The Outside
He had been sleeping more and more recently, so he didn’t notice right away when things started to change. It had become uncomfortably squishy in the space he and Other shared, but that was alright. They were used to sharing the tight space.
He noticed when things started squeezing though.
‘Very, very uncomfortable’ would be putting it incredibly lightly.
That was nothing compared to finally seeing the outside though.
In the outside, it is bright, and it is loud, and it is cold. The feel of the outside’s glow against his spark is new and frightening. The feeling of being held, of being touched directly, is unfamiliar. One of the people he recognizes is here, the close-one. They’re the one holding him, and while it is a comfort it’s only a slight one.
They reach out to Other, and can’t find them. It is this, the feeling of being without Other in this strange new world, that finally breaks him, and he screams.
~~~~~
He’s gone.
Her companion is gone.
She should have bigger concerns than the absence of Other, like the fact that she’s being squeezed through a space that feels much too small for her, but that’s the only thing she can process.
Being laid against the glow-person’s chest is little comfort, though the warmth is nice.
She screams the moment her lungs fill with air.
He’s laid down beside her, and she turns her head to look at him.
Their twin cries stop the moment the two sets of matching emerald eyes meet, and their minds meld together. Both break out into near-identical smiles, instantly soothed.
This world may be strange and terrifying, but they’re not alone.
As long as they’re together, they can manage anything.
They barely notice when the people from the outside give them names:
Harrison and Evangeline.
Hari and Eshana.
Harry and Ev.