Chapter Text
Evan runs for his life with the casualness of a morning jog. Behind him, a large creature made up of crystals chases him. The crystals are what he needs and to catch them he needs to be caught up to.
Wind rushes past Evans' ears. A few steps away a net blocks the path. He ducks under the rollable sized gap left underneath. His suit protects him from the landscape's rocky terrain. He ends the roll, promptly pushing himself up.
The sound of a roar getting cut off is heard. Then the squish of flesh, splitting apart. One by one, the chunks hit the floor with a thud. He turns around, admiring his work.
Steel nets. Sharp enough to cut through superalloy and thin enough to be invisible to the dumb, instinct acting animals of this planet.
He brushes his suit, wiping off crumbled rocks and dust. He approaches the creatures remains, crouching to dig his hands inside. There it is. A crystal. Pink, sharp, and exactly what he’s been searching for. He picks the special rock up, cradling it with his right arm.
A swish. The sound of a portal opening up. Great another one of those.
“It works! Honey, do you realize how free and empowered I just made us!”
Evan turns around in time to watch as another portal opens in place, turning the previous family into bloody mush. The mess quickly dissipates with the new arrival. Evan rolls his eyes, walking off.
“It works! Honey, do you realize how free and empowered I just made us!”
So annoying.
“You over there!”
He freezes. Is he hearing this correctly?
“Boy in the yellow space suit!”
He waits for the sound of tearing or screaming to appear. Theres nothing. A little curious, he turns around. A man and a woman stand side by side. No children. Weird. The woman clings to the man and he clings back. Their smiles are overwhelmingly bright, and their eyes shine to an annoying extent. This isn't suppose to happen. They should be dead.
“I can’t believe it worked!” The girl exclaims, nuzzling who Evan assumes is her husband. The wedding ring on their fingers gives him his answer. She turns to Evan, beaming.
“Are you from this world?” Her eyes twinkle with awe.
“Or are you like us?” The man continues.
Evan would cross his arms, but another object occupies the space. “If you’re asking if I invented Portal travel, the answer is yes.” He deadpans. They’re so lucky there isn’t a creature chasing them or a space rock being hurled at them yet. He wouldn’t hesitate to leave them for dead.
“But you're so young.” She coos, fascinated. He’s picking up some concern as well.
“Don’t be so daft, Honey.” The man replies. “The boy used a wish of course.”
“Oh, yes, a wish! Just like us, dear! He’s just like us!” She lightly bounces up and down, clapping her hands.
“A wish?” Evan decided to indulge their nonsense. Maybe they come from an overly religious or spiritual world. “Elaborate,” he asks. Though it comes out more as a demand.
The woman shrinks a little. She appears disappointed in Evan’s cold attitude. What was she expecting? A hug and a warm welcome? Fucking newbies.
“Don't be stupid, boy. No kid could invent a realm transporter by themselves. You made a wish. No need to be embarrassed.” He waves the gun around, shoving it into Evan’s face. Evan doesn’t react to the ego-filled display. Just watches it. His expression stays unphased until the end. He lets an eyebrow raise slip through.
“Did you make a wish?” Evan asks.
“What’s it matter? It’s still my blood, sweat, and tears that were poured in.”
“Yeah, okay.” Evan turns around and walks off. They’ll probably get chomped, stomped, or something worse. Not his problem.
“Wait, where are you going?” The woman shouts. He doesn’t dignify the family with a response. Unfortunately, he hears pattered footsteps from behind. He reaches for his portal gun, “Don’t touch me.” It comes out cold and demanding. Not pitiful or panicked. Good.
The footsteps stop. “I just...” She trails off. He should go now.
“Have you really never made a wish before?” Inklings of amusement prickle his skin. It’s fine. He has time to indulge. He turns around.
“Never.” He ditches the gun and places a hand on his hips. From the ticked off mannerisms to his dull expressions, he radiates impatience.
Her husband catches up a few seconds later. Out of breath, he pants. “Honey, what are you doing? This place could be dangerous.”
Could. What dumbasses. It's obviously dangerous. The sound of crashes can be heard all around them. Thankfully not near, but they could be in any second.
“I know, but I can’t leave a child by themselves. Where’s your family, kid?” She reaches her hand out. Evan shoots her a glare that screams, don't you dare. She retracts it.
“They’re dead.” He almost shrugs to try and play it off more. He decides that would be a little too much. Too casual. In a performative way.
“Oh, you poor thing,” ugh. He wants to barf at the pity. She’s probably going to ask what happened, maybe offer to take him in, or give a few words of solidarity. He didn’t care and he definitely didn't feel like reminiscing about the past. Even her husband's eyes soften in pity. Great.
“What happened?” She asks.
There it is.
He gestures to the planet, letting them draw the false dots. A lie, but who cares. Not him. They certainly won't because they’re never going to know.
“I’m sorry.” The man mutters. Evan resists an eye roll. “It's fine. I should go now. You guys be careful.”
“What about you? Will you be careful?” The woman brings a hand to her chest as if worry strikes her heart like a bullet. She’s too kind for this place. Evan finds himself thinking.
“Obviously, I’ll be fine. You should be more worried about yourself. You two are supposed to be dead.” The man flinches back and the wife stifles a gasp.
“Because this realm is so dangerous?” The man questions. Evan could be more blunt about their strange predicament, but he didn't want to traumatize them that much. He’s an asshole not a monster. He agrees with the sentiment and nods.
“I’m gonna go now.” Evan grabs his portal gun and turns around to shoot a way back to his ship.
“Wait, please, wait!” The womans hands tug at his shoulders, pulling him back. He spins around, knocking her hand away with his arm. God, how much more annoying can these people get. It was one thing when their words played in a loop and another when they tried maintaining a conversation. Somehow the latter is a larger nuisance.
“Take a willow, please!” She shoves a tiny box into Evan’s space. He tries to back away, but she steps with him. His shield doesn’t even go off. It doesn’t register her as a threat.
“Honey, be careful!” her husband’s voice reaches them in a waver. She ignores him.
“If you aren’t lying about your wish, take this and make one now! Wish to be safe! You have to wish to be safe!” Their hands clumsily collide as he snatches the stupid box from her. “Okay, okay. I took the box.” He takes a few final steps back. She doesn’t follow him, but she doesn’t unclose the distance either. “A-and you have to word it carefully. If theres anyone you care about left, make sure you specify them in the wish. I- I only wished that we,” she gestures to her husband and herself, “would be safe during realm transportation, a-and,” Tears pool at the woman's eyes.
I only wished that we.
Only the two, only... He trails below them where in every other family two kids would have stood.
“He understands, sweetie.” The man gently sighs and offers a reassuring hand to her shoulder.
“I know, but-”
“I got it.” Evan fights an exasperated sigh. He doesn’t want to hear their sob story. He’s not trying to get attached. Besides, these people are clearly too trusting in their world's systems. Her “wish” probably didn’t work because it isn’t real. Not because she didn’t specify clearly enough. Evan's seen a lot of fucked up shit in the universe but wish granting miracles are not one of them. And in the off chance they are real, just like the off chance this family managed to last so long, he didn't need one. He already has everything he’s ever wished for, and he achieved it himself.
“Thanks.” He turns to leave. He’ll toss the box in the trash when he gets home.
“Bye” The woman says. He debates saying bye back. He shoots a portal and decides-
CRUNCH!
The world shakes. He quickly hops through the portal, glancing behind him. A medium sized meteor burrows into the ground. He sees red. A pool of blood leaks out from under. Yellow hits him in a flash before he lands in a different world. His home. Built for him, by him. The portal closes.
Guess their wish didn’t work. He doesn’t want to deal with feeling bad, so he doesn’t. He stuffs uncertainty down and returns to his preservation mission. He carries the crystal to a machine of his and jams it into a chute. He’s careful not to drop the paper box. The machine gulps the pink down, slowly dissolving it into tiny, crushed fragments.
A ripple washes over the sky in a bubble. A holographic sunset sets in, hiding the emptiness of space. Pretty. He smiles, content. The box shifts in his hand and the smile falls.
Right, the “wish.”
He’ll find a trashcan to dump it into later. For now, he’s going to enjoy his world. He stuffs it in his pocket and hops into his specially designed recliner chair. His robot butler zooms in, offering a cooling glass of lemonade. He gracefully takes it, shooing the machine away. His life is perfect. Couldn’t be better. Nothing he couldn’t make, and no one he couldn’t reach could make it better.
Nothing and no one.
The willow rubs his pockets. His stomach coils. He shifts to the side where he won't feel the nagging sensation. Closing his eyes, he gives into the peace of unbothered rest.