TFLN

[plungeintofire]

You know what you must do.

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[saxophone]

[ So, maybe he didn’t have to be so antagonistic. Although Sora has shared his stories with Gren he still isn’t able to make the connection between the hero and the boy he fusses over and shares snack cakes with.

He sighs and stands just in time to tend to the ringing timer. He walks into the kitchen, awkwardly, being careful not to mess up Sora’s work. He slips a hand into a mitt and slides the pizza out of the oven. His voice raises a little, calling out but not expecting a response. ]

Sora, it’s ready.

[keymemory]

[ Sora makes a decision, as he would if he wasn’t drunk, to put aside his salty feelings and move past it and ignore it. The teen walks out of the hallway with a smile and sniffs at the air. ]

Man, your cooking skills are out of this world. [ Sora clapped his hands and looked over the pizza. He then looks up to Gren with a gleam to his eyes. ] You make the best pizza!

[saxophone]

[ He stares for the third long, quiet moment of the night. That was a mood swing that rivals even his own. ]

Bring that appetite over here, then.

[ He slices it up and generously piles up a plate for Sora because he has dreams of being soft and round. The pepperonis glisten. The cheese is oozy. It's wonderful. He hands the plate over with a smile. ]

Eat up.

[ And then lower. ]

...are you okay?

[keymemory]

[ Sora takes the plate and brings it up to his face to smell. He hadn’t realized it, but he was sure hungry! ] Oh, I can’t wait…

[ Sora was a great eater, he was a growing boy after all! Sora sat down at the table and poked at the pizza to test how hot it was. At Gren’s question Sora shrugged. ]

Yeah, course.. I’m with you!

[saxophone]

[ I’m with you. Gren smiles a little, mulling over that while leaning against the counter and picking at a slice of pizza. Even though he meant what he said earlier he can admit that the delivery was a little abrasive. He’ll move on now, but he’ll be more mindful of his tone next time. Not many people would claim to be okay from just sharing company with him, so he wants to handle their friendship more carefully. People like Sora don’t come around often. ]

If you say so.

[keymemory]

[ Sora smiled around a bite of his pizza. Gren could be a little silly at times. Just that there were some really weird things he said sometimes, dark things, or things that made Sora think there wasn’t much confidence in himself. It reminded him a lot of Riku.

Actually a lot of Riku. He bet Gren probably would like Riku better— bah, what a thought. He didn’t want to think about that, he shouldn’t think about that.. actually, sometimes Sora had a problem with confidence sometimes too! ]

Yas. I did.. [ He reassures after a bite of the pizza. ] Hey, do you think you’d ever want to go travel through space.

[saxophone]

Yeah. I mean, that's pretty common from where I come from.

[ Now he recalls his last time traveling through space. Dying on his way to Titan. His final thoughts still somehow cycling back to him. There's nothing to believe in. There's no reason to believe.

Gren swallows hard and sets his plate of pizza aside. He doesn't have an appetite. ]

...Which planet would you visit?

[keymemory]

[ Sora licks his lips and takes another bite. He thinks a bit more on the question before he shrugs. ]

Of all the places.. [ He chews a bit more then swallows before speaks up again. ] I think I just wanna go home. I mean, I made a lot of friends everywhere but I miss being home. I miss my friends.

[ He lowers his hands and lets the pizza drop on the plate before he fesses up on something. ]

When I first got here, … I .. [ He softly huffed. ] I um, well, someone told me Riku was here. [ He looks up to Gren and gives a small shrug. ] He’s my best friend.

I contacted him.. and we had made plans to meet, you know, just outside the cave.. [ He was quiet, a long moment as he thought about that.. day.. he waited … all night. ]

Then, he just… disappeared. I didn’t even.. [ Emotion swells. ] I didn’t get to see him.

[saxophone]

[ Gren’s eyes soften and he moves over to sit down at the table with Sora. He can empathize with the agonizing loneliness of not being able to be with the people you care most about. New connections form, but it’s never quite the same when your heart’s crowded with someone else.

He’d give anything to know how his mother is doing. His friends from before the war. The people he played music with. The prison guard that helped him escape. Julia... ]

That just means he’ll be there when you get back home. It’s something to look forward to.

[ It wouldn’t be the same for Gren. If he went back he would be dead, but maybe, in a way, that was something to look forward to as well. ]

[keymemory]

[ Sora was quiet. He sighed over his pizza and his head felt a bit dizzy and he shook his head. ]

No.. it’s not. Because then I’ll miss you and the friends I’ve made here.. and when I go back home.. I’m not going to remember any of it. Not like .. not like before, when I went to all those other worlds.

So, looking forward to going home is like.. looking forward in forgetting you. I don’t want to do that.

[saxophone]

[ Gren runs a hand through his hair, leaning back in his chair. ]

If you can't remember us, then you won't miss us. You shouldn't feel guilt over something that isn't going to matter anyway. So, go ahead, look forward to it.

[keymemory]

No!

[ Sora looked up to Gren with a skip to his heart. ] I'm not someone who will be okay forgetting my friends! I.. the .. I need all my friendships!

[saxophone]

You're getting upset over an outcome that will literally have no effect on you. It would be worse to remember us. Then you'd miss us knowing that you'll probably never see us again. Forgetting is merciful.

[keymemory]

[ Sora put his head down and he shook it. His emotions were jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other. He didn't like this feeling. He was drunk, upset, weirded out, upset, and feeling out of control. ]

Stop it.

[saxophone]

[ Had he been too abrasive again? He meant it, though. Forgetting would be easier. None of this would matter and Sora would be back with his friends. The basis of what he was saying was positive. He was being positive. ]

Fine.

[keymemory]

[ His heart palpitated and he looked away a gross weight settled on his shoulders and he pushed the plate away. ]

I can't eat anymore. Thanks for the pizza.

[saxophone]

This is why you shouldn't drink.

[ Gren stands, taking Sora's plate and dumping the pizza into the trash. He makes a bit more noise than necessary and it all crescendos with the plate clattering loudly into the sink. It didn't break, but it's probably chipped.

Sometimes he almost finds himself agreeing with Faye. It's better to have real solitude all by yourself. When I'm dealing with them, I swear it's nothing but trouble.

He shakes his head. No, it's worth the trouble. If they matter then it's worth it. Sora was worth it. ]

...I'm sorry.

[keymemory]

[ Sora can’t keep the frown off his face. He keeps thinking about Riku and how he was so close to him and yet so far. All he wanted to do was just see him, what would it have been like to see him? It would have been better.

It would have been a lot better..

Instead of waiting for him all night. Ah, this was what he was so upset about— at least right now. It wasn’t being drunk, it wasn’t Gren (hell he couldn’t even remember half their conversations were), it was the fact that he waited all damn night and Riku didn’t show. This world failed him.

Gren’s sorry brought up that emotion again and it flooded down his face. ]

[saxophone]

[ Gren notices the tears when he settles back in his chair. His brows bunch from the burden of guilt. He's such a bad friend. ]

Do you just want me to leave you alone for the rest of the night?

[keymemory]

[ No. Sora stood from his chair and went over to where Gren was and wrapped his arms around his friend. ]

Don’t… don’t.. [ He hiccuped between his words with fresh tears falling from his eyes. ]

[saxophone]

[ It's easier to just pull Sora into his lap and hold them there. If it makes Sora feel like a kid, well he'd just have to apologize for that too.

He rubs Sora's back now and his heart aches when he feels his back quake with emotion. ]

Alright, Sora. Alright.

[keymemory]

[ God, that felt so much better. How long has it been since he’s been given a hug, a really good one? Stupid Riku, running off like that! Once he sees him again he’s definitely give him a good earful of his disappointment. Then probably hug him tight and cry, just like this.

Sora wrapped his arms around Gren’s shoulders and pulls aside Gren’s hair to rest his head on his arm over Gren’s shoulder. He huffs against Gren’s neck and closes his eyes. ]

I know..

[saxophone]

[ The back rubbing continues. Soft and slow and soothing. He begins to hum, the vibrations heavy as they flow from him and into Sora. ]

[keymemory]

[ Sora takes great comfort in the sound of Gren's voice, the feel of the vibration dancing across his chest. He felt himself calming down into a thoughtless vessel made for air to cycle through him. His eyes narrowed across the room, looking at nothing in particular and his fingers of his right hand began to twirl and play with Gren's hair. ]

[saxophone]

[ Assuming Sora is finally worn out Gren decides to fill Sora’s earlier request to sing him a song before he falls asleep. Cooperation had been questionable, but it was the least Gren could do.

He transitions from humming to singing softly. The words drag almost as if they linger on his lips before braving the leap into refrain. ]

I'm stuck right here again with my feet drenched to my arms, they'll never mend. I'll mumble 'til the end until I find the words. Surely baby, you would've heard.

[ His hand continues on its course up and down Sora's back. Slow and soft. ]

And you won't see me weep, no need to stop me. My own pressures are the most and I've been dreaming...