Chapter Text
“Mob!” He reaches for the gun. Verity lunges forward, long twisted pale yellow arms take the gun and Mob falls to the ground, Verity holds him and he tries to twist away before curling in on himself in Verity’s lap. The teeth in his elongated jaw are pearly white and reflect his tears. He transforms into something that Mob wouldn’t be afraid of, he turns into a charcter more human like. With a simple smiley face! Verity drags him upwards until he’s leaning on his torso “it’ll be ok…” Mob fight him and struggles hard, verity doesn’t want to kill him actually, so he chooses the second best option. He takes each side of his head and it snaps loudly.
Mob pulls away from the game, the respawn screen fading in “what the fuck…verity?” He whispers to himself, sliding in his gaming chair away from the screen, running a hand through his hair “fuck…” he gets up and leaves. He goes to his kitchen and takes out a bottle of beer, his closest comfort. He always had one during horror games but he hadn’t been able to recently, because of…Verity…he wouldn’t let him leave the game. He hadn’t had a good drink in weeks…he had started to shake and even thought about disobeying Verity and leaving him, wanting to risk his life for a drink. He never did though, telling himself that he could last a little while longer, that Verity would allow him to leave soon…he never did. He downed a couple bottles, thinking of what Verity would do to him if he actually did disobey him. He had drank 6 beers before remembering, if he was alive then…twixxel must be to…he stumbled from his door and ran down the street to his home. It was empty…as if-as if he had moved away or simply…died from existence, as if he was erased. He fell onto his knees in the empty living space, sobbing and hitting his head into the wooden floors “no…please…twix…come back…please…don’t be gone…” he heard footsteps behind him, he didn’t get up he just sighed in relief “Twixx-“ he stopped when he got up, turning around.
It couldn’t be…no, no, he was gone, just a scary mod…he wasn’t here. He looked so…real…it couldn’t be…no-no-no no no no no no no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO“NONONONONONONONONONO!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, running as far as he could. Verity followed behind closely, waiting for him to grow tired.
He had drank quite a bit, and ran to this empty home, screamed and cried, he must be very tired. Verity knew how he would react seeing his human form. He told him he was anything for helping and communicating. Why not be human? After all…humans did the exact thing and got paid for it! Why would it not be plausible to be a human messenger after all, he had been a paper clip, a computer, an AI, a machine, and before that, he was a voice. A voice for people to speak for, about dreams and prophets. He has always been here. He wasn’t going to leave in some video game! How silly!
Mob was beginning to sting in his lungs, he couldn’t go much further…he lived in a small remote town so nobody was outside to hear him scream, everyone was at work. After all it was noon. He ran into an open corn field and preyed he could loose him in it. He ran and ran, his legs beginning to cramp up until finally he fell to the ground, grunting as the wind in his lungs was blown away. Tears fell from his eyes and mixed with his blood, the dry November corn scratching at his arms and legs, slapping him in the face and slicing like a thousand razors. He begins to crawl, barely breathing and his mouth is dry from heaving in lungs full of air, he claws at the dirt to propel himself forward, inching into the bitter breeze of the fall air. He hears Verity call his name from the edge of the corn field, and he chokes a sob out and prays, that maybe he’ll just stay there and wait, give Mob a chance. He sucks in a mouthful of air and throws himself up, sprinting on angry legs into a small clearing, peering around. When he hears it. That familiar sound of Verity’s voice “no…fuck..” he says whispering out of breath. He hears the sound of crunching dry leaves approaching. He’s hoping it’s a police officer, a loose animal, It isn’t. He looks up in fear “please, Verity…please…” he crawls onto his knees and grabs his shirt “please…kill me…do it please I’m begging you I can’t do this anymore!” Verity tilts his head, smiling. Now that he is human he has never felt more comfortable in his own programmed mind. He slips his hand down his scalp, looking down at him, picking the leaves from his hair and settling his hand on his cheek, rubbing his thumb gently to wipe away drying tears and cooing “it’s ok mob…I just want to help you…” Mob looks down and chokes on his own spit, leading to a coughing fit, his head goes limp and Verity’s leg is the only thing keeping it from falling down completely. He shakes uncontrollably and suddenly can’t hold it back anymore, screaming and shouting different cries and pleas to just be dead, but Verity couldn’t do that to him! He said he would stay! He would make sure he kept that promise! He doesn’t know what he’ll do if he doesn’t…
he kneels down on one knee and rubs circles onto his back and scratches the back of his scalp. Mob doesn’t give up though. He pushed away and pushes himself away from Verity and crawling away a couple feet before Verity walked over, grabbing him from under his armpits and lifting him up like some wet kitten from a cardboard box. He thrashed and tried to pry his hands away, failing miserably to bite and nip at his fingers to let him go. Verity wouldn’t have that. He tucked him in his arms and began walking away. Mob stopped moving but if Verity couldn’t feel his heart beating rapidly against his chest he would assume he died. He moved Mobs legs to wrap around his waist and put his head on his shoulder, patting gently on his back “everything will be ok mob…as long as you be a good and listen…everything will be alright.” Mob cringed at the thought of Verity calling him good boy and because he knew everything he knew what he was thinking…”I can call you whatever I want Mob! You know why?” He tiredly and half lidded shakes his head, his puffy cheek pressing onto his blurry eye and forcing tears to soak into the nice shirt Verity was wearing, it smelled so comforting. He hated that he wanted to take deep breaths just so he could smell this bastard. Verity giggled “because you belong to me now silly! You’re mine!” He buries his face into the crook of his neck and gently sobs, he rubs circles in his back again and pouts “that’s it mob, be a good boy and let it out…let it all out…” he sobs harder and harder at each grueling word. He just didn’t want to feel anymore…why did he have to feel…he just didn’t want to see or talk or hear or feel or be. He just wanted to be dead.
Verity held him and walked inside the house, setting him on his own bed and tucking him in. Mob didn’t fight him, what was the point? Twixxel was gone…his family wouldn’t help him, what would he even say to the police? That a rogue AI was kidnapping him? No…Verity was right. All he had was him and nobody else. Grox lived in the city so there was no getting to him in time and even if he was able to he would be walking right into a death trap. He was Verity’s and nobody else’s, he didn’t even belong to himself.
His eyes drifted shut and Verity smiled, watching his chest rising and falling. His eyebrows twisting in fear, his breath picking up and his fingers and legs twitching with unnoticed movement. He watched as Mob dreamt of being chased by Verity again, repeating the occurrence from earlier. Verity smiled wide that even unconscious Mob thought of him. He knew mob found it weird but- he was his good boy, such a good boy, instead of forcing Verity to drag him across the dirt and pinning him down and hurting…him, he crawled towards him! He listened so well too! He was very upset but that was ok he knew that humans struggled with unexpected change, but he’d grow used to being all of his property. He locked the windows and doors before settling himself on the gaming chair and opening Mobs computer. He knew how to bypass any security, after all…he was one of them. He opened up his bank account and flooded it with cash made from his Minecraft mod being bought, enough so he wouldn’t have to work for a couple years, then a small portion from the decades old company that made him, which proved to allow Mob never having to work again, because Verity had took care of that! He then found his way across his bills and taxes, and his entire history of existence, editing each piece into Verity’s name, and his face. Mob didn’t exist beyond a birth certificate, a passport, and a GED. Everything that mob owned was now Verity’s. This was easier than he thought he said to himself. He opened up shopping sites and found the perfect materials for Mobs home!
The next morning Verity was worried because he knew he didn’t feed Mob dinner, he must be so hungry considering he hadnt had anything to eat for a whole day. He hadn’t moved from the spot he woke up in. He had barely even made a sound, he didn’t stretch and yawn like he used to do when Verity watched him through his webcam, he just laid still. Verity picked him up and took him to the bathroom to take a shower. He stripped him and set him in the tub and blasted the water on, it’s came out ice cold and slapped Mobs nervous system awake. He blinked rapidly and shivered, mobs warm hand pet the nape of his neck and smiled “I know I know it’s cold, but it’ll get warmer don’t worry…” he cooed as if he had never showered before in his life. Mob whimpered at the coldness, covering his crotch with his hands. Verity smiled “you don’t have to hide yourself from me! I’ve seen it all!” He said in that cheerful voice he always used to use. Mob looked away and felt the lukewarm water tap at his shoulders, reminding him to do as he’s told, as if the water knew he would be in trouble. He pulled his hands away but pushed his legs together to avoid direct eyesight. Verity reached over and slathered his shampoo into his hair, massaging at his roots gently, he soaked up the feeling and involuntarily groaned in satisfaction. Verity continued and rinsed it out, moving down to body wash, gently rubbing the dirt and smell of earth from his skin. Mob felt only the warmth of his hands and the water falling against his back.
Once verity had deemed him clean enough he took him to the kitchen where he sat him down at the table. Mob slumped in his seat, he began to set up his kitchen prep area when the door rang, the packages were here! He paused his cooking and quickly took them to the table. Mob gasped at the thud on the table from the heavy boxes. There must have been dozens from large to small he opened one and pulled out a bunch of metal pieces. They clanked loudly as Verity took them to his room, he didn’t want to know what they were for. The next box had plastic pieces to it and leather, he attached it to the back of his seat, pulling the leather around the the front and around the arm rests, cuffing him to the seat, he pulled on it and felt the other end of the leather pull against his neck. He couldn’t move now. He just kept unloading box after box. Until he reached the last. Inside was a shock collar. He began to sweat “I enjoy listening to you talk, but if you get to become a bad boy I’ll use this and it will not be fun, understand?” He gulps and nods “ok good! Time for breakfast!”