Work Text:
Pac was running, each breath of air he pulled into his lungs burned but he couldn’t stop because he could hear the sound of his hunter steps right behind him, nipping at his heels.
Bad had been yelling through his communicator which he had accidently dropped during the chase and now he truly was alone, no team mate knew where he was and could come to his rescue. He was truly on his own, hunted like an animal. He knew there was a price on his head, that the red team already proved ready to kill other people for.
Bad had tried to keep him hidden promised to not let Cellbit come anywhere near him, Rivers had talked team Bolas in circles for hours and still failed, and Tina had been slaughtered, having simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time and been hit by their wave of rage and violence.
Still, it had all been nothing, because Philza had now found him and was hunting him, chasing him like a shark that had smelled blood in the water.
The snow crunched softly under their feet, as they ran through the spruce forest. Pac kept hitting the low hanging branches, the spruce needles hitting his face, scratching at his cheeks but also raining snow down on his head and shoulders, melting immediately as it hit his warm body.
His breath was turning to mist with each exhale while the cold air being pulled in stung and made his lungs ache. The sweat ran down his face, turning his skin wet.
Still he ran, because what else could he do?
He heard Phil right behind him, and heard his heavy breathing from behind that gasmask. Pac couldn’t help but glance behind him despite his best judgment, looking upon the face he of the person he once called a friend and now could only see as the crazed leader of the red team.
The mask made him look inhuman and each breath sounded even more so, robotic, alien. Pac could barely see the Brits eyes through the red glass of the mask but from what he saw they were wide and focused, burning with bloodlust.
He looked truly like a monster. A monster that was catching up.
Philza raised his sword about to let it fly across Pac’s open back, but he reacted too fast.
Pac stopped, skidding a short distance in the snow and raised his promise blade.
The teeth of the sword breaker dagger caught the blade at once, saving him from the cut with a sharp ‘clink!’. His daggers' netherite teeth made Philza unable to bring his sword back, prohibiting him from making another swing. Now stuck, Pac lifted his leg and kicked Phil right in the stomach, making him let out a groan and bend forward. Pac tried to free his dagger so he could run again, but before he had a chance Phil, seemingly at an unatural speed had already recovered, yanked his sword, and Pac who still held the dagger stupidly moved with it.
He couldn’t help it, he had been holding the dagger in a death grip. He just couldn’t let go, it was unnatural. Just like he never removed his promise ring, he never let go of his blade.
Now this close Phil swiped his legs, making Pac’s stale finger release the weapon against his will and fall on the ground. His bare arms hitting the snow and making him freeze at once and making little droplets of fawned snow cover him.
Phil looked down at him and raised his sword again. Pac just stared at him eyes wide and shaking all over, if it was from the cold or the fear he could not tell. He opened his mouth to speak, to say anything, to beg him not to do it, to call for help, anything , but it was like all air had left his lungs and he could not force a single word out from between his lips.
Phil met his eyes, but Pac found no pity or mercy anywhere in them.
“I’m sorry, it’s not personal” Phil said and swung, Pac lifted his arms by reflex as if that would somehow save him from the sharp blade. Pac closed his eyes tightly, ready for the hit, the horrible burning pain and then waking back up in blue base, once again without his items and he would be forced to do a walk of shame out here again to get them back.
Pac could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Hear the blood rushing inside his veins, the noise only being cut through by a sudden scream of pain.
He opened his eyes again and stared up at his attacker, seeing an arrow now sticking into Philza’s shoulder which was burning bright the twilight.
Phil grabbed the arrow despite the fire that danced across it and yanked it out without a second of hesitation throwing it into the snow where it sizzled out before raising his sword again and moving past Pac, his eyes seemingly locked on a new target.
Pac's smile went wide. Bad had found him! Pac turned to see the fight between the demon and angel and words finally were able to flow from his mouth again.
“Bad-!” his smile dropped at once as he laid eyes on his saviour.
Where he expected a demon instead stood a human man with a green bandana around his head and Pac didn’t know if he should feel happy or terrified.
Philza’s and Fit’s sword hit each other with a loud ‘clang’! A sound that sent a chill down his back as it echoed out in the forest.
Fit was smiling, his teeth bared as he pushed against Phil’s sword, his boots digging into the snow and hard ground as he refused to move or pushed off.
“Let me sneak up on you? You’re getting rusty old man” he said which earned him a laugh from Phil.
“This game is right up your alley, Fitmc of 2b2t, clearly I’m fighting at a disadvantage” Fit just laughed back.
“Guess I’m too skilled and you’re too old”
“Those 2 years between us must really be showing” Phil replied and tried to swipe Fit’s leg which he seemingly had predicted as he jumped backwards and out of range with ease.
Phil tried to take a swipe at him just to hit Fit’s shield, leaving a deep cut in the wood. Fit quickly moved the shield to the side, forcing Philza’s sword to move with it, leaving him open and Fit quickly striked, his sword piercing the other's chest with a horrible sound as it broke the other's rib and went right into the heart.
Phil let out a gasp, like all air left his lungs and he took a shaky step backwards. He looked down, seeing the blade that was digging into his chest and turning his green clothes dark red.
Pac realizing the fight was pretty much over quickly looked around and saw the promise blade laying there on the snow just a bit away and threw himself after it, letting his fingers curl around the hilt with an iron grip before looking back towards the other two men.
Phil had raised his head again and seemed to be looking Fit in the eyes.
“Well played old friend” Fit said with a wicked grin, a laugh escaped Phil that bordered on crazy.
“Next time, I’ll get you” Fit didn’t even reply to that, he just snickered before pulling his sword out of Phil’s chest with a horrible wet sound and then with a smooth movement he cut Philza’s head clean off. Phil’s body turned to dust before it even hit the ground, leaving all items behind in the snow. Fit however paid no attention to it, not the golden apples, arrows, or food instead his eyes travled to Pac.
Fit’s eyes were wide and filled with bloodlust, there was a giant animalistic grin on his face. It didn’t look human, it was more similar to a wolf trying to grin, showing off sharp teeth. However, when Fit met Pac’s dark brown eyes that bloodlust vanished at once, like a candle light being blown out, no , more like a bone fire somehow being put out by a single simple breath.
The smile dropped, his lips hiding his teeth as he now just looked at Pac with this uncertain, worried and honestly scared expression. That intense look in his eyes was gone, having turned soft in that way Pac remembered them always being. Fit just looked at him, at Pac who was still laying in the snow looking up at his boyfriend.
Pac's eyes traveled up and down his body before his eyes caught sight of it, the scabbard for the promise blade still hanging on Fit’s belt which filled Pac with hope.
Fit suddenly started to walk towards him and Pac in the same moment rose up to his feet, standing on shaky legs. He looked at Fit, his heart still beating fast, but now both of fear and love and he was not sure which was stronger at the moment.
Fit had said before that he would not kill him, no matter if there was a price on his head or not- but Pac had been there when Bad and Tubbo had killed him, slaughtering him in cold blood on that lonely beach. What if he thought the deal was up beacause of that? Saw it as Pac betraying him? What if there was a price on his head by the green team as well? Maybe Fit’s team had convinced him to look for him, for the person who knew him best, knew how to hunt him in the most efficient way, to seek him out and bring back his head and some points for his own people.
Pac took a step back, his grip tightening around the dagger, holding it so hard his fingers hurt.
“Pac” Fit said, his voice was warm, like a fire it was beckoning Pac to come closer and warm his cold heart and God knows Pac wanted to run to it, warm his frozen body in Fit’s embrace but he didn’t dare, fear and paranoia having bitten down into his mind, this whole place and game turning friends to foes, safety into uncertainty, a game breaking Pac apart and making him so scared it at times were hard to breath.
Fit seemed to realize, notice the fear and he knew him too well, as if he already could tell what was running around inside Pac's head.
“Pac, I’m not here to hurt you, I would never-”
“Bare your throat!” Pac screamed before he even had a chance to think about it.
Fit stopped mid step and just looked at him, his eyes widening ever so slightly at the command.
Pac’s heart was beating harder and faster inside his chest as he stared at his boyfriend, looking into his eyes.
Fit had promised, that if Pac was ever scared of him he would gladly bare his throat for him, let Pac hold his life in his hands without a fight. Trusting him and wanting his love to feel safe around him. Fit had given him a dagger for just that purpose and Fit still carried his own at his side. A promise of loyalty, safety and trust.
‘He promised’, the thought echoed inside his mind, ‘He promised me-’
Fit let his arms fall to his side, the sword dropped to the snowy ground with a thud, soon after the shield followed as it slid off his arm.
Pac’s own eyes went wider as he just stared at the dropped weapons for a moment before his attention was once again caught by Fit himself as the man leaned forward before he fell, landing on his knees. There he let his arms go out to the side and he raised his chin with a smile on his lips the whole time.
“I promised you, didn’t I?” he said, leaning his head even further back showing off more of his throat without fear. “Place the blade wherever you want, until you once again feel safe by my side”
Pac just stared at him, feeling this lump in his throat making it hard to swallow. Even now, even during purgatory Fit still trusted him, still held his promise. Still loved him.
Pac hands started to shake, the sun’s last rays of light dancing across the metal making it look purple. It still was the most beautiful weapon in the world, even after all this time the love and time put into it still shone clearly.
Pac never placed the dagger against his beloved's throat, he had hated it the first time and refused to do it again, in his mind Fit’s loyalty and intention was already clear to him and Pac hated himself for ever doubting. How could he mistrust Fit like this? His boyfriend? His love?
He put the dagger back in its scabbard and rushed forward sliding on his own knees the last part and just hugged him, hugged his boyfriend as tightly as he could. Fit’s own arms went around him at once, holding Pac so close it was hard to breathe.
They had been apart for so long, this stupid game keeping them away from each other which was nothing but pure cruelty. Separating the sun and moon, separating pepper and salt, forcing the sky and the earth apart.
He was so warm, and Pac felt so safe . Stuck in a place that had been nothing but cruel, horrible and terrifying so was it a blessing to finally get a moment of rest, a moment where he could feel safe, safe away from death and violence because he knew as long he stayed in Fit’s arms no harm could reach him.
Pac let his head rest against Fit’s chest feeling it rise and fall with each steady breath. Soon the American let his own head rest on top of Pac’s and pulled him a bit closer.
Pac lifted his hand and grabbed Fit’s shirt holding it tightly, as if he was scared he would be ripped away from him if he let go
“I’m sorry for not trusting you” Pac whispered, trying his best to keep the shaking out of his voice but not fully succeeding.
Fit shook his head.
“I told you you could ask me to bare my throat if you ever felt threatened by me, and I meant it.” Pac glanced up, seeing his boyfriend smiling back at him “And I still trust you to not cut me, so it’s all good” he laughed “What good is a promise and trust if you never show it? Prove it’s not empty words?”
Pac felt his eyes water up but he quickly blinked it away and pushed his face against his beloved, taking in the scent of gunpowder and tea that was stuck to his clothes.
“I missed you, I missed you so much” he whispered softly which made Fit drag in a shaky breath of his own.
“I missed you too. I missed you so much my heart was aching” he replied softly, kissing the top of Pac's head.
They didn’t say much more, just sitting on the snowy ground holding the other, not caring for the chilly wind brushing against their skins, not caring one was wearing green and the other blue. For a second they could pretend purgatory was nothing but a bad dream.
But this was no dream, this was reality, a reality they had to grab by the horns again way too soon.
Fit suddenly lifted his head and went stale and Pac froze in his arms at once. It looked like Fit was listening for something, as if something had caught his attention but had somehow escaped Pac’s notice. His eyes travled around the forest switching quickly between the tree searching for a threat that seemed to be escaping his vision.
Fit in the end seemed to sum it up to him being on high alert as he didn’t get back in a fighting position but he did slowly let go of Pac, hesitantly, painfully and rose to his feet where he held out a hand for the other which Pac quickly took.
He was helped up onto his feet. Fit looked at him with this dreamy expression and quickly brushed some snow off Pac’s shoulders with his free hand, the other kept holding Pac’s tightly, the promise ring Pac had given him still on his finger.
They kept holding hands for a long moment, until they could no longer make excuses for staying like this in silence.
“I should leave, I’m sure your team is worried about you, and-” Fit laughed but it sounded a bit force “I don’t feel like sticking around until Bad shows up”
Pac understood. Bad had been a menace for the other teams, hunting them relentlessly and cutting them down without hesitation. It was just common sense to not want to stick around long enough for the demon to show up and drag Fit into another fight, however, it didn't make it sting any less.
“Of course” Pac quickly leaned forward and gently placed his lips against Fit’s cheek, kissing him “Stay safe-or at least as safe you can in this place”
Fit laughed and he himself leaned forward and pulled Pac’s hair to the side so he could place a kiss on the Brazilians forehead. His soft lips against his skin made Pac’s heart burn so bright with love that when the other in the end let go of him the world felt so much colder.
Fit took a few steps back but his hand still stayed interlinked with Pac’s before it slowly, painfully slowly slid out of their shared grip. They kept staring at the other, as if their feet were rooted in the ground, neither of them wanting to leave but the shadow of the possibility of getting found and hunted was hanging too heavy over their heads to ignore.
"Stay safe you too. I care about you" he smiled "I love you"
And with that Fit slowly turned around and Pac watched him leave, Fit moving deeper into the woods and almost like magic he suddenly vanished amongst the trees. He was made for this his love, sneaking around and striking when no one expected him, the wasteland had taught him the skills to thrive in a place like this.
Pac just smiled sadly, his hand grasping the handle of his dagger as he no longer could hold his beloved's hand.
He hoped he would sneak up on him soon again, so they could at least have yet another moment of light and hope in this horrible game.
Pac slowly turned around and started to walk back towards his base, rubbing his arm with his hand, trying to keep himself warm and fight off the chill of this world that suddenly seemed so much darker and so much colder.