Work Text:
Okay, okay, okay, okay
Okay, okay, oh
On that fateful day, the view of gray clouds behind his window should have been enough of a warning that, perhaps, q!Roier's day would not be one of the best.
The possibility of rain prevented him from leaving his house to explore and advance his missions. That is, if he hadn't received a signal from q!Cellbit, saying he had an urgent message and that q!Roier should meet the brazilian at his housa, at the base of the Cristo Redentor.
So, if q!Roier broke his rule of not going out on possible rainy days so as not to be trapped far from a safe place, that was a secret of his and his alone. After all, his friend (and whatever he had to say) was more important.
You live in my dream state
Relocate my fantasy
I stay in reality
You live in my dream state
He remembered grabbing onto his backpack, hurriedly writing a message to Bobby — who was sleeping, after all, it was still early on the fateful day — and started walking towards his investigator friend's house.
As if he had guessed that q!Roier was leaving the house, q!Cellbit sent him a message right away. He was urging him on almost shyly, his brazilian accent slipping through the spanish he tried to use whenever he communicated with his mexican friend.
(q!Cellbit proudly called his "talent" "Portunhol" once, which made q!Roier pay even more attention to the way the older one spoke in his presence, amused by the effort.)
Any time I count sheep
That's the only time we make up, make up
You exist behind my eyelids, my eyelids
Now I don't wanna wake up
A simple "No te preocupes, gatinho" had been enough to silence the anxious companion. After hearing nothing but silence and a brief gasp on the other end of the line, q!Roier flashed a genuine smile, knowing he had managed to embarrass q!Cellbit once more.
They exchanged brief farewells, q!Roier's cheeks still warm from simple interaction.
20/20, 20/20 vision
Cupid hit me, cupid hit me with precision
I wonder if you look both ways
When you cross my mind (Yeah)
When he arrived at his destination, the first thing the Mexican noticed was the mess. q!Cellbit was already naturally disorganized, so it was common to see countless chests scattered around his house, one more messy than the other. However, this time what rested next to the same door through which he entered was q!Cellbit's backpack, visibly full, and his expedition boots. Beside it, an open map with what looked like coordinates clumsily scribbled on it.
q!Roier ignored this remark and headed for the office. The investigator waiting for him rarely left the house, always focused on spending his days solving riddles on the island itself, so he'd eventually mention an expedition if that was the case, q!Roier was sure of that.
I said, I said
I'm sick of, sick of, sick of, sick of chasing
You're the one that's always running through my daydream, I
I can only see your face when I close my eyes
(...)
A mission.
The expedition that q!Cellbit would go on would be a mission.
He had discovered new coordinates, supposedly related to the disappearance of his best friend, q!Felps, and intended to head in the same direction, in search of answers..
And he would go alone.
Can I get a kiss?
And can you make it last forever?
I said I'm 'bout to go to war
And I don't know if I'ma see you again
At the time Roier still didn't know it, but the tight feeling that immediately suffocated his heart would be tattooed on his brain, tormenting him for countless sleepless nights or simply spent awake.
Can I get a kiss?
And can you make it last forever?
I said I'm 'bout to go to war
And I don't know if I'ma see you again
What if they capture my friend? What if they hurt him?
q!Roier, aware of the stubborn and (annoyingly) fearless personality of the man before him, knew he couldn't go with him even if he wanted to. q!Cellbit always had a solution for everything to go his way, even if that meant going unannounced so that no one would follow him on his mission.
What if q!Cellbit gets lost along the way, all alone?
Silent worry surged at the back of his brain, growing larger and larger, drowning out any other thoughts that weren't related to q!Cellbit's well-being. Unconsciously, he placed a hand on the other's face, thumb smoothing over the scruffy beard, as if memorizing the man's face. If q!Cellbit said anything at that moment, q!Roier didn't listen.
20/20, 20/20 vision
Cupid hit me, cupid hit me with precision
I wonder if you look both ways
When you cross my mind
His mind could only think of one thing.
What if q!Cellbit died?
I said, I said
I'm sick of, sick of, sick of, sick of chasing
You're the one that's always running through my daydream, I
I can only see your face when I close my eyes
(So)
If, there, q! Roier broke yet another rule of his by letting a friend go alone into danger, that was another of his secrets. His and q!Cellbit's, who was already gone. He had promised to pass on updates whenever he could, looking deep into q!Roier's eyes.
And the time passed.
Can I get a kiss? (Can I get a kiss?)
And can you make it last forever? (Oh, forever)
I said I'm 'bout to go to war (Go to war)
I don't know if I'ma see you again (See you again)
Hours.
Days.
Can I get a kiss? (Can I)
And can you make it last forever? (Can you)
I said I'm 'bout to go to war ('Bout to)
And I don't know if I'ma see you again
Weeks.
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, oh (La la, la la la la, la la)
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, oh (La la, la la la la, la la)
Was he going crazy?
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, oh (La la, la la la la, la la)
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, oh (La la, la la la la, la la)
He was losing track of time as q!Roier spent most of his days locked in that office, waiting— beggingfor a sign that his friend was still out there. Alive. Breathing. Coming back home.
No one could get him out of there. No one knew where the missing investigator had gone. The island was much bigger than they imagined.
q!Roier grips the monitors until his fingertips are completely white, the silence slowly killing him, plaguing his mind with the thoughts that maybe q!Cellbit would come back if he waited just a little longer. One more hour, one more day.
But q!Cellbit didn't return.
Never did.
One more time?