See You on the Other Side [Yan!DSMP x Reader]

- CHAPTER 2: Diogenes

You're standing in a small shop with no money, only a grumbling stomach and a confused mind. You're planning to buy some food for the sick cat that is probably waiting for you at Manifold's café, but of course, you have nothing to give back, so you just hold up the habit you've developed. Continuously, you go to the same store to get the same food to give the animal. Usually, you don't even pay, and it's not like the owner seems to say anything about it.

So, you do as you've done since you came in here the first time. You take what you want, and leave the store without paying. Maybe it's naivety. Maybe it's a sense of privilege. Or maybe, most likely, you're simply a fool. After all, you cannot commit such an action without expecting some sort of consequence. It's very unfortunate for you that the moment you commit this crime and are actually caught doing it, there's nobody waiting outside of the store to convince the officer of your innocence. This is very convenient, now that you think of it.

"Did you pay for that?" Sam asks, standing here every day, always around the same time, which isn't that odd considering the building for Pandora's Security Services isn't too far away from here. As soon as he asks you this, you already know you're fucked. You know he knows that you've just been taking it out of the shop without ever giving the owner something back.

"Yes?" you then respond, feeling your heartbeat quickening radically, almost as if you're running away. There's no doubt that he doesn't believe you, and rightfully so, but that doesn't make you any less nervous.

"Would you like to go inside with me and ask the cashier? So I can be certain?" Your mechanical arm is shaking slightly, while you're simply trying to ignore the itching in your neck.

"I don't think that's necessary," you argue, hearing noises enter your head as Sam simply sighs, grabbing his phone to write down something, before turning to you again.

"I would like to take you to the station, Y/N. This has been going on for long enough."

"Hit him."

You hit him. The voice in your head was obeyed before you even detected it. You know who it belongs to; you've dreamt about them for longer now. Their figure appearing beside the two-haloed monster, grinning mischievously. Or they'll suddenly appear behind you, putting their hands on their shoulders and whispering in your ear. Commands that realistically, you would've done back as the President. However, you're a changed man. There's no way you're going to allow yourself to fall back into those behaviours; you left that behind.

And yet, you give into the voice that haunts you at night, and hit him in the face. Hard. With your mechanical arm. Right on his nose. With shock and surprise, he's looking at the blood that you made fall out of his nose. It's not weird that he considers this action rather irrational. Hell, you could've asked to just be left alone first, but instead you just hit him. However, he doesn't say anything else.

"This doesn't help your case, Y/N," he states, wiping away the blood. "Assaulting an officer does not help you out whatsoever."

"I know," you mumble, wondering why you actually did it, but Sam almost seems to not care anyway, as he grabs your wrist and starts dragging you with him. Even if you've gotten used to this kind of treatment by now by everyone – you are ill and weaker, after all, than you used to be, and usually it's with good intentions – you're not accepting it now.

"Kick him."

You try to kick him, but he notices in time and dodges, looking at you with a raised eyebrow. "Really? This is what you think will get you out?" They're standing behind him. Their neat suit is perfectly clear to you, their face hiding behind black scratches, almost like a child just grabbed a pen and started making random movements on paper. But even if you cannot see their face, you know they're smirking like crazy under that inconsistent mask of theirs.