Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Drift first thought about a beach trip, never dreamed it would be such a hassle. He first mentioned it as a joke, not thinking anyone would take him seriously, but here he was, 10 pm, trying to book the rooms and create a (very vague) itinerary.

Brite Bomber, Rex, and Cuddle had all asked to tag along, which was no surprise, but then Skye and TnTina had also asked, which was slightly unexpected. It snowballed after that, with everyone inviting a friend and that friend bringing someone and so on. (Some of the people coming along confused him. Why would Sanctum, a vampire, want to go to a beach???)

What really shocked Drift was Midas asking to come.

Well, to be fair, he was pretty sure that if Midas didn't take a break soon, Brutus was going to force him to take one, so maybe it wasn't willingly, but still.

Finally he booked the last hotel room, and turned his attention to what he really was looking forward to: surfing. He had already rented a surfboard for the vacation so he would be ready to go as soon as he got to the water.

He hadn't been able to surf since he came to this universe, and the old island hadn't really had optimal surfing conditions. Here, though, was another story.

He had almost cried when he realized they had beaches, him mind racing with ideas. One in particular had caught his interest, but upon further investigation, (aka, him sneaking out and walking there in the middle of the night) had discovered a Shadow base nearby. A vacation next to so many enemies would be disastrous.

Searching again, this time while well within ghost territories, he managed to find a nice area with a good waterside access. Jumping at the chance, he immediately found a nearby hotel, texted everyone and asked if it would work out for them.

The answer was no.

After what took entirely too long if Drifts opinion, everyone agreed on a hotel by a larger, more tourist oriented beach. Drift was disappointed by the lack of large waves there, but maybe it was for the best, since he was rusty at the moment.

Peeling himself out of his desk chair, he staggered over to his bed and threw himself on top. Now, everything else was not his problem, and he was going to get some sleep.

_________

"Drift, did you get your bags?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"...Yes?"

"Go check."

Drift groaned and walked back into the house. He was sure that he had gotten everything, but, as if too spite him, one bag sat innocuously at the base of the stairs.

Scowling, he picked up the offending item and slung it out the door. Checking more thoroughly this time, he was satisfied to see the floor and table clear, meaning he could finally leave. Running out the door, he threw the last bag in the trunk, shut it, and got into the back.

"Ok everyone, I packed plenty of sunscreen, so if you get burnt, that's in you." Started Rex's from the front of the car.

"Drift and Skye, I'm mainly talking to you. Put it on or you'll regret it."

Skye, who original going to ride with Midas but somehow had been switched to their car, laughed.

" As if I'll step foot out without it on! Last time I didn't..." She shuddered and gestured to her arms. " I was sore for weeks!"

The conversation continued to go back and forth for a while as they drove further and further. Drift eventually slipped his headphones on and laid back. Might as well relax while he could.

Something told him this trip was going to be interesting.

Chapter Text

It was dark.

He couldn't see, he couldn't breath, and it hurt and hurt and hurt and

He needed to calm down.

Drift jolted, scrambling to find a solid object to ground himself with, but could only flail as his arms collided with nothing. Gasping, desperate to get air into his lungs and to finally understand what was happening, he realized the darkness surrounding him was moving. It was... alive.

It writhed around him, never quite touching him, but the tendrils would draw close to him before moving back, leaving just the sensation of coldness and wind on his skin.

However, the voices never stopped.

Pain ran through him as millions and millions of voices screamed for attention. They hit him like a truck, unforgiving and unstoppable. They didn't know he was here, and even if they did, they wouldn't care.

They can't. They don't exist anymore.

Fumbling to take his backpack off, he dug through it until he found his kitsune mask. Strapping it onto his face, he took a deep breath as the voices became quiet.

Finally able to think, he looked around and noticed the darkness had retreated, leaving a blank void around him. While it was still dark, at least it wasn't... as bad.

Drift had been here before, but last time, it was nothing like this.

This was too much.

Why was he here again? Last time was during the black hole crisis, and an entire world had been destroyed. He hoped to never have to come to this place again after that.

Alongside that, at least then it wasn't hostile.

This time, however, it felt as though this place was angry.

Drift didn't think that the void was angry at him, but there was no way to know for sure. Something must be happen on the island to trigger this, but it not like he would know, considering he was still stuck here.

He shivered. It was summer, but his heat was being drained by the emptiness around him, making him wish he was wearing his thick jacket. Wrapping his arms around him, he began to wait.

______

Something was changing.

Drift didn't remember when he had fallen asleep, but as he cracked his eyes open, he realized it had gotten brighter. The mass of darkness was even farther away from him, seemingly cowering from something behind him. Wiggling in an attempt to get a better look behind him, his eyes widened.

A massive wave of... something was behind him. It pulsed with light, with strands floating out and past him. His own lightning was being called out, pink sparks in time with the waves of light.

It also had gotten very, very hot.

Drift hated the dark void, but with his only other option being a massive, burning entity, he would take his chances.

Desperately waving his arms and legs to try and get away, he noticed with growing horror that it was for nothing, as the light was steadily advancing on him. The heat continued to rise, and he braced himself as the wave of light slammed into him.

The pain was undescribable.

It burned his very being, ripping at the edges, trying to invade and overtake him. Drift felt as though he was being drowned in molten lava, his throat burning, his eyes a cascade of tears at the onslaught. Images began to flash in front of him, but before he could understand them, they were gone, replaced by the bright, scorching pain.

Then, everything went dark.

_____

" - IFT?! DRIFT??!? WAKE UP!"

Jumping, Drift gasped and looked around wildly. He was... In a car? What?

Turning to the person yelling at him, he was relieved to see it was just Skye and Brite Bomber. They both stared at him, their concern painted clearly on their faces.

"Are you ok?!? We couldn't get you to wake up, what was that?!" Brite yelled, and Drift flinched slightly. How could he explain this? Even if they lived in a world of secret organizations and time traveling aliens, some things still will get raised eyebrows if you dare to voice them.

"Sorry, it was a nightmare." He lied smoothly, hoping the trembling inside him didn't leak into his voice.

Her eyes softened sympathetically. (Drift tried to ignore the twisting in his gut. He knows that wasn't a nightmare.) Sighing, she stood up and pointed towards the hotel, which Drift failed to have noticed until then.

"Skye, do you mind taking Drift to his room? Me and Rex can handle the luggage."

Skye nodded and held out a hand. Normally, Drift would try to protest and help, but his head felt full of cotton. Accepting her hand, he let himself get pulled out of the car and lead inside.

He was safe.

But for how long.