Work Text:
Jimmy had no concept of time. He had no idea how long torture usually lasted. He knew he’d normally get one good world out of the bunch. No death. No destruction. Solitary confinement was lonely but safe. He never felt endangered there. This go around was a form of cruel and unusual punishment.
The walls of Tumble Town rose up around him like walls of smoke. In his heart of hearts, he knew it was an illusion. There was nothing he could do, he was stuck in one place. No longer floating, but statued in the middle of the road. Around him were reflections of himself. Each one slightly incorrect. Eyes not the right color. Skin a little scaly. Versions of him that should have existed instead of the screw-up that he was: broken wings and black-and-blue face. Fake versions of his friends stood in front of him. Each of them slightly wrong too. Shorter. Scalier. Louder. They had to find him and kill him.
In every ending of every life, Jimmy Solidarity must die. Every. Single. Time.
“Hey, three-deaths Jim!” Sausage’s voice rang heavy in the air.
Jim looked up, eyes full of panic. For the last few weeks, Jimmy had felt free. The air was clear. His muscles didn’t feel restricted. His movements aren’t forced. There was no nagging in the back of his head except his own. The own trauma of being a puppet. This was his first attempt at true escape.
This was freedom. It was an escape for all sorts of world travelers. At least that was what it was presented as. The Watchers still had their tangled strings around Joel’s neck, pulling him back into the newest Hermit-Realm, causing large gaps in his memory.
An escape with one rule. No Lore. You do not drag your home worlds and higher powers into this place. The world was risky. There was death, but it wasn’t a death game. They weren’t out to kill each other. They were out to save each other.
Sausage put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “You better be careful, my friend. Seems like you are dragging your higher powers into this realm.”
“You don’t get to speak about dragging things in,” Jimmy growled back, moving away from his friend. “You and Shelby are playing it fast and loose with pulling the lore card. Whispered conversations aren’t that secret.”
“You would know all about secrets.”
“How the–” Jimmy composed himself. “How do you know about that?”
“Lore may not be allowed, but our personal histories are not. Scott and Joel talk. Plus, I know you. You’re squirrelly again. That always means something happened. They aren’t here, you can speak now.”
“They aren’t here? Are you serious?” He grabbed Sausage’s collar. “You love Joel so much. Have you not noticed when he goes missing? He doesn’t know it but I can feel the energy radiating off of him, it’s the Hermits. He goes there. He doesn’t leave of his own free will. He’d never leave Lizzie out of his own free will.”
Sausage looked Jimmy in the eyes. This man, who for the life of him could not escape this fate. He stood there full of scar tissue and bruises. Jimmy Solidarity was always going to die tragically. He wouldn’t die first but he’d always have a tragic life.
“I– We never get a choice in these things. Well, sometimes we do. I waited as long as I could to leave Hermes. Joel didn’t get to. I don’t have experience with death games, but I assume you guys don’t have much choice in that.”
“The only choice there is is how brutal you want to be with it. Except when that is even taken away from you.”
Sausage nodded. “You don’t have to be brutal here. You just get to live. You get to live and die and I will save you as much as I can.”
“Thanks, Saus. We started off bad when this all got started, but you are a good friend.” Jimmy sat on the grass, looking out at the world. “I’ll save you too.”