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~from 'i'd rather be a riot than indifferent'
"I keep thinking about my mom," Freed said suddenly as they walked down the corridors to the front doors. They hadn't talked about this yet, but the emotions that were growing from the restaurant incident had Freed feeling like they were cracking everywhere, leaking bits of regret and grief wherever they went.
"In a good way?" Gray asked, grabbing the door and holding it open for Freed. It was a gorgeous day – bright sun, blue sky, pink cherry blossoms littering the ground beneath their feet. They had two hours to kill before Natsu was moved to the burn unit, and Gray had suggested a walk to the nearby coffee shop where Ryos worked part-time.
"I keep... remembering things. Little memories of her." Freed played with the bracelet wrapped around their left wrist that Sylvie had made for them. "Mom used to make pancakes on Saturday mornings, and she would let us sneak chocolate chips in when dad wasn't looking." They felt themself smiling. "She... she taught me how to read. Every night before bed we'd read 'Little Women'."
Freed swallowed, pinching the inside of their wrist to keep from crying. The word 'hope' was tattooed there, chosen when they were eighteen, in a simple dark script.
"Do you think you're... missing her?" Gray asked, stopping their walk and leaning against a low brick wall, encouraging Freed to join him. "I mean, like you're mourning who she was."
Freed considered Gray's words. They'd never thought of it like that. The woman who'd showed up in their life last week certainly wasn't the mom they remembered from their childhood. Or maybe she was, and back then Freed had been too young and naïve to realize it.
