#and hallucinations and hearing others thoughts . real or not . and seeing things and grr

[glass-mural-of-a-lone-tree]

wtfff i want to delude myself to the point of pure ecstasy ... like , i want to walk through life with a too big grin , feeling insanely good , being permanently high

i dont even mind if it crashes i dont care if its horrible sometimes i just want that kind of high please pLEASE

[boimann]

A while ago you made a post abt neurodivergent headcanons for the TF2 characters, and included Medic having chronic mania/hallucinations. As someone who experiences those very things I’ve been wanting to hear further on your thoughts surrounding this headcanon (that I share myself :D). If you’re up for/comfortable with writing abt it, I can understand if you’re not :) Still! I wanted to say I enjoyed seeing a headcanon abt medic dealing with psychosis that wasn’t an angst fest or “grr scary and evil!!!” Type deal

I feel the same way I'm exhausted of seeing psychosis always get demonized (that headcanon was basically just me projecting on my favorite little guy) also i have been dying for an excuse to expand on this headcanon so thank you anon!!!!

as said in my previous post medic has hallucinations on the daily, mostly minor auditory stuff

I don't think he would be freaked out by his hallucinations, he'd be fascinated by them and he would want to study them (he follows cartoon logic: he hallucinates a big scary monster and he sticks his head in its maws and marvels at its teeth)

sometimes tho he gets too wrapped up in his hallucinations and has a hard time separating what's real from what isn't and that's where Archimedes comes in

medic trained him to pick up on certain cues to which he responds by perching on his shoulder and applying pressure therapy by pressing on the side of his neck

other times he tries to get medic to pet him to distract him and make him focus on something soothing instead

occasionally tho it's better to ask the other mercs for help and he just goes up to them and straight up asks them if what he's seeing is real

he's told them of his situation and they are all pretty used to it at this point (also this is probably one of the more normal things about the guy who sews animal organs into people)

although sometimes when he's alone with scout he gets to have a little fun with it: he gets really close to him, stares into his soul with his cold blue eyes, points at the nearest corner and goes "do you see zhe grinning man?"

medic has put the fear of god in scout for the funnies and scout has shit himself on numerous occasions

he just likes to be silly in true medic fashion

here are some silly sketches about this headcanon

Scout pov:

How scout sleeps since medic started pulling these pranks

[ayma-nidiot]

In the White Light - Prideshipping fic Chapter 6

Also on AO3.

Chapter 6 – Like A Red Rose

Huh? Where am I? Kaiba had reawakened in a place that didn’t appear to be his plane. To add to his confusion, his surroundings seemed unusually… tall. So, Alister has send me to a giants’ world, has he? Another hallucination… I know I’m still on the plane!

Just then, three boys began to storm in from the trap door above. “Oh boy, oh boy, some food! Finally!”

“Say, Tony, maybe we can play chess after dinner!”

“Okay, Dennis, I’m up to it! We deserve a break after what we’ve gone through.”

Is that… Kaiba had to do a double-take at the third boy who entered. He looks just like Mokuba…

“I don’t know about Aaron up there, haha!”

Aaron felt hurt by Tony’s words, but he eventually noticed Kaiba sitting on the table. “Oh? What a cute little dragon!”

L-Little? Kaiba growled and attacked, but all that came out was a tiny ball of light.

“Aww, he’s so cute!” Aaron picked Kaiba off the table and started to pet him. “Can we keep him?”

Brat! …Huh? Kaiba looked into a mirror nearby. Sure enough he was in dragon form, but no bigger than a housecat. Aaaah! I look like one of Pegasus’ toon monsters!

“No can do, man. We can’t afford dinner for four!”

“Hmph!” Defying his friends, Aaron picked some food off the tiny dining table and fed it to a barely willing Kaiba.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Dennis nearly threw a fork at Aaron. “You’re going to pay for that!”

“And we mean literally,” Tony added. “How about you and your new pet go get us dessert. Hahaha!”

Without thinking, Kaiba snapped back, “Are you brats always this friendly?”

“Whoah!” Tony dropped his spoon. “He can talk!”

You and me both, Kaiba thought, not impressed at his pipsqueak-sounding voice.

“Okay, we’ll get your stupid dessert!” As Aaron carried him out, Kaiba gave the boys one last snarl before they crossed the trap door. I won’t fall for any of this, Alister!

“Wow, a dragon that can talk!” Aaron sounded amazed as he walked out. “Maybe when you grow big and strong, you can finally squash KaibaCorp! All right, I’ll go find you some food while I go look for dessert, too!”

Ugh, don’t remind me… For once, Kaiba could keep his power-hungry tendencies in check, and was thankful for it. “Say, Aaron… When did all of this KaibaCorp nonsense start?”

“I don’t really know… It feels like it’s been forever.” Aaron jumped onto a nearby ledge. “Let me think… Gozaburo bought out our land about a year ago, then when we refused to move, he started attacking. That’s when I met my friends… I know they seem mean, but they work really hard just to find me something to eat. I kind of owe it to them to return the favour.”

“Oh, I see…” Kaiba frowned, feeling a little ashamed. My father… What a repulsive man he was.

“Hey, are you okay, little guy?” Aaron stopped walking.

“It’s… It’s nothing.” It’s also a good thing that I’m not wearing my usual clothes, complete with the KaibaCorp logo.

“Well, if you insist.” Aaron continued down the ledge. “We shouldn’t stay in place for too long, or Gozaburo’s men might find us. A lot of my old classmates had to go hide… I hope they’re okay. It’s a good thing us kids are so small, haha!”

Alister, I think I’ve learned a long time ago that my stepfather hurt you! I’ve seen enough!

Aaron’s next words disturbed any further thoughts. “Say, do you want to play chess when we get back?”

“Huh? Where did that… Er, of course! I was the best when I was young.”

“But you’re already young.”

Crap… Well, I’m not lying. “Wait… Aaron, look over there.” Kaiba nudged his head to his right, indicating a tower of smoke.

“Oh no! That’s where the hideout is! Quick, uh… What should I call you?”

“Seto is fine.”

“Let’s go, Seto! We have to save my friends!”

“Wait! It’s too dangerous!” Kaiba tried to break free and stop Aaron, but that only made him tighten his grip.

When he arrived at the scene, the entire hideout was in flames, and all Aaron could really see was the frame of the building. “Oh no! They might be trapped!”

“No!” Kaiba released himself from Aaron’s hold and pulled him by the collar, vigorously flapping his wings.

“Please, Seto!” Aaron’s voice sounded different this time.

“Mokuba?” Kaiba stared at the brief mirage of his younger brother before he could hear tanks nearby.

“Aah! It’s KaibaCorp! Quick, we need to find a new hiding spot!”

“Grr… Face me, Alister, you coward!” With a loud roar, Kaiba could not only feel himself grow, but also turn back into a human. “Let’s finish this duel!”

The mirage of Aaron disappeared, with Y-Dragon Head and X-Head Cannon taking its place. But the former didn’t last long, as with a quick blast, one of the tanks had taken it out.

“Hahaha! Feeling the burn yet?” At last, Alister had shown his face.

“What burn? Your mind games aren’t working anymore! See, your little illusion you call a ‘friend’ is already gone!”

“But it is no illusion. You see, those were my three best friends growing up. We also had a pet cat that Aaron and I particularly loved. He was one of the few happy moments in our lives back then… We all looked out for one another, and the cat even brought us a few scraps of food every now and then. But he died trying to protect us from a tank, and that’s when the tanks ran my other friends out of town!”

“…”

“So now you’ve had a taste of my past, and you’ll see how it feels to be attack by the tanks that ruined my life. Oh, and by the way, I thought I’d like to mention what’s happened in our current reality. I just used a trap card called Tank Corps, powering up my KC One Crayton and giving it 1500 extra attack points. I had more than enough to defeat your Y-Dragon Head and inflict 2000 life points of damage on to you. So now, I place a card face down. Your turn!”

“My Y-Dragon Head is down but not out! I use Monster Reborn to bring it back! Now say hello to XYZ Dragon Cannon! And thanks to its special ability, I’ll discard one of my cards to get rid of one of yours! Your Tank Corps is gone!”

“Oh!” Alister turned around as he watched the tanks around him blow up, leaving only the KC One Crayton in its place.

“Now, XYZ Dragon Cannon, attack!”

With six blasts of light, the XYZ Dragon Cannon struck its foe, creating a storm of light that took everyone back to the real world.

“Hm. I should have expected this brutish behaviour from you. You really are just like your father after all! That’s why… That’s why I’m going to end you today, so that people like you will get the suffering they deserve, and the less fortunate can live in peace!”

“Shut up, you- Aah!” Kaiba wobbled as the plane started to nosedive. Oh no… Mokuba! He’s in the cockpit!

“I wouldn’t worry too much about your brother if I were you. It’s a shame you can’t even protect him… Now you know how it feels. And you’ll suffer even more when I take your soul, then that of your precious pharaoh!”

Kaiba blushed, but still keeping up his usual anger. “What the hell do you know?”

“You saw what he did back there… He sees you as nothing but an enemy, a monster to save the world from. Do you really think he could ever fall for you?”

“That’s none of your damned business!”

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.” Alister drew another card.

Despite how concerned Kaiba felt for his brother, Mokuba could handle the plane fairly well, even though he was so small. “Oh! Roland, am I glad to see you!”

“Mr. Mokuba! What’s the matter?”

“There’s no time to explain… Seto and I are on a plane that’s about to crash land! You gotta send help!”

“On it, sir!”

“Mr. Mokuba!” Another one of KaibaCorp’s employees came onto the video call. “I’ll help you fly the plane! Just follow my instructions word-for-word, got it?”

“You got it!”

“Push the buttons on the right…”

“Uh huh.” After following a few more instructions, Mokuba had barely averted the mountain ahead. “Yay! Now I can just put the plane back on autopilot and go see if Seto’s okay.”

Meanwhile, Alister felt so confident in himself, despite the heavy hit he just took. “I summon Kinetic Soldier in attack mode! I play Junk Dealer to bring back Science Soldier and Cyber Soldier of Dark World back with half of their original attack points! Next, I activate my trap, Soldier Revolt, to destroy all of your in-play cards and the cards in your hand when I have these three monsters on the field! Next…”

“There’s… a next?”

“You bet there is! I now play Sky Union… Now get ready for my strongest monster, the Air Fortress Ziggurat! Not only is it strong – both naturally and from the Seal – I can summon a Robot Token for every turn it’s in play.”

“This is nothing…” Kaiba drew one of his cards – one that hurt him badly in the duel with Yami Yugi, but one that he couldn’t be more thankful for now.

“Seto! Please, stop this duel!”

Ignoring his brother’s pleas, Kaiba continued, “I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards. I place one card face down, and now my turn is done.”

“And so are you! Air Fortress Ziggurat, attack his life points directly!”

“Not so fast! My face down card lets me use your Junk Dealer, and I protect my life points with Judge Man!”

“So? You’re just delaying the inevitable.”

Kaiba could hear the faint sound of choppers in the distance. “The only thing that’s inevitable here is my rescue – and your doom.”

“So you even hide behind your army of cronies like Gozaburo! Raaaaa!” Alister’s anger grew more profound, increasing not only the Seal’s power, but also damage to the place.

“Forget about that snake! I’ll make sure you do with Soul Exchange! I know I can’t take your Ziggurat, but I can take the tokens! Then I use these tokens… as tribute for one of my strongest monsters! The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

“Seto, don’t!” Mokuba cried.

“Ngh…” Upon playing this card, Kaiba’s back pain and nausea started to set in.

“You know if you use that card, you could go mad again, right?” Alister teased. “Then you’ll turn back into a dragon and feel the pain when the pharaoh attacks you again. So you’re not going to win either way! It’s either become that dragon the pharaoh hates or lose your soul to the Seal of Orichalcos!”

With a strong mind, Kaiba managed to wear his pain off. “You’re wrong. I’ve made a vow today that I will stay strong and not let the curse take me again. But enough about me… Our monsters now have an equal attack power of 3000.”

“Hmm, such fighting spirit!” On his seventh turn, Alister spoke up, “I activate Toy Robot Box, discarding three cards to summon three more robots! I’ll use one of them to activate my Spell Canceller.”

“So stopping violence… with more violence. Maybe you’re the one who’s like Gozaburo. What would your brother say?”

“Y-You know nothing, cur! Now, my Ziggurat, attack his-”

“A wasted effort. I activate Tyrant Wing, giving my Blue-Eyes 400 attack points!”

“Way to go!” Mokuba cheered.

Mokuba… I’ll protect you. “Now I can take down your Ziggurat!”

Now I’ve only got 1000 life points… Alister thought as he began to lose hope. “You’re going to lose…”

“If you didn’t notice, you’ve got no monsters, and I’ve got my Blue-Eyes!”

“I didn’t mean the duel… If I have to lose my soul to Orichalcos, then I’m taking you and your fucking little brother with me!” Alister declared as the plane’s propellers stopped.

“You will do no such thing! I summon… The Fang of Critias! He fuses with my Tyrant Wing and Blue-Eyes White Dragon to create… The Blue-Eyes Tyrant Dragon!”

“No… No, it can’t be!”

“Tyrant Dragon, destroy those tokens and eliminate the rest of Alister’s life points!”

“Hah… Hah…” Alister panted as he fell to the floor in defeat. “I’ve… lost.”

“Alister!” Mokuba fully expected what was to come next. “No, don’t go!”

“Mikey…” Alister stretched out his hand with the Dyna-Dude action figure in it. “Mikey, forgive me… I’m not a good older brother… So I deserve… this…”

“Alister…” Even after everything Alister did to him, Mokuba couldn’t help but shed a tear for the man who just lost his soul.

“I’m sorry, but we don’t have time to worry about him! This plane’s about to crash!”

“Th-Then we’ve got to do something!” Mokuba led Kaiba to the cockpit. “No! What are we gonna… Seto, look at your Duel Disk! It’s glowing!”

“Yug, look, your Duel Disk is glowing!” Joey alerted from several thousand feet below.

“Yours, too! Ah! Timaeus! Hermos!”

“Look!” Téa was the first to notice the crash-landing plane. “The dragons are saving that plane!”

“We’ve got to go see!” Tristan suggested. “Hurry!”

As the friends got closer to their destination, Yami Yugi noticed the third dragon as well. “It’s Critias! Could it be…”

“Yug, watch out! The plane is crash landing now!”

Aided by the dragons and the soft lakeside, the plane landed with only minor damage – something that Kaiba was certainly thankful for as he exited.

“It's...” Téa pointed. “It’s one of Kaiba’s planes!”

“Hmm?” Kaiba noticed Téa, Joey, and Tristan first. “Oh great, if it isn’t the Dweeb Patrol. What are you doing here?”

“Listen, rich boy, we’re the one who should be asking questions. Who is that you’re carrying?”

“…Just some guy I dueled on this plane.”

“By the looks of it, his soul… It got lost to Orichalcos, didn’t it?” Téa remarked. “Then… We’ve got to get him to the hospital, too.”

“‘Too?’”

“It’s a long story, but Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor lost their souls, too,” Tristan replied. “And all for some petty revenge.”

“Anyway, we were looking for you! Especially Yug over there, he was pretty eager to see you again.”

“Yugi… He’s here?” Kaiba felt the butterflies again – but they were the good kind now. “L-Let me see him!”

And just like that, Yami Yugi revealed himself to Kaiba once more, staring at him with a pleasant silence.

“Yugi…” Kaiba could feel his heart pounding as he took a step forward.

To his surprise, it was Yami Yugi who took the first approach – and a very emotional one at that. “Kaiba… Oh gods, Kaiba, I thought I had lost you for good!”

Kaiba didn’t know what to make about the fact that a pharaoh – a revered king – just knelt in front of him while crying.

“I’m… so glad… I thought I had failed to save you… I thought I had… Eh? What are you doing?”

In the midst of his thoughts, Kaiba had given Yami Yugi a strong hug, bringing him back to his feet in the process. That’s right… Ever since our first duel, I have felt this way. Even more than a rival, pharaoh… You are…

“…beautiful…” Kaiba pushed the long golden bangs out of the way to get a better look at Yami Yugi’s eyes. His eyes… I thought they were purple before, but they glow like a red rose.

“What? Kaiba, this isn’t funny- Mph!”

Any insignificant thoughts Yami Yugi might have had at that moment were stifled in Kaiba’s kiss.

[bluepenguinstories]

Happiness Overload Chapter Forty-Six

I approached the door with hesitation. After all, it was the first time I've delivered a pizza before. But I thought it would be neat to try something new so when I spotted the pizza delivery guy park the car by the curb, I approached and asked if I could try delivering a pizza. So, that's that. Up some stairs above a convenience store (neat complex), right outside the apartment door.

Gee, I sure hope whoever ordered this pizza turns out to be nice. I've heard stories about how tough customer service could be.

Sure, those were my thoughts, but I already had a good idea who I would see.

Once the door opened, I stood face to face with someone I didn't expect to ever see again, even as I hoped I would.

“Blanc? Is that you? Didn't you die?”

“I thought you died!” Then I stopped and thought about it. “Oh! Right! Alternate universe!”

“Wait. What?”

“Yeah, I forgot. The Blanc of this world did die. But I'm not the Blanc you know! In fact,” I shuffled my feet. “I'm like a whole other person, and even then, I haven't been myself in a while!”

“No,” she shook her head and smiled. “No matter what form you take, you're still you.”

“Yeah! You're right!” I grinned.

Velvet rubbed her temples and looked frustrated. Poor thing. Time-travel and universe travel and all that jazz, it'd be enough to confuse anyone.

“Can you hold on just a sec?” She swiped the pizza box and went inside, closing the door behind her. While I waited, I decided to whistle a tune. Something about not worrying about a thing.

As I closed my eyes, I recalled all the things I saw on my travels.

Euphy, you've sure been hard at work.

Was I hallucinating? Did the steam from the shower get to my head?

Maybe it was a grief thing, and when I would come back outside, I would see some random stranger. It wasn't like I wanted them to be a stranger, I just didn't see how the alternative was possible.

“Here's your smelly pizza,” I set the box on the arm of the couch.

“What took so long?” Her voice sounded so zombie-like. “Trying to cheat them out of a tip or something?”

I shook my head. “No. I'll tell you in just a sec. I'm going to confirm something real quick.”

Butch looked up from her game. I could tell she was confused, too.

My eyes lit up when she emerged back out and closed the door behind her.

“So, you work pizza delivery?”

“Nah! I was just going on a walk and asked the delivery guy if I could give it a go!”

“I see.”

“Anyway, there's still so much I want to see while I still can, so, see ya!” I took a step toward the stairs, but then I looked back. “But it was really nice to see an old friend! It really made me happy!”

“Hey! Wait just a second!”

“Hm?” Didn't even make it one step down. Oh well. What was I planning on seeing, anyway? Wasn't like I made any sorta list.

“Is it really you? I mean, I know it can't be because I saw you die back in Area 51, but I'd like to believe it's you. I'm not used to someone I don't see for a while still being alive.”

“WHOA!” I couldn't contain my excitement. “This world's me went to Area 51? That's so cool! Aw, but I guess they're dead now, so I can't meet them.”

Velvet tilted her head. Oh golly-gee gosh! There's just no helping it, is there? Those kinds of things would always be just way too confusing for their own good.

I shook my head in response. “I'm sorry, Velvet. We were friends in my universe, too, but then you died. I ended up going through a bunch of crazy stuff, meeting some new people, and nearly dying a couple times in the process just to come back here in hopes that it would fix things.” My voice started to crack up. Guess even someone like me couldn't stay happy about everything. “Suffice to say, I'm not the one that you're familiar with. I've gone through so many changes, that I'm not even the same person I was a year ago.”

“H-How?”

I shrugged. “Time travel. I don't recommend it, by the way. It jumbles everything up.”

“So I'm just supposed to believe all this?”

Again, shrug time. “I mean, you could if you want. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't.”

One step down the stair. However, I didn't break eye contact, and it looked like she was shaking. Even her face.

Oh my. This is what people call blubbering, isn't it?

“I told you, didn't I?” No. That wasn't the correct response, either? “I'm sorry, but I haven't been myself for a while now.”

Before I had a chance to figure something else to say to cheer her up, I was pushed back in an instant and had to act fast and hold on to the railing. Her arms were wrapped around me, squeezing tight, herself pressed against me in a hug.

“Even still...you're you,” her voice broke. It sounded like a whimper.

“Careful, sheesh. You almost knocked  me over. Then I would have fallen off these stairs and been dead for sure.”

“I missed you!”

“Oh, bother,” I tried to look away, or at least turn my head as best I could. “Do you have to squeeze so tight? Seriously, I forgot how strong you were.”

“Shut up.”

“Fine.” I leaned my head in and sighed. “This also makes me happy.”

We stayed like this for about a minute (was it a minute? I don't know. I didn't count. I could have, but I didn't think to. Now I regret not counting the seconds) before she broke away and wiped her face.

“What's with the pink streaks in your hair, by the way?”

“Oh!” I lit up again. What a fun subject that was! “Well, I was thinking of getting streaks in my hair and I couldn't decide between blonde or silver, so I went with pink.”

“I don't really see the connection.”

“You know Kirby?”

“Yeah, that funky lil dude.”

“Yeah! He's a real fat fuck! I got the idea from Kirby!”

“So...” she tilted her head in the direction of the door. “Y'wanna come in or should I say goodbye?”

“Sure! I didn't have anything planned, anyway!”

That Velvet, such an awesome lass! I'd be able to check out her new place! She could bring me back up to speed on everything in the world of Velvet.

She opened the door and announced. “Hey Butch! You'll never believe this! An old friend stopped by! And  they're alive!”

I poked my head in and saw someone on the couch look up, a displeased expression on their face. Short blue hair, small face...small all around, actually. Oh! I knew what those were called! They were pixies. Wait. No. That's not right. That was a human, and a girl. Oh! One of those raver chicks, probably! Or...

“Life sure is strange, hehe,” I commented.

“Yeah, you could say that again, Blanc.”

She, I think Velvet called her 'Birch', pointed in my direction. “Isn't that the person who you said you saw die in --”

“Yeah, it is. But they say they're from another dimension.”

Binch (look, the name would come to me sooner or later) gave a look like Velvet was crazy. Again, not like I could blame her.

“Well, Blanc? Aren't you gonna come in?” Velvet turned to ask me.

“Oh, right! That's a thing I do!” I spread one leg into the apartment and inched my way in. Then I scurried over next to the couch and sat on the floor. You could say I was curious about everything and wanted a good view.

“Ooh! Velvet! You have a girlfriend now! Congrats!”

She remained by the door. Her index finger on her cheek, making scratching motions. “Ehehe...about that...” Her gaze shifted from side to side. “I'm going to go get some snacks and something for dinner! Feel free to get to know each other.”

With that, she waved, then left.

That was when the fun would begin.

Why couldn't I just have a normal day?

Yeah, I already knew I didn't live in a normal world, but come on! Why did Velvet have to pick up some random person and bring them in here? Was this all a part of her “plan” or was she just trying to get to me?

I knew I wouldn't figure it out just by complaining, so I studied the creature that was looking up at me, all googly eyed.

“So I heard your name was Bunch!” They said.

“It's Butch.”

“Bush?”

“Fuck you. I said Butch!”

“Ah, I see, I see.”

They got up and I scanned their movements. Eventually, it seemed like I lost them, but then they came back into view, carrying a stool.

“Since when do we have a stool?”

“Beats me! I just found it here!”

“Grr...this place is a mess, anyway.”

They...Blanc. I could get a name right. It wasn't that hard. Blanc set down the stool in front of the couch, then swayed to and fro, smiling and tapping their legs.

“What is your deal?” I continued to study the creature.

“I just think it's fun to meet new people!”

I squinted my eyes. I could tell something was off. I just couldn't tell what.

“VELVET! GET BACK HERE! DON'T LEAVE ME WITH THIS THING!”

“I don't think she can hear you,” they pointed out.

“This must be one of her practical jokes, I'm sure of it.”

“You would not believe your eyes, if ten million butterflies,” they sang.

“What is your deal? And it's 'Fireflies'.”

“Yeah, but where I come from, it's 'Butterflies'.”

“Look here!” I pointed. “You may fool Velvet, but you don't fool me.”

“I'm not actually trying to fool anyone. I'm sure you're plenty smart.”

I growled. This...I couldn't say kid. They were clearly in their 20s, at least. They were really getting to be a nuisance fast.

“You can't just waltz in and claim to be Velvet's dead friend from another universe and expect a warm welcome. I'm betting you're not who you say you are. Something's fishy.”

The pointed to the pizza box. “I think it's your pizza. Anchovy?”

I opened the box and took a bite of one of the slices. Then, food in my mouth, I continued my interrogation.

“Let's say I believe you. How did you get here, then?”

“Ah! Coincidence! But also, a bit of time travel.”

“Time travel, eh? I'm not saying that's absurd, because I know the technology is out there, but the only ones with access to such technology is The Flashbulb.”

“Ah! So you know about them, too! Yeah, I took one of their thingies. Long story, really.”

My game's battery was going to drain the longer I ignored it, but I just had to get to the bottom of this. Before I could raise my next question, Blanc opened their mouth once more.

“I know how it must seem, but it's also crazy to me, since the Velvet in my universe died. Still, we were friends there, too!”

“Yeah, well My Velvet said you died. She was pretty upset about it, too.”

“Your Velvet?” They leaned forward and gasped, one hand on their chest and eyes all wide. “I knew it! You two are a couple!”

“Wrong.”

“Aw, well I think you'd two made a great couple.”

“Wasn't asking.”

“Hey!” They pointed at my Switch. “Is that the new Animal Crossing game?”

“Yeah,” I grunted. “Animal Crossing: Home Sweet Home. 'New Horizons' got old after a couple years.”

“I used to be into those game videos!” They beamed. “At least until I got here and decided to go traveling!”

“Okay. Also, nobody calls them 'game videos'. What are you, some kinda boomer? Some hippie?”

“No, but I hung out with some stoner aliens for a while!”

“Ah, the Beige.”

“You're aware of them?”

I shrugged. “Aware.”

“Anyway, I think it's fun sightseeing! It makes me happy!”

I grit my teeth. “Don't...don't use that word.”

“Aw, why not?”

“Don't you know what's been going on?!” I spat. “You can't just throw that around so casually!”

“Oh, right! End of the world! It's rather fun!”

“Fun? People are dying.”

“Oh. Was that not the right word? It's fun...ny? Yeah! It's rather funny what's all going on!”

“No! No it's not!”

Did Velvet just invite someone who's infected or something? Infected...was that the right word? Oh, fuck it. Why did I care what the right word was? What mattered was that there was someone staring at me who had no business doing so.

“How is it that Velvet just sees you and trusts you right away?”

“Beats me. Why, are you jealous?”

I crossed my arms. “Not at all. Couldn't care less.”

They smiled wide, such an uncanny smile.

“Not to worry, there's nothing romantic! I don't even like her that way! We're just good friends!”

“Like I care.”

I grabbed another slice of pizza.

“As far as I see it, any friend of Velvet is a friend of mine!”

“Just because you say you're Velvet's friend doesn't mean I consider you my friend.”

“That's okay, I'm used to that being the case at this point! I'm okay with that!”

“You shouldn't be. It's not healthy.” As if I was the paragon of healthy relationships. I decided I wasn't getting anywhere, but if this was some practical joke, I wanted no part of it.

“Let's make this easy for both of us,” I got up and went to my computer. After doing a fair bit of typing, I printed out a sheet of paper and returned to the couch. I handed Blanc a pen and the sheet of paper. “I made you a Questionnaire. If you pass, I will allow you to talk to me.”

“Okay! But I must warn you, I've never been a very good test-taker!”

“No talking.”

They started scribbling in answers and responses. At least it seemed I could have a few minutes of silence. I went back to my game, but as soon as I exited out of the menu screen, they started up again.

“Um, Butch, can you help me with this question?”

“No, and don't you know there's no talking during a test?”

After a few more minutes, they handed the test back to me. What I saw was just a drawing of a sunflower across the paper.

“What the...argh! Never mind! Who cares about a stupid test, anyway?” I crumpled the paper up and threw it behind me. Wherever it landed was of no concern to me.

I got up. There was no helping it. Enough was enough.

“I need a beer. Root beer. Beer of the root variety,” I walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and yelled. “DID YOU HEAR ME? I'M GETTING A ROOT BEER!”

I turned to this 'Blanc' thing. “She hates it when I take her root beer.”

“I doubt she's listening in,” they replied.

“Well, I wouldn't put it past her!”

I grabbed a root beer and popped open the can. Whoever was in the room with me was probably studying me. Probably to see how I would act or react. Maybe this was a test.

“Hey,” I faced Blanc. “You want one, too?”

“Sure!”

“Okay, but you'll have to catch,” I thought saying such a thing would throw them off, but they just said “Okay!” and I threw it. They raised an arm in the air and grabbed it, as if it was nothing.

Fine. But even then, they'll open it, and it'll explode all over the place.

They didn't, though. They just tilted the can from end to end, and smiled.

I walked back to the couch, root beer in hand, and sat down. “There, now don't say I never did anything nice for you.”

“I won't! I think you're a wonderful person!”

“Heh,” whatever that meant, I felt compelled to just nod along. “You're not so bad, yourself, I guess.”

“Aww, do you mean that?”

My face contorted to one of disgust. Ugh. Was not expecting that kind of response AT ALL. What was the deal with this unwarranted niceness?

“That,” I cautioned. “Is yet to be determined.”

Blanc opened the cap, though did so super slowly. Must've been cautious, after all. Whatever. I raised the can and took a sip, one eye open, so I could keep watch of the stranger who claimed to be Velvet's lost friend.

Nothing happened. Well, something did happen. The can opened. That was it. No fizz explosion, just an open can, and then a drink.

Where's the ka-boom? There's supposed to be an Earth shattering ka-boom?

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Wanna have a toast?”

“To what?”

I shrugged. “Beats me. How about a toast to being confused?”

They grinned. “Sure!”

We clanged our cans together.

Yes, I knew Butch would get suspicious. That much was certain. What wasn't was the situation. My head felt foggy, my brain empty. Or rather, the opposite: my brain was so full of thoughts that I couldn't sort a single one.

Is any of this real? Is it just wishful thinking on my part? Is this really something I would wish for? Will this make things easier or complicate things further? Is this some kind of sign that things will start to move forward? Is there any way to explain this? Could I be losing it? Have I already lost it and that's proof that I'm mentally incapable of dealing with this crisis and should just give up on everything and live out my last few days while I can?

Okay. That got dark fast. Not to mention, it wasn't like any of those questions could be answered so easily. So, the easier thing to do would just be to shrug and not worry about it so much.

What was I doing? Like, really doing?

“What am I doing? I'm sitting here, alone at a park in a city that's getting more and more empty by the day, while my friends are back at home. I should be with them.”

I decided to take a walk. Yeah, how exciting. As if I hadn't been taking a walk already, and I just stopped to sit down. That park wasn't very interesting; just some grass, some benches, a play structure or two for children.

Further down from the park, however, was a lake. Yes, a lake. Not a pond, not a creek. Rather interesting, that.

Once again, I sat, this time on the ground by the lake. There was a cool breeze, which would have been more fitting for springtime, not mid-winter. Then again, the weather seemed to be whatever it liked to be these days.

“Hm...what kind of thing makes a lake happy?”

Heh. What's gotten into me? Asking silly questions like that. Asking so many questions in general.

It's all your fault, Mephistopheles. This whole mess is.

I threw a rock into the water, but it did not skip. Never could get them to skip, and it looked like that wasn't about to change. I picked another one up, but the thought of the thing I called Mephistopheles back in the summer cropped back up. Blanc had said that was their friend. But then there was all those strange phenomenon when 'she' was around, not to mention what I later learned from Area 51's data files, and my eyes went wide.

“I wonder if Blanc ever knew just what their friend really was.”

How could they not? Unless they were just really oblivious. But then how does one 'befriend' some kind of shapeless horror? Maybe because it doesn't present itself as a horror. The only 'horror' are the things affected by it, not the thing itself.

But then, if Blanc could put two and two together, then why did I still see them die?

Unless they didn't.

No, pretty sure I knew what I saw. But I didn't think I could deny what I saw just an hour ago, either. Hmm...didn't Blanc say something when we left the pyramids about how they read about an alternate universe version of them, but then just figured they probably died.

Ugh! My head!

I threw another rock. That time it actually skipped. Amazed, I looked around and saw a chubby looking man and a lady with pigtails walking by. For whatever reason, seeing anyone at all made me smile. I didn't know how much time there was left, but it was good to know there were still some people around.

Pizza box by the couch, the pizza gone. Bye-bye in my stomach, right where it ought to be.

“I'm bored,” Blanc whined.

My arm slumped on the arm of the couch. “Hate to admit it, but same.”

What was there to do in such a messy apartment? Board games? Hell no! Off the table!

Usually, I'd just work on things at my desk, but it was a little hard to get work done or want to work when there was someone near me.

“I wanna draw! Or color! Or dance!” They exclaimed, continuing to sway on the stool.

“How old are you?”

“Ooh! That's fun, too! We can ask each other questions!” They started counting on their fingers. Their head shook a few times, then nodded, and kept counting. “I'm twenty-four! Or four!”

“Huh?” I sat up. Any sane human would ask 'how does that work?' but I knew better. “Are you like me?”

“Hmm?” They beamed. “I could be!”

“So you were twenty when you first went through, and it's been four years. You must have been one of the first.”

“Math is hard and makes me frowny! I don't do it!”

I ignored that. “I've only been alive for a few months. I think seven, so over half a year. Bad luck on my part, huh? Seeing as about half a year ago was when this thing started spreading.”

“It was going to be like this sooner or later,” they shrugged. “Honestly, it started over four years ago.”

“What? What do you mean?”

They shrugged. “That's when the elevator was unveiled in my hometown.”

“Ah! You were one of the first. Yes, back then, they were still testing and it was still new, so the methods were rather primitive. It was believed that the previous body should be disposed of when the copy was created, so they were cut up and thrown down a garbage chute.”

They nodded, already aware. “Yes, I remember that quite well.”

“Wait. How are you aware of all this? Most people don't know that they're copies of themselves.”

“I learned some things!”

“Mm-hmm,” I scowled. “Guess in vague terms, same with me.”

“That's funny! How was it for you?”

“Well, I worked at Area 51, and they had these weekly 'check-ups' where they did...something. I'm not sure what. I must have been a new person with the same identity countless times, all without realizing it.”

“But now you do!”

“Yeeaaah...” My voice trailed. “Wonder if it would have been better not knowing.”

“I think if you didn't want to know, you wouldn't know!”

That wasn't how things worked, but I didn't think I could argue. “Does Velvet know you're a...you?”

Blanc nodded with vigor.

“Bleh. She probably thinks we're some kinda freaks, huh? Not being our original selves, being this...creation. Great, just great. If there's one thing I hate, it's being pitied.”

“I'm sure she thinks of you as human!”

“Oh?” I sneered. “How can you be so sure? You don't even know me.”

They shrugged. “Does she treat you like you're not a person?”

Oh. So that's it. That was also something I hated. That I couldn't disagree.

“No, she does. I guess in her own weird way.”

“If you're a person, you're a person!”

“What about you?”

“I'm not all human!”

“WHAT?!”

They pointed to their arm and poked at it.

“What are you doing?”

“This isn't a human arm!”

In shock, I watched them pull at their skin and a chunk of flesh tore off. No, not flesh. It looked flappy, like flesh, but I started to understand when I saw what was underneath: metal.

“Are you an android? I knew it! You aren't the real Blanc!”

“Bwahaha! No, silly! It's a prosthetic! I lost my arm a while ago, but I lived and got a new one!”

“Don't scare me like that. So what? You're saying you're less human because you have a prosthetic limb?”

As if it were no big deal, they shrugged once again. “I think I'm human, but I also wouldn't mind if I wasn't, too!”

“You're weird.”

“Now I see! We're pretty similar!”

“Huh? Just because of the clone thing? Then you must be similar to the majority of the world, then, buddy.”

“Heh. I probably am! But also we're similar in other ways, too!”

“Like what? What could you possibly know about me?”

Finger on their chin, they tilted their head up and made a “hmm,” and then went “aha!”

“Do you miss working there?”

Ah, I remember I once asked Velvet that question. Well, I asked her if she missed sitting at a computer, working from afar. Funny, me using 'I' to refer to a past self. Must've been a Freudian slip or something.

“Not really,” I grunted. “I wasn't really even supposed to find out. They wanted me dead, since in their eyes, I shouldn't have existed as I am. Fair enough. That place is dead to me, anyway.”

“I see. Did you feel like you belonged when you were there?”

“I guess?” I shrugged. “That's not really something I think about.”

“I used to think I didn't belong anywhere, but then I met the Beige, and I think I fit right in with them!”

Really? What about friends? That didn't seem to make sense. None at all.

“Say, have you ever been to TJ Maxx?”

What a random question. Blanc sure loved to throw curveballs, no wonder they got along so well with Velvet.

“No?”

“Oh! What about Goodwill?”

“I know of it.”

“One time I went to Goodwill and I saw a disc for a thing called 'Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing'! I thought that was funny! I mean, how did a person fit inside a disc and why would anyone need to learn to type?”

No. No way.

“H-How do you know my old name?!” I leaned forward and demanded. “I knew it! Something is wrong here!”

“Oh? Did you make that software?”

“No! But! You know about me, don't you?”

Blanc laughed. “You're overthinking this!”

“No! No way! There is no way I'm overthinking this! When Velvet comes home, I'll expose you!”

“Expose me? Oh my...”

“No time for jokes. There's something you're not telling me.”

“That's true. But doesn't that go for everyone?”

“Fine,” I huffed. “Maybe it's a coincidence.”

They giggled. “So your folks wanted you dead, huh?”

Back on the previous topic, I see.

“Yeah. What about it?”

“It was the same for me. Etna told me I was a mistake and shouldn't exist.”

Ah, so that's what they meant by being similar. Well, shit. Now I felt like the asshole.

“Does it bother you? Do you think of yourself as a mistake?”

“I don't mind being a mistake! If I am, that just means I've been blessed to see all that I have!”

“Say, do you still have any root beer left in your can?”

“Nope!”

“Wanna have a toast, anyway?”

“Sure!”

We clashed cans once again. “Here's to being mistakes.”

Silence set, and we both sighed. Now it was back to boredom, it seemed.

“Sheesh, when's Velvet coming back? How long does it take to get food, anyway?”

“I think it's cool that there's a convenience store downstairs!”

“Yeah, but most of the food's emptied or expired.”

“Is that so? Can I go down and check?”

“Go for it. I could probably use the few minutes of alone time, anyway.”

So down they went. Even as they made their way out of the apartment, they looked so giddy. It was rather unsettling to see, but it shouldn't have been. That was just the world I lived in; all the 'infected' I had seen were so manic, that I felt the need to be on guard.

No sooner did I get back in the apartment and sit at the couch next to Butch (See? Told ya I'd get the name right) that the door opened back up and Velvet entered.

“Hey guys, did ya two get along?”

“What do you think?” Butch grumbled.

Velvet didn't seem to like that answer. “Please tell me you weren't too harsh.”

“We got along just fine, sheesh.”

“Oh!” She seemed surprised by this. “Good! That's...quite good, actually.”

She walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Her head tilted, then she closed the fridge door.

“That's weird. I could've sworn I had more root beer than that.”

“Blanc took it!” Butch accused me. I just smiled.

“I was thirsty!”

Velvet opened the fridge again and counted. “It looks like there's two missing.”

“I was really thirsty and Butch said to help myself, so I took two!”

She shook her head and sighed. “That's fine, though I wish you had waited 'til I got home. Oh well.”

Instead of another root beer, Velvet grabbed a can of grape soda and noticed the stool. She walked over and sat down, her eyes on Butch and I.

“What? Grape soda? Since when is that your thing?”

“Never mind that,” Velvet's gaze shifted between Butch and I. “There's something I'd like to discuss.”

“For real? We've been talking this whole time while you were gone!” Butch argued with her gruff voice.

“It's important to me.”

“Fine,” she folded her arms, still scowling. “But I'm finding a chair and sitting next to you.”

“Uh, sure? Suit yourself. Say, Blanc, are you hungry?”

“I have fruit snacks!” I replied, pulling out a large bag behind me.

“What?”

“Don't worry, I have enough to share with everyone!”

Butch walked around and found a fold out chair, which she did just what a fold chair does. To the left of Velvet was where the chair was positioned, and they both looked at me in a way which made me feel like I was on trial. Mind you, a fun trial, the one I wouldn't mind what the verdict was, but a trial, nonetheless.

“Now, you know me, I'm not one to keep secrets,” Velvet began in earnest. “So I'll just come out with it.”

“HA! Keeping secrets is ALL you're known for!” Butch cackled and slapped her knee for good measure.

“Shush, I'm trying to have a serious moment here.”

“Fine, then! Out with it!”

“Blanc,” she faced me again. “I'm calling you that because I want to believe it's really you. But I'll be honest, and no matter how many times you tell me, it's hard to believe that you're from another universe or something. So, please don't blame me if I'm a little unsure what to think of all this.”

“Unsure? Try suspicious! You could have just doomed us both, you know? This person could be infected!”

Oh boy. Well, Velvet still knew it was me, I could already tell. I wasn't really sure what all this was for, but that didn't mean I wasn't unhappy about it.

“Now, now. Do you really think I would do that? Not only bring potential harm to us, but also someone innocent? If this Blanc is anything like the one that I knew, they were only in that elevator once. So there was no build up, and probably the smallest amount of that thing in them.”

“I can understand the concern,” I raised my hand. “After all, I may be the most affected.”

Velvet's concern grew. Her face told me all I needed to know.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I'm sure you know already, right? While it's true the more times you've been...what's the word...recycled? No, that doesn't sound right...hm...”

“How about 'reborn'?”

“Sure!” Okay, back to train of thought. “The more times you've been reborn, the more of the thing you'll have in your system in a shorter amount of time, and probably the highest chance you have of losing yourself and affecting others around you.” It sucked having to refer to Euphy as 'the thing' but I'm sure she didn't mind. What sucked even more was explaining something they already knew. Like a lecture I didn't need to give. Regardless, I continued.

“So while that's true, and I, having only done so once, you'd think 'cool! They're safe!' But really, I was one of the first, and the kind of thing us clones have in our system isn't just any old antidepressant, as you also already know, and it will still build up over time.”

“So what you're saying is...what?”

“Four years can be a long time to gestate!”

Her eyes widened and she was taken aback, her arms also tucked at her chest as if she was trying to protect herself.

“I'm sure most of the first folks who took those rides must've gone through so many times that they're already dead for good! But I on the other hand, am here, not dead! Though I must say, I've had quite a few close calls!”

“Should we be worried, then?”

“Why worry? It's not the end of the world just because the world is ending,” I shrugged.

“I think that's exactly what it is...”

“Oh yeah, huh? So it's really happening. Funny when you think about it. The world ending because people are feeling too good. Rather ironic, don't you think?”

“I guess when you put it that way, it is kinda funny,” Butch snorted. “And here I was talking about how this is no laughing matter earlier.”

“You gotta laugh a little to stay sane!” I added.

“P'fft. Like any of us three are sane.”

“Good point! Say, Velvet, your girlfriend's really smart!”

“We're not girlfriends,” Butch growled.

“Yeah, about that. Glad you brought that up, actually. See, we thought about it, but in the end, we agreed it was for the best that we weren't a couple,” Velvet explained. Butch nodded along.

“So in the end,” Velvet added. “We're just roommates. Roommates who do romantic things together and have lots and lots of sex.”

Right after Velvet said that, Butch looked down like she was trying to hide her face and clutched her jeans.

“Um, I think she's malfunctioning?” I pointed to her.

“Oh, that? She just gets flustered easily. I wouldn't worry about it!”

Butch's face seemed to grow red (from what I could see of it, and I imagined steam rising to the top of her head.

“Hehe, I see you're just as weird as ever, Velvet!”

“I'm not weird, I'm just open.”

“THAT IS WEIRD!” Butch just exploded. Well, okay, not really, but she spat out her words all at once and her face looked redder than a tomato. Like blood! “THOSE ARE PRIVATE MATTERS! YOU DON'T JUST GO BLABBING THESE KINDS OF THINGS TO PEOPLE!”

“Ow, my ears,” Velvet scratched the side of her head. “I think you got some spit on me, too!”

Butch crossed her arms. “You deserve it.”

“I'll respect your wishes, though. I'll try not to embarrass you so much.”

“It's not just me you should worry about embarrassing, but thanks.”

“...Even though it is fun to watch you get flustered.”

“Hey!”

Heh, maybe if those two kept things up, I could be off the hook and we could just have dinner or watch a movie or play some games instead. But before I could get my hopes up, Velvet turned back to me.

“Is there anything you could say that would assuage our worries?”

“Hm....” Think, Blanc. Think and be honest! “Well, I don't usually yell much.”

“That's it?”

“Think about it: all those people you see who are affected, they tend to yell, and it's like they're out of control. Y'know, be real loud, just like how Butch was just now.”

“Hey!” You-know-who didn't like that I called her out.

“Which isn't to say that won't happen, but it's more likely to happen with those who experience something so distressing that the thing inside of them reacts and tries to make them go manic in a way to counteract whatever's overwhelming the person. That's how this planet is in the state it's in, anyway. Someone must have had a really bad day, and that's a no-no when you're supposed to feel really good.”

Butch once again looked down, but it didn't strike me as the same reason as before. Rather than her face being red, she shook, and it looked like she was about to cry. I wanted to ask Velvet if there was something wrong, but I got sidetracked by what Velvet asked me, instead.

“You mean to say that one person could have been the start of all this?” Velvet gasped.

“Eh,” I shrugged. “I mean, I don't wanna say for sure, because then it would sound like 'one person can make all the difference' and that's too inspirational for my taste.”

“Oh yeah. You're Blanc alright. That's something I know Blanc would say.”

“Is it now?” That was quite interesting. “Now that you mention it, I don't mind being a little inspiring.”

“Now that's what I like to hear!” Velvet held a certain fire in her eyes, an excitement that I had been waiting to see. “Butch, can I tell them?”

“What?” She was still a little misty-eyed but I didn't notice anything unusual. “Why do you need my permission? You're an adult.”

“I want you to have a say in this conversation.”

“Fine. If you want my advice, I'd say no. For all we know, they could be a Flashbulb member. Think about it: the only way to travel to another universe is through The Flashbulb.”

“Wait, really? Is that true?” Velvet faced me once more. “Is that true?”

I shrugged. “Probably. I mean, I did steal one of their time travel devices and I probably wouldn't have been able to do half the things I did had I not.”

“Wait. Really? You did that?”

“Yeah! How do you think I lost my arm?”

I could tell Velvet was even more confused, even though Butch knew what was up.

“I'll tell you later,” Butch whispered to her. Lucky for me, my hearing was pretty decent, so eavesdropping was a cinch.

“So if you did that, does that mean you were at their headquarters?” Velvet pressed on.

“What? Like it's hard?” Oh shit. That could have given them the wrong impression. Time to dial it back. “Well, maybe it's a little hard, seeing as I lost it when I came here.”

“Damn! Right when I thought we might be onto something!”

“May I ask why you're interested?” I asked while shoveling a handful of fruit gushers in my mouth.

“We want to save the world,” Velvet declared. “It was The Flashbulb's meddling with things that brought us here, and if I can make it to their headquarters, I'm sure there's a way to fix this!”

“Ooh!” I leaned in. “I'll be cheering you on, then!”

“Thank you.”

“That's quite a bold goal, though. Are you sure you're up for it?”

Velvet gulped.

“Yes. Yes I am. I think if you asked the old me, she would have said no. That she'd find a way to escape Earth, instead, and leave everyone behind. Later, she would regret it, being alone, and not doing anything, and she would have gone mad until she too died.”

“Interesting...and you're different now?”

“I would like to think so. I think it was the bond you and Conrad had that made me realize that.”

“What? Really? But I don't really have much of an opinion of him.”

“Well, the one that I knew. Even though he would have denied it, seeing as he saw you differently than the one that he knew before, he still thought of the Blanc I got to know as important, and I don't regret saving them and taking them with us when we escaped to Egypt on my ship.”

“You know, that was me, too. The timelines only diverged three years after being with the Beige.”

“Oh. Right.”

Still, I never thought Conrad was the type to think of me as 'important'. What did that even mean?

“Then, as I got to know you, or, the you that I knew, I grew to find them important to me as well. I didn't think I would have, though, and I think that's where I went wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I left them behind so I could go to Area 51, I thought they would be safe on their own, but for some reason or another, I later saw them in the facility, lying down and lifeless. It devastated me and I never thought I would come across them there, especially like that, but I did.”

“They were probably worried about you,” I suggested.

“I wish I had told them that I would be fine!” She sounded choked up. Oh no, that wasn't good. “Even if it wasn't true, I wish I had done something so they wouldn't have felt the need to risk their life! I don't even know if there was something I could have done, but I never wanted them to die for me!”

That hit me worse than I wanted it to. While I knew I wouldn't burst like so many people, I still worried what kind of emotions she might stir in me.

“It couldn't have been that bad. I mean, they probably figured your life was more important than theirs. So it all worked out, right?”

“N-No! Because their life wasn't any less important than mine was! I lost a friend and I can't help thinking that I didn't have to.”

Friend?

I burst into laughter. “But that Blanc was boring! What could've been so special about 'em? They were so ordinary!”

She shook her head, for some reason, smiling, as well. When she opened her eyes, however, she looked no less serious.

“Doesn't matter. They were important to me. Just as you are.”

“Me?” I pointed to myself.

“Yes, you too. You consider me your friend, don't you?”

“Yeah...” I sighed. “I mean, that's why I was so excited to see you earlier. But that doesn't mean you consider me your friend, does it?”

“Of course I think of you as a friend,” she tilted her head all concerned. “Did you ever doubt that?”

“Maybe!” I put on a good grin. “Hard to say! But it feels good to hear it now!”

“Sorry if that wasn't clear before.”

“That's okay! You told me now!”

“Yes, but do you believe it?”

I gulped. “I think I will! I believe you mean it!”

She sighed. I thought of sighing as well. It was a lot, a lot more than I was expecting to deal with.

“Well, regardless, I think I realized that it's probably that way with a lot of people. I mean, someone's got someone that's important to them, and in that respect, it really grinds my gears what's going on. All these lives lost, and I get it, people die, but all of this could have been avoided. We've already lost so many people, but I want to believe that the world can be saved, no, restored even! Even if not, I want to at least try!”

“What is this, The Help?” Butch scoffed. “'You is important'? Really?”

“Okay, first off, that's rude,” Velvet shot back. “Second, you're important to me, too. You and Blanc both are.”

Butch crossed her arms. “Like I care whether or not you care.”

“Hey, just for that, no sex tonight!”

“What?!” She spat. “You can't do that!”

“Threatening to withhold affection...isn't that considered abuse?” I wondered.

“Yeah! What Blanc said! Besides, I'm always the one taking the initiative!”

Velvet brushed it off. “P'ssh. It's fine. I was only joking.”

I really didn't understand what the deal was about that, but if it mattered to them, I suppose it was worth a quarrel. Gosh, relationships sure are weird. Did people really make a fuss about such things?

Three more days. After that night, there would be three days left to figure things out. Oh, sure, the world may have still been around after, but that was the self-imposed deadline. Really, I would have said four more days, but Butch did say “make it four” when I said I'd figure something out in five days. So that's how it would be.

Since the day before at the restaurant didn't go as planned, I decided I would make it up to Butch by making spaghetti and meatballs. Blanc wanted french toast and gummy worms, instead, which I was not about to argue about that. This was a night to celebrate, and celebrate we would.

“Say, Blanc, do you wanna stick around?” I brought up during dinner.

“Sure! I'll follow you guys 'til the world ends.”

“That's not that impressive considering that the world's literally ending,” Butch scoffed.

“So that means you'll stay the night?” I asked.

“Yeah! That sounds like fun!”

“Great! Though hope you don't mind the couch,” I turned to my roommate/not-girlfriend. “That means you and I will be in bed tonight.”

“Uh, duh? That's where people sleep.”

It was only a couple hours later, after doing some dishes, that Butch passed out. On the couch, no less. God damn, I should've seen it coming, but I still let it happen anyway.

“Looks like I'll have to pick her up again,” I sighed. Wasn't looking forward to that one bit. Just because I could carry her, didn't mean I always wanted to. She wasn't a baby. She knew where the bed was. Then again, when she fell asleep, it was kind of baby-like...

“Don't worry, Velvet,” Blanc placed a hand on their chest. “I will make the sacrifice and sleep in your guys' bed, that way you can share the couch with her.”

Somehow that didn't sound like much of a sacrifice to me, but I was too tired to really employ any sort of logic.

“Sure, I mean, she is cute...” My eyes drifted toward her. Why, I didn't know. Just a part of my body betraying me, I suppose. “Even though I said we would be taking the bed, I don't want to have to move her...”

“See?” Blanc grinned. “It all works out!”

“Fine!” I scowled. “But you gotta do something for me in return. Deal?”

“Deal!”

We stood by each other for just a sec before I finally got on with it.

“I want to confide something. It's...about her. Here, let's talk about this in the bedroom. I'm afraid of waking her.”

“Shouldn't she be included?” Blanc tilted their head.

“Usually, yes. It's just that I don't want to make her uncomfortable. Like, actually uncomfortable.”

“Ah, how noble of you. The great and chivalrous Velvet! I love it!”

“Hey! Cut that out! I'm like none of those things!”

“Not even 'Velvet'?”

“Okay, I'm one of those things!”

I cupped my hands over my mouth. Next to me was the couch, and on that couch was you-know-who, who moved a little in her sleep.

“Crap...” I whispered. I waited to see if she would wake up, but she didn't. After I was convinced she was still asleep, I turned back to Blanc. “Okay, come on. You made a deal.”

We walked over to the bedroom, Blanc closing the door behind them. I sat at the edge of the bed.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

“Sure, I'll listen. But I can't promise I'll be paying attention.”

“Then what's the...oh, never mind!” I gave a slight laugh, though it wasn't my usual rolling on the floor laughter. Seemed false, hollow.

“Here's the deal,” I began. “About the whole girlfriend thing between Butch and I. I'm pretty sure we both want to, or would like to, or at least I would. Trust me, I'd love nothing more to have a girlfriend, and she does mean a lot to me.”

“So what is it, then? Is it just 'cause her denial over liking you? If that's the case, seems silly to me. The writing on the wall is so obvious I don't know how you could miss it!”

I shook my head. “No, that's not it. I wasn't lying when we agreed it was for the best that we didn't.”

“Don't worry! I didn't think you were!”

“It's just...there's something about her that makes it a little hard.”

“Aw, but nobody's perfect. Everyone's got their flaws.”

“Except me!” I declared in a bout of unseriousness. “My fatal flaw is that I'm flawless. If I was a character in a story, I'd be boring because of how perfect I am!”

“Honest as ever, I see.”

I huffed. “Can't get nothin' past you, can I?”

“You are plenty great, though, so I don't blame you for trying.”

“Thanks, but flattery won't get you more candy.”

“Was worth a try.”

“Anyway, no. Her thing isn't a matter of flaws. I can deal with flaws. I can even deal with her, most of the time.”

“Then what is it?”

“You already know, don't you?”

“I could take a guess, but that wouldn't be very fun!”

“She's one of those folks you mentioned. You know, has that syndrome, or virus, or whatever you want to call it that makes people act out in such manic ways that become so destructive that it kills them and turns them into a threat to everything around them.”

“But she's still around, so that's a good thing, right?”

“It should be. She's had moments, where just like you said, she gets distressed, or worked up, and then she does whatever she thinks would make her happiest, which usually involve something violent. Each time, I've managed to bring her down and back to normal, but I'm just afraid.”

“Afraid of her?”

“No. Even when she's like that, I've dealt with much scarier things. I'm just afraid that one day she'll get like that again and I won't be able to save her.”

“That's interesting!”

“What is?”

“If you're able to do that now, that must mean you make her happier than whatever other compulsion she might have at the time!”

“Heh. Maybe. I'm just worried I'm going to lose her sooner or later.”

“You said you've managed to bring her down from it before, right?”

“Yes. After the first time, she told me she was cured and over it, and I believed her, but it happened other times after. I was just glad she managed to come back to her usual self.”

“There's nothing to worry about, then!”

“Uh...Yes there is?” Unless I was missing something.

“Sounds like a guardian angel listened to you a while back ago.”

That struck me. Memories of back when I escaped the facility rushed back to me.

“What do you mean by that?”

They shrugged. “Whatever you'd like it to mean, I suppose.”

Rather than hold any suspicion, I just shrugged my shoulders and got up. “Well, thank you for listening to me tonight.” I headed toward the door and made my way out, turning out the light on my way.

“Goodnight, Blanc.”

They just sat, having taken my place at the edge of the bed, and smiled.

Every room in the apartment turned dark as all lights went out. While true that I wanted to sleep on the couch with her, I opted instead to sleep on the floor. She was already asleep. I didn't want to wake her trying to squeeze in to find some room on the couch for me.

It was hard to tell whether or not I'd get any sleep, but that didn't seem to matter much to me. My only hope was that everything would come together soon.