Chapter Text
The couch is not empty.
Heart is sitting on it, thinking. Thinking about the future, thinking about what’s to come..
Today is the day, his mind sings.
He wants to talk to me.
Now this could go horribly– maybe leading to some death. Or it could go.. adequately.
Heart had hoped for the latter.
His leg starts bouncing in anticipation, hand on heart. He listens intently for any noise— any sound that could indicate a person arriving– but no, nothing.
He can feel his heart racing.
Mind peaks his head into the room, his hand reaching down into his pocket..
His plan will work tonight.
“Hey.” he says, no tone in mind. He walks towards the couch and takes a seat next to Heart.
Heart turns his head towards the sound. “So.. what do you want?” he asks.
“I just– Hold on.” Mind takes a moment to think of what to say. He needs this plan to work. And to work, he needs to find the right words to influence Heart. And that’s exactly what he does.
“I wanted to.. apologize.” Mind says. This is not true. This is all part of the plan. I have to think of the plan.
“Finally,” Heart says, harsh in tone. Mind’s eyes narrowed.
“I wanted to apologize for… not listening to you. For always interrupting you when you speak. And for not paying attention or listening to what you have to say.” Mind says, looking away. Half of this was true, but he wasn’t going to admit that.
Heart listens intently. “..is that it?” he says, unamused. His shoulders lower.
“What? What else were you expecting?” Mind says, his voice raising a little.
“Something more.. violent." Heart says, looking away. "But I can’t say I don’t appreciate the sentiment.”
“So.. I want to hear what you have to say.” Mind says. “I’m all ears.” His face softens.
Heart’s eyes (...or whatever he has left of them,) widen in disbelief, and his mouth falls open.
“Oh.” he says, softly. A little surprised, even.
“Well. I figured that if we, uh, worked together instead of infighting then.. We could be functional?” Heart says, a nervous smile on his face.
“Like– I feel as if all the violence.. doesn’t actually help. It just makes things worse. We should help each other instead.”
“Hm.. Yes, I agree. That seems fair.” Mind deceived. What a hypocrite.
There’s a bit of a pause, Heart’s expression shocked, before he continues speaking.
“I’m.. this was nice.” Heart laughs nervously, a small smile on his face. “This could work, I think. I like it when you listen to me.”
Mind smiles a genuine smile— Remember the plan.
A tinge of guilt strikes through him, but he ignores the feeling.
“..I should apologize. For, y’know..” Heart says, trailing off.
“..I want you to say it. Fully.” Mind says, tone turning stern. Heart jumps a bit at the sudden change.
“R-Right– uh.. I’m.. I’m sorry for shooting you. With a gun. I may have.. overreacted.” Heart says, subconsciously rubbing at his heart. More aches.
“I don’t believe ‘overreacted’ is the right term,” Mind says, frowning. “It wasn’t just an overreaction.”
“..Can you stop? Can you stop talki–” Heart continues, voice rising, before suddenly stopping. The rubbing increases, and he scoots away from Mind on the couch.
“...Sorry,” he says, turning away. “..I don’t particularly like it when you criticize me.”
“I think you should learn how to handle criticism in a healthy way, but.. I’m also sorry.” Mind says. His lips are pressed into a thin line. “For constantly criticizing you.”
For a moment, he doesn’t want to go along with the plan, wanting to continue this gentleness. This.. peace. But I have to go through with this. It’s the only logical option.
“..Right. Thank you..” Heart says, a smile in his voice.
Mind takes a deep breath. “Would you.. like to hug? To, uh, solidify this.. Growing. And learning.”
“..Yeah! That would be nice..” Heart says, smiling. His arms move outward.
Mind leans in and embraces Heart, his arms resting on Heart’s waist. Heart’s arms wrap around Mind’s head, resting on his shoulders. It’s nice.
Mind has to tell himself that he doesn’t enjoy this. He forces himself to. I need to remember the plan.
He reaches into his pocket and grabs the kitchen knife he took from the kitchen. He aims the knife at Heart’s back, assuming where it’ll reach Heart’s heart.
I’m not sorry, I’m not sorry, I’m not sorry– Mind forces himself to think, as tears start to well up in his eyes. I… I’m so sorry.
Mind stabs the knife into Heart’s back with just enough force that it reaches through his torso.
Heart gasps, hand immediately going towards his heart. This was more painful than a heartache. Tears flowed down his face as his body suddenly leaned into the couch.
Despite being stabbed, his hands grabbed on to Mind’s shoulders for support. His thumb feels around, and for a moment, Heart can feel Mind’s tears.
Despite stabbing said person, Mind continues hugging Heart while crying. This is his breaking point.
Heart gathers all his energy just to ask one more question.
“Why?”
Mind continues sobbing into Heart’s shoulder as Heart blinks out and in of consciousness.
And he couldn’t answer him, even if he wanted to.