-Chapter Seven: Of all the ways I could be better in my mind (As if I can earn God's favour given time)-
The snowstorm lasted two days.
To anyone it seemed like nothing. To Tubbo it seemed like nothing. Even though he was growing more and more panicked the longer Ranboo stayed away. "Usually he's just gone for the night, or a couple hours." he would fret. To that, Bad would just shrug. He didn't know how to help him, so he just let the goat man ramble and vent.
Not that he wouldn't do the same if he felt the need to. But why betray emotion when all it did was make people anxious, not themselves?
Don't say you didn't act the same way.
You just severed it, for now.
Now the snowstorm has finally petered out. The air outside was crystal clear and cold, and whenever he exhaled a small cloud of steam came from his nose. He resisted the urge to pat at it.
Tubbo stretched his arms above his head, groaning with the movement. "Finally, fresh air!" he exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips. "Maybe Ranboo will be back by now. I know he never liked anything wet, even snow in all its glory!"
"Can't blame him. It gets everywhere." Bad said as he shook the snow from his horns. Gentle flakes still fell from the sky, and when Bad looked up, he had to narrow his eyes because the grey seemed way too blinding to be its colour.
What he didn't like about clouds was that he couldn't even tell the freaking time. But this seemed to be a good time nonetheless to finally leave and continue with his journey.
"I wish you would stay," Tubbo had whined when Bad had broken the news. "I've really enjoyed your company."
Bad shrugged, cleaning the dishes from the lunch they had just shared. "I need to get to Techno. It's… it's important."
Tubbo hadn't whined again after that.
But when Bad had finally packed up, taking his minor belongings and putting his satchel on his shoulder, Tubbo came over with Michael in his arms. His chicken was gone for once. "We'll miss you, you know." Tubbo murmured.
"I know, but I need to do this." Bad responded, looking out over the blank white. It was missing depth in such a way Bad was sure he would drop over a cliff without even knowing it was there.
"With Technoblade, of all people?" Tubbo queried, looking slightly apprehensive, in a way.
"He was his friend." Bad replied softly, gesturing vaguely at his satchel.
Tubbo didn't ask for an explanation.
"I'll remember you. Maybe… maybe you can meet him some day." Bad said, voice breaking. Tubbo smiled softly, and Michael snorted happily. They knew who he was talking about, even if he never dared mutter his name out loud.
"You and your friend will always be welcome." Tubbo promised.
And Bad turned back to the sun, the snow glittering like melted stars, his tracks forever imprinted in them.
~--~
What happened next went by so fast it was a blur. Literally.
Bad lunged for the green figure's arm, grabbing their wrist and jabbing it down painfully, making the other gasp in shock. They knocked the demon away, momentarily blinding him with their long cloak. Bad ripped it, sending the edges' frays out in a flurry.
Skeppy kicked the blue figure holding him down, and even though his kick was weak and not well - placed, it still made the other stumble in surprise. Skeppy leaped up, running smack - dab into the figure and ramming them into the wall. The figure grunted, trying to push Skeppy away but he had them pinned.
Bad kicked his own opponent to the ground, enough to keep them there for at most a minute, then ran over to Skeppy. He grabbed the blue figure's hood and smashed their head into the wall. The hood slid back to reveal short dark brown hair and a pale face that looked up at Bad with pain, before it slumped back over their eyes and they fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Quick, before they all wake up." Bad hissed, grabbing Skeppy's arm roughly. Skeppy squeaked in pain, and Bad withdrew, eyes wide. "Did I..." His words were high in fear, then his voice dropped down quickly and his eyes narrowed as he trailed off.
Skeppy looked down at where Bad grabbed him, and he started to get a little queasy. Blood had made a stain in his long sleeved shirt, and now he could feel the ultimate pain and the dripping of fresh blood down his arm. He was going to throw up.
"We'll tend to it when we get out of here," Bad promised, "but for now we need to leave. Can you walk?"
Skeppy just stared blankly at his arm.
"Oh come on." Bad grumbled. He carefully picked Skeppy up and held him in his arms, looking over his shoulder at the hunters. Skeppy followed his gaze, then tugged Bad's ear. "We need to go." The hunters were stirring.
Bad nodded and started to run, weaving right and left, sometimes down stairs and then back up, until finally the exit was found. Bad hissed in anticipation, running faster and faster until they were finally into free air.
They burst into the woods as quick as that, not looking behind and not daring to listen for commanding shots from the guards that must have seen them escape, and the howls of oncoming hunters. But hopefully Bad chose a winding enough path to keep them away for a while longer, all enveloped in shadow.
Finally, they stopped, Bad panting for breath and Skeppy stumbling out of his arms as he sat down. He felt slightly dizzy, maybe a bit loopy as he collapsed next to Bad's leg, leaning against it. Was this from a lack of blood? The feeling was funny. He started to giggle.
Bad looked down at him and got up, causing Skeppy to fall over from the lack of presence at his back. "I'm going to tend to that. Wait here while I go get some stuff."
"You're not going back there, right?" Skeppy gasped, sudden panic overriding his humour. His breathing grew quick and rapid, and he clutched at the cloth around his chest.
Bad leaned down to carefully pry Skeppy hands away, which were drifting more and more to his mouth, and forced the smaller to look at him. "I'm not going back over there. There are plenty of herbs and cloth on my arm to help you." he reassured, gesturing to an already ripped and patched hoodie sleeve.
Skeppy choked on his own spit, not comforted at all. "But what if they find you again, and I'm left here alone, and I'll bleed out, and you'll forget about me, or you'll be dead, and I -"
"Skeppy, stop."
Skeppy clamped his mouth together, tears pricking his vision.
"Would you feel better if you went with me?" the demon asked softly. Such a huge creature with such selfless and caring needs. Seemed slightly ironic.
But he nodded, reaching over to clench Bad's hood and holding on for dear life, like he had the arm strength to just hang there as Bad went to go find… herbs, he called them?
Bad chuckled and picked him up, carefully extracting Skeppy's fingers from around the cloth to set him on his shoulders. "Don't go fast please." Skeppy whimpered, not caring that he sounded awfully vulnerable. He wrapped the arm that wasn't in pain around Bad's neck tightly, and he was probably too nice or worried to state that he was most likely choking him.
Bad didn't venture far, only far enough so that if Skeppy was even still sitting where he was on the ground he would be able to see Bad's signature red stripes accentuating his hoodie, or his tail peeking out from the bushes. Bad always rumbled in satisfaction when he found something he wanted, and he let Skeppy grab it and hold it.
"What is all this?" Skeppy croaked when they finally made it back to the field, herbs in both of their hands.
"Bunch of stuff." Bad mumbled as he set them down carefully along with Skeppy beside them. "Dock, marigold and feverfew, dandelion leaves, some ferns, and -"
"Okay okay I get it. You say all of these like I should know what they do, when for all I know dandelions are freaking weeds." Skeppy grumbled.
Bad laughed, picking up what looked like a shrivelled carrot. He opened his satchel (that Skeppy hadn't realised he had until now) and brought out a wooden bowl and stick. He stuck the shrivelled thing in it and began jamming the stick into it, ultimately crushing the thing.
But Skeppy's attention was on something else. "When did you get that satchel? If you had it when I met you it seems kind of stupid that you wouldn't be able to get out of the dungeons with your… magic stick or whatever."
Bad hummed a bit, then stopped, mind processing what Skeppy said. "I don't have a magic stick, silly!" He laughed. "And no, I just got this satchel like, four sunrises ago. How would I even break out with a stick?"
"I said it was magic." Skeppy huffed, crossing his arms then wincing. Bad looked up at him and dipped his claws in the bowl. When he raised it to Skeppy's arm, the smaller backed away, eyeing the pulp suspiciously. "How do I know that isn't poisoning?"
"Why would I want to poison you." Bad deadpanned, and lightly gripped Skeppy's arm with his other hand before running a finger over the wound. Skeppy winced, expecting burning, but was surprised when a nice cool feeling seeped in, relieving his already existing pain. He sighed, looking up at Bad sleepily. "I'm tired." he slurred.
"Don't close your eyes just yet." Bad murmured back, and Skeppy just nodded with lidded eyes as Bad finished applying the pulp, and adding a few more things as well that Skeppy wasn't able to keep track of. He did remember some pressure on the wound and he winced, but stayed silent otherwise.
Finally Bad let Skeppy lean his head against his rib, his eyes drifting closed already. "So I can sleep now?" he whispered, already leaving reality. "Sure," Bad replied, smiling a bit. "I'll wake you up."
"Mmm," Skeppy protested shortly, before it drifted into small snores.
-
Skeppy woke up shortly after, smacking his lips and yawning. Wow! He felt great, so refreshed for the day, ready to take on the world, and perhaps ask his dad about the outside…
Wait.
He didn't dare open his eyes. No. Please don't be a dream.
But the chirping of birds was unmistakable, and it felt too real to be a dream.
Skeppy shot up, a huge smile on his face. For a split second he forgot about the wound on his arm, and he jumped up, trotting around and fawning wide - eyed over trees, bushes, butterflies, oh my goodness was that a caterpillar?!
He could hear weary shuffling behind him, and he saw Bad sitting up, rubbing his eyes. "Mornin' sleepyhead." he slurred, stretching his arms above his head. "How'd you sleep?"
"Oh my goodness Bad Bad Bad Bad look at those leaves, and the sun, and the clouds, and that caterpillar, look, it's so fuzzy!" Skeppy squealed, bending down to run a light finger against it. The caterpillar stopped frozen, then started inching again once it figured out he wasn't a threat.
Bad giggled, getting up and walking over to him. For some reason it looked like he shrunk, matching Skeppy's size, except just an infuriating half - inch taller. But Skeppy just decided to ignore it for now, choosing nature over a petty little fight he could easily have later with the demon. Who knew when he would last see another caterpillar.
"It's cute." Bad replied, bending down beside him with his tail tucked behind him. "How's your arm feeling?"
Skeppy shrugged, no pain immediate but a bit of stiffness to it. He looked down and saw a ripped piece of black cloth around his arm, then looked at Bad's. His seemed to have a chunk missing. "It doesn't really hurt, it's just sore." he said, drawing his hand back to just lay down and watch the caterpillar on his stomach. "Bad, touch the caterpillar."
Bad shook his head. "I don't want to accidentally stab it." he said apologetically. "Are you hungry?"
Skeppy shook his head, then his belly decided to betray him in the most embarrassing way possible by making its hunger known to all. He scrunched into a little ball, staring up at Bad with an ice blue eye. "Don't say a word."
"Skeppy," Bad laughed, leaning down to the other to brush the hair out of his face which was slowly falling down to obscure his vision. "You're obviously hungry, there's no weakness in that."
"I can get my own food." Skeppy grumbled, getting up and almost falling on Bad. He grabbed his shoulder for support. "Quiet." he hissed when Bad opened his mouth.
"Dunderhead." Bad grumbled, rolling his eyes and leaning back, watching as Skeppy limped over to a bush. Skeppy huffed in annoyance. "Stop watching me, you creep! I'm going to the bathroom." He turned with his back to the demon.
"I don't want you to get hurt or lost." Bad called back, gaze not wavering.
"I can take care of myself!"
"Fine then! I'll just leave you here and be on my way."
A few shuffling sounds, and then silence.
"No no no! Okay I can't! Don't go!" Skeppy yelled, whipping around to see Bad just sitting there, rummaging around in his pack. He was currently laughing, his tail twitching in amusement. "Get trolled!"
Skeppy rolled his eyes but limped back over to him. "Okay okay you got me… just… please can I have some food?"