Chapter Text
Phyllite stares at the glowing white orb in front of them, their hands shaking.
They knew what would happen once they went to the eye of the universe. They knew it would be over eventually. A buzzing fills their ears, and they blink. Phyllite is cold.
They turn, looking back at Gabbro. Gabbro sits there, the pan flute resting on their leg. Phyllite can’t control their breathing now.
They remember a time right when the loops started, when they didn’t yet know how to cope with the repeated deaths. They radioed Gabbro, and Gabbro helped them through their first panic attack. It certainly wouldn’t be the last time Gabbro had to help Phyllite on their feet, not by a long shot.
“Gabs…” Phyllite mutters out. They can almost imagine the calming smile on Gabbro’s face. Except this time, it doesn’t bring an ounce of comfort. This could be the last time they ever see Gabbro.
“What do I do?” Phyllite gasped out, clutching their chest.
“Hey, just listen to me Hatchling. Listen to my voice. I want you to breathe, it’s gonna be okay.” Gabbro’s voice crackled over the speaker.
Phyllite had just stumbled upon a Nominian grave site. They had just wanted to find the vessel, to end this senseless torture, but instead, they stumbled upon something worse. They never knew what the Nomai had to go through to get here.
So many Nomai… dead. Just like that. Some hugged each other, and some clawed at the ice surrounding them. None of them would live to see their family again.
“Gabbro…what do I do?” Phyllite asked again, tears pricking their eyes.
Phyllite had asked Gabbro what to do before. When they truly didn’t know where to turn.
They always had somewhere to go, something to do. They had a whole solar system to explore, and an ancient race to discover things about.
But… sometimes it got too much, and they didn’t know how to proceed.
“I’m scared.” Phyllite looks back at the glowing ball of gas.
How are they supposed to leave and close the realm of possibilities when Gabbro might not be with them? They were alone in the solar system, but they always had Gabbro. They could always go to Gabbro no matter what… but, without them? They were nothing.
Gabbro stands, placing down the flute. “I’m scared too,” Gabbro admits, crossing the distance between them.
Phyllite closes their eyes, taking Gabbro’s hand. “I don’t want to leave.” The you is unspoken, but Gabbro hears it nonetheless.
Phyllite feels a squeeze on their hand, and they open their eyes. “Then let's go together, yeah?” Gabbro suggests, his voice was soft and gentle.
Phyllite nods desperately, pulling Gabbro closer.
“Together would be nice.” Phyllite agrees.
“One last epic adventure for the time buddies?” Gabbro chuckles out, sighing at the end.
Phyllite looks ahead of them, staring down the eye of the universe. “One last adventure.”
They jump into the endless possibilities, hanging onto each other.
⚮
Phyllite blinks open their eyes, taking in their surroundings.
They hear the familiar crackle of a fire, and giants deep floating above them. The Orbital Probe Cannon firing as it always does. They tried following the Probe for a whole loop once, but it led to nothing. They don’t know what to do with the loops now that they ended that entire fiasco.
Phyllite blinks once again. The Probe firing… a night under the stars… the fire crackling right near their ear. The start of every loop.
Phyllite shoots up, looking around. How—how did they get back here?!
Phyllite looks around desperately, their breathing growing increasingly uneven.
Slate looks up from the fire, concerned. “Nightmare?” Slate asks, tilting their head.
They stare at Slates's face, tears pricking their eyes.
“I…” Phyllite starts, coughing out. Their voice cracks and they realize their throat is as dry as the sand on the Ash Twin.
They’re…back.
Phyllite is back right where they started. They let out a sob, covering their mouth.
How can they be back? How can they be back here when Gabbro went with them and they—Phyllite has a sudden realization: Gabbro. Gabbro is alone on Giants Deep, and could very well be having the same reaction as Phyllite.
They gasp out, steadying themselves on the ground. Phyllite feels so dizzy…! Their breathing seems normal, but they still can’t see straight in front of them.
“Hey, Phyllite, look at me.” A voice calls out right beside them. They don’t want to get up anymore…They just want to spend this loop sleeping.
Phyllite closes their eyes, slumping against Slate.
They just want to be held until the loop ends… and Gabbro isn’t there to do that.
⚮
Slate holds the hatchling in their arms, unsure of what to do. Phyllite had woken up sobbing, and wouldn’t speak to them. They kept muttering something about Gabbro and the next loop, it was all just all nonsensical!
Phyllite was sleeping calmly in their arms now, their outburst forgotten in the name of more rest.
Slate reached for their radio, turning it to the Outer Wilds Adventure frequency.
“Hornfels, come in please.” Slate requested, his voice unsteady.
The radio crackled with life, a voice coming over the speakers. “Slate? What’s wrong, why are you using your radio?” The voice—Hornfels—asked.
“It’s the hatchling,” Slate said simply, tightening his grip on Phyllite.
The radio was silent for a few moments before Hornfels replied, “Okay. I’m coming.”
Slate nodded to himself, picking the hatchling up in his arms and moving towards their seat.
Phyllite groaned, burrowing themselves more into Slate’s arms. Slate couldn’t remember the last time Phyllite had fallen asleep in their arms…
Hornfels jumped down from the dirt mound, a first aid kit in hand. Hal trailed not long behind them, a worried expression on their face.
Hornfels eyes Phyllite up and down, looking for injuries or blood. Hal rushes to Slate, taking Phyllite from them.
“Phyllite…are you alright?” Hal asks, looking at Phyllite's sleeping face.
“They passed out,” Slate explains, wringing their hands nervously.
“What happened here, Slate?” Hornfels asks, their tone almost accusatory.
“I don’t know!” Slate scoffs, rolling their eyes. “They just woke up with a start and then passed out almost right away!” Slate explains further, their eyebrows furrowing.
“Just like that? They just passed out , out of nowhere ?” Hornfels squints their eyes, obviously not believing what Slate is saying.
“Yes! They woke up, sobbing, and mumbling nonsense about Gabbro and loops!” Slate sighs out, slumping down in his seat. “I don’t know what happened. I assumed they had a nightmare or something.”
Slate doesn’t know what else they can say. They don’t even know why Hornfels is so upset with them! Slate hadn’t done anything…
…
And maybe that was the problem. Slate has watched them work themselves into a panic before even trying to help them. Slate had never known how to help the hatchlings with their emotions, that was always Gossan or Feldspar’s speciality.
Then when Feldspar disappeared, Gossan closed off, then Gabbro and Porphy would help the Hatchlings instead. Slate would always ask for Porphy when the hatchlings got hurt or got too emotional. They cared for the seedlings, but they never knew how to handle crying or injuries. That was always other people's areas of knowledge. Plus, Phyllite got attached to Gabbro, and wouldn’t let anyone near them when they got injured.
Not even Gneiss.
“Okay, well, fighting about this isn’t going to help Phyllite, is it?” Hal chirped in, glaring at both the adults. “We need to get them to Gneiss, they’ll know what to do.” They finished, picking up Phyllite and carrying them on their back.
Hornfels nodded, taking one last look at Slate before helping Hal up the dirt stairs.
Slate watched them go, unsure if they should follow. Phyllite would be better off without them crowding up the space… right?
Right – it was better for Slate to stay by the ship. That was all they were good at anyway, fixing ships and updating the technology.
So they would stay here, poking at their fire.
Like always.
⚮
Gabbro stared at the cyclone rushing towards their island, the wind filling up their ears. The loops had restarted, just like that. They woke up to the same start of the day. Gabbro hadn't even noticed until they were already setting up their hammock and had their radio on and ready.
They wondered if it was all a dream they had. They would know soon enough anyway, since Phyllite would be landing on their island any minute now. Either they would think Gabbro was slowly cracking because of their situation ( they were ), or they would be devastated at the start of the loops as well.
Gabbro watched the cyclone inch ever closer, the water flooding his poor marshmallow buddies. That was a good thing about the loops, they never ran out of marshmallows!
If Phyllite had come to their island today, maybe Gabbro would have gotten up. They never wanted to leave their hammock, but Phyllite had convinced them otherwise a couple of times.
They went to so many places together! Gabbro remembered how Phyllite would convince them to jump into the black hole in Brittle Hollow together; they would warp back to Brittle Hollow and do it over and over again.
In some loops, Phyllite would just sit in Gabbro’s hammock with them, not speaking. Gabbro would speak those days. They may not be the best storyteller, (Feldspar already took that spot) but they could make at least one Hatchling drop what they were doing to hear their story.
That hatchling was always Phyllite, and probably would always be Phyllite.
So they would talk and talk and talk, tell stories they’d told Phyllite a million times before. Phyllite wouldn’t ever talk about those days when the loops ended, they would simply go on with their life, exploring and finding things about the Nomai and their universe.
Gabbro loved those days. They loved holding Phyllite and telling them about the many adventures they had lived through, noting aloud all the details in their travels they had noticed.
Sometimes it would just be peaceful story times, and sometimes it would be Gabbro holding Phyllite and trying to calm them down from the state they’d worked themselves into.
Gabbro didn’t like those days.
Phyllite would radio them from their ship, sobbing and hyperventilating. They would tell them that they died, and while Phyllite never went into details, Gabbro could tell it was never peaceful.
Sometimes, Phyllite would also radio Gabbro when something went wrong…
Gabbro’s radio crackled to life, a familiar voice whispering from the speakers.
“Gabs…are you there?” Phyllite asked, as if Gabbro would be anywhere without their radio. They had learned that lesson the hard way… at the cost of Phyllite.
Gabbro picked up their radio, pressing down a button. “I’m here Time Buddy, reading you loud and clear! You find something cool?” Gabbro asked, smirking to themselves. They'd always loved making Phyllite laugh about their situation.
This time, however, Phyllite didn’t laugh.
“Yeah…you could say that,” Phyllite answered from their radio. Gabbro heard the sound of…something rushing in the background of Phyllites audio.
“...Are you okay, Phyllite?” Gabbro asked, now unsure and beginning to feel uneasy.
“Yeah, I’m… fine. I just wanted to hear your voice.” Phyllite answered easily, their voice betraying nothing.
“Is that the only reason why you called me?” Gabbro asked, laying back down on their hammock. The radio was silent for a few moments, the silence stretching out for what seemed like days. It probably wasn’t even a few minutes, Phyllite wouldn’t ever ‘waste time’ like that.
Gabbro sighed, tapping their finger on the radio.
Then, Phyllite spoke. “I’m trapped in the Sunless city. The sand has filled up almost to the brim. And I…” Phyllite paused, breathing shallowly before continuing. “I have sixty seconds of oxygen left. I have no fuel left from my jetpacks.”
Gabbro jerked up suddenly, terrified. “What?!” Gabbro jumped up from their hammock, before realizing their ship was nowhere to be found.
They wouldn’t make it in time to find and save Phyllite..!
“Hey… you can– you can still meditate, right? You can just pretend you’re not there and then save yourself from…” Gabbro couldn’t finish it, the words caught heavy in their throat.
Suffocation.
Gabbro couldn’t even imagine that. The cyclones took them up into space, but they always got back down to Giants deep just in time, most of their oxygen still in the tank. Then the trees would refill the tank, and Gabbro wouldn’t ever have to worry.
“I can’t do that right now. There's not enough time to calm myself down to meditate correctly. Gabs, I…” They take a small breath, “I won't survive this.” Phyllite admits gravely.
“...Can I come over next loop?” Phyllite then asked, a sort of desperation seeping into their voice.
“Yeah, yeah, of course you can come over. You should come over.” Gabbro insisted, unwilling to let Phyllite be alone after this.
Phyllite didn’t respond after that, and then Gabbro couldn’t breathe.
Their deaths were connected, in a way. If Gabbro missed their hammock coming down, Phyllite would die as well. Their ribs would be crushed, and their breath knocked out of them.
If Phyllite missed the mark or didn’t slow down in time, Gabbro would also feel the effects. That’s how the loop restarted perfectly. They had to die together, or they wouldn’t both be in the same loop.
Gabbro closed their eyes, feeling the breath leave their lungs. Blue light filled their vision, and they saw their memories replay.
Gabbro hated when Phyllite had to go through that. Gabbro wished they would just stay with them the whole time, for the whole loop.
But Phyllite wasn’t like Gabbro, and they wouldn’t ever be able to stay in one place for as long as Gabbro could.
Gabbro’s radio crackled to life, a voice calling out to Gabbro. “Gabbro, come in! This is Slate of the Outer Wilds Ventures!”
⚮
Phyllite opened their eyes, looking up at the ceiling above. So the blasted loop hadn’t ended yet. Phyllite groaned, their eyes adjusting to the brightness of the light.
“Hey hatchling, so you’re finally awake, ey?” Gneiss’s voice rang out, hurting Phyllite’s ears. Phyllite shouldn’t be injured, they had just woken up to another loop. Their body can’t physically be injured yet.
“Yeah… I’m up.” Phyllite replied, sighing.
“How are you feeling? Any pain?” Gneiss asks, pulling a chair up beside Phyllite's bed. Phyllite thinks.
They don’t know how to word their pain… they’ve survived off of pain for so long. If they had pain they were alive, and that meant they could keep going, could keep exploring.
They learned to ignore their pain, and they developed a pain tolerance good enough to ignore their ship crashing and falling apart. They’d get up from that, and ignore every injury that came with it.
How were they supposed to tell Gneiss that they felt no pain? What if they had a bad injury and Gneiss thought they were lying?
“Other than a killer headache, I’m good,” Phyllite answered, stretching their fingers.
Gneiss nodded, writing something down. “Okay. That’s good. You’d been asleep for almost half a day… I and everyone else were worried for you!” Gneiss exclaimed, looking at Phyllite with a happy expression.
Phyllite paused, counting the minutes. Half a day…? They had wasted so much time. There would only be about sixteen minutes left, which meant the ash twin had drained quite a bit of its sand off… They probably wouldn’t be able to go to the sunless city this loop, then.
They could just meditate until the loop was over. No one would notice…
They only had sixteen minutes left.
“Half a day, huh…?” Phyllite mumbles out, sighing to themselves. Before Gneiss can answer them, the door to the medical cabin slams open, revealing a very flustered and out-of-breath Gabbro.
“Phyllite!” Gabbro shouts, their voice filling the room.
Gneiss raises a finger to their lips angrily, “They just woke up! Be quiet!” Gneiss reprimands in a calm, hushed voice.
Gabbro nods apologetically, rushing to Phyllites' side. “Phyllite. Hey, hey buddy.” Gabbro’s voice is relieved, and they grab their hand in theirs, gripping tightly. “Hornfels told me what happened. I came as soon as I could.” They reassured, sighing.
“Hey Gabs…” Phyllite muttered, sitting up from their position. Gabbro’s face brightened, their expression almost blinding.
Gneiss sighed, standing up from their seat. “Well, I’ll leave you to it Gabbro. Take care of the hatchling while I’m gone.” Gneiss instructs, grabbing their bag and leaving the cabin.
When Phyllite turns back to Gabbro, the smiling expression is gone. Gabbro now looks grim, and upset. “Phyllite… I have a couple of questions to ask you, okay?” Gabbro asks, furrowing their brows.
Phyllite nods, unsure of what else to do. While they could refuse Gabbro, they don’t see the point. It’s Gabbro , their time buddy. They have nothing to be worried about. It’s probably asking if Phyllite had figured anything new out!
That’s obviously what Gabbro would ask… right?
“What do you remember from inside the Eye of the universe?” Gabbro asks suddenly, their tone serious.
Phyllite freezes. It… was real. It was real! Everything that Phyllite experienced there was true and real .
“The…Eye…?” Phyllite mumbles out, their expression darkening. “I remember everything, Gabbro. I remember jumping into the Eye with you and closing all possibilities. I remember seeing the brightest flash, and it breaking my suit.” As Phyllite recalls the events, Gabbro nods along.
Phyllite pauses, unsure. “I…I didn’t think you were real, Gabbro.” They state, looking up at Gabbro with a weird unfamiliar look… it almost seemed… uncertain?
Gabbro shakes their head, confused. “Why would I not be real? We were in the Eye together, were we not?” Gabbro insisted, confused and a bit discombobulated.
“Well…yeah. We were.” Phyllite agrees, stamping down what they were about to say. They knew Gabbro was there… but they didn’t know if it was truly Gabbro.
They had been alone for so long that they assumed they were still alone, even at the end of the universe. They had seen weird things. They had visited the Stranger and the Quantum moon, and they had explored the entire universe.
Nothing was weirder than the Eye.
Gabbro hadn’t even appeared until Phyllite followed the Quantum poem to their flute. Then Gabbro acted like everything was fine, and there was nothing truly weird about the Eye, or this situation. Their Gabbro would never act that nonchalant about the end of the universe, and the start of a new one.
Gabbro sighed, shaking their head. “Listen, I know this is…well, the strangest possibility that the Eye could have given us, but it’s the possibility that we got. We’re back, Phyllite.” Gabbro smiled gently, nodding encouragingly.
Phyllite stayed still for a moment, before sighing out. They wanted to cry so badly. They wanted to hug Gabbro while crying into their arms, and lament about how they thought it was all a dream.
They didn’t want to go back to the loops…and yet, here they were. And somehow everything had changed.
Gabbro had never left their island, and yet Gabbro was here. Gneiss never stopped playing their banjo, except Gneiss had just been asking for a status report from Phyllite.
Nothing had changed, and everything had changed. Gabbro was here, with them. No one would remember anything after the twenty-two minutes had ended, except for Gabbro and Phyllite.
And maybe… maybe Phyllite was okay with that. Maybe they had made peace with it; this would just be how it is, forever and ever.
Gabbro tapped Phyllite between their eyes. “Hey, what’re you thinking, time buddy?” Gabbro asked, tilting their head to the side.
“Ah…” Phyllite smiled at Gabbro, “Just that I’m glad I got stuck in a time loop with you .” Phyllite responded.
Gabbro laughed giddily, grinning. “You’re glad you’re stuck in a time loop?” They reiterated, a bit confused.
Phyllite rolled their eyes, knowing Gabbro knew what they meant. “No, you goof…I’m glad I’m with you, of everyone I could have been stuck with.”
“I’m glad it’s you.” Phyllite finished, smiling warmly to themselves.
Gabbro was silent, staring at Phyllite. “...I’m glad of all the people that I could have gotten stuck with, it was you , hatchling,” Gabbro whispered, pulling Phyllite into a hug.
They sat like that for a while, just hugging each other. Phyllite breathed in and out, enjoying the feeling of their lungs expanding.
After dying so many times from suffocation, they learned to appreciate the feeling of breathing.
Gabbro breathed with them, their chests rising and falling in sync.
It was…peaceful.
They didn’t get just to sit and relax much, with the loop resetting and all.
Speaking of…it had been quite a while since they woke up. Maybe about ten or so minutes?
“Gabbro.” Phyllite insisted, breaking the silence. Gabbro retreated, a questioning look in their eyes. “There's a spot in the village where you can watch the supernova. It’s the best seat in the village.” Phyllite explained, rushing to get all of it out.
If they wanted to see the supernova they would have to hurry…there should only be about six minutes left.
“Will you come with me?” Phyllite asked, smiling.
Gabbro paused, unsure. They had only rarely gone on adventures with Phyllite, and even then they would always look away from the supernova.
They never wanted to see the reason they died at the end of every loop. But…Phyllite looked so desperate.
“Back when the loops first started, I was messing around near the spot and I saw the sky go dark. That was the first time I saw the supernova.” Phyllite added. “Since we're back…I want to see it again. Like a memorial of some sort.”
⚮
Phyllite climbed the stairs, sighing to themselves. Today was their launch day, but they wanted to return to Timber Hearth after exploring Giants Deep.
They had just visited Tektite at the seed, and now they were back. Phyllite was ready to go now. They wanted to see Gabbro again and talk about the weird Nomai statues again! Gabbro had always been there for them, and they genuinely loved the conversations they had.
Phyllite gets to the top of the tower, looking at the sky above them. The sun was blinding today….so bright! Phyllite smiled, looking down at the village.
Slate… Gossan… Marl… they were all down there doing their jobs. Phyllite wondered what their job would be once they finished being an explorer.
Gabbro was on Giants Deep, Chert on the Ember Twin, and Riebeck at Brittle Hollow… where would they go? There was the Sun Station. No one had ever been there before! Maybe Phyllite would be the first!
Phyllite’s imagination was stopped in its tracks when the sky suddenly went dark.
What—what just happened? Phyllite looked up at the sky, just to find the sun gone! A bright blue flash suddenly appeared, making Phyllite shield their eyes. They gazed back up at the sky, watching the blue light get brighter and closer… what… was that?
They remembered the supernova exhibit in the museum… but that was impossible! The sun was perfectly fine twenty minutes ago! Phyllite watched as the blue light surrounded them, and then nothing.
⚮
Gabbro sighed inwardly, nodding to themselves.
They knew what Phyllite went through the first couple of loops, and they knew that Phyllite loved seeing the supernova. Gabbro seldom had to deal with that; the clouds always covering the light for them.
They’d often just turn over in their hammock and close their eyes, putting down the pan flute.
“Can you even walk?” Gabbro asked, tilting their head to the side.
Phyllite scoffed, rolling their eyes. “Of course I can walk! I’ve been through worse than passing out into someone's arms, Gabs.” Phyllite retorted, annoyed.
Gabbro smiled softly. This was the Phyllite they knew. Always poking fun at them, and always having clap backs ready for when Gabbro decided to annoy them.
“Well then, let's go,” Gabbro said, getting up from their chair and putting it back.
Phyllite tossed the blanket off of them, swinging their legs over the side and standing up. They didn’t stay standing for very long, quickly losing their balance.
Gabbro grabbed Phyllite, holding them up. “What was this about being able to walk?” Gabbro teased, smirking.
Phyllite glared up at them before their face lit up, a sudden idea crossing their minds.
“You know back when we were kids, and I was geyser jumping with Hal?” Phyllite asked, tilting their head.
Gabbro nodded, unsure where this was going. Of course, they remembered that! Phyllite had broken their leg because they hadn’t timed the jump correctly. Gabbro had picked Phyllite up and rushed them back to the village… but what did that have to do with right now?
“Well…you picked me up and put me on your back, remember?” Phyllite continued, unphased.
Gabbro nodded once more, “Yeah? I remember all of that—what does that have to do with this, Phyllite?” Gabbro asked, confused.
Phyllite grinned wider. “You could pick me up again.” They suggested, inching towards Gabbro. Gabbro looks Phyllite up and down, raising their eyebrows.
“Back then you weighed just about a cup of sap wine, and you were much shorter than me…” Gabbro laughed nervously, shrugging. “Now we're the same height and you weigh more.” They finished, shrugging.
Phyllite pouts, crossing their arms. “And? You’re strong! You had to face the weight of Giant’s Deep’s gravity!” Phyllite countered, scoffing. “Why does it matter what I weigh, huh?”
Gabbro sighs, turning around and squatting down. “Fine. Get on.”
Phyllite squeals in delight, carefully wrapping their arms around Gabbro’s neck and leaning onto Gabbro’s back. Gabbro stands up, sighing to themselves.
They can’t remember the last time they said no to Phyllite… with the life they were living, what point would it bring to say no? Even if they died, they would wake up the next loop, unscathed. Plus, it was fun to take risks with Phyllite, even if it did result in their bodies being torn in half.
They could remember constantly going on adventures with Phyllite, especially when Phyllite found something new. Phyllite would drag Gabbro from their bed, and fly them up to Brittle Hollow, or into the Quantum Tower, or to the Ash Twin Project.
Phyllite took them everywhere, they explored the Universe together.
Gabbro smiled at their memories. There were never any threats with them. The Anglerfish might eat them, but they could always try again. Phyllite might crash them into random Nomai buildings every so often, but Gabbro always laughed about it the next loop.
Phyllite was talking, Gabbro could hear it distantly. “—and that’s when I realized what was happening! I was so in awe of the sun exploding that I didn’t even think to run. It completely stunned me, I felt like I couldn’t even move!”
Gabbro listened in peace, thinking to themselves. They couldn’t very well remember the first time they died. The sky had gone dark, and they could barely hear anything over the cyclones. The clouds filled with blue, and the ground beneath them shook.
Gabbro didn’t understand what was going on, and they still didn’t, until Phyllite explained that the sun had exploded.
Gabbro meditated most of the loops, usually left alone for the most part. They never had to witness the sun exploding, and they never had to realize what was happening. Phyllite would sometimes drag Gabbro out of their hammock and into the solar system, but for the most part Gabbro was able to live in peace.
They liked it that way.
They enjoyed being left alone to their own devices. Sometimes they would spend the loop playing flute, or eating burnt marshmallows, but no matter what they did, Gabbro was alone. And that was good, that was how it should be.
Gabbro kept responses short and curt, and ignored the hurt and worried looks they would get from Phyllite.
Gabbro’s thoughts were interrupted by a squeal. They looked up, glancing to their left.
“Phyllite!” A voice screamed out, the owner of the voice running towards them.
⚮
Phyllite looked up at the squeal, their very important words being interrupted by a loud voice.
The owner of the said voice—who could only be a hatchling—ran towards them with a might that genuinely frightened Phyllite to their core.
“ Phyllite! ” The hatchling screamed. Phyllite nervously waved back, smiling awkwardly.
“Tephra you come back here right this instant!” A new voice called out from behind the hatchling, seemingly upset with the hatchling—Tephra—running off so fast.
Phyllite looked down at Gabbro, squinting. “Well this is new.” Phyllite remarked, taking in Gabbro’s features.
Gabbro shook their head, looking at Phyllite. “I wouldn’t know.” Gabbro responded easily, shrugging. Phyllite looked back up at the hatchling, watching them get silently reprimanded from Gossan.
“You shouldn’t be yelling or running!” Gossan sighed, rubbing their bottom two eyes. Tephra stands there, crossing their arms and looking as affronted as they can.
“Phyllite is back.” They whispered, pouting.
Gossan looks over at Phyllite and Gabbro, sizing them up. “How did you even see them?” They mumble, looking back over at Tephra.
“I heard Phyllite talking about the loops.” Tephra answered easily, shrugging.
Phyllite giggled nervously, tapping Gabbro on the head. “Now would be a good time to run, Gabs.”
Phyllite looked down at Gabbro, widening their eyes. Gabbro mumbled an affirmation, tightening their grip on Phyllite. Gabbro turned the opposite way from Gossan, speed walking towards the waterfall.
“Hey! Gabbro!” Gossan yelled from behind them.
“The tower is this way anyways, and the sun should be close to exploding soon.” Phyllite rested their head on top of Gabbros, sighing. “You know, I really thought that I would end the whole loop thing, but here we are again!” Phyllite grumbled, rolling their eyes.
Gabbro laughed quietly, walking past Spinel.
Gabbro smiled, hiking Phyllite up in their arms. “At least we’re here together?” Gabbro suggested, trying to shine some positivity on the situation.
Phyllite flicked Gabbro’s head, rolling their eyes. “Of course we’re together!” They scoffed, hugging around Gabbros neck once more. “If the Time Buddies weren’t together, then how would this universe function?” Phyllite asked, looking at Gabbro.
Gabbro nodded, a proud look dawning on their face. “Of course! The time buddies must be together. We’re a dynamic duo .” Gabbro explained, nodding to themselves.
“Turn here,” Phyllite instructed, pointing to the tower next to them. “And anyways, I don’t even want to know what a non-loop-aware Gabbro would be like.” Phyllite continued as Gabbro walked up the stairs.
Gabbro shuddered, shaking their head.
“Don’t even put that thought into my head.” They mumbled, reaching the top of the tower. “Isn’t it strange that Gossan was with Tephra in the middle of the night?” Gabbro asked, letting Phyllite down onto the ground.
Phyllite shrugged, “No, not really. Tephra is Porphy’s hatchling, right?” Phyllite asked, tilting their head.
“...Yeah?” Gabbro affirmed, squinting their eyes. “What does that have to do with Gossan though?” They asked, confused.
Phyllite grinned, a teasing glint filling their eyes. “Oh you don’t know?” Phyllite sucked air in through their teeth. “Gossan and Porphy are totally together.” Phyllite nodded looking up at the night sky.
The stars were so bright… suddenly Phyllite wished they brought their signal scope. At least some of those stars had to be supernovae. Gabbro gaped at Phyllite, squinting.
“Together?” Gabbro laughed nervously. “Like… together , together?” Gabbro asked, looking around.
Phyllite rolled their eyes, looking back at Gabbro. “Yes. Together you goof.”
Gabbro frowned, pouting. “Well sorry,” They mumbled, sighing. “You know I’ve never been good at seeing that stuff.” Gabbro responded, shrugging.
Phyllite looked at them, squinting. “Yeah. I know.” They deadpanned, rolling their eyes.
“How many minutes do you reckon it’s been?” Gabbro asked, looking back at the view. The sun was slowly coming into view, the world growing brighter.
“Well, this is the last sunrise, that’s for sure.” Phyllite looked at the sun, preparing themselves. It never hurt to be swallowed by the sun. It fried their nerves before they could ever feel it. They had gone through it so many times that they grew used to it. At first, they were afraid of it, constantly trying to escape it.
Jumping into the black hole at the right time, going into Dark Bramble, flying as far away from the universe as they can, etc.
Nothing ever worked, and the Ash Twin project would suck them back into the loop.
The sun rose, the village being drowned in light.
They waited. And waited.
The sun…it looked normal. They heard no rumble, and they saw nothing happen.
Phyllite looked at Gabbro, frozen in place. “It’s been twenty two minutes.” Phyllite mumbled, breathing in.
“It has.” Gabbro agreed, looking back at Phyllite.
“The sun is still here.” Phyllite added, stating the obvious.
“It is.” Gabbro mumbled, looking down.
Phyllite looked down at the village from the tower, looking at the people coming out of their houses to start getting ready for the day.
“What is this?” Phyllite asked, their breathing quickening. “What—how?” They asked, looking up at Gabbro. “How did this happen? We should be restarting the loop again!” Phyllite collapsed, their legs finally failing them. “How are we still here right now?” Phyllite mumbles, looking down at Arkose.
Arkose loves ghost matter. Everyone thought that Arkose would make some sort of device to study ghost matter safely. Arkose was meant to help the village further their investigation with ghost matter and safety regulations.
All of the hatchlings were meant for greatness…including Phyllite. Phyllite had just had sap wine less than a month ago, they were just supposed to go into the universe and explore.
Phyllite’s youth was stolen from them. They had adjusted and learnt to survive within the loops.
What are they without the loops? How can they survive without a guarantee that they’ll wake up the next loop?
Phyllite looked down at Arkose.
How can they survive knowing that not everything is infinite anymore?
A hand on their shoulder, a face in front of theirs. Gabbro was always the more capable one, they knew how to do things. Gabbro knew what to do and when to do it, and Phyllite leaned on Gabbro so much.
Too much.
Gabbro should have been the one to figure things out. Phyllite should have never been a part of the loops anyways…they were still a hatchling. Phyllite was barely an adult, and yet they were expected to solve it all.
And worse than that, they had to fix everything. They knew how to handle things, but they had the loops to lean on.
Now they’re alone.
“Hey, you aren’t alone. I have you Phyllite, I’m here.” A voice cut through the thoughts. Gabbro was calm and collected, helping Phyllite calm down like always. Phyllite always needed Gabbro’s help, they were never able to do anything on their own.
Phyllite truly was still a child .
They were pulled into a hug, and suddenly, they were weightless. Phyllite checked out of what was happening around them, simply wanting to meditate until this hell of a loop was over. Gabbro would let them do it, right? Gabbro always knew what to do.
They could hear faint voices around them, and suddenly they could feel the ground again. It was soft. Phyllite just wanted to melt into the ground, no longer wanting to be a part of this loop.
They didn’t even know why they were so upset, maybe the exhaustion had finally caught up to them. The adrenaline finally ran out.
“—ite? Phyllite?” A voice called out, a light shaking moving them by their shoulder.
They tried focusing their eyes, blinking fast. Phyllite had pulled themselves out of worse, why couldn’t they focus on a voice?
They had flown past the sun by an inch before, they had stopped themselves from crashing into planets and obstacles easily under the same amount of stress that they are right now, so why can’t they just focus?
⚮
Gabbro watched as the two adults rushed around Phyllite and them. Gneiss was preparing some sort of medical liquid, and Gossan was talking to Phyllite.
“Phyllite, it’s okay, you’re here with me and Gabbro and Gneiss. You’re safe, and on the ground, and in a room with people. Can you hear me Phyllite? …Phyllite?” Gossan continued on talking, trying to calm Phyllite down from the state they had worked themselves into.
Gabbro breathed in slowly, watching Phyllite slowly calm down. Gabbro thought to themselves, looking back on the events of the day.
It made sense that the loop was over…he had only ever been brought back to Timber Hearth by Phyllite, and Slate had brought him to help Phyllite. Gabbro and Phyllite had been friends before the loops, although not as close.
When Phyllite wouldn’t respond to anyone, Slate called Gabbro.
When Gabbro woke up on their island, they assumed nothing. When Slate called them saying Phyllite was hysterical and wasn’t responding? Now that raised Gabbro’s suspicion.
Gabbro was easy-going, and never liked to complain. The loop wasn’t that bad for them, and it was as simple as that. Sure, they may have had some not so fun moments, but overall they wouldn’t be that upset about re-starting the loop.
But now…now they knew there was no loop. Not anymore. The sun was fine, and the twenty two minute timer hadn’t ran out yet.
Gabbro would play their flute, and watch the cyclones. Gabbro would watch the stars in the sky when they got tossed up, and they would watch the world go dark. Gabbro watched, and that was what they did. Phyllite was the ripple in their pond. Phyllite came to their quaint island, and begged Gabbro to follow them.
So Gabbro followed.
Gabbro at first simply watched Phyllite. They had no useful information, and their commentary always seemed to upset Phyllite further, so why say anything at all? Gabbro was content observing what Phyllite did. But then Phyllite disturbed stillness.
“Gabbro! We’re going to enter a Quantum Tower, okay?” Phyllite glanced back at Gabbro, sticking out their hand. “You like quantum things, right?”
Gabbro took Phyllite’s hand, and let themselves be pulled into the ship.
When Phyllite suggested that Gabbro follow them to Brittle Hollow, they never expected this. Phyllite had dragged them below the surface, and to an ancient Nomai building.
“This is the Tower Of Quantum Knowledge,” Phyllite explained, leading Gabbro down the stairs. “It discusses the sixth location, and how important the Quantum moon was to the Nomai.” Phyllite excitedly explained what the tower was, while they walked down the stairs. Once they got down, Gabbro stared at the broken walkway in confusion.
“How are we supposed to get up there?” Gabbro asked, tilting their head.
“The Feldspar Slingshot.” Phyllite nodded to themselves, going behind the tower.
Gabbro followed them, hissing at the Black Hole below them. “What are we doing, Time Buddy?” Gabbro stared at Phyllite, goose pebbles snaking up their skin.
“Do you trust me?” Phyllite asked suddenly, turning towards Gabbro.
Gabbro stood there, confused. What was happening here?!
“Of course I trust you but—” Gabbro was cut off by Phyllite grabbing their hand, smiling.
“Take a breath in.” Phyllite instructed, breathing in themselves. Gabbro breathed in, blinking rapidly.
Was Phyllite seriously thinking of jumping into the black hole below them?!
Gabbro looked down again, suddenly nervous.
“Let’s do this!” Phyllite shouted, pulling Gabbro along as they jumped.
“Hey, I asked you a question, hatchling.” Gabbro looked up at the voice, their thoughts interrupted. Gneiss looked down at them, tilting their head.
“Phyllite’s asleep, and you probably should be too.” Gneiss continued, stepping back and walking to their table. “You won't be of any help to Phyllite tomorrow if you’re too exhausted to even open your eyes.” They pointed out, glancing back. Gabbro looked at Phyllite's sleeping form.
The medical cabin had multiple beds, which were installed after Feldspar, Hornfels Slate, and Gossan got injured from geyser jumping.
Phyllite didn’t look peaceful in their sleep, they looked troubled and much older than they should.
“I have to stay. If they wake up and I’m not here…” Gabbro sighed. Usually when Phyllite woke up from panic attacks, they were back on Timber Hearth, lying under the stars.
Phyllite grew used to little change in their routine…and having it change now wouldn’t be good at all, especially after the episode they just had.
“You know, Phyllite looks so much older than yesterday.” Gneiss pointed out, looking at Phyllite's sleeping figure. “The hatchling looked so happy yesterday…they were so excited to launch. Now they seem…” Gneiss paused, unsure.
Gabbro smiled, nodding to themselves. “I know what you mean. They look like they went through something unimaginable.” Gabbro finished Gneiss’s sentence, sighing at the end.
Phyllite went through so much…
Gneiss walked over to Gabbro, placing a hand on Gabbro’s face. “The other adults haven’t noticed yet…but you two look so tired.” Gneiss mumbled, mostly to themselves. “You look like you’ve lived a thousand lives, hatchling.”
Gabbro wanted to laugh, but instead of smiling, Gabbro frowned. Gneiss clicked to themselves, stepping away.
“I’m always here for you, okay? You may think I’m old and senile, but I do know a few things.” Gneiss smiled, nodding.
Gabbro sighed, nodding along as well.
They would never understand…and Gabbro would never be able to tell them anyways.
“You can sleep here Gabbro” Gneiss sighed, “But just make sure you sleep, okay?” They requested, tilting their head.
“Yeah…I will.” Gabbro sighed out, looking back at Phyllite.
Once Gneiss left Gabbro walked over to Phyllite’s bed. They sat down, pulling the blanket off of Phyllite’s shoulders.
Phyllite would always sleep on Gabbro’s hammock, and they would doze off together. It became such a routine that Gabbro would never sleep without Phyllite being there…now they didn’t know if they could sleep without Phyllite.
Gabbro lay down, pulling Phyllite into a hug.
“You know, it’s weird that you never get up off that hammock of yours.” Phyllite observed, leaning back against the tree.
“But I like this hammock! It’s my buddy.” Gabbro pouted, putting down their flute.
“You call everything your buddy,” Phyllite rolled their eyes. “Does it even have any meaning anymore?” They asked, cocking their head to the side.
“Of course it has meaning! I wouldn’t let just anyone spend multiple loops at a time with me!” Gabbro pointed out, so very offended at Phyllite’s teasing words.
This was… good. This was good. The banter they shared back and forth was good! It was how their dynamic went. Gabbro says something, and Phyllite makes a witty retort, and then it goes on from there!
Phyllite sighed, standing up. They dusted off their clothing and faced Gabbro.
“I want in.” They simply stated, putting their hands on their hips.
“ ‘In’ ?” Gabbro repeated, confused.
“Yes! Scoot over.” They nodded, ushering Gabbro to the side. “Let me in the hammock.”
Gabbro made room for Phyllite, holding their arms out. “My buddy wants to cuddle!” They grinned, very happy with this turn out. Phyllite simply stepped into the hammock, letting themselves be pulled into a hug.
This became a routine soon after; Phyllite would come to Gabbro’s camp, and Gabbro would move over in their hammock. They spent whole loops just hugging, content to be in silence together. It was how it worked, and it was how it would always work.
And it would stay that way, for however many loops they had to face. Gabbro would always have room for Phyllite, and Phyllite would always welcome physical affection from Gabbro.
That’s just how it was… and that’s how it would be forever. Gabbro and Phyllite, the Time Buddies, against the world.