Something Amiss (Hoodie x Reader)

Forty Three: Friend of a Friend

TW: SUICIDE, this one is the darkest in a while, proceed with caution

You could only stare at Brian. He looked down at you through his mask as you both paused in the doorway, just out of Masky's line of vision.

"(Y/n)." A leathery touch on your chin, forcing your head to tilt towards him. You hummed nervously, the voice changer still getting on your nerves.

"You did well finding EJ."

The praise was validating, you relished in his touch. You didn't know how he found out about that so fast, perhaps EJ had texted him about you. At least you weren't so far gone that you'd started chasing smoke and mirrors; he must have actually meant for you to find the man. Or at least, even if he hadn't meant anything by the comment about poking Jeff's eyes out, he thought it was a good idea to find EJ anyway. It was always hard to tell with Brian.

You had a feeling that, had the voice changer not blocked any and all emotion, and the situation been less detrimental, he would have scolded you for being reckless and attacking Jeff. He seemed to understand, though, that you weren't exactly in the right mindset for acting rationally.

You had a headache. Everything was so overwhelming, and you still had a million questions for the man. Mostly about the demon, about the people in this place. You wanted to know if you had any hope left, or if it was just going to keep testing you until you fucking broke. If you knew one thing, it was that you did not want to be one of these people. This place was fucking miserable, you'd rather be dead. You were in way over your head here, you barely knew shit about the boss or anyone else. Not even Brian, really.

You would have pushed to continue the conversation, tried to get more talk out of Brian, if heavy footsteps hadn't sounded from back in the direction you'd come from. You glanced to the side just in time to see Masky approach the doorway, cigarette now discarded but scent ever-present. His crowbar, which had been leaning against the wall, was now in his hand. Jesus, did he need to bring it everywhere? You shuddered at the thought of the forked end being jammed into your skull. Thank God for Brian's uncanny timing. Although, he'd probably been following you for a while.

You shifted nervously as Brian quickly let his fingers drop from your face, standing up to his full height and looking to Masky. His body language told you that the look on his face must have been scornful.

Masky stalked towards you both, stopping far too close for your liking, chimney stink wafting over you. He hooked his crowbar on your side of the doorway, making a show of caging you in. As if you couldn't just take a step backwards. Dumbass. You did notice, with a little wicked delight, that as tall as they both were Masky had to crane his neck up. Brian looked down on him unwaveringly. You guessed.

Your side pressed against Brian's as the stand-off continued. You felt him slide forward a little, maybe subconsciously, shielding you just a bit with his frame. "What?"

Masky looked to you, then back up to Brian. "Nothing, nothing." His tone was disturbingly light, menacing. Clearly, the prick wanted nothing more than to drink up Brian's reactions as he gutted you. "I just think it's time to move onto the next stage of observation, don't you?" He tilted his cartoonish mask in your direction again. "I've seen all I need to here." His words were slow and deliberate, trying to psych you out. Jokes on him. You were already going fucking crazy.

So the punching bag had been a test? You could've guessed. A part of you now wished Brian hadn't helped you with your form at all, Masky didn't deserve the satisfaction of thinking of you as weak. You hoped seeing you and Brian together had, at the very least, set the bitch on edge.

"Sure." You could sense the venom dripping from Brian's tongue even past the robotic alteration.

Masky bristled. With a frightening duality, he changed his tone from mockingly sinister to an uppity drawl. "Let's go to the basement, then." A sneer, another long moment of staring Brian down (well, up). "Come on."