Strength is Absence

Tony lay on his bed, happy to be in his own dorm room again. With Jeff gone, he had the room all to himself, though he would much prefer Jeff to the privacy. However, he was grateful for his short time that he did get to spend with Jeff, even if he didn’t much care for the circumstances that surrounded it. Only twenty-four hours ago, he had been knocked out and awoke in a large test tube, kidnapped for some unknown purpose.

He was trapped, hardly able to breath, fraught with worry that he was going to die. Tony still shuddered to think about what could have happened if things went differently. Being stuck in that tube, the seconds creeped by. He didn’t know how long he was trapped, but every minute seemed like an eternity. However, there was one person, one thought that kept focusing him: Jeff.

Jeff was his best friend, the only person that he could truly ever trust. Ever since he knew him, Tony could always confide in him. While others teased or judged him, only liking or hating him for what he could or couldn’t do, or how he did or didn’t act, or how he did or didn’t dress, Jeff could see past all that, looking at him for who he really was. He felt acceptance that he knew nobody else had ever given him before. Now, trapped alone, he really wished Jeff was there to comfort him, to tell him that everything would be alright. Jeff was traveling with that boy, Ness, who was going to save the world. But how would Jeff ever know that he was here? He wouldn’t, every bit of logical thought in him screamed.

But there was something else, one tiny voice, Tony could recall as thought back about that incident. Admist all the suffering and the hardship, he could remember a promise they made, that they would always be best friends. And best friends helped each other out. Jeff was the only person that he knew could save him, and… he had faith that Jeff would be there. He didn’t know when, he didn’t know how, but he knew that he would be saved.

All he had to do was think about all that they did together. He couldn’t see Jeff, but he always had their time together, and that provided a form of strength in itself. Being trapped on all sides, seemingly all being lost, he tried to imagine what Jeff would tell him in this situation. Be strong, Tony, be strong. Knowing Jeff, it’d probably be something like that.

It had paid off, he supposed, his thoughts, because Jeff did come to rescue him. When he saw Jeff, he couldn’t believe it. He yelled out as loudly as he could, and he must have gotten through, because Jeff had stopped, running to him. Tony tried to warn him of what was ahead, from what he had witnessed in his imprisonment. However, though he was speaking, and obviously Jeff could hear, all he saw was Jeff moving his lips. He had no idea rather or not Jeff really heard him, or if he just saw him when he came in the room. Regardless, being in the tube, though circumstance prevented him from being able to respond, he was still glad just to get to see Jeff at all, knowing that he was well, and knowing that he was there for him.

As Tony rolled over on his bed, he smiled. Shortly afterwards, Jeff had to go, and leaving Tony and the others that were imprisoned to make their way back to where they were picked up. With the help of Dr. Andonut’s Sky Runner, he made his way home safely. Jeff was gone again, but this time, Tony didn’t mind so much. All the worry and depression from the first time Jeff left didn’t seem so bad anymore. Yeah, Jeff was gone, but they would see each other again. All he had to do was wait until they had saved the world and everything was over. Until the mess cleared, he’d be without Jeff, but he just had to make the most of it, live life one day at a time. After all, Jeff was gone rather he moped about it or embraced life, and he figured that he could be a better person for it when Jeff did get back.

Yes, it was hard. Some nights he missed their all-night discussions, how they’d stay up and talk about their hopes, their goals, anything they wanted to. Yes, it was like the color was taken out of life sometimes, that nobody else could listen as he could, or understand him in the same way that he could. But, he still had other friends, and he had to make the most of school.

Who knew when Jeff will return? He didn’t, but life had to go on without him, and tomorrow was a brand new day. Until that time, even if it took years, Tony would wait. He’d miss Jeff, he would probably still think about him often. But that would be his drive to simply do his best, get better grades, involve himself in social activities, so that instead of feeling sorry for himself, he could embrace all the other wonderful aspects of life, knowing that in the end, Jeff would return, and life would be perfect. But until then, he simply had to make the best on life’s journey, moving forwards rather than backwards, and knowing that they would always remember their promise to be best friends forever.