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Reject thought that the player he was supposed to torment was a huge asshole. He came to this conclusion after he had a run in with the man.
He had tried his best tactic of annoyance, constantly opening the player’s door every time they closed it. He made a mistake, however, when he heard the door close and rushed out to open it only to see that there had been a third door placed.
“Got you, bastard!” He heard the player call out, chasing after him as Reject turned tail around the side of the house and vanished.
Their dynamic changed after that. After he had made the mistake of letting himself be seen. Reject didn’t know it yet, but it would be one of the best mistakes of his life.
Ze had started leaving out chests for Reject. Nothing major, usually with a book and quill left in it, as Reject refused to use his voice yet. The book was usually insults towards the entity, about how shitty his scare tactics were. Reject always had fun coming up with a retort, and he knew Ze found their bickering just as fun. Ze had even given the, at the time, nameless entity a name. Reject.
The first time Reject had actually spoken to Ze was during one of the times Ze had gone mining after running out of resources. Reject had dug a small hole in the cave, hiding in it and waiting to jump out when Ze had mined the blocks. The plan had gone accordingly, and he was pleasantly surprised when Ze had jumped, shrieking.
“Asshole!” Ze huffed, clutching his chest.
Reject couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. He had finally done it. Though, something in him was far more pleased at having Ze’s attention on him and solely him rather than making him shriek. “Got you!”
“Yeah,” Ze rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Really funny. I’m going to get you back for this shit.”
So, the days went by quick with the two often pulling pranks on one another. They kept trading scares, kept bickering between each other. They both knew the other didn’t truly have any heat behind their insults, and over time they grew closer. Reject had started to look forward to every day Ze would log on. His tail thumping excitedly behind him every time he saw the notification from chat that Ze had come back.
One night, when Reject and Ze had both tired themselves out from messing with each other, they had gone back to their home. Reject had built it, with it being his proudest build to date. The night had been quiet, the atmosphere soft, almost tender as they sat on the couch together.
“I have a respiratory disease. One that keeps me in the hospital,” Ze had admitted quietly, as his head leaned on Reject’s shoulder. “It’s why I tend to be gone for days at a time.”
Reject had been quiet for a few long moments, unsure how to respond. What was there to say, when you recieved the news your entire world was struggling in such a way?
Eventually, he decided on, “I’ll always be here for you. No matter what.”
A comfortable silence had settled over them, as Ze had leaned even further into Reject, finding comfort in the warmth the entity gave off. “I know.”
When Ze had logged off that night, Reject had deflated on the couch. His body tense as he worried. He had hoped, in ways he had never hoped for anything before, that Ze’s health would improve. That he would be okay, eventually. He didn’t know what he would do if he ever lost Ze. If there ever came a day he never saw Ze again.
Ze had a small smile on his face as he logged on next, making everything in Reject ease at once. He knew if Ze looked this optimistic, he must be coming with good news.
“The doctors say I’m getting better,” Ze’s voice is light in ways Reject has not heard in a long time. It is a relief to hear his lover optimistic for once. “I should, hopefully, be getting to go home soon.”
Reject huffs a small laugh, a soft smile on his face as his jagged tail curls around Ze’s leg. A habit he had picked up, as it kept Ze close and safe. “Good. That’s really good.”
“Means I’ll have more time to spend with you again.” Ze’s voice is softer, for once. Almost as if he’s been wanting this as much as Reject. Almost as if it’s all Ze has wanted for a long time. “Will you wait for me until then?”
Reject punches Ze lightly on the arm, a scoff leaving him, though having no heat behind it at all. Merely all for show, for play. “Of course. I’ll be here. When you get back, I’ll show you all the new builds I’ve done.”
Ze laughed softly, pressing a kiss to Reject’s invisible cheek. “I look forward to it.”
A moment of calm silence passes between them before Ze speaks up again. “I’ve got to go for now, something about moving me to a new hospital for a few more tests before I get discharged for good.”
Reject nods, hesitating for a moment before he leans forward to press a kiss to Ze’s head. “Like I said, I’ll be here. I promise.”
Reject still remembers the smile he had gotten in return. The way Ze had looked so soft. His smile so bright before he had logged off.
And then never returned.
Reject still doesn’t know what happened. He doesn’t know why Ze left. They were happy, were they not? Ze had loved him, and he had loved Ze, he was so sure of it. Ze was supposed to be getting better, he was supposed to go home. Ze should be here. Reject knows Ze would have never left him. For all of Ze’s sharp edges and stubborness, he was never a liar.
Which leaves one option left. One that Reject doesn’t ever want to consider, but that won’t leave his mind either way.
Ze hadn’t ever made it out of that hospital. Ze was gone. Ze was dead.
It was these thoughts that tormented Reject for years as he spent time waiting. Waiting. Waiting. The rain constantly pouring as Reject stood a silent vigil, waiting for the notification in chat to say that Ze had joined. Then, they could go back to spending time together as they had before. That notification never appeared. Reject stayed alone, in an empty world, a graveyard of memories between him and the man he had come to love.
Everything changed one day.
Reject’s head snapped up from were he had been dissociating, staring at the grass, as a notification appeared in the chat. The rain finally slowing, finally giving way to the sun.
Michaamazing2 has joined the world.
It wasn’t Ze. It wasn’t who he had hoped for so long would reappear and laugh his absence off as some kind of joke. The familiar feeling of grief making his throat tight as he quickly teleported to were the player should have spawned. A need to protect this world arose in Reject. He needed to make sure this player didn’t ruin anything Ze had left behind. He had to make sure to preserve the memories.
He stayed hidden behind a tree, just as he had so very long ago with Ze, not wanting this new player to know of his existence just yet. When he saw the player, however, Reject’s entire being froze.
A breath caught in Reject’s throat as he took in the appearance of the kid that had joined the world.
Oh. Oh no.
His eye stung with unshed tears, his breathing coming out stuttered and harsh as he held in a sob.
He looks so much like Ze.
Reject knew then, that this child must be related to Ze in some way. He looked so much like his lover, even had access to his computer and his worlds… It was right then that Reject made up his mind. He would not scare this child, he would not taunt who he believed was the relative of the man who was his world.
Instead, he would care for this child as if he were Reject’s own kin.
He would not lose the last connection he had to his lover.