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Z is used to it. Or, he likes to think he’s used to it.
A small part of him will never be fully okay with the idea that there is something corrupted in his world. There is something in his world that isn’t meant to be in his world. Something wrong. But there’s another part of him that has come to terms with the fact that there is something else in his world. Part of it may be the fact that the entity itself isn’t that bad, but part of it is probably because the guy is an absolute mess.
His first time seeing Regect had been (admittedly) a bit scary. Not for the fact that what the entity had done had scared him, but more so for the fact that it had been unexpected. He wasn’t anticipating seeing anyone else in his world, so when a misshapen humanoid figure suddenly appeared, of course he had let out an embarrassingly high-pitched scream. He had expected to be met with a death screen then and there, but instead, the entity had burst out into deep, warbling laughter.
He’d looked scariest most when they first met. A dark humanoid figure with a missing leg, and half of his torso gone. Somewhere in the middle of where his ribs were, three dark shapes wrapped around his chest as if mimicking his ribcage. Then there was the fact that the guy didn’t have a head, and bits of his arms and body were stretched thin and only connected through mere strands. No mouth, no eyes, no nose. No face. No head. Nothing. Just a distorted figure with clawed hands that had bent over forward to laugh mockingly in his face.
He’d disappeared shortly after. Z hadn’t seen him since that day for a long time. The only way he knew that the guy was still around was through the sudden weirdness his world had taken on. Chunks wouldn’t load, animals would despawn, signs would appear, and odd structures began to take shape. He’d swear he’d caught a glimpse of the entity every now and then, but that was about it. He wasn’t sure what the goal of doing this was, but it didn’t deter him from making progress. It didn’t stop him from exploring or taking the resources from the structures that had been generated.
He’d slipped into a sense of normalcy, all things considered. The entity appeared more after that, openly walking up to him to make some sarcastic jab before disappearing or flying away. It left Z more confused than upset or angry, but he never made any comment about it. As long as the guy didn’t interfere with him personally, he didn’t mind. Regect (as he quickly came to call him) could summon all the axolotls he wanted, and Z wouldn’t bat an eye in his direction. He was happy with it.
He liked his autonomy. He liked being able to do as he pleased (even if it did feel uncomfortable to know that someone might have been watching him the entire time). But then Regect started to interfere a bit more. Between sudden explosions that would knock walls off his builds or an annoying amount of pufferfish dropped on him, Z found that Regect quickly became a nuisance. He never confronted the entity (mostly because he could never find the guy for more than a second to talk). Nonetheless, it still annoyed him.
He only finally managed to get a bit of conversation during an accident.
It was a mundane mining trip. He had run short on some iron, and he soon found himself quietly bridging over a small pool of lava in a cave. There were no nearby mobs. No nearby dangers. It was just him, the quiet, and the lava. It was peaceful. The bubbling from below almost made him forget that one simple slip would send him back to his bed with absolutely nothing. The heat wasn’t unbearable. He was at a far enough distance to where it left a nice buzz on his skin.
Of course he’d slip. He took a step too far back, and his heel met nothing. His eyes widened as his body lurched, a hand clawing desperately through the air in an effort to grab onto the cobble he had been standing on just a moment ago. However, his hand did not meet the hard, cold stone. Instead, it was met with something firm, cold, and encompassing. A clawed hand latched around his wrist, and without a sound, he was heaved back up onto the bridge. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest. His blood rushing in his ears. His skin was crawling (especially his wrist).
There was no sound. He could see the single leg of Regect from his peripheral vision. He hadn’t disappeared yet. He was standing. Waiting. Z clenched his jaw, standing back upright with an exasperated growl. “Can you mind your own business?” He snapped, voice shakier than he wanted it to be.
Regect didn’t visibly respond (not in a way Z could see). The quiet sound of static hummed through the cave for a moment before he spoke, deep voice echoing through the cave. “I saved you.” He offered awkwardly. A confused tone lingered in his words. Z scoffed and shook his head, flapping his hands dismissively. “I don’t like it when you constantly interfere with what I’m doing.” He muttered, slowly going through his inventory to continue his bridging. He turned away from Regect, quietly placing another block as he continued further out. Regect didn’t leave.
“You’d lose your items without me.” There was an accusatory tone in his voice. Z rolled his eyes, but he didn’t look back up at the other. “I lose my inventory all the time because of silly slip ups. I’m not afraid of dying.” He growled out, double checking his footing before stepping backwards again. An unconvinced hum rose from Regect. “You don’t sound not afraid.” He mused. Z’s eye twitched, but he still didn’t look up. He continued to bridge quietly.
Regect made a crackling sound. “Why are you so mad about it now?”
Z laughed at that. “What?” He breathed out, and Regect sighed. “Me bothering you before hasn’t caused this. Why are you being such a baby about it now?” A baby? Seriously? Z finally looked up at that, throwing his arms up. “I haven’t liked it before! But you go and fly of to do fuck all before I can say anything!” He snapped. Regect’s form bristled in the slightest. “What? Can’t handle some pufferfish?” He snarled back.
Z glared at that, huffing as he turned his gaze back down to continue the bridge.
Silence persisted. He felt a bout of relief wash over himself until there was the sound of slapping. He looked up too late, and a pufferfish was suddenly expanding at his feet. Sharp stings of pain lanced through him where the spines of the fish pierced his skin. He let out a strangled yelp of pain, barely avoiding falling off into the pool of lava below as he swatted the fish aside.
“Asshole!”
___
Guilt is not something Z likes to feel, but he can’t help but feel guilty.
His last interaction with Regect had left him in a sour mood since. Of course he had been upset at the entity for interfering (and for the pufferfish), but he’d still helped him out nonetheless. Instead of a thanks, he had gotten yelled at. Still, he had work to do. A prior incident had left his house in shambles, and he was in the process of rebuilding said house. Was he being the most safe while doing so? Absolutely not. The platform he had built up wasn’t steady in the slightest, and the undeniable dread of falling and dying wasn’t making him feel any safer. Still, he needed to place a plank above his head.
“Just a bit higher…” He strained out to himself, slowly pushing himself up as the wood was set in place. The platform beneath him wobbled, and he tensed. The fall would be instant. There wouldn’t be any reaction time.
Then, a flicker. Just at the edge of his vision. A single block had been shifted. The platform steadied under him, stabilizing. Z remained tensed before slowly breathing out an unsteady “what the…”
A pause. Then, a flat, precise voice that he recognized.
“You would’ve fallen.”
He whipped around against his better judgement. No one was there. Not that he could see, at least. The faint flickering persisted, still. It was impossible to pin down just where it was coming from. He inhaled and exhaled a careful breath. “.... Yeah. Thanks.” A pause. “But seriously.. Stay out of it next time?” Not the best approach, but he hadn’t thought the words through before saying them. He held his breath, waiting for something.
Nothing. Silence. A flickering form near the platform edge. Z scowled at that, shaking his head. “Unbeliavable..” He muttered under his breath, slowly grabbing another piece of wood to set in place. The platform creaked under him, just slightly. He tensed once more, holding his breath. The flickering persisted. Regect was there. Stationary. Observing. Unmoving. After making sure that he wasn’t going to fall, he quietly set the plank in place before looking towards the flickering.
“Ah… thank you… for the lava pool thing.” He finally croaked out, voice awkward and unsure. Regect flickered again, as though acknowledging the statement, but nothing about the gesture was readable. Z felt his shoulders hike up towards his ears as he ducked his head, letting out a forced cough. “I… appreciate you saving me. I just… I like doing stuff on my own.. Even if I do die.”
Another flicker.
Z didn’t continue, unsure if Regect was even properly listening at that point. Instead, he turned back to continue placing more planks. More silence followed… and then the undeniable sound of slapping. Z was faster this time. He whipped around, swinging a hand out violently in the direction. The pufferfish that had just been set there let out a wheezing sound as it was sent flying off the platform, disappearing into the grass below.
“Seriously man?”
___
Z always liked storms.
Still, it didn’t stop him from preparing for one in the case that it was bad. His base was sturdy, yes, but he was more worried about supplies. He’d like to avoid going out in a storm if possible. If it was raining and dim enough, that meant monsters would be out and about. If he could, he’d like to avoid any sort of fighting. He’d been in the middle of organizing his chests and setting up a system for said act when a flicker appeared.
When Z turned, Regect was fully there, his misshapen body a stark contrast against everything else that was whole and complete around him. Before Z could speak, something was moved. He jumped, pointing a finger at Regect. “Hey! Stop moving that!” He snapped out. Regect seemingly turned to look at him (he honestly couldn’t tell) before making an unamused sound. “It’s better this way.”
“According to who? My plan is perfect!”
An unconvinced hum. Z rolled his eyes, turning back to the contraption he was building. He went back to meticulously placing blocks where they were needed. He was nearly taken out by a redstone block suddenly sliding away from where it had been placed up top, just barely falling next to Z instead of on him. He looked up with an unimpressed look. “I said stop moving that!” He shouted. Regect shouted back, voice calm and oddly clinical. “You could not. This will fail otherwise.”
Z stopped for a moment at that. He opted to leave it there, shaking his head bitterly as he turned away to do something else.
The storm got there faster than expected. Regect hadn’t disappeared this time. Instead, the entity was lingering around the house, quietly exploring and inspecting (as if he hadn’t already blown the place up in the past). The wind from the storm was rattling the walls, but it wasn’t anything deadly. The battering of rain against the windows was oddly soothing, at least. Regect seemed to think otherwise, keeping away from them.
Throughout the day, he had been working on the sorting machine. And throughout the day, Regect had been nudging and moving things around. Every attempt to ignore the interference by Z failed. But, at the very least, the sorting system had been completed. There was enough food and light to keep them safe. Or, well, keep Z safe. He hadn’t seen Regect interact with monsters in the past, so he didn’t really know how important light was to him. But if there was one thing he was seeing, it was an odd flickering.
“You’re twitching.” Z spoke before he thought about what he was saying again. Regect seemed to growl at the comment, slouching where he was sitting against a wall. Z felt a curious, teasing smirk form on his face. “Don’t tell me you don’t like the rain?” He mused. While Regect didn’t seem to have a head or face, Z could feel him glaring daggers. He left it there, laughing quietly as he turned to dig through one of the chests for food.
The storm worsened, of course. The wood was groaning under the pressure of the wind. The rain tapping against the roof had changed into a deafening roar. Regect drew away from the wall when bits of the rain started to leak through the ceiling, trailing down the wall. Z found himself amused. “So… should I get you an umbrella?”
Regect didn’t respond, static crackling. Somehow, the noise sounded uncomfortable. Z tilted his head. “You’re a weird… glitchy ghost thing, and you complain about rain? Classic.”
Regect still didn’t respond. There’s a faint hesitation in his form, somehow. Z notices, somehow.
He doesn’t say anything.
When Regect ends up startling as another leak forms above his head, Z does say something. As Regect’s form settles and smooths, Z leans against a wall, watching. “Are you afraid of it?” It wasn’t teasing. Still, Regect responded in a stiff tone. “Not afraid. Rain… must be avoided.”
A blink. So this thing has history?
“So you’ve been hurt by rain?” HIs tone softens in the slightest. Regect doesn’t offer a response. Z’s smirk fades from his face. The way the entity is acting is more human-like than expected. There was an odd twisting sensation in his chest. “I can fix the leaks.” He offers. Regect turns towards him, form flickering again.
Hours pass. Z is sitting against a wall, now. The rain is still drumming against the roof. The silence that had settled over the two is finally broken by Z when he speaks, muttering. “You hate the rain… but you stick around anyway. That’s… something. I guess.”
Regect flickers. “Observation.” It’s a quick response.
Z smirks at that. “Even in discomfort.”
Another flicker. It’s subtle, but Z notices it. It’s scared.
Another gust of wind rattles the house. Regect flickers again.
Eventually, the storm passes. Before Z can say anything else, Regect has disappeared once more.
___
The next time Z sees Regect, it’s in a mine.
HIs presence is almost imperceptible, but Z picks up on it without much struggle. It’s the subtle shifting of blocks that lets him know the Regect is there. With that, he just simply scoffs, shakes his head, and continues to move. It doesn’t take long for Regect’s form to take shape, and then there are two walking through the mine. It’s quiet. It’s cold. It’s dreary. The generation is what intrigues Z, however. It’s wrong. It isn’t right.
The structure of the mine itself is complex. Tunnels narrow and expand without explanation. Collapsed bridges and flooded chambers lead to nowhere. Z attempts to solve puzzles or press levers to see if anything will change, and is disappointed when nothing does. There are no words. Not yet. Not until Z’s foot catches on a string. He hears the arrow whistling through the air before it makes contact.
Except, it doesn’t make contact with him.
When he turns, Regect is holding a hand over where a face would be, clutching in an almost pained way. There’s an arrow hovering midair, seemingly stuck through nothing. Z exhales a quiet “shit” under his breath, turning to him to quickly help. “Did that hit you?” It’s a stupid question. Regect lets out a humorless laugh. “Yes it fucking hit me.” His voice is deeper than usual. There’s a yellow ichor trailing between his fingers where they are clutched around the arrow.
Z doesn’t take any offense, of course. However, he is curious. “How can you be hurt by an arrow but jump off a cliff and be fine?” It’s mostly said to himself. He’s trying to figure out how to take this arrow out without hurting Regect anymore, but it’s bound to happen no matter how he goes about it. Regect, surprisingly, offers an answer. “I wasn’t expecting an arrow.” He almost sounds embarrassed. The yellow ichor has started to form a small puddle at his feet.
“...right.” Z nods firmly, reaching up and back (behind what he assumes to be Regect’s head) to grab the arrow. “I’m… gonna pull this out now.” He informs. Regect doesn’t offer a response, his form flickering. Somehow, he seems anxious. Z nods, pursing his lips as his fingers tighten around the arrow. And then, with one swift motion, he yanks.
There’s a squelching sound, followed by a spray of more yellow. Regect’s form flickers out of sight, a garbled sound fading into nothing as Z is left alone. He lingers, fingers wrapped tightly around the arrow. The yellow ichor is staining the arrowhead and wood. It’s warm against his fingers.
Eventually, Regect reappears. Z is still holding the arrow. Nothing is said.
They continue.
This time, Z is careful about where he steps. Regect still lingers near him. The yellow ichor isn’t present anywhere on his figure anymore. Navigation goes smoothly from that moment on, albeit a bit slower than before. The effort is paid off, thankfully, when Z notices the glare from blue gems embedded in the wall. Diamonds.
“You know I can just give you those…” Regect speaks for the first time since the arrow as Z grabs his pickaxe, slowly working at carving the gems out. Z swings the pickaxe into the stone, chipping away carefully. “It’s better this way. I get the satisfaction of finding them on my own, and you don’t interfere.” He chirps out. “...you didn’t have to take that arrow for me.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“What?!”
Regect lets out a warbling snort. “It was just an arrow.” He assures, voice echoing through the tunnels. Z shakes his head, pocketing one of the diamonds before continuing to carve away. He’s curious. “You bleed yellow.”
A moment of hesitation. “...I do.”
Z doesn’t look back at him as he continues to mine the diamonds. “Is there any actual reason for that? Y’know.. Like… biologically.” He shrugs. Regect makes a noise. “I’m not a scientist.” He almost sounds irked, but Z knows he isn’t. He lets out an uneasy laugh, readjusting his hold on the pickaxe. “I was just wondering! When has a little curiosity ever hurt anybody?” It’s poorly timed, seeing how his curiosity just got Regect skewered with an arrow. He can tell Regect wants to comment on that. He just sighs, shaking his head. “Don’t.”
“Mine your diamonds so we can go.”
Z shakes his head, quietly finishing mining the vein before turning back to Regect.
The trip out is not as easy as the trip in. Z very quickly realizes that they are lost. Judging by the bored static coming from Regect, the entity knows the same. It leads to carelessness. Z is dragging his feet when they catch again. Except, this time, it isn’t an arrow. The ground disappears beneath his feet, and suddenly, he is plummeting towards a ground covered in spikes.
And then he isn’t. Something hooks under his arms, and the sudden stop in motion sends sharp pain lancing through his neck and body. It doesn’t take him long to understand that Regect is holding him in the air. Flying. But not moving. He holds his breath, slowly craning his head up to look at the other. For just a moment, he swears he sees a single golden eye staring back at him. And then, in a blur of motion, he is back on solid ground, and Regect is commenting about losing some diamonds to the pit.
“You have eyes?”
Regect turns to him, body twisting away from the pit and instead angling towards Z. There’s another flicker. No answer. Z suddenly feels like he shouldn’t have asked. His suspicion is only confirmed when Regect’s form flickers, and suddenly, he is alone in the cave. He ignores the sinking feeling in his chest as he pushes himself back up onto his feet.
He’ll just have to find his way out on his own.
___
Regect appears when he’s making a camp.
There had been no interactions since the mine, and Z hadn’t gone out of his way searching for them. Instead, he had decided to go exploring. Now, he was setting up a camp for the night. He’d managed to find a small overhang above a cave. After lighting the area up and starting a small fire, he had gotten to work cooking food above the fire and waiting for the sun to dip lower in the distance.
Regect’s arrival was quiet and welcomed. One moment Z was alone, and the next he was not. It was quiet. Z didn’t say anything, but he acknowledged the entity's presence with a simple nod in the direction towards another uncooked steak. Regect didn’t move, but there was another small flicker. Z had learned to take those as acknowledgements. Occasionally, the entity seemed to tilt towards the fire’s warmth. No words had been shared yet. Eventually, however, that silence was broken.
“I have an eye.”
Z glanced away from his steak, looking to where Regect was sitting propped against a log. He didn’t press. He merely nodded, slowly twisting the steak above the fire to get the other side. Regect didn’t say anything else. The eye didn’t appear, and the pair lapsed into another comfortable silence. There was something interesting about Regect to Z. Well, he was just interesting in general. His appearance was most interesting, of course. Despite the seeming lack of organs, his chest still rose and fell with smooth, even breaths. He would still scratch as an itch and sneeze. He was still human-like.
He continued to cook his steak quietly as Regect moved and shifted, changing positions. He’d moved closer to the fire (and Z, by association). Z, after eating his steak, had taken the time to set up his makeshift bed next to the fire. He’d organized the rest of the small camp as well before ultimately returning to the fire. In the short amount of time he had spent away from the fire, Regect had changed positions again. He had compacted his form in a way that resembled curling up, settling near the edge of the fire.
Sleeping?
Z felt his chest tighten with some odd strange warmth. Maybe it was just the fire, though. He shifted slightly himself, careful not to startle Regect. The motions were subtle.
Time stretched, marked by the fire’s quiet crackle and the every so often shift from Regect. Z allowed himself to tend to minor injuries he had gotten while walking today (which mostly consisted of scratches from sweet berries). Small injuries, but still something to take care of. Regect shifted again, closer to Z. An unfamiliar relaxation had spread through Z. He wasn’t alone. Regect’s presence was steady, silent, and remarkably comforting. Odd.
He allowed his thoughts to drift. Despite the mess that Regect often was, he knew that Regect’s attention could be deliberate. Every movement suggested some awareness and thought. Some trust had begun to form. Maybe not through words, but through moments.
Regect shifted again, closer. His body was seemingly pulsing, synchronized with the rise and fall of the flames. Interesting. A small connection.
The cave grew quieter as the night deepened.
Eventually, Z let sleep take him as well.
When he woke up the next day, the fire was out, and Regect was gone.
___
Z comes across an abandoned village the next night. Against better judgement, he decides to explore it.
The air is dusty and stagnant. Somehow, it smells rotten. In the distance, he can hear the groan of undead shambling around through the ruins. He nearly jumps out of his skin when a shadow moves in the corner of his vision. It’s faster than it should be. Not a zombie. And then, with a crackling static noise, a nearby crate wobbles on its own before spinning lazily and falling over with a loud clatter. The groans from the undead stutter, and footsteps draw nearer. Z only recognizes Regect’s gleeful form from the faint glow of moonlight on his form.
“Of course. Of course it would be like this…” Z groans out, quickly drawing his blade on the undead. They’re not difficult to handle, and thankfully, Regect doesn’t make it difficult.
“So what are we looking for?”
Z shook his head quietly as he began to move deeper into the ruins. “Nothing in particular. I just… saw this and decided to investigate.” He informed. Regect made a noise. “At night?” It’s teasing. Z rolls his eyes, gesturing to his now sheathed blade. “I can handle myself! You just saw how I took care of those zombies back there!” He defends. Regect makes an unconvincing sound, but doesn’t comment any further. His form disappears shortly after, and Z is left to roam the ruins on his own. Despite the lack of seeing him, he knows the entity is still there.
“So… what are you doing here?” Z decides to ask a question now, peering into one of the buildings. Regect answers, voice coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. “Observing.”
Z shakes his head, carefully stepping over a fallen post. The post is a bit odd, but he brushes it off as Regect’s presence altering it. Out of the corner of his vision, another shadow moves. He rolls his eyes once more, shaking his head. Dust flares from where the motion came from, a low distorted sound filling the air. He laughs it off. “So are you back to trying to scare me?”
A flicker. Regect appears before him. “I don’t need to try.”
Another blur. A crate wobbles somewhere to the left. Suddenly, Z feels a lot more on edge. Regect doesn’t share the same concern, either unaware of feigning carelessness. His hand shifts to the hilt of his blade once more. Regect takes notice, of course. He points at the blade, form pulsing. “Any reason for that?”
A crackling static sound erupts before Z can answer. The shadow from before lurches into the open, a distorted shape blurring past Regect straight towards Z. The speed is unnatural. Z can’t react. He can’t even draw his blade before a massive clawed hand swings through the air, colliding against Z with staggering force. The blow knocks him off his feet, sending his form flying into one of the abandoned buildings. Wood and stone give way under the force of his body. Pain sparks throughout his body as he slumps to the floor in the building, groaning and wheezing. He can taste iron in his mouth. Not good.
Another screech sounds again, followed by the sound of thundering footsteps approaching the house. Despite the pain, Z scrambles, barely managing to throw himself out the house before the thing collides with it. Wood and stone go flying, spraying the nearby houses. He can’t breathe.
A strangled, choking sound comes from his throat as he attempts to draw in a breath. He can feel warm liquid on his chin, trailing from his lips. Not good not good not good.
“Really? You just let it do that?”
Regect’s voice comes from the left. His voice is still deep, but there’s a slight waver. The usual sarcastic remark has an odd urgency in it now. Another shriek. The entity lurches towards Z’s broken figure, and Regect’s form quickly flickers into motion. Z isn’t able to quite make out the shape of either in the blur of motion that follows. He recognizes glitchy shrieks and collapsing buildings.
He strains, reaching into his bag to search through his inventory. He has potions. He has healing. But when his fingers brush against shattered glass, his stomach does a flip. It broke. It broke. Not good.
Another shriek. This time, more pained.
Fuck.
Z coughs, sending splatters of red onto the wood beneath him. His entire body is aching and throbbing. He can barely push himself upright off the ground. Too far from home. Spawn isn’t set nearby. Not good. Not good. His head is spinning. He feels light-headed.
And then there are hands cupping his face gently.
He blinks, snapping back into reality. A single golden eye is staring at him, wide. It’s the only emotional read that Z gets of Regect. Panic. Worry. Fear. His chest tightens, both with pain and warmth. Regect is speaking to him. He’s asking him what to do. Distantly, he’s aware of the sensation of being rocked. He’s died in the world before, yes, but never like this. Not in this much pain or to an entity.
It hurts.
He must say something, because the eye widens in the slightest. Z’s eyes drift upwards for a moment, only to be tugged back down when he’s shaken. His world is spinning. That single yellow eye is staring at him. It’s the only thing he can see. Glowing. Warm. Gold. He coughs again, weaker this time. “Your eye is pretty…” He rasps out against better judgement, a lousy smile forming on his lips. Regect seems to falter for just a moment, blinking stupidly at the comment.
“I wish you would show it more.” Z continues, blinking slowly up at the entity. He’s limp. The only thing holding him up is Regect. Said entity is quickly maneuvering him onto his lap, propping his body up against his own. Despite the seemingly missing gap on his torso, it’s solid and firm. Z’s lungs rattle when he breathes. “...what was that?”
Regect answers quickly. Stiffly. “Another entity. A hostile one.”
Z blinks at that. He wants to say that was obvious, but he realizes just how stupid the question itself was. He continues to stare up at Regect’s eye. There’s a deep concern in it, somehow. It’s one simple feature, but it’s so expressive. He finds himself reaching bloodied fingers up to it. When they fall short (or maybe his aim was off), Regect grabs his wrist with surprising softness. He guides his hand, carefully pulling it forward until his palm is cupped just below Regect’s eye.
Z blinks again. “You have a face?” He breathes out.
Regect doesn’t answer. He lets out a low static sound. A whine.
Z traces his fingers loosely along where he can reach. When his hand falls away from Regect’s face, he can see the red lines of blood from his fingers. “...sorry.” He mumbles, and suddenly, his tongue feels like it’s failing him. His eyes feel heavy. His body feels heavy. “Sorry.” He repeats again, blinking slowly once more. Regect, still, doesn’t respond.
Even after Z’s eyes have shut, Regect continues to hold him there gently.
He feels cold.
___
Regect is there when he respawns.
Z is groggy and disoriented, of course, but he’s used to this. He spends the time after awkwardly stumbling around the prior camp, digging through chests of supplies he had left in case of a death. Regect makes some sort of comment, but it falls on deaf ears. Z trips on something, and Regect is there to catch him and tug him upright. “You’re clumsy.” The entity notes, voice oddly strained. Z offers a tired nod in response, quietly opening a chest and slumping down next to it.
Regect sits down next to him, quietly searching through the chest with Z. Z doesn’t comment on the closeness or warmth. The moment stretches. Regect seems… more attentive than usual. Subtle shifts in his form flicker, tracking Z’s breathing, posture, and movements. He turns to the other, leaning off the chest to say something. It’s a moment of imbalance that sends him leaning forward towards Regect, who quickly brings his hands up to support the other.
A moment of silence. Tension. Then, Regect whispers out a sarcastic remark. “If you want me to stop, there are… more dramatic methods than leaning in.”
The moment lingers.
Eventually, Z regains more of himself. He becomes more steady, and the moment passes. Regect makes another comment as Z gathers his resources. “Try not to die again. It’s inconvenient for both of us.”
___
Z is beginning to realize something about Regect.
It’s something that he has slowly started to learn over an extended period of time, but he’s noticing it more and more. Regect almost seems attuned to Z’s presence, in a sense. Small gestures of care are increasingly more obvious. Maybe it’s just nudging an object away from Z, hovering closer than necessary, or subtle adjustments to light or warmth. There’s a warm flutter that he can’t quite explain.
Regect flickers closer when objects might fall. He’s teasing and attentive. His sarcasm has layers. Maybe he’s looking into it, or maybe it’s just Regect being the strange entity that he is. He isn’t human. It’s something to be reminded of. Yet, there are so many human-like features. He sleeps, breathes, and acts human. He doesn’t like the rain. He likes horses. He’s interesting.
Of course, his realizations come with a change in behavior.
And Regect clearly picks up. The sarcastic remarks turn into more pointed teasing. Small comments and jests, but still, Z knows something. There is one very clear fact about Regect, and it is that he is completely and totally unaware of his emotional undercurrent.
They’re in a calm environment when it happens. Regect has brought a bunch of glitched items to his house, and they’re sorting through them. It’s a mundane and quiet task. The teasing starts when Z nearly drops something, to which Regect snorts. “Careful. Wouldn’t want to break something fragile again.”
Z waves a hand dismissively. “I’m not that clumsy.”
“Oh, you’re clumsy in ways you don’t even realize.” Regect responds. Z can feel the entity look him up and down. “Fascinating, really.” He hums. Z doesn’t respond to that. He turns away, quietly examining the glitched item in his hands. It’s buzzing gently against his hands. It’s similar to Regect. He hates that he likes it.
Later, Z leans forward to adjust one of the objects. Regect mirrors the movement, and suddenly, they are dangerously close. Z can feel the other’s breath. He can feel his own pulse spike. Are they moving closer?
Something wobbles in the corner of his vision. Instinctively, he pulls away to catch the object before it falls.
Static buzzes from Regect.
Later, when it starts to rain, Regect leaves.
___
“Can you die?”
Z asks the question when they’re exploring during the day. Somewhere in the quiet of a spruce biome, Z gathers up the courage to ask the question. When Regect doesn’t answer right away, he decided to elaborate. “I mean… I can die and respawn, but can you? When you die, do you die die? Is that it?” He’s asking the question with carelessness he can’t afford. He feels like he shouldn’t be asking it at all. Nonetheless, Regect gives him an answer.
“I dunno.” It’s disappointing. “I can bleed, if that gives you something.”
Z shakes his head, carefully stepping over a fallen tree. “Just because you bleed doesn’t mean you can die.” He kicks a stray rock aside. “Skeletons can die. They don’t bleed.” He tries to defend. Regect lets out a static layered laugh. “Skeletons don’t have organs.” A moment of silence passes. “Neither do I. Yet I still bleed…” It’s an interesting conundrum. Z can’t help but feel satisfied when Regect seems to falter in confusion.
They continue to walk. They ignore unloaded chunks and glitched structures in the distance. Somewhere along the way, Regect tells him to walk left and avoid a pile of gravel. He obeys without question. There is more silence. When it’s broken, Regect is oddly clinical and stiff when he responds. Z is beginning to wonder if his question from earlier had ruined the mood.
“...Hey Regect.”
He finally speaks up when they are walking on a fallen tree that has created a bridge over a small river. The only sign of acknowledgement he gets is the sound of static.
He stops in the middle of the tree, turning to look back at Regect. His form is uneven and shaky around the edges. Something is wrong. He should’ve known not to ask the question. He frowns, sighing softly as Regect continues to walk. “I’m… sorry about my question earlier. It was insensitive.” He mumbles, scuffing his heel against the tree. Regect continue to approach, form flickering. He’s anxious.
“I don’t think you can die, if it makes you feel better.” Z tries to offer. “I’d actually prefer that you didn’t d–”
Regect grabs the collar of his clothing with close to no restraint. For a heart stopping moment, Z is afraid he’s upset the other. But then, he’s being tugged closer. His spike pulses. Their lips met with an intensity that made Z stumble slightly, shoes scraping awkwardly against the wood. He has to stand on his toes due to the way Regect has pulled him closer, but he’s able to balance perfectly enough.
For the first moment, he’s frozen. And then, slowly, he lets himself lean into the kiss. The flickering edges of Regect’s form softened, seemingly less erratic than before. It was simple. Short. But it felt like ages. When Regect finally pulled back, Z could feel his ears burning. Static buzzed. Regect let out a hollow sounding laugh. “That was… dramatic.” He sounded amused. “Surprisingly… enjoyable.”
Z nodded stiffly. The entity seemed to tilt his head. “...Z?”
Z nodded, not trusting his voice. Regect made an amused sound. It was comfortable.
And then there was a crack. Z’s eyes widened, and before either could react, the tree beneath them groaned and gave way with a shattering sound. The fall wasn’t bad, no, but the shock of cold water was terrible. Z quickly pulled himself up to the surface of the river with a startled gasp, hurriedly paddling through the water to get to the shore. Regect was already there, his form dripping with water. He somehow looked unimpressed even without his eye visible.
“I’m never doing that again.” Regect ground out as Z pulled himself out of the water.
Z scoffed, resting his hand on Regect’s knee. “You okay?” He asked, worry threading his voice. regect flickered again. “I’m alive.” He muttered.
Z stopped for a moment before looking up. “Wh– is that in response to my question?”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
___
Z gets an answer.
It isn’t an answer he ever wanted to get.
It’s fitting that it just so happens to be the ruins of another abandoned village. The sun had dipped low, leaving long shadows stretching across the terrain. Regect hovered near a collapsed building, flickering. “Charming.” He chirped, kicking a loose piece of wood to the side. Z smiled nervously, looking around. Maybe it was just because it was near night, or maybe it was from his last experience in an abandoned village, but he was anxious. “When they’re quiet, yeah.”
Regect shuffled closer to him, carefree. “They’re always quiet.”
Z scowled in his direction, eyes darting across the broken windows and crumbling rooftops. “Not… always.” He cleared his throat. “Why are these places abandoned anyways?” It’s an innocent question. Regect shrugs in response. “Monsters? Pillagers?” A flicker. “Does it matter?”
“Well, when you have an entity in your world, yeah.”
Regect didn’t offer a response.
It’s always unexpected. At least, for Z it is. He always hears it when it’s too late. The sound of string ripping through air, and then an arrow screaming as it sails towards him. There’s no warning. No bones or angry cries. It’s silent and aimed. Z doesn’t even realize it’s happened until he hears the dull sound of a thunk. He turns instinctively towards the source, a hand already holding onto the handle of his sheathed sword.
He doesn’t expect to see an arrow sticking out of Regect’s chest. Nor does he expect the intense amount of yellow ichor that has already formed a puddle at his feet. There’s a brief moment of silence. Z takes that moment to analyze. Regect hadn’t been behind him a moment ago. The arrow had been aimed for him again. There’s another layer of irony on top of the fact that they’re in an abandoned village. Another arrow, just like the time in the mines.
He blinks, and Regect is the one that moves first. With surprising agility for his condition, the entity lurches forward, grabs Z, and sends the two tumbling to the ground behind a collapsing building. He’s under Regect. He can feel the ichor staining his clothes. Bad. Bad. Bad.
A gurgling sound rises from Regect as he pushes himself off Z, rolling over off of him onto his knees. There is ichor coming from his lips. From his chest. There’s a terrible, looming sense of deja vu.
Regect’s eye takes shape slowly, sliding open just enough to where he can look at Z. His gaze is half-lidded. Not good. Not good. “Regect.” He croaks out, hands clumsily moving forward. They slide over his body, carefully grabbing the entity’s shoulders to position him upright. He can see the outline of Regect’s lips and chin thanks to the glowing yellow ichor. There’s an odd look in the entity’s eye. “Regect.” He finds himself repeating the name uselessly.
Regect finally offers a response, his outline mouth curling up a loose, not-all-that-there smile. “This seems familiar.”
Z shakes his head, awkwardly pressing his hands down against Regect’s chest around the arrow. He can’t take it out. “Shut up.” He snaps, frantically wiping away the yellow ichor. Regect, to Z’s dismay, leans forward. It’s a clumsy attempt at a kiss, and it ends with him smearing that yellow ichor along Z’s face and down his neck where Regect’s face comes to rest. “Regect, I need to put pressure–”
“I can’t die.”
Z freezes, blinking back the stinging feeling in his eyes. The words are muffled by his neck, and he can feel Regect’s lips and teeth grazing against his collarbone. “As far… as ‘m aware… I can’t die.” That doesn’t help. A flickering, clawed hand comes up to cup Z’s face, a thumb swiping over where Regect’s blood had just been smeared. A fanged smile. “So how do I taste?”
He gapes at the comment, and Regect’s smile falters in the slightest. Disappointment. Z shakes his head. “You… you fucking suck.” He manages to whisper. Regect makes another sound that gets lost in static as he raises his head, leans forward, and presses the faintest kiss to his lips. It’s a brief motion, accompanied by a small sting of pain as Regect nips at his lips. He doesn’t pull away, however. Mostly out of shock. Regect is the one that does, eye still half-lidded. “You taste like iron.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
A warbling, static filled laugh comes from Regect. And then, it twists. “Was this what it was like?” He asks with a sudden seriousness. Z doesn’t look up from the arrow. “What?” A moment of silence. Regect’s form flickers again. “Dying.”
Z doesn’t respond.
Regect makes a noise that Z can’t decipher.
“Will you look at me?”
It’s a small question. Z blinks, finally looking away from the arrow and up at Regect. The golden eye is staring at him tiredly. It’s glazed over in the slightest. Not fully there. But when Z looks up, some light returns. An uneasy smile is there. “I held you after.” He says. When Z doesn’t respond, seemingly confused, he continues. “After you got attacked.” Regect explains. He blinks slowly, tilting his head. “Will you hold me?”
Z chokes out a strangled laugh. It’s a hysteric sound. “You aren’t going to die.”
Regect just blinks.
Z finds himself holding Regect quietly. Whatever had sent the arrow flying hadn’t come after them when they disappeared behind the building. Z was thankful for that in some regards. In others, he wished he could’ve returned the favor. He lets himself sit there in silence while Regect stares up at him, golden eye refusing to close. Neither are speaking. But, when one eventually does, it’s a quiet confession.
“I love you.”
It’s Regect who breaks the silence. Z lets out an incredulous laugh, and Regect scowls at that. He rushes to assure the other. “I’m– I’m not laughing at what you said.” Z rasps out. “Just… now of all times?” He snorts. Regect glares at that. “Fuck you.” Another laugh from Z. There is no heat behind Regect’s words. Still, Z knows what he has to say in response. “I love you too, man, yeah?”
Regect blinks up at him. “Yeah.” A small confirmation.
Z continues to hold Regect well after his eye has shut and disappeared. He only leaves when the misshapen body in his arms fades away in a buzz of static, leaving nothing but an arrow stained in gold ichor in its place. Later, when he makes it back home and opens the doors to Regect, he’ll yell at the entity for scaring him.
It’s the first time he’s ever succeeded in scaring Z since they’d met.