Tommyinnit Oneshots

Lava and Grass

Part two of "The Magma Cube and the Slime"

Charlie remembered how the golden red heat consumed his body, melting away his goop until he was pieces of burnt cloth and a soul without a host. He remembered hearing the cries of Quackity, his best friend and the man who was Charlie's family- no matter what the other had said. He remembered seeing Purpled's pained look as he watched the platform that held Charlie and Quackity get lowered into the lava far below. Charlie knew that Purpled was conflicted, but he didn't understand why Purpled was actively trying to eliminate him and Quackity. Charlie had been sure that all three of them were friends, and Charlie knew that friends didn't do this. Charlie didn't say anything to Purpled, though, instead he told Quackity that he was going to be fine. Tears had filled Quackity's eyes, and Charlie could only give him a brief, small smile. Charlie remembered letting go, diving into the lava below. He remembered the indescribable pain, and the memories that rushed to his head of times with his brother in the realm beyond the purple swirls.

When his consciousness was hanging on by a thread, Charlie felt someone grip his shoulders. He tried to look around to see who was holding him, but lava was not like water. He couldn't see anything except the orangish red liquid flames that poured into his eyes. The arms continued to tug on Charlie's shoulders, dragging him in a specific direction. Charlie didn't know where they were going until his disformed head was raised above the surface of the lava. Charlie breathed in the fresh air, but he began choking on the thin layer of sulfur that rose above the lava. The person holding onto his shoulders lifted him up higher, and Charlie felt them moving sideways. He tried to look behind his shoulder to see who was holding him, but he was no longer in control of his motor functions. His slimy bits dripped into the sizzling lava below, and Charlie knew that he couldn't move on his own even if he wanted to.

The person dragging Charlie finally got to a ledge. The person let Charlie float in the lava as they pulled themselves onto the ledge. They reached back into the lava to grab Charlie's arms, heaving him up on the ledge beside them. Charlie was laid flat on his back. His eyes managed to pick up blurry colors, and he could see that his savior was a blonde person. The person pushed their face close to Charlie's, and the slime could see the vague gray flecks that formed a ring around a shadowy black middle that must have been eyes. Charlie wanted to reach out towards his savior, but the blonde started to hold onto Charlie's mutilated body. Charlie winced in pain as his slime was pushed together to form shapes that must have been humanisique limbs. Charlie knew this was necessary in the process of reforming his body, but it hurt him all the same.

"It's okay, Charlie," The blonde said with a soft, gravelly voice. Charlie recognized that voice in the farthest parts of his mind. It sounded exactly like his brother. It reminded of the first time Charlie had ever gone to the world beyond the purple swirls. He didn't like the overbearing heat, and his brother had found him a nice place underground that wasn't cold but was certainly cooler than everywhere else. His brother had smiled at Charlie and told him that it was going to be okay. His brother had made sure that the lava didn't find them, and he had fought off the creatures of the hot lands to protect Charlie's little hole. This was, of course, before his brother had gone off with the humans and fallen asleep after suffering at the human's hands. Charlie could barely remember his experiences with his brother, but that one memory seemed to stick with him. It was like his memories with Quackity. They were the precious ones that Charlie liked to recall because they made him feel a good kind of warm inside.

"Where's Quackity from Las Nevadas?" Charlie managed to ask as the blonde pushed Charlie's middle into the shape of a chest. Charlie's inside had already begun to recreate the organs that humans possessed including lungs and a voice box. Those two were some of the first things Charlie's slime had replicated when he had undergone his initial transformation. Now that Charlie thought about it, his brother had made a voice box by the time that Charlie had found him. His brother had really liked using his voice. He liked being able to express every little thought that came into his consciousness, and Charlie was more than happy to listen. Charlie had taught his brother how to speak the common tongue, though, because his brother's little noises weren't something Charlie had understood.

"I don't know, Charlie. I think he respawned somewhere in the city. I hope he gets away. Purpled seems fucking pissed, and I know he'll do whatever it takes to get his shitty revenge. I don't know why you were caught in the crossfire, though. That motherfucker probably doesn't care who gets hurt as long as he gets what he wants. Can't say this is the first time I've met a fucker like that, but I never expected that fucking American to become one," The blonde said with a very prominent anger in his voice. Charlie knew it was anger because Quackity had been teaching him about negative emotions before this whole thing happened. Quackity told Charlie that sometimes people feel bad, and there are different versions of 'bad'. Anger was one of these negative emotions along with sadness and jealousy. Charlie wasn't sure he understood any of those emotions, but he was starting to get the hang of identifying them.

"I thought Purpled from Las Nevadas was my friend," Charlie said rather pitifully. That was another term Quackity had taught Charlie. Friendship was different from being allies with someone. Quackity warned Charlie not to have friends. He told Charlie that he couldn't trust anyone, but Charlie hadn't understood why he couldn't do that. He thought that the people of Las Nevadas cared about him. He thought they wanted Las Nevadas to succeed. He didn't know where it all went wrong. He didn't know why Purpled was equal parts angry and upset and hesitant. He thought that he was getting along with Purpled.

"... I know, buddy. I don't think he wanted to hurt you, but sometimes anger fucks up the mind. He's confused. He likes you just fine," The blonde said after a moment of silence. Their hands came up to rest against Charlie's face. His slime was pushed together, and the hands carefully created the shape of a head. The hand continued to push and pull different parts across the top of the head until Charlie felt his facial control returned to his consciousness. Charlie blinked as his eyes were given the full range of color and shapes. He recognized the person who was fixing him as Tommy Innit from Nowhere.

"Why did you save me, Tommy Innit from Nowhere?" Charlie asked, reaching his hand up to touch Tommy's cheek. The blonde didn't flinch away, but his eyes did squint warily at Charlie's movements. Just like before, Tommy's skin was extremely warm. Not from body heat kind of warmth, either, because Charlie knew all about how hot a person could get temperature-wise. He had mastered the art of being 98.6 degrees F. Tommy was not at that temperature, but he didn't seem to be sick.

"I... I don't fucking know. You just... you remind me of someone I used to know," Tommy said, shaking his head. He took in a deep breath, looking over at the lava. "The first memory that I have is of the Nether. I remember waking up there, and I was looking for... I don't know. I was looking for something important. I didn't find whatever the fuck that was, but Phil had found me and took me in. That was it. I don't remember anything from before that point... I barely remember what happened after..."

"Do you think you're my brother, Tommy Innit from the Nether?" Charlie said, using what he learned to update the epithet that he associated with Tommy. Charlie suspected that Tommy was his missing brother. It had started out as a feeling, but now it grew into something much more. It was like Charlie knew for absolute certainty that his brother was Tommy. His younger brother had been just like Tommy, after all. They were both wild, talkative, and warm to the touch.

"I might fucking be. I didn't know I could swim through lava unharmed until today," Tommy said, letting his hand fall into the lava. He moved his fingers back and forth before raising his hand back into the air. His skin wasn't burned in the slightest. A few thick droplets of lava fell from his fingers back into the source, but it didn't take chunks of burned flesh down with it. "Would you like that, Charlie? Do you think I'd make a good fucking brother?"

"Tommy Innit from the Nether, you would make the best fucking brother!"