#why do I try to pretend I've moved on..｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

[cannedcrow]

Arbitrary Darkness (Hermitcraft Monster Hunter AU) Part VI

A/N: Been a while, but I still harbour a deep love for all my fics and I've been writing again recently! Enjoy this chapter and expect more updates very soon! <3

Part IV - AO3

~ please rb if you enjoy! ….〆(･ω･。) ~

TWs: blood, violence and self injury referenced.

Grian awoke a few times from his unconsciousness. His brain pled at him to stand, get up and hide before he was found, and irony twisted a knife in his heart as he remembered Tango's bitter words: If you think you’re like them, then go - take off your cloak and gloves and wait for their gratitude. He was vaguely aware of the leaden weight of his limbs, new from the exhaustion that already weighed him down - Scar's venom was already trickling through his muscles, and he felt the deadly finality settle upon him with the rain. He didn't know how long it was before he blacked out again.

But he did awake again. He cracked stubborn eyelids and was greeted by a small, dingy apartment, rather like one that might be above a shop. It was, he reflected, rather like Grian's own apartment - rickety tables and shelves crammed to bursting with all manner of teacups, pots, bottles, metal instruments, books, quills and papers, all placed with madman's-deliberation. The bed he reposed in was a simple, relatively comfortable affair, warmed by the nearby hearth. He heard a scrape and looked to see a man with his back to him, working intently at a desk. He appeared to have blended in so well to the disarray that Grian had passed right over him - a hunched figure in stained clothing, dark hair sticking out at all angles. He suddenly moved to the pot on the fireplace to fill a syringe, and Grian saw what he’d been working at - a half-dissected strider egg, matte black and oblong.

But when the firelight caught the strangers face, panic flitted through him, though he didn’t immediately recognize him. The man was rather short and stocky, dressed in a badly stained shirt and trousers. His dark hair was tousled and split by a forelock of green.

Just as the man looked over at him, it clicked - the alchemist who’d made a horrific face at Grian from across the room at The Eighth Circle.

“Morning, sunshine,” he greeted dryly, “you look awful.”

Grian was frozen, trying to assess the situation. He wasn’t a monster, which was good, but on the other hand, he ran in the exact same circles and didn’t appear the most empathetic ally.

The man clearly sensed his wariness.

“Settle down lad, who do you think gave you an antidote? You’d have been found and strung up on a wall by now if it wasn’t for me. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Grian frowned. “Thank you. So how did you find me? Why?”

Joel shrugged. “Pity, I guess. Or curiousity. I tracked you home. Never seen anyone do something so unimaginably, extraordinarily stupid in my life - and I spend my time running around bastions sifting in lava for strider eggs.”

That certainly stung. It was true though, wasn’t it? Grian reflected. “Well, leave it to the only human to show a scrap of emotion,” he muttered.

Joel looked flabbergasted. “God, you’re even more of a moron than I thought. And for the record, I already think you’re the biggest moron I’ve ever met. You waltzed in there ready to have every one of them hanged, were treated with nothing but decency - as one of their own - then called them all monsters. Did you really not learn anything?"

Grian scowled, then faltered. "Guess I was asking for it huh?" he conceded begrudgingly, sitting up stiffly with a wince, "But don't pretend they're perfect, they set me up."

Joel stared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes, "That'll do for now I guess. Want summat to eat?"

Grian welcomed the change of topic, assenting eagerly.

Joel's cooking was awful, which evidenced that his talents were better spent on the morbid experiments that took up most of his time, but Grian welcomed it all the same, spooning chunks of mystery meat from a thick stew. Vaguely, he had a nasty suspicion that Joel wasn't particular about which pots he used for experiments versus cooking. Nor his ingredients, for that matter.

"I'll not impose on you any longer," he said decisively when they'd finished, standing and gritting down a wince of pain as he accidentally flexed his injured wing.

Joel eyed him sternly, "I don't think so. I want to keep an eye on you for a bit, and not just because of your injuries."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've not put me in a very good spot to be honest. Or rather, I haven't, by not letting you bleed out in a stairwell. Curse my wonderful heart," he folded his arms. "Anyway, I don't trust you not to fuck up the good situation I have going."

"You're ... holding me hostage," Grian concluded.

Joel looked mildly offended, "Would you call it imprisonment for a doctor to order you bed rest?"

"You're not a doctor," Grian scoffed.

Joel eyed his dressings pointedly, "I'm as good a doctor as a monster like you will ever get."

Grian's feathers prickled in annoyance at the jab, which didn't go unnoticed by Joel, who smirked.

"Never seen anyone get so offended by being called what they are. Doc calls me a crooked alchemist; that's what I am. I call you a birdie, that's what you are, and you can't change it," He paused. "Not even with a knife."

Grian tensed in horror as Joel continued, "Yeah, I saw the scars."

He flushed, furious humiliation building at Joel's transgression into such a private part of his past.

For once though, Joel didn't look teasing, merely sympathetic - which was even more infuriating.

Joel turned away mercifully, "I've got business to attend to. Don't bother trying to leave; you won't be able to."

"Mumbo will come looking for me," he called defiantly after Joel.

"Ok," he heard the casual response from the hall, as though he'd just informed him that a guest was coming to tea.

Grian scowled as the door slammed, rubbing his wing joint without thinking.

Even Mumbo didn't know the steadily stoked, boiling pit of self-hatred that had driven Grian so many times in his youth to rid himself of his monstrous extremities, leaving his wings, tail and claws riddled with jagged scars from desperate attempts to brave the pain and end his distinction once and for all.

He'd failed miserably each time, of course, ending always in a wretched bloody heap of feathers and yet deeper misery. It was a scar that ran deeper than any of his physical ones - everything about his existence was a humiliation in that way. His species, his desperation to be human, his hatred for those like him, and then his career.

He clenched his hand, claws sinking into the mattress savagely.

As if it comes from nowhere, he thought savagely, as though I have no reason to feel the way I do. To hate them.

Grian spent the afternoon examining his surroundings, poking in drawers and noting ways out. Somehow, he didn't think Joel was planning to lead the monsters to him - why would he have saved him if he were only planning to throw him to the wolves? Joel didn't strike him as sadistic, whatever else he may be. He hadn't any real grasp on Joel, similar to Scar - though admittedly, he'd spoken less to Joel (this wasn't saying much, being that Scar had been toying with him). The two were deeply enigmatic - and deep down, he was fascinated by the savage, gregarious being that was Scar - though at least he could understand Joel's motives. He could tolerate and even hold level with Joel, while Scar was a beast through and through whom Grian wouldn't even trust to pass him a plate.

Then again, I felt the same about Tango. If one thing had made itself clear, it was that Grian couldn't longer trust his intuition.

He resolved to remain courteous with Joel, make himself less of a threat, go free, and root up the Eighth Circle from the outside.

A brusque "Oi!" serenaded Grian out of sleep in the early evening, signalling Joel's return. He sat up with a jolt and scowled upon seeing Joel taking off his cloak, humming something discordant as he divested himself of his array of pouches and layers.

"Shirt off, birdie," Joel instructed blithely, retrieving a jangling box from a cabinet.

"I - What?" Grian replied, lost.

"I need to change your dressings."

"Oh, right." Grian pulled his shirt over his head and examined the soaked bandage on his forearm. He hadn't even had a chance to see the injuries properly. He gritted his teeth as Joel slowly peeled the fabric away, revealing a jagged wound lined by neat black stitches.

"You're lucky Etho didn't rip your arm off," Joel commented, wiping antiseptic on the wound.

"He made a valiant effort," Grian hissed in pain, "So did Scar, for that matter."

Joel laughed, as though this were merely a fond anecdote, "I once got drunk with Scar and them and 'e bit me for a laugh," he tied off the bandage and began unwrapping the patch on Grian's shoulder.

"Yikes, yeah, look at that. Burns, huh? It'll hurt more on this one though," Grian looked down at the slightly neater bite wound on his trapezius, coloured like a bruise and leaking a foul purple discharge.

He grimaced in distaste, then yelped as Joel applied his various ointments again.

"Anyway," he continued conversationally, evidently unaware of Grian holding back tears, "Obviously I carry roughly 10 million different antidotes on me at all times so it was easily sorted and he bought me a 'sorry-for-nearly-paralysing-you-for-fun' drink. Great company, he is. You'll come to like him if you stop trying to kill him."

Grian fell into stunned silence. Joel was talking as though Grian was planning to ingratiate himself into the monstrous underbelly of the city the next day. Not to mention ... Like him? Scar? The bastard who'd lured Grian like a lamb to slaughter, baited, humiliated, and finally tried to kill him? Sure, Scar was handsome. So was Lucifer. Joel really must be a bit mad. He bit his tongue regardless as Joel wound bandages around his shoulder.

"So where'd you go?" he asked when Joel had finished tending the bite on his wing and began to work at another odd meal.

"Work, mate. We can't all laze around in bed all day," he teased, "Then I had a well-earned drink with the boys."

"At the Eighth Circle, you mean," Grian replied flatly.

"I have human friends too," Joel said reproachfully, "... But yeah. And no, don't get your feathers in a twist, I haven't sold you out. They reckon you bled out in a gutter. Toasted to it, actually ..." Joel's cheerful air dissipated rather suddenly, replaced by an expression of disgust as he went to search in one of his bags, finishing, "Don't blame them."

Caught off guard by Joel's odd turn, Grian simply asked "What?"

He withdrew a crinkled newspaper and tossed it at Grian, "That'll please you," He said bitterly, turning back to his task.

Grian unfolded the paper, wondering what he'd find. This copy of the New Hermiton Evening Gazette proclaimed proudly:

A BEAST IN SEVILLE SQUARE!

In the late hours of last night, residents of the quiet café district Seville Square were awoken by a commotion when a monster was sighted in the silent street. Mrs. Thatcher (72), the owner of the Flagstone Teahouse, reports she was letting her cat out when she sighted a beast skulking in the square. "It was huge, the size of a carthorse, with the face of a human," She tells reporter Clarence Ripley, "but with horns like a devil. Four legs, a tail and all! Most frightening thing I ever saw. And an evil face. I slammed my door and shouted an alarm. Don't know what happened then."

The Hermiton Police Department were called to the scene, but other residents took up the call in the meantime, cornering the beast with makeshift weapons. We spoke with one Mr. Crawley, one of those who took up the protection of the town. "Woke up as soon as old Mrs. Thatcher cried out, I did," He says, "Saw the monster out the window, grabbed a lantern and me fire poker and ran out sharpish. Few others there with me and we went for it. Thing tried to gore us plenty of times but we tore it up pretty good,"

For all their valiant efforts however, the group did not manage to kill the beast. "Naw, we got it on the ground for a bit and did our best. Then the thing reared up just as me neighbor Jon tried to slash it's neck. Fire in it's eyes, I tell ya, taller n' 3 men. Plunged down on us and drove a horn through a guy's neck - tossed 'im 20 feet. Them hooves hit hard, they do," (He grimly displays a gash on his shoulder.) "E' died. The man, I mean - didn't know 'im, but he bled out right there as we tried to save him. The thing charged off and some of us tried to chase it, but it vanished into the dark in a trail of blood." Hermiton Police arrived on the scene soon after, but rain had washed away the trail ...

Grian tossed the paper aside, feeling ill, and noticed then that Joel had been watching him, looking grim.

"Impulse," He offered flatly, though Grian already knew.

"Let me guess, he was sent to hunt me down?"

Joel flared, "He didn't know anything, idiot. He saw you appear covered in blood and run, and he followed out of worry for you. Guessing he didn't find you," He turned away again, "That bloodthirsty mob did though, and they did their very best to tear him apart."

Guilt was beginning to reach insistent hands around Grian's throat. "I - I'm sure he's killed his fair share of innocent people," he said bluntly, looking away.

Then a sharp blow to the head sent him reeling sideways on the bed. Joel stood over him, fists clenched, "He's a bloody bovaur. A bull-human. Do you know any cows that eat people?" he'd yet to see Joel so furious and cowered, "His job is to chuck out drunks and protect the others. He's probably killed far less innocents than you."

He glared down at Grian in disgust before striding away, rubbing his fist.

"He's ... alive then?" Grian murmured quietly.

"Somehow. Etho tracked him down in an alley bleeding out. They had to wait 'til everything quieted down a bit to get him home. It's a death sentence to be outside for most of them, but they stayed with him. He's a mess."

Silence descended like a funeral shroud as Grian dwelled and Joel continued his preparations.

"I'm sorry," He murmured finally, a nauseous sense of responsibility welling in him, "I really am."

"Yeah, me too."

Joel didn't seem inclined to say more, and their meal was spent in tense silence. He eventually poured them both a healthy measure of a cloudy lilac chorus fruit liquor of his own making before retreating to sit in front of the fire, scribbling distractedly on a ledger.

The next few days passed in relative calm as Grian and Joel fell into a comfortable rhythm. They spoke no more of Impulse, Scar, or the Eighth Circle. Joel was rarely in the house in the day, working in the shop downstairs, trading at the Eighth Circle, or off on his exploits - often returning at odd hours with hoards of peculiar items and new injuries. Clattering piles of ravager tusks, bolts of strider skins, guardian spines, and once, a large dripping bag that ended up being packed with slimy white ghast tentacles (accompanied by a severely burnt Joel, whom Grian had to play medic for under strict instruction).

Grian's wounds were healing relatively well, promising new scars for his array. He fell asleep most nights wrestling with his convictions about the monsters of New Hermiton, though he didn't tell Joel this. That evening, Grian was watching as Joel chopped and stewed one of the ghast tentacles, hoping against hope that this wasn't meant to be supper. The table dripped with the ghast's watery pink blood as Joel began to wipe his hands on a towel, looking satisfied.

"So, when are you gonna get out of my house, birdie?"

Grian continued staring absently at the fleshy lumps of ghast flesh, feeling rather ill. "Eh?"

"You gonna leave or what? Thought you had someone waiting for you," Joel continued casually.

Grian finally tore his gaze away, "What, you're letting me leave?"

"You're not a prisoner mate, I told you I ordered bed rest," Joel sounded rather offended, all things considered.

Grian blinked. "What's the catch?"

"Christ, Tango did a number on you. There's no catch. You seem fine, so off ya pop," Joel paused before saying generously, "If you like, anyway. Otherwise, I could always use a taste tester for my famous ghast sausages."

To Grian, this seemed a worse threat than anything he'd faced thus far. With nothing else to take (Joel, it transpired, had surreptitiously collected his cape and a few of his weapons from the Eighth Circle) Grian went through the usual ritual of snugly hiding his wings and tail, pulling on gloves before opening the door.

Joel followed with all the grace of a host escorting his guest to their departure.

"I - Thanks for everything," Grian said, only slightly grudgingly.

"My pleasure. Don't count on it again," Joel said pleasantly, before grasping Grian's forearm tightly, looking at him sternly.

"Listen and take my advice if you've learnt anything from what happened. Back off. If you want, I think you can even make amends with the Eighth Circle patrons, but if you ever threaten any one of them or me again, I'll watch as Tango and Scar tear you open and eat you alive, literally. They'll make it slow, and I won't intervene," He grinned savagely, "Harpy talons are valuable."

Grian pulled away as a chill twitched his skin and set his feathers prickling uncomfortably. He nodded stiffly, eyes lingering on Joel's before he spun around and strode up the street.

"Oh, Grian?" Joel called.

He turned briefly.

"Ghast tentacles make great jerky, too!"

[hina-hina]

I feel like this is such a weird request but would you do König x Soap x Ghost X Reader hcs? enemies to lovers 😭 I've had this idea for so long but ic write for the life of me

I love this request sm. I mean, why pick just one of these boys. All is good=￣ω￣=

I hope I did this right... ＞︿＜Thank you for requesting!!

|| König X Soap X Ghost X Reader Enemies to Lovers ||

Warnings: Polycule, some angst, non-graphic injury,

Gender-Neutral!Reader // Romantic

(Had to use two gifs because I couldn't find one of all the boys together)

So the requester specifically asked via dms that the boys be in a relationship before meeting reader, so that's the vibe we're goin with

(also lets pretend König is in the 141)

So, imagine the boys had already been together for a while, each of them balancing each other out perfectly

And then, you join the 141 as a new recruit from selection

Now, Ghost is immediately suspicious because he just isn't the biggest fan of newbies

He only got more annoyed when he saw how headstrong and reckless you were

He already had his work cut out for him with Soap, he didn't need another person under his command he had to fear not following direct orders

To add to this, your showboating only encouraged Soap to be more reckless in an attempt to one-up you

Which only made him more mad

And then there was König, who was infuriated by your behavior in the field because you always talked over him and rushed ahead

He was also slightly jealous of your sniper status

So, this would lead to plenty of arguments between you and the three of them

But it would also spark arguments between them and cause some relationship troubles

So Price, In a last ditch effort to remedy the infighting, he sends the four of you on a mission together

This became a very bad idea very quickly

You and Soap began your usual teasing which turns into you trying to show him that your better which spurs him on

This ends in Soap getting badly hurt

Your demeanor immediately changes, catching Soap with little difficulty as he crumbles inward

And we've already established that Ghost is a very protective person

And this just sets him off

He starts tearing into you while you guys seek temporary shelter in an empty building

König is angry too, but he is just anxiously attending to Soap in the corner to really join in on the reprimanding

Ghost doesn't really mean to be so mean, but he was just scared

He pushes down the thought that he wasn't just scared for Soap, he was also scared for you

He could see that you felt bad, that you had regretted what you done but he just kept yelling which only caused you to get more annoyed

This accumulated with you shouting at him, without thinking very much about what was coming out of your mouth:

"You want to kiss me so bad it makes you look fucking stupid!"

You freeze, he freezes, even König looks up from where he had been packing gauze into Soap's wound

Even Soap huffs out a delirious laugh, "Quite a bold move, [lad/lass]"

Ghost is secretly glad his mask covers up his blush

Not another word was said all the way back to base

When they get to base, you disappear without a word and Ghost chooses to ignore the insubordination of not waiting to be dismissed

Ghost and König get Soap to medical and his injury is treated

Soap ends up being the one to start the conversation about what happened

When Soap is up and moving, the three of them go on a mission to track you down

So that the four of you can talk of course

They eventually find you and after some groveling they get you to talk

You admit that all the showing off was really just to impress them

Totally not because you find them all super attractive

This leads to you apologizing to each of them for trying to show off and getting Soap injured, for teasing König, and for not listening to Ghost

Ghost would sigh harshly, looking away as he reluctantly apologizes for how mean he was

Soap would jokingly say, "You've still yet to apologize for the kissing comment."

And you would freeze thinking you've offended them by trying to inch in on their relationship

That is, until he continues with, "I mean, i was the one who got hurt. Aren't you supposed to kiss it better."

Que lots of blushing

Ghost would cheekly say, "Well, they gotta kiss all of us to make it fair. You want a kiss too, König?"

König would jump at being suddenly acknowledged but would nod all the same

The night would evidently end with Price being right, the four of you did make up

Or should I say, kiss and make up?

He just didn't take into consideration that his plan would really work

Now that the four of you are together, you no longer feel the need to show off and your true potential really shows

They're all really proud of you :)

(Would you guys want a part two with more relationship headcanons...?)

[taonsil]

'tao then tried to take care of jm too in return' can you give details about this one?

ye! I’m just gonna ramble ok 😷so, in 2013 when K&M were first promoting and living together full time tao was entirely a baby with jm. tao loved pranking jm and acting up with the cute whininess, he seemed very amused by how jm would play with him and manhandle him a bit to get him in line and what a brat he could be with him. fan reports especially from around mid-‘13 said tao was basically a naughty puppy and he loved physically pulling jm around lol their relationship was very much the baby and mama roles with taozi enjoying being the baby (lbr he Always enjoyed that tho.. [pulls up slide That time they got drunk at the after party and tao captioned their selfie mama and son]). things got Deep by the end of the year when tao made that post holding jm’s hand and thanking him for his care. then just, a lot happened and cemented their roles as way more than playful. they undeniably got much closer after kr*s left and over the course of their first tour - a lot on jm’s part, he was keen to interact with tao and let tao play around and be silly with him even to the extent of messing around during parts they shouldn’t have. tao suffered numerous injuries and needed a lot of mama care and attention, and he’d often crash in jm’s hotel rooms with hunnie and stay up all night confiding in jm. so, after all this, tao stopped willingly only being taken care of. seho actually already had a vacation planned when tao insisted on taking them to sanya because he wanted to treat them - he paid for and planned the trip himself. he started sticking closer to jm in activities and trying to be a joy for him (which ofc tao always is :P). he didn’t always do it well but he really tried to take care of himself and worry jm less. then he tried to step up as [me voice] shadow leader and imo this was super significant bc..well he’s the maknae, he’s not the face or voice people expected to be prominent alongside jm. over winter '14 tao was sick constantly, his body was just giving out on doing the flip in overdose and he often didn’t land it and was piling up injuries, he had fevers..he was really getting into a mess and jm was constantly dusting him off, asking people to appreciate him and wish well for him. and alongside this time it was award season, and tao took it upon himself to stick to jm like glue. he talked in place of jm (which..I don’t think any of the others would have done bc it just. wasn’t appropriate OTL but that’s taozi), he changed their line up order to stand by him during acceptance talks, he joint held the awards with him. their overdose choreo moment was getting rly out of hand ajshs and he was doing odd little affectionate things for jm rather than just receiving them (wrapping jm up in his scarf..it killed a man (me)). basically by the start of '15 it seemed like jm was sharing their important moments with tao because tao wanted to be there with him, and that was not tao’s role at all. tao wasn’t popular or important but he was alongside leader like he belonged there. I was geared up for cmb to legit be the sutao comeback lmao. this might not sound much but..he didn’t grow out of being a bab and wanting all of the attention and play, but he did grow into trying in his own way to be there for jm alongside the constant care jm gave him (´；Д；`)

(also this post if you’d like more sutao history (*・♡・)ノ⌒* http://taonsil.tumblr.com/post/162064588623/

[azurevi]

2:00am

is this even angsty? either way, you've been warned. (Leona x gender neutral reader) (featuring shitty title♡)

"I'm so sad that I'm going to stay up all night," they said. "Let's just not go to sleep, for the sake of memories," they said.

Ace and Deuce were already tucked comfortably in their beds, competing for the title of the loudest snorer. But no matter how big a noise they made, they couldn't beat the infallible champion that is Grim.

Hung on the wall was the mirror that you've been looking at for as long as you could remember. You'd always known － you could feel it in your bones － that it was connected to something else. And that it could serve as a portal to your own world was not a big surprise either.

You just didn't expect it to be done so soon.

A line of incomprehensible words, perhaps a spell, were scribbled on the worn out frame and were emittng a faint, humming light. Crowley had casted it a week ago, turning it into your ticket back home.

The news spread like wildfire in the campus. The prefect of the two-person dorm, unexpected non-magical user who was nonetheless accepted into the school, was going to leave. Some students, even though they never really knew you, were disappointed at this. After all, you've done so many remarkable things for the school.

Friends you made along the way made their visits one by one, with heartfelt farewells and delicate gifts. Jamil cooked you the grandest meal you'd ever eaten in your life. Floyd gifted you a handstitched shrimp plushie, even though it looked a bit messy at the trims. Riddle held a well-organized farewell party for you, ordering every students in Heartslabyul to make it as memorable as possible.

Almost everyone had sent their blessings. No - everyone except one.

And surprise, surprise. It was Leona, perhaps the person closest to you here in this foreign world.

It was probably safe to say that he despised you at first glance. It took him quite a while to look at you without prejudice, and even longer to accept you as his friend. Even after you'd helped him out of overblot, he was quite hesitant to let you in.

That being said, even Leona could be moved with enough persistence. It was only a matter of time until he started appearing by your side during breaks and lunch, hanging out with you instead of napping around the campus, taking your advice even though he feigned annoyance.

Before you knew it, you'd already got used his presence and his warmth, the safety he promised and the unsaid care.

But time was a mischievous kid, because it never waited. It just kept running and running, even sprinting faster if you called out to it.

Perhaps you'd realized it way too late. It felt as if the very moment you'd figured out your feelings for Leona, you were to leave this world. And of course, you could just stay. Forget about your previous life and live here forever. Alas, no matter how hard you tried, you could never fit in. You never belonged.

Which was... fine. You could just bury your feelings for him and hope for it to fade. It wasn't like you expected him to return your feelings anyways, despite all the subtle signs that you took note of.

The thing was that, Leona, the person you surprisingly found yourself the coziest with, vanished as soon as news about your departure leaked. He was nowhere to be found. He was neither in the garden nor his room. You'd tried going to him at night, sure that he would be in deep sleep, but his bed was vacant with nary a wrinkle on the sheet.

It was like he was avoiding you on purpose.

And it hurt, even though he was known to be amateurish when it came to dealing with feelings. It hurt because you were leaving, and he didn't even bother to say goodbye. Even Tsunotarou came with a dispirited countenance, so why hadn't he?

Thoughts kept you awake despite protests. You decided to take a walk around Ramshackle, perhaps to survey the place one last time before your leave tomorrow.

The moment you yanked open the door, you came face to face with Leona, who had his fist held up in the middle of knocking.

"…Good morning," he said.

"Oh! What are you doing here this late?" you asked.

"To say goodbye, of course. You're leaving tomorrow, right?"

It was hard to make out his face, but you could tell that his eyes were everywhere but on you.

"Yeah, tomorrow. How nice of you to make a visit the night before at 2am," you couldn't help the bitterness in your voice.

"Look, prefect-" he inhaled. "Let's just pretend nothing happened, okay? I don't want us ending on a bad note,"

In all your times spent with him, he had never sounded so discouraged before. You dropped your hostility immediately and invited him into the lounge.

"Tea?" you offered, but he declined in fear that it'd keep him awake. So you sat by him on the couch, without anything to distract you.

"How are you feeling? About leaving, I mean,"

"Well, I ought to be a little sad," you laughed dryly. "But everyone's been trying to make it joyous,"

"I see," Leona ended the conversation so abruptly that you feared that he was going to leave.

"I'm sorry for being out of reach for the past week,"

Leona apologizing. Never had you thought you'd live to see this day.

"Where have you been anyways?"

"…Out?"

"That's the vaguest answer I've ever got," you smiled slightly, but he still seemed to be bothered. "What's the matter?"

His ears twitched in annoyance. It was such a rare sight. "Don't you think you're leaving too hastily?"

"Are you prompting me to stay?"

"No-no," he replied, and with that extinguished your hope. You couldn't understand why he was trying so hard not to say what everyone's been saying. It's not like he was the most understanding person either.

"I just thought you can... maybe linger for a few more days? If that's not too selfish of me,"

"What is all this, Leona? It's unlike you to be this considerate," you teased him gently, and he finally mustered a small smile.

"That's what you've always told me though," he said, puzzling you. "It's annoying... but I kept it in mind. Be more understanding, quit being self-centered, treat people with thought…" he trailed off when he saw your face. "What?"

You closed your mouth with a short chuckle, "Nothing. It's just unexpected. Are you trying to be sentimental on my last day?"

"Did I do a good job?"

You nodded.

"Well, consider this a parting gift, then. The priceless experience of me being sappy,"

The night hadn't gone how you'd quite expected. What had you assumed anyways? For him to make you stay out of selfishness? Would you have stayed, then?

You hated to admit it, but yes. He only needed to ask, but he wouldn't, because you'd told him not to.

"Well then, thank you for opening up to me,"

He growled quietly. You looked down in what felt like disappointment. Tranquility installed between the two of you, but you could feel it even in the air, that the both of you had something to say, but wouldn't. The words lodged in your throats like fish bones, difficult to swallow, even more so to spit out.

"Well then, I hope you don't feel too sad about leaving," he shot up and started striding for the door. You raced, heart pounding in your chest as you grabbed his arm, words blurting out of you without knowing.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"What did you expect?" he asked back, voice suddenly devoid of any emotion.

"I don't know," you confessed. "Something more?"

It seemed so self-centered for you to ask, but you were blatantly desperate. Leona paused for a while, before turning to you looking more defeated than ever.

"Look, prefect, I already spent the past week brooding, and you can't imagine how hard it is for me to act all generous now. But I can't hold you back, can I? You have your own world to return to, and -" he rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I don't want you to leave, but I have to let you go. Please don't make it harder than it already is,"

Words died on your tongue as you realized how shortsighted you've been, thinking that it would be easy for him. You let your hand slip away quietly.

"Just promise to visit me, okay?" he pleaded.

"I don't know if I can-"

"Just promise,"

"Okay," you forced a laugh, croak and painful. "I promise,"

Leona pulled you into his chest, too tall to even rest his chin atop your head, but it was something he'd got used to already. You stayed in his arms, as if by clenching to him tight enough time would stop its malicious game and let you stay in this moment forever.

In the end, it was him who broke the moment and stepped away. The instant his warmth left, a raw coldness washed over you.

"Well then," he stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to leave. "Rest well, prefect,"

"You too," you answered weakly and watched as his figure reached for the door, and vanished from your sight like he was but a whisk of fog.

乁( ˙ω˙ )厂