“Déjà vu, huh?” Luthor snickers.
“Dad’s not gonna be able to make any growly man-bun-wearing gorilla babies if you keep attacking his jewels like that!” Ren exclaims.
“Are you insinuating that I might… become pregnant??” Joy blinks, horrified.
“Yea, I can’t picture it,” Kemper says.
“Me neither,” I agree.
“Mefreakingneither!” Joy gasps.
“Um, I was thinking of Rook, but sure, we can go with yours,” Ren mutters.
“Shut… up,” Velle chokes, sitting up with a pained breath. “101…fuck, I’m gonna whip you across the room by your pink hair.”
Joy whispers something to him, most likely about Dash’s current state, which has Velle losing most of his rage. And now we’re all back to watching Dash, who’s just sort of dazedly wandering around, mumbling under his breath.
I don’t understand much of what he’s saying. Some of it is in Russian—none of the limited phrases he was able to teach me in his barely two months in prison. Some are names…
“Callum… You said your name… wasCallum.”
Luthor’s face pales at the same time that Ren’s brow furrows.
But when he says, “Shadowman,” all of my muscles tense.
Fuck…
Fuck fuck fuck.
This is bad.
Dash’s face drops into his hands as he whines and gasps, fingers raking back to yank fistfuls of pink. He looks pained, and it’s killing me as well.
He knows…
On some level, hemustknow. And like the disorder that plagues his mind, thetruthis attacking him too.
Being lost somewhere between reality and hallucination must be the worst feeling ever.
The way I felt when I was drugged by The Ivory.
I loved it in the moment… But it wasn’treal, and that’s the worst part.
If Dash thought he was with Kemper… but it was really just the Shadowman…
God, that’s such a miserable sense of disorientation.
The unintentional proxy.
“Dascha, baby, please let me help you.” Kemper takes him by the waist,pleading. In his eyes and his tone, he’s broken, and it’s just gut-wrenching.
Seeing someone as strong as Kemper breaking for the man he loves, helplessly praying for a way to fix something that can’t be fixed.
Dash’s hands slip away from his face, his chin lifting slowly to look up at his fiancé. I can see his bottom lip trembling from here, and it’s nauseating me with guilt.
“I wanted it to be you,” Dash whimpers to Kemper. “MyOfficer…”
“It was,” Kemper rushes out. “Even if it wasn’t, baby, itwas, I promise you. I amyourOfficer Kemper, and you’remyDascha Luscious, remember? I got you back, baby… I’m so fucking sorry I left. I fucked up and I’msorry, but I got you back. We’rehere, Dascha, on this island, together. Like we weresupposedto be…”
