The creaky, ridged old door groaned when they had knocked on it. A soft tap tap on wood. The group of men waited for a moment for a response. From within the building, they could hear shuffling and slight groans.

Then the door pushed open ever so slightly.

The man who came into view was a short, leaning man. With skin as pale as the moon and rugged black hair that was entirely uneven on one side. As if he gave himself a haircut and gave up halfway through. And he looked a long, confused look towards the others who arrived on his doorstep. Eyeless Jack, wearing his mask and carrying an unconscious man in his arms. Laughing Jack, who was holding a baby and looked completely disinterested in this situation. And, of course, little Ben, who had knocked on the door with a slight snarky grin.

The man huffed. "Ben."

Ben grinned. "Doctor Smiley. Always great to see you."

The man adjusted his doctor coat as he groaned some type of annoyed whine. "Oh no. Not you again. Ughhhhhh."

Despite that, he left the door ajar when he stepped back. His shoes squished, and when Eyeless Jack took a moment to look, he could see a footprint of blood.

"Oh, how you wound me," Ben said dramatically, pushing open the door. "You not happy to see your old patient?"

Doctor Smiley glanced back, giving a firm frown. "No."

Eyeless Jack glanced around him. To Ben, who was giving a cocky grin as if he was familiar with such a person, and Laughing Jack, who was busy pressing several kisses along Bean's head without a care in the world.

This was going to be a long night.

Instead of sitting in his room listening to classical music and reading a good book Jane recommended, he was here. Dragging an unconscious serial killer with at least a concussion and likely more hidden health hazards by himself, passing by the other two who walked in to try and find a place to dump this man. He spotted the machines in a far corner, trickled with dust and a splatter of blood decorating the corner, like a tasteful decoration.

The man, short with both his height and tolerance, grumbled obscurities at Ben without the playful tone Ben had.

"The only reason I'm letting you guys - yuck, saying it even sucks - save a life here is because Ben has a fucking habit of not leaving under no means. Immortal brats will do that to you."

Ben grinned. A wide, obnoxious grin.

Doctor Smiley turned, a wild look in his eyes as he frantically pointed towards the boy. "No, no, you guys don't understand. He decided to stay here for a fucking week and I couldn't do anything about it! Tried killing him. Forcefully dragging him out. Nothing - and I mean nothing worked!"

Ben gave a little thumbs up. Laughing Jack snorted. Eyeless Jack eyed the exit.

"And of course he brought along... others. Immortal, no doubt, since you all are joined with the man of the hour." Smiley gestured up and wide to Laughing Jack. "Do whatever you must. Just wipe off the disgusting germs of life, will you? Makes my patients feel hope and I can't very much have that."

The room was small with disjointed walls that segmented it off into a poorly idealized floor plan. With no doors, random cracks in the wall, and wallpaper that sagged and sagged till it was brown and murky, the building looked like a failed construction project that had no time to even fill in the doors. Every 'room', if they could even call it that, was packed with sharp medical tools that rusted and machines with random smears of blood or other bodily fluids that could come out during fear. The smell was, as expected, putrid. Eyeless Jack, sadly, was very much accustomed to such stenches. It wasn't hard to find the required machines. A bit out of date, but they'd do the job. So he dropped the man onto the blood soaked table, not giving any time to clean it. Get it done and get out.

It was a bother to set him up. Ben made it his personal mission to slightly piss off the Doctor for no apparent reason. And Laughing Jack lingered just out of reach from Eyeless Jack, content with playing with little Bean. She whined and reached for some nearby sharp weapons, as if they were toys she was meant to have. Laughing Jack didn't give them, instead distracting her with a new piece of candy every time she cooed for them.

"Are you just going to linger?" Eyeless Jack asked him.

Once he became used to the tall clown, it was easy to settle into a comfort whenever he was nearby. He was a feral dog once upon a time. Even Eyeless Jack, who knew little to no other CreepyPastas before he was found in that blizzard, heard warnings about him. A monster - no, a demon, sealed away by Slenderman, who was too frightened by his power and wrath. But he was nothing more than a ferocious hound tamed by Sans and Bean at this point. A miracle within itself, honestly. He sometimes didn't believe the story. To think that Sans giving him just a bit of attention, uninterrupted attention, was all he needed.

Then again maybe Eyeless Jack wouldn't have turned out like this if someone else was given a little attention.

"Where else am I supposed to linger?" Laughing Jack replied gruffly. He glanced over. "With Ben? Or that weird Doctor?"

Eyeless Jack took a peek towards them. The Doctor was currently hitting his head against a table while Ben rambled about some memories they shared together.

"Feel free to stay here," Eyeless Jack said curtly.

And, of course, the man woke up at the most inconvenient time.

Right when the machine was humming, clunking together internally. A bit broken, but it worked and Eyeless Jack would stick with it. The moment he saw the panicked twitches he stared for a moment, before quickly hurrying up the scans he needed. Of course, waking up from an injury like that wasn't an easy feat. He moaned and groaned, his body twitched occasionally, and it was almost if he were booting up like an old, dusty computer.

Eyeless Jack took the signal of the moving man to finish up the last picture and drag him out. He doubted waking up in a machine like that would be a particularly good thing after being hit in the head. And that thought was only confirmed when he started hyperventilating.

On retrospect, dragging him out quickly was not a good idea. They were in an old dingy building practically drenched in old blood, surrounded by tools that could be used to torture, and Laughing Jack was two feet away, grinning down as if he wanted to terrify the man. And terrify he did, because despite how delirious the man was, he jumped. Tried to scramble back and move when he really shouldn't be.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Eyelesss Jack said, firmly pressing down against his chest. "You have a concussion. Stay still."

"We're trying to help," Laughing Jack said from behind him.

That only caused more of a panic. He hit his head on the side of the machine roughly, as if he hadn't endured enough yet, and tried to crawl off, hut his movements were sluggish and it was clear he wasn't exactly coherent at that moment.

Eyeless Jack did the only thing he really could to calm him down. He reached over, grabbed Bean from the clowns hands, and held her out in front of the man.

Bean stared at him, dangling from Eyeless Jack's arms. "Bah."

She was cute. Innocent, mostly harmless, and small. The least intimidating thing at that moment. And from what he had heard, this guy already met her. She was the only real option to calm him down enough for a decent conversation. And she did just that. The man blinked once, and Bean babbled another "ba" as she kicked out her feet a little.

"Can you leave?" Eyeless Jack asked, turning towards Laughing Jack. "Scaring someone with a head injury that you caused won't help his health."

Laughing Jack's eyes twitched. His mouth wasn't the usual smile he held. "Not without her."

"Alright."

Bean had done her job. So Eyeless Jack handed her off, and the other man watched in a nervous stare as the clown retreated. Thankfully, having a baby he was familiar with shoved into his face helped quell down his anxieties until Laughing Jack and Bean were out of sight.

"Okay," Eyeless Jack said quietly towards the other man. "You aren't in any danger. We had to come here because we couldn't take you to a hospital."

He strained his mind to recall all of the things needed for concussion patients. Thankfully his injuries weren't terrible. But people with that sort of injury needed to not strain their minds and needed to heal. Which would be difficult if he continued to be in a panic.

"I'm..." He blinked in a daze. "Not?"

"No. You're... ah, fine. We just had to take you here for the machines. Laughing Jack isn't going to hurt you."

"Oh."

The man tried to sit up, blue eyes unfocused, but he slumped after the movement.

"You have a concussion, alright?" Eyeless Jack said carefully.

"A concussion?"

Eyeless Jack let out a soft sigh. This was going to take a bit to talk to him.

___________________

Clockwork had mentioned before that Toby was struggling, with things. Sans could recall that conversation. She had been taking a break from working on a car when she had stepped out onto the porch, a drink in hand. Some spicy alcohol he forgot he had. It wasn't uncommon for some of the CreepyPasta to help themselves to a drink or two. Heavens knew they needed it - and they used it in moderation. Though the one time Jeff did he got yelled at by Smile Dog. Everyone came to the mutual agreement that eighteen would be the age he could drink.

But it was Clockwork, who had approached him. The girlfriend of his girlfriend who Sans somewhat knew. She didn't want much, but whenever she did want something she was firm in pursuing it. He had noticed that about her. She loved her dates, loved Toby, but didn't let those distract her from her hobbies and interests. Yet she was firm when it came to protecting interests and people she cared about. It wasn't unusual for her to step in about situations with Toby.

So, that night, it wasn't a surprise when she had mentioned Toby was struggling. Not with just the new home, she had pointed out. Everything. "Plain everything" she had said. She had mentioned briefly that he was usually more eccentric and outgoing than he was here. Wasn't depression, she pointed out. He was just trying to figure out what he wanted and where he belonged after he left Slender.

He had noticed that a bit, after that conversation. Toby seemed... lost, in a way. Other than Clockwork, didn't have much of a bond with anyone. Didn't have many hobbies other than watching whatever was already on the T.V or keeping himself in shape. Most of the time was spent with Clockwork watching her do her things.

Toby was someone who seemed almost adrift, if that made sense. As if he finally got his footing on the ground yet had no idea where to run. Going about each day passively, trying to just get through the time. His only real hobby was just watching Clockwork do hers. Sans never pointed it out, but he did notice brief flares of real personality from Toby. Those were quick, and more often than not it was due to Clockwork.

So it was quite a surprise when Toby had sat down across from Sans, cheeks tinted red, and muttered "I like you" without much confidence.

Sans both knew and didn't know Toby. Their 'bonding times' were always odd and inconvenient. First with that brunch, then with him saving Sans. Of course they spoke other times, but never fully in depth. Not until that day, not until Toby admitted something Sans hadn't been expecting.

"Oh," Sans said.

Toby looked uncertain himself. He was a quiet background type, which didn't particularly suit him. It suited Eyeless Jack, who was confident in his wallflower position. Not Toby. Eyeless Jack gave off the vibe that the silent, introvert was him. Toby, though, felt like he was holding back in a way. Sans hadn't really noticed it until Clockwork had pointed it out. Now it was quite obvious.

"I don't know why, either, just... just so you know," Toby muttered. "I don't - it makes no sense! At all."

"Gee." Sans crossed his arms. Despite his firm tone, he held a light smile. "Thanks."

Toby looked uncertain himself. As if he was just told the news from an outside source.

"I'm sorry," He groaned into his hands, muffled and quick. A tic made one him snap his fingers briefly.

"Why are you sorry?" Sans asked.

Toby shrugged. An uncertain shrug. One that spoke volumes.

Right. Toby and Clockwork had discovered their orientation while dating one another, and that was less than a year ago. And ever since then Toby had been on his own.

"Okay, I can tell this is a..." Sans let his words float away as he pushed aside his glass of water. The shock of a such a statement dwindling down. "So, first off, you like me. Let's on the table now."

It was indeed. Sans couldn't find it within himself to react since it had come out of nowhere. Their interactions were either brief discussions in the house, or were odd times that didn't fit quite right.

But that's all Toby was to Sans. Sans to Toby, though, must've meant more. Other than Clockwork he didn't really have any friends. And Sans, by all accounts, 'saved' him. Despite Sans not doing much on his own. And crushes could be built on much less. Toby might've just jumped onto Sans because Sans was just a male who was the nicest and wasn't a serial killer, and maybe that's what Toby wanted. Considering how Laughing Jack fell in love with him from a box, this made more sense.

"Personally, I'm not opposed to dating ya," Sans said. "Obviously love or anything is off the table right now. And I do have a kid on the way, so that is going to take priority. Along with Sally and Bean. And the safety of this house structure in general."

Dating was... odd, to Sans. He always thought it would be like movies, when he was young and insufferable. Had that sense of stupid naivety but too much experience all at once. An awful combination. But he had always thought dating would start with love. sstarted with Laughing Jack just because of his love and their kid, not out of Sans' own love. But it grew. Dating was a stepping stone to admiration and love, he had realized when that damn clown took on a favorable position in his soul. So no, Sans wouldn't seclude himself to dating people he only had an interest in.

"I - I'm sorry. It's just - I've never -" Toby couldn't seem to find the words, and it didn't help that several tics popped in. It took a moment for him to recollect his thoughts. "I... left the CreepyPasta life to figure out what I wanted. You know. Control my - whooooop - destiny. I guess. Figure out everything, finally be in control. So then I got here, and it... is confusing again."

Toby's brown eyes looked unevenly at that table. Sans stared at him for a moment. Dear lord was this a new situation indeed.

Toby had gotten what he wanted. Then he got here, after removing the title and gaining his freedom, and realized there was still life to be had. And didn't quite know what to do after that.

"Well, yeah, of course it is." Sans leaned back. "That's the thing about life. You get what you want then you find out you still have life to live. And crushes are weird like that. You're talking to the guy that somehow fell in love with a clown."

Toby snorted. It wasn't quite as strong as he might have hoped for.

"Remember, you don't have to know right away what you want. And we don't have to say yay or nay for you dating me. We can go slow and at yer pace. Honestly that'd be a good thing. Need'a settle down a bit after the whole kidnapping thing."

"Right."

"So." He tapped his fingers against the smooth surface of the table. "Obviously we have options. And remember you and I don't have to make a decision right away."

"Yeah, I know, I just - this is a lot for... for me," Toby said.

The man buried his head into his hands, a shoulder jerking out. It wasn't a sorrowful hidden face, nor an embarrassed one. It was a move burdened by the stress of what he suddenly discovered. Seeing so many paths and unsure which one to take, which one were to make him happy. Toby was that kind of man. That's why he wasn't as golly as he once was. Because he was trying to find a reason to make him that way again. Thought the CreepyPasta name was holding him back. And abandoning it worked for a bit. Now it wasn't. Now that insecurity of wanting was back up. Toby liked Sans, but didn't know if he wanted a relationship or not. Because it was new, and new in romance was sometimes terrifying to people.

"Toby, we don't have to do anything right away," Sans said. "Remember, it's okay to be confused about this. Especially since you don't have much experience. I say we give it a few days for you to think. And if you do still like me, we can talk and set up a date or two. See how those go. Alright?"

Toby nodded. A quiet, contemplative nod.

"Yeah. We can... can try," Toby said.

It was quiet after that. Sans never did enter relationships with outright obnoxious proposals or intense, love heavy emotions. No. It was quiet agreements of two people who got along who wanted to try and see if they could grow a deeper bond. Sometimes the other person liked him more. Sometimes they didn't. But Sans was willing to try, and so were they, and that's what worked.

The two had a soft, discussion filled evening for that night. No alcohol or interruptions above the soft ticking of that grandfather clock Sans had no right to own with how often he ignored it. It was clear Toby needed the talk, and Sans did enjoy having an ear to listen after years of people never giving that to him, so he obliged. Talked about his understanding of being bi, of being polyamorous, talked to Toby through some emotions that typically came up with being like that. And that was how his night went. Not until Laughing Jack came home after going somewhere, quietly rumbling to Sans that they had to talk in the morning before he picked him up to take him to bed. Sans agreed, wishing Toby a quiet good night as he was sent to his bed in a funnel of smoke and his daughter giggling.