Lionhearts ||Skephalo||

40

A/N: Before we begin I'd like to inform you guys that this chapter is the one that spawned the iconic, sleep deprived line of "Something feels like stop. sogn".
A message to all writers: do not underestimate sleep deprivation.

-

Skeppy stares at the foreign glyphs, watching them as they ripple over the stone.

"You can use this?" He asks Fundy, who answers in short telepathic bursts (the result of a spell he had haphazardly cast before they left).

"Yeah. Of course." He prances up onto the ring, and darts around in circles a few times, examining the glyphs. "It's the same as any ring. Need to focus on the place though."

Skeppy knows Fundy could shift to human form any time he pleased, but the shifter seems to unironically prefer traveling as a fox. Come to think of it, Ant had mentioned that he was traveling near completely as a cat before he met up with them; maybe it's just a shifter thing?

Thinking of Ant brings a soft smile to his face. He's happy that the cat shifter was now safely with his boyfriend, who was a very nice young man as well. They seemed so happy around each other.

I want that, I want everything to be okay. The thought is bitter in a way, but Skeppy brushes it off. I want! Now the voice that's piping up is the familiar compulsion, and he grabs Sapnap's arm before it acts up fully. The warrior glances down at him, probably wondering why his friend is clinging to his arm. Want want want!!! Find! Find! Him! Go find him! Now now now now now! Skeppy squeezes tightly, and Sapnap's eyes flicker with recognition. As Skeppy shuts his eyes, trying not to let the compulsion get the better of him, he can feel Sapnap's gentle touch on his hair, reminding him of where he is and what he has to be doing right now.

"You okay?" Sapnap's voice is low, concerned as Skeppy loosens his grip on his arm.

"Yeah, it was acting up again," he replies, "Sorry for crushing your arm."

Sapnap shrugs, seemingly not minding much.

"Alright, get in the ring!" Fundy orders the group, and Skeppy starts to take a step—

Whoa.
The world seems to spin for a second, and he's only vaguely aware of what happens— a pair of arms around his waist, hauling him back before he can collide with the cobble, and Fundy shifting to human, leaning over him as Sapnap hugs him to his chest, not allowing him to fall.

"You alright?" Fundy asks, and Skeppy shivers, shaking his head.

"No, uh— I don't know what happened. I resisted the compulsion and then all of the sudden I'm dizzy and all drained—" Sapnap puts a stop to his words by lifting him a little, testing, and then deciding,

"I'll just carry you until you're sure you're okay. It's not like it will be that hard."

Tommy is taller and Sapnap carried him just fine, so Skeppy doesn't doubt he could manage it— but he still protests.

"No, I can walk! I'm just a little out of it, nothing much." Sapnap ignores him, and nods to Fundy as he and the boys step into the ring.

It flares orange as Fundy, once again in fox form, focuses intently and the gate opens up, pulling them in.

Skeppy feels sick to his stomach and his head is spinning worse than it did the first time he teleported through one of these; when they land on the other side, he feels almost like he's going to throw up.
Ignoring his queasiness, he buries his face against Sapnap's shirt, trying to get a hold on himself before he really does need to throw up. Sapnap murmurs softly,