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“May I have your attention, please?” The feminine voice crackled through the intercom again. Skateboard groggily cracked open an eye. He was still stretched across the train seat, his head in Boombox’s lap. The DJ he was laying on was slumped over to the side, leaning on his elbow. His visor displayed three dots, opacity slowly fading in and out in time with his breathing.The now evening light filtered through the windows, gently bathing them both in the auburn glow.
Skateboard shifted his weight onto his forearms in an attempt to sit up with a groan as the intercom continued. “The train will be arriving at Thieves’ Den shortly. Please gather your belongings and prepare to depart. Remember to mind the gap!”
Boombox glanced at his watch, the time reading out a blaring 7:30pm. He let out a heavy sigh and slouched forward at the time displayed, "We're sooo fucking late, dude." The train was supposed to have arrived at Thieves’ Den much sooner, but had been delayed.
Skate huffed out a laugh. "Sling’s gonna kill us.” He tried to push himself up into a seating position. “Don’t think he’s gonna be that happy with us bein’ this late...” The skater's hand then slipped, sending him toppling to the floor. He hit the ground with a thud, helmet slamming into the ground. He blinked away the stunned feeling before looking back up at Boombox. The musician had a concerned look on his face, but something else caught Skateboard’s attention.
Right there, on the bottom of the seat, there it was. Jackpot. “Yooo, dude! There's gum under this seat!”
Boombox let out a snort, his digital eyes rolling before standing up to then offer his arm to Skateboard for support. “That's disgusting, man.”
Skateboard reached an arm out towards the gum. Boombox let out a sigh, flabbergasted, yet unsurprised. He slapped Skateboard’s arm away before wrapping his hand around the skater's wrist and yanking him to his feet. “You weren't actually gonna touch that, right?”
Skateboard’s face broke into a cheeky grin, “I dunno! Maybeee,” he drew out the last note, rocking back on the balls of his feet. “C'mon man, let's go, I'm sure Slings abouta’ tear up Thieves’ Den lookin’ for us!” He gestured with his free hand vaguely in the direction of the train door behind him.
Boombox adjusted his grip to be holding onto Skateboard’s hand instead of his wrist. Skateboard noticed this change, his grin widening. He squeezed Boombox’s hand giddily in return before turning around and darting towards the train door, dragging a caught-off-guard Boombox along with him.
Skateboard quickly let go of Boombox’s hand before jumping over the gap between the train tracks and the platform. Boombox followed after, regaining his bearings and then simply stepping over the gap instead.
“Skateboard! Boombox! Over here!” The familiar voice of their friend yelling grabbed their attention. They both looked around the platform, trying to spot where Slingshot was. While their car hadn't been particularly crowded, the platform was swimming with disgruntled demons upset about the delay. Skateboard’s eyes quickly jumped from face to face, while Boombox’s gaze monitored the main crowd, looking for their friend’s particularly feline-esque features.
“No, here! Look up!” Both of them quickly looked upwards. Skateboard was the first to spot their blue friend. He was hovering, frantically waving his arms to catch their attention. Skateboard’s face lit up upon seeing him, excitedly waving back. Boombox soon joined in, excited stars dancing on his visor.
They both dashed towards their beloved friend, moving through the crowd. Boombox let out a few apologies to the demons they bumped into while Skateboard charged right through.
Finally reaching the thinner end of the crowd, Slingshot dropped down from midair, landing right in front of the duo. The blue horned demon opened his mouth, but was tackled into a hug by Skateboard before he could say anything. Sling leaned back, arms flailing out for balance before leaning forward and returning the hug gleefully.
“Slinggg, please don't hate us! It wasn't our fault the train was delayed!” Skate pouted, dramatically drooping over the younger demon. Sling’s knees buckled slightly, and his eyes widened in panic. While the two demons were identical in height, holding up a 24-year-old demon is a struggle for pretty much everyone.
“Skate. Skate, I’m gonna drop you! Stop that-” Sling’s tail lashed back and forth in an attempt to stabilize his wobbling body. Right as his arms were about to give out and send Skateboard crashing to the floor for the second time that evening, Skateboard (and Slingshot’s) savior swooped in.
Boombox was like an angel descending from heaven when he grabbed Skateboard from behind, peeling the taller off of Slingshot and setting him down gently. Slingshot let out a sigh of relief, his body relaxing. Boombox’s hands lingered for a minute, giving Skateboard an impromptu hug from behind. The DJ’s face was bearing a cheeky grin, before giving the latter a gentle bite near the base of his neck. His feet arched, boosting the shorter demon up to the proper height needed to make it more comfortable for the both of them.
Boombox gently pulled his teeth away, still resting his head in the crook of Skateboards neck. Teasingly, he chastised the skater for his recklessness. “We just got here, dude! Don't crush the poor man!”
Skateboard sputtered, having been caught off guard. “He woulda been fine! Look at em’!” He gestured towards Slingshot as Boombox pulled away. “Thatsa perfectly capable man right there if I’ve ever seen one!”
Slingshot let out an amused snort before placing his hands on his hips. Leaning in slightly, his tail lashing in slight annoyance. “Flattery won't make up for the fact that you’re both late! My sister is gonna kill me! I told her we’d be back at our place at 6! Now we’re gonna be there at like 8 if we're lucky!” Guilt skittered across Skateboard’s face, before quickly being replaced with determination.
“Then let's just go, dude! Lead the way!” Skateboard vaguely waved his arm in the direction of the exit. Boombox chimed in, “I'm sure the walk won't be that long, especially if we all run!” A look of surprise flickered onto Slingshot's face. Then he sputtered out a slight laugh. “We won’t be walking guys; at least, not the whole way. We’re gonna take a taxi.” Skateboards brow furrowed. Taxis weren’t always the safest in Playground: sometimes you'd get jumped if you waited at a station too long or called out “Taxi!” too loudly and pissed someone off. But maybe Thieves’ Den would be different? After all, Sling had never talked about any altercations before, so they must be safe enough. Having decided this was in fact a good idea, Skateboard nodded his head in affirmation, “Alrighty! Where we gotta go to hop in a cab?”
Slingshot made a come-along motion with his hand before walking towards the exit doors.
The Playgrounders quickly followed along, chatting and laughing as they walked outside. While Playground was a dense, thick rainforest with skyscrapers packed in tightly, with street lights illuminating the night so brightly you had to look directly at the sky to tell if the sun had even set, Thieves’ Den was much, much more open. There was still beautiful flora, but the buildings were shorter, and more spread out. The canopy—well it wasn't really much of a canopy to be honest, but Skateboard didn't quite know what else to call the tops of the trees—was a beautiful mixture of colors: greens, pinks and a handful of reds, various trees all next to each other. It wasn't dense, though, and Skateboard could tell they were very different from the trees back home. He couldn't tell if he liked the change or not.
The sunset’s golden light was gorgeous, filtering through the tree leaves. The trio was walking along a cobblestone sidewalk, the shimmering light gently reflecting off of its smooth surface. Skateboard idly registered that the road separating the train platform and what seemed to be a park appeared much more modern. It looked more like the streets in Crossroads. It was smooth, with only a few cracks, the direct opposite of Playground. Sure, it was smooth and well-kept close to Crossroads’ heart, but the second you truly entered Playground? The roads were just shit. Across the road there was an identical sidewalk, where other demons were walking. The majority donned similar attire to that of Slingshot’s siblings, though there was the occasional outlier. The stream of traffic he'd heard Sling mention in the past was now only a trickle; after all, most demons were home at this hour.
Slingshot suddenly came to a halt. Startled, Boombox barely managed to stop himself in time, avoiding collision. Normally, Skateboard would have stopped too; however, the typically alert skater was distracted by all the new and confusing sights, so he walked straight into Boombox. He quickly apologized, and Boombox giggled at that. “I’ll get you back for that!” the DJ teased before giving Skate a friendly shove. Seemingly not noticing their antics, Slingshot stuck out his hand into the road, and began making a waving motion. Skateboard assumed this was how you called taxis here. It looked similar to what he'd see other Playgrounders do whenever he passed by a busy street. Skateboard had always preferred cruising through alleyways on his board over using public transport—less people meant more room for tricks and complex stunts.
The three of them waited, and waited, and waited. It felt like time had slowed down to a crawl. Boombox and Slingshot were chattering away, Boombox was talking about how he had been recognized by one of his fans the other day, while Slingshot compared it to when he bumped into a cafe regular once. Skateboard was sure it was a lovely story, but he had absolutely zip to add. Skateboard was almost never recognized, and if he was, it wasn't a good thing. He felt himself slipping into a daze, his eyelids feeling heavy and the ambiance fading away.
The taxi pulled up, the rumble of its engine startling time back into its regular pace. Skateboard blinked away the lingering heaviness. He quickly glanced at Boombox’s watch. Roughly 10 minutes had passed. It had felt like ages. A sigh of relief left his body as Slingshot and Boombox crawled into the yellow cab. He grinned and quickly joined them, slamming the taxi door shut. It was a tight fit, or maybe Skate was just doing everything in his SFoTH-given power to squish up onto Boombox so he could grab at Sling’s hand too. Whatever the reason, Boombox ended up squashed between him and Sling.
Sling chattered out the address to the driver, who cheerfully nodded before pausing, confused. “Are you sure?” They had a thick accent and a deeper, monotone voice. Skateboard noted it to be of Blackrockian origin. The driver further clarified with a now concerned gaze, “I’m not aware of any houses out there.” Slingshot shook his head up and down with a firm nod. “My place is further into the woods. We’ll be fine.” This response seemed to satisfy the driver, though there was an air of hesitance as they gripped the wheel and put their foot down on the gas.
The taxi smoothly drove through the city, Skateboard idly peering out the window while he chatted with his friends. The scenery went from orange hues and buildings to the cool tones of the night's gentle gaze coupled with thick trees. It was a bit strange seeing the Inpherno so…dark. None of the overstimulating lights of home, just the gentle glow of the occasional candlelit streetlamp. The spacing of these lamps got further and further as they went deeper into the woods.
The ride had felt smooth at first, but now felt much bumpier as the road transitioned into a messy dirt path. The taxi jolted up and down, shoving the group from side to side in the backseat. Skateboard’s horns nearly cracked Boombox’s visor, but thankfully, he’d had it reinforced after the first time that happened. After a particularly rough bump squashed the trio into the right side of the cab, absolutely smothering Sling as a result, he seemed to have had enough. He roughly shoved the other two off of him. Skateboard’s face got shoved into the cold window, causing him to flinch. Boombox glanced over him, concern written all over his face. Slingshot’s annoyed expression quickly flickered to match. Before either of them could say anything, Skateboard quickly flashed them a grin and a thumbs up. Slingshot grinned back before turning to face the driver.
“Hey, uh, excuse me, uhhh...” Sling’s voice trailed off as he tripped over the end of his sentence. As his face flushed red, Skateboard realized that Slingshot didn't know the driver's name. The driver let out a low chuckle. “Razor. You can call me Razor.” Sling mumbled his thanks before continuing, his face still tinted a now washed out red. “You can just let us out here, we can walk the rest of the way.” The driver—Razor—shook their head in a firm nod. “Fine with me. ‘don’t mind.” They paused. “...How much ’yer gonna pay me?” Sling’s expression hardened slightly.
They quickly negotiated out a price, the two of them grinning at the end of it. Slings was cheeky, Razors was sly. Skateboard hadn’t understood a lick of it. Sometime during their chat Skate had started poking at Boombox again. Jabbing his cheek, he casually leaned in and gently bit it. Boom giggled and jabbed back at his ribs. Typically this wouldn't hurt, but Boombox hit him just a little bit too hard, causing him to yelp. Before Boombox had the chance to apologize, Skateboard immediately returned the favor. They playfully glared at each other, Boombox sticking out his tongue tauntingly.
Before Skateboard could enact his rightful revenge, Slingshot opened the taxi door. The cool nighttime air rushed in, startling the Playgrounders. Slingshot hopped out, apparently already having paid. Skateboard turned around, before exiting the taxi himself. Boombox gave a goodbye to Razor before following right after. Razor gave a wave to the three before doing a U-turn and driving off.
The glow of the red headlights slowly faded out of sight as the three were left alone on the dirt path. The rumble of the vehicle was soon replaced with the ambiance of crickets and a gentle breeze. Skateboard allowed himself a moment of rest, listening to the sounds. It was quiet. A bit too quiet, if he was being honest with himself. He was too used to the bustling Playground traffic. He’d had enough. He wanted to bother Boombox again. However, he had something important to ask his blue friend.
Skateboard placed his gloved hand on his cocked hip before tilting his head and asking,
“Hey dude..? Which way do we go?” Sling took a moment to think before replying, snapping his fingers as he remembered. “Oh, that way, towards the field!” He pointed deeper into the woods, Skateboard squinted, his eyes weren’t used to the darkness yet. Then, he spotted it. An open field just beyond the trees.
He grinned. He suddenly lunged at Boombox, slapping his hat off his head. “Last one there's a rotten egggg!” He let out a musical cackle before sprinting off towards the clearing. Boombox let out a squawk in surprise, “Augh-, Skate! Get back here!” Boombox quickly bent down to sweep up his hat before breaking into a sprint as well. The wind rushed over and around Skateboard’s helmet, he could hear Slingshot’s cackling in the distance fade out as he picked up speed. He had left his board behind in Playground, but he was still damn fast without it. He snuck a glance behind him only to feel his face go pale.
Boombox was hot on his heels with a mischievous grin. Skateboard let out a screech of surprise before trying to dart ahead. He reached the end of the treeline and burst out into the clearing. They ran through the open field, Skateboard charging ahead, Boombox right behind, and Slingshot last. Skateboard thought he might make it before suddenly he felt a yank on his tail. He lurched backwards before spinning to face Boombox.
He felt Boombox’s hands on his shoulders before being shoved backwards. Slightly out of breath, Boombox exhaled, “I told you I'd get you!” The DJ might not be as fast as Skateboard all the time, but SFoTH-be damned if he wasn't clever enough to play dirty. You had to in order to survive in Playground.
Skateboard’s back hit the damp ground with a harsh thud. The air went silent. Boombox's visor had switched to exclamation marks while Slingshot’s eyes widened in surprise. Skateboard then erupted into a fit of laughter. After a moment of silence and a beat of concern, Boombox quickly joined in, followed by Slingshot. No matter how many times their reckless friend tripped or got injured, he always managed to walk it off.
Skateboard opened his eyes, about to make a friendly jab at Boombox for accidentally being too rough, a cheeky grin plastered onto his face, when he looked up. “Pfft, man, why're you always so-”
His eyes looked directly at the open sky, and then he saw it. “So…” His grin slipped away.
Rows upon rows upon rows of beautiful stars. They were crystal clear. Gorgeous swirls of colors filled his vision. Enchanting purples, shimmering blues, twinkling whites. It was all so vast, so deeply captivating. It felt invigorating, as if cool water had poured over him, soothing a need he didn't even know he had.
A tight feeling bloomed in his chest, he felt as if tears would flow at any moment before he quickly blinked them away. What was he feeling? Was this grief? But how could he grieve for something he never had? It must be something else. It had to be.
He could lay here forever, truly forever, just staring at the beautiful stars. He hadn't even realized it had gotten this late. Skateboard felt like he was floating. No wonder Slingshot and his family always seemed to care so much about nature; if this is what it was like in Thieves’ Den, he might very well never leave. He could just lay down in this field forever, the starlight dripping onto him.
“-ate? Dude, are you alright? Helloo?” Boombox’s hand suddenly blocked his vision, waving back and forth. Ah. He blinked. He must have zoned out. Skateboard was still too entranced to truly verbalize his feelings for once, normally being able to describe exactly what he wanted, so instead he just limply raised his arm up.
Puzzled at this, Boombox lowered his own arm, his visor switching to question marks briefly, the digital eyes following Skates arm. Gently, Skateboard curved his wrist to point a clawed finger up towards the sky as he mumbled, “Dude, look.” Boombox, still with that quizzical look on his face, turned his head up towards where Skateboard was pointing, directly into a field of stars.
Skateboard could tell the exact moment he saw them too.
“Holy shit, dude.” Skateboard could barely see it, but he could tell from a glimpse that Boombox’s visor had stars on it now, his jaw hanging slack in shock. While Skate had blinked away his tears, he could tell his friend was moments away from full on sobs. “This is… real? I didn't-” He interrupted himself with a shuddering sob. “I didn't know they could be this… just… this!” Tears were leaking from under his visor now. “They’re so beautiful…”
It was then, in the grassy field next to his friend sobbing, that it hit him. He was grieving—grieving for something he could have had. Something he should have had. This sky was always here, open, beautiful, sharing its music with the demons below. But he never got to hear the sky’s symphony until now, the beautiful visage just out of reach, hidden away behind layers and layers of shadow and trees.
Skateboard knew Boombox was grieving too.
( < - - - - - > )
Slingshot had never been more confused a day in his life, to be honest. First, he had to explain the concept of a forest that wasn't chock full of civilization, and now his friends seemed to be having a crisis over…stars.
The stars had been there for Slingshot since day one. He didn't remember spawning, he didn't remember the act nor anything about the area around it, but he remembered the stars. He was so small, his siblings not even thought of, but the stars were there.
The stars were always there. They were there for him when he was crying over a failed relationship, there for him when he first started phighting. The stars were there when Vine’s arm turned out to be made of wood, and when Shuriken revealed to her what he did to his arm. Long before Slingshot was even part of their lives. The night sky of Thieves’ Den had always sung to Slingshot, the millions of stars would sing like a crescendo to him, always watching, always giving him something to rely on. The stars would always be there to catch him if he ever fell. The stars were his safety net, a beautiful combination of shimmering colors, threads that weaved into the feeling of home.
So why on Inpherno were the two of them acting so weird about them? Stars weren't anything new. Stars were normal, the sky always looked like that at night. It was a comforting normal. But Slingshot’s normal, his wonderful, safe normal, was making his friends act…abnormal. Skateboard was lying down. Still. Skateboard loved lounging on anything and everything, but he was never so still. His arm was just suspended in midair, with that…expression on his face. Sling didn't know how to describe it. Boombox was always a bit of a crybaby: he'd cry of joy, of frustration, of distraught, but he’d never heard him cry like this before.
It sounded like a cry of grief. It sounded similar to how Shuriken had once broken down crying after a nightmare. He had described it with tears streaming down his face, clinging to Slingshot like he'd vanish if Shuirken let go. Vinestaff had been consumed by her curse in it, and something had happened to Katana and Slingshot. Shuriken was crying too much for Slingshot to properly understand what he was saying, but he remembered how he cried. He remembered the slurred words and the shaking, shuddering breaths. But most of all, he remembered the pure, agonizing grief flowing from Shuriken. The nightmare might not have been real, but Shuriken’s sobs sure as hell were. Boombox’s cries didn't sound quite as grief stricken as Shurikens did that night, but they came uncomfortably close—far, far too close for a reaction to some stars.
Trying to mask just how truly off he felt, Slingshot tried to crack a joke. “Pfft, c'mon guys! It's like you've never seen stars before!” He awkwardly did a finger gun motion with his hands, not quite sure what to do. This was new. The stars were his safety net, but he'd never felt more exposed under their light.
Boombox’s cries grew louder. Skate seemed to somehow freeze even more, before slowly turning his head towards Slingshot. Slingshot felt dread pool in his stomach as he looked him dead in the eyes, with the most serious expression Slingshot had ever seen the older demon wear. Skateboard didn't do serious. Even when Skateboard made comments about Playground’s more…concerning factors, he'd always done it lightheartedly, with a cheeky grin or sly smile. Then Skateboard said something that shattered and then completely re-contextualized everything Slingshot thought he knew, all in one phrase.
“Yeah… we haven't.”
Slingshot felt like he had been shot hearing those words. No stars? Skate and Boombox had lived through over two decades of their lives, without ever seeing stars? That didn't make any sense, stars were beautiful, stars were loud, stars made sure you knew they were there.
He knew Playground was made up of a thick and dense layout of trees and underbrush with bright buildings nestled in, jam-packed. He also knew of the lower layers, below the canopy, further from Crossroads. Playground wasn't always fun. He knew this very well after seeing a particularly nasty scar on Skateboard which he had refused to elaborate on any further than “Y’know, just understory things.” Slingshot still didn't know fully what that meant, but he could put two and two together. But Slingshot had always imagined Playground with the same sky as Thieves’ Den. It was all one world; how could the sky possibly look so different? He opened his mouth, wanting to demand a clarification. How could his everlasting, ever permanent sky of stars possibly abandon his most beloved companions? Then Boombox took a deep breath, voice still shaky from tears.
“The sky-” The DJ stumbled over his words, inhaling again, “The sky has always looked so… so dull. I didn’t even think there were more than… than, like, half a thousand stars, dude. I was always so confused when people would, like, say shit like, ‘There's more stars in the sky than… than grains of sand,’ y’know? ‘Cause I tried to count once, and it was hard to find more than twenty. And it’s just… I always thought they were lying or it was one of those figures of speech I just don’t get sometimes.” Boombox turned his gaze from the stars to look at Slingshot, taking in another deep breath. Slingshot nearly flinched in shock, Boombox’s face was absolutely stained from his tears, with more still pouring. The DJ was definitely going to get a headache after this. “T-they weren't lying Sling. The stars were here all this time. Just not- just not for us.”
Slingshot's mind felt like a spinning top, spiraling round and round, but it was finally starting to slow down. There were so many questions to ask, so many things to show them. Going back to his place to watch movies felt like such a small priority now. Sling didn't really know what to do.
Grief is a messy business, and unlike with nightmares, this grief wasn't easy to wave away. It couldn't be comfortably brushed away with a hug, solidifying that, yes, everyone’s still alive. This kind of grief wasn't able to be disposed of easily, like throwing away a bad batch of cookies. There was nothing Slingshot could truly do to fix this. No pair of shoes could let him rearrange Playground’s sky. But perhaps… perhaps he could start small.
His family wouldn't mind if they stay out a little later anyway. (They absolutely would, but this small excuse was good enough for him right now.) Skateboard and Boombox had missed out on over twenty years of stargazing, and unless the SFoTH themselves struck him down, he was going to help them make up for lost time.
A now determined look on his face, Slingshot marched right up to Boombox and carefully took hold of his face. He gently wiped away the tears, before slowly guiding him to lie down next to him. Slingshot was now in between Boombox and Skateboard, Boombox on the left, Skateboard on the right.
“Sling, what are ya doin’?” Boombox remained silent, but Skateboard couldn't help but ask.
Sling took a deep breath in, calming his nerves, before looking back up at his beautiful, gorgeous sky. The galaxy that had been there for so long for him, he wanted to share its light with two of the people in the world he cared about the most.
“I’m going to teach you two how to stargaze. Would you like that?”
“Yeah…, yeah I think I would. I think I'd love that, actually.” A voice from the right spoke, shaky, uncertain, hopeful.
The familiar voice on the left joined in, faint and tired.
“...Me too.”
( < - - - - - > )
The three of them lay there for hours. Just them, the grass, and the stars. Slingshot pointing out constellation after constellation, showing the Playgrounders how to look at the stars and see not only the stars, but the gorgeous pictures demons had painted among them.
Boombox got really, really into it. He started to make up his own constellations, insisting that yes, that clump of stars is shaped like his namesake gear. Skateboard could tell he was enjoying himself, both from the enthusiasm in his voice and the overjoyed expression on his visor. Skateboard didn't come up with any constellations himself, opting to just stare at the tapestry of twinkling lights.
However they could both agree on one thing.
The stars were beautiful.