Work Text:
“I’m scared.”
“When are you not?”
“I know, but it’s different this time. Something’s going to happen, I’m sure of it.”
“You always say that.”
“I mean it this time!”
“Look, can we not do this today?”
“I just don’t know what to do.”
“Come with me! Let’s leave this dusty cave and let’s go outside!”
“But the outside world is a death sentence! This cave is what keeps us safe!”
“You are scared of going outside, you are scared of doing anything! That is not safety.”
“You just don’t get it, do you?”
“No, you don’t get it. You need to- never mind.”
“Where are you going?”
“Out. I need some fresh air. If you were smart, you’d do the same.”
“But where are you going?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, I love you.”
“You love me too, right?”
Two more rights and a left—there we go. Flvoq grinned to himself as he found the exit of the large cave systems. He must’ve really gotten a hand of this now, getting faster each time (he didn’t). Shoving a wrinkled piece of paper back in his pocket, he stepped outside. Bailey had told him when he first came here -and several times more afterwards- that he needed to do rounds at least three times a day. Just to check if everything was safe, and to fend of enemies if they’d gotten too close. Now there was something the man was good at. Fighting had always been a thing he was good at, and if it meant protecting the Survivors he was more than happy to help.
They looked around for moment. It was a nice day out. Bright morning, and the sun hadn’t reached its highest point yet so the temperature was very pleasant. A good day to be outside.
Glancing to the side, Flvoq noticed a person, struggling to carry a large pot. He smiled, recognizing the person. It was- well, he was sure he’d remember the name mid-conversation. But they were definitely a survivor, so they went over.
“Need some help?” he asked, lifting the pot out of the other person’s arms. It was almost completely filled with water, making it heavier. Nothing too bad though, he thought to himself.
“Thanks,” the other replied, wiping their hands on their now soaked shirt. “There were probably better ways to do that, in hindsight.”
“Probably,” Flvoq shrugged, putting the pot on the large stove that was standing close by. “What brings you outside?”
The other person- SWEET! That’s the name- reached behind the stove and grabbed a crate with all kinds of ingredients. With a loud thud they placed it on top of the small counter that stood there.
“Making soup,” they said. “Just like mother used to.” They grabbed a slab of beef and a large knife and started slicing it into cubes. “Mind helping me out?” Flvoq immediately nodded, reaching into the crate and grabbing a carrot.
“You know,” he started, grabbing another knife, “they call me a master in the kitchen.” He dropped the knife on the carrot, only getting about halfway through before yanking it back out. A piece snapped off, flying into the tall grass. “They lied.”
He started over, this time much more careful, slowly chopping the carrot into pieces. Not wanting to seem impolite, he started talking.
“Why are you outside?” he asked. “For what I’ve been told, you don’t get out much.” Sweet let out a soft chuckle, slicing the knife through the meat with a bit more force than they probably meant to.
“Trying to keep someone’s advice.” There was a sneer in their voice. Or was it regret? “There was a fight.”
Immediately, Flvoq raised his knife, eyes dashing across the field they were standing in. Sweet shook their head. “Not that kind of fight.”
They kept staring at the beef they were slicing, their movements experienced but somehow still unsure. Their hands were slightly shaking, and they were very glad the knife was sharp otherwise they couldn’t even properly cook. Flvoq just stared.
“Did you fight the cow?”
At that, Sweet couldn’t help but laugh, putting the knife down to properly look at their fellow survivor.
“My wife, Fey,” he explained. “Things have been.. tense lately, and this morning she sounded like she was actually going to yell at me. She walked out and honestly- I don’t know where they went or if they’ll be back?”
“They walked out?”
“They’ve gone for ‘fresh air’ before, but they always came back. But this time she wouldn’t tell me where they were going.”
Flvoq thought hard for a moment, trying to figure out who Fey was again. In his defense, there were a shit ton of people in that cave. Then a memory popped into his head. A stern voice from Bailey, telling him to beware of one person. A person who, when agitated, had the strength of three men. Yeah, they’d probably be alright on their own.
“And you married them?” he said, thinking out loud.
“Hey, I love them!” Sweet bit back, but he immediately looked back down. “It’s just… circumstances,” they mumbled. “I am just so scared of everything, and she’s not. She’s never scared-“
Flvoq chose not to answer, grabbing more veggies -leek, cauliflower, celery- from the crate and attempting to quickly chop them up. By now, Sweet had thrown the beef and a large marrowbone in the hot water, staining it a light pink. It stayed quiet for a moment, leaving both of them to their own thoughts. Well, mostly Sweet. At age 15, Flvoq had traded in his braincells for muscles and hadn’t looked back. Life was a lot quieter like that.
They finished the rest of the preparations in silence, Sweet grabbing everything and throwing it in the pot with a clean swoop. They grabbed a large wooden spoon and stirred everything together. This would need to sit for a while. But once it was finished, it would taste just like home, and he would be able to share it with Fey. Fey liked soup.
Flvoq put his knife down, taking a short moment to find the right words before he spoke up.
“Look, if it’s the Anti that you’re scared of, that’s why Bailey got me here. I may not always be able to find the exit but I’ll make damn sure they’ll never find the entrance.”
“I know that,” Sweet replied, “but you don’t know what we went through. And like it or not, I need these people. I need- I need Fey too.” Flvoq remembers a tale of fire and screaming. Bailey had made sure to tell him. He still wasn’t entirely sure what had exactly gone down, but one thing was certain.
“Well,” he said, looking at the other, “any Anti that dares to come through will be met with a force of a thousand men. Something like that will never happen again.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Now I’m going to continue my rounds before I get Bailey on my ass. I’ll be close if anything happens, but I can assure you you’re safe here. I’ll try to see if I can spot Fey too, maybe they’re already on their way back.”
Sweet smiled, giving the other a grateful ‘thank you’ and a goodbye before turning back to their soup, stirring it once more before finding a lid to cover it up. That would need to boil for another two hours or so, giving them maybe some time to actually enjoy the sunlight for once. You didn’t have to know Flvoq to know the guy was incredibly strong.
You know, maybe he had a point. Maybe safety was finally truly returning to the Survivor Caves, and soon they’d be able to step out wherever they wanted without truly fearing being attacked. Others had done it before, many times. Why shouldn’t he as well?
And as the bubbles began to rise in a boiling swirl of a long-lost home, Sweet felt the sense of their current home returning, and a large smile spread across his face.
It would be the last one for a long time.