----📌📌📌MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, BREAKDOWN, SAD STUFF, MENTION OF SLIP AND SLIDE. I'M SORRY📌📌📌----
-Techno's POV-
I open my eyes, and the humidity of a broken warehouse filled my lungs a bit too suddenly. It wasn't a place I recognized, and I couldn't see anything more that green and blue outside.
I was alone, eerie alone, not even Niki, my abductor. It was a bit confusing at first, but maybe I was shipped to a different region or whatever, so I guess it makes a little sense.
So I start shaking around, until I fall down on the floor, shaking a little emergency blade down from my pocket, hissing as it cut my hand slightly.
After a bit of struggle, I manage to cut the restrains around my hands, and then the ones tying me to a chair. Sighing, I get up from the dusty floor, looking around the spacey looking warehouse.
There's really nothing else around other than dirt and grass, so I highly doubt there would be anything for me to find here that might lead me to Tommy.
So I simply stopped, heard every around me move, twitch with dread. I also heard leaking, water falling down the floor with a nice splat every now and again.
Unfortunately, I found out where it came from sooner than expected, as a drop of paint fell directly onto my face, nose specifically. Looking up slowly, I couldn't be any more surprised.
There was a badly drawn text, simply urging me to leave, with a few genitals drawn around it. It was freshly written, clearly..
Nuh uh, I don't take orders from anyone, no authority can jus boss me around like that, not even my Father.
Speaking of which, where is that man right now? I should check up on him.. I hum, reaching out in my pocke-
.... Of course she took my phone.
Dammit, this isn't fun anymore.
______________Change of POV_____
-Phil's POV-
Ok. So, if I'm correct.. This is where Schlatt's supposed to be at..
Goddammit, I'm not good at using this thing-
"Da- Dad?! Are you actually using Schlatt's snapchat to find him?! Are you serious?!" Wilbur suddenly interrupted my thoughts, looking at me with genuine shock in his eyes.. He's driving the car-!
"Wilbur look at the road!?" I rushed, and he quickly looked at the road, eyes wide as he suddenly turned the steering wheel to the side, pushing us both to the left, then the right, before we were back in a straight road..
"...."
"..."
Then Wilbur finally took a sharp breath in and out, panting as he continued to drive, tears forming quickly under his eyelids.
He's not doing good, and I know it, but it would be nice to at least not crash.
Then we stayed silent after this, occasionally giving each other harsh instructions around.
Also this is a family car, it's really expensive, so I would love if Wilbur didn't crash, again.
After a while, we were close, so I quickly called the police.. Well, let's hope Schlatt didn't do anything stupid so we can take him home. Ugh, I'm starting to care for that idiot now?
Welp.
".... Wilbur, we're close, park here somewhere, alright?" I asked softly, rubbing my son's shoulder gently, and he stopped, letting me get outside.
.. Then he took off without me.
"H-HEY!" I yelled out, attempting to run after him, which was useless. He was long gone, oh no.. He's gonna get himself into trouble. I need to find Techno- where's Techno?! Didn't he come with?! Oh that idiot, he's off to cause trouble aswell..
.
I NEED TO REALLY LEASH MY KIDS UP.
______________Change of POV_____
-(?)-
"Did you drop him off Niki?"
"Yes sir, Atlas is at the location, may I leave?"
"Not yet, I would appreciate if you could look after him a little more until the situation with Connor is wrapped up."
"Alright sir, do you have an estimated time of my stay? I have... Some personal matters to attend to after this." she hummed to me through her communicator.
"Mm." I sigh, looking at my desktop watch..
"About half an hour, at best, and don't worry, I remember the promise I kept." I chuckled quietly.
"Noted, thank you sir."
"I'll be watching you Niki, be alert, stay safe." I specified one last time, before closing the connector off, turning to my equipment.
It was getting dusty after such a short amount of use, so, now that I'm back home, I can start using them again.. Perfect.
Gunpowder smells exquisite.
______________Change of POV_____
-Niki's POV-
After my bosses orders, I'm left in a bit of a rush, because Techno's location is a tat too far away from mine, I need to get there as fast as possible to maje sure he's still around.
And that's exactly what I do, rushing to put my boots on, running off in the fields upon fields of grass.
The boss is a genius, he's got everything under control, and has prepared for every outcome, this mission will be successful.
I should ask for a raise though, my outcome isn't enough for new stuff for the café, nor to pay rent, I'll have to start living in the café, it seems.
But nevertheless, I can't be wasting time, and sooner or later, I'm outside the abandoned warehouse, looking around for the tall man.
And.. I don't know how, but he wasn't here.. You would guess that a tall, pink haired man like him would be easy to spot, and relatively quick. So.. Where did he go-?
"I could ask you the same Niki." I heard from right behind me, quickly reaching for my pocket and pulling out a- stick.
"You're looking for you blade, well, I can borrow it for now, can't I?" he smirked softly, pressing my own blade against my neck, pushing me all the way back against a wooden wall.
"Now, you'll tell me your name, and who sent you, and I'll gladly let you off free, because quite frankly, I'm amused by your skills, I can't bring myself to hurt you."
He spoke softly to me, almost as if he was babying me, which was really pissing me off. With a rough kick to the nuts, he dropped the blade, but instead got a hold of both my hands, pinning me back harder.
"You're lucky I'm wearing lots of clothes under there, that would have hurt more than it should have." he hissed quietly, bitting back some pretty noticeable grunts of pain, looking down at me with a blank expression on.
"Please, tell me your name, 'Niki'." he demanded, as composed as ever.
"... My name is Niki." I murmured quietly.
...
....
Maybe telling him my real name back then wasn't so smart after all-
".. Alright- em, who are you working for!" he spat again, his grasp harsh around one of my wrists.
"Ah! Ouch man- I-" i stammered quietly, looking off.
".. I have a café near where you live, down Revolution Street, yeah? Your brother lives at Revolution 17. I know him and Wilbur, aswell as Schlatt." I started.
"I mostly work alone but, I go places wherever there's a high reward and a easy mission. I guess I'm an antihero of some sort.." easy wasn't the best adjective to use..
"But whatever, I can't say any more." I concluded, holding onto the man's arm tightly, trying to push him off me. He just looked at me for a while, before pulling me off the wall, and on the floor, keeping me there.
"Let's discuss, antihero." he grinned with a sinister chuckle.
"How about.. You and me, and everyone else who's working with me, get together, all of us, in a little team? How does that sound?" he asked, watching me, as if he wanted a genuine answer from me.
"... What do you mean." I hissed.
"Well, we rob banks on the daily, have fun little outings that sometimes revolve around murder and crime, and you seem like a great asset to the team, Niki." he continued.
"You get money, have fun, and get to hang out with meeeee, and my friends/ family, and we can have café gatherings over at your place, I promise we tip generously."
"And, of course, you pick out a code name of your liking, and I can help with the decision. Af course, I can just knock you out and ship you over to Antarctica if you don't wanna join, but the offer stands for as long as my attention span lets me." he stopped, offering me his hand.
"So?" he asked, watching me closely.
I couldn't help but wonder how that would change my life.. Hanging out with so many people, having so much fun and... Getting the money I need to survive my day to day life..
... That sounds kind.
"..." I hesitated, reaching out and letting him pull me up on my feet.
"Mm?" he giggled quietly.
"... When do I start." I murmured shyly, looking off. He gasped, hugging me tightly.
"Whenever you want. Soooooo, while you were thinking about all that, I was coming up with names for youuuuuuu." he announced excitedly.
"Spoiler warning, they are all mythology based, get used to it." he cleared up his throat.
"Ok,so first up, Enyo." huh?
"She's the Greek goddess of violent war, much like Ares is, no?" he laughed, thinking again.
"Nike? She was the Greek goddess of Victory?" he asked yet again, and I shook my head.
"Mmmm, too obvious?"
"How about Nemesis, goddess of revenge?" he asked one last time, defeated, but that last name.. Oh it definitely caught my eye.
"Nemesis?" I asked, and his eyes shone brightly.
"Yeahhhh, you like?" he asked, watching me closely. Honestly? He was acting more like a brother than a serial kiler.
".. Yeah, it sounds nice." I sighed, looking up at the other.
"But eh, you need to go.. Probably- at least one of your brothers is probably dying right this moment." I smiled.
"Ok thanks!- wait what."
______________Change of POV_____
-Schlatt's POV-
I stand in a now empty room, looking down at myself.
That's it, I can't do anything else, I'm locked in here, and I can't look anywhere else but myself, because it hurts less. I can't just look at this mess I made, I did this.
I sniffle, covered head to toe in blood. My own and Tommy's.
Tommy is gone. It's my fault, Phil trusted me and I betrayed him.
Techno liked me like a brother, and I took away his youngest one in return.
Wilbur loved me as if he was my soulmate, yet I just broke his heart so easily, as if I'm a machine with no free will. Like I'm a puppet, and the puppeteer is playing a tragedy taken straight off of a Shakespeare play.
Can't I have a normal life? Can't I just forget what I did? And go cuddle with my lover? Go talk with my friends? See Tommy laugh again, call me Big man.
Why would a man like me act like such a selfish little child?
I shake, I vibrate to life almost, as the door behind me opens, and someone gets in the room with me, slamming the door shut behind them.
It's definitely nobody here to help.
"Tell me what you did." he demanded, Connor, pulling my head back by my hair, pointing a blade right under my neck.
I didn't dare speak, only looking up at him with a painful expression. I was even scared to swallow, because when I did, my skin lightly creased the point of the blade.
"Getting brave aren't we!?" he laughed joyfully, pressing the blade in hard, runny crimson falling down my shirt in small waterfalls.
Then he left again, leaving me to rot in here with Tommy, alone, shaking and crying for any sort of help. I was helpless, who would come to find me? I'm a dangerous man, nobody from my friends would risk exposing themselves for me. Tommy's dead in a room with me, his blood covering me all over, it looks like I stranglehold him to death...
But- why? Why did Tommy deserve this? He's just a kid! He just got his own house, he had just invited a friend over to meet up with him, and now? He's more alone than ever.
I whimper, crawling closer to the boy, looking down at him. He looked so peaceful, so calm, so quiet and free, as if it was the first time he was truly getting ro rest in forever.
I just wanted to scream, and kick, and cut and bruise myself, I was the reason he looked like this, he looked more alive than ever, more strong and understood than alive. I can't understand why.
I want to understand him, because it's like he speaks to me, he wants me to understand him, be the one and only who can see through him clearly without glasses.
"I don't understand Tommy, what am I doing wrong, help me." I whispered to him, shakingly petting his hair, watching him close. As if I wanted him to punch me, punch me and make me feel what he felt, the wound in his heart was almost see-through.
"I can't- please- Tommy, I didn't do it. I didn't do anything wrong, I did what I was told to do. Why am I crying? Why am I sad?" I stuttered, pulling him in my arms and hugging his light body, resting him against my shoulder, rubbing his back as if he was my little brother, as if he was my family.
It breaks me, that I'm just holding his motionless body, that I can't tell him how much I appreciate him, how much I didn't do it, how I didn't mean to hurt him.
But. As always, I'm at fault.
I don't even know what he'd say to me.. Would he be scared? Would he be grieving with me? Would he shout at me, tell me to kill myself? Should I try? How? And when?
I'm just talking to myself, I'm alone, as lonely as always, just talking to a lonely husk, this time. He's a husk, a golden boy it used to host probably coming back to take his revenge, watch me suffer for the rest of my life.
I need to get out of here.
Suddenly, as if the universe heard me, the door burst open, and tons of people rush in by my side, all wearing blue, black, ordering me around.
I don't move. I want to cherish this time I have with Tommy for a little bit more. I can't leave him, I was the unfortunate man he had to spend his last few moments with, so I can't let them go to waste. He's special, to me, to his friends, to his family and to the whole world, he was bound to be a big success, he was gonna be able to educate others, help them, pass his time with the best of people by his side.
And yet, look who was the one who cut the line short. A useless nobody, a lousy mouse the cat will never grow tired of chasing. I cut his time short, and that shouldn't have happened to him, he should have killed me instead. Why do I live to tell the tale? I took him away from his family. I'm a horrible human being.
They pull me away, they pull Tommy away, they take him away from me. My brother, my family, I- no- NO-
"LET HIM GO-!" I reach out, trying to pull him back, he's going away.
"Tommy-leT ME- I UNDERSTAND YOU, TOMMY PLeASE- DON'T TAKE HIM AWAY." my voice cracks, I wail like a child again, my breathing fastens, tears form quickly, I can't see clearly, I yell and yell, but nobody listens.
Apathy it is.
My chest tightens, my throat is dry, I can't swallow, I can't function like a being, the air in my lungs liquifies, washes over my restrains. It feels horrible.
It feels like I'm dying.
A familiar pair of hands wrap around my neck, pulling my closer. It's-?
I can't tell, my ears are ringing violently, my eyes are blurring out everything and everyone.
I hiss, as they hug me. They care, but I don't. Apathy, apathy, apathy.
"L-Et me gO-" I shiver, pushing myself away, and into a random door, without hesitation, I grab whatever is near me, which turns out to be a plastic bag full of junk, and a familiar bloody knife.
And with those on hand? I look around for the nearest exit, and run for my life. Literally.
People are starting to yell behind me, I can't tell what they are yelling though. So I continue running, reaching a place unknown to me, it's full of bodies and bodies of trash, all pilled up into mountains.
I find that convenient enough, so I sprint in, panting my lungs out as I stop abruptly, looking around.
It's absolutely not my mind this time, it's actually really dark outside. I can't see anything anymore. Blindly, I navigate my way around the trash, piles and piles of it. Tons and tons of it. Trunks and trunks of it.
I can't seem to find an end to this chase.
After a bit, I finally find some nice sturdy ground to stand on, recollect my thoughts. My breath is catching up with my mind slowly, so I begin blinking rapidly, to remain somewhat calm.
Blood is still all over me, and it's getting annoying. It's cold, the blood that had not dried up yet was not helping me keep warm.
But... Something.. Something is creeping up on my back- I hate the feeling of i-
Click.
...
I- n-no..
"JONATHAN SCHLATT, PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR, YOU'RE BEING ARRESTED FOR MURDER, I REPEAT, JONATHAN SCHLATT YOU'RE BEING ARRESTED. "
...
I'm so sorry, Tommy.
_____________________________
As my mum always said, if you're not sure of a certain person's real self, all you need to do is break them and see what's hidden inside ♡
(☝️art by my lovely friend, Loaf ♡)