Sakari held their dad's hand, warm and full of live. His cheeks no longer hollow, clean from filth. His smile was contagious, and they laughed, unable to help themselves.
„You already look so much better, dad.“ They heard themselves say.
They stared up at him with admiration, like they'd always done.
„I think I looked pretty handsome before as well,“ He chuckled. „But its thanks to you that I feel better.“
They rested their head on his shoulder, letting him pull them into a hug.
„All thanks to my kid,“
He pressed a kiss to their head, a content sigh leaving his lips.
„Sakari,“ „Sakari! Gee man, wake up already.“ Vivek poked Sakari's side, making them squirm. „You're crying all over me.“
„..What?“ They murmured.
They face was wet from their tears, leaving a dark stain on his orange shirt.
„Oh.“
„Yeah. Why are you crying?“ He wiped away stray tears with his thumb as they pushed themselves up.
Sakari swallowed dryly. „I don't know. It's nothing.“
„If it's 'nothing' then you do know,“
They inhaled sharply, subconsciously scratching at their wound. They pressed their palm on the bandage to halt the pain. „It's fine.“
He raised an eyebrow. „Why do you refuse to talk to me?“
„I'm not required to.“
He rolled his eyes. „I want to help! It's not that hard, just say what's on your mind!“
„No.“
„Why? Why won't you let me help?“
„Because I didn't ask you to!“ They snapped. „Just leave me alone.“
„You're in my bed.“
Sakari grumbled something under their breath, jumping off the bed with a weak punch in his stomach. He quickly grabbed the blanket to prevent it from falling off. They disappeared up the small stairs, mattress above sinking slightly as they laid down on it. He sighed, not having the energy to deal with them anymore.
Sakari hadn't had any time to react to what was happening before they got dragged away, gloved hands digging into their upper arm as they did. In a moments notice they went from patiently waiting by a door to being witness to a full blown fist fight between two prisoners. They got pushed up against a wall, the guard holding them stepping away to pull the others apart. They blinked against the chaos unfolding in front of them, brain attempting to process what was happening. The door behind them opened, more guards streaming in to break up the fight and take them away. Sakari's mouth hung agape, sharing glances with the scientist who simply shrugged at them.
They rubbed their eyes. „Well that was something,“ they muttered, taking a deep breath.
They caught a quick glimpse of Vivek before he was out of sight, presumable the one who started the fight. Part of them wished they hadn't been zoning out again, the unknown of the events leaving them confused.
„Bring them back to their cell,“ the scientist waved a dismissive hand. „We'll post pone this.“
They went back silently, footsteps drumming in their ears with every step. Sakari could only hope that Vivek was alright and that they would see him again soon. They didn't know how they would respond to fights like that, and it scared them.
~-~
Sakari absentmindedly adjusted the green beads hanging on the tips of their dark hair, moving them up slightly. They took deep breaths, wound on their arm itching uncontrollably. They scratched at it with their knuckles, scared to accidentally re-open it. Dried blood stained the surface of the bandage, hiding what was underneath. They would get it replaced soon enough, but it was the least of their concerns with Vivek still being nowhere in sight.
They couldn't deny that they missed his presence, after all, they were sitting on the foot of his bed while awaiting his return. They rubbed their hand over the blanket, smoothing it out on top. It wasn't any softer then the mattress, but did its job of keeping warm. Warm enough not to freeze. They leaned their head against the pole holding the bunk beds up, a tired yawn escaping them. Time felt nonexistent in the strangely empty room, with not a clock to be seen anywhere. Inside or outside. The days passed them by, never sure how many.
Exhaustion got the better of them, slowly sliding down onto the blankets as their eyelids closed themselves.
Sakari woke up to soft fingers tracing over the bare skin on their side. They groggily opened their eyes, looking for the source of the touch. Soft chuckling sounded above them, taking them out their sleepy state. Vivek smiled down at them, arms wrapped around their chest as they laid on his chest. Dim light shone through the curtains blocking them out from view, illuminating the red bruise around their eye. They sat up in a panic, reaching out to cup his cheeks. He jumped at their sudden movement, not resisting as they slowly traced the edges of the bruise.
„Does it hurt?“ They asked.
„Only a little,“ he placed his hand on theirs, light skin contrasting with their dark brown underneath. „Don't worry about it.“
„You got hurt and want me not to worry?“
„It's just a bruise! you got a whole ass cut on your arm. I don't think it compares.“
Vivek nodded at the bandage. They followed his gaze, shaking their head in disbelief. They put their arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. His muscles tensed under them, slowly leaning into it and hugging them back.
„I'm scared.“ Sakari whispered.
„It'll be fine. Just a month and you'll be out.“
„We. We will be out.“
He was silent for a moment. „Yeah. We.“
~-~
Vivek crossed his legs, sitting patiently on the counter inside the tiny bathroom. Sakari grabbed a hand towel, soaking it with water and squeezing most of it out to leave it damp. They turned to him, keeping a hand on his knee as they stood on their toes to reach his face. He subtly arched his back slightly, letting them clean the filth off his cheeks and neck. They were too fixated on the job to notice the small smile tugging as his lips. Stray drops of water rolled down their face, quickly stopped by their thumb wiping it away. He felt as if he could sit there all day and night, quietly enjoying the other's company, getting lost in the soft touch.
Vivek leaned against the cold wall, eyes protected from the sun by the building's shadow. The fake grass underneath crunched lightly with every movement. Sakari soon found him, hurrying over to his side. They bumped against him, maintaining balance by holding onto his arm. They smiled brightly regardless, contagious enough to make him chuckle.
„Hi~“ Sakari sang. „Did you miss me?“
„I've been stuck with you all day except for those last 5 minutes.“
„True, I guess. But it's nice to get some sun out. And fresh air.“
Vivek blinked against the blinding sun, humming in agreement. They squeezed his arm softly, head resting on his shoulder. They watched more prisoners walk through the big doors, sometimes followed by guards holding their guns out in an resting position. They scattered around the field, some bigger groups of people forming together. Their gaze darted back to his face, lingering on his features. His pink dyed hair long grown out, giving an illusion of color to his hollow cheeks and hiding dark bags under his eyes. Dry lips peeling itself apart, exposing faint bits of blood.
Slowly Sakari wrestled their arms underneath his, pulling him into a sideways hug. He held his laughter in, not moving an inch. They wavered back and forth, holding on tight.
„How long have we been here already?“ They whispered.
„Outside?“
„No. In this place.“
„Oh. Five days? Six maybe.“ He shrugged.
They loosened their grip on him, moving back slightly. „What are you going to do once we get out?“
„I feel like no matter what I'll do, I'll end up back here.“
„What?“ They paused. „Well then I will make sure that doesn't happen. Because you're stuck with me and I'll never leave you.“
