Luke looked at him and smiled, nodding his head. "Yeah, you're right. I'm done just sitting around. I want to get home no matter what... but I think we should rest here for one more day. I mean, it's safe here, and who knows when we'll find the next safe place. And you still don't seem fully recharged, so what do you say we stay here for one more night and leave first thing in the morning?"
Arthur sighed and thought about it for a moment, an inexplicable sense of déjà vu washing over him. The sensation came suddenly, like a wave crashing over his consciousness, then receded just as quickly. He rubbed his temples, trying to chase away the odd feeling. The stone beneath him was hard and uncomfortable, but they were safe and away from the roses and the monsters that dwell here so to be honest he's willing to deal with some slight discomfort.
"I don't know..." He looked at his friend's cheering face and then assessed his own beat-down body. His muscles ached, and some of his wounds were still not fully healed. Every joint in his body seemed to protest at the mere thought of getting up and continuing their journey right away. The idea of rest was tempting, despite the constant urgency that had driven him forward until now.
"Ah, screw it. All right, one more night, okay?" The words felt rehearsed, as if he were an actor in a play he didn't remember agreeing to perform in. Strange how his reluctance gave way so easily—but then again, Luke had always been persuasive.
Luke's smile grew larger as he nodded, exactly as Arthur somehow knew it would. His friend's enthusiasm was visible in the sparkle of his eyes.
Arthur grinned weakly. "I wanted to talk some more anyway... it's nice to at least pretend there's some normality in this insane situation." He stretched his legs out in front of him, wincing slightly at the stiffness in his knees.
Luke laughed, the sound echoing slightly across the rosses. "Yeah, I agree."
The hours drifted by as Arthur and Luke talked more and more throughout the day.
Yet for some reason, Arthur kept getting this splitting headache of déjà vu that he couldn't quite place. It would come in sharp bursts, like someone driving a spike through his skull, only to fade moments later. He tried to hide his discomfort from Luke, not wanting to worry his friend over what was probably just stress and exhaustion taking their toll.
The light changed as afternoon wore on, the golden quality of late day drawing upon them. Shadows lengthened across the floor, creating patterns that Arthur found himself staring at absently during lulls in conversation.
"Hey, isn't your birthday in like a month, Luke?" Arthur asked, rubbing his temple to ease another momentary flash of pain. The question seemed to materialize in his mind unbidden, and yet he couldn't shake the feeling he'd asked it before.
Luke smiled shallowly, his eyes downcast. "Y-yeah, I guess it is. I'll be 16." He picked absently at a loose thread on his worn uniform. His voice had a wistful quality to it, memories of past birthdays clearly playing through his mind.
Arthur smiled and patted him on the back. "Well, we gotta make sure we get back before then so we can celebrate." He tried to inject as much confidence as he could muster into his words. They needed hope to keep going, even if that hope sometimes felt like a fragile thread stretched to its breaking point.
Luke laughed softly, the sound tinged with both nostalgia and doubt. "Yeah, I guess so..." He paused, his gaze drifting to the wall before turning back to Arthur with sudden curiosity. "Speaking of which, when is your birthday? You never told me."
Arthur's smile faded and he leaned his head back against the wall, looking over the horizon. The setting sun painted the sky in brilliant hues of orange and pink over the field of dead roses, such a beautiful backdrop to a world so dangerous was a funny scene.
"I-it's September 13th," he finally replied, voice quiet. The date hung in the air between them, carrying more weight than it should.
Luke's eyes shot wide and he almost jumped, his sudden movement sending a small cloud of dust rising from the floor. "WHAT!? But that's in like two weeks." His expression transformed to one of disbelief, mouth hanging slightly open. "Your one to talk, worried about my birthday! What about yours? Don't you wanna get back in time?"
Arthur giggled, the sound breaking the momentary tension that had settled between them. "Yeah, sure... I guess, but it's not likely we'll make it in time." The words escaped his lips as another wave of déjà vu washed over him, stronger this time, making him wince involuntarily.
Luke's brows scrunched down, determination setting in his features. His jaw tightened and his shoulders squared, a posture Arthur had come to recognize as his friend's stubborn stance. "No, we'll definitely make it. We'll leave first thing tomorrow and won't stop till we make it back in time to celebrate."
Arthur laughed, slapping his knee. "Yeah, sure. Let's do it." The idea seemed absurdly optimistic given their situation, but Luke's enthusiasm was infectious, as it had always been.
Luke began to laugh too, and they both continued to laugh with high spirits, the unexpected mirth providing a welcome release of tension. Their laughter rose and fell, momentarily drowning out the constant undercurrent of fear that had been their companion in this realm.
Arthur was enjoying his day... much more than he'd enjoyed a day in a while. The simple pleasure of conversation, of connection, felt like a precious luxury in their current circumstances. But for some reason, after every word, it came back... that feeling. Like they'd had this exact conversation before, but he knew they hadn't. The sensation was disorienting, like walking on a floor that subtly tilted beneath his feet. Thankfully, it only lasted a couple of seconds before it faded, and soon Arthur forgot all about it as the sun began to sink below the horizon.
Shadows lengthened across the floor as evening approached. The temperature dropped noticeably as daylight waned.
Despite the persistent strange sensations throughout the day, the conversation with Luke had lifted his spirits. Perhaps things would look better in the morning. They had a plan now, even if it was just "get home for birthdays." It was something to focus on beyond mere survival.
He settled down, leaning up against the hard stone as the last light of day disappeared.
"Goodnight," Arthur murmured, letting his eyes close. The hard floor behind him was uncomfortable, but exhaustion outweighed discomfort.
He let himself fall into the embrace of darkness once again, grateful for the respite from his troubled thoughts. Sleep came quickly, pulling him under into dreamless oblivion, his body surrendering to the rest it desperately needed.
Only to be woken up soon after by the stark push of a hand on his shoulder, insistent and impossible to ignore...
"Arthur, wake up. You're sleeping the day away."