Chapter Text
By the time Larry woke up, the scene in front of him was different. There were puzzle pieces scattered across the concrete floor, as if someone decided a box of cardboard cutouts was the perfect outage for their rage. He also saw the jar of putty, neatly put back in its broken container. Shy was in the corner, completely stationary. He rubbed his eyes, noticing a change in the environment. There were smart lights now, dimmed to simulate dawn. They were easier on his eyes, and he had to admit he appreciated it.
He yawned, stretching his back out a bit. It was always something he did to remind himself that despite being immortal, he was still in fact humanoid in a way. He could still technically break bones and injure himself, like a regular human. He stood up, walking over to Shy.
”You awake?”
The sudden sound startled Shy, making him jolt. He quickly calmed down afterwards, nodding.
”…”
“I don’t exactly sleep…”
”…”
”ah.”
Oh. Larry didn’t know that about Shy. He thought maybe he was just so docile all the time that he slept a lot. Whatever, it didn’t concern him so he shouldn’t care. He instead just sulked around, waiting for something to happen. The intercom eventually beeped, making him draw his attention to the rustic speaker.
”Good morning, SCP-106 and SCP-096. As you can tell, we have refurbished your room a bit. You now have dimmable lights, which we will adjust according to the local time. You also have the permissions to request various activities and toys through a catalog we will provide. You may not request items outside of the catalog. You will get them as a reward for good behavior.”
The intercom beeped again, silence trickling back in. Larry was… confused. Why were they giving them so much hospitality? It truly baffled him. He wondered how these cold researchers with a reputation of malice and remorseless behavior could be so kind. So nice even. It gave him an uncanny feeling that he just couldn’t shake off.
He decided to try and ignore it, focusing on the puzzle they were given previously. Shy apparently attempted to do it, but failed. He gathered the pieces from around the room, collecting them into a small pile in front of him. He stared at it for a moment, trying to remember exactly how he was supposed to do these. They always confused him, since he admittedly lost some of his fine motor skills these past decades. He decided that sorting them by similarities was the smartest course of action to take. He started sorting them by color, eventually making around 9 piles of colorful pieces. Shy started to watch him from the corner, slowly dragging his body over to join him.
“Ya gonna help?”
“...”
“...oook, taking that as a no.”
He went back to what he was previously doing, starting to slowly piece them together. It might have been a bit harder for him than the average person, but it was definitely quite entertaining for him. Shy watched from afar, admiring his skills. He couldn’t do that if he tried.
It took Shy a bit to realize just how underdeveloped he was. He couldn’t read or write, and he could barely make out the names of shapes and colors. He tried to do the puzzle, but it just hurt his brain too much so he got upset and gave up. The only thing in the box that he liked was the putty. He didn’t need to be smart to use it, and it was something that he actually could have fun with. He loved the texture of the putty, and how it felt in his callused and scarred hands. He liked how bright it was before, and it did make him a bit sad when Larry made it brown. But nonetheless, he liked the putty and wouldn’t complain about something as minimal as the color.
They both basked in the comfortable silence, neither feeling too awkward or out of place. They both just stayed in their bubble, doing their own thing. It was nice. To not be stressed or uncomfortable. Neither really felt at home, or necessarily safe, but they were comfortable. And that's what was important.
They both wished this comfort would last forever.