Archive of Our Own ^beta

Concern – something Griefer would never admit to have, even if it’s for someone close to him… such as his father. Although he’s grown kinder than the past– he’s still struggled with showing his feelings and thoughts. He has tried to work on it, however. And today wasn’t any different; conversations needed to be had.

Griefer has known of Sleepy for months now– seeing them walk around quietly, their curiosity and determination with things has caught his interest. Though… everything happened with the Venomshank, and he succumbed to the voices. Thankfully, though, Sleepy had gotten back to Turitopulis! They were simply here to buy a few things, walking around the village and visiting shops.

They’ve saved him. They went out of their way to bring him back from the consequences of his actions… and while he acted not too bothered, he was thankful. What happened had been awful to live from his point of view. He was still alive, though unable to control anything. He was stuck in limbo, practically.

Though… something was wrong. The person he knew had changed. Griefer noticed it, the fact they were even more silent than usual. Their.. almost empty demeanour. It had gotten worse, he knew it! Sleepy used to be so much more… relaxed. So much… happier?

Something as such.
Griefer was aware of the swords– of course he was. Sleepy had explained their mission briefly, though never went too deep into it. He knew whatever happened for them to get the third sword– Ghostwalker, was it? It changed them. It changed them for the worst.

Even then… Sleepy had taken the time to use the call card he had given them– a lot, actually. Without even saying a damn word to him. All they gave was small nods and silent instructions on the plan to victory. Griefer was concerned the more and more he observed them, sometimes even getting distracted in battle due to it.

Which is why he sometimes invited them back to Turitopulis. Just… to try and open them up. Make them realise that he did want to help them with whatever the hell they were living through. Sometimes, Griefer didn’t even have any reason to give– just “COME T0 TUR1T0PUL1Z, PLE4SE.” Sleepy wasn’t swayed that easily… well, unless it was for Griefer, apparently.

Which brings us back to the present time: at a random fast food truck that, for some reason, was in Turitopulis.

It’s a decent fast food chain, which hasn’t attracted too many customers– though Griefer does like eating there from time to time. He enjoys the fries especially– they’re almost as good as homemade ones. He’s invited Sleepy there, mainly due to a craving of his… though, also because he cannot stop thinking about what had gone down that changed them so much while he was still transformed into that thing .

Sleepy had come early, as per usual. They never wasted time, that at least didn’t change, even though they disliked having to come here for “a break”. Which is why Griefer decided to also be early, for once. He walked closer to the foodtruck, seeing Sleepy stand there with a formal demeanour, before nodding to acknowledge the other’s presence. As per the new usual, no words uttered.

“H3Y, PUNK.” Griefer greeted after gazing at Sleepy for a second, trying to hide what the actual reason for this… hangout was. He knew Sleepy would do anything to not acknowledge the obvious. And, Griefer despised that. He knew for a fact that he would have to force it out of them. “Y0U’RE E4RLY.”

“...greetings.” Sleepy quietly uttered, looking at Griefer with that same empty glare they’ve always had ever since they’ve changed. It felt almost irritating from his point of view. It felt as though they couldn’t care less about any of this, their mind set on those swords.

The two ordered from the foodtruck, Griefer getting the usual; a shit ton of loaded fries with Bacon as one of the toppings. He’s never even tried anything else on the menu, never having felt the need to after trying the fries. He does change toppings from time to time, though not often.

Meanwhile, Sleepy… didn’t actually order anything. They’ve simply shook their head. At seeing that, Griefer’s concern only grew. How come they didn’t eat? Actually, he’s never seen them eat. Ever. Beforehand, he just thought they ate at specific times that aren’t necessarily meal times. He did that too, after all.

But… the more he thought about it, the less it made sense. Sleepy just outright refused to eat every single time he’d brought them anywhere. After the two sat down on a table nearby– getting the food after a good few minutes, Griefer couldn’t contain himself. He ate some of his fries, before huffing— the thoughts weighing down on him.

“...H0W COME YOU’R3 NEV3R HUNGRY, DUD3?” He asked, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat, his tone somewhat insistent. He needed an answer— he was aware of Sleepy who usually did not take much care of themselves. It showed through how weak their body became at times.

“...I have my ways.” Sleepy responded with, their voice calm– almost monotone. They looked away, finding the nearest interesting thing in view to instead stare at. Almost as though they wanted to avoid what was coming. Almost… as though they knew of Griefer’s intentions.

“UH HUH. L1KE I’D BEL1EV3 THAT.” Griefer almost spat out, the frustrations of his that have been building up over the past… however long he’d been back for– suddenly all bubbling into what he’s been meaning to say. “WH4T’Z BEEN G0ING ON W1TH Y0U, HM? Y0U H4VEN’T BEEN TH3 S4ME SINCE Y0U S4VED M3.” He asked, almost frowning.

“...what are you talking about?” Sleepy asked in a calculated manner, tilting their head to the side slightly. Their gaze grew sharper, as though they were almost daring Griefer to continue. They’ve never been one to talk– which is why they didn’t actually reply to the question at hand.

“PFFT– N1CE TRY, PUNK. Y0U KNOW EX4CTLY WH4T I’M TALK1NG 4B0UT. SP1T IT OUT, 4LR3ADY.” Griefer stated harshly, knowing for a fact that Sleepy was just trying to avoid everything. Let this moment pass, only to go back to their active goals. Griefer wasn’t about to have that.

Sleepy remained quiet, unsure of what to say. They knew that Griefer wouldn’t let this go— he is a stubborn robloxian, after all. Though, Sleepy is more than stubborn, much more. They wouldn’t ever admit anything… especially not how bad things had grown to be.

After a good few seconds, Griefer scoffed. He was obviously upset at Sleepy not opening up— though figured they’d only lock him out further if he continued being harsh. He sighed.

“…SLE3PY, Y0U’RE 4WAR3 THAT N0T SAY1NG 4NYTH1NG WILL M4KE IT W0RZE, R1GHT?” Griefer stated once more, trying to convey that this wasn’t good. 

If Sleepy were to continue in this descent, they’d break. They would just.. become a ticking bomb.

A ticking bomb that would be ready to explode in a very, very short amount of time.

But the latter was still not willing to speak up, even after everything. Even with the knowledge that it wouldn’t help. That it would make things worse for them. “I would rather not.” They uttered, frowning ever so slightly.

Sleepy had spent many, many years perfecting their demeanour. Being able to withstand most things— to be able to not show any weaknesses even during their worst battles. To them, it was like breathing. Even then… it had gotten to the point where it was almost too much.

“…1DI0T.” Griefer simply replied, trying to stay calm. He wouldn’t want his anger to get out of control, after all. Though… something about Sleepy’s words made him so upset. “Y0U DON’T EV3N H4VE A R3AS0N FOR H1DING WH4TEV3R THE H3CK Y0U’RE H1DING.”

“WHY AR3N’T Y0U WILL1NG TO 0P3N UP, FOR 0LD S4KE?!” He snapped, gritting his teeth slightly before he even realised it. He was angry— especially at how much Sleepy was downplaying it all. But that was all from concern.

“Because I dislike doing so. Is it that unfathomable for you?” The other inquired, trying their best to stay calm. They felt almost bad that Griefer was getting all worked up for this— but, they thought it wasn’t a big deal. It wouldn’t go too far, after all. “Why must you be so… upset over this?”

“…UGH— D0N’T YOU G3T 1T, PUNK?” Griefer spat out, thinking that, either Sleepy was really dense, or they were avoiding everything on purpose. “Y0U’RE D3STROY1NG Y0URS3LF. B3C4UZE OF… WH4TEV3R H4PPEN3D IN MY 4BS3NCE.”

“HOW L0NG DO Y0U TH1NK Y0U’R3 GO1NG TO B3 4BLE TO C0NT1NUE ON 1N YOUR CURR3NT ST4TE? NOT L0NG, TH4T’Z FOR SUR3.” He stated. Of course he was right— he had seen that same scenario happen before. People brushing their emotions off, only to end up breaking.

“And? Me breaking isn’t any of your problem.” Sleepy muttered, and before they could do anything else— “0H, RE4LLY N0W?! DO Y0U EV3N R3AL1SE WH4T A R3LAT1ONZH1P 1S?!” Griefer snapped, now pissed off. He thought that the two were friends— how the hell did Sleepy brush even that off?

Sleepy stayed silent once more— tempted to get up and leave, honestly. They needed to get to that other sword… and, of course, they thought of breaks such as this to be inefficient to their goals. Even worse when they were forced to face anything. Sleepy sighed, quietly scratching at the ice on their left arm.

“Y0U’R3 A P4IN TO C4R3 FOR, Y’KN0W TH4T? Y0U’D R4THER BR3AK TH4N R3AL1SE TH4T Y0U’RE ADD1NG T0 Y0UR OWN PROBL3MZ.” The other added, almost glaring at Sleepy– daring for them to continue in their current path. To keep downplaying everything.

“Why do you care when you so clearly see it as an inconvenient thing?” the latter asked, tilting their head to the side as they gazed at Griefer once more. After a few seconds of silence, they continued. “…If I’m such a pain, as you said, why do you still bother?”

“B3C4UZE I L0VE Y0U, D4MN 1T.” Griefer replied almost immediately, speaking before he even thought about his response. Of course he didn’t mean to say those words— he would have never confessed if he actually thought about it before speaking. But, he couldn’t undo it.

“...” Sleepy froze, being as silent as ever— their eyes slightly wide. They… were shocked, to say the least. Of course, they had a feeling something like this would happen. They just… brushed it off. They always did, constantly burying everything inside of their rotten, locked up heart.

“...oh.”

The silence was deafening — it felt almost suffocating for Griefer specifically. The tension that was once hidden now felt more than overwhelming, and both robloxians felt uneasy the more the silence lingered on. Sleepy still lightly scratched at the ice on their left arm, idly observing the other— unsure on what to do nor say. They almost seemed speechless.

“...TH3SE FR1EZ 4RE PR3TTY D4RN GOOD.” Griefer immediately spoke up after what felt like an eternity in silence, having completely forgotten about the fries until now. They were cold— and yet he just awkwardly ate them, trying to shift the subject away from the matter at hand. Maybe Sleepy avoiding anything hidden below the surface wasn’t as bad as he thought.

“...mhm. I suppose.” Sleepy muttered, knowing for a fact they could actually talk about things with Griefer. Though… they are a stubborn robloxian. They would rather die than ever express how perhaps, they’ve been fond of the other for more than a while. Perhaps, they desired this to become serious. But, their goal of getting all the swords came first.

Perhaps in another universe.