Requested by sironagoddessofhealing on tumblr: How Masky and Hoody ended up with Slenderman instead of the Operator.

Masky was struggling to breath but he couldn't stop now. Hoody was already half unconscious against his side as Masky half lead half dragged him through the underbrush. Why had Tim ever started smoking!? With the Operators sickness they already had enough trouble with their lungs and Tim just had to add years of smoke, tar and god only knew what else to that.

It occurred to Masky that maybe Tim had done that on purpose to minimize the damage Masky could do but he pushed down the thought. Now was not the time to be questioning his other personalities motives. Right now he just needed to get Hoody and himself away from the Operator before he could find some other way to hurt them or make them hurt themselves. Hoody's leg still wasn't healed from having fallen out the window

Even more recently they had lost each other for a while. Tim had taken over so Masky didn't know what had happened but he knew that when he had found Hoody again his head was bleeding sluggishly and he was having trouble moving on his own.

That pretty much brought them to where they were now. Stumbling through Rosswood trying to find their way back to Tim's car so they could drive as far away from this occurred wood as possible. Hopefully far enough away that, as long as they kept moving, the Operator could never find them or use them again. The Operator had a new favourit toy now after all. He was just refused to let them go on a principle, the kindergarten rule, "If I had it it's mine."

Masky struggled up a hill, when he reached the top there was a burst of static and the Operator was there. Masky snarled at him wordlessly, he was too animalistic to form words just then even if he had wanted to. Talking wasn't something that came naturally to him anyway. Tim was the talker, Masky just fought but just now he was to weak to even do that. As the familiar feeling of sickness, anger and dread washed over him he collapsed, he couldn't remember the last time he had had a chance to take his meds and all his safeguards were gone.

It took Masky a long moment to realize that nothing was happening and another to realize that the feeling of the Operator emitted was coming from behind him not in front of him where he could see a tall being. With difficulty Masky turned and look behind him. At the bottom of the hill the Operator stood, the same as he ever looked. He was radiating anger and hostility towards the other creature on the top of the hill, Masky wasn't sure if this was a good thing.

Now that he knew that the creature on top of the hill was not the Operator it was easy to tell the difference between them, the one on the top of the hill was a bit taller and Masky wasn't sure how he had missed the tentacles earlier. The two creatures seemed to be having a standoff, staring at each other over the space with their blank faces, he and hoody were trapped in the middle.

"Oh g-god not m-more of th-them." Hoody whimpered trying to push himself up to his hands and knees and only managing to sit up. That seemed to bring the creatures attention to them. Masky could feel the pull of the Operator strengthening, commanding him to come but Masky shook his head violently and tried to ignore it. Next to him Hoody gave a quite whine and curled in on himself. Masky's instinct was to get between Hoody and the danger but h wasn't sure if the grater danger was in front of behind.

"I am not 'another one' children." It took Masky a moment to realize that the voice was inside his head. The Operator never actually spoke to them, only directed their actions. His head snapped around to look at the creature with the tentacles at the exact same time as Hoody's. "I am known as Slenderman. I am something very different then… That." They could here disgust in Slenderman's mental voice as he seemed to glare at the Operator and it made Masky chuckle slightly.

"Then what is he doing here." Hoody whispered shifting closer to Masky so he could speak to Masky alone.

"What are you doing here then?" Masky asked relating Hoody's question.

"I wish to offer you my protection from that." Slenderman stated gesturing at the Operator with one of his tentacles. Masky shivered as a stronger wave of control surged from the Operator.

"What's in it for him?" Hoody whispered.

"What's in it for you?" Masky repeated out loud warily.

"Like the Operator I require humans to act out my will in the world. However unlike them I understand that my proxies are useful to me and I must look after them in exchange. If you come with me you will have a proper home, safety and the opportunity for friends and family if you wish them." Slenderman explained patiently, he didn't seem to be in any hurry.

"FIND YOOUR OOWN HUMANS." Masky felt the Operators words force their way out of his own throat and ducked his head growling softly. Slenderman seemed taken aback but he seemed to understand what had happened. Never the less he answered as if it had been Masky who really spoke.

"Humans rarely survive the process of becoming a proxy of mine. I believe in the past few years only one out of six who began the process have survived to the end of it and though Kate is a very hard worker it is not fair to expect her to do everything I require. Since you two are already accustomed to the Operator I am certain that you will be able to survive becoming my proxies. That is why I wish to have you, it is my understanding that you are already to heavily infected with the disease that creature carries to return to the human world anyway."

Masky didn't really like the sound of that but he was not the brain of this operation and never had been. He looked at Hoody to make this choice as he always had sinse he started questioning the Operator. Hoody was thinking so Masky sat perfectly still and quite giving him time.

"Slenderman is right." Hoody finally murmured. "We need his protection, I'm sure he's the only thing keeping the Operator back now. The second he leaves the Operator will be on us and neither of us have the strength to run from him now. It may be out of the frying pan and into the fire as we will still be proxies and Slenderman admits it will be dangerous but we wouldn't be able to survive much longer with the Operator either. Besides I can't remember the last time we had a home."

"Okay." Masky answered and took a deep breath. "We except your offer and conditions Slenderman." Masky stated sounding more sure then he felt himself but he did trust Hoody to choose what was best for them.

Slenderman inclined his head towards them and reached out two of his tentacles to them. Masky resisted to urge the run when one of them started to curl around his waist but the urge to run lessoned when he saw how carefully Slenderman lifted Hoody, making sure not to jar Hoody's injured leg. There was a burst of static and then the feeling of the Operator faded, for the first time in a long time Masky felt safe. Masky wasn't sure where they were but at that moment he didn't care he was just happy to be free of the demon that had been tormenting and controlling him since he was seven.