I Can't Stop... - An OK K.O. story

A Solid Promise

For the next couple days, all he really ever did was occasionally check in on me. I still didn't wanna say anything. I'm still mad at him for what he did, but that's only part of the reason I didn't speak. It seems like he's just been really worried about me, and from what I can tell, considering I haven't bothered to pay attention to the outside world, he's been telling Enid and Rad about all this. I keep hearing him say how mad he is at himself for locking me in the subconscious, and how he wishes he could take it back.

I must admit, after wrecking the house, I was pretty cocky towards him, knowing everything turned out fine, better, even, since one rule was finally gone. I never expected him to be as angry as he was... I still remember his shadowed face as he led me to that elevator... Even when I try to forget, I can't. That dark and desolate place put more fear in me than I'd ever even known him to have.

Sometimes I wonder why he even decided to give me another chance. I can't believe that after all my pleading to be free of the treacherous place, I still feel like I deserve to be stuck there.

He'd returned again. I was just laying on my bed, pondering everything in the recent days, when he walked in.

"Hey, T.K.O.! You feelin' any better?" He had a hopeful smile on his face that maybe I'd be alright.

I decided to finally take a chance and say something. "Why did you let me out?" It'd been a long time since I'd spoken, so my voice was pretty quiet. Silence began to fill the room as he stepped closer, taking a seat on my bed next to me. I sat up, looking and feeling pretty depressed.

"I felt bad about trapping you there. After I told Enid and Rad, and even Mom, they all agreed that it was a bad choice. Mom even said I shouldn't push my feelings aside, even if it's caused me to hurt people..."

"Well it was never your fault, K.O. I was the one who acted out towards people, because I didn't know any better..."

"You didn't know any better because I didn't help."

Another round of silence...

"What could you have possibly done? You even said, you made this house and all this stuff for me to help me be better, and I blew it..."

"But I still treated you like, just- This angry thing. You're not just a part of me T.K.O., you are me. And I wish I'd realized that sooner..."

I took a moment to take in his words, realizing he really was trying to help this time. "So then, what do we do now? It's not like I can just take everything back that I did. I've wrecked the Plaza on more than one occasion, I've tried to hurt you, I tried to lock you away like you did me..."

"I don't know, I never thought it'd be this hard to try and figure something out. I guess I thought maybe things would go back to normal after letting you out of my subconscious, but maybe you'd just be a little angry-"

"I am still angry, K.O. You thought you could lock me away with no consequence! But I'm also-... I-..." My words died. I couldn't explain what else I felt without feeling horrible about myself. I took a deep breath, and thought to myself, 'I don't have any pride left to sacrifice. Just say it. It won't change anything'. "I'm still scared if I mess up again, you might lock me away again..."

K.O. was visibly taken aback by this statement. He didn't realize how much he'd messed up until now. I didn't even realize just how bad I'd gotten by this point, just how different I was. I was stuck in my own thoughts again until K.O. pulled me into a tight hug. I could tell he was crying, but I couldn't tell if this hug was to comfort me or him. I returned the hug, knowing it'd probably mean something to him as well as trying to find the comfort I'd been severely lacking while in that void.

"I'm so, so sorrey, T.K.O.... I never should've put you down there. I never thought-.. I-... Have you always been scared of being locked up?"

That question came as a surprise to me, but I knew the answer... "Yeah," was all I could say. Plain and simple, but it was true. From the first moment I'd manifested within K.O.'s mind, I was caged, and I hated it. It felt so liberating when I was freed for the first time, yet K.O. got control again, and put me away...

He pulled out of the hug, wiping tears from his eyes as a newfound determination came about him. "I promised no more cage... And I still put you away like you were some monster. I'm making a new promise... No more lock ups... I'm never putting you away again. I want you to be better, and if we're gonna achieve that, we're gonna do it together." He held his hand out. It was just like the first time he'd promised 'no more cage'.

I reached out and shook his hand, still grappling with my newfound insecurities about the whole situation, but at least now, it'd be a solid promise that he'd never trap me again.