Sorry it took a month to get this out, but things have been hectic lately. I do have plenty of side stuff to make up for it too in the form of DnD character sheets, so hopefully that'll settle things nicely. Just one more chapter after this and we can get past the intermission, so don't get too comfortable.
Either way, I hope you all enjoy the chapter.
Ghoulia figured it would be hypocritical to say whether or not she appreciated anyone trying to insert themselves in her business. She'd been doing that all year, just on a different, technically required scale.
On the other hand, maybe that didn't matter since she never locked two people in a closet.
She was going to burn Frankie's magazines after this.
"You two can't just keep us in here!" Ed knocked on the door hard, causing it to shake. Ghoulia knew he could just break it but wouldn't. He was pretty sure it would scare the animals. "I don't know anything about law, but I'm sure this illegal!"
"Outside of a sitcom, it certainly is." Ghoulia had already resigned herself to the fact those two were going to force them to make-up. At least Rosabella looked guilty when tricking Ed into here. "We can just call someone to get us out, you know."
"Sorry, but this part of the building is practically a dead zone. And we know you don't have anything to jumpstart the Wi-fi in there." Damn, looks like Frankie thought of everything. "And this has been a long time coming too."
"We'll let you out in an hour, no matter what happens. Remember, breaking down the door will mess with the funding for this place." Way to play at their heart strings, Rosabella. At least the limits were good. "But please talk it out. I don't know if the animals can handle the intensity anymore."
The two could hear them leave shortly after, muttering about whether they did the right thing or not. Ghoulia felt her irritation ebb away, giving to awkwardness as Ed sat down with a huff. The two didn't look at each other for a long while, the darkness shielding each other from judgement.
"If you do want to talk, I'd suggest doing it now. Keep things vague if you have to if you're worried about the other two hearing." Ghoulia didn't need to give him permission, but she figured someone should break the ice. Sitting here for an hour with no internet wasn't something she wanted to relish. "We're going to be here an hour, so might as well try and pass the time."
Ed muttered something, tapping his foot against the floor. She supposed that maybe it wasn't fair to make him talk first, but it wasn't like she wanted to either. She prepared herself for an hour of silence-
"I just wanted to forget."
It slipped out, that was obvious. The zombie gave him a surprised look, and he looked surprised at his outburst too, but it wasn't like it was out of nowhere. Ed shook his head, starting over.
"I just... I wanted to forget everything that happened. Before this all started." Ed rubbed the back of his neck. This was all too much, honestly. Maybe he should've broke the door down after all. "My life wasn't all that great before- you know that already- but I wanted to make sure it never bothered me again."
"I guess it didn't work out, huh?" Ghoulia let her bitterness seep through, though she stopped herself. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I'm sorry. You're having a tough time too. I'm mad, but I shouldn't be doing that."
"No, I get it. I lied to you for months, that hasn't changed." Ed ran a hand through his hair. "I just- I want to make things clear. Even if I don't like having to be locked in a closet to do it."
For the first time in a little while, Ghoulia laughed. At least they agreed on that.
"I didn't want to take any baggage I had with me when I got here, because I was just tired of holding onto it. I-I hated my parents, Ghoulia. I hated them a lot." Ed flexed his hands into fists before letting them go. The tension was still there, wired in. "Me exploding on them was years in the making. I wanted to do a lot more and break so much more stuff while I was there. I don't think I've ever let it go fully."
Ed stopped, looking at something behind Ghoulia. The zombie could see his eyes become unfocused for a second before he returned back to reality.
"My mom was always angry about everything, and when I was a kid, I never knew why. Turns out my parents had me way too young and she never really got over that." The boy smiled, more with his teeth than his lips. A smile that portrayed a lot more anger than any yelling ever could. "Yet, she had another kid with a drunk dad, and she treated Sarah like an angel. I don't know how to feel about my own sister sometimes, but I do know how that made me feel when I was smart enough to realize how wrong it all was."
"You have every right to be." Ghoulia only saw a snapshot of Sarah in two phases of her life and wasn't sure how to feel about her either. She wondered if they'd ever get a chance to meet. "What does that all mean to you, though?"
"I don't want to hold onto that anger for the rest of my life, but it's been around for so long. I don't think I'm an angry person, but sometimes I really just want to do something with it." Ed hadn't ever said this before. With Double D and Eddy, it was understood, but it was never really said out loud. They just got it, no questions asked. "I'll always try to smile and get through it, but it reminds me so much of home when I couldn't do anything to help myself, despite knowing things weren't right."
"Do you... Do you still feel like nothing is right still?" Ghoulia snaked her hand into his. She felt him squeeze it, not tight enough to hurt, but enough to know he noticed it. "Have you felt like you needed to act like you aren't angry here?"
"Honestly? No. And that's the worst part." Ed laughed, closing in on himself. "I'm actually pretty happy here. I couldn't talk about this in Peach Creek without everybody knowing and wondering if I could go back home. I'm so successful and-and I could actually make friends here, but I'm still so angry."
Ghoulia heard a sniffle, prompting her to reach out and tap at his shoulder. She was surprised when she felt him pull her in, pulled into a hug while on his lap. Despite that, she let herself curl up into him, fitting perfectly.
"You're doing great, Ed. Don't let anyone tell you any different. You can be angry all you want. You've earned that right." Ghoulia hummed into his chest, and she could feel him pull her in tighter. The part of her that enjoyed that had to be shut down, focusing on the task ahead of her fight now. "You can't really repress it anymore either, though. It won't go away anytime soon if you keep it in."
Ed didn't really respond as much as keep cuddling up against her. She ran a hand through his hair, humming softly as he kept holding her. He eventually composed himself, loosening his grip.
"Being angry makes me really tired, and that just makes me angrier. I just need to sleep for a while." Ed moved them both to a more comfortable sitting position, putting his head on top of hers as he leaned back into a feed bag. "We got some time to talk if you want, but I just want to not think for a while."
"That's alright. I'll be right here if you need me." Ghoulia moved a little so she could be more comfortable. A quick peck near the corner of his mouth without thinking. "...I feel like Frankie is going to freak when she opens the door."
Ed laughed, and it was a nice sound that levied the heavy atmosphere of the closet. Ghoulia figured this wasn't perfect and they'd still need to talk quite a bit, but the fact there was a breakthrough at all made her feel happier.
It'd be alright, and she could finally believe that.
The counseling session had gone… smoothly. They couldn't claim that it was good or that he had much of a breakthrough, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Wasn't built in a week either, but those thoughts were depressing, and as Double D closed the door to the room they had today's session in.
"I still don't know about any of this. It is a little nice to talk to someone, but I don't know if I'm still comfortable with this arrangement." Double D had been trying to weasel out of this still, though not as violently as before. "Your mother is good at this, but I don't want to share every little thing with here."
"You don't have to. You just have to try a little longer." Cerise's mom always said that there weren't miracles in therapy. Getting people into it was the miracle within itself sometimes. "Again, she's our only option if you want to talk with someone. If you want to keep talking with someone."
"I still say give it a few more tries before quitting. Maybe try and get Ed and Eddy join in when they can?" At the deadpan look she got from the boy, Clawdeen huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Okay, yeah, that's pushing it. I get it."
Double D rolled his eyes, grabbing something from a lab coat pocket, only to have it snatched away from him. He looked at Maddie, annoyed at seeing his MirrorPad in her hands.
"We agreed you wouldn't work until you start improving. You can't really do good work if you're unstable and not getting enough sleep." Maddie pointed a finger into his face, remaining firm before he could complain. "And I know you aren't getting enough sleep. Don't pretend to lie to me."
"Can you please not act like you're my parents? We're all the same age and it's insulting." Double D snatched his notes back, waving them in their direction. "And these are supposed to be notes on how to find the Book of Legends. Have we forgotten about that or are we actually getting back to that anytime soon?"
"Jeeze, do you really have to sound so condescending? All we're doing is trying to help you here." Clawdeen growled. She poked him in the chest, getting close to his face. "I had to keep your secret for months, Cerise had to reveal herself, what'll it take to get you to listen to us?"
"Guys, this isn't solving anything. Getting angry is just going to make this worse." Cerise tried to get between the two, raising her hands. They ignored her, making sure this was doing the exact opposite of helping. "We're all just trying to help, so-"
"Maybe I don't want help!" Double D exploded, cutting them all off. It was rude and it was loud, but he didn't care. As smart as they were, how could they not see that? "Just let me help everyone else and I'll be fine! It's that simple, and I don't get how you don't understand that."
Maddie flinched but reached out towards him. "Double D-"
"It's not that hard! I understand what happened to me wasn't good, or even remotely acceptable, but that isn't a thing anymore. I left that all behind in Peach Creek." Double D waved his notes around some more, pointing at them wildly. "And ever since then, I've been putting in work. All three of us have. We've worked so hard to get where we are to today and we have results.
"Not only are we thriving, but we're actually popular too. You know what it was like being the smart kid in a small town? It didn't win you friends." The boy scoffed, thinking it all over. The few friends the Ed's had outside of themselves were out of pity and they knew that. "I actually have people that like me and appreciate me outside of Ed and Eddy. I'm… I'm…"
Double D stopped, arms flopping weakly downward. His notes slipped out of his hand, hitting the ground with a loud smack, and he could only look at them numbly. He didn't seem to register it at first.
"Uh, Double D? You're kinda scaring us man." Clawdeen reached out for his face, wiping away at a loose tear. She didn't know what she'd do if he started crying. "If you need to rest, we can just-"
Clawdeen was interrupted swiftly as Double D looked at her. And giggled.
"You actually like me, don't you? You all do." Double D said it plainly, as if it was a clinical observation in one of his studies. "You wouldn't be doing any of this if you didn't. I lied for so long and yet you want to help me. And I feel like I don't deserve it."
He laughed again. And then he did it some more. He actually did find it funny, in a messed-up way.
"Maybe 'deserve it' isn't the right word. Maybe I just don't feel like it's enough, despite its meaning the world to me." The boy's smile was loosening, though he still laughed. "I don't get why it doesn't. I work hard. I work really hard to make all of this I don't get why it isn't working."
He was crying and he hated doing that. He felt ugly and he didn't want anyone to see it, wiping the tears away with a coat sleeve. "I'm doing it again. I can't believe I'm doing it again."
Double D didn't have time to do it much longer, feeling arms wrap around his middle. He looked down to see Maddie, clearly unsure of herself, just trying to hug him. It took him a few seconds to hug her back, squeezing back tight.
Clawdeen and Cerise just looked at each other, unsure, before slowly moving to hug him too. It was a breakthrough, that much was sure, but it appeared that it was just as bad as they thought. Double D was still weeping minutes later, despite having to move him somewhere where he wouldn't be disturbed.
Though the crying would last a while and he'd end up getting fitful sleep later, but it was an improvement. They could only hope the others were making some progress themselves.
Raven had been searching for Eddy in the magic forest for about ten minutes now and she wasn't sure if she was willing to spend much more time here despite the circumstances. She'd heard that he was spotted around here, but she was wondering if that had been lie he asked them to tell to keep her off his trail.
The confrontation hadn't gone as well as their group had hoped, especially with Eddy unloading onto Apple like that, but she wasn't giving up just yet. Apple was hiding out in their room right now after Eddy's (somewhat true) words, and Cleo had decided to keep an eye on her while the sorceress looked. Raven almost wished they'd switched places, cause even if she had magic to keep up with him, that didn't make her better at finding him in the first place.
"Why is it always when one of us has a mental breakdown, they have to end up hiding somewhere else?" Raven figured that was the story of her life at this point. She'd been guilty of it once herself, though, so maybe she shouldn't be complaining. "We're a weirdly dramatic group of people. We all need too much therapy..."
Her muttering was interrupted by the sound of some music being played in the distance, causing her to pause. She listened for a few seconds before slowly moving to where it was being played, eventually coming to recognize it as she moved closer.
"Why should I play this game of pretend?
"Remembering through a secondhand sorrow?
"Such a great son, what a wonderful friend,
"Oh, don't the tears just pour."
Raven sighed. Yeah, that was Eddy. His voice wasn't perfect right now, scratchier than it always was, but it sounded like something he'd like to listen to.
"Why should I have a heavy heart?
"Why should I start to break in pieces?
"Why should I go and fall apart for you?"
Raven hesitated as she got to a clearing, recognizing it swiftly. The castle that they'd found at the beginning of the year was still standing, still neglected. Eddy was sitting on one of the pillars, not facing her. It looked like he was holding something.
"Why should I play the grieving boy and lie,
"Saying that I miss you,
"And that my world has gone dark without your light?
"I will sing no requiem tonight."
Raven sighed. Eddy must've heard her, nearly falling down from the pillar he was sitting on. He shoved whatever he was holding in his pocket, giving her a glare.
"You know, there's a little thing called privacy, Ray." Eddy swung his legs over so he fully faced her. He would deny being embarrassed about this for the rest of his life if he had to. "It may be a performance, but a one-man performance."
"I'm pretty sure that song is supposed to have about three singers for it to work." Raven raised an eyebrow at his surprised look. "Yeah, I know what Dear Evan Hansen is. Not all of us are completely unaware about human culture."
"And here I was, hoping to educate you properly in human musicals. Be aware, the more popular ones have a lot of death in them." Eddy got down from the pillar, brushing himself off. He narrowed his eyes at her, putting his hands into pocket as if to hide any spells he'd use. "I'm guessing you're here to tell me you don't want me to sign the book again."
"Maybe. If you're willing to listen at the very least." Raven didn't hold any illusions that this was going to be fun. Especially after last time. "None of us were lying about the whole danger factor, you know. I would love for you to take my place but letting someone die for my own needs is something my mom would do."
"Yeah, yeah. Always trying to be something different to her, ain't you? And you all think I have problems." Eddy rolled his eyes, turned back around to look into the horizon. The ruined castle made him ponder those thoughts again. "Then again, I wouldn't want to be her either. This amount of real estate left to waste? Now that's a crime."
It was silent for a few moments, Raven moving to stand beside him. She gave him the side-eye before giving the castle a once over herself. He was kinda right. This castle was a train wreck.
"…Eddy," Raven carefully started. This question was a sensitive topic and she wanted to rip the band-aid off. "I want to ask you question and I don't want you to get mad."
Eddy didn't even look at her when he answered. "Shoot."
"Are you suicidal?"
Eddy acted like she had slapped him and insulted his mother the way he nearly fell back at the question. He gave her a weird look, nearly overcorrecting as he forced himself to.
"The hell- where that did that idea come from?!" Eddy wasn't angry, but he couldn't help but shout. He looked around before lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. "No, I'm not. I don't know why you think that, but I'm fine."
"I… Have you been paying attention the past few days? You are the farthest thing from fine." Raven felt like she had perfectly understandable reasons to believe that. Just look at him! "You're willing to go through a procedure that's going to screw you up physically and mentally. You're burning every bridge you made since you got here. Heck, I just found you singing to yourself like it's the end of the world."
"That doesn't mean I want to die!" Eddy groaned, slapping his hand to his forehead. "I don't plan on meeting my brother again anytime soon, damn."
"Well, don't say that I don't have a good point." Raven sighed. That'd been bothering her for a while now and she was glad to get it out of the way. "The way you seem so ready to die for power is a little concerning."
The two huffed. Eddy rolled his eyes while Raven crossed her arms over her chest, looking expectantly at him. He wondered if he could just teleport away right now, but it wasn't like she'd make getting away easy.
"Wouldn't you if you were in my situation?" He said simply, tilting his head to the side. "I'd imagine you'd understand then."
"Explain it to me and I will anyway." Raven didn't relent on her glare. She wanted to get to the bottom of this. "Why is it this important? You may act like you're a complete gambler who takes all chances, but I know you well enough that you always try to make the odds go in your favor. And this isn't in your favor."
Eddy scowled. It didn't take him long to answer with his own questions.
"What did you see when you were about to sign the book earlier this year?" That had drove him nuts at first, but he'd forgotten about it as other stuff came out of the woodwork. "You never talked about that either. But you don't want to sign the book as much I do, and I doubt it was just talking to you that led to that."
"I-I… It's… I saw myself in chains. Like I was being imprisoned for doing what should've been my job or something." Raven didn't like remembering those images. Even the ones where she wasn't in chains were bad. "I looked like such a hateful person too. I was miserable."
"And you don't want to become what you saw in the mirror, right? You'd do anything to make sure that you were safe from that life." Eddy snarled, leaning in towards her and causing her to back-up. "Because if you were forced into it, it'd be worse than death."
Raven looked into Eddy's mad eyes. He was making his point.
"For a good portion of my life, I was either poor or powerless in fighting someone that made sure to lord their power over me. In here, though? I'm neither of those things." Eddy's flash of magic was showy, powerful. Just as he liked it. "I can't go back to what I was. If I have to make it permanent in any way I can, I'll do it."
Eddy had known two things since he was young; money and power kept you safe and sound. The first had been drilled into him from his parents at a young age, while the second had been broken into him by his brother. And despite his mixed feelings on both, it wasn't a lesson he ever forgot.
"We'll talk more on our deal later, Ray. I have no interest in breaking it any time soon." Eddy would've teleported out right then and there, the damage done, but he stopped to say one last thing. "Oh, and feel free to apologize to Princess for me? Thanks."
A second later, and he was gone. And Raven somehow didn't feel any better getting the answers that she received.
Cleo had spent too much time in Apple's room right now for it to be healthy. The amount of themed items in the room was a little much, even for her.
Apple had been crying on and off, mostly just lying-in bed since Eddy decided to be one hundred percent honest with her. The mummy figured Briar must've been going through the same thing. Her behavior had been strange for a while, but that wasn't the focus right now.
"You can't stay in your room all day, you know. We both know that Eddy is unstable and didn't mean what he said." That was probably half-true, but Apple didn't need to know that. "We'll make sure he apologizes later when he's stable, but we can't have him be stable unless we get things done."
"I don't have any responsibility here to help him. If he wants to die from magical injection, that's not my problem." Apple was hiding under the covers, refusing to come out like she was some kind of blanket gremlin. "I tried helping him and he didn't want it, so I'm letting it go on its own."
"You and I both know that's a complete lie. All you want to do is meddle in all of this." Cleo poked at the mass under the blankets, causing it to squirm. "If you didn't care so much, you wouldn't be so hurt about all of this, would you?"
Apple didn't respond immediately, shuffling under her blankets some more. She did poke her head out eventually, blonde hair messy and eyes bloodshot. It was honestly the most pitiful thing Cleo saw today.
"Do you- do you think Eddy had a point?" The question wasn't unwarranted, but it wasn't something Cleo had expected her to ask. "That I'm a lot more fitting as an Evil Queen than a Snow White."
"Anyone can play the Evil Queen, Apple. I'm pretty sure everyone can summon the will to poison a person if pressed." Cleo framed her face, giving off a devilish smile. "I'd certainly have to poison anyone prettier than me to keep my status."
Apple just glared. The mummy shrugged, knowing that wasn't the point of the question.
"You do have an awful lot of drive, I'll admit. Eddy and I did agree once that you don't really use it much for things outside of your destiny." That was the gentler answer, the one before the harsh one. "It's amazing, but you can be pretty... insistent sometimes when it comes to it, which isn't exactly a good trait."
"My mother always talks to me about getting my destiny sorted out before high school ends. I'm just doing as she says." Apple wanted to retreat under her blankets again. She knew what the answer would be, but that didn't mean she wanted to actually hear it. "It's not like I have anything else outside of it. It's the only thing I have."
"Oh, now I know that isn't true." Cleo huffed, leaning back into a chair. She gave the blonde a hard look. "What is this really about? Do you honestly believe that's the only thing you have?"
"...Maybe not. But it's the only thing I really know." Apple grabbed one of her pillows, cuddling it like it was a teddy bear. "Have you ever had your life built on the idea that it'll eventually pay off? That it was building up to one moment everyone said would be beautiful?"
"Once. I had a kingdom that waited on me hand and foot before I died, and sometimes I wish I can go back to that." Cleo fought back some intrusive memories. This wasn't the time to dream of an empire long dead. "But you're a smart girl, Apple. I think not getting poisoned and kissed by Daring would still mean you turn out okay."
"Nobody cares about my intelligence. Mom only wants me to get all A's because 'that's what princesses do.'" Apple said derisively. The bitter sound of her words was surprising, to say the least. "I could probably cure cancer with basic household items and my only title would be Fairest of them All."
"...Do you actually like your destiny? I don't think you do." Cleo tapped a manicured nail on the side of her chair, looking down at the girl's despondent face. "Daring is an afterthought for you on most days. You don't treat Raven like an enemy, despite wanting her to poison you. And I don't even think you care much about your looks. The only thing I've seen you do about it is wear contacts instead of glasses. Why follow it still?"
"It's the only thing that people know me for. It's the only thing I really know." Apple seemed resigned at the thought. She didn't deny disliking her destiny. "It's not like it's the worst destiny in the world to get stuck with, though. So many problems resolved, a happy ending that can't be taken away when reached? Anything like that, living with so much uncertainty..."
"Feels like drowning." Cleo felt the echo of a memory reach her, one from all the way back on Gloom Beach. That felt like a lifetime ago compared to now. "Like the water is trying to swallow you up."
There was silence after that, with Cleo silently contemplating and Apple drifting away to a restless sleep. It was heavy, and Cleo figured that she wouldn't be able to lift it just yet.
She really hoped Eddy went back to normal soon enough. They really needed everyone to get this mess sorted.
Like I said, things will be moving on soon enough, but not without some problems still present. I do like writing these scenes, though, so it's not like it isn't fun so far. Hopefully you guys continue to enjoy it too.
In other news, the headcanon's game is still in effect, and everybody is allowed to submit two ideas per chapter. I think that's a good enough limit and while no one has reached it before, I figure it's a good idea to establish it. Also, I have two AU's I'd like to share that I think you'd like. Anyone that asks for them won't have their total asks counted against them, so feel free to ask for either the Spider-Man AU or the Heist AU if you're interested. I'll eventually do another chapter on my side stories compiling all the ones that were made, as well as any one shots that result from them.
Now, onto the character sheets. I based them off the DnD AU since it's a little hard to limit myself to only what appears in my fanfic. I think some of you will appreciate the choices I made, especially in class and species. It was a little tough, and you'll probably be able to tell where my effort started going down, but they're good all the same.
Character Sheets Here:
Ed: /v/Sg6X9AyPv_Ed_DND_AU
Edd: /v/LRbK5Qi9R_Double_D_DND_AU
Eddy: /v/VR~iTpNkR_Eddy_DND_AU
Apple: /v/6qpSLgvXF_Apple_DND_AU
Raven: /v/7WaAgEDwF_Raven_DND_AU
Maddie: /v/Nx3ZLuG2I_Maddie_DND_AU
Cerise: /v/xn9Uo2ROi_Cerise_DND_AU
Cleo: /v/2Z3y1p8xc_Cleo_DND_AU
Ghoulia: /v/yi7ib2H2x_Ghoulia_DND_AU
Clawdeen: /v/j2u7GWRO._Clawdeen_DND_AU
Either way, I'll see you all next chapter! Hope to see you then.