you're gone, and yet you're here. || egobang

3

He looked away from the scene. He had dreamed of it thousands of times before - though this one was different.

He had been spectating the crash instead. He watched as blood poured through the windshield. The damage of the two vehicles were unforgettable. Arin looked away from it all; afraid of how he'd react to seeing his body in such a horrid way. But, this dream seemed to hold plenty of surprises.

It all stopped. Time froze with no sign of it continuing. The only exception was Arin, and him. He walked around, trying to find his way somewhere else. Anywhere is better than here.

"Hey, Arin! Where are you going?" His voice was sweet to his ears. And now, it was easily rememberable since he could speak with him daily again.

"Away from here. I don't have long; this dream is going to end soon."

"Damn, really? I was hoping we'd get more time together. Maybe go to the Grump Space."

"Maybe next time."

It didn't take long, just a couple steps and Arin was awake once more.

Suzy lay beside him, her black T-shirt blending with her dark colored hair. She was still asleep, and for good reason. Arin glanced at a nearby alarm clock, only to see it had been five in the morning.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Falling back asleep didn't sound appealing at that moment.

"Wakey wakey."

His lips upturned to a smile; the whisper being hardly audible in the silence of the bedroom.

"Morning, buddy." He ran his hand through his brown hair before turning his attention to Danny.

He was standing at the opposite end of the room, a thin smile upon his lips. "What are we gonna do today? Maybe we can go back to the Grump Space since we couldn't earlier."

This was quite normal at this point. After months of being visited by Dan, Arin learned anything can happen. Even inhabiting his dreams was a possibility - a common one, quite frankly. He kept the nightmares from getting too bad, and instead turned them into dreams. Each one was different, but they all had some sort of memory attached.

"I guess I can do that. Give me a bit of time, then we can go." Arin closed his eyes as he tried to wake his mind up. Getting out of bed sounded nightmarish. But if that's what Dan wanted, then that's what Dan wanted.

The sound of the shifting comforter almost woke Suzy from her slumber. But luckily for the tired male, it wasn't enough. He made his way towards the bathroom to brush his teeth, then his unkempt hair. It felt odd to return to the normal schedule. But now that he wasn't mourning anymore, there was nothing stopping him.

He lazily put on a hoodie over his pajama shirt, then slipped on a pair of jeans.

"Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

And with that, the two left for the familiar building. The hum of the car made Dan flinch at first, but he soon got used to it. It helped to know Arin was driving.

"Do you think the gang is there?" He questioned in hopes of filling the empty silence between the two. But Danny had to give the other some slack; he was horribly tired.

"This early in the morning? Prolly not." Arin answered, not saying a thing afterwards.

The older male hummed for a brief moment, his expression changing as he looked towards the driver. Something in his dark brown eyes told a story his voice couldn't find. There was simply something about Arin that seemed to entrance him. But what would he know? After all, he is only a-

"Here we are!"

And with that, the car stopped. It's been far too long since either of them had even seen the familiar building. iIt brought happy memories of laughter and smiles. Simply anything you could ask for in a memory, really.

"Sweet! Let's go!"

Danny didn't hesitate in stepping out of the car. He jogged towards the front door and entered in the key to unlock the entrance. Arin was surprised to see it done so quickly.
The two stepped inside, closing the door behind them. Nothing has changed in the slightest. The games were still placed neatly upon the shelves. Artwork was hung up. It was all like it used to be. But then again, why would it change?

Arin snapped away from his thoughts, only to find Danny hadn't been standing beside him. He felt his heart skip a beat in fear that he had left.

"Danny?"

"Over here!"

He followed the voice until he found himself in the one place he dreamt of most. The couch was a bit shifted, but other than that it was as if the room hadn't been touched.

"Let's play something together! Just like old times, y'know?" Danny was already holding a pair of controllers in his hands. Even his eyes were pleading for the opportunity in a way that Arin couldn't explain.

"How could I say no?" He darted for the sofa after grabbing one of the controllers. "What do you wanna play?"

"Uh, Arin?"

That wasn't Danny's voice.

--

Sorry this was a filler chapter. But I'll try to make it up to you in the next one. I can promise there will be drama. Look forward to that, yeah?