WTNV One Shots [Welcome to Night Vale] [Cecilos - Kevin/Diego] (boyxboy)

Lane 5

"Speaking of the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex, it's owner, Teddy Williams, reports that he has discovered the entrance to a vast underground city beneath the pin retrieval area of Lane 5."

Cecil- Episode 1: Pilot

The lights were faint. Barely visible squares of warmth in the cold black of the cavern. The spires of rock from which they glowed were barely visible outlines, and the roads that swerved between them were all but nonexistent. The distant rumble of an approaching army echoed, dislodging tiny rocks from the cave ceiling. Carlos felt a tingle of fear race down his spine. He knew his calculations were correct, that the city was actually ridiculously small, but it was easy to feel apprehensive. It did look far off... And he could see how the untrained eye could mistake it for being huge... Taking a deep breath, Carlos tried to calm his racing heart. He was a scientist. Brave is the fifth thing a scientist is. Summoning all his courage, he gripped the edge of the ledge, swinging himself over the side of the cliff. The gathered crowd let out a collective gasp, murmuring among themselves as he began to climb down. "Lunatic!" "Who does he think he is?!" "Scientist? Yeah right..." He could even hear the radio, somewhere above him, narrating his descent into the void of the cavern. Carlos grit his teeth, struggling to find a foothold in the cliff wall. Suddenly, his foot slipped, hitting solid ground. His audience gasped. It couldn't be... Smiling to himself, Carlos took a few steps forward, reaching the city almost immediately. The "towering" rock skyscrapers came up to about his knees, and the roads were about the width of his hand. "Behold!" he cried as the crowd let out a cheer. "This is not an enormous city, miles below the Earth! It is a very small city, about ten feet below the Earth, populated by tiny people who have had to spend a year slowly climbing the ten feet to our world! We have nothing to fear!" The citizens let out another round of applause. Teddy Williams crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "I knew that..." Carlos smiled again as the radio joined in, triumphantly celebrating his victory. He began to step back towards the cliff wall. Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through his lower leg. The scientist eyes widened, turning as he realized what had happened. Another projectile hit him square in the chest. Blood soaked the front of his flannel shirt as he doubled over, screaming as the tiny army continued to pelt him with barbed spears and explosives. He collapsed as a miniature bomb detonated in his face, filling his eyes with blood and smoke...

"Carlos! Carlos are you okay? Wake up!" The scientist groaned as he sat up. He was on the linoleum floor of the bowling alley, lying in a very scary pool of blood. Teddy Williams was leaning over him with a roll of bandages in hand. "W-What happened...?" Teddy's face lit up with relief. "Oh sweet spire... we thought you were dead! You... well, you got attacked. The Apache Tracker saved your life." Carlos glanced to his left. Another man lay beside him, bare chest streaked with blood, a Native American headdress clutched in one fist. Carlos knew he wouldn't be waking up. "Ladies and gentlemen... let us take this moment to mourn the passing..." The radio was still playing, the announcer... Cecil... narrating... his death. "I can't... Oh Carlos, no..." The radio host's voice broke as he collapsed into gasping sobs. Cecil thought he was dead. Leaping to his feet, Carlos raced for the exit. "Wait!" Teddy screamed, "Where are you going!?" The scientist ignored him, furiously texting. *Meet me at the Arby's parking lot.* "Somebody tell Cecil that I'm alive!"

The screech of tires alerted Carlos to Cecil's arrival. A dirty blue car sped into the parking lot, skidding to a stop as Cecil leapt out. His blonde hair was mussed and he was panting, face flushed a bright red. Deep circles ringed his bloodshot eyes like he had been crying for hours. "What is it?" he gasped, a notebook and pen clutched in one hand, "What danger are we in? What mystery needs to be explored?" No hello. No "oh my god! you're alive!" Cecil really thought Carlos had asked him to come here for scientific reasons. Carlos, who was siting on the trunk of his car, smiled sadly. "Nothing..." he murmured. "After everything that happened, I just wanted to see you..." Cecil's face flushed an even deeper shade of red. His shaking hands dropped his notepad. "O-oh...?" The scientist patted the space beside him and Cecil climbed up, still trembling. They sat close to one another, legs just barely touching. In the distance, the flaming desert sun was beginning to sink beneath the sand dunes, turning them a warm golden color. "I used to think that it was setting at the wrong time," Carlos said suddenly, "but then I realized that time doesn't work in Night Vale, and that none of the clocks are real. Sometimes things seem so strange or malevolent, but then you find that underneath, it was something else altogether. Something pure and innocent." He reached out shyly, gently laying a hand on the radio host's knee. Cecil's heart nearly stopped. "I-I know what you mean..." he whispered, barely able to speak. He felt the same. Carefully, he leaned into the scientist, resting his head on his shoulder. The sun was almost gone, a fiery stripe across the horizon. Above them, the shimmering lights were coming alive, dancing through the void. They understood. They understood the lights. The soft silence. The unspoken words. They understood each other.

***

Hey! Thanks for reading! This has been posted before, but I took it down. Now it's back and better then ever! A HUGE thank-you to @my_fangirl_feels for giving me my confidence back! Vote for other people's work. One vote could make someone's day and put a smile on their face. Your vote could be the difference between an aspiring author pulling through and continuing to write, or giving up. Thanks again!!!

Fun fact: The Apache Tracker's last words were (translated very roughly) "It's okay, it's okay. I knew this would happen. You can have my car.