Chapter Text
It’s been a few days since that incident, safe to say that the teasing has yet to go away. Every single time Dark is with Wilford, he can hear the others joking in mock whispers. Which causes him to blush, Wilford to point out the blush, which causes more teasing from the others. It’s a horrible cycle that Dark has found himself in. But at least they were more comfortable around him and not scared. Overall, things were going a lot better at the manor. It was nice to have people in it again, he’s been alone for so long. All was well, except for one minor problem that he had forgotten about.
Dark was sitting in the living room, listening to Bim and King talk animatedly, Host’s narrations were also quietly in the background. He sat in the far corner of the room, in his usual leather chair. He normally sat with his leg crossed but there’s been a growing ache these last few days. Which is why his cane was held closely in his lap. He was listening to King excitedly share his idea for a squirrel themed game show when his thoughts began to wander to the growing pain.
The ache in his knee stretched down to his toes, his feet feeling uncomfortable in his shoes. His ribs suddenly began to burn, as if he was stabbed. More aches grew along his body but nothing came close to the pain in his head. Dark covered his eyes, trying to block out the lights as the world around him drowned in darkness. His body was always in some sort of pain but there are times when it flares up like this
This isn’t his body
Anger bubbled alongside the pain in his brain. He wasn’t aware of the high pitch ringing emitting from him. His shell briefly cracked, flickering in a muffled scream. Of anger or pain, he wasn’t sure. He was only brought out of his growing spiral by a hand hesitantly touching his shoulder.
The color bleeds back into the world as his eyes snapped up. Bim flinched but kept his hand on his shoulder. He gave him a small smile, “You alright? You started ringing and glitching.” Dark blinked slowly at him, trying to focus on Bim’s words. He nodded, rubbing his forehead as if that would easily get rid of the pain. “Apologies, I didn’t mean to lose control. It’s just a headache” he murmured. “How many times do we have to say we’re not scared? We’re worried, if anything” King shrugged. “Perhaps Darkiplier would feel better in his own room? The Host experiences similar headaches and darkness tends to help.”
Dark nods, quiet didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Bim backed away as Dark went to stand up. He hissed in pain as his knee buckled. Bim quickly grabbed his arm, holding him up. Dark quickly puts his cane down properly to take some of the weight off of his weak leg. He didn’t have to look up to know Bim was frowning.
He pities you
“Are you sure you’re ok? You’ve been off these last few days…” Bim asked quietly. He was worried about the man, he’s been limping and becoming more irritable. Besides Wilford of course, he was one of the few Dark genuinely trusted and knew. His frown only deepened as Dark pushed away from him, leaning on his cane heavily as he walked away. “I’m fine. I’ll be retiring to my room now” Dark muttered. No one believed him as the ringing began to grow again.
Dark slowly made his way back to his room, slamming his door shut. He immediately regretted it as the loud sound made his head pound more. He leaned heavily against the back of his door, hand rubbing his forehead intensely. His entire body ached and pulsed from pain. Anger grew as he thought about why he was in pain in the first place. Damien was drowning in his pain and emotions, not noticing the red aura slowly grow around his form.
“You need to relax, little brother. You can not let the manor’s dark forces alter your emotions” Celine’s voice pierced through the swirling thoughts. He felt her presence grow, the pain starting to decrease. “How can I relax when I feel like I’m being torn apart?” Damien growled, glaring into the distance. “How can I relax when I’m stuck in this painful and broken body?! While he continues to walk around in mine!” his voice growing louder with his frustrations. “Damien-”
“No! It’s not fair! That sick bastard broke his own body into pieces. Then just running off, leaving me with no choice but to deal with it!” He yelled, emotions boiling over as his shell cracked more, breaking away to yell in pain. Damien panted as he leaned heavily against the door again, his hair falling onto his face. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to shout at you” he murmured, the fight leaving him. Celine was quiet for a few moments before her presence grew, the red aura hugging his body more as it overtook the blue. “It’s alright, Damien. I know your anger isn’t directed towards me. But, you can’t let this place consume you. It feeds on the negative, empowering your anger and hate.” Damien just nods, he knew she was right. With all the pain he lost track of his own emotions. He rubbed his hand over his face before limping towards his bed.
He hissed softly as he sat on the edge of his bed, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the first 2 buttons. The aches of Mark’s abuse on this body was a constant reminder of that night. He didn’t know the exact extent of what Mark did, but he could guess that he strangled, drowned, broke a few ribs at some point in time. There were no physical reminders of these injuries, except for some faint scarring.
“We are no longer balancing with the dark energy of this place…and you are not handling the pain well-”
“I’m fine-”
“Damien! You are not fine, you are breaking. You have been doing a good job to protect and lead, but I can help again. I have enough energy to take over for some time. I need to work with the entity of the manor anyways. Let me do this.” Damien squeezed his hands together, letting his nails dig into his palms to calm himself. He was supposed to be watching over Celine now but she was right. He’ll crumble if he has to endure the pain any longer and he could feel his anger still simmering. But as he focused on himself more, he could tell the anger wasn’t fully his. He was letting this place prey on him again.
No! She doesn’t respect you, she-
“Ok, if you say you have the energy for it…I trust you, Celine” he answered, slowly opening his eyes and relaxing his hands again. A break doesn’t seem bad, and there’s nothing important he needs to do anyways.
Damien leaned into the comforting presence of his sister as she guided him away from the forefront of their mind. She took a deep breath as she settled into the body. Celine opened her eyes, glancing around before staring down at her hands, his hands. She pushed away the thoughts before they could consume her as it did her brother. She could fully take over and project her feminine form, but it took so much energy. The last time she did it was when she first fused with her brother. She ended up sleeping for over a year. Celine always felt guilty for accidentally abandoning him, leaving him alone during that time. This is why she tried to keep her rest time short, wanting her presence to at least be felt so Damien didn’t feel alone.
So for now, she can handle being in this body. They weren’t individuals anymore, Celine was practically dead to her now, her body gone. She was also better at managing the pain and their powers, having lots of practice from the cabin days.
She stood up, the pain flaring but was easily ignored. Celine pulled off their tie completely, tossing it on the bed. She could feel what Damien meant about feeling like they’re being suffocated. Again, she must push past these feelings. She needs to find her seer room to balance the body. With a final deep breath, Celine used her brother’s cane to help walk as she left her room.
The hallway was empty as she stepped out. She wasn’t scared or worried about speaking to the others, but she didn’t know them. They didn’t know about her and Damien fully. It may raise suspicion if she doesn’t act or answer how Damien would. It would be best to avoid them for now, until they’re fully sorted and balanced. Celine let darkness spread from her feet and fully engulf her, traveling through the odd dimension.
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Wilford was just leaving his studio to wander around. He was working with the Jims on shooting some more footage of his interview before it got very boring. He was going to shoot the guy but frankly, he didn’t feel like cleaning the mess. So instead, he let his conscious wander as he floated through the weird sparkly dimension. He was vaguely aware of his powers and teleporting, but he never put much thought into it. It was easier that way.
Floating through this dimension was usually peaceful, his own little pocket of time with no voices, no people, just him. Until he was rudely slammed in to by a dark force. “Ow! What the hell happened?” he huffed, blinking and he was back in the real world. He brushed invisible dust off of his suspenders before looking up. Wil’s eyes widened as he grinned. “Dark! I’m sorry, old friend, I didn’t see you there! Usually that’s my own little world. How’d you get in there?” Wilford tilted his head slightly as Dark just stared at him, something was off.
Dark stared at him, his expression looked calm and collected to anyone else but Wilford saw his eyes widened a fraction, the way his breath hitched when they locked eyes. There was a slight sheen of sweat on Dark’s forehead, his hair a mess and hanging in front of his eye. The most noticeable change was how his suit wasn’t put together and perfect, his tie gone and shirt opened. “Are you alright?” Wilford asked, voice lowering in concern as he took a step forward. Dark cleared his throat before nodding, “Of course, sorry Will- Wilford. I was just taking care of some business if you’ll excuse me”
The man quickly brushed past him. Wil frowned more as he saw Dark heavily leaning on his cane. He knew that it was usually used for show and kept close as some sort of comfort item for some reason. But now he was walking, heavily leaning on to it. Wilford grabbed his arm, stopping him. But he quickly let go as Dark hissed with pain, his body glitching into a silent yell as he leaned heavily against him. Wilford pressed his hand against his lower back before throwing Dark’s arm over his shoulder so he could hold most of his weight.
“Dark! Are you alright? Did I hurt you?” he frantically asked, trying to meet the man’s eyes. Wilford raised an eyebrow as the man’s aura also flashed, but it wasn’t in the familiar blue. Instead a red light shined brightly around him which was odd. Usually the blue was more prominent or sometimes even purple. He knew these colors meant something important but he couldn’t place his finger on it. But enough of that, he had to care for his friend.
Dark took a deep breath before straightening again, though Wilford kept his hand on his lower back just in case. “I just need to attend to my business, then all will be well. Do you trust me?” Wilford squinted at the question, “Of course, you’re my dearest friend. But I’m coming with you. I want to make sure you’re alright.” He watched as Dark gave him a small smile, a faraway look in his eyes. “You always care so deeply for everyone. You can come, but you can not interrupt once I start.”
Wilford didn’t even get to respond before Dark started to walk down the hall again. He quickly caught up with him, though staying a few feet back just to observe. It was like the man had a complete personality switch. He spent a lot of time with Dark now and this wasn’t how he acted. The Dark in front of him now walked with his head high, even with the limp the overall walk was different. He knew the colors had something to do with it, but he wasn’t sure why. The red aura surrounding him meant something, it always showed his emotions and personality.
He suddenly blinked and found himself in a wing of the manor he wasn’t often in. He ran his hand along the railing of the balcony of one of the many staircases, looking out at the big window. Dark opened the door at the end of the hall, leaving it open for Wil. The room was dark, a table with 2 chairs was in the middle. The space was small but it held several shelves filled with jars, cards, and other trinkets.
The most notable thing about the room was the dark and heavy energy. Wilford couldn’t place his finger on it, but something was wrong with this room. It felt as though someone else was in the room, watching him… He blinked and Dark was sitting at the table. Several candles were lit around the room, a crystal ball and tarot cards in the middle of the table. Wilford stared for a moment before shrugging and sitting across from the man. Dark’s eyes never left his, slowly shuffling the stack of cards.
“I didn’t take you for someone who believed in magic and tricks,” Wilford spoke, leaning back in his chair. Dark’s lips quirked up in a small smile, “With the lives we’ve lived and the abilities we have, is it so hard to believe?” Wil quirked his head, “Touche. What’re you doing anyway? You’ve been acting strangely and don’t think I forgot about you being in pain” he pointed an accusing finger at the man. It was odd seeing the man so smug and observing. Usually he was an anxious mess around him, constantly fidgeting and darting his eyes around. They held eye contact for several moments, Wilford resting his chin on his hand as he leaned forward. Dark broke the contact first, chuckling as he shuffled the cards, observing the ones that fell out of the deck. “Are you sure you’re the right person to call me strange?”
“Of course, strange recognizes strange,” he answered easily, shrugging with a crooked smile. He’s surprised when Dark lets out an actual laugh, not his usual small chuckle. His eyes widened, it was the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard. He vows to make it his mission to make Dark laugh as much as possible.
Dark wipes his eyes, chuckles dying down as he focuses back on the table, this time moving towards the crystal ball. “You always know how to make me laugh…” he said, voice quieter and eyes softer, as if he was lost in old memories. Wilford’s smile softened too as he leaned back in his chair. “Be honest with, for only a moment…what’s going on with you?” Wil asked softly, concern bleeding into his tone. He watched as Dark sighed, leaving the crystal ball alone so he could give his full attention to Wil. Dark rubbed his thumb over his cufflinks, trying to find the right words. He let out a soft sigh before meeting his eyes, “I will tell you what I can but…certain parts of me won’t let me reveal everything.”
Wilford nodded in understanding, he didn’t expect the man to reveal everything. They obviously had a long history and whatever other personality that was within Dark wasn’t ready to reveal. But, he will build up that trust and relationship again. He wanted to remember, wanted to fully understand the one person who understood him.
“This poor shell of a body is broken and has been broken who knows how many times. I am always in pain, pain is all I know since we’ve been reborn. But there are days, like today, that the pain is unbearable. This body starts to bruise and bleed like it’s the day it was first harmed” Dark explained, voice tight. He could tell these memories were more than sour by the rising anger in Dark’s voice. He had so many questions and theories but it’s not often that the man opened up to talk about the truth. So he’ll be damned if anything interrupts this. He nods, motioning for him to continue.
“I can’t tell you much more but my powers, my abilities are connected to this house. But we’re out of sync, I must balance us so that I can use the darkness, or the void as I call it, to dampen the pain.” Wilford rubs his mustache in thought, “You said it can dampen the pain, but could it heal it completely? From these injuries you speak of?” Dark sighs again, swirling his hands around the crystal ball, “I wish it was so simple. It can’t be done, I’ve tried. I can’t explain it to you just yet but this house holds memories and will never let them go to erase them. So, I must balance this energy.” Wilford quickly nods, gesturing for him to continue his work, “Of course, I don’t want you in pain.”
Wilford watched silently as Dark focused on his work again. It took almost 20 minutes for him to be satisfied. A green light shone brightly before a purple settled around Dark. He smiled softly before standing, no longer limping. Wil backed away from the table as Dark stood in front of him, just shy of being in between his legs. He was surprisingly speechless as the man gently cupped his face, feeling his stubble. Dark just stared at him, smiling sadly as he brushed his hair away from his eyes. “Thank you, William, truly. I want to tell you everything so badly, to be what we were. You always made me feel so alive and free…” he said softly.
Wil gently held his wrist, leaning into the touch. “So tell me, I want to understand you, to know you. You seem to know everything about me, it’s only fair…” he frowned. Dark shook his head, thumb gently swiping over his cheek. “I can’t, I’m sorry….I need to work some things out with myself first. It’s a lot we- I would have to explain. I worry you’d never forgive me…”
He wanted so badly to know, to understand. To say he would never be upset with him, but he couldn’t make promises about things he didn’t know. They way Dark talked, this was obviously a very serious and monumental part in both of their lives. Instead, he could only comfort him.
Wilford gently kissed his palm, squeezing Dark’s wrist, “I’ll be waiting then, as long as you need…” Dark blinked away a few tears before pulling away, wiping under his eyes. The man gave him one last smile before letting the darkness of the room consume him and leaving. Wilford sat there for a few moments, letting his thoughts and emotions settle. He will wait, for as long as he needs.