Chapter Text
It had been a bit since the two of them got stuck in the skin caves. But they didn't have a precise way to tell time down here, which meant they actually had no clue how long it had been.
It could have been a few days.
Or it could have been a week.
All they knew was that it had been a while. And it didn't seem like they would find a way out soon.
As much as Zacho wanted to just hop servers and get out of here, he knew he couldn’t leave Atlas alone.
Atlas wasn't… the most stable person he had met. He always seemed one wrong move away from completely spiraling, even if he was good at pretending. It was clear that was why whoever was running this sick server was targeting him.
Zacho had gently tried to pry once or twice about what was going on, but as expected, Atlas refused to explain any more than that he had a friend named River a while ago.
Not that Zach blamed him, if he were in his shoes he probably wouldn't want to share anything either.
Especially not when the AI was probably listening.
They actually hadn't heard from Clair herself in a while as well. The person running it probably figured it was useless now that Atlas actually believed Zach about her not being real.
Not that it really gave them any piece of mind. They still heard the AI mask their voices occasionally, so they couldn’t let down their guard. Least they stray apart due to its tricks.
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It was getting late, or well, they were getting tired. And with no way to properly tell time, the two just slept when they had no more energy to walk through the endless tunnels or complete more puzzles.
Unfortunately, today they hadn't found one of the smaller caves that already had a campsite, and with a lack of materials, creating a campfire was not an option. Meaning curling up in a corner was their only choice.
… this was going to be a long night.
Zach and Atlas sat quietly in the corner, next to each other, yet far enough away that they could barely share warmth.
It didn't seem like Atlas was having any trouble with the cold, being bundled up like it was the dead of winter. Zacho on the other hand… well… His hoodie was warm, sure. But enough? No.
Rubbing his arms, Zach attempted to keep himself warm, silently hoping the temperature wouldn't drop any lower.
“What, cold already?” Atlas quipped, his scarf was pulled over his nose, making his voice slightly muffled.
The two had been like this since they met. One insult after the other, neither noticed when it turned as playful as it had become.
Zach huffed softly, “Yeah, because unlike you im not dressed up for -10 degrees”
Atlas rolled his eyes but his shoulders finally relaxed, he had been tense since earlier when the AI had mimiced what was aparently Rivers voice.
Dispite it all, Zach smiled softly at it, he could tell the torment was really taking a toll on Atlas, so it was good to see him finally relax a little.
“We should probably try and get some sleep.”
Atlas voice suddenly broke though the silence the two had fallen into. Zacho just nodded in return, sleep sounded amazing right about now, even if the cold air was starting to bite at his skin, making him more awake.
Shifting slightly, the two of them quietly laid down. Hopefully some rest would clear out their minds…
It had been atleast 35 minutes since they agreed to get some sleep. Zacho had kept count. Sighing, he shifted to lie on his right side, where he finds himself face to face with a very much awake and annoyed Atlas.
“Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Sighing and shifting, it's annoying”
“Annoying? It's even more annoying how it's so cold I can't sle-”
Before Zach could even finish his rant, Atlas had thrown one of his many extra layers over him.
“What- huh… so you do know how to not be an asshole”
“Just… shut up and get some sleep”
Atlas turned the other way, god he was a mess right now, alot of things had happend today and now was not the time for him to mess up what friendship he finally had gotten.
He needed to desperatly clear out his head before he repeated his mistakes. He couldn’t mentally handle loosing another person… even if that person got on his nerves alot.
Slowly rolling onto his back and turning his head, he saw Zacho out like a light. The extra layer, no matter how thin, had done enough to fully knock him out.
Atlas sighed. He was glad he wasn’t alone anymore, and that even if he did constantly fuck up and attempt to push Zach away, Zacho was just as stubborn and refused to leave him to his delusions.
And with a small smile under his scarf, Atlas finally let sleep claim him for the night.