sweet talk

then i need a release from

chapter twelve

"Do you hear the rain, dude?"

"Well, duh. I'm not deaf. It's pouring out there!"

That earned a small chuckle from the blue Jay. He had come over after school to sleepover, and had made his home on the floor. He was covered in blankets, strangely, despite the summer humidity that covered the room. The rain was drowning their thoughts.

Rigby rolled over, and propped himself up on an elbow, gazing down at the other. His bleached hair moved with him, his shirt twisted in an uncomfortable position. His nose twitched.

"Aren't you burning up down there?"

Mordecai looked up, then shook his head. His bangs were messed up, sticking up from the sweat that clung to his forehead.

"I can't imagine why."

"I'm cozy."

"How?"

"The rain."

That answer made the least of sense to Rigby. The rain was outside, and only added to the humidity. He snorted and laid back down.

"You're weird, dude."

"I know." He grinned.

They lay there for about an hour listening to the summer rain pouring. A flash of lightning caught Rigby's eye, followed by the rumbling of thunder. He jumped at this, and suddenly felt uncomfortable. Rain was okay. Thunder was not.

"You scared?" Mordecai teased, sitting up from his blankets. He seemed to have seen his jump, and the raccoon swiftly turned to protest.

"Am not! It just startled--" Another loud rumble shook the whole house, interrupting his speech. He jumped again, and quickly grabbed for his blankets, searching for comfort.

Mordecai frowned. He definitely was scared. He knew Rigby.

"You can sit down here for a minute if you want," he offered, gently, making Rigby turn again, eyes wide.

But the raccoon didn't hesitate. He scrambled from his mattress, grabbing his pillow, and joined the bird on the floor. They lay back down, pressed together on the floor. This time Mordecai had zero blankets on him.

They didn't speak. Only listened to the pounding rain and the thunder that shook the house.

"Dude... you're gripping my arm--"

Rigby looked down, and quickly let go of the bird's wing. He grew embarrassed, but it quickly disappeared when another loud boom sounded from outside. He clung onto Mordecai again. "B-bro, it's loud..." he whispered, shakily.

"Calm down! It's just thunder. Besides, it's outside!" Mordecai reassured. He did not take his gaze off of the ceiling, afraid that if he did he would ruin this moment the two were sharing.

"That doesn't help me! I know what it is!" Rigby snapped, his voice wavering still. Tears were beginning to prick at his eyes.

We're going to die. The lightning is going to break into the house and kill us both, and the rain will drown us.

"Ok, ok... just... stop breathing so hard! Take a long, deep breath," Mordecai was trying his best to comfort the other.

"I can't--"

"Yes, you can. Imagine you're about to take your finals--"

"Like that's going to calm me down."

"Ok... then imagine you're standing at the beach, and the rain is just the waves, and the thunder is just the dumbasses who kick sandcastles down."

"Like you?"

"That was one time, and it was a dare."

"Hehe... okay..." Rigby closed his eyes, his sixteen-year-old head forming fantasies of the beach, of the summer waves. He could see flashes of lightning through his lids, forking the sky, and imagined the sun fading in and out of view. The rays hit his face in a way that brought warmth and comfort, and he slowed his breathing. Thunder shook the house, and he imagined Mordecai being an ass and jumping on a sand castle, the sand rolling down before fading into nothing.

He imagined a summer day, a summer rain, laying next to his best friend. He imagined the sweat that clung to their bodies were like the droplets of the rain, sticking to his hair. He imagined Mordecai's arm on top of his, their hands touching but their fingers refusing to intertwine. He imagined the thunder shaking the house, as well as his body, getting ready for him to take off into the world, into the darkness, into what he called longing.

Soon, he dozed off, and Mordecai turned to glance at him. A small smile formed on his face, and he rested his head next to his friend's, keeping his blue orbs on the ceiling fan spinning slowly above them.

"I knew you could do it, dude."

Rigby drew in a breath, and his eyes shot opened after the flashback faded to dust. The room was dark, and his heart twisted in a way he couldn't describe. The darkness of his heart was nothing to compare to the darkness of the sky outside, rain pattering lightly against the window.

Summer rain. Just like his weird flashback dream.

Turning his head, he watched Mordecai lay-- with piles of blankets covering him, his feet sticking out at the bottom-- and the bird rolled over, snoring away. The raccoon curled his hands into fists. No. He was not going to let Mordecai get taken by a demon.

The voice filled his head, the void he called his mind, and whispered dark, tempting thoughts into his ears.

Rigby threw his blanket off of him, and rose from his trampoline, clambering over to the door. He stopped and looked at Mordecai, thinking of the kiss they shared not even two hours ago.

"I'm sorry, dude. I have to do this."

He opened the door, ran downstairs, and into the rainy, summer night.