#steakknife-picnics

[nitenife]

HURT / COMFORT.

@steakknife-picnics said: “It’s alright, it’s only a dream.” - Hero (i saw u reblogged a hurt/comfort meme and the hero in me went :eyes emoji:)

he barely acknowledges hero; the most that the elder gets in response is a slight twitch, sunny seeming to perk a little bit. even so... the way his eyes are widened and glassy, how he is tense, how he is unmoving yet steering his gaze around alarmingly fast between every inch of the room. he hears the reassurance, but it doesn't seem to filter through his mind, he does not process it.

after all, how is it only a dream when it is right there in front of the door? sunny's dreams are arguably more delightful than witnessing one of the many ambiguous shadows that he lives with. he can't see the shape proper, if it even has one. he locks gazes with it. it stares him down, just as it always does. chill creeps into his core, strands of something soft yet coarse drapes on his shoulders, his neck -- it threatens suffocation, deforming into a heavy blanket of dread, but it doesn't do so yet. it never leaves nor eases.

sunny remains still for a solid helping of seconds, looking at a shadow that is not there. finally, something seems to register: not in mind, but body. sunny physically attempts to move back, his hands tremble, his mouth opens slightly -- the darkness weighs on him further, and he cannot even attempt to speak a name. his mouth shuts. his breathing is rapidly becoming uneven. he battles to take his gaze off the shadow, and he wins. it is not a relief, but at least sunny can stare in hero's direction. ( he still does not look at hero exactly; his gaze is distant and near, as if he wants to retreat into himself quite badly... but he does not do so yet. )

[nitenife]

tea, after you.

@steakknife-picnics said: ☕ offers Hero Tea bc i rarely engage with you and i keep forgetting to [dies emoji]

( you drink the tea. )

( it tastes like rosemary tea with a hint of chocolate. the tea is warm, and the hot steam brushing against your face makes you feel safe; the scent makes you feel secure. )

+ 879 HP.

[nitenife]

HURT / COMFORT.

@steakknife-picnics said: “I know something’s bothering you.” - Hero

many things bothered sunny, enough that he could not count them all if he so much as wished to try. perhaps it can be narrowed down this once--and if anyone could do that from a scrutinizing study of such an expressionless child, it would be hero. the elder's perceptiveness was on a different level of comprehension. or, at least sunny presumed. ( sunny was never really good at reading people too well -- he had to watch for lengthy periods of time. ) it caused an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach: he felt bits of defensiveness, relief, and... well, that is as much as he can identify. mostly, he's tired.

nevertheless, he remains silent. an unrelenting stare is cast in hero's direction. sunny's shoulders are drawn up slightly with tension, posture unusually taut. ( “ you can see it too, can't you, sunny? ” a whisper from an old friend. ) sunny swears that the air chills, the atmosphere dimming, whispers beginning; but then it is back to normal. he dares not look behind him, he knows. sunny cannot dissipate the tension strewn throughout his body, instinct inclined to flight or freeze.

however, sunny aims to direct the other's attention to another thing; therefore, he looks up at the sun and squints before looking down and shaking his head--who decided it would be so bright outside, anyhow?

[nitenife]

HURT / COMFORT.

@steakknife-picnics said: “I came as soon as I sensed something was wrong.“ - Basil / Hero

in the dream world, basil is allowed some leniency if only for the sake of preserving headspace. even then, omori longed to dismiss him with a finality that would assure the security of things. time after time he was silenced, and time after time he spoke up again, noticed something different, ruined everything. so, how much worse is the current version of him? feigning this. oh, so many things are wrong out here, basil--and you would know. you always seem to.

as such, the stare that basil is met with is not completely hollow. it is rather frigid, conveying omori's mild displeasure at the mere presence of the boy. his tone is flat, harboring a fraction of that iciness. “ perhaps your senses are inaccurate. isn't everything simply fine? ”

[nitenife]

HURT / COMFORT.

@steakknife-picnics said: “Do you want to talk about it?” - Hero

it is a rather casual question. or, it would be under many different circumstances. in this instance, it feels rather loaded despite hero having a rather calm tone--or perhaps that added to the tension. what brought this on is hidden, being a mystery to sunny at least. perhaps it is simply a stray thought vocalized, perhaps it is the elder's intuition. possibly both. nevertheless, sunny does not break his silence. he has no reason to, after all. nothing is wrong. he is not sure what "it" is. E□E□□□IN□□ I□ □□ON□. his shoulders become tense.

hero would be humored for now. he should not press too far. a stray thought, odd observation; sunny does not think much of it. he gives a response to hero's question in the form of a stare: the remaining light in sunny's eyes is a dull one, his gaze is empty yet he communicates a muddy answer -- a dubious why? then sunny turns his attention off of hero dismissively. with potentially loaded questions such as that... there is nothing important to discuss.