all the light is low

zubin shrine

wasn't planning on posting this to wattpad (it's already on ao3) but there's been a resurgence of WEIRD STUFF in the tally hall tag here (if you know you know) and i felt like i should try to balance it out or something. idk. anyway enjoy

       "I'm netted!" Ross cries out as he veers off the path and fall onto the grass, thrashing wildly against the net that's been thrown over him. "Help! Help-"

Seeing that it's just the band (minus Zubin, for obvious reasons), he pauses, throwing the net off of him. "Oh, it's only you guys."

       "Hey, Ross," Andrew says, standing over him with something in his hands.

       "Hey, Andrew." Ross stands up carefully (it's kinda hard to on rollerblades).

       "Prepare..." Joe, dressed in military attire, pulls out a bow. "To..." He pulls out an arrow, carefully putting it onto the bow. Ross stares at him in confusion. Finally, he draws the string back- and aims it at Ross. "Die."

       "It was Zubin's dying wish," Andrew explains, sensing his bewilderment.

       Ross blinks. "...To kill me?"

       Joe nods. "Yeah."

       "Well, what for?"

       "...He didn't say," Andrew says, looking into the distance and obviously thinking about something.

       "Yeah, that does put you guys in kind of a predicament-"

       "Time's up!" Rob pulls out two of his machetes, advancing a step forwards.

       "Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait..." Ross holds out his hands, mind racing to find a way out of this. Thankfully, it does so quickly. "Don't I get a dying wish?"

       Joe lowers his bow, brow furrowing in thought. "No...?" Andrew says slowly, equally unsure.

       "My dying wish is that you don't kill me," Ross continues, fully aware that this is really dumb yet knowing it's the only chance he's got.

       "But that only counts if we... kill... you," Joe mumbles, looking more confused by the second. "Huh."

       Andrew stares at Ross, but when he looks over at him, he looks down at the ground. Rob looks a bit confused, looking between the other two bandmates for ideas.

      Joe pulls out a grenade, holding it up hesitantly. Ross gives him a look before shaking his head, and he puts it back, defeated. With a sigh, Rob sheathes his machetes.

       Ross looks over at Andrew, noticing what he's holding - a tray of cupcakes. "Can I have one of these?" he asks, reaching for one. He freezes for a second, then nods almost imperceptibly, holding them out a tiny bit more.

       Slightly peeling back the paper, Ross takes a bite of the cupcake. The dessert itself tastes like cherries, but the frosting has a flavor he can't quite place.

       Rob and Joe look shocked. "Andrew, what the heck," Rob whispers. "Aren't those cupcakes poisoned?"

       To everybody's relief, though, Andrew shakes his head. "That's the one I didn't poison," he explains. "In case Ross got suspicious, I was gonna eat that one to 'prove' they're safe. I even made it look a little different."

       Ross inspects the cupcake. The frosting does look a shade lighter than on the others. Satisfied, he finishes the cupcake. "I'm gonna leave now," he says. "See you guys later." Ross skates off, hearing Rob and Joe say their goodbyes behind him.