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It was quiet.
Odxny was used to quiet, they liked to think. It was a constant companion, days and months and years passing with their only constant being the silence. They were alone most times. What else would happen? They were not one to talk to themselves. There was the occasional noise here and there, of course; plates would get washed, the shower would run, a particularly slippery fork would clatter to the ground. It was never consistent though. The only constant noise was in the computer room, a low hum the reminder of everything that room held. It was, Odxny mused, quite like Thrim.
Where Od was used to the quiet, Thrim embodied sound. They chattered away on phone calls – those more and more frequent, nowadays – often doing something to occupy their hands in the meanwhile. It was not uncommon to hear all sorts of noises on the other end of the line. Chores, crafting, typing, music, humming, singing – on an occasion or two, sleep talking, though Odxny would not ever tell them that (nor, of course, would they record it for later; of course) – all bringing a liveliness to the day that was so very Thrim. Still, that liveliness went with Thrim when the phone disconnected; abrupt, silent loneliness often pierced the end of those calls. Thrim’s house must be warm, Odxny thought.
All of that to say, when their phone buzzed with a text Odxny most certainly did NOT jump.
“What…?” They couldn’t help the murmur as they went over to their phone. It had been face down on their table as they spaced out on the couch. Now they flipped it over. One new text. That was odd. This number was not known to anyone but one person, and Thrim – well, Thrim WOULD text them, but was just as like to call until they picked up. Their lips quirked up at the thought, then down as their brows furrowed at the message. It was a link. A shortened link, given the URL, and one that was not accompanied by the usual Thrim flavor text. No, this was just a link. Odxny stared a moment longer before bringing it to their computer room.
A quick database scan showed no matches in any system Odxny had access to. Their suspicions piqued, the hacker frowned down at their phone another minute. Maybe Thrim got hacked? It wouldn’t surprise Od with how laissez-faire they seemed with their safety. Phones were not coded with whatever weird language of the week Thrim was learning (were they still on ArnoldC? Od couldn’t remember) and much more supceptible to virus. Thrim was also much less cautious about links. Maybe they clicked something and this was automatic? Odxny would have to get them to install more phone protection.
This could, their brain supplied, be a prank. It would also be not unlike Thrim to do something like this. The link shortener was easily accessible. They could have sent it and just be waiting for Odxny’s call. A sigh escaped, dispersing in the cool air while the fans of their computer hummed merrily. It was as if they were laughing at the indecision. Odxny shot them a glance.
“Not funny.”
Not funny? Great. The hacker stared up at the ceiling immediately before shutting their eyelids with a groan. Now they were talking to their furniture. That was also something Thrim did, and not a habit Odxny was hoping to pick up on. They stayed that way a moment, sighing as internal grumbles battled caution battled curiosity. Then they leaned forward. Elbows rested on knees, eyes opening to a random corner of the room. Warring emotions roiled in their flesh. They kept staring. Thrim would poke fun at them (“You’re actually thinking? It just looks like you’re zoning out!”) and the thought of that simmered the warring factions. Odxny picked up their phone.
They called.
“Hey Oddy!” The warmth in Thrim’s voice broke straight through the quiet once again, tension Odxny didn’t realize they held melting out of their shoulders. It was a balm to have that liveliness in their day to day. It was almost – almost – enough to forgive the nickname.
They hung up.
Their phone buzzed immediately, vibrating in their hand as if giggling. The hacker grimaced. They picked up again.
“Absolutely not.”
Laughter pealed on the other end. They could only imagine Thrim doubled over, or leaning backwards, joyful laughter filling their space as they wheezed. Odxny couldn’t help but to smile, to chuckle alongside. Laughter was infectious, their brain supplied. So was Thrim, it also supplied, and the hacker sighed in mock defeat.
“Thrim—”
“How about Odd Thomas?”
“Come on, be serious – did you sent that link?” Odxny decided to politely roll past that nickname. Thrim giggled in response.
“What link?”
“The link. That you texted me. What have I told you—”
“Okay, okay!” Thrim cut them off before they began, trying to cut back the laughter that still poured from them. “Yes, I did, it’s a surprise. No I’m not telling you what it is. Yes it’s safe. You should use it on your computer.”
“…Are you requiring me to learn ArnoldC to use it?” A snort, devolving into more giggling. They hadn’t stopped. Odxny was biting back chuckles of their own at this stage, the snort nearly doing them in.
“Noooo. I promise.” They sounded so innocent. They definitely were. Od sighed.
“Stay on the line. If something goes wrong I will be holding you accountable, you know that right? I can get your bank account and garnish your wages.”
“Oh nooo big bad Od has to come get me for my transgressions!” It was teasing, Odxny rolling their eyes with a grin. “I suppose you’ll have to drag me back in person for my punishment.”
“No. No no, we’re not playing this game, especially not with an unknown link at my fingertips and my computer.”
“What game? I’m soooo serious, maybe you’ll have me try weird Facebook sandwiches! The horror!”
“Thrim.” The hacker sighed with a headshake, finishing their typing of the link into the browser once again. They hesitated. This was an awful idea. Thrim was still newer than anyone else who had been in the old app. There could be backdoors. Maybe it was all a backdoor to get access to their computer. Thrim had been threatening that the last time they talked. Why were they doing this? Their finger moved to the backspace button and hovered even as their… person, their person, bemoaned a nonexistent fate. “…Seriously, am I going to regret this?”
“No.” Thrim stopped joking, though humor was evident in their voice. How warm. “Just do it. Come on, trust me.”
“…Alright.” They hit enter.
The first thing to happen was a download, so fast Odxny couldn’t catch it. They bit back a curse as they saw the movement, saw the installer. They froze, not moving a muscle. Trust. They were trusting.
The second thing to happen was an app opened. It was weirdly familiar. The colors were different, sure, but the layout looked similar to a different one, one from long ago, the reason they met. Instead of the background of the mask Odxny wore, a slightly different mask took its place – did Thrim design their own? – and a table sat in the top right, beckoning for use.
The third thing to happen was an antivirus check on Odxny’s whole computer.
“Well?” Thrim sounded nervous? Excited? Likely a mix of the both, and Odxny watched the scan complete. They clicked into the app, seeing their name at the bottom.
The fourth thing to happen was a horn noise, and Odxny jumped as their conversation partner started to laugh.
“You… created this? Why? I thought we agreed this was the past. It’s solid, truly, but—”
“No, I made it better.” Thrim sounded proud. They should be, Odxny mused. This looked so solid, and without any reference it was quite similar. “I wasn’t just going to remake what you did, I wanted to make my own. It’s super secure so you don’t have to worry about that either. Aaaand, I was thinking we could… use it for the two of us. Our own secret. …Or find the others but it seemed pretty hard so I didn’t.”
“Right.” Odxny chuckled. “I appreciate not being bombarded by Incri so soon after joining. I think I would leave.”
“Incri was funny!” Thrim huffed.
“They had a… unique charm, I’ll concede. We can talk about that later. This is quite the build, Thrim. Just for us?”
“Mmhmm!” They sounded happier. “I’m glad you like it, I thought you’d tear it apart.”
“Why would I do that?” Odxny blinked, baffled even as they clicked around. They tried to poke into the back end and hummed – why a mixing bowl for a loading icon? “I’m not mean, I’m proud of you.”
“…Really? You like it?” Relief permeated their voice. Odxny could picture their smile, the turn of their eyebrows, the slump of their shoulders. How silly.
“Of course I do. I just wish we could have done it together. Is there a phone app yet?”
“No, but – it might. Be hard. Because of the super secure thing.” Right. Odxny hummed, exploring the app idly.
“And how is this super secure?”
“I wrote it in ArnoldC.”
Silence.
“You’re… joking.” Odxny did not ask a question. They side eyed their phone.
“I am.” Thrim confirmed, and Odxny exhaled. “I wrote it in Chef.”
“…What.”