Chapter Text
Nothing starts all bad. Usually quite the opposite. This goes the same for Two Time and Azure. Practically the most happy couple in the Church of the Spawn. Perhaps this happiness was just an illusion. An escape from pain that they had been running from for years.
Two Time woke up to a loud crash. They jolted out of bed. It wasn’t unusual for them and Azure to be causing trouble. Amarah had given Two Time enough lectures for a lifetime. Azure quickly picked the bowl he dropped. All this for pancakes. It was worth it for his lover. Speaking of said lover, Two Time crept into the kitchen.
“Azure? What’s going on?”
Azure smiled looking up at them. He was stirring a bowl of what looked to be pancake mix, the kind with blueberries from Azure’s garden. Two Time adored his cooking.
“I’m sorry, dear. I dropped a bowl trying to get a spoon. I’m making pancakes for you.”
This got a light laugh out of Two Time. They thought it was sweet whenever Azure dropped something. Azure had many talents, but being agile was not one of them. Two Time found it more endearing than anything. They spoke up, sitting at the table.
“That’s sweet of you. I appreciate, my flower.”
Flower. That was one of Azure’s favorite nicknames that Two Time had came up for him. Azure loved his garden dearly, but Two Time seemed to love it more. Anything that Azure did was always something special to Two Time. He would joke that Two Time worshipped the ground he walked on, but that wouldn’t go over well.
Azure respected and worshipped the Spawn. Two Time was more…enthusiastic about their worship. Azure was worried that sometimes they went too far because of the pressure Amarah put on them. He didn’t want to start a conflict though.
“Timey, did you want two or three pancakes?”
Two Time was broken out of their thoughts. Two or three? That already seemed like a lot. Azure always worried that they weren’t eating enough. Two Time simply thought that it was always too much compared to what they could sacrifice to the Spawn. Amarah would agree. He was always telling them that they needed to do better or they’d dishonor the Spawn. This was one of Two Time’s greatest worries. They’d do anything for the Spawn. So, Two Time decided that it was always best to suffer if it meant that they wouldn’t disappoint anyone.
“Uhm, I think I’ll just have one.”
Of course, this worried Azure. He knew that Two Time was very serious with their beliefs and maybe a bit overboard at times. This wasn’t different. Amarah had been making Two Time push themselves more lately and his belittling had only gotten worse. Azure knew that this was hurting Two Time. He had been agreeing to let Two Time get away with lots of things lately. Things that hurt them and it made Azure scared. He didn’t want to lose them. He refused to lose them. Azure sat next to Two Time.
“Come on, honey. You know that’s not enough. I know what this is about. Please, can you do this? For me?”
Any thoughts of protest Two Time had were gone now. They couldn’t resist Azure’s kindness and patience. It seemed like he never got sick of them. Two Time was already sick of their self. Azure really was a gift from the Spawn.
Two Time felt undeserving. They still thanked the Spawn every night in their prayers, hoping nothing would ever take Azure away from them. Two Time could only cry at that thought. They could everything, even themselves. That was fine. Azure was never an option. Two Time couldn’t deal with losing him. So, they swallowed their fears and ate two pancakes with Azure.
“Okay, fine. Only because you want this so bad.”
The two lovers sat outside, watching the sun rise. This was a ritual for them. A gratefulness for the ability to get up and praise the Spawn. Two Time sketched drawings of the Spawn symbol in their notebook. That was all it was filled with. Azure had checked. He couldn’t help but find it a bit concerning. They seemed awfully unstable sometimes. Azure wanted to be the stability in their life. Hoping that somehow, if things got worse he could drag them out of the deep end.
The bells of the church rang, signaling it was time to head to the morning worship service. Two Time knew that Amarah had been meaning to talk to them, they decided that after the service would be a good time. They wondered what it could be about.
The service began with the usual readings from the Book of the Spawn’s Teachings. Two Time had probably read it front to back twenty times, because of education and intense fear of forgetting anything inside it. Azure had read it ten times for education. He knew it was the bear minimum but he also wasn’t much of a reader.
Two Time noticed Amarah sitting by the preacher with the rest of the elders. Amarah sometimes gave teachings too, but not as often as the other elders. The preacher spoke of the second life and sacrifices to the Spawn to be purified by it. Azure gave Two Time’s hand a squeeze. He could tell that they were getting lost in the words. They always seemed so scared of messing up, of forgetting any verse or word from the book. Azure suspected this was Amarah’s doing. He couldn’t help but feel resentment at Two Time’s old mentor.
The sermon concluded with a final blessing from the Spawn. Two Time and Azure walked out of the church hand in hand. That was until, Two Time remembered Amarah’s request to speak with them. They politely told Azure this before walking off to seek Amarah. Azure hoped that Two Time would be okay. He always worried when Amarah wanted to speak with them. It was never good news. Azure didn’t think it was very beneficial for Two Time to get berated. He just hoped they could handle it.