𝙸𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝙸𝚝 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜, 𝚁𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐?

ᴠɪɪ. 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬

— it is — 

 — major panic attack. blood. — 

 — injuries. death. — 

 — broken promises. — 

Screaming. Flashing lights. Fire. 

Sapnap's voice registered above the others. Shouts. Scared. Angry. 

Red. 

Was he bleeding? 

It appeared so. A ribbon of blood was seeping from his matted hair, dribbling down in front of his eye. People ran past. They were loud. Too loud. Bad let out a cry of his own, every bit of anger and grief and confusion pouring out of him in one single scream that only joined the others. Water ran down his cheeks, the pools in his eyes overflowing until he felt there weren't any tears left, wasn't any breath left to cry again. 

Sapnap pulled him backwards gruffly, gritting his teeth as Bad let his knees buckle. He yelled his name, but the brunette couldn't hear him, lost in whatever was happening. Someone pushed past them both, sending Bad toppling down farther, and Sapnap let an angry swear out. 

He gave his collar a curt yank, and Bad stumbled up, eyes glazed over. His mind whirled to try and comprehend anything. Sapnap's face focused and unfocused as Bad tried to pay attention. Everything was fuzzy. A single thought registered. 

Was Philip... a villain? An actual villain? 

Sapnap gave him a sharp knock on the side of his head, trying to bring him back from his nightmarish stupor. Bad's eyes finally became alight again. "Pandas?" Sapnap sighed, choking back a sob. The brunette didn't bother to, and let himself cry into his friend's chest. The last words his brother had said replayed in his head, an endless loop of torment. 

"Shh, shh, it's okay. The heroes" he tried to keep his voice level, and let the spite stay out, "will take care of this. We need to help them, for now." Sapnap soothed, rubbing circles into the bomber jacket Bad had falling off one shoulder. 

"You're going to help us?" Sapnap whirled around, fingers clenched as fists while Bad blinked sleepily, throat burning from exhaustion. Blue diamonds shone in the sunlight. "Likely story." 

..⃗.•̩̩͙⁺゜ ⤾·˚ ༘ ◡̈  

Skeppy had changed his costume, but Bad would always recognize his voice. Music to his ears, however bittersweet the tune. It was something he just couldn't seem to forget. He had his hair spiked with streaks of bright blue, different than how they had last seen each other. Skeppy had abandoned his entire wardrobe. Sometimes, that's what you need to do in order to move on. Small, jagged pieces of dark blue crystals were carved around his fingers like claws, connected by a golden chain that looped around his wrist loosely. The same chain was lining the piece of white silk that hung from the top of his nose to his ears, making so you could no longer see his mouth or chin. 

Skeppy's deep blue cape swished behind him as he started forwards. Bad didn't move. He was too emotionally unstable to fight anyone, and Skeppy wasn't anyone, he was his old best friend. Bad supposed that if he was to go by one person, it might as well be the one he loved. But Skeppy didn't try to hurt him. Sapnap stood back; though, he kept a death glare on the hero just in case. Skeppy took another step forward. 

A tentative hand touched his cheek. 

"Geppy..?" He asked, opening his eye a sliver, vision nothing more than blurred colours and splotches of light. Skeppy didn't plan to hurt after how much already had. He didn't think it was possible. And yet, seeing his best friend with red dripping down his face, new tears streaming out of his eyes, looking at Skeppy like he didn't deserve to be anywhere near him, his heart broke all over again.