Aversion to Iron

Chapter 38

He didn't realise where he was walking until he stopped in front of a very familiar door. One he hadn't found himself in front of for years. One that had an little paintings on it, meticulously done and incredibly detailed.

He rest his hand over the one with a poppy wrapped around headphones.
It was him. It was the painting Red had done for him, to immortalise their friendship in pretty pigment.

He should knock on the door, pretend it was all fine. Pretend it was just like the old times. His hand balled into a fist and drew back.
But part of him held back. Told him that things were different, that Red left for a reason, that things were better off left in the past.

The voices sounding from inside proved that.
Red had a friend over and didn't want any part of Taurtis anymore. Red moved on.

He should get back to his own place anyway, he thought, and he let his hand drop to his side again. They tried sharing Red's house for a while- he built an extra room for Taurtis to stay- but something always went wrong, they squabbled over little details and eventually it was decided that he'd move out. Sometimes your best friends are your worst roommates, he supposed.

Just as Taurtis turned away, he heard the door open and the tall man from earlier, Dust if he remembered correctly, was standing in the doorframe.

"You're Blue, right?" He asked gently, tilting his head.

Even if Dust couldn't remember him, he acted almost the same, every mannerism, every quirk the same as before. Taurtis nodded.

"Come in? I made a little too much french toast." Dust invited, stepping aside in the doorframe to allow Taurtis to pass.

"Why invite me?" He asked, taking a hesitant step forward.

Dust looked conflicted as he thought of what to say.
"Red...he. He needs a friend. He looked so happy when he saw you, and I noticed you out the window and I thought..." he trailed off.

"He's lucky, Dust." Taurtis murmured as he brushed past the other and took a plate of the food. "He's lucky to have a friend like you."

To Dust's credit, the man blushed at the compliment, unsure how to really react while Taurtis made his way inside. He was standing awkwardly inside the home that he left ages ago, one hand jammed into his pockets and fidgeted with the seam inside. The other awkwardly held his plate.

"Look," Red smiled bitterly when he looked up at who the newcomer was. "The gangs all here."
It was clear he had been crying barely moments earlier, his eyes red and cheeks still glistening with drying tears.

Though, he had to admit, Red was right. The dynamic was clearly different since Dust didn't remember him, but the core group of friends, they were all there. Taurtis would bet that Dust didn't know which painting on the door was his own.
"We used to cause so much trouble." He offered.

"Me? A troublemaker? I can't imagine that." Dust raised an eyebrow at Taurtis. "You're not pulling my chain, are you?"

"No, no, we used to hide from the court a lot. Make the older faeries worry about us, or cause mischief with overcharged crystals." Red supplied, his smile growing as he spoke.

Dust frowned. "Overcharged? I thought they held magic and it was safe?"

"Well, they do. But sometimes, if the situation is just right, you can cram them full of magic to the point where it's kinda dangerous. And we had a lot of fun with them, right Blue?"

"If by 'kinda dangerous' you mean 'highly reactive and explosive' then yes, yes we did. Grew an entire tree when one accidentally exploded. It's still standing, if you were wondering Red."

The house filled up with yellow laughter for the first time in a long while as Red grinned like a madman at the memory. Taurtis snuck a glance at Dust and felt a little guilty.

It wasn't hard to see the sadness and longing on Dust's face as he watched Taurtis laugh about old memories with Red. He wanted to remember- it was only natural after all.
"Hey, don't sweat it. They'll come back one way or another." Blue reassured, gently elbowing Dust in the side.

"Part of me doesn't want them to. I like who I am now, what if who I was is different?"

"Even if you don't remember much, you're still the same person. You still act the same way you did as a kid. Trust me."

"Thanks, Blue. It means a lot."

"Oh like I don't?" Red teased, earning a chuckle from Dust.

Dust rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips all the same, "You know what I meant, Red. Why don't you two catch up? It sounds like you have a lot to talk about." He excused himself, stepping outside the cabin before either could say a word.