The Eden Projects (FINAL EDITING)

CHAPTER 59. Freedom.

- Kasper -

"Fold it! Foooold it!"

"I AAAAM!" Kasper slurred, trying to stay upright. "Ah-" The countertop wobbled at the corners. It was all chaos.

"Fwahahaha! The other way- the otha'way!" Zak grabbed it and refolded it, forming a soggy star. "WATCH thissss-" He chaotically stacked the empty mugs, setting the smallest empty bottle of alcohol on top before gently balancing the star on its rim. "CHRIST I did it. Christmas- Hey- Merry Christmaaaas~"

Every cupboard and drawer stood open. 

Whether Riley had meant to or not, she'd triggered Zak's desperate search for more, and he'd unearthed every last thing in the room worth drinking.

"Pffft-" Kasper leaned forward with a cackle. "There's baby leaves on the trees you dumbass-"

"Baby leaves." Zak moved to stand, stepping on one of his dragging wings. "WOOA-"

Before he could blink, he'd slipped backward and come down on the tile with a THWACK. Unable to right himself with his wings trapped beneath him, he laughed hysterically.

"Tch- lemme help you up-" Kasper swayed.

What is this...

The moment his hand closed around Zak's, his boot snagged on the leg of the chair. He barely caught himself before landing on his toppled friend, then gave up entirely and slid the rest of the way down with a laugh, filling the room with whiskey fire.

This feels... good...

Laughter bubbled out of him until tears blurred his vision, the room swam around them in a dizzying haze of colors and shapes. Kasper buckled and settled beside Zak on the floor, both of them staring up at the stained manila drop ceiling.

Am I drunk? Is that possible?

The ceiling swirled above them, and for the first time in a long time, his body felt hot. Uncomfortably hot. Every nerve ending seemed alive with sensation. His darkened sea was finally alight. Emotion- or something just as warm had finally reached into the briny depths he called home, and he felt all of it. Liquid freedom bore him down into its clumsy cradle. It held him. 

Finally. 

His mouth moved before thought could stop it. "Zak... is it gonna be like this for a while?" He bit his lip gently, his heart racing as he waited for an answer.

"Yeah..." Zak tried to sit up, only to flop back against the floor with another snort of laughter. "Oh! Remember when we tapped tha' cop at Dave's and he bought like three'a those little bottles fer us?"

Kasper thought back and chuckled. "I remember that." He remembered the feeling. The rush of adrenaline as they tore down the road whooping like a pair of escaped inmates. He remembered the sleepover. The tent they had stolen from some bum in the run down mall district. 

Fort Octane. 

A stolen fortress. 

"Octane." He murmured. 

Zak plucked a broken feather from his shoulder. "We were th'shit. We really were..." He smiled. Rubbing his eyes. "Something."

"Yeah-" Kasper squinted. His head was empty. No voices. No thoughts. No doubts ran their course. It was quiet. All he could hear was the droning beat of his heart in his ears as his blood warmed his body. If he listened hard enough, he could almost hear the turning of his cells- matter dividing, multiplying, becoming everything that made him... him.