Short Story: [Emberfate] Long Distance

Hey everyone! 

I know I still have quite a few short stories of RS that I need to make up for (Oct - Mar), but I wanted to jump ahead to post the April's short story for Emberfate first, since well, that's new and shiny and exciting for now LOL 

So here's a short story for MC x Nathan, set after the game endings where a romantic relationship has been established! This is written by Nic Wooden and edited by me. I hope you all enjoy this!

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You're fast asleep in bed when suddenly, your phone starts ringing, jarring you into half wakefulness. The familiar ringtone you've assigned to your boyfriend fills the room, chasing away any remaining clouds of dreams.

Hazily, you struggle to pull yourself into a sitting position as you wonder why Nathan is calling over the phone. Usually, he sticks to using Harmonies because of no international charges. In fact, the only time either of them really uses the phone at all is during —

During emergencies. With that, you snap into full alertness, pushing yourself out of bed and scrambling to grab your phone, nearly knocking off the items on the night table in your hasty sweep for it.

"Nate? Are you there? What's going on? Is everything alright?"

Seeming to register your panic, Nathan is immediately apologetic. "I — yes, sorry, I just… I just wanted to talk to you." His voice becomes immediately more concerned. "Are you okay, sunshine? You sound off."

Letting out a breath of relief that there are no immediate fires, you slump back into bed against your headboard.

"I'm fine. The call just woke me up, and I'm still a bit out of it." You let out a light laugh, already able to tell what Nathan is thinking by the hitch of realization in his breath. "Don't worry about it. You didn't know, and I’d much rather talk to you than sleep."

You can practically feel Nathan fretting. "Still, I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have called like this. It isn't that important, and I can always talk to you tomorrow instead. Do you think you can fall back asleep?"

You know your boyfriend well enough to know that he is now trying to play everything off in favor of your comfort, and you frown at this old habit that is clearly dying hard.

“Hey, it’s fine. You don’t need to apologize. I’ve told you before, remember? You can call me anywhere, anytime. I'm always here for you." You soften your voice. "So what's going on, Nate? Don't hold anything back, okay? I'm listening."

For a second, the line stays silent. You wonder if Nathan is starting to pull back despite your speech, but after another moment, you can hear him exhale, coming to a decision.

"I don't know. I guess nothing's wrong, beyond the usual anyway." You can practically see him sitting in his computer chair, shaking his head with downcast ruthfulness. "I mean, most of the past week has been okay, but... it just creeps up sometimes, you know? And today, even though nothing went wrong, it just was so…" He trails off, seeming to be unable, or reluctant, to finish the sentence.

You adjust the phone to your other shoulder, the corners of your mouth dipping deeper at Nathan's continued silence. "Just too heavy?" You offer, and a soft laugh escapes Nathan.

"Yeah," he murmurs softly, "you could say that. Heavy, dreary, gray, draining… Any number of synonyms would work."

You can practically hear Nathan shrugging dejectedly on the other side. You sigh, pressing the phone closer to your mouth, as if this way, you will be closer to him in spite of the distance.

"I'm sorry. You know I would do anything to make this better." It hangs in the air for a moment before you continue, your voice coming out smaller than you intended, floundering in the face of his pain. "Is there anything, no matter how big or small, that I can do right now that will help?" You ask, not bothering to hide your desperation. "Anything?"

You wait with bated breath for him to respond, and time seems to move far slower than usual as he remains quiet on the other line. You hope that something's coming to mind for him.

Your hopes are dashed.

"Not really," Nathan inhales sharply, and you realize that he's trying to push back tears. And even though you knew that despite his new treatment regimen and the steady, joyful progression of your relationship, dark spots still exist, and not everything can be fixed with some comfort, you can’t help but feel defeated with helplessness.

There’s another beat of silence, and when he speaks up again, some of that false cheeriness you're all too familiar with has returned. "You're already doing absolutely everything right, sunshine. I thank the universe every day for bringing you into my life."

His voice trails off for a moment as if he’s deciding whether to continue. "I just… I just love you so much, you know? And I just wish you were here. With me. Right now."

The words seem to be coming out in a torrent, suddenly spilling out all at once. "Things have been better, truly — largely because of you, because being with you makes me so happy. But at the same time, this long-distance… It doesn't feel fair, you know? I want to see you in person, not just on a screen. I want to hold you and laugh with you, go on dates, and do all the things we could do if we'd been lucky enough to live in the same city."

Your heart hammers fiercely. The two of you have talked of meeting up several times, but things keep getting in the way, and plans have to be canceled and rescheduled more times than they should have happened over the past six months.

No more, you decide. No more.

He's gone quiet on the other end again, but for the moment, you're distracted, heaving yourself fully out of bed and padding across the floor to your computer. You boot it up, fingers rapidly typing to take you exactly where you want to go.

"Sunshine?" His anxious voice breaks your concentration. "Was that too much? I'm sorry… I know we're both busy and it's hard to find the time, and trust me, I am still so happy with our relationship as it is. It all just kind of tumbled ou—"

"What are you doing next month? The third weekend?" You ask, your eyes skimming through the webpage on the screen before you.

"I — next month?" He asks, his words ending in an inflection of surprise. "Uh, nothing, I suppose. Why? Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I'm just trying to find the best flight."

"The best what?" Nathan echoes your words, sounding utterly flummoxed. "Flight? As in to come out here?"

“Of course. Where else would I go?”

For a minute, he doesn't respond, the dead air making you worry that you’re going too far on something that was perhaps just intended to be a vent. "I'm sorry. Is that too sudden? I just…"

"No!" He almost shouts the word in response. "That — that would be amazing. I just… Are you sure? Do you really want to? You don't have to. I'm fine, really. I don't want you like you have to come out here on such short notice. I know we are still planning things."

“Yes, I want to. I really, really do. I want those things you mentioned too, you know? And I'm tired of pushing it off, waiting for the world to get less crazy around us." You pause, a teasing grin spreading across your face. "Besides, I do distinctly remember a promise I made just a few minutes ago to do anything to help. I don't make promises lightly, you know."

On the other end of the phone, Nathan begins to laugh — really laugh, and warmth spreads through you at the sound.

"Incredible. You're incredible." He breathes out, wonder and amusement still locked in his tone. "I guess we better start planning then. I want to help pay for your ticket for starters, and I have a whole list of places I want to show you. Maybe too much for an entire weekend, but…."

"There will be other trips," you interject with a smile, and you almost see him on the other side as he takes in that reply.

"Yeah." Nathan says softly. "Lots of them."

You nod. "Lots of them."