Work Text:
1.
Pacing up and down the coastline, Guest666 gazed into the distance, setting sun glimmering over the ocean. The slow hush of the waves soothing the loudness of his brain. She slowly set one foot in front of the other, water seeping in through the fabric of his shoes, but in the stillness of everything, he found he didn’t really mind the feeling.
After a few minutes of pacing, suddenly she felt the world spin around her, gravity pulling him down as she fell into the crashing waves with a yelp. He sighed lightly, arms spread out as he gazed up at a sky of pastel hues, the taste of saltwater and sand in her mouth and his jumper soaked in the surrounding water.
She heard the crunching of sand slowly approaching her, not bothering to get up and see who it was - chances were they weren’t even coming to check on him anyways. Why would they, when he was infamous for being a hacker?
A yellow, smiling face came into view, covering the serene clouds and wonderfully still sky as yet another person came to interact with him. “Are you alright?!” The person asked, worried as Guest666 eyed them suspiciously. They grabbed onto his arms, pulling him up into a sitting position in the damp sand as they moved into a crouching position, smiling at them innocently with their sunshine yellow face.
“My name’s Noob," They spoke, cheerily, "What's yours?”
She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but paused like she suddenly remembered something. His gaze scanned the coastline, looking around for something to write with, before finding a stick washed up on the shore.
“Guest666," he wrote in the sand, keeping careful watch of Noob’s expression as she held her breath and waited for the inevitable expression of fear and recognition to cross the other's face.
A beat passed.
Then two.
Noob's eyebrows raised slowly in recognition. Ah, there it is, he thought, the barest glow of hope in his chest immediately dousing itself in a rush of water, I knew it was going to happen, no matter what.
This was normal - expected, he tried to console himself, fists clenching as Noob slowly turned towards him. Her gaze was cast downward in shame, refusing to meet the gaze of the other in fear of what their face might show.
"It’s nice to meet you,” they said, tone surprisingly even, not even a hint of fear or fake joy. Nothing like what she was used to. Her head snapped up, the smallest flame of hope flickering to life in her chest as a warm smile spread across the other's face, "I hope we can be good friends!”
Guest666 stared at them in shock, mouth pulling up at the corners, feeling himself truly smile for the first time in what felt like forever.
Ah, he thought, so this is what kindness feels like.
2.
“Dude, why are you hanging out with that freak?”
The scratching of pencil on paper stopped immediately.
This is it, I guess, Guest666 thought, the end of whatever friendship I had with Noob. He watched, helplessly, as Noob’s gaze turned from whatever he was writing on the paper to make eye contact with the anonymous player.
“What do you mean?” Noob asked, innocently, oblivious to their friends’ inner turmoil, “There’s nothing wrong with him?” The other man sneered. Guest666 felt his heart drop out of his chest.
“Don’t you know? That guest is a filthy hacker. I’m surprised you're still intact, if I'm being honest.”
Noob turned to their friend, a crease between their brows. It’s ok, he wanted to say, Now that you know, you don't need to be friends with me anymore. The pitiful expression remained, unmoving despite Guest666’s desire for everything to move faster, to just be done and over already because all she wanted was for it to stop-
“Don't say that about him." Noob's voice was firm, "Who are you to judge someone you don't know personally?”
Guest666’s eyes flew open, not even realising she had them closed as she made eye contact with the other.
“In all this time I've been friends with her, she hasn't done anything remotely close to what you people have been talking about!” They gritted out, almost as if they were - offended. On his behalf. "Why can't you just look past his name and see who he actually is?”
Guest666 put her hand on their shoulder, placating them. Noob's head whipped around to make eye contact with him, shaking his head. It's not worth it, he conveyed.
Noob looked down at the ground, then back to the offender once more, before spinning on their heel and dragging the other by the wrist out. “C’mon,” they said, “Let’s go.”
The door clicked shut behind them, Noob’s entire demeanor changing now that the perpetrator was gone, “They’re only afraid of you because they don’t know you,” they said, before smiling gently, “Sixer.”
3.
Noob settled into Sixer’s side, arm naturally coming to wrap around the other’s side as they relaxed on the couch together. “Hey, Sixer,” Noob spoke suddenly, tone surprisingly heavy. Worry twisted in Sixer’s gut. She wriggled her arm out from under the other, signing, What’s wrong?
“Umm,” Noob murmured nervously, I’ve been thinking, they signed, movement slower than usual and expression a little perturbed, I-
Suddenly, Noob’s eyebrows raised slightly, dropping their hands to their lap as they rested their head on Sixer’s shoulder, shaking it a little. “Nevermind,” they mumbled quietly. Sixer felt his chest tighten in anxiety, stomach churning a little, What is it? She signed, Please, just tell me.
He looked down at Noob’s face, where the side of it was squished against his shoulder - with furrowed brows and a downcast gaze. That nervous expression on them looked so - unnatural, and it made Sixer’s gut turn a little more. Please don’t tell me we can’t be friends anymore.
“I-” Noob started, and then froze once more, making eye contact with Sixer with pursed lips. They brought their hands up, starting to sign once more with shaky hands, as if they couldn’t bear voicing the words out loud What… What are we to each other?
Sixer paused, What do you mean? She felt the knot in her chest loosen ever so slightly, knowing that Noob didn’t want to end their friendship for certain. I know that you don’t have a lot of good experiences with people, but- they paused, refusing to make eye contact as if trying to find the right words -I don’t think people who are just friends are usually this close.
Suddenly, everything clicked. Oh, Sixer thought dumbly. I don’t know, they answered truthfully.
It hadn’t really ever occurred to him that maybe, always spending every minute of every hour of every day with the other, always being in contact with the other, always wanting more more more despite already having everything meant that they were more than just friends.
We can be whatever you want to be, I guess, they signed, hands surprisingly steady. A slow smile graced Noob’s face, mouth flicking up at the corners, Maybe… Partners, then. They signed, melting into the warmth and comfort of both their partner and the plush couch around them.
Partners, Sixer signed, as if testing the waters.
I think I like that.
4.
“Sixer..?” Noob called out, “Sixer, what… What are you doing?”
Sixer’s gaze landed on Noob’s figure as they approached him slowly, almost cautiously. Are those scripts? They signed, slowly, What do you think you’re doing?
“I’m taking scripts,” She said, voice rough and gravelly from disuse, grimacing a little at it, “So I can be better.” He looked at Noob’s changing expression, hoping that they would be excited or maybe a little surprised at this new voice he’d acquired, but instead, Noob looked-
Terrified.
Face pale, expression a little strained as they continued to make eye contact with the other, “But- Sixer, you don’t- you don’t need to be better,” They mumbled carefully, “Don’t you know those things are dangerous? That they could- they could change everything about you.”
Sixer looked back at them with a tick in his jaw, You’re just afraid, aren’t you? He thought bitterly, You only liked me when I was mute, because you could pity me and toy with me, get close to me just to break my heart.
“I’m not appealing to you anymore now that I have a voice, is that it?” He gritted out, brows furrowed, “You were only friends with me because you could pity me, but it was all fake, because why wouldn’t it be?”
She took careful stock of the other’s pained expression, watching as they stuttered out a response. “Sixer, I-”
“You’re afraid of me, just like the rest of them, aren’t you?”
The question hung heavy between them in the air.
All of a sudden, the room felt stifling, Sixer feeling his sweaty palm clench into a fist beside him, feeling an odd squeezing feeling take root in his chest.
“Why do you always assume I’m scared?” Noob said, voice tinged with sorrow, “I would’ve thought that- by now, I would’ve thought that we were past that already.” Their tone evened out, turning more resolute, but Sixer couldn’t help but grit his teeth harder, “Sixer. I’m not scared, I’m worried.”
There you go, lying again, She thought scathingly, “Say what you want to, but I know the truth,” She forced out, despite the little voice in the back of her head screaming, Don’t leave, don’t leave don’t leave, who else do you have? Where else do you have to go? Don’t go don’t go don’tgodon’tgodon’t-
“This friendship is over.”
+1
“Sixer…” A voice sounded out, resounding against the hard concrete, “Sixer - what have you done?”
Guest666 whipped around to see them standing there - Noob.
You! He wanted to scream out, but all that came out was a pathetic growl, rage bubbling under his skin, You betrayed me, abandoned me - left me to rot! Noob spoke, mouth moving around a string of desperate, pleading words, all muted to Guest666’s ears. Noob inched backwards, hands out in front of him placatingly as they took a step away from him ready to run.
Look at you, all scared, just like everyone else! You’re the same as all of them! She let out a growl, chasing after the other as they turned on their heel to run. She paused for a moment, letting Noob have a moment of reprieve before lunging forward and grabbing the back of their neck, forcing them to the ground before stomping on them and relishing in their pained gasps.
He leaned forward, gripping the other’s skull like a vice before ripping their head clean off their body, blood gushing out of the gaping hole where their head used to be. Go on then, for all I care, Guest666 thought.
Be scared.