Work Text:
. . .
It had been quick.
So quick that Spreen didn't even realize what was happening.
So quick that Spreen couldn't even pull out a weapon or shield to protect himself.
So quick that the damn bear- Demon had flown across the room in the blink of an eye and had taken over his body and claimed it as his own.
“You can't be serious... You've got to be kidding me...” He thought as he had finally realized what was happening.
He couldn't move, he couldn't talk, he couldn't control himself anymore.
He knew he shouldn't have trusted that damn Demon...
The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the patchy grass. Ramon wondered around the front yard, as he wasn't allowed to go too far away.
The boy had small ball clutched in his hand, throwing it against the floor, into the wall just for it to back bounce right back to him so he could catch it. He had to have fun somehow, as he wasn't allowed to play with the other kids.
As the ball bounced back to Ramon, he paused, his eyes darting towards the house. Spreen was sauntering into the front yard, His movements almost eerie and un-human like. Ramon's became more cautious as Spreen approached.
Ramon's playfulness faltered as the shadow fell over him. He had stopped bouncing the ball and instead turned to look up at his father, the setting sun glinting off the sunglasses. The air grew thick with tension. Spreen's steps were slow as he approached, Ramon's hands clutched the ball tightly. He didn't understand why his father was acting this way. He took a step back, his tail curling around his leg, and his heart pounding in his chest.
"Why do you have that, Toys are for babies Ramon, it's time you grow up, haven't I told you that already?” Spreen Spat out
“Fit gave it to me, he said I coul-”
And before the boy could even give a full response Spreen's hand shot out, claws extending from his fingertips. With a sickening pop, the ball burst. Ramon's eyes grew wide with shock and confusion, his heart racing as the color drained from his face.
"Don't you see Ramon?" Spreen Said. "Weak things break very easily." He tossed the deflated ball aside. Ramon's bottom lip quivered, tears welling in his eyes as he looked up at his father.
The sound of the door opening brought both their heads around. Fit stepped outside, his eyes narrowed and his stance firm. The sight of the destroyed toy and Ramon's trembling form set his jaw. He heard the pop of the ball even from inside their home and came stumbling out fearing that maybe something had happened. Fit could see the fear and tears in his son's eyes and stepped in, he had already understood what was going on and placed himself between Ramon and Spreen .
“Spreen, cut it out, leave him alone” Fit demanded, his voice firm and steady despite the small tremble in his hands.
"That boys going to be weak if you keep coddling him like a damn baby" Spreen said, the demons grip on the bears body slowly tightening. "Weak, just like you." The words stung, hitting Fit like a ton of bricks. Spreen's heart ached as he watched the way this demon had taken his body and the way it was treating his husband and child, the demon's cruelty cutting deeper than any physical blow.
Fit could feel the heat of anger flare up in his chest, his instincts urging him to fight, to kick Spreen’s ass for what he was doing. But he knew that wasn't the answer, not with Ramon here, He had to keep them both safe. With one swift movement, Fit turned to face Ramon. "Come on, bud," he said, gently picking the boy up and carrying him away "Let's go back inside, okay?" Ramon nodded, his eyes never leaving Spreen's terrifying gaze.
He could do nothing but watch as Fit walked away with Ramon.
He could do nothing but watch as Ramon looked back at him with tear-filled eyes.
Spreen clenched his fists, Ears pinned back to his head, his nails digging into his palms as he struggled to gain control of his body again. The demon's grasp was hard, unyielding and harsh.
On a particularly oppressive afternoon, Ramon and the Spreen sat on the porch, the air thick with tension. Ramon was completing a crossword puzzle that Fit had left behind. his little dragon claws tracing over the letters as he tried to focus on the game. It was a small act of defiance, a way to hold onto his childhood that Spreen refused to let him have. The porch creaked under their weight, the only sound breaking the silence.
Ramon had been so focused on the puzzle that he was shocked then when the quiet was shattered by the sound Roier shouting. Ramon's head snapped up. His father's friend, Roier had arrived, along with his own son, Bobby.
Roier was a boisterous man, always full of life and laughter. His voice was a stark contrast to the tension that had settled in the house. Bobby, his son, was a ball of energy, constantly fighting, and running around, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he bounced up the steps of the porch beside his father.
"Heyyy man" Roier exclaimed, slightly slapping Spreen on the back. The demon within Spreen tensed, the contact jolting through its host body as if a bolt of lightning. It was hoping to avoid outsiders, but here they were, bringing their unwelcome cheer. While the adults talked or while Roier talked and Spreen stood there nodding along, Bobby talked with Ramon on the side.
The demon felt a twinge of irritation at the sight of Roier and the little boys. Bobby's laughter breaking through the silence. It had hoped to isolate Ramon, to use his fear and confusion to drive him to despair, Thats really all he wanted to see, People suffering. Yet here the boy was, smiling shyly, sharing a quiet giggle with a friend. Roier had begun talking with the boys as Spreen had stopped responding to him and just stared.
“Ramon, don't you get tired of being in there sleep all the time? Don't you want us to take you to play?” Roier asked as Bobby next to him holding onto the hem of the spider hybrids red sweater. “Would you like to play with Bobby?”
Ramon's eyes lit up at the mention of a getting to play with his friend, it felt like the first real interaction with one of his siblings in what felt like an eternity. But, before Ramon could even get a chance to respond, or to even make a choice Spreen spoke up.
“No Ramon, you have to stay home today, For the rest of the day” Spreen Stated
The boys heart sank, he knew that tone, it was the one that meant no arguments allowed, no debating, no compromising. The tone that had been growing more and more frequent ever since his father had a sudden slight shift in his personality.
He nodded solemnly, his dragon tail drooping behind him as he stared down at the crossword puzzle, he had been holding, the ink smudging slightly from his trembling claws. Bobby looked at him with a frown, confusion in his gaze, but Ramon just gave a small shake of his head, silently begging his friend not to push it.
Roier looked between them, his smile faltering. "Alright, then…" he said, ruffling Ramon's hair. "Some other time, yeah?" He glanced at Spreen, searching for some sign of his friend's usual warmth, but finding only a cold, unreadable mask.
As Bobby and Roier quickly left and went along their day, Ramon felt the weight of his father's gaze on him, heavy and oppressive, Until the bear turned around and walked back into their home. Ramon eyes brimming with unshed tears. His heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from crying.
A few days later Ramon had taken to wearing a new skull hat that he had gotten as a gift. The hat was a bit too big for his head, but he wore it with a strange sense of pride, as if it could protect him from all the monsters outside.
And of course, Spreen- The demon noticed. The change in Ramon, the new skull hat, it saw the child's attempt to find joy and it burned with annoyance. It had hoped being horrible to Ramon would make the boy hate him- Hate Spreen. But it seemed as if the boy still had hope, and still wanted his father's love. Maybe he’d just have to be worse, be meaner, more hateful, It's not like he ever liked children anyways.
That afternoon, Spreen found Ramon in the backyard, his skull hat askew as he played with a new toy that Fit had secretly brought home for the boy. Spreen had watched him from the kitchen window, the sunglasses reflecting the dim light as he walked out of the house and into the backyard.
Ramon clutched his new action figure tightly, his knuckles turning white as Spreen walked over to him.
. . .
Spreen crouched down to Ramon's level, Spreen's eyes meeting Ramons for a brief moment, Ramon could barely notice but from behind the glasses he could see that Spreen's eyes were no longer purple but were replaced with a bright red, a bright red that resembled anger, blood, hatred, and violence.
A bright red that scared him.
Spreen's hand shot out towards the boy and Ramon's breath hitched as the hat was snatched from his head.
“I need you to take that helmet off” Spreen said, staring down at the boy “Enough of this foolishness, Okay Ramon?”
“You always have to show off your mustache, Okay? Without wearing hats or anything’
“Because only poor people use those”
Ramon felt like his heart was going to burst as he nodded along with what his father said, He felt the hot tears welling up in his eyes, threating to spill down his cheeks, but he held them back, biting his lip. He didn’t want to give his father the satisfaction of seeing him upset.
Just a few days past since the last incident, Ramon laid in his bed, his eyes snapping open at the sound of his front door creaking open. He had learned to sleep lightly, his dragon instincts on high alert.
"Spreen?" Ramon said, his voice a low whisper. He hadn't seen his father in a few days, the demon keeping Spreen's body in a constant state of rage or indifference. The boy couldn't remember the last time they actually hung out or spent any time together.
"Ah, Ramon" Spreen spoke "I just came to grab something I left in here." The bear had walked around the bed and opened up the boy's bedside drawer reaching inside to grab something that he quickly pocketed, Ramon wasn't quite sure what it was as he was rubbing is eyes as Spreen grabbed the item, He was sure it was something shiny though, A gun maybe…
"You can go back to sleep now," The bear said. Ramon nodded, his eyes never leaving his father.
"Pa…" he called out, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've missed you." The words hung in the air, heavy with pain and longing. Spreen paused, the red glow of his eyes flickering behind the sunglasses. For a moment, it seemed as if the demon had considered Ramon's plea, and Spreen's soul within the prison of his own body felt a twinge of pain.
The the silence stretched on, the demon's gaze unwavering and unyielding. The room grew colder, the air thick with the stench of malice. Ramon's chest tightened, and he could feel the tears welling in his eyes. Spreen - no, The Demon didn't move, didn't speak. It just sat there, watching him with a disturbing stillness that seemed to suck the very life out of the room.
Ramon's eyes remained glued to the demon's sunglasses, the slight red glow behind them flickering like a candle. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, his trembling fingers brushing against the soft fabric of his pajamas. The silence was a living thing, wrapping itself around him like a boa constrictor, squeezing the breath from his lungs.
“Well, to be honest Ramon, I didn't really miss you”
Then, without another word, the Demon turned its back on him, and walked away, and out of his home. The words were a knife to Ramon's heart, each syllable twisting the blade deeper. The door clicked shut, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot. Ramon's breath hitched in his chest as he stared at the closed door, his eyes blurring with tears. The demons- or His Fathers words replayed in his mind, His chest tightened, and he could feel the sobs building in his throat. He curled into a tight ball, a small hand clutching his chest as if it would stop the pain.
One day Spreen had just gotten up and left. He said he was going out for cigarettes but the boy knew it was a lie, He tried to get his father to care and come back one last time, to get him to stay, he chased after the bear and held his hand, pleaded for him not to leave, but the bear just pushed him away and back into the arms of his other father, Fit.
He could do nothing but watch as Spreen walked out of his life.
He could do nothing but watch as Fit looked angry and upset for the next few days.
But he was fine.
Ramon felt relaxed for the first time in a while, His tail no longer wrapped around his leg and no more tears in his eyes, no more of his fist bawled up and leaving small marks along his palms, He no longer desired his father approval or love.
Ramon still remembers the day he was adopted, the day Spreen had Given him his name, The times when he would accidentally step on the dragons tail or accident scratch him with his claws and would immediately apologize and put on gloves to stop it from happening, He remembers when Spreen took him out fishing with Fit, the days Spreen was overprotective and kept the boy safe from all dangers, Or when Spreen would praise him for the simplest things. But now it's all gone, was it all just pretend? Did he actually care at first or was it just a facade to look good in front of the other parents and kids? Whatever the answer it didn't matter anymore.
Because he knew that his Spreen wasn't going to come back.
And he was fine with that.