(IMPORTANT UPDATE) vanished (airy x reader)

1

"How did you get here?"

That was the first thing he asked you when you fully came to. Truthfully, you weren't sure.

The last thing you remembered was a radio, numbers, a strange buzz. You were at a loss, with everything having been a complete blur.

"I...don't...know..." the words left your mouth, slow and almost unintelligible. "I..."

"Did you...die." It came out as less of a question and more of a statement. He tilted his head. Your appearance was a surprise to him, but it was impossible to tell at first glance from his flat expression and tone.

"Die? I don't— I didn't—" Were you dead? You had no idea. You couldn't be. Right? You didn't feel dead, and you definitely didn't think the afterlife would be anything like this.

"You would only...come here if you..." He trailed off, averting his gaze as if it weren't even something he wanted to insinuate.

"...Oh." Was all you could muster for a reply, lips slightly parted as you stared at him. He shuffled awkwardly under your gaze, turning away as if to avoid it.

"Sorry." You looked away, not wanting to seem creepy by staring at him for too long. "I just...didn't think it would be like this."

"What...were you expecting...?" He asked. This one did sound like a question.

"I...I don't know." Now it was your turn to awkwardly turn away. You had never really thought about the afterlife before. Death was always an inevitability, sure, but you'd never given it much thought beyond it being a simple fact of life.

But...this? The middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature and with a strange lantern man that barely knew how to speak? You briefly toyed with the idea that it could be purgatory. That at least made a little sense in your mind.

"You don't know." He repeated. You shook your head. He regarded you for a moment with something like curiosity lacing his gaze before he slowly stood up and turned around.

"H-Hey, hold on! Where are— where are you going?" You hastily stumbled after him as he headed for the trail that led up the waterfall.

"I'm going to get bedding." He replied without turning around. He didn't seem bothered when you began to follow him. You followed him up the trail, hugging the wall so as not to slip and fall to your second death.

"Be careful here." He mumbled as he crossed a wooden plank over the river. You stepped onto it, uncertain if it would hold your weight. Thankfully it did, and though it was a little slippery you managed to cross safely.

You followed him into a cluster of reeds. He was gathering them in a basket, humming something to himself. He didn't even seem to notice you until he finished and turned around. When he did, the only thing to betray his surprise at your appearance was the way he flinched back slightly. Within a split second he had resettled back to his calm, albeit somewhat dull self.

You followed him back down the trail, occasionally looking over his shoulder at the reeds, wondering what he would use them for. Bedding, he said? Did he sleep on them?

He led you into a shed where he set the reeds on the ground and began to arrange them into a rough shape. "What are you doing?" You asked, watching carefully, confusing seeping into your tone.

"Oh. Uhh...I'm...making you a bed." He replied slowly, looking over at you briefly before continuing the task.

"Wait, what?" You were taken aback by this. "I'm not— you don't think I'm actually gonna stay here, are you? N-No, I'm...I have to find a way back."

"You can't...do that. Without dying." He added after a brief pause. "It's impossible."

"W-Well, I'll—" You broke off. Were you really going to off yourself for this? And risk ending up back in that strange place with the radio? Who knows where else you could go. Staying here seemed like the safest option.

At least you wouldn't be lonely, you thought as you gazed at your companion, who had finished making the bed and was admiring his handiwork (if you could call the slight shift in his blank expression admiration).

That night, you found yourself staring into the flames of a campfire. He sat across from you, completely silent. Somehow, you didn't feel the need to talk.

"So...um, how did you...get here?" You finally asked, deciding to break the silence.

"Um...I..." He trailed off, as if he had to think about it. "...I died..."

"Okay...how'd you die?" You mentally hit yourself as soon as the words left you. What an awful thing to ask.

"I...Don't know..." he mumbled, eyes flicking down towards the fire. "It's been about...ten years, give or take...it doesn't really...matter to me anymore..."

"Oh." Your voice quieted. It was a little sad to think about. Had he been alone this entire time?

"So you've just...been here the whole time?" You asked. It was incomprehensible to you. How had he managed to cope with the loneliness?

"...Yeah. I've just been...um..." his eyes shifted towards the cave in the cliff face, obscured by vines. You wondered what was inside. "...It's...fine."

"Oh." You got the sense that it was better not to pry. "Well...I mean, I guess you aren't alone now, are you? I'm stuck here too."

"Yeah." He stared at you like you were a hallucination, his blank expression now unreadable. "I guess I'll...have to gather more reeds now..."

You couldn't help but let out a chuckle at this. "Yeah. I guess so." Maybe this won't be so bad.

The reeds weren't uncomfortable to sleep on.