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Minute swung another half-assed swing at Spoke. “Please bro, Spoke! You can stop this- just!” Spoke made no move to fight back beyond swimming away.
His face was detached, he wasn’t laughing manically, he wasn’t yelling in anger. He looked dead. He climbed onto a block above the water only for it to get blown up by- whatever this thing was.
Minute watched him fall back into the water with a splash, his face was burned up from the blasts but he didn’t so much as flinch.
Minute flinched for him, this reminded him too much of the mafia. When he betrayed them. His mace crushing in Spoke’s skull in only for a totem to be the only thing between him and death. Back then Spoke was the one pleading with Minute, too distressed by the betrayal to fight back beyond the bare minimum. He was still haunted by Planet and his expressions.
This time it was Spoke forcing his hand and not Ashswag. Spoke was the traitor, the villain he was fighting. “Spoke! We can take down Null together, you don’t have to do this!”
The thought of taking down Null was what got any reaction, he turned back, “There’s no stopping them, Minute. What they are is beyond anything this server has seen.” He responded in a monotone voice. It felt wrong, beyond that even.
An extra powerful blast ripped through the water and shot them out. Minute fell out into the void, barely catching himself with his wings. He let out a sigh of relief only for a black and red form to plummet past him. Was that an item? A block? Oh shit Spoke!
Within the split of a second Minute was after him. He didn’t even think about whether he should or not. He heard Spoke’s breathing turn to gasping, his arms moved for his pearls but he couldn’t find any. Minute reached his hand out to Spoke, whose eyes were drooped and blurry.
Just in time Minute pulled Spoke into his arms and shot them back up. His own breathing was desperate, his eyes slipped as well. They broke surface only to crash straight into a neighboring island. Minute’s wings wrapped protectively around Spoke as they gracelessly struck the ground. His body burned as it scraped the floor, the only reason they did not slide right off back to the void was a chorus tree they hit.
It took them both a few minutes of desperate breathing to recover enough to acknowledge what happened. Spoke sat up first, wing still covering him, with his helmet broken his bandana was visible again, “Minute?” His voice was small, still slightly raspy.
Minute pushed himself onto his elbow, “Are you-” Hurt? Okay? “Are you done?”
Spoke looked to the floor, he already committed he couldn’t stop now.
Minute just stared back, Even saving his life wasn’t enough? He waited for an attack, a movement, something that never came. He looked into Spoke’s face, he did the same, they both waited for the others move.
Minute decided to make it first. He had one chance to end this, Spoke wouldn’t let him this close again especially not while he was so weak. He reached out, and pulled him into a hug.
His arms pulled him against his chest and wings wrapped tightly around him. Spoke tensed up an impossible amount. Something told Minute during his months in that Purgatory place he didn’t get anything close to this.
It took unnervingly long but Spoke suddenly melted into Minute. White tears filled his eyes, he didn’t let them shed but every few seconds a sob ripped itself from his chest despite his attempts to contain it.
Minute couldn’t help himself from whispering reassurances to what once was his friend. They stayed like this until Spoke pulled back, “Min-” Then he was gone.
Minute stared down at his empty arms where the younger once lay. All that was left was fading particles. Minute begrudgingly pushed himself to his feet. He needed to act fast before Null arrived.