just... wait.” Shop said with a lethargic yawn. Why was she feeling so tired? Maybe she didn’t get enough sleep, not like she had a normal sleeping schedule or anything.
Still, time to get the ball rolling, she thought to herself, taking Dark with her through her day, and playing catch up with this place she called home, which seemed to simply exist the way it had when she was last there, not that she thought much on it.
Settling in for another night, Shop was restless, her mind running a million miles per hour. One glance to the little doll on her dresser waving her to sleep though, and she smiled and turned in for the night.
Unfortunately for her, it was not a peaceful rest.
Obviously, being a toy meant he didn’t need sleep, and Shop has left a light on in the room to illuminate it in an amber glow. At first, she just shuffled around, which wasn’t much cause for alarm to him; he knew Shop couldn’t sit still, even in sleep, but what caught his attention was the mumbling that came from her.
She was having a nightmare.
At the same time, the cat that had been on the bed with Shop hopped down to the ground, being understandably disgruntled with his sleeping spot being compromised. One look at this yarn based creature though, and the cat was jumping up to stare Dark down.
The doll looked up as frightfully as he could manage, not enjoying the whisker investigation while trying to keep an eye on Shop, who was now seemingly still. This moment of silence also spelt doom for Dark however, when he felt a dainty jaw clamp down on him like the inanimate object that he was, the cat jumping down and back onto the bed, deeming the warm body a good enough spot again before curling up with Dark, who managed to wriggle and punch his way out of the maw. Now propped against the mountainous Shop, he could feel how she quivered, and decided to crawl his way up to her face in some silent, vain attempt to comfort her as the cat beside her watched on, curious.
He placed a yarn hand on the tip of her nose, feeling every tension in this small part of her that normally went by unnoticed by him. It was almost... humbling to have this moment to reflect on what this person meant to him, despite all the bickering and disagreements. This one had faced so much, and even her sleeping can’t always give her an escape...
The whole situation was fascinating, and what was more so interesting was that fact that he could now start to feel how cold Shop’s nose was under his hand. Throwing his brows up in surprise, he blinked for the first time in what felt like forever.
The spell was wearing off! And he still had no control over his legs. A shame, but luckily Dark wasn’t so much worried about that as he was worried about turning back and shoving into Shop, so he dragged himself to the edge of the bed and did his best to slide down, more and more feeling returning as he turned back to his normal form, albeit without his signature glow and rather unnatural height as he partly tumbled to the ground, scaring the poor cat into running out the room as Shop shot up in a cold sweat, shaking like a leaf as she stared head on into nothingness.
“Hey, hey, calm down, it’s ok, you’re alright.” Dark cleared his throat and spoke as he got to his knees, being level with the bed as Shop whipped her gaze aggressively into his, panting as she looked to the dresser and back down to him, whimpering a small bit; he got the hint.
“No, no you’re not dreaming anymore, I’m back, er... mostly...” He gestured to himself as he glanced down as his rather pristine outfit. “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with this?...” He chuckled to himself, not expecting a response.
“What ever the case, the fact is I’m back, well aside our little height issue, but you should get back to sleep, if you can, I mean...” Shop shook her head, lips pursed tightly. “Ah... well then, I’ll stand guard for you, how’s that sound?” She nodded, a slight smile on her face as she sunk back down into her bed.
Hey y’all! So uh..... I tried my hand some g/t writing, based off an idea @pizsospa and myself had, so without further ado, here it is!
It had been weeks since it happened.
Weeks since she and her friends snuck into the household of the egos. Shop couldn’t remember for the life of her WHY they did it. Was a bet? Were they escaping from something? The three of them couldn’t have hidden away in a household full of mini giants for no reason...could they?
Maybe she felt like this because of where she decided to sneak into… while one friend had run off to find Wilford, and the other to the Host, Shop had decided to sneak into Dark’s domain, stupidly choosing to ignore the little voice in her head screaming how bad of an idea it was as she crossed the threshold.
At first, she thought it would work out, full of hope that Dark was not as bad as he always appeared, but she quickly found this is be wrong. Oh so wrong. While he wasn’t quite as malicious as some might have thought, he was still dangerous, and crafty at that, though Shop should have known this, given his manipulative nature.
While her friends were treated with care and spoken to as equals (as far as she could tell), Shop found herself becoming Dark’s personal ‘assistant’, which wouldn’t be all that bad, if being his assistant didn’t mean everything from being a stress reliever in long board meetings, to performing menial tasks while he watches from afar. Shop presumed this was due to her size; when compared to him and everything else in the house, only coming up to someone’s knee seems to make everything just a bit harder to do.
But today was different.
Shop rolled out of bed to start the day, which, ever since Dark caught her fast asleep on a pile of clothes fresh out the dryer, was simply a pile of various fabrics that she had managed to piece together into a bed of sorts. As soon as her feet hit the floorboards, Shop felt a wave of exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks, making her dizzy. She sat in bed for a while longer before blaming the minor pain on getting up too quickly, and finally got up to change and start another long day, finding herself blowing her nose more than usual as she finished putting on the custom-made suit Dark had given her. She was never sure if he had made the gesture to show he had claimed her, or as a random act of kindness, but whatever it was, at least it was comfortable to wear.
Today though, the light vest and button up seemed to cling to her skin as she did her tie, the red a stark difference to the grays of the rest of her ensemble as she stifled a cough.
Damn, I can’t be… maybe I just need some water… She thought as she looked over at the large bed in the nearly pitch-black room. It was early, and Dark was still asleep. Good. She could go get something to drink before he started demanding anything of her. As she moved her way around the room, she felt another, heavier wave of dull pain hit her body, leaving her head spinning with a headache.
No, no, you’re not sick Shop, you just need to drink some water, come on. She kept telling herself she was alright as she walked into the bathroom, a chill falling down her spine as she was reminded of how much taller the sink was than herself, sighing heavily as she moved a nearby stool to get closer to the edge and lessen the climb, just barely lifting herself up onto the countertop, grateful for the cool marble as she felt herself heating up. She laid down to catch her breath, which didn’t help her thrashed throat as she started coughing violently, waking the ego in the next room.
Dark woke with a rumble. Someone was in his bathroom, and from the sound of it, they were coming down with something serious, if the hacking cough that echoed through the room was any indication. He sat up silently, glancing over to see that the spot Shop occupied in her sleep was empty. He cracked a smile as he thought about all the tasks he could watch her complete in the day. He knew she hated him for it, and always took note when she looked off at her friends when they passed by with the other egos. He felt no pity for the girl, but at the same time, it would be less than amusing for his little assistant to pass out or seriously injury herself in her sickened state; He’d come to know how stubborn and often time dead set she’d be in her ways. He cracked his neck with an annoyed groan as he stood; he hated the idea of her thinking he was going to be more kind to her, but if it meant he could toy with her more in the future, he was willing to endure it.
He sauntered into the bathroom to find Shop had gotten fully dressed, and was currently staring him down with tired eyes as she downed what seemed to be another cup of water. He figured she had heard him get up and tried to stop her coughing and sniffling, which he purposely ignored as he briefly washed up before looking her up and down.
“Everything… to your liking? ...” She coughed. “I’m going… no need to ask…”
Dark was surprised to hear her voice, his expression remaining unreadable. It was low, gruff and scratched up, sounding almost as if she had stolen another’s voice to replace her own. She sounded worse than her cough. Almost. He couldn’t help but smile and watch as she struggled to climb back down to the floor, following the wall out to the hallway; He knew that this would prevent her from talking back as much as she normally did.
Shop had been holding her breath since she heard Dark wake, but now, as she exited the room, she had coughed till she was blue in face, knowing that it would only worse from here as she looked down the stairs facing her; her vision starting to swim as her stomach dropped. She had never been afraid of heights, but she imagined this is what it felt like. She took a deep breath, determined to prove she could do anything by herself to the ego she knew was watching her every move as she begin to climb down, noting that Dark was following closer than normal.
Dark watched in both amusement and caution as he followed Shop down the stairs, starting to guess how long it would be before the human collapsed, whether it be at the bottom of the staircase, on the way to the kitchen, though he seriously doubted she could do anything beyond that. Halfway down the stairs, Dark took notice of Shop’s progressively intensifying coughs and hacks, swearing he could see her shuddering with every movement made as she continued down.
As Shop finally got down and off the last step, she collapsed, curling up on the wood floor. She was shivering, despite her skin feeling as though it was on fire, her head throbbing with every cough she let out and her nose felt so clogged up that she wasn’t even sure she could say she had nostrils anymore.
Shop heard Dark’s signature ringing pierce her skull painfully as he leaned over to speak down at her.
“Excuse me, but what do you think you’re doing, laying there on the floor? Do you wish to be a floor mat? How thoughtful of you dear assistant~” He cooed in a suave tone as lifted his foot above her, waiting for a reaction, and when he saw that she did nothing, he crouched down, looming over the girl to get a good look at her. Shop simply glared back at him, grimacing both in pain from the comment and her inability to speak without sounding like absolute shit, thanks in part to her cough. Dark sat back in the quiet house, straightening his suit jacket as he spoke.
“Strange, you always have some kind of…remark to banter back to me. Are you… alright?” He had to almost force himself to ask her the question, seeing as he already knew, and only cared if she could stand and walk, but he wanted to see how far she would push herself. Shop tried to say something, but whatever she had attempted to say came out in a rasp, followed by too much coughing and wheezing to be considered good by anyone, even Dark.
“Hm… this won’t do. How can you do anything in this state of being? Come along now…” He reaches down to pick Shop off the floor, awkwardly holding her sick, quivering form in the crook of his arm.
“My goodness, you must be in terrible condition to be shivering as you are whilst burning up like this, oh no no no, this will not do at ALL.” He states half teasingly as he starts walking towards the kitchen.
Shop was confused by Dark’s action; she wanted to ask him why he was bothering to act kindly towards her so suddenly, but all that came out of her mouth was an ugly croak. She lurched forward as she went into another coughing fit, finding she was thankful that Dark had thought to not grab her as he would on any other day as he walked into the kitchen, setting her down on a counter, where she immediately crumpled as Dark prepared a small cup of chamomile tea, complete with honey for his small companion.
As Dark waited for the tea to steep, he heard a weak “w-why...” come from the sick girl. He finished stirring the honey into the small cup before picking her up with a smile, handing her the proportionately sized mug as he walked off.
“because, my little assistant, you are taking a sick day.”
You could always use this as a learning experience, see what it's like to be in the opposite role and try and understand each other better???? Idk, if I could help I would!
Dark scoffed, “You assume I don’t try to understand her already?” He whispers, trying to make sure he let Shop sleep a bit. “But, you ARE right anon, this has been quite the learning experience...”
The next morning, Shop wakes up to the smell of a home cooked breakfast, Dark waiting for her so they can talk over food, the events that had transpired.
After which, the two set off back home, Shop, for once, not looking back. She knew it would still be there when she needed, and she had a hunch that lead her to believe that Dark, and by extension, she, needed to go back to the manor to get back to their normal, not so normal life.
And sure enough, Marvin and Henrik were waiting for the two to come back to the cabin, despite Dark’s reservations about walking there while so much smaller than normal.
((At long last, I’m finally posting this properly! I just wanna say thanks to everyone who’s waited around for this, just keep in mind, this will actually be part 1 of this particular story, so I hope you enjoy!))
Shop was finally on her way to the septic’s house to see what was taking Dark so long. She knew it was impatient of her to assume that they would be done in a snap, but she had a pretty good idea of who and what they were talking about, and she wanted a say in it all. There was a sense of admiration towards Dark for taking charge and wanting to prevent any harm from befalling the shifter, but she also did not enjoy being tucked away like some priceless heirloom.
Shoving her hands into the pouch of her hoodie, Shop trudged along down the now rather familiar path, making sure she was the usual ego size; she’d rather not have to be so worried about being grabbed and tossed around, further proving to the others to be able to take care of herself, not that anyone doubted it. Shop was staring hard into her own footfalls that she almost passed by the cabin, stopping swiftly in her tracks as she turned towards the front door. She would have knocked immediately, but as she grew closer to the front door, she could hear the distinct sound of multiple people yelling over each other. Hesitantly, she lifted her fist, and knocked.
---
It was complete chaos inside the cabin. How in the hell did a simple meeting turn into an insane rendition of search and rescue?
-about an hour earlier-
“Thank You For The Coffee Henrik, You Didn’t Have To Make Any Food Though.” Dark swirled the near pitch black liquid in his mug before gesturing to the sandwiches that had been placed out before him as the septic’s doctor pulled a seat out for himself to sit with Dark, his brows knit as tightly as the sweater he wore. “It is no problem, and do not worry about the food, I figure it would be good since you have been in here for a while now, but I digress, where were we? How are ah- how are you and Shop doing after eh…” Henrik, still not sure what to call their previous experience with the fusion Shark, simply waved his hand in uncertainty before Dark raised a hand with an uncharacteristically kind smile on his face, chuckling. “We Are Doing Just Fine, Shop Is Back To Her Usual Chipper Self Thankfully…” His expression darkened as his hands gripped the steaming mug, glaring down the doctor from his seat, forcing his aura out just a small bit in a show of control. “But You Know Full Well That Was Not What We Were Talking About. We Need To Talk About… Him.” Henrik sighed, his shoulders lowering. “Ja- We all know Anti can be… intense. At times…”
“When Is He Ever NOT Intense, Doctor?”
Henrik twiddled his thumbs, seemingly deep in thought. “Well, we tend to just. Deal with it, as it were… I am sure you know how it can be, what with the company you share within your own walls.”
“At Least My Company Does Not Intentionally Attack Humans For Sport.” Dark spat aggressively, growing defensive.
Henrik almost choked on his coffee at the statement, the silent confusion enough for Dark to see that he might’ve gone too far, and needed to reel it back in, not to mention that Henrik seemed to be out of the loop of what happened, so he assumed that Doctor Iplier had not told him everything. He took a deep breath, his aura and ringing coming back down as he calmly explained what had happened, only glancing from the doctor as others came past the dining room to get to the kitchen.
At the same time, the magician known as Marvin was in his room, his corner of the house, practicing some new, and remembering some old spells, muttering to himself, so he didn’t quite notice when Anti slunk into his room. The glitch knew no sense of personal boundaries, so the others of the household just learned to tolerate his presence, even when he was spewing threats and the like. Everyone was aware that Dark was in the house talking with Henrik about… well, Anti, so when he giggled, threatening to knock over some bottles with his knife, Marvin sighed and just continued reading and muttering to himself.
“You didn’t let me finish-!!” Marvin was given no time to react as Anti mockingly hugged the magician from behind, making him yelp in surprise.
“What Was That?” Dark sat up at the distance cry.
“Hm? Oh that must have been Marvin, he said he would be practicing some things today, I suppose Anti saw that as an invitation to go bother him. I am sure he is fine.” Henrik explained rather bluntly as Chase and Jackie peeked into the room at the cry.
“That Did Not Sound Like Being Fine To Me Doctor…”
“Oh no no, Anti doesn’t really do much around here aside pull pranks and be a general nuisance-” Henrik is cut off by Chase letting out a ‘HAH!’ in response to the explanation, the hero ego smacking his shoulder lightly before pulling him out of view. “Sometimes he has a habit of slipping into Jack’s videos in the form of random glitches, just to mess with the community, we try to tell him to stop that and wait until he’s needed for a proper video, but he never seems to listen.” He clears his throat and waves his hand, as though to clear his thoughts, knowing Dark would want to continue discussing the issue at hand.
“Anti for the last time, let me be!” Marvin was starting to get real agitated with Anti, swatting him away like a fly buzzing around his ears. The glitch cackled and continued to lean in closer and closer to Marvin, bothering him with all sorts of questions and annoying sounds.
“Alright, I’ve had ENOUGH of you!!” Marvin shouted as his hands glowed, preparing a spell, any spell at this point, that would shut the glitch up, flinging his now glowing green hands towards Anti, who glitched out of the way with a maniacal giggle as the manifested spell ricocheted off the walls and out the open door that Anti had oh so courteously opened, watching the wad of magic bounce around before entering the next room, cheering to himself as he heard a rather frantic ‘Scheiße!’ from Henrik, running into the dining room with a wild grin plastered on his face to witness the magic’s effect on the afflicted, quite surprised to see Henrik unaffected, sauntering with a sneer.
“ W͢ell̨ ́w̡h̀o̴ e͡lse c͟o̷uld́ ͞it͏ have-̸ ͝o̧h ͞h̨o,̷ oh h̵òhơ̸̴h̢̕ho͘͟͠h͘͟oḩ̵͢o̡o̶h̴̢̡o͘͡҉h̸h̸h̢̨̢o̴̕o̷̴͜ó̶̕Ó͝!!!” Anti melted into a cackle when he sees a lifeless little crocheted version of dark laying on his chair, picking him up as Marvin ran into the room.
“ M͠a҉rv̀, ͝y͘o͟u͏ ͟w͢e̛re ̧goǹna̧ d͏o t̴his̷ ̡to ͟me̵?͝ ̧I’m̛ ͘húr̀t̨,҉ t̨ru̶l͟y Ì ͘am̀!͝” he giggled more as he rolled Dark in the palm of his hand, eyeing the details he exhibited. “ I҉ c̶òu͞l̡d̀ ùs҉e h͘i͢m͘ as̵ a ͟l͢ítţle̢ p͝in͘ ͠cush̛ion!̀”
Henrik recoiled at that statement and shot up, snatching Dark out the glitch’s hands. “You will do no such thing! Marvin! You need to change him back this instance!”
“W-what?! B-but, I dunno how!”
“If you cast it there must be some way to reverse it, no?”
“Well, o-of course, I just-” Marvin rubbed his hands nervously, he hated being put on the spot like this, but even he knew the importance of getting the ego back to normal, especially if that curious human of his got worried and tried to come to them on her own.
“Alright, alright I’ll try-” Marvin managed to get out as he shook out the nerves from his hands, taking the crocheted ego from the doctor and giving Anti the stink eye; mumbling some words to try to think through a plethora of spells, he doesn’t notice the bubbly Jackie popping out from a nearby corridor with a excited greeting, making Marvin lose his concentration and accidently cast a reduction spell, making the already small doll start to shrink in his hands as he jumps, sending Dark flying.
“J-jackie!! I was trying to focus!”
“Yeah, on that doll you were holding; what was it for anyway?”
“THAT WAS DARKIPLIER!!”
It took the hero a moment to process that, Anti breaking down in a mess of glitches and giggles, Henrik already on his knees, looking for the ego.
“OH FUCK.”
The three were on the floor in a matter of moments, yelling over each other as Anti cackled before they heard a few solid knocks on the front door.
-----
Shop grew more worried as all the noise stopped, she went to knock again after hearing rustling and laughter, all followed by silence, but it was unneeded was the door squeaked open, as if scared to welcome her inside as Henrik’s face drained of color. That wasn’t a good sign.
“A-ah! Hallo Shop! You seem to have grown since the last time I saw you! H-how are you!”
“I uh… I’m fine, is Dark inside? I came to check on him since y’all seemed to be having a rather lengthy chat, ha…” She fidgeted with her hands she spoke, a bit nervous.
“Ah! Ah… er… He is! Just… taking a break at the moment, please, feel free to come in!” Henrik ushered Shop inside, biting his lip as she walked past him before leading her into the dining room to sit, where everything was in its place, except Dark. She glanced at the mug that she presumed to be his as Henrik excused himself to the next room, assuring Shop that he would be right back.
Shop exhaled slowly as soon as she was alone; something didn’t sit well with her; she knew Dark wouldn’t just up and leave, so where was he? There was that, along with the fact that last time she was here, she was unconscious and still in a bit of pain. Shop drummed her fingers on the table, fidgeting. She couldn’t wait, so she tucked her head between her arms to try and calm herself, looking at the little details on the floor below, her eyes following the dark patterns of grain in the floorboards before her eyes fell on something… odd. Shop tilted her head, curious as she tried to see what it was from her seat, but it was just too small to make out. Glancing around, seeing as the doctor wasn’t back yet, and the house seemed quiet and devoid of activity for the most part, Shop stood up and crouched down, shrinking back down to her normal size before walking towards the object, still cautious as she approached.
“A doll?...” Shop reached out to pick Dark up, looking him over. “You look like Dark, heh… but what are you doing down here? And why are you so small?...” She rubbed the little crocheted hand gently between her fingers, not thinking anything of the action. “I wish he’d just show up already… I’m really worried about him…” Shop scoffed at herself. “Tsk, look at me, sitting under a table talking to a do-” Shop froze, she could’ve sworn she felt the hand she was holding… grip her hand back? But that was impossible… wasn’t it? Then again she was a magic cabin in the woods full of giant egos, so who was to say what was impossible?
“I- um…” Shop blushed bashfully, lifting the toy up more towards her face. “Dark? Buddy?... can you hear me?...” She waited patiently, worried she was actually going insane before the little hand moved again, wrapping itself around her thumb before the other hand slowly twitched to life, the crocheted brows on his face seemingly breaking out of place to emote a scowl, as though it was taking an immense amount of effort to move.
Henrik walked back into a seemingly empty room, a bit surprised as he quietly called out for Shop. “Ah, erm, hallo?... Shop?...”
The shifter jumped as she heard her name, clutching Dark close to herself before she peeked out from behind a table leg. “Still here! Just uh… found something… or rather, someone.” She walked out with the doll in her hands, barely visible, even as Henrik knelt down and adjusted his glasses, his eyes going wide as he realized what she was holding. This was enough for Shop to confirm that this was, in fact, Dark, and so she puffed out her chest and stood tall as she spoke. “What’s going on Doc? How’d this happen hm?” She wasn’t gonna leave without a proper answer and-
“Marvin was practicing his spells when things got a little out of control and well. This happened!”
((Second part, coming right up! After this y’all’re free to ask to yer heart’s content, time to get the real party started!))
“Hang on, hang on, mind running that by me one more time, while we’re seating properly?”
Shop, without thinking, tucked Dark into her hoodie pouch and hopped back up into the chair, struggling a bit to pick herself up as she jumped up and clambered onto the table with a huff. Soon she remembered where exactly she was and her feverish courage quickly wore off as she stuffed her hands into the hoodie and held Dark, fidgeting with him whilst she quickly made her way closer to Henrik as he took his seat.
“Ah, well, I take it you know why he came here?” Henrik gestured vaguely as he rubbed his forehead.
“Uh… well, he didn’t actually… tell me, but, I assume it’s ‘cause of… Anti?” There was a hint of worry as she spoke his name.
“Ja, Dark came here to discuss what could be done to better… ‘control’ him; he was admittedly upset when I had said we don’t actually have much control over him… I suspect he must have been messing with Marvin before he ah… well-”
“Before some kinda magical mishap happened and turned Dark into this?” Shop pulled the doll out and held him up, his brows raising and lifting to simulate an annoyed eye roll as he seemed to hold onto her fingers for added support, though she couldn’t help the small smile that curled on the edges of her lips at the thought of what sounded to be a rather passionate discussion over her safety.
“Unfortunately, that seems to be the case; we tried to have Marvin reverse the effects, but as you can see, it ah… only got worse… I can have him come back out to try again and-”
“No no, we’re not gonna do that.” Shop mused aloud, even the little Dark in her hands managed to turn his head just a bit as a reaction to the statement. “I’m sure Marvin feels very bad for what he did, but you should give him time to figure out how to reverse this. Properly.” She leaned in to emphasize the importance of the matter.
If Dark could speak, or even just emote more than simply moving his eyebrows into a raised position to suggest surprise, he would actually be commending Shop on such a… mature decision. From his experience with her, she always chose the faster, though often times, more risky route to solving her problems. This was… different...
“A-are you sure? You are welcome to stay if need be!” Dark snapped back to the conversation, not even realizing he had been spacing out, deep in thought as Shop tucked both him and her hands back into the hoodie pouch.
“We’ll be fine Henrik, I promise, it’d be nice to head back home for a few days anyway. Besides, you have my number now, so you can always call when you all get all this magic stuff figured out, cool?”
“Ja, I suppose…” Henrik briefly removed his glasses to rub the worry from his face before addressing Shop again. “Would you like me to join you to the door? I would like to see you off safely.” He refrained from mentioning anything about also making sure Anti hadn’t left the house, again, to practice with his knives in the woods, believing this might worry Shop to no end, based on her previous encounter with him.
He’d be right.
Shop nodded quickly, stopping herself while rubbing her thumb against Dark’s yarn head of hair. “I wouldn’t mind, thanks Doc.” She quickly added before finally bringing her hands back out to walk to the edge of the table to climb down; Henrik stood up and quickly walked over to where she was headed, hands held up in an offer.
“Oh my dear, you do not need to climb down if you wish, I can carry you over, seeing as you will have a long walk ahead of you!”
Shop hesitated, flexing her fists as she looked up to german doctor before gingerly shaking her head. “I don’t mean to offend you, but I don’t think I know you well enough to just let you carry me, sorry... I’ll be fine, no worries!” Her tone brightened towards the end of her response, but Dark could feel her nervous heartbeat quicken at the offer, and he was sure her body must have been tense, even as he was jostled around again as Shop made her way down back to the floor before being bounced around with no sense of direction, hardly listening to anything being said above him as he tried desperately to control his arms and grab some fabric to steady himself, to which he actually managed to do by the time he heard the other two say their goodbyes.
“I will be sure to call you as soon as we have got a solution, safe travels!”
“Thanks, but you guys better take your time with that stuff, we’ll be patient, promise!”
Dark jumped as a hand snaked back into the hoodie pouch and cupped to hold him, the distance movement of Shop waving as she stepped away from the cabin continuing to jostle him, though this time it was more bearable thanks to the hand holding him in place. Though, it wasn’t long before he was getting dragged back out into the open air, only having a moment to admire the expansive scenery before being brought face to face with a sincerely worried face looking him up and down.
“H-hey bud… are uh… how are you doing?...” Shop was obviously nervous and worried, though she was trying to swallow that fear to make sure Dark was ok, not that she was doing a very good job at it.
Dark motioned a sigh and bounced his hand on its side in a ‘so-so’ motion, managing a shrug at the same time.
“Yer doing ok?.... Well I guess that’s good then, it’s good to see you moving too, especially with how I found you…” Shop recalled as she walked down the trail, more questions popping in her mind. “I guess my biggest concern right now is if you’ll be able to walk with those spindly legs of yours.” She joked as she used her free hand to tug gently on his foot, warranting some angry eyebrows and aggressive shooing from the doll’s hands.
“Ok ok, sorry! Just curious! Did that hurt?...” Dark shook his head in response. “Huh, well, I guess I’d be annoyed too if I were you…” Shop walked on in silence, her arms tucked into her sides as she held Dark as a comfortable level, looking around the woods cautiously for any signs of danger before she felt a small tap on her palm, looking down to see Dark was gesturing to her to get her attention.
“Hm? W-what’s wrong bud?” Dark pointed up at Shop, flapping his arms up and down before shrugging. She was confused by this gesture, nearly forgetting the event that had ultimately led to all this, making her straighten out as she solved the little puzzle. “Oh! Are you wondering why I don’t just fly us home?” Dark gave her a solid nod of affirmation, which made Shop stop walking to think. Why WASN’T she flying them home? It suddenly felt like rocks fell in her stomach, and she couldn’t hide the worried and almost scared expression on her face. In truth, she was actually scared of what became of her wings, and if somehow she would be shot down again like first and only time she truly got to fly free.
Dark noticed his assistant’s concerned expression immediately. Still, he was proud that he was able to convey the right message to her, even if her fast response implied that she too had been thinking about it. Her frozen stature was starting to get worrisome, so he gave her hand a few more commanding pats to snap her out of whatever was going on.
Shop shuddered and snapped back to reality and out of her thoughts, raising Dark to meet eye to eye. “Sorry bud… just, thinking.” She said quietly before going to walk again, her steps a bit shaky now. “I just… you reminded me of my wings… I kinda got scared… we don’t really know what’s happened to them…” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, opening them back up with a spring in her step. “We can worry about that later though! I feel alright, and I think we have a more pressing matter at hand-” She smiled as she lifted him up to emphasize her joke, which earned her an scowling eye roll as the manor came into view.
Finally dressed in casual clothes, a simple hoodie and jeans, shop shifted up to a comfortable size, doing a few stretches before she finally made her way out the door and down the stairs, a spring in her step. It had been a while since she'd felt this energized, and was excited to share that feeling with anyone she could.
Passing by one of the breakfast nooks in the estate, she waved to Bim and Host, who were enjoying some coffee and tea respectively. They seemed taken a bit back that Shop was standing tall like them, but quickly relaxed.
"Goooooddd morning Shop! How are you this fine morning?" Bim chirped in his usual manner.
I'm doing real good! Dark's left to do some stuff so I figured I'd finally stretch these legs some!" She turned to Host to address him. "King still sleeping in?"
"The Host nods with a smile, ever impressed by her ability to sleep in so late in the day at times-" he stops to chuckle to himself.
"Pfft, I'll have to say hi to her later, I gotta go find Sal and Doc, see ya!" And with that, she ran off to the office, knocking excitedly on the door.
“Wait, were’re you going? I thought we were gonna watch more movies!”
“Shop, You Fell Asleep After The Third Movie... We Can Finish When I Come Back, Deal?”
“Fine...... but you still didn’t answer my question!”
He chuckles lightly as he stands to put his suit jacket on, straightening it out as he checks his hair in a nearby mirror. “I’m Headed To The Septics, I Simply Wish To..... Discuss Some Things With Them. For Future References.”
“Oh! I’ll come with you!” She jumps to her knees, still nestled in the bed.
Dark spun on his feet back towards Shop with a small scowl etched in his face. “No, You Won’t, You Still Need To Take It Easy, I Promise You It Will Simply Be Some Boring Discussion, Plus.... I Don’t Want Anyone Trying To Pull A Fast One Over You...”
Shop blinks, but responds by sticking her tongue out playfully, flopping back down into the bed. “Alright, fiinnneee, but you better be back soon before I get bored!”
Dark rolls his eyes, “You Know I Can’t Make Any Promises When It Comes To Them, They Seem To Be Quite Unpredictable...”
“She’s Been Asleep All Day Doctor, Are You Sure Nothing Is The Matter With Her?”
“Dark, you have to remember she’s still recovering from major injuries, not to mention... whatever happened between the two of you...” Iplier made a slight gesture as spoke, reminding Dark to be patient, well, as patient as he can be.
“I... Suppose... Very Well. Thank You.”
Dark leaves without another word, stomping back up to his room, he didn’t like to be kept waiting, especially when under stress. His eyes lock onto Shop’s frail, sleeping body, looking even smaller under all the blankets and sheets she had been covered with while Dark was away. He sits down on his side of the bed, his expression almost immediately dropping the serious facade in favor for concentration as he lifts back the blankets to reveal the large (or rather, small from dark’s perspective) scars running down Shop’s back, just visible behind her loose tank-top.
Dark was not sure how much time had passed before he felt something move under his hand, and he freezes, lifting his hand ever so slowly.
Soon, Shop comes to, blinking her eyes as she kind of just... lays there. It looks like she’s trying to stretch, but her body just won’t allow that at that moment. Dark simply watches and coaxes her to move more, a grimace briefly crossing his face as Shop whines as she attempts to sit up. (With the aforementioned help from Dark)
“I Know, I Know, I Am Sorry...” Dark whispers as he lowers himself, trying to get a better look at his companion. “You Are Alright Now, I Promise.”
“I don’t feel alright... Could I? Get some water?...” Shop croaks out, her throat parched and her eyes puffy and tired. Dark, being taken aback but the sound that came out of the girl, nods and complies, quickly returning with what Shop had asked for, watching as she downs the liquid and coughs, doubling over like an old worn toy. “Take It Easy There... Come... Do You Remember Anything We Had Ah... Done?...”
“You mean... Shark?... It all felt like a dream... What?... happened to my-”
“Wings? The Doctor’s Theory Is That Shark Somehow... Put Them Away... We Assume This Means They Were Saved And, Well, Stowed Away. Somehow.” Even Dark sounds unsure of himself, but it seems to satisfy Shop, even though she sits on her knees, her fists balled up so hard she begins to shake.
Dark seems to notice as he lowers his hand again, but hesitates when he sees how distraught she is. “My Dear, Is There-” He was going to finish his question, but it was all but answered as he caught wind of small sniffles as Shop nearly trembled by his side, collapsing as she sobbed.
“I-I sh-shouldn’t, I shouldn’t have e-ever run a-away, all it-it did was cause pain and pain an-and gr-grief-” She hiccups, her breaths shallow and quick.
It takes Dark a moment to respond to the outcry, the guilt somehow building up inside his empty heart as he lays his hand like a drape against Shop’s back, stroking it with utmost care. “Now Now... I Can’t Let You Take All The Credit, Now Can I?.... I Realize I Have Not Been The Most... Welcoming, But.... You Still Stayed. You Changed How I Live... For Better, Or For Worse...” He lets out a half-hearted chuckle before he lets his expression drop again. “I Am... Sorry, For What Happened To You. I Never Wanted That For You...”
Dark glances down only to be met with the biggest pair of puffy, teary eyed eyes he had seen from Shop in a long time. Expecting some kind of retort, he is caught off guard when she simply looks out blankly before she decides to hug the cool hand behind her, starting to shiver and cry again, although, this time out of gratitude.
“Shhhhh, No More Crying Ok?.... Why Don’t We Steal Some Of Wilford’s Ice Cream From his ‘Secret Stash’ Hm? I Know You Like To Do Stuff Like That.” Dark inquires as he goes back to idly rubbing Shop’s back to keep her calm.
