𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | 𝖲𝗉𝖺𝗆𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗑 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

The day you'd finally visit Spamton again had come, today was actually your day off. After informing Swatch of your absence from the mansion, you took the familiar road that lead to Spamton's shop in the trash zone. These past few days you had been working at the Color Café went by fast, even managing to make you forget how much you missed your home. The Dark World was not so bad, you had come to like it here. You've made new friends, you had a job and didn't have to worry about university or assignments, Cyber City was really starting to feel like home.

You figured that, even if you never found a way to return home, it wouldn't be so bad to live here. You felt your heart tugging inside your chest. No matter how much you tried to distract yourself from the truth, NOTHING could replace your real ḩ̷̠́̌ō̴̠͚̌m̶̟̣͋ḙ̵̝͋̓.

You felt dizzy all of a sudden, and you could tell there was definitely an incoming headache. For now, you paid it no mind and just continued, not wanting to waste any time. It wasn't long until you arrived at Spamton's shop. Just like the last time, you found him pleading to the phone for someone to answer. You couldn't help but wonder who he was calling.

This time, he noticed you as soon as you entered through that door and smiled upon seeing you walk towards him.

* HELLO [[little sponge]]!!

* HOW [heh, nice.] OF YOU TO VISIT!

"Well, I did promise I'd come back, didn't I?" you grinned back at him, before noticing something strange. His eyes looked red and puffy, his smile seemed forced.

Had he...been crying? You didn't want to make him uncomfortable by pointing it out.

"How have you been?" you simply asked.

He seemed shocked when you asked, he didn't expect you to care about him. Most people simply forgot he existed and paid him no mind, actively avoiding him. Even his old friends had given up on him, straight up abandoning him. For a strange reason, you asking him made him genuinely happy.

* JUST [[peachy]]~

* WHAT HAVE YOU [[Bean]] UP TO?

You were, in fact, really excited to tell him about what's been going on the past few days. It was refreshing to be able to tell someone other than the Swatchlings.

"I was offered a job at the Color Café! Work is great there! The pay is good, the work environment is amazing, oh! I even have my own room in the Queen's mansion! I've made so many new friends!"  you exclaimed excitedly, trying to get the words all out.

He was silent for a moment, looking at you with a smile that never left. Was he really looking at you or was he lost in thought again?

* WOW!

* SURE IS [[hArD]] TO SEE [[Real People]] LIVING YOUR DREAMS!

You mentally slapped yourself across the face. Why did you think it was a good idea to tell a person whose life is literal garbage how lucky you've been and how things turned out perfect for you? Real thoughtful of you.

"Oh... I'm really sorry, Spam. I didn't mean to make you sad."  you apologized. You knew you shouldn't have said that much.

* I'M NOT [[In Depression?]]

* I'M [[Fiiiiiine]]

You would have actually bought it if his glasses didn't turn to static as soon as he said he was ok. It was another one of his episodes, you guessed. You felt shitty now that you thought of it.

*....please...help me....

*....why is this happening...to me....

Much like that night you met him and he asked you not to leave him, he looked miserable. His expression was one of pure fear and sorrow. But it suddenly all clicked. This wasn't just some random quirk of his. He was reliving past memories, memories that stressed him out. When he pleaded for help, his words were not targeted at you but...whoever was at that memory of his.