Chapter Text
Whatever it was that made this particular minecraft world so odd, it drew Derek in, and the dark-haired man wasn’t fighting it- if anything, he let himself be drawn deeper into the depths of this strange realm.
Finally, there was something new- something exciting. A puzzle he could solve. Derek was driven purely by curiosity, ignoring the lingering dread and the knowledge that something was there in favor of finding out exactly what was going on here. Ignoring the lingering sensation that something wasn’t quite right, that this place was… evil, tainted.
He ignored the feelings of ‘wrong’ as much as he ignored the weird way the sunlight seemed to filter through his windows, as if occasionally blocked by a tree- There was no tree outside of his window, but the light seemed to shine into the space as if it was filtered through the leaves of one.
It was odd, but Derek didn’t notice, nor did he notice that he wasn’t alone-
Well, he knew he wasn’t alone in the game, but he was completely unaware of the presence in his home that watched with growing concern as Derek headed deeper and deeper, ignoring all the signs, both in game and outside of it, that this was a very bad idea.
He thought he was so clever, solving all the puzzles and finding answers that really shouldn’t be known-
Hubris.
Considered the worst sin by many.
Look where it leads people to.
Finally, the dark-haired man found what it all led up to- a pair of ginormous, golden gates.
A mockery of the real deal.
Slowly, he approached, driven by the desire to know and-
Derek’s laptop turned off, something long and iridescent resting on the power button.
A feather.
A feather should not have the weight required to turn off a laptop.
Derek… blinked, not understanding what had just happened- how had a feather-
It was still attached to something- something alive.
Derek… slowly turned around.
The first thing he noticed was that the thing the feather was attached to was a large, pearlescent wing- similar in shape to a dove’s wing-
The Alula looked especially fluffy and Derek had no idea why he noticed that.
Next he noticed the eyes- each feather seemed to have an eye instead of a rachis- and they all seemed functional, looking at Derek and occasionally blinking. Even the long, powerful feather that had turned off his pc had an eye on it- how… had he MISSED that?!
Derek could feel a lump form in his throat, unsure if he really wanted to know what was in his apartment with him. It didn’t feel dangerous, but something about the presence he could now feel press against him was… overwhelming.
It felt safe and warm and loving and all-consuming like the most oppressive safety Derek had ever felt.
And yet something in Derek’s chest was singing- radiating joy and love and warmth and the desire to turn around and look at it it’s back it’s here it loves him-
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So Derek readied himself, turning around to see-
Eyes.
Flames.
Golden halos
Something incomprehensible.
Something that loved him.
Something that looked… a little annoyed?
“No” It spoke, voice sounding compressed as if it was trying to sound human and small and so much less than what it actually was. “You’re not going to do that. No. We’re not dealing with this today.”
Derek, rationally, knew he should probably freak out about this thing in his apartment, that looked like it didn’t- COULDN’T possibly fit in the small space, but his mind was calm, clear. He’d… he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so relaxed, mentally. It was a sharp contrast to how something in his chest soared- wishing to get closer to the burning, many-eyed entity, desperately pressing against the inside of Derek’s ribcage, wishing to be free to be held to be closer closer clOSER-
“I am going to turn the laptop back on” The entity spoke, and all Derek could do was numbly nod at it. “And you’re going to delete that world.”
Arguing or even thinking about doing differently felt impossible- why… would he deny the other when it was everything- it was every good thing, all the pain of love and all the joys of grief-
Derek… didn’t want to turn back to the laptop, which he could hear starting up again. He wanted to keep gazing at-
“Turn back around, Derek. Minecraft is open”
How had that happened?
As much as his very soul seemed to protest, Derek was forced to turn back, though the heartbreak it caused didn’t last long, as a pair of slim, toned arms wrapped around him from behind, a chin resting on top of his head.
“I’m right here, Derek. Don’t worry.”
Derek wasn’t worried- too overwhelmed by the touch and warmth and love and safety and everything all at once-
The minecraft world he had been in got deleted, the human getting rid of the backups too, and cleaned out the recycle bin, just to be safe.
The presence seemed to relax, letting out a deep sigh-
And the air felt impossibly light.
“Thank you, Derek.” The entity spoke, holding him even closer, the human pressed tightly against the back of his chair.
“Don’t do that again, please.” It continued. “You’re so… so smart. Do not let your hubris lead you to ruin, please… Please promise me you won’t do that again?”
Derek’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth, as if forming words was a near impossible task.
But something within him didn’t just promise, it vowed it would never ignore the warnings, would never ignore the signs given to him again. It would look for its angel wherever Derek went, if it meant the two would meet again and Derek could feel its embrace once more.
“I…uh… yeah”
Very eloquent.
“Thank you.” The entity spoke, pressing a kiss to the top of Derek’s head-
It did THINGS to the human- good, intense, confusing emotional things.
And then it was gone, and Derek was left to process all of that.