Chapter Text
Mane watched Bacon leave.
Didn’t even turn around.
Not once.
That part stung more than it should’ve.
He stood still at the edge of the hill, letting the breeze tug at him, watching the small figure of Bacon shrink into the trees like a shadow slipping from view. Bacon moved like someone trying not to run, but too scared to stay still. Fast, focused, determined to put distance between them.
Mane didn’t follow.
Not yet.
He exhaled through his nose, slow and even. He already knew what was happening here. Had known from the second Bacon turned around and looked at him with those wide, slightly panicked eyes like he was a stranger . Like Mane was just another name on the server.
But he wasn’t.
He never had been.
The comm in his ear buzzed static and sharp voices. Something about Flame, Branzy, and Clown wanting to meet up with him at dinner. He tuned it out completely.
This moment mattered more.
He moved slowly, sitting where Bacon had just been fingers brushing the flattened grass. As if some piece of him still lingered here. The silence they’d shared hung in the air like smoke, like it didn’t want to let go.
Mane tilted his head up to the sky, letting his eyes shut for a second.
He doesn’t remember them and how they were.
That was worse.
Because they used to be everything.
Before they went of in there different servers, there were also a time when they had been together in this exact server, but that was before hearts were currency and kindness was weakness.
They had carved out a quiet corner together. Built a little house by the cliffs. Shared gear, shared food, shared beds. Shared everything .
And now Bacon didn’t even look at him the same way.
No recognition. Just nerves. Suspicion. Fear.
Mane opened his eyes, the ache in his chest dull but persistent. He hadn’t expected a warm welcome. He wasn’t stupid. His reputation preceded him now blades first, questions later. The rumors weren’t all true, but he’d leaned into them. Let them shape him.
Easier to be feared than forgotten.
But seeing Bacon again… it messed with him.
Because for a moment just a moment he saw a flicker of the old Bacon. The one who used to throw snowballs at him mid-fight just to make him laugh. The one who called him when he needs his help. The one who fell asleep next to him, whispering nonsense into the quiet just to hear his voice.
And now?
Now he was running from him like Mane was a monster.
Mane pressed his palm to the ground, grounding himself. Then stood. Straightened his self out. Set his jaw.
Fine.
He didn’t need to force it. He’d waited this long, hadn’t he?
Bacon could pretend all he wanted. Could pretend Mane was just some PvP-obsessed freak with a kill count and no soul. Could hide behind suspicion and half-truths and nerves.
But Mane knew what was real.
What had been real.
And he had no intention of letting it rot in the past.
He reached into his inventory, thumb brushing over an old item one he hadn’t touched in ages. An item labeled in light blue text: “Bacon’s Favorite” a little flower crown with allium flowers, broken from being in his inventory too long.
He held it for a moment, then tucked it back into the hidden slot. His expression unreadable, sharp and soft all at once.
“Run all you want,” he muttered to the wind. “I’ve always been better at chasing.”
He opened a tracking subroutine. Quiet. Private. Just a pin on the map.
Bacon – Active. Location: East forest.
He always had his location no matter what. He had to make sure he was safe, but for the first time in a while he was going to him alone all day.
He turned away from the hilltop and vanished into the trees, his steps silent.
Let Bacon leave him again. He will eventually find his way back to him. He’ll help him remember who they were in the past.