thecrossinglogs | Such A Time We Had Together

Entry tags:

omori: kel

Such A Time We Had Together

WHO: Closed. Kel and Sunny
WHAT: Two dudes sharing memories
WHERE: The bed area in the communal area
WHEN: During the day, when Sunny is alone inside.
WARNINGS None for now, will be marked if needed.

[Kel was the first person who jumped out of bed and spent time running around whenever he could. Heck, despite being one of the people pushing for a communal area... he mostly spent his time out since his body didn't need actual rest, looking for Basil and occasionally seeing shades of other familiar people in the distance.

Soo Won was right, it was better sharing memories when needed... and while Kel felt like he already lost some important bits, at least for Sunny and Mari he had Frieda as 'failsafe' to some degree. But the others... he had the feeling he already lost something incredibly important ~~He couldn't remember asking Sunny NOT to let him forget Hero, after all.~~ and he wanted to preserve some memories of people dear to him. Even if, well, in Basil's case... he mostly heard stuff from others.]

"... hey"

[Sunny could feel the bed shift behind him, Kel chose to rest down behind the other's back and rest his head on the pillow. It was unsettling to realize 'oh, yes, I don't mind too much if I forget one of my parents', but Aubrey? Basil? Mikhael (Heh, hard to admit he cared about that weirdo), Jay, Cris or others? He just..]

"Can we talk? About... home. Before the crossing, I mean."

[He... tried to look for Mari, actually, but she was probably outside already.]

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Even if Sunny’s body no longer needed sleep, four-year old habits were hard to break. And, let’s be honest, Sunny wasn’t working very hard to get rid of it. The only difference was…

He still remained here. No dreams. No nightmares either, to which he supposed he should be grateful.

When Kel’s weight shifts onto the bed behind him, Sunny had been attempting to dream (with no success).

The fact that Kel hadn’t full-on flopped into the bed like it was a trampoline should have been a signal enough, but when his friend’s voice sounded so serious in comparison to the other times they had talked…

Well, Sunny wasn’t going to ignore him.

“Mmmm.” The nod he gives is at least agreeable, right?

[Sleeping would have been... nice. But Kel abandoned a lot of 'living' habits since his first crossing and his nerves didn't allow him to 'sleep'. Still, it was at least nice being there with one of his favorite people by his side and just...

... stop? For a moment, at least.

The truth is, he doesn't even know how to start this conversation but...]

Soo Won said we should share memories that are important to us so... huh... I was thinking we could do that? We were rarely without each other back in the days but four years without spending time together- it's a huge gap. I was wondering if I could tell you about my other friends, maybe? Even bits about Basil and Aubrey, maybe? And you could tell me about the lil world where you spent those four years too.

[A small weight shift behind the other.]

I'm never going to judge you for choosing a world inside you, you know? Sometimes the outside can be scary.

[That makes two of them. But Sunny vaguely remembers Frieda telling him that starting anything, even if it’s hard, is a start.

(Why did she tell him that? He couldn’t remember what they had been talking about. But it seemed important.)

Kel’s offer was scary, and Sunny found himself drawing his knees close to his chest. But… he had a point. Even if his voice wavers when he speaks… he’s trying.]

O-OK… I want… to listen… [Sunny couldn’t begrudge Kel for continuing with life during those four years. He himself had continued in a different sense and… while it had been hiding away in a dream, it still meant a lot to him. (It meant something to him that Kel wanted to hear about it. At least, he thinks his friend did.)]

[No matter what Frieda said, it was still Kel who had to take the first step, huh? But he was used to that and some people were just worth the effort.

He took in the reply and rolled around in order to face Sunny's back, arms crossed and still keeping his distance.]

Well, the whole point is sharing. I want to listen to you too, Sunny. You always had a brilliant imagination, I'd love to hear all you have to say.

[It was painful and scary and awful that the other 'ran away' from the real world, but facing it was part of understanding Sunny, right?]

Let's see, though. I can start. Who do you want me to talk about? Aubs? Basil? Or I can tell you about Mikhael, Cris, Jay... you pick someone and I will start going.

OK… I’ll… try…

[It was scary, sharing things from Headspace. Sure, Kel liked his imagination (or so he said), but it was all so… tangled and personal and… what if the other thought it was strange? Most people would.

But first…]

Chris… she had… pretty drawings…

[He remembered during those three days coming across the girl and her sketches. Kel seemed like good friends with her too?]

That's good enough. I'll make sure to shut up long enough for you to talk.

[Headspace mostly made Kel... sad. And worried. But at the same time he felt like he needed to force himself to learn more if he wanted to help the other teen.

But for now- big bro attitude time- because that was the only thing he was probably good at and he had to keep things light. HKel rolled around, shifted a bit and moved just enough to poke sunny's back with one finger.]

Silly bean... That was Mincy. I wish I had a way to get the pic she made of the two of us, wasn't it great? But, yes- even if it was the wrong name, she had the most awesome drawings. I wish I was as talented as her, heh..

[A small pause.]

Chris was the blue haired girl next door. A fellow sport fiend, the one who made you the seashell necklace. I think she liked you, you know? I've known her for a lifetime and she never made me anything like that.

Mincy…

[Dang it, he had tried, hadn’t he? Those four days had been a blur of familiar and new faces, names to remember, tasks to do after four years of doing nothing ~~in the real world~~, and while some part of Sunny had seen the good in it, it still had been a lot.

(There was a part of him that didn’t know just how much they had impacted him too, and vice versa. The flowers that had lined his hospital room ~~now grave~~ back home.)]

Oops… [He felt bad. Mincy… Mincy… Mincy with the mean art skills.

He tried to commit that to memory, then drew up what he remembered about Chris.]

She… went somewhere new too… right?

[Even if the thought of talking about the City still scared him. It was no longer a possibility, unless that place belonged in the afterlife (and some part of him still thought that).]

She was kind of adorable, wasn't she?

[He did find her passion endearing. Plus, she gave Kel a lovely lil 'ah, yes, we're going to get a star from Faraway to talk about' feeling and THE best drawing he had seen all month long.

Kel doesn't even know what to say, though, because he barely met her and only with Sunny- but there are, indeed, things the other doesn't know. And...]

She brought you daisies when you were hospitalized. And a big drawing of daisies. Cris on the other hand got you a plant that was... like petunias? But purple, tall and with long leaves? I don't know flowers that well.

[A pause as he weighted what the other said.]

Well, yeah. She came back. You see, a little journey can be scary at times, but nothing stops people for going back to the places they love. [Most of the time, at least, they had no way back to Faraway Town.] Her trip was amazing from what she told me, though. I know she was cheering for you, I told her so much about our old friend group.

[Was this true? Was it not? It didn't matter, honestly. He just wanted to sound encouraging at that point.]

[‘Adorable’… did that word apply to her? Sunny honestly couldn’t say. Mincy seemed very dedicated to her art. And Cris…]

She… did…? [His surprise might be evident in the way his tone pauses and lilts, like the thought was something he hadn’t even conceived of before. Flowers… the small jolt of awe and fear, like always, that fills him at the thought of that… Why would they bring him flowers…? Even if he was in the hospital, even if he had made it through that fight, he was now here… but they still…

The bout of silence that follows is maybe telling. Why would someone care enough to bring him flowers?

It’s-

. . .

Somehow, for once, it’s easier to think about his ~~impending, not so much anymore~~ move.]

Is this… another ‘little journey’…?

[This being the afterlife. Sunny wasn’t sure how he felt about Faraway even now. Was it home? Was it someplace he loved? It was a town that held familiar people and places, things warped with a Before and After, small reminders of Headspace (or was it the other way around?). But if it was home… he couldn’t say.]

[Of course she was! Kel loved people in general and he found passionate people... to be cute? Not in a weird sense, but like with... with... ~~His brother, passionate with cooking~~ some others, dedication to things made him happy. And a bit jealous, perhaps, he wished he could be equally passionate but... that no longer mattered.]

She did! Not only her, so many people- even the hooligans! They brought in a cactus that was so heavy... and Angel was insisting in helping carrying it, but since he's short and the other one carrying it was Mikhael, it was... well, let's say it was fun to see them waddle in.

[This was a moment about memory sharing, right? kel shifted, moving a bit closer. 'Little journey', huh? No, this was a most awful trial they had to find a way to escape one way or another but...]

Yeah. We just don't know where we're going but it doesn't matter as long as we're together, right?

[Oh, if he only knew Mari already 'left'...]

Your turn now. I shared one bit, now you have to give me something to carry. So we can protect each other's memories... right?

[Sunny could only listen in what was akin to shocked silence. Certainly trying to imagine the scene of the two hooligans with varying heights carrying in a ginormous cactus was a (mental) sight to behold, but he was still so surprised…

They cared? It wasn’t a thing where your parents told you to drop flowers off for the local kid in the hospital, right? Even after all their confrontations, he had been able to see they had cared for Aubrey. But to care for him too…?

Ah, right… they didn’t know… but still, somehow in this moment, that didn’t matter quite as much.

Kel’s shifting on the bed drew him back down to reality. Back to here.]

Right… stick… together…

[He didn’t want to be alone, even if he did deserve it. And if Kel was willing to stick by him for now… that was enough. Mari too… (though if only Sunny knew that his sister was far beyond his reach once more.)

Sharing a memory though… there was so much in Sunny’s head from that place, the four years he had spent in make-believe cathartic adventures, that he wasn’t sure where to start…]

Captain Spaceboy… [With something familiar, though he would have to keep talking so that Kel didn’t think he was cheating out or something.] …has a pirate crew. But… he was sad… so we… had to search… something important. [Even now, Sunny remembered Kel’s enthusiasm in digging through the trash, Aubrey’s exasperation and well-timed swings clearing the path, Hero’s Charm…] We climbed… to the top… of Junkyard…

[He had to take a momentary break, catching his breath. So many words. But… it didn’t feel right to use his notebook right now. He wanted to try and convey to Kel these journeys in his own (verbal) words.]

[If only knew how loved he was by... so many people. Jesse and their dad visited, Sean and Karen too... the room was magnificent. A stark contrast with Basil's that made Kel feel like... well, almost guilty, in retrospect? Basil did something fucked up, yes, but he was still their friend and his room was... empty.

Oh to be allowed to go home even for a second, he would have left Basil some flowers, he would have given Aubrey a hug and he would have at least given Jay a good, solid handshake. He would have asked Cris to look after his dog, because Hector deserved someone better than his parents and... and that meant nothing now, didn't it'

He shifted once more, unable to stand perfectly still unless he was actually asleep.]

Mh? Spaceboy...

[Right. They loved the comic. It felt a bit more distant to Kel since he forgot Hobbeez, but at the same time it was still SO important but what- oh...]

I see. A treasure hunt for Spaceboy? I can see that. And when you see 'we' you meant 'our group'? Because I'd totally be a champion at diving into junk and we both know that, right?

[No judgement in his tone, even if there was worry in Kel's chest he wanted Sunny to feel as welcomed as possible and he appreciated the fact Sunny was... talking. Even if it sounded more like a dream to have than anything else. No. For now he was going to celebrate anything shared.]

What more? Are you telling me I got to have an adventure with both you and Spaceboy? Because that sounds amazing.

[Sunny was infinitely grateful that Kel still remembered Captain Spaceboy, even if he had… given up Hobbeez…

It meant something still tied him to that space, Sunny liked to think. (Not like the way Neighbor’s Room had been wiped from his mind, the room stark white and bare.)

The bed might have even moved a bit with Sunny’s own form of silent ‘laughter’ at Kel’s guess.]

The best… dumpster diver… [Kel remained true to himself, even in Sunny’s dreams. As for the adventure itself…]

Kel, Aubrey, Hero, and me… [The four of them made up their small party, much like hanging out had been when they were younger. Sure, Mari hung around with them too, all comfortable on her picnic blanket, and Basil was… he was…

Somewhere…

The thought distracted him. But of course there always had to be another quest, and it was through trying to find Basil that they had ended up in the Junkyard in the first place.]

We fought… Captain Spaceboy… pew pew… [Complete with mini sound effects and a finger gun. But before that…] We climbed… the top of the Junkyard… and… there was… a couch…

[OK, maybe that sounded a bit anticlimactic, even to his own ears.]

[Well, Spaceboy was something Kel enjoyed even outside of Hobbeez- he lost most of the stuff he read only inside it or small memories like when the group sat on the floor checking comics together during those three last days but... Spaceboy was Spaceboy.

He knew the boy wasn't real but at the same time it was a series Kel couldn't just... forget. And even if he did, he knew Sunny would reintroduce him to it... right?

Feeling the small shifts that told him 'Sunny is Laughing' brought up a smile to his face.]

Of course I am! People keep tossing away perfectly fine things, after all- a man's gotta recycle! Once I found an orange Joe! And it wasn't even expired!

[A small shift, then. Not... Basil? Why not Basil in Sunny's little team? Maybe for the same reason that got Basil to stab Sunny? Oh, he had so many questions because by this point he seriously suspected Basil to be involved with whatever happened to Mari.]

Shesh. I had to stay around Aubrey? I guess it's acceptable because I had you and Hero with me...

[He didn't actually dislike Aubrey, she was a close friend even if the two of them had their fights, but this was for the sake of laughing. for the rest he listened, nodded even if Sunny couldn't see him and merely... invited the other to continue.]

A couch, huh?

[He did his best to sound intrigued.]

[Sunny would always do his best to introduce anyone interested to Captain Spaceboy. Really, it was handy that they had the comics here (even if he only ever found one in each place, and they weren’t actually part of the serialization…).

So Kel should have no fears there!

And the fact that Kel spoke with such familiarity about Aubrey (and hadn’t asked about Hero, this time, even if Sunny couldn’t know that Kel had forgotten his brother), had him almost relieved.]

A couch… at the tallest stack… of junk… [He’s really trying to draw this out to make it interesting! It sounded more interesting in his head… or maybe that was the case with all dreams. The teen nods, attempting to look wise.] And there… a sign… with…

[Hero was someone Kel accepted WAS part of their lives but he couldn't remember in the slightest. He knew... he was someone Kel was close with. Someone who had to be cool and he had not directly told Sunny (unlike Mari) he lost his memory of him (but that wasn't necessary anymore, was it?) so playing around with that was almost necessary. Aubrey, though... he couldn't forget her.

Or Basil.

He just refused to do so.]

I see... a tower of junk. Must have been the nicest of views. I bet the me there loved it- so much treasure in sight, a whole place to explore and where to get all the cool stuff- it must have been amazing.

[no need to struggle, Kel was going to respond to it all like it was, indeed, a most interesting thing.]

Oh? A sign with something important?

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Such A Time We Had Together

Apologies for the delay!

Please look how long it took ME...

No worries at all! <3

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