Chapter Text
Expendable walked through the metallic walls of the Hadal Blacksite, every step feeling like it’s led by string and tar. Every call was predictable, from the inevitability of Angler’s screech to the ‘pop’ of Sebastian opening his vent. He knew what do to, he’s grown far too used to the walls so deep underwater.
He was about 10 more doors away from Sebastian’s shop, if luck was on his side. He looked at some of the files he found before stashing them. They weren’t important to him anyways.
They could hear the distant sound of screeching, yet the flickering of lights never came. He probably had a few seconds to get to a locker before Pinkie got close. So, he waited until it got closer. And he hid inside.
Then, they came to a crossroads. One door looked normal and the other… wait. He has to be hallucinating, right? He’s seen the oddity here and again, every loop was different, anyways.
But this was different. A whole new kind of door. It was a chained door, with a plate that had the number ‘93’ inscribed on it. The numbering was even more odd, Expendable was at door 62. Why would it be so far at the beginning?
He reached for the door, seeing what looked like a brick alleyway with stairs that went upwards. Odd. Wait, what’s that? Shit, it was coming towards him-
Expendable had less than seconds to back up from the door, wind rushing past him as the object flew past the kicked-open door and right into the wall.
“Ow…” The black figure spoke, slowly standing up, and being definitely taller than Expendable was.
Expendable couldn’t find it in him to speak at first, what was he even supposed to say? Actually, what was this guy even doing here? The door that the figure came from was now replaced with rubble, like it never even existed.
“Who are you?” Expendable whispered as loudly as he could. He still needed to listen, just in case.
He (They? She?) whipped their head around, looking down at them with a nearly equally shocked face. Which was an achievement given the lack of mouth. Or was the mouth hidden by something? The skin(?) was like voidmass. God, they already had so many questions. They could swear they felt a headache coming.
“Oh, I’m… Sinner. You are?”
“That’s classified information”
The… ‘Sinner’ only sighed in response “Of course, but can I at least have something to call you? I mean, we’d need to trade some kind of names, just in case.”
That was sadly a good point. Honestly, unless Sinner came from a whole other universe, they weren’t given his real name anyways.
“I guess you can call me Expendable” he said, staring down Sinner.
“That’s, definitely a name, I suppose.” Sinner had the audacity to squint as he said that. Was Sinner even a he? They were assuming based off of the voice alone.
“What do you go by, anyways?” They tried to look for any more identifying features on Sinner, but there weren't a lot. Unless that cross counted for something.
“Oh! Just he/him,” Sinner paused, before awkwardly adding “How uh, how about you?”
“I go by he/they.” Expendable could’ve hit Sinner as he nearly crouched to reach their level. He technically didn’t, but their pride is on the line, for fucks sake!
Sinner started to whisper in the ways Expendable themself would “why are you whispering? Are you hiding from something-”
“We’re avoiding the massive elephant in the room. Where did you come from, and why are you here?”
“Mm. So I suppose I was right in this not being part of-”
Before Sinner could stand straight, Expendable reached right for his collar, holding it tight, “answer me. You’re not meant to be here and I want answers.”
Sinner’s eyes squinted at Expendable, “I do not know how or why I am here. I don’t even know what this place is, and for that I would appreciate an answer”
“You really don’t know?” Expendable pushed, looking closer at the priest robes Sinner wears. Kind of odd, for someone who calls himself a sinner.
“I like to believe I’d be doing something other than sitting here and talking if I knew what I’m doing here. Or even where I am” Sinner pushed back, his hands grabbing onto Expendables, and- wow his hands are warm.
Too warm, actually. Expendable let go, almost shoving Sinner back “do you just naturally have hot as shit hands?”
Sinner blinked “what was that?”
“Never mind.” Expendable looked at Sinner, who was brushing up his collar back to neatness, “this place is the Hadal Blacksite. We’re about 76,000 studs underwater.”
“That… doesn’t make any sense” Sinner pressed his finger on the side of his head “if this place is far underwater, then how’d I…” Sinner sighed, “none of this makes any sense.”
“Wow, thanks, captain obvious,” Expendable looked up at the lights. They’ve been in the same place too long, and something might come at them if they keep this up, “come on, we have to get moving.”
Surely, Expendable could handle one extra person.