Slenderverse One-shots

Masked Protector ⊗ MH

Tumblr Request: Masky and Brian with protective Masky

Tim was known for his firm loyalty to his friends and he'd been known to get protective of them if trouble stirred. But in his masked state that protective instinct was amped up to the point that Masky himself would sometimes be the one to start a fight if he so much as thought his partner was in danger.

Brian was taller, lean, and good enough with defending himself if needed after his time hunkering down in Rosswood as what Jay's viewers deemed 'Hoody'. So seeing Masky jumping to his aid at the slightest hint of danger was almost comical to the hooded man... It wouldn't, of course, be humorous to the person on the receiving end of Masky's fist. Usually, once it was said and done, Hoody would roll his eyes at his partner's actions and quietly claim that he could've handled himself—that if he wanted a fight he would've told Masky to attack from the beginning.

...Usually.

As his vision blurred beneath the frowning mask he wore, Hoody was glad to know his back was covered. The attack had been unexpected, as they'd been headed for the hotel to get Jessica and Jay out before Alex got to them first... With how late he'd figured it out, they had been cutting it close. And then some other stranger jumped him as he was leading the way.

Naturally, Masky had come to his defense immediately and tackled the guy to the ground where he could still hear them fighting. A wheeze left him; they'd still managed to get a good stab under his ribs first. Hoody lifted his head, watching as Masky fought with all the fury he could muster.

"Good... to know... he... he's on my... side." His thoughts were feeling fuzzy and for once it wasn't from the static that too often lingered in his mind.

Hoody pressed harder against the wound, his hands shaking as the blood continued to leak out steadily. While he couldn't see it well in the dark, he could feel how soaked his glove had become and the dark stain spreading across his faded yellow-tan hoodie. It hurt but as it sapped away at his strength he could feel himself growing numb. His eyes growing too heavy, Hoody sank into the darkness.

When he finally woke up it was late morning. He expected to be dead if he were to tell the truth or at the very least still lying on the forest floor where he'd fallen. It was a surprise to feel a mattress beneath him, as disgusting as it was. Blinking, Brian slowly took in more of his surroundings—quickly noticing his mask had been removed at some point considering how it no longer obscured his vision.

"Peeling walls... stained mattress with a tattered blanket... Did he carry me all the way back here?" The burned out hospital was rather far from where they'd been, even if those woods were still part of Rosswood.

A dry cough escaped his throat and he slowly sat up in search of the cheap plastic bottled water that was usually next to his makeshift bed. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something, or rather someone, move. Whipping his head around—and ignoring the agony the twisting did to his injury—he found Masky sitting vigil right behind him. The masked man was practically hovering on top of him, still not moving much even after acknowledging he was awake.

His eyes drifted to several dark stains and torn fabric along Masky's side and back. By the looks of it, the man hadn't taken care of his own wounds yet. A frown that matched the red one on his mask crossed Brian's face. He could feel the bandages tightly wrapped around his own knife wound yet couldn't see any sign that Masky had helped himself. Knowing the masked man, he would have felt doing so would've distracted him from keeping watch.

"Take care of yourself." His voice was raspy as he finally found his water and fumbled around with twisting the cap off.

Hearing his voice, Masky perked up further and grunted as he moved to help; clearly the pain bothered him even if he wouldn't admit it. Mentally Brian scoffed at how stubborn the man could be about that. Broken leg? Walk it off. Get stabbed? Tough it out. He could only imagine what might happen should Alex actually shoot him somewhere vital. It was something he hated about this state Tim would go into. "Acts like he's invincible I swear."

"Stop lookin' at the' door." He took the water back, pausing his complaint to drink before continuing. "Actin' like someone's 'bout to run in here... Stressing me out."

Judging by Masky's change in posture, he assumed the man was trying to show that he felt bad for causing him undue worry. Brian just shook his head. He had no idea how the fight ended nor did he know where Alex was currently. For all he knew, Masky had every right to be concerned someone was about to burst in.

...But this was how Masky always was. Standing guard in anticipation of an attack whether one was coming or not. Brian relaxed back on his mattress and stared lazily at his partner. Sleeping wasn't something he could normally get away with, not without feeling paranoid and tossing around in fear someone would come for him in his sleep—or the buzzing static in his brain. With Masky however he felt completely safe to start dozing off again.

"I'll have-ta help him with those injuries when 'm feeling better." It was only fair and he didn't want to see harm befall the man. Of course, to get Masky to agree to any sort of first aid he'd have to call it a reward for how well he'd protected him.

A hand shook him and he gave an aggravated sigh, opening his eyes again to see Masky bent over him. The white mask was nearly touching his face and he could see the dark eyes beneath the painted black markings around the eye holes. "I'm not dying! Just wanna get some rest. Relax."

He knew Masky was just concerned. Going unconscious wasn't exactly a good sign when someone was bleeding semi-heavily. However, the bleeding had stopped and a quick check of his bandage showed it must have done so prior to it being put on, as nothing had soaked through.

"Doesn't mean there isn't anything internal." Brian would refrain from making the comment aloud. He once again settled down, pressing closer to his masked partner as a way to reassure him everything was fine. "Just taking a nap, m'kay? You jus' make sure you're alright."

Another huff of feigned annoyance was the closest he got to a verbal response.