Work Text:
Lanterns dotted the interior of the cabin, each one lit with its own little flame. They danced independent of one another, casting shadows along the weathered walls. Two shadows remained constant— one shorter, fiddling with its hands, the other sporting boney wing-like appendages that twitched with each shuddering breath.
The two of them stood in front of each other, unmoving. Entirely silent. The tension in the air was palpable, settling over the air like smoke; neither of them had the ability, or perhaps the energy, to abolish it yet.
They had been like this for a couple minutes or so at this point. There were others just a bit ago— but as the clock in the corner of the room chimed, the hands all positioned beneath the number 12, everyone had disappeared in what had seemed like the blink of an eye. A round, they both knew that much. And the two of them, lucky as they were, had been left out this time.
Two Time kept that same eerie smile on their face. Light from the lanterns further emphasized their gaunt form—they were practically skin and bone, Noob thought to themself with a small shiver—as they just… stared. Either they were also socially awkward, or they were planning on stabbing the other survivor to death. Noob could never quite tell what was going on behind those glossy, corpse-like eyes. The wings on their back didn’t exactly help appearances, either. They looked to be entirely made of bone, ivory spotted with bits of red at the tips. They were small now, but they could get bigger. In rounds, Noob sometimes had the displeasure of seeing Two Time with their back practically torn open. And coming out from the giant open wound, almost triumphantly, were those same growths— except now, they were covered in blood. An impressive (and macabre) wingspan for sure, but they certainly couldn’t fly with them.
All that to say Noob did not like seeing Two Time in rounds. But unlike the other survivors, who usually whispered about how ‘creepy’ or ‘potentially murderous’ they looked, Noob just felt… bad. Everyone else avoided the cultist, save for 007n7 at times, and although they all had their reasons, it still seemed cruel.
Maybe that was just their past experiences speaking. They were all too used to seeing people judge based on looks, or baseless rumors— seriously, had anyone tried just talking to the poor guy?
Talking. Right. You were so busy thinking that you forgot to talk, they admonished themself, lightly smacking their forehead with a hand partially covered by their sweater sleeve.
“Uhm…” Pushing past the sense of trepidation that only got worse as Two Time continued to stare, they forced themself to continue. “L- Looks like it’s just us. Hah..” They received no response, so they kept going. Too late to back out now.
“Is there anything you… do? Here? Outside of- of rounds, I mean.” Biting back another nervous chuckle, they crossed their arms to stop themself from fidgeting even more.
No response, yet again. Noob’s face was starting to flush with embarrassment as they considered just leaving. Seriously, did Two Time hate them that much?—
“I wouldn’t say so.” Noob jolted as Two Time broke the silence once more. Their voice was as unsettling as their expression, light and airy yet lacking that sense of warmth that it should’ve had. They sounded incomplete, almost. Were they leaving something out on purpose, or was it something they had lost..?
Ah— they were thinking too much about it. They stammered wordlessly for a moment, trying to find the right thing to say.
“Well… I don’t really- I mean, yeah, there’s not much to- unless you find something like a- a hobby, or—“ Oh my Telamon, could you just get it together already.
“…Do you just want to, uuh- hang out? Maybe?” Their mouth worked quicker than their train of thought, leaving them (almost) regretting the words coming out of their mouth. But instead of going back, they doubled down.
“The round’s not gonna be over for another few hours, so… we could, uhm— sit on the couch or something? While we wait?” In all honesty, a part of them didn’t want to be alone. This place still managed to give them the creeps after months. And besides, they felt a nagging urge to talk with the cultist currently taking a tentative step closer to them. They never quite got the chance to speak with them before—
Wait. They were moving? Towards Noob??
Noob remained where they were in response, trying to remain as still as possible as to not scare them off… and also so they could come off more nonchalant and not like the mess they knew they were.
Two Time only stopped once they were a few inches away— clearly they knew nothing of personal space as they reached out, spindly fingers taking a gentle hold of Noob’s wrist.
“I would like that. Come.”
And so, still dazed, Noob allowed themself to be led over to the couch. It was a pathetic little thing, littered with patchwork bits of fabric meant to cover up countless rips and tears. It was still comfortable though, especially as Two Time carefully sat the two of them down in front of the fireplace. It was currently lacking a fire, but the scent of smoke was still present.
They sat facing each other. Noob on one end of the couch, Two Time on the other, close enough that their knees brushed together. The contact was nice— Noob had always been touchy, so it was relieving to have it be reciprocated for once.
The cultist looked down at them, expectant. They were unmoving save for the slow rise and fall of their chest. If not for that, Noob could’ve confused them for a corpse.
“Was this what you had in mind?” They asked.
“Ah—“ Noob, once again, was so caught up in their own head that they forgot to speak. “Y-yes. Thanks.” They nodded, reaching out a hand to give a small pat on the shoulder— only to hesitate midway, uncertain.
Two Time, however, closed the gap after a moment’s silence. They took the other survivor’s hand in their own, their smile falling for a mere moment only to be replaced with something more genuine. Something softer.
Noob’s words were caught in the back of their throat. They swallowed thickly, giving the cultist’s hand a small squeeze. Fingers still laced together, they laid between the two, a silent offering of companionship.
…Two Time’s hands were cold. Noob resisted a shiver, glancing out the window as bits of snow spiraled down from the rooftops.
“D-.. Do you think they’ll win this time?” They murmured.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. That does not change anything though, does it?” Two Time replied. “The cycle will continue nevertheless. Though, I do wish them the best.” They hummed under their breath, shifting so their back rested against the couch. Their wings prodded the cushions, threatening to tear into patchwork fabric.
“It is in Spawn’s hands now.”
Ah… it was only a matter of time. Faith was a complicated subject in this realm, especially considering Two Time’s… cult, as Dusekkar and the other admins put it. That was another reason as to why Noob didn’t talk to them much— not because they were afraid of their religion by any means, no. They just didn’t know how to respond to the cultist’s preachy ramblings.
And… once again, a part of them felt bad. At least Two Time had their faith, but sometimes it seemed like they had nothing else.
Noob sighed, shifting closer without a second thought.