Ibenholt

GB had to stare at the wall for a good minute before realizing he was back at Kozumi’s place. The relief ended as the memories of seeing his two young comrades falling towards the earth while engulfed in flames came back to him.

He pinched his eyes shut and reached over to the other side of the bed, unable to find Chang.

He sat up abruptly, scanning the room. His side still had the typewriter in the corner, while Chang had never taken down the recipes and pictures of them all from their first trip to the beach. Stumbling to his feet, he went over and looked at them. Joe and Jet were grinning broadly at the camera with Francoise between them.
“O proud death, what feast is toward in thine eternal cell, that thou so many princes at a shot so bloodily hast struck?”
He muttered, looking at them. Shakespeare’s words wouldn’t stop spinning in his head. The moment one quote left, it was replaced with a far crueler one.

He was pulled out of it when he heard the front door shut. He hurried to the window and looked down at Chang who was locking up. Suddenly feeling panicked at the thought of being alone, he started waving,

“Hey, wait up!!”

The other man started,

“Just give me a moment!”

He grabbed his slacks and shirt, as well as a sweater-vest he didn’t really care for and them all out of the window. He followed in the shape of a bird, slowly turning back into himself as he landed on the ground, fully dressed.

“Impressive.”

Chang said.

“Where on earth are you going?”

“We need food.”

“Now?! Order something!”

“No. Everyone is waking up soon, and I want to have everything ready.”

He started walking and GB followed,

“Don’t be stupid. I’m sure that if we look around we have some hermetic foods…”

“I already did. We’re all out of everything that isn’t tea and coffee. Professor Kozumi knows how the keep the mice away.”

The air was crisp, and the sky was unbearably grey. It wasn’t the town they had left behind. Then again, it wasn’t fair to ask a place not to change when they returned in the state that they were in.

“Chang…”

“I figured you would want to sleep in today. Even Geronimo isn’t awake yet.”

That was a feat.

Geronimo was usually up with the sun and fed Ivan, unless he was asleep. If he was, he’d meditate on the porch. Chang followed, because he had to get everyone else’s breakfast started. Not long after Pyunma would join Geronimo.
Fran, Dr. Gilmore and Albert usually came into the kitchen just moments later to help themselves to coffee they would enjoy in the living room while they watched the news.
GB would drag himself out of bed just in time to change his breakfast order, thereby getting his morning exercise by having Chang to chase him around half the house with a ladle.
Jet and Joe were always the last ones to come stumbling into the kitchen with sleep in their eyes and toothpaste on their chins.
Which GB was certain was just because Fran would lick her thumbs and wipe it off for them.

He cleared his throat at the memory,

“What about you?”

“I haven’t slept much.”

“Darling…”

“I’ll take a nap later.”

He was overcome with the urge to hold hands. In fact, he wanted to turn into some kind of small animal and sit on Chang’s shoulder for the rest of the day and not think. Going back to the house seemed as unbearable as leaving it. The monologues about death and grief wouldn’t stop spinning.

“There’s a breakfast service that delivers…”

“No.”

“But you must be exhausted!”

“I am. We all are.”

“Please, let’s just order something.”

“NO!! I NEED TO COOK! I NEED TO KEEP EVERYONE FED! I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO!”

They both stopped,

“Sorry.”

He pushed his hair aside, and GB wondered why he hadn’t noticed that it wasn’t slicked back like usual. Chang looked like hell. His clothes were rumpled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to come with me, but I’m going.”

He turned around and started walking. GB caught up with him in just two strides.

“What are we having?”

“The usual.”

“Forget it. I want a standard English breakfast.”

Chang was dark-eyed when he looked up at him, and GB grinned,

“And don’t skimp on the mushrooms this time.”

He pushed him, and he swore he could see just the smallest hint of a smile. He didn’t push his hand away when he reached for it and held it, either.