(IMPORTANT UPDATE) vanished (airy x reader)

4

You weren't sure how long you had stayed inside the cave for, but you must've fallen asleep because the next thing you knew the sun was shining through the vines and the rain had stopped.

The first thing you noticed was how the air was utterly devoid of sound. No birds chirping, nothing. Aside from the faint rustling of the wind in the trees, it was completely quiet.

The second thing you noticed was that Airy had fallen asleep on top of you, slumped against your shoulder.

"Wh-Wha—" You went rigid, eyes growing round. It had been a long fucking time since anyone had touched you like this. You vaguely recalled yesterday when Airy had grabbed your arm but in your shock from the weather you hadn't exactly registered it as physical contact.

This was different, though. It was almost intimate. How you hated using that word.

Airy was still fast asleep, completely oblivious to the awkward conversation he would bestow upon you following his return to consciousness. What were you going to do? You didn't have the heart to move him, he looked comfortable. You looked around stiffly, wondering if you could move out from under him before he awoke.

While you were looking for a possible escape, Airy stirred and let out a quiet groan, eyes sliding open. You went still, staring down at him with held breath.

"...? Oh..." He lifted his head to meet your gaze, and went still as he noticed your close proximity.

"What do you think you're doing?" Your voice came out strained. Having someone so close to you after so long was messing with you. You felt electricity crackle across your skin, only aiding your nervousness.

"...Sorry. I must've fallen asleep." Airy sat up and inched away from you, looking utterly unbothered by the entire thing.

"No, no, what— why were you so close?" You asked pointedly. You felt yourself bristle at his lax nature.

"I...don't know." He stared at you, then at the cave floor. "Sorry." he repeated, quieter this time.

Christ. "Well that's— you can't just—" You sighed heavily and turned away to hide the redness in your face. "You can't just huddle up to someone like that!"

"Oh. I wasn't...trying to do that." Airy replied earnestly. "I was asleep." As if you were completely unaware of that fact.

"Obviously." You mumbled.

Airy didn't reply, standing up and shuffling past you. You stood up to follow him. "Where are you going?"

Airy turned around. "Breakfast." Was all he said. You let out a quiet 'oh'. Neither of you had eaten yesterday because of the rain.

You followed Airy up the cliff face. You wondered just how many times he had followed this trail. Had it always been here? Or had he somehow carved it out?

Casting a glance at him, you doubted the second option.

"Are you okay?" The question from him came as a surprise. "What?" You furrowed your brow.

"Are you okay," He repeated. "You said you didn't like loud noises."

"Uh—" You blinked, startled that he remembered that. "I'm...fine."

"...Okay." You noticed he had forgotten his basket.

"Um...I'll catch up with you in a minute." You awkwardly changed the subject.

Airy turned to look back at you momentarily, giving a shrug. "Okay."

As you made your way back down the trail, you wondered why he hadn't noticed the absence of the basket. Was he really that clueless? But then why did he remember what you said the previous night?

You also thought about your close proximity. After pushing past the initial shock, you found yourself missing it.

It had been awhile since anyone had been so close to you, much less seemed worried for you. Been there for you.

You wondered just how much you were going to miss being alive. Even if he was a complete space cadet, Airy's company was better than being completely alone.

As you collected Airy's basket, you heard a yelp and a splash coming from up the cliff. Eyes widening at the sound, you hurried back up the way you came, hoping Airy was okay.

The lantern appeared to have slipped and fallen into the water, scrambling for purchase on the shore. Setting the basket down, you hurried over to help him out of the water.

Airy was soaking wet and shivering as you hoisted him up. He coughed up water, collapsing in front of you on the shore. He heaved, gasping for air, trying to push himself up with shaking arms.

"Are— Are you okay?!" You asked in a panic as you knelt beside him. You mentally hit yourself. Of course he wasn't okay, idiot.

Despite that, Airy gave a nod, staring wide eyed at the ground. "I...slipped..." he said, breathless. As if it weren't obvious enough.

You helped him to his feet, slinging one of his arms over your shoulder. "C-Can you walk?"

Airy went silent, still panting as he turned the question over in his head. "I...yeah...I think so..."

You looked over your shoulder at the river, the endeavor to catch breakfast completely forgotten in your efforts to help your friend. It didn't matter now.You doubted Airy was very hungry after the ordeal.

You led him over to the camp, sitting him down on one of the logs while you tried to get a fire going. All the while he was still shivering and dripping wet.

Eventually you managed to get one going, after some effort on your part. Where had you learned to make fire? You decided not to question it.

You sat beside Airy as the fire roared, watching him hold out his arms in an attempt to warm up. "You okay?" You asked after a few minutes.

"I'm fine." He mumbled back, more focused on the fire and drying off than anything else. "I've, um, never fallen into the water like that before. I...guess the rain must've made the shore slippery."

"That makes sense." You sighed. "I'm...I'm just glad you're okay." You realized it as soon as you said it. If something happened to Airy, you'd be completely alone again.

Airy shrugged. "The water is shallow. I was just surprised. I'm an oil lamp, so..."

He didn't need to finish his sentence for you to understand. Fire-based object folk and water obviously didn't mix.

You sighed again, feeling exhaustion crash down on you even though it only appeared to be late afternoon. Worry had tired you out, and the warmth of the fire was all too welcoming to your stiff muscles.

"I guess we aren't getting anything to eat then..." Airy said after a while.

"Is that what you're worried about?"

"I...didn't die, so I guess that's all I have to think about..."

It made sense, in a roundabout sort of way. You figured Airy wasn't fazed by the idea of pain or dying anymore, much like he wasn't fazed by much else.

You still were, though. You realized how badly you didn't want to die. Even if you felt yourself stuck between the precipice of the two states of being, you still wanted to stay here.

That evening, you were the one sleeping against Airy's shoulder as he stayed by the fire to dry off.