The Thought of Being Happy: Chapter 3

A/N: I’m so sorry for the long wait, I promise that the next chapter will be longer and better. I’ll also be posting some more drawings soon, so I hope you’ll like them. Anyways, I hope you enjoy chapter three of “The Thought of Being happy”

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

                                                                         A Mad Man’s Laugh


Hoody growled in pain as he collided against the hard ground. Masky thrashed him around like a ragdoll, slamming him against the walls and viciously kicking him in the gut. Even in his feeble state, he was still strong.

Hoody couldn’t take it anymore, he slammed himself down onto Masky, using all of his force to try to pin him down.

“P-Pinkamena…please help!” he gasped.

Pinkie pie chortled as she cartwheeled over to them, “Okie-dokie-lokie!” she shouted.

Within seconds she was on top of them, she pushed Hoody to the side and pressed Masky firmly to the ground. He struggled and kicked to overpower her but to no avail.

She knew exactly which pressure points to hit to immobile him. The more spasms and attempts Masky made, the tighter his muscles became. The strain coupled with a fever was overriding his strength and making him weaker by the second. A minute or two later, he gave up, whimpering as he gave in.

Cupcake jumped up, rolling off of him as she sneered.

Masky was left a panting and sniveling mess on the floor, lightheaded and red from both anger and exhaustion.

“Ya need some help bringing him to your room?” Pinkie pie asked as she bounced over to Hoody.

Hoody stood there, unsure of what to say after watching the spectacle from afar.

Finally he gulped, “…Yes…that would be nice.”

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Hoody entered his room carrying a cold damp towel and various pill bottles of which were all labeled sloppily. He motioned for Masky to sit up so that he could place the cloth on his forehead.

Masky did so and sighed as soon as the towel made contact with his temples, “Thanks, Hoody.” he smiled.

Masky was feeling better since Hoody had helped bring his fever down. He still had a headache, but after how hard Pinkamena had tackled him, it was expected.

He hardly remembered yelling at Hoody or hurting him for that matter, all he knew was that he had woken up on his bed all sore and feeling like crap. That wasn’t a very pleasant feeling to get late in the evening.

“Hey…Hoody?”

“Yes, Masky?” Hoody spoke as he poured him a glass of water to take his pills with.

“Well, I just wanted to ask, why were you crying yesterday? Did I do something wrong?”

Hoody’s grip on the glass cup tightened as he inwardly cursed. Fuck, he still remembered that.

He stayed silent for a few seconds, unaware that he was overfilling Masky’s cup with water.

“…I…I…” he sighed, “I was just thinking about something that troubled me. It…It had nothing to do with you…so do not worry.”

“You could have talked about it you know…I wouldn’t have minded listening. What made you upset, dude? Maybe I could help.” Masky insisted.

Hoody sighed once more, “You will not understand Masky. I appreciate it very much, but I already spoke with Jack about the matter. Besides, you must concentrate on getting the rest you need before we are sent on our next mission. You are still feverish, and we cannot leave you like this. You know what the Operator does to Proxy’s who can’t function and preform their regular obligations.” Hoody tensed for a second, so did Masky, “So please, get some rest. Now sit up, please. You must take your pills.”

Masky groaned before sliding up, but this action immediately caused a splitting pain to rocket through his head. He gritted his teeth and hissed, grabbing at his hair hopelessly, trying to stop some of the pain somehow.

Hoody quickly noticed his partner’s distress and rushed to help him.

He slowly removed Masky’s hands from his hair and began to rub his temples in a soothing motion.

After a while Masky’s eyes closed, but he had yet to take his pills, so Hoody gently shook him to keep him awake.

“Better?” Hoody asked as he rubbed Masky’s shoulder. Masky only nodded sleepily.

“Good. Now here Masky, these pills are for your fever. I will prepare something for you to eat so that you can take the next set of pills for your headache within a few hours. Then you may sleep for as long as you’d like, does that sound okay?” Hoody questioned.

“Yeah, it does…and Hoody?”

“Yes?”

Masky wrapped him arms around him and pulled him into an embrace, Hoody could feel him   smiling into his shoulder as he pulled him onto the bed.

“M-Masky?” he gulped. His partners grip on his waist was too powerful for him to shake off.
Even though he had managed to bring Masky’s fever down, he was still a bit woozy.

“Shh.” Masky pulled him onto his body and kept him there, pressing their cheeks together and rejoicing in the warmth that Hoody brought.

“Masky, I-I have to go downstairs, let go!” Hoody tried desperately to escape his partner’s death grip on him, but it was no use, he was stuck until Masky fell asleep or willingly decided to let him go.

“Hoody, you’re so warm.” Masky squeezed his hooded partners form, gently swaying from side to side in joy, “Please stay…”

Hoody silently growled, it wasn’t like he had a choice.

He sighed as he looked down at his ill partner, he looked so pale and sickly. Why had he been so focused on finding him even in his feeble state? If he was so sick, why would he go out of his way just to search for him?

He began stroking Masky’s hair silently as he lay on top of him. Masky’s eyes were slowly closing as he began to sway into unconsciousness.

“H-Hoody?” Masky whispered.

“Yes?”

“Can you promise me something?”

“What is it, Masky?” Hoody spoke gently.

“…P-Promise me that…you won’t leave again…that…that when I wake up, you’ll still be here…” Masky nuzzled into Hoody’s neck softly, “Please…” he then added.

Hoody couldn’t believe his ears, he…he actually wanted Hoody to sleep in the same bed as him?

“Hoody…please…”

That was the last straw, Hoody pulled his persona up and leaned down. He placed a light kiss on Masky’s warm forehead and smiled, he just couldn’t resist.

Masky gripped Hoody’s posterior and pulled him down, pushing their lips together forcefully – almost desperately as he held onto him.

Hoody’s eyes widened, but he chose to do nothing, too entranced with the feel of Masky’s tongue as he pressed it against the inside of his cheek and swirled it around. He moaned into the others mouth, wanting so badly to kiss back, but found it wrong and strange to take advantage of his partner.

He just couldn’t bring himself to do it. As much as he had fantasized about this moment, as much as he wanted the kiss to continue, it just wasn’t right. He forced their lips apart as he gasped loudly, tumbling off of the bed and onto the floor.

“M-Masky, I will be back shortly, okay?” Hoody stuttered, “I just have to go downstairs and then I-I will return. Okay? I promise…” Hoody spoke quickly as he ran out of the room, panting into his sleeve. His blood was pumping and his face was beet red, he could barely breathe.

He didn’t even give Masky a chance to respond as he shut the door.

He was unaware of the warm liquid flowing from his nose until some of it found its way to his mouth – it tasted metallic, almost like…

“OH SHIT!” Hoody leaped up in panic as he yelped. He looked down at his sleeve, yup, that was blood. He wondered if the red liquid would stain and leave a permanent mark on his trademark beige jacket. What would he tell people?

He gasped as he sat down on the floor, still feeling lightheaded.

From inside of the room he could hear slight shuffling, of course Masky wasn’t going to listen to him, not in this state at least.

“Hoody?” he whined as he pushed against the door, “Hoody…where did you go? I feel really sick…my head hurts again…I need help...Hoody?” he heard a frustrated sigh on the other side of the door and more shuffling.

Hoody rolled his eyes, Masky could be so needy and sensitive sometimes – it was kind of cute.

He smiled to himself as he got up, quietly tiptoeing his way across the hall and down the stairs.

He glided past the bustling crowds of proxies ahead of him, being careful not to bump into anyone and provoke a fight – that happened more often than you’d think.

He dashed down the corridor that led to the kitchen. Luckily there was no one there
He gathered the ingredients to make one of Masky’s favorite soups and dumped them on the counter.

As he prepared his meal he began reflecting on what had happened back in his room.
Masky kissed him…Masky kissed him…Masky kissed him!

That thought replayed itself over and over in Hoody’s mind.

Scenes from his fantasies mixed into his memory and made Hoody blush.

Hot bare skin touching, veins pulsing, breath skyrocketing out of control as Masky nibbled on his neck and bit down hard, leaving red marks as he trailed down Hoody’s body, all leading up to –

“Hoody?”

Eyeless Jack tapped his shoulder, causing Hoody to tumble back and fall right into his arms as he gasped.

“Hehe, careful Hoods, you almost broke your neck there, you kinda looked like you were zoning out for a second –” Jack tilted his head, “And are you making soup?”

Hoody gulped and nodded, trying to hide his ‘excitement’ as best as he could as he tried calming down, “F-For Masky…he’s sick…”

Jack fists clenched by his sides as he tried to control his anger- it was always about Masky. He asked him about his day, “Oh Masky this, Masky that”, he asked him if he wanted to hang out, “Sorry but me and Masky were planning something ahead”, everyday it was Masky Masky Masky, he was sick of it!

For once he wanted Hoody to talk about him, tell him what a good friend he was for listening, tell him what a good friend he was for helping him, tell him what a good friend he was for letting him sleep in his room, anything but Masky!

Hoody should have been paired up with him, they should have been partners…but they weren’t.
He wanted Hoody to pet him, he wanted Hoody to sing to him, he wanted Hoody to cuddle with him, he wanted Hoody to love him…

“He is? Weren’t you angry with him? Didn’t he make you cry? Why are you taking care of him?” Jack tried his best to keep calm as he spoke.

Hoody didn’t expect to be piled with so many questions, he didn’t understand why Jack was being so protective of him.

“J-Jack…he’s my partner, I-I have to take care of him no matter what,” he looked down and spoke up in a tiny voice, “I…I like him…”

Jack held back a growl as he exhaled deeply in frustration, “Hoody…if you want you can sleep in my room again…if you want to, y’know…in case he makes you cry again, it’s ok with me.”

Hoody nodded softly as he backed away, locking his legs together as he wriggled uncomfortably in place.

Jack sighed as he rubbed his temples, he was getting frustrated fairly quickly, “Listen Hoody, please. I know I haven’t been that accepting of your crush, but I have good reason. I mean, Masky never returns your gestures, from what I’ve heard he hasn’t exactly been the easiest roommate to handle, and he doesn’t give a shit about your feelings, why would you call that –“

“Um, Jack,” Hoody interrupted, “I really need to bring this soup up to Masky, he is bed-ridden and awfully ill like I said earlier. So I must get back upstairs. Thank you very much for yesterday, it was very nice of you. But I’m afraid that tonight I will have to sleep with Masky, he needs my attention, so I apologize greatly. Thank you for your concern. Goodbye, Jack.”

Without waiting for a response, Hoody dumped the steaming hot chicken soup in a small container and sealed it with a lid. He practically flew out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs as he inwardly sighed. What did Jack mean by all of that? That he had to get a new crush? That he chose the wrong one? Hoody wouldn’t hear it.

He knew he loved Masky and nobody else, and maybe one day he could get Masky to feel the same way about him.

Jack could barely hear what Hoody had said, he was too caught up in his own mischievous thoughts to be concerned with anything else around him.

Hoody devoted his attention to Masky because he was sick…perhaps if he was sick then Hoody would take care of him instead! They were the best of friends, so surely Jack would become one of Hoody’s top priorities, he would earn his concern and sympathy, what better way to receive Hoody’s devotion?

Probably a thousand more.

But Jack wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind to comprehend his options. Jealousy was a dangerous thing.

Jack grinned deviously underneath his persona as he chuckled. His fingers twitched and trembled at his sides as he giggled.

“Hehe…hehaha…aha…aha, AHA, AHAHAHAHA, AHAHAHAHA!” He threw his head back in hysteria as he cried out, it sounded more like a gurgling sob than a genuine laugh. He covered his face as he clawed at his mask, yanking and pulling his own hair as his body convulsed and jolted.
He panted as he stopped for air, the sides of his mouth tugging and shaking as he resisted the urge to laugh again.

Jack smiled widely as he twiddled his thumbs. This was perfect, just perfect ~
He would make Hoody see that he WAS better than that mangy mutt he called a partner! Then he would be his, all his! He would ask to be HIS partner, he wouldn’t even want to speak of Masky! Then everything would be beautiful again! Everything would be beautiful in Jack’s eyes! It would all be beautiful!

He couldn’t help but giggle. He reached underneath his façade and scratched at his nonexistent eyes to calm himself down. He couldn’t wait.
He had big things planned…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Hoody ran back into his room panting. He was glad to be safe and sound, away from Jacks hurtful words and near Masky again.

He sighed as he sat down at the edge of his masked partner’s bed, contemplating on whether or not to wake him. He looked so peaceful. But he had to eat, if he didn’t then he wouldn’t be able to take his next set of pills, and if he didn’t do that then he wouldn’t get better.

Hoody gently shook his shoulder as he opened the container, “Masky? You must awaken. Please sit up, I can offer to feed you if you’d like.” He smiled.

Masky groaned as he slid up, this time less forcefully as to not make his headache worse.
Hoody removed the towel from the top of his head, it was practically sizzling. He gasped as he dropped it on the ground, it fell with an audible slap.
But before Hoody could reach down to pick it up –

“I missed you…”

Hoody looked up to see Masky rubbing his right eye sleepily in the cutest of ways. His hair was beaded in sticky sweat. His face was red, and his eyes looked watery.
He smiled as he leaned in, hesitantly giving his partner a kiss on the cheek. He waited for his reaction nervously.

Instead of yelling, Masky placed his head on Hoody’s chest, sighing contently as hoody ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed his back.

“Masky, you should eat while I get another towel. I will come back soon, okay?” he felt Masky nod against him before getting up and running out.

When he came back, his soup had been left surprisingly untouched. He held the icy cold cloth on Masky forehead and brought one of his hands up to keep it there. Masky complied without question as he lightly coughed.

Hoody grabbed the container and dug a spoon into it – perhaps Masky would eat if he fed him?

“Masky, please eat, you need to…”

Using his free hand Masky lightly tugged Hoody’s arm towards him as he opened his mouth, smirking.

Hoody rolled his eyes as he brought the spoon closer. He watched in delight as Masky chewed and swallowed.

He repeated this process a few times before the plastic bowl was empty.

Masky had eaten a thoughtful amount, Hoody hadn’t really expected this.

He grabbed the bottle of pills on their nightstand and popped two of them out. Masky had swallowed many pills in his lifetime, this time was no exception.

After drinking some water and getting the ok from Hoody, Masky lay down, again dragging his partner down with him.

This time there was no complaint from the hooded proxy. He could tell that Masky would be much better by morning.

He lay down contentedly in Masky’s protective arms as he sighed for the last time that night. He snuggled and buried himself in Masky’s open jacket, feeling his partner’s hot breath tickle his neck before falling into a deep, comfortable, dreamless sleep…

He really loved him.