Archive of Our Own

There are many different views on fusion.

Bad’s relationship with it was slightly complicated but he found it to be beautiful. For him, fusion was like dancing, whether it be a more formal dance, stepping in sync to a music only they could hear, or far more casual and fun, letting emotions drive your movements and getting caught up in the euphoria and laughter of it all.

Bad loved fusion, but it wasn’t something he participated in very often. Not anymore at least.

When he was younger, Bad fused with dozens of people, friends and family mostly. Fusion had come easy for him, something he thought was a blessing at first until he discovered a downside.

Bad fused easily- very easily and sometimes fell into it without meaning to. It wasn’t always a bad thing really, there had been happy accidents or even more neutral awkward times, but there were others too. Less pleasant ones he didn’t like to think about.

And after a particular fusion that had fallen apart and ended with Bad holding his dog to his chest and trying not to cry, he decided that he should be more cautious. He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

Bad dived into research about fusions, piecing together that fusions weren’t necessarily caused by positive emotion, but could be caused by any strong emotion. It was a more difficult fix but not an impossible one, Bad just needed to learn to keep a cool head and that would be that.

Keep his emotions in check and he wouldn’t fuse so easily anymore.

He could do that. Probably.

—

Being one of the main people in charge of the Realm of MunchyMC was a fairly big deal, Bad would say. He wasn’t much of a boaster really but he wasn’t a stranger to being a little proud of his accomplishments.

It kept him busy over the years, Bad had stuck around the land and built up his reputation there, he liked it. Realms were a safe zone- people would just come back after deaths, injuries healed in no time, pain was a minor inconvenience, and no need to sleep- and because of it all, building communities wasn’t hard. They were made to bring people together- for friends to play mini games together or compete against strangers, all in good fun.

Bad loved Realms and had gotten particularly attached to MunchyMC’s lay of the land. As an admin, Bad could help manage the mini games and stop people from cheating and generally ruining the fun. His schedule was packed but it was a dream job so Bad didn’t mind.

Bad was close with the other admins and at the very least, could always return to his dog, Rat, at the end of the day, who kept him company at home. His life was good, he couldn’t think of anything he wanted to change.

He thinks, at least. It feels like there’s something missing, even if he can’t place it. A tension in his chest.

Bad hasn’t fused in… Years now? He didn’t even realize it had been that long but now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t even glowed in awhile. It didn’t feel like that big of a deal- it doesn’t at all usually- until Bad sees other people either accidentally or purposefully fusing in mini games and the tension becomes all the more clear.

His research provides answers he doesn’t want.

Apparently after a certain age, fusing at least once a month- fusion needs vary from person to person, the website says- becomes more necessary. The energy inside of everyone- the same force that allows them to fuse- needs to be used or it builds up.

Build up luckily doesn’t seem to be able to do any serious damage but… Bad’s gut twists anyways.

Emotionally volatile, general internal discomfort, either fusing too easily or finding it significantly more difficult to fuse, easily distracted, on edge for seemingly no reason- the list goes on until Bad shuts the tab and lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

This… This could be an issue. Bad hasn’t fused in years and can already check off some of the symptoms he read.

All signs seem to point to the solution being ‘Finding a partner and fusing with them to release the energy stored up’ and yet...

If Bad really wanted to, he has plenty of people he could fuse with- Callahan wouldn’t mind nor ask questions, it would be so easy to ask- Bad trusts him- but he hesitates. He hesitates despite having no reason to and he doesn’t know why. An invisible barrier between him and fusing that he doesn’t remember putting up.

It’s frustrating, but Bad keeps his cool. He has to, he doesn’t want his first time fusing in years to be messy and unintentional- that would probably ruin it for him for longer.

He’ll deal with this whole fusion business later, he’s too busy right now.

Apparently a familiar name showed up in the admin applications for the Realm. Someone Bad’s seen around MunchyMC before- Skippy? Skeppy? It’s one of the two, he’s sure of it.

Either way, Bad has an interview to conduct. Personal matters can be set aside for later.

—

Bad considers himself a patient person- he had to be to avoid accidental fusions- but this Skeppy guy is testing him in a way nobody has in years.

The application papers slip out of his hands as Bad whirls around to meet Skeppy’s eyes, “Stop saying ‘Ping Spoofing’- that’s not a thing! It’s not a problem! Stop-!”

Another frustrated scream left Bad, only muffled by his own hands brought up to his face. His eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to look at that stupid muffinhead’s smug face again-

Skeppy on the other hand, was laughing at him, openly now. Bad swore he caught smirks and stifled giggles a few times during the interview before but now Skeppy dropped whatever professionalism he had before and finally gave up the act.

He wasn’t taking a serious interview, he just- he just wasted Bad’s time to mess with him. Bad’s dealt with pranks before but not so directly and never so infuriating-

“Whoa-!” Skeppy’s laughter stopped abruptly and he seemed to scramble to step back.

The mood shifted almost instantly, Bad could feel it. His hands dropped to his sides, eyes opening to meet Skeppy’s as he carefully took deep breaths to calm down. Bad had to blink twice when he looked at him- was that… Concern?

“You uh- you good dude?” Skeppy asked awkwardly.

Bad blinked, all the previous frustration draining away as confusion replaced it. “I… Physically, yes, I’m perfectly fine. Mentally- I mean you are kinda driving me crazy so I’m not sure what you expected.” His brows furrowed. “I- don’t you mess with people like this all the time? Didn’t you mention that in the interview?”

Skeppy crossed his arms, almost defensively. “Well yeah but they don’t usually glow that brightly when I do!”

Bad’s world suddenly went crooked in a single moment, leaving him stumbling on uneven land.

Skeppy’s gaze didn’t waver, examining him carefully. “Do you have a bad temper or something? This isn’t the worst prank I’ve ever done and I’ve had little flickers of glowing from people before but you- you were like a flashlight dude-”

“It- it doesn’t matter.” Bad cut him off, words hardening. “We’re not doing this anymore- you purposefully wasted my time- get out of MunchyMC’s Realm and don’t come back. I’m banning you- go pay the fine if you want to come back.”

Luckily for Bad, Skeppy stopped bringing up the glowing and instead tried to talk him out of it, though Bad had already made up his mind.

He managed to push Skeppy into the portal leading out of the Realm and quickly banned him before he could come back. A low groan escaped him seconds later, head in his hands again and claws tapping against the side of his skull in an effort to either calm down or gather his thoughts together, Bad wasn’t sure what he wanted.

Callahan and the other admins sent him home early when they noticed how exhausted he looked. Bad didn’t have the energy to fight them on it, nor the will, and instead left through the portal and made his way home.

Bad crumbled on the couch as soon as he sat down, with Rat curling up beside him the second he did. She barked at him before he gave her some scratches behind the ear, then settled down as if she knew something was off.

“Must be nice not having to deal with fusion, huh, Rat?” Bad said conversationally. Rat didn’t respond and he sighed, scratching her head absentmindedly. “I doubt the whole ‘Glowing’ bit was a part of the prank, he seemed taken off guard by it so it must’ve actually happened and I was feeling…”

Bad trailed off, words being consumed by the empty space. “I don’t know what to do.” He admitted. “I don’t- I’m not ready to start fusing again. It’s not the right time, I don’t want to do it if I’m not feeling 100%, is that so wrong?”

Rat barked again. Bad stifled a laugh. “Wise words, Rat… I bet you’re tired of being inside all day and I could use fresh air, wanna go on a walk?”

Rat perked up at the word, clearly recognizing it. Bad took a deep breath before pushing himself off the comforts of the couch and fetching her leash and harness.

The air was crisp and brisk, freezing his breath when he breathed out but it was incredibly refreshing for the demon. The sun was getting low but it would be a while before the monsters would come out so Bad walked his dog alongside the tree front his house was built on and took deep breaths.

His tail moved back and forth slowly, calmingly. Bad let out a long breath, watching the horizon as he moved almost in lockstep with Rat.

“Okay,” he said, mostly to himself, “Okay. I got this. I’m BadBoyHalo and I got this.”

Rat barked. Bad took it as an agreement.

—

The next week and a half went smoothly, which Bad was thankful for.

It was easy to fall back into the rhythm of helping with mini games and banning cheaters as he had been doing for years now. Frustration came and went with no more glowing incidents and if any of the other admins noticed he was stressed, they didn’t mention it.

Then one day, Bad was on break and deciding what he would get for lunch in the food court when there was a tap on his shoulder. His customer service instincts kicked in and he turned around, a warm smile and honey laced words on his tongue, even if he would rather be left alone to order and eat in peace.

The second his eye catches on familiar, styled, blue hair, charcoal eyes, and a smile he knows far too well for only seeing the guy once, all politeness on his tongue drops and his eyes narrow.

“Oh.” Bad huffs. “I thought you were banned. What do you want, Skeppy?”

“I paid the fine, I’m unbanned now.” Skeppy tells him, still grinning but just for a second, he falters. Bad almost thinks he imagines it. “I wanted to talk to you! I feel like we got off on the wrong foot last time we spoke.”

“Oh really?” A chuckle escapes Bad as he rolls his eyes. “What gave you that idea? Was- was it the fact that I banned you or something else?”

Any hesitation Skeppy seemed to have before fades, confidence taking its place. “In my defense, it was pretty funny.”

“Was not.”

“C’mon, think about it.”

Bad does. It’s a mixture of the ridiculousness of how many times Skeppy managed to work the word ‘Ping spoofing’ into his sentences and how Skeppy now stares at him expectantly that earns a laugh out of him.

“Maybe.” Bad gives in at last. “It wasn’t at the time but maybe it is a little funny in hindsight.”

Skeppy straightens up at the victory. “See? Now since I did get you pretty good, I owe you. You’re on lunch break, right? Let me pay for it.”

Bad snorted. Skeppy did not. “You’re serious?”

“Why would I lie?”

“Oh I don’t know,” Bad raised an eyebrow, “Maybe because you’re well known for trolling people and you have no reason to buy me lunch?”

“I owe you!”

“Do you buy all your pranking victims lunch?”

“Nope, this is a one time offer deal.”

“Then why-”

“Just let me do something nice for you!” Skeppy groaned. “I’m being sincere this time- why are you doubting me now?”

“You aren’t telling me why.”

“Because I want to be nice.”

“But why-”

“Oh my god, take it or I’m leaving.”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

Skeppy and Bad stared each other down before Skeppy motioned for Bad to lead the way. Bad quickly made his choice and headed towards one of the stalls with Skeppy in the tow.

Neither acknowledged the weird looks they got from people given they were shouting at each other in the middle of the food court seconds before.

—

“So,” Skeppy started after taking a long sip of the soda he ordered for himself, arms propping up his head on the table, “You’re a demon, right?”

Bad nodded, chewing his food as he did. It wasn’t an uncommon question he got, not a lot of demons and angels socialized as much as he did. Seeing a demon like him out in public had gotten him curious looks before, but rarely anything bad. Usually people were just nervous to bother him but quickly warmed up once they realized how friendly he was.

Skeppy opened his mouth but Bad beat him to it. “No, I can’t swim in lava. I do do pretty well in the heat though.” Bad chuckled at the way Skeppy looked at him.

“...Get that question a lot or something?”

“Mmhmm.” Bad hummed. “I think some demons can but not me. What about you, are you human?”

“Half. Half geode.” Skeppy tells him. “My body grow gems when I’m stressed, usually on my arms.”

Bad makes a noise of interest but they lapse into silence. Bad focuses on eating while Skeppy seems to find his cup incredibly interesting.

Icebreakers- come on, what icebreakers do I usually say? Bad wracks his brain for an answer and comes up with none. There’s only one question he can think of, even if he’s doubtful he’ll get an answer. “Why did you want to buy me lunch so badly?”

Skeppy huffs. Bad almost thinks he’s not gonna answer until his mouth opens again. “Apparently a few of my friends know of you and were very surprised when I mentioned the story of how I got you and uh…” Skeppy pauses awkwardly and continues. “So anyways, they said for you to become like, genuinely mad, it must’ve been pretty bad and apparently you’re a sweet dude so I felt bad.”

Bad blinked. “You didn’t have to do this, it wasn’t that bad. I can handle a little trolling.”

“Yeah but-!” Skeppy gestured wildly, not wanting to say it.

They danced around it like it was broken glass on a dance floor, though neither wanted to clean it up. At least, until Bad decided to just bite the bullet and say it outright.

A sigh escaped him. “Skeppy, it’s not your fault I glowed. I was just having a rough week, it piles up.”

Skeppy grimaced. “Must’ve been a really bad week, I was kinda nervous we were gonna accidentally fuse- and me getting so nervous about it didn’t help our odds of avoiding it.”

“Yeah, well, don’t worry about it.” Bad gave him a reassuring smile. “I can handle myself, it was no big deal.”

Bad finished the rest of his meal, feeling refreshed. He glanced over and noticed a look in Skeppy’s eye. He didn’t know him terribly well but it looked like the cogs in his mind were spinning until he grinned.

“Admins sometimes play mini games as a way to check for cheaters, right? An undercover sorta thing?”

Bad raised a brow at that. “Yes, why?” Then it hit him. Skeppy only grinned wider and Bad-

Well. It didn’t sound like a terrible idea.

“Only if we play Wool Wars.”

“Deal.”

—

It was a terrible idea.

“Oh my goodness- SKEPPY!”

Skeppy only cackled in response, winning yet another game.

“That- that was cheating!”

“There’s nothing in the rules about verbal distractions. You just played right into my hands.”

“I want a rematch!”

“What, getting beat 5-0 isn’t enough for you?”

“You keep being memey, it’s not fair!”

“It is fair, you just hate to lose!”

“Shut up and accept the rematch already!”

Skeppy did. Luckily for Bad, his own cockiness of winning five games in a row was his undoing and Bad knew his tricks now. He fought his way and earned a tie of 6-6 before they called their little 1v1 games off.

When they joined a bigger game, Skeppy spent the whole time targeting Bad and giving his best items to other people in order to keep Bad from winning. Technically nothing in the rule book said any of that was out of question so Bad couldn’t do a thing about it other than glare daggers at Skeppy when he was teleported to the spectator’s box when he was tagged out. Skeppy only smirked at him in response, which immediately got him eliminated as another player snuck up on him and knocked him off the edge.

Then it was Bad’s turn to laugh.

Absolutely terrible idea. No fun at all.

...Well, maybe Bad was enjoying himself quite a bit but he wasn’t going to give Skeppy the satisfaction of knowing that.

Unless he asked nicely that is. Then maybe he would mention it was kinda fun- in passing of course.

Yeah. Terrible idea.

—

At the end of that day, Bad waved Skeppy off as they split in different directions after leaving the portal thinking that might be the last he saw of him.

But it wasn’t, Skeppy kept visiting. Sometimes wanting to play games, sometimes pulling a few pranks, and sometimes he just wanted to talk.

Bad welcomed the company, Skeppy was pretty fun to be around after all. He had high energy some of the time and could be surprisingly chill and soothing others. He could be infuriating but he was kind- generous. He liked giving gifts and he wasn’t afraid to show it, once buying an absurd amount of pizza and watching it all be delivered to their table as Bad slowly lost his mind at the amount.

(They ended up spending most of that day handing out free pizza to people. Skeppy could not stop laughing and if Bad snorted a few times to himself, that was for him to know.)

Skeppy was good company and each day, Bad got to know him a little more.

Acquaintances to friends to good friends.

It got to the point where when Skeppy had gotten sick, Bad found that his usual admin duties seemed duller than usual without a partner around.

And from what he could tell, Skeppy liked being around him too.

—

One thing Bad noted about Skeppy is that while his fusions were controlled, he glowed easily.

Usually it wasn’t bright enough to worry about accidental fusions but it still caught Bad off guard whenever he saw it.

The first time it happened had been the Pizza Incident, now that Bad thought about it. About half of the pizzas had arrived with more still coming. When Bad nearly sobbed into one of the boxes at how they were all thin crust, Skeppy had laughed so hard that a bright blue glow suddenly emitted from his chest.

Bad yelped and with his first instincts being to back away to avoid accidental fusions, he promptly fell out of his chair, only making Skeppy snort loudly.

The glow faded once he calmed down and Bad was finally able to put his head on straight, slipping back into his chair and trying not to look too embarrassed. Luckily, him falling out of the chair was quickly forgotten.

Unluckily, it was because more pizzas arrived.

Bad wasn’t sure if the glowing had been a one time thing or not until he noticed that Skeppy did it quite a bit, usually due to making himself laugh so hard that he had to stop to breathe. Skeppy never seemed to address it, leaving Bad wondering if he even realized he was glowing or not.

It took some getting used to- Bad still wasn’t used to it sometimes- but he started to quelle his instincts to run when seeing him glow and Bad had to say, he was making progress.

Skeppy fusing however? Bad didn’t think he would ever get used to that.

Truthfully, he hadn't seen it happen very often but he dropped his jaw when he saw it for the first time.

About two weeks into their friendship, Bad learned that not only was Skeppy an admin on another Realm known as InvadedLands, but he was just as high of a rank as Bad was on MunchyMC.

Shortly after learning this, Bad scheduled time off and showed up in InvadedLands when he knew Skeppy would be there. Skeppy had been surprised to see him then but happily gave him a tour as he poked around for cheaters. It had been a fun day and after it, they agreed to split their time between the two Realms.

Then, a week after that, Bad arrived in the Realm and knew something was off the second he stepped through the portal.

Everyone was waiting in the lobby rather than out playing mini games, which was odd. Not to mention, he tried to contact Skeppy but got no reply.

Luckily, InvadedLands had a way of being able to find your friends on the Realm no matter where they were, as long as you registered each other as friends. They had been registered their first day on that Realm so Bad easily was able to set his compass for Skeppy and get moving.

Bad followed the trail to Skeppy and only got more nervous when he did. While most of the other admins seemed to be focused on fixing something on the surface level, Bad was led deeper in the Realm until he realized where he was going.

The Core. Skeppy, for whatever reason, was in the Core of the Realm, the very power that allowed it to work as it did.

And from his own experience in working in a Realm, Bad knew that could mean nothing good.

As Bad started to get dangerously close to where the Core should be located, he heard two things. The first was giggling, though Bad knew it wasn’t from Skeppy. It sounded distorted- wrong- and every hair on Bad stood up on its end. The second was softer, but unmistakable. Skeppy was cursing under his breath with wicked fast typing accompanying it.

Definitely nothing good.

Carefully, Bad rounded the corner of the tunnel to find Skeppy hiding inside a small cave, communicator in hand. Other than the opening that Bad had entered through, there was one other that lead deeper, which had a bright, white light emitting from it. The Core was beyond that tunnel, Bad had no doubt about it.

Skeppy’s head bobbed up upon seeing someone enter but clearly he hadn’t been expecting Bad. Confusion laced his eyes at first before fear took over and he slipped his communicator back into his pocket to march over.

“Bad?” Skeppy hissed, keeping his voice down and seeming far more on edge than Bad had ever seen him. “What- what are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you!” Bad made sure to talk in a hushed tone as well. Whatever was happening, he didn’t want to screw it up. “What’s going on with InvadedLands? Why are you down here with the Core?”

Skeppy winced at the mention of the Core, glancing towards the entrance into the other room and back. “It’s- it’s complicated, okay? A hacker got in.”

“Into the Core?” Bad covered his mouth. “Oh my goodness, this- this is bad.”

“It’s worse, actually.” Skeppy told him gravely. “Not just a hacker. It’s a fused hacker.”

“A fused hacker got into the Core?” Bad tried desperately not to shout but it was difficult to keep his voice down with news like that. “Skeppy- you have to evacuate!”

“All they’ve been doing is banning people left and right.” Skeppy assured him, though stress was evident on his face. “I’ve got a plan to stop them, I just need-”

Footsteps caught both of their attention, and Skeppy stopped. He stared intently in the direction that Bad had come and when someone with brown hair and a green scarf that covered up the bottom half of their face entered the room, Skeppy’s face was filled with relief and rushed towards them.

“Mega! Oh thank god. What took you so long? I told you it was important!”

Mega, Bad noticed, was several inches shorter than Skeppy and looked fairly young too. Despite both of these facts, he seemed unimpressed at best and after a few moments, holographic text popped up in front of him, answering Skeppy’s question.

‘I was busy.’ The text read. ‘What do you want.’

“I need your help.”

‘With the hacker? Thought you said you could handle it.’

“I thought I could but they’re a fusion, Mega. A pretty powerful one too.”

Mega paused for a long moment, glancing between Skeppy and the Core room and back.

‘Can’t be that bad. Watch me.’ Mega said, then promptly walked over into the other room as Bad and Skeppy held their breath.

The giggling dissolved into maniacal laughter and although Bad couldn’t see what was happening and had no desire to enter the room, something happened as loud noises of something hitting what Bad assumed were the walls followed. Mega retreated back to where Bad and Skeppy were hiding seconds later, thankfully unharmed.

‘What the FUCK.’ Mega said, eyes burning with anger. ‘Why the fuck do they have so many KNIVES.’

“See my problem?” Skeppy's voice raised an octave, gesturing wildly from where Mega came from. “It’s not something I can take care of alone!”

‘Whatever you’re planning, I’m in. Nobody throws knives at me and gets away with it.’ Mega’s determination was almost palpable. Skeppy grinned, stepping forward.

“Great, fuse with me.”

Mega stopped, glancing at Bad for a moment and back. Bad realized faintly that that was the first time that Mega acknowledged him directly. ‘Why did you get me? Why not fuse with him?’

Bad tried not to choke but luckily, Skeppy waved off the idea before he had to. “Listen Mega, there’s only one person I know of who can beat that hacker and I think we both know it’s Double Trouble.”

Bad felt his interest peak, glancing between the two of them excitedly. Skeppy held out his hand, still grinning just as brightly as before. Mega held his gaze for a moment before taking it.

Skeppy’s body was consumed by a bright blue glow in seconds. Mega’s glowing came a bit slower but soon enough, he was encased in a green light before the two lights mixed and Bad was forced to avert his eyes as the fusion formed in front of him.

When Bad was able to look back, he temporarily forgot how to breathe.

Bad had seen a lot of fusions over the years and experienced a fair share as well. All were unique in their own ways but none of them were quite like Double Trouble.

They stood up slowly, at least seven feet tall with dark teal gems covering the back of their hands and on various places of their body. Their body was lean and angular- Bad had no doubt that this was a quick fusion- and had a long, deep teal scarf wrapped around their neck. They wore a long coat that fluttered slightly in the slight gust of wind the fusion had created upon forming, but the most notable part of them was their face.

Or rather, faces.

The fusion has two faces, one with eyes and no mouth and the other being a mouth with no eyes.

As the fusion took a minute to slowly gain control, Bad found he could do nothing but stare. And as soon as the fusion processed their surroundings, the fusion stared back.

The first face- the one with the mouth- grinned toothily at him, revealing a set of sharp teeth.

“BadBoyHalo!” The mouth laughs, throwing their head back. The eyes don’t seem to appreciate it but say nothing. “Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you!”

Something about their voice is almost like Skeppy’s, but not quite. It sounds like it’s coming through a radio with a struggling signal, almost static-y, and is a bit lower than Skeppy’s. Despite the fact that this would normally be unsettling, Bad can’t find it in him to feel this way.

Because despite the fact that everything about the fusion is fundamentally terrifying, Bad doesn’t feel fear. He feels safe, like he knows the fusion is friendly because they’re half Skeppy. And if nothing else, Bad can trust Skeppy.

“Uh, nice to meet you too!” Bad finally manages to say, sticking out a hand. The fusion takes it, shaking eagerly. “I think Skeppy mentioned your name but could you reintroduce yourself?”

“Oh! Of course!” The mouth said giddily.

Then a second voice came, a deeper voice that seemingly spoke in Bad’s head. “We are Double Trouble.”

“I’m Double.” The mouth told him. “Eyes is Trouble. We’re a team.”

Bad opened his mouth to say something but all he could manage to say was, “Huh.”

Double laughed at that. “We have that effect on people.”

“You have that effect on people.” Trouble countered.

When it came to fusions, there were two main types when it came down to personality. There was a technical term for them but whatever it was, Bad had forgotten it a long time ago in favor of his own nickname.

‘I’ Personalities Vs. ‘We’ Personalities.

‘I’ Personalities meant the fusion had one main personality that was generally a mixture of the two people they were made of. They were a fusion but they spoke about themselves in the first person, saying things like, ‘I am so happy to see you’ and so on.

‘We’ Personalities, however, were more like two people piloting a ship. They each took enhanced personalities from one of the people apart of the fusion and worked together. Although they were one and couldn’t split without taking the fusion down with them, they were somewhat separated and spoke more like, ‘We are so happy to see you’ instead. Not a singular person, but two working in sync to control the same body.

Truthfully, Bad wasn’t sure why some fusions were different than others but it didn’t seem to matter. Because no matter whether or not they were ‘I’ or ‘We’ or whatever else, the fusions were still held by the same rule: Maintain the fusion and it won’t fall apart. There were no upsides or downsides, that was just the way the fusion was.

Double Trouble stretched, cracking their knuckles before turning their sights to where the Core was.

“Well, we would love to talk to you more, BadBoyHalo- all of Skeppy’s memories of you are delightful!- but we got a job to do.” Trouble told him, putting one arm on their hip cockily.

“We have a hacker to take care of.” Trouble said as they made their way over to the entrance. “It won’t take long. We are very strong.”

Bad watched in amazement as Double Trouble ducked into the Core room and all hell broke loose.

Truthfully, Bad had only worked up the nerve to watch the last part of the fight, still unsettled by the laughter of the other fusion. He stepped out into the room and felt his breath get stolen for the second time that day.

The Core room was a tunnel that seemingly started at the top of the Realm and went all the way to the bottom of it, though Bad couldn’t see where it ended. There was a platform with a round middle that low and behold, held the buzzing, white energy that was the Core.

Double Trouble and the other fusion were fighting hand to hand near the Core but by the looks of it, the other fusion had been losing most of the fight and was looking a little worse for wear.

The gemstones around Double Trouble’s had grown over their hands and gave them more of a claw-esk appearance. Said clawed hands were being used as a weapon against the other fusion. The other fusion seemingly had the ability to summon knives but they were swatted out of their hands before they could use them, rendering it useless. Even when they managed to land a hit with their knives, the gemstones around Double Trouble’s body were too tough to cut through.

The other fusion managed to lash out, landing a heavy hit on Double Trouble and sent them flying. Bad nearly had a heart attack but Double Trouble twisted in air, using their claws to dig into the side of the tunnel and keep them from falling. They then launched themselves back towards the other fusion and drove their gem-claws into them. The force was enough to cause the fusion to split forcibly, a loud booming sound following.

The sound rippled in the air, sweeping the area. For Double Trouble, it was easy to withstand as the two components of the fusion dropped to the platform, utterly exhausted and most likely unconscious. It was simply a gust of wind for them, nothing more.

But for Bad, a non-fusion, it shook him and sent him stumbling. It might’ve been fine had he been in the cave, but Bad was watching from the edge of the platform for the last bit of the fight, and when one foot slipped off, well...

It was enough to take the rest of him down with it. One second, Bad realized he slipped and the next thing he knew, he was free falling through the air.

Bad gasped shakily as he fell, seeing Double Trouble rush to the edge but then- then Double called his name and suddenly, they sounded a lot less like Double and a lot more like Skeppy.

Which shouldn’t have been happening unless the fusion was splitting.

Oh, Bad realized with a panicked jolt, Double Trouble is the only one who can help and I just might be their undoing.

Bad squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think about hitting the bottom.

If there is even a bottom.

Bad wasn’t sure what was worse.

A long arm wrapped around him and pulled him close to their chest. Something dug into the side of the tunnel walls, slowing the fall down to a slow stop. Bad gasped, eyes flying open and arms subconsciously wrapping around the body that held him.

Double Trouble peered down at Bad, expression almost unreadable but Bad could see the concern in their eyes.

“You okay?” Trouble asked. Bad gave a shaken nod but a nod nonetheless. It seemed to be enough because seconds later, the fusion shot forward, heading towards the platform.

Even when they touched down on the platform and scooped up the pair of exhausted hackers, Double Trouble didn’t release Bad until they were in the cave again. Bad crumbled to the floor, relieved to feel the ground beneath his feet, ragged breaths escaping him.

A bright light filled the air and since the fusion was broken up purposefully, only a small gust of air was formed from it. It happened so fast that Bad hardly even had time to comprehend it before a thin set of arms wrapped around him and squeezed.

“Bad! Are you okay?” Skeppy asked immediately, not letting go. His arms were shaking- either from exhaustion, fear, or a mix of the two. “Holy shit- I thought I lost you, I- fuck.”

Bad didn’t have the heart nor energy to mutter a ‘Language’ and instead hugged back, resting his head on Skeppy’s shoulder.

Behind Skeppy, Mega rubbed his eyes and stumbled a little when he tried to walk before eventually taking a seat on the ground to rest. Bad didn’t blame him, fusion- especially in combat- could be taxing on the body once you came out of it. He imagined both of them would sleep like rocks when they crashed.

“I’m- I’m okay, Skeppy.” Bad assured him once he caught his breath. Skeppy pulled away but even sitting there, seemed to wobble. Bad put an arm on his shoulder to steady him. “That- that was amazing, Skeppy! Double Trouble was a force to be reckoned with!”

Skeppy’s face seemed to light up at the praise. “Of course, this is me we’re talking about. I form great fusions.”

Behind him, Bad noted Mega rolling his eyes but didn’t seem bothered enough to argue, or perhaps he didn’t completely disagree.

Bad returned his focus back to Skeppy, swallowing before silently thanking him for catching him. Skeppy assured him it was no big deal but the relief in his eyes from seeing Bad in one piece still lingered in his eyes.

Bad’s eyes wandered, checking over Skeppy for any injuries that might’ve carried over from the fusion. His eyes stopped at Skeppy’s left arm, blinking in surprise.

Skeppy followed his gaze, then grimaced. A few bright blue gemstones had formed, which made Skeppy groan. “Ignore that, they’ll go away soon enough.”

(Skeppy had once mentioned to Bad that the gemstones usually only grew when Skeppy was feeling highly stressed.

He decided not to comment this fact out loud, having a good feeling why he was so stressed in the first place.)

Soon enough, another admin, Zelk, and a few others that Bad didn’t catch the name of, cleaned up the scene and got to work on undoing all the damage the hackers had caused. Though it wasn’t his job, Bad watched over Skeppy and stopped him from trying to help when he looked like he was going to collapse on his feet.

Bad helped walk Skeppy home that day, escorting him to bed for some rest and didn’t leave until he was sure Skeppy was finally asleep.

Double Trouble occupied his mind that night, though Bad doubted it would be different for anyone else. Fusion really was an amazing thing and meeting Double Trouble was an experience on its own.

—

It was bound to come up. Bad knew that- he and Skeppy were getting close after all. It was only a matter of time before he figured it out or it was brought up again.

Bad just thought he had more time, either to fix the issue first or find a way to explain it better.

But inevitably, fusion came up again.

It had a couple of times before but not like this. In a few mini games, Skeppy would sometimes bring up that they could win by fusing but Bad had always found a way to wiggle out of it, saying two heads was better than one in this situation. Not to mention, Bad avoided most games that allowed fusion as it was, especially combat ones.

Bad knew avoiding it would only get him so far but he tried anyways. He’d gotten this far before but now?

Now it was the end of the line.

They had known each other for around five months now, maybe a little more. Most of their time together were spent in Realms but sometimes they’d spend time outside of it. They were today, lounging on a field after having an improvised picnic.

Skeppy laid on his back, staring up at the sky. At some point, they started talking about their respective childhoods and Bad knew where the conversation would end up as soon as Skeppy said, “Y’know, I used to have trouble fusing as a kid.”

“Really?” Bad prompted him. There would be no avoiding the conversation without being rude so Bad leaned into it. Besides, Skeppy looked like he wanted to talk about it.

“Yeah. I could glow just fine but actually fusing was like, an issue.” Skeppy ran a hand through his hair. “Pretty big one, actually. I didn’t fuse until sixth grade. Kept trying but didn’t get it until then. It was like- like it was dangling right there in front of me but I just couldn’t grab it. It sucked.”

Bad nodded understandingly, sucking in a breath. “I had the opposite problem, actually. I- I fused really easily. I used to accidentally fuse all the time.”

Skeppy blinked at that, sitting up. “Really?” His eyes were filled with disbelief. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you fuse before. In fact, I think the only time I’ve seen you glow was- was when we first met.”

“I… I don’t fuse as much as I used to.” Bad admitted, though left out a few details on purpose. He trusted Skeppy but there was certain information he liked to keep to himself.

Skeppy nodded, frowning slightly. “How long has it been exactly? It’s not healthy to avoid fusing for so long, y’know. Even if it’s just for a couple minutes, it’s good to fuse every couple of weeks.”

Bad tried to search for the right thing to say and instead fell in silence. He could hear Skeppy’s concern steadily grow until he seemed to perk up and asked the one question Bad didn’t want to hear.

“Hey, if it’s been a while, why don’t we fuse?”

“I- uh.” Bad swallowed thickly. Anxiety rose to his chest, a fact that must’ve been noticeable because Skeppy’s face fell. “It’s not because of you!” Bad said quickly. “I just… It’s been a while, okay?”

Skeppy nodded, though seemed a little disappointed, even if he hid it in his voice. “It’s alright, there’s no rush.” Skeppy told him. “You can fuse in your own time. Just… Don’t wait too long. Believe me, it doesn’t feel great when you don’t fuse for too long.”

Bad nodded along, guilt buried deep in his chest but he refused to acknowledge it.

Not right now, at least.

—

Bad should’ve been more careful. He should’ve paid more attention.

It had been a while since he went out on an adventure of any kind. Most of his time was either spent in his home, MunchyMC, or InvadedLands. Exploring untouched territory wasn’t his thing, he was never much of an adventurer, even as a kid.

But Skeppy got his hands on a buried treasure map and talked Bad into coming with him. Admittedly, Bad agreed to it fairly easily. He might not have been big on exploration but Skeppy had a way of making things fun. He knew he would enjoy himself if he went, so he did.

Thing was that neither were very experienced with reading maps and they got turned around more than a few times. Eventually, Bad directed them where they were meant to be and they digged.

The chest had an armful of gold, which Skeppy stored away in his backpack with a glint in his eyes. Bad joked that they were like pirates, which then launched them into a conversation about what their ship name would be if they had one.

“The ‘S.S. Muffin’ just isn’t intimidating, Bad.”

“Okay, what about… SkullMuffin.”

“You’re just combining two words!”

“The Muffinteer!"

“Oh my god,” Skeppy looked somewhere between being done and trying not to laugh. “We can’t use the word muffin in the name, Bad! We’re supposed to be pirates! How are the other pirates supposed to feel fear when they see our ship is called the- the Muffinteer?”

“Exactly.” Bad grinned. “They’ll underestimate us and then we can rob them and take all their stuff while their guard is down!”

Skeppy had to stop walking to breathe, a fit of laughter escaping him. A blue glow flickered in his chest before fading when he finally managed to calm back down. The amusement on his face was still unmistakable.

“You’re so weird, dude.” Skeppy told him, though it felt more affectionate than it did an insult. Bad found that most of his teasing was like that.

The pair continued walking through the spruce forest, though there seemed to be a birch one up ahead. Bad frowned at how long their shadows were getting, glancing back and feeling an icy panic claw at his heart.

“Skeppy?” The worry in his voice must’ve been obvious because Skeppy seemed to tense, following his gaze. “It’s- it's getting kinda dark. We should hurry, I don’t know how far we are from shelter.”

“I don’t either.” Skeppy admitted before nodding. “C’mon, I think we came this way.”

They raced against the sun, stopping to remember the way they went every couple of minutes and hoping to find some semblance of civilization the further they went out.

None came. The sun got lower and lower in the sky until they were swallowed by the night.

They were in the plains now, an easy biome to travel through but it was just as easy for mobs to find them. Skeletons, zombies, and a few spiders were surrounding them and even if they were both armed, neither had brought armor.

Should’ve been more careful. Bad fights the panic in his throat when they’re cornered. He narrowly dodges an arrow only to hear Skeppy scream when one gets embedded into his shoulder. Zombies attack head on but Bad manages to fend them off, only getting punched twice.

“Bad.” Skeppy says urgently, taking out his shield from his bag just in time to block another arrow. He bites his lip in pain at the sudden movement. “I- uh- I think there’s too many of them for us to fight.”

Bad can’t argue with that. More mobs seem to notice them the more time passes, slowly gathering as if they’re waiting to strike at once. “I don’t know if we can outrun them either…” Bad admits, eyeing the spiders as he does.

Their backs press against each other. Bad feels just a little bit safer until his elbow bumps against something sharp and he stops in his tracks when he sees what it is.

“Skeppy.”

“What? Oh- you gotta be kidding me.”

Skeppy glares down at his left arm, fully encased in sharp, blue gemstones. His hand twitches, though his movements with that arm seem stiff and slow.

“Now?” Skeppy asks his arm, as if he’s expecting an answer. “You want to do this now? Fuck off.”

“Language!”

“Don’t ‘Language’ me, those are horrible last words.” Skeppy scolds him. He eyes the arrow sticking out of the gemstones before groaning. “At least I can do this now.” He says, before pulling the arrow out with one, swift movement and biting back a loud but muffled noise of pain.

Blood drips out for a moment before gems grow were the wound once was. Skeppy winces but returns his gaze to the horde. “You okay?” Bad asks hesitantly.

Skeppy nods. “The gems will stop it from bleeding for now. Still hurts like a bitch though.”

“Lang-!”

“Oh my god, Bad! What did I say? You do not want that to be your last-”

Skeppy stops abruptly. Gears turn in his head before he looks Bad dead in the eye. “Fuse with me. We can take them together.”

Bad’s mouth goes dry. “Skeppy-”

“I know- you don’t fuse as much anymore but- but can you make an exception? We can unfuse as soon as we’re safe, I promise!”

“Skeppy-”

“You can ask anyone, I’m considerate when I fuse! I don’t- I’m not going to go digging around in your mind or anything- I’m not shitty like that! And- and if I do, you have all the right just to never talk to me again and-”

“Skeppy, you’re not the problem!”

Bad’s voice cracked and he covered his mouth quickly. There was no taking it back, however. Skeppy’s mouth dropped open, eyes looking more uncertain than Bad had seen him in all the time that he had known him.

A spider lunged at Bad and he cut it down furiously, wiping away the tears starting to form in his eyes. His vision was getting blurry- that wasn’t good- and he looked anywhere but Skeppy’s eyes when he sucked in a breath.

“Is- is there any other option?” Bad asked quietly.

Skeppy took a long time answering but yet again, gears turned in his head and his eyes darted around. More mobs tried to advance but Bad managed to either cut them down or fend them off as Skeppy was thinking.

Skeppy stared at something in the field, then down at his gem covered hand before something clicked. “I got it… God, this might be a terrible idea but- but it’s something, okay? Just trust me.”

“I- I trust you.” Bad nodded, voice shaky but genuine.

“Get a torch ready and as soon as I say so, run as fast as you can that way.” Skeppy nodded deeper into the plains. “I think I see a cave, head for that. Kill anything that gets in your way, okay?”

Bad nodded again. He fumbled for it but held an unlit torch in his offhand and swallowed dryly. He didn’t fully understand how the plan would work but he trusted Skeppy.

“Three...” Skeppy shifted his stance.

“Two…” Bad gripped his sword a little tighter.

“One…” The mobs started to shuffle forward, another arrow being deflected by Skeppy.

“GO!” Skeppy and Bad took off.

A skeleton and a zombie blocked his way but Bad forced his way past them with a sword and shoving them with his shoulder. Skeppy lagged behind, Bad nearly turned back to help but the look he was giving him urged him to continue with the plan.

Trust Skeppy. Bad fought his instincts. If nothing else, trust Skeppy.

Just as Skeppy had said, there was a dip in the plains that lead into a cave- not a very big one but roomy enough. Bad entered and upon seeing no mobs hanging around inside, turned his back to the wall and watched the entrance.

A spider fell in first, which Bad fought before promptly killing it, then Skeppy followed. Skeppy’s cheeks were flushed with adrenaline and he was breathing unsteadily but he didn’t rest. Instead, Skeppy raised his left fist- the one encased with tough gems- and started to slam it into the walls of the only entrance- and only exit- of the cave.

The roof near the entrance started to shake.

“Skeppy?” Bad said in a hushed tone. Skeppy didn’t turn, keeping at it until the ceiling began to cave in and he scrambled back.

Bad reached out, grabbing him by the hoodie and yanked him back for good measure, far from the danger starting to crumble right where Skeppy had been standing. Bad wrapped Skeppy in his arms, shielding him from any damage that might come.

A part of the roof gave out and Bad watched as their only exit- and the mobs only entrance- disappeared under the dirt and stone. The roof that they were standing under, however, managed to stay firm and left half the cave untouched.

Pitch darkness surrounded them. Bad started to blink, eyes slowly adjusting to the light and getting a hold of his emotions. Skeppy was still clutched tightly in his arms and the one thing that brought him comfort was the fast but clear heartbeat coming from him.

“T- torch.” Skeppy croaked out. Bad lit the torch with one hand quickly, lighting up the remainder of the cave and both got a better look at the mini landslide in front of them, and a better understanding of just how lucky they had gotten.

It was a foot in front of them. They could’ve just as easily gotten buried.

“Shit.” Skeppy breathed.

“Language.” Bad said on second nature. Skeppy didn’t say anything to that this time, instead slowly pulling away from Bad’s hold to stand and look at the debris. He ran a shaky hand through his hair and Bad finally noticed that the gems had spread to the left side of his neck and his chest.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe that worked.” Skeppy laughed, though it felt more from trying to break the tension more than anything. “We- we could’ve died. That could’ve gone wrong in so many ways and you- I-”

Skeppy stumbled, legs almost giving out from under him before Bad caught him. Skeppy laughed again as Bad guided him to the ground, letting him sit with his legs stretched out.

“Thanks.” Skeppy told him. He rubbed his eyes, breathing in and out deeply and deliberately in an effort to calm down. Bad found himself doing the same, adrenaline slowly crashing until he was left with jumbled feelings that gave him a headache.

Bad started to light more torches, putting them around the cave. He glanced at the landslide in front of them again. “...Skeppy? How are we going to get out?”

“I…” Skeppy hesitated. “I didn’t think that far ahead. We have a pickaxe so we can mine out in the morning? Or- or message someone on our communicators to help? We’ll find a way.”

Bad might’ve had his worries but chose not to voice them. Skeppy seemed shaken enough as it was, though at the very least, the gems seemed to stop growing.

Bad took a seat near Skeppy again. Guilt buried deep in his chest started to overwhelm him and he brought his knees close to his chest, tail drooping.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Skeppy.” Bad told him quietly.

Skeppy paused, blinking for a second before he realized what Bad was apologizing for. “Don’t be. It worked out, didn’t it?”

Skeppy gave him a smile and a nudge but Bad kept his gaze fixated on the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, Skeppy’s face fell.

“Bad- stop it. Don’t apologize, we both know that you forcing yourself to do something you aren’t comfortable with wouldn’t have worked out. Especially when it’s fusion. We would’ve just split and been stuck in the same situation.”

“But I- I shouldn’t have this problem with it!” Bad countered. His eyes started to get misty but he fought it. “It’s- it’s-” Bad swallowed the lump in his throat. “It’s been seven years, Skeppy.”

“...Seven years since what?” Skeppy asked uncertainly.

Bad met his gaze, steady and unwavering. He didn’t say it out loud but they both heard the silent message. ‘You know what I mean.’

“No…” Skeppy searched his eyes for some kind of joke. Bad finally averted his gaze. “No- Bad, there’s a misunderstanding, right? You mean like- like seven years since you’ve enjoyed fusion, right? Or- or trusted it or since- Bad, I’m misunderstanding you, right?”

“Skeppy…” Bad said softly.

“You- you haven’t fused in seven years?”

Bad put his head in his hands, nodding slowly. That one action rendered Skeppy speechless. Bad closed his eyes and braced himself before the words came to him slowly.

“I told you how I used to accidentally fuse a lot, right?”

It took him a minute to reply. “Yeah.”

“It- it happened a lot when I was younger. I used to have to be careful about how hard I was laughing at someone’s joke because I- I just kept glowing and fusing with people. It wasn’t bad all the time, usually it was just a quick accidental fuse and we’d break up. They didn’t usually last that long.”

“But sometimes,” don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry- “I would have… Less pleasant fusions. Some were just awkward because we didn’t know each other but sometimes…”

Even when Bad let the words hang there for several minutes, Skeppy didn’t say a word.

Bad didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to see his face.

“The- the last time I fused was kinda… Brutal. I- I don’t remember how it happened exactly.” Bad said, trying not to wince when his voice broke. “But I got into this argument with this guy and he was just- just so angry and he wouldn’t listen and I was so frustrated that I- we-...”

Bad stops and doesn’t elaborate. He doesn’t hear anything outside of his own ragged breaths.

“...How long?” Skeppy asked.

“An hour.” Bad’s fists grip the fabric of his jacket and squeezes it until his knuckles turn pale. The memory was never a pleasant one. “They- another fusion had to break us up forcibly. We- we didn’t cause much damage but it wasn’t… It wasn’t good.”

There’s a beat before there’s a hand on Bad’s shoulder. He peeks, catching Skeppy’s eye for a second and getting a silent invitation for a hug.

Bad takes it in a heartbeat. He tries yet again not to cry and fails, feeling a muffled sob escape him. Skeppy gives him a squeeze before starting to murmur soft reassurances and letting him cry it out. The gems in Skeppy’s arm and side poke him but Bad finds it doesn’t bother him. Not now, not like this.

That moment lasts an eternity. When Bad finally stops, chest feeling a little lighter, Skeppy pulls away and the two of them speak softly under the torchlight.

They speak of fusion, of memories, of things they only ever speak of behind closed doors. And in the end, they both fall asleep, sleeping like a rock as if they fused in a different way, not quite physically but in spirit.

In the morning, Bad and Skeppy dig their way out of the cave and start cheering at the shining sun above them. They return to Bad’s house, with Bad finally being able to properly patch up Skeppy’s shoulder wound since the gems are gone, and Rat greeting both of them with barks and licks.

They end up spending the day inside the safety of Bad’s home and when both of them refuse to take the bed, they end up passing out on the couch, still getting over the previous day’s exhaustion.

And for the first time in far too long, Bad begins to seriously think about fusion again.

—

Bad wasn’t big on fighting tournaments like some were but they had needed a third and Bad really needed a break.

Bed Wars was a popular game as it was but in this particular tournament, they had gathered esteemed fighters from all over the world in order to fight. All sorts of big names Bad was familiar with but had never met the people attached to them were going- including one of the people on his team, Technoblade.

Needless to say, it was kinda a big deal and Bad was stoked to go.

Technoblade, Skeppy, and BadBoyHalo. A team for the ages. Bad had no doubt they were going to win.

Until they got into the game. Then he had a few doubts given how great the other people were playing but Technoblade alone helped fight those doubts.

Bad gaped at Technoblade as he grabbed diamonds and emeralds from where they had spawned. “Did- did you just take out that entire team?”

Behind him, Skeppy snickered. “You’ve never seen him play this game, have you?”

“Blood for the blood god.” Techno murmured, as if that answered any questions.

The three quickly retreated back to their base and Bad managed to push someone off who tried to get to their bed. Techno gave him a compliment under his breath before motioning for Bad to hand over the gems and he started to buy them upgrades.

Bad felt his armor reinforce on his chest, then grinned to himself. “Thanks, Techno!” He said, and got a nod in return.

They began to fortify their base, Bad and Skeppy bickering about whether or not Bad’s ‘Hot dog strategy’ really worked or not while Techno kept a steady eye on the other islands, watching for an attack.

They watched another team’s bed get destroyed before they were eliminated. Five teams were left at that point, and Techno seemed to be looking for the pressure points of each team.

“We don’t have a weakness, right?” Skeppy asked Techno, arm slung around his shoulder like they were old friends. In fact, from what Bad could tell, they were. “We’re perfect.”

Techno gave Skeppy a look but made no move to shrug away from the touch. “Sure.” He said in a tone that Bad couldn’t quite tell if it was sarcastic or not. “No weaknesses at all. Definitely not our lack of defensive options.”

“You don’t need a good defense if you have a great offense.” Skeppy responded cockily.

Techno huffed, though seemed amused more than annoyed. “Either way, we can’t stay here long. We’re better off chargin’ other bases than waitin’ for some other team to do the same to us.”

Skeppy looked like he was going to reply but was interrupted by a loud dinging noise echoing through the arena. All the other teams stopped what they were doing and waited.

Skeppy pulled his arm back, turning to give Bad a questioning look but Bad could only give one in return. Both turned to Techno, who seemed to be the only one who had any idea of what was going on.

“They like to switch things up sometimes in these sorts of tournaments.” Techno explained slowly, watching the screen high above them. It once displayed all the teams and players still in the game but now, it was dark as if waiting to display something else. “They add a new rule or condition. Makes it more fun for the audience since they get to pick which it is.”

“What is it this time?” Bad asked, frowning.

“Don’t know yet. Could be anythin’. I know the list but I don’t know what’s gonna be picked.”

Techno looked like he might’ve shared what the list was but the dinging rang out again and the screen was brought back to life by two words.

‘Fusion Enabled’

Techno’s eyes widened, darting to one of the other teams and immediately seeing one of them fuse without hesitation. He cursed under his breath, sword adjusting in his grip.

“Bajan and Jerome.” Techno narrowed his eyes. “That’s one fusion I don’t think I can beat head on and unfused.”

“You can beat fusions head on without fusing?” Bad’s eyes widened.

Techno just shrugged. “You just have to find their weakness. All fusions have one.” He then paused, thinking. “We need a fusion on our team too if we’re going to win. We can’t rely on someone else takin’ them out.”

Skeppy nodded, holding a hand out for Techno to take. To Bad’s surprise, Techno stepped back.

“I know we’ve done it once before but you ‘n me fusin’ isn’t ideal. My fusions can get out of control.” Techno told him. “They’re powerful but they could do more harm than good. Best if you and your demon buddy here fuse.”

Skeppy grimaced. “The- the problem with that is-”

Bad took a breath. “Is nothing. There’s- there’s no problem, Skeppy.”

Skeppy blinked, processing his words before he gasped. “Bad- you sure?”

“Positive. It’s uh, it’s been a long time coming.” Bad held out his hand, giving a nervous smile to Skeppy. “Let’s do this.”

“Are you sure though?” Skeppy asked.

“Yes.”

“Absolutely positive?”

“Yes, Skeppy.”

“Because- I don’t want to do this unless you’re 100% ready-”

“Oh my goodness, Skeppy. It’s okay, the longer we wait, the less sure I’m getting about it so let’s just-”

“If you’re getting unsure about it-”

“-do it already! Just take my hand you muffinhead-”

“-maybe we shouldn’t-”

“I don’t mean to interrupt… Whatever this is.” Techno said slowly, silencing both of them. “But the other teams are either fusing up or going out and gatherin’ more emeralds so are you two gonna fuse or what?”

Skeppy bit back an argument, meeting Bad’s gaze. Bad kept his steady until Skeppy gave in, finally grabbing his hand.

Skeppy’s glowed bright blue in an instant. Bad’s took a little more time, a red glow slowly growing across his body as he let his emotions guide him and surround him. When both turned their respective colors, they closed their eyes and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

“Uh.” Techno frowned. “You’ve been glowing for a while now but nothing’s happenin’.”

Bad’s eyes flew open at the surge of panic that hit him. His glow flickered out and he let go of Skeppy’s hand like it had burned him. Skeppy’s eyes opened too but they didn’t leave Bad, watching as panic started to slowly creep into his heart.

“Bad?” Skeppy said uncertainly.

“I- I couldn’t do it.” Bad stuttered.

“Bad, it’s okay, we don’t have to-”

“No, Skeppy- you don’t understand. I physically couldn’t fuse.”

Words caught in Skeppy’s throat and he went silent. Techno glanced from the other bases and back to Bad before putting a hand on his shoulder.

“You good to keep playin’ or do you need an out?” Techno asked. “If you need an out, that’s fine. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose.”

“Is- isn’t this tournament for $10,000?” Bad croaked weakly.

Techno huffed a laugh. It made Bad feel the slightest bit better. “Just money. Would rather not force my teammate to be here when they’re not lookin’ so good.”

Bad took his feelings and anxieties and gulped them down. He wanted to see this through, the rest of it could be dealt with later. “I’m okay.” Bad said. “Let’s- let’s win this.”

Skeppy wasn’t so convinced but Techno grinned and Bad felt just a little bit more confident because of it. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

Techno turned to Skeppy. “Alright, he’s taking a risk bein’ here so it’s only fair I take one too.” Techno held out a hand to Skeppy. “Ready?”

Skeppy glanced at Bad one last time, who gave an encouraging nod, before taking it. Skeppy was lit up with a bright blue light while Techno burned pink and a burst of light enveloped them.

Bad shielded his eyes and the next thing he knew, he was face to face with a fusion that had to be eight feet tall.

“Heya,” the fusion said in a voice that was far deeper than Techno’s and shook Bad’s core, “I’m Husk.”

Bad couldn’t find the right words and settled for a small wave. Husk snorted, seemingly amused.

Husk’s main body seemed to be more piglin-like like Techno with cloven hoofed hands and feet but the hooves were made out of deep purple gemstones. Said gemstones were also littered on their back, like an open geode or some kind of armor. The short tusks Techno had were far longer and also made of gemstones, making them look simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. Two smooth and mismatched gemstones replaced Husk’s eyes, though they seemed to be able to see just fine. They wore a royal outfit that was primarily comprised of the colors purple and black and it glittered almost dangerously.

Just by looking at him, Bad had a feeling Husk could snap him in two if he wanted. There was an aura of intimidation radiating off of him that left Bad speechless, though he never doubted for a second that he was safe with the fusion.

Finally, Bad stuck out his hand for Husk to take. “Nice- nice to meet you, Husk!”

Husk took it and politely shook. “Likewise.” He then slowly grinned. “You ready to win this?”

Bad nodded enthusiastically. Husk motioned for him to follow and the pair moved for the main island.

They didn’t have to travel very fair before running into another team. One fusion and one teammate, just like them. Bad found himself nervous to take them on head on but Husk, quite literally, jumped at the chance, pulling out a large axe and charged at the fusion. Bad had no idea where said axe came from but had more pressing matters to attend to, particularly the remaining teammate.

Husk had already caught them off guard so Bad had the high ground, attacking first and managing to push them off the edge. To his left, Husk drove the axe straight through the fusion, not only causing them to split but also disappear in a ‘Poof’, likely respawning back at their base.

“Good work, Husk-” Bad started to say, but yelped when the fusion suddenly took off towards the base of the team they had just fought.

Bad hurried to keep up, then gaped at the scene he came across once he got there.

The bed was crushed and as the team spawned back in, Husk didn’t give them a chance to re-fuse. They cut them down, laughing loudly as they did. The euphoria on their face was clear.

“We win these.” Husk rumbled, still laughing and hands itching for another fight. “More. Need to fight.”

“Plenty of other people we can fight!” Bad told him cheerfully, gesturing the fusion to follow him. They did, still chuckling softly as if they were being told a good joke. Bad wasn’t sure what to make of it, but focused on the game instead.

A ringing in Bad’s ear told him their bed was broken. He looked to Husk but faintly realized that warning them to be careful would probably fall on deaf ears. Bad would have to be careful for both of them.

Distantly, Bad spotted yet another team, same composition as theirs. Though to his surprise, and slight relief, Husk didn’t immediately rush the fusion. They sized them up, eyes narrowing.

The fusion looked to match Husk in height and appeared to be very hairy. “Cleave.” Husk mumbled, getting a look from Bad.

“Is that the name of that fusion?” Bad guessed. Husk nodded once. The fusion didn’t seem to notice Husk yet, instead talking with their teammate. Husk started to approach, slowly and carefully with eyes fixated on the fusion.

Bad would’ve followed their lead but something caught his eye- a flash of black and white darting behind the surrounding island’s mounds.

Another team. Bad realized, a warning on his tongue but they acted faster.

Three unfused figures suddenly appeared from the top of the mound- goggles, a mask, and a headband- wait, I know them- and aimed their bows directly at Husk. Bad jolted, knowing exactly what their plan was and just barely moved in time as they fired.

All three arrows would’ve hit Husk had Bad not stepped in their way. There was a piercing pain through his body before he suddenly spawned in the spectators box, feeling dizzy. A faint ‘Boom’ announced his elimination and Bad only got to worry about Husk for a few minutes.

Because the next thing he knew, Bad watched as the trio that had just taken him out spawned in the box next to him, looking dazed, and their team was announced as eliminated.

Bad scrambled to the fencing around the box to get a good look at the arena blow just in time to see Husk jumping the fusion ‘Cleave’ they were so cautious about earlier.

The rest of the game didn’t last long. Husk was not only ruthless but played dirty, using every trick in the book to win. The remaining teams spawned in the spectator box before Husk- and Bad- were announced as winners.

Bad was grinning ear to ear. He found his way back to their team room, starting to take off his armor and put it back where he had found it. One of the admins entered to congratulate him and tell him they would do the winners ceremony soon and would give him a ten minute heads up before they did.

Bad caught them before they left. “Where’s Skeppy and Techno?”

“Still fused and on the map.” The admin said. They continued when Bad paled. “It’s not too big of a deal, powerful fusions rampage more often than you would think after a tournament. They’re perfectly safe, they’ll wear themselves down or calm down and unfuse one way or another. We can handle it. We have medical professionals ready to help once they’re split.”

Bad frowned. “Can… Can I try calming them down?”

The admin paused before nodding. “I’ll teleport you onto the map again. If you need an out, just say so and I’ll teleport you back, got it?”

Bad nodded and in a snap, he was back on the Bed Wars map.

Bad barely left his base before Husk nearly charged him, eyes wild and unfocused, seemingly hungry for blood.

Bad flinched out of surprise but relaxed again when Husk stopped, finally processing who he was. “Hi.”

Husk slowly looked him up and down. It took a minute for it to hit Bad but he held his arms out, doing a quick spin. “I’m okay, see? No injuries. No pain.”

“I took them out.” Husk told him. “I ripped their bed to shreds and took them out.”

“I know you did. Thank you.” Bad paused before reaching up- standing on his tippy toes- and giving Husk a pat on the side of his snout. Husk seemed to like that, but didn’t outwardly say it other than seeming to relax. A relaxation that didn’t last long before their gemstone eyes darted around again.

“Hey,” Bad brought the attention back to him. “The game’s over. We won.”

Husk considered that slowly. “We won…”

Bad nodded. “So you don’t have to stay fused anymore because- well, there’s nobody else to fight. You can relax!”

“Could just be a trick-”

“Trust me, it’s not, okay?” Bad’s white eyes met Husk’s mismatched blue and pink ones. “Just trust me. You can unfuse.”

Husk breathed in, then out. A white light burst from their figure before it split into two. Two figures that nearly collapsed on Bad as soon as they were free.

“Owwww…” Skeppy whined while Techno just grunted. “Techno, why are your fusions so tiring?”

“They’re tirin’ because they’re good.” Techno grumbled. “Weaknesses, Skeppy. There’s always a downside.”

“If I hear you talk about weaknesses one more time, I’m gonna…” Skeppy trailed off before making vague noises that Bad assumed were supposed to be some sort of threat. Techno just barked a laugh in response and the three of them were finally teleported back into their room.

After being checked over and giving Techno and Skeppy a moment to rest, they all attended the awards ceremony and the after party.

Even though Techno didn’t seem all that thrilled at the idea of a party, he seemed to find a nice corner for himself to enjoy his food and chat with a couple of people he seemed to know well. Bad only recognized one of them: Philza. Hard to forget a name like that, he had quite the reputation.

Bad and Skeppy enjoyed themselves too, eating plenty of the food and dancing a little as well. But when Bad was struck with the memory of what happened in the game earlier, it became a little harder to enjoy it all.

Skeppy noticed and the pair of them retreated back to Bad’s house.

(Skeppy made the joke that they just did the impossible: Leaving a party earlier than Technoblade did. Bad couldn’t help but laugh at that.)

—

“You want to talk or do something else?” Skeppy asked as soon as they sat down on Bad’s couch.

“I- talk about it.” Bad told him. “I can’t get over how I couldn’t fuse. I tried so hard but it was like there was this- this invisible barrier blocking me.”

“I get that.” Skeppy nodded. “Probably more than anyone to be honest.”

“I’m just worried that- what if that’s it for me? What if I somehow muffined it all up and I can’t- I can’t fuse anymore?”

“Bad- I know you’re scared-”

“I’m terrified, Skeppy!"

“-but I guarantee you that you haven’t lost the ability to fuse.” Skeppy finished. “That doesn’t just happen. Nobody’s ever been able to lose that unless they’ve died.”

“What if it’s a demon thing?” Bad said urgently.

“Just- trust me.” Skeppy pushed. “I’ve been through this before, you just need-...”

Skeppy paused for a long moment. Gears turning in his head. Bad knew it well.

Skeppy held up one finger before disappearing into Bad’s office. Bad followed from a distance, raising an eyebrow at him as he searched through his electronics.

“You got a speaker?” Skeppy asked. Bad tracked it down before handing it over. They both returned to the living room, where Skeppy connected his communicator with the speaker before trying to pick up the coffee table.

“What are you doing?” Bad asked at last. “Skeppy- be careful!”

“Help me then!” Skeppy grunted as he lifted up one end of the coffee table with trembling arms. Bad quickly helped and they moved it off to the side, leaving a wide open space where it once was.

“Okay, can you tell me what you’re doing now? Other than… Apparently rearranging my living room?”

Skeppy held up the speaker with a bright look in his eyes. “We’re gonna try to fuse again.”

Bad tensed. “Skeppy, we already know I can’t.”

“Ah! Correction! We know you can’t in a tense situation. Which, y’know, is fair. A lot of people struggle with that. But this,” Skeppy gestured to the living room. “Is a controlled environment. Perfect for practicing fusion! And what better way to practice then to do it the old fashioned way?”

Bad looked between Skeppy and the speaker until it clicked in his mind. “Dancing?”

“Exactlyyy.” Skeppy told him with a grin. “This is how I did it, you know. I fused for the first time because I was dancing.”

Bad considered it carefully before sighing in defeat. Skeppy took that as a ‘Go ahead’ and put on an upbeat song.

Bad shifted in place. “I’m not much of a dancer, Skeppy.”

“Don’t need to be- it doesn’t matter.” Skeppy told him. “Just dance.”

Bad tried but less than five minutes later, Skeppy started to correct him, saying his movements were too stiff and told him to just go with the flow of the music.

It was easier after that. Bad started to let the tension in his chest go and after a few minutes, a slow but steady glow started to emit from both their chests. Bad fought the instinct to back down from fusing and kept dancing. Seeing Skeppy so carefree helped, a laugh bubbling from his chest.

They danced and Bad waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The glow flickered out. Skeppy paused when he noticed Bad stopped, his own glow starting to fizzle but not quite leaving. “Bad?”

“It’s not working, Skeppy.” Bad let out a sigh. “I- I don’t think this is going to go anywhere.”

Bad started to turn away but Skeppy’s voice stopped him. “Well- it doesn’t actually matter if it works or not right now. We need to keep dancing.”

Bad stopped. “Why?”

“Because this isn’t just to help you fuse, it’s supposed to help you loosen up too. You’re so high strung-”

“Am not!”

“Yes you are! And you need to learn to let go- even if it’s just for like, five minutes.” Skeppy crossed his arms, the blue glow finally faded. “You deserve a break. Just- stop worrying about whether or not we’re gonna fuse. We don’t need to fuse today- or tomorrow- or anytime this week for that matter! It doesn’t matter right now.”

“So what does matter?”

“You do!” Skeppy said like it was obvious. “You matter and I’m just trying to help you!”

Bad stopped, blinking. “Awe.” Bad let out a short laugh, “That- that’s so sweet of you! Skeppy!”

Skeppy rolled his eyes but continued to smile. “I’ve been saying that this whole time but whatever. You good now?”

Bad hesitantly nodded. “I- I think so! We’re just going to dance, right? No worrying about fusing?”

“Just go with the flow. Don’t even think about fusing.” Skeppy said, giving him a warning but light jab in the chest. “Got it?”

“Got it.”

So they danced again. Slowly but surely, Bad let himself forget about fusion and the discomfort in his chest. He let himself forget about his worries, about the slim possibility that he couldn’t fuse ever again- about everything really. Everything but dancing, music, and Skeppy’s laughter in the air.

The tension unraveled in his chest. Bad found himself breathing easier than he had in years, and let go.

Let go of his fear of fusion that built up for over seven years.

Bad didn’t wait for fusion. He closed his eyes and laughed with Skeppy, ignoring the red glow spreading across his body and the blue one that lit Skeppy up.

Bad didn’t wait. Didn’t force it. Didn’t think about it. Didn’t fear it.

And there was a bright light that engulfed both of them.

—

They didn’t realize they were alone until they opened their eyes again when the song had ended.

They blinked, slowly looking around and noticing there was nobody else in the room. Just them.

But they didn’t feel alone. In fact, quite the opposite, they had never felt so loved.

Song was over. They needed to choose a new one.

They reached over to the communicator, only to stop at the sight of their hands- and their arms. They blinked, once, twice, then rushed to the bathroom to get a good look in the mirror.

“Oh.” The fusion breathed as they stared in the mirror. “My goodness…”

They stood a little above seven feet in height and had two sets of eyes, half black, half white. Their body was navy blue and while felt solid, there was a strange, smoky power radiating off of them, almost making them look like they were a wisp of some sort. Their horns were curved up and back, like a slide, and they had not one, not two, but three tails with spade shaped ends.

Their pants were checkered with blue and red while their coat instead was split between black and white. The fabric was soft and flexible- easy to move in which was nice.

The fusion laughed, silently to themselves as they touched their own face. “Huh.” They said out loud. “I fused…”

There was a power deep inside and they could feel it. The fusion flexed their hand for a minute before squeezing it into a fist and letting the surge of power go. In an instant, their wispy-like appearance in their arm disappeared as it was encased in gemstones immediately. When they let go, the gemstones receded, wispiness returning, and their eyes lit up.

They let the body surge with power and their entire body was encased in gem, just as it had been with their arm before. Although tough to move, they smiled and let the power go, feeling like a brand new fusion once and for all.

Barking caught their attention and they turned, meeting Rat’s eyes head on. The little dog stared up at them, barking again but didn’t seem scared, more curious.

A test! The fusion bent down, holding out their arms. “Rat!” They called, voice having a reverb to it. Rat’s ears perked up and she jumped into the fusion’s arms, making them laugh.

“Nice to meet you, Rat!” The fusion told her, taking and gently shaking one of her paws. “I’m… Revenant.”

The name came to them instantly, making them close their eyes and smile. “I’m Revenant.” They said again.

Rat hopped out of their arms then stared for a minute before barking again. Revenant paused before getting the idea. “Oh, you miss your owner, huh? Yeah, probably should give him back to you, I don’t want to push too much anyways but… This…”

Revenant smiled. “This was good.”

And they let go.

—

Skeppy and Bad sprawled across the bathroom floor, both recovering from a dizziness that hit soon after they split. Rat jumped into Bad’s arms, licking his face and he laughed as she did.

It took them both a long minute to process it all. Then Bad gasped, snapping to Skeppy’s direction.

“I- we- we fused!”

Skeppy’s eyes lit up. “Holy shit, Bad!”

“Language!”

Skeppy ignored him, too busy laughing. “That was amazing- you’re amazing!”

“No, you’re amazing!” Bad never felt lighter, the discomfort in his chest finally gone. “Skeppy- we were so cool!”

“Revenant.” Skeppy clicked his tongue. “Now that is a cool name.”

“I can’t- oh my goodness.” Bad buried his face in his hands, emotions of all types washing over him. “Skeppy, I… I haven’t felt this good in years.”

Skeppy smiled, a warm yet soft smile and nudged him with his shoulder. “Does this mean you’d be up for fusing again soon because uh… That- that was really nice.”

“Of course.” Bad told him, watching the relief and joy pass on his face. “Skeppy, I… I don’t know what to say.”

“I do.” Skeppy grinned cheekily. “We’re gonna win so many Fusion Skywars!”

Both broke out into a fit of laughter, and if they glowed brief again, nearly refusing, and sat on that bathroom floor for the next four hours talking about their fusion, that was their business, not anybody else’s.