Archive of Our Own ^beta

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POV Moony

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Ena had been asleep on the couch since I found us found a way home from Runas's pocket dimension... luckily, I'd since been able to fix Ena's situation. The situation being, she thought it would be ok just to, WISH HALF OF HERSELF AWAY! God, what was she thinking? She could've killed herself.

Ena's are supposed to have two halves, you'd have to remove all remorse, pain, and empathy in order to remove her blue side. Putting it back on her was a struggle as well— so she's not waking up anytime soon. We were at her little apartment - her dog was on the ceiling, staring down at her intently with its tongue out. I forget what ENA named it, something stupid- probably. I didn't like the dog... I thought it was gross. For many many reasons. But I and the little yellow menace shared a common concern at the moment... Ena. So at least as its little beady eyes looked into mine, we had some sort of understanding.

Or maybe I'm going batshit crazy and putting words into a dog's mouth. Honestly, I'd put money on the fact I'm going crazy.

My head on Ena's couch, with the rest of my new body and its limbs on the floor — I felt my eye grow heavy. Couldn't hurt to take a nap.

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POV Ena

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I was running, running so very fast away from moony- who had turned into a dinosaur and had a water gun. That's the opposite of poggers. I constructed and performed the most logical move of throwing Sheppard's little Cousin at Moony, but Moony ate the poor young feline. And proceeded to go ahead and eat me.

And then I opened my eyes.

But just barely- a squint was an overstatement. a yellow blob was watching me with shiny black eyes from the ceiling. Was I still dreaming? I considered the possibility very possible- wait a moment. "Junior?"

I had not in fact noticed the high-pitched ring in my ears when it was interrupted by my beloved companion's woof, the rest of the real world's noise seemingly fading in on Junior's command. Snoring at my feet, the quiet buzz of my fan on the kitchen counter...

Soon after I regained my hearing, another sense kicked in alongside it. Touch... I tensed. Everything felt so achy and stiff as if I'd been shattered into pieces and put back together again. I swear I could feel my face shift as a word escaped my lips, instinctually, almost - "Mwoony-". I slapped my hands over my mouth. My sad voice had somehow caught me off guard ... Moony was getting sick and tired of hearing it. Her words exactly. I am clueless to how exactly they sicken her, but I do want the best. But if I remember correctly- I should've gotten rid of it entirely by now. I'd visited Runas just yesterday. I'd made my wish.

Why is it still here?

...had I not paid my debt yet?

I scooted back against the arm of the couch, moving ever so carefully as to not wake my bestest friend, Moony. I slid off the couch, carefully stepping over my pile of stuffed animals (I'm quite proud of my collection. They all have individual names based on people I meet,) and into the kitchen.

Perhaps a bite to eat would soothe me.

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POV Moony

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My head turned to follow the noise of footsteps carefully heading into the kitchen. When I finally opened my eye, I saw Ena looking blankly into her fridge continuously. "Ena,"

"Hark, are you awake?" Ena's head spun to face me, getting her hair all messy. Not that it already wasn't. It was easy to take care of being long black and silky naturally, almost tangle-proof- but even her hair couldn't stay pretty through the bullshit the world had thrown at us.

I stared, silently squinting at her - the refrigerator wide open and making the front of her body cold. She hadn't even woken me, and somehow she was moving... "ENA what the fuc-"

Her face snapped to the monochrome blue side. "MOONY, LANGUAGE!"

The only thing Ena ever insisted on was correcting my language. What a joke. At least I knew it worked.

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Pov Ena

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"Good to see you awake..." Moony trailed off a little at the end, rubbing the back of her brand new neck.

I blinked, "How long have I been asleep?" the question was still up in the air with the unexplained soreness.
Moony just blinked back at me, staring for a second before leaning her head back and laughing.

She had such a distinct laugh. "I'm so pissed at you!" Moony was finally able to get words out through her long chuckle.

"Moony, apologies if there is something I'm missing, but your speech and demeanor do not seem to be clicking, chum-" I had moved over to the couch to sit down, folding my hands ever so politely in my lap. Usually, they'd float idly, or I'd let them do what they pleased - but I was much too tired.

Moony stopped laughing and dragged her hand down her face, still humorous- yet exhausted. "You have NO IDEA the bullshit that went down over the last forty-eight hours, bud." I blinked at her blankly. What had happened?

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"CHEEZE AND RICE MOONY!" ENA exclaimed, staring at my new form with a look that I cannot describe. Hah. Never mind. I can describe it. It was disapproving, judgemental, and worthy of a top text bottom text meme. Hohoho...

I gave it up, finally spilling my beans— "FUUUHHIINNNEEE I WISHED TO BE THINNER-" I groaned in an exaggeratedly sad voice, half to humor ENA. ENA shook her head at me, giving me that disapproving unique look -and then, finally, I noticed, bringing my new limbs up to a sloppy standing position. "Ena?"

 My whole demeanor snapped to serious as the fact something was wrong really set in.

"...Yes?" She blinked at me, confused at the sudden outward attitude change- rightfully, -but ... this only instilled further in me that this is wrong somehow - Something was missing.

Oh, great administrator. That's what's off— Half of her was missing. She's all yellow. I struggled to get upright, or semi-upright with my knees bent in search of balance- "ENA, What did you wish for?" Whatever it was, it wasn't right. My singular eye searched her face for clues.

Ena opened her mouth, a smile that looked on the edge of explaining- except it didn't, and her smile dropped completely into a blank open mouth. She began falling backward, her feet doing less than the bare minimum and veering her left- to the edge of the pathway, and leaning just about off it.

"ENA-" I screeched, (I never knew I was capable of this much panic. I'm usually very unconcerned about my surroundings...I'm an under-reactor. ) Reaching my new hand back to jerk the cane/staff/rod I had stolen from this weird Russian cat lady out of the shell of my old form, (it had gotten stuck when she tried to beat the shit out of me to prevent me from continuing ahead, but I don't speak Russian. Or cat.) which lay behind me like a cracked egg. It looked almost as terrified as I did.

Ena's eyes went all static-y. I hate when they do that... she had slipped over the edge of the long pathway, and if I hadn't grabbed her with that staff.../hook.../ Sheppard rod, thing, she would've fallen. I could just picture her blocky parts shattered like glass, the soft skin of her yellow side punctured by the spikes. It made me wince as I pushed it out of my mind, as fast as it had come to me. I pulled her back up, the hook having a very minimal grip on her back- getting her close enough to get her to level ground and to snatch up her arms and tuck them under one of mine so they wouldn't freefall on their own either. I didn't want an armless best friend.

After I pulled her up- her body limply propped (or, rather, flopped) on me. I held her close (Not in a creepy way. Just to keep her on this damn floating path.) enough so I could stare into that blank static in her eyes, searching for what the fuck happened and everything clicked into place... Ena's wish. She'd probably wished to be happy. GAH THAT WAS SO OBVIOUS! I should've spotted it before it happened.

Ena was completely disabled. Incapable of movement- something vital had been stripped from her. Sad has been taken from her- It felt weird to refer to her sides individually. She hated when I referred to her parts, insisting madly she was just ENA. Made her get all weird and self-conscious. This thought was interrupted by an even worse one- Oh Runas what if she's... gone forever? This is the first time I'd ever felt an emotion jab me like this... Like I said. I'm not emotional.

It's ok though. We'd fix this. Ena had to be fixed a lot, and she always just popped back, she just needed a little help this time. These reassuring thoughts soothed me enough to think about what the hell to do next... I can't get back into Runas- maybe there's someone else who can? I gripped her suspenders,, and I was still incredibly wobbly, I barely made it to the door before falling over on my face. Her head tumbled away from her body, and I dropped her limbs and that staff ahead of me. I could barely walk using these new limbs- and now I had to walk for the both of us, and for who knows how long... this was gonna be one hell of a day. I face-planted into the dirt. At least I'd gotten my wish.

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POV ENA

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I scooted backward on my couch, sinking into the crease between the back and bottom cushions as Moony blabbered- something or other about how uncomfortable everything was with limbs. Something about how apparently hard I was to carry.
"I assure you, chum, your new form will not be so bad once you get used to it!" I added in just a smidge of encouragement for my best pal. 
Moony suddenly looked at me sternly. Her attention had just snapped to me mid-sentence, and her eye locked with mine. Staring Into my soul, so too speak. "Hey, by the way, a-heh... never do that again. Ever."

I hadn't the slightest clue what she was talking about, but the sudden swap in moony's demeanor shook me to my core. "I-" my voice was all wobbly and high, and there was no stopping it now. Like a wall slamming into my body, or like that feeling you get when your belly flop into a pool from the diving board, sadness hit and overcame me... It was unstoppable, like a man trying to stop a bolder with his hands.
Reminded me how powerless and awful I was, I didn't even understand what Moony meant and there I was crying. Awful. Awful horrible me who can't do anything I'm just "AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!" covered my ears and kicked, squeezing my eyes shut.

Moony watched me, she looked exhausted- her sigh gave it away. "Great." She mumbled, standing, snatching a soft grey blanket, and making her way around the back of the couch and wrapping me up in its softness.
Tears still streamed from my blue eye uncontrollably, but my outward fuss ended swiftly with the hug of the blanket securing my sides. It was most comforting, comforting enough to calm me down to focus enough to force my mouth hastily to the yellow side of my face once more.
Moony wasn't usually the most catering to my tantrums and outbursts and always seemed to have an outright distaste for them. this was out of character. Rather concerningly. That thought helped pull my mind from whatever had initiated my frenzied switch.
She was making her way toward the kitchen. "Still hungry?"
"Oh! Indeed, Moony, apologies." I must have just been staring at her with my mouth open sense the outburst stopped, I hadn't even thanked her for the comfort! "And thank you!"

"For what?" Moony reached up towards the cupboard, standing on her front toes and opening the knob, using her other hand to reach in and grab the thin Wheat and cheese-

"The simple act of compassion you bestowed upon me, it was most effective."
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POV MOONY

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"No problem, it's what friends do." I was being extra gentle with her, I was catching my tongue. My metaphorical tongue, neither of us have tongues. I'd rather keep her happy right now. I felt kinda sorry for her.
Every interaction with Ena was like this. She just..., summons some meltdown from what seems like nowhere and starts screaming. So uncontrollable, obnoxious, and attention-drawing. But she is my best friend, so I guess it's easily overlooked. I understand why she'd want to just, get rid of it.
But it's just, part of her. Something we both have to deal with.
I grabbed the crackers and set them on the counter below me.

Jesus, looking over my own thoughts - I must sound like an asshole. I Care about ENA, all of her - I swear.

I have to put one knee on the counter to reach up to the cheese block, my other foot lifting from the ground. Everything was high up in ENA's house, which made sense- not because she was tall, but because she had floating limbs. Must be easy to have enough storage space when you can use every inch to its full capacity and get your arms almost anywhere.
...Why is her house organized in piles, then?

Ena's more than just her happy side though. Proven by her full shut down at the bedroom of the great Runas, she's not her without her blue side anyway. She's fully herself, I can't just condemn one of her faces-
No, I'm not. Just her outbursts. Just her behaviors while using her blue faces.
But that is her blue side, right? Suddenly, a scream-

"MOONY!" ENA's voice...es. They both called out at once, I've heard it before- it's like when her emotion and reason sort of collide. An outcry to take seriously.
And it didn't take long to realize why. I had gotten so lost in thought-trying to get a block of cheese whilst incredibly frustrated in my own head, getting in more dangerous positions for this dumb cheese I hadn't even realized my off-balance. A few seconds of panic sped through my mind slipping backward before I felt my head hit the hard kitchen tile, then the rest of my barely broken in spindly form.
ouch.

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POV MOONY

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One and one half of us had finally struggled to our feet again. It was a hard enough Trec, having to keep all her different pieces so awkwardly carried. She wasn't too heavy- lighter than I expected, (she survives on Eggo waffles, crackers, Rice Krispies, and occasionally a turron if she could get her hands on one.) but after I finally had myself put on my own two feet I noticed the longer I stood the heavier she felt...

Her body sort of piggybacked on me, but I had to tuck her head under one arm and her arms under the other. Sure would be convenient if I could float right now.. I could just keep her arms in my face/hole/thing. I didn't want to stay here too long, just looking at her face made me uncomfortable, so I'd like this fixed asap.

The hallway we had to use to get back to the outside of this pyramid un-flipped as I made my way toward the exit.

Ena's gravity switch lagged, making it harder to keep a hold of her body. I put extra care into not dropping her or letting her hit the ceiling.

I hope she's not too broken, but the delay in her gravity switch was less than comforting.

I hope this is reversible.

I hope it didn't screw up her data too much.

"I hope I can stop damn worrying for eight seconds to help her," I growled- speaking aloud to no one but myself.

The sandstorm was back when I stepped outside. Ena had cleared it momentarily when I ran past her during the storm to hit Runas faster- but now it was back and slamming us hard. Much harder than before. The grains of sand against my pixels stung thanks to the hard wind. Didn't help that my balance was still fucked to no end, and I was out of practice with this whole walking thing, to begin with. We were pushed into that sphere the damn dolphin had come out of by the sand-saturated wind its rings stopped rotating as we did, reacting to our touch.

I gently put ENA down, then turned to the sphere to plead for help. I banged on his spherical shell home he came out of, hoping to hear that annoying ass voice. He didn't seem like an asshole, hell - he seemed half-decent. Maybe annoying as hell, but not rude enough to leave me and my half-dead best friend to suffer. The dolphin can stretch, right? He did it in front of me. like he was made of bubblegum. Maybe he could help get her to some sort of coder or debug guy. At the very least he could call for help.

I sure hope he didn't hold a grudge after I beat him in that damn fistfight.

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POV ENA

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I fell off the arm of the couch shortly after shouting Moony's warning, reaching out as if I could somehow grab her fast enough- though it proved inadequate to stop the disaster from occurring. I scrambled back to my feet and hurried as fast as possible to the kitchen counter, peering over it at moony for just a second before using my socks to whip around the counter on the kitchen tile using the classic slide technique for maximum speed. I got on my knees busy above her head and looked down at her face. Upside down, due to the unfortunate angle.

"MOONY? Please don't be dead, oh sweet wunas what if she's dwead?"

"Dammit E-NAH..." Moony squinted her eye open, and I felt relief wash over my little body. "I'm not dead..."

Confidence and calm returned to my body, "I am most pleased to hear that! You worried me for a second. You must be more careful, you know..." I smiled cheerily.

Moony did not return the look. "You worried me for a lot more than a minute, girl —." She shakily tried to Bring Herself to a sitting position, most definitely startled by her descent and impact.

"I apologize about any worry that my wish may have caused you as well-'' though I'm not sure if that was genuine, I'm not sure if I quite understand. I get that she's upset I tried to get rid of my sad side, but I'm not completely sure why. Moony didn't often explain what she meant, oftentimes she says things she doesn't mean or things with meanings different from context and very very often things that don't make the slightest bit of sense.

But now I'm genuinely confused and concerned, there is most definitely meaning behind her words. "Moony?"

Moony was shakily getting to her feet again, "uhhhyes?" I, of course, being the most loyal helpful pal in all of the Abstraction used my yellow arm to secure her spot with two feet on stable ground.

I stood myself up, using my blockier hand to dust myself off- "Why exactly did you return my gloomy side to my physical form?"

Moony raised her eyebrow, "because ya can't function without it. Can you get that damn cheese for us before the bird dies-"

... "But I am speaking to you now, and only using my yellow side." I blinked at Moony, puzzled - (and not only at the bird comment. Moony says stuff like that all the time, it doesn't often make sense in context.) my blue arm had run off to snatch the cheese I was directed to.

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POV MOONY

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"I don't know how it works! Just, ya know... it's, it just is!" I struggled to explain it to her. "You just can't. Sadness is part of life no matter how much you don't like it." I noticed Ena flicker to her monochrome blue-eyed face and sighed. I had gotten impatient for a moment, which was something I knew I really couldn't do around Ena. She's just a little too fragile. I softened my demeanor and lowered my voice, a little less scary and a little more serious. "You can't get rid of an entire side of you, it's like chopping a brain in half. You just have to let it be. Let the frog bite."

Ena's face went back to normal, but she still had this visible nervousness to her. Or was it something else? She was happy, but she wasn't. "I consider your point valid. Perhaps we could go back to Runas next dearest Moony? Make a more specific wish so it at least no longer disrupts and annoys you?" Her black glossy eyes stared into my soul. In the innocent puppy sort of way.

"..." fuck. Ow. Realization hit like a bitch . This was my fault, wasn't it?

She didn't mind her sad side, she felt bad Because of my reactions. How stupid did I have to be to not catch that? I scratched the back of my head, still achy from slamming down onto the tile. 

Yeesh.

I feel awfully guilty right now. An unfamiliar emotion in my book.

How did this bullshit come from me just trying to get us some cheese again?...

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POV MOONY

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"DAMMIT!" I slammed my fist on the sphere one last time, dropping to my knees, already exhausted. This fucking wind was still slamming grains of sand on my back (the longer it went on the more it stung), and the storm only seemed to be getting worse. I looked over my shoulder at ENA, who I'd carefully laid at the base of the pyramid. It was nice to see her head semi- in the right position, even if it wasn't properly floating as it should be. My self-pity about how traumatized I was that my friend was all bugged was interrupted by a

Plunk. (Or a thud? It sounded hollow.) The angelic sphere had shat out the little blocky pink dolphin, at last, dropping him less than majestically out the bottom of the sphere. He hit the ground with a look in his little beady black eyes that wasn't exactly pleased. "DUDE-" he shouted. I needed his help pretty desperately. but if I didn't I would never put up with his damn voice. I'd get a 2nd win in his nonconsensual fist-fight rematch.

I shoved the sphere away, and it and its rings landed flat on the ground like hula-hoops a few feet behind the dolphin, just two hoops and the space ball. Much much less magical. I stared at him, ready to explain, "I-" I was swiftly interrupted before I could even spit out my demand.

"You're NOT getting another wish man, NOT cool." He floated a few feet back and up to match my eye level.

I furrowed my brow- he must've seen the rage in my eye because he was suddenly taken aback. "Good thing I don't need a wish! I just need a bit of fucking help!"

The bubblegum pink dolphin blinked blankly at me. He was shocked. Didn't take even a second to realize it was because I must look and sound pretty damn emotional. I was so angry, so desperate- fuck. I'm pretty sure my voice cracked. That's a real new one for me, I'm usually very mellow and nonchalant with a steady tone... The dolphin easily read it out of me and was probably shocked at the level of pure emotion in my voice. I stood up, and he raised with me- keeping a distance that I admit is slightly understandable. I let out a sorry sigh.

The dolphin summoned and raised eyebrow textures. It made his genuine terror seem silly. Silly as him. "Duude, are you ok?" My back kept him from being pounded by sand like I was and my shadow sort of loomed over him. I wouldn't have taken kindly to me showing up either - yet there was the slightest bit of pity in his annoying ass voice. He was hovering, much much more still than the backflip-doing, stretching, flatting Pepto Bismol dolphin I'd seen when I met him. It occurred to me that this sort of encounter was probably a new one for him- he'd probably never been out of Runas's temple. Now I felt sorta bad.

"Yeah." I motioned over to ENA at the base of the temple. I settled down and lowered my voice to a less head-on, less angry, less demanding tone.

The dolphin peeked behind me. "Whoaaa... damn. Is she deeead?"

"No-!" the empathy that calmed my voice disintegrated when he asked that, I wanted to backhand his little bottle-nosed face.

He shook his head, closed his eyes, and slid back into my shadow — "I knew I shouldn't have let her in, yeesh bro." He took a moment to flatten and unflatten, probably some sort of guilt reaction. I couldn't tell.

"Do you know any way to reverse this?"