Sunset

[Synopsis: Sunsets always look absolutely spectacular when viewed from such a high elevation. It's no surprise that the resident couples enjoy them so much...As well as those who are now single.]


[Location: MIRA HQ]


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"Alright, last one! No asteroids are gonna be closing in on us today..."


Engineer stepped away from the satellite laser; all of the incoming asteroids on the radar had been successfully eliminated, and it'd been his last task for the day, so he could finally head back to his bunk...But before he could turn around and head back into the Cafeteria, his eyes fell upon the skyscape out yonder.


"...Wow."


The layer of towering cumulus clouds hiding the ground far below stretched out far beyond the horizon, vaguely resembling some sort of fantastical mountain range. The setting sun seemed to nestle itself within the deep violet peaks, highlighting their edges a bright orange, and the sky just above the horizon where the sun shone was a bright shade of gold, which faded into pink, then purple, then blue the further Engineer looked up...It was only when he had his head tilted all the way back that he began to notice the stars way up high, ever so slowly becoming brighter with each passing moment.


"This is spectacular..." he breathed. "Man, I gotta show this to-!"


"Engie? You in here?"


Gnome. She'd decided to show up at the perfect time.


"Oh, there you are! I was starting to think-"


"Gnome. Come here, check this out," the purple crewmate interrupted, motioning for her to stand next to him along the edge of the railing...Her eyes bugged out more the longer she stared at the amazing skyscape.


"...Whoa," she whispered. "That...that's amazing."


"I was just about to come get you. I didn't want you to miss something like this."


"Something like what?"


A third voice came from behind them, entering through the sliding doors. They both turned to see Captain and Dum walking in and heading to the weather measurer, hand in hand.


"Oh. Hey, you two," Engineer answered. "The sunset. Check it out!"


"Hang on," Captain replied. "Dum just has to measure the weather really quick..."


It didn't take long for the readings from the weather balloons to come in, and the moment the task was complete, the white and pink crewmates turned their attention towards the horizon, their visors slowly widening as they took in more and more of the scenery.


"Holy moly...Would you look at that!" Captain gushed. "I haven't seen a sunset so magnificent in...well...ever, I don't think!"


"Me neither," Dum rasped. "It's beautiful..."


"What's going on out here?"


A fifth voice made itself present from behind.


"Yeah. Why the crowd, huh?"


And a sixth.


The two couples pulled their eyes off the skyscape again to face Player and Veteran, who had noticed the crowd on the balcony.


"Oh, hey, little bro!" Dum smiled. "You two need to take a look at this sunset! It's incredible!"


"Really?"


The red and yellow crewmates squeezed in between the two pairs and stared out into the distance.


"Whoooaaa..." they both said at once.


"Isn't it something, bestie?" Captain nodded. "I really loved sunsets before, but this one just takes the cake. It's just so..."


He paused when he felt the sensation of another hand slowly sliding into his own and gently curling its fingers around his. He looked down and saw Dum's pink-clad hand intertwined with his, and their gazes locked.


"...Romantic?" she finished for him.


A smile inched its way across Captain's face, and his visor sparkled.


"Yep. That's it," he nodded. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Dum."


They leaned their heads in and rested them against one another, hands still locked as they admired the amazing view. Gnome and Engineer quickly followed suit, wrapping one another into a side embrace on top of that.


Veteran huffed quietly and rolled his eyes; he wasn't much one for gooey romantic stuff, so he kept his eyes glued onto the sunset.


"Man...Y'know, I don't think I've ever seen a sunset without the bottom of the horizon being the ground," he remarked. "Have you, Player?"


He got no answer.


"...Dude?"


He looked up at his best friend; he had a reminiscent look about his face, and he seemed to be looking down more than he was looking straight out towards the main focus of the scene.


...And he didn't look particularly happy.


"You okay there, dude?"


Player inhaled slowly, then let it out in the form of a long, forlorn sigh, still not giving a verbal response...Veteran racked his brain, cursing himself for having the short-term memory of a goldfish. What was bothering him? Was it something that happened here? He had half a mind to ask one of the two couples on either side of them for some advice on-


...Couples.


It was at that moment that his accursed goldfish brain finally dug up a memory. One that potentially held the answer to his question.


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...


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"Player, I'm a crewmate, I swear!" Noob insisted, her expression hardening. "If you vote me out right now, our relationship is OVER!"


The three others at the table, Veteran, Player and TheGentleman all exchanged glances with one another, the same thoughts going through all of their heads.


It had to be her.


"Hey, wait, what-What are you doing!? Get your hands OFF of me!"


As much as Player tried to keep a straight face like the other two as they lifted her up and carried her towards the balcony, he felt his heart twang in pain. She would really just dump him over a round of Among Us? She wouldn't...would she?


They finally made it to the balcony, and TheGentleman and Veteran prepared to throw her off the edge. Relationship or not, she had to be eliminated in order to secure the crew's victory.


"Player, put me down! Player!"


Nothing she said could convince them, though. It only took them one swift fling of their hands to send Noob over the balcony's edge and hurtling towards the ground below.


"PLAYEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRR...!"


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Noob was not The Impostor.
1 Impostor remains.


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...Well that wasn't what Player had expected to see.


"Wait," he wondered aloud. "She wasn't the Impostor?"


The sound of a splat came from behind, and the red crewmate turned to see Veteran standing there over TheGentleman's fresh corpse, knife in hand.


"...Nope."


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...


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Oh... Veteran said to himself. That explains it.


"...Is it about Noob?" he finally asked him.


The red crewmate tensed up for a second, then deflated.


"This is where it all ended between us," Player remembered. "She didn't even bother showing up to tell me it was off after the round ended. She just...left. And I never saw her again."


He slumped further down, leaning his hands against the edge of the balcony as he looked down into the clouds below...He could almost still see her plummeting towards earth, screaming his name.


"I...I guess I was just fooling myself. I'm just as hopeless with romance as I am at this game..."


Veteran gave him a friendly pat on the back before continuing.


"Dude...Noob didn't leave you for any good reason. That's true...But if that's the case, do you really think things would have worked out well between you two in the long run?"


"Well..."


Player thought about it for a moment...Veteran did have a point; if Noob was willing to desert him over something as petty as one round of Among Us, the breakup was probably bound to happen from the start.


"...I guess not."


"But you know something? That's her loss. Not yours. Why? Because she was so obsessed with winning that she was too blind to see what an awesome guy you were. You might be focused on winning too, but you know that it's not the only thing that matters. And even though you haven't won yet, I know dang well you're not gonna stop trying until you do...If she gave up on you the first time something didn't go her way, then she's no good."


Veteran sighed, then turned to look Player in the eye. He wore an earnest, but slightly guilty expression on his face before spilling the beans on the situation.


"...That's part of why I made sure she was voted out that round," he confessed. "I knew right from when we were playing Fall Guys that she was no good. Look. That chick not only lied to your face about not having played the game before, but she straight up used you to get herself that crown. If you ask me, that's a pretty crummy way to treat someone, am I right?"


"Well...Yeah, you did turn out to be right about that, I guess."


"And then when she came to play Among Us, she left you behind to wing it herself when she learned you hadn't won a game yet. She just didn't wanna be bothered with you draggin' her down and sabotaging her chances of winning. That's not a girlfriend. That's a snake in the grass."


"Hey. Don't compare Charlie to Player's ex-girlfriend," Captain remarked. "That's an insult to snakes!"


"Alright, fine, I take it back..." Veteran mumbled. "But anyways, Player, my point is that someone like you deserves so much better than someone like that. She was a noob when it came to the game, and she was a noob when it came to relationships."


"Hm...Guess that's true," Player nodded lightly. 


"And there are plenty o' fish in the sea...You'll find the right one for ya."


"You really think so?"


"I know so. Because I'm gonna help you do it."


"You will?" Player perked up, finally sporting a smile.


"Heck yeah, I will. What else am I here for, homeslice?"


"Ha...well...Thanks, Veteran. That...that means a lot."


"I'll help too!" Dum chimed in.


"Me three!" Captain added.


"We'll give you some pointers along the way!" Engineer announced. "Sound like a plan, babe?"


"You said it, Engie~!" Gnome chirped.


"All of you?" Player asked, not sure if he believed what he was hearing.


"Of course we will, bestie!" the white crewmate grinned. "I couldn't bear the thought of you being alone all your life!"


"Neither could I," Dum nodded, reassuringly patting her younger brother's head. "Cheer up, Player. Things are gonna get better for you...We'll all make sure of it."


The red crewmate smiled again, and pulled his sister and best friend closer to him. Captain remained at Dum's side as he moved in to join them, Gnome and Engineer scooching further into the group themselves.


"...Thanks, you guys," Player said to them. "...You're the best, you know that?"


"No prob, dude," Veteran nodded. "We'll put our plans into action tomorrow. In the meantime, let's just keep taking in this sweet, sweet sunset."


"Sounds like a good idea to me."


They all stared out towards the horizon again; after only a few more minutes, the magnificent colors of dusk began to soften, and the moon and stars above became fully visible once the last ray of sunlight slipped beneath the clouds out yonder, illuminating the deep indigo night sky with their soft light...The six of them continued to stand there admiring the view even after the rest of the crew had turned in for the night.


Player sighed contently...He hadn't felt this good about things in a long time.


...And this is only the start, he reminded himself. It's all gonna start going uphill from here...I can tell.


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Sometimes, I think I'm running out of ideas, so I just browse writing prompts for an hour straight trying to find a good premise for a story...It might take a while, but most of the time it does work, so that's good. 


Also. Petition to find Player a new gf bc n00b was an @$$hole. XDDD



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