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“you ruined everything.
“You destroyed EVERYTHING I’VE WORKED FOR! THEY’RE ACTING LIKE I’M THIS FRAGILE LITTLE THING, AND IT’S YOUR FUCKING FAULT!”
“I DIDN’T—“
Before Twisted Glisten can choke out another word, he falls to the floor as something wraps around his neck—pushing. Constricting. Choking him.
He tries to breathe. The hands grow tighter. Glass cracks above him and falls onto his face.
The thing below him writhes in agony as Glisten’s pink acrylics dig deeper and deeper into its flesh, slowly drawing ichor as new wounds start to form.
“p-please—“
Glisten clutches tighter. Anything to cut off its horrible voice. It finally opens its eye.
Above him, Glisten’s face contorts into disgust as Twisted Glisten desperately tries to meet his gaze. Tears drip onto his face.
He tries to choke out another apology for whatever he’d done. His vision blurs with agony as he feels warm ichor flow down the side of his neck. He can’t speak anymore.
Glisten’s hands are so cold.
“I hate you.”
Anything for you to look at me.
“I don’t know why you haven’t killed yourself yet.”
Believe me, I’ve tried.
“You’re a failure at everything you do.”
I can’t help but want this.
“i love you.”
The thing breathlessly whispers. Bile rises in Glisten’s throat as Twisted Glisten’s hands wrap around his own. Not fighting back. Not trying to pry Glisten’s hands away.
Pressing deeper.
Choking himself.
Enjoy it.
A voice not unlike his own echoes in Glisten’s mind.
I adore everything about you.
Stop that. You’re going to make me regret this.
Then do it because I want you to.
Pathetic.
I’ll be anything you want me to be.
I’m not saying that to boost my own ego.
I want you to be at peace.
Stop thinking so much. I don’t want to listen.
Twisted Glisten
.
.
.Glamour’s hands start to shake as they wrap around Glisten’s.
Why am I doing this?
Because I want you to.
Why am I hurting you?
You deserve to.
Let go. I don’t want this anymore.
Why aren’t you listening to me?
Stop it. Stop. Please. I don’t want to be alone. I can’t lose you.
I’m sorry.
Your hands are warmer now.
I love you, Glisten.
Glamour opens his eyes, sitting up and clutching at his neck as he takes in breathless gasps of air. He instinctively looks to his left. Still laying down next to him, Glisten stares up at the canopy of his bed with a look on his face that he could only describe as utterly traumatized.
“…hey.”
Glisten’s eyes flick over to Glamour, his pupils dilating just a bit.
“…morning.” He quietly chokes out.
“Um…nightmare?”
“Terrible one. You?”
“…yeah.”
“What was yours?”
“Um…same as yours, I think.”
Glisten finally sits up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and burying his face in his hands.
“You…know that I don’t think of you like that anymore, right?”
“Of course.”
“I’m never going to hurt you.”
“Never again. Neither of us.”
“Yeah.”
“…I don’t know why you still looked like that in the dream.” Glisten rubs the back of his neck.
“Twisted? I understand. It was your subconscious, after all.”
“Yes, but I don’t see you like that. Not even subconsciously.”
“I know.” Glamour stands up and makes his bed, occasionally looking back at Glisten to see that he hasn’t moved an inch.
“Maybe I can’t help but see myself like that, that could have been why.”
“But you’re not like that.”
“Not anymore. I know.”
“…I don’t want anyone to think of you like that.”
“And I’m sure they don’t.”
“That includes you.” Glisten finally looks back at Glamour.
“It’s okay.”
“What’s okay?”
“…I don’t know. What do you want to be okay?”
“You. I don’t want you to see yourself the way I saw you in the dream.”
“And I don’t.” Glamour picks at a scab on his arm to avoid having to meet Glisten’s eyes.
“You just said you did!”
“I meant my subconscious.”
“Your subconscious is still you!”
“As is yours.”
Glisten pauses.
“Maybe we’re both still a bit wrong.” Glamour concedes.
“Everyone’s a bit wrong, here. We’re just unique.”
“What a pair we are.”
“I wouldn’t have anyone else by my side.”
“Not even Boxten?”
“Hm…he’s wonderful, but I don’t think he—or anyone—could understand me as well as you do.” Glisten finally stands up and saunters over to the closet, flinging it open and rummaging through the hangers.
“…may I ask you something? It sounds…a bit rude.”
“Ruder than choking the life out of you?”
“There’s a reason that was a nightmare. But…ugh, how to say it—…was I ever a means to an end, for you?”
Glisten stops. “In what way?”
“Just…when Goob told you that you should try talking to me to feel better about yourself. Were you ever intending to just talk to me, and then…leave?”
“Ah. I…well, I wasn’t thinking about the long-term—“
“Yes or no?”
“…will it change anything?”
“Between us?”
“yeah.” Glisten’s voice falls, losing its usually causal quality.
“I’ll take that as a yes…and not at all. I could never not adore you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s alright!-“
“No, no it isn’t! I did get the idea on the fly! I wasn’t thinking about it at all before—I mean, I didn’t even realize how disgusting it sounded, but that’s exactly what I thought was going to happen!”
“I don’t mind!”
“You should!”
“Well, I don’t. We promised to leave all of that in the past. It was only a clarification on my part, and if anything, thank you for being honest. Here, move over.”
Glamour joins Glisten in front of the closet, wrapping an arm around him and resting his head on the shorter mirror’s shoulder.
“We should match outfits today.”
“…alright. What were you thinking?”
“Maybe…oh, here!” Glamour pulls out a set with a pink ruffled top and pink pleated bottoms to match. “You could wear the top, and I’ll wear the pants! And then I’ll pair them with…this! Isn’t that cute?” He pulls out a sleeveless white button up and a black satin ribbon for a necklace.
“Hmm…yeah, it is nice. I’ll wear these, then.” He pulls out some tighter white pants along with some black lace gloves and shiny black heels.
“Aww, that’s adorable! Here, I’ll go get changed.” Glamour walks off, happily bouncing on the balls of his feet all the way to the bathroom before quietly closing the door behind him. Glisten stares at the door for a moment, turning back to the closet after a few seconds and starting to undress himself. He can’t help but run his hands over his sides as he’d done almost every day since he was created, surprising himself when he can’t feel his ribs under his skin as easily as he’d always been able to. He pinches the skin on his stomach—it’d gotten just the slightest bit softer and less defined compared to how he’d always preferred it to be, but he can’t find it in him to care that much. He almost looked kind of…cute, like this? Softer around the edges, his bones no longer as prominent, just…less strictly monitored, just like the rest of him.
…
His hands still hurt. He can’t stand to look at them, even as he runs them over his skin and inspects every new curve he’d grown to not mind as much. He hopes Glamour’s neck doesn’t hurt anymore.
His arms are kind of cold, aren’t they? The gloves would serve him well.
Glamour finally finishes putting together his little ensemble, taking a moment to tie the ribbon around his neck.
He hopes Glisten doesn’t feel too guilty. Though, knowing him, he’s sure that he does. His eyes flick over to the two hand towels hanging up side-by-side, one of them stained slightly grey with ichor that Tisha hadn’t been able to wash out all the way. He still feels a bit bad over it.
He thinks about what he could say to try and assuage his friend’s feelings once he’s done with his morning routine. But…everything he could say, he’d already said in the dream. Any of that would probably make Glisten feel even worse. That didn’t make a lot of it untrue, though.
He would still let Glisten kill him in a heartbeat if he so desired.
He did love him.
Glamour opens the door and walks back to Glisten’s side, taking a moment to gush over his ne ensemble.
“Aww, I knew we’d look adorable matching! Those gloves really do look nice.”
“You look wonderful too.” Glisten’s smile doesn’t fully reach his eyes. Glamour can’t help but frown.
“Anything else bothering you?”
“Of course not.”
“…”
“…I mean, there isn’t anything I can do about the nightmare. I hated it. I hated hurting you. I hated how much I enjoyed it in the dream.”
Glamour pulls Glisten into a tight hug.
“I didn’t mind it either.”
“Yes, you did! You were literally sobbing!” Glisten tries to push him away, but Glamour keeps his arms wrapped around him.
“It was relief. I wanted it, in the dream.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“I don’t actually want to die anymore, so it was still scary. I was just calm.”
“…Was I ever the reason you wanted to die?”
Glamour shrugs.
“I don’t think so. In fact, you were the reason I stayed alive a lot of the time, so thank you.” He finally pulls away and puts his hands on Glisten’s shoulders. “It’s almost time for breakfast. I heard Sprout and Cosmo made fruit parfaits again. Are you ready?”
Glisten hesitates for a moment before finally smiling—a real one, this time.
“Alright. I hope they’ve got enough whipped cream, this time.”
Thank you for giving me another chance.
Thank you for giving me a reason to stay.