Work Text:
The Spawn demands the traitor to be sacrificed
It was coming up to be the end of the day, Two Time was wiping down the counter that they stood behind to take orders, they turned around, going to put the rag they were holding away, then they heard footsteps, they went to turn and look, but no one was there, then they felt a hand cover their mouth and a blade kiss their throat.
“I would suggest that you quietly follow my orders if you do not want your blood spilt all over this fine establishment.” Two Time immediately knew the voice as Amarah's, he had found them, and Elliot wasn't around, they hastily remembered the charm Elliot had given them for emergencies, they needed to think of something, fast.
“W-wait… Elliot will get suspicious if I don't leave my work clothes here.” They said, trying to think as fast as they could, Amarah stood still for a moment, then sighed.
“Very well, I do not want anything to ruin my Lord's plan for you, so I shall allow you to quickly change, lead the way.” He said Two Time took a shaky breath, they needed to drop the charm somewhere inside, without being conspicuous, they walked over to where their clothes were, and quickly took their work outfit off, grabbing the charm in the midst of it, Amarah seemed to notice.
“What is it that you are holding?” He asked, his dagger’s point meeting their throat, they quickly opened their hand, revealing the small sun charm, Amarah scoffed at it, and knocked it out of their hand, they watched it fall and bounce away, well at least it was inside the building, Amarah quickly dragged them to be in front of him, the dagger blade meeting their throat again.
“Now move, you are meant to be sacrificed by the dawn of tomorrow.” Amarah said, Two Time swallowed, and slowly walked forward, leaving the safety of the building, and into the rainy evening they looked out the corner of their eye towards where Azure worked, they couldn't see the flower shop, but they silently apologized to Azure for what would happen to them. Amarah continued, and they reached the edge of the forest, slowly walking down the path towards their likely doom. They could only pray that Elliot found the charm quickly.
Elliot came back in, it was beginning to get dark, the day was almost over, but not quite, he walked in and noticed that it was unusually quiet, he quickly went to the main area and noticed that Two Time was not there, he began to look around, noticing that they had hung their uniform up, but left their raincoat, he quickly searched the uniform pocket, and noticed that the charm was missing, he began to grow worried and looked around, noticing it to be around where he boxed pizzas, they were in danger, Elliot hastily pulled out his phone and, with shaky hands, called Shedletsky, Dusekkar, and Builderman, he then put up the closed sign, and paced around the main area, after a while, someone showed up, but not the admins, it was Azure, Elliot realized that he was waiting to pick Two Time up, he walked inside.
“Elliot? Where is Two Time, and… why do you… look… worried.” Azure’s eyes widened, he seemed to have a very good idea of what happened.
“What happened to Two Time.” He asked quickly, Elliot quickly explained everything, how he came back and everything was empty, how their uniform was here, and how the charm they had for emergencies was on the floor like they had set up. Azure didn’t stay for even a moment, before running off into the rainy night, Elliot called out and ran after him, but he was quite fast.
“Was that Azure?” Elliot heard from behind him, turning around, Shedletsky, Dusekkar, and Builderman had arrived, Elliot nodded.
“H-he asked so I told him what happened and… he ran off and now I’m worried that-” Elliot was cut off by Builderman.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa slow down Elliot, yer going too fast, start from the beginning, what happened?” Elliot took a deep breath and explained everything.
Azure was running, he was getting tired but he couldn't feel it or even care, he was running, he ran down the path that led to the forest, he turned sharply, heading down the path, this was a matter of life and death, he needed to save them, the rain was drenching him, and he couldn't see very well, but he didn't need to, he knew where he was headed, back to the den of the beast. He slipped in the mud, but he couldn't lie down, he got up as fast as he could and kept going, the rain washing the dirty substance off as he ran.
“I can't let them take you from me again! I WON'T let them take you from me again!” Azure said to himself, he had to keep going, no matter how tired he was, he kept running, no matter how many times he fell, he kept getting up and going onwards, nothing would stop him from saving them, not even gravity.
“I’ll make them all pay for doing this to you.” He muttered under his breath.
Two Time didn't know what happened after they got to the familiar building, the last thing that they could remember, was a shocking pain in their neck, but then everything had faded and gone black, when they woke up, it was raining heavily, and really windy, they were cold, and their head hurt, they looked around, and realized that they were tied very tightly to a pole, their dripping hair in their eyes, it appeared that they were in the backyard of the church, they were shivering, it was frigid out. Suddenly Amarah came out, holding a familiar dagger, they tried to speak, finding that they seemed to be gagged.
“Well, well, well, look at you, all tied up and shivering in the rain, you could have been so happy if you had only listened to me.” He said, Two Time wanted to say that they had lived the life where they killed Azure and had been miserable, but they were still in fact gagged, and Amarah seemed like he had no plans to un-gag them, the dagger scared them though.
“But you didn't listen, and instead ran off with that parasite, Spawn is disappointed in you child.” Two Time cringed at hearing the name “spawn” to an extent that Amarah noticed.
“I have been given permission to… prepare you… for the sacrifice, they are setting up the ritual hall as we speak, now you get to be sacrificed for the god you loved so much. I hope you are happy.” Amarah said, Two Time, was feeling quite the opposite, Amarah stepped closer, and knelt down on the pavement slab Two Time was sitting on.
“Well then… shall we begin?” Amarah said, placing the edge of the blade on their arm, Two Time began to fear.
Shedletsky, Dusekkar, and Builderman had begun to run off as soon as Elliot told them what was going on.
“Remind me again why you can't just teleport us there!?” Shedletsky said, Dusekkar sighed.
“Because I cannot envision in my mind a place I have never been, it’s as fruitless as a rooster trying to lay an egg like a hen.” Dusekkar said, Shedletsky nodded.
“Alright then!” He said, the group continued, on the bright side of Azure leaving before them, there were foot prints left in the mud.
“At least we gotta trail!” Builderman said, Shedletsky and Dusekkar nodded, the path was too thin to bring a car onto, so they needed to get over there on foot.
“I hope they will both be ok.” Shedletsky said, Builderman nodded.
“They have survived worse, I’m sure that they will be fine, as long as we can get there in time.” Dusekkar said. The group kept running, and it began to grow dark, a pit began to form in Shedletsky’s stomach, what if they were all too late? What would happen to them? But he needed to keep going for now.
Two Time’s blood mixed with the rainwater, they were so cold, everything was so heavy, the cuts were chilled with the icy wind as soon as they were opened, they were shivering, breathing sharply from trying to not give Amarah the satisfaction of making them make noise, and their head felt oddly light. Two Time looked up at the sky, it was dark now, something that Amarah noticed, he went behind the pole, and then Two Time felt the sharp pain in their neck again, and they fell into darkness again, when they woke up, they found themselves bound to a stone block, and also that they were un-gagged, yet they were still shivering, they looked around, the bindings were too tight to move against, and they realized that there was nothing that they could do, they were going to die here, they closed their eyes, and began to murmur to themselves.
“I’m so sorry this had to happen to you Azure, you never deserved this, you always helped me, you never deserved what I did to you, you never deserved me, and yet you chose me anyways, and I’ll never get to say how grateful I am for that and I’m sorry I can't say goodbye to you… I’m sorry I never got to tell you what I wanted to tell you, and now I never will.” They began to tear up, they had never TRULY been faced with death, and now they were terrified of it, they heard the creak of large doors, they looked over, the cultists were all wearing robes, Two Time noticed that there were also some children, who they felt bad for, Two Time couldn't remember seeing any sacrifices, but they knew that they had happened when they and Azure had lived there, Two Time sighed and stared up at the ceiling, it was ornately decorated, there was also an altar to their right, where the priest would stand and kill them, while the people watched on in glee and joy, Two Time suddenly felt ill, they then looked over again, noticing that a person in an extremely ornate cloak with a hood was walking up, following with a less ornate hood was some one holding a pillow, on the pillow was a beautiful dagger, yet Two Time couldn't see it that way right now. Following behind the pillow holder were two people in less ornate cloaks and hoods than the priest, but still nicer than those of the basic followers. Two Time could almost count the seconds that they had left. They listened as the priest delivered a speech about them becoming purified or something, Two Time didn't care to listen, their mind was flashing different images, Azure, Elliot, their friends, and even their old enemies who had become friends, they watched as the priest took the dagger carefully, they didn't try to struggle, it wouldn't have mattered if they did, it would have only hurt them more. They watched as the priest raised the dagger, they heard the opening of doors, but their head hurt too much to look at who it was, the dagger started to come down, then they saw a black tentacle strike out and grab it, leading to it stabbing their arm. They screamed, then looked at the figure, though they had a pretty good idea of who it was.
“Azure?” The cold was starting to get to them, how long had they been in the wind and rain for? But they couldn't finish that thought, instead they felt it all fade away, the last thing they saw was Azure. Hopefully he would be ok.
Azure was so close, he opened the door to the ritual hall, and saw what was about to happen, Two Time didn't even look over at him, maybe they were asleep. Without any moment to think he transformed into his killer form to save them, running up and trying to grab the blade before it met its mark, but he only succeeded in changing the trajectory. He then heard them scream and look over before weakly saying his name.
“Azure?” He got a good look at them, they were deathly cold, and their lips had a blue tinge to them, likely they were suffering from an awful case of hypothermia, though Azure didn't know how they got it, they also had cuts all over their arms, they then seemed to lose consciousness, which was not good, Azure then heard people coming from behind him, he took the dagger that the priest had pulled out, and made sure to keep it by him, he then pulled everyone out from behind the small stone block, he then slowly, one by one, knocked every person that charged at him out, then he turned back to Two Time, their breathing was starting to slow down a little, Azure cut the ropes binding them with the dagger, before throwing it aside, and picked them up, hopefully he could warm them up with his body heat, but they needed medical attention, they were still bleeding, and becoming colder by the second. Everyone who had been left standing had already left the hall, Azure was desperately trying to warm Two Time up, they were wet as well, had they been in the rain for too long? Why would they have been out there!? Azure then heard a rush of footsteps, he readied himself to protect Two Time, putting his tentacles in a defensive position, and holding Two Time close to himself, but saw Shedletsky, Dusekkar, and Builderman instead.
“Holy jeez… what happened in here?” Shedletsky said, Dusekkar floated up to Azure.
“Please help them, I can't get them to a hospital, and I don't think that they can hold on much longer without help.” He said, Dusekkar looked at them, and then without hesitation, created a portal, and picked Two Time up.
“I shall keep them well, you will have no mental cell.” He said, then he disappeared through the portal, with it closing behind him shortly after, Shedletsky and Builderman walked up, and Azure finally reverted back to his humanized form.
“So… you want to tell us what happened here?” Shedletsky asked, gesturing to the heaps of people that were passed out.
“They were… they were going to kill them… I didn't have time… then they attacked me… so I had to fight back.” Azure said, Builderman sighed.
“Can't say I blame ya, it was a split second decision.” He said, Shedletsky walked around and looked at the people.
“They aren't dead… miraculously.” Shedletsky said, Azure nodded.
“I was trying to protect Two Time and myself, not go for blood.” He said, Shedletsky nodded.
“I can tell.” He said, then sighed, seeming to debate with himself on something. He then looked at Builderman who seemed to understand what he was thinking. The two then met up and began whispering, but Azure couldn't care less for what they were talking about. After a while Shedletsky came over.
“Ok… Builderman and I just had a talk. Theoretically you should get in trouble for all of… this” He motioned to the mounds of people. “But considering you a) managed to leave everyone alive and b) did it out of self defense and to save another. We decided that it just wouldn't be right to do that to you, just… try not to do it again.” He said, Azure celebrated internally, but was too tired to show anything externally.
“Thank you.” He said, Shedletsky nodded and gave Azure a thumbs up.
“No problem! Though I am going to ask you to leave, you have done your part, and you seem like you need some rest.” He said, Azure sighed and got up, his legs were extremely tired from running who knows how long without rest to reach this place, and he only just barely made it. But he put his hand up to wave goodbye and he left, walking back through the path, it was cold and still raining, Azure kept moving, after a good few minutes he was soaked through, and after a few more he finally reached the edge of the woods, where he found a car, inside was Elliot, who beckoned him over.
“It’s not a good idea to walk in the rain like this, so I suggest you hop in. Even then, I have news that you probably want to hear.” He said, Azure felt like he might pass out at any moment, so he got in. Elliot started the car and began driving to Azure and Two Time’s house.
“I heard what happened from Shedletsky, I also heard from Dusekkar about Two Time.” Azure immediately perked up.
“What did he say!? How are they doing!?” Azure asked, Elliot motioned for him to quiet down.
“They’ll be ok, they have a bad case of hypothermia, a lot of cuts, a bad stab wound in their arm, and a high chance of getting sick. But they should be ok as long as they are given enough time to heal and remain warm.” He said, Azure nodded, fully relieved that they would be alright. The rest of the car ride was mostly silent until Azure got home, he opened the door and stepped out.
“Thank you for getting me home and informing me.” He said, Elliot nodded.
“It’s no problem.” He said, Azure closed the door and Elliot drove off, Azure then got into his house, closed and locked the door, and went into the bedroom, falling asleep almost instantly, and falling into a dream about Two Time.
-- 0 -- 0 -- <3 -- 0 -- 0 --
Healing
Two Time had been attacked, they couldn’t remember much, the last thing they remembered was Azure coming to save them, but then they lost consciousness, the next thing they knew, they waking up in a hospital bed with a lot of needles in them, as well as beeping machines, they felt cold, but not as cold as they had been before, they looked around the room that they were in, quickly laying their eyes on Dusekkar, they weakly spoke out.
“Dusekkar? Why are you here? What happened?” They then thought back to what happened, and felt a spike of anxiety, they quickly sat up.
“Where’s Azure!? What happened to him!?” Dusekkar floated over to them, and lightly pushed them back onto their back.
“Do not fret and fly off like a kite, I can assure you that Azure is quite alright.” Dusekkar rhymed, Two Time exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Then… Can I see him?” They asked, Dusekkar shook his head.
“I’m afraid not, I wouldn’t even be kept here if not for the fact that I was the one to save you from death’s knot.” Two Time sighed, and looked around, they hadn’t realized how much their head hurt until now, they looked down at themselves, there were bandages all over their limbs, and a piece of cotton blotting where they had been stabbed, there was also an odd blue vest on them that was warm.
“What is all of this?” They asked, at that moment someone came in.
“Why not ask the doctor that? I’m sure they would be happy to assist your curiosity before it scrambles like a rat.” Dusekkar said, the doctor looked over.
“You have a question?” They asked, Two Time looked at them.
“What is all of this? Why are there so many needles?” They asked, the doctor set their clipboard down on a small desk.
“The needles are IVs, you had lost a lot of blood when you were brought it, so they are replacing it, the bandages are to keep your cuts clean, and the one with extra fluffing is to keep your stab wound from bleeding too much, the blue vest is to keep you warm, you had a horrid case of hypothermia when you were brought in, so that’s what is keeping you warm.” They said, they then walked over. “Now, if I may ask, what happened? I got a brief run down from your friend here, but I would like to know what happened from your point of view.” They said, Two Time tried to think.
“What happened? I was finishing up my shift at my job, when, um, a cultist kinda came in and ambushed me, he took me through a forest path back to the church, when I then felt an odd pain in the back of my neck, and then I passed out, when I woke up I was tied to a pole in the rain, then…” They grew a little quieter, they hadn’t expected this to be so hard to say. “Then the cultist came back out with a dagger, and… he… cut me… I don’t remember for how long it went on, but eventually I felt the same sharp pain in my neck again, then I woke up tied to a stone block, I was really cold, and, then some of the cultists tried to sacrifice me, but, I was saved by my partner, and then everything went black.” They said, the doctor was taking notes, though they seemed to be a small amount surprised, eventually they looked up at Two Time.
“Ok, well, due to the severity of everything, we are going to have to keep you here until your condition improves.” They said, Two Time was saddened to hear that, they had been wanting to go home and see Azure, but they also felt awful, and figured that it would be a good idea for them to stay here.
“Ok, I guess that makes sense, will I at least be able to see people?” They asked, The doctor, put their pen away in their shirt pocket.
“Of course you can, it just has to be during certain hours for visiting.” They said, Two Time nodded, and leaned their head back on their pillow.
“When are visiting hours?” They asked, the doctor looked back at the computer in the room.
“They are from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.” They said, Two Time nodded and closed their eyes, just listening to the machines, they were thoroughly uncomfortable, but their limbs felt too heavy to move, the doctor started to speak again a few moments later.
“Ok, I have arranged for you to transfer rooms soon, some people will be in here in a few minutes to move you.” The doctor said, Two Time nodded their head.
“Ok, thank you.” They said, they opened their eyes and looked around, they were all alone, they hadn’t noticed when Dusekkar left. They closed their eyes again, the beeping was at a steady rhythm easy enough to focus on and expect, they sat there alone for a little while, then they heard the door open, they looked up, there were 2 people who seemed to be in different clothes, they noticed Two Time looking at them.
“Hello, we are here to move you to the other room.” One said, Two Time nodded and laid their head back down, they could feel the bed moving as they sat there with their eyes closed, everything was so noisy, and they just wanted to rest, their eyes felt heavy. They felt the bed move in a weird way, and then stop.
“Ok, if you need anything, you can just press this button, have a good night.” The person who had spoken before said, Two Time nodded, and closed their eyes, the room they were in now was dark, and seemingly higher up than before, they listened and counted the beeping of the monitor, and suddenly they were asleep, they were dreaming.
They were back in their house with Azure, it was calm, the two were just sitting there, suddenly the world went black around them, and they were back in the cabin again, they panicked as they were sent into a round, they ran around, knowing each of the maps by heart, it seemed like the killer was Azure, and that Two Time was the only one around, Azure found them, and backed them into a corner, Two Time looked down, and saw their dagger, then they looked at Azure, they were just standing there, backed into a corner in front of him, they couldn’t harm him they just couldn't! Azure walked up to them, and then, they were sitting up in the hospital bed, clutching their gown with their hand and panting as if they had run 3 miles, they looked out the window in their room, it seemed like it was morning now, they slowly lowered their arm and flopped back onto their bed, they still had a headache, they lied down for a long time before hearing a door softly open, they looked over, and saw Azure, holding a small bouquet of flowers, Two Time immediately felt their spirits lift as they saw him.
“Hi nightshade. How are you doing?” He asked Time smiled at him.
“I’m doing well.” They said, though the sound of their voice betrayed them, at least they felt warm now. Azure chuckled.
“You look better, not as blue.” He said, he reached out and held their hand.
“And you aren’t as cold either.” He said, he leaned in and lightly kissed their forehead, Two Time relaxed under the comfort of him, they then looked at Azure.
“What… happened exactly? How did I get here?” They asked, Azure gained a solemn look and looked at the ground.
“You passed out pretty quickly after I got there, I managed to keep everyone else at bay by… politely knocking them out, but you were cold as ice, I tried to keep you warm but it didn’t seem to be doing anything, you were also bleeding everywhere, then your friends came in, Dusekkar took you to get help, if they hadn’t arrived then…” Azure’s voice suddenly got quiet. “...I don’t think you would have made it if they hadn’t arrived…” He said, then he started to… tear up? “I’m so sorry, I promised to protect you no matter what, but I was too late to keep you from harm, I let you down.” He said, Two Time used all of their strength, and moved their hand to touch Azure’s face, it reminded them of the first time they had allowed him to kill them, but that didn’t matter.
“Azure, if it weren’t for you coming in and saving me I would already be dead, you did keep me safe, you did save me, you did keep me alive, don’t beat yourself up from circumstances out of your control, it's not your fault, it’s not anyone’s fault.” They said, they slowly lowered their hand back down, Azure looked at them, tears still running down his face, then he smiled softly.
“I guess you’re right, sorry I just.” He said, Two Time finished for him.
“You're just worried, you’re just sad that you couldn’t have been faster, but in reality I know that you were going as fast as you humanly could, I know you were trying your hardest, so don’t beat yourself up, I promise you, I’m ok now.” They said, Azure laughed a little, and softly touched their face.
“How long do you have to stay here?” He asked, Two Time sighed.”
“Until my condition improves, I’m not sure, I feel warmer but everything hurts, my head feels like it’s being pounded, and everything feels like a ton of bricks to move.” They said, Azure nodded and sighed.
“Elliot told me that you have a high likelihood of getting sick, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what it was.” He said, Two Time sighed then remembered.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work today?” They asked, Azure shook his head.
“I explained the situation and took the day off, I figured you would have wanted me here more than they would have wanted me there, and beside, I wanted to make sure that you were ok.” He said, Two Time smiled.
“You figured right, I was worried when you weren’t here last night, I had thought something had happened to you.” They said, Azure shook his head.
“I almost got in trouble, but everything is ok.” He said, Two Time glared a little.
“What do you mean?” They asked, Azure smirked a little.
“The other two saw the people, but we are ok, and it was in self-defense anyway.” He said, Two Time sighed.
“Yeah, that makes sense.” They then looked at Azure again. “Thank you again for saving me.” They said, Azure smiled.
“Now why wouldn’t I? I wanted to get revenge on those cultists anyway!” He joked, Two Time laughed so hard that it turned into a coughing fit, after the small fit, the door opened again, and Elliot came in.
“Oh good! You're awake.” He said, Two Time was confused for a second.
“I thought you would have been at the pizzeria?” They said, Elliot shrugged and sat down in a chair by the bedside.
“I got my sister to take over for the day, and I felt like I should check up on you.” He said, Two Time could feel just a little warmer from realizing how many people cared about them, they smiled.
“Thanks, it means a lot to me that you are here.” They said, Elliot smiled.
“No problem, you are a dedicated worker, and a loyal friend, it only makes sense that I should be here for you.” He said, after that, the three of them talked for a little, about their lives, the struggles in them, and other things, eventually, a nurse came in.
“My apologies for interrupting, but I have been told to inform you that visiting hours are now over, and you will be asked to leave, though you may come back tomorrow.” She said, Two Time frowned when they heard the news, they looked at Azure who shrugged.
“I would rather the option to see you tomorrow than stay here until they drag me out.” He said, Two Time sighed, they couldn’t help but agree, Azure noticed this and leaned in to kiss them. “Don’t worry nightshade, I’ll be back before you know it.” He said, Two Time nodded their head and held his hand for a second, then Azure pulled away softly.
“Drive safe!” They called out, Elliot and Azure nodded and left, the room filling with an empty silence other than the monitor's steady beeping. Two Time lied down they had started feeling really warm as of recently, and they had been coughing quite a bit, they shook their head a little, they probably just caught a cold, they pulled the blanket over them, it was surprisingly warm, and they tried to fall asleep, with the now-ever-so-familiar beeping, they drifted to sleep, but it wasn’t an easy sleep.
Two Time woke up in the middle of the night, they felt like they were about to melt, yet they were also shivering, they had a sharp pain in their chest, and were coughing violently, they pulled the blanket tightly around themselves, the beeping was quicker now, as if it was trying to call for help, and it might have been because only a few minutes after waking up, a nurse came into the room, they looked at Two Time for a moment, then at the monitor, then they quickly exited the room, Two Time pulled the blanket as tight as they could manage, but it still felt too cold outside, their vision was a little blurry as well, what was going on? Pretty quickly the nurse came back with another person, who turned on the light.
“Ok, what is going on?” The doctor asked, Two Time gave a second to adjust to the light then tried to answer.
“I-I-I-I’m n-not s-sure, I w-woke up, and felt b-burning hot, but also r-really c-cold.” They said, the doctor walked over.
“Can you look at me for a moment?” He asked, Two Time looked in his direction, the doctor seemed to observe for a moment.
“Any other symptoms?” He asked.
“U-um… i-it f-feels a l-little hard to b-breathe… th-though that c-could just be the sh-shaking, m-my chest also h-hurts a lot.” They said, the doctor nodded and walked over to the nurse, requesting some stuff that Two Time could not hear, then he walked back over to Two Time.
“I’m going to go grab you another blanket to stay warm, please sit here for a moment.” He said, Two Time nodded, they kept their eyes closed, the blurriness was giving them a headache, they sat for a moment, then the doctor came back in, and gave them another blanket, which they promptly wrapped themselves in, shortly after that, the nurse came back in carrying a few things, the doctor leaned Two Time back into their bed.
“Ok, I’m going to have to stick an IV into you, so you may feel a sharp prick in a few moments here.” The doctor said, Two Time nodded, and felt the doctor gently, but firmly, grab their wrist, they then felt a piercing pain, then the it subsided, the doctor also put something around their face which seemed to improve their breathing, within a few minutes, they were shaking less, and despite still feeling warm, it wasn’t unbearably so, after seeing this the doctor began talking to Two Time, who opened their eyes again.
“It seems you have caught pneumonia.” The doctor said, Two Time was confused.
“What is pneumonia?” They asked, the doctor was now on the computer in the room.
“Pneumonia is when your lungs fill up with mucus, it makes you feverish, which can in turn summon chills, it also causes you to have chest pain and shortness of breath due to not having as much air space in your lungs.” He said, then he turned to them after finishing up on the computer.
“We are going to have to monitor you a little closer now to make sure it won’t get out of hand, In the meantime please try to get some rest.” The doctor said, Two Time nodded and laid their head on the pillow again, the light went off, and they tried to sleep, though it was a little harder with a needle in their arm, but they must have fallen asleep, because they woke up a long time later, they looked out the window, the sun was up again, they then looked at their arm, they could see where the needle was, and where it connected to the IV bag, they looked at the ceiling, they still felt extremely warm, while also being cold, but it was less violent than the night before. They stared at the ceiling before hearing a door open, looking over, it seemed to be a nurse.
“Hello, I’m here to check your vitals.” The nurse said, walking over. “Could you please open your mouth?” They asked, Two Time did so. “Great, now please keep this under your tongue for a few seconds.” They said, they then looked at the monitor, and took some notes, after a few seconds, the thing in Two Time’s mouth began to beep, the nurse turned, took it out, observed it for a quick second, and marked down some notes, after that they gently pricked Two Time’s finger and collected the blood, before cleaning the prick. “Ok! Thank you for your cooperation!” They said, they then left, Two Time lied down, trying to find anything to pass the time, they then heard the door open, they looked at it, and it was Azure! Immediately Two Time smiled and sat up, Azure was wearing a mask today, likely because Two Time was sick, but he still sat next to them.
“You should probably lie down dear.” He said to them softly, Two Time did as they were told, Azure used to take care of them when they were sick, so they trusted him.
“I missed you.” Two Time said, it was muffled through the mask, Azure smiled at them, at least, Two Time assumed so.
“I missed you too nightshade.” He said, then he looked around the room. “So… you caught pneumonia?” Azure asked, Two Time nodded.
“Yeah, everything feels too warm, but if I take the blankets off I feel cold.” Two Time said, shifting the blankets to give them a bit of space, Azure gently moved the blankets onto them.
“You need to stay warm, if I remember correctly.” He said, Two Time sighed, but moved to be in a better position under the blankets, except for their left wrist and hand, which were peeking out so that the IV could be seen easier. Azure looked at them.
“I’m so sorry you're going through this.” He said, Two Time shrugged.
“It’s better than being dead.” They said, Azure laughed a little, and Two Time smiled, then they closed their eyes.
“Are you ok?” Azure asked, Two Time nodded.
“Yeah, just a little tired.” They said, they could hear Azure shift in his seat, Two Time opened their eyes and looked at Azure.
“Azure?” They asked, Azure looked at them.
“Hmm?”
“Do you have any stories to tell, or even better, could you just talk to me about nightshades for a little?” Two Time asked, now they could tell Azure was smiling.
“Do you just want to listen while trying to fall asleep?” He asked, Two Time closed their eyes and nodded.
“Yeah…” They tiredly mumbled, Azure nodded and gently moved some of their hair out of their eyes, then he began to talk, on and on endlessly about facts that Two Time had heard over a hundred times, but it was calming to them, and they quickly drifted to sleep, when they woke up, Azure was still there, he was just now reading a book, they opened their eyes and looked at him.
“Hi.” They said, Azure looked up from his book, and quickly closed it, the small glimpse Two Time caught told them that the book was likely on nightshade flowers.
“Hello! How did you sleep?” Azure asked, Two Time smiled.
“Pretty well, thank you for that.” They said, Azure nodded.
“Yeah! No problem, you seemed like you needed it.” He said, Two Time nodded and shifted a small bit, the heat they were feeling was extremely uncomfortable, but they seemed to need it, Two Time looked around, the sun was starting to set, so Azure was likely going to have to leave soon, so Two Time looked at him.
“Thank you so much for being here for me, you have no idea what it means to me.” They said, Azure nodded, then looked at the small analogue clock on the wall, Two Time couldn't quite read it, but Azure seemed able to.
“What time is it?” They asked, Azure looked back at them.
“It’s around 8:55.” He said, Two Time pouted a little, something that got a small laugh from Azure.
“Come on Time, it’s not like I won’t be here tomorrow!” Azure said, Two Time looked at Azure, he was looking at them, Two Time stopped pouting.
“I wish I could kiss you.” They said, Azure nodded.
“I do too, but I think the doctors said that you could be contagious, so I have to wear this, and am going to have to wash my hands after getting out.” Azure said, Two Time frowned, but nodded.
“I figured as much.” They said, they then looked at Azure. Everything was so calm about him, like he knew that nothing would happen, Two Time smiled. “I love you, Azure.” They said, Azure seemed to have been a little surprised by that because Two Time could see him blush from the tips of the mask.
“I love you too, my nightshade.” He said, Two Time smiled, then the door opened.
“Hello, sorry if I interrupted, but I am here to inform that visiting hours are now over.” The nurse said, Two Time sighed, and looked at Azure.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” They asked, Azure nodded.
“Of course you will.” He said, he then walked over to the door. “Sleep well Two Time, and keep the blanket on.” He said, Two Time smiled and nodded.
“Of course I will, be safe!” They said, Azure nodded and left the room, Two Time sighed, and looked back up at the ceiling, then they looked around, but they were tired, and wanted to sleep, so they closed their eyes, and just sat there, still, and calm and just closed their eyes, maybe if they fell asleep, Azure would be there when they woke up. They sat there for a long while, but nothing happened, they opened their eyes, but nothing had changed, they grew sad, all they wanted was to sleep and be with Azure, every moment without him felt unbearably lonely, so they closed their eyes again, thinking of the facts he would tell them, and the way he would read it, and how wonderful his voice was when he was talking about something he was interested in, and they could feel themselves grow more, and more sleepy, they kept their eyes closed, and kept thinking, and they could feel themselves break through the barrier of being conscious, and fall into a land of dreams, they did dream, but it was a happy one, Two Time was home, then Azure walked in through the door, it was like normal, Two Time felt happy, they just sat next to him on their couch, then they felt a touch on their arm, but Azure was on the other side, they woke up.
“Oh good.” Two Time looked over, Azure was back, and he had his hand lightly on their arm.
“Wha- did something happen?” Two Time asked, Azure chuckled a little.
“No, I was just concerned because you weren’t awake yet.” He said, Two Time smiled.
“I’m ok.” They said, they then looked at themselves and the bag again, which was now back to full they noticed. “Well, as ok as I can be.” They said, Azure chuckled. The two sat and talked for a small amount of time, before a person came in to check on them. They went through the same song and dance, they were feeling better today, less warm, and more energized, though they still found it hard to breathe without help, they looked over at Azure, who had a book in his lap.
“What’s that?” They asked after putting their bowl to the side, Azure peeked up.
“Hmm? This?” He asked, tapping the book lightly, Two Time nodded. “It's a medical book, I wanted to try and learn a little more about what was going on.” He said, Two Time nodded before violently coughing, Azure put a hand on their back.
“...ow…” They said after the coughing stopped, and that was really the only thing they could say, it hurt like their insides were being scraped up, but they couldn't really do anything, they laid back down.
“Mind telling me about my condition so that I don’t get bored?” They asked, Azure chuckled and nodded, then he opened the book, he started reading about the condition and the kinds of things that it caused, he also talked about ways to treat it, Two Time didn’t fall asleep, it was fascinating listening to him talk, and they were learning about what was going on as well.
“... And one thing that they didn’t mention, is that nightshades, in extremely small doses, can also help with a few of the symptoms.” Azure said, Two Time laughed a little before coughing some more.
“You always manage to bring it back to nightshades somehow, I am seriously impressed” They said, then they looked at the IV bag.
“So I’m guessing this is either anti-bodies, or fluids in me huh?” They said, Azure nodded.
“Most likely.” He said, after that, the door opened, Two Time figured it was another nurse, so they were pleasantly surprised when they saw Shedletsky and Dusekkar.
“Hey there! We heard you were feeling a little down so we decided to come and check up on you, how are you doing?” Shedletsky asked, Two Time shrugged.
“I have pneumonia so I don’t think I’m doing that well, but other than that I am bored as all get out, when visiting hours come to be over.” They said, Shedletsky nodded. “How have you been? How is everyone else doing?” Two Time asked afterwards, Shedletsky shrugged.
“They are all doing about as well as usual, the same old kind of stuff.” He said, Two Time nodded, then began coughing again, Shedletsky looked a little shocked.
“Are you okay? I saw a lot of mucus from that way." Dusekkar said, Two Time, nodded their head.
“I’m fine, it just hurts, that's all.” They said, Azure looked away, seeming to frown through his mask, Two Time realized that it probably hurt him to see them like this.
“Are you ok?” They asked, Azure quickly looked back at them.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” He said, Two Time gave a worried look, but nodded.
“Ok, if you need to step out at any time, you can.” They said, Azure sat for a moment, then nodded and held their hand.
“I will, but I think I would rather be with you for the moment.” He said, Two Time nodded and looked at him.
“Ok.” They said, after that, the four talked for a long time, being often interrupted by the coughing fits, they talked about work, and how to pass the time when you have nothing to do.
“You could technically make up a game in your head, or go through different scenarios.” Shedletsky said, Two Time thought for a second, then nodded.
“I hadn’t thought of that.” They said. “Usually I just force myself to go to sleep.” Dusekkar looked at them for a second.
“If I might say, if you look by that table, there are books that way.” He said, Two Time looked at where he was motioning to, slightly underneath the top of the nightstand, looking there revealed an assortment of small books and magazines.
“Oh! I hadn’t seen those.” They said, they reached over and pulled a magazine from the pile, setting it on the nightstand to remind them later that they had things to do when everyone was gone.
“That will probably help to kill some of my boredom, thank you Dusekkar.” They said, Dusekkar nodded.
“Any time.” He said, Shedletsky leaned back in his chair a little, closing his eyes. Two Time looked out the window, then at their right wrist, they noticed something.
“Huh, didn’t notice I had a band on.” They said, Azure laughed a little.
“Yeah, you have had that on since I’ve been visiting.” He said, Two Time looked at Azure for a second, then at Shedletsky, a thought creeped into the mind at that moment.
“Hey Shed?” They asked.
“Yeah?” Shedletsky said, not bothering to open his eyes.
“What happened to… the cultists?” They asked, Shedletsky then did open his eyes in confusion, then he looked at Two Time, then he sat up.
“If you’re worrying about them finding you, don’t be, Builderman and I took care of it.” He said, then he continued. “But I would still be careful, we weren’t able to be fully sure we got them all, they could have fled into the forest for all we know.” He said. Two Time clutched at the blankets a little, then felt a hand on theirs, looking over, they saw Azure holding their hand, they looked up at him, he smiled, and leaned in to whisper to them.
“I will make sure nothing will happen ever again.” He said, Two Time smiled, the sentiment was nice.
“How would you do that?” They asked politely, Azure stood up and looked away in a playful way.
“We… will figure it out.” He said, Two Time chuckled.
“Don't worry, I'm sure we’ll be-” Two Time was then cut off by violent coughing, once they stopped, they finished their sentence. “...I’m sure we’ll be fine.” They said, Azure brushed their hair from their eyes.
“I’m sure you will be fine without a doubt, and if it turns out that you are being followed we’ll help you out.” Dusekkar rhymed. Two Time smiled.
“Thank you guys.” They said, Azure looked at the clock and sighed.
“Visiting hours are almost over again.” He said, Two Time frowned.
“Already?” They asked, Azure nodded.
“Yeah.” He said, Two Time was saddened, then they felt an arm wrap around them.
“Same with last time, and the time before, I'll be back before you know it, sleep well my nightshade, you’ll get better soon.” He said, Two Time grabbed onto his arm in an awkward hug.
“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow.” They said, then they let go of his arm, Azure got up and began walking to the door.
“Sleep well my dear.” He said, Two Time nodded.
“You too.” They said, they then lied down. They felt like they were getting better, but they couldn’t tell if it was because of the medicine or not, they looked over onto the nightstand, and grabbed the magazine, flipping through it absentmindedly, there was nothing that caught their eye, they put the magazine back, and tried to look at the books, they all seemed to be medical books, except for one or two that seemed to be on botany, those piqued their interest, they looked at the Table of Contents and skimmed through, there were the basic daisies, sunflowers, and roses, but they did find a section on nightshades, they flipped to the section, and began reading, most of the pages talked about potatoes and tomatoes, but there were pages on deadly and bittersweet nightshades. Two Time read through, though they knew most of the stuff already, they began to feel their eyes grow heavy, and so they set the book down, and crawled under the covers, allowing their eyes to close, they allowed their mind to drift, and soon they found themselves able to open their eyes, they looked out the window, the sun was only just beginning to rise, Two Time yawned and looked around, they felt less feverish, and less cold today, but their breathing still felt heavy and labored, the door opened, Two Time looked up, a doctor had come in.
“Hello, Two Time, how are you feeling today?” They asked, Two Time fully sat up.
“I feel… better? Less warm for sure, and less chilled as well, but it’s still a little hard to breathe.” They said, the doctor nodded.
“Ok, well, I was just coming in to inform you, that you appear to be doing well enough to leave within the next day or two, when you do, I will prescribe you some medication to take, and you will be good to go.” The doctor said, Two Time nodded.
“Ok! Thank you!” They said, the doctor nodded and left, Two Time felt much better after getting the news, they sat up and read from where they had left off, they were happy, and ready to go home soon, they almost felt good enough to walk around… hopefully, they sighed and went back to reading their book, when they heard the door open, they looked up, it was just a nurse, they had everything taken and marked down, and went back to reading, after a few minutes, the door opened again, this time it was Azure.
“Hi. I missed you.” They said, Azure walked over and sat down.
“I am, so sorry, that I took so long, there were some issues with taking the bus, I woke up late and-”
“Hey, it’s fine, I’m just glad you’re here.” Two Time cut Azure from spiraling. “Thank you for always being here for me, I really appreciate it.” They said, Azure looked at them, there was a loving look in his eyes.
“I will always be here for you nightshade.” He said, Two Time sat in the comfortable moment for a few seconds, it was calm here, they were calm, then they pulled away.
“Ok! I have good news!” They said, Azure looked at them.
“Oh?” He asked, Two Time smiled.
“The doctors said that if things keep going the way that they are, I should be able to leave within a day or two.” They said, Azure smiled and hugged them.
“Oh! That’s amazing!” He said, Two Time laughed a little.
“Ok, please stop, you are making it harder to breathe than it already is.” They said, Azure immediately let go.
“Oh! My bad.” He said, Two Time laughed a little more, before having a small coughing fit.
“No, it’s fine, I’m happy too.” They said, Azure looked at the nightstand, and picked up the botany book.
“Were you reading this?” He asked, Two Time nodded.
“Surprisingly, most of the books are medical books, so it was either that, or a whole bunch of not very good magazines.” They said, Azure chuckled.
“That makes sense, what did you read about?” He asked, Two Time shrugged.
“Nothing I didn’t already know of.” They said, Azure looked at where the bookmark was and immediately understood.
“You were reading about nightshades.” He said, Two Time nodded.
“Considering they’re your favorite flower, you talking to me about them kind of made them mine as well.” They said, Azure seemed to be smiling underneath the mask. Two Time looked at Azure, and thought back to what they had assumed their final words to be, and looked at him.
“Azure… I just want you to know that… no matter what… I love you so very much.” Azure became startled.
“Are you feeling ok? Do I need to get someone?” He asked, Two Time flushed as they realized what it sounded like.
“Oh! No no no no, I am sorry, no, I’m fine I promise, sorry, no I was thinking back to what I had said when I was on that slab.” They said, Azure breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh thank goodness, I was worried for a second.” He said, Two Time shifted, they didn't know how to tell Azure that they wanted to go further, and even then, this was not the most romantic place to say that, they were already dating, so Two Time could wait a little longer.
“Azure. Do you remember how we met?” Two Time eventually asked, Azure hummed a happy agreement sound.
“Mhm! How could I forget?” He asked, Two Time laughed.
“I was just wandering around and stumbled upon the best thing in my life.” They said, Azure laughed.
“You are way sappy sometimes, you know that?” He said, Two Time laughed.
“And then, and then! I was getting wood that one time! And you spooked me so bad I thought you were a monster!” Two Time kept laughing, causing them to have a long and painful coughing fit, resulting in a lot of mucus.
“That was pretty funny, but please, don’t kill yourself by laughing.” Azure said, Two Time chuckled.
“I would never think of leaving you alone in this world.” Two Time said softly, Azure smiled, and softly tilted his head forward, touching his forehead to theirs.
“I know you wouldn’t nightshade.” He said, the two then sat up and talked until visiting hours were over, Azure said goodbye and Two Time laid down, they wanted to go home, they wanted to sleep in their own bed without the constant noise, they wanted to go back to work, they wanted to be well, they wanted to not have to worry anymore. They read the book for a while, reading on different types of plants and soils, then they set the book down and tried to sleep.
They were standing in front of the church, turning around, they tried to leave, but something was blocking them, a squishy invisible barrier, they tapped at it, and watched as the invisible ripples shadowed off of each other, they turned around, and took a breath, the only way through was forward, they opened the doors, it was eerily empty, and eerily quiet, all of the halls seemed to lead to the sacrificial hall, Two Time felt their blood run cold, they turned around, there had to be another way, but the hallway kept twisting and turning and leading back, then they found a simple door, they opened it, inside were two children, looking at plants on a table, it took Two Time a second to realize it, the two children were them and Azure, Two Time looked at the child version of themselves, the same messy black hair, their old clothes which seemed just a teeny bit too big, the innocence in their eyes as they listened to Azure, completely oblivious to the choice they would have to make, and the hell they would have to endure later in their life, they just sat their for a moment, watching, they seemed invisible to the two children, then they felt a blade upon their throat.
“You should have died that night, now you will die here.” The voice sounded like Amarah’s, yet unfamiliar at the same time.
“W-wait! Please!”
“Goodbye Two Time, you always were a pain.” The voice said.
Two Time woke up gasping for air and clutching at their throat, then the gasping led to a lot of coughing. After wiping their mouth a little, Two Time heard the door open.
“Hello?” They asked, their throat was a little raw from all of the coughing now.
“Hi, I’m back, checking the recent vitals checks, you seem all good to get out of here today, so I am going to prescribe you some medication, and give you some after care rules to follow.” The doctor said, Two Time was very happy.
“Ok! Thank you for letting me know.” They said, they then sat for a moment. “Wait, what does that mean for me to do?” They asked, the doctor looked at them for a moment.
“If you could try and get out of the room that would be helpful, do you have someone to pick you up?” He asked, Two Time thought for a moment, Azure knew that they would be getting out soon, but he couldn’t drive, and no one else knew at all.
“I don’t think so, no.” They said, the doctor nodded.
“Ok, do you have someone we could call?” He asked, Two Time nodded.
“Yeah, my friend Elliot.” They said, the doctor sat for a second, then nodded.
“Ok, could we have his number?” The doctor asked, Two Time looked away.
“He is the main employee for Builder Brothers Pizza, other than that I don’t know his number.” They said, the doctor nodded.
“Does he have a last name?” The doctor asked, Two Time thought long and hard for a second, Elliot did have a last name.
“Yes… Builder. Elliot Builder.” They said after some time, the doctor nodded his head.
“Ok, we will try and get in contact with him, until then you can pick up your prescription and wait.” The doctor said, “You are going to have to wear that gown though.” The doctor finished, Two Time nodded.
“Ok.” They said, the doctor nodded and left. Two Time took a few minutes to stand up, they didn’t have the IV or oxygen anymore, they just felt weak in their legs, and it took a few minutes, but they were shakily able to stand with support, and they slowly took steps out of the room, after a bit of time they had reached the pharmacy area the doctor had told them to go to, they picked up the prescription. They sighed and waited, pretty shortly after beginning to wait, they saw Azure walking up.
“Hello!” Azure said cheerfully after getting close enough to talk at a normal volume, Two Time smiled.
“Hi!” They said.
“How are you feeling?” Azure asked, Two Time chuckled.
“I think the only thing remaining is the chest pain and coughing, which is good.” They said, Azure smiled.
“Good.” He said. “Were there any problems?” He asked, Two Time chuckled.
“No, not really.” They said, Azure smiled.
“So… why are we waiting here?” He asked, Two Time thought for a minute.
“Because I need Elliot to get me home.” They said, Azure sat for a second.
“That makes sense.” He said, “But shouldn’t we wait outside?” Two Time thought for a second, then nodded.
“Yes… we should.” They said, the two stood up, and walked outside, the air was nice and clean, not smelling like it was sterile or something, the sun felt warm on their skin and through the bandages, it was nice to be outside again.
“Ahhhhhhhh… that is so nice after being in a room for so long.” They said, Azure smiled and grabbed their hand, bringing them over to a small bench.
“It’s probably going to take a little while, so why don’t we sit down.” Azure said, Two Time smiled and sat down. Two Time pulled out the small pages that had been stapled together, talking about some things that they should and shouldn’t do.
“Whatcha reading?” Azure leaned over, Two Time showed him the pages.
“Just some instructions.” They said, Azure read it carefully, then he nodded.
“Ok, now I know how to care for you!” He said playfully, Two Time chuckled.
“You already take care of me plenty dear.” Two Time said, Azure blushed a little. The two talked for a little while, until seeing a familiar car pull up, Elliot got out and walked over.
“Hi! Sorry for making you wait!” He said, he was in his work clothes so Two Time assumed he had left early to come and get them.
“It’s alright! I don’t mind waiting. I’m thankful you even came to get me.” They said, Elliot smiled.
“You needed to get somewhere, I can help you, now come on, I do have to get back to work.” He said, Two Time nodded, and they and Azure, got in, Two Time just silently watched out their window in the backseat, Azure sat up front with Elliot, the three sat comfortably until Elliot pulled up at Two Time and Azure’s house.
“Thank you again Elliot!” Azure said, Elliot nodded from the front seat.
“No problem! I hope you feel better soon Two Time!” He said. Two Time nodded and waved their hand back.
“Yeah, I’ll try to come back to work as soon as I can.” They said, Elliot nodded.
“Ok, just be sure to take it easy when you come back ok?” He said, Two Time nodded, and waved as Elliot drove off, then Azure and Two Time walked in to their house, Two Time had missed the smell, they walked into the kitchen to set their medication onto the counter, they tried to take a deep breath, stretched, and realized how tired they were, they tried to walk out of the kitchen, and almost stumbled, catching themselves on the kitchen table, if only barely, Azure quickly ran over.
“Are you alright?” He asked, Two Time stood up with support.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine, I just, stumbled is all.” They said, Azure showed a slightly sad expression, then walked over. “What are you-?” Two Time did not get to have anymore words said, before being picked up. “Wha-! Azure!” They said.
“Where were you trying to go?” Azure asked, Two Time realized quickly that Azure carrying them, was easier than walking themselves.
“...I wanted to go get some rest.” They said, Azure nodded and carried them into the bedroom, where he then set them down on the bed.
“Then I hope you rest well.” He said, gently kissing their forehead, they blushed a little and smiled.
“I will.” They said, they crawled under the covers as Azure left, they had missed how soft their pillow was, how their bed smelled, how everything was so familiar and quiet, they closed their eyes and soon fell asleep.