It's been a long time...

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx felt like he'd been gone awhile, and maybe he had. The interlude, no matter how long it had seemed at the time, had been ultimately short in the grand scheme of things.

Then again, what did time matter to a Nobody?

He had tried desperately to hold onto the memories he made while he was gone, when the days began to blend together again into a nothingness he couldn't describe.

His mission, as anticipated, came to a head and he was fairly certain that he died.

At least, he had been, but here he was, lying on the ground and staring at the sky.

"Huh." He vocalized softly, there had been darkness there before, and he could feel the water soaked into his jacket, tell tale signs that he'd been fighting.

Comments

[1ozstetson]

"Whoa, settle down there, Dakota." Jed huffed, trying to calm down the Rapidash. But she was dead set on nickering and tugging him off the trail. With a bit of an annoyed eye roll he followed her lead, "Fine ya dang critter, where we headin'?"

He didn't expect an answer, but he also didn't expect her to suddenly stop near a figure. Jed squinted, bringing a hand to tip his hat back. "Hey, Juniper, what are y'all doin- Hey, Dakota!" The horse pokemon tugs forward, Jed following and coming to a short stop.

"...Dem?"

[melodiouspacifist]

He had looked a little dazed, but Demyx leaned back on his hands and looked up at the person coming at him.

He broke into a smile.

"Jed! It's been forever!"

Demyx got to his feet, dusting off his coat and everything, he was still soaked, dripping in fact. "Man I forget how to do this." He couldn't access his powers to dry off.

[1ozstetson]

Jed stood there in a daze, his mouth moving but not much coming out of it. He'd been expecting an awful lot when Dakota dragged him off trail, but not an old friend that meant well a whole lot more.

"It's...ah! Wait, hang on." Jed didn't usually use his bending for this sort of stuff but, didn't mean he didn't know how. Especially not after meeting the other blond. So he set to work to siphon the water off, letting it soak into the ground and out of the other man's clothes.

The whole time though he's gaping at Dem, thoughts swirling a mile a minute as he tried to speak more than just gibberish and surprise at him. "Y-yer really...it's you, right? now one...not a storm?"

[melodiouspacifist]

"Thanks." He smoothed his coat down and fussed with his hair, to try and get a few strands out of his face. The perils of dying, perhaps.

"I think so." He answered. "At least, as far as I know? Would I know if it was a storm or not?"

Demyx wasn't sure he ever knew that.

"I was back home. Then I..." He trailed off. "Well. I couldn't stay there. I think I died."

[1ozstetson]

Jed smiles softly, every movement from the other man familiar and making his heart ache for some reason. "Shoot, I dunno. Maybe? I ain't ever really talked to storm folk."

He reaches up without thought, tucking a stray hair back to it's proper place in the spiked mess that was Dem's hair. Then his heart twisted and he stared again. He was doing an awful lot of that really.

"You..but..." He rubbed his arm, sure Jed had memories of dying himself. Knew the feeling of it pretty well but..."Uhm...what'd ya do?"

[melodiouspacifist]

He looked at Jed, taking in everything, from his stetson to Dakota and he seemed to relax. It was really great to see him again. He could swear that he was feeling something again, but it had been a very long time.

"Lost a fight. Met Roxas." Demyx answered with a breath. "I was right you know, I am pretty sure they wanted me dead...and I tried to say it wasn't my strength to fight like that, and it's not. I do okay, but.."

He shook his head. "Can't beat Roxas. Didn't." Demyx frowned slightly. "I was crying because I didn't want to disappear but since I came back, it's not so bad."

[1ozstetson]

"Aw, heck, Dem." He reached up, cupping the side of Dem's neck with his hand. He'd known the other man was in a fight for the world sort of deal, and wasn't exactly on the easiest side to be on. It...just didn't seem right for him to end up...dead.

"Hey, hey, ya ain't disappeared. Ya just ended up back here. Ain't so bad, yeah?" He tsked and gestured towards Dakota, "Come on. Need ta git yer strength back up, al'ight?"

[melodiouspacifist]

It was probably how things were meant to be, depending on who one asked. Demyx smiled at him a little, not minding the touch.

"It seemed like I would...this is like a miracle or something. Not that I believe in that."

He nodded. "It's not bad, I think if I could, I would've missed you." Demyx felt kind of numb again, he'd been shuttering himself off again.

"But...I am really glad to see you again Jed."

[1ozstetson]

"Well, I believe in 'em and I'm gonna call it that."

He bites his lip, pride, worry and manners all warring together. But if Nautilus had taught him one thing, it was to live and be for what and who he was. So he shoves the manners away, swallows his pride and gives into the worry.

Pulling Dem into a hug, "I missed ya to."

[melodiouspacifist]

He smiled, because it was Jed and he expected nothing less. Somehow he remembered the way he spoke, and he wasn't worried about having to decipher what he was saying.

Demyx let out a surprised noise and returned the hug, squeezing gently. "Thanks."

"I mean, it's been awhile since..." He exhaled. Jed had hugged him before, and even kissed him, but the Organization had been back to no affection, no camaraderie. For him, at least.

"Anyway. I'm so glad to see you again. I thought it might've been a dream, you know?"

[1ozstetson]

The hug was comfort for both of them, Jed looking for some sort of reassurance that this was not a dream. That the man was back, and more importantly with him.

The exhale though, oh did that bring up a warning bell.

Jed could recall some of the things that Demyx has spun on him about what his world was like. But, he wasn't going to pity the man. That was not what anyone deserved. Instead, he wanted to just remind him. Comfort him if he needed him, but first...remind him.

"Heck, I thought this were a dream. But it ain't. Real as anything else I been able to see." He pulled back just enough to see Demyx, and he smiled slightly, "Boy, you are a sight fer sore eyes. I'm glad you're back. But you ain't headin' ter that castle. I owe ya some vitals first, alright?"

Another soft squeeze before Jed did pull away, save for a hand resting on the blond's shoulder.

[melodiouspacifist]

He probably hadn't said enough about his world, honestly, but Jed was right, pity wasn't what he was looking for.

Demyx smiled. "Yeah, thanks. I kinda...don't want to go anywhere near that castle again."

Some things had certainly changed, and he desperately wanted out at times, wasn't death that opportunity? Didn't he finally get his freedom?

He squeezed back and let Jed go as he did. "Cool. You know what I missed? Your food." He grinned, come on Jed, feed him!

[1ozstetson]

"Good." That settled it. Demyx was staying with him in the Welcome House, come hell or high water.

The cowboy pulled back, but kept his hand on Demyx' elbow. A sort of anchor, mostly for Jed but if it helped both of them, then why not? He grinned and nodded.

"Oh sure, jus' my food. Well come on. Nothin' better than home cooked, and no better home cooked 'en mine."

It was familiar. And he had sorely missed it, just seeing his friend had filled something he was still trying to place. "Come on, ya look skinnier 'en a rail."

[melodiouspacifist]

His smile was a lot more genuine, more of a grin really. "Yeah, just your food."

Demyx was just teasing, Jed had been sorely missed, at least the concept of him had been when he couldn't remember him and now that he knew that much, he retroactively missed him a great deal.

"I'm not that skinny! I'm just you know...heartless or whatever."

[1ozstetson]

He snorts and claps Dem on the back, "Well best git ya some proper videls then?" Jed couldn't help a softer smile as he cast another look at the blond before starting towards the Welcome House.

It had been way too long since he'd cooked for someone he cared about.

"Nope! Yer skin and bones, otherwise I'd git ter use bein' wax as my own excuse!"

The kitchen hadn't changed much, still looking a great deal like something out of a history book of the wild west. Though the modern conveniences were still there, Jed liking that electric stove far too much.

"So what else ya been up to? Or did that horse jockey jus' have ya workin' yer hands dry?"

[melodiouspacifist]

He snickered a little and glanced around the familiar kitchen, thinking of the meals they'd shared before, and he had that feeling in his chest of longing.

"Yeah, mostly working." He agreed with a groan. Demyx sat himself in a seat, leaning back against the back of the chair to watch him.

"A lot of traveling, but the state of everything was kinda bad, not a lot of people working right? So since I was kinda unimportant, I mean, all the lower ranked members were already gone. So you know."

He got to be the one running around doing things ill-suited to him.

"Hey, I got to steal from some Gods, that was pretty crazy, and I met the god of the Underworld. Man, what a guy." He complained. "Swear he was gonna set me on fire or something, he's got this fire hair? He gets so mad." He chuckled a little.

"But yeah, mostly it was chasing the kid down and when we met, we fought and here I am." He'd surprised himself in some ways.

"You know, I can be really violent and threatening, when I have to be." He wasn't sure if Jed knew that or not.

[1ozstetson]

Working. He had an idea what that meant, and it made his stomach feel like a dozen bricks had settled in it. But he still smiled. Smiled at the sight Demyx lounging in his proper seat again. The warm light of the kitchens falling over a very tired face.

He chuckled and started, as always, with the coffee. "Boy, you look dead tired." An indignant snort and light glare, "S'long as you remember that you ain't unimportant here. Or am I gonna have ta drill that back into your head?"

Meats went into a pan, a few vegetables went into a steamer that he'd found in the North (and was actually pretty handy) and he was grabbing a few bits of greens to fry up. There was something to this adventuring...even if Demyx was forced to do it.

But it was familiar. To hear his voice moving in the room along with Jed's movements. Familiar and dearly missed.

"Threatening?" Jed set the knife down and dumped the last bit of peppers into the stew before turning around to look Dem over, taking in the hunch of shoulders and the tired look. Letting the words settle in.

The cowboy turned the stove down to a simmer and moved in front of Dem, cupping his cheek carefully, "Yeah, I figured ya can be...but, ain't no need fer it now, right?"

[melodiouspacifist]

That had been the downside to returning, having to push that mindset back into place and ignoring his heart. He'd begun to want things, and yet this took everything away from him and he could not complain.

"Not too tired to talk to you." Demyx quipped back, because it was true, he'd give up on a lot of sleep to get this conversation. If he fell asleep now, he might find out he was only dreaming.

"It's...well I kind of am here too, but it's not like I have expectations or anything." He said, looking into the coffee cup before sipping it. He felt tired, wrung out, and the whole experience left him feeling very much like he did before. Kindness hadn't been the way of things and it chipped away at his self-esteem. Not that he had that much to begin with, and as the lowest ranking member with Luxord, he was ordered around like a servant.

The adventuring was by far the best part. The opportunity to explore new places, see new things, it satisfied his wanderlust like nothing else.

When Jed returned and cupped his cheek, he raised his eyes, looking at him.

"No...I mean I don't need to be. I don't even want to be."