Monsterous Trust (Ticci Toby x Eyeless Jack)

Where Roses Grow

I was grabbed around the waist and quickly pulled out of bed, I let out a surprised yelp as I was thrown over someone's shoulders, I had no clue who had me but they were carrying me out of the room.
"What the fuck?!" I asked angrily as I tried to push away from them.
"Chill, I ain't gonna kill you." Skully said.
"Dude!" I shouted, "Put me down! What the fuck?!"
He set me down and I glared at him.
"What the fuck, dude?" I asked angrily.
"Toby wanted you." Skully said as he grabbed my arm and started dragging me off again, "I was asked to come get you."
I sighed as I was dragged down the stairs, once we reached the living room and I saw quite the crowd, Toby was within the group, I was dragged over to him.
"Got 'em." Skully said as he raised my arm.
"Dude." I said as I pulled my arm away.
"Hi Jack!" Toby said happily.
"What's going on?" I asked, "Why did you have me kidnapped from bed?"
"It's hot, so e-everyone's g-going to be going t-to the lake t-to cool down." He said, "I wanted t-to know if you w-wanted t-to come with."
I was quiet as I stared at him, I looked at everyone else for a minute, then sighed.
"Fine." I sighed, "I'll go get changed."
I began heading back upstairs as Toby clapped happily, it was nice that some things were going back to normal but being kidnapped in the morning wasn't on my agenda, I went back to the bedroom and began looking for something to wear, I eventually found a pair of shorts and a tank top to wear, I changed and went back downstairs, a large group of people were standing around wearing swimsuits and ready to go, I began going over, as I got closer my arm was grabbed, I looked down to see Sally looking up at me happily.
"Hi, Jack!" She said happily, "We're going swimming!"
"I know." I said as I smiled down at her, "I'm going too."
She smiled happily, then presented herself.
"Look it! My swimsuit is so cute!" She said happily.
It was a one-piece swimsuit, it was pink and had a tutu, I smiled down at her.
"It is cute." I said, "It suits you very well."
She smiled happily before she ran off giggling, I then made my way over to Toby, he looked at me happily.
"It's a f-friend!" Toby said happily.
"Yeah, hi." I said, "Are we leaving soon?"
"Yup, m-most d-definit-tely." Toby said.
I nodded slightly, then just stood there next to him as everyone was talking and gossiping, then we all left for the lake, I was quiet the entire time we all were walking, every now and then Toby standing next to me would say something to someone, once we reached the lake I just kind of stayed back and watched everyone playing in the shallow water, after a minute I wandered away and went to the other side of the lake, I went over to a large tree that had a tangle of roots in the water, I got into this deep side of the lake silently, I closed my eyes to make sure no water got into my head and messed up my brain, I went under the water and found the roots of the tree and pulled myself down until I found the bottom of them, I went underneath them and quickly resurfaced, I opened my and looked around slightly, it was a private little cave-like place, growing within all the roots were red roses, the only thing that made these roses different than most was the fact they had a few blue pettals, within the roots and roses was a hightly damaged skull, it kind of looked like the roots and roses had burst through the top, otherwise it was generally in tact, I had come in here a couple of times so I was already aware of its existance, I leaned against some roots of the tree and just enjoyed my privacy, closing my eyes and enjoying the sound of the water, although I could hear distant laughing from the others, after a minute of me sitting there with my eyes closed I felt something grab my leg, I yelped slightly before I was dragged under the water, whatever had me let go and I quickly surfaced, once out of the water I could hear someone laughing, I opened my eyes to see Toby trying not to laugh too loudly.
"Dick." I growled at him.
"Sorry." He laughed slightly, "I c-couldn't help m-myself."
I pushed his face slightly and he laughed again.
"What if I died?" I asked.
"You wouldn't." He said as he waved his hand at me slightly.
I dipped my mouth under the water and quickly took a mouthful, I came back out and squirted it at Toby, he laughed as he attempted to shield his face, I laughed at him slightly.
"You jerk." He pretended to snarl at me.
"You started it." I said as I held onto the roots again, "If you want me to be nice then don't drag me underwater."
He bit his lip as he growled, I stared for a second before I shook my head slightly.
"You're too cute to inflict intimidation." I said, "So stop."
He gave me a pouty lip, I reached over and poked his forehead.
"Still cute." I said teasingly.
He glared at me as I laughed at him slightly.
"Y-you're so m-mean." He pouted quietly.
He then laughed slightly.
"How did you even find me?" I asked, "This place is rather remote."
"I d-didn't know you w-were here." He said, "I j-just saw your l-leg when I c-came here to chill."
I sighed slightly.
"Guess I wasn't the only one to know about this place, then." I said as I looked back at the skull.
He came over next to me, we were both quiet as we looked at the skull.
"I wonder who that belongs to..." I said quietly.
"I've h-heard stories." Toby said.
"From who?" I asked as I looked at him.
"A lot of p-people." He said, "There w-was an old g-guy who lived d-down the street from m-me who said s-something similar t-to this."
I gave him my full attention, he looked at me slightly.
"Y-you know I d-don't like t-telling stories." He said, "My s-speech d-doesn't help..."
I didn't like how sad he looked.
"I don't mind it a bit." I said, "I like your little stutter."
His face turned a bit red, he looked back at the skull, then sighed.
"He s-said that he u-used to live n-next t-to a girl g-growing up and that she l-loved going into the f-forest even though everyone w-was scared of it." He began, "She was r-really happy and j-joyful, as he p-put it."
"Hm." I acknowledged him.
"He said he d-didn't remember her real name, b-but she was c-called Rose, and had a f-floral mind." He said, "I d-don't really know what h-he meant by that..."
I furrowed my brow slightly, what did that mean?
"He said she l-lost everything." Toby continued, "Her mom d-died when she was y-young and her d-dad died in a f-fire that burned her h-house down."
My eyes widened slightly.
"Geez." I said, feeling sympathetic.
"But from what he s-said she saw roses wherever she goes." Toby said, "And I d-don't know what that m-means either."
"What happened to her?" I asked.
"She l-lost everything." Toby said as he looked down, seeming a bit sad, "Then she j-just went into the f-forest, n-never t-to be seen again."
I looked back at the skull.
"What makes you think this is her?" I asked.
"Her signature thing was red and blue roses." He said seriously, his tics seeming to completely stop, "They grew wherever she cried."
He leaned against the roots and laid on his arms, staring at the skull.
"Maybe that's what he meant, she sees roses." Toby suggested, "She sees them when she cries, and remembers everthing b-beautiful in the world."
I was just quiet as I looked at him, he looked rather bothered, I threw my arm over his shoulders and pulled him close.
"And who knew an old skull covered in roses would be so pretty." I said, "Something that once you see it, you will never forget it."
He was quiet as we both just looked at the skull, he turned to me slightly and grabbed my arm.
"Jack...?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah?" I asked.
He looked up at me, his eyes reflecting light from between some of the roots.
"I think she was h-here for you." He said quietly.
"Um... huh?" I asked as I furrowed my brow again, completely stumped by his statement.
He reached up and turned my face to the skull again.
"Even if your mind is dead, something beautiful can come from it." He said, "A broken skull, roses sprout from the top."
I looked back down at him, he was staring up at me, he reached up with both his hands and rested each on either side of my face.
"Even if you don't think you're worth anything, something good comes." He said seriously, "Even if your mind's plagued by demons, both figuratively and literally."
I stared down at him silently, I saw a small smile find its way onto his face, I reached up and gently place my hands on his face, then pulled him into a gentle kiss, everything will be alright just as long as I have this little idiotic moron right beside me.
(Red roses with blue petals may be unthinkable but they can exist within a mind, keep such beauty and rarity with all you see and hear and you, too, shall see roses wherever you go, and at such a time when the world loses hope in all light, place those rare seeds in others, giving them the same beauty you have come to admire.)
(Grow such beauty with every sorrow filled tear shed.)
(Grow such roses with every act you spread.)