Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Whatever they were expecting when their phone started to ring, it wasn't the panicking breaths of one of their friends.

"Hello?"

"A-Aimsey, hi, i-it's Ranboo. Do you have a moment?"

Aimsey cast a guilty look at their camera. "I'm sorry, Ran, I'm kinda in the middle of something..."

"Please–I don't mind if they can hear me. Hi, Aimsey's chat. I'm sorry you have to hear me like this."

There was a flood of chat messages rolling, a majority of them greeting Ranboo back and a handful questioning their tone of voice. Aimsey drummed their fingers on their desk in thought.

"I'll do ya one better." Sitting back, the enby tugged at their hair. "Why don't you come over?"

"You–you'll let me?"

"Yeah, of course. You need somebody to talk to, so why don't y—"

"Thank you. Oh god, thank you. Thank you, thank you..."

"Okay. Ran, what's going on?"

Aimsey's chat echoed their question, often with many more question marks tied to the end. Ranboo was worryingly silent before they abruptly hung up.

Aimsey stared at their phone in confusion before shrugging and putting it down, trying to play down some of their worry for their friend. Getting lost in Minecraft again was thankfully relatively easy; as they quite literally got lost.

Twenty minutes of fuming and one death later, a knock came at the house's front door. It was rather desperate at first, then the knocker stopped as if to regain composure and it came back much slower (if still persistent). Aimsey rushed to wrap up the stream at least for the moment, promised another half the next day and went to get it before the guest knocked the door down.

"Jesus, Ranboo!" Aimsey hissed when they flung the door open, making him jump. "What is wrong with you today?!"

"They found me."

"Who?"

Ranboo stuck their hand into his pocket, pulled out his phone and shakily unlocked it before handing it to Aimsey. "Them."

A photo of an official-looking black van was shown on the screen, zoomed in to show two or three people in black suits standing around it. The writing on the van was too blurry to be legible from the distance, but the masks were unmistakable.

Aimsey wordlessly moved aside and let Ranboo come in, quickly scanned the road for any similar vans or people and slammed the door shut. They locked it as many times as they could before following their taller friend into the kitchen.

"When did you first notice that?" They asked as Ranboo shakily sat on the kitchen table. "Like, when was this taken?"

"This morning. I went out to get something, and...I had to ask my parents to do it. I'm never gonna live that down."

"Ranboo, they must have worried about you." Aimsey playfully punched Ranboo's shoulder. "I'm sure they didn't mind that you had to ask them for some help. Did you tell them about the van?"

"No. I-I couldn't."

"Why not?"

Ranboo looked around nervously. "Is your girlfriend here?"

"Echo? No, she moved out."

"What happened?"

God, Ranboo's eyes were unnerving when they were frightened. Aimsey fought the urge to flinch away and just shrugged. "Nothing, really. It's just that she lost her job, so she had to move back in with her parents."

"Ah, I'm sorry about that."

"Me too. Now why didn't you tell your parents about the picture?"

Ranboo hunched his shoulders. They were clearly banking on Aimsey forgetting that. "I couldn't."

"Why though, Ran? Why could you tell me but not them?"

"They already lost me to Showfall once." Ranboo's shoulders hunched further, as if they were ashamed about something they had no control over. "For most of my teenage years, they lost me. Now it's about to happen again?"

"They could help you," Aimsey insisted. "Your dad was a cop. Your father's a smart guy. So, tell them about it."

"Tell them what, Aimsey? That there's a very real chance that they'll never see me again one day, at least not alive?"

"Well you at least told them about Showfall the first time, right?"

Ranboo didn't answer. Aimsey was aghast. "Please tell me you told them where their only child had been for the last six years of his life."

"The police told me to tell them just that I was kidnapped—"

"Of course they did!" Aimsey threw their hands into the air. "Anything to save face for not being able to find you!"

Ranboo chuckled. Aimsey didn't know why they found their fury so funny, but it was nice to see him crack a smile.

"Tell you what." Aimsey put their hands on Ranboo's shoulders. "Stay here for the night. Showfall didn't follow you here, so they don't know where you are. Call your dads and tell them where you are, I'll order pizza, it'll be just like old times."

"What if they find me? What'll they do to you?"

"What can they do, break down the door? It's got five locks thanks to the last owner being a neurotic wreck. I promise you, Ran, you're safe here."

Ranboo's shoulders slumped. "Safe here."

"You're safe here."

Ranboo leaned against them. Aimsey hugged him tightly, rubbing small circles into their back.

They aren't his guardian. They've been reintegrated in society for half a year, he didn't need someone to protect them.

But Aimsey still wished they knew where Showfall was so they could burn it to the ground in his favour.

Ranboo's dads were more than okay with letting them sleep over at Aimsey's place. With their okay and Aimsey's reassurance, Ranboo was a lot friendlier; goofing off again and laughing at Aimsey's deliberately awful jokes.

The two had maybe more pizza than was healthy for a human being before they finally turned in. Unfortunately this backfired on Aimsey as they found themself waking up in the middle of the night with a stomach ache.

"Oh, Aimsey, you moron..."

Aimsey ground their teeth against the twisting and burning feeling as they slowly pushed themself up off the couch. They really regretted telling Ranboo to take the bedroom now, lying flat on a bed was all they wanted to do.

They felt a little like a zombie as they staggered towards the kitchen, falling against the sink and blindly fumbling along the small pile of dishes for a used cup to drink from again. The small handful of water they had to resort to throwing back like a shot cleared their head somewhat, enough to actually see what was around them and outside the window just beyond the sink.

It was a full moon, the large planet illuminating everything below in an almost blinding white glow. The yard of Aimsey's rented little house was quiet, as usual, save for a shining black van parked on the side of the road...

Aimsey stared at the van. They couldn't see a license plate from this distance, but they wouldn't be surprised if it didn't have one at all. Why were they here?! Aimsey swore that they didn't see that fucking van when they opened the door for Ranboo—

Ranboo's phone. Of course, they must have tracked it. And he was even active on it, calling their dads at Aimsey's suggestion. Dammit.

"Okay, settle down." Aimsey forced their breaths to slow down against the fear and protective anger-fueled pounding of their heart. "They're upstairs. Don't let them in the house and he'll be fine!"

A knock came at the door. Aimsey steeled their nerves and turned away from the window, briefly considering pulling the largest knife they owned out of the knife block before settling on a rolling pin instead. The last thing they needed was a dead body on their front steps and a criminal record, they and Echo had enough trouble with money as it is.

Putting their eye to the peephole, Aimsey's blood ran cold at the stark white mask they were met with. "Go away."

"May I come in, please?" The masked person asked. "I need to use your phone."

"It's busy. Bug off."

"May I come in, please? I need to use your phone."

It's a robot. Of course it's a robot.

Aimsey backed away from the door, gripping the handle of the rolling pin so tightly their knuckles turned white. The polite knocking started again, an unsettling five-beat pattern. They almost fell back onto the stairs when the edge caught their foot and wound up scrambling up there, flinging the bedroom door open.

All of a sudden they didn't have the heart to wake up Ranboo. They were sleeping soundly, the mask still on to cover the scars marring his cheeks and the bridge of their nose. He was even curled up tightly with the bed's other pillow hugged against them.

The knocking from downstairs turned into banging. Aimsey ground their teeth. They owed Ranboo a visit to a fancy hotel after this flub.

"Ran!" Aimsey hissed in a whisper, tip-toeing over to shake his shoulder. "Ran, wake up! We gotta go!"

Ranboo mumbled in their sleep and cracked one eye open. He tried pushing Aimsey away, but they caught his hand.

"I'm sorry, I know, you need to sleep." Aimsey's grip tightened. "But we have to get you out of here. Showfall's at the door!"

That woke him up. "You said they didn't know where you were!"

"They must have tracked your phone after the call. C'mon, we have to go!"

The taller enby got out of bed at last, tossing the pillow across the bed. Aimsey took a moment to make it look like a person was sleeping there and followed their friend down the stairs.

"Use the glass door," they whispered. "It'll be in plain view, so you'll have to run; but it's safer than the front door."

"Did the knocking stop?"

Aimsey paused. The thunderous five-beat knocking no longer pounded in their ears. As if to answer their unasked question why, a loud crash came from the glass door.

"Change of plans!" Aimsey grabbed Ranboo's wrist. "Out the front door!"

Whoever had broken in stepped casually into the house, the sound of their footsteps cranking up Aimsey's growing fear to the point that their hands shook; hard enough to give them a a rough time unlocking the five locks. Ranboo chanted "hurry up hurry up" under his breath as he looked over their shoulder, sweat ran down their back and made their already struggling hands slippery, lock one, lock two, lock three—

A sharp pain zapped through their skull, back to front. The world became muted as they stumbled and hit the ground. Blurry figures took over their vision; a person with a white head brandishing a bloody rolling pin, Ranboo struggling against another white-headed person, a third stepping over to Aimsey and crouching in front of them.

Showfall's logo was the last thing Aimsey could focus on before unconsciousness finally overwhelmed them.

Chapter Text

They woke up in a vehicle. Not the most alarming thing in the world. The most worrying thing was the annoyingly persistent throbbing at the back of their skull coupled with the heavy patch of something wet sticking their hair to their skull.

What had happened?

The vehicle they were in jostled in a sharp turn, making them cringe as they bumped into someone. Said someone grabbed their arm as if to steady them.

"Are you okay?" They asked, their voice barely audible over the engine.

Aimsey's response was a grumble. The other passenger's arm went around their shoulders and steadied them for another turn. Aimsey's head fell against their shoulder in return and they felt their mind turn into static.

"Are they awake yet?"

The other passenger's hand tightened its grip on Aimsey's shoulder. Aimsey forced their eyes open and blearily looked at their surroundings for the first time.

Everything was black: the car seats, the person on the screen in front of them, the world outside the windows. The driver of the vehicle was unnaturally stiff and seemed to be wearing a suit, as did their just-as-stiff passenger. Painfully lifting their head, Aimsey looked over to their own passenger and found Ranboo looking back at them; their blue eyes tinged with red and full of regret.

Past events finally slammed into memory. Aimsey rushed to sit up, brushing off Ranboo's comforting hand and going for the door handle; only to find there was nothing there.

"There they are!" A boisterous voice dripping with sugary malice drew Aimsey's attention back to the screen. "How're you feeling?"

"Where am I?" Aimsey put a hand to their forehead, trying to rub the incoming headache away. "Where are you taking us?"

"I know you have questions," the figure said patiently. "But I'm not giving answers right now. I asked how you were feeling, not if I needed to clear things up."

Why were they so focused on that? "I'm...Okay, I guess. Now answer mine."

"No, I don't think I will." The figure sat back in their seat and pressed their fingertips together. "You have been very obnoxious, Aimsey. Hiding our hero from us and playing games. The only reason you are alive is because I saw potential in you. You should be thankful."

"Thankful that you kidnapped me?!"

A click came from the front seat. Aimsey swallowed hard. The front passenger had turned around and was pointing a shining silver pistol at their forehead.

"I'm not playing nice," the figure on the TV growled as Ranboo gripped Aimsey's shoulder tightly. "One more bite and the trigger gets pulled. I don't have patience for your temper, Aimsey."

"You wouldn't dare."

The hammer of the pistol went back. Aimsey forced their shoulders back and ignored Ranboo's harsh whispering begging them to stand down.

"Wouldn't I?" The figure taunted.

"It would make a mess of the van." Aimsey's voice shook despite their confident tone. "My blood would get on the window, people would be able to tell, tinted or not. Besides, someone's probably driving behind you. They'll hear the gun go off. And if it's silenced and the windows are too dark, what about Ranboo? You wouldn't traumatise your Hero, it would make controlling him harder. It would make them fight harder to get out."

The finger on the trigger twitched. Aimsey's heart skipped a beat at the same moment. Their shoulders sagged with relief when the passenger stiffly pulled the gun away and sat back down properly.

"You're a smart one," the figure admitted. "I made a wise decision, kidnapping you. However it seems you will be hard to handle."

Aimsey didn't respond, taking the time to lean back into Ranboo in lieu of a hug. They were shivering underneath them. Either that or they were both shaking.

"If you can talk him down," Ranboo whispered after the screen flickered off, "you can talk our way out of there."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Aimsey said with a weak smile.

"I'm not giving up." Ranboo squared their shoulders. "You've gotten me out before. You can get us both out. I'll be helpful this time."

Aimsey threw their arms around their taller friend. Ranboo hugged them back without hesitation, tangling their fingers in Aimsey's hair.

Aimsey's beanie was gone.

Aimsey pulled away again, running their hand over the back of their head as if checking. A street light swooshing by showed Ranboo's mask was also gone, showing the raised pink ridges along his nose and cheekbones. They had told Aimsey that Showfall used a mask to control them–he had shown it to them, too; the bloodied mess of wires, lights and metal. The wires had been down their throat and in their brain through the back of his head. If Aimsey's beanie was gone...

Oh god. They would probably make a replica, going straight into their brain.

"What?"

Aimsey blinked. They'd been staring at Ranboo, likely in horror; which made the poor guy start to look worried.

Aimsey chose to ignore the question and slammed their fist against the screen. It flickered on, showing a somehow-annoyed looking figure.

"There are easier ways to get my attention," they said, frustrated. "Just say my name. Hetch."

"Your name will never leave my mouth," Aimsey seethed. "What's your plan with us?"

"You'll see very soon. You're here."

The screen flickered off again. The van was turned off and the two front passengers, in unison, exited the car. Aimsey and Ranboo hunched closer together before the suited people pulled them apart anyway; yanking them out of the back seats with their arms behind their backs like they were prisoners.

The mall loomed in front of them, Aimsey's suited captor stopping for a moment so they could take it in. It was in the middle of a forest, as Ranboo had told them; the trees surrounding them letting no headlights shine through nor letting any distant sound of engines in. They could be miles into the wilderness for all they knew.

The mall itself didn't look very impressive. Even as Aimsey was finally manhandled inside, it was just concrete walls with a boring glass door entrance. The inside was dingy at best, with shoe scuffs littering the floor and discarded white masks lying here or there. Aimsey's captor let them pause when they walked by a glass display and they found themself looking at a row of more suited people; all with masks on, all standing perfectly still.

Aimsey's frightened reflection seemed to fit perfectly in the shape of one of the masks. Their captor shoved them onward again, yet the image was still burned into their mind. What if they didn't end up an actor? What if they were made into a robot?

Aimsey was yanked to a stop beside Ranboo, just below a walkway. A figure stood evidently staring them down, just enough in the light of the moon that Aimsey couldn't see their face, though they saw the silhouette of a nose when the figure turned to someone just within the darkness beside them.

"Two of them?"

"We picked up his friend," a familiar voice–Hetch–replied. "They could be an interesting addition."

The first speaker hummed, turning back to the two young adults. Aimsey glared back for a moment before looking to Ranboo, whose eyes were down and wide with fear. They didn't blame him: he had gone through a nightmare for six years last time they were here. Now it was likely going to repeat itself.

Aimsey wished they could say something to him. Reassure them in some way, or give them hope. Nothing came to mind, so with a regretful mumble of "I'm sorry" they turned to the figure on the walkway above them again.

"I trust your judgement," they said at last. "What is this one's name."

"Aimsey."

"Ah, yes." A chill clawed down Aimsey's back at the figure's tone of voice. "The Hero's spunky little friend, the one who broke them out. I was looking forward to meeting you."

"Your associate tried to kill me."

The figure turned its head slightly. Aimsey took some satisfaction in knowing that their first blow was disappointment (or even anger) towards the man who tried to blow their brains out.

"I will deal with him later." The figure sounded amused. "You really are a handful, aren't you?"

"Let me go."

"Oh, I can't do that." The figure laughed slightly. "You caused a lot of trouble. Get them both ready."

Aimsey was shoved forward before they could argue. Their masked captor manhandled them through a glass door and threw them into an "employees only" room, Ranboo getting pushed in not far behind them. The two masked robots followed them in, one of them shutting the door behind them before they stood on either side of it like guards.

Aimsey reached out, flinching slightly when their hand brushed against fabric. They squeaked when someone grabbed their hand and they were pulled harshly against a hyperventilating body. Ranboo was practically crushing them, muttering nonsense even as Aimsey hugged them back.

The two clung together like scared children; one of them despairing over their life coming to an end, the other unsure of what the future will hold.

Chapter Text

They weren't sure what time it was when they woke up again. Even weirder, they woke up already standing on their feet.

Their world was dark for a moment, up until a door popped open and flooded the room they were in with light. A creature with a TV for a head shambled past the door, its shadow stretching across the grimy concrete floor and causing a chill to run down Aimsey's spine.

They hesitantly started towards the door—

A hand grabbed their elbow, making their soul practically jump out of their body. Another hand covered their mouth to stifle their scream as they were dragged back into the room.

Aimsey's attacker let them go as suddenly as they had been attacked, letting them turn on them with their fists clenched. They were faced with a black mask and techy-looking robe, both of which were familiar in ways that made them immediately distrust this stranger.

"Who are you?" They demanded. "Why did you grab me like that? What're you doing?"

"Please be quieter!" The stranger hissed. "I'm a friend. I want to help you. What's your name?"

"Aimsey."

"Aimsey. Play on Aimee, meaning beloved." The stranger seemed to smile. "An adorable name, to be sure. My name is Hetch."

"Right. Well, Hetch, what's going on? Why did you grab me like that? What was that thing that walked by the door?"

"Security." Hetch went back to the doorway, looking both ways as if looking for the creature himself. "Something went wrong. It's looking for you."

"For me?" Aimsey echoed. "Why me?"

"Well–for anyone, really." Hetch took a careful step out into the hallway again. "But you're the main target."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Aimsey snorted, unamused. Hetch looked back at them and shook his head slightly.

"I don't know why they do what they do," he said in a low voice. "I just try to get their targets to safety. Now, come with me. Ranboo's in danger."

"Who?"

"Ranboo. Your friend?"

Hetch sounded amused as he asked. Aimsey was still lost until the name finally unlocked something in their mental bank. Ranboo!

"Where is he?" They asked quickly. "Last time I saw them he was with me!"

"You don't remember?"

Aimsey shook their head. Fuck, they had sworn they wouldn't leave him! They were going to stick together during this! Now because one of them lowered their guard Ranboo was in danger and Aimsey had forgotten them. Some friend!

They pushed past Hetch out the door and raced out of the door, ignoring Hetch's shouted warning to stay quiet. Their combat boots (since when where they wearing combat boots?) pounded against the concrete floor like hooves as they raced around like a maniac, calling Ranboo's name. They had to find him before Security did. They had to uphold their end of the bargain.

"AIMSEY!!"

Hetch grabbed their arm again, twisting them towards him. "I know where he is!" He said sharply. "Stop running around like a maniac and follow me!"

Aimsey's eye twitched, but they nodded. Hetch led the way back much quieter, Aimsey taking a moment to take their boots off before they followed.

Hetch led them through what felt like a maze before they finally left through a final door into...A mall. A mall that was familiar in a way that gave Aimsey a migraine. 

They've been here before.

Well, of course they have been, they must have gotten into the maze somehow. Yet their memory seemed to be glitchy, like an old computer; spitting out a memory from a different time of day where they stood under a walkway facing someone shrouded in darkness.

"Ah, yes. The hero's spunky little friend. I was looking forward to meeting you."

Hetch rushed Aimsey along before they could point anything out, ignoring any dead bodies lying around even as they stepped directly over them. The carnage all around them made Aimsey's stomach turn over.

All of this...Was because Security wanted them? Why? Why kill everyone else if it was only after Aimsey?

The carnage at least lessened up as the two kept walking. Total carnage turned into people frozen mid-action, most in the process of running. That arguably made Aimsey feel worse.

Hetch led them silently through it all, up until he went into a room bathed in a red light. He stopped and gasped, blocking Aimsey's view of what was beyond the doorway. "Oh no."

"What? What is it?" Aimsey tried to look over his shoulder, briefly catching a glimpse of a tall figure strung up with wires.

"We're too late."

He moved aside with that, letting Aimsey in at last. The tall figure was revealed to be someone in a red varsity jacket with light grey sleeves, their shirt collar and most of their shoulders soaked in blood dripping from the metal box around their head. Aimsey didn't clue in on who they were looking at until they spotted the flaky black nail polish on their fingernails.

"Can you help me paint my nails? I just wanna try it."

A sob turned into a scream. Aimsey staggered towards Ranboo's body, gripping the jacket with shaking hands and begging for this to be some kind of prank. This was a trick, a sick joke, Ranboo was fine, they were just playing dead incredibly well.

Footsteps came up behind Aimsey as they slammed their fist against Ranboo's cold stomach. Whoever was behind them waited until they finally fell on their knees before grabbing the back of their flannel shirt and yanking them back to sit upright.

Something plastic and metal slid over their head, blocking their sight of the dead lanky teenager. Aimsey twitched violently once before they fell asleep, barely feeling Hetch's hand patting their shoulder.