𝙰 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚢. 𝙰 𝚌𝚙/𝚖𝚑 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌.

𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐.

//disclaimer. these characters are written how they act for my headcanons. a lot of this fanfic is based on headcanons i created. if you don't like it, don't read it.
also, lauren is my character. if you'd like to check more of her out, go to my IG: Spliketofficial.
With that out of the way, Enjoy.//

    "Hey, I noticed you walked out earlier. I'm assuming you're fine but, I just wanted to check in." Tim sat down next to me. He wore that black and white mask everyone had become familiar with. His hand dug into his jacket pocket, pulling out a lighter and one singular cigarette. After several times of trying to light it in the cold wind, he frowned and turned to me.
" Hey uh, mind helping me?"
I nodded and put my hands around the cigarette, avoiding it of any wind blowing. It lit.
" thanks." He nodded and turned back, pulling up his mask slightly and taking a puff.
   Minutes passed; complete silence. The wind blew rather harshly against the trees. Rain poured over the roof above the porch stairs. I watched as I put my hand out, feeling the cold water hit and run down my hand and into the sweater.
"Everything okay Lauren?" Tim looked at me; his mask now completely off and sitting next to him. He looked concerned, but also seemed very calm. That's how he usually acted; hence why I became friends with him.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just thinking about things that happened a long time ago, that's all." I looked at my hand. I turned it over and looked at the scar that was engraved there many years ago.
" I can't even imagine what that would be like," He said. I turned to him, raising my brow slightly,
"Imagine, what exactly?"
" Well you know. Everything that happened with Irene; being trapped in a palace and singular cell for ten years. Being beaten and treated as a emotionless weapon." He explained. You know, for as long as I've known Tim, I never noticed how much he talked with his hands. Must be a habit he had gotten from having to wear that mask all the time. I leaned back, cracking a small smirk.
" yeah...I got used to it though."
" But...how? How do you get 'used' to things like that exactly?" He furrowed his brows. I sat up a bit,
" it's pretty simple actually. Think of it as a habit."
"Habit?"
"Precisely. Think of it as a habit. For example...chewing nails. Maybe you start doing it one time, then you keep on doing it and doing it until you don't even realize what's going on after a while. Think of Gah but with my situation. Of course the first few times of being brutally whipped and given shock therapy, it was horrifyingly scaring; but after a while...I just got used to it. My back and nerves became numb and I barely felt them after that. Then when I escaped, since I wasn't given that treatment anymore, my nerves came back and now I can feel everything just fine." I took a breath. It's hard having to explain this to everyone. I'd much prefer to keep it all to myself honestly; but I believe her deserves to know. Timothy paused. He stared down to the ground and seemed to be thinking. It was a bit before he looked back up at me,
" What about your brother, what happened to him?"
I froze. Usually no one asks about him. Or rather, they have don't have the guts to ask.
" Well..." I began. I honestly don't know where to start, does he want to know about Lawrence when we were kids..? Or when we grew up or now or what? I guess I'll just start from when we escaped.
" On our way out of the kingdom, he grabbed my hand. He begged and pleaded for me to go with him, and join Zalgo. He said Zalgo had known the both of us and our strength, because Irene didn't seem to known when to shut her damn mouth. Anyways, you probably already know I had declined. For the first time ever, I had seen a completely different person. The anger and disgust in his eyes grew, I finally saw who Lawrence really was." I stopped. I felt my body tense up as a soft tear fell down my face.
" Hey, you can stop Lauren. You don't have to talk about it." Timothy patted me on the back. I looked at him, smiling. We exchanged and look but no words. Without saying anything I hugged him as tightly as I could. He was warm, but smelt of smoke. I didn't mind though. He jumped a bit from the sudden contact; but ended up wrapping his arms around me as well.
" Thanks for uh...coming out to check on me." I said. He chuckled, Timothy knew just how awkward I could be at times. He had picked on me about it a few times.
" Of course."
Silence...
" Jesus you're so awkward, Laur."
" Shut up Masky."
"Gladly."