Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"I apologise for what I'm about to say, but if left untreated the chances of death are rather high"

You sucked in a breath, nails digging into the palms of their hands. The hospital room was commonplace at this point, you could only really reread the same informational poster so many times. Hell, you even got used to the overwhelming scent of sterile cleaning fluids.

The doctor shuffled in his seat looking half with sympathy and half expectation, would you start sobbing? Or maybe lash out, completely in denial? The degree on the wall you already memorized by the fifth visit indicates he's probably been in the profession long enough to see it all.

A pause, then you released the tension in your body, like the air slowly being let out of a balloon. Your eyes shifted from his face to your lap before you quietly broke out.

"... What do we do now?"

-Later that day-

You walked back to the house, the small handful of new prescriptions burning in your grasp. Probably shouldn't squeeze too hard, the chance of your survival hinged on those tiny capsules, a total of four a day to keep you going, at least until the scheduled surgeries, monitored stays, assortment of therapies, just the thought of the cost of it all made your head burn with white hot rage.

Life had just been starting to look up, you were finally putting your degree in customer service to good use, that god send of a work from home gig Sam had managed to snag for you after being in the depths of unemployment anxiety for too long- oh shit what were you going to tell Sam? She has her own struggles and she'd already put herself out so much to get you this job...

But as soon as you made it to the threshold of your house, the feeling from the doctors office returned. A familiar thought that made you release the tension from your failing body back there, the ones you had when you were forced to face something you were afraid of, like flying. In those moments when you looked down at the land below, scared shitless after takeoff and at the point of no return, the same thought ran through your head as it did when you were told that you were dying-

"nothing to be done now. I just hope if we crash its quick"

...maybe a little bit morbid, but it's what you were holding onto at this very moment. You could fight for your life and do every little thing your doctor, unlicensed naturalists or the unwelcome advice from your aunt tells you to do and you could still die. Because sometimes that just happened, or you could live, because sometimes that just happened too. But you figured sticking with the doctor's orders might be your best option, and take every day as it comes.

Work, meds, sleep and repeat playing in your head like it was holding you together, you entered your house. The stillness greeted you like a blanket, wrapping you in blissful silence as you could finally collect your thoughts. You sunk to the floor with your back pressed against the door. Bringing out one of the pill bottles you stared at the label as if you were waiting for the doctor to call you back and hurriedly tell you there was a mistake, that you wouldn't need to take them every day just to survive. But in the absence of any such call, you quietly brought it to your chest and breathed.

"Alright, this is the new normal for a while"

You stood up and slapped your face lightly to focus up

"It just goes with the new job, and new... Everything"

Truly a brand new chapter in your life, no longer speaking to your parents or siblings, sweet new customer rep title on the new work chat you were added to, new coworkers. It's all just part of the adjustment period, although perhaps more adjusting than you anticipated.

Until the new "exciting" day actually came. If the diagnosis was divine intervention throwing a wrench into plans, whatever just happened threw the rest of the toolbox in with it. You stared at the workplace chat for what felt like ten years (clearly a joke, seeing as you might not even make it ten years), David Most's jovial tune making you want to strangle the man you'd never met, yet called your boss. Or maybe former boss, as according to the lovely little messaged you'd just received informing you that the job you had gotten out of sheer luck, the position with the money and insurance you desperately needed now for than ever, had been made redundant.

Tears pooled in your eyes, slipping down your cheeks and past your quivering lips holding back sobs, until they morphed into some deranged smile. Your body shook with laughter instead of crying, although you weren't sure what was more appropriate here. It was upsetting, but cruel more than anything, and certainly ironic.
Like some cosmic hand had decided to point it's all powerful finger at you and play some sick fucking joke for it's own amusement. Life is funny, and sad, so you laughed and cried in your little office alone at your own expense.

Sam's message asking how you were after the layoffs doing little to help ease your state. You debated telling her everything but just couldn't right now, so you stared at your computer screen like you could will your own employment back to reality.

...

Until your notifs pinged with a new message, and wiping your eyes hard enough to actually see through them, it was from an unknown Thiscord user, Tinfoilhat. What the heck? You clicked into the message only to be more confused at the extremely weird thing this stranger had sent you, what was even weirder is that they actually followed through. No sooner had you read the words "drone" and "package" had a small flyng drone smacked itself into your office window, then the next one... and the next one. It's sheer determination would have been cute if not for the question of "why?" And "what?" And "how did they know my address?*

There wasn't any time for more questions when the loud crash of broken glass sounded in the next room. Rushing out of your office to assess the scene you saw the little drone hovering outside your now smashed door window like it did something. A brown package laying inside your house as the thought of strangers knowing your location was replaced with strangers making you pay for window repairs on top of the absolute shitshow of your week so far. Fuming, you did what Tinfoilhat had told you to do, and put on the, kinda tacky, heart shaped glasses.

Maybe it was the new medications, maybe you huffed too much cleaning fluid in that damn hospital

Or maybe, just maybe, you had finally cracked it, your mind breaking due to the pressure of each bad twist of this week from hell, one worse thing after the other

That had to be it because why, for the sweet love of the last bit of sanity you had, was there a bubbly looking pink haired woman standing in the once empty space in front of your door?

Chapter Text

“Hey there! Your life is about to change”

You blinked up at her slowly, with the way your entire being ached from the fall it was hard to tell if you had hit your head too. But you must’ve, and hard at that. The very pink and very beautiful stranger didn’t seem too phased at the way you almost tripped over your own feet scrambling to get back up as quickly as possible, as if she half expected it. The dull pain was slowly creeping back into your consciousness, but your entire being was alight with a rush of adrenaline, fear and curiosity as the two of you locked eyes. She simply smiles and lowers her glasses, identical to yours, and peers at you with a joyful smirk

“Hope you’re ready!”

No, you weren’t. Not for whatever this was, definitely not for whatever she wanted from you. The declaration that your life was about to change felt foreboding and off. It had already changed so much today, none of it good, hell your eyes were still puffy from sobbing in your office while lamenting the loss of your job and the impending loss of your own life. You weren’t sure if your life had any room for more “change”. Your feet shuffled along the hardwood floors, frantically trying to increase the distance between the two of you. In the back of your mind you inwardly groaned at how sore you’d be for days after that fall, but it was not the primary issue right here and right now. Right now was the crazy lady in your doorway who seemingly appeared out of thin air, still smiling at you with that expectant look, waiting for you to say something. After a few moments of your mouth bobbing open and closed, debating what to say, you finally choked out a sentence.

“W- what are you doing in my house? And who… who are you?”

Your voice trembled but she just raised a brow, her smirk growing deeper

“Im here to help you out”

“That doesn't answer the question”

Having regained your senses and gathered most of your bearings, your voice has grown colder, more hostile and serious. Whatever this woman is doing here, she shouldn’t be, at least until she can explain herself. You have half a mind to call the police before she reaches up to adjust her glasses

“Im a pair of dateviator glasses - my name is Skylar Specs.”

…
What
You must have heard wrong. Did she mean that she has a pair of glasses? Or that she is the glasses? If it's the former you weren’t interested in buying, but you had to admit door-to-door salespeople had gotten creative, and more illegal in their strategies. If it was the former... then you did need the police, and maybe and ambulance, but not for yourself (okay maybe a little bit for yourself. The ache from falling hard still pounded away in your already fragile body) The woman's speech continued however as she tried to explain herself

“My lenses have special properties: they allow you to Directly Acknowledge a Things Existence. Or ‘D.A.T.E.’!”

…

Silence
You mentally noted the nearest exits of your home, unfortunately she was blocking the closest one

“You see all the things around your house? The ones you might have taken for granted?”

You could take her on- maybe, you haven’t had to fight anyone since you and your siblings were young and desperate for a turn on the games console, but even with your weaker state the adrenaline you felt might give you a fighting chance.

“Now you have the power to get to know them better, a *lot* better. And i have a silly little feeling, just a little feeling deep down, that it might make your life a little bit more richer”

Maybe violence wasn’t wasn’t the answer, this woman was clearly confused, maybe going through something, and you could certainly relate to that, you decided on taking the more pragmatic approach, gently raising your hands up to show you meant no harm, and when you finally got a word in it came out softly.

“Ma’am do you need any assistance at all, Would you like me to call someone?”
You relied on that customer service tone you had carefully developed over years of dealing with unpredictable individuals. You'd gotten your bachelors for a reason, and the sweet yet careful tilt of your voice put it to good use on the clearly confused individual standing before you
She- Skylar, finally decided to address your hesitance and vigilant manner, sighing and crossing her arms, but that smile never faded.

“I understand that this may be sudden, but I promise this is real. I’m real! And I'm here for your assistance and ‘DATE-ing’ pleasure! Who knows, you might find some love, love that is all around you~”

Her eyes suddenly lit up, the seeds on an idea quickly sprouting in her head. A chill of anxiety ran up your spine

“In fact, lets go on a date right now”

… “ma’am”

“Just go up to a door, any door, and shoot some cool beams at it. Trust me!”

“ i don’t-”

-But she quickly hushed you, and you sighed. Maybe you could just get this over and done with and then she’d be satisfied and leave on her own. You slowly stepped aside, looking at her with apprehension. She gave you an enthusiastic thumbs up, so you did what she told you. Staring at the door, at no point did you believe that anything was going to happen, at least it shouldn’t. It wouldn’t-

After a couple of seconds of focusing on your front door, all sense was thrown out of it. You could explain away one person suddenly manifesting themselves in front of you; maybe when you fell you hit your head so hard that you instantly lost the memory of Skylar simply entering your home like a normal person, or maybe you just had a temporary blackout as a new symptom of your condition. Your mind juggled with feasible explanations, ones that this new man, this tall, imposing, sturdy man defied. The door hadn’t opened, no one had walked inside and you were still in your own home, and no amount of bouncer energy this guy was giving you would change that

“No funny business. I don't want to see those spectacles being used for something untoward”

He surveyed your reaction with a serious look. You felt your hands and feet go cold as your stomach dropped. Skylar quickly interjected, either unaware or brushing past the obvious shift in the air.

“Hey Dorian! Trust me, this is going to go super well-”

No sooner had she said that, a familiar dizziness enveloped your head. Your brain felt like it had been stuffed with balls of cotton and your ears sunken underwater. With faltering steps you slapped the palm of your hand into the wall to steady yourself. Breathing heavy as you attempted to regain control of your body. Too much, this was all too much. The doctor had said to take it easy and now you felt like you were completely losing it. The new stranger- Skylar had called him Dorian? -peered at you with scepticism, before looking back to her with the hint of an amused expression

“You sure about that?”

“They’ll be fine, this is part of the process!”

Dorian hummed, clearly not buying it

“I don't think they’re ‘processing’ any of this”

Skylar brushed him off, excitedly turning to you as she began her lecture without an ounce of concern in her voice

“Ahem, after awakening an object you get to speak with them here and you can only speak with each object once per day”

Sinking to the floor, your hands tremble as you pulled out your phone. You needed to call the doctor back, tell him you were seeing things, having a reaction to the new medication, to send help

“Oh, you move quickly! I was gonna get you to talk with your phone a bit later but if you’re really in a hurry!”

Her words did not register, but you should’ve taken it as a warning before it was too late. In the amount of time it had taken you to try and find where the contacts list was, another gorgeous stranger made themselves present in your house's entrance. She shot you a knowing wink with her dazzling eyes

“Hey there. I like it much better up here where I can see your face!”

Although her bright demeanour quickly fell in tandem with the phone slipping from your grasp, a loud thud sounded as it hit the floor. You were shaking, and you couldn’t tell if it was fear or your condition, but it had Skylar, Dorian and this new woman finally taking your state a little more seriously. The third stranger shot a look at the two others

“They don’t look so good”

Understatement of the century, your body felt like it wasn’t your own, despite the chill of your limbs your face felt red hot. Sweat started to run down your forehead as you tried desperately to gasp for air. The new woman who appeared began to hastily fan your face, urging you to calm down and when you looked back up Dorian slowly made his way over, kneeling gently in front of you as he remained calm

“Oi, easy. Focus on me okay? Phoenicia back up a little bit”

You didn’t want to, but the tell tale signs of a panic attack meant you didn't really have a choice. If any of them wanted to hurt you then this would be it, in your most vulnerable state. But none of them made any moves to threaten or attack, Skylar stood by with anticipation, the one you assumed was Phoenicia listened and took a couple of steps back but still tried to cool you down. And Dorian carefully put some of his fingers up.

“How many?”

The words fought to escape, but you still quietly answered

“Two”

He nodded, a stern “good” was his response before asking again

“And now?”

Your focus was hazy, but you managed to squint and answer him

“Five”

With another nod he finally put both hands up, carefully moving so as to not cause further alarm. Air began to feel less like a fleeting resource, and your brain started turning again, slowly. He told you to focus one more time, holding his gaze before instructing you again

“I'm going to count to four, then seven, then eight. I want you to breathe in for me, hold it, then release. Understand?”

After a beat, you tearfully agreed before listening closely. As he began to count you followed along. For four seconds you sucked in air like you’d just surfaced from underwater, then for seven minutes the burning sensation of holding it in quickly crept up, before all the tension released your body on eight

Breath in

The feeling of impending doom slowly left, the words you heard became clearer

Hold

You felt more present, like your soul was being pulled back to your body and the ringing sound pounding away in your skull began to fade

Breath out

Opening your eyes (without realising you had closed them in the first place) you held his gaze for one last cycle, that last exhale releasing without issue. Dorian slowly backed up, regarding you with a calm look. He was much less intense now than the man you had met minutes prior.

“Better?”

…
“Yes”

Skylar could be heard off to the side, sighing in relief as Phoenicia also let go of the tension she held and stopped fanning you. Dorian stood up carefully pulling you to your feet along with him. Although your stance was still weak, you held your ground. The three of them gave an appropriate amount of space, waiting patiently for the human among them to gather themselves. When it seemed like you had accomplished that, Phoenicia chimed in, a hand on her hip.

“While it's great to have our sweet homeowner on board with the latest Valdivian tech, I think we should continue this later. I can shift my schedule for a second try at introductions anytime!”

The other two nodded, Skylar moving towards you in the way someone might approach a wounded deer

“Right, right. I’m sorry i should've anticipated that this *may* be a bit of a shock, instead of throwing you into the deep end”

She laughed nervously, her smile couldn’t hide the slight guilt she felt at your reaction to her existence and abilities. It’s true that some shock was to be expected but she hadn’t imagined a full scale panic attack in the middle of the hallway. Her hand hovered over your shoulder, and when you made no move to run, gently rested on it before she guided the both of you to the couch, helping you lay down before stepping back
In the situation of people suddenly appearing in your house, maybe sleeping wasn't the smartest option, but you struggled to fight the bone deep exhaustion crawling into your consciousness as the adrenaline faded. It didn't seem like they wanted to hurt you, so in one motion you removed the glasses, or deactivators, and wiped your eyes. Only after opening them again the three strangers had vanished. So it was a hallucination, or maybe a dream, you were too tired to tell, that was a conversation for the doctor after you wake up. With eyelids that felt heavier by the second, you allowed the exhaustion to win as your breaths, mind and body stilled and sleep overtook you.

Hours later, the bleary impression of waking up had you confused at the unfamiliar setting. Things felt out of place, until the events of today caught up as the realisation that you'd fallen asleep on the couch instead of your bed put things into perspective. The living room was still and the soft glow of street lamps filtered through the window. It was dark now, and the quiet hum of crickets sang in the background as your senses returned. You were right about that fall from earlier, the dull ache of pain that had become more present in life quietly followed you as you stood from the couch. Looking at the dateviators on the table, there was a mental debate on whether to put them back on, but dealing with that right now… it probably wasn't a good idea. You could always try them on again tomorrow, getting the confirmation you needed that this wasn't all some really weird dream.
Taking a few wobbly steps landed you in the bathroom, and the reflection in the mirror above the sink. Splotchy red cheeks, dark under eyes, messy hair and the visage of someone who looked just, rough. The pain triggered a reminder in your head as you sighed deeply, opening the door of the bathroom cupboard and reaching for the meds that had been stashed away earlier. Whatever had happened, it could be dealt with in the morning, right now you just needed to focus on the task at hand, prolonging survival. After a handful of pills, you crept down the hallway and slowly up the stairs, taking great effort to walk steadily, unwilling to add another fall to the list of today's antics.

The dark blue hue of the night blanketed the space of the bedroom, the crickets chirps sounding further than before and less reached the second storey. Making your way, then slowly sinking beneath the sheets, you couldn’t bring yourself to worry about it more, at least for now. In the first quiet moments to yourself for the day, the world and its problems seemed more distant, less urgent. Whatever had happened, whatever you were going through, it was best left for the next day, maybe even longer. For now it was just you and the stillness of the night. The morning was always gonna come, you could be ready then instead.