Chapter Text
Corpse was never one to really believe that a lack of information counted as lying. However, now, as he sat in his apartment, listening to the sounds of his roommate through the thin walls, he felt exactly that. He felt like he was lying to the world.
A few weeks ago, he finally met Sykkuno in person. He was fucking nervous as hell, more so than usual, though he didn’t want to admit it.
Sykkuno had become one of his best friends...online. The idea of Corpse not living up to Sykkuno’s expectations terrified him. He was terrified that after meeting in person, all of his new friends would drop him, when they realized Corpse was...well, the way he was. An anxious, depressed, broken mess.
He wore his mask as usual, which hid most of his face. The group agreed to meet at a restaurant. It was meant to be a chill night, but it stressed Corpse out. He couldn’t eat with his mask on, a fact he knew well because he has fucking tried.
Conversation flew around him. No one seemed to focus on him, despite the fact that he felt that all eyes were on him. He found it hard to focus.
At the end of the night, everybody else left, leaving just Sykkuno and Corpse.
“Did you have a good time?” Sykkuno questioned. Corpse could see the look of genuine concern in Sykkuno’s eyes, which made him feel guilty.
Sykkuno shouldn’t be worried about him.
Corpse nodded. “Y-yeah.”
“I don’t necessarily want to go back home yet. Do you think we could hang out a bit more?”
Corpse stared at Sykkuno. His typical reaction was to expect that Sykkuno simply felt bad for him, pitied him, but the more logical side of his brain reminded him that this was Sykkuno. They hung out online all the time. Why did it matter that they were in person?
Oh, right. Because he was an anxious mess. That’s why.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to!” Sykkuno added quickly, returning Corpse to reality.
“No, it’s okay,” Corpse said quietly. He almost regretted his own words. “What do you want to do?”
“There was a park nearby! Maybe we could walk!” Sykkuno grinned. “I know you don’t like huge crowds, so that should be pretty dead.”
Corpse nodded. He was slightly impressed at Sykkuno’s consideration.
The two left the restaurant. Corpse felt his chest tighten as they walked out. He wanted to go home, back to the safety of his apartment, but he ignored the voice.
Sykkuno and Corpse walked around the park for a little bit, attempting to make conversation. They sat down at a bench.
As Sykkuno had predicted, the park was empty. It was a bit cold, but it helped their case of being alone.
As they sat, Sykkuno proposed a crazy idea. He suggested that they lived together.
“What?” Corpse questioned, completely caught off guard.
“Well, I’m planning on moving out of the Offline TV house, I thought maybe—“ Sykkuno shook his head. “No, never mind.”
Corpse considered the idea. He felt like he would be a burden on Sykkuno, but it was Sykkuno’s suggestion.
“Do you really want to?” Corpse voiced his thought. “I— I wouldn’t hate living with you.”
He cursed himself out for being so negative. Why couldn’t he admit that he liked the idea of living with Sykkuno?
And now, they were here. He could hear Sykkuno streaming. He had gotten used to the sound of Sykkuno talking. Sometimes, he even pulled up the stream to completely listen to it.
His chat knew that he had moved, but they didn’t know he had moved in with Corpse.
Corpse had asked him not to tell his chat. He wasn’t ready for people to know the new craziness of his life.
A knock in the door caused Corpse to return to reality. He was laying on his bed with the lights on. For the first time, he didn’t rush to put his mask.
“Yeah?” Corpse questioned.
His door peeked open, and Sykkuno poked his head inside. He realized now that the house was quiet.
“Was my streaming bothering you? Do you need me to get off earlier?” Sykkuno questioned. His words cut off when he looked at Corpse’s bare face. “Shoot, did I interrupt? I can leave—“
“Sykkuno, you’re fine,” Corpse laughed awkwardly. He knew Sykkuno’s actual name, but also knew that he preferred Sykkuno, which Corpse could respect. “You’re fine on all accounts. I couldn’t sleep anyway.”
“Oh.” Sykkuno straightened his posture. “Do you want to watch a movie then?”
Corpse chuckled. “What the hell, why not? Go ahead and get it ready. I’ll be out soon.”
Sykkuno nodded. He excused himself from Corpse’s room.
Instinctively, Corpse reached for the mask. With the fabric between his fingers, he considered keeping it off, but he felt more comfortable with it on, so he put it on. He climbed out of bed and walked out to the living room. Sykkuno had already set up some animated movie on the television.
“Is this okay?” Sykkuno asked.
Corpse paid no attention to title and simply nodded. He knew that his attention wouldn’t actually be on the movie anyway. He hadn’t slept in....going on four days now. He was tired, sure, but his brain hated him.
Sykkuno clicked to start the movie. Corpse half watched it. He appreciated the sound. He learned that silence was his worst enemy. It allowed him to spiral and think.
A weight pressed against Corpse shoulder. He turned his head to find Sykkuno’s head on his shoulder.
“Oh, is this okay?” Sykkuno questioned. He lifted his head off of Corpse’s shoulder and looked up to him.
“Uh, yeah.” Corpse nodded. He felt so awkward right now. What was happening?
“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Sykkuno stated. His voice was rushed as he spiraled into a panic. “Oh, I’m sorry. I did it without even thinking and—“
“Sy, you’re good,” Corpse said softly. He accidentally had called Sykkuno that nickname on stream, and at first, he was appalled, but he grew to like it as he accidentally say it more. “You... You can lean on me if you want.”
“Are you sure?”
“Put your head back down,” Corpse stated forcefully.
Sykkuno laughed but did as he was told. He rested his head back on Corpse’s shoulder. The two sat in silence as they continued watching the movie.
Corpse retreated into his mind, as he usually did.
The feeling of Sykkuno’s weight and warmth against him felt nice. Was it actually okay for them to do this?
They were both presumed straight.
He supposed nothing about this was sexual or romantic. There was nothing wrong finding comfort in each other.
If they were comfortable enough to admit if someone was attractive, why couldn’t they be comfortable enough to cuddle?
“Would you be upset if I fell asleep?” Sykkuno asked quietly. Corpse could hear the tiredness in his voice.
“Not at all. Sleep, bud,” Corpse answered softly. “You can go to bed if you want. You don’t need to stay out here with me.”
Sykkuno attempted to shake his head without lifting his head. “No, don’t wanna move...”
“Okay.”
“Is it okay?”
Corpse could tell that Sykkuno is barely staying awake.
“Yeah, you’re fine.”
Sykkuno half nodded.
After a few moments, he felt Sykkuno’s body grew heavier, no doubt as he fell asleep.
Corpse carefully reached for the remote to put on another movie. During the movie, he actually felt himself doze off.
Sykkuno made him feel comfortable.