hydrokinetics | Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard [W7, Monday]

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Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard [W7, Monday]

[The town is quiet and sullen, but time marches on. It's the afternoon by now when Percy finds himself in the kitchen staring at a boiling pot of water. He can't recall the last time he actually cooked something, but with so few of them left it seems he has to self-provide.

He's lost in thought as he stares at noodles boiling in water and suddenly hears footsteps. He looks up, a little alarmed but relaxing upon the sight of someone familiar.

(But then again...aren't they all familiar now?)]

You should join me for lunch. I had no idea how much I was supposed to add to the water.

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[they are familiar... they're always familiar. noct had every intention of coming in to fill up his cup noodles because he's lost the will to even try anything else—

but hey, if percy's offering?]

Sounds good to me. Not like I'm gonna complain about a free meal I don't have to cook. [the humor is definitely bare and dry—

noct has a lot on his mind that he's keeping to himself for now, because this seems like when he should be keeping the atmosphere light.]

Don't get too excited, dude. It's pretty much boiled noodles and...whatever else I can find in the cabinets. Maybe it's spaghetti, maybe it's mac and cheese. I don't know yet.

[It will probably be mac and cheese.] Figured somebody should figure out how to cook the basics around here now. I haven't done any cooking for...a really, really long time.

Mac and cheese sounds pretty good.

[to be fair, noct can probably also do about that much, but instead... he's just kind of not helping here.

he's too tired and percy seems interested enough in doing it.]

It's getting easier to stick to cereal and Cup Noodles half the time at this point.

I finally ran out of pop-tarts if you really want to know. [He's busy poking the boiling noodles with a wooden spoon, frowning again as he watches them twirl in the bubbles.] Sometimes I think most of us are just eating to survive instead of actually being hungry. Is that sad?

It's sad. But it's pretty true.

[and quietly, he admits:] I think a lot of us are more resigned than we want to admit.

[He nods. There's a lingering pause but:]

Noct? What do you want to do after this is over? [It may sound like a random question, but he's been thinking about it a lot lately.]

[it's a random question, but it's not a big deal when percy asks it; they've talked about a lot of stuff over the last few weeks, after all.]

The things I need to do. There's a lot riding on it. [and he honestly doesn't even know the whole of it yet, but he knows there's a lot.] For my people.

Even if it might be bad...you're ready to go back to that? Even if we could go anywhere we wanted? [Poking at noodles some more, leave him be.] You're a prince, right? Your people are really counting on you that much?

As ready as I'll ever be.

[he's probably more ready now than he was a few weeks ago.]

I... have a duty I can't ignore. For Dad, for Luna for my friends, and everyone in Lucis... I have to make sure I finish this.

I get it. Annabeth and I still have to save the world, too. This place has helped us get ready to take on Gaea but...I don't know. Did I ever tell you that Natalie told me we can choose to remember things here? I definitely want that, but I don't know if other people do. Everyone has different ideas...makes you wonder what the best outcome for this really is.

Hard to say. I know... I don't want to forget it.

[which probably sounds weird.] So much about this place sucked, but. It wouldn't be fair to forget everything that happened.

[he can use that strength later, he thinks. this place has helped him shift his perspective in a bunch of ways.]

I want to remember the people. [That much he knows.] Even if the people did some bad things...

[By now he's taking the noodles off of the stove to drain the water.] What about if we could never see each other again?

[he's watching carefully, but really... what's more curious to him is where percy's line of questioning is going.]

I... would have expected that more than just us seeing each other whenever. [if he's honest here.] Just makes keeping the memories that much more important.

I guess so. Sometimes I think some people might take that harder. Keeping memories of people they'll never see again? I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking everything too much.

[To the fridge he goes for cheese.] Memories and I have a really weird and long history.

Already got a lot of memories of people I'll never see again. Don't plan on losing those, losing these wouldn't be any better. There's a lot that sucked, but a lot that... is important, too.

[it's pretty simple to him. he doesn't know what kind of things percy i thinking though, so:]

...What about you?

[He's busy mixing cheese into the hot noodles mostly. It gives him an excuse not to look at Noctis.]

When I first woke up after being asleep for four months, I didn't remember anything or anyone but Annabeth. It was frustrating because I knew things about myself but I couldn't figure out what it meant. I know it'd be the same if I didn't remember this place. And...gotta save the world first and then Annabeth and I might take a vacation for a week. Something before school starts. But there's still a war to win. Our friends are counting on us and that's why I really, really need to get back.

...You know that's not what I'm asking.

Then I don't know what you mean. [...sorry he's this way, Noct. He's busy spooning up mac and cheese for them both before handing him a bowl.]

Then I'll spell it out for you.

[he'll take the bowl, but boy. percy being cagey gets under his skin.]

Your memories. What do you want to do with them when this is over?

[Sorry bro.]

I want to keep them. No doubt. I'm keeping them because they're mine, but it's just...a lot. It'll be a lot. That's all.

[he nods, sighing quietly.]

...You're being weird.

How am I being weird? [There's a smirk.] And anyway, the fact that you're just now saying that seven weeks later means I've been doing a good job keeping that under wraps.

Weird for you.

[ya punk.

don't think he didn't notice all that cagey behavior?]

If there's something else on your mind... out with it. It's too exhausting to try and play coy about it now.

I'm going to miss you. [It's blurted out and followed by an awkward silence...that he fills by shoving noodles into his mouth.] ...I was just thinking about that.

[wow, this nerd.]

Yeah. It's... the same. It'll be weird not having you around anymore. [he gets it, though.]

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