Random RQ oneshots (and SL + TR I guess)

When Time Stops

It was past midnight when Sabre came in. He had been spending more and more time in the village, especially by the lake, watching the moon reflect on the water.

The door opened slowly and stealthily with a quiet creak. Sabre stepped in, most of his spacesuit removed to show simply a baggy white T-shirt and gray pants. He glanced around, probably to make sure no one was awake, and then locked eyes with Time. He immediately tensed.

Time watched him silently from the couch, smiling softly with just a tint of worry he didn't try to mask. They both were quiet for a while, before Sabre mumbled something to himself. Time couldn't catch what he said, but knowing Sabre, it was probably some kind of unneeded apology.

"You wanna sit down?" Time offered, patting the spot next to him. Sabre relaxed a bit, muttering to himself again before walking over to the couch and sitting down, leaning into Time. Time instantly wrapped his arm around Sabre, pulling him closer. "You okay?"

Sabre mumbled again, a bit more intelligible this time. "I'm sorry...I didn't wanna wake you up..."

"You didn't, it's okay. I've been waiting for you to get home." Time said, kissing Sabre's forehead. He brought a hand up to Sabre's back, rubbing in circles.

"Go to sleep, Time." Sabre said firmly.

Time tried. He really did. He figured Sabre wouldn't get back until dawn anyways, so he had laid down for at least an hour. But he couldn't sleep. No matter what he did, no matter which side he slept on or what cheap strategy he attempted, he couldn't get to sleep. And it was because of his thoughts.

In the day, Time was able to do anything to keep the thoughts away. He cooked and baked endlessly, to the point where he had nothing to do with the things he cooked up. He had given things out to villagers, and while they took the food thankfully, they were a bit worried as to why he was cooking so much. Time was, too. But it was better than letting himself think.

But at night, Time had no excuse. He was expected to sleep, to relax, to just be happy, but how could he 'just be happy' when the thinking hurt so much? He'd begun picking up other hobbies; crocheting, knitting, drawing, painting, anything that came to mind. He refused to go to sleep. The only nights he got sleep were when he passed out.

Time knew Sabre was thinking too, thinking a lot. And thinking was dangerous, Time himself had come to know. Both he and Sabre were very good at keeping themselves occupied in order to avoid thinking.

Time was thinking too much, even now. Sabre was staring at him, waiting for a response. "Go to sleep." He repeated.

"I'm not tired." Time smiled, but it was clearly unconvincing, considering the way Sabre looked at him. "You should try and sleep, though. I know thing's have been stressful recently."

"Time." Sabre said, his voice a bit pleading. "Things have been more stressful for you. You need sleep."

"I'm fine, really." Time tried to smile. It didn't work.

"Time, please..." Sabre put a hand on Time's cheek. "I'm really worried about you. All this stuff with Elemental.."

Time froze. He didn't want to think about him. If he could just pretend it wasn't happening then-

"You're allowed to feel things. We can talk about it, if you want...it'd probably help to get a few things off your chest, right?" Sabre offered, but Time knew neither of them wanted to talk about things. Time was so tired of this. So tired. Tired enough to pass out, right into Sabre's touch...

Sabre pulled his hand away. Time wanted it again. Just for a bit longer.

"Time, I-"

And then everything paused.

...it was a weird thing, time. When it stopped, it felt wrong. When it continued, it felt wrong. Everything felt wrong around him.

The world rewinded just a few seconds, and Sabre's hand came back onto Time's cheek. He leaned into it, letting himself breathe.

He hated doing this, mostly because it meant the days were ever so slightly longer just for him, and because Sabre always could tell when he had done it.

Still, he relished in the touch. Sabre's hand was cold from the outside, but Time could feel the warmth that had began to return to it. Sabre was sad looking. His face was set with worry, a look that Time couldn't forget.

"You're too kind to me.." Time muttered, leaning away from his hand and in to place a kiss on his cheek. He wrapped his hands around Sabre's body and gently pulled himself forward, pressing his body against Sabre's.

Time let the world fade back into reality, letting the flow of time continue as intended. Sabre gasped slightly from the change, but immediately hugged Time back, not saying a word about it.

Time didn't feel himself crying, but there must've been tears, since he felt Sabre's hands wiping around the corner of his eye. It didn't feel right, and Time felt a strong desire to stop everything yet again, to give himself a moment, even if it made him feel awful.

"Shh...it's okay.." Sabre whispered in his ear. Time let out a small choked sob that he had been trying to repress. If he could just- why was he- he just wanted to-

No thought lasted more than a second, his head swimming and hurting and not making sense.

Sabre was doing anything he could to comfort him. Rubbing circles into his back, running his hands through his hair, kissing his curls...and Time couldn't do anything in response. He wanted to comfort Sabre that same way; Sabre needed it so much more than he did. Sabre needed this, not him. Time didn't even deserve this.

But he, selfishly so, didn't do anything about it. He let Sabre pour his love into him, practically unmoving, crying softly. He couldn't force the thoughts out, no matter how much he tried to focus on Sabre. And it hurt.

Everything always hurt. Never stopped.