Chapter Text
The wretched belly of AM was never a particularly pleasant place to be. Ted ran across the rocky desert terrain, or at least whatever reminiscent of a run he could manage with his energy the way it was. How long had he been running- Ten minutes? An hour? All day? It was hard for him to tell, not that it mattered, his days down here all blurred together anyway. 109 years he’d been in this hellhole, this waking nightmare, this horrid excuse for an earth- with AM. With Them.
He heard them snickering, he swore it, whispering about him. What a treacherous lot, all four of them, insisting that they weren’t out to get him- but Ted knew the truth. Oh, he knew, he knew they hated him and that they were jealous of him, that they would bury him in the ice and never see him again if they could. They hated him because he was the youngest. They hated him because he still had morals. They hated him because he was still sane. And so he ran.
He ran while they were sleeping around a fire, Benny and Ellen and Nimdok and Gorrister, all curled up and still- But Ted knew they weren’t actually sleeping. Ted knew they were only pretending to sleep, waiting for him to fall unconscious so they could laugh at him, or worse, hurt him- not kill him, of course, AM would never tolerate them killing one another, but mangle his body in ways that would make the machine laugh- so he could be like them.
Ted ran and he ran, wishing his feet could carry him anywhere but this godless place, until his gaze fell upon… A human. A small, uncanny form, but unmistakably human nonetheless. Now, the flat desert terrain was vast and expansive, where the horizon all melted and it was hard to see what from where, not to mention that Ted hadn’t eaten in days, but he was sure he saw this.
At first, he froze. Then, he took a small, almost pathetically hesitant step toward what he saw. Then he took another. And another, until his pace picked up and he was face-to-face with the very last thing he expected to see. He squinted thinking maybe, just maybe, this could be someone he recognized, but it wasn’t. Out of all the things Ted thought up that could happen down here, he never thought he’d see someone new. Slowly, he opened his mouth, trying to find words to say until he fell upon the only thing he COULD say.
“...Who are you?”
The form turned to face him, their face reddened and shiny, where it was clear they had been crying. Ted’s eyes widened, fully taking in what was in front of him. A young… something-or-other, a person, with blonde hair and amber eyes and a sweet face, even with tears. He stared at their face for a moment, suddenly stepping closer and leaning down. Not to hurt them, but because Ted found himself drawn to them… He tried not to frighten them. Ted spoke again, his voice shaky, filled with surprise, and a little bit of his own fear.
“Why are you crying?...”
The stranger sniffled, and then spoke, bringing their hands to wipe their face.
“I… I need help… I don’t know where I am!”
Ted’s face contorted into both a concerned and delighted expression. He was shocked, taken aback, even. He had proof this really was a new person, finally someone he could interact with after god knows how long- Ted knelt, grabbing them by the shoulders as gently as he could manage.
“Calm down and take a deep breath, will ya?”
Much to Ted’s dismay, the stranger stared at him, sniffling for a moment, before promptly going back to sobbing. Ted winced, the sight of the new human continuing to cry made his heart ache, and he felt bad. He never liked seeing anyone cry. Getting ahead of himself, Ted went to hug them, wrapping his arms around them and rubbing their back in that soothing, comforting manner he knew he liked.
“Hey… Hey, don’t cry…”
And suddenly, the weepy human threw their arms around him, squeezing tightly. The crying stopped. Ted was, frankly, stunned. He didn’t expect them to lean into his hug so quickly, but regardless, Ted wasn’t complaining. He slowly began to pat their head, trying to soothe them. He felt nice being able to cuddle another human being like this for the first time in forever.
The stranger looked up at him, wiping their face with their sleeve all pathetic-like. “Okay…”
Ted chuckled lightly as the newcomer wiped away their tears. Seeing them look so small and pathetic like this was honestly adorable. Smiling, he continued to hold them close and stroke their hair gently.
“Feeling better?”
They nodded, letting out a low mumble. “Mhmm.”
Ted felt a wave of relief that they were feeling better. He took a moment again to stare at their face, quietly observing their features. Ted then suddenly remembered what the new person said to begin with, and let go, standing up.
“You said you don’t know where you are, right?”
The human placed their hands upon their head. “I haven’t the slightest clue. I don’t understand a thing.”
Ted nodded, as this was understandable, and placed a hand on his chin. He began to think- it would be quite difficult to explain now everything this person needed to know. He looked back at the newcomer and his brow furrowed.
“Well, first of all,” Ted spoke. “What’s your name?”
The previously unnamed human looked up at him, a sad expression on their face. “It’s Ellison.”
Ted smirked, and he outstretched a hand. He found their name cute, but he didn’t say it out loud. He wouldn’t. Though he wondered how Ellison of all people ended up here. Were they captured by AM? Did they somehow manage to survive the explosions that killed what Ted thought to be the rest of humanity? If so, how had AM not found them yet? Ted strained to keep a straight face while his thoughts were racing.
“Ellison. Got it. I’m Ted.”
Ellison got up and then took his hand, not shaking it, just holding it in place while his other hand rested on top of it. They looked Ted up and down, intensely studying but for no clear reason.
“Okay, Ted. Thank you.”
Ted grew a bit flustered when they started to inspect him like that. For the past century, no one’s paid that much attention to him, and he felt a bit self-conscious under their gaze.
“Uh… You’re welcome, Ellison.” Ted paused for a moment, before pulling his hand back to his body. “Might I ask you something?”
Ellison only looked at him silently, eyes wide and puffy from the crying. Ted took notice of their face’s soft redness and felt his heart pang with guilt. He felt the urge to give them a light pat on the head, but pushed it aside. He didn’t want to make them uncomfortable. He cleared his throat before speaking again.
“You didn’t happen to get captured by this… Machine, did you?”
Ellison shook their head. “I don’t remember. I might’ve talked to a machine earlier… I’m not sure. I was just trying to walk home.”
Ted’s eyes widened at the mention of what was most likely AM, and he grumbled… He began to think. So they must’ve at least ran into AM, but they didn’t get captured…
“What exactly did you talk about?” Ted saw the stunned look on their face and realized he needed to clarify a bit. “…With the machine, I mean.”
He watched as Ellison tapped their face a few times, stumbling over their words. “The machine told me it was the end of the world. It told me so many things, terrible things about humanity…” Their eyes remained fixated strongly on Ted.
Ted’s expression grew from concerned to serious, wrapping his arms around himself. He knew what terrible things they were talking about. That machine held a deep, visceral hatred for humanity. Ted felt a pang of guilt, but he pushed it away. He never really supported anything humans had done to the world, or to themselves. He realized it was better to not badger Ellison right away for answers, they had, after all, just met…
“Yeah…” Ted trailed off. But his realization only lasted so long. “Wait, so that machine just let you go?”
Ellison tilted their head at him. “Not… really? It kept on speaking, saying things super ominous about showing me the new world…”
Ted felt his heart skip a beat, a cold prick of terror in his chest he felt far too often. “New world? What did he mean by that?” Ted felt a worry overcome him, a fear of what AM could be planning to do.
Ellison raised an eyebrow, seemingly confused at Ted’s sudden panic. “I… don’t know? I woke up in some cave and walked out. I don’t know.”
Ted relaxed a minuscule amount upon hearing the words “walked out.” At least, he could tell, this new human was not hurt. He put his hands out in front of him, and let out a harsh, shaky exhale.
“Okay, okay…” Ted took in a slow inhale, pausing as if he was really, really thinking. “Can I ask you… one more question?”
Ellison blinked. “Okay.”
The blunt response made Ted hesitate, contemplating whether or not he should even ask. He took a deep breath and decided he should just go for it, Ted had, after all, been wondering since the moment he found them.
“How old are you?”
The air fell silent. Ellison looked at him funny, and then spoke.
“I’m nineteen. How old are you?”
Ted chuckled a bit. He found himself a little amused by their funny expression, he thought it was pretty cute. He was serious for a moment, and then smiled, putting his hands on his hips.
“Well… how old do you think I am?”
Ellison shrugged, looking a little… annoyed, maybe? No, that couldn’t be it. It was something else.
“I don’t know, twenty? …Twenty-five?”
Ted let his shoulders slump as he decided to put on an act. He huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. He wasn’t actually offended, but he was pretending to look it.
“Twenty?! I’m not THAT old!”
Ellison’s expression dropped and they suddenly looked very worried, reaching out to touch him.
“Well, I’m sorry!”
Ted smiled and gently bopped their forehead, letting a small laugh escape at their reaction.
“Oh, don’t get so serious. I’m messing with you. I’m actually forty-four.”
Ellison pouted, taking their arm back and using it to scratch their head. “You’re forty-four? Man, I was way off…”
Ted chuckled once more and started to ruffle their hair jokingly, amused by Ellison’s reaction.
“Yeah, you were pretty far off, kid.” Ted paused for a second, realizing just how much Ellison reminded him of a puppy, or some other cute, dependent animal.
Ellison just giggled at having their hair touched, and grinned. “Well, take it as a compliment, you’re pretty young-looking. And small.”
Ted raised an eyebrow at their comment and placed his hands on his hips, once more feigning offense.
“Small??? I’m not small-”
Ted suddenly looked very flustered, how dare they call him small- He was always referred to as a rather tall gentleman in his youth, and Ellison was surely one to talk- He put a hand on their head and pushed it forward, ruffling their hair more and slightly messing up that soft, straight hairstyle, all the while giggling.
Ellison tried to swat away his hand, still grinning. “Yeah compared to ME maybe not, I’m the tiniest.”
Ted snickered at that comment, continuing to mess up their hair. Then, he thinks to ask.
“... How tall are you, exactly?”
Ellison shrugged. “5’4” last I checked. Though I suspect I’ve been asleep for at least a few years.”
Ted chuckled and poked their forehead. “No way, seriously? You’re that short?”
They crossed their arms and shook their head with dramatic sass. “Okay, listen up old man, I happen to be pretty tough!”
Ted let out another chuckle, refusing to leave Ellison’s hair alone. “You? Tough? You don’t even reach my shoulders!” Ted was exaggerating, obviously, but he thought it was cute.
Ellison then stood on their tiptoes, suddenly grabbing onto Ted’s shoulders for extra stability.”
“Nuh-uh.”
Ted had to stifle laughter at the sight, looking at their attempt to compare heights. He looked down at Ellison’s face and smirked.
“You’re cheating by standing on your tiptoes, you know.”
“It’s not my fault you’re so tall.”
Ted now laughed and continued to smirk, looking down at their messy hair and frustrated expression. “Maybe you should start eating your vegetables. It’ll help you get taller, don’t you think?”
Ellison gestured at the surrounding terrain. “I don’t think we have vegetables anymore, Ted.”
Ted’s smirk fell off upon remembering where he was. He looked around at the sorry desert, and let out a sigh.
“...Right. There are no vegetables…” Ted’s gaze turned serious. “Actually, how long do you think you were asleep for?”
Ellison frowned. Then shrugged, again. “Three years, at least.”
“Three years? Three years???”
“...Maybe. When was the last time the sky was still blue?”
“My God…”
Ted fell silent. The sky hadn’t been blue for a very, very long time. He spoke.
“It’s been 109 years. At the very least. Time is just a bunch of nonsense here…”
Ellison poked Ted’s arm. “So what are you doing here? Clearly, the houses and all are somewhere else.”
“Huh? I was-” Ted froze as he realized just how little Ellison actually knew about the current state of the Earth. He wasn’t sure if he should tell the truth, or try his darndest to make things seem better than they really were.
Concerned, Ellison tilted their head, grabbed Ted’s arm, and looked up at him.
Ted stiffened, shocked when they grabbed his arm. He slowly looked down at them and suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. Ellison’s facial expressions, general demeanor, and overall appearance made them look like a goddamn innocent puppy, and it was driving Ted insane. “...What?”
Ellison gave a concerned smile, and Ted found himself struggling to speak. They had this annoying ability to get him flustered and he didn’t know what to do with it. He turned his head to the side, avoiding looking at them to regain his composure. He let out a shaky sigh.
“I… Uh…”
Ted’s eyes wandered everywhere before finally managing eye contact. He tried his best to maintain his previous aloof attitude and pretend he hadn’t just gotten flustered... and totally stumped.
“I’m... just… wandering around?”
Ellison squeezed Ted’s arm tight. “Well, I’m glad you did. I had been walking out here for days trying to find help. I’m glad it was you.”
Ted felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. He attempted to ignore his blushing face, but it earnestly wasn’t working. He felt his heart skip again when they said they were glad it was him they encountered, he let out another shaky breath and looked away from them.
“Geez, you’re gonna give a guy a heart-”
Ted froze. He didn’t mean to say that out loud.
And to top it off, Ellison only tilted their head in true puppy fashion. “A what?”
Ted mentally cursed himself out for accidentally blurting that sentence- He felt so very embarrassed, and of course, they had to go and tilt their head like that- Ted tried to recover, looking away and attempting to maintain a neutral expression despite his flusteredness.
“N- Nothing. Nothing.”
Ellison nodded and spoke slowly. “So uhh… Ted. Would you mind helping me get back to… anywhere that isn’t this desert? You’re kinda all I have.”
Ted’s flustered expression calmed, and he remembered how clueless Ellison was about their whole situation. It was honestly a bit cute, but he quickly pushed that thought away. Ted needed to focus. He hesitated for a moment and averted his eyes before speaking.
“I uh… I’m not sure if going to a nearby civilization would be… safe.”
Ellison’s expression turned grim. “You aren’t? Why? …What happened that I don’t know about?”
Ted felt a pang of guilt at their change in expression, but it was for the best that they didn’t know- Not yet, at least. They just looked so cute and innocent, how could he jeopardize that? No… No, he couldn’t do that. It just wouldn’t be right. 109 years of humanity being gone, and Ellison was completely unaware of it. For a moment, Ted was envious. After all, their ignorance probably spared them from the trauma Ted had gone through. But Ted pushed those feelings away too.
“You aren’t going to like the answer.”
Much to Ted’s surprise, Ellison sighed and let go of him. “I know, I know. You don’t gotta tell me.”
Ted was a bit stunned, he wasn’t expecting that response, but at the same time, it was pretty fitting. He paused to think before finally finding the right words to say.
“Are you… Are you sure?”
Ellison stepped closer and looked up at him. “I just need to get somewhere safe. …You’ll help me, won’t you? Please?”
Ted froze up again. There was a sudden, pleading tone in their voice, one that sounded both desperate and innocent. It was going to be the end of him. Ellison’s words repeated in Ted’s mind over and over… He suddenly felt like he would do just about anything for them if they kept up that pleading expression. Ted forced himself to stop thinking and nodded, trying to regain a serious composure.
“Yeah… I’ll help you.”
Ellison clapped their hands together and grinned. “Oh, thank you, Ted! You’re so good to me. Now lead us out of here.” They reached over and grabbed his hand.
Ted’s mind, in that moment, went blank. He tried not to focus on the fact that Ellison was suddenly holding his hand, but it wasn’t working. The feeling of their hand gripping his must’ve been stopping his brain from functioning properly. The feeling was so foreign, something Ted had not experienced genuinely for decades… He was still for a moment… and then snapped out of it. He spoke with a casual tone, even though he was internally flustered out of his mind.
“Yeah, yeah. Just stay close, alright?”
They nodded and let go of his hand. “Alright.”
Ted felt a strike of disappointment at the loss of touch when Ellison released his hand. He internally cursed himself out for the fact that he was feeling disappointed over something like that. He suddenly felt slightly desperate to have their hand in his again. He cleared his mind with a sigh, attempting to ignore his new and strange desires, and began to lead their way out of the desert.