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writingdevil · 25 days ago

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Tongues and Teeth (STP)

(This is my first attempt at a Slay the Princess piece because I've been obsessed with it for the last few months.I apologize if it's really bad,or if the characters appear OOC because I haven't watched the gameplay in awhile-I'm trying not to spoil too much for myself because I'm planning on getting the game.Anyways!Enjoy!)

Paranoid opened his eyes,chest burning and nerves going haywire,and that was when he realised two things.

One:He had his own body.

Two:He wasn't breathing.

Instantly,he began sucking in as much air as he could,as if he was suddenly going to run out of oxygen at any moment.He couldn't help it though-he wasn't used to keeping himself-Paranoid-alive, he was always good at keeping Him alive,the Decider.

But the Decider had left them.He had left them all for the Princess.

Paranoid bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, wrapping his wings around him in an attempt to block out all his surroundings,at the daunting woods and that dreaded path.

Too much.Everything was already too much-

"Finally awake,Jitters?"

Paranoid froze,fear pinning him to the ground,and he could feel his own heartbeat pounding in his chest now,and then he realised that he wasn't in charge of only breathing anymore-he was in charge of his whole body,and he needed to move.

He scrambled to his feet,head dizzy at all the sensations overwhelming him,and he spun around until he saw the person speaking to him.

It was one of them,one of the pieces of the Decider. He was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed,wings splayed out wide,casting him in a dark shadow.Paranoid didn't know which one it was-they had never been bodies before,they had just been voices.

But then the-voice?-started walking towards him,a swagger in his steps,and a familiar smirk on his face that Paranoid knew,that he was certain to be the embodiment of an-

"Opportunist,"he said in low tone,taking a step back,even as the other bird just smiled and gave him a mock bow."Hello to you too,Mr.Paranoia.I was wondering when you would wake up."

"Why?"he demanded,becoming unnerved with how large the other's wings are,even when he was a few inches shorter than Paranoid."So that we can find the others-what else is there to do?"Opportunist replied,and that was when Paranoid remembered the situation at hand.

The Decider was gone.The Princess was gone.It's just them now.

He managed to push the panic away long enough to ask,"You haven't seen the others?"Opportunist shook his head,not a feather coming out of place at the action."Nope.I woke up not too long ago,and then I found you.I was waiting for you to wake up."

"Why?"Paranoid repeated,now wrapping his wings around him for comfort.Opportunist looked surprised for a moment,before motioning towards the path with a wing as he said,"Well,surely the two of working together will be better,yes?"

Yes,but this was Opportunist-the backstabber,the one who was loyal to no one but himself,the one that Paranoid could never trust.He had to have some ulterior motive.

"I don't trust you,"Paranoid hissed,crossing his arms,feeling the tips of his claws digging into his arms.What a weird feeling.The cold one must be having a field day with all these new sensations.

Opportunist didn't seem that offended,putting his arms behind his back-what was he hiding- as he said,"Why not?I'm just as worried about the others as you are.Don't you want to find them?"

"Of course I do!"Paranoid snapped,wings and arms snapping out in anger,taking a step forward,and Opportunist didn't even flinch at the sudden movement,only giving him an encouraging smile.

"Right,so the best thing to do is work together-"

"But what I don't get is why you care about the others."

There had to be a reason.Maybe Opportunist had spotted a danger or a Princess up ahead on the path,and was leading Paranoid to use as bait.That made sense.Opportunist just needed him for something,and it was bound to be awful-he was certain it would be.

In his spiral,he almost missed the nervous crack in the other's smile,but he still gave Paranoid a friendly look as he asked,"Why wouldn't I care about our feathery friends?Who knows what they're dealing with right now-"

"Oh piss off with that!"Frustration and fear were twisting in his chest now,and all he could think to do was lash out."We both know that you don't care about anybody other than yourself.You didn't even trust Him at times.So I can only assume you have something terrible planned for me,so that you can get your way."

Opportunist spread his arms out and made a show of looking around the forest around them,and then bluntly asked,"Where is this danger that I apparently want to put you in?"

"I don't know,but you can't hide behind Him anymore,and there's nothing tying you down,so why are you still here?"

Paranoid panted,the burn in his chest a familiar one,but his throat aching was new.He's done his chant a million times before,and it's never strained him like this ranting had done.

They stared at each other,the silence tense and only making Paranoid believe that the other was contemplating the best lie to tell,until the other sighed,and his shoulders slumped in a way that let Paranoid know that this talk was at least tiring Opportunist out.At least that much was true.

Then,he finally said,"We don't know what's out there for us.We never got to that part.We never thought about what happens after the cabin.I'm not keen on finding out by myself."

"So?"

"So I'd feel safer with a friend by my side."

"Why me?"

"Well,you're one of the useful ones,Jitters."At Paranoid's surprised look,Opportunist rolled his eyes."What?You think I would be putting in this much effort for Mr.Lovey Dovey or that sad sack of feathers?No.I trust you to have my back.You're the automatic nervous system,after all."

Paranoid wasn't sure that Opportunist trusted anything,but he forced himself not to point that out.He still wasn't convinced,but at least he was telling him something,and that was enough for his wings to lower to the ground.

He took a moment to look at the woods around them,and a shiver went up his spine.All the different paths and choices and mistakes were made along this path,and the thought of making a decision for himself,was enough for his breathing to pick up dangerously.

But then there was Opportunist,moving to step closer to him,and he wasn't sure if the action was meant to be comforting or not,but his tone was soft as he said,"We're not just voices anymore. We have to make our own choices now,and we have to work together."

Damn it,he was right.Paranoid couldn't traverse these woods by himself,and they both knew it.But the thought of agreeing with a backstabber left a bitter taste in his mouth,and he looked Opportunist up and down warily and said,"So you think we could make a good team?Why not the stubborn one or the Hunted?Surely they'd be better protection."

Opportunist shrugged,making a noise of indifference,not entirely disagreeing."They're good, but they don't think the way you do,they don't worry about the same things as you do."

"I'm also the voice that doesn't trust easily," Paranoid pointed out,one hand preening the feathers at his chest,as a feeble way to protect his heart.Then,he clarified,"I still don't exactly trust you."

"You don't have to trust me,Jitters.You just have to work with me."

"I'm sorry,but I fail to see how we could be anything but disastrous."

"Think about it,"and then Paranoid couldn't move away fast enough as Opportunist draped both an arm and a wing over his shoulders,forcing his body to freeze and tense up.He couldn't help but notice that his own feathers looked thin,frail and utterly dead when compared to Opportunist's fluffy and vibrant ones.

"Being aware of the dangers around us and still doing what's going to get us to our goal-we'd be great together."Paranoid just hummed in response, too busy being alert for any tricks his companion may pull on him.

"Yes,but you could say that about any of the others, too. We all have a different goal that we think is the correct one.There was a lot of arguing."Paranoid was getting a headache just remembering the tiring debates he would have with the others-some who would constantly want to throw themselves into danger,or would be inclined to trust the Princess.

But as annoying as they were,Paranoid still missed them,a pang of longing in his heart that made his breath hitch.He wasn't used to being alone. Beforehand,no matter what the Decider did,all the voices were together,until the very end,even up to that mirror.

But now Paranoid was all alone,and he was hating every second of it.

"Doing everything you can to get out of a bad situation,doesn't sound too awful,now does it?"

But he wasn't alone,and even though Opportunist was nothing more than a selfish traitor,he was still a fragment of Him,and he was all that Paranoid had left now.

"Okay,"he softly said,and then he felt Opportunist stiffen,before backing away and quietly going, "Really?"

But it was the surprise on the other's face,that had Paranoid being alert all over again."Yes,I think you're right.Why do you look surprised?"

In the blink of an eye,Opportunist was grinning at him again,wings spread out with a certain glint in his eyes,as if the surprise had never been there in the first place.He chuckled,but Paranoid caught the sound of anxiety at the edges of it.

"I'm just happy,Jitters.Usually Hero is the only one you actually listen to."

Oh,Hero.The thought of their sweet and kind leader made another ache stab at his heart.He listens to him because Hero was one of the only ones he actually felt safe around.

"Well,we're going to find him soon enough,aren't we?That's why we're teaming up."

Opportunist nodded,his face so bright that it almost looked fake,but it probably was."Yes,yes,of course.Whatever you think is right,I'll do."

But he was the voice of the Paranoid for a reason, and he suddenly didn't like the way Opportunist was talking.He gave the other a suspicious look,wings tucked in as he said,"That-is what you want,right?Opportunist,tell me that's what you want."

Because that was the other thing about Opportunist-he simply sided with the majority, discarding his own beliefs in the favor of being on the winning side.He'd say anything if it kept him in the others good graces,so that it would be easier to achieve what he actually wanted.

But Paranoid was the only one here,and Opportunist had only told him why he wanted Paranoid-for safety,and knew that finding the others was what he wanted,but he had never stated what Opportunist wanted.

"What do you want,Opportunist?"

"I thought we were in agreement that-"

"Finding the others doesn't benefit you,so what's your big plan for me?"

"Jitters,I'm not going to hurt you-"

"I don't believe you!"

"I'm just as worried as you-"

Paranoid had had enough."Oppy,can you just put the mask down for five fucking seconds and be honest with me?!"

His scream echoed between the trees and the rocks,as he glared at Opportunist,who just had a look of soft shock on his face.He couldn't look at that.He couldn't feel guilty for a creature of many faces.

He blinked back tears,spinning around to put his back to the other-a bad idea,in hindsight,but he didn't care right now.

There was nothing but heavy silence,and Paranoid half expected claws to be ripping through his neck any second now,but he could never guess what actually happened.

"Is it so hard to believe,"came Opportunist's voice, but what startled him was how small it sounded, and he spun back around,only to blink in surprise at how he literally looked small right now.

His head was lowered,one hand playing with a loose feature between his claws.His wings were pinned against his back,and like this,Paranoid could really tell how different they were in sizes.But he swore that Opportunist hadn't been that tiny-but that was when it dawned on him.

The wings were the only big thing about him.

"-that I actually liked being part of a flock?"

For a split second,Paranoid saw it all then.The paralyzing fear in Opportunist's eyes,the same that he felt every day.Not just in this moment,but in general.Opportunist was afraid,the same as all the others.

Paranoid understood why he did what he did,why he lied and backstabbed-safety.It was why all of them did what they did-to keep Him safe,even from Himself.Fear will make you do anything to protect the people you love.

This was as honest as Opportunist was going to be, that he was allowing himself to be,all for Paranoid to trust him.This was his olive branch.

Paranoid didn't like it,but he could understand it, and maybe that was enough right now.

So he took a deep breath,and stuck his hand out. Opportunist just stared at his hand in surprise,as if this wasn't real.Paranoid rolled his eyes and said, "I'm sorry for yelling.Let's work together,and find the rest of our flock."

Opportunist stared at him for a moment,and he could see a shine in his eyes,and he wasn't entirely sure what that meant,before the other grinned and enthusiastically shook his hand."Oh Jitters,you can be a real sweetheart when you want to be!I assure you,with the two of us working together,we'll be unstoppable."

Before Paranoid could retort,Opportunist quickly yanked him forward,linking their arms and draping his wing back over his shoulders-essentially binding him to this decision now.But surprisingly enough,he felt okay about this.Not safe,but okay.

"Why do you call me Jitters?I have a name,you know."

"Yeah,but Jitters sounds nicer than Paranoid.You can give me a nickname if you want."

"Oh yeah?Like what?"

"...I-I actually liked Oppy.It's kinda cute."

"Oppy it is,then."

#slay the princess #stp #stories #my writing #stp paranoid #stp opportunist #voice of the opportunist #voice of the paranoid #I love these two #I just think they'd have an interesting and powerful dynamic if they truly trusted one another #stp voices #tongues and teeth

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