{Handplates chapter reference: But i suppose you've seen it all before}

„WHAT DO YOU THINK HE MEANT? HE SAID 'SEE' LIKE IT MEANT SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST NORMAL SEEING.", asked 2-P into the room.
The lights were turned off, the room was dark. 2-P still wore the bandages as it had only passed a couple of days.

"i dunno. he didn't say that to me."

"HE SAID HE'D FIXED THE, UH... LASER THING, SINCE THE LAST TIME WHEN HE...UH, DID YOU. DID HE TELL YOU WHAT HE WAS DOING?"

"...i don't really remember, i passed out pretty fast."

A couple of hours had passed.
There was silence in the room as both brothers slept peacefully.

But something was off.

1-S stirred awake slowly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.
He was huddled up against 2-P, hearing the soft breathing of his brother. He felt the warmth his body radiated off as they both cuddled together.

Suddenly, 1-S saw something in the corner of his eye. He quickly turned his head to look at it fully.

Two lifeless eyes stared back at him.

It looked oddly like himself, more like a grown-up version.
He wore different clothes and was slightly taller...but the look he had terrified 1-S.

1-S stared back, his own irises diminished in horror.

Behind the skeleton stood a taller skeleton, seemingly searching for something – or someone.

The other version of what seemed to be Subject 2 suddenly pointed to the other side of the door frame and the other 1-S turned his head in that direction as well.

1-S followed their gaze and there was something, or someone?

It was an odd-looking creature, smiling at him warmly.

Their smile was one of the kindest 1-S had ever seen, and he had seen Subject 2 smile quite a lot.

The creature had the shape of a skeleton but not really.
There were different shades of (h/c) and (skin/c), colors he had never seen so vividly before.

For a moment he felt his soul react a little but as soon as he blinked, whatever he saw was gone and the warmth he felt with it.

That...thing, that someone felt familiar.. but how?

"bro! bro! wake up! wake up!"

2-P grumbled in response, slowly waking up as 1-S started shaking him by the shoulders.

"i saw something!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?", 2-P asked groggily, rubbing his eye gently through the bandages.

"i saw something! i saw something! outside the beams!"

"MMMPH, WHAT'D YOU SEE?"

"i saw...i think i saw us.. and something else.."

"US?"

"yeah, but...we looked different."

"DIFFERENT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? DIFFERENT HOW?"

"...different.", was all that 1-S replied, squinting his eyes as he stared again at the same spot where he saw the other versions of themselves, then back to where that other creature stood.

"and there was this weird...creature. it was... it had the same structure like us but didn't look like us? it had so many colors. it looked so weird. (h/c), (skin/c)...it was strange but it looked...kind?"

It was weird for 1-S to say that, considering he never trusted anyone or anything.
He was the one who viewed everything more critically, but he could not deny that he felt...something when he saw that being.
That someone.
There was an odd sense of familiarity and belonging.

"ARE YOU SURE YOU DIDN'T DREAM THIS? CAN YOU STILL SEE US? MAYBE HE PUT A MIRROR THERE. MAYBE HE IS TESTING US."

1-S's eyes darted once more beyond the beams, but there was still nothing. The hallway was entirely deserted.

"no...it's gone now...i just saw it for a couple of seconds."

"THAT'S WEIRD....DO YOU THINK THAT'S WHAT HE MEANT ABOUT SEEING?"

"...is that what he meant...?", 1-S pondered, bringing his hand up to his chin.

"but what does that mean...?"

2-P yawned and leaned back against the wall.

"ARE YOU SURE YOU WEREN'T DREAMING?"

1-S sighs and settles down against 2-P's chest again, slowly closing his eyes..

"maybe... maybe. Let's keep this between you and me, alright?"

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{A/N: Sorry, rather short but it's to mark the importance of this event}