Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

*Benjamin's P.O.V*

It's been a few months since the mall encounter with my parents and defeating what I've come to realize was supposed to represent my monster of a father. Ever since that day I've felt more at ease than I have in years and pico has noticed. Every step of recovery I make was a welcome one especially now because I could enjoy it with pico who I've been dating officially for about four months now and it's been the best months I can remember where I'm not constantly being beaten, burned or yelled at.

After the mall incident me, Pico, Grace and her boyfriend Sven had figured it would be best if we moved where mine and grace's parents had minimal influence as it was clear they were very dangerous and I didn't put it past my own parents to hunt me and pico down just to kill us both for not being their perfect son and for pico being the one to make their personal punching bag rebel against them. Because of this fear Pico had managed to find a cheaper apartment that had cameras on sight as well as built in security systems so it had been the ideal choice for the both of us. For grace and Sven the two had managed to find a condo with two bedrooms as it also had a security system as neither wanted to take a risk.

It turns out Sven was surprisingly well off for himself despite being in high school and had been able to afford a nicer apartment then what me and pico could however he had revealed during one of our double dates that he had been working and saving up as soon as he was of hiring age and had been able to get successfully transferred to a different branch of his work place here where they lived now so he could afford the apartment him and grace had now. Hearing that Sven was willing to go to that extent for grace made both I and Pico glad that Grace had found someone who cared for her as much as Pico cared for me.

Knowing that grace was happy with Sven made me thankful he had found her when he did for both there sakes as I really didn't want to think about what could have happened if Grace had been left alone at the train station that fateful day.  For I and Pico that day at the station where I battled my own mom on a literal moving vehicle had both left us with scars from the landing and a deep rooted fear of the possibility of being yanked off the streets and never to be seen again until one or both were killed. Im not dense enough to think my parents are actually gone and I wouldn't be surprised if they were still out there somewhere despite their weird disappearance after that battle with that monster in the mall however I didn't want to think about that right now as me and pico were currently on a date and going to the movies.

While pico had bought our tickets to see the movie I had been glancing around to ensure we didn't have any unwelcome company however in my search I could of sworn I had seen a small flare of cyan blue hair before it was lost in the crowd while the person was quickly followed by a girl with bright red hair and someone with orange hair heading in the opposite direction of where me and pico were. Who were those three and why do I feel like I've seen them before?

I didn't get to ponder on it long before I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder which had caused an instinctive response of freezing up before I realized it was pico trying to let me know that he had the tickets in hand and that we could get our food for the movie. With that being said I shook that feeling of odd recognition of the three I saw earlier and smiled at pico saying "ok toughie, let's grab our snacks and head in. I'm excited to see this movie!" Pico had smiled before nodding in agreement and then we were off to grab our snacks before heading into the movie. In my mind  I hoped everything would go smoothly and that nothing would happen to ruin our day.

Chapter Text

*Benjamin's P.O.V*

It was half way through the movie when I and pico had run out of our shared popcorn. Pico had offered to get us some more however I thought it would be a bit rude of us to get up in the middle of the movie to buy some more as I feared it would potentially interrupt the other movie watchers though pico had insisted it would be okay and had held my hand in a gentle manner to reassure me of that before leaving his seat as quietly as possible while requesting that I stayed so he could find our seats again. Though I would have preferred I went with him I had given a thumbs up in confirmation which caused pico to smile before he left his spot and quietly went up the aisle and out the door.

*3rd Person P.O.V*

As pico left through the door leading to the movie he and Benjamin were watching pico had looked around seeing that a few others had the same idea as there was a small line in front of the popcorn stand though out of the small group he had saw one person that stood out from the rest and that was a male with vibrate blue hair. What made pico pause was the fact that he recognized the blue haired male from a few of the newspapers that he had picked up while he and Benjamin were on the run.

It didn't take long before Pico's mind clicked with recognition and realized that it was none other than who many call bf as he kept his real name a secret to everyone except his gf and his ex who happened to also be named pico. When Benjamin found out there was another pico out there he had switched to the nickname toughie for his pico though the main reason why was because soft pico had started calling him softie when comforting him and in turn Benjamin had come up with toughie to give a matching nickname. It was one of the many enduring things soft pico loved about Benjamin despite all the shit he's been through he still has a soft side though now, he wasn't afraid to stand up for himself when needed.

As Toughie got in line to wait his turn he could overhear the blue haired male mumbling about something under his breath though whatever it was made the male smile before it was his turn to order though he had used beeps and boops to communicate which confused soft pico but, the person behind the counter seemed to understand and got the requested items and soon after bf went back to the far right theater room and opened the door right when laughter from the crowd could be heard and a disappointed beep sound came from BF before he went to wherever his Gf and his pico was. Soon enough it was Toughie's turn to order and after he paid for the new batch of popcorn he too returned to the movie he was watching and wrapped his arm around Benjamin and got comfortable as the two shared the popcorn once again.

(AN: mild cursing)
*Benjamin's P.O.V.*

After the movie me and pico tossed our garbage in the nearby trash can though as I looked around it seemed a fair amount of other movie goers weren't as nice. Popcorn was all over the floor in spots as well as a couple cups that people had simply left. This upset me seeing how rude some people could be though I didn't get to linger on it long as I suddenly felt myself being tugged to the side by pico as I was nearly trampled by a random stranger in my observation and got cursed out by them for getting in their way and told to watch where the hell I was going before they countinued on their way without apologizing.

I soon felt pico's grip tighten uncomfortably on my hand in his building anger to defend me though the second I hissed from the pain pico's anger disappeared almost immediately and had released my hand apologizing and I had ensured him that I was ok just a bit surprised by the sudden tightening and as pico nodded in understanding he took my hand again though made sure to have a much gentler grip as we made our way outside. It was only after we left that me and pico realized that it was raining  and unfortunately for us the next bus wouldn't be back for at least twenty or so minutes. Knowing this the two of us had gone to take shelter in a nearby store so we didn't get soaked and waited in the store for the remainder of the time it would take after purchasing some food for dinner tonight. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night as the storm seemed to just be starting.

Chapter Text

*3rd person P.O.V*

While Pico and Benjamin were waiting for the bus both had saw a black limo driving up to the theater likely to pick up bf and gf as it was known knowledge that gf was part of a very well off family however the sight of the limo despite it being black in color had caused Benjamin to immediately hide behind one of the food shelves. This behavior of course concerned Pico as Benjamin had been making amazing strides in recovery though he wasn't at all surprised that Benjamin hid. Pico or toughie as Benjamin calls him at home or when they went on a date had already known that Benjamin was far from being considered ok after everything he had gone through.

Pico knew Benjamin was denied comfort and was touch starved from gentle hands for basically his whole life. When Benjamin gained the confidence to tell Pico in more detail instead of the lie he had crafted out of fear of his parents finding out which would of resulted in a "lesson" from his father which Pico found out was always done in a soundproofed basement so Benjamin's cries for help would be unheard and silenced so his monster of a father could do what he wanted to "teach Benjamin a lesson".

Finding this out had sent a metaphorical spike of ice through pico's heart especially when he had found out later on that he had been unknowingly going past Benjamin's "home" for years until one day after a particularly bad day at school Benjamin had asked him to walk him home as he didn't want to be alone as It had been a report card day. Pico and Ben had two of their classes together and the report card that Benjamin was retrieving had been from mathematics.

When the final grades were handed out Pico had watched the color literally drain from Benjamin's face which had concerned him greatly as the two had become pretty close by then before watching as Ben immediately went to the teacher asking if he could do extra credit to get his grade up however, the teacher had informed him that there wasn't any extra credit to be handed out and had informed him that the report had already been sent to his parent/guardian. After that the teacher then proceeded to apologize and had sent him back to his seat. As Benjamin did as told Pico didn't miss just how shaky Ben had become. This of course should of been Pico's first sign something wasn't right at home, the second was when Benjamin had asked Pico if he could walk him home as he didn't want to be alone and the third was when Ben had hugged him saying that he was his only friend while still shaking terribly and had kept the hug going for longer than was normal until he broke it.

The reason he did had been because Ben had heard the door to his house unlock and in turn had told pico to hide behind the neighbor's hedge quickly though when Pico went to question why he didn't miss Benjamin saying "Its because I don't want you to get hurt" before Benjamin forced him behind the hedge nearby without another word and had returned to his previous position just as the door had opened. The next thing Pico knew was father fairest angrily saying "get inside sport. we have something to discuss" before Benjamin was grabbed hard by the arm and dragged inside faster then pico could stop him and just as he was within running distance he had heard the door slam shut loudly. The last thing he heard before it was completely silent save for the wind was Benjamin's screams of pain.

Back in the present at the store Pico had managed to calm Benjamin down with calming words and had hugged Benjamin in a way to cover Ben's ears. doing this had served two purposes and that was both to calm Benjamin but, had also served the purpose of distraction as pico had saw a flash of lightning shortly before and had covered Benjamin's ears so he didn't hear the loud thunder that followed. After that he had placed Ben's headphones over his ears as they went to the bus and went home.

Chapter Text

*3rd Person P.O.V*

The trip home was a concerning one for Pico and he couldn't deny it. Despite it being a fairly short ride Benjamin kept tensing up next to me every time lightning flashed and despite Ben's noise canceling headphones being on Benjamin's shaking seemed to be getting worse with the frequency of said lightning. When the two got home Pico had thanked the driver before leading himself and Benjamin down the step of the bus carefully as the cement pathway was covered in rain making it a little slippery.

*Pico's P.O.V*

As I made my way to our apartment I had looked around our surroundings as Benjamin kept his eyes closed to not see the lightning. I was making sure nothing was out of place or seemed different as that could be a sign of danger nearby though everything seemed normal enough and there was no sign of unfamiliar cars so I deemed it safe to enter mine and Ben's apartment. After we both crossed the threshold I had locked the main door and put the two reinforced chain locks into place and then pulled the blackout blinds on our windows the rest of the way before walking back to the entrance and tapped Benjamin's arm to signal he could open his eyes now which he did and looked around to get his bearing and saw thart the curtains had been drawn closed by me. As soon as he saw we were home he had taken his headphones off and hugged me tightly before apologizing for absolutely no reason which hurt my heart.

I didn't mind that Benjamin was afraid of storms I just wanted to be there to help him through them as best I could yet Benjamin seemed to think his fear was likely a stupid one which wasn't true in the slightest. I know a few others that are afraid of thunder one of which being Grace. Speaking of her I hope she was ok as well and Sven was helping her out through this and not being inconsiderate.

Things may be better between us now but, I was admittedly still a little bit bitter at Sven's accusations of Benjamin when the two had battled. He didn't know the whole truth nor did he really know Benjamin that well as it had been his and Ben's first interaction and yet he had brought a literal knife to the rap battle which made me fear for benjamin especially sense I wasn't able to intervene except at the end of the battles. After those battles Ben couldn't talk much due to his sore throat for two days though me and him were able to communicate through writing and small talk.

I got out of my thoughts when a loud crack of thunder broke through my mind quickly followed by a startled Benjamin slamming into me and hiding his face into my shirt. I had to admit I hated seeing Benjamin like this as I couldn't do much to chase away his fear if I could I would send the storm away but, as a human there was nothing I could do except be there for Benjamin/softie to help him through this as I have for the time we've known each other and have been dating.

While hugging Softie as close to myself as possible and hid his face the best I could as I rubbed circles between his shoulders. When Softie's shaking lessened a little I had carefully picking him up and headed to our bedroom where I had set up dampeners during times like this so the thunder wasn't nearly as loud as it could be before I laid down with Softie in my arms and hummed a melody that always worked to help him sleep better before following behind to take a nap with Softie safely in my arms away from danger.

*With Sven and Grace*

Grace and Sven had been out on a date together when the storm had hit. Sven being as observant as always had realized the change in his girlfriend and though he silently applauded Grace’s attempts at not showing her fear while in a public place he also didn’t like that she was trying too hard when he knew just how terrified she could get with thunderstorms which was one thing both her and Benjamin shared due to how uncaring both their parents had been about it and didn’t bother helping them.

Grace’s parents had simply scolded her for being afraid of a measly storm while in Benjamin’s case Sven had a churning feeling in his stomach that Benjamin likely got abused worse on stormy days and unfortunately it had been confirmed when Benjamin had the confidence to give out a bit more information one day and had also shown me and Grace just a few of the many burns he had on his neck that have long sense scarred though it was enough for both me and Grace to understand that Benjamin had the worst circumstances and also gained a understanding on why he had chosen pico over Grace as he had revealed he was gay however his parents hadn’t liked that nor did they like that he didn’t want to become a singer and wanted to be a artist instead. That very same day Sven had found out both Grace and Benjamin had horrible anxiety as a storm very similar to the current one had sent them both over the edge and had caused them both to pass out in the field they were all in which caused pico and sven to take them to the hospital as both Benjamin and Grace’s heartbeats were faster than they should be. Ever sense that day Pico and Sven had learned the signs of an incoming attack and had created methods to calm their partners.

Back in the present Sven could tell the signs with grace had started and knew he had to get her calmed down in the next few minutes or he’d have a repeat of that scary situation again. Sven had asked for the bill and had paid for it as soon as he could and gave a nice tip to the waiter before he took out grace’s own headphones from her bag and put them on her ears before guiding her along as gently as possible as to not stress her more and held her hand tightly squeezing it every few seconds to help Grace time her breathing and even while driving his car home he had kept one hand in grace’s until they arrived and had led her inside and into their own room unknowing that he and pico had put themselves in the same position to comfort their partners.

Chapter Text

(AN: I will be using their nicknames for each other in this)

*Soft Pico/toughie’s P.O.V*

It was early evening when the storm finally slowed down and the thunder was no longer around however, I had figured I should let Softie sleep just a little longer while I went to make his favorite dinner though I had wrote a quick note so Softie didn't freak out then proceeded to give him a kiss on the cheek before quietly leaving the room. When I got to the kitchen I had rounded up what I would need and got to work smiling the entire time as I cooked.

It was nice to be able to make proper meals instead of grabbing meal bars or stuff me and Softie could make at convience stores after purchasing them. Now that we had our own apartment and were able to start our own small business through the proper process it had allowed for us to be able to afford the apartment and things we needed and get what we wanted if we had a particularly good week of sales.

Me and Softie would have gotten jobs at a convenience shop however the risk was still far too high that someone could recognize me or Benjamin and report us which would have Benjamin's parents on us in mere hours to about a day which neither of us wanted for obvious reasons. Knowing this we had decided to keep ourselves anonymous for the time being and simply put our business name 'soft works' in the corner of our finished art pieces before setting up at the park every Tuesday and Thursday if weather permits.

(AN: trigger warning meantions of potential bodily harm and panic attack)

On those days we usually stayed open for about four hours on a good day and six hours on particularly slow days. It was not the greatest set up just yet as me and Softie were still new to this whole thing though I felt we would eventually get the hang of it. It was going to take time but, I hoped everything would end up okay and nothing happened to I or Softie so we could continue to learn together and live a normal life away from Benjamin's disgusting excuse of parents. The only good thing that came from them was Benjamin. Speaking of Benjamin I should see if he was up as the food was ready.

I proceeded to turn off the stovetop and then removed the food off of the burner so I didn't burn it and then covered it with the lid before I made my way to our bedroom. As I made my way to our shared bedroom I had assumed Softie would still be asleep though the second I had arrived I could tell something was very wrong by the whimpers of fear I heard on the other side and upon opened the door had immediately revealing a terrifying sight and I had rushed over.

Upon opening the door I could see Softie lashing about completely tangled in the blanket from the waist down to his legs and seemed to be struggling to breathe properly though the most terrifying thing was that Benjamin's body was reacting to an invisible enemy only he could see as he had literal tears in his eyes and was hovering his hands over his neck with his palms out towards the invisible enemy as if trying to push them back the first person to come to mind that was attacking softie in his sleep was likely his own father or the monster that Softie had mentioned in the past just by his reaction though I couldn't linger on that as I needed to act now and get Softie to wake up and get him calmed down or I'd be facing a possible emergency visit to the hospital with him in tow as his breathing had hitched multiple times in the brief time I've been in here. To get him free from his nightmares in the safest way possible I had squeezed his hand as hard as I could without breaking it and got an instant reaction.

As soon as I squeezed Softie's hand as hard as I could he had gasped for air before shooting up in the bed smashing his head against mine which hurt terribly though I didn't give a crap about myself at this moment as I was just thankful that the person I cared for in front of me had woken up. It took far too long for my liking to get Softie's attention along with getting his breathing and heartbeat slow enough to relize he wasn't in danger and was safe. While I had rubbed his shoulders and helped him get control of his breathing and heart rate by laying his back against my front I had purposely breathed and exhaled slow and steadily while keeping my voice soft and saying comforting words to help him. I didn't miss the fact that he was shivering like crazy against me though was beyond thankful when I felt his pulse get back to mostly normal levels and decided that eating Dinner would have to wait as Benjamin needed me  right now and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter Text

*Benjamin's P.O.V*

It had taken a while for me to relize that I was safe and in Toughie's arms though the moment I did I had snuggled closer as I waited for the remaining shivers to stop. It was nice being in Toughie's hold especially after that horrible nightmare and I found myself quite literally clinging to him as he rubbed circles in between my shoulder blades which was always comforting and would of normally made me fall asleep again if it hadn't been for the fact my stomach deciding to growl which caused an embarrassed flush to go across my cheeks. In return I had gotten a gentle laugh from Toughie as he kissed me on the forehead and gave me a quick peck on the lips which I returned before I was placed back on the bed.

I had sat confused for a second until Toughie said that he had made some food while I was asleep and as soon as he had pointed it out I had sniffed the air slightly and became aware of just how hungry I actually was from the amazing scent that was coming from the direction of the kitchen. Before I knew it I had gotten up from the bed fully intending to go straight to the kitchen however, I quickly realizing my shirt and my hoodie had both become damp with sweat from the nightmare. This fact basically told me all I needed to know on just how bad it had gotten if it was showing physical signs like this and judging by how uncomfortable I felt in the two pieces of clothing I knew I needed to change into something different and get my current ones into the wash as soon as I could before I could be comfortable in my own skin again.

With that in mind I soon went into our shared closet and grabbed out a T-shirt with a collared neckline before returning to the bedroom where Toughie was patiently waiting though when he caught sight of the shirt in my hand he had asked me if I wanted him to turn around as I switched out so I didn't feel uncomfortable to change into the clothes. It was such a considerate question though I could tell he wanted to add more to it and I was pretty sure I knew what he wanted to ask but, he had kept himself from saying it as to not upset me. Knowing him he was likely going to bring up the scars and if I was comfortable enough for him to see them again and in all honest Toughie was the only person I actually felt safe enough to see the scars completely uncovered as he knew how numerous they were while Grace and Sven only saw a small percentage which were the few that couldn't be covered except by a thick hoodie or a turtleneck sweater.

Relizing I hadn't answered his question yet I had responded and told him that he could stay as I felt safe and comfortable enough with him that I didn't wish to hide away which had gotten me another hug in response from toughie though this time I had been the one to pull him in closer and in response he had placed my head under his chin and between the crook of his neck. We had stayed like that for a good couple of minutes before toughie had let me go so I could switch clothes. When I finished and put my hoodie and tshirt into the hamper I had turned around and saw that toughie had a visible blush on his face and was smiling and I could feel myself blushing as well as my cheeks felt warm. Every time me and Toughie were by ourselves we could love on each other all we wanted though we never got too intimate for right now.

It was likely going to be a bit yet before we do anything on that level. The first reason being any touch on my shoulders was definitely something I was avoidant on and for the second reason we were trying not to make it too obvious about our relationship just yet when we were in public though luckily for us unlike where I had been living my whole life this city we lived in now seems more accepting of same gender couples. Me and toughie have both seen a few same gender couples that seemed very happy since we've been here though it's still too early to actually say as we've only been here for a couple of months.

Soon enough me and Toughie broke our hug and gave each other a quick peck on the lips before we had went out to the kitchen for dinner. The nightmare was at the back of my mind for the time being as I wasn't planning on letting it ruin the rest of my night though I knew Toughie was likely going to ask about it later. I didn't know how I looked when he found that I was in the full hold of a nightmare though judging from the relieved sigh I could hear before he situated my back against his front so I could match his breathing pattern and the fact my hoodie had been soaked I knew it had to of been one of the worst if not the worst  nightmare I've had sense we got here.

In the kitchen Toughie had heated up the food again as it had gotten cold as calming me down had taken longer then he had anticipated though he hadn't been upset which I was thankful for. Soon enough Toughie had asked me to grab out the drink I would like to have with dinner while he went to warm the food up though oddly enough he had covered it so I was unable to see what he had made however, the gentle smile on his face told me that he had wanted to keep the food a surprise so I had grabbed out two cans of pop from the fridge knowing he would likely want one too before I walked over to the table. After the food was done Toughie had brought over two plates and soon enough the wait was over and toughie had revealed the meal to be Alfredo and I instantly got up to hug him.

(Tw:meantioned blood, physical injury and cigar burns)

To most it would seem like a normal meal but, for me and Toughie it was the first meal we had together when we had decided that we were perfect for each other and had started dating. We of course did it behind my parent’s back as I knew the second they found out I’d be in for one of the worst punishments. I had foolishly thought we’d be able to get away with it but, unfortunately for us my dad had seen us kiss one day and before I knew it I had been instantly grabbed harshly by my hoodie and my ‘father’ then proceeded to kick pico so hard it sent him flying and crashing into the ground hard. Soon after my ‘father’ had proceeded to go over with me in hand forcing me to watch as he stomped down on pico and I could hear the crunch of some it Pico’s ribs being broken in the process which caused me to yell at him not to hurt Pico while I managed to get my phone out in my panicked state and had pressed the emergency button on my phone before I had kicked my own ‘dad’ in the stomach on instinct for him to get him off pico who was passed out from the pain.

The kick had also resulted in causing him to curse and drop me as he caught his breath. With the brief moment I had made for myself I had went to pico quickly and had managed to hide my phone in his hoodie pocket so the gps could be picked up by emergency services to find him and backed away just in time before I had been pulled back again and had my mouth instantly covered as my dad had dug his cigar so deep into my neck that blood was flowing from said burn before I had been brought back inside where my ‘father’ had free rein to countinue burning me as much as he wanted as my mom had been on a tour trip that week and wouldn’t be aware of the punishment until she returned if my ‘father’ even told her but even then she likely wouldn’t care either assuming I had deserved the punishment. The last thing I remembered from that night was hearing people talking, flashing lights that my ‘father’ chose to ignore as he had sped up to get to the basement though before me and my f.ather’ were out of sight I had saw pico taken away in the ambulance and could vaguely recall praying that he would be okay.

(TW end)

Back in the present I was hugging Toughie tightly from recalling that day though when toughie asked what was wrong I had told him that nothing was wrong and that I had simply wanted to hug him to show my thanks for the food which had gotten me a smile from him before I had been asked to let him go nicely as he pointed out that the food would get cold otherwise. I had blushed before letting him go and returned to my seat before I and Toughie started eating happily as we simply enjoying each other’s presence as we ate.

Chapter Text

*3rd person P.O.V*

In a different part of the city inside of the dearest manor gf and bf were alone in the manor as her parents had something that had came up rather suddenly and had informed them that they likely wouldn't be back for a few days. Daddy dearest had surprisingly let Bf stay over despite still being protective of GF though he made sure BF knew the rules of the house and told him not to break them as he had cameras throughout the manor and would know if he didn't follow them. GF's mom on the other hand had been a bit more mellow about the whole thing and had been packing things up while her husband had listed off the extensive rules of the manor. Mommy had packed away some supplies that her and her husband may need and had left within a hour but, not before the two had said they loved her and she responded with "I love you too momma and daddy. Please be careful." Before she followed them until they left the manor.

In the present GF was currently trying to distract herself from the situation as she had been getting a bad feeling for a day or so though she had tried reassuring herself at least twenty times within that time by the fact she knew her parents were strong. If they ran into trouble they would more then likely be able to handle themselves. The weird thing was that they didn't tell her where exactly they were going and that wasn't helping. Her only distraction had been comforting BF through the storm and now that it was over and he was resting against her shoulder with one of her wings around him she wasn't able to get up without waking him and so she got out her phone and began scrolling as she waited for any news from her parents or until bf woke up.

*In the city across the railroad*

With Daddy and Mommy Dearest they had made it to their destination which was the city across the railroad which happened to be the home base for daddy dearest's arch-enemy Frank Fairest. the two dearest were looking at their surroundings to get the layout only to see multiple claw marks shredding through multiple posters with an orange haired kid that reminded them of their version of pico and another set of posters that had another very familiar young man on it with light blue dyed hair and a hint of blonde. The dearest recognized him to be the fairest's son Benjamin.

The claw marks were actually what they were here for as there had seen a news report very early in the morning that had reported that multiple civilians had heard ear splitting roars accompanied by the strong smell of cigars before terrible scrapping followed. That news report had been two hours ago and the smell of cigars still lingered. It didn't take the two demons long to figure out what was going on. The fairest were no longer human and had let their demons out and were clearly on the hunt and hungry for the blood of their own son and the other pico.

(Tw: meantioned blood and burns)
*Daddy dearest's P.O.V*

This was worst then we thought. We needed to find the fairest couple and seal them away fast. I may not know their son well but, one thing I did know was that their son and who I'm assuming to be his boyfriend from how close the two were in the mall broadcast during December would be killed if we didn't seal the fairest couple away. The only details I know about the fairest's son is that he was very shy, was artistic and very fearful of his parents. The young man with him was also clearly artistic though a bit more violent than his assumed to be boyfriend and seemed way more versed in fighting just like our pico back in our domain.

As me and my wife started stealthily looking for the whereabouts of the fairest couple we could see the destruction get progressively worse. Dumpsters were completely destroyed as were any small alley camps and unfortunately for those that happened to get in the way of their rampage were straight up crushed leaving multiple pools of blood or had been scorched to a crisp.

Behind me I could hear my wife trying to hold back vomit as she had looked down and had saw several very young children and their parents who had attempted to protect them dead at her feet. Seeing her like this hurt and made me get angrier at the fairest couple as I knew that my wife's motherly side had taken effect and was saddened seeing this destruction as she covered her nose to get away from the smell. Seeing this I had led her out of the alleys as fast as I could without giving away our position and tried to find somewhere she could recover though unfortunately we couldn't take a break for long. The longer we waited the higher chance that the fairest would be heading to the tracks and ultimately into our domain and so I messaged our daughter to inform her to keep the manor locked up and to keep bf with her as a precaution as the task we had come to do had just became a bit more complicated. As expected gf had texted back within moments and had replied with "I will and daddy please be careful. Both of you actually and keep me in the loop when possible I've been getting a bad feeling for almost two days now and it's not letting up. it feels like a massive energy shift is building up even from here. I will let bf know to stay here for now love you daddy and tell mommy I love her too"

After reading the message and sending a reply I had gotten back to the task at hand though unfortunately while I had been distracted two massive thuds were heard a few feet in front of us. Me and my wife who was back up on her feet were immediately on guard as the vicinity had become very hot even to me and the pungent smell of cigars were everywhere. This battle had to be quick or the city would be destroyed from the shared blows. With that in mind I put up a battle dome that enclosed me, my wife and the fairest couple and hoped we had brought enough to defeat them because there was no turning back now and only I or my wife could leave the dome though if we did one or the other couldn't rejoin until their was a victor. Let's hope luck was on our side and we could seal these two away before me or my wife got severely hurt or taken out.

Chapter Text

*3rd person P.O.V*

It has been nearly twenty minutes since the battle between the dearest and the fairest had begun and after relizing neither were making much ground with two on two the fights had been split one on one. Daddy dearest as expected took to fighting Frank and mommy dearest took to fighting Marilyn. Daddy dearest had chosen Frank as the two had a score to settle from years ago and with that the fight began.

As expected Frank had made the first move and aimed for daddy dearest's head with his clawed hands however he had dodged with ease and had went under Frank's extended arm and had quickly placed one of the many seals needed to activate the ritual. To daddy dearest's right Frank's wife had been marked as well by his wife. As soon as the seal had taken effect daddy dearest had swiped at Frank's side to try to place another seal which had succeeded however, the blow itself had been made to try to get some damage in as well but unfortunately daddy dearest had met resistance and had to quickly dodge to the left as Frank was about to get him in his own side with his right clawed hand that seemed to have gotten longer.

The resulting swipe had landed into the cement at Daddy Dearest's feet and had actually cracked the pavement which had made daddy dearest thankful the blow hadn't landed into his side. Though him and his wife could take a lot of damage that blow would have caused at least a cracked rib and blood to spill and both him and his wife knew it.

One glance at mommy dearest was all her husband needed to realize that they could actually get hurt in this and that they would have to be very vigilant as this battle wasn't only to seal the fairest away but, was also a way that the dearest couple could give their daughter a future she deserved and to put the fairest in their place for abusing their own child for years. The fairest's kid may not know the dearest couple personally but, they were aware of the son as well as his boyfriend being in their domain and living their lives. The Dearest couple left them alone as even they knew that what the fairest had done behind closed doors was straight up abuse and bordered on murderous granted the dearests knew they weren't exactly saints however unlike the fairest and their son when it came to the dearest's daughter they protected her even if they tended to be a bit overbearing.

Their daughter has had far too many sleazy people try to get close to her only so they could use her for her magic and a quick fix so at least in that regard bf had proven himself time and again that he would fight to protect her with every fiber of his being even if he died in the process. Despite daddy dearest not being exactly fond his daughter was dating a human he had grown to actually like the kid.

Bf only cared to keep Gf safe and didn't even ask to use hers or their money even when he was in a rough spot. He had insisted that he wanted to earn the money to pay for his small apartment without outside help as he didn't want to be a bother though our daughter hadn't listened and helped him anyway.

*Daddy dearest's P.O.V*

Through my inner thoughts I had managed to get two more seals in and only needed to land one more to complete the seal however before I could land the last one I felt my arm get grabbed harshly and in a instant was sent flying into my wife as we were sent into one of the building walls that had been caught in the dome and upon impact we both crumpled to the ground from the sheer force. I hated to admit it but, the impact had actually hurt and had caused me to become temporarily dazed though I had managed to snap out of said daze quickly as I heard my wife groan in pain as well under me and I instantly got off her before quickly checked on her. When I saw her spit some blood onto the ground from biting into her lip I was a bit worried though was thankful she was overall okay if not a bit disoriented as well. It had took everything in me not to snap in rage as I could feel it building up knowing my wife had gotten hurt however I knew I needed to keep a clear head or we'd fail our task.

Unfortunately for us the fairests didn't give us long to recover from our meeting with the brick wall as the next thing we heard was the fairest demon's roars and were blinded by their red smoke and were sent flying once again though this time we had been separated before the two hovered over us hissing venomously as more smoke streaming out their mouths in a constant stream. It was only after I looked to my side as I felt an sting and something warm running down my side that I realized that Frank had finally gotten in the blow he's been trying to get in this whole time however, it was only after I became aware that I did a internal inventory and was relieved that nothing vital had been hit though I was forced to cover my side with an arm as blood loss was very likely. The slash was shallow but, it was deep and would scar.

We needed to finish this now before we took another hit like the last one and after getting a thumbs up from my wife we used our shared ability to teleport and landed our final seals on the fairests demons and with a quick incantation the two let out a shriek as chains circled around them and in a flash of purple and red lights they were separated into individual dark zones and sealed away not to be released again.

As soon as the seal was done the dome fell before I and mommy dearest had allowed ourselves to collapse into an empty alley and tend to our wounds. Our task had been complete and as long as the two didn't somehow get out the fairest couple were no longer a threat and their son would now be free from their abuse and the world would be able to keep going. Their music and influence would remain but, at least they would no longer be a threat as long as they didn't get out and I was fine with that.

Chapter Text

*3rd Person P.O.V.*

It had been a few hours sense Daddy and Mommy dearest had taken shelter in the alley and had allowed themselves to rest from the battle with the Fairest couple though they both knew they needed to get going again before the sun came up fully and risked the two being spotted by any old enemies that may be lurking. Knowing this Mommy had gone to help her husband up as he was struggling to do so on his own because of his side being quite sensitive yet due to the blow he had taken. This of course concerned her a bit and made her worried.

Reason number one being the fact her husband was usually able to heal fairly quickly and reason number two was because of how he reacted when her fingers carefully touched his side to check on it. When she grazed over it she had gotten a low growl from him and though she could sense it wasn't directed towards her especially after she saw his eye lights flare momentarily in pain before they returned to their normal vibrancy it still managed to make her flinch a bit though she calmed herself as he got himself up the rest of the way so the two could get moving and start heading back home to properly rest and recover.

As the two quietly walked back the way they came they each took turns and had slashed at any missing posters of Benjamin as they were likely no longer needed as the two knew that he was somewhere within their domain and would be free of his demon parents as long as they never broke out of their individual prisons within the dearest's couples shadow zones. After one final check of their surroundings the two teleported away together and made their way home.

//Location change: softie and toughie's apartment//

Back in the Dearest's domain, Benjamin and Pico had still been asleep as it was still quite early and the sun had barely started to rise however, that changed when the digital clock on the dresser had hit four in the morning. As soon as it hit four Benjamin had suddenly jolted awake as he had felt a sudden loosening in his chest as if he had been released from a vice grip though it was quickly followed by a sudden surge in happiness as he was practically vibrating in place despite not knowing why he suddenly felt so happy and dare he say relieved as he didn't feel as if he was carrying invisible weights.

Despite this sudden happiness and new found weightlessness Benjamin knew he had to get some of the sudden excess energy out without waking Pico or it could continue to build to rather unhealthy levels which wouldn't be good for either of them especially with his adhd and autism. Realizing this Benjamin had gotten out of bed carefully and left a kiss on Pico's cheek before making his way over to his painting corner trying to be as quiet as possible so he could make some art pieces that he and Pico could try to sell when they went to their little area of the park for their designated work shift on Tuesday. Soon enough Benjamin was in his bubble and lost track of the time.

It was only after it hit seven in the morning that Benjamin had stopped what he was doing after he had created three new paintings before he had gotten up to make himself and pico some breakfast. Benjamin had decided to make the two of them some pancakes. As soon as he finished cooking up the pancakes he had placed them in the microwave to keep them warm before he decided to return to his and pico's bed and went to entwine himself within pico's arms again.

Benjamin had hoped to get at least another hour of sleep in now that the sudden energy burst of his had gone back to somewhat normal levels though despite his efforts he still found himself wondering why the tight feeling in his chest had disappeared though soon found himself not really caring when the warmth that came off pico had made him relax further into him before benjamin snuggled up against him more when he felt pico's arm pull him in closer to himself before letting out a contented sigh. After Benjamin settled in, he couldn't help smiling to himself before falling back to sleep slotting his head under pico's chin and holding his hand.

//Shortly before Benjamin had returned to bed//

*Pico's P.O.V*

It had taken me mere moments to realize Benjamin had left the bed which normally would be fine however, despite softie's best efforts him jolting up so suddenly from a seemingly unbothered sleep had concerned me especially when it had caused my arm to fall onto the bed from its protective position over top of softie's chest directly over where his heart would be. I hated to admit this but, I'm pretty sure that both I and Benjamin feared that he was still getting hunted down and could be taken away if either of us dropped our guard by his monster of parents despite the fact that they had no clue where we were now. Though it was likely very important that I brought my worry of this fear up eventually however I had yet to do so as I didn't want to give Softie's mind wood to stoke the fire once again and cause a relapse in his fear that he had defeated back during the Fairest's Christmas performance.

He has made such great progress that I as well as Sven and Grace have noticed and despite Sven just recently becoming part of the group he seemed to be trying to make up for what he had done during the first get together between the four of us. Sven had actually reached out to me through text after the thunderstorm had settled to inform me that he had gotten Grace home safely and had felt bad for not texting earlier. He had informed me that Grace had gotten rather close to having another shut down moment if it wasn't for the fact that he had managed to calm her down fast enough.

I had sent a reply telling him thank you and that It was ok that he hadn't reached out sooner as long as Grace and himself were okay and then had told him that he and Benjamin were safe at home as well before putting my phone back down. Unknown to Sven was just how thankful I was when I finished reading that text. Unlike Benjamin who I had saved from his parents, Grace unfortunately didn't have someone there for her until Sven had found her that fateful day at the train station.

Though Grace didn't have any physical scars that I knew of her parents seemed just as bad as Benjamin's in the regard that they had attempted to make her into a mindless slave as Benjamin put it which was concerning in itself.

Just how much did these two go through before I or Sven found them that neither had yet to tell us about. Despite my best efforts to keep that thought at the front I found that my mind was becoming cloudy with lingering exhaustion and figured some more sleep would help. Just before I fell asleep again softie had come back into the room and had slotted himself against my side again. When he got himself comfortable enough I had pulled him in close and the last thing I registered was softie placing his head under my chin before he too fell back asleep.

//in the present//

The next time I had woken up was due to the sun shining in through the gap above the window covers and it seemed it had done the same for Benjamin as he had tried to hide his face in my hoodie. His behavior had made me giggle at just how child like he could be at times before I placed my hand on his hair ruffling it up a bit which caused a contented sigh from him before I commented on how adorable his giggles were though in making that comment I had initiated Softie's playful side and had gotten a playful glare from him which was shortly followed by a slightly mischievous smile.

That had been my only warning before my side was suddenly tickled by him as he sat up to get a better position which had gotten me to fully laugh and smile whole heartedly before I tried getting my own tickle attacks in. The sounds of Softie's laughter always made me so happy that I found myself wanting to hear it whenever I could and the same seemed to go for Benjamin as he would initiate tickle attacks especially on particularly great days for him at random. It made our relationship stronger and proved to me that he was recovering.

After a good five or so minutes of us attacking each other's sides Benjamin had given the time out sign as he was at his limit and had flopped down next to me panting as he recovered from the tickling session and had informed me that he had made some breakfast earlier before putting it in the microwave for the time being sense I hadn't been up at the time. Hearing that Softie had made breakfast had my stomach growling and had me getting up to do my business so we could eat together. While I was doing that I could hear Softie head into the small walk in closet to get a new outfit on however, as I finished my business in the bathroom I had asked Softie if I could enter the room and had gotten a confirmation from him though I didn't miss that his tone of voice had changed as if he was suddenly nervous.

This of course made me a bit worried as it seemed rather sudden though unfortunately it wasn't the first time this has happened as Benjamin did get random bouts of sadness for seemingly no reason though so did I. Instead of waiting any longer I had exited the bathroom and was met with a topless Benjamin who was fidgeting with his shirt in his hand though now that I was in front of him I understood why Softie had sounded upset as I could see countless burn scars all across his shoulders, neck and upper back.

Seeing the burns had made my heart hurt and want to take on the burns myself so he didn't have to bear them though I knew that wasn't possible however, I was brought out of my thoughts when Benjamin looked to the ground before admitting he had wanted to show me the burn scars for a while now though his fear had always stopped him.

Hearing him admit this I had asked if I could hug him which had gotten me a surprised look before he got teary eyed looking relieved that I didn't freak out before he ran into my arms full force sending me back a couple centimeters as he had let his tears of relief fall onto my sweater as I pulled him in close whispering calming words and saying "I will never be mad at anything you had no control over Softie and I hope you come to me if your ever in need of someone to talk to or to simply listen. I want you to come to me if your thoughts become too much for you to handle and I will try my hardest to help you through okay? I love you very much and these scars don't define you. you're an amazing person blue and I will tell you so as many times as I need to so you don't forget it."

Briefly after Softie's cries had slowed down he had promised he would come to me if his emotions became too much for him to handle again before he tapped my arm to let him go which I obligated for him. When his face was exposed again I could see he had a stray tear running down his cheek which I wiped away gently which had gotten me a small smile before Benjamin had put his selected shirt on.

The shirt he had chosen was a low cut tshirt so the burns were now visible but, to me he was the same Benjamin I fell in love with and no scars would ever change that. As he finished cleaning himself up I had decided that we should finally eat the breakfast that Benjamin had made as our stomachs growled in sync which made us both giggle before we went to the kitchen and ate our breakfast while enjoying each other's company.

Chapter Text

*3rd person P.O.V*

It was just hitting sunrise when Daddy and Mommy Dearest finally got back to the manor from finished their self appointed task. As they unlocked and opened the front door they were greeted to the sight of their daughter sleeping on the coach while BF could be seen fast asleep on the floor using a jacket as a blanket and his arms as a pillow. It was only after mommy looked around that it became obvious that their daughter had tried to offer BF one of the blankets and pillows available as a set of two plain black ones sat right next to him and yet they had remained untouched despite the fact that BF seemed slightly uncomfortable and was shivering slightly from the cooler temperature of the manor.

Upon seeing this Mommy Dearest quietly moved towards BF and had carefully maneuvered the pillow under his head and laid the blanket over him who in response had curled himself under it almost immediately leaving only the top if his head exposed. Seeing this Mommy's eyes softened as she patted down his hair a bit as it had become messy while Daddy dearest in the background had done the same for his daughter by adjusting her own pillow and blanket before kissing her forehead then quietly asking if his wife wanted to get a bit more sleep so they didn't wake the two up too early and she had quietly said "yeah" before she went and locked the front door again and followed her husband who had retreated to their own room and soon enough had gone to sleep as well.

The next time anyone woke up was well after the sun rose and that was because BF felt a gentle tap on his shoulder from Gf as she didn't want to accidentally step on him. Obligating her quiet request BF had sat up though in doing so he could immidiatly tell he should of listened to GF the night before and should have slept on the other couch as a dull pain decided to awaken and run down his back though BF had decided to hide it as to not worry GF. The other reason was because he had finally relized the blanket that gf had offered the night before was now around his waist and the same went for gf with her own blanket which told him that her parents had returned at some point in the early morning and had managed not to wake either of them.

Gf seemed to make this realization as well and without even thinking went to the hallway leading to her parents room and listened for anything that may indicate they were preoccupied before she got to the door however, upon listening instead of hearing anything indicating they were busy she instead could hear her dad's breathing was pained which told her that he had gotten hurt from whatever their self appointed task was. Despite all the attempts on Bf's life she did still care for her dad deep down and could feel her heart beat a bit faster in concern though she knew her dad would more then likely be ok with a few days of taking an easy. Even knowing this however she did decide to go and grab the extensive care kit that they kept in the manor just in case. She soon brought it back to her parent's room and had left it on the small table right inside their door before quietly shutting their door and leaving them be so they could rest uninterrupted as she didn't know when they would get up.

After she was done checking on her parents she had started making her way back to BF and saw that he was now on his feet and stretching though she didn't enter the room quite yet knowing from expirence that BF will hide when he's hurt which was concerning in itself that he would even have to hide when he's hurt just so he didn't worry those around him. She knew that it may seem rude to spy on BF to see if he was hurting however, after the multiple near death experiences they have gone through BF had gained a very bad habit of hiding when he's hurting or struggling mentally and spying was really the only way she or even Pico when the three hung out could get insight on his well being and jump in to help if needed.

*GF's P.O.V*

It seems this time around BF had a sore back from sleeping on the floor as I figured would likely happen though I understood why BF had denied the offer to use the other couch. He had explained that he didn't want to anger my parents namely my dad despite the fact my dad had pretty much accepted that BF wasn't going anywhere at this point and had actually started to slowly accept this especially after the Tabi incident.

*Flashback*

It had been sheer luck that my dad had found us that day. I had honestly thought time had slowed down that day as BF had seemed to move in slow motion until I saw his shadow cast over me just before I heard something hard and on fire hit him which had caused him to grunt in pain as I saw his body buckle slightly as a medium sized piece of burning wood had hit his back and fall next to him before everything went back to its actual speed. After BF used a nearby wet towel to extiguish the flame on his shirt I felt BF's shaky arms grab a hold of me after having a coughing fit and held me in a cradled hold before he had started running to the remaining exit completly disregarding his own safety and injuries simply saying that he needed to at least save me even if he didn't make it himself.

Him saying that had made me distraught despite the fact that I had started coughing as well as the flames were starting to engulf the rest of the building though my concern got ten times worse when BF's movements started becoming more sloppy and desperate. His speed was starting to decrease and had started to trip on multiple items as his coughing became more frequent and harsh.

Unfortunately before he could get to the door and outside we had both heard a crack and had looked up just in time before bf came to a skidding stop as a massive piece of wood had blocked the exit. If it hadn't been for bf's quick reflexes he would have been killed by it instantly and it would have severely injured myself. It was soon after his sudden stop that his remaining energy seemed to leave him the moment he went right of the burning banister as he had found a small pocket where air was able to get in before going to his knees and collapsing in front of it.

Soon after he had dropped me next to the air pocket before he placed himself over me to continue guarding against any further debris before he gotten out his phone which thankfully was still working despite the heat in the building and I could see he had been relieved by this fact as he immediately calling emergency services and managed to explain where we were however, as soon as the operator on the other end confirmed emergency vehicles were on the way BF's body had reached its limit. His arms started shaking around me before they buckled causing him to lose all support and in turn exiting the call and fully landing on top of me and passing out.

The moment he fell on me I was full on panicking as his breathing was coming out labored but, quick and his body was a lot hotter then it should be especially compared to his normal. All these factors was enough to make me relize that this could be the last time he opened his eyes if we weren't saved soon . In my desperation I had tried getting him cooled down with a wet towel that was near by and had tried to wake him back up though no matter what I did even going as far as connecting my lips on to his and breathing my air into his mouth to give him a better chance at surviving it was to my absolute horror that he didn't respond to anything I tried. On top of all that I could feel something sticky and wet drip on to my hand and upon looking at my hand I saw that it had been coated in a copious amount of red before then looking at bf it had been revealed to be BF's blood on my hands as I could see his shirt getting stained red at a fast rate.

Upon looking closer through the ever building smoke and flame I could see it was coming from his back and I had to force myself to swallow down the food that was trying to come back up because upon further inspection I could see that BF'S back was in absolute shreds from the burning wood that he had protected me from though I didn't get to stare long before I could hear what sounded like my father's and mother's footfalls in the distance and could hear them calling for me. Upon hearing them I had tried calling out as well so they could find us as I was reminded of just how dire the situation was but, unfortunately despite trying my hardest I couldn't call out loud enough for them to hear me as it was quickly followed by a coughing fit. In a last effort I had managed to find a piece of rubble and tossed it through the hole hoping my parents heard it. Thankfully it had hit something metal and soon enough I could hear my parents call my name in almost a questioning tone before I heard them running towards our direction. While they ran towards our location behind me I could hear emergency vehicles pulling into the front though both sounds soon faded away as I soon succumbed to the smoke as well and had passed out holding BF'S hand just as I heard a muffled male voice and the sound of a nearby window breaking.

The next time I woke I could feel a mask over my face supplying oxygen before I sensed my dad next to me and could tell he was sitting rather scrunched up with his hand holding mine and then finally realizing I was in an ambulance. It was only after I was aware enough to look around that I could tell BF wasn't with me and immediately tried sitting up only to feel a paramedic and my father both lay me back down as the paramedic had told me that BF had been placed in a separate ambulance as he was in bad shape though they wouldn't know just how bad he was till they had gotten him to the hospital. My father on the other hand had a mixed look though had told me that he was proud of BF for protecting me and to my surprise had admitted that he hoped BF would be okay and that he himself would try to be more accepting like my mother was. Long story short by some miracle bf had only came out with a wrapped up back so the cuts could heal though BF had been informed that the cuts would leave scars behind and that he needed to wear a brace for a couple months to assist in the healing of his back though he had been warned that he would likely suffer from lasting pain for the rest of his life.

When the doctors got around to tell me about BF's condition I had felt terrible that while I had only came out with only a couple of scratches and a sore throat BF had came out with a massive scar along his back that was made up of multiple crisscrossing lines from where the wood hit and even to this day despite BF reassuring me he'd be ok it didn't change the fact that he now had to deal with debilitating back pain on particularly bad days for likely the rest of his life which literally forces BF to do light activity or stay down the whole day even with pain medicine.

*Flashback ends*

Upon getting out of my thoughts and back to the present I relized that I was back in the living room where bf had already picked up and folded the blankets on the couch and was in the process of grabbing the ones on the floor though I could see in his eyes that he was in pain and had picked up the blanket and pillow instead so he didn't hurt himself more following his lead and folded those up too. BF had thanked me before then apologizing which I had reassured him wasn't needed as I didn't mind helping him when it was needed especially with everything he's gone through just to keep me safe and with that I had kissed him gently which he returned before we went to make breakfast.

Chapter Text

*Benjamin's P.O.V*

After the Morning's events and having breakfast me and Pico had wanted to try something new that could combine both our styles of art together and as we were on our way outside Pico had briefly stopped me before telling me he had a surprise for me before we went outside and proceeded to walk over to where his drawer was that stored his mask he used when he spray painted and had pulling out two brand new masks. One mask was in forest green and the other in his hands was light blue with hints of yellow highlights.

It was pretty obvious that both were made with a much better filtering system compared to Pico's old one just by the size of the filter inserts and as Pico helped get mine set up he had explained that he had wanted to try doing compilation art with me for a while now as he had seen how I tended to stare looking awe struck when he worked on his projects and had also explained that he has seen my desire to paint with him though he knew I kept my distance sense I didn't have a mask which made it so I couldn't get near without inhaling paint fumes in the process.

He had explained that he had gotten me my own face mask when he had gone shopping to get himself one as he had came across a buy one, get one half off sale while we were at the store a few weeks ago while I was busy getting paint supplies and he explained he figured he'd show me the surprise today as he had though my brush and his spray paints could compliment each other really well and that was why he had decided to buy me a mask as well so we could do just that.

After he finished explaining on why he suddenly had two masks on hand I had gone over and kissed him which was soon followed by Pico drawing me in closer and looping his arms around my middle before deepening the kiss ever so slightly which in turn made me feel really light. It was only after a few moments went by that we finally broke apart from each other and looked at one another with love and adoration for each other in our eyes. It felt amazing knowing that this was something I've been given after so many years of being in darkness. Though I still had my concerns something told me that I wouldn't be coming across my parents any time soon and I was going to hold on to that. I was going to enjoy this day and make Toughie's idea a reality to do a compilation art piece together and so after getting set up we went outside and to the alley nearby and got to work.

*Timeskip to midday*

It was around one in the afternoon when I and toughie had finished the piece we were working on and I had to admit that Toughie had been more than correct on his idea of our art styles working seamlessly together. As we both backed off still wearing the face masks to not breath in the residual spray paint particles we admired our work which was absolutely stunning. We had agreed on recreating the starry night sky that we were under when we had gone on our date together and had decided this particular piece would be ours alone and would not be added to the roster of sellable art pieces that the public could buy for that reason. This painting was to be a physical representation of that beautiful night together under the stars where Toughie had shown me the various constellations and galaxies that were visible from where we were and where me and him finally kissed after Toughie's father called him up to ask if he was wanting to come over for the holidays. I had agreed and shortly after our kiss a shooting star flew by.

Back in the present as we waited for the paint to dry both mine and Toughie's phones suddenly went off with a message from Grace telling us to look at the news right now which concerned us greatly. Soon enough both I and Toughie had pulled up the news on our phones and saw something we never thought possible. On our phones was a missing persons alert for the two people I never really wanted to think about again. On our phones in the article both my parents had been reported missing with the headline reading Fairest couple missing: was it foul play or otherworldly interaction?

As I and Toughie countinued to watch we stood frozen in place as the live feed turned to the sight of what appeared to be animalistic claw marks through the walls, some parts of the pavement had been deeply cracked and in the background there were multiple destroyed dumpsters that appeared to have been crushed by a hydraulic press. The most concerning part was that the crushed dumpsters and the pavement had indentations of massive footprints that looked to belong to a heavyweighted taloned creature that had purposely crushed them and finally the most concerning fact was that there were massive burn marks all over everything within the vicinity which looked exactly the same as the burn patterns that I always saw during particularly bad 'lessons' when I finally woke up in my parents basement.

In seeing those all too familiar marks I had dropped my phone and luckily Toughie had caught it before I felt myself get lowered carefully to the ground as my legs decided to buckle under me. After I was lowered to the floor I felt myself get pulled in against Toughie where I proceeded to hide my face against his shoulder and started crying though I didn't know if it was from relief or fear. All I knew was that my chest felt tight and that toughie was my anchor as he rubbed circles into my back and tried to help me stabilize my breathing and sudden shaking.

In the background the news on Toughie's phone continued though it felt like I was hearing it through a tunnel I tried to countinue to listen wanting to find out what had happened to the best of the news reporter's ability as it seemed it had switched to witness reports. Every single witness that was asked had meantioned giant shadows being cast on the walls, the screeching sound of crushed metal followed quickly by two beastly roars alongside blows making contact and finally the sound of pained screeching before everything had reportedly gone deathly silent.

It was only after  the news report went to commercial that I finally felt calm enough I looked to Toughie and saw that he had a rather complex look on his face and it honestly scared me a little bit because I couldn't tell what he was thinking but, soon enough he grabbed his phone and shut the news off before putting both mine and his into his pocket. After he was done doing that he had pulled me back against him before picking me up which elicited a sound of surprise from me as I wrapped my arms around his neck so I didn't fall before he picked up the now dry painting and went inside with both it and me in tow.

Soon enough I heard him finally speak after his uncharacteristic quiet and say that we should get cleaned up before the paint on us fully sets though I could tell he was purposely trying to dodge the other elephant in the room but, for the moment I will let it slide especially since he had just helped calm me down however I was not going to drop the subject anytime soon.

Chapter Text

(AN: At this point the soft duo have no clue about what happened to the fairest couple so hopefully I'm not confusing readers in this chapter)

*Toughie's P.O.V*

By the time both me and Softie had gotten cleaned up from the paint that had gotten on us it had already became evening. It was around five when Softie came out of the bedroom fresh out of the shower with his hair being a bit damp yet while an towel was draped around his neck and was clothed in one of my hoodies I gave to him and some sweatpants. It was obvious that he had enjoyed the shower as he had a small smile on his face and seemed a lot more at ease after what happened earlier though, it didn't take long for me to also see that despite his smile it became quite obvious to me when Softie sat down next to me that he was still very concerned as the smile he had didn't reach his eyes which was all I needed to see to understand that he was still struggling to grasp the reality of the situation and to be honest so was I especially after being on the run for almost a year to escape his parents.

The most concerning part were those images that were on the news. Something didn't sit right with me and it was obvious it didn't with Softie either especially considering how he acted in the alley. He had literally froze up when he saw the image with the burn marks on the walls and had instantly dropped his phone which he was normally very protective of. Unfortunately I personally didn't know the significance of the burn marks as all that came to mind was that it likely had something to do with the creature that Softie has mentioned seeing before when He overexerted himself to the point of collapse a few times which I really wished he wouldn't do as it gave me what felt like a miniature heart attack every time.

For the news broadcast my unease was primarily basing on the destruction that was visible and the fact the headline previously mentioned that there was possibility of otherworldly involvement it made me wonder if the creature Softie had been seeing had become real or there was the discomforting idea that it had always been real this entire time but, only Softie ever encountered it which would explain his behavior and also that horrible feeling I got whenever I was anywhere near the fairest couple's house that I was now aware of after the 'incident'.

It was only after Benjamin had laid his head on my right shoulder and curled himself into my side that I realized I had spaced out for a moment as I hadn't felt him position himself under my arm though soon enough I drew him in closer and laid my chin on top of his head before grabbing hold of his hand gently knowing softie mainly did this when he needed comfort and after Softie gave me the ok I began rubbing my thumb over the top of it in a reassuring manner.

We stayed like this for about ten minutes just enjoying each other's company before I had asked Ben what he would like for dinner and he had responded that he was feeling up for grilled cheese and soup. After getting Ben's answer I had told him I'd start working on it now before gently placed him back on the couch before heading to the kitchen to get dinner going. It was while I was working on my portion of dinner that I heard him come into the kitchen to get out the dishes we would need before taking them to the small table we had before returning to grab out two pop cans just as I finished cooking up my own food.

After I brought out the sandwiches and soup me and Benjamin got settled in and had ate in a comfortable silence just enjoying the quiet night despite what had happened this morning and I wouldn't change it for the world. Ben more then deserved to have peace of mind and I planned to keep him as happy as I could and would be there for him on his bad days just like he was for mine which were thankfully far in between now.

Before Benjamin entered my life I would literally just live day to day just wandering the streets avoiding my dad's place as he was away more often then not due to his job which made the house far too quiet and quite honestly the quiet always put me on edge. Now that I've introduced him to my dad he was more than fine with me moving out of his place to live with Benjamin knowing that he would never purposely hurt me.

Despite me moving out he had reassured me several times that I could return if I ever needed to and had given the okay for Softie, Sven and Grace as well which honestly surprised me but, I was beyond thankful for.  I've actually already used the offer a few times on particularly bad nights where mine and Benjamin's anxieties were really high or simply needed a more secure place to rest for a few nights especially during tornado warnings as the apartment me and softie were able to get only had a small bathroom area and the tub was just big enough to fit me and softie with minimal wiggle room thought neither of us complained as it was better than being on the streets every night and having to always be on guard.

With my dad's allowance it helped make softie's fear of bigger storms a little bit easier to manage as long as we had enough time to get to my dad's which was about a half hour bus ride from here. I would have gone last night however, neither I nor Softie knew it was going to storm yesterday which does occasionally happen and was just another reason why we put up storm window blinds upon getting permission to do so.

As we finished dinner Softie had gone to wash the dishes while I picked up the living room and spruced up the couch a bit as it had become more like a comfort nest then a couch on one side of it. I didn't mind this as I found it both adorable and it had proven useful to calm Softie more then once so I chose not to mess with it just in case he needed it again. After today I was unsure how Softie would be.

If I were in his place I'd both be confused and wondering when the ball would drop and wouldn't be able to effectively keep my thoughts from wandering but that was me. Benjamin knew them all his life so the impact on him would be a lot bigger than I could imagine though it did still make me wonder who had finally taken them down. I guess me and Benjamin will either have to wait and see or simply go without an answer which I was fine with though I was unsure how Benjamin would feel about not having an answer though for now he seems to be doing okay so I will take that as a good thing.

In the meantime Softie had came back into the living room having finished dishes and sat back down next to me as we decided on just chatting though as we continued there was still the question I had wanted to bring up to softie from this morning on why he suddenly jolted awake from a otherwise peaceful sleep though I didn't know how to approach it without making him potentially uncomfortable. Though I personally wanted to know now I instead decided to wait until at least tomorrow night as long as everything went smoothly as it was getting late and me and Benjamin worked in the morning. With that in mind I had asked Softie if he was ready for bed and had gotten a yes in response as he was already half asleep against me and so I helped him up and let him lean against me as I locked the door before we were back in our room. After we laid down softie had returned to laying against my side once again and after we exchanged “I love you” to each other we fell asleep at about the same time and were happy in each other’s arms. May tomorrow be a better day.

Chapter Text

*Pico/toughie's P.O.V*

The morning had arrived quickly as the first light of the sun shone through and placed a gentle glow over me and Softie as if to greet us into the new day. I had been the first to wake up though I did so with slight reluctance as I didn't want my movements to wake Softie up just yet. This was the first time in a while that Softie had slept through the entire night without waking up for one thing or another. Be it a bad dream, a sudden burst of inspiration or simply not being able to get himself to relax enough to sleep through the night. Benjamin hadn't had a full eight hours for the whole year we had been on the run due to us having to always be on guard the entire time and the fact that we weren’t able to stay in one place for too long during that time as we were trying to avoid being captured by his parents so I was beyond thankful that we weren’t needing to run constantly anymore so I was glad Softie felt safe enough to finally relax a bit and get the sleep he so desperately needs.

As I held Softie gently around his waist my thoughts had gone back to the day we had initiated our plan to get him away from the two before it was too late. It had ultimately been my suggestion to get him away from his abusive parents though I had left it up to him to make the final decision. Despite Softie's understandable fear of running away from his parents after years of abuse he had been the one to make the final choice to run. Even though we went through many hardships to get him away from his parents Benjamin was ultimately much happier now and could stand up for himself if needed and with the help of free hand to hand combat training curtesy of Sven he now knew how to defend himself if the need ever arouse to do so.

Back in the present I ran my hand through Softie's hair enjoying the softness of it as he had decided that he wanted to let it grow out to his natural blonde color. Over the last few months Softie had brought up that he wanted to let his hair grow out like he always wanted to as he didn't want any reminders of his parent's preference and upon deciding this he hasn’t touched it up with blue dye since his parent's Christmas performance.

I was truly proud of him that he wasn't allowing his parent's influence to take up as much of his thoughts as they used to. It was while I countinued to run my fingers through his hair that I got a contented sigh from Softie before I was met with a peck on the underside of my chin which sent a pleasant feeling through me before I heard Softie quietly saying "good morning Toughie" I had replied with "good morning baby blue" as I continued carding my fingers through his hair for a few more minutes until our alarm had begrudgingly went off signaling that our time to cuddle was up for the time being. Soon enough we seperated from each other and got ready for the day hoping that we would have a good day of sales and that nothing would go wrong.

/At The Park/

Upon arrival to the park me and Softie saw that the storm had caused some debris to land in various spots and after putting our paintings on the easels we brought along with us we picked up a little bit as nobody was here yet and after picking up we had managed to make a small stack of branches behind us. It was only after we finished securing the stack that me and Benjamin got fully set up and had our art on display while I had gotten out our small cash cache that we used so we could keep track of what was purchased and so we could give change back. Soon enough park goers started to show up which was mine and Softie's sign to flip our open sign out as I turned on the portable radio to play some music to signal that we were ready.

/Back At The Manor/

*MM's P.O.V*

It was well into the morning by the time I woke up and though I knew it was needed to heal from my injuries I had mentally kicked myself as I had felt guilty for not being up early enough to make my daughter and BF some breakfast. I knew full well that the two typically went out to eat more than they honestly should though I couldn't really stop BF from spending his hard earned money from venues and contests he has performed at as he earned it himself and with the help of occasionally collaborating with a few other rappers he was able to actually support our daughter and himself in a smaller apartment that was just the right fit for them.

Despite knowing this about BF my husband still had some anger towards him though to mine and my daughter's relief he had starting to warm up to BF however that was only because he had gotten berated quite strongly by our own daughter who had finally had enough and had grown quite pissed at him for sending people to kill BF for a frankly ridiculous reason which was BF beating him in a rap battle and proving himself worthy of our daughter.

I get my husband wants the best for our daughter however, BF has proven time and again that he was willing to sacrifice himself to save her on multiple occasions especially against our massive amount of enemies who had a target on our backs more so my husband then me as anyone that went against me became one of my imps though regardless it had ultimately put a target on our daughter's back as well as she was seen as a way to get to us and break us.

If her ex Tabi, the EXE crew as well as Agoti for just a few examples have all tried to kill our daughter just to try to break my husband and me wasn't enough of a hint we also knew it was because of what we did in our earlier years when we were still active singers until we retired from being in the direct spotlight all because of a rather messy situation between us and the fairest couple.

The Fairest couple had became rather vengeful towards us early on because we had been the preferred stars to them and in turn our disagreements caused arguments which eventually snowballed into a two day battle were both sides were injured quite severely. It was only because of how badly injured both sides were that we four had came to a truce to avoid dying by each other's hands as we both had kids by then that needed us and so we had came upon an agreement that we would not interact or be in the same city as each other for as long as the truce lasted. Upon that agreement however it had forced me and my husband to move to the opposite side of the train tracks and then a bit further for safety reasons because we didn't trust the couple to keep their word and didn't dare to risk our daughter and the Fairest's son safety though it was quite obvious to me and my husband that deep down the Fairest couple didn't seem to care about their son as much as a parent should though only time would tell if we had been right or if we turned out to be wrong.

It was several years later that me and my husband were proven correct in our assumption as the first time we had seen Benjamin since the truce was during the Fairest meet and greet. If it hadn't been for Benjamin's white hoodie and blue dyed hair catching our eye upon the camera doing a quick zoom in on him we would of missed him in the multi colored crowd that was at the meeting. As soon as Benjamin had been pointed out the camera zoomed back out and turned towards the couple waiting in the giant chair they had hauled in however me and my husband didn't really care to see them upon making a sudden realization upon the camera zooming back in on Benjamin as if even the person behind the camera was doing a double take and actually lingered for a bit longer then previously.

On the camera there had been obvious burns on Benjamin's neck that had been fresh as blood was still dripping down and went into his hoodie where the tiniest amount of blood was beginning to soak through however, we hadn't gotten to see much else as the camera feed had suddenly cut off leaving the tv screen black only to show it had switched to ads though we hadn't paid attention and had quickly turned the tv of fully. After what Me and my husband had seen our anger had tripled upon knowing what the fairest couple had done to their own son which turned out to be enough of a trigger for our more demonic features to show. We had both wanted to teleport to that meeting and take out Benjamin's parents then and there for ever physically hurting their son. The only reason we didn't was because of our daughter singing a melody that we had personally made sure she learned as it had the ability to calm us and her when our anger got the better of us. Needless to say our search started anew for another two years until somewhat recently we felt his presence along with another's arrival in our domain and it's been that way for a year now.

In the present my husband had began to stir next to me though I could tell he was still in quite a bit of pain just from his hissing which was understandable though I knew I needed to try to get him to sit up despite the pain it would cause so I could tend to his wounds and clean them. I had let him know that I was going to get the first aid kit and upon getting a nod in acknowledgement I had left the bed to retrieve it only to then look by our bedroom door and see that it had already been placed on the dresser near it.

Seeing the kit already waiting was enough to know that our daughter had came to check on us at some point this morning which in turn meant that she was now aware that we had been hurt while we had been out which was something I had been trying to avoid as to not worry her though I was thankful that she had brought the kit to our bedroom as it meant I could get to work on Daddy Dearest's injuries. After grabbing it I had returned to the bed and got to work tending to both our wounds.

*Timeskip: afternoon*

As my husband rested again I had decided to leave the manor as we were in need of more medical supplies as well as food sense we were feeding one other person for right now though on top of that I was planning to get some art pieces for the quiet room that my daughter and BF created in one of the previously unused rooms as it lacked stuff on the walls and my daughter had off handedly mentioned wanting some flower art to hang up in the room a few nights before the fight happened and so I left making sure I locked the door on the way out knowing full well that my husband's guard was down while he was out.

Soon enough I had reached my first destination which was the convience store where I purchased the needed first aid items as well as some picture hooks. It was only after I had finished purchasing all other items I needed for home before I decided to head towards the park and try my luck at finding art being sold there. Upon arrival to the park however I had frozen in place as my heart did a sudden leap upon seeing a flash of an familiar blue color among the crowd bouncing around as the owner of the hair was tending to a guest. Soon enough a lower voice joined with the softer one thanking the guest before handing over the art piece that had just been sold and was now boxed up to keep it from getting damaged.

It was only after the crowd had dispersed enough that I could actually determine whether the blue haired male was who I thought it was and upon feeling the familiar warmth that came off from him when he was a toddler I knew it was Benjamin. Upon realizing this it took everything in me to not run over in relief and hug him. To him I would seem like some weird stranger instead of a person that he would be vaguely familiar with as I doubted he'd even recognize me sense he would of been too young at the time. On a different note I could tell the person with him was his partner as the two had shared a quick kiss amongst themselves when the guests were gone before Benjamin laid on the other's shoulder smiling contentedly. Seeing them having a moment had almost made me want to leave them be until I caught sight of the last two art pieces which were a field of flowers and a cherry blossom tree. Upon seeing them I could tell they were meticulously painted with just how much detail was added and knew they would be perfect for my daughter and Bf as it gave off the desired feeling of calm that the two were going for and would give my daughter the flower picture she wanted.

It was only after I started approaching the table that both males split apart from each other just enough to look semi professional though it was pretty obvious that the ginger haired male was trying and failing to discreetly scan my person for any sort of weapons on me which I had taken slight offense to though quickly chalked it up to him simply wanting to protect his partner and I could understand that. I know the two had gone through a lot in the last few years so it made sense that they would become uneasy and want to keep their guard up especially since I was obviously not human if the lilac skin tone wasn't enough of a hint.

When the ginger deemed me as not a threat he relaxed and sat back down gesturing for me to come closer if I wanted. With the okay given I moved forward and started looking.

Chapter Text

*Soft Pico's P.O.V*

This was a rather interesting turn of events for the afternoon. For one the fact that a well known pop star was even interested in our stall compared to a high end art studio was surprising enough.The second thing was that this lady seemed to recognize Benjamin if the surprisingly gentle look from her despite being a demon was anything to base on. Despite this observation it did make me curious how exactly she knew Benjamin considering even he didn't seem to recognize her. I may be overthinking but, the fact she recognizes Benjamin could mean one of three things. He had been a baby when she had seen him, she had seen the news cover the missing posters or she was just trying to get us to drop our guard so we'd be taken to the police or something worst.

With how much me and Benjamin had been through I was suspicious of everyone that showed an ounce of kindness as in my mind any kindness shown to me and Benjamin could be a trap. I can't even name all the places that had ratted out our location to the fairest couple which had me and Benjamin running once again the moment we realized. We have had people chase and stop us but with me being the more athletic one of us I was able to get  Ben situated on my back when the need to jump arose and then when I knew we were in the clear I would jump down with him still in tow on my back before running just a bit further after before putting Benjamin down and taking a breather.

Soon Benjamin's voice managed to get through as he spoke saying "the remaining pictures have been purchased Pico also Mrs.Mearest was wondering if we were okay going to her place as She had something she wanted to tell both of us about and was offering as she would prefer if we weren't so out in the open as what she has to say is very important and it's for both of us to hear"

After  Benjamin was finished speaking I had taken a few moments to consider the options. We could go and find out what Mrs. Mearest had to say and hope it's not a trap or we could deny her and wonder what she was going to say though judging by just how intimidating she is up close because of the simple fact she was very tall and also was a demon I don't think I want to try my hand at not knowing and potentially losing a mutual ally. With all things considered I had given the okay though I did give her a slight warning that I wasn't planning on dropping my guard at all while we were talking which got me a look of understanding before she offered to help us pack up which we accepted. After we were done we were told we could bring the items and then were on our way. I just hope we didn't make the wrong choice.

Chapter Text

*Benjamin's P.O.V*

From the park it had been about a twenty minute walk to Mrs.Mearest's place though along the way Mrs.Mearest had let both of us know that three other people were at the manor currently including her husband, her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend who was literally named Boyfriend. This of course surprised me and toughie as we had thought he had just been hiding his real name yet finding out it was his real name was a bit jarring though me and toughie simply continued listening and thanked her for letting us know there were supposed to be others and that we weren't just walking into a trap.

It was only after I felt toughie start leaving my side and falling back a bit as a wood clink could be heard that I took notice that one of the painting easels was slipping from his grip as it had opened up as we walked and so I helped him fold it back up before we joined back up with Mrs.Mearest who had stopped so we could do so before we finally got to her place.

Upon arrival we could see it was a dark oak paneled manor complete with what looked to be three floors and a basement area that appeared to be furnished from what was visible through the window there. The manor gave off an ominous feeling though I chalked it up to the fact that it was an unfamiliar place to me though that assumption soon changed when I felt toughie tense up next to me. Finding this odd I had looked up and had tensed as well upon seeing a rather tall male come out of the manor that looked very similar to my father minus the obvious fact that this male was indigo in color and had red eye lights compared to my father's human like eyes though because of the male's calculating look upon spotting us had instantly made me feel I was walking into a predator's den.

I tried to ignore that feeling of absolute fear that was rising up within myself however it didn't help as a bout of anxiety set in soon after despite my attempt at self reassurance that it wasn't my dad. Despite the self reassurance that the male that came outside looked completely different from my father besides the similar height being a good foot taller then me and toughie it had actually been his calculated look that had ended up triggering the memory of my father literally having the exact same look before his rage took over as I had been forced to watch my dad stomp on Toughie until some of his ribs broke.  It was only upon the sound of my name being called frantically by toughie and the feeling of a much smaller hand on my shoulder that had me jolting back into awareness as I watched that image of my father fade and get replaced with where we were currently.  Upon looking up I could see toughie and a younger female than Mrs.Mearest who had auburn hair both staring at me with fear and concern. It took me going into toughie's arms and hugging him tightly that I realized just how shaky I was. Soon after I heard toughie let out a shaky breath before saying "thank goodness" before hugging me back and pulling me in to hide against his chest while he rubbed circles into my back while saying that we were okay and that we were safe multiple times making sure he was loud enough to be heard.

In the background the other two dearests kept their distance from the two of us until we deemed ourselves okay though I could of sworn I hear two masked growls from the older two shortly after which was confirmed when they had told who I'm assuming to be their daughter to stay with us and help us get comfortable while they let off some steam and then had told toughie that they were not mad at us and that they just needed to calm themselves down before they could tell us what they needed to. Their daughter next to us had said she understood and that she would take us to the quiet room that her and her boyfriend were in currently and meantioned getting us some snacks and drinks so I could rest from the attack I just had. Upon both of her parents giving the okay the two made their way back inside and to wherever they were going.

Back outside their daughter helped Toughie and me up before she led the way to a different part of the manor where music could be heard being played as another male's voice filled the hall who seemed to be practicing though upon getting closer something about the voice was familiar and I quickly found out why when the door was opened. On the other side was none other then Boyfriend who had a mic in hand though it was off currently judging by the lack of any sort of light indicating otherwise though he stopped and waved upon seeing the young lady and us enter the room. The female then went over to explain what was going on and Boyfriend nodded before switching the music to something a bit more slower paced and calming as he went into a closet area and pulled out two more bean bags and brought them over to where me and Toughie were. I and Toughie had thanked him before taking the offered seats and sat down. The other two joined soon after they distributed the snacks and drinks. After we all finishing the items provided I found myself growing tired and cuddling up against Toughie and found Boyfriend followed soon after cuddling up against his girlfriend before we both fell asleep at about the same time before we were joined by our partners. As the quiet music continues the play the room became filled with the sounds of soft breathing and very quiet snoring as the sound of deep contented purring came from the door.

Chapter Text

*Mommy Dearest's P.O.V*

It had been a good hour or so sense I had started
purring to lull the four young adults in the spare room into a restful sleep despite knowing that it would only half work on Bf and my daughter as they were both much more aware then most from being in constant life or death rap battles though I hoped it was enough to also keep them unaware of what was going on in the basement. I was using it as a way to keep all of them oblivious just long enough so they didn't have to hear my husband straight up rage attacking the Fairest monsters in the hidden part of the basement as he kept them in a state of weakness with the chains around them so they couldn't fight back as effectively as they normally would. It may seem like a cheap shot to most however, the Fairest monsters didn't deserve to have fairness in a battle especially after everything we knew about them however we have no idea just how bad things may have gotten for their son and we very likely won't unless we somewhat get him to trust us even if it was only a little bit.

As I continued to listen to just how bad my husband was attacking them it was becoming very hard to keep myself purring and little did I know things were about to get worse. It was while I was listening to every blow and every splatter of blood hitting the ground each time my husband slashed his claws across their bodies and while I could hear the couple screeching in sheer pain that I felt a shift. Soon enough my husband was yelling at them though I couldn't hear much of what he was saying and then there were the sound of the couple suddenly trying to break through the floor under my feet only for the sound of them quickly crashing back to the ground soon after before the struggle began anew.

Unfortunately despite my best efforts Benjamin had been woken up by the crash and was quickly on his feet which had awoken his version of pico as well who was also just as quick to his feet and was already scanning the surroundings for the perceived threat. Bf and my daughter soon woke as well from hearing the commotion underneath all of us and on instinct BF was holding my daughter protectively while my daughter's eyes began flaring red being able to sense the Fairest monsters under us.

I tried to reassure all of them that everything was going to be okay and that it was being handled by my husband however, to my surprise and upmost horror my daughter's eyes widened and had straight up ignored me before teleporting out of the room leaving me, Benjamin, BF and Benjamin's Pico in the room frozen in place from how sudden she teleported away. It had actually been Benjamin that broke out of the shock first upon hearing yet another roar which caused his own eyes to widen seeming to instantly recognize the roar before saying "oh no..." hearing him saying that sent instant fear through me and I went to stop him but, before any of us could stop him he had already bolted from the room and was heading in the direction of where the sound was loudest despite having no clue where exactly he was going. He was soon followed by his pico who was trying to stop him as well and had been able to catch him though Benjamin managed to get loose and kept going yelling that he needed to get my daughter away or she would get hurt and had quite literally darted through the manor with the help of the adrenaline coursing through him in his concern to get my daughter to safety.

His pico had quickly picked up his speed once again and had actually ditched his face mask in favor of getting better air into his lungs as he ran following after Benjamin as fast as he could. I and Bf were quick to relize we had been left in the dust before we looked at each other, nodded in a form of silent agreement and followed after the other three. As we got half way there I could hear my daughter scream and that's what made me start panicking. I went to teleport to her only to be blocked from doing so by a magic that was not my family's own and I realized with dread that the restraining chains were weakening as I felt my hold on Marilyn breaking and quickly doubled down on my hold on her chains to attempt to restrain her again knowing that neither fairest had any of their humanity left anymore and would severely hurt or kill anyone that got in their way.

As soon as I and BF got to the basement area the sight we came across was chaos. My husband was over by our daughter who was currently knocked out and was bleeding from a slash on her back and he was trying to heal her, Benjamin was over at the arena fighting as valiantly as he could using a metal pipe that I assumed had been on the ground though it was clear that he was inexperienced as his swings were off kilter a bit while his pico had a paint can in hand and was attempting to blind both monsters whenever there was an opening.

Seeing the outright battle going on I and bf soon found ourselves splitting up both knowing from experience with otherworldly beings that we had faced that we knew that Benjamin and his Pico wouldn't get far if they fought alone and my daughter still needed help to slow her bleeding. As I went to help Benjamin in his fight against his parents turned monsters BF went over to our daughter and followed every direction my husband shouted to him which were directions to find various first aid items around the immediate area.

I soon focused in on my own task and had stepped in next to Benjamin and his pico who had just ran out of spray paint which was proving ineffective as it was already burning away from the fairest monster's faces. Pico who had landed on my left had let out a string of profanity seeing that his efforts had been in vain while Benjamin had lunged forward again only for his make shift weapon to be destroyed and was sent crashing back to the ground where he landed roughly against me with surprising force. I was able to take the blow however it had reopened some of my own injuries that were healing from my previous encounter with the two in front of us.

Unfortunately for me Benjamin had taken notice and had quickly gotten off before turning and asked me if I was okay which I responded saying "Yes, I am okay though this in front of us wasn't supposed to have happened and i'm sorry. This actually had related to that thing that I wanted to tell you two earlier though it seems something has gone wrong. For right now we need to get these two in front of us subdued before they hurt anyone else and for what it's worth you two did well with what you had available and I'm proud of both of you for that Benjamin. If you both need to tap out I nor my husband would blame you nor would my daughter and her boyfriend your safety comes first when it comes to situations like this"

Despite the chaos going on in front of us Benjamin and his pico smiled a bit though a roar from the monsters in front of us had instantly switched those smiles to frowns and had effectively snapped us all back to attention. Upon looking in the monster's direction it seemed they were both trying to break their chains once again as their eyes were glowing a violet red while their chains glowed a burning purple and red respectively.

Both Benjamin and his pico stood in a way that made it clear to anyone in the room that they were attempting to guard each other though it seemed that move was not a good choice to do in front of the two in front of us as the Monster in purple chains who was in reality the transformed version of Frank Fairest hissed and shook the ground under us with enough force to leave cracks on the arena surface and with one look towards who was once Marilyn and letting out a singular hiss as if asking a question the room became completely silent. Everyone in the room held their breath before suddenly all hell broke loose. Both Fairest monster’s released an ear splitting roar that shook the entire area and in seconds Benjamin and Pico were sent flying in opposite directions and without even thinking me and my husband both teleported immediately to the one nearest to us and had been able to catch them before either hit a wall.

I had been able to catch pico while my husband caught Benjamin. I checked over pico seeing that other then a few scoff marks he seemed relatively okay though through mine and my husband’s link that was established when we married there was concern, panic and anger all mixed together at once and I found myself hoping me and Ben’s Pico would be able to get to him in time.

Chapter Text

*Toughie/Soft Pico's P.O.V.*

When I came to again the first thing I registered was that a warm energy was surrounding me though as I became more aware I realized I was laying against someone. When I glaced at the hand hovering over my front I realizing that it was a female's though it was slightly bigger then GF'S and that's when it clicked that I must be laying against Mommy Dearest who had somehow caught me before I had hit the wall. The next thing I realized was that the pain from the claw strikes I was feeling from Marilyn Fairest's blow was starting to ebb away which made me curious as I didn't see any obvious glow from Mommy's hand indicating magic being used however, that curiosity soon went to the back of my mind when I fully remembered what had just happened and upon looking around myself the best I could in my position I quickly realized softie was nowhere near me which turned my sense of semi calm to alarmed in seconds.

The attack had happened so suddenly that I wasn't able to register what happened till it was too late. I remembered softie had moved in front of me at the last second which resulted in him being hit directly with his father's claws from him getting in the way protecting me as best he could before he had been sent flying into the opposite wall from me. Soon after I was hit by his mother's own claws which happened to be shorter though still packed just as much of a punch. Due to the pain that had lanced through my body upon impact I had blacked out almost immediately but, not before I had been caught and heard softie getting caught as well as I heard his body hit something padded as a grunt from a deeper male voice followed soon after before I had finally blacked out.

Back in the present I felt myself being suddenly lifted and being held bridal style which made me blush a bit though Mommy Dearest didn't seem to notice which I was thankful for though it had made me wonder why we were suddenly moving and rather quickly at that though upon hearing what sounded like a roar followed by two quick punches quickly followed by two massive shadows going right over us. I soon relized both Fairests had just been sent flying and had landed exactly where we had been mere moments ago however, whatever happened next I wasn't able to see as a massive wing had blocked my view before everything became suddenly silent. I felt myself being brought through something that briefly felt like I was being pulled through water though before long everything felt normal again.

As soon as I was set down I had relized I had been reunited with Softie who I quickly but, carefully pulled in against myself as I could tell his wounds had been treated and were bandaged up. After ensuring softie was actually alive I had found myself burying my face into his hair crying in sheer relief as I had figured the worst had happened with how unmoving Softie had been and as I pulled him in I felt someone come closer and lightly pressing two fingers on Softie's available wrist and could hear a sigh of relief before the person had backed off giving me and Softie space.

After a while all my tears had been spent for the time being and as I had removed my face from Softie's hair and started actually looking around at my surroundings which revealed that Mommy Dearest was missing from the shield while BF and GF seemed like they knew exactly what happened to her. Soon they had looked to me and Softie with a look of understanding as it seemed softie was beginning to stir in my arms though I was unsure if it was from a dream or if he was actually waking up and for once I wanted him to stay under if only so he didn't wake up to agonizing pain especially after looking around more.

It had become quite clear that the injuries had been severe though it seemed the Dearests and BF knew a decent amount of medical knowledge as a massive first aid kit was on the end table where guaze, a few clean white hand towels, gloves, wound disinfectant, what looked to be medical string and the needle for it as well as medical bandages were all either out or in their cases to keep the supplies sterile. underneath the table were several biohazard bags that had been tied up which likely contained all the bloodied towels and bloodied guaze used to clean both GF'S and Softie's wounds.

I had no clue what was going on outside of the shield however, the fact that my vision had been literally blocked just before entering by Mrs.Dearest I had a feeling she was protecting me from seeing whatever her husband was doing to who once were Softie's parents though I had a gut feeling that I didn't want to know regardless especially sense anything outside of the shield was muted though I did hope the two Dearest were okay.

(Trigger warning: inflicted burns)
*DD's P.O.V*

Though I was panting as I stood on both the Fairest monsters in my full demon form I took satisfaction in there pained breathing as they looked at me with the fear of those that knew they had fucked up big time and it was made all the better when I saw just how much blood me and my wife had managed to get from them especially after she took on her own demon form and was now currently using her claws to hold them in place with a venomous smile directed at the two in her grasp. To make this revenge worth it however, I felt that the monster's deserved a taste of their own medicine after all the suffering they have caused over the years to their own son and I could tell my wife felt the same as the minute she caught my glance her claws immediately dug deeper into the Fairest neck's earning her a louder hiss from them and in the process caused them to bleed from where her claws had dug in though she made sure not to hit anything vital at least not yet.

With them pinned down like this they would not be able to escape what was next. Using my tail so I didn't have to get off the two monsters under my hoof I had grabbed out the desired item from the fireplace near by. Upon drawing it back to myself the item wrapped in my tail was a branding stick that was already orange from the fire before turned to the one that used to be Frank. The moment he spotted what was in my grasp his eye lights became pinpricks from fear immediately before he tried to get loose though I beared down on him more before growling out "oh? is the big bad monster afraid of some hot metal? Well too fucking bad!!"

"Do you even know just how much pain you and your excuse for a wife have caused to the son you were supposed to protect. You were supposed to encourage him to do what he wanted but, instead you assholes tried to force your occupation on him when he had no desire to perform in the first place or did you choose to just block out that little fact to stay in your ideal life or is it a case you can no longer remember that about your old self's now that your in every form of the word monsters! Maybe this will jog your memory!"

With that being said I had dug the branding stick which was similar to what a cigar burn would feel like into Frank's neck and shoulders in the exact areas that he had done so with Benjamin which I had found out when tending to his wounds. Though I know it was an invasion of privacy it was either that or he would have bled out and the kid didn't deserve that after everything he's been through and yet as I speak Benjamin was currently fighting to live as he had lost so much blood already by the time everything had been patched up and stitched with the help of my daughter and was now finding myself holding out hope that Benjamin had enough willpower to hang in there till we could get him to a hospital. I just had to hope that they had his information on file which I didn't see why they wouldn't sense the networks between here and his old home were on the same database however for now I needed to focus.

Underneath me Frank was screeched loudly but, I didn't let up until I was done and while he was being burned my wife was forcing Marilyn to stay down as she had made several attempts to kick me off Frank and in response my wife had actually dug her claws deeper to the point that she was only a hair's length from finishing the job and killing her. What the two didn't know was that was exactly what we were planning on doing right here and now. It had only taken two minutes to get out our anger though they were the best two minutes of revenge we could ask for before we released the chains around them as they were officially unable to move before I signaled to my wife to back up and stand by me before we rose one of our hands each and had created two massive spikes that shot right out of the ground and stabbed through the fairests before they were set ablaze and finally sent to the underworld for eternity.

*3rd person P.O.V*

After doing a very quick cleaning spell the Dearest couple had gone back to where BF, GF, Benjamin and Soft Pico were at and had willed the shield to disengage and hoped that what was behind it wasn't a tragic scene. Upon the Dearest couple's shield disengagement their daughter had ran forward hugging them in relief however she had let them go upon hearing Benjamin's voice and had gone right back to his side alongside BF who had gone to check on him too however soft pico gave them a warning to give Benjamin some space as he didn't like being crowded even in a weakened state however his current state was the worst condition he's ever seen his boyfriend as even during one of their escapes from Benjamin's mother had only ended with Benjamin with some scrapes, bruises and a dislocated shoulder as pico had softened the blow with his own body.

It had taken another minute or so before Benjamin's eyes opened though none of them missed that his eyes were only half lidded as Benjamin seemed very out of it not even registering that his boyfriend was right there until a good twenty seconds went by before he had asked in almost a question "Toughie that you? I can't seem to focus right now and my mind feels hazy. What happened?"

Upon that sentence is was now obvious to everyone in the room that Benjamin needed medical attention and he needed it now if they were to give him even a chance that he'd live to see another day. With everyone's mind set they had all gotten around quickly before Pico held onto Benjamin and all six of them climbed into one of the Dearest many cars and were on their way and all were hoping Benjamin could hold out just a little longer to survive.