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inkribbon796 · 3 years

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In their Place Ch. 3

Chapter 3: A Shattered Reflection

Summary: Illinois and Eric rejoin with the group as Damien’s condition persists.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

While the fight with Dark had been going on, Illinois was busy taking the hero’s bait and circling around Eric.

“Well, well, what’s a cute thing like you doing in a dangerous place like this?” Illinois smiled at Eric. “Ooohhh, dulcito,[1] this suit looks amazing on your calves. Tell me who made it, so I can commission them to make more.”

“Logic and Bing,” Eric was blushing under his mask.

“Well! I know where my next paycheck is disappearing off to,” Illinois decided, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a pair of Jims racing over with a camera. “Well let’s put on a little show for the cameras, hero.”

Eric startled and looked at the camera. Illinois didn’t even give him time to be embarrassed because he dove right for him and began a fight that was half wrestling, half throwing magic that if it hit Eric was mostly a light show; and all a show for the camera.

Both Illinois and Eric were having fun playing it up for the cameras when Illinois’s heat physically lifted off his head and Illinois caught the little bronze star inside it glowing a violent dark purple and kept trying to tug the hat in a direction. The direction that Dark had flown off to fight the heroes.

“Let’s lose the paparazzi, dulcito,” Illinois told Eric. “My old man needs some help.”

“Ills, wait,” Eric told him before Illinois produced a couple smoke bombs and dropped them around them. He scooped Eric up into his arms and ran off with him. Both of them disappeared into the smoke.

The heroes had finally relocated outside the ruined building, taking Damien and the chair with them.

Marvin was pacing and trying to come up with a new idea. Silver was floating nearby with a new mask, courtesy of Marvin. Jackie standing to him, talking. Patton was sitting on the ground next to Damien. And the mayor had an ice pack to his chest and a cigarette in his mouth.

Damien had a lot to think through, he was apparently in the future, he’d been running around with a demon. His father would have killed him if he was still alive.

He needed to finish his cigarette, go home and take a nap.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out,” Patton tried to reassure Damien helpfully. The mayor rolled his eyes. He’d been told the hero next to him was named “Captain Morality” and along with not being an absolute asshole had given him the ice pack. So Damien was pretty sure that out of the three he was currently Damien’s favorite.

Then Marvin stopped and looked at two people running over. “Shite! Illinois’s comin’ in hot.”[2]

“Where is he? What did you fuckers do?”

“Ills.”

The arguing was giving Damien a migraine, he couldn’t deal with more new people. He was still sore from the apparently failed exorcism. Or maybe it was successful, he’d never even been allowed to see one to tell.

“Slow yer[3] roll casanova,” Marvin ordered.

Rolling his eyes, curiosity got the better of him, and he looked back to see someone standing next to Marc. He was the only one not masked and he looked younger than Marc. Damien looked at the dark hair, the light tan complexion, the way his eyes narrowed and brows furrowed when he was clearly angry and thought: “Is he Celine’s?”

With that one thought Damien decided he was done with this charade and wanted to go home. He wanted to go home and lock himself in his basement, and get so completely lost in whiskey He couldn’t remember who he was anymore.

Damien could still feel the phantom hand of his father on his shoulder. The man had only been dead a couple of years — at least to Damien, now it was a couple decades at least — but his threats and orders still weighed on his soul.

It seems he’d been mentally gone so long that he’d missed another of Celine’s children, and probably countless more.

Damien shakily got up from his chair and started to turn away, clutching his cigarette like a lifeline. The ice pack left on the chair.

I don’t want you to even look at that child, his father had ordered. It’s bad enough you’ll be related, but I can’t have another null in the family. You—

“아빠”[4] The young man was coming to stand in front of Damien.

The mayor instinctively flinched away, looking back and expecting Marc to come over and pull his son away.

“I’m not,” Damien started, more confused. “I can’t—”

“아빠[4] are you okay?” The young man asked, clearly worried.

“I,” Damien faltered, his mind trying to push down the hope. “Marc!”

Illinois startled and tracked Dark’s eyes to Silver, glaring at him in absolute rage, “Ex-fucking-cuse you?”

Mark held up his hands, “I’ve told him ten times now, I’m not whichever Mark he’s thinking of.”

“We’ll deal with this later,” Illinois decided, then turned to Dark. “Alright, what happened?”

As Illinois had been talking, Damien was having a minor meltdown. Illinois saw the look on his face and his expression and tone softened considerably.

“It’s me,” the young man tried to urge. “Illinois?”

When he saw a continued look of confusion, Illinois realized that Dark wasn’t hurt, he was having an episode. “Oh no, we need to get you home.”

“Yer not goin’ anywhere,”[5] Marvin ordered.

“Fuck off, Copperfield,” Illinois pulled out a piece of chalk and drew open a portal. Dark flinched away from it.

“Come on, dad,” Illinois held out his hand, halfway through the portal.

Almost as if the Manor was sensing a problem it extended out and pulled Illinois, Damien, and the heroes into the Manor and the portal winked closed.

“Ughhh, you’re gonna be pissed when you come to again,” Illinois realized as he saw the other heroes, pulling Eric closer to him.

“Great,” Damien looked around, recognizing the Barnum estate. “You should have just left me there, it was closer to my place than here.”

“No, we live here,” Illinois clarified.

“Yes you live here but I don’t,” Damien snapped back up as he started for the door.

Just as he hit the foyer, Damien stopped at the large portrait hanging on the wall. It had previously sat in the Manor’s living room office, hidden and tucked away in the most private corner for Dark to look at. Since the portrait had been updated the demon had been convinced to bring it out into the main entrance hall.

The sight of it froze Damien dead in his tracks because neither Marc nor Celine were in the picture. Illinois was there but so were four other young men, one young lady, and two individuals that Damien thought looked familiar but couldn’t recognize.

Along the black frame frame in golden colored letters read the name: “BARNUM-DOOM” which completely halted Damien enough for Illinois to catch up.

“I think you need to lie down for a bit,” Illinois tried to offer.

“Where— Who—” Damien tried to place why the one with the curly mustache looked so familiar. Then Damien really looked at the man’s wide toothy smile and everything clicked.

It was Wil’s smile.

Damien’s hands trembled as he reached out to touch the picture, treating it so delicately as if the image would change to a different man.

“아빠?”[4] Illinois walked over, seeing the tears starting to fall from Damien’s face.

“Is,” Damien’s throat felt like it was clogged. “Is this your father?”

“You’re our father too,” Illinois reminded him.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Damien, he looked like he’d been completely frozen in place.

“We’re adopted,” Illinois told him, then corrected, “well most of us, Bim is yours by blood.”

“I can’t have children,” Damien’s response was quiet, almost a whisper.

“You guys did it with magic,” Illinois lied, mostly because explaining to Damien how cloning worked when Illinois barely understood it himself and the mayor would just be here for an hour at most seemed like a bad idea.

“Oh,” Damien replied, looking back at the picture. “That’s me with him?”

“Yes,” Illinois answered.

Damien fought the feeling that his throat was unbearably tight and he gave the only response he could: taking a step towards Illinois and wrapping his arms around him.

Illinois flinched a bit in surprise because normally Dark was not a hug-person, he avoided touch. The young man’s only thought was that Damien felt ice cold. But he ignored that thought, his father needed him.

“He did come back.” Damien was shaking as he held onto Illinois. “He came back and gave you to me.”

Illinois gave a sad smile as he hugged him back. “I’m here.”

Eventually, Damien pulled away, looking back at the portrait with a huge, excited smile, “Six? That’s amazing.”

Illinois looked back at the family portrait, and smiled. They’d had to force King and Yancy back into suits to take it. Illinois pointed to each of them. “That’s Host, there’s me, Kaylor or “Kay” for short, Yancy, Yan, and Bim.”

Damien’s hands traced over the bandages on Host’s face. “What happened?”

“He had a bit of an accident,” Illinois explained carefully. “He’s blind but his magic helps him navigate around.”

“The poor thing,” Damien looked around, “is he here?”

“No, he lives with his boyfriend but he’ll probably turn up,” Illinois told him. “He has a way of doing that.”

“Bim, Yan, and I are the only ones who still live here,” Illinois explained. “The others have moved out.”

At that Damien looked emotionally crushed, “Oh, I guess you are adults.”

Illinois looked back into the other room where the heroes were all awkwardly watching, Illinois and Damien blocking them from leaving through the front door. The young man needed to completely defuse the situation. “Damien” needed to go to bed and he needed to kick everyone but Eric out.

So Illinois took a deep, quiet breath and decided to tackle it one problem at a time. Step one: isolate Eric from the other heroes.

“Before we lose the plot,” Illinois began to gently steer Damien towards Eric who looked nervous. “Sweetheart, he already knows your face, you can lose the mask.”

“Oh,” Eric realized and quickly pulled it off and put his glasses back on. “Hi, Mr. Dark.”

“Uhhh,” Damien looked a bit uncomfortable.

“아빠[4] this is Eric, he’s my fiancé,” Illinois reintroduced. “We’re getting married in September.”

“Aren’t you a little sweetheart,” Damien smiled at Eric.

Eric smiled back nervously, his smile getting bigger as Illinois came over to wrap his arm around him.

“He’s amazing,” Illinois smiled lovingly at Eric who blushed and ducked his head at the compliment.

Illinois began herding Eric and Dark to the nearest couch, talking about wedding plans and Damien seemed to get more excited.

He turned to the four heroes, and opened his mouth to start the process of ushering the unwanted intruders out of his home.

But another voice cut through the air.

“Are we having a party?” Wilford’s slurred drawl cut through the air like a bullet. “Been ages since we’ve had company.”

The adventurer looked to see his other father walking in from the kitchen and Illinois only had one thought in his mind: “Fuck!”

Wil chuckled as he walked over to throw his arm around Illinois, “Sorry my boy, did I interrupt a good ol’ fashioned joke?”

Illinois heard his phone go off and looked to see that almost all of his siblings had tried to contact him. “Dammit!”

Damien stared up at Wil from his seat on the couch and unseen a metaphorical fuse was lit. But for now Damien was so happy. “Wil?”

“Mhmm?” Wil looked over at Damien. “Yes my sweet licorice?”

Illinois answered his phone, it was too late to quietly whisk Damien safely away so he had to run damage control, “Yeah, King, just saw your texts.”

Damien let out a choked sound and came from around the couch to run at Wil and wrap his arms around him.

Wil returned the hug and chuckled, “My, someone’s cuddly today.”

“I thought you’d forgotten about me,” Damien clung onto his partner.

“Never for long,” Wilford chuckled as he picked Damien up, his arms bracing the other man like a seat. “I am here now my Darkling, don’t you worry about a thing.”

Mark was a bit surprised by the look of complete adoration on Damien’s face.

“Yeah, you are, aren’t you?” Damien smiled, resting his forehead against Wil’s. “You are.”

“Is anyone dead?” Bim walked out of the kitchen. Then he froze at the three heroes, “The flying fuck are you doing in my house.”

“We’re having a party,” Wil announced.

“The fuck we are,” Bim spat and looked at Damien, who was still in Wil’s arms, “are you serious?”

“I—” Damien started.

“You know what, have fun, I’m heading somewhere else,” Bim decided, not even letting Damien finish. He used his hand to cut through the air with his aura and made a portal large enough for him to walk through. It snapped closed after him.

Damien looked like he’d been stabbed as he glanced at the spot Bim had just been in. He glanced at Wil, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no,” Wil was very quick to reassure. “He’s just in a mood is all.”

“Bim’s a brat,” Illinois announced loudly, briefly pulled away from his conversation with King

“Fuck you Ills!” Bim’s voice came from upstairs.

Illinois laughed, “Talk to you later Kay.” Then he hung up and pocketed his phone.

“Dad, why don’t you go get some drinks?” Illinois offered to Wil.

“Oh, of course, how rude of me,” Wil chuckled, setting Damien down who tried to follow Wil.

“Do you need any help?” Damien asked.

Wil gave Damien a quick peck on the cheek, “I know my way around a liquor cabinet, just go enjoy yourself, my dear.”

“If you insist,” Damien smiled and went back to the couch.

He looked back at the living room and had an odd flash of recognition, the faces of the people in the room briefly flashing to different guests he couldn’t quite remember.

As if something was dreadfully familiar.

“You okay?” Patton asked, immediately picking up on the tense air around Damien.

“I just,” Damien began but was distracted by some pictures on the mantle. Pictures of what looked like a happy and lovely family. One he couldn’t remember because a demon had been walking around in his body.

Giving him everything he had ever wanted and more.

“A demon is supposed to ruin your life, not make it infinitely better,” Damien said.

“Well that’s great fer yah,”[6] Jackie chimed in. “But he’s made our lives a livin’ hell.”[7]

“Don’t,” Illinois placed himself protectively in front of Damien.

“Don’t what?” Mark felt indignant fury come over him. “Don’t tell him that he let a demon crawl around in his skin and strangle the life out of my town.”

“Now I—” Damien tried to defend himself as Mark lightly pushed Marvin out of the way.

“Or how about the fact that Dark let Logic almost get tortured and killed by the guy who just walked through here,” Mark argued, turning to Patton. “Or did you forget.”

“I didn’t forget, I just—” Patton spoke up but Silver was so angry.

“Wil’s a mass murdering nut job,” Mark reminded.

“Wil is many things,” Damien argued back, “he might be an eccentric but he’s not a murdered.”

“He is and Dark has been letting him fly off the handle and kill people whenever he wants!” Silver shouted. He pointed to Illinois, “You’re a thief. Bim’s a cannibalistic psychopath.”

“You’re lying!” Damien tried to push around Illinois to punch Mark in the face, but Illinois held him back. Rage and anger boiling from a part of Damien’s soul he couldn’t control. “Wil would never! You should know better, he’s your own brother! You’re just jealous that Celine left you for him!”

The instant those words left Damien’s mouth the fuse hit the end of its line and the memories came flooding back. The awful memories that left Damien dead and hollow.

In the wake of the mayor’s words the room went deadly silent. As if a bomb had gone off in the room.

“You,” Damien choked out as a dull ringing echo slowly seeped back into the room and the colors slowly started to fade. Recognition flared in his eyes, and slowly the black bruises on his neck came back and were getting darker and more necrotic-looking. “You stole everything from me.”

The look in Damien’s eyes was one of such hatred that Mark could physically feel it.

Illinois felt an aura push him out of the way. Damien let out an enraged scream and lunged at Mark.

Mark threw his hands up to protect his face, and began floating so he could get away but the hit never came. When he looked back Damien seemed trapped by some force as he screamed and tried to struggle. All too soon his screams began to get weaker and his skin began to turn grey.

Damien stiffened and Dark looked up.

“Get out of my house,” Dark growled and four was a gust of wind before Patton, Mark, Jackie, and Marvin were all tossed outside the front door.

Illinois and Eric were left in the living room as the house went back to normal.

“You can stay,” Dark told Eric who looked nervous. “You have a new suit I see, it certainly seems better than the old cloth one you had.”

“Uh, thanks,” Eric stammered nervously.

Wilford walked out with a tray of drinks, all of them swirling with his aura. The Host quietly, as his narrations would allow, followed behind him. He looked around the room. “Huh, didn’t we have company?”

Dark walked over and kissed him on the cheek, “That was last week, Wil.”

“Oh, silly me,” Wil chuckled and a portal opened for him to practically throw the tray into and dusted off his hands. “You know time, she plays hard to get.”

Illinois stomped over to stand next to the Host, glaring at his older brother, “Why didn’t you help?”

“Illinois will see that events are better this way,” the Host explained. “Besides, the Host helped stall Warfstache in the kitchen while Dark’s blue soul was losing himself.”

“You’re a real asshole sometimes, you know that right?” Illinois glared at him.

“The Host has been told,” the Host smiled and took a seat on the couch.

As the two young men spoke, Dark took the opportunity to portal to the front steps of the Manor and saw the four heroes still there.

“I thought I told the three of you to leave?” Dark reminded.

“I was so close!” Marvin shouted.

“How’s Damien?” Patton asked, everyone just letting Marvin rant off to the side.

“Screaming in eternal torment, as he usually does,” Dark told him, watching Patton flinch in sympathetic pain.

Dark’s expression softened, “As I hate being on anyone’s debt, expect me to pay back the favor shortly.”

“But I didn’t really do anything,” Patton reminded.

“Damien’s dead isn’t he?” Silver asked, that got Marvin’s attention immediately.

“Ahh, the matter of you,” Dark smiled. “By the reaction you had to Damien calling you “Mark” I can conclude that is also your name? You’re lucky that I’m not as blinded by rage that I can’t tell that you have a different face.”

“You saw that?” Silver asked.

“Of course I was watching, I was trying to get Damien back on his leash,” Dark snapped. “Do you know how long it takes to get him to do anything? He’ll be throwing one of his fits for the next month!”

Dark groaned and after cracking his neck twice, her form changed to look like her red soul. Marvin stared at her in realization. “There, at least he fell back asleep. He was resting peacefully before you four showed up.”

“They’re both dead, aren’t they?” Marvin thought out loud. “That’s why the spells never worked.”

Dark looked at Marvin. “Damien as a person is dead and shattered into pieces. He’s more like a wild animal than a person. He feels things, and occasionally can string errant thoughts, but the nice docile mayor you all desperately have been trying to reach is gone.”

“Is there—” Patton began, still trying to be helpful, and reminding Dark a bit of Damien’s old naivety in the process.

“No,” Dark began massaging her temples. “No, you’re all decades too late to help. Just let him rest. In about a week he would have been fine, but now that you’ve woken him up early that might not be the case. Just go and never bother me about this again.”

With that Dark turned to walk into a portal, the huge gate doors to the property opened. It took a while for the heroes to finally leave. Marvin heading off first and Patton lingering behind, as if he wanted to knock on the door and try to offer to help again.

Eventually the fronts were left cold and vacant, the gate doors swinging back closed and locking behind the heroes.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations

1. “sweetie” in Spanish

2. Shit! Illinois’s coming in hot.

3. your

4. “Dad” in Korean, under informally. Phonetically read as: “appa”

5. You’re not going anywhere

6. Well that’s great for you

7. But he’s made our lives a living hell.

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