Days Union Oneshot Book [DISCONTINUED]

eepy lil thang

A/N: Something a little bit more simple because 94 brainrot took over and I wanna ease back into writing

* * *

The new morning had blessed the city with a brisk breeze carrying cleaner air quality throughout the land, killing off lingering masses of Darkness festering with the polluted air as its supply. Civilians could finally walk around neither with gas masks nor with the fear of catching the virus within their bodies by simply breathing. Of course, they took this infrequent opportunity for trade, errands, or casual strolls along the streets.

94 had been one to admire the cool, refreshing weather as well. As he leaned on the railing of his balcony, he appreciated how every inhale of the air did not burn his lungs. With the strange, dangerous world around him ready to capture his hope and life away with one tragedy, he accustomed himself to admiring the lovelier and softer aspects of life, so unfortunately rare in the era he had been brought into.

A knock at the door drew his attention away from the view of the half-dilapidated city. Constans' unmistakable voice called him, "94, are you ready for our meeting?"

"I am," he replied drily, quite not mastering his tones for expression yet. He squeezed his way out of his cramped apartment room and followed Constans down the stairs to the meeting room. In there sat Leona and Volsan as well as a few members he had not learned the names of—some older and marked with the past's scars, others new members and as clueless as he. He waved a shy hello and sat down in his assigned seat as Constans began the discussion.

"Almost all of us have our assigned duties today. Thank the goddesses it's a nice day to do it, too. Volsan?"

He turned to the crafty Daynian, who answered with a nod, "I got the generators. Those things should be up and running perfectly before the cold draft comes in tomorrow."

Leona joined in next with her own assignment, "And I will handle the negotiations for our trade. Are the crates ready..?"

"They should be all set. And 94..?" Constans turned to the clone as his voice undulated upwards in uncertainty. "You can... maybe find something to do. We don't want to worry you too much yet until you understand the ropes."

"Oh... Okay," he mumbled in response. His gaze drifted off to the ajar door, but he would have zoned out if it were not for the odd brown blur speeding down the hall and into the room.

The members gasped and yelped as the facility's pet leaped onto the table and sniffed around their faces. Its tail wagged with joy to see such a gathering of so many people.

Volsan chuckled, "Hey there, little guy. You're an excited one, eh?"

The creature answered with a soft nudge of its hard-shelled head against Volsan's hand, and he petted it with another laugh.

"What is that..?" 94 inquired as Volsan attempted to teach it to spin with a lead of his finger.

"Oh. It's just a stray we decided to adopt. Little guy loves the place," Volsan replied. The creature scurried in front of 94 and began to sniff his face, the excitement of the new arrival causing its tail to wag.

94 laughed from the tickling sensation of its nose brushing his face. "Haha! Hey there." It settled in his lap and curled up for a short rest, sleeping peacefully as 94 stroked its back. "What's its name?"

"We haven't come up with a name yet, unfortunately. But perhaps you would like to name it, 94?" Constans offered with a smile.

"Me? I don't know... Haven't I been here for too short of a time..?" 94 hesitated. As much as he would love to name such a sweet creature, he felt his will undermined by his lack of a place in the group. Besides, he hardly knew any good names besides serial numbers.

Leona warded off these doubts of his, "I'm sure the poor guy is itching for a name. And he seems to like you a lot as well." She gestured to the little creature sleeping in his lap, to which 94 breathed out a laugh.

He continued petting it as he said, "Alright. I guess I'll name you... Uh..."

What would be a good name for a pet? It was not like such nomenclature was of a common genre; it was a privilege of the upper-class even to own a pet that was not a stray. Did pet names have to differ from human names?

"Maybe you can name it 'Volsan Junior,'" Volsan joked, but the creature whined in dissatisfaction and offense.

Leona said, "Or maybe leave it to 94. It seems to like him more, anyhow."

The creature confirmed with a snore, comfortable in its place on 94's lap.

94 mused, "How does Nelius sound..?" The creature replied with an excited yap as it sprang from its nap and pawed on 94. He laughed, "Nelius it is, then!"

"Sounds classy," Constans commented.

"What a nice name for a nice creature," Leona hummed.

"I liked Volsan Junior better," Volsan mumbled.

Nelius leaped from 94's lap and bounded for the door. It waited patiently with its round eyes trained on 94, hoping that he would bring it outside.

Constans said, "Looks like Nelius likes you a lot. How about you go take it outside?"

"Uh... Sure," 94 awkwardly stood from the table and shuffled toward the door. Nelius pawed at his leg before circling around him in glee. "Heh, alright! I guess we'll get going, then."

As he and Nelius walked out the door, Leona called after them, "Stay safe, you two."

Volsan added, "Don't let any Darkness creatures near it!"

Constans ended with, "And be back by dusk!"

* * *

It felt nice for once for 94 to roam the streets at his own pace without the fear of sprinting out of the deathly grasp of grotesque creatures of Darkness; the bright sun warded most of the monsters back to their shadowy bunkers and crevices. He only had to maintain a slightly brisk pace to keep up with Nelius, who bounded from place to place. It sniffed at everything that sparked its curiosity: trash bins, streetlights, the legs of other civilians walking by, and whatever else gave off some noticeable movement or scent. Sometimes, it grew impatient and trotted back to 94 to paw at his leg until he caught up.

He laughed, "Alright, I'll be quicker." Nelius wagged its tail and leaped up onto a bench where it curled up to rest. 94 sat down beside it and sighed, grateful for the short break it decided to give the both of them. He watched the passersby pay the rest of the world no mind as they marched to their next destination, most of their eyes dull and aloof—a telltale sign of a new clone. "Do we all... really look like that..?" 94 asked himself, touching his sunken face upon his hollow collarbone.

Before he could ponder long, however, a nudge at his leg averted his attention to Nelius hopping onto his lap to continue its nap. 94 pulled his hand from his face to stroke the creature's back as it fell back into slumber.

"I wonder how you manage to sleep so well, little guy," 94 said as he looked upon the peaceful face of the critter. He gave a wistful sigh at Nelius's carefree state and lamented, "I wish I could, too." He tilted his gaze to the sky beginning to fall to the hues of sunset. "It'd be nice to just... fall asleep right here, you know..?"

Even so, such a simple yet serene moment brought him a wave of nearly celestial peace, almost a blessing from the Goddesses themselves. Not a worry or care of Darkness or doubt grazed his mind as he felt the aura of Elysium unravel around him. It was just him, Nelius, and the rest of the world ahead.

And that was enough.

Even when Nelius awoke and hopped down to lead 94 back home, he strolled back to the facility with a newfound peace in his soul—peace resolute in its poise and tranquility in the face of fear itself. He no longer felt his eyes dart about in confusion or pin themselves drably to the path ahead, but they glazed his surroundings with admiration, soaking in the remaining beauty of the city. The small changes in his habit, subtle in their arrival, still surprised him as he passed through the door and shut it tight while Nelius pawed at his leg. He walked through the halls with a smile, gesturing with a slow and friendly wave to each person he passed while his tiny companion followed behind.

Perhaps he had truly changed, or maybe something missing had been filled into a husk, but he would not have it any other way.