The Star Patient

That was the only time Dark ever felt that kind of relief from his demons. It’ll never happen again.

Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop! He just wanted it to stop. The world around him was blurring like cars on a twisting freeway, twisting and warping into smeared colors and blinding light and blood pounding just behind his eye sockets. He could feel the light burning through him, exquisite and excruciating; the pain sang in every nerve, blocking out all other noise.

The shrill keening and churning of Dark’s aura was slowly, slowly starting to dissipate, but the tension in his body hadn’t eased at all. The Host kept a light but secure hold of his shoulders as he soothed softly, “With every passing moment Dark feels his breathing calm and his muscles loosen and relax. This feeling will pass. Dark is not helpless. He is not alone.”

Somewhere in his subconscious he was aware that he was dreaming, but it was the first time in a long time that he was comfortable in this space. His darkened room was cool, but his dreams were warm: the sweet ringing of wind chimes in a summer breeze that rustled the tall grass as he ran his hands through it, dappled shadows from lush green leaves shielding his face, a sky so blue that anyone else would have been forced to blink against it. He could relax in these dreams; he hoped he would remember them.

“Host...” Dark began yet again, taking an even breath to calm the impatience swirling around him. “We are running low on time.”

“The Host is aware, but Dark knows just as well as he that the Host can only isolate so many fissions in the Void at once,” he answered distantly, more focused on the web of reality threads knotted thickly around his fingers. “If Dark truly wants him to locate any potential threats within it, he must allow the Host to focus -- in silence.”

Happy birthday! Dost Hark is a good way to pass some time

The fact that Dark’s naturally icy skin felt warm to the touch would have been more than enough evidence on its own, but at the moment he was sitting on the edge of his bed with everything but his undershirt and slacks stripped away, retching an unnamed black essence into his garbage can. The Host sank slowly down next to him, narrating unobtrusively under his breath as he reached out and tucked tangled, sweaty strands of his fringe out of the way. Dark’s aura lashed at him for it, curling around his hand in a strange combination of defensiveness and need. 

“The Host will heat up some broth for his friend, if he’ll allow it,” he offered quietly, letting the smoke tendrils weave between his fingers. Wordlessly Dark nodded, lowering his head to hide his face.

Patient Treatment, huh? Is that what we call it? XD

The Host swallowed hard. There wasn’t anything that he could hide from Dark for long, but he had genuinely believed he had kept his feelings for Amy Nelson private, tucked away out of Dark’s notice. He was wrong. “The Host would not...” He paused, lowering his voice to correct himself. “The Host will not allow this to compromise him or his role in Dark’s agenda. He is well aware of the fact that any connection between him and Miss Nelson is far out of the realm of possibility.”

“On the contrary,” Dark countered, his voice shockingly even, “it isn’t too late.” That brought the Host’s head up in an instant. Clearly it wasn’t the reaction he had been expecting. Well aware of this, Dark smiled. His aura was cool and mellow as he draped it over the Host’s shoulders, squeezing in a gesture that could have been reassuring, coming from anyone else. “By the time my plan comes to fruition, Mark will be gone. You will have her entirely to yourself, if it pleases you.”

The Host opened his mouth. Then he closed it. For once in his life, he was unsure of what to say.

There was practically no one else he wouldtrust to do this, Dark realized distantly as the Host eased off his suitjacket, draping it over the back of his desk chair. His back had always been asensitive area; his aura was there to protect it, holding together the brokenfragments. Whenever anyone touched it, he saw…he felt the fall over therailing, felt the body hitting the floor of the Manor with a fatal crack. Thememory made him twist and pop his neck by impulse.

“The Host asks his friend to hold still,” theyounger Ego reminded him quietly as he laid his hands against the crest of Dark’sshoulders, letting him become acclimated to the touch before they began glidingdown, palming along the curve of his shoulder blades and the ridges of hisspine. Dark inhaled deeply, resisting the urge to wrench away and insteadfocusing on keeping his aura still and relaxed. He needed this. He had askedfor this. The Host was going to help.

“If you attempt to touch me, if you try to open me up, I swear I will tear you apart limb by limb,” he hissed, narrowed eyes flickering, oscillating between blue and red as he backed into the corner. The doctor approached anyway, hands held up placatingly.

“Google,” he began softly. “Listen to me, you’re not where you think you are. It’s me…It’s Edward. Edward Iplier. I’m not like them, remember? I’m unarmed…and I’m your friend.” With another cautious step, Edward brushed a hand against his shoulder, earning a flinch, but there was a brief flash of the natural brown in Google’s eyes. It didn’t go unnoticed. Inhaling deeply, Edward shifted lower in front of him, earnest. “Neel?”

Recognition finally sparked and Google’s systems stuttered faintly as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the doctor’s. “Hh…Edward…”

Ooh, interesting! No one ever really talks about that scene! 

Well, firstly, I couldn’t help but put in a little wink-wink near the start of that scene, where the Host is letting Mark borrow the Author’s old bat as a weapon. I figured Mark probably doesn’t own a gun, so the bat it is!

The scene was meant to have a kind of clinical horror feel to it -- the fluorescent lights revealing Robbie in the corner, the blood dripping on the linoleum, etc. At first I wasn’t sure how they were going to get Chase away from him, honestly! I literally didn’t have the idea until the characters themselves did! So in a way, Dr. Iplier’s reaction to the Host taking his bandages off was my reaction too XD And of course the Host being vulnerable, but still capable of great power and an quick takedown was a fun treat.

That’s mostly true!

The group of teens had everything planned. To better get into the “New Year’s spirit”, they’d gotten some discount Christmas ornaments and empty champagne bottles to hurl at the passersby. They had thought the two well-dressed men would be easy targets. One of them was leaning on the other, their arms wound together, and he had bandages over his face -- he was blind! Easy to take a blind man by surprise, right?

Wrong. As soon as they burst onto the path, the ghostly pale one in the darker suit lurched back, but the blind one shoved in front of him, golden threads materializing over his arms. Nobody would believe them if they ever spoke of what happened next but in less than a minute they were all scattering in different directions as their projectiles spontaneously exploded, cutting their faces, arms hands -- any exposed skin.

One, particularly foolish, lunged for the man in the darker suit, grabbing at his arm and his clothing and screaming at him. “Your friend’s a freak, man, do something! Stop him!” That brought the blind man around to face them. The teen froze under his gaze -- yes, his gaze. He could feel it, spearing into him from behind those bandages, and it made him shrink.

“The Host has had a difficult day. He is not feeling kind, nor is he feeling pity. Therefore he strongly suggests you take your hands off his friend,” the blind man growled, low in his throat. “Or he might have to do something...unseemly.”

If he hadn’t been so taken aback by the unfamiliar term -- “his friend” -- Dark might have genuinely smiled before he broke the boy’s hands for wrinkling his jacket. 

Haha, I’m pretty proud of that AU, thank you! And your writing is really good! I don’t even really remember why or how I thought Dost Hark was a good idea; it’s just become a way of life now XD

As soon as Mark passed by the makeshift burrow of blankets, he could hear the Host wheezing and whining inside. Pursing his lips, he crouched at the entrance, peering in to see him with wide, watery eyes, trying to stand.

“Hey, no, it’s okay,” he soothed, reaching in to drag his fingers over the crown of his head.The Host flinched ever so slightly at his touch until he realized what he was doing, cautiously tilting his head into it. Mark lowered his voice. “It’s okay…don’t get up. Everything’s fine out here. You’re safe.”  

Aww, yay! Tag me when it’s finished!!