Stolen Name

Chapter 7

'What am I even doing here....'

Besides this one question, no thoughts go through Frederick's head as he lies on the playground floor with his legs hanging on the swing. Having run out of the school in a panic at being spotted by someone in the washroom, Frederick finds himself at a play structure a few blocks away and has stayed there until now. It is already dusk, and the sun doesn't even bat him an eye anymore as it annoys the other half of the earth.

As the cloud covers the last source of shining blue light in the sky, the shadow around him shakes itself a shape and approaches him. Like always, Frederick doesn't have the energy to deal with it but doesn't really have a choice once the presence is felt directly above him and peaks an eye open. "What?"

'I should be the one asking you that.' Rolling his eyes and sitting himself down right onto Frederick's stomach despite not having any weight whatsoever, the other rests his elbow on his knees and rests his head in his hand. 'Ditched school just to lay aimlessly in a children's playground. What the hell are you doing?'

"...."

'No answer, huh?' rolling his eyes like he completely expected it before he had even asked the question, to which a new question arises: Why did he bother asking if he already knows? To which an answer shall never to known because that is the kind of bitch he is dealing with. As the other slowly put his hand into his pocket, pulling out a black rope or chain-looking thing and throwing it at Frederick's face, the boy lying on the ground can only raise a brow. "You know I can't do that."

'I know. Just making sure.' Watches as Frederick throws the rope off to the side, making it dissolve into the shadow. A lightly amused smile makes its way onto the other's face as he lightly taps Frederick on the cheek. 'I can't have you die on me now, can I? You know I wouldn't be actively encouraging such an action.'

"No, if you can, you'll kill me in a heartbeat. The thing you need alive is this physical prison that birth had cursed me with." Not missing a beat and slapping the other's hand away with a glare, Frederick clicks his tongue lightly as the smirk on the other's face only grows. "How are you even here? I thought four would be enough...."

'Oh, it is enough. I can't switch you out at all. But that doesn't mean I can't talk to you now, does it? It is never a part of the function those pills get to provide you with.' Lightly rubbing his hand before booting Frederick on the nose, the other makes himself comfortable and leans back lightly against where Frederick's feet are still hanging high on the swing. 'I'm actually surprised that it even worked in the first place. You were, too, weren't you? After all....' Leaning lightly in with his smirk growing more into a somewhat big grin, the other stares Frederick directly in the eye. 'You know that I am not just some stupid DID symptom~.'

'I am perfectly real and am here with you. Not just in your head.'

"I get it, I get it! So just shut the fuck up and leave!" pushing him off harshly and sitting up so he can get some space to himself, Frederick hisses with a harsh glare, to which the other replies with one of its own. 'Listen! You don't want to be here, and I don't want to be here! What is the harm in switching places for once? It's not like you died last time we did this!'

"I almost-"

Before Frederick can finish his sentence, a ringing sound suddenly sounds from his pocket. Picking up the vibrating object he is so tempted to throw across the room, Frederick finds himself staring down at many missing messages that he didn't bother checking and many missing phone calls, with one currently still calling.

Simon....

Before he gets to answer the phone call, it is harshly slapped away before Frederick gets harshly pulled up by the ear by a new presence in the park. "FREDERICK FUCKING JORDAN, YOU BROKE YOUR MOTHER'S VASE, LOST OUR CAR KEYS, AND NOW DITCHED SCHOOL. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING?"

Staring up deadly at the new presence of his father, with his pain system numb at this point, Frederick just gets ready for another round of scolding before something clicks in his head. Wait... vase? Keys? What does that have to do with him? As a flashback of Charles breaking the vase and Caroline dropping the keys flashes across his mind, Frederick pauses in place. Are they... are they really blaming him for what they had done themselves? Are they just throwing away their guilt, or do they really believe that this is his fault?

As Charles yells at him without a care for his own throat or the health of Frederick's ears, the other stares silently to the side and walks over with an unreadable expression when Charles pushes Frederick back down to the ground and walks home, saying he needs some drinks. 'What happened to the attitude when you were talking to me? Do you really believe that I am the enemy here?

"You are trying to take over my life and my identity."

'LIKE YOU HAVE ANY IN THE FIRST PLACE?!' pulling Frederick up by the collar and bumping their foreheads together harshly, making Frederick hiss, the other stares him dead in the eyes with his eyebrows furrowed together and teeth gritted together, the other holds Frederick's collar tightly with his hands in fists. Takes a deep breath before a forced smile rises onto his face, which looks exactly the same as his own. The other's hands don't loosen. 'Come on... just give in to me already.... There is no way you can do this... life thing, yourself....'

"I ca-"

'SHUT UP!' successfully shutting Frederick up with an actually pissed yell, his head fuming. The other doesn't even try to stay calm this time as he holds onto Frederick with both hands. 'YOU, sir. Never, and I mean NEVER, stand up for yourself! You are just such a damn pushover and a fucking coward!' yelling out like he is really disappointed and angry at the same time. The other bumps their forehead together once more. 'Seeing you suffer makes me sick to my core.... Ever since I met you, I've been TELLING you, INSTRUCTING even, what to do when you are being treated incorrectly before since you don't seem to understand how to respect yourself or just live, in general, because it hurt me. And all YOU'VE done is ignore me again and again or ignore me as some kind of devil on your shoulder. It is sick. You are sick.... You are actually sick. I was trying to help you with your little PATHETIC LIFE.'

And as Frederick tries his best to register all that speech into his head, he doesn't even have the time to analyze them for lies before something seemingly cracks in front of him. 'You have a name.... and an identity. A place to belong and people that recognizes you for who you are. And you did what? Tell me what you did, Frederick.' Looking him in the eye with the expression that shows to be more... sad? How.... 'You decided to be a pushover. Heavily depressed and letting some... Assholes! Ruin your life before ruining it yourself. Just... let me do it! I can do better! I can change this! I can't watch this happen anymore. Not when you are born with EVERYTHING. Not when you have thrown that everything away....'

"I... am sorry. But no. Not now." taken aback before pushing the other off to the side so he can get his stuff and go home, Frederick feels a sharp pain through his chest. The other called him by his name... he hasn't in so long. The second the other stopped calling him that... was it the second that he had given up on him?

Was it the second that the other said that he had thrown, whatever everything meant, away?

What is... that everything supposed to mean?