Besties - 01

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The anxious awkwardness pins both of them to the spots they stand. She continues to intensely stare at him, marking the seconds that pass before he lowers his weapon with slow deliberation, but not his gaze, that is mixture of bewilderment, surprise, and something else she can't name. She realizes she's been holding her breath and slowly exhales.

"So, you're still upset." He receives her comment with a slight frown and a tilt of his head, which she recognizes as mild annoyance. She tries and fails to hide a grin and she takes the opportunity to lower her arms.

"What are you doing here?" His words are soft, but the hardness hasn't left his eyes and they continue to follow her as she begins to explore the van's various cabinets, ignoring his question.

"So who was the hottie? Dating was never your thing so I was surprised when… oh shit, is this blueberry-" Her hand freezes on a snack when she hears an audible click, realizing he's only now reengaged the safety of the gun he still holds.

"Oka, what are you doing here?" He repeats in a hushed tone. "And how did you find me?"

She resists the urge to raise her hands again as she turns, unhurriedly, to face him. His weapon remains lowered, but maintains the space between them as they regards the person across from him. Her kinky blue dyed hair is unkempt and slightly on the dry side. Her eyes are alert and gaunt, as if rest has not found them for an extended period of time. Her clothes are clean, but they do not fit properly and the styles don't match. He wouldn't say she smelled, but its clear she hasn't seen a proper bathroom in a while.

"Okay, I know it's been a minute since we've seen each other," she begins, putting her hands in the pockets of her oversized sweatshirt because she doesn't know what else to do with them. "And I get it's weird that I'm here right now."

"A minute? It's been four years, eight months and 10 days." His words aren't harsh but they're cold, the directness, and specificity of them make her wince. "You never even reached out."

The intensity of her gaze shifts, matching his. "Hey, that's not all on me. I respect why you left, but I told you I wanted to stay. But then you-" She blows on one of her hands and then explodes her fingers. "-vanished! You were just gone. What was I supposed to do?"

"You know how the group is, Oka. I had to protect-"

"I never thought you would do that to me, asshole! You know what I mean!" She shouts the words louder than she intended, but she lets them lay. She wipes her eyes with her sleeve as the beginnings of tears punctuate them. "I didn't feel great about how we split, but I thought we would talk it out like we always do. I knew it bothered you, so I was giving you some space, and then days became weeks and than that turned into months, and… nothing. You've never done that before."

He sighs hard as he speaks before the silence between them comes noticeable. "I guess I was surprised you wanted to stay." He lays his gun down on a nearby counter and looks away as he folds his arms, unable to look at her directly. "I was so sure you'd come with me, but I was wrong. I didn't consider that, and… that hurt. I reacted poorly." He begins sniffing to hold back his own tears. "That's on me."

She continues talking, her thoughts spilling out like water from a bottle knocked on its side. "I've been looking for you for the last few months and I finally found you and the first time I see you in years, I get a gun in my face. I mean, yeah, I get it because I was creeping, but I'm so tired and this is how we-"

He quickly closes the space between them and wraps her in a tight hug before she can react. Her anxiety spikes and she tenses, trying to discern what's happening. The tension leaves as soon as it comes when she hears him weeping.

"I never thought I'd see you again," he quietly says. She returns the force of his embrace, digging her fingers into his back and her anger melts away into relief.

"You always were such a bitch," she sniffs, laying her head on his shoulder. The awkwardness that framed their initial reunion disappears as they refuse to let go of each other. She is too tired to keep her tears at bay anymore and he doesn't want to, so they stand wrapped up in each other and sob. The pair share the fear, loneliness, and hurt they experienced during their time apart as they remember the familiar comfort they once shared, but have gone without for a long time. Neither knows how much time has passed when their mutual bawling subsides into satisfied snivels.

"I missed you, stupid." He finally says. She laughs, rubbing his back as she lifts her head to look at him. Affection and tenderness has replaced the confusion that was in earlier in his eyes. This makes her start crying again because she's found her friend. "Sorry about the gun. I didn't know what the fuck, you know?"

"What gave me away? The car, right? I knew you would pick up on that," she huffs, untangling herself from their hug and again wiping her face with the backs of her already damp sleeves. "I knew I shouldn't have parked so close, but I was tired. You move around so much." She sits on the bed, as he begins to rummage through various cabinets for ingredients.

"Ha, yeah, you know I'm paranoid. Okay, I'm gonna make us some food and there are some extra towels under the thing if you want to shower. I still use the same body wash you put me onto, so that's in there. You should let me change the sheets because me and my friend were-"

He hears soft snoring and turns to see her already passed out. He shakes his head as he quietly goes back to his task.