Chapter Text
So much to do with all the time in the world
But it's been twenty years.
Tell me. Have you ever truly been ‘home’?
I’ve been watching. Waiting. You won’t be protected forever, and it had to be this way.
Sincerely, your friend, r̴̠͠ḛ̸͚̤̤̲̯͙̘̜͎̾̍̏̍́ͅd̶͉̿̐́͘ă̸̛̠̻̜̟͊̿͛̊̀̅͗̈͛̃͋̕͝c̸̭̼̘̹̜̮͔̤̹̙̱̟̼̤͇̊̄̄ẗ̴̼̙̦͎̻̠̜̤̲̘́͌̏e̶̫̤̱͎̰̽̈̐̈́͒̅̚͠͝d̸͈̂͂̏̉̈́̾̂̽͐̈́́̅̓̚̕͘͠
Sleep had been... a pain for him lately. It hadn't come easy in a long time. A bitter gnawing at his conscious was sometimes the only thing that could bring him to bed, or a nap in the backroom of his shop. The day before hadn't been one of those times. He'd had a good day aside from a minor squabble with the mayor. Dinner had been pleasant. He'd fallen asleep easy.
"I'm so fucking done with you."
The smell of sea salt tickled his nose, but it wasn't the real thing. Not the Destiny Islands he knew now. Hayate stood in the water, waves crashing around him. ------- was here, further into the water, but this conversation had actually taken place on a world neither should have been on in the first place.
"Yeah? Well, not like I wanted you around anyways!" ------- yelled back, fists clenching. "I never wanted any of this!" ------- clutched at his own face and screamed, anguished little cries escaping his mouth.
In real life, Hayate had scoffed, turning around and stalking off to another room to escape the embarrassment of making the mistake of thinking he had... for once....
Yet here, in this mocking dream, as ------- let out another cry, backing into the water more-
-Hayate reached forward, trying to pull him back.
The water swallowed him instead.
He sunk for what felt like eons, air knocked out of his lungs but empty of water. Deeper and deeper into the darkess.
Then his feet touched glass.
It was the eerie calm of the dive to the heart, and it always left him chilled, and the void made him feel very small. He didn't know why he kept being brought back here. He'd left this all behind a long time ago. By choice, and by choice he wanted to stay out of it.
His footsteps echoed on the stained glass as he walked forward. It hadn’t changed much from the first time when he was thirteen, except for the massive cracks spidering across most of its panels. He thought it added character, and maybe in a way those cracks protected him. Tethered him to home.
I can bring you home.
“I am home.” He growled, and he put his feet in front of him, over and over, and then escaped the only way he knew how; over the edge of the ledge.
His vision shifted to salvation instead of loss, to the twilight instead of the void.
In this place, the sun never set, and never rose, instead held together by a pretty orange sky. The old clock tower was the perfect place to hang out at. The custodians had been trying to discourage the local teens from sitting up at the top but they always found a way to sneak through.
Some say you can't go home again but that doesn't mean he can't pretend sometimes. When he was dragged into the void, he always crawled out if it by coming here.
The taste of seasalt on his tongue was almost real this time. His sister’s laughter was so clear she might as well be there-
He reached out for her. All he wanted to do was hug his sister one last time, tell her she had been right about that man.
Introduce her to -------
Like ------- wasn't dead.
He wasn't a child, even if he looked like one here. Things could never magically work out, time couldn't be reversed. The past was set in stone.
Yet, he always tried.
Instead, Hayate woke up.
Morning was groggy, but safe. Awareness pulled him from any dreams he'd been chasing. Here, he was free. He was here, in bed with his wife.
The distant crashing of waves had risen him from slumber, and the weight of Yun’s head on his chest grounded him in the moment. He was here. Destiny Islands, where he worked and had a family. A little shop to call his own. Friends. A simple life. Nothing dangerous or particularly cruel ever happened here. Boring, but practical and safe.
And still, he sometimes felt a different air on his face.
(Especially lately)
(You can't go home)
Hayate didn't belong here, but that didn't mean he hadn't been able to carve out his own piece of paradise. That paradise was the one person who truly liked him for him.
Readjusting in place, Hayate pulled Yun closer, kissing the top of her head. She sighed contently, already half awake, tilting her head to kiss his jaw. “Morning, dear.” Hayate could drown in those blue eyes of hers.
Yun had been the first one he’d ever met when he’d arrived at Destiny Islands, and he hoped she would be the last as well. She was everything and he never wanted moments like these to end.
“Sleep well?” He returned her kiss as she made an affirmative sound. He never got tired of waking up to her.
“Naturally. You're here.” She removed herself from him, stretching out in bed with a yawn. Her gaze went to the window, the sky already blue. “We slept in. No doubt Sora’s already left for the day.”
“Good, that kid has too much energy lately to be staying at home.” Hayate yawned, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. Oh boy was Sora going to be a handful as he got older. “Recently he asked me for tips on how to build a raft. Already let the coast guard know to keep an eye out for them.”
Possibly building a raft and getting stuck out at sea was dangerous play for just a few teenagers but nowhere as bad as what Hayate was getting up into in his teens. And even then Hayate hoped it wouldn't come to that. There was a fine line between enrichment and letting children grow, and outright neglect.
(Didn't he know that too well?)
“Well you just make sure Sora lets you see it before they take it out. Professional opinion and all.” Yun kissed him again, and then nuzzled into his neck. “I think we can afford another hour in bed.”
Hayate smiled, pushing down the dream, and any lingering anxiety it brought.
He was Hayate. Destiny Island’s most sought after and best carpenter, in his humble opinion. Greg from down the street could eat his wood shavings with how much he tried to downplay his skills. Hayate was thirty-six years old, a father and husband. His son Sora had just turned fourteen.
Nothing more.
The door is soon to open. Are you ready?