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Spoke was an idiot.
An absolute idiot to say the least. What was he thinking?? Deciding to go hunting supplies without Mapicc?? Mapicc himself had offered to go gather more resources given that the two were low. But Spoke denied it because he can handle whatever by himself.
But that was in fact, not the case at all. As now here he was, sprinting through the forests, dodging each of Leo’s shout. He mentally curses at himself, for not being better prepared. Was he seriously gonna die like this?
Suddenly an arrow wisps by, narrowly missing Spokes head by a long shot. He stiffens at the realization- That he was coming a little too close to death for his liking. But it's fine because Spoke isn't gonna die here. He refuses too-
A totem pops. And it's his totem.
Panic surges through him as he quickly pulls out his inventory, searching for a second totem to equip which he thankfully does find. Spoke continues to run, dodging any arrows from Leo while maneuvering around the tall trees. He’s ahead thankfully but he knows it won’t be long before the snow leopard catches up- He’s fast and him being in a taiga biome whilst it’s snowing doesn’t make his situation any better.
But it’s fine- It’s fine because Spoke has a trap that’ll definitely kill Leo- So long as he gets there in time. So he keeps running, eyes glimpsing over to the hologram in front of him as he checks his coordinates. 100 more, that’s it just run a bit longer and everything will be fine-
Suddenly a pearl is tossed before him and before he can react even a little bit, Leo appears before him. The voidling quickly backtracks, stumbling over his two feet. Leowo0k takes it as an opportunity, tossing a rail to the ground, followed by a TNT cart and then pulling out his crossbow and-
A loud explosion emits between the two of them as Spoke is launched back, his body hitting a tree behind him. He gasps loudly, coughing as blood dribbles from his mouth. He quickly reaches for his totem- Eyes widening as he realizes that it’s popped. And just in his luck, that’s his last totem. He curses quietly, hands gripping at the snowy ground as he tries to lift himself up but fails when Leo’s boots step hard on his fingers. He winces, shifting back as he tries to escape- The other man grabs his chin, harshly gripping and forcing their eyes to meet. Spoke’s white scleras meet Leo’s piercing amber eyes that glint with malice as a smirk slowly slips on his mouth.
“Oh Spoke, Spoke.. you ran out of tricks?”
He mocks, laughing, Spoke scoffs, rolling his eyes.
“Leo, please we can-”
“Oh absolutely not- You are in no way getting out of this. Do you know the damage you costed? This whole little stunt you’ve pulled has put practically the entire BAT organization in shambles”
He spits, grip tightening causing Spoke to grunt as his tongue absorbs the metallic taste beginning to settle in his mouth.
“I’m telling you- I didn’t kill those spies-”
He grits out only for Leo to slam his head against the tree, causing him to whine.
“Don’t fucking play that shit with me Spoke. I’m going to kill you- I don’t care what justice bullshit Jumper believes in! You caused enough harm, I’m gonna kill you and maybe I’ll kill Mapicc and that family-”
Suddenly a totem pop echoes throughout the forest, Leo’s once tight grasp unlatching within seconds. Spoke’s eyes widen as he stares at the man, hunched over, gripping his chest as blood seeps into his suit- a singular arrow sticking out. Leo turns around, to see where the godly arrow came from. Spoke follows as well, peeking his head to the side to see a figure within the snow and mist. He raises a brow, squinting as he tries to make out the person better.
It only becomes clearer when the player stands just a few feet away from him and Leo. His navy blue cape dragging behind him, his white hair scaling down his face, matching the same shade as the snow- And most importantly, his emerald green armor shining brightly through the mist. Spoke makes out each feature, slowly, carefully- Afraid maybe he was all wrong- Because no way it was his former best friend standing before him.
But it’s exactly that, looking the same as when he first left Spoke that day. That disastrous day that forever haunted the voidling.
Leo’s face scrunches up at the other, visibly confused as he holds out another totem before yanking the arrow out of his chest which only makes Spoke gag.
“Who the hell are you?”
He shouts, unsheathing his sword as he points it at the unknown player. Not unknown to Spoke obviously but to Leo.
“I’m gonna ask you this once, step away from Spoke.”
Jamatop states, his gaze remaining fixated on Leowo0k with a calculated expression. His posture is straight, his stance firm as he holds his bow in front of him. Leo stares at him, glancing over to Spoke for a mere moment before chuckling.
“Or what?”
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Silence fills the air, only Spoke’s heavy breathing and the soft bristle of the leaves being heard. Jamatop steps closer, a simple sigh escaping his lips as he raises his bow up, stretching the string out.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Before either Spoke and Leo can process Jamatop’s warning, a second totem pop is heard from Leo yet again. He quickly rushes off to the side, confused and a bit panicked as he pulls another one out.
“How the hell are you doing that!?”
He exclaims, launching at Jamatop, swinging his sword at him. Jamatop however moves faster, dodging Leo’s blade within an instant. The snow leopard fumbles before quickly regaining his balance. His technique switches back to his TNT carts, placing rails and firing. Spoke can’t help the panic that surges through him at the sight as he hastily attempts at getting up once more. But he’s only met with sharp and throbbing pain at his ribs causing him to slump back against the tree behind him. He winces, holding his stomach in agony as he watches the fight go out.
Jamatop wasn’t much of a fighter and neither was Spoke but the two could hold their ground to some degree. His former best friend however seemed to have improve, his agility becoming far more better as he gracefully maneuvered around Leo’s cart pvp, occasionally getting a few hits in here and there. Spoke watched in utter awe and amazement, eyes glimmering as his friend survived each and every attack.
Leo began to visibly get more and more agitated, brows furrowing tightly as the fur on his body began to stick up. He switched to his sword, slashing it at Jamatop who swiftly moved around it before aiming his bow at the man and shooting.
The arrow purged through Leowo0ks stomach, his totem popping shortly after before he pulled his stasis, disappearing within an instant. Spoke rolled his eyes at the sight, he’s not surprised Leo would stasis out, it was practically his lifestyle at this point. The voidling’s eyes however wandered to Jamatop who began waltzing over to him. He moved back, pressing further against the tree, Jamatop wasn’t going to kill him right?
“Hey Jamatop- Long time no see!”
He chirped, awkwardly laughing. The other squatted down, Jamatop’s dark inky eyes meeting Spoke’s milky white ones. Spoke blinked, hoping to disperser the others emotions- Was he mad?
Jamatop then blinked before sighing.
“How’d you get yourself into this predicament?”
He murmured, sounding a bit annoyed. Spoke just laughed as he always does only to wince at the pain.
“Y-Y’know me..”
He utters out, chest tightening. Jamatop’s gaze softens as he sits on his knees, beginning to pull out a few items.
“Eat this.”
He then demands, shoving an enchanted golden apple into Spoke’s hand. He gasps lightly, eyes widening at the sight.
“Woah, enchanted gap!?”
He exclaims amazed before eagerly taking a bite out of the fruit. The tastes settles sweetly in his mouth and he can feel the pain begin to waver away. He let’s out a contented sigh before continuing to munch happily on the apple. Jamatop stares at him, smiling gently before rolling his eyes. The man then shuffles around, pulling out a healing potion. He examines Spoke’s body, trying to find the source of his pain before locking eyes on his stomach, bleeding with open wounds. He grimaces at the sight before popping off the cork of the bottle and pouring it down onto the injury. Spoke flinches, shivering at the cool sensation before settling back down.
It takes a bit for Jamatop to fully tend all of Spoke’s wounds, the man wanting to make sure they didn’t open up at all. Each time he found a new injury, he’d simply sigh before fixing it up. Spoke quietly watched, unsure of what to say. What was his old best friend doing here? How did he find him? Why did he come save him? How did he even know where he was?He decided not to question, not yet at least.
Jamatop finishes wrapping the final bandage on his arm before letting out a very exaggerated huff, closing his eyes.“Spoke, do you realize how dangerous that was?”
He lectures, pinching the bridge of his nose. Spoke stares at the other before chuckling, waving him off.
“Hey, c’mon! You know me, I was gonna get out of eventually-”
“"And how were you going to do that?”
Jamatop questions, leaning in closer. Spoke glances off, crossing his arms as he pouts.
“I was gonna figure it out!”
“Right.”
Jamatop runs a hand through his hair before standing up, sticking his hand out for Spoke to grab which he does. It’s a slight struggle but he manages, leaning on the taller man for support.
“Hop on my back.”
Jamatop orders, Spoke hesitates but does as told, hopping on the others back as he holds on tightly. Jamatop begins walking off, boots crunching against the snow that begins to pile up. Spoke glances about, feeling the cold speckles hitting his skin as he’s carried.
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“So..why are you here..?”
He asks, evidently confused. Jamatop doesn’t reply instantly which makes Spoke worried until he speaks up.
“I came here for you.”He replies, Spoke can’t deny the way his tail wags at the idea, perking up.
“Really?”
“Yeah, why else?”
“I don’t know..I just thought I’d never see you again after..”
He trails off, frowning as he presses his face against Jamatops back.
The air runs silent once more, unanswered questions lingering gently in the air as Jamatop makes his way through the dense forest.
“I know..I’m sorry about that. I know I shouldn’t have left you then.”
He murmurs, voice quieter. Spoke shakes his head at the mans words.
“No, it’s my fault. You were right..about the exploits. I understand why you left.”
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.
.
“We’re still chill, right..?”
Spoke peeps out, almost afraid as he wholeheartedly expects a rejection but-
“Yeah, we’re cool.”
He doesn’t get one.
Jamatop’s voice is soft, so soft and warm that Spoke could practically melt in it. God he’s missed that voice so bad- so fucking bad. Tears welling up at the corner of his eyes, he silently berating himself for being so sensitive but he can’t help it-
Jamatop fingers rest on his legs, gently caressing it as he holds him up. He doesn’t make a comment regarding Spoke crying neither one on his tears leaking into his clothing. He knows Spoke isn’t much of a crier, constantly covering it up with laughs, smiles and jokes. So when Spoke cries, he knows it’s because he needs to.
And in all honesty, he tears up a bit at the sound of his old best friend just crumbling behind him. Each moment apart from Spoke was more and more agonizing as time went on. And he’s oh so desperately craved the comfort and embrace of his best friend since being gone. And to finally have it- To see him, all grown up and to hear him is so relieving for Jamatop.
But he knows he can’t stay for long, for his own sake, he can’t.
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A few days pass, too many for Jamatops liking and too little for Spoke’s liking.
When the two get to Spoke and Mapicc’s base, Spoke gets an earful from his best friend for taking so long only to switch up and quickly gets defensive regarding Jamatop. The tension however doesn’t last long, disappointing in only a day as the two share the same concern and protectiveness over Spoke thus leading to them becoming closer. And even beyond that, the two still remain fairly close with one another. Jamatop can definitely see why him and Spoke are best friends, he smiles at the thought because he knows Spoke’s safe. The three become a bit of a trio and Spoke absolutely adores it, having his two best friends with him is the best thing possible for him.
It’s not all very peaceful however and Jamatop quickly learns that.
He should’ve known, given BAT and the Law but he severely underestimated their violent actions. Especially towards the duo he’s gotten accustomed to.
Only when Jamatop meets Zam does he truly realize what he’s getting himself into.
And how he wants no part in it.
So that leads him to now, standing with Spoke, Mapicc and Zam as the three all discuss the next plan of action for BAT. Jamatop stands afar, leaning against the wall as he fidgets lightly with the necklace Spoke had given him a few days back, the pendent is a bright gradient of blue and purple that smoothly blend into one another. It’s pretty, he admits that, he enjoys seeing the way it glints in the sunlight.
“Jamatop, you listening man?”
Mapicc calls out, pulling him from his thoughts. He looks up to see the three staring at him with confused expressions, he blinks before letting out a soft hum in reply. The attention quickly diverts off as Zam continues talking, gesturing around as she tries to comprise a plan. Spoke’s gaze however stays stuck on Jamatop, tilting his head a bit.
‘You good?’
He mouths out, Jamatop pauses before nodding as he throws a thumbs up. Spoke doesn’t easily take the bait but reluctantly looks away when he realizes he’s missed what his two friends were saying.
‘I need to leave.’
Is the unfortunate thought that crosses Jamatop’s mind as he watches his new friends interact.
As much as he doesn’t want to leave Spoke for the second time, he’s not built for the live here on the main server. Far off, back home is where he’s better accustomed to.
When the meeting digresses does Jamatop makes his move, he makes sure his shulkers and enderchests are fully organized along with his inventory. With the Law taking vast control of the server, he doesn’t doubt that he’ll bump into a few of them when making his way back home. He needs to make his exit quick, easy and without any trouble. He knows the three will question him leaving and he rather not deal with that.He shuffles through his enderchest one last time, double checking each and every slot for the third time, wanting to make sure he had everything he needed-
His thoughts slow down once he hears footsteps coming closer from behind. He frowns, tightly shutting his eyes before huffing as he turns around to see none other than Spoke who fiddles with his hands, visibly nervous.
“Hey Jamatop- I wanted to ask, are you okay? You seemed pretty off at the meeting- I mean, if you have a better plan I’m willing to listen! I know it’s not the best neither safest but it’s something-”
He stumbles out, motioning his hands around as his figure wavers in and out of existence. Jamatop lets out a quiet sigh, stepping closer as he gently grabs the others hands, soothing them.
“Your plan is fine Spoke.”
“Oh, oh good! You had me nervous and-”
“Spoke, I can’t join you on this plan.”
He states, cutting off the other. The voidling blinks, once then twice before laughing as he tilts his head.
“I- Uh, what do you mean? I know we didn’t really give you a proper role- “
“Spoke.”
“But you can still help out and stuff-!”
“Spoke-”
“I mean, we’ll keep you safe! You know how good Mapicc and Zam are at fighting-!!”
“Spoke!”
He exclaims, voice firmer as Spoke quickly quiets down, shrinking in on himself. Jamatop frowns at the sight, his eyes softening as a slow and steady breath escapes his lips.
“I’m not joining you in this- Or anything in the future. I’m going to leave..”
He says, trying to make his voice as gentle and considerate as possible. Spoke stares at Jamatop, processing his words. The man mentally counts in his head as to when Spoke was going to flip-
“YOU'RE LEAVING!?”
He shouts, a taken back as he rushes closer to Jamatop, grabbing his arms. Jamatop watches quietly as the man panics, the edges of his body conjuring all over the place as his pure eyes bore into his.
“D-did I do something!? I thought we were okay?? You said we were okay!”
Spoke exclaims, confused as his grip tightens on Jamatop. He winces but doesn’t pull away, his hands reaching up to Spoke’s arms, trying to ease the man.
“We are okay Spoke, you didn’t do anything wrong-”
“But you’re leaving, why!?”
“I can’t do this Spoke- Be in the main server, with the crowd and chaos. Mixed with all this destruction and rivalry- This is the reason why I ran away originally. I only came back to save you, Spoke.”
He states, hoping to get through the voidlings mind. He shakes his head, backing away as tears slip from his eyes.
“No- Jamatop, please, you can’t leave me again. I finally got you back- I finally got to see you again and you’re just gonna what- Leave me here again?”
He shouts, Jamatop winces at his words before rubbing his head with his hand, unsure of what more to say- He was never good with this sort of stuff.
“Spoke..I..’
He pauses, trying to find the right words but nothing comes out. Spoke just looks at him with such a sorrowful expression the physically pains his heart. But he knows this is for the best, for the two of them
“I’m sorry.”
He adds, Spoke steps closer before launching himself onto Jamatop. He stumbles back before steadying himself, holding Spoke gently.
“Y-you can’t leave me- Please, please Jamatop- I’ll keep you safe, I won’t do anything troubling for you- We can go somewhere far!”
He cries out, weeping in his arms as his body trembles. Jamatop bites back his own emotions, staring up at the bright ceiling of the room, trying to relax himself. His hands rub the shorter one’s back, hoping to ease the other.
“Spoke, we both know that’s not you. You wouldn’t enjoy that. You need to keep moving, jump into action and be out there.”
He murmurs, sighing softly as Spoke continues to cry, hugging tighter than before.
“I-I’ll change- Please Jamatop..”
He doesn’t respond, simply shushing the other as his breathing quickens and heaves.
“Breathe for me Spoke..”
He whispers, frowning at the sight. Spoke’s legs tremble, ready to give out, Jamatop notices it as he begins slowly sinking himself to the ground, bringing the other down with him. Spoke practically throws all of his weight onto Jamatop, burying his face deep into his shoulder. Jamatop consoles the other, gently rocking him back and forth as he sniffles.
It feels weird knowing how to comfort someone automatically despite it being two years at this point.
Despite it being so long, Jamatop still knows how comfort Spoke.
The voidlings figure begins to flicker, the quivering settling down as Spoke slouches against Jamatop.
He sighs upon hearing the light snores emitting from Spoke before gently picking him up and carrying him in his arms. He makes his way to Spoke’s room, kicking the door open as he settles his best friend in the comfort of his bed. Spoke shuffles around lightly before easing into the mattress, letting out a soft contented hum. Jamatop smiles out of relief before turning away, he should leave now-
“Jamatop- Don’t go, please-”
Spoke whines out, voice all groggy as his hands latch onto his cloak. Jamatop freezes within an instant, watching as Spoke’s grip tightens onto the fabric. He glances off before letting out a groan.
Why does Spoke have to make it so hard for him to leave?
It doesn’t take long before he lifts the covers up, shimmying his way into the bed with Spoke. The voidling instantly latches himself onto Jamatop, digging himself into his chest. Jamatop sighs quietly, resting his chin on Spoke’s head.
He wishes Spoke wasn't so attached and clingy.
It would make leaving so much easier.
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.
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But there's not much he can do now, might as well just relax.
He thinks to himself, letting his body slowly unravel, tension beginning to leave his body. His fingers slowly travel up to Spoke’s hair, tenderly playing with it, letting his hands run through the black curls.
He always liked playing with his hair when they were younger.
He frowns at the thought, pondering for a moment before closing his eyes. His hands still idly play with his hair, listening to Spoke’s soft breathing and quiet murmurs as he sleeps. Soon enough, Jamatop begins to feel drowsy too and for once, he lets himself unfold. His mind begins to quiet as he slowly drifts off to sleep.
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Hours go by and Jamatop begins to stir awake as the moonlight hits his face. He whines a bit, covering his face slightly. He glances down to see Spoke, still surprisingly asleep. Typically Spoke could only sleep 2-4 hours on a regular basis and they were well past that point. Jamatop lays there, blinking a few times as he tries to wake himself up. The coldness that radiates off of Spoke however makes him only want to close his eyes for a few more minutes.
But alas, he wakes himself up properly despite his wishes not to. It’s a hassle, his body begging for more sleep but his mind refuses to go back to bed. So, he sits up- with a struggle as something- or somebody weighs him down. He takes a small glimpse down to see Spoke, sprawled out on his lap, snoring wildly. He snorts a bit at the sight, watching the drool dribble from the side of his mouth. The small moment of happiness is soon destroyed as he realizes what he need to do.
His face darkens at the thought, running a hand through his hair before beginning to shift himself away from Spoke, careful to not awake the man. Once he’s off and away from the bed does he fix Spoke, moving him so that he could sleep comfortably and not wake up with body aches.Spoke had the tendency to move around a lot when sleeping only to wind up in the oddest of positions and the most painful aches ever.
Jamatop then begins to fix his clothing, rubbing at his eyes as he tries to better awake himself.
His fingers then stop at his necklace.
Spoke’s necklace,
His gaze softens as he turns back to his best friend who sleeps soundly.
He should give him something in return..
His gaze wanders around his body, moving around a bit, hoping to find something to give to the other.
His mind eventually settles on one thing.
His cloak.
So that’s what he gives, he carefully unbuttons the top half, allowing the fabric to cascade into his arms. He then steps closer to Spoke, unraveling the piece of clothing before wrapping it around his body, pulling the hood over his head. Jamatop then tosses the blanket over Spoke, making sure he’s all covered even having the fabric lay a bit on his face. Why? Because that’s how Spoke oddly enough likes to sleep.
And finally, after staring at Spoke a little longer does he leave. He makes his way silently out of the base, making sure to keep his footsteps light in order to create minimal noise.
Once he’s outside, he takes a final glance at the base. A bittersweet feeling settles within him, followed by relief,
A part of him doesn’t want to leave Spoke. But he knows he should. And he’s okay with that this time. Because he knows Spoke has Mapicc. And Mapiccs a good guy, he's loyal to Spoke and can most certainly protect him. So it leaves him relieved, knowing that this time he's not leaving Spoke alone.
Jamatop treads quietly through the forest, the moonlight shining brightly down on him as his figure slowly disappears into the night.
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The second Spoke wakes up, he knows Jamatops gone. He feels this dreadful feeling settle in his stomach the moment his eyes begin to flicker open. And when they do, he launches upwards, hands quickly searching for another person. His other best friend-
But he finds no one.
The tears come down fast and hard, choking on his sobs as he tries to wake up- Tries to relax himself.
He clings onto his figure only to freeze, fingers touching an unfamiliar clothing. He glances down, only to see a dark navy blue cloak wrapped around him.
Jamatop's.
The sight only makes him want to cry more.
So he does, he curls himself back into bed, tightly holding onto the fabric as he cries pathetically.
It calms him though.
The smell of the cloak is fresh and odd yet comforting and very familiar to Spoke. The scent carrying a mixture of jasmine, citrus and cedarwood.
His breathing slowly regulates, only small sniffles and tears slipping from him.
Maybe..
Maybe later down the line, he'll see Jamatop once again.
And maybe..just maybe, they'll be together in the long run.