Text > Video | discussion of parent death

[pheromonecoffee]

Let's set the scene here.

Bridge. Late night. Green full moon.

Six year old alone in the backseat of a car. Front seat? Two coffins.

Giant explosion. Car destroyed. Boy not destroyed. Coffins in car probably destroyed. 90% chance of coffin destruction.

Giant monster. Robot teenage girl fighting monster. Robot girl losing.

Robot girl stuffs giant monster into six year old. How? Fuck if I know.

Moon stops being green. Bridge is on fire. Car is on fire. Six year old is not on fire.

[Video flashes on. Matt's hanging around LCU's campus. It's pretty dead since it's only summer sessions and he's not by the library or anything. He'd come to pick something up, and... Well, the walk here had been eventful. He should drive more, as attested to the scrape on his cheek. He's a lucky kid.

That aside, he looks... not very amused.]

So if we're playing the crazy echoes game anymore, I think I'm winning. [He laughs a little, covering his face with his hand in sheer exhaustion.] Coffins in a car? You know what the craziest shit about this is?

I seriously think I just watched Minato's parents die. That's... that's some fucked up kind of thing to show a guy. And that... thing. That monster.

[And Matt completely freezes. And then he laughs. And it's not a good laugh--it's a kind of crazy, kind of broken laugh.]

No wonder he had to die. That thing inside of him... [And then his laughter just completely stops and he drops the phone he's recording on. That thing. That thing looks so similar to Thanatos. And Thanatos... Thanatos is Phillip. His friend. He curls himself up where he sits, resting his head on his knees and the video just shows the summer sky.]

Let's just pretend. This never happened.

Comments

[substitutable]

[He sighs.] Do you really want to be left alone with your thoughts again?

[pheromonecoffee]

I'm going to be alone eventually.

[substitutable]

If you're home, that's better than the middle of an open campus. [He hasn't lifted his hand yet. Pat pat.]

[pheromonecoffee]

[He ducks away, frowning.]

How would you know? I'll be fine.

[substitutable]

[He drops his hand but he's frowning very seriously.]

I want you to be somewhere where there is someone in case those guys you fought off with Titania are still around or you get another Echo that hurts you. If you're not going to go to anyone I'll stay with you myself.

[pheromonecoffee]

I survived for seven months without anybody holding my hand.

[substitutable]

[He leans back on his hands, stretching out his legs.] I'm not denying that. But I think you can use the time to recharge once in a while. Things that are constantly working and being put to use wear out -- nothing lasts forever, especially without a break.

[pheromonecoffee]

I had a break. Vegas, remember?

[substitutable]

I think you need another one.

[pheromonecoffee]

No time for one. Especially not with people thinking we're dangerous.

[substitutable]

Especially with people thinking we're dangerous, I think you need breaks so you don't start laughing like a maniac on public property.

[pheromonecoffee]

... I made sure to find a place away from people before I started thinking about it. [He looks away.]

[substitutable]

Before you got on the network.

... You wanna move somewhere with less people? It's just summer classes today, but people still use this path to get to the parking structure.

[pheromonecoffee]

Next time, I'll keep it to myself. [He pushes himself to his feet, dusting off his jeans.] I'll be fine on my own.

[substitutable]

That's not what I mean.

[He's following him up, picking up his bag.]

You're not fine. You might be -- you might glue yourself back up, overcome things, whatever, but you're not fine right now and I'm not leaving you alone.

[pheromonecoffee]

What if I want to be alone? Do I not get any option here?

[substitutable]

You don't. Because you'll just shove it all inside again.

[pheromonecoffee]

You want me to be open about this? Open about the fact I just remembered that whatever my friend's last life was got shoved into mine and I was a prison for him?

[substitutable]

Not about that. You don't have to tell him, you don't have to announce it. But you just saw some pretty fucked up stuff, didn't you? A couple people die, the reason why Minato got dragged into the mess. You also got attacked.

Aren't you hurting?

[pheromonecoffee]

What does it matter even if I am?!

[substitutable]

Of course it matters! Are you an idiot?!

Of course it matters if you're hurting, you're just as important as everybody else!

[pheromonecoffee]

And I'm expected to get over it, just like everyone else!

[substitutable]

You're an idiot! You're an--

You, when I first met you, told me you're staying in Locke because you're worried about those kids you hang out with. That you think you help one of them. You don't want to leave them, right? You're not going to tell them to just get over it if they're hurting, are you?

Why are you any different! You're not expected to get over anything -- most of all you don't have to do it alone!

[pheromonecoffee]

Because I'm not them. Because somebody has to keep it together. That's what I'm trying to do.

[substitutable]

You can keep it together without shouldering everything on your own, Matthias.