When Purple started walking home it was nearing sunset, not too long after he had left but still a while.
It sky was turning a beautiful scarlet color as the sun dipped behind the mountain horizon, and people were beginning to wind down and head home.
However, as Purple neared the edge of the city, people didn't start calmly walking home.
People start running for their lives.
"What the-" Purple doesn't have the chance to finish his sentence before a fire hydrant explodes beside him, drenching him in water.
"-and that's my cue to get outta here." Without a moments hesitation, he takes off, hoping to beat the mayhem home.
King is only worried when people start running from the direction of the city into his neighborhood.
He hasn't texted Purple, but he probably should.
Actually, screw that. He's gonna go find Purple and make sure he's alright.
Whatever is happening is big and bad, and he's not letting his kid be stuck in danger.
He's not losing another kid. Not today.
Purple sees everything suddenly go up in flames as a black stick figure blast through the city, laser eyes not even being bothered to be covered up.
He continues running for his life, as it all that depends on him is escaping the city.
People push past him, running away from the disaster that is just seemingly after them.
A street light crashes from next to him, and Purple is barely able to react before it crashes directly in front of him.
He sighs. Thank god that didn't crush him.
He grabs his phone, suddenly seeing the collage of texts from King, all asking about where he is.
Purple glances around, seeing nobody in sight but dull sticks running around frantically.
"KING!" He screams. God forbid King loses him too.
He keeps running, rounding a corner and ending up at the park. He leans against the fence , sighing in relief that he's mostly out of the woods.
But King's still missing.
He texts King.
Purp: at the park.
Dad: Oh my god thank goodness your okay! Hang on, stay there and I'll come to you.
Purple doesn't think he's seen King more panicked than now.
He sighs, thankful he escape that natural disaster of an evening.
Someone screams, and the entire area suddenly comes crashing down.
Purple also screams out of fear, and braces for an impact.
Nothing ever comes.
From where he is, all that he gets is a good amount of rubble as the fence stopped most of it.
And in the process was destroyed.
Amen to the fence for saving his life.
Purple lays on the ground, his entire body aching from running.
"Please hurry, King." He says weakly.
"Purple!"
Purple suddenly sits up, glancing around at the sound of his name. A familiar stick figure rounds the corner and towards the park.
"King...King!"
King hops the fence and runs to Purple. "Are you okay?! I saw that building collapse and got so scared that you'd gotten hurt!"
He checks Purple's body for any injuries as Purple reassures him that he's okay.
"I'm okay, King. Don't worry, I'm okay."
King hugs him tightly. "Thank goodness. I've never been so scared for you."
Purple's adrenaline rush dies down as he hugs King back, a feeling of warmth, safety, and comfort blooming around him.
"Your safe now."
Everything had fallen into a blur once Purple was stopped by a fallen street light.
Thank God it didn't crush him. God forbid King lose him too.
He reached the park, stumbling through an earthquake known as buildings beginning to crumble.
The city was falling apart behind him.
Purple sighed, his chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. God God, this was happening.
The city was falling into destruction right in front of him.
He was right in the middle of it.
Fuck.
"Fuck." His voice echoed his thoughts.
Smoke clouded the pinks, purples, and warm colors of the sunset, and Purple felt anxiety and terror creep back into his body as adrenaline faded.
Jesus. Fucking. Christ.
What the hell just happened?
All was well as he had left the graveyard, and half of his walk between the graveyard and King's house, so what had happened?
Better question: Who the hell was the hollowhead they were chasing?
Something about him had seemed slightly familiar: He was almost the splitting image of Second. The same height, the same head shape, but different colors. They were almost like fraternal twins.
Second was a vibrant orange, like the sun shining in the sky. The pursuited stick was a pitch black, like midnight.
He didn't really want to care. He was with King.
And he was safe.
The neighborhood was bustling with nervous energy. Everyone seemed to be buzzing with the energy and adrenaline that seemed to follow Purple for hours, even after getting home with King, thankfully alive and unharmed.
Apparently, people had started running past their house, and King followed the mayhem into the city, reaching the park outskirts before the building that Purple had barely survived being crushed by.
The city was in ruins, and everyone was complaining but either a lack of work(their workplaces had been destroyed), or being homeless(housing units all over town had either been crushed by taller buildings or subjected to collapsing themselves)
Parts of the city had been destroyed, but nothing a few months couldn't fix. Sure, most of the city was covered in laser marks, or collapsed entirely, but most of the city had been unharmed in the unexpected attack.
Injuries were also very plentiful. Purple had been one of the few to escape mostly unscathed, only a couple of scratches from the run between the city and the park.
And very shaken from the entire ordeal. Because holy fuck, that was scary.
It was scary how a seemingly ordinary day can go downhill so fast.
"Hey, Purple?" King's voice was gentle. "You alright?"
Purple blinked. He must have spaced out again. "Yeah...I'm fine." He gave a reassuring smile.
King returned the smile. "Come on. Let's get those scratches patched up."