Third Person Perspective

~ • ~

"What's going on Slender?" Splendor asked, knowing it was important since he came at an early time.

"Zalgo." Slender stated, but he didn't need to say anything else. A knowing frown formed on Splendor's lips.

"He'll be after her. Won't he?" Splendor asked, only to receive a nod. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll have to remake a perimeter to protect her. She can't sneak out again and she can't be left alone for too long." Slender said, tilting his head, silently addressing that they should head back to (Y/n). Splendor nodded and they walked back.

"(Y/n), we need to talk to you." Splendor called. She quickly popped her head around the corner and went up to them.

"Yessum?" She hums, holding an innocent smile on her lips.

"We have a few new rules for the next few days. Then everything will calm back down alright?" Splendor said, trying to sound as gentle as possible. (Y/n) gave a small, nervous frown and nodded.

"Number one. No running off alone. You cannot just go for a walk alone, someone must be with you at all times. Number two. Don't be away from anyone for too long. Number three. Be careful." Slender stated the rules.

"So what's going on?" (Y/n) asked. Slender and Splendor looked at each other. Splendor then turned back to (Y/n).

"It's better if you didn't know." Splendor said, (Y/n) sighed, but just nodded. She clearly didn't want to argue or anything.

"My mother told me I was going to get hurt soon." She said, her voice a void of any emotion. "Not the greatest welcome back message, but at least she told me."

"Your mother contacted you? How?" Slender asked, (Y/n) had said before that her mother was taken away.

"In my mind palace I can travel to her mind and see through her eyes, I can also hear her and she can hear me. So sometimes she'll contact me to show me her garden or tell me something." (Y/n) replied.

"Did she specify what the pain's source is?" Splendor asked, not fazed by their communication, since he already knew about it.

"No... she just said that I need to cherish the pain."

"Cherish pain?"

"She said it will be important. I think she wants me to grow from it, but I don't even know what's going to hurt me." She said, looking at the ground and furrowing her brows. She shakes her head then looks back up at Splendor and grabs his hands. "I dunno, but you're awake now! I wanna do something and I also built a pillow fort."

Splendor chuckled and looked over to the couch to find probably about 100 pillows in the living space. "I only grabbed the pillows I could reach."

"You probably have all the pillows out here." Splendor replied, intertwining their fingers, as they've done many times before.

"No, I stayed clear of your room. Plus some of these shelves are taller than you guys." (Y/n) huffs.

Slender observed the two... they seemed awfully close. Even closer than he had observed before. Perhaps they were crushing on each other, or this was just another side to Splendor he's never seen. He had to admit though, (Y/n) was becoming more likable.

"Well obviously the building is manufactured to our height silly!" Splendor laughed, (Y/n) responding once more with a huff. She puffed out her cheeks.

"I know that! I'm just saying I'm not going to risk breaking my butt just to build some pillow fort at 9 o' clock in the morning. Besides, I had enough pillows." She responds with a whine in her voice. She sounded especially childish with Splendor around.

"Breaking your butt?" Splendor chuckled through questioning. (Y/n)'s cheeks flushed red, embarrassed he was teasing her over that.

"It's possible!" She huffed, now just pouting. Splendor then picked her up suddenly which made her squeak.

"I know, but you couldn't think of any different way to phrase it?" He asked, a chuckle still in his voice. Splendor then dropped (Y/n) on the couch.

"I said what I said!" She pouts, then continued to grab a pillow and throw it at him.

"Hey!" Splendor pouted in return. (Y/n) smiled a little, which made him smile as well. Then they just laughed.

"Very funny you two. Splendor, there's a plate for you in the kitchen." Slender said, Splendor nodded and soon went to the kitchen after collecting himself. Slender then went over to (Y/n) and looked at her. She, in return, looked up at him with her innocent (e/c) eyes. "Speaking of breaking something, how are your injuries?"

(Y/n) frowned and her eyes seemed to darken, she looked away from him and thought back to everything. Just the slightest mention of her injuries made all the feelings of being worthless and an object return.

"Bruises are going away, a couple things seem to be scarring, the stitched injuries seem to be fine, and it hurts to lay on my stomach."

"You have to make sure you're washing your injuries everyday; you don't need to be getting an infection. Also, try to avoid doing anything that will make an injury worse." Slender instructed. (Y/n) squinted her eyes at him then looked away.

"You're doing it again." (Y/n) muttered.

"Doing what again?" Slender asked, internally confused.

"Acting like you care about me."

"But I do—"

"For your brother's sake."

The room went silent. Slender bit back his tongue, knowing any sign of anger or aggression could trigger a panic attack. He was slightly upset that she'd continue to assume that, despite him actually trying to get along with her, but he understood why.

Slender knew it right when he met her that she was hurting, but he had expected to kill her. Now he's standing right next to her while she is vulnerable and his brother is in the kitchen. Slender read her mind when he asked about her injuries. Everything she had been trained to think by her abusers went through her mind and he saw how she tensed up. If he really didn't care about her, she'd be dead and possibly digesting in his or one of his brother's. And yet she wasn't. Because he had magically found it in himself to care. Maybe he only did at first when he heard that she could also harness the power Kai could, but then he got to actually know he a little.

"You guys wanna watch a movie?" Splendor asked, seemingly having sensed the tension from the kitchen. (Y/n) popped up from the couch and nodded.

"I'll be around for the next hour or so." Slender replied calmly.

"Great!" Splendor replied. "Uh... (Y/n)? Can we knock down this pillow fort?"

"Yep!" She chimed before giving a single kick and everything falling down. The two paused, registering what she had just done before Splendor burst out laughing while Slender coughed to hide a chuckle. (Y/n) gave a small giggle listening to Splendor.

~ • ~

The second movie had finished and Splendor was asleep once more. (Y/n) had been cuddled up with him, but moved due to being overheated. Slender decided that now would be better than never.

"(Y/n), may I speak to you in the other room?" Slender asked, (Y/n) nodded and walked around the couch and her and Slender went into a further hall. They didn't want to disturb Splendor's rest after all.

"Is something wrong?" (Y/n) asks, that innocence returning to her (e/c) eyes. Slender examined her before answering.

"I just felt obligated to let you know that I do care about you. You have clearly made a stand to be apart of this family and have made my brother happier than I've seen him in a while. I may have only cared before just because of my brother, but our recent encounters has made me find a comfort in your presence. And I am... sorry for coming off as uncaring. I am also sorry for not believing you were abused when you first arrived. I should have never put you back in that situation." Slender apologized.

(Y/n) was surprised to say the least. There were tears gathering in her eyes and a thousand emotions were coming at her. She didn't know what to say or think. She was mainly just surprised he apologized. That honestly seemed impossible. She stammered for a moment before just giving him a hug, it might've been his leg put it meant something to her.

"Thank you..." (Y/n) whispered, her voice holding a small crack. Slender blushed lightly and pat her head, surprised she'd hug him. He had sworn she was terrified of him before. That didn't really matter though. What mattered was that now she could hopefully open up a little more and come to him without being afraid.

The new problem was that there was competition.