[Synopsis: Player lets Veteran choose a movie for them to watch on a dark, stormy night. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a bit too much for Player to handle, so Veteran decides to remedy the situation.]

[Location: Player's house]

Spoilers for The Thing, in case you haven't watched it, but want to see it for yourself. Just a heads up.

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"Okay...okay...You win the Nerf war," Veteran admitted as the two of them dragged themselves back into the house. "I'll get you the Skittles next time we meet up."

"Ha...You don't need to do all three," Player told him, pretty exhausted himself. "Just two's fine...Heh..."

Player had emerged victorious just in time; it'd begun to cloud up during the middle of the combat session, and as they trudged into the house, they'd begun to hear thunder. By now it was almost dark outside, but the sunset was concealed behind a blanket of dark, ominous clouds, and rain was beginning to fall.

"Man, that was awesome..." Veteran said to him. "Heh...So, uh...We don't have to hit the sack for another handful of hours, right?"

"Yeah...Before they left, my parents said they wouldn't mind if we stayed up later than usual. As long as we didn't stay up until, like, midnight."

"Man. Your parents must have a lot o' trust in you to leave you here with me for the evening so they can go out."

"Hey, it's a win-win. They get a nice night out, and we get to hang."

"Awesome...So, uh, they said somethin' about leaving some pizza rolls for us to split for dinner before they left, right?"

"Yep. It's gettin' a little late, so you want me to get 'em ready? Mom showed me how to work the toaster oven."

"Heck yeah. I'm starving!" Veteran gushed. "Oh, after dinner, you wanna put a movie on, or somethin' like that?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Player smiled as he opened the freezer door and grabbed the box of pizza rolls.

"Ha ha, alright!" the yellow crewmate cheered, pumping his fists into the air. "Man, tonight's gonna be great..."

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...

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By the time they finished eating, it was pouring outside, and the thunder and lightning ran amok in the skies, illuminating the dark, stormy night every minute or so with a blinding flash of white.

But Player and Veteran were unbothered by the weather. They were busy searching the DVD cabinet for something to watch.

"Let's see..." Player mumbled as he looked through the cases lined up on the shelf. "We have a lot of Disney movies."

"Meh...I was thinkin' something a bit more live-action. And I'm not talking about live-action Disney reboots. Ugh..."

"How 'bout Star Wars?"

"Hmmm...Maybe, but I want a few other options before I dive right in."

"Okay, well...uhh..."

Before Player could suggest anything else, Veteran spoke up again.

"You want me to look for somethin'?"

"You wanna see for yourself? Well, ah, okay. Go ahead."

Player stepped away from the cabinet, and Veteran started going through some of the titles, scanning them over from left to right.

"Hmmmm..."

He continued to look for something he was interested in, eyes narrowing.

"Well, while you're doing that, I'll stick some sodas in the fridge for us to drink while we watch the movie," Player said to him as he turned and headed back into the kitchen. "Just don't be all night about it."

He grabbed a pair of Dr Peppers and stuck them on the top shelf of the refrigerator, then called back to his best friend.

"You find anything yet?"

"DUDE!" Veteran hollered back. "Come look what I found in the back of the case!!"

Player hurried over to see what Veteran stumbled across.

"What, what'd you find?"

"The Thing!!"

"The Thing?" Player echoed, looking at the DVD cover as Veteran excitedly displayed it in front of him. He'd heard of the movie, but he wasn't really sure what it was about. "I didn't know we had that in there...Have you seen it?"

"Heck yeah, I've seen it! Dude, this movie is what Among Us is BASED OFF OF!! An alien Impostor among a crew on a frozen base? It's basically like a Polus game, but it's a WHOLE LOT more realistic and tense!"

"Wow...Usually, I'll pass up a horror movie, but that actually sounds really cool! Here, I'll make some popcorn if you set it up."

"On it."

Just a few minutes later, Player was coming back with a bowl of steamy, buttered popcorn for them to split, along with the pair of soda cans fresh out of the fridge. He handed one of them to Veteran when he approached the couch.

"Oh, sweet, thanks man."

"No problem. Alright, let's get this whole thing started."

Once he sat down beside his friend, the yellow crewmate pressed the play button, and the beginning titles played out, accompanied by unnerving music. The sequence was followed by a mysterious spaceship approaching earth, hurdling just over the southern hemisphere before breaking down and disappearing, presumably entering the atmosphere...But what Player thought was the sound of the ship crashing turned out to be the sound of the movie title appearing on the screen, slowly and dramatically.

"Oh, man...It's already tense," he remarked, leaning in closer.

"It gets better. WAAAY better," Veteran smirked, eager for the movie to progress. "Just you wait."

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ANTARCTICA, WINTER 1982

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Not far into the movie, Player started to expect a gore fest; after seeing what happened to all of the sled dogs in the kennel early on(and feeling pretty squeamish when watching it,) he anticipated that the entire movie would be like that...But he was surprised to find that a lot of the deaths were tamer, or even happened off-screen. It was the suspicion that got to him. Veteran was right when he said it was a lot like Among Us; which of the crewmembers could be trusted? Who was infected? So much was left unknown, he forgot all about the bloody assimilation he'd witnessed before and was just left wondering.

When Norris collapsed from a heart attack after trying to apprehend the suspected Mac, Player shook his head, the picture of the man's innocence having been painted fairly plainly. When they took him into the other room to try and revive him, a bit of hope sparked within him; so many respected members of the team had been lost to the Thing already, so a chance for Norris was more than-

"AAAGH!"

Player screamed and flailed where he sat as his chest and abdomen split wide open, the opening lined with sharp, jagged teeth that snapped back together as soon as they opened, tearing off Copper's arms and chewing them into bloody bits, the sight of the carnage plain as day...Veteran, however, was unfazed by it.

"It happened when you least expected it, didn't it?"

"Why didn't you warn me about something like that!?" the red crewmate exclaimed, still in a panic.

"Dude, I didn't wanna spoil anything for you."

"I don't care, you could've at least given me a heads up-AGH!"

He looked at the screen again, thinking the gory part was over, only to see Norris' original, now-assimilated head detach from its body, the sickeningly green strands of alien tissue keeping the head on its body breaking apart as it slid off onto the floor and grew a second tongue.

"Ha ha, gross! I told you it was realistic!"

"Oh God, I'm never gonna unsee that...!"

"Look, look, it's growing legs!"

"I don't wanna look!!"

As the commotion of the scene quieted down and tensions rose among the crewmembers again, Veteran took a swig from his soda can and shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth, leaning forward more where he sat, looking pretty enthralled.

"Man, this is awesome, isn't it? And ya couldn't have thought of a better night to do it on, you know, Player?"

His best friend didn't answer him. Instead, the red crewmate sat there with his hands covering his eyes, breathing shakily as he curled up on the couch...Veteran's excitement faded a bit at the sight of him.

"Uh...dude?" he addressed, in a softer tone than before. "...You doin' alright, there?"

"No...I-I don't want to watch this anymore, man," Played told him, his breath hitching. "I'm sorry, that was just...I-it's too much for me, w-with the gore, and the Thing doing all that stuff, it's just, ugh, it's horrible, I...I'm so sorry, Veteran."

Veteran paused the movie and scooched in closer, resting a reassuring hand on Player's back and patting it a bit.

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," he said to him. "If you don't wanna watch anymore, you don't have to. I'll go ahead and turn it off."

He reached out across from Player, grabbed his soda can and offered it to him.

"Here, why don'tcha have some more to drink?"

"N-no, I...I feel queasy after all that, Veteran. I don't think it'll help."

He put the can back where it was, then stood up off the couch and made his way over to the staircase.

"I'll be right back. Sit tight."

He headed up the stairs, leaving Player alone...in the dark living room with the movie still on screen.

Player dared to take another peek at the screen, and immediately cringed...Someone's thumb was getting cut open in the scene, their blood pooling in a shallow container.

The red crewmate buried his face into his knees and hugged them up to himself, his heartrate still quick and his stomach still churning...It wasn't the horror aspect that'd bothered him as much it was the shock and the surreal amount of gore so many scenes packed, and without little to no warning...He supposed that was what made the film so effective, but it was a little TOO effective on him.

And to top his fear and disgust off, he figured that he'd probably disappointed Veteran. Why was he such a darned baby...?

A tear pricking in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

No...You BETTER not start crying, he said to himself. Don't you dare...Come on, it's just a movie.

He felt it roll down his cheek, and he felt his throat tighten up.

...Why are you so scared?

"Okay, dude, I'm back!"

Veteran came down the last few steps, carrying a few pillows and blankets from Player's bedroom with him.

"Figured maybe a living room camp out might help out a bit. Remember when you came over to my place and we ended up getting my dad to join in our...pillow war...?"

He saw that Player still looked pretty shaken up, and he sat down beside him again.

"...You good, man?"

Player shook his head, afraid that if he said anything, Veteran would notice just how brittle his voiced sounded...He didn't want to embarrass himself any more than he already had.

Veteran sat down on the sofa again and unfolded the two blankets, draping one over the back of the couch and the other overtop of himself and Player, and he placed a few pillows down in places they might end up resting their heads. He moved in next to Player again, and heard his breath shaking.

"...I'll go ahead and turn the movie off, okay?" he said to him, switching the DVD player off with one button on the remote, and the power to the television with another. "I didn't know you were gonna be upset by all the gore; I just thought you were used to it like I was, I guess...Sorry about that."

As Player discreetly wiped his eyes, he finally looked up to face Veteran again.

"...Y-you didn't know," he told him. "And...neither did I...It's okay, Veteran."

But as hard as he tried, there was no way he was able to hide the fact that he'd started to tear up again.

"Hey, come on...It's alright," Veteran told him gently, wrapping the blanket around him a bit more snugly and bringing him into a side hug. "Besides, it ain't real, y'know."

"I-I know it's not. It's just...I'm never gonna be able to get those images out of my head. Ugh..."

He felt Player shudder, and he squeezed him a bit tighter.

"It was just too much for me to take in..."

Veteran hummed understandingly, and he felt his best friend cuddle up to him.

"Just take a deep breath, man. That should help."

Player drew in a deep breath through his nose, then exhaled with a long sigh. It did make him feel a tiny bit better, but he was still shaky and teary-eyed.

"Come on, Player...Broggles?"

He chuckled a bit; Veteran had thought of that term a while back, and he was surprised he still remembered it.

"Okay..."

The red crewmate nodded and huddled in closer, pulling an extra pillow behind the two of them as they settled down and snuggled up into the blankets and cushions with one another.

"There ya go. Feelin' any better now?"

"Yeah...A little..."

Player cringed again, reaching his hands out to pull himself even further in towards his best friend and hug him.

"...I just don't know how to get that stuff out of my head."

"It's gonna be okay. Think happy thoughts, alright?"

"You think that'll be enough?"

"Just close your eyes, man. I got an idea."

Player wasn't sure what Veteran had in mind, but he complied anyway to see what his idea was.

"Okay, they're closed."

"Now envision this...You're sittin' in one of the cushy beanbag chairs up in your room, playin' Minecraft. There's a prismarine mansion on screen; something you and I are gonna call our greatest architectural feat someday. It's MASSIVE, and it's got every room you can imagine...Especially a huge dining room. Designed by yours truly."

"Heh..."

"Now you hear your bedroom door open. Your mom's comin' in with a HUGE plate full of chicken nuggets."

"Mmmmm..."

"With waffle fries on the side, and two huge puddles of ketchup and ranch...Your mouth's watering. You're picturing it, aren't you? Fantasizing it..."

"Yeah..."

"What do you see now?"

"I...it's..."

He felt Player jump, and his eyes shot back open.

"What was it?"

"I...I reached down to pick up a nugget, and it opened up, grew teeth and bit my finger."

"Oh...Ouch."

"Man, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be such a baby..."

"No, no, you're not, it's fine, dude," Veteran assured him. "Here, close your eyes again, I've got another idea."

"Well...Alright."

He closed his eyes again, the fantasy of before nothing but a destroyed memory now.

"...What do you see?"

"Nothing."

"Well, what do you feel? Physically, I mean."

"I...I guess you could say I feel...cushy and warm from all of the blankets and stuff, and...A-and you, too."

"M'kay. What do you feel now?"

He felt Player start to relax, and he emitted a content hum.

"...Someone rubbing my back," he replied softly.

"Does it make you feel safe and snug?"

"Yeah..."

"What else does it make you feel?"

The yawn that came out of him was all be needed for an answer.

"...I see."

"Yeah...'m tired..."

"Ready to hit the sack?"

"M-hm...Can we stay like this? It's nice and warm..."

"Hmm...Alright. But before we go to sleep, I should probably turn the lights in the kitchen out. All of the other lights are already off, right?"

"Y-yeah...I think so."

Veteran heard Player whine just a tiny bit as he pulled himself out of the blankets, reluctantly leaving his best friend alone.

"I'll be back before you even know it, okay?" he promised. "Just stay cozy."

With that, Veteran flicked off the kitchen light, then scanned around the dining room and peeked up the stairs to make sure nothing else was left on before pulling out his phone, turning on its flashlight and making his way back to the living room couch...Player was curled up there, his head tucked into the blankets for some extra security.

A low rumble of thunder sounded off outside as Veteran sat back down on the sofa, and he saw his friend jump a bit.

"It's alright, man, it's just some the thunder."

"V-veteran...?"

"Yep. Told you I'd be back before you knew it."

"Heh...S-sorry, Vet', I know it's just thunder, but...I'm just really jumpy right now, and I-I just..."

He trailed off, and Veteran scooched closer, gently lifting the blanket back up and moving in next to Player again.

"...I just want someone to hold me and tell me everything's gonna be okay."

The yellow clad crewmate did just that, pulling him close and leaning deep into the back of the couch with him while gently petting the top of his head, shifting his beanie around a bit as he moved his hand.

"Everything's gonna be okay, dude," he told him, holding him just a bit tighter. "You got nothin' to worry about."

Player shifted a bit as he nuzzled into his best friend and got comfortable.

"...Thanks, Veteran."

"No prob'."

Veteran yawned himself, and he felt his visor grow heavy.

"Welp, I think I'm about ready to conk out...G'night, Player."

"'Night, Veteran..."

As they both drifted off to sleep, Player slowly forgot about his fears from earlier...All he could think about now was just how lucky he was to have such a great friend, and he fell asleep thinking those happy thoughts.

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"You mean to tell me you two had a sleepover and you didn't invite me!?" Captain exclaimed. "Player! I...How could you do this...?"

"Yeah, sorry I didn't invite you, too, but my parents were out for the night and Dum was hanging out with her own friends, so they probably wouldn't have trusted me to keep both of you guys in check," Player informed him. "Besides, Captain. You would NOT have wanted to be there if you knew what the movie we picked out had in store. Trust me."

"Yeah, if it got Player overwhelmed, you'd have probably had nightmares about it for the next three months."

"Hmph...Well, could you guys at least tell me what I missed out on?"

"...Should we give him the rundown, Player?" Veteran asked.

"Sure. But for both his sake and mine, let's try to tone down the gross parts," Player replied, smiling nervously.

"Okay. So..." Veteran began. "It all began on a fateful day in Antarctica, in the year 1982..."

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You didn't expect this to come out quite so soon, did you? Well, SURPRISE! 🤣

Hope you enjoyed! I kind of wanted to compensate for the meh amount of fluff in the last chapter, so I gave this one a heaping extra dose. XP