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Tazercraft and after all of that, their mental link is gone. God knows what did it - separation, comas, dimensional travel, Federation meddling, glitches, time itself - who knows! Neither of them really understand the ritual they did to have it in the first place. Or maybe they don’t remember it. With research and time and both of them there, maybe they could repair the link.
They haven’t had those yet.
Mike shows up, laughing, in real life on Quesadilla Island, and for the first time in years, surprises Pac with his presence. But Mike’s also yelling in delight and it’s his voice. He tackles Pac and Pac doesn’t feel a thing - well, he feels it, obviously, in his gut, but he doesn’t feel Mike, the touch-echoes.
He thinks MIKE! and there’s a beat where nothing happens and then he yells “MIKE!”. And Mike grins at him, because he only heard him the second time.
Oh, so that’s how it is now. Cool. Cool.
Pac’s long sleep mostly fixed the stab wound in his stomach but he still can’t run far without shooting pains. He still runs with Mike to Fit and Ramon. Even if Mike won’t stop making fun of him, it’s selfishly easier with the others there, where they’d have to talk out loud anyway. It feels like Mike could be any stranger. Except that it’s so, so, so clearly Mike, his best friend. Just… not in his head. Like they were years ago.
Mike shows him the murder mystery house, which he’s been finishing. He stumbles to tell Pac about being haunted by the Naked Slenderman. He and Pac start to talk over each other and it’s a surprise too. Stupid fucking surprises!
After stumbling out of Purgatory the second time, cut open, Pac had recovered on his own. He didn’t want to go to the Ordo hospital, both because it’s Cellbit’s and because he’d spent too long there sitting with Mike’s unresponsive body, like a stranger’s who looks just like his friend, being afraid. Stupid fucking fear. Here he is being afraid again. Come on, he tells himself. Mike’s right here. He’s not a stranger.
Mike doesn’t seem as thrown as Pac is. Either Mikes’ more resilient or he hasn’t had all these complexes built up of long months of being alone in his head. Pac hates always having to move on from things, always having to be sad and come back from that. The universe should owe him some change now and then!
Well, to be fair, the universe gave him Mike back. Maybe if Pac had known Mike would always be fine, he’d have been able to get over it too. Maybe he will.
When Mike runs down a staircase ahead of him, Pac throws a white sheet over his head, and creeps after him. For the first time in years, Pac successfully jumpscares the shit out of Mike.
Stupid fucking hope. Stupid fucking moving forward.