!! Written for pastelchromist's writing contest !!

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"Do you believe that there are alternative universes out there where everything bad happens?? Like, where we are corrupt or something??"

"Like monsters?" He stuck his finger in strawberry batter, glancing at the giant glob of batter and sucking off the sweet batter, tasting the sweetness that coated his tongue. He glanced at the individual who had asked him the silly question.

He hit the button on the microwave, checking the time for the sugar cookies that ripened the air. "Like, is that what you're talking about???"

"... I mean... I guess...? Just, alternative universes??"

"Like—"

"Chromy, can you SHUT the fuck up about 'alternative' fucking universes?" A female's voice chimed in through the darkness. They had been slouching against the counter, their dark pink eyes narrowing deeper the more the nonbinary spoke. "Is that fucking all you know how to talk about?"

"Sorry, Eclipse. I don't know what else to talk about since you're helping conversate SO much. Besides, you don't have to swear at me," murmured Chromy, who placed their kitten mittens over their ears, blocking out the angry growl that Ec had unleashed in his bakery.

"Okay... Okay... Babies, let's not fight in Shade's bakery!" A tall individual wearing a blue button up with a teal tie remarked, breaking between the colorful cat hooded Chromy and the shaded wearing, leather jacket Ec. "We all know that baking takes love and care and if an argument breaks out, the flavor is spoiled!"

"Tell 'em not to be such a whiny shit," Ec crossed their arms, her dark pink eyes wandering over towards the pink gloved baker taking sugar cookies out of the oven, wishing they could mute everything around them, instead, their bright pink eyes watered at what their friends were saying all around them.

"I... I am not a whiny shit... Right Shade?" Cried Chromy, their teal eyes filling with water and causing Shade to flinch.

"Yanno, if there were alternative universes, what would we all be like?? Like, would I be the main character in a world or would I be a chaotic villain? Hopefully I'd be good but," Shade cut off in laughter, trying to lighten the mood. Chromy's teal eyes softened up while Ec uncrossed his arms. Shade grabbed a toothpick from a soft red box, feeling the splintering wood before softly stabbing it in the middle of a cookie.

"You'd probably be really buff. Off exploring some places," fantasized Chromy as they took off their hood, revealing rainbow stickers scattered all over their bruised cheeks. "I'd probably be working somewhere... A dead in job. Inso would be relaxing somewhere, cuddling with someone cute and Ec would ride the motorcycle of her dreams!"

Shade gave a small yawn as Chromy's bright teal eyes gazed over at the slightly shorter, they never left the furry white loveseat. "Shade, how's your sleeping going? Your bags are horrible..."

"It's been... Relatively alright! Just recurring dreams, I guess..." Shade lied, their eyes lingered on the pearly refrigerator. Shade hadn't been able to sleep; something prohibited them from closing their eyes and to have energy, he began to...

"Pfft, I wish sleep were easy," Inso interrupted his thoughts, allowing his pink eyes to be ripped from the fridge. Inso had rolled his eyes, adjusting his fluffy hair and adjusting their blue and black stripped tie. "I've been having the same nightmare. You're lucky yours are just dreams."

"Nightmare?" Shade asked, his neck craning to the side as he ripped off his pink gloves, setting them softly on the white granite counter before sitting down next to Chromy on the soft loveseat.

"It involved you, Shade, it involved you," Inso glanced away, their lime green eyes becoming frantic as their leg began to shake up and down. "It's probably nothing, but—"

"Okay, you can't just leave us on a cliff hanger like that??" Ec interrupted, promoting their own question as Chromy jumped out of their seat.

"Yeah! That's criminal!"

Inso gave a deep sigh, their shoulders sagging his shoulders as his arms crossed. "January 2nd. You were walking home and..."

"Fucking christ, just tell us the good details!!" Ec growled as Shade stood up, heading towards the tray and feeling the soft sugar cookies. He grabbed a specula, scrapping the cookies upon a plate while Inso continued.

"A dark shadow lurked behind you and swallowed you up whole..." His phone buzzed as he glanced down at the tweet, his lime green eyes bulging out of his sockets as he scrambled towards the door. "I'm REALLY sorry for cutting the story short, my mother, she's in the hospital!!"

"That's okay, it's just a dumb dream anyway; however, I have to get going, I do have a date at the Red Square," Ec strolled towards Shade, taking a sugar cookie with her as Chromy exclaimed,

"Really?? Same!!"

".... Dumbass."

"You both have dates at the Red Square??? Lucky," Shade pouted as Chromy shagged Shade's orange hair.

"I'll take you there some day! I just... Really... Not tonight... You REALLY need to take a break."

"And get out of the house," muttered Ec, loud enough for him to hear, giving a quick smirk as she KNEW he couldn't just walk away from his career.

"Yeah, that's OK!! I hope both of you have fun with your dates!!" Shade cheered, humming to himself as he placed the pink batter into the oven as his friends waved him goodbye, saying,

"Enjoy your January 2nd, be careful of the one shadow!!" and strolled out the glass doors. Walking arm in arm as they began to fade away from sight.

He sat upon the high table, his fist pressed within his face as he tapped the wooden table. Why did his friends always seem to go on cool adventures while he was tied down to a job? Why did they get to go on dates or spend time with family when he had to run his bakery to make a life for himself?

He jumped down from the high pink seat, his footsteps echoing onto the cherry-wood floor as he opened the fridge, taking out a sugary energy drink and chugging it down his throat that begged no more.

"Just take a break."

"You look like you haven't slept in ages!"

"Get out of the house."

Those thoughts ran like wildfire in his mind, buzzing flies that seemed so easy; however, not all at the same time. How was that possible? The radio played soft tunes, a pinkish-yellow sunset looming throughout the sky; beautiful colors painted that giant canvas—

His mind quaked when his microwave beeped, jumping down to shake on his baking gloves as he carefully grabbed the cake out of the oven, his eyes peered over at his phone flashing. He slammed the oven shut, taking a glove off as his eyes scanned the numerous photos of his friends. All having fun. Chrony and Ec apparently were on a date together, who had seen that? Inso was hugging his mom, trying tears of joy as Shade had no one.

Nobody.

He swiped to his parent's empty chat, typing something; however, his heart skipped a beat, prompting him to close the app and set his phone against the one more table.

Nobody.

Isolated with his success.

"Yanno... Why can't I have fun??" He hollered. Spinning throughout the empty bakery.

He flicked the light off for what was ages.

The radio silenced as he flung the open sign to close and locked the front door; taking in a deep breathe of air, taking a walk into the busy street.

He had nobody. Who would stop him?

People buzzed all around him. Music blared throughout the street as people bumped into him, not apologizing or accepting his apology. A bitter wind brushed past him, cutting his exposed skin as a whimper caught his attention.

"Hello...?" He whispered, the dark alleyway only answered back in silence. He squinted his eyes, not being able to make out any shapes; however, the whimper became more clear; "can someone help me...?"

"I... I can... Just stay there..." His mind raced. Was this what an alternative universe was? Where he finally left and made his life into something worth... Remembering...? Being around...?

His feet stepped onto the cold cement, his mismatched socks bleeding the water through, his toes curling up in response.

He didn't expect to get far from the bakery.

He didn't expect to accomplish anything.

He didn't expect anything.

His footsteps sogged behind as ... As...

He can't remember.

Wait, where am I? His mind called frantically. He closed his eyes for one second and the world contorted. The sky ran a bloody red as dark clouds drifted by as a dark shadow grabbed him from behind; holding the small baker boy in place.

"W.."

"Don't speak," the figure whispered hoarsely into his ear. "Save your breathe."

Shade said nothing. The figure was hella tall, probably about 6'6"ish??

Where was he?
What is this?
Who is this?
Were the thoughts that screamed within his mind.

Only a white streak demonstrated any sort of eye as the figure grinned, pulling the frantic male closer to him.

"Your anxiety. I can SMELL your fear, so intoxicating..."

"P... Please... I own a bakery...! I love sweets and cute animals...!!"

"You're fucking cute, aren't you?"

"W-what?" His white gloved hands gripped the shadow's long arms as a mechanically laugh sounded throughout the world which held the two. He tried to struggle but was only held in place by the strength of the silhouette.

"You're me. You're a disgrace to myself. I expected better for myself, even in a different timeline."

"W-wait, you're... Impossible."

"Shade... Shade... Shade... I've come to infect this world with my glitches. I need someone to unleash my fury and what better candidate for myself...? However, look at you..." Something sharp began to eat away at his apron, the numb feeling of sharpness poking everywhere.

"W..."

"Don't speak. You're only wasting your humanity you will have left."

He didn't speak as he felt a toothy grin behind him. "Don't you want to feel more? More then being a cookie cutout character? Aren't you tired of being left out?"

The sharpness continued, jagging past his clothes as a dark cloud rolled past his pink eyes.

"Want to be more than owning a bakery. More than being someone who can't explore the world they're in. More then... Your addiction to energy drinks...? Join me. Your name will RUN through your universe..."

"... Yes..."

"Say it."

"... I want to be more..."

A smile decorated his shadowy form, his fingers cupping under the male's chin as he smirked, whisper shouting within his ear, "I am NEVER cute."

Words: 1782