*This fanfic is underneath my folder titled “Creepypasta stuff”. Gacha Club character designs are under my forum titled “My character designs<33[2]”. This is a Creepypasta ship fanfic between Laughing Jack and Jason the Toymaker. Laughing Jack was created by Snuffbomb, Jason was created by Krisantyl. They are from the Creepypasta fandom, this fanfic is in LJ’s POV. Enjoy!*

The year was 1942. In the town of Rykersfield, there were families and friends all close to one another, all connected to one another. There were homes and there were places to work, places to eat and places to sleep. Nobody was left alone, for everybody was always ready to help one another.

But that didn’t mean that people didn’t want anything at all. People would always strive for more, look for more, and that was especially true for the children of Rykersfield, who were too bored to know any real satisfaction.

A little six year old girl named Yvette Jones was supposed to be at the supermarket with her mother, but she had slipped from her grasp and ran off into town, searching for something more exciting to do. There wasn’t much for a child to be excited about. There was the theater, but she didn’t want to watch any long performances. There was the toy store, but the man running that store was rude and didn’t like talking to people. There was the haunted museum, but she didn’t want to look at anything creepy. There was the candy store, but she already tried all the candies there, so what fun would there be in trying them again? What was there to-

“Care for some magic?” A rasping, guttural voice asked behind her.

Yvette nearly jumped out of her skin, but she composed herself and turned around.

Standing right in front of her was none other than a black and white striped clown with a matching cone nose, so tall that it looked as he would engulf her, so tall it seemed as though he were taller than her parents. The sun looked like a halo around his head, she had never seen a sun do that for anybody else before, so he must have been really tall.

“The name’s Laughing Jack. You must be Yvette Jones.” Laughing Jack beamed, his black eyes gleaming slightly more than she had noticed before.

“Yes! How do you know my name?” Yvette asked, unable to contain her excitement. Why, it surely was something for somebody to immediately guess her name!

“I know everything about every child, just like how I know that you love flowers!” Laughing Jack said, kneeling down to her level…

And producing a balloon flower from out of his pocket! A pink balloon flower, just for her!

“It’s so pretty!” Yvette beamed as she accepted the flower from his claw. Sure, he looked a little scary, but he gave her a balloon flower! He was much nicer than the man in the toy shop!

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You can’t tell anyone, okay? Not even your own parents. Do you understand?” Laughing Jack asked, his eyebrows creased in seriousness.

Yvette nodded vigorously. For him, she’d do anything he asked! After all, he made her a balloon flower! Nobody else could do that. Her parents couldn’t do it. Why would she break his trust?

Laughing Jack leaned in closer and then he whispered in her ear:

“I’m not like other clowns. I don’t come from here. I come from a magical place and I have magical powers. I can even come over to your house and play all sorts of fun games if you wanted me to. I know where all children live. You just can’t tell anybody about me or I won’t come back to you. You don’t want me to leave you all alone, do you?”

Yvette shook her head. She had friends of her own, but they weren’t magical like Laughing Jack. They didn’t have powers like Laughing Jack.

She couldn’t possibly live a life without him after learning of how wonderful he really was!

Laughing Jack smiled and drew himself away from her. He then asked if she wanted him to come to her house, and of course she said yes, because how could she say no to him? He was her new friend, her new, special friend, so she would always want to play with him!

He promised to come back and play just as Yvette heard her Mom calling her name.

Without further ado, Yvette ran towards her Mom, clutching her balloon flower in one small, sweaty hand, glad to find a magical friend all to herself!

She wouldn’t be bored anymore!

………………………………………………………………….

Laughing Jack felt his seams twist with joy as he tore through the flesh of Yvette Jones, his young victim.

Like all children, the child fell for his tricks and magic, and there was not a soul who could stop him.

He rose above all humans, he was better than humans. He deserved more in life. Humans wanted things from him, they didn’t want him. Their corruption would grow into adulthood, just as it happened with Isaac many centuries ago.

In fact, Yvette was lured by the promise of “sweets and fun”, all the way to his carnival.

She squirmed under his hold, but he wouldn’t let go. He held on, because she deserved it. Because they all did. Because they were nothing but lying, cheating-

“I’ve finally got you, demon clown!” A man’s voice cried out.

Huh…a man?! But his carnival was only for children! How did a man get there?

Laughing Jack turned around.

A ginger-haired, wrinkled man in bright, crayon-curled clothes opened a wooden box…wait…

That was his Jack-in-the-box, the one he escaped centuries ago, the one he thought he’d never have to return to again…

But he was more powerful since then. A box wouldn’t be able to defeat him…

“I’m Elijah Edbuckle, and this is your last murder!” Elijah laughed, as though he were particularly pleased with himself.

He opened the box’s lid, letting out a blast of golden light.

Laughing Jack tried to disappear into smoke, grasping the soon-to-be dead body of Yvette, but she slipped from his claws, and his powers wouldn’t work.

The light pulled him deep into his wooden imprisonment, the place where he lost himself to insanity. The place he thought that he’d never have to be in again.

That box was his only weakness.

………………………………………………………………….

How long had it been? Days? Weeks? Years? No, it wasn’t years. That was too long. Perhaps it was months. Yes, months felt right. Months had passed and Laughing Jack was still in his box, courtesy of an old man he didn’t know at all, just because he wanted to capture Laughing Jack and keep the clown all to himself. Why? Laughing Jack didn’t understand that. Humans were strange, frustrating creatures and-

“Laughing Jack!” A human’s voice called out.

Laughing Jack ceased his scratching on the walls and turned around to look at the human.

The human had glittering brown eyes, brown eyes that almost looked golden. Long, flowing crimson strands of hair framed his peach face. He wore a brown suit jacket, a white shirt underneath, and matching brown pants. His black shoes had somehow reflected a shine in the wooden box.

He didn’t assault Laughing Jack’s eyes too much. In fact, he seemed quite nice to look at. Maybe-

No. He was a human. It was new magic, for a human to enter his box, but a human was a human, and if he was in Laughing Jack’s box, then he had come to tease the clown about being trapped.

That was the only reason he could think of.

“Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here?” Laughing Jack asked. His claws were beginning to shake, he took a step forward towards the human.

The human didn’t flinch. Not once. Instead, he looked at Laughing Jack dead in the eyes, his brown eyes searing with confidence.

How…alluring.

“My name is Jason Meyer. I may be human, but I can do magic. I’m going to get you out.” Jason said, not taking his eyes off him.

He stopped shaking his claws. The human’s name was Jason...Jason…did Jason hear about his predicament? How else would he know Laughing Jack’s name? How could he do magic?

Why would he want to let him out?

“You’re really going to get me out of this box?” Laughing Jack asked. There was a small flicker inside of him that wanted to believe Jason’s words, that hoped to trust those golden-brown eyes, but…

But why?

“Yes, but it’s going to take awhile. I have much going on in my life. I can only visit sometimes. One day, I’ll have enough time in my hands to free you. I promise.” Jason said. His voice didn’t waver, it was smooth, full of promise.

“You mean it?” Laughing Jack asked. It couldn’t be true, it was too good to be true…

Or was it?

“I mean it.” Jason said.

Jason began to disappear in white smoke, just like a magician would, and then, he was gone.

All of a sudden, Laughing Jack felt the loneliness creep back in. He was all alone in the box, locked away for all the world to see. Humans weren’t afraid of him when he was imprisoned. In fact, they laughed at him.

But Jason…Jason was different. He was the first human who could do magic, who promised to free him. Perhaps, once Jason freed him, they could kill together, and never be apart, never let the other humans separate them.

Wasn’t Jason a human? Would Jason even come back for him? What if he was lying? What if he didn’t like murder? And how could Laughing Jack trust him, really? Humans were deceitful, they always tried to take what they wanted.

But it was oh so nice to have someone visit him!

Maybe Jason would actually care…

………………………………………………………………….

Day in and day out, Laughing Jack would anticipate Jason’s arrival. The human would only visit him when he was dreaming, so he could never stay long, but when Jason left, Laughing Jack would have delightfully odd dreams of murdering people side by side with Jason, another twisted, convulted soul.

It was the strangest thing, the feelings he had for Jason. It wasn’t like anything he felt the day he met Isaac, his first friend. Back then, Laughing Jack thought that would be the closest relationship he would ever have.

But with Jason, the strangled strings that served as his heart would untie. With Jason, he genuinely laughed. He didn’t have to force a smile on his face like he did with the victims.

In fact, sometimes Laughing Jack wondered what it would be like to hold his hand. Would his skin be all coarse and leathery? Soft and smooth? What would it feel like? Would Jason like talking to him for eternity?

Sure, Laughing Jack held hands before, but that was to lead victims to his wrecked-up carnival. When he thought of Jason, he wanted to hold his hand and show him the beauty of his carnival. He’d give the human a lovely cotton candy stick that had slight mold on it for flavor. Most humans didn’t like mold, but Jason would probably like mold. He was different. He knew what it was like to slip into the shadows of sanity. They never talked about the deep, personal sorrows inside of them, but there was an unspoken feeling that both were insane, that both were lost to the world.

So why did Jason have to leave so soon? Why couldn’t he stay longer? Why couldn’t Laughing Jack just stab him in the heart with his claws and let him stay forever?

No, no. Jason promised to let me out. Besides, I shouldn’t just KILL him right when I see him. If he gets me out then I won’t do it. If not, then I will. But only to be with him. Not to hurt him.

But goodness, the silence of the box was oh so long! Laughing Jack pulled his legs up to his chest, that horrible, empty feeling sinking in, the walls pushing close into him.

The humans think it’s hilarious that I’m trapped now. Why, that fool Elijah thinks that he’s God just because he trapped me! The nerve! The AUDACITY! Jason will get me out. Jason will let me out and I’ll make sure damn well that Elijah is trapped in an eternal nightmare. He wouldn’t like that now, eh?

But even though Laughing Jack tried to make himself feel better, he still felt the uneasy, helpless thoughts simmer in. He hadn’t been in a position of uncertainty and dependency for so long. Being in that box brought back the memories of Isaac, the sweet boy who had grown into a bitter man. Laughing Jack was a dunce then, Laughing Jack didn’t know any better then. He thought that everyone was full of benevolence, he thought that everyone would extend a helping hand.

No, Jack. That was the past. Don’t think about it Don’t think about it Don’t think about it Don’t think about itdon’tthinkaboutdon’tthinkabouitdon’t-

But the thoughts came anyway. All at once, blurred visions of a little boy’s love-filled smile mixed in with a man’s hate-speckled scorn, a close friend turned into a cruel stranger, spilled into the depths of his mind.

Isaac’s blue eyes were so harsh and cold, like the ice that grew outside of his window on the day Laughing Jack first came to Earth. Was that really his friend? The same person who played games with him, who clung to him when he was frightened, who looked to him for comfort while his parents fought, tears staining his big blue eyes?

Laughing Jack used to hug him real close, as though to squeeze out all of the misery in him, and he’d stroke his hair and kiss the top of his head, telling him that all he needed to do was fill his life with as much love and light as he could, then he’d live happily. That he was a special boy, nothing like his parents, and that he was destined to do great things. Laughing Jack didn’t just SAY the words, he truly, wholeheartedly, without a doubt, believed them.

Because when he looked at Isaac’s soot-spotted face and his fearful blue eyes, he saw a sweet, silly soul who could make everybody a whole lot happier with his mere presence. He saw somebody worth fighting for, somebody that he’d give everything to if it were possible, somebody that had the kind of smile that would light up his sorrowful, serious face in such a way that made Laughing Jack want to soar high into the Heavens with him from how infinitely pure his smile was, from how…how despite everything, Isaac still had it in him to be as good as he could be.

Laughing Jack saw a friend. Not just any friend, but a real, true, BEST FRIEND.

Laughing Jack was prepared to give Isaac anything and everything, ready to do whatever he could that could help Isaac be happy, because he felt like it was the right thing to do…and how did Isaac repay him?

He forgot Laughing Jack. All those years of playing and telling stories and taking Isaac to his magical carnival and doing whatever Isaac pleased with a smile on his face…all of it meant absolutely, positively, undeniably nothing to the human. Those few good years weren’t worth remembering in the flood of misery. No, humans much preferred to be overcome with fear and anger than joy and laughter, for it made them feel more alive and-

“Laughing Jack? Are you alright?” A voice like the most plush velvet and a box of the sweetest candies asked.

Laughing Jack blinked back into reality. He felt something wet spill from his eyes and onto his face, and he could see a man with long, crimson red hair draping his shoulders standing in front of him, his brown eyes holding a slight golden glow, his eyebrows creased with concern, his spindly hand with long, elegant fingers touching his shoulder.

Jason had come back. Jason had seen him…cry? How long was he there? How much did he see? Hopefully not too much, because Laughing Jack couldn’t afford to have a human see him in such shackling pain, even if said human might have been as insane as him.

“I…I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you had to see me this way.” Laughing Jack said, his voice full of all the weariness he felt accumulate over the centuries. He didn’t feel like pretending, not at that moment. Not to Jason.

“You don’t need to apologize.” Jason said, sitting down, letting go of his shoulder.

Was it so terrible of Laughing Jack to judge him? To think that Jason wouldn’t genuinely want to free him? After all, Jason kept visiting him, keeping him company. He promised to let him out. He even seemed to care about Laughing Jack’s feelings, for he asked if he was okay and said that he didn’t need to apologize!

A regular human wouldn’t have done all those things. A regular human wouldn’t have cared as much. Besides, it all felt so wrong to go on in life with the same cynicism that Isaac had. He didn’t like many humans, yes, but there was a small speck inside of him that wanted to love, that wanted to believe in the magic of connection and the genuine kindness of another soul.

Laughing Jack didn’t want to be like Isaac. He wanted to be himself. He wanted to love again, and much, much more strongly than he ever did before, for it seemed as though along with his increased fury towards the human race, there was also a soft warmth inside of him that was still there after everything that happened, that wanted to shine again, that wanted to bleed away all the bad and let in the light.

So why not tell Jason everything that night?

“I know that you’re going to get me out of here eventually, but being trapped in this box makes me think of…”

“It makes me think of a human in my life. He was the very first human I ever met, and he was so kind to me.” Laughing Jack said, attempting to chuckle. It sounded more like the wheeze of an old toy than a laugh but Jason didn’t seem to mind.

“His name was Isaac Grossman. He used to be a little boy, and I used to have rainbow colors.” Laughing Jack said, chuckling yet again. Goodness, why did he try to giggle or make vaguely-humorous noises when he was talking about something he wanted so badly to forget? Did it just…come out? Did it just happen?

Again, Jason didn’t seem to mind. Was Jason that patient? Maybe so.

“I wasn’t as smart as I am now. I trusted him too much. I thought that he was going to be my forever friend, that he would put his trust in me, but no. He left me.” Laughing Jack said, no chuckle escaping him.

There was a space inside of him that he imagined would be a place his heart would reside if he had one and that very space felt as though it was weighed with something so heavy that it’d bring down the strings inside him and in doing so, break him completely.

His box did a bang-up job of bringing back those good ol’ memories!

“We were playing a pirate game outside and I accidentally killed a cat! It was an accident, but Isaac laughed it off, because he didn’t care much for things. The child was devoid of life, his own parents were particularly distasteful. I wanted to hide the body, so we did. We both hid the body. Do you know what happened next?”

Laughing Jack breathed deeply, the tears threatening to spill out yet again. He had to collect himself so that he wouldn’t falter. It wasn’t the time or the place to do so. Jason was listening, he needed to open up as best as he could.

“Isaac ratted me out to his Mom! She didn’t believe him, but still! He broke my trust! He got sent off to some do-gooder Catholic Boarding School, and what did I get? Locked in this box! He told me that he would be back to let me out, that I only had to wait for a few days. You know how long I waited? How many years I spent in this confinement? Yes, I spent years locked away! Thirteen years! Thirteen miserable, lonely years of rotting away, of losing myself to insanity! I…I lost all of my colors because of him! An insignificant boy!”

A shrill cackle that sounded like dried-up sobs stuck in his throat shot out of his lips as he thought of Isaac’s eyes, of Isaac’s smile. Centuries later and it still hurt.

When would it finally feel better to deal with?

“He came back as a man. He completely forgot about me, but I didn’t. I remembered him well. As he grew, I grew. I watched him kill all of those people and I wanted to join him. I wanted us to kill together…but he never opened the box. Never even glanced at it. It took the old shelf that my box was sitting on to fall down for him to notice me. That’s when Isaac wound up the box. That’s when I came out.”

He came out of that box and tore Isaac apart, hardly believing that the boy he wanted to use up all his magic for had grown into such a vicious man who only saw Laughing Jack as a freak, as though those very same traits about Laughing Jack weren’t ones that he was fascinated by and-

Jason was still listening.

“I killed him. I watched the life bleed from his body as he called me obscenities. I enjoyed it, immensely. But still…I can’t believe that he forgot me. All that time we spent together meant nothing to him.” Laughing Jack said, slumping against the wall.

There. The truth was out in the open, pried from his insides and laid right before Jason’s eyes. Talking about it felt mildly better. But only mildly. Nothing could truly whisk away the nightmare that was his first time on Earth. Right? Right. He found that out long ago and no human was worth false hope. Yes? Yes…right?

Laughing Jack quickly looked down, for he couldn’t bear to look up at Jason after what he revealed. What was he thinking? Tell his whole life story? Nobody cared. Nobody would ever care. Why did he waste his words? How could he just…talk to a human?

“I know how you feel. I too had a friend who didn’t appreciate me. Her name was Amelia Crow.” Jason said.

Jason didn’t think of him as a freak? Jason knew how he felt? Jason could relate?

Laughing Jack looked up. Jason’s eyes were covered in a glittery sheen, as though he wanted to cry, but no tears came out. Maybe he was imagining it, but…Laughing Jack still felt the space where his heart should be untwist a bit of string, as though a smidgen of his judgement was loosening slightly with the flick of hope.

“Amelia was the only friend I ever had, ever since I was nine years old. I didn’t want anyone else to be friends with her, so I scared them off. Many said that there was something wrong with me…but not Amelia. She only saw the good in me.” Jason said.

He smiled, something that made his brown eyes seem even more golden than before if that was possible, and so even if it was silly, in that moment, Laughing Jack wanted to grab ahold of his hand and take him to his carnival. Why, he’d try to keep the carnival as alive as he could just to see that smile again!

“There’s nothing wrong with you. You were afraid of losing her. You did what you could to keep her safe. I would have done the same thing.” Laughing Jack beamed, for Jason had only done the right thing, he had followed his heart, so why would there be anything wrong with him?

Jason lowered his gaze from Laughing Jack as if he felt ashamed for telling his story, but if anything, he had absolutely nothing to worry about! If only Laughing Jack could find a way for him and Isaac to be friends forever…well, he’d rather not think about it.

“When we were fifteen years old, I wrote a note that confessed Amelia’s feelings for a boy she liked and made it look like her friend did it. Her friend got kicked out of the school, Amelia got bullied, but she was still mine. I didn’t want her to get hurt. I just wanted to protect her.” Jason said.

“As you should.” Laughing Jack said.

In Laughing Jack’s eyes, any type of relationship had to require effort from both sides to stay closely-knit together. Sure, some of the methods may have been extreme, but from what Jason was telling him, it sounded like Jason did what he could to keep her along. Nobody said it would be easy, but still, Jason had a glimmer of guilt in his eyes, and upon seeing that, a thought creeped up Laughing Jack’s mind:

He looks too innocent to cry.

“I told her what I did years later, when I was an adult. She deserved to know the truth, and yet she was still mad at me. Sure, I almost killed her, but I didn’t! I loved her too much to do that!” Jason said.

His eyes began to flash wildly with panic, as though he were seeing something that he couldn’t comprehend. Jason stood tall and tried to keep a neutral face expression, but his voice cracked when he spoke, and his eyes betrayed it all. Jason’s resolve was starting to break away, just like when Laughing Jack saw that Isaac didn’t even remember him…didn’t even think to check his box…all of those years…nothing.

“She was ungrateful to you. You kept her from the worst of the world, you confessed what you did, you didn’t even kill her, and yet she still hated you. What a waste of air.” Laughing Jack said, his thoughts twisting and turning like a carousel:

All I felt was pure fear when I killed that cat, yet Isaac smiled at me and laughed. Laughed! Why, I felt so confused about his reaction, about why he laughed, that I started laughing too and trying to convince myself that it was okay…oh, Jason must have felt so confused that she still hated him years after he wrote the letter…it was just one silly letter…humans can be so petty…

Jason swallowed hard and looked down, then back up, and then he said:

“The last words I heard from her was that no one would love a monster like me. She called me a monster. I didn’t think anything of it then, but now…I think that she’s right. All of my wax dolls hate me.”

Jason was a toymaker, he made dolls and put human souls in them to resemble some kind of company. Jason loved too hard that it could be seen as violent, that all would shrink away from him the second he let his true, raw, real self out.

Anytime Laughing Jack was with humans, he had to put on a whole show. He had to like whatever the humans liked so that they wouldn’t think he was too weird to be friends with. Why, he did that with Isaac, except the only difference was that he didn’t know enough about anything and actually liked it!

He told himself that it was worth to pretend, because in the end, he’d get to kill the humans, but still, it hurt a little to be alone. To know that nobody in the world would really understand anything that he went through, the overwhelming feelings constantly brewing inside him.

But Jason was special. Jason was a friend…friend? Good friend? Best friend? No, that…that didn’t feel quite right.

Jason was somebody he loved, sure, but it felt so much more than the type of love that he felt for Isaac. It felt like…gee…he didn’t know how to describe it…like the maggots that lived inside of his body, eating away at his rotten cloth insides, flowers blooming in the holes that the maggots left within, flowers that were as cherubically colored as candies.

Looking at Jason and seeing how much he wanted to shrink into himself, how much his brown-gold eyes seemed to be paralyzed with panic, how his assuredness had blinked away…why, Jason didn’t deserve to feel that way! His love was all too overwhelming that it was mistaken for something terrible, something cruel, to the point where it boiled down to hatred…all because people couldn’t understand…or wouldn’t care to understand…

He got up from the ground and hugged Jason, squeezed him tight enough to get rid of all the sadness he could. He looked down at Jason’s eyes and…was that a hint of green in his brown-golden eyes? That pretty little light inside? Ah, why did he get up? Being face-to-face to Jason brought all of the lovely flare-up feelings to a greater degree, and so, in that moment, Laughing Jack knew the true, right thing to say:

“I love you, Jason, for I too, am a monster. I want to see all of them die a slow, agonizing death, but I can’t imagine that future without you. We can show them both. Together.”

Jason looked up at him, his lips began to part in a smile. His eyes shone a little bit greener than before, and…and…the feeling of flowers blooming in the rotten parts of him grew and grew until it felt like they’d burst out of his chest and onto the floor. Laughing Jack knew that there weren’t really any flowers in him, but it sure did felt like it when he looked at Jason’s eyes…at his smiling lips…his lips…

Even with the both of them hugging each other, it was still too far apart…Jason was so, so, so much more than Isaac would ever be, so much more than Amelia would ever understand, he was…he was somebody Laughing Jack wanted to spend his whole existence with, somebody he wanted to…was that how humans felt when they were in love? Was that the right way to describe what he was feeling? Romantic love? Was the fluttering and the ecstasy what humans in love felt like?

It seemed so. It seemed true. The only way to fix the gap between them was to leave Jason with a kiss. A kiss on his lovely, elegant, porcelain-like lips, a kiss that would leave Laughing Jack’s essence seeped deep inside of him so that he would always have Laughing Jack to carry with him wherever he went…but would Jason want it? Would Jason…he did want it! He was tilting his head so that he wouldn’t be poked by Laughing Jack’s cone nose, and he was leaning for a kiss…yes, a kiss! A real life kiss! Laughing Jack had heard of kisses in love before, he saw it in some of the parents of the kids he killed, but he never once thought it’d happen to the likes of him before! Yes, that was what he was missing all his life! Not just a friend, but a soulmate! Perhaps, with Jason, he could hate the world a little less! Perhaps, the holes inside him could be mended bit by bit!

Laughing Jack leaned in for the kiss, more excited than he had been the first day he came to Earth, because he was much wiser than before and he was choosing to kiss Jason, it was his choice, and what a splendid thing having a choice was! To choose to do something rather than go by whatever somebody else wanted, than go by what was programmed into him! Jason was nothing like Isaac, he cared about Laughing Jack, he actually wanted to hear his story, and…wait…

Why did Jason first come to his box at all? Sure, it would be nice to believe that it was because Jason loved him, but Jason never met him before, so how could he love Laughing Jack? What was more was that he used magic to get in Laughing Jack’s box. Humans couldn’t really do that, which would mean for Jason that he might have wanted something from Laughing Jack, something that had to do with magic.

Laughing Jack couldn’t think highly of Jason because of a few words Jason said. Laughing Jack knew better than that.

“Hold on.” He said, letting go of Jason.

Jason’s eyes widened in shock and for a second, Laughing Jack felt as though he did something horribly wrong, guilt tinting his insides.

“What is it?” Jason asked, his voice cracking a bit in something that sounded akin to a sob.

Yes, Jason looked hurt, but Laughing Jack couldn’t falter. He made a choice, and he would stand by it. He was not bad for wanting to know something deeper to Jason’s motives, he just wanted to be sure.

There was nothing wrong with that.

“I want to trust you. I really do. You have no idea how much I want you to be apart of my life. But I need to pick at your mind, to see if there is anything that I should know about.” Laughing Jack said, every word feeling heavier than the last. It would be so much easier to trust that all Jason wanted to do was love him, but experience taught him to always be wary of human motives.

Jason didn’t protest, thankfully. He stayed right where Laughing Jack had pushed Jason away, and so, Laughing Jack closed his eyes and thought only of Jason, keeping his focus completely on Jason, letting his own mind lead to Jason’s:

What does Jason want? Why did he come here? What brought him here? Hmm…how is that so…I see it! Deep down in his mind, I see why! I can just go and look further…

It’s a little blurry, but it’s starting to clear a bit…more…just a little bit more…now we’re talking! Hm, well there’s a lot of toys, all sorts of toys, porcelain and wood, toys for children young and old, but there’s also mirrors! Lots of mirrors, old, cracked mirrors and polished, new mirrors with no cracks at all! There’s other little knickknacks too, and grandiose items that look too beautiful to be real…but everything is in its own area! Ropes form a barrier around the items OR they are in glass cases! Why is that? Why is everything in its own space?

Wait a damned minute…that wooden box…that wooden box in the glass case with the faded painted clowns on the surface…that box…it’s MY box! That’s my Jack-in-the-box! Is this…oh dear…is this where HE is keeping me? This sad, pitiful place of beautiful strange items? Why MUST he keep everything contained? None of these deserve to be here, especially my box!

But wait…is that Jason? The young man with the brown-golden (not just brown-golden, but amber with hints of emerald) eyes and the poinsettia red hair that tumbled down to his shoulder in locks that curled like the hair of storybook princesses that looked like a perfect home for smatterings of glitter? The man in the brown-beige clothing and dark brown suspenders, dressed smartly and yet not without a sprinkle of fun and fancy? The man peering at the box with a hungering, ambitious curiosity?

Yes, that determined, silent man can’t possibly be anybody other than the intelligent, confident, oddly charismatic Jason!

“Ah! I see you have been entranced by Laughing Jack!” A man’s crackly old voice booms…wait…crackly old voice…

I know that old man with the ginger hair and the man wrinkles! That man…it’s Elijah! Elijah Edbuckle, dressed in such offensively bright colors that even a child could pick less outlandish shades of purple and red than him. What’s Elijah doing here? Is this where he’s keeping me trapped? Oh boy, that’s quite dreadful.

His loud voice even made Jason up in fear! Goodness golly, I’ve never seen Jason up so high before! He looks so startled, too. Is he alright? I’m sure he is, Jason is always alright and-focus, Jack. You’re trying to find out if Jason has an agenda. Don’t get distracted.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Elijah Edbuckle.” Elijah says, sticking out his hand for Jason to shake.

Jason certainly isn’t going to shake his hand, is he? Sure, Elijah is wearing gloves, but his hands are still far too grimy for somebody to actually touch them, isn’t that right?

“Jason. Jason Meyer.” Jason says, shaking Elijah’s hand.

Well, I guess he has to do that to be formal. A man like him must be careful with how he presents himself, he has to be respectful in every way. At least, that’s what I think. What would I know about being respectful? I’m just an ol’ clown haha!

“What did you say about “Laughing Jack”?” Jason asks. If I’m not mistaken, there’s an inquisitive note in his question. I mean, he asked something, so of course it would be inquisitive, but somehow, this feels…like something more.

“Oh, well you see, the clown toy in this box is alive! It’s a demon, matter of fact.” Elijah beams. Yes, he’s so gosh darn proud of trapping me in this box, isn’t he? So high and mighty, eh?

Well, just you wait, Elijah. I’m starting to think that maybe I shouldn’t worry about Jason at all, but I’ll keep looking just to be good on my word. When Jason gets me out, you’ll pay! All of the humans will pay!

“The demon in the box calls itself “Laughing Jack”. It was quite the dilemma down in London! Children kept disappearing to the clown, so I went down there to check it out myself, to find the very thing that would weaken him.” Elijah says as those he actually cares about the children. Come now, Elijah, I know that you’re heartless. It takes one to know one, after all. The only difference between me and you that you’re pretending like you’re not. You’re repulsive and I’m not. That’s just a fact.

“It took a while, but I finally found it: It’s box. The box is the only thing that can contain the demon. Once I trapped Laughing Jack in there, all was set in stone! I sent it over to this museum and now it’s all locked up for your enjoyment!” Elijah beams as he shouts out his words. His voice has hints of loudness in it even if he’s not shouting, he’s just being particularly noisy right now.

He’s excited, like a little child when they first learn I have magical powers. He thinks he can just show off how he’s trapped me and nobody would notice. Here’s the thing, E-

“What if I told you that the glass case wasn’t enough to keep it in the box?” Jason asks…I’m not sure why he’s asked that. Where is he going to go with this?

“And what if I told you not to tell me how to do my job?” Elijah says with narrowed eyes. Honestly, Jason would probably work Elijah’s job (or whatever it is that Elijah does) better than him, because I’ll bet that he does wise, effective things that help make all of his work efficient. That’s just the kind of dedicated person he is, isn’t it?

“Hear me out: The thing inside of the box is a demon. It could break through the wood and pierce through the glass. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but it might happen. That’s where I come in. It’s a cloth doll, isn’t it? I can cut it into pieces and give it back to you in the box. With the doll being broken apart, there will be no chance of it coming back together again.”Jason says…hold on…WHAT did he just say?

I can’t break out of this box myself! That’s giving me too much credit. This box was DESIGNED to keep me contained inside! If anybody were to open the box without winding it first, then I’d appear in the physical world as a small, harmless doll rather than my true form. I know because it’s happened to me once. It was…quite a strange feeling. The child didn’t tear me up at all, just put me back in the box and went to do their own thing. The next time that child found the box they cranked it up and the party started happening, but hey now, enough of me rambling-Why is Jason talking about how he can just BREAK ME APART?

“Hmm…the doll is cloth…perhaps it can be broken…you bring up good points…ones that I haven’t thought of…it’s a deal!” Elijah beams. Well, of course he’s happy. Jason just put a completely ridiculous idea in his head and now Elijah thinks that he’s so prepared for what can’t happen. Yes, Elijah thinks that he’s such a genius.

Elijah walks up to the glass case as though he’s about to open it, but then Jason puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

Elijah looks at Jason with pathetic, weary blue eyes. He trusts Jason completely. Only after a few seconds of talking to him, his trust lies in Jason.

“I can’t just cut the demon up. Not yet. At the end of the day, a demon is still a demon. It will try to fight me, it might even kill me. I have to gain its trust. So I’ll visit it in dreams. When I’m sure that it has complete trust in me, I’ll take it to my domain to be killed. You can count on that.” Jason promises…it must be a promise, for he’s saying it in the same tone that Isaac did when he promised to come back for me.

“You can gain the trust of a demon?” Elijah asks. He’s flabbergasted at what Jason says that he can do. If I’m being honest right here, I don’t blame Elijah for trusting Jason. That toymaker had me fooled.

“You underestimate me too much, Elijah.” Jason says. Apparently I’ve underestimated him too, because I thought that he’d…that he’d actually love me.

But I’m nothing to him. Just something to prove how strong he is. Just something to be cut up and forgotten.

That’s all I’m good for, it seems.

“Alright then. If I start to feel like there’s funny business going on, you’re banned from coming to this museum. You’ll never be able to see the box ever again.” Elijah seethes, as though he can somehow take over as the authority. But no, I can see in Jason’s slight snakelike grin that Elijah has no power, that Jason regards every living creature as a lesser being.

Even me.

“A deal is a deal.” Jason says, shaking Elijah’s hand.

That’s it. I’m done. I don’t need to see anymore. I already know what Jason wants. I wasn’t overthinking after all. He’s got a hidden agenda, they all do.

I’m gonna kill that lying bastard.

“You’re going to cut me up? All that time we spent together was to trick me?! You…you…you lied to me!” Laughing Jack cried out. He had gotten back from Jason’s mind and couldn’t believe the nerve that Jason had to look up at him with shock as he sat on the ground, as though he couldn’t possibly see it coming. Laughing Jack had to always be cautious, or else he’d get himself into an even worse type of misery than he was already in.

“I was going to do that, but-“

“But nothing! You want me dead, and like the foolish clown I am, I thought that you loved me!” Laughing Jack screeched. His throat stung as though sobs were waiting to build up, but no, he would not cry. Not for Jason. Jason wasn’t worth any ounce of his tears. Jason wasn’t worth anything.

Laughing Jack didn’t wait one second for Jason to get up, for Jason to explain himself. Nothing was more true than what Laughing Jack saw in Jason’s mind and so, Laughing Jack lunged towards Jason, claws out, teeth bared-

Jason vanished into thin air.

……………………………………………………..

Laughing Jack found himself sitting on his knees in the box, his claws resting on the splintered wooden surface. He didn’t feel any pain from the sharp pieces of wood, for that kind of pain didn’t really affect him, but…

How could he ever, for one second, think that Jason really loved him? What about Laughing Jack was desirable in any way? If he wasn’t a magical being, nobody would talk to him. Not even the bothersome kids. No, they’d be too disgusted to talk someone with maggots in their teeth, someone with their hair long and overgrown, like vines encroaching an abandoned house, someone who looked as decayed as they felt, someone…someone like him…why…why…

Why, he was crying after all! He thought that the tears had run dry, but no, cold, black tears ran down his eyes and fell onto the floor. His throat hurt so much, like it was going to bleed, like…like…

Laughing Jack opened his mouth, something scratched at his tongue desperately, something…a rat covered in thick black ink scurried out.

He frowned. Was that the fluttering he felt in his chest all along? Not love, but a rat? A bloody rat who had somehow buried itself inside of Laughing Jack?

A dry, harsh laugh tumbled out of the clown’s lips. Of course! How could something like him ever feel love? The only thing he knew was woe, so of course a rat would find its way to him! All the rats and bugs loved him, that was for sure!

Nobody else ever would, so perhaps he’d oughta stop trying! Nobody was going to free him from his box, so he just sit and wait for all the pests to eat his body until he was nothing but energy, and then he could go back to wherever he came from and become something else, start a new life.

Maybe, if he was lucky enough, he wouldn’t come back at all. He would just disappear for good.

Maybe he wouldn’t hurt anymore if he didn’t exist.