Hello, Goodbye. «ministar oneshot»

Hello, Goodbye

Hello.

It was a crisp autumn day, just as it was the day they met. The sun was high in the sky, sparkling against the dried leaves, which rustle in the gentle breeze and float down to Vikk's feet. The sky was clear, blue and endless, and if he looked hard enough, he could see the faintest sliver of the moon rising up, chasing after the sun in its perpetual struggle. He stoped for a moment, just admiring it. It's a mere smudge against the sky, barely visible above the tops of the trees, and yet, he can't look away.

You know, I always wanted to be an astronaut. When I was a kid, I mean.

Vikk sighed and another breeze rolls past him. He shrugs his coat closer to him, nuzzling his nose into the old scarf wrapped around his neck. It was a gift, one from him. Was it really four years ago? How many days has it been? How many times has Vikk watched the moon rise and fall since then?

I always looked up at the stars wondering what they really were. Back then, I thought they must be gods or planets. Entire new worlds.

Vikk continued his walk and inhales deep. If he concentrated hard enough, he could still smell the faint whiff of the cologne he used to wear. Rich, spicy, earthy. No matter how hard he tried, Vikk could never find the same kind again. It, too, has faded into a washed-out memory.

I spent my whole life trying to reach them. Spent my entire allowance on a telescope and everything. I even waited two hours in the park to see that comet. Remember?

Vikk scratches at the scruff on his cheek and frowns. He needed to shave. A paper cup rolls across the leaf-littered sidewalk. He bent down to pick it up.

That was how we first met, actually. Standing in the freezing cold with our teeth chattering, staring wide-eyed at the sky like there was nothing else was worth our time. Except maybe each other.

Vikk stared down at the plastic cup in his hand. The starbucks logo on the side reminds him once again. He hasn't been able to so much as glance at the café in years. Despite that, sometimes he gets a craving for their coffee.

After we saw the comet, you invited me to Starbucks. I was seventeen and I spent the whole night wondering if this counted as my first date or not. When you asked for my number at the end, I decided that – yes. It was.

He crumpled the cup in his hand, feeling the plastic split and crush beneath his fingers, before tossing it into the nearby garbage can. He continues his walk at a brisker pace than before and doesn't look back.

Sometimes I wonder why you even talked to me at all that day. It was obvious you had no interest in any of the stars or constellations. You just whined about the cold and how you liked day better because it was warm and bright. Although i was a morning person and you were a night owl, i'd always stay out to watch the stars with you.

Maybe that's why we worked. Night, day. Ying, yang. Sun—

"Moon!"

He stops in his tracks. His heart hitches into his throat and he turns to see a young child pointing up to the sky. The child's mother smiles and nods. "Yes, that's right. The moon."

Vikk watched the family for a moment. The heavy, sinking feeling he has grown so used to makes itself at home in his chest again and he has to look away.

Did I ever thank you? For being there all those years? Through high school and college and everything in between, you were there. Through my mum's illness, you were there.

Simon takes a left, turning his back on the park full of new families and laughing faces, and crosses the street quickly, not even acknowledging the irritated honk coming from the car rushing past him.