Chapter Text
The school didn't start out singing.
Marcy was on his way to the auditorium for third period, but that's not where he first caught wind of something strange going on. Everyone had been unusually nice to him today. He wasn't about to say something, though.
Whatever was going on could wait. He could already hear his classmates inside, some chatting, some practicing their routine for the upcoming showcase, a few were even singing a song together that sounded like something he'd be interested in but had never heard before.
Still, after he'd set his bag down and dropped lazily into his seat, he ended up humming the harmony out of habit. Even if he didn't know the words, the notes were easy enough to pick out. The singing group of students barely spared him a glance, but their smiles got a little brighter.
…Wait a fucking second.
Ruth Fleming was with them. Wasn't she taking tech instead of drama?
Weirder than that, the director was nowhere to be found. She was usually here as soon as the bell rang to begin class…
Marcy decided to ask a few of the students who were simply chatting.
“Hey, do you know where Mulberry is? She's not usually late, and there's no sub…”
The pair he'd sought out turned to him in tandem and spoke at once.
“Doesn't matter, does it? You're cooler than her, anyways.”
Marcy was taken back, but he was also easily mollified and flattered, so he nodded with a small smile on his face.
“...Thanks, I guess?? Um… I'm going to check the hall anyway.”
He was met with a few ‘Hurry back’s in unison. The students who were singing continued on with their la-dee-daa-dahs, or whatever.
…This was getting really fucking weird.
He did check the hallway, but only for a few seconds. He didn't truly care about the director, she played favorites and he hated adults like that. Especially when she kept encouraging him even though she never actually gave a shit.
He headed to the water fountain, not noticing that some of the noise from the auditorium had stopped.
Not noticing that the spout offered blue before clear.
Marcy came to slouched over against a wall as if he'd been clawing at it.
He felt great, though, frowning in confusion about the sudden switch from fright to calm.
He raised a hand to his lips, noticing something dripping. In his current state of mind, he was unable to feel anxious.
Marcy stood and made his way to the bathroom to check if anything else was wrong, his pace already unnaturally perfect and his body held straighter.
When he got to the mirror, his right eye seared with pain for a fraction of a second… and faded into bright cerulean.
“Welcome, Marcy. Things may finally have some semblance of order with you around…”
…To his credit, Marcy didn't panic.
Can I ask who you are…?
“Some refer to me as the Singular Voice. And that is exactly what I am… the voice that will unify your kind in song.”
Marcy stared at his reflection a bit longer. The blue had stopped pouring from his mouth and was now flowing from his cobalt eye with no sign of ceasing. It didn't look like it was bad for him, so he let it be.
…Before I got here, everyone was coexisting peacefully, for the most part. When I got to class, they were singing and dancing, and I didn't know any of it.
“Exactly. Oh, but you will… you may even be of greater help to me. I'm egotistical, it's true, but you do have skill.”
Marcy thought about that.
They seem like they have no personality left.
“Oh, no, Marcy. They are still individuals… on one level. On another, you're all part of one glorious hive… surely you've noticed the whispering?”
It was right.
Since Marcy stood, his mind had been full of murmuring in the background. Things like ‘Hi, Marcy!’ ‘Glad you're here!’ ‘Good to have you, Marcy!’
…It's nice to be appreciated. Especially when you haven't been, for the one thing you excel at, for years…
Marcy found himself quietly humming along to a tune one of the voices had started.
“They're all much happier, and it seems you are, too. Though they could use someone to follow whilst I look after other matters…”
…On it.
Marcy could tell most of the school was already cooperating, so he went back to the auditorium knowing everybody would hear what he had to say anyway.
“Did you hear the word?”
Every student grinned. He could practically feel the rest of the school light up, too.
“What's the word?”
“We're a’meetin’.”
“Who's a’meetin'?”
“The school's a’meetin'!”
“The school's a'meetin'?”
With a chorus of ‘expanding the cast’, Marcy turned to head to the cafeteria. Everyone in the auditorium followed, and when he got there, the rest of the students had filed in.
The nerds seemed the most excited, and Marcy didn't blame them.
They were always the nicest out of everyone in school, and desperate to be included. Marcy could understand that.
The cheerleaders and the jocks were further back. Jagerman in particular looked traumatized by something, but Marcy could tell he was cooperating, so he ignored him.
An instrumental slowly faded into the back of his mind, and he could picture the correct lyrics. Marcy felt great now that he was a part of things.
A quick scan of the room gave him all the information he needed, and he let his plans settle in time to the music.
“Pete and Steph will take the bank by faking issues getting lunch money from crypto…”
The room had already formed two lines, Peter Spankoffski and Stephanie Lauter at the front. Peter spun Stephanie around and both split off.
“The library is for the nerds, Rich will ambush the manga, Ruth will get ‘caught’ browsing porno.”
The pair high-fived and split off, knowing that causing a chaotic distraction would be the best way for them to kill a large group of people.
“We can snag the post office with just a single kid pretending to write to their brother…”
One of the football players stepped through the middle of the lines as everyone else made an arch. This one had a brother overseas.
“...And the hospital's already ours once they see the wounds on the face of my lover!”
Edward.
He did a three-step turn through, minimalistic as always, yet graceful. He took Marcy's hand with a smirk.
Think what you will, but the moment was far from painful. They were happy.
With the students happily performing body percussion, pairing up and mirroring partners, and getting into different formations to show off footwork, Marcy took up the high harmony for the chorus.
“Nobody can beat us, ‘cuz there's strength in numbers
Even sharks fear some schools, so it's not even a wonder
Go, go, Nighthawks, now's the time to attack
Dancing to the rhythm of the backing track!”
Marcy took to wandering the streets after he and Edward had brought apotheosis to the hospital. Slaughtering the lobby was enough for them, the people in there made their own way through the rest of the building.
Edward went inside Beanies as they were about to pass it, so Marcy waited outside. It was a lovely day for singing.
He spied a group of his classmates taking a stroll of their own.
Peter, Stephanie, Richie, Ruth, and… Grace Chastity?
Oh, right. She went to the church. Safe to say she wouldn't be believing in God after this…
It was strange to see that particular group together, but it fit… weirdly enough.
He was greeted with ‘Hey, Marce!’ in unison.
“... Hey, guys!”
He was regretting not hanging out with them more often, but that could certainly be rectified.
He glanced over to Stephanie and Peter in particular.
“Are you two a thing now? That's awfully sweet.”
Their eyes widened, and they looked away from each other blushing. Cute.
“Yeah… we've been thinking about it for a while. This all just… helped!”
The entire group let out an ‘aw’, Grace included, though Richie rolled his eyes.
Grace’s gaze drifted aimlessly, since she was usually hyper and restless, and she ended up looking at Marcy.
“Whoa, hey, one of your eyes is still brown.”
Marcy stiffened, and peered at his translucent reflection in the Beanies window.
Now feeling self-conscious, he covered it with his bangs as best he could.
“Wait, it's okay, nothing to feel bad for,” Richie and Ruth said worriedly.
Richie added, “I mean, you got a wicked tail at least. Your eye isn't wrong or anything…”
Marcy raised an eyebrow. The visible one. “...Wasn't expecting something that nice from you all…”
They all got a little closer. Grace shifted her weight from one foot to the other, Richie ran his fingers through his hair, Ruth was practically gripping Marcy's shoulder, and Pete and Steph were holding hands as they gave him a look of reassurance.
“We're all friends now, aren't we? Besides, you're great at being a leader.”
Marcy thought about that and smiled genuinely for the first time in a long while.