Hello again! So it is time. Funnily enough this is actually a shorter chapter, though it's a chapter that's had a lot of additions and revisions.
This might already be expected, given the nature of this fic, but there is more violence than usual in this chapter in particular.
Thank you as always to oddvector and Darkblaw for being fantastic betas!
Scale 12: Be My Last
Fret woke, barely. Nice, warm den of blankets. But where was Rindo?
Oh, Rindo was in the kitchen, getting some breakfast ready for Fret. Now that Fret thought about it, it was funny how "open" this apartment was, with him able to see into the kitchen from the bed. Then again, such open design probably existed for extra-clingy people like Fret, so that they could see their partner at all times.
Rindo was also on the phone. "Hello? Um, I'd like to order some painkillers. Uh... What kinds are there?"
Huh? Painkillers? Was his Rindude hurt!? Who—!? Wait. Oh right, for whenever the warsong stuff happened.
What was Rindo making for breakfast anyway? Oh, rice with sprinkled potato chips, veggies, and cheetos. Aww, Rindo remembered his additions. Fret felt so loved and happy and…
…Tired. Achy. Cold. So cold that he shivered under the covers. His wings slid around and pinched his muscles like restless tectonic plates. In fact his whole body felt strangely unwieldy, like he was trying to control a puppet.
…Was there a Soul twister going on? Fret honestly had trouble telling. There was a lazy spinning current from his Soul, sure, but maybe his Soul just naturally swirled on its own now. He and Rindo had spent so much time with their Souls entwined last night, after all…
…Pain. Fangs embedded in his heart. No, fangs embedded all over his body, like his Inner Noise had grown multiple mouths overnight and begun gnawing on his muscles as well as his Soul. Maybe that was why it hurt so much to even move…
…And it was so cold without his Rindo next to him. Fret pulled the covers snug around himself, which included Rindo's coat. Rindo must have draped it over Fret before he left.
Well, it was Fret's coat now. He contentedly nibbled on the collar for a while, enjoying its calming Rindo scent, before squirming out of the blankets and slipping the coat on instead. Now he was more like Rindo than ever. Soon, it really would be his coat. Soon…
But Fret still felt chilly, even with the coat on. He rubbed his arms, trying to warm up. Maybe he should swaddle himself in the blankets again too, while his warmth still lingered on them. But Fret didn't want just his own warmth, he wanted…
"Fret?" Rindo looked back at him in concern, setting the phone on the counter. He must have heard him shuffling around.
Grinning, Fret whined eagerly. He wanted to be with his Rindo! So Fret teleported right over to his Rindo and—
And, oh, that had been a bad idea. His head swam and his legs wobbled and it felt like gravity was trying really hard to tug him face-first to the floor…
"Fret!" Rindo took Fret into his arms and wings before he even had the chance to collapse. "Fret, are you okay?"
Fret wilted against Rindo, body and breath shaking. But Fret smiled as he nuzzled Rindo's shoulder. "M-Missed you…" Rindo was so warm, while Fret... How could he be wrapped up in Rindo's arms and wings and Soul and still be cold, freezing even? "M-My R-R-Rindo..."
Rindo tilted his forehead against Fret's. A concerned warble. "Fret, I think we should stay in."
"B-B-But I still wanna go to the Noise café again, and the p-park, and we haven't e-even gotten to t-t-try the art stuff. " Fret's voice grew quieter without him even wanting it to. "I w-wanna t-try the art s-s-stuff..." So he could paint Rindo as a Raven, a big beautiful bird to match his beautiful Rinbirb. So he could prove to Rindo that he loved all of him, even the Noise, and Rindo would always have the reminder that Fret loved him. So he could…So he…
…So tired...But there were so many things to see and do all the time, with his Rindo...
"Fret?"
"...I-I-I'll be f-f-fine, I'll be g-good, just...j-just g-gimme a s-s-sec..."
"Fret…" Rindo rubbed his shuddering back. Even that slight touch was euphoric to Fret's wings. "Fret, I think it's starting. I always got real sick before my wings came out and..." He hugged Fret tighter. "And I love you Fret, I love you so much."
"L-Love you so much t-too, m-m-my Rindo," Fret murmured. His eyes sagged shut as another wave of dizziness washed over him. He leaned against Rindo more heavily. "So…S-S-So much…I…" Don't pass out…Don't pass out…
"Let's...Let's get you back to bed, okay?" Rindo's wings unfurled so he could scoop Fret up in his arms.
"Aww, you d-don't need to do that, buddy. I-I can s-still walk." Or at least teleport, if he could just focus enough. Though it was really nice to be off his feeble legs.
Rindo used his wings to hover off the ground."Just because you can doesn't mean you should."
And maybe Rindo had a point, as Fret grew dizzy just looking up at Rindo. Actually, Rindo could teleport too, so he could just warp him right to their bed, right? But maybe he just wanted to carry Fret, like someone who carried a beloved pet just because they could. Well, Fret was a Dog, so he enjoyed being carried.
Funny how Fret's head and chest felt like they were filled with lava, while the rest of him felt so frigid that his body just shook and shook and shook. Even the wings in his back quaked with chills, which made all the wing-squirming even more disgusting than usual.
Fret curled up against Rindo, desperate for his Rindo's warmth. He gripped Rindo's chest, where Fret could feel the excess heat of Rindo's heart bleeding through Rindo's clothes. Meanwhile Fret was pretty sure his own heart was going to straight-up erupt at this rate. "R-R-Rindo…"
A soothing trill from Rindo, followed by a series of soft, cooling pecks on Fret's burning brow. He heard Rindo's feet touch back on the floor, before his wings tucked around Fret like very warm webs. Nice, now Fret only felt semi-deathly cold.
Fret smiled despite his deepening exhaustion. Aww, his Rindo was so wonderful, as he always was.
With Rindo's arms and wings cradling him, now Fret could just concentrate on how amazing his lovely sweet Rindude was. Fret adored his eyes and his voice and all the cute little sounds he made and his warmth and his Soul and his wings and his song and his feathers and why was there growing air between them. Fret latched onto Rindo's torso with an alarmed yip, whining.
Rindo squawked in surprise, his wings flapping rapidly so he could keep his balance."It's okay, Fret." He stroked Fret's hair. "I'm just going to put you down on the bed. Then I'll be lying right next to you."
Fret kept whimpering as his arms stayed clamped around Rindo.
Rindo sighed, though he didn't seem annoyed. "Okay, how about this?" He fluttered onto the bed, and then lay down, letting Fret rest on top of him. "That better?"
Fret nodded, though he still whined and trembled. Stretching out, he rolled onto his stomach, wanting to be in as much physical contact with Rindo's body as possible, before hugging Rindo and nuzzling his cheek.
Rindo used the sharp tips of his wings to hook the blanket below them, so that he could cocoon Fret in both his wings and the blanket at the same time. "There. How's that?"
"Good," Fret mumbled into Rindo's neck. So toasty, a luxurious chrysalis for just him and Rindo. Surely this would cook the chills out of Fret.
"Anything else you need?"
"Um...More pets."
Rindo petted Fret's hair, starting with delicate touches before fully running his fingers through it. He carefully undid the many tangles he came across.
So nice. So wonderful. So wonderful that the rest of his aching body demanded pets too. "All over. Everything hurts. Stupid fever."
"Got it." Rindo started massaging his shoulders, being careful to avoid the wings, before moving down his arms.
Fret let out a content hum. That felt amazing. And yet…
"Rindo?"
"Yeah?"
…Scared. Fret was so scared, even now. How much longer until it all changed and they both stopped being themselves? He didn't want to hurt Rindo, and he didn't want Rindo to hurt him either. But this constant agonizing pain in his heart…The only way that he could get it to stop was to…
…Rindo. Rindo's heart had to have been hurting just as badly as his own. Fret had to be strong, had to be brave. For Rindo.
Fret smiled. "...I love you, Rindo."
Rindo chuckled, stroking Fret's hair again. "What else is new? I love you too."
Fret leaned extra heavily into those pets, practically shoving his head into Rindo's hand.
Rindo chuckled, lightly scratching Fret's scalp.
All this attention on the top of his head was so nice, as always...but soon a writhing pressure from the inside pinched all around Fret's shoulder blades, like his wings were jealous of his head. "Wing pets too. Back hurts."
Rindo gingerly caressed Fret's back, focusing only on the good spots, and Fret could just feel all his muscles dissolving under the touch. So warm...Maybe warm enough that he would just melt right into Rindo, and there wouldn't need to be a fight at all…
"Rindo?"
"Yeah?"
"I miss you."
Hair pets, even some scritches behind his ears. Then the slow spinning in Fret's Soul sped up. "Don't worry, I'm right here, Fret."
This crushing, disorienting embrace around Fret's very being…This pain…But this wasn't…
"...I miss you," Fret murmured, eyes heavy, heart tight. His arms squeezed Rindo's torso even more. "Please don't go, I miss you so much…"
A cooling hand on his forehead. More kisses. The cocoon loosening and peeling back a little. Only to seal back up when Fret's body started quivering again, the tepid air icy against his skin. Because his overheating body nonetheless needed every bit of Rindo's warmth, including the wonderful warmth of his heart.
Fret shamelessly glutted himself on Rindo's Soul, even though every gulp only seemed to make him hungrier. like he was trying to fill a draining lake with a bucket. His needful whines accelerated into whimpers as the teeth all over his Soul only pressed down harder.
Rindo hugged him closer, as his Soul twister further tangled up and compressed Fret's famished Soul, and his hands massaged the happy spots on Fret's spasming back. "Take all that you need, Fret. Even if it's everything. I love you so much."
Fret's giddy giggles soon unraveled into giddy laughter. This happiness, this love, this attention, this warmth, this feeding, this unyielding hold on both his body and his Soul that just kept getting tighter…
…How was it still not enough? What else could Fret possibly want?
But he made sure to give his Rindo lots of kisses, because he loved his Rindo, he loved him so much, his lovely cufurreal Rindo with his beautiful wings and his beautiful plumage and his beautiful talons and he could just run in these grassy halls forever and everyone was here and so much attention so much so much especially from his lovely sweet bird who preened his wings and fur and heart and he loved Rindo he loved him so much he loved he loved he…
…His ribcage bending and cracking under the merciless pressure of desperate jaws…
Fret must have dozed off at some point. Hot. Melting? No, slick with sweat. His insides were nothing but sloshing heat, his heart long liquified. So this was what a butterfly felt like in the middle of metamorphosis, tucked snug in a cocoon with its body dissolving. At least Rindo was here somewhere, blending together with him. So hot, yet still not enough to fall apart and lose himself. He whined, shivering weakly.
A torrid force squeezed Fret from all sides, with quiet cawing next to his ear. Something kneaded his back, making Fret feel extra loving.
Oh, Rindo was still separate, holding him. Fret could barely tell the difference between his body and Rindo's, with their searing bodies so close and insulated by the makeshift chrysalis. He hated that he noticed a barrier between them at all, even if that barrier was just clothes and skin. This worthless body, getting in the way between him and Rindo…His Soul resided in Rindo just as much as in himself, maybe even more.
Love. He loved loved loved loved loved.
No, something even deeper than that. Fret loved many things, even if he didn't love them as much as he loved his Rindo. He loved running, shopping, food, talking, laughing, living. No, Rindo...patient, caring, loyal Rindo...Fret didn't just love Rindo, he—
Fret yelped. Pain! Pain pain pain pain pain! Back! Shoulder blades! Wings!
Rindo's wings snapped open, which also tore the blanket aside. His hands moved from Fret's distorting shoulders to the base of his spine and the back of his head, holding him in place even as Fret yowled and tried to squirm free. The agony grew so maddening that Fret bit...not Rindo, he would never hurt his Rindo, but he did sink his teeth into the loose collar of Rindo's hoodie. Fret dug his fingers into Rindo's back, whimpering rapidly, his pulse sputtering under the unrelenting jaws in his chest. Until his skin and heart finally surrendered and his wings exploded out.
Fret slumped onto Rindo in a relieved daze, half-mesmerized by the foreign sensation of having his damp wings out in the open air, flexing freely instead of being bunched up in his back. He glanced back at them: long and thin, but not as big as Rindo's.
But even with his wings out and the covers off, Fret still felt nothing but heat. Heat that oozed out of his skin in patches and started turning it yellow and sharp and glowing. Tattoos. His Noise.
A newfound, more primal, more ravenous energy flowed through him from within.
Wait. Wait but he loved…
Fret tucked his arms and wings around Rindo. Finally, he could use these wings for something wonderful. Finally he could wag his tail to show Rindo how happy he was to be with him. Finally…Finally he could just…Because he…
…Needed...Loved...Needed...He loved but he needed, he loved but he needed, he loved but he loved loved loved loved loved…
Tattoos seeped out of his cheeks, forming a masquerade-like mask around his eyes, and a long snout over the lower part of his face, mouth pulled into a permanent wide smile.
…Loved loved loved needed need need need—
And now that trickle of Soul coming from Rindo became a torrent.
But the Dog needed more and more and—
His Rindo squawked in alarm and tried to squirm free, wings flapping frantically. But the Dog only held him closer and tighter.
More and more and more and—
His Rindo froze as the Dog nuzzled his neck, tail wagging madly. Yes, all the Dog needed was a bite to...
...No, he couldn't hurt his Rindo like that. He wasn't like the Red Spider Lily. He loved his Rindo.
Instead the Dog would do as they had been doing for days: he would drain Rindo until there was no more Rindo to drain. Just as his Rindo had first attempted to do when their singing began. Nice, peaceful, painless. No fighting. Just cuddles until the end, to prove how much he loved him. Yes, the Dog loved his Rindo so much that he would hug his Rindo tighter and tighter until their bodies and Souls finally collapsed into each other.
His Rindo's struggles slowed as his breaths turned into wheezes.
Yes, his Rindo didn't need to worry about anything anymore because they could never be apart if the Dog never let him go. And why would he ever let his Rindo go? His Rindo…His…
Love. Love love love love love. He loved his Raven so much, would take such good care of his Raven's Soul and cherish every drop of it within him for forever and ever and he was sorry but love love love love—
And suddenly his Raven's body was scorching, so volcanic that the Dog yelped with pain as his skin sizzled from the heat. But the Dog didn't want to let go of his Raven ever, couldn't let go of his Raven ever, because he didn't just need to love him, or need to consume him, or need to blend into every bit of him without distinction. No, he needed to do what every Noise needed to do...
But the Dog got blasted off of his Raven by a burst of fire. His Raven sat up, skeletal wings flared out, pinpricks of yellow light shining in his irises as the whites of his eyes turned black.
Same as before.
Tattoos welling up from his skin.
Same.
Red tattoos. A second pair of red wings.
Not the same.
His Raven wasn't his Raven anymore?
The Not-Raven swooped down on him. No, wait, the Dog didn't want to fight!
The Dog teleported under the bed in fright, where he cowered amid the covers still huddled under there. What should he do now that his Raven was no longer his Raven and was now eager for—
The Not-Raven warped right next to him, and before the Dog could even yelp, the Not-Raven had trapped him in his arms and both sets of wings, even rolling up into some of the blankets.
The Dog whimpered. He didn't want to fight he didn't want to fight he didn't want to…
And at first the Not-Raven simply held him in the darkness under the bed. Maybe they wouldn't fight after all? But then that darkness slowly lit up as the Not-Raven's body flickered with fire all over, and the stratospheric spike in temperature threatened to cook the Dog alive.
The Dog yowled and squirmed. but the burning arms and wings stayed locked around him.
Several small fires started in the sheets around them, making them writhe with embers and billow out smoke. The added fumes and heat left the Dog coughing and gasping.
…But wasn't this nest of embers so warm, and the smoke so calming? He loved being warm, didn't he? So he should've let himself soak up the searing heat, breathe in deep to take in all that smoke…After all, he was…
…Both? He was both the Dog and the Not-Raven at once? But not quite the doubling effect he'd experienced from long drains before. If anything, it was the opposite: the Not-Raven stretching his Soul to fill both himself and the Dog, clawing at the Dog's heart so the Not-Raven could seep into through the scratches and…
…Possess. Just like any Noise would.
…And it was getting hard to move, because the Not-Raven didn't want him to move, was trying to control the Dog down to his very breathing, so that he would take in more and more heat and smoke and…
…And wasn't this what he wanted? What they both wanted? For the Not-Raven to weaken and remove this confining flesh, so that they could finally spread out their wings as one? Hadn't he been cooped up in this ribcage long enough? Wasn't he lonely in there?
The Dog half-whined, half-warbled. Yes he was terribly lonely, always lonely, no matter what he did or who he was with. It would be so nice if the Not-Raven could just erase this endless longing just by becoming the Dog himself, and keep him safe and snug in his Soul forever…
But this deepening possession only sharpened the Dog's needs, like a loving embrace that kept him from reaching a bowl of food only a couple feet away, its wonderful, inescapable scent leaving him even more ravenous. He loved, he loved, he loved so much that he wanted to become what he loved, but to do that he had to eat, had to, had to—
With a snarl, the Dog sank his fangs deep enough into his Not-Raven that he screeched with pain, his arms and wings loosening enough that the Dog finally squirmed free and escaped.
The Dog gasped and coughed and wheezed as he tried to make his breathing his own again. But he had to get the smoke out quickly, because soon he would have to run and run and run to...where? He couldn't leave the room! The anti-Noise door was automatically locked!
And even if he could escape the room, where else would the Dog have gone? Where else could he stand to be without his Not-Raven, who he loved but who also needed to eat him. But the Dog loved him so he should be happy to be eaten? Yet the Dog also wanted to eat his lovely Raven up, wanted to become him?
The Dog noticed the Not-Raven vanish from under the bed. He jumped aside to avoid the swipe from the teleported Not-Raven, chomping down on his outstretched wrist. After that it was nothing but a flurry of bites and slashes from both of them, screeching and snarling as they warped around, either trying to escape attack or trying to ambush. If the Dog could only pin the Not-Raven down again and get his jaws around the Not-Raven's neck, clamping down just enough to pacify him…
And this might be his chance! After spinning around and lashing the Not-Raven with his sharp tail when he tried to teleport over him, the Not-Raven let out a pained cry and landed a couple feet away, one bird-like wing suddenly limp. The Dog lunged and—
Abruptly the 'injured' wing flared out and launched several sharp feathers. It'd been a trick! The Dog skidded and started running the other way, but—
The Dog yelped as one of those pointed pinions lodged into his wing, sending a shock of sharp confusion through his system that made him fall flat onto the floor. The spot sizzled and popped with pent-up emotion. Fighting through the disorientation, the Dog found the feather and yanked it out, only to have the wind knocked out of him when Not-Raven landed knees-first onto his back.
The Dog was just trying to get his breath back when he felt searing talons seize his wings. Those claws dug right into the terror part of the Dog's wings, flooding him with paralyzing fear. Not-Raven's expression was dispassionate as he examined the appendages. Trying to figure out how to break them.
The Dog growled at Not-Raven, but the sound had more fright than ferocity. He couldn't do much if Not-Raven was perched on his back and had him by the wings.
An affirmative trill. The Dog shuddered as he felt Not-Raven's Reaper wings slip into the higher spaces in the Dog's wings, and his smaller bird-like wings slid into lower spaces. That was a lot of strong emotions at once, too many for the Dog to tell apart. What was the Not-Raven doing?
Then the Reaper wings flared upward while the bird-like wings pushed downward, pulling the Dog's wings in opposite directions.
That's what he was doing! The Dog yowled in pain and panic, writhing to free himself and his wings before he got torn to pieces. His tail lashed and stabbed at the Not-Raven, trying to make him let go, but the agony in the Dog's wings only heightened.
What should he do? What should he do what should he do what should he—
He felt a pinch to the base of his wings, and the unexpected rush of raw happiness made his body sag for a few moments and feel almost okay, but increasingly intense pangs of panic brought him back to his senses. What should he do? What could he do?
His lungs trembled with whimpers, but for now his lungs were still his own. He took a deep breath, and felt his lungs fill with power as well as air.
His howl shook the entire room, shook his wings and shook the Not-Raven's entire body in turn. This raw sound…As natural an extension of himself as the flames were an extension of his Not-Raven.
The Not-Raven squawked in dazed alarm and tried to fly away, but his Reaper wings were still tangled in the Dog's own.
But why would his beloved Not-Raven ever want to leave?
The Dog further tangled and hooked his wings into the Not-Raven's. His bays grew louder and longer, and he could feel Not-Raven's body quake and weaken more with each cry.
Feel his very Soul quake and weaken.
A Soul that the Dog could dig and dig and dig into while their wings shook and shook and shook together. That soft, loamy heart, so scared, so lonely, so cozy…
The Not-Raven's anxious warbles quieted down to burbling whines. The Dog could sense himself in the Not-Raven's body as well as his own. Could feel how his Not-Raven's head kept jerking upward, wanting to howl with the Dog.
Yes, howl. Howl with him!
The feeble resistance in his heart broke under the Dog's jaws, and the Not-Raven howled, and the Dog could feel himself bleed into his heart and pulse through his Soul. Distinct, yet inseparable. What all Noise desired to be.
To possess. To become what he loved while also still remaining himself. To feed endlessly without fully consuming, at least for now. This perfect feeling, this perfect existence was what the Soul twister had been trying to mimic all this time, but they had simply been too human to make it work as intended. Too obsessed with individual identity and boundaries, even with their Souls stirring together for longer and longer and with more frequency.
No such limits now.
Now that he was both the Dog and the Not-Raven, he had the Not-Raven pet him, hug him, preen his hair and tattoos with doting care. And of course, since they were the same person deep down, the Not-Raven knew exactly what spots needed the most treatment, almost before the Dog himself did.
This love, this attention…All his, forever. His Not-Raven could never leave if the Dog manipulated his every movement, controlled his every thought and breath, amplified his desire to love and to stay.
His Not-Raven…He wanted to see his Not-Raven, hold his Not-Raven. So they carefully untangled their wings, faced toward each other, and embraced, weaving their wings together again. The Dog's tail happily thumped on the ground as he tucked his snout under his Not-Raven's beak and against his throat. Only a few tattoo lines protecting the soft flesh…
But the Dog would only sink his teeth into it once he got really hungry. And why cut such a good meal short? He would lap up every drop of his Soul eventually, from without and from within, and his Not-Raven would patiently wait until he did. They were practically the same being already after all.
And he would make sure his Not-Raven would feel nothing but happiness through it all. He stretched out his Not-Raven's wings a little more so that he could massage the happy parts of his wings more easily, making him laugh gleefully.
The Dog heard giddy giggles frothing out of his own throat too. His Not-Raven's laughter was infectious. Of course it was, because their Souls were so entwined. And the Dog's own laughter only grew louder as his Not-Raven returned the favor and pressed on the Dog's own happy spots.
So happy, and all he wanted was more and more and—
Huh? His Not-Raven wanted to…try something? See if it could make him even more happy?
His Not-Raven plucked a red feather from his own bird-like wings, and jabbed it in that base of the Dog's wing like a hot needle.
The Dog yipped, more in surprise than pain. That heat bleeding from the quill and into the wing itself made his happiness spike. A joy so intense that he was barely able to breathe for all the uncontrollable laughter wracking his lungs.
That inflamed ecstasy only grew when he felt the base of his other wing get massaged again, being prepared for its own feather.
Because didn't he want to be as happy as possible? To be so happy and loved and not alone? He didn't want to be alone, did he?
…No, please don't leave him alone, he couldn't be alone, he couldn't lose—
Don't worry. He would never leave him. He would always keep him warm and safe and happy.
The small searing stab of another feather. The Dog's Noise laughter grew dazed and delirious.
Yes, he would make him so happy.
This happiness was…crushing him? But the Dog…couldn't move, his muscles locked into place, obeying only…
…Wait…When had his Not-Raven taken control of him instead? The Dog was the one who was supposed to be possessing him! Yet the only sound the Dog could release now were croaks and warbles, cries devoid of any of his own power. His traitorous tail pounded the carpet gleefully, especially when his Not-Raven started caressing the loving part of one of his wings.
…Yes, he loved his Not-Raven so much, even if he feared being devoured by him. The Dog wanted to do the same to him after all, because he loved his Not-Raven so much. His Not-Raven made him so happy...
No, this was not the time to be happy! His Not-Raven was gonna eat him! His Soul writhed, trying to free himself of his Not-Raven, only to collapse under the weight of the maddening joy. Why…Why would he want to feel anything other than this all-encompassing, all-powerful euphoria that left him delightfully dizzy? What did it matter that the price he needed to pay for such pleasure was every scrap of his Soul? All he needed to do was become his Dog, right?
A brief calm, then the stab of another feather. Oh, he loved loved loved loved, especially when his beloved Not-Raven started treating his other wing. Love love love love love and he was so happy too...So much that he almost didn't quiver at the thought of being consumed. No, this felt good and he didn't want it to stop, but he needed to escape, he needed to get these feathers out, even though he had no way of getting the feathers out, their pinprick heat only inflaming his feelings more the longer they remained lodged there and—Stab—Love love love love love love love love love love no wait he love love love love love love love love love love so much love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love wait no he had to—
His teeth snapped open and lunged for his Not-Raven's neck, tearing at the tattoos there. He had trouble getting a good grip since he couldn't stop laughing. But even if he couldn't get to the soft throat itself, if he could just tear enough of the tattoos away and then clamp down hard enough, then all his Dog would need to do was maintain that semi-suffocating vice as he possessed him again and—
Then his Dog yowled and whimpered as the guilt part of his wings crunched between his Not-Raven's fingers. Why...Why was his Not-Raven forcing out this feeling? Had his Dog done something wrong? Was...Was it because he was afraid? He knew he shouldn't be afraid because he loved his Not-Raven and should be happy to be a part of him and he was sorry he was sorry he was—
And his Not-Raven mercifully passed over to the next part of the wing without leaving a feather in it. Was...Was that good enough? Was he good enough? For his Not-Raven, his love love love love—
Once again the overwhelming happiness and love crushed his heart back into place, pulverizing all his thoughts and focus in the process.
Especially now that his Not-Raven concentrated on new parts of the wing. Crunch. So much nostalgia for things that happened only hours ago. Stab. So much nostalgia for things that happened only minutes ago. Crunch, on the other side. So much nostalgia for what just happened? Stab. So much nostalgia for things that hadn't happened yet?
Crunch. His Dog was so excited! But his Not-Raven only lingered on it for a little while. Crunch. Scared! His Dog was so scared! Not-Raven stopped right away. Crunch. Now his Dog felt so relaxed, his entire body going slack. Stab. Now his mind went slack too. Crunch, on the other side. He let himself sink into all these other overwhelming emotions. Stab. He didn't even mind if his beloved Not-Raven wanted to eat him alive. Crunch. His Dog was so confused! Stab. No, seriously what was even happening anymore? Crunch, on the other side. He had trouble comprehending anything around him. Stab. Who...Who was he anyway?
So...So many strong feelings that he didn't understand, with so many emotions already at full volume in his Soul.. Crunch. Crunch, stab, crunch, stab. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch, stab, crunch, stab.
He was vaguely aware of something shifting around him. His Not-Raven. His dear, loving, calming, nostalgic-at-all-times, confusing Not-Raven that made him so happy. His Dog's arms flopped uselessly to the floor as the bird-like wings nestled into the lower part of his own, while his Not-Raven's Reaper wings stretched in the opposite direction.
Pain and panic, though their cries were tiny compared to everything else he was feeling all at once. But it was persistent enough to be uncomfortable. He tried to wriggle free, but his body felt so disconnected from his Soul that he could barely move. He might have whimpered a little, he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything anymore.
Stab. Stab. Sorry sorry sorry he wouldn't move sorry sorry. It hurt but he loved loved loved hurt loved loved loved sorry sorry sorry but he loved he loved he loved it hurt but he loved he loved he loved his Not-Raven his love his joy his everything and love love love and hurt hurt hurt Rindo help he couldn't move and it hurt hurt hu—
A series of snaps, then a sharp shattering in both his ears and in his Soul.
And then, after that explosion of unbearable pain, all those feelings slowly hushed into echoes. After all that overpowering and agonizing emotion, he felt almost numb, with the world slowly coming back into focus. Maybe. There was still a strange fuzziness to everything, like the room was too dark or too bright or somehow both. His chest also seemed...light? Whatever heavy thing that kept pressing down and cooking his heart on a pyre was finally gone. But that unrelenting weight on his Soul had also been the only thing that had been holding him together?
All around him, black fragments, already turning to static. His wings. Something pale yellow sloughing off him like scabs and fading away into sparkling graffiti dust. His tattoos…His Noise…
Maybe that was why his heart was so peacefully quiet, despite everything. No worries, no guilt, no selfish desires. So tranquil that he was content to just…
No, there was one more thing holding him together. Or trying to.
Hugging. Crying. Rindo. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." His Rindo was so warm that embers danced around them both, and even across Rindo's tattoos and skin.
So pretty. So sweet. "Aww, my cufurreal Rindo...I love you."
"C-Cufurreal? And h-how can you still say that? After I-I..."
"You...You weren't you. And...I wasn't me either. We were both...Like Ayano said, we needed to free each other from our Noise, right? And…I'm glad that you'll be okay now." And he really was. He felt nothing but serenity at the thought. "Thanks for...not letting me hurt you."
Oh no, Rindo was sobbing even worse now.
He wanted to embrace Rindo back. If only he could get his body to move at all. "I mean it, buddy. I'm so happy to be your song. All a song needs is a singer, after all. It doesn't need a form of its own."
"I don't want you as a song!" Rindo exclaimed. "I want you here, with me! Please...Please don't go!"
"I'm not going anywhere, buddy. In fact I'm gonna be with you forever now." He didn't have to be real in order to do that.
"But I...I don't know what else I want in life besides you! I don't have any plans, or passions, or even any hobbies really, besides a few games on my phone. I-I don't know who I am without you!"
"...Y'know, I don't think I really know who I am anymore either," He wasted so much time dwelling on his past before, so fearful of that past repeating, that his only real connection to the present was... "I'll become your dreams, if you'll become my truth."
Bits of light joined the embers, drifting toward and getting absorbed by Rindo. Oh, those were coming from himself, his body softly glowing white. So he was a creature of the light after all, huh?
He could barely feel Rindo holding him even tighter, trembling, rocking him. A string of desperate kisses all over his face.
Fear, guilt, sorrow. Yearning, joy, love. All blended, impossible to tell what from where and why. What was anything anymore? Thoughts and memories that may or may not have been his own floated through him, all sounds and colors beyond his comprehension. But here, wherever he was, whoever he was, he was so warm...
"I love you, Rindo." Even now, those words were so easy to say, even if they had a slight reverb to them. And Rindo needed to hear them now more than ever. "I love you, I love you, I love you..."
And then those other words, so hard to say, even now. Even when he felt it to the depths of his unraveling Soul. But he should say them now, while he still had a voice.
"...And I trust you."
And so ends part 2. The remaining chapters will cover the aftermath and any other suspiciously loose ends. It might be a little while though, since the next chapter still needs some work.
Judging by the pins Fret canonically uses, and how certain pins mutate for him, Fret seems to have a slight affinity for sound-based psyches, hence why he has sound-based powers here.
I can't insert pictures in the ffnet document, unfortunately, but on the Ao3 version of this story I actually have some art of half-Noise Fret that I did myself! I was planning to also include one for Rindo as well, but sadly that one isn't ready yet and will appear in a future chapter instead. I have done some other art for other people's fics that will be posted relatively soon though!