May??, 2011, ???
(Y/N) pov
Is that... Ben?
I felt him shaking my shoulders, and everyone was crowded around him. I could hear him muttering something, and call out for someone. My head felt like someone had shoved a box fell of cotton in it. My mouth felt like desert sand, and I tried to sit up. I heard a sigh of relief escape from Ben's mouth.
Sitting up was a very bad choice on my part. Waves of nausea hit me, and a panicked Ben pushed me back down, genitally forcing me to lay back. By now, more of my vision started to clear up. And with that, a new face started rushing to me, practically pushing Ben aside, and he started examining me. He was thin, and tall. With black hair circling his face, and skin paler then that of a dead body.
His face was sunken in, and he looked like he hadn't slept for years. He wore a medical mask, along with a blood soaked Doctor's jacket. He knelled to my level, and began to check my eyes, my mouth, my tempter, and touched everything I would allow him to touch. He gave an unsure nod, and backed up from me, helping me sit up.
I heard few gasps, instilling a sudden small ounce of fear. 'What is wrong? Did it not work? It must have!' I frantically looked to my left, to my right, seeing no doll. But relief cradled me, in seeing the doll ahead of me. That prison cell of the doll was finally empty, of everything. It no longer bounded me to its cold frame. I was no longer just a toy, to be mingled with or thrown. I could feel, I could do what I please, I could do whatever! And best of all...
I'm not tiny anymore!
I thew myself into Ben's arms, catching him off guard. he almost tumbled back, with the only thing stopping that, was the fact that he was kneeling. "Thank you so much, for everything." I held him tightly, ignoring the eyes of everyone surrounding us. He froze for a second, but soon calmed down enough to hug back. It felt quiet between us, even though everyone's mouths were moving. Time slowed down, as he brought me closer, and I felt something change.
Like a spark in my chest, stronger then any other feeling in my chest. It was out of no where, and it had made me confused. I had felt sparks in my life, with women like Angela, and Marilyn, but this was more then that. It was strange, especially since I only experienced this with women. It was new, but my heart ached, when we pulled away, and sound had returned to us.
We made eye contact, and he scrambled to look away. His face redder then ever, and I felt somewhat hurt, when he moved away. The doctor, lightly grabbed my arm, guiding me to stand to my feet. Everyone began to "Are you okay, (Y/N)?" Sally asked, running up from behind me. "Well, I certainly feel different, in a very good way." I answered.
She gave a bright smile, but stopped walking. She ran back, to where I laid and ran back over to me. She was holding the doll. "What do we with this?" She asked, looking down at it. The doctor sat me down in the kitchen, leaving to talk to Slender. I looked over the doll again.
I hated being in the doll, but I didn't hate the doll itself. It held some bad memories, but all bodies hold unpleasant moments. I saw how Sally looked at it. She held so much love for the doll, with so much hope in me saying yes. I nodded my head, to the idea, causing her head to spark up. "Keep the doll. I want you to have it." I smiled. She smiled and rejoiced, and ran to her room, shutting the door.
I looked around, still with eyes on me. I shifted uncomfortably. I was never able to get comfortable with multiple pairs of eyes on me. Someone sat next to me, changing the weight on the table. It was Brian, only without his mask.
He was attractive, even with the dark circles around his eyes. His hair was messy, and fit his face well. He sat next to me, smiling. "So how is it? Ya know. The new body and everything?" He asked, with a strange tone. It made me laugh. "I feel great, better then ever." I answered back. He nodded back, but it didn't feel as genuine, as I hoped.
His tone felt forced, like he somehow lost something. "Are you okay?" We looked at each other, and he shook his head. "No, no. I'm okay, I am just tired. I am happy for you, really." He gave me a weak smile, giving me a pat on the head, and stood up to walk away. I thought for a moment, as I watched him disappear in the stair case. Someone tapped my shoulder, and dragged my attention to their body.
Brian's pov (Hoodie's pov)
'Fuck..' I thought to myself. I tried to sound happy, but it came out forced. Like it took all my efforts to be happy for him. Which I am, but I felt disappointed. I saw the look that (Y/N) gave to Ben, and how Ben looked back at him.
My chest hurt, and I felt heavy. My mind kept drifting off to (Y/N), and how happy he was, and I longed for being in Ben's place. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, turning me to face them. It was The Puppeteer. "Oh hey." I greeted.
He gave me a small smile. "Hey. Your upset too, right?" 'Huh?' I looked at him with a questioning look. He rolled his eyes at me. "I know that your upset about (Y/N) and Ben.. I am too." He said, the disappointment dripped from each of his words. "Wait, you felt the same way about him?" I asked.
He nodded his head. "Yeah. You didn't notice? Clearly, I wasn't the only one. I mean, it was kind of obvious with you and definitely Slender.. Not so much with Ben though." He responded, his tone turning into a whisper. He wasn't wrong either. The signs were there with Slender. I guess I thought that I hid it better then that.
"Do you think (Y/N) noticed? For any of us?" I asked, hoping it would be a 'no'. "I doubt it. If (Y/N) is anything, he is oblivious to almost everything things." The Puppeteer answered, and I felt a wash of relief. "How do you think Slender will deal with it?" I asked, out of pure curiosity. The Puppeteer shook his head. "I have no idea.. I just hope he handles it well. You know how he can be when he is upset." He responded.
I really hope that Slender takes it well. He has been different since (Y/N) arrived. We were starting to get closer to my room. "Hey, you noticed how Slender changed right? Since (Y/N) arrived, right?" The Puppeteer nodded his head. "Hell yeah. He has never been this 'possessive' of any of us. But since (Y/N) came, he doesn't even hesitate to practically crush us with his weird tentacles." He said.
I was in shock. "Wait, he did that, to you?" He nodded. "He didn't try to kill me, but he definitely left marks. If you saw my arms, man!" He did a faded laugh, and continued. "And he always used 'My' when talking about (Y/N)." I kept that idea in mind, thinking back on everything. I looked up for a quick second, noticing that I had made it to my room. "Well I'm where I wanted to be. Thanks for talking to me, man. It made me feel better." I thanked him. He nodded his head giving me a simple wave and smile, before leaving to his own room.
I shut the door, exhausted. I kicked off my sneakers, and quickly changed into a clean pair of pants and a T-shirt. I laid on my bed, letting its warmth consume me. I kept thinking about (Y/N), unable to get him off my mind. My eye lids felt heavy, and I began to slip into a land of dreams and peace.
And for once, I slept well.
Back to (Y/N)'s pov
I looked back, seeing the tall, suit wearing body, stood behind me. I looked up to the faceless man, and smiled. "Hello Slender! Do you need me for anything?" He nodded his head, and put his hand on my shoulder. He began guiding me through the halls, stopping at the room next to his office. He swung the door in, waiting for me to enter.
The room was decently sized, not to big, not to small. A bed sat in the far left corner, and the walls were painted a bluish-grey. The dresser was on the other side of the room, with a small desk in front of the door. It was clean, and seemed almost like it hadn't been used. The feeling of the room felt.. safe, and peaceful. It had a door next to the closet, leading into another room. I assume a bathroom.
I stepped in, not paying attention to the fact that Slender had came in as well, shutting the door quietly.
"Wow, this is a lovely room. You had this room ready for me?" I asked turning to him. I finally took note of the door being shut. I couldn't tell it it was locked though. "Well, in a sense, yes. We have many rooms prepared for more recruits, though we don't get many. Those who attempt to get in, either they don't qualify for this job, or they didn't last." He said with his hands crossed within one another.
I sat on the bed. I laid back, groaning with relief. I stayed like this, listening to the small comments the Slender made. But he stopped. He then sat next to the me on the bed, and I felt his stare at me. I pulled myself up, unsure what to do.
He spoke again. "(Y/N), I have a confession." He started. "Well, what is it?"
He sighed. "Well, as time, I have been feeling.. different. About someone, who I have only known for a short time. And as I move on with my days, I can't help but think, 'What life could be like with him?'. Even though, i understand that with my past actions, he would like me less and less, I still yarn for him. I have gotten accustom to the idea of his rejection, but I need to ask you something."
I was quiet. I felt this confession was for me, but I wanted to just avoid this conversation. But I couldn't run away from this. I wasn't that type of person. I huffed, taking in my breath, and I nodded my head. "Go on." He let go of his hand.
"This confession is for you, and I want to know if you feel the same towards me. I will understand if not." He finally said, and my heart sank, knowing that I had to reject him. I let the weight of my head drop, and I stood up. I couldn't sit down for this. "Slender, I am sorry. I don't feel the same way for you." I answered, looking up at him. I saw him clench him fist, and for I split second I felt like I was going to lose this new body, when I had just gotten it.
I couldn't see his face, but his facial muscles shifted to express pain and anger. I backed up, seeing as he was getting taller. It didn't even seem that he noticed. But the feeling changed from comforted, into one that could make anyone terrified. I didn't want to show it, but I was beginning to feel worried, and he saw through my weak mask.
But he stopped, before he could do anything, relaxing his fist, and calming himself down. He nodded his head. "I understand. Please be ready for tomorrow's break-fest. It will be your fist official meal!" He said, in a false cheer. He opened the door, and existed, leaving me to my thoughts.
I released the breath I was holding, and pressed my back against the wall, sliding down to the floor. 'My god... I don't wanna go through that again..' I looked down at my clothes, realizing that I was still wearing Eric's uniform. It was dirty and bloodied. The smell of blood wasn't strong, but still not very pleasing. I stood up, and began searching the room.
"There must be a towel here.. where would it be? Where would I be if I were a towel?" I asked myself, looking in the drawer. The closet? It was almost empty. It only had the essentials. Underwear, button up shirts, dress pants, and shoes at the bottom. Still no towel. I closed it, still wondering around the room.
After a few more minutes, I finally found it on the lonely chair in the corner. I made my way to the other room, and my assumption was correct. It was small, and conversational. A shower, toilet, sink, mirror, etc. I entered the room, and locked it. As I prepared to shower, I couldn't help but think abut how Slender must be feeling, and if I should try to make it up to him.
I quickly glanced at the mirror, being caught off guard. The stab there, but I didn't feel anything there. I looked at it, but noticed something strange. 'wait... what the fuck?' The sliced muscle began to pull itself together. It looked like some sort of black goop sealing the wound.
It was knitting itself together, from the deepest parts of the wound to the skin. I stood still, just watching it. When it reached the skin level, I could see it even clearer. The black goop pulled my skin together, like a glue, and pealed itself away from the wound. If fell off, like a scab in the skin, and seemingly dragged itself into the drain. I tried to peak in, seeing the depths of the sink. I snapped my head up, seeing nothing. No scar, no marking. Hell, even the bruising was gone.
I was standing in place, both naked and filled with questions. 'what was that thing? was it inside me? where did it come from? How did that even do what it did? What did it do to me?' I stumbled back, looking into the mirror. I felt gross. I touched my chest, feeling nothing. I took a deep breath, calming myself down. By now the shower water had warmed up.
I breathed in, stepping into the shower. 'Maybe a nice shower will calm me down' I thought, with my head tilted up to the show ere head, completely forgetting that the black goop was in the drainage system.
Slender's pov
I left the room, thinking back at how I almost lashed out at (Y/N). How could I discloses that amount of emotion in front of him like that? How could I slip like that? I could see the fear in his eyes, the small fact that he moved away, hurt me more then his rejection. I opened the door of my office, stepping inside and shutting the floor.
'You fool! How on earth could I think that he would even share the same emotions as me? Oh how I wish I could go back.' I felt pity on myself. Disappointment was consuming my heart. Not only have I caused myself to be rejected, but I may have tarnished the friendly relationship that we had slowly built. I sat in my office, ashamed of my actions. A knock came from the other side of my office door.
I didn't answer. I was in no mood for this. I could hear the nob twisting, and unlocking itself. I didn't bother looking at whoever entered.
"Mr. Slender? Are you okay?"
The sweet voice of Sally, made me sigh. "Yes, Sally?" I asked, with my head in my hand. I could hear her foot steps on the carpeted floor. "Well, I wanted to give this to you." She said. I looked up from my hand and down at her. And I couldn't help but feel shocked.
It was the doll, of (Y/N).
"I wanted to give him to you." She said, looking down and sounding sadder. The doll looked so small, it could fit in on one of my shelves. "Why are you giving this to me?" She looked up at me. "Well, (Y/N) said I could keep the doll, and I had too many dolls, and I thought I could give it to you, since you don't have anything." She said. Her gift was so sweet, and kind. No malice intent.
I picked up the doll, looking it over. 'It looks just like him.' I thought. "Thank you, Sally. That's very kind of you." She laughed, and jumped. She gave me a soft hug, and ran off into her room.
I felt pain, while looking at the doll, constantly being reminded of my foolish ideas and choices, but yet... at the same time it gave me joy. It gave me comfort. I walked over to the shelf, nearest to the door, and I placed him genitally on it. I backed up from it, breathing in the calm air. He fitted in to the set up of the office I smiled, feeling at peace with myself. I felt better about it.
I thought to myself, about my behavior recently. I needed to fix it. I not only scared (Y/N), but I have been letting myself out of control. If anything was going to happen, it was going to make everyone feel happier and safer. I had to keep in mind, that even if (Y/N) does not feel the same as me, I had to accept that and move on. I have too and I will.
That is my promise.
Ben's pov
I sat in the living room, with my face in my hands. My face felt like fire, and I couldn't do anything about it. That little hug, made me into a fucking mess! My chest hurt so much. I felt like I was drowning. But in a good way. It was so fucking hard to explain. I could hear the TV go on about how Eric's body still hasn't been found.
"25 year old Eric Turner has still not been found. Investigators are now looking for his body, as they now believe that he was injured. Officers say that with the state of his car, and the amount of days that he had been missing with no witnesses, his chances of survival are getting lower."
I was getting sick of news. "Can you shut that shit off?" I ground. I laid back on the couch, keeping my eyes closed. My face still felt fiery. Jane looked at me. "Shit. Who shoved the stick up your ass?" She said, clicking her gum and changing the channel.
My face burned, my chest hurt, I didn't know what I was feeling, I didn't know how to express these things, and Jane was pissing me the hell off. She put on horror film, all the while chewing her gum like an animal. She laughed t the people every time the killer killed them Her laugh always annoyed me, but now more so then ever.
The clicking of her gum was driving me insane. And her attitude adding to it, was the last straw for me. "You know, we are just sick of your bullshit." I said looking straight at her. She looked right back at me. "What did you just say?" Her bitch voice was coming out.
"I said we are sick of your bullshit. All you do is insult everyone, and piss people off. And we're pretty fucking sick of it." I stood up, and she followed. She scoffed. "You know what? I am gonna be the bigger person, and walk away. But then again, everyone is a bigger person compared to you." She mumbled, walking up stairs.
"Fucking bitch." I muttered under the my breath. Sitting back down on the couch. Jeff thew himself on the spot next to me, making the couch bounce. His hair was different. "Hey! So what do you think of my hair? I think I look good with it in a bun." He said proudly.
I didn't answer though. I just gave 'hmm', letting my eyes stick to the screen. He huffed and spoke again. "So what's wrong?" He asked, looking at me. "Nothing" 'Nothing' was my usual response for anything. It was my go-to.
"Dude, your like an open book, written for very dumb children. Clearly your upset, and it's not about Jane." He responded, throwing his head back, and groaning. I had never been so offended, by something I 100% agree with. I sucked at not looking like I'm in a bad mood, when I am. Though I wasn't so sure about me being a book for dumb children.
"I'm just conflicted and confused." I said. "About what?" I saw him start bouncing his leg. "I think I have feelings for someone, but I don't know if I actually do, or if it's just a fluke. And I only met this person a few days ago." He looked at me, then at the TV. "Well let it wait. As you get to know the person, and if your feelings grow, then now you have a thing for them. That's how I figure out whether or not I like someone." He answered.
I thought about it through, and his suggestion made sense, for once. He gave me good advice, instead of that half-assed advice he usually gives me. I nodded my head, choosing to follow his advice. "That's actually really good advice. Thanks." He finally looked at me. "See, I'm not just a handsome face, with a sexy bun." He joked, giving me finger guns.
I laughed, kicking his foot slightly. He laughed with me. When the laughing died down he asked me a question. "So... who's the girl?" He asked. I mumbled, and shrunk into the depths of the couch.
I really didn't want him to freak out or anything. And I didn't what to answer the question. I wanted to tip toe around the situation. "Well... I don't really know how to say it, exactly." He looked at me. "So.. It's a guy?" He asked, still looking at me. I gave my answer, by keeping my mouth shut and giving a light nod.
He looked more surprised then anything, with his mouth making an 'O' shape. "Oh. I didn't expect that. Well then, let me rephrase. Who's the guy?" He asked, once more. It caught me off guard. "Wait, your cool with it?" He scoffed. "Well, yeah! I really don't care who you want to fuck, cause that's not my business. As long as the guy isn't me, I'm cool with it." He answered back, nonchalantly. I nodded my head, glad that he was cool with it. It would have kinda hurt if he wasn't.
"It's (Y/N). He came 2 weeks ago." He gave me a head nod, and shrugged. "Okay, cool then. I would still wait on it a bit. Get to know the lucky guy, I don't know, get him a gift or something? Just get him comfortable enough to tell him at some point. That worked for me in middle school." He advised. Giving a subtle nod, and spoke. "Thanks man. That really helps." He smiled, giving me a shrug. "That's what bros are for." He chuckled. The rest of the night was spent watching the movies, and eating junk. Even though the movie to me was just back ground noise, to my ideas of spending time with (Y/N).
September 15th, 2011, 11:32 PM
Ben's pov
I spent the entire night awake, playing Mario Kart, and thinking about how I could admit my feelings for him. I couldn't sleep, and my nerves were just bouncing off the walls. "Ugh!" I groaned, throwing my hands in the air. 'Who knew that this would be so hard?' The winning screen popped up.
"YOU WIN!" The character bounced and jumped, cheering with confetti floating in the air. The other characters clapped softly. I stared blankly, but an idea consumed my brain, making me jump. "I got it!" I ran over though the TV, phasing through the screen. The space behind the screen was bright and blinding and empty. It was always quiet.
I would always come here for when I needed the space. I looked around, squinting to see anything. I smiled when i found what I was looking for. A small table and file cabinet sat in the middle of the empty land scape.
Every game had this type of room, no matter what the game was. And most importantly, every game had the file cabinet. That was were everything about the game was stored. The creator, the coding, everything you needed from the game. I pulled it open, and began searching through the files.
After hours upon hours, I finally finished resetting the file to say exactly what I wanted it to say. For the win screen, I edited the text to say, instead of "YOU WIN!", into "CONGRATS! I LOVE YOU!". On the side of the screen, was a little version of each sprite doing little programmed dance and cheer. I sighed, somewhat satisfied with the end result, as it had taken me literal hours. I ran thought it one last time, just making sure it worked.
With a happy sigh or relief and a sleep-deprived laugh, I stood up, saving the progress, and keeping it on, ready for when (Y/N) hopefully says yes to a round. With a final look at the game, I gave a cheer, just before leaving the TV screen. I looked at my watch, seeing what time it was.
7:32 AM
I still had some time to freshen up, and make some coffee before people started waking up. I took advantage of that time, quickly taking a shower, getting dressed, making coffee and wait, alone with my thoughts.
8:32 AM
Thinking back on it now, I realized that as the months went by, I followed Jeff's advice, and he was more then right. I was just as surprised. My feelings grew from slight attraction to urges to hold him, to practical dependence. I couldn't handle being away from (Y/N). It physically hurt me, every single minute.
I felt like I was drowning without him near me. Every time I looked in (Y/N)'s direction, my stomach fluttered. Every time he left, my chest ached throughout the rest of the day, till I saw him again. The more time we spent, the more I felt like I needed him. I have been waiting months, just trying to be sure.
I was sitting in the dinning room, alone, just chugging down my coffee. 'Today is the day. You'r gonna do great. Wait.. what if he rejects me?What if he hates me? No! Shut the fuck up! If he didn't like you, then he wouldn't hang out with you!' I thought to myself, shaking my head. I put my cup down as it was now empty. "Damn. That's the froth one." I stood to my feet, wobbling slightly. Making my way in the kitchen, I still spoke to myself a loud.
The kitchen was empty, with just me and the smell of the coffee. "Just calm down, before the coffee makes you sick. Just breath, it will be fine. God I'm so nervous." I shook my head, as I pored. "Nervous abut what?" (Y/N) said from the kitchen door way. I jumped, spilling g the coffee on my hand. "Fuck!" I winced.
"Are you okay?" I turned to face, blocking my burning hand from view. "Yeah! I'm fine, I'm cool. I'm.. good. yeah." plastering a smile on my face, I prayed that he didn't notice. He gave me a suspicious look, but nodded his head. I watched him as he reached over to the top of the fridge, grabbing a box of cereal. I stayed quiet, unsure what to do.
We were just sitting in silence. He watched me as he ate his cereal, and I just stood there, trying hard to avoid eye contact. 'Say something! Don't just stand there. Tell him how you feel.' I shifted uncomfortably, ready to speak, but nothing came out. He propped up from his seat, and a part of me panicked.
"So, do you wanna play video games? Later today?" I yelped. I wanted to hide away from the world, just by how I said that. 'God, I sounded so desperate. He will probably say no. My god, what if he actually d-'
"Sure, why not? I'm free all day." He said. My mind went blank, I didn't expect him to say yes. "I see you have it set up already. Do you wanna play now?" He asked, peaking out of the kitchen into the living room. He looked back, waiting for my answer. "Yeah! I mean we can play now." I stammered.
He smiled, gabbing my hand and pulling me to the living room. I felt my chest warm up, with the sudden touch of his hands on mine. He sat down on the floor, guiding me to follow. I gave him the controls, now my heart was banging against my chest. I couldn't focus on the game, instead I was just hoping that it would work.
My hands were naturally racing against him, but I kept forcing myself to lose against him. I crashed, I drove myself off the edges, I picked up the worst boosts, pretty much anything to make sure I would lose. I cursed quietly to, hopefully sell the idea that I wasn't losing on purpose. He kept looking down to see what buttons he was hitting, and he barley even noticed me losing. Everytime I cursed, he would laugh.
And best of all, when he would rejoiced every time he won a match, and the enjoyment on his face was enough to make my heart melt. with the final round being just around the corner. He wasn't used to the controls, and much less to the game itself, but he never stopped smiling at either the screen or controller. I could see him getting close to the finish line, and I stopped playing the controller. I stopped and waited for him to cross the line. And he did.
....
....
"CONGRATS! I LOVE YOU!"
....
....
(Y/N)'s pov
....
"CONGRATS! I LOVE YOU!"
....
"What?"
I asked. When ever me and Ben played this game, the winning text never said 'I love you'. And if I remember correctly, only the winner sprite would dance, as the others clapped. But on the screen, all of them danced. I looked over to Ben, wondering if he saw what I was seeing. But instead of a face of confusion, his face was flushed. His hands were shaking and he was holding the controller, as if his life depended on it. His breathing was shallow, just barely audible. 'Wait. Did he?'
"Did you do this?" I asked, still looking in his direction. He turned his head, nervously. He gave me a slow nod, and back at the screen. I let that sink in. 'He.. loves me? He shares my feelings? He loves me. He loves me. I didn't think he would share my feelings! But he does! He loves me!'
I pulled him into a tight hug, without thinking. I felt him sink into my arms, and wrap his hands around me. "So.. you like the game?" He asked, his voice muffled by my shirt. I chuckled. "More then like it. I love it. And I love you too." I could feel him grip me tighter, and pull me closer to him.
I had never felt more fulfilled. The warmth of his body made me feel like I was in a dream-like state. I could hear a soft 'Thank you'. We stayed like that for a while, with the only noise being the cheers of the little sprites on the screen.
THE END