Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nothing much to be said, it’s a one-shot book! Request away!!

Some ground rules however.

What I will NOT do:
Rape/Non-Con.
Fetish stuff (Vore, scat, etc)
Crossovers
X Reader or Self inserts (Sorry! Not my thing)

What I will do:
Ship/Non ship one-shots
Most ships/pairings
Smut(?)
Art requests (?)

I put a question mark bc I’m 100% willing to do them but depending on if I like the ship or idea I may or may not find the motivation/inspiration. And for art requests same thing goes.

Please be semi-detailed/detailed about what you want! I can’t work with just “something Artful x Pursuer” or “Sparkleband hurt/comfort”

I will be updating this chapter with a list of requests that I receive and the progress I’m making on them. Might take a while depending on how much I write!

WIPS/CONFIRMED REQUESTS:

(Guest: yeeooowch light mode hurts my eyes anon)

can you pretty please do artful x pursuer smut,, artful being needy AND sad and pathetic maybe even venting about his life while pursuer is curled up around him half asleep, probably only giving bare minimum attention to what he is rambling about..

(User: Gloomychan396)
Can you do MonsterMagic kiss,,,,,,,no smut,,,,,,🥹🥹🥹🥹

(Anonymous Guest)

If it's okay, I need some Bananaful kissing and cuddling stuff [But Artful in this one became Orchestraful]. Basically Artful and Banana Peel encounter each other in Tundra Trench and Artful/Orchestraful chases and corners him.

CHAPTER 1: DOD Killers turn into Civilians (Domestic Fluff, No Smut, No explicit pairings/ships)

CHAPTER 2: Stay with me, forever? (Devesquot, Hurt/Comfort, No smut, fluff)

Chapter Text

“Finishing touches…”

Artful brushed some paint over the last patch of his cheek that wasn’t covered in white performance makeup. After dapping powder over the paint to make sure it’d set and last the whole day, Artful carefully placed all his materials back into the drawer.

Living in a turbulent household with multiple wanted killers taught Artful that routine was very important. Every morning Artful made sure to take a little under an hour to prepare himself, both in appearance and mentally. There was no telling what chaos would greet him as soon as he opened the door to his room.

Artful grabbed a music box nearby to repurpose. But instead of the box poofing into thin air, the magic coming out of Artful’s want fizzled and sparked.

And nothing happened.

Artful tried again. Nothing. He scratched his head with his wand.

“Comme c'est étrange…”

He murmured. Artful immediately ruled out himself as the problem. As a talented magician, he had tuned his senses to pick up on things ordinary people couldn’t. He could feel magic buzzing in the air around him and in his veins.

So he knew, right away, his own magic wasn’t the issue. Something strange was literally in the air.

Artful hoped opening a window or leaving his room would solve the problem, but the strange sensation permeated the entire house. 

Devesto might know something about this. Artful thought, but alas, the F3X abuser did not live with the rest of the killers. And if Artful ever sought him out and bothered him with something as trivial as this, he might just get his limbs removed.

Artful jumped slightly as he heard a thump from the room next to him.

[Ah_shit…What_the_FUCK?]

Artful heard something heavy hit the floor, Badware’s muffled voice rang out from behind the door to its room. Curious, Artful walked over and slowly opened the door.

“Badware? Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas? You okay-“

But what Artful saw when he opened the door was NOT Badware.

A civilian.

“MERDE!”

Artful immediately grabbed his wand.

[ARTFUL! WAIT- OW!! WHAT_THE_HELL!]

Artful threw a repurposed wall at the civilian kneeling in the middle of Badware’s room. Or- er…

“Badware!!?”

[YES_YOU_REJECTED_MAGICIAN!!]

Artful had a hard time comprehending what he was seeing. The civilian in front of him definitely resembled the computer- somehow. The oddly colored hair and clothing definitely resembled the virus’ old body. 

Not to mention they sounded the exact same. Even the electrical buzz that usually accompanied its voicebox was still present when it talked.

“W-What happened to you?!”

[WHAT_DO_YOU_THINK_GENIUS?!]

Badware yelled out, still brushing off chunks of the wall that broke on its face off their shoulders.

[I_GOT_TURNED_INTO_A_PUNY_CIVILIAN!!]

Badware pointed an accusatory finger at the magician.

[THIS_IS_YOUR_FAULT, ISN’T_IT!]

“What!? No!” Artful stuttered out.

“M-My magic hasn’t been working today! So it’s definitely not me!”

[OH_YEAH?] Badware accusingly narrowed their eyes at Artful.

[THAT_REPURPOSED_WALL_TELLS_A_DIFFERENT_ STORY!]

“THAT WAS FROM YESTERDAY, IMBÉCILE!”

Artful rebutted. He felt his face heat up, he was getting too riled up. Artful took a second to calm himself before talking.

“You know the extent of my magic, Badware. I can’t do- THIS!”

Artful extended two palms to gesture to Badware’s appearance.

[Tsk…]

The killer slumped.

[Guess_you_have_a_point…]

Badware smirked.

[If_you_could_change_appearances_you’d_ probably_make_yourself_look_better.]

“Quiet, you!” Artful stomped his foot in anger. 

Suddenly his face fell and he looked up in fear.

“…Have you seen Pursuer?” 

Badware froze.

[…I’ll_check_in_on_Killdroid.]

Artful nodded and they both dashed out the room. Badware ran down the hall to find Killdroid and Artful wrestled open Pursuer’s door.

Behind him, Artful could hear Badware dripping over their feet, mumbling something about how short, frail, and lanky they were.

“Monstre?? Are you home?” Artful called out with some urgency, but Pursuer’s room was empty.

“Non… he must be hunting…” Artful looked out the window, it was snowing.

Mon dieu, this is bad! Pursuer must be stuck out in the snow! Normally the magician wouldn’t worry about the predator, but Pursuer was likely a human now. If that was the case- he wouldn’t last long out there! 

Artful grabbed one of Pursuer’s blankets from off the floor and ran out the room. Before he ran downstairs he realized-

Harken! Artful immediately turned back. Harken’s room was the furthest away from everybody else’s, since she liked the quiet.

As Artful approached her door he made sure to slow to a walk, so his footsteps wouldn’t disturb her.

“Harken…?” Artful drummed his fingers against the door, knocking was usually too loud for the construct to handle.

“I’m coming in…okay?”

Artful heard a faint muffled sound of protest before opening the door. And there was Harken.

Curled up in a ball against her bed.

“Oh dear…”

Artful knelt down in front of the now human. Harken’s yellow hair obscured her face. When Artful tried tilting her head up she vehemently shook her head.

“It’s alright, amir..! I just came to make sure you were okay…”

Harken slowly sat up and looked up at Artful. Blonde strands slowly melted away from her face revealing her face. Brilliant white lashes, but eyes remained shut as always. She had a blinding white dress to match.

She looked angelic, not just in the metaphorical sense. Wings literally sprouted from the sides of her head and rested near her eyes. 

Despite her elegant appearance, Harken was anything but calm and composed. She was breathing harshly and her hands shook.

Artful’s expression softened. He slowly held out his hands and let Harken rest hers on them.

“No worries, cheri…You’re not alone…”

After a minute, Harken finally seemed to calm.

“You look magnificent.” Artful reassured. “Something similar has also happened to Badware. I’m sure you heard us scream about it. I hope it didn’t bother you.”

Harken shook her head then pointed to her ears.

“Er…”

Harken never really spoke before, Artful supposed it was too much to expect her to start now.

“Your ears? Are they too sensitive? Sorry about the yelling then-“

Harken shook her head again and pointed again.

“Ah-“ Artful retracted his hands and used them to help him keep balance.

“They’re less sensitive now?”

Harken nodded. Artful beamed.

“Well that’s great then!”

Artful stood up, and Harken followed.

“Now listen, Harken. Pursuer is probably out in the forest somewhere, I’m going to look for him before he freezes to death.” Artful held out the blanket for Harken to see. She nodded, but before Artful could leave, she tugged on his sleeve.

Artful turned around only for Harken to drag him into the hallway, and back into Artful’s room. She rummaged through his closet.

“Harken?! What are you doing?” Before Artful stopped her, she pulled out one of his oversized coats and draped it over herself.

She wanted to follow. Artful closed his mouth and nodded. Together they left the house and ventured into the snow.

Even as a human, Harken still towered over Artful. There was well over half a foot of height difference between them by Artful’s estimate. They walked side by side in the snow. 

“This is the route Pursuer usually takes to hunt…” Even though the path was covered in snow, Artful had walked along it enough to know it by heart. “I hope-oomph-”

Harken suddenly threw an arm in front of Artful, stopping him from walking forward. Harken’s face tensed as she stared forward beyond the trees. Artful tried putting a hand up to stop the snow from drifting into his eyes, limiting his vision. Whatever Harken saw, or heard, Artful had not picked up on it yet.

“Harken? What is it…?” Artful murmured out, to no response naturally. Then- footsteps

Artful hoped it was Pursuer, and not a civilian.

And he was right. 

It was difficult to spot Pursuer, as always. His skin was still black from the head down and his head was still pale white. But there was something different-

“Putain! Pursuer! You have hair!” 

Pursuer indeed had hair now, white hair, it blended seamlessly with the shade of his skin. His eyes and teeth remained teal colored, they poked through the white strands of hair.

Pursuer let out a snort. It was an odd greeting, Artful admitted, but his voice hopefully conveyed the relief he felt. The ex-monster looked alright!

Except for the blood covering his face and mouth, but Artful assumed it belonged to the dead body he was dragging. It seemed like turning into a civilian didn’t kill his hunger…

“Pursuer! Something strange has happened! You certainly noticed it too, right?” Artful gently lowered Harken’s arm and walked towards Pursuer. The creature shrugged.

“Not really.” Artful scoffed at the reply. Just like Badware, Pursuer’s voice didn’t change in the slightest. It still came out low, rough, and uneven.

“Really? You’re not questioning this?” Artful ruffled his hair then lifted up his remarkably smaller hand. Pursuer yanked it away. 

“You’re a civilian now, monstre.” Artful emphasised. 

Pursuer’s brow narrowed. He seemed to have a hard time absorbing this information.

Pursuer probably didn’t realize anything because he already was humanoid. Artful sighed to himself. Pursuer looked behind Artful.

“H…Harken?” The monster hesitantly greeted. Harken nodded.

“Do you see what I’m talking about?” Artful gestured to Harken. Pursuer slowly nodded.

“Weird…” He pushed past Artful and kept walking, dragging his food behind him.

“Now hold on!” Artful quickly followed behind Pursuer. Harken quietly followed. She seemed much more relaxed now, unlike Artful, who was desperately trying to get the predator’s attention.

“Aren’t you cold? Your body isn’t what it used to be, mon ami! Here!” Artful offered out the blanket he held onto this entire time.

“M’ fine.” Pursuer grumbled out. Artful let out a growl. He could see the man shivering.

“Don’t be absurd! Take it!”

“No.”

“Take. It!”

Artful shoved the blanket into Pursuer’s face. The monster growled and dropped the leg of the civilian he was dragging. He turned to lunge at Artful when-

Harken stepped between the two killers. She grabbed the blanket out of Artful’s hands and forced it over Pursuer’s head. The creature let out a howl but Harken remained calm. She pushed him to the ground and trapped him underneath the fabric. Harken gathered up all four corners of the blanket, turning it into a makeshift sack, then slung it over her shoulder.

With Pursuer still trapped inside, thrashing wildly.

Harken turned towards Artful and gave him a small nod, before walking back towards the house.

“...quel mal de tête…”

Artful dragged his feet behind Harken.

…

…

[SO_GUYS!]

Badware clasped its hands together. All the killers were assembled in the living room downstairs. Pursuer had calmed down and Artful helped clean off the blood that was on his face and hands. He was currently sulking on one end of the couch, wrapped in the blanket Harken kidnapped him in.

Harken sat on the floor, where she would usually sit because she was too big for the couch.

Killdroid sat in an armchair, alone. 

They too had suffered the same ailment as everyone else. Killdroid resembled one of the many revolvers and gunslingers the killers had encountered before. It wore a brown revolver hat on its head, probably taken from one of the many people it killed.

And much to its dismay, despite their new bodies, Killdroid remained shorter than Badware.

Artful also sat on the couch, on the opposite end from Pursuer. Badware was standing up, positioned between the monster and the magician.

[What_do_we_do_now?]

No one had an answer.

[...Well…We_can’t_exactly_kill_civilians_like_this…]

Pursuer scoffed.

“Speak…for yourself…”

Artful spoke up.

“I was planning on going on a supply run today.” He looked around the room of transformed killers. “Perhaps you all could help, given your new…appearances.”

Killdroid let out a hum.

[AFFIRMATIVE. LAST I CHECKED. THERE IS A GOVERNMENT FUNDED SUPPLY DISTRIBUTION TODAY IN TOWN.]

“Exactly!” Artful grinned. “There will be lots of civilians there today. We shouldn’t get noticed.”

[WHAT?! NO_WAY.]

Badware objected.

[Have_you_SEEN_us? We’ll_get_spotted_ immediately!]

Badware gestured towards Harken.

[Like_look_at_Harken! She’s_like- SEVEN_FEET_TALL! And_she_has_weird_wings_ on_her_head! She’ll_stick_out_like_a_tall_ stick_of_butter!]

Harken furrowed her brows at Badware’s comment.

“The civilians at these places are much more diverse than the ones we see during rounds. I don’t think we’ll bump into any problems.” Artful explained. “As long as we keep to ourselves, we should have no problem grabbing some stuff and walking out.”

Pursuer let out an approving grunt from his corner. 

[I BELIEVE THE WAREHOUSE WILL OPEN AT 2PM. IT WOULD BE WISE TO ARRIVE EARLY TO ENSURE WE DO NOT GET THE LAST PICK.]

[Don’t_even_entertain_this_idea_Killdroid! It’s_not_going_to_work! We’ll_get_called_out!]

Artful looked at the cowboy hat on Killdroid’s head, he got an idea.

“We have plenty of articles of clothing from fallen civilians. Gloves, hats, bandanas- if we wear those no one will question our weird looks or if we belong there.”

Badware stared down at Artful.

[...You’re_joking_right…? There’s_NO_WAY_ something_ as_stupid_as _that_ will_work…]

…

…

[It_totally_works.]

Badware stood stiff in disbelief. Around them, crowds and crowds of civilians pushed by. People browsed shelves, grabbed food and supplies, advertised and chatted without a single glance towards the odd-looking group standing at the entrance.

It was loud too, so Killdroid and Badware’s voices were easily hidden in the commotion.

Artful handed each killer a small piece of paper.

“I divided everything we needed into lists. It shouldn’t be too much for each of us to carry!” Artful smiled. He had wiped off all his makeup and changed his clothes from his usual suit to his green sweatshirt and pants.

Harken remained in her white dress and Artful’s coat. She wore a set of white earmuffs to help with the cold (and the noise), and had a caretaker hat balanced on her head.

Killdroid kept its hat and donned a brown vest, complete with a red bandana and gun holster.

[Does_that_gun_still_work?] Badware warily asked, pointing at the revolver.

[HOPEFULLY WE WILL FIND OUT.] Killdroid’s smirk did little to soothe Badware’s nerves.

Badware wore a blue and white taunt jacket and hat.

Pursuer tied a white bandana around his head and wore a hood over his head. He also had a frankly arbitrary set of black gloves that blended in with his hands.

“Each item on each list should be near each other.” Artful explained. “However, we will still have to split up.”

[Great…] Badware mumbled. The virus looked down at its list. 

[So_what’s_the- Where’s_Pursuer?] Badware and Artful quickly spun around. The monster wandered off!

[Great_he’s_probably_- ARTFUL?!] The magician was gone.

[HARKEN?!]

How in the world did they manage to lose Harken?! She was literally seven feet tall! Killdroid looked towards some of the shelves nearby, but before it too could wander off and get lost, Badware grabbed its arm.

[Come_on_Cowboy! We’re_sticking_together.]

[COMFIRMED.]

Badware grabbed the list from out of Killdroid’s hand. They compared items.

[Canned_foods_and_some_cleaning_supplies. Shouldn’t_be_too_bad.] Badware noted. Killdroid nodded along.

[Let’s_do_yours_ first.] Badware handed the paper back to Killdroid, who tucked it into their pocket.

[THATS WHAT I WAS PLANNING ON ANYWAYS.]

While browsing shelves and picking off the items on Artful’s list, 

“Nice hat.” Badware heard an unfamiliar voice say.

Oh no.

Killdroid was standing stoically while a trio of its least favorite type of survivors stood around it. 

Revolvers…

Badware could see Killdroid restraining themselves from lashing out.

[BACK AWAY, LESSER LIFEFORMS.]

Killdroid spat out.

“Jeez, what’s your problem?” A gunslinger scoffed. “And why do you talk like that?”

Badware could see Killdroid’s hand inch towards its gun, but before it could reach it-

[Heyy-eyy…!] Badware subtly grabbed Killdroid’s wrist.

[Sorry_bout_my_friend! They’re_a_bit_antsy.]

Badware tried pulling Killdroid away from the three civilians’ questioning gazes, but Killdroid stood firmly. In fact- the hat-wearing killer straightened up their posture even more, trying to intimidate the group in front of them.

Of course its superiority complex would cause problems. Badware rolled their eyes and tugged on Killdroid's arm again, trying to subtly signal them to disengage.

[THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE WAY I TALK.]

The underlying threat in Killdroid’s tone did not escape the three revolvers.

“Dude what-“

One of the revolvers took a step forward, only to be stopped and held back by the gunslinger.

“Whatever man.” The man scoffed. “You’re nuts.” The gunslinger stepped forward,

and flicked Killdroid’s hat.

Badware barely had the time to think “Oh dear,” to themselves before getting yanked around.

Killdroid twisted their body and landed a punch directly against the gunslinger’s face.

[Artful_is_going_to_be_so_pissed…] Badware mumbled as a brawl broke out.

…

…

Artful grabbed the last of the items on his list. There wasn’t much to begin with, but with the work divided among the 5 killers, it was practically nothing!

Just a simple run in and out. Artful felt satisfied at the thought.

Of course, Artful assigned himself the most important materials to grab. Medical supplies, and more makeup and face paint.

He was confident in his teammates’ abilities to stay out of trouble and function normally. But on the off chance something goes wrong, Artful can trust himself to bring back what he was assigned at the very least.

And maybe Harken. 

Artful assigned Harken all the fresh produce and fruits that he had been craving. He was certain that she would have no problem getting them all, given her naturally quiet personality.

Artful felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Huh- oh. Pursuer! Mon cher ami!”

The predator let out a grunt. He was keeping his head low like how Artful advised. Out of all the killers, Pursuer was the most recognizable. Although much smaller and skinnier, his skin was still oddly colored and his teal eyes would be a dead-giveaway. Artful noticed the plastic bag in his hand.

“You got all the items? Bravo!” Artful grinned. “Let’s head to the front together. Surely the others are almost done too.”

Pursuer let out a grunt. 

“Harken…”

Artful immediately felt nervous.

“Oh, did something happen?”

Pursuer tilted his head to the side and gestured for Artful to follow.

“There’s a civilian…being loud. Don’t think she’s too happy about it.”

Of course. Artful let out a small sigh. Well, if that’s all it is then it shouldn’t be a big problem at all.

“C’mon! Not even a chuckle?” Artful heard the civilian before he saw them.

Harken was sifting through some apples as a Taunt leaned nearby, talking nonstop.

Even without any response from Harken’s end, the civilian didn’t seem deterred in the slightest! It was almost admirable…

Harken was trying to act unbothered, but Artful could spot telltale signs she was going to snap. Her face scrunched up in distaste every time the civilian let out a loud cackle before she forced it neutral again. 

Harken tried distracting the Taunt by picking up an apple and aggressively shoving it into their chest, but the Taunt just smiled and took the fruit in stride.

“Aw thanks! But I don’t really need this.” They placed it back into the pile.

“But anyways- about those wings- HEY!”

“Excuse me.” Artful shoved himself between the Taunt and Harken. 

“You’re bothering my friend. Can you leave?”

“Friend?” Taunt looked at Artful, then up at Harken, then back down at Artful. “I…didn’t think I was bothering her.”

“Well you are.” Artful looked down at the now timid civilian. Artful felt Harken place a hand on his shoulder.

Artful turned and Harken offered him her bag full of produce. Looks like they were done here.

“Great. Let’s go.”

“WAIT!”

Artful glared at the Taunt and brought an arm up to stop them from running at Harken.

“What part of ‘can you leave’ do you not understand?” Artful narrowed his eyes.

“Buzz off!” The civilian snarled. They glared at Artful before suddenly their face lit up in recognition.

“Wait a minute- who-“

*CRASH*

Both Artful and the Taunt froze and snapped their heads towards the commotion. Artful spotted a massive group of civilians gathered all in one spot. It looks like a fight broke out.

The crowd parted and two figures emerged from the center, then toppled on top of each other. A gunslinger had been tackled onto the ground, and the person on top of him throwing punches was-

Killdroid.

With Badware behind them trying to hold off the rest of the group.

This is bad. Artful tried pushing off the civilian and running towards the fight, but was stopped. Taunt held onto Artful’s sweater.

“Hold on- you’re not going anywhere bud!” Taunt yelled, but he was immediately cut off. The grip that halted Artful was quickly broken by Pursuer. He grabbed the civilian’s forearm and pried him off Artful.

Then he opened his mouth and bit down.

“AHHH! WHAT THE FUCK?” Taunt screamed and tried shaking the predator off.

“GET OFF ME BRO! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?”

Artful didn’t waste any time. He signaled to Harken as best he could to take Pursuer and get out of here. He could only hope that Harken understood. 

[WHO IS THE SUPERIOR ONE NOW, SHERIFF?] Killdroid mocked the gunslinger pinned underneath it.

“Killdroid!” Artful squeezed through the crowd and called out for the ex-robot. Badware’s head spun around at the sound of Artful’s voice.

[ARTFUL! THANK_GOODNESS- ACK!] One of the revolvers managed to get a punch on Badware. The virus quickly broke away from the wall of civilians and stumbled away. They grabbed Killdroid by the collar of its vest before trying to make their way towards the magician.

“BADWARE! WE HAVE TO GO!”

[I_SEE_THAT.]

Badware grabbed a bottle off a nearby table as they ran. They shook it aggressively before showing it to Killdroid.

Killdroid nodded.

Badware threw it up in the air behind them and Killdroid spun around. It brandished its gun and shot at the bottle, which exploded in the air.

The sound caused civilians to fall to the ground in panic, giving them the much needed distance from the angry mob.

“What were you doing?! C'était une tâche simple, HOW DID YOU MESS UP?!” Artful berated. 

[KILLDROID’S_FAULT. NOT_MINE!]

[BLAME THE PETTY CIVILIANS.]

They broke through the entrance doors and immediately spotted Harken and Pursuer waiting for them.

“Harken! Pursuer! Time to leave!” Artful turned around to run but immediately bumped into someone. Artful fell to the cold ground, dropping all his bags, but the mysterious stranger was completely unfazed.

“Well this is a pretty sight.” Artful had never felt more relieved hearing,

“DEVESTO!” 

Devesto flicked off his sunglasses and looked down at Artful. His black coat bellowed in the wind and blocked the sun behind him.

“Fancy seeing you here. Trying to steal food from the rest of the rats?” Devesto sneered down at Artful. Pursuer stalked over to pick up all the stuff that Artful dropped. Devesto disinterestedly glanced at the predator, only to do a double take.

“What the-“

“Putain d'enfer- Devesto!” Artful grabbed onto Desvesto’s legs to help himself up.

“We’re being chased! Help us!” Devesto looked down at Artful with distaste.

“Uh huh…” Devesto suspiciously stared at the rest of the killers. “And these guys are…”

“No time to explain, but yes!” Artful growled out. Devesto smirked.

“Damn, that sucks.” 

“Devesto!”

“I’m not-“

Devesto was cut off by someone grabbing his shoulder and pulling him aside. A head peaked out from behind him.

“Mequot…!” Artful sighed out in relief.

“Hi, Artful…” Mequot gave him a small wave. He too, was a bit surprised seeing the humanized killers behind him.

Mequot looked up at Devesto, the two stared at each other for a second before Devesto rolled his eyes.

“Ugh. Alright then. Hold still.”

Before anyone could react, Devesto pulled out his F3X cube and pointed it in front of Artful.

And before he knew it- they were back in their house. Standing in the middle of the living room.

[Whoa_sick.]

Badware mumbled and collapsed onto the couch. Harken let out a hum and slumped into the floor. Artful noticed her fumbling with a piece of paper in her hands. Killdroid started gathering up the dropped items and moving them onto the kitchen table.

Devesto and Mequot both looked at Artful expectingly.

“So…what happened?” Mequot asked. Artful had to crane his head up to talk to both men.

“We were just getting supplies, but a fight broke out.” 

[NOT MY FAULT.] Killdroid called out.

Devesto scoffed.

“No, smartass, we mean this!” He gestured to Pursuer who was curled up on the floor. “You all look like shit.”

[Gee_thanks_for_the_acute_observation, Sherlock.]

Badware got up from the couch.

[I’m_going_to_help, Killdroid.]

It left.

“I was hoping you’d know.” Artful sheepishly admitted.

“I’d know? How the fuck would I know?”

Artful shrugged. Devesto sighed and took out his shades again.

“Whatever. It’s your problem now.”

“What?!” Artful exclaimed. “You’re not even going to try?”

“Tsk- no. Why would I?”

Artful gritted his teeth and massaged his face. Mequot looked at him with pity.

“Maybe it’ll go away after a day.” He suggested. 

“…Or two…” He added.

“Or a week.” He suggested.

“Yes…thank you Mequot...” Artful said, exasperated. Mequot seemed unaffected by Artful’s tiredness and simply smiled.

“Alright then, cheers!” Mequot waved and Devesto used his F3X again, teleporting them somewhere Artful had no clue of.

It seemed a bit unfair that Devesto knew where Artful stayed while Artful had no idea where he or Mequot spent their time.

“What do you have there, cher ami?” Artful stood over Harken, who was staring at a slip of paper. She held it up to Artful, who carefully took it. Written on it was a series of numbers…

“Mon dieu Harken. Did you get someone’s number?” The construct hummed and took the paper back.

“Loud one.” Pursuer grumbled out from his spot on the ground. The cannibal smiled and licked his teeth, like he was reminiscing on the civilian he took a bite out of.

“They insisted…Harken take that…” He elaborated.

Artful frowned and looked down at Harken, who continued fiddling with the slip. He heard something break from inside the kitchen and Badware yell his name.

Today was a mess…

Chapter Text

The civilian in front of Mequot crumbled to the ground.

“My apologies…” He mumbled. Mequot knelt down next to the bloodied corpse and poked at the adrenaline civilian’s pale face, now permanently stuck in a scream they’ll never finish.

But despite that, Mequot thought they looked quite peaceful.

“W-what-“ 

Mequot looked up and spotted another civilian, frozen in fear only a couple feet in front of them. 

“Oh…you…” Mequot slowly stood up. He took note of the three gashes on the civilian’s shirt and the blood that soaked their entire front.

“Sorry you had to see that happen to your friend…Here, let me put you out of your misery…” Mequot grabbed the hilt of the sword in his chest.

The punch-run civilian turned to flee, but they were too late. Mequot quickly shot forward and cleaved their head clean off.

Mequot sheathed the blade back into his chest as the civilian fell to the ground. 

He stopped to listen around the area.

A couple of shards of the broken windows of the nearby church fell onto the windowsill and made Mequot’s ear twitch, but everything else seemed still. No more civilians.

No more troubles.

Mequot looked around at the scattered dead bodies. He couldn’t help but feel at ease. Why?

He frowned. Looking at dead corpses shouldn’t make him feel better, feel at peace.

He shouldn’t be envious.

But he was. 

Mequot bitterly kicked aside a civilian’s limp arm as he trekked to the backyard of the church.

Mequot was envious of those corpses. Those civilians lived happy and full lives, and in death they can finally rest.

Mequot wished he could rest. He hasn’t gotten any sleep in who knows how long. Mequot certainly wasn’t keeping track. He gave up on it, along with a lot of other things, a while ago.

Mequot slumped against the wall and plopped down onto the cold grass.

He blew into his hands and rubbed them together, but no matter what he did- they never got warmer. He was wearing a black trench coat, gloves, and a scarf, but none of those articles of clothing provided any warmth to him either.

He tried to fall asleep, but found his efforts to be futile. Even if he did, Mequot failed to see what difference it would make. 

Time was starting to meld together. The line between days, minutes, hours, weeks, seconds was becoming blurrier and blurrier. Mequot felt that if he fell asleep now he would wake up and the world wouldn’t change.

If he fell asleep. 

Mequot couldn’t sleep if he wanted to. The past few days (weeks?) Mequot was trying to convince himself he wanted to sleep. But he was tempted to give up on that as well and accept that he actually didn’t really want rest at all.

Give up on it like how Mequot gave up on protecting civilians. 

Give up on it like how Mequot gave up on befriending them and socializing. It didn’t matter anyways.

These civilians, if Mequot saved them one day he was just as likely to find them dead the next. 

If he befriended them, which he could never do anyways due to his appearance and the sword stuck inside of him, they wouldn’t last long anyways.

Mequot could close his eyes and nap for hours or months, but when he opened them nothing would change. Mequot would remain the same and the world would still come and go.

Under the thumb of eternity, everything was small and meaningless.

“What’s up?”

Mequot lifted his head up to see Devesto looming over him. He didn’t notice the man approaching, but wasn’t shocked at all that he was here either.

Devesto brandished a smile and took off his shades. He tucked it into his shirt pocket.

“You look worse for wear, hun.”

“Hi Devesto…”

Devesto’s smile immediately faltered upon hearing how tired Mequot was. He sounded absolutely depressed.

“Jeez, did someone kick a stray cat in front of you or something? What’s wrong with you?”

“Oh- nothing!” Mequot forced a small laugh out as he waved Devesto off. “Why are you here?”

Devesto shifted his tie uncomfortably.

“Well you know me. Wherever there’s shit and destruction, I’m there.” Devesto gestured towards the general direction of Mequot’s massacre.

Devesto leaned on the wall, next to Mequot, he pulled out his F3X cube and with a wave, two bottles appeared in the air.

Devesto stored away his cube and grabbed the two bottles of beer. He popped open one and offered it to Mequot.

“No thanks…” Mequot meakily refused. Devesto only let out a scoff and took a swing from it instead.

“What do you drink then?” Devesto asked, his tone was sharp and biting as usual, but there was a hint of genuine curiosity and prodding that Mequot was sure he was simply imagining.

“…Tea.” Mequot answered. Devesto let out a huff and took out the F3X cube again.

He pointed it down towards Mequot, and suddenly, a teapot and cup materialized and dropped gently into Mequot’s lap. Mequot carefully picked up the pot and was a bit surprised at how heavy it was. He could feel the hot liquid sloshing inside of it.

Mequot smiled and opened the lid to check. There was indeed what looked to be tea inside. He could see the leaves and a bunch of flower buds floating around in there.

“Thank you, Devesto…This is very thoughtful of you…” Mequot pretended not to notice how the man subtly looked away to hide his blush at the compliment. 

Mequot lifted the lid again to take a smell of the liquid inside, trying to identify what it was. 

And more or less importantly double check it really was tea and not some kind of drink or alcohol-

“What kind of tea is this?” 

“Chamomile.” 

Mequot was surprised at how quickly Devesto answered.

“Isn’t that good for sleeping…?” Mequot asked. Devesto nodded.

“Stress too.” He grunted out.

Mequot smiled and put down the pot onto the grass next to him.

“Thank you, Devesto but…” Mequot frowned slightly. “I don’t need it right now. It’s the middle of the day…”

“But you haven’t.” 

Devesto interjected.

Mequot was a bit caught off guard by Devesto’s quick reply and sharp tone.

“You haven’t been sleeping.” Devesto elaborated. Mequot looked up to see something he had never seen before.

Devesto looked nervous? Worried? His brow was furrowed and his mouth was upturned in a slight grimace.

“Oh, well I don’t really need sleep anyways…” Mequot mustered up a sheepish smile. Devesto still didn’t look happy.

“Alright then…” The man shifted his collar and took another sip of his drink. “You haven’t been talking.”

Mequot fidgeted uncomfortably at the questioning.

“Well… There simply hasn’t been much to talk about…” Mequot got on a knee to stand up, but…

“Sit down.” Devesto kicked Mequot’s leg from out under him, forcing the man to fall back onto the ground. Mequot shot a glare up at Devesto, but slowly crossed his legs and sat back down.

“You haven’t been sleeping, you haven’t been chatting, I don’t even see you drifting around those robloxians you like so much anymore.” Devesto listed off. He spat out the word ‘robloxians’ like it was nothing but pure filth in his mouth.

“So what’s wrong with you?”

“There is nothing wrong with me!” 

Devesto was taken back at Mequot’s aggressive response. Mequot pressed a hand over his lips out of similar shock. His reply came out angrier than he intended and he contemplated apologizing. 

Instead he stood his ground and just stared up at Devesto, who nervously scratched his face.

“Alright then…” Devesto drawled out. 

“My bad.” 

Mequot felt his heart skip a beat. 

Devesto…apologizing?! 

He wasn’t being sarcastic either.

At least Mequot hoped he wasn’t.

“Let me reword it: What’s bothering you?” 

Mequot fell silent. He turned his head away to stare down at the ground, trying to avoid Devesto’s gaze. But even then, he could feel Devesto’s eyes on him.

Please stop looking at me… Mequot mentally prayed. He was relieved when Devesto finally let out a sigh and Mequot felt his stare shift off of him. The bottle in Devesto’s hand shattered against the wall after he tossed it away. Mequot heard Devesto dig through his pockets. He then heard the flick of a lighter.

“Listen.” Devesto sighed out after taking a pull of his cigarette.

“We’re…” Devesto let out another sigh and grumbled under his breath, what was it again…?

“…Co-workers. Right?” 

Mequot nodded.

“In short, we work together.” Devesto shifted his stance so he was facing directly towards Mequot.

“What bothers you, bothers me.” Devesto paused briefly, probably cringing slightly at his words Mequot wagered. 

“So your problems are mine.”

Mequot contemplated his options. He could either stay silent,

or trust Devesto.

Mequot fidgeted with his gloves. Maybe it was the second hand smoke in the air, because suddenly, he relaxed.

“…I have a lot of time on my hands…” Mequot mumbled out. He glanced over to Devesto, who just continued smoking, displaying no visible reaction.

Bloody hell, this was difficult. Much more difficult than Mequot thought it’d be. He could feel his confidence dwindling away.

“…Civilians.” Mequot let his head fall back and rest against the wall of the church.

“Their lives are so full. They make the most of all the time they have since they only have so many hours per day, so many days per year…” Mequot found himself smiling at the scene he was imagining.

Civilians walking outside on the street. Talking to each other, socializing.

“Everything they do has meaning because their time here is temporary.”

Mequot heard Devesto blow out another puff of smoke.

“Not me though.”

Mequot sighed out.

“I know some of them would kill to take what I have… But frankly, I don’t want all this time. I don’t think I’m going to do anything with it.” Mequot looked down at the sword in his chest.

“I was going to find whoever did this to me… to see if I could find answers. If I could reverse it somehow. But to be honest, I don’t even know if they’re even still alive.” Mequot grimaced at the thought.

Devesto exhaled another puff of smoke and furrowed his brows.

“So what I’m gathering is… you don’t want to be alive.”

“No!” Mequot exclaimed in horror. 

“It’s just that-”

He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. 

“I don’t want to be immortal.” He confidently clarified.

“When you’re immortal nothing you do matters. When you’re immortal you see everything die or disappear at some point. It’s terrible.” Mequot wringed his hands.

“Sure it is,” Devesto’s casual response startled Mequot. 

“the same goes for those civilians you like so much.” Devesto hummed. Mequot looked up at him to see Devesto staring at the cigarette in his hand. 

Was he trying to feign disinterest…?

“Nothing lasts forever, civilians experience loss too.” 

Mequot frowned.

“Yes…but-”

“Besides, you have a lot you could do, you just gotta do it.” Devesto’s seemingly emotionally disconnected tone was starting to really irritate Mequot.

“Don’t you get it, Devesto!? I’m not meant to be here!” Mequot allowed himself to be a little harsher this time.

“I’m not meant to live this long! I’m not meant to watch as everything and everyone around me disappears!” Devesto fumbled his cigarette at Mequot’s outburst. Finally a reaction… 

“I wish I was a robloxian. I could live a normal life, do all those normal things, feel good about them, and then leave- peacefully.” Mequot scowled.

“Instead I’m here. My heart doesn’t even beat because of this sword in my chest. I constantly feel pain but I am unable to die. I’m cold all the time. I don’t have an appetite. I don’t have any friends because I look like a bloody zombie!”

Devesto looked uncomfortable now. He was visibly sweating and scratching the back of his neck. His teeth were clenched and he looked off to the side.

Mequot felt crushed. He didn’t mean to take things so far, and the last thing he wanted out of this was to make Devesto feel like crap too.

“…You have me.”

The words seemed to shock both Devesto and Mequot as they slipped out of his mouth. Mequot was shocked at how natural and genuine the words flowed out. Devesto was shocked that he said them out loud at all.

“…Yes, I do have you, Devesto.” Mequot tried giving a small reassuring smile. 

“…But for how long…?”

Devesto let out another exhale and looked off to the side. Mequot watched the ashes fall and slowly die down as Devesto mindlessly tapped his cigarette. Devesto did that for a long time before he finally lowered his head.

“Alright listen,” Devesto dropped his blunt onto the ground and stomped it out. “You’re thinking about it too hard.”

Mequot was about to interject before Devesto raised a finger up and stopped him.

“Who gives a damn about ‘forever?’ None of that shit has even happened yet, and it’s not going to happen anytime soon.” Devesto slid down the wall to sit next to Mequot. 

“You’re gonna lose things in life, time has nothing to do with that.” Devesto grinned. “But what’s great about being immortal is that you have more time to get new things.”

Devesto summoned his F3X cube again. He stared at the tool floating in his hand.

“Robloxians don’t get that.” Devesto scoffed out. “At some point in their lives it’ll be too late for them to change things. They’re either too old and about to die or they- at some point- fell behind and can no longer catch up with the world around them.”

Devesto handed his cube to Mequot, who was shocked at the offer. Devesto loved that object, he carried it everywhere, slept with it- hell- Mequot was sure he showered with it.

He gently took the F3X cube and turned it around in his hands.

“You don’t have that problem, so don’t you dare say you want to be one of them.” Devesto growled out. Mequot almost wanted to laugh at how comically hateful Devesto was towards ‘robloxians.’ He only really mentioned them once or so.

“And about how you said you didn’t know what to do with your time…” Devesto leaned his head back.

“I can’t help with that.” 

Devesto shrugged his shoulders. Mequot slumped at the response and placed the cube onto the grass next to Devesto.

“It’s honestly up to you, what you do with your life.” Devesto paused. 

“…But whatever you do…” 

He scratched the back of his neck.

“…I wouldn’t mind doing them with you…”

Devesto turned his head and matched gazes with Mequot, who stared at him intensely. Mequot could see Devesto internally squirm and expected him to pull away from the intimacy, 

But then Mequot felt a hand on top of his.

Mequot looked down to see Devesto’s hands resting on top of his. 

His hand was warm… The contrast in temperature from the cold grass was incredibly welcome.

The sight stirred inside Mequot’s chest. For the first time in Mequot’s long life, he felt warmth radiating from inside himself.

To say he was deeply moved was an egregious understatement.

Mequot quickly reached his other hand over and clasped Devesto’s hand between both of his. He was aware that his grip was perhaps a little too tight, his nails were digging into the back of his palm and the sensation was most definitely uncomfortable for the bigger man, but he couldn’t help it. 

Mequot was afraid that Devesto would suddenly disappear any moment now. If he didn’t get a hold of Devesto right now- this moment could end- and Mequot didn’t want that.

“Devesto…”

Mequot brought Devesto’s hand up to his chest and looked up to stare into his eyes again. Devesto’s face was noticeably a faint shade of red brighter.

“Will you stay with me? Forever?”

He grinned, with his other hand, Devesto grabbed the discarded teapot and poured a cup out to hand to Mequot.

“Of course.”

Mequot finally loosened his hold and sipped the tea Devesto offered.

“Cuz that’s what good co-workers do.”

Devesto playfully winked. Mequot rolled his eyes.

‘Co-workers’ my ass…

He let out a yawn.

Devesto scootched closer and wrapped an arm around Mequot’s shoulder. He pulled the smaller man close to him and draped his coat over the both of them.

The moment Mequot closed his eyes, he was gone.

The last thing he registered before slipping into the sweet oblivion of sleep were rough lips pressed against his temple in a chaste kiss.