Hello, I know the book is finished but I wrote a scene that was meant to go in between chapters 12 and 13. However, it kind of screwed up the flow of the story so this is like a "I worked on this so I don't want it to go to waste but I have no where else to put it," sort of thing. This chapter was originally titled "Ex's Regrets."
UPDATE- I was in the mood to write more from Eret's POV, so this entire "chapter" is going to be random event's that happened to Eret that I couldn't incorporate into the story. I kept it Dream's POV for the entire time for the rest of the book and I didn't want to ruin that by adding these in. So I put them here instead. Anyways, I'll put where each event happened just in case you're drawing a blank. I do hope you enjoy!
(Between 12 and 13)
Someone knocked on Eret's door and she straightened up, brushing down the folds of her strawberry dress. She was expecting an official in need of relaxation, and decided to dress up for the occasion.
"Come in," they called once they deemed themself ready. The door swung open and a fox hybrid stepped in. He wore a black jacket, white shirt, and simple pants. He looked like he could be any other citizen, not the one of the president's right hand men.
"Fundy," Eret said with a smile. The hybrid's ears twitched at the recognition and he smiled, but it was a weary, worn smile. "Are you alright, you don't look well."
Fundy sighed and pulled off his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack. The door swung shut with a soft click behind him. Eret mentally cursed himself, he meant to have a butler do that.
"I've been better. Things are just getting tense at the office," he said, rolling his shoulders. He had bags under his golden eyes and his eyelids fluttered sleepily. "The Sleepy Boys have been abnormally quiet and there's been rumors of a pirate ship being sighted offshore."
"That's not good," Eret said, twisting her face into a hopefully believable look of sympathy.
"Yeah. And to cap it all off, my ex went missing."
"Oh god, that's not good either," Eret said truthfully, feeling a stab of pity. He had never really dated anyone per say, but even so that must feel horrible.
"Yeah it's all over the news. I'm just waiting for them to dig up our dirt to help with the research," he snarled sarcastically, putting the last part in air quotations. Eret's stomach twisted in recognition and surprise.
"Wait, is it Dream?"
"Sadly," Fundy said, a faraway look developing in his eyes. "We had been friends for years and got together our third year of high school. But after we graduated I screwed up big time."
"How so?" He lead Fundy to the couch, giving him a seat. The hybrid sighed again, looking regretful.
"I wanted power and control, especially since my parents were shit and all. So when I got an apprenticeship with Schlatt I didn't turn it down. The more power I tasted the more I was drawn to it. I would barely pay attention to Dream and devoted all my time to rising to the top. When he confronted me about it, we got into a huge fight and I left without another word. We haven't talked since, and now he's gone. I don't know if I'll ever see him again"
Eret sat there, digesting the information. Fundy sounded so upset and conflicted as he told the story. Eret wanted to take him to Phil's and prove that Dream was okay, but he had a feeling if he tried that his company would go up in flames- figuratively and literally. However, he had another idea with hopefully less disastrous consequences.
"I have faint contact with the Sleepy Boys, I could see if they'd be willing to let you and me talk to Dream."
Fundy's head snapped up, his eyes going wide.
"Could you please? I'm sorry, I don't mean to impose, but that would mean the world to me."
Eret nodded and pulled out her phone. She scrolled down to Phil's contact and texted him the request. After a few minutes, the phone buzzed again. Dream wasn't to video call, but he could send a picture. She relayed the information to Fundy.
"Would that be enough?"
Fundy bit his lip, internally debating with himself. After a minute or two, he relaxed and nodded, his fox tail swishing. Eret typed a quick "yes," and waited. Soon after, the picture popped up. Dream was shoving Tommy jokingly, a smirk dancing across his lips. The young Brit was yelling at him, his face furious. Wilbur was faintly there in the background, holding onto a table for support while he laughed.
He showed Fundy and the man's eyes lit up. His fingers traced up to the phone screen, making Eret's heart crack. He seemed so upset and regretful about the entire situation. "Thank you. Seriously, thank you so much," Fundy said. "He looks so happy there, you wouldn't think they kidnapped him."
"He didn't seem too upset when I met him," Eret agreed, pulling the phone away. "So did you have any ideas for what you wanted to do tonight?"
"I just need to relax to be honest," Fundy admitted, his ears twitching. "Things have been so stressful and I need a night off." Eret couldn't help but wonder how stuck Fundy must feel. He didn't seem to like his job, but he couldn't leave quietly. He had no significant other, no family, and his few friends were all political figures that obviously couldn't be trusted.
"That sounds nice, I could use that too honestly. Would a movie work?"
"Sure," Fundy said happily, leaning his head on Eret's. She grabbed the remote control and turned on the tv, flipping through movies. They eventually settled on a random thriller movie and turned out the lights, content to simply spend the night with one another.
(Between 15 and 16)
Eret hated paperwork with a burning passion. She hated being trapped in an office, forced to work and work for who knows how long. She stretched groaned, signing the final document transferring money to a family of seven who's children couldn't afford food or books for school. She couldn't help but smile though, paperwork like this was worth it.
The work phone buzzed and he frowned a little. He wasn't expecting any visitors tonight, right? He shook it off and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Sorry to bother you ma'am," a shaky voice said frantically into the speaker. "Fundy is here and says he needs to see you right away."
"I'm sorry Conner, he'll have to wait until tomorrow," Eret said in an exhausted voice. As much as he enjoyed his time with Fundy, he couldn't deal with him right now.
"Ma'am, he looks like a wreck. His clothes are torn, I'm pretty sure he bleeding, and he's been rambling on about Schlatt like no tomorrow," Conner said. Any personal worries dropped from Eret's mind in a second.
"Send him up right now," they snapped, horror coursing through them. If Schlatt had stepped over a line this time, he was so fucking dead. Conner agreed quickly and hung up, making Eret snarl. They tapped their fingers on their desk impatiently, watching the elevator doors. There was a ding and they stood up, upsetting the papers.
The doors slid open and Fundy stumbled out. His face was covered in tears stains and fresh blood. His shirt and jeans were torn, rumpled, and also blood stained, there was no sign of his favorite jacket. He wasn't wearing any shoes. His nose was swollen and purple, he had a black eyes, and his lip was split. Eret ran forward as he hit the ground.
"Fundy! What happened?"
"Schlatt- he-he-." Fundy broke down, sobbing on the floor. Eret's heart cracked and he dropped down beside him, carefully hugging him. Fundy flinched back, his eyes fearful and angry. Eret pulled away, worry coursing through her. What did Schlatt do?
"Hey it's okay. Do we want to head up to my room?"
Fundy swore loudly and scooted away, breathing rapidly and shaking his head. He was yelling no, tears streaming down his face. Eret started piecing things together and she froze. Oh no, he better not have.
"Fundy, did Schlatt, well, did he hurt you?"
Fundy nodded, shaking and looking at Eret with regretful eyes. This was going to be hard.
"Did he, did he push boundaries?"
Fundy swallowed hard, tears flowing freely. Eret wanted to hug him, to help him, to do something. He nodded. She swore loudly and pushed herself to her feet, enraged.
"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."
"No," Fundy choked out, the cloudiness clearing. Eret frowned heavily, confused.
"What do you mean 'no?' He obviously did something and I'm not letting him get away with it."
"Eret he was drunk, he did know what he was doing, he was really far gone."
"That doesn't excuse what he did," Eret snarled. Fundy flinched away from the harsh tone and Eret cringed. He gently crouched back down. "Fundy, you need to tell me the full story. All of it." Fundy cringed away but took a deep breath. His ears were dropping, his tail limp. He seemed like he had lost hope.
"I was finishing work when he came in. I could smell the alcohol on him so I let him be. But he wanted attention. He 's like a cat, ya know? He'll just come in, try to distract you-"
"Fundy."
"Right, sorry." He took a long breath, obviously steeling himself. "So he came in looking for attention, but I didn't give him any. I was packing up when he- he pinned me against my desk, and- and he said he wanted me. I- I told him no." Fundy was crying again, barely holding himself together. "He didn't like that. An-and he punched me and hit me and I couldn't breath. And he grabbed me and I panicked." He was grabbing onto the floor, shaking like mad. "I grabbed scissors and stabbed him. I got out, but he chased me."
"Okay," Eret said. He had heard enough, and Fundy looked on the verge of collapsing. "Do you need a guest bedroom or somewhere to stay?"
"Just, just stay," Fundy said softly. Eret nodded and sat down beside him. Fundy crawled over and leaned on their shoulder. Eret wrapped an arm around him and he shuddered. "Thank you."
"Of course, I'm here for you."
"Can, can I stay for a while? He knows where I live and-"
"Yes," Eret said firmly. "Stay as long as you need."
"Thank you."
"Do you want to go to the roof," Eret asked. Fundy turned to him, confused. "That usually helps me calm down and clear my head."
"Oh, yeah I like the sound of that," he said, a glimmer of excitement lighting him up. His ears perked up and his tail started swishing softly. Eret smiled happily. Maybe, just maybe, things would work out.
(This is after Eret shoved Phil into the at the elevator at the end of 16)
They dropped to their knees in front of the elevator, their hands on the smooth, cool doors. They didn't regret it, not one bit. Anything to save their old friend. They straightened up, everything needed to be perfect. They hurried back to their desk and hit a button, a fake wall sliding over the elevator door.
(Okay but am I the only one who can imagine a fanart of this? Like we can see both Phil/everyone and Eret. Phil and Eret both have their hands on the elevator doors, but Phil is sobbing and Eret is smiling. Just the sharp contrast with Eret smiling in the impossible situation to Phil finally cracking after losing his friend. I'll shut up now, sorry)
Eret smiled and ran for her elevator, taking it to the top floor. She stopped at her room though, wanting to change. She did it quickly, finding her cottage core skirt and blouse. She pulled them on quickly, grabbed a flower crown, then continued her ascent to the roof. When she finally got up there, she saw her three cars disappearing into the night. She smiled widely, Corpse would take care of them, no matter how scary he first appeared.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, sirens went off in the distance. Eret's eyes snapped towards flashing blue and red lights. They wove through the city like glowing snakes, making the smile droop and fade. He sat down, his head tilted up to the sky. He wished he could see the stars one final time. If anything, this might be the last time he saw the sky for a while. He might as well enjoy it.
The colorful lights stopped at the bottom of the building and the sirens were as loud as ever. Eret sighed sadly, his time was up. He pulled a small pocketknife from his belt and stared at it. It was small, made of diamond, and was given to him for emergencies only.
Well dad, if there's one time I need to use it, it would be now
He braced himself, then gently scraped up his arm with the shape blade. He hissed, cutting through the stitches with ease before throwing the knife away. He watched the blood well up, turning the purple pill in his arm blue. He dug around, nearly blacking out from the pain, before his fingers closed on the slippery pill.
He held it up to the sky, cocking his head. It had a shiny outer casing that reflected the lamplight. The inside was liquidy and gooey, flowing whenever he moved it. He froze, what if it didn't work? Or what if it worked too well and he never woke up again? What if he was forever trapped in a painless, senseless limbo? Would it be worth it?
Before she could go any further with these thought, there was a bang from behind her. She turned to see the door fly open. The cops stepped out, guns aloft. Eret's eyes went wide and her mind went blank. She felt like she was in a dream as her hand drifted to her mouth. Sam screamed for her to stop but she placed the pill on her tongue. The effect was immediate. Her body stiffened as the pill disintegrated in her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in her head and blackness rushed in. The last thing she thought about was Fundy.
I'll see him soon.
(After Fundy takes him)
He was still detached. It had been a week since taking Blue. A week since he had been caught. He sighed in boredom, watching the "best scientists of the city" try everything in their power to wake him back up. Fundy sat over in the corner, tapping his fingers against his leg while he watched. After they'd finished force feeding him concoctions, they left. It was just Fundy and Eret now.
"I'm sorry Eret," he said softly, standing and moving to him. Eret wanted so badly to take his hand, to assure the broken politician it would okay, but he couldn't move. Fundy dropped down besides him and took his hand, tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."
"NO," Eret wanted to shout. "It wasn't your fault!" She tried ramming against the Blue, but it stayed intact. Her fingers didn't even twitch. She growled silently and tried to slip out, but it didn't work either. It was airtight and nothing was getting in or out.
"You were always like an older sibling to me," Fundy continued softly, their hands still joined. "Without you, I don't know what I would have done." He let go, stepping back and checking his wristwatch. How Tommy hadn't stolen that yet was beyond them. Maybe he had and it had been replaced.
"I have to go, but I'll be back. Even if you despise me and wish we had never known each other, I'll come back for you."
Tears dripped down Eret's face in the void and he tried everything in his damn power to get to Fundy. He wanted to scream and cry and hug the man as tightly as human possible. He slammed his fists against the invisible barrier until his energy ran out and he curled up on the invisible floor.
Every fiber in her body begged her to go to him, to comfort him, to be there. She sobbed and shook in her torturous void. Was this how Phil felt, helpless and lost? She felt bad, but her actions were necessary to saving the city.
The room was empty now and Eret gritted their teeth in the void. Every day they felt closer and closer to returning to reality, it was only a matter of time. Until then, they'd keep trying. Soon, they'd wake. And they'd make sure the entire city knew it.
~~~
Congrats, you got through the angst-fest! I was in a bad mood while writing this, so I took it out on my writing. I do hope you enjoyed this, it took me a while to make and I'm pretty proud of it.
Now I can talk about my new project. I am writing a Dreamnoblade kingdom and hybrid AU. It'll be called Deceiving Dragonfly, and I hope you enjoy it. I'll see you in the next one!
Word Count- 2938