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—𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓣𝓗𝓡𝓔𝓔, 𝓐 𝓝𝓔𝓦 𝓦𝓞𝓡𝓛𝓓—

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// TW \\

TOPICS OF: HUMAN (Object) TRAFFICKING/IMPLIED SA, AND GRIEF.

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There wasn't even a moment to react, the fresh air now rushing against them as gravity tugged down hard and rapidly at an unpredictable pace. The two hands of father and son still holding on to each other strong. But something was wrong. Pain... like before. When they first collected those mythical objects and abilities that came with them. Energy that rapidly rushed into the body and changed them from the inside out.

Paper felt resonating burn within him. He let out a pained cry as his body healed its various injuries healed. It felt like he was going to be burnt alive. He felt a ticking in his chest... like a clock, and his body felt strange and heavier... as the two of them began to fall faster. His hands and legs creak as gravity dragged him down faster and faster. Though the ground was quite the ways away.

The pain soon subsided and he looked down at his body. He felt strange— not right. New. His joints nearly stiff and blood seeped into the— creases in his arms?! He yelped in surprise, still panicking about falling. But to his surprise he couldn't hear his own voice from the noise of the air rushing past him and— shrieking.

He looked up to see Balloon's eyes glowing, and spots on his skin sizzling into them scaring the tissue. Smaller wings bellow and above the larger ones, that were about the original size of his wings before they had grown, they began to push against his rubber skin from beneath and break through painfully, the tips of the feathers now gilded as blood poured from his eyes, back, and skin. Blood splattered and spilled from his lips as he gurgled it up from his throat due to his shrieking. His existing wings stretching and finally grew out to their massive, but full size. Paper pulled him in with panicked breathing. Balloon looked like an angel. It took Paper a moment to realize they were still falling.

The trees of various colours that rested beneath was rapidly approaching. He curled up around Balloon the ground of the new world was seconds bellow.

They hit the ground with a loud crack and thud. Luckily the branches of the trees above briefly slowed their fall. Paper groaned and lifted his head tearfully, and looked about for Balloon who seems to have passed out. Paper groaned as his body began to quickly regenerate, as in contrast to when Cobs attacked him, he grimaced at the thought of his death. but shook his head and approached Balloon.

He lifted the boy from the ground, his form now heavier due to the wings that had emerged from his back during their descent. Balloon whined in his unconscious state and shifted in Paper's arms slightly. Paper sighed shakily, and checked him over, wiping the blood from his face and pulling him close as he lifted his gaze to check his surroundings.

"O-OJ...?!" Paper called into the endless forest. He glanced at the tall brightly coloured trees. Pale greens above, and the ground below littered with colourful plants, fungi, and other vegetation that Paper had never seen before. He looked around in awe, carrying Balloon as he walked deeper into the forest. He saw little critters that seemed nothing remotely close to what they had back on inanimate island.

Leaves crinkled beneath his now... metal? No— more like copper? Or bronze limbs? It was strange. Is this how Mephone4 felt? He sighed shaking his head, pushing through the soreness. He continued to call and shout. But he got no answer. He was beginning to get concerned. Looseleaf was nowhere to be found either... and he didn't think leaving to the mindscape and attempting to find him in this unfamiliar place was a good idea.

Paper continued on through the thicket, exhaustion from the past few days seeping into his new form as his legs slowly threatened to give in. Pain from the fall and whatever had changed within him was beginning to shine through the adrenaline mask that once rested upon it.

Paper groaned as he trudged further... giving out one last strained call, but getting no answer. He sighed with a slight shake in his breath from his wavering consciousness. He finally collapsed in a clearing, and tried to clear the area of dead leaves to make room for the grass.  As much as he wanted to be astounded by the colourful vegetation and thick tree cover, he was too exhausted.

Paper rested Balloon down against a tree, it's base covered in a thick blanket of moss. Paper leaned against the tree and groaned silently. Watching the fleeting sunlight overhead.

Where were they? Why were they here again? They just... Followed Fan... Perhaps it took them to another world? It would make sense since there's no way any of this could exist on earth, let alone Objectica. Paper sighed and tried to gather up dry wood and leaves for a fire, as daylight was scarce, and he'd rather not freeze...

He created the set up for a camp fire, and placed a large stick down vertically against another large stick. Paper than rubbed his hands together swiftly with the stick in between, causing the stick to spin and create friction. The friction made the stick below smoke, and heat up. Paper then placed a few dry leaves over the heated kindling and blew on it until it sparked to life with a, 'fwoosh!'.

Paper than leaned back against the tree that Balloon was unconsciously resting against. He pulled him close, using his creaky hand to stroke his head comfortingly as he laid asleep against him. Paper tried his best to stay awake, but the combined comforting heat of the fire, and silence of the forest caused him to fall asleep.

Paper's light sleep was cut short by the trembling and quiet groaning of the boy in his arms as he awoke. Paper flinched awake with a small gasp and looked down. Balloon's wings twitched which caused Balloon to wince. The fire was going out gradually, so the light that was emitted from the flames were dim. The night sky was filled with bright stars, and beautiful colours.

Balloon winced and lifted his head. Trembling from the pain, though it wasn't the worst pain he ever felt, it still hurt quite a bit.

"Hey... hey...! Don't try to move— you'll hurt yourself..." Paper whispered, propping him up slightly against his shoulder with a worried expression.

Balloon took a shaky inhale, and shakily reached to touch his face, felt burnt— scolded. He flinched, and paper grabbed his hand, and took it away from his face. "What happened...? Wh... where are we...?" Balloon muttered in a small voice.

"We went through the gateway I think... And fell out of the sky...?" Paper responded, and glanced at the surroundings, darkened by the nature of night.

Balloon looked around, a bit disoriented. "Ohhh...Everything aches..." he whined, trying to shift into a more comfortable position.

"Its okay..." Paper hushed, he then turned his gaze up to the stars above. Worriedly thinking about... everything. His sore body... The lack of a home... But he couldn't panic. He couldn't... he just— how... how would they get back? How would they get back to the hotel...?! It's— it's all a lie...! It's ALL A LIE! NOTHING IS OKAY!

ITS NOT OKAY!

Balloon felt Paper's breathing speed  up. And he worriedly looked up at him, seeing his clear panic through the darkness of dusk. He nuzzled Paper and wrapped his arms around him, this caused Paper to snap out of his spiralling thoughts. Paper sighed and wrapped his arms around Balloon and smiled.

"Sorry... I'm just... Worried I guess..." Paper muttered. "E-everyone is gone... and I just— I never do well on my own..." He whined with a trembling bottom lip.

Balloon nodded silently before speaking up. "I don't either... I... I was always so scared outside the hotel. When you all wouldn't let me in." Balloon whispered solemnly.

"I'm sorry... I tried to convince OJ, but he just— He said it would be better if you stayed out. I... I shouldn't have listened to him." Paper huffed in response.

"Mm..." Balloon frowned, but was forced to make a sound to acknowledge Paper's words. "I would've gone to the city— b-but I— I just... I guess I was too scared...?"

"Scared of what?" Paper raised a worried brow, but quickly spoke up again, "if you don't mind me asking of course."

"It's just... Im female passing? To some people y'know? A-and um... That didn't really... Work out well on the streets for me before." Balloon held onto Paper a bit tighter.

Paper narrowed his eyes as he thought back to Balloon's clear disgust by what happened in the mansion yesterday. He grimaced and blinked back to reality with horror in his eyes. "What happened...?" He asked nervously.

Balloon was very uncomfortable with the topic, but he just couldn't keep this to himself anymore. "I was— just... Walking down the street, I was maybe six at the time? And some guy came up to me and lead me off to his car... He forced me inside and drove off to this weird house in the middle of nowhere...? Most of it after for a while was a blur... I think I may have been drugged? But when I finally came to I was in this... weird place... Full of a bunch of girls—all of them having unique features. Like—...like my green eyes... and stuff? It was... Terrifying. We were forced around to go places— sometimes in groups, others not... You can guess why we all were there... It was like hell on earth...! I—I don't do well with strangers..." his voice was still slurred and soft from his tired demeanour.

Paper's face was paler than the pale it was before. "Oh my god..." Paper said in shock, sitting up and holding balloon more firmly with worried eyes laced with his obvious horror.

Balloon tried to keep himself from crying, "I wanted to just— have SOMEONE... But I messed it all up back in the competition because I was SCARED! I wanted to win— I was playing a tough character so-s-so I wouldn't be USED! And HURT! AND I COULD JUST... LIVE MY NORMAL LIFE!" Balloon shook, tears embedded in the corners of his eyes as he tried to fight back his cries. "But now it's all ruined! All of it..."

Paper didn't know what to say. He wanted so badly to comfort him. To tell him it would be okay, but that was a lie. It wasn't okay. He went through something horrible and disgusting. And now would be forced into situations that would potentially dig up those memories, and shove them into his face. Paper just hugged him. "I'm so sorry... I'm so so sorry..." He whispered. Trying to keep his own tears within his eyes.

Balloon whined and hugged back. "I hate everything! I never asked for a-any of it! And now he's after me— he's gonna...he— he could come here! And get me and he will— he—!" Balloon rambled not ending his stuttering mess.

Paper hushed him, and wiped his tears before they could fall. "Shhh... I know... I'm gonna keep you safe as best I can okay? He's not here now... y-you're safe! There's no walls... no monsters... and you don't even have to acknowledge the wings, okay? Just relax.....just.....Relax...." Paper placed his hand back on the boy's head and stroked it comfortingly, lying back and allowing him to rest. He was trying to ignore his own horror and shaking.

Balloon took a deep shaky inhale and curled up using his wings as a blanket. He leaned into Paper's comforting embrace. "I'm sorry..." he whined in a whisper.

"You have nothing to be sorry for... it's okay..." Paper soothed in response, allowing Balloon to doze off. He looked at the tears that were the last to flow out of his eyes as he breathed softly in his slumber. Paper smiled softly, and continued to pet the teen's head.

Balloon slept soundly in the arms of who he thought to be a father figure of his. The last glow of the fire comfortingly guiding him to a land of dreams instead of the twisted reality they were currently facing. A nice place to get away from the world.

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The forest was dense... denser than what he could remember any forest he ever witnessed. His limbs... tangled in some sort of thick vine. His situation caused by his decent from the sky moments prior. His body ached as he struggled to grasp reality. They struggled in the vines and tugged at them with all the strength that was in him. Eventually his body felt like its normal state as if phased through the vines but that soon ended as he hit the ground with a thud.

Looseleaf groaned... pealing his head away from the ground beneath him.

He stood up and stumbled clumsily towards a tree and leaned on it for support as he grasped at his own body... wait...

Body? Looseleaf had to double take as he looked down at himself. He was a living— breathing being. Looseleaf didn't honestly know what to think and whipped his head around frantically searching for his host prior to their separation. "Paper?!" He seethed in what seemed to be an annoyed voice. It was less upset with Paper and more with the fact he was... Kind of scared. "PAPER?!" He called again in a more frantic angry voice.

He got no answer.

He stumbled away from the tree, his body not behaving as it was supposed to as he walked strangely through the forest. The way he walked was strange— it gave an uncanny feeling...

"PAPER?! PAPER!!! COME ON! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" He screamed, stumbling forward, where the hell was he? He didn't know where to go... DAMN IT! He always knew! It was his THING!!! He growled and continued forward, and ran straight into a tree.

Looseleaf bounced off of it and hit the ground, "AGH!" He yelled in both frustration and pain as he angrily rubbed his forehead. Man... Having a physical body sucked sometimes. His limbs were stiff... god it was difficult to move and— it was so damn cold...

He got up with a groan and continued, feeling his new body around with his hand. Who... whose was this? It felt strange— and... He was having difficulty using it. There's no way this was his own... Surely?

Looseleaf continued on through the forest the darkness beginning to creep in from the lack of light of the sky above. He grumbled as he continued through the forest, shouting Paper's name.

"PAPER?!" He screamed once again, straining his voice in return for volume. God he forgot how much he hated pain. The pain of his body and stiffness creeping in further. He scoffed and stumbled over to a rock, he sat against it and groaned. God he hated this... Being alone? As much as he'd hate to admit it— it gave him anxiety.

Looseleaf rested, already exhausted from having to push through the pain and thick unnatural vegetation of this strange forest.

He grumbled and closed his eyes for a moment, and only a moment, that is... until he heard a low growl come from through the trees. His eyes shot open and he sat up straight, his eyes narrowed as they pinpoint the source of the sound.

They finally landed on a beast. Through the trees as it emerged. It was a massive beast with horns and three tails. It looked like a massive raccoon in a sense of the patterns on its face— but upon closer inspection it also appears bear-like. He flinched, the growl now closer making Looseleaf's entire body does him with adrenaline as he stared into the black beady eyes of the animal before him. It was like one he'd never seen.

He stood up slowly, and put his hands in front of him cautiously. "U-uh... holy fuck..." he muttered nervously. Unsure how to really react.

What the fuck was he supposed to do...?!

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