I'm in that stage between waking up and still being asleep. Ya know, you're awake but at the same time you have no idea what's going on. My bedroom door creaked open and a pillar of light shone on me. I scowled and covered my eyes with a pillow.
"Toochi, that hurts," I whine into my pillow. 2D's head pokes in, and he gives me his gap-toothed grin.
"Sorry, Noods. Jus' checkin' on yew." I rub my eyes and squint at my clock. It reads two in the afternoon. Jeez, did I really sleep for fourteen hours? I'm pretty sure I conked out around midnight. All I seem to do these days is sleep. My stomach growls at me, but my brain tells me to stay in bed.
"Why'd you have to wake me up?" I ask groggily, sitting up. I'm instantly greeted by the chill of our flat. I huddle back down under my sheets. I hear 2D walk into my room and he shoves me gently.
"Come on, Noods. Yew gotta get up." I push him away.
"I'm not getting up till it's as warm out there as it is in here," I say with a scowl to myself. 2D pulls my sheets off and drops one of his enormous hoodies on me. I sit up again, defeated, and pull the hoodie on over my head. It comes down to my knees and the sleeves are several inches too long.
Well, it's warm anyway.
I lumber around my room, finding a pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt that will get me through the day. I drag them into the bathroom and wave bye-bye to 2D before locking myself in.
A hot shower. Yup. That'll wake me up.
I crank it up all the way.
"Atsu sugiru!" I squeal as the scalding water hits me. I dance around in the corner of the shower and snake an arm around the pelting water.
Maybe not that hot.
Finally, I find a right temperature and stand under the shower head. The water flattens my choppy, violet hair down.
Ah. Perfect.
I sigh contently.
I plod downstairs in my tall black boots and a warm sweater, hair and makeup done, and my wallet in my pocket. It's almost three now, and I'm in the mood for a yummy cappuccino from the nearby café and a Panini.
"Lookit who's finally emerged." 2D ruffles my hair. I flatten it back down with my leather-clad hands.
"I'm going downtown. Do you want to come?" I ask, flashing him a smile. 2D rubs the back of his neck.
"Yeah, gimmee a sec to grab me wallet." He turns on his heel and walks back upstairs. I fish a box of pocky out of the pantry and stick it in my pocket, nibbling on one of them while I wait for the bluette to hurry his butt back downstairs.
Bluette. Hee hee. I made a funny.
A few moments later, 2D walks into the main room, zipping up his jacket. He looks down at me, a small smile playing on his face. I blink up at him.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" He pinches my cheek.
"Naw. Yew're jus' funny." He takes my hand in his and pulls me out the front door. The mid-September chill makes its way to my face. I don't particularly mind it. It's actually warmer out here than it is in the flat. Even so, my fingers are a bit chilly, even the one in 2D's hand.
We walk in a comfortable silence. It's actually a somewhat sunny day. That doesn't change the fact that it's cold. But it's nice to see the sun once in a long while. It's not a common sight on Wobble Street, or in London at all for that matter.
I hold the warm white mug in my chilly hands and sip on my cappuccino. I'm too short to reach the ground, so I'm kicking my feet back and forth. 2D is staring into his cup, his expression blank. I kick my leg at him, kicking his shin lightly. He blinks rapidly and looks up.
"You spaced out," I explain. 2D gives me his gap-toothed smile.
"Sorry, lil' luv. A bit sleepy is all."
"You were having problems sleeping last night?" 2D usually has problems sleeping, so it wouldn't surprise me if he was having problems.
"Yeah," he answers simply, bringing his mug up to his lips and taking a sip. He doesn't talk much when he doesn't have to. He gets headaches easily. A waitress comes by and drops a yummy, warm honey, bacon, and ham Panini dripping with cheese and tomato. My mouth waters and I pick it up, taking a bite. It burns my mouth, but it's delicious.
"This is delicious," I mumble through a bite, a huge smile pulling up on my face. 2D laughs and shakes his head.
"We should pro'ly bring somethin' back for Russ," he says, picking up his own Panini and taking a bite. "Jesus Christ, this is good." When the waitress comes back, I order a few more to go for Russel. Russel has a thing for sub sandwiches, so he should like a yummy Panini.
"Hope Russ likes 'em," I say. 2D picks up my card and pays for everything. "Hey!"
"What? It doesn' matter, luv." He smiles reassuringly and stands up, holding his hand out to me. I take it and he pulls me up, takes the take-out bags out of my hands, and starts walking.
"I can carry that," I protest, reaching for the bags. He holds them up above his head, far out of his reach, a smile playing on his face. I jump up, trying to grab the bags from him. 2D laughs and swings it out of my reach, stepping back. I laugh and lunge at them again. I lean against him, trying to snatch them from his grip. We topple over into the grass, and the bags go flying.
We burst into laughter, me on top of him from the fall. He smiles up at me, his arms up around my waist. I return the smile and rest my head against his shoulder.
"We should just sit here for a while," I murmur.
"Dun' mind that," he says. I turn my head so I can look at him.
Warmth. Familiarity. My time in hell has made me appreciate everything I have. Before, I was a bit annoyed by everyone. Never being home. The long practices. The weird fans who would try to steal my clothes.
But after everything I went through in hell…
I haven't told anyone about what happened to me in hell. They don't need to know.
Maybe eventually I will.
Now, I'm grateful for everything I have. A bed to sleep in. People who care about me. Music. I even love the stinky, cold flat we live in. At least I have clothes and a shower and a lock on my door.
And when I get scared, there's someone to talk to.
2D's arms around me feel normal. After years and years of having nobody, having somebody felt amazing.
"I missed you," I say quietly. I feel his lips against the side of my head.
"I missed yew too, Noods."