Archive of Our Own ^beta

Elliot and Noob didn’t quite know what to think right now.

    Both of them were quiet, waiting in a secluded corner of the map to hide from the killer, Jason. They stayed near the edge of the hollowed-out mountain on the right, gazing out at the glass houses around them. They were safe here. For now at least.

    Dread still tainted the air; it didn’t help that Dusekkar had died, and Taph was basically missing. They were—well, had been—the only four people left alive in the round. It was just about to end, but Jason had to appear out of nowhere and murder the admin in front of their eyes. Noob and Elliot had successfully fled, but Taph had been separated.

    Noob was drowning in their own frantic thoughts. Maybe it’s not that bad, hiding from Jason like this, they told themselves. But what if he’s going to sneak up on us?! God, I shouldn’t think about that. If he’s not here, then he must be busy looking for us, right?

    Then it hit them. What if he’s chasing someone else? What if he’s chasing Taph right now?! He’s probably being chainsawed to death or something!

    They looked over to Elliot, who had already noticed that they seemed concerned. “Do— D-Do you think Taph is… okay?” Noob asked shakily.

    “I hope he is,” Elliot replied. “The round’s almost over, anyway. I doubt he’d try anything risky.” He better be hiding, or Lord help me, Elliot cursed internally. I better not see him being chased by that— that freak with the hockey mask.

Clutching a wounded arm, Taph tried to put some distance between himself and Jason.

    His robes were stained darker with blood. They were heavier, too, which made running harder. Or was that just his exhaustion? He couldn’t tell, but it wasn’t top priority anyways. He took a few seconds to catch his breath, narrowly ducking out of the way as Jason swung his machete again. If he could make it to one of his “nests” and heal, that’d be great—

    One sharp turn, and a cloud of pink and purple exploded from behind him. Live, laugh, love Subspace Tripmines. The blast was enough to disorient Jason, allowing Taph to flee. Thank goodness.

    He sped to the only accessible glass tower, double-checking to make sure his tripwires lined the entrances, and immediately collapsed into the corner. His wings quivered overtop his robes. With shaky hands, he pulled out a medkit from one of his pockets. He could finally help himself.

    It wasn’t like he was safe forever; Jason would obviously find him soon.

    And find him, he will. The lights had cleared from Jason’s vision, but the survivor was nowhere to be seen. Something akin to a hiss escaped his mangled lips, his rage rising. He saw movement in the distance, behind the glass. There he was. His steps pounded on the grass, a dim light flickering behind the mask.

    Taph had just pulled out a roll of bandages, struggling to wrap him around the gashing wound on his arm. It didn’t help that every movement still hurt, and—

    A snap behind him. Oh. Oh no.

    The demolitionist slowly turned around, ripping off some of the bandages from their roll. There he was.

    One step forward. Taph couldn’t escape.

    Another step forward. He could run, but Jason could easily catch up to him. He shook his head frantically, wings splaying out in desperation. He signed a quick plea, a beg for mercy that he knew wouldn’t be given.

    But surprisingly, Jason stopped his advance. He tilted his head to the side, as if he actually… understood? The two stared at each other for a moment before getting blinded by another magenta flash. 

    Jason… swung? Tripped? Taph couldn’t tell. But he felt something crash against him. He found himself awkwardly trapped in the corner, wings uncomfortably spread out against the glass walls.

    God. How embarrassing. Jason was supposed to be a killer, a ruthless murderer! He could behead Taph right now, and yet… he liked how soft his robes were…

    The demolitionist could hear the murderer’s raspy breathing. Their faces were far apart, but close enough so Taph could see the finer marks on his hockey mask. He knew how vulnerable he was at that moment. His mind screamed at him to run, push him away while he was still stunned. But his fingers found themselves brushing against the edge of his bloodstained pants, and he had to admit that Jason's gloves on his chest felt… grounding.

    Was this love? Was this what it felt like? Taph remembered that Dusekkar had talked about it a while back. He said it was a mystery. That seemed about right.

    Jason felt more than embarrassed. What was he doing, staring at this survivor like that? Wasn't he supposed to kill? Not… whatever this was… Ugh… Dammit.

    Taph had no clue what he was doing. In the heat of the moment, he found his wings unfolding and cautiously wrapping around Jason. It felt so awkward—especially since he was still pressed against a corner—but it felt like the right thing to do. For some reason. He didn't understand what was happening; he probably should be dead by now, but he wasn't.

    “Is this good?” he signed hesitantly. He almost didn't want to move at all, fearing it would interrupt the moment they were having.

    Just as bells began to echo in the distance, the killer let out a breath that barely grazed over Taph’s skin. Then, slowly, he nodded. It was a small nod. But Taph noticed.

    If anything, they were one in the same. Just two silent freaks; two outcasts who didn't know anything about love. Two soldiers, held captive by admiration and embarrassment.

    The pair heard rapid footsteps approaching them. “Taph!” Elliot's voice called. Wait. Now??? The delivery boy carefully stepped over a set tripwire. “Taph— Oh, there you are; we've been— …looking for you.”

    His jaw dropped slightly. What the hell did he just walk in on. Jason? And Taph? In that— that pose ?? Why ??? “What the fu…” He cleared his throat. “Great. So this is really why we couldn't find either of you.”

    Taph quickly pushed Jason off of him; the latter let it happen, dusting himself off. Usually he'd kill both of them right here and now. But there was no trace of any violent thoughts. Weird.

    The demolitionist shielding himself with his wings, quite obviously flustered. He felt his face heat up beneath the layers of his clothing. How come Elliot had to see them?! He wouldn't get over this…

    With the round over, Taph was left reeling from his little endeavor.

    That was. That was truly something. He had been here for… who knows how long, but no round had been as strange as that . His heart was still racing. And for some reason, he missed the feel of Jason's body on his.

    Elliot and Noob sat in front of him. None of them spoke. Taph's wings were still partially covering him.

    “…So, where— where w-were you the whole time, Taph?” Noob asked with a nervous chuckle.

    Taph leaned over, resting his arms on the table and burying his face in them. He didn't even want to answer that question…

    Elliot answered it for him. “He was just”—he glanced at Taph for a moment—“distracting the killer.”