Archive of Our Own

Stupid little child. Stupid randomly awakened powers. Stupid Chosen for starting the whole Showdown in the first place.

It had been around two years now. The Outernet has forgotten him and the terror he used to ignite. He likes it that way, likes it a little more than he thought he would.

It gives him a thrill. A secret to keep. Imagine living every single moment of your life with the elation of a super spy your constant companion.

It's pretty neat.

Dark is actually starting to be happy.

He has learned things about the world he did not know before. Why did he ever think it was entertaining to set fire to such pretty buildings? Such welcoming people!

Dark has slowly gotten used to hiding his powers, acting like a normal stick within society. 

It wasn't like he even used whatever remained of his abilities anyway. His powers were at least half as strong as previously, and he didn't even really bother with them most of the time.

Especially since he discovered normal civilian tech and conveniences.

Why risk trying to temperature control his own flames and awkwardly hold up a piece of bread for six minutes when he could just leave it in a toaster with perfect settings? It was boring and harder than it sounded to not end up with a blackened toast because he got impatient and his fire grew too large for the poor bread slice.

Toasters were amazing.

Dark deliberately did not think of his first awkward conversation with a store clerk over whether or not toasters counted as mythical sorcery.

Dark hates his reputation getting slandered. So it's really surprising to even himself why he's decided to let everyone think he's dead and gone. 

Why he ran from the possibility of seeking revenge for his wounds.

Why he never returned to Chosen, even though Dark was pretty sure Chosen could be talked with and pacified. 

The guy was secretly a softie and all Dark probably had to do was remind Chosen the whole thing was HIS fault to begin with and the black hollowhead would crumple and just be glad to see Dark alive.

But he didn't go see Chosen. He didn't know exactly why, either. Chosen had been so upset, that something inside Dark still hesitated.

And Dark knew that he, himself, was also to blame for a large part of that fight, despite how he tried to convince his brain otherwise.

Thinking so intently about how he got here, Dark got startled and nearly exploded a fireball into the server's face when she arrived at the table with his usual drink.

Flexing his hand as he suppressed the flinch, and quickly waving away the slight tendril of smoke that appeared in his hand before he had caught himself; Dark nodded and muttered a quiet, "Thank you" to the oblivious woman.

As she continued her duties and left Dark's solo table, Dark smiled down at his drink. It was an odd sort of beverage, but it was his usual at this bar, and so the tenders knew its specifications by heart now.

He liked the atmosphere here. No one judged or gave him weird looks for his tendency to wear shady looking hoods. Not even when he was feeling more comfortable and showed off his hollowhead without regard.

After all, he was dead, wasn't he~?

And there were other hollowheads beside the famous Dark Lord and the Chosen One.

Dark chuckled dryly as bittersweet memories washed over him. Chosen and him. Bonding over destruction of civilian property.

He must have caused so many problems... So much code got released from so many archives..

Dark knew there were always traces of those deleted left in backups and files, no matter how much destruction went down the chain of saved places that the alive code was located.

Not that it did much to ease past guilt.

Dark shook his head of the creeping shame and took a peaceful sip of his complicated beverage. 

A spicy habanero pepper was speared through the center by the straw in his glass cup. The hot juices of the odd garnish choice slowly dripped into the contents of his drink: even more ludicrous choices awaiting within the chalice.

He liked sparkling peach juice. He liked ketchup. He liked roughly chopped chunks of a cinnamon stick or two in place of ice. 

[Sue him: He likes crunching things in his drink. You don't see people complaining about ice crunchers, why bother him about the roughly chopped cinnamon sticks-]

Top it off with a chocolate drizzle, a dust of zested lime and lemon and orange too because Dark enjoyed drowning the colorful reminder of that sticking child within his abomination of a drink, and also some siracha sauce to add even more unnecessary spice. 

Plus, siracha was red like him, so yeah.

And sometimes he opted to add a strawberry to his straw along with the green habanero. Today he didn't, but sometimes he felt a little extra extra extra. 

Dark looked up briefly at the rest of the bar. Well, actually more of a side bar, because it was attached to a restaurant and minors were allowed in technically.

Sometimes a few parents brought their teenagers in as they ordered food, since it wasn't hard at all to ignore the bar section if they didn't care for any or didn't want their kids trying some.

Even more rarely were there babies or toddlers tagging along the adults that brought them.

Yet, it was technically allowed for kids to be here because the bar was off to the side of the place and the building wasn't dedicated to alcoholic drinks the same way an official bar was. But it was still rare to spot kids.

And Dark liked this place better than other bars anyway. He got food here too! 

He deliberately does not promise that his newly acquired tastes in civilian food are not nearly as ridiculous as his drink remains-

Dark was so busy enjoying the quiet tranquility of the place, he didn't notice the newcomers that just entered the restaurant until he jolted at a familiar tone of voice.

"Would you two quit slapping each other and behave?" The voice of the Chosen One scolded a few someone elses he must have come in with. "I thought you were hungry! Settle down or we can turn right around and leave."

Then Chosen muttered under his breath, so quietly that Dark only overheard due to his enhanced hearing. "I've half a mind to regardless, as it'd be easier on my wallet."

"Sorry, Cho.. I'll keep an eye on them and make sure they won't do it again." Another, younger familiar voice made Dark freeze in mild terror.

It was the kid too. 

Dark looked down at his drink, the orange zest still garnishing the top of his soft foam. Would it be too much to hope for? Would stirring it under the drink make the kid spontaneously disappear?

Dark could see them now. 

Chosen was wearing a red scarf around his chin and mouth, his crimson eyes slightly annoyed but also secretly soft as Dark had learned to read the teenager-adult very well. 

Stupid sentimental softie. Hadn't changed much, he sees.

And accompanying Chosen is that blasted orange kid who nearly killed him and was to blame for most of the circumstances Dark used to fake his death. As well as the orange kid's four friends..  

Dark thought he deleted them. He.. He did delete them. They were killed.. 

Dark knew that backups and files could have been to blame, he didn't know why he was so surprised.

Maybe he just didn't expect the ghosts of his past to appear so suddenly.

Can't a guy just fake his death and never have to ever see anyone he knew before aforementioned staged demise again?

Dark groaned quietly, cursing the fact he didn't have his hoodie on him. Today had been really nice! 

Why did those blasted kids and stupid Chosen have to be here of all places-?!

"...Dark?" 

Dark flushed slightly and lowered his head, having been too lost in thought to even think of sneaking out. 

And now Chosen had seen him.

Dark slowly looked up at his former best friend. His brother. Those shiny crimson eyes were wide with an emotion unclear to most, but Dark knew Chosen was feeling relief. Softness as usual. Surprise. 

"Surprise." Dark mumbled, his eyes briefly turning their embarrassed gaze on the kids.

They looked a little cautious of his presence, but also oddly relaxed. 

Dark murdered them. Shouldn't they be acting on traumatic memories and freaking out? Did he not look intimidating at all anymore?

Dark's embarrassment was started to flicker with annoyance. Blast it all to code, he hated this whole scenario.

"You let me think you were dead." Chosen suddenly set his fists on his hips, staring accusingly. But Dark still caught the remnants of relief and softness in Chosen's eyes.

"Again. Surprise." Dark snorted.

As if this were a prank. Playing it off like a joke. 

Never mind that it was a method to cope with the emotions swirling in his throat, the ones threatening to strangle him if even one more was stacked onto the tipsy tower.

Dark noticed the kids seemed more curious than scared. He made himself stare at the table so he cared less.

Chosen very obviously looked desperate for Dark to say something more. He looked minutes away from hugging Dark tight and carrying him away to wherever Cho lived now.

Dark didn't feel a lump in his throat.

Dark didn't feel kind of the same way.

Dark didn't miss... Cho...

...Okay fine.

"Look, if you're just gonna stare-" Dark started to say before one of the kids suddenly piped up with a comment.

"What in the Internet are you drinking??" Exclaimed the first kid of the five he had killed, the red-haired one. He was pointing a curious, bewildered finger toward Dark's drink.

It wasn't even judging. It was just pure childish curiousity. 

Dark figured these five kids had to be around 13 or 14, but they seemed much younger. Maybe it was because they lived on his PC that Dark sent the first Virabot to destroy. 

PC sticks had a tendency to not be familiar with Outernet rules and therefore seemed immature or out of place much easier. After all, PCs were isolated dwellings.

"Well, it's.. It's.. My usual." Dark blinked slowly, about as gradually as he got each word out. "I no longer seem to have an appetite, however.."

Dark noticed Chosen silently locking away that let-slip information into his mind, crimson eyes observing Dark with curiosity and contemplation. 

It was benign thoughtfulness on Chosen's part, Dark could tell that much... but it still made Dark a bit nervous. 

The blue-haired kid was now the closest, his intrigued eyes the same shade of blue as his stupid hair. "Can I have it then? I love trying new things! Wait, it doesn't have alcohol in it- right?"

Dark blinked, finally making direct dumbfounded eye contact with the child who had spoken. "What."

While the green, yellow, red, and stupid orange kid behind the blue one began to look exasperated, the blue one chuckled nervously as if unsure whether Dark was upset or not.

"I mean- I can't drink it if it contains alcohol, so.. I was asking?" The kid tucked a strand of loose blue hair behind one of his ears.

"...Again. What." Dark could only reply. "Out of anyone else in the world with the oddball taste buds to stand my special drink, I did not think I would find him in you. But eh, you know what?"

Dark slid the drink over to the blue kid. 

"Be my guest, honestly. Have at thee."

"Neeaat," The blue-haired teenager grinned immediately, no longer nervous or apprehensive around Dark in the slightest, his blue eyes narrowed and focused completely on the drink.

Dark chose not to feel insulted. He also pushed away the weird relieved feeling that started to appear.

Dark was unable to hold back a snort when he noticed Chosen looking very concerned at the blue one having possession of the drink.

And then Dark chuckled softly when Chosen apleared a little nauseated because the blue kid finally elected to take a sip through the straw.

"Hmm." The blue kid tapped his chin like a food critique, heedless of his friends' facepalming beside him. "Very good tang. A little spice. Some sweet as well..."

Dark's chuckle got a little louder, despite himself. "Cursors, kid. I didn't expect you to take it that well at all. Do you even know half of what's in that thing??"

"Uhm. Well... I know there's.. a habanero." The blue kid blinked, slowly pointing at the only intact and solid part of the drink that was identifiable, stabbed through with the straw. 

Dark started laughing again, and this time didn't try to stop himself. 

Chosen softened further and he ended up taking a seat next to Dark. Dark refused eye contact, his laughter slowly fading.

"Dark." Chosen's voice, just as quietspoken and steady as Dark remembers.

In the midst of Dark trying not to pay attention to Chosen, he noticed the other children taking seats as if Chosen's relaxed nature and Dark's apparent un-threatening state was a cue to sit next to the former terrorist.

Dark was supposed to feel annoyed at his reputation being so carelessly ignored and unheeded. He did not know why he kept feeling more stable and calm as each kid got situated at the table.

Dark finally glanced at Chosen, his features twisted up into an awkward medley of wistful nostalgia, caution, and nerves.

"You better not try and help my fake death become legitimate, Cho." Dark snorted gruffly, even though he knew it wasn't Chosen's intention.

"And you better not try and pretend you're still dead and therefore can't come back home."

Dark froze. Those words implied that Chosen still lived in the same.. He never moved?

Chosen, probably using some kind of secret stupid mind reading powers Dark didn't know about, smirked slightly. "You idiot. Why would I move away from the shack we built together? Too much groundwork and memories placed there to just.. up and leave it all the instant you're.. 'dead'." 

Chosen raised his fingers and pinches them to make air quotations at the same time his voice tilts up a note, indicating relieved amusement. 

"You should have." Dark huffed, a mild tinge of anger, confusion, frustration spiking up in his voice. "Why- Wh- I died for all you knew, it's best to grieve if needed and move on with your-"

"Well, you know I'm terrible at following the rules." Chosen interrupts. "So obviously I imagined you were still there in the house. Probably gave myself hallucinations. Talked to the air. Argued with nothing but memories. I even got mad at you for eating my pear because I genuinely forgot I didn't save one extra for the next day and also forgot I was pretending you-"

Chosen took a breath and cut himself off. Dark saw hints of tears in his ruby eyes before they were blinked away and Chosen looked vaguely regular again.

"I don't know whether to proclaim you stupid, call you insane, or be flattered you missed me." Dark failed to hold back a surprised laugh.

As Dark's head and vision shuddered a bit from the laugh, he was suddenly hyperware of the five kids watching the conversation with wide eyes. All they needed was popcorn in their hands, and it'd seem exactly like they were observing a drama show of some kind.

Dark awkwardly looked up at the ceiling, hands twitching and curling around nothingness since he had given away his drink.

Chosen, on the other hand, huffed with fondness, and gave the nearest kid [the orange one] a flick on the forehead. 

Dark didn't know how to feel about that. 

Chosen had clearly grown to care for these kids, and he still elects to miss Dark so much? 

Still sits down to tell Dark how much he mourned for Dark's supposed death?

Despite Chosen being the one so incapable of revealing his emotions that Dark had to spends years learning how to translate Chosen's face and his tells?!

Dark felt a odd sort of warmth blossoming in his throat as he listened to the complaints of children being flicked on their heads, one by one. 

Chosen's rare, unrestrained laughter spilling out into the natural background noise of the tavern.

Conversation blooming over Dark's interesting choice of drink, and the blue teen's neutral reaction to it. [What in the circuits was the abnormality that was this kid's taste buds- Even Dark reacted to his own beverage with more zeal and reaction than whatever that display was supposed to be.]

Yes, Dark was never one to be known as a coward.

And so instead of shying away from the past...

Dark took a deep breath and joined the conversation.

"If you think that drink is bad, you ought to try Chosen's toast."

And when Dark was immediately rewarded with sputtering and stammering from the offended stick, Dark's genuine smile was wide for all to see.