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The feeling of blood on his hands. Springlocks scraping against his skin. Dave's screams. Oh how wonderful they sounded in his ears. Especially when he begged between gasps of air. 'I love you' he repeated like a broken record. 'I love you' he cried as Jack slowly, methodically cut another organ free from the nightmare. His cries fell on deaf ears. All he heard was his voice, pushing him forward. 'Break him.' he said, with a smile full of sick joy. Of course, Jack obliged, as he had before. This was what Dave wanted, wasn't it? To be touched, to scream and cry, to be free from his torture. Jack was only doing what he wanted, wasn't he?
'Yes.' the voice said, 'You are giving him what he deserves.'
Jack smiles, matching the voices'. He felt joy watching as he broke the man below him, bit by bit. Yes, he felt joy. For once, in his pitiful existence, Jack was happy.
— — — —
Jack Kennedy was not, in fact, in the bunker under the restaurant. He was in an old, run down motel somewhere in Vegas. Hunched over the toilet, vomiting after waking from the nightmare he had just had. His entire body shook as he stared down at the bowl of the toilet. The smell of moldy motel bathroom was overwhelming, and probably not helping the situation much. though he still preferred it to the smell of blood that seemed to cling to him like an unwanted memory.
His entire body froze up as he heard shifting from the bedroom. A thousand dark whispers descended upon Jack's brain. Did he forget to lock the motel door? Was it the police? Henry? Something worse. As footsteps moved closer, silent tears streaked down his face. He felt like a child, crying over the noises in the night.
“Sportsy?” a familiar voice grunts, “Everything alright?”
A flash of relief flows through Jack. It was just Dave. Except following relief came the hiss of the voices again. Hadn't he just dreamt of killing him? Of tearing him limb from limb? Milking every last ounce of pain from the purple man, and relishing in his anguished cries. He chokes back a sob, gripping the seat of the toilet so hard his knuckles were white.
“Shit, Sportsy, are you ok?” Dave asks again, coming right to Jack's side. He seemed genuinely concerned for his orange counterpart, and it only made Jack feel worse. He feels Dave's hand pat his harshly on the back, causing him to cough and hack for a minute. After he regains himself, he slowly shakes his head.
“Dave...” Jack rasps, “can I ask you something?”
“Of course!” Dave exclaims, “Fire away, Old Sport.”
Taking a few deep breaths, Jack gulps down his doubt. “What are your nightmares like?”
In an instant, Dave's pupils widen. He opens his mouth once, twice before pursing his lips. When Jack looks up to him, he avoids eye contact. He chuckles, but the joyful carelessness is absent from it.
“That's a really weird thing to ask.”
Sighing, Jack shakes his head, “Forget I asked. Where are we, again?”
Dave grins, his wild demeanor returning just as fast as it left. ”C'mon! Let's go to the balcony! You'll never believe where we snuck into.“
He leads him from the toilet to the bedroom. There they pause so that Jack can grab a bottle of water. After the quick detour, Dave opens a large, sliding glass door.
The cool Nevada air was sobering. It always shocked Jack just how cold it got in Nevada, what with how oppressive the heat was at times. He takes a deep breath in. The smell of cigar smoke and alcohol is much more pleasant than the moist bathroom. Looking out, he sees the bright lights of the strip. Which meant that somehow, they had snuck into one of the nicer motels.
”It took a lot of booze,“ Dave explains, ”but we eventually got the security loose enough they didn't notice you swiping a keycard!“
”Really?“ Jack asks, genuinely impressed. ”Whatever we dosed up on beforehand, we should take it again sometime.“
Dave laughs, and its music to Jack's ears. He tiredly smiles, watching as Dave leans on the balcony railing. The city lights lit him in a soft glow, outlining his lean build. Through the loose polo that he wore, Jack could see hints of his scars. He knew they littered Dave's body, similar to his own. They had both suffered similar deaths, and both been brutally brought back. Soulless husks of their former selves. Godread, he was so exhausted. His mind drifts back to his dream. Much as he hated to admit it, dreams like that one were becoming more and more frequent. Occasionally, he had something different. Not necessarily good, though.
”Sometimes... I dream about us.“ Dave suddenly says. He's looking at Jack, his own gaze tired and weary. ”I dream about after.“
”After?“ Jack questions, moving to Dave's side by the railing.
”After everything. Freddy's, Vegas, whatever else is in the future. I see us. Standing in an empty void. There's a feeling in my chest that I can't quite place. All I know is that it was my time to go. You look at me with this smile. It isn't happy, though.“
Carefully, Jack places a hand on Dave's back. He heard the strain in his voice. The cracks behind his carefully controlled tone. Gently, he rubs circles through the polo. Dave's shoulders relax, and he hears him sigh.
”You tell me you lied. That wherever it was I was going, you couldn't follow. It killed me. Jack,“ Dave turns and looks at him in the eyes. His eyes were brimming with tears, ”it killed me. I hurt so much, I didn't know what to do, or what to say. I couldn't go, not without you. We're two peas in a pod. You and I. Tangerine and Aubergine!“
Dave shifts, turning to face fully towards Jack. He grabs both of his hands with his own, squeezing them tightly together. His face is desperate, twisted in pain.
”I'm not strong enough to go alone. Please. Promise me you won't leave me alone.“
Before Dave could say anymore, Jack pulled him into a tight hug. Dave wraps his arms around him, clinging on as if his life depended on it. Jack held just as tight. He heard Dave's composure break into a fit of broken sobs. It shook Jack to his core, making him hold all the tighter to his only friend. His partner through it all. Yet he couldn't bring himself to make that promise. His life was all broken promises. So he held on tight, letting Dave cry out his sorrows, hoping to whatever higher being there was that just this once, he could keep the person most precious to him by his side.