Chapter Text
“Alright, time for one last look at those scores!” Schmitty leaned back in his chair as he watched the final Quiplash game of the day come to a close. Most of the games had gone pretty smoothly, with this last one including some of the funniest responses of the day. The host let out a quiet breath as the booth lights shut off, and the main overhead lights came back on. As he got up to leave, he opened his phone, typing up a quick message.
Just finished up my last game. Is the break room still a good meeting place? Almost immediately, he saw a response pop up.
I’m running a bit late. I’ll meet you at the restaurant, just make sure we get our table.
You got it.
It had generally been a pretty good week for Schmitty, and a dinner date seemed like the perfect way to end it. He and Cookie had planned this months ago, and he was sure that absolutely nothing could ruin this day for him. His games had been running pretty smoothly, everyone at the studio seemed to be getting along really well as of recent, the Quiplash host had found himself in probably the best relationship he could remember being in. Things sure seemed to be looking up for him.
Schmitty managed to make it to the restaurant in five minutes, and didn’t have to wait long for the host to call him up.
“Uh, table for two. Should be under Schmitstinstein?”
“Come with me.” The host nodded and gestured for Schmitty to follow. It didn’t take long for two to arrive at the table, but the host had turned a corner before Schmitty had the chance to thank them. The Quiplash host shrugged and began to go take his seat, when he saw two hands pull it out for him.
“Hey, there’s no need for that!”
“Oh, it’s fine. I insist!” Schmitty slowly sat down, playing the response in his head. He was all too used to his co-workers sounding scarily similar to him, but what he had heard just now was his voice. There was a slight lilt, but it couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else’s. The stranger sat down across from him, and aside from a few differences style, the resemblance to Schmitty was uncanny.
“Look, I’m saving that seat for someone, so-”
“Don’t worry, Schmitty! I’ll be gone before he gets here.”
“Okay!” Schmitty stood up, banging his hands on the table. “How the fuck do you-”
“Look like, sound like, and know who you are?” Schmitty was getting real tired of this guy cutting him off. “Simple. I’m you.” Well he certainly wasn’t expecting that answer. “And I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and I promise, all will be answered!”
Schmitty stared at his double, mouth agape. “Go on…”
“The timelines we’re from turned out very different, and I need your help to make things right.”
“Again. I’m kinda waiting for my date to arrive, so I’m not sure if I can help ya, buddy.” Schmitty quickly leaned to the side, trying to see if Cookie had walked through the door yet.
“No, not now, you-!” Other-Schmitty sighed and took a breath. “Look, the people you see as friends, co-workers, the ones who claim they love you. They took everything from me! I need you to help me make sure they feel how I feel!”
“Damn, this is kinda heavy for an intro.” Schmitty muttered the words loud enough to hear. “Just out of curiosity, how exactly do you plan to ‘take them down?’”
Creepy-Schmitty leaned in, lowering his voice. “I have a way to ruin their lives, starting from their careers. I can make it almost like they never existed, so they can know what they’ve had to put me through.” Schmitty’s doppelganger leaned back, extending a hand. “So, what d’you say? Will you help me?”
“Hmmm…” Schmitty leaned back in his chair, tapping his foot. “Look, I’m pretty happy with my life right now, and I don’t really need any added stress right now.” The Quiplash host rested his arms on the table. “So, I’m gonna have to say no.”
While the other Schmitty’s smile seemed to eerily grow, his eye twitched ever so slightly. “Fine.” The creepy, vengeful Schmitty stood up, still staring at his counterpart. “Don’t worry about it then! Just enjoy your date with Cookie!” He narrowed his eyes. “You never know if it’ll be your last.”
“What’d you just say?!” Schmitty blinked, shaking his head. When he finally processed everything, his double was gone. “Huh. That was kinda cryptic.”
“Jeez, I was five minutes late, and I already missed some weird shit?” Schmitty looked up at the comment. He hadn’t even noticed Cookie come to the table. The sight of his boyfriend made him relax immediately.
“Oh, thank god, Cookie. There’s no way you’re gonna believe what just happened to me!”
“Try me.”
Schmitty took that as his cue to go through the conversation he had with the alleged alternate version of himself. Cookie nodded along, staring intently at his partner. Once the retelling was done, he let out a sigh.
“You’re right. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t believe them.”
“You don’t think I should be concerned, right?” Schmitty tapped his hands on the table. Cookie could tell that he was getting more and more nervous about this. “The last thing he said to me almost seemed like a threat.”
“How much harm could he do? Yeah, he may seem all creepy, but do you really think he has the resources to back up everything he’s saying?”
For a moment there was a silence as Schmitty thought about Cookie’s remarks. Eventually, he let out a long sigh. “You know what? You’re probably right. And I just wanna think about this dinner with you right now. Not some cryptic threats that may not even mean anything!”
“Sounds good to me!” Cookie nodded as he opened his menu, quickly beginning to read it. Schmitty followed suit, in an attempt to further ease his worries. There was no way that encounter could’ve meant anything, right?