Chapter Text
Argos had been so excited when he received the news of a new neighbor moving into Mr. Plant's old house. It had been just the two of them for a while after everybody had moved away in fear of Forrest. Argos, however, hadn't minded much. He had Forrest to keep him company, and that was all he needed. Though, he did have to admit that new neighbors would be a nice change of pace. Determined to make the new family feel welcomed, Argos created a mess of baking sheets, cookie cutters, and ingredients of many kinds in the kitchen. He ran into a slight problem when he ran out of flour for his cookies, though. With a sigh, he took his flour-covered self next door to see if maybe they had some to spare. Awkwardly, he knocked on the door and ran a hand over his hair, which he had pulled back into a ponytail. He patiently waited with his hands folded in front of him for somebody to answer. A second later, a tall blond man, who looked no more than maybe 25, opened the door and looked down upon Argos.
"Hello! I was just wondering if you might have some flour I could borrow- I was baking and I ran out." He laughed a little nervously, and the man's expression turned from a cold stare to a soft smile.
"Of course, come in." Argos's eyes lit up. He followed him inside and stood at the door as it shut. He had always been slightly anxious whenever entering new spaces, and this time was no exception. He played with the strings tied together on his apron, staring at his feet.
"Aren't you going to come in?" The man said with a chuckle. His voice was strange to Argos. He had some kind of accent, one he had never heard before. It was low and sultry, almost mesmerizing.
"Ah- My apologies," Argos replied, scampering to follow behind.
"It's quite alright, darling." He reached up into a cupboard, digging around a bit in the mess that was the shelves, and spoke again. "I never caught your name?"
"Oh! It's Argos. I live next door." He rubbed the back of his neck, a strange, unsettling feeling racking his body.
"Argos.." The man repeated, humming and pulling a bag of flour down. "It's nice to meet you, Argos. I'm Jackson. Jackson Smith."
"Nice to meet you too-" Argos tried to smile, swallowing the lump in his dry throat and looking around. "And thank you, by the way. You're really saving my ass over here."
"Don't mention it." Jackson paused, turning towards Argos and smiling wickedly. "I cannot believe I've been so rude. Would you like a drink?"
"Oh! Well, I-" Argos began, only to be interrupted.
"I make magnificent tea if it helps your decision." Argos bit his lip and reluctantly nodded. He figured a drink couldn't hurt. Jackson smiled and gestured toward the living room, and Argos went to sit down. After a minute, the blond walked in and sat down with him. Handing him a cup, he began to speak.
"So, Argos. Where are you from?"
"I was actually born and raised here in the void! And you?"
"Earth. I was born in England and moved to the Void when the world ended."
"Oh! That explains the accent!" Jackson chuckled, nodding. Argos smiled and took a sip of his tea, and god damn, the man was right. The tea was absolutely astonishing.
"Tell me about yourself, Argos. Any work? Friends? Family?"
"Well- I have many jobs. Babysitting, Void Mail Carrying, and some other things here and there.. I have lots of people I consider friends, but my closest is my boyfriend. And.. All of my family have passed, unfortunately." Argos frowned, taking another drink.
"That's very tragic, I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it's not your fault. What about you?"
"No work yet. Friends.. Well, I must say that you're my first one. And my family, they're either traveling or dead." Argos smiled a bit. He liked being people's first friend, it made him feel special. They continued to talk for quite some time until Argos was suddenly hit with a powerful feeling of exhaustion. He set his cup down, feeling lightheaded and dizzy.
"Are you alright, Argos?"
"I-I'm fine, It's just a dizzy spell.. I probably should get going now."
"Alright, that is probably for the best."
As Argos stood, he wobbled and struggled to keep balance, and as he took his first step-
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He collapsed on the floor, now unconscious.
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Argos wished he hadn't woken up. Hands bound, he tugged and tugged, trying to scream but was muffled by a cloth forced far into his mouth. What is going on? He thought, panic and fear coursing through his veins. He stopped when he heard footsteps, a terrified cry escaping his raw throat and he trembled.
"Please," He tried to beg, but it was nearly impossible to make out what he was saying. Tears streamed down his face as the figure came into sight.
"Shh, dear Argos.. It'll be over soon." Jackson whispered, brushing a bit of stray hair out of Argos's face.
Needless to say, when Argos finally left, he would never have been the same. As he opened the door to his own house, he felt empty. Cold. He let the door slam behind him, and he just stood there. He stood there for a good five minutes before he just.. Broke down. He fell to his knees, heavy sobs raking his body as he hyperventilated. He screamed, agony filling his voice. Quick, heavy footsteps grew closer and closer, and Argos gasped and scampered backward. His vision was blurred through his tears, so he couldn't tell who was in front of him. Tall, blond..?
"Argos?" Forrest's voice was worried as he crouched, and Argos did all he could to get him away. He screamed, kicking him in pure fear of what might happen if he didn't. He didn't even realize it wasn't his aggressor.
"Argos!" Forrest backed up, watching him cry out and scream for him to stop touching him, and all he could do was watch. He covered his mouth, heart breaking at this sorrowful display. He sat down completely, waiting for him to calm down more, and figure out what had happened to make Argos so distraught. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he stopped crying and was reduced to whimpers and hiccups. His face was buried into his hands, whispering pleads over and over again.
"Argos..?" His voice was soft, eliciting a soft gasp from the man as he looked up. More tears welled in his eyes, relief filling his body at the sight of his boyfriend. He was finally safe.
"Argos, love, what happened?"
"He-" Argos hiccuped again, shaking his head. "I didn't want it, Forrest- He- He ignored me, I didn't want that!"
"Want what? Hey, hey-" He reached for his hand, but Argos shrunk back and whimpered again. He got the hint, backing up just slightly and folding his hands into his lap.
"Argos, please tell me what happened."
"He- raped me- He raped me, Forrest- I tried to tell him no, but he- He was too strong..! And- I-.." Argos broke down again, and Forrest's heart broke completely. His eyes darkened, rage boiling his blood as he balled his fists.
"Who. Who did this to you." He asked through gritted teeth, knuckles turning white from the strength of his grip.
"T-The neighbor- The new- N-Neighbor-"
"Argos, sweetie, go sit in the room and calm down. Take a shower or something, I'll be right back. Okay?"
"O-Okay.."
Forrest stood, snatching his mask off the side table next to the door and a Butcher's knife, body trembling in pure rage. He knocked on the door harshly, and as soon as it opened, he grabbed Jackson's wrist and swung. Blood immediately gushed from where his hand used to be, and maniacal laughter could be heard over the blond's screams. Off went the other hand in a matter of seconds, and Forrest left. Leaving the man bloody and wailing, he left. Quickly he discarded the evidence and he returned to his own house as if nothing had happened. The rest of the night was worse for him, though. The usually touchy and lovey Argos became distant and terror-stricken with any kind of contact, and that probably in itself was the worst part. Even worse, though, Argos refused to even sleep in the same bed as him. He was so petrified that something would happen that he opted to sleep on the couch before Forrest offered to do so instead. Argos had reluctantly agreed, although he felt horrible that he was so fearful. He apologized over and over, but the taller man always told him it was alright. The next morning, he was quickly out of the house. He figured he'd do something for Argos, hoping to maybe help him feel better. As he walked through the market, he was stopped by a woman he didn't recognize. She seemed angry, and clearly at Forrest himself.
"Mr. Plant, is it?"
He nodded.
"I'm Lillith Smith."
Forrest had no idea who she was, so he just nodded again.
"It was my husband who you assaulted last night. You are such a monster, you know that?! How could you ever do that to somebody?!" Something in Mr. Plant's mind snapped, grabbing her wrist and dragging her off to an alley where nobody could hear.
"I'm the monster?! My boyfriend came home last night PETRIFIED because of your husband. My sweet, loving Argos.. Won't even fucking hold my hand because of what your husband did. He can't even look in the direction of your house without crying. He's the monster."
"Whatever your spaz of a boyfriend is going through is not because of my Jackson! How dare you!"
"HOW DARE I?" He started chuckling, then laughing, and soon was cackling like a maniac. "NOT HIS FAULT!? NOT HIS FAULT?! HOW BRASH ARE YOU?!" Her eyes filled with unease, staring up at him.
"No, sweetie, you seem to be confused. Your husband raped my boyfriend."
"He- N-No.. He'd- He'd never do that, you're lying!"
"He just wanted flour. All- All he needed was fucking flour." His laughter subsided, his voice tense and pain-filled.
"I'm.. I'm so sorry- I shouldn't have assumed-"
"Leave."
"E-excuse me?"
"Take your husband, and leave this void. If I ever see his face again, I will not hesitate to kill him. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes-"
"Good. Now go." She squeaked, almost like a mouse, and scampered away. Forrest smiled to himself, finishing his grocery shopping and going home to give Argos the good news.