Rainbow Quest: Opportune (Short Stories)

#stevetober Day 14: Vacant

Have an angsty boi :3 Also three uploads in a day? :O I'm on a roll >:)

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Series: Rainbow Quest

Characters: Sabre, Time

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The smell of Time's cooking from the kitchen stirs me from my nap and I open my eyes. I blink a few times at the bright afternoon sun shining into my eyes and sit up, stretching as I yawn.

"Nnnh- Feels good to wake up from a nap and not have to worry about some villain standing at my door watching me sleep," I mumble to myself as I glance around at my bedroom. It was a beautiful house overall, and I couldn't thank the Steves in the village enough for their kindness. I wish there was something I could do to repay their kindness.

I shift the book I had been reading before I dozed, off to the side on my bed and swing my legs to the side of the bed to stand up. Maybe I could ask Time about pulling off another celebration if he was up to it. I get up and grab my blindfold off my nightstand and tie it over my eyes. At this point, the blindfold was more of a comfort thing than of any use.

I open my door and walk down the hall. yet I pause to look back at the ajar door and walk over to it.

"Hey- Da-... rk." I trail off as I open the door further and was greeted by an empty room. My heart aches for a moment as I remember what had happened.

"Right... he's... Gone." My hand traces the wood of the door for a moment before I step fully into the vacant room and look around. Neither Time or I had touched it since the day I rebalanced the darkness. It- was better left that way. I couldn't bear to alter it in any way. I look around one more time and make to leave when I spy the edge of something sticking out from underneath his bedsheet that hung over his bed. I pause and stare at it for a moment before I slowly walk over to the bed and reach to grab the object.

It was a journal.

I brush off some dust from the dark cover and flip it open. Just inside the cover sat the words, "Property of Dark Steve. If found, please return! :]" inscribed in slightly swirling neat letters. I place a finger on the name and bite my lip to keep it from trembling. Dark... had kept a journal all this time. I flip to the next page and read the first entry:

Entry 1- (Or Day one? I don't know how to label these things.)

Well, today has been quite nice. I thought that since Sabre kept record of his day to day in a book like this, I'd keep one as well. Uhm- I have no clue what to write in this. But I guess I can start by describing my day! Today started off pretty badly with the final fight with Void Steve and then Shadow betraying us, but it's turned up for the better! We finally have a place to stay at for when things have all died down. :) This place also accepts me, though I still get a few glances. Sabre also seemed so taken aback by all the generosity the village was giving us. 

After that fight with Void, all of this constant running around has surely got Sabre stressed and low on energy- I can see it in his face. He took several hard hits from Void in that battle... and also took some mental and emotional ones from Shadow. I'm worried for him. Sabre just seems to be always on the short end of things, especially now that the darkness is corrupting him. Well- I think the best I can do for now, is just be by his side and let him know I'm here for him while he and Time Steve recovers. He's one of the few who believes in me and that I just want what's good, so I want to do the same for him. We started off as enemies, but now he's one of the people who I cherish the most.

I blink, my vision suddenly gone blurry. I gently close the book, unsure if I could handle reading further.

"He- He knew. I," My voice trails off and I take my sleeve and press at my eyes, wet streaks having made their way under my blindfold and trailing down my cheeks. I hear footsteps come up the stairs and turn to see Time come into the doorway, his apron on.

"Oh- hey Sabre. I was about to... What's that?" He motions to the book in my hand with a concerned look on his face. I press at my eyes again and just look at the book in my hand.

"It's... Dark's. I- I found it under the- the bed... Time- I... He was so o-optimistic about things in his own w-way, h-he wanted to be there f-for me b-because I was there for- for him," I manage out as my throat feels tight and my blindfold feels wet. Time's heeled boots click softly on the wooden flooring as he walks over to me and kneels beside me, placing his hand on my back.

He gently unties my blindfold and lays it in my lap before he brings me in for a hug, the smell of the food he was cooking downstairs still lingering on him. I lean into him as tears run down my cheeks and my breath was racked with quiet sobs.

It wasn't the same without Dark. His vacant room was like a physical interpretation of my heart. He had a space... that was empty.