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Ren felt his body materialise, it's like he has woken up for the first time in years.
A bright light blinded him momentarily, his skin felt warmth, he didn't realise how much he missed it until now.
He forced his eyes open, he was outside.
Ren found himself in a circle of 17 other people, his friends.
Grian was talking his nonsense as always, Ren didn't bother to listen, his focus was on one particular person.
The man had blonde hair, his shirt a blinding green like the grass under his feet.
He wore a bandana, which helped show off his beautiful blue eyes.
They reminded Ren of the sea.
He knows this man like the back of his hand, he knows every curve of his body, remembers how his hands felt against his skin.
His boyfriend- no, his husband, Ren needs to stop shying away from that label.
The dog hybrid didn't have the patience to wait for Grian to finish explaining the rules, he ran as fast as he could.
He needed to kiss his partner he needed it more than his lungs needed air.
So imagine his surprise when the shorter man shoved him away.
Has he done something wrong?
Ren's hands started shaking before he even hit the ground, he felt his ears pin against his head, his tail tucked between his legs.
"What the-" -The blonde looked down, his body tensing up, he looked scared. Why was he scared of him?- "Ren?"
All eyes were on them, some of the members gasped at the spectacle before them, most people tried their best to mind their business, but no one can blame them for wanting to see how this unfolds.
"Martyn." -The name reminded him of honey, he can't really pinpoint why.
Both men looked at each other for too long, and yet not long enough.
Ren was about to say something, but Martyn grabbed his wrist, pulling him from the ground and away from everybody else.
God, the brunette's heart was pounding, he missed Martyn's touch so much.
"How the fuck-" The blonde slapped his husband across the face "-DARE YOU!?"
What was going on?
This isn't right, what happened when he was gone?
Ren felt himself almost fall as the shorter man hugged him, it felt like heaven, and that's not an exaggeration.
"Hello to you too." -He tried to joke, light up the mood, but he quickly felt Martyn sob against his chest. "Hey, hey, woah, it's okay dude, I'm here."
Honestly?
He kinda felt like crying too, but Martyn needed him, he needed to be strong for him.
Ren ran his fingers through his partner's hair, silently waiting for him to calm down.
They could stay here all day if Martyn needed it, it was fine by him.
"Sorry." -The blond apologised after a few minutes, gently freeing himself from the others grasp. Ren could see shame on his face, now that wouldn't stand. Also, why did he look so... Small?
"There's nothing to apologise for, dude." -Ren gave him the warmest smile he could manage, wiping Martyn's tears with his thumb.
Both men leaned in and kissed, it was needy, and yet so gentle.
Loving.
Ren sighed into the kiss, never wanting to let go. But alas, they needed oxygen, lungs be damned.
"I thought you were gone." -Martyn looked so small in front of him. Wait, he was small!
"I'm sorry, I really am, but did you notice you're extremely tiny?" -Ren placed two blocks next to his boyfriend to prove his point.
"Holy shit, I am!" -Martyn was smart, so he figured the wildcard out immediately after noticing the changes. Ren found himself really confused, as he did not listen to Grian at the start, so Martyn was forced to explain the whole wildcard thing to him.
"Woah, I missed a lot, huh?" -The brunette sighed, his voice filled with melancholia.
"Yeah, two seasons" -Martyn sounded sad, but Ren decided not to point it out.
"Wait, who won? The two seasons, I mean."
"Oh, Scar won the last one" -Ren waited to hear about the other winner, but that never came. Martyn looked almost sick, clearly something was bothering him.
"And the one before that?" -He pushed, something was up, he wanted his Martyn to be back, the ray of sunshine, his light of hope, he wanted to help him.
"..." -No answer. Perhaps this conversation can wait a little.
They spent their day playing around with the size mechanic, gathering resources and building their bases. It felt nice, it was peaceful, some may call it domestic.
But Ren saw the little changes in Martyn's body language.
How stiff he was, he no longer dominated the conversations, he was constantly on edge.
Ren wanted to help, but his partner just wouldn't let him.
By the time it got dark, the two had a makeshift base, Martyn finally agreed to at least try to relax.
"Listen." -Ren put his hand on the blonde's waist.- "I know I haven't been there for you, two whole seasons. I know, you're mad, you're pissed. But I promise it wasn't by choice, I want to help." -He lifted Martyn's head by his chin.- "But I can't if you never tell me what's wrong."
Martyn didn't utter a word, not daring to look Ren in the eyes. He was tense, his lip bleeding from biting on it the whole day.- "I don't want to talk about it, it's fine."
"I'm not stupid."
Martyn took a deep breath.- "I- fuck, listen, I won, okay?" -The blonde let out a quiet sigh as Ren massaged his shoulders.- "I should be happy, but I fucking stole the win, I played dirty, I killed my own teammate!" -Ren really didn't see that as a big deal. This game wasn't fair, but it's clearly affecting Martyn a ton.
"There was this time mechanic- it doesn't matter, i just didn't win instantly. I sat there for 2 hours. Alone. Everyone was dead." -Martyn was sobbing, Ren didn't comment on it, he cupped his boyfriend's face and kissed his cheek.
"Kept hearing their whispers." -Martyn looked deranged, Ren didn't comment on it.
"They wouldn't shut up!" -Martyn dug his fingernails into the brunette's shoulder, Ren didn't comment on it.
"They still won't!" -Martyn was shaking, Ren didn't comment on it.
Ren hugged the shaky man, encouraging him to take deep breaths.
The joy he felt when he felt his husband relaxed was indescribable, Martyn finally fell asleep.
He finally calmed down, and it was in Ren's arms.
Ren sobbed himself to sleep next to Martyn, whether it was because he felt guilty for not being there, or because he was sympathising, or because he felt happy that Martyn was safe, it doesn't matter.
The only thing that matters to Ren is the blonde man sleeping peacefully beside him.
He will protect him with his life.