Chapter Text
"It’s not particularly believable that you’d have a harem of 100+ lovers.. I mean, how could you possibly juggle that many relationships simultaneously with any degree of success? And even if 100+ individuals actually found you that attractive—which seems dubious— you obviously couldn’t give that many suitors the necessary time or attention for anything resembling a meaningful emotional bond."
You and Mac were talking about the obscene amount of self-insert fanfiction on your computer then, but now?
God, if only they knew how right they'd be. If only you knew, damnit.
After the Dateviators were unceremoniously dumped on you, everything felt... strange. How were you not supposed to think about the fact that everything in your house was a person—at least, as close to a person as an inanimate object can get—from your walls to your toilet? And how could you just... ignore them as if you never learned they existed?
Spoiler alert: you couldn't. So like a good housemate, you went around speaking to everyone you could find. You learned everyone's names, hopes, dreams.. and problems. So many problems. Too many problems. You were used to being the therapist friend— you seemed to always have an air about you that made people, for lack of a better word, trauma dump. Whether you wanted to know about it or not, everyone around you ended up spilling their latest drama, issues, and past.
You didn't mind. Never did.
But when 100 people suddenly appeared in your house? Each with their own backstory, name(seriously, you've lost count of how many times you've called Eddie by Volt's name and Volt by Eddie's.. it was getting a little sad,) and issue? It was always something new— Mateo needs to find a missing inanimal, Mac needs an update, Bathsheba needs friends(don't we all), Dirk and Harper need.. real couple's therapy, and so on. It got exhausting quickly. Every day, somebody needed help, and every other day, somebody was asking you where you'd been because you promised to help them and accidentally forgot... or were taking an involuntary nap. You seemed to need those a lot lately.
And trying to have a life without the Dateviators was even worse.
You were constantly paranoid, whether it be when you shut a door too hard or shoved your dirty clothes in the washer, you found yourself constantly worrying about how everyone felt about you using them. Skylar and the others insisted they didn't mind when they were used for everyday purpose— as long as you weren't intentionally trying to hurt them, of course. But you couldn't help but lose sleep over it. You lost.. a lot of sleep, no matter if you were wearing the Dateviators or not. And that's on top of the immense guilt you felt when you just ignored everyone, especially when you knew they all had problems and needed help. Your help. You always wanted to be wanted. So what gave you the right to feel irritated when others were simply asking for help? Isn't that what you wanted?
Even so, you found yourself constantly joining Skips in the shadows. When you gazed at the globe's shadow that looked just a bit darker from all the rest, you felt your worries wash away as you were enveloped in darkness. It felt nice to just be you with Skips. Away from prying eyes and needy housemates. Away from the pressure of being the person who could always spare a minute to help. Skips always greeted you with a "Hey, you!" and his warm, dorky smile. He was content with simply being in your presence, even if you didn't talk and just curled up by his side. Even when he was portraying himself as xxXShadowL0rd420Xxx, just being with him and him alone in the shadows felt refreshing.
But no matter how much the both of you wanted you to stay in the shadows forever, you didn't have the heart to ask Skips to turn you into a shadow. So like always, you had to go back to the house that felt like an infinite quest log instead of a place of comfort and solace.
"It's almost 10pm, are you sure you want coffee?" Kopi asks hesitantly, frowning softly. "You look really tired, no offense." Kopi's voice was laced with concern, enough to make your stomach churn with shame.
"Yes, please. I've got a G&G Campaign with Chance, Jerry, and Dasha in.." You look at one of your many cat clocks. "5 minutes." You bury your head in your hands, trying to will your headache away with pure willpower. It didn't help that Harper and Dirk were arguing in the laundry room again. "Do you want me to tell them to shut up? I think we've all had enough of their nonsense today." Mitchell Linn raises an eyebrow at you, already rolling his lettuce-and-pie sleeves up as he slides you a plate of food. You shake your head, taking a reluctant bite of it. It was old, but better than nothing... When was the last time you made food, actually? When was the last time you ate food at all?
"If you do, Harper's just gonna scream louder." Kopi sighs as he slides the coffee towards you. It was the unfortunate truth. Whenever anyone tried to be firm with Harper, she'd stand her ground and even get more obnoxious. It was somewhat admirable, though mostly annoying. You take a few sips of your coffee, but your eyelids still grow heavier by the minute. You push your plate of food and coffee away so you wouldn't accidentally spill anything, mumbling something about 'a small nap' as you rest your head on the table. The last things you hear is a hushed conversation between Kopi and Mitchell before drifting off to sleep.
"There's someone who needs help."
Your eyes shoot open almost immediately, almost as if on command. You expect to see a bustling kitchen, but you only see darkness. You're almost soothed at the thought of being back with Skips, but you know you weren't with him when you fell asleep.
Nightmare.
"Well? Get up. It's what you're good for." Her voice is sharp, commanding.
As if on cue, your body stands up. You walk towards nothingness, your limbs jerking like a marionette as your body forces itself to move.
"Hey, do you have a minute?"
"Can you help me find something?"
"I just don't understand.."
Your head darts around to the voices resembling people in your house. You see their silhouettes, but when you take another step, your legs give out and you crumple to the floor. The voices turn from gentle to harsh in an instant.
"Where were you?"
"A simple 'no' or 'I'm busy, works. Jackass."
"Get up! Are you serious?!"
Tears prick your eyes, and you open your mouth..
"Save it. You're pathetic and you know it." Nightmare says as she appears in front of you.
You close your eyes tightly and shake your head at Nightmare's voice. "I'm just trying to hel—" But your voice becomes occupied by something more pressing. You let out a scream of pain as you feel your limbs being stretched.
"Your bones crack and twist... But you still try to move. Your body screams out in pain, yet you can't seem to stop. Even when you're stretched to a mile, you reach for others instead of yourself. You're nobody's savior. You can't help anyone. You can't even help yourself." Nightmare laughs cruelly as she narrates your actions yourself, as if experiencing it firsthand isn't enough. "You—"
"-Wake up, dam!" A sharp, real voice that isn't disembodied or Nightmare's shakes you to your core. You wake with a gasp, snapping your head up. Your cheeks are both wet and hot, and your throbbing eyes meet Doug's. Many people are standing around you, and you can't help but feel a rush of shame at being stared at when you're so vulnerable.
"...Sup, dork." Doug says after a beat. His face would be his usual deadpan if his brows weren't furrowed slightly in concern. "You were making weird noises and shit, so I woke you up." He shrugs as if it were the most normal thing in the world to do.
"You were shaking and sobbing." Jerry supplies unhelpfully, earning him a glare from Miranda. "Very loudly."
"Alright, everybody! Let's all go to the living room and play a game!" Chairemi says, her voice raised as she shoos people away from you. "I think not! We have an appointment—" Timothy crosses his arms, but is quickly shut up with a harsh glare from Cam. "Not the time, man." Dante replies as he puts his hand on the aghast Timothy's back and leads him to the living room.
Your hands quickly move to shove the Dateviators off of your face before you spot Skips. You pause, and the moment you two lock eyes you're brought back to the shadows you know so well. They would be comforting right now, but you'd just spent what felt like an eternity getting pulled and ripped apart in them. Skips immediately pulls you into a hug when you're alone, and you dig your fingers into his shirt. "Skips." You mumble, relaxing into his touch.
"Hey, you." Skips responds, brushing a piece of hair out of your face when you two pull apart. He makes a move to step away, but you quickly grasp his forearm. "Don't go, please." You stammer out, your eyes frantic and slightly desperate. You can still feel the faint sensation of your skin pulling apart, but you push it down and try to savor Skip's touch. "I'm not going anywhere, penumbra. You're safe here. I promise." Skips says softly, voice gentle and reassuring as he takes both of your hands in his. "Do you wanna talk about it, or do you wanna relax with me?"
Notes:
Hi again! Thank you so much for reading (⁀ᗢ⁀) This was meant to be a cute one-shot but it's so late and I don't want this to be another draft that doesn't get finished because Skips does not get enough love smh.. I haven't written in a few years so I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you spot any errors or if you have any general feedback! I know the endings VERY rushed but its almost 5 am and I am about to fall asleep (¯▿¯)
Take care of yourself guyss (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡
Chapter 2: Mind Numbing
Summary:
You've been spending all of your time worried about everybody else. When was the last time you worried about yourself?
Notes:
Hi again!! I'm actually having a lot of fun writing these[even if it is mainly when I'm supposed to be sleeping..] Thanks so much for reading the second chapter! Enjoyy ( ´ ∀ `)ノ
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Your brain felt like it was melting.
After embarrassing yourself in front of what felt like everybody in the house, you spent the rest of the day with Skips and the familiar shadows he lived in. Skips helped you take your mind off of the uncomfortable encounter in the kitchen with warm hugs and his usual nerdy rambles about his favorite games. Once night fell, you left the shadows with Skips(he refused to let you go by yourself,) who, with a tender smile, walked you to your bed and cuddled with you until you drifted off to sleep.
When you woke up in your bed, Skips was gone. You felt uncomfortably warm, and your head pounded. The Dateviators sat on your nightstand—Skips probably took them off of you once you fell asleep, he always noticed the little things— but you decided to wait and have some time to yourself before putting them on. Stretching slightly, you got up and headed to the bathroom to wash your face.
The splash of cold water helped to wake you up, but your headache stood strong. You look in the mirror, hoping to see someone who didn't look like they were the personification of exhaustion. You didn't. Your eyebags were deeper and darker than usual, your lips were dry and cracked, and you could swear you saw a grey hair appearing on your head.
Your clock ticked, and your head snaps towards it to look at the time. Ever since taking on so many things at once, it became second nature to keep a close eye on what time it was. Truth be told, you felt like a second Timothy.
11:57 am. In a few minutes you had to go record one of Lux's 'Lux Talks' with them.. Maybe you could head to The Breaker Box for a drink first if you were quick enough. As soon as the thought enters your head, you shake it away. Despite alcohol being one of the only things that could sooth your chronic headaches, Eddie had begun threatening to refuse service if you kept coming in so often for drinks.
Shit. Speaking of Eddie, you were supposed to be up 3 hours ago to help him fix some faulty wiring. With a groan, you hurriedly go back to your room and shove the Dateviators on your face before heading to The Breaker Box.
"Hey, Eddie. I overslept, I'm really sorry." You lean against the bar when you get there, trying your best to keep your voice steady despite already feeling exhausted. You'd only walked a few steps, but your legs were wobbly and you were panting like you just ran a marathon.
Eddie looked down at your spent figure and set a whiskey glass down a little harder than necessary. "Yeah. No worries," he said, drying his hands on a towel despite the fact they didn’t really need drying. "I'm used to handling things solo." His voice was even, but the pause after the first sentence stretched a beat too long. "You look like you could use the rest anyways." The comment lands harder than it was probably meant to. You glance away, jaw tightening, and tell yourself Eddie didn't mean it in a rude way. "...Yeah, I know." You mumble out, standing up properly. "I'll come by later, I promise." Eddie just nods, and you take it as a cue to leave. You make your way out of The Breaker Box and see Timmy, who seems to sense your presence as he turns to greet you with a frown.
"Hm? What are you doing awake?" He yawns, stretching lazily. You send him a glare, and Timmy stiffens. "I was supposed to be awake at 8:30 today, Timmy." You huffed under your breath, barely glancing at Timmy as you look around for Lux. "Why didn't you wake me up? It's.. literally your only job." You muttered as you felt your headache throb even harder. You tried to keep your voice even, but the frustration was still there. Timmy cock his head and raises an eyebrow.
"Wha? But that shadow guy said not to wake you up early today." He responded, his voice laced with confusion. You instantly paused in your pursuit for Lux. "..What?" Timmy opens his mouth to say more, but you spot Lux in your gym room and begin to walk away from him. "Hold that thought, I'll get back to you in a moment." You say hurriedly as you took your leave to join Lux. Lux spots you, but grimaces and takes a step back. "Ew ew ew, back up right now." They say, waving you off.
You frowned. "Uh, I thought we were going to—"
"You took to long to come, so I already recorded and posted, no thanks to you." Lux takes another careful step back. "And with how shitty you look right now, you wouldn't have been in it anyway, so if you could just.." They make a shoo motion with their hands. "Go? I can't risk catching whatever you have. My face is seen by millions daily—you know how it is for famous Influncers like me." You pause in the doorframe as Lux looks at you as if you were an idiotic child. "Okay thanks byeee!" Lux shoots you their signature fake smile before looking at you expectantly. You slump a bit, but reluctantly leave your own gym room, closing the door behind you. You would say you couldn't look that bad... but you did look in the mirror today.
"Well that was quick." Timmy remarks with a sly smile, still lingering in the hallway. You roll your eyes, leaning against the doorframe. "Hush, or I'll tell Timothy the ruckus you've been making when you take over." You threaten, but it doesn't phase Timmy in the slightest. He just hums and turns to your room. "Timmy, wait— what were you saying about Skips?" You ask, holding back a wince as your spent brain tries to put the pieces together.
Timmy turns around. "Mmn, I don't know any 'Skips', but if you're talking about that shadowy guy.." Timmy stretches again, sighing loudly. "It's just that. He very rudely woke me out of my catnap and told me not to wake you up early. It took me twelve minutes to fall back asleep. Twelve! I could've been in my REM cycle—"
"What did he say, Timmy? Did he give you a reason?" You interrupt loudly, your voice ringing in your ears painfully. "Yes.. but I can't remember." Timmy shrugs and walks away with a mischievous smile. You have half a mind to walk over to Timmy and strangle him, but in your state he could easily outrun you. With another glare shot his way, you decide to make your way downstairs to the kitchen, almost falling down them in your stupor. Luckily, Tony's there to stop your near-death experience. "Woah there!" He chuckles as he holds onto your shoulder, helping you down the rest of the steps. "See, this is why I told you about my slide idea, eh? I'll leave those by your bed to reconsider." Tony pats you on the back once you reach the bottom of the stairs, almost knocking the wind out of you. "I'll see ya later, tiger. Stay safe, get back to me soon!" He descends back up the stairs before you can respond, probably to try and convince Mayor Celia to add a moat to your house again.
You drag yourself kitchen to eat something, trying to ignore your sudden dizziness. Cam glances at you. There's something behind his eyes—worry, maybe? Judgment?— but your mind's too preoccupied to figure it out. You grab a plate of chicken and rice that smells slightly off, not bothering to heat it up before you sit down at the table and start eating.
"Hey, man! What's—" Curt and Rod make a move to approach you, but stop when they get close enough to look at you. Really look at you. "Woah, you look—" Curt stammers, stifling a groan of pain when Rod elbows him in the stomach. "Great! You look great. Better than Curt, anyway." Rod gives you a grin, though it doesn't reach his eyes as he sits across from you. "Quick question, homie. When was the last time you had something to drink?" Rod asks, making you pause.
"I, uh... had a cup of coffee like, a day and a half ago, I think. And before that I had a few whiskey sours at—"
"He means water. When was the last time you drank water?" Curt asks bluntly. You pause again. Your stomach twists, and instead of answering you force another bite in your mouth. You don’t see it, but Rod must’ve elbowed Curt again, judging by the sharp yelp.
"Oh, man, Curt. You gotta stop bein' so clumsy." Rod lets out a strained laugh. "Curt's gonna go get Farya, cause he's not looking so hot." Rod sighs casually as Curt's footsteps disappear, but his concern shows when his fingers twitch on the table, as if he was stopping himself from reaching out to you. Rod opens his mouth to say something else, but before he can, the laundry room door slams open.
"You think you're just SOOO high and mighty walking away, Dirk, but you're not! You're a PATHETIC cheating BASTARD who can't go a SECOND without burying his STUPID HEAD in a STUPID BATMAN COMIC!" Harper’s voice is a knife in your eardrums. You wince, hands slamming over your ears, but it’s not enough. Rod stands up immediately, the chair screeching against the floor like it's own scream. This time, Dirk's shrieking words take the spotlight to pierce straight into your skull.
"You're INSANE! You can't even—" Dirk's response is cut off by Rod's sharp and irritated voice. "Man, if you two don't get your shit together before I smack the—"
"I heard someone needs medical attention!~" Farya's sings loudly, though it isn't enough to silence Harper.
"Oh, INSANE?! I'LL SHOW YOU INSANE YOU LYING SNAKE!" Harper hurls something at Dirk, but he expertly moves out of the way. Unfortunately for you, Dirk was previously standing right in front of you, and now that object was heading towards the back of your head. A collective gasp fills the room as what could only be your laundry detergent hits the back of your head, it's powdery grains getting in your hair and all over the floor.
The kitchen is, for once, blissfully silent...
At least except for your loud, shaky sobs.
You try your best to wipe your tears away, but they come faster than you can get rid of them. You try to stand up, but your legs give out from overexertion and you collapse right back into your chair, your body shaking like it doesn’t belong to you as you sobbed in the exact same place you did yesterday.
It feels like the entire world is watching you, but nobody is helping.
Nobody is helping.
You open your mouth. To curse. To apologize. To scream. To say or do something other than cry uncontrollably—
But nothing comes. Just your loud, pained cries. Your body is shaking, your head feels like it's splitting open, your vision is blurring and all you can do is sob. You cry until you can't breathe and you become dizzier than you already are. Farya rushes over to you after what feels like eternity, muttering something, pulling out a thermometer and trying to check your pupils. Her hands are cold. You can’t focus.
“You’re okay, just breathe, you’re okay—”
You are not okay.
Eventually, your sobbing slows, but your entire body seems to slow with it. The last thing you see are your shaky, wet hands before your head hits the table and everything goes dark.
Notes:
Thank you so much for reading! No Skips appearance ik but I hope you still enjoyed it! Take care of yourself guys new chapter coming soonn
Sapphoix on Chapter 1 Tue 01 Jul 2025 12:50PM UTC
Comment Actions
SimpsBizarreAdventure on Chapter 1 Wed 02 Jul 2025 07:10AM UTC
Comment Actions
Serenesun_07 on Chapter 1 Tue 01 Jul 2025 01:27PM UTC
Comment Actions
SimpsBizarreAdventure on Chapter 1 Wed 02 Jul 2025 07:10AM UTC
Comment Actions
CeceliAnonymous22 on Chapter 1 Thu 03 Jul 2025 04:51AM UTC
Comment Actions
SimpsBizarreAdventure on Chapter 1 Fri 04 Jul 2025 02:47AM UTC
Comment Actions
snek0 on Chapter 2 Wed 02 Jul 2025 08:31PM UTC
Comment Actions
SimpsBizarreAdventure on Chapter 2 Fri 04 Jul 2025 02:59AM UTC
Comment Actions
peppersandbacon on Chapter 2 Thu 03 Jul 2025 04:59AM UTC
Comment Actions
SimpsBizarreAdventure on Chapter 2 Fri 04 Jul 2025 03:00AM UTC
Comment Actions