Domestic ❧ Skephalo AU

Chapter 39.) Everything's Fine

A/N: I am going to be burned at the stake lmao <3

Warning: Implied/referenced torture (mutilation + skinning), mentions of kidnapping, blood, vomiting, and legit hate/bigotry-motivated crimes. 

If any of these are too much for you, don't read past the asterisks because it legit takes up more than half the chapter.

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Sleep deprivation was an issue Skeppy battled with constantly, his upload schedule and movie nights with BadBoyHalo doing nothing to combat his flip-floppy insomnia, but never before had his sleepless nights resulted in his coffee pot being the most used appliance in his household; and if anyone were to ask when his coffee addiction started he'd only change the subject or leave the conversation entirely.

Considering the circumstances Skeppy wouldn't have been able to confide in anyone anyway, knowing anyone he spoke to would suggest he call the cops – but he couldn't. Getting the cops involved was stupid, especially when the person he needed to find was likely in another realm. How could he ask the police to find someone who didn't even exist on the Surface?

He tried to assure every agitated nerve in his body that he was overthinking, that everything was alright and he was being too clingy for his own good. If Bad wanted to take some vacation days, why would Skeppy be insulted? He knew introverts needed time to "recharge," and their romantic relationship wasn't too much of an exception from that rule. And he understood. He understood Bad needed time to himself, and Skeppy wasn't entitled enough to take that away from him, so he waited. He waited without a prickle of frustration.

Still, sinister whispers flooded his ears when he wasn't recording, each whisper filing away at his understanding and replacing his patience with worry. He wasn't going to freak out like last time – he knew better than to jump to conclusions – but that didn't mean he couldn't be worried when Bad essentially ghosted him, right?

No, he had every right to be worried. Bad wouldn't dip without a warning, so something must've happened! He must've caught Hell's version of a cold, or maybe he got laid off from work which meant his memories were at risk, or maybe...

He needed to take a breather.

Inhaling through his nostrils and forcing steady breaths through gritted teeth, he gripped the sides of his desk and pushed, his gaming chair nearly rolling over Lucy's tail.

"Oh, sh– sorry!" For a bug-eyed Maltese, Lucy looked at him with an expression that sent guilt rippling through his entire body. She then padded away, leaving Skeppy to mutter, "Damn, I said I was sorry." If he hadn't been too busy fretting, he might've joked about how Lucy stormed off like an angry Oompa Loompa.

Before he could stand up to formally apologize to the yapping cotton swab (as Sapnap liked to call her) the familiar ring of a Discord call stopped him, his attention immediately latching onto the obnoxiously-bright screen. He needn't know who it was to know whatever they had to say would only irritate him further, so he ignored it. He ignored the following call, as well as several pings demanding his attention. He didn't, however, ignore his phone when "Beep Beep I'm a Sheep" started to play.

"I swear to God," he grumbled, wheeling his chair over to his nightstand and grabbing his phone. He accepted the call with a swipe of his thumb and exasperated, "I don't appreciate being spammed, C–"

"Bad didn't come home."

It's rather intriguing how aggravation can quickly melt into utter confusion. All it takes is a few words to completely derail one's rant, and hearing such a concerning statement about Bad from Puffy of all people was all he needed to drop whatever he had to say.