Please, Take It.

~Part 10~

(GlitchNote: ⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING⚠️ If neck breaking/strangling/death/ bothering you please skip or read with caution. Your well being is more important)

Going up the flights of stairs took longer than going down. They weren't moving as fast as they had when they were heading towards the basement. Shawn hadn't realized how many flights of stairs they had taken down until now. He was glad for Dark's support. He felt his strength returning but his legs felt somewhat like jelly. Every few steps he'd look over towards Dark. If he was having any form of trouble holding him up it didn't come across on his face. The Voice had mentioned Dark's power; he'd even felt it when he had attempted to spell him somehow. Glancing over he truly began to wonder what this man was capable of doing. Dark had mentioned a few times jokingly that he was capable of many things. Figuring out what they were was fighting for top priority on his list of things he needs to know. Finding a way out and looking for others trapped in the studio were also top priorities for him.

His heart twisted at the thought of his friends and other employees trapped somewhere in the studio. He was unsure but a part of him felt that Jack wasn't the only ink monster crawling around and hiding in the flowing ink. The Voice has made comments but the last thing he wanted to be true was what they had said. He wanted his friends to be alive but not if it meant they were damned to be monsters.

Dark stopping bright Shawn out of his thoughts. He was looking at the sign above them. The stairway led in two different directions. One led to the main part of the studio while the other would lead them down a hallway that made its way to the Music Department.

'Sammy.'

The Voice sounded too eager. It sent a chill up Shawn's back. He could feel the Cheshire Cat smile in his mind.

'Let's pay him a visit.'

"The Music Department was where we were headed, correct? To find some sort of valve?"

"No!" Shawn had meant for that to be internally but had stupidly shouted out loud. His outburst caused a confused and concerning reaction from Dark. He quickly cleared his throat and looked to the stairwell that was heading away from the Music Department. "We, uh, we should just head back to Heavenly Toys." Shawn kept his face turned as much as he could away from Dark. But Dark didn't need to see his face to know that something was off. Shawn has been so determined to get to the Music Department and now he wanted nothing more than to avoid it. Not wanting to cause any more stress to Shawn he simply nodded his head and adjusted his grip on Shawn's waist and helped him walk up the stairs leading them back to Heavenly Toys.

Shawn did his best to focus on the steps. The few times he looked to the walls he saw ink and what appeared to be handprints splattered and dragged along them. He didn't want to think about who or what could have done it. He wanted to get himself and Dark back to his office unharmed.

Shawn didn't think he could be as happy as he was when he saw the door to his office. The walking through ink and go over fallen boards had taken some of the strength he had restored away. He traded for the doorknob, twisted it, and pushed the wooden door open. He didn't know what to expect but seeing his office unharmed was a shock. Everything was like it had been before. Genuine relief corset through him as he saw the rose on his desk. We carefully unwrapped himself from Dark's helpful arms and slowly walked to his desk. His balance was a little off but he managed to get to ahold of his chair before he felt his legs wanted to give out. Dark soon was by his side and helped him to properly sit. Once settled he reached for the rose and brought it up to his nose. The intoxicating scent filled his nostrils.

Dark's heart was elated at the sight of Shawn and the gift he created for him. Standing behind the chair that Shawn was sitting in he leaned forward, his hands finding a place on his chest. Dark could feel the way his heart reacted to his touch. Dark relaxed and placed his head on Shawn's shoulders and whispered, "How are you feeling?"