doreimi | IC Inbox | prismatica

[A minute later, the door creaks open; Reimi's standing there, half-hidden behind it, and while the set of her stance makes it apparent that she's been through a wringer lately, she doesn't look shaky or weak, which is certainly an improvement. Her clothes are all comfortable instead of trendy — butter-soft jeans, her pink winged boots, a too-big sweatshirt that she probably borrowed from someone. And, when she sees him, she shoves the door open the rest of the way and launches herself at him without hesitation, going instantly for a desperately tight hug.]

You're okay!

[As soon as she launches herself at him, Abbacchio is more than ready to catch her, his arms wrapping around Reimi and squeezing her tight. Appearing behind her is Moody Blues, doing the same by embracing her, rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.]

And you're looking a little better.

[He smiles at her.] We both missed you.

[He really must be back to normal, she muses, if Moody Blues is able to manifest. And she's so, so glad to see him again, too, letting herself become the jelly in an Abbacchio-and-his-Stand sandwich for a little while before blindly reaching back with one hand to moosh the squishy parts of Moody Blues's neck flaps.]

You have to tell me everything. Everything I missed, everything that happened! I want to hear all of it, okay...?

I don't know -- a lot of it's kinda fucked up. But I'll talk about some of it, all right?

Moody Blues, c'mon, we have to--

[Eagerly, Moody Blues is snatching Reimi's hand.]

Ugh, fine, I guess that counts?! [Abbacchio takes Reimi's other hand.]

It's not like I don't know. I had to play that game, too. And I went to the cemetery, the one they call the Solemn Grounds.

[She made sure to leave a note for Rohan as soon as she knew that Abbacchio was on his way over, so hopefully that will alleviate some of the inevitable panic. It's awfully nice, though, to have Abbacchio on one side and Moody Blues on the other, and her hands caught up between both of them.]

That's why I'm so...why it got so bad. There was something about that spring, it was like I couldn't stay away from it.

...I know about the spring. I saw some people there. I'm sure you did too.

[Gently, he squeezes Reimi's hand while Moody Blues huddles close to her, affectionate as he can be.]

I saw Bruno and Florentino. And the guy who killed me. I know it wasn't them, but it still fucked me up. After that, I didn't want anything to do with the app game. That's what made me into... fuck, I don't know, like a ghost.

Yeah...I saw my parents. I thought I did, anyway. Maybe it wasn't...it's been so long, maybe I forgot. But it felt like it was them.

[It's hard to know which way she wants to lean, into Abbacchio or against Moody Blues, and ultimately she decides to just try to her best to do both at once, as best she can.]

You were a ghost. Believe me, I'm kind of an expert on it.

It wasn't them. They were some kind of illusion. I have a pretty reliable source on that. ...I'm sorry.

[He continues to take lead, while Moody Blues stays mostly at Reimi's side. But they're both as close as possible.]

Yeah. I trust you on that.

Mohammed was, uh. Able to help me.

Don't be sorry. It's better that they weren't. [She sighs, ducking her chin.] They never came over to me. Never looked, never seemed to notice me. It would've been so much worse, if it was really them, and they didn't even notice me.

[But luckily, even next to that dismal thought, she manages to find a hint of a smile and a quirked eyebrow for his trouble.]

He helped you, huh. Does that mean helped you, or helped you?

..........................What are you implying.

[Oh yeah. He's beet red. He's never embarrassed about sex, but this is definitely different.]

That you guys kissed.

[She sticks her tongue out at him, flushing just a touch pink herself. Some of her usual sass is missing, whether from the latent exhaustion or something else, but the inclination to tease is still there as present as ever.]

Me just holding your hand wasn't enough. So he must've done something better than that.

Listen here, you brat.

[But he's glad she has some of her personality there. Even if it's faded and she's tired, it's still there.]

Yeah. We kissed. And stuff.

Good.

[It rolls off his tongue so easily, you brat, that it almost sounds like an endearment. All things considered, it probably is one.]

We're even, then. I'm glad he took good care of you.

...Yeah. He did.

[Abbacchio's voice is a bit softer. Honestly, he's grateful for Avdol. He's definitely more than what Abbacchio deserves.]

I wanted to do more for you too.

...You let go on purpose.

[She might've thought once, for just a sliver of a moment, that she could've believed it was an accident, a genuine slip. She knows better than to think that now, though. Now she can see more clearly exactly what he did and why.]

That wasn't just a mistake. You didn't want to risk it for me. Right?

Yeah. You got it. You just... you looked like you were pushing it. Spending more Chroma than you were getting back.

[Abbacchio stops, if only so that he can put his arm around her and hold her again.]

You'd have pushed it hard enough beyond what you should have.

[She hesitates, because what she wants to say is on the tip of her tongue, and it's also a lie. A strong lie, a noble lie, a courageous lie, and still at the end of the day, a lie.

Abbacchio deserves someone strong and noble and courageous. He doesn't deserve a liar.]

...I was. I would have.

[Telling a rueful truth doesn't feel particularly strong or noble. But it is courageous, she thinks, and maybe that's enough.]

I was so scared. I just thought if I didn't, you might never get back. I didn't think about...how that might have felt for you. To have to watch that.

[Someone dying for him, again.]

It's okay. I get it. I might have done something similar in your place.

But I hope you get why I couldn't just let you either.

[He gives her shoulders a squeeze.

Finally, they get back to the Gothcave. Moody Blues bumps his forehead against Reimi's shoulder before slipping away to make some tea.]

C'mon. We could both use a breather. [And some fierce snuggling on the couch.]

[Once inside, Reimi heads immediately for the couch, hopping up onto the cushions as Moody Blues departs and pulling her legs up under her while she finds a pillow to hug for the duration. That won't last long, she knows, once Abbacchio settles in and drapes over her like a gigantic blanket, but for the time being, it's nice to have something in her arms that she can rest her chin on.]

I know. I can't be mad at you about it, either. Just like you're not mad at me for pushing it too much...I hope.

[She smiles at him, a little ruefully.]

I'm not jealous, or anything like that. I don't care if it was me, or Mr. Avdol, or...whoever. I wish I could've done it, but if I couldn't, then at least someone did.

[Predictably, he does settle in next to her, basically draping himself around her shoulders. He has chroma to rebuild with her and Reimi needs it desperately.]

I'm not mad. I was just worried about you, but I figured you'd have people looking out for you too.

[He smiles wryly.]

Yeah? Not jealous even a little bit? [He teases a bit, but he gets it.] I wish I could've been there for you too, you know. But I'm glad you had Rohan there for you.

Oh, I'm so glad you're back.

[A response, it seems, to the familiar feeling of his arms around her, because she's gotten so used to a steady supply of cuddling from Abbacchio that going all that time without him had felt like crossing a desert without water. She settles immediately, slumped and content right along with him, soaking in the warmth of the chroma they're generating.]

...He kissed me. Rohan, I mean.

Glad to be back. I missed you.

[For a moment, he's relaxed, but then she breaks that kind of news. He tenses and sits up a little.]

Uh. Was it weird, or...? [Really, he isn't sure how Reimi must feel about it. The boy she used to babysit is basically an adult now and she hasn't aged a day on account of being a ghost, but. Fuck, he doesn't know.]

I missed you too.

[And she missed snuggling with him, and just talking to him, and the sound of Moody Blues making telephone noises as he clicks around in the kitchen, and the gruff rumble of Abbacchio's voice — all of it, she missed it so much, and it's such a relief to have it all back.]

It was just because holding my hand wasn't enough, I think. I was doing pretty bad, so he...for the chroma, I mean. Mista did the same thing.

[She laughs softly.]

See what happens when you leave me alone for five minutes? All of a sudden I'm kissing every boy I know.

[AND MISTA. OF COURSE. He imagines that it's probably for good reason BUT STILL AHHH.]

Not that I could blame them, you're fucking fantastic and you deserve the attention. [He will not, in fact, be mean enough to say that she deserves better.] What about the guy you're supposed to go on a date with?

He's so cute.

[Comes her response, immediately, like she didn't even have to think about it for even a fraction of an instant. Probably she didn't.]

And he's tall, and nice, and when he smiles at me I feel like we're the only two people in the whole world. And he doesn't know that I'm dead. Just that I'm Reimi. It's such a nice change.

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