‘I Will Make You Believe’

-

Inspired by the song ‘Lovely’ by Twenty One Pilots. Redmond was moping about his appearance and what the testing at Genron did to him. But Spanx is determined to prove him wrong.

I actually decided to write a short little story behind this pic, which is unusual because it’s rare for me to write anything. But it was either that or drawing out another comic and this was a lot quicker to do. It’s a story between two friends, but I won’t lie, there’s a little bit of a shipping undertone as well.

Read it here and let me know what you think! https://8-bit-britt.deviantart.com/art/Lovely-A-Whiplash-One-Shot-727873877

I Will Make You Believe

Read the story here! Lovely - A Whiplash One-Shot

Inspired by the song 'Lovely' by Twenty One Pilots. Redmond was moping about his appearance and what the testing at Genron did to him. But Spanx is determined to prove him wrong.

The background for this was crazy for me to do, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. After the events of the game, these two escaped into the wild and are now living in a forest up in the mountains and boy is it colorful where they are.

Whiplash belongs to (c) Crystal Dynamics

~

"I used to be cute."

Spanx snapped his head at the interjection that pierced the silence of the mountain range. There he saw Redmond sitting beside him on the grass, hunched over with a paw propping his head up and tattered ears drooping forward in a tired state.

The two rested among a flurry of wildflowers of various color that sprawled along the outskirts of their open patch of green. It was normal for them to take the time and visit this plain overlooking the rocky slopes coated in a powdery snow. The frosty air was light and nipped at their noses, but the view of purple hues along the horizon was enough to bear this mild inconvenience. This secluded spot of frozen wilderness was a place for them to leave behind the scars of the past. Even the looming threat of mankind and their corupted business practices that tainted the world seemed nonexistent in this sacred space, which lay untouched by their greedy hands.

Today, however, Redmond's mind was not focused on the breathtaking scenery before him. His tinted bloodshot eyes were clouded and distant, wandering off to a different time. Lost in a world that now seemed forein to him.

Spanx tilted his head in puzzlement as he stared down at the slumped figure, trying to make sense of what his companion was going on about. A faint grunt left his throat as if asking for an elaboration. His ears twitched to attention. The arm cradling Red's head shifted with him as he prepared himself to continue.

"Back when I had a life and friends, family . . . I could connect with people easily. I didn't really think much of it then, how much attention I actually got but- . . ." He paused for a minute, air forcing it's way out of his chest as he scrunched his eyes closed.

Spanx was in no rush to hear him speak his mind. Whatever the case may be, he could tell this was something that deeply troubled him, something that was tough for him to bring up or perhaps thought he couldn't. Sure Spanx couldn't exactly hold a conversation, but it didn't mean that he was incapable of understanding. He wished he could tell him it was okay. Redmond looked pained enough just trying to find the right words.

"Then they took me away. Threw me in a metal crate and carted me off without warning. Loud engines roaring and animals scattering in the chaos, trying to get away. It all happened so fast, I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye."

They. Now he was stepping into familiar territory.

Genron. Where it all started. With concern growing, the weasel dared not to move, listening as memories of a concrete prison and white lab coats filled his mind. "For six years I was trapped there . . . in that hellhole of a facility." He paused again and laughed uncomfortably before turning his head to Spanx without fully looking at him. "But you know the rest as well as me."

To that notion, Redmond held up his right hand, turning it back and forth in a steady motion to reveal a silver cuff dangling from his wrist. Spanx looked down at his own wrist, the left one, that also bared a cuff. Upon examining it when turned to the side, a single link jutted out with a jagged edge where brute force snapped apart a missing chain.

Many horrible things happened in that dreadful place . . . but if fate weren't so kind, their friendship would be nothing and Redmond wouldn't be sitting safely beside him now. Though the cuffs that once linked them together meant their doom, now linked them together spiritually. Spanx was thankful for that. To have a friend who shared the same hardships.

He didn't know the extent of the rabbit's struggles the three years he was there, but didn't need to in order to understand. That last ditch effort of escaping death by a machine tasked to reshaping the rejects was enough to warrant forgetting. That was months ago. Why now was he reflecting on this? He looked intently down at the rabbit, eager for him to continue.

"Now look at me. My eyes are sunken in and dark rimmed from countless nights of anxiety. The fur rubbed off of my ears is never gonna grow back. There's no telling what other side effects I still have from being pumped and slathered with products. And look at this!" Spanx flinched at the sudden peak in his voice, noting that the distressed rabbit was visibly becoming more enraged. Redmond lifted up a blue stained foot and gestured at it violently. "My freaking foot is blue!" he exclaimed. "That's NEVER gonna come out, ever!"

The rising stress in the rabbit's squeaky voice affected Spanx in a way that made his ears droop. His lips were pulled taught into a pained grimmace. Red didn't take any notice to this and turned back to his resting position.

"But at least they can't mutilate us any further, right?" he proclaimed with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "We're out here now, free to live how we want and far away from all that mess. Yet . . ." His voice became low and groggy like the very weight of the subject was pressing down on him. His eyelids drooped and the palm holding him was being consumed by the face resting upon it.

"It'd be a lot easier to reconnect with my old life . . . if I didn't look like a freak."

Spanx's heart sank. He didn't have a clue his friend felt this way about himself. How could he tell him that he was wrong and that there was so much more going on for him? That visible traits didn't matter? Audibly it was impossible, but he was determined to get the message out. Then like the live wires that dangled from the back of his head, Spanx's eyes lit up. He reached out and touched Redmond's shoulder to get his attention, but was greeted with a shrug as the rabbit turned further, his back now facing him.

"Don't touch me." Spanx kept tugging at him, trying to make him face his direction. "Quit it I said!" The mute, in a desperate attempt, grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him around, giving him a hard stare to indicate that he wasn't playing around. The look was enough to send a shiver down the rabbit's spine. It wasn't often he saw those wide eyes look so intimidating.

Redmond froze when he felt Spanx's palm bury itself in his chest. He could feel an uneasiness building within him, but watched as the weasel began tracing something into the white fur with his index finger in a rhythmic pattern. He would stop briefly, then continue with the weird motion. He didn't get it at first. There was a lot of things about Spanx that he still didn't understand despite living with him but he was willing to be patient in learning his ways. So he sat there and let the weasel do his thing until at last he pulled his paw away. Though it left no visible mark, he could feel the strokes clearly lingering on his skin. Then it clicked. The patterns he was tracing along his chest weren't random at all. It was letters.

L . O . V . E . L . Y

"Lovely?" Redmond finally choked. Spanx nodded softly and gave him a warm smile. The rabbit curled his nose and could feel the muscles in his face tense in response. This is a joke, he thought. You can't sit there and lie to me like that. "Spanx I think they fried your brain a little too hard back at Genron cause ya lost me."

Spanx didn't take kindly to that retort, glaring down in annoyance. He was going to prove it. He would make him believe. Without hesitating a moment further, he cupped the bunny's face, squishing his cheeks gently against his paws. Blood was rushing to Redmond's face now, visibly showing as his eyes widened in shock. He was met with a pair of affectionate green eyes, his smile growing from this sweet gesture of seeing white fur turning a soft pink. They sat there in silence for what seemed like hours. Redmond was mentally locked in place by the sensation of warm palms pressing into his fur.

He managed to muster up enough energy to place a paw at the base of Spanx's wrist near the left of his face in an attempt to push his hand away, but gave up too quickly and kept it resting there. He could feel the edges of his mouth curl. Try as he might, the bashful rabbit couldn't help but to smile as his blush deepened.

"Spanx. Quit it, you're makin' me feel gross . . ." Redmond muttered, unable to keep the eye contact any longer. It was a losing battle at this point. A faint noise of content slipped out. He gave in and accepted the compliment.

'He thinks I'm lovely', he thought. 'How about that'.

As Spanx released his grip from the rabbit's face to pull away, Redmond's hand still placed on the weasel's wrist grazed past his palm and snagged at the fingers, keeping the two from moving any further apart. Green eyes met yellow, illuminating like the pale glow of an autumn moon. Though he didn't say a word, it was clear that the message spoke volumes where it mattered. Redmond let go of Spanx's hand and jerked away with a giddy laugh, flopping down hard on his back. Spanx joined him, a content smile on his face.

Next to him he heard another sigh. A much lighter one this time as if the tension in the very air around them was evaporating. All was peaceful again as the friends lay side by side in the grass, watching their grief pass with the clouds above them. One last phrase broke the silence before the rest of that lazy afternoon fell into tranquil bliss.

"Thank you."