#DarkAverage

[inkribbon796]

Egotober 2022 Day 20: Red Flags

Summary: Anti finds himself in a bit of trouble, and somehow gets himself even bigger trouble.

Prompt: Alarm

Characters: Anti, Wilford, Dark

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Alarms were shrieking and blaring as Anti rushed from socket to socket. Whatever electrical currents were closer he jumped to immediately. He could feel it stalking him. Because he didn’t have the time to think about where he was going. He needed out, he needed to escape and fast.

Anti  was trying to find a way out of the hellhole he’d currently found himself in. Henrik was safe. As “safe” as he could be. But Anti had to escape and think about a plan of revenge.

He just had to—

Anti jumped into some random circuit when suddenly he heard another ringing going on. Someone was getting a call and he was in the circuit. So he instantly let it take him away from the situation.

The glitch demon would be back for blood. He would be back for Henrik. And he would never forget what had happened.

“Hello? Hell~o?” A familiar voice drawled out just as Anti flew out of the phone and right into Wilford, knocking them both to the ground. Anti was on top of Wilford and so elated he almost decked the guy on pure adrenaline alone.

“You fucker, you’re the best,” Anti told him.

Wilford smiled. “I always try my best.”

“Wil, who called?” Dark called out from outside the room and Anti realized that he was with Wilford in Dark’s home office. Alone . . . with Wilford underneath him.

Before Anti could jump off Wilford or even just turn into pixels, Dark walked in and froze when he saw them.

Dark’s ringing became shrill, reminding him of the alarm he’d just escaped from.

Anti violently turned into a staticky cloud of pixels before reforming next to Dark. “Make my tinnitus I got from Jackie worse, why don’t you?”

Dark glared at him, glancing between him and Wil. Anti braced to get hit, anger had caused him to get too close to Dark. The demon was known to strike quickly and violently. He was well known to be jealous and foul tempered and Anti could see the rage in his eyes.

“Have I interrupted something?” Dark asked, clearly a bait as Anti moved past him and into the living room. Through the window he spotted Chase Brody who was smoking out back and immediately looked right at Anti.

“Nah, you didn’t interrupt shit, was fucking busy escaping from the feds,” Anti said as he began looking for a way out. He needed to get back to his little hideout and lay low and then think of something.

Dark’s ringing was shrill and even if Dark was in any kind of mood to help him, he’d botched it with Wil in the office.

“Can’t Anti stay, ol’ boy?” Wilford leaned against the door frame of the office with a huge smile on his face. “He’s so much fun.” 

Which immediately made Anti want to kill Wilford.

Dark took in a rather angry breath, loudly taking in air through his nose and Anti felt Dark’s aura angrily coil around one of his ankles. A clear threat.

Anti knew Dark absolutely detested him. Sometimes he put up with Anti stabbing him. Sometimes Dark put up with the shit he pulled. But never when the guy was clearly in a bad mood. And when Dark discorporated him he lost entire weeks.

Weeks that Anti didn’t have right now. So for once, even though Anti wanted to punch him in the face, he needed to get out.

Then Chase walked into the room, one of his guns in hand.

“I’m gone, I got better things to do,” Anti said, turning into pixels and shooting through the lightswitch and onto the porch.

Dark followed after him, teleporting in. “Why the rush, glitch?”

“Like I said, got shit to do, people to kill,” Anti said, trying to get away from memories of the alarm sound. “I just got in through your landline, you old fuck.”

“Why the rush?” Dark said with contempt in his voice. “You were clearly enjoying yourself.”

“I wasn’t enjoying shit, just your electric bill,” Anti said angrily, he was trying to make it down the steps of the porch but his feet seemed to be moving in some cycle. Meaning he was stuck in the Manor’s grasp and he might not be able to easily slip out.

And Chase was following them out to the porch.

“You two are never very subtle, why become so evasive now?” Dark said, taking a step forward. And the stone steps refused to let Anti go. The ringing shrill and setting off all kinds of alarms in Anti’s brain.

“I ain’t being anything, you might be comfortable fucking that piece of sentient cotton candy, but I don’t wanna catch whatever weird STDs that fucker has.” Anti said.

“How dare you!” That seemed to get Dark angrier. “Shut up, you can fuck him, but not insult.”

“I ain’t fucking your man,” Anti said. “I’m fucking Henrik.”

“Then you’re doing both,” Dark said dismissively. “Right where his children can see you.”

“Fuck you,” Anti said. “If I wanted to fuck Wil I’d do it in front of you, because pissing you off would be the only reason I’d do it.”

The first one to strike first was actually Chase. The marksman shot at Anti, hitting him in the leg. Anti struck at Dark, their aura crashing before Anti was able to slip out of whatever hold that the Manor had over him.

Anti jumped into a nearby powerline under the ground and moved deeper into the city. He was away from Dark and could get back to Henrik’s apartment. He crashed there for a bit.

The glitch demon would lick his wounds and have his revenge. Tonight he needed to sleep, and he didn’t do it in the apartment. He did it in the apartment complex’s power grid.

Tomorrow, maybe the alarm sound wouldn’t be echoing in his ears as fiercely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post A/N: After so long of trying to get Dark to even hint about his problems, and it’s to Anti of all people. He might be getting therapy in the next arc.

[egotisticalee]

best laid plans

hey so over the past few months @crankgayplays has like. singlehandedly grabbed my muse/inspiration/motivation and dragged it out of the depths it was wallowing in and he also introduced me to dark/chase which is a fucking, grade A ship that i now absolutely love and so since valentine’s day was the other day i wanted to write a thingy thats a sort of. gift for him. im lorve u dude but also anyone who knows my track record with fics about an event can y’all fucken believe i got this done within two day of valentine’s day? that’s the power of chris’ ability to make me wanna write plus the power of loving my friends for y’all. so yeah basically have some cute valentine’s themed dark/chase fluff i love u

The buzzing of his phone wakes Dark up, and he quickly reaches over to silence, looking back at the man bundled up in his arms to see if the sound disturbed him. Chase seems to happily sleep on, and Dark breathes a quiet sigh of relief. A fond smile forms on his face as he gently brushes a few strands of hair away from Chase's forehead, exposing the skin enough for Dark to lean in and brush his lips there. 

He leans back, taking one more second to admire Chase's peaceful expression. As adorable as he looks, Dark has to admit he misses those bright blue eyes and the man's smile - but that can wait. He has work to do, and if everything goes right, he'll see that smile soon enough. 

The first thing he has to do, though, is get up, and while he usually loves how Chase wraps his whole body around him and clings on, Dark can already tell it's going to give him a challenge. He starts by shifting backwards, only to have Chase follow him immediately, his grip on Dark's t-shirt tightening just slightly for a few seconds. A soft sigh escapes him, and he tries taking hold of Chase's hands and gently pulling them away. Chase shifts a little in his sleep, his eyebrows drawing up just slightly, but when he makes no other movement, Dark focuses on carefully sliding out of bed. He's almost there when he hears a quiet groan, and he stops in his tracks. 

"Where are you going?" Chase asks in a small voice still thick with sleep, and Dark can't help but lean closer, reaching forward to keep Chase's cheek. That sleepy, confused expression makes his heart break, and damn, Dark had no idea there would be guilt to fight in his effort to get ready for today. 

"Just to the bathroom, okay? Go back to sleep, sweetheart," he lies, and even though he knows Chase won't give a damn, if he even remembers this, it somehow feels like a great betrayal. Chase hums and nods, letting his head rest on the pillow again, and Dark heads to the bathroom, internally cursing himself.

When he comes back, Chase is still awake, because of course he is, and when Dark climbs back into the bed, he happily returns to his previous position of being wrapped around Dark, as if Dark isn't already behind schedule.

"The bed gets so cold without you in it... I just can't sleep. It feels... weird. Empty," Chase murmurs into his shoulder. Christ, how is Dark meant to get up now? Things aren't going to be ready on time, and damn it, he'a planned this for so long, he just wants everything to be perfect - but, then again...

Lying here, with Chase in his arms, the world still quiet outside... just the two of them, together, nothing else to worry about than drifting back off into peaceful sleep...

Maybe this is perfect.

A small, fond smile forms on Dark's lips as he brings his hand up to brush through Chase's hair, leaning in to press another kiss to his forehead.

"I'm here, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here," he murmurs as he strokes over Chase's hair. The man hums contentedly as he cuddles up closer, and Dark lets his eyes slip closed. It isn't what he had planned, but... this is better.

-

When he wakes up again, the sun is shining through the small gaps in the curtains. Chase looks up from where he's tracing patterns over Dark's chest, giving him a smile that warms Dark from his heart outwards.

"Good morning. Happy Valentine's Day," he whispers, stretching up to kiss Dark on the cheek. Dark hums and turns to catch Chase's lips, cupping Chase's cheek to hold him there for a few more seconds.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he whispers as he pulls back.

"Do you have any plans today?" Chase asks, settling back down. Dark can't help but snort, and as Chase looks at him in confusion, he starts to laugh, sitting up just so he can double over. Of course. Of course Chase would ask that. He quickly calms himself down enough to explain, but he can't help an amused smile playing aorund his features.

"I had a lot of plans for today. I was going to get up early. I had an alarm. I was going to decorate the house, really make it cheesy, rose petals and everything. I was going to bake cookies and cupcakes. I was going to wake you up with a plate of those cinnamon bagels you love, and the house would smell of strawberry and red velvet, and after we spent the morning in bed, we'd do whatever you want," he explains, watching as Chase's expression goes from confusion to disbelief to fondness.

"When I tried to get up... you woke up, and you said you couldn't sleep when I wasn't in bed with you. I wanted to give you a Valentine's Day that you wanted, and... it seemed that this is what you wanted," he finishes with a small smile. Chase lets out a quiet, choked noise, shifting himself carefully before throwing himself into Dark's laps, his arms around Dark's shoulders. He kisses Dark once more, but this time there's something to it, something that makes Dark's heart beat a little faster and makes his head start to spin.

"You were absolutely right," Chase mutters as he pulls away, grinning widely as he cups Dark's cheeks. 

"Don't get me wrong, all that sounds wonderful, trust me and I- fuck, Dark, it's so damn sweet that you planned all that. And I would have loved that too! But... you're right. Nothing beats waking up next to you. You... you make me feel safe. Warm. Protected. There's nothing I'd rather do, on any day, than wake up in your arms." Chase voice trails to a soft whisper by the end of his words, and it isn't until Dark blinks that he notices there's tears in his eyes. Chase gently wipes them away as Dark brings him closer.

"I love you," he whispers, like it's their secret. Something precious, just for them. His heart aches pleasantly when Chase returns it, like something has snapped into place after so long without it.

"I also love the plans you had. Let's do them. Together," Chase adds, and Dark almost doesn't catch it as he mumbles them sleepily. A soft laugh bubbles out of him.

"After some more of this, though," he says as he pulls Chase even closer, securing his arms around the man's waist. Chase murmurs an agreement, resting his head on Dark's shoulder and letting out a contented sigh, and it's like he fits there, like he was made for Dark to hold. Which is lucky, because for all Dark likes to plan, he doesn't plan on letting go.

[crowdedstreets-and-emptysheets]

Alone

- In which I borrow Will for bottom energy shenanigans and the title makes it sound angstier than it is

_____________________

They're at it again.

Not trouble, no. 

Five minutes earlier, the door had rang, and Dark beat him to the door. Now, back leant against a windowsill, Wilford wonders if he should teleport more often.

Dark is beautiful, blushing laughter, giggling helplessly at something Chase said, fawning over a large bouquet of rose-tinted... roses, nestled among small clusters of pink buds. They're store-bought, he can tell, and he wants to be resentful of that fact, wants to point out the possible insincerity but Chase is just as tense, just as unsure, and Dark loves them regardless.

He can't pretend he's pleased.

It's a lovely gift, they're lovely flowers, in a lovely colour. 

He should be happy for them. He should. 

Dark leans up, all smiles as her hand strokes his cheek, Chase following easily, and Wil has to look away.

She needs to grab her jacket, he overhears. Not on purpose. It doesn't take away from the sinking feeling in his chest- gut? Somewhere in there- and it doesn't help calm the twinge of annoyance that has his fingers curl into his sleeves.  They'd go out, again, and he'd be left alone, for hours, again.

He's tired of it. The quiet, winding hallways, lounging idly over every bit of furniture in the house he's dusted down five times now, target practice on the bottles in the back, the echo of metal on metal in an empty room and the dreaded silence that never told him off for firing the pistol indoors, or gave small huffs of exasperated laughter at his jokes, or hummed soft mismatched notes when reading specific passages or called him 'dear' or 'love' or 'darling'-

This silence is dull, empty.

He's tired of being alone.

He looks back up, and ocean blue meets his eyes.

Chase's expression is questioning, asking permission silently and his brows furrow, but he nods. 

Close your eyes.

His fingertips brush his cheek, and Wilford just barely made out the feeling of something threading through his hair before the soft laugh. 

The flower spills petals over his ear, a striking pink against dark hair.

Chase's eyes are bright, and fond.

It suits you.

It does. Dark's come out, smiling, the jacket under her arm as she tucks the flower further up, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek, humming in amused satisfaction as she watches him, steadily, flush as bright as the rose in his hair.

Have a good night yourself, won't you, dear?

A final smile, and she moves to lead Chase to the door, who looks back as he closes the door behind them.

He shoots him a wink.

See you later, Wil.

The thrum of the motorbike fades into the distance. It's quiet, and he's alone again, with nothing to accompany the slow breaths he took, the thundering of his heart in his chest.

Alone.

The welcome chill of her lips on his skin, and the heat in his eyes as he turned to him.

He lets himself smile.

Not for long.

[lildevyl]

Ego Ship

TW:  Male/Male relationship, Ego Shipping between the Septics and Ipliers. 

If you’re not into that then, please go read somewhere else!  Okay, so I’ve been getting some positive feedback on this idea that I had.  I’ve had it for a while now but been a little too scared to post it.  So, I haven’t fully written it yet, but here’s what I have so far. I guess you could call it a preview?  Not sure, but feel free to read it.

I have no idea what to call this ship. Chase Brody x Darkiplier.  DarkAverage?

Anyway, the idea is too keep the peace between the two Houses (Septics and Ipliers) Dark winds up marrying one of the Septics as marriage of convenience.  That is until both men start to develop feelings for one another.\

Marvin kneeled there on his hands and knees unable to continue.  Dark just lazy stood there with a knowing smirk on his face.  The magician tried as he may still had a lot to learn.  Dark could see it, the potential that he had, just itching to come out, but he dare not press it.  His husband (a marriage of convenience as it was) wouldn't be too happy with him if Dark would to do anything to his brother.  A small smile snuck on to Dark's face, at just the thought of his feisty husband.  Never had he ever met someone with so much fire, so much fight in their soul.  Yet, here he was, married as a way to keep the peace between the two houses (the Ipliers and the Septics) and now he's starting to have a fondness for the Septic boy.

"You want you brother to be happy, don't you?"  Dark asked in a soothing voice.

The magician's reaction said it all.  "Yes, I do.  I want him to be happy."

"Then why are you fighting me?  When we have the same goal?  We both want your brother to be happy."  Dark's aura had some kind of sweet scent.  It reminded Marvin of flower but through the fog he couldn't remember what flower that was.  Nor, did he want to lose the scent.  It was so sweet, so alluring

"I don't know why we're fighting.  We're  .  .  .   family?"  Marvin slurred a bit.  Were they family?  They had to be.  Dark was married to his brother, and his brother wouldn't stay with him unless he wanted too.

"You do anything for your brother, right?"  Dark's voice rang through out, deafening the outside world.  "If you want your brother to be happy.  Then you'll have do something for me."  Dark was careful on he would phrase his next question.  "Tell me magician.  Tell about your brother's ex-wife?"

Marvin scuffed. "She's the worst!  She's the reason why Chase nearly committed suicide!  She left him!  Took the kids!  Filed for divorce then called him when he was working to tell him that she took the kids and moved into her sister's!  She made sure to file for the divorce before she did so.  Just so that Jackie couldn't find her and bring the kids back based on kidnapping!"  With his eyes burning with rage, Marvin added, "Then she had the nerve.  The nerve to come in to the hospital with crocodile tears and demanded to see him!  Claiming that she was still his wife!  Ha!  She only wanted to see if he was still alive just easy her own guilty conscience!"

Dark's smile grew. b

"Yes!"

"What would you do then?"

"Curse her!  Curse her so that her life would be as miserable, if not more then what she made Chase's life!"

"Would you want to make sure that Chase felt loved again?  That his heart was full of love again?  That he knew that everyone loved him?  Respected him?  Would obey him?"

"Yes.  Yes, I would!  I'd do anything for my brother.  For Chase.  For him to be happy and loved again.  To feel love once again."

"Then this is what I need you to do then."

[inkribbon796]

Egotober 2022 Day 26: Bad Blood

Summary: Dark and Phantom have a lot to discuss . . . and gallons of bad blood between them.

Prompt: Bone/Bones

Characters: Phantom, Dark, Yan, Wilford

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

This meeting was dicey, but it was a long time coming.

Phantom and Dark had been fighting over the Entertainment District for a while. The nightclub demon hadn’t attacked Yan yet so he didn’t start a turf war between them.

Yan was in charge of a couple of cafes in the District, and Dark’s long unimposed reign over the area ensured that he and Yan had control of the best area of the district. It was the best for foot traffic. Which is why the cafes had been placed there.

So Yan and Dark had agreed to meet with Phantom at the ritziest restaurant that neutral ground could give them. It was three blocks down from the heroes’ base, but there was nothing more than minor monitoring . . . at least until people started dying. The restaurant normally had a certain style. More at home in a Victorian horror book than downtown Brighton. Candlelight. Reds, and gold and dark greys. With Halloween so close it only gave the restaurant an additional bone motiff.

Chase was routinely casing the place and then returning back to the room.

Food and drinks had been ordered but neither Dark nor Phantom were eating. They were just sitting across from each other, glaring at one another. Phantom even has a bone and skull pattern on his vest. Yan was on one side of Dark and Wilford was on the other.

Yan was lightly picking at her food while Wilford was just devouring his stuffed pasta dish as if it was a normal lunch.

“You know,” Phantom smiled as he played with the cuff of his sleeve, a finger idly tracing the swirling bones etched onto the corner of the cuff. “I have to hand it to you Ent.”

Phantom glanced down at the cuff before looking back up at Dark. A dare.

“If you’re not going to talk business, we’re going to leave,” Dark said. “I’m not here to waste my time when I have too much work to do.”

“Is that what you tell yourself?” Phantom said. “It’s a wonder you can even get anything done. Have you changed that much?”

Dark stood up, chair screeching on the floor. “I have more important things to do with my time. Yan, Wil, we are leaving.”

“But we didn’t even order dessert,” Wilford frowned.

Dark sighed and used his portals to drop an entire strawberry cheesecake into his lap, in a case. Wilford gasped in delight and picked up the cheesecake.

Chase walked over from where he was standing by the doorway, watching them.

“We simply must do this again,” Wilford stood up. Then he winked at Phantom. “I suppose we’ll be seeing each other around.”

Phantom smiled back, liking the way that the jealousy lit up Dark’s face. He traced his fingers around the bone motif of the glass. “I’m sure we will.”

Dark pulled Wilford away as he led Yan along, opening a portal for them. His aura wrapping any leftover food in to go boxes and taking it with them through.

“If I see you around the cafes again, I will have your head,” Dark threatened.

“Big words from the empath who was too busy hanging on my arm to do anything back when we were waging war against the Ottomans,” Phantom smiled.

“Every second I spent working with you was a waste of my time,” Dark turned back, furious.

Wilford surprised Chase by gently wrapping his hand around Dark’s elbow. “Darkling, look we have cake, and I know you love strawberries. I think you’re getting a bit too riled up for dessert, darling.”

Dark looked back at Wilford, fury twisting in his eyes and making his ringing shrill. He yanked his arm away and led Yan into the portal. Wilford blew Phantom a kiss before following his boyfriend through the portal.

Chase went to follow them before turning back to look at Phantom. “You’re not special, you know.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Phantom smiled, calmly sipping at his drink.

“Lots of demons in town, and besides, you sleeping with Wil isn’t an accomplishment,” Chase said. “I’m pretty sure he’s slept with a couple heroes. He’s slept with every mayor and their partners anytime he comes into town.”

“What are you getting at?” Phantom was smiling.

“He’s not a notch on your belt, your one on his and given enough time and lube he would fuck every single people in this awful town.” Chase glared at him. “It’s easier to sleep with Wilford than it is to find bones in a cemetery.”

“And you would know?” Phantom still had a smug smile on his face.

“I know if I so much as blinked right he’d be down to fuck me on the table you’re eating on, if that’s what you’re asking,” Chase scoffed. “Yeah, I could probably list off the people in the Coalition that he’s slept with but that’s none of your business. So just enjoy your fancy steak and fuck off why don’t you?”

“Aren’t you charming,” Phantom’s grin was all teeth.

Chase kept his eyes on Phantom until he stepped through the portal and it closed behind him. Leaving Phantom to enjoy his food in peace.

[inkribbon796]

Egotober 2022 Day 1: Undercover

Summary: Another spooky year in Egoton, it’s Egotober.

Chase is on a mission when he gets surprised by Wilford.

A/N: I’m back, and I’ve brought some heroes. It’s a while and life’s gotten a bit out of hand since my last upload. Wanted to come back for Egotober.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Prompt: Hoodie

Characters: Chase, Wilford, Dark

Chase was supposed to be undercover for Dark. He was wearing a grey Tool band hoodie and black with a beanie instead of his usual hat. He felt wrong. He wanted his hat back, but he was infinitely more recognizable when his face was half hidden. Unlike every other hero who had to bend over backwards to hide their faces.

Dark wanted him to get a handle for how many demon hunters were still in the city, and Chase was more than willing to scout around for him. Dark had been doing his best to round up as many as he could find and kill them.

Chase would have fought him more on the killing stance if they weren’t trying to murder his own kids. The triplets had been attracting a lot of attention, and they needed to protect them. But Chase would sooner be dead than let anything happen to them.

He was sneaking around Brighton, not Dark’s territory. It was more of Anti’s turf but it was close enough to his ex-wife’s place for him to want to take a look.

While he was about to wrap around he noticed the colors around him became more vibrant.

“Oh, you fucker,” Chase said as he looked around and saw Wilford standing behind him.

Chase moved the instant he realized that Wilford had his prized revolver out, trying to close the distance as the gun was coming towards him. The scuffle was easy, too easy. Chase had Wil on his back in some alleyway. Wil’s gun in one hand and he was pinned to the ground.

“I was busy,” Chase told him.

“And I was bored,” Wilford admitted.

“Go bother Abe, usually you bother Abe,” Chase argued and then there was a weird sense of vertigo and Chase felt like he was falling through the floor and right into Dark’s office where he was trying to work on some paperwork.

He straightened up a bit when they suddenly appeared.

Chase scrambled up and grabbed Wilford’s gun, bringing it over to Dark. He didn’t even look up from his paperwork to take it and slide it into his inside suit coat pocket.

“Look, chatty Kathy,” Chase turned back to Wil, fixing the front of his hoodie. “I’m trying to work, could you wait until I’m done.”

“I’m just saying, Darky isn’t the only one who wants to have a little fun,” Wilford winked at him.

“Pass, not looking to get stabbed in the not-so-good way again,” Chase said.

Wilford shrugged, walking around the desk to get Dark a kiss on the cheek. Dark leaned into it. “A shame.”

“What’s the report?” Dark asked.

“There numbers are down and they don’t seem to be going back up, but they’re definitely following the twins around,” Chase said before stopping. “Triplets, sorry.”

“Now there’s no need to forget about Memento, he’s a quieter one but he’s still there,” Wilford said.

Chase stared at the madman. “Anyways. We watch over them closely and they should be fine. They’re getting good at protecting themselves.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Chase said. “Last I checked the triplets were still in the Manor. Hopefully they’ll stay put for a while.”

Dark had some noise. “I doubt it.”

“Yeah,” Chase agreed.

“They’re all such free spirits, come on, they’re having fun,” Wilford said.

“They’re allowed to have fun, but they shouldn’t try and get themselves killed,” Chase said.

“Bah,” Wilford said as he cleared off a spot on Dark’s desk and sat down. “Death is a joke and the triplets know how to play the game better than their siblings. They’ll be fine.”

Dark looked over at Wilford, unconvinced but he wasn’t arguing the issue at the moment. Chase rolled his eyes and grabbed his hat off the couch in Dark’s office where he’d left it.

“Going back on patrol, if any of the heroes show up, give them a nice hello for me.” Chase looked back at Dark and Wil as he put on his hat. He felt a lot better with it back on.

“Of course, of course.” Wilford smiled. He was holding up his prized revolver again, suddenly appearing there again despite Dark having it last. “Do the same if you see them first.”

“Got it,” Chase said as he left the office and pulled up his hoodie to sweep a different part of Dark’s territory.

[inkribbon796]

Egotober 2021 Ch. 15: He Didn’t Have TOO Much to Drink

Summary: Dark gets drunk and Wil and Chase find him adorable.

Prompt: Drink

Characters: Dark, Chase, and Wilford

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Most of the Lost Ones had come to terms with the fact that Dark was dating Chase. At least Bim limited himself to scathing glares at Chase across Dark’s office when they were in the same room, or stealing Mori’s phone to text rather angry threats to Chase when he could get away with it.

But for the most part that was the worst of it. Mostly because Chase made it a point not to live in the Manor. Dark insisted he not live in some out of the way apartment but in some penthouse apartment that had been originally intended for Author when he would eventually move out on his own. Arthur had never gotten to use it, and Host emphatically insisted he had no need for it. So Chase was basically pushed into living there. His stuff had already been moved in by the Host’s narrations before Chase had even learned it was an option.

Chase and Dark were trying to take the relationship slow and careful. Chase not wanting a repeat of his very messy divorce, and Dark not really knowing how to have a healthy relationship in the first place. The marksman had even made his peace with Wilford being an active and needed element in Dark’s life because as much as the sight of the madman’s presence boiled Chase’s blood in his veins, he loved Dark more than he hated Wil.

That led Chase to tonight. Dark was having a fairly stressful week and Chase was trying to relax in his new space when Wilford portalled in with Dark.

“Look, Darkling, there he is,” Wilford smiled, he had one of Dark’s arms around his neck and he was holding him up.

“What did yeh do ta him?”[1] Chase jumped up in a panic, racing over to them.

“Relax, we just had a couple of drinks,” Wilford smiled, letting Chase take Dark and move him over to the couch. “It’s been a while since he’s been able to let loose.”

“Why’s he drunk?” Chase demanded, laying him down on the couch. “He ne’er[2] gets drunk.”

“I can be very persuasive,” Wilford smiled proudly. “I’m sure he’s fine, he didn’t have too much to drink.”

Chase sent him a scathing glare.

“M’not[3] drunk,” Dark insisted, grabbing onto the front of Chase’s shirt to pull himself up.

Wilford snapped his fingers and suddenly Chase’s vision was spinning. He felt dizzy and his back was on the couch, Dark’s head on his chest. And the couch he’d grown comfortable with was suddenly a futon.

“Ugh,” Chase groaned. “What the hell?”

Wilford unceremoniously flopped down on the futon next to Dark. “Well, couldn’t have him getting back up now could we?”

“I should just shoot yeh[4] in the foot,” Chase leaned up on an elbow to see a good look at Dark, his ringing was more subdued than normal. He didn’t seem injured, just drowsy.

“What’s stopping you?” Wilford smiled as he tucked some of Dark’s hair behind an ear.

Chase gestured to Dark, who was laying on one of his arms.

“Some other time then,” Wilford smiled.

The marksman was about to snap at Wil but Dark leaned up to curl his hands into Chase’s shirt, making Chase smile. Chase buried his nose in Dark’s hair. “Clingy when yer drunk, ain’tcha?”[5]

“M’mm terrifyin’,”[6] Dark mumbled into his chest.

Chase tried not to laugh, and didn’t really succeed as he envisioned a little panther cub weakly stumbling around. “Yeah, yer big an’ scary, aren’tcha?”[7]

Dark made some angry grumble, but Chase knew he was already starting to slip off.

“Just sleep,” Chase told Dark, kissing his forehead. “Fook knows yeh need it.”[8]

The Entity didn’t answer, Chase and Dark eventually fell asleep, cuddled up in each other’s arms. Dark would be hungover and pissed come morning, getting snappy with both Chase and Wilford. But Chase would just smile over coffee, the image of a very cuddly Dark unable to fade from his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. What did you do to him?

2. never

3. I’m not

4. you

5. Clingy when you’re drunk, aren’t you?

6. I’m terrifying

7. Yeah, yer big an’ scary, aren’tcha?

8. Fook knows yeh need it.

[inkribbon796]

The Problem with Wills Ch. 3: Wilford’s Heir

Summary: Dark, Illinois, and Bim actually talk about their problems. Not clickbait.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

Bim’s birthday came, Dark had a gift and some cake waiting for him after he woke up. The gift was a pair of daggers with some crescent moons on them. If he tilted the handle just right the names “Bim Trimmer” and “Barnum” were reflected back at him.

“Wilford never wanted you to have that last name, but you are a Barum through and through,” Dark told him.

“How do you know?” Bim asked.

“Some things just come natural to you,” Dark said. “Barnums have little tolerance for things they find distasteful.”

After that the conversations ended with Yan racing in. Before Bim could remember he had a couple questions to ask Dark, he was distracted by his siblings. Each giving him various gifts. He even hesitantly accepted ones from Memento and Mori. They looked normal enough. A large hourglass with a real human skull in both ends of it, and a little 3D model of a human skull.

When he went to check on Dark, the mob boss was talking with Google. Dark did make time for some light aura training after the short meeting.

So his birthday was going great. He even went out with his Dad, Yan, and Anti. They got in trouble with the cops, Logic almost took Bim’s arm off with a nanite-infused missile bullet. But apart from that last moment everything was going well.

Bim tumbled back into the Manor living room.

“Hey Junior,” Illinois smiled. “I see you’re getting better at holding your liquor.”

“Hey, shut the fuck up,” Bim was still more than a bit buzzed. “I got the one thing you don’t.”

“Regret?” Illinois’s eyebrow went up smugly.

“A picture with the Ol’[1] Man, an’[2] ain’t nobody got that,” Bim boasted.

“Please, he’s in everyone’s pictures,” Illinois rolled his eyes, wondering just how drunk his younger brother really was.

“Nah, I got two ‘a[3] just me an’[2] him,” Bim promised as he pulled out his phone and pressed the wrong app before actually getting into his pictures.

Illinois walked over to the stack of albums and tugged his and King’s albums out. “Yeah, yeah, we’ve all got—”

The adventurer stopped when he saw that some of the pictures were shuffled around. Some pictures he distinctively remembered showing Eric months ago were gone. Including the one of Dark sleeping next to King and Illinois.

Illinois was frowning as he flipped through the pictures. He started flipping through the other albums. “Huh.”

“The fuck, my pictures are gone,” Bim complained. “Where are they?”

“Sober up,” Illinois told him, pulling a small bag of magic-infused dust and passing it to his brother. “Someone’s been through our albums and my bet’s on the Host.”

Bim reluctantly did as Illinois asked and was promptly given something to deal with the hangover before Illinois grabbed the pile of photo albums and stomped over to Dark’s office.

Illinois, contrary to almost everyone else in the world, just walked into Dark’s office. Even Bim would have knocked. But Illinois strolled in, not checking if Dark was in a meeting beforehand, and dropped the photo albums right on Dark’s desk.

“I told you he was up to something,” Illinois told Dark, the Entity leaning back at the unexpecting cargo suddenly dropped on his desk.

Dark’s eyes tracked over to Bim who was walking in. He sighed, “What’s going on?”

Illinois grabbed his own photo album and started flipping through it to point at some of the pictures, “Someone went through all our photo albums and took out the pictures we had with just you. It was obviously him.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Dark began carefully stacking the albums. “I took them out. You’re welcome. I’ve been watching the Host, he hasn’t been doing anything around the house.”

Illinois stared at him. “You what?”

“You’re welcome,” Dark insisted, as if his actions were completely natural. “I figured I should get a headstart while I have access to them. Also I need to talk to you about your territory.”

“My territory?” Illinois demanded, confused. “I work out of your territory. Did you mean about the stuff in the will? I’m never going to need that stuff.”

“Well,” Dark began, glancing at Bim. As far as the Entity was aware, only Illinois had seen the will. “I need to draft up a new one, the triplets didn’t exist before I made this.”

Bim rolled his eyes. Dark was already acting a little weird, bringing up Memento and Mori didn’t help.

Dark seemed to actually be a little nervous, “You and Bim have the largest territory, it makes sense to draw it from yours.”

“Fuck, just make sure it’s not Mori getting my shit, fuck him,” Bim snapped.

“Shut it,” Illinois snapped at Bim.

“I don’t care what you want to do with your territory,” Illinois told Dark. “I can’t even use it right now. I care about you going through the albums and just getting rid of pictures. Where are they? What did you do with them?”

“I threw them into the Void,” Dark answered.

“What‽” Illinois slammed his hands on the table. Dark actually jumped. “Fuck! How long ago?”

“Two months ago,” Dark answered hesitantly.

Illinois just stared at him before pulling out a piece of portal chalk and opening up a portal to dive into the Void.

“Illinois!” Dark called out, looking like he was about to have a heart attack. “Get out of there!”

Dark raced in after Illinois and Bim stayed on their trail. Dark tried to push Bim back out but seemed more occupied with trying to pull Illinois out of the deeper parts of the Void.

Illinois was looking around, the shadows of this second Manor were moving weirdly.

The adventure let out a choked gasp and threw himself into a pocket of viscous shadows. He let out a hiss of pain. “Give those fucking back! You demon House!”

“Stop!” Dark ordered as he grabbed Illinois and pulled him and Bim out and back into his office outside the Void.

Four pictures and fragments of several others spilled out of Illinois’s hands. There was black gunk and blood on his hands.

“What did that thing do to you?” Bim asked, taking a step and realizing that his leg and arm were hurting. He looked down to see blood dripping from his fingers.

“Uh. Uhhhh! Dad!” Bim yelled out.

Dark flinched and looked over to Bim to see him holding his hand.

The Entity used a portal to bring Bim closer and pulled a first aid kit out of another portal as he was scolding Illinois. “You know the Void is dangerous, you’ve absorbed a lot of Wil’s aura but neither of you have enough to be immune to its effects.”

“You threw our pictures in there,” Illinois choked out, his eyes wet. “Those were my pictures of you.”

One of Dark’s echoes suddenly appeared and began tending to Bim, using just his aura instead of physically touching him.

“I don’t know why you went after them, they were going to be removed sooner or later,” Dark dismissed.

“Why would anyone want them gone?” Illinois demanded. “아빠[4] what’s going on?”

“I thought it was fairly obvious,” Dark said as he carefully wrapped up Illinois and Bim’s wounds. His tone was subdued and he wasn’t looking either of them in the eyes. “You all are fully grown. My use in this House is nearing its end.”

“What are you talking about?” Illinois demanded. “This is your house, you live here.”

“This is Wil’s house,” Dark corrected firmly.

“And?” Illinois was starting to get angry again. “If that bastard is going to kick you out, I will punch out all of his teeth.”

“Dad wouldn’t do that,” Bim defended.

“Even if he did, this city is yours. You have the lake house and the warehouses and—” Illinois stopped, the way Dark wasn’t looking at him wasn’t sitting right with him.

“Are you using the will to cut up the city?” Illinois felt his blood starting to boil. “Did Wil tell you to do that?”

“Wilford hasn’t mentioned anything,” Dark said. “It merely helps to be proactive. I don’t like surprises.”

You’ve been talking about my territory ever since I got married.” Illinois stared at Dark, absolutely dumbfounded. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Dark asked, with not an ounce of heartbreak to his voice. Dark felt proud of himself, for keeping his emotions under wraps. “The territory is rightfully yours.”

“No, it’s yours,” Illinois countered desperately. “You shaped this city. This is all your territory.”

“I mangled this city into being what I needed, and I would do it again if it was necessary,” Dark insisted. “But Wilford will grow tired of me and find someone new to occupy his time. As will Chase. Chase is new at this functional immorality, he doesn’t know what he wants.”

“And you do?” Illinois asked.

“I know what they don’t want,” Dark spat. “I am a cold, heartless demon, I can’t do anything without forcing this body to be something else. I—”

Dark flinched as something warm touched his back. His whole body flinched as Dark realized that Bim had grabbed onto his back in a hug and was just clinging onto him. The Entity froze, trying not to move waiting for the moment to sour. For him to be pulled away from Bim.

The Entity’s blue soul was screaming in Dark’s head, trying to pull away from Bim as Dark stayed frozen. If Dark was braced for screaming, Damien was expecting a far more violent reprimand for even touching Bim.

While William, and later when he became Wilford, had never once even thought about laying a finger on Damien or Dark in that way. Damien’s childhood surrounding anything even shaped like a small child had been less than pleasant.

Aura was one thing.

This was the first time Dark’s physical body had come into contact with Bim in years.

“아빠,”[4] Illinois said sadly as he moved forward and hugged Dark as well.

Dark started shaking trying to reign all of his emotions in before they escaped and he couldn’t control them anymore.

But Dark felt himself starting to choke up and his arms wrapped around Bim and Illinois, pulling them close towards him. The moment having a sense of guilty catharsis for the Entity. The three of them stayed in the near silence of Dark’s office for a bit.

Dark enjoying this rare moment he almost never let himself have as he held two of his children close to him.

The three would eventually break apart and Illinois was determined to stay with Dark for a little while. He wasn’t sure if it was exactly wise to leave his father alone at the moment, and Bim tried to stay physically close to Dark at all times.

At first Dark kept trying to move away but after a bit he stopped and just let Bim stay near him.

While Dark and Bim were talking about some project Bim wanted to do, Illinois noticed the Host standing on the back patio, looking in his direction.

Illinois excused himself to talk with his brother and slipped outside, shivering at the cold a bit. “Hey, you cold?”

“No, the Host will not be staying for long, the hospital is about to have an incident, and the Host does not like leaving his doctor vulnerable.”

“Sorry for accusing you,” Illinois told Host.

“Illinois was merely protecting his father,” the Host excused. “The Host finds such actions more than acceptable.”

“Wouldn’t have gone off on you if you didn’t act like you were going to burn the place down,” Illinois told the Host.

“It was the only way to get Illinois and Bim to see the problems going on in the Manor,” the Host told his brother. “This solves nothing overnight, but it is a start.”

“Yeah,” Illinois sighed. He looked at Bim and Dark. The younger demon sitting close to Dark at the table.

The Host then pulled a stack of photos out of his pocket with his aura. “The Host took the liberty of copying these when he was alerted to what the Entity was doing. The Anomaly helps immensely with regaining what was lost.”

“Holy shit, Host,” Illinois took the pictures. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“The Host knows, but he appreciates the reminders,” the Host smiled, and let out a startled noise when Illinois hugged him. He got very little warning beforehand.

Illinois then ran back into the living room to start replacing pictures. Even the two that had gone missing from Bim’s phone were in the stack. Seeing pictures that he hadn’t even known were captured for the first time.

It didn’t take away that they’d been destroyed in the first place. But it was a step in the right direction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. Old

2. and

3. of

4. Dad; used informally. Phonetically reads as: Appa.

[inkribbon796]

Trouble in Toddler Town Ch. 2: Echoes in a Cold House

Summary: For Dark parenting never came easy, and he’s not that keen to start over from square one again.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

While the heroes were dealing with their crisis, Dark had one of his own.

When the spell rippled out Dark had pulled Wil, Chase, and all the Lost Ones who had been in the plaza; into the Manor’s living room. But unbeknownst to Dark, his portals brought in the foggy smoke from whatever spell had been triggered in the plaza.

It immediately caused problems because Yan was with the triplets in that same living room and the fog spread throughout the room. Thereby hitting all of the Lost Ones before Dark was able to start airing out the room.

“Dammit!” Dark cursed, coughing as he opened small portals and throwing open every nearby window and door he could. “Dammit.”

Chase almost kicked the balcony door and then opened the front door to get a channel of fresh wind open through the house.

“Fook,”[1] he coughed. “The hell was that thin’[2]? Asthma gas?”

At that moment a hiccuping sob began ringing out, with almost the faintest ringing echo to it.

The adults noticed that all nine of the Lost Ones had been turned into children. Their clothing had shrunk down with them, except for Illinois’s hat which engulfed his now much smaller head. Illinois and Host into four-year-olds. Yancy and King into toddlers. And the triplets, Yan, and Bim into kids anywhere from eighteen to eight months. Most of the Lost Ones seemed frozen by some kind of shock over what had happened to them.

Wilford gasped in wide-eyed glee.

“Fook,”[1] Chase hissed under his breath.

But Dark felt his legs lock up, and dread washed over him as Bim’s cries became shrill screams.

“Oh, sugarplum,” Wilford reached down to scoop the younger Bim into his arms and that seemed to immediately soothe the young spawnling. “What’s the matter, Junior?”

Bim reached up and patted his father’s face, babbling incoherently.

“What a little rapscallion,” Wilford chuckled and smiled at Bim as the boy cooed up at him.

Chase, almost acting on instinct, scooped up Memento and Mori, trying to seperate them as Mori was slapping Memento’s face with a small, chubby hand.

“Hey, Mor, come on, don’t antagonize yer[3] brother,” Chase spat. Tempus crawled over to Chase and tugged on his leg. Her eyes wide, and already tear-filled and reached up to be picked up as well.

“Uh,” Chase stalled. “I’m not an octopus, sweetie. Dark can yeh[4]—”

Chase looked over to Dark, expecting him to come over and pick her up. But the Entity was exactly where he’d been standing when Bim had been crying earlier. He was staring at Bim with a glassy stare.

“Dark?” Chase called out, but when Tempus started letting out a ringing cry the sharpshooter got desperate. “Dark!”

The Entity startled, his eyes going wide as he looked at the triplets and then he pulled himself into a portal and he was gone.

And if Chase thought the crying was bad before, it was nothing compared to Illinois and King who started screaming when Dark left.

Dark ran out of a portal, his blue soul screaming at him.

He couldn’t take this again. The Entity had been lucky enough with Wil’s memory problems but Chase was involved. Chase would remember everything Dark did.

Dark hid in a back alley. The Entity wanted a breather so he could pull himself back together, silence his blue soul, and then go back to the Manor.

So Dark just stood in the alley, trying to calm his blue soul, and debated on just switching to his red soul. It would be easier. But while he was mentally wrestling his blue soul into action an infant Ranboo just appeared in front of him. He was hiccupping in distress as frothing purple curled around him before sputtering out, unable to keep himself teleporting after so many accidental bursts of magic.

Baby. Damien’s blue soul stopped screaming, concentrating on the infant. Which was good because now Dark wasn’t dealing with a slowly escalating situation, but now he was picking up a strange, clearly infantile spawnling. One with a familiar aura, despite him being unable to place where he’d seen it before.

As Dark picked up the infantile demon, he realized immediately how ravenously hungry for aura he was. But Ranboo’s tail pulled up and he began chewing on the fluff at the end. Dark opened a couple small portals to look around for a parent or a guardian but didn’t find any.

So Dark exhaled a deep breath as he curled his aura around the spawnling, and then opened a portal and stepped back into the Manor.

The main living room was just a sea of napping or passed out toddlers. Wilford had used his aura to put all of them to sleep and Chase had helped make them all comfortable.

When Dark walked in, he immediately tried to hush his ringing aura and used a spell to try and coax Ranboo to go to sleep, or at least calm down. Thankfully for the Entity, Ranboo went to sleep and when Dark saw he was sleeping, the Entity used his aura to carefully set Ranboo in the middle of the triplets. Finding that because of his white and black color scheme he blended in almost perfectly. The only thing keeping him from sticking out was his fluffy tail.

Dark looked over the room full of kids, and not for the first time wishing that they could all stay like this.

If there was one thing Dark’s souls couldn’t stand, it was the cries of children.

“Dark,” Chase hissed quietly and Dark fought the urge to run. That he was too close to something he shouldn’t be allowed to have.

“Yeh[4] just ran off,” Chase scolded as quietly as he could, his tone fueled by frustration, “where the hell did yeh[4] go?”

“I thought they made their opinions quite clear,” Dark told Chase. “I was unwanted.”

“So Bim’s a little colicky, so was Paddy,” Chase told him, trying to keep Dark in the room. But he did a double take at the extra kid, “who the fook[1] is this?”

Dark stayed quiet, just staring at Chase with an almost vacant look.

Chase sighed in resignation, dragging his hand down his face, “Dark we gotta talk about yer collection addiction.”

The sharpshooter motioned for Dark to follow him upstairs, which Dark did. Wilford immediately appeared to wrap his arms around the Entity.

Dark flinched.

“There you are, Darkling, the children were so worried,” Wilford smiled at him. “You ran off so quickly, my dear.”

“So where’d the kid come from?” Chase demanded.

“I thought you knew,” Wil asked in confusion. “Did your parents ever tell about the muskrats and the—”

“No, shut up,” Chase angrily slapped his hand over Wil’s mouth. “Yeh[4] already traumatized my kids once, I don’t need ta[5] hear the fookin’[6] story twice.”

Wilford licked Chase’s hand, making the sharpshooter growled and pulled his hand away to wipe the spit away.

“Fooker,”[7] Chase snarled, shaking his hand.

“You know, deep in your heart, that you love me,” Wilford chuckled.

Chase glared at him before turned back to Dark, “So the new one, where’d yeh get ‘em from, or do I gotta murder someone fer splittin’ yeh?”[8]

“I found them in an alleyway,” Dark admitted hesitantly.

Chase took off his cap and tapped his forehead to it, “Please tell me, yeh at least paused ta look fer a parent or a guardian, or fookin’ somethin’?”[9]

“Yes, naturally,” Dark told him.

“Okay,” Chase sighed and put his hat back on. “I’ll forward a picture ta[5] Jackie, if we get nothin’[10] then it’ll prolly be fine.”

Dark just stared at him.

“Next question,” Chase clapped his hands in front of his face. “Why the flyin’ fook did yeh run off? I was just askin’ yeh ta hold Temp, I don’t have three hands.”[11]

“The children didn’t want me around,” Dark repeated.

“That’s bullshit,” Chase snapped. “Illinois got so upset when yeh[4] left.”

“Hardly,” Dark scoffed. “I’m certain my lack of presence was greatly appreciated.”

“All the children missed you, Darkling,” Wilford told Dark. “Bim wouldn’t stop crying after you left.”

“He doesn’t want me Wil, he never did, he hates me,” Dark snarled. “I know you’re forgetful, but you know he doesn’t.”

“What are you talking about, Darkling?” Wilford asked in confusion. “He adores you, all the children do, he wants to be with you.”

“He wants nothing to do with me,” Dark snapped angrily, clearly getting more and more upset. “I am so obviously distasteful that both of you would rather be with anyone else but me.”

“Darkling, that’s ridiculous,” Wilford responded.

“You are fucking Anti,” Dark accused. “And he is unbearably smug about it every time he sees me.”

“I think I would remember fucking Anti,” Wilford defended himself firmly. Dark made a dismissive scoff and looked away. “I would remember that. I see him often enough. He would mention it.”

“Has Anti told yeh[4] that recently?” Chase asked, wanting to go out and shoot Anti for even the implication that what Dark said was true. “Anti’s with Henrik. An’[12] Henrik doesn’t tolerate bullshite[13] like that. He’d gut Anti with his own knife if he cheated on ‘im[14].”

“He doesn’t need to,” Dark snapped.

“Why don’t we go back to the kids, and you’ll see that Bim—” Wilford began.

“I offer him nothing,” Dark spat, “I can’t offer him warmth, I only have my aura and he can’t stand it.”

Wilford frowned and grabbed onto Dark’s shoulders and suddenly all three adults were standing in the middle of all of the Lost Ones — and Ranboo — who were still sleeping.

Dark was looking around like he was about to bolt at a moment’s notice, an expression of panic in his eyes.

Wilford suddenly had a still sleeping Bim in his arms, all of the children still kept asleep by the influx of Wil’s aura back in the room.

Dark was looking at Bim with such longing and hunger, clamping his fingers tightly onto his arms.

But Wilford passed Bim to Dark and the Entity instinctually grabbed him as Chase was ready to reach in and grab Bim away from both of them and kick Wilford out of the room.

“See, he loves you,” Wilford whispered, kissing Dark’s cheek and hugging the Entity to him as Dark looked down at Bim.

“He’s so cold,” Dark criticized.

“Kid always runs a bit cold,” Chase told him. “He gets that from yeh[4].”

Dark got a good look at Bim’s peaceful face, wishing that Bim had always been like this.

“He always cried so much, the Manor echoed with it,” Dark lamented, Chase frowned as he leaned against Dark. “Always cried at me, never with Wil.”

“Yeah, that makes sense, the bastard’s got morphine fer[15] aura, it’s how he put the kids ta[5] sleep,” Chase whispered into Dark’s shoulder. “Bim was crying at me too.”

Dark was quiet for a couple more seconds before he willingly sat down in the middle of all of the kids. Chase and Wilford sat down next to him as Dark began seeding his aura out and Wilford pulled his back.

Illinois, Host and Bim were the first to wake up. Bim reached up to grab at his face as Illinois rolled over and started sobbing as he crawled over to Dark.

Dark flinched as if he was being struck, as Illinois held onto him.

“See? They want to be with you, sweetheart.” Wilford kissed the top of Dark’s head.

Chase leaned over to take a picture of Ranboo and text it to Jackie as the kids slowly began waking up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. Fook

2. that

3. your

4. you

5. to

6. fucking

7. Fucker

8. So the new one, where’d you get them from, or do I have to murder someone for splitting you?

9. Please tell me, you at least paused to look for a parent or a guardian, or fucking something?

10. nothing

11. Why the flying fuck did you run off? I was just asking you to hold Temp, I don’t have three hands.

12. And

13. bullshit

14. him

15. fer

[inkribbon796]

What a Beautiful Wedding Ch. 5: For the Dancing and the Dreaming

Summary: Dark and his family try and get out of their little reality bubble.

A/N: I should have had this out yesterday, but someone *glares at Chase* were being difficult.

Title comes from the song “For the Dancing and the Dreaming” from How to Train your Dragon 2.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

//////~~~~//////~~~~//////~~~~//////

Channel 2

//////~~~~//////~~~~//////~~~~//////

The instant Dark mentally came back to himself he pulled everyone back into the Manor. But he also found that Anti and Henrik were within the same bubble as well and grabbed them as well.

The instant he started explaining things everyone started waking up.

“Who knows how long we’ll be here,” Dark finished.

“At least ve’re avake,”[1] Henrik decided from where he was standing with Chase.

Illinois, who had only been away for the past couple of minutes, was trying to remember where he’d been before this before remembering he’d been at his wedding and flying into an immediate panic.

“Eric!” Illinois realized with horror.

He got up and raced through the front door, he planned on running all the way to the park but the instant his feet were outside the door he was already reaching the chain link fence to Eric’s backyard.

But Illinois was not deterred, he was getting his fiancé back if it was the last thing he did. Illinois practically vaulted himself over the chain link fence.

“Eric, dulcito[2],” Illinois called up outside his window before thinking: “screw it!” and used his lock picks to break in and start creeping towards Eric’s room. He’d save punching this fake Derek until he was sure Eric was safe.

Just because he wasn’t real, and more importantly dead, that didn’t mean he could cause Eric a lot of pain.

Eric was asleep when Illinois walked up to his bed and shook him away.

“Dulcito,[2] we’re going home.”

Eric screamed in surprise, and Illinois held his hands up.

“It’s me, it’s me,” Illinois said, already starting to cry in relief. “We need to get home, we got dragged in and . . . please forgive me.”

Eric flinched before letting out a quiet gasp, “Illy?”

He practically threw himself into Illinois’s arms, starting to sob profusely as Illinois held him.

“I’m so sorry, I should have rescheduled the wedding, it should have been the happiest day of your life,” Illinois apologized.

“I wanna go home,” Eric told him, and went to move before he felt a sharp pain stab through his legs, mostly from stress, mostly from not having his actual good prosthetics all day and having to make do with bad ones.

“Eric?” Illinois asked in distress.

“My legs,” Eric sobbed in pain.

“I got you,” Illinois promised, picking him up in his arms.

Eric clung tightly to Illinois’s shirt, and then coiled up when a pounding came from the other side of the door.

The timid young man let out a terrified whimper.

“Eric what’s going on in there?” Derek yelled, trying to break down the door. “Who’s voice is that? Open this door!”

“Shit,” Illinois hissed, prepared to fight Derek.

“Illinois should start walking, quickly before Derek can enter,” the Host spoke up.

Illinois and Eric startled but out of reflex, Illinois began to start walking. He took two steps and suddenly he wasn’t in Eric’s home, he was running into his own. And the whiplash just about made him go unconscious. If he hadn’t been aware he was in a sitcom from hell, he wouldn’t have felt a thing.

“What was that?” Illinois looked around wildly. They were walking into the living room of the Manor.

“The Host used a screen wipe,” the Host smiled.

“This whole place is a shithole,” Illinois snarled as he rushed to carefully set Eric down on the comfiest-looking couch. “The laugh tracks were already giving me a migraine, thanks for stopping them.”

“The Host was not a fan of them either,” the Host agreed.

The instant he realized they were back in the house, Dark checked them over briefly when they came over and then Illinois set Eric on the couch and the two of them almost immediately fell asleep, wrapped up together. Dark stretched a blanket over them and then walked into the kitchen.

Mostly to collect his thoughts and figure out some kind of plan of attack. If it was just himself, Dark would worm his way out and hunt the Actor down. But he wasn’t alone. There was Lunky and Eric to consider, along with the triplets. All of them had no hope of standing against the Actor on their own. He couldn’t see what was out there, and didn’t want to take his chances.

“How yeh holdin’ up?”[3] Chase asked.

Dark was sitting at the large dinner table, he had a coffee in front of him. He wasn’t sure where or when he’d gotten the coffee from but he had it.

The sooner he was out of here, the better. He didn’t like how easily it was for the anomaly to pull him around.

“I’d think you’d want out as soon as possible,” Dark told him.

“Well nothin’s[4] happened yet,” Chase told him and walked over. “Sides,[5] at this point we should prolly[6] stick together.”

“You can do that perfectly fine in any other room,” Dark told him, trying to sound uncaring but he could still remember waking up with Chase in the morning.

“Yeah, but I was worried about yeh,” Chase told him, not taking a seat yet and just leaning against the table. “Sides,[5] Bim was growlin’[7] at me, so I decided ta[8] give him his space.”

“I’m fine,” Dark told him sharply.

“Kay,”[9] Chase agreed, not wanting to push him. The two of them were quiet for a bit.

“What do you want?” Dark growled.

“I told yeh[10],” Chase started.

“No, you’ve given me some thinly veiled plot,” Dark glared, “but not what you actually want. Is it the triplets? Is it boredom? Everyone wants something.”

“What if I just want you? Have yeh[10] thought about that?” Chase asked.

“Don’t play with me, Brody,” Dark scoffed angrily. “What do you want?”

Something in Chase just snapped, something that was always compelling him to take care of Dark. “I’m not fookin’ jokin’. I actually wanna be with yeh. Yeh frustratin’, self-absorbed piece ‘a shite. If I was gonna lead yeh on, I’d be actin’ like Wilf.”[11]

Dark’s jaws clicked shut and he glared at Chase.

Sighing, Dark tried to tune out the anomaly, which was whispering to him. The most tempting of whispers. To just push everyone else out and the anomaly could give Dark what he wanted. Could give him the power he wanted. Could give him a version of Wilford that would never look away from him. Children who would always need him.

It was so tempting, but Dark knew better. The anomaly couldn’t give him that infinitely. It would falter, it just wanted a living battery to feed off of.

“Dark?” Chase whispered, taking a seat next to the Entity. His tone gentler as his anger was fading.

“I can open a portal to let you through, but I don’t know how long I can keep it open,” Dark told him. “I also don’t know what’s out there. We’ll have to be careful. We need to make sure the weaker spawnlings do not go out first.”

“Sounds good ta[8] me, but heads up, Illinois isn’t goin’[12] anywhere without yah[10],” Chase chuckled. “Kid’s a little needy when it comes ta[8] yah[10].”

“Illinois has Eric now, he doesn’t need me,” Dark corrected. “I was safe in here, he was a child again. Once we go back out I have to prepare his territory, I have all these arrangements to make and—”

“Dark, Dark,” Chase urged. “Listen ta yerself. Yer Illinois’s dad.”[13]

“Wilford is his father,” Dark reinforced.

“Bubbles didn’t raise him, you did,” Chase reminded sharply. “Wilf went off an’[14] did whate’er[15] the hell he wanted. You made sure the kids were safe. Granted he didn’t have a choice sometimes but the point stands.”

“I can’t have children,” Dark said, but it was his blue soul that put the words there. “I’m not allowed near them. Demons don’t feel things like love or joy, they just exist.”

“We both know that’s not true,” Chase told him, desperately trying to get through to him. “Yeh[10] adore those kids. E’eryone[16] in this whole fookin’[17] town knows that.”

Dark went quiet, hanging his head, he didn’t have a firm rebuttal for that. “I . . . I’m not . . .”

“Those kids are yers[18] as much as they are his. Our boys an’[14] Tempus are just as much yers[18] as they are mine,” Chase told him. “Yeh can have ‘em an’ see ‘em just ‘cause yeh want ta. Not because yeh need ta pay fer ‘em.”[19]

Chase mentally froze because that last part had just slipped out, he’d never considered . . . He mentally thought about Memento and Mori and how the two of them would show him knives and things Dark had just given them. Of Illinois and his adventurers and power within the city. Or Bim and how Dark just let him literally eat people. “Dark yeh know yeh don’t have ta buy yer own kids’ attention, right? They fookin’ love yeh.”[20]

Dark made a disbelieving scoff.

“Dark, they compete fer yer attention whene’er yer in the room,”[21] Chase told him. “Why do yeh[10] think Bim an’[14] Illinois are fightin’[22] all the time?”

“Siblings just do that,” Dark dismissed.

Chase looked up, “Oh my how are yeh[10] this fookin’[17] dense? Dark, yer[23] lucky yer[23] cute.”

A slightly darker grey blush briefly spread across Dark’s cheeks, he looked away from Chase for a second.

“If that’s how yeh[10] think siblings are supposed ta[8] act, did Damien an’[14] Celine participated in death matches or somethin’[24]?” Chase commented, trying to lighten the mood.

“Something to that effect,” Dark admitted. “Celine was always the favorite because she was able to perform magic. Their father was very harsh with Damien because he was a null. If he hadn’t died the way he did, he would have surely become a demon.”

“Yer[25] old man was a fooker[26],” Chase told him. “Maybe I should have Host use the anomaly ta[8] brin’[27] him back so I can kick him in the dick.”

“Only if I can kill him for keeping me prisoner in his house for decades,” Dark promised.

Chase smiled, before really looking at Dark. “I was serious early.”

“About which topic?” Dark asked.

“I’m exactly where I want ta[8] be,” Chase promised, finally saying when he’d been trying to remember to tell the Entity for months now. “There’s no one else I want ta[8] be with.”

“You’ll get bored,” Dark told him.

“Yeh[10] managed ta[8] keep stuff interestin’[28] in all the years I’ve known yeh[10],” Chase smiled.

“You’re human,” Dark reminded.

“Depends on who yeh[10] ask these days, don’t think I’ve got many ‘a[29] those years left,” Chase confessed. “Henz an’ Marv prolly don’t either. ‘Sides, if someone does manage ta kill me, I’ll make sure my ghost comes back an’ haunts yeh. I’ll bang some pots an’ shite. Make sure yeh know it’s me.”[30]

Dark’s brow furrowed, he was still looking for something. Then, “You’re with the heroes, if you wanted to be with me, you wouldn’t have turned me down when I asked.”

“That wasn’t me turnin’ yeh down, that was me sayin’ no ta bein’ yer hired gun,”[31] Chase told him in exasperation. “I don’t mind the dates, but I’m not killin’ fer yeh.”[32]

Dark wasn’t looking at him, Chase inched a little closer.

“Here, I’ll use my regular equipment, we can make it look howe’er realistic an’ fancy yeh want, an’ I’m there. But I’m not killin’ on yer order. Defending yeh or the kids is one thing. But becomin’ yer private hitman is off the table.”[33]

“That sounds reasonable,” Dark told him.

Chase just about had the urge to lean in all the way and kiss him. But he felt it was all going too fast. This was still so new. So he didn’t.

Instead, Wil broke the silence.

“Awww,” Wilford suddenly appeared next to them, smiling and wrapping his arms around the two of them. “Look at the two of you.”

“Don’t push yer[25] luck, Bubbles,” Chase snapped at him.

Wilford just hugged them tighter, pressing his face closer to Chase’s until the marksman pushed Wil away and kicked him in the shins, cursing at him as he did so. Dark rolled his eyes as he watched them.

//////~~~~//////~~~~//////~~~~//////

//////~~~~//////~~~~//////~~~~//////

Outside the bubbles, the heroes were busy popping the next one they’d jumped into. Freeing Nate, Mare, Marvin, and Quackity among the other heroes, villains, and civilians they’d pulled free.

Phantom was a bit disoriented and started looking around, trying to find an easy escape.

“I had awesome power, this better be worth it,” Quackity rolled his eyes as he looked around. “Where’s Dream?”

“Still in one of the bubbles,” Punz answered.

Quackity stared at Punz for a little bit before smiling, “Hey Punz, how much would I have to pay you to have us just leave Dream in there?”

“Twice what you pay Purpled,” Punz told him, checking his guns.

“Fuck!” Quackity hissed, kicking some rubble. “Come on, dude!”

Another rumble passed through the area as one of the bubbles began to ripple violently and two tendrils snapped out of it, one shot out like lightning and attached itself to the bubble Dark was in while the other snatched up Phantom and pulled him in.

When the first tendril latched on it dragged Dark away from Chase and Wil and before anyone had any time to think it yanked him in and Dark’s bubble popped. The bubble started rapidly growing in size, and it yanked the smallest bubble into it and consumed it. It stopped swelling when it was twice its former size.

“The fuck was that?” Illinois shouted from where he’d dropped to the ground, looking around wildly. “Was that the Actor?”

“No, the Actor does not have the anomaly,” the Host said as he began inspecting the area with his own aura. “That bubble contains Techno and Phil and with the absence of other stories, the anomaly is desperately trying to keep what it does have. Its hold is weakening. Which means the Host will not be able to keep the Actor at bay for much longer.”

“Do you know who are in the other bubbles?” Ponk asked. “Be really nice to have fucking Skeppy right now.”

“I’m right here,” Marvin shot at him.

“I give you one of these books and Skeppy will kill me,” Ponk told him.

“Hey, wait a second, is that one ‘a[29] the,” Marvin recognized the spell book he had as one of the cursed tomnes he’d been trying to get from the Server for months now.

Ponk held the book to their chest, backing up, “Uh . . .”

Sam shouldered his way in-between, shoving Marvin back as he summoned his trident. “We don’t have time to wait around.”

Ponk just stared up at Sam, leaning into him before they looked back at the Host. “So who’s where? Where’s Skeppy and Bad?”

“That one,” the Host gestured to the bubble higher up, “however it needs to be loosened by another two bubbles before it pops. There are too many powerful demons in there powering it.”

“Okay,” Ponk sighed in frustration.

“Techno, Philza, Big Man, and Ghostbur,” the Host pointed with his aura to the largest bubble that Dark and Phantom had been dragged into.

He continued to the farthest one, “That one has the Actor and all of Silver’s friends.”

“Fucker,” Silver spat, trying to fly towards that bubble at top speed but bounced off. “Give me my friends back!”

“And the last one’s got the Sides in it?” Bing asked from where the Google androids were encircled around him.

“That’s the strongest one,” Nate grumbled in frustration. “Why’s he in that one?”

“Because the entire legate is in there, it is likely it will be one of the last to pop for that reason. On its own it’s indefinitely sustainable.”

“Shit, he’s like a living battery,” Nate hissed.

“I’m going in,” Illinois decided, looking at the bubble Dark was in.

“Stay here with Explosion Boy,” Chase told Illinois, gesturing to Eric.

“My dad’s—” Illinois started to shout.

“Let us handle it, we can’t have all ‘a[29] our magically powerful people in one easy ta[8] capture area, stay with yer[25] fiancé,” Chase told him. “I’ll make sure nothin’[34] happens ta[8] him.”

“If I see there are any problems, I’m going in,” Illinois told him.

“Fine, that’s fine,” Chase told him, then he looked back at Jackie. “Jackie, come on.”

The Host lowered the bubble Dark had been dragged into and then ripped a hole in the bubble long enough for Jackie and Chase to go in.

//////~~~~//////~~~~//////~~~~//////

Channel 6

//////~~~~//////~~~~//////~~~~//////

Jackie and Chase walked in and a wave passed over them as their outfits changed. Snow buffeted them as they stood in thick warming fur coats and wool clothes.

Jackie was still in his mask but their clothes colors had changed to deep purples and dark reds

“Let’s go,” Chase yelled over the snow as they followed the road and hoped it would lead to a town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. At least we’re awake.

2. sweetheart

3. How are you holding up?

4. nothing’s

5. Besides

6. probably

7. growling

8. to

9. Okay

10. you

11. I’m not fucking joking. I actually want to be with you. You frustrating, self-absorbed piece of shit. If I was going to lead you on, I’d be acting like Wilf.

12. going

13. Listen to yourself. You’re Illinois’s dad.

14. and

15. whatever

16. everyone

17. fucking

18. yours

19. You can have them and see them just because you want to. Not because you need to pay for them.

20. Dark, you know that you don’t have to buy your own kids’ attention, right? They fucking love you.

21. Dark, they compete for your attention whenever you’re in the room,

22. fighting

23. you’re

24. something?

25. your

26. fucker

27. bring

28. interesting

29. of

30. Henz and Marv probably don’t either. Besides, if someone does manage to kill me, I’ll make sure my ghost comes back and haunts you. I’ll bang some pots and shit. Make sure you know it’s me.

31. That wasn’t me turning you down, that was me saying no to being your hired gun

32. I don’t mind the dates, but I’m not killing for you.

33. Here, I’ll use my regular equipment, we can make it look however realistic and fancy you want, and I’m there. But I’m not killing on yer order. Defending you or the kids is one thing. But becoming your private hitman is off the table.

34. nothing

[inkribbon796]

The Problem with Wills Ch. 2: A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

Summary: . . . And a lack thereof tells even more

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

He’d been . . . He’d . . .

Bim started walking towards the kitchen but froze when he saw Dark sitting at the table. He was looking over some papers as Chase set down a coffee mug.

Bim took a step and spat, “Hey asshole! The fuck are you doing here?”

Neither of them had any reaction and Bim felt an uncomfortable emotional weight sink in his gut.

“Hey! Didn’t you fucking hear me?” Bim stomped over to shove Chase, planning on forcing the marksman’s attention. But his hands went right through Chase as if he was made of smoke.

Bim was barely able to catch himself from falling flat on his face. “Hey! What the hell!”

“Bim Trimmer should not worry, this is an illusion. He is still standing in his bedroom.”

“Host?” Bim looked around but couldn’t see him.

“Forgive the Host, when he is like this, he cannot rely on his body being present,” the Host told him. “He merely wants to finally send a much needed message to Bim.”

“And what’s that?” Bim asked. “Third wheeling 101.”

“Chase provides one thing for the Entity that the Madman is incapable of giving him,” the Host said plainly. “Loyalty. Consistency.”

“Sixty years and six kids wasn’t enough?” Bim spat.

The House seemed to shift and Bim was in the second floor hallway. The Host’s laughter echoed in his ears. “Trimmer should know that children rarely solve problems in a relationship, they only add more stress.”

Once the Host’s laughter and words died down, Bim heard the distant ringing cries of a child. The Manor almost echoing with it.

Bim followed the cries to his bedroom where he saw Dark pacing frantically in front of it, his hands pulling at his own hair. There was a screaming infant in the crib.

In a fit of madness Dark’s aura destroyed the rocking chair. Once the chair was a mess of wood and splinters, Dark turned back to the crib.

“I can’t give you something if you don’t tell me what you want!” Dark screamed at the child.

The cries just kept going and Dark let out an upset whimper before storming out and moving through Bim as if he was made of smoke. Dark let out a frustrated scream and stopped in the hallway. He was right in front of one of the Manor’s many grandfather clocks.

Dark stared at the clock in sadness and panic.

“You wanted him, why aren’t you here?” Dark thought. Bim was able to hear the thoughts going through Dark’s head when he could hear it over the sound of the baby’s screams.

After a bit of Dark trying to calm down amidst the screams, Wilford almost slid in through a portal, laughing to himself at some joke.

Dark’s eyes flinched back to the nursery where child Bim was still crying.

“Oh, did I wake Junior up?” Wilford chuckled as Dark’s thoughts became panicked.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry! He won’t stop crying. I can’t calm him down.”

“I’m sorry. He doesn’t want me.”

“Welcome back,” Dark gave Wil a slight smile.

Wilford leaned over and kissed the side of Dark’s head. “Always a pleasure to see you.”

“Please don’t be mad. I tried every—”

Bim caught a whiff of perfume. It was a smell that didn’t come from Dark and the Entity stared daggers at the back of Wil’s head when he turned away to walk into the nursery. Dark followed behind him but stopped just outside the door.

Inside, the room looked immaculate, a new rocking hair in the old one’s place.

Wilford picked the baby up from the crib and instantly the cries ceased. The Manor almost hushed to silence before being replaced by the sounds of happy babbling.

Dark looked furious but the words that came out of his mouth sounded calm, at least on the surface. “I trust you had a lovely evening.”

“Oh yes,” Wilford smiled at Dark who was suddenly not glaring at him. Dark was staring at Bim as the infant chewed on Wil’s sleeve. “One of these days we’ll have to take Bim out on the town.”

“When he’s older,” Dark said. “The last time he went out the heroes thought he’d been kidnapped. Best to avoid the hassle.”

Wilford hummed as he tapped child Bim’s nose and the infant let out a gurgling giggle. Dark looked like he’d been struck.

“I have to go back to work, you know where to find me,” Dark turned and disappeared through a portal.

Suddenly the scene jumped entirely and Bim had a distinct sense of whiplash from the change. His child self was a little older. Looking somewhere around a year. He was sitting on the ground in the living room. Big band music coming from the old radio in the Manor.

Dark was quietly watching over the toddler, the child was chewing on a doll.

The Entity’s blue echo was couched nearby, eyes wide as his hand kept creeping towards child Bim but pulled back nervously before he could actually touch him. “He’s so perfect. So little.”

After a couple seconds of just watching, Dark walked over. His blue echo shot away as if he was being chased away from the child. But the Entity paid him no heed, he was just looking at child Bim before slowly reaching his hand out to brush through the short carpet of hair on the child’s head. He was trying to be gentle, to keep his aura away and move his hand exactly like Wilford did.

Child Bim made a disgruntled noise and almost twisted to pull himself away from Dark’s touch.

Dark frowned and pulled away, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. “Yes, of course, Sunshine.”

Bim watched Dark look around the room before he eyes rested on a small picture frame, one that Bim would later have in his room growing up. Dark’s aura snatched it up to look at it, Bim able to walk over as Dark was taking the picture out of it’s frame.

Bim was a little surprised by it. The frame was the same. It was a picture of Wilford with his face smushed into Bim’s when he was a baby. He was still about five or six months old, shortly after Wil and Dark had gotten him. But Dark was also in the picture. Dark was standing off to Wilford’s left, looking at Wil and Bim. It was unclear who was taking the picture but Dark’s wasn’t smiling.

Just as Bim’s mind hung on how weird it was that he’d never seen this version of the picture, Dark made a disgusted noise before angrily tearing himself out and balling up his part of the picture, tossing it into a random small portal. His aura seemed to be repairing the side of the rest of the picture, where it had been torn, before placing it back into the frame.

The scene shifted again, and as Bim got over the disorientation he heard an electrical noise as Anti tore into the Manor through the Void. Dark rolled his eyes as he saw him.

“Hey shiteface[1],” Anti cackled as he walked in.

“Ani!” Bim cheered, looking about four or five years old, and ran over to Anti before Dark could comment, almost tackling his legs.

Dark visibly flinched and glared at Anti in palpable hatred as he watched.

Bim blinked and he found himself standing alone in his bedroom, the Host gone, Illinois was gone and when he checked his watch a full ten minutes had passed since the argument between Illinois and Host.

He had a bit of a headache but it seemed to be fading away.

“Fuck,” Bim grumbled angrily.

His eyes moved over to the picture of himself as a baby in Wil’s arms. The one that he’d seen Dark rip up.

Bim picked the frame up and took out the picture to see the still noticeable tear along the edge. He could see the edge of someone’s arm if he looked carefully enough.

The young man tried to remember any pictures he had of just him and Dark and only a couple sprung to mind. So he walked down to the stack of family photo albums they kept in the living and tried flipping through it. But in trying to find one, he realized that there was not a single photo that had Dark with Bim only.

Granted there were pictures of Bim and the Author with Dark. And many pictures of Wil alone with Bim. But in every picture of Dark with any of the Lost Ones, there was someone else in the picture. Either Wilford, or another child. But Dark was never alone with any of the Lost Ones.

And that didn’t sit right with Bim, because he distinctly remembered that there should be pictures taken with Dark and at least Illinois. But he couldn’t find them.

So Bim set the albums down and walked over to the office where Illinois and Dark seemed to be wrapping up some conversation.

“Just tell me if he does anything,” Illinois told Dark as he pulled out a stick of portal chalk.

“Of course,” Dark told Illinois, already leafing through pages on his desk.

Illinois grumbled to himself before drawing open a portal and moving through it.

“What was that about?” Bim walked in, trying to act discreet as he pulled his phone out.

“Illinois and Host are having some disagreement,” Dark dismissed. “I thought they were done with their rivalry, but apparently not.”

Bim tried to “act natural” as he walked around the desk. But Dark was watching him as if he expected Bim to suddenly sprout a half dozen arms and start screeching in a dead language.

When Bim nudged some of the papers on Dark’s desk and sat down on it, the Entity finally spoke up.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t have any picture of you and me,” Bim said, not quite sure how to get what he wanted at this moment.

Dark blinked, an almost unreadable expression on his face. “And?”

“I wanna take a picture,” Bim told him.

Dark leaned back and just stared at Bim, silence hanging uncomfortably between them. Then Dark turned back to whatever papers he had been working on with a dismissive scoff.

“Whatever you want, you can have it.” Dark gestured to a black wire basket on a filing cabinet. A folder was already sitting inside of it “Just put the invoice with the rest of Illinois’s.”

“I just want a picture,” Bim told him. “That’s what I want.”

“Bim you are twenty-one and never, not once, have you willingly taken a picture with me,” Dark said with a careful, neutral tone. “Just put the invoice with your brother’s and it’ll be ordered and taken care of.”

“I just want a picture,” Bim insisted.

Dark stopped and just stared out the still-opened door. “Fine.”

The Entity shoved back from the chair and stood up.

“Alright,” Bim pulled up his phone as Dark just stood there. He wasn’t offering a comment or saying anything.

Bim wasn’t sure what the best angle was but he took the picture. And then a second one when Dark didn’t move to stop him.

When Bim pulled his camera away, Dark took his seat and started working on his papers. Nervous about stoking his father’s temper, Bim said goodbye and walked out.

As he walked out, Dark’s eyes stared at the phone still in Bim’s hand. His hands balled up into a fist as he dug his nails into the desk and fought the instinct to surge over and snatch the phone from Bim’s hand to get at those photos.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. shitface

[inkribbon796]

My Favorite Human Ch. 3: You and Me is a Dangerous Thing

Summary: Chase and Henrik talk about their recent interactions with their own person demon.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

Chase stormed into the base, Henrik sitting in the common room staring at a book, pretending to read it despite the fact he’d been staring at the same page for the past couple minutes. He had changed into a high turtle neck. The German doctor just wanted to avoid talking to people at the moment.

“Had a good evening?” Henrik asked, finally turning a page.

“Motherfooker!”[1] Chase shouted. “He can’t fookin’ do whate’er the fook he wants.”[2]

“Zen, I take it ze dinner vent vell,”[3] Henrik commented.

“I didn’t go ta fookin’ dinner, I just stuck my hand inta bear trap,”[4] Chase spat angrily.

At Henrik’s raised eyebrow, Chase sat down in the closest chair and kicked his legs up on the closest flat surface he could find. “He’s so fookin’[5] frustratin’[6]. I don’t know what future-me saw in him. Was there no one else he could fook[7]?”

“Und[8] vhat[9] happened,” Henrik asked, flipping to another page, occasionally glancing up at his friend.

“He threatened ta[10] bribe an’[8] force people ta[10] give me my kids back,” Chase spat, only now starting to come off the worst of his anger. He felt the itch for a drink, or at least to step back outside for a quick smoke.

That immediately got Henrik’s attention to unplug from his own mired thoughts.

“Ve can talk to ze ozers about zis,”[11] Henrik promised, looking up from his book in alarm.

“No, we,” Chase stalled, sighing deeply through his nose. “I can handle it. It’s fine. I prolly[12] heard it wrong.”

“If it bo’zers[13] you it is not fine,” Henrik dog-eared a page so he could close the book and give Chase his full attention. “If you vere accurate, und Dark vas zreatening Stacy—”[14]

“Marvin’s wards should still hold, they’ll be fine,” Chase reminded. “I’ll deal with it.”

“Chase, are you sure zat[15] you are alright?” Henrik asked.

The marksman sighed, “I don’t know, Hein. I just . . .” He dragged his hands down his hair. “Talkin’ ta him is like talkin’ ta a brick wall sometimes.”[16]

“Have you talked to anyone else about vhat[9] you are experiencing?” Henrik asked, moving closer to his friend. “It sounds like some’zing zat happened vhen you merged viz your future self.”[17]

“Yeah, obviously,” Chase rolled his eyes. “That’s the problem. Fooker[18] was so up his arse[19] he made it my problem.”

“He just,” Chase sat, about to tell Henrik about Dark offering a job in the Network, but something in him warned that was a bad idea. “Ne’ermind. How was yer day? Heard yeh had ta talk ta the cops?”[20]

“Yes,” Henrik’s tone was guard. “I vas]21] attacked by some zugs[22] und[8] Anti came to my aid.”

“He did?” Chase stiffened in surprise. “What did he want fer[23] that? Yer[24] soul? Half yer[24] blood?”

Henrik used two fingers to slightly pull down his turtle neck to expose the blatant handprints. “He attempted to strangle me, und[8] zen[25] changed his mind.”

“Shite, yeh okay?”[26] Chase leaned forward in concern, trying to get a better look before Henrik yanked the neck of his shirt back up, covering his mouth.

“Ja,”[27] Henrik answered, his expression wasn’t nervous but it was guarded. “Er küsste mich.”[28]

Chase stared at Henrik, asking in German, “Was?”[9]

“It vas[21] not at the same time as ze[29] strangling,” Henrik corrected himself. “I should have maybe said zat[15] first.”

“Were yah okay with that?” Chase asked. “Anti kinda[30] made it his life’s goal ta[10] terrorize us fer[23] a long time.”

“He is not zat[15] bad of a kisser,” Henrik shrugged his shoulders ever so slightly. “But o’zerwise I am uncertain of vat I vant.”[31]

Chase was quiet, clearly thinking about that.

“Und[8] it certainly does not hurt zat[15] he has become less violent towards us since he has started to follow me.”

“That’s okay, I guess,” Chase drummed his fingers on his knee. “But are you okay? I don’t want him ta[10] hurt yeh[32].”

“He vill[33] not kill me,” Henrik studied his fingers as they gripped onto his shirt neck. “Zat[15] much is obvious.”

“Yeah, but, still,” Chase trailed off. “Yeh e’er need him off yer back, I’ll take care ‘a him.”[34]

“Zank[35] you,” Henrik still wasn’t looking at Chase. “I vill keep zat in mine mind.”[36]

Chase moved over to sit next to Henrik, the doctor eventually returned to reading his book as Chase got on his phone to look through emails and texts.

Chase left for a smoke for a little bit, before coming right back to sit next to Henrik. They were mostly quiet, failing more than a couple times to try and jumpstart useless small talk.

If Henrik mentioned Anti again, Chase listened, eyes breaking away to look over at him. And if Henrik caught Chase texting Dark about something, he mercifully stayed quiet.

Their world irrevocably changed as they failed to notice the other was a little less human, and a little more themselves.

The point of no return crossed bit by bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. Motherfucker!

2. He can’t fucking do whatever the fuck he wants.

3. Then, I take it dinner went well

4. I didn’t go to fooking dinner, I just stuck my hand into a bear trap

5. fucking

6. frustrating

7. fuck

8. And

9. what

10. to

11. We can talk to the others about this

12. probably

13. bothers

14. If you were accurate, and Dark was threatening Stacy—

15. that

16. Talking to him is like talking to a brick wall sometimes.

17. It sounds like something that happened when you merged with your future self.

18. fucker

19. ass

20. Nevermind. How was your day? Heard you had to talk to the cops?

21. was

22. thugs

23. for

24. your

25. then

26. Shit, are you okay!

27. Yes

28. He kissed me.

29. the

30. kind of

31. But otherwise I am uncertain of what I want.

32. you

33. will

34. You ever need him off your back, I’ll take care of him.

35. Thank

36. I will keep that in mind.

[inkribbon796]

My Favorite Human Ch. 2: I Want YOU in This Custody Fight

Summary: It’s not a date if you argue about the kids in front of the restaurant staff.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

Chase tried to dress nice when he came to this building. It was one of the fancier restaurants under Dark’s control. He didn’t have a whole lot of nice suits but he did have a white button-up and a black vest. But that was as far as he got.

Dark never seemed to mind either way. After all this was strictly business. They’d talk about the twins, and then Chase would leave. The Entity would offer for Chase to order something from the menu, “on me”, and the marksman would always turn him down, even before he first glanced at the menu.

After he’d seen the menu he was determined to never order anything from this place because it was way too much for anything.

But the view . . . the view was amazing. The restaurant was situated by the river and so at night it looked amazing. Dark was always in a private business room, to make sure their conversations couldn’t be easily overheard by errant patrons.

As Chase walked up, sans superhero outfit or mask because he didn’t want his meetings with Dark getting on the news at all, a waiter led him right to Dark.

When Chase walked in he had his usual crisis, his feet stopping and a weight settling in his heart. Dark had his back to him as he looked out into the city.

Chase got his feet to work and he took his usual seat.

Dark sighed when Chase sat down, “I heard what happened.”

“Mori and Tempus think he’s better now, least he’s not runnin’[1] around naked in the woods anymore,” Chase reported. “I think Mem got most ‘a[2] it out ‘a[2] his system.”

Dark clicked his tongue. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him, at least the others don’t have to be watched so some random hiker wouldn’t get attacked.”

That got a chuckle out of Chase, settling a bit in his chair. “Really? I find that hard ta[3] believe.”

“Arthur was a bit of a handful but at least he could be contained to his books. He didn’t actively seek to become chaos itself.” Dark’s fingers drummed casually on his desk.

“Prolly[4] could have cut him off beforehand if I hadn’t been on patrol this mornin’[5],” Chase’s eyes tracked over as a waiter came in to bring some wine for Dark and a water for Chase, he was braced for a random attack. It was mostly out of habit — because of Clubs — but still trained all the same.

Dark’s aura circled around the rim of his wine glass. “Yes, Illinois commented the same.”

The Entity’s aura hummed as he thought, he twisted the base of glass with two fingers. “I was thinking that perhaps the problem is not that they need constant supervision, it’s merely that they’re bored and they do the first thing that comes to mind.”

“Not sure how I can help with that ta[3] be honest,” Chase admitted.

Dark paused to take an especially long sip of his wine. “It has occurred to me that perhaps if they spend a bit long thinking about the ideas they have that maybe they would make wiser decisions. They are very young spawnlings, and there is a certain impulse that such young demons only have when they have never been threatened and feel safe in a territory.”

“Really?” Chase smiled. “Yeh[6] were impulsive back in the day? Would’a[7] loved ta[3] see that.”

Looking away, Dark took another sip, “No, I made Egoton into what it is today so I would not have to waste my time finding a new territory every couple of decades.”

The smile didn’t fade from Chase’s face quite yet. “So yeh[6] got any plans fer[8] the twins, err, boys.”

At that mistake, the smile did drop and Chase was glaring out the window for a full second or two. “Yeh[6] got any plans fer[8] the boys?”

“A couple,” Dark mercifully ignored the slip up. “My first option was to just stick them with Illinois, he’s more than mentally equipped to corral chaotic spawnlings. But with the wedding coming up, I figured . . .”

Dark trailed off, waving his hand dismissively, “Best not to leave the responsibility with Illinois.”

Chase felt the urge to say something, but he didn’t even know what that something was, so he kept quiet. He preoccupied himself with wiping down the condensate from his glass.

“Tempus is fine on her own, but if I leave her to them, she’d only mildly protest at whatever they do and then record them, and Wil only seems to enable their destructive behavior,” Dark continued.

“Hmph, that’s Bubbles fer[8] yeh[6],” Chase dismissed coldly. “I think he might e’en be givin’ ‘em ideas.”[9]

“Oh, of that I have no doubt,” Dark agreed, “Tempus too, a couple of their more harebrained stunts have actually been her idea, despite Memento’s insistence that he’s the brains of their operation.”

That got a chuckle out of Chase.

“But that still leaves me with a problem, namely that apart from Illinois or myself there seems to be only one other person who can reason with them, or at least enough that they don’t get themselves into legal trouble. Their minor antics are fine, especially if they can confine it to the Manor, but running around the parks or beaches is getting them into trouble, and getting them noticed by demon hunters.”

“Yikes, didn’t know it was that bad yet,” Chase sat up a little straighter.

“It’s nothing that can’t be handled, but I was thinking, and Kay and Illinois posed the idea themselves, that you could help,” Dark proposed, his expression neutral and guarded. “Since you seem to be the only other person they listen to.”

Chase was quiet, the room was so quiet that he could dimly hear chatter from the other room. He wasn’t exactly sure where this conversation was going. “I’m tryin’ ta watch ‘em, but I still got patrols ta keep up with. I’ve got ta deal with random bullshite that the Duke or Anti cause in the city. I’m still part ‘a the Coalition.”[10]

“The heroes have more than enough people to deal with them,” Dark dismissed.

“Dark, I’ll keep doin’ e’erythin’ I can fer the boys, but I’m tryin’ ta stay on good behavior,”[11] Chase reminded him. “It’s bad enough they’re barely lettin’ me see my other kids, I don’t know what they’d do if I wasn’t bein’ a hero. It’s the only thin’ I got goin’ fer me.”[12]

Dark meant to be reassuring, that Chase was a natural parental figure underneath his poor mental health and self-incriminating bad choices. That they’d made a mistake when Chase was denied his children. But such words required a certain amount of emotional vulnerability from Dark, and the Entity could never allow himself to be vulnerable, even when it was desperately needed.

So the words that came out of his mouth were, “I could make sure there were no problems.”

Chase froze, staring at Dark in alarm. Normally his head and heart were at war. Between wanting to treat Dark like a dearly loved friend, and his head who reminded Chase that Dark was a dangerous, demonic mob boss. Someone who destroyed lives that didn’t suit him.

At this moment there was no discourse.

“What does that mean?” Chase’s tone was terse.

“I don’t see why anyone should have a problem with you seeing any of your children, Anti has not used you as a host in months. He has not targeted you in even longer. The correct people merely need . . . convincing.”

“No!” Chase snapped, surging up so he was away from the table. “Don’t! Just stop right there. Yer not gonna threaten or “convince” anyone. Stacy’s fine. She’s doin’ fine with ‘em. If yeh could get yer fookin’ claws outta Paddy that’d be e’en better.”[13]

“Your eldest has his own goals and if he wants to achieve it through my Network, I see no reason to stop him,” Dark dismissed. “He is an expert marksman who’s time and skill were being squandered on running around with other delinquents pretending to be gangsters. Crime and trouble would have found him if I hadn’t swept in and taken him.”

Chase made some ugly snort that carried his disbelief and offense.

“The four of them are already embroiled in the Network, it would certainly make things simpler,” Dark suggested, immediately doubling down on his point.

“Simpler?” Chase scoffed. “Fer who? I’m not gonna fookin’ sit on my arse until they do somethin’, it’s not like I’ve got anythin’ useful fer yer little crime organization.”[14]

Dark gave Chase a look.

Chase just stared at the Entity in alarm, “No.”

“You denying the very nature of your magic and soul doesn’t make it any less true,” Dark commented, metaphorically shoving his foot right into his mouth.

“No,” Chase repeated a little more firmly. “Fook[15] off.”

“The heroes have had a top marksman for years and yet you are sidelined constantly,” Dark commented. “Even if you’re not killing in my Network your skills would be more useful. You don’t even have to be in the room to do the job.”

“So that’s what this is?” Chase spat. “I’m just some asset fer yeh ta buy?”[16]

In the absence of anything that wasn’t an emotionally charged response, Dark fell silent.

Chase threw his hands up, so angry that there was a very furious grin where teeth ground together, “No. We’ll keep the system we got, it’s workin’[17] just fine.”

The marksman was boiling with rage and it didn’t help that Dark wasn’t confirming or denying it.

“Enjoy yer[18] overpriced steak, Dark, I’m goin’[19] home,” Chase decided, alright turning.

Dark stayed quiet, and when Chase looked back at him he let out a groan of annoyance and stormed off and out of the building.

The Entity didn’t stop him, he was too busy tending to his blue soul who was trying to follow Chase but was stopped because Dark was staying in his seat.

“He’s angry,” Damien commented in their shared headspace, his fragmented soul full of nothing but emotion and none of the social cues that kept those emotions from being acted on. “What did I do?”

“He’s a human, it’s all they do,” Dark’s red soul commented dryly. She was already wanting to leave, fretting about the mountain of work they needed to do.

“We can give him things,” Damien suggested hopefully, looking to Dark for approval.

Why? Dark asked. Is he the man we’ve been sleeping with for decades? Because I seem to remember someone a little more pink and mad. Or am I wrong?

Dark’s blue soul curled in on himself and stopped pulling the Entity to follow after Chase. He was more subdued than he’d been in a while.

It let Dark finally leave and head back to the warehouses to get some work done. And if Damien urged Dark to give little macabre trinkets to the triplets, he only hesitated for a little bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post A/N: Man, if Dark and Anti were half as good at communicating as they were at killing people, all their problems would be solved!

Accessibility Translations:

1. running

2. of

3. to

4. Probably

5. morning

6. You

7. Would have

8. for

9. I think he might even be giving them ideas.

10. I’m trying to watch them, but I’ve still got patrols to keep up with. I’ve got to deal with random bullshit that the Duke or Anti cause in the city. I’m still part of the Coalition.

11. Dark, I’ll keep doing everything I can for the boys, but I’m trying to stay on good behavior

12. It’s bad enough they’re barely letting me see my other kids, I don’t know what they’d do if I wasn’t being a hero. It’s the only thing I got going for me

13. Don’t! Just stop right there. You’re not going to threaten or “convince” anyone. Stacy’s fine. She’s doing fine with them. If you could get your fucking claws out of Paddy that’d be even better.

14. For who? I’m not going to fucking sit on my ass until they do something, it’s not like I’ve got anything useful for your little crime organization.

15. Fuck

16. I’m just some asset for you to buy?

17. working

18. your

19. going

[inkribbon796]

What a Beautiful Wedding Ch. 6: The Wings of the Antarctic Empire

Summary: Tommy is desperate to convince Phil and Techno they’re in some kind of trap and he’d like to be taken seriously just once.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

//////~~~~//////~~~~//////~~~~//////

Channel 6

//////~~~~//////~~~~//////~~~~//////

Tommy found himself at the foot of the long, tall black stone staircase. Philza was looking down at him.

When he set his foot on the first step, Techno drew his sword and stepped in front of Phil. “I don’t think so.”

“Phil!” Tommy yelled up. “Yer[1] both in some kinda[2] illusion. Wake up.”

About five guards appeared from almost nowhere and aimed their arrows at him, Tommy recognized the pink of Niki’s hair among them. Techno took two steps down from the altar.

“Take ‘em ta the holdin’ room,”[3] Phil ordered, spreading his wings and he held the baby close to him as he flew off.

“Let’s go,” Techno ordered as he walked down the steps, Tommy found himself at the dangerous end of Techno’s sword. “Come on.”

Tommy held his hands up and turned, which resulted in Techno pushing Tommy forward.

“Don’t fuckin’[4] shove me!” Tommy shouted, but Techno and Niki lead them to the palace.

Tommy sat down in some uncomfortable chair as Techno and Niki stared at him. Ghostbur looked at Niki nervously.

“H-Hey,” Ghostbur smiled at Niki.

“Stay back,” Niki told him, bow and arrow pointed down, but not notched or ready to fire yet.

“The two of you are waiting until the old man gets back,” Techno told him.

“Techno, come on, man, you have ta[5] know this is Dream’s doin’[6],” Tommy groaned.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if you’re not careful you will get yourself shot,” Techno warned.

The heavy doors of the room were pushed open and Phil walked in. The lack of snow or distance gave Tommy a good look at the man. Little things about Philza were different. His eye color for one. The Phil that Tommy had always known had blue eyes but now he had more of blue-green color. He was maybe an inch or two taller. Not any taller than the other people in the room but it was noticeable enough to Tommy. His blond hair had a slightly dustier tint to it.

Phil paused when he looked at Tommy. “Stand down.”

Niki took her arrow away from her bow, “If you’re sure.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had a visitor like this,” Phil told them. “You two are from the future aren’tcha[7]?”

“Uh, yeah?” Tommy said. “We’re in an illusion. It’s Dream, he’s done somethin’[8].”

Philza just started staring at Ghostbur as a look of realization dawned on him. “I . . . Wilbur?”

“My name is Ghostbur,” Ghostbur corrected nervously, ducking behind Tommy a bit.

Niki seemed to recoil and Techno began slowly coming back to himself, clutching his head as he began grunting in pain and his knees crashed to the ground.

“Techno!” Phil rushed over.

“They’re too loud,” Techno grunted.

Tommy began stomping over, “What’s that green bastard doin’ ta yeh?”[9]

Phil used a wing to knock Tommy away before Techno was able to stab Tommy with a sword, his eyes a blood red and a frenzied look in his eyes.

“Tech, Tech, follow my voice, yeh[10] don’t need ta[5] fight here,” Phil told Techno as the warrior thrashed his head back and forth.

Niki inched closer and passed Phil a vial, he placed it under Techno’s nose and he began calming down.

“Thanks,” Phil said and inched closer. “Techno, yeh[10] need me ta[5] clear the room?”

“No, I,” Techno paused, swallowing. “I’ve got it.”

“What did that fucker do ta[5] you?” Tommy demanded. “It’s bad enough he’s got us trapped in here.”

“Dream’s not powerful enough for that,” Techno had a slight chuckle to his voice as he stood up.

“We still need ta[5] get out,” Tommy reminded him. “Tubbo an’[11] Ranboo are still trapped.”

Philza sighed, rather dramatically before he held his hand up and magic covered his hand before there was what felt like an earthquake and then a crash of some kind. Tommy, Shroud, and Ghostbur’s outfits changed into something that matched Phil and Techno’s. Tommy realized he was wearing a circlet, perched on his head and when he went to take it off to look at it he saw that it was studded with green and blue stones, and etched with perfect craftsmanship.

Tommy immediately rushed to the nearest window and saw at the foot of the palace, right outside the ground, an inn. And Tubbo stumbled out of it, looking around wildly. He was in an outfit that almost matched Tommy’s, but without the circlet and he was wearing thick gloves.

Ranboo followed after him, he was wearing a long purple cloak. But behind him, Michael was peeking his head out from behind Ranboo’s cloak.

Tommy immediately raced out of the palace, shoulding past guards and palace servants as he tried to get to Tubbo.

“Tubbo!” Tommy raced over but Tubbo glared at him, his false eye’s iris glowed with its radioactive symbol right before he punched Tommy in the gut.

“The fuck!” Tommy shouted angrily.

“I was safe!” Tubbo shouted in a fury. “Me an’[11] Ranboo an’[11] Michael were safe. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I didn’t do anythin’[12],” Tommy shouted back in anger.

“T-Tubbo,” Ranboo warned, and tried to hide Michael in his cloak.

Tubbo stopped and looked past Tommy to see, to his horror, that Techno was watching them as Michael peeked his head around Ranboo’s cape, holding his larger hand in his much smaller one.

Techno’s eyes narrowed and Tubbo moved, scooping Michael up and glaring at Techno.

“Stay back!” Tubbo ordered Techno with an angry snarl. “Get away!”

Techno looked between the three of them, Michael just staring at Techno with huge, wide dark eyes, the gears clearly starting to turn in his head.

The warrior took a step forward and Ranboo took a step forward. “Techno! Techno! Wait please, don’t hurt them.”

“Are you with them?” Techno demanded.

“I, uh,” Ranboo clearly had a look of panic on his face. “Yeah, but look I just want you to know—”

“I don’t care what you spend your time with but did it have to be with the government?” Techno spat at Ranboo.

“He’s my husband, of course I spend time with him,” Ranboo told him.

“Ehhh!” Techno sputtered. “When did you get married?!”

“Almost a year ago?” Ranboo asked.

“A year? Why am I just learning now?” Techno told him. “I’m like your mentor, I should have been the first person you told.”

“You don’t like Tubbo,” Ranboo reminded.

“Because he and Quackity tried to kill me with axes, why would I like the guy?” Techno snapped.

“Well, yeah, that makes sense,” Ranboo admitted.

“Take the kid, we’ll go inside to Phil,” Techno jabbed his thumb at the palace. “And don’t worry, not killin’[13] the kid. He’s Ranboo’s too after all, right?”

“Yeah,” Ranboo answered.

“Good,” Techno told him but Tubbo still glared at Techno suspiciously. He followed at the back of the group, always braced to dump Michael into Tommy’s arms and pull out the first weapon he could get his hands on.

He only marginally calmed down when he saw Phil and Techno started complaining to Phil about Ranboo, and then balked when he found out Philza was already aware of the boy.

The little meet-up was interrupted when Jack Manifold raced in, in uniform after getting pulled in from the bubble Tubbo and Ranboo had been trapped in.

“Emperor! Enemy soldiers were spotted at the gate!” Jack yelled, the trio of teens and Niki stared at Phil in surprise.

“Where from?” Phil called out.

“From the Errin Empire,” Jack reported. “They were dressed like they were in the royal guard. We were able to apprehend them.”

“Shit,” Phil spat. “I want three guards in front ‘a[14] the nursery. Ranboo, take Michael an’[11] go with them. Niki, make sure no one gets in.”

“O-Okay,” Ranboo stammered nervously, grabbing Michael, and standing in front of Tommy expectantly. It took Tommy a bit to realize he was quietly asking Tommy to take Shroud. Tommy nodded and passed him over, Shroud became very upset to leave Tommy’s arms.

“On it!” Niki pushed Ranboo after the soldiers the instant he had both young boys in his arms.

“Tommy, Tubbo, behind me,” Philza ordered.

“Hold up, why are you the Emperor, yer[1] an anarchist?” Tubbo asked.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Techno interrupted as Puffy, Jack, and a couple soldiers dragged Chase and Jackie in.

“That’s new,” Techno hummed.

“We spotted an enemy force, we think it’s Lord Phantom,” Puffy announced.

Jackie turned to look out the window, seeing a wall of darkness in the sky, coming for them. “Storm’s comin’[15] in,” Jackie commented.

“That’s the Entity,” Phil corrected.

“What? Dark?” Chase perked up, starting to try and twist himself out of the rope tying his wrists behind his back.

Puffy kicked him down, so that he was face-down on the ground and placed a foot on his wrists. “Not so fast, buddy.”

“Puffy, let him up,” Phil ordered, “cut ‘em[16] both from their bonds.”

“You sure?” Puffy asked, taking her foot off.

“Yes,” Phil ruffled out his wings. “Battle stations! Average, can you talk Ent down?”

“I think so?” Chase said, rubbing at his wrists as he wisely kept his distance from Phil. “I just need ta[5] reach him, I didn’t forget so I imagine he’s still good too.”

The storm reached them and Phil started to hear the screams.

“How’d they sneak up that quickly?!” Jack yelled.

“Because none ‘a[14] this is real,” Phil told him.

The door was thrown open and Phantom was standing there in royal purple. “Phil, Techno, long time no see. It’s just like old times.”

“So yer[1] awake, then,” Phil sighed.

“Where’s Dark?” Chase demanded.

Phantom motioned with his head back, “Dealing with the town.”

“Then move outta[17] the fookin’[4] way,” Chase snarled.

“Aww, he’s having fun out there,” Phantom smiled.

“Here I’d hoped he wouldn’t work with yeh[10] again, yeh[10] always have been a shite[18] friend,” Phil glared at him.

“Ehh, we were both standing on the cliff, and he wanted to blow off some steam,” Phantom shrugged. “You know empaths, they get a little needy when they’re emotional so I just let him go off.”

“Fook[19] off,” Chase spat at him. “Jackie!”

Jackie grabbed Chase and they blitzed past Phantom, who rolled his eyes.

“Don’t blame me when he starts getting snippy,” Phantom scoffed, bracing as he smiled at Phil and Techno. “Let’s tango, boys.”

As Phantom braced for a fight, Chase raced out into the storm.

“Dark!” Chase screamed over the whirlwind of snow. Chase was racing towards the darkest part of the storm. “Dark!”

The darkness seemed to evaporate and Dark had some soldier by the throat, when he looked at Chase he paused. “Chase?”

“There yeh[10] are,” Chase felt relief, walking over, a rumbling passing through the bubble as it began weakening from outside attacks. “We’re goin’ home. Yer okay. I’m takin’ yeh home an’ yeh can relax.”[20]

Dark blinked in disorientation, he felt drained. Phantom must have snagged some of his aura when he wasn’t looking, or the anomaly was taking more from him than he realized. “Yeah, I think that’s for the best.”

Chase was almost within arms reach and Dark realized his body needed a nap because it was getting harder to focus on things.

“Hey, yeh[10] look tired,” Chase smiled as Jackie noticed something shooting towards them, but because of the coloration of the smoke he thought it a part of Dark’s aura.

At least until it hit Chase.

Something stabbed Chase right through the heart and the marksman knew he should be dead. But he felt something in his very soul snap. Dark flinched, his eyes widening in horror.

Chase knew should be dead, the human heart was a fragile organ, but as he was tossed to the side, he felt weak and was losing blood but his heart was too stubborn to stop beating and blood was still coming from somewhere. As his soul cracked in two before snapping back together, good as new.

“Hey, Dames,” Marc spat as he grabbed Dark and pulled him closer. “Let’s try this again.”

“How dare you? What did you do?” Dark spat at Marc as he looked at Chase in horror. He was only slightly calmed when he saw Chase starting to try and pick himself up, glaring murderously at Marc. But the Actor burst into smoke and ripped a portal open, dragging Dark with him.

When the portal snapped closed, it destroyed the bubble with it. Barely a second’s warning as it shattered and violently dropped all its inhabitants onto the floor.

The bubble the Actor disappeared into snagged the Sanders bubble and seemed to violently tear it in half as it pulled it inside.

Phil screamed in agony as his bad wing returned and reminded the avian demon that he’d been grounded for years now.

“Phil!” Techno rushed over to him in concern.

Chase looked around, becoming furious when he couldn’t see Dark. “Fooker! That fooker! I’m gonna kill him.”[21]

“Average stop movin’[22]!” Jackie yelled and raced over. “Henrik! Chase needs attention, now!”

“Let me go!” Chase snapped at Jackie who was looking at him like Chase had flesh hanging off his bones. “I’m fine.”

“Yeh[10] were stabbed in the fookin’[4] heart! Stop movin’[22]!” Jackie yelled and that made people stare at Chase and Henrik who was at a brisk walk was now suddenly racing over as fast as he could. Marvin followed suit.

“Average! Lay down now!” Henrik yelled, forcing the marksman to a halt.

While the chaos of trying to get medical care and everyone just tried to figure out what was going on, Techno took a look around as Phil seemed to regain his strength and stood up.

“You okay?” Techno looked around as Ranboo was starting to get frantic.

“Where’s Tubbo?” Ranboo asked, an acute sense of panic growing within him. He scooped Michael and Shroud into his arms.

“He was right next ta[5] me, did that fucker grab him?” Tommy yelled as he looked around, his eyes locking onto Quackity who was just staring at Ranboo. Or more importantly, at Michael and Shroud, who were both crying. The screams only made Tommy even more agitated.

“What do you mean he’s just gone!” Ranboo yeled.

“Okay, give ‘em[16] here,” Philza swept in and just scooped the two toddlers into his arms, his aura soothing them and they stopped crying.

Techno took out his axe and walked closer to the remaining bubble that hadn’t been consumed by the Actor’s. His other hand summoned something that looked like a fishing pole with a small hand-sized grappling hook on the end of it and reeled it back before aiming it at the bubble and dragging it closer to him.

“Hey, let’s think about this,” Quackity urged.

But Techno slammed his axe into the bubble the instant he could and it cracked before shattering. Antfrost, George, Skeppy, and Bad all dropped to the ground but Dream rolled into a kneeling position and looked around. He almost stabbed Techno but the warrior easily used his weapons to deflect the blow.

“Hey man, chill out for five seconds, okay?” Techno chuckled.

Dream got up and looked around. He helped pull George up to his feet.

“Thanks, Techno,” Dream told him.

“That clear the books?” Techno smiled.

“Fuck no,” Dream chuckled. “You did that on your own, I didn’t ask you to do anything.”

“Ehh, it was worth a shot,” Techno shrugged, a smile still on his face.

Skeppy looked up from where he’d been laying on the ground next to Bad and when he looked up at Ponk he surged up.

“Give it,” Skeppy took the tome from Ponk, and checked it over. His eyes began to glow blue as parts of his skin began to crystallize. Magic fluttered around him. “Thank you, Ponk.”

“I was doing my best,” Ponk told him, emphatically throwing their arms up. “Took you long enough.”

“I was a bit busy,” Skeppy shot back.

Chase, once Henrik deemed him impossibly still alive and despite the blood he wasn’t dying, he looked up at the final bubble. Illinois gave Eric a kiss before he walked over to Chase.

“Actor’s up there?” Illinois glared at it.

“Yeah,” Chase said. “Fooker’s[23] a demon so snappin’[24] his neck’s so isn’t a crime.”

“Not a punishable one, and he’d only come back to life in a week,” Illinois agreed.

“Hey, the two of you are not going alone,” Silver said, in the middle of orchestrating ways to get people home. Dream ordering most of the Server group back home. Silver and Jackie quickly agreed to go with Chase and Illinois.

Philza was staring at Shroud before smiling at him. “I’ll take these two back home.”

“Deal,” Ranboo said without thinking, racing over to Chase. “Is Bomble okay in there?”

“We don’t know, but we’ll get him back home, the Sides seem to be in there as well,” Silver told him.

“No, I’m coming with,” Ranboo insisted. “I can open up a portal right into the bubble.”

“Count me in too,” Tommy rushed over.

“Absolutely not,” Silver told him.

“Let me rephrase that,” Tommy told Silver in his usual loud volume. “I am goin’[25] in there. With or without yer[26] fuckin’[4] permission.”

Silver sighed in frustration. “You two don’t take chances, and if you see Bomble, you two need to bail immediately.”

“Deal,” Ranboo spoke over Tommy and his eyes turned purple as he opened up a portal right over the group and took them right into the bubble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. You’re

2. kind of

3. Take them to the holding room

4. fucking

5. to

6. doing

7. aren’t you

8. something

9. What’s that green bastard doing to you?

10. you

11. and

12. anything

13. killing

14. of

15. coming

16. them

17. out of

18. shit

19. Fuck

20. We’re going home. You’re okay. I’m taking you home and you can relax.

21. Fucker! That fucker! I’m going to kill him.

22. moving

23. Fucker’s

24. snapping

25. going

26. your

[inkribbon796]

Me: sees that one of my favorite ships has virtually zero content.

Also Me:

[inkribbon796]

Crows from the Father Ch. 2: Tense Ties

Summary: The meeting with Phil goes well in some respects, and poorly in others.

Chapters: 1, 2

Phil continued to apologize as they walked up the stairs. In an open area were sitting the rest of the guests.

Dark and Phantom were glaring at each other from across the room. Chase sitting next to Dark and staring at Phantom, braced to attack the demon.

Anti sitting close by, more than a bit upset that Phantom was getting the bulk of the attention. Before the Sides and Marvin walked in, Anti had been looking exceptionally bored until the heroes walked in.

Eret was sitting with Slime and Foolish.

Techno was reading by a window, sitting next to a small library of bookshelves.

“Cat fooker[1],” Anti greeted.

Marvin flipped him off.

“Glad yer[2] here, this fooker[1],” Anti jabbed his thumb at Chase, “doesn’t react when I poke him anymore. Dark trained him on bein’ a fookin’ buzzkill an’ now he’s no fun.”[3]

“Good,” Marvin scoffed.

Dark’s attention moved off Phantom and he glared at Logan, as Slime stood up and let out a loud gasp.

“You are friends with the funny green man,” Slime gasped. He was staring at Thomas with huge eyes.

“The Duke?” Thomas asked.

“Yes, he and Anti taught me valuable lessons about arson,” Slime smiled.

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Foolish scoffed. “He’s been fun.”

“Logic,” Dark stood up, clearing his throat to bring attention to himself.

“Dark,” Logan greeted. “Did you ever get a new assistant?”

“I should kill you where you stand,” Dark threatened.

“Hey,” Phantom smiled at Logan.

“Every second you spend breathing is a strain on my patience,” Logan spat at Phantom.

“Harsh,” Phantom smiled at him.

“You should be thrown out the window,” Dark told Phantom.

“Not while I’m reading under it,” Techno retorted.

“Alright!” Phil announced “let’s get this started and over with before I gotta kick someone else out. Anyway, glad you could all come. I’d offer snacks but very few of you would probably take them.”

“You’d poison me for a corn chip, crow boy,” Phantom reminded.

“Don’t tempt me, I will put you in a coin an’[4] throw you inta[5] the ocean,” Phil flashed a toothy smile at Phantom before clearing his throat.

“So, my Lady is coming to town to see Niki an’[4] the boys,” Phil smiled sheepishly.

Phantom rolled his eyes and dragged his hand over his face as he screamed into his hand.

Dark muttered a quiet, “fucking hell” under his breath as he stared at Phil.

“What’s wrong? Who is it?” Anti asked Dark.

“No, she’s fine,” Dark sighed.

“She’s hellfire incarnate,” Phantom spat. “When? When’s she coming? I’m leaving town on that day.”

“That’s kinda[6] rude mate,” Phil frowned.

“Well, fuck you, that’s for Argaba,” Phantom spat.

“Ehh, Agraba was the best thing that happened all that decade,” Techno laughed. “You discorporated like a bag of flour hitting a wall.”

“I did not,” Phantom spat.

“You did, it was hilarious, your host died and you discorporated and that was probably the best year of Ent’s life,” Techno goaded.

Chase’s eyes tracked over and drilled into Phantom with a look that Marvin had never seen Chase give someone before. It was like Chase was trying to make Phantom explode into a blood-colored mist with just the look of palpable hatred in them.

“So she should be here in a month or so,” Phil told them. “Renovations for her temple are going ahead ‘a[7] schedule, I just wanted ta[8] let all of you know so you didn’t see her coming and think a fight was happening.”

“Well, if that’s all you want to talk about,” Phantom decided, heading towards the door. “I have important business to take care of.”

“Yeah, enjoy doing nothing, yeh[9] sack ‘a[7] shit,” Philza told him.

“See, this is why I don’t deal with empaths anymore,” Phantom huffed. “So emotional, you all waste so much time with these little appeals when you could be doing so much more with your time.”

“It’s not a waste ‘a[7] time ta[8] be happy,” Phil told him sharply.

Phantom let out a scoff, “My happiness is tied to success, and this is not helping with that.”

“Well then maybe you won’t find it,” Thomas said, speaking up for the first time since Phil had begun talking.

Phantom laughed at that, “You’re what? Twenty? You’ll learn, or you’ll die.”

Thomas looked at Logan and Janus, “I think I’ve learned enough.”

Phantom rolled his eyes, and walked out of the room to head back down the stairs.

“Good riddance,” Janus decided.

“He’d ‘a[7] thrown a fit if I didn’t invite him,” Phil said. “Alright! So Dark, yeh can bring yer boyfriends and two ‘a yer kids. Not all ‘a ‘em ‘cause you have a fucking ton, mate.”[10]

Dark glared at him.

“Just keep the robots away, Kristin might wanna keep ‘em. I don’t wanna turn inta another you with five million kids,”[11] Phil warned.

Dark’s glare became hateful.

“Anti, you can bring that boyfriend you’ve been stalking,” Phil told him.

“Don’t have a boyfriend, fooker[1]!” Anti shouted.

“Then what the fook[12] do yeh[9] call Henrik then?” Marvin asked.

“Yeh shut yer mouth ‘fore I send yeh ta him in a fookin’ box!”[13] Anti hissed.

Marvin at this point was starting to tune Philza out. He was mostly going through guest lists. Thomas got to bring three friends, they didn’t all have to be “his arms” but he was advised to bring at least one.

But Marvin caught Chase glaring at the door Phantom had disappeared. He was just staring at it.

“Gonna[14] check Avg[15]. after this, you gonna[14] be able to walk the big guy home?” Marvin texted Logan.

“Yes, of course, is he alright?” Logan replied.

“Pretty sure he’s about to do something really stupid,” Marvin texted and then put his phone away, not wanting to keep chancing it with Anti physically in the room.

After Phil made the rounds the guests began to leave, Dark was quick to make a portal that he and Chase quickly vanished off to.

Anti left with Slime, talking about finding the Duke and that made Janus start rushing Thomas and Logan out the door.

Thomas and Logan split off soon after to find the rest of the Sides and Marvin . . .

Marvin had a problem.

Namely, he had an ex-close friend to find before he got himself into trouble.

Marvin at first wandered around Egoton looking for Chase. Then a stray thought occurred to him before wanting to slap himself in the head. He turned and started racing towards the tourist district. All the while he was texting Henrik that Chase was probably going to get himself into a bad fight and to have a stretcher ready.

No sooner did he spot Chase, alone, walking down and street and seemingly looking for something . . . or someone.

“Hey!” Marvin shouted and Chase whipped around, pulling a very real looking gun out and pointing it at Marvin.

Marvin whipped up his magic to protect him as the two just stared at each other. The magician couldn’t see a single human emotion in Chase’s eyes except for rage.

Rage and seething hatred.

Chase looked fully demonic in this moment and all of Marvin’s instincts screamed to attack, or at least to call for help.

It took everything Marvin had to just stay braced and eventually Chase’s gun lowered.

“Fook[12] Marv, yeh[9] need a bell or somethin’[16] like an actual cat,” Chase snapped.

Marvin flipped him off. “Here ta stop yah from doin’ somethin’ stupid.”[17]

“Not in the mood Marv, all I need is ta[8] catch him once,” Chase said. He was still angry, his eyes still boiling with rage, but he seemed to be slowly calming down.

“What’d that fooker[1] say ta[8] get yah[9] so pissed?” Marvin followed Chase when he tried to walk away to keep hunting.

At first he didn’t talk, but then he admitted something to Marvin. “I think I found someone I hate more than Wil.”

“Really? What’d Phantom do? Spit on the Dark’s shoes?” Marvin tried to joke.

Chase wasn’t laughing, he was looking around, his gun still in his hands.

Marvin briefly toyed with the idea of actually calling Dark up to get him to drag his boyfriend home, but Phantom walked out of some random building and Chase’s entire body flinched.

The gun came up and he shot Phantom before Marvin could say anything.

And Phantom immediately turned to look at him, the bullet doing nothing.

“Fine,” Chase said as he popped out the clip for his gun and snapped a new clip in.

Phantom glared at Chase and Marvin realized how uncomfortable he felt with having a face so similar to Nate’s looking at them. At least Crank and Silver wore masks, but Nate didn’t.

Chase didn’t seem to care or mind.

The deal maker stared at Chase, summoning his cane and resting his hands on it in front of him as his dark red aura wrapped around him. “You’re Ent’s new boytoy, aren’t you? I think I’ve seen you around. The first one wasn’t good enough, he had to whore himself out to you too.”

Chase began screaming angrily at him, his face heating up with rage. He shot Phantom again and this time, his bullet seemed to do damage. The demon screamed and grabbed his shoulder, Chase smiling as he shot again but the bullet hit Phantom’s protective aura instead.

“Ent really likes gunmen, doesn’t he?” Phantom said, his face contorted into a snarl. “Wonder if he likes dead gunmen just as well.”

Phantom began surging towards them with his cane in hand and Marvin braced with his magic and Chase braced with his gun for the fight. As a result, Phantom knocked Chase back and hit him with the cane.

“I’m going to enjoy dragging your husk of a corpse over to Ent’s place,” Phantom threatened before Marvin knocked him back.

“Hands off, yeh gobshite!”[18] Marvin shouted.

Phantom was about to move in to attack him again when someone that all three combatants hadn’t noticed coming up to the fight, reached out to grab Phantom.

The demon felt himself getting electrocuted. He ripped himself away to recover. Marvin and Chase realize that Henrik had run up to them and instead of staying out of the fight until someone got injured like he normally was forced to do, he charged up and attacked.

“Vat vere you tvo zinking?”[19] Henrik shouted at them.

Marvin stared at the electricity coming off of Henrik’s fingers. His eyes looked like there was a thunderstorm barely contained inside them. “What were we thinkin’? The fook are you doin’ here? An’ when’d yeh get weird electric powers?”[20]

“I vas not aware zat I had zem before zis,”[21] Henrik looked down at his hand.

“Geez, I need ta[8] date a demon if fookin’[22] one gives yeh[9] demon aura powers,” Marvin scoffed.

“Desist,” Henrik spat.

“Shut the fook[12] up, Marv,” Chase spat.

Phantom charged at Henrik as the group was arguing, going from the face. Marvin moved in to protect Henrik.

Chase took his gun and as Marvin hit Phantom with a spell, Chase took a shot.

Phantom discorporated and his aura shot into the protected magical cane. The demon taking the time to reform properly.

“Yeh[9] okay?” Chase asked Henrik as he picked up the cane.

“Ja,”[23] Henrik answered, he was scratched up and bruised but none the worse for wear.

“Good ta[8] hear,” Chase snapped his fingers to open a small portal over the river. Then he tossed the cane into the portal and it fell into the river. Shouting as the cane went in, “How’d that feel, fooker[1]?”

As the portal closed up, Chase felt a wonderful sense of triumph and vindication. “That felt good.”

When he looked back at the two heroes they were both staring at him. Marvin’s mouth hung agap and Henrik opened his mouth to say something before closing it. When he opened his mouth again, the German doctor said, “Isn’t zat littering?”[24]

“It ain’t[25] litterin’[26], it’s corpse disposal,” Chase spat at him, before stomping away.

“The two ‘a yeh are really makin’ a case fer fookin’ demons,”[27] Marvin commented.

“Don’t spoil my mood, Marv,” Chase warned.

The light ringing of Dark’s aura accompanied his arrival just after he cleared his throat.

Marvin tried not to resent it when Chase smiled and walked over to him.

“Sup[28], Dark,” Chase greeted.

“Having fun?” Dark asked.

“Yeah, I fooked up yer ex an’ threw his corpse into the river,”[29] hase told him.

“Excuse me?” Dark asked him.

“Phantom,” Chase said. “He fooked with yer head, so I fooked his spleen. An’ Hein an’ Marv helped.”[30]

“Helped?” Marvin yelled. “Helped? Fooker! Yah’d be coughin’ up yer spleen if not fer me.”[31]

“Wanna[32] head back?” Chase offered to Dark. “Gotta story ta tell.”[33]

“If you insist,” Dark agreed and opened up a portal.

Chase left with him, giving a quick goodbye to Marvin and Henrik as he left. Marvin and Henrik headed back to the base to give information to the rest of the group about both the attack and Marvin’s thoughts on the meeting. All they could really do is wait for the signal of the guest demon coming to town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post A/N:

Me: Iplier and Henrik are too squishy. I should give them something or some kind of power up that helps them defend themselves.

Also Me: *gives Henrik, Anti’s powers*

Me: [to myself] Good job me!

Accessibility Translations:

1. fucker

2. you’re

3. doesn’t react when I poke him anymore. Dark trained him on being a fucking buzzkill and now he’s no fun.

4. and

5. into

6. kind of

7. of

8. to

9. you

10. Alright! So Dark, you can bring your boyfriends and two of your kids. Not all of them because you have a fucking ton, mate.

11. Just keep the robots away, Kristin might want to keep them. I don’t want to turn into another you with five million kids

12. fuck

13. You shut your mouth before I send you to him in a fucking box!

14. Going to

15. Average

16. something

17. Here to stop you from doing something stupid.

18. Hands off, you idiot!

19. What were you two thinking?

20. What were we thinking? The fuck are you doing here? And when’d you get weird electric powers?

21. I was not aware that I had them before this

22. fucking

23. Yes

24. Isn’t that littering?

25. not

26. littering

27. The two of you are really making a case for fucking demons

28. Hello

29. Yeah, I fucked up your ex and threw his corpse into the river

30. He fucked with your head, so I fucked his spleen. And Hein and Marv helped.

31. Helped? Fucker! You’d be coughing up your spleen if not for me.

32. Want to

33. I got a story to tell.