Chapter Text
“Mhm…”
He opened his eyes to a dark room, only being lit up by the screens in the room. His head is feeling quite groggy at the moment, struggling to grasp himself. “Huh...? Where am I...?”
He had a dream. He remembered how needy he was back then, having to have his father by his side. His father prepared him apple slices, shaped just like a bunny, just as he had requested. That must’ve been back when he was a child, back when everything was okay.
It hurts, and he didn’t know why.
He sat up, looking around the place. There were music sheets all over the place, a box of blankets that had been run through and a few cups of instant noodles atop a small coffee room. However, in that same room there were a couple of monitors, a pair of headphones and even a syntensizer at the end of the room. Seriously, how can these two things co-exist together?
“Ugh…” he clasped his head for a moment. Right, he’s still quite sick, his memories are quite foggy, but at least he felt better than before. Glancing over to his body, he noticed another person near her. A familiar green figure, his head is resting atop the bed while his body is leaning against the body frame. His hands are placed smack center of him, as if he was holding something there earlier.
Purple tried to retrace his memories of what had happened. He had stopped by the park to rest, collapsed and Green noticed him earlier. He assumes that Green had brought him here to treat her. He didn’t know why Green would go out of his way to help him out.
“Hm...?” Suddenly, his head moved. Green hands were pulled back as he rubbed his eyes for a bit. Then, his vision wanders a little, before eventually his gaze landed atop of Purple. “Oh, Purple, good morning... How do you feel?”
“Good morning.” He spoke in his usual monotone voice. Come to think about it, it is still the evenings, no? “Much better. Thank you for taking care of me, Green.”
“No,” He shook his head as he sat up properly. “I should be the one apologizing for bringing you here without asking. I wasn't sure what else to do…”
And yet, he’s here. Clearly, Green knew.
“Oh, there are still some apples left.” He changed the topic. “Would you like some...?”
“Apples...?” Purple looked at him. Thinking about it, he did dream about apples earlier. How did he read his mind?
“Huh? Y-Yes... I heard that it's good to eat apples when you catch a cold, so I made some applesauce for you.” He explained. “I'm not sure if you remember, but you had some earlier. If you think your appetite's back, I can make some more.”
“I see…” Purple thought about it for a moment. “Thank you, but I'm okay for now.”
“Okay.” Green got up and moved around for a bit. Meanwhile, Purple sat there, rearranging his thoughts.
Green made applesauce for him...? Is that why he had that dream...?
“Oh, Purple,” Suddenly, Green’s voice cut through the silence. “Did you happen to bring any medicine with you? I can get you some water if you need to take it.”
“They should be in my bag, but they're the type that don't require any water.”
“Okay, got it.” Green lifted up Purple’s bag and placed it beside him. As Purple scrambled through his bag, Green pulled a chair and sat down beside him. “If you need anything else, please feel free to ask.”
“Anything else...?” He had something in mind. “I'm not sure if it's something I need, but I would like to ask you something, Green.”
“Hm? Yes?”
“About that song you composed the other day.” That same song that caused him to feel sick. “What did you feel as you wrote it?”
“That song...?” He looked down. “I thought about something that happened a long time ago... When I was with my dad…”
“Your dad?” Purple asked. That wasn’t a topic Green would usually talk about.
“Yes.” He nodded, followed with a smile. “I remembered how my dad said that he wanted to make me smile by playing this song he wrote. When I heard it... We couldn't help but smile and laugh.”
“Smile and laugh…” The two emotions he struggled to express.
“Yes, so… I want you to feel what I did. I want you to smile the way I did back then.”
“...” He went silent. A song based on his happy memories.
“Purple?” Green asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, it's nothing... It's just…” He felt an unusual feeling in her body. Not that feeling of sickness, it’s… the same feeling that had been haunting him this entire time. “My chest... It feels warm again…”
Green looked confused, but it seems that he didn’t question it. Rather, he continued on smiling. “I see…”
Things were silent after that.
<–>
Miyamasuzaka. A beautiful town, with its well laid foundation and new cafes popping up every other week. Even late at night, the streets are well lit up. They were walking down, with Green taking note of Purple’s wellbeing. He stumbled here and there, but overall, he seemed alright.
“Here should be fine.” Purple stopped near a junction. “My house is just right there.”
Green looked around the area for a bit. He didn’t really see any houses on the horizon. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I think I can at least make it that far now.” Purple reassured him. Green was worried at first, but he knew he should let him be.
“Okay, that's good to hear.” He tried his best not to let his worry show. “Please, get home safe.”
“...”
“...”
With that, Purple took a step forward, and Green stood still at his spot. At the last second, Purple turned to him, tugging the straps of his bag. “Bye, Green. See you on Nightcord.”
Purple steps into the darkness, with Green only able to give him one last wave. “Okay. See you on Nightcord.” Green went home soon after.
<->
It’s been a day or two since everything that had happened. Purple got home safe and sound, had informed the others on Nightcord about everything and it went smooth sailing from there. He got up that morning and went downstairs, catching sight of his father cooking breakfast for the family.
“Good morning, dad.”
“Good morning, Purple.” He prepared the dishes on the dining table. “Breakfast’s ready.”
“Thank you.” Purple took a seat, before catching sight of a bag atop the table.
“Oh, that reminds me.” The father turned to him. “Our neighbors gave us some apples. It'll be a nice treat to go with your breakfast.”
“Huh? Apples...?” Purple recalled the dream he had at Green’s. He had apples there too, no?
“Yes,” The father took out some, and carried it to the kitchen to wash them. “I'll cut some slices for you now.”
“Bunnies…”
That peculiar word escaped his mouth. All the sudden, his father turned to him. “What was that, Purple? Did you say something just now?”
“No, but…” Guess that he had to keep on suppressing his feelings. “Thank you for making this.”
It took a moment, but then a plate of apple slices was placed in front of him. Just the bland ones. “And here are your apples, Purple.”
“Thank you…” Purple took one and bit into it. They were crunchy, but as expected, they didn't taste like anything. He had long but accepted her lack of taste buds. Even back at Green’s, the applesauce he made is just a sticky mess in his mouth.
But, there was a difference.
“I'll keep composing.”
“I'll keep composing… until you can find yourself.”
He still doesn't know what to call what he felt then, “But I think I can keep moving forward. Right, Green?”