Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Jeffery’s woods was always an inner myth located near the east end of Gotham behind the infamous crime alley, the neighbourhood Jason Todd grew up in and the same neighbourhood that turned his life upside down twice. Jason had been working as a solo outlaw ever since his long due split with the rest of the outlaws, leaving him completely alone and relying on himself which he had done almost all his life. A mysterious call was the whole reason to why he even was in Jeffrey’s woods and unexpectedly at the same time so was Kai Cenat, streaming alone and far from Jason’s knowledge or sight.

The myth of Jeffrey’s woods grew due to its lack of interest and entertainment of the Gotham people as rumours grew largely that it was haunted and not to go anywhere near it, but then again what wasn’t haunted about Gotham itself? Jason was ready though, he was in his full Red Hood armour, walking slowly while turning his head to a 90-degree angle each side every second, his breath visibly affected by the chilly air surrounding him. Kai Cenat was different, clearly affected by the cold. He was so affected that he stumbled every step of the way and the chilly air wrapped its icy breath all over Kai like it was simply hugging him. That didnt stop Kai, with a camera in hand ready to capture a hint of the myths of Jeffery’s woods. (a/n: WOOD LOL)

Little did they both know, the rumours were as true as they were all told. After all, why was it named Jeffery’s woods? If not named after the woods of the infamous ‘Jeffrey Woods’ also now known as ‘Jeff The Killer’, now who escaped to the woods after all his massacres, including his parents.

Thunder struck the forest, Kai wanted to really get anything for the camers and leave immediately.

“Yo chat, you just hear that right now? On God, this whole myth thing is starting to sound like a joke.” he spoke loudly, but not loud enough to be heard.

But Jeff was beyond that, smiling and following Kai behind. His first prey. Clutching the knife tighter as his pupils grew into excitement… following him slow and steady, making absolutely no sounds.

“Chat, chat, chat, I swear there’s scarier things, like literally Duke Dennis himself. YO, thanks greasydrpepper for the 50 gifted! Appreciate it a lot.” Kai spoke, while grinning not focusing on where he was walking into, or rather who he’ll walk into.

“Hell nah! Chat, do you see that!? IS THAT JEFF THE KILLER!” He screeched first, then slowly exhaled and inhaled as his hands vibrate with his phone full of messages spamming to turn around and run for his safety.

“Chat, am I cooked? There’s no way that bitch is real. Whoever is twitch sniping me, this shit ain’t fun.” he said, now trying to make himself sound more confident knowing deep inside he might have just peed his pants.

Jeff however doesn’t hesitate and makes the first move, swiftly moving left and right rapidly to catch Kai Cenat in shock as he proceeds to drop his camera to fend for himself. Jeff brutally struck him with his bloody knife and threw it in his face.
“Shh…go to sleep.” he grinned yet again
and repeats the act numerous times all with a smile of course. Then simply walked away, dragging Kai Cenat’s deceased body with him as if this were another Tuesday morning for him and proceeded to throw him in the church yard near his woods. (A/n: WOOD LOL)

Jason heard a screech and approached where he thought he heard it from, holding his guns tight and stalking forward to investigate. But just like that, Jeff appeared behind him, noticing Jason’s armour but not the helmet he wore as he jumped on his back and with his knife, a swift slash hit Jason’s neck causing him to fall in surprise while Jeff got off him.

“You’re…g-good.” Jason mumbled as his lips grew into a smirk, still grabbing onto his gun and raising it towards Jeff’s face, wanting to end that gross grin Jeff had this entire time facing him, while his other hand touches the deep cut Jeff made, trying to stop the bleeding.

Jason’s eyes started to feel heavy and everything surrounding him began to blur, as Jeff slowly approached with the same grin and grabbed him violently by the hair, holding the knife against his chin, making Jason kneel below him trying to stay awake or even so alive.

“It’s okay Red Hood…just, go to sleep.” Jeff said, leaning against Jason’s ear and whispering softly yet in a dangerous tone still caressing his face with his bloody knife.

Several hours passed since the incident and Jason found himself beginning to wake up again, thinking to himself “guess im not dead…again.” looking around, he found his arms were extremely sore as well as his entire body not being able to move, despite the armour he wore…Jason woke up immediately and his eyes widened noticing he wasn’t wearing his armour and indeed he was tied against the wall, a mouldy wall as he looked around to find his guns and armour piled on the floor he couldn’t reach.

That night didn’t just affect Kai Cenat and Jason Todd, but would have an affect on many of their peers. Kai’s stream became an iceberg on youtube and the famous outlaw is rumoured to have left his city for good. Hayley Williams entered the scene the next day as the rain poured and drenched her but she remains nonchalant to her clothes literally sticking to her skin. She bends down grabbing Kai’s camera which Jeff forgot to destroy and she suddenly falls to her knees sobbing, holding the last memories of her dear friend close to her chest where her heart began to break and hurt.

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After many hours Hayley (Paramore singer) finally managed somewhat to calm herself down as her nose grew visibly red as well as her eyes. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and slowly began to breathe in and out. She sniffed before taking her phone out of her pocket to dial the police, brushing her bangs behind her ears, exposing her forehead. She was tired, tired of all this nonsense, wishing she was going through this with her best friend Kai Cenat, but instead she was all alone.

“Hello? I- uh…” she shook her head, trying gain control and form a sentence. “My friend uh... he went missing… I...” she couldn’t hold it anymore, breaking down in tears again as her heart broke again, holding Kai's camera tightly against her chest. A soft male voice spoke back to her through the phone, trying to reassure her. “Ma’am, stay put. Help is on the way. We've just sent our strongest man to help you.” Hayley shivered from her tears and waited alone in the most dangerous place a girl could be in the moment, Jeffrey's woods.
(A/n: WOOD LOL)

Around twenty minutes passed, and a strange white haired man approached her. He was wearing a long red coat with nothing for a shirt other than some straps around his chest as he smiled at her confidently, but also to reassure her that she’s safe. Hayley studied him as she noticed his back is a long sword which looks about twice her size, while the mysterious man carried two guns ready to shoot at anything or anyone.

“You must be the girl crying over some guy? I'm Dante… so was this a bad break up? Did he cheat?”

Hayley gasped, furrowing her brows. “I didn't murder him! He was very precious to me…” she turned her head to the side, looking at the ground. “His name was Kai Cenat… ever heard of him? He is... well, was a streamer, and my best friend since we were kids.” Dante looked around confused, raising his arms around. “Where the hell is he?”

She scoffed and looked back at him, raising her tone, now feeling annoyed just by his presence. “Missing! God, didn't you hear anything?" she broke down in tears again, now mumbling as she struggled to speak. “This is all I could find, his stupid camera… he just had to stream here and put himself in danger…” her eyes shut as tears streamed down her face.

Dante looks at the camera she was holding very dearly, he gently snatches it from her as her eyes widened, trying to grab it back but Dante held it out of her reach to look at the footage inside, ignoring her. As he checks the footage he looks at her face, then back at the camera. “Yeah, no doubt that thing got him, nothing I can do about it, he's probably dead already. I'm sorry."

Hayley grunted, fists clenched. “No, shit! All I want is to track that maniac who killed him! Kai deserves to get justice!” she yelled so loud, voice echoing through the forest.

Dante stared blankly at Hayley, before smirking. He threw the camera back at her and proceeded to walk away, making Hayley confused as she follows behind him trying to keep up with his pace. “You’re in… right?” she spoke softly as Dante looked back at her while still walking.

“Sure." he said with a soft smile, to which Hayley smiled back, her head facing the ground as she followed. She wrapped the camera around her neck like a necklace and looked around for clues as something bright on the floor caught her attention.

Hayley suddenly bent down, grabbing a few mysterious strands of white hair. “Dante, are you shedding?”

Dante turned around, visibly offended. He looked at what she discovered and shook his hair. “What's wrong with you? That is not my hair.” he crossed his arms, annoyed, thinking she just insulted him out of the blue and began to think, putting his finger around his chin. “That's strange… the creature that took your friend doesn't have white hair, unless he fought someone with that hair colour.”

Hayley looked up at Dante and compared the hair she found. “Meaning someone was here too with white hair… maybe they're still alive..”

Around the same time, Jason laid helplessly, trying to grab his weapons with his foot while Jeff was nowhere to be seen. He was still tied up to the wall, arms sore amd growing purple from lack of blood circulation. Jason just couldn't bring himself to care at all. All he was thinking about was how to break the chains around his body. Jeff then walked in, grinning and laughing like a psycho just by the sight of Jason as he tries to talk to him.

“Are you hungry? Don't got much options, but for you, I could try… Red Hood." he said, leaning towards Jason, still laughing in every sentence as if Jason's precarious situation was the funniest thing. Jason grunted, trying to hit him with his fists, straining his own wrists as Jeff easily backed away to make Jason suffer more “Haha! You can't reach me.” he said teasingly while turning his back to Jason as Jason grunted again.

“I don't want none of your crap! Just you wait 'till I get these chains off, I'll crack your skull open and stomp on your stupid face!” he yelled, causing him to spit towards Jeff's hair. Jeff wiped the spit off his hair and turned quickly, throwing his knife to the side of Jason's face, just missing by a few inches.

“Talk to me… what is it you want? You're lucky I didn't kill you.” he leaned towards Jason's ear. “So, don't go dying on me just because you wouldn’t eat.” Jason spat in Jeff's face, causing him to grab the knife at full force to stab him right in the face in that moment, only to be stopped by the phone on the wall ringing. Jeff smirked and turned around with no goodbye, knowing Jason was stuck with him with no help. Jeff sighed playfully. “Phone's for me, Gosh I'm sooo busy!” Before Jeff walked away, he grabbed Jason by the hair and smacked his head against the wall and then walked away to answer the phone.

Jason opened his eyes, slightly keeping his gaze fixed on Jeff and to where he disappeared. With all his strength, he tried again to yank the chains off the wall repeatedly, wondering to himself how that bitch couldn't afford a good base to stay in but for some reason could afford the strongest chains known on man. After many pulls, a crack appeared and Jason noticed, smirking slightly, only for it to be dropped back down as Jeff walks back in.

As they made eye contact with each other, Jeff smiled, walking towards Jason and looking at the crack on the wall then back at him. “I got you some food… do you like a McPicklePounder?”

Jason looked at him surprised and shool his head lightly. “I don’t like pickles.” Jeff's eyes widened even more, and for the first time after the two met his grin dropped, looking at Jason with a deep wide smile instead, it felt more uncanny than his usual smile, causing Jason to shiver slightly. It really got him wondering if he said something wrong, or if Jeff just enjoyed making him upset. But Jeff didn’t speak about it, why did he enjoy the fact that Jason didn't like pickles? Or was there a deeper story to it?

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Pickles are a tough subject for Jeff. He may be a killer, but every killer has a weakness, and his just so happened to be pickles. It all started before the incident when he lived a “peaceful” life with his younger brother Liu and his lesbian mothers, Claire Redfield and Buffy Summers.

Jeff was bullied daily, which accounts for why he was so fucked up. Everyday, pickle juice would be dumped over him, along with the pickle being thrown after, as his bullies would all laugh and point at him afterwards. To make matters worse, his lesbian mothers were vegan, so pickles were a must in his breakfast during the mornings, leaving the stench of pickle juice in his mouth for everyone to smell. No wonder he didn't have any friends, his own little brother had to stick up for him, making him the butt of every joke, even more as people would call him “Big Pickle” or “McPicklePounder” because they pounded him for his breath. Every. Single. Day.

He could never tell his parents about what happened in school, as deep inside he didn't want to stop eating pickles, despite them being the reason for everything in his life turning upside down. It felt like hell, though he knew he had to stop somehow, the thought made him go crazy. Getting bullied over something he couldn't control. All he could do was cry silently at home while his mothers danced to sweet songs with each other, not knowing there was a monster being created on the same floor they were dancing in.

Jeff grew in a house full of love and positivity, but then that's just because lesbians are awesome and Jeff knew that, always laughing out loud at his parents' jokes. His favourite joke was when his mum Buffy Summers gave his other mum Claire Redfield her gloves as she put them in her back pocket and she went “Guess your hands are on my butt right now, then.” as they all chuckled. Those were the days.

At least until it went downhill, it wasn’t about pickles anymore. It was about revenge, taking your actions into account and suffering from them; Jeff was ready to make sure they paid for all the constant bullying and torment he went through, starting with the bullies eventually leading to the death of his entire family too. But, Jeff remained without regrets and full of rage and after that day, a murderer was awakened.

Jason just stared at Jeff still smiling at him, definitely getting the creeps from him. For a moment, the whole world seemed to shrink to just the two of them. The mouldy wall, the crack on the wall beneath the chains, and the cold breeze brushing between them both. Then he cleared his throat, and suddenly Jeff's smile faltered as if he was just in a huge deep thought which Jason couldn't help but wonder about, trying to shrug it off. Jason gulped as he noticed Jeff finally looking away, dropping emotions and thoughts he had previously as Jeff’s eyes land back to Jason's green eyes.

Both their pupils contrasted each other, Jason's glistering green and Jeff's dim black eyes staring at one another as if they were polar opposites even though really they were the same people looking at each other. Jason was the first to break eye contact, his chest feeling heavy as if it was bleeding or beating. He couldn't make a thought about it, what any of these emotions even were as he was still determined to break free and kill the wicked man in front of him. So to him this was a feeling of hatred, hatred for the man that was stealing his life yet again, even though really Jeff wasn't torturing Jason in any ways other than just chaining him up and threatening him. This wasn't something Jason missed. Why wasn't Jeff being the psychopath he was known as?

Jeff's eyes stayed dark staring at Jason's. To him, it looked like he was in no thought at all, but Jeff was full of thoughts. There was something familar in his eyes, the image of his mother Buffy Summers' eyes lit in Jason as in this flickering light it appeared hazel like hers would at certain lighting. But to her, he wasn’t beautiful enough. He doesn’t say anything right away, staring still into Jason's eyes until he chuckled lightly, putting the knife back at his own scarred face. “Am I beautiful?” Jeff whispered lightly, with a small shiver escaping, making himself look uncharacteristically vulnerable.

To Jeff, he just kidnapped Gotham's most dangerous outlaw, a fact he relished in. Maybe that was why he kidnapped him in the first place. Jason didn't give people second chances and aimed the bullet at their body, making sure they stay down and that Gotham was cleansed from the bad people like drug dealers, human traffickers. You could say Jeff recognised that and appreciated it, knowing the crazy shit he saw and did himself.

But Jason didn't know that, to him Jeff was just a sick maniac that needed to be dealt with, a psychopath that ruined innocent lives unlike him. Where Jason was a bringer of justice, Jeffrey was a murderer at heart. Not knowing that just like him, Jeff experienced the same loss, same betrayal, same pain and regrets. It was like a reflection of one another staring at each other, expect one's literate and the other is illiterate.

Jason began to feel more weak putting his head down. Jeff stared, furrowing his eyebrows and rolling his eyes at him. “You didn’t answer me, my face isn’t it beautiful?” Jason couldn't care less. To him, he was just some stupid myth killer that needed to be dealt with. He groaned under his breath, his eyes now looking back up at Jeff's patient smile. Jason suddenly smirked, looking at Jeff “Well, beautiful or not, which you clearly aren't, do you know what I want right now? I... want... you... dead.” he muttered, before eventually closing his eyes, not knowing what would even happen next, blacking out in a room stuck with a myth as for the next minutes or hours he was completely helpless.

Meanwhile, Hayley and Dante were still in the woods analysing the mysterious white strands of hair, trying to think of anyone other than Dante that has white hair, it was strange enough that he was possibly the only person she met with white hair but now another one? Something didn't add up to her. She couldn't help but want to point fingers that he was ultimately lying to her, after all, he never showed her his police badge or anything he just came out of the blue and was willing to help her. She couldn't deny it even if she wanted to, she needed help even if he wasn’t on her side, someone to avenge her best friend Kai Cenat. She looked back at Dante, passing him the hair. “Well? Is there anything you can do with this? Maybe we can analyse it at a station somewhere, if they have the kit…”

Dante puts the strands of hair in the sky for a better view of it and starts thinking. “Sure… let me call a guy, let them know we’ll be coming sooner than expected.”

Before Hayley could even reply, he walked away, leaning against a tree, calling a worker she assumes, she wants to trust him but everything about him was suspicious. From his hair, to his clothes, to his choice of weapons, no one carries a massive sword around especially in Gotham. Hayley really didn't want to question it knowing he was the only person helping her right now, the only company she even has.

She felt vulnerable and alone, still just staring at Dante talk to the phone. She decided to just look around for any other clue they could use. Maybe the person dropped some items, or in the process their clothes ripped, she was desperate to find anything at all linking to which she assumes is the killer of her best friend.

Dante then interrupted her train of thoughts, putting his hands in his pockets, looking directly at her. “Told the chief about your little discovery. Turns out there isnt many white haired people in Gotham, but there’s a few excluding old people, obviously. So... unless you want to just stare at them and pick your guy, then sure we can do that.” He spoke like he didn’t really care, which truthfully, it ticked Hayley a little but she didn't want to make a fuss about it.

“I'm sure whoever killed Kai has white hair-“ Dante interrupts her, tone sounding offended. “Or he could be a victim, I don't like this stereotype you're doing on people with white hair. I mean, come on. Think about it; we're in the myth of Jeffrey's woods, which people online claim he has black hair, so you accusing this white haired guy to be the bad person doesn't connect the dots.”

Hayley rolled her eyes, arms folded now, showing her distrust to Dante. "Yeah, he's a myth, you can't make up the appearances of a myth. So, really, he could have white hair and he could've killed Kai!!” Dante sighed in defeat. He didn't say anything right away, just watching Hayley, like those words didn’t make sense to him.

Eventually, he sighed again. “Have it your way, but I'm the detective here.”

Hayley scoffed as her eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah, well you haven't done any detecting, all you've done is stare at the white hair and act like you've been prejudiced against.”

Before Dante could even reply and continue what he started, a loud growl could be heard from nearby as he began to rub the temple of his nose, mentally preparing himself. “Great, you woke up the big bad wolf.” he muttered angrily to Hayley.

“M... Me?! You-“ the mysterious animal crawled near them as Hayley's eyes widened in horror, losing all the words she even had left.

In front of her was a dog. Not a wolf, not the cute dog type but one with blood as its fur, smiling at them both, as it stared at them like they were prey. Its growl kept getting louder and louder. Hayley stared at Dante as if signalling him to do something, both of them taking small steps back. Dante glanced between Hayley and the creepy dog growling at them before ultimately making the situation worse than it could ever be.

“Easy, boy! How about I take you out for a walk? Come on puppy, let's go!" Dante says playfully, now treating this as a joke, pointing his guns at the dog as it continued to growl at them as if they were in his territory.

Hayley quickly turned to him, recognising that he was the biggest idiot she had ever met. She wondered even how he was part of the police team, if it was true. She began to think of ways she’ll possibly die tonight, by the teeth of the smiling dog? Or by Dante messing up everything? She shook her head and began to look around as her eyes spotted a tree branch. She quickly grabbed the branch and threw it near the dog, hopeful that it had any effect to save them.

The smiling dog completely ignored it as he then began chasing them both, Dante quickly grabbing Hayley’s hand with full force and pulling her along. He ran at his max speed but at the same time was careful to not hurt her. He began shooting at the dog chasing them. Dante began to smirk, and as Hayley sees that, she begins to prepare for whatever nonsense he was going to pull.

“You sure know how to throw a party. No food, no drinks, and the only babe is leaving!” Hayley could only mentally slap her forehead knowing if anything, they'll have to run for a while instead of searching for the Jeff the Killer.

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Dante still hadn’t let go, holding Hayley close as they both sprinted in a direction that most likely got them lost in the woods. To him, this was probably a joke, another normal Tuesday shift where he chases bad guys, except this time he's the one getting chased by a small vicious smiling dog. Definitely a joke to him.

Hayley wasn’t having it though, screaming at the top of her lungs, holding onto Dante as if he was going to vanish and leave her alone. God, she felt alone even with Dante's sweet laughter and his grip on her wrist, it felt like a mockery hearing his laughter but it also felt like a sweet ring to her ears, maybe this was a joke. Why would a dog even look like that? Must be a prank.

“You know you owe me for this, sweet cheeks!” With every word that came out of him, he made it sound like a bigger joke than it is to Hayley. Owe him? She could’ve been just as chivalrous if it wasn’t for the dog literally smiling ear to ear with blood on its face.

“I don’t owe you anything until I'm alive and far from that thing!” she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Owe him? Kai Cenat hadn’t even been avenged, and Dante was treating this whole thing like a joke. But deep down, she was thankful he was even here, maybe she needed a little bit of satisfaction in this situation.

Hayley's vision was slightly blurred, eyes trained on Dante's face, wanting to see that stupid grin… the same grin Kai Cenat would’ve had in this situation too.

Dante made her feel safe, even though he was stupid and ridiculous and almost definitely had no clue what to do, but in situations like this where she froze, she was glad she had at least a friend or whatever he was to her. Stranger, friend, accomplice, hell, it didn’t matter to her; she needed someone. Just like how she needs Kai Cenat, like how she wished he was still alive and this was all a huge prank and he would never die without her.

But then again, they were just friends. Being together would’ve been cute, Hayley thought to herself. But he’s not here.

A soft smile formed on her face despite the situation, dwelling on the time she had with him. From the jokes to the few arguments and to how he treated her like a woman better than any one of her dumb boyfriends. Now, he just disappeared with no trace left of him, as if he never existed in her world. And the only memories she held of him was in the camera he always held dearly.

She was so lost in her thoughts she forgot she was even running, but obviously Dante wouldn’t just let that happen as her back slammed against the wall, sending a sharp pain down her back.

He threw her in a cabin right into the wall, letting go of her hand. His warmth was already leaving her, she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss it. She winced in pain, closing her eyes and slowly getting down to the floor while the dog barked and barked slamming its small body against the door Dante was protecting with all his might.

Hayley looked around for absolutely anything. All there was around her was just empty cardboard boxes and firewood.

“Slap him with some wood!!” She picked up the wood on the floor before quickly dropping it. It was totally slimy and wet, it had no power to stop an angry dog like that.

“Ehh... quick! Dante, you have to do something!” she screamed, turning to face Dante as he just smirked and whistled.

“Gee, are you scared?” his voice mocked Hayley, still holding himself against the banging door. He leaned away slightly, grabbing his guns as he throwing one in Hayley's direction.

“So, I'm not a huge animal cruelty guy… but in our defence, he did start it. Plus, he looks like he kills — not that I'm justifying killing him.” he spins his head towards Hayley as his eyes smiled. He was about to open the door expecting Hayley to just… shoot that damned dog? Coward.

“Dante?! God — I — Dante!” she panicked, aiming the gun clumsily at the door. Not only did she not have a clue what she was doing, the idea of killing the dog made her shiver. Even if it had been vicious. She wasn’t just about to shoot a dog, it doesn’t deserve to die.

Just like how Kai didn’t deserve whatever happened to him.

Her whole body began to shake now as Dante still hadn't moved. Was he just teasing? At a time like this?

And then, it happened. His white long hair turned into long black locks and his pale moon skin turned into a richer and darker colour. His eyes never leaving hers, or at least thats what she imagined. That Kai was here, being stupid with no regards for their safety, and that on the other side was a small innocent chihuahua.

God, did she want to snap out of it, but she didn’t want to leave Kai, even though it wasn’t him who was with her right now. It was Dante who was with her, it was Dante who’s saving her ass right now, it was Dante who’s grinning at her.

It was Dante who’s alive right now.

Dante still didn’t open the banging door, noticing Hayley’s shift in her body as her shoulders dropped and she looked at him with an unreadable expression. He didn’t mind, he had worse looks thrown at him. But it would be lying to say that it didn’t bother him. The way she looked at him like he was another person, like he doesn’t exist. Or that she even values him right now. It just wasn’t right.

What the hell is this? he furrows his eyebrows. He won't accept death here. Let alone at the paws of a smiling dog. However, he doesn’t want to actually hurt him, the whole gun thing had been an idea to make Hayley feel more safe and in control, even though she's slowly losing any piece of sanity every splitting moment. Dante couldn’t watch that, in the short moment they had, he actually tolerated her, found her amusing despite his role.

He sighed nonchalantly and casually swings the door open with no warning as Hayley screams loudly covering her face. And with a swift-full quick action Dante's foot stoops low into the dog’s mouth so it's distracted with biting his boot.

Dante shrugged, showing no sign of weakness or hurt as if he had some kind of immunity to pain. In reality, he had underestimated the sharpness of the dog's teeth, which could easily pierce through his skin.

Hayley's lips parted at the sight. She fumbled for an empty cardboard box and threw it on Dante's foot, sighing in relaxation.

“How do you plan to walk?” She smirks at him staring at the moving box with his foot and dog in it slightly in the air.

“How about you carry me around like a princess?” he smirks back, enjoying the back and forth they were about to have. "You know, bridal style?"

“Is that a fantasy of yours? How about we fix the problem in sight first, then you tell me all about them?” she bent down, wanting to examine the dog in front of her as Dante moved his foot away from her face.

“Ah ah ah, wouldn’t want anything happening to that sweet face baby, you owe me one now remember? ” he spoke teasingly knowing she most likely won't listen to him.

And she didn’t, she straightened up, slapping the top of his head as some of his hair moved towards his face messing it up. But he didnt care, he smiled at her as the dog continued to bite on his foot like a chew toy.

It was silent as they both just looked at each other awkwardly before Hayley cleared her throat.

“So..." she attempted, quickly being cut off by Dante.

“Let’s do this then partner… we’ll bring the dog to the station with us.” he spoke softly, looking down at the box and back at her. “A little help miss?”

~~

As Jason's eyes slightly opened, his first sight wasn’t beautiful at all. Jeff's eyes were right in his face with his deodorant (or, lack there of) hitting his nose. Jason wished he was just fully dead this time. Why is this psychopath keeping him alive? Not exactly torturing him either, just kind of keeping him like he needed the company.

“The McPicklePounder came… your favourite!” he smiled, like he was excited or even waiting the entire time to not miss his reaction like it was important to him what he thought. Like a total kid.

Jason couldn’t care less what he ate, just as long as he lived another day, it means he did something right- or wrong.

“Say ahhhh — Or should I do the airplane? Here comes the Airpl—“ Jeff cut himself off, noticing how Jason wasnt paying attention. He hated it.

Jason was too busy examining the room, finding a way to escape was his top priority, second was to find his any weapon to kill the second psycho in this room.

As his eyes returned, he flinched as Jeff hadn’t moved an inch and was still in the same exact position he was when he woke up. He felt uneasy and eerie next to him, unable to form a thought in relation to what Jeff could even be thinking about. And then, his eyes finally landed on the McPicklePounder, God, if it didnt look gross as hell. Was this Jeff's way of torture? Childish, he thought to himself.

“Did you poison that? I don’t need to be coddled with poison. Give me a whole bottle and I'd take it like a real man.” Jason's words spat against Jeff’s face as he remained the same spot. Untouchable.

“Say ahhh…” he brings the sandwich closer to Jason’s face, ignoring the spit on his face and Jason's words.

Jason didn’t listen, moving his face away as the sandwich hit his left cheek instead. It was such an unpretty sight, Jeff wasn’t happy at all, as he put the food down on the ground where ants gathered to eat the sandwich instead of Jason. Jeff leaned in slightly, voice quieter now, not mocking, not threatening, almost trying to sound possessive.

“Don't die on me yet… would be a shame if I do all this and you just... poof!” he made an explosion with his hands like he was mocking him.

The way he looked at Jason? It said more than any explosion, any scream, and any lie ever told. He meant it all, why did he care so much about Jason? It was something he couldn’t make up, something big that just didn’t make sense to him.

“Ready to eat, Red Hood?” Jeff’s grin returned, so did the sandwich that was on the floor full of ants swarming around it. Jason looked disgusted, now truly wishing he died that day.

Jeff furrowed his eyebrows again, this time definitely hurt.

He didn’t know what to be like, let alone if he was doing a good job, maybe part of him really wanted Jason to truly see him past the whole killer thing, even though he knew deep down that there was nothing deep in there anyways.

To Jeff, they were the same people with just different beliefs and methods. They both kill people, Jason with reasonings, Jeff for fun. But he enjoyed the fact that there was someone out there not in the woods or controlled by Slenderman doing a job similar to his. Guess he was sort of a “fan” of Jason, or rather, of Red Hood.

He wasn’t actually planning on killing him, it was more like meeting your idol, expect Jason totally hated Jeff at this moment and didn’t even know he actually existed, let alone that Jeff even knew or liked him. Meanwhile Jeff was like his number one fanboy, hell even his number one fangirl.

Jason hated every moment of this. The way he was just staring into his eyes like before, he had an issue and Jason wanted to squash him and release himself from this mouldy ant infested “home” of his.

If only I had any type of weapon, he thought to himself. Even his fists and legs could be used as a weapon if he wasn’t literally tied up like a sandwich.

He looked back down at the floor with crumbs of the sandwich lying on the floor. He was hungry. But he wasn’t going to say “Ahhh”, especially not to the freak in front of him.

Jeff noticed Jason’s gaze shift from him to the crumbs on the ground as he sighed. He annoyingly stood up, leaving him with the ants before coming back and forcefully grabbing Jason's jaw. In this position, Jason's eyes were forced onto Jeff.

Jason's eyes widened in total shock, as a slight blush appeared. He was close to his face before too, so why was he feelings this way now and not before?

“Awful close… You afraid you’ll miss?” Jason says jokingly, trying to let the moment be anything but what his thinking right now.

He wished for anything else to happen at this very moment, as Jeff was close to his face, feeling his warm gross breath against his nostrils as he closed his eyes in disgust. He knew he was disgusting, so why was he acting like this, all flustered like this meant something? He just grabbed his jaw, nothing big.

And there it was.

The tip of the iceberg. Jeff's fingers laid upon Jason's lips slightly before roughly widening them and forcing him to drink water.

“Don't eat, don’t do what I say… whatever, but I told you, Red Hood… you're not dying on me.” he leaned in to his ear as Jason's breathing quickened. He shouldn’t be feeling like this. He shouldn't be enjoying this.

Jeff wasn't ready to let Jason go, not yet. This felt unfinished. Like he just started something and should take responsibility for it.

And yet again, they just stared deep into each other’s eyes, like something changed in them.