Bittersweet

Chapter One

Liam scowled as he stood up off the stool. He had been spending all day, every day, trying to work out how to get his friends home. His exhaustion was making him feel lightheaded as he stared at the jumble of numbers before him. Digging through his brain, he remembered taking programming back in school, but the memories were so faint it didn't even matter. Wincing as he stood, he looked down at his leg, which was still enwrapped in the cast Airy had made. The cast was a cruel reminder of what he had tried to do. Shutting his eyes, Liam focused on not collapsing.
"Liam?" Liam turned to the Plane, looking down at Bryce.
"You don't have to rush yourself, you know," Bryce sighed, "We'll be fine." Liam nodded absent-mindedly as he picked his crutch off the desk. He knew Bryce was telling the truth, but seeing Tray and Whippy Creamy was beginning to discourage him. They were so happy, so enthusiastic. Seeing them give up hurt. Sighing, Liam left the cave, staring up at the empty sky. Even being able to send everyone here would be nice. He felt alone. At least there was food and shelter here. Shaking his thoughts away, Liam headed to the small hut, hoping to be able to get some sleep.
Looking around, Airy blinked in surprise. He was... Dead. But... This place didn't look how he remembered. It looked like... The Plane...? He looked around, looking for the radio. He wasn't ready to die! He wanted to return.
"Airy!"
A familiar voice interrupted Airy's thoughts. He turned, looking for the source.
"Back...Pack?" He could see Liam standing a few feet away.
"C'mon, we gotta go!" Liam reached forward and took Airy's hand. Airy quickly pulled his hand away, anxiety rushing up.
"Don't... touch me..." He didn't want to be near Liam now. He looked over at the chairs, seeing the radio. Rushing over, he grabbed the radio. It still had numbers inputted into it. He looked at Liam again.
"Come on, we need to go!" Airy felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Liam standing next to him.
"We have to go, Airy." Airy shook his head frantically, and pulled the antenna up.
Liam sighed as he stared down at Airy's deflector. He wanted to kick it into the lake so bad, but...
Sighing, he sat down, looking at the waterfall. Airy was dead. But was it just an accident? There was no way he did it on purpose, he was still being kind after all. Even after what he had done... Liam looked back down at the deflector, reaching for it.
Wait.
It had disappeared.
Had the water washed it away? No way, it would have been gone sooner. Standing up, Liam stared around. Perhaps Airy was lying, maybe there were others here. Then again, he would have noticed by now.
"Backpack...?" Liam flung himself around, shock overwhelming him. Was that... Airy?!
Airy fidgeted as he looked at Liam. He didn't know if he should go over. He looked down as he stepped through the foliage. He may as well risk it. Reaching Liam, he stared silently. He half-expected Liam to begin yelling.
Liam stared, confused. Airy was back. How? There're millions of dimensions out there, it had only been a few days, how was this possible? Unless.... Unless the radio still had the code in it. There was literally no other explanation!
Airy stared, he didn't know what Liam was thinking about. Maybe he wasn't going to yell. He looked away, starting to feel awkward. It was too quiet.
Liam looked back up at Airy, who looked back at him. Hesitating, Liam reached forward, poking Airy's chest, trying to make sure he wasn't imagining things.
Airy flinched away, staring down. He didn't want Liam touching him. He looked back at Liam, who simply stared.
"I..." He reached forward, poking Liam's cheek, not sure what to do. Liam looked down, trying to avoid meeting Airy's gaze.
"How... How did you get... back?" Liam slowly trailed off, speech feeling too alien for him at this moment. Airy turned to the cave, then back to Liam.
"I can... send them back now." Airy turned to the cave, not waiting for Liam to answer. Liam quickly grabbed Airy, before he could walk too far.
"W-Wait!" He pulled Airy back, hugging him tightly. Airy flinched, before relaxing. He... He had forgotten what this was, but he... liked it. Liam sobbed against Airy, tears streaming down his fabric. Airy wrapped his arms around Liam, shutting his eyes. They stood for a moment, not knowing when to let go. Liam leaned against Airy for a moment, before letting go and pulling away. He felt a lot better now.
Airy resumed his journey to the cave, reaching down and taking Liam's hand. Liam looked down at their hands, before following Airy.
Sitting down in front of the computer, Airy began closing the many tabs Liam had opened. Liam walked over to the Plane, grabbing the microphone. He wanted to tell everyone what had happened. But at the same time...
"Can you send everyone to Earth...?" He looked at Airy, who looked at him.
"I... Yeah, I can." Liam nodded and looked down at the Plane.
"Do you want to go back... too?" Airy looked at Liam, who hesitated, before muttering a quiet "no..."
Airy nodded before going back to typing, as Liam turned to the plane. He brought the microphone closer to him, turning it on.
"Hey guys... I'm back. Uh... Airy is... alive. He's sending you all back now...?" He stumbled over his words. He saw everyone perk up at the mention of Airy's name.
"Wait a minute, he's alive?!" Bryce yelled, scowling. Liam sighed.
"Yes, he's alive, but don't worry about it! You all can get home faster now!" Liam grinned madly. Bryce scoffed and sat back down.
"I'll send them back now..." Airy spoke softly, Liam turned around and looked at him.
"Alright..." He felt tears beginning to form. He didn't want to lose his friends, the only people he really had to talk to.
Airy clicked a button on his keyboard, and Liam felt tears sliding down his face again as he watched his friends disappear one by one. Airy fidgeted as he stood, seeing Liam slide to the floor, crying softly. Airy walked over, hesitating, before crouching down and hugging Liam once more. Liam flinched at the touch, before turning and sobbing against Airy. Why was he turning to Airy for comfort, of all people? He... He wanted to go home so badly. He... He felt like a little kid again, going to school for the first time.
Airy was puzzled by Liam's sudden explosion of emotions. He didn't know what to do, except for hug him. Hugging seemed to help, but he didn't know what else to do. Liam sniffled as he pulled himself away from Airy, forcing himself to stop crying. He quickly tried to stand, stumbling a bit as Airy followed suit. Liam tried to regain his balance, but his cast made it harder. Yelping, Liam fell forward, hitting Airy to the ground.
"FU- Ow..." Liam winced as he pushed himself up. He opened his eyes, immediately pushing himself off of Airy, who simply lay still, not knowing how to respond.
Liam winced as he sat back up. He didn't realise how much pain he was actually in until now. He couldn't even tell if he was hurting emotionally or physically anymore. Looking up, Liam sighed.
"Can you... help me up... please?" Airy nodded and pulled Liam up. Liam grabbed his crutch as he got up. He sighed as he limped out the cave, while Airy followed, unsure what to do now.
Sitting by the lake, Liam shut his eyes, trying not to let stress overwhelm him. He wanted to go home so bad, but... He wanted, no, needed to get him and Airy home. He didn't need to risk Airy doing ONE again.
Yawning, Liam stood back up, leaning on his crutch. It bent and shook under his weight, getting dangerously close to snapping. He wandered over to Airy, who was staring up at a tree.
"What're you doing?" Liam asked, raising his eyebrows, as Airy jumped and turned to him. Pointing up at the tree, Airy smiled.
"There's some apples growing," He grinned, "It's been a while since they grew." Liam started to smile as he looked up. He enjoyed apples. It had been so long since he'd had real food. Sure enough, there were flowers beginning to bloom into apples. Airy looked at Liam, noticing him smiling wider. He... Hadn't seen anyone smile like that during ONE. He felt slightly confused. Liam seemed genuinely happy right now, but... He never seemed like that before he got eliminated. He wondered why.