Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    It was a loud weekend at Two Stud Camp. A camp that was quiet only a day ago was now bustling with noise. Oddly, music blasted through speakers, people were flooding the campgrounds, and some kind of...party was being hosted. It was the Saturday right after the kids left the sad little summer camp, and a certain somebody decided that throwing a party, just to have the counselors take a moment to rest, was a good idea. This somebody was Partynoob.

Partynoob was sitting on a wooden log, holding a cup of blogsy, their favorite drink. They took a sip, removing their party horn from their mouth. They didn't want it to get sticky. The song blasting on the speakers stopped, and everyone could temporarily hear cicadas—if they listened hard enough. People were still talking. No new songs played. How weird, Poob thought. I thought the playlist wuz longer than dis!!

After a few more minutes, they realized the party was over already. Earlier, one of the probably drunk counselors told everyone they couldn't be there and some doofus believed it and spread the word. Now, almost everyone was gone, and going into or are already in the elevator in pairs of 5. Poob and one other were the only ones who didn't believe them. Poob sat up and looked around to see if that other was still there with them.

...chitter..

They immediately looked to where the chittering noises came from, then squealed. "PEST!!" Poob stood up, dropping their now empty cup of blogsy. Pest scoffed, trying to leave, but Poob ran over and hugged him. "Ouh—I missed you!!!" He didn't verbally respond, but instead just nodded. "..Are u alright, Pest?..O ya, you don't gotsa come to my parteez if you don wanna. I know how..grumpy u can be!" Pest's eyes narrowed at the shorter figure before him. "..don't..get so close. I can pinch you on accident", he mumbled. Poob immediately backed up and apologized profusely. The two stood still for a moment, before Pest started to walk away. "Wuh—where are ya goin??" Poob whined. "Plz..I'm the only wun here!!!!!..other tan you!!!!!......" The beetle sighed, before scooping up Poob into their arms, then continuing to walk away, chatting on the way to the elevator, which was now empty.

"I was planning to go home and sleep, but if you want me to stay with you sooo badly then we can go to your apartment." "wait!!!! my speakers,,let me get my speakers!!" Poob flailed around playfully in Pest's arms. He responded with a giggle. "You have boxes and BOXES of speakers. You can leave a few."

ding!

The elevator made a familiar "ding" noise, before it's doors opened to Partynoob's apartment. The elevator doors closed once the two lovers stepped out. On Poob's tv, a video of a cat with a pacifier looped. Pest had to admit, it was cute. But that wasn't really what he was there for. He didn't feel like walking to their bedroom, so the beetle laid Poob down on their couch, then got a blanket and laid with them, covering them both with the blanket. Unlike Partynoob, Pest wasn't really that sleepy, as he mostly stood around during the party. Eventually, the shorter one fell fast asleep, quietly snoring. The almost silent snores were followed by Pest's snoring—the volume equivalent to that of a buzzsaw.

There they stood. Staring at a garden. A bloody beautiful garden. But it wasn't beautiful to them. It was only beautiful to it.

"A garden of hands, hm? How original! Don't you see, dear? How the fingers sprout like petals? And it's even better if the nails are painted. They look like little colorful flowers. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"..huh              who are you?"

"none of your business. you may learn my name later, but for now you need to listen. dont give up on the idea. it wont reward you in the long run, but you'll love the results, wont you?" "..I don't know wut ur talking about." "you will soon. dont deny it when you get the urges." "...ok."

...

"how do I—""we.""...how do we clean this up. I dont—I didn't want this. I'm so confused—I've never..done this before. Why does it feel like I have?..this garden—it's nostalgic." spark. "..I don't understand." spark.

In quicker than a blink, the once thriving garden was engulfed in flames. They could hear screaming. From somewhere. But it didn't sound like the voice in their head—it sounded..quite familiar. People they knew.

"You're seeing it all. Listen. Lions have to kill, and zebra have to die. That's just how it goes. Everyone is suffering, and pain is all your life brings. Why not make it fun?" "...you're disgusting."

"Dear?" Poob awoke to the noise of chittering and their distressed partner's voice. "Are you alright? You were shaking a lot in your sleep." "..hmmuh.....imm..fine. Just had a nightmare..a very vivid one..I can talk about it for ages. so weird." Pest sat up. "It's almost 5 in the afternoon, sweetie. You need to get up." "..oh..is it?.," "yeah. Are you sure you're okay?" "yea—Yea, yea I'm okay!!." Poob's mood supposedly brightened as soon as Pest showed any more concern towards them. "Weren't you supposed to go to work like..8 hours ago?" The beetle asked. "Shit. Yea, I was. I can make an excuse, they don't even get that many customers anyway." "Oh. Well alright. Say, about that nightmare. What was it about?"

Poob shivered. "Where do I even start? Ok—so I was at this..uhm...garden? Yea..I guess you could call it that. But anyways I was at a garden, and instead of there being thriving, beautiful, colorful flowers, they were hands. I didn't really know what to think of it at first, but then this weird..spirit-like purple thing came up behind me, and I think it went into my mind. It started talking to me and saying these weird things like it was trying to encourage me to give  in to 'urges'?...I don't understand what they were but the garden seemed really familiar to me. The voice was really creepy. Kind of just seemed like a maniac. It didn't give me it's name either. I don't know if it's still with me but-
...I said too much didn't I?" Pest shook his head..then nodded. "That's really weird. But that's just how dreams are, hm?" "Yea. But..after that, I heard screams. It wasn't the voice. It wasn't me. It was my friends. It was you, it was—so many people. I didn't have my hat either, I don't know why. I always have my hat!!" Poob frowned. Pest didn't know what else to say, so he just hugged them. There they laid, engulfed in each other's body heat.

"Yay!!! Party! Awe, you guys didn't have to throw this whole thing for me!! Every day is my birthday." "But we just wanted you to have more stage, [ ]. Just like last year." "Oh..but I don't need parties anymore. I'm not a kid. I'm..too old for these." "But [ ]—" "no. I don't wanna hear it from you. Ever since I died—I've been reliving this stupid moment and I'm getting out of it. Right now. Let me be. Let me do this. It's fun, and lets me relieve the built up stress that I've always wanted to explode out of me while I was alive. Now I can finally do it without myself getting arrested! Isn't that amazing?" "..yes ma'am." "GREAT!..see you never."

After a moment of well-needed silence, Partynoob's phone began to ring. They picked up. "Hello?" Muffled speech could be heard from the phone's speaker, and as the conversation between the two people continued, Poob's expression turned to that of fear, then back to calm. They hung up, then frowned. "I had a party today and I missed it because of that STUPID dream. I fucking hate that fucker—that stupid purple—thing. I HATE it." Pest patted their back reassuringly. "Hey—hey, calm down. It was just a dream. I know you like partying, but—" "EXACTLY. Partying is my whole personality. Who am I if I don't party? Do I go back to going by just 'Noob'? Who the fuck wants to—" "You're distracting yourself, dear. It's just one. Just one party. Imagine if you missed like..10? Think about 1 person in a room compared to 10. It's not that much, love. Calm down." The beetle tightened the hug. Partynoob didn't respond. They're too tired for this. "..I really would go back to sleep, Pest. But it's almost 6. In the afternoon." Their speech turned into giggles, making Pest giggle too. "Well, we could get on the elevator and go to a shop floor. Maybe blogsy will cheer you up, how does that sound? You haven't ate yet." Poob nodded, then got up. Pest followed shortly, and the two waited, then got on the elevator.

Inside the elevator with them was Pilby, who was sniffling. They seemed really upset, but over what? "Give it..back :o(" Said Pilby, looking at Pest. Poob looked at him with disbelief. "How the fuck have you already stolen something?" "WHAATT...I haven't stolen anything." "Give it back. "ok" Pest handed the few coins that they took from Pilby back to them. Ding! Pilby smiled, and thanked Poob, before the elevator doors opened and the three heard a familiar giggle. Enphoso was at the front desk. "Welcome to my store!" It began. "I only sell glig glags and doo dads, so make sure to pay up at the front desk!" Everyone got off of the elevator, and Pest began counting "his" money. Just enough to buy a few things. Poob walked up to the front desk, and began to talk to Enphoso. "Hello! Do you still sell blogsy?" Enphoso nodded. "There's only one left. In the back. You can just pay now!" Pest walked up behind Poob and slapped a few coins on the desk. "That's fifty." He then walked away, grabbing the cup of blogsy for Poob, then a glognut for himself. Pilby also bought a glognut, before going back to the elevator. The couple followed. "Bye bye!" Said Enphoso, as the elevator doors closed.

"...Are you following me?" "What?—no..of course not! Why would I be following you?" "I don't know. You wont leave me alone. It's annoying." "..I'm sorry—" "shut it. You're not sorry."

shank!

"hHwhuAh,?..I..what did..I do..?" They stuttered, trembling as crimson red blood dripped down their body.

"You were an easy target."

"..i..uwah....nnouh....mma—gGHK—" shank!

"sstOp.." they fell to the floor, a hand clutching their newly opened chest. "You'll make a great addition to my [        ]. What beautiful [            ]. Stop resisting.

give.

in."

"But what if..they find out..about what yOuve done..you—you monster.." They sniffled, hot tears streaming down their cheeks. "..why couldn't you just let me be?..is this because of something personal?..if you could just bandAGE—" stab. "hkH..mme..it'll be okay—please—don't do this—" STAB.

I watched the life drain from their eyes. I did it myself. Or did I? Wasnt it her fault? No. I'm doing this. And it..feels good. Why does it feel good? Why did I have to listen to the stupid fucker telling me those things? Why do I want to do it again? I never wanted this. I NEVER wanted this. Maybe if I go to therapy..or turn myself in—no. No no. That won't help me at all.

Only god can save me now.

Someone stop me before I kill someone else.

Chapter Text

Partynoob awoke with a huff. They were back at their apartment, on the couch. Pest must have dropped me off. Where even is he? They stood up, and walked to their bedroom. There laid Pest, supposedly asleep. But they weren't snoring. Poob chuckled, knowing he was actually awake. "Cmon dummy, I know you're awake." They said. Pest just groaned, then giggled and sat up. "You caught me. I guess." Pest scoffed. Partynoob walked over to their bed and sat next to Pest, leaning their head onto his shoulder. "What have you been doing if you're awake?" Partynoob asked. "Oh. Just—just playing..uhm," Poob put their head back up and slightly tilted it, confused. "..I was playing animal crossing on your switch." "And where is it?" Pest sighed, then reached under their pillow, pulling out a purple, red, yellow and green Nintendo switch. Many stickers were plastered onto it as well, some of which being puffy stickers.

"I have to say. The cover for this is real cute." Pest said. "Thank you!" Responded Partynoob. "It took me like..15 minutes to make." "You made this?" Pest chuckled. "Guess I won't be stealing it after all." Poob only responded with a nudge. The two laughed for a moment, before Poob laid their head back down onto Pest's shoulder.

The couple stayed like that, Pest playing Animal Crossing the whole time, silently celebrating every small victory: catching a fish, making something new, avoiding getting stung by a wasp—etc. Partynoob couldn't help but remember the horrid dream that repeated while they were asleep. Pest broke the silence first. "Hey, on the elevator, you kinda passed out. You alright?" Poob nodded, yet they weren't alright. Not at all. "Actually—I had a similar dream to that ..other weird one last night while I was passed out. It was..really weird. Almost worse than the first." Poob then giggled. "That rhymed." Pest nodded. "What happened?"

Poob's expression slowly turned to look disgruntled—uncomfortable. "You don't have to share if you don't wanna."

"No—no it's ok. I can." Poob cleared their throat. "I was..back at the garden. With Pilby. I couldn't move, I felt paralyzed. Controlled—possessed, even. I think it was that weird purple girl again. I was holding...something? A weapon. I don't remember what it was though. Something with metal. I think it was a dagger?..a knife? Something like that. Anyway—I couldn't move, until ..quote unquote, I did. I wasn't in control of my body. It was. It was controlling me. We—me and Pilby were talking, and clearly they were scared..reasonably. I'm..I'm pretty sure I—...fuck. Fuck I. I killed them. I kept saying these—weird things, and I was stuck in a mindset where I would only be thinking of my garden. The garden of hands. It had to flourish—I didn't know how else to combat the thoughts and—I let it take control. I let it do those things. I..I dont know what to do. How do I make these dreams go away, Pest? I really wanna know. God, save me—" Poob stopped talking when they noticed Pest's expression—scared. They immediately began apologizing for talking too much.

"Dear. Are you sure you're ok?" Poob silently nodded. "I'm just..afraid." "..I get it. I'm sorry." Pest set down their switch and hugged Partynoob, who began to softly cry in his arms. Yet another hug. A warm, yet cold embrace. It was comforting, but, again, only for a moment. Partynoob's thought train went onto the wrong tracks. It went from isn't this nice? to these won't leave me alone, wont they? They never will. I know my mind. I know me. But I wouldn't do those things, would I? No—Nono..I love my friends. I wouldn't kill them.

kill.

would I?

"PARTYNOOB." Poob snapped back to reality, flinching hard at Pest's sudden snapping.

They don't do that.

They think you're a freak.

"Pest—..she's back. God—god damnit," The beetle looked at their lover, confused. "No wait. Never mind. Forget I said anything." Pest was confused, but nodded. He then turned off Poob's switch, and yawned.

chitter.

chitter.

gosh! That'll drive you insane won't it?

stop. shut up.

but I'm apart of your mind now. You can't ignore mee!~ :)

please—leave me alonope!...

stop. resisting.

Pest turned over, snoring. Loudly. Typical. Partynoob sighed, still teary-eyed.

Here. I'll place a bet! If I win, I get your mind. If you win, I also get your mind! Stop trying to trick me. Awh. Almost worked. FUCKING—ugh. Leave me alone. I beg. I don't want to do your shitty 'tasks.' No thanks!

Rot in hell.

Minutes passed. Then hours. Several hours passed. Partynoob couldn't fall asleep. They really couldn't. No matter how hard they tried—or wanted to, they knew what would happen. Another freakish dream. Maybe it's better off pulling an all-nighter.

They stood up, then boarded the elevator. Ding! 'No way down' from here. Those words repeated in Partynoob's head. No way down. It's an elevator thing—why did it feel like it meant something real to them? Why—ding! The elevator stopped. The doors opened to a floor that Partynoob..didn't expect. They must've clicked the wrong button or something—because there sat Mach, a girl in a purple suit. To her right, there was a wheel.

"Wow. Hey. Didn't think anyone would be here so late. But, because you are, here." She reached over, and spun the wheel. The arrow on it clicked as it hit the small bits of metal between the options on the wheel. Eventually, it landed on a cyan slice that read, "FUN".

Fuck.

Partynoob couldn't look at Pilby normally. The first thing they heard before the bouncing of red-hot distressed looking bouncy balls was Mach giggling. Out of the ceiling, at least 20 of them ejected out of a box. Only a few hit Poob, but it still hurt like hell, their sweater being burnt through.

After what felt like an eternity, the floor ended and Poob had to rush back to the elevator. Inside stood Pilby. Poob made sure to go to the right floor this time. They awkwardly stood in the corner in front of Pilby, trying to avoid eye contact. Their sniffling kept breaking the silence.

"..I'm so sorry for making you get hurt..:o(" Poob sighed, then turned around. "You're okay. It was Mach's fault—she set up the whole thing." Pilby just sniffled again and turned to the side. Poob turned back around.

The elevator doors opened again, to cashier's store. He, suprisingly,wasn't there, though. Partynoob just took what they needed—food. The floor ended slowly after. Pilby was still in the elevator, staring at the floor sadly, fiddling/fidgeting with their hands. Poob winced—the burns still hurt. But they were used to them. They've been in that floor a million times. Eventually, the elevator stopped at Poob's apartment again. "..mm...by,e,,,h" mumbled Pilby, under their breath. Poob didn't respond, stepping out and walking to their bathroom, looking into one of the cabinets under the sink. They pulled out gauze, and a bottle of pain-free disinfectant. For a few minutes—having to take their sweater off—they tended to their wounds, looking in the mirror for assistance. After they were done, they continued to stare into the mirror. Poob started to pick out every single thing they disliked about their appearance—mostly their scars. Even surgery scars—so many painted their body. Burns. Cuts. Scabs from where they pick at themself. It was horrible. But Poob knew they couldn't just sulk. They needed to sleep. So, they put their sweater back on and went back to bed, carefully opening the door, making sure not to awaken their sleeping lover. They got into bed, tucking themself in and spooning Pest.

Hesitantly, they closed their eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Hurry up. We need to bury this." "I'm sorry—I will."  "You know..maybe if you'd stop being such a wuss then you'd listen better? Ever thought of that? Hm?" "..I'm so s—"" And don't even try apologizing. If you were sorry you wouldn't do this shit again. I've told you that numerous times." "...But you haven't? You've never told me anything along those lines? Ever?..can you just leave me alone?" "Awe. You've told me that a million times! Why are you only now telling me to stop? It's not like YOU didn't kill Mark just now." "...I what?" "Stop playing with me, Poob." "..I'm—but—but I'm not? I have no fucking clue what's going on." "You just agreed to bury a body." "..right." "Mark's body." "...ok." "That's good that you remember. God—how useless even are you? At least you have the balls to kill anyone in the first place. You NEED to use these hands, hun! They'll make beautiful tulips. Not even going to mention Wallters—oh how pretty they'd look as succulents." "You can stop talking." "But you love this garden!" "No I don't. I hate this garden." "How funny. You we're just in the mindset of wanting to have more flowers. You even shared ideas with me about planting seeds in the hands! That would look beautiful.
w  o  u  l  d
i       t
n                  o                    t            ?"

"These fucking dreams. They're hellish." Said Poob, after having yet another horrible morning—third in a row. "I can tell. Also, what happened to your arms?" "Oh..those are just burn marks. Mach happened." "..okkayy. But how did that even—what did you do last night?" "I was hungry, and stupid, because it was night. Duh. I probably already ate but it's whatever. I was trying to go to Cashier's first, but ended up at wheel of fate. It was SO fucking awkward—Pilby got on the elevator. After those dreams—I can't really see them the same. But I went through that then went to Cash's shop, then back here. That dream. The one I had LAST last night. It was—I was burying Mark. Fucking—Mark. I was burying MARK. Of all people. I don't even know how I would end up killing him—I hated it. I know I've said that a bajillion times but I really mean it. God—FUCK, I don't," Their speech progressively became slurred. Pest interrupted them. "Please. Shush. I don't wanna hear about Mark's ..fucking dead body. It's a liittle creepy." He giggled. Poob responded with a chuckle. "..hey. You don't think I'm a freak for this or anything, right?" "What? Of course not. Why would I think you're a freak over something you can't control? You didn't really do anything wrong." Poob sat still for a moment, then smiled. Wide. "..thank you." "Any time." Pest then gave Poob a soft kiss on the forehead.

Music blared through huge speakers, the bass almost breaking the cover. People screamed along to the song's lyrics, dropping their drinks everywhere while dancing.

"Thank you for taking me here. I really needed it...I love you." Partynoob said, under their breath. Pest, who was standing next to them, nodded and planted a soft kiss onto their forehead. "I love you too. But I don't understand how you find this relaxing." He said. Poob smiled up at him, giggled, then sipped their blogsy. "Wow. You really drink that stuff every day, hm?" "Yea!..Well not every day. It's really good though." "Isn't it battery acid?" "Haha! That's funny...if it were true though, it doesn't affect me!" Pest chuckled. "I can tell. Maybe someday I'll get what's going on in your mind." Poob giggled and pushed Pest playfully. They could barely hear each other over the ear-piercing music, but it was enough. Each other's company was enough. If Pest weren't there, Poob would probably be blackout drunk, crying while giving out lap dances to people.

Maybe coming to this damn party was a bad idea...my ears hurt—but I love parties! Who's Partynoob without parties.? Just a noob? Ew!!

"Hey—Pest?" "Hm?" "We should go. It's like..around 1 in the morning." Pest nodded, then grabbed Poob's hand and walked out of the area.

Once the two got out of the area the party was being held, Poob sighed deeply. "I appreciate that. I think...I think I'm gonna go home and rest. You can stay here if you want. I love you." having to get up on their tippy toes, Partynoob kissed Pest, then let go of his hand and left.

”Come here. I have something to show you!" "Oh—haha, okay!!" He led them to a beautiful flower garden. His hands were clutched over their eyes, so they couldn't see. He had been planting these flowers and caring for them for at least a month now, all for this surprise and to see their reaction. "Annd..ta-da!..It's a flower garden. I know you don't even care for flowers that much but—" His speech was cut off by a warm hug...then squealing. "AAHH!!! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!! THIS IS SO NICE—I love it!! Thank you hun," They kissed him softly, smiling widely. They turned back around to look at the pretty garden. The image of it flickered to hands. But they didn't notice. The other one, while they were turned around, gawking at the garden, got down on one knee. He reached in his back pocket to pull out a small, velvet box. "Dear?" They turned around, then froze.

"Will you marry me?

The atmosphere turned thick, and the birds around them chirped in happiness for the two. But they wanted to scream. They wanted to do anything to get out the energy.

"So?..What'll it be?"

They couldn't take it anymore.

"..Yes—YESY—of course I—" They started crying, tears flowing out of their eyes and falling onto the soft, green grass below them. He stood up, and slipped the ring onto their finger, then kissed them.

They looked back at the garden, just to check if it was all real. Afterwards, they looked back at him. But there was no 'him' to look at. He was gone. Nowhere to be seen. They looked back at the garden, fully turning around. When they blinked, it turned back into the garden of hands. No flowers in sight—not without violet. They realized that they were holding something.

A bloody pair of scissors. Sharp ones. With green blood on them. They examined the scissors. They knew nobody else had green blood but Pes—

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Partynoob's alarm went off, causing them to jerk awake. They immediately turned it off, then flopped back down, taking in that they were just dreaming. But about what?

Pest.

About Pest. Pest being dead.

They covered their mouth. They felt so many emotions all at once—denial. anger. sadness. guilt. It was horrible. It was fucking hell. Partynoob started hyperventilating, tears flowing like a waterfall.

Poob picked up their phone off of their nightstand and began to dial Pest's phone number.

ring.

ring.

"God—pick up—please," Poob whispered through small sobs. After a few more rings, Pest finally picked up.

"mm...hello?" Pest whispered, clearly tired. "I thought you were my alarm..do you need something, hun...?" Poob sighed, then answered. "I wanted to check up on you." Pest grunted, then mumbled, "oh..alrighty then..I'll be on the couch if you need me. don't interrupt my beauty sleep—I got home an hour ago." He hung up.

An hour ago? It's 6 o' clock! Jesus. I guess I've been rubbing off on him. I should get some breakfast.

Partynoob put their phone back onto their nightstand and stood up, stretching.

They looked inside their closet, swiping their hand through the rows of clothing, most of them stolen and then given to them as a gift from Pest. They finally picked an outfit and got dressed, putting their phone in their pocket and walking out the door, careful not to make too much noise, just in case it could be enough to wake their lover up. Poob searched inside their cabinets, then pulled out a bowl, a box of cereal, and then a jug of milk from their fridge. They sat down at their table, set their cereal up, and began to eat.

It's poison.

Poob flinched at the voice. Violet. Wasn't that her name?

No, it's not. I made this.

...Right. Nevermind.

Poob, after eating, ended up cuddling on the couch with Pest, holding him close to their chest. They landed a soft kiss on his forehead, then took off his hat, throwing it to the side, leaving his hair exposed. They then began to play with his hair, running their fingers through it. They weren't that tired anyway, what harm could laying on a couch be?

Poob fell asleep, with Pest in their arms after a moment of silence and peace.

But, again, it was broken.

Chapter Text

⚠️ Hey hey! This chapter has warnings! These include: S/H (self harm), GORE ⚠️
read at your own risk!

Unusual.

Months passed.

They felt like years.

Didn't they?

"Pest—I can't do this anymore. If I have to see one of my loved ones dead ONE more fucking time I think I'm actually gonna go insane. I can't sleep. I live in FEAR. Every day. EVERY fucking day. Of going to bed and seeing that garden." "Hun—" "The ONLY thing keeping me going is you, and the little sliver of hope I have left." Poob ranted. And ranted.

They started tearing up.

"First it was Pilby. Then Mark. Then you. Then—I can't even," Suddenly, they started sobbing, falling onto Pest. "There were so many—I—" The beetle cut Poob off, hugging them tightly. "It's okay. Just try to stop thinking about it, okay?" Poob nodded, sniffling in his arms.

"I wanted to show you."

”Come look. I started tending to it again." They grabbed his hand and led him behind a building. There was a garden, a beautiful one at that. It was flourishing with flowers and succulents. "Isn't it pretty?" He nodded, his heart melting at the stunning array of flowers. "Beautiful. Just like you." They blushed and looked at the floor. "It took me awhile to get them to look like that," They started, walking forward and kneeling down. "But it was worth it." They giggled and plucked a red and black dahlia flower bulb from its stem. "Red and black dahlia—decorative Arabian night. Pretty, hm?" He nodded, smiling warmly. "It reminded me of you."

"And—and the garden, the hands—" Pest looked disgruntled. "Hun..you should really get checked out for something. I'm worried." Poob sat up and wiped away their tears.

"I'm just scared for you."

Poob sat on a wooden log, staring into a fire pit. They were in Two Stud Camp, reminiscing about the huge party held there a year ago. They held a cup of blogsy, sipping it every once in awhile. Their eyes were blank, the only light being from the flame. Sure, it was boring to sit on a log for 3 hours, but it weirdly did feel nice; comforting. A small patch of flowers laid amongst their feet, burrowed into the soil. It was one of the few places in the camp with flowers.

Partynoob sat there for what felt like hours. They didn't know why, though. To pass time? To try and forget? They had no clue. Suddenly, they heard some sniffles. They were coming from behind them..behind a tree? Poob stood up and turned around. White fur poked out from behind the tree.

Pilby.

They froze, staring at Pilby. They tried to sip their blogsy, but it sounded bubbly. There wasn't any left. Pilby yelped and turned around. "Oh—hello..poob..I didn't see you tthere..." Pilby sniffled, holding a Polaroid picture close to their chest. They walked forward towards Poob, who had dropped their blogsy at Pilby's yelp.

"Hey, Pilby! What..what's that?" Poob pointed to the picture that Pilby was holding. They sniffled again and wiped their eyes before looking at the picture once again. "It's a picture of me and..my mama." Poob's eyes widened. "..Tough subject?" Pilby nodded. Poob apologized.

go ahead!

go ahead.

do it.

Poob sighed, then started to speak again. "..so, Pilby. Do ya wanna come to my party? I'm hosting one tomorrow. You don't gotta come, but I'll warn ya, it's awesome!" The caterpillar thought for a moment, then gave Poob a soft smile. "sure..I'll go. sounds good...8pm?" Poob nodded, then hugged Pilby. "See ya there!" They walked off to the elevator. Pilby stood there for a few more moments, before smiling widely and sitting on the wooden log Poob was on earlier. Someone really was being nice to them.

Saturday came.

Music was blasting through speakers, drinks were being shared, it was a blast. Pilby arrived, the elevator dinging like it always did. They stepped into Poob's apartment, looking around for somewhere to sit. They were a little late, since they wanted to look good. It was around 9:00 PM, and the party was dying down, but still seemed to thrive. Poob noticed Pilby's distress and ran up to them, hugging them. "Hii!! Im so glad you showed up! After the party ends—which'll probably be soon—we need to talk for a bit. Preferably in Two-Stud Camp, please? It's nothing serious." Pilby was taken aback by the sudden wall of words spoken to them. They sighed. "Sure..I guess." Poob squealed, then ran off to once again talk to Pest. Pilby still searched for somewhere to sit, then settled on Poob's couch. Few people tried to talk to them, but they weren't a fan of small talk anyway.

The party was over. Pilby looked over into Poob's kitchen. Partynoob was writing on a sticky note. When they were done, they slapped it onto their wall and stood up, stuffing something in their back pocket.

Be back soon. Oh—right. The meetup thing. Pilby stood up too, going to the elevator. Poob had to run to catch up.

Ding!

There they were. At two stud camp. Poob walked to a rocky, dark corner in the camp, then waited for Pilby to follow. Once they were near, Poob started talking. "It's kinda hot." Pilby nodded, then took off their hat. "mhm.."

"I'm really sorry," Pilby tilted their head. "hmn..honk..why would you be sorry?" They sniffled out. Poob stood still.

Pussy. Do it.

You wouldn't.

..FUCKING DO IT.

"..Poob?"

YOU'RE SUCH A PUSSY.

"..are you okay?.."

FUCKING DO IT YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF—

Poob, in one quick motion, swiftly spun Pilby around, grabbing the back of their hair and restricting their hands. Pilby's arms formed the shape of an 'X' on their back. Pilby started to scream, but Viole—..Poob didn't need that to happen. They covered Pilby's mouth, letting go of their arms. Pilby let out muffled screams and sobs, beginning to choke on their own spit. Poob had to admit, it was disgusting, but..they gotta do what they gotta do, hm?

Nothing felt real. Pilby flailed around, all four of their arms slapping at Poob. Poob was sick of it. They uncovered the caterpillar's mouth and shoved their head forward with full force.

CRACK.

CRUNCH.

C R A C K .

They felt disgusted. They pulled Pilby's head back up, and stared at the wound they had created.

Their head was cracked open. Blood seeped from their once recognizable face and their nose and forehead were cracked open and broken. Red dripped down their chin and onto the rock that had been in their face. Poob gagged, but swallowed their vomit. The blood felt..warm. Poob felt another urge. They once again, slammed Pilby's head against the rock. They didn't expect to hea—

",gGhCkkh..n.,hHkH—" Gurgles. Choking on blood. Pilby was alive. Blood was still flowing from their face like a river. Skull fragments pierced Pilby's now exposed head guts. A bloodshot eye hung from the socket it was once resting in.

CRACK

SPLATTER

CRACK.

C R U N C H.

C R U N C H .

Pilby had felt nothing but agony. But it was finally over. They could finally rest for once. One last word was muttered out:

"..mmAcHg,h,"

Pilby was gone.

One down.

Too many more to go...wait. You're forgetting something.

Poob nodded, then pulled out a pocket knife from their back pocket. They kneeled down to Pilby's corpse, holding up one of their arms. They inhaled sharply...and sliced it at the shoulder. Bits of fat were visible. They sliced again. Muscle tissue. It was pink. Bloody. Gruesome—horrid. Poob wanted to throw up. To go back. But it was too late. They had succumbed to Violet. Maybe? Maybe there could be a chance. A chance to go back.

slice.

But maybe this is just how it's supposed to be.

They laid Pilby's arm back down, and slammed the knife into the spot inbetween the shoulder and upper arm bone. It took a few chops, but the arm eventually came off. Rinse and repeat. For all of them.

All four.

Poob stood at the entrance of their newly furnished garden. Pots full of soil, but no flowers, were everwhere. Bushes had buds of flowers, ready to bloom. They had been buying (and stealing) the supplies for it. The only thing that was left was to put the arms in the pots.

Partynoob dumped out Pilby's two sets of arms onto the ground, then picked each one up and stuffed it into it's own pot. They looked..gross. Uneven.

Succulents. Beautiful. You did good.

"I—I'm so sorry. I dont—" Pest hushed Poob, holding them closely. "Please, don't apologize." Blood trickled down Poob's arm. "We seriously need to get you bandages though." Pest said, whispering. Poob nodded. They had relapsed, thinking Pest was asleep. Pest leaned down, and opened a cabinet, pulling out a box of butterfly closures. "You went too deep." Poob nodded, again. "I keep my antibacterial stuff in the cabinet above that,"

Pest kneeled down in front of Poob, then tended to their wound. There was only one. "Dear, I think you hit something. This is really dangerous." He grabbed the bottle of antibacterial stuff(I forgot the name) and poured it on another bandaid, sticking it on top of the butterfly closure.

After Pest was done, he held the other's hands tightly in his. "I'm so sorry, my love," He said, under his breath. Partynoob's tears, filled with barely any emotion but love and numbness, fell onto Pest's sweater. All they could do was cry. Yearn for their partner, even though he was sitting right in front of them. That excused the blood...but did they do it to hide the blood? Or did they mean to hurt themselves?

Visions.

Not even dreams.

Hallucinations.
The garden.

Dreams.

Nightmares?

The garden.

Nightmares.

The garden.

Pest?

Mark.

Pilby?

My love.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

Chapter Text

Screaming.

Sobbing.

Everything. All at once.

    Already? People already found their body? Jesus.

    Poob stood up off the couch, groaning. The only thing on TV was Pilby. Pilby Pilby Pilby blah blah blah blah. Corpse found. No arms. Blahh blah—They were sick of it. But upset. Upset about what had happened. Their eyelids grew heavy. Heavier than boulders.

Thump.

"NO!—""Stop resisting. You're making this harder than it needs to be." He writhed in pain, taking my kicks to the stomach every few seconds. "STOP—FUCK-" He stuttered, his speech becoming slurred as he coughed. He tried to cover himself with his shaky arms but it was no use. Blood filled his mouth as I kicked him in the stomach once again. I tried to push him to the ground, but he was strong enough to resist.

    I only kept pushing. And kicking. Screaming at the other to be quiet. He just wouldn't shut up. About his ex. About his kid. "YOU'RE MAKING THIS SO MUCH MORE FUCKING DIFFICULT. SHUT. UP." He stopped screaming. He stopped everything, I think. I guess screaming is a weakness of his?

    While he was distracted, I wrapped my hands around his neck, pressing my thumbs down onto his throat, holding my hands in the same spot while pushing him violently to the ground. He landed with a thud and a yelp, tears welling in his eyes. It seemed to hurt. So bad. But what can you do? He let out choked sobs, calling for his lover. "He's not here. What, do you expect W[     ] to just come and rescue you like a firefighter to a cat stuck in a tree? You really are pathetic, [   ]." I giggled to Myself, pressing my thumbs down harder onto his throat.

    He cried as he struggled, reaching out for a soul that wasn't there.

There wasn't anyone there.

Nobody would come to save him, and that was the sad truth.

    He looked absolutely helpless as he began to pass out, oxygen being restricted from his lungs. He fell to the floor, his breaths becoming shallow but sharp. I inhaled as he muttered, 

“..so it was you.” 

..before he did fall limp.

    I pulled out my pocket knife from my back pocket, flicking it open. I began to carve. And stab. Whatever it took to kill wood.

A mannequin.

    Poob gasped as they sat up, sweat dripping down their forehead. Thunder had awoken them from their slumber. They looked up to meet gazes with a worried Pest, staring down at their once unconscious body. "Are you alright? I walked out to make breakfast and saw you passed out." Poob nodded in response, sitting up and groaning. They cracked their knuckles. "I just didn't get that much sleep last night." Pest nodded. "I understand...have you seen what happe-""-ned to Pilby?...yea." They interrupted. Pest looked away. Partynoob sighed, then stood up.

Act like you care.

"I'm so upset..aren't they suspecting it's a murder?" They mumbled. They started to think about personal things. Their mother—who even were their parents? What happened to them? What do they look like?..do they even exist?

what have I become?—..

just to get the waterworks going.

    Warm tears filled their eyes, trailing down their cheeks slowly as they sniffled. "They were a sibling to me..I don't understand why someone would do this." Pest nodded, agreeing. Poob sniffled again and wiped their tears.

    "Uh," he stuttered. "I'm just..speechless. And confused..so confused." Pest grimaced and hugged Poob. The silence was loud. Poob let go of Pest and wiped their tears away again. "I have to go get food. I love you." Pest didn't have time to respond before Poob left, boarding the elevator.

    ...

    Partynoob immediately clung to the railing in the elevator. Their breath hitched and their chest rose and fell in an uneven manner. Are they gonna get away with this? Their heartbeat only quickened.

..but what can you do? they're dead. get over it!

...right. they…they’re dead.

Partynoob laid in bed, their eyes closing shut as they drifted off to the neverland of rest. They did have horrid nightmares and visions..but now they only seemed a little soothing. 

They weren’t nightmares anymore.

These were dreams.

Chapter Text

⚠️ Hey hey! This chapter has warnings! These include: disassociation, GORE ⚠️

read at your own risk!

     "Hey." What was her name? Wasn't it Violet? I think I've forgotten. "Hi, Violet." I whispered, uncomfortably shifting in place. I couldn't see anything, but I sure could hear everything. I reached up to check if there was anything covering my eyes; a blindfold, bandana, anything. But an undefined force pulled my arm back down. I knew it was her. Violet. That monster. She let out a low giggle and mumbled quietly near my ear, "Don't get yourself too confident, now. I've come to talk about your technique. I'm not here to yell. Just talk!" I couldn't see, but I felt her sadistic lips curl into a gruesome smile. I knew what she was capable of, so I stood still. "Your technique of hacking and planting is very poor. They droop. You don't want your flowers to droop, do you? To die?" People have died at my hands. "You wouldn't want them to go to waste, do you?" I hesitated before shaking my head no. "No, I do not."

     I woke up, no Pest. No one. Just me, myself, and I. I slugged out of bed and groggily limped toward my kitchen. I opened the cabinet and got what I needed for breakfast. I got myself a bowl of cereal, and sat down to eat it. As I held the spoon in front of my mouth, I stopped. For some reason, everything hit me. My spark was gone. I was not the usual person I used to be; I'm not who my partner knows me as.

Does he even want me anymore? Could he just do something nice and forget that anything ever happened to me?

     Mom, do I exist to you? Do I exist to do anything other than what I'm "supposed" to do? To throw parties, be goofy? Murder? Maybe...I was supposed to be this way. I felt reality and my control slipping from my grasp. They all deserve to suffer; to experience karma for what they've put me through. I hate them all. Get them out of my HEAD. MY LIFE IS GONE. It's gone because of all of them; they who don't deserve to be here.

     I spaced out, then came back to reality. I loosened my grip on my spoon and began to eat my breakfast. My whole body felt tingly. My mind felt empty, same as my body, yet it was nothing but a husk. A shell of what I used to be. There used to be dark circles under my eyes from fun, late nights. Now they're from exhaustion; insomnia; from the months of torture I endured, and now, accepted as my reality. I'm surprised this never happened any sooner. I was bound to snap.

     l've always been sick of myself. The whore I was, I am no more. I finished my cereal, put the dirty, empty, disgusting dishes in the sink. At least they had a purpose. I was getting impatient. I wandered back to my room, and began to write a list.

     After around half an hour of thinking and writing, it was done. The...correct order. One was already crossed off. I wrote them in the order that the visions came to me. I assumed it was weakest to strongest; not a very effective tactic. But I'll go with it anyway. If I die to someone later down the list, who cares? Good riddance, right?

     I'm not the gullible, young version of myself I used to be. I would've never had the pair to pull off something like this.

     I sat down on my couch, completely unable to move. Everything around me felt fake. I felt as if my mentality was melting onto my own sofa, mending and shaping to fit the mold of what I thought had been me; but really was Violet. I remember and look back at her words; "Don't give up on the idea. It wont reward you in the long run, but you'll love the results, won't you?.. Don't deny it when you get the urges." I regret agreeing to it, that monster. And I know there's no way to go back.

     Wow! What a vessel. I sat up and stretched, probably almost dislocating something. Oops! Hehe. I walked over to a kitchen cabinet and yanked it open. There they were! I picked up one of the blades and watched it shine in the light from above. It was still so sharp; did the vessel even ever use them? I had a plan; I'm sure they wouldn't approve. But they let me take over. It's their fault, ain't it?

     I put the knife into a purse I found somewhere, then put my new hair into a loose ponytail, how I used to always keep it. I knew who to go after next. I folded the list and shoved it to the bottom of my purse, then walked out to the elevator. 

     Inside the elevator stood a few other mortals. They seemed so pathetic. There was a lamp, and another..he had stripes in his hair. They were chatting, though maintained distance. I wondered where they were going. The doors opened to reveal a road; one with cars, zooming by every now and then. Nobody dared to try and cross them, as the cars were rumored to have explosives inside them. Wow! How did I recall that? I guess we share knowledge now. Surprised I even know anything anymore, hehe!

     While I was alone, I climbed onto the railing and broke the cameras. I knew nobody was watching, most likely, but I still wanted to make sure. After a few minutes, the two gathered back into the elevator. The doors shut, and we started moving down.

     When they opened again, the raccoon left the elevator, and in his bit-crushed voice said farewell. Then someone else entered. Someone..quite unpleasant. The one I've been looking for. The lamp seemed to immediately show signs of discomfort. I would too, but I don't care much. I tapped the unpleasant one on the shoulder and whispered to him. I knew the two, it and poob, were exes, so I used that to my advantage. I gave him a date, and I saw blush creep up on his face, a small grin appearing. He was...a little cute. I felt a bit bad—still gross. I can't get distracted.

    I watched him fidget with the communication cards around his neck; (gradient is not a rectangle in this fic.) they were attached to a choker. I looked at the floor. I can't stare for too long. I'll get attached. To him. Has anyone even loved him before? Probably not. The lamp shifted in place...then, once the elevator doors opened again, to an IKEA, he booked it, sprinting full speed out of the elevator. I smiled, knowing we would be alone. I could take him to the Two Spud Camp. A killsite for spirits like me! I tapped a few buttons once the doors shut yet again, and then waited. The gradient started to talk to me...not as planned.

     "So..um..do you want me to...eh..." He couldn't stop himself from giggling. What a loser. "We can spend some time when the doors open. I'm taking us to the Two Stud Camp." He smiled, then had a look of realization. "Isn't that where Pilby's body was found?" I nodded. "I know...but hey, it'll be fun! There's no murderers there anyway. I'm glad to take a hit for you." I saw him blush again. God. Stop it. His doubt seemed to leave as the doors opened. I stepped out, clutching my purse tightly. He followed shortly after.

     One of us was obviously more nervous than the other. I watched as Unpleasant bit his nails, still fidgeting. I hung my head and walked towards a log, sitting down, patting the empty space next to me, invitingly. He sat down and started thumping his leg up and down..as some sort of stim. I can't say my opinion on this guy. 

     We sat in silence..awkward for me, but probably heavenly for he. I'm guessing that he thinks this is a..."date." I shivered and turned to him. He looked at me back. "Hey, Unpleasant?" "Hm?" He cocked his head in confusion. "Stand up and turn around. I have a surprise for you." I saw his eyes light up as he turned around happily. Did he think I was proposing or something? How pathetic.

     His hands were clasped together, resting on his back. He seemed so happy. Happy to have someone to love and to have someone who reciprocated his feelings. Too bad that feeling didn't last for very long. I grabbed him by the back of his neck and held his head right over a still blazing campfire. He only let out a small noise of fear. Win for me! 

     I let out a chuckle and gripped his neck tighter. I could feel the vessel shaking; does Partynoob wanna come out? That's sad...I pushed his head down a bit; to get him closer to the fire. I saw beads of sweat appear and fall off of his forehead and face. I laughed again; he started pleading for me to stop! How hilarious...

     I dunked his head down into the fire for only a split second; some of it stuck. I let him go and watched him tumble forward, straight onto the pit. I stood back and just...watched him. Watched him scream...stop...drop...god FUCKING DAMN IT.

     I put my foot against his back and pressed down. Hard. I heard something crack. Sadly, he wasn't on fire anymore...I flipped him over and took the knife out of my purse, then pressed one of my hands down onto his neck. I raised the knife, about to stab—

     "...please-..ggah,   i  .." I waited for him to finish. "now..now what if i told you..you're doing me a favor?" I paused. A favor? "What do you mean a favor." He sighed, then smiled. "Nobody cares about me. Duh." 

...

     "I used to care. emphasis on used to." I lowered my arm, moved my hand, and roughly pressed down onto his neck with the bladed side of my knife. I swiped and blood splattered all over me. Oopsies. I heard him drowning on his own blood. It was a little gross, but you get used to it. I decided to chop the knife back into him; that only made me hear more...disgusting gurgles. Blood got all over my sweater, into my mouth. How gross.

     His exposed flesh moved in sync with his uneven breaths. By now I had moved him to the side, since there was so much blood. Must've hit an artery or three! I began to hack away at his arms. Just right above his elbows I would slice and chop. I guess he was still alive, because I could hear his desperate attempts at screaming. After a while, one half of his arm came off. At this point he shut up; presumably died. I chopped at the other 'till I could rip it out by the bone.

     I yanked and yanked until, POP goes the socket! I hummed a tune for the rest of the ritual. The rest of my supplies were already in my purse. I could just hide his body, how perfect. Nobody would notice. Nobody. I picked up his body and carried him to a cauldron; I never knew why it was there. Water was already piled at the bottom. I started a fire, then put his body inside of the boiling solution. I grabbed sticks and branches, putting them on top of Unpleasant's cold body in an attempt to hide it.

     I sprinted over to my beautiful garden, plastic bag in hand, the other holding my purse. As I got everything out and ready I thought of Partynoob's dumb little boyfriend. Wasn't his name Pest? I had an underlying feeling of guilt. I guess that was the other part of me. 

The one I'm trying to suppress.

Chapter Text

Hi, author here
I most likely won't ever finish or continue this, I'm so sorry. :-( the regretevator fixation is already gone, but if I ever feel like it I'll add another chapter, or rewrite the whole damn thing. Thank you for reading my stuff.