Damien?
A/N: This is a one shot taking place after the events of WKM. Please note that in this one shot, you are a friend of Damien's, but you did not attend the celebration at Markiplier Manor. Enjoy!
You were out for a leisurely stroll on a sunny spring day when you saw him. You had to do a double take, but after a second glance you realized that there was no mistaking him. The perfectly fitted suit, the dark hair, the cane...it was the mayor. You guessed it made sense - he was in the yard of Mark's gorgeous mansion, and they had been friends for years. Except that it had been a long time since you had seen Mayor Damien, and he was seemingly missing.
It had been about a month since a truly tragic event had occurred at Markiplier Manor. Mark had thrown a big celebration and invited some of his closest friends to his place for it - Damien had told you all about it before he went. You even got some hilarious pictures from him that night - it appeared to be a pretty good time. But it came out the next day that Mark had been murdered in his own home, and since then the whereabouts of most of the people who had attended the celebration were unknown, Damien included. You had tried reaching out to no avail. He cared about Mark, and you wanted to be there for him in his time of loss and grieving, but he never replied, and everyone you talked to said they hadn't seen him. From what you could tell, he was nowhere to be found. So, naturally, you were floored to see him while you were out on your walk. You had begun to think you may never see or talk to him again!
You had to cross the street to get to the mansion. It looked like a castle. You had never been inside - Mark was Damien's friend, not yours - but you had always wanted to visit. Damien's stories about the place painted a great picture in your mind, but it was even more beautiful in person. The whole neighborhood was incredible, which was why you had chosen to go for a walk there in the first place. Now you were very glad you did.
"Damien? Is that you?" You called out as you reached the sidewalk. Now that you were closer, you could see some key changes from the Damien you were used to. His hair was almost always slicked back, but today he had left it down in his face. And he loved bowties - he was rarely without one when he had on a suit, except for today. You didn't see his mayor badge, either - not that he wore it 24/7, but when he was dressed for business, it was usually secured to his jacket. These differences weren't necessarily bad, but they were definitely noticeable, and you wondered if they were caused by the sadness he had to have been feeling from losing Mark.
"Y/n, hey!" Damien responded, a smile appearing on his face. He walked up to the gate of the fence that secured the mansion, looking through the spaces between the black iron that it was made of.
"I can't believe it's you! I heard about what happened here - I tried to reach out, to see how you were doing, but I never got a response from you. I've been worried sick about you," you explained, overwhelmed with feelings of relief that he was alive and in front of you.
"I'm sorry, y/n. It was a lot to take in...I'm afraid I isolated myself a bit too much from everyone and everything. I haven't really been talking to anyone," Damien replied, looking down at his shoes. His smile had faded.
"That's completely understandable. I can't even imagine how you must be feeling. I'm just glad to see that you're okay," you assured him.
"Well, I still shouldn't have shut you out like that, no matter what happened. Maybe I can begin to make it up to you with a drink? Perhaps a cup of tea or coffee, or if you'd rather, something a little harder..."
"Sure, Damien. That sounds great."
"Step back and I'll let you in. There are some things here that I guess Mark wanted me to have, and I'm just now getting around to picking them up. Benjamin's hanging around, still - he'll insist on making whatever you choose to drink, even if he's not working as Mark's butler anymore."
You did as you were told and Damien pushed the gate open. You stepped inside and closed the gate behind you before walking alongside him to the front door.
"After you," he grinned as he opened it for you. He was always such a gentleman. You walked in and took in your wonderful surroundings. The dark wood, the chandeliers, the marvelous staircases...it was amazing!
"Thank you. You weren't kidding about this place!"
"It's great, isn't it? I'm glad you finally get to see it, although I wish the circumstances were better," Damien said. He led you to the kitchen, where you saw another man in a suit, presumably the butler.
"Ben, this is y/n. They're a very good friend of mine who I haven't seen in a while. I hope you don't mind me inviting them in. They've always been interested in this place, plus I was hoping to catch up with them," Damien explained.
"Of course I don't mind! Welcome, y/n. It's very nice to meet you. Can I get you anything?" Ben asked politely.
"What are you thinking? Is it too early for wine?" Damien chuckled. It was nearing afternoon, but you weren't usually one to turn down a drink unless you had to drive.
"It's never too early for wine," you simpered. "But you don't have to get it, Ben! I can serve myself," you added when you noticed him immediately grabbing glasses out of the cabinets.
"It's alright, I don't mind at all! Besides, I know where everything is and I'm still not quite used to being out of a job. I like keeping busy."
"We'll take the sweet red, you know which one I like. You'll love it, y/n," Damien commanded. Ben rushed down to the wine cellar and you took advantage of your moment of privacy.
"So, does he live here still?" you questioned Damien.
"Yes. He's so used to being here after so many years - it's his home. Even with his master gone, I don't think he really has anywhere else to go."
Ben returned with the bottle of wine and opened it, pouring a large glass full for you and Damien. You thanked Ben and clinked your glass against Damien's before taking a sip. He was right - it was sweet, just the way you liked it.
"Shall I give you a grand tour?" Damien puzzled. You nodded. He took you back out to the lobby of the mansion and set his cane down on a table under a big, beautiful mirror before beginning the tour, showing you everything from the game room and the theater to the many bathrooms and bedrooms. You sipped your drinks as you walked, and then he took you out to see the pool and the rest of the grounds.
"Can I ask what exactly happened that night?" you wondered as a gentle breeze grazed your skin.
"The night of the murder, you mean?" Damien clarified. You nodded. "It's hard to say exactly what happened. I mean, we all were partying, drinking, acting crazy and stupid. Everyone's memory was fuzzy. All we know is that Mark was estimated to be dead at around 1:30 am and a lot of terrible things had been done to him. Everybody was accusing everybody - every person there that night was a suspect. There was fighting, the detective and William were especially hard to keep away from each other... Hell, the detective is probably still chasing after him as we speak. He's 100% sure that Will did it. I don't believe that, of course, but there's not really any concrete evidence to prove who did or didn't do it. All I know for absolute certain is that it wasn't me. And since the murder, I haven't seen anyone except Ben. Everybody just took off." Damien drained the rest of his wine and took a seat on a bench near the pool, putting his glass down forcefully. You sat down next to him and set your glass down as well, but more calmly.
"That's awful," was all you could think to say. You tried to read Damien, but it was difficult. He put on a strong front, but he had to be hurting on the inside. "How are you, Damien?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"I mean, are you okay? Honestly?"
Damien sighed deeply in response. "It's difficult, being here, reliving it all in my head. But at the same time, I think it's good to be here and face it. I don't know that I'll ever be okay, but it's slowly getting a little easier as time passes."
"Do you think you're going to keep this new look?" you laughed, hoping to lighten up the conversation a little.
"Honestly, I kind of just got lazy about it," he chuckled. "Why, do you not like it?"
"No, I do. It's just...different. I'm sure your hair appreciates being left alone for once," you joked.
"Yeah, I suppose it needed a break from product," he smirked. Then his tone changed from amused to more serious. "This new look kind of feels right, though. You know? This whole thing with Mark has changed me. Now that he's gone, and everyone else has left, I'm not the same Damien as I used to be. Might as well embrace it."
"Listen, Damien...I know that loss is difficult to deal with, but you don't have to let it take over. Life goes on. Even if things are different and you might feel different, you're still you. Even if your best friend is gone, you still have a life to live," you reminded him, placing a hand on his knee in an attempt to comfort him. You weren't sure if this was the best move, but it felt right.
"I am different, though. More different than you think," he answered. There was something very eerie about the way he said it, and he looked almost angry.
"Oh. Okay..." you replied, taking your hand off of him.
"Tell me, y/n...do you want the truth? Do you want to see who I really am?" Damien inquired, gazing intensely into your eyes. He was acting strange, and it was beginning to scare you.
"I...I don't know what you mean, Damien. I already know who you are. I've known you for years. You'll get through all of this, it's going to be fine! I can help you," you vowed, desperate not to mess up whatever this was. You had just gotten him back, you didn't want to drive him away. But he stood up suddenly, turning his back on you. His fists were clenched, his head was down. You had no idea what was going on with him, but you knew it couldn't be good. You decided it would be best to just stay in your seat and let him be; wait for his next move.
"I'm not Damien, y/n. Not anymore."
Your ears started to ring lightly, but this happened to you every so often, so you thought nothing of it. You were much more interested in whatever the hell Damien was going to say next.
"You see, something bad happened to Damien and Celine after the murder. They went to this place, this dimension...they became something else. They both became part of me."
The ringing was growing louder, more noticeable. And the things Damien was telling you sounded absolutely insane. Had he already been drinking before you arrived?
"And now, there's this...darkness...inside of me. And anger. And sometimes it's difficult to control, y/n."
The ringing was so loud that it hurt, and you covered both of your ears in an attempt to muffle it. As you did, you noticed that something was happening to Damien. Bright hues of cyan and red appeared to be almost radiating off of him, like they were coming from within him somehow. But how the hell could something like that be happening? And where was the ringing even coming from?!
"Damien, can you hear that? My ears hurt. That ringing is so loud! I think there's something wrong with me," you panicked. You wondered if the colors you were seeing were just a hallucination, maybe somehow associated with the sound. He certainly seemed unfazed by it all.
"I already told you, I'm not Damien. I go by Dark, now. And if you want to want to help me deal with Mark's death and continue being my beloved best friend, you'll just have to get used to the noise."
Damien turned around to face you. The colors that were emitting from him were brighter now, and were shifting. His skin was now a shade of gray, as if he was stuck in an old black and white movie. And even though he wore his hair down in front of his eyes now, you could see a darkness around them, like makeup. There was something beautiful, yet incredibly sinister about him. And the smile on his face felt evil.
"W-what's going on? What's happening to you?!" you thought out loud. The noise didn't get louder, but it didn't fade. The strangely colored auras continued moving around your friend, and his skin stayed gray while the rest of the world was in color. He place his hands behind his back and leaned in towards you slightly before he spoke again.
"It's difficult to explain, really. I'm not exactly human anymore, not after everything I've been through - after everything Damien's been through. But that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. You can still trust me, y/n." His voice was so deep and soothing. You wanted to believe him. But you didn't understand what was going on, and there was obviously something very wrong with him.
"I must admit, I fibbed earlier. I told you that I was just visiting, picking up some things that Mark had left for me. The truth is that after what happened with Damien and Celine, I can't leave this house very easily. Trying to leave the grounds makes me weak, so I've been staying here with Ben. He's thankful to still have work, to still have a master," Dark explained. It was clear that he was right, this wasn't Damien anymore. Not truly.
"You live here now?" you questioned him cautiously. He nodded.
"Yes. And you could live here too, if you'd like. I could tell how much you loved the house during our tour. It could be ours." He moved closer and took your hands in his, pulling you to your feet. His touch made you feel safe, but his eyes made you feel frightened. You didn't know what to think.
"That's very generous of you, Dam - Dark. But I already have a home. I couldn't just leave," you told him.
"Whatever must be done to get you moved out can be arranged. I know I'm different now, but I still know you, y/n. I know you want to be here. I know you want to be with me. And Damien wants it, too." His breath tickled your ear as he spoke into it almost seductively. He was right - you wanted this. You wanted him, no matter how unnatural and dangerous he seemed.
"What'll it be, y/n? Will you stay here with me?" He was practically staring into your soul, his eyes pleading with you to give him what he wanted. Logically, you knew this was a stupid, reckless thing to do. But something about him was so persuasive.
"Yes. I'll stay," you promised.
"Good choice. Although, you didn't really have one, anyways." Dark's charming smile transformed into a villainous glare in a snap as he grabbed your wrist forcefully to drag you back inside your new home.