After Ari went to the Captain's quarters and everything seemed settled, I made my way toward Malachi's room. The lantern hanging on the wall was unlit, but I could make out that he was sitting on his cot, coughing in short bursts, his whole body shaking. Carefully, I stepped over strewn dirty clothes and sat down next to him.
"Hey," I started, not sure if he would make a snide remark or not speak at all.
"I said I was fine..." He said before coughing weakly. I closed my eyes, bracing for sharp words that didn't come. "...but I'm not. I'm... I'm not fine, Dallas. None of this is fine- I hate that I'm not fine, that I'm not okay. I hate that I was only happy after I left. I hate how messed up that was-!" I tilted my head, angling my ear toward him while I looked at the floor, just listening. I was glad neither of us minded no eye contact. "How messed up everything was... I just want to forget them- pretend this was the only family I had, the only one I have. I..." He sniffed, clutching the pendant that always hung around his neck, the ring rotating around it. I just sat still, listening. "I want to forget them, and make this dumb scar disappear. I wish-" He wiped his eyes, and bushed stray hair from his face. "I know you said you couldn't do it, but I-I still wish you could wipe those memories. I-I'm sorry I keep asking you a-and I keep complaining-" I stopped just listening and pulled him into a hug. I wanted to say something, but stopped myself, knowing it would sound insincere or sarcastic. I might not say the right thing, but I hope you know I'll listen. He rested his head on my shoulder and sobbed. I'm sorry that this is all I can do.
YOU ARE READING
The captains of the sunset wind.
FantasyA fanfic based in the universe created by the podcast Just Roll with its Riptide. This is a story me and two of my friends wrote for fun. It's purely for fun and is probably the least likely to be updated often.
