"Doctor Smiley."
If someone told Y/n that she would grow close to and learn to grow fond of another serial killer that lived in a cabin somewhere in the woods, she would've told them that they were out of their mind. Yet, that's exactly what happened. Surprisingly enough, she had grown closer to him faster than most of the other killers. Even the ones she had known before Doctor Smiley.
Maybe it was because he had taken care of Levi or didn't show any ill will towards her from the very beginning (except the first time they met). Either way, Y/n was sure she could trust him...at least to the extent of keeping her safe for an extended period of time.
There was a pleasant hum in the air, one that came from Slenderman and echoed in her mind. Then, the hand that held her own felt like it was slipping away. Her hand dropped from the air and to her side where a cold shiver ran up her spine.
Y/n opened her eyes immediately. The smell of clean air and rain filled her senses as she almost stumbled back from the sight.
In front of her, was a black frame of a cabin. Scorched and blackened, but mostly gone in its entirety. The front of the cabin was most of the remaining structure, the door broken inwards and left in two pieces on the grass in front of her. Y/n stepped forward, carefully observing the area with a perceptive gaze.
Her shoes crunched against the broken glass from the shattered window near the door as she entered through the empty frame. The right side of the building was caved inwards, blocking the way forward, but to the far left the wall had burnt to a crisp, so she could make her way around the debris without hindrance. The two couches had been ruined, wooden beams lying across it as the material had been scorched and melted against the furniture.
The hall was a noticeable part of the building, but it was also just as destroyed as the right side of the wall behind her. There remained little framework of the doors on each side and the roof of the building was completely gone. She peeked her head through the room on the right, cringing at the sour smell that hit her nose when she peered inside. The ground was melted, and items and metal furniture were destroyed beyond fixing. Y/n didn't want to know what had gotten caught up in this part of the fire.
The h/c-haired female continued down the hall until she made it to the room at the very end. The door was closed, blackened. There was wood peeling off the frame of the door and Y/n stretched her hand out to the handle, grabbing it and twisting slowly.
There was a bit of resistance on the other side, so she had to push forward a little bit. A fallen, wooden beam hit the floor on the other side, the noise echoing throughout the forest for whatever was out there to hear.
The sight before her caused a sharp pain to stab right into her heart. The room, no, there were no walls to call this a room anymore. The opening that this door led to was the worst of it all. What remained of the bed in the center of the room was just a frame, outlined in dark soot. Whatever was kept in this room had been used as fuel for the fire and was now beyond repair.
Y/n could only wonder how this fire started in the first place. She remembered very clearly that whoever was controlling Sasha had been the perpetrator, but Y/n wondered about the truth beyond that statement. How had it gotten worse to the point Levi was trapped inside? And where had Doctor Smiley been?
Y/n shook her head, turning on her heel so her back faced the door. She didn't wish to relive the past. All she had to do was forget this place, forget what happened here.
Forget...everything.
Her head began to pound as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she forced them back with a glare to the ground as she walked quickly down the hall. The charred wood underneath her feet creaked and groaned as she stepped around the sore dips and scorched wood, stepping around the slanted piece of large wood that made up the majority of the ceiling and back to the door.
Stepping out of the remains of the cabin, she lifted her head toward the edge of the clearing.
Her heart jumped at the sight of the distressed sight of Doctor Smiley. He breathed heavily with an open mouth, and, upon spotting her, quickly ran forward.
Y/n turned her body towards him, stepping his way only to realize that...he wasn't stopping. No, when he grew closer, she realized he wasn't going to stop. Right when he reached her, Doctor Smiley, with open arms, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up within his grasp.
"You're okay," his breath was labored and muffled as he dug his head against her stomach, Y/n's feet lifted up off the ground, "you're okay..."
It seemed as if Doctor Smiley wasn't speaking to her, but rather than telling himself this. The man lowered Y/n to the ground, making sure her feet were planted firmly on the earth before he released her and stepped back. Y/n could feel her head pound louder as she inhaled slowly.
"Yea," she nodded, "I am..."
Smiley's red eyes darted all across her form, his right hand coming up to ghost along her injured shoulder, "does anything hurt? Did your wound re-open?"
Y/n's shoulder didn't hurt or bother her as much anymore. It most likely was or had bruised over, but that wasn't the greatest worry of hers. The injury on her leg had stopped bleeding but still would need treatment soon.
"Nothing major," she assured, "I...I don't think so, at least."
"You don't think so," Doctor Smiley rolled his eyes, an unfamiliar grin stretching across his face. Y/n tried to give one of her own, but her lips trembled at the attempt, so she turned her head down quickly. Even so, Doctor Smiley's eyes were faster.
"Y/n," his tone was stern now and he bent his knees to a small crouch so he could peer at her face when he realized she wouldn't lift her head to look at him, "are you sure you're-"
The man stopped himself from speaking any further when he spotted the tears running down her face. The doctor rose to his feet quickly. Y/n lifted her hands, using her wrists to wipe her tears due to the blood that stained her hands. Each time she took in a slow breath of air, her voice would shake and she would let out a quiet sob.
Unexpectedly, Doctor Smiley reached out and placed a hand behind Y/n's good shoulder and pulled her closer. His other hand came to the back of her head, gently allowing her head to rest against the center of his chest.
"It's alright...i-it's over now." He murmured, rubbing the small of her back slowly. It was clear that he either wasn't fond of things like this or just wasn't experienced enough to know what to do, but the man was trying his best, "it's okay to cry... I just need you to tell me if you're hurting, okay?"
Her body shook with one more silent sob as she inhaled another, shaky breath. Y/n, her ear against his chest, could feel and hear the pounding of his heart deep within his body. The tears that spilled from her eyes had stopped and she sniffed, wiping the wetness on her cheeks with the back of her hands.
"Really, I'm fine... Sorry," she lifted her head up to Doctor Smiley, a sad smile forming on her face, "thank you."
Just as Y/n was about to step away from him to allow the two enough space between each other, Doctor Smiley pulled her back against him, his other hand coming up right under her chin. He didn't hold it, but his index finger brushed the underside of it, causing her to meet his gaze as he kept it there. Doctor Smiley stared down with narrowed eyes.
"Really," he spoke in a matter-of-fact way, "you're not fine. Where does it hurt?"
Y/n could feel her chest twist with a spiral of different emotions. The lingering of sadness, the bubble of irritation, and at the forefront of the two, compassion. For him? Maybe, probably.
"Really," her brows furrowed, pursing her lips as she matched his tone, "I am fine. It's nothing you can fix."
Doctor Smiley tapped the underside of her chin once and tilted his head to the side, "oh, yea? Try me, where does it hurt?"
The entire vibe of the interaction had changed in a flash as they stared at each other with stubborn looks.
"Here," she raised her right hand and slipped it between the two of them, and placed it against her chest, right where her heart would be, "inside."
Doctor Smiley watched, staring down at her hand and then back up to meet her eyes, "well, I'm sure the operating table inside should be okay to use..." He trailed off, lifting his head in thought. Y/n used the hand she had slipped between the two of them to push against his chest with another purse of her lips.
The dark-haired man chuckled and removed his hand that was under her chin to take the hand that was against his chest now into his own. His fingers folded between the female's and Y/n slowly did the same, gazing at the hold, then back up at Doctor Smiley with her brows raised.
"I'm joking," he hummed, "obviously...I wouldn't want to operate on something so...pretty," Doctor Smiley tugged her hand closer up to him, bringing the back of her hand towards his lips, and pressed a small kiss against the top of each knuckle. His red eyes shined down at her from over their clasped hands as Y/n's heart began beating faster against her chest.
"I'm sure I can fix your heart," he murmured, squeezing her hand. He lowered it, but still kept the two of their hands held together, "only if you promise to tell me whenever something hurts...whether it be injuries or something plaguing your mind," Doctor Smiley leaned closer, then pressed a small kiss to her forehead, "you're worth the trouble, don't forget that."
~
Route completed
[Next up; Truth]