Sabre woke up slowly, feeling warm and comfortable. He blinked slowly, staring at his wall as he got his bearings. He yawned.
Downstairs, he could hear voices; A quiet drone filling the house. Even with the walls separating them, he could tell it was Time with Light and Orange Leader.
Sabre stretched—accidentally knocking a pillow off his bed—before pushing himself up into a sitting position, blinking slowly. Around him laid what Time liked to call a mess, but Sabre called his bed. An ungodly amount of blankets and pillows to keep him warm.
Probably the only reason Time accepted it was that he always seemed to be unnaturally cold. It didn't help that he seemed to get colder after they defeated The First Curse and went back in time and came back. It was a really busy day.
Sabre kicked his legs, freeing them from the confines of the blanket mound he had, and slipped out of bed with a groan.
The sun shone through the curtains, and when Sabre peaked his head between them to gaze outside, he didn't see a cloud in the sky.
Sabre hummed softly to himself, before moving away from the window and ready to get changed for the day. Unless Time planned something and forgot to tell him, they had nothing going on that day, so Sabre could get by with some lounging around clothes. Time saw him after they escaped Void, some sweats wouldn't be the worst he's seen.
Sabre caught sight of himself in the mirror above the dresser. He huffed softly to himself, leaning closer to inspect. As the days went on, more and more of the brown hair Sabre was accustomed to have was fading away to match the undertone. At the moment, it was blue, to match the cloudless sky and his eyes.
Looking closer showed his skin was doing what it always did on days like today. He looked almost sickly, with a constant blue undertone only really visible on his fingers, nose, and ears.
Sabre shook his head and got changed. Whatever was going on was unknown to all of them, so it was pointless to worry about it. He slipped into his clothes.
Sabre yawned, rubbing his eyes with his hand, and headed downstairs, following the voices that steadily grew louder as he got closer. Time was with Light and Orange Leader, each one nursing a cup of tea. They all looked towards him when he came down the stairs, each one giving their own greeting. He gave a half-hearted wave as he stumbled to the kitchen.
Why must everyone he knows be a morning person?
Sabre didn't think twice before swiping a berry muffin Time baked, taking a bite before heading back to the group. Light gave a small laugh when he reappeared, not bothering to hide his amused smile when Sabre flopped down on the couch next to him.
Sabre narrowed his eyes, sticking his tongue out when he was done with his bite. Light stuck his tongue out back at him, earning the two dramatic sighs from the other two.
The group continued talking about whatever they were discussing. Sabre didn't bother listening in, just enjoying the sound of his friends being happy.
They deserved to be happy with everything that recently happened.
Sabre took another bite, gazing at the sky out the window. Part of him wished he could fly just so he could be up in the clouds. Well, in the clouds when there actually are clouds.
He always felt confined to the ground, even though he never got to experience the feeling of flying. It's not like he had wings or powers. Just a minor color changing appearance depending on the weather. Another bite was taken, a berry giving a hint of a sour taste to the sweet bread.
Sabre watched with wind kick up slightly, sending a few leaves tossing down the street. A few Steves that were walking by held onto their items in surprise, making sure their items didn't blow away. Another bite.
He felt something poke his cheek.
Turning his head showed Light with a small frown. Sabre hummed, gazing up at his friend.
"Back with us?" He asked.
Sabre nodded, swallowing the bite he had still in his mouth. He received a few amused huffs from the group. "As I was saying," Orange Leader continued. Sabre turned to look back out the window.
What he wouldn't give to be able to be in the sky...
Sabre stood up, taking another bite of his muffin, heading up the stairs.
Higher...
His home was higher...
The sky...
High in the sky...
Sabre sat the half eaten muffin on the end table. Unlocking the window, he slid it open. It wasn't hard to pop the screen out, setting it against the wall. He grabbed the muffin again and slipped out the window.
A few clouds speckled the sky, appearing when he wasn't looking. A light breeze tugged at his clothes. He sat down next to the open window, leaning against the wall.
Now that he was outside, he could hear the noises of the village going about their business. Faintly, he could hear a knock. Sabre took another bite, gazing up at the sky.
His chest felt tight as emotions welled up inside him. Sabre gave a dry laugh as tears pricked his eyes. Funny he could feel homesick but not even remember his home besides a few scattered memories...
— —
Cold surrounded him, along with blurry faces. Blues and grays and white swirling around everyone.
"Stay safe out there Sabre!"
"Have fun down there!"
"Oh! Did I just catch the Spell Casting!?"
"See ya Sabre!"
—
"Sabre!"
He laughed, stumbling forwards as L—— and T——- slammed into his back. "You're back!" They spoke in unison.
He slipped from their grasp, smiling at them.
—
"Do you ever miss it?" L—a- asked.
Sabre looked up from the miniature storm cloud he was messing with. "What?"
"The worlds?" L—a- rolled over to face him. "Do you miss any of the worlds?"
"No? Should I?"
L—a- shrugged. "I'm just worried one day we'll go down and then not want to leave."
Sabre frowned, dispelling the cloud in his hands. "Well, if that happens, we'll just have to make the most of it."
L—a- nodded. "I guess..."
— —
"Sabre?!" Sabre jumped at Time's voice. Shifting, he peaked back into the window to see Time glancing around his room in a panic.
"Yeah?" Sabre cringed at the roughness of his voice and the sheer relief Time had when he spotted him.
Time crossed his room with ease. "What are you doing out there? You're soaked!"
Sabre looked down at himself to see he was in fact dripping with water. Glancing back at the town showed that it started raining at some point. The cloudy were a dark gray, hanging over the town as rain pattered down.
"Oh..."
Time sighed. "Come on." He held out a hand. "Let's get you dried up."
It was less dignifying to clamber through a window when someone was watching, but Sabre couldn't care less at the moment. Time shut the window the moment he was inside.
It was quiet when Sabre quickly pulled out a change of clothes. He froze when he glanced up and caught sight of himself in the mirror.
It was almost as if the rain washed away the brown, leaving only dark gray hair to drip water down his face and neck.
His eyes were the same unsettling gray.
Sabre looked away. It was pointless to worry about it, he repeated to himself.
Sabre simple pair of sweats and his chicken hoodie.
— —
"Sabre!" A blurry face ran up. "Look! Look! I made a cloud chicken!"
—
"What outfit for the spell casting this time?" L—a- asked. "I'm thinking about a medieval world this time around."
Sabre laughed. "Thinking just a normal survival world. Haven't done one I awhile."
L—a- laughed. "Too embarrassed after last time?"
"Shush!"
—
"An entire world and you had to become an assassin?" Lu-a-
"You have no excuse either, mister!" He snapped back.
Lu-a- gave a small laugh. "I just find it nice how petty you are."
"Hey! They didn't have to take me in! Leave my adoptive parents out of this!"
Lu-a- held up his hands. "Alright alright. Though I do have to admit, you can look really scary in that outfit."
"That's the-"
—
Sabre jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. Time was in front of him, a worried expression painted clearly across his face. "Sabre...?" He asked slowly. "Are you okay?"
Sabre nodded. Time didn't look convinced. "You're crying." He pointed out.
Rubbing a cheek showed Time's statement to be true. "I'm fine." He croaked out. "Just...memories..."
Time blinked once. Twice. "You're remembering things?"
Sabre nodded. "Where I came from." There was a pause. "My old home." He tacked on, as if he had to explain it even more.
"That's...good?" Time sounded unsure. "Come on," He pressed a towel into his hands. "You need to get dry before you become sick." Sabre nodded, rubbing the towel without much thought.
Time walked to the door. "I'll come back in a few minutes. Dinner is almost done."
Sabre felt his mind whirl. Dinner? Where has the day gone? Sabre shook his head, wet hair sticking to his face. Get dry, then ponder.
Time, like he said, came back a few minutes later, just as Sabre was slipping on the chicken hoodie. He smiled once he caught sight of him when he peeked his head in.
Sabre smiled back. "What's for dinner?"
Time's eyes flicked over his clothes. "...chicken." He said after a beat of silence.
Sabre snorted. "Alright." He said with a smile. He was fine being stuck to the ground as long as he had his friends.
It didn't stop the pain in his heart each time he gazed up at the sky, forever confined to the ground below.
— — —
Words: 1671