TW: TORTURE

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Paper rushed through the forest following the trail of feathers, thank god for Balloon shedding his feathers so often. Even though Soap hated him for it. Paper continued through the forest and stopped in his tracks at a small clearing. It almost looked like a wolf had eaten a bird due to the amount of feathers that littered the area.

"Wh-what happened here...?!" Paper muttered as he examined the area. It seemed like something happened. Where did Balloon go?! What happened to him?!

"Hmm... Seems like you might need some help."

Paper flinched and turned to the voice behind him. "NOW IS NOT THE TIME!!!" Paper growled.

Looseleaf rolled his eyes. "You do realize your powers can help here, right?" Looseleaf raised an eyebrow.

"What? Really—?! How?!" Paper shouted with desperation.

"I don't know if I wanna help you! You're beings sooo rude to me..." Looseleaf sneered with a fake dramatic look on his ghostly face.

"PLEASE Looseleaf...!" Paper cried, tears prickled his eyes as he gripped the sides of his arms.

Looseleaf studied Paper's desperate face and saw how upset Paper truly was. He sighed with pity. "Give me control. I can—"

"LOOSELEAF PLEASE!!! CAN YOU NOT TRY TO GET CONTROL OF MY BODY EVERY WAKING SECOND?!" Paper screamed with anger and worry.

Looseleaf's eyes narrowed with anger. "LISTEN PAPER. I don't want to control the body for bad! Okay?! You want help, you'll have to trust me." Looseleaf hissed, his eyes sparking a bright red.

"you're using me again!" Paper snapped.

"I'm NOT. Just, switch places with me for a moment. You can watch the whole time." Looseleaf held out his hand.

Paper stared into his red glowing eyes for a few moments before he took a deep sigh. "I really hope you're telling the truth..." Paper mumbled as he reached his hand out and took Looseleaf's hand.

The two switched places. Paper's soul transferred into spiritual a form outside of his body, while Looseleaf took control of the body, his now physical eyes glowed an ominous red.

"Back up." Looseleaf commanded, shooing Paper away.

Paper floated away from the clearing and stood at the edge. For some reason, the energy coming from the body was much greater when Looseleaf was in control.

Looseleaf rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes. He focused the power into a single point, he opened the gap between his hands and spread them out. Releasing the power into several magic circles.

Paper gasped as feathers and leaves blew around the clearing and the the symbols and markings flared inside the circles of concentrated magic.

Looseleaf tried his best to focus...

And suddenly...

Everything other than Looseleaf and Paper froze.

There was a bright light, followed by a thick mist. It shrouded the clearing and swirled around.

"WH-WHATS GOING ON?!" Paper squealed his voice filled with fear to the phenomenon occurring in front of them.

"IM MAKING A VISUAL REPRESENTATION THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST..." Looseleaf shouted back.

Everything swirled around and when the mist cleared glowing wispy like figures of branches and leaves started to move backwards. Looseleaf didn't seem to be breaking a sweat doing this. He focused harder and everything sped up in its travel to the past. Eventually he spotted Balloon... and Fan? The Mia around the clearing focused and froze, and Looseleave stopped and let this portion of events play out. Paper watched closely as well.

Balloon blasted the creature with ice again. Finishing it off.

He dusted his hands off and smiled triumphantly.

He then looked over to the clearing, the perfect place to take off and head back. He began walking and eventually made his way over.

He jumped to take off, but found his foot was stuck.

He looked down.

He saw the inky substance from before, on his foot.

It was keeping it firmly in place. He flapped his wings to get away from it. What was this?! Why was he trapped?! He could hear rustling from the bushes.

"Wh—who's there?!" Balloon cried out as he tried to pull his foot free.

Fan emerged from the bushes with a grin. Both of his hands crackled and spark with a bright and ominous glow. His eyes had a menacing and condescending look to them.

Balloon was scared. He couldn't escape. He opened his mouth to yell. "S-SOMEO—!"

Fan raised his hand and more of the inky substance shot from his arm and it quickly engulfed the other boy's mouth.

Balloon was immediately silenced. He could barely breathe, and tried to struggle. The goop like mass began to spread around his body as Fan used his new power to trap the salmon balloon.

The dark mass was constricting him slowly. He felt it tighten around him, his wings were slowly enveloped and forced to fold in.

Fan gave a cruel chuckle. "I got some help from my new 'business partner'. Something I can tell you is that you fate isn't looking too good..." he said condescendingly. His fist roughly clenched which cause the substance to harshly condense around him.

Balloon made a muffled yell of pain, his eyes widened as he began to feel extremely weak. This time... There was nobody to help him. He tried to struggle, but he couldn't move. Not a bit. Tears formed in his eyes.

Fan grinned and lifted the mass of darkness with his powers. "Let's go now, shall we?" He then closed it around the rest of the younger boy's face. Leaving him completely helpless.

Fan teleported.

Paper's eyes were wide. Rage completely clouded his mind as his ghostly fists clenched with rage.

Looseleaf felt his eyes burn a bright red, it almost hurt. He quite literally could see red. "Paper! Calm down will you?! We now know our target... Save the anger for boom-boom boy..." He growled.

"Oh... I'm gonna find him alright... and whoever this 'Business partner' is..." Paper seethed.

Looseleaf swiped his hand which made the scene before them wisp away to the present. He then turned to Paper and began walking.

Paper looked to Looseleaf. "Wh-?! HEY!!!" He growled. "GIVE MY BODY BACK." He snarled.

"Trust me. You're not gonna want it back yet. Just keep being angry Wont you?" Looseleaf brushed Paper aside.

Paper was furious but hers a woosh sound. A familiar one too... "was that... That sounded like—?"

"Fan teleporting? I know." Looseleaf gave a smug grin. He then ducked behind a tree and peaked out. Paper floated over behind him and saw Fan near the edge of the forest.

Fan seemed to be eyeing the hotel.

"GET HIM. KILL— or— maybe don't kill him... But get him." Paper hissed in a commanding tone.

Looseleaf nodded, his hands flowed a red colour. "With pleasure." He grinned evilly.

Fan looked at the hotel from the clearing. "Alright... Time to see what they're all up to—" Fan barely had time to react before Looseleaf attacked and restrained Fan.

"Actually... I think it's time for you to come with us." Looseleaf sneered.

Fan struggled and tried to summon the black goo. His hands behind his back where being held tightly by Looseleaf.

Looseleaf clenched his fist harshly. A crunch was heard and Fan screamed out. Looseleaf took this chance to raise his free fist and punch fan in the side of the head. He was knocked out instantly. Along with a gaining a bleeding head.

Paper cheered, before calming down and clearing his voice. "I mean uh... Oh no... you hurt him." Paper frowned.

Looseleaf grinned and shook his head. "Yeah sure you feel bad..." Loose leave Cavan to drag Fan towards the hotel. "You can have your body back. Looseleaf held out a hand.

Paper's face brightened up, and he nodded. He took Looseleaf's hand and switched back. Paper immediately felt fatigued. But his rage kept him going. He banged on the hotel door.

OJ looked through it and his eyes widened. "PAPER— YOU—?!"

"Just TAKE him..." Paper growled. "And fetch Test Tube Nickel!"

Nickel hopped up from behind OJ and nodded and ran to get her. OJ grabbed Fan, and threw him in the middle of the lobby.

Test Tube ran back in with Nickel and the cuffs. She clipped them over Fan's Broken wrists. "How did you break his wrists? With your powers?" Test Tube asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You could say that..." Paper muttered.

"How'd you even catch him?!" Nickel asked in astonishment.

"I was very angry... and— I snuck up on him." Paper mumbled. It was technically the truth.

"My husband? Angry? That never happens anymore hahah! Why we're you so mad?" OJ asked jokingly.

"He... He took Balloon..." Paper answered.

The room fell completely silent.

Nickel's face shifted to horror. And then anger. Even angrier than Paper. "He. What." Nickel hissed in a deadpan tone.

"He took him—!"

"WHERE?!" Nickel growled. This time his voice overflowing with rage.

"I don't know... That's why I didn't kill him..." Paper muttered in response.

Nickel gave a butter chuckle, followed by a laugh that was disturbing to say the least. "Oh, oh he IS going to die if he doesn't talk!" He said with a twitching eyes and forced, seemingly crazed smile.

Fan began to stir.

Nickel used his claw to clutch Fan. Not caring about his well-being, and started to walk off.

"Nickel—?! Where are you going?!" OJ tried to run after him.

"The closet. The one he was in before." Nickel said once again in a crazed and angry tone.

"He's dead." Paper muttered.

"Test Tube? You gonna stop him?" OJ asked, turning his head to face the glass vial.

"Usually.... I'd be against this... But, he deserves it... Someone's life is at stake... And... I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to. I'd literally die instantly." Test Tube explained with a concerned face, she then placed her hands on her hips.

"Makes sense... I wouldn't stop Nickel either. Even if I could. And I HATE Balloon." OJ crossed his arms with a bored look.

"Don't say that!" Paper shouted angrily. "That's mean! AND I don't think you should piss of Nickel while he's like this.

"True..." OJ mumbled and backed up towards the two.

———

Twenty minutes later.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!" Nickel seethed with unbridled rage. His eyes were burning a bright purple and the room felt uneasy with the amount of power radiating from his body.

Nickel was looking down on Fan's now broken body. He had surprising durability, and a will to keep silent. His red paper was crumpled and ripped in various places. It most of it would be stained a red colour if it wasn't already the colour of his blood. Fan's limbs were either twisted the wrong way or bent horribly. They were discoloured and purple, and beaten up. His eyes were purple and bruised. And his mouth was bleeding along with him missing a tooth or two.

"G—GE-T AWA-Y F-F-FROM ME!" Fan shouted through his nearly unbearable pain.

Nickel yelled in anger and stepped on Fan's yellow wood that had been stained red. He applied pressure as it's splintered and leaked blood.

Fan screamed which inevitably made a sickening gargling sound from the blood that blocked his throat. He coughed it up and cried.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS BALLOON?! TELL ME RIGHT NOW YOU SICK BASTARD." Nickel screamed.

"N—COUGH—NO!" Fan yelled in tears and agony.

"Fine! Fine then! You know what?! NO MORE PLAYING NICE!" Nickel chuckled in a psychotic tone.

Two purple claws gripped where Fan's wood connected, and he began to twist and bend his entire body the wrong way.

Fan screamed in complete agony. His wood began to snap, and blood began to trickle and flow down. His throat rapidly filled with blood, and he coughed violently through his gargles and screams of agony.

Nickel had no remorse in his eyes. Hew would save the one person who truly cared.

He had to.

Fan gasped for air through the blood in his throat. "WH—COUGH—WA-I-T!!! WAI-WAI-T! PL-PLEASE!!!" Fan screamed in pain tears flowed down his face, and black shadow poured out of the red eye.

"What. You better be useful. Or you'll be at the bottom of the sea near the docks in fifteen bloody pieces..." Nickel growled.

"CO—B-S!!! C-COB—COUGH—-COUGH—COBS!!! H-HE T—OO-K H-HIM!" Fan screamed, begging for mercy.

Nickel looked into his eyes full of desperation. "If you're lying... I'll kill you... Find your soul, and kill you again."

"O-OKA-Y! OKA-Y! PLE-PLEASE STO-P!" He begged.

Nickel left. He thought it was time to give the hot air balloons a visit.

And...

He wasn't going to ask permission.

———