Something Real [Nygmobblepot]

Chapter Seven

"'What was it like to lose him,' asked sorrow.
There was a long pause before I responded:
'It was like hearing every goodbye ever said to me — said all at once.'"

The apartment feels surprisingly empty considering every corner is full of Ed's boxes, his packing still a work in progress. I sit on the couch, leaning my elbows against my knees as I watch him struggle with box-sealing tape.

He turns to look at me. "This feels weird." He admits and I nod, looking down at my hands.

"It does." I agree, waiting for him to continue but he keeps looking at me so I raise my eyes to his. "Do you need help?"

"That'd be useful, thank you." He says and I chuckle as I sit down on the floor next to him, pulling the tape off the box and his hands he has also managed to partly stick it to.

"Didn't bother to get a tape gun?" I ask him as I rip away the ruined, wrinkled tape with my teeth before pulling out a strip we can use.

"Why should you when you can do it with your two hands?" He asks me and I glare at him.

"Obviously you can't." I reply and his knee nudges mine. "Close the box, I'll seal it." I tell him and he does as told so I slide the tape over the seam and rip it as I did before, patting it in place.

"Didn't bother to use scissors?" He teases me for teasing him and I give him a glare.

"Why should you when you can do it with your bare teeth?" I shoot back before getting up from the floor. "Was that the last one?"

"Uh.. no." He pulls another box over to him and I sit back down. "This should be the last one."

"I never realized how much crap you own." I say as I get the tape.

"It's not crap." He argues and I just grin. "It's-"

"I know, very important or potentially important some day." I say nodding and see him smiling from the corner of my eye.

It doesn't take us long to get the last box ready and I look at the pile, wondering how he managed most of them on his own if he taped his own hands just now.

The doorbell rings and he scrambles up quickly. "That must be her." He says as he hurries to the door and I pinch my lips together as I smile, trying to seem excited for him. I grab the first box, figuring the faster I get him out of here the less it'll hurt.

"Come in, we just finished packing." Ed says as he walks in with the blonde girl who grins.

"Perfect timing." She says. "Hello, Oswald." She greets me then and I force a smile.

"Hello." I reply. "So.. I'll take this down." I walk past them to the door but she follows quickly.

"Oh, I'll come unlock the car." She says cheerfully and we walk down the stairs together. Wonderful. "I feel like we've never really, properly talked to each other before."

"Very true." I comment. Exactly, I barely know you and I've convinced the one person I truly care about to move in with you. I've gone insane. Is it selfish? That I supported his moving just to be able to clear my head and breathe easier? It definitely can't be more selfish than telling him not to go just because I'll miss him.

"Did you hear me?" She asks as we reach the car and she opens the doors of the truck.

"Oh, sorry." I mumble as I slide the box in. Everything Ed owns wouldn't have fitted into a normal car but this truck might be a bit too much.

"I said he talks about you a lot. Edward." She says, managing to snap me out of my thoughts this time and I sigh quietly as I look at the lonely box for a while before turning to her with a polite smile.

"As he does of you." I tell her, now wondering what has Ed been saying about me. I might've been pathetic enough to ask if he hadn't stepped out the building just then with a heavy box in his hands and I quickly help him lift it into the truck.

"Just a few more." He announces.

"Yeah, few thousand." I reply and he pokes at my ribs as we walk back in and I shove his hand away.

It doesn't take as long as I thought and soon the truck is packed and the happy couple is ready to go. It hurts more than I thought it would. Honestly, I have to keep repeating to myself that it's for the best. It hurts now but it'll get better. The longer I stay close to him the longer I'll keep suffering from it. Better to rip the band-aid now.

Ed turns to me with a smile before walking over to me and I take a deep breath. "Everything okay?" He asks me and I give him a look.

"I told you I'd be fine."

"I don't doubt that." He replies with a small smile. "You're toughest and strongest person I know, Oswald."

I try. "Well, I'll still miss you." I admit.

"Miss me?" He grins. "We'll see each other. Often, hopefully."

"Right." I mumble, looking down. I have a feeling we won't be seeing each other as much as you think. I feel a little bad but then again, I do want to protect myself and.. well, frankly, in a while Ed will have a life that I'm no longer such a big part of and he won't mind not seeing me that much anymore. He'll be fine. He's pretty tough as well.

"Until then." He says and I nod, stepping back before he hugs me. I'm not gonna do that to myself. And I'm defintely not making this goodbye as dramatic or emotional as it is for me already.

"Bye, Ed." I just say and give him a smile before turning around, walking back inside.

AN: Actually reposting this because I unpublished it accidentally (I hate myself) gahh I promise to have a new chapter up as well today. SORRY.