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Jeff ran up into his room, slamming the door behind him and sliding down it. Seconds later, LJ knocked on said door.
“Aww, come on Jeff, we were only playing!” He pleaded through the door. Jeff stuck the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop the flood of tears from building up.
“FUCK OFF, YOU ATHHOLE!” he yelled, cringing when he heard his own voice. LJ sniggered quietly.
“C’mon Jeff, it's actually kinda funny-” The smiling killer wasn't listening anymore. Throwing his last shred of dignity out of the window, he buried his head in his arms and started sobbing quietly.
Let's rewind a bit, shall we?
“Alrighty, what's for breakfast?” Jeff asked tiredly, sliding into his seat. LJ snickered.
“Dude, breakfast was like 6 hours ago,” he said. “It's 1:30 in the afternoon. Jeff groaned, smashing his head against the table.
“Fine then,” he muttered, stifling a yawn. “Can you grab me a thick of thelery?”
Dead silence.
Then-
“*Snicker* a thick of thelery?” Jeffs eyes widened, if at all possible, and he sat bolt upright, drowsiness forgotten.
“N-no!” He said hurriedly. “I thaid a thick of thelery!” LJ was staring to giggle, and Jeff was slowly but surely turning a brilliant shade of flaming lobster.
“I don't think we have any 'thelery’” he said. “We have celery, but no thelery.” Jeff pulled on a strand of midnight black hair, eyes darting around nervously.
“I-I know,” he muttered. “Thath what I thaid.” LJ was nearly full on laughing now.
“What was that?” He teased. “I couldn't understand you, why don't you speak properly?” Jeff stared at the floor, not speaking, when BEN came in.
“Wassup?” He asked, sliding into a seat next to Jeff. He cocked an eyebrow. “Alright, what did I miss?” Jeff's eyes widened, and he looked up at LJ, giving him a pleading look.
But the monochrome entity only gave him an evil look in return, and turned to face the aquaphobic elf.
“Turns out Jeff here has a lisp,” he said, cruel mirth dancing in his eyes. “Who knew, right?’
An evil look dawned on the elf's features.
“Really now?” He asked, turning to look at Jeff. “Oi Jeff, do you have a lisp?” The smiling killer shook his head, muttering a small 'no’ under his breath. LJ grinned.
“Lies,” he said carelessly. “He asked for a 'thick of 'thelery’ earlier.” BEN burst out laughing, giving Jeff an amused look while the said killer blushed crimson.
“No way,” he breathed. “That is fucking hilarious.” Jeff frowned, beginning to chew on a bit of his hair.
“Hey Jeff, look, I've got your 'thelery’!” LJ teased, holding the said vegetable above Jeff's head. Because Jeff was a smol bean, and LJ was obnoxiously tall, he was unable to reach it.
“I'll give it to you of you say 'celery’!” He taunted. Jeff remained silent, and BEN and LJ continued to tease him, till he snapped.
“GIMME MY FUCKING THELERY!” he shrieked, jumping up and ripping the vegetable out of LJ’s hand, then racing up the stairs to his bedroom.
And now here we are.
Jeff sighed, looking down at the vegetable that caused this mess with resignation playing in his unblinking eyes. There aren't a lot of things he regrets, but cutting his smile that deep is one of them.
When he'd first found out he'd talked with a lisp, he'd immediately gone to EJ and asked him what the hell happened. The eyeless doctor had given Jeff a once-over, then told him that he must've cut some ligaments in his cheeks that helped him to talk when he'd carved his smile.
So yeah, this was nobody's fault but his own.
“Jeff?” Someone knocked at his door again. Said killer sighed, throwing his head back against the door.
“Who ith it?’ he asked, not even bothering to try to hide his lisp at this point.
“It's Liu. Can I come in now? There's a portrait in here that's been staring at me for the past five minutes, and I think it's plotting my demise.” Jeff sighed, standing up and unlocking the door, revealing his brother behind it. Liu have him a half-hearted smile.
“Hey,” he said weakly. “You look like shit.” Jeff rolled his eyes, opening his door wider and beckoning for Liu to come in.
“Tell me thomthing I don't know,” he muttered, flopping down on his bed. Liu cocked an eyebrow.
“Dafuq happened?” He asked, sitting down next to his younger brother. “This isn't like you. Plus, your talking with the-”
“With the lithp, I know,” Jeff muttered. Liu, along with EJ and Slender, was the only own who knew about Jeff's lisp. “Can't really help it at thith point.” Liu shrugged, laying down next to his brother.
“That's ok,” he said, then sighed. “So who found out then?” Jeff winced.
“BEN and LJ.” Liu cringed.
“Not gonna lie, they are probably the worst tow to have found out,” Jeff shot him a glare that clearly said: 'not helping!’ Liu sighed, pulling at a loose stitch.
“They were bound to find out eventually, Jeff,” he said. “It's nothing to be ashamed of.” Jeff groaned and grabbed his pillow, pressing to down onto his face.
“I know,” he muttered. “And it thupid that I'm thith upthet about it. But they were pretty fucking nathty...” Liu cocked an eyebrow, and Jeff suddenly felt like he was 8 years old again, spelling out all his problems to his older brother.
Some thing never change.
“What’d they say?” Liu asked, a sharp edge to his tone. Jeff recognized it and chuckled, realizing it was the 'overprotective older brother' tone.
“Nothing much,” Jeff said, deciding to spare the lives of BEN and LJ. There's no telling what Liu would do if he found out that they'd been teasing his little brother.
One look from Liu though crumbled that resolve.
“It wath thutht a bit of theathing,” Jeff said quickly. “Nothing theriouth.” Liu nodded, humming thoughtfully.
“Ok,” he said. Jeffs eyebrows met his hairline in surprise.
“Wait- you're not gonna threaten to rip their junk off and thove it down their throaths?” He asked. “Thaths a firth.” Liu chuckled, reaching over and ruffling Jeff's hair, much to the latter's annoyance.
“Eh, I know how much you hate it when I do that,” he said. “So I'll let them go with just a warning. Pretty sure that'll terrify them just as much.” Jeff chuckled.
“Yeah, I bet,” he said, then sighed. “Liu?”
“Yes?”
“Thankth.”
When Jeff came downstairs the next day for breakfast, LJ and BEN weren't there, and his brother was standing next to the refrigerator with an evil look in his eyes. Jeff cocked an eyebrow.
“Wheres BEN and LJ?” he asked, monitoring his speech closely. He'd gone back to speaking without the lisp yesterday, but one can never be to careful, right?
Liu chuckled darkly in response to Jeff's question, twirling a knife between his fingers.
“Their… sleeping,” he said with a sinister tone. “They woke me up last night, so I told them to 'Go To Sleep,’ heh heh.” Jeff just stared at his brother, before thinking 'fuck this', and munching on some celery instead.
And if Jeff noticed the cuts and bruises on BEN and LJ’s frames, or the fact that they avoided Liu at all costs, he didn't question it.