(IMPORTANT UPDATE) vanished (airy x reader)

12

sorry for my absence, ive been dealing with a lot in my life. my birthday was yesterday. im gonna start college soon. things are rough but theyre kind of okay

i've also had really bad writer's block which is why this chapter took so long to come out. on the bright side it's a bit of a longer one! also, i do have something new in the works...keep an eye out for that :)

nice job to those of you who guessed what would happen next...then again, i guess i made it pretty obvious lol.

sorry if there are any typos, i'm typing this from a new phone. i tried my best to go through and clean them out but it's hard when you don't have a beta

The last thing you remembered was walking up the cliff trail, and suddenly you were in the shed, an awful ringing filling your ears and a splitting headache greeting you into the waking world. Your vision blurred and you hissed through gritted teeth, trying to reach out in front of you. Of course, there was nothing to reach out to in the first place.

"You shouldn't be...moving around like that." A familiar voice mumbled from next to you. You gasped sharply and turned your head, wincing at the pain it brought you.

It was, of course, Airy. Who else could it be? He was standing over you, holding a basket of reeds. He set the basket down and knelt to your level. "You're awake. That's good. I...wasn't sure if you were going to be."

"Huh? A— Airy—" You tried to sit up, but quickly abandoned the effort as pain rocked your body.

You also noticed that you were soaking wet. Great.

"Airy...what happened to me?"

Airy blinked slowly at you. "Uh...you slipped and fell. Off of the bridge."

"The–" your breath hitched. The waterfall. You could barely remember a thing. "Th-Then...how did I..."

"I...pulled you. Out of the water." Airy was messing with his button, but his gaze remained focused on you. "You...passed out after I did it. So I carried you here."

You were shaking, and not just from the cold of being soaked to the bone. You could've died.

It would have been your second time, but still.

"So...I..."

"Uh...yeah." Airy looked over your body. "You're cold."

"Obviously," you muttered through clenched teeth, curling up into yourself to try and keep warm. "I'm soaked with lake water! Of course I'm cold..."

If Airy heard you, he didn't say a word, instead opting to move closer to where you lay. With a soft click, the flame in his head lit up, providing slight and welcome warmth to your doused frame.

You sighed shakily, eyes closing again as the warm seeped into your body. It wasn't much. Airy's flame was used for light, not heat. But it was better than nothing. You were almost grateful. But then you remembered what you had found in the cave, what had gotten you into this mess, and felt bitter towards the lantern.

"Can you stand up?" Airy asked after the two of you had lapsed into silence.

"I...I don't know." You turned to stare at the wall, pulling your arms to your body with a heavy sigh. You didn't want to face him. "You have some explaining to do."

"Is this about the...competition." Airy sat down in front of the bed.

"Yes it's about the competition." You couldn't keep a scathing note out of your voice. "How could you keep that from me?"

"I...wasn't trying to." Airy mumbled, barely audible. "You never...asked about it."

You faltered a little. What you were learning now went against what you knew about Airy before. Would he really keep this from you intentionally? You shifted around, feeling a stab of guilt for lashing out.

Still, you had a right to be at least a little upset. Even if he had told you, you didn't think you would handle the prospect of a bunch of tiny objects competing on a planet all that well.

"What's it all about anyways? You asked. "It's not everyday you see something like...that."

"Uh, well...it's called ONE. Um...my...the contestants are competing for a wish for anything."

"A...a wish? Anything?" If you had ears, they would have perked up.

"...Yeah."

"How does that work?" Was that even possible? You had a feeling that Airy wasn't being fully honest. Of course, you had no real way to prove this.

"I...I'll grant the wish of the winner." Airy was picking at the reeds that littered the floor absently. "Um...my computer can create stuff. So I'll just...create whatever they want."

"Yeah? And what if they wish for something really crazy or non-physical? Like world peace or something."

"Uh..." Airy paused for a moment. "I...haven't thought that far ahead. I'm...hoping that they don't."

"Huh. Guess that computer can't create everything." You couldn't keep the snideness out of your voice as you finally turned around to look at Airy.

"I don't know...everything it can do." He admitted. "Just that it can...make stuff. And revive people. And teleport them."

Teleport? "So...do you think that you could take us home?" You were hopeful.

Airy's face seemed to fall a fraction. He shook his head. "I've..tried that."

"...Oh." a stony silence fell over you both as you absorbed the answer. "I'm...sorry."

"For what?" Airy asked.

"I don't know...I guess I was being too harsh or something. I don't know the full story." You turned back around to face him again. "I mean, I can't say I agree with whatever you're doing in there...but you have your reasons, right?"

Airy didn't reply. Instead, he stood up and walked out of the cabin.

"Huh— wait, Airy!" You scrambled after him, ignoring the pain it brought your tired body. "Where are you going?!"

"I...just remembered. I have to go do something." he said, walking towards the cave.

"Is it about the— you can't just walk away mid conversation!" You struggled to catch up with him. Your body was screaming at you to stop moving. "We weren't finished talking yet!"

Airy ignored you, pushing past the vines and entering the cave.

By the time you were caught up with him, you were breathing hard and your face was flushed red from exertion. Your body buzzed. You watched him, hanging back a few feet. You didn't want to go near that planet again.

Airy moved some things around the desk, before grabbing the microphone and pulling it closer. "...Hey guys, I'm back. We can start the elimination soon."

Elimination? You felt your heart drop a little at the word. What did that entail? What was he going to do with those people?

"Um...Airy...?" You tried to keep your voice as quiet as possible, struggling to speak between wheezing breaths. The edges of your vision began to go dark.

Airy looked over at the planet, a hint of a smile crossing his face. He hardly seemed to notice you. "Okay. I'm sending the eliminated contestant back in three...

two...

one..."

...