Wisps: Recollection (Ninjago X Reader)

52. Mourning Sun

'Is it morning yet?' One glance showed blackened grey. Barely enough light... Your attention flitted to the fidget of her hand resting on your chest. Heartbeats pounded faster, and she grasped at it like she wanted to pull you closer.

But the gap between you two stayed.

Far away in her slumber, drooling on a pillow, and in her work clothes from yesterday night, she was the picture of being too tired to care. If you weren't trying to calm your flustering, you'd laugh louder. Skylor must have heard something, sealing her mouth with a snort.

Ever so cautiously, you lifted her hand, slipping yourself out of her bed. Stretching and cracking your bones, you get up. Blankets pooled at your empty spot, Skylor unawakened as if you were never there. You pulled the blanket over her, a fondness for how she burrowed into it, grasping at them for something and...

Since when have you been this close to someone?

'Finding warmth in each other... in the snow.'  Heartache yearned for a lost breeze against the coldness. Lodged in your throat was the hard-to-swallow truth. 'It's funny. Thinking back on it, we were freezing our asses off, and I felt the most at 'home' with him...'

You'll never forget that feeling.

When you left her, finally at the stairs, you wrapped yourself tighter in your jacket. It's colder out of her place. Darker too, opposing last night's warm glow from the hanging light bulbs. Just the same, a coppery light tiptoed underneath the kitchen doors. You pushed one of the double doors, sneaking in on the unsuspecting android. "Hey, Echo."

"Good morning." Echo pried his attention from screwing the bolt in Tai-D's arm. The small robot sped off after, his treadwheels gliding across the floor, and out the door to work. "Would you like something to eat?" He paced about, grabbing items off shelves before you could put in a word.

"Nah, I'm not hungry, thanks anyway." He settled the pan back on the shelf.

"Is there a reason you're up so early then?" He had a hand to his chin, watching you rummage in your pocket for your phone.

"I have to do something. I sort of got caught up in everything..." Your finger lingered on the send button. "How are you holding up?"

"I... I am not too sure what to make of it myself."

"It's okay to feel that way at first... You just have to feel and work your way through it." Though, were you the best one to give that advice?

"So I've heard." Echo grimaced, absentminded in his glare at the wall beside him. You took that spot, watching that glare lessen and oscillate between two choices as his copper jaws tightened. He finally dropped it; "Will... Will Chime come back?"

"She'll come back." You know she will.

But all your reassurances don't matter.

"What- what if she doesn't?" Echo rubbed fiercely at the metal under his eyelids. Tiny lines spanned underneath, scratches from his scrubbing. You drew his hand from his face, his dimmed eyes searching for an answer to his misery; "What if something goes wrong and we never see her again?"

"She's safe, we'll see her again." As much as you try to reassure, you can't do the same for his anger.

"But why? Why did she leave?" A wave of betrayal surged in his voice and sunk. A pebble in his lonely world of his. "Why- why, did my father leave me?" Static crackled, breaking him. "Why does everyone leave me?"

Echo took your hand like you would let go too.

"I..."Can you promise him that?  When he brought your remaining hand to his cold chest. Where copper fingers coiled the flesh of your own? Pinpricks of warm sensations traveled to your missing limb, feeling like you were clasping his other hand. "I'm still here, Echo..."