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Crossing portals always took Skeppy out physically for the first few hours.
He had woken up in weird places before, clothes all crumpled up and dirtied by passing animals who had taken interest and curiosity in his sleeping form.
Thankfully, XD had been pitiful enough not to leave him in the middle of the night when he had travelled to that one survival world universe. That would've been a pain he did not want to think about.
Either way, this time Skeppy found himself in a perfectly comfortable bed, surrounded by the most aesthetically pleasing furniture and, dare he guess, possibly one of the most expensive type he had ever laid eyes upon.
Gears started turning in his head as he began retaining some of the information of his current life.
Could it be ...
Was he back home? But that had been years earlier ... how could it-
His brain worked its hardest for him to remember everything, until there was a knock on the door.
« You may come in. » he found himself saying, with a voice that sounded much more awake than he actually was.
« Good morning, your highness! » a figure he had never seen before entered the room to pull the curtains and open the windows, making way for the chilly morning breeze to let shivers run down his body.
He decided he disliked them already.
« It's your leisure day today, I take it you already have plans? » they started taking some apparently fitting clothes out for the day, folding them and placing them on top of one of the bed's corners.
Skeppy suddenly remembered he had told his servants he preferred dressing himself.
Thank goodness, he could have less embarrassing moments as he tried to remember what kind of life he led in that place.
« Sure, I do. » he responded, brushing the sleep away from his eyes as he ignored the headache that was about to come.
The servant looked old enough to be at least an interesting uncle: the stare on their face was priceless, as though Skeppy had just said the stupidest thing on earth.
« You're going to be sneaking in our guest prince's business, aren't you? »
« What? No. » and who in the world would-
« Come on, don't lie, didn't you memorize prince Bad's schedule this week just to be sure of when to strike? You told me so two days ago. »
Oh, this was getting interesting interesting.
Still, that didn't ring a bell, no matter how hard he tried, Skeppy couldn't remember this schedule.
« Of course not, » he lied – well, on the servant's side of the story at least. « Why would I know where he would be right after breakfast? » a plan was forming in his mind, a plan that could or not have to do with letting DreamXD know he was absolutely and thoroughly done with his shit.
The servant rolled their eyes, it was clear how comfortable they had grown around Skeppy, like a second parent. « You've been going off about meeting him in the gardens for the past week, young man. I don't think I would forget you talking my ear off about it. » they shook their head, adding the last touches to his morning routine. « I'll be off then, you know to call me in case you need anything. »
« That I do. » Skeppy nodded and bid them farewell.
Before the servant could leave, they regarded him one last time. « Don't come on too strong. »
He smiled a little and nodded again before they disappeared from their sight. Skeppy had absolutely not a single hint of an idea about what that could've meant, but he didn't let his mind wander around. He had a plan to set into motion and if there was anything he knew how to do well, it was messing with someone.
His body moved automatically, getting himself ready in the matter of minutes – really, royal garments were a pain to get around.
When he looked in the mirror, he was pleased to find specks of diamonds littering his face and neck and replacing one of his irises; he could recognize himself, his true self, maybe the closest his body had been to its original form.
Every time he crossed a different universe, he'd have to adjust with it, causing him to look different to blend in.
Even if Bad often presented as a demon, Skeppy would only seldom be his true gemfolk self. It pained him, but every time he spotted a speck of diamond, he held some hope that the person he was searching for was probably right around the corner.
Dealing with breakfast had been fairly easy, especially since he had been alone if not for the people who'd bring him food and give him sideways glances when he did something that, supposedly, he usually did not do.
Thus, he headed towards the outside.
It felt liberating in both a literal and metaphorical way: he was able to get some fresh air plus he was going to get rid of all those fucking stupid rules he was bound by.
Spotting a dark cloak turning a corner, his instincts told him to follow it: he would've recognized the colour anywhere.
Once he caught up to it, he called out Bad's name, who immediately turned to look in surprise, all wide white eyes staring right back.
« Oh- uhm- »
« Finally, » Skeppy smiled like he had just been given an unexpected birthday gift. « It wasn't so hard to find you this time. »
« Find ... » Bad seemed to recoil, almost scared to know that Skeppy was looking for him. « You should not be seeking me! Don't you know we can't ... » he left the phrase unfinished, which really didn't help his case.
Because, no, actually, no he didn't know.
Skeppy let it slide. Why were his memories so messed up in this world?
« Listen, I have to talk to you. I need you to listen to me. »
« I'm sorry, » Bad raised his hands before his chest. « I- We can't. » he really seemed to be trying his best not to look too embarrassed, eyes dropping to the side and refusing to meet Skeppy's. It sounded like he was nervous to talk to him.
« Yes, we can. Drop whatever duties you have- »
« It's- no, it isn't that. You know the rules for royalty ... we cannot interact before marriage if it's arranged. »
Before what now?
« W- » was the smartest thing the gemfolk was able to say, blinking rapidly at the notion. « We're getting married? » he half-whispered, pointing towards Bad and himself, leaning towards him a little as though he were telling a secret.
Bad arched an eyebrow. « Are you sure you're not unwell? Did you get hurt by chance? » he looked around, wanting to find someone he could ask for help.
The good old genuinely kind demon he knew wanted to strike again.
How could it be to have this constant magnanimity in each and every life he conducted?
« I- I'm perfectly fine, listen, this is- this is very very important, more important than our wedding and it is worth breaking a few rules for it, okay? »
Bad nodded slowly, but still looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there.
Skeppy held out his hand and it took and incredibly amount of time for the demon to take it – which was probably around three seconds, but it still was an eternity on his book – before they walked towards a spot in the garden he somehow just knew would've been perfect to chat about his own little secrets without being disturbed.
« Okay, » Skeppy was still holding onto his hand because none of that felt real. He felt Bad's worried stare on him. « I need you to listen very carefully. I- I am not from this world. I come from another universe. I have been travelling between different universes for a while and in each one there's a version of you I meet and befriend and love with my entire heart, so please just come with me already, I am sick of this, sick of the guy who controls me, sick of waiting around forever I- » he breathed in and out, his grip on his hand tightened and Bad went to grab the other one, stabilizing him. Skeppy didn't realize he was already shaking, whether with rage or tears he hadn't shed in time earlier, he didn't know.
« I'm tired, I can't take it anymore, alright? I've seen enough heartbroken people, enough versions of you I left behind, I don't even care anymore, whichever you it is I just- I just want to be with you, is that so much to ask? »
« Skeppy, please breathe- »
« No, I really am tired, fuck XD's rules, I don't care, I'm done, leave me here if you so wish! Just leave me alone. »
« Skeppy- »
« You should come with me at this point, I don't care, we could run away, we could- there's so much we could- »
Bad's eyes widened, but the other was too lost in his own mind to see. « Skeppy, there's a- »
« We could- »
« Listen- »
There was something tingling his skin, something that felt like it was pulling him backwards.
Oh.
He did break rules, didn't he?
Skeppy squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around Bad's neck, burying his face in his chest. « No, no, no, no. I don't want to, please. Let me stay. » there was an echo of "please"s one after the other, as he struggled to hold onto the demon.
He could feel part of himself slip away as he tried to resist.
« Skeppy, look at me. » Bad's voice sounded way too calm. Why was he so grounding in such a terrible predicament?
Skeppy refused to comply, only holding onto him tighter.
« I'm sorry ... » the demon murmured, planting a kiss on top of his head. He held him close to himself for what felt like way too short, before he started to release him into the portal's power.
« It's okay. You can go. » he was now cupping his cheeks as the other looked up at him, halfway through the portal already. « We'll see each other again. » a stray tear left one of Bad's eyes, brushing his doleful smile.
Skeppy's eyes widened at once. « Wait. » his heart dropped in his chest. « W-Wait, are you ... »
There was a nod from the other, who looked like he was just about to break into a crying fit already.
« Wait, wait! » Skeppy tried to reach out to Bad, his Bad, again, in vain. The demon didn't move, though his crying didn't falter. He simply knew there was nothing he could do to stop that anymore.
The gemfolk yelled out for his name before he disappeared behind the portal.
So, he fucked up.
The one chance he could've had at reuiniting with the Bad from his world and he fucked it up.
Still, what the hell? How in the world was he there if that was not their original world?
He felt himself be yanked backwards by the collar of his shirt, until his body hit the solid ground; DreamXD was towering before him, looming over him in a way that he could've described as threatening if he could've seen the scowl behind its mask.
Skeppy took his time to re-adjust to the current place, recovering from the blow he had just taken, before the creature made a gesture after which his breathing stopped altogether.
« Mortal you should not have dared try to cross me. » it started. « You foolish little miscreant, thinking you could possibly get away with your banal outbursts. Should I remind you of our contract? Do I take it you'd like to be thrown into the void for the rest couple of millenias I could add onto your life? » it leaned forward a little. « One. One more misstep and I'm going to drop you into a world where you precious little Bad doesn't even exist. I'll laugh at you from above and watch as your life gets progressively more miserable. And I'll extend it to the point where you will beg to have never been born in the first place. » it hissed, releasing Skeppy after. It turned around and took some irritated steps away from him, muttering something about terrible humans.
Skeppy coughed, steadying his breathing.
« What the- » he coughed again. « What was that? »
« What was that? Have you listened to a single thing I have said?! »
« I- I didn't mean that! I meant- was that really him? »
« I was doing you a favor, you insignificant puppet. » DreamXD seemed to be glaring at him. « I was being merciful for once, after the agonizing time you had had in the past, I was giving you a chance for victory. But there you went, proving to me that you deserve nothing more or less than the sufferance I'm making you go through. »
It scoffed at Skeppy's heartbroken expression.
« You. You do not know ... » it shook its head. « You have failed me today, Skeptical. » it regarded him more solemnly. « For which I shall inflict a penalty upon you. » it seemed to ponder, letting the information linger as the gemfolk felt like his breath was being taken again. « As it should've been today that you had to complete your task, I am going to add ... a few more years to this. Decades maybe. »
« No. » Skeppy took a step back. « Decades- no, no you can't do this. »
« Oh, I can't? Does the void sound better for you? Or an immortality without ever feeling complete again? Is that what you prefer, you pathetic human? »
Skeppy hated it with every single cell of his body, and DreamXD knew that wholeheartedly. They shared a long look, before he looked away in defeat, biting the inside of his cheek not to, instead, try and beat up a whole ass god.
« You have angered me, mortal. You should be thankful I'm not directly erasing you from existence. » DreamXD moved away, to tinker with something at his disposition.
Skeppy took the chance to let himself wind down from whatever the fuck all of that was and simply accept defeat.
« I didn't ... » he tried, letting every bit of anger wash over him. « I thought Bad was going to be in our original world. »
« He has been travelling around. » XD supplied. « He knows he has to wait for you, he just doesn't know ... when and where. » a chuckle escaped him. « I guess he keeps waking up in different worlds here and there. You really ought to catch him. »
« I wasn't aware of that. »
« You're aware of enough. See where your current knowledge landed you already. »
Skeppy sighed deeply. « What now, then? Am I going to be doing the same as before? »
« I might let you see him again if you behave exceptionally good. » it paused. « You won't be able to bring him with you just yet, not for the first decade at least. You won't age, as you're still in my limbo, and neither will he. » it moved towards Skeppy, opening up a portal right in front of him. « That would be all, unless you need a rundown of our contract since your last accident ... »
« How could I forget? »
« Well, you are not supposed to be here. »
Skeppy could only hear a thunderous voice echo between the walls; he still hadn't taken a proper look at the chamber itself, as it was way too bright for his eyes to manage just yet.
« Wher- » he tried to let out, but found his lungs devoid of air, as though he was gasping for it when he spoke.
« A place like this is certainly not meant for you, little bug. » heavy steps made their way towards him, which only heightened his anxiety.
What just happened? Where was he? He couldn't remember when he had even gotten to sleep … had he gotten kidnapped? Oh gods, where was Bad?
« Poor little thing, » the creature – because whatever the fuck was speaking was definitely not human – mocked him in a way that made his blood boil. « Seems like you have gotten stuck. » something was placed on top of his head. Skeppy hoped the creature wasn't touching him. « Here, you can look now. » it said, right after the weight on him disappeared.
Skeppy looked up and his stomach dropped.
« And who might you be? » it- whatever- was that …? Skeppy felt like he couldn't speak, but the entity wouldn't seem to stop. It sounded like they were pondering rather than actually asking a question.
« It's alright, you are allowed to say your name. I am by no means linked with the fae. » it chuckled. « Though they stand within my realm. »
What the fuck was this guy talking about? And why did it look like a massive mask floating above mostly green robes? Skeppy could barely make out the supposed hooded face.
« Where- what are you? »
« What am I? Mh, I wonder how far humans must've fallen for you not to recognize me simply by looks. » there was a shuffle under the robes, as though the entity was crossing their arms or bringing his hands together. « The one who stands before you is DreamXD, one of the gods of the ancient pantheon of your mere world, which I created myself. Mine is the living territory and everything that breathes and goes above it. » it gestured towards their surroundings. « Thus, time. »
Skeppy looked at the floor, where he could make out a gigantic clock that seemed to be ticking each millisecond.
« You're … a god. »
There was a heavy sigh. « Humans are still slow, I presume. »
« I, » Skeppy had a hard time figuring out how he had to regard this being. « We're … where are we, exactly? »
« Time. » DreamXD responded, as though that explained everything the gemfolk needed to know.
It was funny how Skeppy felt like there was no passage of time whatsoever in that place. Everything felt so still except for the clock's ticks.
« Your name. » the god then demanded. « You have made your god introduce itself before you. Do not cross the line and behave, and we shall make a deal. »
« A deal? »
« Your name. » DreamXD insisted, unmovable.
« … Skeppy. »
They seemed to twitch at that, as though the god had been taken aback by such notion. « Skeptical from the gemfolk lost kingdom? »
The other was about to question how he knew that, but decided against. « Yes. » he confirmed instead, staring up at the god who seemed to be taking in the information like it was something it didn't expect and pondering deeply about what in the world he could've done with it.
« I see ... » it felt like they were staring down at him through the mask. « This … changes things. »
Changes- What? What things were even there in the first place? « What do you mean? »
« You are BadBoyHalo's soulbond, are you not? »
Skeppy blinked multiple times. How could it know of that and not know his appearance? « I am. » he decided to act mild until he learnt how far he could've pushed their limits.
« He angered me once, did you know? » it started walking around the room and Skeppy wasn't sure whether he should've followed.
« I believe he did not speak of you before. »
DreamXD turned around abruptly. « It was a rhetoric question, do not speak unless prompted, mortal. » their tone sounded way more sour, like you could feel the venom dropping off its tongue.
If it even had a tongue.
It turned again, resuming its walk. « Bad has stained my pride in the past. Humiliated me. And now you, his protected, are here. » it stopped in his tracks, a glint of mischief filled the air. « You know what this means, don't you? »
Skeppy felt like he was being stared at despite the god not facing him. « Are you gonna kill me? » he asked in a small voice. He could still barely process he was there in the first place.
How did he even get there? Why was he there if DreamXD was not expecting him, nor had it planned this all out itself?
Bad couldn't have just sold him out. Not like this.
Could he?
« Oh, no. That sounds boring and out of my realm, Kristin would not like that one bit. There are much more fun forms of vengeance, after all. »
Skeppy recoiled, hands trembling as he seemed to fold in on himself, thoroughly terrified.
« You know, I have been looking for someone … someone willing to participate in this little experiment I would like to conduct. I've been granted access to all sorts of realities and universes, neatly tailored them all together through portals. Now the one thing I need is a test subject. » it faces Skeppy again. « Which is where you, mortal, come in. »
« Why would I agree to that? How am I even here?! »
« You failed to reach the End. » DreamXD waited until it would've found the gemfolk's expression shifting in realization, but that never came to be. « You entered an End portal, but you were glitched out of existence. Thus you ended up here. »
« It was a glitch?! »
« Unusual, but possible. » the creature shrugged, but continued. « The reason why you are going to agree is because I'd be offering you a way out in exchange of a little harmless trial. Something to satisfy the grudge I have been holding. »
« Which is? » Skeppy grew enough confidence to stand his ground, despite how insignificant he looked.
« I will let you find him again. Just … not in a conventional way. You'll be using the portals. »
« But I will find him, yes? »
« Of course. » the god stepped around, checking the mentioned portals with a small glance. « Get ready to sign a contract, mortal. »
Skeppy had become the first ever universe hopper. He had agreed to make use of the portals and blend in, never to speak about his abilities nor the existence of such powers in exchange of some free will on his lives and some sort of immortality.
It wasn't that he was exactly immortal, he was just stuck, like time was in DreamXD's room.
Skeppy was also not allowed to ask about what Bad could've possibly done to anger a whole ass god, but knowing him it would have probably not taken much.
Gods, how much he missed Bad. He saw him technically almost everyday and yet …
He kept thinking about his last world, kept seeing tears on black skin. Glimmering eyes that held so much adoration and aching in them that he wished he had not seen them in the first place.
Skeppy wondered if Bad had been searching for him constantly just like he did, day and night, neglecting himself so he could be whole again eventually.
DreamXD was a complete and utter asshole and Skeppy came to that realization soon enough. It was right after the first heartbreak when he was yanked back from his first universe hop, but the confirmation had certainly come right then. There was something in them that convinced Skeppy it hated him with burning passion and enjoyed watching him suffer that terribly.
It's like they were always smiling a little bit wider whenever the gemfolk came back from yet another disappointing universe travel.
Skeppy wasn't even allowed to choose how long he stayed in each universe, could only recognize the feeling of being taken back just a few hours, sometimes days, before the portal appeared.
He was determined at first, but now … it was depressing.
He knew he couldn't possibly give up, nor he would've ever done that for anything in the world, but it sure as hell was fucking hard.
« You never even told him. » DreamXD once resonated in the middle of searching for a new portal and reviewing Skeppy's performance.
« Huh? »
« In your original existence. » it said, as though it explained anything. « You did not even tell him how you feel about him. »
« Excuse me? » Skeppy stuttered, completely taken aback by the sudden topic.
« You disgust me sometimes, mortal. » DreamXD shook its head. « Humans never realize how lucky they are. It's downright insulting given the intelligence they're supposed to hold. »
Skeppy didn't know what was so lucky about him being stuck in time trying to reach the surface and find his cru- his best friend again.
So what if he never confessed?
What was so wild about it to make a god that mad?
He decided against responding, knowing full well he would not have been able to handle his most sour mood.
Thus, he stayed silent until there was a click and a portal was opened in front of him. DreamXD gestured towards it wordlessly, as he did when he chose that humans were too much of a lowlife species to be spoken to in the first place.
Skeppy stared intently into the confusing void of partial stars he could see.
And then Skeppy fell through the portal for the millionth time.