Chapter Text
There in the dimly lit room sat Builderman, working on documents for some minor remodeling and upkeep of Robloxia Town Square’s walkways. The persistent monitor light in Builderman's dimly lit office, after hours of viewing work documents, induced a headache, worsening into a migraine and harming his concentration.
He had been working in his office since early dawn. It was nearing 3 o'clock at night now, having depleted his coffee supply many hours prior, and feeling too occupied to brew more, he felt his eyes stinging from exhaustion.
It was another late shift in the HQ; most admins had already left many hours ago. A few admins close to Builderman stopped by his office before going home for the night and wished him a good night. Some asked him not to stay late.
After so many years of working with their boss and friend, they were now well aware of his unhealthy sleeping habits. The first to know this was Dusekkar. Having known Builderman far longer than anyone else. The others caught on to his behavior soon enough, as there had been many times when one admin initially walked in to greet him or give him paperwork in the morning.
But instead of receiving a greeting from their boss, they found him face down on his desk, snoring loudly with his hands still on his keyboard from passing out while working late at night. Usually, it would be Dusekkar, Doombringer, Shedletsky, or sometimes Clockwork who would wake him up and force him to go home and get some rest.
The other admins have always been concerned about this behavior, but they knew just as well as he did. His insomnia would keep him awake, with or without work to do. So they kept most of their concerns to themselves, though nothing could stop them from gossiping about his nonexistent sleep schedule.
It was so tranquil; the sun shone low in the sky, accompanied by a deep saffron orange sky that faded into a dark crimson red as it touched the sea. The sight was beautiful. The being seated next to him overshadowed this beauty. Builder's sight did not catch a glimpse of the person, but he knew the other was there with him. The glimmering waters reflected the sky's yellows and oranges, fading into a darker crimson, and Builder locked his gaze onto them. Making the liquid take on the appearance of dark red wine held under candlelight. He consistently marveled at the scenery's splendor during his visits, just as he did when observing him.
“You know…” the other's voice began; his voice didn't quite reach his ear, but he could still understand him clear as day.
“Out of the other gods, I've always thought your wings were the most stunning.”
His head shot up from his desk; his body felt cold and clammy. It was as if someone had just dunked him into an ice bath while he slept. His short, trimmed nails were clawing at his desk harshly. The dream of him was still burning fresh in Builderman’s head, making him feel the haze of disorientation that came with remembering times past. He nervously scanned his surroundings, making sure he was still in his office. Not back in his realm.
It appeared he had just fallen asleep in the office again. Suddenly, from his right, he heard the rustling sound of clothes moving against each other; his head instantaneously whipped to see who, or what, was next to him—instead of landing on a creature that could only be described as pure nightmare fuel, his eyes met with his best friend’s, Shedletsky. Who was, in fact, not a creature made from an amalgamation of his worst fears coming to collect the builder’s soul.
Shedletsky seemed a bit startled at his reaction for a moment before his expression shifted back to his usual lazy grin. His hand, which had been hovering over Builderman’s shoulder, retracted back to his side casually.
“Whoa, sorry I scared you, dude. I was just about to wake you up!” the admin spoke cheerfully, but his expression showed a hint of concern for the other. “You good? You’re…” Shed gestured to his face, causing Builderman to finally notice the tears that threatened to fall onto his desk.
He quickly wiped his face with his sleeve, preventing his tears from staining the important documents he'd stayed up all night to finish.
“Hey, Shed, good mornin’.” The CEO replied with a rasp, tilting his head down in embarrassment that his friend had caught him crying in his sleep. There was still tiredness lingering in his voice as the creator spoke. “I’m good, I just…” He paused, thinking of a way to describe his dream to the other. “Just had a bad dream, that's all. Thanks for coming to wake me up.” Builderman stood up from his chair, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the backs of his hands.
He stretched his arms up behind his head, trying to ward away the ache in his muscles and back that was karma for him sleeping in an office chair all night. He needed some coffee immediately. Brushing past Shedletsky in a drowsy haze, Builder made his way to the office doors, opening them with a push, and made his way to the elevator that sat at the end of the hall.
Builder stopped inside the elevator, knowing his employee would be trailing after him. Sure enough, Builderman turned around. And saw Shedletsky following him over to the elevator; his friend took a place next to him, closest to the buttons in the elevator. The admin pressed a button on the control panel for the second floor. The machine whirred to life, and they descended the tall building smoothly.
Turning his head to the side slightly, Builderman could see the concern that lingered on his best friend’s face.
“Jeez! For such a short guy, you move really fast!” Shed announced, breaking the tension that Builderman failed to notice lingering. Builderman chuckled softly at the jab at his height and gently elbowed Shedletsky in the ribs. Shedletsky chimed in with his laughter at his friend's playful bullying.
“For a guy with legs as long as yours, you walk incredibly slow.” Builderman spoke in reply, earning him a light punch on his bicep from Shedletsky. “One, I don't have long legs. You just have short legs because you’re short. And two! It's called aura, geezer!” The sword wielder whipped back with a huff of laughter to follow. Shedletsky was aware that they were within the same age range. Shedletsky knew they both were around the same age, but he found it amusing to mess with his friend.
“Who are you calling geezer? You know damn well I'm only four years older than you, Shed.” He responded with a playful bark in his voice. This was technically a lie, if he were to be honest with the other. His body never would age if he didn’t wish for it to. Suddenly, a soft ding echoed across the small compartment, letting the two know they had arrived at their destination.
The second floor’s initial purpose was for staff meetings. But the staff prioritize the floor's second use as a break room over its initial use.
The air in the break room was filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, beckoning Builderman, drawing him away from Shedletsky. They parted ways, Shedletsky heading to confer with the other administrators, while Builderman hurried toward a compact space that mimicked a kitchen, though notably absent were an oven and common cooking implements. It contained the essentials to reheat and store food.
Builderman started cleaning the old coffee grounds out of the machine. Having known his workers for so long, he knew they were frustratingly absentminded with cleaning out the coffee machine; he let out a barely noticeable sigh. It was probably Shedletsky’s doing.
He began carefully filling the machine with a filter and grounds and pressed the start button. A second passes, and the machine still has not started its process. Taking a second glance at the machine, he spots the blinking light that indicates that the machine requires water. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, he let out a frustrated groan.
“Good morning, my friend. It seems as if Shedletsky forgot to fill the water again?” A voice of his friend spoke from behind. Builderman let out a yelp that was very unusual for the creator. He spun around in place to see Dusekarr—who was already holding out a cup of water for his boss to take and peering down at him with a solemn, knowing look. Builderman took the cup with a curt nod. Quickly turning back around towards the coffee machine with the cup the other offered. Hiding his frown and tinge of embarrassment that was apparent on his complexion, hoping that Dusekkar would see his visible discomfort and not comment on his reaction, Dusekkar knew him since way before Robloxia had existed. And so he knew how to read his face better than most in this room; the admin was also prone to being the therapist of the group. Which was concerning for the CEO because he’d rather drop the topic as soon as he could.
Doombringer snorted at Builder’s reaction. “What was that about, Builds?” Builderman shifted in his spot, pouring the cup of water into the compartment of the coffee machine and starting the machine once again as a distraction. This time it was a success, and boiling water infused with coffee began pouring into his mug. The room started filling with more of the warm, relaxing aroma of coffee.
“I think he’s still a bit shaken up from the nightmare he had. Must’ve been a reeeal bad one too, cause he was crying in his sleep! I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cry in his sleep before.” Shedletsky chimed in, very helpful to Builderman’s already guilty case. The chatter of conversation that flowed inside the room, like the smell of coffee that persistently clung to the walls. Died out as quickly as blowing out a flame did. The sound of Builderman opening creamer packets and putting them in his drink was the only sound in the room for a few moments before the voice that started the conversation broke it.
“Builderman…?” Dusekkar spoke softly. Approaching his side opposite of the hand that held the freshly brewed coffee, as if he were a spooked animal. It was a question that went unspoken, but Builderman knew exactly what he was implying. After all, he was the only other person who knew Builderman never had nightmares unless they were about him.
Builderman sighed and scanned the room of confused, concerned faces briefly before turning to look at Dusekkar. “Yeah. It was. Meet me in my office later, please.” His voice became softer as he spoke.
Builderman turned his head down to avoid looking at everyone’s eyes—he knew for a fact—would be on him as he made his way back to the elevator hurriedly to avoid further prying.