Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[AU EXPLANATION]

Best read on computers, but if that isn't accessible to you mobile devices are fine aswell.

A time almost lost(ATAL) is an AU created by me, fishys_playhouse.

I took many creative liberties while working on this, mainly with character design and the plot.
Something that probably stands out about ATAL is the characters:
Omori: Glass frog.
Basil: Garden spider.
Aubrey: Leucistic ball python.
Kel: Australian thorny devil lizard.
Hero: Leopard gecko.
Mari: Banana ball python.
Stranger: Spider, Crow? Idk anymore.
Abbi: Kraken/Cephalopod.

Instead of being human they all represent animals/insects in some way.

This story takes place in the sunny route and after the good ending. If anything doesn't make sense, it will soon!

If you have any questions feel free to ask because I will be happy to answer ^_^

[Omori and Basil] Basil and Stranger are two different people. The Basil you see here is not Stranger and never will be.

[Kel and Aubrey]

[Hero and Mari]

[Stranger and Abbi]

[Splits and Sequin]

(Stranger's Basil form :3)

Art from summer of 2022 heights may be outdated.

━

A crisp afternoon with vanilla scented air was what it was. The atmosphere was silent, no wind, no breathing. Just Basil and their plants. They were anxious about this all day.

“Whew! I’ve been busy.. I almost forgot to take care of you guys.” Basil said to themself.

The grass under their knees was itchy and spiky but not in a very painful way. It might leave some marks but only for a little while.

Sprinkles of water showered down onto the ground, soaking into the soil. It’s not good to only drip water onto the leaves, but better to drip it on the soil so that it can get to the roots.

The watering can they were using was quite rusty but still usable. They liked to think about how that logic might apply to people.Almost Like a simple metaphor used in a children's storybook.

The watering can was heavy and strained their arms a bit, but got lighter the more water they poured out of it, having four arms also made it a lot easier. Basil was just about to sit down and rest before being startled by something poking their shoulder.

“AH what the-!” They jumped. Only to see it was just their friend Omori. “Oh it’s just you. You scared me quite a bit, maybe don’t sneak up on me next time?”

“Sorry about that.” Omori said “I didn’t know how else to say hi.”

Basil nodded. “That’s alright, I understand.”

The two boys took a seat on the ground next to each other. Basil glanced at Omori and smiled, he smiled back.

“Y’know it’s just us out here.” Omori said, taking Basil’s hand. Their face became a hue of rosy pink.

“Where are the rest of our friends?” Basil asked.

“Back at the playground Kel and Aubrey got into one of their silly fights again. Mari and Hero are trying to calm them down right about now. They’re distracted so nobody noticed when I left.” Omori explained.

“I have something to tell you.” He looked directly into their eyes.

The atmosphere didn’t feel as private anymore, someone could easily come and disturb them.

“Hey uh. You maybe want to head to my house? And then you can tell me?” Basil asked. Omori agreed and they both stood up.

Basil needed to assort a few things they were carrying before going there, but Omori didn’t notice and proceeded to accidentally crash into Basil, causing them to drop all of their things.

“Oh crap, sorry! let me assist you with these.” Omori offered. A few photos were knocked out of Basil’s photo album. While picking them up the monochrome boy looked over them, all pictures of fun memories spent with the friend group. Once he gathered all of the photos near him he arranged them into a neat pile.

“Thank you for the help, Omori.” Basil said. “I greatly appreciate it! Wait, what's this photo?” Basil questioned.

“I don’t remember taking this one-” They studied it for a second before pure terror flooded their face, an emotion Omori had never seen on them.

“Mari… She’s…”

With that said something clicked in Omori and he swiftly snatched the photograph out of Basil’s hands, biting it with his teeth and tearing it in half before smashing it on the ground with his foot.

“I can’t believe.. No this isn’t happening! This isn’t real!! No it’s.. It’s not.” the flower boy was struggling to breathe properly.

Omori didn’t care to comfort him. He had one job to do and it was far more important. He grabbed Basil by the collar of their shirt, pulling them up to eye level, inches away from his face. It all felt familiar, like he’d done it before. 0920'19 02050301211905 0805 080119 04151405 0920 020506151805. Omori knew exactly where he was going to take them.

─

Blackspace was awful in Omori's opinion. And it probably was in everybody else's opinion too. But it was what had too be done to keep things buried for as long as possible, even if it meant sacrificing his best friend.

"Omori… where…where are you taking me?" Basil said between sobs. The sight made Omori upset so he tried to look away. It almost made him want to reconsider. How pathetic.

He didn't respond and kept walking, dragging Basil behind.

"I want to go home. This place is scary." Basil was lucky there wasn't anything around to harm them. If there was then things would be scary.

After a while Omori got sick of his friend's whining and decided that they were deep enough into Blackspace and Basil wouldn't be able to find a way out.

At this point Basil was too scared and confused to say anything. Once Omori stopped, they stopped. And stood there. Cold tears slipping down their cheeks, falling and soaking into the soil.

Omori ditched Basil as fast as he could once he saw that they were distracted. There was a weight pulling him down, however. Not a physical one. Something in him told him this was wrong. That this was selfish. But he pushed past all that, slamming the door and exciting Blackspace. Hopefully forever.

[THESPIDERANDTHEFROG: 892 words. July 2022]
[please don’t cry and throw up, save that for pretzels.. or backyardgarden...]
[I promise their relationship gets mended. I promise.]

Chapter Text

"Aww hey there little one!" She said enthusiastically "I was just strolling by, are you hungry? I might have some graham crackers in my bag, let me check."

The little one bit her shoe and shook it's body violently.

"Is that a no? I can take you back to the cove and get your something else if you'd like." She offered, but the little one responded by biting her again.

"Geez you're emotional today. Is something of the matter? I can't understand you but I'll try my best to help." The little one nodded and headed off in the direction north of her.

"Haha hey buddy where ya going?" She followed it around, although it was hard to track in the tall grass.

"Did one of your friends get stuck in a tree again?" She peeked her head behind the bush the little one crawled into.

On the other side was a person. Something must be wrong. There was no way.

It was Basil. Basil was banished to blackspace.

Everything inside her wanted to walk away. To hurt them. She was so jealous of the position they had. but her pent up jealousy and anger wouldn’t win. As someone who knew what it was like to be abandoned it would make her very hypocritical to leave them in a time like this.

She tried getting closer but accidentally crunched a stick under her shoe. Basil heard and immediately curled up into a tighter ball than they had already been in.

"Uh- hey little dude-" She started.

"Who are you?" Basil snapped their neck back so fast you could hear some cracks.

"I'm Abbi." She said. "I like to help people."

"Go away." Basil sniffled. “I’m not worthy of your time.”

Abbi could see their puffy red eyes. They looked a lot more frazzled since the last time she'd seen them a while back before she was banished to the abyss. They must know what that felt like.

She sat down next to them. “Tell me four things you see.”

Basil rubbed the snot off their nose “What?”

“Four things you see, go!” Abbi repeated.

The area around them didn’t have much, but still enough for this to work.

“I see… some bushes, uh my tail, a small river… that’s it.” Basil observed, still stuttering in between words.

“What are three things you smell?

“Grass? Wet grass? Cold air and campfire..”

“Ha! Loquacious cat also says I smell like campfires! Keep going, what are two things you feel?”

“I feel… the soft grass underneath me and something crawling up my back… Abbi what’s on my back-?” Basil freaked out.

“Hey it’s okay it’s just a little one!” She yanked it off of Basil’s shirt and set it aside onto the ground where it slid away. “You be on your way now. Your help has been greatly appreciated.”

“Sorry about that, what’s one thing you taste?”

“What.”

“Graham cracker.” Abbi placed the rectangular snack into Basil’s hands. A rather dry snack.

“I’m not very hungry.. Sorry…” Basil said.

“Hey, no need to apologize! I understand. Are you able to talk about what happened?” Abbi asked

“Yeah.. I think. Me and Omori were hanging out together when he bumped into me and a picture fell out of my photo album. It was awful. So awful that when he saw it he ripped it in half, took me down here and left.” Basil said. “It was a picture of Mari. but she was dead.”

“I understand where you’re coming from. He did the same thing to me a while ago. Whenever somebody mentions the truth they get banished to the worst places imaginable. Anything that even resembles the truth gets sent down here.” Abbi said. “But now that there’s so many creatures here I like to think at least we’ve got each other.”

Basil nodded.

“Do you feel a bit better now?” Abbi asked.

“It was a nice distraction and i’m glad you’re here but… I still feel like crying.” They confessed.

“I know how that feels.” Abbi said. “I don’t tell many people this but the abyss is probably half salt water half tears. I was a little dramatic back then. But I learned that crying feels good, it lets anger out. And it’s okay to cry, even for no reason!”

“But I don’t want to burden you..” Basil said.

“Are you kidding me little dude? You’re the opposite of a burden! Say, you don’t have anywhere to stay tonight do you?” She asked.

“Not really. I was planning on just staying here and figuring something out-”

“Your plans are canceled. I’m taking you home with me! At the cove, you can cry all you want, whenever and wherever.”

“Er.. okay? I guess I can come along.” Basil agreed.

“Alright let’s get going! If you’re ready of course.” Abbi said.

Basil wiped some of their tears off their cheeks and brushed the grass off of themself and hesitantly stood up. They got a better look at there surroundings and realized that it wasn’t as bad as they thought it was. Just a forest clearing. Except the trees were icy grey and the sky was pitch, midnight black.

“That’s odd.” Abbi noticed.

“What’s odd?” Basil looked around trying to find anything out of the ordinary.

“Your footprints are crimson red? Never seen that before! Pretty cool if I do say so myself.”

“Huh they weren’t like that before. Guess that is pretty cool.” Basil said.
“Your pretty cool in general, Basil.” Abbi said, pulling some sunglasses out of nowhere.

“Thank you. You are too.” Basil said.

[EXTRA]

"That little oyster-mouth Omori. Basil, I swear I'll rip his head clean off this neck and mount it to the wall above my bed!" Abbi gestured to her future plans for the cove's interior decor.

"Haha you don't need to do that Abbi. Also could you maybe not call me Basil anymore? It doesn't feel right.." Basil confessed, pulling their blanket closer to their face.

"That's fine! But what am I supposed to call you, it's not like you're a Stranger to me."

"Hm.. Stranger. Yeah I think i'll go with that." they said.

"Whatever you say, Goodnight Stranger."

"Goodnight Abbi."

[GLOWDARK: 904 words. July 2022]
[They both have abandonment issues caused by the same person but other than that they have a lot of friendship potential.]

Chapter Text

Basil, sorry, Stranger had been living in the cove for two days now. Forty-eight hours of laying in bed and moping around and being an overall burden. But today that would change. Today Stranger would lift the boulder of their presence off of Abbi’s back and find a place of their own.

While they hadn’t seen the outside of the cove in two days, blackspace surely would be easy to navigate, right? It was just a big forest by what they had seen. And the only creatures inhabiting it were little ones, as Abbi called them.

Over the past few days they hadn’t gotten used to the darkness of the cove during the ‘night.’ Not really night but when Abbi decided to go to sleep and turn off every light in the house except for a warm glowing lamp on a nightstand next to her bed.

It was the only light and while Stranger was comforted that there was some light they were only quite bothered by it. Which was why they took on the habit of sleeping under their bed to avoid the light.

Their eyes felt crusty and dry but atleast the room wasn’t humid. They assumed it was around six am. There was no clocks in the cove and Abbi only snored when she was supposed to get up and get ready for her job. Which was now. That’s what Stranger learned.

It would be quick and easy to just leave when she’s sleeping and save her any trouble later in the day. But their stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots when they thought about not saying a proper goodbye. Or a goodbye at all.

They wanted to stay. Abbi took them in when they were at the worst point in there life and now she was probably going to ask them to leave soon. In the past seventy two hours they had learned that all good things eventually come to an end. And that time was now.

They sighed and packed up their favorite pillow and photo-album into a violet backpack. They didn’t want to take their flower crown. They weren’t Basil anymore. Abbi could do whatever she wanted with it.

The way out of the cove was a little tricky, as you had to climb rocks under a flowing waterfall to get to the entrance/exit. But wait.
“Crap I forgot to write a thank you note!” Stranger cursed under their breath.

Quickly, they got out the first blank sheet of paper they could find. Which was a scrap from a yellow notepad.

Dear Abbi. I tremendously thank you for helping me out back there and for sticking by my side the past few days despite you probably having things to do. But I see it is now time for me to take my leave as I know you won’t keep me here forever. I wish you luck in any of your future journeys.
-Stranger.

It probably wasn’t the best but they thought they heard Abbi waking up so they had to leave quickly. A few tears started forming in their eyes when they exited the cove. But they ignored their emotions.

─

Blackspace wasn’t too bad. They would’ve appreciated a few more colors than just gray and black everywhere, but since there wasn’t any threats around things were tolerable. Although it was a lot colder than they remembered from two days ago.

The trees loomed above Stranger, everything seemed to look the exact same, almost like the area was a grid or fractal. They were already lost.

Unsure of what to do they sat down underneath one of the tall trees and took the pillow out of their backpack. They set it on the ground and decided to take a nice rest.

Awakening them was a wack in the stomach.

“Wh- OW!”

Stranger got up to see a peculiar looking sprout mole. It looked very similar to Omori. Yeesh, what a nice way to rub it in.

“What are you doing in MY napping spot!” The little mole said.

“Your napping spot? I had no idea I just got here! I can move if you’d like.” Stranger offered.

The sprout mole looked them up and down. “Hey wait, I know you!” He said. “You’re Basil! I remember seeing you a while ago. What did you do to end up in a place like this?”

“Long story actually but I think you’d much rather carry on with what you were doing, I’ll leave you alone-”

“Not at all! I’m really interested.” The sprout mole said. “By the way my name is Omoli.”

“Nice to meet you Omoli, I’m Stranger.”

They told Omoli everything.

“He really just banished you here? Lickity split?” Omoli asked.

“Yeah. Then Abbi took me in.” Stranger said. “The whole incident isn’t really a big deal to me as of now.” They tried to act calm and cool but in reality it was a HUGE deal to them.

“Once Abbi got out of the abyss she took me in too. The cove didn’t exist back then but we were roommates for a while before I moved away when I could afford a new house. She helped out a lot, maybe even a little too much. We’re still best friends though.”

“She just does that? For people she doesn’t even know? For literal Strangers??” Stranger asked.

“Yeah I told her doing that is very risky, but she doesn’t listen. Hey, is that why your name is Stranger?” Omoli laughed.

“Haha nah it’s got more meaning than that… But you’re pretty funny, see around Omoli!” Stranger began to pick up their things to make sure Omoli could have his “perfect nap spot.”

“See you around, Stranger!” Omoli said.

─

Now that nobody was around them, things felt very lonely. Stranger didn’t like being alone. No, they didn't like feeling alone, actually.

Omori was gone, Omoli was gone, Abbi was gone, Mari was actually dead and all of their friends from before were gone. They no longer had the cove and no longer their home. That was a lot to take in.

Stranger sat down with their pillow and began to look through their photo album with all the great memories in it. They weren’t observant enough to notice that they had fallen asleep and hours had passed.

They were awakened by an unnatural force; being shaken. “Stranger, wake up!”

It took a second for them to open their eyes but eventually they realized it was Abbi talking to them.

“What? What’re you doing here?” They asked.

“I saw the note you left on the kitchen table, I got really worried!” Abbi said with tears in her eyes. Wait but she doesn’t have eyes to begin with?

“What do you mean worried? I thought i’ve been burdening you, didn’t you take me in out of pity?” Stranger said.

“I took you in because I need a friend to care about. I need to have a purpose. I want someone to want to stay with me.” She admitted. “When Omoli moved to Cloud Walkway I knew we wouldn’t be seeing each other as much. I knew he didn’t need me anymore.”

“Hey, I want to stay with you.” They said firmly.

“Stranger, don’t pity me.”

“You help me at the worst point of my life despite barely knowing who I am, you give me graham crackers, and you try your best to make everybody happy. I would know this because you are the best person I’ve ever met. If you weren’t then the bar better be high haha.” Stranger said. “I don’t pity you, I value you. And I thank you.”

“That’s. The nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Abbi wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I value you too, Stranger.”

[SOMETHINGFICATION]

The boat ride back to the cove was a silent one, but Abbi wasn’t bothered. She understood Stranger probably still had a lot on their mind from the past few days.

The boat, more formerly known as the ‘SS Abyss’ glided through the water, fading out some of the words and signatures written on it. Abbi liked it when people signed the boat. It was like creating a way that she’d always be able to remember them even if her memory got wiped again, which freaked her out.

Getting out of her mind and pushing the memories of bad experiences away, she turned around to check on Stranger.

“Hey little dude, are you doing ok- THE HECK?!” Abbi almost fell off of her boat at the sight of it.

Stranger, who used to be a pastel flower boy with light aqua hair and an innocent look, was now a shadowy blob with white pinpricks for eyes piercing into her soul.

“What happened!?” Abbi asked, still ultimately panicking.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Do you not like it?” Stranger asked, sadly.

Abbi could’ve sworn knives were shooting at her hearts, “Nononono! I was just startled, that’s all. Whatever you do, I support you. As long as you’re comfortable.” She smiled, Stranger smiled back.

[NEWHOME: 1301 words. July/september 2022]
[Abbi and Stranger are my number one comfort characters >_<]
[They’re also besties]

[NEWHOME: 1301 words. July/september 2022]
[Abbi and Stranger are my number one comfort characters >_<]
[They’re also besties]

Chapter Text

In Stranger’s opinion, the cove was a pretty nice place. Even if it was an underground cave and the entrance was a little tricky. Not the secret entrance though. That one you will never know about.

Abbi told them that it was dug out with a spoon, but a sprout mole named Omoli said it took an entire team of creatures and took two weeks to dig out. Stranger didn’t know who to believe.

They got up from bed, normally they were a person to wake up early but in blackspace there was no way to tell when ‘early’ was. They slipped the fluffy red blanket over their shoulders to go out into the kitchen. On the table was a piece of paper littered with scribbles that were trying so hard to be letters. A note.

“Ah, I forgot she doesn't know how to write. I should probably teach her someday.” Stranger said to themself. Even if they couldn't read it it wasn’t a problem, Abbi already told them that she wasn’t going to enforce any rules onto them when they were in her home. And They assumed she had to go to her job early so that she wouldn’t get fired(again.) So they assumed the note said something about that.

Stranger opened the fridge to see what was inside. Nothing but a glass jug filled with cold water. There wasn’t much to eat in blackspace. Stranger learned that from their first few days of being there. Unless you got really desperate and threw some spiders in the microwave and ate those. The lack of food wasn’t a problem because after they had taken this new shadowy form they hadn’t been hungry, at all.
Stranger sat on the kitchen table pondering what to do. This was the first time in three days they were home alone.

They glanced around the room, they could exit the cove and explore blackspace but they weren’t sure if that would be a smart idea. While pondering that they noticed another small note taped to one of the cabinets:

Abbi said you should make more friends while she’s gone.
We don’t want you to get too lonely!
-Omoli

Stranger shuddered at the thought of meeting new people. They already have a friend group. Or, had a friend group. They weren’t sure if they’d ever see them again. They still appreciated that Abbi and Omoli were here though. Without those two they’d still be crying alone in the tree circle.

Stranger sighed and decided to go lay back down and hopefully just sleep through the day. But before they got to the giant ultra legendary mega bed™ they noticed a rusty, scarlet boat to the left of them. On the right side of it was written "S.S. ABYSS" in all caps with the names of Stranger, Omoli and Abbi next to it.

Stranger threw their blanket onto the bed and quickly ran over. "Abbi wouldn't mind if I took a quick little ride around blackspace, would she?" Stranger said. "I mean. She said no rules no enforcements.. Soooo.."

─

Stranger was now debating how they were going to get the ss abyss out of the cove. They had no idea how Abbi got it in and out but assumed it had something to do with some kind of magic.

Magic was what held together their shadowy form. If they could release some of that onto the boat there was a chance they could teleport it out of the cove. It was far-fetched but might as well be possible.

With as much strength as they had in there body, they pushed the boat through the water hallway to get it closer to the entrance.

"Alright Stranger. Lets do this!" They laid on top of the boat, closed their eyes and held their breath. Ten seconds went by. Nothing happened.

"That's strange. It was sure to work! Maybe if I focus more. Think Stranger think think think-" The boat started shaking violently, and their shadow physical exterior faded away, leaving them to look like Basil once again. Luckily the ss abyss was outside of the cove though.

They scrambled to get back up onto their feet and brush the grass off of their overalls.

"Hey, is anybody there?" They heard Omoli ask from the distance, he sounded concerned.

"Yeah just me!" Stranger yelled from behind a bush. "Don't come any closer though, I uh-"

Omoli tried peaking over to see what Stranger was up to, although they didn't really blend in with blackspace anymore and was slightly visible from behind the bush.

"I just got back from got back from a tea party with Herosaurus and Moneyspace Kel. I was going to ask if you wanted to hangout but I see you're busy right now." Omoli said.

"No it- it's fine we can hangout just give me a second!" Stranger nervously shouted. "Stupid shadow form! Come back come back!" They punched their arms repeatedly until they saw splotches of dark grey.

"Uh you sound distressed? Why are you in a bush? Should I get help? Abbi told me to call her if you were in any sort of trouble."

"No need to! I'm all good!" They jumped out of the bush and greeted Omoli.

"I was planning on taking the ss abyss out around Blackspace. Meet some new friends like Abbi said.

Omoli looked at the boat, and then back at Stranger, and then back at the boat. "Do you know how to use this?"

Stranger looked at the boat and thought up a confident excuse. "Pfft yeah! It's more like a giant toy boat than a real one, green obviously means go, red means stop and yellow means… Omoli what does yellow mean?"

"Yellow isn't important. If you break the boat we suffer the consequences. Stranger take us on an adventure."

─

Stranger hadn't been outside of the cove in three days. Seventy-two hours. Blackspace was supposed to be a place where all things scary and too close to the truth were banished to. While some might find it terrifying Stranger found it amazing. Each area was different. There were docs, a disco room, an entire town, a room full of beds for some reason. Everything so unexpected yet great.

"I can't believe I was ever scared of this place." Stranger said.

"I agree, I used to be but after Abbi built me a house on the cloud walkway I never felt more happy in this community! We also have our own beach." Omoli said.

"Which direction?"

"To your right."

The boat wasn't meant to make sharp turns, but from the looks of it the ss abyss had probably gone through much worse.

The beach area had a white picket fence by the end of the small lake. The waves were calm and did not set off the course of the boat. The pink sky filled the air with a sense of euphoria.

"Look, people! We should talk to them!" Omoli gestured to a group of teenagers sitting down and laughing with each other.

To Stranger they looked threatening. What if they didn't except them? What if they laughed at them?

"Hmm maybe later..? I already have you and Abbi, I think that's enough friends for me!" Stranger tried walking away but Omoli bit their tail and began pulling them forward.

Stranger looked around for any way to get out of this, they saw a tired looking cyan girl out of the corner of their eye. "Let's go talk to her, Omoli! She looks nice!"

"I wouldn't recommend talking to Bluegirl.." Omoli warned, Stranger did not but ignore him.

"Hey how are you-"

"Go away." Bluegirl said. She continued walking, not acknowledging the existence of Stranger nor Omoli.

Omoli walked up, concerned by Stranger’s disappointed face. “I told you.” He said.

“Fine. I guess we’ll have to try our luck with those other people then.” They sighed. Talking to other people was usually tolerable but right now their anxiety was through the roof.

Omoli’s face lit up, “Alright let’s go!” He beamed.

Stranger hesitantly walked over, the group noticed them. There was three of them. One had tentacles on her head, similar to Abbi, and a grey flannel to go on top of her my chemical romance shirt. The second member of the group had a spiky hexagon shaped head with a giant bulging eye in the middle. He looked weirded out by the presence of Omoli and Stranger, he also was holding a can of monster energy. The third one had long shiny black hair tied up into two high pony-tails. Her outfit consisted of a black dress with puffy sleeves and a small apron above her skirt. She also wore many colorful beaded bracelets.

“What’s up? Have we seen you around here before?” The one with tentacles asked.

“Uh no- not yet but-” Stranger stammered.

“We’re locals.” Omoli said, keeping calm and collected. “I come up from the cloud walkway a ways ahead, but Stranger here lives over by The Cove in the Tree Circle area.”

The group nodded at what Omoli said, but then turned to look at Stranger.

“You live with Abbi?” The one with the big eye said.

“YOU LIVE WITH MY COUSIN?!” Tentacle girl shouted.

“Yeah Abbi took me in… Wait what!? you guys are cousins?” Stranger said. “She’s never told me about you before.”

“Course she didn't,” Tentacle girl scoffed.

The girl with the beaded bracelets and pony-tails stood up. “That’s probably because the DNA test says you guys aren’t even related, Tako.” Stranger stared at her for a moment. “Oh i’m Meido by the way, emo girl over there is Tako-chan and Mr. I won’t die of heart problems’ is Uni.”

“I’m Omoli incase you guys haven’t forgotten about me!” The sprout mole said, trying to get more attention despite being so little.

“I’m…” They hesitated, “I’m Stranger. Stranger Umbra.”

“Woah buddy that’s a sick last name. and your freckles look like stars, got any constellations on your cheeks?” Uni said. It was a little overwhelming to Stranger now that everyone was surrounding them.

“Thanks but it’s my middle name. I don’t have a family so a last name doesn’t feel quite right yet. And no I do not have any constellations I know of at the moment heh..”
Meido snickered. “That’s funny Uni, wish you were as excited about my acne that looks like the little dipper as you are about this.” Everybody said “eww!” and laughed.

“Say shadow kid, you and your little sprout mole friend are pretty cool. Wanna hangout with us?” Tako asked.

Stranger looked at Omoli, then at the trio, then back at Omoli. They thought about what the sprout mole would want. “Sure..?”

“Alright!!” The trio shouted.

“But first.” Meido said. “To be part of this friend group…”

“You must face a quest.”

─
“What?” Stranger said. “What do we have to do?” Omoli jumped onto Stranger’s shoulders.

“We’re mischief causers, Stranger.” Uni explained. “We cause problems on purpose. And steal energy drinks from gas stations.”

Stranger gulped. They wanted to be less like their old self. They wanted to be more tough and laid-back. But they weren’t quite sure if they had the guts to steal something from a store where the employees probably already get paid minimum wage.

“Pssh, Uni, that's coward material! Stranger is not a coward.” Tako said, reassuring Stranger. “That’s why you’re going to steal Mewo from the punishment area.”

“WHAT!?” Stranger backed away. They definitely did not have the guts for that. Never ever. But they did really want to be accepted by these new people.

“You don’t need to do it…” Meido said. “But if you don’t we will put you in the coward hall of fame journal.”

Stranger wrapped their tail around their leg and started sweating. They weren’t a coward.
“Guys can we maybe do something else?” Asked Omoli. “I’ve learned that when Stranger wraps their tail around their leg it means their anxious-”

“SHUT UP OMOLI!” They whisper yelled. “We will do it. We aren’t cowards.”

“Sweet.” Uni said, and flicked a shiny coin at Stranger. “If you succeed you get the tiny trophy for a whole month, if you don’t succeed we put you in the cowards hall of fame. Loose the trophy and we feed you to Loquacious Cat up in disco area, got that?”

Stranger nodded. They didn’t know what a “Loquacious Cat” was but it sounded threatening and dangerous.

“Alright, here's the plan.” Meido pulled a flippable clipboard out of nowhere. “Me, Uni and Tako will distract Butler with silly questions and modern day slang he won’t understand. Once he isn’t paying attention Stranger grabs Mewo and runs out the door stealthily. Is that good enough for you guys?”

Tako raised her hand. “Uh ‘stealthily’ isn’t a word?” She said.
“And neither is your haircut. Does anyone else have any questions?” Meido asked.

Everybody shook their heads. Mission kidnap a cat was a go.

─

[TW/CW: This part contains descriptions of a dead animal. Read at your own risk.]

Uni lead the group to a place called ‘The Blackspace hub.’ There was a soft blanket spread out on the floor, on top of it was a sketchbook, a laptop, some tissues, and a lightbulb hanging above. It also had the doors Stranger absolutely hated everywhere. They reminded them of when they were abandoned.

“Alright I think it’s this door right here.” Uni said, leaning against it.

“Uni imagine if it isn’t and you’re trying to get us stuck in the spider area again.” Tako joked.

“I’ll have you know it was a one time thing! And I hate spiders…” Uni said.

“Hey I’m a spider.” Stranger said.

“You only have two arms though?” Meido observed.

“I asked Abbi to chop the other set off.” They stared blanky into Meido’s eyes.

“Nah that’s messed up!” Uni chuckled.

Omoli had a moment of realization, a moment of discovery. “So that’s where they went…”

“Can we go through the door now?” Tako asked.

“Oh, yeah! Got a little distracted there.” Uni took out a key and unlocked the door. “Ladies first.” he said in a jokingly mocking tone.

“We’ll see who’s the real lady when you’re done with me.” Meido threatened.

The group seemed to pick on each other a lot. But still stayed together no matter what. It was a little confusing but some people are just like that. Whether or not you can or can’t figure them out.

Punishment area was a tall room with cold tiled floor. In the bottom left corner stood a rather refined looking cat. Stranger assumed that was Butler. But at the end of the room was a table and laying on that table was Mewo split in two. It was horrific, you could see the blood stains on the table and her already rotting guts spilled out beneath her. Poor girl, she didn’t that.

The trio was distracting Butler with questions about how to plan a party because apparently Omoli’s birthday was coming up and they needed to know what kind of cake and party hats to buy.

“Me and Omoli are good friend but i’m afraid his birthday is quite a few more months away. Is this some kind of joke you kids have?” Butler asked.

“STRANGER! GO!” Tako whisper yelled gesturing to the cat and the door. Uni threw them the key.

Stranger started panicking but successfully picked Mewo up and beelined it towards the door, the trio and Omoli with them too.

They closed the door and were all out of breath.

“Here’s your.. Key back.” Stranger said in between breaths.

Everyone turned to stare at them with shock.

“The kid actually did it.” Uni said.

“No s**t sherlock course’ they did!” Tako said. “WHOOOOOHOOOOO STRANGER YOU DID IT!” Everyone started clapping, except Omoli. Who looked a little upset.

Stranger felt Mewo’s body shuffle around in their arms a bit. She meowed, jumped off their arms and trotted away to lay on the blanket. Both halves of her body perfectly in sync.

“Eww that’s kinda weird.” Meido said.

“Yeah I agree,” Stranger laughed a little bit. Atleast Mewo seemed to be at peace.

─

Once everybody left to do other things it was only Stranger and Omoli left in the hub.

“Hey, I saw you looked a little upset. Is anything wrong?” Stranger asked.

Omoli sighed. “I think we should return Mewo.”

Stranger gripped their shirt and wrapped their tail around their leg. “But our new friends- what will they think of me-?”

“Whatever they think doesn’t matter. What does matter is doing the right thing!” Omoli put his foot down.

“I mean.. I guess you’re right.” Stranger said.

They walked over to Mewo and picked her back up. “C’mon, let’s take you home.” they said.

They looked over the little coin trophy, coming to terms with their failure and sighed. Once they opened their eyes, instead of a coin they were holding, it was a key. A glowing white key.

They blinked twice but nothing changed, still a key. “Um. Okay?” They twisted it into the doorknob and opened up the room. Greeting them was Butler.

“Hey, we’re really sorry. We invaded you’re home and stole something from you. We’re both really sorry, me and Omoli. We wanted to impress the cool kids but in the end we ended up doing the wrong thing and are now asking for forgiveness.”

Butler took in Stranger’s words. “Oh it’s fine, really.”

“And if you would prefer we never step foot on your property again- wait what?” Omoli said.

“You brought her back in one, two, pieces didn’t you? I know you two would never hurt her, especially Omoli.” Butler said. “Thank you for returning her though. Oh and-”

Butler took Stranger’s key out of their hands and gave it a tap. “Visit me whenever or wherever you like.”

Stranger looked over the key. It glowed and sparkled. “Thank you, sir! Have a nice day!” They said, exciting the room.

─

“-And that is why we had to return Mewo.” Omoli finished.

The trio was silent for a moment, Stranger’s mind was reeling.

“That’s fine.” Tako said nonchalantly.

“It is?” Stranger asked.

“Yeah! The task is more about whether you have the GUTS to do it rather than the outcome. It’s more about the stealth then what happens after.”

Meido nodded. “Take a look at this.” She handed them a journal with the words “Cowards hall of fame” written out with stickers on the cover. Stranger opened it to see that the pages were full of names. Mostly the trio’s but also a plethora of other Blackspace residents were thrown into the mix.

“You’re probably the first in this friend group to not be in the C.H.O.F. That’s pretty impressive, shadow kid.” Tako said.

“You think i’m impressive?” Stranger beamed.

“Heck yeah we do! Now, who wants to go build the biggest, most distracting sand castle ever!”

[EXTRA:]

Abbi pulled the lever to shut the cove for the night.

“Hey little dude, I’m home!” She shouted. No response. “Hmm well I hope you’re excited because I went grocery shopping after work and bought pie ingredients!” Still no response.
“This kid must not like pie very much…” She said to herself before noticing a note on the counter:

Dear Abbi, today I got out of the cove and me and Omoli have met THREE awesome new friends. I am not home right now because we are building the greatest sand castle of all time! I may not be home tonight but I hope to see you soon! :)

-Stranger

Abbi felt like tearing up. All her efforts to make Stranger happy had finally been working out and now they were going on adventures and meeting new people. Thank the higher being if there is one because today had been a great day.

[NEW FRIENDS: 3,324 words. July 2022]
[We will feed you to Loquacious Cat.]

Chapter Text

Today Stranger was wearing a simple but itchy, gray, knitted sweater with a pair of black overalls on top. Like usual, they had been hanging out with Omoli while Abbi wasn’t home.

“-So I was thinking of introducing you to my buddy Herosaurus, but then remembered he’s gone on vacation for the week.” Omoli said. “However, I don't think Loomy is busy today…”

“That’s alright, I think I have enough friends to hangout with at the moment.” Stranger said.

They kept walking for a bit, unsure of what to say. The town area, from what Stranger had seen so far, was very pleasant. It may just have been many repeating rows of houses. But by the looks of it the people who currently inhabited those homes have spruced the place up a bit with decorations, giving each house a personality and story.

Omoli stopped in his tracks when a thought came to mind, “We should try to find Mari.” he suggested.

Stranger gasped. “Really? She’s here?”

“Mhm!” Omoli nodded. “She’s hard to find though, since she just goes wherever she wants too and I never have a set location of where she might be.”
Stranger looked down at the smooth, concrete sidewalk. Did they really want to see Mari? Of course they did, but with the knowledge that she is also dead makes it a little awkward. They also knew some other things about the truth that would make the interaction ever more awkward that it would’ve already been.

Omoli stopped once again. “Sh. Do you hear that?” He whispered.

“Hear what?” Stranger asked.

Before getting an answer, Omoli quickly pulled them into a large, nearby bush. He was pretty strong for the little sprout mole he was.

“Why the heck are we in a bush-”

“SHH” Omoli whisper-shouted. “Don’t move a muscle.”

Stranger looked where Omoli was looking. Aka a small gap between the leaves of the bush. They heard footsteps. Not the clanky, marble on something footsteps that you’d hear from someone like Dorothi. These sounded quieter and the sounds came in a more human-like pattern. They tried to squeeze in next to Omoli to get a better look, but quickly huddled back once they caught a glimpse.

The feeling was seeds sprouting in their stomach, growing up into their brain as big red blooms of panic, anger, impulse and restraint. Their aggression was overruled but their fear. It was Omori.

Omoli and Stranger stayed still as stones, barely even breathing. Omori had his hands in his pockets as he always did, but he took one out to usher someone behind him to hurry up.

Stranger wrapped their tail around their leg and tightened into a ball. The person behind Omori cheerily replied “Coming!” before skipping into view. He had weirdly pale, smooth skin with a plastic-like appearance, his joints were like that of a doll. His eyes impossible shades of fuschia and crowned upon his turquoise hair was a row of beautifully bright flowers. This wasn’t just ‘someone.’ This was another Basil. This was a replacement.

Omoli’s eyes widened. No way. That shouldn’t have been possible. Stranger was Basil. There was no way they had some kind of twin brother that looked almost identical(minus the plastic skin) and wore the exact same outfit as them. He looked up at Stranger, who he then made eye contact with, the same stunned look on both of their faces.

─

They waited a few minutes before climbing out of the bush. And once the coast was finally clear, Stranger let it all out.

“Omoli this is bad. This is bad!” They shouted. The day they were finally over Omori and accepting of their new self, he decides to come waltzing on back like a magnet to a fridge. Rage, fear and a little excitement mixed through their brain.

“We should get back to The Cove, r-right now.” Omoli stammered, not worried about himself but rather worried about Stranger.

Omoli patted the ground with his foot, gesturing to Stranger to lend him a key. They scrambled to find one of the little black keys but eventually tossed one into the sprout mole's grasp, who opened up a door and quickly went through. Stranger followed.

They ended up in the tree circle area, luckily right next to The Cove. Stranger knew how to get in through the river way, so thats the route they took. Omoli took a fall on the way down.

“Ow! Why’d we have to build this waterfall entrance to go ten feet down?” Omoli complained, Stranger shrugged and plopped themself onto a wooden chair in the kitchen.

They stared at the grainy, unpolished, hand carved wooden table in front of them lost in thought.

“-Hello? Stranger?” Omoli waved, dragging them out of their panicking mind.

“How do we get in touch with Abbi while she’s at work right now?” Omoli asked, pointing his leaves to the landline phone.

Stranger looked at the note on the fridge labeled with handwriting like that of gibberish and a string of numbers.

Omoli nodded and typed up the numbers. “Hello? Yes could I possibly speak to Abbi SS, assuming she’s still working with you guys?” a pause. “Mhm yes that would be great thank you.” a longer pause. “Hi Abbi it’s Omoli- Stranger’s fine, but we have a bit of a problem-” Omoli was interrupted buy a voice Stranger couldn’t hear from their distance, only a few faint noises which they assumed was Abbi at the other side of the phone.

“Well you see, we recently saw Omori-” Omoli started, but his voice was soon replaced by inaudible yelling that Stranger could hear from about five feet away. “Abbi you can calm down, we're fine, he doesn't know where we are.” Omoli said. Another pause. “Mhm, see you then.”

Omoli hung up and set the phone back on the wall. “She says she’s going to do her best to get here as soon as possible, but we might be waiting a bit do to her “shabby boss.” obviously she didn’t say shabby, but I think I’m too young to be saying the actual word she said.” He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Stranger stayed silent and continued gazing at things across the room.

“Uhh hey.. I could go find the bettas if you want? They’re older and probably(not) responsible, maybe they’d know what to do?” Omoli said, put at unease by the state Stranger was in. They were hard to read which means they were unpredictable. Based on previous events in his life, Omoli didn’t exactly like “unpredictable.”

Stranger shook their head. “It’s okay. Abbi’s coming back anyway. I’ll be fine then.”

─

The time passing between the phone call and when Abbi would actually arrive was slow. Stranger would swear ten minutes would go by but the clock wouldn’t even change. Omoli was lucky and was able to fall asleep on one of the beds to take a nap, but Stranger wasn’t so fortunate.

They still had the thought on their mind that Omori was in blackspace. What if he found The Cove? What would he do to them? Over the past few days they couldn’t figure out what they felt towards Omori. They wanted to remain friends with the boy, that’s for sure. But they couldn’t help but feel angry and upset, many things they’ve never felt before. They wondered if maybe it was their fault everything happened.

Maybe it was their fault Mari died. Maybe it’s their fault Omori abandoned them and everybody else here. Maybe- THUD.

The loud crash of Abbi’s boat, the SS Abyss, ramming into the upper layer of The Cove could be heard, signaling that Abbi had finally arrived.

The octopus girl with the sailor hat bolted into the room faster than lighting, barely getting too her feet on the fall but still managing.

“Sorry! Had some trouble at work. I heard what happened, though.” Abbi said, looking Stranger directly in the eyes despite not having visible eyes.

She tilted Stranger’s face upwards so that they were no longer a kin to a dying plant. “Aw hey..” She looked at them sadly. “How about we do something to cheer you up, yeah?”

Stranger weakly nodded and looked back down at the table. Omoli made his way into the room once he heard voices, excited to see that Abbi was finally home.

“Oh good, you’re back.” He observed. “Yeah they’re still pretty bummed out about this whole thing…”

“You like gardening, yes?” Abbi asked, out of the blue.

And while Stranger had the means to separate themself completely from who they once were, Basil, they didn’t want to disappoint her. “Um. Yeah?”

“Great!” Abbi beamed, “I knew I remembered that detail about you…not sure where from though…”

Stranger smiled slightly, gardening could be a relaxing distraction from Omori, which was what they needed right now.

Abbi lead everybody outside to the “backyard” of The Cove. Since the giant rock that made up the top half was shaped like a large boot, there was already a solid base to start from.

Omoli fidgeted with his paws before scratching up some soil, and eating it. Stranger gasped at what they were seeing.

“Woah woah, calm down! I’m seeing if the dirt here is good enough.” Omoli said.

Abbi snickered. “If your in the hospital for some deadly disease after eating all that dirt I won’t be paying your medical bills.” She laughed for an awkward ten seconds before following it up with. “JustkiddingIwouldyoumeantheworldtomeIcouldn’taffordtolooseyou.”

Omoli giggled and spit a small amount of dirt back out, meaning they actually consumed some of it. “It’s pretty dry though. I’m seventy-five percent sprout mole, I would know. And you would too, Abbi. Don’t you remember?” He chuckled, looking at the girl who gave no response.

“I….Have no idea what you’re talking about, sorry Omoli.” She smiled before standing up from where she was once kneeling.

With a sigh, “Everything here is either dead, or dry. We’ll have to go to Jimmi’s. place and see if he’s got anything good.” She said.

Omoli’s leaf perked up, “Who’s Jimmi?” Stranger was very glad he was asking because they had no idea who this guy was.

“An old friend from the..abyss. Long story short he owns a little pawn shop down there on layer three. Haven’t gone there since I bought this hat.” Abbi explained, pointing too her most prized possession, her sailor hat with an anchor embroidered on the right side of the front.

Stranger nodded. “So where do we find Jimmi? Is he around here or something?” They imagined some average looking man who owned a small shop somewhere in Blackspace.

“Orange Oasis.” Abbi stated. “Most Blackspace residents go there to buy whatever they may need. Like pie, or tennis rackets or whatever.”

‘WE’RE GOING TO DREAMWORLD!?” Omoli exclaimed.

Abbi picked something miscellaneous out of her teeth, “Yeah surprised you haven’t been there before. Although I’m not sure if Herosaurus still has the key.”

“I have a key!” Stranger said, pointing to the glowing, white key tied to a necklace.

Abbi examined it for a moment, checking it over bout five times. “Where’d you get this from?”

“Uni… And the Bettas.” Stranger confessed, Omoli nodding as the witness he was.

Abbi walked up and held the key in her tentacle, squinting her invisible eyes. “Aw c’mon! did that barnacle reset our ONLY key like this?!”

Stranger stared trying to comprehend what Abbi was saying.

She patted their shoulder, “Sorry about that, just saying we may have lost our way to Jimmi’s.”

“That’s okay.” Stranger said, sounding a bit disappointed.

“Which is why we need someone to get us there manually.” She said, pointing to Stranger.

“I- Me!?” Stranger said, surprised.

“Yeah I watched you suddenly shift into a Something the other day. You gotta have atleast some power in you to get us to dreamworld.” Abbi said.

Stranger slowly nodded. They knew they could, but with minor consequences. They didn’t want to be selfish but they also hesitated being selfless. Going with the first option, “Yes.” they said. “I’ll do it.”

─

The trio was now getting ready too leave. Packing up a few backpacks with the necessities for a trip and Omoli, because they weren’t rich enough in clams to pay for three separate people to get on the train, and would have to smuggle the sprout mole in. What didn’t help Stranger, as well as their two friends, would now be deemed outlaws by the Dreamer.

“You guys ready to go?” Stranger asked, quite nervous.

“Mhm!” Abbi and Omoli said. Although he was muffled due to being inside of the purple backpack.

The three made their way out of The Cove and into the front yard near the boat. Stranger has changed from the outfit they were previously wearing now into a simple t-shirt and overalls.

“So… do I just think about it really hard? Are we supposed to hold hands?” Stranger said “Sorry I just never knew teleportation even existed…”

Abbi patted her foot up and down repeatedly. “Whatever works for you is fine by me!”

They tightly closed their eyes before relaxing them, trying to get a sense of what teleportation even was. It could be like a portal across space time, gosh they never thought about this before, their thoughts mainly occupied by gardening and their friends. Maybe they’d have to look into the concept of multiversal travel sometime. Maybe teleporting was like a quick flash and boom! You’re at your destination.

They felt a tentacle poke their shoulder. They opened their eyes to see a blackdoor a foot away from them, making them jump back.

“Sorry.” They said, getting to their feet.

“It’s alright.” Omoli said, from inside the bag.

Stranger used the key to open the door, they tried to keep their thoughts centered around dreamworld. Which worked because on the other side of the door were the bright saturated colors of the playground and the violet sky glittering with stars. And Stranger loosing their shadowy-something form to match. They turned to Abbi who returned a smile.

─

Luckily nobody significant was in the playground, not to say that the creatures currently enjoying it were ‘insignificant.’

Abbi made sure Stranger stayed close to her, mainly for their safety aswell as the backpack with the money and Omoli in it. Something about this place reeked with familiarity, in the weird melancholic, nostalgic way. But she’d never been there before, if she was then she would definitely remember!

The only memories she had prior to the abyss was sitting in Whitespace with Omori for days on end. And a few faint blurbs of interaction with him.

Quickly, a small white creature with pink-cherry colored hair ran up to her, joined by another small creature with a very large nose and ruby red eyes.

“Hey, Abbi and Basil! Remember me?” The pink one said.

Abbi stopped in her tracks, causing Stranger to bump into her. “Umm.”

“You went down the slide with my friend-” She pointed to the creature next to her. “-Nose.”

Nose walked up to Abbi, jumping, “Nose Goes!”

“And we all played hide and seek together, right Basil? Say you look different than you did today… your eyes are blue again?”

Abbi awkwardly left eye-contact only to rejoin it a moment after. “I’m really- sorry guys… I don’t know you.”

“Oh.” Bun said. “I’m probably confusing you for another kraken girl named Abbi and some other person with green hair then.. Sorry about that, have a nice rest of your day!”

Abbi waved to them as she walked off with Stranger and Omoli.

“What was that-” Stranger started before being interrupted.

“How much do you remember from…before?” Abbi asked them, using a more serious tone.

“I remember uhh.” And now that they thought about it, all they remembered was ‘Omori abandoned me’ but they barely remembered anything.

“Exactly.” She hissed.

The anxious look on Stranger’s face worried her, so she immediately collected herself.

“My bad, just a question! Nothing to worry about haha..” She laughed it off as nothing.

“Okay..?” Stranger replied, confused by the sudden change of emotion in the atmosphere.

Eventually they had reached the end of the playground, coming to a sign with three arrows on it. Labeled Pinwheel Forest, Basils House and Train Station. They followed to where the third one led, rows of seats filled with creatures anxiously awaiting their next destination. Stranger and Abbi plopped themselves down on one of the empty rows.

Fortunately, today was not a busy day, which meant that not many would poke around on what ‘Basil’ was doing away from their friend group and instead with a six-foot tall tentacle girl still in her work uniform.

Unfortunately, there were a select few unfamiliar faces giving Stranger confused looks from the other benches. Stranger quickly glanced at a few of them. One was a small lemon colored, cat-like creature with sharp teeth like knives, another looked like a bright rainbow umbrella with long, colorful legs and heterochromia. The third was a towering, green creature with seven legs, he resembled that of a mountain range. Next to him was a sprout mole who quickly fled at Stranger’s gaze.

The most awkward thing about them though, and what everybody was most likely staring at them for, was the inky blotches of shadow reforming onto them. One eye a pretty periwinkle blue and the other a sharp shade of glowing white that pierced your soul and hurt your eyes.

A loud screech followed by a bang alerted everybody that the train had arrived. Several passengers from inside began to exit.

“C’mon Stranger it’s time to go!” Abbi whispered, poking their shoulder.

They rushed up before anybody else could get there. Abbi took the clams out of the backpack from Omoli, who was holding onto them.

“I’m sorry what are you trying to do here?” Train Jash asked.

“Do you except payment in clams.” Abbi said, awkwardly.

“You’ll need a booked train pass to get on, and unless you have one, then I’m sorry but no pass = no train.”

“Do you. Accept payment in clams.” She tried again.

“That is not enough for the two of you to get on even if we did take clams.” Train Jash said. “Now please step away, your blocking the line.”

“But there isn’t two people.” She started. “Only me.”
“Umm, Abbi?” Stranger said, in response they only got a wink and a smile.

Train Jash and Stranger briefly made eye contact, which made them gulp.

“...But I can see someone? Right in front of me? The kid who likes like they’re half covered in pen ink.” Train Jash protested, “You pulled the money out of their backpack. Their PURPLE backpack that I can VERY MUCH SEE.”

“Well I don’t know what you ate today but you really need to check the nutrition facts on your breakfast cereal because you must be seeing things.” Abbi chuckled.

Train Jash sighed. Admitting their defeat, “Give me the clams and enjoy your ride…”

“Thank you!” Abbi cheered, taking Stranger’s hand and inviting them in.

Stranger patted the backpack, alerting to Omoli that he could come out now. Most of the seats were empty, except for the strangers. People who looked like them.

Abbi shushed them with a tentacle before they could say anything, “Don’t you know it’s rude to stare?” kind of ironic for somebody without eyes.

They chose a seat away from the other passengers, Omoli and Abbi sitting next to them.

The train was filled with calming hues of violet and magenta. It had dim lights above and selves above to keep luggage in. Stranger liked it here.

“We haven’t even started gardening yet but it already smells like lavender… I think it’s Omoli.” Abbi joked.

“Yeah, me, the guy who has never touched a plant in his life haha!” Omoli laughed.

─

The train clinked and clanked against the tracks, like loud white-noise with the occasional startling bump.

“Y’know I’ve always wanted to check out more areas of the Dreamworld.” Abbi said. “And not just go to where I work and Orange Oasis every few months. Like, I mean, it’s so cool here!”

Omoli nodded. “I agree! I may have been stuffed in a backpack for the first twenty minutes of my time here but you don’t usually come by a purple train so I’m gonna take your word for it.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been outside of Vast Forest.” Stranger started. “I was always either at the playground with Mari and the. Rest of them. Or at what used to be my house.”

Abbi grabbed them and gave them the noogiest noogie to ever noogie. “The Cove is your house now!”

“Haha! Abbi stop…” Stranger laughed.

“I am so lucky to have escaped this once before.” Omoli sighed with relief.

“No you aren’t!” Abbi teased the sprout mole, doing the exact same thing to him.

Omoli began squirming around trying to escape. “AAh! I’ve been caught! Help me I’m being held hostage haha!!”

Many of the Strangers on the train gave them weird glances. “Kids these days..” One of them scoffed. They went back to reading their newspapers.

The trio quietly giggled, feeling like little kids being told to ‘shh!’ in a library.

“When we get to Jimmi’s, what kind of plants would you like to buy?” Abbi whispered..

Stranger thought for a moment before deciding. “Probably ones I used to grow back in my old garden. I remember most of their names. Hopefully Jimmi has them.”

Abbi nodded, before once again looking at her knees to avoid eye contact with any other passengers. She and Omoli both fell asleep.

Stranger sat there blankly. The train passengers now silent. There wasn’t anything else to do other than the movement they saw too their left.

They shot their head around, to be met with the cold yet comforting gaze of Dorothi, a something that Omoli introduced them too earlier that day. They were surprised they didn’t see it get onto the train because it’s footsteps always made a metallic banging sound.
“..Hello?” Stranger said.

“...afternoon.” it replied, likely trying to say ‘good afternoon.’

Stranger turned towards Abbi for a second before the shadow spoke once more.

“Can’t have. graham crackers…” It’s speech was delayed and split apart, but Stranger did their best to decipher it. “Plants.”

Stranger translated it. Assuming that Abbi gives graham crackers to everybody she meets, the first part was most likely “I can’t have graham crackers.” Which seemed normal for a deer-like creature, but the second part was probably what it overheard from their previous conversation with Abbi.

“We’re going to make a garden in our backyard.” They informed.

“No.. don't..backyard garden….” Dorothi said, sounded like a warning for some reason.

“Heh yeah..sure..” Stranger laughed it off.

─

They hadn’t noticed they had fallen asleep until Train Jash shouted “Orange Oasis coming up!” and the horn whistled loudly.

Abbi and Omoli bolted awake at the sound. The rails squealed loudly as the train stopped at the station.

The trio, including some passengers walked off when they were ready to go.

“Hey where’d thats sproutmole thing come from?” Train Jash asked.

“Give me a few weeks and I PROMISE I will pay you back!” Abbi nervously smiled.

“I don’t trust you but sure. I’ll be expecting that payment by saturday.”

Orange Oasis was very warm, and compared to the temperatures in Blackspace, Great! It was a dessert which meant the ground consisted of golden-colored sand and the occasional cacti.

“So where is this guy?” Omoli asked.

“He likes hanging out in between all the nooks and crannies of places.” Abbi said. “Which is conveniently over here.”

She led them to a small opening between part of a cliff. It was cramped, but manageable. Once they were through, it led to another, slightly smaller tunnel.

“Why’s it so- cramped-” Stranger said.

“It’s a shop made for Blackspace residents, by Blackspace residents. Gotta keep it hidden.” Abbi answered.

They were finally through, with dirty shirts and scuffed up hands. Omoli was okay though, he’s small.

Up in front of them was a door sloppily placed on it’s hinges and a sign above it labeled ‘JIMMI’S. Anything and everything.’ Stranger hoped that that slogan didn’t mean what it said. That would’ve been pretty funny.

Abbi shoved open the door against the handful of tangled up jingle bells alerting Jimmi that he had customers.

“Gimme a minute!” a high-pitched voice shouted from behind a box of messy, unorganized clothes.

Stranger looked around. The shop was a small room, seemingly carved into the cliff, similar to The Cove. There were racks of used throw away t-shirts, costume accessories, hats, and other things they didn’t recognize. Carved shelves held trinkets, food that wouldn’t expire, old leatherback books, and a few pieces of actual garbage. The floor wasn’t smoothed over and the room smelled weird. They liked it.

Out of the boxes exploded a blue and black blur that raced over to the counter. Stranger noticed that Jimmi was not actually a person. He was a fish, or, a reverse mermaid to be specific. Half of his body was blanketed in shadows, like Stranger, except covered with bulging eyes.

“Whatcha staring at huh?” Jimmi spat. “First time seeing what the abyss can do to a guy?”

The abyss? Yeesh. Stranger just stared in shock, Jimmi wasn’t only a fish but also a something.

“Anyway what can I do for you three ladies today?” He winked.

“Jimmi. You are eleven years old. And only one of us is a lady…off topic, We need seeds! Flower seeds!”

“Okay, okay! What kind?” Jimmi asked.

“All you’ve got!” Omoli said. “As well as some shoes… I’d like some shoes please.”

Jimmi laughed, skipping over to a shelf at the other side of the store. He came back with a plastic bag full of seed packets and a pair of used shoes filled with stories.

Omoli went to try on his new sick kicks while Stranger looked through them all, picking out the ones they wanted. Surprisingly, Jimmi had all of the plants they previously had; sunflowers, tulips, gladioli, roses, and lily of the valley. But something was missing.

They stood on their toes to reach their friend's height. “Abbi there’s no cacti.” They anxiously whispered to her.

Abbi nodded and assessed the room. Stranger felt bad for making her worry now.
“Go help Omoli with his shoes for a sec, will ya?” She suggested.

Stranger complied and walked to the other side of the store. Abbi was whispering something to Jimmi.

They noticed Omoli was having trouble with the shoelaces. “Here let me help,” they offered, kneeling down next to the sprout mole.

“Wow you’re good at that!” Omoli said.

“Hah.. Thanks. Fingers help a bit with these kinds of jobs.” Stranger said, they gestured to Omoli to walk around so he could get used to the shoes.

If they were being honest, seeing a sprout mole with shoes was a first. Their species didn’t usually wear clothes or accessories, but if you gave Omoli a pair of sunglasses he could strut his way through headspace like he owned the place because that’s how cool he looked.
“Alright I think we’re ready to put another dent in Abbi’s wallet! Let’s go, Stranger.” Omoli said, full confidence.

They got to the check out where Jimmi and Abbi were. lots of stuff on the counter. They were speaking gibberish to each other? Not gibberish though, just a weird order of words that Stranger couldn’t decode.

“Hey, Jimmi?” Omoli asked.

“Yes, friend?” The fish replied.

“I’ve briefly been to the abyss before. I remember your kind could only speak in reverse, how are you speaking to us normally?” Omoli said.

“Easy answer! Me and Abbs here used to hang out A LOT when err.. Something… happened a while ago. She taught me how to speak normally and in exchange I taught her how to speak in reverse.” Jimmi smiled. “Anyway, all of this comes to a total of 69,420 clams!”

“WHAT!?!?” In unison.

─

The train ride home was quiet, mainly because the trio was sleeping and everyone else had their noses stuck in newspapers. How interesting was Dreamworld news anyway? Maybe it was Blackspace news. They were Strangers after all.

Back at Jimmi’s, Abbi made a deal with the devil for a cactus. It wasn’t until after they were on the train that they realized Orange Oasis was a desert and full of cacti. Stranger sighed, they got scammed by an eleven year old.

Once they got back to The Cove, already well rested, they got to work.

First was putting the seeds into the ground. Digging out little patches of soil was fun in Stranger’s opinion. Even if they didn’t want to be like their past self anymore, the self that Omori remembered, they would still like to keep this hobby. Maybe in secret.

“Who do you think that other Basil was?” Stranger asked.

Abbi completely lost focus on the dirt and jerked up to meet Stranger’s eyes. “Who the what now!?”

“Omoli didn’t tell you?” Stranger asked.

“No, all I heard about was Omori is somehow here.” Abbi replied, scooping up more dirt.

“Do you think he’ll find us?” Stranger said, but it would’ve been better off as just ‘find me?’

Abbi shook her head, more dirt was scooped and placed into a pile beside it. “She wouldn’t let him.” she said, perturbed, like a capsized boat.

Stranger completely stopped what they were doing and turned to put all of their focus on what she was saying. “She?”

“Mari.” More dirt scooped. “Or, a personified memory of her.” More dirt. “She made me, us, the Tree Circle Area. Or what you and Omoli know as where we are now.” She seemed distant from usual self. Dirt. “I’d appreciate it if you told me more about that.. Basil… though.” Dirt. Dirt. Dirt.

“Abbi-” Stranger started.

“What!?” She snapped, turning to reveal a single, glowing eye that had materialized on the right side of her face.

Stranger recoiled. “You’ve been. Scooping the same dirt pile.” they said, alarmed.

“You’re shaking.” Abbi observed. “I’m sorry…” She opened their arms to hug them.

Stranger hugged back. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have asked anything, it clearly made you upset.” She was warm and they were cold. Like magnets, north and south. “You’ve been through a lot because of me lately.”

“Nonono, Stranger. It was wrong of me to yell at you like that.” She said. “And you’re not a burden to me.”

“But you deserve to feel irritated every once in a while. I’ve taken you out of work for days on end! I’ve made you buy me things just because I was a little upset over something so.. Stupid!”

Abbi kneeled down to their level and held their shoulders. “Little dude, remember we value each other! You’re my best friend, i’m happy to do anything for you.” She reassured them.

Stranger laughed, wiping a tear away. “Thank you. I value you, too. Sorry for this weird moment. Let’s get back to work. It’s been fun.” They smiled.

“It’s alright, it’s actually better to have moments like these so we can talk things out.” Abbi said. “But you’re right, this has been fun. I’m glad you’re enjoying this!”

Omoli strolled out of the cove holding a pitcher of something yellow on top of his leaf. “While you guys were doing all of the dirty work I decided to pitch in and make some lemonade!” Two puns in one sentence. Nice!

The sprout mole poured each of them a glass, he had always been rather strong and agile for a guy his size with no hands.

“Tastes good, thank you!” Abbi said, gently discarding the cup to the ground.
Stranger sipped some and nodded in agreement.

“I’m gonna go back inside to make more, I’m sure Herosaurus and The Bettas will want some when I stop by town later.” Omoli retreated back inside of The Cove, leaving Abbi and Stranger alone once again.

“About who I saw earlier-” Stranger started. “They looked how I used to but different in a way? They had glasses, blinding green hair with a vibrant flower crown and magenta colored eyes.” They described.

“Flower crown flower crown flower crown…” Abbi repeated. “Definitely some kind of clone. Creepy. What business did Omori have with them here?”

That question irked Stranger a lot. Omori’s presence had made them think a lot today, but what really set off the bomb was why Omori was here. To do what he did to Stranger to the new Basil. To create a cycle.

“Oh…” Abbi said, a realization. “Um. What’s you’re favorite kind of flower?” A subject change.

“I-I used to like Sunflowers! Still do.. I think. The most well-known meaning for them is loyalty and adoration, as well as longevity. They grow facing towards the sun, which I related to because I was always looking to the bright side of things.”

“That’s awesome! I like daffodils and buttercups. Not sure why, I’ve just always been drawn to them. Maybe because they’re pretty. I hope we find buttercups in headspace one day. If you put them up to your chin it glows!” she childishly giggled.

“You’re really good at making people feel better.” Stranger said.

“Really? I just try my hardest, I guess I got into the habit because of Mari.” Abbi reflected.

Stranger turned “If you don’t mind me asking, you knew Mari?” A hit or miss question.

“Yeah.” Abbi confessed. “I got upset earlier because the memory of the things she did for me were too overwhelming. I’m ready to talk about it now.”

“You already know this part; When I got out of the abyss I ended up in Blackspace. The first creature I ever helped out was Omoli. I was proud of myself. It was a little after that when I met Mari and Herosaurus on the Cloud Walkway. They asked me where I was from and who I was and next thing I knew I was following Mari around like an excited puppy.She said I reminded her of Sunny, except I was a ditchin’ or bitchin’ energetic little girl and the last thing I remember about Sunny is that he was very timid. Nice, but calmer.”

“So you know where she is?” Stranger asked.

“No.” Abbi answered. “Once The Cove was built we didn’t see each other as often. Sometimes she disappears for months on end. I know she was just a personified memory of who she was. I knew she was just a personified memory of how he remembered her. But I miss her.”

“Oh, I’m really sorry about THAAAT-” Stranger was immediately interrupted by Abbi grabbing them and giving them the second noogie of the day.

“But I have the best friend ever now and they’re the best person/shadow creature everrrr~!” She sang.

“I- thank you!” Stranger blurted, a little startled. “You’re my best friend too, and Omoli!”

“We’re like a family.” Abbi said.

“A messed up one.” Stranger added. They both laughed.

Abbi kneeled down to pick something up. “We’re done scooping dirt if you want to plant seeds now.” She held multiple packets waiting for Stranger to pick one, like a parent waiting for their kid to pick which kool-aid dust they wanted.

Stranger grabbed one, not paying attention. They gently sliced the paper packet open with their claw, pouring some seeds onto their palm.

“I guess another thing I learned from Mari is that even if you do everything good, there’s only a 50/50 chance things will turn out good for you. I’ve lived through that, haha.” Abbi wasn’t supervising Stranger on what they were doing.

They were just about ready, the seeds disintegrated into dust and were carried away by the pitiful wind. They poured more. Same thing. More. Same thing.

Stranger was a something. Representing death, decay, grief, and most importantly, the truth. Stranger was Basil. Stranger was the truth.

“Oh my.” Abbi said, disappointed, not in Stranger but in the world. “That is so fucked up.”

[BACKYARDGARDEN: 5995 words. October 2022]
[Been waiting to write this since june!]

Chapter Text

INNERCHILDREN: Part one.

[Headspace: round one]
[this chapter contains descriptions of the ff/tl characters, I’d recommend looking at my toyhouse https://toyhou.se/fishys_playhouse/characters/folder:3463981 to see them if you haven’t already. It’s kind of important to know what they look like.]

She couldn’t sleep. It was to drowning of a task. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t keep her eyes shut and dead. Her body was as still as ice water while she was next to him. Only four feet and four inches apart but playing dead is better than poking the bear.

She didn’t even know why Omori liked taking naps so much; It was stupid. He may not have even been asleep. Things were better when the white door appeared and he’d be away for a while, being alone was better than now. He used to be so nice, what happened to him? He did something… no, something did that. What a fuzzy memory.

Omori’s body rose up and down when he breathed. He was a dragon. Carelessly resting atop his blanket, laptop, and sketchbook hoard. Dare he be awoken his fiery gaze would be enough to kill the kraken.

Thoughts become tangled like seaweed when you're an insomniac chasing sleep. You start thinking about cars and then boats through a long timeline lasting about thirty minutes in your head about what if and what if. She wished she didn’t feel so vulnerable sleeping. She wished he was worse; a bad person. She wished he actually hurt her, so that she’d have a reason to feel this disgusting animosity.

Everyone has their own reasons for their actions and plans. It’s what makes a good person bad and a bad person good.

─

Boredom soon flooded over her. The ground was cold, hard and Omori had most of the already thin blanket. She didn’t want to be a rude blanket hogger, which means she would often cram her legs into her shirt and lay in a fetal position, destroying her back across the hours.

Cons of Whitespace :(
-Cold.
-Soundless.
-Smelless.
-Tasteless
-Omori.
-Where is Sunny. He’s nice to me.
-No water or food.
-The hands grab me sometimes. They’re okay though. I named one Gunther! He’s my favorite. Wait, this is a pro not a con.
-Omori.
-The only place I remember ever being.

Pros of Whitespace :)
-Gunther.
-Mewo!!!

The small black cat waddled on over to curl up next to the girl with tentacles. She had to hold back laughter and giggling while Mewo absolutely exploded fur all over her shirt. She was perplexed on how Omori never had blackfur on any of his clothing, even if his tank top and socks were both black. How and why is the blanket clean…? Just the perks of your best friend(?)/roomate having a cat!

She needed to get out of her mind. Her brain was rotting like the wood of a sunken ship. Mewo was a good distraction to keep her from going insane, so was Omori. Sometimes. Not in a particularly good way. Sunny used to be so great, he even doodled her in his sketchbook one time. Omori could never.

Hesitantly, she got up, taking Mewo with her. Her only goal was to walk around a little bit, maybe mess with the laptop or teach Gunther a secret handshake. Gunther couldn’t talk, but he wasn’t mean. He couldn’t glare knives into her heart, and that’s what she liked about him; he could never hurt her.

“What do you think we should do, Mewo?” She whispered, jokingly, as if there was other things to do in Whitespace to pass the time.

Mewo though, being the smart little kitty she was, jumped out of her arms and trotted in the direction of the looming white door. She rubbed her claws against it, leaving tiny little scratches as evidence of the crime.

She immediately ran up to the cat. “Shhhshhhshhh we can’t go out there!” She whisper-yelled. “What would Omori think? What if he gets…upset..again?”

Mewo ignored her, continuing to paw at the door without guilt or any signs of stopping. She was lucky she was a cute cat.

“Alright fine. I’ll take you out for a few minutes, but we need to be quiet, okay?” She agreed, scooping up the cat like liquid and very slowly grasping the door knob. What was on the other side would be beyond her imagination.

─

Abbi’s eyes were blinded with hues of purple and indigo, somehow brighter than the vast expanse of White Space. The ground was pink, carpeted and soft. The room was decorated with varying objects and trinkets. The most noticeable thing though was what greeted her, a giant, yellow cat with sparkly freckles and a fish tail.

Luckily it was too busy watching over the group of kids playing cards to notice her. She was hoping they wouldn’t perceive her and she could get out of this easily without any confrontation with Omori, but a large part of her so badly wanted to meet new people, new people who treated her like a friend.

Unfortunately for her, the kids and the cat stopped their game of cards and quickly turned around at the squeak noise Mewo made, very excited to see her but confused to see Abbi, a monochrome girl with tentacles instead of limbs and a question mark across her face.

“..You’re not Omori.” The girl said, coming off as passive aggressive.
She was a snake, a ball python by the looks of it. Her eyes were pink and yellow and she had a pretty pink bow on the top of her head. Cute.

“Hiya! My name is Abbi. I’m just taking Mewo outside for a little bit, I’ll leave soon-” Abbi said before interruption.

“Ah, no it’s okay. You’re free to stay if you’d like.” The next guy offered. He was a leopard gecko with yolk-yellow scales and rhombus shaped speckles scattered all over him. His outfit consisted of simple blue striped pajamas and he had his tail wrapped around Mewo, who had escaped to sit next to him.

Abbi accepted and took a seat where there was open space. She looked up to the Big Yellow Cat who was eagerly staring at the group. Either they were the most interesting thing in the world to them or they were just watching out for them.

There was a third child, a lizard, a thorny devil to be specific. His scales were primarily electric yellow with large splotches of dirty browns and oranges over top. He was covered in spikes, like a cactus and had two large horns on the top of his head. Maybe the two could bond over that. He was wagging his tail like a dog and bouncing his fists up and down.

“Hihihi you seem cool, Finally a sensible girl around here! The name’s Kel. Nice to meet you!” Kel barely stopped for a breath.

“Hey! I’m a great girl,” Snake girl said, agitated. She quickly turned moods to greet Abbi. “Hi there, I’m Aubrey, to the left of my is Hero. I’m also a sensible girl around here, unlike Kel.” She proudly smiled.

Abbi giggled at the simple tease. Kel hissed and he and Aubrey started bickering with each other.

While the other two were arguing, the oldest of the group decided to start some small talk. “Sooo where are you from?” He asked.

“I come from that door over there.” Abbi said, pointing to the ominous white door. Now that she realized, it was very out of place compared to the rest of the colorful room. “I hang out with Omori. He’s kind of quiet.”

“Oh well it’s good to hear he has another friend in that room of his. Speaking of Omori we were just about to invite him to hangout with us, do you by any chance know where he is or what he’s busy with?” Hero inquired.

“He’s taking a nap currently, I’m unsure if he has awoken yet. I’d be happy to come in his place though!” Abbi beamed. A chance, a possibility that she would get to meet other people. Share thoughts, ideas, jokes and memories. Selfish as it was, she really wanted it.

“Oh yeah that works I guess.” Hero said, sending Abbi sailing over the moon. “But I think we might need to calm down these two first.”

She hadn’t been paying attention to Aubrey and Kel, who were now playing tug of war: push edition. The fun childhood game when you and your sibling don't want to commit actual violence on eachother.

“Aubrey! Kel! We’re gonna go to the playground soon if you want to come,” Hero’s reminder did nothing to stop them though.

“Hmph! I’m waiting for Kel to give me my stuffed toy back!” Aubrey protested.

“I keep telling you I don’t remember where I hid it!” Kel argued back.

“Liar liar pants on fire that’s what you are!” Aubrey shouted.

The kids kept peaceful arguing and Hero sighed. “Well since Omori’s not here and those two aren’t going to move until this is solved.. I guess we have to find it ourselves.”

Abbi didn’t respond, simply following his lead like she always does with people.
Hero began checking under everything, the table, a plant, and the small, pink, cubic tv. No luck.

“Hey, Snake,” Hero alerted. A white snake with red eyes resting on the stairs peered up at him. “Have you seen anything around here? A purple eggplant stuffed toy with a giant head and a small body?” the snake made a simple hissing noise and slithered away.

Hero anxiously swung his head around the room. With no where left to look he turned to Abbi. “I need a fresh mind to help me with this. You don’t know this place very well but do you have any ideas of where the stuffed toy could be?” He prompted.

Abbi looked around. She had been following him around which meant she’d already seen everything he had, and the Big Yellow Cat had been staring at them the entire time which meant he probably didn’t have it either. Her eyes landed on a turquoise hued watermelon.

“Why do you have a watermelon in the corner?” She quizzed.

“What?” Hero said.

“You can’t just leave fruit out without it being properly preserved. It will go bad quicker, which is a waste.” She finished.

Hero clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth a few times, pondering. He made his way to the watermelon and heaved it up onto the table. With one thud it crushed in half down onto the table, revealing a stained stuffed toy inside.

“Oh I guess you were right. Good job, Abbi. Maybe you could help me with keeping these two in check when the other three aren’t around, I really appreciate your help!”

“Ah, no problem! I don’t remember having any friends like you guys ever, so it's nice to see others smile.” Abbi gave a thumbs up.

─

Aubrey was ecstatic to get her stuffed toy back, even if it was a little bit…soggy and red.

“Mr. Plantegg!!! Thank you so so much!” Aubrey elated.

“Ah, no problem!” Hero said, “We found it inside of a watermelon. I’m not even sure how Kel got it in there?”

“I’m telling you I didn’t put it there! Must’ve been the wind or something,” Kel lied. He crossed his arms and pouted.

“Is everyone ready to go now? We got everything?” Hero asked.

Aubrey happily nodded, still tightly holding onto Mr. Plantegg. Kel nodded at the same time too, just not as joyfully. He’d come around though.

─

Big Yellow Cat waved his goodbyes and the group made their way up the rainbow staircase. The snake looked at Abbi with a confused look, and hissed as if it was trying to say something. She paid no mind to it though.

At the top of the stairs was the entrance to a new place and the exit from Neighbors Room. Through it was a lush, vibrant forest full of life and creatures. She knew they had other things to do, but if it were up to her she would stay right here forever. Aubrey, the snake girl came up from behind and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hi, It’s me again, Aubrey. I just wanted to thank you for finding Mr. Plantegg for me, he’s really special.”

“Oh yeah sure, I just think you might need to wash him later haha,” Abbi suggested,

“Yeah, maybe we can do that together! Other than Mari you’re the only girl I really have to hangout with. While waiting in Neighbor’s Room I only have the boys, not that I mind of course! Maybe I do mind Kel… Anyway, us girls need to band together so we can work towards world domination.” Aubrey rambled.

“Hahaha what the heck? I love that please keep saying the things you say,” Abbi smiled. “Hey, cool question?” She added.

Aubrey nodded and gave a ‘mhm?’ as a response.

“You’re a snake, right? Do you shed your skin?”

Aubrey giggled. “No silly! Of course I don’t that would be gross haha! Do you fit through small spaces just because you’re a cephalopod?” Pretty big word for a girl her age.

“Yes actually! I could probably demonstrate…just warning you it is kind of gross!” Abbi laughed.

“Hehe, that's kind of weird. You’re like an improved version of Kel,” Aubrey said. She too, was a dragon. A good dragon. Her personality was fiery, not in the scorching manner but more in the toasted marshmallows kind of way.

Abbi was too caught up in her conversation with Aubrey to realize they had arrived at their destination.

The rest of the group made their way to a picnic blanket, greeting the snake and the spider engaging in some friendly conversation. Abbi stayed behind. Without instructions she had no reason to follow.

A pink slide to the left of the tetherball pole caught her eye, along with two tiny creatures. One was a small girl with pink-cherry colored hair, having fun alongside her was another small creature with a very large nose and ruby red eyes.

“Hi there!” The pink girl said. “I’m just supervising my friend, Nose, on the slide,” She smiled. She was rather nice.

“Hi as well! My name is Abbi,” Abbi greeted. “Who are you?” She wasn’t very used to asking this question.

“I’m Bun, and this is my best friend Nose,” Bun said.

“Nose goes!”Nose declared and she glided down the pink slide, only to be smashed with the cruel fate of the ground. Her body limp against the dirt.

“Nose!” Bun cried, trotting across the grass to help her friend.

Abbi watched as Bun made sure Nose was okay. How unfamiliar. Nose had a scrape on her nose, tiny tears dripped from her eyes.

“Abbi, do you have a bandaid of any kind? She’s hurt!” Bun asked.

Abbi looked around herself, she had nothing of the sorts. She knew Nose didn’t actually need a bandaid, but the covering of wounds was nonetheless comforting. Against the suffering creature in front of her she had nothing to defend itself. When a dragon is stabbed you better be ready for his scorching breath. Something she had been ready for for a long, long time.

The tension was broken by Bun. “No bandaids I see. Um… you wanna know what’s better than a bandaid, Nose?” She asked.

Nose shook her head, but was happily startled when Bun responded with a tight hug. “A hug!” Bun exclaimed. Such a good friend.
“Sorry I wasn’t very helpful. I’ll make sure to bring things next time, just in case,” Abbi apologized.

“No, no. It’s alright, I understand” Bun said, “would you like to go down the slide with Nose?”

The ruby-eyed creature, now feeling positively better than earlier, hopped up and down shuffling the dirt below her. “Nose goes, Nose goes!”

Abbi who was previously anchored down by guilt was now bouncy as a spring. “Of course!” She hopped up the ladder, even skipping a few steps, with Nose in grasp.

Flopping onto the top of the slide, “You ready, little dude?” Abbi asked,

“Nose goes, Nose goes!” Nose cheered.

Abbi launched herself, and Nose, who was in her lap, down the slide. It was a short, fast moment of adrenaline but these were the moments that made kids feel alive. She loved it, and could see why Nose did too.

At the bottom, Nose jumped off of Abbi’s lap and appreciatively jumped up and down.

“Yay you cheered her up, thank you, Abbi!” Bun said.

“Of course, no problem!” Abbi smiled, getting interrupted by the calling of her name in the distance.

“HEY ABBII!” Kel shouted, “SOMEONE WANTS TO MEET YOU!!1!!1”

She quickly got to her feet and made her way past the other playground folk, one of which who was running around in circles and screaming. Once she was finally at the picnic blanket with the rest of the group, she took a seat between Kel and Aubrey. This action could deflect any arguments between them.

“Um.. Hi?” Abbi waved, she made eye contact with the girl in front of her. Banana ball python, purple-red eyes, obviously older, and cool dark hair that fell over her shoulders. She also had cat socks to match Omori’s.

“Aw hello!” The girl said. “My name’s Mari. Kel, Hero, and Aubrey have been telling me and Basil about you.”
Mari pointed to the kid behind her. They had seafoam colored hair with a light flower crown cradling their head. They had four arms, a pair of wings and a tail, my my what a handful! Their outfit consisted of a pastel, canary yellow shirt topped with blue overalls. They gently smiled at her.

“Yeah..” Abbi replied, still too busy staring at Basil to focus. “Yeah they’re pretty cool! Thank you for letting me hang out here.”

“Well I mean. It’s not like we own the park. This place is for everyone!” Kel reminded. “I think we all should do something. I’ve got way too much energy to sit around and talk all day!”

“Well Kel you always have been a little ball of energy, if we hooked you up to some wires you could probably power an entire building!” Mari laughed.

“I don’t think we have to,” Aubrey said. “He already shocks me any chance he gets and it doesn’t help with the sharp scales on his arms.”

“..You’re gonna hook me up to wires.?” Kel grimaced. He didn’t get the joke.

Basil stood up, finally gaining the courage to speak. “How about instead of electrocuting Kel we go and play something?” They suggested.

“Good idea,” Hero said. “Maybe we can go ask Berly if she wants to play some hide and seek? She might get upset if we start a game without her haha.”

Kel was already four parallel universes ahead of his brother though. Abbi watched as he zoomed around and tripped on a weird patch of pink dirt near the tether ball pole.

Kel said a third grader curse word under his breath and began to shuffle out of the dirt when a cyan, fringe-toed lizard sprang out of it.

“Hey watch where you’re going, twerp!” she hollered.

“Gah! Berly stop hiding in the dirt!” kel yelped. “Maybe learn to hide in one of those trees where nobody will trip over you.”

Abbi walked over to check on Kel, like Bun did with Nose earlier. “Why were you in the dirt anyway?” she asked.

Berly grumbled. “Well Tentacles, the D in dirt stands for do not eat.”

Abbi quickly remembered something. “But the IRT stands for it’s really tasty!” They finished in unison.

“Great someone finally gets that joke. Hey Van, maybe you should take some notes from Tentacles over here!” She told someone further away, probably one of her friends or something.

“My best friend, Omori, told me that joke a while ago, I suppose he learned it from you?” Abbi reckoned.

Berly picked something off of her hoodie and flung it at the ground. “Yeah I’d assume so. If you’re talking about that black and white kid he’s not a very good talker but he is a very good listener. At least he’d got good taste in my jokes.” It irked Abbi a tad bit to think of Omori of all people liking spending time with these kinds of people. Ew.
Maybe she just didn’t know him as well as she knew Sunny.

Hero walked up along with Aubrey and Basil. “Hey there, Berly. Are you and Van up for a game of hide and seek?”

Berly pretended to pick at her claws spitefully. “Yeah I suppose we have some time.”

“ALL-RIGHT, GATHER UP!” She roared, assembling every creature at once.

Everybody quickly got together, organizing themselves in two neat lines. They all stayed quiet as mice and still as ice, as if this was boot camp. All except for Kel who was bouncing up and down from the chore of staying still.

“Alright, maggots. Here’s the rules!” Berly announced. “Here in my claws I have some straws, see? Everyone here’s gotta pick a straw. The one with the shortest straw’s gonna be “it” and will have to find everyone else! Sounds easy enough right?” Berly said. She went around and passed a straw to everybody, making sure they weren’t trying to swap or peak.

“Now let’s see who’s gonna be “it!” Berly scanned the area, and everybody’s hands/claws, “Well, well, well! Looks like the one with the shortest straw is…Kel!”

“Awwh man,” Kel complained, his arms and tail drooped.

“Don’t be a baby, Kel. You’ll be fine,” Berly said.

Kel walked up to the tether ball, closed his eyes, began counting and everycreature scattered.

─

Abbi perched herself in the greatest hiding place ever, or so she thought. Inside of a tree was practical, earthy, and fun. Plus who even checks a tree?

“Hey is someone up there?” A voice asked. Not Kel, luckily.

Abbi stayed still, not sure if the seeker had any “henchmen” to help him look. Hide and seek is trust no one.

Basil took the silence as an invitation to try to climb up, and steal Abbi’s spot.

“Woah, woah woah!” Abbi fell right out of the tree and onto the soft, light green grass.

Basil stepped back, obviously startled at the sudden kraken girl who had just fallen out of the sky.

“Hello!” Abbi said, upside down.

“Sorry!” Basil whisper-shouted. “Almost got us caught right there hah…”

She examined them, seemed like a pretty nice kid. They wore the same nervous smile on their face as they did earlier and they had seed packets and photographs sticking out of the pocket on the front of their overalls. Their hands were shaking.

“You’re shaking.” Abbi observed. “I’m sorry… that’s my fault I probably scared you.” She sheepishly smiled.

“No, no, it’s alright,” Basil reassured, climbing up into the tree. Abbi joined them. “What’s your name?” they asked.

“My name?” Abbi repeated, Basil nodded. “I’m Abbi SS, who are you?”
“Oh crumpets, I forgot we met earlier.. You already know me as Basil.” They said.

Abbi took a seat on one of the higher branches. “Well Basil, maybe we needed a special introduction. I like your hair by the way.”

“Thank you! I like your tentacles. We don’t see many things like that around here,” Basil said. “Where do you come from?” they asked.

Abbi collected her thoughts, “I come from the little White door attached to Neighbor's Room! I live there with my good friend, Omori and his cat Mewo and also Gunther and Tiffany and-”

“You know Omori?” Basil interrupted. “He’s my best friend! And if he’s yours too then maybe we have some things in common,” they beamed.

“Do you like gardening? Crafts?” Abbi let them ramble.

“I haven’t been out of Whitespace in like, FOREVER! I’d love to do gardening and crafts with you!” She said.

“Alright, maybe we can go to my house later and hangout?” Basil suggested.

Abbi was about to nod, but suddenly the tree started rustling. Kel revealed himself at the base of the trunk, along with several other creatures.

“Ha! Found you guys! Hey Abbi, Omori’s looking for you. I think you should go talk to him,” Kel said.

The tidal wave of fun from earlier crashed down, leaving wet, soggy sand. Abbi felt a pang of guilt electrocute her body, she didn’t know why. Omori was not a bad person. Was he?

She briefly waved Basil good bye, getting a glimpse of their sorrowful expression. Maybe they knew something.

She slowly climbed out of the tree and made her way towards the glass frog who would be her demise. And there he was, Omori. Face still as a statue and cold as ice, the face that teaches her fear was weakness and emotion isn’t real. He wasn’t a bad person. Knife in one hand and Abbi’s tentacle in the other, he escorted her back to the void of Whitespace. He wasn’t a bad person. All of her New Friends cheerfully wished her a good day and see you later as the world would continue rolling round without her. She really hoped she would see them later. He was not a bad person.

─

Back in Whitespace, “I’ve been trying to see if I can clone myself,” Omori stated.

“Clone yourself?” Abbi repeated, legs tucked into her shirt while she bit and picked at her lips.

“Nothing has worked so far. I don’t even know why I’m doing this━just thought it would be fun,” Omori added.

Abbi stayed silent, she wouldn’t speak without prompt. The ocean would be tranquil today.

“Ta-da!” He cheered, bringing in a messed up sprout mole that looked like him, it was just a baby though.

Abbi laughed at the little abomination, she had to admit it was kind of cute, “Woah, freaky!”

Omori set him down, supervising him to make sure he didn’t scamper off to who knows where. “I call this little weirdo “Omoli.” Turns out you can’t use a sprout mole as a base for cloning things.”

Abbi picked Omoli up and held him. He made a noise similar to that of a squeaky toy. “You can have him if you want,” Omori said.

“Really?” Abbi asked.

Omori nodded, sitting down and setting up his laptop. “I mean I don’t want to kill the little guy…”

Abbi gazed into the sprout moles abyssal, beady black eyes and hugged him. Finally something that couldn’t leave her. Finally something that couldn’t hurt her.

[FUZZY: 4413 words. November 2022.]
[“Where is boss? Why didn’t (this) happen?” We call those repeat loops and/or timelines. Some things don’t happen until another timeline. -Y ]

Chapter Text

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[I change some elements of locations sometimes lol -Fishy]

Three days, two days, one day. That’s how many days since they’d seen Abbi. After the crushing realization of Stranger’s “ability,” she had disappeared without a trace. And Stranger had started tallying up the days. How dramatic.

“Maybe she’s taking night shifts where she works?” Omoli proposed. “I know she might be saving up for something new. She did this same thing when she was saving up for her first car, me and Uni didn’t see her for weeks!”

Stranger paced around, slightly considering the idea. “She was just so worried before she left. I woke up and she was gone and she hasn’t been back since. Wouldn’t she have told us, or someone, anyone even! Where she would be?” They asked.

Omoli bit his lip and hopped up on the table. “She has a map of Blackspace somewhere, correct?”

Stranger was confused. “What do you mean?”

“Uni tells me she started one a long time ago, and he’s looking to get his paws on it so he can make a copy. I doubt she’d get rid of it,” Omoli said.

Stranger thought about where something like that might be here. The Cove didn’t have much storage- “Follow me.” They instructed.

Omoli followed them through the Cove. Paws carefully thumping on the cold stone ground. Stranger led him past the Giant Ultra Legendary Mega Bed and into the other room. Abbi’s desk at the end of it.

“If it’s anywhere, it has to be here. I’m not allowed to look through any of this though.” Stranger smirked. If they got grounded they’d just say it was Omoli’s idea.

Omoli started rolling open drawers and digging through things. It was a desk full of lots of papers owned by someone who doesn’t know how to read or write. When there wasn’t anything good in the first drawer he’d slam it closed and scan through the next.

“Hey!” Omoli yelped.

“What is it? Did you find something?” Stranger slammed their drawer shut.

The sprout mole pulled out a light flower crown and laughed. “haha…Look at this.”

Stranger immediately burst into laughter. “No way! Eww!”

“You really hate your old self that much?” Omoli chuckled.

Stranger wiped away a few laughing tears, “Yeah, yeah.”

“Do you even remember your old self that much?” Omoli asked. Stranger didn’t respond.

Omoli put the crown back where he found it and continued searching. The desk was made out of dark, polished wood. Unlike the kitchen table it was bought somewhere. Around sixteen drawers could be seen on the front, eight solid ones on the bottom and eight on the top with glass fronts, and one “secret” drawer in the middle. They discovered all it contained was some old journals signed off as names and titles they didn’t recognize. Who the heck was Mr. Awesome Car Dude? Stranger didn’t know.

“Stranger I found it!” Omoli pulled a well-aged, folded sheet of paper out from under some pink sparkly rope, likely used for a sailboat.

He carefully peeled the paper apart, revealing a very articulate map. It had credits on the side, Labels and warp door locations by Uni. Graphics by Abbi. So Uni had helped with this. Most of the places Stranger and Omoli had been were already written down; Town Area with a house symbol, Beach Area with a fish symbol, Punishment Area with a knife symbol, and Tree Circle Area with a boot symbol representing The Cove.
There were also places they didn’t recognize; Disco Area with a crazy cat symbol, Watermelon area with a you guessed it watermelon symbol, Weathervane area with a weathervane symbol, Reef area with a coral symbol, and many more places.

“Do you think she might be somewhere in Blackspace?” Stranger said, not a question but more of a suggestion.

Omoli nodded. “What do you think this crossed off spot next to Weathervane is?” It obviously said The Abyss but maybe Omoli’s vision was off. The Abyss was represented by an anchor symbol.

“She’s only mentioned that place once or twice before.” Stranger gulped. “And I don’t really want to know why.”

“You think she may have gone there? Why?” Omoli wondered.

Stranger thought, “She was pretty bummed out after what happened last week. With Omori coming back and other..things… happening,” They answered.

Omoli gathered up a pawful of items from the drawers and stuffed them into Stranger’s lavender backpack that had been conveniently tossed to the side next to them. It now contained a sparkly pink rope, graham crackers, the map, and other miscellaneous toys and trinkets.

“She leaves her car in Herosaurus’s garage. It’s only gone when she uses it to drive wherever. I say we break in and drive to Deeper Well.” Omori said with pride.

Stranger took the backpack out of the little sprout mole’s paw. “Great plan. Except we are dependent on if the car is there or not. And where Abbi really is.”

Omoli frowned, his breaking-in dreams busted. “A visit to Herosaurus’s would still be nice, wouldn’t it? Maybe we could have some sandwiches and discuss important matters like if he’s still here or if Tako has taken down her year-round halloween decor or-”

“Sure,” Stranger interrupted, tossing the backpack back to Omoli. “We can ask Herosaurus if he’s seen Abbi.”

─

“Stranger! All-might-mole! What’s up?” The door was squealed open by the dinosaur behind it.

“We’ve come for a picnic-” Omoli tried to reply

“Have you by any chance talked with Abbi SS in the past few days?” Stranger interrupted. They felt embarrassed being so serious about it, but they were too worried to care.

Herosaurus invited them both in. “No I can’t say I have. The last time she came to the Town Area was a few days ago when she needed to park her car in my garage. I think she went off on her boat after that.”

His house was very monochromatic, mostly gray and black. The interior was very vintage, with polished wooden floors and empty vases on scattered uneven shelves. It felt like a home. Stranger could see themselves staying over here for a sleepover.

“How about we sit down and have some food while we discuss this,” Herosaurus guided them into the kitchen. It was very lovely, an island with a large dining table and floral wallpaper.

He began to gather many ingredients out of the cabinets. “Did anything happen?” he asked, curious.

Stranger stiffened. “Not really….Well, we have spotted Omori in Blackspace-”

“Omori? The dreamer?” Herosaurus repeated, pouring flour, eggs and sugar into a bowl.

Stranger and Omoli nodded in unison.

“And she knew about this?”

Stranger and Omoli nodded in unison, slower this time.

Herosaurus hummed and continued baking, leaving the three in silence with only the sounds of an old AC machine crackling and batter being stirred. Good silence, safe silence.

“Do you have any ideas on where she might be?” Herosaurus asked.

Stranger gently took out the map from their backpack, carefully unfolding it and displaying it on the table. “We think she may be somewhere in blackspace.”

Herosaurus grazed his paw over the paper, he got to a certain symbol. “Oh,” he said, his voice laced with concern.

“What’s wrong?” Omoli joined.

Herosaurus placed his bowl on the counter top. “Not to worry you, but I do know where she is.”

“You do? Great!” Omoli cheered, unable to read the room.

Herosaurus frowned. “She’s in The Abyss, Omoli.”

The sprout mole’s energy dropped. “Is that bad? Can we not just go there and retrieve her?” Stranger solicited any information like a sponge.

The dinosaur sat down, the floorboards under him creaking. “I…don’t think so, it’s not that easy,” He shook his head.

Stranger ran a claw over the map, just barely smearing the pencil marks. With their arms pressed close to their sides and their tail wrapped around their leg, “What does that mean..?” they asked, although it sounded more like begging.

“Stranger, I'm sorry.”

“Why…what does that mean?” A tear.

“She’s…”

“No, Herosaurus. She’s not dead. I won’t let her die. And I’d know if she did.” A tear caused by rage.

“Stranger-”

They broke down on the floor, revealing vulnerability. “She’s not dead.” They repeated firmly. “I won’t-I won’t let her die…”

—

Once Stranger calmed down, Herosaurus gave them and Omoli the key and showed them to the garage. They graciously took the key and compared it to the one hanging on a chain from their neck. The yellow copper metal it was made of gleamed against the glowing white of the magical key it was placed in front of.

“If you need anything, here’s my number.” Herosaurus quickly scribbled down some numbers on scrap paper with his mouth and placed it in Stranger’s backpack. “Oh and one more question, I know I haven’t been very helpful; Do you still accept me?”

Stranger and Omoli nodded, then collecting themselves and getting into the car. Stranger didn’t have a license but they’d probably be fine.

Abbi’s car was a rusty, tomato, red color that was more light beige at the top. Stranger was unsure of what model it was. The license plate was rather silly as it simply said FIONA14 in all capitals; the car had a name.
On the inside the seats were a brown shade like coffee and made of faux leather, they had many weird stains. The dashboard was littered with crumpled up papers and other miscellaneous junk. Stranger loved it.

“Are you sure this is safe, Stranger? We’re only twelve and we’ve never driven a car before,” Omoli stated, making Stranger reconsider.

They didn’t respond though. It didn’t matter if this was safe. They just wanted to bring Abbi back to The Cove so that this could all be normal again and they could eat graham crackers on the hand-carved wooden table.

─

The drive was so far running smoothly. The Underwater Highway was rather empty, other than an occasional taxi, and all they had to do was keep their foot on the gas pedal. Omoli quietly and obediently sat in the passenger's seat, gazing out the window.

“She’ll be okay y’know,” He started. “I was alive when she hung out with Mari, I know a few things-”

“I don’t want to hear about Mari,” Stranger effectively cut him off. “She’s not here anymore.”

Omoli remained silent for a moment, then speaking again. “If she’s hurt it’s not your fault.”

Omoli’s words made Stranger grip the steering wheel tighter than before. Their arms and shoulders tensing up.

“She’s disappointed in herself, not you,” The sprout mole continued. “Putting it that way doesn’t help much, sorry.”

The shadow hardened their grip on the steering wheel. “That’s my older sister out there,” They whispered. Omoli finally looked at them. Not quite meeting their gaze, but listening.

“If anything happens to her at my expense, I would never forgive myself. She likes helping people, and now it’s my turn to help her.” Stranger confessed. They didn’t like being open about how they viewed others. It was a weird vulnerability that could get you killed. But Abbi was the sister they never had. Abandoning her, dead or alive, would make them like Omori. Like Sunny. They weren’t like that.

Omoli attempted to cover his puffy red eyes with his hair and paws, a failed attempt. “Y-you’re the best older siblings I’ve ever had!!!!” he squalled.

Stranger immediately pulled over, realizing their mistake in never checking in on him throughout all this. “Hey- little dude.. Um. It's alright,” They did their best to provide comfort, and if they were honest they were crying a little bit too.

“I like living independently on Cloud Walkway and I haven’t told Abbi but I never want to lose her; she raised me from when I was a baby and, and…!” He wailed.

“I-I um you’re the best little brother I could ever have–even if we aren’t blood related–!” Stranger was now pulled over on the side of the highway, hugging a sprout mole in a rusty car, no, a beautiful car.

The two were too busy crying to notice the Gator Guy in a taxi who had pulled up next to them. “Are you kids alright?” He asked, concerned.

Stranger rubbed their eyes, “Yes sir, we’re okay, my apologies.” They carefully stationed Omoli back on his seat.

Gator Guy squinted his eyes and focused on Stranger, the shadow in the driver's seat. “Aren’t you a little young to be driving?” He noticed.

“Young?” Stranger repeated nervously, beads of sweat rolling from their forehead down to their cheeks.

“Can I see your drivers license? Just want to make sure I don’t have to call the uhhh lake police,” He queried.

“Oh crap, oh crap!” Omoli scrambled through the glove box, pulling out handfuls of garbage and cheap looking romance novels. He eventually landed his paw on something license shaped and swiftly handed it to Stranger.

“See. I’m sixteen. Says it right here.” They displayed the drivers incense proudly, as if it didn’t have Abbi’s face and name stamped to the front. They were going off pure luck here.

The Gator Guy examined it for a moment, practically waiting for Stranger’s sweat to puddle onto the floor. He looked at the license, then back to Stranger, then repeat. “Yeah,” He said. “Looks about right. Sorry for bothering you kids. Come to Last Resort whenever you feel like it. Or whenever you have clams.” He drove off.

In unison, they both gave a long sigh of relief.

─

Stranger’s heartbeat picked up again once they remembered what their task was and how high the stakes were. Road laws were no more but they were getting the ‘hang’ of driving so luckily no car crashes.

“Stranger, Stranger!” Omoli shouted, pointing to a strange man who was continuously waving his right thumb into the air. A hitchhiker.

“How’s he supposed to help us?” Stranger asked, quickly stepping on the breaks. It was weird being next to that man. His eyes weren’t visible from the shadow of his hat which meant it was unknown whether or not he was staring right into them. They tried ignoring that.

“Maybe we can ask him something? Or give him a ride?” Omoli suggested, he’d always been a little bit too kind.

Stranger sighed and opened their door, Omoli surprisingly did the same.

The Hitchhiker was huge, probably around six foot five they would’ve guessed. He had a dirty olive green trench coat, and a hat shielding his eyes to match. His hair was blonde and very snarly, but they didn’t want to be one to judge.

“Hello sir,” They greeted, gathering every one of their limbs into a more poised manner.

“Hello, child and sprout mole. How can you help me today, or more rather, how can I help you today?” Hitchhiker asked, a slight chuckle to his voice.

“We’re looking for a place!” Omoli said. How descriptive, Omoli.

Hitchhiker’s smile widened, “I know a place,” He said. “It goes by many names, the Dark Void…the Deep Pit… the Shadowy Chasm…”

“Just tell us where Abbi is!” Stranger shouted.

“Ah, Abbi. We talked just a few days ago, she requested I drive her here, so I did,” Hitchhiker confessed. “I’d be happy to bring you to her-”

“Yes please! As soon as possible!” Their heart was racing, they assumed Omoli’s was too.

Hitchhiker stretched out his long arm to the right. “The Abyss is just past the end of the highway, would you like me to take you there?”

Yes. No.
Yes. No.

─

They were guided to a long, claustrophobic blue tunnel. It was similar to the entrance to Jimmi’s shop, but less narrow and way longer. The walls scrapped against Stranger’s arms. They thought it could’ve been made of stone, but with further thought they found it was actually coral.

Nearing the end of the tunnel was a small, dark-red ladder going down an even smaller hole. They squeezed themself through it, Omoli and Hitchhiker somehow had no trouble doing this. But Stranger was as graceful as a drunk chicken on drugs, maybe it was the anxiety kicking in.

Hitchhiker stayed near the entrance, allowing Omoli and Stranger to explore to their heart's content.

“C’mon Omoli,” Stranger said coldly. They would need to apologize to the sprout mole for their attitude later.

Omoli climbed up onto their back, likely not being able to keep up. The ground was light blue and scratchy. The water around them felt thick but not strangling. Being a shadow they could breathe just fine.

They quickly trotted around looking for something to progress them further into the abyss; another dark red ladder.

Stranger climbed down with Omoli, Hitchhiker following, he had offered to take them back up to Underwater Highway whenever they would like. They ran, the liquid atmosphere around them slowing them down.

Lower two, darker this time. Water pressure was starting to make itself present this time, like a sharp weighted blanket. Somethings and shadows spread themselves out across the location, clumped or random, it didn’t matter. The last thing they kept note of was a single green watermelon laying on its side; they found it oddly familiar.

Lower three, deeper this time. Stranger’s limbs wrestled against water pushing them back, it’s wispy swishes whispering warnings. Omoli was still perched on Stranger’s shoulders, saving up his stamina. It was better not to waste energy speaking down in the depths.

Lower four, suffocation.

Hitchhiker approached from the ladder, giving them one last caution before they began their actual mission. “This is as far as I can go. Farewell children, I wish you the best of luck.” And with his smooth blonde hair and shiny trench coat, he retreated back the the third lower.

Stranger moved forward with all they had, nearly collapsing when they reached the final ladder. Below it was darkness; a pitch, invisible void. Lower five, Abbi’s lair.

They squeezed themselves through the gap, just barely fitting through. Even Omoli struggled more than before. What met them at the bottom was water pressure so dense it could’ve been compared to the blade of a guillotine. Stranger understood why she would hate this place as much as she did. What they didn’t understand though, is why she came back.

“So what I’m thinking is, I tie this rope around your waist, and send you down. If you find her, give the rope two hard tugs and i’ll pull you back up,” Omoli said.

“I- what!? You’re sending me down there? Alone?” Stranger checked.

Omoli nodded. “I’m a tiny sprout mole, I’ll get crushed like a soda can with all that water pressure. This isn’t prophetic or anything but you’ll need to go alone,” He said.

Stranger finally agreed, they would’ve been willing to do it anyway. Although, their trembling and weak form might not assist them. Omoli took the sparkly pink rope and wrapped it around Stranger, tying it into a square knot. It was itchy but manageable.

Stranger approached the tides. Black waters thrashing against the iron filling sand and awaiting their escape.

They dipped one claw into the abyss. Their shadow exterior fizzed away at the contact, revealing light flesh that nearly glowed against the darkness. “You really hate your old self that much?” Omoli chuckled. “More than anything,” Stranger should’ve responded.

Taken aback by this sudden shock, they recoiled back against the metal sand and began to hyperventilate; not out of fear, but out of anger and stress.

“What’s wrong?” Omoli inquired, not seeing their hand. “I’m afraid of drowning too… if that helps..”

“It’s–not that,” Stranger said between breaths. They rolled over and put emphasis on their hand, Omoli finally understood.

“Oh…Oh!” He exclaimed, his eyes racing back and fourth from the surface of the water to Stranger. “I don’t think what you used to look like is something to be ashamed of,” he explained. “Just because that’s what you looked like when you were friends with him doesn’t mean you’re going to be hurt again.”

“Yeah..but-” Stranger tried to protest.

“Omori may have abandoned you when you were still Basil. But at the same time, Abbi helped you when you were still Basil. I hung out with you when you were still Basil. Who you are or what you look like doesn’t make us view you any different,”

Stranger paused. Omori left them. Abbi helped them. Omoli loved them. In the grand scheme of things, who they were didn’t matter. Who they didn’t want to be didn’t matter. Past choices and mistakes did not matter. They were a good person in at least a few people’s eyes, they were a good person in their eyes. That is what mattered.

Stranger stopped trusting a long time ago. They couldn’t control whether others hurt them or if they hurt others. Now, just mere moments ago, they would begin to trust again. And they trusted Omoli.

With their voice filled with pride. “If anything happens to me,” They said. “You owe me twenty bucks in the afterlife!”

They plunged into the water, shadow form bubbling away. Though they had once before taken a life, they would do some justice and bring one back.

─

The Abyss was deep and dark, and the pressure was like a warm weighted blanket. Stranger did their best to keep themself upright, preparing a scream.

“ABBIIIIIIIIIII!” They gave it their all. “WHERE ARE YOUUUU!?” their shouts were muffled by the time the sounds reached the surface. Omoli wouldn’t hear any of their screams.

They were looking for a girl, six feet tall with a sailor hat and some cool shoes. Stranger’s line of view could not reach the bottom of the bottom. If she was down there they’d have to crunch their throat by how loud they’d need to scream.

They inhaled deeply again. “ABBII-” they didn’t get to finish before a large mass of water(a wave?) crashed into them and squeezed so hard it nearly crushed their ribcage.

They were stunned and being held in place by something large that they couldn’t see.

Everything was made clear when a giant glowing eye opened and engulfed everything around them with light.

A distinct feeling of dread washed over Stranger, but at the same time they knew they wouldn’t die. This giant being didn’t seem to bring harm nor did it bring peace. Something about it seemed oddly familiar. They took a moment for their eyes to adjust. They realized they were being held by a giant tentacle.

Oh. They had found Abbi. Or rather, she had found them.

“Why are you here?” Stranger asserted.

Abbi continued gazing directly into them.

“Why are you here?” they repeated, louder this time. Once again they were met with only silence.

Stranger light cursed under their breath. “Well,” They began, “We value each other, and that goes both ways. I’m taking you back to Blackspace whether you like it or not.”

Abbi slowly shook her head, making water ripple around them. “No…hurts..” she said cryptically.

Stranger assumed they knew what she meant. “Yeah. You’ll rot down here, and I don’t want that to happen. Now c’mon.”

Abbi shook her head faster this time, squinting while she did it, as if she was in pain. “Leave…” She hoisted the pink rope and Stranger back up to the surface, gently plopping them onto the iron filing sand.

─

Omoli stared at them with a surprised look on his face, “I’m guessing you found her?” he asked.

“Yeah,” They sighed. “She’s alive but.. This is going to be a lot harder than expected.”

─

Back in the water. It was colder this time, the icy feeling pricking away at Stranger’s skin.

“Why are you here?” They asked again, much quieter.

She backed away, fortunately only a few feet. The ground seemed to shake under her as her breathing picked up. The waves began crashing and were likely frightening the lonely sprout mole above. She looked for something to hang on too, but all her tentacles found was loose sand and water.

“...I’m sorry,” She said. “I’m so sorry.” Just a few tears dropped from her eye, despite being made of water she was still capable of crying.

“Hey, hey,” Stranger reassured, tightening their grip on the rope. “I can get you out of here. Just take my hand.”

Abbi shook her head again. She squeezed the tentacles on her head down as if to tear them clean off. Suddenly she felt twelve again. She wasn’t ready for this sacrifice. It was all coming back to her. One more mess up and her head would be sawed off with the guillotine of all migraines.

Stranger would be the one to pull the rope on the guillotine, set the blade free and drag Abbi out. While the current pushed them left and right and every direction possible, they dragged their body through it. They mumbled a quick “I’m really, really sorry for this.” Before sinking their claws into Abbi’s forehead.

She shrieked, fully hyperventilating now. Stranger gnawed on the pink rope with two tight tugs and eliminated any chance of Abbi withdrawing from their grip.

Omoli slowly but successfully pulled them out. He was pretty strong for the little sprout mole he was.

They all collapsed onto the sand, taking many moments to catch their breath. Stranger thought their lungs had been crushed like a can. Abbi’s tears flowed down like rivers. She was her normal self again.

“You didn’t deserve to see me like this,” She said, her voice crinkling. “I’ve been selfish.”

Stranger shook their head. “No. You haven’t. You’ve done good things for us, now it’s time we did something good for you.” They wrapped their arms around her. The three were now in a big group hug. No matter how many tears would shed, they would still make it through. With night always follows the day. Though it always feels longer, you can make it through. There can’t be night without day and day with out night.

And we slept in the abyss that night.

[NIGHTSHIFT. 4,431 words. November 2022.]
[Sometimes, a family is a silly kraken girl, a weird looking sprout mole and a shadow kid. This is our favorite found family dynamic. -Fishy and Y]

Chapter Text

[Three days after the events of NIGHTSHIFT.]

The routine was back. Despite showing signs of illness, Abbi would go to her job(s) everyday and come home to spend some time with Stranger and/or Omoli depending if he had stopped by.

The Cove was quiet once again, and things were normal. Things would be okay. Omori wouldn’t come back and Abbi would never attempt going to The Abyss again. Stranger could be happy, they could be content. But something still irked them, Mari.
The poor girl who had died at the hands of Sunny and Basil. She lived on in the hearts of those who chose to honor her. Information on where the reincarnated memory of her disappeared to is unknown. She was perfect, everything they could ever ask for in a friend. Now it was up to others to interpret the memories she was in as beautiful or stained.

Stranger had gotten a select few bits and pieces of information from Abbi, but it was unlikely she would say anything else about Mari based off of her reaction last time. Still, Stranger couldn’t help but be curious about it.

Maybe they could’ve used this against Omori. For Sunny was the one who had broken everything. He pushed her, that’s what started it. But Basil Stranger was just as bad. They hung her to protect Sunny from the blame, but if they hadn’t things would still be just as bad. And Basil would be selfish for not doing anything to protect their best friend. If they couldn’t be useful then what were they good for?

“Stranger! I’m home~!” Abbi sang to the beat of a crinkling plastic bag.

The shadow bolted out of bed. The sudden break of silence startled them, and they were very prepared for any potential threat.

“Welcome back,” They greeted. “Did you like your new job? How was it?”

Abbi thunked whatever was in the bag harshly on the table. “Yeah I work at Last Resort now! One of the Gator Guys says I look familiar but I’ve never met him. I work as a receptionist, and I’m trying my best to gain some status in the break room. I might bring in a pizza for everybody tomorrow.”

Stranger nodded, they were glad Abbi had been doing better. However, their increasing curiosity had gotten the better of them, and they kept peeking at what was in the bag.

“Oh, and I also picked up something for you on the way back!” She gingerly unwrapped a round, green watermelon from the plastic bag. “Watermelon Area has been overgrown with vines forever! But recently a team of Faceless cleared everything out so it’s open again! As a thank you for the time me and Herosaurus fixed their plumbing they let me take a watermelon for free.”

Stranger could barely remember the last time food had entered The Cove. It had been weeks since they had their last graham cracker. Abbi was technically a something, just like them, which meant food was more of a want rather than a necessity.
Abbi took out a large, shiny red knife and began to slice the watermelon into cubes. She wasn’t that great at it, and some pieces were either too small or too large, but she was trying her best.

“So what have you been up to lately?” She sparked some conversation.

Stranger took a seat at the table. “Oh nothing much, just hanging out with Omoli and The Betas. They told me about this annual thing people do in Disco Area called “folks night?” We had a pretty good time. It is getting colder out though.” Stranger sighed, snow made them a bit sad.

“Well that sounds fun! I’m glad you got to spend some time with them before it started pouring rain” Abbi said, gesturing to the pitter patter of water hitting the roof of The Cove. it wasn’t supposed to rain in Blackspace. “Hopefully the Temperature Shift will end before your first Folks Night. If not that would be a real bummer, little dude.”

“What’s a Temperature Shift?” Stranger inquired.

“Omoli never told you? I’m sure he would with one beginning so soon,” Abbi said, passing some watermelon to Stranger on a plate, they graciously took a bite and savored the flavor. It was very sweet.

“A Temperature Shift is something that happens in Blackspace every two or three months. It’s always happening actually, shifting between locations. Uni says it’s Blackspace’s period but Mari scolded him and told us it’s much deeper than that,” Abbi explained. “It’s bad because the atmosphere can drop to temperatures below zero and the air is littered with some form of mercury. Herosaurus had to explain what a “mercury” was to me.”

Stranger would occasionally nod, paying more attention to the watermelon than they were to Abbi.

“Speaking of toxic air, little dude, we need to go out and buy you a filtration mask!” She exclaimed.

Stranger choked down some of the watermelon to respond. “Nah, I think I'll be fine. I’m a shadow without organs or lungs, remember?”

Abbi made a quick mental note of that detail. Her concern on Stranger’s overall mental and physical health made her forget they were perfectly capable of survival, they weren’t just a little flower anymore.

“Thank you for the watermelon by the way. Our conversation distracted me from negative thoughts,” Stranger said.

“No problemo! I’m just good at those kinds of things,” She smiled.

─

They were now resting on their thirds of the Giant Ultra Legendary Mega Bed™
Abbi was attempting to read a book. Stranger had instructed her to stay off of any sort of screens(ex: a laptop) to avoid any more headaches. They knew this was helping because she stopped coiling her tentacles around her head and quit describing how her brain felt like it was on fire. In all that hassle they had forgotten that she did not know how to read. She could cook but they also temporarily banned her from standing, sitting, and/or doing cartwheels anywhere near the microwave. She was such a handful.

“One of my favorite things about the abyss is that no matter what, it cannot take away the memories I’ve made here,” Abbi blurted, not taking her eyes off of the page she wasn’t reading.

Stranger perked up, a twinge of anxiety shouting through their stomach.

“I can’t remember anything from before I was banished for the first time. But when I got out I met her.” she continued, providing no context.

Abbi noticed Stranger’s worried expression, despite them doing their all to hide it. “I’m not venting or anything. Just reflecting. Ever since you and Omoli pulled me out of my gloom, memories of me asking Mari to sing me and Uni to sleep keep resurfacing, not that I had ever forgotten them. She’d always sing to us and tell us about the stars, the sparkling stars that matched the hem of her dress. She’d show us all of her favorite constellations and even the ones only she could see. We called her Stargirl.” Abbi chuckled at the nickname. “The stars don’t shine much in Blackspace anymore, I wish they still did. Oh how I miss you, Stargirl.”

“How old were you before she…before..” Stanger held back a feeling in their throat.

“I’m sorry for rambling, it wasn’t meant to be negative. But for your curiosities I was twelve, same age as you. All of us were; Uni, Mirrorman, Tako and Meido, the Aubreys and Kel. It’s funny how the universe does this. But I’m glad we’re siblings.” Abbi said.

Stranger nodded. “I agree. I’m sorry that you don’t have someone like Mari anymore, but I’m so relieved we have people like each other. You’re my favorite older sister.”

Abbi tossed her book onto Omoli’s third of the G.L.U.M.B. and stretched. “Welp. I’m gonna get some more watermelon. I don’t care if I stain the sheets, I’m beat,” She laughed, which drew Stranger into laughing as well.

She left for the kitchen and Stranger took a ponder at the book she was reading. It was an empty notebook.

Abbi's footsteps went farther than the kitchen, and up into the entrance. What could she be doing?
They heard the loud sound of the lever being pulled and the door opening. If the Temperature Shift had already started then she was pulling a pretty risky move.

What followed was the sound of her shrieking, which shattered glass in Stranger's brain.

They immediately dashed to the door to see what all the commotion was. Could it be Omori? Maybe Dorothi was there and accidentally tried to bite again? If it was a threat Stranger knew they could probably take it down, as long as it wasn't a friend.

And it definitely was not a friend. Abbi was shaking, she looked like she had seen a ghost. And in her arms, who she could barely keep upright, was Basil.

Stranger gulped down some rage and uncomfortability. They carefully approached Abbi and asked her what was wrong.

"Mari," she gasped. "Stranger I need to go find her if she's out there-"

"No," they said coldly, not expecting it to come off like that. "I allow you to go to your job everyday. I don't want any more damage to your head." As dreadful as it was, they took unconscious Basil from her and set him on one of the chairs.

"Stranger you don't understand. She's like an older sister to me, to all of us! Please let me go…" Abbi's begging was desperate, like she knew the consequences of leaving The Cove but was still willing to sign any contract of death if it meant seeing Mari one last time. Stranger loved and hated this about her.

They took Abbi and set her down on the chair close to Basil. She tried her best to stay still.

"Are you sure you saw her?" They asked.

Abbi quickly nodded. "Mari was the one who gave Basil to me–I am sure I saw her." She fidgeted her gaze across the room, darting in all different directions.

"I need to go, Stranger. Please please please! She was like an older sister to me-"

"AND YOU'RE LIKE AN OLDER SISTER TO ME!" They shouted, immediately covering their mouth. "I'm sorry," they whispered.

Abbi stood still for a long moment, Stranger did too. All that could be heard in The Cove was breathing and the trickling of water.

Stranger sighed. "I'll let you go…"

"Really!?" Abbi beamed.

"On one condition," they finished, "If anything happens come back here immediately. If your head begins to hurt more I expect you back here asap." They handed her their key necklace.

"Will do!" She agreed and they shook on it.

─

Abbi was getting ready quicker than Zoomy Kel. She had two coats, a backpack with graham crackers, and a handy filtration mask so she could breathe.

"I'll call Omoli over so that you aren't completely alone, sounds good?" Abbi clicked on the clunky buttons of the phone. They were glad she was back to her normal, bubbly state instead of panicking.

Stranger nodded, they were too busy looking at Basil too hear her though.

The new Basil looked weird. Uncanny, even. He had electric green hair with a vibrant and luckily healthy flower crown delicately weaved into his hair. On his face were six eyes and a pair of round, thin black glasses. His shirt was light yellow and topped off with a hand knitted olive vest. What really set him apart from Stranger though, was his skin. In fact it wasn't skin at all. He was made out of pale, cheap plastic. They could see the sharp seams on the sides of his arms. His back was uncomfortably curved over his stuffed green backpack. He had wooden doll-like joints and his head could probably be easily detached with one quick pull.

"Stranger?" Abbi said, repeating it several times.

Stranger crashed out of thought. "Yes?" They asked.

"Uni will be joining me, kind of like old times! Oh and Omoli will be here soon to give you some “other” company while I'm gone." She pointed at Basil. Stranger grimaced.

When Abbi left, The Cove was eerily quiet. They wondered what she was doing up there and if she was alright. At Least she’d be with Uni.

Stranger looked at the unconscious body next to them. Everything is going to change after this.

The concept of a cycle made them nauseous. They didn’t want to be Basil but at the same time nobody would be the true Basil, or the true Aubrey or true Kel. Everyone would keep getting reset and duplicated with how things were going. Nobody was good enough for Omori’s standards; nobody was even anybody at all. Stranger could just be a shrouded memory to him now. Does he even remember how much he had hurt them? How much pain he had brought to Abbi and Stranger? How much being a split entity hurts?

“Where am I?” Basil asked weakly.

Stranger jumped back, claws at the ready. “Stay away from me!”

Basil coiled in on himself. “Who are you?” he asked again, innocently.

Stranger relaxed. This was just Basil, the nice flower boy they used to be. He couldn’t do any harm to them. “You’re in The Cove,” they answered, frigidly.

Basil’s expression changed from curious and worried to upset. He stopped asking questions, for Stranger’s tone scared him. The snow had always made him sad, and being in Blackspace during a temperature shift would be very cold and frosty.

Stranger felt bad seeing the pathetic boy staring at the wooden table. He looked empty in a manipulative way. They sighed and peeled open the fridge, taking out Abbi’s leftover slice of watermelon. She wouldn’t mind.

“You look famished,” Stranger said, almost coming off as an insult but not meaning to. “I recommend you eat something before you starve.” They passed the plate to Basil, who gently ate it, trying his best to stay as quiet as possible. Stranger felt bad, he reminded them of themself on their last few moments with Omori. Maybe they were treating him too harshly.

“Thank you,” Basil whispered.

“No problem. You’re our guest,” Stranger said, putting their hands in their pockets.

The two remained quiet for a moment, Stranger washed off their dish from earlier and organized utensils around the kitchen as an activity to do.

“I’m sorry for intruding. Mari was the one who brought me here,” Basil apologized. Stranger froze in their tracks; Mari was here.

“No, no. It can’t be your fault. She was just looking out for you.” they put away some forks in the wrong section of the drawer.

They paused speaking once again. “Say, you like gardening, right?” Stranger asked. They wanted to tell him about the backyard garden, but spilling this information irked them. Seeing how this Basil got to keep all of their old hobbies, he was probably better than them. They wanted to be mature and polite, but that wouldn’t freeze over their detest

“Mhm,” He nodded. “I had many flowers back home near my house.”

my house. Stranger corrected him in their mind. It wasn’t their house anymore though, The Cove was. They couldn’t understand why they were so angry. They had everything but wanted more. They suck out what didn’t exist. They wanted revenge of some kind, to make Omori feel all the things they did. That only made them as bad of a person as him in the end.

“Hello?” Basil said. “Are you okay?” Stranger was judging him too quickly. He was nice, he didn’t do anything, he was a good person, he didn’t hang Mari. Stranger dropped a plate.

They didn’t hang Mari either. They weren’t Basil. He wasn’t Basil. Nobody was Basil.

“How's It going!” Omoli bellowed through a filtration mask. He had just dropped into The Cove with his fancy shoes.

Stranger cracked out of thought and greeted Omoli.

“Abbi told me you needed some company, and even if it was a perilous journey, I’m willing to do anything for a friend,” He smirked. Stranger was so envious of his composure and selflessness. A world without anxiety would be so wonderful.

“Perilous..journey?” Stranger repeated, curiously.

“Yeah it was no big deal though. The more feisty creatures and Somethings come out during Temperature Shifts but luckily I had our Dorothi to walk with me,” Omoli explained. “Most aren’t brave enough to go out there, not counting Abbi and Uni of course, but one day I want to write a book on all the strange and wonderful creatures here! Ohandthere’smultipleDorothis.”

Stranger nodded. They were a bit worried at the concept of danger, but hopefully Uni would protect himself and Abbi if there were any threats. Hopefully.

“Who’s your friend?” Omoli asked, taking off his shoes, filtration mask, and leaving them near the entrance.

“Oh that’s-” Stranger began before being interrupted.

“Splits. My name is Splits,” Basil Splits said. “And I’m Stranger’s other half.”

─

Omoli gasped out of surprise, Stranger gasped out of anger.

“You’re really Stranger’s other half!?” Omoli exclaimed.
Splits nodded proudly. “That’s right! We were having a conversation about plants and flowers and that’s when it all clicked to me why there is a shadow and why we exist at the same time!”

That little rat. Out of all the places to find what they had lost it just had to be him! Dangit!

“You’re so cool!” Omoli said.

Stranger growled under their breath, trying to stay calm. “I don’t know about you guys but I’m pretty tired. I think I better go take I nap,” They faked a yawn as Splits softly smiled at them. Why couldn’t he be actually bad? So that Stranger could hate an actually bad person.

They began to walk away when Omoli questioned them again, smiling. “So is he like our little brother now?”

Stranger wanted to puke at that statement. “Splits SS” Did not have a nice ring to it in their opinion, even if he was their other half. Maybe Abbi would side with them on this when she got home. They were tired of being polite. Splits was putting them in a vulnerable position that they didn’t like. Why did he even have to pick an S name anyway? There’s twenty-five other letters of the alphabet. Just because they were two halves of a whole didn’t mean they could match with the same front letter of their names. It’s like putting bacon on jelly and peanut butter on eggs.

“I think they really do need a nap,” Splits whispered to Omoli. “They don’t look too well, do you suppose they may be sick?”

Omoli’s face dropped to a frown at their best friend/older sibling having a potential fever. Stranger lived with such kind people. They felt a little guilty about not returning the kindness to others. They’d need to work on that.

“Yeah,” They admitted. “I think I am sick. Thank you for the recommendation, Splits. Raid the fridge whenever you like.”

─

They didn’t actually go to sleep. They were sitting by Abbi’s desk, reminiscing memories of before things changed. They looked at photos they had taken of all friends together; The Betas, Omoli, Herosaurus, Loquacious Cat, and most importantly Abbi. They didn’t need any new people in their lives. Things were finally okay now. They didn’t need Omori’s mistake staining The Cove, staining their home.

They looked at letters they had written, drawings they created, even their old flower crown. Anything Abbi had saved. They realized that no matter what, as long as they existed in Blackspace at the same time as Splits, that means they were also one of Omori’s mistakes. There was nothing they could do to change that.

“No need to cry,” Splits said. He wiped a tear off of Stranger’s cheek, his claws barely grazing the many constellations. His fuschia and purple eyes were hypnotizing against Stranger’s pale orbs, and anything but soothing.

Stranger tensed up and the physical contact.

“I can’t hurt you,” Splits chuckled. It was meant to be reassuring but the absence of the word “won’t” threw Stranger off. “I know you don’t want me here. But I need to be here, I just need to do what I need to do in order to survive.”

“Like what?” Stranger whispered, trying not to convey any tone at all.

“I wasn’t going to show this until Omoli left, but he’s in the bathroom. But if I don’t, well then…this happens,” Splits said, carefully unzipping his backpack and allowing Stranger to peek inside.

They could now see why it was so stuffed. They wanted to throw up. They’ve seen so much worse but suddenly the corpse of a dead sprout mole made icicles drop in their stomach.

“This is Jerry. He protected me when we were attacked by a Lili. Sadly, he died.” Splits smiled as he said this. Hopefully out of admiration. It was still creepy.

With tears rolling down their cheek, they let Splits continue. “I slashed her eyes. Luckily she passed soon after. The dirty beast deserved it. deserved it.”

Anger bloomed inside of Stranger’s brain and body like red roses. “If you’re so worried about your sprout mole dying, then why would you kill her!?” They yelled. They wanted to scream. Stranger had lived in Blackspace long enough to know that even when aggressive, Somethings only attack when they felt threatened.

“Everyone is a hypocrite in their own little way, Stranger. Soon enough you’ll figure that out for yourself,” Splits remarked smartly. He was so nonchalant about discussing the death of Lili in front of Stranger. The death of Something in front of Something. Strangers muttered unhearable threats towards Splits under their breath.

“I don’t mean to intrude on your life, Stranger. I know I make you uncomfortable, but I need to stay here for just a few days and I promise I will leave you alone forever.” He held out his pinky, gesturing for Stranger to do the same. Stranger interlocked pinkies with Splits, trusting him. If only they had slipped on ice instead of lies.

─

Stranger, Omoli, and Splits were now gathered together in the kitchen. Omoli was taking quite a liking to Splits; one that Stranger was admittedly jealous of.
“Do you have any water here?” Splits asked. “I’m very thirsty.” he made choking noises, pretending to be parched. Omoli giggled.

Stranger rolled their eyes, even though they found it quite funny, and got a glass to fill with tap water. Abbi didn’t need the real deal water in The Cove and neither did Stranger. Splits thanked them.

“What do you think Abbi and Uni are up to?” Omoli said, trying to spark up some conversation.

Splits shrugged, likely unaware of who those people even were.

“Hopefully they’re alright. I gave Abbi my key necklace before she left,” Stranger said, sweat forming on their forehead. “Say, Omoli, do you remember Mari at all?”

Omoli nodded. “A little bit! I was tiny back then, but I do vaguely remember when she would throw me into the air and catch me. That’s my only memory of her. Man, I loved that game,” He revealed, words effortlessly slipping out of him like it had just happened yesterday.

“If you weren’t so big I would throw you up into the air and catch you!” Stranger chirped, making Omoli laugh with them.

They continued with jokes and banter for the next half hour. Stranger and Omoli could spend centuries without each other, meet up again, and act like they had never missed a single beat. Not brothers by blood but definitely brothers by water.

Splits tried joining in, as if he had anything to do with it, as if he was part of the family. Instead though, he just looked like the extra piece of a lego set it comes with just in case your dog eats the original. Stranger was happy about this. If Splits was really eaten by a dog, they wouldn’t be hunted down for the sole purpose of “Splits was surviving.”

Eventually, Splits got sick of it. He was sick of the bond that he couldn’t control. His nervous, awkward expression quickly turned threatening and cold like the Temperature Shift. His plastic joints squeaked and squealed as he stood up, alerting Stranger.

“Where are you going?” Asked Stranger.

Splits sighed, clearly directing the annoyance at them. What a hypocrite. “I wish to go to sleep,” Splits scoffed. “I’m your guest. It would be the kind thing to do.” He smirked smugly.

Stranger pushed back some roses in their mind. Splits was right, it was the nice thing to do. They knew Abbi and Omoli would do it, so why was it so hard for them to do it?

“You can sleep in my bed!” Omoli offered, efficiently altering Splits’ mood.

“You’d let me?” He asked, getting a nod as a response. Of course Omoli wouldn’t mind.

The roses came back. Stranger would mind. The order of the Giant Legendary Ultra Mega Bed™ was very important to the siblings. Everyone else knew this(Only Herosaurus and Uni, actually) Abbi’s third, would be the left bed. The dirtiest one full of stains and crumbs. Despite this, she still finds it very comfortable. Omoli’s third, would be the middle bed. He doesn’t sleep over too much, especially after he moved out, but it’s still classified as his bed. It was also the cleanest bed. And finally, Stranger had the right bed. They liked hoarding pillows whenever they could and trading blankets for pillows with Abbi. They would never say no to a pillow fight.

“Alright then,” Stranger and Splits glared at each other for a mere second. Splits’ eyes were sharp like a cactus and bright like a hibiscus. Stranger had no power over him. “Let’s get ready for bed.”

─

The atmosphere was tranquil now and the pitch darkness left a lot to think about. No one spoke, only soothing drops of water now echoed through The Cove walls. The noises made Stranger think of Abbi. Having an older sister obsessed with boats really made you think about water a lot more than a normal person would. Stranger liked that she could do that to them. She saw the world in a different way then they did. They didn’t find it weird, they only seeked out how. She saw everything as beautiful, even barren wheat fields on cloudy days. She saw Jimmi’s as the richest store ever. She was great. They imagined that’s how Mari was to her. Now they understood. If anything were to happen to Abbi they would tear apart the universe looking for her. That’s what she was doing for Mari right now. Now they understood.

The night was calm after that. They had let go of their previous anxiety and stress and the roses wilted. Sleep wouldn’t come to them so easily though. They were scared to move. Something about Splits’ tone reminded them of Omori. They were scared something bad would happen to them. They were able to defend themselves; they had been even since the day they were abandoned in The Tree circle Area. But it felt as though only Abbi could save them from this kind of torture. Just like they pulled her out of The Abyss, she would pull them out of the thorns.

─

Shuffling.

Despite their weak night vision, they still couldn’t see anything when they woke up. They turned over groggily to check the glowing clock on their nightstand. It read a late time. They had fallen asleep.

A tap on their wings made them shoot up in surprise.

“Sorry! It’s just me,” Abbi whispered.

Stranger calmed down, realizing that there was no threat. “Ah, no worries. I was just startled. Did you find her?”

Their eyes had adjusted now. Abbi didn’t shake her head or nod. “You don’t to worry about that. I think all that matters now is that we’re together.”

She pulled them in for a hug. Just like Schrodinger's cat, they’d be okay without an answer. All that mattered is that they had found each other in this crazy world.

“What’s your new brother’s name?” Abbi chuckled. Since Stranger changed their name she assumed Splits would too.

Stranger grumbled at the statement of brother. “His name is Splits,” They sighed.

“Cute! You guys match,” She smiled. Oh no, someone had noticed the matching first letter. Dangit Splits!

“I’m gonna go get ready for bed, do you need anything?” Abbi asked. Stranger shook their head and laid back down on their pillows.

The faint noises of water rushing from the sink and down the drain could be heard from the bathroom. The light from the room illuminating the back room of The Cove. It was a little bit irritating.

Once Abbi was finished she strolled over to the G.L.U.M.B. and joined them in sleeping. All four of them snored slightly but none of them were bothered. Things felt off though. It was likely Splits. He wasn’t right, and not just his appearance. He could tear this entire group apart right down the middle. Stranger would do anything they could to prevent that.

They didn’t like turning over and staring at Splits as he drooled all over the mattress. They gathered up all their pillows and moved to Abbi’s bed, which was a lot more peaceful.

“...Stranger?” She stirred. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” They replied. “I just thought I’d be more comfortable over here.”

Abbi pulled her blanket back over her, and she passed one over to Stranger so that they wouldn't get cold. They couldn’t get cold though, they were a shadow. She was just nice like that.

“Hey Abbi,” They started.

“What’s up?” She asked.

Stranger glanced at Omoli and Splits, then back at the ceiling. “Can you sing me to sleep?”

[PTP. 5,030 words. December 2022.]
[END OF PROLOGUE: This concludes the prologue of Nightshade/Timeline, a project I have been working on for almost a year. This story means so much to me, and what means even more is the people reading this. You all mean the world to me.
this story is about healing.]

Chapter Text

[Three years and two months after the events of PTP, and nine months after the good ending of OMORI. This is where the laws of time physics get messed up, I unfortunately can’t avoid it.]
[Anything in bold is sign language!]

When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. That was Omori in Blackspace. Most would hide in their homes, shut the curtains and lock the doors in fear of being banished further back down. They had power over him, but didn’t dare to execute it.

He didn’t speak, he didn’t need to. He didn’t approach anyone. Once he knew he had control there would be no reason to hurt them. They had all been great people before, just made mistakes too big to be forgiven.

Omori strayed through the Town Area, red hands at the ready. He wouldn’t attack unless threatened. He was just searching for something, someone.

Little Ones kept their distance, curiously trailing close behind him. The tiny creatures produced annoying squelching pleas of help. Omori didn’t care enough to step on them. He just needed to get to his goal, retrieve Basil and get out. He had waited far too long to complete this. Tonight the world would be his.

─

“Three milliliters of spider venom, perfect!” Splits proudly held up the thin vial. The Aubreys gathered around him in an admirative manner.

“You’re kind of gross Splits, how’d you even steal that junk from Fuschia anyway?” Stranger laughed.

“Magenta” Splits corrected, voice echoing along the cold school walls. “And surprisingly when she’s not guarding Cobalt, she sleeps like a rock. So I extracted this from her fangs.” What a creep.

“Alright. Go around and play capture the flag with all your Basil buddies for all I care. Just stop parading it around the moment I walk through the door,” Stranger said, almost forgetting what they were there for.

“Abbi asked for watermelons. She says you told her you have an extra supply,” Stranger said. “She sent me here to pick some up while she’s at work. She was wondering if the girls.” They gestured to Aubrey multiplied by six. “Would like to come over for dinner tonight,” They sighed. They didn’t despise the Aubreys, they just despised hosting.

All six of the snake girls happily skipped over to Stranger, kindly accepting the invitation. Their scales were shiny and polished-looking, almost as if they were made of porcelain. They all had the same ecstatic, wild smile on their faces and cute pink blush dusted across their round cheeks. Stranger would find them all absolutely adorable if it weren’t for their heavy bats and razor-sharp claws. They nervously smiled, trying to escape the Aubrey pit.

─

Stranger made it out alive and went back to The Cove. Nobody was home except for their favorite nephew, Jerry Bartholomew Alexander Demetrius SS. Or just Jerry.

The sprout mole leaped onto Stranger’s back and gently pawed at their shoulders trying to get a grip. He was a cyborg. They would never admit that they found him weirdly adorable.

“Woah, woah calm down little dude. Do you want some oil?” Stranger asked. Jerry beeped appreciatively at the word “oil” in the same way a dog would be with the word “walk.”

They carefully set the sprout mole onto a chair and loaded the fridge up with round green watermelons. The only Basils they had respect for were Fern, a “Bouquet” of Basils who lived in Watermelon Area. Their loyalty to agriculture gifted them the nickname of the gardners. They were rich from the amount of clams they would make in a week and their fame around Blackspace. They grew the best Watermelons in all of the Dreamworld.

Jerry yanked Stranger out of thought by thudding his little paws on the wooden chair. He was growing impatient.

“Right, okay!” Stranger finished with the fridge and kneeled down to pull some gasoline out of the cupboard. They placed it in front of Jerry who hungerly drank it down as if he was real instead of a robot.

Nobody physically aged over the years. Stranger was still twelve. What did changed over the years though, was how they thought. They were no longer a confused mess trapped under the thorns of the mindset to not be like their past self. They were not Basil, and they never would be, but they still honored the child mourning inside of them.

They had come to terms with Mari’s death, the truth, the truth, what they had done and that she was never coming back. There was nothing they could do about it other than accept what happened, move on, and wish her the best in the after life. A soul can’t rest until all those grieving push on and become whole again. They liked thinking Mari would be proud of them for that, and Abbi too. She would want them to be happy. She would want all of them to be happy.

─

The trees towered in the sky and swallowed him up. A call for help would go unheard.

He had a steel grip on the knife in their pocket, but he wouldn’t attack unless threatened. There was no reason to hurt the innocent. His bare feet hurt against the cold ground. The forest he was walking through was cold and endless and terrifying. Any ounce of truth could sneak up on him before he could even have a chance at repressing it. All of this should have been locked up, but a lock and a chain can’t contain your darkest secrets.

He came to a halt when he heard something large shuffling in the brush. A huge creature likely, something dangerous, something deadly, Something.

The creature crashed out of the bushes and thudded onto the ground. It was a 2-dimensional and round organism with small eyes and a big mouth full of teeth. It wasn’t quite the creature Omori was expecting, but it still gave him quite a scare.

It hissed at whatever had pushed it out and floated up into the air, not yet noticing Omori. Once it did notice him however, its expression coiled into a smile.

“Old friend!” He shouted, strangely familiar. “I’ve gotten lost from my home, Cloud Walkway. Do you suppose you could help me find my way back?” The creature asked.

Omori scrunched up his nose and retreated, leaving him alone to fend for himself. He might’ve been the only creature he’d come across for a while, but it wasn’t worth it talking to strangers.

“Okay?” He shouted, his words bouncing along the trees creating a frequency too loud for Omori. “I guess I will find Stranger and ask them then! Thanks for the help!”

─

Omori continued trudging through the forest. His legs ached but it was better doing this sooner rather than later. He needed to get out of here before anything tried dishing out any information he wouldn’t want to hear.

His only goal was to find Basil; the original Basil. The perfect Basil. And erase any of their memories of this place and the truth to convince them to come back with him and once again live a happy life. He was so foolish to discard them here all those years ago. It must’ve taken a toll on their mental health. He never even got to tell them that he loved them, but he messed that up ages ago with the means of protecting Sunny from the truth. Which was in fact, a job he wasn’t sure he wanted to do anymore.

The trees seemed to get smaller and less threatening, similar to the ones in Vast Forest and Pyrefly Forest. He tried thinking of good memories with his friends in those places. That hide and seek game with Berly was fun.

Little Ones crept below. Gathering in swarms and squeaking as communication, almost as if they were spies for someone. The trees got smaller and smaller until he met a clearing.

The Little Ones seemed to not fear him anymore, or they were just too amazed by this Tree Circle clearing to care. They swiftly swam up trees, on top of logs, and occasionally danced through the river. This place must’ve had some significance to them.

Omori took this as an invitation to have a break and rest. The atmosphere was peaceful. If it wasn’t in a place directly tied to the truth maybe he’d want to visit this place more often. Little Ones were like fun loving children. They played games that he couldn’t understand and spoke a language unhearable to all but their own. They had consciousness. They loved each other, mourned the losses of each other. They were a team Omori could never join, no, a family Omori could never be a part of.

The sound of someone harshly whistling called Omori to his feet. He immediately tensed up for any sign of danger to him or possibly the Little Ones he was now very fond of.

Though, to his surprise, the Little Ones glided towards the source of the whistling. Omori watched them, making sure to keep a safe distance. He hid himself in a thick bush and recoiled the red hands back into him.

A loud, metallic sounding creature stormed into the Tree Circle with Little Ones following close behind. He got a good look at it; a shadow taking the shape of a deer with one piercing eye gazing directly at him. He gulped.

A figure with a purple backpack jumped off of the deer’s back; they were a shadow taking the shape of a child. They were about his age, their eyes emitted a soft, comforting glow which matched the star-like freckles on their cheeks and illuminated their dark, fluffy hair. They were a beautiful, personified version of the night sky.

“How are you all doing?” They greeted. Their voice was familiar to him.

The Little Ones bounced and pounced and each tried getting their undivided attention. The kid laughed at the sight and took their purple backpack on the ground. They had a respect for Little ones, that was good.

They reached their claws into the backpack, pulling out a bright bag of konpeitō. The Little Ones were ecstatic at the sight of it, and the kid and their deer took a seat on the grass to feed them like ducks.

Omori was fascinated by what he had just seen. Demons caring for one another, just like he had seen the Little Ones doing a few minutes prior. He had thought previously that this place had become hell, but maybe only for him. Basil could be alive and waiting for him.

Shadow kid began speaking to the Little Ones, telling them stories of the day and what they had been doing. What really peaked his attention though, was what they had said next. “I was searching the Tree Circle Area to see if there could be any flowers here.” That’s why their voice was so familiar. “I want to collect seeds from them so I can plant them in the garden. It’s a treat for Splits. I haven’t had any luck so far, which is good because I was hoping some of you would like to help me extract the seeds so that the flowers wouldn’t die?” This was Basil.

─

Stranger threw konpeitō candies into the clutter of Little Ones. Just like Jerry they graciously swallowed each piece thrown in. It was nice to see beings that had been through so much suffering, now happy and thriving. Their squealing no longer were cries for help, but rather calls of happiness.

Once the bag was empty they tossed in back into the depths of their backpack and rested against Dorothi’s side. She was tired from her long day of traveling, and Stranger was too. A nap wouldn’t hurt.

Movement and nips all across their arms and legs were the protests of eager and excited little ones.

“Fine, okay! I guess we’re going now then,” Stranger groaned, it was more of a laugh though. They could never be annoyed at the Little Ones.

They were trying to lead them somewhere, weakly pulling on their feet. “Oh?” They said, walking in forward where they were directed.

They were guided to an unassuming, shuffling gray bush. Perhaps there was a surprise for them? The Little Ones stared at the bush for a few moments and awaiting something. Once they were tired of waiting they dove into the leaves and dragged out something heavy. At first they were kicked away, but then they got their grip and fully pulled out the surprise. They were very accomplished.

It took Stranger’s mind a few moments to process what they were seeing below them. They had been waiting for this moment for a long time. They had everything planned in their mind; what they would say and what they would do. Now that he was finally there, red hands at the ready, just a few feet away from them, all they could do was freeze.

Snow had always made them a little bit upset.

─

Omori observed the glowing eyes above him. This was definitely Basil, although they had ditched their flower crown and overalls and now wore a simple sweater vest over their t-shirt. They also had an off-white key hanging off of their neck.

He leaped out from under them as gently as possible and stood up to meet their eyes. He waved his hand in front of Stranger’s face, attempting to catch some attention from them. They only focused unmovingly at the ground.

“Basil,” Omori said softly, gently caressing their face with his hand. “Are you alright?”

Stranger’s eyes moved slowly to meet his hand, and then his eyes. They tensed up; curled their tail tightly around their leg and tucked in their wings. Their fists were balled but unmoving and their breath was locked inside of their lungs.

“I forgive you for what happened. It’s okay,” Omori reassured.

The deer slowly strolled to stand close to Stranger, Little Ones were chirping behind her. She loomed over Omori and intimidated him.

This part of Blackspace was now very important. It was safe, and Omori could bring Basil back to the picnic blanket as life could go on as routinely expected. He would do anything to get his best friend back.

Stranger finally moved. It was only a few steps backwards but it was still a sign. “You’re a coward, you know,” They professed. They had been waiting to say these things for years, even if they didn’t want to admit they still thought about Omori everyday.

“What?” Omori asked, genuinely confused. Why wouldn’t Basil want to come back with him?

“She’s dead. You need to accept that, otherwise she can’t rest in peace. You hide behind this form you’ve taken to protect yourself. Admit it, Omori. Admit that we killed your sister!” They were quickly silenced by the red hands wrapping around their face and mouth.

“If you come back with me we won’t have to worry about this anymore. We can forget and be content. We don’t need to know the truth. Forget it Basil, it’s destroying you,” Omori said, trying to comfort them.

Stranger clawed at the red hands, many of them dispersed long enough for them to speak. “Then why did you leave me? Why did you leave us!? Me, Abbi, Hero, Kel, Aubrey, Loomy, the Faceless? Why would you leave us when we needed you? When we needed each other? Why are you so mean to me?!” They yelled.

“I’m doing this to protect us!” Omori lied. To protect Sunny. The hands signed, Omori seemed not to notice.

Stranger threw the red hands onto the grass and at trees. Dorothi did her best to bite and immobilize a few of them. “You can forgive me but I will never forgive you for what you’ve done to me. And I will never be obliged to. We will always be enemies.”

Omori’s form seemed to loosen and shrink the closer Stranger got to him. They pressed him firmly against a tree and held their claws against his throat. The area had become infested with shadows, teeth and eyes. Omori struggled against them. Omori would not succumb.

“You need to accept your sins,” Stranger ordered. “You need to understand that what you have done and what you are still doing is awful. Despite what you believe, I am not a bad person for telling you right from wrong. Not everything can go your way.”

Omori pushed them off of him and onto the ground. He restrained them to the ground with red hands. Dorothi and the Little Ones had fled not long before.

Omori desperately tried to get a point across. The red hands quickly began signing warnings that Stranger couldn’t understand. “This place is making you go mad, Basil. Look at what it’s done to you. You’re a shell of who you used to be! Like you were saying, Mari wouldn’t have wanted either of us to be like this. We’re both horrible people, we don’t deserve forgiveness. But come back with me and we can have a chance at a better life! I can fix you! We can forget our faults and-”

“You’re so selfish!” Stranger struggled. “When can you see that there are other people in this world?” The red hands became staticky, like they could electrocute anything with a small tap.

“Basil!-” Omori protested.

Stranger was barely hyperventilating and trying to lunge up from the red hand’s hold.
“I AM NOT BASIL!” They screamed.

In turn they only got the shock of their lifetime; taking out every shadow around them and nearly returning them back to their “true form.” As well as the horrifying sound of bones cracking.

─

Stranger managed to drive Omori out, but at a cost. He had vanished after what had happened, and they were so scared of what would come to be. They knew he would return eventually.

Large and ugly red shatter marks lined their wrists and wings. They were broken now, and everything hurt. They were weak again.

Abbi, Omoli, The Bettas, Herosaurus, Kel, even Mari had brought them back up and showed them who they could really be. They had been content and unbothered for three and a half years by now. And now they were left weak and broken and pathetic again.

Everything was over. Omori had everything he wanted. Why would he come back to chase something he could never have? Did he want to hurt them again? Why?

[SNAP: 3,176 words. December 2022.]
[Boy oh boy I’ve been waiting to write this baby since march! I hope you enjoy this section of the story; the Tensionshots. It’s a play on the words “tension” and “oneshots” because there is a lot of tension between them as of now, and ns/tl used to be a series of just oneshots.]

Chapter Text

[Basil times a billion?!?!? o_O]

“He’s such a bony-eared assfish,” Abbi said, bandaging up Stranger’s wrists and wings.

Stranger swung their legs back and forth, occasionally thudding against the bath tub they were sitting on. “What even is that?” They asked.

“When you live a few days in my life you just know things,” She replied.

Stranger nodded. They hadn’t actually been out of Blackspace often. The only times they remembered leaving was to visit Jimmi or attempt to convince Omori to understand the truth.

“Do you think he’s gonna come back?” Stranger asked, but it wasn’t really a question.

Abbi did not answer. “Are the Aubreys still coming over?” She checked.

“Yeah they should be over soon,” Stranger said. “If they ask about this–change the subject.” They gestured to the bandages, and Abbi nodded.

─

The Cove was now bustling with entertainment, six snakes and five spiders scattered themselves all over the kitchen and dining room. Splits could make it, but Splits himself couldn’t. (Splits: A Bouquet of the first six Basils to be banished to Blackspace. Obviously not including Stranger, who was the first.) People who were part of Splits were a little bit crazy, and they strayed far away from their original personalities.

“Welcome everybody, I’m so glad you could make it!” Abbi said.

They had gotten the extended table and the fold up chairs from the further area of The Cove and the fine china(zoo pals plates) that had been hiding in storage for months.

“Thanks for inviting us!” Aubrey said. “We haven’t left the school in soooo long! and we’re very happy to get to hang out with Stranger.”

Stranger tightened their grip on their chair and coughed, signaling for Abbi to peel the hoard of Aubreys off of them.

“Yeah no problem guys. You’re like our cousins and we’re always happy to have guests over,” She smiled.

“You’ve got a very nice fridge,” Shackle complemented. He was a Basil with black eyed susans weaved sloppily through his hair, and mismatched eyes.

“With very nice drawings!” Jackal, his “brother,” added. “Did Stranger draw this one?” He pointed to a sharpie scribble on the handle and laughed. It was actually an incident from Jerry, but everyone still giggled anyway.

“Thank you for providing the watermelons by the way. I don’t have enough money to buy them directly from Fern, but y’all get a discount. So I’m very grateful you give me these for free every week,” Abbi said. “ANYWAY DIG IN!”

Watermelons were the only real food in Blackspace. Abbi illegally smuggled in graham crackers from Orange Oasis, but watermelons were the primary diet of every creature. Fern was a genius to capitalize on it. All of the economy went straight to them or Jimmi. Usually them, though.

“Have you guys heard anything recently?” Aubrey(one of them) started.
“About what?” Garlic queried. “Has Loomy finally found a way back to Cloud Walkway?”

Aubrey gulped down a watermelon slice to finish what she was saying. “No, I heard from someone who heard from someone else who heard from Expand Mari who heard from this guy that a member of Cobalt vanished without a trace last night! Isn’t that crazy?”

Abbi stabbed cubes of watermelon with her fork to make a small kebab. “Wasn’t planning on talking about “politics” tonight but if that’s what you guys want to do feel free. It’s likely just rumors though.”

Stranger nodded. “I stay away from most of you guys, the Basils I don’t know. I agree with Abbi though. It likely is just rumors. How would you even notice if only one person was gone for one day? They’re probably just at Jimmi’s buying–” They were cut off by Nuts, a Basil who liked wearing a knitted hat shaped like an acorn cap.

“Do you think Omori took them!?” Her voice scampered around the walls and dodged the windows.

Stranger began to speak. “Now if that isn’t the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard–” They were interrupted again.

“Would he really!?” The Aubreys nervously shifted around.

Nuts nodded. “He definitely would! And right after he’d gobble you up MWAHAHAHA!!” She bellowed, everyone screamed, except Abbi and Stranger.

Abbi picked her up by the overall straps and held her in the air like a small kitten. “Aw c’mon you barnacles! Nuts, you barely know the guy. He’s bad, but not enough to eat you! I think you kids tell each other way too many spooky stories during Temperature Shifts.” She laughed, and put Nuts back in her seat.

“We all knew that,” Right Aubrey said. “A good scare is fun!”

Stranger stopped listening once Nuts started speaking again. She was explaining this cool book she read about horror stories, and everyone was on the edge of their seats about it. Abbi pulled her chair up next to Stranger.

“Is anything bugging you?” She asked. “If you need to be alone I can tell everybody to avoid the G.L.U.M.B. and you can go rest.”

“I’m alright,” Stranger replied. “Just a little worried.”

Abbi scooted closer. “Is it about Omori?” she whispered.

They nodded. “It was my fault for what happened.” They looked at their hands.

Abbi clicked her tongue a few times, conjuring up a response. She couldn’t think of anything though, deeming her unuseful. Stranger sighed and went back to eating watermelon.

“It’s not anybody’s fault,” She said out of the blue.

“But it is someone’s fault, and that someone is me.” Stranger pointed to themself.

“What if it’s everybody’s fault,” Abbi said, opening up an entirely new can of worms. “And then once it’s everybody’s fault then it will be nobody's fault. Because in the end we’re all equal. We’re all the same.”

“That doesn’t make much sense. but I’ve never thought about it like that,” Stranger said humbly.

“I may not make any sense, like ever. But you can always confide in me, little dude,” Abbi smiled.

“Thank you,” They replied.

“Anytime, Stranger. Anytime.” She scooted her chair back to its original place, resuming her conversation with the Basils and Aubreys. Everyone had to admit that having clones was weird. But at least they were fun.

─

It was now deep into the night. Things were quiet and gentle. Their guests had long since left to go back to their home. Abbi and Stranger were laying down now, getting ready to fall asleep soon. Since Jerry didn’t need to power the lights of The Cove, he was able to lay down with them too.

“Why do you think Omoli moved out?” Stranger asked.
“How do you know about that?” Abbi questioned.

Stranger positioned some of their pillows to different spots. “Years ago when I tried to run away, I found him and he told me. He also does not live here, that’s how I know,” They laughed.

“Oh.” Abbi face palmed. “Right.”

“He moved out because he wanted to be independent and live closer to his friends in Cloud Walkway. I used to think he had something against me, but now I know we’re not supposed to hold onto things forever,” Abbi told. “We still visit each other very often, but I still thought things were changing too much; Mari left, and me and the Bettas didn’t hangout that much anymore because of it. It felt like nobody cared about me.”

“I care,” Stranger said.

“That’s why I love you so much. We’ll always be here for each other!” Abbi cheered.

Stranger passed a pillow to Abbi. “I’m so glad you’re my older sister.”

“I’m so glad you’re my little sibling.” She agreed. They paused for a moment.

“I value you!” They said in unison and broke into a fit of laughter. Jerry was very confused.

Stranger wrapped a red, fluffy blanket around their face. “Do you think we’ll be able to hangout tomorrow? We can go to the Corrupted Junkyard and the Black Playground~” they proposed.

“Darnit! You know those are my favorite places here!” Abbi chuckled, lightly punching Stranger on the shoulder.

“Speaking of doing things tomorrow. I actually had a few errands tomorrow, but once I’m finished with that we can definitely have fun,” She said.

They sat in silence for a few moments, likely forgetting any other conversation topics. It was late, so Stranger was about to fall asleep until Abbi started speaking again.

“Do you feel safe here?” She asked. “Like, would you ever leave?”

“I’ve lived here for years. I would never leave you or The Cove. Why do you ask?” They said, propping themself up against the backboard of the bed frame to be heard better.

“I think I killed someone in the abyss,” Abbi admitted, she was as pale as a ghost saying this. Stranger didn’t respond.

“I promise it was an accident though!” She jolted. “They tried hurting me and I was alarmed. Oh carp, I’ve totally ruined this.”

Stranger turned over to grab her arm. “It’s okay! Like you said, it was an accident. And I think I’ve done worse.”

Abbi grabbed their shoulder and shook it. “Little dude, I know you aren’t saying that in a situation like this!” She chuckled.

“Aw c’mon! I wanted to make you feel better!” They exclaimed, smashing her face with a fluffy pillow heavy enough to make their wrists ache.

Stranger rolled over to their third of the Giant Legendary Ultra Mega Bed™ and pulled a blanket over themself.

“Good night, Abbi,” They said.

“Goodnight, Stranger.”

[TSO21DA21H: 1,592 words. December 2022.]
[Don’t make certain comments about Nuts’ name. She is my daughter and nuts in plant language symbolize stupidity, which is why I named her that. She’s such a silly. -Fishy]

Chapter Text

[Approximately three days after SNAP. and nine months after the good ending of OMORI.]
[again, anything in bold is sign language]

Blackspace was suffocating once again. Omori had betrayed Basil. He had no right to be here anymore, but he would push on. He would not succumb.

Basil could not be found at the same spot they were last time, which left him very disappointed. His determination to change their mind continued though. He wasn’t going to give up any time soon. He wanted the best for them.

The trees wrapped around him and vines tangled around his feet, nearly tripping him. Omori hated how vulnerable he was here. Everyone was turned against him, and those who weren’t were few and far between. This was a nightmare he had created. Everything has its consequences.

After what felt like forever walking through that dense forest he eventually came to a door. A locked black door. Omori searched through his pockets and on-hand inventory but found nothing that resembled a key. He frisked the area feeling lucky. He thought he was just out of luck when a small flash of red caught the corner of his eye.

Omori plucked away the vines and uncovered a small black key that shined red in the dim light. He had barely recognized this key, but he knew what it was. Years ago, during his perfectionist phase while protecting Sunny, he would try and store some of his ability in everyday objects and throw them into the pits of hell so that nobody would find them and use them or give them back to him. He had a lot of control over his world, and he didn’t like it. He liked having limits, so that he wouldn’t need to create everything while also having to make decisions. Sunny liked having this world feel real. It had its pros and cons.

The key made its way perfectly into his webbed fingers. Without the red hands he wouldn’t get them to hold it for him, but he didn’t mind. It was not very heavy and with it, he had a great deal of power in his hands. He twisted the key into the lock and peeled open the door.

On the other side he was met with rickety wooden planks held up in the air by strong metal beams. An ocean of dark and murky water layed just a few feet below him with twisted trees sprouting out of the shallows.

Tied to the right side of the platform and gently floating in the water was something all too familiar to him; a burgundy colored boat with a beige platform and the words “S.S. Abyss” written on the side with a cheap, dried out marker. He recognized this boat as Abbi’s. His old friend who he hadn’t seen in years. She used to always carry around a much smaller version of it that was made out of plastic, but the larger one was too, which meant that it could’ve been the same boat. He continued walking.

Ahead of him was a tall, rusted metal ladder. Despite its appearance, it seemed to have held up well over the years. Omori hoped it would be able to support him without crumbling down.

He gripped one of the ladder rungs. The metal was cold against his warm skin, but he would get used to it. He knew he had been here before, this place was familiar to him. The feeling of hanging onto the ladder without letting go was oddly…nostalgic to him in a way he didn’t want it to be. He remembered climbing up the ladder of the treehouse with his friends on a warm day of the summer. But these weren’t his memories, they belonged to Sunny.

Omori was too lost in thought to realize how high up he was, the ladder had to be at least fifty feet off of the ground and he was nearly at the top of it. He gulped down any worry he had and made his way to the top.

He forced his jello limbs to crawl over to the nearest spot of rest: a white, twin sized bed. The sheets were a little dirty, and the blanket wrinkled like a plastic bag, but it would do good enough for a small nap.

─
Omori woke up feeling dry, but well rested. He slides his hand into his pocket to make sure his key remained there. Luckily it was laying by his knife.

He leaped out of bed and began his journey for the next ladder, which was much shorter than the first one. On the second large platform was a game of hopscotch neatly drawn in black chalk that stained the wood it was on. Three trees grew unnaturally out of the floor without roots. There was a dead street lamp as well as a small black bench. He had memories of decorating a bench by slipping golden dandelions through each of the gaps. Once again that was one of Sunny’s memories.

The third large platform was much smaller than the second and first ones. It only contained a few trees and another dead street lamp. The fourth platform, was the most ambitious of all. Many trees with dead and crunchy leaves scattered the structure, creating a miniature forest with many gaps. Among them all though was a special tree in specific; the tree that held up the world, Sunny’s treehouse.

The treehouse was firmly cradled within the leaves and branches of the tree. The roof was rotting and caving in slightly, but it would hold for many years longer. The glass on the window was dirty with dead flies jammed into the nooks and crannies, which meant not much would be visible from the outside if the door wasn’t open. The door slowly swung and creaked on its hinge like a crying baby being rocked to sleep.

Omori climbed up the ladder to find that the air was warm, staticky and dry. His eyes drifted from a dusty calendar to dirty toys to a face all too familiar.

“Omori,” They greeted.

“Basil.” Omori bowed. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Stranger walked to face him, but they had to tilt their head down because of how short he was. “Get out of here,” They hissed, voice slithering like a snake.

Omori latched onto the knife in his pocket. “I’m sorry for what happened, genuinely,” He said.

“And I suppose you’re also sorry about the other spiders? About abandoning me here?” Stranger remarked.

“Yes–yes I am. I have only come here to find you and convince you to come back with me. Our friends miss us, Basil. They want you back,” Omori pleaded, tightening his grip on his knife.

Stranger put one hand in their pocket, mimicking what the other was doing. “I have a proposal,” They offered.

Omori stepped back to not be cowering beneath them, his footsteps made the wooden floor creak. “What is it?”

Stranger closed their eyes and began to chuckle under their breath. They ripped their claws out of their pockets and swiftly pulled Omori’s hand out of his pocket, the knife along with it. The shiny weapon slid across the floor, and Stranger caught it with their foot.

Omori was now held down with a knife being pressed against the bridge between his eyes. “You start by accepting that Basil doesn’t exist anymore. They were eliminated a long time ago, with the output being me, Stranger.” They ordered.

Omori nodded. He knew he would not comply with that whatsoever.

“Accept the truth, Omori. Please. Accept what it makes us,” Stranger pressed the knife closer to Omori’s skin, drawing a few beads of blood. The action made their wrists burn, they hissed in pain and dropped the knife.

Omori stole the knife back and got up on his tippy-toes. “But Sunny’s already accepted it. He’s told everyone. Mari doesn’t exist in this world anymore,” He scrambled.

“Then why do we still exist? How are we still here?” Stranger asked.

Omori sat down next to them, their faces were now only a foot apart. He had never been afraid to admit to himself that he had been in love with them a few years ago. In fact, he still was.

“I don’t know,” He said woefully. “I really don’t know.”

─

He sat by Stranger for a few minutes until they would stop squeezing their wrist from pain. They refused to make eye contact with him for more than a second, but he weakly smiled at them and hoped they would soon give in.

Omori had never intended to hurt them for his own selfish purposes. If something needed to be repressed he would throw it down into the pits of whatever. Now that the truth was out, and Sunny was okay, he no longer had that purpose and existed for no reason.

“I didn’t want to bring you any harm,” Omori said.

“I’m not going to forgive you. If that’s even what you want,” Stranger responded.

Omori grabbed one of the wooden chairs and took a seat on it backwards. He stared at the stained, blurry calendar and checked the date.

“Three weeks,” He stated.

“Until we die?” Stranger guessed, half jokingly.

Omori cleared his throat and picked off a piece of skin irritating his finger. “I’ll give you three weeks to forgive me. If the time runs out and you still haven’t changed, then I leave you alone forever and never step foot in Blackspace forever. I’m being honest this time.”

“Three weeks huh?” Stranger repeated. “I can work with that.”

Omori nodded and sat forward on his chair, facing away from Stranger. “What have you been up to here, when you’re not visiting me and I’m not visiting you?” He asked.

Stranger stood up and pulled up a chair on the other end of the table. “That’s none of your business.” Their face twisted into a scowl.

“Do you still like gardening?”

“Stop asking questions.”

Omori turned his head towards the table, allowing Stranger to look around the room since they wouldn’t look up unless he looked down. The table was hard to see, everything was hard to see, but he focused on the wood grain as best as he could. His hands caught his attention. The skin around them was semi transparent and the bones were visible through them when he held them up to the light. Because he was a frog, they were webbed. He didn’t swim too often, but when he did he was glad he had one physical advantage. He could probably get to the surface quicker if he was drowning.

“I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere with this,” Stranger blurted.

“Why?” Omori asked.

“Because the definition of insanity is doing something over and over and over again expecting a different outcome. That’s literally what you're doing.”

“No I’m not!” Omori argued.

“Don’t deny it, frog face!” Stranger laughed. Omori was glad to see them smile, even if it was to bully him.

“Why don’t we get to know each other then? You’ve obviously changed since I've last seen you.” Omori stated.

“Why don’t I go back home?” Stranger suggested, already headlining it out the doorway before being stopped by a small, unstoppable force and tripping onto the floor.

“Sorry! Herosaurus needed my help with something, but I came as soon as I could! Is Uni home?” Omoli asked.

“Omoli!?” Stranger and Omori exclaimed in unison.

─

“Wh-what is HE doing here!?” Omoli shouted, pointing to Omori with his paw. He was more concerned for Stranger than himself.

“No need to panic, Omoli.” Stranger picked up the squirming sprout mole by his leaf. “Frog face over here is just trying to make a pointless truce with me, that’s all.”

“Oh okay,” Omoli said, taking a seat on the chair that Stranger was previously sitting on. “Can we trust him?”

“Yes.” Omori joined.

“No.” Stranger interrupted. “C’mon Omoli, let’s go check Disco Area for anyone.”

Omoli jumped off of his chair and followed the shadow, Omori did the same. He made sure to be quiet, as to go unnoticed, but his plan had failed.
“You can follow us to the door, Frog face. But once we’re there you leave. Us. Alone.” They requested. Omori gulped and nodded.

He followed the shadow and the sprout mole to the elevator; a place he remembered. The door squeaked and roughly slid open, inviting the trio inside. Stranger pressed worn out buttons that had meaning unknown to Omori. He couldn’t tell what the floor was due to its smooth texture from years of use. The walls were cold, metal and had rails to hang onto while you enjoyed your rickety ride down. The elevator bounced and bickered and came to a harsh stop as if it were alive. It let out a broken noise akin to laughter.

Stranger sighed and began to fidget with the buttons, sending a help signal to the Faceless who worked on construction. “We’re stuck down here until Nolan and the boys get here. Do you remember anything Uni taught you about fixing cars?” They asked Omoli.

He shook his head. “I doubt car engines are anything close to elevators. But I was too busy making bracelets with Meido when he was teaching you about that.”

Stranger looked down with disappointment and held their breath.

Omori wanted to offer some assistance. Which was his first mistake. He slowly walked so as to not make any irritating sound and brushed their hand away from the buttons. Physical contact; his second mistake.

Stranger crashed their body into the corner of the elevator to get as far away as possible. “GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!” they yelled, digging their claws into the floor and wall.

Omoli ran to their side. “Stranger, are you alright? Oh my, you’ve been on edge all day. I'm sorry for not noticing! Stranger? Stranger??”

The shadow curled up and sank to the floor. “It's my fault.” They said between gasps. “I’m sorry.”

Omoli hugged(?) them. “No it isn’t!” He disagreed.

Omori sulked to the other end of the elevator, not wanting to escalate the situation any further. He watched as Stranger’s hands failed to grip their knees. It was his fault.

Omoli sighed and resulted to the only method he knew; jumping. He hated the banging sound it made, not because it bothered him but because it could bother others. He eventually got the elevator down to one of the platforms where they could get off.

“Stranger, stay here. Omori, come with me,” Omoli said, more bossy than before.

Omori cautiously walked out of the elevator with the sprout mole. They were on the second platform, with a bench and a game of hopscotch. He made a quick guess that they weren’t going to be playing that.

Omoli led him to the bench, where they would sit down and gaze upon the view of the murky ocean with twisted trees.

“Who are you?” Omoli asked, seemingly looking right into him.

Omori didn’t respond.

“Sorry, if I was a bit sassy earlier, I promise I don’t have any direct hatred towards you,” the sprout mole reassured. “An easier question to ask is who do you want to be, Omori? What do you seek to achieve?”

Omori opened his mouth to speak, but realized he was stumped at the question. Why was he doing any of this? Did he really love Stranger? The sprout mole he accidentally frankensteined four years ago was making him question his entire being.

“Can I tell you anything?” Omori checked, afraid someone might hear him.

Omoli nodded. “My understanding of sign is a little rusty. But yes.”

“Do you think I’m a bad person?” Omori asked.

“Based on the description from others–yes. A little bit. Sorry,” Omoli sheepishly smiled. “But only for certain things of course! You’re not a bad person at heart. You have good in you.. heheh…”

“It’s alright. I understand. What would you do if I liked Stranger?” Omori said, nervously.

If Omoli had a drink, he would’ve spat it out. “You’re in love with my brother?!” He shouted.

“Shhhhh!” Omori whisper-yelled. “You said I could tell you anything!”

Omoli collected himself. “You can! But that? Yeesh! Not judging you of course, but I don’t know if Stranger would be happy hearing that. Why do you like them anyway?”

“I don’t know. I knew I used to like them a long time ago. They’ve probably changed since then, but they were my best friend back then. I wasn’t good at showing appreciation nor affection. I can’t explain it well, but I knew in my mind that I loved them a little bit more than a friend. I only abandoned them with the intention of protecting Sunny. It was for the right reason but horrible in the end. Sorry,” Omori said. It felt weird saying all of this outloud. He didn’t really like talking.

Omoli tapped his foot up and down on the bench. “I’ll be sure to keep this in mind for next time. Your secret is safe with me, Frogface! Goodbye!” He happily jumped off of the bench and began skipping back to the elevator to retrieve Stranger.

“You’re leaving already?” Omori called.

Omoli stopped in his tracks. “I’m going to cheer Stranger up, maybe you should do that sometimes too!” He continued skipping.

─

Omori looked at his hands. His webbed hands with red fingers. He had all the power he could ever want. He could tilt his side of the scale any time he wanted to, and he would. In a good way though.

He gently took the key out of his pocket, it glimmered red against the soft light of the moon. Omoli’s advice rung in his mind one more time: “Who do you want to be?” He was going to follow it.

[THINKFAST!: 3,000 words. December 2022.]
[Sorry for all of the ─ I packed into here. -Y]

Chapter Text

[Author's note: One of my friends pointed out the fact that Omori didn’t recognize Stranger in SNAP even though he obviously knew them prior to that chapter. Ummm it’s because umm I’ll elaborate later yeah. -Y]
[everything in bold is sign language. -Y]

Stranger was hiding out in Moneyspace with their buddy, Kel. They didn’t feel like going anywhere in the sense that they may run into Omori.

Kel’s feet thudded against his treadmill as he turned up the setting faster. He was a lizard, which meant he had a lot of stamina to be speedy.

“Anything cool happening lately?” Kel asked.

Stranger ran their fingers through loose dollar bills. “Nothing much. Omori has been kind of a bother though.”

Kel turned the treadmill setting down a few notches to be heard better. “Yeah, I’ve heard about that from my brother,” He replied.

“What do you think he wants from you?” Kel wondered. “If I were him I’d leave you alone, unless you had something I wanted. Speaking of that, do you have any orange joe?”

Stranger skipped out of thought for a moment. They had forgotten the main reason they had come here at The Cove. “Whoops,” They laughed.

“That’s alright haha! Herosaurus or Jimmi might have some, I could stop by their places later.”

Stranger nodded, resuming digging through the money mindlessly.

“If there’s anything you want to talk about, go ahead,” Kel said. “I don’t have the best advice to give, but you seem upset. I don’t want you to be sad.” He frowned.

Stranger sighed. They stood up and sat against the rim of Kel’s inflatable pool, crossing their arms. “Omori’s just so- so weird! I don’t know how to feel about him. I’m so angry with him, but I hate getting mad. He makes me feel sad and weak but at the same time, I want to be his friend again…”

Kel stopped the treadmill to sit next to them and listen. “Woah. That sounds like you got yourself in a sticky situation. A pickle, even.”

“Thanks, Kel,” Stranger chuckled.

“Have you tried talking to your sister about this?” He asked.

Stranger shook their head and kicked their feet through the dollar bills littering the floor. “She’s been showing up less. She’s been running “errands” that she won’t tell me a word about. I don’t want to throw anything else onto her plate.”

Kel rest his head in his hands, trying to think of an idea. “Oh! What if I’m your backup older sister for a little while! C’mon, shoot some stuff at me!” He encouraged.

“Haha! Well Abbi,” Stranger started, mostly joking. “There’s this frogface dude going all around Blackspace bothering me and Omoli. He’s so annoying with his fluffy hair and sparkly eyes. Sometimes I want to get Longsnout or Loquacious Cat to eat him alive.”

“Aw, that’s how I feel about my partner too!” Kel teased.

“Wait, you have a partner?” it took Stranger a minute to understand what Kel actually meant. They gently punched his shoulder, his sharp scales left scrapes on their knuckles. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Are my eyes sparkly?” Kel lifted his sunglasses and presented Stranger with his best puppy dog face.

“They shine like stars overlooking the ocean, Kelsey.” Stranger joked. Kel’s eyes were mostly average, but they were a caramel brown color that pleased the eyes and his black sclera was illuminated by his sharp yellow pupils. “If I had an eyeball collection I would totally put yours in it.”

“Ah! No, not my eyes! First I was going to be hooked up to wires and now my eyes are being stolen! AAAHHH!!1!!1!!!!!”

Stranger and Kel chased each other around the pool a few times, before the shadow took advantage and tackled Kel to the ground,half accidentally as their balance wasn’t too great. His spiky scales left a few scratches on their knees and arms as the lizard beneath them struggled to escape.

“Hey, this is what you should do to Omori!” Kel suggested, mostly as a distraction to get away.

“Play fighting?” Stranger questioned.

“Claw to claw combat!” Kel corrected. “Although, Omori doesn’t have claws… But that means you have an advantage!”

Stranger released Kel and laid down on the money floor. “I don’t think I want to physically hurt him without a reason. He hurt me, that doesn’t mean I need to hurt him.”

Kel took some money out of the pool and began folding origami out of it. “You’re so nice, Stranger. When Abbi first introduced you to me I thought you were going to try and slaughter me. But you’re a pretty cool guy. I had no idea you used to be innocent Basil until Herosaurus told me…haha.” Kel’s paper crane, no dog, no tent, whatever it was came out as a floppy shape and was thrown back into the pool. “That’s what makes you cool though. However you want to confront Omori, I’d suggest doing it your way. I know it will be great!” He lightly punched Stranger’s shoulder.

“Thanks for the advice, Kel. I’ll be sure to use it.” They smiled. Maybe they would run into Omori.

─

The Blackspace hub was the first place they wanted to check. It was the most neutral area and if they were going to run into Omori somewhere, they had a better chance of doing it there. After Kel gave them a confidence boost, they were ready to talk some sense into that frog-faced bony-eared assfish. Not that his face was too bad, they found it a little bit tolerable to a certain degree.

Stranger quickly washed away any thoughts that would get in their way and progressed on their journey. They were right earlier, checking the Blackspace hub was a great start as Omori was definitely there.

The door to Redspace was left wide open. The discomforting illumination of it’s beautiful, vermillion presence tainted the sanctuary they were standing in. They would end this once and for all. Omori would finally face them.

Stranger knew that stepping into the light had consequences. Similar to the abyss, their form wouldn’t be able to maintain itself and they’d be left as Basil; once an easily squishable insect and now a Katipo spider-crow with fangs and claws at the ready. They just didn’t expect Omori to return so soon. Atleast, not in this way.

Their form was devoid of color, the light made everything about them gray. Their eyes and wrists were left a hideous stinging ruby.

They toiled up the staircase. Every red hand to fill in the gaps perfectly greeted them; as if they were welcome. They greeted these hands with scratches and scrapes. They shouldn’t have been welcomed at all. He was mocking them and their fragile little form.

At The top of the seemingly infinite staircase was the king on his very impressive throne. Red hands to represent all of the blood on his hands.

The boy stood up. “Stranger,” he bowed. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“You’re insane.” Stranger hissed. They had so much they needed to say, so much they needed to make him feel. But nothing came out.

“Sit.” Omori gestured to an open spot beside him. Not an order, but an offer.

Stranger kept their ground.

Omori didn’t react, but Stranger hoped he would. “We’re equal,” he began. “Everyone has the possibility to hate us, but we can change the outcome of that here.” He spoke in a cold still voice and quiet voice, enough to just barely be heard but just enough to make Stranger listen.

“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again expecting a different outcome. Hide all you want, Omori. You can’t escape the truth.” Stranger proclaimed.

“But I can silence you for good!” He shouted, leaping out of his seat, overpowering Stranger.

“I hate you.” Stranger spat. Though, they didn’t believe their feelings were actually so harsh. Deep inside they wanted to end this rivalry, to be equal on the goodside. But people like them should never know peace.

“I don’t see why you fight so much,” Omori said.

“You hurt me.”
“It was years ago,” Omori said.

“You abandoned me.”

“Surely you know that I’ve changed, Stranger. I only want the best for us–” Omori started, unable to finish.

“YOU LEFT ME FOR DEAD!” Stranger cried, lashing at Omori.

Stranger’s claws made a quick connection to his neck, hooking at the skin and leaving deep gashes of victory. They went again, hitting almost as successfully. They wanted to see his face bloody and mangled.

Omori struggled against his opponent; desperately trying to throw them off of him. Stranger tried going for a third hit to his right eye, but he threw them to the floor with a loud thud. Something fell from his pocket and clinked to the ground.

Stranger flipped over to get a better angle, not realizing how close they were to the edge of the platform. They embarrassingly wobbled off of the edge and fell onto a large object that was warm and alive. Their balance never had been that good.

─

Stranger slowly blinked their eyes open to see Omori’s bloody face inches away from theirs. They jolted up and hit their forehead against his, wincing in pain.

“What the heck, Frogface!” They spat, applying pressure to their forehead.

“You started it! And it’s not my fault that you tripped,” Omori argued.

Stranger tried to stand, but failed realizing how dizzy they were. They fell back against the cushioned red hand.

Omori took something colorful and bright out of his pocket. He unwrapped it and pressed it against Stranger’s lips. “Eat this.” He demanded.

Stranger was too out of it to understand. “Poison is a weak way to fight, y’know. And you’re not smart with it at all.”
Omori rolled his eyes and forcefully parted Stranger’s teeth, resting the object on their tongue. It tasted sweet, fruity and chewy. What he had given them was candy. [Stranger healed 30 heart!]

Stranger was confused. “I injured you…” They ran their claws gently over Omori’s wounds, hoping to irritate them. “But you choose to heal me?”

Omori twinged and placed a hand on their shoulder. “You’re my best friend, Stranger. I’m not letting go of that.”

Stranger grumbled and walked away, expecting to find a route back up to the main platform.

Omori noticed and sprang up to the main platform without Stranger, staring at them with a blank, mocking expression.

Stranger sighed and sat back down.

“Aren’t you coming up?” Omori shouted.

“What–” Stranger started, before getting startled by the red hand floating a path upwards and dumping them onto Omori’s throne.

Omori giggled and helped them back up to their feet.

“Do you like making a fool out of me?” They asked sarcastically.

“I was talking to the hand, Stranger,” Omori said.

Stranger rolled their eyes. The throne was actually quite comfortable; like a weird leather couch. They scratched it like a cat would and made a familiar crimson liquid seep out of it.

“It’s kind of funny,” Omori laughed.

Stranger paused at killing the throne. “What is?” They asked.

“We’re so different now. You’re the one fighting and I’m the one refusing to hurt you. Before all this, it would be the opposite. I’m offering you such nice things and you’re returning the favor with such cruel gestures,” Omori said.
Stranger stopped in their tracks; not even moving. Their pupils dialated and their mind and body stung with roses red as blood. They wanted to throw up. Omori was right, they were terrible. Had he ever even hurt them? Were they overreacting?

Stranger was considering it. His offer, of course. The chance to be good, to have the peace that was stolen from them. They were going to take his hand, go back to Vast Forest, but something stopped them. They had family and friends who loved them, that was their peace. The throne felt disgusting against their knees; evil and unforgiving. They had nearly forgotten what truly mattered; not what Omori had to give them, but what he had already taken away.

“You’re wrong.” Stranger whispered.

“What?” Omori asked, genuinely.

“I said YOU’RE WRONG!” They screamed. Instantly they reclaimed their shadow form and launched themself at Omori to strangle him. Coal-black shadows with intense eyes and piercing teeth surrounded the two and everything else in the room.

“I don’t abandon people.” They sunk their claws deeper into his neck. [Stranger became angry.]

“I don’t manipulate people.” [Stranger became enraged.]

“And last of all, I accept what happened, Omori. The truth.” [Stranger became furious.]

Omori choked and struggled against them. He summoned all the strength left in his weak body to assemble the red hands as his last defense route.

The hands countlessly seized Stranger to pry them off of Omori. Like a wave they grabbed onto their wings, arms, anything they could get ahold of to shock and yank on.

“Succumb you bastard! Admit that YOU ARE WRONG.” Was the last thing Stranger managed to say before the red hands came together and forced the shadow off of their host.

The shadows inking the room departed and Stranger lay on the floor of the platform, taking in all that they could.

Omori roughly kicked them. “I didn’t have to do that. But you attacked first.” His intentions were only out of survival. He was right, though, Stranger had started it. Omori was right.

Stranger groaned and stumbled up. They felt bad for resorting to physical violence to get their point across. Something within them felt betrayed, as if Basil was still there deep inside them. Looking at Omori’s bloody exterior, they wished there really was a Basil still inside of them.

─

Wanting to get their thoughts untangled, Stranger had surrendered. They would confront Omori another time. Perhaps in a calmer setting, and with a plan.

As they slowly walked back to The Cove they thought of how confusing everything was. Everything they had previously believed was being altered. They really wished Abbi was there. She could hug them and then they could go for a ride on her boat and talk about miscellaneous topics and laugh. They missed the old times.

Once they finally arrived at their home, the heaved open the entrance and made their way in. They thought they saw something red flash across them, but it must’ve been their imagination.

Nobody was home, except for Jerry, who was asleep in his room. They sighed and opened the fridge to take out some of the left over watermelon they had been snacking on for the past few days. They sat down on a chair and pathetically chewed on the fruit.

The table was littered with untouched notes, written by Uni or Herosaurus saying that Abbi was “running more errands” and would be back soon. She’d only return in the dead of night or in the morning for barely enough time for Stranger to talk to her.

Splits’ words repeated in their head. ”Everyone is a hypocrite in their own special way.” That’s what Abbi was doing. Mari had left her and now she was leaving Stranger. They didn’t want to believe that though, after countless nights of her reassuring them that she would never, ever leave.

They were about to wash their plate and put it away when suddenly the red flash they saw from earlier scattered all of the notes into the air and onto the floor while slamming a weird key onto the table.

“What the heck!?” Stranger exclaimed, dropping their plate.
A red hand had followed them home and slipped it’s way into The Cove. It wanted it’s presence to be known.

Stranger threw a fork at it, which it easily dodged.

“I don’t trust her.” It signed, pointing to the notes littered all over the floor.

“You sent a spy!?” Stranger yelled, thinking they were talking to Omori through the hand. “Frogface, I didn’t know you could get this low.”

“I’m not a spy.” it said. “I’m looking for Gunther.”

Stranger hesitantly and quietly grabbed a butter knife close to them. “Ask someone else. I don’t know anybody by the name of Gunther.” They were talking with a literal disembodied arm. Ever since Abbi starting leaving they wondered when they would start hallucinating out of loneliness. Maybe that was now.

“Don’t threaten me, I bring no harm.” It sensed the weapon in Stranger’s claws.

They dropped their knife. “What’s your name?” They asked, now more curious than afraid.

“I am Bethany.”

“Okay, well, Bethany,” They said, grimacing at how awkward it was. “If you want to stay with me and my sister in The Cove you’ll need to earn your keep. Stay inside and if you see or hear Omori shoo him away. Oh and wash dishes and sweep if you’re up for it. That would help immensely.”

“I don’t trust your sister.” Bethany said.

They picked up the key from the table and carefully examined it. It was dark black but shimmered a warm red under a light. They thought they had seen this fall from Omori’s pocket. “Well you’ll have to get used to her from now on.” Stranger said forcefully, pretending as if they weren’t distracted by the key. They traced a claw over the blade of the key, a wave of dread washed over them just like in the abyss. Bethany likely knew things Stranger didn’t, but would they really trust a hand?

[THRONE: 2878 words. January 2023.]
[This might get edited again. I wonder what Abbi’s doing.]

Chapter Text

[We’re gonna use // as a signal for when there’s a point of view switch. This is to make it more clear and understandable! -Y and Fishy.]

cw: self harm and descriptions of blood.

She was underwater again. Drowning, no, choking. Branch Coral had it’s viney tendrils wrapped around her neck. To her, this felt like the abyss again. She struggled and struggled to no avail.Giving up, she opened her eye. Surrounding her were her friends, her family.

There they were; Tako, Meido, Uni, Mirrorman and Mari. They were all children, just as they had been. She was still sixteen. Just one year older than Mari now.

“Sacrifice! Sacrifice!” Tako chanted, starting a mob with the others joining her one by one.

“SACRIFICE! SACRIFICE! SACRIFICE! SACRIFICE!” the children cheered.

The words rang in her ears as her breath got shorter. She started struggling again, harder this time. The more she struggled the tighter Branch Coral’s grip settled on her neck. She shrieked as her former friends echoed louder across the stone walls.

She briefly paused, catching all the breath she could and opening her eye again. Mari’s gaze bored into her like a statue. Her cold gaze had always been akin to that of a corpse. The shouting from the other children felt quiet against Mari’s silence.

“...please. Don’t leave,” She choked out before the lack of oxygen short circuited her brain.

The children continued shouting. Mari seemed to get scarier and scarier. There was no where else to look, her eyes locked into Mari’s. She was going to die.

Abbi woke up gasping for air with the events of her nightmare replaying in her mind. She inhaled all the oxygen she could but nothing was enough. The darkness of The Cove suffocated her as she gripped the sheets. Quickly, she ran to the bathroom.

She frisked her tentacle over the wall for the light switch and eagerly flipped it on as soon as she landed on it. She stared into herself through the mirror. Her eye was open and she was still hyperventilating.

Abbi slammed the main door shut, causing a loud noise to echo through The Cove that would certainly wake poor Stranger up. She flinched at the thought and opened the closet door more carefully this time. She swiftly grabbed a half empty bag of cotton rolls and a pair of pliers.

She viciously yanked on her left second molar until it slided out with ease. Black, inky blood oozed its way out of her mouth, down her chin and into the drain of the sink. It stung like millions of needles, but that was her goal. She loaded up the left side of her mouth with cotton rolls and cleaned up her face, shirt, and the sink.

Stranger and Omoli wouldn’t need to know.

─

//
The shadow woke up to a loud bang, they wouldn’t be surprised if they jumped straight through the ceiling and landed on the surface. Their eyes quickly adjusted to see that Abbi had spent another night at home, likely showing up after they had fallen asleep and leaving before they woke up. They sighed and plopped their head back on their pillow before seeing a faint light coming from the crack of the bathroom door.

Stranger shuffled out of bed faster than light could enter a room. Their sister was home! It’s been days! Or weeks?

They threw their blanket off of their body. Bethany peeked out from under the bed, but Stranger ushered her back under. She wasn’t supposed to be seen yet.

Stranger rushed to the bathroom door, nearly tripping on their own feet.

“Abbi!” They whisper-yelled, as not to alarm her.

Stranger crashed themselves into the door and tightly wrapped their arms around Abbi, who was more than surprised.

“S-stranger!” She exclaimed, just finished putting away something in the closet.

Stranger relaxed as relief washed over them, having their sister back was so important to them. They never wanted to let her leave again, as controlling as that sounded.

“I missed you so much,” They started, their eyes welling up with tears from the events of the previous days and the joy of Abbi’s return.

Abbi peeled her crying sibling off of her and grimaced, not out of annoyance, but out of guilt. “I’m…sorry little dude,” She said softly, almost like a feather landing on the surface of a lake.

She wiped their endless tears from their eyes and gently held their cheek.

“I’m sorry–this is stupid,” Stranger laughed, sniffing up some snot. “I'm sorry. This, this is stupid. I love you, and I, and I missed you a lot."

Abbi gulped and patted the shadow on the head. “I love you too…but I have to leave now, it’s important,” She said firmly.

“W-what?” Stranger checked.

Abbi nodded. “I need to go, I promise I’ll be back tomorrow. For longer. I only have so much time to do this,” she said.

Stranger gripped her arms tightly and pulled her face down to their level. “No!” They protested. “You–you can’t!” They wanted to pull the kraken down and trap her in their grasp.

“I’m sorry,” She said again, but it sounded like she didn’t want to leave. Maybe that was Stranger’s mind playing with them.

Abbi began to walk away. “It’s for your protection, you’ll see soon! If everything goes well I'll be back tonight, I promise!” She reassured them.

Stranger cried, “But I don’t want you tonight, I want you here now!” Abbi continued walking, slowly.

“I bet Mari said the same thing when she left you!” Stranger yelled, immediately covering their mouth, going silent. They didn’t mean to say it, the words just shot out of them quick as bullets.

Abbi came to a halt. She didn’t speak.

“I’m sorry..” Stranger whispered. “I didn’t, I didn’t mean it I swear!”

Abbi took a deep breath and kept on walking. Stranger thought it would be better if she had just lashed out on them. Her silence was deafening.

Stranger scuttled in front, blocking her path. “I promise I didn’t mean it! Abbi, don’t leave!”

“Stranger,” she began with a firm voice, kneeling down to their level. “Let me leave.” she made them feel weak, like this was all just one bad dream.

“I’ll come with you–! I can help you at work and with other things, anything! I just want you back, things have been hard lately and–”

Abbi tried to gently pull them off, as not to hurt them. They probably looked so pathetic at that moment.

“I need to leave.” She demanded.

Stranger summoned all the strength in their weak body and wrapped their arms around her so tightly she was left motionless. They sobbed onto her shirt like a little kid begging for money for the ice cream truck. Abbi tried to escape, but Stranger’s grip was like a garden; one wrong move and you fall into a pit of thorns and roses. The shadow’s claws ripped through her shirt and smoothly plunged into her flesh.

─

//
Abbi raced to the bathroom, accidentally dropping Stranger on the floor. She locked the door and opened two drawers to block it, just in case. She scrambled through the bathroom closet for some gauze. Splits recommended they should keep some in The Cove after the “wrist incident.”

She hesitantly took off her shirt and was met with the horrendous sight of her black blood pouring down onto the floor. Three ugly gashes now marked her back like a symbol.

“A-Abbi?” Stranger called from the other end of the door.

She swore under her breath when she dropped her roll of gauze onto the floor. “Be patient, little dude!” she said with kind undertones. What happened was only an accident afterall.

Abbi finished wrapping her chest without time to actually clean her wounds. She put on her shirt and grabbed her hat out of the other bathroom closet.

She shut the drawers and unlocked the door, slipping past Stranger on her way out. She skipped through The Cove, making a headline for the landline. She harshly clicked in a number.

“Abbi?” Stranger asked, now beside her. She grimaced at their presence. “I’m really sorry that happened. You can go now, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay, Stranger!” She smiled, not sure if she was lying to make them feel better. She didn’t know if she was mad at them or not

The phone finished buffering and the sea urchin on the other end picked up. “Uni, finally!” She whispered.

“Abbi? What are you doing up this early?” A yawn could be heard.

“Mr. Awesome Car Dude! Hey what’s up! I need you and the girls to come over for a few hours pretty please?” Abbi twirled the cord of the phone on her tentacle and did her best to ignore Stranger’s curious and pitiful stare.

Uni sighed, “We’ll be over in ten,” He replied.

Abbi hung up and clicked the phone back into its stand and very swiftly climbed out of The Cove and glided away onto her boat. She realized how guilty she felt for leaving Stranger alone again after they begged her to stay. She really wanted to stay, it was one of her days off after all, but the early bird always gets the kill. And Omori, was not the bird in that quote.

The SS Abyss made a heavy coughing sound from the engine, but with a harsh kick it would set itself back on course. She felt free on her boat in the vast loneliness of the Tree Circle Area. She didn’t like being alone, but sometimes she weirdly did. Maybe because she was never alone-alone in Blackspace, only in The Abyss.

The trees cradled the winding path of the river, blocking any view of any forms of life beyond them. Abbi was just about to go faster and accelerate in speed, when suddenly a stray raft blocked her course and she had to make a quick break before she crashed with the pedestrian. The bow of her boat was inches away from the stranger’s makeshift raft.

“Gah! Didn’t see you there!” She exclaimed.

The person on the raft looked startled and shaken. He looked about Stranger’s age.

“There should be a fork upstream,” Abbi explained to the quiet stranger. “I recommend we ride up there and split up to avoid this jam.”

The boy on the raft sniffled. “I came from that direction…” He said wistfully.

Abbi made a puzzled expression before she realized something may be wrong, just like Stranger when she had found them all those years ago. She took out a sparkly pink rope and tied her boat to the boy’s raft. She then sprang to her feet and wobbled around to sit next to the boy.

He was a frog, likely a gray tree frog. His messy hair was parted into long chunks in the front, and cut short very sloppily in the back. A disheveled pink and orange flower crown was weaved through his hair to match his pink and orange shirt and tail. Oh, he was one of the Basils! Strange that he wasn’t a spider though…

“What’s wrong?” She asked kindly, not even asking his name first.

The boy wiped his nose and gently lifted his head from his knees. “I don’t know, I can’t get it into words,” He weeped.

Abbi felt very awkward helping someone else out who looked like her little sibling, but was not her little sibling. “Can you try and identify the problem? I can help you with it if you’d like!” She offered.

He wiped his nose with his webbed hands. “My brother just died, and–and everyone’s expecting me to follow in his footsteps and become a leader and!”

“Woah, calm down. It’s okay,” She said, hopping back to her own boat and digging through the bottom compartment where she got the rope. The frog boy looked stressed at her sudden departure. Her tentacle landed on the graham cracker box, and item passed down from generation to generation.

She hopped back and passed a caramel colored cracker to her companion. He slowly ate it.

“What’s your brother’s name?” She asked. “If you would like to share, that is.” She tried to imagine what a world would be without Stranger and Omoli. That would be awful, she needed to be there for them at all times. The thought of leaving them alone in this world crushed her like a tsunami. Then she thought about when Mari left.

The boy swallowed his graham cracker. “H-his name was Sequin. My name was Basil. (pronounced Baa-zel) But based on Bouquet Tradition, I must take his name now.”

Abbi tried to sympathize with him, but ultimately she had now idea what was going on. The only knowledge she had of Spider Bouquet’s was from Splits, who provided little information to begin with.

“Bouquet Tradition for new leaders–” Sequin answered, almost reading her mind. “–Is when our leader dies, someone must take their place, whoever gets nominated. I must take my brother’s name and lead Sequin, our group.”

“That sounds like a pretty tough job,” Abbi chuckled, trying to cheer him up.

Sequin smiled slowly and wiped more tears. “It is. I feel too bad about taking my brother’s place. I could never live up to him, I’m not ready. Not ready to lead nor take his name. I could never know myself as Sequin.”

─

//
Stranger was lying on their third of the bed.
They didn’t know how to process anything that had just happened. They had hurt Abbi. She probably hated them now. So much for being a good person.

She left in such a hurry that Stranger didn’t even get a chance to protest, or give her a reason why she needed to stay. Even after all the good they’d done, the bad things still made them bad. Thoughts rushed through their head on what they could’ve said to convince her to stay.

The Cove’s entrance was pushed open by three rowdy teenage delinquents making their presence known.

“Hey Abbi, hey Stranger!” Tako called. “Maybe Omoli too?”

Uni sighed. “You can’t just start screaming, you’re going to startle every creature in Blackspace!”

“Your face startles every creature in Blackspace,” Tako laughed.

“Shut up!” Uni whisper-shouted.
Uni’s eyes darted around the kitchen, before falling on Stranger, who was curled up on their bed. He began walking toward them before Meido beat him to it.

“Stranger!” Meido exclaimed, practically jumping over Uni.

Stranger rolled over, “Hey guys…” They said slowly.

“What’s wrong little guy? You look so upset! We were going to pull a few pranks on Splits and the Aubreys today if that would cheer you up,” Meido smiled, Tako lightly elbowed her.

Tako leaped up onto the bed and sat next to Stranger. “You can’t be sad, you have us!” She encouraged, booping them on their nose.

Stranger groaned and pulled a soft, crimson blanket over their head.

“Where’s Abbi?” Uni pointed out.

“Gone for good, probably,” Stranger answered.

Meido unwrapped the shadow from their blanket prison and began rolling them into a burrito, they didn’t seem to mind.

“What?!” Tako and Uni said in unison.

Stranger spoke from their burrito prison. “I hurt her and she left. I don’t think she wants me here anymore.” they sighed.

“LIAR!” Tako yelled, immediately apologizing for the volume. “Sorry. My idiot cousin loves you and Omoli more than even herself! She brags about you guys to me all the time. If anything happened to either of you she’d probably go insane. And you know I wouldn’t want to deal with that.”

“Oh...” Stranger said. “I guess. She’s just been leaving a lot. And, and there’s so much I want to talk to her about but I never get the chance. I think she’s avoiding me.”

The Bettas went silent for a moment, except for Meido, who was still holding burrito-Stranger and smiling giddily.

Tako nudged Uni, signaling for him to speak.

“Ow! Fine!” Uni spat. “Abbi’s been doing private business before and after work, anytime she can really. I don’t know much other than what she told me. She says she’s doing it for a good reason, to protect you and potentially all of us. Mainly you though. Other than that I’m not sure. She won’t tell me anything else.”

Stranger didn’t respond, but a small ember of joy sparked inside of them like a lavender blooming.

“Seeing you like this, I’ll convince her to put a pause on everything and stay with you for a while. What she’s doing may be good, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t selfish,” Uni said. “What did you want to talk to her about? Maybe we can help you out, Shadow kid.” he smiled.

Stranger inhaled. “I’ve been thinking about this hard over the past few days… Y’know how Kel, from Moneyspace, has a partner?” they said, expecting a hostile reaction.

Uni was about to open his mouth to speak before Meido interrupted him.

“YOU’RE IN LOVE!?” She cheered joyfully. “Who is it? How long have you been crushing? Are they a boy or girl? Or maybe other? Me and Tako can give you advice! Oh my god oh my god!” She happily jumped around, wagging her tail.

“Slow down, Meido,” Tako laughed. “We don’t even know what they meant by what they said. Are you in love, Stranger?” She asked.

Stranger blushed, burrowing into their blanket tortilla. They nodded, very slowly. They weren’t actually sure about it, but seeing everyone’s curiosity and excitement made the cogs and gears turn in their brain.

Meido jumped in circles, squealing.

“Who is it?” Tako asked. “If you’re comfortable sharing with us,” She was just cool like that. She was like Stranger and Omoli’s cool wine aunt.

“He’s–” Stranger started nervously, before almost on cue being saved.

“EWWW WHAT THE?!” Meido shrieked. A blood red hand seized her ankle and had no plans of letting go.

Burrito-Stranger rolled over, “Bethany! Drop it! DROP IT!” They demanded.

The hand wilted woefully and slided back under the bed where she would hopefully remain until told otherwise.

“Where did you manage to get a stray red hand? I remember Mari caught one once but the second you let them go they fly back to their master, or host or whatever” Uni recalled.

Stranger’s eyes darted around shiftily.

“Shadow kid?” Uni said in a lecturing tone.

“She followed me home. From Redspace. With Omori,” they admitted.

Uni sighed and peaked under the bed for a moment, likely realizing what could be going on. He didn’t speak if he didn’t need to, but his mind was fast. “Tako, Meido,” He said, getting, the girl’s attention. “Why don’t you go hang out with Omoli at Cloud Walkway for a while, yeah? I think I can handle this by myself.”

“Does burrito want us to leave?” Meido asked, worriedly.

Uni gave Tako a look, and she quickly grabbed Meido’s arm and lead the girl to the door. Meido whined until she was eventually dragged out of The Cove. “But we can play Cinnamon Fishsticks!” Meido suggested. “Stranger LOVES Cinnamon Fishsticks!!!!”

“Bye Stranger, bye ugly!” Tako called, ignoring her girlfriend.

“SHUT UP!” Uni fumed.

Once his little fit was over, the sea urchin collected himself and took a seat on the bed with Stranger.

Uni took a deep breath in, preparing himself. “Do you have a crush on Omori?” He asked, half disappointedly.

Stranger tensed up, and sunk into their burrito hideout. Not wanting to confront Uni, nor see the sun ever again.

─

//
“Now, I know next to nothing about Bouquet nonsense, but I am an older sister. I do know that your brother is proud of you,” Abbi encouraged. “As…strange as that sounds.”

Sequin sighed. “Why should he be? He’s dead! I’m not even ready for the ceremony in two hours! Magenta will have my head if I don’t show up to claim my position as a leader.”

Abbi thought for a moment. “Well you’ve stopped crying,” She said. “That’s a start.”

“But I still want to cry! You being here makes me feel better! Ugh stop being so nice!” Sequin laughed, lightly bumping Abbi with tear streaks down his cheeks. “I wish I could just stay here with you. You remind me of him.”

The raft rocked on the river below them. Abbi stood up, making it shake even more. “You’re a coward!” She said, Sequin gave her a confused and hurt expression. “You look like you can’t even stand up on your own without crumbling! But look where you are, you’re about to become a leader. Your brother would be so proud! But he’d want you to be brave! Have some guts, Sequin. I bet your brother had a lot of those to be a leader. He’d want you to be like that too.” Her attempt to be inspirational was a tad bit harsh.

Sequin looked at her with admiration, as if looking at his brother again. “You’re right!” He said. “I am a coward!”

“What? No-” Abbi disagreed.

“But I’m a good coward! My brother is proud of me. I’ll be the best coward-leader in the land! Thanks, kraken girl!” Sequin stood up and jumped up and down ecstatically. He was probably filling his mind and speech with fake positivity, but at least he was trying. He was a good kid, he didn’t deserve this loss and the stress put onto him.

Abbi smiled with admiration, she was glad he was finally feeling a little bit better. Even though he was confused with happiness. She was going to say more, but his head fell off. Like, clean off.

“SEQUIN!” Abbi screamed.

The frog’s body wobbled around, attempting to reconnect his head to his body. “Sorry, sorry,” He apologized. “This happens quite often! No worries!”

“Your head just? Detaches?!” Abbi exclaimed.

Sequin nodded. “All of our’s do! Well only my Bouquet and Cobalt’s…but yeah. It’s normal,” He said.

“Can I atleast help you with it?” She asked.

Sequin nodded again, “How though?”

Abbi jumped back onto the SS Abyss once more to retrieve some things out of the compartment. She took out a spool of lavender colored thread and a sharp needle.

“I never was very good at sewing. That was Meido’s thing, but I’ll try my best!” She said hopefully.

“Yippee!” Sequin cheered, attaching his head to his neck and patiently sitting in Abbi’s lap.

Abbi tied a few knots in the thread to keep it from falling from the needle. Then, she doubled it up and slided the sharp needle into Sequin’s paper-like skin. She noticed his blood had the consistency and color of a watermelon; she nearly freaked out before remembering that all Basil’s had melon guts. Except for Stranger, who had accidentally cut their foot open on a shard of glass at the beach, revealing their blood was made of flowers.

“Does this hurt?” Abbi asked.

“No, it feels fine,” Sequin replied. “As long as you don’t get me soggy I’m a-okay!”

The Kraken laughed. She kept going, making sure to secure Sequin’s head onto his body.

“Tell me about your life,” He started, waving his feet and tail up and down.

Abbi paused, “My life?”

“Yeah,” Sequin said. “It’ll keep me distracted from my brother.”

The kraken adjusted herself to sit more comfortably, “Well, similar to you, I also have a little brother. Three actually. Stranger’s the only one who lives with me, but I think if anything ever happened to them I would tear apart the world. They’re the only reason I come home sometimes.”

Sequin didn’t respond, so Abbi kept going. “Your brother isn’t here with us anymore, but as an older sister myself I know that he misses you a lot. If I ever died, or couldn’t be here for Stranger anymore, I don’t know what I would do with myself. I had an older sister too, well not really actually, but she filled that void for me. The day I lost her for good was the worst day of my life. She left and never returned. I never want another person to feel that emptiness again. It’s why I ignore the term ‘stranger danger.’ I help everyone because no one ever helped me.”

“Woah,” Sequin finally said, turning to her. “You sound like a great older sister! I’m sorry that happened to you, though.”

Abbi chuckled at his assumption. “Eh not really. Recently I left Stranger for something really stupid. But everyone’s a hypocrite in their own way I guess. I’m an awful sister.”

“Why?” Sequin asked, bouncing his feet and tail up and down.

“I’ve been looking for Omori. He pollutes this world like plastic in the ocean. I’ve barely been home. I’m too busy searching for any signs of where he may be.” Abbi answered. “In turn, Stranger’s been without me for weeks. I left them again this morning, they begged me to stay-”

“You’re bleeding,” He observed, making Abbi capsize like a ship in a storm.

She ran her finger across her back. She must have bled through her bandages, dangit! She scrambled to readjust her bandages before Sequin spoke again, “Your mouth?” He said confused.

Abbi almost forgot about her tooth. The one she ripped out, that is. She took out her cotton roll to find it bloody and shriveled. She stuffed it into her pocket because she didn’t want to litter.

“You seem stressed? Are you alright?” Sequin checked.

“Yeah, yeah! I’m fine! You’re the one who recently lost a loved one, we should be worried about you!” Abbi said.

Sequin tilted his head, ruining a few stitches. “If you say so?” he said.

Abbi kept on with her work, trying to ignore the blood dripping from her mouth to her shirt. Purple stitch by purple stitch. She didn’t want to load up the rest of her problems onto the boy, so she stopped talking. The calm sounds of the river and the rustles of the trees were the only beings speaking now.

“This is random. But I’ve been thinking about something like this for a while; If I were you, I would apologize to Stranger, and fix your mouth. Even if it’s more complicated than that. I think this world is too angry with itself. Yeah, just apologize to them, if that makes sense. You aren't a bad sister. You’re just a bad sister. Not that that’s an insult. You’re to nice to be a bad sister anyway. I guess we don’t need reasoning in our words, just understanding,” Sequin spoke words like cool lemonade on a sunny summer morning. He didn’t make sense, but he wasn’t supposed to. His words weren’t meant to be thought about, just understood. “I know I’m supposed to be forgetting him, but my brother always had this mentality on the world around him. I loved the way he saw things. I strived to be like him. I want to honor him by carrying on this mentality.” She had no idea where this sudden wisdom came from, he was twelve. His words were just meant to be understood though.

“Strangely…I get what you mean,” Abbi said. “I hate being angry, even a little annoyed. It reminds me of who hurt me in the past. You’re a smart kid though, Sequin. I think I will apologize to Stranger. Thank you,” She smiled.

“Hey, I guess someone finally helped you!” Sequin cheered.

Abbi laughed. “You must’ve been one great little brother.”

“And you’ll be one great little sister once you fix everything up! Once you apologize to Stranger, glowing lasers with shoot out of their eyes and they’ll become a unicorn and–” He was a silly guy.

─

//
“I won’t judge you or anything,” Uni said. “In fact, I’m not against you.”

Stranger wished they could sink into the mattress, and become part of the bed.

Uni sighed. “Get up, shadowkid. We’re gonna go feed the Little Ones.”

Stranger shook their head and rolled swiftly to the left as Uni tried to pick them up. They were left unsuccessful when the sea urchin lifted them up effortlessly, as if they were a sack of potatoes.

Stranger attempted to wiggle out of his grasp. “You can’t take me alive!” They protested.

“And you can’t hide from this forever,” Uni chuckled, his deep voice mocking them as he scavenged the cupboards for a bag of konpeitō, star candy. Once he found it, he opened up the colorful bag of sweets and handed another bag to Stranger, who held it in their mouth.

“You’re acting like a child. Stop being so angry and get out of this weird phase,” Uni said as he took them out of The Cove. They struggled to stay inside, but failed.

Uni let them stay in their red burrito blanket. They told him they felt safer when they were inside of it, so he let them stay. He led them to the spot where they knew the Little Ones hung out; they hadn’t been fed in a few days because Stranger had been busy. A group of hungry shadow blobs swarmed under their feet when Stranger sat beside Uni on the log.

“When I was your age,” Uni said, throwing colorful stars of candy into the hoard of Little Ones. “I had a crush on someone too.”

Stranger listened attentively, but felt his speech would be more of a lecture. Still, they had been curious about their friend’s' love life.

“Obviously I could never be with her, because of my anxiety and her view on romantic relationships,” He said.

The scent of mud and sugar flooded their nose. “You liked my sister?” Stranger laughed, at least they were less tense now.

“Shut. up.” Uni groaned.

“Admit you like girls who are taller than you!” Stranger teased. They weren’t actually discriminative of Uni’s type, if he had one. They just wanted to be annoying for the fun of it. That was The Bettas; being mean for the fun of it.

The sea urchin screamed into his hand out of annoyance. “I wasn’t always the short one!”

Uni collected himself and began his ‘speech’ again. “Alright. When we were younger, Herosaurus and Mari were joking about marriage. I asked them what it was and they gave me a basic answer that I don’t remember. I thought about it though, I assumed that I had to be in love with someone after seeing Mari and Hero, and Tako and Meido,” He paused, waiting to see if Stranger would have a dumb tease to add on, but the shadow didn’t say a word. “I had a deep admiration for Abbi. We both had troubling experiences with gender identity. She was always so confident, she knew who she was and who she wanted to be. I didn’t know anything about myself. I was an outcast in the group back then. I felt like an idiot when she rejected me. Years later, I found out I’m actually just like her, aromantic. I didn’t want her, instead I wanted to be her. To have her confidence and knowledge about her identity. Twelve year old me would’ve killed for even a shred of knowing who I was.”

Stranger opened their bag and threw some stars down for the Little Ones. “So you’re saying I want what Omori has? Or that I’m envious of him?” they asked. Uni’s speech didn’t come off as serious when it was being told to a burrito, but Stranger got his point.

“Not exactly. It’s just a possibility. Me and Abbi are still very close, so I know about Omori. He banished her to The Abyss, he hurt her. I don’t want you getting hurt, and neither does she. Even though your sister is crazy, she does everything for a good reason,” Uni corrected.

“Huh,” Stranger said. “Maybe that makes sense.”

Uni got up and stretched, Stranger swore they heard a crack in his back. His dirty shoes left distinct marks in the muddy earth, and he guided the Little Ones to another end of the Tree Circle. “I think Tako and Meido would be better at this kind of advice. Romance is complicated, and you shouldn’t be asking someone like me for knowledge on it. You could try talking to Abbi about it too. I’ll leave you alone to think. If you need me just give me a call, shadow kid. I’ll be close by.” Uni wasn’t one to talk often, only using simple sentences to get a point across. But to Stranger he said many words. He was an interesting guy.

Stranger sat on the log curled up in their soft, burrito shell of a blanket. They recalled the time they rescued Abbi from The Abyss with Omoli. Several years prior to that, Omori had banished her there for the first time. Then years after that he abandoned Stranger. They didn’t know how to feel now.

Staring into the soggy ground, a puddle caught their attention. It was muddy, small, and gross looking, but it made something spark in their mind. They remembered when Abbi took them, Omoli, and Mirrorman, puddle stomping. It had nothing to do with Omori, or anything Uni had discussed with them. But they thought about it. They thought about Mirrorman’s laughter and Omoli’s shiny, yellow rain boots. They thought about the temperature on that day, and how it was cold. At the time they wanted to return inside, but now they realized the fun they had experienced.

Stranger slightly teared up at the memory. Abbi may never take them to have that kind of fun again. It was strange; they hated it at the time, yet they wished to return to that state. If they could withdraw Abbi’s scars, maybe they could be a kid again. That’s all they had wanted, but they never stopped to think about it.

Stranger flew out of their burrito blanket, “UNIIIII GET THE GIRLS!” They shouted, “I KNOW WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME!”

─

//
“Bye!” Abbi called, slowly floating away from Sequin’s raft. She had untied the pink rope, and her talk with her new friend had ended. “I hope the ceremony goes well! Who knows, your brother might be in the crowd congratulating you!”

Sequin smiled brightly, a smile that looked well on him. “You’re a great girl! I’ll tell you how it goes tomorrow! You can find me in Raft Area!”

They shouted their goodbyes, more rather ‘see you laters’ as they drifted away from each other. Abbi thought about Sequin’s strange advice. It had come out of nowhere, but it would be useful. She was going to put a hold on the search for Omori, and apologize to Stranger.

The boat was going so fast the engine almost broke. Abbi was so excited to see her little sibling. She hoped they wouldn’t be too guilty about what happened, a little disinfectant and some bandages could fix everything! She looked down to see the blood on the front of her shirt; and some cotton rolls too, those could fix anything. Although cotton rolls were her best friend, Stranger likely wouldn’t be too fond of her bad habits.

She hit the red button on the SS Abyss for a quick stop. Since it was just an oversized toy boat it only had three buttons; green, go. red, stop. yellow, the forbidden button. The bow of the boat crashed directly into the entrance of The Cove, earning it and the rocks a decent dentage.

Abbi dived into The Cove, nearly breaking a limb, “I’m home!” She said, slightly out of breath.

Tako, Meido, and Uni were crowded around the table with Stranger, who was aggressively trying to finish a crossword puzzle on the back of an empty cereal box, likely gifted to them from Loquacious Cat.

“Oh hey, Blobfish!” Tako teased, the first to notice her. Stranger looked up too, but didn’t say a word.

The Bettas were just getting ready to leave, saying their goodbyes. Meido and Abbi did their “secret” handshake. Tako slapped her with the mighty force of suction cups, Abbi lovingly slapped her cousin back.

Uni gave her a tight hug. “Call me if you or Stranger need anything else,” He whispered firmly into her ear. She nodded, knowing not to give a verbal response.

Once the teenage delinquents made their way out of the overly complex door, Abbi took a seat next to Stranger.

They were playing with the cereal box, making it float. As a sacrifice for the magical energy being used their eyes were a soft baby blue color like water in the shallows, the only sign that they were ever Basil. When they put the box down, their eyes returned to a cold gray.

“I bet ya had loads of fun!” Abbi quipped.

Stranger stared into the wood grain of the hand carved table, “Yeah. you can’t be bored when you’re a Betta,” They said with a sad laugh to finish it off.

Abbi frowned. “I’m sorry about this morning,” she said with a genuine tone.

The shadow sighed, “It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I had a talk with someone today,” She started. “His older brother recently passed. I learned some things from him. I called him a coward, and in turn he kind of called me a bad sister. But you’re a great little sibling, so maybe that could make up for how selfish I've been.”

Stranger nodded, still avoiding eye contact. Their eyes were a bright glow of stress and worry, perfectly illuminating the freckles, no, stars on their cheeks. She thought she saw a comet shoot across the night sky of their face, but it must’ve been her imagination.

“We can play a game of Cinnamon Fishsticks,” Abbi suggested. Stranger didn’t respond. you had to be smart for that game, anyway. She wasn't the smartest.

It seemed as though they wanted nothing to do with her. It made her heart twinge. They were having so much fun with The Bettas earlier, now they were as still as a statue.

“I’m staying tonight,” She blurted. “And tomorrow, and the next day, and the next week if my boss lets me,” she quickly whispered the last part, smiling.

Stranger sighed. “You said that this morning. And the night before that, and last week. I’m surprised you still even want to see me.”

“I’m being honest this time! Tell you what, little dude. If you don’t wake up to me snoring on your left; I want you to shave my head and to tie me to the clock tower in Town Area. I’m serious! I do everything to keep my hair at this length, but just for you I would go bald!” Abbi said, in a very serious and professional tone.

They tried to keep it in, but Stranger couldn’t help but chuckle.

The kraken didn’t stop her bellowing speech though, “If I’m not here when you wake up at the crack of dawn to exercise with Kel, I will walk my butt down to Punishment Area and personally give Butler a noogie. Ever since the ‘pie incident’ I’m not welcome there anymore! I do a lot for you, my favorite little shadow dude!” She stated proudly.

“I get your point, I get your point!” Stranger smiled.

Abbi hugged them tightly, “I need to go take a shower now, and fix up a few things. Is that alright?” She asked.

Stranger nodded, following closely behind her to the bathroom.

“Um, Stranger?” Abbi said awkwardly, “You can’t come in here with me.”

“Ah sorry! I wasn’t planning on it!” They said quickly, taking a seat beside the wall next to the door, patiently waiting.

With the silence, and Stranger in front of her, she realized she never made breakfast, “Have you eaten yet?” She asked hastily. When Stranger shook their head she rushed back into the kitchen to prepare some leftover watermelon from the fridge. The red juice stained the now dirty and scratched, porcelain plate.

“Thank you,” They said softly when she brought it back.

Abbi gazed at them for a moment as they slowly ate their watermelon, they looked like they weren’t going to move much. She took off her hat and patted it onto their head, shuffling up their hair.

“That should do it!” She elated. Stranger looked very surprised.

─

Abbi took a decent amount of time in the bathroom. Tending to wounds wasn’t something you could do in a jiffy. She doodled a little dog on the foggy bathroom mirror and unlocked the door to find Stranger still calmly sitting by the bathroom door, with her hat on.

“You didn’t want to be alone? She presumed.

Stranger nodded. They took off the hat, wanting to hand it back to their sister.

Abbi quickly declined. “You can wear it tonight if you’d like! I don’t wear it to sleep anyway haha.”

The shadow took an appreciative look at it and placed it back on their head. They smiled slightly.

Abbi walked over to the giant legendary ultra mega bed, knowing Stranger would follow. Somehow, these three beds were a beacon of memories and stories, and an ideal hangout spot for her and her little siblings.

“I’m going to tell you why I’ve been ‘avoiding’ this place, feel free to make commentary whenever you’d like,” She started. Stranger listened as they tried to roll themselves back into a burrito. How did Meido do it? “Everyday, before and after work I’ve been looking for Omori. Ever since the incident with your wrists and wings I’ve been seeking to confront him about it, possibly even kill him, to protect all of us.” Stranger didn’t say anything yet. “I thought what I was doing was good, because I had good intentions. In the outcome it turned out to be selfish. I accept my wrong doings, and I’m staying here instead from now on.”

The shadow put a pause on rolling their tortilla blanket, “That’s exactly what I’ve wanted to talk about too.”

Abbi tilted her head with curiosity.
Stranger rolled closer to her third of the bed. “I’ve been seeing Omori in Blackspace. First here, then Treehouse Area, then Redspace–”

“You’ve been in Redspace!?” Abbi interrupted. “Stranger, that's dangerous!”

“I wanted to confront him myself! Kel was the one who egged me on about it…” They pinned the blame on their close friend.

Abbi grumbled. “I’ll have to have a talk with his older brother.”

“It’s really strange though. I don’t want to hate Omori anymore,” Stranger said.

She frowned. “But he hurt us! He hurt you!”

“I don’t want to like him either though. The Bettas talked it over with me. I don’t think he wanted to do it to hurt us though, he was doing it to protect Sunny! He’s not like that anymore. I guess we're neutral about each other now.”

“I know,” Abbi responded sadly. “I just want to keep you safe.”

Stranger went silent. She thought they had something else to talk to her about, but they closed their mouth as quick as they opened it.

Abbi stifled a laugh, “But you can’t escape from me~!” She ripped them out of their half-folded tortilla blanket and gave them a noogie.

“Ahhh!” Stranger laughed. “Someone help me, I'm being murdered!”

“You could tear me apart limb by limb, but I would never stop nooging the people I love. It’s my love language, y’know,” She said matter-of-factly.

“Oh no I’m gonna get noogies in the afterlife too! Nooooooo!” Stranger fake-screamed.

Abbi saw their struggles with trying to roll up their blanket into a tortilla, so she quickly folded them up and set them back down on the bed gently. Stranger was so confused how people could just do that. Was it a genetic thing? Were people born with this skill?

“Aw sharks, where did my Stranger go?” Abbi said jokingly. “All I have here is this soft, oversized burrito.”

“Hey I’ll have you know I am a perfectly normal sized burrito!” They chuckled.

The rest of the night was filled with laughter and giggles. The Cove was blanketed in a comforting, breathable darkness. Their dreams would be good tonight.

[KILLERCLAWS: 7,350 words. January 2023.]
[Jerry is staying the night at the Aubrey School with his dad, Splits. He’ll be back next chapter though! He needed to have a family fun day while Abbi and Stranger were being angsty. -□□□□Y]

Chapter Text

[“The song is about weathering storms with the right people sharing your umbrella. Life or death.” -PopCrush ‘Safe and Sound’ – Song Meaning.]
[AND THANK YOU FOR 700 HITS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH]

The three, Splits, Stranger and Omoli were making their way back to The Cove from the uncalled for rain storm, not that they minded. Stranger was quite fond of the rain. They just hoped it wouldn’t turn into snow with the coming temperature shift. That’s why they had Splits with them; his plastic skin melted when the air wasn’t cold enough, which is why he had two homes in the Aubrey School and The Cove during shifts of temperature. Sometimes they wanted to take him to Orange Oasis and watch him melt.

“I knew we should’ve brought umbrellas!” Splits whined. He didn’t like getting wet. Splits had a saw attached to one of his arms. The same saw Abbi used to dispose of Stranger’s extra pair of arms. He liked keeping it clean.

“I don’t really mind,” Stranger said. “Plus we have towels at home anyway.”

Splits skipped up to the front of the line, leaving Omoli behind him and Stranger. “I hope Abbi has some water for me when we get there! I’m very thirsty!”

Stranger sighed. “You’re always thirsty, Splits. Just drink the rain if you’re so desperate.”

Splits gasped at the suggestion. “And drink millions of year old dinosaur pee!? No way!”

Omoli jumped up onto his shoulders. “I’m telling Herosaurus you said that!” He laughed.

“Wait no–” Splits protested, “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Heh, just kidding,” Omoli replied. There were a lot of things they never told Herosaurus, nor Abbi, nor any other ‘adult’ supervision. The Little Ones knew everything though. They were everyone’s little secret keepers.

The rain started picking up, and Stranger could see the familiar silhouette of The Cove in the distance. “We’re almost there!” They took one of Split’s paws and began running. They weren’t very coordinated, but at least they didn’t need to keep track of Omoli. Who was wobbling around trying his best to stay on Split’s shoulder.

Stranger opened the main entrance and let their brother’s inside first. Splits hated entering The Cove because of the pool below him, but Abbi always dried him off. It was kind of cute seeing his hair puff up like a pom pom after she attacked him with that towel. Water was his favorite drink and food, but he hated getting wet. The shadow always just thought he was weird. He was their weird younger brother.

“Hey Abbi!” Stranger called. “We’re home!” They assumed she could still be at work, or dropping her car off at Herosaurus’s to protect it from the rain. Speaking of rain; a storm was really uncalled for. It never really rained anywhere but Rain Area and Rain Town from what Stranger knew. Getting caught in a storm in Blackspace especially during a temperature shift was a once in a lifetime experience.

“Do you think she abandoned us?” Splits said sarcastically, knowing he was going to tick off Stranger.

“No!” They shouted. “She’s probably just–”

Abbi interrupted them, walking into the kitchen almost on cue. “Hey guys,” She said.

“Abbi!” Splits exclaimed, running up to hug her and knocking something out of her hands in the process. It was a very awkward hug though, because she was two feet taller than he was.

She gently patted his back a few times. “Hey little fella! How’ve you been?” She asked.

“I’ve been great!” Splits said, much nicer than he did whenever Stranger asked that same question. “Rumor from my buddies says you have a gnarly scar on your back!” His usage of the term gnarly made him sound like Moneyspace Kel.

Abbi grimaced. “Yeah–I” She turned to Stranger looking for a coverup. “Got attacked by Nanci! She apologized after though. ‘Sunny…I’m sorry’ my name isn’t Sunny, but I appreciated the apology. Something’s are quite nice when you get to know them!” She winked. Stranger gave her a shaky thumbs up.

“What’s that?” Omoli queried, pointing to a small toy boat discarded on the floor. It was the object Splits had knocked out of her hands.

“Oh?” Abbi said, turning around. She picked up the item and held it closely to her chest, as if not wanting someone to take it away. “Uhhh.” It was a small scaled version of the SS Abyss.

“Our boat!” Omoli cried.

“Omoli, it’s okay!” Abbi said.

“How’s it so small?” Splits and Stranger asked in unison, lightly punching each other when Abbi wasn’t looking.

“The rain is soaking up energy from the boat, meaning it returns to its original state. I can’t change it back for a while though,” Abbi explained, somewhat sadly.

“What’s wrong?” Stranger asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Abbi tensed up a little, before relaxing again. “It’s nothing, I’m just kind of tired.” She smiled.

While she walked to the bathroom to retrieve a towel for Splits, Stranger quietly followed her. The other two were in the kitchen making desperate ice breakers. They hadn’t talked in a while.

“Are you sure you’re just tired?” Stranger asked again.

The kraken nearly dropped her towels. “Ah! You scared me! Sorry, I didn’t want to say this in front of Omoli and Splits, because it’s a little dumb,” She chuckled. “The Abyss royally messed up my powers, meaning I can’t channel them into the boat forever, even though I'd like to. I think it’s Omori’s way of punishing me even after I escaped. It’s a little silly, but I am very afraid of the rain.”

Stranger was satisfied with the answer, happy knowing Abbi would be okay. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” They said. “If you want we can do some things you’d like, if that would help calm you down.”

Abbi laughed. “Thanks, I really appreciate it, little dude. I’ll be okay. Just have some fun with your brothers while they’re here.”

─

When they returned to the kitchen, Stranger stuck his tongue out at Splits, who did the same.

“Alright Splitsy, here's your life essence!” Abbi thunked the pile of bright pink and yellow towels onto the table in front of the spider, who graciously suffocated his face in them.

“Thabnks!” He said. Stranger and Omoli laughed when his wet hair fluffed up, nearly taking his flower crown with it.

Once Splits had wrapped his body head to toe in fluffy towels, similar to burrito-Stranger, he walked up to Abbi and craned his neck to meet her eyes. “I heard your conversation,” He said, coldly. Splits had an odd way of talking to people.

“And what are you gonna do with that information?” Abbi asked, she was the main platform of authority in The Cove, mainly because she owned it. Splits was never threatened by her though.

Splits remained silent for a moment. “This,” He said, sticking his hand out and flicking water in her face.

Abbi came to be as still as a statue until she slowly walked to the sink and began to fill a cup with cold water. She began talking a sip before she splashed it all over Splits’ shirt, leaving tiny drops of water on his glasses.

“OH IT IS ON, SPLITS!” She laughed maniacally.

Splits screamed and ran to find somewhere to hide. Stranger ducked under the table, but they were hit with an unknown pink blob that exploded into water balloons.

“Run, shadow kid, run!” Omoli encouraged, preparing more balloons. They were dusty and the device to fill them up was very squeaky, because they were in a cupboard for several years.

Stranger jumped up from out of the table, hitting their head on a chair and running to steal some of Omoli’s stash. They took the colorful plastic balloons and tossed some in Abbi’s direction.

“We’re bringing out the big guns now?” She said, gently tackling Omoli to get ahold of the water-filler-machine-whatchamacallit. Splits made a dive for whatever else was in the cupboard, and took out a water gun. He began filling it up in the sink while Omoli, Stranger, and Abbi threw balloons at him. Stranger laughed knowing he hated when he wasn’t winning.

“Behold!” Splits started, when suddenly Omoli knocked the gun out of his hand’s with an extra heavy water balloon. “Hey finders keepers!” he scrambled to get the gun back.

“Looks like I’m the finder!” Omoli teased, squirting Splits glasses and running in the opposite direction.

“Stranger, if we team up we have a better chance at winning this. Everybody knows I come second place in water fights, second to Loomy,” She whispered.

Stranger nodded, loading her arms, pockets, and hats up with balloons. “You take the giant ultra legendary mega bed™ and I’ll take the storage area.”

Abbi agreed and they set off to claim their territory. Stranger was very glad they decided to team up.

Splits was still fighting Omoli for the state-of-the-art water gun. His vest was drenched from Omoli shooting him, and Splits looked enraged.

“I hope you don’t hold a grudge against me, dear brother. You know this must be done,” Omoli said sarcastically, shooting Splits again.

“GIVE IT BACK!” The spider shouted.

Stranger threw a water balloon at Omoli when his guard was down, it landed on his head and exploded in his hair. He noticed Stranger hiding behind the storage shelf and ran over to squirt them.

Abbi knocked him back with another balloon though, The Cove was soaked with water by now.

Stranger threw the last of their water balloons at Omoli and Splits before surrendering and letting their brother hit them a few times.

“You guys know I hate getting wet!” Splits complained. His wit died down when he was angry.

“You started it,” Stranger chuckled.

Omoli handed Splits the water gun. “Sorry, I got a little carried away heheh…I haven’t had this kind of fun in a while.”

“It’s fine. I guess.” Splits sighed.

Abbi jumped down from the bed and exploded her last few balloons onto herself. “I went a little crazy back there! Dang, sorry Splits,” She laughed apologetically.

“Yeah, yeah. Can we go to sleep?” Splits asked, but it was more of a demand.

“Alright then,” Abbi stretched. “Let’s go get ready for bed!”

─

It was the middle of the night, The Cove was blanketed in darkness. The only source of light would be Stranger’s glowing eyes and freckles, and Abbi’s eye. Which was less harsh now, and more of a calming aura.

Noticing this, Stranger crawled over Omoli and Splits to see what their sister was doing. The bed was squishy, and they nearly woke up their brothers, but they successfully made it across.

“Abbi?” They whispered. “Are you alright?”

She turned, making her blanket crease beneath her. Her glowing eye illuminated what was floating above her, a red hand.

Stranger was about to explain, but Abbi spoke before they could. “She says her name is Bethany,” She spoke. “And she’s looking for Gunther.”

“She’s with me,” Stranger reassured. “Omori can’t control her, she won’t hurt us.”

“It’s not that,” Abbi said. “I know who Gunther is, but my mind won’t let me remember.” Her words wobbled as her throat began to cave in.

“Abbi…” Stranger said. They pulled the blanket over her, the dark crimson blanket, the one they liked.

She wiped her eyes with the fluffy, soft corner. “The Abyss made me forget so many things.”

Bethany gently petted Abbi’s head tentacle, which made her instinctively curl them up. Stranger took her hat and placed it on the bedside table beside her bed, right next to a framed photo. “Do you have a headache?” Stranger asked.

Abbi shook her head. “No, it’s not that,” She sighed. “I’m scared to lose any more of them, and Bethany reminded me of it. Mari’s gone, you three and the others are all I have left. I lost the ability to write with my first time in the depths, and with a second time I lost the ability to read. I’m afraid I will die.”

Stranger swallowed a heavy lump in their throat. “But you won’t die,” They said, but it was more of a protest. The rain outside poured louder than before, like millions of knives crashing against the shield of The Cove.

“I couldn’t die in a world with you in it, Stranger. I love you, I value you!” She cried, nearly loud enough to awaken Omoli and Splits.

Stranger stared into the mattress. They could not bring themself make eye contact with their sister.

Abbi untucked herself from the blankets like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. She firmly wrapped her arms around Stranger and rubbed their back.

Stranger’s breaths were hard and out of sync with Abbi’s, but since they felt secure with her they eventually calmed down. They could hear all three of her heartbeats; she had four hearts but only three of them worked. Stranger wrapped their arms around her, avoiding touching her back with their claws. They could feel the bandages under her shirt.

“Please don’t die,” Stranger said.

Abbi pulled Stranger closer. “You know I wouldn’t.” They swore they could hear a smile in her voice.

For the first time in a while the shadow began to cry. The same tears from the day they thought Abbi would never come back, and the same tears from the day Abbi had welcomed them into her home. A stolen memory returned to them for just a moment, they wanted to bring Abbi to their house; a dirty leather shoe. She wore a cute gray skirt with her iconic symbol, the anchor, on it and her teeth were mismatched in all different directions. She didn’t fit in with their world, Stranger knew this. But they were kids in a hide and seek game, high up in a tree. With the brief conversation they had had, Stranger knew that they both knew that what happened in that tree was meant to happen. Even if the dreamer didn’t expect or want it to.

The memory only stayed in their head for a mere second before dissolving like a photograph in the ocean. It didn’t need to be remembered, only understood.

“Thank you for bringing me to your house,” They said, lumps in their throat and tears in their eyes.

“Yeah, you didn’t have anywhere to stay. You’ve been my brother by spirit even before we met.” Abbi said.

“I won’t let you die, ever. I wish you were never hurt. I wish I could take your pain away,” Stranger weeped.

“Oh, little dude, you already have.” Abbi laughed, genuinely.

Stranger cried themself to sleep that night. Their tears of joy falling like Abbi’s pouring rain.

─

Stranger woke up to the pounding of rain they could hear above. Droplet after droplet spilling from the crying sky onto their roof. Looks like the rain wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon, even with the temperature shift. They yawned and turned to their side of Abbi’s comfortable bed. Sometime in the night she went from holding them to being in a spine breaking position that was somehow comfortable enough for her. Stranger’s eyes gingerly opened to be met with Splits’ terrifying stare from all six of his eyes and a gleam from his saw arm.

“Did you sleep well?” Splits whispered, smiling widely.

Stranger screamed and jumped out of bed, waking up the rest of the house in the process. Jerry ran to their assistance, making sure everybody was okay.

“What happened? Is Omori here? Do I need my crowbar!?” Abbi flew up, ready for action.

Stranger lightly punched Splits. “Get your crowbar to mess this freak up!” they pointed to their brother.

“Hey I just wanted to know if you slept well!” Splits argued, he threw a pillow in the shadow’s face. “You guys threw water at me all evening! That is no way to treat a guest.”

“That is no way to treat a guest!” Stranger mocked with a high pitched voice. “You don’t need to waltz into our house with a saw!” they finished with a yell.

“Woah, woah! Calm down you two! That’s no way to treat each other,” Abbi scolded.

Stranger and Splits nodded, “Sorry Abbi,” They said slightly in unison. The moment their sister looked away though, they gave each other scowls of revenge.

“We should do something today,” Omoli suggested. “I was thinking we could go to Church of Something, to avoid the rain and play in the snow, anyone with me?”

“Sorry, little bro,” Abbi chuckled. “The rain follows me no matter where I am. If you guys wanna head up there I won’t stop you from having some fun! Plus, those warm baths won’t take themselves y’know.”

Stranger stopped Omoli from getting any snow gear. “But I want you to be included,” They said. “You hate being alone!”

“Mmm warm bath… Oh right! I do hate being alone! Thanks for reminding me Stranger,” She smiled proudly, as if forgetting something that crucial was normal.

“If you’re okay with it Abbi, maybe me and Splits could go to Church of Something and you guys could stay here and hangout,” Omoli stated. His idea was actually pretty good.

“Do you wanna bring the sled?” Splits smirked.
“I thought you’d never ask!” Omoli and Splits seemed to begin putting on snow gear/temperature shift gear before even getting a response. Fun loving kids were fast.

“OKAY!” Abbi shouted, hoping they would hear from outside The Cove. “STAY SAFE, HAVE FUN, AND DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS!” She nudged her little sibling and winked.

The kraken eagerly tapped her foot on the ground. “Well I’m gonna go take a bath, in the meantime you can sit outside the door, or help me complete this really hard word search I’ve been trying to do, or go with your brothers.”

Stranger noticed a few leftover slimy, plastic scraps from water balloons they had forgotten to clean up the night prior. “I think I’ll attempt that word search. And clean. I’ll definitely clean.”

“Alright, have fun!” Abbi cheered while grabbing some of Splits’ leftover towels.

Once it was a few minutes since their older sister retreated to the bathroom, they picked up all the plastic pieces they could before taking a colorful book off of Abbi’s desk labeled ‘children’s word search! Fun for ages 4-7!’ Stranger laughed and opened the book up to a blank page.

Abbi had likely been scribbling out her frustrations with this book she probably found on the outskirts of the Tree Circle Area; lots of stuff ended up where they lived. Stranger noticed some of her tiny happy doodles next to her angry scribbled ones. She drew a sloppy picture of The Bettas. Tako had a booger coming out of her nose for some reason. Stranger had always found their cousin rivalry to be so cute, despite Uni’s many cries of how a DNA test proves that a blue(gray?) ringed kraken could not possibly be related to a vampire squid. Next to the drawing of the gang was what looked to be two people hugging. They knew it was obviously them and their sister, because Abbi had her hat and Stranger had their tail.

They chuckled out loud and flapped their wings, not because it was funny but because it made them happy. Dotted all around the doodles of them were spots labeled ‘friendship glitter.’ Abbi never trapped her inner child within herself from what Stranger could see. They wanted to see if she had anything else like this that they could peak at, so they scavenged through some of the drawers. It reminded them of the time they had to save Abbi from The Abyss with Omoli. Their joyful mood dropped when they thought of that day, but it was lifted once they had found a medium sized red journal with two strings on the side. They curiously glided their paw over the dusty cover and slowly began to open it up before hearing a call from Abbi.

“Stranger! I think I broke something!” She shouted.

Alarmed, the shadow ran to the bathroom and almost tripped on their tail trying to open the door. A broken bone paired with her current wound would not be good at all. This could have been an omen, maybe she will die! Stranger’s mind raced with worry.

“Abbi! I’m here! What’s wrong, is it bad? Do we need to call an ambulance?” Stranger stammered.

Sitting on the closed toilet was their sister wrapped up in a fuzzy pink towel, smiling as if nothing was the matter. “No silly, the faucet! It won’t turn on, and I was wondering if you knew anything about this kind of stuff.”

Stranger sighed with relief, Abbi was okay. She was probably cold though, the only thing between her and the ice cold air was the pink towel. From what the shadow could see, she was holding in shivers.

“Oh, yeah! I think I remember Tako doing this when she was here when you and Uni were on vacation at Last Resort. The household appliances always bug out during temperature shifts.” Stranger said, taking a dusty manual out from the bottom of the cupboard underneath the sink.

“According to Tako the Faceless wrote this, so it should have some answers as to what’s going on. She only punched the shower head about five times, she must’ve been angry,” They explained.

Abbi frowned. “Do you think I’ll forget any of the times I’ve had with you and our friends?” She asked.

They paused what they were doing. “No,” They said firmly. “Even if it sucks the shadow right out of me, I would use all the magic I could to keep your brain intact! Not that you would lose memories anyway.”

“Thanks,” She weakly smiled. “Oh! Speaking of magic, the rain should stop in a few days, meaning we can use the boat again soon! I need to stock up on some watermelons.”

Stranger gave the faucet one final inspection before turning to their sister again. “Do you think you could teach me about magic and how it works? I’ve only every opened warp doors, summoned keys, and–” They weren’t supposed to mention the last part.

“And?” Abbi repeated smugly. “Slipping up on our words are we, Stranger SS?” Dang, first name and last name.

“Stealing the SS Abyss,” Stranger sighed. Although, it wasn’t like they’d get grounded. It was three and a half years ago, and Abbi had told them to go out and make some friends. So then it was her fault, not theirs!

“Nah I’m messing with you,” She laughed. “If I were you I’d ask Tako or Herosaurus about it more. They know the most about using it for non-violent purposes.”

“Alright, I’ll probably talk to them about it once this temperature shift is over,” Stranger replied, turning the knob on the faucet to hot. Tiny drops of dripping water turned into a stream of spewing hot water.

“Haha! It works!” They exclaimed.

“Yay! Thanks little dude, I thought I was just gonna have to reapply my bandages and just sit in here so that I didn’t look stupid,” Abbi admitted.

“I’m happy to help with whatever you need, even children’s word searches,” The shadow laughed.

“Hey don’t rub it in!” She snickered.

Stranger put the manual back in the dusty part of the closet and closed the door behind them. “Have fun!” They said.

─

They felt like there was something they needed to do before Abbi called them in. With nothing to occupy their time they decided to go hangout with Jerry, who was resting on Omoli’s third of the bed.

Stranger softly shook him. “Hey Jerry what’s up?” They whispered.

The cyborg sprout mole bolted awake, making a cute beeping noise when he sensed Stranger.

“You want something to eat?” They asked, having Jerry follow them into the kitchen.

Stranger bent down to reach the gasoline in the bottom of the cupboard. It was stored away so that any guests wouldn’t wonder why they had gasoline in their kitchen. If they did ever notice though, Abbi just told them it was for her car.

When Jerry received the tub of gasoline he put some effort into popping off the lid, and then gulping it down.

“Maybe one day I’ll pour some gasoline down your dads throat,” Stranger scoffed.

Jerry set the gasoline down and frowned.

Appalled by this, Stranger immediately apologized. “Sorry! Me and Splits just don’t get along that well. I’ll keep my harsh words in my mind next time.”

Jerry smiled again and trotted to the fridge, which was an old, yellowed color decorated with fun drawings and silly alphabet magnets. Tako constantly would try to spell a bad words with the letters, but Omoli always rearranged them. He preferred everyone to have a clean vocabulary.

Stranger stared at the permanent marker scribble on the handle of the fridge, the scribble caused by Jerry. They smiled and looked down, to see the sprout mole standing beside them with another permanent marker in hand.

“Jerry, no!” They scolded.

The sprout mole only scooted his paw closer.

“Jerry,” Stranger repeated.

With a quick swipe Jerry stained a thick black line over the pristine yellow-white fridge. This time around the line was way more noticeable. Stranger gave up and watched as Jerry drew smiley faces and rainbows next to his previous marks.

“Did Splits teach you to do that?” Stranger asked.

“Mh-hm!” Jerry beeped

As the sprout mole ran off to fulfill wondrous activities, Stranger peered down at him with fondness. Splits was never very kind to them, nor did he make them feel very safe. They knew they were brothers and sibling rivalry was normal, but there was just something scary about him that they couldn’t pinpoint. But seeing the good things Splits could create, they almost had second thoughts about him. How could he be so kind so some but cruel to others? What did he want from them anyway?

Jerry came back with a framed photo in his paw, he eagerly motioned for Stranger to take a look at it. The shadow took the frame from him, knowing exactly what it was.

They were looking down at a photograph taken by Splits Clementia SS, the basil of The Cove. He never liked his photo being taken, so he took pictures of others with his camera instead. That spider loves that camera with all of his heart and soul. This particular picture was taken on a very special day; Stranger had grown their first plant, with the help of their sister of course. But to think, Stranger Umbra SS, a rafflesia amidst a garden of camellias, someone who could kill with just a touch, had raised life. It was grass seeds in a pot. Something simple yet fast, and do-able. They thought it was silly at the time, but Abbi and Omoli stood beside them looking proud as ever. When Splits put the viewfinder on his camera up to his eye, Stranger could’ve swore they saw him smiling.

“Why are you showing me this, Jerry?” They asked, kindly.

“Beep bwop!” Jerry chirped.

Stranger smiled and patted the sprout mole on the head. They handed the photo back to him, Jerry hurriedly scurried to get it back to it’s spot. Abbi was very picky on who was allowed to mess with that very precious photo in it’s less precious frame.

When they heard an expensive noise from the drain, they knew Abbi was done in the bathroom. Well, almost done. Stranger remembered her episode from the previous night, and wanted to do something to cheer her up. So quickly, they sliced up a juicy red watermelon and neatly stacked it onto a plate. As a side dish, they opened the box of graham crackers and gave her two. In this family graham crackers represented care and love, similar to bluebells representing kindness.

Once Abbi excited the bathroom she was greeted with Stranger sitting in the kitchen with Bethany. Across from them was a plate of watermelons and the best food on earth. Stranger knew she would like it.

“Aww, little dude! You shouldn’t have!” She said sheepishly.

“But you know you deserve it,” Stranger replied. Bethany scraped her claws against the wooden table as they spoke. Maybe she was curious on how it was carved?

Abbi shoveled some watermelon in her mouth, not even swallowing before she began to speak. “Omoli and Splits have been gone for a while, and I was thinking we could do something.” heavy rain sprinkled onto the roof of The Cove.

“Like what?” They asked. “I’m not much of a morning person.”

“Well we could leave them a note and go on a car ride to this place in Underwater Highway,” She explained. “Hopefully Herosaurus is awake, he’s a late sleeper.”

“But we need your car for that, and we’d need to go out into the rain. You’d be too scared,” Stranger said. They didn’t mean to make her worried or guilty, but even their smile didn’t help.

“Oh…right,” Abbi realized slowly. “Sorry. I’ve been getting in the way with these things haven’t I?”

Stranger quickly shook their head. “No! Not at all! You’ve been through a lot, if there’s anything you’re scared of, it’s reasonable and valid. You taught me that.” From Orange Oasis to the Abyss, they would never hold resentment towards Abbi, or any of their friends for that matter.

Abbi weakly smiled.

They had an idea, “What if you faced your fears? Like, right now? I could help you,” they offered.

The kraken looked taken aback. “I–um,” She stuttered.

“I don’t like seeing you suffer, especially with the pressure laid upon you with taking care of everybody.” They remembered wanting to be the opposite of who Basil was to Omori, but now they found they wanted to be the opposite of who Splits was to them. “I want to help you.”

Abbi’s face turned cold. Not the bad kind of cold, just a serious expression. She went into the bathroom closet to get something before returning to Stranger with two raincoats. One was gray and the other was bright yellow. They both had boots to match.

Stranger started putting their rain gear on as soon as Abbi did. She was still quiet, but they could still hear what she was trying to tell them through the silence.

“Will you hold my hand?” She asked quietly, almost a mumble.

Stranger nodded. “Yes. Yes, I will!”

Abbi lead them out of The Cove and into the fresh open air. The rain diluted the toxic air of the temperature shift, eliminating their need for filtration masks. She opened her umbrella, and Stranger flipped their hood over their head. They looked like a little kid with their oversized raincoat and boots; it was from Loquacious Cat when they were a kitten. They tightly gripped Abbi’s tentacle.

“Lets–Let’s go to the top,” She said worriedly.

The shadow followed behind her, wondering if she would be okay. The climb to the top of The Cove was slippery. Stranger couldn’t remember the last time they had been on top of the boot with just Abbi, overlooking the entirety of the Tree Circle Area.

“Will I be okay, Stranger?” Abbi whispered. She almost sounded like a pleading, helpless child.

“I’m quite fond of the rain,” Stranger said. “It can’t hurt you.”

“What if it does?” She asked. They could see how small she must’ve felt against the big world.

“It can’t,” They reassured.

“Omori hurt me.”

Guilt whirlpooled in their gut. Stranger wrapped their tail around their leg and flinched their neck. To satisfy both their sister and Omori would start a war within their mind. A war they couldn’t win. They seeked a smile from Abbi, the kind and reassuring smile she gave them when she sung them to sleep the first night Splits slept over. Instead they were met with tears. The tears of a twelve year old girl forced to grow up with the fear of once again forgetting everything, feeling like what she went through wouldn’t be good enough. Abbi was sixteen, just a year older than Mari. But deep, deep down in the abyss of her mind, was the little girl waiting for a savior. Stranger could never know the extent of what she went through. All they would ever is that they wanted to save her. Even if it meant sacrificing the other side of the war,

Just as Abbi’s umbrella was lifted into the air by the wind, Stranger held her tight in a warm hug. Stranger had always naturally been cold, and they weren’t warm now. But Abbi never felt that kind of cold. She just fought against the riptides, the icicles, the roses and the thorns, and hugged back.

Deep down, Stranger hoped that the tears of them and their sister could be seen from the furthest outskirts of the dreamworld. They wished Omori was looking down at them with regret of ever doing anything to them, but they knew no other soul was witnesses the storm.

Stranger and Abbi were both children when they were hurt, so was everyone else. Aubrey, Hero, Kel, Mari, even Omori, even Sunny. They were just kids against the world. But how can you be against the world when you are the world? Stranger finally put that question into words. And just as it entered their brain it slipped away again, just long enough to be understood.

Abbi cried into their shoulder; getting tears, snot and spit all over their raincoat. She was never a pretty crier.

“I’m never gonna leave you,” She said out of the blue, the grip she had on Stranger’s paw was firm despite the rain water and sweat. “He took the world from me, but you came to give it back.” Words of wisdom coming back to her from an unknown memory.

Stranger gently took her head and laid her down on their lap. They could both see the vast expanse of trees in every direction and the winding path of the rivers current. They could see the entire world from The Cove, that’s what made the shoe-shaped boulder so damn great.

─

Stranger waited for as long as Abbi needed, before she sat up and allowed the rain to soak her hat and drip down her hair.

“It feels different now,” She started. “Now that you’re here. Now that the rain is our thing. Like the Tree Circle, that was always our thing.”

Stranger smiled. “I’m glad that it’s our thing,” they said, proudly.

“You maybe want to go on that car ride now? We can walk to Herosaurus’s place with the help of warp doors,” Abbi suggested.

“I think that sounds great,” Stranger responded. They climbed down from the roof of The Cove with Abbi and watched as the muddy water emerged from the earth with every red footprint they made.

“Gross right?” Abbi noticed, stomping her boots up and down on the grass. She splatted her tentacles in it and splashed Stranger.

“Ah what the heck!” They laughed. Luckily they hadn’t gotten dirty.

The two walked for a while before finding a good spot to open a door. Stranger reached for the key on their necklace, they closed their eyes and took a deep breath. The aura of an ethereal door made it’s presence in front of them. The door sucked out all of their shadow form, and it would remain open until their form returned.

Abbi took the key and twisted it into the rusty lock. It made an irritating squeaky sound as the hinges turned, they’d need to get Uni and the Faceless’ to oil their warp doors.

“After you, madam,” Abbi joked in a very poised and proper voice.

Stranger giggled and took the key back, letting Abbi through the door with them. They were now in Town Area, where streets of gray houses with colorful decorations lined the roads.

“Hello there!” Abbi called out to a passing skeleton before turning to her little sibling. “Are you okay being out in public like this?” She asked, not judgmentally but more reassuringly.

Stranger nodded. “The people of Town Area are nice, and we likely won’t run into Omori here. And it’s only for a few minutes.” Blotches of inky shadow already started reappearing on their arms and face. Their eyes glowed a calm periwinkle color.

“Whatever you say, Stranger,” Abbi said, taking their hand and leading them to the street Herosaurus lived on.

This had been their first time wearing shoes in a while, and the feeling of not feeling the concrete on their paws was different. They didn’t know if they liked it or not.

Beneath them though were puddles. Muddy puddles displaying their rippling reflection. They kicked up some water with their feet and splashed Abbi’s leg and revenge from earlier.

“Shhh,” She whispered, gesturing to two sleeping somethings across the street; a Nanci and Cindi. Stranger knew that somethings were dangerous during temperature shifts, so they decided to let it go and let them rest. Plus, they just looked so peaceful. Stranger wondered if they’d like konpeitō just as the Little Ones did. Maybe Mari would like to try star candy as well if they ever got to meet her.

Once they turned at a house with a white picket fence and a playground in the backyard, Stranger could see Herosaurus’s home not too far ahead. Herosaurus had two homes actually; his house in the rural village of Town Area and his private room in Cloud Walkway. He preferred his private room, but he usually came to his house to visit his friends and bake.

Abbi hardly knocked on the storm door a few times, waiting for someone to answer. After some comedic noises of things crashing around and a cat hissing, the dinosaur answered the door.

Herosaurus had on his filtration mask, which did nothing to cover up how tired he looked. “Abbi?” He said drowsily. “Why so early?”

“C’mon Thesaurus, it’s like ten o’clock in the morning. Someone needs to wake you up every now and then! We need the car.” She got straight to the point.

“Fiona?” Hero checked. “Alright let me get the garage open.”

Stranger followed Abbi to the garage, where they would wait for the door to lift up. Stranger watched as it ascended onto its stand to rest on the ceiling and reveal the car.
The dinosaur slowly went to greet Abbi and hand her the keys when suddenly his tired eyes opened drastically to see that it was pouring rain.

Her ripped his filtration mask off of his face. “But you hate the rain!” He exclaimed. “Without Mari you’ll–no–is she back?!”

Abbi shook her head and looked at Stranger. “Nah, but I got someone just as good.” She smiled. Stranger smiled too.

Herosaurus gave a sigh of relief and put his mask back on. “Here are your keys. I think I’m going to lie down again.” He trotted off back into the safe vicinity of his house.

Stranger walked into the garage, staying put on the side of the car they knew belonged to them. They noticed their shadow form had started repeating across their skin again, and they looked a little more like themself.

Abbi hopped in and jammed the tiny metal key into its hole. She revved up the engine and darted straight into the road once she was sure the shadow had buckled in.

“I’m feeling the need for speed,” She confessed. The car was going at a legendary speed of fifteen miles per hour.

Abbi crashed into a few trash cans on her way out of the town, but after that the drive would be pretty smooth.

“Hey Strangie you think you can open up another warp portal? Bigger this time?” Abbi requested.

“Uhh sure I can try!” Stranger said, bumping around in the passenger seat.

They opened a huge door in front of them, which Abbi managed to miraculously slip her car into just before it closed. Stranger felt their form disappear again, but knowing it was just their sister with them they didn’t really mind.

“Thanks little dude I’ll be sure to reward you with extra watermelon later.” She winked. “Say, how long has it been since you’ve been to Deep Well?”

Stranger turned their eyes from the glove box and out of the window. It had been years since they had stepped into the dreamworld (other than the Train Station and Orange Oasis to go to Jimmi’s) And the first and only time they visited Underwater Highway, they were too focused on saving Abbi.

Now they could see everything around them. It was evening in the dreamworld, and their headlights illuminated the sand and coral ahead of them. Abbi’s rain followed even underwater. Comforting sounds of raindrops slamming onto the roof of the car filled their ears. Everything was so peaceful underwater, and on a night like this on an infinite highway, that was the best.

Abbi must’ve noticed how dull the glow of their eyes had gotten, “You can nod off for a little while if you’d like. I don’t mind driving while you’re sleeping.

Stranger took their soggy, yellow hood down and laid their head against the cushiony seat. “I think I’m alright. Thanks for letting me know.” They smiled softly.

“Yeah no problem, but if I hear snoring coming out of your mouth…” She swung one of her tentacles back and forth to mimic someone doing the lecturing finger gesture.

“Why does Herosaurus like sleeping so much?” Stranger asked.

Abbi clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth a few times. “He’s depressed, even when he tries to hide it. I know it doesn’t bother him much, but I don’t like seeing him like that. Mari always cheered him up, and he cheered us up. Now that she’s gone it’s me, Omoli and The Bettas job to check in with him. We care about each other.”

Stranger sunk into their raincoat and their eyes glowed a little bit brighter, “Sorry for the personal question,” They apologized.

“It’s alright! Hey I see those eyes glowing, stop it! Be happy!” She encouraged, nudging them a few times.

Stranger laughed and set her tentacle back on the shifter. “Do you think Mari will ever be back?” They wondered, immediately cursing themself for such a blood boiling question.

“Of course I do,” Abbi said. “In fact I never stopped believing that she would. Meido tells me that life is all around us; that even The Cove is alive. Basically that Mari is all around us. She also says that deadly temperature shifts didn’t start until Stargirl’s little disappearance.” It was odd how much more calm she was about answering that question.

“Is that true?” They asked.

“I don’t know, Stranger. You tell me,” She smirked.

She looked out the window to see a vast expanse of funky sea critters, wildlife and flora. The ocean was always quite beautiful to them. A Gator Guy in a taxi passed them at their left, and Abbi nearly jumped out of her seat to wave at him. Stranger assumed it was one of her co-workers from when she still had her job at Last Resort.

“That’s Gerard, we worked together at Last Resort.” Abbi explained. “Or as me and the boys called him, Prancer! Because he was a terrible dancer and we got it on video!” She cheered joyfully.

“Speaking of dancing,” Stranger said, turning on the radio. “Let’s turn on some music!”

“Oh great idea! I always forget to turn on the radio, I’m glad you reminded me,” Abbi said.

“Of course,” They flicked through all the different stations to find one that sounded nice.

Abbi smiled when a song she liked started playing. “Oh stop there!”

Stranger stopped clicking just in time. They didn’t stop to read the title of the song, but they already knew what it was just by the tune.

“Uni introduced me to this band, I didn’t know you liked them too,” Stranger beamed.

Abbi nodded and started singing. “You could be my luck, even if the sky is falling down I know that we’ll be safe and sound!” she made her singing sound shoddy on purpose.

“C’mon, I know you sing better than that!” Stranger teased.

“This is naturally how my voice works,” Abbi quipped sarcastically.

Stranger grabbed her shoulder and gently shook it. “Let’s sing together now,” They suggested.

“I could show you love, in a tidal wave of mystery you’ll still be standing next to me.” Abbi sang for real this time, now that her voice was covered up by Stranger’s.

“See! I told you you’re a great singer,” They said.

“Must’ve been a voice crack,” She joked.

The two boogied to the rest of the song before Abbi put a tentacle over Stranger’s mouth to hush them.

“You could be my luck, even if we’re six feet underground I know that we’ll be safe and sound!” She sang directly at Stranger.

“Aw I’m flattered!” They said once they were able to speak again.

Abbi turned on the windshield wipers so she could see where she was going. Stranger picked two might raindrops to oppose each other. Rain drop one was in the lead at first, before coming to a halt at a sudden gust of wind. Rain drop two quickly took its place and dashed for the finish line. Unfortunately neither of them could survive the wrath of the perilous windshield wipers. They immediately forgot what they were doing and looked out their window.

In a certain direction, Underwater Highway was infinite. Stranger couldn’t help but curiously look back the other way opposite to where they were going. They wondered if Hitchhiker had taken shelter from the rain. He was someone they thought about sometimes. Not often, but sometimes. Hitchhiker helped them into the Abyss. If Stranger ever met up with him again they’d likely give him a jackpot worth of clams to repay him for all that he’s done.

“What’re you thinking about?” Abbi asked, noticing they were staring out the window.

“Nothing. Just our cool duet from earlier,” Stranger pointed some cool finger guns at her.

“That was pretty cool, wasn’t it little dude?” She agreed. “Oh look we’re here!” Abbi drove the car off road and onto a shady, disused looking path just big enough to fit Fiona, the car, through.

The dirty path was a shortcut that led out of the water and into a large field of puffball dandelions in every direction their eyes could see.

“Dandelion Dip, or the Flower Valley as Mari and Herosaurus called it. It’s connected to an inaccessible part of Orange Oasis,” Abbi told. “Me and Jimmi and The Bettas would hang out here often when we were younger. If you look at the dip between the two hills you can catch some pretty good momentum and run down faster than a minnow in a pond.”

Stranger got out of the car. The rain damaged the dandelions around them, and made them all soggy.

“This place is breathtaking! I bet we could see the stars when the sky is clear!” They danced around and let drops of rain fly into their mouth.

Abbi closed her car door too and stepped into the rain with her sibling, catching some of the rain with her tentacle. “I’ve wanted to show you this place for a while, but I was never sure when the right time was. I think today has been pretty great though.”

Stranger laid on the muddy ground. Abbi joined them, laying upside down from them so that their heads were next to each other.

The air was peaceful and quiet. This place, just like Jimmi’s, belonged to the residents of Blackspace. Dandelion Dip was a sanctuary of memories, wishes, and generations to come. Stranger knew a lot about the weeds from when their garden would be infested with dandelions, when they still lived in Vast Forest as Basil. They used to pick each and every one from the roots to make sure they never appeared again. Just like the shadows Omori had tried to hide they kept coming back. The seeds would spread and they’d come back stronger than before. In a sense everything stays; good or bad. Now instead of destroying the flowers they lived and breathed alongside them. Three and a half years ago a Kraken had found them. Wishing on dandelions was passed on from one kid to the next.

Abbi stood up and went to pick something up. Stranger was curious on what she was doing, so they sat up.

Abbi came back holding a single, dry puffball. It’s seeds had survived the storm and the stem had stayed resilient amongst all odds.

“Make a wish,” She offered, holding the dandelion under her tentacle to protect it from the weather.

Stranger thought about it. They were just about to blow when they thought of Abbi taking them in again. She offered them a home in their most desperate and vulnerable of times. Even after everything she remained as their older sister, and they remained as her little sibling.

“I don’t need to make a wish.” Stranger said.

“Three and a half years ago, it already came true.” They smiled at Abbi as the final raindrops fell, the clouds drifted apart to reveal the starry nightsky. “I’ve always wished for a sibling, and i’ve found a home in you.”

[RAINRAINGOAWAY: 8,289 words. January 2023.]
[This message goes out to my good buddy Irigreddahc, who could make me feel safe even when I’m entangled by the thorns of a rose garden. Thank you for always being there for me :D -Fishy]

Chapter Text

[Small cw: The beginning of this chapter has mentions of pills/medicine, and while that isn’t something many people might get bothered by I just thought I should include a warning just in case. There's also implications of suicidal thoughts and s/h near the end. Anyway, Happy reading! Sorry things have been so angsty. -□□□□Y]

Stranger dragged their limbs across the wispy ground. The heavy pressure of the atmosphere pushed them down onto whatever they were on top of. It was huge, cold and definitely alive.

They opened their very weighted eyelids and used their aching head to come up with an idea of where they were. They seemed to be underwater, in a dark area where their eyes had not yet adjusted.

Another twinge of pain twisted in their skull causing them to roll off onto the sandy ground. They wondered how Abbi could deal with these kinds of headaches.

Stranger hissed in pain as the ache settled in their forehead just above their eyes. They wanted to mercilessly tear out the section that hurt.

They summoned of the strength left in their body and mind to create a warp door, but looking down at their hands they realized it wouldn’t work, and they were trapped.

Sighing, they flopped back onto what they were previously laying on. It moved.

“What the–?” They jumped.

Once their eyes had adjusted, they attempted to lift up the large creature with a few heaves from their weak arms. They tried and tried but they were just too sick. They wished they were sitting on their kitchen table with their sister and brothers in that moment.

With one final drag they managed to just peek under the creature. It seemed to blend into the water around them, and it had suction cups. It was a huge octopus with suction cups. Once they set it down they realized where they were and who this was.

“Abbi!” Stranger shouted, despite the pain it brought to their brain.

“Wake up!” They began dragging her by the end of her tentacle, trying to prompt her to move on her own.

Their lack of breathing that they were using to contribute to strength severely damaged their state and they knew they would pass out soon.

“...wake up!” They cried between breaths. “I don’t… I don’t want you to die…”

Someone roughly pushed them off of her. They didn’t know who it was, but the person had shiny purple hair and turquoise elytra.

“What the heck! Why…would you do that?” they blacked out.

─

They were waken up to the sensation of an earthquake.

“Stranger….!” Abbi shouted. “You’ve been asleep for fifteen hours…wake up!”

They tightly grabbed their blanket to get a grip on reality. Abbi was in front of them. The purple-gray rock wall of The Cove was in front of them. They weren’t in the Abyss, they were in their home.

“mmrhn.” They grumbled, their headache once again making itself present. “How long have I been asleep?” They rubbed their eyes, taking a look at everything surrounding them; the bed, the wall, Abbi, their nine pillows. Everything seemed to be in order.

“You fell asleep on the car ride home yesterday and I didn’t want to wake you. Splits had been complaining all morning and all night waiting for you to wake up, and I need to get to work soon,” She explained.

“Mmm Ihaveaheadache,” Stranger whined again. They didn’t like being seen as whiney or a burden or vulnerable, but it was better than dealing with Splits.

Abbi's tired face turned to one with worry. “Aw I’m sorry little dude, I didn’t know. How about we go get you some medicine?” She offered.

“The purple stuff?” Stranger asked.

“Yeah,” Abbi smiled. “The purple stuff.”

The kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of bacon and eggs. Splits was over the stove acting all fancy with what he was cooking, but in reality it wasn’t too special.

“Good morning dear sister of mine!” Splits said to Abbi. “Good morning stinky.” He laughed when he saw Stranger wrapped up in a burrito blanket.

Abbi shimmied through the gap between Splits and the table. “Be nice to them, their not feeling too good right now.”

“Yeah, Splits.” Stranger repeated. “I’m not feeling too good right now.” The two scowled at each other.

“Good morning guys!” Omoli waved, just finishing marking his height on the wall with a permanent marker. “Sorry you aren’t feeling well, Stranger.”

“Eh, you don’t need to apologize. You’ve grown a full two centimeters since last month!” They said.

“Thanks for noticing! Maybe one day I could be as tall as you, Abbi.” Omoli dreamed.

Abbi laughed and took out a small box from the medicine cabinet. Stranger never cared to pay attention to the labels or nutrition facts of it, but it was the purple stuff Abbi always took so they knew to trust it.

“You look very underweather right now, so you can have two. But no more than that! I know they taste really good…” Abbi looked jealous that they got to experience the flavor of grape flavored headache pills. Stranger always thought they should make candy that tastes like medicine instead of medicine that tastes like candy.

“Thank you,” They coughed. They made sure to carefully chew up each pill.

Omoli hastily put the permanent marker back on the table and grabbed his comically large briefcase. “Well, I’ll be off. I have a playdate with Pillowhider!”

“Bye, have fun!” Abbi waved him out the door.

Stranger waved too, but slower.

“Speaking of playdates,” she said. “You wanna see something cool?”

“Sure,” Stranger replied. They didn’t have much will to say no.

Abbi led them to the Giant Legendary Ultra Mega Bed and kneeled down to grab something from under it. Bethany rushed out with whatever she grabbed.

“Tako told me that Uni and Meido have been reminiscing about their old childhood toys, so she asked if I could deliver some stuff to them today. I thought you might want to see!” She explained.

She pulled out a dusty plastic bin with transparent sides and a gray cover. The noise of it being dragged across the smooth stone floor sent a shiver up Stranger’s body. On the inside of the bin were plushies and bags of other various toys jammed in together.

Once Abbi peeled off the lid the stuffed animals puffed up like it was the first breath of air they had in years.

“These are all yours?” Stranger said, amazed by their sister's plushie collection that they had not known about until now.

“Actually most of them are Tako’s,” Abbi replied. “Herosaurus kept forgetting who liked stuffed animals and who liked nerf guns so he would always get the gifts mixed up. I think a tough girl like her needed something soft though, not that she wasn’t dating the softest girl ever.”

Stranger began digging through the bin to find all sorts of items lost to the past. A loved, blue shark plush, a bag of bright legos, and a pale octopus toy with blobby tentacles.

“Who’s this?” They asked, squashing and stretching its body in every direction. They assumed this would strike fear into their sister, as maybe one day they would do the same thing to her face.

Abbi took it out of Stranger’s grasp and spun it around in the air. “This is just Minty2, my comfort plush that Hero got me when I was twelve. He really tried his hardest to meet my interests." She handed the octopus back to them.

Stranger admired Minty2 in all her squishy and stained glory. She was like a pillow, and they never had enough pillows. They stuffed her into their burrito blanket for later.

Bethany was digging around as well, likely looking for something specific. She got her fingers on a plastic bag of sorts and dragged it up under a pile of stuffed animals. It was a bag of tracks for toy cars.

“Thanks, Beth! That’s just what I needed, actually.” Abbi smiled. Bethany gave her a thumbs up.

“Y’know what.” Abbi turned to Stranger. “You can keep Minty2.”

“Really?” They asked.

“Yeah! Of course, I haven’t touched her in years haha,” She laughed.

Stranger sat on the bed and took out Minty2 from their blanket. “Thank you,” they said happily.

Abbi looked at the fake drawn-on watch on her wrist. “Carp I’m late for work!” She quietly cursed herself. “I won’t be able to deliver all this to The Bettas!”

She ran into the bathroom to quickly shuffle her uniform together and brush her hair and teeth. Stranger watched as she dashed all over The Cove like Zoomy-Kel.

“Bye guys, don’t get into trouble while I’m gone!” She stuffed some half-cooled bacon in her mouth and finally left, but not before returning to snatch the rest of the bacon. She was quite a carnivore.

Stranger laid down on their bed with Minty2 and closed their eyes, hoping to sleep off their headache. An evil presence loomed over them, someone with a frying pan and a spatula. His glasses shined in a very specific angle, and in unison with the wide smile creeping up his face.

“I’m not doing this today.” Stranger retreated from their burrito blanket and grabbed Minty2 to protect her from the wrath of Splits.

“Aww why not?” Splits asked with fake puppy eyes. “Don’t you wanna have fun with your poor ol little brother?”

“Get off me!” Stranger snarled.

They picked Splits up by the apron straps. He was wearing a cute pink apron with a lace fringe and ‘kill the cook!’ embroidered on the front. It fit his uncanny demonor like a glove. Stranger always thought he looked like a little plastic barbie doll with little plastic arms that could easily be ripped off.

Stranger roughly threw Splits onto the giant legendary ultra mega bed and picked up some of the things that were left out of the bin. Taking a look at the bag full of toy car tracks, they figured out what they were going to do for the day.

“I’m going to deliver some things to The Bettas.” Stranger explained. “You and Jerry will hold down the fort while i'm gone.”

“But, but Stranger! I don’t know where anything is!” Splits protested. “And you need to rest, you’re sick.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, fishsticks.” Stranger began putting things in their backpack; loose toys, Bethany.

“You know I don’t like those silly names.” Splits did his best to keep himself together, and to continue his smart attitude. But they knew he was fuming. “Let me look after you! I don’t mean any harm.”

Stranger threw the backpack straps over their shoulders and pointed some finger guns at their brother. “Have fun with your sprout mole son, Splitsy!”

“STRANGERRRR!!!” Could be heard through the entirety of Blackspace as they exited The Cove.

─

They found Tako in Beach Area, where she usually liked spending her freetime. They didn’t expect Uni to be there too, though.

“Hey, fishsticks,” Tako greeted, not looking up from what she was doing.

Stranger waved. “Hey cinnamon.” They replied.

Tako was fidgeting around with a kit of colorful beads. She likely got them from Meido. By the looks of it she was attempting a ladder stitch, but it was failing miserably.

Uni was behind her making all sorts of contraptions with hot wheels tracks. He was very focused.

“Oh yeah he was smoking some seaweed earlier,” She noticed they were staring.

Stranger shook themselves out of their mind. “I actually brought some things for you guys. From Abbi.”

“Oh really?” Tako perked up an eyebrow.

Stranger unzipped their backpack onto the sand and let the contents fall out, including Bethany, Minty2, and the key Bethany had gave them a week prior. They grabbed their possessions and let the sea urchin and vampire squid examine the selection of items.

“What the heck fishsticks you brought all my old stuff!” Tako ruffled their hair.

Stranger’s head twinged. “No problem𑁋cinnamon!”

Uni hoarded his car tracks like a dragon, not even considering thanking them. Stranger couldn’t blame him though. He was high.

They took a seat next to Tako on the warm sand and asked her a question. “Cinnamon, how does magic work?”

“Well fishsticks,” She started, paying far more attention to the toy she was holding. “When a mommy meets a daddy…”

“WRONG EXPLANATION, TAKO!” Uni shouted. With the tension in his arms Stranger thought he would snap his toy car in half.

“Sorry fart face…I thought it was funny,” She apologized. “Anyway, back to your question!”

Tako drew various visuals in the sand. “I’ve learned from Herosaurus and my encounters with the rest of his friends that every creature in the Dreamworld had some kind of magical power, but none more powerful than the Dreamer. It’s what keeps everycreature together. Uni wouldn’t breathe without magic, you wouldn’t be a shadow without magic, Kel couldn’t deal so much damage without magic, and Meido…she’d still be cute without magic! The cutest blue tongued skink in all of Blackspace!”

“Stop. Talking. About your girlfriend.” Uni interrupted again.

“Looks like someone woke up with a key up his butt this morning.” Tako hissed. A shock of electricity went between the two as they became more tense with each other.

“Oh and magic is how I power my guitar!” She quipped cheerfully.

“But how do I do anything with it?” Stranger asked, trailing their tail in the sand to create wispy shapes.

“You, my friend, can summon warp doors, somethings and keys. That’s pretty cool.” She smirked.

“How do I use it for other usages? Like how you power your guitar?” They asked again.

“Glad you asked! When Omori created me I was a malfunction. Instead of being ‘powerless’ like he thought Abbi was, I accidentally sucked up some of his magic whenever I slapped him! That’s why I can Drain.” She explained.

“What’s Drain?” Stranger sounded like one of those annoying children who asked far too many questions.

“I’ll show ya!” Tako scooted closer and booped the bridge of their nose with the tip of her tentacle. The action sent sparks flying across their body and their shadow form dissolved. [Stranger became happy!]

“Mari says I’m not allowed to do it on people, so I use it for my guitar. You like it?” she smiled widely, as if hoping they would say yes.

“Wow! This is, wow!” Stranger looked at themself, they were in their other form again but it was cool to see when they were in a safe area with safe loved ones.

“Oh I forgot it can make people feel random emotions, Uni~!” She sang, preparing to tackle the sea urchin to be rid of his grumpiness.

When she failed she came back to Stranger, covered in sand. “Sorry about that, here’s your powers back.” She zapped them again and their shadow form returned.

“You can drain people’s magic!” They exclaimed.

Tako chuckled. “It only takes a good half. of. my. Juice. But I guess it is pretty swag.”

With their newfound knowledge, Stranger decided they wanted to go and test some things out. “Have fun with your toys! I’ll be in Bed Area if you need me, Cinnamon!” They waved.

“BYE FISHSTICKS!” Tako screamed once they were far enough away. They knew she would never let them win a game of Cinnamon Fishsticks.

They summoned a warp door to bring them to Bed Area. Fortunately since it wasn’t too far away it didn’t suck up their form like a door to Deep Well would. They were about to sit on one of the beds to rest for a minute when they bumped into someone small with black hair.

“Ow…” They grimaced, lightly massaging their forehead. They looked up to see a face they were not expecting to see ever again.

“Omori.” His name felt like knives cutting into their tongue. They did their best to keep composed, but in reality they were about to fall apart.

“Stranger,” He greeted.

“I thought I told you to get lost.” They spat.

Omori collected the few things that fell out of his pockets from when he tripped and stood up to meet Stranger better. “Without the need for repression, or the threat of the truth, I find it quite relaxing here.”

─

//
Stranger was only a few inches taller than he was, but Omori couldn’t help but feel rather threatened. He had come to retrieve the key he knew they had stolen from him.

“Get out.” Stranger ordered again, firmer this time. Something in their voice sounded pained.

Omori gripped the knife in his pocket, before deciding to let go of it completely. His intentions were to get the key and leave Blackspace for good, at Stranger’s request. He loved them, and while he wanted nothing more but for them to return to central Dreamworld with him, he would do exactly what they wanted.

“Give me the key and I’ll leave, I promise,” He said, but it sounded more like he was pleading. He really wanted to be a good person.

Stranger jumped up onto one of the beds and reached down for something that was under it. Something neon and rectangular. “If you want this key you’re gonna have to fight me for it!” They tossed a nerf gun and foam darts in his direction.

Omori always knew the people of Blackspace probably had some strange traditions, but he never expected a secret stash of toy guns to be kept in the mysterious room that was Bed Area.

He nervously loaded up his gun with bullets and did his best to shoot at his opponent, which was surprisingly easier because Stranger’s composure was ‘off’ today.

“This is how we settle this? With foam darts?” Omori said mockingly.

“Would you rather shed blood?” Stranger asked.
Omori felt the harsh impact of a foam dart on his cheek. “I think I’m good,” He said.

The fight went on until the two couldn’t reach bullets without going out and getting hit by the other. Stranger plopped down onto one of the mattresses and Omori did the same next to them.

“That was pretty fun. I beat you like eight times,” They weakly laughed.

Omori was surprised they were letting him lie beside them like this, barely a foot apart. “Are you alright?” He asked. “You don’t sound very well, and your eyes look very…” He tried thinking of a word to describe them. Their eyes weren’t weird or anything, just glassy. Their previous glow was more bright and irritating, not only to Omori but probably Stranger as well.

“What if I didn’t have what you were looking for?” Stranger teased, trying to change the subject. As if on cue, something wriggled out from the backpack beneath them. A red hand with a black scrunchie and webbed fingers crawled out of the opening. She was holding a key.

“Bethany!” Stranger shouted. “Drop it!” The hand floated up higher into the air and dangled it around. She picked her own side of the war.

Omori couldn’t help but laugh. Stranger’s attempt at being cool and smart had been completely blown by a disembodied arm.

“I take it she likes you?” Omori noticed.

Stranger stood up to bring Bethany down to retrieve the key. “She followed me home the day after our fight in Redspace. She doesn’t trust anyone but me and she’s very focused on searching for a ‘Gunther,’” They explained.

Omori took the blanket off of the bed and wrapped it around himself before Stranger could sit down again. “I remember Bethany. I can’t control her and she was a constant bother to the other red hands. I’m glad she’s out of my way now.”

“Oh please, take her back!” Stranger jokingly begged as she tried to slap her way out of their grasp.

Once they laid back down on the bed with Bethany strangled in their grasp they frowned at Omori. “I was going to steal the blanket before you could.”
Omori observed the white blanket around him and wrapped one half of it around the shadow. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He checked.

“Yeah. I’m fine, frogface,” Stranger reassured.

“Alright,” Omori said. He decided to stop talking then, as the quiet with Stranger was more peaceful. He peered around at the clocks around the room and the other beds, maybe a nap would be nice. A nap with Stranger would definitely be nice, and maybe sleeping would relieve some tension between the two. Basil was always okay with taking naps with Omori. He wondered if the shadow would be any different.

“Do you maybe want to–” He tried before Stranger jumped off of the bed with Bethany and summoned a warp door.

They ran through and stuck their tongue out at Omori mockingly. It was the dangling of the key that set him off.

“It’s on, Stranger!” He shouted. [Omori became Happy.]

The shadow gracefully trotted along different platforms, and the frog followed. The aged decaying wood of the structure was slippery and wet. Without the assistance of rails to keep people from falling, Omori would probably be dead.

Stranger was quick on their feet, but Omori could catch up with them by leaping around. Even if he tripped a few times it was easier than just killing his lung stamina by running.

“Catch me, catch me, catch me if you can! Can’t catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!” Stranger teased while they hopped onto the railing and jumped down into the void of clouds.

Omori gasped and peered over the edge. There was no sign of the shadow anywhere Suddenly he heard noises from directly under him; Stranger was climbing under the platforms. How smart.

He did the same thing Stranger did. There were pipes he could latch his hands onto. He gulped, trying not to look down, and followed Stranger.

“I have no bad intentions with the key! Just give it back, please!” Omori pressed.

Stranger had Bethany floating beside them holding the key. “Liar! This is the only way to access Redspace, who knows what you’ll do if you get your hands on it!” They shouted back.

Once they reached the end of the platform the flipped back onto the top of it. Omori followed as quick as he could while trying not to fall into the endless expanse of clouds.

The shadow had escaped through another open warp door, one that the frog entered as well. He barely made it in before it closed just behind him.

─

//
Stranger had led him to the Something Zoo. They knew he would follow, but with the presence of other somethings they felt a little more safe.

They walked into the pen with the Dorothis and left the gate open behind them. The metallic squeak of the gate irritated their brain that was pulsing in their skull; that purple medicine had not helped.

The deer gathered around them, each one of them seeking attention. They heard Omori wearily open the gate, likely nervous being around so many nightmares.

“If you would like to pet them go ahead. They won’t hurt you,” Stranger chuckled. They were laughing at him because he was scared to be around some deer.

Omori reached out a shaky hand.

Annoyed by this, Stranger took his hand in their paw and gently ran in across Dorothi’s snout. Omori seemed to become less tense, and didn’t need the shadow’s assistance.

“They may be your nightmares, frogface. But personally I find them quite cute,” Stranger said with a smile.

“I guess…” He replied, his gaze was locked in with Dorothi’s giant eye.
The doe closed her eye and bowed. “...thank you,” she muttered.

Omori jumped back, forgetting that the shadows could speak.

A smaller fawn trotted up front from the back of the group. She wobbled on her spindly legs and her big, round hooves. What really set her apart though, was her two heads. Double Dorothi.

Omori’s face lit up with excitement at the sight in front of him. The fawn’s eyes were so sparkly you could almost see stars in them. The frog’s eyes were almost and shiny.

“She won’t live long,” Stranger would say, noticing his admiration. “But it’s good to know she got to live at all.”

Omori gently petted Double Dorothi, she seemed to enjoy his company. His socks were soaked from the wet grass he was sitting on, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Would you tell me more about Blackspace? Why you want to stay here?” He asked, turning to them. They looked away, avoiding this eye contact.

Stranger scoffed. “Are you trying to get information out of me? So you can use it against us?”

Double Dorothi pranced in their direction, both heads giving them puppydog eyes.

Stranger scratched her behind the ear and sighed, then slowly smiling. They gently scooped her up and sat down next to Omori.

“There was someone who had helped me when you banished me. There was actually many people who helped me. They gave me a home, things to call mine, they gave me an identity. To you we’re shadows, nightmares, criminals and monsters. Everyone here has a different story to tell, and everyone here listens. If you want any sense of place in this community with the people’s lives you’ve tainted you’ll need to earn it.”

“How do I do that?” Omori wondered out loud.

Stranger poked the frog on the nose, making him blush. “By proving yourself worthy,” They teased quietly as they escaped through yet another door.

─

Stranger had purposely been leading frogface to areas that would irk him,. Cloud Walkway: fear of heights. Now Spider Area: Arachnophobia. They were also making sure the areas they took him to where he wouldn’t be able to breathe, but the frog must’ve been using some sort of magic to keep his lungs intact from the temperature shift air.

Just after they had entered the forest with Bethany they thought they had heard whispering. They looked around to see if there was anything scurrying around. The glowing purple eye of a kid about their size caught their attention before she scurried into the brush.

“Wait wher–” They shouted before Omori crashed into their back and severely threw off their vision of the girl in the bushes. She had a purple eye and a flower crown, that's all they knew.

[Stranger became angry.] “Omori! Frogface! Arghhh…!” They groaned, getting up off of the neon blue grass.

“S-sorry!” He apologized. “I was hesitant going in because of the y’know…spiders?”

Stranger massaged their temples to ease their headache. “I’m half spider, you idiot.” “Just, try to get the key from me? Alright?” They said, taking the key from Bethany so it would be more secure.

They knew this place better than the frog ever could; Omoli, Herosaurs, and The Bettas loved playing games of hide and seek tag here. And after a decillion games of hide and seek you start to learn all the good routes and spots.

They jumped a fence with Bethany and handed her the key from their necklace. “Hang onto this for a while and meet me at the web trees,” They instructed. The hand gave them a thumbs up, signaling that she understood what they had meant.

Strangerlooked behind them to see that Omori had fell for the diversion, and they decided to take their extra time to rest. They found an almost perfect tree; large, sturdy trunk with thick leaves to shade the area. It was almost as perfect as Omoli’s favorite napping tree in the Tree Circle Area. They chuckled to themself thinking about the silly sprout mole with his even sillier antics.

The air of Spider Area was smooth and went in and out of their lungs like water coursing down a small stream. The pink leaves of cyan trees billowed in the gentle wind. Tiny spiders would leave their webs to greet any visitors.

A garden spider fell down from a web in front of their eyes, it would’ve been startling if a girl didn’t swing down with it.

“Gah!” They shouted, hitting the back of their head against the truck of the tree.

The girl was a spider, a true spider with eight limbs instead of six, like Stranger and Splits. She was a Basil with a shade of turquoise hair that matched her overalls and spring green shirt. Half of her body was made up of a glowing purple glue that seemed to keep her together. She somehow breathed even with the toxic air. After three seconds of eye contact she put her fingers to her mouth and whistled loudly. Then she shot back into the tree faster then she had swung down.

The feeling of not being alone in Spider Area made a chill run down Stranger’s spine. They were going to find Omori.

─

//
Omori had been chasing the hand for a while now. The forest had complex twists and turns that would get him lost if he misplaced Bethany.

“Bethany, I’ll bring you to Gunther. Just give me the key! It’s for the greater good!” Omori promised.

“Liar.” The hand signed. “You and the kraken always lie!”

Bethany’s sign was a little off from holding the key, but Omori could’ve sworn she said something about a kraken. He had banished Abbi to the abyss years ago, how did a red hand know of her existence? Much less how did Bethany know of her existence.

Omori was knocked out of thought when Stranger threw him to the ground out of nowhere.

“What the heck!?” He exclaimed. “I thought I was the bad one here?”

“Shh!” Stranger put a finger over his mouth to hush him. “We’re not alone here,” They whispered, a little out of breath likely from running so fast.

Once Omori was let up he immediately took his knife out of his pocket to hold off any enemies and to protect Stranger.

“frogface, I don’t think threatening whoever’s here is a good idea.” When Stranger said this Bethany swooped down to snatch Omori’s knife and bring it to the shadow. She nearly pierced through their abdomen.

“Woah Beth! Sharp down!” They laughed woozily, weakly taking the knife and handing it back to it’s rightful owner.

Omori gave them a concerned look. “Are you sure you’re alright, Stranger?” He questioned. “You don’t sound well, and I think you might be seeing things. Only spiders populate this area.”

“I’m…fine!” They barked, roughly grabbing Bethany and opening another warp door. They walked in and Omori followed.

Omori put his knife away, seeing it had no use as of now. He remained silent, staying close behind Stranger where they walked. The area around them reminded him of Sunny’s backyard, but gray with large patches of grass replaced by void. It was certainly less cold than the previous locations he had been led too, and the air was fresh and breathable. Earlier, he couldn’t even breathe air without having to use magic.

Once Stranger came to a stop at a familiar stump, they sat down to catch their breath.

“How much of your powers have you been using?” Omori asked, sitting down beside them and Bethany.

Stranger held their head in their hands. “Only a little bit…to get us to,” They huffed. “Different rooms.” They used all their strength, which wasn’t much, to hide the key in their grasp.

Omori could see that the action was hurting their wrists, so he pried out the key from their hand.

Stranger flinched their arm as far away from him as they could when they felt him touch their wrist. Their eyes glowed bright with a crazed, wide look to them.

The frog did not keep the key for himself, but instead tucked it away in Bethany’s fingers. “Keep this safe,” he instructed. The hand did what he asked but gave no response.

“You’re hurting yourself by struggling,” He told Stranger.

The shadow shook their head and held their breath. They had been acting very strange, and Omori was going to find out what was up.

“You’re in pain. Where?” He asked.

Stranger shook their head again and let out a sharp exhale from all they were holding in.

“If you’re sick I can help you. I know you hate me but I don’t want you to suffer. I’ll leave right after you tell me what’s wrong!” his words were awkward, and even though they were a little forced, he had meant what he had said.

“I have a headache,” Stranger finally confessed. “Now leave.”

“Can I help you?” Omori beseeched.

The shadow didn’t respond. They only looked away.

“Can I help you, please?” the frog repeated.

Stranger, out of annoyance and slight desperation, nodded.

Omori quickly repositioned their head to be lie softly in his lap. He began to gently comb his fingers through the shadows hair.

─

//
Oddly enough, the shadow found the action to be quite soothing, and they were surprised to realize they were drifting in and out of sleep.

"Mari does this same thing to me when I have a headache, or when i'm stressed," the frog explained. "I usually take a nap while she does it."

Stranger's brain still felt tight and clogged and sick. It took them a minute to process that they were letting him hold them.

The shadow was very conflicted with their feelings. They were so close to him, could they trust him? Would he leave them again, just like the last time they sat against a tree together three and a half years ago?

Stranger rested their hand on top of Omori's, he came to a halt when they did this.

"What's wrong?" He queried.

Stranger mumbled something incoherent. Omori just laughed it off and kept holding them; he stayed there.

Stranger looked directly into this eyes from below, "Can I tell you something?" They whispered.

The shadow fell asleep before the other boy could respond.

─

When Stranger woke up they were still in Backyard Area.

They hastily got up to check their surroundings; grey grass, the stump, void patches. Everything seemed to be normal.

Once they realized how they had got there they turned around to see Omori, four feet and four inches away with Bethany draped over him. She was still holding the Redspace key, and the key the shadow had given her previously.

Stranger took both keys and stuffed them in their backpack with Minty2 before gently shaking Omori awake.

Omori woke up quickly, but his body was still tired and his eyes were still heavy. The side of his hair he was laying on got all messed up, Stranger found it cute, but at the same time they wanted to hand him a brush.

“Did you sleep well?” Stranger asked.

Omori watched as Bethany creepily slid off of his shoulder. “Yeah, I had a weird dream though. It was alright. Do you feel better?”

Stranger nodded. “...yeah, yeah my head feels better.”

Omori picked up his knife from the ground and stood up. “Today was interesting. I’ll be leaving now,” He would say somewhat sadly.

Stranger was about protest but they decided they wouldn’t, this is what they had wanted.

Before leaving though, the frog walked up to the shadow one final time. He brought up his index finger to gently poke them on the forehead. Instead of giving them a shock, nothing happened with the contact.

“That should be enough magic to restore all that you’ve used today,” Omori explicated. “Don’t waste it. I can’t do this often.”

Stranger looked at their paws, specfically their wrists. They wondered what had just happened in the past few hours, and how it made them feel warm and fuzzy inside.

─

Stranger opened a warp door back to The Cove. Due to the distance of the teleport, splotches of their form melted to reveal the form under the shadows.

Splits was recording some strips of DNA into a small green notebook with Jerry. Once he noticed his sibling was home he quickly snapped a photo of them with the camera he always kept two inches away from himself.

“Abbi! Stranger’s been out all day!” He tattled, putting the photo into his pocket for later.

Stranger barely had any time to process anything before they were wrapped into a bear hug by their older sister.

“I’ve been so worried! You were sick, what were you even thinking?” She grabbed their shoulders as gently as possible.

Stranger backed away a few steps. “Relax, I just wanted to do some things for you while you were at work! Plus, the medicine helped,” They lied. In reality it was Omori who had made their head feel better.

“Okay,” Abbi said sheepishly. “But let me know next time you’re going to do something like that, ‘kay?” She smiled, scruffing up their hair.

“Alright,” They agreed. The thorny stems of roses curled and twisted within them as the guilt of lying to their sister pooled in their stomach and arose to their throat. If they were going to befriend Omori they’d need to make many sacrifices. All this change made them worried about the future.

“Are you okay, little dude?” Abbi checked. “You zoned out for a second. Just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

“Yeah I’m…fine. Can I have something to eat, please?” They asked, changing the subject.

The kraken nodded and took out some leftover watermelon from the fridge.

“Sequin came by at work today because he wanted to visit me,” She started. Stranger didn’t know if they were supposed to remember or know who Sequin was, so they just awkwardly wrapped their tail around their leg. “He told me about some of the other Bouquets like the Aubrey’s did at dinner a month ago. Four members of Cobalt have gone missing,” She finished.

“I don’t really care about the Bouquets,” Stranger snarked, staring distastefully at Splits.

“Just thought I’d let you guys know. I worry about you three–four,” Abbi corrected herself. Jerry was technically her nephew. “Be careful going out, especially in Cloud Walkway and Spider Area.”

Stranger gave her a thumbs up that Bethany copied. “Don’t worry, we’ll be careful next time.”

“Good. You kids are smart. I can’t see you trusting anyone suspicious in the future. I just don’t want anything bad happening to you. Y’know?” What she said was rather strange considering the bright, reassuring smile that plastered her face after.

The emphasis on her words made Stranger’s spine crawl up itself. It had just hit them what they had done. If they accepted that they loved Omori, they would be betraying their sister. If they betrayed their sister they would be betraying themself.

Roses tightened around their ribcage and throat and brain, not red ones though, black roses. They could barely bring themself to take their eyes off the plate of watermelon in front of them to meet eye contact with Abbi. Thorns stabbed every inch of their being and all they could do was remain still, locked and seized by their grip on the wooden chair. The roses around their throat made it hard to breathe in, the ones on their rib cage made it hard to breathe out, the ones in their brain waged wars and killed relentlessly. The choice they needed to make was between life and death. If they weren’t ready they would be caught within a storm of their own sacrifices.

Stranger wasn’t ready. All they could do was remain still, like a statue. It would take the force of a knife to take them out of their mind.

Abbi waved her tentacle in the direction of their face. “Hello? Earth to Stranger?”

With shaky hands they slowly picked up their fork and set a cube of watermelon on their tongue. They were still entranced by their fear.

“Can you stop doing that,” Splits sneered, looking up from his notebook. “It’s annoying.”

Stranger could hear and see everything around them; the craggly rock walls of The Cove, the squeaking of Splits’ joints whenever he moved his arm, the scraping of a metal fork against a porcelain plate.

A warm, fuzzy, crimson blanket was cloaked around them now. The blanket grounded them to the present.

“Alright ‘Mx. I’m not sick anymore,’ you’re going back into bed,” Abbi laughed in a scolding tone. She heaved Stranger up with one arm to carry the plate of watermelon in the other. Jerry and Bethany grabbed onto her legs to join the fun in being dragged across The Cove.

Stranger didn’t react when they were softly plopped onto their bed. They refused to look at Abbi while she put pillows behind their neck. They refused to move. They refused to do anything.

─

When they woke up all the lights in The Cove had gone out. Bethany was lying to their left and to their right was Splits, and Omoli. He must’ve returned from his playdate while they were still sleeping.

Stranger’s eyes and face were dry. They recalled their dream featuring themself and Abbi; they still had their extra set of arms and she was the same age as them. It was odd. They didn’t feel like going back to sleep. Jerry’s room was the second most private place in The Cove, because it had a door. So they would go there.

When they picked up their pillows and blanket they realized they were still in their other form. They looked like Basil: light, minty green hair, periwinkle eyes and ivory feathered wings obscured by the ugly red cracks shattered across them. They sighed out of relief that Splits didn’t have his camera with him.

Once Stranger quietly opened Jerry’s door so as to not make a sound, he found the sprout mole sleeping peacefully. Due to the presence of someone in the room, he quickly booted up.

“Shhh,” Stranger whispered. “I’m just sleeping in here for the night because I’m scared.” They chuckled a little bit. They felt like crying; a lump in their throat and a sting in their watering eyes. But no tears would fall.

Jerry beeped curiously and tapped Stranger on the back.

“Yes?” They replied.

The sprout mole made a ‘follow me!” kind of motion with his paw and led the shadow to the storage shelves. Stranger was confused when he took out a string of light purple twinkling lights and some twist-ties. He then led them to their bed, very quietly from their request, and slipped under.

Under their third of the giant legendary ultra mega bed was nothing. It was cold, dark and cramped. Very cramped. Something about it felt safe.

Jerry quickly began hanging the lights around the frame of the bed with the twisty. Stranger realized what Jerry was doing; making a hangout. Once he was finished he bit the wire to give it a power source and walked away back to his room. How strange.

Stranger stared at their wrists again. The hard stone floor didn’t provide much support for their back, and it crushed their wings, but they didn’t care. They focused on the deep red cracks again. They couldn’t escape these cracks no matter what form they took.

If they like-liked Omori, what would they do about it? It was betrayal to Abbi and their past self. It could be a good thing though. If Omori does prove that he’s capable of change then everything can go back to normal, and nobody needs to live in fear again. He’d just be another creature visiting Blackspace.

“But you don’t want that to happen.” they whispered, thinking allowed. “Shut up.” they told themself.

Sleep would never come to them. Not when they needed to cry or felt empty inside. They bent their wrists too far forward to seek out some feeling. The crimson blanket around them did nothing against the cold; without their shadow form they felt temperature. They could die in their current form.

Minty2! Their mind flashed with the sudden remembrance. Quietly, they climbed out of their bed fort to snatch their backpack from the kitchen. They tiptoed across the floor, knowing that if they even made a peep that Splits would be awake to stare them down for the rest of the night.

The zipper of the lilac backpack clinked against the wooden chair, and they held their breath. While they were staying still, they turned to the entrance of The Cove. Without their shadow form they couldn’t survive temperature shifts. They’d get eaten by the cold while their lungs collapsed. Stranger could escape the choice right then and now.

“What the fuck am I thinking,” They whispered with a harsh inhale. They quickly unzipped the backpack, grabbed Minty2 and ran into the dark bathroom.

The bathtub was hard and cold and uncomfortable, but everything was. Nothing made a difference; their mind was reeling with nothing. Black and red roses bloomed throughout their entire restless body. They held Minty2 close to their face and begged to cry, to get the feeling out of them. It crawled around them and around the room, around The Cove and around Blackspace. Escaping the roses was impossible and they’d wished someone would come to behead them just like Splits. They didn’t want to die, but to escape the thorns of the garden, they would need to.

Something warm wrapped around them and picked them up. I am dying. their thoughts rung across their head like bells at a wedding, repeating over and over and over. They tightened their grip around Minty2 and held their breath. They wondered if there was a fate worse than death, and what that would be.

Whatever or whoever was holding them would not let go. Was it Omori? Would he come back just to leave them again?

Minty2 was gently pulled from their grasp. Her back was soaked with tears and no matter how hard they tried to hold on, their hold seemed useless.

“Hey,” Abbi said. Stranger opened their eyes. They were just in the bathroom, sitting against one of the closet doors with Abbi. The toilet was shiny and white, the mirror had specks of dirt and stains, the toothpaste tube was where it should be. They were okay.

“What are four things you see?” She jabbed happily.

“I–I don’t know!” They sharply inhaled.

“Do you see me? And Minty2?” She asked, dangling the little stuffed animal in front of them.

Stranger nodded, they realized they must’ve looked very frazzled.

“That’s only two but, what are three things you smell?” Abbi continued.

All they could really smell was Minty2, who they had pressed up against their face again. She absorbed their tears like a sponge.

“I smell–campfire, or just you, and um,” Stranger stammered.

“Keep going!” She encouraged.

“Lotion and shampoo.” And all the other crazy things Omoli sprayed around the bathroom.

Abbi shook their shoulder to show she was proud of them. “What’re two things you feel?”

“Minty2 and the floor,” They said. The hard, tile flooring had been digging into them and it didn’t help that they were sitting on their tail and leaning up against the wall on their wings.
“What’s one thing you taste?” Abbi laughed matter of factly.

“Oh no–” Stranger stifled a chuckle.

She quickly took Minty2 out of their hands and replaced it with a graham cracker. It was a dry snack, and they weren’t very hungry, but they ate it anyway.

As Stranger ate their cracker, Abbi started speaking. “I don’t remember much before the Abyss, but I do remember having some sort of resentment towards you the first time I was there.”

“Why?” Stranger asked, their shadow form was mysteriously returning.

“Ever since I went into the Abyss a second time, bits and pieces of the past resurfaced in my memory; you were Omori’s best friend. I felt so betrayed that he could care so much about someone while leaving the other to drown, and I didn’t want to hold that anger in. I found you here a few years after I got out, and–” She had her eye open, and the moment she looked down at them she looked away just as quickly. “–I saw a lot of myself in you. I saw a child who needed help, and that’s exactly what I used to be. I wasn’t going to let anyone suffer through that again.”

“I’m so glad I met you,” Stranger blurted.

Abbi pulled them into a half-hug. “Me too, little dude. Me too.”

[KEYS!: 8,146 words. February 2023.]
[It’s hard to feel safe, but Abbi and Stranger are our glowing light in the dark. -Y and Fishy. Thank you for reading Nightshade/timeline. We really appreciate it :D ]

Chapter Text

[Two days after KEYPAWAY and nine months after the good ending of Omori.]
[Anything in bold is sign language.]

With the recently departed temperature shift, Stranger took the warmer day as an opportunity to have fun. Quickly, they shuffled on their t-shirt and new pair of black oversized overalls they had bought from Jimmi a day prior. The straps fell off of their shoulders and the shorts were too long, but they didn’t mind.

They made hasty work of brushing their teeth, hair and making sure they had everything they needed like their key necklace and Minty2.

“Bye Abbi, I’m heading to Black Playground for the day!” They called from The Cove’s waterfall entrance/exit.

The kraken zoomed into the room with a hairbrush still entangled into her hair and half of her work uniform for the Mustard Sub put on. If she was late again it would only be her fourth time getting fired from that establishment.

“Okay! Be careful, and stop at Watermelon Area if you’re able to, I forgot I needed to pick up an order from one of the members of Fern today–Drosera is her name I think–what I’m saying is we need watermelon!” Abbi rambled on and on while she raked the comb through her hair. “Speaking of Fern, one of the Faceless told me they’re trying to utilize the Little Ones for something, like the creatures are some kind of machines, crazy right? I hope it’s not true. That would be so cruel!” She usually had a lot to say, but when it was about Basil Bouquets, Stranger would stop listening. They didn’t like ‘other Basils.’

Stranger firmly nodded. “Right-o!” They said as they climbed out of The Cove. having to go through a river to get in and out of their home probably wasn’t the best choice, but they knew their sister wasn’t much of an architect. Where was Uni when The Cove was built? No, where were the Faceless?

“Wait, little dude! Come back here!” Abbi shouted, it sounded like she had some things for them. Stranger climbed back into The Cove, soaked from the water.

“What is it?” They asked curiously.

Abbi ran back to ransack for something in the storage area, and then came back with a small, red item. “Tako gave this to me yesterday, but I have no use for it. I thought you could figure out something with it heheh,” She explained.

Stranger examined it in their paws. It was a small, likely used red choker with metal spikes around the front of it. They couldn’t think of someone else, who wasn’t Tako, who would want this. Meido maybe? Nah she preferred kandi and eye bleeding colors.

Abbi took her hat off and plopped it roughly onto Stranger’s head. “Have this! I gotta finish getting ready. Have fun!” She waved them off and returned to the bathroom. Stranger gave her a thumbs up. Bethany, who was behind them, copied the gesture.

The route to Black Playground was simple. Well, simple for a long time Blackspace resident like themself. Black Forest was slightly connected to the Tree Circle Area, which meant they did not need to summon a warp door.

Stranger observed as the trees went from small and plump to lithe and tall. They could barely see anything else around other than the path they were on, but that wasn’t a problem.

The ground had dried in the past few days, and they were very grateful because soggy grass didn’t motivate them to step outside very often.

Stranger saw a flash of red weave in and out of the labyrinth of trees, but they assumed it was just Bethany following them outside like she always did.

Suddenly, something slimy gathered around their feet and climbed its way up their leg and tail. Little Ones!

“Oh!” They exclaimed, rather startled. “Sorry guys, I didn’t bring any star candy today,” they apologized, scooping shadow blobs off of their limbs one by one.

The crowd of Little Ones squashed and stretched and squealed and squelched. But Stranger knew they were happy, they usually were.

“Hey, you wanna hangout today?” They asked the Little Ones. “I’m going to Black Playground, if you’re up for it!”

The little blobs cheered enthusiastically and joined Stranger(and Bethany?) on their journey. Stranger could’ve sworn there were at least four new ones in the group. Not that that was an issue of course.

Another swift shape of red blurred beneath them, they assumed it was Bethany again. She had weird ways of making her presence known, so they shrugged it off.

Once they had finally reached Black Playground, they decided to take a break on one of the benches with wood that had just started decaying. Even with it’s poorer qualities, Blackspace would always be the place they felt the safest. Nothing could hurt them here.

Their attention from the Little Ones was stolen by whoever sat down next to them. They nearly screamed, but then they realized it was just Mirrorman, aka Shattered Omori.

“Hello.” He waved happily.

“Oh, hey! Sorry I thought you were someone else,” Stranger replied.

Mirrorman was probably the most misunderstood creature in Blackspace. He was a glass frog with sharp, red cracks shattered across his body. He wore a soft cloth poncho with stars embroidered on it to let people know that he wasn’t Omori, and he wasn’t a threat.

“How are you doing?” Stranger asked. The Little Ones gathered around the mirror.

“I’m doing good actually,” Mirrorman smiled. “But I’ve been feeling weird lately.”

Stranger repositioned themself to face him. “What’s up?”

“Well, I just don’t feel…myself. Y’know? Like. I wanna be someone else. If you get that?” Mirrorman explained.

Stranger thought for a minute on what advice to give him. Usually Abbi was better at these situations. They had her hat, maybe they’d try thinking like her.

“Well, for me personally; I used to be Basil. Now I’m Stranger. Maybe you need a change of identity to make yourself feel better?” They suggested.

Mirrorman smiled. “Thanks, best friend!” He took a comically large red bow out of the pockets he didn’t have and tied it into his hair. He looked complete.

“Wait, Mirroman!” Stranger shouted, gaining the boy’s attention. “Before you go, can you…do something for me?”

“Sure,” He replied.

Stranger stood up. The Little Ones climbing up their limbs retreated. “You have magic right?” they asked.

“Nope,” Mirrorman said, oddly smiling.

Stranger gave him a puzzled look.

“But I am connected to every mirror in the Dreamworld if that’s what you're curious about.” he winked. “What do you need?”

“I–” They hesitated. “Can you bring Omori here? Like to Blackspace–”

Mirrorman twirled around, the presence of his mirror making the grass whistle beneath him. “Ah yes, your boyfriend! I’ll go quick,”

“He’s not…” Stranger grumbled.

“A little red hand told me.” Maybe using Bethany as a personal diary wasn’t the best of ideas. Has she told Abbi anything…? No. Bethany was a good hand. A little suspicious, but a good hand nonetheless.

Mirrorman dived into the dimension of his mirror for a few seconds before throwing Omori out of it.

Omori leapt to his feet with his knife at the ready before he realized he wasn’t being threatened. He looked in Stranger’s direction, probably confused on why he was back in Blackspace.

“Your welcome!” Mirrorman signed, floating away into the forest.

Stranger walked closer to Omori once the other boy was gone. His hair was more brushed than usual, he was wearing a necklace with a white cat on it, and his tank top looked as if it was actually ironed for once.

“Hi,” They greeted.

“What do you need from me?” Omori asked, gently putting his knife back into his pocket.

Stranger shrugged, the Little Ones followed them wherever they went. Some gathered around Omori. “I just wanted to hangout, that’s all,” Stranger admitted, and they weren’t lying. The frog had proved that he could change. They wanted to get more comfortable being around him.

Omori kicked a rock on the ground. “I was cooking with Hero, but I guess we could play for a bit,” He said.
Stranger smiled. “Great!”

First, they went for the swings. A fun piece of playground equipment that they could still talk to each other on.

Omori had the rusty chains gripped with his hands. Stranger noticed how his fingers and the webbing between them was a bright ruby color. They were semi-transparent too, the bones could be seen through them. It was pretty cool.

“What’s with the hat?” He asked. “It looks a little…familiar.”

Stranger began to sweat. “It’s a Blackspace secret I can’t tell you, for if I did my face would melt off and my spine would break!” Omori looked at them with wide eyes. “Ha, just kidding. I found it off the coast of Beach Area,” They lied again. Abbi originally bought the hat at Jimmi’s, but frogface didn’t need to know that!

“Cool,” Omori responded dryly.

Stranger didn’t know what to talk about. They were more worried that the creaking of the swings and the woodchips on Omori’s socks would bother him. “Can I look at your hands?” They blurted. Crap! That was a weird question.

Omori tilted his head and made a noise of confusion.

“Sorry,” Stranger apologized, but not before the frog reached one of his hands in their direction.

Mirrorman was the only other frog they knew, and it was weird to look at your friends hands, so Stranger never got a good idea of what fingers looked like. Everyone else they knew had paws, tentacles, or something else.

Omori’s hands were pale, with sharp red on his fingers. The webbing between them was thin but not weak. They were most interested in his bones though, and the transparency of the skin. They examined it at many different angles before Omori asked,

“You don’t see many glass frogs, do you?”

“Well I have a few friends but–” Stranger replied before getting interrupted.

“Do you want to see my guts?” Weirdly, Omori’s eyes sparkled.

He lifted up his tank top halfway to show Stranger his transparent torso, which was absolutely awesome in the grossest way possible. Or gross in the most awesome way possible?

They could see his stomach, other miscellaneous organs and his heart beating. It was beating at a very fast rate, one that might concern Splits. Stranger didn’t care though, as long as he was breathing. Across his lower abdomen was a healed scar from a knife. They knew what this was about but they didn’t want to pester.

“Mari always says it’s un-mannerous to lift up my shirt. But I don’t really care. Plus you’re my friend.” Omori shrugged, putting his tanktop down.

Friend? Stranger blushed a little bit. Omori noticed and quickly looked away, he was blushing too though.

“Does…anyone ever ask about your scar?” Stranger asked, attempting to change the subject.

Omori nodded, loosening his grip on the chains keeping him upright. “They do, but I switch up the story every reset. ‘Sweetheart’s mace scratched me’ or ‘those lost sprout moles were really feral today!’” He laughed.

“Are you okay though?” Stranger checked. Omori nodded again.

The Little Ones had gotten so tired from trying to get the attention of the two kids that they all just fell asleep in piles on the ground. Stranger made sure not to step on them.

“Do you wanna play hide and seek?” Omori suggested, standing up from his swing.

“Sure!” Stranger agreed. “I’ll seek, you go hide.”

Omori nodded and ran off in another direction. Stranger covered their eyes at the tetherball pole and began to count. “Ten…nine…eight…”

“Ready or not, I’m coming to find you!” They yelled as loud as they could, possibly even rivaling Pinata Guy.

Stranger checked every nook and cranny Omori could’ve been hiding in; the sandbox, under the slide, the giant heads scattered around, the bushes, up in the trees. But they couldn’t find him anywhere. They turned to the Black Forest, wondering if he could’ve gone that way. Neither of them had established any rules to their game of hide and seek, so going outside of the playground wouldn’t be too unexpected.

They peeked behind some trees and entered a very small room. The creature known as Longsnout slowly yawned and opened it’s eyes.

“Longsnout!” They exclaimed. “Sorry to disturb you.”

The large creature slowly blinked and soon went back to sleep. Stranger exited the room.

Deciding they weren’t giving up, they wandered into the next few rooms they came across. All of which they’d been to before; Shrinking room, Heads looking up, and they almost bumped into Splits while in the Aubrey School (yikes) Before they finally found the Garden Edge.

Omori was peeking behind some thorny vines that sprout moles were hacking away from behind, they were failing though.

“Found you!” Stranger elated.

“Shhhh,” Omori hushed, pulling them down with him. “Look at them.”

Stranger observed the sprout moles as they put all their effort into something impossible. The separation between Blackspace and the Dreamworld was almost unbreakable.

“They’re so determined,” They pointed out. “Who’s your favorite sprout mole?”

Omori got off his feet and finally set his butt on the ground. “I like that one.” He pointed. “To the left, with an axe.”

“My favorite sprout mole is Jerry, but you wouldn’t know him. He’s back at my house,” They whispered.

“Ah, I see,” Omori replied.

Stranger got off of the saturated minty grass and helped the frog up as well. “How about we go back to the playground. Does that sound good, frogface?” They suggested with a playful jibe.

Omori muttered something under his breath.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” They asked.

“I don’t like it when you insult me,” He mumbled.

“Oh,” Stranger said. A wave of guilt and roses glided up their spine, softly cradling their ribs and shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

Omori poked their nose, getting them to make eye contact with him. “Eh it’s fine. I deserved it. We can go back now.”

“Okay. sounds good,” Stranger nodded. They gently rubbed their wrists, curled their tail around their leg and tightened their wings together. Their eyes were bright as ever. They felt like a turtle, but without a shell. Instead of a shell they would hide in the bloom of a rose. Maybe Abbi would be hiding in another flower closeby. She’d be inside of a buttercup, or maybe a daffodil. Those were always her favorites. Stranger would sneak out of their blood-red rose to spend time with Abbi in her bright yellow buttercup.

Stranger sulked behind Omori on the way through Black Forest. They kept thinking about Abbi as if she was there, hoping for an instant she would be. They knew Omori wouldn’t hurt them or leave them again, but something in their stomach churned and twisted. They couldn’t and wouldn’t run away to call their sister out of work again. The kraken shouldn’t leave her buttercup, and the crow shouldn’t leave their rose.

“It’s fine, Stranger,” Omori reassured, but his neutral tone came off as cold even though he didn’t mean it. “We were enemies back then, it was your natural reaction. I forgive you.” He was now walking backwards to directly face them. Stranger was too busy staring at the grass though.

“You don’t need to get stressed about it, it’s okay,” Omori said again.

“I promise it’s alright, I know you won’t do it again.”

“Stranger.”

“Stranger.”

“Stranger!” He raised his voice, tilting their chin up.

Cold tears flowed down Stranger’s cheeks, soaking their star-like freckles. “I’m–sorry!” They managed to choke out.

Omori sighed and wiped their tears off of their face. “I’m not mad at you,” He would say. “I’ve been trying to express my emotions better–without overexpressing. That means stating my opinions. You calling me names was very hurtful, but I hurt you too. All we can do is just move on and forgive each other, right?”

Stranger nodded. They loudly and pathetically sniffed everything into their nose. “I’m still sorry though.”

Omori chuckled a little bit and his smile brightened their mood. “Even after everything we’ve been through, you’re still a little bit emotional.”

Stranger shook their head. “I am not!” They denied.

“You are too!” Omori laughed.

They returned to the playground to play in the sandbox. Many broken but usable plastic toys had been left in the pit by kids who were maybe no longer kids.

Stranger grabbed a cracked blue shovel and began digging a hole with it. Omori took his knife out of his pocket to carve lines into the sand.

A flash of red came from the forest and seized the knife from his grasp. She nearly injured Stranger again by holding it wrong and accidentally launching it straight for their stomach, but they were quick to grab it and hand it back to it’s owner.

“You gotta stop stealing his knife, Beth! He isn’t going to hurt me,” Stranger scolded the red hand.

“I don’t trust you,” Bethany said, rather rudely.

Stranger buried her in the sand, making Omori giggle. “That should shut her up for a while!”

Omori was making a garden out of sand right beside Stranger’s sand village. Together they dug a moat around it and set up their little sand society. They placed sticks and pebbles around to represent citizens. Playing god was always fun for kids.

“Sand Town is complete!” Omori cheered victoriously, he gave Stranger a high five.

Stranger bit their tongue and tried to figure out any final touches. They took the hat off their head and gently placed it on the top of the tallest tower in Sand Town. “Now Sand Town is complete!” They held up their hand to give Omori another high-five.

Their hands slapped together perfectly, one of those high fives that leaves a lingering pain in your palms for a while. One of the good high fives. Stranger ended up staring at the frog’s fingers again, a bright red color. Something clicked in their mind.

Quickly, they dug through their backpack to find it. Ta-da! That strange red choker thingamabob!

“What’s that?” Omori asked.

Stranger came up with a lie. “One of my, err, friends gave it to me. She said I could find something to do with it. I thought you might look good with it. Y’know, like color theory?” The gestured to his hands and the subtle red glint in his eyes.

The frog blushed and accepted the gift. He put it around his neck and clamped it together in the back. It loosely fit his neck, but he looked cute in it nonetheless.

Omori resumed digging in the sand, possibly getting started on Sand Town the sequel. He lifted up the cat necklace and put it in his mouth.

“What–?” They gasped.

“What?” Omori asked. “That’s it’s purpose. I chew on it when I get nervous so that I don’t bite my lips or nails.”

“Ohhhh!” Stranger remembered Kel from Moneyspace had something similar, but it was shaped like an avocado instead of a cat. “Do I make you nervous?”

Omori looked away from Stranger. “No. Don’t worry. The truth’s out, which means we have no reason to be scared of each other anymore.”

“Cool,” They responded simply.

Now that the Little Ones had woken up more, they began to slosh into the sandbox as well. It would be one heck of a hassle to get them cleaned off later.

“Hey guys!” Stranger welcomed. “OJ, don’t you dare eat that sand!”

“You name them?” Omori observed.

“Of course,” Stranger replied. “They love their names.”

“OJ, Chocolate, Pinkie, Triscuit, Biscuit, Trixie, Sprinkles, Brownie, Dandelion, Mimi, Petunia, Bowtie, Krisp, and many more.” They pointed to each of the little creatures. “The one trying to get your attention is Sparkles. He got his name when he was desperately trying to show me a pink sequin a few weeks ago.”

“Awesome,” Omori said, picking Sparkles up.

Without anything to talk about, they set the hat back on their head and took Minty2 out of their backpack. Omori perked his head up, maybe he was interested in the stuffed toy.

“Well, you do make me a little bit nervous,” He confessed.

Stranger didn’t say anything yet.

Omori sighed. “It’s been a while, but.” he hesitated. They knew exactly what he was going to say.

“Go on,” They encouraged.

He took his knife out of his pocket and ran his finger across the blade to distract himself. “Three or four years ago, before I banished you, I was going to–” He stopped when he realized that Stranger was directly in front of him with wide, bright eyes.

“I– wow this is a lot of pressure…” He chuckled. A spot in the sand began wiggling around, its prisoner trying to set itself free.

Omori went back to staring at his reflection in the shiny knife, debating how he would put his thoughts into words. Just as he was about to, the red beast had broken free.

“Stranger, I lo–” A sentence he would never get to finish. Not today. Maybe not ever.

A red flash seized Omori’s wrist, the one with the knife. Her force was so strong, she tore right into Stranger's flesh; exposing the roses, dicentra, camellia, sunflowers, and whatever else was blooming out of them.

Stranger’s blood was like fuel for these flowers, sucking up their shadow form to repurpose them into something bloody and awful. They didn’t want to look at Omori, they couldn’t bring themself too, but they could hear his breath pick up; faster and faster and faster.

“GO!” They shouted with all they had, “RUN, LEAVE THIS PLACE!”

Omori’s eyes were wild and frantic.

“YOU NEED TO GO!” They shrieked, but it was more like begging. They were mad, but at the same time they were scared. He would be torn apart if this world found out what he did to them, accident or not.

The frog forced his feet to run, to run as fast as he could through the forest. Starting a garden never did bring good luck.

━

//
It was early in the morning, but not early enough anymore for customers to come in. She desperately craved interaction. Washing dishes got boring without being able to eavesdrop on rude people coming in to order some cheeseburgers. There wasn’t even any dishes to wash! Abbi always imagined characters for the voices of the rude people, they’d be ugly, and easy to pick apart their insecurities. She was too nice to walk up and start insulting them though, even if they were mean to the mermaid sisters.

“Umm Abbi?” Julia said.

The kraken came out from the back to respond. “Yeah what’s up?”

“I think you have some visitors from Blackspace!” The mermaid pointed to the clutter of Little Ones trying to break in through the door.

Abbi gasped and let all of them in, they didn’t hoard around unless there was trouble or food. But they were in a restaurant, maybe they were hungry!

“What’s wrong guys, what’s wrong?” She frantically asked.

The Little Ones were screaming and squealing, pointing to the door. One of the mermaid sisters gave her a weird look.

“Is Stranger okay?” She checked, this really set them off. The blobs began dragging her out of the Mustard sub.

“PAM COVER MY SHIFT!” Abbi shouted while being kidnapped by Little Ones. “I’LL PAY YOU BACK!”

“She’s always getting pulled out of work,” Pam said to Eleanor. “Do you think we should fire her again?”

“Eh, she washes our dishes pretty decently,” Eleanor replied.

━

Abbi escaped from the hold of the Little Ones, she was now in her car driving with all of them crammed into the back seat. She wondered what could be the matter. Last time a Little One had needed her attention so badly was when she had met Stranger. Maybe they were having a panic attack, she could calm them down easily and bring them back to The Cove.

Once she saw Hitchhiker she roughly hit the brakes and almost ran him over. If there was anyone who could get to places you shouldn’t be, it was Hitchhiker.

She rolled down the window. “Get us to Blackspace!” She demanded.

Hitchhiker had a very nervous look on his face, likely from his life flashing before his eyes. “That shadow crow kid and the sprout mole told me to not take requests from you anymore—”

“I SAID, TAKE US TO BLACKSPACE!” She shouted. Her eye showed up giving her more of a threatening demeanor.

Hitchhiker nodded and clicked his claws together, opening up a portal. “Go quick before I sue you!” He urged.

“Will do!” She slammed on the gas pedal and crashed the car directly into a tree. Fiona SS could handle a little more abuse though. She’s a car who has lived to see empires rise and fall.

Abbi opened the door for herself and the Little Ones, who led her through Black Forest. Now that she was there something felt very…off. She wasn’t usually anxious, but the air felt tainted by a sickly sour smell. Like a corpse. Had one of the Somethings died?

She ran as fast as she could behind the Little Ones. No, no no no! It wouldn’t come to that. It couldn’t. Entering Black Playground, she looked around for clues. The Omori heads were normal, and the swings swayed gently in the wind.

“Stranger!?” She called out.

The Little Ones pounced at her legs and anxiously emphasized the direction of the sandpit. No. No no no no no!

Abbi knelt down beside them and held them close. They were in their other form, the soft gentle one that made them stand out against the dark grass. They’re overalls were soaked in blood and sand. They were breathing, but barely.

She heaved them up over her shoulders so she could carry them back to The Cove. With tears in her eyes she forced herself to run. To run faster than her body could take. It was silly in a way, like a game of tag with the other kids in the hot summer sun of Dandelion Dip. Mari and Herosaurus would be sitting on a picnic blanket with cool lemonade saved for later.

“Abbi…Abbi set me down,” Stranger coughed.

“No,” She exhorted harshly. “You’re not going to die.”

She knew Blackforest like the back of her tentacle. She knew Blackspace like the back of her tentacle. Suddenly everything felt infinite, as if the universe was always against her.

“I’m going to die.” They cried.

“I won’t let you!” Abbi yelled. “Just shut up!”

The Cove came into sight, she would never be as grateful to see the giant stone shoe as she was now. As she ran her limbs became weaker, and Stranger became heavier. Her lungs were going to cave in, and maybe another one of her hearts would stop, but she persisted.

The Little Ones came together to push on the lever opening the entrance. When they got it open they all cheered with victory and wished her good luck.

Abbi tried thanking them, but her heaving breaths wouldn’t let her. She climbed into The Cove with Stranger and placed them on one of the chains.

She punched a number into the phone so hard she thought the buttons would simply fall off. The phone played a stupid happy tune as it waited for a response from the other line.

“UNI, GET YOUR BUTT OVER TO MY HOUSE THIS INSTANT!” She screamed into the landline.

“Sorry ma’am we’ll get who you need immediately!” The Faceless on the other end clamored. Uni was at work, apprenticing for the construction team.

She impatiently thumped her foot on the ground and squeezed her arm until it bruised.

“Uh hi Abbi–” Uni managed to get out before she interrupted.

“STRANGER’S DYING!” She shouted. With all the loud noises Stranger made an attempt to cover their ears.

“I’ll be there immediately, just give me some time!” Uni replied.

“UNI. I WILL LET YOU KISS ME ON THE LIPS IF YOU GET OVER HERE! NOW BREAK THE LAW, MR. AWESOME CAR MAN. BEFORE I BREAK YOU!”

Uni hung up. He was hopefully getting into a car and bending every possible road law. The sound on brakes squealing on the ground above could be heard. The sea urchin practically teleported into The Cove.

“I’m here, I'm here!” Uni observed the room to see Abbi hyperventilating and Stranger moaning in pain on the table. He helped Stranger up and walked them to the bathroom.

“You stay here while I bandage them up, okay?” Uni told Abbi, who nodded and took a seat on one of the chairs.

Abbi buried her head into her arms and began to sob. If Stranger didn’t make it she wouldn’t know what to do with herself, maybe she’d go back to the Abyss to peacefully rot. But Omoli, Splits and the Bettas needed her. She cried harder. The hand carved wood of the table would be stained.

After a while, a hand came and rubbed her shoulder.

“Hey,” Uni said. “They’ll be alright, I think. We should bring them to the Aubrey School tomorrow though, because Splits knows more about…medical topics.” Don’t you just bandage something up and it stops bleeding?

Abbi nodded and wiped her tears with trembling tentacles. “Okay,” She whispered.

“I helped them into bed,” Uni continued, handing her her hat and Stranger’s purple backpack. “I don’t know where you want me to sleep though.”

Abbi stood up and led Uni to the giant legendary ultra mega bed. “You can sleep on my bed, I don’t really mind.” She was always very particular about who slept on which bed, and she didn’t want to infringe on Omoli’s privacy or anything. Even though he probably would be okay with it. Omoli was a nice kid.

Uni put his satchel on the floor and pulled a blanket over himself and Abbi. “You know I didn’t come here to give you a kiss. You had me at ‘Stranger is dying!’” he chuckled. She didn’t respond.

“Heh.. umm,” Uni never liked talking, Abbi knew this, but his effort was appreciated.

Abbi stayed facing opposite of him. “What if I was too late?” She wondered out loud.

“What do you mean?” Uni asked.

“Stranger could’ve died, and it would’ve been my fault.” She cried quietly. The mattress felt stiff like concrete and she curled the tentacles on her head so tightly she thought her brain would explode.

Uni was quiet for a moment. “It wouldn’t have been your fault,” He said.

She harshly closed her eye and held her breath. “I would never forgive myself, Uni.” She sighed.

“Stranger’s alive, Abbi. They're sleeping and breathing right next to us. You’ll both be alright.” Uni was now sitting up straight.

Abbi didn’t reply, so Uni said more. “Remember when we were kids and Meido had a really bad stomach ache and she thought she was going to die?”

“Yeah,” she answered with monotony. “It was really scary.”

“Well that’s what you two get for playing Kids of The Coast during a temperature shift.” He scolded jokingly. “She screamed and cried and I had to dunk my head into the river to escape it. I think that’s like right now. Because once she threw up she was fine. Well, better. I wouldn’t say completely fine.”

“You’re a lot more talkative today,” Abbi pointed out.

“It’s because I want you to feel better,” He avowed, gently stroking his fingers through her hair.

Abbi’s glowing eye dissolved and she turned to face him. “Will they be okay?” She asked, feeling like she was twelve again. Everything was so easy when she was a kid. She crawled over to sit on Omoli’s bed and to look at Stranger, they were sleeping so peacefully despite their injury.

“Yeah,” Uni said, also looking at them. “They’ll be okay.”

Abbi tucked their blanket over them more, and put her hat on their head again. She even thought she saw them softly smiling. They would be okay.

Despite her rules of who slept on which bed, she fell asleep right then and there. All that mattered was that she could keep them safe. She was so lucky to have them alive. Maybe in any possible outcome, they would be okay.

[RAFFLESIA: 5,449 words. February 2023.]
[END OF TENSIONSHOTS: “Why can’t the ns/tl cast ever have anything good?” That’s because they just got the best thing ever. To those who have been reading Nightshade/Timeline for this long, thank you. And happy late birthday to Basil! -Y]

Chapter Text

[DISCLAIMER! This chapter is completely optional, and it is also not canon. It’s simply to show an alternate universe of what could’ve happened. This chapter deals with themes of loss, grief, and self harming behavior. It also contains vomit. I recommend skipping this one if any of those make you uncomfortable.]

It was early in the morning, but not early enough anymore for customers to come in. She desperately craved interaction. Washing dishes got boring without being able to eavesdrop on rude people coming in to order some cheeseburgers. There wasn’t even any dishes to wash! Abbi always imagined characters for the voices of the rude people, they’d be ugly, and easy to pick apart their insecurities. She was too nice to walk up and start insulting them though, even if they were mean to the mermaid sisters.

“Umm Abbi?” Julia said.

The kraken came out from the back to respond. “Yeah what’s up?”

“I think you have a visitor from Blackspace!” The mermaid pointed to a lobe red hand, Bethany. Her presence was strangely off putting this time around.

Abbi gasped and let her in.

“What’s wrong?” She frantically asked.

Bethany floated in the air idly.

“Is Stranger okay?” She checked.

Bethany made a ‘follow me’ motion and floated back out the door to Abbi’s car.
“PAM, PLEASE COVER MY SHIFT!” Abbi shouted. “I’LL PAY YOU BACK!”

━

Abbi opened her car door for herself and Bethany. She wondered what could be the matter. She remembered the last time a creature had needed her attention so badly was when she had met Stranger. Maybe they were having a panic attack, she could calm them down easily and bring them back to The Cove.

Once she saw Hitchhiker she roughly hit the brakes and almost ran him over. If there was anyone who could get to places you shouldn’t be, it was Hitchhiker.

She rolled down the window. “Get us to Blackspace!” She demanded.

Hitchhiker had a very nervous look on his face, likely from his life flashing before his eyes. “That shadow crow kid and the sprout mole told me to not take requests from you anymore—”

“I SAID, TAKE US TO BLACKSPACE!” She shouted. Her eye showed up, giving her more of a threatening demeanor.

Hitchhiker nodded and clicked his claws together, opening up a portal. “Go quick before I sue you for almost murdering me!” He urged.

“Will do!” She slammed on the gas pedal and crashed the car directly into a tree in Black Forest. Fiona SS could handle a little more abuse though. She’s a car who has lived to see empires rise and fall.

Abbi opened the door and let Bethany out, who led her through Black Forest. Now that she was there something felt very…off. She wasn’t usually anxious, but the air felt tainted by a sickly sour smell. Like a corpse. Had one of the Somethings died? Did Mewo get out of the Punishment room again?

She ran as fast as she could behind the Little Ones. No, no no no! It wouldn’t come to that. It couldn’t. Entering Black Playground, she looked around for clues. The Omori heads were normal, and the swings swayed gently in the wind.

“Stranger!?” She called out.

Bethany emphasized the direction of the sandpit. What Abbi saw was awful and horrific. No. No no no no no!

Abbi knelt down beside them and held them close. They were in their other form, the soft gentle one that made them stand out against the dark grass. They’re overalls were soaked in blood and sand, and flowers were sprouting out of the wound. They were breathing, but barely.

She heaved them up over her shoulders so she could carry them back to The Cove. With tears in her eyes she forced herself to run. To run faster than her body could take. She could taste the sweat and tears in her mouth and the carbon dioxide in her lungs.

“Abbi…Abbi set me down,” Stranger coughed.

“No,” She exhorted harshly. “You’re not going to die.”

She knew Blackforest like the back of her tentacle. She knew Blackspace like the back of her tentacle. But suddenly everything felt infinite, as if the universe was always against her. Maybe it was. Maybe this is why she begged to be twelve again, so she could have a smooth restart of anything.

“I’m going to die.” They said softly.

“I won’t let you!” Abbi yelled. “I won’t let you!”

The Cove came into sight, she would never be as grateful to see the giant stone shoe as she was now. As she ran her limbs became weaker, and Stranger became heavier. Her lungs were going to cave in, and maybe another one of her hearts would stop, but she persisted.

“Set me down… please. Just for a minute,” Stranger’s breath was fast and harsh. Thinking a break wouldn't be too bad, she decided to let them sit against a tree trunk.

They softly smiled, gripping the bloody flowers coming out of them. “Sing me the song I like. The one Mari sang to you when you couldn’t sleep, the one you sang to me when I couldn’t sleep.” Their voice was clear like water of an untouched lake.

Abbi didn’t want to accept that it was too late, because she couldn’t. She felt like the twelve year old girl inside of herself. She couldn’t do this. She wasn’t supposed to do this. But something within her pushed on.

Abbi carried the shadow again, this time more comfortably. In their final moments she sang to them with a quiet, soothing voice. As she finally brought them to The Cove, they went out peacefully. Just like a lightbulb would.
Looking at the wilted flower she was still carrying, Abbi gently laid them down on the garden bed. She grabbed a shovel and started digging. Everyone left her eventually.

━

Sweet desert child
Sweet desert child
What are you going to do?

The day of the funeral wasn’t sunny, cloudy, nor did it rain. It was unreal. She believed Stranger hadn’t passed, and that they were being hidden somewhere. After this ceremony was over she’d go and retrieve them and hold them in her arms forever and ever, never letting go.

All of the flowers in the garden had wilted, but the rest of the Tree Circle Area was flourishing with life. Which was funny, because flowers didn’t naturally grow in that part of Blackspace.

Abbi was wearing nothing but a blue t-shirt that she’d had forever but never wore, unwashed shorts and her hat. She didn’t bother putting on shoes or socks. She would lie in bed for hours while listening to her friends on the surface. Stranger’s dead husk of a face haunted her. They had looked so peaceful, but it was horrifying. She would not go back out there.

Splits was crying. He and Omoli were shrieking for so long Abbi thought their throats would explode. Why were they crying if Stranger was just in the other room with Mari? They’d both be back soon. Why cry about it? Was it because their appearance would be different once they left the room?

Someone entered The Cove. Someone with quiet, long footsteps of old soft shoes; Uni.

“Splits and Omoli need you,” He said. His voice was neutral but pleading.

Abbi groaned and shoved her face into a pillow. She felt awful, her brain was filled with polluted water, her stomach was trying to capsize itself, a thin stream of bile flowed down her chin and onto her shirt, and her nose was all stuffed up. She was sick.

“Your family needs you,” Uni repeated. “I need you.”

Abbi shook her head and tried sitting up. Her head hurt from lying down sleeplessly for so long. Uni tried to help her up, but she roughly pushed him off when she threw up.

She was tired, but just for a moment a rush of energy took over her. “I’m sorry I’m sorry!”

Uni corrected her. “No need to apologize!” But she could tell he was about to fall apart. “I’ll clean you up.” He ran to the bathroom to get a rag from the first bathroom closet, and then a different shirt from the second bathroom closet.

Abbi layed back down and proceeded not to move until Uni got back. She only moved when she needed to change, which she did right then and there. She never really cared about these kinds of things with her friend, because he stared or judged or made it weird. He was the same way. Their friendship may have been strange to some, but it was good to them.

“I fixed your car while I was up there,” Uni spoke, either trying to ignite some conversation or just letting her know.

“Can I come back with you to your house?” Abbi asked plainly. She felt bad leaving The Cove when Stranger could come back out of the room they were hiding in at any moment! But the panging cries of the little girl within her told her a simple answer of no.

Uni nodded and wrapped that fluffy crimson blanket around her. “I know it’s been very hard for you lately, especially with Stranger and all.” Stranger was just in the other room! They would be watering a garden of roses and buttercups and lilies and all of their favorite plants. Mari would be on a picnic blanket, supervising them and asking if they needed anything. Both of them would come out of the room at any moment. Abbi could join them in the room one day; she’d show up in her cute gray skirt ready to make friendship bracelets with the both of them!

“Abbi?” Uni waved a paw in front of her face, snapping her out of thought.

“Yes?” She replied.

“I asked if you could walk,” He repeated.

The kraken stared down at her legs, but they felt restless and wobbly. She wasn’t sure if the sea urchin could carry her. She shook her head no.

“Alright. Okay,” Uni took a deep breath in. He took a small metal coin out of his blue bag with the anchor pattern and a square button on the front. He tossed it in the air and watched as it clinked onto the ground, creating a small whirlpool beneath them. He was the keeper of the keys before Stranger was. Or in his case, keeper of the coins.

“Hop in, it goes straight to my place,” He said.

Abbi used Uni as a support beam as her foot lightly tapped the whirlportal and they were both warped into Treehouse Area.

Uni took out his house keys and opened the door of the treehouse for her. He hadn’t done much to the house, other than add a bed, so it was all left pretty much the same.

The air was full of static and there were dead flies jammed into the frame of the window but to him and Abbi it was a pretty decent home. Just like The Cove.

“I’m going back but. Let me know if you need anything.” With that he closed the door gently. Abbi curled up onto the bed facing the wall. It was cold, especially with a t-shirt and shorts. But Stranger would be coming home soon, and everything would be fine. She just needed to stay hopeful, and wake up from this bad dream.

━

“It’s been a week, Abbi,” Uni unfolded. A week of waiting for the shadow to leave the room. “I’ve been anxious as hell too but we can’t let this get to us. Stranger liked how things were before, and I think we should go back to how things were. Splits and Omoli aren’t doing well at all, and–”

Abbi began pulling on her tentacles as hard as she could, planning to rip them off her head to ease the pain.

“Hey!” Uni scolded. “No! You’re not doing that!” he pulled her hands away and did his best to restrain her from hurting herself any further.
“Why won’t they come back, why won’t they come back, why won’t they come back!?” Abbi repeated over and over and over again. The door to the room must’ve had a lock on it. Maybe Omori had the lock. It had to be Omori.

“Listen, I bet Stranger is looking at us now in the afterlife, with Mari. They’ll both always be here, but they can’t come back to us.” Uni explained in the best way he could, but he was tearing up too.

“You don’t get it! You’ve never gone through what I’m going through! Why are you so mean to me!?” Abbi yelled, not to Uni though.

“But I’m not–oh,” He realized. “Is this about…?”

“Why does he hate me? What did I ever do? Why did Stranger need to die!?” She cried and thrashed, trying to escape Uni’s hold on her.

“Omori was never good to you, or anyone here for that matter, but he is not a killer!” He convinced.

“He killed Mari!” She shouted back.

Uni looked like he had just been struck with lightning, and Abbi took this as her cue to escape. She knew exactly where she would be going, because nobody cared and nobody would stop her this time. Nobody would come to save her. Because Stranger was dead.

Just before she opened the door, her legs betrayed her and she fell before catching herself.

“Shit–are you okay?” Uni immediately ran to her side.

“I’m fine.” Abbi hissed, attempting to stand up on her own but failing.

“I’d like you to get some exercise, but I think it would be better if you stayed in bed for now.” Uni was an anxious man, you could tell it in his voice. That’s why he resented speaking.

Abbi grumbled and let herself be carried into bed by Uni and his weak arms. Maybe they'd die too.

━

Sweet desert child
Sweet desert child
Where will you go when everyone else has grown, sweet child?

Abbi had woken up from a nap she didn’t know she had taken. For a moment she believed she smelled danishes, the ones Herosaurus would sometimes make for her when she was younger. She loved danishes. Too bad there weren’t any danishes to be seen in the room. She still felt younger though. She felt younger and helpless, like a child lost in a big and bright crowd.

“You were planning on going to the Abyss again, I assume?” Uni stated. His eye was slightly puffy and red, he was probably smoking seaweed while she slept. Maybe that was the smell. “I’m not letting you.”

Abbi weakly gripped the crimson blanket with her cold tentacles. This was the blanket Stranger always slept with. She wondered what it was like for them to be twelve yet not feel twelve. You could never feel the age you were until it was gone.

“It was so long ago. You were so young when Omori banished you there. What was it like?” He asked. It was a rather intruding question, yet it felt like she’d been waiting for someone to ask it for years.

“Um.” She inhaled and exhaled, but some of the air felt like it got stuck in her neck. With a wide, glowing eye she looked to all corners of the room, and then to Uni, as if waiting for permission to speak.

“You don’t have to tell me. It was probably rude of me to ask,” Uni admitted, he slumped down on the small wooden chair he was sitting on.

Abbi stuttered on her words. “It, it was cold. And dark, very dark,” She described. “I don’t like it there. I hate the Abyss.”

“Omori must’ve been a huge piece of trash to send you down there. If I were you I would’ve punched him,” Uni chuckled sadly. Both he and Abbi knew that he could never have the guts to punch someone. The mention of Omori made her insides twinge and her breath hitch.

Abbi felt that her voice was too thin and wiggly. Without anything else to talk about her and the sea urchin slept for the rest of the day. She didn’t know if Uni was still going to work or not.

━

It's gonna be all right
It's gonna be all right
You're not as doomed as you think you are

And when you get cold at night
Hold yourself tight
No one else is going to
Look up at that star that's just for you, sweet child

On the second week Splits, Omoli, and Herosaurus visited and brought some home baked danishes. She tried her best to keep composure around her little brothers, and to reassure them that everything was okay.

“I visited the Slime Girls again recently,” Splits started. His usually smart and snarky tone was washed out by a dry, sad one. “I’ve been thinking about making another robotic sprout mole. This time one made from scratch, not like Jerry. Maybe I’d make one for the Aubrey’s back at the school, so they won’t get lonely when I’m gone.”
Abbi smiled, it was a fake one of course. She remembered how this area had only recently gone through a temperature shift, and Splits had ice packs wrapped around all of his limbs.

“That’s very nice of you, Splits,” Abbi said, taking a bite of a danish. What used to be her favorite treat now tasted bland and sickly. The icing was sweet, and the jelly jam stuff was tart, but it didn’t feel right anymore. It felt tainted and dead.

“I really hope you guys are doing alright. This isn’t the first time we’ve lost someone.” Herosaurus remarked. His smile slowly fading. “This whole thing has made me want to get out of my house more, I want to see the sights this world has to offer.”

Abbi set her half eaten danish down on it’s paper plate and handed it to Omoli, who hadn’t spoken a word since he had arrived. ]

“I’m glad to hear that, Hero,” She responded, trying to coax the sprout mole into eating or at the very least talking.

“Ah, Omoli’s been–well this had all taken a pretty big toll on him,” Herosaurus explained.

Uni sat up from his chair. He had eaten three danishes already. “Aw it’s okay little guy. Shadow kid’s glad you’re looking out for them.” He gave Omoli a pat on the leaf.

“Can we please leave?” Omoli asked with a wide eyed stare at nothing in particular.

Herosaurus and Splits nodded. “Good rest of your day to the both of you!” Hero waved. They had left the danishes.

Abbi didn’t think much of the interaction, but it was weird seeing her brothers again. Good weird. She lied back down in bed and decided whether or not she was cold, dry or hot. All she was wearing that day was her bra and an old pair of shorts from Uni.

“Do you ever think you’ll let me sleep in my bed again? I don’t mind letting you have it, but you haven’t gotten up in weeks,” Uni reproached. He wasn’t trying to come off as mean, but he definitely had a point.

“Mmm… I don’t wanna,” Abbi grumbled, pulling herself under the covers, finally deciding that she was indeed cold.

Uni sighed and put down his fourth danish. “You’re sick, Abbi. I’m sorry to break it to you.”

“I am not! You know it’s not normal anymore! I think I’m dead,” She argued. “I think I’m dead.”
Something in Uni shattered a little bit, but he didn’t want Abbi to see it. “I can’t help you if you don’t want me too!” He yelled desperately. She knew he wasn’t mad, but the sudden height of volume triggered her fight or flight.

“What if I don’t want you to help me! Just hurt me! Get it over with like Omori always would!” She cried.

Uni’s eye was dry and strained from holding in so many tears. He inched his way up onto the bed anyway.

Abbi pressed herself as far into the wall as she could. Strangely, she remembered doing this before, but at the same time she didn’t. Like a forgotten memory waiting to be recovered.

“I don’t want to hurt you, I promise,” He whispered patiently.

She tensed up and scowled. That’s all anyone ever did. They left her or they hurt her.

“We’re both slowly decomposing in this Treehouse. Please, can we trust each other in this? Stranger would be devastated to see us like this. You know that.”

Abbi stared and stared and stared. Uni was desperately pleading for an answer, so she gave him one. She dropped her entire weight onto him and melted. She swore her guts were spilling out of her body like the flowers blooming out of Stranger. Her blood was spilling all over his favorite yellow shirt with The Great Wave on it. But none of it was real. Both of their guts and blood were pooling onto the floor. Neither of them would never know truly how the other felt, but at least they knew about the guts. The guts and the flowers. That’s what made them best friends, they never had to actually tell eachother anything to know what the other was saying.

━

The kraken finally gave Uni his bed back. She felt super guilty that he had to sleep on the floor for a few weeks, because with just one night on the floor she needed someone to take out her spine and crack it like a whip.

For the first time in quite a while something in her felt better. Not her spine though. Abbi left her blankets and pillow on the wooden floor and searched the cupboards for the leftover danishes. They were long, rectangular and dang did they look tasty. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate all of them, even the one Uni didn’t finish from yesterday. She forgot how much she loved these pastries.

The tiny wooden chair she was sitting on was cleary met for children, and not krakens who were six feet tall. She didn’t mind it though, other than the discomfort it brought she had to admit it was a cute chair.

“You’re awake?” Uni asked, rubbing his eye and yawning. “Glad to see you’re up and eating.”

Abbi pushed her plate to the far end of the table. “I think Stranger has finally come out of the room,” She spoke, knowing Uni wouldn’t understand.

The sea urchin simply brushed it off as another crazy thing she’d say. “I think the real elephant in the room is us. We are in need of showers.”

Abbi chuckled. “I guess you’re right, but I’ve always preferred baths.”

Uni lifted his heavy bones out of bed. “Do you think you’re ready to go back to The Cove?” He asked.

Abbi’s smile faded into a frown. It wasn’t sad, just melancholic. “I–I guess. If you think we should.”

Uni nodded, getting all of Abbi’s things together and exiting through the door. So this was really it. Did Stranger ever really die? Did they ever leave the room? Maybe Abbi just left it, because the air outside was fresh and bubbly. On the way to The Cove, she and Uni joked and laughed as if everything was normal again. It felt like the moment she entered her home, her little sibling would be sat down on the hand carved wooden table eating juicy, red watermelon for breakfast.

The Tree Circle Area was quiet, yet flourishing with plant life. Bright and saturated flowers reigned over every inch of everywhere. Plants like these didn’t grow naturally in Blackspace. Just like watermelons, flowers would need an extra push from creatures like Fern or Splits. Maybe Stranger was growing these flowers in the afterlife now that they could finally touch them. It was beautiful to think about.

“It’s only been a few weeks, yet it feels like it’s been years. Ha, I remember when we built this place. The Cove is the only structural nightmare I’ll tolerate,” Uni admitted.

Abbi admired The Cove. What used to be a place of life was now a place of death, and then a place of life again. Every plant previously growing in the garden had multiplied by several hundred.

“Do you think Stranger grew all of these?” Abbi asked. This was the first time she said their name in the past few days without flinching.

“Of course,” Uni agreed. “Who else could?”

Once they were standing at the entrance of The Cove, they halted. The giant shoe carved from rock looked down at them. It was intimidating, and it looked like an old lost shoe hung on top of a pole for it’s owner to find. Luckily, this shoe had finally been found.

Uni uncovered the lever from its prison of hibiscus flowers and vines. She was glad he did this because she did not believe she would have the strength to do it herself. The large stone door lifted up to let the water from the river pour in, and create the waterfall entrance.

Abbi climbed down after Uni did. There was barely any light, only a single candle with melted wax that had gone out a long time ago. Splits had likely taken Jerry elsewhere, and lit the candle incase Abbi came back and needed light.

“You stay here. I’m going to go turn on the electricity and take a shower,” Uni instructed.

Abbi nodded and gently peeled open the fridge. Inside were watermelons that looked only a little rotten. The silly magnets and drawings on the front door of it made her want to get on her knees and sob. Knowing that she no longer needed to tape gibberish notes to the fridge and table to let Stranger know that she had left was one of the many things that made her want to cave in like the rotting watermelons in the fridge.

After a few minutes, the lights flickered on and Uni did a victory cheer. Abbi quietly laughed. She decided to move from the kitchen into the area with the giant legendary ultra mega bed. Now only two thirds of it would be occupied at night when they slept. Everything on Stranger’s bed had been left untouched. All it was was a few pillows, because she had buried them with Minty2, her hat and their backpack. They needed those items more than she did though.

Deciding there wasn’t much else to do, she decided to do what she was dreading and go through her desk for any possessions that resembled her memories with her little sibling. The rest of The Cove felt as if it was decaying, even if stone couldn’t rot away easily. But her desk remained a shiny chocolate brown color with only a few scratches and scuffs in the wood. The first drawer she opened contained many notebooks and journals from when she and her friends were younger. She wouldn’t go through these, not without the rest of Angelfish to read it with her. The second drawer she opened contained nothing but pens and a small jar of thumb tacks. She used the thumbtacks to mark down areas on her Blackspace map(credit to Uni for the writing and Abbi for the visuals!) to where Omori hadn’t been. What a stupid goal. She never found him, and maybe that’s why Stranger was dead. She was so stupid. Stupid stupid stupid!

The third drawer she opened contained something immortal; the start of it all. Carefully, Abbi reached for it and gently set it on the Blackspace map that was currently pinned to the wooden desk. It was a flower crown, one of soft pretty flowers with powdery petals. She felt that with one wrong move it would wither to dust in her tentacles, so she held her breath.

Uni came out of his shower looking very confused. “Are you okay?” He asked.

Abbi shot up out of surprise. “I’m fine!” She shouted.

“Okay…?” He replied.

“Well the bathroom is unoccupied as of now. I’ll probably be going back home soon,” Uni said. He shuffled a few things in his satchel around and began walking to the door.

“Wait!” Abbi stopped him.

“Yeah?” He turned to her.

Abbi tightly gripped the ends of her shorts. “Can you stay here? With me? Maybe?” She asked.

Uni thought for a moment before agreeing. “I don’t have anything else to do. So, yeah I guess I can stay.”

Abbi nodded and walked into the bathroom. The mirror was foggy and the air was stuffy from the sea urchin’s previous shower. Uni took a seat outside of the bathroom, the same place Stranger sat a few months ago the day they had injured her. She turned the bathtub faucet all the way onto ‘hot’ and watched as it flowed out and loudly crashed against the closed drain. She then went to sit beside Uni as she waited for it to fill up.

“Hi,” He said.

“Hi,” She replied.

They were awkwardly silent, but there wasn’t much to talk about in the first place.

After a few minutes the tub was finally full, and Abbi walked into the bathroom and frisked through the closet for a new pair of clothes. She did her best to avoid touching any of Stranger’s though.

“You can come in the room with me. I don’t mind,” She told Uni.

The sea urchin slowly stood up. “Do you have any makeup for me to mess around with?” He asked.

“Yeah it’s on the top shelf of the first closet.” She pointed to the eyeshadow palettes and other makeup that she didn’t use.

Abbi undressed and laid down in the warm soapy water. Somehow, soap had gotten into it, but she didn’t remember putting any in. She liked bubble baths though, they were fun.

“Do you think I’m weird, Uni?” She questioned.

Uni was squinting while applying eyeliner to the edge of his eye. “You’re pretty cool, I like you. If you were weird you’d still be cool.”

“Thank you,” Abbi said. She knew he was being genuine.

The sea urchin accidentally got something on his hand, but instead of running it under water from the sink he thought it would be funny if he washed it off with the bath water. His hand swiftly recoiled at the temperature.

“OW! ABBI THAT’S TOO HOT!” He shrieked.

She laughed loudly for the first time in a while, and she kept laughing. “If it’s not scalding hot then it feels like the abyss! Sorry you’re too used to the cold of Blackspace to toughen up a little bit! C’mon Uni, be a man!” She encouraged. The sea urchin smiled sheepishly.

“Have you ever wanted to eat a bubble?” She asked. It was an out of the blue question but it was something everybody needed to think about at least once in their life.

Uni paused with his makeup and thought for a moment. “Wait didn’t you ask this same question when you were thirteen?”

Abbi nodded.

“Of course I want to eat bubbles. I grew up in Deep Well before meeting you guys here. I ate bubbles all the time! The other aquatic creatures looked at me weird. I always thought it was the bubbles, but now I realize it was probably because I’m a something.”

“They’re weirdos then, because you’re the second best something ever!” She cheered.

“Thanks,” Uni smiled victoriously. “Wait, second best!?”

Abbi laughed and blew bubbles in his direction.

━

After about an hour, Uni left. He said he needed to go home and get back in the flow of work. Abbi didn’t know if she could ever work again. She’d probably just start growing her own watermelons in the Tree Circle Area so that she didn’t need to spend any more clams than needed.

Her hair was wet and cold against the air outside of the bathroom, but it strangely made her feel alive again. She opened the fridge and split open one of the slightly rotten watermelons and extracted some of the seeds.

Abbi took them in her tentacle and dug out several small divots in the dirt of the garden beside the sunflowers. Like she had done with Stranger for the first time, she gently placed the seeds in each one and covered it up with more dirt.

In the end she had one small and shriveled seed left, and it certainly wouldn’t grow. She dug one final divot above the place where Stranger was buried, and then covered it up once again like the other seeds.

For her family, starting a garden never did bring good luck. But at least it would be something they could do together.

Sweet desert child
Sweet desert child
Where will you go when everyone else has grown?

[ARNOLDII: 5,555 words. February 2023.]
[’Hold Yourself Tight’ by The Scary Jokes is actually the song Mari sings to Abbi, and then the song Abbi sings to Stranger in PTP/chapter nine! It’s a very special song to me. -Fishy]

["251521 030114'20 20011105 200805 120920201205 15140519, 06051814." 20080525 19010904. "251521 11141523 23080120 20080525 011805," 190805 18051612090504. "251521 11141523 20080120 20080525 11141523 23080120 20080525 011805. 09'13 141520 080122091407 200805 0514200918052025 1506 02120103111916010305 11141523091407 23080120 09'13 0415091407."]

Chapter Text

https://lingojam.com/AlphabettoNumbers 

for those curious enough to go back to the Abyss, and to search for the Little Ones.

Chapter Text

[HAPPY NIGHTSHADE/TIMELINE ANNIVERSARY!!!! Tomorrow, March 7th marks the one year existence of Atal: Ns/tl. This story has meant a lot to me, and it means the world to me that you guys like it as well. Without my friends and you guys reading, I wouldn’t have been able to write any of this. Thank you for sticking around, and I hope you enjoy the many chapters left to come!]
[cw: This chapter has mentions of blood.]

Stranger woke up in their bed again. They had Minty2 by their side and that crimson blanket tucked around them. Abbi instructed that they stay in The Cove and not move too much, but they only broke that rule a few times. Now that it had been two weeks, they thought maybe they could get away with fully leaving the Tree Circle Area.

Their sister was in the kitchen, eating some watermelon she cut up for breakfast. Her hair was still a little bit messy but she had no reason to brush it because she didn’t have work today. Or any day this week. She was fired again.

“Hey, Stranger. Good morning!” She greeted happily.

The shadow gently rubbed their still sleepy eyes. “Morning,” they replied. “Can I have some?” Gesturing to the watermelon.

“Of course!” Abbi said, passing them a plate of watermelon and a shiny fork. “Did you and Minty2 sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Stranger said. They gently flicked their tail up and down as they ate their breakfast. Waking up was just hard sometimes, especially after a good night’s sleep.

The two were both silent for a few moments as they ate. The only sound that could be heard was chewing and the scrapping of forks on plates.

“I was thinking about something,” Stranger dispensed.

“You can tell me!” Abbi beamed.

The shadow got up and put their plate in the sink to wash it. “I want to go out today. With the Bettas maybe? I guess it’s up to you. I don’t mind if you say no.”

Abbi thought hard for a long moment. “Hmm… Are you still bleeding? Does anything hurt?” She asked.

Stranger lifted up their shirt to show her some mostly clean bandages. Their heart was beating fast. They crossed their claws and hoped she would say yes.

“...I suppose. That’s if you’re with someone else! As long as you promise to stay with the Bettas I’ll let you go,” She agreed.

“Yay thank you!” Stranger cheered gratefully as they quickly ran around The Cove to gather all of their essentials into their beloved purple backpack, including their blanket which had a strange aura of ‘take me with you.’

“Be careful, Stranger! And have fun!” Abbi waved as her sibling exited The Cove.

━

The shadow skipped and trotted all throughout Tree Circle Area and into Beach Area where they could possibly find Tako. The sand was soft and warm. Crystal clear blue water crashed onto the shore, recoiled, and started the cycle over again. The only creatures there were Blue Girl, Naught, Empty and Blank. Seeing that Tako was nowhere to be found they decided they’d check Disco Area, Meido's favorite hangout spot.

A warp door to Beach Area to Disco Area was pretty hard to pull off, because they were on opposite sides of the map, but they probably have done more challenging teleports anyway. Like Cloud Walkway to Spider Area. Yeesh.

Surrounding the big purpley-blue cat were three teenagers, also known as the Bettas. They looked like they were telling each other stories or jokes. Stranger walked over to sit next to them.

Loquacious’s fur was sparkly with edible glitter and sprinkles from cookies. They wore a bouncy headband with springs that had hearts and stars on the top. Their wacky smile could bring joy to any creature who took a look at them, no matter how nonsensical they were.

“Shadow kid!” Loquacious Cat exclaimed ecstatically.

Stranger waved up at them. “Hi, Loquacious! How have you been?”

The giant feline brought their paws up to their eyes in a crying motion. “We’ve missed you sooo much and I’ve been sooo sad!” They wailed. “I heard from Kel who heard from Right Aubrey who heard from a Bouquet Basil who heard from Herosaurus who heard from Butler who heard from Omoli who heard from Mirrorman who heard from Uni—That you died!”

Tako and the other Bettas rushed to comfort Loquacious Cat. “Uhh don’t worry dude! Stranger’s right there!” Tako pointed. Dang, rumors in Blackspace were crazy, just like a good game of telephone.

Loquacious opened their eyes to see the shadow right under their nose. “Shadow kid! You’re alive!” They seized Stranger like a teddy bear and spun them around.

“It’s so good seeing you again, Stranger!” Meido said, shaking their hand aggressively, making their wrists ache just a little bit.

“Yeah, fishsticks. How’d you get away from my cousin in The Cove?” Tako asked half jokingly.

“You two aren’t related.” Uni quietly corrected.

Stranger watched as Loquacious reassembled the Omori Matryoshka and then separated it again. “Well, cinnamon, I just asked her! With the promise that I would stick around you guys.” They smiled.

Tako nodded. “Nice, nice. Did you come here for anything or just to hangout?”

Stranger sat down with the rest of the Bettas, expecting some peaceful light hearted conversation about guitars or kandi or something.

“Who and/or what stabbed you?” Meido asked, clearly not reading the room.

“Meido you can’t just–” Uni said before being interrupted.

Stranger gulped, “I don’t know, actually! It all happened so fast!” They came up with a quick but hopefully believable lie. “The Little Ones revived me though, that’s how I’m still here and not six feet under.” That was part of the truth. Something about the thought of Omori stabbing them made them angry and anxious. They didn’t like talking about this.

Tako picked at something in her teeth and rubbed it onto the cyan colored ground, hoping the cat wouldn’t notice while they disassembled the matryoshka. “When I find out who did it,” Tako threatened. “I’m going to Drain them so hard they’ll be burnt to a crisp from the shocks!”

Even though Stranger was mad at Omori for injuring them, the thought of Tako electrocuting him did make them a little uncomfortable. They had to admit it was slightly funny. Hopefully she wouldn’t do the same thing to them if they ever made her angry.

“And I’ll bite them!” Meido joined, showing off her not-very-sharp teeth and blue tongue.

“Nah, biting is more of Tako’s thing,” Uni said. Meido wilted.

Stranger chuckled. “Thanks guys… maybe I’ll let all of you bite him–no Draining though.”

“HIM!?” Everybody, including Loquacious Cat shouted.

“Whoops I just assumed it was a guy. My bad!” Stranger immediately covered it up.

Uni looked directly into their eyes and Tako and Meido just sighed out of relief. Maybe Stranger did want to bite Omori and Drain him. Maybe he should feel what they felt. Yeah, yeah they’d do that.

The shadow quickly planned out a way to escape. If they were fast enough they could hide behind something and warp to Black Playground, but that was very far and the warp door would take some of their form away. They’d have to recharge behind a tree or something when they got there.

“I really need to use the restroom!” They chirped before running to a colorful structure.

Blue Cloud gracefully floated from the edge of Disco Area to the rest of the group. “The only restroom here is in the Skateway… Which means they’re probably peeing on your floor.”

The Bettas as Loquacious gave it a strange look.

“Oh uh–I mean, follow the cloud!” it sang sarcastically.

━

Stranger had successfully entered Black Playground. They trusted the Bettas and Disco Area civilians to not tell anyone that they had left. Nobody was actually sure if any kids in Blackspace could actually be trusted though.

Their shadow form had completely dissipated due to the distance of the teleport, but since nobody other than Pinata Guy was around, they’d probably be alright.

The bench with the decaying wood was always their favorite to sit on. According to all of the kids who were Stranger’s age in Blackspace, the dented side of the bench had been struck by lightning! It was the side the Little Ones always sat on, but when they weren’t there Stranger liked to sit on that side too. It was comfortable. Hopefully they wouldn’t be struck by lightning. Did Tako and Omori’s Drain ability feel like being struck by lightning? No, they’ve felt it before. It wasn’t usually that bad.

Stranger quickly rested their eyes before opening them again from a startling tap on their shoulder. It was only Mirrorman. He did almost give them a heart attack though.

“Best friend!” He said with a large smile on his face. He still had that same bouncy red bow in his hair.

“H-hi Mirrormannn!” They hesitated. Their form was barely halfway back and they weren’t too comfortable with him seeing them like this.

“I heard what happened. That must’ve hurt real bad huh?” He pointed to the spot on their chest where the bandages would be, except they were covered by their shirt and overalls.

“Yeah,” They replied. “Hey Mirrorman, can you do me a quick favor?”

“Of course, you’re my best friend after all. What do you need?”

Stranger dug their claws into the grass and fidgeted with their tail. “Omori. I need Omori,” They spoke loud and clear.

Mirrorman stuck his tongue out of his mouth a little bit and looked behind himself. “Ooo he’s in Pyrefly Forest!” He turned to Stranger to tell them. “I’ll snatch him up for you.”

The shrieks and struggles of the other frog could be heard from within the mirror.

Stop it Omori! Your pal Stranger the spidercrow wants to see you! They also want revenge, or maybe a sacrifice, or a gift, or a hug.

“Get off me!” The frog shouted as he was roughly thrown out of the mirror.

Mirrorman sighed. “You’re really going to have to start paying me for this, Stranger. You know my legs don’t work!” He floated away.

Omori got to his feet and brushed himself off. Now he was fully facing Stranger. Even with some of their other form showing, they still wanted to face him.

“I thought you told me to leave?” He recalled.

Stranger bit back some words on their tongue. “You hurt me,” They spat. [Stranger became Angry]

“It was an accident.” Omori defended himself.

“One that you could’ve prevented.” The roses were blooming again. Up their spine and into their brain. [Stranger became Enraged]

Omori held his knife upward, yet still close to his chest. He likely only had it out for an emergency. The gray grass didn’t provide him much friction on his socks to back away.

Stranger came closer and closer to his face. “I don’t want you to leave. I want you dead.” They threatened. [Stranger became Furious]

With one swift swipe they flipped Omori’s knife from in his hands, to in his chest. Right in the same spot it always went. As a final hit they roughly stomped on his shoulder and probably disconnected the arm from it’s socket. They stared as his weak body fell and became limp. It wasn’t until his tank top darkened around the wound, and the blood started pooling did they realize the gravity of the situation.

Tears came to their eyes and the roses inside them tightened their thorns around their gut and brain, but not from anger. Another flower started to grow. They picked up Omori’s body and carried him like a ragdoll to the only place safe for him, the only place trusted enough for it’s owner to not tell anyone; Tako’s house.

The frog’s blood came out red like the raspberry bushes growing in Herosaurus’s backyard. What didn’t already end up on his thin black tank top stained Stranger’s overalls and shirt underneath.

Stranger ran to Town Area as fast as their legs and lungs would let them. They placed Omori onto the soft but spiky grass and banged on the door hoping that maybe she had headed home from Disco Area early.

“Hello!? Open the door please!” They shouted. Without a response though, they tried jamming and turning the doorknob. It wouldn’t budge. They tried over and over again but it wouldn’t even move.

Stranger turned to the Halloween decorations that Tako kept in her yard year round. They grabbed a hefty looking pumpkin statue and used it to smash down the door. They would get Uni to fix it later, right now Omori’s life was on the line.

━

//
Omori woke up somewhere warm, he knew it was different because the rest of Blackspace was ice cold on his bare arms and face.

He assumed he just reappeared in Whitespace so he tried to get up, but sharp piercing pain sprang through his body causing him to fall back down on whatever he was laying on.

"Hey, lay back down please. You might injure yourself even further." A comforting but panicked voice said.

Omori felt a soft blanket being pulled over him. His vision wasn't very good due to the fact he was barely awake, but it was obvious to him that he was still in Blackspace.

"Where…. Am I..?" He slowly asked, the words sounded a lot better in his aching head.

"You're in my friend's house." They answered, "I stabbed you, but once you went unconscious I wasn't sure if you'd make it. I took you here and fixed you up but since you’re awake I wasn’t able to finish."

Omori connected the dots and realized it was Stranger who was talking to him. Some of the warm feeling of safety left his body, replaced by an uneasy feeling of guilt and fear.

He tried to stand up once again but the sudden pain returned and didn't leave, Stranger had to gently push him back down.

Omori tried verbally expressing his pain, but it only came out as incoherent sounds from his nausea and headache.

Stranger scooped him up in their arms, they were cold but felt oddly warm in a way. Omori wasn't sure if he liked that or not. It was comforting nonetheless.

"Just relax. I know I'm not the most trustworthy person right now–but I'm going to make this right, okay? I'm not going to hurt you anymore." Stranger said, their glowing eyes were the only thing Omori could see.

"I need to finish bandaging you up. I know it hurts to move but I'm going to need you to cooperate with me here." Stranger gave a weak but reassuring smile.

"Mm ok…" Omori mumbled.

He fell asleep for a moment before Stranger turned him over, the action made him hiss in pain.

Stranger ignored Omori's protests though. It was obvious that scolding him wasn't going to do anything so they needed to work around his sharp movements.

Once he had finally calmed down more, and his vision began to adjust, he could see the room around him more clearly. The walls were wooden and gray, so was the floor. He was laying on top of a shaggy old rug. The room appeared to be some kind of bedroom but with the lack of a bed. Who even lived here? A bed, or at the very least a mattress was the centerpiece of any stable household!

“Alright you’re doing good,” The shadow expressed. “I’m sorry for all of this.”

Omori didn’t respond. He wanted to say something but his mouth couldn’t form the words. Instead he just stayed still and silent like he always would. Maybe it was better this way.

After a few moments of closing his eyes, Stranger lifted him upwards and sat him straight up. “I’ll let you sleep soon. I just need to check and see if I did this right,” They explained.

Omori nodded and held his breath for a moment.

“Alright, it looks good. Do you want me to massage your neck…?” They asked timidly.

Omori shuffled the soft, and now bloody, red blanket around his body. “Sure. Hero gives people massages when they feel stressed,” He said. “That’s usually in battles though.”

Stranger rubbed Omori’s neck and shoulders. They avoided scratching him and made sure they didn’t accidentally hurt their wrists.

“I’m sorry for stabbing you,” They finally said. “I got so angry and–”

“It’s alright,” Omori interrupted. “You just needed a little bit of payback, that’s all.”

Stranger frowned. “You stabbed me by accident, I stabbed you on purpose. You shouldn’t forgive me this easily.”

“What if I want to?” Omori proposed. He meant for it to come out in a teasing tone, but he felt that it sounded better genuine.

The shadow squeezed the other boy's shoulders. “You shouldn’t.” They warned.

“We’re just kids after all. Accidents happen,” Omori remarked. It sounded all too familiar.

“What I did to you wasn’t an accident,” Stranger argued.

“And when I left you here. That wasn’t an accident either,” Omori reasoned.

Stranger bit back some anger, but they needed to stay composed for Omori’s sake. “If I forgave you…would you forgive me?” They asked.

Omori thought for a moment before deciding on an answer. “Sunny and Basil forgave each other. Why can’t we?” He followed up with another question.

━

//
Stranger looked at their hands as they massaged him. What Omori had said was actually a nice way to put it. It was a strange way, yes, but it answered many questions all at the same time.

They noticed the frog was about to fall asleep, either from exhaustion or blood loss. They gently took Omori’s head and placed it in their lap. His hair was slightly greasy, but they didn’t really mind. He grabbed one of their paws and placed it onto the top of his head.

The house was quiet, not a sound could be heard. Omori’s breathing was harsh but rhythmic as Stranger softly brushed their claws through his hair.

He then started crying.

“Hey, don’t cry. What’s wrong?” Stranger asked.

Omori sniffled loudly. His tears were translucent and red, just like his fingers and the juice of strawberries and raspberries. “Do you think we’ll be able to live a normal life? One where we’re friends, a life where we can just be kids again? Now that the truth’s out I can no longer fulfill my purpose. If I love you and Blackspace, will you love me and the Dreamworld?” His words stuttered and stopped periodically as he caught up with his jumbled vocal cords and messy sobs.

Stranger was about to respond, but they felt themselves tearing up as well. “Of course, Omori. Of course.” They smiled and wiped the tears flowing steadily from his eyes.

“Let's just be kids for now.” They finished, softly kissing Omori’s eyelids closed and letting him rest.

━

After a quick nap, they woke up and realized where they were. Nothing that had just happened was a dream, and they were still in Tako’s house holding Omori. They were covered in his blood from carrying him earlier, not that it bothered them though.

The shadow summoned a warp door. They picked the frog up bridal carry style and fidgeted the key on their necklace into the lock of the door and opened it up to reveal a brightly colored world on the other side.

Stranger had always teleported to Vast Forest, or the Playground to get on the train to Jimmi’s. They’d never visited Pyrefly Forest from what they could remember. It was strangely beautiful and calming despite the misty fog. Spiders creeped and crawled and danced freely all around the grass and trees. It reminded them of Blackspace. Their home had tons of spiders, whether in Spider Area or just the Basils that roamed around in clutters.

The colorful leaves of the trees distracted them from carrying a boy nearly the same weight as them. They finally came to a clearing in the forest with a peaceful pond and a cute little bridge. On the other side of the pond was a picnic blanket with two creatures engaging in a joyful sounding conversation. Upon noticing Stranger, they got very confused.

The shadow remained silent, only placing Omori onto the blanket next to his sister. She was shocked. So was Basil, who was next to her. His hair and body was more of a saturated color, like Splits. He had four arms like every other spider and some seed packets in his pockets. Stranger strikingly resembled him, but their form looked more soft and less bright. It felt weird knowing that these two would be some of the last.

“Little brother!” Mari exclaimed. Unlike her usual composed and calm demeanor, she seemed to be at a loss for words

Basil’s glare shifted from Stranger, to Omori, to Stranger again. “Who are you?” He whispered.

“A stranger,” They replied. Something within them wanted to seem cool in front of Basil while remaining serious, so they talked cryptically and only gave out vital information.

“Omori will be fine.” They turned to Mari, who was already holding him and struggling to hold back tears. She barely ever saw her little brother like this, it must’ve been hard for her. It was probably the same emotion Abbi felt when they almost died.

Mari gazed at them for a moment, likely deciding whether or not to trust Stranger. They hadn’t seen, nor met this version of Mari yet. The last reset would’ve been at least a month ago. Her scales were a neutral shade of yellow with brown undertones giving her the title of being a banana ball python.

“What happened to him?” She asked.

“That–” Stranger paused. “I cannot tell you. But, your little brother is a great boy, and I bet you’re a great sister for encouraging him to be that way.”

Mari smiled and wiped a few tears away. “Thank you for helping him, Stranger.”
Something in her eye glimmered with familiarity. There was no way she could be connected to the version of her that Abbi knew, but it sure felt like it. The feeling sent chills down their spine. She had a knack for knowing things she wasn’t supposed to, but this time it felt eerie.

“Of course,” They nodded, brushing off the weird feeling. The Dreamworld never had been completely normal. “Just make sure he’s alright. Maybe it would be better if he stays here.”

“Are you sure?” Mari questioned. She always knew too much. Stranger wouldn’t be surprised if she was reading their mind.

“Who are you and where did you come from?” Basil anxiously shouted. His best friend was bloody and clearly injured. “What happened to Omori!?”

Stranger sat down on the picnic blanket and noticed their shadow form was coming back. Maybe that’s how Mari recognized them. But they’d never met this one before. How strange.

“Calm down Basil. I think it will be okay,” She reassured, putting a paw on their shoulder and coiling her tail around itself. “Will it be okay, Stranger?”

Stranger nodded, zoning off in Basil’s ocean blue eyes. He had six of them, each moved in sync. No matter what it took they would make sure that there were no more resets.

“Hey, Mari!” Someone called from further away, likely one the rest of the friend group. Stranger had to leave, and now.

The shadow made sure they had all of their things, including their crimson blanket, As they were stuffing it into their backpack with Minty2, a thought crossed their mind of something they needed to ask Mari.

The rest of her friends were getting closer. “Do you know my sister?” They begged.

“Who?” Mari asked.

“Abbi. My sister,” They repeated.

The ball python furrowed her eyebrows and gave them a look that Stranger couldn’t quite figure out. They’d need to ask her another day though, because they had to jump through a warp door as fast as they could before being seen.

━

Out of breath, they teleported directly inside of The Cove. Abbi immediately dropped what she was doing.

“Stranger! I’ve been worried about you all day! Uni called me to say you ran off and that they couldn’t find you and we all went out to find you!” She continued to ramble on as she vigorously hugged them.

“Relax–I was just at Tako’s house.” Stranger’s insides were frozen solid and tense. They hated lying to their sister, even if it wasn’t really a lie. They hated lying to pretty much anyone!

“Tako’s house!?” Abbi shouted. “You’re covered in blood and in your other form!”

Stranger gulped and began to cry. They hurt Omori on purpose. And now they liked him. They would need to choose between either him or Abbi. It was a choice they never wanted to make, and it was a choice that could betray everyone. They were a monster.

Abbi wiped their tears with her tentacle. “I’m sorry for yelling, little dude. You’re clearly going through a lot. I was just so worried. Do you want to reapply your bandages?” She said gently.

“It’s not my blood,” Stranger muttered.

Abbi tilted her head in confusion. “What?”

“I said it’s not my blood,” They repeated, tightly gripping their overalls.

The kraken’s face shifted from concern to worry to fear. She tightened her grip on their shoulders and they could tell that she was threatened.

They stopped crying for a moment. “I’d like to talk about something, and I know you’re not the person to ask for this advice, but.”

“What is it Stranger?” Abbi pried.

The lights of The Cove felt more fluorescent and bright then they usually did. They burned a permanent mark into Stranger’s currently baby blue eyes, their shadowy exterior was taking some time to come back.

“I’m in love with somebody,” They admitted. The confession felt unfamiliar and foreign.

Abbi sighed with relief and let go of their shoulder. With her tentacle she pulled out a chair and gestured for them to sit. Soon after she took a seat on the little wooden table as well. Stranger burned their gaze into each and every grain.

“I am happy for you, but that doesn’t explain all the blood,” She remarked.

Stranger nervously chuckled. “We uh… got into a bit of an accident today.” They fidgeted with the collar of their shirt. Half of it was spring green while the other inky black.

The Cove went silent for a moment while information was being processed. “So who’s your crush~?” Abbi teased out of the blue.

“I– No one! No one at all! I think they’d prefer to be anonymous,” Stranger stammered before ultimately calming themself. They got this.

Abbi nodded and took a sip from a glass of water that had been on the table since before the shadow had arrived. “I know more about boats then I know about romance, but I need to know if ‘Mx. Anonymous’ is up to standards to date my sibling!”

“Abbi,” Stranger grimaced, more out of embarrassment rather than annoyance.

“Are they from Blackspace? What’s their favorite food? Oh and what kind of creature are they, not that that matters, I just think it’s cool! Do they have a job? No, they wouldn't, you're both too young. Are they nice?” She went on and on with the questions.

“Yes, yes, amphibian, no, and yes.” Stranger obviously lied on some of those. They wrapped their tail around their leg.

Abbi slammed her fist on the table and laughed out loud. “That’s awesome little dude! I’m glad you’re able to come to me for these kinds of things,” She smiled.

Stranger smiled back. They tried to hide the roses that were thriving inside of them, anxious roses. If their sister found out that they liked Omori of all people, who knows what she would do. She might leave The Cove forever like she did when she was searching for him, heck she still does sometimes. Maybe she’d drag herself back to the Abyss to lie down and rot. A relationship with Omori was what they wanted, but at the same time it could destroy worlds. Not only the Dreamworld and Blackspace, but the world of their mind.

Abbi was a little girl when she went through what she went through. She still was that little girl under her many layers of protection. Seeing Omori in person again would rewire the entirety of her. Who knows what she would do to herself.

Stranger cursed themselves for being so selfish and cruel. In their mind, a little girl stared at them longingly. Her hair was gray and shoulder length. She had two tentacles perched on her head and she tightly clutched a red toy boat in her arm as if it was the only thing she had. Beside her was another kid. This kid would be about her height, because they would be the same age. They weaved a flower wreath in the minty green hair that framed their freckled face. They wore an oversized spring green shirt with a pair of cyan overalls. They had four arms, but unlike most spiders they only had two eyes. This was likely from the dove part of them, which was where a pair of fluffy white wings came from.
The two children held each other's paw and tentacle tightly. Despite the sweat forming, their hold remained strong. There was a look in their eye that resembled fear. Stranger pitied these children, because they had just experienced betrayal.

Omori had redeemed himself. He scraped away the mold cloaking his form and washed himself off with crystal clear water. He was clean, but the two children staring and Stranger were helpless and dirty. They were afraid that despite the frog’s cleanliness, he would just dirty them up again. He may have been fresh now, but what he couldn’t scrape away was the buttercups and the roses he had practically drowned with soil in the past.

The child with the flower crown let go of the little girl’s tentacle. They made their way to the only other thing that existed in the pure white void, a beautiful fountain with intricate designs that told an indecipherable story about a spider and a frog.

Gracefully, the child climbed into the cold and clear fountain with the frog. Together they laid on metal coins of wishes from kids of the past, the kids in raincoats who didn’t need to make wishes on dandelions.

The little girl with the tentacles, the kraken girl, fell down to her knees. Her knobby little legs collapsed like a tidal wave after the loss of her only companion who promised they’d stay. Her worries swamped into a large tsunami, and she would never be clean no matter how many years she’d spend in the fountain. It was unclear if she was actually able to enter the fountain in the first place, because a sunken ship could never float again.

“Hello…?”

“Hello? Earth to Stranger?”

The shadow pulled themselves out of their little daydream, and turned to their sister who was in front of them. Pathetic tears came to their eyes again. If Abbi couldn’t enter the fountain, then maybe they wouldn’t either.

Stranger practically flew out of their seat to give Abbi the biggest hug they could. She was surprised, but very joyed by the action. She warmly hugged back. Stranger always liked her hugs.

Maybe Omori was right. If Stranger returned his love, and agreed to love not only him, but the Dreamworld as well. Then they could be kids again. Everyone could be kids again.

[REDAMANCY: 5,259 words. February 2023.]
[Mari is in Pyrefly Forest with everybody else and they’re trying to heal Omori using Hotdogs, Tofu, and Cookies.]

Chapter Text

[If there was ever a mistake where it was said that the members of Cobalt lived in Cloud Walkway, that was wrong. Cobalt is a Bouquet of spiders who died due to decapitation while exiting the elevator. They live in Tree House Area. -Y]

Today was a morning to be bright and happy. Stranger was in a good mood, Abbi was in a good mood, and so were Jerry, Omoli, and Bethany. Energy sparked throughout the shadow’s body and for the first time in a while they were excited to get out and have fun.

“If you’re planning on leaving make sure you have everything you need! And please for the love of sharks bring extra bandages!” Abbi beseeched.

Omoli was carefully placing together a tower of cards on the table. “Jackal from Splits was pestering me about not going to Treehouse Area. He pretends like he doesn’t care about the missing cases but I know he secretly does.” He smirked.

“Alright. Not many kids hangout there, except Uni, but I was planning on going other places anyway.” Stranger imagined what may have been kidnapping the Basils of Cobalt; the largest Bouquet according to Splits. Their imagination conjured up a big scary creature with sharp talons and teeth. It would have many eyes with slit pupils, and many blue vines around it for some reason. Perhaps it had a vengeful motive to take only members of Cobalt and feast on them. Stranger never cared for their clones though, so every other Basil would be on their on.

Abbi handed Omoli another deck of playing cards. “Have fun! I’ll be over at the newest construction site with Uni if you need anything,” She reminded. “Will you be alright here, Omoli?”

The sprout mole nodded, still in intense focus.

Stranger waved them goodbye, slightly disappointed that they hadn’t gotten to have some quality time with their sister in a while. The thought of their fun plans kept them going though.

━

They warped to Reef Area to start off and coincidentally, the Bettas were chilling there along with Kel from Moneyspace. The four had climbed into one of the upper pools with one of the mannequins. They had the boombox on and it was playing a rock song that the shadow didn’t recognize.

Tako was the first to notice them like always. “Heyyy, fishsticks! Cool to see you in the ol’ Incubator Chambers!”

The shadow climbed up to join them and sat on the edge to dip their feet in. They were wearing a wool sweater under their overalls that they did not want getting wet. “Actually, cinnamon, I was looking for you guys,” they chuckled.

Kel held up a paw for a high five, and Stranger knew not to leave him hanging. “This doesn’t make you uncomfortable, does it?” He pointed to Mannequin Basil, which to be honest was kind of rude.

Stranger snapped their fingers. “Nah, Mannequins can’t join the Bouquets. You have my respect, Basil” They said.

Basil blushed a little from the compliment and sunk himself further into the red liquid. Basil never was that good at taking compliments, but neither was Stranger.

“Why did you leave yesterday?” Meido asked. She was wearing a swimsuit with a zebra print.

“Yeah, why’d you ditch?” Uni cross questioned.

Stranger lifted an eyebrow. “Weren’t you supposed to be at the construction site like twenty minutes ago?” They remembered.

“Eh they’ll be fine without me,” Uni brushed it off. “Anyway how about we talk about why you ditched, shadow kid.”

Kel nodded. “Y’know the Bettas, Stranger. Are you ditchin’ or bitchin’?” He said with slight disappointment.

“I’m always bitchin, Kel! I left yesterday because I wanted to see Omori!” Stranger defended, accidentally spilling some truth.
Everybody went silent, and Mannequin Basil submerged himself all the way into the red water. Jaws were dropped and eyes were wide.

“Does Abbi know about this?” Tako checked.

Stranger shook their head. “I don’t intend for her to find out.”

Meido smiled. “Awww! Is that who you have a crush on, Stranger?” This was a bad idea. In Blackspace, just like the truth, rumors would spread.

They quickly covered part of their face with a rosy pink hue. How embarrassing. “Don’t you dare tell Abbi.” They pressed.

Meido made a motion indicating that her lips were sealed. Despite her occasional ignorance and clumsiness, she was a skink they could trust.

“What are you going to do about it?” Tako asked.

Stranger waved their feet in the water beneath them. It was neither cold nor warm compared to the air of Blackspace. “I don’t know. I might…confess to him. I think he likes me back,” They mumbled.

“Fishsticks, you don’t look so well. Do you need some music to shake off some of those nerves?” She discerned.

Kel chimed in, “Yeah let’s listen to Food House! Food House, Food House!” He chanted.

“Kel, not now.” Uni sighed and sat up on the edge with the shadow. “Shadow kid, remember what I told you a few weeks ago?”

“Yeah?” Stranger answered.

“Okay,” Uni said. He handed them a brightly colored packet of sugar dust with a candy stick to lick it off of. “If you’re going to confess to froggy-boy, give him this.” His instructions were very forceful and stern. Tako and Meido snickered and stifled some laughs, Stranger was unsure why.

They gave the sea urchin a puzzled look. “...Sure.”

Uni nodded and placed a paw on their shoulder. “Good luck out there, shadow kid,” He encouraged.

“Follow your heart!” Meido heartened. They gave her a smile before they left.

━

Stranger finally set off to go search for Mirrorman, aka the branch between worlds. They felt bad for primarily using him as nothing but a transport system to bring creatures in and out of Blackspace, but in reality they respected him for much more than that. He was patient and understanding. Chatting with him was always fun.

The trees of Black Forest loomed and swayed above them, like a soothing lullaby of loneliness. The grass was dry today and oddly enough there were stars in the sky. Real stars almost never appeared, unless on very rare occasions. They recalled something Abbi would tell them about stars before they went to sleep. She’d say something about Mari, but they were always too sleepy to remember.

“Mirrorman?” Stranger looked around to see no creature in sight, not even a Little One.

They walked closer into the Playground, searching for the boy. Wind whistled and whispered through the tree tops and gently caressed the grass.

“Anyone?” They peeked under every bush, tree, and playground equipment they could find, including the Omori heads, but no one was to be seen or heard. An empty playground was more sad than it was creepy. Stranger missed the days when all the kids in Blackspace would gather together to have fun, but those occasions were few and far between.

A gust of wind caused a flimsy piece of aged paper to glide past them. They quickly caught it and unfolded it out of curiosity.

Went to Water Walkway.
-MM

On the inside was a letter from Mirrorman. Water Walkway was just what sophisticated creatures called The Docks, and he must’ve called it that out of spite. Stranger was unsure of what business he’d have at The Docks, because he usually hung out in Black Forest to scope out any kids to hang out with.

They Made their way into Blackspace Hub and then to The Docks. The hub was always very boring, and it gave them an odd feeling too. All of those doors reminded them of being abandoned, but they decided to push it past them.

Stranger skipped along the rickety old docks. The construction team would need to patch some things up later, to ensure that no residents fell through the wood and ended up neck deep in water. The sound of rotting wood shifted and creaked underneath their paws like the rhythm of a song lost to rumor and legend.

A flower Stranger knew as ‘dicentra’ impossibly crawled up the waler beams. They shouldn’t be able to grow in those conditions. Heck, they shouldn’t have been able to grow in Blackspace at all.

Noticing the flowers, their view turned to the lake. Black shimmery waters below glistened and churned as wind crashed the waves into each other. About a year ago, they went swimming in it with Abbi, Omoli, Splits and Mirroman. Abbi stayed on her boat while the rest of the kids splashed and swam through the lake. That day was really fun. Maybe they’d do it again and Omori could join them that time.

Oh, who were they kidding. Their family would never agree to that. But if they went alone with Omori then they would get to hangout with him. Maybe they both could swim out really far away and kiss when they had the privacy.

Stranger immediately washed that out of their mind. It would be humiliating If anyone saw them blushing this hard.

“Hey Stranger,” Omori said, he was sitting at the pier, gracefully swinging his legs over the edge. Surrounding him were large patches of dicentra bushes perfectly framing him at the angle he was sitting at.

“Oh hey–OMORI?!” They shouted. A few Angi’s turned to see the commotion but once they lost interest they swam away. “What the heck are you doing here!” Stranger whisper yelled, trying to avoid further attention.

The frog scooted over to provide room for his companion. “I know it’s not the best decision for me to be here, but that doesn’t stop me from showing up.”

The shadow took a seat next to him. They wrapped themself into a ball and cradled their head in their arms, the action hurt their wrists so they adjusted. “Why now though?” They asked.

Omori shrugged. “Hero says I still need time to heal. The Dreamworld is great but sometimes it’s quieter here. As long as I don’t encounter any nightmares I’ll be okay.” He smiled very lightly, but Stranger could tell he was just trying to soften up his face.

“Nightmares?” Stranger chortled before realizing Omori was talking about Blackspace citizens. High chances he could’ve been referring to one of their neighbors.

Omori laughed too, but his smile dropped. “I guess I should stop calling them that, for your sake.”

Stranger nodded. A sharp piece of wood dug into their thigh, but that was expected from sitting on the docks wearing shorts.

“What brings you out here?” Omori asked, trying to brew up some better conversation.

Stranger sighed. “Oh, y’know. Just looking for one of my friends,” They paused. “But I guess it’s good if we talk about…us..”

Omori sucked in his teeth. He went relatively silent. Instead of responding he ran his fingers over some of the flowers, feeling the soft petals on his fingertip.

“You didn’t expect for this to really happen, did you?” Stranger said, making Omori blush. He coughed and stared into the reflection in the water. They knew that he knew exactly what they meant.

“I don’t trust just anyone, y’know,” Stranger kept on talking. “But you’re not just anyone.” Omori blushed harder. For the most part his blood was very transparent, but they could still see it in his cheeks.

“Aww, you look like the flowers,” They cooed.

Omori tightened his grip on the pier. His face was redder than a watermelon, maybe even redder than Redspace itself.

“You’re not just…anyone either,” He muttered.

Stranger didn’t hear him quite well. “Yes?” They said.

Omori brought his hand to caress Stranger’s face. He ran his fingers across each one of their star-like freckles. Now he was making them all rosy too.

“You’re not just anyone,” He spoke clearly. “You’re Stranger. my dearest Stranger.”

Before giving them any chance to speak, he gently placed a kiss on their soft lips.
Like the life cycle of a flower the feeling bloomed within them and stayed. It was hues of red, pink, yellow, and every other color. Plants grew and grew until they reached the fluffy white clouds and rested their buds on a cumulus.

Stranger’s eyes would glow brightly, not out of stress or shock but out of relief. They relaxed when they realized that everything would be okay.

Omori pulled away and wiped away his tears. “I love you!” He shouted with the biggest smile ever plastered across his face. He didn’t care if all of Blackspace could hear him.

“I LOVE YOU TOO!” Stranger yelled even louder. Creatures even from the Dreamworld could probably hear them, but that was their intention.

With a rush of euphoria they scooped the frog up and spun him around in the air before pulling him into a warm and tight hug.

The two kids laughed and sang and shouted until their throats gave out and they were so out of breath that they had no choice but to flop down onto the docks and try not to laugh even more. They had never been happier.

━

When Stranger returned home, they twirled into the kitchen and skipped around the table. By the looks of it, Omoli’s card castle had been either disassembled or put away.

“Sup little dude! I take it you had a good day?” Abbi reckoned.

Stranger nodded. “The best day ever!”

The kraken giggled. “Maybe you can tell me about it over dinner?”

They smiled and eagerly sat down on the table. They were so excited they had trouble keeping still. “Yeah! You’ll love hearing about it!” What? They’d only need to spare a few details.

[DOLONIA/DICENTRA: 2,287 words. March 2023.]
[Happy Birthday, ATAL/AU. I love you.]
[Oh did you know that watermelon that comes from Basils tastes like any other fruit than actual watermelon? Silly right! Fern told me.]

Chapter Text

INNERCHILDREN: Part two.

[Loosely based off of real life events. I will be celebrating pi day on the fourteenth of may!]

It was the start of a brand new day. Abbi woke up holding her toy boat closely to her chest. For the first time in a while, she wasn’t the first to wake up.

They were in Whitespace, like always. Omori sat behind her. The sound of an eraser scraping against paper could be heard. He was most likely doodling meaningless nothings in his small black notebook. Wherever his little clone sprout mole went, she did not know.

Abbi turned around, trying to avoid making noise. “Hello,” She whispered.

Omori nodded. He didn’t respond but she knew he had heard her.

The endless expanse of Whitespace was nauseating and isolating. She constantly felt dizzy, and the frog’s presence didn’t help. It was weird how her best friend made her feel so…sick. She’d always figure that it was just excitement and love.

She flopped herself back onto the ground. “So I was thinking,” She started.

“You do that a lot,” Omori interrupted.

Abbi brushed off his comment as something on her part. If he didn’t want her to speak then she shouldn’t be in the first place. She continued, “Well, I was thinking about your friends and–”

“No,” Omori said firmly.

She pouted. “You didn’t let me finish.”

Omori closed his sketchbook and gently put away his colored pencils back into his pocket. “You can’t leave Whitespace again.”

“Why?” Abbi pressed.

“Because I said so,” Omori adjured. “It’s safer for us that way.”

“Is it because I’m aquatic?” She asked.

“No.”

“Is it…because I’m not a real girl?”

“No! Of course not! You are a real girl,” He reassured, rather harshly. “You’re just…a little weird, that’s all.”

Abbi frowned. “You think I’m weird?”

Omori sighed. “I didn’t mean it that way. You’re…unique.”

Abbi set her toy boat onto the floor. She stood up to meet Omori’s gaze. “Then why can’t I go?” She repeated.

Omori took a deep breath in. His fists were balled and tense, his knuckles pale and squeezed. She was so lucky he wasn’t holding his knife. “Fine. You can come,” He compromised.

Abbi smiled, finally seeing herself as recognized. She picked up her boat again and followed Omori out of the door.

When he opened it, the woosh of fresh Dreamworld air flooded Abbi’s senses. It was almost intoxicating how sweet it smelled, like candies and danishes and sugar galore. Watching over Neighbor's Room was Big Yellow Cat. For a moment Abbi thought that he was looking at her, but she soon realized he was just looking at the frog beside her.

“Hey, Omori! Hey, Abbi!” Hero called. He and the rest of his friends were engrossed in a competitive game of cards like they were last time.

Omori sat down next to them, gesturing for Abbi to do the same. He waved at them and relaxed, looking a lot more passive than he did when it was just him and her in Whitespace.

“How have you two been? It’s been a while since we’ve seen you, Abbi,” Aubrey stated.

Omori spoke for her. “We’ve been alright.” His voice was neutral, but not bad-neutral. It was average.

“Hey it’s that sensible girl!” Kel pointed. “How many years has it been?”

“It’s been two days, Kel.” His brother, Hero, amended.

“Hi Kel!” Abbi said cheerfully. The lizard winked back at her as if they had some long time secret.

The soft, pink and carpeted floor of Neighbor's Room was warm and comforting, unlike the hard and cold flooring of Whitespace. The sky gave a violet hue with gentle constellations floating like clouds. The air smelled sweet like a firecracker popsicle from an ice cream truck. If Abbi could switch roles with Big Yellow Cat, she would in a heartbeat. Having four hearts made that hard though, because nobody ever wanted to tally those beats up.

She noticed Omori had joined the card game. “What are we playing?” He asked.

“Just Dos, I’m totally crushing Kel!” Aubrey said with pride.

“It’s not my fault I can’t get a green card!” Kel whined, continuously pulling more and more cards from the deck.

Abbi happily watched as Omori and his friends played. She was always more of a watcher anyway, but she didn’t usually have the choice to join. It was actually very fun to observe, and learn everyone’s strategies and see how they react. This certain game seemed to get them quite riled up.

“Do you guys maybe wanna go to the playground after this?” Abbi suggested. She watched as Omori’s eyes momentarily widened. Smoke puffed out of his nose, the rims of his pupils and fingers glowed a fiery red. He was like a dragon. Kraken killer.

“Dos!” Hero alerted, slapping down his last two cards. “And sure, Abbi.”

Kel and Aubrey gave each other surprised glances. “How’d he win?” Kel cried.

“Maybe if you weren’t so focused on beating me you wouldn’t have been so distracted!” Aubrey spat back.

Hero put an arm on each of their shoulders. “Hey guys, calm down. There’ll be plenty of other times when you can win. Today you’ve just learned from your mistakes!” He was always a very humble guy, even when people stated his talents or he was simply pretty looking. Abbi thought that made him cool.

Aubrey nodded, admirative smiling at him.

“You sound like Mari when she scolds me after I put something in my mouth,” Kel said. Hero laughed but Aubrey gagged.

“Can we go to the Forest Playground now?” Omori repeated what Abbi had asked earlier, it seemed he was getting antsy.

“Sure thing, Omori,” Hero said. Aubrey and Kel each helped put away the cards.

━

Squeezing out of the tree stump luckily wasn’t difficult. Everyone slid out like slugs from under a rock. Aubrey and Abbi, like last time, tagged along in the back of the pack.

“Why do you carry around a toy boat?” The snake asked. She had her eggplant stuffed toy closely clutched to herself.

Abbi examined her boat, the SS Abyss she called it. “It helps me feel safe,” She said. On the nights Omori allowed her to sleep, she would dream of being in the water. Whether it was the ocean or just a swimming pool. Sometimes she’d explain these dreams to the frog. She’d tell him about her desire to have a real boat, but he always shot down those wishes.

“Like Mr. Plantegg!” Aubrey smiled. “We’re actually kind of alike.”

“We are?” Abbi queried.

The snake nodded. Her pawsteps were rhythmic and patterned, while Abbi’s were wobbly and trippy. “We both have comfort items, we like skirts, and we both like Omori!” The kraken saw the similarities.

“You like Omori?” Abbi held the SS Abyss tighter.

“He’s been my crush for a while…” Aubrey admitted bashfully. A rosy pink hue dusted her cheeks. Abbi gagged at the thought of dating, even romantically viewing Omori the way Aubrey did. Yuck!

“I get what you mean…but no thanks,” She chuckled.

Aubrey giggled. “Good because he’s all mine!”

They continued walking. The playground didn’t seem like a long walk away, but they always made it longer. Walking was actually something Abbi found quite tolerable. Walking to a destination definitely beats walking laps around Whitespace. Was swimming like walking? She assumed it would be.

“Not to alarm you, but your boat has scrape marks on it.” The snake pointed out.

Abbi had a mini heart attack before she realized what had happened. The SS Abyss had gone through this before, it would be okay. She quickly loosened her grip on it.

“It’s just my hooks,” She sighed with relief.

“Your…what?” Aubrey solicited. “I thought you were an octopus?”

Abbi nodded, she and Aubrey came to a halt behind the rest of the group. “I’m a kraken, I’m like both squid and octopus! It’s weird but I manage. I just have sharp hooks at the end of my tentacles so I can defend myself.” She wiggled the tentacles on her head so that her friend could get a better look.

“Awesome! I have my claws and fangs for that same purpose. We’re both sharp girls! Maybe we can get Mari to join us too!” She cheered.

“Aubrey, Abbi, quit standing around!” Kel shouted from a further distance. The girls laughed and picked up their pace.

“Yeah…She could. But my hooks don’t make me a…” She paused.

Aubrey tilted her head out of curiosity. “Are you okay?”

“A real girl,” She finished.

Aubrey tsked. “C’mon, girls can be a little deadly too sometimes!” She encouraged.

“No, no. It’s deeper than that,” Abbi replied, she had sunk the mood.

“Oh,” Aubrey said, face going blank. “Oh! Abbi, you shouldn’t say things like that about yourself. Mari is always telling us to look on the bright side of things. And to all of us, you’re a real girl.”

The kraken smiled appreciatively.

“Hey Kel!” Aubrey shouted unexpectedly.

“What!?” The lizard turned back.

“Is Abbi a girl?” She asked.

Kel dug something out of his ear and wiped it on his shirt before responding. “More of a girl than you are, that's for sure!”

Aubrey stuck her tongue out at him, he did the same to her.

Abbi couldn’t help but laugh out loud, Aubrey did the same. She was actually very nice when she wasn’t competing with Kel. They were both fiery dragons, but when they weren’t burning down each other’s kingdoms, she liked to think they got along.

“See!” She said. “You’re a girl, just like me. And we love you for that!”

“Thank you,” Abbi whispered. Omori always respected her for who she wanted to be, it was none of his business so he just referred to her as who she was to herself. Abbi might replace him with Aubrey on the best friend list–or no, was that wrong? Would Omori be mad if she had a new best friend? She’d keep quiet about this thought for the most part. She could bury it in the abyss of her mind with the rest of her selfish junk thoughts and ideas.

“We’re here!” Hero alerted. The rest of the group made their way to the picnic blanket. They all had their own planned out routes of getting there, it gave them a sense of belonging that only Abbi noticed. Hesitantly, she walked over too.

“Abbi, hey!” Someone called her name, it was Basil. They patted the spot beside them, gesturing for her to sit there. “Come sit by me!” If Basil was a dragon, they’d be one that lives in the water so that they could swim around with Abbi and avoid Omori’s wrath together. Maybe they’d live in an underwater cave and–!

Omori sat on Basil’s other side, lightly slumping against their shoulder and closing his eyes.

“Hello Omori, tired again as usual?” Basil deduced. Right. Omori was his friend too.

The frog nodded and continued to doze off like usual. Abbi was lucky for how much he slept. She’d usually play with the red hands and Mewo in Whitespace. Because she had no one else. Was it betrayal to think this about her best friend? Even if he was hurting her? She decided it was her fault, and by extension still betrayal.

Basil was a very gentle and kind being. They were a hybrid between a spider and a dove, she assumed, but they also had a fluffy tail that they often had curled around their leg. Their composure was like tall and wispy kelp. Abbi’s composure was like a rotting ship at the bottom of the ocean.

“It’s good seeing you again,” Basil turned Abbi’s attention back to them. She did her best to ignore the frog. Basil was taping some photographs into a book. “We never got to go to my house the other day and I was thinking–” They were soon interrupted.

“Hey maggots! Who’s up for some water fights?” Berly, the blue lizard who Abbi recognized, wore an eager smile from ear to ear. She was definitely anticipating recruits for her battle. She was definitely a dragon with hot fire and a hot head. Abbi wasn’t very scared of her, she’d like to see her rival Omori in a duel. Abbi would watch the metaphorical battle under the water in the ocean, where she was safe from the raging flames.

“I am, I am!” Kel immediately stood up and began pacing circles around Berly. She handed him a top of the line water gun.

“Now this is what I like to see! Omori, wake up!” She ordered, squirting water in his direction.

Basil shielded the frog. “Hey, stop!” they clamored.

Omori slowly got up and rubbed his heavy eyelids. Even when he was gentle it was scary. What if he switch up suddenly? But his emotion stayed the same, his eyes empty and neutral. “I’ll play with you.” He nodded.

“Grrreat!” Berly fired. “We’ll have to get organized into teams.”

The rest of the friend group stood up, except for Mari who remained on the blanket. Abbi guessed that she wouldn’t be playing.

“VAN! GET EVERYBODY LINED UP!” Berly yelled.

A large mint green colored creature sighed and went on to gather everybody in the playground. He handed each of them a water gun of varying sizes.

Once everybody was lined up with their weapons, the blue lizard began explaining the rules.

“Everytime you hit someone on the opposing team, your team gets a point. The filling station is over there.” She pointed to a half filled inflatable swimming pool. It was a little deflated. “Hitting someone at the filling station is cheating, and you lose a point. Once your gun is full, return to the battlefield. Got that, maggots!?”

Everybody gave a firm “yes ma’am!” as if Berly was a drill sergeant.

“Now for the teams.” She walked around and examined everybody closely. Abbi did her best to stay still and composed as everybody else. The only one unphased was Omori, who wore his usual stoic expression. Abbi quickly looked away from him once he noticed her, and she stayed as still as an iced lake.

“Team one will be me, Sharleen, Happy, Brows, Aubrey, Kel, Nose, Hero and tentacles. Team two will be Van, Daisy, Neb, Omori, Basil, Bangs, Bun and Mikal. Assemble!” Berly clapped loudly.

Everycreature scrambled into their teams. Bun and Nose had a very tragic moment of loss, two friends separated by war. Aubrey and Kel were on the same team though. Meaning they would work together for once in their life.

“Abbi, do you know how to use a water gun?” Hero asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

The kraken perked up, “Oh yeah! Sunny and I used to squirt each other sometimes.” She smiled.

“Sunny?” Hero entreated

Omori heard this from the other end of the inflatable pool and glared daggers into her. Geez dude, no need to be the storm that rocked the waves.

“You wouldn’t know him!” She held her breath until Omori stopped looking at her. He still looked peeved, though.

Berly climbed up onto Aubrey’s shoulders, the girl beneath her tried to knock her off but failed. “3…2…1…” She began counting down. Everybody had their guns lined up against the water. The suspension was adrenalizing

“GO!” Berly finished.

Like bullets everybody ran around trying to dodge and hit each other. Smaller creatures scurried to reach higher and more efficient ground. A little white one, Nose, climbed up onto Abbi’s shoulder and then onto her head.

“Hey little dude!” She exclaimed.

Nose muttered some erratic nonsense and pulled on Abbi’s tentacle to urge her to start shooting. Her strategy was very efficient, and Abbi let her do whatever she wanted. Luckily, for a creature her size she was very skilled. And smart, that too.

Abbi shot at everybody on the other team except for Basil and Omori. Something about Basil just made her not want to hurt them, and she knew Omori would just be mad if she got him wet. He always hated opponents who would swing.

Being squirted with a stream of cold water was oddly entertaining. It was an activity that made kids giggle and squeal.

So far, she and Nose had hit Daisy, Van, and Mikal. Being squirted didn’t mean disqualification, but the other team would get more points. Abbi had been squirted about four times, but she didn’t care, she was having fun! If she could play in the Forest Playground forever she definitely would. Maybe Omori would move away to Pyrefly Forest so that she could take his place. That was traitor thinking though. She wouldn’t be a traitor.

“Nose goes, Nose goes!” Nose shouted, pointing to a tree.

“Got it!” Abbi said. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching when she and Nose climbed up the tree. It wasn’t the best plan but it was a good vantage point.

The shuffling of leaves could be heard behind them, to this she immediately flipped around with her water gun locked and loaded.

“Nose goes!” Nose began obliterating the enemy.

“Gah!” they squealed, but soon after began laughing. “It’s just me Abbi, just me!”

Once the kraken realized, she confiscated her teammates’s water gun. “Basil!” She undertoned.

The spider got himself comfortable up in the tree and wrapped his tail around a branch. They used their extra set of arms to keep themself stable. “We didn’t get to talk much earlier. Is this the same tree from last time?”

Abbi nodded, smiling very hard. “Mhm! Nose wanted to come in here. Maybe it was fate that we both ended up here.”

“Maybe!” They elated.

“Say we ditch this and head over to your house?” Abbi encouraged.

Basil frowned, lowering their gun. “Oh no no no! I wouldn’t want to leave Omori alone. I might need to go back out there soon.”

Abbi’s smile dropped, but she tried to keep it up. She peered through the soft leaves to look at Omori. The frog was at the filling station, but it looked like he had something attached to him. From her view it seemed to be a dark inky creature with a single bulging eye on it’s face. She audibly gasped, and her glowing eye shot open. Seeing the parasitic creature caused a door to open in her mind. It spoke to her almost telepathically as it told the story of a girl who had long since passed, Mari.

“Wait–Where are you going!?” Basil yelled to her as she leaped out of the tree still holding onto Nose’s weapon.

Abbi ran as quickly as she could. Omori continued filling his gun with pool water, unaware of whatever it was sucking the life out of him. She came up behind him and violently ripped it off with one of her hooks. She was out of breath, but still victorious.

She blinked, catching up to her heart beats. “Sorry! you–you had something on…” Her tone changed when Omori halted. On his neck was a large, ruby gash. Like oil his blood oozed out of him.

Omori slowly turned to face her. His silence was deafening, and no light shined through his pupils. His rage was repressed but steadfast. With his webbed hands he raised his water gun, and aimed for Abbi’s eye.

The kraken shrieked at the sudden irritation. She quickly fell to the ground and applied pressure to squeeze out the pain. When she heard creatures coming to her assistance she became hopeful, but that hope soon dissolved once she realized who they were actually helping. Abbi barely got a glance of it; Omori was weeping and relentlessly attempting to keep his blood inside of him. Everybody, all of his friends, Berly, and the other kids were at his side to comfort him.

In a few seconds Basil would climb down the tree and run to be with their best friend too. They would hold Omori’s hand while Mari applied a bandage. They would turn to Abbi with an unreadable perturbed look.

Dragons soared the sky, krakens swam the seas. Dragons would hoard and take, krakens would destroy. Those who destroy leave nothing for the dragons and a kraken among dragons was a presence unwelcome.

With her eye on fire and her muscles tight, Abbi sluggishly plodded back to Whitespace; the dragon’s hoard.

━

Abbi curled the tentacles on her head into themselves. She had been holding her breath for what seemed like hours ever since she returned and her head felt as though it was full of rocks. Mewo, nor the red hands would approach her. Krakens sank ships. Nobody liked ship sinkers, even if they did it for a good reason.

The intimidating door slowly creaked open. The frog came up behind her and roughly dragged her up.

Abbi gritted her teeth but had no will to resist, that would be betrayal after all. Omori’s fingers wrapped around her wrist like tight kelp. He poked one of her hooks with the tip of his finger and watched as beads of mahogany spilled out onto the pristine white blanket.

“What did you see today?” Omori catchesized. His pupils were sharp and narrow but his face stayed empty and statuesque.

“You had a parasite–!” Abbi harshly exhaled. She thought of what she knew about Mari. Would it be betrayal to tell her best friend that he had killed Mari?

“I asked what you saw today.” He grilled with a voice of admonitory, pressing his face closer to hers.

Abbi couldn’t escape, but she knew that she must. Keeping a lie was horrible but staying here with him was worse.

“Mari’s dead.” She opened her eye widely and barred her sharp teeth. “It’s not your fault, Sunny.”

He frowned and pushed her. She was knocked back by a few feet but she kept her feet on the deck of the ground. Anxiety, memories and ideas rushed through her mind. Everything she had pushed back was resurfacing once more.

Behind her, Omori opened up a portal, something she’d rarely seen him do. He entered and she followed, not wanting to be left alone. On the other end of the portal was something beautiful. Surrounding them was clear and cool water, wispy sand floated onto the road beside them. Colorful corals and sea flora illuminated by calmly glowing street lamps decorated the sidewalk and road. In Vast Forest Abbi was truly a fish out of water, but this place felt like a home.

“What the heck is wrong with you?” Omori snarled quietly. He took hold of Abbi’s tentacle and yanked her forwards, forcing her to follow him.

“Sorry,” She wilted. On the inside though, she prayed that the frog would suddenly be eaten alive by a colossal squid.

Abbi had so many questions that she knew could not be answered, so she stayed silent and held in her tears. Half of her was happy and half of her was sad. If she could just stay here and live in the water, just maybe she wouldn’t think about ending her life for the frog’s sake.

“There hello!” A strange creature said from behind her.

Abbi turned around to see one of the funniest creatures she would ever see, a mermaid in reverse.

“Hiya little dude!” She replied happily. Her headache was pounding but she still found it in her heart to be kind.

“New you are, here around you seen haven’t?” It asked.

It took her a minute to decode what he said, “Ohhh, you’re a reverse mermaid! I am new around her actually!”

Omori groaned and tried to yank her forward again but she continued her conversation with the fish as they walked. A shark fin popped out from behind him.

“We don’t see many krakens around here. Or, at least not anyone like you.” The shark fin said. “My name‘s Finnley. And this is my best friend Jimmy.” She had sharp teeth and bubbly eyes. The setting of this highway was beautiful, and the creatures were strange and loveable. Abbi adored this underwater highway, or whatever it was called.

“Cool so you’re!” Jimmy swam around her and examined her tentacles.

“How’d you know I was a kraken?” Abbi asked curiously.

Finnley did her best to keep up as Omori tried to walk faster. “I’m aiming to be a poet. I notice little details about creatures. Average cephalopods don’t have both suckers and suction cups, nor do they have hooks at the ends of their tentacles. So I assumed you were a kraken.

“Fair enough,” Abbi smiled, Finnley smiled back. It was so nice to be recognized as herself and not an abomination monster. She really vibed with these new friends.

“Poetry of sorts all write can Finn!” Jimmy spun around in the water, unaware of the frog who was scowling at him.

“Where are you two going, anyway?” The shark fin asked.

Abbi shrugged as Omori continued pulling on her wrist. “Not sure! This is my first time ever in the water, like ever. Where are we going anyway?” She asked the frog. He did not respond, just kept on walking.

“Well kraken girl, we’re in Underwater Highway. For the most part the road is endless but the direction you two are going is the Path to The Trench; the End of The Highway,” Finnley warned. Abbi tilted her head with curiosity. “I’d understand from an amphibian like you, considering you come from where? North Lake? Me and Jimmy can give you directions if you’d like,” She told Omori.

“I don’t need your help.” He talked through his teeth. Firmly, he clutched Abbi’s wrist and yanked.

Finnley shrugged. “Fine by me! Maybe Hitch can help you two. And stop doing that to your friend’s wrist, can’t you see she’s bruising?”

Panic sprang into Omori’s expression. He loosened his grip on her, but barely. “We didn’t ask for your help, SO GET LOST!” He screamed.

Jimmy’s breathing picked up as he scrambled away on his little legs. Finnley glowered at the frog before eventually turning and swimming away too.

Abbi wanted to stay quiet but she felt like crying. Where was he taking her? What was the Trench Finnley spoke of? Why was her best friend being so mean? What happened to the water gun fight? She was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice where Omori had taken her.

The water at the End of The Highway was murky and polluted. The further they went in the harder it was to see. Earlier, Abbi would describe the water having a pleasant and clean smell. Here, the water smelled of dirty puddles and sour nostalgia. In a sense it was almost sweet.

A very tall man stood on the side of the road. He had a dirty olive green trench coat, and a hat shielding his eyes to match. His hair was blonde and very snarly, by the looks of it he was a marine iguana. He held his thumb out, and he did not greet them.

Omori paid no mind to the man, and instead led Abbi to the wall where a small opening was. It was a gaping hole of void in the cyan stone. The water around it felt heavy and dirty. The sight of it felt unreal and wrong, as if she shouldn’t be in it’s presence. The frog motioned her to go inside.

“I won’t fit in there,” She protested.

Omori’s face softened. “You’re a cephalopod. Sure you will,” He remarked, for he was not wrong.

Abbi pouted knowing there was no getting out of this, and that this was the punishment she deserved. She knew things no child was meant to know, and her punishment would be to die with Omori’s secrets still inside her.

“Don’t be a coward,” He vitalized. “Go in.”

The kraken took a long deep breath. She knew she could never return to Vast Forest with the knowledge of Mari, nor what she had done to Omori’s neck. So she took one last look at his green bandaid with a flower on it, and squeezed herself through.

The opening quickly became claustrophobic, rough and narrow as she moved through it. By the time she had fully entered her arms were covered in scrapes and scratches. Inside of the void she was instructed to go into, the water pressure had majorly increased and the pressure soothed her headache while progressively making it worse.

“Okay,” Abbi nervously sounded. “I’m in.”

She could hear the trickling and splashing of water out in Underwater Highway. The liquid on the other side was clean, clear and breathable. Omori had lured her into a suffocating darkness.

“Omori?” She pressed her mouth against the opening to be heard better. “I said I’m in!”

The frog on the other end did not respond. She vigorously tried squeezing back out, but the way out proved to be more narrow than the way in.

“I’m sorry about earlier! I promise it was an accident!” She could barely get her tentacle through, and that wouldn’t matter because no one would even be able to see her.

“Let me out, please!” She begged. The vast expanse of an abyss laid behind her, she was not used to darkness like this. “I’ll be good, I’ll never speak again! You can hurt me, I’ll hurt myself if it makes you feel better!” She shouted.

The tip of her tentacle that was in the opening felt like it was being squeezed. Once blood started rushing to it Abbi recoiled it. The exit wasn’t only narrow, it had been closing.

“OMORI! ANYONE, PLEASE!” She screamed, banging on the hard rocks of the wall.

As the light faded, and the murky muddy water became colder, she slumped her body on the floor. Nobody could hear her, and nobody wanted to. Abbi would be the only creature to count up her heart beats. Nobody else cared enough.

[FLUFFY: 4,991 words. March 2023.]
[Also known as Fuzzy Deluxe Edition.]
[I love the Abyss!! and Blackspace!!! I love Omori!]

here's some art I made the other day, unrelated to the chapter of course. 

Chapter Text

[Original version of this chapter here]
[By the time i’m posting this, it might even be the year anniversary of when I made the original oneshot! Time flies by when you’re an Omori fan!]
[TW: Implied and mentioned self harm. If you or a loved one are suffering from something like this I recommend you reach out and try to get help. I know it can become addicting, but there are many more healthy ways to cope, even if it takes time to ease into it. I wish you well.]

Midnight seeped in through The Cove. Moonlight would not enter and the night would reign supreme. Stranger always felt safer in the dark though, nobody could see them which meant nobody could hurt them either. They had been overwhelmed since the events of yesterday, and specifically requested for Abbi to sleep directly on top of them; to provide a barrier between them and the world and to crush their soul back into their body. Their sister smelled of salt water and campfires.

They were pressed against their comfortable mattress and soft red blanket. Minty2 had been discarded to Omoli’s third of the Giant Legendary Ultra Mega Bed.

Stranger squirmed out of Abbi’s grasp like an earthworm breaking out of the soil. It was a hard task, trying not to wake her up that is. It felt like ever since she quit working she had been sleeping lighter than ever. They used to blare an air horn into her ear just to get her to stir. Now even the whisper of a Little One could wake her up.

Stranger had just gotten off the bed before hearing Abbi say, “Where are you going, little dude?”

The break of silence made their soul bounce out of their body and land back in it the wrong way. “Good morning, Abbi.”

The kraken sat up. “You weren’t planning on sneaking out, were you?” She softly laughed like a breeze shuffling leaves.

Stranger shook their head. “No, I was just–”

“Are you sure you’re alright? You seemed very excited about yesterday, and I just want to make sure you aren’t nervous about it,” Abbi added. “I care about you.”

“I know,” Stranger said, climbing back up onto the bed.

Abbi smiled. “Is there anything you need to get out?”

They sat beside her and curled up on her side. They curled their tail around their leg, “What would you think if I was-” They gulped. “-friends with Omori?”

Abbi gasped, she tensed up and gripped the blanket tightly. “Why?” she grilled.

“Not saying that’s true of course!” Stranger reassured. It wasn’t exactly a lie, they weren’t just Omori’s friend, they were more. “Just a–possibility.”

Abbi sighed in relief. “You scared me there, Stranger.”

“So what would you think?” They repeated. They felt like they needed some kind of permission; reassurance to make sure everything would turn out alright.

The kraken bit her lip and turned away. “I don’t know,” She said.

Stranger lowered their body closer to her, now laying in her lap and gazing up at her. “What if he was better?” They cross-questioned.

“With Omori there’s no such thing as better,” She sneered. To be fair, this was a sensitive topic for her. Even the mention of the frog had her seething. Everybody knew even when she refused to acknowledge or admit it.

“Sorry,” Stranger apologized. “I was just curious.”

Abbi tucked some of the shadow’s hair behind their ear and wiped away her vexed expression. “It’s not your fault.”

She gently lifted Stranger to place them back on their pillow and hand them their stuffed toy, Minty2. Being tucked in like that made the feel like a small chaotic child, but they didn’t mind. Abbi reached for her hat on the nightstand and adjusted it onto her head.

“I’m not tired so we’re gonna have some midnight breakfast! Yeah, midnight breakfast,” She ran the phrase off her tongue again. “Herosaurus would be weirded out by this, which means we’re having midnight breakfast!” Stranger guessed she really liked those two words together. From what they knew about her childhood she and The Bettas were always making up weird things. That’s how the game Cinnamon Fishsticks was invented.

Over the years, Abbi had gotten better at cutting up watermelon. Stranger preferred it cubed, but Omoli and Splits preferred it sliced. She was never skilled at either of these things, but she tried her best. With precision she cut the melon into pyramids, cones, rhombuses and pretty much any other shape that wasn’t a cube. They didn’t mind it though, her company was more important to them.

Once Abbi was finished she evenly dispersed the fruit amongst two plates, and sat down at the other end of the table.

“I’m glad that you’re dating someone. I may not understand romance, but I know I’m proud of you little dude,” She said in between bites.

Stranger smiled. “Thank you. I’m happy too.”

“You mentioned Mx. Anonymous was from Dreamworld, correct?” She asked.

The shadow nodded. “They do come from North Lake, because y’know they’re an amphibian and all.”

“Ah, North Lake. Me and the Bettas went out there sometimes to play Kids of the Coast. Mari also came from there!” Abbi reminisced.

“What’s ‘Kids of the Coast?’” They turned from their plate to look at her directly.

“Just a game Uni and some sea creatures invented back in Deep Well. It’s for kids with guardians or parents who don’t care. Which is why I’m never going to let you play it!” Abbi laughed.

Stranger chuckled. “Okay, okay. What’s the main idea about it?”

“You need a boat and at least two creatures. I’ll give you a hint; last creature on board wins,” She smirked.

Stranger gasped. “You drown the opponent!?”

“Nonono of course not! That’s why it’s a game for only aquatics and amphibians, maybe insects if they’re brave enough. Meido played it with me one time and yikes, that was—bad times,” She grimaced.

They nodded. They understood why Meido, a skink, wouldn’t be able to survive that. But she did because she’s Meido and she survives everything! Yay! it was a little uncanny how much she had survived though...

“If you haven’t heard, Uni’s getting top surgery done tomorrow,” Abbi mentioned.

“Really? I thought he was saving up for a car? Or to fix the damages you made on yours…” They muttered the last part.

“He’s been saving up for this for a while actually. He’ll be leaving pretty early tomorrow. I recommend going to visit him if you get the chance,” She said.

They nodded. “Sure thing.”

Once Stranger finished their watermelon they requested, “Can we go back to bed. I’m getting tired again.”

“Of course, I’m just going to do some things first. You go and get comfortable,” Abbi replied.

Stranger left their fork and plate on the table, trusting that their sister would put it away later. They crawled up on the Giant Legendary Ultra Mega Bed and snatched Minty2 from Omoli’s side of it. The red blanket was like their cell wall, because they were a plant cell. They were the cytoplasm and Minty2 would be the nucleus. If Abbi came into bed with them she’d perhaps be a sea bear.

They briefly closed their eyes before feeling a pressure gently jump onto their mattress and scooch next to them. Looks like the sea bear had showed up.

“Hey, Stranger, I wanted to apologize for earlier,” Abbi said.

“What do you mean?” They asked, knowing exactly what she had meant.

Abbi sighed. “When you mentioned Omori I got angry. I try not to think about him much but sometimes the thoughts still irk me. I hope you know that I have nothing against you, and that I was not directing my emotions towards you.”

Stranger blinked away some sleepiness. “I know…It’s alright,” they responded.

Abbi pulled them on top of her, causing their cell wall of a blanket to get shuffled. “You know that there is nothing that could stop me from loving you!” Magnets, north and south. A fight doesn’t last with them because no matter what they’re too inseparable.

Stranger repositioned their body to get comfortable again. “I’m a cell,” They stated firmly.

Abbi nodded. “I forgot everything I know about biology, but you’re a cell,” She said matter-of-factly.

Stranger groaned at their lack of ability to fall back asleep despite how much their body wanted it. “This is my nucleus.” They took out Minty2 and displayed her before sluggishly pulling her back into their blanket. “And I’m the cytoplasm,” they added.

“Woah little dude!” Abbi praised. “Have you been hanging out with Butler again? Not even I know what a cytoplasm is.”

“No, Loomy just had a fixation on science a while ago and he made me listen to him,” Stranger mumbled. “I still do know what a ribosome is.”

Abbi chuckled sincerely. “How about you go to sleep now. I’ll be out job-searching in Dreamworld tomorrow. If I’m not here when you wake up, that’s why.” She explained.

Stranger nodded slowly before going out like a light. Sometime after that they rolled off of the kraken. They didn’t have any dreams that night.

━

//
Adventuring with friends was fun, but for the past several hours Omori had wanted to return to Blackspace to visit Stranger. Currently, he was with Mari on the picnic blanket laying on her lap as he watched his friends play hide and seek tag with the other Forest Playground kids and creatures.

Mari gently combed her claws through his hair, the action made him a little bit sleepy. He pondered what he could do to get the Blackspace. There was always Hangman on his laptop in Whitespace; an entrance that was easy but not preferred. He didn’t feel like going to get it either. Then there was Basil’s house, the home that belonged to so many spiders and frogs and a dove who was now a crow. That was also too far away. He could open up a portal! Or, wait, he can’t open portals to Blackspace. Even with the truth out he had discarded that power into the Red Key that Stranger stole from him.

“What’s stressing you out, little brother?” Mari asked.

Omori looked up at her. “Nothing,” he replied simply, still looking for a way into Blackspace. His eyes finally landed on something, a floating mirror beside a few toy cars. To Mari’s surprise, the frog sat up and slowly walked over to it.

“Omori?” She called.

Omori stared in his reflection for a minute before giving the silver frame two gentle knocks. “Mirrorman?” He whispered.

“Hiya Omori, what’chya doing?” Kel startled, making Omori jump.

“Shhh!” He hushed.

“Oh sorry!” Kel turned his voice down to a whisper. “Is this top secret?”

The frog nodded.

“I better leave you be then,” Kel said. “HEY SHARLEEN YOU WANNA COME BUILD SAND CASTLES WITH ME!!1!1??”

The yelling irritated Omori’s ears, but once Kel was gone he was okay. The other boy was a great friend, but sometimes a little overwhelming. He still appreciated the other’s company though.

He looked back into the mirror, to see his reflection replaced with another. The kid at the other end of the mirror had red cracks all over his body, a bright ruby red bow in his hair, and a thin poncho with stars on it wrapped around his shoulders. He smiled and pulled the frog on the other end through.

“How’s it going?” Mirroman greeted.

“Pretty good. I’m here to visit Stranger,” Omori stated.

The shattered frog smiled and began leading Omori. They were at The Docks, exactly where he was last time. The rickety and rotted wood creaked and squealed as they walked. The water sloshed and crashed from the wind of the lake but made no effort to collapse onto the deck. It smelled of salt water with hints of sulfur, which was disgusting but oddly charming. He could see why Stranger loved it here.

“What are you doing here?” Omori asked out loud, considering Mirrorman was in front of him.

“At The Docks? Oh, I live here actually! I was born in Blackspace and I get passed around from house to house. I’m staying with Hero this week.” Mirrorman explained. Omori felt sorry that he didn’t have a place to call home.

“Do the cracks hurt?” Omori continued with questions, but he felt that maybe this one could’ve been personal. He regretted asking.

“Don’t be so down, Omori. I was born with these cracks, they don’t hurt one bit!” He gave a reassuring thumbs up.

Omori weakly smiled. “Do you know where Stranger is?

Mirrorman put a hand to his chin and stuck his tongue out. “Hehe I don’t know!”

“Do you know where they might be?” The frog rephrased.

“They might be hanging out at Black Playground with Omoli, I’ve seen them there quite often. Or they’re at Treehouse Area.”

“Then lets check there first!” Omori decided on.

Mirrorman nodded and motioned for the other to jump into the mirror so that they could teleport. His Mirrorspace or whatever he called it was very, very cold and even a few seconds in there it gave Omori the chills. He likely wouldn’t be teleporting like this often.

“Toodles!” Mirrorman waved before he and his mirror faded away. It was nice to see him.

Treehouse Area had remained the same since Omori had been there last time, and it had been a few months. Trees grew out of the murky lake below and the wood of the platforms was splintery, but in decent condition. A familiar boat, the same one that had been there the last time he was here with the shadow, was tied to part of the platform and left delicately floating on the gentle waves beneath it. The top was a beige color, and the rest was a tomato red. On the side could be read ‘SS Abyss’ with the names of many creatures signed on it too. The entire boat, even the colorful buttons, were made of plastic. For some reason, this was very familiar to him, but he couldn’t land a finger on why.

The frog pondered taking the elevator or the ladders for a minute, before deciding on the elevator. Despite the bad memories it held, it would be more efficient.

The Elevator was the same as it always was; steel walls with dry air. A small hole had been opened in one of the walls by the buttons which exposed a lot of wires. Omori avoided them, but seeing he had some electric based powers, the wires probably wouldn’t have hurt him. Wait, could he Drain the elevator? What a funny thought.

The evil machine room coughed and wheezed a few times before letting him out on the third platform. This was the area with the hopscotch and the bench he had sat at with Omoli a few months ago.

Speaking of Omoli, there he was on that same bench with Stranger. Omori blushed, realizing this would be his first time talking to them since yesterday? What would he say?

Omoli was the first to notice him. The sprout mole flipped off the bench and jumped over to him. “You’re trespassing on this property!” Omoli squeaked.

“We are too, Omoli!” Stranger reminded. They were surprised when they turned around to see the boy they least expected.

“O-Omori!” They exclaimed. “Gosh, If I had known you were coming I would’ve worn my good overalls–”

Omori put a reassuring hand on their shoulder. “It’s okay. At least you make the effort to wear different clothes.” The same tank top and shorts really said it all.

Stranger rested their hand on top of Omori’s. The two gently smiled at each other.

Omoli craned his neck to look up at them. He aggressively squinted his eyes. “Hold it… are you… Mx. Anonymous?” He queried.

The frog gave him a puzzled look. “Mx. Who?”

Stranger sighed and then sheepishly smiled. “Mx. Anonymous. It’s what I call you when I can’t reveal your identity,” They explained. “Some creatures aren’t going to like you here, which is unfortunate but it’s safer to keep you a secret rather than parade you around for now.”

“Well, Mx. Anonymous! You better treat my older brother better than anything! If I see so much of a scratch on Stranger I’ll–I’ll!” The sprout mole warned. He hadn't planned out his threats it seemed.

“Yes, Omori,” Stranger moved their paw to Omori’s cheek, he rested his face in the caress. “My little bodyguard brother over here is very agile and powerful, so you better be very careful with me!” They laughed. The others laughed too.

“I’ve got some baking with Herosaurus to catch up on, so I’ll see you two love birds later!” Omoli teased, skipping away.

Omori blushed at the statement and tried to hide his face.

The sprout mole scooted back for a moment though. “But I’m warning you, you’re ribcage couldn’t handle a punch from my paws.” He became very serious. “Tra la la time to bake some cake and blend lemonade!”

Stranger laughed it off and Omori nervously chuckled.

“Finally, we’re alone together,” The shadow said.

He tried squeezing the hot feeling out of his cheeks and insides but nothing was working, Stranger must’ve noticed this.

“Do I have you all worked up?” They teased.

“Heyy!” Omori countered.

“Hehe, just kidding,” Stranger apologized. Their eyes brightened and their neck and tail twitched. The frog kept note on to find out what that was about later.

The shadow fidgeted with their overall straps and asked, “So what would you like to do today?”

Omori thought on it for a minute. “Hmm. I’d like to sleep,” He answered.

“You’ve read my mind! Me and my sister had eachother up super late last night,” Stranger grimaced.

“Sister?” Omori questioned.

“I–hah! mm,” They stuttered, likely not meaning to have mentioned that.

The frog felt distant and weird. This was like two north magnets being faced toward each other. “I get it, you can tell me when you’re ready.”

Stranger nodded and was pretty much silent until they neared the bed on the second platform. Omori had taken naps on it before and the effects it had could nearly make him ecstatic. A fluffy mattress with a thick yet light quilt was perfect. The pillow only had a few drool stains but it was beautifully lumpy as every loved pillow should be. What could he say, rest was very important. He was about to flop onto the mattress before Stranger stopped him. They grabbed his arm and examined it closely.

Oh.

Oh no.

“Omori, what’s this?” The shadow hesitantly asked, trailing a finger down Omori’s underarm from his shoulder to his elbow. He tensed up at the subtle pain and whimpered.

“Omori?” Stranger repeated.

The frog didn’t respond.

“You don’t need to hide this from me,” Stranger restated with smooth and soft words like honey.

In reality, most magnets had both north and south sides. If you put a north and a south together they connect, but if you turn one around the wrong way they’ll glide the opposite direction. Sometimes you just needed to turn your magnet back around.

“But please, don’t do this to yourself anymore,” They beseeched. A look of disappointment shined in their eyes, and Omori regretted looking. “These cuts are fresh

“I–I’m sorry,” He immediately apologized. Why did Stranger care so much? It’s not like he was hurting them.

“Shhh,” Stranger soothed, gently pressing him down onto the mattress and wrapping him up in the white quilt. Once Omori got comfortable, they too got situated on the bed and set their companion on top of them. For a shadow with skin as cold as ice, Omori found them pretty comfortable to nap on.

━

//
Stranger stayed awake to ensure Omori’s comfortability and safety. They decided to cuddle him as they would a teddy bear, because they had forgotten to bring Minty2 and their entire backpack with them. The frog’s body was warm and his limbs were squishy. He was also a little bit slimy, but that was expected with amphibians.

They thought back to the cuts on his arms. It concerned them. He was good at hiding it, so that was probably why they hadn’t noticed it before. They wanted to help him, and to get him to stop harming himself.

Stranger watched as Omori’s eyes fluttered open like butterflies leaving their cocoons. They had to admit that he was very cute when he was asleep. His peaceful breaths that made his chest rise up and down.

“...Stranger?” Omori whispered.

“Yes?” They replied quietly.

Omori shifted his body to face the shadow, “I had a strange dream.”

“Was it a nightmare?” Stranger asked, voice laced with worry.

The frog shook his head. “Not quite. You were there, you had purply-pink eyes and four arms and we were in a void of some kind. I can’t remember much, but I think you were trying to keep me away from a giant pile of flowers.”

Stranger chuckled. “Haha, what a weird dream.”

Omori agreed. “By the way, are you alright? You seemed upset earlier.”

Stranger quickly remembered what had happened earlier. They loved Omori, but it would be a warm day in a temperature shift before they told him about Abbi. “I’m okay!” They only half lied. They had significantly calmed down since earlier, so their worry wouldn’t be as much of a problem.

“Say,” Stranger said. “Can Sunny see anything we’re doing?”

Omori shrugged. “Hopefully not,” He assumed.

“Good!” Stranger noted. They brought his face closer to theirs to press a soft kiss to his lips.

“Ugghhh Stranger!” Omori lovingly complained. “You’re too good at this–”

The shadow rolled their eyes and smirked. “You just prefer to be in control of everything!" they exaggerated. "Plus, you look pretty cute when you’re all flustered!”

“Stranger!!” He blushed.

They giggled at his protests. “C’mon, let’s go to Beach Area,” They suggested.

They gestured for Omori to walk into the elevator with them. Once he was in they pressed the button for the lowest platform.

“Have you noticed the wires?” The frog asked.

Stranger looked down to where he was pointing. “Oh yeah, those have been there for a while. Some of the kids around here have made a game out of it, we call it Shocker.”

Omori nodded and got closer to it. “You wanna play then?”

“Shocker?” Stranger asked, appalled.

“Yeah why not,” He said.

“I can’t,” Stranger replied. “It hurts my wrists.”

“Oh.” Omori muttered. “Normal wires shouldn’t be affecting you like that magically.”

Stranger shrugged and excited the elevator once the doors slowly slid open. They had been freed from the awful maws of the mechanical beast.

Omori watched as they untied the boat from it’s post. They momentarily made eye contact before breaking it. It probably wasn’t the smartest idea to write “SS Abyss” in big bold letters on the side. They might as well shine a flashlight at a bunny to guide a wolf.

To keep the SS Abyss from floating away once it was untied, Stranger jumped on top of it and nearly flipped over as it swayed. They motioned for the frog to take a leap as well. He did. The boat was almost capsized.

Once the water was steady, and Stranger had everything running smoothly, Omori asked, “Where did you get this?”

“The–the boat?” They said.

“Yeah. It looks familiar to me,” Omori stated.

Instead of getting worked up trying to think of a work around to his question, they followed up with another question as their answer, “Are you doing okay? from, y'know earlier?”

It was Omori’s turn to be surprised. “Why does it bother you?” He asked genuinely.

Stranger slowed the boat down so that neither of them would fall off. “Because I care about you and I want to understand so that I can help. When did this all start?” The calming smell of wet leaves flooded their senses. The river they were on had many trees surrounding both sides of it. The privacy was comforting.

Omori took a deep breath in and exhaled. “I’ve been doing this since this world was created, both of these worlds I mean. I used it as a way to punish myself in a way that Stab wouldn’t be able to do.”

“How did it make you feel?” Stranger encouraged him to continue.

“The lingering pain on my arm quieted the pain in here.” He pointed to his head. “When Dreamworld was still a ‘work in progress’ I felt useless because I couldn’t cover up the truth fast enough. I stopped hurting myself around the time when I got better at Erasing and Resetting and Repressing, but I started again when you made The Truth come out.”

Deep down, Stranger felt a pang of guilt hit them like a boulder. Sunny needed to accept and overcome The Truth, that was something nearly every Blackspace resident had known. But if they had known the toll it would take on their boyfriend they likely would’ve done anything to help him. He must’ve had one heck of an identity crisis that day.

“Thank you for telling me all this, Omori. I know how vulnerable this must make you feel.” Stranger gave him a light pat on the head, to which he made sure their paw remained on their head.

“Oh, looks like we’re here!” Stranger turned around to see the peachy pink sky of Beach Area; Blackspace’s warmest beach.

They tied the SS Abyss to one of the fence posts and helped Omori up onto land. The sand of Beach Area was fluffy and warm, with the occasional pebble or muscle. The sun shined down it’s rays and smiled with it’s sunglasses. Gatherings of lawn chairs and plastic toys were scattered across the beach overlooking the clear water of the lake.

“Unlike any places in Dreamworld, we have suns at our beaches. This guy has a twin brother over at Beach in Cloud Walkway,” The shadow explained proudly. “Hey Chad!” They called up to the bright planet. Chad gave them a toothy smile and a thumbs up.

Omori waved at Chad too, and he was chewing on his cat necklace. Likely to calm down from earlier. He sprawled out like a starfish on the sand before curling up like a pillbug. Half of his tank top was covered in the sand that stuck to it.

“Sleepy again?” Stranger noticed, taking a seat beside him to gently stroke their claws through his hair.

The frog nodded and dozed off. As the shadow petted his hair, he started purring in the way a cat would. It was subtle but audible.

Stranger blushed. Were frogs supposed to do this? Was Omori being possessed by his cat Mewo? They knew he had always been troubled at expressing true and genuine emotions, but seeing him so happy and content made them very happy and content as well. The magnets were being turned the correct way.

━

//
Omori woke up to hear the noise of someone shuffling in the sand behind him. He blinked his eyes a few times so as not to rub them, and he shook the dust off of his clothes. Stranger was behind him building Sand Town 2: A bigger and better version.

“No way is that Sand Town?!” Omori exclaimed, gathering a few shells around him to help decorate the sandy shops and houses.

Stranger swiftly nodded. “Some of the other kids messed up the last version, so while you were sleeping I decided to rebuild!” They were using water to make the sand stick to itself and keep shape. “I can ask my cousin, Tako, if she can guard it for us while we’re gone.”

Omori paused his decorating. “Tako’s your cousin?” He asked.

“Well, my err–sister’s cousin actually. By extension she’s my cousin too. Beach Area is her favorite place to hang out. I know you have some kind of past with her,” Stranger said.

The frog thought for a moment. In the two days he had allowed Tako to remain in Whitespace she had not said anything about having a cousin, nor any relatives. He hadn’t been to Deep Well nor Deeper Well much and he wasn’t aware of any other vampire squids like her that existed.

“I banished her here when she sucked out some of my powers. She was kind of rough though, unlike who she was replacing,” Omori divulged.

The shadow’s small smile dissolved when he mentioned the last part. He didn’t ask why.

Stranger would go back and forth to the shore to retrieve a bucket of water and maybe some seaweed or kelp. They used the water to make Sand Town 2.0 bigger and stronger.

“Do you feel bad for banishing anyone?” They asked respectfully.

Omori was surprised by the question, and he didn’t quite know how to answer it in a way that gave his true feelings and opinion. “Some yes, some no. I may have hurt others but they hurt me too.” He had curled his legs to his chest and rested his head on them. He was no longer collecting shells for his partner.

Stranger looked like they were about to open their mouth but they quickly closed it. He knew they had something to say but instead they asked something else. “Is that why you…y’know?”

Omori’s pupils contracted into thinner slits, but it was barely noticeable. “Sure. I think,” He said coldly. It was so strange to him that they wanted to help out with this. Why did they care so much, he wasn’t hurting them?

“A lot of creatures would probably forgive you,” Stranger prompted. “Atleast, some of my friends.”

“Like who?” Omori scoffed, feeling a tiny bit annoyed now.

“Omoli already has. I don’t even think he remembers a time before being here. Kel from Moneyspace would, maybe his partner too. Herosaurus, Loomy, Meido, Tako, Pillow Hider, and Mirrorman might as well,” Stranger remarked.

Omori frowned. “What’s that against the majority?”

Stranger smirked. “Omori, that is the majority! Anyone forgiving you is the majority. Even if it’s just me.”

He nodded, not quite responding. Omori didn’t want Stranger to see his slight smile. A few of his worries had diluted.

“Could you get me more shells quick? There should be lots over there. I have a few buildings that need some pizzazz,” Stranger described.

Omori giggled at their use of the word pizzazz. “Sure thing!” He smiled.

The air wasn’t cold nor was it warm, but it was definitely warmer than most of Blackspace. It was strange how every creature here wore t-shirts or no sleeves at all. How did they not get cold? Stranger’s body was naturally freezing to the touch, but Omori didn’t mind. The breeze of Beach Area was refreshing, like a cold glass of lemonade on a scorching summer's day.

Where the sea met the sand, shells and pebbles and crystals swayed through the waves. They glittered against the sun and the peachy pink sky. The frog scooped up as many as he could and stored them in a pouch he was holding up on his tank top. He was hoping to impress the shadow when he returned to Sand Town.

Omori’s socks were knee high. They had little cat ears on the front and on the bottom were toe beans. He’d always thought they were quite cute, but keeping them clean was a hassle. Sand found itself clinging onto the squishy black and pink fabric without any will to let go.

When he had returned to Stranger, the sand structures had looked more finished than before. Each window door and street sign had been carefully carved out in an intricate design.

“Woah,” Omori said.

“You like it?” Stranger asked. “I figured I could make it look cooler by using my claws, but I need to be super careful too.”

The frog observed the tiny city. He imagined tiny sand citizens going on about their day while the gods of their world watched from above. He placed each shell on any boring looking shops or apartment buildings.

“I’ve been thinking about something,” Stranger began. “I thought I’d introduce you to a game I play with Tako and Loquacious Cat.”

Omori scooted closer to them. He rested his hands on his knees. “What is it?”

“Cinnamon Fishsticks,” They announced. “The host of the game is cinnamon, while the other players are fishsticks. When cinnamon calls you fishsticks in a conversation, you need to call them cinnamon back.”

“So… a conversation game?” Omori said.
“Mhm! Tako invented wayyyy back in the old days when she was eleven. Now she’s fifteen and we’ve had a game going for nearly a year!” Stranger enthused.

“How do we start a game of Cinnamon Fishsticks?” The frog asked.

Stranger looked like they dazed out for a minute, before coming to a conclusion. “Well fishsticks I don’t actually know.”

Omori flinched. “Geez that’s smart!”

“Ha! You lost in your first game!” The shadow laughed.

“No fair!” Omori protested joyfully. “I’m not used to all of the traditions in Blackspace!”

Stranger continued to expand Sand Town 2. “I can teach you about them, Harvest Day is only a week away, and our annual Folks Night will be hosted in a few months. I can’t wait to go with you!”

“Those sound fun,” Omori replied. His stomach growled just enough to be audible. “That was the wind,” He coughed.

The shadow giggled. “We can stop at Watermelon Area if you’d like. Oh, wait, I didn’t bring any clams with me,” They sighed.

“It’s okay,” The frog said. “I only eat the food Mari or Hero make anyway, unless we’re in battles.”

“But you’re hungry!” Stranger contradicted him.

Omori shrugged. “I’ll last.”

━

//
Sand Town 2 had been finished. The two kids retreated to the water to have a fun splash.

“Would you love someone with a secret hideout?” Stranger asked.

“I don’t know, would you love someone with a billion parasitic hands?” The frog followed up. They both laughed.

Stranger found the water of Beach Area to be pleasant. It was perfectly chilly, the waves were calm and they would get warmer the longer you got used to them. If they ever died and had the opportunity of reincarnation they would live the same life over and over again.
“I think I want something cute to call you,” They began. “Like ‘darling’ but better and less cliche y’know?”

Omori mindlessly floated on the surface of the water. “I understand. Maybe you can call me your little anatomical abomination?”

“Omori!” Stranger scolded, splashing the frog’s face.

“I was being serious!” He retorted.

━

Now they were lying on the warm sand again. Their bodies were wet and sticky and covered head to toe in the sand they were resting on.

“What should we do after this?” Omori asked.

“We could go home maybe,” Stranger suggested. “But I’m scared.”

Omori sat up. “Of what?”

“Of you hurting yourself when I'm gone,” They admitted. What directions were the magnets facing? Who even knew anymore!

The frog remained quiet for a good while, but he was forced to speak when his stomach broke the silence. “You know I won’t hurt you.”

“But what if you hurt yourself? Without me knowing? That’s why I’m scared,” The shadow said.

Omori didn’t want to respond to them.

━

The two resumed their playing, this time back in Treehouse Area. Uni still had not returned, but Stranger wanted to check.

“Would you love someone who kept cloning things?” Omori asked.

Stranger grimaced. “Would you love someone who could only eat watermelons?”

“You can only eat watermelons?”

“It’s the only food Somethings and shadows like me can digest. Unless I’m in my other form.”

The frog through his pebble onto the hopscotch game, it landed on seven. “I haven’t seen your other form since that day in Redspace.” He hopped on one foot and then the other to progress through the game.

“That’s not my other form,” The shadow corrected. “That’s what happens when the air in Redspace hits a creature from Blackspace.”

Omori handed Stranger the pebble. They gently tossed it, and it landed on five. “Oh. Can I see your other form then?” Omori requested.

Stranger tensed. “Sorry, but no,” They said.

The frog gave a solid thumbs up when they handed the pebble back to him. “Cool.”

What? He was just so casual about it, no demands or harsh looks. Why was he being so kind? He had been for the past month, except for the wrist accident, but he wanted them to be Basil again so badly. He wanted Basil back so badly that he would reset and kill and split and clone and repeat until he found a spider who was suitable, which he never did.

“What made you pick the name Stranger? Other than being a stranger to me after the uh..accident, of course.” Omori said.

They nodded. “That’s why I chose it. And because it sounds pretty cool.”

“You have a cool name,” The frog remarked.

“You do too,” Stranger replied.

━

//
Now late in the afternoon, no longer playing hopscotch, they sat on the bench and simply spoke to each other every now and then. Chatting was nice but so was silence.

“You really care about me, don’t you?” Omori said, reflecting.

Stranger smiled. “Why wouldn’t I?”

The frog’s head drooped. “Sunny and Basil killed Mari, and I abandoned you.”

“But they forgave each other?” Stranger mentioned.

“Is that why you forgave me?” Omori asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.” They answered. Silence fell upon the two once again. “Hey, hand me your knife,” The shadow instructed.

Omori paused before hesitantly lifting it out of his right pocket. The blade was dull, dirty and stained, but that wouldn’t matter. He watched as Stranger glided the sharp knife through their paw like butter. Their blood came out a dark garnet and turned jet black as it hit the air.

The frog opened his mouth to say something in protest, but Stranger hushed him. They returned the knife to his hand and guided it across his palm too. The shadow took his bleeding hand in theirs and held it tight. Their blood mixed like oil and water. The magnets, north and south, were finally connected.

“This,” They gestured towards the knife he was still holding, “Will be the last time you ever hurt yourself.”

Omori nodded and hugged them. Neither had any intention of letting go.

[EXTRA]

When Stranger returned from The Cove, their sister was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t evening yet and she was likely still searching for a new job. With nothing else to do they decided to round up Jerry and Bethany and call Tako.

Ring! ring! “Hey Stranger how’s it going?” Tako said, the phone cracked up her voice.

“Hi Tako! Abbi isn’t home and I was curious if you guys were doing anything tonight?” They asked. Jerry took the phone and beeped some nonsense gibberish into it.

“Hi Jerry,” Tako laughed. “I’m actually here with Meido right now, we were planning on going to visit Uni soon. Feel free to come with us if you’d like!”

Stranger took the phone back from the sprout mole. “Oh yeah, he got top surgery today! I’ve been checking The Treehouse for when he would return but I’m guessing he’s still in the hospital?”

They could now hear Meido talking too. “He told us a week in advance that he didn’t want anybody visiting, but the entire construction team is there right now.”

“We gotta go quick guys! He might still be on that loopy medicine stuff they give people. I wanna ask him a bunch of embarrassing questions!”

Stranger laughed. Today was going to be one great week.

[MAGNETS: 6,654 words. March 2023.]
[Stranger and Omori sittin’ in a tree! K-i-s-s-i-n-g! -Y]

Chapter Text

[Original version of this chapter here]
[GLOWDARK was actually the first ever chapter of this to be written! She was sooo disapointed when I wrote something that wasn’t Cookie Run hehehe.]

A noise had awakened her. It was quiet and soft, yet clear. Abbi yawned and stretched out her arms. She patted the spot beside her and tossed her blanket to the side. The Cove was still dark and her vision still had to adjust, but she could make out that Stranger was not on their bed, nor Omoli’s.

Abbi rubbed the area where her eyes would be one more time and then got up. The noise she had heard sounded like sniffling, with an occasional hitched sob. She kept her breath as still as ice. The cold interior of The Cove didn’t lift the ominous vibe she picked up. She reckoned every nook and cranny was someone creeping to get her.

The sound of a quiet wail from under the bed made her soul jump out of her skin, but at least she had found the source of whatever was happening. She lifted up the draped sheet of Stranger’s bed and crawled down with them. The twinkling lights they had strung along the inner frame were not turned on. If their eyes weren’t glowing as bright as they were, she probably wouldn’t even be able to see them.

“Stranger?” Abbi sounded. She rested a hand on the shadow’s back. They curled up like a pillbug. “What’s wrong?”

Stranger tried to respond, but their vocal cords were being drowned out by the snot and tears flooding their throat. Seeing that they could trust her, they sobbed louder.

Abbi positioned her body to lie beside them. “You’re okay, you’re okay,” She repeated, guiding her tentacle across their back. They did not react to the soothing action.

Stranger brought their claws to their face and held their eyes. “I had–had a dream,” They spoke with a faltering and cracked voice.

Abbi sympathized. “Could you tell me what it was about?”

Stranger sucked up everything that poured out of their nose that they hadn’t already wiped on their shirt. “I don’t know.”

The kraken stopped rubbing their back. “Would you like a hug?” She asked.

Stranger nodded and turned around. Their eyes were puffy, frantic and wild like a deer in headlights. They could only breathe in the tears that they cried.

Abbi wrapped her arms around their body. Stranger was cold, as always. They had knots and snarls throughout their hair and their shirt would need to be washed, but that chore would be saved for the morning. Two tiny arms rigidly coiled around her and held torso tight, like a bear trap.

“I dreamt that I–” Stranger’s crying had slowed from before, “I dreamt that you had left me…And Uni was yelling at me! uhh–I’m sorry I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Abbi asked. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Stranger wiped their face. “I guess,” They said.

The kraken smiled. “See little dude, you’re okay! And Uni would never yell at you. If he does send me at him!”

“Abbi…!” Stranger laughed weakly.

Abbi took their ragdoll-like body and lifted them out from underneath the bed, exposing them to a slightly brighter room. She ruggedly dropped them onto the mattress and tucked them in with Minty2.

“Can we call Uni in the morning and ask him if he really won’t get mad at me?” Stranger requested.

“I’ll drop by Treehouse Area tomorrow, so I can ask him myself. You just sleep in. Harvest Day is in two days, and I expect you and your brothers to get lots of raspberries for me!” She gave them one final noogie before retreating to her third of the Giant Legendary Ultra Mega Bed.

“Thank you,” Stranger whispered.

━

//
Omori had assumed that Stranger would start meeting him by The Docks, because it was where they confessed to each other. He was wrong, very wrong.

The dicentra flowers might as well have wilted and shriveled by the time anything or anyone approached him. Even the Angis kept their distance! Or maybe they had a favorite side of the lake?

As if on que, the first person to greet him was none other than Mirrorman. The back of his mirror crashed into the frog. He hadn’t seen it coming.

“Sorry,” Mirrorman apologized, helping Omori stand up.

Omori waved silently.

“Waiting for your partner, huh?” He guessed. Omori nodded.

Mirrorman eagerly pointed in the direction west of his body. He almost fell out of his “Mirrorspace” while doing so.

“That way?” Omori asked.

“Tree Circle! Tree Circle Area!” The boy in the mirror danced and spun around. “I can take you there! Yippee!”

Tree Circle Area had been a place unfamiliar to Omori, or, wait–that was the place he had snapped their wrists on accident. His slight smile faded. “You’re sure they’re there?” He checked.

Mirrorman stuck his tongue out with a smile. He gave a firm thumbs up. “Let’s go, c’mon!” He was clearly eager to go on a walk with the frog, because he refused to let the other boy into the mirror.

“So I’ve been thinking. I don’t really feel like a Mirror-man anymore y’know? This is a rant but ever since Stranger suggested that I wear a bow, my entire life has changed! I feel so much more like myself. I’m not Mirrorman, I’m Mirrorkid!” They finished with a victorious stance.

Since they had been facing backwards so that Omori could understand their sign, they accidentally clunked into a passing creature. The frog didn’t recognize it, but Mirrorkid likely did from the way they apologized.

“That's Hellmari. You won’t recognize her though, because you can’t see her the way we do.” They explained. “She’ll be looking after me in Red Maze starting tomorrow, then I go to Herosaurus's the week after that. I hope she’ll let me participate in Harvest Day!”

Omori recalled that Stranger had mentioned Harvest Day. He wondered what it was about and why kids of Blackspace went so crazy excited about it. Should he be excited?

Mirrorkid began clapping fastly and loudly, causing Omori to cover his ears. They apologized. They were just trying to get his attention to alert him that they were here in Tree Circle Area, where the wind whistled and the Little Ones chirped.

“Goodbye, have fun.” Mirrorkid waved goodbye, and floated back over the river to The Docks.

Omori inhaled the thick, crisp air. Blackspace had definitely gotten colder since yesterday. The weather and the wind seemed to poke and sting his skin. He should bring Stranger to Orange Oasis for a date, instead of following them into the cold pits of Blackspace. Maybe they could hang out at Beach Area again?

He followed the rushing river. Every creature he thought he had heard turned out to be water hitting rocks and sticks and bouncing over tree roots. The forms of several large shadows were up ahead. Stranger had to be with them.

Carefully, Omori plodded between each of their sleeping bodies. If they had wanted to hangout with so many Somethings they could’ve just camped out in the Something Zoo. In the center of the Nancis, Cindis and Dorthis, he had found Stranger peacefully resting with Little Ones cradled in their arms. The sight was very endearing.

Around the Somethings, were several small piles of gathered objects. Mainly loose broken toys or books with the pages glued together. Some things he couldn’t even recognize. The frog went out to examine a toy train, but a red hand slapped his hand away and stole the train before he could process it. Bethany.

Omori lowly growled at her but saw that there was nothing he could do about it now that she was gone. He kneeled down beside Stranger, who was using a Dorothi as a pillow. They were holding an empty bag of konpeitō. The Little Ones tiredly scooped up any leftovers of their stolen feast into their mouths. He quietly giggled and stole one of the tiny candies, a green one. The taste was sweet and colorful.

Stranger’s eyes fluttered open like butterflies emerging from their cocoons. They flicked the fluffy end of their tail a few times before fully awakening and meeting eyes with the frog. Without waking the Little Ones, they scooped the creatures one by one off of their body.

“Was that a nice nap?” Omori asked.

Stranger grimaced. “How long were you watching me?”

“Long enough to see how pretty you look,” He replied.

“I’m supposed to say that stuff!” They responded with a laugh.

Omori smiled and helped them up. He didn’t notice at first, but they were wearing their bulky purple backpack. He didn’t ask what it contained. The deer they had been laying on felt a shift in weight and woke up too. She opened her mouth like a blooming flower to reveal rows and rows of razor sharp teeth. A call was let out of her gaping mouth to wake up the rest of the group.

“Sunny…” Dorothi bowed.

Omori gave a weak smile and tried to push the image of her teeth and rafflesia shaped mouth out of his mind. “H-hey,” he cowered.

Stranger elbowed him affectionately. “C’mon, petal. She won’t bite you.” They rolled their eyes.

The frog fidgeted with the straps of his tank top, completely forgetting about the giant creatures surrounding him. “Petal?”

“Yeah,” Stranger said. “I thought it would be a cute nickname. Y’know?” Their face flushed a darker hue.

Omori rubbed the back of his neck and let go of eye contact. “I like it,” He whispered. He brought his head back up to smile at Stranger.

The whirring of a motor could be heard. One of the Nancis tilted her ear in the direction of the sound. The rest of the group turned to look at what she was sensing. The metallic steps of a herd of Somethings running off was deafening.

Stranger’s eyes widened and brightened, they glowed a shade of ivory. “You need to hide,” they said urgently.

“What? Is something wrong?” Omori asked.

“I said hide!” Stranger directed him towards the dense forest. “Behind a tree or whatever! Just get really far away!”

Omori nodded and did what he was told. He ran west of where they were standing and climbed up into a short tree with thick branches and big leaves. Once he had gotten into a comfortable position, he held his breath and listened.

Stranger was talking, then someone else was. Omori tried to get a better look but the leaves blocked his view. It sounded like a casual conversation, a happy one too. Much more cheerful than when Stranger spoke to him. What were they talking about must’ve been funny, because he heard laughter. Whoever they were speaking with was a girl, and she had a confident, raspy voice. She sounded like somebody he used to be familiar with, but who?

After a few minutes, the frog heard a boat shredding up the river. Assuming it was the boat Stranger always had with them, he climbed down and made sure the coast was clear. The air was placid until his arm was suddenly tugged on.

“Ah!” Omori squealed in surprise.

“Shh! It’s just me,” Stranger whispered calmly. “She didn’t see you.”

Omori secured his feet to the ground again and catched some oxygen. The starless sky of Tree Circle Area was still and unmoving.

“I’m sorry for the commotion. This place isn’t the…safest for you,” Stranger apologized. “You did good though!” They landed a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Thank you,” He replied.

Stranger’s tail flicked and dragged a few times while the ends of their wings fluttered. “I had plans for today actually!” They divulged. “I have a super secret stash of objects that washed along the shores of Blackspace!” Omori wasn’t sure if their stash of old toys was “super secret.” but he went with it anyway, for Stranger’s sake.

The shadow led the frog back to the clearing with the log and the river. The herd of creatures had since retreated along with the Little Ones, who had left the empty bag of Konpeitō for someone else to throw away.

Stranger dug out an already opened pack of brightly colored neon markers. The ink was almost as illuminating as their eyes. “They’re a little wet, and I don’t have purple or orange. But I think they’ll work!”

Omori couldn’t help but smile at their excitement. Stranger danced around like a little kid in a candy store.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I stole your sketch book from the Blackspace Hub. You like drawing, so I thought we could draw! As our first official date,” Sheepishly, they said.

Omori nodded and reached for the sketchbook that the shadow had been holding. He flipped through its yellowed pages and gazed upon it contemptuously. His art journey was a rickety one, like the wood of The Docks. After Mari’s death, a thought that made him twinge, Sunny pretty much gave up on art. The only times he would create was in his Dreamworld, which now fully belonged to the frog. They had separated, but even things separated could still connect. Like how a beautiful glass vase could shatter, and someone would fill the cracks with gold.

Stranger sighed. “Your drawings are great, petal! Stop acting like they aren’t!” They encouraged.

“I’m not! Just reflecting on these sketches!” Omori denied.

“Yeah right, you’re giving those pages the ‘artist look,’” They argued.

Omori laughed. His sketchbook was barely filled through, some of the pages were lifting up and curling but they’d be stopped by the thick black cover. The fading red colored drawings made him remember Redspace, and the key he needed to enter it. He knew they despised when he would repress and abandon things, but he was worried about what would happen to the state of Dreamworld and Blackspace if he let the red hands rot.

“Hey,” Stranger waved their hand in front of his face. “You okay?” They asked anxiously.

The frog nodded. “Should I rip out a page or should we share?”

Stranger plopped their body down onto the dry, gray grass. They sat in a criss-cross applesauce position with their tail loosely draped around their legs. “Whatever you’re good with.”

Omori laid the sketchbook out on the ground so that it would be open for both him and the shadow. They handed him a magenta marker, because it was closest to his favorite color, red. Before starting on anything he wanted to work on, he watched as Stranger carefully slid the yellow ink across the page. Their process was much different than his was, because bending their wrists in an awkward way would cause pain.

“I’m drawing my sister’s favorite flowers, daffodils and buttercups.” Stranger explained, assuming that Omori was watching. “I thought I would draw something to hang up on our fridge.”

“Do you two live around here?” Omori asked.

“Yes, but don’t go looking. She has plans to kill you,” Stranger gravely said.

The frog’s eyes widened and his face turned to a frightened expression. “...What?”

The shadow broke into a fit of laughter, “Haha! Just kidding. I think. I’ll protect you!”

Omori finally started his drawing. Seeing his partner so happy had inspired him, so he drew them smiling.

“You used to be a protector, but I guess I’m one now too,” They added. “I’m the protector of the protector! Wait are you drawing me?”

“Noooo~” Omori lied.

Stranger tried grabbing the sketchbook but the frog reached for it first. “Let me see that!” They groaned.

“Hush, estranged creature. I am simply preserving the smile of my lovely partner,” He chuckled.

“Petal…” They scolded with an amused tone.

━

After a few minutes, they resumed their doodling. Omori ripped out his page already, placing it beside him. He started again on a fresh new page. He thought about what he’d draw next.

Stranger hadn’t finished their flowers yet. It was like they were taking even second of every minute to perfect everything. This reminded the frog of his perfectionist sister. He loved the both of them despite their ways, but he would often grow frustrated with long, drawn-out tasks.

An idea finally struck him, “What’s your favorite flower?” Omori asked.

Stranger’s swiveling wrist paused, creating a saturated green dot on the paper. “I don’t know actually. What’s yours?”

“You told me I resemble white tulips,” He said. “Do you remember?”

Stranger shook their head and looked back at their drawing. They dragged their wrists along the paper to create the image of leaves on the stems. “The furthest back I can remember is the door. The door you brought me into, the door you walked out of. Without me.”

“I’m sorry,” Omori whispered.

Stranger shook their head again. “Don’t be, it’s all in the past now.”

Omori decided it would be best to keep quiet for the time being. He missed the shadow’s ecstatic smile from earlier. All he did was spoil the moment it seemed.

“Alright,” Stranger said. “I’m done with this one, what should I draw next?”

The frog tried to conjure up some ideas but nothing formed in his brain. “I don’t know. Drawing on paper just got boring. Maybe we could check out some of the other toys around here?”

“Ehh I don’t feel like doing that,” Stranger sulked. “Hey, your skin is pretty pale isn’t it?”

“I’m snow white,” The frog corrected. “Why do you ask?”

Stranger uncapped a cobalt blue marker. A few drops of liquid ink spewed down onto their claws but they paid no mind to it. Instead, they ran the tip across his arm and drew a small blue heart. Ink poisoning was fun.

Omori gasped. “You’re saying we draw on each other?”

“Why not?” Stranger snarked. “It’ll be fun! They’re paint markers. They’ll show up on me too!”

Omori scooched closer to them and held their paw, making sure to avoid touching their wrist. He had his pink marker and was scribbling little stars on Stranger’s arms to match their freckles.

“Your freckles look like stars…” He observed.

“Indeed they do,” Stranger chuckled.

“One day, I’m going to kiss every single one of them!” Omori added. "Every single star in the sky of your face!"

Stranger blushed and looked away, but Omori could see that they were smiling. He continued his work on their arm, he felt like a tattoo artist from how precise his lines were. He worked his way up their arm, while still avoiding touching their wrists. A green, scaly dragon now spiraled up their upper arm. The frog was quite proud of his work.

“Do me now!” He pressed excitedly.

Stranger nodded and took his hand. Omori made note of how interested they were in his translucent hands and fingers, but it was routinely expected. They could see each of his phalanges with a red tint over them. You don’t get to hold the hand of a glass frog everyday do you?

Omori watched their linework. Stranger usually stuck to doodles. They were the kind of artist to keep attempting a realistic style, despite never getting it right. They had a long way to go on their art journey.

“What’s Blackspace like? I’ve only taken in about five percent of it.” He asked. “The rest I was too scared to thoroughly explore my first time here.”

Stranger smiled, likely at the thought of the memories they’d had in Blackspace, their home. “It’s great here. My family is made up of some of the best people I could ask for, and every creature here provides sanctuary for each other. It’s beautiful, I would choose no other place to spend my childhood.”

Omori gritted his teeth. A sanctuary full of kind and innocent creatures. Creatures that he had banished and hurt. Getting the key to Redspace would be selfish, but there was no going back on how selfish he had been.

“I’m going to stop banishments.” He finally announced.

Stranger gave him a puzzled look.

“No more creatures like you will have to suffer the pain I have put you through. Today is the day when Dreamworld and Blackspace can coexist in harmony!” Omori had expected cheers and laughter from a nonexistent crowd. Only his partner and the Little Ones had heard him.

“Wow, really?” Stranger said in disbelief. “Isn’t that a big change for you?”

Omori nodded. “But it’s okay if it will benefit those who are suffering.”

Stranger smile dropped, but not into a frown. “I get what you’re saying, petal. But I believe we should leave the separation of the worlds alone, just for now. I’m proud that you’re going to stop banishing creatures though, I’m getting real sick of how many Basils roam around this place.”

Omori sheepishly laughed. How many of those spiders had he banished? He was forgetting. The numbers at least went into the hundreds. Probably.

“I’m surprised the separation hasn’t broken yet. Heck, I once came across some people in Orange Oasis who could tell you more about Blackspace than the average Deeper Well citizen!” Omori recalled.

“I know a guy from there actually, his name is Jimmi. He’s a reverse mermaid who fell into the Abyss,” Stranger said uncomfortably.

“Yeesh,” Omori replied.

Stranger laughed but continued what they were saying. “I walked into his shop once and Orange Joe was listening to Jimmi educate him about the Truth. Apparently He had already known about everything Jimmi was telling him.”

Omori slowly shook his head in agreement. “I always knew something was up with Orange Joe…he seemed suspicious…” He said warily.

Stranger squinted their eyes in a thoughtful manner. “I think Big Pocket is a little bit related to Orange Joe.” Omori didn’t notice, but they were drawing little circles all over his arm. They kind of looked like bubbles.

“Big Pocket…do you mean Dance Guy?” The frog asked.

“You’ve met him? He’s like everybody’s crazy uncle in Cloud Walkway. I love that guy,” Stranger said.

Omori nodded while watching as Stranger drew bubbles and hearts. “I think so?”

━

//
Stranger didn’t reply as there was not much to add to the previous conversation. They could start up a game of Cinnamon Fishsticks, but Omori would always lose.
“What’s your favorite thing about me?” They decided to ask.

The frog turned his gaze from the doodles on his arms up to the shadow’s face. They could just barely see him blush.

“You’re beautiful,” He muttered. “Your eyes are like–um, two full moons. And your face sparkles like the skies–stars in Otherworld.”

Stranger’s eyes brightened and their face was tinted with a darker hue. “T-thanks!” They said awkwardly. Omori looked awkward too, but in the good romantic kind of awkward.

“My favorite thing about you is your will. You don’t let others boss you around and you live your own way. At first you come across as stoic and cold but once I got to know you better I realized how confident and motivated you are. Just look at what you do for Sunny!”

Omori shyly rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, thanks I think..?”

Stranger simply hushed him and brought his mouth to theirs, dotting feather soft kisses onto his thin lips.

“I think it’s fun being kids and In love,” Omori said now that they were laying on the grass together staring up at the murky and dark sky. “Think about it, we’ll get to hold hands around Blackspace, and give each other treats on special days.”

“Everycreature can do those things, petal,” Stranger replied.

Omori shook his head. “But they’re more special when they’re with you,”

Stranger twinged unexpectedly. “Dangit Omori stop being so cute! I swear I’m going to crush you!” They cackled.

“Go on, Stranger. Crush me like a little marshmallow,” Omori encouraged. “I won’t stop you.”

Stranger grumbled and seized Omori so that they could crush(cuddle) him. The frog’s arms were cold. Not cold in the way theirs were, but the way where Omori’s body shouldn’t be cold. His frame was thin and lithe compared to the shadow’s slightly taller and more lanky build. He was as sharp as a knife yet as fragile as glass, and his skin sure did feel cold like it.

“Am I making you cold?” Stranger examined. Omori was slightly shivering.

Omori shook his head. “You aren’t warm but you’ve never made me freezing. I think it’s the air of this place.”

Stranger facepalmed. “Carp! There’s going to be a temperature shift soon!” They cursed.
Omori giggled at the silly pun. They knew he was unaware of Abbi’s imprint on them; the fish puns and all. “But what’s a temperature shift? Omori seeked out anything he didn’t already know. Which was funny, because he used to never want to hear what anyone had to say.

“A temperature shift is what happens every so often here. Everything gets super cold and if we’re lucky it’ll snow in Rain Area. We can’t go outside during the shifts though, because the air gets toxic. Nobody knows why. But at least we have Jimmi to provide us with filtration masks!” Stranger tensely smiled.

“Woah,” Omori gasped. “That sounds like something out of a comic that Kel and Aubrey read.”

Stranger agreed. “Do you think Lost Library has anything fun to read? The elderly and mature residents of Blackspace always go there for books but I’ve already read all of them and there’s nothing new.”

Omori recalled what he knew. Lost Library was an archive of all of Sunny’s childhood memories; good or bad. Not much interesting literature would be found there. Except for another library. “Sweetheart’s Castle!” He blurted.

Stranger looked confused, so the frog elaborated further. “I got rid of it a while ago, but I decided that the change was too much for me. So I wasted all of my energy and juice to recreate it in it’s purest form. I slept for two days in Whitespace after that.”

“Huh?” Stranger said.

Omori shook his hands and head erratically. “What I'm saying is! Sweetheart has a library in her castle!”

“OHHH,” They realized. “Do you think you could pick up some books for me tomorrow? My sister recently got hired for a job again and I’ll need some things to do during the day.”

Omori gave a firm thumbs up. Stranger’s Search for a Satisfying Storybook would soon be fulfilled. That was one long quest name.

The shadow leaned down to hug Omori. The action brought pain to their spine so they just picked him up off of the ground.

“Hey, lovebirds?” a familiar voice said.

Stranger nearly dropped Omori from their surprise.

“Woah sorry Stranger!” Omoli apologized. “Ab–Our sister wants us home for dinner.”

They made a cautious facial gesture towards the sprout mole when he made that mistake. Omoli nodded.

“Are you staying the night?” Stranger asked.

Omoli nodded again. “Yeah,” He replied, smiling mischievously.

“It’s already dinner?” Omori said. He looked around at the trees for any sign of what time it was.

“The time ratio in Blackspace and Dreamworld is weird, but we all better get home. Stranger, I heard Splits might be bringing hotdogs next time he comes over. Hot–dogs.” The sprout mole gravely sounded out. Any food in Blackspace that wasn’t watermelon was a big deal! Not to Stranger though, because most Somethings can’t digest food like that.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” Omori’s voice craved.

Stranger smiled that same ecstatic smile from before. They looked at the drawings on their arms, “Meet me in this clearing,” They said.

━

“Woah little dude, nice tattoos!” Abbi enthused and they entered The Cove.

Stranger set their bag down and sat at the table with Omoli. The light above was glowing very brightly, meaning Jerry was in his room chomping on those wires really hard. “Thanks!”

Their sister was slicing up watermelon on the counter top. There was always a fifty/fifty chance that she would remember to use a cutting board. Today was not one of those days.

“I see you found some glow-in-the-dark markers!” Abbi passed them each a plate of watermelon. But it didn’t taste like how it should. Instead it tasted like bananas. Not bad, but definitely weird.

“Glow-in-the-dark?” Stranger asked in between bites.

“Sure! Shine an ultraviolet light to your arms and they’ll glow like the bioluminescent substance that makes up my eye!” She told them.

“Woah…I forgot to show you something!” Stranger clamored, shuffling Minty2 out of their backpack so they could take out the picture they drew for her. “Buttercups and daffodils. Your favorites.”

Abbi nodded proudly. “Another masterpiece for the refridger-seum!” She connected the paper to the fridge using a pink star magnet. “Speaking of forgetting to show things–”
“Did you buy us Big Wheels?” Omoli interrupted. “I can pay you back for them!”

Abbi chuckled. “No, Uni wrote this for you. He tells me he still needs time to ‘recover’ but I think he’s just trying to keep Tako and Meido out of his business.” She handed a small envelope to Stranger. The letter inside read,

Dear Shadow Kid,
your sister informed me about your dream last night and I hope you’re feeling better now. Nothing bad is going to happen, me and Abbi will make sure of that. Have a goodnight.

Uni signed off with a little car symbol. He never was a man for conversation, but Stranger understood his point. Harvest Day was tomorrow, and they’d get to spend it with their boyfriend and all of their other friends. Anxiety wasn’t on the schedule when they could be stealing raspberries from Herosaurus’s backyard or contracting ink poisoning with Mx. Anonymous. Everything would be okay.

[GLOWDARK: 4,957 words. March 2023.]
[A fluffy chapter! Stranger and Omori deserve to feel comfortable.]
[Here’s some art I made from the anniversary! I decided I’d put it here for you all to see.]

Chapter Text

[Stranger’s birthday in this AU was one the sixth! Happy late birthday buddy.]
[And Abbi’s birthday is on the 22nd(the anniversary of MOTORBOAT too) and Splits birthday is on the 24th! Fishy’s birthday is on the 23rd and I keep telling him that’s it’s dumb that he made everyone of my characters have the same birthday month as him. -Y]
[Guess I can’t have good things in Whitespace—I mean Detroit. -Y]

The frog gracefully skipped through Blackspace. Mirrorkid was nowhere to be found, but he had memorized the way to Tree Circle Area anyway. He’d always enter through The Docks in that same place with the dicentra flowers, and he’d hope they’d never wilt into the lake.

The wood was kinder to Omori’s ears this morning. Instead of mocking him with loud creaks and shudders, it swayed gently beneath his feet. The rotting wood of The Docks was old and decaying, but if the creatures and residents of Blackspace needed it then it would persist.

To him everything here felt alive. Maybe it was out of loneliness, but he would swear there was a presence in everything. From the tiniest ladybug whisper to the tallest and oldest oak tree, everything had a soul and a story. The boy wondered if anyone else thought that. He had always thought too deeply about things.

The river splished placidly as he leaped across. On the other side awaited a single log, piles and piles of junk and old toys, and a crow sitting on top of it holding two wicker baskets. Stranger. They wore a dark, wool turtleneck sweater under their overalls. A familiar presence radiated off of them. The presence drained from their pocket and out into the air.

“You’re here early,” Omori said.

Stranger greeted him and handed him a beige wicker basket. The round handle was woven into a braid with scratches and marks. It had been used. Omori peeked inside, there was nothing but dust.

“C’mon, Omori! You know It’s Harvest Day and we need to be quick if we want to get anything at all!” Stranger dragged him out of his deep fascination with the basket.

“Right–sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night,” Omori expressed. “Where are we going?”

Stranger took the frog by the hand. “We’re going to the Plentiful Fields! But you gotta follow me before anyone–”

“WORK SMARTER, STRANGER. NOT HARDER!” Omoli was speeding away through the river on the red boat.

“YOU LITTLE TWIG!” The shadow shouted back. They would get their revenge.

Omori grinned at their rivalry. He was reminded of himself and Mari. Stranger grabbed him by the hand and scoffed. “If Omoli wins that pie I swear I’ll bake him into one!”

“I thought you two loved each other?” Omori teased. “You’re brothers, right?”

“There is no family when it comes to Harvest Day,” They spat.

Omori simply laughed and followed them to the Plentiful Fields. It was a lengthy run, but his legs could make it. Today felt colder than yesterday, and yesterday felt colder than the day before.

“I brought the books you requested.” Omori remembered, reaching into his pocket as he retrieved two thick leatherback books with many pages. Quest complete!

Stranger took both of them and flipped through all of the pages. “Looks good,” they said, although it seemed as though the choice of books mattered to them. More like they wanted them for someone else.

For the Plentiful Fields, he had imagined a field of raspberries that stretched across each end of the horizon. Every berry picked from the bushes would be plump, red and sweet. When they finally arrived though, his ideas were contradicted.

Kids and creatures of Blackspace, all about the same age range had slipped under a sizeable gap in Herosaurs’s fence and were making quick work of the raspberries. Some sat at a picnic table and snacked. Omori wasn’t gay, but free food was free food.

“Stranger…this is a backyard,” The frog complained.

Stranger rolled their eyes. “A plentiful backyard!” They corrected as they slipped under the rather polished fence. “Trust me, you’ll love this.”

Omori climbed under with them. On the other side awaited many children, and many voices. He found himself briefly overwhelmed before the shadow appeared beside him.

“I gotta introduce you to everybody!” They said, dragging him further from the bushes. The motives of the creatures here would always be something foreign to him.

“The girl there is Bluegirl,” Stranger waved to her, but she ignored them. “And that’s Aubrey all the way from Neighbor Area, and some of the scribbles are here too! HELLO!!”

Two tiny blue creatures bit the end of Stranger’s tail to get their attention. Omori barely recognized them, but Stranger was overjoyed at the sight of them.

“Jimmi and Finnley!? All the way from Deep Well and Orange Oasis?” Stranger exclaimed.

One of the creatures was a shark fin, the other was a reverse mermaid with a shadowy goo making up part of its body. “The one and only!” The reverse mermaid said.

The shark fin, who was likely Finnley, groaned. “Jimmi’s here for some berry competition you guys have. I’m here for your sister.”

Stranger put Jimmi down. “She’s. At. The. Cove.” they nervously spoke through their teeth. What was a cove?

Finnley gave them a ‘fin’s up’ and hopped away.

“How ‘bout we find Omoli and win this pie?” Jimmi suggested.

Stranger eagerly nodded and brought up their basket. “Jimmi you take the far end in the back with Omoli, me and Omori will cover the rest,” They instructed.

“Right-o! Wait, did you say Omori?” The little fish finally looked up to meet eyes with the frog. He nearly jumped out of his little scales. “AAHH!”
The shadow put a paw tightly over Jimmi’s mouth. “Shh! He’s better now! Don’t you dare tell my sister he’s here though.”

Jimmi vigorously nodded and was set back down. With trembling steps he went to go find the sprout mole.

“Sorry about that. Jimmi’s a good guy, he’s just heard the wrong things about you. Let’s keep going,” They said.

Omori didn’t reply, but he followed the Stranger through the bushes. “What’s Harvest Day all about, anyway?” He asked.

Stranger smiled as they dropped some fresh raspberries into their basket. “We collect the leftover raspberries out of Herosaurus’s backyard. The day he harvests his share seals the deal of spring. He always makes an extra raspberry pie though, and whichever kid brings him the most raspberries by the end of the day wins that pie!”

Omori gasped with admiration. He hadn’t had breakfast yet, and that pie sounded delicious. He frisked for any red berries peeking out of the green leaves. Despite his increasing hunger, he would not consume a single berry.

Every raspberry he dropped into his basket was a victory. He picked and picked red and pink fruits until there was nothing but green buds left on the bushes. Other kids would try and maneuver their arms into his spot, but he wouldn’t let them get very far.

One berry, two berry, red berry pink berry. He picked and picked and picked. Once his brown little wicker basket was half-full, Omori decided he’d go check in with Stranger. He dodged kids and creatures left and right while sneaking past them to snag some more raspberries along the way.

“Stranger!” He called, seeing them at the other side of a bush. But suddenly someone caught him off guard, and he tripped into the creature.

“Ah, I’m sorry–” He apologized before getting interrupted.

Someone had grabbed him by the tank top straps and brought his face close to theirs. “Watch where you’re going, punk,” they growled.

He nearly dropped his entire basket when he saw her terrifying face. By the looks of it she had been one of the Basils he had banished years ago, one of the true spiders. She had six arms, six eyes, and sharp fangs. Her turquoise hair matched her tight overalls and spring green shirt. Half of her body was made up of a sparkling and glowing purple glue that seemed to keep her body together and alive.

“I–I sorry!” Omori strung his words together like popcorn through chicken wire.

“Maggie…” Another Basil rested his hand on the spider girl’s shoulder. She seemed to have relaxed a little, but barely. “He didn’t mean it.” This Basil had baby-blue hair and a soft, round face. His sclera shined a shade of taffy-pink and instead of a flower wreath crowning his head, he had two fern vines. On his back were fluffy white wings, and he had four arms. He was not a true spider like the other one was.

“The Bouquets are already stressed enough with the missing cases!” ‘Maggie’ continued. “We don’t need someone like you in our home! In our sanctuary!”

Soon she had gathered the attention of everycreature in the Plentiful Fields. Omori felt his thoughts get drowned out by whispers, eyes, gossip and rumors.

“Tell me where they are! Where did you take Bluebell and Rhombus and all the others?!” She cried.

“Leave him be, Magenta!” Another kid snapped. Omori had thought they were Stranger, but turns out they were another Basil. This new addition to the collection was paper white, with streaks of orange and pink in his hair. Flowers were sloppily weaved through his hair too. A vial of black liquid hung from his long neck. He had two arms and a tail. He was a frog. “He’s got nothing to do with the missing spiders.”

“Yeah forty-four! Listen to Sequin. Just let everycreature eat their raspberries!” Moneyspace Kel had appeared beside the other frog.

Magenta scoffed. “Just because you got promoted doesn’t mean I’ll let you boss me around! Even Peony knows I’m higher in the ranking than you! And I know that Omori has at least something to do with this, because he’s awful.” Her voice was bold and elegant like tinsel strung through an evergreen.

“And just because you nearly won to Splits in the rankings doesn’t mean I’ll let you boss me around either! Someone taught me how to be brave and–” Sequin argued.

“Quit it with that story and get your head out of the Abyss, Sequin. I should’ve cracked that stupid vial around your neck a long time ago! You’re always putting your trust in bad people!” Magenta yelled back.

Soon Stranger, Omoli, and Jimmi would return with Herosaurus. Every kid in the backyard cowered down, either from the spider’s yelling or of the dinosaur’s presence. Omori assumed he meant business when he had to interrupt Harvest Day.

“Break it up, break it up!” He roared. “I want you two spiders in the rest one for ten minutes. Stranger told me everything.”

Magenta kicked her foot on the ground. Her blue companion warily followed her to the ‘rest zone.’ A corner of the backyard where naughty children or kids without baskets were sent too. Mirrorkid was also sulking there. They were eating their raspberries slowly with cumbersome arms. Omori wondered what could be wrong with them.

Stranger protectively wrapped an arm around Omori to ensure that he was safe. He reassured the shadow that he would be okay, but the lingering idea of rumors and perception clung to him.

Kel walked over to greet them. He noticed how bad;y the frog was shaking, “Hey, sorry about all that commotion.” He tried his best to brighten the now dampened atmosphere. Omori did his best to weakly return a smile to him.

Sequin, the boy holding Kel’s hand came closer too. “Yeah, Magenta can get real mean sometimes, but she doesn’t mean it. Members of Cobalt have been going missing. She’s super stressed about it.”

Missing Basils? Omori thought. Banishment and torture was one awful thing, but now someone was kidnapping them? He imagined any other gruesome possibilities that his child brain probably shouldn’t have been thinking about. He wished his mind would shut down for a while so he could just cuddle Stranger in the rest zone.

“And, you are…?” Stranger asked Sequin.

“Sequin/42 at your service! But you’ll know me as Kel’s partner heh,” He replied.

Stranger uncomfortably shook hands with him. Omori shook both Kel and Sequin’s hands as it was the polite thing to do. Kel’s claws had pricked him a little, but he didn’t mind.

“We’re Blackspace’s most well known power couple! I think,” Sequin said.

Kel looked confused. “Do people even know who you are?” He lifted his sunglasses to reveal his deep. caramel colored eyes.

Sequin shrugged. They gave each other a puzzled look. Omori was irked by how in-sync they were. Even if it was in a dumb but loyal kind of way.

Stranger rested a hand on the frog’s shoulder. “Thank you for standing up for pe–Omori while I got Herosaurus,” They told the couple.

“No problem! Magenta and Cobalt can be meanie-beanies sometimes,” Kel affronted. Sequin lightly poked him as to not insult higher ranking Bouquet leaders. He might as well have insulted royalty.

Stranger nodded. “I believe I’ve seen Magenta before, but not Cobalt. I don’t interact with Bouquet Spiders all that often.” To Omori it sounded like they were trying to be polite, but he knew how much they loathed the existence of other Basils.

“Maybe we should stick together then!” Sequin suggested. Kel nodded eagerly in agreement, so did Omori. He wanted some back up just in case Magenta would harass them again.

“What?” Stranger spouted with scorn in their voice. Sequin’s presence was clearly making them uncomfortable.

“I’ll be your first Bouquet ‘spider’ friend! Or, Bouquet frog friend probably,” The tomato frog rambled. He wasn’t a spider. His webbed fingers and two arms made that very clear.

The shadow was clearly biting back some aggression. “Cool,” They choked out.

Kel quickly stopped the conversation. “If we can get a ton of berries and pool them all together, we’ll be able to win that pie and divide it between us four.” He wasn’t usually the one to remind others of plans, but today he was very food motivated.

Sequin nodded. “Sounds like a good plan,” Stranger spoke. “Do you think so too, Omori?”

The frog nodded and tightly gripped his basket. Every few berries he dropped in made it heavier and heavier.

“How about me and Kel take the bushes over there, and you guys can go over there. If we’re quick we can weave our way through the other kids to eventually meet each other at the middle over there,” Sequin instructed. This couple was very food motivated.

Stranger nodded and took Omori by the hand, leading him to one of the far bushes. Their paws were cold especially with the cold air, but he took the icy air pricking his arms as a sign of weakness. If Blackspace residents and citizens were cool enough to wear t-shirts and shorts, then he could too.

He started to pick every berry he saw, even the shriveled little pink ones that weren’t nearly ripe. If Stranger was picking them then he assumed he could too. When a stronger gust of wind came, his entire body shivered.

“You okay, petal?” Stranger asked lovingly.

Omori just stared at them for a moment with really wide eyes before signing, “Cold.”

The shadow face palms. “I’m and idiot bringing you out here with a temperature shift on the way. Here, I’ll give you something.”
The frog watched as Stranger unconnected their overall straps to take off their wool sweater. He briefly covered his eyes before they reassured him that they had a shirt underneath. While they put their overalls back on, something fell out of their pocket and clinked on the ground. It was the key to Redspace.

When the shadow noticed they immediately picked it up and shoved it back into their pocket. Their weak smile did nothing to combat Omori’s stares.

“I–uh. Wanted to give you my sweater,” Stranger said awkwardly, handing Omori the itchy but warm garment.

Omori nodded and took it. Sweater: warm, soft, smells like lavender. An object that would be terrible as a charm in battle but powerful as a charm in his heart. He took a moment to sniff it before slipping it onto himself. He wondered what gift he could give his partner in return.

Stranger didn’t look at him weird. Maybe they knew that it smelled like lavender. Maybe they knew that they smelled like lavender.

As they picked more berries and dodged even more kids, they were eventually able to meet up with Sequin and Kel in the middle.

━

Omoli went into the house only to return to alert everyone that Herosaurus said that it is mandatory break time. All the kids in the rest zone were set free, but Magenta and Cobalt didn’t seem interested in him anymore. He was also carrying a lemonade pitcher in one of his paws for the kids who hadn’t eaten, nor drinken anything yet. Some of the children had caved, and accidentally started to eat some of their raspberries.

Omori took in the scenery to calm himself down from all of the stares he had been getting. The dinosaur had a lovely 70s styled porch with large windows. If you looked closely you could seem him in his kitchen merrily baking the pies. His backyard was decently sized, but not as big as Sunny’s backyard that was for sure. The fence was wooden and gray, each plank and evenly placed with evenly measured out heights to make it all nicely aligned. Minus the secret hole the kids had cut into it to enter the Plentiful Fields.

“I think we need like…a cool name for this group!” Kel said.

“How about the Berry Buddies?” Sequin suggested.

Kel and Stranger shook their heads. “We could do better,” Stranger contradicted.

“It’s alright, bro. I’ve had worse ideas. I’ve eaten the sand in Orange Oasis.” Everyone in the backyard all chimed “ewwww!” when he said that.

“There’s four of us so we’re like quadruplets,” Stranger said with a super cool tone. Omori didn’t have the heart to tell them that their dumber side was showing.

“QUADQUAD!!1!!!11!!” Kel shouted at the top of his lungs, probably alarming all of Blackspace. “Our friendgroup will be called Quadquad!”

Stranger nodded. “It does roll off the tongue nicely.” They smiled.

Sequin eagerly raised his hand. “That starts with a Q, right?”

━

When Harvest Day had came to a close, everycreature lined up with their baskets. Herosaurus closely surveyed each and every berry. Omori helped.

The dinosaur was mildly confused with Quadquad’s baskets, as it wasn’t clear whether or not pooling together was allowed.

They managed to win him over with begging and his little brother’s puppy eyes. Since all four of them counted as one kid now, they won the Extra Pie.

It’s golden crust was perfectly weaved on top, with glittering red raspberries caged beneath. Omori’s mouth watered at the sight of it, if he didn’t have to share the pie with his new friends he'd take it back to Dreamworld and suck it’s guts out with his other friends.

“Woohoo! Pie acquired!” Kel cheered.

Omori turned to Magenta and Cobalt, who weren’t looking at him. Cobalt looked a little disappointed but the spider comforted him. Even though Magenta was really mean, he wanted to give at least one slice of Extra Pie to Cobalt.

“Do you guys wanna take this inside and eat it all?” Stranger asked. Kel and Sequin nodded.

Omori stopped them when he heard the subtle sound of someone weeping. At first he thought it was Cobalt, but the dove was sitting beside his companion and smiling. He turned around and saw Mirrorkid with their head in their hands. He pointed to them.

Quadquad saw too and they carefully walked over to them with the pie.

“Are you okay, Mirrorkid?” The shadow kneeled beside them.

Kel set the pie down to sit down as well. Sequin and Omori did the same.

“It’s really stupid.” Mirrorkid mewled. The frog could see their red, puffy eyes.

Stranger translated for everybody. “Well, we don’t think it’s stupid. You can trust us,” They said.

“Yeah! We’re your friends Mirrorkid! You can tell us anything and everything.” Kel reinforced.

Mirrorkid sucked in their snot and tears, and wiped their eyes. They turned to face everybody, but they held eye contact with Omori for the longest. “I’ve been hanging out at The Docks lately.”

Each one of the friends looked amongst each other. From what they knew nothing had happened to The Docks. The deck was holding up and the water wasn’t rising. Any other disasters happening there would be out of the ordinary. Unless Omori demolished the area himself, which he would never do.

“And the older and more mature residents have been trying to change it’s name back to Water Walkway…” They started sobbing louder when they signed ‘Water Walkway.’

Everyone was frowning, they were trying to sympathize with them. “Would you like a hug?” Sequin asked. “And a Graham Cracker too?”

Mirrorkid nodded as they let themself fall into a group hug while nibbling on their cracker.

“Change can be really hard. I know how it feels, even when it’s just small things,” Stranger commiserated.

Mirrorkid smiled through their tears. Omori had an idea. Silently, he gently grabbed the warm pie and placed it in the other frog’s lap.

“For me?” They asked.

Omori nodded, so did the rest of Quadquad. They probably had the same idea too.

“Those big kids at The Docks might not like our opinion, but The Docks is The Docks! No matter how similar it is to Cloud Walkway!” Chants Kel.

“But you all worked so hard for this!” Mirrorkid protested.

Sequin shrugged. “There’s always next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. And every year until we turn fifteen!”

Stranger laughed at the statement, it seemed they were warming up to the tomato frog’s presence. “Yeah. And you weren’t in the mood to participate. My sister’s always praising and rewarding me when I’m lazy and tired.”
Mirrorkid aggressively nodded. “Thank you guys!” They said, climbing back into their mirror and floating away. Omori fantasized a scenario of them returning to The Docks and sharing the pie with Hero and Hellmari.

Once Mirrorkid had departed, Stranger asked, “Would you like to eat your raspberries now, Omori?”

The frog peered back at his basket, and also the other baskets. He licked his lips and his mouth was watering.

“Okay! Let’s go sit down at the table, you hungry little frog,” The shadow chuckled.

They led him and the rest of Quadquad to the picnic table. It’s planks were rough and jagged but that was just something you’d have to deal with. It sent a shiver up his spine.

Omoli had secured and saved some spots for them next to Jimmi. He had placed many reservation signs, and the other children scowled at his proud smile.

“You guys won the pie! Wow…” Jimmi admired.

“Actually, we gave it to Mirrorkid,” Stranger admitted.

Jimmi looked confused. “Shattered Omori?”

Stranger nodded briefly while scooping up a few of their berries to dump into Omori’s basket.

“They come by my shop a lot. They’re always putting stuff on their tab though. You guys don’t have tabs!” Jimmi whined pitifully. Everycreature in Blackspace had gotten out of debt by using the “tab” excuse at least once before.

Stranger was just about to plop a berry into their mouth when Kel started violently shaking them. “OTHER FORM! OTHER FORM!” The lizard screamed.

The shadow dropped the raspberry onto the ground the moment he had opened his mouth. “Thanks for catching that,” They muttered.

Omori stared at them curiously.

“Somethings like me can’t eat foods like this. I’d need to go into my other form to eat these without any complication,” Stranger answered.

The frog continued to stare intently. He craved more information about them.

“Which I will not be doing.” They let him off nicely.
Omori grumbled and shrunk down into the sweater. He decided that bothering his partner with personal matters wasn’t the best idea. So instead he continued eating his raspberries until he was full.

He looked around at the other kids talking amongst each other. They spoke of adventures and troubles and what they liked about each other. Whether disfigured, impure, mutilated or deformed from the poisoned air of Blackspace, they all had a place here. A piece of a puzzle that Omori did not fit into. The reason this place existed was awful, but these creatures loved it as home. It was all they had and all they would ever know. Coming to the conclusion that this was a place of peace, something clicked inside of him.

Omori leaped off of his side of the picnic table with the rest of his berries. He scrambled to catch up with Magenta and Cobalt, who were just about to leave through the gap under the fence. Cobalt seemed to be startled when he tapped on his shoulder.

“What do you want, Omori?” Magenta scoffed.

The frog shook his head and held his basket up to them. The spider didn’t seem to understand. “Congrats, you won! We’re going back home now. I suggest you do the same,” She advised.

Omori shook his head again and pushed the basket towards her more forcefully.

“Maggie, I think he wants to give it to us,” Cobalt quietly corrected.

The frog swiftly nodded, appreciating the dove’s statement. “For you,” He spoke simply.

In just a blink, Cobalt’s form changed in front of him. His baby blue hair was replaced with light mint green, and his vines were changed to a pastel flower crown. His wings were smaller and his eyes would glow periwinkle with a bulbous white pupil. He looked how Stranger did a long, long time ago. Magenta didn’t seem to notice.

“Um–! Are you okay…Omori?” Cobalt asked very nervously.

The frog wobbled himself out of his daze. Maybe his mind was playing with itself. He answered the dove with a nod.

“Stop staring at my brother. C’mon Cobalt we’re leaving,” Magenta slipped all six of her arms through the fence gap. When she was out of sight Cobalt’s body shivered from Omori’s disturbing presence. The Bouquet Basils were an enigma, a confusing one.

“Eighty-eight cannot be trusted,” The dove whispers soft as a feather.

Omori tilts his head.

“I said thank you for the raspberries,” Cobalt gulped down his words.

Omori returned to the picnic table where his reserved seat was. The wood was still scratchy against his thighs.

“What were you doing talking to Magenta again?” Stranger asked.

The frog shrugged. He felt some need to apologize to them after what happened. Especially Cobalt, who was more shaky and wobbly than Stranger. The spider had wronged him, so he did her a right.

Stranger nudged Omori again. “Everyone else is distracted…would you like to go hide in the bushes?”

Omori nodded and quietly followed the shadow. His mind was coming up with all sorts of scenarios on what they would do while hiding. If Stranger wasn’t in front of him he’d be sooo embarrassed by how flushed his face had become.

Stranger gently took his hand and pulled him down under the leaves. Omori was reminded of Pyrefly Forest, and the adventures he had had there with his friends. Like Blackspace, Pyrefly Forest was full of spiders; big or small. The brush was colorfully thick and dense with giant leaves. A thought struck his mind of carrying some traditions in Stranger’s world to his, but he’d need to ask them first. He’d probably need to ask everycreature in Blackspace first.

“I noticed you went nonverbal after what happened with Magenta and Cobalt. Is everything okay?” Stranger stated.

Omori would slowly nod, like a leaf in the wind.

“I just wanted to make sure. I’m not fond of the Basils either,” They laughed. He laughed too.

“Sequin is nice though,” Omori added.

Stranger agreed. “He is, he is. It just takes a while for me to warm up to people I’ve never met. I’ve known Kel for three years and I never knew who his partner was until now.”

“Crazy!” Omori said out loud.

The shadow suddenly beamed, they wagged the end of their tail back and forth. “You get me, petal. People need to tell us more things, right?”

The frog chuckled and nodded. He put his chewy necklace in his mouth.

“You can keep my sweater, tomorrow’s a temperature shift and I don’t want you to get cold on your way back to Dreamworld,” They explained.

Omori followed their words, but he was mainly staring at their lips. It would be great if he could chew on his necklace and kiss them at the same time. Modern problems require modern solutions.

“That means we won’t see each other for a week. Or maybe two?” They continued. Their lips were dark, like the rest of their body, but faded into a lighter gray on the inside. Two soft lumps of flesh gently crashing into each other as their owner spoke.

“Omori…?”

“Omori…!” Stranger repeated.

The frog ripped his eyes off of their lips and instead met eye contact with them and smiled sheepishly.

Their face was pensive and sunken. “I was just saying that we won’t get to see each other for a few weeks after today,” they said.

Omori nodded. To be fair, he was quite disappointed too. They were having so much fun. If Stranger allowed him to have the Very Special Key, then he could access Redspace and change the process of temperature shifts or whatever it was keeping him from seeing his partner.

“Could I have my key back?” He struck them with the question.

Stranger’s eyes flared a bright white. Their claws tensed around the grass. “I’m sorry,” they whimpered apologetically.

The shadow would freeze up at any mention of that key or Redspace. Omori only wanted to be better, so he didn’t see why they would refuse his help. Once Stranger had calmed down, he returned a heartening smile and an idea to them.

He took hold of their key necklace and dug his finger into it. As he held it, some of the red hue of his fingers became replaced with more ghostly pale skin.

Stranger looked confused, it wasn’t often when someone enchanted their key. For their security they would do it themself.

“To Whitespace,” Omori expounded with a bubbly tone off of his tongue. “If you ever want your sweater back.”

━

//
Stranger returned to The Cove with three quarters a basket of berries and no sweater. Their sister was nowhere to be seen, but sounds eluding her presence echoed over the stone walls.

“I’m home!” They called out. “We won the Extra Pie!”

Within seconds Abbi bolted into the kitchen. Her shirt was only thrown on half-way. The only garments she was properly wearing were her pants, hat, and the wide smile on her face. Her smile was cleaner than her clothes.

“Did you have fun, little dude? Oh, I remember the days of Harvesting!” She reminisced as she roughly noogied them.

“Finnley visited earlier, she explained poetry to me. But I can’t read!” Abbi added. “She said you and Jimmi were having fun.”

Stranger set their basket and the books on the table. They were so relieved that Finnley hadn’t said a word about Omori. “We got there when the sun was ripe just like you said, but I guess a lot of kids took that advice too,” They told. “I met Kel’s partner, Sequin, today. They’re a nice couple.”

Abbi eagerly bounced up and down. “I like that guy! And from what I hear you won?”

Stranger nodded. “I teamed up with Mx. Anonymous, Sequin, and Kel and we won the Extra Pie! But we gave it to Mirrorkid instead, because they were feeling down.”

“You kids are so kind. Back when me and Ange–the Bettas could still participate in Harvest Day it was every creature for themself. If Jimmi didn’t help me cut off my hooks then Tako surely would’ve been doomed!” She laughed. “I miss Harvest Day…”

Stranger frowned. “Mx. Anonymous brought me some new books. I can read them to you and Omoli when he gets home if you’d like!” They brightened.

Abbi’s smile returned. “I can’t wait!”

Stranger was glad to see their sister happy again. That reminded them about their conversation with Omori about temperature shifts earlier. “By the way, what are the plans for this week? With the shift and all.”

The kraken bit her tongue and squinted her eyes. “Splits will be staying with us again I think…so will Omoli…uhh–Oh! Uni’s coming over too! Tako and Meido want some alone time and he gets lonely cooped up in the Treehouse.”

“Has he been begging to fix your car after you totaled it into the side of The Cove?” Stranger giggled.

“Hey! It’s not a real vehicle unless it’s crashed into The Cove!” Abbi quoted herself. “The SS Abyss is the best and only boat I've ever had. I'm always crashing it into stuff!”

“We should crash him into the side of a rock,” They joked.

“Yeah,” Abbi agreed. “Hehe.”

Stranger began to get out several plates. They assumed that Omoli and Uni would arrive soon, and they needed something productive to do while they waited. Standing while talking was tiring, but being productive while talking wasn’t.

“Uni is going to explode when he sees all those raspberries. Food stolen from Herosaurus’s backyard just hits different y’know?” She said, “I remember when me and Uni would station each other and certain sides of the field to get the most berries. We never did win that pie, but it was fun wiping the red berry juice off of each other's faces.”

The shadow could not form a response, only uttering a small sound of acknowledgement. The age restriction on Harvest Day was stupid, but it wasn’t up to Herosaurus. The tradition was only one day of the year. Wait, could they turn it into one night of the year too? They’d given their sweater, the pie, and almost the Redspace Key. Why not give one more thing?

“I wish I never turned sixteen, but it’s more important to me that you had fun!” Abbi said gladly.

Stranger became sick of this. “We have a few hours before mercury gets into the air. Grab a basket.”

The kraken sat criss-cross on a chair that was too small to hold her, and she nearly tipped over while getting off. “Are you saying we rob Hero’s garden?”

“Is that not what Harvest Day is? …or Harvest Night?” Stranger joked, not aware that this would become an actual term.

“You read my mind little dude!” Abbi grabbed them by their elbow and took them out of The Cove. Where Jimmi and Omoli had left the boat before going off on their own little adventure.

Stranger loved boat rides with her, car rides too, but boat rides were better. Small rooster tails would form at the stern and shoot drops of cold water at their legs and feet.

Abbi punched the engine a few times to get it working. It coughed and wheezed before spitting out a rhythmic and vibrational whirr. The side of the boat with the many signatures of their many friends had barely faded over the years. Some of the letters were scratched or scuffed but overall it held up.

“We can take a right at the Tree Circle,” Abbi says. “And if we take a left at the next fork we can make it to Town Area.”

Stranger sat criss-cross on the boat, but they let their tail wispily drag through the water. “You sure know a lot about the rivers and lakes in Blackspace,” they commented.

The kraken lightly stomped on the green button making the SS Abyss speed ahead at a leisurely pace. “I learned a lot from my boating hobby, but my new job requires me to know all the shortcuts and forks and routes.”

“What is your new job anyway?” They asked.

Abbi booped them on the nose with her tentacle. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out!”

“At least it’s better than mopping floors at Last Resort?” Stranger implied.

“I suppose you’re right.” The way she walked around on the boat was crazy and erratic. She hopped around like a bunny and somehow did not fall into the water. That bunny would rather disembowel herself before willingly jumping into cold water.

When they came across the first turn, Abbi took her crowbar out to steer the SS Abyss the other direction. A steering wheel would be much more efficient, but it would destroy the boat to make any changes to it.

The shadow surveyed the remaining contents in the storage compartment: graham crackers, Minty2(which they had brought with them) fishing line, sparkly pink rope, and two well-used wicker baskets. A few small notes sat at the bottom as well, all of them being written or drawn by Stranger.

Abbi couldn’t read, but she still held value in the scribbly notes with smiley faces and tiny hearts with stars and sparkles next to them.

“Do you beat up bad guys with that crowbar?” Stranger asks just as she’s about to put it away. They have their elbow on their knee and their cheek resting on their fist in a listening manner.

The kraken laughed, “Bad guys?” she mocked. “Me and Decay hit Null with it sometimes! Of course we love them, but after they stole some danishes that Herosaurus left me, they’ve been on my ‘bad’ side.”

“Are those creatures you work with? Wait! Those are Beach Area residents!” The shadow said.

“Sure are! They’re also my co-workers. Soon enough they might be your extended family,” Abbi declared, fidgeting with the collar of her shirt.

“You give your last name to just about everycreature, don’t you?” Stranger joked.

She nodded. “I need to find some way to fabricate a bloodline. I’m not marrying any—body!” Fabricate was a very specific word for her vocabulary. She likely stole it off of Herosaurus or Uni. Maybe Tako.

Right before a temperature shift planted itself on the land, a pleasant smell was all over everywhere. Like the calm after the storm, but instead the calm before the storm. It would be a while longer before the air got toxic, and Omoli was probably already back at The Cove.

“We’re here, little dude,” Abbi said as she lightly tapped their shoulder.

Up ahead was the peaceful silhouette of many rows of houses. Some had their lights on while others didn’t. Meido’s house had rainbows, glitter, and loud music pouring out the windows. Tako’s house was silent and empty with no parasite to control the host. Herosaurus’s house was the same. He’d spend temperature shifts in the Aubrey School with a lot of other friends.

Stranger took Abbi’s tentacle and walked her to the gap under the fence. She was like an unguided child.

“I’ll go under but you can climb–” Stranger instructed.

Abbi scoffed. “Climb?” Within seconds she effortlessly slipped under the fence. “Anything my teeth fit through, I can fit through.”

Stranger carefully climbed under too. “I think that’s why babies cry when they see you.”

“Yeah! Pyrefly Forest insect babies and Orange Oasis reptilian babies. Maybe Deep/Deeper Well babies wouldn’t scream and cry!”

“I don’t think the species makes a difference?” They argued. Although, some insects with antennae could sense emotions or intentions of other creatures.

“Maybe they do!” Abbi spoke back. “Or maybe I’m just scary…?”

Stranger smirked and let it go. She was just being silly again. “There might not be many red berries left,” They sighed, awaiting a disappointed response from their sister.

Abbi practically dove into the bushes. “Are there any pink ones!?”

Stranger stuck their paw into some leaves and pulled out a small, unripe berry. “Yes!”

Each leaf, bloom, and berry glistened under the fake moon. The light source was installed by none other than the construction team. It gave off a cold glow to enhance the feel of nighttime.

“Do you want to hear some stories?” The kraken asked.

“Sure!” Stranger said.

As she was picking, she told, “The second Harvest Day I ever participated in, older kids kept beating me to the good berries. I wasn’t very fast nor experienced and I was a shy, quiet little girl. Meido, being a reptile, could slash every speck of red off the bush with a single strike of her claws. And Tako would crush berries between her tentacles and lick off the juice for…some reason? Uni was there to help me though. Even if neither of us could gather any ripe raspberries we’d instead go for the ones nobody wanted; the pink ones.”

Stranger didn’t want to take anymore berries so they just piled a bunch of leaves into their basket. “Is that why pink is you favorite?”

Abbi vigorously shook her head. “They’re my favorite because one time Tako was ridiculing me. I threw one of the hard pink ones at her aiming for her nostril I think. It landed in her mouth and she began choking on it. If Mari wasn’t in the kitchen baking with Herosaurus, the Bettas would be a two person band.”

Stranger gasped. “Jeez you two really hate each other!”

She shrugged. “That’s just how Angelfish was. We’re not as rough around you kids nowadays.”

“Angelfish?” Stranger exclaimed. The fake moon illuminated the star-like freckles on their cheeks. They decided it would be safe to withdraw into their other form so they could snack on a few berries.

Abbi gave them a pat on the head for their bravery. She said in an agreeable voice, “There’s a lot of things that happened in my childhood, or just before I took you in. Anything I've told you is barely a fraction of everything that’s happened.”

Stranger’s star freckles had been replaced with fuschia dots lining their eyes. Their eyes were periwinkle blue and they had roundish fluffy wings. The red cracks of their wrists and wings tainted their appearance. They could be a monster if they wanted. But stealing some of the gathered raspberries, they decided on being a thief instead.

“Bleh!” They spat. The taste was too tart and the texture was rock hard.

Abbi burst into laughter. “Don’t like those, do you little dude?”

Stranger scrunched up their face and desperately scrapped any residue of the berry off of their tongue. It was oversaturated and disgusting like the cracks on their wrists.

“Luckily we’ve got ripe ones for you at home, and watermelon!” Abbi listed. “Splits might bring some hotdogs over. I’m still making dinner plans for that.”

“Do you think we have enough?” Stranger asked.

The kraken looked into the basket. Barely any, maybe about twenty raspberries rolled around at the bottom like screaming piglets in a pen. She then looked around at the bushes. No more moonlight caught onto anything pink.

“Yeah,” She’d say. “I think I’m good!”

Stranger nodded and followed her out of the Plentiful Fields. The SS Abyss rocked on the gentle river’s current as it patiently awaited it’s owners return. They took a seat near the bow, leaving plenty of room for Abbi to wiggle around and mess with the controls. They gazed into their reflection in the water below. It was onyx black, like water from the Abyss. Their reflection stared back at them, no, their past self stared back at them.

Stranger turned to look up at Abbi. She was living and breathing, and happy, and it had been three years since she capsized herself into the Abyss. She was happy, and Stranger was happy. Omori was happy, and Stranger was happy. There was no real barrier between Blackspace and Dreamworld, all of that was the illusions of the roses in the fountain that was their mind.

“Abbi?”

“Yes, little dude?” Her voice wasn’t very audible as she punched the engine over and over again trying to make it start up.

“Will you ever tell me more stories like you did tonight?”

Abbi smiled. “Of course.”

[HARVESTNIGHT: 7,437 words. April 2023.]
[Shout out to Cronas.Graveyard on instagram! Their birthday was on the sixteenth! They’re a super epic friend, please show them love and/or support if u can! So…many…birthdays…. >_<]

Chapter Text

[Second Left Molar.]

“I don’t like when you take pictures of me without my permission!” Stranger groaned.

They had returned back to The Cove with Abbi a while ago. Within that time Uni, Omoli, and Splits all arrived before they had returned, so it was a pleasant surprise to see everybody already together. It was very late in the night, but nobody could even fathom the gap between being awake and being asleep.

“C’mon, it’s fun! I do it to people all the time!” Splits bickered back with a squeaky voice like his plastic, un-oiled joints. Nobody knew how he held his camera so elegantly despite his saw arm, maybe it was just his photographer nature. He needed to capture every little thing for his benefit. “What does Abbi keep in her desk? It all looks so secretive!” He opened drawers left and right with his multiple limbs.

Stranger stopped him just before he got to the drawer with their flower crown inside. They blocked his grabby paws with their body. “Haven’t you ever heard of privacy? How would you feel if I went through all of your memory cards on your computer?” They said defensively.

Splits looked at the hidden drawer and sneered at them. “I was just curious!” He protested. There he went with that squeaky voice again. Someone should really oil him up through every hole in his face. “Abbi isn’t going to be happy hearing about how rude you are. I’m your brother.”

Stranger smirked. “And she really isn’t going to be happy hearing about how you went through her desk. You might even owe us another water balloon battle,” they noted.

Splits was fuming. “Don’t tell her anything!” He whispered.

“Shadow kid, Clementia! We’re starting dinner!” Uni called.

“Coming!” Stranger yelled back.

The spider growled at them. “Freak.”

“Creep,” they whispered back.

Uni, Abbi and Omoli were all productively cutting watermelon and setting up the oven. The lovely scents of fresh watermelon, raspberries, and raw hotdogs filled the air. A green backpack slouched against a purple one near the entrance. The purple backpack fell to the ground, it belonged to Stranger. The green one landed on top of it, this one belonged to Splits. It’s contents were camera film, actual cameras, and a twelve pack of cold hotdogs.

“Were you guys spending some quality time together?” Abbi asked while she took out pots and pans from the drawer beneath the oven.

“Yes,” Both Splits and Stranger said in unison. They lied. They never once checked storage like they said they would, the spider only wanted to snoop around during the one week he was able to spend in The Cove.

“Great!” Abbi replied. “Uni would be very grateful if you could help him unload watermelons from the fridge.” She helped Omoli place spoons, forks, and knives around each plate.

The shadow gave a firm nod. Despite their permanently injured wrists, they still had ways of getting around. Instead of carrying the melon with their hands, they picked it up using their elbows.

“Thanks, shadow kid,” Uni said. He let Stranger do all of the work, because he wasn’t supposed to be crazy with his arms or lift anything while he recovered.

“No problem.” Stranger thunked the big, green melon onto the pressured wooden table. “How’d surgery go?”

The sea urchin indulged in the friendly conversation. “Very well, but some creatures decided to pay me a little visit.” His tone was scolding yet forgiving. The creatures he was talking about were Tako, Meido and Stranger when they came to bother him.

“That’s just the Bettas,” Stranger laughed. Uni laughed too.

“Would it be alright if I cooked the hotdogs directly on the stove? They taste better that way,” Splits asked Abbi.

The kraken looked down at her hard work of playing jenga with the pans to get the correct one out. “Sure thing…!” She gently laid the pan down with it’s brothers and sisters and slammed the drawer shut with her foot to get it to close. Then, she snagged a turner and handed it to the spider. “Don’t burn yourself! If I wanted ‘ya to melt I’d bring you to Dreamworld.”

Splits looked content with his cold hotdogs directly on the stove. Stranger wished that they could bring him to Dreamworld one day and watch as his fragile, temperature-sensitive plastic skin melted into a puddle of flesh to kill the grass around it.

Woah. That was a lot, even for them.

“It has been a while since I’ve had hotdogs,” Omoli chortled. “Where do you get them anyway, Splits?”

The spider turned around as if a spotlight suddenly shined in his direction. “I acquire them from a friend. Eighty-eight you might know her. She gives me discounts on watermelon and she has a pass for Other-Othermart.”

“Eighty-eight? Ugh, dude. You know all the rich people in Blackspace! I don’t see why we need to go to the Abyss and get the Bizarre Trio to pay impossible debt to us JUST for stale groceries!” Abbi complained.

“It’s just Fern actually,” Splits replied.

Abbi lightly pushed the spider on the shoulder. “She’s still loaded with money and clams! Make sure to thank her though, because I would poop my pants and kill my roommate for these hotdogs.”

Stranger, her roommate who was busy slicing watermelon, turned around. “You would…what?”

Omoli laid a paw on their shoulder. “Need any help, Stranger?” His voice was much smoother than whatever sounds came out of Splits’s rusty excuse of a voice box, and his offer was genuine.

“Do you think you could cube this half?” They asked. The sprout mole nodded.

With the unwelcome presence of Splits, Stranger remembered Jerry. If the spider wanted to see his son then he’d need to sacrifice using the oven, because the robotic little sprout mole powered the electricity in The Cove. If Jerry wasn’t in his room powering the oven, then the shadow would need to use magic to power it themself. In that conclusion they’d need to expose their other form to Splits. Ew.

“Hellooooo? Earth to Stranger?” Omoli waved his leaf in their face.

The shadow nearly dropped their cutting knife on their foot. “Whoops!”

Omoli hopped out of their way, allowing them to see his finished work. “I finished up with the cubing. It was super easy but I think you guys need to buy me a heavier knife, because this one is too light.” He then pointed his leaf to a knife cleanly thrown into the wall just above the telephone that probably wouldn’t slip out for weeks.

“My friends at work will be impressed to know that my little brother shoved a knife four inches into my wall,” The kraken said. She scruffed up Omoli’s hair as he thanked her.

“Are the hotdogs ready yet?” They asked, not responding to what Abbi had told them.

“Clementia!” Uni said, snapping his fingers twice. Clementia was Splits’ middle name, but he called him that just for fun. “Are the pork chops ready?”

Splits scoffed. “Hmph! They’re hotdogs!” Learn to take a joke. “And no they aren’t ready. I need the oven to turn on.”

“It’s not on?” Omoli cross questioned.

Suddenly, a fun-sized sprout mole rolled out of his room like a tumbleweed and crashed into his dads legs. He hopped up and down and panted like a dog. Oh no.

“Jerry!” The spider exclaimed. He bent down to give his son a hug. “You were just so excited to see me, weren’t you?”

Jerry vigorously nodded. He still had his roller skates on from when Abbi tried to teach him how to skate for the upcoming Folks Night. The lesson was successful, but what wasn’t successful was trying to get the skates off of his paws.

“Dear brother?” Splits turned to Stranger now. He batted his long eyelashes. “Will you be a dear and work the oven for me, pretty please?” Sarcasm now entered that squeaky voice of his.

The shadow groaned. “Argh I don’t need you taking pictures of me in my other form!”

“It wouldn’t even be your full other form! Just a little bit to take away,” Splits argued. “C’mon, just let me get a lil peaksie–”

Uni interrupted them by pushing them away from each other’s face. “Allow me,” He said. He rubbed his hands together and stretched his arms over his head, just before Abbi yanked them back down. In an eruption of pink, the sea urchin revealed himself to be a purple glimmering jewel with magenta tipped spikes. The stove lit up in a flash, and everybody started clapping.

“Don’t worry shadow kid, all Somethings hate their other forms. Except for your sister, because she’s herself,” He snickered.

“Hey!” Abbi punched him. Stranger had remembered that she was also a Something.

“I REMEMBER YOU BEING PINK WHEN I WAS A BABY! HOLY HECK!” Omoli shouted, he started doing laps around the table, Jerry joined him.

Abbi picked them both up by the leaf and set them back onto the table. “How long has it been since we’ve seen you do magic? Three years? Two?”

Splits got to work on the hotdogs. While nobody was looking, he put on his “kiss the cook” apron. It was pink and frilly and too big for his tiny waist.

“I use my powers with you all the time, you just never seem to notice,” Uni replied.

Abbi stared at him with confusion and a scrunched up nose. He returned the same facial expression to her like a mirror. How silly.

“Done!” Splits chimed. His face was sweaty and melty from the steam coming from the oven. He scooped up the hot dogs easily with a pair of tongs. He’d use his saw arm to push up the loose straps of his apron. Once everybody was sat down he served them each two hotdogs on their plate, Abbi with three.

Uni slammed his paw on the table before anyone got even a chance to speak. “SHORT PRAYER!” He shouted.

“We don’t pray at the dinner table though?” Omoli stated.

“Uni! Who the heck would we even pray to?” Carped Abbi. She rested her elbows on the table and swung her fork between her tentacles. Manners would never last in The Cove. It was eat how you want, talk how you want, and cry how you want. Those were the rules.

The sea urchin shrugged and resumed eating. Everyone else dug in too. Tonight’s dinner would have Stranger’s favorite: watermelon. Well, it was the only thing they could consume as a shadow without…problems occuring.

They could transform like Uni did to be able to eat the raspberries, but then Splits would see. He was always so weird about their other form. Probably because they looked like everything he could never be. They were always the better half of the split. The separation was in their favor.

“You alright little dude? You’re staring at your plate,” Abbi said cordially. She did that thing where she held her head low and tilted her arms like a raptor would.

Stranger reassured, “I’m okay! I just–” They paused, staring at their paw. Was it really worth the risk? They did owe Uni after all, for working the oven for them. Having the other Somethings do everything for them would be selfish. Why the heck couldn’t Splits just stay in the Aubrey School during temperature shifts?

“Stranger? You okay?” Omoli said, repeating Abbi’s question. Soon everyone in the room was looking at them, and the atmosphere went weird and quiet.

Splits just so subtly squinted his eyes. He didn’t say anything, but his intentions on speaking were not well hidden. Surely he was angry, because the attention was no longer spot lit on him.

The shadow sunk back down into their seat and patiently waited for everybody to turn their attention back to their brother. They wished he didn’t think that they were ‘the better half.’ They wished things could just be normal, that Splits could rot in the Aubrey School (where he belonged) and not in their home.

It took only a moment more of Splits’ staring for Stranger to seize their left wrist with their right paw and twist.

Abbi rushed to the other side of the table with her chair, tripping while doing so. She took a seat next to the shadow and tried her best to calm them down.

Splits didn’t say anything, he just kept staring. This time he squinted his eyes and pursed his lips even more. His impossibly bright pink and purple eyes reflected off of his glasses. His flower crown hung low with his face.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” They weeped. Abbi, Omoli, and Uni were surrounding them now. The spider kept his distance.

“You’re alright,” Omoli reminded, fret in his voice. Everything moved in slow motion.

Stranger averted their vision back to their plate. The brown-beige color of the hotdog bun made them remember graham crackers, and what Abbi always had them do in these moments. Five things they could see; Uni’s pink spikes now fading back to black, the chiseled out walls of The Cove, shimmery watermelon, the basket in the middle of the table, and their sister with her comforting smile. They became distracted when a large, fluffy object was gently being draped over them.

“Blanket,” Uni informed. The object was their red blanket. It still had a crusty stain of Omori’s blood, but nobody would bring that up at a time like this.

The sea urchin and the sprout mole returned to their seats, but Abbi stayed where she was perched. She dragged her tentacle down one end of the blanket to the other, trying to savor the texture the same way her little sibling did.

“You can transform now.” Abbi winked, despite her lack of eyes. “If that’s what was bothering you.”

The people Stranger could trust in this room outweighed the ones they couldn’t. So, just like Uni, they did transform. Nobody watched, in fact nobody noticed. As they were about to dig into their room temperature hotdog, they smiled.

Suddenly a snip—SNAP! went off to their left. Splits chuckled and waited for the photo to process so they could watch as it fell into his paw.

Before the photograph could be born into the world, Uni came and aborted it by tearing it out of the camera and slicing it in half in front of the spider.

“Nice one, car man!” Abbi cheered, but her smile dropped at Splits’ disappointed frown.

“Clementia, you’re a photographer! If you’re going to take a picture, take one of me. Use me as your model. Not ugly little Stranger.” The sea urchin rolled his eyes and handed the camera back. He gave Splits a quick pat on the head.

Stranger couldn’t help but giggle at the insult. They knew Uni probably didn’t mean it, but at the same time he did because he spent all of his life with Meido and Tako meaning insults were compliments and compliments were insults forever phasing into each other.

Abbi derided. “Don’t call them ugly!”

The sea urchin shrugged and sat down. Nobody saw any point in bickering.

“Did anyone want to hear about what I did during Harvest Day?” Omoli asked. His conversation starter was brought up as he ate his raspberries. Red juice ringed its way around his mouth like lipstick.

“Finnley told me that Jimmi hung out with you guys,” Abbi said.

The sprout mole nodded. “Me and him made a bet for who could pick the most berries! Neither of us won, though.”

The clammy mood in the room had transitioned back to a much more chill, and fun feeling. “I haven’t been down to that little shop in a while. Is there any new stock?” Splits said.

“I stop there as often as I can. He has more shoes, but I can’t afford most of them,” Omoli sighs.

Stranger started growing bored of the conversation, stock wasn’t something that interested them much. They’d much prefer to hear about what Jimmi has been doing in his life. Now that shadowy blotches were returning to their body, they decided to finish up their raspberries and take the blanket from below their head.

“–and then Finn concluded that I lost the ability to read!” The kraken finished a story she had been telling.

The shadow hadn’t been listening.

“Wait, Uni, how late has it gotten?” She asked, turning to the broken microwave clock for an answer.

Uni shrugged.

Omoli chimed in, “Midnight maybe? I forgot to check in when I got here. I was too hungry to focus on how late it was.”

Abbi bit her lip and took her plate to the sink. Stranger tiredly watched as she washed up her plate. “Where would you two like to sleep?” She motioned for Uni and Splits to answer. Once everyone else was finished with their food, their plates were taken to the sink too by a worried girl trying to plan everything out.

“Splits can sleep on my bed!” Omoli shouted. He high-fived the spider on his saw arm. High-pawed? High-sawed??

“I brought a sleeping bag with me. I’ll sleep on the floor.” Uni’s offer was made in consideration of Abbi, who had a very specific system for who slept where. The Giant Legendary Ultra Mega Bed was no joke to a kraken like her.

She nodded and whispered a quick “Thank you.”

━

Stranger was now laying on their bed the way a starfish lies on the sand of the Deep Well floor. They heard the others shuffling and scrambling around in the bathroom fighting over who would get to take a shower first and who would get to brush their teeth first. Omoli won.

MInty2 was held tightly in their clutches, away from Splits and his prying little paws. Even though Abbi usually asked him to detach his saw and set it by his backpack, he’d still tear the stuffed octopus apart the moment the shadow let go. They drew into themself at the thought of losing her.

“Hey little dude!” Abbi poked, startling them.

“Hi,” They whispered loudly.

“Are you feeling better?” She asked, whispering at that same volume.

“Yeah,” They replied. “Why are we whispering?”

The kraken laughed and collapsed on the mattress beside them. “I don’t know!” She spoke clearly.

“You’re so funny,” Stranger smiled.

She took Minty2 from them and tossed her up and down in the air. “Once, me and Meido filled her with danishes.” She then unzipped the zipper in the back to showcase some stained stuffing.

Stranger clamored and took her back and held her close again. They would make sure that she would never suffer the fate of the danishes again. What kind of medieval torture was this? Is this how some of the Basils died? Yummy.

“We should get to sleep before the fight in the bathroom gets more heated,” Abbi advised, rolling to her third of the Giant Legendary Ultra Mega Bed.

Stranger nodded, but they didn’t believe she had seen them. “Goodnight Abbi,” They whispered.

“Goodnight, Stranger,” She whispered back, a smile could be heard in her voice.

━

The shadow didn’t realize they had fallen asleep until someone snored too aggressively, waking them up. Stranger dragged their heavy limbs towards their face and rubbed their eyes as the room adjusted.

Uni could be seen on the floor, and Abbi and Omoli were rolling into the crack between their beds. Seeing that everything was alright, Stranger dropped themself back down.

“Did’jya sleep well?” Splits pried, his purple and pink eyes hued with a subtle glow.

If the shadow had a heart, it would’ve skipped a beat. No, all of the beats. They sucked in a great inhale and stayed cautiously still, imagining themself as the statues outside of Church of Something.

“Stop watching me sleep.” They quietly demanded. “I don’t care if you’re my stupid other half.”

Splits hushed them with a firm talon. “Shh. You’re so dumb, y’know.”

Stranger lowly growled and narrowed their gaze at him. The spider ceased to move, nor show any sign of being threatened.

“You’ll be thrilled to hear that I sent Garlic and Shackle out to the Plentiful Fields today,” Splits smirked, amused. Garlic and Shackle were two of his little henchmen, members of his Bouquet, and smart ones at that.

Still whispering, “Yeah, and I bet they were too busy stalking me to get any berries. Me and Quadquad cleared out those bushes faster than you can build a dysfunctional computer!” Stranger snarked, thinking that their comeback was sure to shut their brother’s mouth for good, or at least the rest of the night. They were everything Splits had desired to become, a little bit of stalking wasn’t far from unordinary from him.

Splits went quiet for a mere moment, sending a hopeful feeling to Stranger. “Magenta and her cowardly brother sure kept them busy alright,” He started. The shadow struggled to understand. She was just a stressed out bully with a dependent little brother.

“I only tattled on them. If you want to get me in trouble for snitching I recommend you take it up with Meido and Tako,” They rolled their eyes, building up a shield to combat Splits’ useless conversation.

“I’m just saying, your new boyfriend is sure stirring up a lot of trouble around here,” Splits finished scornfully. “I’m sure our sister would embrace him with open arms.”

Bullets shot up Stranger’s spine, landing in their stomach. Their breath picked up as they clutched Minty2 the same way they gripped Abbi the day they tore open her back. It was real now. Their relationship with Omori wasn’t just a cute playground gag where they held hands and pecked each other's cheeks anymore, this was real.

The spider stifled a laugh while watching them in one of their most vulnerable moments. He positioned his body to better face them, his rusty joints squealed and screamed. His squeaky voice was raised into one more smooth and quelling. “Goodnight, Stranger.” He Imitated Abbi.

Quiet cackling was all Stranger could hear before they burrowed into their blanket and shut out the world.

━

They had no idea how long it had been. Hours? Minutes? Years?

Stranger slowly turned around to check to see if the predator was still ready to pounce. Luckily his small frame rose and fell away from them. Splits was asleep.

The shadow gave a sigh of relief and handed the blanket to Minty2 for her to burrow in. They climbed over Splits and Omoli to get to the Abbi’s bed, when a sporadic growl shook the entire room.

They peered down with one eye open to see the beast it came from.

Oh. Just Uni. His snores were more of a surprise than the kraken’s were. Her’s were much more predictable and rhythmic.

Once the sea urchin quieted down, Stranger concluded their journey to the other end of the bed. They curled up beside their sister and roughly poked her back a few times. They really needed her.

“Abbi. Abbi. Abbi. Abbi,” Stranger repeated over and over again until they received a response.

The kraken woke up in a flash, “Don’t hurt me!” She sharpened in defense, but softened when she realized who it was.

The shadow profusely apologized. But she reassured them that it was alright.

“What’s wrong little dude? Couldn’t sleep?” Abbi guessed.

Stranger confided in her. “Splits made a comment about–” They paused, lightly stroking the stitches on the back of her shirt, and the black scar tissue just barely visible through it. “–this.”

What they said wasn’t true, but the spider had implied Abbi leaving again. They knew that he didn’t know about what Stranger did to their sister, and that he was actually referencing the time she locked herself away in the Abyss, and the time Omori banished her there. They twitched. That was the only lie they could make up, and hopefully she would be too tired to dissect what they said more clearly.

“Oh,” Abbi said. She held them. “Why?”

Stranger frustratedly chuckled, “Long story.”

“You look sick,” She mentioned, too tired to regard her tone.

“Yeah,” Stranger said agreeably. “I feel sick.” Anxiety was eating them alive like a big fish to a little fish.

The kraken scooped them up and hopped off of the bed. She gently placed them back down on theirs and instructed them to grab Minty2 and the red blanket. Then she led them to the storage drawers. Stranger remembered that they had a lot of things littering the Tree Circle that they need to stuff in there.

“What you looking for?” Stranger asked while Abbi rummaged through the hoard of rarely used items.

“Go get my coat,” She said. What she meant was her raincoat, but Stranger went into the bathroom closet to retrieve it anyway.

The raincoat was gray and rubbery, smooth but sticky. A small anchor symbol was painted just below the shoulder. It’s material would burn into their paws if they glided their palm across it. Abbi hated long sleeves, and she especially hated rubber textured long sleeves. She says they’d make her overheated, sick, and that she’d only wear them on special occasions, like a deadly temperature shift.

Stranger handed it to her. When she told them this, it was after their car ride in the endless section of Underwater Highway. They could not figure out why she tolerated it then and only then.

“Aha!” Abbi exclaimed as she pulled out two dusty filtration masks.

Stranger sighed. “Are you taking me outside?”

The kraken nodded. “I’m going to drive you around Town Area until you fall asleep. Uni can handle Splits and Omoli if they wake up.”

That didn’t sound like a bad idea, and they had wanted some more one on one time with their sister. They cooperated and secured a filtration mask to their face. It was heavy and uncomfortable but Abbi said it was safer to be uncomfortable than freezing and dead.

“Bring your blanket and Minty2. Herosaurus leaves his garage open for me when he spends ‘shifts at the Aubrey School,” Abbi explained.

Stranger nodded and made sure they could still feel the lump of the stuffed animal wrapped up in the cocoon of the blanket. They trotted behind their sister, leaving ruby red footprints on the rock floor of The Cove. Leaving The Cove during temperature shifts was always cold and wet. A waterfall and river door kept them hidden, but icy pricks dragged across their skin and frizzed their hair. Luckily, Somethings in their shadow forms couldn’t feel the cold all that much.

The SS Abyss had been brought up to the front of The Cove. Whether Abbi could teleport it or it got up itself they would never know. Without prompt, they sat against the bow of the boat like they had just hours prior.

Abbi got the boat working much quicker than earlier. The SS Abyss glided through the river with ease.

Stranger took in the nighttime scenery. Cool wind crushed their face and they smiled. Everything was quiet: the only creatures out during temperature shifts were the Somethings. They freely roamed the land and celebrated the traditions that only they knew. Sure they were dangerous, but there is often beauty in danger.

“Hey, heheh. Little dude,” Abbi chuckled out of her larynx. “Do you hink we can start a howl with the Nancis?”

The shadow opened up the storage compartment on the boat, and dropped their blanket inside. “Hehe. yeah.”

When Abbi finished laughing she cupped her tentacles around her mouth and howled into the starless nightsky like a wolf would. Stranger repeated soon after her.
After a few moments of echos spreading through the trees, a sound rang out.

“ARWOOOOO!!!” The other Nancis followed, and soon there were two siblings communicating with beasts from the other side of the forest.

Abbi and Stranger broke into laughter when they entered Town Area. All was silent and still. Nearly every window in every house was unlit, except for Meido’s house.

Two girls, a skink and a squid, curled up on the couch and watched a cheap horror movie on their old TV. Tako held Meido in her pink unicorn blanket.

The shadow turned their gaze away when he thought that one of them had turned her head to the streets and saw them. Maybe they were just seeing things. The couple reminded them of their own, Omori. Seeing their sister just five feet in front of them made their stomachs do summersaults when they thought of their boyfriend. Splits was going to tell her everything.

They held the wrapped up Minty2 closer to their body and tried to catch up. Once they turned the corner to see Herosaurus’ house, memories of their previous car ride in Underwater Highway flooded to them. Peaceful nostalgia twisted with their worry and created a sweaty perfume stench. Splits would ensure that they never had a moment like that again, he was going to rob them of their life.

Abbi grabbed the pair of keys that had been neatly placed on the top of the car. She twirled them around before opening the doors and letting Stranger in.

“Um—Abbi…?” They croaked. “Can I ask you–you something?”

“Sure thing little dude!” She slotted the keys the igniter and backed out of the driveway into the street. Fiona SS, the car, exhorted loud and expensive sounds. Abbi was clearly tired, but her voice radiated loyalty.

Stranger’s body shook and trembled like disturbed scaffolding. As the car picked up speed at relieving pace, their body was tranquil by the poison air that never intended to touch them, and the thorns of roses worked like knives to dissect their guts and label them with a sharp pencil on a dry piece of paper.

“What would you do if meandOmoriwereonneutralterms?” Stranger exhaled.

Abbi took a minute to disassemble the mess of their words. Her smile faded to confusion, and then to a scowl. “Why?” She said slowly, like ketchup pouring onto hotdogs.

“Because! He won’t bother us in Blackspace anymore, and uh, and I won’t bother him!” Stranger giggled away the pain in their stomach, everything bad they’ve done coming back to them like the cheerful memory of Underwater Highway. They clutched the place on their shirt where their scar was and started to twist the bones in their wrist. Every inch of their body screamed with pain and sorrow, but they knew that Abbi felt worse.

The kraken gently took their paw and held it. She was the only person who could hold their wrist directly without it cracking further or hurting them at all. “That’s alright,” she sounded. A smile curled around her face as she looked at them.

Stranger calmed down. It was okay. Everything would be okay. They took Minty2 from off the dashboard and held her. Their eyes turned from the question mark on their sister's face to the anchors on her hat and raincoat. Her gaze was turned to the road.

“Remember what I said the first time you asked about something like this?” She said.

“When?” Stranger span around to face Abbi. Their neck cracked at the sudden movement.