It was all over the news, the story of the missing girl who had disappeared in the construction site of her friend's house. News reports and articles made speculation that her friend had planned her death, had killed her, but the fake news was debunked by the fact that she hadn't been there.

It haunted you, knowing that your friend was going through a lot of strife over you going missing, and you wished you could help; you wished you could hug her and tell her it was alright, that you were okay. She had been interviewed multiple times on the news about your disappearance, she was always teary-eyed, she blamed herself for sending you into that mess of construction. She knew it was dangerous, but she didn't think it would result in this.

You were watching this fold out on a small, 1980s television. Your eyes were glued to the screen, there was nothing else to do since you had been brought here, you were glad your captor even allowed you to watch TV. He was a strange jester, some sort of supernatural creature that took a liking to you, and thus took you from your world, from your own life.

Since he had kidnapped you, you had fallen into a sort of depression. There was nothing to do besides watch TV, and it all had the same stuff on it. Old television shows, new news stories, old movies. There was nothing really of interest to you besides your own story. You were enthralled by it, by listening to what people claimed, the conspiracies they came up with. But you were also worried about the people that had been in your life.

Your friend was heartbroken at your disappearance, and they hadn't really spoken to your parents, only showing them to be a crying mess. A lot of news stations talked of whether you were dead or not, but since there was no body, they couldn't figure it out. Everyone that knew you, claimed you would never just up and leave, and there was no evidence of anything bad. They found scuff marks near the edge of the ditch where the pool was meant to go, and there were marks at the bottom of that hole where a body had landed, but then there was nothing.

It had left the whole nation confused; it had left the whole internet confused. There were different forums and websites trying to decipher what happened; there were fake donations being made to help find you, and real ones too. It was so satisfying to watch. But... As much as the whole world were talking about you, you felt so alone.

No one knew where you were, no one could contact you. You just wanted to – wished you could contact someone, anyone, to tell them where you were, that you were okay. But you didn't even know where you were. And it wasn't like anyone would believe you anyway. Imagine calling someone and telling them a giant blue jester kidnapped you because you took his purple balloon that you thought were keys. Yeah, not crazy at all.

The captor, who had told you his name was Candypop, was a rather positive fellow; he did his best to make sure you were comfortable, if you were hungry he brought you food, if you were thirsty he brought you water. But he never asked if you were happy. You weren't sure what he'd do if you told him you weren't. Would he even let you go if he knew that? Surely not, he had kidnapped you for a reason.

He may look after you because he claims he 'cares' for you, but you hated it. You just wished you could go home, wished none of this had happened. If he really cared like he said – something you didn't believe – then surely, he wouldn't torture you like this. Surely he'd want you to be happy.

Speaking of her captor, Candypop bounced into the room, using a mallet splattered with blood. He gave a giggle as he spotted you, coming to a stop and placing the mallet on the ground. Standing on it and leaning on the handle, the tall man closed a purple eye and gave you a smirk,

"Oh (Y/N), the entire world is talking about you! Did you see? They all love you now!" He giggled, "They love you so much they've been ignoring my murders. It's rather unfortunate actually."

"Mhm..." You grumbled, reaching up to the old television and changing the channel. The jester tilted his head in his hands, humming in question.

"What's wrong my dear?" He asked, hopping off the mallet which disappeared moments later. He lurched over you, staring down into the back of your head, "Is something the matter?"

"You tell me." You huffed, leaning on your hands to watch the TV, "You're the one that runs the place."

"My dear, if something is bothering you, I want you to tell me." He sat on top of the television, kicking his lanky legs in front of you, "I wish you to be comfortable here! I wouldn't be satisfied if I knew you weren't."

"Forget it Joker..." You huffed, trying to see the screen, "It doesn't matter anyway... You won't do anything about it."

"I beg to differ." The jester frowned, "And I told you, it's Candypop, not Joker."

"Well that's who you act like sometimes."

"I highly doubt that." He tapped his chin, staring up at the ceiling, "Isn't he somewhat abusive? I don't recall ever laying a finger on you with the intention of harm."

With a sigh, you sat up and turned away from him. You just wanted him to leave you alone. You just wanted to be alone. Actually, no, you wanted to be home right now, laying in your bed, or sitting on your couch with a cup of tea/coffee. You just wanted to be back living your normal life.

The jester went silent, watching you with a frown on his face. He tilted his head the other way, the bells in his hair jingled and he bounced over you, squatting in front of you. He leant his head beneath yours to look into your eyes, before offering a black smirk and poking your nose.

"Boop." He let out a giggle, "Please dear, tell me what's wrong. I will do anything to see you smile."

"Why did you kidnap me?" You blurted out, before your (e/c) eyes widened and you lowered your head again.

"Kidnap?" The jester leant back, rocking on his heels. He touched his chin again, humming to himself, "I wouldn't have called it that..."

"Yeah well... That's what you did." You mumbled, moving your hair out of your eyes and once again looking at him, "You say you care about me but... You took me from my own life. I was happy there you know."

"Oh, I know, I enjoyed watching you look after your friend and her children. That party was such a nice thing to do for her!" The jester said, his smile widened and his purple eyes shone, before it clicked and his smile fell, "You're not happy here..?"

"No, I want to go back to my own life, I want to go home..." You said, watching him cautiously, knowing what he does in his spare time. You didn't want to anger him, give him a reason to kill you; even if he had insisted he could never do that to you.

"Oh... I see... You don't like it here...?"

"Honestly?" You shrugged, "It's not terrible, and... You've been awfully kind to me, which I still don't really understand... But yeah, I guess I don't. I miss my house and my friends and family."

"I... I see..." The jester lowered his head, "Well... Oh! I have an idea!"

Candypop jumped to his feet, "If you want to go home, I'll come with you!"

"Candy you don't-"

"No no!" He hushed you, pushing a finger to your mouth, "Please (Y/N) let me explain myself. You asked why I kidnapped you yes?"

You nodded slowly, watching him curiously now.

"Well that's because... Well I was going to kill you of course!" He giggled, "Oh don't look at me like that, I changed my mind clearly! I fell in love with you my dear, and I wanted you to be with me forever! So I brought you here, you won't age or die here, so I can keep you with me for as long as I want!"

He pulled his hand away, before holding his arms out, "Tada!"

"C-Candypop..." You blinked, before offering a small smile, "That's very sweet of you, but I'm not something you keep."

"Yeah, I think I realise that now. I want you to be happy, and you said going home will make you happy." He gave a genuine grin, "But only if I can come along!"

"You know what?" You returned a smaller smile, "Sure, why not. Let's see how it goes..."

"Excellent!" The jester gave a small dance, "Gee, why have I never thought about that?"

"Because usually you murder people...?"

"That's probably it." He giggled, before giving you a peck on the nose. You blinked again, before also giggling in return, "Let's go home!"