{TW!! Mentions of blood, self-harm, and cussing.}

Echoes.

Echoes are all she can hear in this endless void.

Echoes of her mother yelling at her.

Echoes of glass shattering after being thrown at her.

Echoes of Flora's voice.

That beautiful voice of hers, Citrus wish she had one like that, she really did.

No one likes your dumbass so stop trying to think positive.

Fuck. Off.

No, how about you fuck off? Your mother did that when you announced that you liked women.

...Fuck off, dipshit.

You are telling yourself that, you are aware that we share this body, yes?

I wish we didn't since you're so fucking annoying.

Ah, I'm so offended, I could just take over the body and jump off a cliff, but that wouldn't do shit because you'd like that.

....Shut up and let me sleep.

More echoes.

More echoes of yelling, of hitting, of glass.

Glass shattering.

Citrus isn't violently shaken this time.

This time she's forced to go through this painful nostalgic dream.

Flora.

Flora..

Flora...

Where was she?

Why hasn't she woken Citrus up yet?

Something's wrong.

Something is terribly wrong.

~-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~

It's cold this Sunday, people wonder why. It smells like the lies of friends telling others the secrets they had been trusted with as Flora speed walks down the street to the bakery, not forgetting the promise she made herself yesterday. Carefully opening the door, she enters, greeted by a warm smile and 'hello' from her friend, Stella, who worked here. Man, sometimes Flora wished she could work here too, everyone was so nice and there weren't weirdos like Sar here.

"Hey Flora!! How's it going? Is the girl doing well?" Stella practically shouts from across the sort of small bakery.

"Oh uhm, it's going well and she's doing alright, I think.... Yesterday she-... actually never mind, scratch that out of the conversation, I said nothing."

"...what happened yesterday? Is she okay?"

"It's nothing, I think she's fine... think..." Flora sighed, then reminding herself why she was here. "Oh, can I get uhm... cookies for the go?"

"Of course! How many?"

"...about 12."

"Mhm!! Got 'cha!" Stella smiled, turned around doing a little twirl, and ran off to the kitchen, yelling something to her girlfriend, who also worked here. Man, Flora hates to admit it, but she's jealous that Stella has someone to love, someone to talk about what's on the top of her mind to, things like that. Although, that's basically what Citrus is to her, minus the someone to love part, well... maybe platonically. Citrus is such a good listener it's not even funny, if anything it's kind of scary. Thank god she hums with little responses time to time, otherwise she'd probably stare into your soul as she listened. Stella returned, taking Flora out of her mind and back to reality.

"Ah-- thank you, wait... did you add something extra? I told you not to this ti-"She was cut off by Stella.

"Aaaand that's where you're wrong!! It wasn't me who put it in there, it was Osa! Oh and it's not for you, it's for the girl, what's her name again? Sorry, you haven't told me, or really anyone--"

Ah, right. She's correct, Flora really hasn't told anyone Citrus' name.

"Oh, it's Citrus, her name is Citrus."

"That's a pretty name! Anyway, have a great dayyy!!" Stella waved after taking Flora's payment and Flora waved back, leaving the bakery.

"Should I send Citrus a message..? Surely she's awake by now, it wouldn't hurt to message her." and with that, Flora got her phone out and sent a text to Citrus.

( )

( )

She didn't expect a response, and she didn't get one, meaning yeah, Citrus was probably still sleeping.... somehow, of course. Flora will get her answer when she returns to the apartment.

~-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~

"Mm..." Citrus mumbled something upon her awakening, looking around her surroundings lazily with her tired eyes. She quickly took notice as to the absence of Flora, that not being much of a surprise. Sitting up, she glared at the wall, hating how the rays of sunlight shot through the window next to her, she hated it so much she didn't notice her change of sleeves and the note behind her.

Without thinking she took the sleeve on her right arm off, bandaging being the first thing she spots.

"..So Flora did come home after the texts... fuck, I must have worried her... sorry.." Citrus made a mental note to say sorry to Flora when she got back from, well wherever she was at the time. Being honest, Citrus knew she'd be attacked with a bunch of questions, and she'd most likely end up being lazy and typing out the answers in texts. Oh, right.. texts. She has messages from Flora. Oh shit.. Flora's on her way back?? Citrus was in that state of panic where she was unable to think and everything went fuzzy, meaning her legs would also give up on her making it so she was unable to get up or walk. This. was. bad. What was worse? Flora. Flora was back, but how? Did she run back? Did she already do what she planned to do when she left that morning? Did she--

"Citrus, are you.. alright?"

.

.

.

Fuck.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She signed, quickly trying to stop her state of panic.

"Are you sure? Actually no, more serious question, what the hell was that yesterday?? You just randomly sent those texts and then asked how to delete them, clearly trying to hide something from me causing me to worry, and then what do I return back to? You fucking bleeding out from basically your entire right arm, and just your right arm!! ...just, just what was that..?" Flora looked as if she was on the verge of tears as Citrus sat there silent, thinking of a way to respond properly, considering she herself, had no idea what she had done yesterday or why she did what she did. Maybe, just maybe, the voice in her head had gotten to her, and it told her to do what she had to do. Maybe the voice in her head had taken control over her body, grabbed that shiny yet dull heavy knife in the kitchen, and went ham. She doesn't know.

"Flora, what if I too didn't really know what happened?"

"Huh? What do you mean?.."

"Like, I don't know or at least remember how it happened, it just, happened."

"I guess that's more understandable, sort of.. Oh, uh, I got us cookies. You can have the first peek in the bag because apparently my friend's girlfriend got you something extra?"

"Oh? okay." Citrus took the bag from Flora and took a little peek inside, it almost feels like her eyes lit up when she say the extra thing she had gotten. "It's so cute, you don't get to see it." She smiled one of her few smug smiles, only because she knew her roommate would want to see what she got.

"What? Unfairrr!!" Flora sarcastically but quietly yelled, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks. "At least give me a cookie or two."

"Yeah yeah, I will, don't worry." Citrus put the gift, or extra thing as it was called, in her pocket and began eating two cookies at once and having three on the side for now. Handing the bag back to Flora she flopped backwards back onto the bed and stared at the roof, she was tired.

"Something wrong?"

"..No." That was probably a lie.

Citrus would be able to sleep in peace now and not have to worry about anything, right?? Right..? As if that were fucking true, who is she kidding? The other night she had a nightmare and apparently started crying, Flora was still there otherwise Citrus wouldn't have woken up and the nightmare would've restarted or continued.

Peaceful sleeping?

.

.

.

That wasn't something Citrus was able to do more than half the time. Right now, she dead ass passed out after finishing her cookies, and that worried Flora, but Citrus was okay. Well, for now, at least.