Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He lay on the floor, breathing evening out as his wheezing subsides. He slowly processes the feeling of a repeated whack of some kind of weapon against him… the body pillow? Aubrey was hitting Hero with as much force as her body would allow. 

His mouth felt dry, and his head was pounding. Superficial, this will go away in no time, just like every other injury . He sat up, only vaguely aware of the fact he's speaking right now. 

He properly looked at his friends, Aubrey looked livid , Kel looked disappointed (And by the stars did that hurt), and Omori… Omori was looking at him like some kind of hunting animal. 

“What… happened?” He finally managed to say, not taking his eyes off of Omori. He only looked away when he followed Aubrey as she stormed off.

Hero looked up at Kel again, who helped him up with a sigh “...I'll uh. I'll talk to you about this later. Mari's gonna wanna hear about this too.” He doesn't quite understand the gesture Kel does, but he nods anyway. He stands there as his brother walks off, taking in the office he's standing in. 

He notices something, brightly colored, tucked underneath the desk. It almost looks like a nerf gun, but not nearly as bulky. He shrugs, feeling the weight, figuring he can either sell it or use it as a blunt force weapon later, considering nerf darts or water, depending on what this is, don't do all that much damage. 

He tucks it into his jacket- a nice suit jacket, he processes after a moment. Must've cost a fortune, with how well made and comfortable it is. 

He vaguely saw his reflection in the window, looking out into dark waters, showing… him, but different. He kinda liked it, the slightly pointed ears, ice blue eyes and tail. It felt right . He did think for a moment how confused Mari would be, and distantly processed he doesn't know how this happened either. 

Hero had to take the elevator down alone to catch up with his friends, meeting them back at the secondary elevator. He only got distracted a couple more times by clams on the floor some poor gator guy dropped, tucking them in his pockets.

He tried to ignore the look Omori was giving him, one that made him feel like a mouse left in the open, with a cat less than two feet away waiting to pounce.

He only notices Kel staring at him when he speaks up “Hero? You feeling alright?” he tilts his head as a silent what do you mean? “You're smiling, but it's like. Painful.” He takes a few seconds to process the statement, before realizing that, despite the rest of his expression having adjusted to fit his anxiety, he's continued to smile

“Oh, I… guess I just haven't noticed” He fidgets with the hair at the base of his neck, running his fingers through the couple-months grown out hair. He stops smiling as much as he can, letting the smile settle more as a nervous grin rather than the wide, manic looking smile he had before. 

They return to the elevator Mari had set up her picnic in, and she gets up to greet them, giving Omori and Aubrey a hug each, Kel a gentle hair ruffle and when she got to Hero… She stared. 

“Uh- Hi?” He offers, expression still nervous. She gently takes his face in her hands, and he can’t help but melt into the contact, closing his eyes. 

“I like the new look, Hero. Very sharp.” She gives a soft little laugh, one that makes his chest feel lighter. He smiles a little wider, opening his eyes and taking in the affectionate smile on her face. The nervous tightness in his chest returns as she finally asks “What happened, though?” 

“He got promoted to boss and tried making us work for him!!” Aubrey speaks up, still audibly angry at him “And when we didn't want to, he fought us!” His expression drops, feeling like his chest is being gripped with a massive hand, which only eases slightly when Kel speaks up.

“ We suggested he use his bossman powers, and it went to his head a little.” Kel shrugs a little, “ I don't think he meant to hurt us, I think all that was just too much. Like uhhh… a water balloon! Too much of everything all at once just-” he snaps his fingers slightly “boom.”

Hero stares at Kel for a long moment, processing what he just heard, his head pounding as he just stands there. He tries to find the right words for what he's feeling about Kel's statement, before settling on “...Huh.” 

Mari seems to consider, before nodding, gently poking his face, before carefully moving one of his lips to see his teeth “Whatever caused this really went hard with the Shark details, then.” 

He couldn't say much about it since she still had her hands a little too close to his mouth for comfort, which he did express after a moment of her looking at his teeth by gently grabbing her wrists and lowering her hands “Maybe. It feels right though, so I can't complain.” 

Mari gives him an affectionate smile again, causing the hand gripping his chest to finally release him, and he lets out a soft, relaxed little sigh and leans his head against her. 

The moment passes as Aubrey hits him again with the body pillow, receiving a look from both Mari and Hero- a motherly type of disapproval from Mari and the most pathetic, wet cat type look from Hero. 

After a picnic with Mari, the group sets off again, out of Last Resort. Omori opted to lead the group away from the Toll Gaters, despite Hero's insistence on being able to pay them off, though every time he brought it up Omori looked at him, that invisible hand seemed to grip his chest again, preventing him from arguing further. 

Kel, to his credit, did notice the anxiety radiating off of Hero, and stuck next to him occasionally holding his hand, which garnered him teasing from Aubrey. He ignored the teasing, for the most part, save for just sticking his tongue out at her. 

Hero made sure to give Mari an extra quick hug before they headed down into the deeper well. She didn't seem to question it, either due to his lurking anxiety or because she saw the look Omori was giving him. He didn't know, and didn't want to bring it up in front of him .

…. Am I really this unsettled by him ? He's my friend. Right?

He tried to shake off the feeling, but the headache- the whole body soreness- hasn't gone away. He wonders if Omori has something to do with it, even as they head down into the darkness.

Chapter Text

They sit with Mari again, this time inside of Humphrey, healing after a fight with a particularly nasty snot bubble, and cleaning up a little as well. 

Hero is sitting off to the side, that anxiety gripping his chest yet again. He got particularly hurt during that fight, but Kel had it worse. He pulls what he assumed to be a nerf gun from his jacket again, and opts to inspect it to see if there's anything in it. 

He figures if it has anything, he can use it for long range to keep Kel further away from the potential blast radius of one of the snot bubbles. 

Looking over it, he finds this doesn't look like a nerf or water gun he's seen before. Is this a real- . 

He feels eyes on him again, and he tucks the weapon back into his jacket, looking up at Aubrey, who's standing behind him. She has that mildly pouty, angry look again, but she finally speaks after a disproportionately long silence “So, when are you gonna take off the tie?” 

He fumbles for a moment, stammering out a “What?” Hero didn't expect that kind of question “I uh- I don't plan on it?” He feels his chest tighten further as her expression goes from anger to hurt.

“So you're just going to walk around in this suit like you're the boss? What, are you going to order us around again?” Aubrey asks, getting hit on the shoulder by Kel

“Leave ‘im alone, he hasn't done anything like that since Last Resort.” He defends, while Hero shuffles back to try to calm himself a little bit. 

The two bicker while he listens. He doesn't notice as Omori approaches him, quietly, not until he hears the quiet, flat “What were you looking at earlier, Hero?” 

The look Omori was giving him caused the tightness to return tenfold, making him choke on his words. He gives a sharp, mildly uncomfortable smile, Despite the pain “You willing to sign a-” he can't finish the statement before Aubrey hits him again. His protests and claims he was joking fall on deaf ears as Aubrey starts yelling at Kel, sparking yet another argument between the two. 

He wasn't joking, but he didn't want to explain that the idea of making Omori sign a contract ensuring his safety would've eased his anxiety significantly. The anxiety grips his chest tighter, and he curls in on himself, covering his ears to try to block out the noise. The incredible pain in his head only gets worse. 

He barely notices the hand on his shoulder, until it starts moving, rubbing soft, comforting circles into his back. His vision is spotty as he opens his eyes. Mari, she's talking to the others, comforting him all the while. 

She doesn't even pause when Omori leans down and mumbles something to her, but she lets go of him nodding. He offers a hand, which Hero hesitates to accept, but does after a moment, the yelling less muffled. He gets lead off to the side, out of sight of the rest of the group. 

He desperately wants to get away from him, but knows it'll cause more problems than it's worth. 

“...Show me” Omori was speaking, as he finally processed. He gestures for him to repeat and he does “You were looking at something earlier, show me.” Hero can't argue, the tightness and headache making it feel impossible to. He grabs the item from his jacket, and shows it.

“I figured it-” He starts, trying to ignore the look of confusion and anger on the face of the kid cornering him “-uh- could be useful, at some point.” the look he received made him feel an incredible, overwhelming amount of dread, choking him, making it impossible for him to breathe, or argue. 

“You're not supposed to have this” Omori stares at him. Hero doesn't yet notice the darkness that threatens to swallow him whole, not until he attempts to step back, trying to make space between him and the source of his anxiety, but instead of pressing against the wall behind him, his foot falls through. 

He reaches and tries to grab Omori, or the wall, anything , to keep him from falling, but the darkness consumes everything else and all he can see is the endless, forever stretching darkness.

He remembers, for just a moment, and wonders if his friend felt this too, before going missing. What was his name… 

As he keeps falling, he realizes they forgot who they were looking for… He wonders if they'll look for him… 

He wonders if they'll forget him too.

Chapter Text

He didn't know how long he was falling, all he knew was the pain when he landed on hard, unforgiving asphalt. Hero stood up, whole body aching and sore. He patted himself down, trying to see what he still has, figuring he should protect himself if he's alone. Nothing. Not a single thing. 

The only sound he could hear in the immediate area was his own breathing, wheezing and weak, mostly from what he could assume to be several broken ribs. 

Had he any of his tools, anything at all, he could figure out a way to heal himself, but everything is gone. 

He looks around, trying to figure out where he is, and gets startled by the shadow figure staring at him. It didn't give him the same anxiety Omori did, though, so he opted to approach.

“Hero?” The Stranger spoke, voice simultaneously familiar and strange. They put their hands on his arms, as if to hold him still while they looked at him. Their hands are cold, like they'd been out in the cold for hours. “You look different. He didn't like it, did he?”

He took a moment to process, before sighing “Yeah. I think, at least. I found something and… I guess I shouldn't have taken it? I don't know, I just figured it would help.” 

The Stranger nods slightly, letting go of Hero after a moment “I see. I'm sure he'll come get you soon, then. I hope, for your sake...” their voice softens as they start fading. 

“Wait- Wait what does that mean-” He tries to grab them, but his hand phases through them. They fade quickly, and soon Hero is left alone again, leaving him with a gnawing worry that something bad will happen to him if he stays out here.

He looks around, at the white houses. The neighborhood felt incredibly empty. He felt eyes on him, but he couldn't see anything…

Until he could. He saw a mass of tangled shadows moving towards him, dragging itself across the ground, a single, unblinking eye staring at him. It filled him with a dread he couldn't explain.

So he ran. He ran until his lungs and throat threatened to stop him from breathing entirely. He could only see houses as far as the eye could see. He tried entering a house and… 

Couldn't enter.

Please, please I need- he tugs at the door, desperately trying to get it open. It won't open, and he starts begging whatever god there is to help him. Please god help me, there has to be something, anything, PLEASE-

Hero sees a window, and gets an idea.  Considering for a moment, he steels his nerves. Whoever owns this place will understand, I'm sure… It's fine, nobody's here, it's just a random house… he breaks the glass with an elbow, the sharp glass cutting through his sleeves like butter. Blood stains the blue fabric but he doesn't care anymore. 

He removes any sharp glass that would hurt him when climbing through, before doing so, dropping hard onto the floor, getting a few more cuts into his jacket, but he ignores it. It's not going to matter when Omori comes and gets me anyway. He's going to come back and I can change my clothes and heal up and it'll be fine. 

The house feels incredibly familiar, but he chooses not to think too hard about it as he walks through, pace slow as he gives himself the time to catch his breath. The house feels so incredibly empty as he looks around, trying to find anything to protect himself. The kitchen doesn't even have running water… The fridge is the same temperature as the rest of the house.

He lets out a dry laugh, tears stinging his eyes as he stares. He laughs again, more intensely, like this is some cosmic joke. Tears stream down his face as his laughing turns to sobs, as he rests his head against the cold metal of the fridge. Please… please I just want to go back… please…

The tightness in his chest builds up, and he takes a few, harsh breaths, before screaming . “PLEASE! PLEASE SOMEONE!! ANYONE!!! I WANT TO GO HOME!! I'LL GIVE IT UP, I DON'T NEED THE JOB, OR THE STATUS-” His voice broke with another sob, getting weaker as he continues “Please… I don't need anything. I just want my friends back. My brother... please” he sinks to the floor, curling in on himself and tucking his face into his knees.

Hero doesn't know how long he's been sitting there, sobbing, he just knows the floor is cold and he doesn't want to risk what that mass of shadows might do to him if it finds him. He stands, stretches, and ignores the soreness as he looks for a room without windows.

He does find one, a closet he could assume, and tucks himself into the corner. Everything hurts, and the blood has made the torn fabric stick to his arms, but he doesn't care anymore. He's so tired… he wishes Mari was here so she could hold him and tell him he's okay. She might say it's embarrassing but he just… he just wants to see her again. He wants to hear Kel and Aubrey bickering again. Hell, he'd take Omori's look of malice again if he could see him again. 

Maybe if I sleep, I'll wake up back home… yeah… this is just a nightmare…  

He knows it's not, but it's the only comfort he gets as he closes his eyes, blocking the door with his body in the only protection he can give himself, in this empty house.

Chapter Text

He didn't know it was possible to hurt worse after sleeping. He didn't know how long he was asleep, nor why he's awake now.

He hears… something, from within the space of the house. Movement? Did the others find him? Did... did that thing find him?

He looks through the crack under the door, but he doesn't see anything. He DOES, however, hear something. He hears… Mari. He hears her calling his name. But she didn't sound right. Her voice sounded… weak, like she'd been hurt, bad …

The dread that settled in the pit of his stomach caused a feeling of acid to rise in his throat. Fighting the terror that threatened to freeze him in place, he opened the door. Mari's voice stopped. Nothing was out there. Even looking around the whole house was empty. 

Exhaustion settled in his bones quickly, followed by an unforgiving coldness. Getting up was a mistake , he sighed inwardly. He was here for who knows how long, with nothing to eat or drink. He shouldn't be wasting his energy when there's nothing… but he couldn't help but be worried for Mari. He heard her. He could swear she was inside…

He shivers, the cold settling into his bones and making him want nothing more than to curl up in the closet once more. He didn't check too much earlier, but he wondered if he could find a blanket or something in this house…

He makes his way up the stairs, to check the other rooms in this house for anything to help keep him warm. The first room he checked was totally barren, not even a scrap of garbage. The other room… it was too dark to see, even with the window glowing with light. 

Hero stares into the room, looking at the shadows just outside of the reach of the light spilling in from the hallway. He carefully leans forward, and tries to find the light switch. His hand touches something else, what feels like cold, dry… skin . He yanks his hand away, watching as a pale… Dead looking hand reaches out from the darkness, towards him.

The last of his energy goes to fleeing, running back to the relative safety of the closet.

He's so cold, and so tired. He tucks his knees up to his chest as he leans against the door, and closes his eyes, waiting with distant hope that he'll wake up, back where he belongs with his friends. 

But he doesn't. Instead what wakes him is the door, carefully and gently sliding open, pushing him along with.

“Hero?” 

It's Mari. Her voice is solid, real, like her cries for help from him earlier was nothing more than his mind tormenting him. 

He can barely open his eyes, though, tongue feeling like a heavy weight in his mouth as he speaks “Mari? How'd… you get here?” 

He can feel her warm hands on his shoulders, even through the thick jacket fabric. He leans into her touch, though he doesn't expect as she pulls him into a hug. He melts into her warmth. He manages to open his eyes fully, though his face is tucked in her shoulder, and he can't see a whole lot. All he can really take in is the texture of her soft, thick cardigan.

“Long story, but when I didn't see you, I had to come looking for you.” She explains, still holding him close, gentle. He laughs slightly, but the laugh falls quickly to sobbing. She gently runs a hand through his hair, Comforting him the best she can. “It’s okay, Hero. You're going to be okay.” 

“Can we go home?” Hero manages to speak, looking up at her. The room was too dark for him to properly take in the look of her, though She definitely looks like her , and at this point that's enough for him. 

He watches her expression go from surprised, to sad, to a little thoughtful “I can't take you back to the home you know, but I can take you somewhere safe. I'll be with you” 

Not giving himself time to think about it, he nods “Anywhere, with you. I trust you.” The words felt right , despite how terrified he was, every word feeling forced past the exhaustion. 

He didn't hear what she said after, his exhaustion catching up with him. He barely registers as she picks him up in a bridal carry. He idly wonders how she can do that with her bad knee, but the fog in his brain was too thick to question it too much.

It was too dark for Hero to see as they left the building, though he figured Mari knew where they were going either way… 

When he could see again, he couldn't quite recognize where they were. He assumes he dozed off at some point, while Mari was carrying him. 

Hero became aware of three things quite quickly, one being that he didn't hurt anymore, the second being that he didn't feel nearly as cold and tired anymore, and the final thing he noticed… he had no idea where he was. None of his surroundings were familiar. Mari had set him on a couch- One he could fit on, thank the stars- but the room he was in was nothing like anywhere he had been before.

He sat up and noticed a pair of notes, placed gently in the pocket of his jacket.

“Hey Cassanova, I had to leave and didn't wanna wake you. The paper in your other pocket explains a bit better what's going on, but if you need more explanation it shouldn't be hard to find me.”