mysticsinmotion

[mysticsinmotion]

First part

Previous part

"Hello? Dark?"

The rooftop was clear. Hallways and rooms empty.

The only place Chosen hadn't checked was Dark's room.

He tiptoed down the hallway, ignoring the growing unease he felt in the quiet house. It was getting to the kind of quiet that felt like it was waiting, waiting for something or someone to jump out at you.

Maybe he was just being paranoid.

Of course he was just being paranoid.

Chosen had woken up to what seemed like an empty house. Dark was nowhere to be seen.

He reached Dark's door, paused outside for a moment before giving it a timid knock.

....Then again.

And again, harder this time.

The door creaked open from the force.

Chosen hesitates before stepping into Dark's room.

He wasn't allowed in here and he knew it.

Dark would be furious if he found out.

But Chosen couldn't take not knowing whether Dark was home or not. He hated uncertainty, it made him feel like he was in danger because he never knew what was going to happen. It felt like losing control he had fought so hard to gain.

Back in the pc, uncertainty and powerlessness had been his life. His entire existence was a gamble on whether his creator was in the right mood or not.

He never chose anything that happened to him, Alan controled everything.

A part of him had always been terrified that one day, Alan might get sick of him and delete him.

Chosen stared into Dark's room. The bed was a ruffled mess, the floor filled with odd mechanical parts, wires, switches and anything related. The desk was littered with half finished machines, gadgets, wires, messy blueprints and ink-splattered paper, each being bathed in the soft dawn sunlight that spilled from the open, circular window above the desk.

"Dark?" Chosen said, voice barely over a whisper

No reply.

He's not here.

He's gone...

Didn't even tell him he was gonna leave...

Why???

Chosen exited the room, carefully avoiding the gadgets covering the floor as to not step on them.

He walked down the hallway and to the backdoor. Once outside, he didn't stop.

Just kept walking and walking and walking. He wasn't sure why or where he was going, he just knew he couldn't stay alone in that house for a moment longer.

If he did, the voices would start again. The same ones that tormented him in his black room would come back to drive him mad.

The sun rose slowly, the sky colors transformed from orangy purple to pale blue, with the fluffy white clouds decorating it of all shapes and sizes.

---

He was hot.

And tired.

And hungry.

His legs ached, and he had started unintentionally limping, dragging his left leg behind just like he used to do when he was tied to the chain ball.

One step forward, drag the other.

One step forward, one drag.

Forward step, drag.

Forward step. drag.

Step. Drag.

Step. Drag

Stumble. Step. Drag.

Step. Drag.

Stumble again.

Trip.

Falling.

Ground.

Try to get up. Fail

Fall back down.

Chosen curled up into a ball on his side. He wanted to get up. He needed to get up to keep walking. He needed to keep walking so that....so that...?

Where was he even going?

Where was he now??

He couldn't see much. He could make out swaying grass, a bit of the blue sky.

The ground seemed to be some sort of gravelly path. The loose stones dug deep into his body, some blunt, others hard and sharp.

He curled up on his side tighter, clutching his knees.

Why did Dark leave without telling me first?

Did I do something wrong?

I don't think I did anything wrong, so why did he leave?

Was I being too much trouble?

....

Of course I was.

My stupid cramps. That's why Dark left.

I'm probably more trouble then I'm worth to take care of

Chosen tried so hard not to make it that big of a deal, but that cramp was one of the worst he'd ever gotten.

....But Dark hadnt seemed annoyed at the time, he'd actually seemed... worried.

...And he'd be back.

Of course he'd be back.

He'd never leave him all alone for more than a day or two.

And when he did return, Chosen would try his best to help him in anyway he could.

He'd pretend his cramps were gone. Fake it. Say they miraculously healed.

Dark wouldn't leave then.

But for now, Chosen was alone.

Alone. Alone. Alone.

All alone.

It's okay.

It's okay it's okay it's okay

Hes been alone before. Most of his life actually.

He could take a few more days, couldn't he?

He'd survived 4 years of torture, isolation and forced labour, he coul live two days alone.

He's strong.

He's not weak.

Not weak. Not weak. Not weak.

Not anymore at least.

'....Should probably start getting back to the house,' Chosen thought wearily. He wasn't sure if he locked the door or not.

Not that it mattered. He doubted anyone even knew that old house existed, let alone plan to break in.

But his body refused to move. It was like he was stuck to the ground. A piercing headache throbbed through his head, his eyes dropping shut.

He really needed to get up...

He really shouldn't be sleeping out here...

He was just so tired.

So, so tired.

Sleep felt so nice at the moment. All he wanted was sleep.

" Just five minutes..." He mumbled to himself, allowing sleep to claim him.

Five....minutes...

---

"Mama! Look, there's a someone on the floor here!"

Chosen's eyes fluttered open. He groaned. His whole body was stiff and hurt. The stones were still pressing into his ribs, promising an aching body tomorrow.

Where was he?

Oh yeah, outside.

...OUTSIDE?!

How could he let himself fall asleep outside!? Anything could of happened to him!

....Somebody was standing over him. A purple stick that seemed about 6 or 7 years old. His eyes were wide in suprise and a little fear as he stared at Chosen.

Suddenly, someone else appeared on his sight. A female stick, pink in color with an expression of worry on her face, small picnic basket in hand. She seemed to be her mother.

Chosen suddenly felt embarrassed. He didn't know who these sticks were, and here he was, sprawled on the ground like he'd just got hit by a truck or something.

Great he's causing trouble for random sticks now.

Pushing himself up while suppressing a grown, he sat up, staring up at the two unfamiliar faces.

"Oh my goodness! sweetheart, are you alright? Was there an accident?" The pink one said in an anxious tone.

"I... No no, no accident, I'm fine," Chosen stammered out. Inwardly, he cursed himself. Ugh, he sounded so cringey! Why was he so nervous? He was only interacting with other living beings!

The pink stitch figure extended a hand and helped pull Chosen up with surprising strength considering her small frame. The purple stick hid behind her, gawping at Chosen as he rose shakily to his feet.

" Why were you on the ground Hun? Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?" She asked in a gentle, slightly worried tone as she helped brush the gravel and dust off Chosen's clothes.

"No no, I'm fine- I was just... Taking a rest."

What's a hospital?

She raised her eyebrow. "Outside? In the middle of the path?"

Chosen winced, looking down at the floor. "Was just very tired ma'am."

She didn't look convinced

(even though he was telling the truth!)

"...Mama?" Came a small voice.

She turned away from Chosen to the purple stick that clung to her legs, still staring suspiciously at Chosen. " Yes love?"

"Who's that boy?" The purple stick whispered, eyeing Chosen up and down.

Chosen gave her a comforting smile and knelt down to her side, offering his hand out to her. "Hi there! I'm Chosen, nice to meet you!"

Chosen tried his best to sound as friendly and not to look as lethal as he usually did. Inwardly, his heart was pounding.

Was he doing something wrong?

Why is the mum looking at me? Am I unknownly threatening her child by some unwritten society rule?

Do I look scary? I don't think I look scary...right?!

Why am I such a scary color? Why couldn't I have been something friendly like...blue!?

Slowly, the purple stick, with a nudge by her mother, took Chosen's hand and allowed Chosen to shake it, before yanking it away and rushing back behind her mother.

Her mother gave an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry dear, she's not really a people person," she said with a smile. "My name's Orchid,this is Purple and it is a pleasure to meet you Chosen"

With that, she took Purple's hand, who was still staring at Chosen and started pulling her away.

"Come along Purple, the picnic place is this way."

She continued to stare at Chosen as he was dragged away, his a expression a mixture of wariness and a little curiosity. Chosen saw him tug his mother's sleeve and say something he couldn't hear. Orchid whispered something back to him, basket swaying in her hand.

For some reason, a lump rose in Chosen's throat as he watched them walk away. He'd only just met them, why did he feel like he was being abandoned?

That kid was cute tho... Chosen would of given anything to be able to play with her at this moment.

Now what?

What was he supposed to do all day?

He was afraid of going home, afraid of the voices inside his head that spoke to him. Sometimes they were so loud, he was having trouble convincing himself they were just his imagination.

The voices first appeared when he was stuck in the black box for a few days without being let out.

First, they were small, like little whispers at the back of your mind. But by time, they grew louder, and louder, and louder until Chosen couldn't distinguish them from his imagination anymore. They sounded just like a real person.

In that box, he used to converse with himself.

There was nothing else to do.

He thought he was going insane....maybe he was.

The voices whispered stories about the real world, about what playing with the stars truely felt like. They told him what freedom was like, and why Chosen would never, ever be able to have it.

He hated and loved his voices then. They were like... Some sort of distraction from the quiet. For the loneliness. From the pain.

But the brought their own pain with them.

Now he was just scared of them. They kept bringing back painful memories.

He felt so... Alone back then. Abandoned.

Probably why it hurt so much Dark wasn't here.

Secretly, Chosen wondered if Dark would ever leave and never come back. He tried to convince himself that it would never happen, that Dark was a good friend, and Chosen was stupid for ever thinking about that but...

He was still afraid that one day... He'd step out the front door and never come back.

Chosen shook his head furiously. That'll never happen. He's safe here. He's not alone anymore.

... Chosen looked around. Where was he?

To his right, he could see a blob of a small village in the distance. It was evening, still plenty of time before nightfall, so why shouldn't he explore a little?

Launching himself in the air, he flew over the clouds, fire blasting from his hands.

There was something so beautiful in flying, the way the wind rushes past you, the feeling of being weightless.

It felt good, exhilarating even.

...The voices had been wrong. He had freedom now.

And it felt amazing.

[mysticsinmotion]

Codebreakers part 4

First part

Previous part

And there they were

Two best friends laying side by side under the stars again, with nothing but the concrete roof and two pillows.

Technically, it wasn't a rooftop Saturday as it was

Sunday, but Dark hadn't been home yesterday, so Chosen forced him to make up for it by staying out with him tonight.

Chosen didn't want to admit it but... He loved rooftop Saturdays (or Sundays in this case)

He loved the soft, cool breeze, the rustling leaves from swaying trees the crickets croaking songs that filling the air with a kind of peace.

But what Chosen loved most was the stars. They shone like little glittery lights in a purplish black sky. It seemed neverending, a vast ocean.

But Chosen also loved stars for a different reason. A very different reason...

Whilst still trapped in Alan's pc, occasionally Alan worked late, sometimes pulling all-nighters writing homework essays, studying or doing some other crap Chosen didn't care about. Those nights were basically torture for Chosen.

He'd work all day, and his arms would be aching, eyelids would be heavy with sleep and he would long for rest.

So when Alan forced him to stay up even later and use him when he was already exhausted, when his arms felt like floppy noodles from overuse and his head was spinning so hard he might be sick, it was safe to assume the nights were not easy for Chosen.

Night-time was when Alan was generally most tired, and Chosen was most clumsy and careless. And when Alan was tired, he'd be quick to anger at any mistake.

A sleep deprived Chosen was prone to make many, many mistakes.

And mistakes=punishment

Punishment=pain

Simple as that.

The one and only good thing about those torturous nights were the stars.

If Chosen wasn't being held in his containment box (the black box that haunted his nightmares which he was stored away in when not needed) at night and was working late, Alan had an open window opposite his pc in the real world.

While Chosen destroyed ad after ad, he'd gaze longingly at the stars that gleamed to him from outside.

It was almost as though they were...calling him somehow. Inviting him to escape and float up in the big galaxy with the them, playing beside the moon and craters,

A place he'd be happy.

A place he'd be free.

Chosen rolled from his side onto his back, gazing up at the stars. Dark was beside him, his back turned, breathing in and out slowly. Asleep.

As usual, Dark always fell asleep first.

If he squinted really hard, Chosen could see faint boxes. Pc boxes.

His stare lingered on one box in particular, one he knew was labelled 'Alan's PC'.

It made him feel slightly uneasy. The muscles in his arms tensed up. His left leg twitched.

It's fine, he's safe now. It's okay, everything is okay now, he's not there anymore, it's okay, it's okay it's-

Then a thought struck him.

'If the PCs up there, a place like this is down here under it, and I was up there in the pc then....'

He sat up suddenly.

"It was beneath me the whole time," Chosen whispered.

Everything suddenly felt different now. All those months spent thinking a haven like this could never exist when it was literally beneath his feet the whole time.

"What was?" A voice cut in.

"Ack! Dark! You scared me!" Chosen yelled, head turning, glaring down at the now seemingly wide awake Dark, grinning from ear to ear laying on the ground.

He props himself up on one elbow, before drawling out:

"Were you just talking to yourself, cho?"he teased, smirking, eyebrow raised in a mockery of question.

Chosen felt heat rushing to his face.

"I- wha- NO! I wasn't-

How long have you been awake for??"

Dark sat completly upright, stretching his arms a little.

" Not too long, just long enough to hear you muttering away to yourself like a madman,"

His expression softened slightly as he smiled at Chosen.

"I'm not mocking you cho, even I enjoy talking to myself from time to time, typically whenever an thought hits me;

What were you thinking about?"

"I... "

Chosen stared off the roof and up to the stars.

"I was just thinking...isn't it odd how a place like this could exist under that pc?"

"What pc- ohhh you mean ALANS PC? What's so odd about that?"

"I'm...not sure but...

Don't you think it's weird that this place was right under our feet the whole time, and we had no idea?"

Dark gave him a confused look.

"No? If I'm being honest, I've never even thought about it."

"Oh..."

Chosen stared off into space. He knew Dark wouldn't understand; he never understood Chosen's thoughts, but he had hoped Dark might of understood this now because he had escaped the pc with him.

....No, it's unreasonable of Chosen to even hope that.

It's not Dark's fault he didn't get it. It's not fair for Chosen to be upset with him.

Dark was created the same day they escaped, how could he ever know what it felt like to be free after years in captivity?

Chosen still hadn't told him about the whole ad-blocker thing yet. He felt like it was too soon to open up, even if Dark seemed to be a good friend.

Chosen just wasn't ready yet.

Dark had layed back down on his pillow, and within moments, Chosen could hear the steady intakes and exhales of his breathing.

Chosen assumed he was asleep, but wasn't fully sure.

He stood up and walked to the edge of the roof, sitting down on the ledge, gazing down into the still ocean stretching beneath him.

The water was still, so still he could see clearly reflections if the stars and moon in the water.

'perfect night for a swim honestly. Wish Dark was awake so we could splash about in the water for a bit,' Chosen thought. He didn't want to disturb Dark while he was sleeping. Not'til morning at least.

Picking up a small concrete stone next to him, he brings his arm back and flings the rock as far as it'll go.

It sails over the water and hits a decent amount of distance away. The rock bounced over the water a few times before being swallowed while by the black ocean.

Chosen brought up both legs to his chest. His left one tensed a little.

He traced the scar that ran down half his leg to his ankle. It was jagged, smooth, the skin still thin and weak.

He still remembered getting that.

It had been quite recent to when he was first made and 'tamed' as Alan put it. Maybe a week or two.

He wasn't used to the chain ball that was stuck under his ankle and he hated it. Like actually, gut down hated it.

The ball itself was bigger then his head, (which was quite large) and it weighed more then himself!

Walking was hell.

Imagine trying to drag some huge hunk of metal heavier than yourself by your leg. Not to mention the infuriating chain that was attached to it.

Not only did it imit an annoying clanking noise whenever he shifted or moved, it often got caught between his feet, resulting in him falling face first to the floor may times.

Chosen had been quite rebellious when he was forced to block ads at first.

Instead of burning ads, he burnt some of Alan's files, including a homework document in an act of defience against Alan. When Alan opened the pc and found out, he was mad.

Like, really mad.

The kind of mad that made even Chosen feel like maybe.... he shouldn't have done that.

The next few minutes had been nothing but blur and pain. Alan clicked the chain ball with his cursor and had flung Chosen into a pc wall. Then he did it again. And again. And again.

Chosen could barely register what was happening. He felt so terribly sick he thought he was going to vomit right there in the air.

Everytime he was picked up to be thrown, there was a brief moment of panic before he was flung into the air and smacked into a wall with his head, back, chest and other parts of his body. He was barely conscious when Alan finally stopped.

He lay there trembling, hands shaking, head throbbing. And his chained leg burned. It hurt. It hurt so bad he wanted to start sobbing. Deep pain burned through his bones like a wildfire, from his leg to his ankle.

Pushing himself up on shaky arms, he slumped against the pc wall. The chain clinked, as if insulting him.

He had examined his leg after that.

It was bad.

A bloody wound was stretched from half his leg to just below his ankle. He could only assume it was made mid throw, that the chains edge got caught on his skin and tore open.

It hurt to touch, and was bleeding like crazy.

It was scary... seeing his leg torn open and gushing out blood.

For some reason, he was terrified Alan would close whatever window he was currently on and see Chosen bleeding out on the floor.

Looking back on it, Chosen guessed he thought Alan would be angry if he saw him injured, though he wasn't sure why Alan would be angry with him.

In a hazy panic, the world spinning and tilting around him, Chosen ripped of a piece of his shirt sleeve and used it as some kind of makeshift bandage.

It was agony tying it on, but at the moment, Chosen hadn't even cared.

Securing a knot over the wound, he could see a dark patch beginning to form over the bleeding parts, transforming the blue cloth to navy in the space of a few minutes.

It worked though.

Alan hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary with Chosen, and Chosen himself hid his limp by barely walking at all, and never if he thought Alan was watching.

The scar still remained, a constant reminder that he could not escape his past, no matter how hard he tried to run.

Chosen swung his legs back over the ledge.

It was all so frustrating! He'd escaped, he'd found a new home, heck, he even had a friend! Why? Why even after all of this, his mind won't let him forget about his captivity?

Chosen slumped slightly. He would never escape his past.

...

But why does he need to escape it?

Maybe he's looking at this wrong.

Chosen's eyes gaze lifts to find Alan's PC's box. A star shone brightly beside it.

Maybe... instead of running from his past, he should try and accept it? Accept and move on?

Chosen fell onto his back. The cresent moon greeted him and the shining stars glimmered.

'Huh... How do I do that?'

He wasn't sure about it. But he was sure of one thing.

He'd heal eventually. It'll take time, but as long as he's here, safe with Dark as his friend and supporter, he'd be okay.

[mysticsinmotion]

Codebreakers part 3

First part

Previous part

"Where did you even learn how to make these?"

Chosen inquired curiously, finishing off the pancakes Dark had made for them.

They sat on opposite end of the couch together, curled up and leaning on the armrests.

"Saw some old lady making it through a window," dark replied nonchalantly, scraping the last of the pancake off the plate and into his mouth.

"The one that lives in that village a few miles away?"

Dark gives a half nod before leaning back onto the couch with a heavy sigh, shutting his eyes.

His head hurt.

Oh yeah, didn't have coffee today.

Should probably get up and make some.

" What, you just stalking other sticks for fun now?" Chosen teases lightly.

Dark grins, sitting up and stretching.

"What can I say? If some random grandma decides to catch my interest, how can I not observe?"

"I don't know if thats normal, Dark"

" Possibly," Dark yawns, stretching his arms up like a cat who'd just awakened. "But If I didn't stalk her, you wouldn't be able to keep stuffing your fat face,"

" Idiot!" Chosen laughed, giving him a playful punch in the shoulder.

Dark chuckles,purposely pulling exaggerated pained expressions and clutches his shoulder in pretend agony.

All of a sudden he paused, laughter gone.

The smile was wiped of Chosen's face in an instant.

"...Dark?"

"Hm?

"You... Okay?" Chosen hesitated, his head tilted in concern , eyes fixed on him with worry.

"Yep yep yep, I'm fine. Had a rough night and my head's killing me," Dark assured him quickly, giving him a thumbs up.

Standing up, he started walking in the direction of the kitchen.

" I assume you haven't had your coffee?" Chosen called after him.

"You would be correct!" Dark yells back before disappearing into the kitchen and slamming the door shut.

Great. Kitchens a mess. Dirty pots and pans litteredthe counter the sink piled up high with dishes.

Ugh.

The least Chosen could of done was clean up while he was away, all he does is sit and mope in his damn room all day-

Wait, he was the last person in here.

Which meant...

....this was his mess...

Oops

'my bad Cho.'

He shook his head furiously, causing it to throb harder.

Need

Coffee

He strolls over to Chosen's coffee machine, and pushed the on button.

Immediately, the machine whirred to life, letting out that beautiful purring sound he had so desperately missed during his stay at the labs.

Dark loved that hum. That noise always meant one thing, and one thing only:

Coffee.

He started the machine in an almost robotic way, having done this dozens of times before.

But a thought pestered at the back of his mind, like an annoying fly that wouldn't shut up.

Chosen said he was fine.

Dark somehow didn't believe him. He'd snuck a glance at Chosen's leg after the incident and hadnt noticed anything off about it. The scar that ran from his below his ankle and halfway up his leg hadn't split again, and Dark had wondered if he'd somehow hurt him by accident, but there wasn't any sign of injury there.

Maybe it was just a cramp like always. Only a little more intense.

Dark had noticed that Chosen only got cramps in his left calve and sometimes his arms. While it wasn't really strange, he couldn't help but think about it.

If he didn't get cramps, why did Chosen?

The machine suddenly beeps, snapping Dark from his thoughts.

Rude. But acceptable since it's coffee.

He snatches an empty, cracked mug from the drying rack and pours the coffee in. The bittersweet smell hits him first before anything, making him give a content sigh.

'Now this is what I need' he thought as he takes the first heavenly sip.

As his head starts clearing up, his mind wandered back to Chosen and his cramps.

Cramps seem like something only one of old age should experience.

Him and Chosen were made by the same person, so why did only he get them? It didn't make sense.

Maybe something happened before Dark was created?

He dismissed the idea immediately. Chosen couldn't have been more then a few days older then him. He didn't think that Alan guy would keep Chosen alive for more than a few hours based on how his sole reason of existence was to obliverate Chosen.

He frowned as he gulped down the last drop of coffee in the mug and set to work clearing up the kitchen.

He was slightly worried about that code Alan had implanted into him. It wasn't as if he wanted to hurt Chosen but sometimes....

It's fine, it's okay. As long as he kept it under control, nothing would happen. It's bound to delete itself after a while.

Chosen was his best friend. Only friend. Only person he knew actually.

How could he ever hurt his only friend?

Next part

[mysticsinmotion]

Tdl drawing from this poll

I tried my best lol 😅

[mysticsinmotion]

If you haven't read the first part:

Part one of Codebreakers

Part two:

"Ay lazybones, get up!"

Chosen jolted upright from the roof's floor he had slept on the previous night. The afternoon sun bore down, as if trying to blind him.

Squinting his eyes, Chosen could make out a shadowy silhouette standing over him. He had the same hollow head as Chosen, as he reached out a hand and yanked Chosen up onto his feet.

He stumbled, gripping the figure's shoulder for support. But it wasn't just a silhouette anymore. It was Dark.

A lazy grin was stretched across his face, exposing his large, pointed fangs that gleamed under the sun.

"Well well well, look who's still in Dreamland? And weren't you just nagging me the other day for having a lil lie in?" Dark teases, nudging chosen with his shoulder.

Chosen gave him a tired sort of glare, but in reality, he was relieved Dark was here.

"Sleeping till 3pm does not count as little, Dark."

Chosen seemed like the kind of stick that rather be left alone then make friends.

And yes, maybe he did like being alone sometimes. Even while Dark was around, he'd prefer to hide away in his room practically all day, occasionally creeping out if he needed something, and quickly returning when he had finished the desired task. Chosen did prefer being alone.

But he hated being alone.

Being alone reminded him of all those empty hours spent in that god damn box, that prison that Alan had tossed him into whenever Chosen wasn't needed as a pop up blocker.

It was so... black in there... silent too....

He would sit there all alone for hours, sometimes days at a time, curled up in a small ball on the hard floor and just wait.

Wait for the next moment Alan would summon him.

Wait for the next time he would be thrown into a wall by his chain ball.

Wait knowing that nothing, NOTHING and NOBODY could save him. Knowing he would be trapped in this prison for the rest of his pathetic life, and nothing he ever did would ever get him out.

And then... Dark came along. And he could finally taste freedom.

And for some reason, Chosen felt that, deep down, he had finally found somebody who didn't want to use him. Somebody who genuinely cared about him.

And Chosen didn't want to lose him.

"Wanna do a quick spar, Cho?" Dark says suddenly, snapping Chosen from his thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, spar? yeah, that sounds good."

Darks smile widened mischievously.

"Just so you know, I'm gonna win this time," Dark says confidently, as he strolled over to the edge of the roof, throwing a glance downwards.

'Yeah, sure,' Chosen thought, rolling his eyes.

"Just like last Tuesday?"

He follows Dark to the edge of the roof and peered over.

The ground wasn't too far off, a mere few meters drop. But the view was astounding.

Acers of trees and grassy land stretched for miles, the pale blue sky with it's pure white cloud that looked as though they had just been taken out of the washing machine. Behind them, he could hear the soft waves rolling about in the endless, deep blue ocean.

"That was past. Learn to live in the present bro!"

He slips an arm around Chosen's shoulder and leans heavily into him. Chosen resisted the urge to flinch away. He still wasnt used to touch yet, even gentle or playful touch. It was too sudden, too jarring. A month or two back, a sudden touch always meant pain.

Sometimes Alan got bored when he opened his pc. Or upset. Or angry. It didn't matter.

Then he would start to play with Chosen. And not the fun type of play. At least not to Chosen anyway...

Chosen suppressed a shudder.

It's OVER now. Stop going back there.

Turning his head, he glances at Dark slumped against his shoulder. Something inside him stirred, something warm, like a fire but... Nice. Chosen didn't know what it was but he liked it.

"We using powers, or just our fists?" He asked.

Dark raised his head lazily. He waved his hand about in the air. "It's a bit early to have a barbecue, no?"

Chosen rolled his eyes for a second time this morning. It would never go that far.

Dark knew his skin didn't burn. Fire had never burned him before and Dark knew it.

Chosen knew fire did affect Dark in some ways, like mild burns, but it was never bad. Even so, he always used his ice/ water powers if they were ever sparring with powers, and he avoided his firepowers/ lighting.

"Is that a no?"

"Who cares? Let's just get this started!"

'no then' Chosen confirmed with himself.

Dark stepped forward and-

Fell off the edge of the roof.

Chosen followed.

Using his firepower to land lightly, he dropped gently to the ground and spun round. Dark stood a few meters away, arms crossed with that smug smile forever plastered on his face, further putting his fangs on display.

'why does he even have fangs?' Chosen wondered momentarily before setting up a fighting stance, his fistsed raised high. Chosen himself had very tiny canines, nothing like Dark's large ones. And they weren't very sharp too. He didn't understand why Dark was created with them.

" Ready buttercup?" Dark called out.

Chosen tried not to roll his eyes for the third time that day. He failed

"As I'll ever be!" He called back.

"Can we just hurry up? I'm starved!"

They circled around eachother, guards up and fists raised. Chosen had learned years ago to never let his guard down, so this came easily to him.

A slight twitch in Dark's left fist told Chosen he was about to strike.

Suddenly, Dark throws a punch, and just as Chosen had predicted, with his left arm.

Chosen ducks, and shoves his body into Dark's stomach, pushing him backwards.

Dark regains footing and jabs his elbow down at Chosen's back, repeatedly.

He drops to the floor and rolles away as Dark punches down at the ground next to him, cracking the floor and sending bits of dirt and gravel flighing.

Jumping to his feet, he grabs Dark's front jacket and pulled him towards him, slipping out a foot so Dark trips.

He lands frontwards on the ground.

Chosen jumps on top of him, and suddenly, it's no longer a professional, clean and good looking fight, more of a beat down between two toddlers over the last cookie in the cookie jar.

Kicking, punches and gut strikes, mixed with Darks aggravated groans, and Chosen's grunts as they roll around in the dirt.

Suddenly, just as Chosen had gotten Dark under him, a sharp pain tore through his left leg. A burning agony as his leg seizes up, as though the muscles in his calve were twisting around eachother, growing tighter and tighter by the second. It felt like thousands of needles were injecting him with lightning and acid at the same time.

Chosen pauses, trying not to cry out.

And that's when Dark strikes.

Kicking Chosen off him, he throws himself onto him, straddled himself onto Chosen's stomach, fist cocked back to punch, a victorious smile on his face as he had finally won.

Chosen suddenly let out a low groan and clenched his eyes shut. Dark noticed his face seemed paler then usually.

Dark paused. This wasn't right... When did he sound like that? Like he was in...pain?

"Hey Cho, you... You good?" Dark asked uncertainty, lowering his fist slightly. Was this a trap? No, Chosen's not like that, and besides, he looks like he was in genuine pain. Did he go too far? Punch him too hard?

Dark knew Chosen had a crazy pain tolerance.

He had seen it first hand in their fight at Alan's pc before, and he knew it would take something serious for Chosen to even utter a sound.

The color slowly returned to Chosen's face as he half opens his eyes.

Dark lowers his fist completely and slides down next to him.

"I-I'm ok... Just l-leg c-cramps again," Chosen mumbles with a faint smile.

"You want me to take you inside? I can get oil if you want, or medicine or-"

"I'm fine! It's okay, really!" Chosen held up a shaky thumbs up. He sits up slowly, wincing.

"However, I would like to go back inside now."

Dark immediately stands up and extends a hand to Chosen, to which he pushes away and stumbles to his feet. Dark forces him lean against his shoulder as he helps him limp back to the house.

He didn't understand what happened. Sure, sometimes, Chosen's leg played up, he had from time to time, gone quiet when the were chilling together at home and stare out into space, hands clutching his left leg tightly. But it had never been this bad.

Maybe he shouldn't have asked to spar so early. Maybe Chosen wasn't feeling good. But how was he supposed to know Chosen wasn't okay, he never said anything!

As they reached the door, Chosen paused. Dark tensed up.

Was he having another cramp??

Chosen turned and faced him. And smiled.

"Congrats on finally winning, by the way."

Side note: I've decided to start posting my stories on Tumblr as well as AO3, and if you enjoyed, there are two more chapters realesed already on AO3

Next part

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Drawings done!:

This is based on one of my previous theories on this post:

Edit: fixed the post URLs

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Oh and the new chapter of my fanfic Codebreakers is out. Check it out below if you're interested!

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So I recently saw a post that reminded me that the second comings was also called the chosen ones return.

And that got me thinking...why does tco have a return when he's not dead....

0_0

So now I'm thinking that maybe tco dies in the series....

Cuz like, why else would tsc be called the Chosen's one return? Also in avg ( animators Vs games) when DJ asked Alan why he was called that or smth similar, Alan replied with that he couldn't say since it was important for later....

WHY??? WHAY OTHER REASON COULD THERE BE??

Also, in the recent live stream on Alan Beckers channel, he was asked what his least favourite stickman was and erm...

Yeah it's tco.

Why'd it gotta be my favourite character for?

So he definitely would NOT have as much trouble killing him off as he would by killing off anybody else.

(and after what happened in the box, he doesn't seem to have an issue with hurting him either)

And before you say tco has plot armour BCS he's the main character, yeah U might be right....

BUT I think tsc might be the main character now.

Not only is he Alan's favourite, but now the story is kinda revolving around his hidden mountain dew powers, and not so much on healing tcos very clear trauma and existential dread.

And honestly, if this hypothesis is right ( which I SINCERELY HOPE it isn't) then that's really sad. He's like, the second most traumatised character that's probably never been happy before, and if he dies before we get to see him heal, then imma cry

On a second note, I don't think Alan Becker would do this to a very popular character, cuz it also ( as far as I can see) won't help the plot on anyway, and also start a war in the fandom of tco fans.

So what are your lots thoughts?

[mysticsinmotion]

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Animator vs. Animation (Short Films - Becker) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: The Chosen One (Animator vs. Animation), The Dark Lord (Animator vs. Animation) Additional Tags: The Chosen One & The Dark Lord Are Siblings (Animator vs. Animation), Other Additional Tags to Be Added Summary:

After escaping Alan's pc and finally tasting freedom, a few months later, a traumatized tco starts to feel something is wrong between him and tdl. More...distant. he's changing.

Chapter two of Codebreakers is out! :D

[mysticsinmotion]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Animator vs. Animation (Short Films - Becker) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: The Chosen One (Animator vs. Animation), The Dark Lord (Animator vs. Animation) Additional Tags: The Chosen One & The Dark Lord Are Siblings (Animator vs. Animation), Other Additional Tags to Be Added Summary:

After escaping Alan's pc and finally tasting freedom, a few months later, a traumatized tco starts to feel something is wrong between him and tdl. More...distant. he's changing.

[mysticsinmotion]

Some more Tco and Tdl fanart. Actually really happy about this :D

I really love the these two

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Okay so... Y'know how victim was tormented by Alan for his first year of his life? And after he escaped, apparently the same day tco was created...

So if Alan tortured victim, who's to say he didn't do it to tco as well? And tco was captive for

FOUR YEARS

There is a very high chance he was tortured too, cuz like, why not? He did the same thing to victim.

And he force tco to block ads for 4 years too

Smth I really don't like is how everyone is hating on tco rn BCS he killed mitsi. Technically, that's true but I still think tdl killed her. And everyone is saying victim suffered the worst and yeah, I agree he did. BUT!

Tco was literally chained to a ball and kept in isolation for 4 YEARS, and he had nobody else there for him until tdl was made. Maybe that was the reason he spared him, BCS he was lonely! And them somebody who he considers a friend just goes all psycho on him?! His only friend in his life???

He didn't HAVE a mitsi to help him heal. And let's be real, from what we've seen, tdl is a trash friend.

So, while victim definitely suffered more, at least he was happy at one point and actually got to heal.

[mysticsinmotion]

Did an art Collab with @forgottenviruses!

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The stars always twinkled most at midnight.

Chosen gazed up in awe, arms draped loosely around his knees. The crickets croaked their strange songs in the background, the bats flapping overhead through the empty, glittery sky.

Other than that, not a sound could be heard for miles, just silence.

Just peace.

He had been here so many times, sat in this spot on this very roof of his and Dark's base, and yet

he never got tired of it. Of the shimmering stars, the purply-navy sky, the big moon glowing in the center of it all.

Dark would have called him soft if he knew what he was thinking, Chosen though, grimacing.

Dark was.... Something else.

He could be so nice, baking those weirdly shaped cookies for him, insisting they were fireballs (though they looked more like lumpy potatoes), and making Chosen the occasional odd gadget like watches or an automatic coffee brewer.

Chosen had never really enjoyed the bitter taste coffee, so he had never used it, but somehow the last time he checked, it had been dirty....

Perhaps dark used it. Again.

His lips curved into a small smile. Dark was an absolute addict to coffee, couldn't live one day without it. He had been so obsessed with it at one point that Chosen was beginning to worry for his life.

He burned all the coffee to ash.

Dark was mildly annoyed to say the least.

....Alot of chosens stuff went missing that week, but hey, at least dark was still alive!

Speaking of Dark...

Chosen suddenly frowned. He was spending too much time in his 'lab' these days (Chosen called it more of a random shed in the middle of nowhere), and he barely saw him this week.

He didn't even come home today... Did he even have food there?

Chosen wondered, messing with the edge of his frayed hoodie sleeve.

Dark tends to forget to eat when he's in the middle of a project. Forgets to come home. Forgets about everything and every...

One.

Chosen shook his head.

Of course Dark hadn't forgotten about him, that's ridiculous.

He just...gets a little carried away with his projects.

Too carried away.

He acts like a different person sometimes, aggressive, irritable and not as charming as his usual confident self. It was weird, how fast he could go from one person to another in space of a few seconds.

One minute he'd be teasing Chosen about something dumb, the next, he's accusing Chosen of touching his stuff and threatening to punch him through a wall.

Dark was unpredictable.

But he was also fun, he was charismatic and he could at, times be...

Kind.

Just like when they first escaped that hell of a pc.

After four years of.... Pure agony.

Chosen arms tensed as he pulled his knees tighter to his chest, eyes clenching shut.

His left ankle twitched.

He wasn't there anymore.

He's safe now.

He's not alone anymore.

He's okay now.

He wont ever see Alan again, never be forced to do anything against his will ever again.

Wlhen the escaped that night, they slept beneath the stars. Dark had found him some water source nearby, had even helped wash away the dried blood from where the chains jagged edge had sliced into Chosen's scared leg.

They had tended to eachothers injuries that they themselves had inflicted on one another, and Dark had been so... gentle as he dabbed his cut skin with the edge of his sleeve, like he didn't want to hurt him. Even after the whole fight in Alan's pc.

Nobody had ever cared enough to do that.

Chosen sighed. He kind of wished Dark was there with him. They always slept on the roof together on Saturdays. It was a something of a tradition between them.

He suddenly stood up and stretched.

'No matter,' he thought, a sudden headache piercing though his skull.

'Dark'll be here tomorrow...hopefully. Then we're chilling on the roof together-

ugh! I need to get some paracetamol.'

Chosen clutched his throbbing head and stumbled his way downstairs, head feeling as though someone was repeatedly stabbing a blade into it.

He flicked on the kitchen light's switch and made his way towards the medicine drawer. He reached out and grabbed the handle. And paused.

You better come home tomorrow Dark.

An animator vs animation au focusing on tco and darks relationship a month after escaping Alan's pc. They are more brothers in this au, and this was before the cyber attacks.

This au is called codebreakers (and that was a hard name to come up with😭)

Part 2?

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One of my ocs called Clare:

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Fanart for Shadow killers of Nyroth (wattpad story)

Any tips or drawings advice is much appreciated!