It takes me so much to get these out to you guys. the only thing keeping me going is you guys because I am in agony at having to stomach my really bad writing from sophomore year. ENJOY!!!

EDIT: it is currently 8 PM on July 31st, 2024. I have approximately 4 hours to get this to you guys and I am fr about to explode BUT IT WILL BE DONE. As promised. And sniper mask interactions. Yay. I'm sorry

...DONE. She's small, but she's a step forward. Can you tell I actually put a little more care into the writing of this one? Bone smack the teeth to all yee.

RAW DOG, JUMP IN RAHHHHH

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Time skip IG

Day 3. It's what Butcher mask wrote on the top of a new page in his notepad when he woke up. He was slowly falling back into the habit of writing stuff down, and it felt oddly pleasing to some dormant part of his brain. (Idk)

Nothing really noteworthy happened that morning. Haruki and Butcher mask wandered around after having a light meal of packaged sandwiches and juice. It wasn't until later that afternoon that that things started to get more hectic.

Haruki had witnessed his first encounter with masks and how Butcher mask dealt with them (murder, duh). The boy was understandably freaked out from it, and Butcher mask's attempt to comfort him somehow turned into a lesson in self defense. Which is what brings us to the current situation.

'Dude...' CV was starting to ease himself back into Butcher mask's mind.

'What?'

'You gave him a gun.'

'So? He needs to learn in order to survive.'

'He's, like, 3.'

Haruki gripped the small pistol in his hands. Butcher mask had lined a row of empty food packaging and cans on the rails of the rooftop the two were currently on and now he was helping the boy steady the gun on a target.

"Are you sure this is okay, mister?" Haruki asked Butcher mask warily. Butcher mask stared between the boy and cans expectantly while he flipped to a clean page of his notepad (multitasking fr).

"Self defense is important, especially here." He scribbled down hastily.

Haruki's eyebrows furrowed. "But won't you help me if we get into trouble?"

"It's just for emergencies, okay? Just in case."

"You're not gonna leave me alone again, are you?" Haruki said. He looked up at Butcher mask with a plain frown plastered on his face. Butcher mask blinked at the boy a few times before kneeling down to the kid's level and ruffling his hair.

"No, kid. I wouldn't dream of it. Just give it a try. Please?"

(Dad of the year?)

.

After a few minutes of practice, it was surprisingly obvious that Haruki was good at aiming a gun. Like really good.

Butcher mask looked at Haruki with half disbelief and half approval, and gave him a few congratulating pats on the head. Haruki seemed elated with his success, and practically bounced with happiness (after the gun was safely put away, of course).

The kid explained that his mom had already taught him how to hold a gun and fire, but even still, his skill was a little too good for a 6-8 year old kid.

Butcher mask chalked it up to the emotionless mask helping him the same way his own mask made him immensely more strong and agile.

"Now what, Mister?"

Butcher mask snapped his head away from the destroyed soda cans and looked back at the boy.

"Let's keep exploring."

"Yay!"

.

.

The sun was starting to set. The light out was still bright and welcoming, but the long shadows cast by the buildings and the gradually cooling air were sign enough for the duo to start looking for a place to settle down.

Butcher mask had just finished killing two masks, and Haruki had even shot one when the confrontation turned into an ambush. The kid reacted surprisingly well to it this time, and Butcher mask didn't really know if he should be proud or terrified.

'You're corrupting him.' CV had finally returned to his dramatic self.

Butcher mask decided to lean into his antics.

'...This place corrupts everyone.'

'Emo.'

Brushing the voice aside, Butcher mask motioned for Haruki to follow him, and the two started to make the steady journey across the rooftops. Butcher mask never liked staying too close to buildings he had killed in.

The silence was nice after a turbulent day of violence. Butcher mask was a bit sore, and the thought of finally sitting down and resting his tired muscles was enticing. Even Haruki had simmered down from his usually peppy attitude, and the boy was following behind Butcher mask sluggishly.

Butcher mask held the door open for Haruki to trudge through and then entered the complex. It looked like another random office building.

.

The hunt for a comfortable room was long and tedious. Most were only equipped with desks and untouched cubicles, with no comfortable couches or chairs for a proper good night's rest in sight.

Exhaustion was quickly starting to creep into Butcher mask's body, and by the way Haruki practically dragged himself from door to door, it seemed like the hyperactive kid was feeling the same way.

At some point, Butcher mask opted to just pick a room, drape a window curtain over the kid and call it a night. He was too tired to do anything else, and it wouldn't be the first time they would have to sleep somewhere uncomfortable.

Butcher mask was already going through the motions of hunting down the nearest window when he heard a pair of footsteps approaching.

On instinct, his hand landed on the handle of his knife. It was a habit forged by the dangers of this realm, and one he wouldn't easily do away with, especially now that he had the kid with him. He used his other hand to quickly tug Haruki behind him, preparing for any attack from the intruders rounding the hallway's corner.

When he finally saw who exactly it was coming their direction, his stance lowered and he couldn't help but stare a little sheepishly.

A blue-haired girl and imposing, fedora-wearing man turned the corner, looking just as exhausted as Butcher mask felt. The hand he kept on his knife's hilt now hung awkwardly by his side as he gave the pair a wary once-over.

When Kuon had closed the space between them to a comfortable speaking distance, she spoke.

"Oh, Mr. Butcher Mask," Kuon blinked. She stood a little aways in front of the pair, exhausted but polite as always. Sniper mask kept his distance though.

After some coercion (and debriefing over Haruki's mask situation) he finally allowed himself to wordlessly inch closer. It was obvious by Sniper mask's rigged posture that he didn't want to risk accidentally taking the kid out, and Butcher mask felt a flicker of affection well up in his chest from just how considerate the other, much more terrifying man was. (Can you tell I've been on character ai? Please end me, this is a cry for help)

Once that was sorted, Butcher mask waved his hand at the two in a silent greeting while Haruki peered shyly from behind him.

"Oh! Who's this?" Kuon asked when her eyes landed on Haruki. She offered him a kind smile that seemed to immediately put the boy at ease.

"Haruki..." The boy replied, slowly coming out from behind Butcher mask to greet Kuon. He stuck his hand out with hesitant politeness, to which Kuon returned. It was a sweet moment; Kuon seemed to be a natural with kids.

The bubbly conversation between Kuon and Haruki picked up from there, and it was endearing to see the kid open up to someone other than Butcher mask.

While the Kuon and Haruki continued their little chat, Butcher mask couldn't help but steal a glance Sniper mask.

The man had always intrigued him, even if he was a little...intimidating. There was just something about him that made Butcher mask curious, even if they didn't know each other too well. Obviously, they had ran into each other before, but he couldn't help feeling like he had met him somewhere else, a very long time ago...

He was a bit scary, Butcher mask thought, he didn't seem too bad.

In the middle of his internal monologuing, Sniper mask's head snapped around to return Butcher mask's stare. The taller man fumbled a little, suddenly finding that the floor was a lot easier to stare at than the rifleman's piercing gaze.

Definitely still intimidating.

It was so strange - one moment Butcher mask felt carefree and at ease around the man enough to occasionally exchange a joking comment or two whenever they crossed paths, but then most other times, Butcher mask was a nervous mess. It almost felt like there were two parts of Butcher mask's mindthaa were always at odds with each other, and he didn't know what to make of it.

Sniper mask simply clicked his tongue, but unlike Butcher mask, he didn't look away when their eyes met.

...

Why wasn't he looking away?

That was another thing that Butcher mask hated; the man just had an innate ability to unnerve him to a degree not even the horrors of this world could, and he didn't what to make of it. There was obviously he could say, either, so Butcher mask stayed perfectly still, as if willing floor to swallow him whole. It was only until Kuon threw the conversation back at him that he straightened up.

"You two are looking for a place to stay as well, Mr. Butcher mask?" She asked curiously. By the sounds of it, it seemed like Haruki told her of their predicament while the two masked men were having their stare down.

Butcher mask nodded, glad to have somewhere else to look that wasn't Sniper mask's soulless, cutout eyes.

"We were looking for somewhere to stay as well. Actually, we were heading to a small lounge room where we usually rest," Kuon added before pausing to give Butcher mask a contemplative look-over.

"You guys can stay the night there too, if you'd like. We don't mind, right, Mr. Mask?" Kuon's gaze turned to Sniper mask. He reluctantly tore his eyes away and shrugged.

"I guess," the rifleman replied bluntly.

That seemed to be all the confirmation Kuon needed because without a moment's notice, she motioned for the exhausted pair to follow her, Sniper mask trailing just behind.

-

The walk to this aforementioned lounge room wasn't the longest, but to Butcher mask's tired bones, it felt like it took an eternity just to reach the room's nondescript doors.

Little words were exchanged after they arrived to the room. Everyone seemed too exhausted to say anything now that the formalities had been shoved out of the way, leaving behind only fatigued silence as everyone prepared for the night.

Settling down was a little awkward to Butcher mask, especially since he wasn't really used to being around others besides Haruki and occasionally, the Doctor. After he had successfully tucked the kid into one of the lounge's few couches, he leaned against one of the dim room's corners. It was habit at that point; countless nights wandering the desolate buildings of this place had made things like beds a scarce luxury, and Butcher mask had long since gotten accustomed to holing up in random corners for a night of rest. His back always had something to say about it in the mornings, but there was nothing else he could do.

He let one last, silent sigh before he slowly slunk to the ground.

Then, it was quiet.

It only took a few minutes before Kuon and Haruki were fast asleep, though that time seemed to stretch and taunt Butcher mask. Despite the exhaustion in his body, he found it nearly impossible to close his eyes and get the rest his muscles so desperately needed. Maybe it was the fact that this was the first time Butcher mask was sharing a room with . Or maybe it was the fact that Sniper mask was only a few steps away, hidden somewhere in the inky darkness of the room. The anxiety was uncalled for, and Butcher mask knew it, but he just couldn't shut his brain off.

The silence was punctuated only by the group's collective breaths, but for the most part, it was still. Mostly, anyway. The occasional, faint rustle of clothes from the opposite end of the tiny lounge was the only indication of conscious life; a stark reminder that Sniper mask was awake, and seemingly just as restless as Butcher mask felt in that moment.

...

This was getting ridiculous. Butcher mask hardly knew the guy. They hardly ever spoke, anyways, too. Why was he so freaked out over someone he had hardly had a proper conversation with?

With a more resolute sigh, Butcher mask forced his eye closed and willed sleep to come take him, but not before quiet, light footsteps approached him.

"Hey," the man started. Every muscle in Butcher mask's body tensed like a twisted coil.

Butcher mask straightened himself up as soon as he spoke, turning his head up slightly to stare up at the man's figure. He was almost looming and Butcher mask could only make out the faint, white outline of the man's mask staring back down at him. That didn't calm his nerves much.

"I'm going for a smoke. Wanna join?"

There was a beat of silence that followed after the rifleman's offer. Obviously Butcher mask couldn't verbally reply, but he was still...tense. Awkward. A long period seemed to stretch between his words and Butcher mask's acknowledgment of them, before the realization struck him. Butcher mask was supposed to reply. It was his turn to reply to the request—that was how conversations worked.

...

Maybe he was overthinking it.

Maybe Butcher mask was the weird one for taking something as simple as a casual night walk as acquaintances too...well, anxiety inducing. It wasn't like Sniper mask was going to attack him, or hurt him or...Well, Butcher mask didn't know the guy well enough to know exactly what he was like, but so far the man had been nothing but mild-mannered, slightly intimidating, and...stiff. Awkward, sometimes, and a little sarcastic, but not evil.

...

What did he have to lose? As nervous as the man made Butcher mask, he wasn't about to downright ignore his offer. Somewhere in his nerve-added mind, the need to please the rifleman sprung up on him, and he couldn't fathom turning him down.

And so, Butcher mask nodded, starting to stand up from the ground.

"Okay," Sniper mask said, either unperturbed by the amount of time it took for Butcher mask reply or incredibly good at finding it behind that white mask.

With that confirmation, Sniper mask walked out of the room without sparing Butcher mask another glance.

Butcher mask sat there stunned for a moment before he quickly scrambled to his feet, making sure to quietly shut the door behind him as he exited.

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Cliff hanger fr. okay, well, I think I'm starting to get my footing again. IDK, I felt a little better about this one? 

Um, no beta reader, I am very sorry. 

Some things might not make sense, but I'm trying for you guys. Hopefully this isn't too garbage, but I think after this chapter, we will finally have our two lil guys talk to one another properly (yay!) It only took two years hahahaahahahahahahahahha

Also, I feel like we need more CV interactions? Bro has kinda been on the back burner. I miss him a bit tbh... We shall see next update

Anyways, Goodnight!! :D