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Purple tapped at the surface of their bed, to the right of their phone, waiting. It wasn’t an anxious tap, for once–more so a bored one that came from their friend being a slow typer. They weren’t doing anything else but talking to them, and so… they got bored a little easily.
branchbrawl
[and I think its gonna be fun!!]
Purple snorted, typing back, [Id hope so. U only told me about it a million times]
Another long pause. Typing and deleting and typing again. They were a bit indecisive, brachbrawl. Her user was a clever play on stickfight, Purple thought. She probably completed in rookie tourneys, like Purple themself. Maybe even for herself instead of for her mom, like Purple. Or—well, her dad more likely. Purple hadn't heard her talk about her mom at all. She said she didn't 'get' fighting, but... fighters knew each other, and they were sticks. Even if she wasn't into it now, she was before.
Online friendships were weird.
A singular, [stfu] was the reply, and then, another bout of branchbrawl is typing.
They’d done a typespeed race once. Purple had decimated them. It was one of the few things they could win nearly one hundred percent of the time. You had to be quick if you hopped for monitors. It was a matter of life or death if you met a mean enough cursor and didn't pull up a stupid monitor keyboard and type fast enough. Purple wasn't there yet, but maybe soon they might jump onto a screen to register for those website fights.
branchbrawl
[I am SO excited tho]
Monarch_1vv1
[Ik. Im glad]
branchbrawl
[and cuz its my bday my dad said hes gonna get me anything I want. And its such a good place so people are gonna come and its gonna be !!!!!]
Must be nice.
Purple winced at the thought. They weren't—well they weren't jealous per se, but it did make some ugly feeling they stuffed back down away try and well up. Branch deserved it. She's a good person. She deserved everything and more. Maybe Purple was biased, but–still.
Monarch_1vv1
[You better tell me about it]
branchbrawl
[ofc. ur my best friend who else would I tell?]
Purple scoffed, spamming heart emojis or whatever into the chat. It shouldn't affect them that much, but. Well.
Purple didn't have that many friends.
There was the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Purple turned to face it, tucking their phone under their pillow just in time for the door to open. Mom, hair down for once, instead of up like she was about to fight. She was always about to fight. She always looked a little strange to Purple with it down.
“We’ve got a tourney in the morning. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Ok.”
She closed the door, and Purple collapsed back into the pillows, taking out their phone again. It’s not like she’ll be mad if Purple was on their phone before bed–hell, Purple was pretty sure she knew. But… still. Dad might be disappointed.
Branch had typed more of a response.
branchbrawl
[R u gonna be free tmrw morning? We can vc before i go!!]
Monarch_1vv1
[Nah i got a tourney.] Apparently. [Wish i could :/]
branchbrawl
[Ill save you some cake!!]
Purple snorted.
Monarch_1vv1
[What flavor?]
branchbrawl
[choclate obv]
Monarch_1vv1
[red velvet is better.]
branchbrawl
[RED VELVET IS THE SAME THING ITS JUST A DIFFERENT COLOR]
Purple quietly laughed, and almost went to respond. They stopped upon seeing the branchbrawl is typing once again, and waited. They didn’t know why. They didn’t need to wait. It wouldn’t be impolite to continue. But still, Branch had something to say, they supposed. Might as well hear them out.
branchbrawl
[thanks for talking w me Monarch!! I need to go to bed now bc were waking up early tmrw. AND BECAUSE YOU ARE TOO]
Purple stifled their giggles, rolling their eyes.
Monarch_1vv1
[I can stay up as long as i want.]
branchbrawl
[but you shouldnt]
Monarch_1vv1
[I can tho]
branchbrawl
[shouldn’t!! I know tourneys are awful and idk why you keep doing them but you should def sleep before them]
Monarch_1vv1
[I never win anyways so idc. might as well have fun at night]
Branchbrawl is typing…
Purple sighed. They shouldn’t get all… self-loathing-y around Branch. Not because Branch couldn’t take a vent, or whatever, but moreso because she’s too damn nice and–
branchbrawl
[I think you’re an amazing fighter. The way you talk about it and the amount you train is a LOT. I dont really get it but its so cool to see you break it down!!]
Because she always makes them feel better.
branchbrawl
[and I think your mom’s kinda skewing your perceptions a little?? Because she’s a really really good fighter? You said she was a Professional and all the Professional Tourney Fighters are super advanced???]
And Purple didn’t really deserve to feel better.
branchbrawl
[does that make sense?]
Monarch_1vv1
[Yeah. Unfortunately.]
branchbrawl
[ur a good fighter Mon. youd kick my ass!!]
Monarch_1vv1
[Didnt ur dad teach u how to fight?]
branchbrawl
[eh]
Monarch_1vv1
[Isn’t HE a professional fighter??]
branchbrawl
[ehhhh. ok FINE yes BUT that just means I know what Im talking about! You’re a good fighter who does their best always all the time. You’re so cool!!]
Monarch_1vv1
[Idk Branch. I kinda ruin everything lol]
branchbrawl
[dont u DARE say that about my best friend >:/ youre the coolest person I know and youre amazing!!! ]
Monarch_1vv1
[Alr Branch ill take ur word for it]
branchbrawl
[hell yeah. have fun at that tourney!!!]
Purple never did, but they’d try, for once. For Branch.
Purple did not have fun at the tourney.
“Cursors, every damn time I think you can handle it–”
“I’m sorry–” Purple rasped, trying to stand, trying trying trying–
“Get up, if you’re sorry then get the hell up!”
They were trying!
“Navy, that’s enough.”
“You’re coddling them, Orchid you’re fucking–they need to learn this.”
“Go easy on them, Navy,”
“No. You know what? I’m done. I’m done.”
Branch didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. Purple ruined everything.
branchbrawl
[how was the tourney?]
Monarch_1vv1
[How was the party?]
There was silence from the both of them, for a moment, before Purple got jumpscared by the ringing of a call. For a second, Purple thought it was an accident, Branch almost never called without saying she would in the chat. After it wouldn’t go away, Purple hit accept.
“Mon?”
“What’s up, Branch?”
Purple heard the sound of breathing, the shitty quality of a call not made for anything but gaming headsets picking up audio from a phone’s microphone making it sound staticky.
Then, “You first.”
“Huh? No, no, you said you’d tell me about your party.”
“I asked first.”
“Technically, I asked yesterday.”
Branch laughed, though it seemed a little choked up.
“Yeah, ok. That’s fair. Um. No one showed up.”
Purple’s heart sank. “What?”
“Yeah.”
“Why the fuck–” Purple swallowed, controlling their anger. It was harder today, but they managed. Branch was about to cry, they would force themself to manage. “Why?”
“It was a big joke to them. Um...” Branch made that broken little laugh again, “Yeah, no one came.”
“You didn’t deserve that. They’re such bastards. I don’t know why anyone would do that to you, oh my cursors–”
“Monarch just, stop? Please. Um, how’d the tourney go?”
Purple’s throat closed up.
“Oh, I lost.”
“Damn. Did you have fun?”
There were–there were moments, certainly. Purple had gotten pretty far, all things considered. There was once where they’d reared back their fist and kicked the guy down. A bit of a dirty move, but one that made Mom laugh.
Mom. Who still hadn’t come back since yesterday. Who didn’t say she would come back. Who left because of Purple. It was Purple’s fault, it was all–
“Monarch?”
“What? Oh, uh. I mean…”
Here’s the thing about online friends: You know the way their dad laughs, maybe. The way their mom has fucked them up. The way they’re keeping a plant on their desk and can’t keep it alive. The way their fingers move while folding an origami star for you.
You don’t know their face. You don’t know their name. Purple was an excellent liar, and while someone who truly knew the way that their eyes didn’t shift and their voice didn’t waver could spot a lie, Branch could not.
And Purple held no qualms about lying to their best friend.
“I did I think!”
“You did?”
“Yeah!” Purple huffed, “Figures all it took was a little compliment or whatever.”
“That’s good! That’s–” Branch sniffed, “I’m happy for you. Thank cursors one of us had fun today.”
Purple could faintly hear dad redialing Mom’s number.
“Only ‘cause of you. You really helped me, Branch.”
“Really?”
“Well, duh. Wouldn’t have happened without you.“
“Oh.”
“Seriously! You like–I don’t know. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I had a really fun day yesterday.“ Dad’s call didn’t go through. He was bad at smothering his sob, “I had good time for the first time in… like, months.”
“That’s—that’s good!”
Purple laughed, and it only sounded a little forced. Less so, even, as Branch joined them. They did sound a little better, as Purple recounted the best parts of the match that they could barely remember. Cutting away the parts that hurt. Maybe, if they did it enough, it would stop hurting.
(That, it turned out, would be their motive for most things. At least when it came to helping people.)
branchbrawl
[and now we have tickets to this festival!!]
Monarch_1vv1
[Oh hell yeah]
branchbrawl
[and theres gonna be a concert and food stalls and so many cool things and I just!!! I cant wait!]
Purple’s life was, at the moment, their personal fucking hell.
Monarch_1vv1
[I hope it goes well Branch! Tell me about it once you get back!]
branchbrawl
[ofc. Love you /p]
Dad was getting worse. Mom had never come back. They couldn’t win any tourneys. Their shitty job was just barely making enough to pay the bills. Let alone the medication they needed for dad. Which was why he was getting worse. It was all Purple’s fault.
Monarch_1vv1
[ uno_reverse.png ]
branchbrawl
[:0!!]
They didn’t know what to do
Monarch_1vv1
[Have fun at the festival]
Purple didn’t ask Branch how the festival went, the next morning. Or the morning after that.
In their defense, they were rather preoccupied with choosing a casket.
Monarch_1vv1
[Hey branch. Sorry it’s been a while.]
A while was an understatement. Since the two had become close friends, there’d barely been 12 hours that’d passed since they last spoke. And then Purple had gone and ghosted them for two weeks straight.
Monarch_1vv1
[A lot of shit just went on. Like a lot.]
[Sorry.]
Branch hadn’t spoken either, though. Which was odd. Was she waiting for Purple? Purple grimaced, curling up a little more on their bed. Damn, they were messing up everything now, huh?
Monarch_1vv1
[How was the festival?]
…nothing. Which was very weird. Maybe she was giving Purple a silent treatment? Maybe she was mad at them? No, Purple was jumping to conclusions. That was childish of them.
Maybe it was a coincidence! For all Purple knew, Branch was going through the exact same thing on the other side of the screen. Or maybe something better. Maybe something worse. Maybe she was having the best two weeks of her life and had gotten so caught up with it that she hadn’t messaged Purple. Maybe she just couldn’t come online right now. Purple hoped so. Someone deserved to be having fun.
Except, they never responded. Which was very out of character for her. It was out of character for Purple, too–surely Branch would’ve commented on that, right? Maybe… maybe it was worse, whatever Branch was going through. Or better.
Purple waited two days before sending another message.
Monarch_1vv1
[Are you mad at me?]
It was a desperate, clingy thing. It was also something that Purple couldn’t help but send. If she was, then Purple wanted to get it cleared up. They wanted to get their friend back. They needed their best friend right now. Fuck, they needed Branch more than they’d thought. The last two days had been spent in a whirlwind of business, but in the stolen snatches of breaks they’d been getting, they’d managed to scroll through their chat history. Gained solace in the idea of a friend being by them.
Though, that friend wasn’t by them right now.
Monarch_1vv1
[Branch??]
Some best friend.
Monarch_1vv1
[Dude, im serious. It wasn’t anything you did or whatever i just had a really shitty few weeks. im sorry but please don’t just ghost me. Cmon.]
[Are you seriously ignoring me??]
Monarch_1vv1
[Sorry i didnt mean that. Im just really stressed.]
[Get back to me when you can pleae]
[please]
Monarch_1vv1
[Morning Branch]
Monarch_1vv1
[I dont know what I did but im sorry. Please come back and we can talk about it?]
Monarch_1vv1
[Hello??]
Monarch_1vv1
[Are you ok?]
Monarch_1vv1
[Branch?]
Monarch_1vv1
[gn]
Monarch_1vv1
[hello?]
Monarch_1vv1
[ok so. I know you’re not going to come back]
[idk what happened but]
[i guess]
[bye Branch]
[hope youre doing ok]
[love you]
Purple set their phone down, closing out of the app.
That was it, then.
That was it.
They were sitting on the bank of the ice lake when Purple’s phone dinged, a notification that wasn’t meant to be ignored.
“Oh, hold on, MT, I think the group just pinged me.” Purple took out their phone, scanning for the new notification before taking off a glove to tap on it. Their new friends didn’t ping them for many things that weren’t important, so they made sure to check if they ever did.
“Pinged?”
“Ah, messaged me directly? But in a group chat? You don’t have this app, so…” Purple read the message, from Green. @Purple tell Blue it doesn’t count if you drink a strength potion. This was an exception, apparently. Purple started to tuck their phone away “It wasn’t important anyways.”
“What was it?”
“Some stupid argument they needed me for. I can respond to it later.”
“If you say so.” MT hummed, nibbling on a Minecraft cookie and making a face. Fair. Minecraft food didn’t taste nearly as good as real food. Something about the… pixels. “That didn’t look like text messaging.”
“It wasn’t. It was a messaging app, but like–more for group chats than individual, I guess? For gaming really. It was for creators before some sticks translated it and the features. I’ve had it for a while but haven’t used it in a long time.”
“Is that so? It looked… familiar.”
“Yeah?”
“I think Gold may have had it.”
Purple did their best not to look too intrigued. MT rarely talked about Gold. Just as Purple rarely talked about dad, let alone Mom. MT didn’t tend to shut down at the slightest look of interest, but Purple didn’t like it when people were too curious about their past, so…
“It’s a popular app, so, you know.”
“I suppose.”
“What was their username? Maybe I knew them?” Purple chuckled. It was a low possibility, all things considered. They had a lot of ‘friends’ but not a lot of people they really knew. Long-forgotten people who Purple only noticed on the off chance they were online at the same time. The idea of it being one of those people was less than a lightning strike.
“Something… something with branch. I think.”
Purple had felt relatively warm, in the taiga. Despite the snow on the ground, their still ungloved hand and the chill of the wind, they’d felt warm. Now, though, they felt like a bucket of ice dumped on their head.
“Branchbrawl?”
“Yes. That was it.” MT turned, “Did you know her?”
“She–” Purple swallowed, “She died?”
MT flinched, “Yes. You know this.”
“Oh.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I didn’t know she died. I thought she just. Left.” Purple huffed, pulling up their old chat. Long dead. Like her, apparently. Fuck, “I thought she just left me.”
MT looked over at Purple’s phone screen, spotting the name. His eyes widened.
“Oh, Monarch. Of course. She mentioned you a lot.” MT put a hand over their mouth, “Oh, she’d kill me for hurting her friend like that.”
“Yeah, she’d kill me for punching her dad.”
She would. Cursors. Cursors.
Purple didn’t know her face. Purple didn’t know their best friend’s face until after they died. But now, Cursors, they did. Why was that worse? Why was it worse to know her face after her death?
Maybe it was because she’d never get to see theirs.
Purple leaned against MT, and felt the stabilizing pressure of someone who barely leaned back. If MT actually used Purple for support, they’d both go down, but this—gentle touch—was fine.
“Her name was Gold?”
“Yes.”
“Gold.” Purple hummed, “I miss her so much.”
How could you mourn someone who's name you learned seconds ago?
“...as do I.”
There was solace in that, at least.
“Did… did she have a really awful plant on her desk? Or was she just bad at keeping it healthy?”
MT barked out a startled laugh, “Oh, you know about that? Yes, the plant was the problem, I think. I’ll have to show you what it looks like. I’ve never seen a plant look so…”
“Thirsty?”
“The dirt is like sand, yes. It’s ridiculous. Did she tell you about how she tried to set up an IV line to it?”
“Yes? Oh my Cursors, she wasn’t joking about that?”
“I have a picture of it on an old camera. I’ll show you that too. It works well enough.”
Purple laughed at the thought. They leaned their head onto MT’s shoulder. As Gold’s two favorite people in the world mourned her, in a way that didn’t quite feel as sad as it should’ve. She would’ve liked that, Purple thought.
Gold would’ve liked that they met. And she would’ve been happy that they were, despite everything. Maybe that was enough, to be happy. For her.