Private Someone Like Me

"Okay, let's go," Ganymede said. Soon, Rhys would feel their feet leave the ground. If they opened their eyes, they would see the world flying past them at hundreds of miles per hour, blurry, with its usual color faded. Oddly enough, they wouldn't feel the wind blowing by, or the trees that they almost collided with - or did they fly through them?

In any case, soon, Ganymede and Rhys would be standing in his room, and Rhys would feel solid ground beneath their feet once again. Ganymede's room was immaculately clean, with an array of decorations and trinkets on display. Prominent among these were several piano-related trophies, as well as a small mirror which he had on display like a kind of trophy.

It also had a small TV, a gaming console, and a few beanbags to sit on.

"We're here!" he announced, partly for Rhys's benefit and partly for his foster family's. Then, after taking in Rhys's reaction, he would start getting things ready for some gaming.

"They are," Ganymede confirmed. "For the most part. The room and the furniture technically belong to Monday, because he owns the apartment. But it's all mine to use."

He wouldn't need too much help from Rhys to set up the games. They would be playing a racing game, and Ganymede took a moment to teach Rhys the controls before they began.

"By the way," he added, "Feel free to ask me anything you'd like about this place or how I've been adjusting, whenever you would like. I'm happy to answer."

Ganymede would move the two beanbags closer to each other and sit down on one of them, gesturing for Rhys to use the other. If Rhys didn't have any immediate questions, they would begin their first race on one of the easier courses.

Ganymede didn't answer that question immediately. The game took some concentration - but mostly that was a tricky question to answer.

"Well... before I tell you, I should say that... you don't have to be useful all the time, here. And I know this is going to take a lot of getting used to, but everyone here wants us to learn how to live more for ourselves. And I honestly like this a lot better, now that I'm starting to get used to it. I wouldn't want to go back. Have you ever thought about how nice it must be, to live like one of the people you used to serve?" This was a rhetorical question. "It's much nice than endless servitude."

He cleared his throat. As he finished his little speech, he also finished the race.

With that said," he continued, "if you still want ways to make yourself useful, the Starlight helper's club is a good place to go. They do volunteer work a few times a week, and I'm sure they would welcome you."

"Sometimes," Ganymede told them. "If they need help cleaning up after something, I'm especially good at that. I'll let you know the next time I'm going to do that sort of thing, if you want."

The race ended. Ganymede didn't start the next one yet.

"I still miss my master sometimes," he admitted. "No matter how much he hurt me, or what he did to me. I still love him. Even if I wish I didn't."

He turned in his seat and looked Rhys in the eyes. "I've been here for over a year. I know it's hard..." He noticed the look in Rhys's eyes. "You can cry around me, if you feel like it. It's healthy to cry. I won't get mad at you."

Ganymede nodded. He remembered how overwhelming it had been, too - having all this freedom. He had never really gotten the chance to mourn his master, either, and by the time he did have that chance, nobody really seemed to want him to.

He set his controller down. "Rhys? Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?"

Ganymede wanted desperately to be able to comfort Rhys somehow. Like healing Rhys could nourish something in himself that had been starving.