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“Daddy!”
The high Sykkuno was riding from Corpse calling him handsome not even an hour before came crashing down as Bretman’s almost grating voice boomed through the voice call.
Sykkuno liked Bretman; he was, truly, a great addition to the team and he made the streams they did together more fun but the relentless flirting was starting to get on his nerves.
“Hi, daddy ,” came Bretman’s voice again and Sykkuno couldn’t help but grit his teeth when Corpse’s husky laugh travelled into his other ear.
Sykkuno had Corpse simping for him from day one, all of his attention on Sykkuno and now Sykkuno felt nothing more than the third wheel of the Bretman and Corpse thing that was happening right in front of his eyes.
“Whaddup, baby,” sounded from the other side and Sykkuno looked positively enraged, he could see how pissed off he was in the small face cam box below and his chat was starting to notice too.
Jellykkuno it read.
Sykkuno walked away then, not caring to stay and impose on Bretman and Corpse’s date.
Corpse was a flirt, everybody knew that. Sykkuno himself had been the subject of Corpse’s flirting often but never like this. Never in this obvious way in which Sykkuno didn’t have to guess if he was just memeing or not.
Corpse had never called him ‘baby’.
It shouldn’t bother him so much. Again, he knew Corpse was a flirt and he felt wrong for wishing he was the only one Corpse flirted with, the only person Corpse called ‘baby’.
Sykkuno was a private person. He seemed very oblivious to his stream about what was going on but he had long seen the simp chart and watched Corpse fall down it, the simping others did for him, the flirting some of the streamers subjected him to. It was easier to pretend he didn’t know so he could evade questions he didn’t want to answer, so he could keep information that he didn’t want to expose. But he knew about Corpse’s simping that had mysteriously stopped, he was aware of his feelings towards this, towards Corpse in general.
While Sykkuno hoped things would get better, now that he was away from the flirting pair that had seemed to forget about him, it only got worse when the next meeting was called.
“Why are you always sus of me?” Bretman asked, his voice whiny.
Corpse was quick to backtrack and Sykkuno pursed his lips as he listened to his response.
“No, no, no, baby, baby, no,” Corpse said, his voice soft in a way that it had only been for Sykkuno once.
Sykkuno felt his heart clench in his chest and when he checked the face cam again, his expression was thunderous, tense, torn-up. The chat was noticing it too and Sykkuno prayed they wouldn’t tell Corpse immediately even though it would most definitely be clipped.
“I’m voting Bretman,” he said and immediately clicked the confirm button, not caring to explain further.
Bretman was voted out, the round continued, Sykkuno couldn’t recall anything that happened after. It was a blur of doing tasks on autopilot, sitting through the game until he was sent back to the lobby.
He wasn’t even sure who had won.
Sykkuno got imposter the next round and he didn’t even feel happy like he usually did. His head was too full of Corpse’s flirty tone, Bretman’s confidence that Corpse would flirt back because it was him flirting with Corpse. Sykkuno had never felt that confidence, he always let Corpse take the lead in when they flirted, even if it was just for laughs which it probably was, just for self-preservation.
Sykkuno didn’t want to lose the friendship they had because for him there was more at stake. It was his heart that would never be healed again if Corpse rejected him or distanced himself from Sykkuno because he thought the flirting was weird.
Still, Bretman was flirting with Corpse, Corpse was barely paying attention to Sykkuno anymore, and Sykkuno was fucking pissed.
“I’m a top,” Sykkuno could hear as he ran past Bretman and Corpse.
Of course those two would be together again, they were almost attached at the hip now.
Like you and Corpse once were , his brain unhelpfully added.
Sykkuno shook his head to get rid of his stupid thought and focused back on the conversation.
“Well, I’m a bottom,” Bretman replied and Sykkuno could almost hear the smirk in his voice. It took him everything not to lash out. “Oh, Sykkuno, top or bottom?”
Sykkuno could hear the smugness in Bretman’s voice or maybe he just imagined it. Whatever it was, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut anymore.
“Some people are both,” Sykkuno said casually and stalked forward a little towards Bretman. He could hear Corpse choking in the background but his sole focus was Bretman and getting the upper hand as unhealthy as it maybe was. “Makes them a lot more fun in bed too, wouldn’t you say so, Bretman?”
Sykkuno smirked then and hit the kill button, watching as Corpse froze next to him but not hitting the report button just yet.
“Are you gonna tell on me, Corpse?” Sykkuno asked, his voice dangerous and low. It wasn’t often that this side of him came out, the part of him that needed to be in control, to show that he was more than just some blushy anime main character. He was fucking Sykkuno and he deserved more than watching Corpse flirt with everyone but him.
Corpse stammered out a ‘no’ and Sykkuno moved his character away, ready to go on a killing spree to temper the anger that had crawled its way into his wounded heart.
A meeting was called right when he killed Brooke, a simultaneous gasp going through the voice call when they realised three people had been killed.
“Where were you, Sykkuno?” Rae asked, her voice suspicious and Sykkuno didn’t do much but shrug, wearing false confidence easily as he leaned back into his chair.
“I was with Corpse,” Sykkuno said and pointedly looked at Corpse’s name, wanting to see if Corpse had truly stopped simping for him. This would be the telling meeting of that.
“Well…” Corpse said and Sykkuno’s face fell, his heart hurting physically from the unsure sound, very unlike how Corpse had lied easily when he third impostered for 5up or even protected Bretman two rounds before.
“Did you see me kill anybody, Corpse?” Sykkuno asked pointedly, his voice hard and cold.
“No,” Corpse finally said and Sykkuno breathed a little easier.
People voted for him, others voted skip, he stayed alive.
“Sy…” Corpse said immediately once they were back in the lobby, following Sykkuno around as he tried to run away from him. Sykkuno finally stopped and let Corpse’s avatar catch up.
“What?” Sykkuno asked flatly. “Do you want me to apologise for killing your boyfriend ? Because I’m not.”
“I don’t understand.” Corpse sounded conflicted, like he was about to say something but held back.
Sykkuno sighed and shook his head. “Of course you don’t,” he said with a wry laugh, his skin prickling as his eyes filled with tears. His entire body suddenly felt like it was on fire, hurting him from the inside out. Damn Corpse and his need to flirt with everyone but him. Damn him for not even calling Sykkuno ‘baby’ just once so he could live off the sound of that.
“Sykkuno-“ Corpse tried but Sykkuno couldn’t deal with it anymore. It was too much. The world was closing in on him and all he could think about was Corpse, how much it hurt to be around him right now.
Sykkuno hit the kill button mid-sentence and it didn’t take long before he won the round with Toast.
“I’m logging off,” Sykkuno said, faking the happiness in his voice. He could tell that Corpse wanted to talk to him but he didn’t allow him the chance to say something. For once, things would be on his terms.
we need to talk
Sykkuno put his phone down again, dumping some pasta in boiling water almost aggressively. He didn’t need to do anything, not anymore. If Corpse could flirt with whoever he wanted then Sykkuno could pretend he never read his text for the time being. It wasn’t right to think like this and ignore Corpse but he was hurting and he needed to calm down first. Corpse didn’t know that he was inflicting pain onto Sykkuno with his behavioural change but Sykkuno couldn’t outright tell him or he’d have to reveal the truth. So, for now, he’d ignore Corpse until he had more grip on his emotions.
It took longer than planned.
Sykkuno faked being sick and ditched some streams, only logging on when he knew Corpse wouldn’t be, dropping out when Corpse logged on.
sy
stop avoiding me
Sykkuno blinked against the tears and deleted the messages that came in.
please
Dropped in next, a simple plea that tugged on Sykkuno’s heartstrings enough for him to open the message, his thumbs hovering above the keyboard.
i’m not avoiding you
Sykkuno could almost feel the anger in Corpse’s next reply but that was okay, he was angry too.
lying is not like you
Sykkuno let out a bitter laugh.
then you don’t know me
It stayed silent after that, for one day, then two.
Corpse’s merch was sent out, he saw the tweets of Corpse’s fans all freaking out about receiving them. He thought back to when Corpse promised to hand-deliver his merch to him, that would be out of the question now with how badly he fucked up their friendship.
He missed Corpse more than anything, as a friend, a companion, as a person to go to when the world was too much. Corpse never judged him and it was something Sykkuno had always appreciated but he didn’t realise how much he would miss it until it was gone.
i’m sorry
It was such a simple text yet it took Sykkuno almost half an hour to send.
His heart raced when his phone buzzed almost immediately, nausea rising from his stomach to his throat, his mouth bitter when he picked up his phone with shaking hands. He counted to three before turning the phone around, reading Corpse’s message.
talk to me then
Sykkuno shook his head even though Corpse couldn’t see it. He couldn’t tell him and ruin their entire friendship, or what was left of it. Besides, it would make Corpse deeply uncomfortable and he couldn’t ruin streaming for Corpse either. They would end up in the same lobby one way or another one day and he couldn’t tell Corpse what he really felt and wreck this piece of happiness Corpse had found for himself.
i can’t
Sykkuno replied simply, sinking onto his bed as he watched Corpse type, stop, then start again. The three bubbles went back down again and Sykkuno waited seconds, minutes, time flowing into each other until finally:
would it be easier in person?
Sykkuno froze, staring at his phone disbelievingly. Did Corpse just… But Corpse wouldn’t kid about that, would he? This was Corpse who he would be seeing, the most private person he knew.
are you sure?
It wasn’t a yes but it was implied and he knew Corpse would understand that, he always got him better than any other person ever had.
what is your address? i’ll come by tomorrow if you have time
Sykkuno typed his reply back a little too quickly, a little too desperately. But this was Corpse and he couldn’t lose him. He still wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to tell him what was really going on but it would ruin their friendship completely if he declined now. So, no matter how scared he was…
i have time tomorrow
Sykkuno felt a little faint when the realisation settled in.
Corpse would come over the next day.
And he had to confess.
Sleep didn’t come easy that night, he didn’t expect it to but he felt terrible when he woke up from his short night the next day. Sykkuno looked awful too and that wasn’t preferable when he was supposed to confess his love for Corpse and somehow convince him not to be disgusted by that.
i’ll be there in an hour
okay
Sykkuno’s heartbeat sped up and it didn’t go back down. He paced his apartment, driving himself insane even by his restlessness but he couldn’t stop. He had to do something or he’d bail.
The bell rang, the shadow of a figure visible underneath the door.
Sykkuno swallowed hard, breathing in and out deeply before inching closer to the door. He had to breathe in deeply again before he could finally turn the doorknob.
Corpse wasn’t much taller than him, which he knew already but Corpse always seemed to be much bigger due to his persona online. Sykkuno only had to look up a little bit to meet Corpse’s eyes, deep-brown, no eye-patch in sight though that would probably be put on later.
Corpse was dressed more casually than the outfits he had seen online but that was understandable. A long drive wasn’t the best scenario for complex clothing and why would Corpse want to impress Sykkuno anyways? He was just Sykkuno.
“Sy,” Corpse breathed out and stepped inside when Sykkuno opened the door further, looking around curiously before his eyes trailed back to Sykkuno, watching him with the same curiosity.
“You went down on the simp chart,” Sykkuno said a little too quickly, like it had been on his mind for way too long.
Corpse’s eyes widened, from the outburst or the sheer absurdity of the sentence, Sykkuno didn’t know.
“Is that what you’re angry about?” Corpse asked, not unkindly. He shrugged out of his coat and sat down onto Sykkuno’s couch, tapping the spot next to him which Sykkuno was drawn to almost immediately.
“Yes… No…” Sykkuno said unintelligibly, before letting his face sink into his hands, his body crumbling in on itself a little. “It’s part of it but not the whole thing.”
Sykkuno flinched a little when a hand peeled one of his own hands away from his face but relaxed when he realised it was just Corpse trying so hard to make him feel better when he had done nothing but avoid him.
God, he felt like crying.
“What’s the whole thing?” Corpse asked, not letting go of Sykkuno’s hand. “I don’t… Help me understand.”
“You call Karl at 4 am,” Sykkuno mumbled, feeling Corpse inch closer him a little.
“You’re asleep at 4 am,” Corpse answered simply, his hand moving to Sykkuno’s wrist, his thumb positioned over Sykkuno’s rapid heartbeat. “Karl is awake and he listens well. That doesn’t mean he’d be my first choice.”
Sykkuno swallowed and shook his head. “You haven’t vouched for me in Among Us in forever,” Sykkuno said again, stubbornly this time. Not everything could be this easily explained.
Corpse laughed hoarsely, the sound raising goosebumps on Sykkuno’s skin.
Corpse noticed it too.
When Corpse moved forward this time it was with more confidence, their bodies pressed together now even though there was more than enough space on the couch. Sykkuno couldn’t pull away, he didn’t want to.
“The win isn’t that nice when someone basically does it for you, right?”
Sykkuno couldn’t help but nod. Corpse was right but that didn’t mean that he liked it that Corpse was right about this.
“You keep calling Bretman ‘baby’,” he said and this time it was bitter, sadness and hurt leaking into Sykkuno’s voice.
Corpse sighed softly, he could feel it against his own body. A hand was lifted to Sykkuno’s chin and turned his head softly until he was looking straight at Corpse.
Corpse’s face was closer than Sykkuno thought it would be. A stray curl that dangled over Corpse’s forehead nearly brushed Sykkuno’s. He had to close his eyes so he didn’t do something stupid.
“And that bothers you,” Corpse said, not even asking anymore. The answer was already written plainly on Sykkuno’s face, in every accusation he had thrown at Corpse. “Why?”
“You know why,” Sykkuno replied, his body trembling. Corpse could probably see it too because the teasing glint in his eyes softened a little.
“I want to hear you say it.”
Sykkuno shook his head, tears building behind his eyes. “I can’t lose you,” he confessed in a whisper and that was as close as he had gotten to outright saying it.
“Baby…” Corpse rumbled and a tear slipped down Sykkuno’s cheek as he closed his eyes, swaying into Corpse a little. The one thing he had wanted to hear from Corpse ever since he started calling everyone ‘baby’ and this was when he used it; with Sykkuno trembling next to him, with fear threatening to overpower him to the point where he’d rather jump out of a window than confess.
“Corpse-“ he replied hoarsely, his voice shaking as much as his body was.
Corpse cut him off gently but surely, wiping a tear off Sykkuno’s skin with his thumb, letting his hand linger there to caress Sykkuno’s cheek.
It felt like he was dreaming.
“You’re not going to lose me,” Corpse promised and Sykkuno finally blinked up at Corpse again.
Sykkuno opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before finally swallowing hard.
He looked Corpse straight in the eyes.
It was now or never.
“I like you,” Sykkuno confessed and it seemed like a weight was lifted off the both of them. “And hearing you call others ‘baby’ and simping for them and generally ignoring me hurts , Corpse.”
“I know, it would hurt me too,” Corpse said soothingly, leaning forward a little. Sykkuno didn’t know what he was doing until he was tugged into Corpse’s lap.
He went willingly.
“What does that mean?” Sykkuno asked, staring down at Corpse with confusion. He could guess what it meant since he was in Corpse’s lap, his legs on either side of Corpse’s, his hands fisted in the fabric on Corpse’s shoulders. But maybe he wanted to be sure, wanted to hear Corpse say it too.
“I like you too,” Corpse confessed, rubbing Sykkuno’s back in a way that made him melt into Corpse’s body, swaying forward until their faces were only inches apart again. “I didn’t… I didn’t think it would hurt you, I thought you were just joking around so I tried to get over you by flirting with others but…”
“It didn’t work?” Sykkuno asked, hope blooming in his chest that the unthinkable could have happened.
Corpse shook his head with a wry laugh. “None of them were you.”
Sykkuno’s eyes flicked to Corpse’s lips… or, well… the mask where Corpse’s lips would be and he almost let out a pained sound. God, he needed Corpse’s lips on his own, he needed the physical evidence that this wasn’t imagined, that Corpse had truly fallen for him as he had fallen for Corpse.
“Close your eyes, baby,” Corpse whispered and Sykkuno immediately complied, smiling a little when the word ‘baby’ came out more sure, more natural when Corpse said it to him.
He could smell Corpse’s expensive cologne before he could feel his presence near him.
An arm flew in front of his face, the sound of fabric falling on the floor raising Sykkuno’s heartbeat, the anticipation enough to kill him.
Sykkuno braced himself.
A pair of soft lips touched his own and he was ruined for anybody else, he could tell already.
Corpse kissed him unlike Sykkuno thought he would kiss. All gentle touches, even gentler movements of his mouth. Corpse didn’t kiss like he was insecure but as if Sykkuno was something breakable… No… Something precious.
Sykkuno’s hand flew to Corpse’s hair almost on its own accord and tangled into the curls to kiss him deeper, needier, wanting to wipe away every flirtatious remark Corpse had made to other people with his tongue and replace it with him .
Sykkuno smiled when they pulled away, how could he not. He was in Corpse’s lap , in his arms , a place none of those other people had been before.
His face turned serious then and fixed Corpse with a glare.
“Call Bretman ‘baby’ again and I’ll cut your dick off.”
Corpse let out a throaty laugh and pulled Sykkuno closer, promising he wouldn’t. “Not anymore, that pet name is just reserved for you now.”
And Corpse kept true to his word. Everyone, both streamers and fans, was confused that Corpse lost some, but not all, of his flirtatious nature with others and channelled it all onto Sykkuno now.
Sykkuno still got jealous sometimes, it was an inevitability that Corpse had to deal with himself too when Ludwig made another comment about being romantically involved with Sykkuno or when Karl simped for him again.
But now, when Sykkuno was jealous, he could just move one room over, bundle himself in his boyfriend's arms, and feel secure in knowing that no matter how much Corpse flirted with others, he was the only one who got to do this.