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The first clue that something was wrong was the texture of the bed below him, or rather, the lack thereof. In fact, his mattress had now been replaced by a hard wooden texture, leaving his bones aching upon waking. The next clue came when he slowly opened his eyes, and found himself looking at what at first appeared to be a mirror reflection. At least, this was his first impression, although on a second glance, he realized the hair was wrong, and the reflection was towering over him.
“Ah, I see you finally woke up. Well, that’s perhaps the wrong way to phrase it…” His reflection mused as it watched the small form stir and sit up from its stiff position.
“You…what are you doing? This is supposed to be my headspace! How did you get into here?” Alfendi demanded groggily, struggling to his feet and stretching his bones. He looked with disdain at the copy of himself, groaning with displeasure. Years ago, Alfendi had been unwillingly brainwashed into developing a separate, second personality. Because the introduction was less than consensual, he always had a disdain for the other version of himself, particularly due to the fact that it overtook almost complete control of his body, leaving his previous self trapped within his own head. However, there were times he was able to wrestle control back, and the ensuing performance in front of others led to his two personalities being nicknamed. The original Alfendi, with disheveled red hair was named Potty Prof, while the calm, purple haired version was given the less offensive moniker of Placid Prof.
On a normal night, the two personalities had their own dreams to deal with, depending on who was in control at the time. So to have the two of them meeting face to face was an unusual experience. Sure, they would talk to each other during the day, swapping ideas back and forth, and struggling to be in the front and present at the time, but night time was a solo experience. Usually.
Looking around, the red headed Alfendi made a mental note of his setting. From what he could tell, he was perhaps ten centimeters tall, and currently standing on his desk. Meanwhile, his purple haired counterpart loomed over him, eyeing him curiously. While the two talked, they had never actually seen each other in person, so to speak.
It took a few moments, but finally Placid responded.
“I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing in my dream?”
“Your dream?! This is mine!” Potty spat, finally standing at his full 10 cm height.
“Is that so?” Placid paused to take a sip from his mug. A mug that had previously not been there moments ago. It couldn’t have been, Potty had scanned the entire desk, seeing only scattered files, papers, and various office supplies. Where did the mug come from?
Oh, right, it was a dream, and a lucid one at that. Potty focused beside him, and conjured another mug of coffee. Or at least, that was what he expected to happen. No such mug appeared. Confused, he tried again. And again. Closing his eyes over and over and expecting to at least see something change in front of him.
“What are you doing?” The purple haired giant mused with a smirk on his face.
“I’m….I’m trying to conjure something up. Don’t bother me while I’m focused!” Potty replied, frustration in his voice. Try as he might, however, no mug ever appeared. Placid held out something pinched between his fingers.
“Do you mean this mug?” he stated matter of factly, gesturing it towards the small man on his desk. Potty grimaced. Surely the giant had taken it after it was conjured while his eyes were closed and he was focused. At least, that’s what he told himself, but deep down he knew the truth. Why couldn’t he conjure anything up? This was his dream, and yet here was a mug in his other self’s hands, the same mug he was trying to create, just to prove he could. He angrily slapped it from between the man’s fingers.
“I don’t get it. This is my dream. I’m completely lucid. Why am I so small? Why can YOU conjure shit while nothing happens in my hands?!” His voice grew loud, or as loud as it could get at his size anyhow.
“I told you. It’s not your dream. It’s mine.”
“Bullshit! This is my–”
“Dream? Oh, no, I think it’s something much more interesting. This is my dream, and your nightmare, isn’t it? Think about it. Nothing is going according to your whims, and you’re not in control. It’s your living fear every single day. We might not see each other directly, but I know exactly what you’re feeling inside your part of the head space. We are the same person, after all.”
“Shut up!” Potty hissed, before turning his back to his calmer clone. “It’s my dream, and I’ll prove it! It may just be a nightmare, but I’ve dealt with those plenty of times! I’ll just force us to wake up, and we’ll start this entire night over again.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
The miniature man walked over to the edge of the desk and peered down at the long fall below.
“It’s simple. I’ll jump off of this, and the impact of the landing will jolt me awake–”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“What do you mean if it doesn’t?!”
“We’re both sharing this space right now. Let’s say you jump and hit the floor hard, shattering every bone in your body in an attempt to jolt yourself awake. I’m still going to be in this current subconscious, and I don’t have any plans on waking up soon. In fact, I’m quite enjoying this little predicament we’re in currently!” Placid chuckled, smugly smirking at the tiny man. “What I’m saying is, your small contribution to this current realm within our mind has a low percentage of actually working. You’re not the one in control of this dream. And deep down you know that, don’t you?”
Potty balled his fists tight. “I’d rather take the chance than deal with you!"
And with that, he leaped off the desk, free falling for a mere second before a force wrapped around him. He gasped in shock, and partially because the pressure was currently crushing his chest, squeezing the air out of his lungs. A few cracks, and Potty squirmed as he felt his ribs begin to pop. He struggled to breathe, arms pinned to his side and utterly unable to move an inch, before the pressure subsided and he fell on his back upon a soft surface. As he caught his breath, carefully inhaling as the sharp pains pressed through his skin, he realized his larger self had caught him from falling. And then, the pain subsided as Placid smirked once more, fully realizing the extent of his powers. A smile that formed after a grimace, that is. Potty’s ribs snapped back into place as he jerked and sucked in a deep breath. The corners of Placid’s mouth seemed to be twitching with each loud crunch.
Another impossibility: the pain he was experiencing in this dream, if it really was a dream at this point, was agonizing.
"You know, there’s a saying that if you die in your dreams, you perish in real life. As small as your consciousness might be in this dream space, I’d rather not lose… a part of my self.” Potty grit his teeth as Placid made sure to emphasize the word ‘MY’.
“This…this is my self! Not yours, you…..fucking excuse for a personality!” He groaned as his breathing returned to normal. He hated this. He hated every moment of it. “I’d rather die and take us both out then let you continue to be in control!”
“Unfortunately, you have no choice. But come now, let us really get to know each other while we have the chance. We haven’t had a good one on one chance in such a long time, as you always try to force us to sleep before we can converse…”
Pins appeared in the larger man’s hand, and before Potty could react, he watched them pass just above his shoulder, and press into a corkboard on his desk. How convenient. Another pin pressed above his other shoulder, and from there, he dangled. He squirmed, but the pins locked his sleeves so tight that he couldn’t slip out of the coat, even if he wanted to. He tried to pull the pins out, but he couldn’t get a firm grip on them at his size. They were too large, too heavy.
“Fine. Fine!” Potty finally relented, going limp and letting himself hang from the corkboard. “What matters are so pressing this…fine night?”
“Why do you refuse to work with me? We could share our body more than half and half of the time, but I can’t have you so…violent towards our clientele. In your eagerness to take my place again, you struggle and fight so passionately, but you know it scares them. It scares Lucy, even.” Placid traced his fingers over the small man, watching with amusement as he jerked away from his touch.
“Don’t fucking touch me like that!”
“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You’re too crass. Too feisty nowadays. It’s no wonder you can’t hold control anymore. It’s so…easy to overtake you again and again…–”
“I thought you wanted to talk, not prattle on and gloat about ruining my life with your existence–”
“You know, it’s no wonder I’m in control while we’re together in this dream. I mean, look at your size. Perhaps its our subconscious–”
“Stop it!”
“–stating the obvious. You no longer have much stake in this body. How often do you come through nowadays? Hmm, maybe I should have let you hit the ground after all. Are you really even needed anymore–”
“This is my body you fucking asshole! Not yours, not ours, mine!!”
Placid’s eyes lowered as he stared at the small, squirming man.
“You know, what IS the point of having you around? You come to the same conclusions as I do. We share the same thoughts, just different emotions. And you’re filled with some of the most insufferable emotions, you know that, don’t you? Do you know what it’s like to be embarrassed by the way you conduct yourself. You have no shame in the way you act, and you make us–ME– look like a monster. But I can fix that right now…” he trailed off in thought.
Potty stopped struggling and looked at the man. “What…what do you mean by that…?” He cautiously murmured, his face a mixture of confusion and worry. At once, the fingers were around his body again, pulling him from the board. But instead of crushing him, they merely held him in place. Potty grabbed the pin still sticking from his coat, holding it defensively. He didn’t like the tone his alter ego had taken, and the phrasing he was using…
The giant man took a long sip from his tea, seemingly thinking between each small swallow. He let out a long breath, before returning his gaze to his captive in his grip.
“I think…it’s time we become one. No more sharing, no more switching, I think it would be best if we could focus this body’s energy on one of us. And, well, seeing as I’m the most dominant personality, I think it’s time for me to take the reins…”
“W-what?!”
“Oh, don’t sound so hurt. I’ll make it quick…you won’t feel a thing–AUGH!” Placid dropped his captive onto the desk as he ripped the needle out of his hand. Potty landed with a hard thud, before scrambling towards the edge of the desk. His hand was killing him, but he was filled with adrenaline and didn’t make the connection. There had to be a way down and out, all he needed to do was escape and avoid this twisted persona and then wait to wake up and–
Before he could make a move, the hand gripped around him tight, ripping him out of his thoughts and back into the horror at hand. He gasped for air once more, before realizing his hand was throbbing in pain. The same hand that he had stabbed, in the same place. He looked at Placid, realizing that he was breathing as shallowly as his miniature self.
While they may have been separate instances, their mental body shared the same pain, one and the same. Now that he focused, he could feel the pressure against his own hand. He struggled carefully, realizing that the sensation the larger man was feeling could be felt against his own flesh.
In a desperate move, he pulled his own hand to his mouth, and bit down with a sickening crunch. The larger man bellowed in pain, once again dropping his prey and clutching his mangled hand.
“S-stop fucking around with me!” Potty screamed between labored breaths, clutching his hand tightly. The pain would have to wait, he was focused on escape. He leaped off the desk without a second thought.
The fall was long. Alfendi closed his eyes, bracing for a grisly impact. Ideally, the impact would jolt him awake, but even if he destroyed every bone in his body, he was certain he would at least be able to survive until morning came, and would cripple his larger self, at least long enough to wake.
He was thrown from his thoughts upon landing on something soft. He heard his desk chair scrape against the wooden floor, and footsteps began to approach. He struggled to climb out of the embrace of what he realized was a pillow that his larger self had conjured, but its soft texture kept pulling him deeper into its plush body. He couldn’t escape. Once again, his plan was foiled.
A hand reached down and pinned his arms to his sides this time, before forcefully pulling him into the air. Placid brought the small man close to his face.
“I was going to make it quick. I truly was.” His voice had gone from soft and mellow to low and sharp, as he almost spat every word.
Potty realized he couldn’t feel the pressure in his own hand anymore. “W…what did you do?!”
“I’m not an idiot. I had to make sure to take some…drastic measures before offing you. You’re no longer part of this body. I’m going to make sure you never resurface again. We’re going to become one mind once more. But this time, I’m not going to be your little curse anymore, as you so love to call me. We’re going to make things right. You know I’m the right one between us, everyone out there knows I’m the true Alfendi between us…” His voice dropped lower and lower, dripping with hatred and malice. Potty struggled futily, breath shallow.
“You…you can’t. If you kill me, you risk our body–”
“I’m not the one dying. I’m still going to be alive for MY body, don’t worry. But you…well, I’m going to have fun offing you.”
“W…..what are you going to do?” Potty panted, breath growing faint.
“I’m going to make us one and the same.” He chuckled softly, before rolling into full laughter. “Oh, I’ll still let you share this body in the end, but not with your mind…but your flesh.”
“What?! What do you – ngh – mean?!”
“Oh, let me show you…”
Placid parted his lips partially, seemingly in thought at first, before slowly opening it wider.
Potty stared in blank horror, before it dawned on him.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!!!” He violently squirmed, desperate to get free, willing to do anything to get free. He had to be joking!
The man’s throat twitched as he laughed harder.
“Well, how else are we going to become one?!”
“You can’t! You can’t possibly be thinking about…about eating me?!”
The open mouth smiled wider. Potty lunged and threw his body around in the man’s grip. It was no use.
The hand released its lower three fingers, exposing the poor captive’s squirming, kicking legs.
And then his lips wrapped around his legs, and the air went still. Saliva began to soak into his shoes and jeans. The flood of sudden warmth in contrast to the cool air in the office sent Potty’s mind reeling.
A few moments passed, before the struggling returned, doubled in intensity.
Placid’s teeth clamped down firmly, not enough to crunch into the man’s body, but enough to keep them still as his tongue rolled over the two stick thin figures in his mouth.
“Hmm…Interesting.”
Potty’s heart was pounding loudly in his chest as he began to sweat, eyes wide and looking at the man incredulously.
“Stop….s-stop!!!” His voice was trembling with both fear and rage. This couldn’t be happening.
The giant’s lips rested on its prey’s hips, before he began to suck on him softly, pulling him in bit by bit. A low murmur rolled out of the predator’s throat, as he chuckled darkly.
Already Potty’s feet were resting against the back of his counterpart’s throat, and he could feel him swallow with anticipation, sending a shiver down his back. His own stomach turned as his mind reeled, processing what was actually happening to him. The tongue underneath him lurched and curled around his body, and he realized he was being tasted. It wasn’t enough to be subjected to this torture, but Placid was enjoying it. In fact, Placid wasn’t even looking at his prey anymore. His eyes were closed and relaxed as he gently licked over the little morsel in his mouth.
Potty began to kick as best as he could, until the large tongue underneath him pressed him to the roof of the mouth he was in. There was nowhere he could go, no way to move, no way to struggle.
“C-can’t we just make a deal?” Potty pleaded. This in turn made Placid raise an eyebrow.
“A deal? Why would I want to make a deal when I’m getting exactly what I want right now?”
“I-I’ll do anything!” He grunted, feeling himself slide in up to his neck and panic growing faster by the second.
“Hmm…” A long pause from Placid. “No.”
It all happened so fast. Placid tilted his head back and opened his mouth, flicking his tongue backwards. Potty watched the world grow dark as a loud swallow pulled him once, twice, three times downwards. Without thinking, he reached out his arms and grabbed the first thing he could.
His arms hooked the back of Placid’s tongue directly into his windpipe, and there was a flurry of violent movement as he was immediately gagged right back out into the giant’s hands in a thin film of saliva. Placid coughed and gasped for air, trying to recover from the attack he had not expected.
Potty looked over himself in disgust, panting and catching his breath. There was not much time to recover, however, as the hands gripped him tightly once more.
“You think….you’re going to escape that easily?!” Placid’s voice was low and bitter, filled with malice and hatred. He grimaced, before opening wide once more. This time, Potty’s head was the first to enter, and a hard slurp pulled him in almost immediately. There was another hard swallow, but with Potty’s arms pinned to the side this time, and with the addition of slick drool covering his body, there was no chance to grab anything as he easily slid down the massive tongue he was in, directly into the yawning gullet in front of him. He could only scream as his head was pulled into the contracting muscle with a loud sticky swallow.
Placid gave a few hard gulps, before his prey’s body was entirely pulled into his throat. The feeling was intense. Usually they shared the bodily sensations between the two personalities as if they were two separate people in one body, but now with Potty separated in the mind space, Placid took the full impact of every feeling within him. And he didn’t know if he was enjoying the feeling of a wriggling object in his throat. He wasn’t going to just give up, though, and he gave another swallow. Ever so slowly, the screaming inside his gullet sank deeper and deeper within his body.
Potty’s mind was racing as he struggled, squirmed, and screamed. Every few moments the walls would clench around him, squeezing the air out of his lungs and forcing him deeper into the unknown darkness. The sound of squelching slime, contracting muscles, and a deep heavy heartbeat drowned out all thoughts. He couldn’t move. He could barely breathe.
He was completely and utterly alone, sliding down ever so slowly into certain doom.
Placid relaxed as his plan continued in motion, feeling the deep bulge twitch and vibrate within his chest, before a pressure built right above his gut. He groaned softly, before his food slid past his sphincter and landed with a heavy plop right into his stomach.
“A….ha……I…I actually did it…” he mused aloud, hands instinctively reaching to his gut. “Now to wait…”
Potty pulled himself into a sitting position after struggling against the slime slicked walls, gasping and panting for air. He looked around, but was met with complete darkness, not that he would want to see where he currently was. Slippery liquid dripped from above onto his head, and as he gained his bearings, his fear and panic rose exponentially. There was no way this was happening. And yet here he was, completely and utterly swallowed alive like he was merely a handful of bickies.
It took him a few moments, before he snapped to his senses and slammed his fists against the soft, pulsing walls.
“Let me out!!” He screamed, voice already raw and hoarse. “Get me fucking out of here!”
Placid groaned as his stomach churned from the sudden movements. While he anticipated there would be some fight left in his food, he didn’t expect the instant nausea that would appear. His hand clutched his stomach as he groaned, realizing he could feel every movement inside of him. Quickly, he sucked down some of his tea, hoping something meant to be swallowed would calm his churning guts.
Potty spattered indignantly as liquid rained down on him from above, and the fluid levels rose even higher. He entertained the thought of what would kill him first. Would Placid drown him in tea? Would he run out of air first? Or would he be forced to lay awake as the acids digested his flesh down to the bone?
The walls began to twist and turn, grinding against his body, and he went limp, eyes staring dead ahead and unfocused. He was going to disappear. Be torn from his own body and sent away into oblivion, and Placid would be the only personality remaining within his original self. This wasn’t fair. This couldn’t be happening–
Alfendi woke with a jolt in his bed, sweat dripping from every inch from his body as he gasped for air. He felt himself all over, reaching towards his face and rubbing it violently. Potty was still here, still in control, and tonight, still fronting. His chest quivered as he grounded himself back in reality.
“Just…just another nightmare like always…” He quietly whispered to himself.
“A close one for you. How unfortunate, I was enjoying that quite a bit…” the other voice in his head murmured. “But it matters not. We’re both still here. For now.”
Alfendi grimaced. “Shut up in there.” He threw the covers back over himself, and went back to sleep.