Chapter Text
Craterdust Capital. It's not bad, it's not that great either…but it's home. Our home. The time just seemed to slip through my fingers because I can still remember moving in here like it was yesterday, I can still remember the fall.
I don't mind that we're roommates, not even in the slightest. I like living with you, even if that's gonna be temporary until you get your own place but I'll enjoy it while it lasts regardless.
Out of all the memories we have shared, the good, the bad, the beautiful and ugly…
One will stick with me.
One I will never shake.
I sat on the ratty couch in the living room, a half filled cup of coffee nearby, laptop balanced on my lap. I had one headphone in while I was inputting notes, the soft rhythmic clicking and the notes playing in my ear creating a melody of its own. I didn't have to wear headphones but it felt wrong not to, force of habit I suppose.Maybe it's just because it's not the finished product yet.
In my left ear, I could hear what was being created by my own hand, in my right, the sounds of the city waking up and coming to life lingered.It was relaxing, to me it was anyways. The constant sound. Whether it was cars beeping for no apparent reason, the polyphony of inphernal chatter and everything else in between. It's something you either grow to like or you're simply desensitised by. For me? It was the former, it not only gave me something to sample from time to time but it kept everything from being in complete and utter silence.
The sun casted an orange glow across the room, light streaming through the window. It distracted me but not in a bad way, not really. It's something I appreciate, I don't see it often but that only seemed to make me appreciate it that much more.
Life is full of those. Those small things everyone seems to take for granted. Those small things people get too caught up in their own problems to step back and appreciate.
Maybe I should savour the sun's warmth, its light.
It won't last forever.
"Morning", I perked up from where I sat at the familiar warm tone, laced with sleep,followed with heavy footsteps that echoed throughout the hall, padding on the hardwood floors.
"Morning, Skate"
I turned to smile at the figure of my best friend as he made his way to flop down onto the couch dramatically by my side. Skateboard shifted to get comfortable beside me, he settled onto his stomach, one leg dangling off the end of the couch. His baggy sleep shirt slipped down on one side, revealing a freckled shoulder.My hand automatically went to his curls, messy from sleep. I gently ran my fingers through the soft strands, nails gently scraping over his scalp.
"Morning…you're up early", Skate had mumbled in reply, sighing contentedly, relaxing into the touch.
I simply hummed noncommittally in response, my free hand coming up to slide my headphones off, resting them on my neck. The rhythmic clicking of the keyboard swiftly returned as my fingers danced along the dark keys.
I kept working away while my fingers worked through Skate's curls, out of the corner of my eye, as Skate's bangs were combed back, I caught a glance in my peripheral at how the sun hit his half lidded eyes. I saw him squint in mild discomfort as the golden light shone right into his eyes and how it made his usually dark eyes glow, almost sparkle like embers from a fire.I felt my breath catch in my throat there for a moment.
"Damn…", Skateboard groaned, rubbing his eyes, his head burrowing into my side to avoid the natural spotlight that had been cast upon him.
"Should've sat somewhere else", I teased him playfully. "I mean, come on, out of everywhere on the couch, you chose to sit where the sun was hitting".
"Mhmmmmmm…….", Skate simply hummed.
"Are you even awake?", I nudged him affectionately. He only swatted at me playfully.
"Cmon, man, get up, quit dozing on me, rise and shine, sleepin' beauty", I nudged him again,shutting my laptop to set it aside, I was met with a dramatic huff and a slight laugh.
"5 more minutes, Boom…"
He wasn't really annoyed, not really. It was the lazy grin I caught that gave him away.
I found myself smiling down at him despite how ridiculous he was being, but I found a small comfort in that, this was familiar, How it should be.
Silence settled on the room, it wasn't thick, it wasn't empty, it was warm, as warm as the sun that was currently irritating Skateboard to no end.
That silence was broken, not by any other sound apart from Skate's stomach deciding that it didn't want to read the room and rumbled loudly.
"I'll make breakfast", Skate sat back on his knees to rub his eyes.
"Nah, I don't think you're awake enough, I'm not repeating last time", I stood up to stretch, joints popping in a satisfying way.
"It wasn't even that bad-!", Skate defended with a light chuckle.
"You burnt your pancakes and still decided to eat them", I shook my head exasperatedly but couldn't ho,d back a laugh of my own as I headed into the kitchen, Skate trailing a bit behind.
"They had flavour", Skate shrugged.
"Yeah, if you like charcoal", I deadpanned as I opened the fridge to grab the carton of eggs and set them down on the counter by the stove.
"How did you even manage to eat those anyways? They looked as hard as concrete", I continued to criticise Skate's sometimes questionable cooking skills.
Even if he could make the most atrocious looking dish known to the Inpherno, he could also make some pretty good meals, you never knew with him. Skate in the kitchen? It's a gamble but I guess that was part of the fun…..
Well maybe not possibly burning the whole apartment down…
"I have my ways, they just looked worse than they tasted, trust me",Skate raised his palms in a placating gesture as he pulled out a chair with a loud creak and sank into it.
"Soo…..you need help?", Skate offered casually.
"Nah, lemme treat you today", I waved it off.
"Oh, how considerate of you", Skate replied in a jokingly flirty tone.
"Only for you", I matched his tone, meeting his eyes, grinning over my shoulder mischievously.
The pots and pans clattered as I reached up to get one down, having to get on tip toe.
I got to work, cracking the eggs into the pan, only to realise something.
Silent.
It's been too quiet in here.
I don't like too quiet.
"Hey, Skate?", I called without looking over my shoulder as I busied myself with prepping breakfast.
"Yeah?", he responded.
"Do me a favour, put the radio on or something"
"Bet", Skate did so without questioning it.
Turned out we had tuned into the news, it wasn't music but it would have to do, I looked over my shoulder to find Skate mindlessly scrolling his phone.
I began whisking the eggs together, seasoning them generously before turning the stove on, crackling and sizzling filling the room.
We joked around a little more while breakfast was cooking, a range of sounds filled the room, from easy to laughter to the background noise of the radio.
This was how things were, how they should be.
Even as I handed him a plate, sitting down at the table with him, we continued to chat endlessly, mess around with each other like usual, I noticed I still felt….warm and not only because it was sunny outside.
But I felt warm inside, somewhere deep inside of me, pulling and plucking at my very soul, as if we were two completely different instruments playing a duet.
Creating a perfect harmony rather than harsh dissonance.
Skate insisted he helped clean up after breakfast so I let him, he dried, I washed.
"So, you going to any of the phights on today?", Skate changed the topic as he thoroughly and efficiently dried a plate.
"Yeah, at 1, why? You signed up for today? What time?", I queried, stacking another plate onto the mini pile with a soft clink.
"You know it, i'm in the same slot",Skate replied cheerfully, finishing up, leaning against the counter to face me directly.
"We can catch a train to Crossroads, we can be there by around 11", I thought aloud.
“We should probably get ready to go soon then”, Skate tilted his head to the side slightly.
We temporarily parted ways, went to our respective rooms to get dressed.
Everything is as it should be.