Thanatology!!

20.0

"No problem, boblem."

"Afv I whafth thaying." She swallows. "I just want to talk to you."

He has somehow stuffed half of the chicken in his mouth. "Gah aheab."

"Oh for the love of—" She hugs him tight, accidentally performing the Heimlich maneuver.

"AH." Oto coughs up the chicken. "I, uh." His hands hover around Cheron's body. He doesn't know what to do with them. "Uh, Cherry, you..."

Several seconds pass. The hum of the air conditioner fills the room. Oto inhales Cheron's hair. She smells like an old library book and corn chips, and while neither of those are particularly enticing, no scent comforts Oto more.

"You..." His eyes widen. "You sneezed earlier! Was that because of Sir's fur? I'll get the lint roller." He starts to turn away. "Be right ba—"

The redhead pulls. They hurl onto the bed. Comforters and pillows splash all around, forming waves of beige and pink.

She climbs on top of him and holds him down by the chest. "None of that was your fault, okay!"

He yelps. "Cheron! I'm really just fine. I now realize it's not my job to be a euphemism. Everything is dead and dying and nothing actually matters!" He still doesn't know what to do with his hands. "I think my purpose... I think I'm just the reminder of all that."

"Shut up! Shut your stupid trap! You sound like Juno." Cheron shakes a finger with one hand and cups Oto's mouth with the other, trapping some glottal noise in his throat. "Nothing has to matter. People only live— truly live— when they realize they won't be able to anymore." She lets go. "You're the reminder of that."

Oto doesn't say anything. He looks down at Cheron's tattered uniform. What should have been fatal wounds peek out from the holes. He looks back up. The corners of her mouth are low and tight.

"Everyone in this doomed universe is doomed because they don't know how good they have it." Cheron turns away. "Don't you believe me?"

Oto's lips part slightly. The air conditioner stops humming. At a sloth's pace, he raises his shaky hands to Cheron's cheeks, lifting her head so they see each other. His eyes focus. His hands stop shaking.

"I believe you." He doesn't actually know if he does, but he smiles, his eyes bright and like Sol.

She holds his hands right where they are. "Really?"

"Yeah." He grins. "How could I not when you sound so much like Juno? That guy had conviction."

Cheron lets out a growl that sounds more like an elongated, croaky squeak, unable to warp the grin off her face. Oto chuckles. Both give in to the moment and stay like that for a few seconds, he on his back and she on top.

The moment breaks as Cheron glances around. "Hey," she says. "Where is Sir anyway?"

As if summoned, Sir slithers from under the bed and, with its hands, grabs Oto's ankles. The dog pants.

"Oop," Oto pipes. "I think Sir wants to go outside."

Gripping her side, Cheron crawls off Oto and steps onto the floor. "I got this."

"Uh-uh." He sits up and tries to pull her, hovering around the bandages. "You're in pieces. I got this."

"No fair." She whips around and pushes back. "You did all the paperwork without me. I got this."

"Aw, I'm sowwy." Oto puts a finger to his lips and bats his lashes. "You're right. I shouldn't have. Would you like me to undo the reports so you can write them?"

"A tempting offer, but I've got one better." Cheron pulls his face to hers. "You have my permission to take Sir out, but we are finishing that chicken and watching The Phantom Carriage when you get back."

He leans into the pull. "Deal."

They break, both with the same sweet, somewhat delirious twist to their faces.

Juno trudges about Purgatory. Upon abandoning the Hotel, he knew no one would notice him leaving, let alone try and stop him, yet he can't stave off the lonely sting. He holds his sickle with a grip just tight enough so it doesn't fall. His loose arms bump against his hips. His eyes focus on nothing, occasionally flickering. The tune of "Auld Lang Syne" assaults his ears. The sultry sound grows and grows until he recognizes a familiar voice hum along, until finally he appears before the white, comic panel-like door. He twists the knob and enters bliss.

Wispy cotton clouds spread across a cornflower blue sky. Grass soft enough to fall in eddies with the gentle breeze. The hills slope, uninterrupted, and guide the eyes to the endless, wholly white rosebushes, which bespeckle the plains. The flowers stand so unbothered, they look as though they were carved from soap and paired with crisp leaves made of wrapping paper. Their ripe, white petals caper gently, high in the sky. Cylindrical, white berries hang from the stems in pairs like cherries. The hills and trees stretch into the distance. Their details escape the eye, appearing only as every shade of pine green and slate blue imaginable.

In front of Juno stands a peachy pink turntable playing "Auld Lang Syne." He looks down at it and lifts the needle. He blinks. The turntable is gone. He lifts his gaze.

"Hello," I say.

☆☆☆

OOOOOOOOOO--

Before I say anything else, it's probably not what you think!! The ending, I mean. Of this chapter, I mean. Am I making sense? At all? Anyway, you'll see what I mean, I hope. :-D

A bit more lighthearted than the last chapter, huh? Perhaps even too lighthearted. Twee, maybe. Hmmmmmmm...

Anywho, I hope you're doing splendid today!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. If you did, please leave a vote and add Thanatology!! to your Reading List! Tune in Sundays for new chapters. ;-D

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Until next time!