Chapter 1: Noob has joined the experience.
Chapter Text
Noob's ears were ringing, disoriented they lied on the floor as every part of their body screamed in pain and fear. They curled up weakly in fetal position, desperately trying to shield their hearing from the merciless screeches of unidentified sound.
They had not the slightest idea of where they were, but they knew they were somewhere they hadn't been, and they were scared.
The cabin was lit dimly, yet the lights hurt their eyes the same as if bright. Everything that wasn't a living being or decorative was made of wood that looked more or less worn, yet new at the same time— including furniture, stairs with their railings, tables, chairs with few exceptions like the fireplace made of stone and the windows made of glass.
That's all they managed to notice before footsteps made themselves heard as the attack to their eardrums surrendered. They could feel their lungs struggle to do their job, chest heaving in struggling inhales and exhales as they wheezed. A shadow was cast on them when a person bent over them, causing Noob to jump and try to crawl away while his eyes attempted to focus.
"Hey, buddy, hey-" the other person raised his arms in the air, as if surrendering while they kneeled on the floor, trying to appear smaller. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. I swear on my life."
Noob was struggling to get their breathing under control, but their vision got considerably better, allowing them to take in the appearance of the person. Green military uniform, stained with... something they'd rather not find out, judging by the reddish color. His hair was a bold yet gentle blue, much like his personality so far, a good contrast against his lightly tanned skin. 'A Guest?' Noob tried to ignore the foggy memories that brought up, their head hurt as it struggled to remember. He looked... warm to Noob, wether it be due to his colors, his gentle approach, his soft expression plagued with worry, or a combination of those.
"Come on, breathe with me now. In..." The blue haired man moved his hands over his chest, exaggerating his movements as he instructed Noob to take a deep breath. Noob felt tears sting at the corners of his eyes, but tried their best to go along regardless. "...and out."
After repeating that a good few times over, Noob managed to reach a point where they could breathe much better. It was at that point when they realized there were <>more> people lingering around the area, observing them. Their breath got caught in their throat momentarily, but they were much quicker to recover this time.
"My name is Guest 1337." Guest started, deciding it was the best time to begin introductions. "Would you like to move over to the couch? What I'm about to explain to you- or... try to, at least. Will be very messy, and overwhelming. It's best to be comfortable."
Noob looked around the room, briefly analysing the other people in their head. A blue pumpkin-headed one that looked like a wizard, a pizza worker, a smiling person that nearly looked through Noob, a guy trying to hide himself as if ashamed in the corner, a hooded one, one that was eating chicken and- IS THAT BUILDERMAN?!
"Kid..?" Noob jolted, then quickly nodded as they got up from the floor, allowing themself to be lead to an old couch before taking a seat.
"I'll first explain to you what we know about this place, then we can move to introductions, okay?" Guest said, his voice soft and gentle as he spoke. Noob nodded.
"We all spawned here not too differently from how you did, except some of us appeared in different places." He spoke slowly, letting Noob's brain soak up every word of information they were given. "We cannot get out of here."
What? '...What?'
"Whuh-" Noob felt their breathing quicken, this was becoming more unbearable by the second. They couldn't believe this, who would? Suddenly spawning in a random place they'd never seen before, with a bunch of strangers and no ability to leave- this was absurd, insane, downright unbelievable. This must be some sort of joke, they thought, are they trying to prank me? Targeting me?
"I know it's hard to believe- and we can prove it to you. But listen to me: you should probably take it easy." Easy? Easy he says?! How the #### are they supposed to manage that?! "Hey, hey- breathe. Relax.."
Guest shifted closer and Noob slightly flinched, which cemented Guest right were he was.
"We can talk about this more later, you should calm down a bit and try to process that." He raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Would you like us to go ahead with the introductions? It's fine if you don't, we can do this later. There's beds in the other cabins if you'd like to rest there-"
"N-no, it's-s okkkay." Noob cursed at themself internally. They were stressed, so their stutter was more prominent, and that made them feel embarrassed.
"Well, if you say so uh." He looks around the room. "Who wants to start? Maybe we should gather up?"
"'Sup, the name's Chance! I spawned in this very couch!" A grey skinned and haired person wearing a fancy suit walked up to the couch suddenly, they wore a matching fedora along with ... shades? Inside? Whatever, not the weirdest thing that's happened, Noob should probably start getting used to this. Chance extended an arm out towards Noob.
Noob could only bring themself to nod as they reciprocated the gesture and shaking Chance's hand. They were not feeling like talking anymore, but thankfully nobody seemed to mind.
Chance walked off somewhere, a few others taking his place to stand in front of Noob. It was the pizza worker, a yellow skinned robloxian wearing a uniform consisting of a red button up and black pants, he also had a red visor on their head. The other person was standing further away, clearly contemplating backing away and leaving. He had a burger hat on his head, and wore a blue shirt with some ridiculous design on it, along with greyish green shorts.
"Hey, I'm Elliot. I spawned on the kitchen counter... Welcome?" She awkwardly said, waving his hand in the air with hesitant excitement before walking back into the kitchen. 'Kitchen counter..?'
"I um, I'm 007n7. You can shorten my name if you'd prefer, um- I spawned outside the cabin." The man rushed back into a corner to hide barely giving Noob time to process his words. Noob noticed how almost everyone was giving 007 a dirty look, but chose not to think further of it.
The pumpkin, the chicken eater and the smiling person approached next, the first eyeing the last one warily.
"My place of spawning was nearest of the bookcase, not too far. You will be knowing myself to be Dusekkar." The pumpkin head rhyming his words would've confused Noob, but they're not phased by much anymore, they can question small things like that later. Dusekkar wore grey robes similar to the ones of the hooded one, he had a lighter grey pair of pants and carried a wooden carved staff. His head was glowing from a mysterious fire burning inside his head. Noob nodded, and the mage walked floated a bit further away, nodding as he stilled, waiting.
"That was Dusekkar in case you didn't understand." The other man was bigger than noob, both in height but also —and mostly— width, no doubt he was stronger too. He wore a white t-shirt with a pair of blue striped swim shorts. He bit into a new piece of chicken as he joked about his friend. "I'm Shedletsky, spawned on the stairs."
"Thee must know that place quite well, seeing as thee spawned and immediately fell." Dusekkar chuckled.
"Man, leave me alone." He fake-sadly ate his chicken as he walked back into the kitchen, sitting on the table Noob assumed to be there, based off of the sounds of wooden chairs scrapping against wooden floor.
Noob flinched, looking right at a pale, dark haired person standing above them that they hadn't realized was there. They wore an oversized sleeveless shirt so dark you could barely tell it was blue, along with a grey pair of normal sized pants. They had the spawn symbol eerily glowing on their chest, and Noob wasn't all that sure it was part of their shirt. Their face was contorted to show a strained wide smile, attempting to look friendly while seeming anything but. A bony looking tail waved behind them, showing their curiosity.
"Hello, newest addition! My name is Two Time and I spawned on the upstairs floor! I hope you enjoy your time here, and may the Spawn bless you." They said, never breaking eye contact even when Noob did so. Noob was unnerved, especially after noticing that they didn't really blink, but they seemed nice so they ignored that feeling. They finally left after Noob gave a nod in acknowledgement, heading to the front of the fireplace and taking a seat.
The last two people appeared in front of Noob. The Builderman, followed by the hooded person. Builderman was in his usual grey jacket over red shirt, his trusty hardhat never seemed to be removed from his head, might as well be a part of it by this point. The hooded one wore a black version of the robes Dusekkar wore, gold and bright magenta similar to what you see on those subspace tripmines detailing parts of them. They wore a short cloak over their robes, further concealing their identity, it was similarly decorated to his robes.
"Hey, kid. I'm Builderman. I spawned right where you're sittin' now." The man chuckled and offered a handshake to Noob, which they gladly accepted. They were freaking out a little bit, but who wouldn't when the Builderman was standing in front of you? That guy was supposed to be unreachable! Unreachable...
Noob ignored the chill that went up their spine at the implications of that, the hooded figure waving nearly right at their face grabbing their attention.
"👋, 👆💥. T-A-P-H. 💨🌳." (Hi, I'm Taph. T-A-P-H. I spawned in the forest.) They signed slowly so they wouldn't overwhelm Noob, and of course just in case they didn't know sign language at all. Taph anxiously fidgeted with their fingers as they waited for Noob's response.
"Oh, uu-um..." Noob said,nready to apologize when they realized there would be a communication barrier. Taph lowered his head in disappointment, but not blaming Noob. They still felt awful about it, did anyone else know how to talk to them?
"Don't worry about it, kid. You can learn as time goes on, most of us don't know sign language either." Guest tried to reassure Noob, failing to realize they kind of had ignored Taph, along with the sad implications of his statement.
"A-HEM." An obnoxious cough turned their attention towards Two Time, making them notice a dejected looking Taph walk away. Two Time stopped Taph in his tracks and urged him back towards Noob. "Please do not ignore our dearest Taph due to your lack of knowledge in his way of communication." Their smile seemed even more forced, a little irritated even.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-" Taph waved dismissively, motioning that it was okay even though it had actually hurt them a bit. He really just wanted to leave, this was embarrassing enough already and staying would make it no better.
"Taph 'ere said that their name is Taph, then spelled it, an' that he spawned in the forest." Builderman translated Taph's signs from moments earlier, the latter throwing a double thumbs up towards no one in specific.
"O-oh, um." Noob took a deep breath to steady themself, they were determined to make it up to Taph one way or another, to the best of their abilities. "Nn-nice to meet you, Taph. Sorry, I don't know sign lang-language... But I'm willing to ler-learn- if it's okay with you, of course!-"
Taph clasped their hands on the sides of their head as if to say "REALLY?", clearly excited that someone was willing to learn.
"That usually means 'WHAT?' 'n shock, 'no way', 'really?' an' similar." Builderman explained. 'Those two must know each other.' Noob noted internally.
"Maybe we should all sit down and learn one day, it would really help, I think." Shedletsky yelled from the kitchen, overhearing their conversation.
There were multiple murmurs and nods of agreement. Noob threw a shy glance towards Two Time, noticing how they looked much happier than before. Looking back at Taph, Noob could've sworn they were glowing with happiness, their hands shaking but theyr body language said anything but negative.
"Yeah, that'd be grea-great." Noob smiled for the first time since arriving in this strange place, and they truly felt alright...
Though that feeling was quick to disappear as they started to hear consistent beeping, similar to a countdown. Everyone looked around the room trying to spot the source of the noise, eventually noticing a small timer above the fireplace steadily counting down from a minute.
45, 44, 43...
"That wasn't there before." 007n7 pointed out the obvious, walking nearer to the ominous timer.
30, 29, 28...
"7, be careful." Guest got up, ready to defend from anything that could happen when the timer reached it's end.
20, 19, 18...
Everyone gathered close to one another, nobody had the slightest idea what this could be and they were all terrified.
10, 9, 8...
"Wh-what's thhh-that?!" Noob's stutter returned stronger than ever due to their heightening terror.
Within less than the blink of an eye, the sky was bloody, shining a red glow into the cabin as grainy splatters of white and black littered the eye-stinging red sky. They all could've sworn they heard laughter, yet no one dared speak a word of it, fear locking their words in their throat. Then, they heard it.
The killer is Jason.
Everything faded to black as they all fell into endless nothing.
Chapter 2: Hold Back (it's harder than you think)
Summary:
Noob experiences their first round.
How can I make this about Taph...
Notes:
Woah we are finally entering the actual plot I was planning lolz
So um a few things, as always
I haven't really gone through any serious addictions so... Not much personal experience. Just my dad constantly drinking although I think he's mostly doing it for the fun of it, myeh. I don't really drink (not much opportunity, thankfully) but I do have the weird urges sometimes like "I need a drink, I have to drink, where's a drink" so kinda that?
Again, I have a character cap and both chapters are included in that so... Sorry for short and bad writing 😢
What else uuuh, yeah idk I'll come back
Not that game accurate but I'm trying ok? Ok
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Noob fell, hard. Missing an already awful landing unto dry ground, their face getting smothered in falsely living grass. This time they wasted no time, snapping themselves into standing up and doing their best to take in their surroundings.
Currently, they were standing in an outside space littered with randomly placed brick walls and fences. They slowly backed into the corner, just so they wouldn't have their back exposed. On the left and right were entrances to a big building they hadn't seen before, though the two halls the entrances led to seemed different from one another. Both floors were paved with wooden boards, and the one on the right had creepy arms reaching from the ground, stuck reaching eternally for escape.
Noob was terrified, so much that they had started to shake, leading to them hearing a soft familiar clinking noise. One of tin cans. They plunged their hands into their pockets, desperately feeling around for things they knew hadn't been there before being brought here. Some moments later, they were staring at their hands in disbelief as they held out two cans of bloxxy cola that screamed their name, a mystery potion reading "slateskin" and a weirdly translucent burger.
They thought about it, holding themselves back to the best of their abilities. 'There's only two of them, I can't drink them now. They must be here for a reason!' Noob reasoned to themselves as they placed the items back where they found them, curiously observing as they felt no weight be added to their person even though it should, not seeing the items peeking out of their pockets either. Strange, but so was everything else in here.
Carrying themselves on trembling legs, they ventured out towards the left hall, they'd rather not approach those weird arm things. Once in the hall, they look around and immediately spot a few rooms. One on their right filled with random items, a pillar standing tall in the middle, and an entrance leading to another room. On their left was the "eyestrain" bedroom as they'd now start calling it, it was top to bottom filled with bold and colorful patterns that hurt their eyes. Straight ahead, at the end of the hall was some sort of room that was a slight sectioned off part of the hall that had only a long counter and a few mysterious furniture— they could not tell what they were no matter how much they tried.
Their eyes caught a generator, what is that thing even doing here? Regardless, they had a feeling they should repair it for some reason. They approached the generator, kneeling in front of one side as they took a look at the wires. They looked too simple, this was definitely made to be repaired quicker than one would expect. Fingers quickly grabbed onto colorful wires, connecting them to their other half to the best of their abilities, the wires were very tangled, creating a visible cacophony of colored mess.
The generator whirred to life immediately when they connected the last wire, a long green starting to glow on its front side. What to do now?-
"AAAAAUGH-"
Someone's screams echoed throughout the building, too close to Noob for their comfort. They begged their legs to move, but found themselves frozen in fear, eyes frantically searching around for anything.
Forcing their body into motion, they hid behind the counter and waited. But nothing happened. They couldn't wait there forever though.
They could hear the distant ticking of a clock, similar to the one of the timer they heard before being dropped in this place, though they were unable to locate any timer or clock in the room. Their thoughts circled back to the cans of bloxxy cola in their pockets, they'd really like to drink one now, it'd help them calm down. But what if they needed it more later?..
Against their better judgement, they pulled out one of the cans, holding it tightly. They started to sweat out of fear, what if they needed this later? Surely this wasn't just there to keep them hydrated, water would've done just fine! But oh... One wouldn't hurt... They needed this, they had to-
They did not, but still they heard the click of the tab as they popped open the can, the familiar fizz of the drink already helping their nerves settle. They raised the can to their lips and drank, relief washing over them as they felt themselves calm down already. It wasn't the bloxxy cola doing that, not yet, but rather their expectation of what's to come. Though... if they were to be honest, considering the limited stock they had of the drink, they weren't sure they'd reach that point.
They chugged down the drink until the can was disappointingly empty. They weren't satisfied, they needed more, but that was for later. It hadn't slipped their mind —yet— that they had bigger issues to worry about. However they couldn't help but notice— amongst this warmth of calmness, a burst of energy seemed to nestle within them. Weird...
'Is that why I have those?' they would have to figure out the hard way. It was time to get moving.
They headed back through the hall, stopping right outside the room with the square pillar, listening for any sign of people. There was nothing. They kept moving forward, entering said room and walking through the next doorway it held, hand subconsciously hovering over their pocket that held the items as they found themselves walking over hard carpet. They passed through a room with a well at the center, walking around it and into the next room. It had colorful shapes over dark colour, similar to those you'd see at arcades. It was also much bigger than the other rooms they had seen so far, having it's own sets of detached walls and structures within it, namely a theater stage across where Noob was and a raised ball pit to their left.
They sat still and listened... Nothing.
They kept moving on, deciding to head to the ball pit before crossing the room to head elsewhere. The steps bent slightly under their weight, startling them momentarily, but they kept going. They cautiously peaked their head into the ball pit and found...
"Taph?"
"🤫😟." (Be quiet.) Taph started to sign, then paused and started pantomiming in hopes Noob would understand him as he placed an extended index finger over where his lips would be under the mask.
"Sorry... What's going on?" Noob whispered.
"🥤💥💀🚫. 🫱🫲..." (You and me are not dead. The others...)
"Are you saying... tha-that they're all dddd-dead-dead?" Noob felt cold fear wash over him, along with disbelief. What's going on? He randomly spawned into this place he apparently can't leave, and now the strangers stuck with him are being killed?! What is this?!
Taph motioned for Noob to breathe and they did so, calming down as much as they could.
"🔪💀🫱🫲, ☝️💥🪤." (The killer got them all, but we still have my traps.) Taph pointed to a few tripwires and subspace tripmines he had armed the ball pit with. Noob stared in shock.
"🔪👥👂🔜💀. 👁️." (When he's near, you'll hear but it might be too late. Be aware.) Taph instructed, kneeling down to observe one of the tripmines. "✌️🚶🔜, 💣💥🔪👂." (We should move soon, the bomb will explode and he'll hear us.)
"Uum, okay... Youl-you are going to have to explain this to me one day.." Noob said, approaching Taph and sticking close to him— maybe a bit too close, but he didn't react other than nodding in response.
He lead them out of the ball pit just in time, the masked killer soon walked in from where Noob had and headed straight into the ball pit which was now empty. But he was not as dumb and clueless as he looked, immediately spotting them heading to the other side of the room, he gave chase right away.
Taph grabbed Noob's sleeve tightly and pulled them to motion, eventually leading them all outside into the grass. He dragged Noob behind a few of the walls, the killer being on the other side of them. Standing still. Waiting. Machete glinting under the moonlight, painted red with the blood of the other survivors. Noob didn't want to know whose. They were pulled backwards, pushed to be behind Taph who tried to act as a human shield for them. And they could only feel bad for not being able to restist. To help. To fight back, somehow.
Taph's eyes were locked onto the killer, waiting for the slightest of movement to give away which way he would go. He held Noob's hand in his own and brought it closer, still keeping them behind him as he started to trace shapes and letters into their palm. He could only pray that they understood.
Suddenly the killer rushed to their left, and Taph pushed Noob the other way, rushing right into the killer, which stunned them both for just a blink. But it was all Noob needed to make his escape.
They forced their legs to run, ignoring how they ached to be still, to freeze from terror. Taph had chose to protect them, to throw himself right at death so Noob would have a chance to escape it— and they would not let that go to waste. An idea flashed into their head, and they had no time to question it, swiftly taking and opening their last can of cola before chugging it in seconds. True to their theory, they felt that same burst of energy as before, and they ran faster than they thought they could.
They ran, and ran, and ran. Until they reach the place Taph had instructed them to hide in, the end of the other red-floored corridor and behind the big desk. This one had a doorway leading to the theater room, and a generator that had been completed long ago, now stained with blood. Noob did not wish to know, so they looked away. And waited.
By the heights, the waiting must be the worst part of the game by far. If only they knew the #### time! As if to answer, they felt it. They didn't know how it worked but they knew they somehow were aware of the time.
[0:30, 0:29, 0:28...]
'That's... Good, hopefully.'
So they waited. And waited. And waited.
The silence was better before, no chaos or danger, they thought. But now it was concerning. Was Taph okay? Did he die? Did the killer lose him? They hoped so...
[0:03, 0:02, 0:01]
[0:00]
[Game Over: Survivors Win]
Noob opened their eyes to find themselves at a wooden table, very dizzy and extremely nauseous. A thud across them slapped them into reality, they jolted and turned their head to look, eyes wide with fear.
Taph's head was on the table, fortunately along with the rest of him, probably fallen from exhaustion. Noob wasted no time in getting up, the chair screeching in retaliation as it was pushed aside. They all but ran around the table, stopping by Taph's side, hearing multiple footsteps approaching too.
"Taph, are you okk-kay?! I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything!" Noob cried, falling to their knees and clinging onto Taph's waist. "I shouldn-shouln't have leffff-left you alone with that thhhhing!!"
Taph weakly raised his hand, earning a heavy sigh of relief from Noob, who wasn't certain that he was alive yet. He lightly dropped it onto their head, softly brushing their hair in one motion, then lowered to rub circles on their back before letting it rest there. They were both undoubtedly and impossibly exhausted, sleeping would be heaven after the hell they went through. But it wasn't over for them yet.
"What the hell happened out there?!"
...They could really use a drink right now.
Notes:
NoobTaph/FizzyDrink perhaps wink wink nudge nudge
I think they'd be pals
Please tell me if I accidentally misgendered anyone, I tried using he/him for Taph and they/them for Noob
Chapter 3: Pour one more and drink it up but don't choke
Summary:
Noob remembers what happened before he got here
Sixer, where did you go?
Notes:
Few things, as always:
Okay should this have a good or bad end? I didn't really think that far
I DO NOT REMEMBER NOOB LORE I'M MAKING SHIT UP!!!/lh
Also I forgot to say (thank you to the first comment of this chapter that reminded me) but bloxxy colas are alcoholic in this fic :)
I do not have personal experience with dealing with loss really, at least not like this I don't think... I don't remember. I also have no experience with a drinking addiction to this degree or with withdrawal (take this all with a pinch of salt my memory bad)
Thank the lord for me not being able to afford things or else I would've had personal experience about this (drinking)... The apple doesn't fall far from the tree I fear, and I am my father's son 😺
Chapter title from Cuphead Rap - JT Music
Taph is Greek because so am I and I am Taph (I don't know if it's a joke anymore), γεμιστά is best food but I couldn't really remember everything that goes in it I'll ask my mom before next chapter
More questions at the end!!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It's been a few days now, though they felt like years to them. Day after day, running from death in some hellish game rounds they were suddenly dropped into with no way out.
Strangely enough the cabin was pretty cozy, and they learned to feel safe in this little comfort it provided. They learned to expect it, they grew to cling onto it, they mourned it's loss at the start of every round and celebrated it's return at the end.
It didn't slip their mind that that the fridge housed in it would have items be spawned in at random, and the constant presence of bloxxy colas certainly didn't go unnoticed. Quite the opposite, in fact. Their thoughts always circled right back around to the drink, and they often wished they could just take them all and chug them down. Just to be able to relax, and maybe they'd forget too. They'd much rather not be present for this nightmare, but they weren't alone in here and they couldn't do that to the others.
They had to be there for them, to support them as best as they could. They couldn't, in good conscience, drink their fears and sorrows away until they felt nothing at all, despite how much they wanted to.
Distractions were nice, though they didn't always work. Their options were limited, and after circling through them a bunch of times, over and over again and again... they stopped working as much. Especially considering that they were experiencing some sort of withdrawal.
After the first two or three days, after the shock of this whole thing had started to die down in their heart, they started getting used to their new normal. And so the memories of before started to resurface, and so did the shame.
Noob sat at the table in the corner of their kitchen, in an apartment that used to be loud with chatter, but was now empty, only filled by regret and the sound of opening cans. They missed her, so so so much. It hurt, and the drink did little to dull the ache.
Where was she?
They had returned home on that sorrowful day, to find the house lacking the one thing most precious to them. Guest 666, a close friend at worse, and... they unfortunately were stolen of the chance to figure out the best. They had searched everywhere— walked all the roads, gone to all cities and towns, traversed the forest, looked in the clouds, climbed up the mountains, asked for the crows. Yet there was nothing to be found but silence and a growing pain in their chest, spreading as tugs at their heart and itches in their veins.
They couldn't handle it, no matter how many tears they shed, no matter how much they screamed her name. There was no relief, there had been no answer.
They hated how loud the silence was.
It had been weeks, months, maybe even a year. They couldn't remember when they resorted to drinking as a solution to their pain. But the changes it brought were unforgettable, and immediate. People stopped responding as willingly as they used to once they saw them at their door, picture in hand and asking for Guest's whereabouts. They noticed the wary glances people threw their way, how quick they were to changing paths once they spotted their condition, how they seemed to want them gone as soon as possible. They noticed, and so they did the only thing they have come to know— drink until they didn't.
The stumbling made the search harder, the slurring of their words made their voice nearly unintelligible, and so they shut themself inside that same home they used to ran back to. Once, long ago now, they would be greeted by a smile brighter than the sun whenever they returned, or they would sit and wait for her, the skies and stars were nothing to them as long as she was there. But now, they sat in silence too much to bear, in a house too empty and cold to be a home. Alone, drinking through the last pack of bloxxy cola they could afford with the last of their savings.
They had quit their job a few months back, surviving off of whatever money they had saved up that hadn't been spent searching for Guest 666. But that was bound to run out at some point, and that point was now.
'I should save it.' they wanted to reason, but grief was stronger that logic. They chugged empty another can, down the hatch.
'What would she think?' they paused, tears starting to cloud their vision, blurs of a once familiar environment the only thing they could see.
'She's not coming back.' they opened another can.
And another.
And another.
And plenty more after that.
By then, they were moving on autopilot, too drunk to even string thoughts together. The ringing in their ears had gotten too loud, and their eyelids felt heavy. Maybe they should sleep it all away.
They didn't have the energy to acknowledge the shift in the air, the blinds tightly shut as it hid the change in the skies. From a lonely, endless blue to a spark of red, bold and determined as she once was. It knew it had already won, and if the atmosphere wasn't so pathetic, maybe it would've laughed.
Goodnight.
Noob awoke somewhere they didn't recognize.
"Dearest Noob-"
"AUGH- oh." They wheezed. "Two Time, don-don't sneakkk up on me lll-like that! Please."
"Apologies, Noob. It was not the intention to scare you." Two Time stood in front of Noob now that they had turned around. Their smile was as wide and unnatural as ever, an eerie carve in such a gentle face.
"It-it's okay, I'll be... I'll be fine.." they trailed off, their words mostly attempting to assure themself rather than Two Time. They looked around, noticing how it seemed to be early in the day still, since the sky could still get much darker.
"A round has started! Moments ago, it seems that we two were not selected." Two Time announced, standing awkwardly in place, which Noob did not notice.
"Oh, so.. Taph has..." They knew the answer, but they asked still. Noob and Taph had grown closer, with Taph teaching Noob sign language over the days and making hanging out together even easier. Taph was nice to hang out with, he listened, even after Noob learned his way of communication and could listen back to what he had to say. Though they weren't that great at replying. Conversations were never their strongest suit, especially after...
"Yes, Taph was chosen to participate! Tho-..." Two Time cut themselves off from adding another comment, and thought about it. They decided to say it either way. "As bad as it may sound, it would be nice if he were to return soon. We were in the middle of speaking before being interrupted by this."
"O-oh, I see..." Noob looked away from Two Time. What Two Time said was true, as bad as it sounded, none of them liked being in the rounds. Who would? Still, they could safely assume neither of them wanted anyone to die either.
"Would you like to join me in the kitchen? Maybe something new has spawned in to be consumed." Two Time offered, turning away to slowly head down to the kitchen. They weren't dumb, they had seen Noob stand there and stare into nothing. Two Time themself was no stranger to flashbacks and the related zoning out, but they did not speak of it. It must all still be too fresh for Noob, and they wish not to trouble them further.
"Oh, um, sure!" Noob sprinted after them until they caught up, and together they headed down into the kitchen.
If they were entirely honest, there was near to nothing in there considering what the amount of people they had to feed was, along with what size portions they should be eating to stay healthy. But alas, their health was an afterthought, as long as they were alive and breathing nothing else mattered. They managed to spot a few decent-looking vegetables, namely tomatoes and green peppers, along with some rice, some herb and a few basic seasonings.
"Um so..." Noob started, uncertain.
"Perhaps we could boil the vegetables? And serve them with the rice? Hm..." Two Time placed one hand on their hip as the other tapped on their chin in thought.
"May-maybe someone else knows a recipe with these-"
And as if to answer their call, a loud thud echoed throughout the silent cabin, startling both survivors. They rushed to the main area of the cabin, the "living room", where the source of the noise was assumed to be. Once there, they spotted a particular cloaked ally struggling to breathe, apparently dropped on the floor but uninjured as far as they could tell.
"Ttt-taph! Are you okay?" Noob rushed to his side, Two Time following close behind as they scanned Taph's body for injuries. They let out a small sigh of relief once they found none.
"Dearest ally, what is wrong? You do not appear to be hurt." Two Time noted as Noob pulled Taph until he sat up. His breathing had calmed down after hearing them, but he still seemed on edge.
"👆💀..." (I died...) He signed slowly. He looked down at the hands that struggled to cooperate, instead shaking in defiance. He forced them to keep moving into messy signs. "👆💀." (I died.)
"Hey, it's-it's okay now! You're okay here!" Noob pulled Taph into a gentle hug which he hesitantly returned. He was still in shock, perhaps they should try to distract him?
"Fear no longer, nothing can hurt you here!" Two Time backed up Noob, crouching down to briefly join the hug before pulling away as Taph tried to wiggle free of their hold. "A few consumables were found in the kitchen, could you help us gather ideas on how to cook them?"
"...✅, 🙂↕️." (...Yes, sure.) Taph wiggled away a bit more, and Noob finally got the message and let go. They helped him up, both Noob and Two Time supporting him from each side until he stabilized himself before heading back into the kitchen. The round still had a good few minutes, Taph was probably targeted from the start and met a quick death.
They lead him towards the counter where they had piled all their findings on, and he took only a second before an idea popped into his head.
"👇📄🤲🥙." (This is all the stuff needed for γεμιστά.) Taph stated, a bit too happy. The other two survivors shared a confused look, neither recognizing the sign Taph used at the end of his sentence.
"🥙. 🥙🍅🫑. 😋." (Γεμιστά. Stuffed vegetables. It's yummy.) Taph explained joyously. Noob and Two Time let out a collective "oh" as they finally understood what Taph had meant, both pretty sure that Taph didn't use a sign in the sign language he was teaching them.
"That wasn't.. ASL was it?.." Noob asked. They were always eager to learn new words, collecting hobbies and knowledge might as well have been their main hobby.
"🚫, 😔. G-S-L." (No, sorry. G-S-L.) Taph dropped his head low as he apologized before returning the subject to their lunch. "👍. 🍴. ☝️🫵🤨✅...?" (It's easy. Let's cook. Unless you have other things to do...?)
"I don't! Um, I wouldn't mind help-helping.." Noob hated how awkward they sounded. They would do anything to distract their mind from their predicament right now.
"Helping is the right thing to do! If you don't mind one more pair of helping hands." Two Time's smile widened, though this time there wasn't much strain behind it.
"👍! 🫵✋🫱!" (Okay! Come on!)
Notes:
Okay first of all do you want me to write them doing the cooking part?
And second
Should I make FizzyDrink (NoobTaph) or TimeBomb (Two Time x Taph) canon? Or neither/no ship? Because I was kind of unintentionally creating ship potential but thinking about it... I don't know how healthy a relationship like that would be, with both Two Time and Noob basically having lost their partners not tooooo long ago
Unless we want unhealthy to healthy relationships (I cannot keep it unhealthy it's not that type of fic)
(Unless you guys want to, in that case it could be)Just tell me your opinions I don't know what to do with this 😭
Chapter 4: Hell's Kitchen
Summary:
Time to cook- Two Time what the hell.
Notes:
Do not ask me why I keep writing Two Time entering/having an episode, for I do not know and did not realize
I'm writing TimeBomb fluff to balance it out, no episode, healthy and nice :D (if anyone wants to name it, PLEASE)
Anyway uuuh idk what to say, just PLEASE correct me on anything— missed html (<>\>), characterization, psychosis/delusion presentation (I'm trying, very sorry if I got it wrong)
Um if I remember anything it's going at the end notes, have fun reading!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Noob found themself hunched over a bowl, attempting to gut a tomato into it as per Taph's instructions. It was messy, and they had a lot of trouble getting the insides into the bowl. They looked over to Taph just to see that he was successfully and consecutively, somehow removing the entirety of the tomatoes insides at once, scooping out any smaller pieces afterwards. Of course he would be better at this, he's probably made it a bunch of times before! Noob tried to reason to themself, they felt a bit useless, and Taph seemed to notice their hesitance to continue.
Snap, snap.
Taph snapped his —tomato joice covered— fingers in front of Noob to get their attention. Once Noob looked over, Taph gestured over to the cupboards.
"🫵🔍🖐️→🧩→🧃? (Could you search for something to mash the pieces with?) Taph asked, already starting to look tired. Noob nodded, and went to the furthest cupboard they had, looking through each one until they reached the middle one. Most of them were empty, but he remembered seeing something shine at the back when they were searching for vegetables with Two Time. Speaking of Two Time...
"PSSST!!!"
Noob snapped their head back just in time to see Taph practically tear the knife out of Two Time's hands, and then they looked closer... There was blood, on Two Time's fingers, on the knife, probably on the counter too. Noob's breathing hitched, panic starting to set in. They were never great in stressful scenarios, freezing more often than not, such as this time.
Taph, on the other hand, was running around the kitchen like he's done this a bunch of times before. Throwing the knife on the counter and covering it with a towel, he hid it from Two Time's view, grabbing them by the wrist and dragging them over to the sink immediately after. He opened the faucet and ran Two Time's hands under the gentle water, then snapped back to Noob who was standing awkwardly, not sure of what to do.
'Sixer was always the one taking care of the injuries...'
"Psst!!"
'That was Taph making that noise? Uh- get your head in the game, Noob!'
"Wh-what? What can-can I do?" Noob approached, now able to see a few cuts on Two Time's fingers, but thankfully they were all still there. Taph waved on their face, grabbing their attention back.
"📦⛑️. 🩹. 👕, 🧻, 🫧. 💨." (Medkit. Or bandage. Shirt, paper, disinfectant. Go.)
Noob quickly scampered off to the kitchen doorway before pausing upon realizing that they didn't know where to go, or where to look. They look back at Taph, a pleading look in their eyes. They didn't know what to do, they were panicking even more. What would Sixer do?
"Hey! It was just one small-small mistake! It happens!"
Sixer giggled as she wrapped up Noob's knee. She has cleaned it moments prior, her hands always moving with practiced precision she had acquired after Noob got themself hurt a few too many times. She secured the bandage around their leg tightly, the knee was a tricky spot to bandage up, but it only had to last a few hours until she went and grabbed better medical supplies.
She brought up a notepad and wrote, lines quick and purposeful.
'Dummy!! You're so clumsy! Be careful!!'
Noob playfully pouted at her words, crossing their arms over their chest and turning their head away from her. She let out a soft giggles before poking at Noob's injury. It was a pretty small cut— well, a few of them, but it stung like ####. They had fallen and scraped their knee on a gravel path on their way home, too excited at the thought of seeing Sixer again that they weren't paying as much attention as they should've been.
"OUCH! That stings, Sixer! You're so mean to me!!" Noob yelped, bringing their knee up to hug it loosely. They frowned at Sixer, and put on their best attempt at the saddest eyes of the world. The betrayal behind them could rival that of a partner finding themselves having become a sacrifice by their other half.
'Oh, stop that. It's not that bad. But you should really be careful, does it hurt?'
"...No. But-" Noob hesitated, maybe this was a bit too dumb to say. Oh well. "But my heart does! You're being mean to me!"
Sixer gasped loudly, a hand clasping over her mouth while the other clutched at imaginary pearls. She shook her head in disbelief.
'Oh no! Whatever will I do? How can you ever forgive my crimes?'
"It's okay." They chuckled. "I'm not that upset."
'I know how to make it feel better!' She brought Noob's knee back down until it was in front of her again. She was sat on a chair facing Noob, who was sat on the table.
"Wh- what do you mean? How-"
She pressed a gentle kiss over the bandage, right where the little cuts and scratches were. It stung, but that was quickly overshadowed by the blazing fire growing on Noob's cheeks.
"Hey, what-"
'You're so silly! I'm going out to get more medical stuff now! Bye bye!'
Noob would often look at that note, running their fingers over the neat writing. Tears had stained parts of the paper, along with plenty of the rest, throughout those months.
They really missed her.
Thud.
Noob snapped their head at the noise, spotting a familiar yellow figure who wore a red visor matching a uniform of the same color.
'Another person! It's Elliot!'
"Ell-Elliot, come here! It'ssss- Do you know-know where the med-edkit is?" They rushed over to him, hovering over him as he tried to get used to the sudden change in his surroundings. Being familiar with the aftermath of death helped him a lot, as the healer of the team it was a regular occurrence.
"Med- what? Did someone get hurt?" Elliot jumped up to his feet, looking at Noob expectantly.
"Two-Two Tttt-time! Um- kitchen, kni-knife, blood! There- in there." Noob pointed back to the kitchen, where Taph could be seen frantically looking around for something to cover Two Time's wounds with. They had all their fingers, sure, but some of them were cut up enough to worry about losing. What the #### even happened?!
Elliot wordlessly bolted into the kitchen, reaching for a specific cabinet Noob must've missed before. She pulled out a medkit that looked only slightly worn, but should otherwise be good to use. Dropping it on the table, she harshly rummaged through it's contents before taking out some sort of disinfectant and a roll of clean bandages.
"Bandages and disinfectant. How does it look?" Elliot asked as they prepared a few cotoon swabs with disinfectant. Taph gingerly peppered around Two Time's wounds with a paper towel, paying attention to stay far away from the actual injury as he dried the rest of the area. Noob could only watch in paralyzing fear as Taph and Elliot worked together to take care of Two Time's injury.
"Noob close the tap, please." Elliot ordered, and Noob did just that. All they could do was as they were told, or observe like a deer in headlights. They really were useless...
"Pst." Noob looked to see Taph call for their attention. They walked over until they awkwardly hovered over his shoulder, barely able to see what was going on.
"👀." (Watch.) Noob could not refuse— not like they had a reason to, anyway.
Taph gently disinfected the cuts, some already starting to lessen in bleeding. After finishing one hand, he gave it over to Elliot, who then wrapped it in thin layers of bandage rather messily, not entirely sure how to properly do this either. He was a pizza place worker, not a medic, so even though he was the healer of the team, he wasn't the best at things like this. They'll have Guest take a look at it once he's back, surely he'd know something, having gone to war and all.
Noob's eyes drifted higher up, ceasing movement and focusing on Two Time's face. Their expression, it was... Empty, devoid of any true emotion, a lifeless smile carved into their face by anything other than sincerity. Their eyes looked glossed over, they weren't entirely sure Two Time was aware of anything right now. It sent a chill down their spine.
Taph cleared his throat, and Noob couldn't tell if he somehow sensed them getting distracted or if he actually had to. They looked back to see Two Time all cleaned and patched up, Taph now double-triple checking just in case anything was missed. It was quiet, too quiet, until Elliot broke the silence.
"So.. what happened?" She was leaning against the counter, looking into the medkit and taking stock of what's left. Taph shrugged all too casually.
"🤕... 😟." (Just an accident... I hope.) Taph signed the last words in a way Two Time wouldn't be able to tell what he said easily, though he took wasn't certain they were mentally present. Elliot gave Taph an apologetic look, awkwardly turning to Noob as if to ask for something. Why were they..? Oh.
"Oh, um- he-he said it wasss an accid-accident.. I um- I didn't see myself but-but um, yeah." Noob translated Taph's words, letting the last addition turn into a memory. They gave Taph a look, and hoped he understood that they had kept in mind what he said. And if he hadn't, he moved on, now signing directly towards Noob for them to translate.
"Uh, Elliot can you and Two Time-Two-Two Time go sit elsewhere? We'll finish up the foo-ffffood.."
"Oh! Sure, yeah.. yeah, let's do that. Come on, Two Time." Elliot had gently grabbed Two Time by the arm, ready to lead him to the living room, when they started to speak.
"Nonsense! Help is what one was tasked with, and it will be realized! Let us resume cooking together, so it will be completed shortly!" Two Time's determination was ...dull, in a way that Taph could not explain. Fuzzy and distant, as if it was more of a purpose to fulfill than lending a hand to a friend. It didn't slip past Noob that something was off, but they didn't know exactly what it was.
"🚫, 👍. ✌️👍." (No, it's okay. We'll be fine.) Taph shook his head.
"Dearest Taph, please reconsider-"
Taph shook his index finger in Two Time's face, stopping their train of speech right in it's tracks.
"But-"
"Pst." Taph shook his head while looking right in Two Time's eyes, giving him the good ol' 'you're not doing this today' look. A skill honed by older brotherhood, affective immediately. "🫵➕😟👇🤕👐. ⏭️🗓️🫵🤗." (You'll be extra worry in here with those hands. Next time you can help.)
Noob and Elliot looked at each other and back at the scene in front of them a few times, shocked by what they were witnessing. Two Time's shoulders slumped in defeat, but they didn't move, as if they pleaded for Taph to think it over —which he, as awful as he felt about saying no, stood his ground—, so Elliot took initiative to take them to the living room like she had failed to do before. Noob watched them from the doorway as they sat down on the couch, Two Time starting to blabber about the "Spawn community" with a yet unseen fervor that made Noob's stomach twist. They gulped down the last bits of adrenaline from the events of a few minutes prior, their stomach would relax with time too.
They were brought back to the objective by the sound of chopping. Right! They had to help! Noob approached the cupboard they remembered seeing a strange shine inside, eventually pulling out a sturdy looking whisk. 'Are the things in here randomized like the ingredients..? Oh no...'
"Uhm, Taph..? I only found this.." Taph finished emptying and cleaning the vegetables, quickly chopping the tomato guts into smaller pieces, then approached Noob.
"🤷, 👍." (What the hell, sure.) Taph pointed for Noob to leave it on the table, which they did. They stood near Taph, awkward and awaiting instructions they weren't receiving.
"So, um.. what should I do?" They aimlessly fiddled with the end of their sleeves.
"🚫. 👆🍽️👆. 🫵👥☝️🚫🚧, 🙏." (Nothing. I'll make the food myself. You can stick around but don't be in the way, please.) Taph washed the useless tomato remnants from his hands and picked up the whisk, walking back to the bowl with the tomato insides.
"Wh-what? But-" Taph's stilling in place and giving them the look is all that was needed to shut them up. It didn't make sense to them, why did he say that they'd make the food if he wants to do it himself?
"🫵⏸️, 👆👀🫲😥🫵." (You get a break, I saw how it stressed you.) Taph was going through the steps as if he was being actively chased, Noob learned better than to argue with him. "🔍😋, 🤔😊." (Find something to snack on, maybe it'll help.)
"Okay..." Noob thought about it, then found themself subconsciously heading towards the fridge. They opened the door to find a pack of bloxxy colas and nothing else. They considered it, fingers itching to grab one but it all felt wrong. However, searching through the cupboards again wasn't all that enticing either, so they hesitantly took one- no wait, two out of the pack. Does Taph drink that stuff? They'll find out.
"Do you want one- want one?" Noob offered one of the cans to Taph, then almost immediately pulled their hand back. Taph was busy right now, dummy, he can't exactly pause to open some can. He still nodded in their direction, so they opened the can and set it down on a clean counter. "Here, uh, your hands are busy, so..."
"🙏☺️." (Thank you.)
'I'm dumb, maybe I shouldn't have done that. What if he thinks I don't think he can open a can?' Noob worried, but Taph was fully focused on the food again, respectfully, not giving a fuck about it. It calmed them just a tiny bit.
They sat on the counter, watching Taph cook from a distance. Lightly seasoning the vegetables, mashing the tomato pieces, cleaning the rice and adding it, seasoning the mix, filling the vegetables, seasoning over the filled vegetables, closing them, cutting the singular potato after skinning it and mixing the pieces between the vegetables, seasoning over the potato, closing up the vegetables, adding some oil and water, and finally, taking a break. Only to turn on the over and take a sip from the can, of course, then he had to clean up the kitchen.
All of the survivors had returned by now, and they were all, without fail or exception, temporarily banished from the kitchen to let Taph work. They were all curious, but as long as the kitchen wasn't on fire, they'd wait. Though, they'd have to admit, it did scare them everytime they spotted Chance or Shedletsky taking a peak from the doorway.
Taph suddenly shuddered, his whole body briefly trembling after taking a sip out of the drink Noob had given him, as if he wasn't expecting what he was greeted with.
"Wh- is something wrong?"
His next words sent a shock through them, and they finally connected the pieces. Why everything had felt off, why there was an itch of wrong.
"👇- 👉. 🥤🔥🥃, 👆🚫💭✅👉." (This- it. It burns like alcohol, I don't think it's supposed to be.)
Notes:
I'm going to start more plot heavy chapters now, enough dilly dallying and I bring the unfortunate news... I'm holding your hand as I say this....
I'm sorry but... I'll try avoiding writing Taph in this fic..
UNHEARD OF BY ME, I know... How could I..? But I must.. this is a Noob-centric fic after all, he can't steal the spotlight all the time..
Anyway
"Is Taph an older brother?"
Yes, I'm projecting, he has two younger brothers which he had to half-parent throughout his life.NO SHIPS IN THIS WORK for I have decided Taph thinks of Two Time and Noob as younger siblings, I might tweak a few things in the past chapters if they seem to weird for the dynamic I've decided on
Um yeah that's all
Oh wait
No, I forgot