Whispers in the Dark

Roses

I sat on my bed holding with the two similar watches, one that was the DA's and one that I didn't even remember receiving, as far as I could remember it was a friend that gave it to me but it felt like it just appeared out of nowhere. It looked identical as if it was trying to replicate the actual antique but all the scuffs and wear was manufactured into the design. Someone tried to recreate the DA's watch for whatever reason but the way it was powered was different.

I much prefer wearing the DA's old watch, though I should probably just start calling her belongings mine considering everything, as it worked a lot better despite being a little slow but that could be chalked down to its age.

I was busy focusing on the watch because I was trying to avoid walking out and being bombarded with questions from Mark, Arin and Danny. Apparently, I was practically out of it when Mark and I arrived. I was acting as if I was someone completely different but I couldn't remember. I just remember following Celine and then waking up to Ace curled up by my side.

The sound of a door opening and closing let me know that someone had walked in, most likely Mark as he knew me better so wouldn't feel as inclined to be polite. I gaze up at him to see him looking as if he's lost in thought.

"Why didn't you tell me about them?" Mark's baritone voice sounded out, sending a chill down my spine with how cold he sounded. The lack of warmth in his voice felt wrong but I understood why he was acting like that, I kept something big away from him but I at least hoped that he would have taken it similarly to Sean when he did eventually find out.

A sigh left my lips as I looked down at Ace who was curled up in my lap, purring slightly while rubbing his head gently against one of my hands. I had a feeling he could feel that I was nervous. "I didn't know how to tell you. Sean only found out because he showed up out of the blue." And I think I dropped myself in it with that sentence.

"Sean knows?!" Mark whisper yelled at me, making sure that the Grumps didn't hear him. He groaned in frustration before sitting at the edge of the bed. "I can't believe this... They can't be real!" He exclaimed, pushing his hands through his hair as he tried to comprehend the situation.

Ace took this chance to jump off of the bed and transform back into Anti. "Oh, we're real, laddy. And your buddy there is friends with a good number of us." Anti stated, smirking proudly at Mark's shocked face. "Now, are you gonna behave and be like Sean or are you gonna be a problem for my little Songbird?" He asked, getting in Mark's face slightly as he said that before backing away with a rather aloof look on his face. "Either way, you know now. Can't change that."

Mark gulped and backed away from Anti to the point he was sitting next to me by the headboard. "Anti, calm down." I mutter, my gaze now back to the watches in my hands. I clipped the older watch onto my wrist and placed the replica back on the nightstand, not caring too much if I had to lean over Mark to reach it. "Mark is my friend just as much as you or Sean, so I won't let you harm him." I state, my attention now on the imp as I spoke to him.

The imp huffed slightly before transforming back into a cat and running over to once again curl into my lap. My hand instinctively went to start petting his head as it always did.

We sat there for a while in the quiet while Danny and Arin provided ambience with them finding my games, a couple of Arin's outbursts and Danny's following laughter did cause laughter from me and Mark to escape but apart from that we were silent.

Once the Grumps quietened down, I turned to look up at the American next to me. Mark was fiddling with his hands rather nervously and his gaze kept shifting between me and his hands making his nervousness much more apparent. "Are you okay?" I ask softly, taking his hands in mine to grab his attention even more. "You seem nervous about something... is it to do with why you were crying?"