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Charlie walked through the same path he passed through everyday, on the end of it, his destination, a grave, decorated with sunflowers and pink carnations, the grave was well kept and clean, even if it was clear that it was pretty old, the name craved on the stone was easy to read 'Quackity from our hearts'
The Slime hybrid took a deep breath before approaching, sitting on the ground by the side of the grave, putting the flowers he was holding down on the ground "hey Quackity from Death's realm, its been a while, sorry for keeping you waiting" Slime said with a chuckle, some might call him crazy for talking to himself, well- they would, if any of them were still even alive, his fists clenched at the reminder, remembering as each of the members on the smp died, one by one, being by old age or by one of the many wars that kept happening, and as the centuries passed, his appearance stayed the same, forced to watch all of the life around him change and die
but he was fine with that, he had to be, "i visited Las Nevadas yesterday, or well- what is left of it..." He continued his little chat, Las Nevadas was long gone, destroyed and left for the plants to take over, now days it was only a fragment of what once was, the forest and vegetation claiming it as its own, lights that were once bright didn't exist anymore, and places like the casino that were filled with visitors were now dead silent
"i'm sorry that i couldn't keep your legacy alive" Charlie muttered, looking down and fiddling with his hands, he felt a drop of a water hit his head, looking up at the dark clouded sky, as more drops of water fell from the sky, however he didn't make a single move to leave, as rain started to pour down, he leaned on the tombstone, closing his eyes
he watched the world fall apart, and be reborn many times, he had one simple rule, never get attached to anyone, have seen what love can drive you to do, how the grief can cause even the calmest person to scream their lungs out, but he failed that rule when meeting Quackity from Las Nevadas, at first it was just simple curiosity
the duck hybrid was entertaining to watch, so Charlie didn't think it would be a problem to approach the man, although soon it blossomed, and his first friendship was made after many years of loneliness, of simply watching from afar, sometimes he thinks that maybe if he didn't meet Quackity, the pain in his chest and hollow heart would never exist, but then he reminds himself of all the good times and it made it bearable
in his opinion he was dealing with the fact of losing everyone and everything he once knew pretty great, the only other immortal in the entire smp, being around the lands even before Charlie was brought into it, The angel of death himself, Phil, had a much worse reaction, after losing his three sons
Ranboo was the first to go, being killed by Sam in the prison break made by Techno to free Dream, he remembered very well the sound of the sword passing through the Enderman's hybrid skin, the person that wasn't to blame but payed for the actions of others
Tommy was the second, being killed by Dream after he got his freedom back, on one of the many wars that followed, he still got chills remembering the kid's scream as he was thrown into lava, so young, yet having to survive through so much finally he could rest
Techno was last, he lived and died with glory, in a war by himself against hundreds, the brute killed all on his path, winning the war, sword raised high, shouting his famous catch phrase before succumbing to his wounds, in the middle of the battle ground, the corpses of his enemies mauled, bloody and battered laying on the ground painting the world red for the first time
Phil, the adoptive father of the kids, of course didn't dealt well to the news, even if the avian told himself that they were now safe in his wife's realm, the rage was still to great, and with that rage came the last war, the Angel of death against what rested of the smp, it was clear who won, black wings painted with blood, Charlie didn't know what the avian had done afterwards, maybe he grieved for the lost like Charlie or maybe he finally joined his wife on her realm
It wasn't any of his business anyway "Sometimes i wonder...if i should just join you Quackity from Death's realm, although even if i wanted to, it would be impossible" He brought a hand over his heart, he didn't have a heartbeat, he was not human after all, his body was made of slime, it could just reform when damaged, making it impossible for him to die or age, some might think of immortality as a blessing or a power, but he knew the truth, that it was a curse, a terrible one at that
"What do you think Quackity from Death's realm?" he questioned not expecting a answer, a gentle breeze messed with his hair, he chuckled, before getting up, patting the tomb, a silent farewell to his old friend, he started to leave, as the wind started to pick up, a storm would soon come he was sure of it
leaving unaware of the pair of blue eyes monitoring his every move
Phil didn't think that he was doing anything wrong if you asked him, he was just- keeping a close eye to make sure that the slime hybrid was safe, there was nothing wrong with that, of course it was without Charlie knowing about it ,but he couldn't let the other find out that the avian was following him- not yet
many years had passed since the loss of his precious sons, although he knew that his beloved wife was probably taking excellent care of them, waiting for his return to her realm, he couldn't yet, and knowing his sons were safe still didn't stop the ache on his heart, his instincts screeching at him that something was missing every time he entered his now empty house, the hounds have been released to the wild, and were probably dead by now, their new generations on their place, he took good care of Carl until the old stallion couldn't stand anymore and peacefully went away, Steve would wait by the door, waiting for Techno's return, refusing to eat or move, until Phil finally found the bear not moving, still laying close to the door, waiting for his owner that would never come back
He took a quick glance around the house, the silence was uncomfortable, but he was going to fix that soon, going to his room, entering it, greeted by the familiar structure on the center of it, his nest, he made sure it was perfect, with the softest blankets and pillow, it had to be perfect for when his new son would arrive, a smile appeared on his face at the thought alone
taking all the precautions necessary so that Charlie couldn't escape, knowing that a slime hybrid could be quite hard to contain
Quackity thought he could hide such a jewel from him, he made sure to teach the duck a lesson before ending his pathetic life, he huffed proudly, wings flapping excitedly at finishing some touches on the nest, a immortal son, such a gift, someone that he wasn't gonna lose, that would spend eternity with him and never leave, until he was ready to meet his lover and sons once again
He just had to wait a few hours until he could act, he didn't spend years making this plan only for it to not work, he would guarantee that by the end of the day, Charlie would be with him on their home, where it was safe and nobody would take him from him, even if there was nobody left to try to help Charlie, its better to be safe then sorry after all
Charlie was dripping, as rain soaked his body and clothes, leaving a small trail of slime behind him, he ran through the ghost town of Las Nevadas, finding shelter on the main building of the country, the Casino, he slammed the doors shut behind him, making it almost fall off its hinges on the process, he took death breaths, even if he had no lungs, it made him feel more like a human, his body was in its more original form, skin green, drippy and sticky, he grumbled annoyed, the sound sounding more like a mob then a human
he closed his eyes in concentration as his body slowly once again took a more humane shape, finally after deciding he looked human enough, even if he still dripped in some places, he decided to walk around, to pass the time while the thunderstorm was still going, maybe he could revive some old memories of the place, he hummed a old song from the past as he waddled around, checking old chests, and structures, while trying his best not to damage the already old, decaying buildings, covered in spider webs and vines
stopping mid walking, he looked at the door in front of him, a small fond smile appearing on the immortal's face, behind those doors, was the office that Quackity would spend most of his time on
deciding to visit it one more time, it felt weird entering it without Quackity together with him, he pushed the doors open, the small smile on his face falling, as his pupils became sharp like needles, sitting on Quackity's chair with their feet on the table was no one other then the angel of death or Phil as the other preferred to be called
"What are you doing here Phil from nowhere" his tone was serious and low, a clear warning
the avian didn't seem to take him seriously "oh you know mate, just visiting" he said with a carefree attitude, looking through old papers. Quackity's papers
"Leave" He had to hold back the urge to just jump into a fight, he knew he didn't stand a chance against the older immortal, but he would not let Quackity's legacy -or what rested of it- be disrespected
a thunder boomed in the distance, briefly illuminating the dark room "i don't think i will mate, there's a pretty bad thunderstorm going on right now" Charlie scoffed at the thought of the great angel of death being hurt by a thunderstorm "that sounds like a you problem" Phil chuckled at the snarky response given by the slime hybrid
"Tommy used to say stuff like that all the time" Phil said with fondness, seeming to be lost on old memories, Charlie saw red when Phil so carelessly threw the papers to the air making them scatter to the ground, and without further ado, he lunged at the avian
Phil smirked easily stepping aside, grabbing the back of Charlie's shirt and throwing him to the ground, before Charlie could get up, he pressed his foot on his back, pining him to the ground
Charlie struggled under the avian's boot, it was easy to see that the winged man was much more stronger then the slime hybrid, but he couldn't just give up, he yelped as he felt a sting on his neck "shh relax mate, you're safe" looking up the best he could from his position, Charlie saw Phil holding a now empty needle, that was probably what he felt on his neck a second ago
Charlie tried to say something in return but only gargle like sounds came out, his skin becoming greener, and melting into the ground slowly, vision becoming blurry until he saw nothing but darkness
He slowly woke up, with a terrible ache and soreness through all his body, curling up in whatever he was laying on, letting out a low hiss of pain, he felt someone pet his head "i know it hurts" someone said, his mind too foggy to identify who it was, but still he felt as if something was terribly wrong
"just go back to sleep, i'm almost done" the voice spoke once again, and Charlie did what was suggested, letting his mind drift away, the sweet relief of sleep making the pain bearable
when he woke up again, he sat up with a loud gasp, his heart would've been beating fast, if he had an heart, he looked around, he was in a room filled with comfortable blankets, apparently alone, the room had no windows, the only entrance and exit being a door by the corner that seemed to only have a lock on the outside, that was not comforting
he got up quickly, body still reforming itself, slime dripping on the blankets under him, his steps went from quick to slow in seconds as he realized that he barely reached the doorknob, so either that door was huge or he was smaller, although he didn't have time to think, as somebody opened the door, and his suspicions were confirmed that he was in fact smaller, Phil starring down at him with a dark sweet smile that sent shivers down his body
Charlie gritted his teeth, if looks could kill, the avian would already be laying on the floor "Good to see that you're awake little slime" Phil cooed sweetly, approaching, at every step closer Phil took, Charlie would take one back, keeping their distance, Phil's smile seemed to twitch at that
"What did you do?" for some reason his voice was higher pitched, childish like some might say, his throat burned at every word said by him, Phil chuckled at his question, they continued on their little game of steps, until Charlie stumbled upon one of the walls, allowing Phil to approach him
The immortal avian crouched to his level, making Charlie slightly annoyed, but he had other things to worry about more then his reduced height "you know something i always found interesting on slimes?" Phil asked, not truly expecting a answer as he continued
"That the more you attack them, the smaller they get, until there's no slime left to reform" Charlie felt a heavy weight on his stomach "Who knew that it would work on hybrids too!" Phil said brightly, putting a hand on top of Charlie's head, the slime hybrid clenched his fists, finally understanding the situation, he tried to swing at Phil's face, but his small fist was easily caught "None of that now mate" Phil laughed as if it was a fucking joke, only fueling Charlie's rage
frustration tears started to gather on his eyes, as Phil pulled him by the arm to his chest, hugging him and crooning, as if comforting a child "Relax little one, i'm here now" the nickname felt like alcohol on an open wound
Charlie continued to try to punch and kick the man, but his tiny fists and legs did little to no damage at all "I'll always be here for you, for all eternity" Phil promised, his voice felt like the poison of a snake, Charlie couldn't do anything, knowing that the words of the man were truth, and so the invisible cage around him was locked
Slowly but surely the time passed, and as the time passed, Charlie struggles became less and less, forgetting his past and friends, soon his life with Phil became everything he knew, because even immortals can't resist the pass of time
"Charlie can you pass me the shovel?" Phil shouted with a smile "For sure dad from home!" Charlie shouted back, getting the shovel for Phil his dad
"Thanks mate" Phil thanked as father and son continued to work on the garden on their house, Charlie getting distracted by a butterfly or two that passed by, chasing them with a smile, Phil chuckling at the sight before calling Charlie back when he got to far away for his liking
And while their little garden prospered, a familiar grave now held only withered flower that were left there a long time ago by the friend of the grave's owner, but that friend even if alive, now only lived in memories, breaking the promise done by the two, and forgetting the duck hybrid that was once so important to him