Chapter Text
Shiver found herself in high school for a second time. So far she found it to be like the first time she went. Teachers, homework, exams, studying, the whole kit and caboodle.
She just wasn’t a human this time around. She was an octoling with tentacles that were predisposed to being dyed the same blue hue that her hair was. (She was very glad for that, having something that reminded her of her past life.) Still she couldn’t believe humanity had long since gone extinct. At times it didn’t feel real to her and other times she felt the heavy weight of grief for the world she used to know.
Actually now that she thought about it, she also wasn’t gallivanting around in a tower of nightmares that appeared only on a secret twenty fifth hour of the day. But that was another kettle of fish entirely. (She missed her old friends. She hoped they all lived good lives, even after she was gone.)
She also didn’t know how to handle the fact she had living family still. The Hohojiros were people she still hadn’t gotten used to even after a decade and a half. Honestly Shiver couldn’t wait to move out and strike it out on her own. It felt a lot simpler that way. (Shiver found she couldn’t handle the quiet and cold demeanours of her parents. She still craves the ever comforting warmth that SEES gave her, all those years ago. She knows she won’t be able to get it.)
“Hey Shiver?” she could hear one of her friends ask her drawing her from her thoughts. Shiver blinked as she looked at Frye, who looked worried, who then said “What are you thinking about?” She can also see Big Man look at her with a slightly concerned look on his face. Shiver is so glad she has such good friends. (She still misses SEES with all her heart. But she knew she would never see them again. Not unless she got very very lucky.)
Shiver leans against the fence that surrounds the rooftop she and her two friends were currently eating lunch on before she answers in an attempt to reassure them both “Just thinking about school,” she says with a sigh which was partially true. She didn’t feel quite ready to talk about her past life with them at the moment. “Honestly can’t wait to graduate.” Especially since she died before she could graduate in her last life. What a joke, she feels only somewhat bitter about it.
She hoped she could live to the point she grew old and grey this time. That would be wonderful.
Both Frye and Big Man seem to breath a sigh of relief. “Aye.” (Me too.) Big Man says with an understanding nod. “Aye aye.” (Only one more year.) That was true, just one more year. Shiver was seventeen again. She was seventeen when she died on the rooftop. She was seventeen when she had the best year of her life, meeting people she could call her friends, her family. She was seventeen when she saved the world from Nyx. She was seventeen when she closed her eyes for the last time.
“Heck yeah!” Frye says with an excited fist pump. “Then we can show the world how Deep Cut does things!” Deep Cut, the band that consisted of her, Frye and Big Man, something that formed due to the three’s shared love of music. Well that and Frye having a magnetic personalty. Shiver couldn’t help but be pulled into her orbit, something Shiver would never regret.
Shiver smiles slightly as she mimics the motion, the enthusiasm in the air infectious.
“Can’t wait.” Shiver says with a smile.
She meant it too, as she gazes on the city laying below them.
So full of life, it reminded Shiver of why she gave up her life all those years ago.
But for now she was going to live.
- - - -
Years went by, the ever present march of time always moving forward. Shiver finally graduated high school alongside Frye and Big Man. Shiver of course was top of the class, her good study habits long since ingrained in her mind. They formed Deep Cut as they had planned working their way up to the point they ran the Anarchy Splatcast, the new shows of Splatsville, the job involving them being a fun albeit odd combination of an idol and a newscaster. Also they had a side as bandits which Shiver was surprisingly okay with. Then again she did some less than legal things as the leader of SEES so maybe that was why? Shiver wasn’t sure but she didn’t really care to interrogate it at the moment.
She loved singing and performing with her friends. She even managed to get them to perform ‘Burn my Dread’ with her. It was Shiver’s favourite song which she enjoyed performing greatly. It was a piece of her past and it helped her remember where she came from. That and it was a good song.
At the moment Shiver was leaning against the railing on the balcony in the apartment she shared with Big Man and Frye, watching the city down below go about its typical night time habits. She was having trouble sleeping tonight, old nightmares making themself known after years of leaving her alone. (She dreamt of the time her parents died on the Moonlight Bridge. Watching Aigis fight death itself until she had to seal it away, deep inside Shiver’s soul.) Shiver yawns slightly, wishing sleep wasn’t such an evasive thing for her. Like when Shinji died, like when Mitsuru’s dad died, like when she was told that she had to kill Ryoji.
She hears the sliding door behind her open as someone walks up to her, and as she turns to look she can see Frye lean against the railing as well, a concerned look in her eyes. “What’s wrong Shivvy?” Frye asks as Shiver feels her body shudder slightly at the nickname the inkling calls her.
“Can’t sleep.” Shiver explains, watching as Frye scooch closer to her and wrap her arms around Shiver’s waist. Shiver can’t help but blush ever so slightly at the contact, something she loves even if she would never admit it. “Old nightmares coming back to haunt me.” Shiver looks into the golden pupils of her best friend, trying her best not to lose herself in them. Knowing that if she did it would take a bit for her to snap out of it.
“Like what?” Frye asks pulling Shiver in closer, the octoling’s face glowing an even brighter shade of blue.
Shiver, who hasn’t actually gotten around to telling Frye and Big Man the fact this wasn’t her first life, ponders whether she should tell Frye the truth.
Looking and seeing the concern in her eyes makes the decision for her. Besides she was meaning to tell them anyway she.... just never felt it was the right time to do so.
“I guess I should really should tell you-.”
“Tell me what?” Frye interrupts only to look sheepish at the look on Shiver’s face. “Oh sorry.”
“No worries Frye,” Shiver says with a small laugh. “Where was I? Oh right my nightmares.” She takes a deep breath, steadying her nerves. She bit the bullet. “Did you know that this isn’t my first life?” already knowing the answer was no.
“No, but I believe you.” Frye says, like she didn’t have any doubt that Shiver was telling her the truth. Frye’s faith in her friends was amazing, Shiver couldn’t help but admire that about her.
“Thanks.” Frye says a small but earnest ‘you’re welcome in response. “Yeah in my first life I was human.” Frye’s eyes widened in shock, but she let Shiver continue to talk. So Shiver tells her everything about her last life. Her time as Makoto, her time with SEES her friends she so dearly misses, how she fought against the end of the world and the mother of night. She told her friend everything she could remember.
When she finishes up with the story she takes a deep breath. “So yeah that’s the story.” she mutters, once more looking over the dimly lit city below them. She wants to give Frye some time to process what she told her.
“You’re amazing Shivvy.” Frye eventually says, Shiver looking into her best friend’s eyes. “I hope you know that.”
Shiver’s face once more erupts in a bright blue blush at the earnest praise. “Thanks you’re amazing too.” she says in an attempt to distract her thoughts from the path they were going down.
“You’re welcome Shivvy.” Frye says as she smiles at Shiver. “How are you feeling?”
“A lot better now that I’ve gotten that off my shoulders.” she admits to her best friend. It was true she felt a lot lighter now. She then yawns. “Still tired though.”
Frye laughs. “I’m tired too.” She moves her hand from Shiver’s waist to her hand, intertwining their fingers together. “Lets get you to bed yeah?”
Shiver nods, feeling more exhausted than before. But she felt better.
Frye opens the sliding door and begins to lead Shiver back into their dark apartment, Shiver giving the city below last look before they both head inside.
Shiver closes and looks the door behind her, and then lets Frye lead her through the apartment. They move past their kitchen, the bathroom, Big Man’s room and then Shiver’s own room.
Before Shiver could say anything, Frye continued to move heading into her own room, pulling Shiver along with her.
“Uh Frye? Why did you pull me into your room?” Shiver asks as Frye refuses to let go of her hand. Shiver didn’t really mind too much that Frye didn’t want to let go.
“Well I thought maybe sharing a bed with me might help. It helped me when I had trouble sleeping.” Frye explains, gesturing with her free hand towards her very comfortable looking bed.
Shiver blinks. She then says “If you say so.” Honestly Shiver can’t find it in her to refuse.
Frye smiles and lets go. Shiver mourns the loss of contact as her best friend gets into bed, Shiver following her example, face to face with Frye. Shiver can feel her three hearts racing at the situation.
Shiver feels Frye once more wrap her arms around her before pulling Shiver in close. Shiver stiffens for a moment before she relaxes within Frye’s embrace. “Night night Shiver. Sleep well.” Frye says with a yawn before she drifts off too sleep.
“Good night Frye. You too.” Shiver reply as she lets Frye’s steady breaths soothe her, soon enough she fall asleep in Frye’s embrace.
As she drifts off she catches a glimpse of the full moon through Frye’s window.
It’s as beautiful as ever.