And All Was Quiet.

The Archives [4/5]

On that day The Collector came tackling into you with one of the biggest, happiest smiles you've ever seen on their face.

"(Y/N)!" They cheer, "Guess what!"

Your best friend's joy is infectious, and you find yourself excited to hear what news they have to share, "Ooo! What!"

"You have to guess!"

"Oh! Okay— uhhhh...!" You release one of their hands and hold a finger to your chin, carefully observing the boy in front of you, "Yoooouuu... got a new cap?"

They laugh and spin you around, "No silly! Try again!"

"Collector, you know I'm not good with these kinds of games!"

The Collector laughs once more, holding you close with a gleeful twinkle in their eye.

"My siblings just gave me the super-duper bestest most awesome idea ever!"

You jump in your spot from anticipation, "Well? What are you waiting for? Tell me!"

"So I wanted to play."

"Right."

"But they were busy. Again."

"Mhmm."

"But then they said, why don't you go down there and see if the Titans wanna play?"

"R-Really!?" You gasp, "None of us have ever been down there before... Collector! This is amazing!"

The Collector beams, chest swelling with pride at your awe. Their cheeks darken ever so slightly and they laugh nervously.

"Do you... wanna come with me?"

You open your mouth but immediately hesitate, a wall of realization preventing you from answering.

"Ah..." You mutter.

The Collector's face falls with concern, "What's wrong?"

"The Titans... aren't they from that one place? The planet that the Elder's said was dangerous?"

The air around you both stills. And slowly, a mutual understanding begins to creep up to the two of you.

"If.. If The Archivists said it was okay, then it should be safe!" The Collector tries to reason, "They would never put me in danger."

You bite the inside of your cheek. The Collector's hand's feel heavy in yours.

"I really want to believe you..." You say, "But..."

You trail off and a small silence sweeps over.

"You... don't trust me?" Your eyes snap up to your friend's. The Collector looks at you warily, as if preparing for you to say something that would hurt them.

"No, no! It's not that, of course I trust you." You squeeze their hands for reassurance. After a moment of thought, you make a suggestion.

"Okay... how's about this..." You start. The Collector listens as you continue, "I'll stay up here while you go play, and each time you come back, you tell me everything that you did. Then it will be like... I was with you the entire time."

"But... what will you do when I'm away?"

You smile hopefully, "I can use that time to try and catch up with my... ch... ch..." You gag playfully, causing The Collector to giggle, "..chores."

The Collector smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"Okay! It's a promise then."

"Yeah! Pinky swear."

Like an instinct, you link pinkies to seal the deal.

"So when are you gonna leave?" You ask.

The Collector folds their hands and twiddles with their fingers, "I... was actually planning to go down there now."

Another small silence. The mutual understanding of the situation surfacing.

"I'll fly you down there then, just to the atmosphere." You say.

The Collector grins, and you both hold hands as you descend from the stars.

At the edge of the atmosphere, you bid each other a farewell.

You embrace your friend and hold them tightly, to which he does the same.

"This will be the first time that we've been apart like this." You mutter.

"...It'll be okay." The Collector says, but he doesn't know if it's to reassure you or himself. They pull back and look you in the eye, "Because we'll always find our way back to one another."

You grin at their call back.

"Yeah. Yeah! I'll see you soon?"

"Mhmm! And then I'll tell you all about it!"

"I can't wait to hear about everything!"

You both giggle and hug one final time.

"Bye." They whisper.

You whisper back, "Bye."

The Collector waves at you, to which you give them a thumbs up of encouragement.

And with one final glance, they enter the atmosphere and disappear into the clouds.

You stare at where you could last see their form, remaining completely still for a good minute.

Then, you take a deep breath, and begin to fly away from the planet and to your home to receive your next assignment.

And all was quiet.