I'm not lying! [Something in Flynn's heart twists painfully, seeing Peter like this and isn't there anything he can do? His words feel so useless.] And I don't work for your father. Nobody's going to die, I promise! Please, you have to believe me.
[How can he make him understand?]
I want to go home, too. And I'm scared and I am so in over my head it's not, I mean it's really not funny, you know, and... I really need you to be my friend. Please.
[His breath hitches for a moment and he clears his throat, trying to stay focused.]
I'm on my way, alright? I'm coming to get you and I won't let anyone use you, you hear me? I won't!
[...that didn't sound like he was lying. He sounded...he sounded like he was telling the truth? But he had to be lying, he had to!]
Why, so you can come here to laugh in my face? Ego's gonna destroy everyone, that means you, too! You can't--
[This didn't make any sense. It had to be cabin fever. What he was seeing wasn't real. Flynn was his friend and he sounded desperate to have him believe him. The tendrils backed off slightly, hovering in midair, ready to strike. Peter backed up against a different wall, a few bones falling out of it as he did so.]
I...
[What if it wasn't cabin fever? What if this was real and Flynn was tricking him? He held his head.]
I don't know what to believe, man. I want to believe you. So bad. I can't tell...I can't tell what's real.
I would never do that! Only if you did something really ridiculous and it was kind of funny but this isn't funny so I wouldn't do it? I can't even look at home videos where people hit their head, they make me feels so bad, I mean who laughs at those, really, it's just mean?
[Flynn's mind is in overdrive because it seems Peter is at least acknowledging him.]
Listen, it just wants to drive you out into the snow. Just... stay inside, please, I don't want you to freeze. I'll stay on the tablet with you.
What? No, it's not, it's people crashing through chairs or wedding cakes, falling into pools or, or getting knocked back by branches. Do you know how painful it is to get knocked back by a branch and-- really? We need to have a serious discussion about your sense of humor. [Someone gets knocked back by branches a lot.
Whatever other insecurities he has, this next one he is a 100% sure of and Flynn's voice changes, turning calm with absolute resolve.]
[That gets a snort.] That's hilarious, dude! Oh my God, crashing through a wedding cake? I bet the bride cried. I would cry. That's freaking awesome.
[Somehow, the amusement was working. His hallucinations couldn't feed on his fear, so even though the tendrils hovered and the bones piled up, he felt...more detached from it. Like he was watching it, instead of being part of it.]
...okay.
[It was a huge leap of faith for him to trust Possibly!Not!Flynn. He seemed legit, but he could be wrong.]
I'll...I'll try to stay inside. [He picks the tablet back up, which he still is seeing as bubbling and burnt, but he doesn't feel the heat, which further proves that this isn't real. He still looked terrified as he places it in front of him, occasionally wincing and looking elsewhere.]
Seriously? Some poor baker probably spent weeks working on that only to have it squashed by a polonaise gone wrong, that's... maybe situational comedy at best.
[He breathes a sigh of relief when Peter agrees to stay.]
Thank you. I'm on my way but we can talk while I walk, I'm taking the tunnels.
That's what makes it so funny! The bigger and fancier it is, too.
[Peter tries to focus more on the tablet, holding it in front of him and trying to ignore the piles of bones around him. Of course, this just made him see piles of bones around Flynn, too. And a giant Abelisk approaching Flynn from behind.]
[Flynn jumps, dropping the tablet as he spins around in shock.
Hey Peter! Welcome to Norfinbury's Funniest Home Videos, because you get a slightly askew view of Flynn, raising his fists to face whatever is supposed to sneak up on him, Flynn walking backwards, fists windmilling in the air, Flynn slipping as he walks, falling flat on his butt.
He sits, wide-eyed and stunned for a moment before he looks over at the camera.]
[Peter's mouth drops open, and he explodes in peals of laughter. It's enough to banish the Abelisk, the tendrils and the bones, as he's doubled over in raucous giggles.]
It's not funny. It's hilarious!
[He quickly makes sure to save the file.
After he calms down slightly and his stomach stops hurting from laughing, he sits back against the wall, surprised by the calm and quiet. Something pushes at the walls, like they were made of balloons, but other than that, it was quiet.]
[Flynn runs his hand through his hair, exhaling explosively and scrambling to his feet. Peter's laughter still rings in his ears, which is embarrassing, but also driving away the earlier screams; and honestly? He'll take it. Picking up the tablet he can tell the change in Peter and his expression softens, the agitation draining from his face.]
[Peter sighs, a wan giggle escaping him. He swallows, and nods. He still...felt an urge to not believe Flynn, but it was unlikely Ego would hire someone that pratfalled that wonderfully.]
Yeah. Better.
[A giant claw-mark pushes at the walls like they're rubber.]
I don't know for how long. They haven't gone away completely.
That's good. [Flynn smiles, giving the screen an encouraging thumbs-up.] Don't worry, we'll get you through this. I'm going to stay with you for as long as it takes, okay?
[He brings the tablet closer to his face for a more serious, intensive look.]
All day if I have to.
[The moment lingers between them.
Then, suddenly, processing.]
Hey, what do you mean, you're going to play-- you recorded that?
[He sounds utterly and completely thankful. If Flynn could help ground him, maybe the hallucinations wouldn't get as bad again. He hoped. Because if he really started to believe in them for good, he'd end up outside...and without help, that would be it.
The walls bubbled and melted a little, space swirling behind the holes. He swallowed, feeing like Flynn was distracting him on purpose. So that something else would get him.
No, that wasn't...he wouldn't do that.]
What? How could I not? That was fantastic! You should be proud of yourself.
Well, stars aren't really eternal either, you know, technically the length of their life depends on how fast they use up their nuclear fuel. While our sun may have five billion years left, others burn considerably brighter will exhaust their available hydrogen within a few million...
[Yeah, that's totally working. He wasn't even paying attention to the visions anymore.]
Seriously, dude? That's what you're gonna take away from this? I mean, if we're gonna be that nit-picky about it, maybe I'm only seeing a slice of the universe's timeline. Or something.
Ah, 'timeline' might not be the best term here, we really should take relativity and dilation into account. I mean, space-time especially is not constant. The faster we go the more time slows down.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[How can he make him understand?]
I want to go home, too. And I'm scared and I am so in over my head it's not, I mean it's really not funny, you know, and... I really need you to be my friend. Please.
[His breath hitches for a moment and he clears his throat, trying to stay focused.]
I'm on my way, alright? I'm coming to get you and I won't let anyone use you, you hear me? I won't!
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Why, so you can come here to laugh in my face? Ego's gonna destroy everyone, that means you, too! You can't--
[This didn't make any sense. It had to be cabin fever. What he was seeing wasn't real. Flynn was his friend and he sounded desperate to have him believe him. The tendrils backed off slightly, hovering in midair, ready to strike. Peter backed up against a different wall, a few bones falling out of it as he did so.]
I...
[What if it wasn't cabin fever? What if this was real and Flynn was tricking him? He held his head.]
I don't know what to believe, man. I want to believe you. So bad. I can't tell...I can't tell what's real.
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[Flynn's mind is in overdrive because it seems Peter is at least acknowledging him.]
Listen, it just wants to drive you out into the snow. Just... stay inside, please, I don't want you to freeze. I'll stay on the tablet with you.
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I'm sorry, I just...I don't know if you're real or not.
[He looks out at whatever he's seeing, his eyes focused on something.]
If you're wrong, the whole universe could pay the price.
[The tendrils hover in midair, ready to strike.]
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Whatever other insecurities he has, this next one he is a 100% sure of and Flynn's voice changes, turning calm with absolute resolve.]
I'm never wrong about the facts. Trust me.
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[Somehow, the amusement was working. His hallucinations couldn't feed on his fear, so even though the tendrils hovered and the bones piled up, he felt...more detached from it. Like he was watching it, instead of being part of it.]
...okay.
[It was a huge leap of faith for him to trust Possibly!Not!Flynn. He seemed legit, but he could be wrong.]
I'll...I'll try to stay inside. [He picks the tablet back up, which he still is seeing as bubbling and burnt, but he doesn't feel the heat, which further proves that this isn't real. He still looked terrified as he places it in front of him, occasionally wincing and looking elsewhere.]
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[He breathes a sigh of relief when Peter agrees to stay.]
Thank you. I'm on my way but we can talk while I walk, I'm taking the tunnels.
... You better not laugh if I hit my head.
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[Peter tries to focus more on the tablet, holding it in front of him and trying to ignore the piles of bones around him. Of course, this just made him see piles of bones around Flynn, too. And a giant Abelisk approaching Flynn from behind.]
Oh, I'll laugh.
Um...
Uh...
Is there a giant monster following you?
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[Flynn jumps, dropping the tablet as he spins around in shock.
Hey Peter! Welcome to Norfinbury's Funniest Home Videos, because you get a slightly askew view of Flynn, raising his fists to face whatever is supposed to sneak up on him, Flynn walking backwards, fists windmilling in the air, Flynn slipping as he walks, falling flat on his butt.
He sits, wide-eyed and stunned for a moment before he looks over at the camera.]
That is so not funny!
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It's not funny. It's hilarious!
[He quickly makes sure to save the file.
After he calms down slightly and his stomach stops hurting from laughing, he sits back against the wall, surprised by the calm and quiet. Something pushes at the walls, like they were made of balloons, but other than that, it was quiet.]
And that was not a real monster. It's gone now.
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Oh, it wasn't, was it now!
[Flynn runs his hand through his hair, exhaling explosively and scrambling to his feet. Peter's laughter still rings in his ears, which is embarrassing, but also driving away the earlier screams; and honestly? He'll take it. Picking up the tablet he can tell the change in Peter and his expression softens, the agitation draining from his face.]
Are you feeling better?
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[Peter sighs, a wan giggle escaping him. He swallows, and nods. He still...felt an urge to not believe Flynn, but it was unlikely Ego would hire someone that pratfalled that wonderfully.]
Yeah. Better.
[A giant claw-mark pushes at the walls like they're rubber.]
I don't know for how long. They haven't gone away completely.
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[He brings the tablet closer to his face for a more serious, intensive look.]
All day if I have to.
[The moment lingers between them.
Then, suddenly, processing.]
Hey, what do you mean, you're going to play-- you recorded that?
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[He sounds utterly and completely thankful. If Flynn could help ground him, maybe the hallucinations wouldn't get as bad again. He hoped. Because if he really started to believe in them for good, he'd end up outside...and without help, that would be it.
The walls bubbled and melted a little, space swirling behind the holes. He swallowed, feeing like Flynn was distracting him on purpose. So that something else would get him.
No, that wasn't...he wouldn't do that.]
What? How could I not? That was fantastic! You should be proud of yourself.
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Hey, you're... you're not going to show that to anyone, are you?
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Uh.
[A pause. He looks off in the distance, either distracted by another vision, or maybe he was just trying to change the subject.]
Hey, I'm seein' stars again. Cool.
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But whatever his intent, Peter's strategy works because Flynn forgets all about the incriminating video, concern flaring up again.]
Don't look at the stars! They're not real.
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What?
[He focuses back on the screen, but it's apparent that whatever his intent, he really was seeing stars, at least. He keeps glancing to the side.]
Reminds me of Eternity. Maybe it is. Maybe I couldn't escape it...
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Well, my backside doesn't feel very eternal.
[Rubbing his butt, Flynn commences walking, trying to keep Peter's attention fixed to the screen.]
You want to tell me about it?
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I meant the stars, not your butt.
Eternity? What's there to tell? It's...everything. [He rubs his face.] Mind-blowing.
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Seriously, dude? That's what you're gonna take away from this? I mean, if we're gonna be that nit-picky about it, maybe I'm only seeing a slice of the universe's timeline. Or something.
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[He tilts his head.]
Maybe you were just moving really, really fast?
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...who the what now? Time slows down the faster you go?
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I mean, I've never been that big on the real hard sciences but I've read my Einstein?