Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Thanks for the ride!" Madeline says smiling, grabbing her bags and putting them onto her back. She stretched her arms in relief after having to sit through the long drive, finally having the freedom to move around. She then starts walking further past the town’s borders, the morning sun shone over the horizon glimmering over the hillside. Madeline's eyes shone brightly in excitement as she makes her way towards Wiker's warehouse. As she got closer two guards were ending their nightshift, entering the warehouse. Before they went any further one of them turned to see her, flashing a confused look. They both stopped and looked at her before the other guard asked, “Hey, are you lost? Is there anything we can help with?"
"Oh i’m visiting from out of town i’m an old friend of Wiker’s.” She replied, a tone of confusion in her voice, “I called a few weeks ago saying I was coming today" she says, rubbing the back of her head.
One of them jumped a bit.  
"Oh its you! Yes, Wiker is indeed waiting for you. He’s inside. Probably drinking morning coffee or something." He opened the door. "There you go~"
"Thanks guys!" Madeline says happily walking in looking around a little then checking her watch, her eyes widen slightly. "Oh jeez i’m here a lot earlier than expected. Whoops." She walks towards the archway leading into the kitchen. A young clock head girl was standing in the kitchen making coffee. She got startled when she saw the masked stranger.  "O-oh my.. I umm... who are you? What are you doing here?" She questioned. "Are you supposed to be here?"Madeline blinks confused then a lightbulb goes off in her head. She crouches down to the young clock head's height meeting her at eye-to-eye level.
"My name's Madeline i’m an old friend of your dad's would you mind if I could talk to him?"
"H-how do you know who my dad is?" She looked confused. She even felt a bit scared. At that moment Wiker walked in, pausing at the sight, soon there was a big smile on his face as he saw Madeline. "Madi! It has been forever! How are you?" He approached her for a hug.
"I've been good Wik. Two kids now huh?" she cracks raising a brow hugging him back then pulling away looking back at the young clock head.
"Oh yes... she's still pretty new to people but she'll be ok. And Clockwise is having a good time in his apartment with Retoast.  But you, what have you been up to? "
"Well i’ve just been settling in and i’ve gotten a few gigs here and there around the city. Im just glad everything's secure all around the borders. I even got a part in a musical for a few seasons so that was fun." She replies leaning on the counter, fiddling with her hands, which was an old habit.
Wiker chuckled. "I hope you were having fun." The clock head then tugged down on Wiker’s sleeve, he glanced down and gave her a warm smile. "Oh. This is so stupid of me. Yes, my daughter’s name is Turnip. I’m not used to this either." He states, patting her back as she steps foreword to meet Madi.
Madeline looks down at her giving a kind smile "She's adorable, don’t worry, after Clockwise i’m sure you'll be used to it in a while" she chuckles nudging him, slightly joking.
"Heh you're right. -thank you Turnip. You can go now." Turnip nods and then leaves to do her chores."Well then. What are your plans for today Madi?"
"Im actually supposed to meet Yuu later but since Im here a bit early i thought i'd take a look around and see how much things have changed..Not to mention i’m trying to calm my nerves since I haven’t seen Ai in a while..." her voice grows concerned fiddling with her hands again.
"What was it with you and Ai again? I can't really remember what happened between you two.  He did mention you a couple of times. " Wiker asks, taking a sip of his coffee.
"To be honest it's a little hard to explain. I always knew he was never the lover type, but a lot of people assumed that with us..When it was time for me to leave he got all weird and..it was just a mess.." She rubs her arm her voice growing more and more concerned.
"Weird?  In what way?" Wiker asked. "So you two didn't have any love relationship with each other?"
"He just started getting weird, he wasn’t acting like himself and then he started talking like I was going to disappear forever and he tried-begged- almost for me not to leave.." Her head tilts glancing outside and sighs. "And on the topic of love, I mean I loved him but I didn’t make that move because he's so hard to read..not to mention the fact that maybe it was just best to stay friends..that is until the night i left." Her hands clench tighter on her arms almost in frustration. Her brows narrowed, as she stood up looking out the window at the morning sun.
"Hm, you don't need to talk about this if you don’t want to.  I mean, i’m no love expert, as you may remember. But I bet he will give you a second chance." Wiker said pouring more coffee Into his mug, giving her an encouraging wink.
"Thanks Wik I appreciate it." Madeline says thankfully, picking her luggage up grabbing her bags. “I’m gonna head out so i’ll see you later!" She says, her positivity coming back heading out the door.

Chapter Text

Several moments pass and a knock comes at the door echoing across the house. Madeline standing outside, her bag dangling from her shoulder, taking in deep breaths to calm her nerves. Another moment passed and then a familiar object head named Yuu opens the door. It took him a moment to realize who the masked figure was.
“Maddi?” He asks, still a bit unsure of the girl standing before him, after all it had been two years since the last time they saw each other.
“Long time no see Yuu.” She replies, chuckling slightly. Yuu’s eye widened in excitement jumping at her pulling her in for a strong hug. “Oh my god Maddi! It’s been forever, here let me take your bags.” He said excitedly taking off one of the bags from her arm. Madeline said thank you as they walked into the house, she glanced around only recognizing a few trinkets here and there, a large ceiling that still scales upward near the back, and an archway that leads into the kitchen.
“So, how have you and Ai been?” Madi asks as she sat down on the nearby couch, finally giving her arms some relief from holding the luggage for several blocks.
“Uh, fine I guess, a little boring but mostly i’ve been good. Ai’s still sleeping, but he should be up soon. How about you?”
“I’ve been doing good,” Maddi began, “the singing career took of pretty well when I first got to the city, but the season is pretty much over which gave me some time to come visit you guys.” She finished, rubbing her shoulder, keeping a warm smile. Yuu then walks over and sits next to her, laying his face on his hand leaning on the back of the couch. “That’s cool, anything interesting happening? How was the town itself?” He asked.
“Interesting?” Maddi started raising a brow in confusion, “Well the city itself is pretty well guarded, hell, it’s actually IN the mountains. Safety precautions are always on absolute control when it comes to Purists.”
“in the mountains? That’s pretty neat, at least it’s safe from Purists.” Yuu said, he was about to ask more questions until the sound of footsteps at the top of the stairs thumped, getting closer and louder. Yuu glanced at Madeline noticing her starting her bad habit of fiddling with her hands. “Looks like Ai’s up, want me to leave the two of you alone?” He asks raising a brow.
“Oh, uh you don’t mind do you?” Madeline asks her masked face turning slightly red, her fingers grabbing the others, sometimes intertwining.
“Of course not, after all if I stayed I’d just make things more awkward and embarrassing,” Yuu exclaimed, standing up from the couch starting to walk off into a separate room, “off I go~!” He sang disappearing into the other room. Ai walked down the steps, wearing a camouflage tank top, one of the sleeves hanging off from one of his shoulders, and a pair of loose sweat pants. As he gets to the middle of the stairs he sees the familiar masked object head, his eyes widen in shock not being fully prepared for this moment just yet. In fact he was completely caught off guard. Madeline clutched the side of her jeans against her legs, her face slightly red. “H-Hey stranger..” She says trying to break the awkward silence.
“Stranger?” He asked raising his brow, walking to the bottom of the steps, standing close to the living room’s entrance. He gave off a sense that he seemed a bit nervous. Another silence slipped between them.
“Did you sleep well?” She asked nervously, rubbing her arm, her other hand still clutching the ice of her jeans. Her heart was racing on the inside, almost in a panic.
“Yeah, considering it’s nine in the morning.” He replied sleepily, yawning slightly. “I thought you were arriving a bit later in the afternoon” He continued, as he takes a small glance, seeing her rubbing her arm.
“Yeah, the uh, trucks arrived a lot sooner than expected…Sorry heh.” She said chuckling awkwardly, her hand clutching tighter on her arm. Her breathing lighter and slower, trying to calm her nerves. She couldn’t understand, seeing as how even though they’ve known each other for years, he still made her heart beat heavily against her chest like a drum.
“There’s no need to be nervous Maddi..” Ai said as he walked closer to her, calmly looking straight into her eyes. “Calm down.” He continued, his eye faded to a deep violet, placing Madeline into a deep trance, practically hypnotizing her to calm down. Madeline’s breathing was slower and much more steady now, her body relaxing into a state of relief. Ai took note in her body language. “Feeling better?” He asked, as he sat down in a chair next to the couch she was sitting in.
“Y-yeah, thank you.I needed that.” She replies, her hand moving away from her arm relaxing next to her legs, she gave him a thankful look.
“Well, “ He began, “on the phone I remember you wanted to talk to be about something?” Ai asked, continuing to break the cycle of awkwardness.
“Oh right, I needed to talk to you about the night I left. D-Do you still remember what you told me?” She asked, worry filling her expression. Ai began to look confused and chuckled slightly, embarrassed.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t exactly remember. What was it?”
“You…You told me you loved me..” She stuttered out, her eyes meeting his, her face growing even more red in embarrassment.
Ai began to say something, but fell silent, stuttering to make out a new sentence. He couldn’t figure out why and how he didn’t remember saying those words. He barely remembered anything, let alone that night. “W..What did you say back?” He asked, finally.
“All I remember was being speechless and having to be left with a choice, “ she replied, “to go start a new life, or to stay here, possibly in fear.”
“Fear? What do you mean?” He questioned, his brow narrowing in confusion. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Maddi could you be more specific?”
“I’m not safe here Ai, I can’t stay.” she explained, “there are people looking for me and I wish to stay invisible more than anything..But that’s besides the point!” She waved off, trying to dismiss the topic.
“I’m not sure I understand, why come visit if someone’s after you? In fact who is after you?” Ai asked, his calm stature starting to fade, instead being filled with worry.
“Who’s after me is not important right now…I came to see you because I wanted to. Yeah, it’s crazy, but have you met me? I miss you guys, I miss everyone,” she rambled, “I miss you…”
Ai stayed silent for a moment, his worry began to be glossed over, but not completely. Even when it had been less than two years the last time he saw her, it felt as if she had never left. “I missed you too Maddi…” He admitted, giving a slight chuckle. The room brightened a little more, as the sun began to rise more over the horizon, the beams glimmering through the windows. Maddi’s smile brightened a bit more, happily, but it faded in an instant.
“So this still begs the question,” she said hesitantly, “do you still feel the same way?”
Ai felt uncomfortable, times have changed, and he still couldn’t remember ever saying those words, again he couldn’t remember anything from that night at all.
“Listen Maddi,” he began, “ It was a long time ago, and things and feelings changed after that. I can’t say anymore about what I was feeling back then.”
Madeline’s hands clutched her the sides of her legs again, trying to fight back frustration. “Yeah, no I understand. It all happened two years ago, we change and times have changed..”She says as she stands from the couch turning to him. “Well, i’m glad we talked this out, now I don’t have to worry about it anymore!” She continued switching into a rather chipper mood extremely quick. “ I don’t know about you but I think some fresh air is in order!” She says picking up her bags placing them on her shoulders. Ai gave her a slightly worried look.
“Uh, do you want me to join you or..?” He began.
“What? nonono don’t fret your head. Ill text Yuu to meet with me later to help me unpack over at the cottage.” She interrupts slightly, walking to the door propping it open with her foot.
“Oh uh alright…Maddi i’m sorry I-.” He started saying as he watched her leave, the door closing behind her. “See you soon.” Ai then walks back upstairs, continuing to his morning routine. This is going to be a rough visit.

Chapter Text

“I just don’t understand, “ Madeline rambled as she finished unpacking the last piece of clothing, “how can someone forget saying something like that?” She questioned, placing the shirt in a drawer.
“W-Well it has been two years.” Yuu answered, placing a framed picture on a small mantlepiece, his voice was filled with concern, trying to make the situation a little less bitter.
“I know, I know, i’m just confused is all..”Maddi replied, walking into the kitchen, “I mean you can’t just go ‘OH HEY by the way I love you and I hope you have fun several thousand miles away!” She goofed, covering one of her eyes and deepening her voice, imitating Ai. Yuu chuckled a little, taking a seat in a nearby chair. He leaned his hand onto the side of his face, just listening to Maddi’s rambling, of course there were other things clouding his mind, something a little more guilt-filled.
“You ok Yuu?”, Madeline asked giving him a concerned look, “you seem a little occupied lately.” She said as she sat down across from him, her arms reaching behind her to place an EX8 bottle into her back.
“Hmm? Oh, uh yeah it’s just-“ He replied, hesitating, he couldn’t tell her, not yet, “i’ve just been thinking about this guy lately..” He lied, well, half-lying.
“Oh really?” She asked, the subject peeking her interest raising a brow smirking. “Is he cute?” She asked again, scooting closer, wanting to hear every detail.
“Yeah, he’s really nice, you’ve already met him.” Yuu replied blushing and giggling slightly. Madeline gave him a confused look, then a lightbulb went off in her head.
“Wait, is it Clockwise?” She asked hesitantly. Yuu nodded in response, his face felt heated and blushed, at least he was keeping his mind off of the separate subject of guilt. Yuu needed to tell someone, just not Madeline.

The sun was setting in the distance as Yuu walked up the porch in front of the house, inserting his key and turning it, unlocking the door. When upon entering the house he sees Ai taking off his jacket, placing it on a nearby rack. Yuu’s heart was racing, his hands shaking.
“Hey Ai, did you just get home?” Yuu asked, noticing Ai’s guard gear had been set aside on a nearby table. “Yeah, my shift ended a bit early.” Ai replied, plopping onto the couch, obviously exhausted. Yuu walked over sitting next to him.
“Can I talk to you about something?” Yuu asked, a large lump filled his throat, making it difficult for him to make out words. Ai raised a brow, confused.
“You know you can talk to me about anything Yuu,” Ai replied, “what’s wrong?”
Yuu hesitated, “Soooo you know how you can’t remember much of the night Maddi left?” He asked, his index fingers poking at each other shamefully. Ai gave him a confused look and then his brow lowered, almost to a glare. “Yeah?” Ai replied.
“Well, I may have, kinda, sorta, kinda hypnotized you to say you loved her….” Yuu responded, shrinking down in shame and guilt, too scared to even look at his brother in the eye. Ai sat there his lower eye lid twitching, his hands clenching into a tight fist, and proceeded to explode with rage. “YOU DID WHAT?!” He yelled standing his hands shaking in pure fury. He definitely hasn’t been this angry in the longest time. “Yuu we talked about this! What the hell were you thinking?!”
“I’m sorry I really am, but I couldn’t help it!” Yuu replied standing, facing his brother. “I couldn’t just sit there and watch you two say goodbye! I just thought you would be happy!”
Ai went silent and took deep breaths to calm himself down. “Yuu i-..Look I understand you had good intentions, but hypnotizing me is not the way to go about those kinds of situations. I appreciating you wanting us to be happy but-..“
“But what Ai? What?” Yuu interrupted, his body shaking in frustration, “Don’t you understand that over the past few years the only time i’ve ever actually seen you happy was with her? Don’t you understand that a girl like Maddi comes once in a blue moon? Don’t you understand that I just wanted to help because I thought you deserved someone like her after all the shit you put up with here?”
Ai sighs rubbing his eye, his breaths shaky. “Madeline is a nice girl, I understand that. But you have to understand that you can’t force people to be together. I’m not ready for a relationship, I might never be. But when the time comes around, then maybe I might give it a shot, just not right now.” A silence came across the room, the two brothers looking at each other, each standing their grounds, and both take a seat, trying to calm down. “Have you told Maddi at all about this?” Ai asked.
“No,” Yuu replied immediately, “I wanted to tell you first. Plus, Maddi’s scary when she’s mad.” He continued, trying to crack a small joke to lighten the atmosphere. However, Madeline’s scorn is more like a sharp poison than an aggravated one.
“We’re telling her. Right now.” Ai stands, Yuu sighing and following behind him as they walk out of the house.

“Hey guys!” Madeline answered opening the door, smiling. “Come on in, but be careful I just swept the floors.” Yuu and Ai exchange glances at each other, Ai giving him the notion to say something, but Yuu was too scared to move or say anything. “What brings you guys at this hour? It’s starting to get dark out.”
“Yuu has something he’d like to tell you.” Ai replied bluntly nudging Yuu towards her, Madeline’s brows narrowed in concern looking between them.
“Maddi, I um,” Yuu began, sighing, “The reason Ai doesn’t remember a whole lot about the night you left, it’s because of me, I hypnotized him to say those things. I’m really really sorry.” Madeline’s face grew grim her eyes widening in horror. Her hands starting to shake and gave out a weak and uncomfortable laugh.
N-no, Yuu, this- this is a j-joke right?” Madeline’s breathing became uneasy as she backed up a bit. Her heart pounding in her chest.
“Maddi..” Ai said trying to calm her down. She jolted her arm away, tears streaming down her face, there wasn’t any scorn, no anger, not any kind of anger whatsoever. All that was left was her shaking body.
“I-I…I have to go.” She replied, her voice shaking as she sprinted out of the room, out the door, and outside into the coming darkness of night.
“Maddi! Wait!” Yuu yelled running after her, but she had disappeared. She was nowhere to be seen. Ai followed him out his fist clenching looking over seeing the sun drifting down. They had to fix this. She was hurt, just as much as he was.

Chapter Text

he dark colors of the night covered the town as the sun began to set. Madeline had been missing since that afternoon. Yuu and Ai approach a small trail leading up to a an old oak tree on top of a large hillside. A familiar figure sits beneath the tree’s shadow, tiny glowing lights surrounding the both of them. Yuu hesitates to start climbing the hill, recognizing the figure as Madeline. “Maybe you should talk to her..” Yuu said stepping back slightly.
“Why me? You’re the one that still needs to apologize.” Ai replied coldly, crossing his arms over his chest, his brow narrowing lower.
“Please? I already made her run away and I don’t want to do that again.” Yuu responded back, pleading. Ai shook his head along with a sigh and started walking up the hill. As he got closer, the scenery seemed more calm, the fireflies glowing with little flashes of gold light. Madeline’s arm was extended out, having only one finger pointed out to let the little insects land. Her face was resting on top of her knees, in which her legs were tucked close to her chest. She could hear his footsteps get closer and closer. “If you’re going to lecture me about talking to Yuu, you’re going to have a bad time.” She said not even looking up to know it was Ai behind her.
“I..I wasn’t going to lecture you. I just want to talk.” Ai responded, frustration building up, had been tired from running around town. He then took a seat next to her. “You know he didn’t mean it.”
“Well what else was i supposed to think Ai?” Madeline questioned turning to him, her eyes puffy and red. “Yuu hypnotized you to say ‘I love you’, of course I’m going to get a little upset.“
“A little?” He asked raising a brow, underestimating her. Madeline scoffed and turned back to the fireflies, creating a small silence between them. She broke it a few moments later after taking a small breath.
“Is Yuu with you?” She asked, turning her head slightly. Ai nodded towards the bottom of the hill in response. “ I feel like an idiot..” She continued, pulling her legs closer to her chest. Ai was about to say something until Yuu’s voice interrupts his thoughts.
“I’m sorry Madeline, “ Yuu began as he walked up in front of them, “It’s just that I thought that you two would be happy together. I know Ai would never really confess something that big, but I knew he had feelings for you! I just wanted to help give him a push.” he continued as Ai glared at him grumpily.
“I think I know a lot more about my own emotions and feelings than you do though. Leave the matchmaking to yourself ok?” Ai said irritably. Madeline gave him a nudge against his arm in dislike, seeing his attitude. Madeline sighed and stood up.
“Yuu, I appreciate your efforts, but Ai and I need to figure this out on our own terms. It’s sweet that you wanted to help, but it’s not the best idea to manipulate people to what you would think is a good thing for them.” She said giving him a warm look, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I forgive you, just promise not to do it again ok?” She continued smiling slightly.
“I’m agreeing with Maddi on this one,” Ai said as he stood up beside her, “I’m sorry I snapped at you, but you can’t just play with people’s feelings like that. You’ll get people hurt if you keep doing it.”
“I know I promise I won’t do it again.” Yuu replied nodding his head, looking between the two. Madeline sighed in relief and then cleared her throat. Yuu took that as another cue to leave em for a sec and excused himself, leaving both of them alone with each other again.
“Before this is all over, I need you to understand something Ai…” She said turning to face him, the fireflies’ glow still radiating beautifully in the night.
“Alright. I’m listening.”
“I need you to understand that my feelings for you won’t change…I care about you a lot more than you think.” Madeline began, her face starting to grow slightly red. “I know I can be a little out there and all but I hope this doesn’t effect us in the future. I still want to hang out with you and be friends with you, and I understand you have separate feelings than my own. I completely understand that if you’re not comfortable with ‘us’ then that’s ok. I understand people have changed. And i’m sorry that I dragged you into all of this. And I would understand if you don’t really want to be around me anymore…” She finished her hands behind her back clenching into tight fists. Ai stood there, taking in everything she said, he was going to respond, but stuttered doing so.
“N-No Maddi, I’m not going to stop being around you because of that. Of course I can’t ignore your feelings.. I just can’t answer them on my own right now,” Ai replied, putting his hand behind his head, “I really do like you, just not in that way, at least not right now.”
“I know,” she began, “ and it’s ok, I’m just glad you heard me out. It means a lot. Thanks for being honest with me..” She finished, walking up giving him a small “kiss” on the cheek and turns walking off, leaving him frozen. Madeline walks past Yuu on her way down and gives him a hug and leaves. Yuu walks up the hill giving Ai a confused look seeing him frozen in place.
“You ok Ai?” Yuu asked.
“I’ll never understand her will I?” Ai replied trying to recover.
“That’s Madeline for you, c’mon let’s go home.” Yuu said chuckling as they walk off together and right on home.

Chapter Text

My brain was pounding against my skull as my feet fluttered across the ground at top speed. My heart was racing faster and faster as my breaths grew shorter. My entire body ached as I placed my hand against a tall tree trunk, trying to catch my breath. I could still hear their voices behind me, their footsteps growing louder as they got closer. I had to keep running, I had to get away from them and from her.
“C’mon she went this way, we can’t let her escape!” I heard, I limped behind the trunk, still catching my breath, trying to clam down my heartbeat. Several moments passed as I watch their flashlights fade away in the distance, but I still had to find someplace to hide.
A few hours later I found myself a small abandoned thicket. It must’ve belonged to some kind of animal, but no one was home. As I sat down, I glanced over to my side glaring at it. There was a tracker deep in my waist, and I had to get it out. Thankfully, before I ran off I grabbed a pair of scissors from my back pocket. Pulling this thing out wasn’t going to be easy, not in the slightest. I wrapped my fingers around the blades while lifting my shirt, holding it under my chin. My hand hesitated as it hovered over my waist, I exhaled as i dropped it to the ground. “UGH I can’t do this!” I shouted. “I have to go back, there’s no way I can get away from her anyways..Oh what am I saying?!” My mind was going back and forth as I stood up pacing the thicket from one side to another. On one had I could runaway for good and be free all to myself, or I could go back and live in the hell hole Macha created. My options were easy to understand, but then again her rage could reach miles if I went back. I sat back down again into the same position, pulling my shirt back up to my chest and held up the scissors back to my waist. As I took a deep breath and closed my eyes I could feel the pain spring through my entire upper body. I wanted to scream, I wanted to shout out in rage. Even with my eyes closed I could still feel the overarching pain through my skin. The blades went deeper as blood ran down to my hips, dripping to the ground. After a few seconds I immediately took out the scissors and slowly reached my fingers towards the open wound. I arched over my legs trying to hold in my tears and agony. All of a sudden I could feel something unusual inside my flesh. The tracker! I grabbed it and in a fellow swoop I pulled it out from me. A big sigh of relief came through me as I sat back up and looked down at my hand. My hands were completely covered in blood, almost as if I just committed a murder. The small trinket in my hand was blinking rapidly, that must’ve meant it was still working, god I hate this woman. I stood up from where I was sitting and dropped the tracker to the ground. I lifted my foot and began stomping all over it, crushing, and smashing it into tiny little pieces. The little light began to fade and flicker to nothing. Hopefully it stopped working. Breathing heavily, I blinked to shock as I still felt the blood running down my side and winced in pain. I then tore off a long piece of cloth from my shirt and wrapped it around myself, stopping the blood. After stepping out of the thicket and glancing outside, the sun was still showing itself over the horizon. I must’ve left about three hours ago, so I still need to cover some ground. As I left the thicket I took a deep breath and kept on walking.
It was nighttime at this point. My feet had started aching and limping, dragging against the ground. My body swayed back and forth in exhaustion. I was running out of energy, I needed more to survive, and it looks like I didn’t grab enough. As I walked over a small hill I could see lights ahead. Was there another town? Is anyone going to see me? All of a sudden my body fell to the ground, all over I felt numb and tired. I needed to close my eyes just for a little bit. Just a quick nap and I can go back to walking. My eyelids felt heavy as they slowly closed. I needed to rest. I needed to dream.
“Can you hear me? C’mon lets open those eyes shall we?”
‘Voices? What the hell?’ I thought as my eyes fluttered open, blinking in the bright lights. There was a face I couldn’t exactly make out.
“Ah! There we go, mornin’ sunshine.” He said as I turned my head facing him. He was a Purist nonetheless, but didn’t seem like one. I backed up to the wall.
“Don’t touch me! Don’t come anywhere near me!” I screamed grabbing one of the scalpels nearby pointing it at him, holding the blanket against my chest. My hand shook, my body spurting with pain all over, but not as much as before.
“Easy, I’m not going to hurt you, I’m just here to help. Lets put the scalpel down nice and easy.” He replied calmly, taking my hand gently and taking away the sharp tool. My body still shook, his hands were clammy from sweat. I watched him closely as he put the thing away, and sat in front of me. He was wearing a large tanned jacket, mostly covered in leather. His hair was wrapped in a large high ponytail, and wearing large goggles on his head. “Who are you? Where am I? And what did you do?!” I questioned pushing my back against the wall, still unsure of his actions.
“My name’s Wiker, I’m the leader of the town you’re in. I found you outside the borders. Thankfully your EX8 tank had just enough to keep you alive.” He replied back, remaining calm. I start to relax a bit more as he kept talking, my body started to calm itself down. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a Purist but maybe more of a creator. Hopefully he wasn’t like Macha, but I could be wrong. I sat up a bit more but winced at the pain from my waist. My hand drifted over to the bandaged wound.
“You sure had one nasty scar from that,” He said as he scooted away and came back on his rolling chair with a small clipboard, “You lost a lot of blood out there. Would you mind telling me what happened?” He asked again, clicking his pen. My mind switched back and forth whether or not to tell him the truth. But then again, I knew less about him than he did about me. “I also noticed you had a lot of bruises around your legs and hips.” He pointed out. Right then and there I couldn’t tell him the entire truth. It was hard enough for me to bear on my own shoulders and I couldn’t do that to him either.
“I..I’d rather not talk about any of it..It’s not something I’m comfortable discussing with.” I replied, shaking, “The wound I did to myself, for certain reasons. Again I’m not going into detail to a total stranger.” I said cautiously.
‘Hmm..I understand. Can I at least have a name to call you by?” He asked with a crooked smile. He gave me his, I guess I should return the favor.
“Madeline..” I replied, “My name’s Madeline.” My arms hugged around my body, I noticed I was wearing a large loose t-shirt and shorts, they look like they were hand-me-downs.
“That’s a lovely name..and a masquerade mask nonetheless to match..Anyways Ill let you get some rest. A friend of mine will visit and walk you around town so you can get to know it. He’s very nice so hopefully you won’t get too startled.” Wiker said as he started walking out the door. I nodded in reply and layer back down in the bed staring at the ceiling. I was in a new place and a whole new territory. Macha was far away and that’s the way it should be. I just hope Adelaide and Daya were gonna be ok. Today is a new day, and the beginning of a new life.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of days since Madeline first arrived. She still hasn’t quite gotten used to the new environment, but she’s getting better with finding directions. She stands underneath a large lit lamppost, pulling a small map from her back pocket, confused and frustrated. “Lets see…It should be another block or two, but I don’t recognize this neighborhood…Oh jeez.” She says to herself looking around the alleyways and dimly lit streets. She hears footsteps coming behind her, gradually growing louder. Madeline turns to see a tall object head with a singular eye. He was wearing a large leather jacket and underneath a black turtleneck shirt. His dark red pants were torn in a few areas around his legs, but that didn’t seem to stop him from wearing them. His eye itself was solemn, but was filled with colors of the evening sunset, no emotion could be seen whatsoever.
“Um, excuse me, Im sorry, but I was wondering if you could tell me the way to this address?” She asked stopping him in his path, showing him the small map, her address written at the bottom. At first he seemed uninterested, raising a brow. He had never seen her before. He glanced over at her then at the map.
“You’re right here, if you take the next three blocks straight then take a right then you’ll be back home.” He replied calmly, pointing to both destinations as he explained the path. She nods taking a second glance at the map.
“Aw man I get it now, Thanks for the tip!” She says smiling, starting to walk off. The sun had already set and nightfall drifted over the town. It had already gotten pretty late. He hesitated to follow her since she was alone. They were complete strangers and yet she didn’t hesitate to be kind to him, or even better, frightened.
“Hold on a minute, let me walk you back.” He said as he ran up next to her. Madeline blinked surprised and confused.
“Oh! Alright, thank you..” She replied as they both started walking down the same path. The dim glow of the lampposts kept the streets lit, lighting the path in front of them. Crickets chirped loudly in the deep silence of the evening. He glanced down at her again, this time in curiosity. Her mask was decorated in swirls and gold, all against her pale white mask of a face. She definitely wasn’t recognizable, however Yuu had mentioned meeting a mask earlier in the week. Was this the same one?
“Oh you know what, i’m being really rude,” she said as she walked by him turning, stopping in her tracks, “My name’s Madeline!” She placed her hand on her chest, motioning to herself.
“Ai.” He replied in monotone, keeping his sense of simplicity and a quiet stature. They exchanged silence as they continued walking. “Are you new here? I don’t think i’ve seen you before..”
“Extremely new,” She answered her hands clutching each other behind her back, “I just got here a few days ago, so I’m still trying to get used to everything.” Her hands started rocking foreword and back behind her, keeping her eyes on him as they kept walking, finishing the first block.
“May I ask where you traveled from?” He asked, his brow hitching in interest as the conversation went on. Madeline lost her trail of breath hearing his question. She hesitated and took a deep breath.
“Well I was found actually, but to be more precise I guess you could say I ran away from home…” She replied, her voice dropping its positivity. Ai caught her uncertainty, hesitating to continue with the questions. His thoughts were interrupted within the next second. “I don’t mind talking about it, if that’s what you’re wondering.” She looked up at him shrugging her shoulders, giving him the cue to keep going.
“You ran away? How come?” He asked, his curiosity now reaching its heightened peak.
“Well, “ She began hesitantly, “Where I come from, love doesn’t really exist. Any kind of it is drowned in hatred, so I left.” Her hands moved to being right in front of her, one of them drifted to clasping her arm, clutching it tightly. Her positivity had completely left her at this point.
“I see. What about family?” Ai questioned.
“I have two sisters, we were technically ‘born’ at the same time so I guess we’re triplets,” She answered being more sure on the subject, “I love them both, but my ‘mother’ however is an entirelly different person.” Her grip on her arm tightened in frustration. Her brows narrowed slightly. “She’s the main reason I wanted to leave.”
“Im sorry I don’t mean to pry,” Ai said. He could feel her anger boiling even though he’s just walking next to her. They finished walking the second block as they both walk up to a crossroad.
“No,no it’s ok, it feels nice to be able to talk about this with someone. I’m usually not allowed to have this much expression…” She says turning her head to him shrugging her shoulders again. They both start walking across the road, the night still shading them in darkness only being able to be lit by the lamps. “What about you? I’ve been blabbing on about myself, I think it’d be more fair if it were your turn this time.” She said, teasing slightly, a glow sowing back to her face.
“There’s not a lot about me that’s all that interesting,” Ai began, putting his hands in his pockets “I have a younger brother named Yuu and we’ve been living here for quite a while.”
“Oh! you’re his brother?” She asked smiling.
“It’s the eye isn’t it?” He replied back his brow hitching upward, almost like a smirk. She giggled softly in response, implying a ‘yes’. In his mind he became confused. Other objects would cower with only a single glare or look. Besides Yuu, not a lot of people would strike up a word, not even implying a conversation. How come she decided to? Was it to just break the awkwardness or silence? Or was she actually intrigued by his stature?
“You know at first glance you don’t seem like the kind of guy who’d make small talk.” Madeline said as she was walking in front of him, balancing on her foot on the cracks of the sidewalk.
“Usually people are too scared to talk to me, most of them wouldn’t even try to.” Ai replied solemnly. Madeline exchanged a confused look at him.
“Scared? Why would they be scared? You’re really nice…” She said as she continued walking. Ai was caught off guard by her remark.
“It’s like I said, they don’t want to try to. I don’t mind it really.” He replied back, blinking strolling up towards her catching up. Madeline paused her balance standing still on the dimly lit sidewalk and turned back to him.
“Well I don’t think you’re scary, in fact I think you’re quite the opposite. I guess others just need to step back and look past what’s on the outside.” She said turning back and taking the last right to their final destination. “Thanks again for walking me home, I appreciate it.” She then takes out her key and turns it in the knob walking inside the little house. “Will I see you again soon?”
“I don’t see why not, have a good evening Madeline..”
“Oh please, call me Maddi, it’s a lot better than that mouthful. G’night Ai!” She says closing the door behind her singing sweetly as she walks up to her room. Outside the house, Ai stands and sighs shaking his head and starts walking on home.

Chapter Text

Snow fell gently against the cold air, drifting to the ground slowly. The trees were already bare, having no leaves remaining on their branches. Snowmen could be seen at every other house, some with TV heads, others with different object-like proportions. Madeline cupped her hands close to her face, breathing gently against them keeping them warm. Her cheeks were rosy from the chilling wind blowing against her mask. She glanced around, waiting.
“You know, if your hands are just as cold you should get gloves.” said a familiar voice, walking up next to her.
“I would if I remembered to Ai, but the theatre’s schedule is hectic these days.” Madeline replied smiling, turning to face the voice, it turning out to belong to Ai. “Besides, I ran out of fabric.”
“Ah-huh..” Ai replied, raising a brow suspiciously, but shrugged it off walking next to her. They then started walking down the block, the snow crushing beneath their boots. Many months had passed since Madeline’s first arrival, they had gotten together a few times, chatting about work, careers, and the possible future. Madeline was working at the theater downtown, putting on social events and having a whole group of her own for singing purposes. Ai was still the town guard, mostly taking night shifts whenever he could, other than that it was being at home with Yuu. Their walk continued down the street meeting a corner. Madeline had grown quiet.
“You ok Maddi?” Ai asked, noticing her happier nature being played down lately. She was more stressed, worried, and distant.
“H-huh? Oh, yeah i’m fine.. It’s just that there’s something i’ve been meaning to tell you,” She replied, proving his point with the whole distance issue. She avoided his eye at first, and then glanced over at him. There was a look in her eye that was a little hard to figure out. Was it stress? Was it guilt?
“Alright, what is i-“
“Ai, i’m leaving town.” She interrupted, her hands lifting crossing over her arms, hugging herself close. It was both defensive and guilt-filled.
“Wait, what?” Ai asked, slight concern in his voice, “For how long?”
“That’s the thing. It could be months, it..it could be years.” She followed, finally looking up at him, her brows creasing down. Ai’s brow lifted more at the thought of several years. He’d only knew her for almost a year now, and she’s already going to disappear from his life. It seemed like only yesterday that he met her under the streetlight for the first time. “I was talking to Wiker and he said the town is getting overpopulated, and I haven’t been doing that well when it came to finding a job here. Next to that is that there had been more sightings of Purists lately. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I’ve just been so busy with everything..”
“T..There’s nothing to apologize for Maddi, i’m just glad you told me at least.” He stated, shoving his hands in his pockets further, hiding his clenching fists. “Where are you being transferred to?”
“Wik said it’d be somewhere further north, but i’m not sure.”
“And the theater?”
“He’ll take care of it while i’m gone.”
“And for a job?”
“You’re sure asking a lot of questions.” She stated, crossing her arms more raising a brow. “Ai, it’s gonna be ok, everything’s already been sorted out.” He only replied with a slight glare, his brow narrowing.
“Maddi, of course I’m going to ask questions, i’m just worried.” He admitted bringing a hand to his furrowed brow, rubbing it, slightly annoyed. “When are you leaving?” He continued, sighing.
“Three weeks…before New Year’s.” Her face saddened, silence growing between them. Ai’s fists clenched tighter and tighter in his pockets. Three weeks? And she tells him just now? The cold breeze blew against them, whistling almost. “I’m sorry Ai.” She said again, starting to walk off, continuing their path. Ai stood still for a moment, as if he was standing in limbo. Madeline was leaving, she was leaving for who knows how long. Concern overflowed his mind. Would she be ok? Would she be safe? Would she forget him? Even if it was a short time, he felt as if he’d known her all his life. And now everything was coming to an end.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Days turned into weeks before his eye. Ai was at home resting on the couch, pictures sprawled all over the floor. Madeline was leaving tomorrow night after her final performance. She, along with several others, decided to set up a compilation of songs to celebrate the holidays. The pictures on the ground were memoirs, Madeline in practically every single one. Most of them involved Yuu taking the actual pictures themselves, but Ai digressed. Only one, however, stood out the most, the only one including himself. Madeline had talked him into getting into the frame, even though he resisted the majority of the time. It was taken early fall, as most of the background was filled with colors of dark red and orange leaves. Madeline’s arm was extended holding the camera in place and smiling happily. He didn’t think much of it around that time, but she had a certain glow. A kind that could brighten anyone up from anything. She had that effect on people. Her laughter, her positive outlook on everything she learned, her kindness. Ai couldn’t imagine her being gone. He couldn’t imagine her being out from his life. As he held the photo in his hand, his thumb caressed over the corner, while he leaned back against the cushions of the couch. His brow narrowed slightly in confusion, wondering why all of a sudden he’s feeling this way. He never really felt enough care for anyone else other than his brother(or sister, depending on which Yuu preferred), or close friends. So why did he feel this way about her? A mask object-head who came out of nowhere, seeking freedom for herself. He then sighed in exasperation, standing and picking up the rest of the photographs, placing all back in Yuu’s little box he had for them all, soon putting them away in a nearby closet. He only kept the one photo and placed it in his coat pocket. Just then Yuu walked into the house from outside, coming back from visiting Clockwise.
“You still reminiscing over there or did you finally finish looking through my stash?” Yuu asked, taking off his mittens and coat.
“Im done, actually. Thanks for letting me look through it.” Ai replied standing, stretching his arms. He had been sitting on that couch for almost the entire day.
“If it’ll make you consider confessing before she leaves, then yeah no problem!” Yuu gleamed, seeming a little more pleased than he should’ve. Ai gave him a slight glare, Yuu had been pushing the two closer since they met. Now that Madeline was leaving, Yuu had been hinting more than any other day. What did Ai have to confess? He didn’t feel any certain way towards her…did he? “Y’know that glare isn’t going to help you silly.”
“Yuu, for the last time I have no regrets or anything towards Maddi, she’s moving on and maybe I need to as well.” Ai snapped, at this point he was just annoyed. Annoyed at Maddi’s departure. Annoyed at himself. Yuu just sighed and walked over to pat his brother on the back, his voice became quiet.
“Ai, there’s a famous saying I learned somewhere that goes: ‘You don’t know how much you love something until it’s gone for good.’ “ Yuu pointed out, standing again, walking upstairs to his room. Ai was left alone with his thoughts again. Did he feel that way? Was he actually considering a possibility that he and Maddi…? No, there couldn’t be. She would never think that way towards him. But what if..?

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

As soon as the curtain falls, Madeline gives a large sigh of relief to herself. Everything was going according to plan. As she walked down the stage steps she was greeted with hugs and best wishes. Yuu was one of the first to trample her off her feet with a huge hug.
“We’re gonna miss you! Hope the trip goes well.” Yuu sighed, hugging her tighter before letting go.
“I’m gonna miss you too, Ill try to call as much as I can once I get there.” Madeline replied, smiling softly. She glanced around at the gathering object-heads, searching, but not seeing Ai in the crowd. Her smile faded slightly in disappointment. “Where’s AI?”
“He got put into a night shift tonight, I was hoping he’d show up during intermission, but I guess he got held back.” Yuu replied, a concerned tone in his voice, “maybe he’ll catch you on the way out!” He continued, trying to brighten the situation
“I hope so..The truck leaves in about an hour. Speaking of which I better get going.” Madeline responded. She quickly walked to the changing room, coming out a few minutes later in a large fur winter jacket, boots, and jeans. As she walked outside, the winter cold blew into her face, bringing a chill into the auditorium. She waved her last goodbyes and started walking down the block to her cottage, and grabbed the last of her bags.

Ai was breathing heavily as he ran towards the auditorium. As he reached the door he pushed it open, heaving, his chest rising and falling quickly. Yuu turned wide-eyed at the sudden swing of the door. Madeline was nowhere to be seen.
“If you run for it you could catch her at the drop off.” Yuu said, breaking the silence. Ai nodded and immediately left in a blink of an eye. Yuu sighed rubbing his temple, and ran out, following him closely and quietly.
Ai ran rapidly through the town, looking left and right for any sight of Madeline. His boots crunched the snow beneath his feet, the cold wind blew against his face. All of a sudden, the hiss of the opening of a truck door rang through the street. That had to be the drop off, it just had to be. He ran around the corner to find his answer become correct. Madeline was lifting the last of her bags into the back of the truck, her cheeks rosy from the chill wind nipping at her masked face.
“Maddi!” Ai shouted, running up to her. Madeline turned in shock then it faded into a smile. She dropped the purse she had picked up to put into the trunk.
“Hey I thought you weren’t going to make it. I was worried I was going to miss you.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest, smiling softly.
“I know i’m sorry, my shift got backed up a bit.”
“It’s ok don’t worry about it.” Madeline replied, they stood in silence for a moment, Madeline was about to say something before she was interrupted by the drop-off driver, saying they needed to get going. Madeline yelled back to stall for another minute. “I…I guess this is goodbye,” She began her face saddening. Ai’s expression grew blank before his entire body twitched. He mumbled something that she couldn’t make out.
“Ai? You ok?” She asked, reaching out to his shoulder.
“You can’t leave. I don’t want you to leave.” Ai responded, his entire demeanor had changed, but it was still Ai. Something was off.
“What? Ai there’s nothing I can do. I have to do this!” Madeline became frustrated. Why now? Why just seconds before she had to leave?
“Madeline please, you can’t leave. Please, stay here, stay with me and Yuu and Wiker. There are other ways.” While saying this, Ai had taken her hands in his.
“Ai…You’re scaring me.” Even saying so, she didn’t move her hands away, “Why are you saying this to me now? Why are you acting all weird all of a sudden? Ai just answer m-!” She was interrupted by Ai pulling her close to a tight hug. His arms wrapped around her, trapping her arms under his. His hold was strong and warm, and again they were left in silence. Madeline stood there frozen in utter shock. Her hands moved up to whatever movement she had left, clutching the back of his jacket. His name was the only thing she could muster. The moment was broken again by the driver banging on the side of the truck, getting impatient. Ai moved away, letting go of her small body compared to his. She was left staring deep into his one eye.
“I love you Madeline.” Was the only thing he said. Madeline’s eyes widened more, moving her arms away from him, looking between him and the truck. She shook her head slightly and took off running inside the vehicle, tears streaming down her face. The truck’s wheels began to turn in the snow and moved foreword. Ai was left on the road staring as the truck drove away. Madeline curled up in her seat and pulled her legs close to her chest.
“You idiot….I love you too…”