Chapter 8 - I'm A Parallel Of You, I Am I Am I Am.
a/n: :) no a/n this time. love you, read it.
---------- Day 5 of the competition.--------
Pixel wakes up to see no one around him, something rare. He'd normally see others running around and chasing eachother, legs cutting through fields of purple grass, or maybe even seeing others asleep against the tree trunks, lights hanging from vines slightly illuminating them. Right now, all that there is nearby is a lingering feeling of isolation.
It may be a good thing that no one came to look for him, as the last time they did, they interrupted a much needed conversation with Unicodey. Pixel wonders; if the chat wasn't cut short, what would have come of it? Would he be friends with Unicodey? Could his team want to listen then, if he was close with a god? Though it seems nice, Pixel wants to be known as himself, not just as his relationships.
The thoughts of positivity slow down as the last droplets of them fall into puddles of muddy, murky feelings. Pixel just wants to open the floodgates and let out his sadness and regret to someone who would not just listen, but respond.
Then it hits him.
Unicodey said he was always going to be there for Pixel when he needed it, but he's quite clearly busy. That's why the competition was on hold, was it not? There's no use in trying to go ask when he's probably already not feeling the best... Yet again, Unicodey didn't seem like he was under stress, rather just had work to do. In this place, they have all the time in the world.
So, Pixel gets himself up & rushes as far away as his little legs would take him in hopes of finding Unicodey. After all, Pixel would much rather spend time happy and with a friend than letting his thoughts simmer.
The plains are well, plain, and it seems to be quite early as once again, no one is up. There's a slight fog and chill to the air, but the sun glimmers through it, making every surface look bedazzled & opalesce. Through the blur, there's a welcome sight up ahead. In a small semicircle cut out of an area of trees, Unicodey sits with a mechanical pencil in one hand a notebook in the other. He's brainstorming ideas for the next few challenges, it seems.
Unicodey looks up from his plans and his eye's meet Pixel's with a small, welcoming smile.
"Oh- Hello there!" Short and sweet, Unicodey wants to make it known that he sees Pixel and wants him to come closer. Unicodey's been a little lonely while doing all these plans, he's glad he has someone to talk to now.
Pixel greets back, but then remembers why he's felt like this in the first place. Theft. Why is Unicodey greeting him so warmly..? Shouldn't he still be mad about what Pixel did? He's unsure on how to react, so he just asks directly.
"...Wait, so you're not mad at me?" Pixel's expression shifts slightly, his bottom lip slightly raising.
"No? Why would I be upset with you? ....What's wrong, Pixel?" Unicodey can tell something is up. Sure, he's disapproving of some things Pixel's done, but he's not mad. Pixel is normally optimistic too, so what's happened?
"...Just...." Pixel sighs. "It's my team. They won't listen to me. I want to explain myself and how I've... why I-...." Pixel can't bring himself to finish his statement.
"Hm... Hey, are you okay with talking for a while? I have time!" Unicodey puts down his pencil & pats the ground to his left with his now free hand.
Pixel feels like there's something all wrong about this, but he sits down anyways. It's either this or being alone. A jolt of pure fear courses throughout his nervous system, but he ignores it for now.
"Well, I'm just... Not feeling great after what I've done....I've 'served my time', sure, but... I still did it. I can't take that twenty back now, can I? It doesn't matter if I could and if I did, they'd still not talk to me." Pixel watches Unicodey closely, who looks like he's attempting to come up with a good response.
"You have, Pixel. I get it, you'll be hung up on this for a while, but you can't do anything about it. Why dwell on it? If there's nothing you can change about your actions, there's nothing to worry about." Unicodey is unsure if he's coming off as confusing, but just keeps going with it.
Pixel sighs again, this time letting out pent up emotion.
"That's not my main problem, though!.. The outcome is the same, all four of them. All of them won't speak to me. Calabi yelled at me to get away from him, Nevada & Turret actively turn their backs to me, and even my best friend, Broken Wii, says he's scared of me! I can't connect with others- they'll just shut me down too. I'm not suprised if you do aswell." Pixel has his head down low, refraining from showing too much emotion.
"Please don't think about it like this... You've done something they don't approve of, they're mad about the action, not over who you are. I promise, not everyone will try to ignore you." Unicodey keeps his hopes high, not wanting to let Pixel down further than he already is.
"But it's already been a day! They still don't care... Even when I didn't do anything wrong, they just left me behind in a challenge! No one even noticed my absence until too late! They don't like me. At least, not enough to remember me. When they do, it's to pester me. I feel so controlled and coddled yet alone and isolated. I'm just.... It's like I'm trapped in a box. I'm tired of this!" Pixel's attempt to conceal his emotion fails, stomping & tugging at his hair.
Trapped in a box, eh? Isolated, pestered, alone... It's all so familiar to Unicodey. He understands every single word, feeling them down to his core. He can't let someone else suffer his same fate.
"Maybe... Maybe you're just not around the right people? If they truly won't listen, then you need to find someone who will-... That's why you're here, isn't it?" Unicodey's baffled he didn't catch on sooner.
"... Yeah, it is... I'm sorry, I know-You shouldn't be talking to a lowly contestant or anything, as you're our host and all..." Pixel once again gets cut off, but this time it's different.
"No-!! Just because I host the show doesn't make me any better than all of you! You're not lesser than me in any way, Pixel. Don't undermine your value... You and I are equals, you can come talk practically whenever." Unicodey hates hearing this. He's no better than a contestant.
"But you're so powerful and known and liked! That's... Everything I want. Everything I'm not." Pixel has not a clue why Unicodey's not happy about this- It's praise!
"While yes, I'm liked, I'm....not really loved. A lot of contestants like me, but they don't really talk to me. You're one of the few who have cared to. Thank you for that, actually...." Unicodey's expression is bashful, embarrassed at his display of gratefulness so openly.
"So... What you're saying is I'm not alone in my loneliness? I'm not just imagining things, and this is..real? You can be liked even while isolated.... It's not about who we are, is it?" Pixel looks up at Unicodey with a newfound feeling in his eyes. It's not easy to describe, but the coldness and stiffness ripples from his core to his fingertips & the rest of his outer body, then disperses.
"Yeah. It's not pleasant, but you have the spirit. There's nothing wrong with you, Pixel. It's their fault they're like this to you, not yours... And if we're alone together, are we really lonely anymore?" Unicodey smiles, one side going up a bit more than the other.
"...I guess not, huh?" For the first time in a while, Pixel smiles too. He's feeling much better now. Although he doesn't have anything bad left to say, he still wants to talk with Unicodey.
So that he does. The two sit and chat for a while, & Unicodey even puts a braid in his hair, opposing the large curl in his very own. Although it wasn't probable, it was possible-
And Unicodey & Pixel have found a friend in eachother.
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a/n: so this is the best chapter yet btw