BEN Drowned | Hopes And Dreams

N O W

Home is where the heart is.

But when you have no heart, do you still have one..?

A dried leaf crunched underneath my weight. The cold eerie wind grazes my skin as distant sound of droplets of water rang within the cavern.

"I'm home." I murmured through the empty rocky surface.

—

"BEN'S WHAT?" Jeff's voice echoed through the house of his Proxy, Mika.

"He's.. gone." Slenderman mournfully replied, he was slouched in his seat; a behavior that was unusual to be seen on the elegant creature. He wasn't relying on Mika's magic anymore.

"Gone where?" Jeff questioned with balled fists. He was ready for a fight, he knew he was if he didn't like the response.

"He'd gone home. Please, Slenderman, do not be overdramatic." Gaster's voice sounded from the kitchen; he came out, carrying two mugs of hot steaming coffee.

"Home? The mansion?"

"No, I'm afraid not.." Slenderman answered for him.

"Then where the fuck is home?"

"My home, Jeffrey." Gaster replied, side-glancing the raven boy.

"Your—No." His gaze hardened into a glare, "Fucking hell, Gaster!" Jeff growled.

"Jeff." Mika's soft voice called onto the raven boy.

"No." He rebuttal, "This prick knows not to do that. He doesn't even have any idea what he's like after he visits Home!"

"You talk like 'Home' is such a bad place—"

"BECAUSE IT IS!"

The house silenced after that. The tension in the room thick as Jeff calmed his breathing.

"I'm sorry.." He started off with a strained tone, he was still controlling his breath, "For yelling." He finished, sheepishly stealing a glance toward his Proxy.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." Mika responded with the smallest smile possible, "Can't we just.. go and fetch him? Actually bring him home? To us?"

Slenderman perked in his seat as Gaster looked mortified.

"Of course—"

"Definitely not!"

Both Gaster and Slenderman spoke, their eyes—who am I kidding? They turned their heads and looked at each other upon their collision of words.

"What do you mean 'no?'" Jeff was quick to respond.

Gaster cleared his throat and fixed his composure, "I will not allow another outsider in my domain. Benjamin was enough." He peeked an eye open as he looked at the rest from top to bottom of their figure, "Three is too much."

"Well," Mika perked immediately as Jeff looked as if he was about to strangle the poor man out of his lab coat, "We don't have to look like outsiders, don't we?" She suggested with a sly grin as the room seemed to dim at her suggestion.

"Magic! Of course!" Jeff beamed, finally catching onto what Mika was referring to.

"We could possibly look like the residents of your home," She gestured to Gaster, "So we wouldn't look much of an outsider. Would that be okay?"

Gaster looked as conflicted as a child learning their mother's name isn't Mommy. "I suppose—"

"Then it is settled." Slenderman's stern voice called, making sure that no one else was to object the decision made.

"I call a muscular fish warhead!" Jeff cried out, excitement laced in his eyes as he gazes down at his Proxy.

"I am afraid we already have that sort of character. Her name is Undyne—"

"Oh, who cares. Why can't there be two of them?" Jeff scoffed and continued to gaze down on Mika, "Make me the Masamune Date of the fish girl he's referring to!"

Mika laughed, "Of course, sure. Slenderman? Do you have any preference?"

"I am fine with whatever."

"Are you sure about that?" Mika asked with a mischievous grin.

"On second thought, Mika, no. I am not."

Gaster chuckled light-heartedly, "Just make him look like me. That would do." He suggested with a small grin.

"Okay. This might take a while."

—

The wind felt suffocating for the blonde boy seated on a rooftop. The night time sky made him feel claustrophobic as he gazes up towards them. Feeling as if it could come crashing down within seconds.

The stars winked at each other as if flirting with one another.

They weren't the same sizes, he took noticed. They weren't same in brightness.

But why are they all called stars?

Many thoughts of the like clouded his mind as he continued to glue his sight upon the night sky.

It was strange.

The peacefulness. The quietness of the night.

It felt as if.. he was missing something. Something important.

A distant noise seem to call out for him. Laughter. Screaming. Banters. But the conversation seemed to be drowned off by the unknown.

Someone's face showed on his mind. Smiling. Crying. Laughing.

Pink luscious lips puckered in front of him while the rest blurred out of existence, asking for a kiss. Pouting.

Who was he?

He had questioned for who knows how long. It was always as if these thoughts had always been there, haunting him somehow. Memories of a distant past, was it ancient? Something from his past life?

Cruelly killed because of their forbidden love? Was it a memory of a hundred thousand years ago?

The stars continued to flicker before him. Flirting with one another when another presence disturbed the silence.

"I-I-I-It's ti-ti-time to-to get-get back-ack insi-si-side." A twitchy voice called out.

"Of course.. I'll be there in a sec."

"I'm afra-a-aid he can-cannot-ot wait any-an-an-any more long-ong-er, Flo-F-Flowey."

The poor thing, the blonde boy had thought. "Yeah, of course. Who would want to make him wait?"

The latter presence remained uncomfortably standing a few steps before him, twitching uncomfortably, unsure of how to respond. "I'm kidding, Toby. Let's just go." The blonde, Flowey, smiled warmly at the brunet.