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Chapter Text

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A father's love is something seen to most as admirable. In modern-day society, abuse and hate are quite common so a genuine display of affection made hearts melt. Father's should be setting their children up for success, listen to them so they can help them through their problems, and do anything to keep them safe. Vinoth Chandar was an exemplary father. He built his business on the ideals of children's education and internet safety, facing YouTube's bad reputation with kids' content head-on. But even with one of the most subscribed-to channels under his wing, he still made plenty of time for his young daughter.

Harshita Chandar lived a good childhood. Now at 9-years-old, she was protected from stress and responsibility and despite her mother's absence, she was happy. Papa and his associates were great people, baring gifts whenever they showed up to talk about adult stuff. She was already ahead in her studies, 4th grade being a little bit too easy for her. But despite her intelligence, she didn't quite understand what Papa meant about "eliminating the competition." She didn't know why she had to leave home and she couldn't be at school.

"If you get caught they are gonna try to take you away from me. Everyone thinks I did something bad but they don't understand that this is all for you. When I'm done you'll be at the helm of an empire! You'll be the princess you've always wanted to be. Doesn't that sound nice?" She supposed that would be good. Someday they wouldn't think Papa was bad anymore and she'd get to be a princess! Her eyes gleaned with a sense of childish wisdom. It all made sense now...

Bhushan Kumar was a calculating man. After Dawood's death, he used power and strength to take over the fallen D-Company. He had plans to bring the near-dead mafia group back to the public eye. He loved fear and unease and his plans to create it all started with the man who brought him back to the business in the first place; Jimmy Donaldson. He was rich and full of influence but young enough to be influenced. His selflessness could easily be exploited for his own purposes. He knew Dawood was incredibly unstable so he could take the fall for his previously poor ideas. Who Jimmy really hated was Dawood. So if he could make him believe he was a moral person then maybe this... transition... could be easier. Thankfully he was provided the chance to prove himself.

"Sir... his name is Vinoth Chandar. He's been assassinating big YouTuber's who could be considered threats to his business. CoCoMelon executives were the big ones... Apparently, he's going for Jimmy soon."

"Perfect, we needed something like this. Fazlur, I can trust you right?"

"Yes sir. With anything."

"Well I'll handwrite Jimmy a note tonight, I want it delivered to his desk in 48 hours or less. I want men stationed all around Greenville, simply keeping an eye on him and his friends. Lead a team of about 30 or so with you and send me reports as need-be. I'll come to speak to him if it is warranted. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir... but don't you think this is..." He met his gaze and stopped. "Yes sir..."

"Very well, you're dismissed."  Under his breath he could hear him mutter;

"God I miss Dawood..."

Bang!

"Aw, suppose I can't trust him with everything... Well, don't just stand there clean this up! If there is a stench of blood in my office tomorrow you'll be next."

"Yes, sir right away sir!" Bhushan chuckled lightly. For some reason, the speech from the beginning of that Western film The Godfather was playing through his head. Call him foolish but he enjoyed the occasional joke. But right now no one respected him, he couldn't be doing anything that'll make him as good as the bloodstains on his carpet. Jimmy... ya he'd like if he recreated that opening speech. He might even find it funny. Taking another swig of the liquor on his desk, his throat burned. Jimmy... he might've disrespected his company but he was a forgiving man. Maybe one day he'd learn to appreciate him just as much as he did to him.

"Work alongside the enemy." His father taught him when he was young. "You might just find yourself a new ally, but it'll be the same difference if you choose to betray them." The last drips of the bitter drink fell down. T-Series was his father's unfinished symphony, he just hoped that working alongside the men that killed him would bring him the power and success and people he wanted by his side.

Overlooking the garbage bag being dragged outside, he wondered if Gulshan would still be proud of him...

~~~

Chapter Text

January 17th, 2022

There is something uncanny about those small beats between everything being fine and the realization that you've been placed in a situation where you are entirely fucked. It's the cold, deep, silence where you don't quite know if what you see before you is true. It's only just a few split seconds where dread and anxiety come creeping from all the darkest shadows to watch you, if for just a moment, as your face turns into one of horror before latching onto your shoulders and eating away at your lifeline...

Well that was exactly what was happening to Jimmy Donaldson right then.

The note dropped right out of his hand as he processed what happened. As the paper fluttered down back atop his desk, his office chair hit the back wall. Keeping distance from the sticky note as if it was poisoned, his knees curled to his chest. He was more than prepared to try to put the past year behind him, but now it appeared to only just be the beginning of a ride he sure as hell wasn't ready to stomach. 

"Jimmy...? I heard a bang is everything ok?" Lost in his head of worries, he barely noticed Chris enter the room, rushing to comfort him. "Hey, breathe for me, it's gonna be fine." The gentle hand on his shoulder helped ground him and he motioned forward, letting his friend look at the yellow paper on the wood tabletop. His eyes widened. 

"No... I can't do this again ...I can't keep being scared like this. Please-" The fear encompassing his body was something Chris hasn't seen in a long time since they were kids.

"I promise we will get this dealt with before it becomes a problem... Uh, how about we look through security footage! See who might've been in your office and if it was just some cruel prank we can fire whoever did it ok?" He nodded lightly before shoving his face into his knees hoping the darkness could clear his mind. Chris left the room to go to security, anger seething off him quite visibly. Anyone unfortunate enough to be in the hall felt his rage like a flame to the skin.

"Chris-"

"Chandler Hallow you're coming with me." 

"Um did something happen?" He didn't answer, opting for continuing his walk down the Beast Complex, waiting till they approached a more secluded area.

"They fucking threatened him again. Or no that's unrealistic, someone left a note pretending to be Bhushan." 

"Shit really?  What if it's actually Bhushan?"

"It better not be... I'm not sure if we have the tools to deal with a threat like that." Rumors of danger spread across the Beast Complex leaving employees of all types on edge. What even made a few of them leave that very same day was when it was confirmed that the man who delivered the note was in fact one of the Indian mafia heads; Tiger Memon. That afternoon, they were herded out for an announcement. Jimmy was nowhere to be seen.

"Everyone! For the time being, we're going to be working from home. Yes, I know it kind of sucks after doing stuff similar during Covid but right now it's just for the safety of our employees. Please keep this situation quiet. Drawing even more public attention could put others in danger. If you're getting any sort of weird emails, death threats, anything of the sort directed at you contact myself or Devon. We are both directly dealing with this. Right now burdening Jimmy with any more of... this... is the last thing any of us want so don't try contacting him." Unbeknownst to them, Jimmy was already in the car driving home, a close friend's voice comforting him.

"I'm gonna be home in 3 days, I'll try to be faster ok-"

"Y-you can take your t-time Alex... It's not that important..."

"Jimmy no, no sweetheart your life could be on the line that is- ...Chandler..." The taller brown-haired man in the driver's seat couldn't help but break out into laughter.

"I'm sorry did you just call him sweetheart? I c a n 't-" The Dream like wheezes made Alex deadpan.

"Hey! I'm trying to be affectionate I'm not good at this ok? HEY, WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING TO?" Jimmy did his best to hold back chuckles.

"Sorry I'll try to stop but it's kinda funny... Wait, Alex, do you think it would take too long to get a couple of million dollars?"

"What are you going on about...?"

"I just had an idea, don't worry about it."

"Um... I mean that's not really my area of expertise. Maybe ask Devon?"

"I will, thanks, Al! I'll talk to you later ya?"

"Alright... stay safe for me." Hanging up, the gears in his head began to turn. Reminiscing over the island challenge he did before, a question arose.

"Chandler? Do people still like Minecraft?"

"Of course they do! TommyInnit is on his way to being one of the world's biggest YouTuber's, MCC is going to become an E-Sport, and apparently, there has been talk about an official DreamSMP musical. You know that SMP Karl joined."

"Mhm..."

"Why do you ask?"

"Nothin'... just thought of something." As the idea simmered in his mind, the pair returned to the house. "God I wanna be back in the office so bad..."

"I know but Chris insists this is a bigger issue than it is. Can't we just call the damn cops?"

"Not really... if the mafia is really on his side then this isn't a call the cops type deal." Chandler was about to speak up again but Jimmy had already opened the door, greeting Devon excitedly about his new idea. Chandler sighed. After the whole thing, before he ran away when he threatened him, he had found himself being slightly more uneasy around Jimmy. Jimmy seemed like such an angel and yet... he still stays up at night wondering what would happen if he pushed him a little more answers... would he have to try to ignore a scar against his throat?

"What do you think Chan?"

"Uh, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention..."

"No worries! Basically, I had this idea for a huge competition. What if we rented out an island and tried to recreate Minecraft game modes in real life? Then we have some teams of the most popular modern and old YouTubers who helped spark the game's popularity duke it out for a million-dollar cash prize!" His eyes lit up with that signature Jimmy determination guiding him in whatever he does. 

"That sounds pretty cool. Go for it I suppose."

"Ok, Devon we need to figure out who would want to compete, get someone looking for potential locations, a team figuring out the logistics of different events, ways to publicize. Ooh, we need to talk to some sponsors right now we really don't have the money-"

"Jimmy, slow down we'll-"

"Don't tell me to slow down." He glared back at Devon, sternness now in his gaze. "Living on the streets for six months puts a lot into perspective. You need to live life to the fullest because you don't know when it will all be taken from you. We're gonna do this event, entertain the masses, and live on the edge. It'll be great I promise. Now, what if we could get Twitch to sponsor and maybe get Mark and his friends on board to figure out how to live stream everyone's perspectives...?" As he continued to plan, Devon and Chandler exchanged concerned looks. Jimmy was incredibly one-track-minded right now.

Jimmy knew if he let his thoughts wander he'd end up back in the place he was broken.

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

January 17th, 2022

Tommy's interest was peaked upon seeing the tweet in his feed. "Any Minecraft YouTubers or Youtuber that have made an impact in the Minecraft community hit me up, I'm planning something you guys might be interested in o_O" Leaving a quick reply to Techno's original tweet about the blood god, he smiled, it sounded like him.

"NOT MY JIMMY, SUPPORTING VIOLENCE!!!" Seeing a notification that Beast had replied with "child :)" he sighed and dm'ed the organizer.

"Hey Big J! Got room for me in this challenge of yours?"

"Of course I do ^-^ let me add you to the Discord group chat. A reminder that for legal reasons you gotta keep this a secret from the public."

Tommy could hear a ping from his phone; TommyInnit has been added to FUCK YAA!

MrBeast: Hey who changed the GC name??

Wilbur: not me <3

MrBeast: Meh I'm too lazy to change it

Tommy: Eyyy Will

Wilbur: Goddamnit the child is here :(

Tommy: fuck you man >:(

Fitz: wow such a vulgar child

Wilbur: I know he needs to chill the hell out sometimes

Fitz: Wonder where he gets it from

Wilbur: -_-

Ranboo has been added to FUCK YAA!

JeromeASF has been added to FUCK YAA!

Keemstar has been added to FUCK YAA!

Keemstar: Eloquent name choice as always Jimmy

MrBeast: Ya ya lay off big guy

MrBeast: Anyway the competition has a max of 40 slots so we're gonna begin making teams. Basically, the plan is we're gonna rent out an island and recreate Minecraft game modes on it. If y'all have any suggestions let me know :D

Keemstar: I'm just here for research purposes don't mind me, thanks for picking me over Scarce

MrBeast: still think you and Scarce would make a good couple ^-^

Keemstar: stfu fanboy

MrBeast: D:

Tommy: PUT ME IN WITH THE BLADE BIG MAN

MrBeast: Techno you ok with that?

Technoblade: Sure, wait can I add someone who I think would wanna team with us?

MrBeast: Who you thinkin'

Technoblade: Philza

Tommy: PHILZA MINECRAFT POG!!!

Ph1lza has been added to FUCK YAA!

Phil: da hell I just woke up?

Tommy: Check the Twitter big man.

Technoblade: bouta bring the old bang back together

Technoblade: *band

Wilbur: Woah why would you say that so disrespectful 

Fitz: Can I get some of the Misfits for my team?

MrBeast: That was the plan, Swagger, Tobi, and Mason I'm assuming

Fitz: ye

Swaggersouls was added to FUCK YAA!

TobyOnTheTele was added to FUCK YAA!

Zuckles was added to FUCK YAA!

Zuckles: oi the fresh hell all these here cunts doin' what's da plan??

Fitz: good morning to you to Mason -_-

Phil: ooh that sounds cool can the sleepy boys be a team?

MrBeast: maybe who's those people?

Phil: Myself, Techno, Tommy and Wilbur :)

MrBeast: if they are ok with it!

Tommy: YAAAAS LETS GO

Wilbur: if he takes back the 'yas' I'll join

Tommy: fine, yes

Wilbur: ok

Technoblade: ye

JeromeASF: Can I team with Mitch, Brandon, and Vikk?

MrBeast: Who's Brandon?

JeromeASF: PeteZahHutt

Tommy muted the group chat, his mom calling him from downstairs. Brushing his messy blond hair aside, there was a bit of spring in his step when he made his way for dinner.

"Mum you won't believe what I got invited to!"

***

January 20th, 2022

As promised, Alex returned three days later. Despite the potential threat of Bhushan, Jimmy spoke excitedly about a competition idea. Some of his friends such as Wilbur and Tommy were invited. Anytime he tried to bring up the note however, he told him it needn't matter.

"Life is so short. I'd rather not dwell on the bitter things."

"But you could be in danger..."

"Sure I might be, but I have been for about two years now. I don't think it's all that much of a change of pace." The brave persona he put up was very weak, yet stubborn enough to block out Alex's concern.

And who was Alex to argue? Emotions were never his thing.

On the evening of his return to North Carolina, a spark in Jimmy's eyes lit up. Grabbing his hand, Alex was guided into the outdoors.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere special. You've gotta promise you won't tell anyone. Even Chandler and Karl don't know where this place is."

"I won't, I swear."

"Very well, try to keep up!" Jimmy began sprinting through the forestry and Alex followed suit. With the cricket song as white noise, his friend's feet seemed to have memorized the path, dancing among the branches and the plants as if one and the same. The latter however kept stumbling. They came up to a fast-moving stream which with ease, Jimmy leaped across. Alex did the same but came short of the shoreline. Expecting to feel cold water consume him, something solid and warm engulfed him. "Relax, I've got you." His feet touched mud rather than water and Jimmy pulled him back up. He chuckled lightly. "I should've warned you that jump required a bit more momentum. Sorry about that! We're almost there anyway." Pushing aside some overgrowth, Alex's eyes widened.

"This is so..."

"Welcome to Greenville!" Atop a tall hill, the astral sight shone down brightly. Lights from the skies reflecting off of the surface of a lake. Celestial welkin drifting him away to somewhere calm and peaceful, his gaze turned to the center of that galaxy. Jimmy's smile lit up the milky way more than a million dim stars ever could. And something in Alex's head told him to make sure that beacon of joy never slipped away into sorrows. He stood idly by when depressing calls nipped at Jack's feet and blamed it on the distance. But Jimmy was right next to him. This time things would be different... "Do you like it?" Alex snapped out of his trance.

"Yes, it's beautiful..." Jimmy began pointing out the constellations until the moon rose to its peak and his eyes fell heavy.

"I typically just sleep out here. But if you want we can head back to the house..."

"Nah the air is cool here, therapeutic for the lungs." Leaning back down on the hill, Alex did so as well and let his head rest on his friend's chest. The constant up and down motion of life gently lulled his tired body to rest...

***

La Campanella... that's what he pinned the song to be that echoed in his dreams. The forest he once stargazed in was now adorned in blue decorations that lit up the hill. Fairies sat atop mushrooms playing small instruments. He noticed how his entire attire changed, a black suit on with a small Beast logo pin on his right side.

"May I have this dance?" Jimmy turned around to see who asked. The man in a white suit wore a light-hearted grin that made him agree.

"Of course Al." Now Jimmy never had really done social dancing before but he found himself able to sway and move to the harmony almost unnaturally. The turns becoming slightly more intense as the music sped up, he found himself giggling the entire time like the whole affair was an inside joke no one else could understand. All of a sudden it fell quiet, a single note of a piano being played.

"Gotta pass you onto someone else now, isn't that how it works?"

"I think so?" The song's tone began to shift. Spinning around as silhouettes of friends passed by, he could only see a singular outline of whoever caught him, picking up from where he and Alex left off. And when his vision unblurred he could feel his entire being tense.

"You're not gonna let it end here now, are you? Would you be so kind as to humor me with this dance?"

"Bhushan please..." But as the notes became all the more frayed, so did his movements he couldn't break free of. Begs to let him go only became lost in the charmingly abusive solar waltz. As he dug his nails into Jimmy's wrists and haunting whispers passed through his ears, he found himself to his own horror relaxing.

"That's it, dearie, a little more steady now." He found the pet names Bhushan would give him during his capture to be one of the most unsettling parts about him and now having to hear it again when he SHOULD be safe made him feel physically ill. In the faint distance, he could hear someone calling his name. So he did his best to focus on that but he kept taking notice of the smallest things he did to keep him here in his arms. The blood now dripping down his arm from where his fingers kept pushing, the other finger that drew soft circles into his shoulders and trail closer to his collarbone and exposed neck...

"Jimmy wake up you're hurting yourself!"

"Stay with me, sweetheart." He didn't laugh when he called him that.

"Please just open your eyes."

"Shh... relax... I've got you right where-"

"JIMMY!" 

"H-huh I'm up!"

"Jesus christ man you're making yourself bleed!" Finally realizing Alex had his other arm hostage in the air, he could see tiny red stains on his nails.

"Damn I didn't even know I was doing that I'm sorry-"

"Don't... don't apologize just please don't scare me like that... I think we should head back and make sure to bandage those cuts. They aren't big but they could get infected." 

"Right..."

"...Do you... remember what happened... in that nightmare of yours I mean!" And Jimmy tried as best as he could to grab onto the memory before it slipped it away but...

"No, I don't."

~~~

Chapter Text

February 2nd, 2020

Harshita was confused when they couldn't stay in India. "The land of the free is where the key to our victory lies," Papa told her, rushing her onto a helicopter as metal pelted the skies. America sounded cool, stories of eagles and hamburgers, and most importantly, the legality of mass destruction. She didn't care so much about the destruction, the cheeseburger she got upon arrival was amazing! But Harshita rarely got to take in the surroundings. When they weren't traveling, they were locked up in hotels while papa went off to do adult business. Most of the time, one of his many employees stayed with her but today it was someone she didn't recognize. They yelled about it in some language she didn't understand but the man sighed.

"Fine, you better be quick though I was never great with children."

"Perfect! Glad to have come to this agreement. I'll be back tonight."

"Ya, ya get out of my sight-"

"And if I see her hurt at all you're dead." He chuckled lightly.

"I'd like to see you try." Papa just grumbled something and left. "I literally inherited the mafia why the fuck am I put on babysitting duty?"

"Um, Mr...?"

"Kumar."

"Mr. Kumar? What's the mafia?"

"Don't worry about it." His eyes suddenly lit up. "Say Harshita, do you know where your father keeps any important documents?"

"I think so... but he says they are secret."

"Well... he told me to look after them! But we can't tell him I did ok? It's like a secret inception!" She nodded, zipping across her lips and throwing away the key. "Alright now show me."

"It's in here..." Opening up a cabinet, she reached behind a metal box for some notebooks. Grabbing one with a lock on it, she found the key at the top of a shelf before unlocking the journal. Once it was in his hands, he began flipping through.

"Hmm... Dude Perfect is on this list? They're under Night Media so Jimmy's bound to connect the dots if they were to disappear. He's smart. So making sure to distract him with other targets might be the best idea. Vlad and Nikita, Ryans Toy Reviews... damn is he wanting to assassinate children? Killing the parents would be the easiest way to fix the problem. They are the ones who take care of all their earnings. And I'm sure there is no foster family willing to continue building their empires without lots of preparations..."

"Killing? Are you going to kill someone?" He snapped out of his mutterings, glaring at the shorter girl.

"No, I've never been a huge fan of blood, makes me squirmish."

"Don't talk about killing, it's bad." She pouted, hugging some stuffed animal close.

"Well suck it up buttercup, people die every day. Murder, suicide, illness, it's a normality at this point. It's almost funny how stupid you are. But I get it, your father thinks your this snowflake. I swear if I unruffle a single frill in that fuckin' skirt of yours's he'd have my head!"

"That's mean! Don't talk about papa like that!"

"I'll talk about him however the hell I want! Just because I'm getting paid to help him take out targets doesn't mean I have to like him. Your papa wants to hurt someone I love very much and this partnership is simply to stall until he's ready to protect himself." Anger consumed Harshita as she stomped her foot down oh so quietly.

"Papa told me about your kind of people. They think he did something bad!"

"You know Jay Jeon? CoCoMelon boss? Ya, he hired my friends to kill him! Look at all these pages. It's elaborate murder plans. These men and women and children are innocent. But he won't hesitate to kill them all and you know why? Because he's insane enough to think that your future in the YouTube business can only be paved in death. He thinks being number one in subscribers actually matters!" Bhushan burst out laughing, taking a moment to collect himself. "And you're just gonna keep following him because you're a fool of a child with no means to function on your own. You don't like killing? Then stand up for it yourself!" Finally, his voice lowered, leaning closer to her as he tore out a page of the notebook. "And word of advice, directly telling him isn't going to do shit." Throwing it into the trash, Bhushan hid a sly smile. Her eyes moved from him to the paper in the bin. She might be a bit young for this sort of work but it was his only hope. Would Jimmy listen to his reason? Most certainly not. The words of a child? Perhaps. The spark in her eyes was one of morality and justice. Someone of her age would love playing the hero and she'd be his warning letter without any need to push her. 

Jimmy's beautiful display of bloodlust was for him and only him to harness, he'd be damened before someone else got to lay a finger on him.

***

"EVERYONE NOW GET ON YOUR SEGWAYS! THE LAST ONE-OFF GETS 20 THOUSAND DOLLARS!" As his voice boomed in the warehouse, cameramen shuffled around to get the best angle of Karl, Alex, Chris, and Chandler hopping on the wheeled devices. The segways had no handles, only something that reached to the knees that you pushed to turn and a platform for your feet. As they stabilized, they got a few minutes to make sure they could use all of the segways basic functions.

"Now your first task is to get a banana from the staff lounge. Go!" As they zoomed off down the halls, Jimmy stayed back, readjusting the bandage on his wrist. The mantra he's been assuring himself with for hours rang clear.

You didn't mean to draw blood

You didn't mean to draw blood

You didn't mean to draw blood

He didn't! It was an accident. That morning his nails must've been a bit too long and when he dug them in to avoid waking up in a panic attack from a nightmare, he cut a bit too deep. Nothing fatal of course but it was certainly a surprise. He swore he'd never do it again, however. A simple sharp pinch always did the trick. 

Nothing more. 

Nothing more. 

So why was this the second time he's woken up like this?

He blamed it on one particular sharp edge on the side of his thumb. Jimmy scowled at himself. Never again would he be so careless and sloppy in keeping his nails smooth and safe. 

He spent almost an hour on this two days ago what did he mean sloppy?

"Jimmy! We're filming the next bit."

"O-oh right. Coming!" His thoughts returned to the video being made before him. This would be the second video since his disappearance. He also had a phone call with PewDiePie about sponsorship options for MCI. Right now something as insignificant as basically, a paper cut wasn't going to slow him down if kidnapping and PTSD barely did for six months straight. He was Jimmy Donaldson- No, he was MrBeast and MrBeast hadn't time to dwell on such worthless affairs...

~~~

Chapter Text

March 8th, 2021

As the day of the competition drew near, more tasks got distributed among the higher-ups. They got an island they could use for MCI. In a notebook, he labeled for Minecraft Island related things, Jimmy had begun listing out everything that needed to be done.

-Get an island that can fit a wide scope of challenges √
-Begin challenge constructions
-Take Chris and have a meeting on the island with Felix, Mark, the internet company, and the building company
-Have Mark Rober get in touch with Twitch executives √
-Finish up request for MrBeast G-Fuel √
-Work on securing sponsorships with Honey, Quid, and Apex Legends
-Buy out a venue for the pre-party

"Jimmy are you packed? You're leaving in 10!" 

"Mhm! Oh speaking of which while you're here, Chandler."

"Ya, what's up?"

"Get Alex and maybe Karl to help you get reservations from the hotel. We're gonna need about 40 rooms. 10 standard two queen beds and rooms for the staff. I'll text you the details on the plane. Also if you can call as many of the sponsors and secure us a deal. I know that's usually Reed's job but they're busy making sure Twitch stays on board."

"I guess we can do that."

"Pog!"

"Did you just-"

"Yep ok bye love you, Chan!" Running out, he passed by Alex on his way to the Beast Complex exit.

"Aw, we're you gonna leave without saying goodbye to me?"

"No of course not. Get over here, you tiny duck man!" Sweeping him off of his feet, he laughed but gladly accepted. "I'll be back in a few days, don't have too much fun without me."

"When you get back, promise you'll do a stream with me?"

"...Ya I'll make some room."

"YAY! OK GO HAVE FUN BYE!!" His last word trailed off as Alex pushed him to the door and closed it behind him, seeming to want to do get to that live stream as fast as possible.

"Geez, ready?"

"Mhm, go get the car started Chris." Tropical dreams in his head and excitement to see what has come of his competition, Jimmy dragged suitcases behind him, silent promises of making whatever the hell he had come up with the best thing he's done yet...

***

Felix Kjellberg hadn't seen Jimmy since before the kidnapping. Of course, he's talked with him. The two video called a lot, they had much to catch each other up on. But any in-person interactions were yet to happen. Until today at least. Still slightly jet-lagged from the plane flight just several hours before, he and Marzia got off the boat, escorted by island security to where Jimmy, Chris, and some affiliates were awaiting him. He carried good news on his shoulders. G-Fuel secured them just over 700 thousand dollars to put towards competition funds plus anything they earn in both his and MrBeast's G-Fuel flavors this month. 

"They are just across this door." It was swung open revealing a few of the Beast crew talking to Mark Rober who appeared to be preparing some sort of demonstration. But seeing Jimmy in person made his heart swell. The scar under his eye was more gruesome in person, jagged edges as proof he never was given the chance to let it heal properly. The clothes that once fit comfortably seemed all too big against his now frail frame.

"Felix!" Jimmy had run in for a hug to which he gladly accepted. Brushing his hair out with his fingers, Felix felt relief wash over him. Jimmy was actually alive. Well of course he was alive he's texted with him and whatnot. It was just... reassuring to hold him close despite the bones poking against him. With reluctance, Felix let go. They were here for professional matters after all. However everyone in the room seemed to understand, many of those closer to Jimmy knowing how he saw the older as a sort of scuffed father figure.

"So everyone is here now?" Mark asked, ready to show off the tech he made. The room hummed in agreement. As he presented the wireless head pieces for streaming and the blue prints for a monster internet booster, the tenseness that gripped at his shoulders only grew. He knew he'd be talking to him tonight so he allowed that thought to console his worries. Once Mark was finished, the builders took them all around the island, showing off where the beginning works of each challenge was and where a small sectioned off area filled with trailers was. Finally the group split off, Chris and Jimmy leaving to speak with a different sponsor. Felix ended up taking a walk down the beach, catching up with Mark about how things have been. Their conversation ended up leading them to Jimmy's mental state which Mark discussed in a much more calmly manner than Felix ever could.

"I'm not surprised he's acting like this. It's just barely March. And while sure some people can heal quickly after traumatic experiences, most don't. People get better in their own way and their own time. The best you can do is offer the utmost love and support. Right now he could be jumpier and closed off. But he'll be back to normal. Jimmy would never want to stay down in the dumps like this unless someones keeping him there."

"I suppose you're right... maybe I'll talk to him a bit tonight."

"Good idea." And that time came during the evening when outside of his trailer he could hear Jimmy and Chris giggling. Moving near silently as to avoid waking up Marzia, he noticed the pair going out to the ocean. When they realized he was outside, Chris waved to him.

"Yo we're going swimming, wanna join us?"

"Sure." Returning inside just for a moment to switch to trunks, he ran after them, cool air beating against his skin. "Want me to get a lantern-"

"NO! ...I mean we don't need one." Raising an eyebrow, Felix agreed. But with the faint phone light he turned on so he wouldn't trip on rocks, he could see another plethora of scars ranging from the light remaining tint of a hard bruise and the red coating of a severe burn to even more jagged cuts and the remnants of bullet wounds.

How could one man get so beat up?

The light flickered off as they approached the shoreline and Felix's anxiety only rose. Should he even bring it up? Going deeper out into the waves, he watched as Chris and Jimmy laughed about some memes he vaguely understood.

"Ugh if we had a 4th person we could do that game where we like stack up and fight."

"Mhm..." Jimmy floated atop the water, letting waves sweep him back and forth. He always felt peace in movement after all. About an hour passed until they got bored so they swam back to the unstable sand the entire island was built on. Noticing the chattering of the younger's teeth, he offered to hold him close, careful to weave around the plastered wounds.

"...Why didn't you tell me about... all of this?"

"...It's uh... it's more painful to think about them than it did to get them initially. The doctors say everything is healing quite nicely."

"Good to hear... promise me you're taking care of yourself?"

"Ya... I'm doing my best you know?"

"That's all I can ask for." Planting a gentle kiss on the top of his head, Jimmy's light grin grew a bit wider.

"Wow, so Jimmy gets a kiss and not me. These tears are real Felix..."

"Oh ok, fine Chris." Doing the same for him, the trio reverted to their original state of happiness. They escorted Felix back to his trailer, saying good night and returning to their own. Collapsing on his bed, now curled up in a Beast brand hoodie, relief washed over Jimmy with a cruel tang.

The cicatrix that only grew on his wrists remains hidden for another day.

~~~

Chapter Text

April 9th, 2022

The best gift Tommy could ask for was the papers emailed to him. "Hello, Tommy! Happy birthday :) Glad you can finally be the 'big man' you dreamt of being. Get these forms back to me, Devon or Sealow as soon as possible, please. We should be able to announce the MCI teams tomorrow." The child- no, the ADULT, signed the different forms he needed to in order to compete. No more would he bullied for being young. And as the email promised, the teams we're tweeted out much to the excitement of the internet.

Our first team is the Red Rabbits led by Technoblade and featuring TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot, and Ph1lza! They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below. 

Up next is the Orange Ocelots led by James Charles and featuring Jschlatt, ConnorEatsPants, and IAmTy! They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below. 

Then we've got the Yellow Yaks led by Captain Sparklez and featuring NetNobody, KaraCorvus, and DanTDM! They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below.

Challengers Approaching! The Green Goats led by AntVenom and featuring MichaelMcChill, Pokay, and RoastedJames will be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below.

Watch out for the Blue Badgers led by Fitz and featuring Zuckles, TobyOnTheTele and SwaggerSouls! They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below.

Next, is the Purple Panthers led by Pokimane and featuring Nihachu, Captain Puffy, and Toxxxic_Support! They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below.

Upcoming is the Pink Parrots led by Slimecicle and featuring Ted Nivison, Cscoop, and Traves!  They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below.

The Brown Bats are coming in strong being led by Grian and featuring MumboJumbo, ItsFundy, and Ranboo! They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below.

Our next team is the Gray Geckos led by Vikkstar and featuring PeteZahHutt, JeromeASF, and BajanCanadian! They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below.

 Last but certainly not least is the White Whales led by Dream and featuring Skeppy, GeorgeNotFound, and BadBoyHalo! They'll be competing in Minecraft Island from June 4th to the 10th. Watch their perspectives at their Twitch channels linked below.

Give a warm welcome to our guest stars; JacksFilms, Anthony Padilla, Ninja, David Dobrik, Jake Paul, Jeb Bergensten, Markus 'Notch' Persson, Marzia Kjellberg, and PewDiePie! Exclusive contestant interview rights have been taken by DramaAlert. Special thanks to our sponsors; Twitch, G-Fuel, Apex Legends, Honey, and Quidd as well as our hosts MrBeast, ChrisO2, Chandler Hallow, and Quackity.

The excitement in Tommy's veins, he left a funny reply on his team's announcement tweet. People have dubbed this event 'The Tournament That Changed The World' after a tweet Notch sent out. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, Daniel Keem was interviewing Jimmy, one of the few guests that was always a joy to have on his show.

"Look I know you haven't had the best experiences with Minecraft YouTubers but I think I picked up a good line-up-"

"Nah I've always trusted your judgment. So tell us about the competitions! I'm very excited to get an idea of what we're going to see."

"Uh I can't reveal the final game just yet but we have some real-life parkour. Um... we've got to find the button where like competitors go around and take different censors and the team with the most wins. We got build battles with legos, hide and seek, Beast Says, and much more it's going to be absolutely insane!"

"I'm sure it will be. Think you can list some of the competitors since I'm sure not everyone has checked Twitter?"

"Of course! We've got the Dream Team, TommyInnit, Vikkstar, some of the guys from the dominating Roughhouse podcast, the Misfits, and many more. We got an all-star lineup of Minecraft giants you won't wanna miss."

"And how will people be able to watch this event?"

"Well, we've partnered with the lovely engineers over at Twitch as well as Mark Rober and his friends to create a state-of-the-art streaming system that goes on top of the streamer's head. It's very lightweight and streams in 1080p, we got some of the best internet and backup plans on the island to ensure no streamer loses on content and you'll be able to go to any of your favorite competitor's streams and watch! And if you want to, you can head over to Twitch dot tv slash MinecraftIsland for the perspective of me and all the judges we've got drones keeping constant watch over the events and you can subscribe to the MinecraftIsland YouTube channel for highlights of the event and I'm sure your streamers will post highlights themselves."

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun. Thank you so much for coming on the show and thank you for inviting me to this event myself!"

"No no thank you for having me! I'm excited to see you there!"

"Without a doubt any time Jimmy." Going on deafen and wrapping up the episode, he'd call back a very stressed out Jimmy just minutes later.

"Keem I... I'm starting to have seconds thoughts-"

"What do you mean?"

"This is such a crazy thing to set up I'm thinking rationally and what if people get hurt-"

"Jimmy come on now no one's gonna get hurt-"

"Daniel I got a letter."

"...What do you mean you got a letter?"

"I-it's from Bhushan on the day we got back to the main office we went into 'quarantine' again because he left a note saying someone wants me dead and maybe it's denial or fear but I made sure the information was buried I didn't want to face him again and now I'm starting to wonder what if that's gonna come back and bite me-"

"JIMMY!" Despite the demanding tone, he found solace in his voice. He would've preferred the man to be a bit more progressive but Keem has always known damn well how to be a healthy authority figure in his life when he needs one most. "Look it might've been a dumb choice to ignore this. You probably should've gotten police forces involved-"

"But they'd send me into witness protection program! As much as I want to put people first part of me selfish, I'd be taken away from everything that makes me happy I'd probably kill myself-"

"Let me finish. I know you'd be unhappy in a scenario like that. But thankfully things are unlikely to change until after the tournament. It's been 4 months. You'll be fine I promise. Just... take care of yourself. Maybe don't throw around the term killing yourself so lightly. I know you wouldn't but some might not."

"...Being kidnapped put a lot into perspective." His voice dropped low, a soft whisper only Keem's ears could hear with enough strain. "Death isn't as scary as I once thought it was."

"...I know you wouldn't..." The statement almost seemed to come out as a question begging to be right. A hesitant silence consumed the empty white noise of the call making Keem's worried heart pace. The scars hidden by a bright hype-beast merch sleeve told a different story. But the only reason he switched to a razor blade was that his nails stopped having the same effect. Alex had to get up from his own peaceful rest and help him. He didn't deserve to have to do that. Jimmy certainly would never do this because he wanted to. So he finally let the words he was near certain wasn't a lie spill.

"...I know I wouldn't."

***

May 22nd, 2022

Papa was angry. She didn't quite know why, they spoke in a language she didn't understand. Despite the distance she had by being locked in the bathroom, the screams were awful and ear piercing. She did her best to keep her focus on the paper in front of her. The one she's studied so many times since it was shoved in a garbage can.

Jimmy Donaldson, age 24 (as of May 7th)

One of the major channels in the way of our success, he's the owner of the MrBeast LLC now managed by Night Media. Most channels under Night Media are considered targets and their elimination will make a YouTube takeover easier. 

All across the margins, there were parts of the plan of assassination. It's been conflicting with her mind for a while now. Stay silent and let her father do as he must or try to... intervene. She was only 9 though! She never knew how to involve herself. That was until Mr. Kumar slipped her a note.

Call this number if you want to be the hero, Chu-Chu.

+312-555-0118

She had her own phone, she could call. But... oh Papa would be so worried about her! He might not care for others but he cared for her. At first, she wondered if maybe he was doing this for the right reasons. Maybe this Jimmy guy was bad and he just wanted to rid the world of evil. But after watching some of his videos, she saw him give money to the homeless, buy food for food banks, give his friends money. A bad guy wouldn't do that right? So now finger hovering over the dial button, her mind told her to call but her heart told her to stay loyal. Papa had to have reasoning. He wouldn't kill someone out of nowhere right? Killing is bad. That's what the media taught her, that's what her school taught her, that's what mama taught her before she went somewhere happier.  Harshita Chandar would choose to stay by this belief no matter what. Even if it meant taking a journey away from her father. Heroes and princesses would leave their parents all the time to do what's right. So maybe the time has come for her.

"...Hello?"

"Hello, please state your name."

"Harshita Chandar."

"Where did you get this number from."

"A note from Mr. Kumar."

"What ink color was the note written in?"

"Uh... bright yellow."

"What was the note written on?"

"A washcloth."

"...At 10 PM tonight, you will have one chance and one chance only to pursue your chance to be a hero. Do you wish to receive instructions or call at a later time?" Swallowing back her fears, she agreed.

"Now please."

"Very well, at 10 PM sharp, be outside and waiting for a black tow truck with a van compartment attached to it. If anyone asks, say your waiting for your parents to help them unpack your car. Once the van arrives between 10 and 10:19 PM get in the 2nd seat to the front of the tow truck. If it doesn't arrive by 10:19, return inside and never call this number. Dispose of the note by flushing it down the toilet. If it does arrive, stay silent in the car until you've reached the highway for safety purposes. Pack a single backpack with what you may need for about 3 weeks. No more, no less. Let no one get ahold of the note or this number do you understand?"

"Mhm..."

"I need a verbal confirmation."

"Yes. I understand."

"Good. At the beep, I will hang up myself. Do not hang up or try to leave the call." Several moments passed until a quiet beep sound played and the caller left. Shoving the note in her jeans back pocket, she pretended to play on her phone as papa opened the bathroom door.

"He left, you can come out."

"What were you and Mr. Kumar arguing about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about sweetheart. But tonight he's going to take care of some important business so guess who gets to stay the night for once!" Harshita tensed but nodded.

"Yay!"

"Alright I'm going to make us dinner, you watch some TV." The evening came and went. Harshita never stayed up this late, now it was 9:20 and she quietly paced her room, thinking of what to pack. She hoped food wouldn't be an issue because she only had a small bag of candy. Putting a few sets of clothes in the Dora backpack that has well outworn it's use, she put a few toys she liked. Finally, she grabbed her golden locket and secured it around her neck. Inside was a picture of her mama. She was the strongest person papa knew, second only to her of course. Despite barely remembering her, papa wanted to make sure a faint memory of her would remain. That was something she thanked him for. But papa was also in that picture. But she decided she should remember what else she's fighting for. Maybe if she saves Jimmy, she could save papa. He deserved to finally escape this evil he's trapped himself in. At 9:45 her bag was ready. But upon creaking the door open she noticed papa awake on the couch. She couldn't go out herself. But there was no other exit!

...Unless...

She opened the balcony door. They were on the 3rd floor, a still very tall drop. However, that wasn't the only way. The balcony to her left had an open door. If she could make the jump from one to the next, then she was home free. But if she didn't... Getting up on the railing, she looked at the distance. Maybe 4 or 3 feet. It was still scary to look at. Clutching her bag straps close and pulling her hood over her head, she took a breath and leaped across.

Harshita had never truly felt weightless before but as quickly as the experience took her away, she landed, stumbling roughly onto the other concrete platform. Thankfully, no one appeared to be inside so with as much grace as she could muster, her feet tip-toed across the carpet. Reaching the hotel room's exit, she left immediately and kept a swift pace until she got on the elevator where she felt she could finally breathe. The hard part was over. By the time she was outside, the car was pulling up. Inside, she did as she was told to. Not to talk until she reached the highway.

"I'll tell you about the plan, for now just rest, we've got a long few days ahead of us." The mysterious man told her.

"You won't hurt me right?"

"The boss needs you alive. It'd be useless." Harshita was still a little on edge but she let herself use her bag as a pillow and her eyes shut.

Maybe tomorrow some more of the world will make sense...

~~~

Chapter Text

May 27th, 2022

Jimmy couldn't help but feel in high spirits. It's been a week and a half since his last nightmare. A week and a half since a blade had to dance across his arm. Maybe in another week, he could start wearing t-shirts again. "All it takes is a little pain to pull yourself back together." Of course, Jimmy never thought he'd be taking his f̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r̶s̶ advice but it was doing him justice right now. 

Î̷͈̦̥͕̦̋̋̉͜ͅt̸̡̢̢̛̞͙̱͕̘̅͒͌͐̓͑̅'̴̡̟̱̜͓̮͖̓̃͊͊̇̐̓͊s̷̢̟͈̣̘̦͖̩̼̅ ̶̡̧͕̹̭͇̫̭̍̑͑͛̿͜͝s̷͕̣̪̘̟̼̬̪̪͗͜ė̵̫̩̯̼̭̖̒̍̽̆̊̅l̵̯͑̅̓͠f̵̞̼̒-̵̨̨̛̻̦̼͍̘̹͖̻̉͊h̶̡͕͌̋̃͂͗á̴̡͚͙͕̱͐̎̽́͘͜͠r̴̲̗̻̣̆̃͛͊̔̚͘͝ͅm̴͎̤̯̺̭̠͕̭͖̆͊ͅ ̷̙͉̥̞̣̻̜̾͒͒̂̀̇̈̊̂͠h̴̫̭͆̇͗͆̐ȩ̵̨̗̠͉̰̗͇̺̠̂͒̆̃̚ ̵̥͙̮̙̖͙͇̖͑̃̂̚n̵̢̳̜͙̳͓̮̤̱͑̑̽͌͛͂͐̂̒͝e̶̙̳͚͎̰̥̋̔͂̾̑͑͆̎͜͠͝ȅ̸̗͙̼̙͈̄̓͌͛̕d̷̘͈̼̞͎̲͇̃̑̐̓̇̚ȩ̵̳͍̯̜̻̹͒͋̀͆̓̓͑̅͝d̷̢̢̨̡̡̠̱͔͎̅̏ ̶̧̛̹̜͕̩͈͈͚͎̆̏̀h̷̨̖̜̞͉̰͝e̴̢̛̺͙̖͎̭̘̤͆̐̀͋̈́̔͑́͜l̶̙̞̪͖͛̎̾p̴̮̏̍͗̂̚̚̚

But he hadn't had any nightmares in a bit. In 3 days he'll hit a record time! He was healing, this is what healthy healing looked like. His friends never understood why he called therapy a scam but in reality, it's true. All you need a shitton of willpower. 

T̵͍̼̳̂̐̊h̵̡̑̔̂̍̌̉͋̆̅̋e̵̹͇̜͉̥͓̫̐̎̆͝͝ȓ̷͖̗͙̦̰͍̓̐̓a̵͓̓̋͊͗̒̈̔p̵͇̉͊̂́̋͋̿̎͘̕͜y̵̨̜͔͌̽̂̐̎̓̈ ̴̩̤͔͕͍̫̠̋̏̑͊͂̏s̴̠̦̯̝͠t̶̨̮̥͇̹͈̪͆͑̔̄̈́́ͅo̸̲̮͂̓̒̌̌͘͘͘ļ̴̦̿͗̈́ḙ̸̡̖͋̏̇͋̈́̃͜ͅ ̵͈̖̩̽͋̈́̇h̴̢̛̳̟͍̫͚̩̩̃̈́̇̎̑̑̽̔̈ȉ̴͇̪̟̰̮̏̃͑͝͝ͅs̶̲̩̺̳̞͙̻̞̭̯̾̉̎̓͂̑̚̕͠ ̴̡̨̨̬̗̱̫̠͕͚̎͗͐̍͐̀̓̾̓v̴̫͔̠͕̫̤̆̒̂̎̈́͠ò̸͖͓̼͖̱̠̼̈́i̴̦͖̓̑̾͌c̵̩̪̫̯̍ę̶̧̩͒͊̅͜,̵͔͓͕̐̾ ̸̖̩̹̠̠̊̐̾̋̒̋͑̽̅͘ḣ̷̛̖̥̼͕̞̬̦͋̈́̉̐̎e̸̖͓̮͖̳̥̳͑ ̶̛̦̳̠̝͔̫͎͗̾͋͋̊̋̔̾͝w̶̢̱̹͉͔̒͂́͐̆͑́͝o̵̲͛̈́́̃̇u̴͖͆͛̋͒̅͐̉̈̌l̵̮̒͂͒̔̆͋̈́̕d̶͙͍̱̯̾̑̋͌͐͝n̶̡̡̞͈̪̼͓̤͇͊ͅ'̶̧̡̙͙̞̹͎̒̀̿͒͛̆͝t̴̥̐ ̵̖͛l̸̹͖̮͉̟͉͖̹̗̣̿̉̏̃̌͘ẻ̶̡̧͉̦̺̳̖̩̆̄̓͠ẗ̴̳̣̤̞̠̮͓́̊ ̸̡̨͚̭͇̩̪̓̾̈̓̍͠ͅī̶͙̙̥̼̬̼̞̱t̴̠̙̀̌̄̔͗ ̷̛̜̥̤̤̣̜͊̐͘ḧ̸̖́̄̇̓̏ã̵̱͔̝͚͂̑̌͜p̶̧̨̨̦͎̫͎͆̂́͛̅̈̚͠͝͝ͅp̸̢͉̹̍ͅé̸̘̗͆̔̀̆͗̐͑͆͝ṇ̷̢̀̾̔̈́̓͊͛̚̕ ̶̨̲̩͙̭͉̞͕͉͊͗͐̄̅̄͒̿ͅą̷̞̟̈̌̓g̵̙̯̔͑͗̽̆͐̕͠a̶̯̠̫̗̘͓͒̎͂͋͘ͅͅi̸̛͖͔̤̘̰̫͂̇̈̏̒̾̾ͅn̷̦̮̻̲̮̣̑̐̇

The competition was barely a week away and Jimmy was proud of himself. The path to fixing himself was nearly over. Once he stopped relying on people for the panic attacks and getting triggered by ropes and jagged knives and soft breathy whispers close to his ear and hands-on his collarbone and-

...

Felix arrived that afternoon. He offered to come to his house early and assist with any last-minute plans and calls. Even Marzia came with him, the duo were such angels!

H̶̨̖̮͕̦̿̏̉̚ȩ̶͕̜̝̏ ̸̨̻͖̀̿͐̈̕͘͠d̶̲̫̙͔͍͉̑̌̍̽̎̂͛ĭ̸̥͍̱̼̫̬ḍ̷̦̙̭̬̈́̃̓͘͜ṉ̶̢̧̛̟̗̓̒́̅̚͝ͅ'̸͉̞̓̄t̴̢̧͚̣̥̰̪̓̿̈̔̓̅͆͗̐͠ͅ ̴̻̽̇͂̔͝͝d̷̦̼̦͍͈̰̄̇̈́̈̽͗̆e̴̠̯͠ș̴̔̾̈́̆͒̏͐̈́͗̚ȩ̷̻̼̣͖͉̻͘r̵̝͚͖̭̎͆̓͑̐̂͠v̷̱̜͇͙̐͆͌͠ē̴̦̹͉̘̓ ̶̦̥̱̺͚̈́̔͘ͅt̴̹̞͍̠̭̪̜̦͍̏̽̎̒̕h̵̡̟̙́͑̌̀͠e̸̢͎̪̘͆̓̈́̾m̵̻̫̅͛͛̉͊͐̚͠͝͝

"Felix! Glad you're here! Uh, I've got to call the catering company back since I just found out about one of my employee's allergies and we've got to replan. Chandler will take you and Marzia to the guest room."

"Alright... hey Jimmy look at me." He turned around again. "Take a breath, you've got time." He nodded. Jimmy didn't believe him though. Felix got settled upstairs, the smell of hamburgers in the air. Chris was on dinner that night, being the best cook of the group and all. Marzia found herself gravitating to Katie who was on the couch, keeping watch over Tucker. Felix ended up talking to Alex. They've never actually met in person and he found the younger to be enjoyable, a good head on his shoulders.

"Ya know... I should thank you. Haven't exactly gotten the chance to before."

"Hm?"

"For saving Jimmy's life. I'm indebted to you, I'm not sure what I'd do if he like..."

"Everyone keeps saying that but I feel like if I was a real hero he wouldn't be this closed off. Saving him mentally is still something I'm working on."

"Alex that's not your job." Felix began, voice dropping low. "You're allowed to be disturbed with what happened to you." And for some reason, Alex's mind refused to accept it. Other voices deafened Felix and he simply shook his head.

"Hey come on now, it's your first night here. Stop being so serious; I think the burgers are almost ready anyway!" So he had a similar mindset to Jimmy... no wonder they were fast friends. Getting a seat at the table, Chris handed out burgers and Texas Toast with it. And dinner was as normal as it could be! Well, that was until there was a knock at the door. Chandler, the closest to being done with his food sighed.

"Ugh, I'll get it." A few moments passed. "EYO GUYS WHYS A GIRL SCOUT HERE THIS LATE?"

"A GIRL SCOUT? BET I WANT THEM GOOD THIN MINTS!" Chris raced to the door, excited for a box of cookies he could indulge himself in for the night until... "Chandler you dumbass. Do you see cookies? Do you see a girl scout uniform?"

"I mean no but like I thought-"

"Excuse my friend here, is there anything we can help you with?"

"...Jimmy?"

"Uh, Jimmy someone's at the door for you."

"Oh?" Approaching, he saw a small girl, no older than 10 with a backpack swung over her arms. Silently, she observed him until she concluded he was Jimmy. Suddenly, she hung onto his leg, speaking fast in a language he didn't understand. "Um, do you know English?" She let go and spoke a little slower. While he didn't know what any of it meant, Jimmy could tell it sounded similar to the language he heard his kidnappers speak in. Something native to India. He supposed it would fit her appearance but... "Chris, google languages commonly used in India."

"Ok? ...I got Hindi and English." Jimmy sat down to be closer to the girl's level.

"Hindi?" He spoke, trying to be as clear as possible. She nodded. She kept trying to speak to them using her language, only being met with frustration as none of them could understand. Even the bilingual Felix and Marzia were at a loss. Jimmy quickly started thinking of ways to work around this. Grabbing a piece of paper, he motioned for her to come inside, drawing out a little picture of a simple house. All he could do was hope she was able to tell what a house was. 

"You." He began, pointing at her. "House? Home?" The drawing seemed to help, being able to identify what looked like a no. After shaking her head, she opened the golden locket around her neck revealing what is most likely a picture of her parents. Perhaps an aunt and uncle. The slitting motion she did to her throat made him tense.

"Uh, Jimmy let's talk this over for a second," Felix replied, tugging him aside. "Do you think she's an abuse victim?"

"It's our most likely guess..."

"Well let's call CPS, they'll keep her safe-"

"NO!"

"Huh, the fuck you mean no?"

"She knew my name-"

"You have 50 million subscribers bud."

"But still, she came here to me specifically for a reason. Do we know that reason? No, but we can find out."

"This is child kidnapping I think."

"If she shows discomfort being here, we can call CPS and get her off our hands but she chose to come here of all places. Let's just try to find out more and ease into it. Learn some basic Hindi conversation for me won't you?"

"Fine but if I get arrested then this one's on you!"

"Fair enough." While Katie took Tucker upstairs for bed, Chris, Chandler, and Alex watched quite confused. Alex decided to grab a small notebook and write down everything he could about this strange girl. He knew Jimmy's track record. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't part of something larger.

- Only speaks Hindi

- Seems to understand names in English.

- Knows who Jimmy is

- Does slitting motion when referencing two older people in a locket of her's (presumably parents, potential abuse victim)

Throughout the night, they learned a little more. Her name was Harshita. She was able to navigate YouTube pretty skillfully, taking them to the MrBeast channel and the ChuChuTV channel. The second one sort of confused them but they went with it. Jimmy delegated tasks to each of the people in the house. He, Felix, and Marzia stayed with Harshita while Alex quietly observed, taking note of her body language to understand her reasons and her motives. Chandler kept a watch outside for anyone who could possibly want to bring her home and Chris ran out to pick up tools they could use to teach her English or teach themselves Hindi. Felix got a language learning app and quickly began teaching himself basic communication. By 10 PM, he knew how to ask how old are you, how are you, and what is your name. However, Felix was struggling with retaining it. He was strong in learning many European languages. Swedish, English, German, all of it was generally easy but Hindi held no similarities to anything he knew. Hell he wasn't even fully certain he was learning the right Indian language but it was the best shot he had.

"आप की उम्र क्या है?" His voice was shaky but he managed to stutter out the words. Hopefully, he didn't accidentally say a slur or something.

"नौ वर्ष का।" She responded, eyes lit up with joy. Someone finally understood!

"What did she say?" Jimmy asked.

"Uh...? Not quite sure."

"Goddamnit."

"Maybe I should learn numbers first." Harshita was good at reading faces and could see the confusion. She let out an audible sigh. Finishing the burger she was offered, Jimmy decided it was late enough and they could settle down for the night. Marzia went to run a bath for her and Felix went up to unpack since they didn't really have a chance between dinner and this whole situation. With Chris back home, the quad of him plus Jimmy, Chandler, and Alex gathered around to discuss plans. 

"Look despite this turn of events we need to still be on it about the tournament. So let's divide and conquer. Me, Felix, and Marzia are going to be working on learning Hindi, teaching her English, and figuring out why she's here and what she needs. You three, I need you taking calls, checking in with venues, keeping in touch with Reed. Chris, take my place in meetings for now unless I am absolutely needed. Alex, focus on making sure the contestants are ready. Chandler-"

"Lemmie guess, keep being Chandler?"

"No, I need you keeping an eye out on our hotel accommodations and the yacht company. You know I trust you right?" Chandler couldn't help but turn away. It's been months since the incident but Chandler still had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that Jimmy wouldn't want to hurt him. He has been purposely taking a backseat to give himself time to make up his mind but... Ḧ̴͇͓͇͕̏̓͝i̴̢͓̭̽͂̊̃̅͒̕ş̴̧̯͕͔͆̎̀̆̌̎ ̸̩͎̜̰͒̈́̆̀̅̄̌s̸͎̙̪̻̆̿̓̑͂̾̆̓ȋ̸͙̫̜̲̬͈͎͜c̶̝͍̈͛̂̄̆ͅk̴̘̖͎͎͓̅͘͜l̴̩̙̑͑̾͒͂̒͘y̴̢̛̺̻̼̦̳̓̂ͅ ̵̢̨̠̹͍͓̀̓̿̈́̆̚̚͜͝͠s̵̨̠̞̩̣̮̦͋w̷͉͖͇̥̙͑̈́̇̅̌́̐̅e̸̡͓̲͇̟̦͋̈͆̿̌̐͘̕͠͝e̸̥͉̙̯̝̹̙̻̭̗̒̏̊̾̽͑̚ţ̸̱̮͉̮̘͋̉̀͒͘ ̴̤̯̥̈̃̓̅̾̆̉̈̐̚h̴̛̫̭̟̓̓̀̐̋̈ǫ̸̹̖̺͉͐̓̔͘͘n̶͎͉̣͇͕̅͂̿̓̒͌̄e̸̪̩͑̏̈́̌̽̅̐͝y̷̯̞͊̚̚d̵̨͖̜̭̋̆̓̈͝e̵̢̨̪̳̦̺̓̉͠w̵̹̏̉͑͝ ̷̜̹̮̺͐̀́̾̈̕̕͘v̴̡̳͙͓̗̩̬̜̠̆̅͂̚̕ͅơ̶̩̟̫̗̪̤̳͎̓̀̏͐͂͐̽̔i̵̧͓͉͉̲̍̏̒ç̷͓͕̝͕̖̭͉̬͛̊̈́͆̒̽e̷̛̩͍͒̓̒̂̽ ̸̱a̸̟̿l̵̦͂ͅw̴͖͍̟̎̊͊̈̈̔͝a̸̗̣̺͙̦̭̕y̷̡̛͇̑͌̍s̵̛̫̲̝̯̭͎̠̖̫̣̉͊̐͐͋̔ ̶͕̲̖̻̩̰͖̅̉̀̌́͑͐̾ḷ̴̡̳͈̼͓͉̘̈́̑̒̂͊̏͌͛̀̕u̷͇̙̬͈͎̇͋̒̿̂͆̄͌r̵̨̲̜̗͈͔̳̀̅̈ḛ̸̩̱̰͎̝̥͉̋̿͐̈́͂͆̽̐̄d̴̫̰̳̾͐̿ ̶͚̖̥̩̬̜̤̌ḧ̸̬̹̫̱̜̫̰́̉̑̾̍̚͜͜ȉ̶̖̙̆̄̈̚m̸͖͕͎̦͈͚͔̅ ̴̛̺̘̖̮̎̄̐̏̈́͘ḧ̷̢̢̥̺̳̱̼̲̮͕́͛̿̐̇̚̕ö̶͍̙́͒́̇̚m̴̨̡͕̙͛̏̉̎̍͜͝ẹ̵̢̖̩̮̠̲̱͍͍͗.̷̛̯̣̯̻͖͍̜͌͊͆͂̂͆͘͝ Sometimes Chandler felt like he was the only one who held Jimmy accountable. 

He's manipulating you

He's just misunderstood

Jimmy is a monster

Jimmy is a victim

He's distorting your reality

Who can you trust?

Who can you love?

Who can you afford to lose?

"Chan-Chan? You were zoning out there bud." It was Chris, Chris was safe, he was trying to keep them all together. With reluctance, he agreed.

***

May 28th, 2022 to May 31st, 2022

Days began ticking past. On the 28th, they were able to get her age (9) and Felix studied the alphabet, learning how to write the different characters. On the 29th, he picked up on different food words to help make sure she's eating stuff she liked. With some more knowledge of the Hindi lexicon, he alongside Jimmy and Marzia taught her basic English. By the 30th, Harshita could say hello, identify things as good or bad, and ask for help. While what she was learning wasn't usually conventional but it would help with her situation in particular. That day she also returned to the ChuChuTV YouTube channel when given her shattered phone. Going to an episode of ChuChu and friends she pointed to the character's dad. 

"Bad." It had to be abuse Jimmy could hardly think of another reason as she desperately clung to his side. But Marzia swore by the fact that there were no scars to show. Of course, it could a different type of abuse but he'd rather not think about that. The possibilities made him physically ill. On the 31st, Jimmy was able to have a conversation with her that evening before bed. She always used ChuChuTv's animated videos to represent her father which he didn't quite get. There was so much in the equation he was missing. Pointing to him, he tried his best to use vibrant motions to explain.

"Hurt?" Pointing then at her, she shook her head, pointing to him.

"Hurt." She then pointed to him. Her father hurt him? Jimmy raised an eyebrow before pointing to himself once more.

"Safe." He did his best to reassure her, but with teary eyes, she made the same motion again.

"Hurt!" Pulling her gently into his arms, Jimmy calmed Harshita.

"Shh... no, safe." Whether or not Harshita believed him, he didn't know, but he was able to slowly rock her to sleep before bringing her up to Marzia. Jimmy now felt incredibly uneasy. On top of the anxiety of the competition that he was flying out to the hotel for just tomorrow morning, he could only twist and turn for hours that night.

Who was Harshita's father?

Would the competition go without hindrance?

They'd all be safe right?

Despite the hoodie on his frame, he could feel cold movements across his shoulders making him sit up and shiver.

"🅾🅷 🅿🅾🅾🆁 🅹🅸🅼🅼🆈, 🆈🅾🆄 🅰🆁🅴 🆂🅾 🆃🆁🅰🆄🅼🅰🆃🅸🆉🅴🅳 🅸🆃 🅼🅰🅺🅴🆂 🅼🅴 🆆🅰🅽🆃 🆃🅾 🅲🆁🆈!"

"Get the fuck out of my house..." The cold movement trailed up his neck to his jawline. Was he quivering out of fear or out of longing?

"🅱🆄🆃 🆆🅷🅰🆃'🆂 🆃🅷🅴 🅵🆄🅽 🅸🅽 🆃🅷🅰🆃? 🆈🅾🆄🆁 🆅🆄🅻🅽🅴🆁🅰🅱🅸🅻🅸🆃🆈 🅸🆂 🅰🅳🅾🆁🅰🅱🅻🅴."

"Bhushan I don't... I don't want you here."

"🆈🅾🆄 🆂🅴🅴🅼 🆁🅰🆃🅷🅴🆁 🅷🅴🆂🅸🆃🅰🅽🆃 🆂🆆🅴🅴🆃🅷🅴🅰🆁🆃..."

"Please... get out!"

"🅸 🆆🅰🆂 🅽🅴🆅🅴🆁 🅴🆅🅴🅽 🅷🅴🆁🅴 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷."

"What do you mean you weren't-" His eyes snapped open in the midnight coated room. Bhushan wasn't... His head hurt. He needed some water. The red lights flashing 12:00 PM guided him out. He'd have to be up in 5 hours. He knew it was just a vision but the hands felt so real... Quiet on his way downstairs, Jimmy jumped out of his skin when Felix spoke up.

"Stressed?"

"U-uh I suppose you could say so." The man who had been sleeping on the couch prior seemed to have been awake. The Godfather was on low and after sipping at the cool calming drink, sat down on the couch next to his mentor.

"What's on your mind?"

"A bit of everything. MCI, Harshita, the past, the future..."

"You know everything you do always works out in the end. MCI will be a smash hit, we'll get Harshita to somewhere she'll be happy..."

"I suppose I can hope."

"I suppose you can... Lay down, try and get some sleep. You've got a long two weeks ahead of you." Putting a pillow on his lap, Jimmy accepted, humming lightly under his breath at the soothing contact. Lulled to sleep with his calming presence, the world seemed just a little bit easier to take on...

...

...?

Jimmy couldn't move.

"You brought this upon him." The voice he heard was ominous, unable to trace a person to the sound.

"What do you mean- Felix!" His eyes lit up, the Swed offering him a smile as he kneeled down to his level.

"I finally found you! Let's get you out of these binds-" Jimmy went stark white. The entire scene seemed ripped straight out of a horror movie. A knife ended up lodged into Felix's skull, it going so far to the point you can see the tip of the blade from his forehead. And like a horror movie, its gore is so unworldly you can't take your eyes off it. Blood now endlessly falling from his eyes and open mouth, he spoke in a tongue of crimson. 

„˙lɐʇǝɯ ʇuɐʇɔǝlǝp puɐ pǝɹ uı sʞuıɥʇ ʎluo ɹǝʇsuoɯ ɹǝʇsuoɯ 'ʇlnɐɟ ɹnoʎ sı sıɥ⊥„ He couldn't understand the words but he could understand the meaning somehow. Blood-Eyed Felix kept taunting him.

ɹǝʇsuoɯ

ɹǝʇsuoɯ

ɹǝʇsuoɯ

ɹǝʇsuoɯ

ɹǝʇsuoɯ-

"Jimmy!" Jimmy moved without thought. He needed to calm himself. Pain wasn't working. Why was he still so shaky? Why was he still so uncertain? Something moved his arm away and he panicked even more. He needed this he needed this he needed this he needed this-

"No, you don't." The voice that answered was almost as scared as his own.

"Felix...?"

"Shh, I'm right here. Haven't gone anywhere..." 

"...Why are you crying to?" Felix didn't answer, simply rubbing circles into his back as slowly but surely, his breathing evened out. The minutes dragged on but Jimmy didn't care. Felix was alive... it was just a nightmare... he'd never call him a monster. With reluctance, he let go and took in some fresh air, cold whiplash on his face. But... Felix was still crying. He asked again, this time warranting a quiet response.

"Why did you tell anyone...?"

"Tell anyone-" His eyes widened, his heart rate spiked, it was peak anxiety hours and Jimmy couldn't stop himself from talking at a 100 miles an hour. "Felix it's not what it looks like I promise it's not self-harm I wouldn't do that you know that please you've gotta believe me it wasn't done with any intents-"

"Hey it's alright, I'm not accusing you of anything. I believe you. Here's the plan ok? We'll go upstairs and clean all of this up before anyone wakes up. I know you're really stressed about this tournament so if you let me just monitor you, I won't tell anyone until we've had a chance to talk AFTER Minecraft Island. Does that sound fair?"

"...Ya..."

"Tell me where your first aid kit is."

"I haven't done anything in over a week, it's all closed up already..."

"I know that but I just wanna make sure everything heals smoothly."

"...Upstairs to the closet on your first right." Following behind him, Felix made quick work of bandages and ointments with the occasional sting. Returning to the couch, it was only a few minutes later that Alex was up, Chris and Chandler trailing behind him. And the mask that Jimmy wore was back up. He spoke excitedly with a tired tang. And with a few extra bags in hand, they all packed themselves into the car. With Chandler in the front driving, Jimmy in the passenger seat, Chris and Karl in the two middle seats, and himself, Marzia, and Harshita in the back three, he found himself staring out the window. He was dizzy, he never thought...

"You ok honey?"

"Ya... just thinking..."

~~~ 

Chapter Text

~~~

June 2nd, 2022

Tommy was under the perception the tournament would be pretty chill but things were already going wrong. "Due to some family matters, neither Logan nor Jake Paul can make it to the tournament. After some negotiations, LeafyIsHere will be taking his place. Also James please DM me as soon as you can." The blond boy sighed as he took the window seat next to Wilbur.

"I personally don't care about Leafy but I'm surprised they picked him. Isn't he really controversial?" He asked his older brother figure, setting his phone aside.

"Ya, but the rumor going around is that Keem has a soft spot for Calvin. Like he actually called him his son in a call. But you didn't hear it from me."

"Damn alright, can't believe there are family dynamics within the drama communities." After the plane took off, the small group of 9 British YouTubers fell quiet. Dan just put in headphones, Fundy and Niki pulled out a coloring book and began working on a large mural, and for the most part, everyone fell quiet to their own devices. But Wilbur and Tommy found themselves entertained with the current YouTube tea. The pair were never ones for gossip, it was kind of rude anyways, but Wilbur had lots to share and he wanted to make sure the younger was in the loop before they arrived. After all, this event is more of a networking opportunity than it is a tournament. Those without knowledge are going to not be part of the important conversations, ones that Wilbur believed he should be part of. As Tommy edged on 23 million subscribers, he had big fish to fry if he wanted to stay relevant.

"Did you know James Charles is wanting to start a YouTuber network?"

"Really? Who is he focusing on?"

"Makeup, beauty, and lifestyle YouTubers in the 10 to 50 million sub radius with an interest in branching out to unique business ideas. Though even with your new vlogging and personal channel you still don't really wanna be part of any networks right?"

"Ya no, I'm a free man. No one is gonna hold back the great TommyInnit!"

"Mhm right..."

"Oh Wilbur speaking of James Charles, guess who I heard got Covid?"

"Who?"

"Dixie."

"Like the Tik Tok girl? What's that have to do with James?"

"Well, the two went shopping together last week. I'm not sure if James Charles is going to get to be part of the tournament..."

"Oh shit poor guy. What do you think is going to happen to Jschlatt's team then?"

"Uh... WHAT IF I CALLED TUBBO-"

"Tubbo is on a break." 

"I know but this is the chance of a lifetime. Tubbo wouldn't want to miss it!"

"If James is officially removed, then you can talk to Jimmy about it alright?"

"YAY!" The plane ride dragged on and by the time they arrived, they were all exhausted. Conversing amongst Vikk with a bit of nerves tingling at his shaking hands, they found an employee wearing a bright hypebeast shirt. Wilbur and Tommy found themselves leaning on Phil's shoulders in the big van the employee drove them to the hotel in. The hotel was about a half-hour drive away, giving the YouTubers ample time to in fact not take in their surroundings and be on their phones, making a tweet chain about being tired. Upon arrival, Tommy stumbled out into the beautiful lobby of glass, quartz, and other fine substances. Jet lagged to hell and back, he only woke up to stressful cries.

"What the fuck do you mean Preston can't make it. I know for a fucking fact he has nothing to do this weekend... Sorry sorry, I'm just very stressed right now. Oh, Tommy!"

"Hey Jimmy, everything ok?"

"Er... to some degree. Do you know anyone that could take James Charles place in the tournament? I'm sure you've heard about his little encounter."

"OOH CAN WE HAVE TUBBO?" With a slight voice crack, Jimmy laughed.

"Isn't he on a break from YouTube?"

"HE WOULDN'T SAY NO TO THIS I SWEAR, PLEASE!"

"Ok fine, I'll ask him. Reed! You've got Toby's email and number?" As he walked away, Tommy felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Are you Thomas Simons?" Upon closer inspection, she was wearing a MrBeast hoodie. Probably another employee.

"Ya, what's up?"

"Perfect! I'm Penelope, your team manager! I'm here to basically make sure your needs are tended to throughout your stay here and on the island. For now, I can get you up to your room. Is William Gold and Phil Watson here?"

"Mhm, they went up to the front desk to get room keys."

"Oh tell them not to worry about that. I have keys already." Tommy nodded, heading over to where the older pair were.

"Hey, big dubs! Lady over here has our keys already." Penelope looked rather small compared to the 5'11+ men but she moved with more purpose than any of them did.

"For budget reasons, each team is going to stay in a room with two queen beds. Hopefully, this doesn't cause any problems."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Phil replied plainly. Taking them up to the 4th floor, she handed them each a key.

"Make sure not lose these ok? It'll be hard to get another one." Taking one, he noticed his name was neatly engraved in it. Slipping it into his pocket, Wilbur opened the door. The room was rather spacious. No fancy Beast decorations or anything much to Tommy's imagination but he didn't mind. Another bag was already on the bed, presumably, Techno's who Penelope let them know was lounging around the pool.

"Techno already made it clear he's not sharing with the child," Phil mentioned as he put his bag next to Techno's.

"HEY I'M NOT A CHILD NO MOE', I'M A BIG MAN I'M 18 YOU BITCH- Ooh I get to share with Wilbur I call dibs on the far side!" Collapsing on the bed, his mind was racing. "Can we go to the pool with the Blade I think a dip will get rid of this jet lag! It's like frame drops in real life but WORSE!"

"Fair warning you might wanna nap now. The networking party begins at 6."

"I'll take you up on that. What about you Wilbur?"

"I'll go with Tommy, haven't seen Techno in ages.

"Alright, be sure to wake me up in time to get ready." After Penelope informed them dinner was on the hotel, she left them be. Tommy and Wilbur got ready to head down to the pool, Tommy in the mood to swim while Wilbur perhaps just catching a bit of sun. His skin looked too goddamn pale. Heading down elevators and to the outdoors, Wilbur went to rent some towels as Tommy looked for Techno. He quickly found him, red-ish brown hair pushed away as he slept, glasses covering his eyes.

"EYO BITCH BOY UP AND AT EM!"

"Heh??" He sat up all too fast, gaze darting side to side on high alert but realized it was just Tommy, mischievous glint and all. "Jesus don't do that..."

"Hey is that how you greet your best friend?"

"We aren't best friends." Despite his tone, he pulled Tommy in a hug, quite happy to see him. And that's where Techno fucked up. Tommy, contrary to popular belief was stronger than Techno in real life. So he was able to pull him backwards with him, landing in the pool. When they returned up for air, he rubbed his eyes clear of the chlorine-y water and sighed. "Tommy... why."

"HAHA I'M STRONGER THAN YOU THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR BEING A SWEAT!" The eldest approached towels over his arm.

"Wilbur!" Techno exclaimed.

"Oh is this how we're playin'?" Out from behind his arm came a water gun, now aimed at Tommy. 

"AHH WILBUR NO!" Ducking under as Wilbur jumped in, wild white wake foaming up and spreading swiftly, Tommy popped up on the other side. "FUCK YOU WE COULD'VE TEAMED ON TECH-" The water gun's stream ended up going right in his talking mouth making him shut up and spit it out.

"Better close your mouth, you might catch flies." He replied with a smirk.

"Oi why I oughta... SCHLATT!" The New Yorker sighed upon seeing the sight, Connor, and Ty following shortly behind. "SCHLATT TEAM WITH ME ON TECHNO AND WILL!"

"Sure why not, you have the most clout." A small rivalry of Techno and Wilbur vs Tommy and Schlatt broke out. The pool split into two halves, there somehow ended up being lore about how Water World split in two. Tommy and Schlatt won when Ty revealed himself to be a spy on Techno and Wilbur's side. The bootleg DreamSMP type affair ended when they realized the networking event was starting in an hour. The two teams saying their goodbyes, Tommy was dragged back up to the hotel room. After each of them quickly showered, they dressed up in suits with varying levels of fanciness. Much to the youngest's dismay, Wilbur ran a lint brush across the messy suit and adjusted his tie.

"I'm an adult I can do this myself-"

"You still live with your parents. You're basically still a child." Wilbur sighed when he realized Techno was in a similar state. "See it's not just you, Techno can hardly make himself look presentable either!"

"At least I admit that I'm bad with stuff like this." Wilbur noticed Techno's frame shaking and he quietly comforted him, just out of earshot of Tommy and Phil.

"Hey, you know lot's of people there ok? Me or Phil will stay by your side the entire time." The monotone man nodded with reluctance. And with that, four boys so close they could be considered family made their way to the elevator once more, a head of damp blond hair leading the way.

A bunch of YouTuber's were already there. For about an hour, things went pretty smoothly. Tommy caught up with some of his friends and got a good laugh from Jimmy and Wilbur's "intellectual discussion about pistachios" But as Tommy was reaching to make himself a cheese cracker sandwich, the door swung open softly but alarmingly. The entire room fell silent. Tommy wasn't exactly around for the rise and fall of LeafyIsHere. Hell, the two have never held a conversation with him. But there were two general ideas people had about him. Either he was a monster or a troubled young adult broken beyond repair. The man was quite underdressed compared to the rest of them; hoodie and sweatpants that looked rather worn. Bags under his eyes and a devilish smirk accompanied it. 

"What?" Everyone quickly returned to talking to fill the void Calvin left in the room.

"Is that...?" He asked Wilbur in a hushed tone.

"Yep, Calvin Lee Vail; YouTube's self-proclaimed villain. Just don't interact with him much and you'll be fine... Ooh, Jimmy's gonna do a video call with James Charles, wanna join us?" His gaze returned over to the disheveled man across the room.

"Uh nah I'll call him later, I wanna finish my snack."

"Alright sounds good, you know where to find me if you need me!" Of course, Tommy wasn't all that hungry anymore, curiosity nipping at him. Nothing about the exile arc was real in the slightest on the DreamSMP but Calvin's behavior reminded him how he acted for the content during that time. They say curiosity killed the cat, but Tommy knew for a fact he was safe here... right? So when he approached him, he felt no fear.

"Hey, you're Calvin right?"

"...Ya? And?"

"Uh, I'm Tommy, nice to meet you!" He offered his hand out to shake which with reluctance, Calvin accepted. "Can I call you Big L- wait that doesn't sound good. How about Big C?"

"Sure I guess."

"...What's the smell jesus take a shower sometime Big C." Tommy tensed after that, regretting his word choice but Calvin didn't seem to care.

"The weed. Why want some?"

"Huh no?!?!"

"I thought you talked about how much you love drugs in your videos."

"For a bit! I don't actually do drugs! I'm literally a minor come on man..."

"You're 18."

"...Damnit can't use that excuse anymore." He chuckled lightly.

"It's alright, I won't force you to." Pulling out a cigar, he met his gaze. "Just don't try and stop me." Smoke puffed up and filled his surroundings making Tommy cough a bit. Word to the wise don't do weed, it smells like shit. But as soon as the smoke was there, it dissipated into the air as someone pushed it aside. It was Keemstar.

"Calvin! What did I tell you about the weed."

"Um, how about a hello?"

"I swear I'm going to have to check you into one of those addiction prevention places."

"You know alcohol is worse than weed." Keem went silent, inhaling sharply. 

"Let's get you up to the room, you've gotta clean yourself up." Snatching the cigar out of his hand, Calvin began complaining.

"Are we seriously sharing?"

"Yes! I want to keep an eye on you. Oh and I'm confiscating the weed."

"What the fuck you can't do that!"

"I can and I will. It's my job to protect you!"

"You're not my family, you can't do jackshit!"

"Your 'family' is a bunch of heroin heads and on god, I'm not letting you go down the same path. Now come on, before we make a scene."

"Get your hands off me retard."

"Hey, you promised no slurs the entire time you're here."

"Retard isn't a slur-" The door closed behind them. Tommy took a deep breath... what exactly did he just witness? Keem hardly seemed to notice him as they argued and everyone else was busy in their own conversations. Was the knowledge he held now useful? Who Calvin is started to take form in his mind. A mix of toxicity and fear. Canon Tommy was not someone you wanted to be like and he saw way too much of canon Tommy in Calvin with an old-school edge. The recklessness in his eyes scared him half to death.

"Tommy!"

"Oh hey Big Q!"

"You alright there? You were zoning out."

"Ya, I'm fine."

"Well anyways, wanna join me and Jimmy in some general chaos?"

"Aw hell ya!" The rest of the evening was spent with MrBeast and Quackity pulling pranks and mischief until his eyes fell heavy with sleep. Tommy decided to shelf his worries. He had a tournament to win. Calvin had Keem. He should be fine for now. 

Tommy didn't protest when he was dragged back up to his room, brushing his teeth and changing before collapsing on the bed and curling up next to Wilbur as rest overtook him. He had forgotten how nice it felt to be held.

Early in the morning, he was woken up to someone gently rubbing his back. The yacht was loading in 30 minutes and so with a pained expression, he slowly packed his things up again and following the other three to the dock. It was about a 19-hour boat ride from the hotel to the island where the tournament was being held. As the teams conversed amongst each other, Tommy noticed a small green figure running up the dock.

"Toby? TUBBO!" Leaving his bags and suitcase by Wilbur, he made a mad dash for his friend, pulling him into a tight hug. As Tommy absorbed himself into spending time with Tubbo, Wilbur overheard a bit of drama.

"I saw KSI get removed from the group chat... why?" Vikk asked.

"KSI was nicer to me but... he still defended the other Sidemen's actions. I refused to let Jimmy invite a verbal abuse defender onto the tournament." Chandler replied, anger in his tone.

"Then why didn't you tell him? As far as I know, Jimmy's still in the dark about your time in the Sidemen."

"...Vikk I'm sorry but I'm just not sure how much I trust him anymore."

"As much as he hurt you then, you might have to let it go. Jimmy is changed and traumatized. I don't think he wants to hurt you."

"I know that! But I still can't bring myself, to be honest around him anymore. I know it was just a fucking screwdriver but the implications still haunt me Vikk..."

"Chandler I-"

"Wilbur!" His attention whipped back to Tubbo and Tommy.

"Toby how have you been!"

"Er very tired, but good!" As Toby went to say hello to some of the others, Tommy and Wilbur found themselves staring off into the sea of YouTubers. 

Oh, how it felt to be brothers o' pair with a burdening secret weighed on their shoulders like their worth in numbers! In this crowd of influencers, they couldn't help but wonder; 

Who's really willing to protect them and who's just out to influence them?

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 9th, 2022

Vinoth Chandar liked to believe he was a calculating man. Bhushan would always hear him blabbing on about how he was so smart, how he could always outsmart these defenseless YouTubers, most of which are children and tired parents. His talks of killing Jimmy, however, made him irrationally mad. "All at once, we'll strike with our guns a-blazin'. They'll never stand a chance against our army of justice!"

"You're not a warrior of justice, you're just some guy with goals and methods. Don't pretend your anything more than a killer."

"And you might want to watch your mouth, Mr. Kumar. You're working for ME now." Bhushan swallowed back laughter. He almost wished he could know how much time he has left. A drink was pushed his way, an innocent glint in Vinoth's eyes. "But the least you can do is enjoy a drink with me! Tomorrow we make history!" He was right on that, this scale of assassination in such a public location has never been done before.

"I suppose I can Mr. Chandar. To riches and-"

"And to finding my daughter!"

"Right..."

"Do you think you can join the team looking for her after the attack?" He sighed, knowing he'd see her soon but agreed. Giving small words of conversation to Vinoth, Bhushan's mind was elsewhere. The army he created to protect Jimmy was growing larger by the day and after the attack, he'd be adding Vinoth's ex-employees to The Syndicate. The Syndicate had eyes everywhere Jimmy walked, ears to everyone Jimmy spoke to, and fists on everyone who hurt Jimmy. Some called it an obsession but he retorted with the metaphor of a vault. You lock up gold and keep cameras watching your precious metals because you love them. They are yours and no one was to take them from you. Late associates told him that objects are different than people but he could only laugh.

"Jimmy isn't a person, he's a weapon. MY weapon! And if anyone dares touch my weapon they will live to regret it." After the attack, Bhushan could prepare to intervene. The Syndicate couldn't watch him forever. Once he was able to bring Jimmy home, PewDiePie and other competing music companies would fall at his hand. Sliced and diced at the tip of the Beast's claws, Bhushan would finally have everything he wanted. The people who killed his father would be wrapped around his finger, he'd find a successor to watch over the company in his honor, and he'd win the greatest riches and prizes of all.

"What's with the smile?"

"Nothing Mr. Chandar... just thinking about something nice."

Jimmy Kumar... the name sounded much more fitting.

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 4th, 2022

"Jack Douglass we need you on set, get to the main stage, we're rolling the intro in five!"

"All team managers be ready to prepare the cameras after the first segment!"

"Mark Rober go check in on the tech team!" Shouts filled the preparation rooms as Jimmy wiped away the sweat on his forehead. Adjusting his Beast brand pin, he took a deep breath, looking himself up and down in the mirror. The scars... shit the scars! He desperately began looking for any sort of make-up to cover it up.

"Jimmy come on we need you on set!"

"I know just give me a minute Reed."

"We don't have a minute!"

"But the scars are visible-"

"You're fans are like 10 they couldn't care less about the scars now move it." Brushing his manager's hands off his shoulders, he followed him to the main room. Taking a seat on the bright blue and pink couch, Jimmy leaned back and played with a string falling out of the couch to take his mind somewhere else. Alex accompanied him much to Jimmy's relief. For the past week or so the two haven't had all that much of a chance to just relax together and he knew for the next week it wouldn't change so he moved a bit closer.

"Ah can't wait to just sit there and look pretty. My job is so easy!" Alex joked, laughter filling his surroundings.

"Not like you do that all the time anyway."

"Wow am I just a pretty face to you, shaking my head." 

"Ok, loverboys pull yourselves together. We're starting in minus 4 minutes." Chris told them as an employee chased after him with a lint brush and what looked like hair gel.

"Hey! Alex is my platonic soulmate and I'm like 90% sure it's the same for him!"

"Soulmates? What is this a shitty Wattpad?"

"Ok no, first off Wattpad is not the only place for shitty fanfiction, there's also Archive of Our Own. Think I saw a fic there called Breaking something... It was scarily accurate." Shuddering a bit, he returned to talking. "And secondly I dunno man best friends seems a bit too light of a term."

"I suppose you're right. Just never heard it used outside of fanworks."

"Alright, Jimmy we've gotta get through this segment in under an hour. We're starting the first official challenge at 4 PM sharp so if there is any delay on the fan elimination I swear I am going to kill someone." Reed told them as the cameras were set up. They needed footage for both the live stream and the video. "Places we're starting in one minute!" Positioning himself at the forefront, Alex went to his left, grabbing his hand. It took him the slightest by surprise but he reciprocated, letting his stresses fade away at the grasp. With Chris and Chandler to his right and Karl taking the final spot next to Alex, he took his final nerve ridden breath before they got the thumbs up. After over half a year of preparation and hard work, his creation was complete. He could only pray the layers and layers of scuffed glue and tape would hold.

"Hey, there guys welcome to the stream! I see some viewers rolling in good good... Um, I'm here with my co-hosts Chris, Chandler, Quackity, and Karl Jacobs!" They each did some swift introductions as he got to the point. "Everyone here on the stream is in for a surprise. Before we even get into any competitions, the viewers are going to have some choices to make. That's right, we've got a viewer poll! You guys get to pick your favorite teams and the two with the least votes are going to be eliminated before the games even begin. So we're getting rid of not one, not two, but THREE teams today!" With a bit more work the poll was up, thousands of answers coming in within seconds. For just a moment, Jimmy got a breather as the teams fought for the audience's favor. Surprisingly, Grian's team was losing. He thought since Ranboo and Fundy were on it they'd get high placement but they weren't. He supposed the Roughhouse podcast has spiked in popularity, speedrunning 400k in just days before the tournament. The poll went for about 20 minutes as they let people vote from all social platforms and JacksFilms kept everyone entertained with a few rounds of YIAY against the teams (all while doing his best to keep it PG of course)

The White Whales won the poll of course. They had all the Dream Team stans and Skeppy stans on their side. The Green Goats (roughhouse people and AntVenom) followed closely and then The Red Rabbits with the Sleepy Boys. In 8th place was the Pink Parrots since a lot of Lunch Club members were slowly fading into irrelevancy. But Ted and Charlie's fanbase saved them from losing. But the Brown Bats got the least votes. He knew Mumbo Jumbo got some supposed racist tweets resurfaced and Fundy was allegedly involved with an obsessive stan account but both were proven false months ago. Did drama really affect people's views that heavily? Maybe he should get a team of people to do a research project on that Blake and Reed and Sealow would have a field day with that topic- Oh and the Gray Geckos got eliminated. As cool as people considered Vikkstar, he wasn't enough to save them. Once the two teams were being taken back to prepare for an interview with Keemstar, Jimmy did a bit of an outro sequence.

"Alright, guys! Next up is our first actual competition based on the infamous find the button from way back in Minecraft Mondays. Our guest host JacksFilms is going to do another game show with the teams while we go back and get ready. And at 4 PM you'll be able to catch all the remaining influencers live at their own Twitch channels!" The second the camera switched to the ever charismatic Jack, Jimmy left the stage in a rush. Where the fuck was Mark Rober-

"Jimmy you did great out there!"

"Did anything go wrong?"

"No of course not-"

"Don't lie to me."

"...We had some delay on the poll but it's absolutely nothing you should worry about! Go catch your breath. You have time."

"But I-"

"Jimmy." Gently grabbing his shoulders, he met his gaze. "You have time. I'll make sure someone comes gets you with plenty of time to spare."

"...Fine." Heading out of the tech booth, he made his way out to the shoreline. Salt in the air, he could no longer hear panicked shouts and busied movements the tournament threw at him. At first, he made swift dives away from the waves as they lapped up against the sand line, he slowly cared less and less about it messing up his suit. A seagull's cry echoing in the air, he let his shoulders unstiffen.

It was quiet here...

No phantom hands to pull him back into the nightmares his mind grasped to, no reminders of ugly scars that ruined his image as healthy and ok. Just... quiet. His videos are loud. His flashbacks are loud. It wasn't silent, it wasn't loud... it was just perfect.

"Hey Jimmy we've gotta go-" He turned around way too suddenly, Alex quickly stopping. "Sorry didn't mean to scare ya!"

"It's... fine..."

"...You know what we've got a minute, I'll hang out here for a minute."

"Are you sure we can head-"

"It's fine. Reed needs to learn to take a chill pill sometimes." The pair chuckled a bit but the atmosphere fell quiet once more, this time a comforting hand intertwined with his to keep him stable on the dusty ground.

***

The next two days passed with little drama. The first challenge was Find the Button of course. Basically, 200 buttons were scattered across the area and the team with the most won and the one with the least was out. This ended up being AntVenom's team the Green Goats with only 21. The following challenge was Build Battle which instead of Minecraft blocks gave each team a box of assorted Legos and 30 minutes to build the best thing. Captain Sparklez team the Yellow Yaks were out after their large tower ended up crumbling with only minutes to spare. Both were highly received events and the support was outrageous. Anthony Padilla's appearance made people happy but a "surprise" visit from Ian Hecox got the fandom in a storm, old school Smosh fans scrambling for any bits of content they could get. 

That evening, the group of YouTubers was just small enough they could all enjoy a meal together, some employees deciding to help with a barbeque style dinner. It was moments like these that made him appreciate the found family Jimmy was given. The teams intermingled happily. Tommy, Tubbo, Ty, Alex, Zak, and Darryl were all out in the ocean, playing some game that seemed to have Tommy swearing like a sailor (evident by Darryl's constant cries of language.) Fitz and Wilbur seemed to be having some lighthearted argument while the other Misfits, Connor, and Phil laughed at them. Even Techno was having fun, doing his best to be "wingman" along with Pokimane for a very drunk Ninja trying to hit on George. The entire scene laid out before him was rather entertaining. A moment he'd rather not leave-

"Jimmy careful!"

"Huh? What's up Felix?"

"Your hand is on the grill!" Gently pulling his fingers off, he noticed red engravements on his hands he hardly felt.

"Oh."

"Want me to go get some ice and stuff for it?"

"Nah it's fine, not that noticeable."

"You sure?" Felix asked, concern in his tone.

"Mhm!"

"Well... Uh, Marzia wanted to know if we could bring Harshita here for dinner."

"Of course! She should meet the others."

"Great, I'll go get them." A few minutes passed and the trio returned and Harshita quickly went exploring on her own. The people around were mostly very tall making her feel a bit intimidated to try to talk to anyone. None of them probably knew any Hindi anyways. However one of them noticed her. Though she didn't fully understand what he was saying, he seemed confused at her presence. 

"Not good with English." She told him in an attempt to keep big words out of the conversation.

"Who are you with?"

"Felix and Marzia!"

"Well I'm Schlatt, want me to take you back to them?"

"Sh... sh... Latt. Latt, ride on shoulders?" She quickly realized maybe he wouldn't wanna do that. Felix was someone she knew pretty well, unlike this complete stranger. But to her bewilderment, he chuckled and nodded, sweeping her off her feet. She felt way taller than she did on Felix's shoulders!

"Hold on ok?" Latt got a running start along the shoreline making her laugh.

"Latt fun Latt fun!" She cheered as he returned her a very worried Mariza and Felix. They exchanged in conversation she didn't quite understand until Felix turned back to her. "Latt took me home!" Felix smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

...?

Home?

He was home?

"Who are you again?"

"Jschlatt. Though you can just call me Johnathan."

"Oh right! Tommy has told me good things about you." She appeared to be motioning she wanted to go up again. 

"Um, can I?" He asked to which Felix replied.

"Ya of course." Schlatt was still a bit confused about who this girl was and why she was with Pewds but he decided he'd talk to him about it over dinner. Schlatt took Harshita around to meet everyone. The smell of the incredibly American burgers Harshita had grown to love filled the air. Giving Harshita back to Felix, he headed out to the shoreline to help Wilbur get the kids back for dinner.

"EVERYONE GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE BEFORE THE FOOD GETS COLD!" Wilbur's tone was very lighthearted but still resulted in a "Language!" from out in the water. Laughing, the half a dozen came stumbling out, tripping a bit over the heavy waves. Wilbur draped a towel around Tommy's shoulders, as did Schlatt for Tubbo and Ty.

"Wait you didn't get ME a towel?" Alex sarcastically asked.

"No pumpkin spice, go ask Jimmy or somethin' I dunno." He dropped his jaw in fake offense.

"Wow, shaking my head right now! After you call me pumpkin spice to..." Skeppy and Bad headed out to look for towels, now accompanied by Alex. 

"Ugh, Wilbur there's sand and shit in my hair!" Tommy complained, holding the towel close as the wind picked up.

"Hang on problem child." The brunette told him as he began to knead his hand through the tuft of the blond hair, tiny clumps of damp sand left on Wilbur's hand in the wake.

"Oi, I'm not a fuckin' problem child! I'm a big man!" The remaining 5 returned back to the campfire that everyone was eating around, only to see a scene Tommy didn't quite feel he needed to. A drunkard's voice boomed above the others as he laid himself out over Techno's lap.

"Hey, Techie have I ever told you how-" He burst out into violent coughing and burping. "How cute you look with glasses~"

"Tyler Ninja Fortnite Richard Blevins... you are a disappointment to the human race as a whole."

"I'll just take Ninja back to his trailer." David Dobrik replied with a sigh.

"Thank you finally!" Techno added, relieved for the very drunk man to be gone.

"Hey, you doin' alright there Blade?"

"Oh god, no Tommy. Ninja's cool and all but never give him alcohol." Laughing, everyone gathered around the open flames with plates of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and other assorted barbeque foods.

With lemonade glazed breaths, the YouTubers told stories of then and now until the moon reached its peak at the top of the sky. Some of them had already returned to their trailers but Techno's team, Schlatt's team, Niki, Jimmy, and Felix were still awake. Phil, deciding to be the responsible one and noticing the youngest ones had fallen asleep called it for the night.

"Welp I guess we should all head back, cya bright and early!" 

"Need me to wake up Tommy?" Techno asked accompanied with a yawn.

"Nah I'll carry him," Wilbur replied, carefully picking up the lanky teen with just enough consciousness to hug around his shoulders and lower neck for grip. 

"Wilby...?"

"Go back to sleep, I've got you." His only answer was humming softly and wrap his legs around his stomach.

"Oh my god, he's like a sloth..." Phil smirked in the background, phone in hand.

"Are you recording?!?!"

"The fandom wants 4/4 SBI content, well they can have it!"

"Ew imagine being Philza Minecraft and being half old man half Twitter white girl."

"Wow can't believe you'd say that." Back in the trailer, the clip Phil got was in fact not circulating Twitter since Wilbur said they could capitalize on it's release. As 3/4th of the quad got ready for bed, mentally preparing for the next competition ahead of them, Jimmy was back at his trailer. While Chandler, Karl, and Alex were asleep, he was surprised to see Chris still awake.

"What ya scrolling through."

"Reddit."

"Of course you are." Taking a seat next to his friend, the two began looking through the top memes on r/MrBeast and r/MrBeastGaming. 

"Ooh someone posted an edit of you."

"Those things? I never quite understood them-" The earbud he put in swiftly was taken out when all too familiar dialogue could be heard.

"No... no... NO! IF YOU WANT HIM YOU'RE GOING THROUGH ME FIRST!"

"Oh, that's fucked up." The 'edit' quickly transitioned into just the clip of him killing Dawood. Something he would've much rather not seen. "I uh... I'll ban the user and delete the post ok-"

"I'm going to bed."

"Jimmy talk to me-"

"Goodnight Chris." The faint golden light dissipated. Chris bit his tongue. Lately, he's been wanting answers from him. He only seems to confine in Alex these days. He wasn't jealous or anything! But Jimmy and him have been through so much. They were best friends in school, he was the one who finally got Jimmy to talk after he mute in middle school and Jimmy always helped him through his anxiety attacks. Of course, Chris was happy Jimmy found someone else to trust with his traumas and fears but...

He always assumed he'd be number one on that list...

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 6th, 2022

Bhushan couldn't help but massage a headache. Oh, how he couldn't wait for Vinoth to be dead all the guy did and was bitch and complain about his missing daughter. Somedays he wished he could just tell him so he'd shut up for five seconds but it would ruin everything. He sadly needed him alive so he could save Jimmy and put himself in his good graces and he needed his yes-men alive so he could recruit them into The Syndicate. But at the very least, Bhushan knew Harshita was in a better place right now. His goals and ambitions have drastically changed, however, a small part of him would always be a family man. Vinoth was insane, she didn't deserve a ruined childhood. No one did.

Maybe that's why he sympathized with Jimmy so much. He could easily just kidnap him again and force him to fight. But he's done an extensive background check on him, the last thing he really needed was more trauma. Then again, trauma creates obedience- No... he was in the position where he could give him the illusion of a choice. He didn't want a trained dog, he wanted a friend... at least to some degree. Of course, conditioning was a part of it, but he wasn't like Dawood or Vinoth. They were monsters! This was deliberate and purposeful, Bhushan reasoned with himself. Dawood Ibrahim wanted unattainable power, control of an entire country with little logic guiding him. Vinoth Chandar wanted a monopoly, perhaps for a better reason than his previous associate. But it was still done out of insanity. Bhushan Kumar swore to himself he'd be different.

I have restraint

I have empathy

I am human

They were not

A mantra of intentions ran through his head. He has more admirable desires; to finish and avenge his father. He has more admirable means; refusing to go straight to torture and violence without reason. But a little voice in his head kept getting louder every day.

Take him

Conquer him

He's your well-earned prize.

"MR. KUMAR! Are you ok?" It was Vinoth.

"Huh ya what's up?"

"You just broke a fucking glass what do you mean!?!?" He looked down at his hand, blood dripping down from the impact. 

"I suppose I did. Er, I'll go clean this up. Sorry about the glass Mr. Chandar." The concern in his eyes quickly disappeared, being replaced with a scoff.

"Ya you better be, don't get blood on the carpets this yacht is a rental you know!"

"Mhm..." He rolled his eyes. Ya, he was right for hating him. Couldn't wait till the fuckin' prick was dead.

***

The moment Calvin stepped onto the island, he felt as if more than just Keem's eyes were on him. He couldn't have been the only one who saw the yacht in the distance that never seemed to disappear right? His paranoia was through the roof. Rather than joining in on the festivities, after each round of the tournament, he ventured every corner of the island. What interested him most was an armory. Taking a gun, Calvin refused to go anywhere without the pistol in his pocket.

"Something isn't right!"

"CALVIN GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF!" The hand on his shoulder was one he'd never let himself consider as comfort. 

"We're getting stalked Daniel I can sense it!"

"That doesn't mean you just steal a gun are you insane?"

"..." He couldn't help but chuckle. "Maybe I am. But if that's the case, that makes everyone on this godforsaken island so far gone they hardly are human."

"Just give me the gun. I can't trust you with it."

"What do you think I'll do?"

"You might- ..."

"Heh, cat got your tongue?"

"You fucking know what I'm thinking, now hand it over!"

"Why should I? I don't feel safe without it and I can't trust you either."

"I won't hurt myself you know that." Calvin put on his best condescending tone.

"Do I really though? Every passing day you're turning more into a deadbeat alcoholic, and maybe one night you'll just be really sad... and I hate for your daughter to be halfway to orphanhood for the second time now."

"Don't you fucking dare bring Mia into this... Fine, you can keep the gun don't make me regret it." Instead of turning on his heels and leaving, he just refused to face him as he sighed. "Calvin you know I just want to help you."

"You can't help someone who doesn't want it, I'm sure you know that very well."

"It doesn't matter if you don't want it, you need it!"

"Hm... maybe stop drinking and I'll consider it."

"My problem isn't as bad as yours."

"Subjective. Hey, at least I'm not on black tar heroin. Though now thinking I do know a guy..."

"If you do that I'll just get you into a mental hospital."

"And then I'll just kill myself! That's the dullest life I can imagine!" Keem had no fucking clue of what to do with this kid. He wanted thrill, something to finally excite him, or else he saw no point in sticking around. But everything fun he's tried never took him out of his comfort zone.

"Watch your mouth, you'll send this old man into cardiac arrest." Twirling the loaded weapon without a care in the world, Calvin simply smiled. And as he walked away, the same paranoia that he felt crept up onto Keem. The phone call he had with Jimmy was rather unsettling now with Calvin's intuition. 

When he wasn't being an asshole, he was rarely wrong, especially about shit that mattered.

***

June 9th, 2022

The final 3 teams awaited their scores. The Red Rabbits; a familial unit and beloved by the community. The Pink Parrots; members of a fallen podcast connected to secrets that went deeper than any of them could've predicted, they have all finally regained some relevancy. And The White Whales; the kings of Minecraft content and set to dominate internet culture for years to come as they each find their own rhythms. 

"The Red Rabbits got a time of... 18 minutes and 36 seconds! You are currently in the lead!"

In the distant ocean, someone listened. Not out of interest per se. Simply out of necessity. He needed to know who he'd be dealing with tomorrow. A day of fate.

"The Pink Parrots got a time of... 26 minutes and 10 seconds. You are currently in second place."

Jimmy's voice was booming, speakers picking it up from all corners of the island. He sized up each team. Phil, Zak, Clay, and Cooper were well built. If the White Whales could be eliminated, it'd be best.

"And finally the White Whales got a time of... 9 minutes and 54 seconds that means congratulations! You and the Red Rabbits will move onto the final round!" No longer could he hear them and he simply leaned back into the yacht deck's chair.

To his left sat Bhushan. He wore this cocky smile Vinoth wanted nothing more than to smack off of his face. The Ex T-Series CEO was so full of himself. He thought he was the one truly in control of this operation. Vinoth saw the way Kumar's eyes glittered when he mentioned his enemy. He was positively infatuated with Jimmy. Bhushan thought he was so subtle, so cunning, it honestly was adorable. The wires pulled in Vinoth's favor. For someone who worked with the mafia, he was rather bad at all this secret stuff.

"Hey, Mr. Kumar, why don't you come inside, let's unwind before tomorrow's chaos." He agreed, all according to plan. Once inside, Vinoth started working on making drinks. "Would you like some wine?"

"That'd be favorable." Cracking open the bottle, he also snapped open a pill, white flakes swiftly dissolving in the liquid.

"Are you excited?"

"Not particularly. I'm squeamish around blood you know."

"Well, I'm rather giddy. I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight!" He spoke casually as if a kid on Christmas Eve. "All at once, we'll strike with our guns a-blazin'. They'll never stand a chance against our army of justice!"

"And you might want to watch your mouth, Mr. Kumar. You're working for ME now." Vinoth's voice fell low and raspy before returning to his typical cheer. "But the least you can do is enjoy a drink with me! Tomorrow we make history!" Bhushan took the drink, a swig of scarlet trickling down and infecting his throat. Now they simply waited.

"I suppose I can Mr. Chandar. To riches and-"

"And to finding my daughter!" He interrupted. 

"Right..."

"Do you think you can join the team looking for her after the attack?" At the end of the day, this is all for her after all. Vinoth kept that one to himself. But Bhushan's mind was already somewhere else. A simple nod and his thoughts wandered. Suddenly, a large grin fell across his face.

"What's with the smile?"

"Nothing Mr. Chandar... just thinking about something nice." Bhushan Kumar's entire body paled. "Vinoth..."

"So you finally noticed?"

"Vinoth what the fuck was in that drink?"

"A sedative, in approximately uh... 2 minutes you'll lose consciousness. Have a seat, I'd rather you not hurt yourself in the process." 

"YOU BASTARD WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!"

"I was thinking of everything. Jimmy Donaldson will be dead by tomorrow and I'm not letting you and your little syndicate intervene."

"MY MEN WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD-"

"And my co-leader is already upstairs telling them you've fallen ill. Oh, no looks like the show is going on without you! Gentlemen tie him up." Before Bhushan could run or struggle, his hands were behind his back.

"Vinoth please... you need me. You don't understand Jimmy is the perfect weapon we need him alive!"

"You're my perfect weapon, Jimmy's just a nuisance." Getting close to his ear, he could feel the shivers emitting from him. 

"You better pray that I die."

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 10th, 2022

...

...?

Blurry surroundings filled his vision. A gentle rocking motion lulled Bhushan Kumar into the land of the wake. Memories filled his mind of Vinoth's betrayal and he sat up in a panic. Where the fuck was he how long was he asleep for- His hands were tied. He quickly realized he was being gagged as well. His breaths were deliberate as to avoid choking. He could use this to his advantage to avoid making too much noise. His escape would have to be quiet. The Beast needed him.

***

June 9th, 2022

Nerves racking in Felix's stomach, he knocked on Jimmy's camper door. He knew they planned this last night so there wouldn't be anyone around but he still felt slightly paranoid he was talking about something with him he'd rather not let get out there. The door opened. Making himself comfortable on the edge of one of the beds.

"Well you know the drill, let me see your wrists."

"You know I hate you seeing all this..."

"It's just for your safety, you think this is pleasant either?" He attempted to reassure him. Examining up and down, Felix had sadly memorized every scar, welt, bruise, and burn. Some of which he knew the stories behind as well. The lighter burns were actually remnants of some past childhood trauma while the darker ones were from poor attempts at branding during his kidnapping. He joked about how on the second half of the D-Company logo, it really just said 'no heart' and decided not to burn into his skin. "This one's new..."

"I got really anxious during today's competition and it just sorta happened... I'm sorry I really didn't wanna disappoint you but I wasn't going to have a panic attack in front of 100k concurrents. The pain made it easier to go on auto-pilot."

"Hey no it's fine, but we're going to work on finding you healthier coping mechanisms ok?" Putting a bit of Neosporin and a bandage over the newest one, Felix checked the other arm before letting Jimmy breathe. They typically unwinded by scrolling through memes or putting on a movie. But this time, when Jimmy started up his laptop, Felix stopped him. "...There was something else I actually wanted to talk about first."

"Did I do something...?" He asked nervously.

"No, it's about Harshita." The tenseness in his shoulders fell down.

"What about her?"

"Well our general consensus is that she comes from abusive parents right?"

"Mhm..."

"And we aren't probably giving her back to her parents unless we were just like dead wrong or something. But if we are right... where is Harshita going next?"

"I'd think social services but still... that leaves me feeling uneasy."

"See glad I'm not the only one! And you know I like Harshita around, she's nice and kind of completes me and Marzia's dynamic-"

"So you wanna adopt her?"

"Er yes... maybe... I don't know!" Collapsing onto the bed he let his eyes met the ceiling. "I dunno if Marzia even wants a kid..."

"Trust me she probably does."

"Not just that! I don't know if I'd be a good dad ya know...?"

"Felix, look at me. If you could act like a surrogate father figure for me even when I just watched your videos, I think you can take care of her just fine. She loves you! Even if she doesn't know enough English to communicate that."

"That was... surprisingly helpful, thanks, Jimmy." They fell back into their regular routine, Jimmy laying his head on Felix's chest and letting the calming constant of his breathing lull him into a peaceful state while they scrolled through memes. Felix had come to his own conclusion as Jimmy fell asleep.

He might just have two traumatized kids to take care of now.

***

June 10th, 2022

After exploring his small, cramped surroundings, Bhushan found a sharp edge he could use to begin slicing at the rope. It might take a while but he had to work with what he had. Quietly moving his hands up and down, he could hear a cutting sound. How long might this take? Will it work? The slightest indent being created into the rope, he refused to let himself get nervous as the sleeping guard rolled over. This is for Jimmy, it's all for Jimmy...

***

June 9th, 2022

Tommy wasn't all that surprised Calvin broke his promise. He said he'd come join the group for dinner. Now both himself and Keem were annoyed. "I swear if he got into my stash I'm gonna be fuming..."

"What stash?" Tommy asked as his eyes darted around. 

"Alcohol mostly. Some LSD I confisicated from Calvin."

"Shit man, you're not planning on using that LSD right?"

"No of course, like having control over my surroundings thank you very much. Wanna come with me to look for him? He needs to eat a full meal." 

"Sure!" Standing up from the campfire, Wilbur glared at him to which Tommy give an innocent chuckle and followed. The brunette was not a fan of how much time he was spending with whom he considered incredibly toxic people. But Calvin was falling apart at the seams, if he could make things even the slightest bit better, he'd be happy. In the thicket of palms, the light quickly disappeared. Keem blended into the dark palette of night and with the older's speed, he lost track of his friend.

"Keem...?" His reply was made up of a cricket's lonesome song. No Keem. So now here was Tommy; a small and frail barely 18-year-old boy all alone in the dark of an island he hardly knew. "Well shit. KEEM, CALVIN!" No answer... "Wilby...?" Something grabbed his foot.

...

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Flight or fight in his veins, Tommy ran with more adrenaline than he ever felt. The grass and dirt under his feet slowly turned to sand as rational reasoning came. Must've just been a snake... Catching his breath, he noticed a figure on the shoreline. "Calvin?" Oh god, his eyes were so dilated. They were almost fully black. 

"TOMMY I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE COME YOU GOTTA DRINK SOMETHING!"

"Huh...?" The bottle he held up was just vodka. "I'm underage back off. Now, why don't you come back-"

"I saw a vision."

"The fuck man...?"

"Only those gifted with the God's nectar will survive. I don't want you to die Tommy come on now drink it!"

"Calvin I swear... you're so damn high come on let's go-" The man in question let out a horrified gasp, seeming to stare right through him.

"THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU!" Suddenly pulled forward, a bottle was shoved down his throat and the burning liquid trickled down. Struggling against the grip, Tommy felt himself tearing up at the bitter taste.  When the bottle was empty, he was released to which Tommy stumbled to the ground, coughing up as much as he could.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"They can't hurt you now! You don't deserve to die on judgment day, the rest of them are impure you know!"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME BITCH! ...You're scaring me..." Before Calvin could speak again Keem came up behind him and punched him straight in the skull.

"TOMMY RUN!" The boy took no time to wait and began a wild sprint in the direction Keem pointed towards. Holding him in a light chokehold, Keem had to ask. "I'm sorry but the hell was that about?"

"Tomorrow's judgment day. The purest of angels and the cruelest of demons will be slaughtered until they are mere husks. Easy to manipulate and hollow spirits. Maybe they'll lose their soul. Maybe they'll survive physically, but they will never return mentally."

"Come on Calvin we're gonna sober you up."

"You know I don't lie Daniel."

"..." Daniel Keem tried to ignore the pit in his stomach. And as the pair headed back to the trailers, Tommy finally was back at the campfire where he felt rather lightheaded. 

"Tommy? Hey, you ok-"

"WILBY I'M SORRY YOU'RE RIGHT!"

"Huh? What's going on?"

"I shouldn't have gone after Calvin I won't ever again! He was tripping on LSD and force-fed me vodka and I dunno if anything else was in it!" Wilbur tensed and moved Tommy out of his arms. 

"Uh, Phil what should we do?"

"I don't know! Maybe get him to throw some up?" The other teams kept to themselves, whispering as Tommy was guided off to get the alcohol out of his system. While Wilbur helped in getting him to throw it back up, Techno stayed close to Phil, eyes avoiding the scene.

"Should we tell Jimmy about this?"

"Nah, not else he's really hungover. I don't want to worry him too much. We should tell him after the competition though. What Calvin did was not ok. He shouldn't even have LSD in the first place!"

"True..." Loud coughing was followed by Wilbur's velvety voice.

"Hey if you can't get any more out don't force yourself. Let's go get you cleaned up ok?"

"I'm sorry you shouldn't have had to-"

"No, it's my responsibility. I should've been more assertive so you wouldn't end up in a position like that."

"Do I... do I have to see Calvin again?"

"Of course not! Not unless you want to, and he's fully sober." As the quad went back, Tommy's usual light-heartedness returned.

"Yo I'ma get drunk for the first time! This is big man shit!"

"Mhm... Better pray you got your dad's genes and can drink with virtually zero consequences." Once back inside, Tommy went to shower as Wilbur heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get- oh... What do you want Keem?"

"Hey uh... can I talk to Tommy? Just wanna apologize you know!"

"How about we step outside? Whatever you want to tell him can go through me instead!" Keem however kept pushing.

"Nah we don't need to get more people involved-"

"Which exactly why you should just talk to me. You're in no place to negotiate, and it'd be a shame if this spilled to the public. I know you thrive off drama but just how many more times are you willing to swing the bat at the public? Maybe this would be the one to kill you, and this time you just might die and stay dead." Daniel Killer Keemstar went stark white.

"Just tell Tommy that this is on me. I should've done a better job at keeping Calvin sober and kept a better eye on him. Ok, good night!"

"Sleep well Keem!" The door was locked behind him. Tommy broke out into giggles.

"Oh my god, he sounded so scared of you!"

"Goddamn, right he should be scared of me." Once more, Tommy clung to hug him, still shocking Wilbur a bit.

"You know... you really are like my big brother." Will's grin might be one of the biggest he's ever made.

"Don't say that, I will cry."

***

June 10th, 2022

He was halfway through the rope when the guard woke up. He said something about he didn't get paid enough for this shit when Bhushan got an idea.

"You know... I've got more riches than you could ever dream of."

"Ya ya we get it big time CEO you can quit flexing."

"If you let me go, I could give you a hefty sum." A twinkle in his eyes appeared.

"How much we talking?"

"100 grand, job security."

"Job security?"

"Kid, we both know Vinoth isn't gonna survive. He's careless. If you let me free, I'll let you work for me. Offer protection for your loved ones. A stable income. Everything you could ever want."

"When do I get the money?"

"A soon as Vinoth's dead and I've got access to a bank."

"...Deal." The rope hit the ground.

***

June 10th, 2022

Tommy had to get up earlier today. Something about a photoshoot Jimmy needed for promotion. Hangover cure in hand, the Sleepy Boys arrived at the set, greeting Clay, George, Zak, and Darryl as they did.

"Ok everyone we've got a surprise for you!" Jimmy's voice boomed in the room. He looked a little happier today, Tommy took note of. "For today's competition and for branding purposes, you won't be wearing your team's colors. Chris show off the outfits!" Behind a curtain were 8 outfits hanging, all made to replicate their Minecraft skins.

"Yo, these look sick!" Tommy grabbed his, it appears to look like his normal wear; red and white quarter sleeved shirt with tan pants. But additions such as the bandana fan artists often draw him with and a L'Manberg flag patch to add some character. Techno's was his royal gowns, Phil's was basically a Kisuke Urahara cosplay with wing motifs, Wilbur's was his yellow sweater, black pants, and a red beanie, Zak's was basically just a blue sweater and jeans, Darryl's was a toned-down version of his demon-like skin, George's was the clout glasses and his skins normal wear, and finally Clay's was the green hoodie and whatnot that people draw him with. The lack of a mask surprised Tommy but Dream was dragged off to get face paint done.

The ones with easier cosplays were out early with Tommy, Wilbur, and George posing for pictures just for Twitter and Instagram. "All ladies just want a guy who knows Wilbur Soot and GeorgeNotFound, take note." he captioned his latest post. Following behind was Phil, Bad, and Techno who just had more complex outfits than Skeppy who had some blue makeup done, and finally Dream with his complete face paint.

"Alright, the White Whales can pose first since I'm sure they wanna get the makeup off. Come get your props." They each had at least one. Dream's was a diamond ax and a fake ender pearl, George had a sword, Bad had a muffin that he was planning on eating after and Skeppy had some diamonds. As they got their photos, Tommy and the gang bullied Dream for not being able to smile with his teeth since it would look weird in the photos. As he stood up to join the Sleepy Boys for their own photos, the heaviness in his head felt faint. 

"Wilbur, the cure actually worked..."

"See I told you so, still take it easy until the competition ok?"

"Fine whatever you say, Big Dubs..."

***

The boat was conveniently docked by the shore when Bhushan got out. Feet wet from the salty ocean, the few men that stayed to guard him followed behind.

"How long have they been out there?"

"They left 15 minutes ago Mr. Kumar sir..." Bhushan's heart dropped. Nothing was going to stop him as he bolted into the foliage. Jimmy was not gonna die today.

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 10th, 2022

"Alright listen up! I'm only explaining this once before going back to the watching booth. This is Teamed Minecraft Manhunt. Each team will receive 4 'bows' for each member and 2 packs of 'arrows' per member. More arrow packs will be hidden around the map in case you run out." The bows were just redesigned paintball guns while the arrow packs were just paintball pellets. "Then each member will also get one sword and one shield. Don't worry the swords are just foam." Everyone went to pick up their items. "Your job is to protect your flag while eliminating the other team. For the first 10 minutes, you can use your bows but for the rest of the challenge, you can only use melee. Hits to your red or white vest count but anything below or under does not. Now your team manager will take you over to flags, you have 5 minutes to strategize on the way."

Tommy's heart was pounding at a thousand miles an hour. The realization settled in that this was it. A quarter of a million dollars was just in his grasp. He felt a bit guilty knowing he'd have to steal the chance from some of his closest friends but he knew some of that money was gonna be spent on them anyway. 

"Ok so in my opinion." Techno began, his inner Minecraft sweat breaking out. "Me and Tommy are slightly more nimble and agile on our feet. We'll go out and try to get their flag back to the base. Wilbur, Phil, I want you two guarding the flag."

"YES I'M WITH THE BLADE!"

"Not so loud ok Tommy? You're following my lead." Rather than some sarcastic response, Tommy nodded. Well as carefully as he could with a go-pro on his head. He wondered how chat was reacting. If he had any say in it, pog champing like the good ol' days. Once at the flag, Wilbur and Phil whispered amongst themselves while Techno gave him a pep talk. "Look just keep quiet and go after the flag, your the fastest of us. I believe in you, Toms." Beaming, he scoffed and did some funny reply for the camera.

"Ya of course I am bitch boy!" 

"We are starting the final round of Minecraft Island in 30 seconds!" As the countdown began, Tommy readied his paintball gun. 

"Techno?"

"Yes, Tommy?"

"Look at me. We are winning this. I believe in us." And for once...

"10, 9, 8!"

Techno smiled.

"7, 6, 5!"

"I believe in us to."

"4, 3, 2, 1. Begin!"

Tommy and Techno were already on a dash, footsteps deliberate and gentle. "The way there is about a tenth of a mile. We've got some ground to cover but it'll be alright. The tower in the center is a deterrent. Going to the top may protect you a bit more but you'll be basically cornered if someone goes up it. It's also way harder to get any accurate shots."

"Gotcha Techno!" Eyes observant and wide, Tommy dashed from bush to bush, regaining his wits about himself as the slightest ruffle in the breeze alerted all of the boy's attention. Techno's shoulders stiffened.

"They're near, keep moving towards the left."

"Did you see them?" Tommy whispered back in their quiet dash.

"No, only heard them." About to speak in his normal voice, his mouth was covered by Techno as his gaze darted. "One of them is closing in. If it's Zak or Clay we're screwed." Maneuvering to the next spot, the tower was in view. Once they got there they could circle around and be able to lose-

What the actual fuck?

"Techno?"

"Keep it down!"

"Techno..."

"I'm being serious!" He hissed, agitation in his tone.

"Dave."

"What!?!?"

"I..." Tearing off the vest much to Techno's demands not to, his suspicions were confirmed. A pool of red was forming against the stark white shirt he adorned. "I don't think those noises were any of the White Whales..." 90k concurrents all saw the same sight. The horror painted across Techno's face no one could unsee. Those on Tommy's stream were confused having not seen the spot but those on Techno's stream were already in the loop wondering what exactly just happened.

"I'm sure it's just a little cut... it can't be..."

"It looks like a paintball bullet hole but a paintball can't break the skin, only bruise it. Unless someone modified their gun which is unlikely and very much cheating. So this has to be..."

"No... no, it can't be!" Not caring about the teams hearing anymore, Techno lifted his shirt only to reveal his worst fears. A small yet deadly puncture in his skin about this size of a bullet just above the stomach and going into the ribcage on the righter most side. "WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" Sweeping Tommy into his arms, he was delicate around the injury before breaking out into a sprint. The competition? The viewers? The money? All of its importance and grandeur disappeared in an instant as Techno looked for someone, anyone that can help. And great a paintball hit his arm.

"HAH GOT YOU!"

"Zak there isn't time for games, Tommy got shot!" Skeppy deadpanned before bursting out laughing.

"THAT'S THE POINT OF THE GAME DUMBASS! I CAN'T WITH YOU!"

"No, I'm not kidding! He got shot with like a real bullet-" Thankfully, voices came through the intercom systems and explained it better than he could.

"Everyone! There is an active shooter situation we need all the CC's to the docks now! They are here to assassinate YouTuber's!" The panicked voice cut out.

"...Oh..."

"Ya... oh... Zak, I need you to make sure Phil and Wilbur get there safely."

"HUH, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"I know it sounds completely crazy but you're all that I have. Please, go make sure they're safe. I need to get Tommy some medical help now." Despite the blatant terror, Skeppy agreed.

"You can count on me!"

"...Techno?" Tommy's voice was so quiet...

"Yes?"

"Am I gonna die?"

"God you better not, if you do I'm gonna kill you." He joked in an attempt to get his mind off of the injury. Tommy didn't even crack a smile, simply burying his face into Techno's chest.

"I don't wanna die... please I don't wanna die... Promise me... promise me you won't let me die."

"...I'll try my best." Feeling soft sobs fall into his Technoblade cosplay, he finally saw the shoreline. Now at the edge of the beach, he could get to the docks faster. But in the thicket, he saw a figure. He picked up his pace before realizing it's Jimmy.

"Jimmy come on! We've gotta go to the docks!"

"Techno... there's a lot you don't understand about me. Hints about this have been placed right before my eyes for months now. So it's fallen upon me to eliminate the threat."

"Please! I think there are security guards who can take care of this better than you can-"

"Lock yourselves in for the night. I'm off to go make things right. Don't try and stop me." Biting his lip, he watched Jimmy disappear into the forest. But instead of going after him, he knew he was right. Get to the docks... From underneath his hand where he was covering the wound, blood was escaping through the cracks of his fingers.

Oh god, he was actually bleeding out.

Thankfully, the docks were in sight and a guard guided them over. "Tommy got shot! He needs some help."

"We have two helicopters for the injured. Pick someone to accompany him and a guard will take you." Techno was about to take him himself but Wilbur was bolting towards him.

"IS TOMMY OK?"

"...I don't think so."

"GIVE ME!" Taking the lanky young adult into his arms, he tore off part of his sweater sleeve to place it on top of the wound. It was soaked almost fully red in seconds.

"Wilby...?"

"Shh, I'm here Toms we're gonna get you better." His tone went back to normal yet harsh as he spoke to the others. "Come on let's go-"

"Nope, only 1 person is allowed to accompany the injured on the helicopter." A guard told them, ushering Phil and Techno off. Once at the helipad, there was one rather small one.

"WE CAN ONLY TAKE TWO MORE AFTER CALVIN!" Wait, Calvin? Was Leafy... Along with himself and Tommy, one more employee got loaded on but several with major injuries didn't have room. Wilbur's heart swelled but his top priority was his little brother. Curling up on the side while Tommy was put on a stretcher inside, he avoided taking up much room. Inside his thoughts were confirmed. Calvin appeared to be sustaining multiple bullet wounds. And across from him sat Keem. He looked absolutely heartbroken.

"I told him not to go out there... risking his life so carelessly like that."

"He risked his life?"

"Calvin he... he took a bullet for Alex... and I just wish he could've been his usual selfish prick self for once... because I'm not ready to lose him..."

***

LeafyIsHere was many things. Apathetic, cruel, evil. Protective isn't the first word you think of. But with knowledge of Calvin's true nature, it could just be the first word coming to mind. The announcement made him go right to his feet.

"Shit we gotta get to the docks!" Keem muttered. But Calvin had other plans. "GET BACK HERE THAT'S THE WRONG WAY!" Loading his gun, he turned back and smiled. "You aren't..."

"Oh but that's exactly what I want." If they were active shooters on the island... well he wasn't going to stop until every single one of them is dead. After quitting YouTube, he considered a job in death row management and execution. Call him sadistic but he liked seeing the life drain out of even more sadistic people's eyes. Outrunning Keem, he went to find any of the shooters. On his travels through the dirty grounds, he found Alex who was screaming for Jimmy.

"CALVIN I CAN'T FIND HIM! HE JUST RAN OFF SAYING THIS IS HIS PROBLEM TO DEAL WITH!"

"Well, he's partially right... It's not just his problem, it's all of our problems. Why not you help me take some responsibility?" Handing him another gun he snagged, Alex paled in fear.

"I... no we can't-"

"What else do you want us to do? Let them just run wild? The more we kill, the less of a chance they'll hurt your Jimmy."

"But still... killing people! They have lives and families I couldn't-"

"You've seen death too many times. What's a few more times gonna do?" With a purple glint in his eyes, Alex realized Calvin was so far gone. Even if he didn't join in, he was going to murder every single shooter on this island until their souls didn't dare take a breath. His friend, his mentor, his Leafy was choked out of his body a long time ago. 

"...I hate you, Calvin." 

"Love you too!" A gunshot rang and something fell to the ground.

"...I can't deny that you're a good marksman..."

"Aw, you're too kind." Conflicting words followed Calvin as he took down an army nearly single-handedly. 

Was he the hero who brandished silver bows in his quest to save his friends? Or was he the villain who brought whispers of death in the clear air to the innocent? Either way, Calvin didn't care. Heroes felt something. Villains felt something. Calvin Lee Vail felt nothing, a sickness of nothing that no vaccine could kill. He's felt empty for so long and every extreme only pushed the limits of his oh-so deadly apathy. When was the last time he felt? ...Maybe when he stopped contact with Quackity. Guilt upon realizing he cheated him of what he deserved and joy once seeing the fruit of his labors on his own channel. But why? Why just some kid who had a knack for editing? Maybe it was similar to how Keem treated him.

Calvin never really understood Twitter and was confused when ToxicTwitter was created. It was a sub-group kinda like all the Minecraft YouTubers have and dedicated to the "family dynamic" Keem created after calling him his son on a live stream (he guessed it was called Toxic Twitter because both of them were rather toxic). He tried bullying the stans off of the platform but they stood defiant. They really didn't have a life huh? Well despite what Twitter said, he still loved what he and Keem had. 

And Alex deserved a Keem in his life.

"Hey uh... after all this wanna catch up over some coffee or something I dunno..."

"Calvin, you've just shot 5 men are you sure this is the conversation topic you wanna use?"

"I've never done something like this so excuse me for being awkward!" He almost yelled, dragging the excuse me out. Alex only chuckled in response.

"Sure, if you're not in jail by then. You know I could get used to this more affectionate side of you-" Teasing ensued which only angered him a bit more.

"Shut the fuck up I'm just trying to be nice I could just ghost you again."

"Sure you could-" Calvin heard rustling in the trees and he covered Alex's mouth, fear in his eyes. Taking a step away, he examined for anyone looking to attack them. 

A gunshot rang... one simple, ear-piercing sound that changed the course of his now short-lived life. Alex's breath hitched at the sound, reaction time unable to process what just occurred. It took about 10 seconds before logical reasoning could breakthrough and answer the questions that had just fallen into his arm.

Calvin Lee Vail had just taken a bullet for him.

The shooter that attacked him was gone, so he immediately picked up Calvin, careful around the wound, and began his race back to the docks.

You could've prevented this-

It's your fault-

"You know... this is a curious situation I'm in." His breath was short and forced and Calvin rolled his eyes. "Can't my lungs shut down any faster?"

"WHAT THE HELL!"

"It'd make more people happy wouldn't it?"

"It wouldn't make me or Keem happy! You need to be in a psychiatric ward, not a casket!" The scarily light man chuckled.

"Save your own breath won't you? We still have a distance to go."

"Please don't give up on yourself..."

"Alex I gave up on everything a long time ago..."

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

I•dyll - Noun - An extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque episode or scene, typically an idealized or unsustainable one.

Used in a sentence: "Jimmy's Idyll shattered at the arrival of the hitmen."

Most days, he could consider YouTube an idyll. Accidents may happen but most of the world saw YouTuber's as an easy, cash grab job. Sure you have to have a few certain skills but it was like the cheat method of being a celebrity right? Jimmy hoped that if anyone took away from anything today, it's that a YouTuber and a celebrity are one and the same. Like movie stars and musicians and stuff, they have a target on their backs. Maybe the closest thing to this was the Christina Grimmie assassination from 2016 but even she was transitioning from her YouTuber origins with appearances on The Voice and what not.

Being a YouTuber was a difficult job, and Jimmy was probably the one who knew that more than anyone else in the world. This was even a wake-up call for him to. The kidnapping wasn't a flux in the cycle of life, it was just a preview of what the evils of this world could do to them. Everything started to align as chaos going on around him. Bhushan wasn't lying. He was one of his enemies but... he looked out for him. Or did he provoke this? Either way, if he just listened then maybe no one would have to learn this lesson. Learning is about growing as a person... but you can't change when you're dead. So Jimmy counted his losses. This was a censure of ignorance and paranoia. And on his status, on his God, and on his life, he was going to be the only one to take the fall for his mistakes.

"JIMMY WE HAVE TO GO!" His eyes were dull, seeing right through his friend as he watched the monitor in something similar to acceptance. 

"Felix I... Please evacuate everyone to the boats. Thank you for dealing with my selfishness until now. And... I'm sorry." Jimmy had been keeping himself armed for most of his time on the island. So he had little preparation to do other than load it and force his gaze to avoid the comfort of Alex that would probably make him crumble and stay. 

"Jimmy where are you going?" His voice fell low... fearful even.

"I don't like to make promises I can't keep so I'll tell you the truth. I'm going out there to find the root of this shooting. And I'll probably die to. But you know what? Who cares! This was set up for failure." Hysteria strained his voice as he tried to keep a grip on his hope. "We can fix this together. You get all the competitors on the boats and off the island, and I'll get rid of whoever is leading this operation. Divide and conquer you know?"

"NO NOT DIVIDE AND CONQUER, I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO OUT THERE!"

"Felix I'm sorry but you're a weak 5'11 man and trying to stop me would not only be futile but wasting time that could be put towards saving people. So what exactly do you plan to do?"

"You know... maybe I can't do anything. But I know people who can." He pulled a walkie-talkie to his mouth. "I need a team of maybe 4 or 5 to escort Jimmy from the studio to the docks and onto a boat by ANY means necessary. He's a danger to himself!" Before Felix could take another breath, he was out the door. "HE'S RUNNING AWAY GET HERE NOW! WE'RE HEADING SOUTHBOUND... NO NOT LIKE THE FORTNITE SONG WE ACTUALLY ARE!" A mix of the height advantages and the physical training half a year on the streets did to his stamina let him outrun Felix. However just as he lost him, he could feel cold metal hit his head and he held his breath. No pain came?

"Why...-"

"Jimmy?"

"That's my name. Don't wear it out."

"Start walking."

"Right yep..." Grateful yet confused as to why he didn't just blow his brains out yet, he followed carefully to a small clearing in the island forest. Forced to his knees, one man stepped forward. Chin pulled up to make eye contact with him, Jimmy put on a weak yet defiant smile. 

"Nice to finally meet you Beast."

"Lemmie guess. Part of D-Company, want revenge on me, and by proxy my friends, because I killed Dawood."

"Oh no, I'm something much scarier. I'm Vinoth Chandar and your gonna fear me until the moment you die."

"Well, that's not that much time to fear you... I think a big bad villain such as yourself should make me fear you longer."

"Don't get cute with me." He demanded, anger rising in his tone.

"Why shouldn't I? I've already accepted that I'm probably gonna die so why not have a bit of fun with it? Unless your planning to kidnap me... actually please don't do that. I don't wanna do that again. I'll even throw a slash gen into that one, I dunno if you prefer me using tone indicators or what-" Another gun was shoved onto his skull, its frame imprinting into his skin. "...What do you even want with me?"

"I'm just another YouTuber trying to get to the top. I have a daughter who needs this empire when she's older. Your absolutely in my way."

"What channel do you even run? If I know the genre maybe I can give you tips, but killing your competition is only going to get you prison stories, or probably death row stories."

"ChuChuTV, the new reigning king of YouTube." Jimmy's blood ran ice cold. He knew that channel name from only one person. Before he could speak, he was interrupted in great timing by the last person he wanted to hear from. 

"DON'T HURT HIM, PAPA!" The gun to his head was ushered away as Harshita... well he supposed Harshita Chandar went to "protect" him. Getting up to his feet, he watched as what was honestly a bit of a joke of a battle turn into something much more complex. Harshita and Vinoth spoke in a language he didn't understand. But by the end of it, Harshita refused to back down.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BABY GIRL, YOU MONSTER, YOU FREAK I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"I didn't... I didn't know she was your daughter. She came to my house... we taught her English, we thought she was a runaway from an abusive home and we had plans to keep her safe. Me and PewDiePie... But here we are... I guess I was right to some degree." Pulling his gun out of his pocket, Vinoth couldn't bring himself to aim again. Harshita was too close. So he kept begging for her to move, to run, to do anything to not be near Jimmy. She didn't back down.

"WE COULD KILL HIM SO EASILY BOSS PLEASE-"

"NOT WHEN HARSHITA IS THAT CLOSE."

"Harshita... please turn around and close your eyes." And when he felt her face hideaway on the side of his leg, he inhaled and did what he must. A bullet for the guy behind him. A bullet for each guy to Vinoth's left and right. One bullet for Vinoth...

And one bullet for himself.

The sickly sweet taste of metal was shoved down his throat, a flavor every fiber of his being was begging for more of. He deserved it. He'd never lie. So why couldn't he just push the trigger? Pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it pull it-

🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃 🅿🆄🅻🅻 🅸🆃

 The ringing in his ears ended.

"Jimmy?" He met her dark eyes, a gaze full of confusion. "What are you doing?" And he realized that he just couldn't do this to her."

"Harshita I... I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have-" He let the pistol hit the floor before bringing her into a hug and collapsing to the ground.

W̸̖͙̒̍͛̿̔̄e̷̛̳̻͔̜͉͙̱̳͐ͅl̴͓̰̰̝̪͍̳͍͐̎͠l̴̨͕̝͚̮͎̮̿͐ ̴̲̞̩̔̏̎̎̑͊̌̊͜͝t̴̮̭̖̣͗̐͆̃̄̃͑͠͝ḩ̷͕̲̬̊̓͌͆́̈́̌̉̎͜e̷̟̼͙̭̳̰̜̮̮̫͋͊̔͒̐͝ȓ̶͈͙̻̝̣̫̣̦͗̈́̿̆̈͜ͅe̶̡̱̟͎͕̍͋ͅ'̴̥̱̼͖͓̓̊̍s̷̢̞͚͎̜͓̒̅̅͒ ̵͇̖̲̘̳̼̘̺̤̮͋̾̈́͝a̸͎͇̯̟̫̳̪̽̍͂̓̕͘̕͠ľ̴̡̢̺͉͇̼͎͙̽͒̐̏̕ẃ̵̛͇͋̌̉͋͐̈͋͝ả̷͎̟̮͔̋͂̂͜ÿ̷̼̻̰͉̘̘̤́͗͜s̸̢͉͕̟͛ ̴̧̲̜̗̞͔̌̍ͅņ̵̨͙̜̮̫̯̩͊͐̈̓ͅẽ̷̛͓͈̟͕͕͔̓̐̅̄͗͐̚͜ẍ̸̧̤̝́̒̇͋͆͜t̸̟̜̃̏͆͊̉̔͐̏̕͝ ̵̙̬̘͇̪͎̱̘͖̽̏͂͗̂̌̚̕͠t̷̨̖̫̟̖̟̋́̓͛̕͘͘ĭ̷̠̲͐͊̐̇̈́̿͘m̴̞̰̥̗̤̬̀é̴̡͔͍̲͓̫͎̀̈̈́,̸̥͋̃͒́̉̋̕͝ ̸̞̠̱̟̦͓̪̘̅͐͛̅͆̈́̊̇̃ͅr̴͇̞̘̟̝̯̘̗̤̺̅̽͋͆̉̾̓̂̈́͘ḭ̵͈͚̦͔̬̽̔̑̄̽̂g̸̦͉̜̠̯͇͈̺̅̂̆͌͌̂̈́͝͝h̷̛̝͌͒t̵͈̲̅̿́̀̂̈̕͘͠?̶̙̟̣̣̭̗͚̬͈̊̓͘͝

***

"There he is!" Felix's voice finally found a bit of joy in it and Mark Rober, who had joined Felix in on his search, swiftly turned on his heels. A small figure hunched over on the ground was there just behind a... body? The bloodied corpse made Mark recoil, taking a few steps back. Was that...? Thankfully no, Jimmy was right there, protectively holding Harshita in his arms. Jimmy looked up scared until relaxing upon realizing who had approached him. Upon closer inspection, two other bodies were visible, neither of which were people he knew. Felix took the first steps, moving cautiously.

"Hey bud... we're evacuating the area, want me to help you get Harshita out of here?" He nodded slowly.

"Don't let her see..."

"Don't let her see what?" His hand motioned to the body at the forefront, eyes ever so slightly beginning to gray. "Of course not." Picking her up carefully, Mark decided he should help Jimmy. Coming up in front of him so as to not startle him too much, he put a hand over his eyes.

"Why..."

"You shouldn't have to see it either." Guiding him away from the scene, he rubbed some stray tears away from his eyes.

"Are they going to kill me?"

"Who is?"

"The cops... I shot them... I shot her father."

"They were the ones who started the shooting right?"

"Ya but-"

"Jimmy look at me. You saved more lives than you ended."

"...I'm not sure if I can believe that."

"Someday you will, I swear on it." Keeping good pace, Mark let him sob away the shock, hiding his worries on Mark's shoulder. The rest of the walk to the dock was silent other than quiet words of comfort. Arriving at the dock, security guards were ushering the remaining YouTubers onto the boat, a few, however, going towards some helicopters on stretchers. Among the chaos, he could make out a few choice words.

"Dave breathe with me. In for 7, out for 11." A heavy British accent spoke with a calming tone.

"I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD IF YOU DON'T GET SOME BLOOD IN HIM I'LL END YOUR CAREER!" He was louder, fear hiding within anger.

"Pat him down for injuries!" The last one was closer, invasive hands now checking Jimmy. He tensed.

"Hey, he's fine! Hands off!" Pulling him away, Jimmy muttered words of thanks. Getting on the boat, he noticed it mostly consisted of the YouTubers. Many of the employees were still doing work on the island to make sure everyone was evacuated safely. All of the YouTubers were sort of packed together throughout the deck of the ship. Notably, Mark saw Alex being comforted by... Sclatt? No Schlatt. All these names were hard to keep up with. Upon noticing Jimmy, he ran up to him and engulfed him in a hug.

"Oh thank god... oh thank god you're ok. I thought I'd lose two today..."

"...What do you mean two?"

"Leafy he... they... aren't sure he'll make it." Jimmy's eyes widened.

"I... I'm so sorry..." Holding the shorter man closer, the film of guilt only bound his heart more. He knew Calvin was problematic but he also knew how much Alex looked up to him. Calvin was one of his significant mentors in the YouTube world and he spoke of how much he wanted to rekindle his friendship with him.

"Can we go somewhere quieter... it's overwhelming here."

"Ya... there's that room downstairs right?" And with reluctance, Mark watched the pair disappear inside.

"At the end of the day, it's always been them. Jimmy and Alex; the broken and suffering youth... Right?" He turned around, it was Schlatt. "As much as I love him, I don't think Alex is suited for the role of a caretaker figure. The effects of his childhood in a warzone and Hoover's suicide still linger. It's going to rub off on Jimmy if he isn't careful. But sadly the two are too reliant on each other. Alex refuses to let go because he's scared he'll lose control and history will repeat itself and Jimmy refuses to let go because he's scared he'll lose what he thinks is his only source of comfort and therapy. It's frightening is it not... to watch someone you love think you could never care as much... it's a poisonous cure... a sickening feedback loop..." It was almost as if Schlatt could read his mind.

"And yet we can't take it away from them because they'd only stumble and fall without the other." Sighing, he sat down next to the other YouTuber, his voice sounding distant.

"Exactly... I just wished they'd hear my voice... ya know?" As the boat whistled a groaning tune, its own movement beginning to take it away, Mark couldn't help but agree. They are each other's remedies, but no remedy is without its side effects.

Somewhere in a bedroom tucked away under the deck, Alex ran shaky hands through Jimmy's hair doing his best to ignore the tremors wracking his body. His voice was oh-so-soft as he sang a lullaby lowly...

"Hey there Delilah don't you worry about the distance I'm right there if you get lonely, Give this song another listen Close your eyes... listen to my voice, it's my disguise...

I'm by your side... "

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 11th, 2022

Calvin Lee Vail was dead. The trending highlight on Twitter took the whole internet by storm. To most, Leafy was an asshole, a vile scum of the Earth no one should look up to. But his sacrifice was seen to many as honorable. A seemingly less problematic content creator was still alive thanks to Leafy.

Daniel Keem couldn't stop himself from breaking down even with that in mind. The distraught man was a depressed mess in the hospital. He couldn't bring himself to believe it, lashing out at the staff. He wished he gave him a little more support; he wished he showed him the fatherly affection the young man lacked so much; he wished he could say he was proud of him one more time. But hey! Calvin proved he was a good person by saving someone else's life! All's well that ends well... right?

Ian Carter was confused, if anything. He always believed Leafy made low-effort content to simply bully children. He's gotten better, but he never understood his appeal. Just some edgelord who caused chaos everywhere he went. Of course, he never believed he deserved death despite how much he joked about it in private group chats in the dead of night, but his conscience felt so guilty. He never apologized for the Content Cop, even with Calvin insisting he didn't care. And he said some downright nasty shit behind his back he should've come clean about. But hey! Ian could now shove those things into the depths of his mind and never confront them again! All's well that ends well... right?

Ethan Klein was angry, however. He shouldn't be so emotionally affected by Calvin's passing. The man created a ripple effect that led to his downfall. H3H3Productions is now a shell of its former self, all thanks to Leafy and his spite. He laughed when his channel got taken down, and somewhere deep in his brain; he wanted the man dead. And he got his wish. He should be happy, but here he is, lying in his bed hoping it was all some sort of sick joke. But hey! At least now he doesn't have to worry about Calvin coming after his reputation again! All's well that ends well... right?

And Alexis...? Well, Alexis was still in shock. His life flashed before his eyes, he should've been a dead man walking, and yet... His YouTube hero, the man who acted as a huge inspiration and teacher for his editing and creative endeavors who he assumed only respected him but never liked him all that much actually took the bullet for him. Alex couldn't help but wonder if anyone else would do that for him. Jimmy would, but Jimmy would do that for just about anyone. Even his closest friends like Schlatt probably wouldn't. Why Calvin though...? Why Calvin fucking Vail of all people? The question would most likely haunt him forever. But hey! At least he'd be able to look after Jimmy now and keep him from doing something... self-destructive...

"Alex...?" Speak of the devil.

"Hey, how'd it go with the cops?"

"Ok... they said we can go now."

"That's great! ...Still, what's the somber look for?"

"I- ...I still feel so guilty. Sure he wasn't a great man but Harshita's father is dead because of me-"

"Jimmy I'm gonna stop you right there. It's ok to feel guilty. But I need you to try to remember that what you did was self-defense. Those men would've hurt so many more people if you didn't intervene. You don't have to see yourself as a hero as some do but... I don't want you thinking you're a villain either. Can you try keeping that in mind for me?"

"Ya... I'll try..."

"Good! Well, do you wanna stop by the hospital? I know Dave is awake and I heard Tommy's surgery went successfully."

"Mhm!"

"Alright. But we are stopping for some food first we've been here for like 6 hours." Alex's voice fell a tad quieter. "I suppose all's well that ends well right?"

"...I suppose." Jimmy was lying through his teeth... "Ya know... they told me something interesting."

"Mhm?"

"Vinoth, the guy I told you is Harshita's dad right... my bullet didn't kill him."

"Oh?"

"Someone came after the yachts left... whoever they are brutally tortured him. Slowly breaking his limbs and tearing him apart piece by piece until he died of blood loss. And then they kept going. The pictures almost made me throw up."

"They showed you pictures?"

"I know right, graphic as hell. Another reason to not trust the cops."

"...The fuck are you, ACAB?"

"Huh no? Dude for the longest time I thought that meant like an actual cab. Like a taxi ya? It only took Reed seeing a tweet about that in my drafts to tell me if I tweet that to consider my career dead for two weeks. Good times...! No, I just... I dunno man they've never been able to help that much. They barely did jackshit when it came to the kidnapping and... today's been too heavy I don't really wanna talk about it I'm sorry-"

"Hey your fine, let's just get going..." Jimmy didn't decide to mention it until they got to a car. Staff on the mainland got Jimmy's car to the police station for them before they even arrived. But... he could tell something was wrong.

"How about I drive... you look like you're on the verge of tears Alex."

"...It's just that... um... I didn't wanna tell you till later but-"

"Just spit it out, I don't really like people hiding things from me. It makes me feel worse in fact."

"...He's dead." Jimmy went pale.

"...Who's dead...?"

"Calvin... he died of blood loss before they got back to the hospital. Tommy did too but he was saveable. They were able to basically revive him."

"God I'm sorry man..." Alex didn't answer.

***

Upon arrival, Keem was being dragged out of the hospital by two rather buff men. "He punched one of the employees, knocked two teeth out. He'll be ok but he can't be inside until he calms down. I assume you know Daniel?"

"We do." Jimmy filled in, Alex keeping his eyes fixated on the ground. 

"Very well, we can take you up to whoever you want to see."

"I'll just visit Tommy. Alex do you wanna... say goodbye?" All he could do was nod. "He'll go see Calvin." The pair followed the security to an elevator and he could hear a few stray sniffles. The hospital rooms were next to each other.

"You'll be the last visitors before we move them. Tommy's going to the recovery wing and Calvin to the morgue. Please, try to make it quick, we need these rooms very soon."

***

Alex found Calvin's room to be rather warm. Despite that, his skin was cold to the touch. He grabbed his hand, rubbing fingers slowly around the wrist desperate for a pulse. Then he went for the inside of the elbow, the sides of his neck, anything to prove himself and this entire fucking hospital wrong.

"...Calvin, you're a bastard... you can't do this to me. Is this the reason they call you the most toxic creator on the platform?" He joked with himself to distract from the tears trickling down his cheeks. Alex's hand recoiled from Calvin. He always had trouble feeling the dead. They were too cold like he'd get hypothermia if he kept with it. 

"You filthy liar... you promised me we'd get coffee."

"We never could, you'd make fun of me wanting pumpkin spice." He looked over the bed again in panic. Did he hear that right-

"I'd never Cal... Ok maybe I would a little but maybe I'd get one too." Alex waited again. For some sort of response, staring Calvin down with pleading eyes. But he never answered.

"If you don't say anything I'll make it bitter and black." 

...

"Say something goddamnit! I'll record myself saying slurs and post it to Twitter dot com if you don't respond! I know you don't wanna see my career go down the gutter!"

...

"I'm talking to a corpse I'm talking to a fucking corpse goddamn pull yourself together." He hit the ground. He buried his head in his knees. He could hear his voice ringing in his head yet he wasn't saying a single thing-

"Hey mate, we were told to come to check on you." Alex looked up, seeing Phil going down to his level. 

"...I hear his voice, Phil... He's a corpse, Phil! Fuckin' retarded ain't it? I should be able to remember he's dead..."

"When my mum died Alex, I could still hear her voice clearly. For a little bit, it might even seem invasive but in the future, it should die down. But you'll never truly forget it, and that's something that means a lot. If you can still hear them, that means they still live on in your heart... Come on let's get something to eat ya? I'm sure all that waiting at the police station made you hungry."

***

Jimmy found Tommy's room to be rather cold. Despite that, the atmosphere Tommy brought with it was still warm and cheery. He was wide awake, Techno and Wilbur on either side of him and doing little braids in slightly greasy blond hair. 

"Yooo big J! Glad to see you're doing alright!"

"Hey, Toms, are you feeling better?" The answer seemed kind of obvious due to his mannerisms but Tommy didn't seem to mind.

"Ya! I almost died, I think I saw something it was kinda hazy but it looked like... like some sorta big factory but I never reached it before being dragged back. Defo didn't make me believe in god or somethin' like it does for some people. But hey! Big man lived! Got they protag blood in they veins!" A factory in the afterlife... That sounded kind of familiar, in some distant, weirdly out of touch way.S̶̗̲̺̲̖͑͌͜o̸̢̡͓͉̓̾̎m̶̞̅͠e̵̮̺̭͛̔t̸̼̬͇̩̭͉̩͙͌h̶͔̞̗̻̪̔̈̔̒̾ͅi̵̧̢̺̫̫̰̝̻͛ǹ̷̡͈͍̝̯̫̙͌̉͑͌̔̓̒̚ͅg̸͚̩̝̎̾͋̍̃̄ ̶̢̢̢̞̪̖̮͕̤̌̿̾͆̕͝ḵ̷̢̘͎͍̹̞͇̌̾͊̍̈́͊̕̕͠i̶͓͎̮̼̜̥͆͆͗͛ń̷͕̬͚̖͙̦̩̭̣̂̐̚d̵̲̠̩̲͇̗͈̮̭͛͊̔̀̏͘ ̸̨̧̫̭͊ǫ̵̤̦̫̜͚̻̘̈̋̋̏̊̈́͠f̴̢̡̨̡̠̣̦̬̝̥̈́̅̅̍̕ ̸̟̅̉̍͐͝l̶̼͖̦̝̳̫̜̩̮͉͌͒̿̾͊̓̇i̴͉͍̅̽̽̏̇͊̓͠͠ķ̸̧̛̮͍̟̘̮͉͆̂̃̈́̉̐̆̇ͅë̷̥͉̩͙̞͕͖͖͍̤̑̈́̾͂-̴̛̖̀̆̔̕͘

"We're just grateful he's alive." Techno filled in, giving Tommy a little nudge before returning to the braids. 

"So why is big man Innit letting them get away with braiding your hair anyways?"

"Dude these fuckin' pricks just came over here and started doin' it themselves! And I can't say no to Big Dubs or the Blade but trust me I never let em'."

"Right sure you didn't." The redhead teased.

"I really wouldn't! OH! Do you know who was behind the shooting? Gotta know who the Twitter dot com boys gotta get trending to cancel!"

"Tommy! That's a very sensitive question and he might not be able to answer that. Right, Jimmy?"

"Wil's right, I don't think I can, and even if I could it's... er... complicated..."

"...Jimmy are you ok? You seem a bit uncomfortable."

"I'm fine! It's just that... um... God, I'm sorry Tommy I shoulda been better-"

"Uh, Jimmy? Your chill man. Consider this whole thing a way to prove to my viewers the cinematic parallels between c!Tommy and me! Actually, wait no that's not a good idea. Just the dying and getting revived part nothing else-"

"No, it's not that! Though it's part of it... I have coulda been more vigilant and more proactive and maybe this could've been prevented-"

"Jimmy you've gotta get a grip." It was Wilbur this time taking the reigns, now standing up. He was once rather still, swaying side to side without changing much in position but now he was full outpacing.

"You don't understand Wilbur! I could've prevented this. It was hinted at to me I shouldn't have been so dense goddamnit!"

"Woah hey!" He was brought to a sudden halt with Jimmy grabbing him by the shoulders. "Come on breath with me. In for 7 out for 11." 26 seconds later and Jimmy was a bit less blurry in the head. 

"Did Phil teach you that one?"

"Ya he did, but let's go back a second did you say you knew about the shooting?"

"...Well, I didn't really know but someone cryptically warned me. And it was several months ago and Keem told me not to worry about it until after MCI... Still, I should've been better-"

"Who told you?"

"Bhushan Kumar."

"Bhushan Kumar...? Like the Bhushan Kumar that was allegedly part of your kidnapping?"

"Not allegedly he really was! I remember he took off my noise-canceling headphones. When I was kidnapped, their main form of torture was a mix of sensory deprivation and uncertainty. We talked for a little bit, but by the time I got to asking about his motives, he put them back on and just started touching me. Ok not like that but he never hurt me. You'd think that'd be good but he scared me the most out of any of them. All the other captors I knew just went straight to violence but with him, I didn't know what he'd do... I'm sorry I'm ranting, aren't I? It's off-topic." Wilbur looked from Jimmy back to Techno and Tommy who were trying to keep their gazes away but both looked horrified. 

"Why don't we take this outside?"

"I don't wanna fight!" He chuckled lightly.

"Not like that Jimmy."

***

Vinoth Chandar opened his eyes. Jimmy was gone. There was a gaping side wound, but unlike the other guys, he didn't get hit in a vital organ. Tearing off a large chunk of fabric off of one of the dead employee's shirts, he wrapped it around the impact spot and kept pressure on it. Hissing in pain at the thought of it, he knew standing up would be a difficult task but he had to. Before anyone else came to ship him to a hospital and by proxy a prison. 

"Hello, Mr. Chandar." The voice was neutral, nearly gave him a heart attack, and instantly recognizable. 

"Mr. Kumar... I see you escaped."

"Did you kill him?"

"No, Jimmy got away just like you did. I faked my death but I probably didn't need to. The bastard was broken up about it and nearly killed himself too. But the worst fucking part is that they took MY daughter! We'll get revenge together, get her back by any means-"

"Good."

"Huh?"

"Good, she deserves better than you."

"Excuse me?!?!"

"It's true. Maybe I don't care for her much but she's still just 9-years-old. Harshita will grow up much better with almost any other family. Especially Felix. But that's neither here nor there. You hurt my Jimmy Donaldson."

"No one laid a finger on him. He had no injuries. I did not hurt him, now can I go?"

"You told me he almost committed suicide." Vinoth visibly tensed. "Maybe you didn't hurt him, sure, I can believe that since I've always known you're a fucking pussy. But you hurt him mentally. And for that, you will pay a thousand times over." Still rather weak from the blood loss, he was easily shoved back to the ground where Bhushan pinned him down, mostly by his chest. And suddenly it all settled in at once. He wasn't gonna get out of this one with a swift bullet to the head. He wished Jimmy had just aimed a little higher.

"Hey no maybe let's back off... uh he didn't kill himself? I'll join your syndicate ya?"

"Buddy you lost that chance a long time ago. Now, what game should we play first? I can see how much pressure it takes to snap your ribcage without fully breaking it? Ooh or maybe I can pull out all of your teeth and see if we can fix em up with the sticky juice from those weird berries over there. Are they poisonous? Guess we can find out. Or should I just go to slicing and dicing you open to see what makes a monster like you tick?"

"Monster... MONSTER? You're calling ME a monster when you're about to TORTURE me to death!?!?!"

"I'd never hurt someone without good reason. And you've proven to me you have a very good reason." Vinoth zoned out. He tried to imagine his daughter but all he could see was her burying her head in Felix's chest. Harshita grabbing onto his shoulders like if she let go he'd disappear. He remembered when she used to do that with him. In the end, he'd die a shitty father, and he felt absolutely awful. Tears trickled down his face. "Anything else you'd like to say? I think that once I begin that little mouth of yours is not going to be doing much other than screaming."

"...Tell Harshita her papa loved her very much."

"I'm sorry Vinoth, but you gave up that title a long time ago."  

A knife sliced open his thoracic cavity. 

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 12th, 2022

In the many year's Reed Duchscher reigned supreme on the digital creator space, he has never had to deal with something of this scale. When he wanted to be an innovator for the internet, he never meant like this. On the 10th and the 11th, he was mostly dealing with his own injuries since he was grazed by a bullet which was surely going to leave a scar on his lower leg but he could walk with minimal pain so despite the doctor's orders he was back in business. Where to even begin with such an ordeal was a question Reed knew he had to answer but had no clue how to. Jimmy had already put out a statement much to his dismay but at least it wasn't too detailed. After giving a recount to the police, it was out to get his head around this. And he knew the only person that could help.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you called! Are you ok I was so scared you died!" Blake Robbins was on the verge of hyperventilation on the other end of the line.

"Yes, I'm fine Blake. I got a bit beat up but nothing a day of bed rest and some bandages can't fix. There is something else I really need help with though. Do you think you can fly down to Florida? We're in Miami right now."

"Of course! I'll schedule a flight right now."

"Good, we're gonna be very busy. Gotta lot of sponsors, employees, medical bills, and contestants to deal with. Are you willing to video call on the way? I'd like to discuss our next course of action and I couldn't think of anyone better to help me."

"Mhm, I can be on a flight in 4 hours."

"4 hours? Can you make it 2?"

"...3 but it'll be a shitty connection."

"Deal. I'll pay you back later." After buying a little notebook and pen, he decided his first course of action would be to talk to Jimmy. He was staying at a semi-decent Hilton hotel not too far from the hospital.

"...Disney Princess notebook, really?" Jimmy told him as he opened the door to the chilly room.

"It was the only the gift store had. Why does a hospital need a gift store! Besides. Maybe I think they're queens and I don't care about gender roles!"

"But they aren't queens... they're princesses."

"...Right. Anyways can I come in or you just gonna make me stand here?" Stepping aside, he entered the hotel room and quickly noticed that Alex was doing something on his phone, sprawled out on the king bed. His presence reminded him that he had to start getting paperwork to him about the Quackity brand being part of Night Media which only gave him even more of a headache. Nope, that's not important right now.

"Yo! What's good Reed?"

"Hello Alex, absolutely nothing."

"O-oh..."

"Literally everything is in shambles and I'm the one taking a financial and social hit for it."

"Damn... well, how can we fix it?"

"A question that's been plaguing me for the past 3 days. Now both of you, sit down let's discuss." Alex and Jimmy moved on the bed since there wasn't exactly great tablespace while Reed took the one rolling chair and pulled up to the edge of the bed frame.

"Well, what do we need to deal with?"

"Internally, the employee loss and any court cases that are going to follow. Externally, our public image and standing with key sponsors."

"Then let's prioritize." Jimmy began. "Court cases and anything involving legality comes first. Then sponsors, public image, then re-hiring. In between everything we need to make sure our staff feels safe. This was scary and we should be accepting accommodations. If our budget can allocate, I think we should try to help fund funerals and stuff like that."

"That sounds... morbid... but a good plan nonetheless. All of our legal team is going to be focused on defending our honor basically. Alex your a law student correct?"

"Yep!"

"Then I want you directly reporting to me and Blake on the progress of the legal team. Make sure they keep pushing our story; MrBeast and the entire team are victims and the attacker was an outside force."

"Wait Alex!" Jimmy exclaimed, remembering something he heard earlier.

"Mhm?"

"Felix told me something. He... he wants to adopt Harshita. She's currently in state custody while they sort this out. I know it's a lot of foreign law but do you think this is something you can also work on?"

"Ya of course! I'm glad Felix wants to. He was always the best one out of all of us when it came to taking care of her."

"Ugh, you guys know that was the legal definition of kidnapping? Our team is also getting shit for that! Jimmy next time you see a kid with no parents that isn't yours, please take it to the authorities." He loudly sighed, considering this probably isn't something he should have to explain to him.

"You know if I had a nickel for every time I randomly borrowed a child for morally good reasons, I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice."

"Borrowed children? Is that really the phrase you wanna use- WAIT IT HAPPENED TWICE!?!?"

"Heh story for when you're older Reed, I had some whacky adventures on the streets. But don't worry Parker is safe with a good family now."

"Jimmy we are literally the same age."

"Ya ya! Aren't you supposed to talk to Blake around now?"

"Oh right. I'll call him on Discord." Now on a video call, they began discussing their current plan only interrupted by Blake's rather loud chewing of a big bag of Combos. But once they ran out of relevant things to talk about, their conversation pivoted to NFT's, then criticizing big YouTuber's thumbnails, then Blake was about 20 minutes from landing. It was getting later in the day so Reed knew a lot of the plans they had were going to be put off. 

"Well, I better be off to get him before I waste any more daylight. Is this hotel sold out of twin bedrooms since it appears you two were forced to get a king?"

"Huh, we weren't forced?"

"Mhm," Jimmy added. "That's what they originally gave us and we didn't request a change."

"That's because you two act like a couple!"

"Hey, I act the same way with Chris and Chandler and Karl!" Reed raised his eyebrow. "...Uh if I say Chris pre-engagement would that sound better?"

"I suppose so. Well unlike you two, I know a thing or two about personal space."

"Oh, no trust me I do. When I was kidnapped I was like eyup maybe next time ASK before you beat me to a pulp, but they didn't listen." Jimmy stopped laughing upon realizing he was the only one doing so. 

"What have I told you about making morbid jokes about this kind of thing?"

"It's a perfectly fine coping mechanism you just don't get it! Go on and pick up Blake before he gets trapped in the airport."

"I'm goin' I'm goin'! Oh Jimmy, Alex."

"Hm?"

"Take care of yourselves, won't you?" None of them answered.

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 15th, 2022

Chris found that Katie refused to let him go the night of his return. He knew he had phone calls to make. He knew he had statements to give. But he didn't have the heart to tell her no.

"Why? You know I'm busy love."

"...I'm suddenly scared of rooms you aren't in."

"Swear to you, I'm safe now. And I'm willing to stay here as long it takes to convince you of that."

***

"Hello, my name is Reed Duchscher. I'm the manager of MrBeast and the founder of Night Media. I will be giving a statement on the behalf of Jimmy and the entire MrBeast LLC on the events of June 10th, 2022." Reed may have good social skills but for some reason he never did great on camera, attempting to hide the fidgets rising anxiety would release into his hands. Or maybe it was just the content of the video he was having to record. He was given the thumbs up to continue.

"Throughout the entire event, we had a team of 16 security guards keeping watch over the surrounding grounds during and after the competitions. They were to report any suspicious activity and on the day of June 10th, there were no reports that morning. Nor were there any reports on the prior days. None of our staff had any prior connections to the attacking party." He took a moment to breathe. The last thing he wanted to do was rush through the script.

"For those who don't know, the attacker was a man named Vinoth Chandar. Chandar was the founder of a popular children's nursery rhyme YouTube channel called ChuChuTV. He had no criminal record up until October of 2021 where his fingerprints were found at the scene of Jay Leon's murder and he fled the country along with most of his employees. Any employee recorded to work at ChuChuTV either fled with Chandar or was found dead in their headquarters. Jay Leon was the founder of CoCoMelon, another popular children's entertainment YouTuber and the company has since been acquired by Amazon after 5 months of inactivity. Since then, the FBI has described him as the YouTube Assassin. The remains of D-Company began helping them make their attacks more secretive but as the months went on kills got more and more sloppy. Assassinations confirmed to have been done by Chandar and his team include Diana of Kids Diana Show, Kim Min-Seok of Pinkfong, Cesar Morales of Badabun, German Garmendia of HolaSoyGerman, Whindersson Nunes, and Ruben Gundersen of elrubiusOMG. Typically with these assassinations, anyone who was in the same building as the main target was also killed. They were also found to be associated with several cases of breaking and entering related to Felix Kjellberg of PewDiePie and Ray William Johnson." The page was flipped over and Reed got a few moments to collect himself before continuing.

"There were 31 attackers on the island and of them, 23 survived. We had 54 employees on the island and of them 39 survived. Only one YouTuber was killed during the attack. Numbers you hear from any other source are false. Jimmy Donaldson was the one to directly confront Chandar. Contrary to many sources, he was not the one who killed Chandar. His gunshots killed the 4 guards he had protecting him, but NOT CHANDAR. The bullet missed any vital organs and before he could bleed out, he was brutally maimed by allegedly Bhushan Kumar since his fingerprints were found all over the crime scene. This is supported by testimonies from Felix Kjellberg and Mark Rober which state that they did not find his body torn apart. Bhushan Kumar managed to escape the crime scene and since cameras were not near where Jimmy and Vinoth fought, we cannot determine where he went. Bhushan Kumar allegedly has full control over D-Company, an infamous Indian mafia group that previously kidnapped, blackmailed, and tortured Jimmy Donaldson. We don't know what their next moves are but we are going to do our best to protect our talent and employees." The words were bitter on his tongue, knowing Jimmy hated people talking about D-Company but he knew he had to.

"The original million-dollar prize money, with consent from our sponsors has been put aside to use towards medical bills for our employees and talent affected by the shooting and other services for the families of those who had a loved one lost. Our hearts go out to those affected and in these unprecedented times, we ask for your patience and respect. Please do not attack those who are mourning and coming to terms with this. We thank you for your support as we attempt to navigate these unforeseen circumstances." The room fell quiet.

"And cut! That's a good take. We'll just do some minimal edits and this will be up within the hour." The cameraman told him. Quickly, he was back on his feet and leaving the recording room before being greeted by Blake.

"You look stressed, hell you looked stressed the whole time are you good man?"

"Ya just a bit anxious. I get like that on camera..."

"But you record the podcast just fine."

"That's because we're talking about things we love and I have distraction... Blake come with me back to Dallas."

"Huh?"

"There's gonna be so much work to do and I uh... I need a helping hand you know? With both Night Media and MrBeast..."

"I've known you for so long Reed, you do that thing where you wrinkle up your nose bridge when your hiding something from me. Besides, you've seemed anxious since I got here. You can talk to me."

"..."

"Reed-"

"They had the floorplans to my house."

"Wait who did?"

"Vinoth! They knew my house inside out and there was a date, September 25th, 2022. I know for a fact that I'll just be getting home from a major flight I have planned then and whoever these people are that want to hurt Jimmy so bad knows everything about us!" Blake almost flinched as he watched one of his best friends fall into hysterics. "THEY ARE GOING TO KILL ME! ...And I know I'm a grown-ass man and I shouldn't be afraid of empty rooms but Blake... I'm fucking terrified..." In the midst of his breakdown, he was met with something he didn't expect. He was pulled right into Blake's arms, rubbing circles into his back as Reed let out 2 days' worth of bottled-up fears and worries into a waterfall of tears.

"Shh... of course, I'll come back with you. I never want you to not feel safe and I'm gonna do whatever it takes. No one's hurting you on my watch." And for the first time in days, Reed smiled.

***

June 23rd, 2022

It's been a while since Felix got to wake up to some good news. Probably not since the start of the month. But finally, he got a phone call he'd been waiting for.

"One month."

"What did they say?" Marzia asked, peeking in nervously. 

"One month until our family is finally complete." Her eyes lit up.

***

They sat her down. Everywhere they've taken Harshita has felt cold and uncaring. She wanted her family back, and this time it didn't include papa.

"Look Harshita, I know things have been complicated but you have a few choices right now. Then you'll find get some stability back ok?" She nodded. The social workers had been teaching her English but she was still rather lost so a Hindi translator was her new friend for communication.

"We can get you to a new foster home, we'll look for families wanting to adopt you and we'll make sure you're happy and safe. Or in around a month, we can let you go to Felix and Marzia-"

"FELIX!"

"Harshita let me finish-"

"FELIX! I WANNA GO BACK HOME!"

"Alright alright, there are no guarantees but we're gonna do our best to let you go home with them does that sound good?" Jumping up from her seat, she gave the translator the tightest hug she could.

"I can finally go home..."

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

June 16th, 2022

For the first time that month, Jimmy woke up in his own bed with no nightmares. It was a bit loud but he would've stayed asleep if it wasn't for Alex rubbing at his shoulder slowly waking him up.

"Hey Jimmy, breakfast is almost ready and your mother and brother are here. Making rather the ruckus about seeing you."

"My mom...? Tell her I'll be there in 10 ok?"

"Of course, take all the time you need." Quietly leaving the room, Jimmy let himself adjust to the dim sunlight peeking in through the half-closed windows. Still a bit jetlagged, he forced himself to his feet. Putting on a hoodie to attempt to hide his bedhead, he looked back at the old scars, red circles becoming fainter with every passing minute. In recent days he hadn't had much time to add or think about them and he nervously remembered the conversation Felix wanted to have with him about it. Perhaps he forgot about it. They've all been rather busy after all. Heading downstairs, he was greeted with the bulk of the noise. Normally, only five people lived in the house; himself, Alex, Chandler, his girlfriend Cara Davis, and Karl. But right now they were housing Blake and Reed as they finished up some final business in North Carolina before they could go back to Dallas. At some point, Chris, Katie, and Tucker must've arrived and now his mom and CJ showed making the house rather full.

"Mornin'-" He was interrupted with his mom pulling him into one of the tightest hugs he'd received in recent memory.

"You just keep giving me gray hairs Jimmy! Don't worry me like that ever again!"

"You've known I was alive for a bit now."

"But seeing you in person is just... it's reassuring. That you're real and no one took you from me again." Again. She had to say again. She shouldn't have to. He really had worried her too much for so long. But Jimmy knew he was going to take it slow for a while. His videos might be a bit sucky but it's better than hurting people for his own selfish desire for his growth.

"Mom, give him space, besides breakfast is almost ready." CJ filled in. He was met with a glare but she let go. His older brother looked him up and down. "I'm just glad you're all home safe." When he went to go get a plate, CJ shooed him off, saying he'd have it taken care of. Breakfast was waffles and bacon. However, right as everyone sat down, Alex audibly sighed.

"I've gotta answer a call. Make sure my food doesn't get cold." Alex went outside. "Yes, Schlatt?"

"Hey Al, how you doin' man."

"I'm doing good, though if you just wanna call for small talk I don't really have the time, I've got breakfast waiting on me."

"Oh no I actually wanted to talk about something."

"Um about...?"

"...Alex we're all moving."

"Huh, who's all moving?" 

"Me and Ted and Charlie. We wanna start doing in-person podcasts and what not but we're also worried about you."

"Schlatt man that was a one-time flux. None of us knew about the shooting-"

"But it wasn't one time! What about in Disney with Dawood? D-Company was working with Vinoth to assassinate YouTubers. Alex the longer you stay with Jimmy the more you become a target and I refuse to stand idly by while you get hurt! We already bought a house about 20 minutes from where you live right now and we want you to move in with us. We'll be there by the end of the month."

"Look listen, dude... I'm happy you guys are coming to North Carolina. I'd be happy to record podcasts and visit the house to make content but I will not. I repeat, WILL NOT, be leaving Jimmy anytime soon. He needs support right now and I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure he heals."

"Ugh this is what I warned Mark Rober about, you've become too reliant on each other. Being friends is fine and all but you need other strong support systems. Both of you, not just Jimmy."

"You don't understand Schlatt. You know nothing about us. We're the only ones who understand everything."

"Ok, maybe I wasn't there for everything. But here's what I understand. I understand that Jimmy never fully recovered from the emotional trauma of his kidnapping, homelessness, and both shooting incidents. I also understand you never fully recovered from Hoover's, and I suppose now Calvin's suicide. You believe that if you move out, Jimmy's going to be next."

"Hey, that's not-"

"But that's just not going to happen. Jimmy's strong and unless if there is someone that's proactively trying to tear him down, I think he'll come back stronger and happier than ever. And so can you. I know I don't know everything, but I'm willing to learn and help. So are Ted and Charlie. I promise."

"...My answer is still no."

"Alex-"

"I need to go eat. I'll see you guys down here I suppose."

"ALEX WAIT-" He hung up and reentered the house. Meeting Jimmy's gaze, he couldn't be more grateful he said no. He looked so happy to see him.

"What was that about? Took you a hot minute."

"Nothing important Jimmy. Now come on, let's eat!"

***

And so the MrBeast crew spent the day together. Lounging at the house, the 12 of them switched between different board games, movies, and even a little wine later in the day. Even the normally stoic Reed only answered calls from lawyers and focused on relaxing. By 6 something after dinner, Chris was already needing to leave with Katie. Tucker was barely two so it made sense. Not too long after, Reed and Blake had a business call to get onto.

"Sorry, we had to cut things short..."

"Hey no, it's fine! I know it's all-important, thanks for hanging out though."

"No problem Jimmy! Have a good night guys." Then since it was getting rather late, CJ and his mom left after promising they'd visit soon. Finally, Chandler and Cara took their leave for the night, most likely to play league or watch TV upstairs. Jimmy was about to head to his downstairs room when Alex stopped him. The house was quiet. Paranoia crept into his mind but he chose to turn and face his friend.

"I uh... can I tell you what the phone call earlier was about."

"The one from this morning?"

"Ya... um, it was from Schlatt. He, Ted, and Charlie are coming to North Carolina to live in a group house and they wanted me to move in with them."

"Oh? Well, are you going to?"

"No, absolutely not."

"I thought they were in your podcast group though, you should go."

"I'll visit for content sure but I refused to move out. They were very rude about it."

"Alex it's fine. It's important for your job. I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you to stay-"

"Jimmy. Look at me." He put his hands on his shoulders. "You're not getting me out of your hair that easily. I like being here. I went through the whole immigration process for a reason. You know I love you, I'm staying because I want to. Wait shit I didn't mean it like that-"

"Hey, it's ok I know what you meant. I love you to." Pulling Alex into a tight hug, both of them got reassuring confirmation. This is where they belonged. In this house, within these walls, Jimmy Donaldson and Alex Quade finally found someone to call home.

"You're not leaving me either right?" He muttered quietly into his chest.

"Of course not. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not." Chuckling a bit, they stayed like that for just a moment. Physical presence was an overwhelming yet grounding part of friendship. "Welp I'm gonna go play World of Warcraft, want to join me?"

"Hell no, that games dogshit and you know it!"

"You just don't understand, maybe the fandom sucks but goddamnit the game is fun."

"Whatever you do you, I'm going to go play a cinematic masterpiece."

"Tetris?"

"...Maybe."

"...Alright, goodnight Alex!"

"Night Jimmy!" Feeling warm and safe, there was a slight skip in his step as he went back to his room. But before he could start up his PC, he noticed a cassette tape on his bed. 

"What the...?" He didn't know anyone in the house who'd have cassettes except maybe his mom. Taking the player next to it, he decided he might as well listen. For some reason, it wasn't working so his little Gen-Z brain had to Google how to set it up. "Hmph, thanks mystery person, now I know how to work a cassette." He pressed play. There was a bit of static on the line.

"Hello? ...Hello~ is this thing on? Jezz shoulda paid more attention when my dad taught me how to use these things. Hopefully, Jimmy knows how." This guy knew his name? Because maybe it was the glitchy noise of the cassette or something but he did not recognize him. Jimmy only grew tenser as the man finally go to his point. 

"Well hello there Jimmy! It's me, Bhushan Kumar. About time you heard my voice without being sensory deprived." He dropped the cassette immediately began panicking. He was done with this. Not again not again not again not again not again not again not again not again-

"Aw... what are you afraid of Jimmy dearest? You're a natural with a gun." How did he know how did he know how did he know how did he know how did he know-

"Well, I just wanted to sing you a song! I've been getting into American music and culture so T-Series can expand its horizons. And I've been practicing my vocals and stuff... I'm a bit nervous so sorry if I seem all scrambled up! Well, hopefully, you like it. It's a piece from Hadestown." He cleared his throat. Jimmy began shoving the cassette away but he didn't know how to stop it and even under layers of blankets on the verge of a panic attack he could still make out everything he was saying, word for word.

"Why the struggle, why the strain? Why make trouble, why make scenes? Why go against the grain...? Why swim, upstream... It ain't it ain't it ain't no use. You're bound you're bound you're bound to lose... What's done what's done what's done is done. That's the river runs... So... why get wet? Why break a sweat, why waste your precious breath? Why beat your handsome brow..." He took a pause to breathe. Jimmy needed to get this thing to shut up, he needed to go get Alex. So with reluctance, he began digging through the blankets and pillows to grab it. 

"Nothing Changes... Nothing Changes..." In the midst of his rampant search, he didn't hear anyone open the window. All he knew was that someone was behind him, covering his mouth. But it wouldn't matter if he didn't as his blood ran cold and every bit of fight in him dissipated as if he was drowning in an ice bath. His muscles didn't dare move an inch and all he knew for certain was that he didn't hear the last lyric of the stupid fucking song from the cassette. No, he heard it right in his ear.

"Nothing changes... anyhow..."

To be completed in book 3...

~~~