#carries around a puppet boy that is his fear of his friends leaving in favor of romance incarnate

[charlieswebb]

i think as a fandom we have to appreciate how fucking unhinged riz is

[siimjaeyun]

Chapter 1: Beast from Below

Synopsis: When five teens set their hearts on mystery solving, maybe they'll just uncover something that's a lot bigger than fake masks.

Series Masterlist

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"Another mystery solved!" Five palms met at the center before the metal bars behind them clasped shut; once more did they find themselves enclosed at the city jail. 

"Time and time again. Must I remind you kids about not interfering with city affairs." 

The man pinched his nose bridge before giving them a piercing look through the cage. They expected nothing less from Chief Kim: always bossing them around like toddlers and painting them as fools. 

"Just fantastic. Can't wait for another pep talk from my father." Heeseung fell to the ground dramatically as he looked at his four friends. This occurrence of the city jail never fazed them, and at this point, neither did the fear of being punished by his father. 

A couple minutes elapsed before Chief Kim made his way back to the five teens in the cell. With one movement, the door bolted open, allowing them to go home at once. 

"Wow. Only an hour wait. New record." Sunoo mischievously smiled and hung his shoulder over Jungwon, his shorter companion. 

"Beats that time we spent the night." Sunghoon only scoffed at the duo, no longer amazed by the words that came out of their mouths. 

"Heeseung! Y/n! Hurry up won't you!" You and heeseung strutted through the doors of the city building. You knew heeseung would be faced with utter disappointment from his father, head of the city, but you knew he could care less at this point. 

"Park y/n!" You hated the voice trailing in front of you. Your eyes slowly made their way to meet your brothers, a teen boy who's purpose in life was to delight others and be the puppet of any tiger parent. 

"Go away Jay." You shoved him in the opposite direction and tried to make your way into the van. Frankly, he was the last person you wanted to see. 

"Mom and dad asked me to pick you up. Jungwon and Sunoo as well." He eyed the youngsters goofing off in the background, and when they met his gaze, they walked off the van. 

"Catch you guys later okay?" Sunghoon and Heeseung drove off in the mini-van, leaving the four in silence. 

You said nothing and sat in the back seat of the old Honda. The smell of pine was obvious, and the stack of prep books in the back seat didn't faze you either. 

Jay dropped off Sunoo and Jungwon at their home, and later made his way back to your own. 

"It wouldn't hurt to stay out of trouble y'know." He finally broke the silence and looked at you through the car mirror. 

"I could care less about what you think. Plus, city jail visits from mysteries beat being my parent's trophy any day." 

------- 

"You should've seen our parents look. I think they don't bother with grounding us anymore." Jungwon continued to chat about the lack of punishment he and Sunoo received. 

"Mine don't mind at this point. They told me to might as well study forensics if I'm into silly mysteries." Sunghoon laughed a bit and scanned the tension of the van. 

"Better than whatever my father, the head of the city, had to say. He just laughed and insisted I be a role model." Heeseung added to the conversation as he drove the kids in the van. Being designated driver had its perks and its downs.

"I think I win considering Jay fucking perfect Park had to try to give me the 'stay out of trouble' peptalk." You crossed your arms and entertained yourself with the surrounding buildings. Trees, children running, a giant monster coming out the sewer. 

"Heeseung!!" Abruptly, a pile of fog escaped from the sewer, blinding Heeseung who tried his best to stop the van from crashing. 

"Looks like a mystery has arrived." Once Heeseung was safely able to stop the car, the rest of you left the van as well. 

Small droplets of water dancing were heard from the ground below. The five of you climbed down the ladder, stepping with caution of course. 

You trailed off with Sunghoon and let the bright light of your flashlights illuminate the cave. 

"Why are we in a cave?" Confusion struck your minds, there was supposed to be a river of sewage water. Why you had stepped foot on a cave tricked your minds. 

The teens continued to explore the cave, sharp rocks and pools of water were at your feet. As the light continued to roam the black and gray walls of the cave, a golden object shined from afar.

"Sunghoon, look." You picked up the object and your hands met with a locket. The locket opened and revealed a photograph of a young couple, probably of your same age. Before you could ponder more about the couple, a terrified shriek left Sunoo's mouth. 

"What's wrong!??" Heeseung followed Sunoo's fingers and he came face to face with petrified bodies. 

Three workers were frozen in a pile of green goop. 

----- 

"So?" Jungwon asked the officer with signs of intriguement, but he was not interested in the young one's questions. 

"Dad." You turned and saw Mr.Lee make his way to Heeseung, grasping his shoulders once he had arrived. 

"Do us a favor and go to school." He left almost immediately, and you were scared about what would happen next. 

Turns out that 'next event' meant running away with one of the green creatures. 

When you had arrived at school, Sunghoon and Heeseung plopped the green creature onto the table of Professor Kang, the science teacher. 

"You think you can help?" 

Professor Kang placed the stethoscope around his neck and began inspecting the creature. 

"Well, it's alive; I'll tell you that." He continued to pace around the table, hesitant in informing the group about the odd human in front of them. 

"Hey, sorry to bother you Professor Kang, but um...I was hoping to submit my form." A boy stood awkwardly by the door with a thin piece of paper in his hand. His black hair covered most of his forehead, and the only visible part was his shy smile. 

"Come in, you weren't interrupting anything. In the meantime, I suggest you go off with this thing." Professor Kang turned his way to address the newcomer in the room; the boy responded and followed him to his desk.  

"Quickly, quickly, I've got a class to teach!" Professor Kang left the room once attending to the stranger's needs. 

"You heard the man, lift with your legs." You giggled slightly as you saw Sunoo hesitate at touching the green slime. 

"You guys need help?" The voice behind you observed quietly, and almost gasped slightly when seeing what exactly you were trying to carry. 

"It's fine, but thanks." Heeseung threw the body over his shoulders and made his way out the door. 

"You're Jake right?" Sunghoon immediately began a conversation with the young boy, and didn't see his friends waiting by the door. 

"Wanna come?" 

The three of you wanted to kill Sunghoon for inviting a stranger to these sort of things, but it was merely too late and the unknown boy looked too nice to shoo away. 

"Sure, beats sitting through Professor Min's lecture." 

Jake trailed behind the trio as he chatted with Sunghoon. Heeseung through the van spotted the newcomer, and was slightly confused considering no one had ever tagged alonged. 

"We've got a monster to catch, hurry and get in the van!" You opened the door with force and welcomed Jake into the back. 

"This is Jake by the way, he's joining us for today." Sunoo introduced Heeseung to Jake, letting his mouth ramble on about the few details he had already learned. 

"Where to captain?" 

"RM's studio of course." The rhythm of the music played quietly in the background, and they all found comfort in having Jake around, they didn't expect themselves to be given their history. 

"So you guys travel in a van solving mysteries?" 

"Pretty much. We get thrown in the city jail occasionally." Jungwon mentioned the detail nonchalantly and expected Jake's natural surprise. 

------ 

It was late that night when the group gave back the body to Professor Kang. 

The teacher's steps were audible as he trailed back and forth between one table to the next. He became startled at the sudden noise of the janitor mopping in the hallway. He peered outward and went back to his work. 

Before long, and with an audible gasp, his body was now entrapped and enclosed in the similar green goop on the ceiling. 

------

"It's all my fault!" Heeseung banged his head on the table and looked at his friends with a sad expression. 

"Don't say that. After all, besides Jake, we all helped steal the body from the authorities." Sunoo patted his back gently and observed Jake who placed a container of green smush on the table. 

"I managed to collect a sample, maybe it'll help us." 

Jungwon and Sunoo were drawn to the fruity smell, and hunger couldn't stop them from nearing the sample of the monster. 

"Don't eat that!!!" Before they could stop him, Jungwon and Sunoo had already placed the oozing substance into their mouths. 

"This is lime sorbet.." 

"It's Ricky's Rickwracks." Confused, but curious, the other teens dipped their index finger into the mush and tasted it as well. 

"You're right...I think we just got our next clue." Sunghoon smirked at the rest of his friends and grabbed the keys from Heeseung's left pocket. 

------ 

[RICKY'S RICKWRACK] 

"Since Jake, Sunoo and Jungwon are the shortest, they get to shimmy through the air ducts and open the back door." 

"How come y/n isn't coming? We're the same height!" 

"Because I refused." You gave him a bright smile and helped the three unbolt the door. 

The trio crawled their way through the ducts and yelled loudly when they hit the ground after their sudden fall. 

"We didn't mean to crush your body on the first day Jake." 

They opened the door and let the three bodies waiting outside came in. The restaurant was dark, slightly humid, and oddly quiet. 

"Scream if you see anything." Sunghoon and Jake led you through the left corridor and the others headed right. 

There wasn't much to see, but when you had turned your back to face the door, it closed shut. Your six fists banged on the door continuously, but you figured it was useless. 

"Y/n! Sunghoon! Jake!" Heeseung's voice echoed behind the door, and he managed to pry it open. 

"My hero!" You happily hugged him and it didn't surprise him; apart from your hard exterior, you often liked skinship with others. 

"SUNGHOON HYUNG!" the four of you ran back to see Jungwon pointing at a figure, and behold, it was the monster from below. 

His bright green and sticky appearance startled you, but his roar bounced louder causing your feet to quickly flee. 

Jake had become frozen; it was his first encounter of course. You took hold of his hand and ran off with him. 

Constant twists and turns led you through one hall and the next. The six of you managed to head back to the closet that once trapped you. 

"I-i think it's g--ahh!" You fell backwards and pushed a box aside by mistake. It was no mistake however. 

It was a hole and hidden for a good reason. You jumped first and met eyes with a familiar cave. 

The carts and marked arrows in the ground were a good reminder that it was no mistake. 

"Follow the arrows." 

Sunghoon led the way and you found containers of the same green substance from the monster. It startled you at first, but why had there been this in the first place ? 

"Wouldn't this path lead to the bank?" 

"By why would he need a path?" 

"I'm assuming there's another type of dessert old Ricky likes to indulge in." 

"Take those items, let's build ourselves a trap.." 

----- 

They handled the ropes and buckets in every step. 

Sunoo and Jungwon handled leading the creature into the cave,  running in terror like always; they were the bait. 

"Now!" The trap was set off,  a toss here, a toss there, and the cage landed everywhere but on top of the monster. 

It continued to chase them, and they soon found themselves trapped inside the cage. Well, everyone but you and Jake. 

The two of you continued to run and eventually your two pairs of feet met a dead end. 

"I'll help you up." 

Jake mounted you on his back and hoisted you enough to get a hold of the floor from Ricky's Rickwracks. With enough strength, you pulled yourself up and stretched your hand towards Jake to pull him up. The two of you continued to play a game with the monster on your trail.

In the meantime, the four boys played with the bolts of the cage until it managed to come loose. They went back to you and Jake and grabbed the hose of the lime sherbet. 

At the right time, the creature was pushed towards the wall by the force of the blasting sherbet. His body was now too cocooned like his previous victims. 

"What do you think you're doing!?" Chief Kim walked into the store through the front door alongside Heeseung's father, Mayor Lee. 

"Well we caught the monster from below of course! Ricky couldn't fool me." But unknowingly, Ricky walked through the door. 

"I called the police when my alarm went off." 

"Then who?" Jungwon did the honors of pulling off the mask revealing the human within. 

"Professor Kang!" 

"That's right. When I discovered the cave while looking for samples for science class, I knew I had found my ticket out of this place! I used Ricky's sorbet to cocoon people who came too close and used the costume to scare people off. I even did it to myself to throw you people off. I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!" 

"But Mr.Kang, what about this locket?" You held the pendant to an eyes view but his answer let you know it didn't belong to him. 

"I say we celebrate at RM's Studio !" 

------ 

The soft music let you guys know of another job well done. A loud ring broke through the silence and Sunoo went ahead to answer it. 

"Welcome to RM's studio mix, what can we do for you?" 

"You're all doomed!" The seven of you, including RM, closed around the recorder. 

"You should've never taken the locket out of the cave, but now you've done it. You've found a truth that has been hidden...a true mystery behind Seoul City has begun." 

And just like that, the room went silent. 

[ryokiowriter]

Armistice

Author’s note: This fic started off as being inspired by @uglynetwork​ and their lovely artwork of Anti (here). Many thanks darling for your amazing art and existence! ♥

It is often said that revenge is a dish best served cold. Anti wasn’t sure who said such stupid things, but the minute he found out, he was going to do his best to decapitate the idiot with a butterknife.

That being said, he didn’t think anything of it when Dark wasn’t immediately back and invading his dreamspace. Instead, he relished in the fact that he’d won. Darkiplier, Schmarkiplier. To be as afraid of something as simple as mannequins, to be paralyzed by his fear… what a rubbish excuse for a rival. That outdated VHS villain had nothing on him and his army. Not to mention, Anti actually had a trophy now, one that he was all too happy to play with.

It had been while he was toying with the blackened flesh, which was no longer bleeding color like the owner of the eyeball. Realization struck like a bolt of lightning, eyes darkening as he looked at his calendar. It had been… O҉͙͙̘n̜͢e̡̫̻,͓̼̪̰̫͕͇ ͟t̨͖w̛o͝,̨͍̱ ̛͔͈͇̞͎̞̘t͔̫h̢r̴̤͕̳e̖̳̬̝̝e̤̙͔.҉̦͚̮̜.̥̖͈̰̯͡.͈̰̜̯͔͠  Holding up his finger to count the days, his normal grin faded to pure panic for a second. Granted, it was hard to get a grasp on just how long it’d been since he’d seen his nemesis, but it had to have been at least three days, that was for damn sure. A rare sneer curled his upper lip, his entire visage flickering before disappearing in a burst of static. If Dark wasn’t about to ambush him anytime soon, he was just going to have to beat him to the punch.

Fury was practically rolling off of him by the time he successfully entered Darkiplier’s Dream. Just the fact that he’d made it into the dreamscape meant one of two things: either the VHS Cunt himself was plotting an all-too-elaborate revenge, or he was being ignored. Automatically, he assumed the latter. He hated being ignored.

"ͮ̽ͥͨ́W̙̼̱̺̹̭̋̓h͉̩̳̱̘̤ͪ́ẹ̺̱̰͇̤ͩͧ̔̍̃r̶ͪ̍ē ̭̤̟̳̦̲̱̀t̨̥̲̝͑̽̓̇ͮ̋h̥̊̐̄͂ͥ̏e͔͚̥̝͉̕ ̓ͮͩͮ͆̆͏̫̱̳f̵̬̘̺̳̙̪́̈́̍̚u̻̣͌ͮ̍̌͗̂c͕͈̙̫͛̐̊k̯̮̥̔̐̇͋ͬ́ ̅̑a̟͙͖̙͚̓̎̂ͦ́r̗͈̞ȅ̱̿͂̒̍͑ͬ ͔͍̭̣̜ͪy̮̮̞̺ͭ̅̂ͯͦ̚ö̹͓̤̥̻́ͬ̿̌̇̃̓u͔̥̜͌̾ͨ̂͡?̺͚͚̾̅!̳͉͙̳̗̖͖̒̀͌̍̏ͧ͜"̭̣̟̟̜͚̅̅͐̇̕ he roared, teeth sharp and on display. "A̸͙̘r̲͚̯̫̬͇̣͡e̼͚̩̗̖̼̮ ͖͍́ͅͅy̖̫a̭͔̠ ̷͖̹̖̪̮̮h̪̀id͍͔̭͚̩i̩n̖̹̰̰̥̥͖'̭̭͚̪͓,͈̖͉̹̳̦̭ ̜̟̖̱͙̠̟͠y̫͞a̧͇̭̬̯ ̫͔cụ̝̰̗n̶t̺̖͜ͅ?͈̺!̖̘͙͚̜̬̤

̘͉͖͎͜H҉̥̞ì̮͈di̹n҉̳͙͓̙'̻͈̗͕͕͝ ̘̮̭̬͈̪̀li̴̜̻̰̥̺̣kḙ̟͎̠͕͙̟ ͈̝̬̬̯̗a̜͓ ̝̟̰l̡̪̘͖i̯̘͚͟t̥̭͠t̬l͇͍̗̦̣̮͘e͎̱ͅ ̢̯͖̬̫b҉̟i̴̳̲̗̙t̯̯̪͇̦̯͞c͚̰̯̟h͎͎̱̤̮̜ ̯͚͞b̙à̜͕͔ͅb̗͚̬̙̀y̴͓͕̳̞̮͙?!̨̲̝̭̻̗̭"̣̣͚ͅ His grin widened, maniacal laughter following as his words echoed across the dreamscape.

“Hhhhhhhoh boy! You’re just in time!”

Thaaaat… that wasn’t Darkiplier’s voice. For one, it sounded so not… echo-y. Secondly, it sounded like the person speaking was completely and absolutely sloshed. Static wracked his form as he turned, a mass of pixels forming into a knife in his hand.

"̼͉̳̹͓͚ͅ.̤̹̹̞̘̰͡ͅ.҉̪͇͖̻̫ͅ ̸͓̦̩̣̬w̺̣͎̦̩h̖a҉͚̹̩t͕͇͝ ṱ̮̰̮̜h͔̜͕̩̞̖͚e͉͓ ̫̦̱̜̟̦f̩̦̮̫ú̮̠̺͕̖c͕̘̖̝̫͕̀k̨̯̥̺͚̲?̺̯̠̠̫͘ ̫̹A͞r̬̤̠̙e̠͘ ̺̺̝̗̺y̰͈͚͞ơ͔̣̻̼̹u ̼̥̺́t̪͖̗̯͎̥̥r̝̀ỳ̖̺i̷͔̻̖̟n̝g͇͙ ͎̳̟̩͝t̗o͖̱͚͇ ̡͕͚̻͙ͅb̞̩̲͚̥̙͟e̮̩̱ ̩̫͉̩̲f҉̝̜͚̭̭͖uń̦n͙̣̹̯̪̳͠y̫̠̰ͅ?̜̲͈̠̜̘͖͘"̼̪͙̲

Whoever Darkiplier was pretending to be, he was in full color, and he seemed to be sporting a bright… pink… mustache? A hearty chuckle, mayhaps a bit exaggerated, before he shook his finger at Anti.

“Ah-ah-aaaah!” Whoever he was, he was annoying already. “Now, now. Is that any way to greet a new friend, pal?” This time, the smile was completely gone, Anti full-on frowning now. “Yeesh. Someone clearly doesn’t watch TV.” More uncharacteristic silence, though the glitches showed that Anti was still an active participant in the Dream. “I’m Wilford Warfstache. Y’know? Host of Warfstache!Tonight?” More silence from Anti, prompting an irritated sigh from the so-called Warfstache. “Really? You don’t know me? Not even from Disc of Riches?”

Anti pulled a face that was reminiscent of someone forced to take a very unpleasant-tasting dose of medicine.

“No? Ah, fine, you must be some kinda idiot.” A dismissive wave in Anti’s direction, the television host turning his back on the glitch. “Who doesn’t watch TV in this day-an’-age anyways?”

Whoever this guy was, he was all-too-good at pushing all of Anti’s buttons. More glitches ran through him with every word, lips curling away from progressively-pointier teeth in a feral snarl. A mass of staticky pixels gathered around his hand, reforming as his knife as he launched himself towards the pink-mustachioed buffoon.

Suddenly, Anti was greeted with a rather unpleasant situation, as though his stomach had simply dropped into a neverending abyss and continued to plummet. Eyes cloaked in black sclera darted down, which turned out to be a mistake and instant regret for the green glitch. The seemingly solid floor of the Dream had changed drastically, a thin walkway all that separated his feet from what looked to be the same abyss his own stomach was currently careening into. He didn’t know how high up he was, just that he was greeted by several new sensations with the realization that he was up impossibly high.  There was nausea, a tingling pins-and-needles numbing his thighs, dizziness, and one feeling he’d only experienced second-hand through Jack:

Fear.

Paralyzed, Anti’s eyes were glued to the faraway ground, breathing coming in just a tad sharper than it had before, knuckles nearly translucent in pallor with the grip he had on his knife. The very thing to distract him (for the moment) was laughter, a familiar echo that invaded his ears in a smooth chuckle. Tearing his gaze away from the ground (though not without an unpleasant lurch of his stomach), Anti mustered up a glare for the obvious culprit. He was slightly surprised to be greeted with the sight of Darkiplier standing next to Warfstache instead of in his place, but his jaw was so slightly clenched he couldn’t even offer a twitch of shock.

“Thank you, Wil. I appreciate the favor.”

“H’no problem. About my payment, though…”

Darkiplier looked a bit uneasy, chancing a glance at Anti before returning his attention to his comrade.

“Look, let’s discuss that later, shall we? I’ve got a busy schedule to keep here with our guest.”

“Oh.” A pause, before Wilford tapped at his lips, holding up a single finger, as though a thought had struck him. “…can I kill ‘im?”

“…no. Not yet, anyways. We’ll discuss it over poker later.”

A shrug from Warfstache, before he gave a saccharine smile to the still paralyzed Anti.

“Can’t blame a guy for tryin’. See ya!”

With a puff of pink smoke, the exuberant showman disappeared, leaving Anti alone with Darkiplier, as well as the realization he was still very high up.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” The damnably smooth laughter that followed was enough to practically make him see red, but that didn’t last long, as the color-haloed prick decided to continue speaking, not even giving a chance to offer up a response. “Ah. I see. You’re not too fond of the taste, are you? Having to sample your own medicine, I mean, it must be quite bitter.”

As Darkiplier spoke, he began to advance towards Anti. Much to his horror, with every step his adversary took, the floor began to fall away. The numbness in his legs was seated firmly at about his middle, everything below just a mass of prickling static. By the time Darkiplier was standing before him, the VHS villain was floating in the darkness, the only solid ground left barely enough to support his own skinny frame.

“It seems our hosts are too honest about their fears. I don’t suppose they thought we’d take hold of them. Then again… I doubt they really have any thoughts about this little war between us. I’m sure they just dismiss them as bad dreams, but I digress.”

Dark regarded him coldly, his eyes narrowing slightly. “If only you weren’t so proud. Maybe then you wouldn’t be in such the predicament. I knew Wilford could distract you, so I worked with him to trap you. I admire him too much to make him a mere puppet like you did your good doctor.” As the other carried on so, Anti could feel saliva start swelling in his mouth, eventually dribbling down over his lips as he tried to hold back the urge to vomit. The drooling was noted with a smirk, one that made his anger spike even higher. This bastard was straight up laughing at him, and Jack’s crippling fear of heights rendered him prisoner! Slowly, he managed to get his jaw to jut forward, allowing him to manage a slightly grating, muffled sentence through gritted teeth.

"̶̫̞̱Ą̥͇͚̬r̪e̥̟.̵̗.͎̬͉̻̰͚͎ ̦͎̪̭̥̝̫͝y̸o͍̳ų̳͙͍̱̠̹̥ ͇̤̹̜̜̫͞d̮̘͇̼̤͕on͇̠͙̲e̘̦̺̪̭̺ ͟y̥̺̗̞e͏͕͖̫̼̱t̮͚͚͈͠?"̮̬̳̹̦̼̩

Heavily lined eyes widened slightly, mouth settling into a straight line and a single brow arching.

“Oh, Anti, dearest… I haven’t even truly begun.”

His upper lip curled into a sneer, his visage fading from sight, leaving the little green glitch alone for a split second. Just as Anti was about to breathe a sigh of semi-relief, maybe gather his thoughts a little, he was interrupted, his thoughts too loud and high-pitched like the static he often favored. Pain exploded through his right arm, a ragged shriek of pain tearing from his throat as he recoiled from the source of the pain. Poison-hued eyes flicked open, a hazy glow about them as he flicked his glance to the side for confirmation. As he’d suspected, his arm was now severed at the bicep, the pixelated flesh falling down into the damnable abyss. Anger now fueled a very ragged-sounding scream, his head whipping to and fro, seeking out his opponent.

"O͓̤͙̻͢h̦̬̩͟,̹̩͈͉̮̲̝ ̝̘̺͢c̢͖̦͇̹ͅó͙̳m̰̹̫e̺ ̠̭̦̱O̼̹̺͇̟͚͠N̛͍̺̮͈͙̹͖!̥̜̜̰ͅ

҉̮T̨h̠̳̠͎̯̠̲a͍͓̥̩ț̸̻͙̠̤'͏̬s̕ ̖̤̱̰͡j̱̞̱̕u̻̫̺st͓̼̻̩̘̦ ͝r̲̺u̢̞̻d͙͓͎͎͙̱e͘!̶̝̬̣̱͎̯"̜̥͉̹̠͔̭

Just like that, Darkiplier rippled back into view, expression less smug and more barely-restrained anger. His shell was beginning to crack, glitches of rage flitting over his silhouette.

“You’ve no room to talk about rude, you impudent little whelp,” he snarled, taking advantage of Anti’s immobilized state to disappear and reappear before him. Grey fingers tangled in the black fabric of Anti’s shirt, yanking him upright so they were mere inches apart, hackles fully raised now. “You…” The deep timbre of his voice echoed and resonated within gauged ears, the very bass of it rumbling in his chest, making his pulse quicken ever-so-slightly. “You stole from me, Anti. It took me quite some time to replace that eye. I expect repayment. With interest.”

As if fearing damage to his own optic centers, Anti quickly squeezed his eyes shut. Not only did it shut out the fact that he was still up far too high, it stood as about as much rebellion as he could muster. His pixels were still in shock from losing his arm, even showing in the static that was replacing his glitches. Unfortunately, he was very much at Darkiplier’s mercy.

“Don’t worry.” Anti couldn’t help the shudder that ran through him, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Dark’s voice was entirely too soft, reminding him rather of the poisoned cupcake he’d partaken of in one of their previous encounters. Sweet, indulgent, and a hint of something dangerous. “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, as they say. I’m not sure who ‘they’ are, but I won’t go for your eyes. I’ll leave those for last…” A sharp hiss left Anti’s lips unbidden, as he felt cold fingers dig into the exposed muscle and flesh of what was once his upper arm. “That way, you can watch as I flay you alive.”

Silence followed his words, something that made a bit of pride swell in Darkiplier’s chest. Unfortunately, that balloon was burst prematurely with the softest of sounds.

Anti was giggling again.

Before he could react, he felt the cold press of metal at his throat, digging into the monochromatic flesh. Dark’s eyes narrowed significantly, gaze flicking down to try and see just what was going on. From his peripheral vision alone, it seemed that there was a knife being held to his throat… from behind?

"̷͓͔̰̦̼̖͇I̳̙͈͚̺ d̸̟͍̥̫̟͚o̴̗͇̗̼̙̲n'̜̗͇̟̯̣t̺͎͔̘̥͓̦͜ ͏ț̼͕̜ẖ̸i̷̫̪n͈k͎ͅ s͕o͏̥͔.̴͉̜̗̩̫̣ͅ"̯

Dark’s gaze darted back to Anti, who was sporting his usual grin, though his eyes were still closed. One hand seemed to be twined in glistening green strings, which apparently were behind the hand holding the knife to his throat. That was just a minor detail, though, Dark more fixated on the dark, shadowy oculus that was centered in Anti’s forehead.

“That’s—“

"҉̬̬̘̥̯N̰͕̦̪ͅͅo̺͉̘͞ţ̱̯̻̹̗͈ ̡̠̺ͅy̰͇̠̦̯̺̯ǫ͓̮͓̯̬̦u͚̭r̤s͏̝̱͖̙͕̮ ̢̳͇̭̭͇̲͚ḁ̭͕n̠̯̗̪͠ͅy͚̬̕m̧̱̳̣̖͎ọ̗̗͚̬̤r̼̤̠͍̦̩͞e͎̭͙.̙͠ ̞͙͕̪̹̰I̜t̗̞͘ͅ'̥̪s̸͎͎̮̥̯͉̤ ̼̬̗̤̪̺͙̕m͖ͅḭ̢̙̜̝̝̠ņ̩e҉͉̦̣͈ ̜͕̪̀n̛̳͍o̭̦̤̣͍̭w̴̺̞̟͇,̝̰͖̪͈̦̲ ̱̜̥̦̳͓r̸͓̦e͚̤a͉̗l̘̘̲͙l̢͇̳̩y͉̣͈̠ͅ ͙̭̹q̢̬̘̖̳̞̰ͅu͚it̩̞͍͜ͅẹ̳̣ ̦̦̼̩̳̳͠ͅh̬͉͇͇͚e̫͈l̖̟̖̣̞p̬͚͍͜f͏̘̭̪̹̖͖̟ṵ̳ͅl̶̳̭ ͠h̭̳e͍r̼̗̘̟͜e̬̞͇̞͚͕̳.̥͕̝̯̻̖"͓͈̼̝̦̝̀

Even though they seemed to be at an impasse, Darkiplier pulled a heinous expression, contorted in vehement rage and revulsion.

“Disgusting. You—“

A choked sound left him, the blade digging deeper into his skin.

"̬Ś̺͔͇͚͎h͏̻ṵ̠t̙̣͔̫.̱͕͙ ͔̦̙U̸p̰͖̖͕͕͇.̝̤̙̺̰̕"͉͙̜̦͡

Astonished at the gall of the glitch, Dark’s mouth was slightly agape, clicking shut when Anti continued..

"I̴̙̘ ͟ha̧ṯ͖̖̘ḙ̝̪͙̤̗ ̷̹t́o̡̙̹̣͉ ͏̙͙͈̳̯͔a̹͚͉̮͙̬d̜̤̣̻̤̝ͅm̙̻̻̞̗i̷t̵̝̲̙̤ ̜͎͖̱ì̺̜̹̩t͔̘͍̯,̹̹̱̰͡ ͏ḅ͚u̠̝͍̦̖̺̯͞t ̱y̱̠o̜̹̘̼̟͉u͇͉'̦̲͕̹v̫̤̫̱̺͢e ̴̤̪h̷̼̱̬̹i̝n̡̖̖̘̤͓̜d̴̹͓̝ͅe̥̣̳̟̼͢r̼͎e̡̯͔̼̥ͅḓ̭ ͍͚͔̖͔͇m̺̻̙̙̯̝e̡̘ ͖͖̠ͅa͇͕͚̞͜ ̲͍͈͚͓͢bi̠̘̩̼̘̥̠t̰̠̭̩̰͈͍,̡̘̰̣̦ ̨͉̝̦j̹̱u͉̞͚̖̮̣͢s͕ṭ̖̀ ̞̫͓̭̭̝l̹̝i͕̱̜͙͘ke̩̣̼̝͚ ̛̱̖̼̞͕̜I ̨͚͎h͕i͓̠n̘̭̯̣̻͘ͅd̢͎͔̹e͏̬̤̙͚̘r͓̖̳̰e̶̙̘ḑ͖̖͖̰ ͇̞̥͙y̱̺̻̙o͔̮̪̖̬̳u̲̟̦͚̰.̣̪̲̟̝̱͘

̗̙͓̭Th̳̙̦̙͉͕i̭͚͖͞s̬̪͉̖͓ ̠̠̰̠̙p͏̪̗̯͔̱͖i̻͘t̩̼i̜͙͈͙͉f̜̦͙̯͡ͅu̷̝͕̹̘l͙͈̮̤̥̩͙͝ ̵̫̞͖̬d̬͚r̝̜̠̼̣̗ͅe̲͉̥a̩̗͢m̬̠͍̯̗̦͟sc̜̤͍̳͍a̵͉̠͓p̨̳̬̜̰͖e ̞̩̰i̵̹͇͖̪s̶̝̬͙̤̠̦ ̖̗͉̙͍͔̰y̺̙̹̪̲̻o̳̹͚̤̤̲͜u͍͉͍̻̠r̮̮̘͎̰̤̥͜ś͎̹̫̩̻ͅ.̶̦ ͎̭̹̳͚̥̬͜W̡̙̙̯̯̻̘h͕̰͔͡ͅa͖͠t͕̱͎͓͍͜ n̡̬͍͚͇͔o̟͇̻w͎͓̬͜?̴̹̭͓̬̳̫̼"͚̟

The next words that left Dark’s mouth pained him, his expression speaking volumes.

“A truce, then?”

Anti’s grin held hints of a sneer, his eyes opening fully to lock gazes with his adversary.

"T͚̱̝͉̘̲ͅr̨̗̳̭͉̟̣u̖̫̗̙̕ͅͅc̵̞̩̦e̴.̶̰̳̩͉̬"̸’

As the Dream dispersed and each respective host dealt with the disastrous after-affects their Egos wrought upon them, it would remain to be seen if the armistice would truly hold.