A/N:

Let me just start off this chapter by thanking you all for being so patient. I had no intention of delaying the newest chapter for so long but let's just say I had a lot going on lol. Between work and covid and planning my own wedding I haven't gotten a chance to work on my story. But now I'm done working for the season and I'm covid free, so I have a chance to finally get this up and running again haha. Thank you all for your continued support, and enjoy the newest chapter <3

Hoodie marched through the dark and rainy forest, making his way back to his boss' towering mansion. Mud from the forest floor clung to his boots and the bottoms of his pant legs. He approached the tall doors of the mansion and pushed them open, kicking the mud off as he walked in. Not even reacting to the gazes of other mansion dwellers falling on him as he walked upstairs, down the hall, and into his room. Hoodie's room was incredibly plain, the eggshell white walls held no decorations, his queen sized bed had nothing but plain white blankets and a single pillow. He untied the laces and kicked off his muddy boots, sitting on his bed and looking at the digital alarm clock sitting on his end table reading 3:46 AM. He had come back earlier than usual tonight.

He wrung his mask out into the sink of the bathroom attached to his room, and put on a dry set of clothes. Hoodie's monotonous routine would soon come to a close, as he had one final thing to do on his list. He exited his room and walked down the hallway, making his way to his boss' office.

He knocked on the door, waiting for an invitation.

"Come in." The Operator's deep and booming voice came from inside and Hoodie opened the door.

The Operator watched silently as Hoodie entered his office and took a seat in front of him, silently awaiting his prompt to speak.

"And what brings you back so early Brian?" Hoodie had no reaction to being called by his human name.

"Just to report back to you sir, I finished a bit early tonight." The Operator's otherwise blank face would lead you to believe there was no way to tell how he was feeling based on expression, and in most cases that would be true. However those who had been dealing with the entity for a while knew how to read the grooves on his face, and Hoodie could tell he was surprised.

"So you did, I suppose there's nothing left for you to do tonight." Hoodie stood up and nodded, turning around to leave the office until The Operator beckoned him one more time.

"I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have such a loyal subordinate in such a trying time, trust me when I tell you your efforts don't go unnoticed." Hoodie only returned the compliment with a nod, and a burning sensation shot through his body. He walked out of the office and back to his room. He went to the bathroom to take a shower, taking off the clothes on the upper half of his body to look at himself in the mirror. The same black discoloration on your arm sprawled across Hoodie's back, creeping down both of his arms and onto his chest. Hoodie was another who held the mark of the operator, he looked upon it and remembered just why he owed The Operator his very existence, vowing to push on.

He knew exactly the disloyal people The Operator was talking about, maybe it was time for the people in question to get one final shove in the right direction. While Tim was the boss' best killer, Hoodie was always his true right hand man. The best thing to get his former partner back on track was to get rid of his metaphorical tumor. They weren't living together anymore but it was clear as day the emotional connection the two shared was still there.

All he needed to do was drive that wedge further in between you two, and everything could finally go back to normal. He needed to get rid of you.

~~

You laid alone on the floor of Clocky's room, staring up at the ceiling with thoughts racing through your mind a mile a minute. It was almost 4 AM, Clocky and Toby would be back any minute to free you from your relentless boredom. Your mind wandered, replaying the events of the night like you were watching a bad movie. Nothing felt real anymore, days blended together and the slow transition from fall to winter didn't help the dark cloud that constantly seemed to hang over you. All you wanted was Tim's warm embrace, something that seemed so unattainable. You internally kicked yourself for thinking that way, you needed to face the reality of this situation. You and Tim couldn't be together, and you needed to just move on.

Moving on would be better for everyone, and besides, your whole pseudo marriage to Tim wasn't official anyway. You could just forget this ever happened and your new life could begin. You looked down at your hand, seeing the black discolouration spread ever so slightly farther up your arm. You held your hand above your head, twisting it so you could examine it in the light.

Just then there was a knock at the door. You sat up, practically dragging yourself to the door. It had to be either Clocky or Toby, either way you were welcome to the idea of a new face to talk to. You slowly opened the door, surprised to see your ex's former killing partner standing in front of you. You stood there in shock, your (e/c) eyes wide. You clammed up immediately, what could Hoodie possibly want from you?

"I'm glad I found you, I just wanted to see if you were willing to chat." His voice was soft, and you felt yourself relax.

"Depends, what do you wanna talk to me about?" You hesitated, you weren't interested in rehashing your breakup for the sake of mansion gossip. Hoodie gestured down the hallway, silently asking if you would leave your room.

"We should talk about your new work life here, somewhere we're less likely to be interrupted." You thought about it for a moment. The more you thought about it the more it made sense Hoodie would be all business. You shrugged and walked outside the room, closing the door behind you.

"I've got nothing better to do." Hoodie nodded and walked down the hallway, and you followed. He led you downstairs to the kitchen, pouring you a cup of coffee from the pot and sitting in front of you.

"As you probably know, Tim and I used to be work partners." You scowled, and took a sip of your coffee. Hoodie realized the tension he just created, and quickly tried to correct himself. He needed to sweeten this deal.

"That's not what I'm here to talk about though, long story short... I'm down a work partner." You paused, setting down your cup and folding your hands in front of you.

"I know you're new and you don't know me that well, but I'm The Operator's second best killer, and I think it would be in your best interest as an up and coming killer yourself to work with someone who knows the field, knows what they're doing, and has an unblemished record with the boss." He could tell by the expression on your face that you were confused, your (e/c) eyes drilled holes into his face, trying desperately to search him for even a shred of dishonesty.

"Why me? I'm sure there's a dozen other people in this mansion who you'd rather work with than me."

"Because the other killers are sloppy, and The Operator doesn't want another sloppy killer who ends all their nights by almost getting caught." You slowly moved your cup back to your mouth, taking a sip of the addictive poor quality coffee.

"This is our chance to make you into something bigger and better than all of the people you've been training under, wouldn't it be nice to finally be in The Operator's favor? Wouldn't it be nice to be right up there with Tim and I? The mansion as a whole would have a great deal of respect for you." Hoodie knew you wouldn't achieve any of this, all he needed to do was desensitize you to the idea of killing people. If he could cut the emotional cords binding you to the final scraps of your humanity he could break the bond between you and Tim, and then he didn't care whether or not you died or got caught.

The Operator would finally have what he wanted, and Hoodie would be an instrument of his will once again.

You thought about the offer, while your first kill with Toby and Clocky was fun, maybe it was time to tag along with someone who truly knew what they were doing. You reached out your hand and looked at Hoodie with a steadfast gaze.

"You've got yourself a deal my friend." You smiled, but Hoodie's expression stayed blank underneath his mask. The pieces to his plan were falling into place, and he reached out to shake your hand.

"I'll talk to the boss, meet me tomorrow at midnight outside the main doors, I'll teach you everything you need to know." You nodded and finished up the last of your coffee, setting it down on the table and standing up from your chair. Just then Toby and Clocky walked into the kitchen, soaked in blood and water from the rain outside. They ran up to you, both engulfing you in a hug. The three of you laughed as they stained your new clothes with rain water, mud, and blood. You didn't care however, you smiled as your two friends led you upstairs, sharing the details of their night with you. Hoodie walked upstairs and knocked on the Operator's door, once again seating himself in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Have you come here to discuss with me your conversation with miss (y/n)?" Hoodie nodded, knowing full well The Operator already knew the details of his plan.

"I think you're making a move in the right direction, once again you impress me Brian." Hoodie was unmoved by the compliment.

"But what can I expect from an extension of myself? It's only natural you'd succeed in everything you do." Hoodie nodded.

"It's all your will sir, I am once again guided by your virtuous wisdom." If this plan succeeded it would mean the end of your little romance with Tim, and he could go back to doing what he does best. Killing everything that stands in The Operator's way.