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TPOT ended a while back, leading most of the contestants to explore goiky or join a different contest. Along with the show ending, Two after 2762 days of trial and error managed to convince One to bring back the contestants she forced under a contract (besides Pencil), this occurring alongside Four eventually getting out of the moon with X’s help.
This lead to, of course, the contracted contestants reuniting with everyone else, including Gaty and Two.
~
The two stood in front of each other, stretch marks across Two’s body where they had shoved their limbs down to make them smaller after being so depressed for a year that they grew. Their clothes were not as messy as they were a year ago, but not as put together since the two last saw each other.
Gaty immediately noticed this, her periwinkle hair dye slightly faded, revealing the brown hair that only appeared on the top beforehand and small scars on her body from the day she got eliminated.
Two hesitated for a moment before running up to Gaty and hugging her, their grip tight as if she’d disappear once they let go, tears flooded their eyes and their lips quivered “I thought you’d be gone forever. I missed you so much. I’m so glad you’re back.”
Gaty froze, hugging Two back, smiling “I missed you too.”
The two hugged in silence for a few minutes, the only thing breaking said silence was Two’s sniffling from crying.
Gaty wiped their eyes “Wanna catch up? We can sit under the stars..” She smiled, grabbing their hands and lightly squeezing them, “If you want, of course.”
Two thought for a moment, smiling back at Gaty “Yeah.. That sounds great.”
The two began walking to a nearby hill, sitting down at the top of it, right next to each other.
“I miss this” Gaty spoke up after a few minutes, looking at Two rather than looking at the stars, the night sky illuminated their green hair perfectly, like they had put glitter in their hair just for the sake of matching an episode challenge. She always found it fun when they did that. These goofy, colorful outfits for every single challenge that the show had really reflected their personality in the best way possible.
“I do too” Two replied, doing the same thing that Gaty was, looking at her rather than the stars, hesitating before gently gracing their hand through her hair, causing her to lean into their touch.
Two’s face flushed at the sight of it, their entire body feeling like it was heating up, but they hoped that it wasn’t too noticeable.
Gaty noticed Two’s flushed face and quietly laughed before turning on her back and looking at the stars.
Two eventually did the same, hoping that looking at the stars would distract them from their mind yelling at them for what had just happened it didn’t help, like at all
The silence between the two stretched, but it was no where near the heavy kind both of them had gotten used to. This felt.. softer, like the part of a romance movie where the main character and the love interest are about to kiss. Like something fragile that neither of them wanted to break any more than it already had after One came in and separated the two.
A soft breeze rolled across the hill, gently tugging at their hair. Gary exhaled after a few minutes, steady, like she was finally letting something she had treasured go. “You changed,” she said quietly, looking up at the stars.
Two tensed at the statement “Is that a bad thing?”
Gary shook her head, turning to them with one of her hands against her ear like she was about to fall asleep. “No, not at all. It’s just.. different, y’know?” She paused, searching for how to phrase what she wanted to say “You feel.. smaller. Not physically, well” She laughed “that too, actually, but I don’t know. Quieter, I suppose.”
Two stared up at the sky, the grin they wore when the show was still running nowhere to be found, as if the statement broke their host-facade “I had a lot of time to reflect about specific things”
“Yeah” Gaty murmured, turning her head back towards the sky. “I did too”
Another pause. The stars seemed brighter the longer they looked at them, scattered across the sky like something carefully placed rather than random, som placed close enough to make constellations, but that’s not out of the ordinary. Watching the stars was like watching and pointing at clouds that looked like specific things.
“I thought I broke everything,” Two admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “When you were gone. When half of the contestants were gone.” Their hands clenched slightly in the grass. “I kept thinking.. if I had just done things differently, or changed the votes to prevent your elimination last minute, or listen to the other contestants more, or-“
“Hey.” Gaty turned her head, cutting them off. “You didn’t break everything.”
Two laughed weakly. “It kinda looks like I did.”
Gaty pushed herself up onto her elbows, looking down at them. “But you fixed it. Well.. you tried to.” She softened a bit. “That counts for something.”
Two blinked, glancing over at her. “You really think so?”
“I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.”
That seemed to hit harder than anything else. Two’s expression shifted, something unreadable passing through their eyes before they looked away again. “I was scared that you’d hate me.”
Gaty went still, giving Two a worried look. For a moment, she didn’t respond. The breeze picked up again, louder this time, filling the space where her answer should’ve been.
“I didn’t” she said finally.
Two’s breath caught.
“It wasn’t your fault any of that happened” Gaty added quickly, sitting up fully now. “I was hurt. And confused. But none of that is your fault, Two. You weren’t there.” She pulled her knees closer to her chest. “But I don’t hate you. I could never hate you.”
Two slowly turned to face her again, searching her expression like they didn’t quite believe it.
“Why?”
Gaty shrugged lightly. “Because you’re still you.” A small smile tugged at her face. “And because you came back for us.”
Two stared at her for a long moment, then let out a shaky breath, something in their shoulders finally relaxing. “Thanks,” they said quietly.
Gaty leaned back again, this time a little closer to them than before, not quite touching, but close enough that it felt intentional. “Don’t make it weird,” she teased.
Two let out a small laugh, the first real one since they got there. “I’m trying not to.”
They fell into silence again, but this time it felt easier. Lighter.
After a while, Gaty spoke up again. “Hey, Two?” When you bake a cake decorate it take it to the players who are safe
“Yeah?”
She hesitated, then glanced over at them. “Next time something like this happens,” she started, then paused, correcting herself. “Actually.. when something goes wrong again.”
Two groaned softly. “Wow, optimistic.”
Gaty smirked. “You know I’m right.”
“…Yeah,” they admitted.
She nudged their arm lightly. “Just don’t try to handle it alone, okay?”
Two looked at her, then nodded. They knew she was right. They couldn’t handle the first time this happened alone, why would they be able to handle it a second time? “Okay.”
And this time, when the silence returned, neither of them felt the need to fill it.
A few minutes pass and a shooting star cut across the sky, Gaty noticing it first, her eyes widening slightly as the streak of light brightly burned for a moment before fading into nothing “Oh.” She took a deep breath, sitting up a little “Did you see that?”
Tow blinked, their head turning rather quickly. “What? No. Did something happen?”
“Nothing, just a shooting star”
Two pushed themselves up with their elbows, glancing around as if they’d catch it at the last possible second “You didn’t point it out.” They muttered, a hint of playful disappointment in their voice
“You would’ve missed it even if I did “Gaty teased, laughing “It went by really fast”
Two huffed in an overdramatic way, then flopped back onto the grass “Rude”
Gary quietly laughed, much softer than before, but more natural, easier.
There was a small pause before Two spoke up again. “Did you make a wish?”
Gaty froze, their head turning question hung in the air longer than it should’ve. She stared at the sky again, but she wasn’t really looking at anything “Maybe” she eventually said.
Two slightly turned their head, watching her, admiring her, but that part wasn’t something they’d want to admit. “You’re supposed to tell me if you want it to come true.”
“That’s not how that works,” Gaty replied, though there was a faint smile in her voice.
“Pretty sure it is.”
“Pretty sure it’s not.”
Two let out a small laugh, then went quiet again. But this silence felt different, curious, almost.
“Was it about me?” they asked, more hesitant this time.
Gaty’s breath hitched, barely noticeable, but enough. “You’re really bad at this whole ‘subtle’ thing,” she muttered.
Two winced slightly. “I can take it back.”
“No,” Gaty cut in quickly. Then, quieter, “Don’t.”
That alone was enough to make Two pause.
Gaty sat up fully now, pulling her knees in again, but this time she didn’t hide behind them. She just held them there, like she needed something to ground herself. “I didn’t have time to make a wish,” she admitted.
“But if I did…” She trailed off.
Two slowly sat up as well, facing her more directly now. “If you did?”
Gaty glanced at them, then away again just as quickly.
“I probably would’ve wished that things stayed like this,” she said.
Two blinked. “Like what?”
Gaty gestured vaguely between them. “This… us, not.. fuck uhm,” she struggled for a second, “n..not losing each other again. Not having everything get messed up.”
Two’s expression softened, something almost fragile settling in their eyes.
“Yeah..” they said quietly. “I think I would’ve wished for that too.”
The words settled between them, heavier than expected, but not in a bad way.
Gaty let out a small breath, some of the tension leaving her shoulders as she looked at Two. Both of them locking eyes for a moment. “Good, at least we’re on the same page.”
Two smiled faintly. “That’s new.”
“Hey!” Gaty snickered
“I’m kidding,” two added quickly, holding their hands up in surrender.
Gaty rolled her eyes, but there was no bite to it.
Another breeze passed through, stronger this time. Without really thinking about it, Gaty leaned slightly toward Two, just enough that their shoulders brushed, neither of them moved away.
Two went still for a moment, like they were afraid even breathing wrong might ruin it, but when Gaty didn’t pull back, they relaxed.. just a little. Enjoying the moment, Gaty in their arms, their both back together, they loved it, and they hoped she did too
“Gaty?..” they said softly.
“Yeah?”
Two hesitated. Their mind raced again, a hundred different thoughts crashing into each other all at once, don’t mess this up, don’t say the wrong thing, just be normal for once you depressed freak. Just be normal, don’t be weird like you were with Eight, just say something normal.
“I..” they started, quickly cutting themself off.
Gaty turned her head, raising an eyebrow slightly. “You what?”
Two laughed nervously, murmuring to themself “Yeah, I regret that immediately.”
Gaty nudged them lightly with her shoulder. “Come on. Say it.”
Two exhaled slowly, trying to steady themselves.
“I really am sorry,” they said finally. “For everything. Not just what happened, but how I handled it.”
Gaty’s expression softened again.
“I know you said it wasn’t my fault,” Two continued, looking down at their hands now, “but I still feel like I should’ve been better. For you. For everyone.”
Gaty watched them for a moment before responding, lightly grabbing their hands “You’re here now,” she said.
Two looked up slightly.
“That’s what matters,” she added. “You’re trying now.”
Two held her gaze for a second, then nodded.
“Yeah.”
A quiet calm settled over them again, but this time it felt more certain, less fragile.
Gaty shifted slightly, then, after a brief moment of hesitation, rested her head against Two’s shoulder.
Two completely froze. For a split second, they weren’t even sure what to do. Their brain short-circuited, and their cheeks turned a light pink at the realization, every thought scattering at once.
But then, slowly, carefully, they leaned their head just slightly against hers, neither of them said anything, they didn’t need to, above them, the stars stretched endlessly across the sky, unchanged, unmoving.
Gaty was also the one to break the quiet “You haven’t seen all of goiky, have you?” A curious tone lingered over her voice
Two laughed “No, I haven’t. Why, what’s up?”
Gaty smiled “We should go sometime. Just the two of us, take a break for a while, y’know?”
Two smiled back “Yeah, sounds fun,” their brain short-circuited again, their cheeks a flush red as they tried to cover it with their hands
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, clinging onto each other in their arms, the night sky washing over them. Gaty was asleep, her head leaning against Two’s shoulder and her arms around their waist.
Two smiled, carefully running their finger through her hair and slowly moving their back to the grass, taking in the warmth of the moment. Everything slowed, faded even, like it was just the two of them in the world, something Two felt anytime they talked, but this was different. They weren’t siting on the couch and talking during a challenge, they weren’t talking until night fall and lying in the same bed until morning but not so often for the others to question it. Too often anyway. Closest thing to questioning was Gaty just being a distraction object for her team.
Two carefully stood up, Gaty still in their arms as they slowly snapped their fingers to teleport the two of them to their room
~
Once they got there, Two carefully set Gaty under the covers and joined her after a moment of quiet admiration, brushing their hand through her hair again. Then they hesitated before lightly kissing her forehead, hoping it wouldn’t wake her up. They smiled when it didn’t, moving their hand to her waist and eventually falling asleep or at least trying to
~
Long story short, they didn’t get any sleep, their brain sent off a million signals and scenarios went off in their head, but they didn’t move, they just held onto her, as if letting go would loosen the moment and bring them back into the reality they despised.
Stay still. Don’t be weird. Just be normal. They quietly told themself, even if they were failing miserably at it
~
Gaty woke up within a few hours, not much shock across her face when she realized that she was in Two’s room, this sort of thing has happened before, she was used to it happening when they talked ‘till nightfall “Morning Two..” She rubbed her eyes, leaning further against them
“Morning Gaty” They smiled, gently stroking her hair again
A few minutes pass Two slowly sat up before Gaty lightly tugged on their waist, so they laid back down
“Mmmmm.” She grumbled
“It’s 8am” Two laughed
“So? It’s not like we have challenges to do anymore”
“Right” Two replied, their hand moving to be on Gaty’s waist again, the room remained silent besides from the quiet humming noises from outside
The two ended up getting out of bed within the next hour or so, deciding to go back to the hill they were laying on the night before, sitting in silence after the next few minutes
“Gaty” Two began, Gaty looked up at them “Are you still wanting to go on that Goiky trip you mentioned?”
Gaty laughed “I brought it up because you’ve only seen North(?) Goiky since you hosted here”
Two smiled, lightly holding Gaty’s hand “Lead the way then”