Chapter Text
Waking up, the first thing he felt was cold. No, that was wrong. The first thing he was feeling was actually quite warm, and comforting, but that seemed wrong. Taking a slow breath in it was difficult, wrapped up as he was. But he felt so comfortable, and while it was… a little disconcerting, he had a feeling that comfort was foreign to him. Just laying there and listening to his surroundings he sensed really nothing except for the beating of his own heart. The constant thumping sound was also soothing in a weird way. Slowly blinking his eyes, he was finally able to actually take in his surroundings visually. However the only thing that he could actually see was that everything was… green? Green with a faded light behind it it seemed. That was nice actually, and while breathing was a little difficult with how wrapped up he felt, that didn’t seem like such an important thing right now.
In fact maybe he could just…
Close his eyes for a bit again…
Enjoy this while it lasted…
A while later, he didn’t know how long, he woke up spasming and jolting, feeling a spike of fear in his heart as a nightmare he already couldn’t remember left its dredges in his mind. He had to… He had to move, he had to get out of here, get out, get out get out get out GET OUT GET OUT-
Where was he?
What was covering him?
Why couldn’t he move?
WHY COULDN’T HE MOVE?
Struggling he soon found that he in fact could move his arms slowly, the limbs feeling stiff and heavy at the same time, as though he’d been… carrying something? No, not quite, they felt almost… numb. He was beginning to panic, breathing coming fast as he struggled against his body trying to fight his way out.
He started to try and squirm to get out of this little pocket of warmth he found himself in. What had started out feeling secure and safe now felt like a prison, a verdant smothering prison that he had to GET OUT OF.
Purple hands started ripping and tearing away the green. Those must be his, that was new, or was it old? He didn’t have time to think about it, he didn’t have time to think about anything he simply had to get out. Once he broke into air, he took a deep breath, before coughing hard as his nose and throat were assaulted with the most floral aromas he’d ever smelled… at least he thought so. Maybe? he didn’t know, he didn’t know anything, and thinking? If he tried thinking about it he felt a pain in his head, maybe best to just focus on what was actually going on around him for now. Think later, focus on the now, the present.
Trying to gasp for air through his mouth to give his nose a break until he was more used to it, he felt himself trembling as his limbs began to slowly wake up from their numb state. It was around now that to his left he heard something and whipped his head in that direction.
MISTAKE.
His head throbbed with pain and he felt nausea build in his gut, his eyesight going dark for a second as he wobbled in place. Taking more deep breaths his vision returned in a moment, and found himself watching as another purple hand burst out of what looked like a green mound covered in some lavender, teal, and blue flowers. Following the hand was a horned figure, gasping for air much like he had been, and whipping his own head around, before bright red eyes met his.
The two of them sat there, staring for a minute while panting. He watched as the other figure wobbled in place a bit, a sickly look coming over his face as the repercussions of moving your head too quickly after whatever was happening affected him as well. Looking down at his own apparent mound, had they been buried? In plants? He saw bright red and dark purple flowers growing around him, as well as a few matching sprigs of lavender, a few having been torn in his rapid escape. Clenching and unclenching his fists he reached up and felt along his head, noticing that he had horns like the other person in this place. He grit his teeth(sharp?) and tried to get out of the plants he was trapped in, but just succeeded in flopping right back inside with a loud groan, his entire body aching now that the numbness was gone. He swore he heard a high pitched giggle, but it was swiftly followed with a groan similar to his own. He wanted to call out something in reply but it got choked up in his throat. Words tasted weird in his mouth, his tongue feeling heavy as he almost nicked it with his fangs. He was pretty sure it came out sounding like a gurgle, and his mouth tasted like it was coated in saw dust, despite not being dry at all. He was just learning all sorts of things about himself today it seemed. Fangs, purple skin, and a set of horns that felt as though they curled around his head, which all in all made him think that the other figure he saw looked a hell of a lot like him. Strange.
With a loud groan he tried sitting up again, fighting against his body’s exhaustion to take a look around and find the other purple person in the room with him. It took a lot, his entire being seeming to fight against him in simply trying to sit up. Finally he was somewhat vertical, zeroing in on the other mound in the room. He saw their feet sticking out of the top, as if they’d tried to wiggle out that way before giving up. “E-” He immediately started to cough, his throat protesting any form of communication due to lack of use, though not lack of moisture it seemed, thanks to whatever was going on in his… plant cocoon? He had a vague feeling of deja vu and shook his head, only to groan once more at the motion. He felt like he had a massive hangover, and every single movement just caused pins and needles of pain across his body and nausea to roil in his stomach. Whatever was happening here he was not a huge fan at all. Even moving his arms to hold his head felt like a ridiculous task.
Noises from the other veggie lump brought his attention up once more as the other purple being finally managed to perch on the lip of the grass, showing off that they were completely in the buff. Now that he thought about it it appeared that he was in a similar state, which… okay they were definitely way too similar. The only thing his brain offered him as an explanation was “family”, so perhaps that was right… no, no that seemed wrong, but it was the only explanation he had… He was also pretty sure this other person was doing better at the whole “getting out of here” thing which he felt like was something he could not allow. Fighting through the pain shooting through him he started pushing himself up and out of his cocoon, hands on the sides as he struggled. His body felt like it was screaming at him to stop, sharp pains shooting all through his muscles down to his very bones in protest but he didn’t care. He was doing it, he was getting out of the word plant pod he had escaped from, he was…
Falling.
He was falling arse over teakettle and landing flat on his back knocking the wind out of himself in the process, making all of the pain almost a thousand times worse as he gasped out. Again he heard giggling from close by. Flipping off the one laughing at his misery, hissing at the pain surrounding his hands, he tried to sit up again. This was a mistake, he groaned as the feeling around his whole body started getting actually worse. Maybe he should just… Lay here for a while on the soft grass, it was nice actually, warm… Hearing a noise that was like a squawk and a yelp he turned his head only to get slammed with another purple body. Seemed that his double tried to follow after him and now they were a pile of painful limbs on the ground.
Growling lowly he glared at the other, who looked to be a little confused and discombobulated, blinking rapidly before growling back in reply, though his seemed more of a reaction than a threat. They struggled apart from each other, each ending up flat on their backs gasping and panting for air. He felt a little vindictive pleasure that it was just as much effort for the other as it was for him. A very petty feeling caused him to smack the other tiefling’s chest with the back of his hand, though all that did was give him an equal smack to his own, causing a bloom of pain again. His whole body felt as though tiny needles were shooting through him from everywhere, from his horns to his tail, top layer of skin all the way to deep in his bones. Actually wait, backup a tick, he had a tail, which was making itself known as it started to twitch and move along the grass. It was also in pain it seemed, and his double hissed when it smacked against his thigh. Seemed the two tieflings were at an impasse, both in pain and neither wanting to move. Trying to speak just ended with him choking on his words, and any form of movement shot the needling pain through his body. With how the other was reacting it seemed to be the same for them as well. Snarling at the ceiling above him, he tried to just sit up, but that proved far too much effort and he just ended up groaning and laying back down. His attempt at getting up was hindered more when the other just started smacking at his chest again, making low grumbles of his own as if trying to stop him. Huffing and finally giving up he laid there, feeling the other squirm closer and… what the fuck? Wrinkling his nose he tried to push the other off of him, but just succeeded in getting tangled up, limbs and tail both and… was the bastard purring?
The efforts of all the movement he’d spent caught up with him as he laid there being… cuddled for lack of a better word, by someone who seemed to look similar to him. Laying there with no option he decided that maybe it was best to try and gather his thoughts, as scattered as they were right now.
First, he’d woken up in a weird pod, surrounded by plants.
Second, the only other creature that seemed to be around was someone who, as far as he could tell, looked just like him.
Third, every time he tried to speak it felt like something was stopping him, stuffing his mouth so that words were impossible.
Closing his eyes he took another deep breath, ignoring the fact his body’s natural reaction to the purring was to purr right back. It was oddly comforting in a way. Soon the purring started to stutter just slightly, still present but sporadic amongst the calm, even breathing of the tiefling beside him. He opened his eyes once, staring above him at a ceiling covered in what looked like a type of luminescent moss, probably the source of the light that was shining through his grass cocoon. It wasn’t so bright as to cause discomfort, but it made it possible to see the room.
He had no idea where he was, and as his eyelids drooped all he could think of now was that he just felt so tired… honestly just purely exhausted. Trying to move as much as he did in such a short amount of time? Bad idea… Terrible truly. He was stupid and impulsive to even try, and why should he have even cared about trying to “beat” the other tiefling at all? It was ridiculous, all that it caused was pain and anger and now he was flat on his back barely feet away from where he started, being held against his will. Despite what his tail was doing wrapping around the other’s in a weird instinctual display of comfort. He felt himself slowly fading, the sound of purring next to him and the heartbeats he felt thrumming through both his and his unlikely companions chests creating a soothing melody that helped him drift off. His last thought before sleep was a simple one, one that really should have occurred earlier. Who was this strange other person, and on that note, who was he?