Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Vyncent woke up again, he was on a plane.

Not in the hotel, where he swore he fell asleep just seconds ago- laying in bed, and waiting for his friends to come back… But on a plane, just like where he was before this whole mess started. On his way to Belltech with William and Tide. 

It was quiet in the airplane. The only sound that could be heard was the air filtering through the plane- stale, dry, and recycled. Vyncent's eyes squinted, and he adjusted his sitting position a little- stretching his hands and fingers, since they were a little stiff. His mouth felt dry. He had a horrible headache, and the light certainly wasn't helping… but he was awake.

Vyncent blinked very slowly. Everything had been a dream.

They didn't walk in on William's brother doing some crazy, horrible, experimental shit on their friend- they weren't even in Freedom City yet. William wasn't despondent, or an accomplice to something horrible… He was currently laying his head against Vyncent's shoulder, asleep, after they both decided that they wanted to try watching the same movie together. Peacefully dozing off.

Vyncent couldn't remember the movie they put on before they both passed out. But, at this point, it didn’t really matter. There was a little arrow on the screen, signaling that it’d been over for a while now, and just waiting for them to replay it, or to choose something else. 

And even though he was uncomfortable, Vyncent was just glad that he was awake.

William woke up soon after- slowly peeling his face off Vyncent's shoulder, and blinking very slowly as he also got a better sense of his surroundings. He wiped his face off as best as he could with his sleeve, either trying to clean up, or in an attempt to wake himself up.

When he noticed that Vyncent was awake as well, his gaze moved from his face to the movie.

“Wanna watch- um…” He cleared his throat, and paused, “Wanna watch another movie?”

Vyncent hummed, “How much longer is our flight..?”

“Another hour?” William tapped away at the screen behind the seat, and quietly confirmed it. “How about it? What are you thinking?”

All Vyncent could think about was his dream. 

He sighed, rubbing his own face again- he mumbled something about movies, and when William asked him to repeat it, Vyncent had already forgotten what he was trying to tell him.

William leaned forward to try and meet Vyncent's eye. Fully awake, now, and alert.

“You okay?”

Vyncent decided to be honest.

“I had the craziest dream, man…”

It sounded even crazier, coming out of his mouth- but he still told it to William in the quietest voice he could manage. They went to Belltech, found David cutting open their friend Alan, while their other friends were handcuffed on the sidelines… and, instead of stopping him, and saving their friends, William joined him.

In the middle of his retelling, Vyncent's voice wouldn't stop cracking- his throat clearly dry from sleep. So, William handed over his half-empty water bottle.

And as Vyncent drank from it, he asked, “Did you..?”

He shook his head. Cleared his throat.

“I left. But then you went missing, and I think you died-” 

Vyncent moved his hands around as he spoke, and didn’t pay much attention to where he was pointing it. At one point, William managed to intercept, and grab his hand just in time to keep him from spilling water all over themselves.

William maneuvered his hand back down to his lap. Then, his eyebrows raised.

“It was a dream.”

Vyncent frowned. “Something is happening at Belltech, though.”

“It can't be much crazier than whatever your mind's coming up with.” William said, simply, but it sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself.

Vyncent leaned back against his seat. And even though he couldn’t quite shake off the dream, or the nervousness, coming from not knowing what was going to happen next… He had a method. Since he was prone to overthinking, he knew that he just needed to breathe, and to clear his head.

There was no point in worrying about something that he didn’t know was going to happen, even if it was already guaranteed to be messy- if he spent the whole time worrying about an outlandish situation, then his head wasn’t going to be clear for what was actually going to happen.

So Vyncent breathed. He asked William to put on another movie, and steeled himself for what would happen next.

-

Vyncent was having the worst sense of deja vu.

He went through a security line, just like he did in the dream- quietly asking William if they knew that he had weapons in his bag, and getting hushed as a reply, since they didn’t want to get in trouble, or held up any longer than they needed to be,

He was just as shifty and nervous as he always felt, being in an airport. Trying to wander around a gargantuan place that Vyncent couldn’t even begin to navigate, filled with hundreds of people, all trying to go to a ton of different places-

William noticed him looking around frantically, and sticking close by when he wasn’t sure where to go. He took his hand, and even if Vyncent was too distracted to react to it, William guided him along, with Tide looking out for the actual exit. Just like he did in the dream.

But that’s not what Vyncent was focusing on.

The airport he was walking around in was the exact same airport in his dream. Despite never getting the chance to go there, or see what it looked like ahead of time… his brain somehow clocked it perfectly.

He couldn’t remember any specific details, like the exits, or paths, or stores in the interior- and he didn’t have a perfect memory like William, who could probably remember what this place looked like months from now… but he swore that it was the same.

They caught a train at a familiar station, and on the ride, Vyncent’s mind was racing. He was trying to think back in his dream- past the obvious problems, and the parts that were actually terrifying- and towards the beginning of it, before they entered the building….

The same train station. The same scenery, seen on the train- the same plain conversation starters that Tide had for them, with William loosely entertaining it with the same answers. (Just… played out a little more awkwardly, since Vyncent was barely responding to them, instead of playing along.)

When they left, it was the same streets, as far as he could remember. 

And when they called an Uber over, Vyncent swore that it was the exact same car that took them. He couldn’t distinguish the different cars, nor could he remember the specific color, or the numbers on the license plate- but he knew that it was plain-looking, and that it was locked when they tried to open it- and he recognized the driver immediately.

The ride was just as long, and chatty- even if the driver didn't seem to want to talk to Vyncent. And as soon as they made it there, they all stood outside the Belltech building for a minute- seeing it towering over them, and all being just as puzzled on what they needed to do next. 

Belltech was still shut down. And as William tried the front door (locked, just as it was in his dream) Vyncent cupped his hands around his eyes, and pressed his face up against a window.

Inside, He saw the same, sad scene. A destroyed lobby. He couldn't see much because of how dusty the windows were, but he had the feeling that he didn't need to see it again to know what it looked like- even if it was supposed to be his first time seeing it.

“Good thinking, Vynce.” William's voice said behind him.

Vyncent jumped as he patted his shoulder, and motioned for him to step back. Then, just as haphazardly as he had in the dream, William slammed the butt of his shotgun against the window, and shattered it completely. Then, that was their entrance.

Before William could hop inside, Vyncent grabbed his arm, and tugged him back from the window. Tide was still standing near the door, just out of earshot, but Vyncent lowered his voice regardless.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring Tide along?”

At first, William didn’t seem to be puzzled by the question. They brought Tide along because Dakota brought his sensei with him, and they needed an even split- Tide had been with them throughout the entire trip.

Then, realization seemed to wash over him. William looked back over at Tide, scratched the underside of his nose, and then looked right back at Vyncent.

“You think he’s gonna get hurt, or something?” William asked quietly, still picking at his skin, while mostly using his hand to cover his mouth. “I mean, I don’t have my usual powers, but I’m not totally useless…”

“We’re also breaking into a building, and Tide’s really…” Vyncent looked back, this time.

“...” Then, the two of them were silently staring at Tide, silently scratching at the skin near their mouths, and thinking.

And because it was so quiet, it took Vyncent a second to finish the sentence off with, “He’s… you know. A hero.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be…?” William whispered, and with the way his voice sounded, Vyncent knew that he was chewing on the nail of his thumb as he was talking.

Vyncent lightly smacked his hand away. “You know what I mean.”

“He’s broken into places with us before, right? Like… In Overlord’s hideout.”

“Yeah, but he got depowered from that.”

“But it’s completely different now, I mean, we’re just going in to save our friends. Superheros do that all the time. We’ve got probable cause.”

Vyncent’s heard that term before- William’s told him about it. “We’re not cops.” 

“We’re basically cops.” William’s head turned, and his eyebrows raised, “And, come on, it’s Belltech. Besides raising the prices of Respolin, how evil can they really be?”

Vyncent’s eyes narrowed. William grinned, but it was nervous, and the motion didn’t reach his eyes. Vyncent knew that look very well.

William was acting strange, and he couldn't pin why, or how he was picking it up- he just was.

“Don’t say that.”

“We’ll be in and out- and if we get caught, I’ll pull the whole… CEO’s-my-brother card.” 

Vyncent thought of the last time he saw William’s brother- cutting open their friend in the same building they were steadily approaching. In a dream he had just a few hours ago… which was weirdly similar to what was happening now.

“Would he let you go?”

“Yeah… definitely.” William’s fist bumped his arm, “And if something happens with Tide, then we’ll just protect him, right? You’re a strong guy.”

Vyncent’s smile was short-lived, as William finally looked back at the broken window, and prepared to jump through it.

In Vyncent's dream, he cut his arm on the broken bits of glass hanging near the edge, as they were stepping in. It didn't mean much, compared to the rest of the dream- but he still remembered washing up, and trying not to get blood all over the white hotel sheets… And it would be inconvenient if any of them got hurt from it.

So before William jumped, he kept his arm, and helped him through- quietly telling him to be careful. And as he was guided through, he swore that William's face was just a tad pinker than usual. 

Vyncent kept an eye out for the broken glass near the sides of the window, and because he was careful, he also managed to avoid getting his arm cut up.

Just like how it was in his dream, there was a guard roaming around the lobby that they just managed to knock out. 

Then they let Tide in. 

And even with a fully fleshed-out plan- having William pretend to be the very same security guard that they just knocked out, while Tide and Vyncent were his captives, led to the very place their friends were in- there were still a few bumps in the road.

William and Tide were talking- disagreeing, over what to do next, and how legal the whole thing was, and what they should actually do- but the whole time, Vyncent wasn’t really listening. He spent the conversation looking out at the wreckage, and trying to think back, and think of even one thing that wasn’t the same as it was in his dream…

But he couldn’t find anything. It was just familiar enough. And that was making him feel… awful.

“William…”

“What, Vyncent?” He sounded exhausted already- and they hadn’t even made it to the elevator yet.

This felt like it was… something. Something important. A premonition, maybe, warning them of what was to come next. And Vyncent could go along with everything, and talk as he normally would- ignoring the dream he had, to make room for what was to come, because his brain has never been able to predict the future before-

But he couldn’t ignore it. It wasn’t just a few things being eerily similar- as far as he was concerned, it was the same. And if the track record stuck, and if everything really was the same…

Then that meant that nothing good would come from rushing in, like they were planning on doing.

“Maybe Tide is right.” He weighed in, and while Tide gave William a mildly disappointed I-told-you-so look, William was looking at Vyncent, like he’d just been betrayed. “Maybe… we should step back, and call the police. Let them take care of this.”

“Vyncent, we do stuff like this all the time.”

“You what?” Tide tried chiming in, but William didn’t look away from Vyncent, and Vyncent was really hoping that William could come through for him- seeing the look on his face, and knowing that he was being serious about this.

When William didn’t budge, Vyncent even tried looking a little stern, but it didn’t seem to do much.

“We’re already here.” William held up the shotgun, and even though Vyncent knew that he’d never use it on them, he still knew what it could do. “We’ll get everything figured out, and settled long before the police could even get here. I promise.”

“I have a really bad feeling about this.”

Vyncent saw something change in William’s gaze. Briefly, his face softened and relaxed, like he hadn’t expected Vyncent to keep pushing, after a clear goal had already been set. 

The look was quick to wash away, however, since it seemed like William’s mind had already been set- and when his mind was set, it was difficult to change course again, if he didn’t have a good reason to.

“We’ll be in, and out.” He nodded towards the elevator, which neither Tide nor Vyncent made any immediate move towards. “Come on- what’s gonna be up there that’s so terrifying, that none of us can handle it? Huh?”

“...” Vyncent remembered Tide’s fate. William’s. His own. In the dream, or vision, or whatever the hell it was supposed to be, rushing in impulsively only ended miserably.

“Our friends are in danger.” William pressed, and finally, Vyncent walked into the elevator- knowing that if it was true, then going up the elevator would be bad, but leaving him completely alone up there would be even worse.

Maybe it’d be fine, this time. Maybe it was to prepare him. Maybe it was a freak coincidence. He didn’t know, and couldn’t know, until he saw it for himself.

As Tide stepped in, and as they all prepared their roles, the elevator jumped, and began its descent. The anticipation and Vyncent's anxiety over the situation only grew worse, and worse-

There would be guards up there, and they would be just sneaky enough to get through the first batch… but then they'd step into the room David was in, and they'd stumble on a sight so horrible that it'd catch them all off guard- and then everything would fall apart.

That's what happened in Vyncent's dream- and he had a horrible feeling that it was going to happen to them, right now.

-

And, in the end, Vyncent couldn’t even make it through the door.

They made it far. Vyncent counted the guards outside the door, and he played along when William pretended to capture him- but the minute they made it to the door, it was like an electric current ran through him. And then, suddenly, he was trying his best to get away from the door, instead of trying to get in.

It was a door that looked like every other door in that stupid building.

It was bland, and normal- not even a chip in its pristine paint job- perfect, in hiding the horrors that lay beyond it… But Vyncent couldn’t even make it through. He struggled, and William (likely thinking that Vyncent was just getting into a performance, and not genuinely freaked out) went along with it.

When the door opened, and everything proved to be true, Vyncent still couldn't make it through. He stood outside, as David had to call off his guard, and negotiate- and he watched the slow progression that happened exactly as it did in his dream.

Everything happened, just as it did in his dream. David was dissecting their friend Alan, with the other two being handcuffed on the sidelines. David held their friend captive, while trying to connect with William. 

He promised he was doing what was right- even if it seemed unconventional. Or unethical. After the whole process, David promised that the samples he collected would save a lot more people than it would hurt. And besides, David would press further, these were the same people that hurt and killed anyone in their way with no remorse- the least they could do was save a couple people.

The best way to continue forward without anyone getting hurt was to go along with it, and ensure that their friends couldn’t remember what happened. An eye for an eye, leaving them all alive, and none the wiser- all thanks to a medicine that would erase the next 24 hours of their memory, administered through an injection.

William did what he thought was best, and ensured that Tide couldn’t remember what he saw. Vyncent couldn’t take it.

With a head that couldn’t stop buzzing, an unconscious Tide on his back, and with his best friend ready to do what he thought was best- Vyncent left for good, heading back to that same hotel across the street, instead of getting muddled in whatever business William’s brother had with their friends.

He left William behind. It was his only regret.

-

William left the Belltech building around the same time he did the first time around. 

This time, Vyncent made sure to meet him down there.

William looked frazzled, and unfocused- just as he had the first time- and when Vyncent met up with him, and tried asking about what happened, William talked to him like he was talking to someone next to him. And he was back to that hushed, whispery voice he used to have- back when they first met, and he wasn’t all that thrilled to be meeting new people.

He was just as cagey, and sad- except this time, he was quietly telling Vyncent that he was right, and that he should’ve called the police when they had the chance. (And when he asked about it, just like he did in his dream, William snapped at him a bit, and said that he had everything handled.)

Then, he looked down the street, and Vyncent already knew his plan. Vyncent didn't know why- he never asked in his dream, and he had no plans of asking now- William would go on a walk, and he wouldn't come back. Vyncent would stay up well into the night waiting for him, and then he'd fall asleep right before it'd happen.

Vyncent wondered if it'd be the same, tonight- if he'd fall asleep before William came back- or if the nerves would keep him awake late enough to see him again.

Right before he left, William stopped in his tracks. His head turned, but he didn’t look straight at Vyncent.

“That dream you had.” He started, slowly, “It- was the same as what happened, right? Everything was the same?”

“...For the most part.”

William scowled, but it didn’t look to be directed towards Vyncent.

“Too bad we couldn’t use it.” He sighed, holding his hands over his face. His voice sounded defeated. “Next time you get a weird premonition, or something, we’re taking it seriously…”

William left shortly after. 

Back in the hotel room, with an unconscious Tide laying on the other bed, Vyncent sat on the edge of his free bed, and blankly stared at the floor.

In his dream- or, premonition, technically- William had trouble answering the phone. And when Dakota called to check in on them, and he didn't answer, Dakota panicked, and had his master transport them there as soon as possible.

It tracked. After Vyncent laid down in his bed, Dakota showed up just moments later, again, and Vyncent had to somehow satiate his pressing questions again-

It didn't help that Vyncent also looked completely freaked out, even if it was all just frustration. Last time, it was terrifying, but he could keep a straight face throughout it because he knew that it was going to be okay. This time- Vyncent predicted it somehow, and he wasn't sure how he did it, but he was frustrated that he couldn't utilize it. 

Dakota kept pushing- saying that he didn’t like it when they lied, and that he really needed to make sure that they were okay- and with every budging insistence, he was tempted to spill it all, and say exactly what was going on…

But he stuck with it, just as he did last time. Even though the situation was a little different… If everything truly lined up, then William still wouldn't want Dakota to know. And he wouldn't be back until tomorrow, at least, so Vyncent had to keep up the lie until then.

Vyncent and Dakota watched whatever played on the TV as they waited for William to come back- anything from trash television shows, to heart-warming family movies that were getting released for the holidays- and throughout it, Dakota would look over at him, and Vyncent would not look him in the eyes.

That time, when Dakota offered to go looking for William, Vyncent didn't cover for him. He didn't push, or press, or ask him to stay. He didn't even look at him. He just nodded, head moving slowly, and almost robotically.

This time, even though he agreed with him, Dakota stuck around a little longer. 

And when Vyncent finally met his eyes, he saw that Dakota was standing by the door, and staring at him. His hand was on the doorknob, like he was ready to leave, but his whole body was pointed straight at Vyncent, like he wasn't ready to leave just yet.

“What's going on?” He tried to ask bluntly, voice flat and almost upset- and even though Vyncent wasn't used to the tone he was using, he remained as stoic as he possibly could.

“Nothing's going on.”

“You're acting weird.”

“I’m not.” Vyncent insisted, trying to copy the same tone that Dakota used- but it didn't quite hit.

“You're acting weird- and you won't tell me what happened, or where William is- and it's really starting to piss me off.” Dakota ripped his hand away from the doorknob, hard enough to make a noise that made Vyncent jump. “What's going on?”

“Nothing.”

“What did you two do?”

“Nothing.” He insisted. 

“Where is William-?”

Vyncent threw his hands up.

“I don't know! I don't even-” He huffed. 

He didn't even know what was going on. 

He had another chance, and he blew it, and now, he didn't even know if he wanted to keep all of this from Dakota- if it was even worth it, to keep it from him, and to keep Vyncent and William as the only people who could remember what happened at Belltech.

But he knew that William wanted to keep it to themselves. Otherwise it'd all be ruined. And they loved Dakota, sure, but dragging him down with the rest of them was clearly not the play.

He just… didn't know what to do. At least in the premonition, he was a little more put together. Right now, it felt like a rug got swept out from under his feet.

“Go find William- he'll talk.” Vyncent ended up saying, while dragging his hand down his face. He needed to calm down. “I don't even know where he is- but he's on a walk. And he'll be back. I don't know.”

Vyncent breathed out. 

It's fine- they'll fix this, somehow. It'll be fine.

Dakota finally relaxed, shoulders slumping.

“Did you guys… fight?”

And at first, Vyncent's skin prickled- wondering how Dakota could have possibly known what happened, or what they did, without even being there himself to witness it- and it took a while before he realized that he meant something else.

“Oh, we…” He almost said no. Then, he remembered that he wasn’t supposed to tell Dakota, and ended up mumbling, “Yeah. Yeah, we did.”

Vyncent didn't remove his hand from the side of his face. He didn't want to remove it- the slight pressure against his head was making him feel a little better, in this whole sea of stress. 

Dakota took his hand off the doorknob. And, to Vyncent's surprised, he even backed away from the door. 

He approached him- hands rubbing together, and going from looking at the TV, to looking at his hands, before looking back at Vyncent- almost like he wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say to him. (Or, more accurately, he probably felt bad, after getting so upset over something like this.)

“We… can wait for him to come back.” Dakota finally said.

“Hm.” Vyncent hummed along with him.

Vyncent only noticed Dakota sitting down next to him because of the bed dipping. And then, when he looked over, he saw his friend slowly trying to get closer to him. His knees were pulled up on the bed, and he was hugging them- but he didn't look sad, or stressed anymore. In fact, as Vyncent looked over, he saw Dakota trying to smile at him- something that was just plain, instead of forced, but awkward all the same.

When Vyncent didn't smile back, Dakota's dropped immediately.

“What did you guys fight about?” He asked quietly.

“It was…” Technically, they did disagree on something, and technically, Vyncent was right, but they didn't have to get into all of that. “We just wanted… different things.”

Dakota made a weird face.

“Are you guys gonna make up?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” Dakota brought his attention back to the TV, “I’m just making sure.”

Dakota then happily told Vyncent what happened while he and William were busy. How he ran into Mark, and how he was going to be there for their final confrontation with the Trickster- and though it distracted Vyncent for a long while, his mind always ended on thinking about William.

Vyncent stayed up as late as possible, waiting for William to come back.

But conditions were stacked against him. Exhausted from the day's events, and watching TV in a dark room was enough to get him to sleep- promising himself that by the next morning, he'd be feeling better, and ready to lie more effectively, with William there.

He was better at those sorts of things sometimes.

-

When Vyncent woke up again, the first thing that he clocked was a dry mouth, and the steady song of air filtering.

He thought that he’d be in the hotel room, with William and Dakota there to wake him up, and invite him to join a conversation that was necessary, even if he didn’t want to have it-

But to Vyncent’s surprise, when he opened his eyes again, he was on the plane.

Once he woke up further, he had some adrenaline shoot through him- a brief, cold wash of horror that left him freezing up in place. His fingers gripped the armrests, and his shoulders raised in a motion so sudden that William was awake in an instant, next to him.

“Whoa- what? Vyncent?” William asked, and even though he was tired, Vyncent's immediate reaction was enough to wake him up as well. “What's happening?”

But Vyncent didn't answer, at first. He didn't know how to. Last he checked, he was in a hotel room with Dakota, and now-

And now it was just like how it was the first time he had a weird dream. He was on the plane, and he could remember everything that happened like it was a memory, rather than a dream. Him and William were alive, and fine-

And currently, William was tapping away at the screen that their movie was just playing on. Casually. Like there was nothing to worry about.

“We have… another hour on our flight. Did you want to watch another movie?” William’s voice sounded like he was underwater. And when Vyncent didn’t reply, William looked back at him, and waited a few more seconds before he said, “Vyncent?”

Shakily, Vyncent nodded his head.

William turned on a movie that Vyncent didn’t pay any attention to.

-

Vyncent checked out for the rest of the day. 

Everything played out, just like it had in his dream, and then his dream within that dream. 

It was the same airport. Train. Uber. Lobby. He made the same choices- and he left, just as he did the first two times. Taking an unconscious Tide with him, staying in that hotel room, and waiting for William to finish up with everything that happened the first time around.

Dakota came back. Vyncent could lie a little more smoothly, and say that they were just having a disagreement, with William getting some air. And then, Dakota calmed down pretty easily, and just quietly hoped that the two of them could make up, and get along.

Vyncent tried reassuring him that their disagreement wasn’t friendship-ending. Dakota shook his head.

“That’s not what I’m worried about. I know you and Will wouldn’t just… fall out, like that.” Dakota sighed, and muttered something that Vyncent didn’t immediately pick up on- but then, he raised his voice a little more for his next sentence, “I don’t like it when you guys fight, though.”

Vyncent nodded along, even though he was barely listening to Dakota, and instead just waiting for the day to end as quickly as possible.

He didn’t like in-fighting, either- but this wasn’t infighting. This was all just… a really messed-up situation that they've found themselves in. And, once William came back  they could explain it to him, and act like it never happened.

-

Or, Vyncent quickly realized, once everything was back to normal, they could move past it like nothing happened.

Because it seemed like his little premonitions were much more pressing than that. It wasn't just him waking up in a dream, once or twice- it wasn’t premonitions, or visions of the future, warning him to do something different- it was the same day playing out, over and over…

And by the time Vyncent woke up on the plane for the fourth or fifth time, that point really stuck with him. 

He asked William to pinch his arm, and even after the horrible pain that flared through him, he stayed awake. After another 30 minutes of him staying there, Vyncent tried something else- walking to the bathroom, taking off a shoe, and lining up his foot with a point of the wall that’d be painful to kick-

And, suffice to say, Vyncent was awake. He almost limped back to his seat, and he noticed the weird look on William’s face when he then brushed off his concerns, and said that he was fine.

William went to turn on another movie- and instead of playing the same thing he’s picked the past few times, Vyncent asked him to play something else-

William decided to play a movie called Groundhog Day.

At first, Vyncent was not paying much attention to the movie playing. He was in his own head, and trying to keep calm, despite everything…

Then, his eyes turned over to the new movie.

The main character was stuck in a time loop- living the same day over and over, just like he was. 

Vyncent watched a man running around, and living every new day to the fullest- doing things he wouldn’t have normally done, knowing that there was no tomorrow, and no consequences. Including chasing after women, or breaking the law, or even getting himself killed-

And even though Vyncent couldn’t finish the movie, it stuck with him. That man was stuck with no way out, and he immediately jumped to taking advantage of the day's looping- and meanwhile, Vyncent was currently just… hoping that everything would just end up fixing itself.

It stuck with him, throughout the current loop- numbly and quietly making his way through it, leaving at the same time, and ending up back in that stupid hotel room… 

But Vyncent thought about it. If the day was repeating anyway, and if he suddenly had all the time in the world to do whatever he wanted until it was fixed- what would he do?

-

Another loop passed. 

Vyncent woke up with his head hitting the seat behind him hard enough to make his head feel weird- and even though he didn’t move much, William still woke up- slowly, and calmly- and he still noticed that their movie was over. Then there was another hour left, and he still asked Vyncent if he wanted to play something else.

Having been through it a couple times, now, Vyncent quietly agreed- and let William take the reins, in whatever movie he wanted to watch. Vyncent barely paid attention to it. 

He just drank water, and paused before he quietly said, “Question.”

William turned down the volume. “Answer?”

There was no easy or simple way to ask it- and if the day looped anyway, then it wouldn’t matter how he responded, or what he asked- so Vyncent decided to be blunt.

“If you were in a day that was- looping…” It looked like William was having trouble understanding what he was trying to say, but Vyncent knew that it was just because the topic started so abruptly, “Like- happening over and over-”

William’s eyebrows furrowed. “Like… Groundhog Day?”

“Yes- like just Groundhog Day.”

William’s whole face twitched, “When did you watch Groundhog Day?”

“...without you.” Vyncent said, a little quietly- since the actual answer was way too insane. 

But, it seemed, it didn’t matter if Vyncent went for the much tamer answer, because William wasn’t happy with it anyway.

His eyebrows raised, in a facial expression that was nothing short of dramatic. Then, he readjusted his sitting position, and faced away from him as he said, “I didn’t realize you had… other people to watch movies with.”

“Dude.” Vyncent breathed out, and something in his chest eased a bit, at the familiarity. He was never really good with tone, but he knew William well enough to know whenever he was being playful- even if his demeanor said otherwise.

“No, it’s fine.” He’d get whispery- and he wouldn’t just avoid eye contact, but instead let it obviously be known that he didn’t want to look at Vyncent. “It’s fine. I didn’t even want to watch that with you anyway. Who cares?”

“I didn't even get to finish it.”

“Yeah- whatever. That makes it better. It's not like watching movies is our thing, or anything.”

“Dude.” He tapped William's arm with his fist, and William finally conceded. “If you were in Groundhog Day, how would you- get out of it?”

William’s head turned back around. He considered it.

“I’d just… find a way out.” He shook his head, “I don’t know, Vynce, why would I even be in a time loop?”

“I-” Vyncent started, but he was immediately cut off.

“I’d find out why I was in there, first and foremost.” William then said, so matter-of-factly that Vyncent listened to him intently, “They wouldn’t just- happen- there would be a reason for it, and I’d take my time finding it. Then I’d break it.”

Vyncent knew that if this kept up, then it’d turn into William talking about the movie itself- listing things he did, or didn’t like, and what could’ve worked better, if he was the one in charge of it- so Vyncent cut him off before he could get too far.

“But what if the reason wasn’t so obvious?”

“I never said it would be obvious.” William said, and Vyncent leaned his head against the seat, and sighed. No luck there, then- but even so, William leaned over a bit, and tried meeting Vyncent’s eyes again, “Why? What’s got you so worked up?”

“Nothing. Just wondering.”

William took it as fact.

Then, it seemed, the thought was contagious. Even without asking about it, he could tell that William was still thinking about it- mind working a mile a minute, putting himself in a similar situation- and even though he couldn’t possibly know what would happen, it still seemed like the thought was distressing him.

William titled his head, and opened his mouth, like he was going to say something. Then, he closed it.

“If I told you I was in a time loop. Just… completely out of the blue, one day.” William finally said, “Would you believe me?”

“Are you in a time loop?”

William frowned, and waved his hand dismissively, and Vyncent’s hopes melted away. “No, no- it’s just a hypothetical, Vynce.”

Vyncent also considered it, but the answer was quick, and clear.

“Yeah, probably.” 

William liked messing with him sometimes, but if Vyncent woke up one day, and William was just as panicked and frantic as he currently felt- saying that he was in a time loop, and had been for the past few weeks- then Vyncent wouldn’t really have any room to try disagreeing with him. If William needed help, then Vyncent would help him. Plain and simple.

Even if it was just a normal day, to Vyncent.

William elbowed him playfully. “I’d believe you too. So… no worries about that, right?”

-

When they landed, and right before they got on the train, Vyncent asked to borrow William’s phone.

It took a little while to navigate it, once he squirreled away to some private corner- but, eventually, he called Dakota, and quietly waited through the ringing for him to answer.

He did so quite quickly.

“William!!”  

“It’s Vyncent, actually.”

“Vyncent!” He said in the same tone, and volume. “...Why are you calling me?”

“Dakota… if you were stuck in the movie Groundhog Day, what would you do?”

“I’ve never seen it.” Vyncent clicked his tongue, “Old movies- that’s William’s thing, isn’t it? Why don’t you ask him?”

“His answer wasn’t helping me.” He said, stubbornly, “The main character gets stuck in a time loop- if you were in one, how would you get out of it?”

“I’d fucking- punch something, I don’t know. I don't do well with- complex situations like that.”

He was then slightly glad that this was happening to him, and not to someone like Dakota, who probably couldn’t navigate his way through it easily. (It wasn’t like Vyncent was navigating it very well either, but- it was different. Somehow.)

Vyncent looked behind him, at Tide and William, who were both waiting for him to end the call. “Come on.”

“I’m not a detective, Vyncent, I don't know!”

“You used to be a detective.”

“Used to be…” Dakota let out a long, wistful sigh- like he was genuinely reminiscing. Then, as he spoke, he almost sounded like he was quoting a movie. “Vyncent, I'm retired. Those days are far behind me, now…”

As he was wracking his brain, and trying to figure out what he might've been referencing, he faintly heard his name being called. 

The train had arrived.

But he still wasn't done talking.

And so, the minute Tide and William's heads were turned away- knowing damn well that he was in a time loop, and that this didn't count as him fixing anything, and thus it all would repeat soon- Vyncent turned, and walked out of their line of sight.

“What's that from?” Vyncent egged on, as he started running up a flight of stairs, and into the streets of Freedom City again- slightly crowded, but just crowded enough to hide him from any prying eyes.

“Me- it came from me. Nobody's said that except for me.” After a pause, with Vyncent trying to navigate the area, Dakota asked, “Are you sure everything's okay?”

“Yeah- why wouldn't it be?”

“Just curious.” He admitted. “You're asking some strange questions.”

“Well, I think they're perfectly normal.” Vyncent said, and for some reason, hearing Dakota’s laugh on the other end- short, and abrupt, and delayed, like he didn't get the joke until a few seconds after he said it. It made him feel a little better.

Every time he's seen him, it's been because he was rightfully worried about them. And while Vyncent didn't necessarily want him in the loop routine, with him, and William and Tide- he also missed him, in a way. And he couldn't wait to get out, and see him again in a normal context.

After Vyncent's fixed everything, of course. That was a given.

“You know what I would do, if I was in a tricky spot, and didn’t know how to get out of it?” Dakota asked. At Vyncent’s hum, he said, “I’d ask William for help.”

“...even if he didn't know what was going on?”

“He's really smart. And paranoid- he likes those conspiracy theories, and I think it'd be easy to get him on board. If anyone's doing the hard work for me, and getting me out of there, it's him.”

“...huh.”

That was certainly an option.

Dakota brushed off Vyncent's questioning, in favor of saying what he'd do in a time loop- like eating as much pizza as he wanted too, just like he did before the heart surgery, since money wouldn't matter, and neither would his metabolism. Then, he'd take a few extra naps, or trips- attempting to do anything he could, really, to seize the day before he'd have to figure out how to fix it.

Of course, in Dakota's timeline of events, he wasn't experiencing the same mental turmoil that Vyncent was- but he entertained it nonetheless. As scary as the time loop was, viewing it more as an extended vacation rather than a horrific paradox that he couldn't escape from made his view on the matter much easier to handle.

Then- with a stilted goodbye on Vyncent’s end, and a more genuine one from Dakota- he hung up.

In the silence that followed, Vyncent stared at the streets, and the crowds rushing through it, and he brainstormed.

-

Vyncent didn’t ask William for his help.

Not yet, at least.

There was a clear line in front of him, for how this time loop was likely supposed to end. He was probably supposed to follow along with William, seeing whatever happened after they found David, and either changing something there- or just going along with it, like he’s failed to do so far.

But Vyncent couldn’t.

Every time he thought about going in, all Vyncent could see in his mind’s eye was that door. 

And, despite wanting to get out of the time loop, and make it to Thursday, every nerve in his body urged him to stay as far away from that specific door and that building as he could possibly get. To solve all of this, somehow, and escape while also staying as far away from it as he possibly could.

He spent several of those loops in a hotel room. Taking long showers, and keeping it running for hours at a time- ordering as much food as he wanted to from room service, and renting out every shitty movie that was available for him to watch- because he knew that he wouldn’t suffer the consequences.

Dakota wanted to view it as an extended vacation, and thus, until Vyncent figured out what to do, he'd view it as one as well.

After a while, and when he soon got sick of spending his days in the afternoon, Vyncent expanded his horizons. He left the building, steered clear of Belltech, and spent a few of those loops wandering around Freedom City.

It was a lovely day, considering everything. The sun was shining, hidden by a few stray clouds, but otherwise showing off a beautiful blue sky. The air was warm, but not humid enough to be stifling- and even though they were in the city, and the city could never smell pleasant, Vyncent could take a few breaths without cringing at the scent.

Crowds of people walked the street- none of them paying Vyncent any mind in the slightest, since they had no reason to, and if he was honest… It was a nice break. Sure, he could think about what was coming next, or that enjoying the day didn't even matter- but it was a lot better than sitting around, and moping around a hotel room all day.

Freedom City was quite small, for what it was. There were only so many public places he could visit before he's seen most of it. And then, when he did see some fun things that he was interested in- like a fairground, open for the week- Vyncent saw that he needed to pay to get in, and he left his wallet with Dakota. 

So his wanderings were left to whatever he could get by just walking around. Which wasn't much.

And then, after a loop spent wandering, Vyncent naturally found himself getting mixed up with a small group of tourists, and following along behind them, like he’d been staying with him the whole time.

And as he was standing on a bridge, and looking out at a particularly nice view of the ocean, someone tapped on his shoulder. And when he turned around- ready for it to be Tide, or William, annoyed that he just disappeared in the middle of their investigation- he instead saw a couple standing behind him, and a phone being nervously handed over to him.

“Sorry-” The stranger was soft spoken, and her face was covered with a scarf, so her voice ended up being a little muffled, “Can you get a picture of us over the bay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

When they gave him the phone, it took him a minute to realize how he was supposed to be holding the phone- and then another minute entirely, to realize that he's never used a phone's camera in his life, and that he didn't know where to start.

He tapped around at random points- at one point flipping the camera over to himself, but then managing to turn it back around to face the couple. He heard a couple shutters. Then, the couple took the phone, thanked him, and walked away.

There was a part of him that wished that William could've been there with him. 

That they could've been the ones handing their phones off to strangers, or off to Tide- taking silly pictures over the bay, their arms wrapped around each other, with big, bright, and infectious smiles plastered on their faces-

A pit filled his stomach. As much as he could've been enjoying the view, or the nice day, or anything that had nothing to do with the obvious- Vyncent still felt a little guilty, over leaving his friend behind. 

-

It soured his next loop. 

Vyncent was no longer enjoying his vacation.

-

In the next loop- after waking up on the plane yet again, despite not even being in the Belltech building- Vyncent got curious.

He's been through a couple loops, at that point. And throughout every one of them, William left, and Vyncent fell asleep before he came back.

He never got to ask him where he was going. And, until now, he didn't really think that the reason it was looping was because of something happening that he wasn't seeing.

So, in one loop, Vyncent let everything take its course with the sort of patience that he had with watching water boil.

Then when it was all over, William left, and Vyncent followed him-

But he lost him immediately. And even as he quickened his pace, and tried going in different directions, William disappeared in the beautiful and bright Freedom City, and Vyncent clicked his tongue, since he knew that he'd have to wait another loop before trying again.

In his search, Vyncent almost walked right past him. 

He was resigned to his fate, and heading back to the hotel- ready to go to bed, and try again tomorrow- but on the walk home, he heard a sharp intake of breath, followed by a pained exhale- and it stopped him in his tracks. 

It didn't click to Vyncent at first what it could be- it was pure curiosity keeping him at the spot he stopped in, peeking into an alleyway that he never would've looked into otherwise. His eyes were trained on this dark, obscured silhouette that was crumpled on the floor like a forgotten piece of paper.

Slowly, Vyncent put two and two together- this was weird, and Vyncent was in a weird situation, so this must've been related to him, and this must've been William- 

He confirmed it, after stumbling closer. It was William. And, in the condition he was in, and based on all the clues surrounding him… It was clear that he'd been there for a long while. Motionless. 

Almost lifeless.

Vyncent immediately ran to assess his condition, his brain running through every scenario he could think of- how to treat him in the moment, or even if he could treat him in the moment, or what kind of hospital he needed to bring him to, before it was too late-

But the minute Vyncent tried picking him up, William hissed- and that was the only reason why he knew he was still alive. He froze a little, and William quietly asked him to keep it down.

“What the fuck- what happened here? William?” Vyncent's hands were shaking, as they hovered over a wound that he could only barely see on the dark fabric of William's hoodie. But it was glistening in the faint street light, so incredibly damp that it was scary to think how much blood he was losing.

William looked dazed. He wasn't entirely there, when he looked at Vyncent- and for a moment, Vyncent was convinced that William couldn't see him at all.

But William still put a hand on his shoulder, and still looked in his vague direction- so Vyncent knew that he was still there. And that meant that there was a chance that he would live- however low it was.

Vyncent checked his pockets, and didn't stop until he pulled out his phone.

“Vyncent?” William winced. His voice sounded raspy, and dry, and Vyncent was just trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. “What are you..?”

“What happened? Who did this?” Vyncent's gaze kept moving, from William's phone to his face, “What's- the number for emergency services? William?”

Of all the times to not know how technology worked, it had to be now. Vyncent's hands were shaking- and even if he said the number right now, he knew that he wouldn't be able to type it all in one go, and it just made his frustration worse.

William didn't answer. Instead, his hand wandered to Vyncent's face, almost like he couldn't believe who was in front of him. His fingers traced over his nose, his mouth, and his cheeks, keeping them on the side of his face. 

“You're-” His eyes fluttered shut and he pushed his lips together and a pained noise trembled in his throat. “You're not supposed to be here.”

“I am here, I am supposed to be here, I'll get you safe-”

“No one did this to me.”

“What?”

“Kemuri… I was- I was talking to him. And he wouldn't leave.”

“Don't- don't do any weird riddles now, Will-” William was so cold. So much colder than usual- the wound was in his stomach, and when Vyncent put a free hand there, the blood was cold too. Then, on his pulse- almost nothing. Almost nothing left of William.

William hissed, like he could feel it. And then, despite keeping pressure there, he relaxed into it.

“I love you…” He said, and if it weren't for Vyncent's sharp hearing, he wouldn't have heard it at all.

“What is the number for emergency services?” He held up the phone again.

William’s hand came up to push the phone away. Despite Vyncent's insistence, he refused to even look at it.

William- he didn't know what he was doing. He was too delirious, and lost too much blood to even think about what he was rejecting. It was up to him to figure it out.

“No.” William muttered, and then, right before Vyncent could ask, William coughed so harshly that it almost sounded like he was choking- and then, he clarified. “No- I'm in love with you. Vynce.”

Vyncent's face pinched. “What?”

William’s head leaned back against the wall. He was looking at him with half-lidded eyes, and pupils that were constantly straying from his face. He also didn't sound like he was there, entirely, and trying to make a comprehensive sentence while being so out of it.

“Sorry I didn't- want to say anything sooner, but now I'm… dying. And. I Figured… it'd happen. You should know.” He sounded like he was barely managing to get the words out, but still couldn't help the next few sorry's that left his mouth, after that.

Vyncent's hands clasped around the phone. 

He started going through his contacts, a little numbly- not knowing how he should respond to that. Not knowing if he could.

“...You're gonna be alright. You can tell me all about it when you're better.”

“Yeah.” William laughed dryly, “All right. Yeah… sorry, Vynce. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”

-

When the ambulance came by, William was barely conscious.

He watched them assess the body for himself. Then, slowly- as they asked Vyncent questions about what was happening, all blurring together in the back of his mind- he watched them load William onto a stretcher.

For once since this whole thing started, Vyncent hoped that it'd loop again. 

This was, by far, the worst of them- the loop where he ditched his friend, and then he ended up dead in an alleyway. Actually dead, this time, with no ghosts hanging around for them to see, and no chances of him somehow coming back to life. He didn't have his powers. His heart was likely still pumping, since it was mechanical… but there was nothing besides that.

And Vyncent very quickly came to a realization. 

Nothing was very new, this time around. It was likely that every night ended like this- and that William’s death was possibly the very reason why the loops were even happening to begin with. And if Vyncent went along with him in any other loop, he could've found that out… so much earlier.

It was a hard thing to process. Sometimes, Vyncent had trouble categorizing his feelings. 

And though he could chalk up whatever he was feeling to guilt, or a weird form of grief- he's never quite felt like this before. It burned the back of his eyes, and made his face numb. His limbs felt like they were made of lead, and being weighed down, more and more as the time passed. And no matter how long he spent in bed, trying to get some sleep, he couldn't right away.

Dakota wasn't there to hear it, yet, but he knew that he'd be devastated in a way that he's never wanted to see on his friend's face before. Tide wasn't there. It was just Vyncent, with this knowledge- and if he stayed in this place any longer, he wondered how long it'd be before his parents found out about it, too.

Vyncent slowly leaned his head back against the wall, and expected the cold stone that waited for him. 

Instead, he felt something warm- and in that instant, he knew that William had died, and that the loop reset.

-

He never dreamed, in the time loop. 

He would fall asleep, and wake back up on the plane, just as easy as blinking. 

He was glad for it. The last thing he wanted to see in his dreams was William’s body.

-

When he woke up with William's head on his shoulder, he released a sigh so heavy that his shoulders shook.

William's head perked up a little at the sudden movement, but Vyncent happily put his arm around him, and encouraged him to lay back down, and stay there. William was alive- blinking, and breathing, and with Dakota's manual heart beating a mile a minute within his chest, just like it always did. And always should.

Vyncent wasn’t normally such a clingy person. Touchy from time to time, casual enough to lay his head on his shoulder, and hold William’s hand- but certainly not like this.

William asked if he was okay. Vyncent didn't know if he could feel any better than he did at that moment.

-

Grief was a funny thing.

Because William was alive. Living, and breathing- smiling, and joking along with whatever Vyncent or Tide was saying.

William looked so… normal, at the start of it all. Nervous about the fate of their friends, sure. Who wouldn’t be, with such a cryptic text message being sent? But he still seemed okay. The bags under his eyes were because of his sleep patterns. He didn’t look haunted in the slightest.

It felt like he was watching it all in hindsight. Almost like he was watching the whole thing from an outsider’s perspective, rather than his own- like watching a movie for the second or third time, knowing that a character was supposed to die, but still holding onto that slight hope that they'll somehow live through it this time.

Vyncent couldn’t understand what could’ve happened in there, to change him so drastically. He couldn’t reasonably go from point A to point B- and as the loops continued, the pit in Vyncent's stomach grew larger, and larger.

William was alive, but this entire time, he was dying. Every minute he spent trying to make the best of the same day looping, William was dying- at the end of all of this, William was dead, and until recently, Vyncent was none the wiser.

He couldn't… process it, fully. And spending each and every day knowing that William was going to die- that didn't help very much, either.

-

In the next loop, Vyncent let everything run, as it normally did- his gut twisting and turning as he stayed in the hotel room.

And then, when William eventually came back, Vyncent wasn't pushy. He didn't ask about it. Instead, he asked about the medicine his brother had.

More specifically, “Does he have any left?”

And Vyncent didn't want to sound like he was being mean, or cold- but it was practically impossible, seeing that the loop right before it was… intense, in every way it could've possibly been. His brow was furrowed, and he was constantly glaring- and even as William flinched, and quietly patted his pockets, Vyncent didn't let up.

William pulled out a syringe- casually left in his pocket, like it was normal to have it there. 

He held it out to Vyncent, and he hesitated before he took it. So much trouble, all centered around something so… small. And inconspicuous. And even though Vyncent didn't have a good feeling about this…

William wouldn't survive, if he remembered. He wasn't stupid- he knew that much was true.

“...I'll inject it for you.”

William sniffed, and swiped at his face, almost like he'd been crying.

“You sure you don't want it? Um…” He took a breath, “It's a little intense, Vynce…”

“I'll be fine.”

“Right…” William ended up sitting down on the free bed, and Vyncent followed his lead. “Can you- inject it in my leg? Like an EpiPen? I can't feel much in my legs…”

Vyncent wasn't sure what an EpiPen was, but William pointed out a hole that was in his jeans, near his upper thigh, and Vyncent obliged. He kneeled down, like a knight ready to pledge his loyalty- sentiment all the same, even if the situation was different, and William didn't know what he was being protected from- and then, carefully, he injected him.

William barely flinched. He laid down in bed, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

Vyncent stayed right by his side the whole night. Laying down with him, and waiting for the medicine to pass- and when he became tired, and knew that he was going to fall asleep alongside him, Vyncent drew closer.

His head was on William's shoulder, this time- holding him close, like he was worried that anything else would lead to the same horrible result. When William woke up later with this day being completely wiped from his memory, Vyncent was going to be right there with him.

-

The day looped anyway.

Maybe, Vyncent quickly realized, the medicine wasn't as safe as he thought it was. That meant that injecting Tide, and William, and their other friends was completely out of the question.

That also meant that Belltech was completely out of the question, as well. His solution was somewhere else, and he'd have all the time in the world to figure it out.

-

In one loop, Vyncent quietly asked to borrow William’s phone at the train station.

Vyncent had a good sense of timing, and he's been through enough loops to know when the train was coming, in comparison to when they’d get there. Vyncent had the phone for a measly few minutes, before he threw the phone onto the tracks.

His tone was flat, as he said, “Oh- oh, God, sorry, man…”

“Vyncent!” William's hands buried into his hair, “What the fuck- what did you do that for!” 

“It just… slipped out of my hands!” He said, but maybe his tone wasn't in the right place, because William did not look impressed, “Oh, well, shit- sorry- but right before then, Cantrip texted you, and said she was fine-”

“Before you threw it?”

“Before I dropped it.” He said, and as William stared at him incredulously, Vyncent tried emphasizing, “I- must've been really happy. Since Cantrip said she was okay. And now we don't need to go to Belltech. Isn't that crazy?”

William clicked his tongue. Then, he looked both ways- and before Vyncent could grab hold of him, William jumped onto the tracks.

“William!” Tide and Vyncent yelled at the same time.

“Hold on…” He easily went over, and grabbed his phone- but instead of quickly making it back towards the ledge, he opened up his phone, and squinted at the screen.

“William, come back here this instant!” Tide said, but William was mainly just focused on the phone in his hand.

“Vynce, Cantrip didn't text me-”

William's pant leg got caught on the tracks.

And when the oncoming train hit him, Vyncent was back on the plane.

-

This time, as he asked for William's phone, he played it a little smarter.

He pretended to take a phone call, just like he had when he called Dakota all of those loops ago- going back to a little spot that William could barely see him in, as he pretended to talk into it.

Then, the minute William’s back was turned, he cracked it in half. Then he threw it in a spot that wasn’t completely visible, and then he stomped on it several times- expensive hardware shattering in just a couple instances. 

He waited a minute or two before he exhaled, and walked back out to Tide and William.

“Great news! Cantrip just called your phone, and she said that she was okay! We don't have to go to Belltech anymore.”

William’s eyebrows raised pleasantly. 

“Oh! That's…” His face went blank again, “Vyncent, where's my phone?”

“Oh- oh, yeah, just some… Guy said he needed to borrow it.” Vyncent looked back at the spot, like he was pretending to look for this supposed man, “You know… how it is…”

William didn't look impressed.

“Some guy. Wanted to borrow it.”

“Yes.”

“And… You let him.”

“Yes.”

William tried looking at the spot Vyncent destroyed the phone in, and in turn, Vyncent blocked the area with his body. He tried going the other way, and Vyncent still tried to block him.

William ended up finding the remains of his phone. 

They left anyway.

-

In the next loop, Vyncent made sure to throw away the pieces- and he also made sure to come up with a lie that sounded much more convincing.

“Someone stole it- and they disappeared immediately after they took it.”

And no matter how many times William questioned it- wondering why Vyncent didn't try to get it back, or where the supposed thief ran off to- Vyncent had a very believable non-answer. Cantrip called. Then his phone was taken by someone who must've had superpowers- and now, Vyncent was just left with himself, and his shame.

And William was still frustrated- reasonably so- but he wasn't second-guessing Vyncent's story.

“What now..?” He muttered.

“Since we're not going to Belltech, and we have the day…” Vyncent started, as casually as he could be, “Why don't we… walk around Freedom City for a bit? Until Dakota’s done? Then we can leave?”

William sighed. 

They all started walking towards the exit of the train station, and while Vyncent had to pretend that he didn't know where he was going, William easily grabbed onto his closest hand, and started helping him.

(Sometimes, when William looked back at him like that, all Vyncent could see was the alley. The half-lidded eyes. Slurred speech. The love confession, meant for his ears only when it was too late to do anything about it.

Distantly, as Vyncent squeezed his hand, he wished that this could be where the time loop ended. And, instead of having to deal with all the stuff at Belltech- that, frankly, could be dealt with, without their involvement- they could have a nice day before they had to go to Deadwood.)

-

They ended up going to the fairgrounds.

Tide paid for tickets, and set a spot for them to meet up in for a couple hours- then, it was just a matter of going around the fair, and having fun. This time, without the overwhelming guilt of leaving his best friend behind to deal with his brother- and then, eventually, leaving William to die.

He was having fun. Even though he's never been to a place like this before, and his enjoyment was hinged on William picking out the best entertainment to distract himself with- it was much better than the alternative.

They first sat on a spinning teacup ride. Once the ride started up, it would start moving, and it was their job to use a little wheel in the center, to spin it around while it was already moving.

Once Vyncent got into the movement, they spun around faster. And faster.

Their surroundings blurred. The noises of the fairgrounds- the music from the games, the distant chattering of his fellow peers, and the screaming laughter from everyone going through their own rides- all fading away with it. Pleasantly muffled in Vyncent's mind.

All Vyncent could see was William in front of him, trying to move the teacup even faster, even with him obviously struggling. His gaze was focused on the handle- face pinched, and eyes locked- and he was so focused in on it that he didn't even notice that Vyncent was looking at him.

If the loop wasn't broken, then at the end of the day, William would die. No matter what Vyncent did to try and save him, he'll die, and then it'll restart. Over and over again, with no sort of happy ending. Nothing good happened in Freedom City. Or in Belltech.

On top of all of that, the love confession certainly wasn't helping. Vyncent's thoughts on William were confusing, at best, and never something he wanted to tackle… But he knew, in love or not, William was someone important to him- and after failing him so many times, and being unable to protect him… This whole thing was getting to be too much.

William's shaky hands moved away from the knob. 

Then, quietly, he murmured, “Vyncent… I'm feeling sick…”

But Vyncent didn't stop just yet. He kept going, faster and faster- brain numbing, and stomach swooping with adrenaline the more he moved around- trying his best to distract himself from a train of thought that he couldn't seem to outrun-

William ended up puking in a trashcan shortly after he got off the ride, with Vyncent holding back his hair.

“Sorry.” He murmured.

William spit into the trash can.

Then, he pulled away from it miserably. “Thanks, Vynce… Next time let's stick to a slower ride.”

“We don't have to go on any more rides.”

William smiled a little nervously, “You wanna try winning me something?”

“Should I?”

“You owe me.”

Vyncent swore that there was something ominous, about the way he said it. He flinched.

“For- what?”

William just looked confused. “For making me puke..?”

“Oh…” Vyncent guessed that it made sense, “Yeah- sure. Of course.”

The rest of the day was spent in a weird blur.

Vyncent won William a couple prizes that they both knew he probably couldn't keep. They ate food at the fair, and almost got sick from it. They also shared a milkshake- sticking two straws into the same drink, for each of them- but it didn't matter much, since they both immediately stopped drinking it, once they tasted it. 

Then, they met up with Tide- who was alive, and conscious, and on a very pleasant phone call with Dakota. They were to meet up with Dakota and the rest of the heroes in Deadwood. 

And because it was a small town, they were going to go to the airport tomorrow morning, and take a plane to the nearby town instead of Deadwood. Then, after a train ride, and a bus ride, they'd be in Deadwood- hopefully before Dakota was.

But for now, they were in a different hotel. Tide was in his own separate room, while William and Vyncent were sharing one- and despite having two separate beds for them to lay in, they somehow ended up sharing one- not to sleep, but to just to hang out, before they had to sleep.

At one point- as they were watching a show on a low volume, and winding down from the day's events- William's head turned over to Vyncent, and he barely caught the movement out of the corner of his eye.

His eyes remained trained on the ceiling as he asked, “What else did Cantrip say?”

“Hm?”

“You said she called you, and told you that she was fine. Did she say anything else? Like… where she was? Or why she was asking us for our help?”

Vyncent played dumb. He didn't want to get too into detail, just in case there was some way that William would find out that he was lying, or something…

But, at the same time, Prime was a strange place. Strange things happened to them all the time. Vyncent wasn't supposed to know what David was doing, and he had no reason to lie about Cantrip's whereabouts- as far as William was concerned, they were all still in that shaky friendship with them- so why would he intentionally put them in danger?

(The more Vyncent thought about it, and the second that any sort of guilt came in, he'd remind himself that Cantrip and Xavier were capable of handling themselves. If anything, without getting involved themselves, those guys probably even made it out of there just fine.)

“The- phone got taken, before I could ask.” He then said, “I don't know- you wanna try to find the guy that took it?”

William’s face remained weirdly fierce, and stiff for a second.

Then, he relaxed.

“I can deal with it after Deadwood.” He then turned to lay on his back, “For now- I guess we just got your phone with Dakota. If he doesn't end up breaking that one too.”

“And Tide’s.”

William shook his head.

“No- absolutely not. Tide's going back home tomorrow- I do not want him to meet the Trickster.” William's next laugh was a little dry, “Can you imagine him trying to..?”

Vyncent's laugh was a little forced. Putting Tide into a potentially dangerous situation- what a crazy thought, huh? It's not like Vyncent's had to live that reality a couple times over…

Vyncent's face then went blank. William couldn't have possibly known that- in his head, the whole Belltech thing was probably just something they'd handle quick and easy, while the Trickster was a much more terrifying threat they had to face.

“I'm just glad we had nothing to worry about, over here.” William then admitted, “With Wavelength, and Cantrip, and the Trickster- all piling on top of each other, and at the same time- it was getting stressful.”

“Yeah.” Vyncent sighed. 

If only this was the first and only loop. Their trip to Deadwood would've been relatively painless.

They went back to watching TV. At one point, in the midst of realizing how smoothly the plan went, and how lucky Vyncent had gotten- Vyncent looked over at William.

His eyes were half-lidded again, and he looked relaxed- and despite assuring himself that William was fine, and alive right next to him, Vyncent was still being reminded of how he found him, and what he saw in the alley…

But it wasn't just William’s death that was haunting him.

I love you- slow, unsteady breaths, said in a voice that would crack from how dry it sounded. I love you, I love you…

…Vyncent wasn't sure how to feel about it.

William hadn't said anything about it in this version of events- but he still felt it. He admitted to it. Somehow, he initially slipped under Vyncent's radar- and now, while he was alive, and happy, he was harboring very similar feelings… but he also wasn't saying anything, because they weren't in a safe spot yet.

Vyncent's feelings were a little complicated. 

He knew it was hard for him to understand himself like that- and that it took a concerning amount of self-reflection and thinking before he came to any conclusions about how he was feeling- but maybe the rapid heartbeat and the weird, gooey feeling in his chest at the thought of William saying it to him again was something to consider.

He thought of that feeling. How it was something that he'd feel every once in a while, but just chalk up to something else. Spending as much time with William as possible, from when he first met him through the PD program, to the ten months they spent together, and to now-

Now, which was stressful, and repeating… but maybe afterward- after they got Ashe back from the Trickster, and saved Prime from a threat that they accidentally let loose…

Then, maybe, they could talk about it.

After another hour or so, William got off of his bed.

But instead of going over to his bed, like he initially thought, William was walking to the door instead. Vyncent sat up a little, but William assured him that he was just going to go talk to Tide for a bit.

“I'll be right back.” William promised him, “Go get some sleep.”

And Vyncent trusted him. As he closed the door, Vyncent laid down, and relaxed-

-

He woke up on the plane, anyway. 

Vyncent slammed his hand down on the seat’s armrest as hard as he could manage it.

-

Another loop passed.

When Vyncent woke up again, with William's head laying against his shoulder, on that same aisle seat in the plane, he had a crazy idea.

He didn't say anything on the ride, or through the security check. And, even if William picked up on his sudden silence, he didn't say anything about it- possibly chalking it up to him being nervous about the road ahead.

He didn't say anything until they got to the train station. Then, he tried the phone trick- and, after convincing William and Tide that Cantrip and her group were just fine, he decided to switch things up a little.

As Tide and William were talking about what to do next, Vyncent quickly pulled William aside.

“Can we talk?” Vyncent's eyes glanced over at Tide for a second. “...alone?”

William seemed surprised by it- looking back, and forth between them- but then, in the end, he nodded along.

Then, after being pulled out of earshot, William whispered, “This doesn't have anything to do with Belltech, does it?”

“What? No, I just…” Vyncent huffed, “William…” He was at a loss for words, suddenly, and he couldn't say anything that wasn't horribly blunt. “Do you trust me?”

William’s eyes darted between Vyncent's. He looked confused, more than anything. “...what?”

“Do you trust me?” Vyncent pressed further.

Vyncent knew that William did. It wasn't even something he had to consider.

He loved him, and Vyncent loved him back- and maybe, if he wasn't stuck in this hellish time loop, they could've talked about it, or worked something out. 

It would’ve been the perfect time to try this, as well. Neither of them had seen the horrors of Belltech, and were both currently riding the high of a training session gone well- even though they were still worried about Belltech, and Lightspeed, neither of them were supposed to know what was happening.

But that sort of thing was for later, if they left and if the days stopped repeating. For now, all of Vyncent’s focus was on trying to bring everything back to normal- and to make sure that William was happy, and safe along with it.

…

Sometimes, he worried that he'd become desensitized to this whole mess. 

He was worried about that in the beginning- wondering if him coming from another world affected how he was perceiving the one that he was currently living in. 

It became much more of a pressing issue after so many trials and errors, and trying to find any path that wouldn't end up with them looping. Vyncent would settle for anything, at this point. Making excuses. Telling himself that if Cantrip's friends wanted to go around killing people, then they shouldn't be surprised when people wanted to kill them in turn.

Backtracking. Running the thought through his head again, once or twice, just to make sure it was being said right. Wondering if it was a good, or morally right thought to have- then, wondering if it even mattered what he thought, at this point. Because, in the end, if he didn't start thinking differently, then he'd just get further stuck in the loop. Over and over.

Over and over. 

Over and over.

“Of course I trust you, Vyncent.” Over, and over, and over- 

“We need to take a new train, and go somewhere else.” It was Belltech, that was the center of all of this- wasn't it? Belltech, that made William curious enough to sneak off in the middle of the night. Belltech that killed William every night. “Just- you, and me. And we should spend a night there, before we go back to Deadwood.”

William turned back to look over at Tide, face going between looking at Vyncent, and looking at their unassuming mentor.

“Isn't that- a bit much? And we'd be leaving Tide behind.”

“We can just take another train.” Vyncent promised. “And he'll be fine- he's been wanting to go home.”

“Vyncent…”

He was looking away.

Vyncent put a hand up to William's face to move it back into place. And then, in a split-second decision- in a moment he's seen in so many movies, on so many plane rides, in so many loops- he kissed him.

When he pulled back, William's face was beet red, and his eyes were wide.

“Run away with me.” Vyncent said, voice flat, even as his nerves were shocking through his whole body.

William looked around, like he was trying to figure out if all of this was real- but then, in the end, it seemed it didn't matter, because he nodded along anyway. 

Then, Vyncent grabbed his wrist, and the two of them ran hand-in-hand to another part of the train station- where they could get on another train, and end up in a completely new destination.

Was it playing with his feelings, if Vyncent felt the same in return?

Yes, he realized very quickly. It was. He might've had feelings for William, but it wasn't as intense- not as much as what William felt for him, and certainly not enough to uproot his life and run away with him. He knew this, and he was intentionally prodding at them, and counting on them to get William away from this. 

And even if Vyncent didn't mind the outcome, or the fact that they were moving much too fast- he was still worried that his thinking was shortsighted.

But it was for a good reason. Whatever ended the time loop ended the time loop. He could think about the eventual problems that came with running away with William later, when it wasn't Wednesday  anymore.

Maybe, if he wasn't stuck in a time loop that he was trying to get out of, Vyncent and William running through the train station, hand-in-hand could've been something special, instead of something desperate.

Maybe it was something for William. When Vyncent looked over, he saw his face- eyes wide, and cheeks flushed, but Vyncent had the feeling that his face being red wasn't just because he was dragging him through a train station. He didn't know what was going on. He couldn't possibly know.

He just knew that Vyncent was doing something wildly impulsive. And, judging by how quickly he agreed to do it- with his standard questioning, but nothing further- Vyncent guessed that it was something that he wanted to do, as well.

They left the station, and snuck onto another train. William had Tide's phone number memorized, and Vyncent promised that they'd call him in the next stop, to tell him that they were leaving- they just had to leave, right then and there. Before William could change his mind, and somehow get himself killed.

The train started moving, immediately plunging into a tunnel, and going in the complete opposite direction.

Despite the stress welling up in his chest- wondering if the loop would somehow find a way to fuck him over, and keep him in- Vyncent let himself take a long, deep breath. One step closer.

When the train left the tunnel, and showed off the sights of Freedom City- the tall, imposing buildings, all crammed together into narrow streets, and underwhelming sights- Vyncent's face set into a frown. Soon, he told himself, the city would be completely left behind, and in its place would be beautiful, natural landscapes- and no Belltech to worry about.

Vyncent was well aware that something could go wrong, and it'd make him loop again- but part of him was looking for a way out of this mess, and he figured that getting out of the city even for a day sounded like exactly what he needed.

Rolls swapped. While looking out the window, and relaxing for the first time in what felt like years, he slowly laid his head on William's shoulder. It was a little awkward, since he was taller, and he had to angle his neck weirdly to make it stick like that… But eventually, it was comfortable.

He could feel William moving under his head. Tensing up at first, then relaxing along with him, and even leaning back against him. (And maybe, Vyncent thought, if every loop didn't start with William's head on his shoulder, and it was instead in a spot where he was a lot calmer, then he could enjoy it a lot more. It was surprisingly comfortable.)

Almost ten minutes into the train ride, William asked, “Did- Cantrip ever say why she texted me? When you called her?”

“The phone got taken, before I could ask.” He said, just as he did last time, “What- did you wanna try to find the guy that took it?”

“I guess not…” William said, a little wistfully. 

And last time, Vyncent thought that he was satisfied with the uncertainty in his response… But, clearly, William wasn't. And he probably wasn't now. And he could be as annoyed as he wanted to be, over everything- so long as they were as far away from Belltech as they could possibly get, on such short notice.

They weren't in the train for very long before William got restless. Just as he did on that night. He was looking out the outside, then out at the rest of the cabin- moving, like there was an electrical current running through him, and he couldn't keep still even if he tried-

Until, eventually, the train was slowing to a stop- and William was getting up.

“This isn't right- I need to know what's going on.” William said. “If my brother's involved- I need to know what he's doing.”

Vyncent didn't account for William's tendencies. 

Or, maybe, it was just something that was bound to happen anyway, no matter how he spun it. 

William was always meant to go to Belltech. And Vyncent was always left with the choice to stay, or go with him.

The train stopped. Vyncent's head slowly swayed as it did so- and he watched William leave the seat as quickly as possible. He did look back, once, as if to silently confirm whether or not Vyncent was going to be hot on his heels. Just as intense, or protective, or genuine as he was just moments ago, when he wanted to run away.

But Vyncent stayed in his seat. 

And William left him behind.

-

He tried the same method, over and over.

No matter what excuse he tried, or what lie he spun, William either got off on the next stop, or he didn't try getting on the train at all.

Vyncent was always left behind. He knew what was waiting for him, if he followed- Belltech. Tide. That damn hotel room across the street from it. Dakota. Reset. Just as it's always been.

Sometimes, William looked back at him. Sometimes he didn't. Vyncent didn't know which was worse.

-

In his last failed attempt, Vyncent didn't get off the train until he got to his promised landscapes- watching the scenery slowly start to change out the window, the further he got away from the city.

He wondered if everything looked so beautiful because he was seeing it for the first time, or if he was just thrilled over seeing something new. He swore that the sun wasn't as bright, or the skies weren't as clear… but he couldn't be sure. The only thing on his mind was the loop, and now, how to break it.

If there was even a way to break it. Vyncent's perspective banked on a movie he watched ages ago being right, and there being some possible ruling behind it. As far as he was concerned, anyways- he never ended up finishing it. And even though there was a clear goal to shoot for, there was also the chance that the movie ended with the main character staying in his purgatory forever.

Maybe there wasn’t a way to break it. Maybe he was dead, or something, and this was his afterlife- living through one of the worst days of his life, over and over again… He didn't know how he could've possibly died, since he was more than capable of handling himself…

Maybe it had something to do with William. He had those weird powers, back then- maybe Vyncent was the only one reliving these days because Vyncent was the one that couldn't prevent his death, no matter what he did. Maybe he was destined to, somehow, but he just wasn't going down the right path-

Vyncent thought about the door. Him freezing up. He knew that there might've been something there, and that if he tried a couple times over, he could probably fix everything, while staying right by William’s side the whole time…

But he didn't feel ready.

He wasn't usually this much of a coward, but every bone in his body was telling him to disengage, and handle everything from a distance- exhausting every possible effort, so long as he didn't step anywhere near that building. 

Vyncent found himself wandering around a new city. New sights, new sounds, and new smells- but he was hardly amazed by any of it, when he knew how the day was going to end, anyway.

He ended up sitting on a park bench, which turned to him sinking down, further and further, and practically laying on it- his face pointed towards the clear skies. The cold, outside air pricked at his skin, and he wished that he had a nicer jacket on him throughout these loops, to keep him warm.

Like it mattered. He wasn't even supposed to be outside for this long.

He sat on that bench, ignoring any passerby giving him curious glances, and eventually, he closed his eyes-

-

And he woke up on the plane, still shivering from the residual cold that stuck to his skin like glue.

Either his falling asleep triggered the reset, just as it always had when he took the train- normally lensing his head back against a seat, instead of a bench- or something happened to William on the way over that he was also unaware of.

The thought of it, and the realization that he was in another loop with no easy way out made his stomach turn. Quickly, even with William still peacefully asleep next to him, Vyncent got up, and quickly made his way to the airplane bathroom- ignoring William's tired voice calling out to him from behind.

In the bathroom, Vyncent hacked his lungs out.

He couldn't even remember the last time he ate something, at that point of the day. It must've been before they got on the plane- pizza, maybe- but nothing came up. He knew that he likely wasn't going to eat, either, since he was constantly stressed, and constantly losing his appetite. And because of where he was put in the loop, he didn't have to eat anything. 

He would never starve. He was nauseous all the same. It was a horrible combination.

He hated it in that bathroom. It was cramped, and small, and the artificial light was giving him a massive headache. And after a second, when there was a light knock on the door, he almost expected to be told off for being in the airplane bathroom, or something…

But instead, he heard William's quiet, muffled voice coming in from the other side. “Vynce- you okay?”

“No...” Vyncent groaned in response.

And then, half a minute later, the door opened, and William peeked inside.

Vyncent glared at him. William scowled, raising an eyebrow, like he was quietly asking Vyncent what his problem was. (And maybe, in his defense, it was warranted- because minutes before Vyncent ran away, they were sleeping, and it was quite peaceful. 

Now, suddenly, in William’s mind, Vyncent went from peaceful, to throwing up in an airplane bathroom. Angry in a very jarring switch up. He couldn't blame him.)

“Dude… It wasn't even locked.” Despite that, William slipped around the door, shut it, and properly locked it behind him so that nobody else could come in.

“Sorry.”

William had a weird look on his face. Somewhere between a scowl, and the look of someone who was overwhelmingly sympathetic.

“What's going on, Vynce?”

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” He said, miserably.

“Try me.”

For a second, Vyncent almost didn't say anything. 

He didn't have to, certainly- just because he was going through it didn't mean he had to drag William along with him- but, at the same time, this round was bound to loop, too. He needed to get back to his seat, and then spend the rest of the plane ride brainstorming different options to take…

But, if this was bound to loop, then that meant that anything he told William would be forgotten by him. He tried to find any way to gently articulate it, or explain it- but there really wasn't any way to dance around it. He needed to be blunt- and rip the bandaid off.

“I think… I’m in a time loop.” He finally said, to William's obvious surprise, “And I can't get out of it.”

William didn't look too surprised to hear him say that. He looked more confused, than anything else, but also ready to hear him out.

“A time loop?”

“The day is looping. I've lived this day… so many times now.” Then, just as William was about to interject, he said, “Yes, just like Groundhog Day. Yes, I watched it without you. Sorry. Or-” Vyncent rubbed his face, “We watched it in one loop together… but I didn't even finish it. God…”

Vyncent felt like he was going to throw up again. 

He didn't.

“You've lived this day before- is this… a magic thing? From your world? Or is it someone's power?”

“I don't know…” He whispered, only because he couldn't raise his voice much higher, “I haven't been able to figure it out- how it started, or how to get out of it, but- at the end of this day, you die. And there's nothing I can do to save you.”

William looked off to the side, like he was trying to process it.

“What… happens?”

Vyncent took a breath.

“Something bad happens when you go to Belltech.” He warned, first and foremost, “Even if we don't go, you get curious, and you'll go anyway- or you'll die before that, and then…”

“Yeah- yeah…” William rubbed his hands together. Vyncent couldn't tell if he was cold, or just nervous. “Then it'll loop-”

There was a knock at the bathroom door, and the two of them jumped, and stopped talking. Vyncent’s ear twitched, when he heard a woman’s muffled voice on the other side, asking if they were going to be in there for much longer.

“My friend is throwing up- violently!” William called out nervously, “It's- it's really bad in here! Don't come in!”

They waited a few more seconds, before William turned back to Vyncent.

“Look- we can try to keep me safe. And if it doesn't work, then next time, you can tell me what's going on again, and we can save it then, somehow… and find a way to break the loop. And everything will be fine. You'll have the time to do that.”

“I'll have all the time in the world.” Vyncent muttered.

“Alright- tell me what you know, Vynce.”

Vyncent told him as much as he could remember, while also keeping most of the information to himself. William didn’t need to know what his brother was up to, or how he got himself involved- and he definitely didn’t need to know how most of these loops ended…

But he did emphasize that everything happening at Belltech was horrible, and that the best way to get through this day was to avoid it entirely. 

“You're sure? We can't go there at all?”

“Yes.” He pressed. “I'm very sure.”

“...can you tell me what happens?” William's eyebrows upturned, like he was pleading with him.

Vyncent's face twitched. “No.”

“Can you tell me after?”

Vyncent ran a hand across his face, then, and kept it pressed on a spot between his eyebrows. He took a long pause before he finally said, “Fine, yes- after we break out of this, I'll tell you anything you want to know. But we have to make it to tomorrow. And that means that you can't go to Belltech, and you have to be careful today, or- you'll…”

“Die.” William finished for him, a little quietly. “...do we die, leaving the airport?”

“No.”

“At the train station?”

“...sometimes.”

“Okay- what about after that?”

“...” Vyncent leaned his head against the wall. “I haven't gotten that far.”

“...that doesn't help me, Vynce. If we want to live, we'll have to do some trial and error. Is that what you want?”

“As long as we don't go to Belltech, we should be fine.”

William rolled his eyes.

“Anything else you want to say, before you loop? To get it off your chest?” William then asked, “Since I'm probably dying, and forgetting all of this anyways.”

Vyncent certainly had a complaint. His head raised, and his face set, and it was clear that William got caught off guard, because of the sudden mood switch.

“I hate how fucking- curious you get, sometimes. You know how many times it’s killed you?”

Now that Vyncent was actually thinking about it, all of William's deaths happened because he was curious. About Belltech, or his phone… If he just minded his own business, he'd have a better shot at getting through the day.

“Hey- that curiosity is the only reason why we're here right now.”

“And!” Vyncent held his hand up, “Sometimes, it feels like you don't trust me. Half the loops, you just ran off on your own, even though I tell you not to.”

If William did it again in this loop, despite finally knowing the ramifications and situation that he was in, Vyncent was going to wake up on the plane and smack him.

“I have problems with authority, and you're telling me what to do!” William threw his hands up, like he was expecting it now, “But we're not going! It's been decided. Right?”

“Right.”

“If you're sure.”

“William.”

He nodded along- and Vyncent could tell that the curiosity was bugging him, and that he definitely wouldn’t forget about his promise. Vyncent just wondered how much of it he should tell, and how much was best to keep to himself.

“Anything else?” He prompted, “Preferably less… complain-y?”

Vyncent's eyes darted between each of William's. First his left, then his right- since he could never quite find the best one to land on.

“I also know you're… in love with me.” He admitted, so quiet that it was basically a mutter. “You told me.”

William's eyes became shifty, and his face immediately went red. If he could go intangible, he probably would've gone right through the floor, and off the aircraft- dead, yet again, because of Vyncent.

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” He settled on, eventually, and the two of them ended up quietly laughing- stifled. “I don't even- I can't even process that, right now. Why would you tell me that, Vyncent?”

It almost felt inappropriate to laugh. Like they should've been somber the whole way through- or like, maybe, the quiet laughing fit should have ended up with it awkwardly tapering out- but for Vyncent, it was just one loop out of many more he'd have in the future. He'd have to live this again, and again- and the only thing he could do was gain a steely resolve, and try to find good moments like this all the way through it, until everything went back to normal. 

And for William…

Vyncent couldn't even imagine what William was thinking. He had the added assurance from Vyncent that it wouldn't matter, since everything would restart again, but that didn't mean that he still wasn't feeling those intense feelings- dread, or anxiety… it probably felt surreal, living through one day, and then having your whole world turned upside-down…

Instead- besides the usual dread that settled on his face- he looked somewhat peaceful. Assured. They'd both be fine. Vyncent's smile slowly faded- it was weird to see everything working out for him so well, but at the same time, he was just glad that it was working out at all.

“When I figure out how to stop this time loop, and I save everyone-”

“With my help.”

“When we save everyone.” Vyncent corrected himself, with a very slow eye roll, “And when a while’s passed, and everything's back to normal… we can talk.”

William's chest rose with his next inhale, eyes wide and hopeful. It almost made Vyncent wish that they had run away together. Maybe, next time, after he spilled the whole thing about the time loop, he could actually convince him to leave.

“Promise?” He whispered.

“Promise.”

“Alright.” A steady exhale from William. “It's… weird. I know you have your own feelings about being in the loop, but it's weird knowing that this will probably be the last time that this version of me will exist. And… I don't know. It feels like I'm dying.” 

“...” Vyncent's eyes narrowed, “But- not actually. Right?”

“No- not actually. I’m actually fine.” Then, there was a crack in that peaceful look. “For now..?”

Vyncent wrapped one of his hands around William's, and leaned closer to do so.

“I won't let you die again.” He promised, and William relaxed, “Just in case we find a way to stop it- I'll protect you. I promise.”

If Vyncent had any say in it, then this would be the final one. They’d survive, and even if he had no definitive way to prove that he was in a time loop, or it was never mentioned again- he wouldn’t care, because it would be over.

William pushed his hand aside, and then pulled him in for a hug. Warm, and comforting- pressing the right amount of pressure against his back, and tucking his head away into the crook of Vyncent’s neck. William wasn't much of a hugger, Vyncent knew, but for a moment like this… It made sense. And it was so nice.

It was a scary situation, above all else- something above all of them, with no discernable way out. And… in all honesty, Vyncent needed it, as well as a break. 

So he hugged William back- brushing a hand through his hair, and keeping him as close as he possibly could. 

“...this would be a lot nicer, if we weren't sitting in a small bathroom together.” William then said, quietly, and Vyncent laughed a little.

“I don’t want to go back out there.”

“I don’t think they’ll kick us out, if you’re still sick.” After another few moments, William finally pulled back, but he kept his hand firmly planted on Vyncent’s arm.

William patted at his pockets with his free hand, and pulled out a pen. Then, after turning Vyncent's arm over, he wrote the number one on his wrist.

Vyncent stared at it. “...what's this?”

“Let's start by keeping track. This is our first one, I think, so…”

“...” Vyncent frowned. Then, he took the pen from William, and fixed it- turning the one into a five, and then writing a big zero right next to it.

William grabbed his hand, and pulled it closer to his face- like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

“You've been through 50 loops?”

“Feels like it's been 100.” Vyncent said, miserably.

“You've been through… 50 loops.” William repeated, much slower, “And you just now asked for my help?”

“I didn’t want you getting involved!”

“I’m the mystery guy, this- this is my thing.” He tapped his chest, “If anyone was gonna help you solve this, it was going to be me.”

Vyncent elected to ignore the fact that Dakota basically spelled that out for him in the beginning of all of this.

“Alright. Wise guy. What do we do first, then?”

-

First and foremost, they parted ways with Tide at the airport.

They didn’t leave him behind without saying anything, like Vyncent did at the train station a couple times before- since he was just now aware of the loop, it seemed that William was optimistic about putting an end to it, while also keeping careful about the one they were in.

After they left, and they were far out of Tide's earshot, William whispered, “Where are we going?”

First order of business was getting out of there as quickly as possible.

They went the same route that Vyncent had when he was first determined to get them out of Freedom City. And sure, maybe, one day they could take the train headed out to a random getaway, and it'd be just as nice and gooey as it should've been-

But, for now, it was to serve a certain purpose. If he wanted that, he had to save William first.

After they got off the train, the two of them realized that they had some time to kill, and that it was still around noon.

Being in a new city, they decided to get some food- but because of their limited funds, they decided to get some street food.

William died by choking on his.

-

After a couple loops ending in food-related deaths, Vyncent was strict.

“No food for today.” Vyncent said sternly, “Every time we've gotten something to eat, you either choke on it, or get food poisoning- and you keep dying from it so easily.”

“We can't just- not eat.”

“Do you know how many loops I've been through? I've only eaten or drinken in a couple of them, and I turned out just fine.”

William didn't seem all that convinced, “Am I going to have to make sure that you remember to eat when this is all over?”

“If it ends.” Vyncent said a little pessimistically, before he stretched out his wrists, and then his shoulders. “Just… Think of it like we're fasting. I used to do it all the time, for training.”

“With your dad?”

“Yeah.”

William gave him a look. Vyncent gave him one back.

In the end, William died in that loop because he fainted, and hit his head on something tough.

-

In the next loop, Vyncent was admittedly a little frustrated.

He picked a fight with William. It ended with him pointing out the weapons in his luggage, security being called over, and with the two of them being detained for a couple hours.

Defeated and tired, they ate in the airport- but they both chewed very, very slowly as they did so.

And as they walked through the streets of Freedom City- headed towards the train station, in the hopes of making it somewhere far away from Belltech- Vyncent kept as close an eye on William as he possibly could. In turn, William side-eyed him a few times- like he was checking to make sure that he was still doing it. And then, when he obviously was, William would look forward again- likely hoping that Vyncent would follow his lead, and do the same.

He wouldn't. Eventually, William took his hand- grip light and unsure, and obviously ready to pull away at any time, if either of them wanted it.

“I'll be fine.” 

He hadn't gone through the time loops like Vyncent has. His words weren't reassuring in the slightest, since the universe hated him, and it seemed like William was attracted to getting himself killed, more than anything or anyone else…

But he still squeezed William's hand back, because he wanted to be reassuring.

He died in that loop anyway. 

Not because of the food, but instead because he got hit by a car that blew through a stop sign. One second, Vyncent was looking away from him to keep a better eye on their surroundings, and then suddenly, both of them were hit, and dead.

-

And when Vyncent woke up on that plane again, his entire body felt like it was on fire.

Not everything stayed when the day looped. If Vyncent took off his jacket, or let his hair down, then it'd all appear right back where it was the original time around- but sometimes, the pain he'd sustain in some of the loops would linger.

This one certainly did- past the point that it'd usually stick. And while William was going through the motions of a normal loop- checking the time, and asking if Vyncent wanted to watch yet another movie- Vyncent's jaw locked, and he suddenly felt like he couldn't move.

-

When Vyncent woke up again, he was in a hospital bed.

But before he could get too excited, thinking that he finally somehow found a way out, he woke up with Tide sitting beside him, and informing him that it was still Wednesday. Vyncent just had to be taken to the hospital because he fainted on the plane, and wasn't waking up.

His eyes lazily scanned the room, but he knew that he would've noticed if someone else was standing in the room. 

“Where's William?” His mouth was dry. The air was stale. This was hell, and somehow worse than the airplane.

“He went ahead. Said that it was probably just some… trouble with his brother, and that we didn’t have to get involved.” 

Vyncent could never tell how Tide was thinking, from just listening to his tone of voice.

He'd somehow perfected the sort of stoicism that made every sentence a nightmare for Vyncent to interpret. (It didn't help that his face was just as blank. First, Vyncent thought he was tired. Then annoyed. Then he thought he was just fine- mind repeating those thoughts, over and over, until it made his head spin, and Vyncent gave up.)

“Fine- whatever.” He hit his head against the pillow, and it sank in further.

“Do you want me to call him?”

“No.” Vyncent tried not to think of it as a waste of a loop, but instead, a chance to rest before the next one. And, based on how much pain he was in initially, maybe it was something he needed.

Even if sitting in this hospital bed, and doing nothing was starting to get on his nerves a little. Vyncent readjusted himself, sunk further in the bed, and shut his eyes- but even then, he couldn’t seem to fall asleep.

“Vyncent, is there something going on that I'm not being made aware of?” Tide asked, and now, Vyncent picked up on him being careful.

Vyncent squeezed his eyes, like they'd somehow shut even further. “What do you mean..?”

“I feel like I'm… out of the loop.” He said, a little slowly, and Vyncent flinched at the word choice. “I thought we were going to Freedom City to save your friends, but now, William's going to meet with… his brother. And when I offered to come with him, he dismissed me.”

“It's probably just some family drama… We don't know any more than you do.” Vyncent tried, but he could tell that it was still not what he wanted to hear.

“I know, but I'm worried.” Then, much quieter, even though Vyncent could still hear it, he muttered, “If this has something to do with his brother- and it's something dangerous- I know what it's like. I just want him to be okay.”

Vyncent understood that as well. Not just a betrayal from his family- which took a while for him to come to terms with- but also relating to William on that front, and then wanting to help and support him through it. Even if the wound was still fresh.

Vyncent opened his mouth to reassure Tide. But, then, he closed it again. It was quiet for a long time before he opened his eyes, and then said the first lie that came to mind.

“I don't know. I like to think that William’s smarter than that.”

He didn't know if Tide knew that he was lying. 

He didn't care, so long as Tide didn't ask about it any further.

-

Hours later- while Tide kept Vyncent company, and Vyncent tried to ease the guilt of keeping it all a secret- William showed up at the hospital.

His face was red, and his eyes were blotchy, like he'd just been crying. It looked like he was trying to keep his face neutral, and still, but it just wasn't working out for him.

Vyncent noticed because he's seen it a million times over. Tide only noticed when William stepped further into the room, and thus got close enough to see it for himself. His eyes widened, and he was standing up in an instant-

“William-”

“I'm fine.” He said, immediately.

“You look..”

Tide didn't finish the sentence. He didn't even have to.

“I just need a minute.” William obviously wiped at his face- and even though he wasn’t crying, he still didn’t look good. “I need to talk to Vyncent. Alone”

Tide looked back at Vyncent for a second, as if he were trying to discern something from him- but Vyncent was exhausted, emotionally and physically, and he’s been through this day so many times that something like this was commonplace for him. 

Then Tide looked away, and patted WIlliam’s shoulder. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

Vyncent thought that the words were a bit hollow, and they both knew it to be true. Even though they missed Tide, and brought him with them for a reason, they hadn’t gone to him for advice or help for a very long time. A nice sentiment wasn’t going to change that.

William sniffed, and kept his eyes on the ground. 

Even without a dismissal, or even an acknowledgment from William that he heard him, Tide took his cue to leave. They waited through the sound of footsteps pausing before moving away from the door. And then, when it was finally quiet, William turned back to face him with a much more devastated look on his face.

“Vyncent, I just did something bad.” He whispered.

Then, he took Tide’s spot- and to Vyncent’s surprise, William spilled everything. Not just what happened in the beginning, as Vyncent saw it- but everything.

“...I killed Cantrip.” He said, and Vyncent felt a little lightheaded from the confession. William looked like he could barely get the words out, and all Vyncent could feel was guilty- like it was his fault, somehow. “The medicine to make her forget- she overdosed. And now she's gone.”

“...”

“I didn't mean to- it just happened, and I don't know what to do…” Sentiments repeated, heard over and over- manifesting in the same horribly grief that would end up taking his own life, “David said he had it all handled- but- I don't know who to talk to about this. Or what to do. And it's freaking me out.”

“I'm sorry.” Vyncent muttered.

William had to take a couple breaths. Vyncent’s head was buzzing, but he couldn't remember William being so… outwardly emotional about this. Usually, he was straight-faced, and maybe a little distant- but it was never like this.

But no matter how many times it looped, or whatever strange reaction he had, Vyncent knew that it was still his friend that he was talking to. Even if he wouldn't remember, Vyncent still had the urge to reassure him, and protect him, in some strange way- making sure that everything was alright. Because he cared about him.

To be more reassuring, he held out his hand, and when William took it, Vyncent squeezed it tightly. He could feel him shaking, but he didn't know if it was from stress, or because it was cold- and it didn't matter.

“...” William weakly squeezed his hand back. 

Vyncent thought of a million things he could've said. About the loops, or how William was going to be fine, and none of his actions mattered- spewing out a long, emotional reassurance, to make him feel better, and let them be on the same page-

But Vyncent was tired. Not of him, but of this.

“You’re fine. I’m here for you.”

William shakily sighed. 

“Okay. You're here.”

But he still sounded distant. Unconvinced. Like his fate was laid out in front of him. 

And then, slowly, William laid his head down near Vyncent’s lap, and curled in on himself until he felt comfortable again. Vyncent’s arms easily pulled him in for a weird hug that neither of them wanted to break- sitting in complete silence.

A part of Vyncent hoped that the loop would end there, with William staying with him in the hospital until he got discharged, and still ultimately living to see tomorrow.

He wasn’t involved with the Belltech problem- but it wasn’t because he disengaged, and left William to deal with the worst of it. It was because he physically couldn’t go. And then, even if he told William everything, he could be absolved of the guilt of it all. 

It wouldn’t be his choice, to end it all right then and there. He could flourish his words, and posture, and say he tried everything else in his power to stop it- but it only ended in the way it wanted to end, and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no good way out of it.

That line of thinking just made the guilt a bit worse- but it was true. A part of Vyncent was selfish, and cowardly. It didn’t want to go into Belltech, or see William’s brother- it wanted all of this to end quietly.

And the other part of him was the exact opposite. Even if he hadn’t fully indulged in it, there was still that stupid urge to step in, and throw himself right in front of the barrel of the gun. Saving William from knowing what happened on this cursed day, and preventing him from sinking so far into a problem that he sought no way out of it- only because it’d be Vyncent, in his shoes.

Maybe that was the take-away. This problem was too intense for William to handle, and Vyncent was now supposed to be above it all, since he’s lived it so many times. If he was in William’s shoes, and pushed past those fears, they could make it to Thursday.

Vyncent didn’t know.

All he knew was that he wanted it all to end. He knew that William was crushed.

He also knew that, despite his nerves, maybe he was right. Maybe he was more prepared to handle it.

-

Another loop was repeated. Then another. 

At this point, Vyncent knew what was happening there. 

And he knew what he needed to do to stop all of this, and save William from his fate. 

Even if he didn't want to… He had no other options left.

-

Vyncent promised himself that, so long as he was there to stop it, William would never have to feel as helpless as he did during the natural progression of the loops.

That meant finding out other angles. Making sure that the final time loop would happen without anyone getting dying- but, most importantly, without William getting hurt.

That meant flagging down security at the airport, and leaving behind William as they kept him behind. That meant ditching Tide minutes later- taking a shortcut through an airport he knew how to get through by heart, now. That meant taking the train, and then finding other means of transport, since he couldn't call and Uber, and have them drive him over-

And then- after blasting through his little patrol of guards- that meant pausing in front of that stupid door that's been haunting Vyncent, throughout this whole mess.

And, finally, opening it, and seeing it all for himself again.

It was just as horrible as it was the first time he saw it. Cantrip, and Xavier on the side, restrained. Alan on the operating table, cut open, with William's inexperienced brother being the one to do it. Vyncent could understand why he left the first time around.

And while Vyncent was still trying to catch his breath, David finally noticed him- his head turning around before his eyes did, like he couldn't be bothered with whoever was trying to see him. David stared at him like he was a stain on his sleeve, rather than a person in the room with him- more specifically, a person that blasted through his security, and was definitely there for him.

“Your brother's coming over to visit you.” Vyncent said, coolly. “If you don't want him to see you like this, then you should get dressed. And get out.” He held up the sword further. “Now.”

But David still wasn't impressed. He turned back around, and spoke to him very professionally.

“Don't I know you from somewhere?” The majority of his focus was on Alan, which probably should've been a good thing, since he was still cutting him open, but Vyncent almost felt offended. “Purple hair… that's not very easy to come by.” 

Vyncent's expression grew sharper. “What's that supposed to mean?”

David vaguely nodded towards the other two in the room, who were chained up, “You were with them, right?”

“...”

“I saw you on the security tapes.” He then said, quietly, like it was being said under his breath, “Walking through the lobby, like you own the place… Then, what? Trying to sell me credit cards?”

For a second, Vyncent didn’t even know what he was talking about. It certainly sounded like him- credit cards were his whole thing- but he's spent so much time in the time loop that anything that's happened before this day was just a blur that he had to take effort in remembering. It clicked pretty easily- David remembered the heist, and he was punishing them for that.

People were killed in the confrontation, he knew. It was one of the main reasons why the rest of the PD were a little wary around this group- because they'd been taught that killing wasn't good. Whether it was a bodyguard, or BAD militia, or a villain- they were the good ones because they didn't kill to get their way. Hero-like, even if the title of hero was only loosely applicable.

Whether or not they deserved what was coming to them because of the lives lost at their hands, or not- Vyncent could mull over the morals of it all later, when it was far behind him. Years going by, occasionally thinking about how fucked up it was that David was cutting open their friend, even if that friend had killed so many of his employees… 

But in the future. When it didn't even matter anymore. (Distantly, Vyncent thought, even calling them his friends was pushing it a little- but maybe that was just because he’d been through this loop so many times that he didn’t really care anymore.)

“I'm serious.” Vyncent pushed further, “William will be here any minute, and if he finds you like this…”

“He'll have to get through my security first.”

“What security?”

Then, David seemed to be a little concerned. There wasn’t any security in the room with them. There were supposed to be some standing outside, just in case… but if Vyncent was standing there, unaffected, and with a sword in hand- his stance spoke for itself.

Now, finally, David seemed… not worried. But like he was finally listening to him.

“You're his friend, I'm guessing?”

“It's none of your business.”

“If you're so close to him, why isn't he up here with you? Why'd you come here first- and-” He raised his hand, and waved his hand, “Is the sword really necessary? I'm weaponless, here. And my security's down, apparently. So that’s fun.”

Vyncent's eyes briefly trailed down to the tray at David's side. He nodded towards it.

“You have that knife.”

“Scalpel.” David corrected him. And, even if they were so different, David had a similar tone of voice that William would often take, and hearing it made him a little nauseous. “It’s not going to do much. I promise.”

And Vyncent really didn’t want to put his sword down- but he lowered it anyway, just to ease David’s nerves. But even as he did, David went back to focusing on Alan.

“Come on…”

“I need to close him up. Unless you want him to die?”

“I don’t.”

“Then give me a minute.” David muttered some more unsavory words under his breath, and Vyncent pretended not to hear it.

The plan in his head was simple. David would clean himself up, meet William when he eventually showed up, and they'd go around, and pretend like nothing was going on- and that Cantrip and her friends weren't there, or David didn't have anything to do with her sudden disappearance… And then, it was all a matter of keeping him alive, and living to tomorrow.

In the middle of David closing him up- presumably finished, by the way he sighed, and leaned back against his seat- they both heard a sudden bang coming from outside the hallway. The two of them flinched, and looked back at it.

After a pause, waiting for another sound that didn’t come, David asked, “Is that your guy or mine?”

“It’s definitely yours.” That didn’t mean that William wasn’t there, though. Vyncent was just surprised to see him back so soon.

“I thought you made it past all my security.”

Vyncent rolled his eyes.

“If it’s William, I’ll talk to him”

“If it’s not, they’re not gonna take too kindly to trespassers.”

Vyncent rolled his eyes, and for a second, he debated on letting his brother see him in such a horrible light. (Maybe after all of this was said and done, and if all of them made it out of this, then Vyncent could stand to go on a couple more missions to piss off David, and make his life harder.)

“Get cleaned up, man.”

Vyncent opened the door, and poked his head into the hallway, but he didn’t see anything right away. With his sword still held in his hand, he kept an ear out for footsteps, or the sign of anyone’s presence- whether it be the remnant of David’s security, or William…

Vyncent didn’t make it very far before he heard a click. 

And then, seconds before he thought to turn around, he heard the sound of a gun going off- and everything turning black

-

When Vyncent woke up on the plane again, his chest hurt so badly that he thought he was having a heart attack-

But he could move, unlike how it was in the hospital loop. And he could breathe. And he was awake. And, as soon as he got his bearings, and William was asking if he wanted to watch another movie, Vyncent was already muttering, and quietly agreeing to it.

Vyncent cupped his hand over his eyes, and he sighed. Every time he and William watched a movie on the plane, it was always the same few ones he cycled through.

“Play- that one movie.” Vyncent muttered, “The one you talk about a lot.”

“Groundhog Day?”

Vyncent never wanted to hear that movie title again. “No… the other one. The one about the guy that's stuck in a TV show, and nobody knows but him…”

It seemed like ages ago, now, since William's talked about it. Vyncent remembered that it was right before they got on the plane, but never mentioned afterwards, but he's never tried to actually watch it.

It was quiet, for a second. And Vyncent gave it another few before he moved his hand away from his eyes, and finally noticed the look on William’s face. Intensely looking at the screen, and scrolling through the different movies available.

“I don't think they have it on here.”

Vyncent huffed, and leaned against his seat.

“What was it called, again?”

William muttered his answer. Vyncent didn't think it was strange until he realized that it was the sort of muttering he'd normally understand perfectly, because of his hearing- but now, his brain couldn't pick up on it at all.

“What was that?” Vyncent repeated, and William shook his head.

“We could watch a horror movie instead.” He tried, “One of those slasher films…”

Vyncent frowned, and leaned his head against his hand “You don't care for slasher films.”

“I can make an exception.”

“What about that movie you like?”

“They don't have it.”

“Have you checked?”

“Yes.”

“What was it called?” Vyncent then looked at the screen- and even though it mostly looked like an incomprehensible mess of buttons that he couldn't navigate for the life of him, he was ready to help out-

But William ignored him.

“Let's watch this.” He then said, before picking a random movie.

They got comfortable for a second, with William leaning his head against Vyncent's shoulder- but Vyncent didn't pay attention to the movie. Instead, he spent half an hour trying to remember the name of that movie asked about earlier.

But no matter how long he thought about it, Vyncent couldn't remember the name of the movie.

He bumped his elbow against William’s arm. And, after a quiet hum, Vyncent yet again asked, “What was that movie called? The one I was talking about?”

“It’s not on here.” William muttered, in a very annoyed tone.

“But what was it called?”

“I don’t know!” Despite his tone raising, it was still quiet, and wistful- and Vyncent barely heard it, “If I remember, I’ll let you know.”

“...”

Vyncent sat in that seat for another minute or so before he got up, and quietly excused himself to the bathroom. And, despite giving him a confused look, William didn’t question his absence.

After closing the bathroom door behind him, Vyncent stared at it for a good, long while.

Something was up.

Vyncent’s had this feeling for a while- that everything wasn’t as simple as he thought it was going to be, and that there was something underlying, even if he couldn’t place what it was. Something that he was missing, in all of this- like he was the butt of a practical joke, and he couldn't understand it no matter how many times it was explained to him.

And it all amplified, after William couldn’t name that stupid movie. Even if he didn’t talk about it as often as he had, Vyncent knew that William’s memory was incredible- and if he knew what movie Vyncent was talking about, then he’d be able to say the title of it, like it was written on the back of his hand.

And then, as Vyncent thought that it was strange, more strange things came to mind.

He knew the type of gun the guards had. He's been through so many loops, and fought so many of them- he knew what it sounded like when they shot them. They were quiet. And quick. And small.

Whatever killed Vyncent had done so with a much louder kick. Somewhere in his mind, it couldn't let go of the fact that it almost sounded like William’s gun, shooting him in the back.

His brain strayed further.

There weren't any guards in the room, when Vyncent swore that there were supposed to be at least four of them standing around on the inside. That's how it was the first time- it was supposed to be the same throughout every one of them, wasn't it? Then why did it change?

William was never as emotional as he was in the last loop- and Vyncent could’ve chalked it up to him being in the hospital on top of that, but even then, something about it was off. 

Vyncent also only saw Dakota once in the loops, and after a while, him calling in to check on them became something that he didn't think about too often, and thus, something that made him a little suspicious.

Something was off, Vyncent knew. Now wasn't a time to figure out how to get out- but instead, what was causing it all in the first place.

When Vyncent left the bathroom- wiping off his wet hands onto his shirt, instead of a paper towel- he stopped in his tracks once he noticed that the inside of the plane was dark. In every loop he's been through, the plane has never been dark.

The only light was coming from the screens on the back of the seats- grayed out, but still emanating light. And even then, it didn’t do much, in terms of lighting. It just made everything a little dim, instead of pitch black. (As if it mattered- Vyncent could see just fine in the dark anyways.)

But it wasn’t the dark that Vyncent was so focused on.

Every screen on the plane was lighting up the faces of the passengers, even if it wasn't much- and it was in that minimal lighting where he realized that none of the other passengers were moving. Not their eyes, or faces, or any part of their bodies- frozen, as they stared ahead, uncaring of Vyncent walking down the aisle, and trying to catch their eye contact.

It looked like they were all mannequins, being as stiff as they were. 

Vyncent could remember seeing those things in stores for the first time, when he first got on Prime- and feeling this horrible, unnerving alarm whenever he passed by them. He couldn't tell if he was worried about them coming to life, or them moving suddenly- as far as he was concerned, it was a strange thing to hate so much- but the thought of something that wasn't human attempting to look like one just made him feel… bad.

He felt that same unnerving. He assigned a malicious intent to these mannequins, even if they were all just sitting in their seats, and not moving…

Except for one. 

And it took Vyncent a second to realize that the only mannequin moving around in their seat, and standing up wasn't a mannequin- but, instead, his best friend. And even though he knew that it was William, he had the same blank look on his face.

“William..?” He whispered, but he didn't even seem to flinch in his approach- keeping his hands on the seats, like he was steadying himself with every step he took.

Then, when he got close enough, there was a glint, and William reached for the axe that normally sat at his side- something that was supposed to be hidden in his luggage, until they got off the plane- was suddenly in his hands.

That axe swung towards Vyncent's head, and just barely missed its mark.

It hit a mannequin instead, and as his stomach churned- worried it hurt a real person’s face- he saw it go through the thing like it was just a thin piece of plastic. It swung again, this time, hitting a screen again, and sending sparks flying out everywhere- and it made Vyncent wonder if he had bad aim, or if he was doing this on purpose.

They looked at each other. Vyncent could barely see his face, with the way the screen lighting up was glitching- flashing blue, and white, and black so suddenly that his eyes had trouble adjusting to it- but he saw the blank look on William’s face. He was focused, and completely locked in.

Vyncent didn't stick around for too long. He ran- moving around the mannequin's hands that were sticking out a little too far- and since he didn't know where else he could possibly go, he just ran down the aisle.

When he looked back, William was moving slowly- similarly moving around the mannequins, and fitting through a much narrower space. He was still focused, and that axe was still in his hands.

In the light- or, rather, the lack of it- it was much easier to see the look on his face. The scowl, complete disdain shown to Vyncent, like he'd done something terribly unforgiving to him- even though they were buddy-buddy just seconds ago. 

All because he had a realization.

The plane aisle never ended. No matter how fast Vyncent ran, he was always standing in a certain part of the plane. And every time he looked back, William was always trying to catch up with him- even if he wasn't actually making any progress.

After a few more doorways passed, Vyncent made a sharp turn into a bathroom, just as he was in a few minutes ago-

And, just as he was going to turn around to shut and lock it, he paused. Then, he whipped his head around. 

Because he was not in the airplane bathroom.

The doorway still showed the inside of the plane- right where he was- but instead of leading into the bathroom, he was back in the hospital. This time, instead of being in his room, he was in the hallways of it. The lights were dimmed, and unlike how it was before, with the ambience- everything being loud enough for Vyncent to notice signs of life, and machines beeping- it was deathly silent. A building, with nothing in it but himself.

This had to be a dream. William was attacking him for no reason, then the scenery changed, like he was on a movie set of some kind… this couldn't be real.

Vyncent shut the door behind him anyway, since he didn't want to run into William again, but it apparently didn't matter. Because when he backed up, and started looking for a way out of there, William was suddenly standing there- right beside the door, like he'd been there the whole time.

This time, his face was covered with a gas mask, and his coat was covered in soot. Nothing could be discerned- no expression, or goal in mind. He just looked like he was reloading his shotgun- deft, discolored hands messing with the barrel of it. And even though he wasn't quick, he was still handling it with expertise- like his hands were just shaky, and it wasn't his fault that he wasn't reloading it fast enough.

When Vyncent stood there- still trying to wrap his hand around such a jarring transition, and such a jarring revelation- William did a double-take, like he wasn't expecting him to be standing there, instead of running away.

William gestured to the hallway with his head, like he was giving him a head start, and encouraging him to keep going.

Vyncent didn't need to be told twice. 

He started running immediately- sprinting down hallways still unfamiliar to him, despite how many times he's been stuck on this day in particular. Behind him, after turning down a corner, he heard the sound of the gun going off, immediately followed by that corner of the wall exploding into a cloud of shrapnel.

He just barely missed. If he hit, then he was either down, or he’d end up on that plane again- and then, even if he was on the plane, he didn’t know what would happen. 

He didn’t know why William was trying to kill him now- he didn’t even know if any of this was real. None of this made any sense.

All Vyncent knew was that he had to play it smart. He ran ahead for a bit- then he remembered that it was William, holding that gun, and that he had that gun for a reason. He wasn't a fighter. If Vyncent got the jump on them, and they fought- William could always use his smoke powers to get an advantage, but there wasn't any smoke to take advantage of. 

As far as Vyncent was concerned, he was in the clear. He would win.

So Vyncent pressed against the wall, and listened for the sound of footsteps. When William went around the corner, Vyncent charged- grabbing his hands, and holding the gun. And even as the gun went off, and Vyncent’s ears started ringing, he didn’t let go.

The gun was thrown off to the side. And then, in a move that Vyncent's only seen in their training, William got low- and tackled Vyncent to the ground. He was trying to restrain him, he knew it very well, but William couldn't keep hold of him.

As they fought, William's hands constantly reached for the axe at his side. He had trouble fighting Vyncent off, and reaching for it- and when he did finally manage to grab it, Vincent intercepted, and threw it off to the side.

Then, it was a race to reach it first. They were wrestling like kids, both trying to crawl, and reach for the axe. And in the end- even with William fighting dirty- Vyncent was the one that managed to grab it.

He prepared a swing, either to get William off of him, or to fight back, and keep himself from getting hurt-

“Vyncent…”

But he hesitated.

William’s face changed. Suddenly, he was confused, and worried- and suddenly, Vyncent's hands were shaking so hard that he felt like the axe was going to drop out of his hand at any second.

“What is wrong with you?” Vyncent asked him, genuine frustration bleeding through- like talking would somehow help him out, here.

William’s eyes went from the axe, to Vyncent. 

At first, Vyncent thought that he was just scared of it- but then, William lunged toward it, and tried to grab it, and Vyncent just managed to get it out of his grasp, and remind himself that William, for whatever reason, was actively trying to kill him.

Vyncent angled his shot. He could see William’s face- eyes wide, and shocked, and scared- and even though he faltered slightly, Vyncent still struck.

“Vyncent-!”

The axe connected with his head, digging into his hair, and cracking the gas mask on his face. William stilled, then swayed, before he crumpled to the ground. And for a long, horrible few seconds, nothing happened.

When Vyncent exhaled, it was loud, and his whole body shook with it. He could feel himself paling, blood quickly draining from his face. Even though William had attacked him seconds ago, and tried to shoot him multiple times, Vyncent still worried that it was actually William, somehow, and that this wasn't… What, a dream? Something worse, just as he suspected?

The loop also didn’t end for a long while. 

So while Vyncent stood there, and stared at William’s body, he went from being so sure about his decision- and so sure that it wasn’t William, and that this wasn't real- to wondering if he ended the loop, finally, by killing him. Despite everything, and despite his efforts to protect him.

His thought process quickly discarded William trying to kill him. Then, he started remembering how quickly each loop reset after his death- and then he started thinking about what Tide would say or how Dakota would react- or how the police would react, once they realized-

His life was ruined, not just because he killed his best friend, and the one person he was supposed to protect above all else- but also because it was the only way that the time loop would end.

Vyncent reached for William’s body. His hands hovered for a moment, unsure of where to put it, before he tried making contact with his shoulder-

But then, with his body dissipating like smoke, William disappeared along with the rest of their surroundings.

-

Vyncent woke up with a strangled shout- sitting up so quickly that it made him lightheaded.

With a rapid heartbeat, and even quicker, shallow breaths, Vyncent frantically looked around the room he was in, and very quickly realized that he was in the Winnebago.

For once, he was in the Winnebago. 

Which meant that Dakota must've come over at some point, to bring it. Which must've meant that he must've been out of the time loop.

Vyncent took a deep breath. He was finally out of the time loop- and, maybe, he was a little further from that day than he thought he was- but he didn't care about what time or day it was, so long as it wasn't Wednesday, and they weren't in Freedom City.

Slinking around the corner, instead of being in the bed, was William himself- wide away, despite how late it was, peeking into the background of the Winnebago with a confused look on his face. Then, when he saw that Vyncent was awake, his face changed.

“Oh, Vyncent-”

Vyncent was on guard immediately, backing away, and even holding one of his arms up- as if it could do anything to fight against the shotgun that was still very much strapped to his back. Or the axe at his hip. Or the chainsaw, which wasn't currently on him, but definitely still nearby, since William had turned into a weapon-hoarding fiend, ever since he lost contact with his wisps…

“Whoa-” William held up his hands, and even backed up himself, “You okay?”

“I…” He was alive. He was alive. Vyncent’s eyes unfocused. “I… had a really. Really strange dream. I think.”

Vyncent, slowly but surely, let his guard down. William waited until he did as well- still sporting that look on his face, like Vyncent was weird for acting like the way he did.

“Yeah..?” William prompted.

Vyncent's head was spinning. “Where… are we?”

“In the Winnebago?” William looked over at the front of the Winnebago, which was currently unoccupied. “We’re on our way to Deadwood.”

“What about Belltech?”

William frowned, “What about it?”

“Did we-?” Vyncent paused. But, ultimately, he couldn't find the proper words that he was looking for. “Did we… go?”

William sighed.

“I thought about it.” He said, nonchalantly, before he sat down on the end of Vyncent’s bed, “But… I ended up just calling my parents and leaving them a voicemail, instead of going there. It would've taken too long.”

“What about Cantrip?”

Something weird flitted across William's face. “What about her?”

He readjusted his position, and looked at him- but Vyncent didn't pick up on anything that made sense. William didn't seem cagey, about Cantrip and her friends possibly dying, or even the fact that they would've absolutely seen them if they went to Belltech by now. No- this was something different.

He was almost expecting him to say something about Cantrip. Teasing him for talking about her in a way that was trying to be playful, but just missing its mark. William gave him a look, and for once- thanks to context from his brain, however true it may be- Vyncent fit the pieces together perfectly.

Was William jealous?

It was so strange to notice, and realize it. Even if the time loop hadn't been real… this was.

“...nothing.” He then said, and William rolled his eyes. Vyncent tried his best to tread carefully, “So- we just came back from training?”

“You were out for the day. Dakota thought about waking you up, and I told him not to worry- but if you weren't waking up…” William shrugged, “I don't know. Doesn't matter anymore, does it? You’re obviously fine.”

Vyncent felt… weird.

He laid back down in his bed. William made a passing comment, saying he couldn't understand how Vyncent could sleep for so long, but still be tired…

And Vyncent zoned out. William returned to the front of the Winnebago, and slowly, Vyncent's eyes strayed over to Dakota, who'd been sleeping throughout the entire conversation. His back was turned to Vyncent, headphones cuffed around his ears- no doubt trying to get a good night's sleep, before their big fight with the Trickster.

And Dakota was asleep, sure…

But the longer Vyncent looked at it, the more off it seemed to be.

Dakota slept with his headphones on, sure- keeping Ashe's playlist on loop, on the particularly bad nights- but whenever he did so, Dakota wouldn’t lay on his side like that. He'd be laying on his back, since it was the only comfortable position to lay in with those types of headphones on. (And Vyncent would know, since he had similar headphones, when he first joined the Prime Defenders.)

The more he thought it to be strange, the more he realized that something was definitely wrong. Dakota wasn't snoring softly, which he did every night- and which Vyncent treated more like white noise, rather than an annoyance. He wasn't moving around- tossing and turning a bit, before ultimately staying on his backside.

Vyncent soon realized that Dakota wasn't breathing. He couldn't hear it. He wasn't moving at all.

Vyncent sat back up.

Suddenly, he was looking for anything else that was out of the ordinary- any scratch, or thing out of place- but he wasn't William, and his memory wasn't something he could completely rely on…

His eyes widened a little.

“William.” William’s head popped up around the corner again, and looked at him curiously, “What was your favorite movie, again?”

“What?”

“The one about the guy that’s stuck in a TV show, and everyone knows but him. What was that movie called?”

William’s eyebrows twitched. He was looking at him, eyes darting between both of Vyncent’s, like he was trying to figure something out.

Vyncent knew that it was a weird question to ask out of the blue, and even weirder to ask it after he’s been out for God knows how long- but, at the same time, he couldn’t ignore the little voice in the back of his head, telling him that he needed to make sure that this was all real.

“...I don't know what you’re talking about.” He said, slowly, “Did you get a concussion during training…?”

And for a moment- for some reason- Vyncent felt inclined to believe him.  That this whole movie he was fixated on knowing about stemmed from a point in a stupid fever dream, and that it didn't actually exist, and he was making things weird by trying to get William to talk about it…

But Vyncent couldn't shake off the feeling he had. Dakota wasn't moving. The Winnebago was never this clean. And last time he got so focused on that stupid movie, it led him down a long train of thought that led him to the truth.

When Vyncent looked back up at William- glaring at him- he understood the situation perfectly.

And, it seemed, the demon understood it as well. His face changed- going from neutral and relaxed, to something a little more snide. It was weird, seeing such a disgusted, unnatural look on the face of a friend that would otherwise never look at him like that.

“What?” 

“...”

Vyncent knew that he had his sword nearby as he slept. He always did. And as William drew closer- giving off an unnatural, threatening aura as he approached him, like a cat inching closer to a bird he planned on attacking- Vyncent leaned back, and felt for it with his hands.

He felt the handle, and looked away just long enough to get a better grip on his sword. Then, when he looked back, William was much too close for comfort.

Vyncent shut his eyes, and slashed William with his sword.

It wasn’t William- it was a demon, or something worse, and it was all in his head, and it was going to try and kill him again-

But there was still something so viscerally terrifying, seeing his best friend grabbing at the injury he gave him, and backing up- surprise painting his face, maybe, to catch Vyncent off guard, and make him think that he actually did something bad. (After so much time spent trying to protect him- his brain tried emphasizing- Vyncent went ahead, and ripped off the bandaid himself. How cruel.)

But Vyncent knew better than to listen to the small voice in the back of his head, encouraging him to overthink it, and ultimately question this decision. He knew that going along with it or spending too much time thinking about it would’ve spelled out another doom. 

And as William backed up, Vyncent's grip loosened on the sword to make himself lighter, and he bolted for the door of the Winnebago, and slammed it open hard enough to break it.

When he opened it, instead of being met with the outside world of Prime, he was back in the main building of Belltech. 

It was a little disorienting, turning around and seeing the Winnebago leading to it- but at the same time, Vyncent was relieved.

He let out a loud sigh that turned into a laugh. 

He was right- he trusted his intuition instead of relying on his friend’s, and he was right. And, sure, it was just giving him a head start, in what was inevitably going to be another chase- but after so much failure in this stupid fucking time loop, he’d take any win that he could get.

“Vyncent.” He heard from behind him.

Fog spilled out from the door that he just came through- slowly but surely seeping in through the halls of Belltech. Just as it had in many of the loops beforehand. The lights dimmed, then slowly turned red-

And then, slowly stumbling out of the door along with the thick fog, Vyncent saw William- but not as he was when they were in the Winnebago just a few seconds ago. He had that mask on again, as well as his shotgun, the axe on his hip, and the chainsaw at his side… but, even from a distance, Vyncent was not just worried about the weaponry he had on him.

He looked… Uncanny, just like those stupid mannequins left behind on the plane. The wound Vyncent gave him was still there- getting worse, if anything- but he wasn't paying too much attention to it. The more Vyncent, the more he realized that his neck was a little longer than it was supposed to be, and that his posture was just a little worse- lurched forward, like a plant remaining stationary, but growing as close as it could towards the sun.

Vyncent also heard the sound of breathing. It wasn't his own, which was growing quicker. It was slow, and shook his shoulders with each exhale. And it sounded wet- and even though Vyncent couldn't see much from where he was standing, he was knowledgeable enough about injuries to know that there must've been blood coming out of his mouth.

They had a stand-still. Vyncent heard that horrible breathing, and saw that horrible sight- and he only ran once William's crooked fingers reached for the chainsaw at his side, and started revving it up.

He didn't even know where he was supposed to go. 

He wasn't in Groundhog Day, he was in William’s favorite movie- everyone was in on the joke, except him- and now, he was running away from a force that felt… Inevitable. (And Vyncent tried to look on the good side, and remind himself that the real William was alive and well, and that everything would be okay once he left-

But it was hard to do that, as he was still actively being chased.)

William appeared from around the corner, and Vyncent curbed that instinct to freeze, and ducked from the chainsaw that was set to dig into his neck. It hit the wall next to his head instead, and he almost slipped moving away, and running in the other direction.

William had a strange power. Vyncent knew he saw it used a couple times before they made it to Belltech- his ability to teleport, whenever nobody was looking at him. Vyncent couldn't reasonably keep his eyes on him, while he was running away from him.

His next best option was to hide. Somehow. Turn a corner or two, running at a speed William couldn't achieve on his own- 

But Vyncent saw William at every turn, always standing too close for comfort. No matter how fast he ran, or how many times he ducked away- it just felt like he was running around in circles, at some points. Fruitless trying to find any exit that didn't exist, or a hiding spot that wouldn't do anything for him but stall for time.

Vyncent wished he brought that sword with him, instead of dropping it by accident. He was so stupid, leaving himself defenseless like that- but, at that moment, he didn't even think about it. And if he wanted to fight back, he needed an alternative.

Vyncent had magic, but it wasn't strong enough to the point where he could use it in a fight like this…

“Vyncent.” William's voice called from the other end of the hall, then behind him, then around the corner in front of him- moving all around him, “Vyncent…”

He couldn't help but feel that urge to stop and freeze every time William tried to get the jump on him. 

Vyncent would have to force his body to move, since it was the only thing keeping him from getting his head cut off. He kept an ear out for footsteps, or any sort of shift in movement, just in case William decided to change tactics, and then he dodged every attack.

He slipped at one point, leg hitting the floor, and William took a chance. Suddenly, he was on top of him, pinning him to the ground, and waving that chainsaw around in his face. William's bodyweight kept him down on the ground, and Vyncent used both hands to keep the chainsaw from sawing his face in half.

William- or whatever this thing was- leaned forward, and pressed it further, and further. Vyncent could feel the heat from the chainsaw’s blade, and it once got so close to him that he could swore that he felt it pressing against the hairs on his face- but before it could get too close, he pushed it away.

“Your friend's done this before, hasn't he?” The demon egged on, head moving closer in his effort to kill him- and it wasn't hard to get close, with his neck being a little longer than it should've.

Vyncent had no clue what he was talking about.

But he knew that the real William wouldn't hurt him- and the fact that it was trying to scare him, or make him doubt himself was really starting to piss him off.

So Vyncent readjusted his grip. He moved the chainsaw over to one side by the handle, and with William trying to adjust it... Then, in a swift motion, he slammed it down to the ground- taking down the demon with it. Vyncent didn't do any damage, but he got him to get off, and then he took an opportunity to run again.

Vyncent tried everything he could to stagger it. There were carts in the hallways filled with stacks of papers- and, after coming across one, he tried slamming it down on the ground- but it didn't do much, aside from slowing him down.

The paper flitting to the ground did give him an idea, though.

He had Origami.

Vyncent scoffed. He was supposed to have Origami, at least- but where has he been, this whole time?!

He knew that the time loop was strange, but he also knew that Origami would've still been in his head. He never left, and Vyncent never cast him out- and yet, that annoying voice never piped up to give him advice, or anything. Asshole.

But he did have his powers still, and it was something that came naturally to him, compared to his actual magical abilities. So Vyncent steeled himself, and with a wave of his hand, those stacks of papers became sharp, and quick-

And despite hitting the demon head-on, it only stumbled slightly- confused, and possibly hurt, but not dead.

And Vyncent knew it wouldn’t die. But he still took his chance at getting a headstart.

This time, when he turned a corner, his eyes scanned the hall until he noticed a supply closet, sitting nearby. If he could hide from it, somehow, as he made a plan- then he could come up with something helpful.

“Vyncent…” The demon called out his name again, but because of how its voice sounded, Vyncent barely recognized his own name being called out.

When Vyncent opened the door to the supply closet, he expected it to just be the inside of a supply closet. 

Cramped, and full of cleaning supplies- being his only brief solace, before the demon would come rounding the corner, and knocking down the door. Something he could use to buy himself some time needed time.

Instead, when Vyncent busted down the door, he immediately turned around to close the door behind him. His hand reached out, intending to find something to block the door with- but he didn’t find anything. 

And when he then turned around, he was instead met with a dark room that was much bigger than it was supposed to be.

It was pretty empty, aside from a couch, and a television, with a man sitting in front of it. Vyncent came in from the side, looking around for any details, but the room itself seemed to wash into the background, and give more attention to its focal point.

The man on the couch- Origami himself, covered in blankets and holding a large bucket of popcorn- didn't flinch at Vyncent’s entrance. His eyes moved to look over at him, before he looked back at the TV.

There were cowboys on the screen. He was watching an Old Western movie.

“Hey, man.”

“...” Vyncent almost considered walking back out again. 

But, then, he remembered the deranged demon wearing his best friend’s face, as well as his own attempts at getting away from it- and then, he decided to stay a little longer. He needed to find a way again.

“What are you doing here?” Origami asked.

“I'm in a time loop, and I’m being chased by a demon.” Vyncent said, bluntly, hand coming up to scratch his chin. The demon hadn’t broken through the door… and it’d been a while since Vyncent first walked in. “Like- in Groundhog Day.”

Suddenly, the program on the TV changed. And instead of watching that old, black-and-white Western, they were watching (what Vyncent eventually realized to be) the movie Groundhog Day.

Only, instead of the original actors, it was him as the main character, going through each time loop- along with William, playing the main love interest that was following along in the time loop, entirely unaware of what was going on. 

Origami seemed bored, and Vyncent's sharp hearing barely picked up on his mutterings.

“You couldn't have acted in that. This movie came out way before you were born.” He held up a boxy remote, and switched it back to the old Western movie. His eyebrow raised, “Unless you’re over a hundred years old.”

“I’m not.”

“Hm.” He said, and then, Origami suddenly wasn’t interested in whatever he had to say, beyond that. Vyncent huffed.

Vyncent shook his head- he couldn’t afford to get so distracted. “Can you help me break out of it? You’re in my head- it’s definitely affecting you too!”

“I didn’t even notice. I was busy.”

Somehow, without even trying, Origami easily managed to get under his skin. Vyncent got huffy, and he gestured to the door- which he knew was minutes or seconds away from being torn down, or littered with bullet holes, after the fake William found them again.

“How can you miss it?”

Origami gave him a weird look, like if he wanted to know if Vyncent was serious.

“I'll be honest.” He started, slowly, and Vyncent knew he was trying to be condescending- and that was only making the whole thing worse. “I checked out once you and your friend started chasing people with needles.” 

He said it so plainly, like he was talking about not being interested in the weather. Vyncent was caught off guard, shoulders slumped, and anger melting away in an instant.

“When I- what?”

-

On that TV- refusing to sit on the couch next to Origami, and instead sitting on the floor right in front of it- Vyncent learned the truth about what happened at Belltech on that day.

They entered the scene that Vyncent was now so familiar with. William, in an attempt to save as many lives as possible, made sure that he could cover his brother's mistakes. In the middle of hunting down Cantrip and Xavier, to keep them from remembering what took place at Belltech, Vyncent left. Then he came back, and even though he didn’t entirely catch what William was doing… he still got a bad feeling from it.

Shit hit the fan. Cantrip died. Vyncent and William found David again, and Vyncent stayed by his side the entire time after that- worried that William would do something he couldn’t back out of, and keeping an eye on him. They told Dakota, and even though they were initially worried about his reaction, he kept it together, for them.

There was a scare later that night, with William being by himself, but he didn’t die. They all made it to Thursday, with plans to find Ashe, and finally save him.

There was something so horribly jarring, knowing that all of his efforts being spent in this horrible place was all for nothing. It cemented it further- it’s already happened, Vyncent only had one shot, no repeats, and everything after that was just specially meant to hurt him, and stress him out-

And it worked. Vyncent got attached, and promised to save a version of William that didn’t exist, while the real William was probably doing just fine in the real world. (Not completely fine, considering that it was still something that happened- recently, likely- but he wasn’t dead. And that was all that mattered, to Vyncent.)

Origami changed it back to the old Western movie. Vyncent watched the movie alongside him, quiet as he did so- trying to pick apart everything he just learned- until he realized that one of the cowboy movies was Origami himself. Then he scowled, and any sort of processing flew right out the window. This prick has been watching his own movies the whole time Vyncent had been looking for a way out of there.

Sure, he had every right to back out- Vyncent wanted to, and wished that he backed out initially, according to the footage that was shown to him- but he could’ve stepped in at any point to help, or give him advice, and he just… hasn’t.

“Am I just- in a coma, or something, then? In the real world?” He muttered, a little bitterly, “Since none of this is real.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been paying attention.” Vyncent gritted his teeth, but stayed quiet. Origami looked down at him, “You haven’t woken up?”

“I feel like I’ve been in this loop for over a year, now.”

“Hm.” Origami fiddled with the remote, and he flicked past a few of the loops- memories of William dying, over and over again, along with memories of Vyncent swearing to save him- and eventually, even with the assurance that none of it was real, Vyncent still kept his gaze on the ground. He felt so stupid.  

“Seems like you’ve had… an adventure.”

“I don’t want to hear it from you.”

“Yeah, okay, sure. Whatever.”

The channel switched.

He recognized the ceiling of the Winnebago in an instant. The hole in the roof, and their attempts to cover it up with duct tape- just barely managing to keep the cool air out. On the TV, he saw William’s face, front and center, and because of the angle, it looked like Vyncent was lying down, and that William was hovering over him.

He wasn’t looking at him, though. He was there, but his attention was set on his lap, and primarily taken up by whatever he was doing. Every once in a while, William would look over- and he would look worried- but it was always short.

At one point, it seemed, William’s hand came up to Vyncent’s forehead- but he couldn’t tell if he was brushing his bangs out of his face, or feeling his forehead. Either way, it seemed, Vyncent was asleep- and probably had been, for a long while.

“I don’t think much time has passed at all.” Origami then said, and Vyncent tried his best to shake off the oncoming dread he was feeling. 

“That’s- what’s happening now? Not a memory?”

“It’s happening now.” The remote clattered to the end table at his side, and his arm sat on the arm rest- keeping his head held up by the palm of his hand, “That’s my point of view when you’re awake, usually.”

It hasn’t been a year, or over that- and if Vyncent was asleep any longer than a couple days, then he’d expect to see the ceiling of a hospital, rather than the one of the Winnebago. If he had to guess, Vyncent was only asleep for a few hours longer than he should’ve been. And William must’ve thought that he was sick, rather than possessed. Which wouldn’t be good, if he eventually died from it.

“Can you talk to him?”

Vyncent heard a click. On the screen, for just a few seconds, an audio symbol appeared with a giant red line cutting through it.

“Nope.”

Vyncent huffed, “Can you do anything helpful?”

Origami shrugged, “Are you getting attacked right now?”

“No.”

“Then you’re fine, aren’t you?” Vyncent glared at him, and Origami held his hands up, “I don’t know what you want me to do, kid! I’m not omnipresent. I’m only as powerful as you are, and I didn’t even know that you were in trouble until you told me.”

The channel switched back to Vyncent being chased by the demon. He glared at it.

“If I die, then you’re dying with me.”

“Sure, yeah.” He changed it back to the Old Western movie. “In my afterlife, I got to star in movies. Made a few more friends. It’s not all that bad, you know.”

Vyncent quietly shuddered. He didn’t want to know what would happen, once he died… He just hoped that it wouldn’t be something like this, just as he originally feared. 

Maybe he could just be a ghost, and haunt the rest of the Prime Defenders. Maybe he could find some way home. If he wasn’t going to defeat the demon anytime soon, then he needed to be fine with dying- and he needed to be fine with it fast.

“Why are you in here, then?” He said, and even though Vyncent was talking, it almost felt like he was hearing someone else asking the same questions.

“I just had some unfinished business to take care of.”

“Is there any way to get you out?”

Origami gave him a look, “Not that I know of.”

“Not for you.” Vyncent reassured, maybe a little too harshly, “For the demon.”

“Maybe it’s like fighting off an infection. Like… you’ll have to wait for your immune system to fight him off, or something. Then you’ll be fine.”

“Every time I try to kill it, it just pretends to send me back.” Vyncent rubbed his forehead.

The footage reached the part where Vyncent tried using Origami’s power. Quietly, he heard Origami snickering.

“What?” Vyncent demanded. “Think you could do better?”

“There’s just… so many other things you could do with my power.”

“Yeah, like what?” Then, as Vyncent thought about it further, he sat up a little straighter. “Could you fight the demon off for me?”

“Uhh…” Origami drew out, long, and considering.

“You’ve been in here longer than I have- you’re like my immune system, fighting it off!”

Origami winced a little, “Kid, I don’t know. I’m usually confined to this room. I don’t go poking around the other parts of your brain, like that…”

“I’m not gonna have a brain for you to go- avoiding- if you don’t help me. Come on.”

Then, with a long, drawn out sigh, Origami peeled himself off the couch. 

His long, blond hair was a bigger mess than it usually was, and as he stood, he readjusted the robes he still had on- looking more like loose pajamas, now, instead of the hero outfit that it was supposed to be. Vyncent was also quickly reminded of the fact that Origami was slightly shorter than him, neck growing stiff as he had to keep it angled downward.

Origami cracked his back, and then quietly (almost reluctantly) made his way over to the door. He looked back for confirmation, earning a nod from Vyncent, before he tried the handle.

It clicked, like it was locked, and it wouldn’t budge. Origami gave up immediately.

“Well, I tried.” 

Then, when he tried to turn around, Vyncent immediately corrected him. And when Vyncent tried to open the door, it opened without a hassle- and he held it open, for the two of them to walk out of it. (Mentally, he realized that it must’ve been the same reason why the demon couldn’t blast down the door, and attack them- there were just some parts of his brain that it couldn’t reach.)

Origami took a look around, like he was seeing it all for the first time, miffed by its presentation.

“The inside of your head looks…” Maybe Origami was trying to find something nicer to say. Either way, he couldn’t find it. “...Shabby.”

Vyncent looked around as well- but this time, he was keeping a distinct eye out for the demon. “It’d look a lot nicer, if it were up to me.”

“Like what?”

“Home.” 

He said, and whether he meant Fauna, or Prime, Vyncent didn’t know. Nor did he care to. His highest hope was to never have to see any of this ever again.

They both made their way down the halls- Origami moving a lot more nonchalantly, whilst Vyncent was rushing with nerves, and ready to take off at any moment’s notice- and, for a while, it was just tense. Walking with no direction.

Vyncent heard him before he saw him. The distant thumps, and the crawling of a being with too many limbs to be considered normal. Always close by, but never close enough to attack. And as they both paused, and waited for an entrance, Vyncent couldn’t help but wonder if it was hiding from them, or if it was hunting.

Then, out of the corner of his eye- past a corner- Vyncent saw something move. That same feeling stayed with every turn- the demon watching, just visible enough for Vyncent to see it, while never engaging with them. 

And as he realized that it could’ve just been hiding, he dashed towards it, with Origami audibly struggling to keep up with him.

And when Vyncent turned a corner, the first thing he felt was pain- a hot flash, coupled with the nausea of his whole body being turned around, and moved, like a rug being pulled under him. And it wasn’t until he was moving that he realized that the back of his head hit the ground, and that the demon- or whatever the fuck it was supposed to be- had Vyncent by the leg, and was suddenly pulling him along the floor.

Vyncent couldn’t even comprehend the demon, at that point. He saw hints of his friend. The gas mask, above all else, and his messy hair atop a fairly normal head- but his form wasn’t something that looked to be stable. Vyncent saw a jumbled silhouette of limbs, and body, all forming something that couldn’t even begin to look human. It didn’t even look like anything- it was just a bright mass of energy, black sparking with the orange of your standard demon, and it was pulling Vyncent along, and dragging him around every corner.

If Vyncent didn’t twist around, and keep his hands up with every turn, he would’ve hit his head against the walls enough times to give him a nasty concussion- or kill him for good. 

At one point, he slammed his hand against a corner, and tried his best to keep himself from going any further. Vyncent felt the demon's grip move down his leg with the struggle, and even pull his shoe off, but it let go, and Vyncent took the opportunity to run. It chased behind him, just as he thought it would- limbs, or tendrils, or whatever it was- struck out to catch him again, and just barely missed every single time.

Then, he turned a corner, and met back up with Origami, who was running after him. And when the demon rounded that same corner, shooting out to catch Vyncent again, Origami just waved his hand-

And that tendril seemed to disintegrate immediately- or, something close to it, fading away into a bunch of scraps of paper that floated gently to the ground like a pile of confetti. Origami glared at the paper, but otherwise didn’t say anything about it.

“Watch this- I’m gonna trap it.” He muttered, and then- almost like it knew its future fate- the demon tried to leave again.

Origami held his hand up. Vyncent watched intensely, as the demon froze in place- and then, like it was a sheet of paper, it began to fold in on itself. 

Over, and over- and it was screaming, in that ugly, distorted imitation of his best friend. (Not in words, necessarily, but still calling out in a way that made it obvious that it was in pain.) At one point, a hand shot out- inky black, and orange, and threatening- and it just barely missed hitting Vyncent before it was folded in on itself as well.

And then, in an anticlimactic, quiet death, all that was left of the demon was a small paper man. It was quiet for a second- and then, like a fish suddenly thrust onto dry land- the paper figure started flopping around on the floor.

Vyncent gingerly crouched down beside it, hitting against his shoe with violent intent, but with no way to actually fight him. Then, cautiously, he picked it up.

“Alright.” Origami sighed, hands landing on his hips, “I'm sure it's fine, now.”

The paper man looked like it was made of colorful construction paper- folded up into a tiny, cartoonish interpretation of William. Eyes showing off its anger, since it was lacking the rest of its face to be able to do so.

“...I didn't know you could do that.”

“I didn't, either.” Origami muttered under his breath with a quiet laugh.

The paper demon rattled in Vyncent's grip violently. Vyncent held it up by its foot, like he would hold a lizard by its tail- almost scared that it’d fold over, and bite his finger if he wasn’t careful with it.

Origami crouched down right beside him, and looked at him a little closely.

“That’s what’s been messing with you?” Origami muttered. Then, his thumb and his pointer finger came up, and he flicked the thing’s tiny forehead.

Understandably, it shook even more violently- trying and failing to attack- and the two of them just watched it struggle.

“It's like a tapeworm…” Vyncent 

“I guess. Not my finest work, but it's… Fine.” He held it down, closer to Vyncent, “You could probably put your little friend in your pocket, there-”

“He’s not my friend.” Vyncent said defiantly.

“Right…” Origami’s eyes narrowed, but he still stuck the demon in his pocket. And Vyncent could feel him in there, angry as ever, but unable to do anything.

He looked back at Origami. “What now?”

Origami shrugged, “You get out of here. I go back to watching my shows. And we'll both pretend like none of this ever happened.”

“...how do I get out?”

Origami shrugged, stretching his shoulders out in the process. Then, he turned tail, and walked right back into the supply closet he came out of- slamming the door shut behind him, and leaving Vyncent behind in this cold, dark hallway.

The demon moved around angrily in his pocket. But with it being neutralized, and with no other threat in sight, he casually strolled through the halls of Belltech, in search of an exit. 

He got onto the elevator, same as he did on the actual day. Then, he pressed the button for the lobby, and waited- swaying, as the elevator jumped, and began its ascension.

The elevator ride was mostly uneventful, but even so, Vyncent took it with the same sort of mind-numbing helplessness as he had the first time- now, just because he had to come to terms with the fact that he wasted his time, and all of this hassle was for nothing.

When he got back home, the days would’ve already passed, and depending on how far along he was, it would’ve been more of a minor thing in William and Dakota's minds, while still being wholly present in Vyncent’s. (Everything- including William’s confession, and Vyncent’s promises- meant nothing, and were said to no one.)

In his pocket, the shaking subsided. The demon stilled. And when Vyncent curiously took him out of his pocket, he noticed that the little origami demon seemed to be disintegrating in his hands. Lighting up with a faint blue light- almost acting like a blue flame, licking the edges of the paper away, before tearing away in embers of light, and disappearing into nothing.

Vyncent kept the demon pinched between his pointer finger and his thumb until it was fully gone. Then, maybe a little suddenly, the elevator halted, and the doors opened.

Behind it, instead of the lobby he was keeping an eye out for, Vyncent saw that there was an inky black nothingness behind those doors- keeping open, like an invitation.

Vyncent didn’t understand the implications. He just stepped through the threshold, and flinched as he fell.

-

When Vyncent woke up again, he was lying down, and there was so much adrenaline rushing through his veins that he wasn’t thinking straight. There was someone leaning over him, and he was still bracing for the demon to be there, ready to attack-

So Vyncent sat up. In the process, he headbutted the person leaning over him- his forehead hitting William square in the nose- and he staggered backwards from the impact.

Seconds later, when he righted himself, Vyncent saw the blood quickly trailing under William's nose, as well as the dazed look on his face. His hands were hovering near his own face, like he didn’t know where to put them.

“Vyncent…”

“William-” It was probably him- in case it was, he needed to be nice. If it wasn’t, and this was a lie, too, then he could just handle it later. “William, I didn't…”

“No… You're good.” His voice sounded strained, and even though he didn't look to be too sad, his hands were still cupped around his bleeding nose- and when Vyncent leaned forward, he noticed that William was even crying a little, from the pain. “You got lightning-fast reflexes, Vynce… God.”

William titled his head back. Vyncent’s eyes widened, and he immediately corrected it, since he knew that doing that would just drain the blood into his mouth. Then, with William staring at him- confused, and worried, all in the same light, Vyncent moved his hand down to his friend's shoulder, and squeezed it.

“What is your favorite movie called?”

“...What?” With his fingers blocking his nose, he sounded a little squeaky, and congested. Vyncent’s grip became tighter.

“The movie about the guy- his whole life is a TV show, and nobody knows but him. What was it called?” Vyncent pressed further, and begged that William would get it right. And, in case he didn’t, Vyncent’s sword was already within arm’s reach.

William didn’t have to think of it for too long, but his eyes still twitched as he answered.

“The Truman Show?” William asked, and like a particularly annoying itch in his brain just got scratched, Vyncent sighed out in relief.

“Okay… ooh-kay…” He slapped William's arm lightly, and William jumped at the contact, “It's you- it's actually you this this time. You're here.”

William looked confused out of his mind- eyes darting around the Winnebago- but with a nervous, forced smile, he went, “Yeah, Vynce. I'm here.”

“It's Thursday.” He sighed again- breathing in the stale air of the Winnebago, like he was coming up to the surface from a pool of water.

“...it's Saturday.” William muttered, and Vyncent barely acknowledged him, until he said, “Also, The Truman Show isn't my favorite movie. Do you have a concussion?”

“It's not- what?” Just him knowing what it was proved everything he needed to know, but even so, Vyncent was surprised, “But, you- you talk about it all the time.”

Sure, Vyncent couldn’t name the movie itself, but he could name the many times that they had some free time, and William would perk up with some fun fact about the movie, or something else he just randomly remembered- and then, suddenly, it'd turn into a fun little conversation.

William rolled his eyes, trying and failing to be subtle about it. “That doesn't mean it's my favorite. There’s so many better movies to pick from.”

“Okay, like?” Vyncent prompted, and with just as much conviction, William stubbornly listed off a whole slew of movies that he wouldn't even begin to recognize. (And not because he was pretentious, or because these movies weren’t popular- but because Vyncent hadn’t had the chance to watch it with him, yet.)

Vyncent could cry. It was him. It was finally him.

He pulled William in for a hug, his arms wrapping around him, and preventing William from hugging him back.

“Vynce, I’m getting blood all over your shirt-” Vyncent hugged tighter, and William wheezed out, “Vyncent-!”

“You have no idea what I’ve just been through.” Vyncent whispered.

After another beat, when his grip didn't loosen up just yet, one of William’s hands shakily reached around him, and patted his back.

“Bad dream, buddy?”

“Try a hundred bad dreams, buddy.” He pushed his nose deeper into William's shoulder. “You know Groundhog Day?”

“You fell asleep when I tried showing it to you.” And then, after a judgemental pause, it seemed to catch up to him. “Wait, were you-”

“I was stuck. In Groundhog Day.”

“The movie?”

“The concept.”

“...” William's hand on his back was shaking. “Vyncent…”

“But- I'm out!” He finally left the hug to look at William with excited eyes. “I'm here! Out of the loop!” 

Vyncent leaned back, but didn’t quite lay down.

He was exhausted, and feeling a little lightheaded from moving around so much. He also felt strangely out of breath- but maybe that was all just from adrenaline.

William sniffed a couple times, seemingly trying to get his bloody nose under control. Then, finally, he peeled away to get a tissue, and held it under his nose. Vyncent opened his mouth to continue his excitement-

But then, on the bed, he noticed the distinct shape of an origami animal on the bed. It looked like it was supposed to be something- but it was obviously made by someone who didn’t know how to do it very well. It was wrinkled, and folded in odd places, and barely held together.

When William noticed him staring at it, he tapped on it.

“It’s, uh…” His voice was congested, “It’s supposed to be a wolf. It’s a totem, and it’ll keep us from getting possessed- and I used it on you earlier, so…”

“Huh.” It must’ve been the reason why the demon died.

“So it was- like, uh…” He blew into the tissue mid-sentence, “Weird fever dream, then?”

“I’d need a fever, for it to be a fever dream.”

William’s eyebrows raised.

And before Vyncent could press, and ask if he had a fever, the door to the Winnebago slammed open. There stood Dakota, with his hair mussed, and his expression wild.

“William! I got Master to-” Then, when he saw Vyncent sitting up, his tune changed immediately, “Vyncent!”

Vyncent barely saw a flash of red, before he was tackled pretty roughly- an overexcited Dakota suddenly weighing him down. 

“You, you, you big bastard.” Dakota pinched his cheeks, and slapped his face a bit- almost like he was trying to wake him up further. Or, in his case, most likely just excited, and unsure of what to do with his hands. “You go and get sick like that ever again, and I'll kill you! I swear!”

“I was sick?”

“We thought so-” William nodded, and in the same motion, he put a hand on his forehead. “You still have a slight fever- we thought it'd never break.”

…A fever.

It'd be crazy if all this was caused by a fever. He never had a high fever before, he didn't know what kind of crazy dreams someone could come up with… the mind could conjure up anything, right?

Dakota climbed off of him, concentrated on something that Vyncent couldn’t quite make out. Something Vyncent was laying on, he realized a moment later, as Dakota pushed his hand underneath him to take it.

“What's this, is this a… um…” Dakota turned it over in his hands.

It was a little origami man. More specifically, it was the demon- looking just like William. But instead of moving around, or snapping at whoever was holding him, it stayed completely still- like it was actually made of paper.

“Did you make this?” Dakota turned it over to show William and Vyncent. 

As soon as Vyncent noticed what it was, he scooted over a little closer to William, and glared at it. It didn't make sense- except that it did make sense, somewhat, and Vyncent was not having just a stupid fever dream. 

Still, he sounded collected as he spoke. “When would I have the time to make this?”

“I don’t know, I just figured Origami…”

Vyncent took it from Dakota’s hands, and slowly crumpled it up- enjoying the feeling of it becoming something small in his hands, and hoping that if the demon was still conscious, then it could feel it in very vivid detail. Then, as if that wasn't enough, Vyncent stretched out its wrinkled paper, and began ripping it into tiny slices.

“Oh wow.” William watched the pieces fall to the floor. “That’s…”

It didn't matter. Vyncent saw the paper on the floor and he knew that it was over- thanks to Origami, ending it with an uncomplicated fight. He'd thank him, if he wasn't so damn distracted all the time.

But Vyncent was back. Back with his own Prime Defenders. His own Dakota. His own William with all the mistakes he'd make and all the smart ideas and everything he'd ever want from him. His William, his William who-

Who never had to experience all the horrible things that Vyncent was trying to keep him from. His William, who never said all those things. Who never ran away with Vyncent, and who never confessed his love to him in a dark alley before he died. 

He didn't have to say it, maybe. Maybe it wasn't even true, maybe it was just Vyncent's wishful thinking, hidden deep in his subconscious, maybe even put in the loop to appease him, and to keep him there.

But he was real now, wasn't he?

It was his eyes on William's, and he knew that his glare was always just a little too intense, but he couldn't help it.

“I love you.”

“…”

William was looking at him. 

Not a single muscle twitched for the duration of multiple seconds. Completely blank. 

The silence was deafening.

“...guys. I love you guys.” Vyncent finished. He quickly looked at Dakota and laughed nervously. “Almost thought I wouldn't make it- and I wouldn’t have without you. So. Ha ha.”

Dakota raised his eyebrow at Vyncent. His arms were crossed, and he side eyed William, who was still frozen. 

“Let me… um.” He stood up. “Check up on Master.”

And then they were alone.

William's eye twitched visibly. “We… love you too. Don’t scare us like that again.”

They both laughed. It was painfully awkward.

Vyncent scratched his head. He was trying to come up with the best way to go about this- It was just a few words, and it'll be fine. Maybe he could make up some lie about realizing in his dream that William was the one…

He opened his mouth to start easy- but by the time he was trying to explain the loop, and the demon, he was rambling, and he couldn’t seem to stop talking. He told him part of what he remembered- the days repeating, the demon making it so…

There was a fear in the base of his throat, saying that if he didn’t confess everything, then William would die, and this time, he wouldn’t be able to stop it.

“-and you kept dying, which I only realized a few loops in, and William, you died in front of me and you- and you said you loved me, you loved me in this fake world, and now I’m confused-”

“Excuse me?” William finally unfroze, looking at the shreds of the origami paper man- his hands in the air as if he'd have to disinfect them, or be ready to face a threat at any moment.

“I guess I just wanted to know-”

“No, hold on, you were-”

“Ah! Stop talking, it's my turn!”

“Vyncent, this is insane-”

“My turn!” He held his hand up. William looked at him, his nose surrounded by dried blood, but finally silent. “What I want to ask is, if… maybe my loop had any basis with… your feelings. For me.”

William looked undeniably flustered, but that could be from being found out or feeling uncomfortable. Either way, he stuttered his way through the sentence. “Of- of course I love you, there's much more pressing issues right now, though!”

“...You love me?”

William put a hand over his mouth. He wasn't looking at Vyncent, but the answer was obvious. 

“That's all I wanted to know.”

William still had his hand on his mouth. His William. Vyncent collapsed back onto the bed. 

“That's all I needed to know. I promised you- if we were safe, then we’d talk.”

“...you didn’t promise me that.”

But Vyncent meant it, and his murmurs shared the same sentiment.

And despite the fact that he must've slept quite a few days, or hours, it felt like he did not get a single moment's rest- and when his head hit the pillow, it was so soft and comfortable in a way the loop could never recreate.

William climbed up next to him, trying to fit into the small bed with him. Vyncent held onto him.

“I guess you must be exhausted,” William said. “But the moment you wake up, and you’re not… delirious… You’re telling us everything.”

“Everything,” Vyncent promised. His voice was already slurring, his mind half-asleep.