Shorter chapter this time, apologies.

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"Is there a coffee machine in here somewhere..?" Victim clicks his tongue and searches through the cupboards. The kitchen in the main room isn't much but it will make do, the counter tops made from cold, polished metal with a small stove built into the side.

"Wish there was, but I've already looked," Yellow comments as he steps into the kitchen as well, his voice a little sleepy.

Victim points his eyes at Yellow, "And what are you doing up so early? Don't you need to be getting some sleep after that hell of a night?"

"I'm a morning person," Yellow replies, "like you can be talking."

Victim lets out an exasperated "hmph", nor denying the accusation.

"Could probably get D to make a coffee machine, the handyman he is."

"You're literally talking to an engineer and scientist."

Victim gives the other a sidelong glance, "Who?"

Yellow only stares at Victim with utter most disappointment.

"I'm not making a coffee machine after last time," Dark whines.

Yellow and Victim look over at Dark.

Victim raises an eyebrow, "When did you get up?"

"Literally an hour ago," Dark retorts snarkily, leaning against the counter next to Yellow.

"What happened the last time you made a coffee machine?" Yellow questions. Dark's stories of robots and inventions have always been inspiring to the young scientist.

"Why the hell did you get up an hour ago? What, did you get five minutes of sleep?"

"Actually, Vic, for your information I got plenty. And as if you can talk! I heard you walking around this shit hole in the middle of the night!"

"So you were awake! Ha!"

"Grrrr..." Dark snarls.

"Hey but what–" Yellow halts himself with a sigh and gives up on the question once Victim and Dark continue to bicker. Guess I'll just have to wait until the others wake up.

It takes another hour or so before the others begin to wake up and head outside of their rooms, and it's not hard to feel the uneasy feeling in the air.

Blue walks over to Green who's slumped on the dusty couch in the main room of the bunker, "Is Purps up yet?"

For a moment Green tilts his head to look at Blue, but his head drops to the floor again, "Nah. He's uh....probably not coming out for a while. I think he wanted some alone time."

Blue rubs the other's shoulder comfortingly, sharing a small concerned look with Red.

Red sighs, crossing his arms, "This is so depressing. I don't even know what to say anymore."

Green huffs, "I think that's just the author running out of ideas."

"....what?"

"What..?"

"What?"

There's a moment of silence between them.

"I wonder what outside looks like right now," Red rubs a hand through his messy hair, "What if those scary things are still roaming around..?"

"Probably are," Blue nods idly before sitting down on the couch next to Green, his shoulders also slumped miserably, "I don't really want to find out."

Green hums in agreement.

Red puts his hands on his hips and walks over to stand in front of Green and Blue, "Woah."

"What?"

"Woahwoahwoahwoahwoah....woah," Red shakes his head and clicks his tongue, "What is thissssss–..." he tries to find the word for a moment before just gesturing to all of Green and Blue, "This?"

Green yawns, "Huh?"

"Yeah, I'm not following," Blue adds.

"You two are so moping around right now. I mean, yeah, I'm sad too but we can't let this all get the best of us!"

"I like, just woke up man, you're gonna have to slow down," Green grumbles.

"Oh yeah? Bet you enjoyed that nap," Red cracks a cheeky smirk, "With Purple."

Green's eyes widen and he nearly chokes on a heavy blush.

Blue blinks with confusion and curiosity, "Wait what?"

"Great! You're awake now. So listen up buttercup," Red clears his throat, "This place is really dingy, and everything may seem really....really awful and i'm starting to fully register that now," he runs his eyes over the room awkwardly.

"You're just noticing this?" Blue gives Red an unimpressed look.

"Anyways, my point is," Red clears his throat, "We shouldn't let all this get to us. Instead of focusing on the negative things, let's be glad that we're safe here in the bunker! And also that we have two GODS here with us!" he points over at Dark and Chosen, who is just walking out of the bedroom.

Dark raises an eyebrow at the nickname, whilst Chosen averts his confused and tired look from Red, looking over to Dark. He quietly walks across to the kitchen and settles against the counter next to Dark, "Did Red just call us gods?"

"I'm not too fussed with the title," Dark smirks, flexing his hand in front of himself.

Chosen is clearly still tired, barely woken up fully, "Of course you aren't. Bet you'd love people worshipping you at your feet," he mutters wryly.

Dark lets out a chuckle, giving the other a sidelong look, "I can only dream–"

Chosen yawns and shifts a bit closer before resting his head on Dark's shoulder. And by the other's silence, it's easy to tell that Dark has shut the fuck up internally as well.

"...." Dark slowly turns his stiff neck, looking at Victim with a somehow redder face.

"Hm," Vic hums with a smirk, fiddling with the bottom of his sweater and tip-toeing away.

By this moment, Dark's mind has completely overloaded and his body visibly more tense, just staring ahead at a wall....with Chosen leaning against him sleepily. Cause what does one simply do in this situation, especially someone who has no knowledge of affection – someone like The Dark Lord.

Over by the couch, Chosen's successor, Second, has collapsed onto the couch next to Green, practically suffocating him in the process of leaning against Green. While chatting to Red, Blue and Yellow who has now also joined the others, Green wraps a lazy arm around his snoring friend.

Dark blinks a couple times, internally pondering whether or not he should take note of the teenager's actions. Wrapping an arm around the waist! The perfect solution...while Green and Second might just be friends, with Chosen it's different.....I can....uh....do it better than Green!

He lets out a quiet sigh along with a smile, having decided his fate. While Chosen is silent against him and the edge of the counter, Dark slowly snakes his arm around the other. His hand sits there for a couple of seconds, Dark's heart beginning to speed up involuntarily. How am I not dead yet?

But it only lasts so long before Chosen swats Dark's hand away, not even bothering to open his eyes or move in the process.

...

"No reception, no fresh food except for cans, no fresh water," Second lists off his fingers, "Alan's pc isn't safe, outside probably isn't safe."

Chosen looks through one of the cupboards, picking up a can of beans and studying it. He didn't know that Dark had stored all this here, let alone make a whole bunker. Must've been a backup plan for...something.

Vic also takes a peek at the can Chosen is holding, a more disgusted and unconvinced look on his face.

Dark snorts obnoxiously from the corner of the room where he's sitting at an old and rickety desk. Apart from getting most of the dust off the desk and the computer, Dark is still trying to get the thing running, stitching together a few wires here and there.

"Cans are fine!" he spins around on the chair to face the others, "Whether it be meat, vegetables or beans, they're nutritious and give you all the shit you need and they also last a long time. So forget your gourmet meals and start getting used to your new diet for a while," he snarks.

Blue looks personally offended from that last comment.

"What about water? Where are we gonna get that from?" Red asks.

Dark arches an eyebrow. When he built this place he hooked up all the taps and bathrooms to a large water tank, "Aren't the taps working?"

"Well...they are," Red rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

Yellow goes to the kitchen tap and turns the nozzle for Dark to see. The water that streams out of the tap isn't how it should look. Almost foamy, the water looks contaminated with ultramarine specs, bubbling up at the drain with a violet hue.

Dark's eyebrows furrow and he pushes himself off the chair, walking over to the kitchen. That does not look good in the slightest. Crazily enough, water isn't usually blue. There's a pause of silence and collective bewilderment.

"Alright, who wants to taste test–?"

"NO–"

As a substitute for taste testing the – most likely radioactive – water, a sock was offered up and slid onto the spout of the rusty faucet. After turning the handle and letting the water pour through the fabric a rather unpleasant sight is left of the dirty sock. Everyone takes a cautious step back as the fabric shrivels and curls in on itself, staining the white with putrid smell and colour.

"Holy shit," are the similar words that fall from multiple people's breaths. It strikes fear in the realisation that they could've drunk that out of desperation. Who knows what would've happened then.

Without another thought, Chosen strides off towards the entrance of the bunker whilst passing by everyone. His body searches blindly for some kind of lever or button to open the large metal door. Before Dark can shout out for how to open the door, Chosen shoves a stiff lever down. Light soars through the gaps of metal that shift apart, blinding the eyes that don't squint at the harsh contrast of the bunker darkness. Pushing through the strain of his eyes, Chosen takes a step forward and scans the surroundings with horror.

Tree sap turned to sludge and grass wilted. The once lush green canopy of leaves has turned dark and violet-blue, lines blurring between realism and static. Dripping fluorescent mushrooms sprout from the damp ground and Blue warily takes the mushrooms he collected earlier from his pocket to take a second look at them. They all crowd by the door and gape at the sight outside.

A gust of toxically thick air brushes past Chosen's face and he instinctively takes a breath in. One moment follows after another in a crazed rush. Chosen spiralling into a fit of violent coughs and being tugged back inside by a mob of hands. An aggressive rustle in the nearby bushes and a figure bolting at the door. Dark and Victim slamming the door shut in a combined effort, followed by a loud thud and screeching behind the tainted metal.