Pieces of Us (SatoGou)

Chapter 10

Song: Seafret- Atlantis

Enjoy <3

My hangover the next morning wasn't even bad, until we picked up the truck- a black pickup, and Dawn started howling from the back seat. She insisted on connecting her phone, and has been playing horrible upbeat pop music at full volume ever since, leaving me gripping the steering wheel hard, staring ahead at the highway.

It's a clear day- not a cloud in sight. The sun is high in the sky, and snowy mountains rise up either side of us, towering over the road. The countryside was always the nicest part of Galar. I roll my window down and suck in a breath of fresh air. Goh is in the passenger seat, a paper map stretched open in front of him. It's done us no good so far, and I mostly know where I'm going anyway, but he seems to want to be helpful, so I let him give me occasional, unhelpful directions. We're planning on spending the day in Circhester, but not spending the night, because Dawn wants us to keep driving in the evening, and camp out for the night somewhere between there and Spikemuth. I've done my fair share of camping over the years, so I don't mind, but Chloe doesn't seem too keen.

"Can't we just stay the night, and go to a hot spring or something?" She had whined when Dawn announced her plans for the day.

"We need to follow the plan exactly if we want to make it around in a week," Dawn had argued. Although I didn't really believe her, there was no point in arguing. Dawn's word is always final.

We reach Circhester by midday. Everyone's hungry, so we head into the first café we see. I drink two cups of coffee, knowing that if I don't, I'll not be awake enough to drive later. Goh seems a lot more talkative, and more like his old self. I can see it peeking through, like it's been hiding there the whole time. Hearing him join in more and laughing makes me both happy and sad. I'm glad we're picking up the pieces finally, but it just reminds me that I shouldn't do anything that might ruin what we're just starting to rebuild. Especially after last night, when he told me about Tokio and how recent that was. I still need to find a moment alone with Dawn to tell her about that.

When we leave the café, Dawn drags us to a hot spring bathhouse. I'm reluctant- I'm worried about it being busy, or people trying to ask me questions or take photos, but when we get there it's empty, likely because the holiday season is coming to an end, and most tourists have gone home.

I try not to stare when Goh comes out shirtless, showing off just how much longer his hair has gotten. The muscles of his chest are so defined- almost like mine, even. I tear my eyes away, cheeks burning as he lowers himself into the water beside the rest of us, who beat him in. For whatever reason, he won't look at me.

"There's a secluded area we can camp at on the coast," Dawn is explaining, and I realise she must have been talking to me the whole time. "It should only take another hour to get there. I brought marshmallows and we can make a fire."

"It'll be freezing," Chloe whines again, sinking further back into the warm water.

"It won't be that cold," Dawn hisses back. She has her hair tied into a messy bun on the top of her head to keep it dry. Piplup is floating on his back, his eyes closed as he snoozes, carefree.

I reach behind me to where Pikachu is lying on the tiles by the edge of the pool and scratch behind his ear, earning a gentle purr from him. "I hope Piers is in Spikemuth. I haven't seen him in ages."

"Will Marnie be back there too?" Dawn asks. None of us heard from her after last night, but that's just her style. I shrug nonchalantly, and Dawn frowns, probably hoping I'd say yes.

"Oh, um," Chloe starts awkwardly, leaning her chest against the edge of the pool. "Goh?"

Her tone of voice has us all looking at her. Goh frowns. "Yeah?"