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It was late. Any reasonable person should have been asleep by now.
To be fair, Joel wasn't really a person, and Jimmy had been slipping further away from person-hood for a while. And it could be argued they both weren't reasonable. Joel was, with current evidence at hand, at least the more reasonable of the two, being currently in a bed and having been asleep until a chirp from the bedside table awoke him. But that's not the point.
Anyway, the message that came in as the moon neared its apex was definitely a surprise.
SolidarityGaming: hey um. Joel
SolidarityGaming: you mind if i come over? things are bit too quiet over here
The communicator’s screen glowed bright, and Joel blinked slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the sudden change. He thought for a moment, before typing out his answer, fingers still a little slow, and awkward from his position lying sideways.
Smallishbeans: yea im chill
Smallishbeans: just idk
Smallishbeans: head over whenever you feel like it
SolidarityGaming: omw
He was already coming over? Wow, the town’s silence must have really gotten to him.
Joel pushed the blankets away and sat up, fighting against the warm draw of the mattress and pillows, instead stretching his back and arms. He should tidy up a bit before his guest showed up, or at the very least not be dead asleep.
His bare feet gently lowered to the ground, and he trembled as the marble’s chill traveled all the way up his legs- by the coders, it was always so cold in Stratos at night. Well, that did make sense, given that the city floats in the sky, and everything was made of quartz and marble and metal- but it still wasn’t his favorite thing in the world. Joel liked being warm. Apparently, before passing out earlier, he had managed to get his toga off and change into basketball shorts and a looser short sleeve shirt- comfy, but not warm, like his usual garb with all the layers of fabric. His bare arms and legs were pockmarked with goosebumps.
He kept his feet flat on the floor, until he got somewhat used to the cold and it didn't feel like a bunch of frozen needles stabbing him, and then fully got up, moving slowly around his room and picking a few things up- a couple tunics being bundled into the wardrobe, blueprints rolled up and shoved into the desk drawers, sandals swept under the bed.
A telltale chime sounded, signaling a notification from his communicator, and he immediately dived for it, nearly dropping the device on the ground.
SolidarityGaming: close by
Joel slid his communicator into his shorts pocket and quietly padded through the rest of the house, until he was standing in the porch area open to the skies, feeling the rest of his warmth be stripped away by the wind, leaving him folded in on himself and shivering. What a way for a god to present himself- small, and cold, and weak.
He cast his eyes out to the open sky, waiting for the full moon’s light to catch on gold feathers. Far out, a small figure blotted out the stars as it swooped and beat its wings, and Joel forced himself to straighten his shoulders and unfold his arms, taking another step forward.
As the figure drew closer, more details came into view, and soon, Jimmy was flying down and landing carefully before him, wings shaking themselves out before folding themselves behind his back. The Sheriff’s face was slightly red from the wind rushing by, and the little wings stemming from his ears curled in to cover his cheeks. His eye shone in the dark, the button on the left side of his face looking recently shined. The spurs on his boots jingled as he took a step closer.
“Sorry for coming over so late.” His voice was quiet, soft, like he was afraid of breaking the stillness of the night. He ducked his head as Joel set a hand on his shoulder and guided him into the house, despite his skull not being anywhere near the top of the eight foot door frame.
“No, no, it’s alright.” Joel waved a hand dismissively, pointing Jimmy to a seat in his kitchen. “It’s quiet up here too, it’s nice to have some company. Uh, you want anything? Food, drink?”
“Some tea would be nice.” Jimmy was still speaking barely above a whisper- and coders, yeah, the silence of the silicon town must have been unbearable tonight. Joel started the water and pulled out a couple mugs, grabbing a couple peppermint tea bags before walking over to Jimmy again, who glanced up at him.
“That bad, huh?”
Jimmy opened his mouth, letting it gape for a moment before letting out a long sigh, seemingly going limp for a moment into the chair. “Yeah, it was just… really…” He trailed off, not knowing how to finish his sentence, and Joel nodded understandingly.
The first time the god had seen the town in its current state, he had been horrified- all the living people and animals, changed into automatons and life size toys. They moved around the town during the day in ever repeating patterns, and retreated into their houses at night, tracing endless loops around their bedrooms. Jimmy himself had only escaped the same fate due to his status as a player, but not without consequence. The button where his right eye should be signaled the curse that had come over him, too large to be hidden. The whole right side of his body had stiffened as well, the action-figure like articulate joints having trouble from overuse sometimes.
Joel was trying to find a way to fix it all- the magic that was the root of it all was a messy bundle of smaller spells and Godly power, cast by Fwhip, after stealing some of the Fountain’s water. He still had yet to unravel it and free the town, but he had at least made some headway on Jimmy’s part of the curse.
He gently ran his hands over Jimmy’s right arm, feeling him relax, and carefully began to move all the joints, checking for stiffness and breakage, whispering spells all the while. The kettle began to whistle, and he pulled off, walking back over to prepare the tea.
Behind him, the chair creaked as the Sheriff moved. Joel glanced over his shoulder to see him stretching his arm and wiggling his fingers. He tapped them against the table, tracing the tips over the wood grain, and Joel’s eyebrows raised. “You lose feeling again?”
The sheriff sighed, nodding his head slightly. “Mhm. It’s really annoying.”
Joel’s hands tightened to fists over the mug handles, and he held his breath for a moment- ANNOYING. HE HAD LOST HIS ENTIRE SENSE OF TOUCH AND CALLED IT JUST “ANNOYING”. Coders, Fwhip was gonna have hell coming one of these days.
It was only through sheer luck he didn't shatter the porcelain under his white knuckled grip.
The tea bags plopped into the water, and the god slid the ripped packaging into the garbage, cleverly hid behind a panel of the counter. After another few minutes of companionable silence, Jimmy stretching out the articulated limbs, the tea finished steeping, and Joel lifted both of the mugs. His feet quietly made their way over to the table, and he slid one of the mugs into Jimmy’s hands. The sheriff flashed a small grin at him before raising the rim to his lips.
“You all good, by the way? It’s just the silence that got to you?”
Jimmy nodded, ducking his chin. “Yeah, just was really bad tonight.” He was quiet a moment more. “Thank you for checking on my… y’know, the joints. And letting me stay over.” He took another sip, before frowning. “Is this…”
“No caffeine,” Joel answered, anticipating his question. “And, I really mean it when I say that it’s no problem. You can come over anytime you want, I wouldn’t be mad at you.”
Jimmy smiled again. “I mean, I appreciate the offer, but it really only happens badly at night. The day is usually fine, but something about the night…” He sighed again, a little frustrated. “I don’t know, it's just… being completely alone in the dark with things mimicking life. I don’t like it. It just makes me not want to be alone.”
Joel nodded in understanding, and they sat for a bit, simply basking in the light and the tea’s aroma, talking about nothing in particular.
The overhead lamp made the shadows under Jimmy's eyes much more obvious, rings of darkness underneath the soft hazel pools. It made Joel wonder how bad it all had been- not just tonight, but maybe for a while. Jim could be stubborn, and struggled with asking for help, so Joel wouldn't put it past him to just deal with a night of horrible sleep, or even pull an all nighter or two.
And besides the dark circles, Jimmy just seemed more tired as well. He didn't fidget as much as normal, his voice was quieter, his blinks lasted a couple seconds, and he slumped forward, just listening to Joel talk and occasionally throwing in his own comments or ideas. All of it could have been blamed on the feel of unease the nonliving citizens of Tumble Town wrought, but it didn't seem like that was the only reason.
Finally, both of their mugs sat on the table, empty, and Jimmy stifled a yawn with his hand. “Hey, do you mind if I crash on your couch?”
“Nonsense!” Joel scoffed, standing up and stretching his back. “We can share my bed.” Jimmy made a choked noise, and the god shot him a look. “What? It’s cold here too, and besides, you came here to not be alone.” He shrugged. “Nothing screams ‘not alone’ like sharing a bed with your best bud.”
Jimmy seemed... apprehensive, hands folding over themselves as he glanced down and chewed on his lip. "I..." His eyes flicked back up to meet Joel's. "I don't know."
"If you don't want, you don't have to, its just an option." As Joel spoke, he leaned against the corner of the wall, next to the hallway that lead to his bedroom, trying to look casual.
The sheriff appeared to think for a moment or two longer, face turning slightly pink before he took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, why not."
"Ayyy!!!" A massive smile split the gods face, and the sheriff returned a smaller, more nervous grin as he stood from his chair and began to move towards Joel. He almost walked past him, before the taller man quickly stopped him with a finger shoved into his chest.
“No, sir. Your hat,” the finger rose to gently bump the rim of the cowboy hat, “and your… spur thingies stay out here.”
The sheriff wrinkled his nose. “You… you won’t steal my hat. Will you?”
Joel shook his head no, and Jimmy let out a breath, taking a few steps over to the coat rack on the wall and hanging up his hat after a few moments. His boots quickly came off as well, lined up against the wall, and with a second's hesitation, his jacket- badge and all- joined the hat on the hooks.
“Great.” The god grabbed the Sheriff’s wrist and gently tugged him down one of the hallways towards the bedroom.
Joel carefully ushered Jimmy into the room, muttering a spell to light the candles and lanterns as he gently shut the door behind them. Jimmy made an immediate beeline for the bed, but froze when Joel made a sound.
“You’re going to sleep in denim??” Joel cried, and Jimmy glanced down at his offending jeans quickly.
“What's wrong with that?” Jimmy demanded, cocking his head to the side and seemingly deflating upon noticing Joel's expression- equal parts disgust and genuine concern. “Fine, fine,” he snapped, beginning to undo the belt buckle.
Joel turned away from Jimmy to give him a bit of privacy, instead focusing on fluffing the pillows and getting the bed situated for two people- he had to admit, he snuggled up with every pillow and every yard of blanket on the bed when he slept, so it was all bunched up one side before he straightened it out. A bit embarrassing, but he was just glad Jim hadn’t seen him sleeping like that.
After the blankets were straightened, he decided to close the curtains over the floor length windows. He usually had them open, an invitation for any of his friends to fly in and bug him, but this might be the first good night's sleep Jimmy had for a while, so closed it was.
As he pulled the silk fabric over the huge, empty frames (maybe that was another reason it was so cold… but he liked getting to feel the breeze and smell the sky as he rested), he heard Jimmy’s belt buckle clanking again, like he was folding the belt. And then there were soft footsteps, and the sound of the blankets being pulled back.
The last of the curtains was secured, and he turned back to face the bed. He had been right, Jimmy was already under the blanket, curled up and almost falling off the one side. It was almost comedic.
Joel slipped into bed on the other side, taking a couple moments to get comfortable before falling still.
He could feel the heat Jimmy was putting off from his body through the blanket, just a short distance away from him.
“Jim,” he whispered.
There was a quiet hum, inquisitive in tone, as a response.
“You don’t have to be crowded up against the edge like that, mate.”
Silence.
“Okay.”
Jimmy carefully turned over, scooting a bit closer towards Joel. His eyes were downcast, focused on the pillow case. The god scoffed.
“Better, but if you roll, you’re gonna fall off.”
“If I fall off, I fall off.”
Joel scoffed again, closer to a huff this time, and reached, seizing Jimmy's hips and yanking him closer, somehow turning him back onto his other side. Jim squawked, his noise of surprise turning to a laugh.
“Dude, quit it!”
"Nope," Joel responded, pulling the shorter man flush up against him, chest to back, and wrapping his arms around Jimmy's middle. "You didn't want to be alone, so I'm not gonna let you."
"I don't think being two feet away counts as alone," Jimmy retorted, twisting a bit in Joel's grasp.
Oh.
And now Joel was worried.
His hold loosened, and Jimmy stilled, scooting back a bit -closer towards Joel -after a minute. "I didn't say to stop." His voice sounded a bit nervous, and yet slightly demanding.
Okay. Okay, good.
Joel, for a moment, felt so happy that this was his best friend, that Jim was the person who understood him well enough to realize his worries and dissuade them, all without ever actually mentioning they were there.
He squeezed Jim as tight as he could, forcing a slightly choked, wheezing laugh out of the other. "You did," he said, making sure to keep his tone playful and light, even as he adjusted his grip to avoid crushing the other man's wings in-between them. "You told me to 'quit it'. I can't believe this, my best friend hates me." He slipped into mock sadness, a contradictory smile slipping onto his face as Jimmy grumbled.
"I don't hate you, I just don't like being man handled!" He emphasized the words by unfolding one of his wings and lightly smacking Joel's face with it. "Besides, I could never really hate you."
Awh.
"Oh, you're sappy," Joel teased, blowing a fast breath onto one of Jimmy's ear wings and giggling as it flicked in reaction.
"Says the man actively spooning me." The toothy, shit eating grin was practically audible in Jim's words.
The god sputtered, trying to find a response- but failing. "You got me there," he muttered, a pale blush settling on his cheeks and nose.
Jimmy was quiet for a second, moving slightly, before he sighed and spoke. "Speaking of, you mind if I readjust?"
"No, no, go ahead," Joel answered, unwrapping his arms from the vice grip around Jimmy's waist and pulling his hands back.
Person-hood is a fickle thing to define.
Is it the ability to breathe? To reproduce? To feel emotions? To live a finite life?
If we go with the last one, well, that eliminated both the "toy-folk", as many others had taken to calling them, and the Gods. Both groups could live forever, or at least indefinitely, only struck down by specifics- enough damage or wear, a killing with intent, being cut off from the magic that supplied both with the ability to move and maintain their bodies.
And with reproduction, both groups could have young as well- guaranteed, via different, non traditional or biological means, but young nonetheless.
Breathing? It truly depended on the individual. Some toy-folk needed air still, while others didn't, and Gods only breathed for subliminal communication (gasps and huffs and such like that), and, of course, to seem more appealing or familiar to mortals.
But… surely emotions? Well, that was unconfirmed as well. What counted as an emotion? Was an instinct an emotion? Was the urge to give in to whatever you were created for an emotion?
Many "persons" do not believe so. They believe emotions are things like terror, euphoria, rage, and love. Most toy-folk and Gods do not experience emotions like that- indeed, the greater majority.
But there are a couple outliers, who feel like "people" do.
So maybe there is no true answer.
Instead of scooting further away, like Joel had anticipated, Jimmy turned over again, shimmying back towards Joel until his forehead was pressed against the other man's collar bone. His legs curled up slightly, almost tangling with Joel's own, and one of his arms slung over the god, soon followed by a wing.
"That's better," he mumbled into the soft fabric of Joel's shirt.
Joel's blush felt much warmer all of a sudden.
He let out a slightly too high and breathy giggle, wrapping his arms around Jim again, unable to stop one of his hands slipping up to tangle in the sheriff's hair. "Silly man."
Jimmy grumbled something that could have been a disagreement or affirmation, and nuzzled his face deeper into Joel's chest, eyes closed in tired contentment. Joel could only giggle again, still too high pitched and gleeful, feeling something bubble in his chest, almost making him feel like he was floating. He squeezed the man in his arms, half to ground himself and half to make sure Jim was still there, and Jimmy somehow pressed further against him.
This was different. Joel hadn't- well, he was a God, and had lived for a long time, but hadn't really felt like this before, or been in a situation like this. And he knew Jimmy valued his personal space- usually flinching away from touch, or at the very least politely removing himself from it. Yet, when ever a night like this happened- where the quiet dug into the sheriff's brain and made everything worse- he choose to seek out Joel. Let himself be touched and carefully looked over, always with gentle, feather light grasp and open palms, because Joel couldn't scare him off, not now.
And now he was curled up against Joel's side, face buried in the gods chest, letting Joel pet and softly tug at his hair.
Was it just because it was Joel? Because Joel had signed his power and godhood into their contract, their treaty, and swore that if he "spoke ill of the Sheriff ever again, so strip me of my power, by the void's might"? Because Jim could trust him now?
Was it just the effect the almost abandoned town had on him?
Joel felt almost jealous at the idea of Jim seeking out comfort in someone else.
The man in his arms made a whimpering noise, quiet and complaining, and Joel's head jerked down, worried he had grasped the other too tight. But, no, one of Jim's head wings unfolded to flick against his hand, and Joel realized he had stopped petting Jimmy's hair while he had been lost in thought.
He couldn't stop himself from chuckling as he began gently combing through the golden strands again, face warming again as Jim made a resonant chirping noise and his wings shook slightly, feathers puffing out slightly and smoothing down again as the blonde sighed.
The lamps were still lit, so as Joel let his eyes slip closed and his body sink into the softness of the mattress, he mouthed an extinguishing spell, lips barely moving. The little bit of light still in the room vanished. And even as sleep crept over his body and mind again, his fingers stayed moving in Jim's hair.
Jim was warm. Really warm, like, making Joel the perfect temperature- how he could not be, with essentially having a little ball of heat right against his side. And, yeah, Joel had trouble keeping his body temperature on the hotter side of lukewarm, and having another there at this side, this close to him, made the subconscious homeostasis come much easier- with the added benefits of the blankets warming quicker.
It's easy to blame inhibition on a mind under outside effects.
"Y'know," Joel said, getting a small hum from Jimmy in response. "You're honestly, like… sorta like a stuffed animal."
The second the words left his lips, he realized what he had said, mind finally catching up, and fresh terror pushed back all the tiredness.
"Hmm… how so?" came the sleepy mumble from Jimmy. He pulled his head back from where it had been tucked against Joel's chest, blinking up at him with bleary eyes. His hair was messed up slightly, in a way that made Joel's gut twist and his heart wail.
He hadn't lost his powers yet. He could still feel it, his magic, his life force and Godhood, pounding away in his golden divine mock-heart, so he- he was fine…? Yeah, yeah, he was alright.
He should probably answer Jimmy's question. Wouldn't be good to keep such a fine man waiting.
(Where did that descriptor come from?)
"You're… warm. And soft." Joel pushed his brain, trying to find the answers to the query, while not revealing too much (of... what exactly?). "… Being around you makes me feel better." It was a delicate thing to say- true, but telling.
"Better how?" Jim's arm pulled away from the dip between Joel's waist and hip, joining the other in a stretch above his head. The god tried not to mourn it's loss.
"Oh, uh… comforted, for one thing. Not alone… secure." Joel shifted his fingers from Jim's scalp to one of his head wings, gently scratching at the base of the feathers. The sheriff shuddered with delight, eyes falling shut and head unconsciously leaning into the gods palm.
"Yeah, that… that makes sense…" Jimmy whispered, letting his arms fall again. He scooted up slightly, face almost level with Joel's, and giggled for a second, voice sleepy and almost loopy-sounding. "You make me feel the same way," he murmured as his arms slipped around Joel's ribcage.
A-ah.
Joel's blush surged back in full force, the bubbling and fluttering in his chest returning as well.
He kept scratching and rubbing at Jim's head wings, fighting to keep his breaths even and steady.
So long for falling asleep.
Jimmy, however, didn't seem to have any problems, breaths evening out and coming slow. Joel stopped petting his feathers, and his head wing flicked, but there wasn't any other reaction.
Joel rolled onto his back, pulling Jim with him so his head rested on the gods chest. Jim let out a quiet squeak-like sound, before Joel's hand slipped in to pet at his main wings, and then something akin to a purr vibrated through his whole body.
Void, this man was going to be Joel's end.
He kept looking at Jim, watching his face twitch and move slightly as he slept, the god becoming more and more drowsy even as he kept studying the other mans profile.
Finally, he sighed, and moved slightly, just to press a kiss against Jimmy's forehead.
Not because he wanted to, or anything like that. Just- it was a blessing. To insure restful sleep and drive away nightmares.
Nothing more. Just two best friends, cuddling in a bed and holding each other close.
"Goodnight, bud," Joel whispered, wrapping his arms around the other man again, as he let his eyes slip shut and sleep prepared to take him.
Perhaps person-hood, at its most, is subjective.
Nothing can truly define if a being is worthy of being a person, because there are so many interpretations and specific examples. But really, does it even matter?
What matters here is only two things, a God and a once human toy-folk, wrapped in each others arms. Their breaths are both steady- relaxed, calm, quiet, even as parts of the world bustle and battle and shout. Legs intertwined, they rest, the only thing each of them needs being the others presence.
How sweet, how loving, how… comfortable.
It is a shame they both don't recognize what this is.
But person-hood, no matter how disputed, never comes with a guide to emotions.
Maybe for now, its enough that they're together, in a quiet that doesn't haunt and cause fear, warm amongst this haven of blankets and pillows, high up in the sky.