Archive of Our Own ^beta

Charlie doesn’t know how he escaped the security wire monster. He doesn’t know how he survived. He should be dead right now, but instead he’s laying on the floor breathing, with an unmoving chuck of wires that had previously been attempting to rip him apart above him. 

Blood dripped from gashes on his body but for once he didn’t think they were fatal. 

Charlie shoved himself to his feet with a near silent groan, struggling to push the unmoving wire monster away. 

He limped heavily on one foot as he turned his head from side to side, chills running down his spine at the sight of Showfall media workers standing frozen, heads hanging limply as if completely shut off. 

It was terrifying. 

For a split second Charlie nearly called out to Ranboo before stopping himself. He didn’t want to draw unwanted attention. 

A light in the distance caught Charlie’s eye, and he made his way towards it, desperately searching for his friend. The light led him to a hallway of sorts, lined with doors, and at the very end of the hallway was a single boarded up window with light cracking under the bottom. 

Real light, not artificial. 

A gasp of relief slipped from his mouth and his throat choked up as he made a dash for the window, not caring about the pain that stung him violently. He nearly reached the window, his hands extended to touch the rough wooden boards when a sound made him freeze. 

A single short cry for help from the door directly to his left. 

Charlie’s head snapped from the freedom of the window to the metal door leading into darkness. It could be a trap. He was so incredibly close to escaping this hellscape and now he had frozen. 

“Is someone there?!” A young voice cracked through the silence, sounding choked as if they were about to cry. 

Charlie shook his head vigorously, forcing with all his might to turn away from the window and toward the door, hand shaking as it hovered over the scratched metal handle for a moment before reaching down and twisting it open. 

He was met with the sight of a young girl,

no older than ten or eleven strapped against a medical table, her cheeks plastered with tear stains. Her hair was messy brown and clumped together in parts, and a small pair of glasses lay discarded on a table a few feet away, which Charlie assumed must belong to her. 

“Help me, p-please,” the girl sobbed, hiccuping through her gasps for air. She didn’t look exactly at Charlie’s face, and he suddenly got the feeling she couldn’t actually tell where his face was without her glasses on.

He stood there blankly for a few moments, before snapping into action, eyes darting quickly for a way to get the child free. He didn’t know why she was here but it only took him a heartbeat to come to the conclusion that he wasn’t leaving this place without her.

“Kid hey— uh I got this,” Charlie’s head snapped around the room as he hovered over her, searching for something to use to get her off the table. 

The girl froze however, her body going dead still at the sound of his voice. Charlie didn’t notice this though, completely oblivious as his eyes brightened at the sight of wire cutters on a table in the corner of the room. 

“It’s gonna be alright,” Charlie was saying. “I can get you out of here.”

He collected the wire cutters quickly, rushing back to the little girl, all the while raising his head to look around at his surroundings to make sure they were still undisturbed. 

Charlie frowned suddenly, finally taking notice of the child not moving. 

“Hey— are you alright?” He asked cautiously, as he paused his work in cutting the girl’s hands and feet free. 

The girl sniffed loudly, tears still dripping from her eyes, now seeming heavier than before, though she seemed to be attempting to stifle them. 

Charlie’s eyes widened with concern, and he bit his lip. He didn’t really know how to handle kid’s crying. 

“Hey, hey hey, you’re safe now ok?” He told her gently, a crack snapping the air as he freed her left arm, the final part of her that was chained down. “We can get out of here.”

The girl’s breathing was shaky, and Charlie gently held out his hand for her to help her sit up properly. She didn’t take it, instead pushing herself up on her own, and Charlie felt a spark of something familiar in his chest as he stared at the little girl. 

She looked up at Charlie slowly, her eyes squinting ever so slightly as she strained to see him. 

“My name’s Charlie,” he told her carefully, a hesitant smile on his face. “What’s your name?”

A short gasp slipped from the girl’s mouth as he told her his name, and he couldn’t help but feel confused. Why was this girl so wary of him?

“I can't see you,” she whispered finally, ignoring the question. Her voice was hoarse, most likely from the screaming. 

“Oh yeah!” Charlie wanted to smack himself, and slid off the table where the child sat, wincing a bit as the wound on his chest screamed in pain. 

He looked around for a few heartbeats, clutching his middle as he searched the room for the pair of glasses he’d seen on his way in. They were small, quite obviously for the girl in question, which made sense why she never seemed to meet his eyes. 

He found them on a table, and snatched them up, before limping back to the girl, handing her the glasses. 

“There you go kid,” he sat back down on the hard table next to her. 

She stared down at the glasses not putting them on, her legs dangling off the edge of the table as she swung them idly. 

Charlie frowned. Didn’t she want to see better?

“Those are your glasses right?” He asked her hesitantly. Maybe he’d gotten the wrong ones. 

The girl startled, almost as if she’d forgotten he was sitting right next to her, before nodding slowly. A small silent tear slid down her cheek and landed on the lense of the glasses in her lap. 

Charlie felt conflicted as he sat next to her, letting his own legs swing as well. He really wanted to get the fuck out of here, but there was not way he was leaving the kid. He also didn’t want to rush her since she was clearly extremely upset over something. 

“They told me people would forget about me,” The girl spoke up suddenly, her small fingers fidgeting with the rubber ends of the glasses. Charlie looked down at her, surprised that she was speaking before the words actually sunk in. 

“I think they must have because— because I’ve been here for a long time and no one found me and now—” the girl looked up at him, quickly cutting herself off and glancing away again. 

“I found you though,” Charlie said after a moment of hesitation. “You’re free now if— if you want. I’m leaving this place, I need to find out who I am and… and maybe we can find your family,” he gave her a small smile, though he wasn’t sure if she could see it without her glasses that she still hadn’t put on. 

At Charlie’s words though, her shoulders hunched together, and a small sob escaped her, making her young body quiver.

He felt a pit open in his stomach at the terrible sight, and before he could stop himself, he inched a bit closer to her, a silent offer of comfort. The girl simply sobbed more at this, but she did move a bit closer to Charlie, resting her forehead against the sleeve of his olive green t-shirt.  

“It’s gonna be ok kid,” he told her softly. Gently he reached out and patted her shoulder. “I’ve got you.”

The girl sniffed heavily, choking down more tears before she grabbed her glasses and roughly shoved them onto her face, startling Charlie. 

“It’s Flippa,” she told him, almost bitterly, looking down at her skirt. 

Charlie frowned, confusion filling him, “I’m sorry?”

The girl coughed. “My name I mean, my name is Flippa. Or that’s what—” she cut herself off, swallowing hard. “My full name is Juanaflippa but some people usually just called me Flippa for short,” she explained. 

Charlie chose to ignore the clear break in her sentence, sliding off the table and shooting a quick glance at the door and then back at her. 

“Alright then, Flippa,” he said, the name feeling right on his tongue. “Are you ready to get out of this place?”

Flippa didn’t answer right away, but she did finally look up from her legs, locking her green eyes with Charlie, seeming to bore right into his soul. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, tearing her gaze away and hopping off the table. “Let’s get out of here.”

Charlie smiled at that, still clutching his chest where the tear in his combat vest was, but with his other hand he offered it to Flippa. 

She stared at it for a heartbeat longer then was comfortable, before taking it, her small hand fitting comfortably into Charlie’s. 

Without another word Charlie led the way limping out of the dark room, searching the hallway again, and not spotting anyone. It was still dead silent in the mall. 

“The window, that’s where we need to go,” he told her, walking over to the boarded up window, the cracks of natural light seeping through. 

He’d have to break off the boards somehow. Probably with brute force, which wouldn't be good for his wounds, but there wasn’t much he could do about that. 

“Stand back kid,” he told her, carefully letting go of Flippa’s hand, and reaching out for the boards, his fingers closing over the old wood. 

Flippa did so, stepping back quickly and silently, her eyes watching him intently with a look that Charlie couldn’t decipher. 

He grimaced as his muscles strained, pulling hard at the boards. He felt awful about leaving Ranboo. He didn’t know what had happened to his friend, and realistically he should go back for them. Same with Sneeg… there might be a chance one of them survived, but then his thoughts landed on the little girl he was now caring for. 

He’d come back. 

First he had to get this kid out. 

And with that thought he managed to rip off the board completely, a cry of pain falling from his lips as his wound twinged sharply. 

However as his eyes opened, landing on the very large gap in the window, his mouth dropped open. A few stories below was a street and a sidewalk, mostly empty, but far in the distance was the city skyline of… New York?

He was in New York?!

A gasp from behind him alerted Charlie of Flippa, who darted to his side, staring out the window at the light as if she blinked for a second it would disappear. 

“We’re getting out,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Her hand immediately reached up and grabbed the bottom of Charlie’s shirt, almost as if it were an instinctive action, and he found he didn't rly mind much. 

“We are,” he muttered. “I’m getting us out of here.”

Charlie stepped back, and reached for another piece of wood, his arms straining again as he ripped off chunk after chunk, biting his lip with the effort, feeling blood spill there. 

Finally, his arms feeling as if they were jello and his head spinning, Charlie dropped the last piece of old wood to the ground with a loud clunk. 

“Ok,” he breathed heavily, glancing back at Flippa who stared up at him nervously. “I think I’m going to have to break the window now.”

“Are we gonna have to climb down three stories?” She asked slowly, her eyes wide. 

Charlie walked forward, struggling to see all the way down.  

“Yeah…” he admitted. “But I think there will be footholds and stuff. Besides, I should be able to carry you most of the way.”

Flippa nodded, her face filled with trust in a way that Charlie probably should’ve questioned more, but his thoughts were so preoccupied that it never crossed his mind. 

“Ok, I think— I think I’ll use this wood to break it,” he leaned down, picking up one of the larger planks and gripping it firmly, hoping desperately he wouldn’t have to go back into the building to search for something to break the window with if this failed. 

“Count me down, will you Flippa?” He asked with a short laugh, his knuckles whitening as he prepared to strike. 

Flippa gave him a thumbs up as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. 

“Ok um… do I just go? Oh ok, three, two, one!” She exclaimed, before quickly ducking back as Charlie threw himself at the window, wood plank first, glass shattering immediately on impact sending him flying through and landing on the narrow awning just before the drop to the pavement three stories below. 

He yelled out in pain, clutching his chest as he lay in a crumpled ball surrounded by glass shards, struggling to catch his breath.

Fuck, he really needed a first aid kit once he got out of this mess. 

“D— CHARLIE?!” Flippa yelled, her voice filled with panic as she poked her head through the window, eyes darting around before they landed on him just below. 

“I’m ok!” Charlie gasped out, before wincing slightly. “No really, I’m fine!!” He reassured her as her face didn’t change from one of panic. 

“You’re injured,” Flippa noted, staring pointedly at the blood spattering his combat vest. She must not have seen it before since it was so dark in the hallway apart from the light of the window. 

“Im fine, I swear,” Charlie protested, shoving himself shakily to his feet and leaning on the side of the building. “Come on, let’s get down.” 

He offered her his hand once again, and she frowned at him, her small eyebrows furrowing before taking it. 

They were silent as they edged their way across the short rim around the building, and Charlie frowned as he struggled to figure out a way to the ground. 

“Do you think we can make it to that dumpster down there?” He suggested, pointing to a large open green dumpster in the back of a visible alley, filled with black trash bags and other junk. 

“You’re injured,” Flippa repeated, this time sounding a bit more upset. “You can’t jump down there.”

Charlie blinked at her, a bit surprised by how much she seemed to care after hardly knowing him very long. 

“I’ll be fine, it’s not me I’m worried about. I’ve survived a lot worse.”

Screaming and writhing in pain as his flesh melted into the old wooden floor—

Tears rolling down his face as he barely kept himself from wretching as he watched Ranboo cut and pull out his—

This didn’t seem to make Flippa much happier, but Charlie was done worrying about that. He wanted to get the fuck out of here, he didn’t care if he broke a few bones doing it.

Flippa seemed to realize this as she stared at him, and then abruptly took a step backward before making a running jump off the edge of the building, somersaulting over and diving into the dumpster with crash. 

Charlie screamed, his heart nearly exploding out of his chest as thoughts screaming that the kid was dead slammed into his brain. 

“FLIPPA?!!” He bellowed, watching in panic for movement below. 

“I’m good!” A distant yell came from the dumpster. Charlie exhaled in relief, his shoulders sagging a foot. 

“I spotted a mattress in here from up there, that’s why I jumped,” she yelled at him. 

Charlie covered his face with his hands for a moment, his heart still racing. 

“Don’t fucking do that again!!” He yelled down. “I nearly got a heart attack!!”

“Old man,” came the nearly inaudible response and Charlie nearly burst out laughing at it. This girl had spirit that was for sure. Apparently not even the horrors of whatever Showfall put the girl through could take that out of her. 

“I’m going to act like I didn’t hear that,” he called down, struggling to push away a snort. Then he carefully eyed the distance between the roof and the dumpster, crossing his fingers that he wouldn’t overshoot, and jumped, using one hand to hold his glasses in place. He was blind as a bat without them. 

Charlie landed hard on the mattress next to Flippa, a cry of pain falling from his mouth . The wind was knocked from his chest, and he lay there, in the pungent scented dumpster with his head facing the sky in silence. 

They’d made it out.

He was free. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the freedom and letting it sink into his bones before Charlie struggled to push himself upwards. Flippa has been watching him, and when he looked at her she glanced away. 

“We need to keep moving,” he told her quietly. Neither of them knew how long it would be until Showfall came after them. Ranboo had stopped them for now with whatever they’d done, but who knew how long it would actually last. 

Juanaflippa nodded in agreement, silent again and she carefully crawled out of the dumpster, leaning down to offer Charlie her hand to help him out. He smiled at her, letting the little girl help him, even though it probably didn’t do much to actually support him. 

Charlie stumbled when he landed on the pavement of the alleyway, gasping out as he hunched over, hugging the vest tighter to him as if that would stop the pain. 

“You need medicine,” Flippa told him, her voice firm. “And a lot of help.”

Charlie let out a laugh at the last bit. From dying several times and remembering it vividly, to watching his friends die, to the fact that he couldn’t remember his past— yeah he needed a shit ton of help. 

But medicine would work for now. 

“If— if we go further into the city we might be able to find a pharmacy or something,” Charlie muttered, staggering forward with a now very heavy limp. Flippa quickly darted to his side and grabbed his arm, trying to make him rest on her as a support. 

“Flippa—” he started to protest, the kid was way too small and thin, she shouldn’t be helping him, but the withering glare the girl sent his way was enough to make him shut up extremely fast. 

The pair struggled on foot down the sidewalk, and it turned out the Mall was in a pretty abandoned part of the town. They didn’t pass any people until they’d been walking for a good twenty minutes. And that was when Charlie saw it. 

His own face, plastered to a piece of paper with the words ‘missing’, beneath it, and Showfall’s logo stamped in the corner. 

His heart immediately began racing. How had they been so fast? How did they know he was gone already? And when was that picture taken because he didn’t remember it at all. 

Flippa’s face paled at the sight of it, and she grabbed the paper, ripping it harshly off the wall. 

“They’re after us already,” he muttered, feeling sick in his stomach. 

She glanced up at him, her face scared. “We need to hide and— and get some sort of cover,” Flippa added quickly, passing the paper to Charlie, who glanced at it once more before stuffing it into his pocket. 

He didn’t even know when he’d gotten to Showfall Media. Had they kidnapped him? Had he gone willingly? If so, what could they have promised to get him to sell his soul to an eternal hell?

Charlie swallowed hard. Those were just some of the few thoughts that scratched the surface of his brain. The darker ones would be accessed later he knew, and those would be a fucking joy to unpack. 

“Charlie!!” Flippa hissed suddenly, grabbing his arm and yanking him into one of the alleyways along the street. 

Charlie’s head snapped to the road, confused as to why she’d pulled him off the street when a dark black van with a red version of the Showfall media logo drove past them.

“Fuck,” he hissed under his breath. 

This was going to be harder than he originally thought. His eyes trailed to the ground as he hugged his arms around himself, covering the area of his wound, when his eyes caught sight of something dark on the floor. 

A… a red trail of blood across the pavement leading towards the back of the alley, where it was almost pitch dark due to night falling. 

Something shifted slightly in the back of the alley, causing a sharp intake of breath to escape Charlie’s throat and he shoved Flippa behind him despite her protests. 

“Who’s there?” Charlie hissed out. He didn’t have a weapon, but he would fight as hard as he could to save his life and that of the little girl who he’d rescued. 

He walked forward, eyes narrowed dangerously. Flippa was clinging to his T-shirt as if it were a lifeline. 

A groan from the back of the alley made Charlie freeze in his tracks and his eyes darted to the silhouette of the figure behind a stack of crates. 

He’d recognize that pained noise anywhere. Too often it had been caused by him. 

Charlie took another step forward, coming face to face with the broken and injured body of someone very recognizable. 

“Ranboo…?” Charlie whispered hoarsely. 

The figure’s head snapped upwards, and Charlie noticed his friend’s shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

“Charlie?” Ranboo choked out, and Charlie’s eyes widened at the sight of his friend’s face. His metal mask was gone, and his face was completely visible, however it looked like they had ripped it painfully off of their face, as harsh red marks and patches of blood remained where it had once been.

“Holy shit dude,” Charlie ducked down behind the boxes where Ranboo was hiding, and Flippa followed. “What happened to you? I thought— I thought you might’ve died.”

Ranboo coughed, a bit of blood spattering from their mouth and Charlie drew away sharply, his eyes wide. 

“I’m— I'm fine,” he struggled to explain quickly, covering his mouth with one hand. “Hetch lied— and I barely made it out alive Charlie I—” he cut himself off, his eyes suddenly widening. 

“I nearly died,” they whispered, voice quivering as if they’d only just truly realized it. 

Charlie’s heart pounded and he quickly leaned forward, crouching on his knees to hug his friend, who seemed on the verge of a complete shut down. 

“It’s ok,” he whispered, hugging Ranboo as gently as he could so neither of them would be hurt by their many injuries. “You’re alive. I’m alive. We made it out.”

“Sneeg didn’t,” Ranboo muttered softly, and Charlie felt a part of him crack with those words. He supposed he knew that already, the body being savagely torn apart near the first exit they saw really couldn't have been anyone else. 

That didn’t mean he hadn’t hoped. 

Charlie swallowed hard, and didn’t reply. Instead he sat silently, holding onto Ranboo who remained limp in his arms, as if Charlie were to let go they would crumple into a heap. Flippa leaned into Charlie’s side, and when his eyes darted to her he saw that she looked a mixture of confused and frightened, yet still so trusting. 

“We need to find medical supplies,” Charlie spoke after a few long minutes of silence. “Also food, and probably a pretty good disguise,” he added. 

“You two can’t go though,” Flippa spoke up for the first time since finding Ranboo. So far she hadn’t questioned the reasoning of his tall friend’s place here, simply seeming to accept it as another wild part of this day. 

“You’ll be spotted by cameras or a car, Showfall is everywhere,” she explained, and at the mention of the company’s name Ranboo shuddered. 

“You’re right,” Charlie muttered, leaning back against the wall of the alley. “We need disguises, that’s the biggest task.”

“We’d need money for that,” Ranboo looked down as he said it, their voice slightly muffled. 

Flippa paused, her eyes flicking away and back again. 

“I can steal some,” she said after a heartbeat. “I’m used to being on the run, no one will catch me.”

Charlie opened his mouth to protest, the idea of this little girl stealing from someone feeling terribly wrong in his mind. 

“Hey,” Ranboo rested their hand on Charlie’s arm like he could sense his discomfort with the plan. “Flippa’s idea might be the best option. We’ve both done a lot worse for survival.”

Charlie looked down, discomfort still sliding in his stomach. Ranboo and Flippa were right though. They badly needed supplies, and the only way they were getting those was with money. 

“Alright,” he relented after a heartbeat. “Flippa please be careful,” Charlie looked at her. He’d grown more attached to the little girl faster than he’d expected. 

“Don’t worry d— Charlie,” she replied, stumbling over her words slightly. “I’ll be back before you know it.” She gave him and Ranboo a small salute before darting back up the alleyway and out onto the streets of New York. 

Charlie felt his heart pound as she disappeared, and his hand clenched into a fist as a rush of worry for the little girl flooded him. Why was he this scared? He barely knew her and she said she was capable, it didn’t make sense. 

“So… when did you get a kid?” Ranboo asked from behind him, and Charlie’s eyes shot open as he turned to look at him. 

“Flippa??” He exclaimed. “What the fuck do you mean?”

Ranboo smirked slightly, his eyes teasing. 

“She was practically clinging to you when you found me, it’s obvious she trusts you.”

Charlie looked down. “I don’t know why, I just— I just rescued her on my way out, I hardly know her but the way she looks at me sometimes— I don’t know,” he sighed heavily, putting his head against his knees. 

Ranboo frowned at him. 

“You only just met her?” He asked slowly, looking down for a heartbeat. 

Charlie nodded. 

“After I told you to press the button and you shut down the entire facility I was able to get away from the wire monster. I found a hallway with a window at the end, but then I heard her yelling from a door next to it. Showfall had trapped her I think, so I freed her and we broke out the window and found you,” Charlie finished. “And she just— trusts me.”

“Maybe… maybe it’s just because you’re just a good guy,” they suggested. 

Charlie squinted at Ranboo. “You’ve seen what I’ve done right? What I might’ve done that I don’t remember? You call that a good trustworthy person?”

Ranboo looked down. “I— I don’t think you’re like that though. When Showfall isn’t in control I mean. I don’t think we’re like that.”

Charlie looked away.

“I don’t know what we’re like. I don’t remember any of my fucking life before this. I don’t know who I am.”

Ranboo’s eyes were filled with a strange expression as they looked at him. He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke. 

“I do,” they whispered, voice barely audible. 

Charlie froze, his gaze snapping to Ranboo’s. 

“What?” He breathed, feeling as if all the air had left his chest, leaving his lungs  constricted. 

Ranboo nodded slowly. 

“After I pressed the button I thought I’d escaped but Hetch came back and found me, he captured me and was going to—,” Ranboo cut off, his breath coming in short dry gasps. 

“Hey hey,” Charlie rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You don’t have to say what happened.”

Ranboo’s eyes were closed and they nodded their head a fraction. 

“He… he gave me back my memories or— or a lot of them through the mask before I managed to break it off and escape,” Ranboo’s voice shook violently as they spoke, and Charlie rested a hand on their leg. 

Silence stretched between them as Charlie waited for Ranboo to continue, unsure whether to speak in the quiet apart from city noises outside the alley. 

“We knew each other,” Ranboo croaked out, his voice breaking, and Charlie’s eyes widened. “We were… good friends I think.”

Charlie felt his throat close up, just at the mere mention of a past he couldn’t remember, and maybe never would. 

“Makes sense then,” Charlie laughed wryly, feeling as though he might break down any second as well. “Makes sense why we got along so well.”

Ranboo hummed quietly in response, and Charlie glanced at him from the corner of his eye. They were gazing off into the distance, most likely lost in memories Charlie wouldn't ever share, and a pang of jealousy struck him, which he shoved away as fast as he could. 

At least one of them got to remember. 

“You know Flippa looks a lot like you,” Ranboo murmured, cutting into the silence softly.  

Charlie blinked at him, not quite understanding what he was getting at. 

“Yeah?”

“Mhm,” they nodded slightly. 

Charlie paused, “What are you getting at? I’m too exhausted to figure out what you’re trying to say, man.”

Ranboo ignored him however, seeming lost in his thoughts, and when Charlie opened his mouth to reply with more confused questions he froze, the sound of footsteps running down the alley and Flippa’s voice calling out in greeting catching his attention. 

“Charlie? Ranboo?” She hissed, her voice echoing through the alley. “I’ve got money and some stuff for you,” she was saying, and she crouched down next to them, a large bundle of cloth in her arms. 

Charlie’s eyes darted to Ranboo, who met his gaze before quickly looking away. There was clearly more of the previous conversation he wanted to discuss, but not with Flippa here. 

“What did you— what did you get, Flippa?” Ranboo asked her, quite purposely not looking at Charlie, who still didn’t understand what his friend had been trying to say. 

“There was some guy on the street with a stand selling cheap New York hoodies to tourists so I bought two for you guys, so you can hide your identity,” she explained, brandishing the very large and very colorful sweatshirts with large blocky letters on the front. 

“Those will work great,” Ranboo smiled, although they winced a bit at the action due to their face’s wounds. 

Flippa turned to Charlie, and her eyes darted to the bloodstain on his vest. 

“We need to fix that before you put these on,” she stared at the vest like it had personally offended her. “You two were supposed to clean yourselves up while I was gone!” 

Ranboo blinked quickly, “I would, but what were we supposed to use?”

“You’ve got a nice jacket right there,” Flippa pointed at the bloody jacket that was half tied around Ranboo’s waste. 

“Yeah good idea,” Charlie nodded. “If you don’t mind Ranboo, mean we can rip that into pieces and wrap them around the big wounds and replace those with bandages later.”

“I don’t mind,” Ranboo said quickly, reaching down and pulling off the jacket. “I’ll be happy when this thing is disintegrated,” he muttered. 

Charlie hummed in agreement, reaching to grab the jacket and tugging at the seams of the red right sleeve, wincing as his fingers stung fiercely. 

“Uh here you go,” Charlie dropped the strips on the ground in front of him, keeping a few for himself that he used to carefully wrap around his hands. Apparently nearly getting shredded by a wire monster, breaking through a window and jumping down a three story building into a dumpster was enough to get some pretty rough pain in his hands. 

Ranboo leaned forward with a grunt of pain away from the wall, and grabbed some of the remains of their jacket to wrap around their forearm, thigh, and hands. There wasn’t much they could do for their face at the moment, since the wounds weren’t the type you could simply wrap and be done with. They’d need closer medical attention. 

Charlie leaned forward as well, lifting a large strip of cloth and glancing down at his middle. He didn’t really want to take off the combat vest. 

He didn’t know what was underneath. 

Flippa was watching him expectantly, the tourist sweatshirt hanging in her arms. 

Charlie swallowed tightly, and carefully reached for the straps to unbuckle it. He had to stop for a moment as the pain became too much to bear, and he wondered vaguely just how much of this wound the vest was holding together. 

“It hurts,” he mumbled, gritting his teeth as he hesitated even more. Ranboo blinked at him sympathetically. 

“You can’t put the bandages on until we see the full damage,” they told him, though they sounded regretful. 

“I know,” Charlie tried not to snap. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled quickly, feeling the vest rip away, sticking slightly to his shirt from the blood. 

“What the fuck,” Ranboo’s mouth hung open as far as it could without hurting himself, and Flippa visibly flinched backwards. 

“Charlie!!!” Flippa shrieked, her eyes locked on the blood covering his shirt, so much blood, he wasn’t quite sure how he’d remained conscious all that time. Without the vest he would’ve been dead for sure. 

“It’s— it’s fine,” Charlie told them both quickly, although he himself felt sick at the sight and he tried to avert his eyes. He’d never been great around blood. “Just pass me those strips ok?” He ordered them quickly. 

Ranboo did immediately, but Flippa was still looking at him, her face pale. 

“There’s— there’s so much,” she whispered, her eyes glazed over slightly. 

Charlie struggled to wrap the cloth around his chest, and Ranboo helped although he paused whenever Charlie winced. 

“I’m ok,” He said again as Ranboo pulled away, having finished securing the cloth tightly around his midsection. 

“What… happened to you two?” Juanaflippa asked them, her voice numb.

Charlie glanced at Ranboo, who hadn’t answered. 

“I don’t know,” he replied to her finally, and it was the truth. 

So much had happened, more than he would ever remember. 

Flippa’s eyes held a strange sort of grief as she looked at him, so much that Charlie had to tear his eyes away. 

Those eyes. Almost familiar yet so haunting. 

“We should get out of here,” Ranboo spoke up, pushing away from the wall and standing shakily. They nearly fell over but, grabbed onto the wall, their knuckles turning white. 

Charlie stood as well, biting the inside of his cheek as he grit his teeth. 

“Here, put these on,” Flippa said quietly, passing a rainbow tie dye hoodie to Charlie, and a blue hoodie to Ranboo. 

He struggled to get the clothing over his head and injuries, but he figured it out eventually, and the large hoodie covered all the torn makeshift bandages. 

“Hey, we almost look normal!” Charlie joked to Ranboo, whose hands were stuffed in the pocket of his own sweatshirt. 

Ranboo simply raised an eyebrow, and a stifled snort escaped Flippa behind them. 

“I saw a pharmacy on the way back,” Juanaflippa told them after she had composed herself. “That should have some basic things for us. I was able to steal a couple twenties,” she handed Ranboo the crumpled dollars. 

Charlie nodded. “Sounds like a plan then,” he began walking out of the alley with a slight limp, pulling the hood over his head for a bit more cover. Ranboo and Flippa followed him, and together the trio braved the streets of New York City. 

They must have looked really odd walking into CVS now that Charlie thought of it, one of them with strange cuts on his face, another with broken glasses, both wearing oddly large cheap NYC sweatshirts. And to top it off, Charlie was hand in hand with a very messy looking little girl. 

The single employee at the check out desk just stared at them blankly for a few heartbeats before looking down at the assortment of bandages, protein bars, water bottles and pain medications. 

They must’ve decided that they didn’t get paid enough for this, because they simply shook their head and checked out the trio’s supplies. 

The employee, who’s name was ‘Aimsey’, as their lopsided name tag stated, did pause as Ranboo handed them a fistful of crumpled cash. 

“Are you in like— a gang or something?” 

Aimsey squinted at them. 

Charlie glanced at Ranboo. 

“No, we’re wanted criminals,” he replied. 

The employee blinked at them slowly for a few heartbeats. 

“Okay,” they seemed to accept Charlie’s explanation, opening the cash register and handing Ranboo an awkward amount of change. 

Ranboo caught Charlie’s eye and they both shrugged, before grabbing the bags of supplies and heading to the exit of the store. 

“Oh uh— here, take this for your troubles or whatever,” Aimsey the CVS employee called out, chucking one of the ancient dusty red and white mint candies on the counter over to Charlie who caught it, looking down at it in confusion. 

Who would want one of these?

“Thanks… I guess?” 

“You’re welcome!” Aimsey replied, with more life then they’d had in the entire encounter. 

Yeah sure. Why the fuck not?

The trio left the store, Juanaflippa’s hand still in Charlie’s and Ranboo leading the way now. The goal of finding supplies had been met and was a success, and the second goal would be to find somewhere to sleep and take refuge for the night. 

Of course that was when the rain began. 

The last thing they needed on top of their numerous injures was a fucking common cold. 

“Damn it,” Ranboo snapped from where the three were huddled under a canvas awning hanging out over the sidewalk. “What are we supposed to do now?”

Flippa was still pressed to Charlie’s leg, her shoulders shaking slightly from the cold. The little girl was exhausted, having spent her energy for the day from the excitement of earlier. She clearly needed to rest. 

“I don’t know,” Charlie replied. He searched their surroundings, looking for anything they could go to for better shelter, and his eyes landed on a motel in the distance, its sign glowing duly, the last two letters flickering every few seconds. 

Ranboo’s gaze followed his, and he frowned. 

“We can’t Charlie, you know that,” he muttered. “They’ll have a record that we’ve stayed there, if they know Showfall is looking for us or find out later then we’ll be in so much danger.”

“But if we stay in this rain we might get sick and die anyway,” Charlie shot back. “We can already barely take care of ourselves, what happens if one of us gets sick?”

Ranboo looked conflicted, their eyes drifting away from the motel and to the other options. There wasn’t much in this part of the city, mostly old apartments and some sketchy shops. 

“What about over there?” 

Charlie followed where Ranboo was pointing over to some kind of half covered alleyway behind a tall metal chain link fence. 

“The alley?!” He stared at Ranboo

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s outside in the rain,” Juanaflippa muttered from Charlie’s side. 

“Yeah!!” Charlie exclaimed. “We can’t sleep in the rain!”

Ranboo huffed, leaving back heavily against the concrete wall of the building behind them. 

“What else are we supposed to do? We can’t walk far in this rain, and we can’t stay in the motel. We might as well check it out, right?” He crossed his arms, staring at both of them pleadingly. “We need to take a break.”

Charlie let out a breath. 

“Ok,” he replied. “Let’s check it out.”

The trio waited a few more minutes, waiting for the rain to let up a little before they ran across the street towards the alley blocked by the chain link fence.

Charlie reached out his hand to pull the gate open, and grunted when it barely moved. 

“It’s lodged,” he glanced at Ranboo. 

“Maybe you can hit the lock with something to open it,” Flippa suggested. 

Ranboo nodded slowly, before crouching down, hissing in pain as the motion must have hurt his thigh badly, and removed his large shoe, handing it to Charlie. 

“You’re going to have a wet sock,” Charlie pointed out, and Ranboo shrugged. 

“We’ll all have wet socks before this is over.”

Charlie blinked at him. “That's weirdly deep if you think about it,” he commented thoughtfully. 

“Just open the damn door,” Ranboo rubbed the bridge of their nose exasperatedly. 

“Fuckin’ hell,” Charlie muttered under his breath, before turning to the lock and raising the shoe and brining it down hard on the rusted metal several times. 

After the fourth hit, it snapped open, and Charlie was able to push through into the alley with little difficulty. It creaked as it scraped against the concrete making the three of them shiver at the uncomfortable sound. 

Before them was a rather spacious alleyway if Charlie said so himself, with half of it covered by the overhang of the building next to it. A large, extremely old white van was parked beneath it, and it was quite obvious from the nature beginning to claim its wheels, that it hadn’t been driven in years. 

The whole area felt like it hadn’t been accessed in a long time, as if people had seen it locked and ignored it, until now, since the lock had rusted and made it easier to break. 

Charlie quickly grabbed Juanaflippa’s hand and tugged her underneath the half of the alley that was covered, and also where the van was parked. Ranboo followed, dropping the bags of supplies next to them. 

“Not so bad, right?” They crossed their arms. 

Charlie didn’t reply, only glancing down at Flippa, who’d gone even more silent as evening stretched into a dark rainy night. Her shoulders were shaking and she seemed to be desperately trying not to show it. 

Quickly he crouched on his knees, ignoring the pain and squeezing her hand. 

“Hey, are you ok?” He asked her cautiously, concern filling his chest. 

Juanaflippa nodded, but she still didn’t reply. 

“It’s gonna be okay, you hear me?” He gently rested a hand on her shoulder, pushing some of her wild messy brown hair out of her face. “We’ll get out of here and find somewhere safe, and then we’ll find your family ok? I swear I won’t ever fucking stop until I find them for you. It’s going to be alright.”

At his words, tears began to flood Flippa’s eyes behind her glasses and her hand shot up to wipe them, scrubbing underneath her glasses and pushing them askew. 

Charlie’s heart cracked at seeing her so upset, and as carefully as he could he pulled her into a hug, making sure to do it slowly so if she felt uncomfortable she could back away, however the little girl hesitated for barely a second before throwing herself the rest of the way at him, clinging to his sweatshirt with all her might. 

His eyes widened, but he let her stay there, small sobs wracking her body as he held her tightly to his chest. Charlie noticed that even though she was tugging on his sweatshirt fiercely in some places, she’d avoided the areas where he’d gotten injured, which somehow made Charlie’s heart ache more. 

“I’m sick of being scared,” Flippa whispered into his shoulder, her voice muffled. 

Charlie nodded, letting out a heavy breath. 

“Me too,” he told her quietly. “But— but it’s gonna be ok, you’ve got Ranboo and I now, we won’t let anything happen to you,” Charlie looked up at Ranboo who was sitting with his back against the wide alleyway’s wall. 

He nodded in agreement, “That’s right,” Ranboo said. “We’re a little trio, us three. Nothing’s gonna happen to us from here on out.”

Flippa sniffed loudly, rubbing her nose, not meeting Charlie’s eyes. 

“I miss you,” Juanaflippa buried her face into his hoodie again. The sentence was so silent though, Charlie paused, unsure if he’d just imagined it. 

“Did you say something?” He asked her gently. Flippa didn’t move for a few heartbeats, but then she shook her head. 

He must’ve just imagined it. 

“Hey uh— Charlie I hate to interrupt you two but I feel like we should try and take shelter in that van,” Ranboo motioned to the vehicle in question behind them. 

Charlie nodded his head. 

“You can go ahead, bring the stuff, I’ll come in a second.” He turned back to Flippa, gently tapping her shoulder with his free hand, as the other was supporting her against his chest. 

“Do you want me to pick you up?” He asked her gently. 

“You’re injured,” Juanaflippa whispered softly. 

Charlie shook his head. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll be ok, we have the medicine. Now do you want me to carry you over there?” He asked again. He could tell she was exhausted, he wasn’t sure if she’d even be able to walk if she refused. 

Finally after a few seconds he felt her nod her head. 

Charlie didn't need to be told twice. As old as the van was it would be cozier there than on the damp pavement they sat on. 

He lifted her into his arms, and shakily pushed himself to his feet, making his way over to the van’s back doors that had been burst open by Ranboo in the last few minutes. 

“I’ve got a little set up here,” they called from where they were hunched over crawling around the trunk of the van. It was surprisingly spacious, and Ranboo had set up a line off their food on the back wall, and a seperate area with the medicine and bandages which was where he currently sat. 

It looked as if he was trying to apply bandages and a cream of sorts to his face to help with the cuts and torn flesh from his metal mask. 

Charlie lifted Flippa up into the trunk, setting her down before climbing in after and sitting on the slightly dirty metal floor. Carefully Charlie closed the trunk door, locking it tightly, satisfaction and relief flooding him. It was a good seal, it looked like the van hadn’t been touched which would be helpful if anyone were to come searching for them. 

They were all silent for a bit after that, only the sounds of rain pounding on the sides of the van and Ranboo’s hissed of pain as he applied the medicine to his face. 

Juanaflippa’s head was resting on Charlie’s shoulder as she sat next to him, her tears having subsided for now.  

Charlie stared at her though, and he frowned at the state of the little girl. She was currently wearing a plain white t-shirt and a dirty yellow skirt, both of which looked like they could do with a good clean. 

Her hair was another mess entirely, with pieces sticking out in places and getting caught in her glasses. Charlie couldn’t do anything about her clothes at the moment, but perhaps he could help her hair. He had the strange vague sense that he knew how to take care of hair. 

Perhaps he’d had a sibling or a friend with long hair in his past that had taught him about it. 

“Hey, Flippa,” he nudged her shoulder. She lifted her head, blinking blearily up at him. 

“You’re hair’s a bit of a mess, do you want me to try and fix it?” He asked her. 

Flippa paused, and for a few seconds she didn't move, and Charlie thought she’d refuse. But then slowly, she nodded her head. 

“Is there any way you want me to do it?” He questioned, letting her slide across the floor to sit in front of him. 

“Uh… I like braids,” she said softly. “Two usually.”

Charlie nodded, before remembering she couldn’t see him and confirming he’d heard out loud. 

He may not remember when he’d learned how to braid hair, or how to carefully clean it through with his hands without hurting the person in question, but his muscle memory certainly did. 

In no time at all he’d braided the little girl’s hair into two small plaits falling down the back of her head. 

Flippa reached up to touch them when he’d finished, and Charlie waited anxiously for her judgment. 

“It’s perfect,” she whispered, gently fingering the tip of a braid, as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world. 

Charlie smiled at her, but once again that odd feeling from earlier filled him. The confusion at why this girl was so familiar. He had the faintest inkling Ranboo knew something and wasn’t telling him, from the way they’d eyed him and Flippa together far more than once. 

Maybe it was time to finally confront it. 

Charlie swallowed, sweat suddenly dripping down his back. The realization that he was only a question away from figuring out the first peace of his past scared him more than he’d thought it would. 

“H—hey, Flippa?” He stared at the back of her head, of the braids he’d so easily created as if he’d done it a million times before. 

“Mhm?” She hummed quietly. 

“Did we… know each other? Before all this,” he finished quickly. 

Somewhere along the way both Ranboo and Flippa had frozen in place. 

So they did know something. 

“What is it?” Charlie’s voice hardened slightly. “What aren’t you both telling me, you know something,” he glanced between them, and Flippa slowly turned around, although she didn’t look at him, only staring fiercely at her skirt. 

When neither of them answered Charlie’s heart began to pound. 

“We knew each other didn’t we?!” He looked at her, desperation edging into his voice. He had to know. He didn’t want to know, but he had to he had too—

“Charlie I— I think you already know,” Ranboo said slowly, not meeting his eyes. 

Charlie shook his head. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. 

“Stop being evasive! You both know more about my past than I do and you’re not telling me!!” He exclaimed, his voice nearly cracking. 

Juanaflippa had edged to the far wall cross from Charlie, putting distance between them both. Ranboo’s eyes flickered over and locked with Juanaflippa, who’s expression seemed almost panicked. 

“If you don’t see it and she’s not saying it then neither am I,” Ranboo’s voice was tight. 

Charlie wanted to rip his hair out. 

He spun to face Flippa, feeling emotion rise in his chest, threatening to overflow in a way he wouldn't be proud of. 

“Who are you to me!?” He exclaimed, his voice cracking. “Please just tell me, I know I care about you and I can’t remember.”

Flippa’s eyes darted wildly from Charlie to Ranboo before she finally spoke, with words that spun Charlie’s world upside down. 

“I’M YOUR DAUGHTER!!” She yelled, her voice breaking on the last word, the word that shattered everything. Because it made sense. 

It all made perfect sense, the word slip ups, how comfortable she was, how familiar these actions seemed, but— that was it. There were no memories attached, the confession didn’t spring forth any new thoughts. 

Charlie shook, blinking rapidly as he stumbled, his back hitting the wall of the van. Juanaflippa was in front of him, her eyes terrified as she stared up at him, clearly waiting for a verbal response, but he had none to give. 

Ranboo was right, it should’ve been obvious. They were so similar that it stung to see now, from the hair shade to their eye color, her glasses, and even her teasing sense of humor. 

But maybe he had known, or at least suspected deep down, never letting himself dwell on the thought for longer than a heartbeat. 

Because the weight of reality that came with accepting the fact that he had a kid, a kid that he couldn’t remember, was almost too much to bear. 

“Charlie?” Ranboo was saying, his eyes wide as he quickly made his way over, kneeling next to his friend. Flippa hovered just behind his shoulder. 

Flippa. 

He'd probably named her that. 

Juanaflippa. It felt right. 

Charlie struggled to remember, to force his brain to draw from something, to search for any recollection of having a daughter, but there was nothing. It was like trying to hold water in his hands, which was impossible. There was nothing to grab on to. 

“I can't remember,” he bit out, feeling tears burn in his eyes. 

He had a daughter. 

He had a daughter that he couldn’t remember. Showfall had taken that from him. 

“I’m trying to remember and I just can’t, I want to so badly,” Charlie choked out, drawing his knees forward. 

Ranboo’s eyes were full of sympathy as they leaned closer to him, offering a hug which  Charlie accepted. 

One who remembered. 

One who forgot. 

Both were cursed. 

“You don’t have to remember me, it’s ok d—dad,” Juanaflippa stumbled over the word as if unsure whether she was allowed to say it. 

Charlie lifted his head, meeting her eyes and giving her a sad smile. 

“It’s not ok though,” he told her, his voice shaking. “You’re my— my daughter, I have a daughter and I can’t remember you before I found you today.”

Flippa bit her lip, sliding forward across the floor, getting onto her knees and leaning against Charlie. 

“We can make new memories,” she said softly. “We already did today.”

Charlie rested his head against hers, letting their foreheads touch gently. 

“But I— I don’t know anything about you, I don’t know your favorite color, your birthday, your favorite thing to do, or even how old you are, I can’t—”

“I don’t care, ok?” Flippa exclaimed, cutting him off. “I don’t!! I thought you were gone!! They— they said you were never coming back for me, that you forgot and would never care about me again. I gave up hope so long ago, I don’t care if they did make you forget about me. You’re here and you’re alive, that's all I care about.”

Charlie let out a shaky breath, taking her hand carefully. 

“I’d never chose toforget you,” he told her quietly. “Just know that, whatever happened wasn’t my choice.”

“I know,” Flippa nodded. “You said— you said you’d love me forever and you’d never leave me behind. You’d have fought with every bone in your body to get back to me, and you did without even realizing,” she smiled at him, tears spilling down her face. 

Charlie took it all in a shaky breath, barely breathing at all as he listened, hanging onto every word. 

“Come here,” he whispered finally, pulling her to him tightly, and she held onto him just like she did earlier, except this time it was different. They’d found each other and this time he’d make sure nothing ever separated them again. 

And that’s when the sirens went off. 

They were blaring and loud and piering, and it was all the trio could do not to yell out loud. 

“The runaways are this way, they can’t have made it far in this rain,” a loud echoing voice came from near the front of the van just outside the gate. 

“Fuck,” Ranboo cursed under his breath, eyes narrowed and filled with terror. Flippa clung even tighter to Charlie now, and the three ducked down, pressing their stomachs to the floor of the van. 

There was no way, this couldn’t be it, they couldn’t be found now of all times, not when he’d just found his daughter. They’d made it so far, they’d tried so fucking hard to get away. 

“Check all the areas of this street, we know they went this way!!” 

“Who told them?!” Charlie hissed as quietly as he could. 

“It could’ve been that employee, Aimsey,” Ranboo muttered. “I don’t want to blame them but they were literally the only person who ever saw us up close.”

“It might not be their fault,” Flippa whispered, her voice shaking violently as she quivered against Charlie. “When Showfall wants something from someone they’ll get it.”

Charlie hated the way she said it, as if she, this young child, had somehow experienced it first hand. 

Light suddenly flashed through the front dashboard window of blaring flashlights making all of them jump. 

“Someone check behind this gate, they could’ve hidden here.”

The trio froze as the words echoed into the night leaving a silence so still someone might’ve died. The words were a death sentence. They’d be surrounded, there was nothing the could do, they’d be caught and dragged kicking and screaming back to the Mall before getting brainwashed again where he’d forget he ever had a daughter all over again. 

It couldn’t end like this. 

The sound of the gate opening and large heavy boots thumping on the ground made them all become deathly still, pressed to the floor of the van as far as they could. Flippa still grabbed onto Charlie’s shirt, and he felt her silent tears soaking into his hoodie. 

When had she learned to stifle her cries like that?

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s been back here for a while,” one of the workers searching for them said, the light flashing sharply into the van again. 

They were surrounded. Charlie could hear them on all sides, there was no way they lived—

“Do we check the van?” 

Charlie wasn’t breathing, he didn’t think he could if he wanted to 

“I love you,” he whispered softly into Flippa’s ear. 

“I dunno, it looks pretty secure from the outside, I doubt a bunch of injured runaways could’ve gotten into it.”

“Yeah, I don't really want to dig out the crowbar, I left it back in the truck.”

“Alright, let’s just look in the front window, I should be able to see the back well enough.”

The split second of relief was broken once again and Charlie swallowed, his throat dry as a desert, glancing at his— his family, for what could be one of the last times. 

Ranboo’s eyes were squeezed shut across from them, pressed to the floor with bandages covering their neck and jawline. Ranboo couldn’t go back, not when they’d struggled so hard to get both of them out of the Mall in the first place. 

Flippa was curled into Charlie’s side, her fresh braids laying out across the metal floor. 

His daughter. He’d only just got her back, how could the world be so cruel that it would strip her away from him again?

Light flashed in front of the window again, brighter than before, stretching to the far corner of the van where the trio was pressed, shaking, to the floor. 

Any second now there would be a yell. 

Any second. 

Come on. 

“I don’t think there’s anything in there. Let’s get out of here before the boss gets impatient.”

Charlie nearly choked in relief as the sounds of dozens of heavy footsteps all around the van slowly trickled out and away outside onto the street. 

“Fuck,” He hissed, tears spilling from his eyes. Ranboo inched toward them, grabbing onto Charlie’s other free hand and squeezing it as hard as he could. 

The sounds of sirens and people searching faded slowly into the distance, and with the silence it left, came a strange numbness. 

“We’re alive?” Ranboo muttered. They didn’t exactly have to be quiet anymore, yet none of them had the courage to raise their voices. 

“I thought we were gonna die and I was gonna lose you again,” Flippa’s voice was barely loud enough to hear, but Charlie sat up a little bit, hugging her close. 

“We’re alive,” he breathed. Relief crashed over him, and Charle didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. 

It wasn’t over. There was still so much more to face, they had to get out of this city, put as much distance between them and Showfall as possible. They potentially could be on the run for a long long time. 

Maybe forever. 

Charlie looked down at Flippa, and then Ranboo. 

Showfall had torn every memory from his mind, replacing it with falsehoods to keep him complacent, so that he hadn’t even  known what he’d been missing

It’s funny how that works. 

You never know what you’re missing until you find it again.