Chapter Text
There’s a white lie BadBoyHalo tells people about the Egg.
The Egg has a certain effect on people- a vertigo that makes it hard to think and hazes your line of sight. Said effect tends to be off putting- makes people scared when in reality, there is nothing to fear when it comes to the Egg. Still, most unacquainted with it don’t know this so Bad tells a little lie to comfort them. He tells them that eventually, the feeling will fade with time. That a closeness with the Egg will make it all be washed away.
Which isn’t exactly true, the feeling never truly goes away. Bad still feels the dizziness- like he’s stuck in a fish tank, not quite drowning but not quite able to breathe without it feeling like there’s something in his lungs- that has yet to change. If anything, Bad suspects it might’ve gotten worse.
But the thing is that Bad has gotten so used to it that he hardly thinks about it. It becomes as natural as breathing, he doesn’t flinch when his head pounds because the Egg speaks to him, he doesn’t trip over his own feet when the ground sways, and he doesn’t blink twice when he sees double. Not once does he complain- not out loud at least. He can’t complain out loud, he’s never alone anymore. The Egg is with him always, whispering in the back of his head and creating a warmth in his chest.
A white hot, uncomfortable warmth in his chest but it’s warmth nonetheless. It’s more than enough to keep him going- it’s more than he deserves. The Egg is generous- the Egg is kind to him- the Egg is one of the few things he can trust anymore.
The Egg has never abandoned him, which is why Bad doesn’t visibly react when it starts speaking to him again.
The mansion is colder than it's ever been and for more reasons than one. There’s holes that don’t help, of course, in the floorboards and in the walls. Bad’s been meaning to patch those up for a while now but always gets sidetracked. The Egg has needed his help more and more lately- feed me, help me expand, bring more souls to me- and so on, and fixing up the house always got put on the back burner because of it.
It doesn’t help that Bad’s been sleeping in the house less and less. It doesn’t feel the same without Skeppy. Red or not, Bad misses Skeppy. The mansion is far too big for him alone and he hates the way his footsteps echo down empty halls.
The house isn’t warm without Skeppy. Maybe if he fixes it, he’ll come home?
It’s the best he has so Bad picks up the quartz and warped wooden planks and tries to work at it. It’s difficult to build when his vision sways but not impossible. Not when Bad is so used to the feeling- he’s used to it, he’s used to it, he doesn’t react because he’s used to it-
“I need sustenance.”
The voice rings in his head and Bad doesn’t gasp- he doesn’t. Because it doesn’t affect him, because he’s used to it, because it definitely doesn’t shake his already unstable soul right to its core and leave him gasping- he doesn’t react and he’s not going to react.
Bad only pauses because he didn’t expect the Egg to be talking to him again. Not that it’s unwelcome- it’s always welcome.
“Of course.” Bad says robotically. He pushes himself to his feet. “I’ll stop by the cow farm- it’ll be nice and fresh. You like it fresh, right?”
“I don’t want cow.” It hisses. “I need something stronger.”
“S- stronger…” Bad echoes hesitantly. “You want me to bring you… A horse?”
“No. Not enough. I need something stronger- smarter- a little more soul in it.”
Bad’s breath doesn’t hitch because he would never dread anything the Egg asks of him. The Egg has been taking care of Skeppy- it’s helped him be with Skeppy again- he owes the Egg everything he is. He would never feel guilt pooling into his stomach as the Egg tells him exactly what he hoped it wouldn’t say.
“Bring me a humanoid. I require a sacrifice.”
And then it’s gone.
And it leaves Bad with nothing and everything at the same time.
I’ll never find the time to fix this house, will I? Bad lets out a defeated sigh, putting away the materials once again and shivers at the cold draft that passes through the house.
He has work to do. It’s never done.
—
Bad watches Puffy through the window of her house. She hasn’t noticed him yet.
She’s too busy baking, with something already in the oven and mixing together another batch. Her hair is tied back into a bun and when she wipes her forehead to get rid of the flour stuck to it, it leaves a bit of batter in its place.
A small chuckle escapes Bad’s lips watching it happen. As good of a baker as she is, Puffy was always messy in the kitchen, so busy running around trying to make sure everything was right and making enough to hand out for everyone that her once white apron was stained with colors from various ingredients.
He hasn’t seen her bake in awhile. Puffy told him once that she used to do it as a comforting strategy- getting lost in the motions that she would forget her worries. That she used to bake excessively when she had a lot on her mind and needed a break.
And judging from the two dozen cookies lying on a drying rack in the corner of the kitchen, she must have something big on her mind.
She’s distracted. It would be so easy for Bad to break in, catch her while her guard is down, and bring her to the Egg but he doesn’t move. He doesn’t think he can, frozen in time as he watches her work. He’s not close enough to know for sure but judging from past experiences, he bets she’s humming. She always liked to hum when she baked.
It hits Bad, fast and hard, just how long he’s known Puffy. Not quite as long as Skeppy or Sapnap but around the time he met Dream.
They’ve been friends for a long time. She’s stuck by his side for a long time.
Bad swallows thickly and turns away from the house. There’s gotta be another sacrifice he can find. There’s plenty of people in the SMP.
—
The next person he finds is Foolish but Bad barely gets a word in before he makes an excuse to leave. Bad doesn’t realize why until he sees the white lining his coat and how his skin looks to be more of a shade of gray rather than pitch black like it usually is.
Bad groans. His disguise wore off. Again. It's been getting harder and harder to keep it up, colors washing away day after day and the red is gone before he knows it. His deep connection with the Egg gets harder to hide and suddenly, people start avoiding him, giving him odd looks.
Probably for the best in this case. Bad doesn’t know Foolish too well but Puffy would probably kill him if he handed him over to the Egg.
Bad needs to find someone he’s not close enough to to feel too guilty and not go through with it but find someone who trusts him enough to follow him to the Egg, off color or not.
It takes Bad a solid minute to find the perfect candidate.
He really tries not to feel too guilty about what he’s going to do.
(He fails.)
—
Admittedly, it takes a few hours to track him down. He’s not the most elusive person Bad’s ever met but apparently he’s had a busy day, running errands all over the place and leaving Bad to chase after his trail.
Fortunately, he finds it in the end. Bad catches him organizing his chests and clears his throat, catching his attention.
“Hello, Ponk.” Bad smiles as warmly as he can manage and tries not to feel sick when Ponk’s eyes light up slightly upon seeing him.
“Hi Bad- oh!” Ponk’s eyes widen once he really looks at him. He abandons his chests, walking over to get a better look. “Are you trying a new look or something?”
“Something like that. Listen, Ponk-”
“You don’t look so good though.” Ponk frowns. “Not the outfit, I mean. You could pull almost anything off- but your skin looks paler. Are you alright? Are you sick?”
“I’m… Fine.” Bad answers, but Ponk must’ve heard the hesitation in his voice.
“Mmm… I don’t know, you look like you could use a nap. Do you need a place to sleep? My couch is pretty comfy if you need it.”
Bad shakes his head. “I’m too busy to sleep- I’m okay, Ponk! Really!”
Ponk doesn’t seem convinced, humming in a low tone as he silently thinks to himself. Then, his head bobs up and he runs to an enderchest, digging through it. Bad doesn’t so much as get a word in before Ponk provides him with… A golden apple.
“Here!” Ponk plops it into Bad’s hand as Bad stares at it with a puzzled expression. “Now, what did you need?”
“I…” Bad blinks. “What’s this for?”
“For you!” Ponk tells him. “Whenever I’m feeling exhausted, golden apples help me feel a lot better so I thought maybe they’d help you too!”
“O- oh.” Bad’s voice cracks. “Thank you.”
Ponk laughs. “You’re welcome! What’d you need again?”
Bad stares down at his reflection in the shine of the golden apple. A pair of sullen, guilty eyes stare back at him.
He doesn’t recognize those eyes.
“Y’know what? Maybe I do need a nap.” Bad answers quietly. He doesn’t cry even if he wants to. “Goodbye, Ponk and… Thank you.”
Ponk insists it was no big deal but is smiling regardless. He waves Bad off, wishing him a goodnight.
Bad’s footsteps become heavier the further and further away he gets from Ponk. He wants to stop moving. He wants to find a place to rest and sleep for real- when’s the last time he got proper rest?
He wants to talk to his best friend again.
But Bad gets none of those things. Only a voice in his head that radiates fury despite not voicing any of it.
“Come to me. Now.”
The Egg is disappointed and Bad can’t find it in him to blame it.
Why is he so weak?
—
As much as Bad didn’t want to go, delaying seeing the Egg would only make it worse and Bad already screwed up. He can’t afford to disappoint it further.
He arrives as quickly as he can stomach, front and center and waits. The Egg takes its time to speak again, though Bad wonders if the silence is punishment. He wouldn’t blame it, the punishment is deserved.
“I’ve given you long enough, BadBoyHalo. Why have you not brought me a sacrifice?”
Bad swallows thickly, at a loss for what to say. “I, uh. I’m sorry. I failed.”
“Sorry is not enough.” It says. “I need blood- rich blood. If I cannot have it, I’ll take it myself.”
Bad doesn’t step back and definitely doesn’t want to step back. He is not afraid- he’s not afraid. “What, uh… What does that mean exactly?”
“It means I’ll call upon one of my loyal followers to shed some of their blood for me. Nourish me. And there are only two who would answer the call.”
Bad’s heart drops before it even says anything. He knows before they say a word.
“You, BadBoyHalo, or the one you call Skeppy.” The Egg says. “Who is it going to be?”
Bad has a feeling that the Egg wouldn’t risk him dying exactly but he knows it’ll hurt. His legs nearly give out on the spot but he stands tall, facing the Egg he trusts and is met with a choice.
Or it would’ve been a choice for anyone else. But for Bad, it’s not. Because he knows his answer without question.
“I offer myself.” Bad says shakily, and if the Egg could smile, it would.
“Very good. Roll up your sleeve, BadBoyHalo.”
He does. With trembling hands, Bad rolls up the sleeve of his left arm all the way up to his forearm. The bloodvines react instantly, almost as if drawn to the idea of blood, and wrap around his arm. The thorns dig into his skin and Bad suppresses a whimper.
There’s a long pause and Bad waits breathlessly for something to happen. Then the thorns in the vines suddenly grow, digging deeper into his flesh, and Bad drops to his knees in an instant, a sharp cry escaping him.
He tried to get back up again but the Egg voice lurks in his head, telling him it would be best if he stayed down, so he does. Then he feels it and it takes everything in him not to scream.
The thorns are draining him- Bad has no doubt about that. The whole experience leaves him lightheaded and he blanks out until their thorns retract and it’s finally over. The vines unhook themselves from Bad as if he wasn’t just used as some sort of battery for a leech and the Egg…
The Egg is pleased. It speaks to him but Bad can barely make out the words but he catches something along the lines of praise. Maybe it should feel good- bring that warm feeling like before- but Bad doesn’t feel anything at all. Just an empty void and the need to find a regeneration potion as fast as possible.
Thankfully, the Egg dismisses him and the next thing Bad knows, he blinks and he’s already reached the water elevator to take him out. He doesn’t remember walking- he doesn’t know how he’s standing- but he’s a man on a mission now.
He needs a regeneration potion. That’s his only coherent thought.
The others are muddled but faintly, as he walks, Bad tells himself over and over again that it was worth it.
Anything for Skeppy, anything at all.
—
Bad is aware that he’s sitting down- on a chest, he thinks, though he’s not entirely sure. He’s aware that he’s inside now with no wind chilling him to his bones or nearly making him fall.
But Bad is still trying to figure out where he is. Or how he got here. He doesn’t really remember either, he just cradles his left arm close to his chest and tries to blink away the spots from his eyes.
A loud scream makes him jerk to attention, eyes wide. It takes him a second to focus on the figure in front of him but he pieces together that it’s Tommy from the general colors and the fact that he screamed at all. Why is Tommy here?
“What are you doing in my house?” Tommy demands and, oh, that’s where he is.
Either Tommy doesn’t wait for an answer or Bad waits too long, he isn’t sure which, but Tommy continues before he can speak up. “Ugh, I told you, I don’t care about your stupid egg! Just- leave me alone! I’m not gonna fuck with it, I just want to build my hotel! That’s it- that’s all I care about right now! Just- just my stupid, little hotel! Leave me alone!”
Tommy is angry- no, stressed? He doesn’t want Bad here. He shouldn’t have come here- why did he come here? Because he didn’t trust himself to walk any further; because it was the closest place he could safely crash while in search of a potion; because Tommy- because Tommy-
Tommy’s looking at him weird. He waves his hand in front of Bad’s face, eyebrows knitting together. “Hello? BadBoyHalo, are you still there or do you have fuckin’ eggs for brains now? Are you a literal egg head?”
Bad blinks. “What?”
“I said do you have fucking eggs for brains?” Tommy presses.
“Uh- no. My- my brain is fine.” Bad says, trying to ignore how his vision swims.
Tommy stares at him for a long moment, seemingly in disbelief. “...What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m- I’m cursing and you’re not saying shit about it. It’s weird.”
“Oh. Language. Sorry, I uh, didn’t notice?” Bad shakes his head and pushes himself off the chest. “I- I should get going, sorry for bothering you.”
Bad doesn’t even get a step in. Tommy walks right up to him and gives him a light shove that makes his knees buckle and he falls right back onto the chest with an ‘Oof!’ following. Bad shakes himself again, frowning.
“Wha- hey!” Bad has to try a little harder to get up again but another nudge from Tommy sends him right back down. “T- Tommy!”
“If you can’t even get past me, how are you supposed to walk?” Tommy asks him with a squinted look. Bad grumbles, trying to shove his way past the boy but Tommy doesn’t so much as budge and he ends up flat on his butt again. “C’mon, man. I’m- I’m not even trying that hard, aren’t you usually stronger than this? Aren’t you a demon or some shit?”
“I am- stop shoving me!” Bad tries his hardest to glare but Tommy rolls his eyes and waves him off.
“Just sit there for a bit. You’re gonna get hurt if you try and walk like that and as dickish as you’ve been lately, I’d feel bad if you got hurt. Do you need a nap or something?”
Bad resigns himself to staying on the chest and shakes his head. “Do- do you have a regeneration potion on hand?”
“Uhhh, no. Could probably make one though.” Tommy digs through his chests and pulls out nether wart and a ghast tear in a bottle, then kneels down by the brewing stand and turns it on. A flame springs to life and he waits for the water to boil.
Tommy keeps sneaking glances as he waits and eventually groans and swivels his whole body to face him. “Are you sick or something? No offense but you look like absolute shit.”
Bad catches that one and offers a weak ‘Language’ in response. He swears Tommy’s mouth quirks up for a second before he presses, “But like, seriously, should I call a hospital or something?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than I look.” Bad insists. Tommy doesn’t seem so convinced but he doesn’t press as much as Bad expects.
“Still, should-” A laugh bubbles to his throat, “Should I call your boyfriend to come and pick you up?”
Bad rolls his eyes. “Skeppy’s not my boyfriend.”
“How’d you know who I was talking about, hmmm?” Tommy smirks. “What is he then? Because it seems to me that he’s a lot more than just a friend.”
“You’re right. He’s- he’s more important than… Than anything really.” Bad’s vision gets blurry and Tommy’s smirk drops. “He’s my best friend and I… I miss him so much.”
Tears drip from his face and Bad is quick to wipe them away, taking a shuddering breath. “Sorry.” Bad croaks. “It’s… It’s been a bit of a week.”
“Mm.” Tommy huffs, adding in the Nether wart at last. Bad doesn’t miss the tension in his shoulders. “I get it. It was the same for me in exile. I missed Tubbo but couldn’t see him. Sucked.”
The lapse into silence. Bad rubs his eyes and Tommy watches as the potions start to change color ever so slightly, becoming awkward potions. “What happened to Skeppy anyways? I haven’t seen him in awhile. You guys in a fight or what?”
“I don’t know where he is.” Bad admits. “Sometimes I see him with the Egg and sometimes… I don’t know.” He hugs his knees close to his chest. “I hope he’s okay.”
“He’s probably fine.” Tommy assured him offhandedly. “I make fun of him for being a bitch boy but he’s smart. He’ll stay out of danger. Probably misses you too.”
Bad bites back a doubtful reply, remembering just how blank Red Skeppy was to see him last time. All he talked about was the Egg- which of course, Bad gets. The Egg is important- it’s helping him- but Bad…
Bad misses talking with Skeppy. About everything, about nothing at all- he just misses talking to him.
It feels wrong without him. It feels empty.
It feels cold.
“You should probably eat something.” Tommy says out of the blue. “Ghast tears kinda take a while to mix in- it’s annoying. You got a golden apple on you?”
“I- I do actually.” Bad fishes the apple Ponk gave him earlier out of his pocket with his good hand and takes a bite. Small at first but once it takes effect, Bad wastes no time wolfing it down and feeling the temporary regeneration effect take hold. He sinks into place, muscles relaxing and though it only lasts a minute, the pain is temporarily eased away.
The pain comes back but Bad doesn’t react. It’s not as bad now, only a little worse than the dizziness he’s used to. He stays quiet until Tommy is finished brewing, handing the regeneration potion over.
“Thanks.” Bad takes it with his good arm and gulps it down. The feeling is overwhelming at first but the regeneration instantly starts to speed up his internal process and make up for the blood loss. He has a feeling he’ll have to take a few more in order to get back to normal but at the very least, he feels strong enough to walk again.
He meets Tommy’s watchful gaze. “I owe you one. I… I don’t think I deserved this from you.” Bad tells him honestly.
“A big man knows when to help a guy out and I, BadBoyHalo, am the biggest man.” Tommy grins.
A short laugh leaves him. “You are a pretty big man.” Bad admits and Tommy’s eyes shine.
“You said it- no take backs!” Tommy laughs and Bad shakes his head, pushing himself up.
“I’m not going to take it back… Thank you, Tommy. I mean it.” Bad says and heads for the exit. “And… I’m sorry for pushing all the Egg stuff. I’ll see what I can do to keep you out of it, okay?”
A look of surprise covers Tommy’s face. “Oh, yeah, I’d really appreciate that. Thanks BadBoyHalo.”
Bad nods and makes the long journey back to his mansion to prepare some more regeneration potions for himself once this one wears off. Tommy’s gaze is on him as he leaves until he’s out of sight.
—
Bad makes 12 regeneration potions for himself and downs six within two days before he’s feeling strong enough again. He still gets dizzy but less so, and the scar from the thorns is almost completely gone.
Then almost as if it was waiting for him to be at full health again, the Egg calls upon him for more blood and Bad has to answer. He knows what happens if he doesn’t and his own pain is nothing if it means Skeppy is safe.
Bad is smart enough to bring a potion with him when he sees the Egg again. He rolls up his sleeve and braces himself as the vines wrap around his arm but somehow, he feels worse this time. Bad has to bite down on the leather strap that straps his sword’s sheath to his back in order to suppress the ragged cry that almost releases from his throat.
By the end of it, Bad’s throat is hoarse and when the Egg dismisses him, he stumbles out of sight and greedily gulps down the potion down to every last drop. The relief isn’t as instant as it was before and Bad nearly nods off as he waits for it to kick in. His eyelids are heavy but he gets up anyways, slowly finding his way back to the mansion and despite the last one still in effect, Bad gulps down another for good measure.
The rest are gone within the day.
The Egg calls him again a day and a half later.
Bad needs more ghast tears if he’s gonna keep this up.
—
Bad starts to lose track on how long he’s been doing this. It’s been at least two weeks but that’s all he has.
The Egg’s influence has a stronger effect on him now, either because of his blood loss, because the Egg is getting stronger because of him and his blood, or a mixture of the two. Not to mention, Bad swears it’s been taking more and more from him each time it calls. At this point, it asks for more every three to four days and Bad carries at least two regeneration potions on him at a time in order to remain standing.
His left arm has a constant tremble that hasn’t gone away since last week. He hasn’t been able to sleep for longer than three hours so he sneaks naps whenever the Egg lets him rest.
He’s so cold. So very cold all of the time.
Bad used to hunt for ghast tears himself but after far too many close calls, Bad now buys them off of other people any chance he gets. He’s lucky people like Punz and Sam grind a lot anyways, though the latter got a bit too nosy about his condition and his need for regeneration potions for Bad’s comfort.
If Sam knew, he would try and force Bad away from the Egg and Bad can’t allow that. Not when Skeppy is on the line- and even if somehow Sam managed to save Skeppy from it too, Bad has noticed how Punz and Ant’s eyes are now fully blood red and fears the Egg would only call upon them.
It’s better this way, it’s like the trolly problem. Bad sacrifices his own well-being for the well-being of others. That’s all this needs to be.
Sam wouldn’t understand. He would only want to destroy the Egg and Bad can’t allow that because- because-
...It’s so hard to think why the Egg is so important to him but it just is. Bad needs it like he needs breathing.
Does he though?
Bad shrugs off the doubt. It’s unbecoming of him.
—
Puffy wakes up to a crimson seed in her house and sees red. She destroys it almost instantly and stomps off to confront Bad, eyes narrowing.
She finds him on the way to the Egg, no surprise there. Because apparently the Egg is his best friend now and Puffy is just- just nothing. Just some nobody he knew once upon a time and doesn’t have the human decency to leave her out of this Egg stuff.
Because apparently, she’s either with them or their enemy and her and Bad have had their differences before but being considered an actual enemy hurts.
“Bad.” Puffy catches his attention and glares. “Did you seriously put one of those seeds in my house?”
Bad blinks owlishly. “What?”
“Don’t ‘What’ me! I found one of those blood vine seeds in my living room and you’ve made it perfectly clear that I’m going to love the Egg or die.” Puffy doesn’t let her voice shake with anger and stands her ground.
Bad’s gaze unfocuses. “I… I don’t think it was me. Might’ve been Punz or Ant.”
Bad turns away like that’s the end of the conversation but Puffy disagrees. She walks ahead of him and faces him, forcing him to confront her. “Tell them to stop then- I don’t want the Egg anywhere near me, okay?”
“The- the Egg is good, Puffy.” Bad tells her, blinking sleepily. “It’s better if you just… Just listen to it.”
“Are you hearing yourself?” Puffy counters. “Bad, the Egg is evil. I don’t know what it’s told you but you- I don’t even recognize you anymore- you’re not the BadBoyHalo I know because if that BadBoyHalo knew what you were doing, he would be appalled. You’re forcing your friends into loving this Egg and- and for what?”
His usual fire for the topic isn’t there. Maybe that should’ve been what tipped Puffy off to the fact that something is wrong but it isn’t. Bad just shakes his head and moves past her, saying he has somewhere to be.
And in one last effort to breakthrough to him- to get her friend back- she grabs his arm to stop him.
And Bad cries out like she’s burned him.
Puffy releases him immediately and Bad cradles his left arm close to his chest, staring at her with wide eyes. She holds her hands up and takes a step back. “I- I didn’t think I grabbed that hard- are you okay?”
Bad doesn’t answer. He takes one, two, five steps back. Slowly, Puffy’s arms lower. “Bad… Are you hurt?”
“I-…” Bad chews the inside of his cheek, eyes squeezing shut. “There’s nothing you could do for me, Puffy.”
Bad turns and runs for the Egg’s room, leaving Puffy stunned in place. By the time she has enough will to muster up a few more questions, Bad is long gone and she doesn’t trust herself enough with the Egg to follow.
Puffy doesn’t want to assume the worst but she can’t help but realize just how off Bad seemed. Not his usual self, not even his more devious demeanor that seems hellbent on seeing the Egg take over the SMP, but quieter. So deathly quiet that it now scares her to think about.
Puffy tries to catch Bad when he leaves the Egg room but either he’s purposefully avoiding her or he’s staying in there, she isn’t sure which.
Either answer shakes her to her core.
—
In all the time he’s known him, Quackity can count the number of times he’s seen Sapnap openly unsure on one hand.
One of which is the day the community house was destroyed and he stared at a crater with vacant eyes and didn’t say much for the rest of the day.
Another was the day they confronted Dream which ended in them throwing him in prison. Sapnap disappeared for most of that day, only returning with raw, red eyes and no more tears left to shed.
And now, Sapnap keeps checking his communicator with a similar look in his eyes as he did those days, which instantly sets off alarms in Quackity’s head. He quickly asks what’s wrong and Sapnap’s mouth presses into a thin line.
“Bad isn’t responding to any of my messages. It’s been a few days and… Nothing.” Sapnap stares at his communicator for a little longer before putting it down and running a hand through his hair. “Maybe he’s just been busy and hasn’t realized it’s been that long but it’s starting to concern me. Usually he’s not this late.”
Quackity is quick to assure him that he’s probably assuming the worst and that it’s probably nothing to worry about. Even so, Quackity makes mental plans to find Bad anyways and tell him to pick up his goddamn communicator every once in a while because his messages have gone unread as well.
As soon as he’s sure Sapnap’s in a better place, Quackity tracks the demon down to the prime path, headed towards his mansion.
Bad ignores his first few calls, forcing Quackity to actually jog up to him and put his hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Bad jolts like he’s been electrocuted and whirls around in a shock. Quackity has to take a step back, hands up.
“Bad! Good to see you man, how have you been?” Small talk comes easy to him but it falls off his tongue upon seeing how discolored Bad looks. His face looks paler than before and despite staring right at him, Bad doesn’t look like he actually sees Quackity at all. “Bad?”
Bad shakes his head with a halfhearted and inaudible reply and turns away. He continues home but he stumbles like his legs are made of jelly and Quackity is quick to wrap an arm around his shoulder to help him walk.
“Whoa- dude, are you okay?” Quackity feels concern cover his face but Bad just shakes himself again and mumbles something about needing to get home. Quackity decides to follow the direction considering it’s probably the best way to get him to sit down and rest somewhere. Only then will he get answers anyways.
The second they step foot in his mansion, Bad breaks away and makes a beeline for a chest set up in the living room. He pulls out a potion, drinks all of it, and manages to fall onto the couch rather than the floor when his legs give out. Quackity double checks that Bad’s breathing properly before peeking inside the chest.
“Holy shit- Bad, why do you need this many regeneration potions?” Quackity gawks at the stash. “This is like half a chest.”
“It used to be full.” Bad mumbles, like that makes things better. “But I used half already…”
Quackity stares at him, waiting for some sort of punchline or indication that it’s sarcasm or a joke or not real. Bad stares back, expression blank.
“Are you okay, dude?” Quackity blurts out at last.
Bad only laughs bitterly and says, “I feel euphoric” like it’s some kind of joke but Quackity doesn’t get that one. Bad mumbles something inaudible when Quackity asks what it means and his gaze is distant. His behavior is so alien that fear overwhelms him until he has enough will to shake it off.
“Okay, that’s it. I’m not usually a tattletale because I can handle things myself but you’re being-...” He trails off, vaguely gesturing at Bad before turning on his heel and scanning the house. “Where’s Skeppy? He can probably-”
Then that bitter laugh returns, breathless and twice as alarming. Every hair is on its end as he turns to Bad again, looking more lifeless than he ever has.
“Skeppy’s not here, Mr. Quackity.” Bad says as-a-matter-of-factly. “He hasn’t been here in… Has it been a month? Oh, how time flies.”
His tone is bitter and sarcastic and cold- so very cold. Not like Bad who folds immediately anytime Quackity fake cries. Not like Bad, whose delighted giggle and whose tail swishes back and forth happily when he’s done something even remotely devious makes it hard to be mad at him when Quackity falls for one of his tricks.
Not like Bad, who shines brighter than the sun itself when he’s around Skeppy and shows colors Quackity has never seen without him around.
Quackity may joke about replacing Skeppy because it’s so easy to get him riled up but one night when Skeppy was looking particularly down and Quackity realized this was starting to cross the line from joke to somebody actually getting hurt, he quickly pulled him aside and very seriously told Skeppy that their jokes were nothing more than jokes. Because maybe Skeppy knew better than to actually believe that Bad would replace him but the reassurance seemed to help him regain the confidence he held before.
Quackity could never replace Skeppy, nor does he want to. Bad told him once, under the night sky with a million stars above them, that no, he and Skeppy weren’t dating, nor had they ever dated, but they weren’t just best friends either. It was stronger than both of those things, a platonic connection that bloomed since the day they met and that they could bring out the best, and admittedly in bad days, the worst, in each other. That they connected when they first met and now had a very physical bond that would never fade.
That day, Bad was completely open with him about something he didn’t talk about lightly. He trusted Quackity and told him about their demonic bond.
A bond that made it impossible for Skeppy to physically age. A bond that kept Bad tethered to the mortal plane and able to live a proper life on the surface. A bond that connected their souls in life, and, Bad told him very seriously, in death.
If Skeppy were to die, as difficult as it would be to cause given their bond, Bad would go down with him.
(“That,” Quackity said breathlessly after hearing it, “Sounds very dangerous.”
Bad hummed. “It’s not something to take lightly. If bonded to the wrong person, it would make the remaining of that demon’s life a living hell.”
“You must’ve trusted him a lot to go through with it then.” Quackity has a difficult time imagining it. He put his heart on the line once and got chewed up and spit out. It’s been difficult for him to try again, even if he knows he can trust them. “Isn’t it terrifying though? Wondering if he’s just saying he cares about you because it benefits him?”
Bad laughed at that. “It was before I bonded with him but not anymore. I get echoes of his emotions, you know. His happiness, his excitement, his fear, his sorrow, his jealousy- all of it. I would know if he lied to me about that, but he never has. Not once.”)
Quackity looks at Bad now, colorless and defeated, and quietly asks, “Where’s Skeppy then?”
“I don’t know.” Bad’s voice cracks. “The Egg took him and I… I haven’t even seen him in weeks. The only reason I know he’s okay is because I would feel if he died but… It still hurts. It still hurts.”
Quackity sharply inhales. “The Egg- it’s doing this to you, isn’t it? Not just separating you from Skeppy but this- draining you, hurting you, making you need- half a chest of regeneration potions apparently. Is that what’s happening?”
Bad doesn’t meet his eyes. It tells him everything he needs to know.
Quackity takes a step forward. “Bad, you have to get away from it.”
“Skeppy-”
“-Needs to get away from it too. Whoever else is in its grasp too, we need to destroy that thing. Whatever happened, we’ll fix it.”
Bad’s jaw clenches. “I tried to fix it, Quackity. Nothing worked. Skeppy barely even recognized me anymore and- and it was so hard to feel him through the bond until I connected with the Egg too. The Egg gave him back to me and all it asks is for me to do whatever it wants in return.”
“It’s hurting you, Bad.”
Bad’s eyes finally meet his, more fire in him then he’s seen in the entire conversation. “I don’t care.”
Quackity has to take a step back. Bad hesitates before he continues again. “Do you have people you care about, Quackity? People you would do anything for in order to see that they’re okay- even at the expensive of your own happiness? Do you have people you would tear yourself apart for? Do you have people who you wouldn’t just die for- but live for? Live despite agony, despite sorrow, despite the fact that you might never be the same again but you’re willing to sacrifice everything you are and live with the consequences if it meant, that at the very least, they would be okay?”
Quackity thinks of jet black hair, fiery eyes, and that stupidly confident smirk he loves to see. He thinks of brown hair, eyes that flicker with energy, and that hysterical laugh he loves to hear.
He thinks of promises- a million and one promises shared between the three of them. Promises of protection, of devotion, of love, honesty, and everything in between. He thinks of how he was so close to running away and leaving it all behind, but he clung to those two, the only two he knew without a doubt he could trust with his heart, and stayed despite everything.
He thinks of all of this in a split second and answers without hesitation, “Yes.”
“Then understand that I’m not doing this for me,” Bad tells him. “But for him.”
“I understand that,” Quackity says, voice hardening. “But he wouldn’t want this if he knew. You and I both know that. You would break his fucking heart if he knew.”
“I know. But he’s not here, is he?”
“I am.” Quackity musters his confidence together and steps forward. “I’m not Skeppy- never have been, never will be- but I am your friend. And I’m asking you right now, please, let me help.”
They stare at each other for a long time. Bad is first to break away, eyes on the ground. “You can’t help me, Quackity.”
Quackity grits his teeth. “I’m not going to stand here and let you destroy yourself like this.”
“Then leave.”
Bad doesn’t meet his gaze again, he doesn’t even try. Quackity doesn’t realize his hands are shaking until he’s already out the door.
He doesn’t know what he can do to help him. He doesn’t even know if he can help him.
He doesn’t know what he’s going to tell Sapnap. He doesn’t know if he can.
—
Ever since Punz let the Egg’s influence take over, he’s felt different.
He has dizzy spells and moments of weakness, of course- though according to Bad, those are normal and it gets easier- but there are other moments too. Pure electricity in his brain- pure chaos in his veins.
Punz wanted chaos and the Egg gave it to him. The Egg promises everything to him and in return, he promises to fight for it. To be it’s knight and do whatever it asks- to kill whoever it asks.
It feels good. Punz watches the bloodvines completely cover his tower and breathes out slowly. It feels good.
He would do anything for the Egg. Anything for that feeling of chaos in his veins to stay- anything at all, just say the word.
(Chaos means freedom. Chaos is where Punz has always thrived. He hasn’t felt the same as he used to since he joined the SMP.
He thought working for Schlatt would bring chaos but that man was irritatingly lawful. Nothing he did was outside of what he was allowed to do. Punz was nothing but a soldier following orders and he hated it more than anything.
Schlatt tried to make him wear a suit once. Punz took one look at himself in the mirror when he put it on and the next thing he knew, the mirror was in shards on the floor and his suit was ripped to pieces.
He turned on Schlatt without blinking an eye.
Then there was Dream. Dream, who gave him a shield and spoke of Team Chaos that sounded like everything he wanted. Dream, who paid him to be a mercenary and for so, so long, Punz thought that maybe, this would give him what he wanted. Give him that same freedom in his youth: Punz, the terrifying mercenary who never lost his mark because he physically couldn’t.
Having the blood of a pilliger had its advantages and disadvantages but Punz’s personal ‘Bad Omen’ he put on people to track them made him the perfect mercenary. He missed the way people used to respect him when they heard his name. He missed the thrill of the fight and the satisfaction of victory.
He thought Dream could give that back to him. He thought he would feel that freedom again that chaos had given him.
It took Punz far too long to realize that Dream’s promises of chaos were empty. He didn’t want chaos- he wanted control. He wanted Punz on a leash- to cage him rather than give him the wings he needed to reach his full potential.
It took Punz seeing the word ‘Shulker’ on a frame in a hallway that mocked him to realize all of this. He felt no remorse watching Dream be dragged away to a prison.
But the Egg gave him the chaos he longed for. The Egg knew he was disappointed and at a loss for what to do next and it gave him wings. Wings in the form of a feeling in his veins he longed for and in return, asked only his devotion.
Which of course, Punz gave without question.)
The Egg was everything to him now and few people understood what it could do for them. But Ant did and while Punz hadn’t known him all that well before, they stuck around each other now, as those connected to the Egg should.
Bad used to join them frequently but had been noticeably absent recently. Punz last saw him a week ago when he asked for ghast tears, telling Punz he needed it for the Egg. Of course Punz gave it to him then, anything to help the Egg expand.
And now, Punz and Ant wanted to see it again in all its glory. The vines had been spreading a lot recently, he had a feeling the Egg had gotten stronger. He and Ant walked in lockstep down the corridor and the closer he got, the more he could hear the Egg’s whispers in his ear.
His mind drifted briefly but came back into focus when somebody stumbled out of the entrance, heavily relying on the wall to stand. Both he and Ant blinked in unison at who it was.
“Bad?” Ant’s voice wavered with emotion and Bad looked up, eyes wide and wild. His left sleeve was rolled up and his skin looked… Wrong.
The change the Egg brought was good- Punz’s eyes had turned blood red and it felt good, a brand new Punz- but this didn’t look like that. Bad was turning white because of the Egg but his skin around his arm looked raw and irritated. It looked too much like a wound that kept trying to heal, only to be reopened again and again and Punz’s head might’ve been cloudy but he knew that was wrong.
Bad shakily pulled his sleeve down. Ant’s stance wavered. “Bad… Are you okay?”
Bad nodded hastily but Punz knew almost instantly that it was a lie. His breath was short and shaky and he tried to push past them but Punz blocked his path. Ant took that as an opportunity to talk to him.
“What’s going on? Did someone attack you? Was it Sam? Puffy? Tommy?” Ant watched his face but judging by the disappointment in his eyes, none of his guesses were right. “Bad-”
“It’s fine- I’m handling it.” Bad said, looking one wrong move away from collapsing. “I- I just need to go home and- and get some rest, okay?”
Bad tried to squeeze past Punz but Punz didn’t move. His eyes narrowed. “You have a repetitive injury, that’s not fine. Who did this to you? The Eggpire protects its own, we need to know.”
Bad squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “You- you wouldn’t understand.”
“Bad.” Ant said in a firmer tone.
“The Egg needed blood.” Bad says finally, meeting their gazes. Ant and Punz both freeze simultaneously but Bad doesn’t wait for them. “And- and I was too weak to get it a sacrifice in time so I… I gave it to it myself.”
The world stops. The world shatters.
“...Bad?” Ant says. It’s the only thing he can seem to say and Punz doesn’t blame him. He can’t speak at all.
But Bad knows what Ant wants to say. The millions of questions in that one, tentative word.
“It kept asking.” Bad tells them. “So I kept answering the call. But- it’s fine. I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”
Bad finally squeezes past Punz when he’s too stunned to move and disappears. Punz and Ant stand there for minutes, hours, days- he doesn’t know. Time is meaningless and when Punz finally comes to, he sees the vines and feels sick.
“We have to get out of here.” Punz grabs Ant by the arm and drags them both to the water elevator. He doesn’t just stop there, at first instinctually heading for home but then he remembers the vines covering his tower and turns the other way.
He keeps walking until he finds a place, untouched by the vines. Church of Prime, which holy lands nearly burn him to stand on but it’s the only place he knows is safe from the Egg’s reach. Standing on its ground is enough to quiet it's whispers, though they don’t fully fade.
Punz and Ant both collapse in one of the rows and take a second to breathe. Ant seems to be deep in thought and Punz-
His hands won’t stop shaking.
The Egg is using him. It doesn’t care about chaos or giving him freedom or anything- it wants to use him up and throw him away when he breaks. It wants to drain him like it drained Bad and Punz is so, so sick of being used.
His eyes itch and burn. Punz covers them with both hands and groans.
“What the hell.” Punz says at last, because what else is there to say?
“I don’t know what to do.” Ant says slowly. “This… This changes everything. Oh my god, Bad- what if it kills him? Can- can we disconnect him from the Egg somehow? Stop him from answering its calls?”
Punz meets his gaze, red eyes staring uncertainly for the first time since changing color. “How are we supposed to help him when we can barely stand here without feeling wrong and wanting to retreat back to the Egg?”
Punz knows he feels it too- the pull. The way his skin crawls, how he has to make an effort to keep himself in one piece, the whispers promising everything he wants and even though he knows they’re lies now, they’re such sweet, sweet lies. Comforting lies he wants to be true.
His hands won’t stop shaking. He hates it.
“I… I don’t know.” Ant grabs his head and groans. “I don’t know. I- we have to- but we can’t-” Another frustrated noise leaves him before the silence takes him both.
Punz’s leg starts bouncing. He feels wrong here- he needs to get out, needs to be with the Egg, needs to feel that chaos in his veins-
“What are you two doing here?” A hostile voice accuses and Punz is on his feet with a weapon in hand before he even processes who spoke.
Sam and Puffy stand in front of him, both with weapons drawn and eyeing him and Ant warily. Punz’s heart thumps in his chest and he can’t tell if he’s relieved to see them or not. One part of him sees them as nothing but the enemy but another, more desperate part of him knows they need their help.
“The Egg is fucked up.” Are the first words to leave his mouth. The wave of relief that passes over Puffy and Sam is instant.
“That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time.” Sam groans. “If you guys listened to me from the start, you would know that.”
Puffy looks at him and Ant more thoughtfully and pauses. “What changed your mind exactly? The other day you put one of those seeds in my house, what changed?”
Punz and Ant exchange glances. Ant speaks up in the end. “It… It did something to Bad. It’s doing something to him still and- it’s using him. It’s hurting him for its own gain and he’s letting it.”
Puffy’s hands fly to her mouth. Sam’s shoulders tense before his jaw sets and he steps forward.
“Tell us everything. Spare no details.”
—
The Egg has never called him twice in the same day but Bad can’t ignore it. He stumbles down the hall and faces the Egg once again, trying to stand his ground.
“What have you done?” The Egg hisses at him.
“I- I don’t understand.” Bad stutters.
“My soldiers- they are out of my reach. Punz and Antfrost, I cannot feel them anymore. What did you do?”
Bad lets out a sharp laugh. “I didn’t do anything- they saw what you did and made their own choices.” Either confidence or apathy takes control, he doesn’t know which. “And you know what? Maybe they’re better off this way. Far away from your reach.”
The Egg screeches in his head and Bad feels his knees buckle. He’s kneeling on the ground, panting for breath, but his heart has long since hardened beyond the capacity for him to care.
“You never cared about me…” Bad spits out. “You- you took Skeppy from me. I hate you.”
“So ungrateful. He came to me- I fixed him. You should’ve been there for him when he needed you.”
“You- you’re the one who made us fight in the first place!” Bad doesn’t have it in him to scream but he raises his voice as high as it can go. “I was under your control and it- it kept messing with our bond and the second I started to pull away from you-...”
It hits Bad. It’s so obvious but it only hits him now. “You… You knew you wouldn’t be able to fully control me without him. You took him because you knew I would come back to you in the end and… And…”
There’s nothing else to say. Bad grits his teeth and hacks at the bond created between him and the Egg. “I hate you...”
“Hm.” The vines begin to circle him, grabbing his arms and wrapping around his legs. Bad tries to break free but he’s far too weak and they both know it. “So you do… Very well, I don’t need you as a champion anymore. I only need your blood.”
Thorns dig into his skin- not just the ones in his arm but in his leg and his chest. Bad doesn’t have any energy left in him to scream.
—
Skeppy is euphoric, as he is always.
The Egg promised him nothing but euphoria and has kept its word. Time passes quickly- Skeppy blinks and never has any idea of where he is but nothing matters. Because Skeppy is euphoric and the Egg gives him everything he wants. Everything he needs.
When Skeppy had first come to the Egg, he was at his lowest. Jealous, angry, hateful- all directed at the Egg and wanting nothing more to break through its shell and destroy it.
Skeppy asked Bad if he was more important or if the Egg was and he hesitated. Bad never hesitated, not once.
Skeppy cracked through its exterior and immediately, vines grabbed him and pulled him in. He fought and kicked and bit and screamed but the Egg refused to let him go. He couldn’t destroy it, hot tears streamed down his face and all he wanted was for the pain to melt away. All he wanted was to stop feeling all these messy emotions and finally get some peace.
And then for the first time, Skeppy heard the Egg speak. And it promised him to take the pain away- to make him numb until he felt nothing but euphoria. And Skeppy fought it at every turn at first but hours passed and Skeppy felt his will drop. His eyelids were heavy and he was so, so tired of fighting.
The Egg promised he would never have to fight again and finally, Skeppy gave in. A numbing feeling took over and Skeppy watched as red painted over blue until he was a completely new person.
Skeppy was red and numb and euphoric and the Egg had given that to him. He didn’t know pain anymore, only the happiness the Egg brought him.
Skeppy doesn’t know how long he’s been red but he doesn’t need to know. He doesn’t need anything.
Skeppy blinks and he’s in the Egg’s room again, slowly moving around and inspecting the place. Something feels so off- so different- but he doesn’t know what it is. Is something wrong with the Egg?
The Egg feels different but not bad. It’s radiating with power- stronger than before- but this isn’t like that. Skeppy feels like a piece of him is missing but he just can’t place what it is.
Something is wrong but Skeppy feels euphoric- right?
Skeppy nearly stumbles over a mass of vines gathered at the base of the Egg. He glances down at them. Something is wrapped around them, unmoving. It takes him a minute to recognize it but the second he does-
Skeppy stops. He stares.
“Skeppy.” The Egg tells him. “Look at me.”
He doesn’t. He can’t look away. Something in him twists and it’s wrong, wrong, wrong-
“Bad.” His tone wavers for the first time in weeks- months? The demon is trapped in the vines, eyes closed and not moving. Not breathing? Is he breathing? “What are you doing to Bad…”
“I needed blood. He provides it for me. Do not worry, he cannot die if you are safe.”
Bad’s face is twisted, he’s littered with injuries- he’s hurt.
“You’re hurting him.”
“Pain is temporary.”
The euphoria is gone and Skeppy breathes in sharply. His head spins, his vision blurs- emotion hits him like a tidal wave and leaves him gasping. Something snaps and all at once, he's overwhelmed.
“Skeppy, let me take away your pain.”
“No.” Skeppy grits his teeth. He clenches his fist so hard that his nails leave crescent shaped marks in the palm of his hand. “You- you’re hurting him.”
“Skeppy.”
The Egg’s influence rises to try and take him again but Skeppy steps back. Everything hurts- he feels fear, sorrow, guilt, and fury all at once before the latter takes him by storm and his sword is out in an instant. Vines rise up to try and grab him but Skeppy slashes and cuts at them viciously.
“YOU’RE HURTING HIM!” Skeppy roars, showing no mercy for the Egg that he thought he loved mere minutes before. Everything in him aches and finally- finally, he can feel Bad through their bond in full force, like a dam breaking and releasing everything that's built up.
And all Skeppy feels is hurt and it makes his arms tremble. He feels so cold.
“I didn’t hurt him.” The Egg says. “You did.”
And Skeppy stops holding back. A mass of vines spring at him and all he sees is red.
—
Bad is MIA and Sam dreads the answer of where he could be.
The mansion is empty, he’s not with Sapnap or any of his friends, all of his usual favorite spots are vacant and the one place they haven’t checked is the one place Sam prays he isn’t. But judging from the fact that they can’t find him anywhere, it’s the only place that makes sense.
Sam gathers himself, Puffy, Sapnap, Quackity, and Karl, all people he knows he can trust. Punz and Ant can’t leave the Church of Prime without their confidence over being able to fight the Egg visibly wavering so they’re stuck there until they can find a solution. Sam doesn’t know a way of destroying it yet but they don’t need that right now.
What they need, he explains to the group, is to extract Bad from the Egg and seal it in the statue room until they can figure out how to get rid of it for good. A rescue mission, and once they’re all prepared, the five of them make their strike.
Sapnap and Sam are to remain on the offensive, Karl and Quackity on the defensive while Puffy searches and extracts Bad. The plan is simple, easy to follow, and that’s all they need.
Even so, when they finally all step into the statue room, Sam still feels dizzy. He shakes it off and adjusts his gas mask but it still feels so incredibly wrong and he fights his instincts to run.
The Egg is immediately hostile towards them, striking hard and fast with bloodvines. Sam hesitates but thankfully only makes that mistake once and when he does, Sapnap is ready. He cuts the vines down with a brutal efficiency and pure fury burns in his eyes. It occurs to Sam, as Sapnap strikes the bloodvines without question, how much Bad means to him. How Bad once mentioned that he found Sapnap when he was a kid- scared, abandoned, and surrounded by flames he created- and that Bad took him in and taught him how to control it.
Bad said once that Sapnap was born in the fire and lived his whole life much like a flame- red hot and powerful. Sam experiences this power first hand and when fire erupts from Sapnap’s hands, he is not surprised.
“Puffy!” Sam calls to her but doesn’t take his eyes off of the vines attacking him. He hacks and slashed at them and feels satisfied at the echoes of pain the Egg seems to feel. “Any sign of him?”
“Yes but…” Puffy hesitates. “You see those clusters of vines? There’s two- one by the Egg and another about halfway?”
Sam spots what she’s talking about and nods. Vines are coiled into a tight ball but Sam has no idea why. “What about them?”
“They- they look like they could hold a person, Sam.”
It clicks in his head. “Cut open the one closest to us first and see if he’s in there. We’ll cover you!”
Puffy nods and gets to work on sawing the vines away. Quackity and Karl shout warnings as the vines keep trying to catch Sam off guard but he remains strong. Sapnap on the other hand is having a field day, waves of fire coming off of him and slowly starting to burn the vines away. Sam didn’t expect the fire to work as well given the vines seem fine with lava but, Sam considers, Sapnap’s fire seems different. It has the ability to burn them when nothing else will.
Behind him, Puffy gasps and just before all hell breaks lose, he hears one word he wasn’t expecting.
“Skeppy?”
As soon as he’s free, Skeppy springs out of the vines and recklessly starts swinging. A scream escapes him as he does and his eyes are wild and furious. Puffy stumbles back, especially eyeing the red painted all over him but he doesn’t so much as look at her wrong. His eyes are on the vines and only the vines.
His whole body is shaking, he’s breathing irregularly- he’s going to hurt himself, Sam realizes.
He approaches Skeppy quickly, closing in on him. He gets swung at for moving suddenly but as soon as Skeppy realizes it’s him, he stops. He steps back when Sam steps forward but isn’t fast enough as Sam pulls him into his arms and squeezes.
Skeppy’s shakes violently, trying to wiggle out of his grip before an ugly sob overtakes him and he goes limp in Sam’s arms. Puffy quickly rushes to the other mass of vines, Sapnap still fights them head on with Karl and Quackity assisting him however they can, but Sam holds Skeppy close and hears his urgent whispers.
“It hurt him, it hurt him, it hurt him so bad and I- I didn’t-” Skeppy’s words dissolve into incoherent blubbering and he can’t seem to stop shaking. The red on him starts to drip like wet paint and reveals blue underneath.
Sam just nods and gives a hushed, “I know, I’m sorry” back in an attempt to comfort him. Sapnap gives him a gesture to get Skeppy out of here and he nods in agreement.
Skeppy however, doesn’t cooperate as much. He thrashes, insisting he can’t leave without Bad and nearly breaks out of Sam’s hold until he sees Puffy emerging, dragging Bad’s limp body with her, and they begin their retreat. They barely get three feet into the hall before Skeppy finally frees himself and practically flings himself at Puffy and Bad. The latter is wrapped into his arms and Skeppy sobs in relief.
Sam swallows but their job isn’t done yet. “Quackity, Karl-”
“On it.” Quackity tells him and the pair pull out obsidian and start to block up the exit.
There’s a quiet moment as they work. Sapnap slumps on the floor, burned out and exhausted; Puffy rubs circles into Skeppy’s back as he clings to Bad like a lifeline; and Sam himself can finally get a second to breathe, though he finally notices that some of Skeppy’s red came off and is now all over his clothes. He grimaces but at the very least, it means Skeppy is at least partially freed from the Egg’s influence.
That quiet moment doesn’t last. The first layer of obsidian is put up but the vines suddenly start violently smashing into it, trying to break through it. Skeppy yelps, scrambling back and dragging Bad back with him. Sam, Sapnap, and Puffy however, all spring to help Karl and Quackity.
With all of them working together, the second, third, and fourth layer of obsidian are put up within minutes and only then does Sam feel better. He can still hear the vines trying to break it but it seems unsuccessful. Adrenaline still makes his whole body almost vibrate with nervous energy but he shakes it off and takes deep breaths.
“Uh... Guys?” Karl is the one to break the silence. He stares behind them, eyes searching for something. “Where did Skeppy and Bad go?”
The four of them all tense and whip around in alarm. Lo and behold, Skeppy is nowhere to be seen, and he took Bad with him.
They all stand there, dread starting to get to each and every one of them as they slowly realize their work still isn’t finished.
“Fuck.” Sapnap breathes.
—
Tommy stares at the outside of the community house, eyebrow raised. “Huh. Doesn’t look like shit.”
“I think Puffy’s been rebuilding it.” Tubbo tells him, nodding in agreement. “Pretty nice of her, especially considering she’s one of the last people who would be responsible to do it in the first place, y’know? Not her job but… She did it anyways. Nice of her!”
Tommy nods and the pair head inside, getting a good look at it. There isn’t much to see, it’s wide open and empty, but it’s nice. Tommy honestly likes it better than the last one already, though it probably helps that Puffy built this one and not Dream. Anything associated with Dream tends to turn sour for Tommy.
“Not bad.” He says. “The crafting table floor still looks like shit though.”
Tubbo laughs at that and Tommy grins. He missed just the two of them goofing around.
Which of course, means they’re interrupted. The door is pushed open and both of their attentions snap to Skeppy of all people- since when does Skeppy wear red?- carrying Bad on his back. He doesn’t even look at them, quickly passing through the house and leaving through a different exit.
“Oi!” Tommy follows him and notices he’s making a beeline for the portal and calls out to him. Skeppy stiffens and whips around. Tommy falters upon seeing the way his eyes look. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Skeppy shakes his head and turns back to the portal. He readjusts his hold on Bad, as if scared of dropping him, and slowly makes his way up the steps.
“Gotta get to safety. Not safe here.” Skeppy mumbles, just barely loud enough for Tommy or Tubbo to hear. The pair exchange looks.
“Uh, Skeppy?” Tubbo tries. Skeppy doesn’t turn to look this time but does stop. “Are you feeling alright? Do you need help?”
Skeppy just kept shaking his head, stepping towards the portal. “Not safe here.” He repeats. “Need to get to somewhere safe.”
Tubbo and Tommy watch him disappear through the portal without the slightest idea of what was going on. They try and shrug it off but can’t shake the eerie feeling they got from him. Ten to twenty minutes later when Quackity finds them and asks them if they have seen Skeppy or Bad, they tell him exactly what happened and his face goes pale.
Within ten minutes after that, Quackity, Puffy, Sam, Karl, and Sapnap enlist both of their help, as well as help from a few others like Ponk and Purpled, to help search the Nether for the pair. Neither Tommy nor Tubbo know why they search so urgently but they piece together what they can.
The search comes up empty. Neither are anywhere to be seen.
—
“You’re doing it again.”
Technoblade huffed, irritated and stuffed his communicator back into his pockets. Philza chuckled at him, though it was more sympathetic than mean spirited.
“It’s okay to be anxious, mate. Just admit it, you’ll feel better.”
“I’m not anxious.” Techno told him. “I’m simply… Curious as to why I haven’t gotten any messages back.”
Techno tries to focus back on organizing his chests but a bark of a laugh from Ranboo sours his mood.
“You- you realize you’ve checked your communicator like thirty times in the last hour, right? You’re making me nervous.”
Techno groans and rubs his temples. “You’re both giving me a headache.” He grumbles but there’s no bite to his words. Phil shrugs him off easily and Ranboo follows suit once he sees Phil relax.
“Who are you waiting for a message from anyways?” Phil asks curiously as he separates the bones and the rotten flesh in the chests. Techno just shakes his head dismissively.
“Doesn’t matter. He hasn’t answered, probably busy.”
“So it’s a he then!” Ranboo says.
Ranboo earns a glare from Techno and shrinks but gets a light smack from Phil for his behavior. “Oi, don’t take it out on the kid! Just help us finish this up. You always feel better working rather than waiting around.”
Phil’s right and Techno knows it. He swallows his nerves and works, getting lost in the motions and letting himself become numb. He almost forgets about his worries completely until a buzzing from his communicator brings them back to life and he quickly snatches it up and brings it up to his ear.
There’s a long pause as Techno waits with bated breath before he hears it. “Technoblade?”
Techno only feels relieved for a second. There’s something off- he can feel it. The way his voice cracked when he spoke- strained. “Skeppy, what’s wrong?”
“I- I tried to find you. You said you live in a tundra, right? I- I found one but I don’t know if it’s the right one and…”
Techno’s chest squeezes. There's no energy left in his voice- so unlike him. Something is very, very wrong. “Skeppy, where are you? Are you hurt?”
“I don’t know.” Skeppy laughs hoarsely. “But Bad is. I- I can’t tell if he’s breathing, Techno. I don’t know what to do- I need to get him somewhere safe and you- can I ask a big favor? I really need help, I’m fucking terrified.”
“Send me your coordinates.” Techno tells him firmly without a second thought. “I’ll be there as fast as I can. Do not move. Stay put. Understood?”
“Y- yeah… Please hurry.”
Skeppy hangs up and sends him the coordinates a beat later. Techno barely has to tell Phil a word before he’s gathering materials for regeneration and health potions, enlisting Ranboo’s help in brewing them.
Techno leaves them to it, gripping the communicator tightly in his hands and exits his cabin. He gently pulls Carl out of his stable and mounts him. He takes off in the snow, following the coordinates and ushering Carl to run as fast as he can.
His knuckles turn white as they squeeze on the reins. He hasn’t heard Skeppy that scared in a long, long time and Techno hoped he would never have to hear it again.
Techno is no BadBoyHalo but he considers Skeppy one of the few people he can trust and he would sooner take on an army than hear his frantic voice on the other side of the line beg for help.