painting the galaxy was harder than we thought.

The NeverEnding Story

Satori didn't know when exactly he started crying, or how he ended up flat on his back on the roof, staring at the stars. The bustling of cars and pedestrians could be heard a couple hundred feet below, and the chill of the ice could be felt through the hoodie. His legs began to tense up, as shorts probably weren't the best idea for a rooftop goodbye.

The lights of taller buildings shone onto him, making him feel sickeningly singled out. He crawled over to the edge of the roof, where he could see the streets below. Satori admired the view, his torso draped carelessly over the bricks, ice slowly melting into the fabric of his hoodie. His knuckles and hands were white from gripping the bricks, but his head never felt more clear.

He exhaled, a light steam escaping his mouth, before he propped one foot up onto the wall, which was surprisingly less slippery than he expected. He threw another leg over, sitting comfortably while his legs dangled in midair.

This is the life.

He smiled, leaning his head back to look at the sky. It was a full moon that night, and the clouds were nowhere to be seen. Everything aligned perfectly, it was beautiful, but Satori couldn't help but weigh the outcomes. If he lived after falling, if he didn't jump at all-

He was cut off by the buzzing of his phone, just what I needed, fuck.

Call from: Toshi!!

"Heyyy, Toshi." He tried to even out his breath and steady himself atop the ledge, which increasingly became more uncomfortable to sit on.

"I'm on my way home, Satori. I'll see you in about ten minutes." He sounded calm, and unsuspicious, perfect.

"Okay! Tell me when you.." His voice trailed off and suddenly the only thing that led his thought were the primal instincts of his brain, "can I talk to you?"

"Sure, whatever you need."

"Okay good. Eh, well right now I'm sitting on the ledge of your apartment complex's roof, it's really pretty up here. The sky's beautiful too." He was being unusually cryptic, even for his own standards.

"Are you alright?" Damnit.

"I'm good! Just waiting for you to come enjoy the view with me." He kicked his feet in the air, one of his slippers fell off, ascending downward to the streets below, which earned a silent "shit" in response.

"Alright, I'll see you so-"

"Wait. Toshi- listen to me. I'm, I'm not doing well, okay? I wanna...I wanna escape, and never come back. At first I wanted to leave the universe with you right beside me, and while I still want that to happen I'm realizing how selfish it is. You have your whole life in front of you, and I'm just holding you back." He paused, waiting for a reaction.

"That's not true, however, please continue." Of fucking course.

"I need to leave, I have nothing set out for me here. Who knows, maybe when you leave too, you and I will meet. In another universe, another reality, whatever you want to call it. We'll stay together then, we'll have a family, and it would all be perfect. Now- now just isn't the right time, for me." His ignorance seeped through his teeth unknowingly.

"It's the perfect time for me, Satori. Please stay." His voice trembled with something that could only be described as fear.