Warm Hugs and Starless Skies (closed)

The Gathering had been an absolute disaster. Dennis had run out of the clearing, and Softbreeze hadn't hesitated when she followed. "Dennis! Dennis!" She yowled, sprinting forward spinning around as she rounded forward in front of him. "This has to stop now! Whatever it is you're going through, we'll fix it together; me and you. Just like we've always done!"

Her black faded tail lashed behind her, worry in her eyes. Her posture softened, and her eyes curbed gently at the edges. "You are going to sit here and tell me everything that's bothering you. Why do you shut me out? Why do shut the world out? What are you so afraid of? I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong. I was so, so devasted when Thornpaw said you were dead, but I didn't really truly believe you were. Do not abandon me or yourself now. I never gave up on you, don't you dare give up on yourself!"

She took three steps forward, tears in her eyes. "Stand tall, chin up. You remember that? Because I do. It was what Galestar said to me after I'd given up hope. You may not remember me, but I remember your heart. Your kindness. I never forgot it. That Gathering, when I was crying and you comforted me despite being scared stiff?" She half-laughed, half scoffed, shaking her head, tears now fully appearing. "That's why I fell in love with you. I'm not stupid. I know lying is wrong, but I also know you'd never do something without the truest of intentions."

"You will always be my best friend. No matter what name you go by, how many legs you have, or even if you remember me at all. I will never stop loving you. So just.... Tell me what's bothering you." Softbreeze pleaded desperately, reaching a paw out and placing it on his, her soft sky eyes meeting rusted amber. The tranquility of the rushing waves was oh-so different from the calamity of the Gathering, and with the moon and stars as their witness, Softbreeze wished for just a moment more like this. Intertwined in silence, a symphony of emotion between them, and the future ahead.

OOC: Super sorry for how late this is, also for the sake of ranks this is gonna be "platonic" on Dennis' end until he's T4 (and who doesn't love a good slow burn lmao)
Dennis ran until he physically couldn't, giving him a solid 15 seconds of sprinting between the tears clogging his throat and his remaining legs having to pick up slack for his left hind. He felt gross and itchy and like he wanted to curl up in a ball and not see anyone for a moon. He barely registered the thumping of paws behind him until the source of the sound caused him to skid to a halt- not that Dennis could've run much farther anyway- and he slumped pathetically into a sitting position as he and Softbreeze made eye contact. He could hardly run, so he had to just sit and listen to her. He felt irrationally angry. He just wanted to be alone, was that really too much to ask? He didn't want to... He...

He was so tired.

The anger drained out of him like air out of a balloon, and he simply allowed her to shout. She had every right to be angry, confused. There he was, her childhood friend, keeping things from her. Running from her. She deserved to be livid, to yell, to- wait, what was she doing? Her words softened at the edges. This wasn't anger, this was... Concern? He blinked. Why was she even bothering with him? He was sure she had better friends. Ones that actually remembered her, that didn't run out on her during Gatherings. But here she was, yelling at him with so much hurt and concern and a smidge of hope. Despite himself, he flinched when she approached. But his posture relaxed when he saw the tears in her eyes. He wanted her to stop crying- he wasn't worth crying over.

Something she said made him freeze, an (in retrospect, hilarious) shocked expression crossing his face. Here he was, stupid and tiny and oh-so-loathsome, and here she was, defying all logic and actually caring. yes, his mothers cared. Or at least they tried. But Softbreeze...

He sucked in a breath and leaned forward, licking the tears from her cheek. She was too pretty to cry, though if he voiced this out loud he was quite positive he'd keel over on the spot. His face felt warm enough just thinking about it. Besides, they were just friends- any more would be overstepping, as well as literal blasphemy. "Y-you're right, I'm sorry. I..." He sighed, the last of his energy exiting his body in one grand motion. He limped over to the river, laying down at its bank. He waited for her to join him, soaking in the peace of the rushing water in the meantime. Memories or no memories, the rushing water felt like home. Like, if he could just lay here for a moment, all of his problems would go away. He turned to face Softbreeze. "I just feel like... I'm trying so hard to fit in, and nothing works, and now everybody hates me and I-" He swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I just want to go home. I'm sick of this. Everything just keeps happening, and I can't keep up. I just want to go one day, no, one hour without ruining something. I thought I'd be better off here, or at the very least learn something about myself... But all I've learned in this past miserable moon is how horrible I am. I've disgraced RiverClan. My own mother has to- to clean up after my mistakes." He wiped a tear from his eye with a paw and looked into the water. He continued, voice a frail squeak. "I just wanted them to be safe."