Work Text:
A yellow-skinned woman knocked on the wooden door. The blinds attached to the window were closed, and mail was piling up against the entrance. It was obvious that whoever lived in the barren house wanted time by herself.
Despite that, a shaky voice called from the inside. “Come in, the door’s unlocked.”
Brighteyes scooped up the mail in her arms, deciding to help the resident out, even with such a mundane task. Using her free hand, she turned the doorknob, entering the home.
The admin was a common guest in Jane Doe’s home. But despite that, the sorrow that clung to the walls and the grief hanging in the air always surprised her. Papers and files were scattered all over the floor, leading a trail to their owner’s desk.
“Jane…” Brighteyes began, but she refused to look up. Jane was scribbling away on some pieces of printer paper while analyzing another. Brighteyes couldn’t make out what it contained, but she could easily guess it was about John Doe.
Both had experienced horrible suffering—the disappearance of their husbands. However, the former handled it much better, and that was also because Jane’s story was much worse.
Her partner was corrupted by leftover code that was entirely Builderman’s fault. Jane had tried to save him, but all attempts were futile, and he eventually succumbed to insanity.
Brighteyes sighed and grabbed her friend’s hand. “Please take a break, you won’t get anywhere without rest.” Jane finally looked up and hesitantly agreed, although she wasn’t entirely convinced of the reasoning. Still, Brighteyes managed to drag her to the couch, taking off the tattered hat and placing it on the coffee table.
Fingers ran through the long, pink hair as Jane Doe’s head rested on her lap. Humming, Brighteyes untangled the frizzy hair and restored the ponytail to a cleaner version. Jane had once been the most gorgeous woman in the Roblox HQ. But now her appearance was neglected, although no one could blame her for that.
”How have you been?” Brighteyes asked softly, although the answer was obvious.
Silence filled the space for a few moments. But it wasn’t the awkward type where neither party could see anything, but the one that invited sadness to fill the void.
”I don’t know…” she finally answered. “Sometimes I feel like I’m getting better. Like, I can finally be happy again without him. But the next second, that support collapses, and I’m spiraling again,” she solemnly said.
”I know I should be moving on, but the memories of him just cling to me. I don’t know how I can heal when he’s…” her voice trailed off, but her mouth remained open to finish her sentence. “Still with me.” Her voice was quiet—so quiet that if even the neighbor dropped something, you would’ve missed it—but Brighteyes heard it loud and clear.
The two sat in another limbo of stillness. ”You don’t have to forget him,” Brighteyes finally spoke up.
”What do you mean?” Jane rhetorically asked, not believing her. “I have to. I can’t bear to live while constantly thinking of us. All our memories together. The marriage, those little dates we went on, his weird habits that always amused me but in a charming way—they keep replaying in my head. They tie me down in a pit of despair and isolation,” she rambled away, grasping onto Brighteyes as if she, too, would slip away.
Tears spilled from her swollen eyes, and her words turned into broken sobs. Brighteyes wiped her face with her scarf that hung around her neck. She gently stroked her cheek as Jane released all her woes and sorrows.
”Shh, it’s okay… You’re safe here, I’m here for you,” she softly consoled, pulling her into a hug.
A few hours passed as Jane continued sobbing, nestled in Brighteyes’ arms. Night began to fall, and one could faintly see the glow of the moon through the covered windows.
Her sobs began to weaken, turning into hyperventilation. The soothing words and gentle caresses continued to calm her down, eventually leading to only a few sniffles, preventing complete silence.
Reaching for the bag she brought, she pulled out a small snack bar and held it out. “Just eat, it doesn’t have to be a lot.” But Jane made no motion to accept it. “For me?” she coaxed, and she reluctantly accepted.
Jane took small nibbles of the granola, chewing slowly. But Brighteyes waited patiently, completely understanding the severity of her status quo. “You’re strong, you know that?” she mumbled. She was amazed at how well Jane dealt with this and her determination to continue on no matter what.
Reaching halfway through the food, she set it down, signaling that she was done. Brighteyes smiled and praised her for at least eating, hoping it would encourage her.
Eventually, after sitting there together, one of them fell asleep, leaning against the other. Checking her watch, Brighteyes realized she should be heading back home soon. She picked up Jane’s frail body, carrying her to her bedroom.
She lay her on the bed. It was surprisingly in good order, with the bedsheets tucked in on the sides, like someone had made an effort to maintain it. Until she realized it was probably because Jane slept on her chair or somewhere else.
Brighteyes turned to leave when a hand reached out to pull her down. “Please… stay with me,” Jane begged in an unstable and sleepy voice. She couldn’t refuse this request and nodded.
Getting into bed, she pulled over the blanket that provided both of them warmth. Jane snuggled in close, her head resting on her chest, as Brighteyes held her.
Soon, both fell into a rhythmic breathing as they fell asleep. But still, they didn’t let go of each other and continued to cling on. Both had an unspoken understanding of each other, stemming from their unique situations that no one else could comprehend. They peacefully slept, basking in each other’s comforting presence.
”You know, ever since you came, the nightmares have gotten better,” Jane one day admitted, months after Brighteyes moved in. Along with that, she noticed she would smile more. They were still rare and infrequent, but at least she knew they were possible.
The first time she smiled since John Doe’s death was while watching a movie. An action one, to be exact, and it was Brighteyes’ favorite.
She had turned it on one day while bored, as Jane consumed herself in files and papers. She never questioned what they were about, but she had a vague idea it was about John, although she never knew what she did with them.
After microwaving some popcorn and pouring melted popcorn, Brighteyes plopped onto the couch and found it. It was a great movie to watch, especially when you were bored. It was like a comfort movie to her—predictable so she wouldn’t stress over it, but still charming and entertaining.
Jane initially came out to ask her to lower the volume, in which she complied to. The next time she came was to refill her coffee, and Brighteyes noticed her sneaking glances. Then, finally, she came out one last time, but without any clear motivation.
”The TV’s still loud.” Brighteyes reached for the remote, about to turn it down again, but Jane stopped her. “But I want to watch. It sounds interesting,” she explained and sat down, much to her surprise.
She didn’t mind popping another bag of popcorn or restarting the movie. To her, the longer she could keep herself stimulated, the better.
They watched the movie, Brighteyes explains some muddy parts while Jane made comments on the acting and editing, both good and bad. Even though they didn’t have a great time, Jane still didn’t smile. But Brighteyes didn’t really notice, because she was quite used to the stoic or depressed expression that was commonly worn.
But during the bloopers at the end, while she was laughing, she naturally glanced over and found a small curl on Jane’s lips. Brighteyes just smiled to herself and decided not to say anything yet.
Then came that one part where the actor misspoke, saying an entirely different word than he meant to. Normally, that would have been brushed over, and another shot would have instantly been retaken. But given the tense circumstances and the genuineness of his words, one could not help but burst out laughing.
Even though Jane didn’t, Brighteyes could have sworn she heard an amused sound from her.
She didn’t want to overwhelm her or make a huge deal about it. Brighteyes had to say something. ”You smiled. And laughed,” she pointed out.
She lightly chuckled. “Yeah. I guess I did,” she admitted. The two stared into each other’s eyes, the movie tuning out like background noise. They couldn’t help but notice the details of one another—admiring the other’s beauty.
Then slowly they began to lean into each other, their heads tilting to the right ever so slightly. They couldn’t help but feel each other’s warm breaths as their lips were about to touch, and Jane thought she smelled Brighteyes’ cherry lip balm.
Until suddenly Jane pulled away, and Brighteyes did the same. “We’re married… And I know they’re gone but…” She looked away in shame, not daring to meet her eyes.
”It just feels wrong,” the other finished for her. “I’m sorry for cornering you like that,” she apologized. She shouldn’t have said anything, and regretted her words and actions. She made her dear friend uncomfortable. Besides, there wasn’t anything between them, at least there wasn't supposed to be.
”And I’m sorry for letting it escalate,” she returned. “I’m- I’m going to go work,” Jane abruptly declared before leaving.
They never talked about the incident again, and thankfully, things went back to normal. Or at least, what Robloxians call “normal”, because nothing is ever normal in Robloxia.
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and Brighteyes came back from a busy morning of running errands. Jane usually greeted her warmly, but today was different.
The blinds were down again, even though she had convinced her to open them, claiming it would help her heal. Once again, she was consumed in her research and whatever she was doing.
”Hey, you alright?” Brighteyes asked, wrapping her arms around Jane’s shoulders. She nodded slowly, although the tear stains on her face told otherwise.
Brighteyes thought for a moment. “How about we go get ice cream?” she suggested, hoping that it would cheer her up. This would also be the first time Jane would go out in a very long time, and she wanted to make it fun.
”Alright…” Jane begrudgingly agreed and got up. She was about to insert a hatchet in her messenger bag when Brighteyes swiftly blocked her from doing so.
”Nope. You are NOT bringing that,” she protested. Jane gave her a skeptical look, so she pulled out her Rainbow Periastron Omega. The sword was a glimmering rainbow color, in classic Brighteyes style.
“Oh, so you’re allowed to bring THAT, but I can’t bring my hatchet?” she deadpanned, and Brighteyes just giggled.
They walked to the ice cream shop, with it just a few blocks away. Despite it only being months since Jane last had contact to the outside world, she acted like civilization had gone from a stone age to an iron age.
”Since when was that building over there?”
”It’s always been there, you just never noticed.”
”Oh.”
Eventually, they arrived at the parlor. It was a vintage-looking store that rang a bell when you opened the door. It was beautifully decorated with colors exploding and banners hanging everywhere.
”Hello! My name is Alliet, and how can I help you?” the man, seemingly in his early twenties, asked. Wasn’t there a former pizza place worker who went by a similar name? Strange coincidence.
”What do you want?” Brighteyes inquired, gazing at the menu handwritten with chalk on a blackboard, given specific shades and hues for the associated flavor.
After a long pause, she finally answered, “Strawberry sounds yummy.” Of course it did, Brighteyes had quickly learned that Jane adored anything strawberry-flavored.
”Okay then, one cookies and cream and a strawberry, please,” she informed the cashier.
”I’ll pay for mine,” Jane volunteered, searching her bag to pull out her card. But it was already too late, as Brighteyes just finished signing her name on the terminal.
They agreed to sit outside on a bench next to each other, as the weather was beautiful. The patio was decorated with flowers and strung with fairy lights, although we’re currently off.
”We should come back when it’s dark. That way the lights will be on,” Brighteyes suggested.
They ate their ice cream, both enjoying it while they talked about life, hobbies—everything they could fit into their dessert.
”May I try yours?” Jane suddenly asked, looking at the cookies and cream. She nodded. But instead of using Jan’s spoon, she scooped up some using hers and gave it.
She ate it quietly, judging it and assessing the chocolatey flavor that the vanilla balanced, completed by the crunchiness. “Hm, this is good,” she expressed delightfully.
”Can I try yours?” Brighteyes returned, and she nodded. She shoved a spoonful in her mouth.
Compared to Jane’s introspective thought, Brighteyes didn’t need to compare and contrast and announced gleefully that it tasted amazing. “Wait, this is actually so good, not gonna lie.”
Despite all the enjoyment they had, Jane still seemed sad, perhaps even worse than earlier.
“You’ve got some ice cream on your lips,” Brighteyes pointed it out. “I’ll wipe it for you,” she offered. But instead of cleaning it with a napkin, she leaned in and gave a quick peck.
Instantly pulling away, she immediately rued her actions. Hadn’t she learned not to try to kiss her?
”I-I’m sorry. I know, I shouldn’t have done that. It was impulsive,” she apologized. Both of their faces were burning from what she had just done. Jane was more stunned than anything, but didn’t get up to leave.
Instead, she just grabbed her shoulders and pressed her lips against Brighteyes’. She didn’t pull away, because who in the right mind wouldn’t kiss their fucking crush?? and kissed her back.
Their lips still had traces of ice cream that blended into a cookies-and-cream-strawberry flavor. Jane seemed calm, although her racing heart told otherwise. Brighteyes’ breath was shaky, surprised, and excited at the same time.
Her hands lingered in the air until she found Jane’s waist and wrapped her arms around it.
When they pulled away, Brighteyes couldn’t help but laugh, not believing what they just did.
”Brighteyes,” Jane began in a more serious tone once she calmed down. “I wasn’t frowning over John earlier.” Brighteyes looked out of her curiously. “What it was, is that I’m scared.”
”Of what? You know I’ll always protect you,” Brighteyes ensured, about to pull out her sword, when a hand blocked her.
”That’s… exactly why. Every time you talk to me, I feel this fluttering feeling in my heart. When you look at me, there’s this kind of feeling that wells up in my chest. The same way I felt with John right before we started dating,” she confessed.
“This weird feeling-“
”Love,” Brighteyes whispered, interrupting her. “I feel the same way towards you,” she acknowledged in a hushed voice.
”I know we shouldn’t. We’re married and everything…” she trailed off.
Brighteyes just held their gaze, in hopes of providing some sort of comfort. “But I think they’d want us to find love again. If they were here, they wouldn’t want us to live in grief forever. If we’re happy, then we’re honoring them, not by just clinging onto memories, but continuing on in life,” she reassured, and Jane didn’t object.
”They’d want this for us,” Jane whispered in realization, her eyes glowing.
They leaned in to each other again and didn’t pull away. Not now, not never. Their lips met again, with the knowledge that everything would be alright, and their consent to moving on.
The kiss was sweet—not as messy as their first. Jane snaked her arms around Brighteyes’ neck as they melted into each other.
Everything was rushing around them, and they grabbed each other like they would disappear if they didn’t.
Their hearts pounded against their ribcages, like they wanted to escape in the heat of the moment. The world seemed to come to a halt and focus the spotlight just on them. That any other problems or people didn’t matter. All they cared about was the love that was suspended in the air between them.
Warmth, that sweet feeling, filled their chests, something neither of them had felt in a long time.
Neither could believe what was happening, but they didn’t want to let go either.
Eventually, they had to pull away, their breaths shaky as they reminisced about what just happened. They stared lovingly into each other’s eyes, not daring to break what they had delicately built.
”I love you.”