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1x knew the feeling of flying before.
When they were still in the high skies of SFOTH, when they still had wings and before the….incident. Even if it was a long time ago, 1x still remembered the way the wind felt brushing through their feathers, once white and gray like them before. The way how everything looked so tiny underneath them. The way their feathery wings spread, and, obviously, the way they felt .
Something that they would never feel again. Because those wings were now gone after what had happened–after 1x turned into a being of hatred, only scars remained where their wings supposedly were, trailing down their back. It was a reminder–a reminder of what had happened and what could’ve been.
But the statement remained: 1x knew the feeling of flying. Heck, they even did it before.
Taph, however, did not.
The demolitionist was certainly a bird-hybrid of some sorts, having his own pairs of wings and a set of head-wings too–kinda like Tela– him beforehand. Gold and black feathers scattered through the large pairs of shiny wings. Although the wings weren’t taken care of well enough, 1x noticed some croaked feathers–some even broken beyond repair really–and dirt and pink traces of Subspace Tripmines there and here. 1x has never seen wings in such terrible shape–not even theirs when they still had their wings.
Maybe that’s why they were doing this.
It’s been a while since they were free from the Forsaken realm alongside the others. Now back on Robloxian ground after so many years, 1x definitely did not have a plan for themself. Everyone else seemingly did–that hacker, 007n7 or whatever his name was, was now finally united with his son, c00lkidd; John and Jane also got their happy ending, together. Hell, even that strange cultist, the one who supposedly sacrificed their lover (Azure, as him and 1x grown as ‘acquaintances’ during the hell-scape), now with Dusekkar and recovering from their ‘religious psychosis’ or whatever Dusekkar called it–1x didn’t really bother to listen.
Nonetheless, 1x remained there, with nothing ahead of them. Sure the Admins tried to help them like they did with everyone else–even Shedletsky too, who offered 1x a place to stay, but 1x rather kill themself with the Daemonshanks than stay with Shedletsky ever again. So they landed with plan B.
Which meant staying with Taph, the demolitionist who had also been forsaken-ed as a role of survivor. When they were still in that realm, 1x only knew Taph as the ‘mask dude with the annoying bombs’ since both his traps and bombs were extremely obnoxious and easily ragebaited them, only making 1x hate those more. That was what they knew, not that Taph was a bird hybrid or anything else (in their defence, they were more focused on getting their revenge than anything else…) and that he strangely looked like someone familiar…..
Taph’s wing accidentally smacked 1x on the face, making the latter snap from their inner monolongue.
Right, that was the past. This was now present.
‘Sorry….’ Taph signed quickly afterwards, noticing the growing scowl on their face. He sat down next to 1x on his couch in his house, completely ignoring the current state of the rest of the house. And maybe he sat perhaps too closely.
“It’s fine,” 1x replied, their voice lacking in their usual curt, annoyed tone, but that was probably because they were busy focusing on this, only half-listening (half-seeing?)
They gave a little huff, their sharp, crawl-like hands digging into the feathers, trying to get out most of the dirt and rocks in the wings. Such a shame, really, that a beautiful pair of wings were dirtied like this–and even dirtied by their own hands. Or how they never knew how to fly, stuck down in the ground.
Luckily, they were finished, but only with the larger pair of wings, now onto the head. But Taph rolled his shoulders, and 1x could even feel the joy radiating off Taph, something unusual to 1x themself. His wings spread out slightly, lifting up as a sign of happiness.
“Alright, alright,” 1x tried not to chuckle at that movement, not trying to give Taph any victorious moments right now. “Don’t get too excited, okay?”
Taph gave a quick nod, and 1x moved their way to his small pair of wings. It was like Taph’s much larger pair with the gold and black feathers, yet as dirty as well.
1x located the pin feathers immediately and began to pinch them with their fingers, rolling gently in a circular motion–something so out of character for a being of hatred like them, being gentle and soft. Taph wiggled because of the touches, satisfied yet a stranger to them as well. 1x was sure that he never had someone preen his own wings for him–or even done it himself.
“Some feathers you got there….” 1x uttered unintentionally, too focused to notice what they were blurting out. “Shame you don’t take care of ‘em.”
‘I’m busy’ was Taph’s only reply. 1x looked down at the demolitionist’s slim hands for the simple signs. The robes Taph always wore made him look more well-built, something that 1x had learned when Taph grew comfortable taking off his robes with 1x around.
And just like 1x, Taph had his share of scars. His wings weren’t damaged thankfully, but his face told another story: one of standing too close to an explosion, and the damage was already done there. 1x, in return, also showed Taph their scars, the same one from after ripping their own set of wings out.
‘It’s beautiful’ Taph signed, his long and slender fingers tracing the scar on 1x’s back, from shoulder blade to their abodement.
1x, on the other hand, turned their head enough to see the signs, feeling the hands of another touching their back. Hands that weren’t theirs. It felt….too vulnerable almost. But no one was here to hurt them, not with Taph around as 1x learned throughout their stay with Taph.
“No, it’s not,” they retorted back, face twisting into a scowl. “It’s disgusting , a scar of what happened in the past. An annoying reminder of mistakes.”
Taph hummed, a low yet alluring sound.
‘Not to me it isn’t,’ he replied back. ‘Not if it’s yours. To me, you’re always beautiful.’
1x didn’t reply, only clicked their tongue. Not sure what to say afterwards. Rather, silence followed after, something that 1x had grown to learn to enjoy, to be comfortable around. Because it was always comfortable whenever Taph was around, like now.
“Busy, eh?” 1x repeated, teasing the word in their mouth. “Maybe if you quit your job then maybe you would actually have time to preen your wings and not bother me about it. What do you even see in those Admins anyways….”
Taph hummed, a low rumble as if he was thinking of an answer.
‘It’s my job. I can’t just leave my job all of a sudden, and the Admin’s aren’t that bad.’ He argued back, and 1x’s finger pressed on his wings unintentionally.
Their eyes narrowed sharply, grumbling inaudible words to themself before replying. Still focusing on preening beforehand.
“Oh please, what do the Admins do for you?” They spat out bitterly–but not to Taph, never about Taph, only to the Admins. “Not even letting you preen your own wings, making you do their dirty work for themself.”
Just stay with me. 1x wanted to say otherwise, but couldn’t bring themself to say it. And I’ll preen your wings all you want.
‘Maybe,’ Taph clicked his tongue as he signed. 1x was almost finished with his wings, finally. ‘But I have no place to go if I leave…’
1x rolled their eyes. “Oh please, there are many places you can be at than underneath the thumbs of the Admins.” One last feather and they were done. “Like we could travel around Robloxian, be away from all of this .”
Taph’s head titled. 1x was finally done, pushing the other away for some personal space (although they already missed Taph’s warmth against their cold body).
‘We?’ Taph repeated, pointing at 1x than at himself.
1x’s eyes widened slightly, quietly cursing themself out for the slip up there. But they quickly returned to their usual scowl but more soft around the corners than usual, their cheeks slowly heating up. They leaned on the couch, trying their best to act as nonchalant as possible, hugging a nearby pillow (the only reason why there were pillows was because Taph slept on the couch, giving his own bed up for 1x, who, however, wished that Taph slept with them still, wanting to feel the warmth of the demolitionist than the familiar cold.)
“Well….” they paused, unsure about this. “If you want, that is. Otherwise…”
They stopped themself there, not wanting to dig a bigger hole for themself than it already was.
Instead, Taph laughed –or what sounded like laughter coming. It was weak, sure, but it was there. Him laughing at 1x’s messed-up only made them confused, befuddled almost.
They arched their brow. “W..what’s so funny, huh?” 1x asked, trying to sound more angry, but they could never. Hearing Taph laugh was far better than any sound in the whole world.
Taph quickly stopped his laughs, much to 1x’s disappointment, and immediately signed back their answer:
‘I’ll love to travel all over Robloxia with you, 1x.’
If 1x’s cheeks weren’t blooming red then, then they were definitely now. It was strange, really. This feeling inside their stomach, something that they never had before. It was always there whenever Taph was around, something different than the hatred they always felt. John Doe had once suggested that it was love at first, but 1x immediately shut that thought down. Because the 1x1x1x1 and love did not belong in the same sentence. 1x was a being incapable of love, only of hatred.
Well, until now with Taph.
1x threw the pillow at Taph, accidentally blowing the latter’s hood off, revealing the damaged yet undeniably beautiful face that 1x had grown to be fond of throughout their time with Taph. The demolitionist fell onto their back on the couch, and instead of being angry, he laughed once more. Finding this to be amusing, finding 1x’s suffering to be amusing.
“Like I’d ever travel with the likes of you,” 1x grumbled out, not really meaning it, because they knew, deep down, that they’d spend a life-time with Taph if they were given the choice to. Without any regrets as well.
Taph gave one last laugh and sat himself up, scootching closer to 1x until he managed to nuzzle 1x, resting his head on their shoulders. And 1x let this happen. Not that they’d admit it out loud, but they were frankly glad to feel Taph’s again, to feel their soft, now-preened feathers and, of course, their warmth rather than the freezing cold without it. So they let it slide this time, not making a deal about it like the other times.
Maybe one day Taph would leave his job to travel with 1x throughout all of Robloxia. Maybe Taph would feel how it was like to fly, and maybe 1x would learn about that feeling once more, with Taph. Always with Taph. Forever with Taph even.
But now, 1x could only savor this moment.