Chapter Text
Everything feels so fuzzy when he opens his eyes, every noise sounding like he's listening while in a pool of water. His vision is blurry for a moment, but eventually clears up after a few slow, confused blinks. There's a light dangling above him, which is making it difficult to think straight.
Grox's head swivels from side to side as he takes in his surroundings, quickly realizing that he is no longer laying on his king sized mattress in his pristine room.
This is a basement.
It wasn't cramped or stuffy, luckily, yet it still filled Grox with a sense of unease. What could have possibly brought him here? He shook his head a few times to clear his thoughts before instinctively glancing at his side where he always kept his gun.
There was nothing there. He'd have to go without it for now, even if he really was in danger. The question of what he was up against weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he managed to lighten the load by straightening his posture.
There's nothing for him to be afraid of. As long as he keeps a cocky smile on his face, enemies will never be able to read him.
The eerie creak of a heavy door from the other side of the room caught the wither skeleton's attention, his pitch black eyes narrowing with suspicion. I guess it was time to see who was daring to show such disrespect toward him. Who was going to end up dead by sunrise.
Tufts of green hair made their presence known as the light shown on them, revealing the familiar face of a certain man. A certain frog man. It was Froggy.
A smug expression was plastered across the little prick's face, his chin tilted up with absolute confidence. He let out a failed attempt at what was supposed to be a menacing chuckle.
"Finally. I have you at my mercy, Grox. I've been itching to..."
There was a brief pause, Froggy's head dropping down again as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. He had seemingly forgotten the monologue he was going to go on, even after all his rehearsals in the other room that he did while waiting for Grox to wake up.
"Uhhh..."
He looked a bit frustrated now, the toes of his shoes tapping against the concrete floor in an uncoordinated mantra.
The Lord watched his rival with an expectant expression that was beginning to show signs of amusement. His body was completely relaxed, his eyebrow rising as he waited patiently for the other man to speak again.
"Ugh! Whatever it doesn't matter!"
Froggy practically ripped his gun from its holster, yanking it up with unnecessary force and aiming it at the black haired, unimpressed captive.
"I, am going to end you. Right here. Right now. You can't escape me this time."
His voice seemed to rise in pitch at the end, his brows knitting in frustration. He was gripping his weapon with both hands, which were shaking from the force of his hold. He was tense and rigid, a stark contrast to Grox's own unbothered demeanor.
"Oh really? Aight bet. Shoot me, frog man. I know you won't do it."
That unwavering, excitable tone never seized to irritate Froggy to no end. He hated how smoothly the words rolled off his tongue, as if he wasn't in mortal danger in this very moment.
The wither skeleton's heart had dropped the moment the other man had drawn that weapon, but he didn't let it show. He didn't let the other see that he wasn't exactly comfortable like this. Knowing he was truly at the mercy of someone who he's been battling for so long.
"I will! I'll do it right now!"
Froggy bared his sharp teeth, taking a few challenging steps toward the (slightly) shorter man. Each one felt heavier, as if he was trying to scare Grox. It was unsuccessful.
"Oh yeah? Then why aren't you-"
The clank of metal hitting the ground rang out as the green-haired man abruptly threw the gun aside, redirecting his harsh grasp to Grox's red silk tie. He narrows his deep brown eyes, giving the piece of fabric a firm yank that swiftly sends him careening off the chair.
The wither skeleton lands on his knees with a thud, even more beneath Froggy now. It was beginning to become more difficult to hide the anxiety festering beneath his confident facade.
"Shut the fuck up! I've had it with your snarky remarks!
He reached down suddenly, taking a fistful of soft black hair into his hand. Grox's scalp aches from the hold, and he can't stop himself before he lets out a small, pained sound.
It makes Froggy's heart stop, and suddenly he can see everything he didn't just moments ago.
The way the other man is keeping his head down now, as if in a display of surrender that he would never normally show. The way his form has a vague tremble to it. The way his eyebrow has furrowed from both pain and alarm. The way his smile has become so strained that it nearly resembles an expression of discomfort.
He should feel a sense of accomplishment looking at that. Seeing his opponent in distress for what feels like the first time. Yet now, when Froggy looks down at the Lord, defenseless and on his knees, all he feels is... Guilt. Distain for his own impulsiveness.
He lets go without giving it another hint of reflection.
Froggy doesn't know why, but his palms move to cup Grox's face with a gentleness he didn't know he could muster when handling an enemy. He forces their eyes to meet, seeing that that arrogant smile is gone now. He can see the tiredness in the other's look.
Nobody says anything for a moment. All the taller man hears is his own heart beating in his ears, the entire rest of the room feeling like it doesn't exist briefly. It's him and Grox, and this strange tension. He feels almost flustered. Another confusing emotion to add to the guilt and shame.
That's all cut short though when a sudden kick sends him tumbling backwards. It's not quite enough to hurt, but it's certainly effective at putting him back in his place.
The wither skeleton straddles the frog man's chest, managing to hold him down even while restrained. There's an almost serious look in those pitch black depths now, which is very unlike him.
Both of their chests are heaving, but after Grox composes himself he finally speaks again. His voice now pinched.
"Untie me... Right now."
Froggy should say no. He should finish him off now while he still can. His gun is still in reach. His hands are still free. Grox's aren't. He can't stop him...
He removes a small knife from his pocket, flicking open the blade before reaching around to grab the other man's arm. He locates the binds before carefully cutting him loose, undoing all the work he had put in to keep him here.
Grox immediately rubs his wrists once they're free, inspecting the raw marks for a split second. His face instantaneously goes back to normal again, looking down at the green-haired man with that usual grin. Only it feels different now. Less real. Less human than when he was afraid.
"Ayyy thanks, frog man. I'll see you around, alright?"
He gives Froggy an almost condescending pat on the cheek before standing up, watching as the other returns to a seated position. He doesn't bother trying to stop him. There's no point now. He can't kill him now. Not after seeing him without that act.
Grox gives a wave, approaching the exit with a confident stride. He turns the knob and it opens without resistance. Of course, Froggy forgot to lock it.
A blunt object to the skull is the thing to stop him. One of Froggy's followers was waiting on the other side of the door.
A bat connects with his forehead and he's abruptly on the ground. His vision slowly fades to nothing as he begins to slip into unconsciousness. The last thing he hears before passing out is some muffled speech. One voice belongs to Froggydude.
"Why would you do that?! You could've killed him!"
"I thought you wanted him dead, boss."
"You're not supposed to do anything without my permission! Now I have to deal with this!"
There was a change of plans it seemed.
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Here is some art I made recently of my Froggy and Grox designs. Just headshots for now because I haven't had the motivation to do any ship art or anything.
I've drawn him a couple other times but they were all buns so this is it for now
Here's Froggydude he was actually decently easy to draw which is nice
