Chapter Text
It had been a week since Giygas was defeated.
A week of peace. A week without aching treks, constant looming danger, and non-stop maintenance. A week where Jeff could finally relax, free of the constant push to invent new more powerful weapons, and the fear that if he didn’t, he would become a dead-weight among his psychic friends.
As the sun started to set, filling the clear sky with rosy hues, the stillness of the valley finally settled into his aching body. The Mr. Saturns went about their business, seemingly unconcerned for the world at large. In the distance, he could hear Apple Kid and his father chat about experiment results. As for himself, Jeff found a bit of rest on the oddly comfortable grass that fills the valley. He will return to Dr. Andonuts’s side soon enough, he figured.
In their adventure, Jeff compartmentalized and shuffled away many of his thoughts and feelings, giving priority to their ultimate goal. Unlike some of his friends (particularly Ness, with his constant homesickness), the setting-aside of his more emotional side in favor of his logical one was a lot easier for him to do. Jeff was not exactly completely void of emotions, but he was far less prone to fall into the trap of homesickness and longing.
Or, so he thought. When he felt a certain envelope in the inside of his blazer brush against his body, a certain rush of feelings overwhelmed him. Jeff hated things he couldn’t explain, and these emotions were as intense as they were unknown. He pulled out the envelope, examining it with a deep sigh. That was Tony’s letter.
Guilt mixed in with those feelings. Jeff didn’t mean to ignore Tony. In part of his self-compartmentalization, he pushed everything aside. Saving the world was his priority. Everything else, including himself, took last place.
Now that his goal was complete, he had nothing to distract him from… well, himself. Not even Dr. Andonuts’s projects served as a decent distraction. And with that, the emotions came. The emotions he couldn’t hide from any longer. It wasn’t just guilt, but feelings like longing, even a mix of loneliness. And many other ones that Jeff couldn’t explain.
Perhaps he is overdue to call Tony.
Feeling resolute, Jeff put the envelope back into his blazer pocket and made his way to the nearest hut containing a telephone. The Mr. Saturn didn’t seem to care who used it, and why. Much to his relief, the hut was currently empty, and the phone was placed in a relatively reasonable location. (The Mr. Saturn liked to place items on top of ladders for some explicable reason.)
He picked up the phone and called the school, particularly the number that would forward him straight to Tony.
He clung to the cord as the phone rang. Why was he so nervous? It was just Tony…
A somewhat groggy boy with a northern Foggyland accent answered the phone. “Hello?”
Jeff swallowed. “H-Hi Tony. It’s Jeff.”
Tony’s tone immediately shifted to ecstatic. “Jeff! It’s you! You finally called!”
The happiness in his voice made Jeff’s chest suddenly feel tighter. “Y-Yeah, it’s me. Sorry I haven’t called in, uh…”
“Ah, no worries, Jeff! Please don’t fret! I know you were busy saving the world!”
Tony truly had a heart of gold, Jeff thought. “I know, but I should’ve done better. You know how focused I get… still! Um… you’re my best friend. You deserve to hear from me more often.”
“I’m hearing from you now, aren’t I? So everything is better!” Tony responded cheerfully. Jeff could hear the happiness in Tony’s voice. It radiated strongly even through the distance between the two. “So are you learning a lot from your dad? What neat things did you see while you were out on your adventure? Oh, I have so many questions! It’s been quite boring around here lately, especially since you’ve left—”
The foreign sense of emptiness and loneliness that Jeff had felt previously was replaced with a warm, happy sensation. It was equally just as strange, but admittedly far more pleasant. Was this new for him, or did he always have these feelings?
“—I constantly hear Maxwell wishing that he was with you, that he could learn from Dr. Andonuts too, and I guess that’d be neat, but I’d rather be with you! I miss you, Jeff!”
“I miss you too,” Jeff admitted, though he wasn’t sure why he was so shy about saying it. He swore his heart skipped a beat.
“Aw, you’re so sweet!” Tony’s gushing made Jeff smile. Like the rest, it confused him too. “So when are you going to come back to school? I hope that you do—”
“Don’t worry, I will. I have to complete schooling after all. As for when… ah, I’m not certain. Probably sooner rather than later.”
“Well, don’t let Maxwell hear that! He’d be disappointed you didn’t stay longer!”
“Mm. Tell me, how far behind will I be on my homework?”
“Ah, not too much. You know how fond the teachers are of you, Jeff! You did miss some funny things though. Last month, in maths class, we—oh! Sorry!” Jeff could hear the voice of clearly an adult on the other end. “Sorry, I have to cut this sort. Lights out and all that. But please, please do call me back!!”
“It’s okay. I’ll call you back at a better time, how’s that?”
“That’s good! Anyway goodbye…! See you!”
“Goodbye…”
“Bye!”
With that, the other side went silent. Jeff carefully placed the phone back, trying his best not to notice the tingling, warm sensations all over his body. He may have stayed in this hut for a while, basking in these odd feelings, if he didn’t notice Apple Kid staring at him curiously.
“I was just gonna order a pizza,” the other lad said. “Are you… okay? Who were you talking to?”
“Yes, I’m fine!” Jeff choked out. He immediately ducked out of the hut, trying to avoid Apple Kid’s gaze. He couldn’t explain why he felt so embarrassed, just that he did.
Throughout his early life, Jeff lacked a true comforting figure. He never had a parent to call his own. He did hear about Dr. Andonuts, but never heard from him. His care was left in the hands of various caretakers, none of whom could fill the ache and loneliness within him. Jeff learned to live with that ache, and eventually he grew to ignore it.
One day, when he was old enough, Jeff finally left the orphanage to attend Snow Wood Boarding House. He didn’t expect much. In fact, he expected to be just as ignored as he was in his previous residences. So when he was assigned a roommate, Jeff was mildly annoyed, but accepted it.
His roommate was Tony.
Instead of ignoring him like his past roommates, Tony tried to make Jeff feel as welcome as possible, even offering to help him settle into the dorm. This wasn’t done as some sort of appeasement due to Jeff’s family name, but of out of genuine kindness. Still, the walls that Jeff built up around himself wouldn’t be so quick to fall. He figured Tony would lose interest in such a shy roommate and eventually ignore him, like everyone else did.
But Tony persisted. He regularly checked up on him when Jeff was immersed in a project. He gave him water and food when he accidentally skipped meals. Tony would ask him questions, and was patient with him as he stuttered an answer. When Jeff wasn’t in the mood to talk, Tony never took it personally and gave him space. The redheaded boy was not a pushover, but knew Jeff didn’t mean any harm when he accidentally made a mess due to his experiments.
Tony cheered Jeff on when he needed encouragement. He helped Jeff through embarrassing moments. He taught Jeff kindness through his actions, not only towards him but also his fellow classmates. Tony gave the warmest hugs and the most thoughtful of gifts…
With Tony, he didn’t feel so ignored anymore. Jeff was more willing to open up to others, because he knew that his best friend would always be there to support him. He let himself fail more often, because he knew Tony didn’t care if he did.
He was Jeff’s best friend, but somehow, he felt like it could be something more. Was he family? That didn’t seem quite right…
Jeff rolled over onto his side, covering his heated face with the blanket. Those feelings came back again. He should be thinking about theories and coming up with ideas, not thinking about Tony!
But… maybe he wanted to think about Tony?