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Lime didn't much like having to sleep. An entire eight hours of being vulnerable to any attacks, susceptible to mindworms, and prone to being carried off by gremlins if they forgot to close off entry points? Count them out. Even if it was an important part of a daily cycle, it was also a horrible defensive strategy to fall asleep. The whole place needed additional fortifications, from a blocked door to a secondary escape route that almost no one could use but them, and it was overall just as stressful as any trip to MIRA headquarters. Sleep was something to be done only when necessary, and especially when Blue was awake, so that there would be someone else to help in the worst scenarios. Even if that wasn't exactly easy, it was a bit safer.
All that to say, sleep didn't come easily to Lime, especially after the events on the Skeld. At least the vents had felt a little safer than the cafeteria sleepovers, but in a house, vents were impossible to come by. So a bed would have to do, and curling up in the center was usually the best position, even if it took forever to get to sleep that way. Too hot, too cold, whatever it was, it didn't matter. It was safe.
At least, it was safe most of the time.
A knock rang out at what felt like an ungodly hour, interrupting their sleep and forcing them to their feet to deal with it. Lime grumbled, and they stumbled to their dresser, grabbing both a wrench and a jar of holy water. Even though they’d prepared, by the time they turned back to the door, the knocking had stopped. Instead, a figure sat in the chair they’d moved in front of the door-- something wispy, both eternal and ephemeral, leafing through a little book like they’d been there all night, watching Lime sleep.
Lime recognized them immediately. That soft tie-dye shirt, the sparkly book, the flowers… it was clearly a ghost, and not one that Lime felt ready to see.
“Lemme guess,” Lime sighed, looking away. “You're mad at me.”
“No, actually, I'm not.” Cyan rose. “...But I noticed you were.”
“I’m what, mad at you? Why would I be mad at you? You’re dead. Gone. Because Green decided you deserved to die, and I looked like a great scapegoat. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You’re mad at yourself,” they explained, settling in on Lime’s bed. “...Please sit with me?”
Lime did as asked, refusing to look at Cyan’s face. That visorless face, the one they’d blasted with saltwater as a soldier attacking an ally. What could they say? Sorry wouldn’t fix it. They were already talking to the dead.
“...Lime, aren’t you tired of this?”
“Of what? I ain’t doing anything. I’m sitting here, preparing for tomorrow.”
“No, not that. Being mad at yourself. I can see it in your aura. It’s so dark and gloomy, I would’ve worried there would be a storm if I didn’t know better.” Cyan shifted slightly, looking at Lime even closer. “...Do you remember what I said when we first met?”
“Why would I? I was lookin’ for a way to get away from Orange while they kept dragging me around.”
“Please?”
Lime grumbled and turned their face to the ground. “Fine… you said something about you being there if I needed to talk because my aura looked like I was lonely.”
“Yep!” Cyan nodded. “So here I am.”
“You’re dead, Cyan. I just hid in the vents the whole time. What’s the point?” They huffed. “If you wanna help, then go away. That’s all I did for you.”
Cyan sighed, and Lime finally looked at them. Though there was a crack in Cyan’s visor, they still had it on, sitting on the bed with two mistlike legs swinging ever so slightly. “I think… I think you’re tired of carrying it all, Lime,” they said softly. “Even when Blue is there to help, you still carry it too.”
“I ain’t carrying it--”
Cyan didn’t bother hiding their expression.
“I’m not!” Lime exclaimed. “I’m doing what has to be done. I’m staying alive, and keeping Blue alive, and that’s what’s gotta be done.”
Cyan was silent, giving Lime time to finally turn to them again. It was so quiet, only the sound of Lime’s heartbeat to keep them company. After all, Cyan didn’t have one anymore.
“...can’t you just go?” they asked. “Follow everyone else to whatever’s after this? We always agreed there was something, so why not go find it?”
Cyan stood and gently took Lime’s hands in theirs, a sensation like holding smoke and hoping it wouldn’t fade. Lime looked up, choking back tears.
“I’m not here to be mad at you, or yell at you, or anything like that. I know you think I should, but… you have so much you think you did wrong, but you still saved someone.”
“I didn’t save you, Cyan.”
“So?” Cyan’s voice was soft. “It wasn’t your fault. None of it was. It wasn’t Red's, Orange's, or even Green’s fault either. So please… Don’t blame yourself anymore.”
Lime’s hands fell through Cyan’s, and they rubbed their visor, trying to get rid of the tears before they followed suit.
“I’m sorry,” Lime said. “I’m sorry.”
“So long as you keep the memories, it was worth it,” Cyan said gently. “That’s all we leave behind in the end. Memories and stardust. So hold onto that for me, and we’ll never truly be gone.”
“I… I’ll try. I’ll make sure there’s something so we’ll never forget you guys. Something perfect, and big, and--”
“As long as you love it, it doesn’t need to be perfect.” Cyan smiled, and started walking back to the door. “...I’ll try not to bother you, Lime. You’ve got so much life left to live.”
“Wait, it isn’t bothering me, you don’t have to go--” Lime stood, trying to chase after them, but it was too late. Cyan was already gone.
Lime awoke in the middle of their bed, clutching a pillow wet with tears. After a moment, they grabbed a notebook beside their bed and wrote four words.
Do it for them.