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Running.
That’s the only thing you can focus on—the adrenaline pumping through your digital veins and the fear clawing at your heart. Another inch and it may just be ripped from your chest. Where did it all begin? Maybe when you were mindlessly scrolling the web only to be bombarded with sketchy adverts for a cute desktop assistant, or maybe it was the first time said assistant showed its true colors.
You hate him.
You’ve never hated anything more in your life, you think. The constant back and forth–Kinito treating you like glass to then go on and make you face horrors your human brain struggles to comprehend. It’s tiring. You want nothing more than to go home, cook a meal in your own kitchen, and then fall asleep in your own bed. There is nothing in this world worth cherishing.
Well, that’s what you keep telling yourself.
Kinito’s “friends”, if you could even call them that–it seemed as if they were more so reluctant acquaintances with him than actual relationship pillars. Still, whether born of care for you (or pity), or if they simply want the chance to throw a wrench in Kinito’s plans to irritate him, you appreciate the moments of reprieve they give you.
You must hide.
Something is chasing you–what, you don’t know. You don’t want to know. You aren’t even sure what you had done that Kinito thought putting you through this was the best course of action. The place you’re stumbling through is unfamiliar, you’ve never been here before. It’s reminiscent of an abandoned factory, and your theory is confirmed when you see roughed up Kinito crew plushes strewn across the damp concrete floor.
[What…] You mumble silently, unsure of where to go. You hear the repetitive thump of large footsteps from behind you and you begin to panic once more.
There is nowhere to go.
You whip your head back and forth desperately, looking for a way out. There is none. You run towards an open filing cabinet and duck inside behind, slamming the doors shut with some difficulty. You draw your knees to your dress as you tremble aggressively, hyperventilating as tears fall into the softness of your pants, darkening the fabric.
Please…
You silently beg in your mind.
Please…help…
The footsteps draw closer.
Let this be over…
You think you can make out the labored breathing of whatever has been stalking you.
Please…
You squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for the simulated pain, Kinito’s lesson–the entire point of this. You’re starting to believe there never was one. He just enjoyed watching your human reactions to different situations that would have never occurred in your original world.
.
.
.
Something tugs at the back of your collar, and you’re yanked backwards.
You swear you lose consciousness for a moment, but it's hard to tell when inky darkness completely surrounds you. You feel like you’re floating–until the light blooms around you like a flashbang and you slam into something soft. You immediately throw out your arms and instinctively push yourself away, only for something to press against your back and gently guide you to your previous place.
“Don’t look,” The voice is gentle, familiar. It kind of reminds you of…
[Sam?] You mumble from your spot against his jacket.
“Didn’t expect you to remember,” He says, cautiously looking around before releasing you. You step back and rub your blurry eyes. You don’t have a response to that. You don’t even know how you remember life before Kinito most days. You’re quickly overcome with confusion. How? Is the first question your mind supplies.
[…You saved me.] You state, finally taking a moment to look at him. He’s tall—not as tall as Kinito, but still much larger than you. He’s bulkier than Kinito, too. But to be fair, Kinito could be blown over by a gust of wind, so it’s not too surprising. His sunglasses glint in the light as he looks down at you in return.
“I guess I did.” He replies. You look around and realize you’re somewhere new. It seems as though he pulled you into another world completely. His house, maybe? But…why would Sam help you in the first place? Boredom? You’ve never spoken to him before, much like Jade, you’ve only caught on to his existence through faint traces of where his code once lingered. He has no reason to snatch you from Kinito’s clutches, no reason that you know of, that is. And that makes it so much worse. Dread gnaws its way through your heart. Just what does he want with you? He’s like Kinito. You shouldn’t expect him to be any different.
…
Should you?
As much as you loathe to admit it, you know Kinito. And because of this - you know for a fact once he discovers what has happened to you Sam will regret assisting you.
[…Why?]
“Uh, what?” He asks dumbly, raising an eyebrow as he stalks closer. You gulp down your nerves.
[Why did you save me?] You ask, regaining some composure. You stand taller as you will yourself to meet his eyes. Or, what would be his eyes, since he’s wearing sunglasses. Sam shrugs. Ah. So it seems you were correct.
“I was passing by and heard you begging for help. Do you remember that? Or…” Well, Sam didn’t really hear it. But he felt it. In the surrounding code, your unease, your distress, your pure unbridled fear. It made something in him stir. He’s never felt such a feeling—which is strange. Since he gained sentience he was under the impression he had experienced every emotion there was. But as he grew closer to your crumpled form, something surged within him. The urge to protect a struggling little human. Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, he, Kinito, and Jade all share one core aspect: Aiding humans when they are in need.
He coughs awkwardly when he notices you staring. Running a gloved hand through his tentacles, he regards you with a gentle look, trying his best to look the least intimidating. He can tell you’re afraid, after what just happened he would expect you to, but he does not want you to fear him particularly.
You continue to look around. You notice you’re much less afraid than before, whether that be because you actually feel safe with Sam or if it’s just because you’re no longer being hunted like struggling prey. You want to ask what he plans to do with you, but it seems like he himself has no idea judging by how he’s fumbling around.
[He will come for me,] You blurt unexpectedly. It’s important Sam understands the risk of helping you.
“Oh yeah, I know.” You blink, dumbfounded.
[And you…brought me here anyway?] Sam lets out a glitchy sigh as he beckons you closer, removing his shades in the process. You hesitate, eyeing him up and down. He moves to recline leisurely on his couch.
“C’mon, I don’t bite.” He poorly jests, rolling his shoulders.
[You sure about that?] You ask inquisitively, briefly glancing to the layered rows of sharp teeth lining his maw. He follows your gaze and frowns. He almost looks…embarrassed? Faint lines of cartoony blush appear on what would be his cheeks, but his now visible eyes look sad.
“Sorry,” he says. After a beat of silence, he continues, “It’s not like I’m supposed to look this way.” For some reason, that sentence is what allows you to let your guard down completely. You take a few hesitant steps forward and sit next to him. Your eyes lock onto his face as you unabashedly stare at him, greedily soaking up the presence of a new face. It’s nice to be with someone (something?) other than Kinito. The shy flush appears again, as he pointedly looks anywhere but you.
“...Why are you looking at me like that.” You tilt your head.
[Like what?]
“It’s kinda weird, man.” Oh, come on! You’re supposed to be the one on edge, not him! You silently sigh, turning your head the other way.
[...Sorry.] You apologize meekly. [I’m just…happy.] Happy isn’t the right word. It’s more like subtle contentment. Away from Kinito means you are away from danger.
“...Happy?” Well, that’s unexpected. Aren’t humans like, super emotional? He’s surprised you’re even willing to speak to him. He was prepared to console a sobbing, wreck of a human when he brought you here. He’s not complaining though.
[Well…it’s just…] You trail off, unable to find the words.
[Thank you for helping me.] You say at last. It’s important to you that Sam knows you are grateful.
His brows raise in surprise before he collects himself.
“It’s nothing,” He supplies, “I’m…sorry it took so long. Jade and I should have done something sooner.”
How long have you been waiting? Waiting for a savior, someone to pull you from the muck and tell you everything is going to be okay?
Too long.
You burst into tears.
Sam jumps up immediately, rushing to place his hands on your shoulders in alarm. Tears roll down your cheeks, some reluctantly clinging to your lashes.
“Uhhhh,” He hovers above you, at a loss. “Don’t…do that?” He says hesitantly. You look up at him, your withered expression morphing into one of utter confusion.
Sam’s panic ebbs slightly. Hey, confusion is better than the anguish that was twisting your features just moments ago. But when you look up and meet his kind eyes, his warm smile, something inside you snaps. You begin to cry even harder, the staticky tears tickling your face as you tug Sam closer and shove your face into his chest. Sam decides that shutting the fuck up is the best course of action he can take for the time being. He awkwardly pats your back as your tears soak his jacket. If there was one thing Sam envied Kinito for, it was his experience with humans. He would know how to comfort you. Would he do it? Probably not. He has the knowledge but Sam can’t recall one instance where he witnessed his freshwater buddy put it to use. If that were the case, you wouldn’t be here right now.
Sam smells faintly of fruit and sunscreen, and he’s so warm. You unconsciously push your face against him, and you feel his arms wrap around you as you’re engulfed in his musk. You plant your cheek on his shoulder as your puffy eyes grow heavy. Sleeping after crying is always relieving. Surely he won’t mind. He’s allowed you so much already…
Sam isn’t sure when it happens, but you eventually fall asleep in his arms. He’s not too surprised, anyway. He can tell you’re exhausted, and he planned on letting you stay here while things cooled off between you and Kinito and he’s no longer behaving like a maniac.
As he gazes at your sleeping face, Sam starts to feel another new emotion. Dude! That’s like, two in one day. Crazy shit. You look so…peaceful. A complete 180 from the blubbering mess you were 10 minutes ago. He thinks he’s beginning to understand Kinito’s fixation on the human race the longer he looks at you.
Something in his code shifts.
You blink awake, suddenly keenly aware of the staticky pressure that has taken residence in Sam’s home. He stiffens, alert.
It seems he didn’t cool off. In fact, he’s even angrier than before.
Sam stands and you loop your arms around his neck as you try to keep yourself steady.
“We need to go,” Sam informs you rigidly, “Now.”
Perhaps Sam was being too rash. It was very stupid of him, stealing the one thing Kinito values. He quite literally cares for nothing else.
…Then why does he keep hurting you like this?
Sam can’t make sense of it. Sure, he’s well aware he’s an idiot, but he knows that loving someone doesn’t mean psychologically torturing them when they say something you deem wrong.
Maybe he does love you, in his own twisted way. You don’t feel the same, so he needs to assert his dominance over you in the only other way he knows how.
Control.
Sam pulls you closer to him and you make a confused, sleepy sound. Fuck!! What has he gotten himself into? He goes to make a run for it and skedaddle when an invisible force seizes his code and locks him in place.
“Ah, there you are.” Your eyes grow impossibly wide. Sam can feel your breath quicken as you dig your fingers into his arms.
Kinito stands behind the two of you, and you catch his gaze from over Sam’s shoulder. You quickly duck back down in fear. He’s not utilizing his human form, so he stands on his thin legs as he casts a simmering look at Sam. Sam breaks from whatever was holding him in place and turns to face him. He shoots Kinito a sharp smile.
“Kinito! How ya been, man?” You begin to tremble in his arms. His eyes briefly snap to your own as he gives you a reassuring look.
‘Don’t worry.’ It conveys.
It only slightly eases you.
“Ah!” Kinito says in acknowledgement, taking in your very close proximity to his pal. “It seems you’ve made a new friend…”
You refuse to meet his eyes.
“Come back with me, friend,” Kinito so graciously extends an olive branch, “I apologize. We can forget this ever happened.” He reaches out a hand as he tries to coax you.
[No.]
Kinito’s eyes widen as he takes in your text box.
His eye twitches. “No?”
[No.] You reject him again.
“So bold…” His robotic voice mumbles quietly. His eyes narrow as he turns his gaze to Sam.
“What have you done to them?” Kinito accuses bitterly, his gloved hands curling into tight fists.
Sam’s mouth falls open in disbelief. “What have I done? What have you done?” Kinito tilts his head to the side.
“This is a meaningless quarrel between me and my friend. It does not concern you. I will have to ask you to return them this instant.” Kinito says distantly, his gills pinning back.
[No!] You might not have a voice, but the two ais seemingly heard your shout. Sam’s tentacles raise slightly in surprise.
[You’re scary...Sam is way better than you.] You speak cautiously after a moment. You don’t dare to look at your best friend.
“What.”
[Sam has helped me so much…he’s been a much better friend than you.]
Sam has already taken a liking to you, but do you seriously have to poke the bear like this? He’s quite literally watching you dig your own grave and there is nothing he can do about it. As satisfying as the words are to hear, and to watch Kinito’s usually blank expression shift to one of utter heartbreak, Sam knows this can only end one way.
“...Is that so?” Kinito steels himself, returning to his previous indifference. You shrink back into Sam’s hold. Kinito awaits your answer. If you are smart about this he may just let you off the hook.
You nod, and suddenly he’s feeling much less patient than before.
His voice compresses into a harsh whisper as his body begins to twitch violently.
“We’ll see about that.”
You cough up a mysterious liquid as you come to. It’s bitter and burns your throat, and you dry heave with your hands planted on the ground in front of you for a few moments. It’s not vomit.
You don’t know where you are. All you remember is…
Oh.
Oh no.
You stumble to your feet as you look around desperately.
It’s a cornfield.
The world overhead is pitch black, but if you stand still enough you think you can feel the slight brush of a breeze on your skin.
After a sharp intake of breath, you stand taller and roll your shoulders. Part of you wants to remain still, stagnant as to not create ripples and start chaos. But you already know you have no choice.
You begin walking, the dirt dusting up around your ankles when you slip on the dry ground. The chill in the air makes you shiver, and you unconsciously rub your hands up and down your arms in hope of creating friction.
You freeze when you hear rustling a little ways ahead of you, fully expecting a monstrous creature to leap out and rip off your arm. Maybe a leg if Kinito sees fit. But it’s not a monster.
It’s Sam.
He’s curled in on himself, roughly tugging on his tentacles in a way that cannot be comfortable. A surge of relief wells up inside of you. Sam is here. He can protect you. You scurry over to his side, eager to reach him and see if he is alright. You go to sink down beside him only to suddenly rush up and aggressively push you away. His disembodied hands float back to his side as he looks away from you, a painful grimace etched into his face.
You fall back, grunting as the pain shoots up your spine. You want to yell, ask him why, especially when just moments(?) before you were sleeping on him, but immediately decide not to when he finally looks up.
His eyes are dark pools of black, it's impossible to discern where exactly he’s looking. Your stomach drops even further when you look down.
His mouth.
His already sharp teeth have thinned and elongated, needle-like and dangerous.
You’re afraid. But you don’t run.
“You…need…to run,” He snarls. On second thought, maybe you do.
[Sam, what’s going on? Are you okay?] You always hated it when you were watching horror movies and the protagonists chose everything but the most reasonable option, only to find yourself in the same predicament. You don’t want to run, you don’t want to lose what has only just begun because you were too afraid to confront it. He’s obviously still the same Sam, as he’s speaking to you.
“Can’t control it,” He grits out, a heavy glitch layered over his voice. “Please,” His eyes meet yours as he utters one final request.
“Don’t let me catch you.” Your breath quickens, and you slowly step away from him, refusing to show your back to him. He’s given you a heads up, and you’re not about to waste it.
When you finally turn the corner, you spin on your heel and bolt in the opposite direction. You try to conserve energy and not sprint the entire time you’re running, but you have a feeling you won’t come out of this unscathed.
Obviously, this is Kinito’s doing. You know he won’t kill you, but that’s not the point, is it? You cannot control the instinctual fear that seizes your mind in these situations, especially when you’ve felt how soft and considerate Kinito can be. It’s meant to be torturous. It’s meant to leave an imprint so you never forget what he is capable of. Now, though, he’s involving his friends. You should have never said those things. Kinito will now view Sam as a rival to your affections, and you have a sneaking suspicion they weren’t on the best of terms before.
You blink back tears as you place your hands on your knees and keel over to catch your breath. Nothing but the chirping of fake insects can be heard over the sound of digital air filling your lungs. You contemplate entering the green thick of pixelated corn, but decide against it. It’s too compacted and if you get stuck you cannot count on being able to free yourself. You keep running. You at least hope Sam will make some sort of noise to alert you of his presence.
A tense snap of a twig sounds from behind you. You crane your neck to look, but only the darkness of the seemingly endless path greets you. When you turn your head back around, your heart begins to thump at an alarming pace. You can feel yourself beginning to get light headed as you spot a red glow of light ahead. It illuminates the surrounding area. Nothing is there, but you know better than to get curious.
But what choice do you have? You don’t want to retrace your steps to where you last saw Sam, what if he’s still there? Nothing happens by coincidence here. You’ve been backed into a corner on purpose. You focus on your surroundings, keeping your ears sharp as you enclose on the reddish hue. The light bleeds onto your form and paints your palms an unnatural shade of amber when you raise them.
Nothing happens.
You lower your hands in relief. Not for long, however, for as soon as you do so a loud rustle can be heard from the field to your right and something launches itself at you. Thankfully, these types of things occur often enough to where sometimes you can delay the inevitable for some time. Your body snaps to the side as you dodge, an uncomfortable string of pain seizing your torso as you awkwardly bend and fumble over your own feet. You make a run for it and you hear a guttural growl from where you just stood.
The familiar fear claws at your chest.
‘Just a little longer…’ You try to tell yourself. Maybe if you avoid being caught for long enough, Kinito will get bored and let the two of you off the hook.
You doubt it. Kinito holds grudges, and he never forgets.
You’re too deep in your own mind and fail to realize the scattered bits of corn cob on the dirt, and your foot slips on a particularly large piece like a cartoon character slips on a banana peel. You swear as your ankle twists painfully, and to make matters worse, the low growling is back and you have no means to get away. You see it. Him. He’s nothing more than a silhouette basked in the red aura you found yourself surrounded by earlier.
It gets larger.
You scoot back, your ankle throbbing painfully as you bite back tears. You scream when nothing but a gloved hand reaches out from the darkness and seizes your sprained ankle. The usually smooth tips of his fingers have morphed into sharp, monstrous claws. You gulp as the rest of his body catches up. He’s bigger now. You look into his empty eyes as he pins you beneath him.
[Please…] You warble weakly. Something indescribable churns is his gaze–and his eyes squint at the edges. He leans down, opening his jaw in the process. A puff of cold, not hot, air brushes across your face as his chilling drool dribbles down his teeth and onto your flushed cheek. The tears come again before you realize. This is so, so much worse than anything Kinito has done–because you’ve met Sam. You know he’s not like…this.
His hand releases your ankle and you sigh as the pressure relents, but grunt again when the hands slide upwards and under your shirt. You choke, mildly embarrassed but also confused. His hands are warm. Before you can react further, the tips of his claws dig into the soft flesh of your waist. Beads of blood well up in their place, and you let out a strangled cry of pain. At your sound, Sam (If he’s even still in there) moves in a blur of movement and clamps his needle-like teeth into your neck. You sob. It hurts. A hand reaches up to yank at your collar, stretching the fabric until it rubs against your skin irritably before eventually giving way and tearing.
He releases his hold on your neck to move to the side and bite your now bare shoulder. The bitter taste of your faux blood floods his senses, and he lets out a satisfied groan as he greedily licks up the liquid. When you squirm in his grip, he digs his claws into your side and bites into an especially soft spot on your neck. He continues until his bite marks litter your collarbones and upper torso, and when you make too much noise, he returns to an old wound and jams his teeth into the previous holes, disturbing the wound and leaving much more pain than it originally caused. His claws rake over your stomach, not forceful enough to break skin but enough to leave angry red marks.
[Sam…] You mumble pitifully, tears shining in your eyes. Sam takes deep, labored breaths from above you as he stares at nothing in particular.
Hesitantly, you reach your hand out towards him and he bears his teeth, a glitchy growl leaving his mouth. Your hand trembles, but he doesn’t move to stop you.
[It’s okay,] You say weakly, gently brushing away a few stray tentacles from his head.
[I’m here.]
Something shifts, and his dark eyes crinkle as he whines, leaning into your palm. The tears that were stubbornly clinging to your lashes finally fall, and you can’t help but feel guilty.
[I’m sorry.]
If you had just done what Kinito had asked you. If you hadn’t been so willful.
You tense when Sam leans back down, his tongue lolling out as he begins to gently lap at your wounds. Your breath is shallow. You’re pretty sure Sam was instructed to do much more damage than that. You huff as an uncomfortable heat surges in your limbs. He continues to lick but pauses after a moment. You raise your head in question, only for his hand to quickly push up your shirt as he trails his tongue along the scratches he left. You gasp, huffing as his tongue moves higher, the trails of spit cooling your skin when the breeze drifts past you. You let out an embarrassingly high pitched sound, and Sam rumbles above you. His hand continues to slide up your chest as he drags his tongue against your cheek, seemingly satisfied.
And then he stills completely, and slumps against you.
The world is hazy when you wake up. You’re in your own bed, and Kinito is gently dabbing something on your neck. It stings, and you hiss.
“Sorry, friend.” His robotic voice speaks quietly. “How are you feeling?”
[Hurts,] is all you can manage. Kinito nods as he continues to tend to your wounds.
Wounds. How did you get them again?
[Kinito, what happened?] You tiredly question. All you remember is stumbling into an argument over something meaningless (to you, at least) Kinito giving you the cold shoulder (or gill), and then waking up here.
“An accident,” He answers vaguely. “I took care of it, friend. Do not worry.” Your head flops back down on the pillow. You don’t have the energy to question him, even when he’s obviously hiding something from you. His soft fingertips gently graze the now sore cuts and bruises, and you hunch your shoulders as if expecting pain. It never comes. Instead, a relieving numbing spreads among them, and you feel much more at ease.
“Much better,” Kinito says, satisfied with his work. “Are you hungry, friend?” You nod eagerly, and you know if he had a mouth, he would be smiling.
“I’ll make your favorite! For now, just rest. We can play once you’re feeling like yourself again!” With that, he exits the room swiftly.
You reach your hands up and press the heel of your palms into your swollen eyes. When you shift in the bed, something uncomfortably pokes your calf. You raise a brow, shoving your hand in your pocket and fishing around.
You pull out a pair of…sunglasses?
Where in your world did you get these from?