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Chapter Text

Burden… Often a word used when others were referring towards Yin-Yang, one that they had grown quite familiar with. They were a burden to their teammates, and sometimes it felt like they didn’t belong on the island at all. That’s what Nickel always said to them, at least. Yin-Yang sighed, and sat down on their bed in the hotel.

“Well, so what if we are a burden?” Yang piped up, raising his head slightly, showing determination. Yin dropped their shared head back down, staring at the ground.

“You and I both know that this is taxing, Yang! Everyone hates us, we hate us…” Yin softly said, on the verge of tears. He sniffled, wiping away the threat of tears, and stood up suddenly.

“We hate us because everyone else hates us! No one needs to hate us, they just- They just don’t understand what we’ve been through!” Yang proclaimed, evil flashing across his eyes. Yin knew this feeling, holding onto the bed as tight as he could, preventing Yang from moving.

“Hey! Let me get up!” Yang complained, tugging on the bed against Yin’s protests.

“We aren’t going through with your stupid idea, Yang. It’s morally, and probably legally, wrong.” Yin explained, fighting his twin.

“So what? It’s what those bastards deserve…” Yang stopped fighting, and stared at his feet. Yin released his hands, feeling Yang surrender.

“They don’t deserve this, this…” He stopped to choose his words carefully.

“This hell?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Well, I think they do, and I know you agree, even if you refuse to admit it.” Yin gasped, offended that his brother would accuse him of something so horrible.

“No one should be stuck together like this, Yang, and you know it,” Yin started, “But… I’m sure we could try it once.” Yin-Yang’s eyes lit up, Yang being the one excited. Yin felt defeated, but oddly motivated.

“So, where should we begin?”

Chapter Text

Yin-Yang’s eyes widened, due to Yin’s surprise at Yang’s choice of words. Yin hadn’t meant that, a beginning meant more than one. Yin wanted to backtrack, but knew that would cause an argument. He decided to do it anyway.

“Yang, I said once…” Yin tried to reason with his brother, knowing it wouldn’t work. When Yang made up his mind, nothing could be done to change it. All that could be done was to delay the inevitable. A flash of determination struck like lightning across Yin-Yang’s eyes, this time from Yang.

“Let’s get started, Yin.” Yang’s voice was low and grim, Yin knew in an instant that nothing more could be done. All he could do was lie and regret. Before Yin could prevent anything, Yang got up from the bed and quietly ran across the room, careful not to wake anyone. It was late, and most were in their rooms chilling out or sleeping. Yin attempted to slow his brother down, but wasn’t able to do much of anything. Yang was always the stronger of the two, even if Yin could outlift. Yang tiptoed towards the hotel door, and after gently escaping, he made a mad dash towards the vending machine.

“Yang, please, let’s just sleep on this!” Yin shouted, his voice getting lost in the wind. Yang just glared, running faster. His lungs were pumping, heart beating louder than rain against a metal roof. His feet pounding against the grassy terrain was familiar, an exhilarating feeling, even calming the most reluctant of people. Yang smiled, slowing down as he neared the vending machine. He was out of breath, and his face was red from the wind whipping against it, but he didn’t care. Running was the only thing he and Yin had anymore, their only true friend left in the world. Soon, however, there would be more like Yin-Yang.

“Yang, please, just-” Yin was cut off by gasps for breath on both ends. Yang just looked at the buttons of the vending machine, trying to remember the code he had watched Test Tube punch in hundreds of times. He knew there was an alternative entrance, but couldn’t quite recall where it was. He simply closed his eyes and trusted muscle memory, which seemed to have worked like a charm, as after he pressed the last button blindly, he heard a mechanical, metallic screeching on the side of the machine. Yin-Yang opened their eyes, much to Yin’s chagrin, and entered Test Tube’s secret lab. 

Chapter Text

The interior of the lab was dimly lit by soft lamps hidden in corners of the room. Yin-Yang blinked a few times to adjust to the low light, and walked towards the nearest shelf.

“Yang, do you even remember what serum she gave us?”

“It was blue,” Yang scoured each shelf, careful to put things back where he found them. Yin-Yang resisted the urge to taste a few of the safer looking chemicals, just in case they were toxic or harmful in any way.

“There are tons of blue mixtures here, can you just drop it and go home?” Yin pleaded with his brother, exhausted from pulling another all-nighter and from running at a full sprint. Yang shook his head, not looking away from the vials and beakers of various liquids, most of which were blue. Yang smiled, grabbing at a circular glass flask full of a blue serum, one that Yin-Yang recognized, one with glee, the other with disappointment. Yin-Yang quickly hid the flask inside their jacket pocket, the cylindrical top of it sticking out. They quickly turned around, running their shin directly into the metal leg of one of the work benches. They fell backwards slightly, catching themselves on the same bench with one arm, the other grabbing where their leg hit the table. They bit their tongue to keep from screaming out in pain, inhaling sharply as they did that. A few seconds passed, and they stood back up, shaking off the injury. While Yin was distracted overthinking the whole scenario, Yang took the chance to grab another vial, this one filled halfway with a familiar red fluid. He hid the small vial in the pocket of his jeans almost as soon as he picked it up in one quick motion. The metal scraping of the door to the lab echoed through the large underground room. Yin-Yang nodded, seemingly at each other, and ran towards a wall, nearly into it.

“Where’s the door out?” Yin stage-whispered, panicking a little bit. Yang, acting as the logical one for once, searched every corner of the room. He saw a small crease in the wall to his right, and jogged over, some of Yin’s anxiety bubbling into his thoughts. He felt for the crease, pushing into the wall, opening a door.

“Alrighty, Test Tube, let’s see what’s on the agenda for today…” Test Tube’s voice filled the room, along with light, which slivered through the hidden doorway Yin-Yang had barely closed as Test Tube entered her lab. If she heard the small click of the door latching closed, she didn’t seem to care, and Yin-Yang made their escape. When they breached the surface, back on the main part of the island, they saw it was the crack of dawn and no one else was awake, aside from Toilet, who was babbling away to himself. Yin-Yang ran back to Hotel OJ, holding onto the flask they stole, and snuck back into bed, falling into a light sleep as if they had been there the entire time.

Chapter Text

After a couple hours, Yin-Yang woke up properly and stretched out their long, lanky limbs. A few bones popped, and they looked a mess. Between running outside during the windy, humid night and barely sleeping the past few weeks, they looked like a college student during finals week. Their roommate, Cherries, yawned and looked over at them.

“You look like shit,” One of them stated, standing up out of bed while stretching.

“Nothing a shower and a pot of coffee couldn’t fix,” Yang retorted through a yawn. “Besides, you look no worse for wear.” Yang gestured towards Cherries unkempt ginger hair and clothes that reeked of mildew and sweat.

“Yeah, maybe try sleeping, too, I’ve heard it helps with those bags under your eyes,” Cherries and Yin-Yang went back and forth like this for some time, laughing like idiots and even sprinkling in some of Yin-Yang’s native language, Italian, into the insults. The pair ended the conversation with a light punch to the arm each. Yin-Yang left their jacket in the closet and hid it behind the rest of their clothes while throwing the rest of their outfit in the hamper to hop in a long shower. So, after 45 minutes of just sitting in the shower until they were tomato red and definitely clean, They put on fresh clothes and the jacket from yesterday, triple checking that the flask was still in the pocket. Yang hoped that the vial was still there, but couldn’t check unless he was in full control and Yin wasn’t paying attention at all. Yin-Yang sauntered out of their room and made a beeline towards the coffee machine, cutting in front of Knife and Trophy. Yang took control of the body while pouring his own coffee, and after thinking for more than two seconds, decided it would be a good test run. No one else was in the room, and most were presumably outside or busy getting ready for the show, so maybe Yang could try out his master plan. Before he could change his mind, he pulled out the flask of merging serum and poured Knife and Trophy each a cup of coffee, putting a tablespoon of sugar into Knife’s coffee and a half cup of creamer and enough sugar to inspire a young child to be a dentist into Trophy’s coffee. Into both, Yang mixed in the foul tasting liquid, mixing enough sugar into Knife’s to mask the bitter taste. He then turned around holding each Styrofoam cup of coffee, and handed Knife and Trophy their respective drinks.

“Sorry for cutting you two in line, I was tossing and turning all night and needed coffee urgently. I made you both coffee how you like as an apology!” Yang never was a great liar, but the two bullies of the island seemed to have accepted the gift regardless. Coffee was coffee, right? The jock and the jerk looked at each other, shrugged, and took a sip. Knife grabbed his stomach and held his mouth, turning a sickly green colour almost immediately, Trophy following suit after chugging half his drink down in a matter of seconds.

“Yang, what did you do!?” Knife stumbled over to him, threatening to hurt the small man, but fell to the floor in pain. Trophy fell next to him, writhing and suppressing the urge to vomit. The two bullies on the floor felt something, and they began to inch closer to each other as if by some magic. Slowly but surely, the two tall, buff men merged into one. Nerves, organs, everything down to the very atoms that made up Knife and Trophy, were fused into one. Knife’s body took the left side, Trophy’s the right. On Knife’s side of the body, the new man’s hair was dirty blonde and long, down to his chin. He had a green left eye and a blue right eye. The outfits each party was wearing at the time fused down the middle, a leather jacket roughed up emo style on the left, a clean cut preppy jock style on the right. The hair was the weirdest part- instead of short, American male actor hair on one side, long and messy on the other, their hair met in the middle with a short mullet, golden blonde on the right and dirty blonde on the left. After what felt like ages, but was most likely only a couple of minutes, Knife and Trophy passed out, now only one body that was suffering from dyspnea due to screaming in pain for that whole duration of time. Yin-Yang hid the flask and ran off, forgetting to pour a cup of coffee for themselves. All they knew is that they could be in serious trouble for this, especially if Knife and Trophy remembered who all was there. Yin-Yang just went back to their room and changed their jacket, planning who would be next.

Chapter Text

Knife-Trophy POV 

“Thanks for the coffee, I guess.” Was the last thing Trophy remembered saying before he passed out. He didn’t know how long he had been out for, and his entire body hurt now. His head was spinning, and he felt… different.

“Ughhh what happened?” Knife’s voice emerged from next to Trophy, but Trophy’s mouth was moving. Trophy felt his left hand being moved to push him up off the ground where he fell. He helped the effort of getting up, and looked around the room, processing what had happened. He didn’t see Knife’s body anywhere, just a mess of sticky coffee embedded into the carpet.

“Trophy… Where are you?” Knife asked, but this time, his voice was coming from within Trophy’s brain. Trophy jumped back, stumbling against the coffee station.

“Knife? I don’t see you either, but I can hear you.” Trophy spun in a circle, beginning to feel dizzy.

“Stop moving and take a breath, man.” Knife was thinking, and Trophy could hear it. Trophy wasn’t great at thinking, he never had been. Trophy panicked and began hyperventilating, when he felt himself slapping himself. Or, was it Knife slapping himself? Trophy didn’t know anymore, and according to the vague confusion that mixed with his own, Knife was at a complete loss.

“Trophy, listen- When we drank the coffee, do you remember who gave it to us?” Trophy shook his head, opting not to talk or even think at all.

“Shit, neither do I…” Knife sat down, thinking about all the people that could have possibly done this.

“All I remember is drinking the coffee, it tasted bad, then blacking out.” Trophy thought, really attempting not to think out loud. He wiped the bangs out of his eyes, feeling what had happened to his hair. He stood up, enraged.

“Alright, since when do I have a mullet!?” He yelled, clenching his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. He got a few weird looks, but no one stopped to chat. Knife felt his head, but shrugged.

“I planned on getting one anyway,” He popped the collar of his leather jacket, feeling the thick fabric of a varsity jacket on his right side.

“But I wasn’t planning on getting a varsity jacket.” Knife grumbled, too tired and confused to really question anything else.

“So… How do we move?” Trophy asked, not really expecting an answer.

“Not sure, but I seemed to have figured something out if you let me take the reins.”

“Absolutely not, I need to learn this as well!” It was getting hard for Trophy to keep thinking without talking, but he managed. This was better than the looks that he was getting.

“Well, fine then,” Knife took a step back, gesturing for Trophy to take control. Trophy sighed in relief and figured out how to move. He just stopped thinking about doing anything, taking on his normal swagger saunter, acting as if he was better than everyone else. In the headspace, Knife rolled his eyes. Trophy led them to a bathroom to look in the mirror, and felt proud of himself for doing that on his own. Then he saw what he had looked like, and almost passed out again.

“I- You- Are we?” Knife nodded, mouth agape.

“I think we are…”

“I mean, I knew that we were, but I didn’t know that- That we-”

“That we looked like this?” Knife and Trophy didn’t hesitate from speaking out loud, knowing that no one would enter. Most were out competing or hanging out, and there were other restrooms. Trophy couldn’t stop staring. How his pristine clothes were ruined by being ripped in half and sewn to Knife’s old, musty clothes should be a crime against humanity in Trophy’s opinion.

“Thanks for the compliment, roomie,” Knife rolled his eyes, clearly being sarcastic, and clearly not happy about this either.

“Well, maybe if you dressed nice, it truly would be a compliment!” Trophy threw his hands up, slamming them against the fake-marble sink counter. His hands stung from the force of the slam, but it was nothing compared to blacking out and becoming one with his rival.

“Trophy, settle down! That hurts both of us, and I need a clear head. Do you smoke?” Knife patted his back pocket, feeling his pack of cigarettes and smiling, a wave of relief flowing through him.

“No, my body-”

“-Is a temple, yeah, yeah, okay.” Knife tried to stop thinking about it, but couldn’t. He was spiralling, and smoking definitely helped him think.

“God, Knife, your thoughts are annoying me, if that helps you stop that, then fine. Go ahead, ruin my perfectly good lungs because you have an addiction.” Trophy yelped a bit upon feeling Knife jump at the chance to take a smoke break. He rushed outside, grabbing a cigarette and his lighter in one motion. He ran out to the back of the hotel, where the dumpsters go, and lit up his cigarette.

“I already feel better,” Knife stated after just the first puff.

“I’m glad you do, this is Hell for me,” Trophy kept from speaking out loud, but acid was leaking from his words regardless.

“Well, I don’t give a shit what you think, even if I have to deal with it for God knows how long.” 

“Get used to it, and get used to less of these body ruining breaks and more workout sessions.” 

“We’ll see, new roomie.”

“Stop calling me that.” Knife chuckled out loud, jamming his finished cigarette into the cold brick wall behind him, then flicking it into the dumpster beside him.

“Don’t say that like you hate it, Trophy. You know I could say much worse to and about you.” Trophy and Knife fought until they couldn’t find anything to fight about anymore, bumping into Yin-Yang on their way back to Trophy’s room. Yin-Yang awkwardly smiled and waved at Knife and Trophy, Yin obviously being the one in control. Knife took control of his own body, waving back at Yin-Yang and turned to follow them.

“Yin-Yang, we need your help with something!” Knife called out, being ignored. He saw earbud cables, and decided that Yin might be in a bad mood and left him alone. He turned back towards his journey, allowing Trophy to lead them to his room. Yin was acting weird, he usually would stop and chat with others rather than ignore someone, especially if they were asking for help. Maybe that was Yang pretending, or maybe Yin had something to do with what happened to Knife and Trophy, Knife thought. Whatever happened to Knife and Trophy had something to do with Yin-Yang, and Knife was going to figure it out, no matter what.

Chapter Text

Yin-Yang’s POV 

Yang was listening to music, pulling his hood up in the hallway on his way down from his room. He caught sight of an angry looking Knife-Trophy fusion, and straightened out his posture a bit, mimicking Yin. He smiled and waved, looking a little awkward and nervous. Knife-Trophy, Yang couldn’t tell who was in control, waved back, then turned and almost chased after Yin-Yang, asking for help with something. Yang ignored his question, pretending his music was louder than it really was. He sighed and made his way back downstairs, looking to find Soap and help her clean up the spilled coffee from hours before.

“You should have helped them out, Yang.” Yin was getting used to Yang wanting to sneak around, and while he was in control earlier, he found the red serum that split them in a tiny vial, hidden away in a pocket of the jacket. How Yang managed to slip that by Yin in the first place was beyond him, but Yin was thoroughly impressed.

“Well, I didn’t.” Yang was being colder than usual, avoiding most of Yin’s questions. Yang pulled up his hood, hiding his face with his bangs.

“Well, you should have. Especially since you were trying to mimic me.”

“It worked, along with the earbud trick.”

“You’re being impossible right now,” Yin sighed, giving up. Yang went back to his thoughts, walling them off from his brother. Yin wanted to eavesdrop, but respected Yang’s privacy today. For now, at least, he would mind his business. Until then, he sat back and enjoyed his time relaxing in his headspace. This almost never happened, Yang always needed supervision while in control, but today, Yin was free to take a day off from worrying. It didn’t work, and soon enough, Yin found a way to eavesdrop on Yang’s thoughts.

‘I need to convince him, without Yin on board, I can’t complete my goal…’ Yin overheard. He tried listening for more, but the thoughts stopped and the wall disappeared.

“Stop listening, you aren’t good at sneaking past my boundaries.” Yang complained, ready to slap his brother. Yin rolled his eyes and took the defeat, allowing Yang to go back to what he was doing. Yang sat down, picking up a book about biology he had borrowed from Test Tube while Yin was relaxing. Test Tube was bewildered, but Yang tried mimicking his brother again. It didn’t work, but Test Tube let Yang take the book for a few days despite the thinly veiled excuse Yang had come up with.

“Since when do you read?” Nickel sneered, walking past Yin-Yang. He sat adjacent to the twins, watching Yang ignore him and turn up his music.

“Fine, then, ignore me. Serves you right for being the most annoying one here.” Yang glared at Nickel, but didn’t want to feed into the taunts. Nickel was looking for drama, and Yang was exhausted. He continued reading the college textbook, listening to his brother's playlist.

“God, Yin-Yang, you usually give me a reaction!” Nickel was beginning to look annoyed, clearly trying to think of some better insults.

“God, Nickel, you usually aren’t this annoying.” Yang’s voice was monotone, and he was focused on his reading. Nickel was puzzled, definitely not used to this sort of reaction.

“Well- Well you usually aren’t this quiet! Since when do you care about reading?”

“Since a few days ago, according to your timeline of things.”

“I- Well I- I just didn’t know you could read!”

“I can read just fine, Nickel, I think you’re the one that can’t read since you clearly can’t read the room and leave.” Nickel’s jaw dropped, and he tried to come up with a comeback.

“I- Well I-”

“Leave me alone, Nickel, or you will be sorry.” Yang closed his book, making a mental note of the page, got up off the sofa where he was sitting, and held the book like he was preparing to hit Nickel.

“Okay, okay! Fine, God, I’ll leave. Next time you need alone time, just go to your own room.” Nickel left the room, cursing under his breath. Yang sat back down and resumed reading, letting Yin come out from his little room in headspace. Yin took half control, and after what he had just witnessed Yang do, he was too afraid to ask for full control. But he did anyway.

“Yang, let me control? You need a break, you’re nearly falling asleep!” Yang was too focused on the book, merely shaking his head. He was falling asleep, but he was too stubborn to let himself take a break.

“Yang, please. I can handle being in control while you’re asleep.”

“What are you going to do while I’m away?” Yin had to come up with something quick.

“You’ll see…”

Chapter Text

Yin didn’t have a plan, and was lying through his teeth when he told Yang that he did have a plan. Yang did step back, and Yin put up a strong mental steel wall, keeping Yang out and away while he thought and planned. He picked up the book and moved outside, preferring to read in the sun, and looked over his options. Nickel would make for a great next victim, but he needed to fuse with someone. Maybe Balloon? They always had a rigid relationship, but it seemed too obvious, and could be worked out with time. Besides, only one side having an arm would look strange. Yin continued to think it over, then saw Suitcase sitting on her own. Nickel and Suitcase, what a wonderful rivalry, Yin pondered. He finally had a plan, and didn’t even have to wait that long. All Yin had to do was get Nickel and Suitcase in the same room, which would be impossible. Having Knife and Trophy near each other like that was a miracle, and definitely just an opportunistic leap Yang had taken. Yin had no idea how he could get Suitcase and Nickel in the same room together, not without a bit of help. After a bit of deliberation, an idea popped into Yin’s mind. He scrambled up off the grass, wiping dirt off of him, making it seem as if there was a bug that got too close as to not cause suspicion. No one seemed to have noticed at all, and Yin jogged up to his room, grabbing a notebook and a pencil. He sat down on the bed, scribbling out a couple of identical notes. He folded them each up, wrote down his name in cursive, and searched for Nickel and Suitcase. He located Nickel standing against the fridge, eyeing Suitcase, who was still outside where Yin had last seen her. Yin shoved a note into Nickel, knowing that it would fall to the floor. He speed-walked away, looking very conspicuous. Nickel raised an eyebrow, but read the note anyway. Yin did the same thing with Suitcase, but he popped the note open for her. He walked back to his room, grabbing three drinks on his way up. He decided to mix his own fruity cocktail, but couldn’t find alcohol. It would have to be virgin, or a fruit slushie. It would be the same thing, Yin supposed as he grabbed what he needed. Yin decided that blueberry would be the main flavour, but hints of pineapple, grapefruit, and blackberry could be detected. He mixed up the cold drinks, and added the serum to two of them, keeping those two separate from his own drink. As Yin finished stirring the last drink, Nickel walked into the room.

“What did you want, nerd?”

“Ah, I see you’re being nicer than normal! Good to hear you’re in a good mood, Nickel,” Yin put on his best customer service voice, toning it down a bit to sound more casual. Suitcase reluctantly walked in, and nearly ran out when she saw Nickel.

“Suitcase! Welcome, come inside!” Yin pushed Suitcase inside the room, quietly locking the door behind him.

“What did you want us here for?” Nickel inquired, moving away from Suitcase, who was too terrified to move a muscle.

“I just figured us three could share a drink and chat?” Yin gestured towards the sunset coloured slushies.

“No thank you, I don’t drink.” Suitcase stated, her voice shaking almost as much as her body.

“Don’t worry, there isn’t any alcohol in these.” Yin reassured, and both of his guests sighed in relief.

“Well, I guess I’ll be brave and try a bit of it,” Nickel reached out and grabbed the glass closest to him, and Suitcase hesitantly grabbed her glass. Yin held tight to his drink, and proposed a toast.

“To uneasy relationships, and the hope that they may one day be mended!” Nickel and Suitcase looked at each other and giggled, but they humoured Yin and clinked their glasses. Yin took the first sip, and the other two drank in unison. And, just like what had happened with Trophy and Knife, the drink clattered into the carpet. Yin mentally cursed himself, since he would have to be the one to clean up the mess. Nickel and Suitcase fell to the ground, and in a matter of seconds, fused into one being. There wasn’t much screaming, just quiet groans of pain, and while they did black out, they didn’t fully pass out. Yin supposed that they both had higher pain tolerances, but didn’t kick them out. He wanted to make sure they looked right, and wanted to see who had ended up on what side. Nickel overtook the right side, his silver hair and grey eye standing out against Suitcase’s brown hair and eye on the left. Their styles seemed to have matched up today, perhaps by a happy accident, and nothing much really changed. The fusion had freckles across the bridge of the nose, and a dimple on the left side. The person Yin was looking at was a mixture of Nickel and Suitcase’s best features, and they were much prettier than the emo jock that Knife and Trophy had been turned into. Nickel and Suitcase fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious from pain and shock, and Yin lifted them up and set them gently on the couch. He cleaned up the mess, thankful that by some miracle the glass didn't shatter. After cleaning up the mess, Yin did find a bit of vodka in the mini fridge Cherries found and fixed up, mixed it into his cocktail, and passed out on the bed.

Chapter Text

Suitcase-Nickel POV 

Yin said that there was no alcohol in those drinks, Nickel thought, squinting his eyes from the light’s in the room. His memory was fuzzy, he didn’t remember much of anything at all after he toasted with Suitcase and Yin. Nickel heard Suitcase’s voice, but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. Nickel slowly stood up, definitely feeling hungover now. He made his way towards the restroom, cursing himself for trusting the weirdo twin. At least now he knew that Yin could mix drinks like nothing at all, to the point where the alcohol couldn’t be detected. Nickel shut the restroom door behind him, and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

“Wait… What?” He saw that his face was only on half of his face, along with his hair and clothes. His freckles took up more space, but the other half of his body was overtaken by-

“Suitcase?” Nickel was wide eyed, but definitely groggy. In his mind, he searched for the presence of someone else. Upon seeing a bedroom door in his mind, he pounded on the door and hoped to wake up Suitcase if she was asleep. He heard a startled yelp, and someone fell out of bed. Physically, he was fully there again.

“Nickel..? Since when can I hear you in my-” Suitcase opened the door, unable to speak out loud. She saw Nickel looking frantic, and ran to take control. She and Yin had talked about what it was like to share a body with a completely different person, and she recalled the process he told her about.

“What happened to us? Are we-” Suitcase felt her side of the face, feeling rather bland compared to Nickel’s shiny silver hair and eye. She shook their newly-shared head, splashing it with water.

“This is just a nightmare, this isn’t real, c’mon Suitcase, wake up now,” She repeated this mantra a couple of times, panicking when it didn’t work.

“I’m not happy about this, either, Suitcase! I would rather drown myself than be sharing anything with you!”

“Rude, first of all.. And second of all, agreed, I would rather not be doing this with you specifically.” Nickel was nearly hyperventilating, curled up in a tight ball in the corner of the mindscape.

“We just need to figure this out, is all! I mean, I’m sure worse could have happened,” Suitcase attempted to rationalise. “We could always ask Test Tube, I’m sure she could help us!”

“That nerd?” Nickel scoffed, but mulled it over. “Well, I guess she is the science-y nerdy one.” Nickel swiped control from Suitcase, pushing her aside.

“Let’s go find her.” Nickel began to walk, but Suitcase stopped him short.

“Not before a shower, I feel disgusting after drinking like that last night,” Suitcase assumed the time of day and how long they had been unconscious.

“Well then lead the way, my liege!” Nickel stepped back, sarcastically gesturing for Suitcase to take her position as leader.

“Be nice, Nickel, I’m not happy about this either.” Suitcase took control, figuring out how to make a mental wall that Nickel couldn’t get through. She was tired, and gave up after a few tries. As she was walking to her own hotel room, where she knew she would have privacy, Nickel skidded them to a halt.

“Why are you taking us to your room?” He asked, trying to instigate.

“Because my roommate is never in there, and I figure we may want a bit of privacy while we shower and figure out how to compromise an outfit. Nickel opened his mouth to retort, but couldn’t think of anything. He still felt a bit fuzzy, and sat back while Suitcase continued their journey.

After a long shower, Suitcase picked out a brown military jacket and khakis, while Nickel picked out a white crop top, black undershirt, and a pair of grey knock-off Doc Martens. They put on the outfit, and Suitcase found a pair of feather earrings to wear. Nickel rolled his eyes, but did like how the earrings pulled the outfit together. Suitcase grabbed her satchel, and headed out the door.

“Let’s go find Test Tube.”

Chapter Text

Yin-Yang POV 

Yin was passed out drunk, babbling like an idiot while asleep. Yang, on the other hand, was wide awake and not yet hungover. He felt inebriated, and heard a few vague statements from a sleeping Yin. While Yang was taking a long break from his experiments, Yin had apparently gotten Nickel and Suitcase to drink the chemical mixture. He was proud of his brother for taking a chance, but wished he hadn’t drank so much. Now Yang’s head hurt, and he was feeling groggy. He managed to stand up, but felt the effects of Yin’s intoxicated state and sat back down.

“Damn you, Yin…” Yang whispered, taking a few deep breaths. He slowly stood back up, stumbling to the sink so he could splash cold water on his face and make a quick large bottle of water to help him sober up. He took a long swig, feeling a little more present after a few minutes. He threw on a jacket and left the room, locking the door behind him.

“Yin-Yang, looking worse than yesterday it seems!” Cherries greeted, scaring Yang.

“Cherries, God, next time make yourself a little bit more known!” Yang smiled and lightly hit his friend.

“Watch where you look, blind ass.”

“I would but Yin here decided to steal your stash of vodka and passed out.” Yang joked around, knowing that Yin was barely awake. Cherries chuckled, brushing off the statement.

“Oh well, I have my ways of getting more no big deal.”

“If you insist,” Yang walked past Cherries, trying to figure out where to go. He saw Knife and Trophy mentally arguing, and decided to walk up to them.

“Hey Knife, Trophy!”

“Go away, Yin-Yang,” Knife threatened, refusing to look at Yang.

“I just wanted to say sorry for ignoring you two yesterday, I was in a bit of a mood and was in no position to help.” Knife-Trophy was too surprised to say anything, but didn’t move away.

“So, you’ll help us out today?”

“If you decide you need my help, sure, but it’s hard to teach what I’m still figuring myself.” Yang began, thinking of a way to get Knife and Trophy to rely on him.

“Besides, it seems like you two already have a good handle on things.” Yang shifted his weight, taking a drink of his water. A few of his words slurred, but it wasn’t noticeable to the preoccupied Knife and Trophy.

“Is there a way to reverse it? I mean, there has to be!”

“Well… There would be, but you would have to ask someone else.” Yang’s stomach dropped, but he remained calm.

“Like who, Test Tube?” Knife started, being cut off by Trophy. “We already asked her, and she said she could whip something up if she could find a sample of what she used to split you and Yin.” A wave of relief washed over Yang, thank God he had stolen the last half vial of that liquid.

“Is she looking for it right now?” Yang inquired, knowing that Test Tube wouldn’t find it.

“She said that she couldn’t look right now, she was too busy with other experiments, but I’m tempted to find her and force her to look.” Trophy crossed his arms, looking rather upset. He finally made eye contact with Yin-Yang, and asked the magic question.

“Can you please help us with this? Knife and I are having trouble getting along here, and we can’t agree on anything!”

“Of course we will help, I just need to wake up Yin first. Meet us in our room in about an hour and a half.” Yang walked away, not allowing the conversation to go any further. He needed to get Test Tube fused with someone to slow her down with any sort of cure. Yang ran up to his room, grabbed the flask of fusion liquid, and made his way back downstairs. He quickly found someone who was standing alone, knocked them out, and grabbed them to bring them down to Test Tube’s lab.

Chapter Text

Yin was shaken awake from the struggle of his brother lifting a rather tall person. He blinked a few times, watching what Yang was doing. He couldn’t see as well, being blocked off almost entirely by Yang, but could hear the struggle.

“Yang…?” Yin hesitantly asked, trying to reach through a gap in the mental wall. Yang looked over, looking more feral than before. He was breathing heavily, midway through what seemed to be restraining someone.

“Yang, what are you doing?” Yin managed to fit through the wall, just barely squeezing through before Yang closed it off.

“Go back to sleep, I don’t want to be fully thinking!” Yang freaked out, but kept his voice low and dark.

“I just woke up thanks to you! I can’t go back to sleep,” Yin peeked to see what Yang was even doing, and saw that it was dark outside. How long had he been asleep?

“Then leave me alone, or help me pull her to Test Tube’s lab.” Yin sighed, rolled up his sleeves, and helped the process without any more questions. He wasn’t able to see who Yang had kidnapped, and as curious as he was, he figured it was safer to stay silent. He would see her sooner or later regardless.

“Did you bring the flask?” Yin matched Yang’s tone, refusing to show his true, unbridled excitement.

“Of course I brought the flask, you take me for an idiot,” Yang smirked, feeling Yin’s emotions whether Yin wanted to admit it or not.

“Besides, I can let you do the honours.” Yin’s eyes lit up, and he smiled wider like a kid getting ice cream before dinner. Slowly but surely, Yin-Yang hauled the tall woman to Test Tube’s lab, surprised when they saw the door open. They lifted the woman on their shoulder, carrying her like a potato sack, and slid carefully into the lab. The door slammed shut behind them, and they fell into the lab. Yin finally saw the face of who they were carrying, and let out a surprised gasp. He refused to say anything, but knew that doing anything to her would be wrong. Especially when it was hurting her like this. He shook off his guilt, the thrill of the fight overpowering all other emotions.

“Yin-Yang!?” The sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the room. “What are you doing here!?” Test Tube got to her knees immediately, picking up what she could of the broken glass, accidentally slicing her palm open. 

“Yin, run!” Yang let Yin take control, and Yin grabbed his former friend, restraining her before she could wash the glass and chemical off of her wounded hand. It wasn’t a deep wound, Yin figured, so she would be fine. He pinned her to the ground with his left hand and knee, opening the flask with his teeth.

“Yin, please, stop!” Test Tube cried out, her voice cracking, her eyes full of tears. Yin smiled, a dark presence on an otherwise nice man.

“You shouldn’t help those who don’t need it, puttana.” Yin forced Test Tube to drink half of what was left in the flask, then released her to cough on the ground. He went over to the other woman restrained on the floor, and although she was unconscious still, he managed to move her closer to Test Tube and get her to drink the last of the liquid. He watched the two women merge into one, this fusion being much gorier and traumatising than the other two that happened. Test Tube and her partner were physically ripped in half, two of the halves melting into nothing. They were fused together, atom by atom, molecule by molecule, and midway through, the screams of agony stopped. Test Tube fell limp, and soon enough, the process stopped. Test Tube and Microphone were one, left on the floor of a secret lab underground. Yin-Yang ran out, knowing that this time they would be caught. Yang took back control, Yin exhausted from holding down Test Tube. By the luckiest of chances, it was still dark out and no one was anywhere nearby the lab. Yang fiddled with the vial in his pocket, wondering if he should drink it, but decided against it. He opted to run to Gemory Cave and hide there until dawn. Hopefully Test Tube and Microphone wouldn’t quite remember what had happened tonight, but that seemed almost impossible. The way Yin handled the situation was more violent than Yang expected, given Yin’s record of never hurting a fly. He ran into the cave and sat down, looking at his next choice of options. Drink the liquid in the vial and run, or hope that no one remembered that he and Yin were involved? He sighed, laying down for a short rest, refusing to fall asleep. He couldn’t risk falling asleep, not after these past few days, and not with the possibility of Yin taking over and going apeshit on the contestants. He played with a few rocks, got up, and explored the cave to stay awake, continuing to fiddle with the vial.

Chapter Text

Test Tube-Microphone POV

‘He left us,’ Test Tube thought. Her vision was blurred, and her ears felt as though they were full of cotton, but she supposed that that was normal for what had just happened. Microphone was thoroughly passed out, and her head hurt somehow worse than molecularly being split in half and reattached for a whole different person. She knew who was behind all of this, and had to tell everyone. She used every bit of force to get off the floor, but couldn’t. It was as if an elephant was sitting on her, and Microphone being unconscious didn’t help things one bit. Test Tube threw up, and tried to go into the newly shared mindscape to wake up Mic. She didn’t get too far, and passed out as well.

‘I need to tell everyone that… That… Shit, who did this..?’ Was the last thing Test Tube had coherently thought before falling to the floor unconscious.

Chapter Text

Test Tube-Microphone POV

Test Tube woke back up, her head hurting worse than it did last night. She was surprised to see she was already moving, then remembered that she was now part of a pair.

“Morning, Test Tube, sorry if I woke you, but we need to get going.” Microphone cut to the chase, not waiting for a reply. Mic was searching for the doorway out of the lab, unable to find the hidden hatch.

“Let me take over, I know how to get out of here.” Test Tube moved forward, gently pushing Mic back. Mic got the hint, and allowed it to happen. Test Tube effortlessly found the door, leaving the lab.

“Alright, Mic, what do you remember from last night?”

“Absolutely nothing.”

“Shit, neither do I.” Test Tube spat out her words, almost cursing herself for not remembering.

“Well, correction- I remember being knocked out by someone, but I doubt that’s really helpful.” Microphone tried, shrugging when she couldn’t remember anything else.

“I vaguely remember seeing you falling down to my lab, being carried by someone. I also remember an interaction, but no faces come to mind. Just pain and fuzziness.” Test Tube barely looked from her trail, following fresh footsteps in the grass to Gemory Cave.

“Is that why we’re going to the cave?” Test Tube nodded, far too focused on the task at hand. Mic stood back, letting the smarter woman lead the way. To both of their surprise, someone was asleep on the cold, hard rock inside the cave.

“Yin-Yang?” Mic asked out loud, hoping to wake the twins up. Test Tube rolled her eyes and kicked them as hard as she could manage in their stomach.

“Ah! What the fuck?!” Yin-Yang woke up immediately, holding onto their stomach.

“It’s the least you deserve, you asshats!!”

“What do you mean? We didn’t do shit that you didn’t have coming!” Test Tube stepped back after realising that this wasn’t Yang’s voice. This was Yin, the one who couldn’t even throw a rock due to thinking he may hurt it.

“Yin? Since when do you-”

“Since Yang finally convinced me this was a good idea!”

“I assume you are also behind Knife and Trophy?”

“That was Yang, but I watched. It was fun, watching them squirm in pain, their screams of agony were music to my previously deaf ears.” Yin reminisced, closing his eyes and smiling at the memory. Test Tube and Mic were both equally disgusted and horrified, taking another step back.

“Yin, what happened to you..?” Yin snapped back to reality, his face suddenly changing from a calm joy to a grim shadow.

“I woke up, dear. And I suggest you do it, too!” Yin slapped Test Tube-Microphone with the back of his hand, leaving a red mark on their cheek.

“Yin, stop!” Yang cut in, holding Yin back from doing something worse than just slapping the girls. He looked at Test Tube-Microphone, urging them to run back, to tell the whole world about Yin. The girls did just that, leaving Yin-Yang to fight in Gemory Cave. They ran as fast as they could, hearing yelling from the opposite direction. They tripped on their own feet, falling to the ground and-

Chapter Text

Yin-Yang POV

“Get the fuck away from me!” Yin pushed against his brother, tried to get to the new fusion.

“Absolutely not! I am not letting you hurt those girls anymore than you already have!”

“I won’t hurt them, you know I couldn’t even try!”

“You slapped them, I watched you do it!” Yin punched his brother in the mindscape, causing Yang to momentarily lose his grip on Yin. He ran towards the girls, his eyes full of rage. He was like a wild animal hunting for its prey, completely feral. Yang got up and tackled Yin, making the body stumble and nearly fall over.

“Please, leave them alone!” Yang took full control of the body, reaching into his jacket pocket. He wasn’t sure how much of the vial he would have to drink, but he knew that it shouldn’t be too much. Yin continued to fight for control, unable to be restrained no matter how much force Yang used.

“I won’t leave them alone until I know they won’t tell a soul.” Yin’s voice was dark, gravelly. Yang knew what Yin was planning on doing, and blocked Yin off from the control room in the mindscape. He knew he didn’t have much time, and as quick as he could, drank about a fourth of the vial. The reaction started immediately, and the twins were torn apart into two different bodies. Yin looked at himself, overjoyed with Yang’s decision, and started to run after Test Tube-Microphone. Yang reacted much faster, and tackled Yin to the ground, pinning him down against the grassy terrain. He could hear Test Tube calling for everyone, making a huge scene. He smiled, letting down his guard for the smallest of seconds. It was just long enough for Yin to push Yang away and get up to continue running to his victims. Yang slammed a fist into the ground, prayed to the God he grew up with, and ran as fast as he could towards Yin. Yin was barely faster, but was in arms reach of Yang in a matter of seconds. Yang grabbed at his brother, holding onto his hood and choking him. Trophy heard the commotion, and ran to help. Knife, who had the louder voice, called for back-up, helping Yang hold onto the unhinged young man that was only Yang’s brother by blood. Yin elbowed Yang in the stomach, bit at his and Trophy-Knife’s hands, and fought back as hard and as long as he possibly could. This tired him out, and by time he wriggled away from them, he was much too tired to run any further. He crawled away, reaching for Test Tube-Mic’s ankles, barely grazing at her before stopping to catch his breath. Test Tube stomped on Yin’s fingers, and looked at Yang, furious.

“Yang, did you ransack my lab?” She asked, more concerned about that than the fact that Yin had gone crazy. Yang’s face flushed red, and he shook his head no, before sighing and nodding. He fished the vial of red stuff out of his pocket, and gave it back to its rightful owner. Test Tube squeezed the vial, and shoved it in her pocket.

“Let’s get him inside, tie him down, and then you,” Test Tube-Microphone pointed at Yang, “Can explain yourself and your brother.” Trophy-Knife, Yang, and Nickel-Suitcase, who had run over a little bit too late to help, nodded in agreement. Yang hoisted his brother up and over his shoulders, and walked to the lobby of the hotel. He was in deep shit, and he knew it. Yin tried to fight against his brother, but was quickly thrown down to the couch. Yang threw a pillow on Yin’s chest, sitting on the squirming man to keep him from getting up and attacking someone.

“Alright, Yang,” Nickel’s voice was dead serious, “Explain yourself, right now.”

Chapter Text

Nickel-Suitcase came back into the room carrying a tray of coffee, creamer, and sugar. They set it on the table between furniture, and waited before grabbing their coffee to allow others to grab first.

“Can I do something for you guys first?” Yang asked, staring at the tray. Everyone looked at one another, shrugged, and looked back at Yang.

“Depends, what do you plan on doing?” Nickel asked, crossing his arms.

“Give me the vial, Test Tube.” Yang held out his hand in Test Tube’s general direction.

“Wh- Okay, I guess…” Mic was leading, allowing Test Tube to rest. She did give Yang the vial, watching him like a hawk as he meticulously opened the vial and poured a fourth of the liquid into three of the cups, and handed one to each remaining fusion. He gently set the empty vial on the table.

“This will fix what Yin and I did to you.” Yang pushed away his own coffee, too anxious to eat or drink anything. The fusions looked at Yang weird, but drank the concoction anyway after Test Tube-Microphone confirmed it was fine. The fusions split back up, much to everyone's relief. Trophy wrapped his arm around Knife’s waist, subtly enough where Yang barely noticed. He did notice though, and looked away after a threatening glance from Knife. Mic cleared her throat, gesturing towards Yang.

“Right, sorry.” Yang took a deep breath, holding his wrist to feel for a pulse.

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone, I feel like I should start with that. I wanted to prove a point, that living as two opposites in one body was the worst. I had been planning for ages, ever since the teasing started here-” He stopped and shot an icy glare at Nickel, who looked almost offended. “I wasn’t even sure who to start with, all I knew is I needed to find the mixture that Test Tube gave me and Yin when she split us in half early on in the season.” Test Tube looked down at her coffee, feeling somewhat at fault.

“You did nothing wrong, Test Tube, don’t worry. I take full blame for the incident, even if Yin is the one who went batshit and took it too far. The bullying and harassment really affected him, he repressed his emotions to the point where he no longer felt anything! He was colder than an ice cube, but still was able to pull himself to his breaking point every night by helping you guys out.” Yang took a short break to get his story straight, and to take a drink of the coffee Suitcase had brought out for him.

“So why did you even decide to do any of this?” Mic piped up, adjusting slightly.

“I wanted you guys to feel the same struggle that we had gone through our entire life. Again, sharing a body with your opposite is tough, and I was spiteful. I thought that this would get you guys to just fucking stop with the constant teasing. But it was taken too far, and now you guys are hurt because of my stupid idea.” Yang’s voice cracked on the last word, and he began crying.

“I didn’t mean for it to get this far! I wasn’t even sure if it would work until I tried it out on Trophy and Knife! I felt Yin’s terrible excitement, and that scared me! And- And I let him take care of the next two.” Yang wiped away his tears, but didn’t stop crying. Nickel scoffed, setting down his empty mug.

“Yeah, right! It was your idea, so you are at fault!”

“I know, and I don’t expect anyone to accept my apology. I do wish I could have stopped myself, that I would have just fucking listened to Yin before getting started. He tried being the voice of reason, and ended up almost doing horrible things to Test Tube and Microphone. I heard his thoughts when he first saw Nickel and Suitcase’s fusion, and I’m glad he just got drunk and passed out before he could act on them,” Yang shook his head, wishing to forget what he had heard Yin say about Nickel and Suitcase. He took another deep breath, felt his pulse again, and continued on.

“Listen, I know what I did was wrong. I won’t debate that, and I won’t debate that it was all taken too far, but please- please , you can’t pin all the blame on me when Yin did the most damage.” Yin was passed out on the couch, still being used as a cushion by Yang. The six that were fused into one looked at Yin, looked at each other, then looked back at Yang. Suitcase tapped her foot, cleared her throat, and began speaking for the group.

“I believe you, Yang.” She traced her mug with her finger, but kept eye contact with Yang.

“I believe everything you are saying, because I witnessed it. Yin is the most at fault here, even if you had the initial idea.” Suitcase was cut off by Trophy, who leaned forward.

“So what do you suppose we do about Sleeping Beauty over here?” He pointed at Yin, and Yang smiled.

“I think I have an idea.”

Chapter Text

Yang and the formerly fused dispersed, locking Yin in his bedroom until they were done setting things up. Yin had since woken up, and Yang opted to keep him company. Give him a sense of normalcy. The other 6 set things up for Yang’s plan, even though they didn’t fully understand what he wanted done. Yang sighed, and walked into his brother’s prison of a bedroom.

“You abandoned me.” Yin was sitting on the bed, hands in his lap, looking at the floor.

“You took things too far.”

“It was your idea in the first place!” Yang winced from Yin’s words.

“You tried to stop me, and ended up-”

“Being the one to hurt the most people? Yeah, thanks Captain fuckin’ Obvious.” Yin rolled his eyes, adjusting to sit facing away from Yang.

“Listen, I came here to keep you company. No one else really wants either of us around-” Yin snapped his head around, a menacing look in his eyes.

“Stop fucking pitying me, Yang! You can leave me alone, since clearly you hate me too!” Yin slammed himself down against the pillows, screaming into them.

“I could never hate you! You’re my brother, and you made some huge fucking mistakes!”

“Then leave.” Yin begged, refusing to look at Yang.

“I can’t. Not until I know you are safe and back to normal.” Yang was close to leaving, but didn’t. He needed to make sure that Yin was mentally sound, and he wasn’t yet.

“I haven’t been normal in a long ass time, and you damn well it’s the fault of those jackasses who tormented us for something we can’t control!”

“Yin I-”

“Just leave me alone, Yang.”

“Yin-”

“LEAVE!!” Yang shot up off the bed, standing his ground.

“Not until I know you are safe!”

“I’m. Fine.”

“No the fuck you are not!”

“I’d be fine if you left me alone !”

“I’m not leaving this room until you are better!”

“At least lock yourself in the bathroom, or better yet! Go hop out the window, I’ll even give you a push in the right direction!” Yang backed away, stepping to the right as Yin ran toward him, preparing for a tackle. Yin stumbled into a bookshelf head first, falling against it. He turned back, facing Yang, his face beet red, his eyes empty past the faintest memory of enjoyment. Yang felt a breeze of warm air flutter against the back of his neck, and his face dropped. Yin smiled somehow even wider, and ran at his brother, jumping up towards him. Yin tackled his brother, pushing them both out the window, dropping down the 4 stories in a matter of seconds. The impact of the fall broke Yang’s neck and spine, and broke most of the bones in Yin’s body. The thud wasn’t loud, and the grass below them felt more like concrete. They died on impact, and the formerly fuse 6 were the first on scene, followed by a rather annoyed MePhone.

“Alright, let’s do this..”

Chapter Text

The resurrection process was painless, if you ignore the blinding white light. Yin-Yang opened their eyes slowly, falling to the ground after floating for a few seconds. They landed on their feet, and everyone started crowding around them. Test Tube seemed to be the only one that motioned the crowd back, saying something about “Give them a bit of space.” Yin-Yang’s vision blurred in and out of focus, they ached but were able to stand, swaying slightly.

“Yin…?” Yang was confused, on the verge of tears. “Ya there?” He reached out for his brother, but was blocked off by a mental wall. He snapped back to reality, seeing that everyone was genuinely concerned and asking questions.

“Yin-Yang!? Are you guys okay?” Cherries voice stuck out the most in the blur. Yang felt someone touch his shoulder, he shook it off immediately.

“I feel like I’m gonna be sick…” Yang thought, unable to form words correctly.

“Guys! Guys, give them some space!” Test Tube, Knife, and Trophy formed a small barrier between Yin-Yang and the rest of the group. Cherries held them up, and motioned for the other three to follow him. The crowd parted, leaving a narrow path for them to follow, and Yin-Yang, Cherries, and Test Tube walked to Yin-Yang’s hotel room.

“Are they gone?” Yin-Yang was slurring, just barely coherent.

“They’re gone, Yin-Yang. We’re here to help you.”

“He pushed me…”

“Who did?”

“Yin.”

Cherries stopped moving for a second, bewildered by Yang’s statement.

“I’m sorry, who pushed you guys out the window?!”

“Yin did,” Yang shuddered, holding onto a nearby wall for extra support. “He was angry, we were yelling at each other, and he just-” Yang’s voice cracked, needing to take a break.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell us everything.” Yang took a deep breath, regaining his composure.

“I would rather you guys know. Yin and I were separated, and I locked him in our room! I was in there, and there was a fight and- And Yin just- He just attacked me! I didn’t realise we were in front of the window, and he jumped at me, pushing me out the window. He was holding onto me, so-” Yang stopped, holding onto his stomach. Test Tube motioned for Cherries to set him down, and ran to grab something.

“Yang, dude, you good?” Yang shook his head, sweating and hyperventilating. Cherries noticed something in Yang’s eyes change from concerned and suffering, to the darkest evil he’d ever seen.

“Yang isn’t here right now, sorry.”

Chapter Text

Cherries stepped back, looking at Yin-Yang, unwilling to look away from them. He opened his mouth to say something, his voice catching in his throat. Yin got up, and offered a hand to help Cherries up off the ground. Cherries raised his eyebrow, confused.

“I’m not going to hurt you, y’know,” Yin rolled his eyes, annoyed by Cherries attitude.

“How do I know that?”

“Would I hurt you?”

“... no, I suppose not.” Cherries took Yin’s hand, being pulled up with more force than he expected. Yin didn’t release Cherries hand, and ran down the hallway.

“Yin, where are we going!?”

“You’ll see.” Yin slowed his pace, stopping at the edge of the hallway, facing the window. He was panting, and let go of Cherries’ hand, opening the window.

“Yin, if you-”

“Can you hear that?”

“What?”

“Can you hear that?”

“I don’t hear- Yin, you good?”

“It’s the call of the void, asking- no, begging me to follow it down.”

“Yin, I need you to listen to me-” Cherries gently grabbed Yin-Yang’s wrist. “I will never let you follow the void down.”

“You may not have a choice, but…” Yin took a deep breath, wiggling his hand away from his friend. “I’ll try my best.” Yin maneuvered out the window, sitting on the ledge. He looked out at the forest, longing to let himself slip down.

“Yin, and Yang if you can hear me, you guys need some serious mental help.” Yin-Yang sighed.

“Yeah, we know.”

Chapter Text

A few days passed without any incident. Yin-Yang barely left their room and refused to talk to anyone besides Cherries. There were rumours going around that Yin had finally broken and went insane, some said that Yin tried to kill Test Tube and Microphone, but most agreed that Yin-Yang should be left alone. The only one that understood what Yin-Yang needed was Cherries. He walked in with two glasses of water and two plates of lunch, closing the door gently.

“Yin, you there, or is it Yang?”

“Yin.”

“Alright, well, I brought lunch,” Cherries set one of the plates on Yin-Yang’s bedside table.

“Thanks.” Cherries sat on his bed, staring at Yin-Yang. They were moping, and looked worse than usual. Their hair was greasy and messy, they were wearing the same clothes they died in, and they smelled worse than a corpse.

“You know, you should really take a shower,” Cherries said while chewing. Yin-Yang glared at him, but sighed.

“Y’know, you should really mind your own business.” Yin laughed half-heartedly, pushing himself to get up. “But… I suppose you’re right. If I’m not out in 45 minutes, come pound on the door to wake me up.” Cherries chuckled and nodded.

“I’ll put your plate in the fridge, so you can eat if you don’t drown.”

“I’ll be sure not to drown, Cherries!” Yin-Yang slammed the bathroom door accidentally, and hopped a 30 minute shower. While in the shower, they laid the washcloth on their face and looked into the water, effectively waterboarding themself. They got out of the shower, only feeling a little bit better. 

“There ya go! Now you look less… Disgusting.” Cherries was beaming, rinsing off his dishes.

“Thanks, it only took way too fuckin long.” Yin-Yang rolled their eyes.

“Better than not at all, and I'm sure we still have hot water.”

“Hopefully, but if not then it isn’t my fault.”

“Oh, hey, can I talk to Yang? It’s important.” Cherries walked back to his bed, plopping down, grabbing a pillow that flew up.

“If I can find him first, sure, but he’s been away since we… y’know…” Yin pulled his plate from the fridge, then went to sit on his own bed.

“Yeah, I know.”

“I’ll start looking for him while I eat, I… honestly can’t really remember the last time I ate more than a few bites of food without Yang leading.” Yin laughed, but his eyes were empty. Everything about him was empty, as if he was a lifeless husk.

“And, Yin,” Cherries hesitated. “You’re my brother, man. If you need anything, let me know, okay?” Yin didn’t reply for a while, but smirked and nodded before meditating and going to his mindscape.

Chapter Text

“Yang? Are you there?” Yin heard footsteps echoing around the mindscape, but his voice was staying in its place near him.

“I can hear you! Please, we need to talk.” Yang poked his head from the shadows, looking much worse than before.

“Last time we talked, you killed us both.” Yang scowled, trying to turn and run away from his brother.

“Well, I can’t do that again or else Cherries will kill us, and I doubt you would want that.” Yin tried joking around, but was changing the floor Yang stepped on into a sticky tar.

“Let me go, Yin!”

“Stop struggling and I’ll consider it.”

“Fine.” Yang crossed his arms, but stopped moving. The tar changed back into a proper floor, and Yang sat silently. He faced away from Yin, pouting and very angry.

“Listen, Yang, I know that what I did was unacceptable, but we can’t focus on that anymore-”

“You fucking killed us both, Yin. I think I’m allowed to hate you for that.”

“I did a lot of things, and I hate myself for what I did-”

“Then prove it! Get out of our fucking room, get out of mindscape, and go fucking apologize to them!”

“Stop interrupting me, and I will.”

“Fine.” Yang rolled his eyes, too tired to argue anymore.

“Thank you,” Yin adjusted, inching closer to Yang. Yang moved away, and Yin sighed. “Now, I did a lot of fucked up shit. I understand that, and I hate myself for all of that! I honestly don’t even know what came over me, I just…” He trailed off, trying to properly articulate his thoughts. “I just know I hurt them, and I know that I need to apologise. But… I guess I can’t!”

“What do you mean you can’t !?” Yang yelled, his voice shattering the surrounding walls as though they were glass. Yin covered his ears, even though he knew it would do nothing.

“I just can’t! I was going to kill them! How the hell do you apologise for that?”

“Well I did it! I was able to make amends, and now I am more loved than you! AND I’M THE PROBLEM BROTHER!!! ” More glass shattered, falling on the brothers. Yin did everything he could to fix the broken panes, but wasn’t fast enough.

“Stop yelling!”

“Why!? Because you’re scared?! Well, be scared, because that’s how you made everyone else feel !”

“I’m not scared for myself! Kill me for all I fucking care! Do it, end my life! You know you want to!” Yin challenged, standing up, ready to fight. Yang snarled, but refrained from doing anything.

“No. I don’t think I’ll give you the satisfaction.” More glass shattered, causing the brother to fall down through the floor. They landed on their feet, but it was unsteady.

“It’s your satisfaction you’re depriving yourself of. I may want to die, but I can see that, deep, deep down, you want to be the one that does it. You’re just too much of a coward to do anything.” Yin flashed an evil grin as he antagonised his brother. Yang held himself back, not wanting to harm anyone.

“You can barely hold yourself back, so why try so hard? Go fuckin’ wild, Yang! Do your fucking worst.”

“I- I can’t! That would make me as bad as you, and not even I would stoop that low!” Yang’s voice was full of acid as his demeanour changed. He let down his guard, just for a second, and shattered the glass one last time. They both fell into oblivion, the void that was their twisted mind. There was no screaming, for no noise could travel in the void. They fell deeper and deeper into their broken mind. Eventually, Yin’s hand found Yang’s, and they held onto each other’s hands for comfort and support. They fell hard onto a hard floor, one that was somehow darker than the oblivion they had fallen through. Yin was the first to jump up, followed by the less graceful Yang.

“Where are we?” Yin asked, looking at their surroundings.

“Good question.”

Chapter Text

Wherever Yin and Yang had fallen was loud, thoughts spiralling all around them. Everything the pair had ever wanted to say, everything they may have said, was haunting them in this void.

“Yin?” Yang’s voice flowed through the void, being absorbed into the spiral of thoughts flying around them.

“Yang!? I can’t see you!” The mindscape shook like a small earthquake, Cherries’ voice echoed in the void. His words couldn’t be made out, the noise of the void distorting any outside noises far beyond being understandable. Yang felt something brush against his right shoulder.

“Ahh!”

“Chill, Yang, it’s just me.”

“ Yin, the bane of my fucking existance… ” Yang’s voice was prominent in the Spiral, showing old thoughts he had about Yin. Yang jumped back, too afraid to be near Yin.

“ Stay away from me, you freak!” He never said the words aloud, he didn’t need to. The Spiral made his and Yin’s thoughts clear as glass.

“You really think that of me?” Yin’s shoulders slumped down, he backed away from Yang.

“No, why would I think that of you? You’re my brother.”

“But you are a monster, and you willingly hurt our friends.”  

“So you do hate me!” The Spiral grew bigger, the wind picked up more and more speed. An aura of darkness emanated from Yin, filling the oblivion the two were stuck in.

“And you obviously hate me!”

“I couldn’t hate you, but you could hate me.” Yin reared back, getting into a fighting stance. Yang mirrored his brother's motions, including the ice-cold glare. The oblivion was dark and cold, full of a hatred that could never be imagined. Something within the brothers that had been ignored for far, far too long.

“ I can’t believe I’ve put up with you for this many years.”

“You’re really going to do that- I- wow. What a fuckin dumbass.”

“I wish I could, just like, not be here with you anymore.” Yin and Yang couldn’t tell what was new and what was old, who was saying what. Yin began to tear up, unable to fight with the verbal abuse he never heard before.

“Stop thinking. You’ll just make things worse for us both.” Yang stood down, keeping his guard up. A thin tinted glass wall formed around him, and Yin began to sink down into the floor.

“We don’t need to fight, Yin. All you need to do is stop thinking.”

“I-” Yin struggled, reaching down to push himself away. “I thought-”

“Stop that.”

“I just wanted recognition! To be seen!”

“That won’t work anymore, Yin. Your pity party is over.”

Chapter Text

Cherries POV 

Yin-Yang was convulsing on the bed, sweat building up underneath them. They were screaming nonsensically, no words being able to be made out.

“Yin-Yang, wake up!!” Cherries yelled, trying to place the twins on their side. He reluctantly ran for help, running into multiple people.

“Guys, guys-” Cherries said while out of breath. “Guys, Yin-Yang, help, please!?” He exclaimed and pleaded between gasps for air. No one came to his side despite how panicked he was acting. Cherries clung onto Test Tube, knowing she could help.

“Test Tube, please-”

“Get off me, Cherries, I have important work to do. If your microwave is broken again, you should learn how to fix it on your own.” Test Tube huffed and walked out of the hotel, her arms full of science equipment. Cherries reached out to grab her, whiffing and nearly falling to his face. After regaining balance, he ran back to his room, determined to figure this out on his own.

“Don’t worry, bud, I can help ya…” He muttered under his breath while sprinting upstairs, faster than the elevators could take him. By the time Cherries burst into his room, the convulsions had stopped. Cherries cautiously walked to his friend, picking up their arm.

“Yin-Yang..?” He felt for a pulse, his voice catching in his throat. “Ya there bud?” Yin-Yang’s arm simply fell limply on the bed. His chest was rising and falling at a steady rate, albeit slower than normal. 

“Yin-Yang?” The twins stirred, adjusting a little bit before falling back onto the bed.

“Ungg… What happened?” Yin-Yang groaned, staring into nothingness.

“You were shaking! I think, shit, what's the word?” Cherries thought for a second. “Convulso, no, uhm.. SEIZURE!! Yeah, you were having a seizure!” Yin-Yang’s eyes widened, and they tried again to get up, too weak to move.

“Ya sure? We don’t really… do that,” Yin explained, sounding exhausted, his voice grainy. 

“I’m very sure! You were also yelling at each other. It was mumbled, but I know something big happened.” Cherries explained, still sounding frazzled and shaky. Yin adjusted to the best of his abilities, propping himself up with a couple pillows.

“Well,” Yin said through a yawn, “I think something big did happen, and I think you should leave us to it.” Yin demanded. Cherries looked taken aback, but nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He sat behind the door, refusing to leave Yin-Yang’s side for the duration of the night.

Chapter Text

Yin-Yang’s POV

Yin pushed Yang back into the headspace, locking themselves both in.

“You can’t run from me in here, Yang! I spend most of my time here while you lead and talk and take the spotlight from me!” Yin yelled at a sprinting Yang. Yang ran for his life, knowing what Yin could do now. Something needed to happen fast, otherwise Yin would kill Yang and ruin the balance.

“Posso correre se voglio!” Yang yelled back, refusing to look back at his brother. Yin ran after him, quickly catching up.

“Potresti essere il più atletico, ma posso comunque correre più veloce di te!” Yang pushed forward, barely outrunning Yin. They eventually made it back to where they were before. Back to the deepest parts of their shared brain.

“Here we are…” Yang stopped suddenly, standing emotionless next to the inky ball full of hatred. He thought he had contributed the most to this sphere, but the voice echoing the loudest was Yin’s. Yin criticising every little thing Yang dared to do or say, Yin belittling Yang and invalidating him. Yang’s blank expression turned bitter, and he stood comfortably next to the sphere. Yin creeped up on Yang, the echoes of his footsteps being drowned out by the brothers yelling exuding from the sphere. Yin pushed Yang into the sphere, but not before Yang could grab onto his brother's wrist.

“Se scendiamo, scendiamo insieme.” Yang claimed as they descended deeper into their brain. The voices of Yin-Yang and their tormentors got louder the further they fell, Yang’s insults and Yin’s invalidation. Nickel and Trophy ganging up on the pair, everyone ignoring them. Yang clung to his brother in a rare hug, and Yin’s ice heart melted just a touch. After what felt like centuries, Yin-Yang landed on a deep black tile floor. Pictures of their deepest secrets and traumas surrounded them. Yin approached one that included him in the foreground, and the memory played out.

Mama! Yang pushed me off the swing!

I did not! Yin is lying to get me in trouble!

He did too!

How can I even push you?

You made us jump off from the highest height!

This seemed to have gone on for a while, so Yin walked away. This was an old memory, faded away and barely there. It hurt Yin to remember their old fights, they seemed so meaningless.

Yang saw a more recent memory, one from just before they started on Inanimate Insanity.

Yang, stop taking over, you know you’ll just get us both in trouble.

You never let me lead! I want my time to shine, and you always promise that I will get to lead!

I never said that and you know it, now get back and let me speak.

Ugh, fine.

Yang shuddered. It was a fight to be allowed to take over before the show, Yang always had to speak up and push Yin down, although you wouldn’t be able to tell. The pair watched more memories, Yin grew guiltier as time went on, Yang angrier. Eventually, the twins ran back into each other.

“Yin, you should be happy I don’t hurt you now.” Yang said sharply, barely looking Yin in the eyes. Yin stared at the black tiles, seemingly hugging himself.

“I’m sorr-”

“Don’t you dare fucking start with that!” Yang shoved Yin to the ground, stomping on his chest to pin him down.

“I- I am!” Yin coughed. “Yang, please, you’re hurting me!”

“Good. You deserve it.” Yang glared, and pressed harder. Yin coughed, gasping for air. He went pale, and stopped fighting. Yang stepped off of his brother, and sat next to him.

“Years and years of invalidation, and you don’t even fucking acknowledge it! God, Yin, I just wanted to be seen! To be heard!” Yang sobbed, hugging his knees. Yin caught his breath and sat up, facing away from Yang. The memories faded around them, one by one disappearing. The sphere they were in crumbled and shrunk, and the brothers huddled closer together.

“Yang, I’m sorry I hurt you! I didn’t know I was silencing you and stealing the spotlight! I just wanted to be happy!” Yin yelled through tears. He bawled into Yang's shoulder, now facing his brother. Yang sat weeping silently, holding his brother.

“I forgive you,” He whispered. The sphere disappeared, leaving the brothers hovering in a vast emptiness. They hugged and cried, floating gently to their surface mindscape. They fell comfortably in their shared living space, falling asleep in each other's arms. From the outside, they were smiling, sleeping soundlessly while Cherries waited patiently beside the bed.

And everything was okay for the first time in a very, very long time. Balance between Yin and Yang was reached truly, and they could tolerate each other's existence without loathing one another. While they weren’t happy, they were better off than they had been before.