Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The panicked chatter of many objects crowded the peaceful silence that had once been there, stirring a certain white and blue container from his slumber-like state.

He was so used to things just being silent. Airy had been gone for a while now and the tired object had just kinda given up, not wanting to wait for a miracle that would never come. Why the noise now?

One eye peeked open and glanced curiously in the direction of the commotion, seeing Bryce and Amelia currently clinging to the sides of the wooden pool, peering inside with panicked expressions, both of them yelling about...something.

Whippy Creamy looked down, seeing a piece of grass making its way over to him.

"Atom?" The drowsy object asked, letting his limbs pop out as he sat up, dazed and confused. "What's happening?"

"Stone came back." The tiny entity responded, causing Whippy Creamy's eyes to widen, needing to do a double take.

"Stone's back?! Where is he?!"

"He threw himself into the pool as soon as he got here." Atom explained.

Whippy Creamy's gaze travelled back over to the pool, all the panicked contestants crowding around it and yelling to each other. "Is he...dead?"

"I don't know. I'm kinda too scared to ask."

The blue container pushed himself to his feet, accidentally pushing Tray over in the process. He hadn't even realized she was leaning on him. "Oops, sorry, Tr..." He trailed off, looking down at his friend and fellow contestant. Lifeless, just as he had been mere minutes ago.

Ouch.

It stung to see, but he didn't really have time to dwell on it, quickly making his way over to the wooden pool and scaling the wall to join the soda bottle and candle.

Peering down and squinting, he could see a grey shape in the deep blue depths. But as he squinted to try and get a better look, Stone vanished.

Everyone expectantly turned to look at the ground, anticipating his respawn, but...it never came, leaving the group even more confused and frightened.

"Is he...coming back?" Subway Seat asked, unease clear in his voice.

"Our one chance..." Amelia murmured, an aura of hopelessness radiating off of her. And she wasn't the only one.

One by one, the contestants' once hopeful expressions dulled yet again into the familiar sorrow that had occupied them for so long.

That is, until Charlotte abruptly vanished, sparking up the confused panic once more.

The ruckus seemed to get Tray's attention finally as her limbs popped back out and she sat up, looking confused.

"What's...going on?" She asked.

"Moldy just vanished!" Subway Seat replied quickly, panic stricken.

"Wait, wait, hold on!" Whippy Creamy yelled, getting the group's attention. "Stone came back, only to die and vanish. Then Moldy vanished. Do you think...?" He trailed off, letting the others piece it together.

"He did it..." Bryce whispered, likely talking to himself.

That's all the soda bottle got to say before he, too, vanished into thin air.

Amelia opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't get to speak before she also disappeared.

"Okay, wow, this is happening really fast!" Whippy Creamy said, jumping down from the edge of the pool to land next to Subway Seat.

Tray quickly got to her feet and walked over. "Is it finally over?! Do we get to go home?" She asked, disbelief and relief blending into one overpowering emotion.

"I think so!" Subway Seat replied.

Whippy Creamy casted a glance just past Tray, seeing the piece of grass Atom once held was now on the ground, resting on its side. Safe to assume he made it home, too. He looked back up at Tray, knowing he had to make this quick. "Good luck, Tray. I'm glad we got to meet you, even if it was under these circumstances."

That got a warm, bittersweet smile from the other object. "You, too. I'll never forget you. Any of you." Right on cue, she too vanished, now only leaving Whippy Creamy and Subway Seat behind.

The two objects exchanged an awkward glance with each other, waiting. The silence was far too loud.

"...So, uh..." Whippy Creamy finally broke the silence. "I guess this is it, then?"

"I mean...I guess so? Assuming everyone's actually being sent home." Subway Seat replied.

"Are you...excited to go home?" Whippy Creamy asked cautiously. He was aware they would likely get cut off midway through their conversation, but that didn't matter to him. He wanted to get these thoughts off his chest before he had to go back to his inanimate self.

"Oh, uh..." Subway Seat had to pause and actually consider the question. Upon thinking about it, he frowned. "I...guess so? I dunno how to feel. I honestly didn't think I'd ever get back. What about you?"

"I'm not excited. Not at all, actually," Whippy Creamy admitted with a short laugh. "We've been here for...who knows how long? I'm certainly expired by now. When I go back, I won't even be able to sit around in a fridge anymore. I'll probably be destroyed."

Subway Seat was taken aback by the serious tone, having not expected it. "I never even considered that."

"Who's to say the subway hasn't already replaced you, too?" Whippy Creamy asked, quickly clarifying. "I'm not trying to offend, I promise. It's just...thinking seriously about this. It's unlikely they haven't."

"So there's...nothing waiting for either of us after all..."

"As much as I hate to say it, yeah. But do we really have a choice?" Whippy Creamy asked with a saddened smile.

"I...guess this is goodbye then?" Subway Seat asked.

"Guess so. It's been fun, it really has."

"Thanks for...sticking by me since day one. And supportive me. I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did without you." Subway Seat said with a small smile.

"Hey, it's no problem. That's what friends are for. Best friends."

"Best...friends? That sounds...really nice, actually."

"However unlikely, I hope we see each other again someday." Whippy Creamy said, holding his fist out towards Subway Seat.

"Yeah. Someday." Subway Seat smiled, giving Whippy Creamy a fist bump.

Moments passed, the two waiting to be sent home. Nothing.

"Uh...any second now?" Whippy Creamy said, sounding unsure.

Still nothing.

The two blankly stared at each other before Whippy Creamy broke eye contact, clicking his tongue awkwardly.

"Weeeeellll, uhhh...this is awkward. We just had that really emotional goodbye and yet we're still here. Reeeallll funny, Stone, haha...ha..." He laughed nervously, making things a million times more awkward than they already were. Nicely done.

The silence lasted a few more moments before their surroundings abruptly changed, finding themselves in a darker area, the only light source being behind them. Quickly turning around, they found themselves facing a computer set-up, being occupied by none other than Stone.

They turned to look at the stunned objects, staring for a moment before giving them both a thumbs up and gesturing to the computer screen where a notepad was open.

It read as follows:

'Hi. o/'

The stunned objects exchanged a glance.

"Uh...what?" Whippy Creamy asked, feeling like he was missing some major context.

Stone held up a finger in a 'one moment' gesture before typing away on the keyboard. 'Sorry, you're probably very confused and have many questions. Understandably so. Ask away.'

"Did...you send the others home?" Subway Seat asked, wanting to get that out of the way immediately.

'Yeah. I died to be able to get access to the computer and send you all back.'

"Then...why are we here instead of back home?"

'I know you two weren't looking forward to your lives back home, so I have an alternative idea. I'm going to be staying here defending the computer so ONE cannot happen again. Care to join me?'

The two exchanged a look before Whippy Creamy piped up.

"Stay here and control a freaky computer that can bend reality...? Hell yeah, I'm in! That sounds awesome!"

Subway Seat looked a bit unsure. "Why guard it? Why not just destroy it?"

Stone deleted the text before beginning to type a new message. 'That was my plan at first, but after thinking on it, I feel like we could put it to better use. Use it for something positive.'

"Like what?"

Stone shrugged before typing; 'Haven't decided yet. I'm in no rush.'

"Well...sure, I'm on board. Gives me something to do." Subway Seat said with a smile.

Stone gave a small clap of celebration before getting up from the seat and walking to the exit, pushing past the overgrowth. The other two objects quickly followed, finding themselves in a dark forest, being illuminated by the moon and stars above.

They both stared for quite some time, having never even seen the outside world back home. Subway Seat was always, well, inside a subway. And Whippy Creamy had just always occupied the grocery store.

Stone approached the sand surrounding the waterfall, where what was left of Airy remained.

"Was that...Airy?" Subway Seat asked, remembering the odd shape Abstracty had taken before its elimination. A lamp of some kind. And here rested a lantern head with shards of glass scattered around it.

Stone simply nodded as they began to carefully pick up the shards, gesturing for Whippy Creamy to pick up the copper top, which the object did upon instructed. They then stood up and headed back over to the grass, finding a spot before pointing at Subway Seat.

"Oh. Yeah?" He asked.

Stone then pointed over at the side of the cabin, at a shovel that lay there.

"Oh..." Subway Seat murmured, understanding now. They were making a burial for Airy.

He went and retrieved the shovel, balancing it carefully on his seat as he walked back over to the other two. Without needing to be told, he started digging the hole.

Once it was large and deep enough, Stone dropped the glass into it, Whippy Creamy placing the copper top down in the hole, too.

With that, Subway Seat put the dirt back on top of it and the threw shared a moment of silence before Stone abruptly walked off again, leaving the two other objects to themselves.

"So...guess it wasn't goodbye after all, huh?" Whippy Creamy asked.

"Guess not. But...I think things will be better this way. We get to...live. Well, keep living.," Subway Seat said, looking down at Whippy Creamy with a warm smile. "Defending objects from another ONE with my best friend? Sounds pretty great to me."

Whippy Creamy smiled back. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"We should go catch up with Stone, huh? See what he's up to." Subway Seat asked.

"Sure. I wanna learn more about this guy." Whippy Creamy replied.

With that, the two headed off to go find their new companion, taking their first steps into a new life. A new purpose. And it felt pretty freakin' sweet.

They headed back into the cave, seeing Stone typing away at the computer once more. Peering over curiously, Whippy Creamy saw Stone was deleting a lot of stuff from the computer. A lot of stuff.

"Getting rid of Airy's old code?" He asked, earning a nod from Stone.

"Would you be open to suggestions on what to repurpose the planets into?" Subway Seat asked, wanting to contribute in some way.

Some gave a thumbs up before typing; 'Would be appreciated.'

The duo began to think hard. Really, really hard about this. Probably too hard, giving themselves headaches.

Stone just rolled his eyes, amused before going back to work, letting the two think of ideas.

"I got it!" Whippy Creamy yelled abruptly.

"What is it?" Subway Seat asked, taken aback by the sudden noise.

Whippy Creamy waited until Stone turned to face him before explaining. "You know how Subway Seat and I were unhappy with the idea of going back to our inanimate lives? Well, that got me thinking. I bet there's at least some objects out there who wish they could live their lives away from humans, able to live freely."

Stone gave a slow nod of understanding.

"Well, I can imagine that. But what could we do about it?" Subway Seat asked.

"We could repurpose The Plane and the other planets here. Give them a place where they can live lives like humans would. All with us watching over them and looking out for them!"

"And they would be able to go back if they're unhappy, right?" Subway Seat asked, remembering how badly damaged the first batch of contestants were without the option to leave. His mind also wandered to Bassy and Tray, who missed home pretty quickly.

"Yeah, obviously. They aren't prisoners. This is supposed to make them happy." Whippy Creamy replied.

"I...really like that idea." Subway Seat said with a smile.

"See! I'm pretty proud of the idea myself. I'm so smart." Whippy Creamy grinned.

Stone snapped his fingers to get their attention before typing on the computer again. 'Yeah, we can do that. I also like the idea. It'll just take a lot of work. You up to the commitment? I'm not doing all this alone'

"Hell yeah I am! It may be a lot of hard work, but I think it'll be worth it to see those objects happy." Whippy Creamy replied.

'What about you, Subway?'

"Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think it'll be worth the effort. It's a really nice thing to do." Subway Seat replied.

'That settles it then. Let's start planning. Give these objects the lives they deserve.'

Subway Seat and Whippy Creamy couldn't help but smile, excited. Mere months ago, they were just ordinary objects with no power whatsoever. But now they had a chance to make a change. One for the better. And they wouldn't pass this up.

Chapter Text

A gentle breeze swept through the small forest and rustled the rows of rich green pine trees as Stone sat outside relaxing, his eyes shut as they just enjoyed the peaceful silence.

During the chaos and stress that was stopping ONE and saving the other contestants, he admittedly never had even a moment to relax, all of their thoughts being on the domino effect he needed to set up and start, knowing even a single mistake could be costly and derail everything they had planned.

But everything had worked out in the end, and they could finally kick back and relax. It felt strange to be able to do that, as no immediate threats needed to be worried about. He was so used to having to worry about every little detail, about every little thing, but now that everything was set into place, there was no need for such action.

Plus, he didn't have to deal with things alone anymore. He had Whippy Creamy and Subway Seat to assist him. Admittedly, their company was taking some getting used to considering how loud and hectic they could be, especially Whippy Creamy, but they were quickly growing on Stone over time.

It had been about a week and a half. Progress on turning The Plane into an inhabitable planet for inanimate objects was going smoothly and Stone was feeling pretty good. Yet he suddenly felt a slight...disturbance.

Opening his eyes and turning around, he found himself face to face with Whippy Creamy who was currently posed with his knees bent and his hands up in what could only be described as a 'grabby hands' gesture with the dumbest smile on his face and an evil look in his eye.

Upon Stone turning to face him, Whippy Creamy quickly jumped back, surprised. "Oh- Heyyyy Stone!" He said awkwardly, pointing finger guns at the rock.

Stone gave the whipped cream an odd look, his eyes narrowed, and brow raised in a 'what were you doing?' kinda expression.

"Oh, me? I was just gonna...uh...ask you something!" Whippy Creamy said quickly, mentally giving himself a proud pat on the back for that save.

Stone just rested their elbows on their knees as they looked at him expectedly in a 'well? Ask away' kinda way.

...Whippy Creamy then mentally retracted his proud pat on the back. He hadn't planned this through. He was an idiot, truly. An idiot with no plan or explanation.

"Iiiii, uhhh...I forgot already, sorry!" He said quickly, looking at Stone with a nervous smile.

Stone just squinted at him. They didn't believe him; it was clear they didn't.

Whippy Creamy just laughed awkwardly, breaking eye contact. "Anywaaaaaays, I guess I'll just...leave you to it!" He said before quickly speed walking away, making his retreat.

Stone watched him leave, more confused than anything, but once he was a distance away, they let themself relax. Admittedly, the concerning pose and evil expression were the things he failed to understand the most, but he decided it probably wasn't anything too concerning. Whippy Creamy wasn't malicious, they knew he wasn't.

But that just made it all the more confusing. Oh well. It wasn't really a big deal. With that, Stone just shut his eyes once more and went back to relaxing in silence.

Whippy Creamy quickly walked over to Subway Seat who had been watching the whole thing. The seat looked down at him, confusion clear on his face.

"What the heck happened?"

"I don't know! I didn't make any noise, did I?" Whippy Creamy asked.

"Not any that I heard, no." Subway Seat replied with a frown.

"I was quiet as a mouse! I made sure of it, so how the heck did he hear me?" Whippy Creamy pouted, stomping his foot on the ground in frustration.

"I mean...I did tell you that would be a bad idea." Subway Seat commented.

"It was just gonna be a harmless prank. I come up behind him and spook him! Maybe get a laugh from him, it would've been fun!" Whippy Creamy said before casting a concerned look towards the shape of Stone. "I just feel like he hasn't been able to properly relax and just...have fun, y'know?"

"I mean, he looks pretty relaxed to me." Subway Seat said, following his gaze.

"That may be what you think, but I could see his posture was still kinda stuff. A pretty telling sign. Not to mention how alert he'd have to be to even know I was there." Whippy Creamy explained.

"Oh, yeah...I guess I never really thought about it. I'm not the only one who's noticed how focused he is on the future, right?"

"Exactly my point. I want them to be able to live in the moment rather than always planning ahead rapidly. I don't think it's good for him."

"You think he knows we're talking about him?" Subway Seat asked casually.

Whippy Creamy scoffed, amused. "Unless he has the hearing of a dog, there's no way he could. We're too far-" He started, getting cut off when, right on cue, Stone abruptly looked over at them, making the two objects quickly look away. "...away." Whippy Creamy finished awkwardly.

"Maybe we should...move?" Subway Seat suggested.

Whippy Creamy quickly nodded. "Yes, let's." He agreed.

So, the duo quickly retreated, heading to the cave with the computer. Whippy Creamy sat down on the makeshift chair with a sigh. Whippy Creamy just set himself down on a spot on the ground.

"So...uh...what now?" The seat asked awkwardly.

"I've gotta make a plan B."

"Plan B? You don't have to try again, you know?" Subway Seat commented.

"Yes, I do! You don't understand. I've already started and have hyped myself up to doing this, so I'm not tapping out now."

"You're very...determined."

"I am! I never give up once I've started something, and if it's to help our friend loosen up, it'll all be worth it." Whippy Creamy smiled confidently.

"That's really nice, actually. I'd help, but I'm not really good at being stealthy." Subway Seat said with a laugh.

"It's all good, don't worry. Your support is more than enough help. I'll manage," Whippy Creamy said, holding his fist out for a fist bump, which Subway Seat quickly accepted. "I'm off to go think of a Plan B. I'll catch you later though."

"Yep, sounds good. Have fun." And with that, the two went their separate ways for the time being, Whippy Creamy already getting ready to scheme.

A few hours had passed, and Stone was currently heading out with a basket in hand, going off to collect some reeds for bedding. If they were being honest, the bedding wasn't great, but it was the best he could think of for the time being.

Whippy Creamy and Subway Seat didn't seem to mind it either, but that was no surprise. It's not like they had anything better to compare it to. Well...not like Stone had much better to compare it to either, but that was beside the point. Those two were content, so he was content, too.

But as they walked silently through the forest, they began to feel something was off again, same as before. 'Oh, don't tell me...' They thought, looking up just in time to see Whippy Creamy jump down from one of the trees, only for the whipped cream to smack onto the ground hard, groaning in pain.

"Owwwwwww, fuuuuuuuuck..." He cursed.

Stone just looked down at him with a confused and concerned expression, wondering if he was okay.

"I'm okay...I'm fine..." He croaked as he stood up, brushing himself off. "I thought for sure that'd work...Should've thought it through better."

The rock gave him a suspicious look once more, silently asking for him to elaborate.

Whippy Creamy froze, fumbling on his words for a moment. "W-Well, I was just...uh...um...I-I was just trying to climb a tree!"

Stone didn't break his gaze from him, raising a brow, clearly asking 'why?'.

"Uhhhh...Was just curious! Wanted to try it! Ahahaha...ha. Y'know?" He laughed awkwardly, earning a squint from Stone before they just shrugged and continued on their way, leaving Whippy Creamy alone, who quickly sat down on the grass with a groan of frustration.

Why was this so hard?! Stone didn't even flinch! As much as he and Subway Seat joked about Stone being a fortune teller, it was starting to seem like that wasn't even a joke anymore. He predicted everything.

"...That...can't be true though, can it...?" He muttered, more and more unsure. He was considering just giving up when a possible explanation dawned on him. "Maybe they just...saw me in the tree before I jumped down. He knew I was there already, so didn't get scared! Yeah, that must be it!"

With that figured out, Whippy Creamy found himself feeling confident again.

Onto Plan C.

It was now evening, Stone feeling exhausted from all the little tasks they had been up to that day, but one thing still bothered him. And that would, of course, be Whippy Creamy's confusing behavior. He'd done it twice already and Stone had a sinking feeling it would not let up if he didn't do something about it. Going off of what they were aware of, it seemed like Whippy Creamy was trying to scare them for...whatever reason?

He didn't understand why or what Whippy Creamy had to gain from it, but it was a little bothersome, especially if he wasn't gonna stop unless Stone actually got scared. But the fact they always knew when he was gonna try it made getting actually scared impossible. Though, maybe...they could figure something else instead. To appease the other object.

In the meantime, Stone wanted to try and get some more work done on the computer. There was a few important things they needed to sort out, sooner than later.

Making the trip back to the cave only took a matter of minutes, as to be expected. This place wasn't very big at all, really. But as they approached the entrance, they felt the disturbance once again, making him stop dead in his tracks.

Stone just stared at the overgrowth, unamused.

...Of course. He should've expected this. Didn't mean he was happy about it though, but it was gonna happen eventually, might as well get it over with.

Approaching the overgrown vines and pushing his way through them, Stone was of course met with Whippy Creamy jumping into view, hands up in that grabby gesture again.

"Ooga booga!" He yelled, a devious smile on his face.

Wanting to get this done with once and for all, Stone purposely jumped back, widening their eyes in fake shock as they clutched their chest with a hand, trying to fake being jumpscared as much as they could. Overpreformences never hurt anyone, after all.

"Aha! I gotcha! I scared you, I win!" Whippy Creamy cheered, sounding way more excited than he probably should've at this moment.

Stone just rose a brow, silently questioning.

"O-Oh, uh...sorry, for epicly spooking you there, Stone. I just wanted to try scaring you a little bit."

Stone just put their hands on their hips, expressing that they were silently questioning further.

"Subway Seat and I wanted to try and help you loosen up. You've been on edge lately, is all and we wanted to help lighten the mood with a little prank!" He explained enthusiastically.

Stone gave a thoughtful glance, thinking on it for a moment. He didn't entirely understand it, but it seemed to be a nice gesture? Or at least it was supposed to be?

Approaching Whippy Creamy, they simply gave him a pat on the shoulder and a thumbs up, continuing their path to the computer and sitting down, crossing one leg over the other as they got to work.

Whippy Creamy just watched silently, feeling a big smile shaping on his face. Stone took it well! "Well, I'll leave you to it. Glad we could have fun!" He called before heading back outside, his casual walk turning into an excited sprint, eager to update Subway Seat.

It didn't take too long for him to find the other object who was currently mimiking some of the yoga moves that Amelia had taught him, at least to the best of his ability.

"Subway!" Whippy Creamy called, getting the seat's attention.

"What's up?" Subway Seat asked as Whippy Creamy ran over, skidding to a halt right in front of him.

"It worked! I scared Stone!"

"Really? How'd he react?"

"They just seemed...confused, mostly. But I explained it and they didn't seem upset! He just kinda patted my shoulder and gave me a thumbs up."

"Oh, I guess that's a good thing then?" Subway Seat said with a thoughtful smile.

"I'll take what I can get, but man that was way harder than it had any right to be. Humans make it look so effortless!"

"Maybe you should just do something that requires less thinking. Wanna do some yoga with me?"

"C'mon, dude. You know I can barely sit still during those things. Scenty would tell me off constantly for fidgeting around instead of doing the moves." Whippy Creamy laughed.

"Or just getting distracted. But yeah, I get it. You don't have to if you don't want to. Just a suggestion."

Whippy Creamy thought on it for a moment before shrugging. "Eh, screw it. Sure, why not? But I offer no promises that I'll do anything correctly."

"That's fine. Do things at your own pace. However you want to." Subway Seat smiled.

And so Whippy Creamy joined in, doing the yoga to the best of his abilities. Neither were that good at yoga, both for their own reasons. Lack of legs and lack of attention span both proved to be a challenge, but neither minded. They could struggle together peacefully. It was all for fun, a bonding experience.

Meanwhile, Stone still sat at the computer, clicking through some things as they thought to themselves. Whippy Creamy wanted him to loosen up a bit, huh? That was...nice.

Although the whipped cream's methods were rather nonsensical and confusing, Stone still appreciated the concern and the gesture. Loosening up sounded really good right about now. Maybe he should just go get some sleep and take a couple days off. Enjoy the peace now that he finally had it.

Just...after they finished this one task. There was something they needed to get rid of, while it was on their mind.

Clicking open a web browser and typing in a couple things, Stone found himself staring at what he was looking for. This...shouldn't be here anymore. It's served its use long ago and they knew leaving it here would only do more harm than good.

Pulling open a settings section and doing a bit of digging, they found themselves at a delete button. He didn't really need to think much further on it before they clicked said button, leaning back slightly. One less problem for the future.

Turning to face the overgrowth covering the cave's exit, he could distantly hear Whippy Creamy and Subway Seat, talking and laughing, seeming to be having fun. A spark of temptation lit up within him.

They both wanted him to loosen up, to have fun. And now Stone finally felt like he was ready.

Pushing himself to his feet, they walked past the vines and left the cave, ready to go have fun with their new allies. Er, no. Their new friends.