Bottle Will Be All Right

Written by Anakin McFly

"...and I used to hold Bottle like... like this," Chris says in a quavering voice, his hands cupping an imaginary water bottle. He shakes with the effort of holding back sobs. "I... I miss Bottle so much, so much-"

"Shhh, it's okay," Zach whispers as Chris dissolves into tears. "It's okay, I'm here-"

"B...b...bottle..."

"I'm sure Bottle will be all right," Zach says reassuringly. "Lots of bottles go through recycling."

"No, no, it's not okay, Bottle is going to be all alone, and crushed, and recycled..."

Zach brings his arm around to cradle Chris' head, wiping away the tear that slides down his cheek. He plants a gentle kiss on his ear and strokes Chris' hair with his nose. "And then Bottle will be new again in fresh, shiny plastic," he murmurs, wondering if it's really worth it to play along this much. It's getting to him. Sometimes he almost starts feeling feelings for that damn bottle.

But for now, Chris needs comforting, and he guesses he's fine with that. "It's going to be okay," Zach says again, nuzzling Chris on the ear. "It's... all... going to be okay."

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