Time Twins "Stranded"

The time period

Weeks. It had been weeks since the Time Twins crashed into the mysterious time period. Acronix’s wound was healing enough for him to be able to walk around now, but it seemed to have been slightly infected, so it still stung. Specially to put pressure on. He had started going out with Krux on his missions to find supplies and stuff, but took it easy. Well, he was more or less forced to, but that’s beside the point. The two had managed to catch a few fish in the stream the day prior, so at the moment, they weren’t starving any more. But they were pretty small, so it didn’t do much for them; however, it was better than the nothing they had gotten used to. So, they were grateful for it nonetheless. The brothers made there way through the wilderness, deciding to leave the Iron Doom behind for the time being. If there was anything out there, they wouldn’t find it sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. Acronix watched his brother’s cape sway behind him as they walked. “Krux? If we find someone…? What do we do?”

“I… Well… *sigh* We- ask for help I guess. Even though I hate the thought of it. We don’t have much longer out here, unfortunately. Yes, we’re still breathing, but who knows how much longer our bodies can handle? Yours especially.” The older twin gave Acronix’s tattered, dirty bandages a worried glance. The younger sibling looked away like he was fed up with receiving that look. That’s the only way Krux had looked at him ever since they crashed here.

Pity.

Like he’s expecting him to fall over at any given second. Or that he was a helpless, wounded child that wasn’t expected to make it. Truth be told, part of Krux didn’t. He wished every second of the day that the thought of his poor brother giving out would stop badgering him, but it wouldn’t. Almost every day, he’d have a nightmare about waking up to find him dead. He absolutely hated it. There wasn’t a worse thought in the universe. Acronix was all he had, if he ever were to… ya know… then he’d be alone. Completely and utterly ABANDONED. No one would even know if he died. Or miss him for that matter. It was a terrifying anticipation. No.
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
He refused to think on it any longer. He tried desperately to banish the thought before it ate at him further. Acronix suddenly stopped walking and shakily called out for his brother. Krux whipped around and jumped to his side. “What’s wrong?! What hurts!??”

The younger sibling pushed him away from the frantic check up he was starting. “First Spinjitzu Master, I’m fine! I was just going to tell you to look up in the distance!” Acronix groaned as he grabbed his brother’s head and aimed it toward the direction he was referring to. A light.

A bright light.

A city.

‘Oh, great… A bright, neon city.’ Krux died a little bit inside. “We’re in the future.”

Acronix’s eyes lit up like the glistening city he was admiring. “But how far in the future?”

Krux shrugged while he let out a defeated sigh. “Only one way to find out I suppose.” He had to admit, he was definitely bummed about the time period, but seeing Acronix as happy as he was right then made him crack a slight smile. The young twin excitedly rushed ahead towards the city with a nervous brother telling him to take it easy while following closely behind. By the time they were close enough to see the individual buildings, Acronix suddenly collapsed. Krux frantically reached out and grabbed him before he could hit the ground. “I told you to slow down!” He scolded. “See? You hurt yourself, didn’t you?!”

Acronix looked away, almost ashamed. His breathing was heavy and he could feel his heart racing. Okay, fine- he admits it. He pushed himself too hard. “I… I’m fine. I just need to relax for a second, that’s all.”
Krux shot him a disbelieving glare, but agreed and sat down beside him. Acronix had no idea what had happened, but when he woke up, it was morning. They had just been relaxing last, and supposed it must have been later than they thought- because apparently, they fell asleep. He tiredly opened his eyes and let out a little yawn, then looked to his side to see his brother cuddling up against him; smiling softly. Wow. The younger sibling couldn’t remember the last time he looked so contented. He was usually some form of irritated or something negative like that. He smiled lovingly at him for a moment before waking him up. Krux yawned and stretched out. As he did, they could hear several joints popping and cracking. He noticed how close he was to his brother and immediately jumped back. Cause of course, God forbid he was caught showing any form of affection or care towards anyone. He got up and cleared his throat like he was trying to act professional.
“Anyways, we clearly overstayed our welcome here in… this….. lovely field.” He glanced back towards the city. “But we really should get going.”

Acronix agreed and followed his brother to their destination. When they finally arrived, the young twin was in full glory. The city was glowing in every way possible. Neon signs, and floating, holographic billboards were everywhere. If this place didn’t scream ‘future’- no place did. The two brothers soon realized how out of place they must have seemed amongst the inhabitants. For one, they were an absolute mess; with Acronix only having ripped pants and a bandaged torso. Krux, at least covered his filthy outfit with the cloak. They tried their best to remain in the shadows and stay out of sight, but a few people noticed them sneaking around. However, the citizens seemed not to care very much about it. Eventually, they stopped behind a building to figure out what their next move was. Then, Acronix suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. “We must be behind a restaurant or something! It smells delicious in there!” His mouth watered while he took in the scent of something being cooked inside. Krux snapped at him to focus, but admittedly, the aroma was distracting him too. They finally agreed to- against Krux’s better judgment- approach someone and ask for help. But who?

The younger sibling looked down at himself, then his brother. “Maybe we can just locate the nearest homeless shelter.” Only a slight part of him was joking.

Krux snapped at his brother. “That is the one thing that we AREN’T doing! First Spinjitzu Master, where’s your dignity?!”

“Of course! I left at our house…. Oh, that’s right! WE DON’T HAVE ONE!”

Krux growled. “I know that, you moronic leach! But we can’t just- I mean, we… *sigh* There’s got to be a better way to deal with the situation.”

“Like what!? Sit back here next to the dumpster and wait for someone to find us? Are you SURE you’re not playing homeless?”

Krux growled as he pinned his brother to the side of the building. “WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!!!??”

“Hello?” A new voice questioned. It sounded soft and caring; it clearly belonged to a young woman. The two twins froze as a blonde girl in her early 20s walked around the corner and made eye contact with them. She looked on at them in shock. “Oh my goodness! You look horrible! Are you alright?!”

Acronix stared blankly at her. “No.”
His brother shot him a death glare.
“What?! You said we needed to find someone to help us- so here’s someone!”

“Goodness! You- you need help? I suppose I could be of assistance. My place isn’t far from here. I could get you something to eat and a place to stay for awhile. If that’s what you were referring to.”

No… That look. The look she’s giving him. It was the look of pity. Krux already hated that they had to be asking for help in the first place, but knowing that she was seeing him as helpless was infuriating. He wasn’t HELPLESS!!! He was a mother flipping elemental masters that could control the fabric of time itself!!!!