A/N: Chapter three! Yay! I finally got off of my lazy ass and posted something that's been done for a day and a half! I mean... Strenuously written and corrected...
Painter: Why must you do this to me?
Mundie: reviews. Now get back to being heartbroken. This chapter isn't about you.
Puppeteer: Yeah it's my turn to have fun…
Q: *Sigh*… Enjoy!
Puppet's Pov
I rub my eyes as I roll out of bed. I'd tossed and turned all night thinking about what had happened. How had I fucked it all up so badly? I loved Painter! I thought he knew that. Apparently, I had ruined it all.
I want to apologize, but I'm not sure he'll listen. What have I done? I'm always so careful of him, almost like he's made of glass, and the one time I forget…
I wish I hadn't flirted with Zero. I get that I'm dating him, but what can I say? I'm a guy. And a bisexual one at that. I'll admit, I'm interested in Zero. I have been since she tried to kill me. That didn't mean my heart wasn't Painter's. I shouldn't have flirted so shamelessly with her, but I didn't think he would take it so…personally.
I groan. Bullshit. I knew he would take it personally. He always does. I never should have played with his feelings like that. I have to at least try to make up with him.
"Painter? You in there?" I ask, knocking on his door. "Look I'm sor-"
"Fuck you!" greets me from the opposing end. So much for that.
"Painter, I'm serious! I'm sorry I messed with you like that." I feel frustration building up in me. "You know I l-"
"SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. I'm fed up with your shit! Go play with your new toy."
I feel my heart break. I was being a stuck up idiot for ever thinking he would take me back. But I can't help trying one more time. "I would never lie to you, Painter."
The door swings in and I'm met with a trembling knife an inch away from my nose. Painter looks to be in worse shape than I am. His hair is a basket case and his eyes are swollen and bloodshot. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE, PUPPETEER! YOU'RE ALL LIARS!" His blade shakes violently. Something in his eyes has broken to pieces. "I don't want to hear it. I'm leaving." And then he's gone.
I stand there fighting back tears. Why? I don't dare go after him. He might actually kill me.
As I walk down to eat breakfast, I think about why I would even think he would be okay with Zero. And then it hits me. I wasn't. I wasn't thinking of him, his past, an- a loud CRASH brings me back to reality. I had tripped over Slendy's prized statue of a child trapped in their own terror, now split into at least 34 pieces. "Fuck." I cover my face, expecting a melt-down any minute.
When I'm greeted with silence, I look up and see Slendy just picking up the pieces, quietly and methodically.
"..." He looks down at me, (I guess). "The food is ready."
That's all? No rampage? No stabbing? No strangling me with my own spinal-cord? What have I done that's so terrible Slender is at a loss for what to do?
I take the reprieve and hurry into the kitchen where Toby is cooking waffles. "Hey Clockwork, catch!" He tosses her a waffle with a grin.
Then they notice me and Clockwork misses the waffle. Toby turns back to the waffle iron with a grim expression.
"Sorry for startling you." I say to Clockwork. She flinches but doesn't respond.
"Breakfast." Toby mutters to me as he shoves a plate of pancakes into my hands.
I go to sit next to Sally, who then gets up and sits on the other side of EJ. "Hey Masky, can you pass the syrup?" She acts like she doesn't even see me.
"Sure thing, darling." He reaches over me to retrieve it and gives it to Sally.
I might as well be a fly on the wall.
That is, until Zero appears. "Hey everybody!"
Sally looks up and grins. "Zero!"
"What's up?" Toby calls out. "Here, catch!" He tosses her a plate then throws a waffle on it.
"So how are you, Puppeteer?" she asks as she takes a huge bite out of her waffle.
"Great." All the better for someone caring. "How are you settling in?"
"Amazingly! Clockwork and I are already BFFs."
Clockwork grins and hi fives her. "You bet we are!"
Something doesn't feel right though... It's like someone's missing. Jeff's with Jane on a murder spree, Slendy's cleaning, Painter's off somewhere... BEN! I should probably ask before running off to look for him.
"Anyone seen Ben lately?" I look around. After a few minutes, EJ shakes his head.
Finally, an excuse to leave... I get up from the table, clearly not wanted. Ben would tell me what was going on.
He is by the front door, about to leave. "Hey Ben."
He doesn't look up. "Hey Puppet."
"Do you know why everyone's avoiding me?" I have to know what I did wrong to everyone.
"Ask Painter."
"He won't talk to me..." I trail off.
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" He walks away.
I'm walking around the mansion, thinking about why everyone suddenly decided to act like I don't exist, when it hits me.
I'll just ask Zero! She has to know!
"You're standing in my xenias."
"Sorry Slendy."
"Are you doing anything worthwhile?"
I have to admit, not really. "No."
"You're behind on your quota. Go kill some people." He turns and starts trying to salvage some of his flowers.
I walk into the woods, resigned to never finding out why I'm an outcast, when Zero appears. "Whatcha doing?" she asks, holding her sledgehammer behind her and giving me the most innocent look ever. It's kind of cute.
"Slender got on my case about not killing enough. I'm off to remedy that." I say distractedly.
"Mind if I come with?"
"Not at all." I should, but I don't.
"Yay!" She really is adorable.
Killing with Zero is easy. It's fun! Together we must have murdered twenty people in one night. I knew that I should be wary of being around her after all that shit with the Painter, but I couldn't care less at this point. If the Painter was going to act like that, then I wouldn't play nice.
Zero wipes blood from her face and smiles. "You're pretty good at this."
I nod and smile back. "Plenty of practice will do that."
"I still killed more people than you though." She looks up at me, eyes bright with mischief.
I instinctively lean closer, the distance between us decreasing. She closes the gap with a kiss.
"We should probably get back to Slendy... He'll be angry..." she whispers.
"Screw him. We still have twenty minutes." I kiss her again, because I like it and she isn't stopping me.
She bites my lip. "You're going to make your precious Painter jealous."
"Screw him too." It's not like he cares anymore. The bitter feelings drive me into her. I put more fury behind my passion. She responds with soft moans and little bites to my neck
Painter keeps nagging at the back of my mind. Forget it, he doesn't care. Right? Yeah... He doesn't. Against my better judgement, I descend to my desires. A few minutes later we are both breathless and flushed.
"Let's go. We don't want anyone to catch us." Zero's eyebrows raise slightly, suggesting more when we get back.
"I guess not." I say quietly. See Painter! I can survive without you. I grab her hand and together we vanish.
A/N: Well there ya go! ^-^
Puppet: I hate you.
Zero: Yay! I ruined someone's life! I'm very good at it.
Q: -_- You shouldn't be excited about that...
Mundie: Don't forget to review and tell me everything I'm doing wrong with my life! No flames. Bad flamers, BAD.
