Stars [Memesfor1]

Capture

Meme was barely processing what was happening.

Of course he'd accidentally confessed to Socks. In the moment he couldn't hold the words back, not after he had for so long.

But he loves me too.

Meme's heart felt like it was going to explode with joy.

Stop that! He scolded himself. It seemed like that was all he could think about, even in a time he should be focusing.

Blaza was there, right where Socks said he had left him. Probably seeing the urgency in their faces and their multiple wounds, he began to seem worried. "Uh, what's this about?"

Socks looked at him skeptically. "You didn't hear the alarm?" As if on cue, the blaring noise sounded again, loud enough to make some of the equipment on the medbay shelves rattle.

"Oh, that?" Concern filled his expression again. "Did that mean something important?"

"Yes!" Both Meme and Socks said at the same time. Blaza probably would have laughed in a less dire situation.

"The stabilizers were sabotaged." At Blaza's look of confusion, Socks rolled his eyes and continued. "They're important. We have to go and fix them."

Socks went on to explain what had happened with Tbh. Blaza looked more and more shocked during the whole explanation.

Meme's hand unconsciously brushed the knife he had taken from the floor and put in a pocket. He remembered thinking it might be useful later. Hopefully not.

"So it was Tbh the whole time?" Blaza asked. "Wow." He breathed.

"Well..." Meme began to protest. "It wasn't really him. And now he's dead, so it doesn't matter."

Socks cast him a sympathetic glance. "We need to focus on fixing the sabotage." He hesitated. "Go find Laff, Woolf, and Nadwe." He told Blaza and Meme. "I don't want anyone to be alone now that the impostor's on the loose."

Meme narrowed his eyes. "But you're making it sound like you're not going with us."

"I'm not."

He shook his head. "It's too dangerous to go alone. You said it yourself!"

"But I have to fix this. It's my fault, and I'm going to end it." Socks protested.

Meme was about to argue more, but he saw the answers in Socks's eyes. He didn't want to put anyone else in danger. He had a light of desperation in his gaze, and Meme knew there was no point to try and stop him.

Typical Socks. Always trying to put himself in danger because he thinks it's the only way.

But it could go wrong... he was already hurt, the impostor could overpower him.

"We'll fix the stabilizers." Meme said reluctantly, looking down. "You go save the crew." A hint of a smile flickered on his face.

Socks echoed the brief smile and began to walk in the direction he'd seen the impostor go. But something stopped Meme. "Wait."

Socks turned around, an unspoken question in his eyes.

Meme took the knife from his pocket and placed it in Socks's hands. "You might need it."

Socks smiled softly. "Thanks."

"Just... promise me you'll stay safe." Meme said quietly. Socks's hands lingered on his, holding the knife for a moment, nodding ever so slightly.

Then he took it and left. Please don't let that be the last time I see him.

"Did I miss something?" Blaza asked. Meme fought the flush spreading across his face. "Shut up."

Blaza was quiet for a moment, letting out a small chuckle. Then the alarm blared again, distracting him.

"Come on, Blaza." Meme said, eyes glinting. "Let's go do our part."

Stay safe, Socks.

We'll be coming for you soon.

-0-

Did I make a mistake?

Socks couldn't help but ask himself the question over and over agian as he trudged through the snow.

The ground rumbled beneath his feet, almost causing him to slip. When he caught himself, the knife slipped out of the pocket he'd placed it in earlier.

It reminded him of Meme.

Stop thinking about him.

When Socks put the knife back in its place and looked up, his heart skipped a beat.

"Back so soon?" The impostor hissed. Its tongue flicked in and out of its mouth, like a snake.

"You." Socks spat. "You're not going to win."

"Really. Who's going to stop me?" It said, sounding faintly amused.

"I am." Socks mustered his courage and looked it in the eye, though it only had one and the one was a sickly orange color.

"You and what army?" It said with a laugh, and the lava exploded.

Or Socks thought it did at first, then realized it wasn't the pits of lava exploding, it was something coming out of each one. And those things were more deep purple creatures, slithering and crawling up the edges of the pits, lava dripping from their misshapen forms.

The sight of it sent cold claws gripping Socks's spine.

"You won't win this one, spaceman." The original impostor taunted. It seemed to be the biggest of them. The leader?

It didn't matter, because Socks quickly lost it in the mass of purple forms. He was surrounded before he knew what was happening, and fumbled for the knife. He grasped it firmly, trying to keep his hands from trembling.

One of the purple creatures lashed its tongue at him, and Socks quickly sliced it off with his knife. But it only slowed down the creature for a moment before a new tongue emerged from the end of the old one.

So the knife barely even slows it down, Socks realized in dismay. Another one lunged at him, and it was all he could do to block the attacks over and over again.

I can't even hurt them!

Then when he was taking a step back, his injured ankle twisted painfully as he stepped on a rock. Socks tried to catch himself but he was already falling, and the creatures attacked.

As they covered the rest of his vision in a hideous purple mask, Socks felt his head slam against the earth and everything went white.

-0-

1005 words