ChromaTober | 2023 FMS Writing Challenge

-| Day 15: Confinement |-

AU: The mini-story thing from Day 9, 'Betrayal' >:)

Context: Both Green and Sabre are now captured by the Corrected Sun, in place of the usual event where the Leaders would start disappearing :>

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[Green Steve's POV]

...I don't know how long I've been trapped in this cell.

When I woke up after Sol showed himself and knocked me out, I found myself chained to the wall with a power restrictor nearby, so I couldn't teleport out to escape. It makes me feel weak and almost sick, it making me pass out when it's set at its full power. I learned that from when the Corrected Sun guards used it to make me stop yelling.

Sabre's in the cell next to mine, being kept unconscious so he can't try to escape either. I overheard Sol talking to the guards about how resourceful he can be with breaking out, so somehow he knows about Sabre's extensive... history with escaping places. I don't know how he knows, maybe he heard it from some Colorless or was there during one of Sabre's escapes?

Sometimes I can hear the Green Village Leader trying to reason with Sol or the Corrected Sun guards in the next hall of cells. The reason I dragged Sabre into this whole mess... the Village Leader was taken hostage a while ago, and knowing how close I am to him from kind of being part of his village, Sol used that to his advantage...

...I'm such an idiot. Why did I believe that he would actually release him and leave us alone?

...

That's strange. The guards usually come back right about now to dose Sabre with more sedatives. I scoot up to the bars of the cell and look around, seeing that they're not in the hall or outside it. I can't even hear them talking anywhere nearby... where are they? Not that I'm complaining-

"Green...?"

I whip my head back around to see that Sabre's awake, looking at me with a confused and scared expression. I quickly turn to face him and go to our shared wall of our cells.

"Sabre! I-I'm so s-sorry..." I say, already breaking down in tears. "I-I- he- Sol... he had o-one of my f-friends and he- he was threatening to kill him a-and-"

"Green... it's okay."

I look at him, shocked. Even now, he still has a slight, comforting smile, as if trying to say that he's alright. That... he thinks that it was alright that I did this...

"Y-You were just trying to save your friend." He continues. "I get that. I-I should've figured th-that Sol would eventually have someone out for me... I was worried th-that Sol did something to you for a s-second."

He shakily sits up straight, still looking at me with a smile.

"We'll get out of here soon, I-I know it. Whether we do it ourselves or th-the Colorless Guard and Light figure out wh-where we a-are and save us. It's oka-"

"No, no it's not okay!" I shout, my tears falling to the floor. "I- I betrayed you. You trusted me, a-and I did that! I did something unforgivable to you! You have every right to be angry at me, you should be yelling at me, or- or be so upset that you don't want to talk to me at all! Why are you so okay with this?! Why do you- you... why..."

I let go of the bars and sink to the floor, crying. I can still see Sabre looking at me with a small smile. Maybe he's pitying me, or mocking me. I'd understand either, but...

"...Wh-Why do you still care about me, despite what I did t-to you...?" I ask through sobbing chokes.

Sabre just laughs.

He... laughs.

It's quiet and strained, but... why is he laughing? And... he's crying too, now...

He finally stops and answers me.

"I've lost t-too many friends to bullcrap like this." He whispers. "I-I'm not losing you because of another power-tripping i-idiot."

"B-But... I..." I stutter.

"Sol wasn't f-fair to you, either. It's o-okay." He repeats. "We'll... we'll b-be okay."

"How do you know?" I ask, wiping my face with my sleeve and sitting up. "We could be down here for months without anyone finding us. Sol could succeed at whatever he's trying to do. Considering how much he seems to hate you, he could kill you."

I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs, trying to stop crying. It's a few minutes before either of us say anything.

"Well..." Sabre says quietly. "I-I guess you need to take your own advice, buddy."

"What?" I ask.

"Y-You've said yourself that hoping for something better can help. I'm h-hoping that this is all over soon so we can both deck Sol i-in the face for this."

"...Sabre, that was meant to apply to your issues with doubt. Not being in a hostage situation."

"Green, y-you know me by now. I-I find weird ways to use things th-that shouldn't be used how I use them."

For some reason, that makes me laugh a bit. Sabre laughs too. I don't know if it's the stress of the situation, or the relief that somehow Sabre isn't furious with me, it it takes me a bit to compose myself. There's a few moments of silence between us.

"You believe me n-now?" Sabre smiles.

I smile back.

"...Maybe. Better than nothing, right?"

"Yeah."

...Maybe there is some hope after all.