Chapter Text
“Flux?”
………..
“So, what are we supposed to do about Lady Jophiel’s death?”
“I say we should deliver roses and letters to Tricolor, in honor of their late Queen.”
“I heard they would be holding a funeral at Tricolor. Wouldn’t that be a perfect time to deliver the roses and letters as you say?”
What the hell? Saps looked around, dazed. He was sitting in a chair inside his house, in front of Island 2’s leaders. Was he back at that godforsaken meeting?
Saps felt his heartbeat shoot up as his eyes darted upward, staring at the ceiling with growing fear. Fuck—he couldn’t relive this entire incident again—
Saps was sick to his stomach. He tried to open his mouth to yell at the leaders to get out, yet no words came out. He tried to move, attempting to signal for the leaders to get out, but his body felt numb—stiff even. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak. He was stuck there, forced to watch this catastrophe unfold once more.
“…Oh Ish no,” Saps thought. He felt cold sweat dripping from his forehead as his heart raced rapidly. He pried his eyes off the ceiling, bringing his gaze back to the unaware leaders. He wanted to sob, his brain thinking of anything to warn the leaders to get out, save themselves from their impending doom. But yet again, no tears came out. He felt utterly helpless.
Then, he heard it. The sound of redstone igniting. The sound that Saps couldn’t bear hearing anymore. Instinctively, he closed his eyes shut in record time. He braced himself to hear that blood curdling sound of a stalactite falling from the ceiling and landing on 6 leaders.
…
But he didn’t.
“What?”
Slowly, Saps hesitantly opened one eye, expecting to see blood and blood and blood everywhere. Instead, found himself in a void-like room. Or, it may just be the void to be honest. He was standing now, but he still couldn’t move a muscle. Well, not yet atleast.
This was just some stupid nightmare, wasn’t it? For a moment, he let himself calm down. Biggest mistake.
A second later, Fluixon stood on the opposite side of where he was standing, a blank expression on his face. His eyes were shrouded with shadows casted by his raven hair. He stood still, devoid of any movement just like Saps.
“…Flux?” Saps called out. His body moved upon instinct, reaching for Flux. His dearest, his best friend. He found that he could move and speak now. Huh.
‘Flux’ remained still and vacant. Saps took small steps towards Flux, reaching out to touch him.
CRACK!
Blood splattered all over Saps’ pale face, his pupils dilating in pure shock and disgust. The leaders— they- Oh Ish, Saps was about to vomit and cry ugly tears. He thought he escaped from experiencing the same situation earlier. He was foolish to think a nightmare would become a dream. His eyes flickered to each of the mauled bodies of the leaders and couldn’t help tearing up.
‘Flux’ had a wide grin on his mouth, eyes still shrouded in shadows. Saps choked on his sobs, a look of pure betrayal casted on his face as he stared at the person who he was supposed to trust. His hands shook as he pulled them away from reaching out at the raven haired man.
“You’re not… Flux,” Saps muttered quietly, his voice trembling. His brows furrowed in anger or sadness, or fear, or betrayal, or everything at once. “You’re… you’re—“
“Fluixon.” Fluixon stated, his voice echoing through this void like place. His voice was cold and harsh, nothing like the best friend Saps adored.
“Do you really still see me as Flux after everything I’ve put you through?”
Fluixon asked, his voice tinged with mocking curiosity. Saps took a few steps back and clutched his cloak so tightly his knuckles ached.
“You are pathetic Saparata.”
Saps shook his head, mumbling a small “no,” as he continuously backed away, his grip on his cloak getting tighter. Fluixon slowly approached him, and he found himself frozen in place. He couldn’t move again. What the hell was happening? All he knew that his supposed enemy was approaching him, his heart is about to escape his chest, and that the decaying bodies of the leaders now stood behind them.
Fluixon placed his thumb underneath Saps chin, the grin wiped away from his face and instead replaced with a look of pity. “You just don’t get it, do you?”
Saps closed his eyes shut, unable to look into those amethyst eyes that he once fell in love with. He pulled his head back, away from Fluixon’s touch—despite him reaching out just earlier. His racing heart was full of fear and anger, the latter being the most.
“Who did you really ‘kill’ in that colosseum, Saparata?”
…
“Just shut the fuck up!”
Gasp!
Saps woke up in a panic, sweat all over his face. His heart was pounding against his chest and his breath came out short and ragged. He looked around and found that he was in the basement of his house, kneeling against Flux’s bedside, hand intertwined with his.
He untangled his hands from Flux as he wiped the sweat off his face and eventually calmed down once he realized that Flux was alive and well? He couldn’t be sure of the second part, but for now, all that matters is that he’s stable and breathing. He sighed in relief as he checked for Flux’s pulse. Still there, good.
He stood up and stretched out his arms, his back slightly aching. Probably because of how long he slept in that god awful position. He looked at the clock near some dusty cabinets.
5:28am. Yeah, one hell long of sleep. Saps straightened his posture as he glanced at his bloody cloak tossed to the side.
Then he remembered that nightmare. That fuckass grin, the blood, that touch the felt so real. The tears that he shed and the fear he endured all over again. And that damn question that he’d rather not remeber. Then he glanced back at Flux. Or Fluixon? No.
Flux would never do that. He would never do that to Saps. Flux wasn’t cruel, he was just misunderstood, and Saps was the only one who could understand him.
Right?
At least that’s what Saps thought.
He didn’t want ‘Fluixon’ to exist in his mind.
…
Anyway. It’s sunrise, and Saps has some important things to do. First, he was to head to the market by the boundary of Pirate Republic and Cass Coalition to buy potions of regeneration to make sure Flux stays intact. Second, he has to build a grave so people actually believe that Flux ‘died’ and wasn’t alive in his basement.
And third, make sure people don’t get too skeptical and pry into whatever he has going on.
Though he was hesitant to leave Flux’s side, terrified that he may stop breathing. But he knew he had too. So with a long breath of determination, he turned around and headed upstairs.
The light of dawn fell upon skin, warming the entire house with its presence. Saps found himself smiling softly as he remembered the many sunrises he and Flux shared when they were just teenagers. They would be watching the sunrise by the streets of Tricolor, or the fields of Barbieland. And most of the times, by beautiful beaches of Luminara.
Ah, the good old times. Whatever, it is no time to reminisce. Saps grabbed a coat sitting on his couch and wore it lazily, then grabbed the his satchel hanging from the coat rack. He shoved the door open and quickly ran down the steps leading to his house and walked towards the beach, where a few boats of his stayed. He got on a boat and rowed towards the northern Island.
A few minutes later, he docked on the docks of Cass Coalition. It was more quiet than it was before, thought it still remained relatively busy despite its civilians taking quite the hit in yesterday’s war. People had flowers and candles in their hands for the people who passed.
It reminded Saps that he need to buy those too for Fluixon’s grave that he would make later.
“Oh right,” he muttered. He stopped observing and began walking towards the boundary between Cass Coalition and Pirate Republic.
As he walked, he couldn’t help but think about Flux again. How the touch of his hand felt cold, how his skin looked ghostly pale, and how most of his body was covered in bandages. He hoped he would wake up soon, but at the same time, he was terrified of what could possibly happen if he woke up.
Would Flux hate him? Or perhaps suffer from some sort of memory loss? Would Flux thank him or…
Saps shouldn’t let his mind wander to negative outcomes. It’s not healthy to his already deteriorating mental state.
As he arrived at the market, bustling with people buying flowers and candles for their loved ones that passed. He saw the stall he was looking for and walked over there.
Once he arrived, his eyes skimmed over the potions. Splash potion of harming, splash potion of poisoning… Man, all these potions were no use for him. It looked like this stall only sold potions used to harm other people.
He walked over to another stall that sold potions a few stalls away and found that it sold what he needed. Healing potions. Or so people would call it. The stall had potions of healing, regeneration, instant health, etc.
The vendor was a lovely young lady, brown hair, apron, all the sorts. Her face was bruised, but despite that, she kept a kind smile on her face.
She was first sorting through her pots and potions before noticing Saps. Her face lit up with slight joy as she greeted him, waving her hand politely.
“Oh, hello Saps—our hero, heh-“ She tried to joke, but the atmosphere was far too solemn for shits and giggles. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly as she awkwardly tried to laugh it off.
Being referred to as a ‘hero’ made Saps feel guilty, is that how the world saw him now? A hero for quote in quote, ‘’ending the life of Fluixon,,? Bullshit, Saps thought. If anything, he was a villain, a ruthless person who was far too blinded by justice.
If he had just let his execution in Commonwealth go smoothly, none of this would’ve happened. Because, in the end—all he wanted was to die. He should’ve just let Flux win.
Saps shook his head, trying to shake the onslaught of negative thoughts. He should be glad that people saw him as a good person now, not like the Saparata who was falsely accused of 6 counts of murder.
“Sorry, you know how it is.” She apologized nervously, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear as he dusted her apron and straightened her posture. Her hands shook subtly as she plastered a crooked, polite smile on her face,
Saps chuckled awkwardly, “No, no. It’s completely fine. Don’t worry, I get it.” He reassured her, returning her smile. He couldn’t blame her for trying to lighten the mood.
“So,” He cleared his throat then continued his sentence.
“How much is a potion of regeneration?” He asked, tilting his head in curiosity as he gently touched the pristine bottle, his fingers lightly grazing the glass as he looked up, waiting for an answer.
“Uhm, 25 emeralds or 10 diamonds each. Usually it’d be cheaper, but resources are scarce nowadays.” She explained, pushing the bottle towards the white haired man.
Saps nodded and mentally counted how much he would need for Flux for a month. A normal potion of regeneration lasts around somewhere around 225 hours, which was 9 days, so that would be… He skip counted using his hands while his mouth mumbled the numbers.
3 potions per month, so 30 diamonds. Not half bad, He thought. He could get an extra 3 potions for the next month too.
“I see,”
“Then could I get 6 potions of regeneration?”
Saps dug into his satchel and pulled out a stack of diamonds, offering it to the kind lady. “This should be enough, and I can give the extra 4 diamonds as a tip!”
“Oh, well- thank you Saps! But, are you sure you want regeneration? It takes quite a bit of time for it to fully take effect, would you not want a potion of healing or instant health?”
She was sort of skeptical as to why Saps wanted regeneration instead of instant health or healing, because usually those take effect much faster. Was it not for his own benefit? No, of course not. It was Flux.
“Yeah, no—I want the potion of regeneration. Thank you for the suggestions though, I appreciate it.” He dismissed, grabbing the potions and stuffing it into his satchel before he bid farewell to the vendor and walked away.
Next stop was the flower shop. He needed some flowers for Fluixon’s grave.
He wondered what kind of flowers he should buy. First he thought of roses or chrysanthemums, but figured it was too common. Flux never bothered with flowers or gardening shit. He said flowers were pretty, but nothing but a nuisance to keep.
And Saps remembered when Flux approached him with a bouquet of bright yellow sunflowers mixed with the vibrant and mesmerizing colors of purple hyacinths. He said he just felt bad for the florist and decided to help them. He said it didn’t mean anything.
Of course, Saps didn’t believe him. Sunflowers were his all time favorite flower—and he recalled that Flux once said that if he were to like a flower, it would be a hyacinth—due to the story behind it. Was that bouquet really a coincidence? Mm, no one really knows. Flux never lived to tell the tale.
Then it hit him. Sunflowers and hyacinths! It would remind Saps of Flux, everything they had gone through as teenagers before this hell. It was the two flowers that symbolized their friendship.
With that in mind, he started walking towards one of the many flower stalls in the market. Most of them were crowded with people, so his eyes looked around and landed on a stall that wasn’t so crowded or had a long line.
When he arrived, he stood behind two other people purchasing roses and chrysanthemums.
The aroma of the stall reeked with the smell of heaven. The scents of all the flowers clashed together perfectly—creating this alluring scent that seemed to draw him closer. He was baffled that this stall had less people approaching it rather than the others.
Once the two people in front of him finished purchasing, he approached the vendor—a gruff looking man with calloused hands and tousled hair.
“Hello, do you have sunflowers and hyacinths?” Saps asked, flashing a polite smile on his face as the vendor turned to him. He took a moment to observe the man in front of him, before he crossed his arms.
“Yes, I do. Will that be a bouquet?” The man asked. His voice was deep, smooth and controlled. Saps nodded and laid down a 32 diamonds on the counter.
“Is that enough? I’m not familiar with the process nowadays, heh.”
“Yep, more than enough actually.” The vendor said, returning 16 diamonds back to Saps. “What’s the color of the hyacinth?”
“Purple. Is that available?”
“Yep.” The vendor turned his back on him as he grabbed a handful of purple hyacinths and 3 sunflowers that varied in sizes and stuffed them neatly and elegantly in a bouquet before handing it to Saps. “You have a very nice taste in flower combinations.” The vendor complimented.
Saps shrugged and smiled, pink dusting his cheeks. “Well, I know my flowers, thank you.”
He was about to walk away from the stall before he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. “Saps!” A voice rung out, they sounded cheerful, thought it was tainted with a bit of sadness.
Saps tilted his head as he turned around to look at the person whose hand was on his shoulder. And it was none other than Cass. She looked bright and bubbly, her blonde hair swaying gracefully in the wind as her green eyes sparkled. She looked happy despite the solemn atmosphere. Because despite everything, she knew how to move on and let things go. Unlike a certain white boy.
“Cass,” Saps stated, bringing his hand to scratch the back of his head. He didn’t expect to find her here, he thought she was busy with the graves of her people. And even if she was, why did she seem so joyful?
“Saps!” She repeated, spreading her arms wide before pulling him into an awkward hug. He smiled sheepishly as he reluctantly hugged back. Not that he disliked her, of course. It was simply because she might ask one too many questions and hinder him. He wouldn’t to keep Flux waiting, would he? “How are you doing? Are you okay? Last I saw you, you were gnarly!”
She pulled away and held him by the shoulders. She raised one of her eyebrows as her mouth formed a pout as she observed his body. She was still worried of course. She felt as if she owed him something for not believing him any sooner.
“I’m fine, Cass. Really—I am.” Saps reassured, gently taking her hands off her shoulders.
“Last time you said that, you were NOT fine. Be honest with me Saps, you can trust me.” Cass reassured back, crossing her arms. As much as Saps wanted to trust Cass, he just… couldn’t. For whatever reason it was. Probably because of Fluixon.
“Trust me Cass, I’m fine. I got a ton of rest last night.”
“Did you bandage up your wounds?”
—Ah, well… that was something Saps forgot to do. He was far too busy dealing with Flux that he completely forgot to take care of his own wounds.
“Uh, well,” He contemplated whether he should lie or well, partially tell the truth.
“I was just so fatigued that I completely forgot to bandage up my own wounds,” Saps saw that concerned and disappointed look in Cass’ expression. “…don’t worry though, I’ll get myself fixed up after I’m doing with everything I need to do!” He said, raising a small thumbs up. Ish, can this conversation just end? He was starting to worry about Flux.
Cass raised a suspicious eyebrow at Saps’ words, not quite believing it. “Look, if you don’t mind, I could come to your place and help you bandage yourself up, yes?”
Well shit. Just what Saps needed. “Oh no, no, no—I’m completely fine, I can do it on my own.”
“Saps…”
“Cass, please—“
..
“Okay, fine! You win, you can visit my house later. I just have to do something beforehand, alright?”
Cass’ eyes lit up and sparkled like the brightest star in the night sky. “Wonderful. Remember, this is all for your wellbeing. I don’t want you kicking yourself because Fluixon died, okay?”
“…”
“…yeah.” Saps agreed before clutching his satchel tightly. He thought the conversation was over before Cass spoke up again.
“Are those flowers for Flux?”
“I—yeah, but I really gotta go, I have to do something, I’m sorry—“ Saps explained before turning on his heel and running away, holding his bouquet of flowers tightly against his chest, careful not to damage them.
When he stepped foot off the market, he quickly walked towards the dock and grabbed a boat. He rowed towards his islands, thoughts overflowing like a waterfall. Has he been gone too long? Is Flux dead? Ish, no. He better not be.
..
Once he arrived at his island, he ran up the stairs leading up to his house. He slammed the door open before gently closing it. He dug into his satchel to grab the 6 potions of regeneration he bought in the market. Then, gently placed the bouquet of flowers on the counter.
He removed the coat he was wearing, tossing it to wherever it landed. He then placed his empty satchel back on the coat rack as he walked across the room and entered the basement. His heart thumped loudly in his chest—to the point it almost felt like it was escaping.
He braced himself to see the worst. But when he saw Flux alive and breathing, he let out a sigh of relief and calmed down slightly. Maybe it wasn’t so bad leaving Flux’s bedside, but still. He’d rather not, especially when Flux was this vulnerable.
Saps approached the unconscious man and wondered when he’d wake up. He twirled his raven like hair with his fingers before kneeling down and gazing upon him with longing eyes.
It was like this for a few minutes, Saps stuck in this trance like state—his eyes longing for the person in front of him. He could stay like this forever, he thought. He was only broken out of his trance when he remembered he still had to give the potions to Flux.
“…right,” Saps coughed and grabbed a potion of regeneration the side. He stood up, taking one last glance at Flux before popping the lid open. Then, approached him with the potion in his hand. He brought it up to his mouth, tilting it carefully to make sure that every drop was swallowed, ensuring the effect lasts longer.
Once the entire bottle was finished, he placed it on the side before lovingly caressing Flux’s cheeks.
Then he slowly left the basement, hesitant to leave Flux’s side again. But he remembered that Cass was coming, he had to leave and pretend Flux was dead. And he still had to build a grave for the Fluixon that was dead.
So he left the basement, grabbed the bouquet of flowers that were now currently wilting. He left his house and walked down the stairs. When he approached the bottom, he set the flowers down and grabbed a pack of mud on the side. Then he started building.
And after a few grueling hours of work, the grave was finished. The bouquet of flowers leaned against the grave, bright and colorful, yet wilting. Quite symbolic, if you ask him. He smiled softly at his work before taking a seat beside it.
…
Silence engulfed him as the sun started to set. He toyed with the petals of the hyacinth, before he stood up and started walking back up the stairs to his house.
Then, a voice called out. They sounded like Cass, cheerful and happy.
“Saps!” Lo and behold, it was Cass. She stopped in her tracks and placed her hands on her things, panting and catching her breath. She was carrying bandages and some herbs in a straw bag.
“I’m so sorry I took to long, it wasn’t easy individually placing flowers on the graves of those who have fallen,” she explained as she regained her composure, wiping sweat away from her forehead. “I am so sorry you had to see me like this.”
“Oh, no- it’s absolutely fine Cass. Great leaders also need a break, y’know?”
Cass agreed and nodded. Her eyes caught the sight of Fluixon’s grave and the bouquet of flowers resting against it. She tilted her head in curiosity as she read the epitaph carved carefully onto the stone.
‘Fluixon. Goodbye, friend.’
Friend? Cass wondered. How could Saps consider this terrorist a friend? After everything he put them through? Wanting to give him a proper burial was confusing enough—but this?
…
She probably shouldn’t question it. Saps was a grieving man, and him and Flux were basically friends since the beginning. She kind of gets it, but not enough to understand why. Nonetheless, it wasn’t any of her business, she shouldn’t pry into it.
She brought her eyes back to Saps, who now had concerned expression on his face. “I know, call me crazy for still considering him as a friend even after everything… blah, blah blah..”
“No, I won’t judge. It’s fine Saps.”
“Now, let me help you with your wounds or else.”
Saps chuckled softly as he sheepishly raised his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay! Follow me.”
So then they ran up the stairs as the first signs of night started to appear. Maybe having Cass around wasn’t too bad, for as long as she doesn’t pry into whatever Saps had planned for the future.