It's a Long Way Down

Chapter Twenty: Truth Or Dare Again..?

"No, I'm fine, I'm not helpless," Ember told Aether as she struggled with her crutches to get to the dining room. She had been back for nearly a week now, Sodo barely having left his room. If he knew he would see Ember, he wouldn't be there. Aether simply sighed, "You don't have to do everything yourself, Ember."

"I can do this, Aether. I'm gonna be stuck like this for a while, I might as well get used to it," Ember told him, trying to take another step, just to almost fall to the ground face-first. Aether quickly reached out and stabilized her before she could get too far. The ghoul sighed and said, "Fuck it."

He quickly picked her up, making her drop her crutches, as he started walking to the dining room.

"Aether, I need those!" Ember protested as he left them in the middle of the hallway. Aether told her, "Not right now you don't. I'm hungry, and I'm not about to leave you on the floor of the hallway. I'll come back for them later."

Ember just sighed, giving in. Aether soon got to the dining room, walking in. Sodo had thought he'd have more time to eat before Ember got there. He froze as he saw her get carried in my Aether, jealousy flaring inside of him before he looked away, realizing he had no reason to be. She didn't want him. There was nothing he could do.

Aether set Ember in a chair, telling her he'd come back in a little with her food. Swiss glanced at Sodo, worried about how he might react to seeing someone holding his mate, just to see the ghoul pushing his food around his plate, no more interest in eating it.

Rain had noticed as well. He was getting sick of Sodo's reclusiveness and Ember's refusal to even talk about him. He spoke up, "Game night tonight. Truth or Dare."

"I'm good," Sodo mumbled. This surprised everyone. He was never one to turn down a game of Truth or Dare. Rain shook his head, "Mandatory. Everyone has to be there. We haven't had a chance to relax in a while, so we are having a game night. I don't want to hear any excuses for why you can't show up. Ember, you aren't excluded from this. You're gonna be there too."

Sodo just sighed and stood up, "Fine. Whatever."

He left the room, leaving his half-eaten plate on the table. That's when Cumulus started to talk, "Has he been losing weight? He looks thinner."

Cirrus shrugged, "I don't know. He's been eating fine."

"He has looked thinner," Sunshine chimed in. Aether came back, looking at Sodos empty chair in confusion, putting Ember's plate in front of her, and her crutches next to her, "And Sodo?"

"He left," Swiss told him. Rain sighed and said, "I made a mandatory game night tonight. Sodo tried to not go, but I didn't give him a choice. He walked off. It's Truth or Dare, Aether."

Aether sighed and said, "Let me at least eat. I'll check on him in a bit."

Rain nodded before the ghoulettes went on, "What if he's making himself throw up?"

"Cirrus," Mountain warned, nodding towards Ember, "Maybe a conversation best kept away from the table?"

Cirrus nodded and kept eating. Cumulus sighed, "I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine and he's just being dramatic," Ember spoke for the first time at the table. Rain looked at her and said, "He's had a rough couple of weeks."

"So have I, you don't see me acting like that," Ember argued. Rain sighed and said, "Ember, I love you, you're my best friend, but please don't be like that about him. Not when you don't know the whole story."

"Maybe if you told me the story, I'd understand better," Ember shot back. Since she came back, she had a worse attitude with everyone. Didn't matter who they were or how close they were before. Of course, they all chalked it up to her being brainwashed by Sister Imperator. All of them but Rain. He hated how she acted towards all of them as if they were the reason she got injured. He had been pretty tolerant up until now. Ember had been pushing his buttons all week. And he had enough.