Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Slingshot sat up suddenly, clutching his heart- it beat at rapid pace, beneath skin, beneath clothes, there was no sign of stopping and-

There was darkness all around him. Slingshot blinked a few times as even through the dark, he felt the familiar blankets and pillows around him. He felt his heartbeat finally begin to slow as he closed his eyes, better darkness. Pitch black, nothing left to the imagination as he took in shaky breaths.

These shaky breaths became steady ones.

He was fine.

If he wasn’t fine now, he would BE fine.

…

He was fine…

“Morning Sling!-... Geez… What happened to ya?” Shuriken started with a chirp at first, but it didn’t take long for it to fade into concern. He couldn’t help but wince either, as a visibly sleep-deprived Slingshot stepped into view.

Slingshot blinked slowly, his eyes lagged behind each other and his brow was slightly furrowed, like he was facing some sort of headache. Despite all of that-

“I woke up… In the middle of the night…” He muttered, throat raspy with audible exhaustion. There was a lace of irritability brewed in the back of his throat.

Shuriken faltered, nervous, hesitant. “...Again?” He finally managed, though nothing more than a quiet mumble, really… Slingshot narrowed his eyes slightly, and his brows furrowed just that little bit more. “Again…” he confirmed through a mutter- or maybe a growl…

Shuriken couldn’t help but fidget slightly. Nervously. Awkwardly. He, Sling, and Vine had unfortunately all gotten used to these kinds of mornings, but somehow, they never got LESS uncomfortable… For… Pretty much everyone involved. Finally, he managed; “Ah… Okay…”

…

“You want some coffee?”

Slingshot paused, as if having to process the sentence, before letting out a long sigh and holding his head. “Please…” He muttered under his breath, and Shuriken was quick to get going on that. He gave a quick (hopefully comforting) pat on Slingshot’s shoulder as he walked by, but… Slingshot didn’t really react to it.

Either that, or Shuriken missed it…

Shuriken tried his best to focus on getting Slingshot’s coffee ready- and not on the poor guy sitting slumped over the counter… Geez… He was really going through it this morning… Shuriken couldn’t help but glance over, but Slingshot still didn’t seem fazed by it.

He’d been keeping his eyes shut, holding his head the entire time… “Was it… Just insomnia or something?” Shuriken had to ask as he poured some water into the right compartment. Slingshot was silent. This didn’t help Shuriken’s concern. “...Sling?” He checked as he opened a drawer and grabbed a coffee pod.

“Slingshot,” Shuriken cut in a little sharper, looking over at Slingshot suddenly, who jumped a bit, blinking his eyes in some kind of panic. “Wh- Sorry- H-Huh?”
“Dude… You wanna take a nap or something??” Shuriken muttered, furrowing a brow in worsening concern. “Wha- Shuri. I can’t just take a nap, we’ve got work today…” Slingshot almost snapped in response, holding his head- wait… “Uh… No… It’s the weekend…” Shuriken corrected, going back to putting the pod into the machine.

He kept looking back at Slingshot, though. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t waiting for the guy to collapse…

“N-No… It’s… A work day…” Slingshot answered carefully. His voice was cautious, and he looked at Shuriken with narrowed eyes- like he thought Shuriken was pulling his leg or something… Shuriken had to stop what he was doing to look over at Slingshot. “Okay- hold on… What day do you think it is?” Shuriken asked, now leaning back against the counter.

Slingshot raised a brow in confusion. “...Thursday?” But then he broke into a nervous sweat as Shuriken once again failed to hide the worsening worry. “Uh… No… It’s… Saturday…” Shuriken corrected, albeit a little awkwardly. Both seemed kinda… Sheepish…

Slingshot’s tongue was tied. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t even open his mouth to say it, starting to hold his head in disbelief. “S-... Saturday…” He ‘checked’. Shuriken gave a slow nod. “Saturday,” he confirmed. Shuriken then turned back to the machine and shut the lid. Slingshot was still stunned silent.

“Guess you… Lost track?” No response. Shuriken opened a different drawer and pulled out a white mug. He slid it under the machine, hit a button, and went back to leaning against the counter when the churr of the machine began. “I… Guess so…” Slingshot finally answered, before letting out a shaky sigh. He looked genuinely troubled…

Shuriken hated to say it was becoming normal…

The two stood in awkward silence, but eventually, the machine stopped whirring. Shuriken turned his head to look at it as the drizzle of coffee eventually came to a stop. “Anything outside of the usual?” Shuriken wondered as he opened a drawer to grab a spoon. “N-No…” Slingshot stammered, letting out a sigh as he rested his head on folded arms. Shuriken felt a slight stir of anxiety as he heard the response, but tried his best to move on from it.

Just… The way he sounded so tired…

And that there wasn’t much Shuriken felt like he could do… Coffee and prayers, basically… Shuriken let out a sigh of his own as he poured in three spoons of sugar and then poured a regular amount of milk. He took the same spoon he was using and started to stir the added features in with the coffee, and when it was all one color, he passed the mug to Slingshot.

“Th-Thanks…” Slingshot mumbled, taking the mug in his hands. He held it like his hands were cold… “Sure thing, Sling…” Shuriken responded. He walked around the counter and sat down, back in his old seat.

Shuriken perked up when he heard the floorboards creaking. Vine Staff walked in, still looking a bit sleepy as she stretched out her arms behind her. “Hey guys-”

She faltered mid-stretch as she noticed Shuriken’s quick nervous ‘abort’ signal, and Slingshot’s very obvious lack of response. “What’s going on?” She whispered over to Shuriken, walking over to him and leaning over on the counter slightly. “Sling had a rough morning… Again…” Shuriken mumbled, looking over wearily.

“Oh… I see…”
Both she and Shuriken glanced over to Slingshot.
But all he did was sit there and look down at his drink.
He didn’t even seem to be there…

Chapter Text

Slingshot felt himself spiraling-

He couldn’t spiral…

Not now…

Not in front of the-

He shook his head, shook himself out of it, let out a held breath. He had to look fine… He knew he’d be it, at the end of the day, he just… Had to do better… Be better… Perform… Function for just… Just five more hours…

The time… It moved slow…

His breathing, it paced quick,

No matter how much he tried to settle his nerves,

To swallow down his anxiety-

His body wanted rest…

He wanted home…

Slingshot’s hands trembled with every action, no matter how much he scolded it in his mind. Every single button press on the register was done with shaky hands. Usually, the customers ignored it- thank god…

Usually the customers were people who knew better than to question or interrogate some random person just trying to do their job… Slingshot still couldn’t help but beat himself up about it though… Gee. Clearly this manager with a horrible sleep schedule and crippling anxiety BECAUSE of it was very capable for the job…

That being said, Slingshot DID pride himself on separating from the manager stereotype. He swore he’d never let himself slack off. Never put overtime on his workers, never leave all the work for one person, that he’d actually take responsibility and be- well, a GOOD manager.

Even if Slingshot didn’t have the best track record of managing himself, he managed the business well. His respect for his workers was what often kept them there, rather than some desire to survive.

A desire to survive… It was what most people hung onto for dear life, because it was the only thing that everyone, no matter their race, gender, or anything really- could relate to…

They all wanted to live…

Slingshot did too- or… He liked to think he did… Though lately he’d have to admit he was struggling to find the balance. Sometimes it felt like he gave up. No matter how much he tried to get a good sleep and doze off at a decent time, he’d still wake up and 2 in the morning.

No matter how much he tried to set times to take a break, it still felt like nothing really changed…

No matter how much he tried to bring a bottle of water everywhere he went, his mind just couldn’t focus on it, too pre-occupied with work performance-

His job was his life…

It… Felt controllable…

Much more than- this…

Slingshot glanced down at his hands, which still still trembled against the counter. He held one up, and the tremble seemed to worsen. He tried to stop it with the other hand, but… Of course that wouldn’t work…

That wasn’t how it worked…

When was the last customer…?

Slingshot could have sworn he had just been serving someone, but suddenly, the production stopped.

He had no more customers-...

Was everyone served? Was he overthinking this?

WHY was he overthinking this??

“Uh… Hey, man… You okay?”
Slingshot looked up suddenly- across the counter… It was…

“Skateboard-?” He asked in confusion. Stupid question, all things considered. Of COURSE it was Skateboard. He was standing RIGHT there-

“Yeah…” He mumbled, leaning on the counter with his elbows now as he looked at Slingshot… Strangely… Slingshot felt himself faltering, nervous, confused. He didn’t know what the look was for and-

“Dude, seriously. Have you been getting sleep?” Skateboard checked, furrowing a brow and gently poking Slingshot in the arm, though quite gently… “Uh-... T-Trying to… S-sorry- Skate, what are you doing here?” Slingshot tried to answer and ask, though his voice stuttered and he had to hold his head as another wave of headache came along. Skateboard’s worry worsened-

Great…
Great act…
This is going ‘swimmingly’...

“I just… Wanted the check up on ya… Shuriken said the insomnia’s been coming back…” Slingshot couldn’t help but tense slightly. Shuriken’s been talking about it… He didn’t KNOW Shuriken’s been talking about it… “W-Worse than insomnia…” Slingshot couldn’t help but stammer, mostly to himself. “Oh geez…” Skateboard whispered, sending Slingshot that oh so familiar look of sympathy…

It made him uncomfortable…

It was… Wrong…

Slingshot was fine…
He didn’t NEED sympathy…
Or… Maybe he just didn’t want it…

There were people with worse out there-
Slingshot was- all things considered, fine…

“Sling-... Hey- seriously, are you listening?-”
Slingshot shook his head as he tried to get his mind back to the present, and when he looked back-... Skateboard looked… Well… It was far more concerned than before. Which meant Slingshot was butchering this. Badly.

“S-Sorry-”

“N-No no, it’s… It’s okay, man…” Skateboard tried to reassure, holding up hands in some kind of peace gesture? “But, like… You SERIOUSLY need a day off, Buddy… You’re looking worse for wear…”

Slingshot and Skateboard both faltered, and Skateboard looked off with a wince as he muttered; “Aaaactually, that might be kind of an understatement…”

“I’m perfectly fine-” Slingshot cut in almost immediately, almost… Indignantly. He couldn’t help but let out a huff at Skateboard’s comment, despite knowing how absolutely right he was. Didn’t change the fact- the facade- The look was everything. It didn’t matter if it was true, he had to be-

“Slingshot, are you serious? Look at yourself…” Skateboard muttered, furrowing a brow in what seemed like a mix of disbelief and frustration. An emotion Slingshot couldn’t help but feel bad for causing, but regardless, he only tensed further, and looked off.

Anywhere but at the eyes. He couldn’t do the eyes right now… “Look, I’m not great, but… I’m fine… I’m functioning-”

“By a damn thread…” Skateboard snarked, rolling his eyes. “Are you really debating this-” Slingshot cut in, but just as fast. “I didn’t think I needed to. I mean, you’ve got SERIOUS eyebags, and don’t think I didn’t notice the trembling…” Skateboard shot back with annoyance.

“Yeah well that’s basically normal by this point,” Slingshot muttered, already beginning to give up on this argument. “That SHOULDN’T be normal, man!” Skateboard pointed out with-... It sounded like… Desperation… A quick glance over, Skateboard looked to genuinely care-...

Geez… Was Slingshot losing brain cells too? Of course Skateboard cared… Friends tend to care about each other… That’s kind of how this went-

“Slingshot… Come on… Be honest with me. When’s the last time you’ve genuinely taken the weekend off to relax a bit?” Skateboard just HAD to ask, looking at Slingshot right in the eyes. Slingshot couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I-... Guess a while…”

Skateboard must have moved his hand to touch Slingshot’s… He must have done that as an attempt to comfort… Regardless of that, it felt like a small spark… Like some kind of quick sting… A shock… Slingshot felt the urge to pull back immediately-

And then… He felt himself untensing…

It was Skateboard… He didn’t mind Skateboard… He never did… Everything made him feel tense today, though… It took a mental effort just to stay somewhat calm… “S-Sorry… Was that too much?” Skateboard asked suddenly, starting to pull his hand back.

Slingshot felt his heart beat a little bit quicker, and before he could really stop himself, he took Skateboard’s hand in his own- “N-No, it’s… It’s okay- S-Sorry… Everything’s making me feel jumpy today…” Slingshot stammered quick and nervous, looking off.

Despite that, he could feel Skateboard’s eyes on him. He could see him soften in the corner of his vision… Slingshot felt a comforting squeeze from the hand he held, and he squeezed it back as his heart finally began to slow down again…

The contact had startled him initially, but now he found himself depending on it… Funny how that worked…

“Hey… You’ve got nothing to apologize for, kay?” When Slingshot looked over, SKateboard looked almost a little… Sheepish. Slingshot was hesitant, but looked back to the counter, giving a short shaky nod. “K-Kay…”

Slingshot heard a sigh nearby, no doubt Skateboard’s slight relief. “H-Hey… Uh… Unrelated, but Boombox and I were thinking of checking out a new arcade that just opened up in Playground-”
“Playground…?” Slingshot suddenly asked, raising a brow at the faction. A slight nervousness… He always felt a bit… Nervous… About that faction… It was one of the rowdier ones, admittedly… “Uh… Y-Yeah, but we can stick together and we’ll be fine- I mean- if you’re even interested,” Skateboard chirped with a sheepish chuckle.

“When were you guys planning on doing this?” Slingshot asked, absent-mindedly rubbing his thumb into Skateboard’s palm. He felt the other inphernal start to relax a bit, thankfully… “Uh… Some time this weekend? We’re pretty flexible…” Skateboard answered squeezing Slingshot’s hand again. Slingshot couldn’t help but smile slightly.

He… Wasn’t used to Skateboard acting so sheepish. It felt unfamiliar, but… It was kind of nice not being the only one who was nervous-

He’s nervous because of you…

He’s nervous FOR you…

Slingshot felt a wave of nervous nausea roll past him again, and he couldn’t help but shiver at the thought… The guilt, it was… Almost immediate. “H-Hey… You don’t have to do it if it makes you uncomfortable, man. It’s just an offer…” Skateboard mumbled, his voice worrisome again…

“S-Sorry… It wasn’t about that, I just-...” Slingshot cut himself off early, sighing. No… It was another held breath… “Maybe you’re right… I FEEL worse for wear…” Slingshot chirped with a weak nervous chuckle, leaning over the counter slightly. He felt Skateboard’s sympathetic gaze again… And once again, he felt his stomach twist in knots…

“It’s… It’s okay, Sling… You don’t have to… Perform for me... Okay?” Slingshot let out a quiet sigh. “Th-thanks…” He stammered. Skateboard nodded. “Of course, man…”

Chapter Text

Slingshot waited…

And waited…

And continued to wait…

He stood alone at that stop…

Waiting for a shuttle that would never arrive…

Waiting… Alone…

He felt himself breaking into a shiver-
It was snowing…

But he felt anxious, too… That had to be part of it, right? He always trembled… He was just better at hiding it some days, and worse on others…

He hated the looks…

The glances…

They made him sicker…

Sick in the stomach…

But then, something felt different-

It was… Sharp…

Not a dull ache…

Not like usual, no, this…

This was painful-

Slingshot fell to his knees, his breath now shallow and shaky as he held his stomach, his breaths had a whimpery lace to them, no matter how much he tried to swallow the noise down… Hurt, hurt, hurt. Oh, how it hurt…

Slingshot sat up suddenly.
He broke into a cold sweat-
Oh.

Now he understood… Another nightmare? But this one… It was so painful. How unusu- still hurts…

Slingshot held his stomach again- actually? It felt closer to his side, like some kind of-... Cramp… That probably wasn’t good- but it went away before… It would go away again…

“Oh, hey Sling,” Shuriken chirped with a small smile and wave. Vine Staff, also waved to him as he walked into the room. There was an interesting look they both had… But one Slingshot was used to by this point. He managed a small wave in return, but he knew how tired he looked…

He felt the sharp pain again, but with a shaky breath, he moved on like nothing happened- Was that a flash of worry in his friends’ expressions?-... Oh who was he kidding… Of course it was…

“Slingshot…” Vine Staff began, quite cautiously… “Are you-”
“Yes…” Slingshot muttered in response, failing to hide his slight annoyance at the familiar script. The script he’d heard about a thousand times. The script he was frankly SICK of… Vine Staff seemed to falter at his response, though, and part of him felt almost immediate remorse.

…

“S-Sorry-”
“It’s okay…” She reassured him with such a soft voice, even a small smile, still that look of pity. She pitied his hostility, but it wasn’t okay- nothing about it was okay… Slingshot was getting worse… He was lashing out-
Lashing out at the people who cared about him most…

“Dude, seriously…” Shuriken cut in- the movement was a blink. Truly, because Slingshot blinked, and suddenly his companions were standing by his side, holding him by the shoulders, looking at him like he just died and got resurrected all wrong- wincing at him like he was some kind of pitiful disaster- that’s exactly what he was…

Wasn’t he…

“S-Sling…?” Vine Staff checked, also looking worried- right, present. Slingshot was supposed to be present… “S-Sorry- s-sorry…” He stammered, holding his head, snapping his eyes shut, trying his very best to at least BREATHE normally… It couldn’t be helped-

“H-Hey, hey, it’s okay… It’s alright… Just try to get your breathing back,” Vine Staff reassured as she squeezed Slingshot’s shoulder, an attempt to bring him back-... He tried to follow her advice, he really did…

But every time he got close to stable, he was-

He was back in that old scene…

Standing on an icy road as snow fell, dampening his clothes- cold, cold cold… He could feel himself starting to tremble again as it came rushing back like an avalanche- a horrible avalanche you could only watch…

Your legs are already frozen stiff, your fate sealed. Too late, nothing to do but stand and watch as you fall apart like the fringes of a weathered cliff-

Suddenly, there was a rush of warmth- comforting warmth, like being wrapped up in a blanket… Slingshot let out a shaky breath, slowly cracking open his eyes, only to be greeted to a comforting hug from his friends…

He needed it… They knew he needed it…

But then- then came the whispers. “Should we call work off?” Shuriken whispered, trying to keep his voice low, but Slingshot’s hearing was better than that… “I dunno… You know how he gets when he starts thinking it’s hand-holding…” Vine Staff… She knew him well- he hated it…

“Y-Yeah, I get that. But when do we draw a line? I mean, the poor guy can’t even go a day without spiraling-” He wasn’t wrong either… Slingshot wished he was, but… Slingshot wasn’t- stupid… Or, he liked to think he wasn’t. And pretending that wasn’t true would be pretty stupid.

“Shuri… I understand your concern, but I don’t think he would just let us call off work for that…” Vine Staff mumbled in a weary tone. Slingshot felt… Something… Stirring in him again. He was usually the reason for Vine Staff’s weariness. He was usually the reason for…

Everything…

Those two felt…

And yet, he just couldn’t-... He couldn’t get his life together-

Back in the snow… He stood there, alone- but at least when he stood alone, there was nobody to hurt… Nobody who pitied. Nobody who he could burden…

He felt a tremble coming back again. He felt himself going limp. Numb… “H-Hey… Hey… It’s okay…” He heard Vine Staff comfort him again, hugging him tight… Shuriken did, too. It was… A nice pressure comfort…

“Sling, you sure you wanna head out with Skate today? You’re… Really not lookin great…” Shuriken couldn’t help but- wait-
“...What?” Slingshot muttered in honest confusion. He furrowed a brow, looking off as he tried to remember what Shuriken could have been referring to.

“You know… The uh… You, Skateboard, Boombox, checking out that new arcade? In… Playground?” Shuriken attempted, breaking into a slightly nervous sweat, paired with a shaky grin. Even Vine Staff fell quiet, her doubts were obvious. And Slingshot? He recalled the event immediately. The moment Shuriken mentioned the arcade, it all clicked. And clicked for the worst…

“I- uh… Y-Yeah-” Slingshot lied. He lied through his teeth. It was so obvious. Shuriken faltered, almost seeming to look at Slingshot in disbelief- it was almost funny.

Almost.

“Riiiiight… You’ll uh… Be fine?” Shuriken checked again, gently nudging Slingshot with his elbow. There was a lump beginning to form in Slingshot’s throat, but he swallowed it down. “Y-Yeah. I’ll be fine… J-Just need coffee…”
“O’course…” Shuriken muttered, looking off with a slight… Annoyance? Slingshot WAS starting to use coffee as a crutch, but he really didn’t think it was… That… Obvious…

“We should get ready for work…” Vine Staff gently prodded, causing the other two to get moving.

Slingshot stood at the counter, letting out a sigh at no customers. They usually made a nice distraction…

At one point, he crossed his arms on the counter and put his head down. It wasn’t like there were any customers to take in his sorry state, anyway…

No… Bad idea…

He was already starting to feel the heaviness again… The heaviness in his eyes, his lungs- he could rest all he wanted, but sleep? Anything unconscious, really… He wouldn’t be able to control it-

Slingshot tried to push himself up- and he did, but why did it take so much effort? He felt his arms trembling as he did so… He leaned on the counter, on his elbows, an improvement, but he still felt dizzy- he looked dizzy.

Staring at the counter so intently, taking in every detail, secretly praying he wouldn’t fall over-

Collapse- he felt like he was gonna collapse-

“Shit- you okay?” Someone- from the other side of the counter, rushed over to him- wait, a customer? Oh god this was so unprofessional, the manager can’t even sit up straight in front of a- Skateboard?

“Hey, hey man. It’s okay, it’s just me,” He chirped with that familiar sheepish grin- oh, that grin… How Slingshot missed that silly sheepish friend of his… His face felt all funny… He must have been smiling, considering Skateboard’s soft snicker. It probably WAS a bit amusing,

Watching someone try so desperately to keep a straight face, to absolutely no avail. “Missed you too, man…” He chirped, pulling Slingshot into a more casual hug. The counter made it a bit tricky, but Slingshot appreciated it nonetheless. He still felt… A little dizzy… But definitely more stable with Skateboard holding onto him.

But then something made Slingshot’s throat choke up-
“Where’s Boombox?-”
“I told him to wait outside.”

Relief was immediate. Slingshot couldn’t help but sigh in it. Skateboard snickered again, Slingshot should have found that worthy of an indignant huff, or some silly revenge plot, but he almost didn’t care. RELIEVED, that Boombox wouldn’t have to see his unfortunate state…

“Yeahhhh… I figured you’d prefer that,” Skateboard chirped with that sheepish grin again. “Anyway, you want a few more minutes, or-”
“N-Nah, I’m okay,” Slingshot quickly cut in, waving his hands back and forth in some kind of fretful sheepishness. This made Skateboard raise a brow, though. “You sure?” Slingshot faltered, but only for a moment. He then nodded, as he walked out from the other side of the counter. Skateboard seemed to hesitate…

But then, he just walked up beside Slingshot…

Not making a fuss…

It was… Kinda nice…

He hesitated further, then timidly held his hand on Slingshot’s shoulder. He cared so much about NOT making Slingshot uncomfortable. It was… Really sweet… Regardless, though… Slingshot leaned into him a bit. It seemed to help, with Skateboard visibly relaxing as he held Slingshot in more of a side hug now.

Skateboard smiled. Slingshot had just noticed it… Slingshot’s face felt… Funny… Again. This time though, he just tried to let it happen. It felt less weird when he did that… A soft smile back. It felt… Natural…

“Hey, Boombox,” Slingshot chirped as the two left Thieves Rest. “Hiya, Slingshot! Been a while, huh?” Boombox chirped back, cheerful as ever. Slingshot always found himself appreciating that. The guy was practically the inphernal equivalent of a ray of sunshine…

And his cheerfulness was often infectious. Wonderful. It’d help with the anxiety… Slingshot already felt himself beginning to relax, his heart beginning to calm, as the three of them began to make their way to the lift that carried inphernals to Playground.

“So… Wait… Why’s Playground a sky island again?” Slingshot couldn’t help but ask offhandedly as the three walked through Crossroads. “I heard from somewhere that Windforce was the cause of it,” Skateboard recalled. Boombox nodded. “Yeah, she always favored Playground the most. Lifted our region up as a ‘gift’? I guess it DOES help keep bad people out… But…”

“Also keeps good people out, too… Or, at least, it makes it a lot harder,” Skateboard muttered, furrowing a brow in clear annoyance. “Hm… I bet it’d impact the culture, too…” Slingshot wondered, partly to himself as they walked. Skateboard nodded, though. He seemed to grow a little nervous there. “Uh, huh… With very few outsiders, even I have to admit it. Playground’s got some pretty bad faction favoritism…”

Boombox also nodded, looking just as weary as Skateboard. “Yup… Them and Blackrock… Neither of them like the other factions, and they both tend to attack those outsiders on sight…” Skateboard couldn’t help but scoff. “Blackrock’s still the WORST, though…”

“Hard to disagree…” Boombox stammered with a nervous grin. Slingshot let out a huff, feeling a smile coming on. Eventually though, the three made it to their destination. The line was short, and it didn’t take long for the trio to reach one of the lifts, stepping inside and sitting down.

Boombox waved his hand dismissively, pulling out some coins and sliding them into the slot to pay for the ride. “Thanks, Boom,” Skateboard chirped. Slingshot nodded. “Yeah, thanks for the ride.” Boombox, in his typical cheery fashion, gave a friendly grin and a thumbs up. “Sure thing!”

The three sat quietly in that ride for the first few minutes. It was hard to keep the conversation going, admittedly. It had been a while, and… Despite the fact that there was never any actual conflict between the friends, it still felt… Awkward…

Slingshot felt himself glancing out the window, beginning to fidget… Nervous… But just as suddenly, there was a soft touch. A soft touch, a firm squeeze against his wrist. It wasn’t too tight, though. Just, a comforting weight…

Slingshot glanced over, subtly, only his eyes moved, down at his hand. Around the wrist held Skateboard’s. He was subtle, too. A glance over at Boombox, and he didn’t even seem to notice. He just looked out the window, also quiet, yet much more peaceful and Slingshot or Skateboard…

Slingshot pulled his hand back a bit- Skateboard immediately let go, almost seeming nervous- awkward? But Slingshot was quick to shut that down, taking Skateboard’s hand in his and holding it. He gave it a familiar squeeze, he hoped it was comforting? Slingshot was kind of new to this thing… But…

Skateboard did soften. Yes… Soft… He seemed ‘softly’ relieved. He had been keeping it quiet and subtle, and he still was. It was nice… There wasn’t a need to bring attention to any of it. They could-... Get through this…

Right?

Slingshot tried to shake away the doubt, holding Skateboard’s hand in his, they shared a quiet comfort. A comfort that came from the mutual respect of the two, and… The silence didn’t feel as awkward.

And then came the destination. Slingshot gave Skateboard’s hand a last squeeze, before letting go. Slingshot felt… That presence again. Sure enough, when he turned, Skateboard was looking at him again. He smiled. He looked appreciative… Huh… Regardless, Slingshot managed a sheepish smile back, silent acknowledgement.

But of course, they couldn’t sit around all day. Boombox stood up, then Skateboard, and then Slingshot. They all stepped outside of the lift, and with that, they began to follow Boombox. “So, where’d you see this place again?” Skateboard wondered as the three walked.

“Oh, yeah, Hover and I were just walking around. He had an unexpected day off, and neither of us had plans. Didn’t actually go in, cause I wanted to go there with you guys first. Us and arcades, kind of our thing, you know… Heh,” Boombox mumbled all of this, very offhandedly, and going down all sorts of side tangents along the way.

But it was kind of charming. And him waiting for the two? That was… Really sweet. “You didn’t have to do that, Boom…” Skateboard responded, echoing Slingshot’s sentiments. “Well, yeah… But come on, you guys are like, the gang. Of course I’d wait,” Boombox chirped, sheepish. He rubbed the back of his head as he said this.

The three stopped before the Arcade, and already, the exterior was… Amazing? It felt like a love letter to all things retro. It had the funky colors, patterns, everything- that was one of the things Slingshot DID like about Playground. It was always about color.

LOTS of color.

“Wow, is it pretty…” Skateboard churred with a satisfied hum, holding his hands on his hips. “I know, right? Stellar!” Boombox agreed, nodding with starry eyes. “Whaddya think, Sling?” Skateboard asked, nudging Slingshot in the arm ever so gently. It pulled him out of his thoughts, blinking and shaking his head, before registering.

“It’s… Really nice…” He mumbled, a bit sheepish, but… Looking up at the place- it was probably pretty obvious he was a fan. He could hear what SOUNDED like an amused sort of huff beside him, but he ignored it, focused on other things. “Well, we should check out the inside,” Boombox chirped, pointing over at the building entrance with his thumb. “Sure! I’m good with whatever,” Skateboard offered with a shrug. Slingshot nodded, following along.

The trio entered the arcade, and… Right off the bat, it was just as gorgeous inside as it was on the outside. It had the necessary arcade carpet, of course, but the walls were covered in retro deco, and it was cluttering in the best way possible. Overwhelming, as a compliment. Chaotic, but wonderfully so-

Oh…

AND there was a crowd…

A bad crowd…

“Yikes… Looks like everybody had the same idea…” Skateboard muttered with a wince. Boombox nodded, suddenly stepping over to the side to get out of the way of a random walker. They didn’t even say anything. “Yeahhh… Guess it DID just open…” Slingshot… Said nothing…

His mind was a little bit… Preoccupied…

‘Don’t get overwhelmed.’
‘Don’t get overwhelmed.’
‘Don’t get overwhelmed.’

“Sling? You good?”

Slingshot looked over suddenly, a bit wide-eyed, but trying really hard to at least LOOK like he wasn’t on the verge of a panic- he dug his shoe into the floor, a small (hopefully subtle) movement. “Y-Yeah?”

There was silence…

“Y-Yeah…”

Even Boombox looked a little nervous, but Skateboard let out a quiet nervous sigh, before switching up immediately. “Well, alright. How we doing this?” Slingshot felt an immediate rush of relief, and even more so when Boombox seemed to pick up on the energy and also move on. “Well, we could look around together, or we could branch off in our own directions…”

Skateboard nodded, putting a hand on his chin, thinking. “There’s a lot of stuff to look at- but… I dunno… Could get lost pretty easily with this crowd…” Boombox pulled out his phone, turning it on and looking at it. “Well, we’ve all got our phones, right? Why don’t we just split up for a little bit and then meet up after a coupla minutes?”

Skateboard raised a brow at the idea, but then something made him falter… Nervous again… “I-... I dunno…” Slingshot walked up closer to the two, partially to get out of another person’s way, and partially for his own security- “I mean, Boombox’s plan makes sense-”

‘You can handle alone time. Don’t be a baby about it…’

“I’m fine with whatever,” Boombox confessed with a shrug. “Sling- are you sure…?” Skateboard had to ask, still nervous- oh. Oh… It was about… Him… Slingshot felt that familiar gut wrench again… He ignored it.

“Yeah, I mean. Then everyone can kinda do their own thing. Not have to worry about different interests,” Slingshot chirped with a sheepish grin- sheepish, because sheepish was better than nervous…

“That’s… True…” Skateboard mumbled, genuinely failing to hide his hesitance. He was so good about subtly, about keeping Slingshot’s… Issues… Under the rug- why was this different? Slingshot felt a brow furrowing… “I mean, what’s there to be worried about?” Boombox mumbled, seeming to pick up on Skateboard’s nervousness.

He froze, his eyes moving up and tracking Slingshot. Skateboard furrowed a brow in turn… Serious…

“Nothing… I guess…”

They all walked off in their own directions- kinda.

Slingshot walked over in one direction. Skateboard and Boombox were- sort of… Going on their own? Though Boombox was starting to feel like there was something else going on. Despite the plan of splitting up, Skateboard walked quite close to his route-

Until suddenly walking up to him and pulling him by the wrist-
“Woah- Skate- What’s-”
“Listen…” Skateboard started, cautious, but… Nervous?

Boombox quieted down, waiting for Skateboard to continue, and after a second or two, Skateboard let go of his wrist. “I-... I’m sorry for the pulling- I… Wasn’t gonna get into it, but I really dunno about-... Geez…” Skateboard starting holding his head by the end, seeming… Stressed out about something. “Hey, Skate. Come on. Just tell me what’s wrong. You know I’m all ears,” Boombox tried his best to reassure. Skateboard seemed to hesitate, but he definitely heard Boombox.

He let out a careful sigh, easing the nerves, so it looked. “Slingshot… He’s been… Going through a lot these past days…” Skateboard began, looking off at the crowd. “Did something happen?” Boombox couldn’t help but ask. Skateboard was… Oddly silent. Eventually; “I don’t think anyone’s fully sure… Shuriken and Vine Staff started telling me about how Slingshot’s been struggling for sleep, but no matter how many times they’ve talked to him, they can never get a straight answer on what it’s about…”

“Gosh…” Boombox also looked to the crowd, feeling a slow-growing guilt starting to build up. Somehow, he’d never noticed that from Slingshot- “And, like, I think he’s getting super depressed, too… I don’t know what’s going on, but he just really lacks confidence nowadays, you know?” Skateboard continued, speaking quickly as his nervousness began to come back…

“And- And now with this I just- I dunno… I don’t want him to get hurt or-”
“Skate.”
Skateboard fell silent at Boombox’s call, but it didn’t stop the anxiety. It was… Foreign… The way his hands trembled a bit… His expression, a broken nervous mess. “You gotta give him a chance…” Boombox added, though with a gentle tone. “I don’t know the whole situation, but… Slingshot seemed pretty sure of himself back there…”

“Besides.” Boombox pulled his phone out again and held it up with a reassuring smile. “As long as we all got our phones on us, we should be fine. Right?” Skateboard hesitated, though then pulled out his own phone, glancing at it nervously, before nodding, and putting it back.

“Right…”

Boombox let out a quiet sigh, and pulled Skateboard into a side hug, taking him by surprise and causing him to let out a sheepish snicker. “Hey, I was gonna look around and see if they got some of the classics. You wanna come along?” Boombox offered, giving Skateboard’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Y-Yeah, actually. That sounds really fun. Thanks, man,” Skateboard chirped with a soft smile.

Boombox couldn’t help but soften in response, nodding, before beginning to walk. Skateboard was walking right with him. The two were silent- until;
“Thanks, by the way. For uh… The reassurance…”
“Sure thing, Skate…”

Slingshot was walking around for a little bit- but at one point, he began to linger. Leaning against one of the walls of the gift shop, standing near some claw machines, Slingshot stood… Nervous… He fidgeted with his hands as he was already beginning to break into a nervous frantic sweat.

On one hand, being alone meant he could afford to look like he was spiraling, without setting off someone’s alarm bells. He didn’t have to waste the energy trying to look ‘okay’. On the other hand- holy shit, he was alone, in a giant arcade, with SOOOOOO many people-

Too many people-

Seriously, WHY were there SO MANY PEOPLE?!

Slingshot’s eyes darted around, quick, panicked, taking in the surroundings- what was this? What was so great about-... Slingshot’s eyes focused on… Some sign… With purple and yellow wording- honestly the color clash was kind of abysmal. Everyone knows yellow and white are too closely colored to stand out well-

Oh. Flipside…

Some kind of event? That would explain the crowd being THIS bad. It was… It was hectic, even for a new opening…

Did…
Did Skateboard and Boombox know about this?

It didn’t seem like they did. Neither mentioned it-

Well, this was… Just a good excuse to get back into the swing of things. Slingshot wasn’t ALWAYS a mess- maybe he just…. Had to get used to it?

Slingshot tried to shake himself out of these thoughts as he pulled out his phone. As long as he had that with him, he was okay. He was safe… He could just… Text…

Skateboard already knew Slingshot’s problems. He wouldn’t even have to get Boombox involved- it was perfect. Slingshot took in a deep breath, before looking forward again.

‘Okay Slingshot. You’re at an arcade. What do you like to do at arcades?’-...

It’s been so long since Slingshot was at an arcade…

With Thieves Rest booming, there wasn’t much time for arcades…

…

So what was the big deal? Now was the chance…

Slingshot pushed off from the wall and began to walk-
Sudden sharp pain… Sharp, knife-slice pain… In his side, again… Slingshot couldn’t help but stop and hold himself. It was… Abrupt… A stop so sharp, his friends would have surely noticed-

‘Well they aren’t here… Isn’t that just lovely?’

Yes…

Yes it was…

Slingshot took in a cautious breath, before taking a step- it hurt. It hurt so bad… But he tried his best to keep walking despite the agony- pain, pain, pain-

And then it became dull. A dull pain was better than a sharp one, and eventually, Slingshot was okay-

…

…Okay?

The definition was starting to get fuzzy-

“OH MI GOSH- IS THAT FLIPSIDE?!”

Slingshot took in a sharp breath, his eyes widening and pupils constricting as a swarm of inphernals rushed forward. Slingshot quickly rushed forward, just barely dodging the crowd, and whipping around as he rushed, pressing his back to the wall closest to him-

Raw fear…

That’s what it was-

His heart beat still quickened, but it did so as he realized how… How silly… It was…

Silly… To be afraid of ordinary people-
Were they really ordinary? More like die-hard fans of a pop idol group to the point that they MUST call out and start a commotion at the rare chance of-

Stop…
Slingshot snapped his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and then opened them again. He felt… Slightly calmer? Not much, but it was progress, even if little.

Slingshot pulled out his phone. So what if he was a wuss. He knew this was his line. He needed to meet up now. It was early, and Slingshot knew Skateboard would know immediately, but at this point, he was going into survival mode. He pulled out his phone, and texted a quick ‘wya’.

Silence… Static began to grow in Slingshot’s mind. The thoughts began to wander back to the land of fear. ‘What if their phones died?’ ‘I should have asked them what their batteries were-’ ‘Am I stupid? Did that even send-’ ‘It had to have- right? Right?!’-

“Racing games”
“U ok?”
Relief- but only at the response. It only SLIGHTLY dampened the anxiety- someone had their phone alive, there was still hope- Was he okay? God no he wasn’t-

Slingshot forced himself to take another breath, though. A nice, deep, hopefully somewhat calm one. There was no reason to let Skateboard know COMPLETELY how much of a wreck he was right now. Slingshot could be calm.

Slingshot thought for a moment, before beginning to type-
Someone bumped into him.

He jumped- he fumbled, he didn’t expect it- he was as far as he could be from the swarm, how did he-
His phone-
It clacked against the ground, Slingshot’s breath got caught in his throat, he choked, as he was about to grab it- someone almost pushed him over, another person, the swarm… Their foot kicked his phone deeper into the thick of the swarm-

Slingshot turned around. The person kept running, seeming completely oblivious to Slingshot’s existence-

He was alone-

Crack…

Slingshot turned around again-
He knew.
He knew what that sound meant.

“Uhhh… Slingshot just stopped typing…” Skateboard muttered, a slight bit of that familiar worry seeping in again. Skateboard was good at keeping his head, he and Boombox both knew that, but… This whole Slingshot thing had him tense… For-... Understandable reasons…

Nonetheless,
“Maybe he’s just thinking it over. You know how he is. Gotta rewrite a text five times till it’s perfect,” Boombox chirped with a slight chuckle. Skateboard faltered, before sighing. “R-Right. Yeah. You’re probably right…”
He looked up at Boombox, who was eying a few of the games down the aisle, before feeling Skateboard’s look and turning. Skateboard smiled slightly, looking… Relieved? Aw… Poor guy- “Th-Thanks, Boom…”

Boombox let out a soft chuckle, before nodding. “Sure thing, man. Just remember, it’s not always the worst outcome.” Skateboard nodded. “Yeah. Real words, man,” Skateboard chirped, also chuckling as the two walked.

Five minutes go by-

“S-So you know how uh… You said ‘it’s not always the worst outcome’?” Skateboard checked with- a NERVOUS smile… Boombox faltered, also beginning to feel nervous as he nodded. “I think this might be the worst outcome-” Skateboard continued, breaking into a very nervous sweat. Boombox hesitated, stopping to think…

“Skateboard?”
“Yeah?”
…
“Call him.”

Slingshot swallowed, but it didn’t rid his throat of the lump that began to form. His phone… Screen black, cracked. Slingshot was already beginning to spiral, his heartbeat racing, his hands clamming up, his body breaking into horrible uncontrollable tremors, fear.

Fear flooded through his systems- he tried to shake himself out of it. It hardly worked. He leaned back slightly, reaching his leg forward, his foot, trying to reach the phone- there- he dragged his phone closer to where he was- and he had it. He bent down to grab it fast, before pressing so hard against the wall it was starting to hurt-

The moment he got it, he tapped on the screen so profusely, unabashedly frantic because he did not have TIME to be bashful about it. Nothing worked. He pressed down on the power button so many times the button left an imprint on his finger- hurt- more hurt.

Dull hurt, not enough to really notice in the fear of the moment, but the red mark looked ugly-

He was stuck- he was lost- he was alone.

“This service is not available.”
“Shit. Shit shit shit- Boombox, we gotta-”
“Breathe.”
Skateboard faltered, eyes wide. He felt… Frustrated. Confused. What the hell did Boombox mean by-
“If you’re an anxious mess, you won’t think straight… And also that would be really bad. For many other reasons…” Boombox tried to reason, breaking into a slightly nervous sweat. Skateboard almost wanted to argue, but he thought for two more seconds before it clicked.

He let out a shaky breath.

“His phone is off… What do we do?”

“We DON’T split up…” Boombox muttered, pulling Skateboard close and eying the crowd cautiously. “Wh- Wouldn’t that make it go faster?” Skateboard guessed, still a bit confused. “Maybe, but also faster to lose each other, too… Who knows what happened to Slingshot’s phone. But if that happened to yours too…”

“Cut off…” Skateboard realized, and Boombox nodded. “Okay, so… That still leaves the question of what we SHOULD do…” Skateboard pointed out. Boombox furrowed a brow, looking around again.

“How mad do you think Slingshot would be if we got help from the staff?” Boombox wondered a bit sheepishly. Skateboard let out a nervous chuckle. “Pretty mad.” Boombox sighed a bit tiredly. “How bad do you think this situation might be?” Skateboard now paused, thinking, before wincing with a nervous grin. “Pretty bad…” He sort of echoed, but with much more exasperation.

Boombox looked over again, sympathetic, but pulling Skateboard gently by the wrist as they approached one of the guards to ask for help.

Slingshot slid down-
His (sort of) steady breathing, gone.
His (sort of) steady composure, gone.
His (barely strung) sanity, gone.

He was in too deep-
Stuck. He was stuck as he slowly sank to the bottom of the sea… Dark… Terrifying… Filled with who knows what-

He began to panic, it was too fast, everything was too fast, too loud, not enough air- it was too much but not enough and he couldn’t stop shivering- oh for the love of god would you just STOP SHIVERING-
It was pathetic, it was stupid, it was akin to a child throwing a tantrum, minus all the anger, only all the remorse, the angst, the tragedy, all of the worst things but anger wasn’t anger, it was self hatred, it was a sappy form of frustration, exasperated frustration in himself for being such a damn baby, all the while he was panicking and people- too many people-

The pain in his side came back, sharper than every- he wanted to cry- was he crying? Somehow it didn’t feel like it was enough- it didn’t feel like anything- just his eyes flooding without his permission- he wasn’t crying- he was just- falling apart… Falling apart at the seams with-

No one there to stop it…

Was that good?

Part of him felt like this was what he wanted. To have this happen when his friends WEREN’T there…

But part of him- despite hating the pity… Did like having someone to hug. Someone to get comforted by, someone to tell him that everything would be okay, as long as he could put in the tiniest effort of recovery-

He could tell himself that-

He… Could have… Told himself that…

Maybe it was a skill he has yet to master…

Strangely enough, he felt his heart beat beginning to slow- but his chest… It hurt so bad… Felt like an ache in his lungs- because of his breathing…

He had stopped breathing-

It felt… Difficult…

Like learning to swim, all over again…

He couldn’t get himself to do it-
He couldn’t breathe…

“We found him- he’s in Quadrant 6!” Came a voice from one of the staff members’ walkie talkies who stood nearby. “Quadrant 6?” Skateboard echoed, a bit quieter, looking around. “Go straight in that direction. It’s that corner over there,” instructed the security guy.

Skateboard and Boombox both nodded, firm and serious as the two began to rush over as quickly as they could. The security guard left behind perked as the radio cut in again. “Make sure they get here fast. That guy ain’t lookin so good…” That made the man feel a wave of dread.

He raised the radio to his mouth as he spoke.
“Trust me. They’re a hurryin…”

Skateboard and Boombox struggled at first, now standing in the quadrant supposedly, as the two walked around, trying to find their friend. “He’ll probably be trying to stay far from the crowd. As far as possible,” Skateboard guessed as the two looked around frantically. “Soooo… Walls?” Boombox commented.

Skateboard nodded. The two quickly rushed over, walking down the back wall until- there…

Slingshot held himself, shaking, nails digging into his sleeves as he cried, looking down with watery eyes, visibly spiralling… The two worried friends walked over, and as they got closer to Slingshot and further from the crowd, there was a mumbling they began to hear-

Mumbles of failing reassurances-
“They didn’t leave you-”
“Th-they wouldn’t l-leave you-”
“Th-they-...” His eyes snapped shut as tears continued to flow. He looked so-... So scared…
“They wouldn’t do that…” He whispered to himself, a desperate plea to convince his mind-

But his mind was already convinced, and not of the truth.

Skateboard sat down next to him, Boombox on his other side, both nervous- not knowing what to say- “He isn’t breathing-...” Boombox realized, a whisper-

Slingshot didn’t hear it.

“I-... I don’t wanna startle him more- but-” Skateboard faltered, both were unsure what to do- this was a new experience- Slingshot… He didn’t HEAR them… He wasn’t- He wasn’t THERE- But seeing him break down like this, crying, hurting so so bad… It was… So bad…

Boombox reached a hesitant hand. It hovered over Slingshot’s shoulder- he didn’t know. Neither of them knew… This wasn’t… Neither of them knew what they were doing here, and-

Boombox placed his hand on Slingshot’s shoulder, gentle, slow- that didn’t change the fact that Slingshot jumped immediately, eyes widening in panic, causing Boombox to also jump in slight worry, pulling his hand back and immediately rushing into stammered apologies.

Skateboard broke into a nervous panicked sweat, his heart beating as Slingshot held himself tighter, looking between the two- he-... Was registering?

Slowly but surely… The grip on his sleeves loosened, as he looked between a very concerned Boombox and Skateboard, registering… He was registering them… Registering what was happening-

“He’s still not breathing-” Boombox realized in a whisper. “S-Sling, w-would contact upset you?” Skateboard stammered, offering his hands up in a sort of surrender- peace. Peace offering-

Slingshot faltered, before opening his mouth to speak-

He broke into a coughing fit…

He forgot how much swallowing air could dry up your throat… “D-Don’t waste your breath- just… Just nod or shake your head, okay?” Boombox cut in, worriedly. Slingshot took in a careful shaky breath, trying to recover- it felt like if he breathed in too fast, he’d break into a coughing fit all over again…

Nervously, shakily, he shook his head. He couldn’t-... He couldn’t afford to guard himself anymore… Even Slingshot knew when he couldn’t… Handle it… Anymore…

Boombox and Skateboard exchanged glances, it was… Hard to read… Slingshot was already feeling his vision darken, the static was growing louder- he shut his eyes as a throb in his head began. A painful throb…

Suddenly, he felt a warmth- he knew what it was. He hugged them back as relief already began to seep in… Slingshot felt his breathing begin to slow down and steady. His heartbeat calmed, his eyes were still snapped shut, but he hugged his friends tightly, and they hugged him back-

Everything was gonna be okay…

He could tell…

Chapter Text

Slingshot still shivered, the lingering anxiety clinging onto him like he just walked out from the deep blue sea-

Though, not once did his friends truly address it. Not once did they point it out, did they get all worry-wart, or start babying him for it.

No, what they did instead, was help him up onto his two feet, pull his arms over their shoulders, and help him stumble out of that place as quickly as possible-

And despite the blazing heat, Slingshot felt immediate relief when he was greeted to a lower-volume environment. The open streets hummed, but it was NOTHING compared to the yells and screams and laughs of… Of that place… The arcade that loomed behind him.

He let out a shaky breath, the trembling already beginning to fade… “You okay?” Oh no, here comes the worry… Slingshot looked over wearily as he heard Skateboard’s voice- and the sheer exhaustion that was already replacing the original fear made it hard for him to perform at the moment- maybe that made things worse…

The trio all stopped, standing before the arcade entrance. Slingshot wanted to speak, he really did- but he felt… Heavy again… That faintness in him, it didn’t quite leave… Though he wasn’t entirely sure why. Skateboard’s expression shifted. Of course it did. Skateboard looked over to Boombox, and the two seemed to-... Talk…

They spoke without tongues…

Before Slingshot knew what was happening, Boombox let go of Slingshot, and Skateboard pulled Slingshot into a hug, keeping him up and steady. Slingshot didn’t even really process it fully, but he was already starting to feel that same feeling he felt back at the cafe.

The heavy drowsiness that started taking over…

He was trying really hard to stay alert- at least present, but the numb feeling was already settling in-

Skateboard and Boombox, they were talking- their voices sounded… Fuzzy… There was a strange static sound starting to form- it made Slingshot’s head spin… He felt dizzy- “Sling-” That word managed to get through… That name. He felt Skateboard hold him a little tighter, he could feel anxiety radiating off his friend, but for the life of him he couldn’t- the pain. The pain came back, a sharp stab in his side as he let out a muffled hiss against Skateboard’s shoulder as he felt himself starting to hold on for dear life-

He hoped he wasn’t hurting his friend too much… No grip or cling felt like it would stop him from falling- maybe it was in his head. He felt like he was gonna fall over, but that didn’t make sense, did it? Skateboard- he was holding onto him so tightly… There was no way he was falling over… Right? Didn’t stop the vertigo…

The fuzzy words…
They became clearer when they became louder.

Still… It was bits and pieces to Slingshot, who felt himself slowly shutting down- it didn’t feel slow…

“B-Boombox- I don’t know what to do-”
“J-st. H-ld -n…”
“I-... I th-nk h-’s -n -ain.”
“-h g-sh…”

Slingshot felt another sharp stab of that agony… That misery… It made him want to keel over… Hard to do when he was being held so closely- but part of him was relieved by being held onto like that… His friend was likely the only reason Slingshot hadn’t fallen over and split his head open yet-

Now it was a fresh wave of nausea…

The speaking stopped- or maybe it just got fuzzy again, muffled, as Slingshot felt himself getting shifted around- carried-... Like a child… Slingshot already felt his face flushing red as he squirmed slightly- fruitlessly really…-

“Sling- stop- I’m just-”
The grip got tighter.
“Look, we don’t have to make it weird, okay? Can you even walk right now?” Skateboard’s- fuzzy… Fuzzy silhouette… Seemed to ask him…? Slingshot felt his movement stilling again. Admittedly, he didn’t think he COULD move much, if at all… His silence might have been telling… “Yeah… That’s what I thought…” Skateboard seemed to mutter… Slingshot couldn’t really figure out his expression- his vision was too fuzzy…

But he sounded annoyed…

And Slingshot felt… A little guilty for it…
Because of that, Slingshot stayed quiet. He tried his best to push past the part of his mind that screamed to keep fighting, to get set back down so he could walk by himself like the 22 year old adult he was…

It was hard… And the slight jostling made the nausea feel a bit worse- but maybe Skateboard sensed that, as Slingshot began to notice the jostling lessening a lot, and the pacing slowing as his friend seemed to try his hardest to walk steady… For Slingshot’s sake…

Things began to unfuzzy, as Slingshot was given a chance to recover slightly. To focus less on trying to stay up steady and more on breathing, and just… Staying awake… The edges of things still looked… Not right… But the static sounds were fading into the background more and more.

“How much longer is it?” Skateboard asked nervously, glancing over to- Boombox… Right… He was there too-

“Not much further. It’s that building right there,” Boombox said, still walking but pointing to an orange building with a sign that Slingshot couldn’t read. “Should we- go into there?” Skateboard asked, sounding… Nervous… Though as Slingshot began to think about it, he felt his heartbeat quicken. He understood Skateboard’s logic about being unable to walk, but the idea of getting carried around and looking as pathetic as he did at the momen-

“You and Sling should probably stay outside… If we can find a shady area it should be fine.”

Slingshot felt immediate relief, and he even heard a bit of it from Skateboard, with that quiet sigh. “You’re gonna be okay,” Skateboard reassured with a soft grin, holding Slingshot a little closer to his chest and looking down at him. Somehow… For some reason… Slingshot trusted it.

Boombox and Skateboard split off at one point, with Boombox waving a quick goodbye, before walking into the orange building in question. Skateboard, on the other hand, continued to walk. Around the side of the building stood a black metal fenced area, with a bunch of tables and chairs. There was a gate, though, and Skateboard stopped before it. Skateboard seemed to try pushing open the gate with his foot, and it actually worked. He let out a quiet huff, before pushing the gate open the rest of the way with his hip, and stepping through.

Pretty much the entire outdoor seating area was empty, and as the two looked around, there was a table with four chairs, all in the shade of a large tree that was planted on the outer rim of the fence. Skateboard began to make his way toward it, and stopped when he got close enough. “Alright, you’re gonna have to trust me on this, okay?” He asked, glancing down at Slingshot with what looked like a bit of nervousness…

Slingshot felt himself falter, looking around a bit, but nothing really clued him in on what Skateboard meant by it. “Okay…?” He managed- his voice was kind of croaky… “Kay, just… Hold on, alright?” Skateboard muttered as he readjusted his arms a bit. Slingshot stayed quiet, letting Skateboard do whatever it was he was trying to do-

“Oh-... Uh… I mean ACTUALLY hold on…”
“O-Oh…” Slingshot chirped, suddenly feeling a sheepish grin as he timidly wrapped his arms over Skateboard’s shoulders, trying to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally choke the guy. Skateboard let out a quiet chuckle as he responded like that, before letting go of Slingshot’s legs- for a split second, he thought he would fall- andddd he just forgot to trust Skateboard, who quickly held onto him with both arms, pulling him into a hug to keep him steady again, catching him before his stumble could turn into a fall…

Of course Skateboard wouldn’t let him fall- “I told you to trust me,” He teased with a snicker. “Oh, shush…” Slingshot muttered, rolling his eyes with a slight grin. Skateboard glanced over, before looking back at Slingshot. “Alright, uh… Just watch your feet, okay?” He suggested, the two looking down at the ground. Skateboard stepped his left foot back, and Slingshot started getting the gist, stepping forward with his right foot.

The two took it slow and careful, till they got to one of the chairs. Skateboard stopped and nudged it over with his foot, getting it to face away from the table. He helped turn Slingshot around and helped him ease back into the chair, where Slingshot couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. “See? I told ya you’re gonna be okay…” Skateboard chirped with a soft grin. Slingshot felt a smile coming on, letting out another held breath.

“Y-Yeah… I know… Thanks…” Skateboard gave a nod, before stepping back and pulling one of the chairs over, then sitting down in it himself. The two were silent for a moment… Until they weren’t. “So… What was that about?” Skateboard just HAD to ask… Slingshot already felt a nervousness settling in again, as he sat up ever so slightly- he hoped it was subtle-

“Sling- I just… Wanna know what’s going on, okay?” Skateboard quickly stammered, seeming to grow just as nervous… That didn’t stop the tremble. “It’s- hard to- I don’t-... I don’t know…” Slingshot lied, looking off, holding himself, he didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t even sure he knew half of what went on with him… He wasn’t sure he knew half of why these things happened.

“You… Sounded like you were hurting a bit ago…” Skateboard mumbled, worried. He looked so worried… “It… Did hurt…” Slingshot stammered-

‘Stop talking.’
‘Stop talking.’
‘Stop talking.’

“What… Kind of hurt?”
“I don’t… Know…”

Skateboard faltered, looking off, thinking… Slingshot fidgeted with his hands, taking in shaky breaths. “You don’t know… What kind? Like… It didn’t feel like anything you’ve dealt with before?” Skateboard asked, a bit hesitant- doubtful. He didn’t believe him… “I’ve- had it happen before…” Slingshot confessed sheepishly- nervously…

‘Shut up.’
‘Shut up.’
‘Shut up.’

Skateboard looked at him, a bit stunned silent. Had he not expected that as an answer?- “But I n-never figured out what it was from- n-not really…” Slingshot quickly stammered. His hands fidgeted again- he began to dig his nails into the back of his hand- it hurt, but… It felt better than the pain in his stomach that was starting to come back… Anxious twisting kind of pain…

“It just… Kinda happened?” Slingshot fell silent at Skateboard’s words. He looked off- he couldn’t… He couldn’t look… To try to tell the truth… It still sounded stupid… It sounded like a lie… “Y-... Yeah…” He whispered- he didn’t mean to whisper… The trembling worsened. He felt that bad feeling in his gut. That familiar tensing, holding himself, expecting that horrible thing to happen again…

He looked down at the ground taking in a shaky breath.

“Sling- you… You okay?”

Skateboard’s voice barely registered… Slingshot snapped his eyes shut- he dug his nails into his arms. No amount of pain would- it happened… That sharp agony came back, clawing at his side- he took in a sharp breath- he could see in the corner of his vision… Skateboard caught it immediately- there was no way he missed it, with how he paled immediately, recognizing the signs…

The oh so familiar signs…

Slingshot felt his breathing going shaky…
He held himself tight, he tried to breathe carefully- none of it helped. There was a whimpery lace to his breaths as he tried to cover up the pain but failed miserably-
“Slingshot- h-hold on- just-” In a blink of an eye, Skateboard was beside him. He was so scared… So unsure… The guilt in Slingshot’s stomach worsened- god he was gonna be sick- Skateboard pulled him close, helped him ease up- he fell into him immediately. Slingshot’s legs were giving out and he couldn’t stand for the life of him.

And yet, Skateboard refused to let him fall. Skateboard held him tight, despite the fear. “Wh-Where’s it hurt?” Slingshot looked down at his side again, digging his nails in again, he couldn’t speak- his throat was getting all choked up and his eyes were already starting to water. “Shhh… Shh… It’s okay…” Skateboard eased, his voice soft… Quiet… He rubbed at Slingshot’s aching shoulder, Slingshot’s breaths were still whimpery, but there was a slightly lessened shakiness to each one…

Skateboard carefully pulled Slingshot back with him, holding him against him as the two sat down. Skateboard wouldn’t let him go… It was kind of nice… Skateboard turned him a little… Slingshot managed to let go of himself, holding tightly to his friend, resting his head against Skateboard’s shoulder… He felt the guy’s hand hover over the area he was holding. His side- the source of the pain. “I-It’s okay…” Slingshot managed to stammer.

Skateboard took in a nervous shaky breath, before carefully resting his hand there. Slingshot shivered slightly, still struggling to hold back the agony… The way Skateboard softened, like his heart was breaking in two… He could probably tell… Skateboard seemed to hesitate further, trailing his hand down, till it was at the hem of Slingshot’s shirt. He faltered again, glancing at Slingshot.

“I-Is it okay if I-”
“Y-Yeah…”

Slingshot hugged him a little tighter as another wave of pain ran through him. Skateboard, his movements all slow and gentle, careful, held Slingshot a little closer and began to pull up the hem of his shirt. “W-Wait… There’s… N-nothing there-…” He mumbled- the confusion- the concern in his voice… The lack of a physical injury…

Slingshot couldn’t help but hide his face against Skateboard’s shoulder, his breathing getting shakier-

It would have been so much easier, wouldn’t it? Just a cut… A bruise, some kind of straight forward, logical answer to the problem… “Sling- what did-... How-”
“I don’t… Know…” Slingshot answered quietly, hugging Skateboard tighter. Skateboard froze- he seemed… Unsure of what to say… But then a second or two later, Slingshot felt him hug back… Just a little bit firmer…

“That… Really worries me, you know?”

Slingshot was silent for a moment, thinking about his words, before… “Yeah… You’ve been making that pretty obvious…” There was more silence. But then, he heard a slight chuckle. Slingshot couldn’t help but let out a sigh as he began to feel gentle hands rubbing at his back. “Y-Yeah… I guess I kinda suck at hiding that stuff, huh?”

“Mhm,” Slingshot hummed back, even with a slight smile of his own. There was more silence, though… “But s-seriously… I didn’t see, like… A mark or anything…” Skateboard confessed, his voice still weary. Slingshot was about to respond- until there was more pain…

Worse pain…

The worst pain…

He couldn’t even hide the yelp, and he felt Skateboard tense immediately, holding him tight in seconds- Slingshot’s eyes were already starting to water- and apparently, absentmindedly, began to tighten his grip on Skateboard’s shoulders, because- “Ow- ow, ow… Sling… Nails…” Skateboard stammered with a slight wince. Slingshot almost didn’t hear it- Skateboard had been mumbling it…

But when he did… “S-Sorry- I- I’m sorry-.” Slingshot let out another cry as he felt his nails dig in again- “It’s- It’s okay-” Skateboard stammered, pulling him close. Fake… He stammered that through the pain. He was horrible at faking it… “L-Look- I can… I can take it. If- If it makes the pain hurt less, I can… Take it.. Okay?” Skateboard mumbled rubbing at Slingshot’s back again-

His hands trembled as he did so…

“N-No… N-Not okay…” Slingshot stammered, his voice choking up. “S-Skateboard that’s not… Okay…” Why did part of him- the selfish side of him… Want to keep going, then? It wasn’t… That bad- it didn’t feel that bad… At first… Before he realized it was causing the other pain…

More like scratching a bed, or… A table… Or… Some other thing that didn’t have thoughts and feelings… But the moment he realized he caused misery… “Sling…” The voice pulled him from his thoughts. “It’s-... It’s alright…” He heard Skateboard mumble, quiet, strained…

Slingshot just let out another shaky breath- a held breath… He needed to stop doing that… He had gotten himself to stop, despite the pain… But he was just waiting for his resolve to snap… It felt close to breaking at any point… Maybe Skateboard could tell…

“I-... I’m so sorry…” Skateboard whispered, continuing to run a hand up and down Slingshot’s back… Why-... Why was he sorry? That-... Didn’t make any sense… If anyone should have been apologizing, it was Slingshot… He had been an emotional mess from the start of this day to now, and…

He was just… A constant living burden…

He closed his eyes, letting out another held breath…

He felt Skateboard’s hand falter.

Slingshot’s mind wandered back to that snowy place… That bus stop… Alone… Freezing… But burdening no one but himself… It sounded miserable… But wonderful…

How could something be both wonderful but miserable?

How was that even-

“Slingshot… You’re… Breathing, right?”

Slingshot opened his eyes, torn from his daydream…?
He glanced over to Skateboard, the two’s eyes locking for a moment. Slingshot let out another held breath, looking away. Skateboard continued to rub at Slingshot’s back, and Slingshot had to force himself to actually breathe again… He felt himself sagging against Skateboard slightly, growing heavy again… It was harder to sit up…

Yet Skateboard hardly seemed to mind…

Another wave of pain… It was relentless… Slingshot already found himself falling into that old habit as he heard Skateboard’s breaths get shaky- shaky because of pain Slingshot caused… It hurt worse to pull his nails off, to force himself to stop- he managed it…

“Sl-Sling I said it’s okay-”
“B-But it’s not… I shouldn’t-... I can’t just-...” Slingshot’s head was getting dizzy, his vision was starting to darken- he couldn’t tell if it was over the pain or the distress, but Skateboard seemed to realize this too. There was… A sort of panic… Slingshot could feel the poor guy getting shaky over it. “S-Slingshot, stay with me, okay?”

“M-Mhm…”

“N-No- I-... I’m serious, man. Don’t you dare pass out on me, okay??” Skateboard cut in, almost snappy, if it weren’t for the complete unabashed worry in his tone. Slingshot let out another shaky breath, strained beyond normal. “I can handle it, okay? I promise I-... I wouldn’t lie to you-... I would NEVER lie to you…” Skateboard stammered, hugging Slingshot so tight- it was almost too much… Slingshot let out another shaky breath, his brain already foggy…

He shouldn’t…
He couldn’t…

Slingshot shuddered, the pain causing a quiet whimper… Slingshot felt a hand squeeze his shoulder slightly, an attempt to comfort… But then a particularly bad crash of pain had to ruin it… Took it too far, as Slingshot felt that similar urge-
‘He said it was okay… So… It was okay, right?’
‘It wasn’t like you were just-’...
Using him like a goddamn scratching post…
…

Slingshot let out a shaky breath.
And then…
He listened…

The nails began to dig in, and he just had to hope and pray that Skateboard was being honest about his promise because this felt like all types of wrong…

And yet-... Skateboard did seem to handle it? His breathing got shaky, understandably, and he even trembled a bit… But he just kept holding onto Slingshot, and he didn’t draw any attention to it. And each time he seemed to ‘handle’ it, Slingshot’s nails dug in a little deeper, testing the waters… The pain wasn’t at the uncontrollable level, thankfully.

But still, the pain seemed to be slowly piling, each wave leading to a higher and higher threshold. A worse and worse kind of agony… Shaky hands still rubbed at Slingshot’s back, Skateboard’s attempt to comfort… It was nice… Though it felt undeserved…

All of the horrible things Slingshot had done…
The nails went deeper…
All of the burdens he had been putting on… Everyone…
Deeper still…
All of the agony he FORCED onto these people-
Knives slicing into flesh…

Why did they care-
Skateboard’s heartbeat… It was going faster than normal, his breaths, shakier… Too shaky… Slingshot had found the poor guy’s limit and now he was daring to push it further… What kind of monster would-
‘Just let go…’

He faltered, this thought lingering in his mind.

He nervously unlatched his claws- nails… He pulled them back, and whether Skateboard wanted to confess to it or not, his relief seemed immediate. “Y-... You said you wouldn’t lie…” Slingshot whispered, his voice shaky.

Slingshot didn’t hear an immediate response. Skateboard’s hands had gone still… Slingshot almost didn’t notice… “I-... I hurt you too much… W-Why didn’t you… Why didn’t you st-stop me?” Slingshot stammered, already feeling his heart begin to hurt, his eyes already starting to well up in tears. “S-Sling… It wasn't that-”
“Stop… Lying to me…” Slingshot practically pleaded, snapping his eyes shut as more pain… So much pain…
“I’m sorry-... I… I’m sorry, Sling… I w-wasn’t lying, okay? I… I would have told you if it was-”
“You were hurting…” Slingshot snapped slightly, pushing Skateboard back against the chair, frustrated. “...Intolerable…” Skateboard finished in a whisper. Slingshot faltered, his eyes going wide with realization.

Skateboard… He was… He was just putting up with it until…
He couldn’t bear it anymore…

Slingshot didn’t know what that point was, and…
He had a feeling Skateboard didn’t either…

Slingshot hesitated, looking between Skateboard, and looking away… He was caught speechless…

This was… Destructive…
This was horribly destructive…
For both of them…

Slingshot took in a shaky breath, before pushing away, stumbling onto his own two feet. His legs were shaky- he would have to get over it… “S-Slingshot, where are you-” Skateboard stood up, immediately nervous…

Scared…

Slingshot scared him…

Somehow, he was only now remembering this…

Remembering the impact of his existence on others…

Fear…

Slingshot took a nervous step back.

Pain… He should have expected it. He felt himself sway slightly as his breath hitched- falling- he was gonna fall-

Someone caught him- Skateboard, of course. He eased him down, down onto his knees, onto the ground… “Please breathe…” Slingshot struggled at first, his breaths coming in fast and short, shaky, unstable, going between not breathing, and swallowing air- but then he felt Skateboard’s hand rubbing at his shoulder, and Slingshot had to force himself to slow down…

But it got easier…

Slingshot opened his eyes, looked over and… Noticed Skateboard was looking at his side again…
“Slingshot?”
“Wh-What…”
“When was… The last time you ate?”

Slingshot fell silent.
He fell still.
Strangely… That question disturbed him.

Strangely, it made his stomach tie in knots…

“I don’t… Remember?”

He caught Skateboard furrowing a brow slightly, but then he simply asked; “Genuinely?” Slingshot faltered, before nodding. Why was he so nervous about this? It didn’t help him look the least bit trustworthy, that was for sure… “You… Genuinely don’t remember…” Skateboard had to check, even his voice in slight disbelief.

Slingshot looked off, already feeling his face flush red… “Y-Yeah…” Skateboard faltered, the nervousness settling in on his face again… He reached his hand over again… Hovering over Slingshot’s side, again… The constant source of this… Agony… He let out a nervous sigh, before finally resting his hand there. He rubbed his thumb into Slingshot’s side, the motion ever so gentle… Slingshot let out a weary sigh, leaning into Skateboard slightly. “You think it might be cramps?” Skateboard’s question…

It took Slingshot by slight surprise.

“Cramps…?”

“Yeah, you know… Like… From not eating enough?”

There was a sense of dread already seeping in.
It was almost instantaneous to Slingshot…

And no doubt his silence was making Skateboard just as concerned. He heard Skateboard shifting a bit, before pulling his phone out of his pocket and typing something, possibly to Boombox… Though that made a question pop up in Slingshot’s mind… One that… Felt so casual that it was almost silly to ask it when the two were so nervous.

Regardless, call Slingshot curious as a cat…
“Why here?”
Skateboard looked over, raising a brow slightly.
“S-Sorry…” Slingshot stammered, looking off. “Why… Did you guys specifically walk to this place…”
Skateboard had a guilty look. Great start… “Boombox had… A hunch…” He answered carefully, before glancing back at his phone. “A hunch?” Slingshot echoed.

Skateboard paused, before letting out a weary sigh.
“Well… Kind of… We were both kinda hoping it WASN’T about that… But… he also figured food would be a good idea for you, after all of that… You know what…”

Slingshot blinked in surprise, before glancing over at the orange building again- oh…

Jorrts Food…

It sounded… Familiar…

“Yeahhhh… Honestly, he was supposed to be bringing something out by now, and part of me is kinda wondering if he’s like- okay?” Skateboard stammered a bit sheepish. Almost as if on cue, Skateboard’s phone buzzed, and he and Slingshot exchanged surprised glances, before looking at it. “Sorry this is so late… The line was AWFUL :(“

“Huh… Well… That explains it,” Skateboard chirped, still sheepish, but grinning slightly. “That message was supposed to send 5 minutes ago… What the frick man” Boombox also texted, causing both Slingshot and Skateboard to snicker slightly. “Was the wifi that bad?” Skateboard texted, and before they got a response, the front door of Jorrts swung open-

And Boombox walked out with three drinks barely held in one arm and a bag held with the other- poor guy… “Uh- okay, I should probably give him a hand,” Skateboard chirped with a chuckle, before wrapping his arms around Slingshot and helping him up.

“W-Wait- Skate, what about-”
“Look…” Skateboard started with a nervous breath, cutting Slingshot off. “We can… Talk about it… But… Let’s do it later, okay? You’re stressed, I’m stressed, and… For all I know, you might not have even had breakfast, okay?”

Slingshot couldn’t help but furrow a brow slightly-
“But we WILL talk about it. I swear…” Skateboard quickly reassured. Slingshot forced himself to let out a breath, before nodding. Skateboard seemed a bit relieved by that, quickly helping Slingshot sit down, before rushing over to Boombox to grab the bag and one of the cups, allowing Boombox to hold the other two with no risk of dropping them.

The two chatted in the distance as they began to walk over, and all Slingshot was given were the expressions they shared… Something told him the two were talking about him, though… Which… Shouldn’t be surprising…

It didn’t make the guilt lessen…

But eventually, they walked over- and then it registered for Slingshot… That he’d have to… He let out a shaky breath, trying his best to cover up the anxiety as well as he could. But the idea of food right now-

It wasn’t logical. If he really WAS getting these cramps because of his hunger, it would make sense to eat food. But that didn’t change the fact that the sheer thought of it made him nauseous… He felt his hands already beginning to tremble- they would be expecting him to, especially Skateboard. Skateboard knew now…

He also knew how important it was for Slingshot to eat…

Which was bad…

“Sling- you okay?” Skateboard asked a bit nervously, picking up on the anxiety immediately… The silence… All of it… “I-... Y-Yeah…” Slingshot stammered, looking off, starting to hold himself again. Why even try… It was impossible to hide… He looked back, just in time to catch Boombox and Skateboard exchanging a glance, and Boombox whispering a rather quiet; “Go ahead…”

“Got stuff to take out and set up, anyway…”

Skateboard nodded, before walking over and bringing over a chair and sitting down. He glanced over at Slingshot, but Slingshot couldn’t meet his gaze, instead rubbing at his arm… “What’s going on, man…” Skateboard asked with a sigh, and that tone… Slingshot felt his own nails digging into his sleeve in response…

“Sling…”

“I don’t wanna eat…”

Slingshot waited for a response… A response that never came… And when Slingshot finally mustered the courage to look over, it was just as he expected, Skateboard struggling to come up with something to say, left… Speechless… Slingshot was getting really good at that…

“But… You know you-”
“I know, Skateboard… I just…”

“I can’t…”

“Wait- Won’t or can’t?- Wait, actually…” Skateboard cut himself off, holding his head and sighing slightly. “Okay, Slingshot… Seriously… What’s going on?” He asked nervously. Slingshot’s gaze shifted from a distant wall to the floor. Not much of an improvement, really…

“It… Makes me feel anxious…”

Because it did… Slingshot was already starting to feel something bad brewing in his stomach… Skateboard was silent… “I-... I’m sorry, Sling…” He finally mumbled. It sounded genuine. “I… Uh… Got some white rice, just in case that might be a problem… I mean, you can’t get simpler than plain white rice, ” Boombox chimed in with a sheepish smile. Slingshot looked up, already feeling the guilt seeping in, and mixing horribly with the nausea…

“Safe food… It shouldn’t mess with your stomach much,” Skateboard added with a nervous yet attempting-to-be reassuring smile. “I- just… I dunno…” Slingshot mumbled, falling quiet towards the end. “Okay… Just… Take little bites, and go at your own pace… And if it gets too bad, you can stop and take a break… That sound good?” Boombox offered with a softer voice…

They were both trying so hard…

Slingshot sighed, before nodding…

Boombox continued to unpack the food. There was quite a bit of stuff in that bag, since he had also picked up food for himself and Skateboard. But he was quick to grab a fork and one of the white rice boxes to make sure Slingshot would get to eat first (hooray…)

And of course, Skateboard wasn’t gonna let Slingshot off very easily. They were both… Polite… About it, but Slingshot could tell they wanted him to get something in his stomach and they were gonna make sure he did just that… While Boombox was busy unpacking stuff and handing it out, Skateboard would glance over at Slingshot occasionally, every so often ask if he could help, only for Slingshot to unhelpfully answer “Not really…”

Slingshot tried… he really did…

He grabbed his fork, and he took little bites, as Boombox suggested, but each bite felt nauseating… Weirdly enough, it wasn’t quite the ‘I’m going to throw up right now’ feeling, but it got pretty close quite a few times…

And maybe he looked that way too, frequently getting sympathetic glances from Skateboard and Boombox as the three ate… With Skateboard even trying to nudge him slightly, or give him a comforting shoulder pat, anything to attempt to make him feel better-

It didn’t do much…

Eventually though, Slingshot did manage to finish the takeout box, even if it was torture to get to that point.

Wisely, Boombox and Skateboard decided to call it a day after this, with Skateboard and Slingshot walking Boombox home, before starting to walk in the direction of Thieves Rest… And here they were…

“You didn’t have to walk me back, you know…” Slingshot attempted to cut in, though it was a very mild form of a ‘just so you know’. “Yeahhh… Figured I probably should, though…” Skateboard admitted with that familiar sheepish grin. Slingshot couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “That’s… Fair, I guess…” Skateboard seemed to pause at Slingshot’s words- though the two kept walking…

“Look, Sling. I know this is annoying, but we’re really worried about ya… You know? You gotta understand it to a degree…” Slingshot had to fight back the urge to roll his eyes, instead letting out another quiet sigh.

“I live with Shuriken and Vine Staff. It’s okay. You don’t have to spell it out…” He couldn’t help but mutter, but felt the remorse the moment he saw his friend’s apologetic expression. Or the way he looked away in a shyish sort of way. Slingshot felt himself falter, too…

Falter, because there was no way Skateboard would stay quiet about Slingshot’s little ‘incidents’ today…

Not if he was given the chance to spill-
But he probably wouldn’t do it in front of Slingshot…

Which meant Slingshot had to do everything he possibly could to make sure he didn’t leave Skateboard’s side until Skateboard left Thieves Rest…

That… Shouldn’t be TOO hard… Righ-

“Slingshot? You still there?”

Slingshot blinked a few times, trying to remember where he was, before he looked over to Skateboard, who looked at him… Funnily… He had his head turned to the side a bit, seeming a little confused? Maybe some nervousness, too… That was a common one.

“Y-Yeah… Sorry… Just… Thinking…” Slingshot mumbled, looking forward again and trying his best to stay neutral.

He saw Skateboard in the corner of his vision, who looked forward as well, but didn’t seem to particularly like Slingshot’s answer. He didn’t try taking another, though, so Slingshot decided he wouldn’t either…

And then the silence began to linger…

Until it didn’t-

“So… Today was kinda… Crazy, huh?” Skateboard attempted, the sheepish grin was… Painful to witness. “Yeah…” Slingshot answered as quickly and quietly as he could, while the two continued to walk. Skateboard definitely picked up on Slingshot’s energy…

He just hoped he would accept it. Just fall silent. NOT talk about what just happened- “Look… I know you wanted to talk about it, Sling… I dunno why you’re being so dodgy about it-” Of course he wouldn’t…

“We can drop it,” Slingshot quickly countered, wincing as he looked off, causing… SOMETHING… To flicker in Skateboard’s eyes for a moment. A very brief moment. Maybe a poor choice of words, but… “Wh- Slingshot-... what are you talking about?” Skateboard shot back, definitely TAKEN aback, but Slingshot tried his best to swallow down the feelings that came with that.

“It’s… Not important, okay? We can just… Drop it. Pretend this never happened-”
“Sling, are you being serious right now?”
“Yes, actually…”

“Slingshot, you could have passed out back there!” Skateboard suddenly snapped, causing Slingshot to falter, both falling still in silent…

Even Skateboard seemed to pause, his face one of some kind of nervousness, almost like regret… Did he think he took it too far-

‘You’re driving him mad… He should have taken it farther…’

Slingshot tried to swallow down that thought, just like every other thought- was it getting colder?
‘We were in the middle of August, yet it hadn’t quite felt like it for all of the entire month’s running…’

Slingshot shook himself out of these thoughts…

And then he took a step back.

A nervous step back…

Skateboard picked up on it quickly, forcing himself to let out a sigh. It was… A very forced sigh…

“Look- I don’t want this to ruin our friendship or something, but like… I care about you. Boombox cares about you… Shuriken and Vine Staff? They care about you a lot… We all do…”

It was a script…

“Skateboard-”

“I don’t know what’s been going on, lately,” Skateboard continued, fidgeting with his hands slightly. “And it sounds like no one really does. Not even yourself-”

“Skateboard…”

“A-And that’s okay, Sling… Really, you don’t… Have to have all the answers-”

“Skate-”
“But you gotta trust us…”

Slingshot… Cut himself off…
Skateboard also fell silent…

He… Looked at Slingshot funny…
It was like… He was desperate.

Pleading to be given a chance.
Pleading for Slingshot to just… Trust him…
To trust to talk to him, to rely on him…

Skateboard…
He wanted to be there for him… So, so badly…

Yet every time Slingshot felt that nagging feeling…

That desire to trust… To rely…

He just remembered that horrible place…
That snowy place… He already felt himself slipping into it again, shivering amongst the freezing winds, the isolation of the dark night sky- yet somehow there wasn’t an astral object, no moon, no stars, to light the way…

He was alone, his legs going stiff, slowly freezing-
Freezing…

Cold…

He trembled slightly…
“S-... Sling?”
He wanted to speak- he wanted to breathe, he felt his throat closing up, rendering him useless…
“Slingshot- what’s…”

Why was everything getting all fuzzy again?
Why was it coming back-
He was almost home…
Why now?

Why-

He finally managed to let out a shaky breath, though his heart hurt like it had been beating too fast-

Was it?
…
He hadn’t been paying attention.

He saw Skateboard walking over- that WAS Skateboard, right? It was kind of hard to tell… He was… A little fuzzy…

Nonetheless, he felt his breathing slow down, and presumably his heart began to steady as Skateboard pulled him into a hug he didn’t dare fight.

He still couldn’t speak, but he hugged him back-

About all he could do…

The two finally made it.

They stood before Thieves Rest…

There was darkness all around…

“Are you… Gonna be safe walking home?” Slingshot couldn’t help but ask wearily, his voice quiet and… Maybe a bit more broken than he’d like… Skateboard, thankfully, ignored it, instead nodding. “Yeah… I’ve been through Playground at night hundreds of times. As long as you’re paying attention, it isn’t that bad…”

Slingshot let out a quiet breath, before turning to look at the door. “I… Guess I… Uh…” Slingshot felt his brain already turning to mush as he sheepishly pointed over to the door. Skateboard, also sheepish, nodded with a grin.

It was… Man, were they both awkward.
But it was almost kind of funny…

Almost…

Skateboard and Slingshot both seemed to pause though, words that should have been shared, tensions that should have been addressed, just left to sit… Rotting on the floor. Maybe they should have just… Talked it out…

Slingshot knew he could leave right there…

It’d be so easy…

And yet…

He remained still, nervous, quiet…

He finally mustered the courage to look over at Skateboard, only to find him looking over at Slingshot just as nervously. It would have been so nice to just…

“I’m sorry I hurt you-”
Slingshot quickly stammered, breaking slightly, already feeling himself break into a nervous sweat, speaking fast, holding his arms and praying this embarrassing tremble would finally just cease, but it didn’t.

“S-Sling…” Skateboard seemed to mumble, heart practically breaking- you could hear it in his throat, he looked at Slingshot in such a… Horrible way… That pitying glance, it made Slingshot’s stomach tie in all sorts of knots…

“Sling, it’s okay- it’s probably not even that bad…” Skateboard mumbled, trying on a nervous grin, before looking over at one of his shoulders, hesitantly pulling down the sleeve slightly-

There were the scratches…

Pink, raw, exposed…
A bit of dry blood at the edges-
Skateboard shuddered at the image, possibly remembering the pain- Slingshot felt himself paling at the sight. The sight of scratch marks… Like from an animal-

The pain HE inflicted…

Skateboard seemed to falter and fidget, nervous and unsure of what to say, but then he forced a chuckle…

“G-Give it a day or two… It’ll probably be gone by then…”

“G-Gone…” Slingshot whispered under his breath, the idea of it… Horrifying-... He didn’t want it to scar, of course he didn’t… But the idea of all the pain he caused Skateboard ‘disappearing’ in a day or two…

At best, it felt dismissive to everything Skateboard had to go through, and at worst, it was downright disgusting…

Disgusting and horrible and revolting and-

“Sling, seriously… It’s okay…” Skateboard suddenly stammered, his smile looking more and more strained as he tried and failed over and over to convince Slingshot that THIS was okay- this wasn’t okay-

‘He wants you to believe it is…’
‘If you don’t… He’ll know…’

Slingshot forced himself to swallow down the lump in his throat… “O-Okay…” He croaked. Skateboard’s gaze seemed to linger. Maybe Slingshot wasn’t very… Subtle…
“Please don’t beat yourself up about this, okay?” Skateboard… Pleaded… There was that desperation, again… Slingshot could feel Skateboard’s hand rubbing at his shoulder again, that attempt to comfort… A constant…

“O-Okay…” Slingshot answered quieter.

He heard Skateboard sigh.

He sounded tired…

“Come on… Let’s get you inside…”

“You’re startin to feel a lil cold…”

Slingshot and Skateboard finally stood before the door, and Skateboard gave a small wave and a small smile. Slingshot couldn’t match the smile, but waved back, before pushing open the door, and stepping through.

Skateboard stood where he was…

Unmoving…

And then…

He turned to leave.

Chapter Text

Slingshot stood in silence for a few moments-

The lights were dark, there was nobody in sight, as it had gotten dark outside, the cafe was in its wrap-up stage…

By the looks of it, the tables had been cleaned down- it was probably just some last minute kitchen clean up-...

Slingshot stood in the dark, silent, wide-eyed, processing…

Processing… Everything…

His mind already began to get fuzzy, his head heavy, his hands trembly, his heart beat was slow, but it was also SLOWLY starting to speed up as everything- too many things, began to sink in. All the events of the day.

Everything…

Everything REGISTERED…

And then he began to reali-
“Oh- hey, welcome back, Sling.”

Slingshot blinked once or twice, before looking over at the voice, Shuriken. He just… Appeared, right? He wasn’t there before, but now he was, just left the kitchen and now stood leaning his back against the counter-

“How’d it go?”
The arcade-

“Good,” Slingshot quickly answered, maybe a bit too quick… Shuriken seemed to falter, confused but then… Suspicious… As he furrowed a single brow.

“Yeah?” He wondered, cautious, seeming to listen and observe carefully, which made Slingshot more nervous somehow… “Y-Yep…” Slingshot confirmed, a bit shakily.

He looked away, and then looked back, but Shuriken still stood there, looking at Slingshot… Trying to puzzle something out… “Okay… How was the place?” He asked, seeming to try and get Slingshot to talk more-

Which was bad, because Slingshot’s brain was already starting to fry… “F-Fine… It was fine…” Slingshot chirped with a nervous grin, looking off. Shuriken remained silent.

“Okkkkayyyyy…” Shuriken mumbled, narrowing his eyes slightly. Suspicious… Slingshot was being very suspicious-

“I- Uh… Gotta wash my hands- you know- cause public places- and stuff-...” Slingshot stammered, again with the awkward gestures, starting to walk off, and point to where he was going, the nervous grin did no favors…

“S-Sure thing, buddy…” Shuriken mumbled, seeming genuinely concerned now- okay yeah, it was time to go.

Slingshot tried to stay calm and look calm as he left for the bathroom, and when he walked in and pushed the door behind him, he felt immediate relief.

The relief was short lived, however, when he looked down… Down at his hands… The sight made him tremble-

How much of this was real-

Was- Was it really that bad?

Did he really scratch him up that bad-

That was… A lot of blood- Had Shuriken noticed that-

So much- Okay, it was fine, it was fine.

Slingshot turned on the faucet, and the water began to run. All he had to do was wash it off… It wasn’t that-

The water began to run a little pink, and eventually, it went back to clear… Clear water-

…So why was there still blood?

Slingshot felt his throat starting to close, but he tried to ignore it, and all of the trembling that began, but when he put his hands under, the blood didn’t leave…

The blood clung on… Like… Like it was stuck there-

Part of him-

An imperfection-

A constant memory-

Don’t forget what you did- No…

‘I won’t let you FORGET what you did…’

His breathing may have gotten a little funny, and the tremble may have gotten worse… He might have looked a little more frantic, maybe crazy, maybe terrified, as he rubbed at his nails under the water, as the blood continued to remain, to stay, to latch on and linger-

He was wasting water…

Why wasn’t it coming off-

Why wasn’t the blood coming off-

Why-

Why why why why why-

No matter how much he rubbed, no matter how much soap he used, the blood wouldn’t leave it wouldn’t go away. The rot clung onto his skin his flesh, a constant reminder of his sins, his horrible crimes, the pain and the misery, his hands were red, so much blood… Too much blood…

What had he done to his friend to get this bad… If you didn’t know better, he was crazy… A psycho- no… A psycho was a compliment, he must have been a wild animal to inflict the damage that this evidence showed-

And no matter how hot the water was, no matter how much he scrubbed, how much it hurt and stung and burned-
“Slingshot- stop!” he heard a panicked voice as he was getting pulled back, his breathing still hyper, his heart still racing, but now a new anxiety taking form-

Attack…

He squirmed and thrashed against the person holding him, but they didn’t let go until he threw a bad jab at the attacker’s stomach- they stumbled back, letting go. There was a quiet whine as they held their stomach in pain- Pain that Slingshot caused…

It made him falter, and blinking a few times made the shadows lighten up as he realized-...

Shuriken…

He hurt Shuriken-

“G-Geez, man… That was… A really good punch…” He stammered with-... A shaky grin…

He was grinning- Why was he grinning-
‘Nervousness, probably…
You’re acting kinda manic, you know-’

Slingshot let out a shaky breath as he pushed himself up against the wall opposite to Shuriken, and maybe he looked as disoriented as he felt, because Shuriken’s expression switched to concern quite quickly.

He seemed to falter, too, realizing things…

He glanced over to the faucet, the water still running…

To Slingshot’s soaked hands-

Slingshot was realizing water had splashed onto his shirt a bit- just a few drops, but… He hadn’t even realized this fact himself until forced to slow down….

“Can-... Can I turn that off?” Shuriken mumbled a bit nervously, nodding to the sink-

Which was between the two of them…

Slingshot gave a nod, but it came off shaky…

Shuriken walked over to the sink, though his pace was slow and careful, each movement as smooth as it could be, not the least bit jumpy, as he turned the knob. The water finally stopped… So much wasted water…

Slingshot looked down at his still shaking hands-

There was no blood…

What did…

“Are you… Okay?”

Slingshot looked up at Shuriken, hearing his voice, and…. He was confused… Why was he feeling so confused… Each sentence seemed impossible to tie to the other…

This shouldn’t be so hard-

“I’ve… Never seen you that panicked before…” Shuriken confessed. Slingshot still couldn’t respond.

Shuriken seemed to shift slightly, fidget a bit…

Slingshot was making him uncomfortable…

“D-... D’you wanna talk about it?”

That one was easy. Slingshot shook his head no, almost immediately. Shuriken paused, before letting out a weary sigh. “O-Okay… Don’t have to talk about it…”

…

“Can I come over?”

Slingshot thought for a moment, before nodding as he looked off. Shuriken took a careful step forward, and then another. Eventually, he stood beside Slingshot, standing, thinking. He looked back at the sink, before grabbing the hand towel from the hook, and hesitantly taking one of Slingshot’s hands.

Though he flinched for a second, he already felt himself calming a bit as Shuriken helped him dry his still soaked hands… “Geez, Sling… This looks kinda red…” Shuriken couldn’t help but mumble with a wince, and Slingshot quickly felt the instinctive urge to look off.

Maybe Shuriken sensed he wasn’t getting a good response, though, sighing and taking the other hand and drying it. “Just not feeling talkative?”

Slingshot shifted his footing slightly, feeling a small bit of guilt, but before it could fester, Shuriken seemed to wave it off. “It’s okay, man… Don’t push yourself, alright?”

Slingshot felt… Reluctant, but eventually nodded.

Shuriken let go of Slingshot’s hand when pretty much all of the water had been wiped off, and he stuck the hand towel back on the hanger. He looked over, seeming to soften slightly, before pulling Slingshot in for a hug.

Slingshot had, admittedly, not expected it, but he returned it, and already felt his heart slowing down again.

“You’re gonna be okay, bud. Alright?”

Slingshot hugged Shuriken back a bit tighter.

“I dunno what happened…”

“Sounds like you don’t wanna get into it, which is fine…”

Shuriken fell silent, and Slingshot waited…

“But… We’ll take care of ya… Make sure you end up alright. Kay?”

Slingshot let out a quiet sigh.
“K-Kay…”