Chapter Text
His eyes slowly opened to an unfamiliar environment. Tho.. No, He's seen this place before. It carried a sense of familiarity that all but made his heart jump with joy. The tree's were bright green and the sky.. Good world he hasn't seen it in so long.
Elliot felt heat spread through his body and a gentle breeze move through his no longer matted hair. The sun. He saw the sun. His eyes burned but he stared straight at it.
The world around him was as warm as it's beams, gentle colours that contrasted the crimson and navy he's grown used to. No longer did his arm's stick out like highlighters, and to be frank, he felt gray in this world.
He brought his hand up to wipe at the tears that began to pool in his eyes. Whether from the sudden brightness or from the pain spreading all throughout his chest, he didn't know.
Trees stood in a circle around him, swaying slowly under the wind. They didn't cave over him, the canopies almost parting to reveal patches of blue and white sky. Despite how small the clearing was, he felt like he could finally breathe. The claustrophobic feeling that followed him through the cabins and dark woods was dissipated. Perhaps it was the fresh breeze pushing air into his lungs, maybe the low hanging trees he could easily climb need be. Or maybe it was something in the air leaving.
Footsteps sounded from behind the trees, light and slow, the person was simply walking. It didn't sound like feet hitting gravel, they weren't thuds. He heard the rustling of grass, and a slow dragging of feet along dirt. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to fear.
He realised he actually heard birds here.
A familiar face walked out of the trees to the left, a light bounce to her step. The dumb grin that stretched to her eyes when she saw him radiated light rivaling the sun.
Another pair of footsteps soon joined her, this one heavier and a lot less energetic. A content smile was placed between his beard, the hairs slightly gray with age.
He willed himself to step towards them and to his surprise found that he could.
"HA! I found like 28, all by myself. I'd like to see how much you've gotten, mr 'you won't even find 5'." Mia pointed an accusatory finger in his direction, a confident quirk to her eyebrows as she glanced towards the basked Elliot was apparently carrying. Looking down, he found it empty. They both stared at it for a few moment's.
"Loser" She decided, disappointed.
"Wha- Hey! I-"
-haven't seen you in admins know how long and that's the first thing you say?
-don't want to lose this moment.
"-...Got distracted!"
"This is just so sad for you" She mocked him, placing a hand over her heart.
"Don't pick on your brother Mia. I can give him some of my mushrooms." The father said halfheartedly, but his eyes were trained on Elliot with concern. Elliot realised just how out of it he probably looks. He smiled, not wanting to waste the time he has.
As sweet as it was, he knew he was dreaming.
Mia wasn't this young when he left, but she was when the pizzeria burned down and they were sent to their grandparent's. Their dad had to take care of the business back home and couldn't feed 3 mouths. They probably spent so much time together, Elliot being suddenly unemployed.
And his dad... He was from before the fire. From before Elliot even worked at the pizzeria, or the exploiter came to terrorize their business. When the establishment was at it's prime and his dad didn't have the bags under his eyes and those permanent frown creases that showed through even when he smiled.
He couldn't bring himself to talk about now. He couldn't risk pulling them into this, making them watch as he suffers.
They had enjoyed this moment, and he wanted to do it too.
"That's no fair! He challenged me, and he didn't even try." Mia grabbed his basket, demonstratively shaking it upside down.
He took the basket back from her, and pinched her nose. The older man huffed from somewhere behind them, and Elliot no longer felt the concerned gaze on his back.
"I got distracted because there was a fox," He paused so Mia could insert her 'no way comment', "I say we do a rematch."
"You're a sore loser." She laughed and lightly hit his arm as he tried to grab her nose again. "But you're on! And don't you dare get sidetracked by some imaginary cat again."
He walked through the forest, Mia a few meters away. They'd switch places on their way back so they could pick up anything the other didn't and to make it fair and not dependent on the area. He might've purposefully ignored a few batches of girolles to let her win, but there was no judge here. Their father stayed back to cook the ones they already collected.
He was surprised to find his heartbeat remaining slow as they walked into a more pine-y area, the needles softly crunching under his feet in that familiar way. He thought maybe Mia's presence soothed him, or the lower density of the woods didn't let his thought's got rampant.
There was something calm to these woods. The sun shone so frequently through the cracks, and the moss dented softly under his foot, slowing him down. The ground was soft and full of little creatures. Of life. It was spacious, but it wasn't empty by any means. He stepped over small logs littering the ground, and climbed onto the rocks.
A fly agaric grew near a pine, and he quickly approached it, crouching down.
"Hey Mia," he called out and waited until the other sat down next to him. She made a disgusted face as she noticed what he was showing her. "You could take it to school and scare that one girl who was giving you trouble. I'd totally stand up for you with dad."
"Yess that bitch Stefanie!" She gasped and Elliot snorted, playfully covering her mouth for swearing. She eventually got his hand off. "What?? I'd put it in her food too."
"Im not covering you for murder!"
"What kind of brother are you????"
She pretended to reach for it and he put his arms in the way. It soon escalated to a cat-fight, both of them lightly smacking the other on the hands.
They decided that was where they'd turn around, and even thou they agreed to switch places they ended up walking together and chatting. They'd occasionally be interrupted by Mia pointing out a missed patch of mushrooms on Elliots side of the woods. He didn't really pay attention to hers.
Their dad was waiting for them in the clearing, still hunched over the campfire. Enough time had passed for him to be done, but well he guessed it was dream logic.
The sun soon began setting and the birds got quieter, replaced with the crackling of the fire. He sat with his father silently as Mia tampered with the mushrooms, experimenting with different spices. Elliot bet her five bucks she'll end up poisoning them.
He leaned back into his dad, and felt his arms wrap around him.
He's missed this. Just being out with him and Mia, the world a distant memory of worry. He felt his dad's heartbeat and for a moment thought he was a kid again. Dad's chest was warm, the steady breathing made him rise and fall, rocking him to sleep.
The world slowly melted as he was pulled further into the dreamland. Except he was quickly pulled out as his father shifted under him.
He opened his eyes to find the world still melting and shifting beneath him.
he was melting
Elliot's form was slowly losing its shape and splotches of it seeped into the ground.
"Dad?" Elliot tried to hold onto the other, hands melting into puddles on his dad's shirt. He felt his dad try to hold on too. "Nononono, I can't- I can't leave yet."
"I miss you, and Mia please I don't want to leave yet." Elliot couldn't feel the campfire anymore. He felt betrayed by whatever dream mechanics were at play here. It didn't matter if he addressed his situation or not. This was still taken from him and he was still taken from them.
He still worried for them, he didn't want to drag them into his hell. So what if none of the new people in the cabin experience the rounds, he can't make his dad watch as he get's torn away from the cabin and comes back with another 5 years to his name. Thou he doubted saying anything will change much now. This dream is done and he's already missing.
"You'll come for me right? I'll see you both again?"
He heard his dad's sob from over him. He hated that sound, very rarely did he hear it. But he knew it wouldn't be the same without him. The family couldn't function without each other, it was always the 3 of them. He couldn't bare this torture without them. How can they live on without him? He could only imagine how much worse his dad's gotten. He... wouldn't think about Mia. He can't stomach the thought that she'll grow up without a brother. They'll both grow and he won't be there to take care of his dad like he promised. Mia won't have him attend her graduation or sneak her test answers from previous grades. She'll have to bury their dad all by herself and he won't be there to witness his final moments. They'll have to accept that he left first and he'll never get to see them again.
"Please don't make me leave..." He begged, burrowing in his dad's chest. But his cries were fruitless, he felt himself disappear from this silent paradise. The pressure returned, and despite it being an endless dark void he still felt trapped, suffocated.
He heard it laughing.
Felt it's amusement.
"finally figured out how to get inside that awareness you mortals have, finally know how to mess with it"
"Very thankful for your collaboration..."
.
.
.
.
Mia shot up in bed, hugging her knees to her chest. She had stood petrified as Elliot was once again torn away from them. She had watched as he melted and once again she couldn't do anything.
She hugged her knees to her chest. She knew the rustling wouldn't wake anyone up. Despite her sneaking into her dad's room after she failed to fall asleep time and time again, he was never there. She could tell before she even got to the room, the light in his office was always on. Sometimes she'd hear quiet sobs from there, the noise haunting and loud in this house that felt so, so empty ever since Elliot stopped visiting... Ever since Elliot disappeared.
They had yet to sell his house. Maybe if they won't succeed for another month she can convince dad to just wait until he comes back she grows up and moves in there. The house still feels like him, and she needs it to stay like he left it.
The mention of Stefanie in the dream made her brain buzz all over. They've made up since that grade. Became friend's even, though lately every friendship feels so distant. She's never been as chatty as Elliot, but she's never felt this.. Alone.
The workplace suffered too. He was just like that, he knew everyone there. It feels so understaffed without him almost. The customer look over the counter with confusion when he isn't there to push the pizza into their hands with his special kindness and wish a good day so genuinely you'd think you knew him his whole life.
Tears fell onto the blanket and she pretended it was him she was hugging.
"Come back..." She whispered "You still owe me dumbass.."