V & V - Rageous Rageon Redemption.

Black Tears

Fred POV:

The song ends, the soft scratching of the needle on the record player the only sound left for us to hear. Rollie stops swaying and looks up at me. I search his eyes, imagining how they once were before they turned black. 

He truly looks very pretty with his red irises standing out against the black, but it saddens me that he underwent such a change. Even looking at his face, I can see the thin black veins covering his skin and how dark his lips have turned.

It's a drastic difference even from the time I saw him before the shower, as he did not look this way in bed, or in the hot tub last night. He notices my wandering eyes, his lip quivering like he's about to cry.

Rollie: "I feel ugly."

His voice comes out quiet, void of the emotion he just showed in his singing. I can understand the pain he may feel internally over his changed appearance; Kid Ritz told me how hard the change was for Veneer to develop frozen eyes and snowflake burns. It bothered Veneer enough to give him the push to start using ring pops, and that couldn't make me sadder.

Fred: "Rollie, you're the most stunning Rageon I've ever seen."

My voice comes out very soft, surprising even me, as I don't sound like myself.

A tear rolls down his cheek, yet instead of being clear and glittery, it's completely black. I wipe it away, trying to move my hand from his face fast enough so he misses the color change. Rollie gasps, pulling my fingers to his eye level. My heart turns sadly in my chest as I see the horror flash across his face.

He moves past me and runs to his room. I follow after him to find him in his bathroom staring at the mirror. Black tears stream down his face as he fills a small cup with water. He swishes it in his mouth before spitting it into the sink.

The liquid that flows down the drain is black. Rollie stares at the drain, his eyes wide as he grips the edge of the sink. I stand next to him, feeling helpless. What happened? Everything was just perfect when we were dancing. Now, it feels like the world has come crashing down.

*DING*

The elevator doors ding, alerting Rollie and I someone is here. He doesn't move from the sink, prompting me to check out who's here. I walk into the living room to see Kid Ritz carrying Veneer. I flinch at the sight of him, accidentally staring too long at the new veins across his cheeks and his newly darkened lips.

I guess I hadn't noticed earlier how pale Kid Ritz has gotten, or how far his changes have progressed. He stares at me with his black eyes, making me slightly uncomfortable, even though I know I shouldn't be. It's still Kid Ritz, and Rollie is still Rollie. I reassure myself mentally, getting a grip to speak to my best friend.

Fred: "You found him."

He nods and walks past me to his bedroom. I trail after him, feeling like I'm just in the way of either of my friends and annoyingly unable to help. Kid Ritz lays Veneer down in the bed before pulling the sheets over him. I watch as he bends down and kisses Veneer's cheek gently before leaving the room.

He stops in the hallway, looking at me with another bone-chilling stare.

Kid Ritz: "Where's Rollie?"

I point to his room, still unsure of what to say about Rollie's situation. Kid Ritz furrows his brows, giving me one last look before quietly entering Rollie's bathroom. For some reason I can't explain, I don't follow him. Instead, I go to my room and lockthe door before walking to the closet.

I crouch inside and close the door before sitting down. I grab the yo-yos and toy with them in my hands to calm myself down. If I had a camera angle on me, I'm sure I'd look pretty comical to an audience: a super tall, lanky teen hiding in a closet playing with yo-yos.