[SIDESTORY] Morbit Oneshots (18+)

[SHIVERS]

Promise - 2020
Rin + Shivers, PCA etc.
CW: implied abuse/torture, cults, death, implied violence
Bazil finds something new in Hell.

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Bazil’s on duty- the same old, same old.
Go through the maze-like halls, ignore the people nailed to the walls screaming for help, and try not to get too pissy about cultists shoving past him.
All of it grates against his brain like a knife on a grindstone, but he’s used to it.
It'd been like this for years, and it wasn't going to change any time soon.

Bazil hadn't gone through this particular hallway in quite a while, and something new catches his eye- a cell, isolated off down a short hallway by itself.
Blankets were hung up inside, four or five of them laid out; one covering the lower portion of some of the bars, while the others had been crudely strung to make a tent-like structure. Some of the blankets had slipped, not really being held on by much, but enough remained to keep the overall shape.
A small, thin mattress - presumably belonging to the empty cot in the room - is propped towards the back, next to the blanket fort.

Nothing else is currently visible inside, and the cell is quiet, almost refreshingly so compared to the rest of the maze.

"..." 
Bazil stops in his tracks, peeking into the cell.
Nobody told him about this addition, and he wasn't expecting something so… cute, almost.
He can see over the entirety of the blanket fort from this angle, able to take in how small it was comparatively, despite the large number of blankets making it up.
Being this close, he also spots the tiniest hint of a tail tip sticking out from under one of the fort's edges.

"...hey."

A quick scrape is heard as something scrambles from underneath the blankets, the tail tip immediately disappearing from view.
It pulled on the blanket as it went in, causing it to start to droop.
The blanket is held back up after just a moment, but that section of the fort is already starting to collapse, looking like it would cave at any second.

"Your uh, little house looks like it's in trouble there."

Hearing that voice again seems to startle them, and half the blankets come falling down, one of them sliding off of the figure beneath, revealing them.

A tiny grey pockitt child is sitting on the floor, blankets now all at their sides.
They have a few scratches - some fairly deep, some looking recent - and they were a little bit thin, but otherwise looked healthy.

Their face, though, tells a different story.

The pockitt's eyes are dry and puffy around the sides, with dark spots underneath them.
The fur around their cheeks is messy, and currently wet.
They'd been facing the wall when the blanket came off, and they still stare straight ahead at it; eyes open wide, body visibly shaking.

Too afraid to look at whoever was addressing them.

And they knew better than to speak out.

"...didn't know they started keeping kids here now."
Bazil hesitates before kneeling at the bars, trying to make himself look a little less intimidating.
"When'd you get here?"

The pockitt flinches when he kneels down.
They turn to face him now, shaking worse than before.
When they respond, they act as if they hadn't even heard his question.

"I'm s... sorry about the blankets, I can-''
They swallow.
"Put em back. Don't t... tell Holiday. Please?" 

Before he can even answer, they look as if he'd already said no. 
The pockitt pulls one of the blankets that had fallen down, offering it up to him. 
"I can... I can give you one. If you don't tell.
Or two. Just don't tell. Okay? …Please? "

"I'm not gonna tell on you for making a fort, and I don't need your blankets.
Surprised they even gave you any, hold onto those."

They watch him for what feels like a long time, the room silent. 

"...Did I do something else bad?"

"Uh...no? I mean, you're probably gonna get shit for the fort, but I'm not gonna rat you out."

"W-Why are you here, then?"

"Just passing by. Never even heard they were keeping a kid down here."

It takes them just as long to ask the next question.

"...Are you going to hurt me...?
...It was just so I could sleep, I wasn't trying to get the blankets dirty.
I p... promise."

"No? No.
I don't care if you get the blankets dirty, not like you can keep 'em clean in this place to begin with."

They clutch the blanket they’re holding a little closer.
"...Are you... with everybody else?"

"Eh..." He doesn't know exactly what to say. "It's complicated."

They pause for a little while.
"I c-can't... I can't get the blankets to stay up good."
They demonstrate by gently hanging it between the bed and a few of the bars.
It promptly begins to droop, with the pockitt having to hold it in place with their paws.
"...Can you help? Is that okay?"

"I, uh. Never done something like that before."
He grimaces, not sure what to do.
"...If I do, it has to be our secret, okay?"

"I won't tell anybody."

Bazil fishes around in his pocket, taking out a ring of keys.
"One of these probably works, gimme a sec..."

The pockitt watches intently for a second, then gets back to what they were doing, trying in vain to keep the different corners up. 
Bazil manages to find the right one, unlocking the gate and quickly stepping inside.
"Uh...Sorry that I can't let you out- you'd get caught for sure, and it'd be a hell of a lot worse for you than it is just staying in here."

The pockitt starts shaking once again when he enters, but doesn't turn around to look at him.
They’re holding one of the corners up against the side of the cage.
"C-Can you get the other side?"

He walks over to the other side, staring blankly at the blankets before holding one corner up.



"Like this?"



The pockitt sprints for the open door.

"Shit-"

He dives for them, managing to catch their ankle. 

"Kid, I'm serious, it's a lot worse out there than it is in here!"

They hit the ground, scraping their knee on the floor as they grunt, reaching for the door and wriggling in Bazil's grasp. 

Bazil pulls them into his lap as best as he can with just the one arm, trying not to snarl and freak the kid out more. 
"Quit wiggling, I'm trying to save your ass here." 

He can hear them sniffling, trying in vain to hold back tears, which now fall onto his arm.
Their body feels rigid in his grip, as if they’re tensing up in anticipation of something. 
"P... Please... I'm s... s-sor-" 
Their breath hitches, making it difficult to speak.

Bazil isn't sure what to do, mainly just trying to keep a good hold on them.
 "Look, uh… kid. Kid."

They stopped wriggling, and their body instead went limp as they began to cry against him, albeit quietly.

"Kid, I appreciate your guts, but… I know what it's like outside this cage.
You don't want that."

The pockitt turns and hugs him, their voice muffled.
"I don't- … don't know what to do."
Their voice gets smaller as they go on.
"I don't like it here. It's bad everywhere. ...I don't know how to get out."

"I know. It...fucking sucks here.
To understate it, by a lot."

They pull back a little and look up at him, eyes blurry and red.
"What do I do? They..." 
Tears begin to stream down their face once more. 
"They hurt m-my... dad. They said... he... h-he..."

Bazil falls quiet, giving them space to talk.

"He's... gone.
...Dead.
Th-They said he's dead. M-My sister, too, they..."
They’re almost incoherent at this point, choking back sobs.
"Th-They're gone, I don't have-
N-Nobody can help me get-
Is... Is someone... Is somebody gonna come help?
S-Someone's gonna... gonna come help, right?
I can't do it... I don't know how... I-I can't..."

"...nothing lasts forever, kid.
This included."

Pleading eyes look close into Bazil's.
"A-Are you... here to help... me?"

"I...don't know if I can."
He avoids eye contact.
"I'm sorry."

They sniffle, but hold his arm, speaking quietly.
"Do you need help, too?"



"...yeah.
I'm in the same boat as you, kid."

The little pockitt hugs him again, though this time it seems like they’re attempting to comfort Bazil instead.
"...It's okay.
It'll be okay.
I think... I think we can do it.

...right?"

"Right."
He hesitantly gives them a pat on the head.
"You don't gotta try to make me feel better."

"...Oh."
They scoot back out of his lap.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want... you to be sad, um..."

The pockitt finally takes a good look at Bazil now, studying over him.
"...I-I like your horns..."

"Eh?"
He pokes at the horns, still keeping a careful eye on the kid.
"Think they're cool?"

They nod, smiling just a little.
"Kind of hardcore, right?"

"What's that mean?"

"It means...cool, but in a sick way.
Good sick. Sometimes."

They look utterly confused.

 "Uh...it means they're super cool."

"Ohh." They nod, trying to catch on.
"Can I touch em?"

"Just don't pull or anything. Be careful." He leans down for them.

They very gently feel over one of them, briefly holding it with their paw.
"Woahhh..."
They knock on it, listening to the dull thud.
"...Hardcore."

Bazil tries not to visibly wince at the knocking, giving them a thumbs up.
"Hardcore."

A big smile spreads across the pockitt’s face.
"I want horns..."

"Not like these, you don't.
They're uh, not really fastened on good.
You'd want better ones."

The kid looks concerned.
"Oh, I'm sorry.
Did I hurt em?"

"Nah...you were careful, just like I asked.
You're all good."

"Okay." 



They look down at the floor. 
"...Do you wanna be friends?"

"You promise to try not to escape?
I mean… I can't blame you, but you'd need a way better plan than just booking it like that."

"Promise you won't leave without me?"

"I mean… I'm in kind of a weird situation, kid."
He scratches the back of his head.
"I got somebody waiting for me out there.
I don't know if I'll ever get outta here, but I don't know if I can wait."

The kid frowns.
"Then I can't promise not to go.
...I can make a plan, like you said."

"Yeah.
I guess you can, but only if you make a plan first, a good one.
One that can't afford to fuck up."

"I can do it.
...You shouldn't say bad words."

"Saying bad words is good for you when you're in a place like this."

"But my dad says that they're mean.
...You can say them, but I don't really want to."

"Then don't, you don't gotta.
But for me, I see this place as a lot meaner than a few cuss words."

They nod. "...Yeah."
The pockitt sits down on the blanket pile.
"Who's waiting for you?
...If I get out first, I can tell them. We can come get you."

"Well...I don't know them too well, but my uh, friend, Chelsea, she's..."
He tries not to grimace.
"In love with them, I guess."

"What's their name?
Is your friend in here too?"

"Their name is Bucket, and, yeah.
Chelsea's here too. It's kind of complicated."

The pockitt can't help but snicker a little.
"Kinda funny name... Not very hardcore.
What's your name? ...I still wanna be friends."

"Oh, Bucket's like, the least hardcore name ever. Fits them.
And, uh, I'm Bazil."

"Oh, cool! I like your name."
They hop up off the blanket pile and held out a paw.
"My dad says you gotta shake when you meet somebody."

He takes it, making sure not to grip too hard.
"Your dad sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders."

The pockitt shakes.
They aren't sure what Bazil means, but don't really want to talk about it.
"So... can we be friends? ...I'm sorry I cried. I promise I'm hardcore."

"Eh, it's alright...people can't help but cry sometimes, I guess.
I won't tell a soul."

They frown. "Okay…
...Do you not wanna be friends?
I'm sorry for touching your horns..."

"You didn't fuck up with the horns-
I mean, I don't know if I'm really a good guy for it…
I'm kind of rough round the edges and people say my attitude's pretty shitty.
Kid like you needs better influences than that."

He sighs, finally making eye contact.
"But if you really want to be my friend despite that..."

"Rough around the edges... cause of the horns?" They aren't sure what he means at all.
"It's okay that you have horns, I still wanna be friends.
I like you.
You're nice to me."

"...yeah, let's go with that."
He manages a crooked smile.
"Guess we're friends, then."

They grin back at him.
"Okay!
I wanna meet Chelsea, too.
If she's your friend then I want us all to be friends.
Do you have any other friends here?"

"Hold on, hold on-
I don't even know your name, kid.
Gotta swap proper."

"Pepper! See?"
They point to some darker grey freckles on their cheek.
"Looks like pepper, right?"

"Huh. We both got spice names."

"Bazil's a spice?"

"Yeah, never had it though."

"Do you think they taste good together?"

"Hell if I know, they sure don't cook with any spices here.
Or cook at all." He smirks.

"I don't like the food.
I don't like meat. It's..." They stick out their tongue. "...bleeegh."

"I'll try to sneak you some outside food sometime.
No promises."

Their face lights up.
"You get to go outside?!"

"Yeah, but I'm still a prisoner… just on a leash."

They look at his neck, confused.

He taps the collar around his neck.
"Metaphorical leash usually, but they've hooked up a real one plenty of times."

"Oh, I'm sorry...."
They sit back down on the blankets.
"Are they gonna do that to me?"

"Hard to say.
I never even knew they were keeping you down here, so… can't really say what their plans are."

They think for a little while.
"Do you want me to take your collar off for you?"

"Can't."
His hand lingered on it.
"It's, uh… stuck. Doesn't come off."

They reach their paws up.
"Can I try?"

"You're not gonna get too far, kid."
He leans down for them anyway, not sure why he’s indulging this to begin with.

They grasp it and look for some kind of latch.
Finding none, they start pulling as hard as they can.

"Ow, ow-!
Careful.
Like I said, it's not going anywhere."

Instead of pulling at it by itself, which was straining it against his neck, they pull it in different directions this time, attempting to tear it apart without hurting Bazil. 
It doesn't budge in the slightest, almost as if it was fused to him. 
They keep trying, harder this time, starting to tear up.

"Kid, it's okay."

"But you don't like it!"

"Sometimes grown ups have to go through with shit we don't like. Kids too."

They let go.
"But I wanna help..."

"I mean, guess you helped me have a better day than I was expecting.
Maybe that counts."

They frown.
"I wanna help you better.
You're my friend."

"Best way you can help me right now is to make your own life better, even if it's hard in this hellhole.
You got that?"

"But that's not helping you..."

"Sure it is.
Makes me worry less, that helps."

They look frustrated, but nod anyway.
The pockitt seems to get an idea, though.
"Would a hug help, too?"

"...yeah. Go ahead."
He awkwardly held his arm out.

They don't hesitate to give him the biggest hug they can muster.
"I'm gonna get that off, okay?
It'll be okay."

"Yeah." He doesn't say much else, not sure what to do about this whole hug situation either.

They seem to sense that something isn't right and pull away. 
"...Was it a bad hug? I know you're bigger than me."

"Nah, it's a good hug… just not used to em."

"I can do something else!"

"Maybe like.
A high five."

They smile and hold their paw up.

He gives them a high five, solid but not too hard. "Bam."

They smile, but put their paw to their chin after.
"...A hug is still better, though.

...Oh!"
They turn and dive under what was left of the blanket fort, rummaging around for a bit before crawling back out.

They hide something behind them, sporting a big grin.
"Close your eyes, hold out your paw."

"Alright, no funny business."
He closes his eyes. 

Something soft is placed into his paw, light and almost raggedy. 
He peeks just a bit-

"Tada!" Pepper’s beaming.

A life-sized plush toy of a typeless TCP sits there.
Any color it used to have has faded completely into a dull tan.
One of its eyespots is missing, and it looks like it’s just barely held together at this point.

"I found it.
It's kinda messed up but it's still good.
I like to hug it when I sleep, so maybe you can hug it.
Plus if Holiday found it he'd get really mad, so you can have it."

 "...Thanks, kid." 
He manages another smile, completely genuine. 
"I'll try to take good care of it."

They smile back, happy to see Bazil smiling. 
"It's really messed up so be careful with it, okay? If you--"

Pepper freezes.
Distant footsteps echo down the hall.

"...I better get out of here, kid.
I'll cover for you." 
He gets to his feet quickly, moving without hesitation towards the door.



The pockitt whispers after him. 

"Will you come back?"



"...Yeah.

I promise."