Project Despair One-Shots

Time Adventure (Schrota)

"Bro, you okay? You can't spend all your time just worrying about me."

"I'm fine. And I'm not worried about you, I'm just-" Schrodinger sighed. "That came out wrong." He slammed the cupboard door, and moved his newly obtained pile of medical supplies to where Kota lay. "I'm making sure you're safe. There's too few people in this world i can count on." He began to wrap some gauze around Kota's arm. It was like things could never go right for them. First, they were separated from the only people they knew and trusted, then, in trying to find them, what should have been a simple in-and-out recon turned into a bloodbath.

"Jeez, I'm not three. I can take care of myself. It's only a flesh wound." Saying this, Kota winced. They both knew the gash running down his forearm was much more than a flesh wound, but he did what he could to lighten the mood.

"'Tis but a scratch, huh? Guess I'll just leave you to heal up, then."

"No, not like that!"

"Fine, fine. Look at you, Mr Pro Wrestler. I'm meant to be the flimsy one, remember?"

"You are the flimsy one. I'm only hurt because I jumped in to save you!"

"Which I assured you that you didn't have to do!" Schro let out an exasperated sigh, then suddenly dropped his head. "I got a bit carried away there... s-sorry..."

"Dude, it's fine. I was just messin' with ya."

"Okay, okay." Schro finished with the gauze. "Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

"Aren't you meant to be the therapist?" Kota laughed. "You know that you can tell me anything. What's on your mind?"

"You." Schro paused for a second before continuing. "I know we don't resort to killing often, but over the past few days, your body count's been getting higher and higher. It weighs a lot on a person to take another's life, I can only imagine what you've been feeling..." another pause. "So I just wanted to say that nothing has to be immediate. Hiyur and Muru are smart. They're probably working just as hard to find us as we are to find them. They'll survive. If you ever feel like it's too much, we can take some time off. The world's been in despair for years, what more is a couple of extra days?" Kota met schro's intense gaze. He started to speak once or twice, before finally getting what he needed to say out.

"I'm... not worried about feeling too heavily about killing. I'm worried about not feeling enough. As long as we've been out here, I haven't felt one pang of remorse for any of those despair grunts I've taken out, and... that's not normal. I've been scared to tell you, cuz I thought you'd judge me for it. That's all I've got to say... is that what you wanted to hear?" Kota's voice had cracked partway through, but had since gone back to normal.

"Yes... yes... that's what I wanted to hear. The first thing you learn as a therapist is that having your client open up is the most important part of a session, and... I could see how much you'd been holding in. I know you like to stay strong, and all the rest of it, but that's not good for your health... you need to learn to speak to the people who care about you."

"I know... it just doesn't seem like the best time for an emotional epiphany, what with the world ending outside."

"Well, did you have other plans? Last I checked, you could barely walk."

"That's fair... you got any painkillers in that big pile of yours?" Kota let out a weak laugh. There he was, doing it again. Pretending to be stronger than he was. Schro rummaged around for a second, before pulling out a sheet of pills. He popped one or two into his hand, then handed them to kota.

"I suppose you want me to get you water as well, then?"

"Well, I wouldn't refuse it."

Schro let out a joking sigh. "Do I have to do everything in this house? You said it yourself, you're not three. I'm not your father." He filled up a glass and brought it to kota, who drained it near immediately.

"you know... these painkillers are making me feel... a little sleepy..."

"That's probably for the best. You need to rest, whether you want to or not."

"I... do... kinda need to sleep... can you..?"

"Well, what do you want from me? A serenade?"

"I was... gonna ask you to... pil...low..." Suddenly, Schro's speech made Kota perk up. "Wait, you can sing?!"

"Shit..." Schro realised he shouldn't have said that.

"That's it. I'm not sleeping until you 'serenade me', as you put it."

"That's what a protagonist does, right? To calm down his friends."

"Who made you the protagonist? And no, he doesn't, he does that for his love interest. But I won't let that stop me from hearing this! Sing for me!"

"Well then, I suppose that's that." Schro knew Kota, and he knew that with kota around, there was no way out of this. He cleared his throat.

"Wait, you're actually gonna-?" Kota's eyes lit up.

"Shush! Ahem." Schro cleared his throat. "Time is an illusion to help things make sense." He realised he'd forgotten a pillow, but he'd started now, and couldn't stop. "So we are always living in the present tense." Kota's eyelids drooped. His head fell back, almost dangerously, but Schro caught it. "It seems unforgiving when a good thing ends, but you and I will always be back then." Schro blushed slightly, cradling Kota like this. But he was just keeping him safe until he could find a pillow. "Singing will happen, happening, happened. Will happen, happening happens." Kota had drifted off, but Schro didn't care. He kept on singing. "And we will happen, again and again." He smiled. "Cause you and I will always be back then. You and I will always be back then." Perhaps somewhere, deep down, he thought that the one he was serenading was the love interest to his protagonist.