Between Illusion and Erasure

Comforting midnight conversations

TW\\Drinking, Medical talk.
Beta reader and editor: slipsy (CallMeCase)

Avoiding them wasn't an option anymore, and you knew that — however, you didn't dare show your face in the teacher's lounge this morning. You had decided that planning this out was your best bet.

So, you made your way toward the coffee shop near the school, buying everyone something to soften the blow. You felt a bit ashamed, all of this felt a bit silly; dramatic, even. It all could've been made much easier if you were the type of person to lean on others every now and then.

Then again, you couldn't remember a time in your life where sharing the vulnerable parts of yourself was easy, however, these people had made an effort to reach out — and you still blew them off. You had to make it right with them, and hope it wasn't too late.

Opening the teacher's lounge door, you immediately were met with an overwhelming, tense atmosphere. Midnight and Present Mic glared down at you from the common area. Eraser — on the other hand — was sleeping on the couch beside them, unbothered.

"Hey..." You made your way towards them, calculating what to say next. Setting down the bags on the table, you continued, "I bought donuts..." Math wasn't your strong suit.

"Do you have anything to say to us?" Mic's tone was incredibly serious, like a parent talking down to a child. His eyes were hidden by his glasses, but somehow you could still feel his judgmental glare.

"Ah..." You sighed, scratching your neck. "Yeah, I'm sorry for blowing you guys off. You have every right to be mad at me-" Before you could even finish, Mic held you in a tight embrace. You were caught completely off guard. This wasn't how you imagined this playing out at all.

"We're not mad at you, Wisp." Midnight finally spoke, sitting down. "We were worried."

"Speak for yourself!" Mic loudly quipped back, "I've been trying to talk to you for two days. You didn't even show up this morning, I was practically hysterical, y'know?!" Midnight covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.

"I'm sorry... " You buried your face in his neck, for a small moment, there was nothing else in the world besides the three of you. "I freaked out."

Mic kept on complaining, his tight embrace not faltering one bit. This hug reminded you of something you should already have known: they cared about you, and it wasn't going to be that easy to get rid of them. Even if you had wanted to.

"So, what happened?" Midnight questioned as soon as Mic set you free, "Spill it."

You paused, how were you to tell this? Did you call him an old friend? A partner? Did you just tell them, "Oh, yeah. I used to bang Gang Orca" ? As usual, you hadn't thought this far ahead. Every second you took the time to think about what you wanted to say, anxiety took its opportunity to slither its way into your head.

"I went on a date with an old friend." You finally blurted out, "And it didn't end very well."

"Gang Orca again?!" Mic almost yelled it out, he sat down beside Midnight, handing her donuts.

"Can you keep it down, man?!"

"Well, was it him?" Midnight's interest peaked, speaking with a mischievous grin. "C'mon, you can tell me," her voice lingered with a teasing tone.

"Fine, yes. It was him." You admitted reluctantly, glancing briefly at the door. "Look, can we not talk about this at work?"

"And can you guys keep it down?" Eraser's voice spoke softly as he turned around, barely opening his eyes. "It's my nap time."