#brotp: roads untravelled

[mimik-u]

Ruby and Sapphire, as individuals? For the ask thingie.

Ruby:

Favorite thing about them: I absolutely love how protective Ruby is—in both big ways and small ones. She put everything on the line to save Sapphire from being poofed in Blue Diamond’s court all of those thousands of years ago, and then, when they were confronted with the matriarch some thousands of years later, she took her loved one’s hand to keep her from freezing. :’) What a star.

Least favorite thing about them: Graphic design is not Ruby’s passion. 

(Which is to say, I really can’t think of anything, lol. I mean, I could canvass her anger issues, but the show does it better than I ever could. c:)

(Also, I struggle so hard to answer this question in general, lolol. The Crewniverse has done so well to invest everyone with incredibly compelling weaknesses!!!)

Favorite line: “THAT’S WHAT YOU THINK! I’M AN ETERNAL FLAME, BABY!”

BROTP: Greg and Ruby

OTP: Rupphire

NOTP: Anyone who’s not Sapphire, lol.

Random headcanon: “The Question” doesn’t mark the first time that Ruby has ever sought out solace in Greg. I have this horribly angsty headcanon that Greg has only seen Garnet split once before the big Pearl fight, and it was after the revelation that Steven’s birth would ultimately mean Rose’s death. Garnet crumpled so that her respective parts could grieve. Somewhere on a lonely cliffside, Ruby and Greg found themselves grieving together.

Unpopular opinion: I’d love to see Garnet happily split more often! It was really nice to watch Ruby come into her own in “The Question,” and I think it’d be cool to see that thread continue on sometime or another in S6.

Song I associate with them: “Anybody Else” by The Ballroom Thieves (”She keeps me burning / Keeps me close to her flames / And I’m cursing the years when my ears were untrained in her name.”)

Favorite picture of them: (You go, you funky little cowboy.)

Sapphire:

Favorite thing about them: The way the Crewniverse has explored future vision in Sapphire is just downright poignant. I think about the episode “Keystone Motel” a lot, how it was so incredibly easy for Sapphire to push her feelings down because she thought that she wasn’t entitled to feel them in light of her knowledge about a “better” future. In this (ironical) blindspot, I think the Crewniverse has really gotten to the heart of a coping mechanism that some people, myself included, have used from time to time in the face of a bad situation. And so in Sapphire, the future seer of all gems, they gently reminded us: It’s okay to be in the present.

Least favorite thing about them: Might as well just go ahead and say her devaluation of herself, which ultimately derives from the systemic homogeneity enforced in her by Homeworld. I h8 this question. I’m sorry. 😂 

Favorite line: “Ruby, my future used to look like one single, obvious stream, unbending ‘til the end of time. In an instant, you pulled me from that destiny, and opened my eye to an explosion of infinite possible futures, streaking across space and time, altered and obliterated by the smallest force of will. What I mean is, you changed my life. And then, I changed your life. And now, we change our lives.”

BROTP: (SJHFDJLAKHFKLAFH.)

OTP: Rupphire

NOTP: Anyone who’s not Ruby, lol.

Random headcanon: Being a member of a relationship where there are no holds barred in terms of communication and trust, and given her relationship with truth per her future vision, I think it absolutely undoes Sapphire to be on the receiving end of deception. Not only is she unused to it, but I also think that in a certain way, she feels responsible for having not seen the deception coming, for have not been able to pick it out as a plausible direction for her future. 

Unpopular opinion: Similarly to how I feel about Ruby, I’d love to see more Sapphire centric episodes!

Song I associate with them: “ROADS UNTRAVELED” by Linkin Park (“Weep not for roads untraveled. / Weep not for sights unseen. / May your love never end, and if you need a friend, / there’s a seat here alongside me.”)

Favorite picture of them:

[me-and-my-gaster]

the swapfell sansy boy from your au!! :D bc i wanna know More About Him!!

Ahhh! You wanna hear more about Chief? Well, then you're in for a treat! I will keep this under the cut because I’m about to ramble about my boy!!!!

My favorite thing about my own boy??? Are you sure I can pick only one thing??? I don’t think I can... but I’ll try!

He is loyal. I know this might seem weird for a person who started a fucking revolution in the first place but that is true. Despite being on the opposing side, he would prefer to spare Alphys and the Ice Queen. The first one because of their friendship throughout the years and Toriel because... well... she is his queen, and regicide was never in his mind. The loyalty goes also for his subordinates. Once being under his orders marks you as his responsibility and he would go to great lengths to keep his comrades safe and sound. Of course... he would prefer this kind of loyalty went the other way too. He values this trait in everybody and betrayal is something that would always hit him hard.

Can’t say anything about the least favorite thing about him, because well... he’s my boy! But I do have a flaw for him that I can use in this stead.

He is... extremely impulsive. For most of the time, he doesn’t seem like it, being low maintenance and chill, but when something irks him or makes him angry, he just blows up uncontrollably - you could call his temper brittle. He rarely thinks straight during his fits of temper tantrums so thankfully they don’t happen too often but... it usually happens when the most damage can be done. Thankfully he can clean up his own mess after him but sometimes it just makes things harder for him.

The other thing that derives from this is that over time, he’s way more ready to settle for collateral damage during the revolution. The faster things end and go back to normal, the fewer people will suffer, right? Probably wrong but being trapped in his role, he had to choose a tactic that fits his capabilities best. Maybe someday his temper tantrum would make the Exile (this world’s Asgore) change his mind and try to lead to reclaim his throne. Who knows?

Favorite line...

“I’m too lazy for that.”

It’s the line he says to Alphys way before the revolution starts and while he still has his hand. She was nagging him to know why he doesn’t try to become the Captain of the Royal Guard since he has everything to get this position - from skills to the ears of his subordinates. He even purposefully neglects some of the duties, not to look too good, which didn’t escape Alphys’ attention. He doesn’t want to be a Captain, despite clearly being fit for leading. This line turns out to be quite ironic later - with him being the leader for the revolution and feeling doubt about his choice back then. Maybe if he did become the Captain, none of this would happen?

Ahh, my brOTP with Chief would be him and Undies. She is like a sister to him, quite literally. They grew up together and are very close. Like siblings, they annoy the hell out of each other but when something bad happens, they always have their backs. Chief, being the main prankster in the family, usually is the one who annoys Undies the most but it’s all in good nature - it actually helps her to stop working for at least a couple of minutes. Undies, in turn, is capable of calming him down, even if it means wrangling him to the floor or holding him in the air until he tires himself. They work well together and she immediately took his side when the revolution started. Chief also goes easier on Alphys because of her, knowing that his sister has feelings for the Captain of the Royal Guard. All in all, Undies is rude, Chief is an asshole. They love each other very much.

OTP... might be hard to come up with. I didn’t think about shipping him with anybody, especially since he does everything not to get romantically involved. It’s because of his skewed view of himself - wouldn’t quite call it self-esteem issues but he doesn’t think he’s fit to be a supportive partner in a romantic relationship. He is aware of his impulsiveness and role in the revolution... and having a hook for his hand makes him think he’s unable to give a proper hug. Maybe something a good ship could fix?

Well... nOTP for one would be with Undies, that’s for sure. She’s like a sister to him and he would never think of her that way. I guess Alphys and Toriel are also out of the question, because of their indirect role in hurting his brother. This is not something he would forget and forgive. Can’t say much about other possibilities because, like I said, no shipping schemes were made for this bean.

Random headcanon time!

He loves playing cards. Really loves. His close relations with his subordinates happened just because he joined them to play quite regularly and shuffling through his well-used deck is what calms him down when he’s nervous or antsy. Somehow, he managed to learn to use the cards despite his hook, but he still struggles occasionally  - it’s hard to hold your hand and draw a card at the same time.

Unpopular opinion... uh...

Well, he is, basically, a SF Sans but his core characteristics are closer to the original Sans than to the swapped one, so this interpretation differs from the usual take on this AU. He is lazy, very social and loves pranking people. He also half-asses his duties when possible, not really wanting to get a promotion and keeping his room untidy most of the time. It does change for him when the revolution starts. But that’s just the fallout of his very poor and impulsive decision. He would very much prefer to go back to the way things were... before the revolution and before his brother was hurt. Does that count?

A song I associate with him? How about... a whole friggin playlist??? I’ll pick only a few songs, because it’s over an hour long, really.

Untraveled Road - Thousand Foot Krutch

Throne - Bring Me The Horizon

Cut the Cord - Shinedown

White Rabbit - Egypt Central

So Cold - Breaking Benjamin

Lullaby - Hypnogaja

Bullets - Archive

As for the favorite picture, I guess the one where he’s all unhappy with his hook is my fave because it shows his vulnerable side a little - he doesn’t hide behind his jokester mask and doesn’t blow up in anger either.

Answering the ask thingie here.

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Helena

It was a church. The pew hard underneath him. He wasn't comfortable. He wasn't anything but drifting from the present. Because the present was a hollow place. The foundation clawed out from underneath it. The past was supposed to be formidable. But now it was gone. Erased. With one mistake, one moment.

And he knew that once the service was over they'd blame him. They'd talk. And he'd want to go. Service. Rick had done them a great service but now it was over. Like the church service was almost over. Associations. All the associations.

He didn't have anything to say. And maybe that was because they wouldn't let him talk. He wouldn't have made much sense anyways. He might've rambled about his first day at the station. It was Rick who took him on the short rounds over Kings County. He asked him in passing about what happened in Virgina. The Chesapeake Ripper caught. Of course he would ask. But he didn't pry. Wouldn't pry. The only asset of being small town that Rick was missing was the prying.

No one would get that though. It was in their blood to know everything. And maybe Rick didn't feel so damned entitled. Sometimes Will hated Kings County. Sometimes Will wanted to wallow. Rick would indulge him in his wallowing sometimes, a few drinks sometimes. There was something in Rick's makings that made Will look up to him. Like a brother he never had.

He had wondered when he was a kid what that would've been like. To have a brother. Someone to lean on. But Will was hardly used to leaning. With Rick it became a small habit.

He had been leaning the night Rick died.

Fault. At Fault. Time to go. A repetition for the words their eyes no doubt said even though their lips did not. And he wanted to get up and yell. Only he couldn't. Because he knew it was true, didn't he?

Rick taught him a lot about friendship. There'd been a time when Rick told him not to ask him for help at all. A slamming down of his glass, don't ask for help anymore if you don't want it. Rick was built on repressions. And Will knew he had taken him for granted sometimes. He never had much to take for granted before.

There was a hole there now. Deep and painful. It was hard to breathe. He wanted to try and swallow down the sharp pain, he wanted to forget it. But he knew that he couldn't. He wanted to brush it aside. But it was all in vivid color. So very alive in front of his eyes. Rick was gone. And he had to repeat that to himself over and over again. It seemed hard to believe.

He had died on duty. A good man. A short step in front of him and then he was gone. Rick's blood had pooled a large red stain on the sidewalk. And it was hot to the touch. It sprayed Will. But Will hadn't gone to him. Rick couldn't die. Wouldn't die. He had shot the guy who was now running away. Right in the back. And he didn't care if that made him a coward. He didn't care much about anything once he realized that he was too late for Rick. Rick was gone.

Hollow and lifeless. Everyone was moving down the aisle, out of the church. Now it was time to lay him to rest. Will wondered if Rick would ever rest. He was in Will's nightmares. He wasn't alive in them. Never again. Not even in his mind. Will stared at the picture they had picked to display. It was colored and lifeless. Like the whole world around him. And he felt sick, like he was being torn out.

He said it like a prayer now, bowing his head. 'Rick's gone'. But even then it didn't sound real. All an illusion. But there was no escaping it.

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♝-notthegoodgrimes

Laboring breathing. Laboring movement. Everything was a marking of laboring. He heard the deep darkness in the movements, in the quiet shuffling of his own movements until he reached Rick. He could hear the sounds of the growling outside of the doors. The banging. Trapped. And he could see the flash of silver, Rick reloading the gun. Two bullets left. And there were maybe an hundred of them out there.

Finally Rick was there. Present. And he dropped down before he could even sit up. A resting spot for his head. But his head was still spilling, his lips stuck together. Dry and bloodied. He was shaking, a light tremor racing through the very core of his being. The flare of pain in his side was impossible to ignore. He wanted to but he couldn’t.

He tried to say something. His throat burned with the words that he knew that he wouldn’t be able to push out. But all that came out was a raspy breath. Rick said one word. ‘Don’t.’ And the sound of him setting the gun down on the concrete of the floor was so loud, almost deafening. As he faded his senses became more attune.

Rick reached and placed his hand on his head. He knew his forehead must be burning. He wasn’t even sweating. He was dry and burning. Like an out of control brush fire. He let his eyes close under what was the first solace he had in a while. The pressing of Ricks hand on his forehead. It eased the headache a bit. And maybe that was his intention. Only Will knew it wasn’t.

He heard movement, the gun scraping the concrete. And he knew. He swallowed harshly and there was a painful lump in his throat. He kept his eyes closed though. And there was nothing but shadows and darkness there. He closed his eyes and he slept. He was exhausted. The pain was exhausting. He didn’t even feel cold. He didn’t hear the deafening sound of the gun. The long lasting ringing in his ears. He didn’t hear the tearing down of the door. He heard nothing. No more.

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✦-notthegoodgrimes

Send me a “✦” and my muse will tell you

4 different things they should have said to your muse, but never managed to

Sometimes words aren’t easy, especially when they make him feel a little lesser, a little weak. Like someone might look at him differently. Things like I’ve always looked up to you, sometimes I wonder what it’d be like if we grew up together, if you were my brother, I trust you. Things that are small when worked in formation only to seem to large and overwhelming to utter. First 3 things they ever noticed about your muse

He always noticed how Rick took easy dominance over a room, how he was effortless in his friendliness, and that there was burden on his shoulders that he wasn’t even aware of. 2 things your muse does that pisses them off

His attempts at making him more social. Alright not pissed, let’s just go with agitated. 1 thing they have always want to do with your muse

Survive the apocalypse?

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♦

Send me a “♦” for the first word my muse thinks of when your muse is mentioned.notthegoodgrimes

"bastard."

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I want the K

Send me ‘I want the K’ and I’ll generate a numb2: Cheek Kissnotthegoodgrimes

There was something in the calling of loss that had spread like an illness throughout the prison. Something bitter and so close to acid that he felt sick to his stomach.

Rick was back. He had cleaned up. Sitting in his cell. And there was nothing but the hollow of everyone living. Breathing was more accurate. No one could ever really live again.

Will stood in the entry way, not waiting for Rick to say anything. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to. He knew that silence would extend and blend into everything before Rick ever found the words to say about what happened, about what he had lost.

He approached and he knew that Rick wasn’t going to look up. There was an understanding there, long bred into them from their time on the force. A time that Will had been uncertain about. Living life quietly with a dark noise festering on the inside. He had been scared. But he was always scared. He could count on that. Like he could always count on Rick being there.

He knelt down before him. His throat was dry, it burned when he swallowed down. Rick was the strongest man he knew. But every man has a breaking point, every man falls apart some time.

"Everyone’s sleeping…" It wasn’t anything. Just something that would break through the stillness that surrounded them.

Rick nodded but he was looking at him now. “Carl?”

Will nodded. Beth had been with the kids all day. And that had taken a while but it had been managed.

Rick parted his lips to say something else. But nothing came out. A faint sound. A crack in the darkness. He still smelled like blood. He smelled stale.

Will reached forward and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Get some sleep. You’ll see them in the morning.”

Rick’s eyes were shining now. He sucked in a breath. “I can’t.” He was struggling with keeping his voice steady.

He brought Rick over to him and hugged him. Patting him light on the back. He kissed his cheek and then moved back a bit, still holding onto one of his shoulder. “You’ll see them in the morning.”

Rick lowered his eyes and nodded before resting back against the wall.  It wasn’t lying down sleeping but it was something.

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“Feels everywhere!”

Send me “Feels everywhere!” and I’ll generate a number for you. Whatever it is, I’ll write the drabble! Topics below. Numbers are 1-405.                 7. Your muse coming to visit my muse after they have been hospitalized for a lengthy illness.notthegoodgrimes

It had been a long time, hadn’t? Three years? Four? He wasn’t counting days. Only monumental things that had happened in the past years that had floated by. There had been a couple phone calls, a visit or two. But the mile gap was a long one.

And after Hobbs, after the darkness that had long pulsated had manifested itself into something alive, more living. He couldn’t run. Friends were difficult to keep in the darkness that created a shelter around him. Protecting him from salvation.

Rick was here now. Sitting at the side of his bed. He saw the gold of Ricks wedding band. Something that he didn’t think that he would take off. He saw his head bowed. But he was awake, half awake. There was a silent mumbles coming from his lips.

Will shifted. But then he winced. He could feel the warmth of it seeping. He struggled with simple movements. A heavy breath. Painful.

Rick looked up. “Hey, buddy.” He sounded tired.

He almost smiled. Half cracked pale lips and his eyes closed for a moment. A slow movement, take in a deep breath. “Hey…”

"You look like shit."

"Don’t tell me how I look until you know how I feel."

Burning. Itching. There was something inside of him, beating, throbbing. His fingers curled a minute. Rick patted his hand. He was real. That assured him.

He remembered Rick got shot. He remembered when that happened. He had sat there, still. He had heard the doctors say that he was going to be alright. When Lori and Carl came with Shane he left.

"They say you’re pulling through."

"They always say that. They want a stress free atmosphere. They don’t tell you anything unless you’re officially dying."

Rick squeezed his hand. His palm was clammy. “Well, y’ain’t dying, Graham.”

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"cutie pie"

Send me “Cutie Pie” and I will answer all of these

If we lived together we’d:[ x] Argue[ ] Get it on once in a while [ ] Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast[ x] Watch movies late at night[ ] Prank Call People[ ] Pranks each other[ ] Cuddle[ ] Party[ ] We’d Never Live In The Same House[ ] Shop[ ] Play games[ ] Read bedtime stories[ ] Cook whatever we felt like eating together[ x] Get on each other’s nerves[ ] Who are you

About you:[ x] I love you.you’re like my brother[ ] I’ve liked you before.[ ] I like you now.[ ] You’re cute[ ] need to talk more.[ ] need to chill.[ ] I’d makeout with you.[ ] I wanted to kiss you before.[ ] I’d slap you.[ ] I’m happy to have you in my life.[ ] I don’t know you .[ ] Ex.[ ] Let’s try again[ ] I miss you[ x] We’re good friends[ ] we’ve kissed before

Would I Date You?[] Yes ✔—[x] No ✘that’s really disgusting no[] Maybe[] You deserve better[] I don’t know

Your Best Feature:[] Lips[] Eyes[] Hair[x] Personality[] Everything[] I don’t know you well enough

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~

Send me a ~ and I’ll quote a part of a song that reminds me of our muses relationships

Lost- Avenged Sevenfold

"With peace of mind so hard to findWe’re dwelling on the drastic signs Another way to numb our mind And as you close your eyes tonight And pray for a better life You’ll see it flying helplessly away We’ve all been lost for most of this life  Everywhere we turn more hatred surrounds us And I know that most of us just ain’t right Following the wrong steps, being led by pride”

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‡

Send me ‡ for my character’s reaction to yours climbing into bed with mine.

He was taken aback by the presence next to him. He had been lying here for how long? It seemed to have been hours and sleep hadn’t come. He had thought that it might have been a nightmare, this presence near him. But it was real, he could even smell the copper smell of the others blood. Thick in his nose, taken into his lungs with his every breath. He turned then to see the man there, Rick. He was all cuts and bruises, all beaten. But he wasn’t dead. How come he couldn’t just die? Die. He wanted him to die. He turned now to look at him face to face, breathing in the stale remnants of a decaying man. And he pushed, pushed him off the man with a yell. “Die…DIE!” Why wouldn’t he just die?

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Gift:

Gift-my character will give yours a gift or vice versa

It was a small something. That’s what Rick had said, just a small something. He wanted to give him that before he went off and left for D.C. There was a lot of talk but Will wasn’t looking to talk about it. He only talked to Rick. And he had promised it’d just be a small something. His choice was as quiet a thing that they could probably get. Just a beer out in Ricks backyard. Lori and Carl were out. And the whole place was filled with a quiet. The sort of quiet only a place like Kings County could get. Rick sat back in his chair across from Will and handed him a beer. Taking a sip from his own he asked. “Y’sure there’s no one you gotta say bye to before tonight?”He didn’t even have to think that question over. There was no one. It was just Rick. The transfer here had been a hassle, a pit stop on the way to DC, was what most thought of it as. And that didn’t fly well in a small town. Rick was a good man. The kind that didn’t lend an ear to gossip. If he thought something you’d hear it in the most straightly respectable manner. Will admired him for that, for his willingness to accept. “No one.” he said with a shake of his head, a small strain of a smile creeping up on his lips before he took a drink from his bottle. Resting back with a heavy sigh Rick looked off at the yard. Will had only been here a couple times for dinner. Carl played in the yard a lot, he had even invited him to join him for some sandlot game of baseball. But Will had turned down the offer, watching the kid with his friends. He wouldn’t have any trouble like Rick hadn’t. Carl was a good kid. He could tell Lori was nervous about cooking for anyone, he could tell it was store bought but he complimented her cooking for Ricks sake. He could feel a terrible strain settling in around them. And when Will had asked Rick about it, a subtle question, hidden under layers of “how’s the family?’ Rick had told him things had been sour for ages. That Lori was fading from him. Will always saw how dim she was. But right now, in the quiet, in the empty space Rick looked a little lighter. "Should’ve forced you to have a big party, with every lookin’ at you." he said with a laugh around the rim of the bottle. Will let out a chuckle and then leaned forward on his knees, staring down at the hole in the bottle. He hadn’t had a friend like Rick. But words like, thank you or let’s keep in touch seemed childish to him. Seemed a little stupid actually, something weak even. “I would’ve killed you.”Rick chuckled. “Yeah….” Will nodded, staring at the grass as it swayed in the light hot wind. Things would be a lot different in D.C. Colder. "Hey…" Rick said, pushing himself up to his feet. "here." Will felt Ricks shadow over him. He set his beer down on the ground and took the brown box from him. He looked at it a moment before opening up the small package. An old, slightly worn tin tackle box. "Just somethin’ my granddad gave it to me. Along with alotta other things for fishin’. Now I know D.C. ain’t gonna be like it is around here. But you can try." Will let out a small scoff before standing to his feet. It took him by surprise when Rick reached over and clapped him on the back. "Good luck out there, Brother."Hearing him call him that was a strange thing. He wasn’t used to family, especially not a brother. He wondered how easy it would have been growing up with a brother, especially one like Rick. Things would have been better, wouldn’t they."Thanks, Rick." he said, pulling back some now and he looked at him directly now, in the eyes. And it was a strange sensation to only feel trust there looking back at him. "Thank you."

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•3•

Send me a •3• and I will put my playlist on shuffle, write down the first line of five songs and give it to your muse as a poem from mine

“Give me a second I need to get my story straight I let it fall, my heartAll I feel now is the weight of the dayThe strands in your eyes that color them wonderfulAnd I’d give up forever to touch you”…..so, yeah…Rick….

We Are Young-FunSet Fire To The Rain-AdeleFade Into Me-David CookI’ll Be- Edwin McCainIris-Goo Goo Dolls

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I want the K’

Send me ‘I want the K’ and I’ll generate a number 2: Cheek Kiss

Darkness. A big shadow os darkness over his head. And he was consumed by it, he could feel it deep inside of his blood, like bitterness and sickness. Like the innate madness of mans mind. He was spinning, no that was the room. And he could hear far away crying, like some sort of song, playing and playing, melody upon melody. Everything was a broken fragment of something else. The pain was too much. But it wasn’t physical, is was in his head. There was clicking, clicking of shoes on the floor he was sitting on. He was watching the mans boots, back and forth, back and forth. Pacing. He was talking. The crying overtook Ricks voice in his head. Will tried to be still, he was shaking, his eyes were filled with tears. And now Rick was kneeling down before him. He reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Snap outta it, Willy.” he said, his voice a little commanding, a little condemning. It was painful in his chest, so damned painful. Everything. And then there was the girl, scratching, crawling, sweeping. And he knew that Rick was watching her. She was coming towards him. Coming closer, he could feel her near. "Kill her." Will turned his eyes to the woman, she was closer. She was beside him but she was crying. Still crying. Crying in the back of his head. "Kill her, Willy."And what was this something of a becoming? The worst pain was knowing he wanted to do it. But he couldn’t do it. He had to. Rick told him to. No he told himself to. There were a million voices running in his head, running. But Rick was pacing.And now he felt the knife in his hands, the heat of the blood, splattering all over him. Hot blood, tasting bitter. He swallowed hard, he tasted it, it hurt his stomach. He was going to be sick. The crying stopped.Looking at Rick, looking him in the eyes. They were blue. Blue, shining, blue. He was laughing. “Willy!” he exclaimed before taking his face in both his hands and kissing his cheek, hard. Did he taste the blood on his skin?