Diavolo raised an eyebrow, looking down curiously at Doppio, his eyes searching. Trying to see Doppio’s memories. His innermost self…

It had been tough, even at the beginning, to one hundred percent perceive Doppio. Considering the nature of their relationship, you’d think it wouldn’t be, but ever since Diavolo had expelled the lesser part of him out, their connection had always been… strange. Like trying to walk through a complicated maze. Or, maybe more accurately, wearing a sweater with too many latches and was slightly the wrong size and maybe how is there another sleeve?? Inside the sweater???

Possessing Doppio was easy. Effortless.

Understanding Doppio was more… challenging.

Diavolo supposed that was just another bit of proof of the great complexities of his own intelligence. That even the dandruff he had psychically brushed off was so… ‘other’. To him.

But, one of things he could guess– and see it a little, just… What was happening? A child growing up…? How was that a murder?-- was that if Doppio thought he had killed someone, it was him being ‘extra’ about something. He always got so emotionally charged and freaked out about ‘murders’ he had committed. What, just because you wake up next to a dead body covered in wounds and blood marks, that means you’re a killer? Honestly, like Doppio could possibly be that powerful and self-assured. Diavolo could never trust Doppio with such a task, he’d bumble it just by the nature of his weaker personality.

“Stop rambling nonsense, you’re polluting the air with your noise. That was the one decent thing about your disappearance. At least things had been adequately quiet.” Diavolo sighed, turning on the sink, before grabbing a hand towel. “Beneath the water. Now.”

(...he knew Boss liked quiet, but…)

(...even in soft moments, Doppio knew he had enjoyed their professional companionship.)

(...he really hadn’t missed him at all, had he…)

“S-s-s…” Doppio had started to stutter out an apology, before figuring that Boss would prefer silence. And… Another frightened shudder went through Doppio’s body, actually causing him to buckle against the sink. Boss…telling him to get under the water…

…it was disgusting, how there was a bright instinct, for a moment, to say no. Who was he to say no to Boss?

Trying to leverage himself to actually get under the faucet, Doppio choked out a few frightened breaths, his vision swimming.

O.O

OoO okay this is bullshit this suuuuuuucks

Amaina was sitting with Doppio in a field. There was a light breeze that was moving his hair (it wasn’t the water of course pushing his hair down as the sink turned on) while flowers around them pollinated, little bees buzzing about (not the sound of the faucet rushing into his ear) as a calming lavender scent (soap roughly washed against his face) wafted up in the buzz of their activity.

Amaina pouted at Doppio. Why are we back here? This place is ugly. Upgrade’s pecs are better ya couldn’t pay a girl to nuzzle into that freaky weirdo’s chest

…this, at least, Doppio was sure wasn’t real. But instead of trying to figure out just what actually was reality…maybe…he could stay in a dream for a little bit. Just until…

Doppio gave Amaina a shamed look as he weaved his fingers through soft grass. “Sorry… I tried to make it nice… I…I know I couldn’t do much decorating, but…I thought it was nice. Clean, at least.”

Worrying his lip between his teeth, his shoulders shuddered. “...I can’t stay here. If Kaito comes after me… I can’t expose Boss…”

Gold eyes started to water. “...h-he’s here…”

O.O

OoO maybe i should have let my wish happen

OoO I  w a n t  t o  d e v o u r  h i–

“Alright, that’s your face washed, at least.” Diavolo sighed, the illusion broken as he pulled Doppio back out of the water, looking him over. “Your clothes are unsalvageable, though. Do you just enjoy being filthy, Doppio? I let you out of my sight for a mere moment and you lose all sense of personal decency?”

Doppio let out a shaky gasp as the warm sunny day was shunted back into darkness, cold water dripping down his face. He blinked owlishly at Boss, before stammering, “S-sorry… I-I uh…”

“...a-are you okhh - okay?”

…that’s all Doppio had wanted to know, really. 

“No,” Diavolo said honestly, looking around. Was it worth giving Doppio one of his shirts to get him out of the gross one? Hmmm… maybe not… “How did you think I would be? My assistant ran off and shirked his duties to chase tail. Do you know how many assignments and plans have had to take a backseat to such menial, mindless tasks as, ugh, cooking? I had to wash my own clothes, once, Doppio.”

Diavolo turned to him, fury in his features, as he stressed, “I washed. My own. Laundry. How was that acceptable to you?”

“Oh, and I had to sacrifice one of my men to be me to go to jail over your whining to the guards, or however that happened.” Diavolo sighed, looking around. “The guards actually dared to come into my space. I was hiding in the attic, thankfully, wrapped in a rug, tucked into a chest. The big one, purple, you know the one. But that is the only reason I could find the time and willpower to clean the house. Their boots dared smudge the floor… All the cleaning supplies I pushed into the bathroom. I’m not sure how to clean them. It smells.”

Doppio cringed into himself, shame apparent in every feature. He wanted to explain that…that he hadn’t just left on a whim. That he hadn’t alerted the guards, that Kaito had gone around his back…

…but it was his fault, when it came down to it. He had abandoned Boss, and had let other people keep him away… This was his job. His purpose! …his…

Something fell over Doppio, his watery gaze falling…before he looked back up. Meeting Boss’s face, shadowed as it was, plainly. Not angry or demanding…but firm and fatigued. 

“...Boss? Did…you make me? Did you know I’m not human?”

Diavolo was a little annoyed Doppio hadn’t gone immediately to the bathroom to clean up. What, did he have to directly order him now? It was obvious that it needed to be done.

Crossing his arms, he looked at Doppio like he couldn’t quite understand what the man was asking. “Yes? You have never been human. You are Mio Vito.”

His brow furrowed, before asking, “Did you forget?”

For as much as the gear and its implication had frightened him, Doppio knew he wasn’t human. Maybe he hadn’t come to accept it with pride and open arms, but he wasn’t delusional, and he understood that. But hearing it said outright from Boss, like he was saying the sky was blue or that leaves changed color in the fall…

Doppio looked at him with wide eyes, just…uncomprehending. Mio…vito… He’d never been…

“...I thought I was…” Doppio said in an impossibly fragile voice.

Diavolo just looked confused again… before he hummed. Thinking about it.

“Perhaps I let you believe you were, a few times. Maybe it was more convenient in some moment or another. I can’t remember why. It doesn’t really matter,” Diavolo mused, adjusting his hair over his shoulder, “Well, now that you remember otherwise, it’s more convenient for you to know. I’ve worked out long before now, how we’re ultimately going to undo the mess you’ve made. Now that my proxy has been arrested, that clears me up. But for you…”

Diavolo nodded to himself, looking to Doppio. “We’re going to have to kill you. I just haven’t found a good moment for it yet. If you think you can do it in a suitable way before I can manage it, you’d do well to take the initiative. It just has to be obvious what happened. Something they’d have no reason to investigate.”

“Then, once you respawn to me, we can move on. Return to business as usual,” Diavolo said. “Understand?”

…more…convenient to let him believe… It didn’t matter? It didn’t matter whether Doppio knew he was human or not, whether he had an identity or not…no, of course not. Nothing had ever mattered, not beyond him just plodding along a path only inches from his feet, made from orders given by others. 

(Your life is worth more than for others’ convenience.)

Boss…maybe hadn’t lied to him…but… (A lie of omission is still a lie). For…not years. Doppio hadn’t been alive for years. But for as long as he remembered. 

While he, marginally, had gotten more of a grip over himself, Doppio’s brain was still very much in brrrrr territory…but everything went quiet as--

“WHAT?!” Doppio squealed, stumbling back a few steps. “I-I don’t want to die!!”

…respawn????

Diavolo was unimpressed with Doppio’s scramble. “Not now. That would literally have the opposite effect. You need to have some sort of accident. Or, be murdered by someone unconnected to me. I considered the Luminary Prince a few times, but I just suspect that will come back to haunt me, considering his husband. I don’t need the Dicean Prince desperate to prove his husband’s innocence, he’d reach for the impossible scenarios just on principle alone.”

“I think, perhaps, a suicide might be the most easily explainable?” Diavolo mused, “But you’d need to make it obvious. Do it in front of someone, maybe. Someone reliable. That would be the quickest investigation. Then we’ll dye your hair, cut it, perhaps see if we can’t change your face. Easy. All of this a mere blip in my overall plans. Truly, genius… Sometimes I am taken aback, Doppio, by my own abilities to plan ahead.” Diavolo mused, eyes lost, looking a little taken up in himself. Like someone talking about their crush. “I astound.”

“...K-Kaito wouldn’t kill me…” Doppio softly murmured still… Okay, like??? He thought it was pretty reasonable to be freaked out by someone musing over a plan for you to die?!?! That seemed reasonable to him!! 

Doppio went still as Boss went on to the next…idea, just… B-boss knew everything but… How did he…

Doppio gave him a horrified look. “...I-I’m not going to kill myself! E-esp-especially in fffront of - of someone else! I-I’m s-s-sorry, I’m sorry, that’s… I-I don’t want t-t-to die! Wh-what are you t-t-talking about?!”

It was like Diavolo suddenly noticed Doppio’s terror. Because, well, he had only just noticed. Doppio had a habit of being weedly and whiny about things, Diavolo had long learned to tune that out, but this didn’t sound like just complaining. This sounded like…

Diavolo’s aura suddenly turned tense. Dark. As if the darkness of the house was suddenly clinging to him, a solid object, as his green eyes pierced through the darkness at Doppio, looming over him.

“....are you trying to tell me no?” Diavolo rumbled. His voice going down a few octaves. Stepping closer to Doppio. “Is that something you think you can do?”

…he’d fucked up. 

Like, what else was new, Doppio had been fucking everything up since he hadn’t just run from Kaito that night at the pub, but…

Oh fuck, he’d fucked up. 

If it wasn’t enough that it seemed like darkness coalesced around Boss, Doppio’s frantic gaze narrowed in on him as well, Boss becoming a massive, monolithic, all-consuming figure in front of him. And even cowering under that, Doppio still felt too…seen. Obvious, in his wrongness. 

The words were right there, apologies for his utter audacity, feebling pleads to make things right…

…but…

Grimacing, sweating profusely, in a weedy voice, Doppio whispered, “...n-no.”

“...I-I’m more…than what other people need,” he continued. “...I’m not gonna die…”

Diavolo scowled. Reaching out towards Doppio’s neck, as he growled, “That is not what I made you for–”

Then he paused. Frowning. His eyes darting towards the door. Listening… before whispering, “Did you lock the door when you returned?”

Eyes widening in fear, Doppio took a small step back, before he bumped up against the wall…though he gave a small shake of his head. “...thought y-you were arrested…”

Diavolo frowned, and just barely scurried behind the counter when there was a sudden loud, frustrated knock at the door. 

“Doppio, you better fucking be here, I swear to god,” Kaito said behind the door, sounding half like he was calling out and half just cursing to himself, as he knocked furiously again, before immediately trying the door. The sound of the front door opening with a creak, light flooding into the opening hall as he muttered, “Shit, there’s no lights on. Maybe he didn’t come here… fuck…”

Diavolo, looking around uncertainly, patted his hands up to the top of the counter, grabbing a large kitchen knife, before holding it to himself, sweating as he pushed his body back against the counter. Killing the prince would be troublesome, but not as troublesome as him knowing what Diavolo looked like. Diavolo would do what needed to be done, as he listened to the larger man hesitantly take a few steps inside.

“Doppio?” Kaito called out, “Doppio, if you’re in here, you need to come out now. I’m not gonna lose it, but also, like, I may fucking lose it, I don’t even want to think where I have to check next if you’re not here… fuck.”

Doppio’s heart leapt into his throat at the banging on the door, somehow simultaneously sinking as he heard the voice accompanying it. Time was up. …fuck, that was fast… Even if the house had been empty, Doppio wouldn’t have been able to get a nap in at all. Kaito had likely already been on his way while Doppio was still walking…

…he really couldn’t escape this guy…

But that panic didn’t compare to seeing Boss grab a knife, something about the motion…ringing odd, in the back of Doppio’s head. The picture not quite right, of his all-powerful, dignified boss…cowering behind a counter, clutching a kitchen knife. The picture more like…

Glancing down, Doppio held his hand out, pleading with Boss to just…stay down, stay quiet. 

…Doppio would fix this. 

Quickly, Doppio pulled his sweater over his head, thankfully his shirt left unstained…at least in red, though his pants still were…an issue… Holding his sweater bundled at his waist, hoping it’d cover his pants too, at least for the moment, Doppio…stumbled out towards the living room. 

“K-Kaito? What are y-you… Just…le…le…g-g-go away…” Doppio stuttered, not…actually played up, as the words refused to come out right. His body swaying a bit as he caught a glimpse of the prince.

Fuck. The relief in Kaito’s gut was like a physical force. In a very weird way, it was almost painful, like someone had suckerpunched him. Fuck. 

That relief was very quickly replaced with absolute frustration, as he saw the state Doppio was in. The guy looked like he was barely standing. Well, sure, after what had happened…

…okay, Kaito still didn’t entirely understand what had happened. Dr. Mariah… or, uh… well, the woman Kaito felt reasonably certain really had been Dr. Mariah and hopefully he wasn’t being an idiot believing her, had said an accident with Amaina had changed her appearance in front of Doppio, and Doppio had, in shock of what he was seeing, decided him bringing Amaina around had hurt Dr. Mariah. 

Uh, Kaito was… pretty sure an empath construct couldn’t do something like change the age of a frozen in time demon. But Dr. Mariah had explained it to him in a way that made Kaito think she was really banking on him believing whatever explanation he was given, and Kaito had long learned that sometimes it was better to play dumb when someone was trying to trick him. So, uh, sure. Amaina had forced Dr. Mariah’s body to age, just, out of nowhere. Totally an empath ability. Kaito sure as hell wasn’t paying enough attention to what was happening with his husband to know better. Dumb prince would be dumb, until he figured out why she hadn’t wanted to be honest with him.

He trusted Dr. Mariah. She had a reason.

And he suspected Doppio’s freaked out appearance had something to do with it, as Kaito sighed, forcing his shoulders down, trying to appear non-threatening, as he stepped further inside. “Geez, Doppio, fucking… Atua give me strength. Why are you standing in the dark? I’m not going anywhere, you look like you’re a breath from passing out. You need to sit down.”

Doppio watched Kaito’s approach warily…but he wasn’t trying to go to the kitchen. Doppio just needed to keep him out of the kitchen. 

“...B-b-boss liked it d-dark…” Doppio said quietly. Despite having turned on a light at his real entrance…hopefully Kaito would buy into Doppio’s…he didn’t know. Nostalgia? Habits? He was already so…useless and dumb. It didn’t seem like a stretch for Kaito to believe he’d left it dark. 

His hands spasming a bit in his sweater, not having the strength or coordination to fist the fabric, Doppio still managed a frustrated huff. “I-I was g-going to… I came here t-t-to rest, not… Wh-why are you he…here?”

“Why am I here, he asks,” Kaito muttered, flicking on the light before looking around, trying to find a spot Doppio could rest… the living room couch would do. “Come on, come sit down, we don’t need to talk about this while you’re struggling to stand. Sit down, catch your breath. I’m gonna get you some water, okay?”

“NO!” Doppio shouted, taking a step forward…before his legs collapsed under him, landing heavily on the floor. The breath knocked out of him, as he had to close his eyes, the room spinning.

“Hey, hey!” Kaito said, turning back and kneeling down next to him, looking over him, the smallest flicker of anxiety crossing his face, before he pushed it down. “Alright, fine, you need to rest. I agree. Come on.”

Picking Doppio up, he looked around. “Where was your room?”

Shaking in Kaito’s arms, Doppio hated how…warm it was. 

“...down the h-hall to - to the right… F-first door on the left… T-there’s a table in the hall, c-careful…” 

Groaning, putting a hand over his mouth, Doppio huffed a shaky breath. “...w-was gonna get my stuff…”

“Shit, Doppio, come on man…” Kaito sighed, heading to his (old) room, following his directions, “What, did you think you had to sneak off to do that? The house is empty now, I would have helped you get here, move your stuff out… I haven’t forgotten the coin you said was here. Did I give you the impression that wasn’t something I wanted you to come back for? You just had a tough therapy session, can barely walk, and you walked out here for an hour… why? Why take the hardest possible path…”

Kaito barely looked around the room, just zeroing in on the bed, picture-perfectly well made. Kaito decided to lay Doppio down on top of the comforter for now, not sure if ‘resting’ would mean Doppio was actually sleeping here or not. Kaito was half tempted to pick him up again and go out to the horse and ride back… But Doppio was going through something right now. Kaito didn’t actually want to drag him here or there while Doppio was so out of it. It felt the opposite of helpful.

Laying Doppio down, Kaito sighed, looking around the room.

“...y-you were gonna freak ‘n…co…couldn’t stay…” Doppio mumbled, feeling like he was doing a disservice to his reasoning, but…it seemed cloudy, now. Words not seeming like enough, for what he had decided, starting to walk home with…with…that yellow-orange guy. “...jus’....I-I wanted to be alone ‘n…not mess more things up…”

Back on his bed…Doppio’s lips trembled, his eyes starting to burn. Now having slept in a tangled pile with Arven and Chief, it…it didn’t seem quite as comfortable, but…

…even in the dark, the room wasn’t very impressive. It was small, just enough room for the bed and a small nightstand, maybe enough walking space to lay on the floor…for someone Doppio’s size, the half-open closet empty, save for a suitcase tucked into the corner. The window was shut, blinds and curtains drawn…nearly. And from the little of the sill visible, there was a smooth grey rock with white speckles right next to a dry, curled leaf, now brown, though it was up to imagination what color it had been when brought in. 

…and that was about it. 

Kaito took all that in… before saying, “I like your room.”

Okay, okay, it wasn’t entirely a lie. Kaito knew compliments based on lies didn’t work. But! There were little things. The comforter looked like something Doppio had picked out himself, it was plush and comfortable and a soft, nice color. The curtains too, looked like they might have been picked by Doppio when he first moved in. The small personal items gave the impression of someone who found little moments of wonder in small, personal things. 

It wasn’t…a great room. But it was Doppio’s, and Kaito could see the little signs of him in it. 

And Kaito didn’t want to point out the shitty things about where Doppio lived. Not like that. He didn’t want to embarrass the kid by focusing on its size. On its sparsity. He’d focus on the little things Doppio had done to it. Those things being… “It’s cozy,” he said, “I bet it was peaceful to sleep in.”

There was nowhere else to sit, so Kaito sat at the edge of the bed. Resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the opposite wall. He could reach out and touch it, if he wanted to… “Kid, you’ve got to stop doing this,” Kaito said, “I tore through the city, looking for you. I mean, I hoped you had just slipped the receptionist and were pouting somewhere, but… fuck, I kept thinking the worst. That someone had grabbed you. That you were hurt. That you were waiting for me and I just was wasting time each place I checked that you weren’t there… fuck, Doppio. You can’t just disappear. You scared the shit out of me.”

Doppio hummed softly, pressing his face into his comforter. …he knew it wasn’t much, but…he’d liked living here. Usott was a lovely city, and…it had been easy to call this house home. He had always tried to see the bright side of wherever they had ended up, but…it was a nice house. Doppio had always been happy to return to it, even if it was a long walk back. 

…it did make him sad, when Amaina called it…bad things. 

Doppio looked out into the darkness, where he knew the opposite wall was as he felt the bed dip by his legs. “...w-wasn’t wai - waiting for you. Didn’t want you t-to come. …wish we never met.”

Kaito felt a shock of hurt run through him, but he tried not to let it show on his face. He just popped his knuckles a little, twisting them a bit. “...I know. I’m sorry.”

“...” Kaito closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. “...was it a tough therapy session? I know those can get challenging…”

Doppio winced, his breath hitching as he pulled his shaking arms over his head, the wet tendrils of his bangs sticking against his face. “...I k-killed her…oh fuck….fuck…I killed her…”

“...eh?” Kaito said, in that moment distinctly like Miyako when someone dared to interrupt her from whatever she was currently doing. Just, absolutely baffled, and a little offended, as he turned to peer at Doppio in the dark. “What? Who? …Dr. Mariah? No you didn’t kid, she’s fine, she’s the one who told me Blair had taken you to the castle.”

Doppio nodded against the comforter, before his body spasmed into itself. None of that contradicting what was going on in his head. “S’my fault… sorry…s-sorry…d-don’t wanna die s-s-s-sorry…”

“Die?” Kaito whispered… before he sighed. Standing up. “Ya know, I’m tired of sitting in the dark. Where’s the light here?”

To Kaito’s bewilderment, there was no main light in the room. But there was a light in the closet. So, figuring that out, Kaito turned on the light in the closet– he guessed?? The room was small enough for the closet light to be adequate??-- before going to sit at the edge of the bed near Doppio’s head. Hesitating only briefly, before reaching out to rub Doppio’s back a little. “You’re not going to die. And you don’t have anything to apologize for. If you did something wrong? I take responsibility, okay? It’s not your fault, me and a lot of other people are supposed to be watching out for you, right now. Anything that gets through us is our fault, never yours. Even when I get pissed and yell at you about it. It’s still more my fault than yours.”

“And I’m not gonna let anything hurt you.” Kaito said, “You don’t have to be afraid.”

“Sh-shut up!” Doppio cried, his voice strangled as he trembled under Kaito’s hand. “I-I should a-ask Kuh - King Aiich-chi to ffffffile a restraining o-order against you f-for me! Y-you ruin everything a-and you butt in a-and I ruin everything a-a-and now, now, now I-I have to d-die to fix it! I-I never wanted any of this to happen!”

Kaito pulled his hand back like Doppio’s skin had burned him, staring at him like he couldn’t quite fathom what he had said… before starting to try to rub the back of his neck. Wincing as he only just remembered the burn there, letting his hand drop, trying to think of what he could possibly say…

“...you don’t ruin anything, Doppio,” Kaito decided to focus on. “And you dying wouldn’t fix anything. Why would you say something like that?”

“Everything,” Doppio hiccuped, shaking his head against his arms. “...k-killed them, I killed them sh-she’s she was m-my first friend a-a-and I hurt her, k-killed them h-have to die didn’t want…”

“Didn’t…”

„Ɑᴉpu,ʇ…„

Doppio gasped softly, only from lack of air, and wholly unable to express the full breadth of his agony, as it felt like he’d fallen into a pool of set, old-fashioned mouse traps…

„˙˙˙ᴉʇ ᴉs‘„ Ɑoddᴉo sɐᴉp soɟʇlʎ˙ „Iʇ,s…uoʇ ʍɥɐʇ I ʍonlp,ʌǝ ǝxdǝɔʇǝp ɟɹoɯ ᗺoss ɐʇ ɐll… ᗺnʇ ʍɥɐʇǝʌǝɹ ɥǝ,s ɔɥosǝu ʇo po‘ ʇo pǝɐl ʍᴉʇɥ ɐll ʇɥᴉs…I ʞuoʍ ɥǝ ɥɐs ɐ dlɐu ɟoɹ ᴉʇ˙ He…always…”

In the middle of his sentence, Doppio trailed off, all the color draining from his face as he worked his mouth around another silent word… Before his eyes fluttered shut and his body flopped backward against the plush chair in Dr. Mariah’s office. Still as death. 

“I’m sorry we haven’t gotten to this sooner. This does warrant a great deal of…” Dr. Mariah turned up her gaze, cheeks, as always, slightly lined with baby-fat that she had not managed to shed before her parents had dragged her to the circle, eyes still slightly too large for her waifish frame. “...”

She looked around. She couldn’t help it. Something was wrong with Doppio, but something was also wrong in… general…

… her hands were quite small, weren’t they.

Of course they were. They always had been. But then…

…why was she sad? 

Why was she…

She blinked, and the strange feeling of loss was pushed to the side, as she remembered, right. Doppio. Hurrying up, she headed over to him, frowning as she looked him over, before placing a finger to his throat, checking his pulse. She could taste him, he was still alive, but checking to see if this was some sort of heart attack, or… “Doppio? Can you hear me?”

…

…

…

Doppio worked to…barely open a sliver of one eye open, still unfocused, as he half gargled some indistinct word. Face still concerningly pale as he faded out again.

…

…

Another try, as he wheezed, “...pass out…”

“Yes, you did. Are you feeling unwell?” Dr. Mariah asked, that weird sense of loss slowly fading, as she stood up. “Let me go fetch Blair. I’ll return promptly.”

As Dr. Mariah headed out of the room, Amaina blinked, looking up at Doppio.

O.O

OoO You did it again

Amaina didn’t know what had happened. Not really. She just knew something had happened. She knew because she was riding in Doppio’s mind. And it felt like an actual ride. Like she could remember the sensation of him taking her somewhere, the twists and turns of movement… but when she had opened her eyes, they hadn’t gone anywhere. And briefly, Amaina had felt like two different versions of herself. 

The one she was. And the one Doppio knew.

Staring at herself from an outside perspective, being seen in a way that was impossible, because it hadn’t happened… until, slowly, the two perspectives merged. Shifting and slotting together, leaving Amaina with the certainty that she had seen for herself what had happened… without having the memory of it that she could call upon.

O.O…

OoO okay well if anything was really cool you should tell me about it okay i want the SECRET LORE also are you dying what the heck why are you passing out??

It felt like a struggle he couldn’t even begin to attempt, trying to stay conscious. Trying to keep his eyes open and be aware and…not feel like he was spinning, drifting in space, not feel like he was sinking… Or his insides were sinking… An impossible task, like trying to scale a vertical mountain covered in slick ice with bare hands…

Doppio faded out again before he heard Amaina, taking in a shaky breath, like he’d legitimately forgotten to breathe. “...s…sup-posed to die…?”

“...knife…”

…

Out again. 

Back. 

“...don…feel good,” he whispered to Amaina. “...snaps’r…like metal… Body hurts…”

The longest Doppio had ever ‘gone back’ to had been less than a handful of minutes, and even that split of reality in his head had left him panicked and disoriented. Taking back over an hour of mistakes… He couldn’t keep up. His mind trying to cope by just…turning off.

O.O

O.o ? No?

Sighing, hearing Blair and Dr. Mariah heading back, Amaina murmured, Suuuuuch a needy boi~ Sooooo needy. You’re supes lucky we are besties and I am awesome. Come here. Little bit of p o w e r~

She rested her head on his neck, sighing as she closed her eyes, doing what Amaina did best. Sending Doppio a small dose of raw power to use to help himself. A little strength. Strength for her pretty boi senpai.

And as she did that, the two adults came in, Blair looking Doppio over, the two murmuring to each other, trying to decide what to do. “Kaito will be here soon, maybe we should wait?” Blair offered.

“No, he may need a healer. Take him back to the castle, I’ll let Kaito know what’s happened, I’m sure he’ll be right on your heels. Can you carry him?”

“...uuuuh.”

“The answer needs to be yes. Go.”

No. No.

Amaina couldn’t give him power…because…

Doppio gave a small groan as he felt his brain…stay together. Stay present, and not constantly send himself out into space. Oh, he still felt awful, and staying conscious was definitely not going to be a prolonged thing, but…

He had enough. Just enough to…

Doppio opened his eyes, looking up at the adults…or…adult that looked like an adult, and adult that looked like…

“...don’t need a healer…” Doppio mumbled, blinking slowly. “I can just go back with Kaito, don’t worry about it…”

His gaze settled on Dr. Mariah, taking on a pained, remorseful expression. “...I’m sorry…”

Doppio seemed a little more coherent, by the time they returned. Dr. Mariah observed Amaina, who was clinging to him and glowing slightly. Interesting. And useful. That was another point in the construct’s corner for being trusted as a support for Doppio, if she could rejuvenate him. 

Especially if he… say… had a power burst or…

Dr. Mariah stared at the remorse on Doppio’s face. Frowned at it a bit. Wondered at it.

…whatever it was, it hadn’t actually happened. The problem of a version of Mariah that the good doctor would never know. She had not survived millennia by obsessing over the ‘could have beens’. 

“Do not be,” she said, “This was still a very fruitful first session. Let’s get you some water while we wait for Kaito. I’m sure he won’t be much longer.”

-

Kaito sighed, heading into the lobby. He had half expected to see Doppio sitting there already, eager to get out of therapy. Guess not. 

Though, no shocker there, to see the reception desk empty. Still, he headed over to it, on the off chance that maybe Blair was hiding behind it, leaning against it to peek over. Nope, no sign of Mr. Sunrise. Hmm… maybe therapy was running a little late?

A door opened, and Doppio shuffled out, looking pale and exhausted…and a little wet. Perhaps there was something to the concept of fate, of things always meant to be. Doppio had spilled water down his front, but…honestly, he couldn’t really bring himself to care. 

Quietly thanking Dr. Mariah and Blair, confirming his next appointment, Doppio staggered over to Kaito by the desk. Something…sad and tired in his eyes. 

“...can we go home?”

“Aw, geez, kid.” Kaito grinned– looking a little tired himself, honestly– as he quickly stood up, glancing at Dr. Mariah before deciding to just give her a little nod, following at Doppio’s footsteps. It wouldn’t be alright to ask Dr. Mariah how it had gone. Breach of privacy and all of that. Grabbing the door for Doppio, he opened it up as he chuckled a little, “You look worn out. Well, therapy can be like that… Sure, but you want to treat yourself with anything on the way back? I like to reward myself with warm food after mine, we can do that if you want?”

Doppio shook his head, tottering out the door. “...think I’d throw up…”

Rubbing his face a little, he sighed. “...it was fine, just…passed out at the end. Just wanna sleep until Arven gets out of school, then we can go to the cafe…’n everything’s okay. It’s okay.” By the end, he was more just murmuring to himself, trying to reassure that, well, it was okay. 

…he hadn’t hurt anyone…and no one else was hurt. But…

Doppio glanced up at Kaito, eyes lingering on his neck, frowning softly. “...what happened?”

“Hm?” Kaito hummed, like he didn’t understand the question. He did, he was just giving himself a chance to think, as he reached back to touch the bandage on his neck. “Oh, this? Hah, same thing that happened to you, I bet. Just spilled on myself. Drank some coffee, was a bit clumsy. No worries, Seiko looked at it for me, it’s all good.”

Looking down at him, Kaito frowned a bit. “You passed out? Ah, geez… I mean, you do look exhausted. Again, therapy can be like that, nothing to be embarrassed about. Alright, yeah! We’ll get you home, get you some sleep! You’ll be right as rain and ready to hang out with Arven!”

Reaching out to place a hand on Doppio’s back, Kaito grinned. “Hey, I’m really proud of you for doing this. Therapy, I mean, and all the other stuff. I know it’s been really tough. It’s good to see you doing things for yourself, even the hard things. Especially the hard things. You’re worth it, you know?”

“...on the back of your neck?” Doppio questioned softly, before something markedly more worried entered his eyes. “If someone was targeting you…you hiding it is just as bad as me hiding something like that. Kaito…”

Doppio’s expression fell, before he scrunched his eyes shut, coming to a stop on the sidewalk. Kaito’s pride feeling…wrong. “...you need to be careful.”

…he couldn’t expose Boss. But…if the plan was for him to die…and if Kaito was in the way…

Doppio put a hand to his mouth, gently heaving.

Kaito couldn’t help his sorta tired grin. “Oh, it is, huh? Well, I’d be more annoyed getting called out if it didn’t show me that you know why I get so worried about you.”

“And I am careful,” Kaito insisted, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, wincing as again he forgot that he really shouldn’t touch it for a bit. “I just let my guard down a little today. There’s these guys that are, uh… pranking me or something. I try not to sit in places where I’m easily messed with now because of them, but I was sitting against a low rise wall and… anyway. I’m okay. It may be escalating a little bit, this is the first time something’s been hot enough to hurt, but– ah, Doppio? Hey, hey, let’s take a second to breathe.”

Reaching over to steady him, Kaito murmured, “Don’t forget your nose, okay? Breathe in… out… You can lean on me, there’s no rush, just focus on your breathing…”

…he hadn’t thrown up. Not now, or…before. And there wasn’t anything…well, there was stuff in his stomach, because he and Arven had eaten breakfast together, but…nothing was coming up. Nothing…weird. 

Eyes fluttering a bit as he breathed, for a moment Doppio was confused, wondering how Kaito knew about his nose… But he flinched away from the hand against him, making a discomforted sound, quietly urging, “Don’t.”

…before he sighed, squinting up at Kaito in worried frustration. “...’accidents’ are dangerous. H…have you reported this? …your husband has a bodyguard, why don’t you?”

Kaito snapped his hand back, wincing in sympathy to Doppio’s distress. “Alright, alright, I hear you loud and clear, now’s not a moment I can get away with random touching. Okay.”

“Come on, can we walk and talk? I’d rather get you home sooner than later, let you lay down and get yourself right again,” Kaito said, taking a few steps forward, before looking back to see if Doppio would follow suit, not wanting to get too far from him. “And… me? A bodyguard?”

Kaito tilted his head a little, genuinely surprised by the idea. He had grown up without one, and had never requested one as an adult. He supposed in some ways, it had just never really felt like an option. Bodyguards weren’t for Kaito.

…yeah, alright, that was probably a move on Tengan’s part. Probably more convenient to not have the kid he was abusing have a designated protector. Kaito had never questioned it growing up. Had never felt like he needed it either.

“And I have reported it before, actually…. Anonymously.” Kaito grinned a little warily. “Look, I have some responsibilities as a guy in my position, Doppio. I can’t be officially asking for help because people keep throwing food at me. It’s a bad look for the Prince of Luminary. I’m supposed to be a sort of symbol here, ya know? Like, look, Dicea and Luminary can get along.”

“Well… I mean…” Kaito winced, “Maybe that’s a bit of a moot point now. I did punch a Dicean straight in the face, like, until he collapsed. The guy insulted my mother, though to his defense, he didn’t know it was my mother. I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that. But! On the plus side, I went through you all’s legal system and proved it’d be fair and reasonable to a Luminary! So, ya know… maybe it all balances out?” Kaito mused. “...what were we talking about? I went on a tangent. Uh, yeah, I’ve reported the food dumping. It’s a thing that happens here, sometimes. I know another person it happens to too. I think I just really gotta wait for people to get tired of it.”

Taking a deep breath, Doppio pulled himself together and started walking after Kaito again. Home. They just needed to get back to the castle. Then…

…then…

Doppio scoffed softly. “A bad look like you’d just let people walk all over you to keep the status quo? O-or ‘cause you’re embarrassed? Or…making people think that Luminaries are so prideful they’d rather be shamed and hurt than ask for help? Or providing an example that Luminaries should just suffer in silence if they’re wronged? It’s a shit symbol if that idea of t-trust and camaraderie is a lie in practice.”

“...you’re a Dicean citizen too, though it’s rare I ever hear you talk like you are. And you are in a rare position…one that means you should have extra help, ‘cause you have a bigger target on your back. It’s ridiculous if your symbol here is supposed to be a punching bag. You’re a person.”

He sighed. “...waiting for people to move on just invites more bullies into your life. …ask Arven about it, or your sister…I’ve never actually been to one of those anti-harassment seminars. The way to stop someone hurting you is to fight back…not just hope they’ll one day move on.”

“...be careful,” Doppio said more softly. “...if I can’t escape your responsibility, then you have a responsibility to yourself, too. To make sure I won’t end up blaming myself for your death.”

“Geeeeeez, can’t you take it a little easy on me, kid? Sheesh.” Kaito chuckled lowly, again trying to rub the back of his neck and wincing. “Maybe you’re the bully, huh? How about that. Gonna shove me into a locker any second now, shove my books out of my hands… heh. Is that a thing in Dicea? The locking people into lockers thing? In Luminary we have these big, person sized lockers… anyway.”

He didn’t sound like a Dicean citizen, huh? Kaito supposed he didn’t talk like that for a reason. He felt more like Kokichi’s husband, than a citizen of Dicea. Maybe a part of him was avoiding that mentality. Something in him wary that accepting his place in Dicea would somehow erase the Luminary in him. 

…he did wish he could yell at the bastard that had thrown food at him while he was changing Miyako. He had been in absolute shock that day, barely able to comprehend it had happened even almost an hour after the fact. Who threw hot food at someone holding a fucking baby…

Kaito’s eyes darted to Doppio at that last bit. He wanted to reach out and touch Doppio again, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but, uh, well, it didn't seem to be a good touching day. Kaito would err on the side of caution. Though, he still said softly, “A little bit of food on my clothes isn’t gonna kill me… but. That doesn’t really sound like what you’re talking about. Cause that’d never be your fault at all.”

“You worried about me, kid?” Kaito asked, “Is that why we’re talking about bodyguards?”

“Tit for tat, how much you’ve bullied me,” Doppio grumbled, before grimacing a bit at the idea of being trapped in a locker… He’d only seen smaller lockers, like cubbies, or full cupboard-sized lockers, but…one just the size of a person? Ugh…it sounded like a coffin…

Huffing, Doppio gave Kaito a strained look. “...maybe not food, but…you got burned today, didn’t you? Burns get infected really easily… O-or…maybe coffee today, but…someone throwing a match tomorrow. Or dropping a roof tile. Or…a horse-bridal not tied right, and a carriage goes rogue. There are tons of accidental injuries and deaths all the time… It’s hard, proving that one attempt out of thousands wasn’t intentional. Targeted.”

Looking down and bringing his arms around to hug himself--though Doppio only winced, before dropping his arms again--he huffed. “...I’m just trouble… People are in danger…”

“...” Kaito tsked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Giving Doppio a bit of heavy side eye. “You’re gonna have to fight Arven, you know, if you want to argue to people you’re ‘just’ trouble. And you’ll have to fight him only after I’m done fighting you about it first. You might be able to get through me, but we both know you’ll crumble when it’s him. You can’t claim you’re ‘just’ anything. We won’t let you.”

“And, Doppio, I am a Luminary Prince! This is faaaaaar from the first time I’ve been threatened. The roof tile example? I think that was literally my… shoot, I don’t know, definitely my first month here, someone threw a damn roof tile at me. Missed~” Kaito grinned, “And the only reason they’re getting away with the food stuff is… well, honestly cause I haven’t wanted to bother my family with it yet. If I told them properly what was happening, they’d take care of it. It just hasn’t been worth it to me yet.”

“And Arven hiked a mountain on a broken foot. And you were getting into awful fights long before I dragged you away. What I’m saying is, we were all already facing dangerous situations before the danger became about you. If anything, you just make the danger more worth it than usual. If all it takes is for me to face a little danger to get you to safety? Bring it on! I hope they underestimate me. It’ll make kicking their asses way more fun.” Kaito grinned. All teeth. “You’re more than worth it.”

Doppio looked away, pouting a bit. …he didn’t know why Arven thought he was so amazing…but he did know that’s what his boyfriend thought. And he knew it enough to have pleaded with Kaito not to tell Arven about the struggles he’d been having because…it would stoke Arven’s rage hearing anyone disparage Doppio. Even Doppio himself. 

And Doppio couldn’t fight Arven. Not for the same reason he hadn’t fought Kaito, not because it was just more trouble than it was worth…but… Doppio really cared about Arven. He just…wouldn’t be able to bring himself to hurt him, even if it was something they agreed to. 

Glancing up, Doppio gave Kaito a worried look, hearing that he’d already dealt exactly with a “loose” roof tile. …if that happened, then…why hadn’t Kaito already gotten a bodyguard, huh?!? Prince Kokichi?!? Take care of your husband!!!

Sighing, Doppio pressed the palm of his hand into his forehead, closing his eyes for a moment. “...please. Just…try to be careful. And don’t hide things… Take your own damn advice, rely on a network of people. …I don’t want anyone getting hurt…”

Kaito smiled a little, his heart warming at the advice and frustration coming off the kid. Cute…

“Well, I guess I do need to be a good example, like you said~” Kaito grinned, fighting the urge to ruffle Doppio’s hair a little, “So, sure! I’ll be the good example. I’ll be honest about where the burn came from and make an official report, alright? Just remember I was willing to do it the next time you decide you can handle some big, scary thing all by yourself, alright? How you described it was perfect. Gotta be willing to rely on your network.”

“...Oh! Oh, while I’m thinking about it,” Kaito said, looking to Doppio, “Hey, you still have stuff at your house, right? Coin too? Now that it’s empty, I want to be sure we go and get it before anyone else has a chance to go in and take anything that’s rightfully yours. If you want, I can have a guard go pick it up? Or I can take you myself… just maybe don’t go alone, okay? I’m mostly worried about you running into one of your old ‘coworkers’ by chance. But we should do that soon.”

Ugh… He was going to be insufferable about that, Doppio could just tell. 

…but he’d take insufferable over the moment of terror that rocketed down Doppio’s spine, for a moment, his vision going dark, familiar walls around him…

“No,” Doppio impassionedly breathed, before he paused, taking a more steadying breath. “...no, I… I don’t have much anyway, it’s not… I-I’ll go… Just…not today.”

…what was he going to do? It wasn’t just a deadline, Doppio knew Boss was there. …alone. Scared. Doing his own laundry… Waiting for Doppio…(but not missing him.) Not missing the…

Stopping on the sidewalk again, Doppio hunched in on himself, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his hands against his ears, regardless of how weird and painful his skin felt. Just…needing to stop. 

“Woah, woah, woah, hey, okay… sorry, I didn’t realize going back to the house would… shit, sorry.” Kaito frowned, looking over Doppio with concern, still resisting the urge to touch him. “Sorry, I should have guessed that’d be tougher to talk about. I’m sure it can wait, alright? I just want to be sure you get what’s yours, that’s all. You worked hard for a long time, you deserve to get the pay you earned from it.”

“...you can lean on me,” Kaito told him again. “If you want.”

It took a moment but (just don’t think about it you need to move forward don’t think about it) eventually Doppio shakily brought his arms down, looking more haggard than he did at Dr. Mariah’s office. Barely glancing at Kaito, he shook his head. 

“...th…the snapping feeling,” he mumbled, trying to explain. There was so much he just…couldn’t tell Kaito, so he wound up looking like an insane person, but…he’d told Kaito about the snapping feeling before. And even if the prince got the wrong idea from it…it was still an explanation. 

…Doppio didn’t think he’d be able to stand it, if Kaito touched him. Remembering that warm feeling, after exhausted limbs hit the ground…

“...didn’t just pass out once… Few times, couldn’t stay awake…” he mumbled more.

“Ooooooh, okay.” Kaito sighed, running his fingers through his goatee as he rested his hand on his hip, still looking worried, but for different reasons now. “Right, okay, your skin’s lighting up, huh? Okay… well, look, we’ll go slow and easy, alright, and we take as many breaks as you need. And if you want to stop and just sit down for a bit, we do that too.”

Doppio nodded slightly. “...just wanna get back to the castle. Go to sleep…”

…he was so tired of sleeping…

Remembering something, Doppio pouted a little. “...therapy’s hard… Ap-parently, wanting to stop having panic attacks for the sake of - of not feeling like shit all the time is a ‘weak goal’.”

…he grimaced to himself. His front wasn’t covered in red, and it really was just water in his sweater, but… “...want a shower too…”

Kaito gave Doppio a small laugh at that. “Oh yeah? Come on, you really telling me Dr. Mariah tutted at your goals? Well, she can be a little blunt sometimes. She did the whole ‘explain to me why this is worth it’ thing on my first session. Had to sell her on why I wanted to stay with my husbands. Had to be specific.”

“In the end, I don’t think I said anything more deep than basically ‘I want to’,” Kaito shrugged, “I mean, that was what all our answers ended up being at their core. Some version of ‘I want to’. But I think what she really wanted from us was why we thought we wanted it. I think if she understands our motivations, it helps her help us. Maybe just ‘not feeling bad’ wasn’t enough for her to, like, zero in on with how she can help you get there? That’s my guess, based on how she runs our sessions.”

Kaito glanced at Doppio’s shaking, the weakness in his limbs. “...Also, I gotta add my obligatory ‘do you want to see a healer about this’ question…”

Doppio did know, sort of, that Dr. Mariah was Kaito’s relationship therapist. As in…Kaito’s relationship with his husbands. But even so, it was surreal hearing Kaito say something like ‘why stay with his husbands’. It was blatant, even for as much as Doppio tried to avoid most of the princes, how much they loved and valued each other. 

He supposed that just meant the therapy was really working. 

“She said more that…it would probably not be enough for me, one day,” Doppio hummed softly. “But I dunno… I just wanna stop feeling like I’m dying all the time, and not…have to take naps in the middle of the day like I’m a toddler. Beyond that, I dunno what I’d use therapy for anyway.”

Sighing, Doppio gave Kaito a tired, dry look. “No. …think I just…have to sleep for a while. I’ll be fine.”

He pouted, looking out at the road. “...I really wanna make it to the cafe today.”

“You’re going to~” Kaito grinned, entirely confident. “You’re just tired and down now because you haven’t had a proper chance to rest. You know it’s not even noon yet, right? Therapy can feel like a long time, but you were only there for an hour and a half. It’s just been a busy morning.”

“But, if you can square your shoulders, and straighten your back… oooooor if your skin lets up and you let me heft you up like a bag of flour and take you home? You have plenty of time to recover.”

“...and look, Doppio. I know it still feels insurmountable, but everything that’s been happening to you? Is still really fresh. You feel awful cause things are awful right now, I know that. But things won’t be awful forever. You will feel better someday,” Kaito said, “As someone who worried once it wouldn’t? I can tell you it really does.”

…an hour and a half…plus…over an hour…

Ha. Maybe one day he’d steal enough time to actually get closer to the age he looked. 

(You were never meant to be human.)

Doppio moaned softly. “Please never carry me like that again… I’ve had enough of throwing up.”

He looked over, a sad disbelief in his gaze. “...I don’t know what better is. I…I feel like the only way I can even move and not lose my mind is…just not to think. Of all the outcomes I could think of happening, nothing seems good. But…I can’t just stay stuck forever.”

…well, he probably literally could, but…Doppio knew he’d lose it even faster if he was stuck in a never-changing, never progressing time. 

“...I can focus on getting home and going to sleep…and picking up Arven and going to that cafe…but I can’t think about anything else. I feel like I’ll explode…”

“Geeeeeez, come on, you can’t imagine anything?” Kaito asked, sounding genuinely bewildered, “Geez, kid, I grew up with every wealth in the world and I still could daydream about a ‘better life’. Come on, let’s see… what would a great life for our Doppio be…”

Humming, Kaito ran a few ideas through his head. “...well, obviously Arven’s a part of it. Like today! Looking forward to meeting up with him, seeing whatever cute outfit he’s wearing that day, dressing nice and hoping he notices. Eh?” Kaito grinned, giving Doppio a small wink. “Getting to spend a little time with the boyfriend is the highlight of any day, I’m sure.”

“But other than that…” Kaito closed his eyes, before suddenly turning on his heels. Trotting backwards a little quickly, so that he was walking in front of Doppio, before opening his eyes, looking over Doppio as he walked backwards. “Our Doppio’s happy days… oh!” Kaito grinned, “You’ve got a big project that day. You’ve been working on it reliably for weeks, and you’ve actually been ready to present it for a few days already, and now you’re just excited to show it off. What kind of project? Who knows. Maybe a school thing? Or, ooooor, someday a work thing, something someone’s paying you to do. Or! It’s an event you’re putting together, maybe for someone you love. A birthday party?” Kaito grinned, “And you’ve put all this time and energy into it, to make it just perfect. And today’s the day you get to show off all your hard work!”

“And to prep for it, you woke up early, getting a big, warm breakfast ready, not just for you, but for the household. And everyone wakes up smelling it in the air, and the scent is reassuring, because they know that scent means Doppio’s been in the kitchen, and they’re about to start their day the best way possible. Sitting and eating with the people who mean most to them… including their Doppio~” Kaito tilted his head, still observing Doppio, painting the happy day in his mind. “And they ask you, ‘hey, Doppio, you ready for your project today?’ But they know you are. They’re just giving you another opportunity to talk about it. They’re excited for you, because they know how happy you get, doing something well. They take joy in your joy.”

“And with their well wishes, and your belly full of good food, you take your dog on a run– cause, why not, you like dogs, Chief could use a sibling– and since you have plenty of time before your project presentation, you take your dog and you guys go and fuss with some mud, look at some flowers, maybe pick some seeds for your good boyfriend, who you get to see after your project is done, tell him all about how it went… and finally, after you’ve cleaned up and dropped your dog off to rest at home, finally it’s time to do your presentation!”

Kaito leaned in, grinning wide. “How does it go? Did they like your work?”

…well, Arven was obviously a good part. He was the best part now, so…of course. In all of the terror of the future that made Doppio want to freeze, Arven was…really the only happy bit Doppio could see. A reason that made Doppio still feel like…himself. 

But as Kaito ran in front of him, spouting off some fantasy…

Doppio sighed, giving Kaito a tired look. “...that all sounds super vague. It’s easy to call something happy if the only criteria you mention is ‘things are good’. I…” Doppio had taken a breath, ready to break down just…what kind of project he was working on, and who was the household he was with, and how had he gotten the dog, how was he taking care of it, how did he have time to frolick about in the mornings…

But immediately Doppio could feel the pressure of the future in front of him, and he grimaced, hunching his shoulders in, in lieu of hugging himself. “...I don’t want to talk about this.”

Kaito deflated a little, though he tried to keep his grin on his face. “...you know, if you want to face the future, you have to be willing to hope for things that might feel impossible. We tend to overestimate what’s impossible to begin with, and… that hope is what keeps people going. It’s hard to find the will to aspire, if there’s nothing to aspire to.”

Doppio stared at his feet. “...I never wanted anything before… I wasn’t made to.”

“...and now…everything I want just…feels at odds. It’s more than just…a lofty goal that feels impossible. It’s…knowing that if I ever achieve one, I’m destroying the other. …and nothing feels up to me anyway.”

“You weren’t made to…” Kaito frowned, “...well, maybe I’m making you. Does…” Kaito sighed, looking a little defeated. “Does that help anything? If I make it a task? Just… give me one thing, kid. One thing you’d really like your future to have. There’s gotta be one thing in your life you could have, in either ‘life’ you picture.”

“...wanna be alive,” Doppio mumbled, looking similarly defeated. “...wanna cook stuff that makes people happy. But…I’m already doing that so…it’s not much of a goal.”

(...a suicide would be ideal, in front of someone reliable…)

…what did ‘respawn’ mean?

“...Kaito? You said you’d been in a lot of fights before… What hurts the worst?”

“My pride when I get my ass kicked and Maki has to come save me.” Kaito grinned, though his expression was a little tired as he shifted his weight to be walking forward, slowing to step in step with Doppio. God, this kid was hopeless… like, literally. He had no hope. Kaito had no idea what to pick at, or help grow. He’d find it, he was sure, but… damn. Maybe for now giving Doppio a lot of opportunities to cook was Kaito’s best step forward. Just… sigh. He wished Doppio had more to look forward to.

“Uh, for a more physical answer… man, electricity is scary as hell,” Kaito murmured, touching his throat slightly, “Your whole body just… suddenly is out of your control. Everything seizes up, it’s like you’re possessed. The pain is almost secondary to that feeling of being out of control, because there’s so much of it and it’s everywhere, to the point where briefly it feels like your new normal, and you just kinda accept that that’s what life feels like now.”

“...breaking your arm also kinda sucks, but, they give you some great painkillers if you do.” Kaito grinned. “Top notch stuff. Uuuuh, what else… cutting kinda stings, but you get really used to that. Bruising and punching can kinda get sexy, if you’re the type. I don’t have any advice to give if you’re not the type, I imagine it hurts. Uh… actually, burning’s a bastard feeling, and I’ve only ever experienced, like, the most mild versions of that. Those weren’t fights though, so, hmm… yeah, I gotta stick with my first physical answer. Electricity sucks. Oh!” Kaito lit up, “I want to give you a taser baton! Oooooh, I’d feel so much better if you had that. Seriously, my general paranoia would go down loads if you were carrying a taser style weapon.”

“Why do you ask?” Kaito finally thought to ask.

Doppio gave Kaito a curious look at that. For one…electricity was a novel answer, for the context of a fight, and how Kaito described it…that sounded kinda… Hm. Doppio could deal with feeling out of control--that had been his entire life, lately--and…hm… Didn’t they say it was super rare to survive being hit by lightning? So if something was powerful enough…

Breaking bones… He supposed breaking his neck would be quick, which…good. But he didn’t really know a good way to ensure it’d be quick, and not just leave him with a concussion or something.

Cutting…too much blood. Too gross. Punching too unreliable. Burning…eeugh. Flashy enough, but…no. No. 

…he didn’t want to, though…

Doppio sighed, shrugging. “Curious, I guess… I’m kind of a baby about injuries…” How many times had Boss complained about him whining, over the past year and change?

(The best part about his absence was that it was quiet. Finally quiet.)

…why was he alive? Why had he been allowed to think? If he was never to be given a choice, then…what was the point?

“...are we there yet?”

“Well, if you’re really curious, I could teach you how to spar, kid,” Kaito said, still idly daydreaming about outfitting his teenagers in some dope-ass tasers. Try to drown his kid now, you fucker… zap-zap. “You can see first hand what injuries can look like… through me. I’m good at taking a hit, don’t worry about it, it’ll be a fun learning experience. You and Arven both. Teach you how to use tasers…”

Kaito looked at Doppio, then at the castle entrance, then Doppio again. “You feeling out of it? Come on, man, just look up. Here, let me walk you to your room, and then I’m out of your hair till it’s time to drop you off to go hang out at the cafe. Kay?”

“I don’t want to hurt you. You’re enough of a mess,” Doppio grumbled. He knew how to fight; that was an asinine line of thought. …Kaito and Arven would be devastated… And even if he did…what, Doppio was just supposed to…leave? 

A little dazed, Doppio looked up, blinking at the castle towering above them. Feeling just as demanding in his vision as…

He gave Kaito a soft pout. “...you’re not gonna spy on us while we’re there, right? It’s a real drop off?”

Kaito siiiiiiiighed, “Yes, it’s a real drop off. I feel a little better about things, knowing you’re both together, in a public place. Just… no sneaking off. For shenanigans. It’s not worth the risk, stay in public. Nothing more dangerous than being isolated. But if you guys can promise me that, then yeah, I will officially get out of your hair.”

Doppio rolled his eyes a bit. “We’re there to drink chai tea, eat a specialty snack, and play needlessly giant tic-tac-toe. We won’t go on a tour of Usott’s darkest alleys…geez. You’re too stuck on shenanigans, it’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kaito rolled his eyes, coming up to Doppio’s door, leaning against the wall as he watched the kid take a key out to unlock it, “Look, you’re both better kids than I was. I couldn’t stop thinking about boys at all, at your age… and girls… boys and girls… the exotic inbetweens…” Kaito grinned, looking a little dreamy now. “Took all sorts of risks, just to take little peeks at pretty faces, holding hands, kisses… damn, fifteen and fourteen year old Kaito would have walked through fire for a damn good kiss.”

He blinked, before coughing, pulling himself out of the memories. “Just, uh, don’t be dumb like I was! There’s more to life! Like, uh, oversized tic-tac-toe!”

Doppio gave Kaito a weirded out look. “...I think there’s more than a few nonbinary people who’d have something to say about you calling them ‘exotic’. And…what, are people just constantly wearing facemasks in Luminary? It’s pretty easy to see a pretty person’s face.”

Shaking his head, Doppio stepped into his room. “...you’re such a weirdo. I think Arven’s right, your husbands really must be starving you for affection. Go spend some time with them.”

Kaito sighed. “Fine. How about ‘enchanting’? Enchanting in-betweens work? …though, honestly, they’d probably be more pissed at me calling them an ‘in between’. I think it’s actually meant to be more, like, outside the spectrum entirely? I never entirely understood, I just sorta take their word for it,” Kaito admitted, “I’ll probably get it someday. For now I just respect it… And I get plenty of affection! My husbands pour me in affection! Practically smothered in it!”

Kaito glared at the closed door, before shouting, “Get rest! You did a good job today!” Before sighing. Heading off. 

…Doppio just wanted to collapse into bed, but…

It was almost nostalgic, really. Though considering the heavier water pressure of the castle shower, Doppio was sure that it was something that could actually drown out him crying. 

-

It had, uh…taken a few hours, but eventually Doppio had pulled himself out of the shower, and he had even had time to take a proper nap in bed. But--thanks to all the sleeping, probably--before he knew it? Afternoon rolled around, and it was time to pick Arven up from school. 

It had been such a throwaway comment from Kaito, but while Doppio had been getting ready…he had stressed about what to wear. Sure, Arven always called him pretty, but…Doppio wanted to look nice. They were just hanging out, but even if it wasn’t a date, it was something special…

…but it occurred to Doppio, for the first time, that all the clothes he considered “special”? Were…uh… Things he…didn’t really want to wear. The jeans with the fancy, jeweled cut-outs around the pockets. The sleeveless sweater. …everything he had that wasn’t just…normal? Was… Doppio didn’t…

…he’d settled with a thinner, lower necked sweater over a t-shirt that had a nice, complementing color, and black skinny jeans. His winter boots had been at the bottom of the laundry basket, so Doppio at least had those, but…he wasn’t going to wear them in the middle of fall, so he settled for his regular sneakers and… Well, Arven liked his hair down, but… Doppio ended up just tying his hair up in a single northern braid, trading out his scrunchie for a plain band and letting it thunk against his shoulders. 

…he looked…weird. 

But there wasn’t any more time to hem and haw over it, and, again, before he knew it, Doppio was standing against the half-wall around Mid-Valley High, trying to fight the urge to hide behind Kaito.

Awwww, cute~

Kaito resisted the urge to tell Doppio so when he saw him. He had a feeling it’d be better to hear it from Arven. And there was no way Arven wouldn’t let Doppio know. Look at him! He had clearly thought about his outfit! Awwwwwww~

Kaito was feeling pretty cheerful in comparison to when he had picked Doppio up from therapy–he had gotten to vent a little to Shuichi, before decompressing a little by painting some figurines next to the open window, while Miyako had happily cooed and gurgled in her bassinet. It had put Kaito in a considerably better mood.

Sure, Doppio was struggling now! But like Kaito kept saying, things would improve! It just took time and support! They’d get through this!

And he grinned, nudging Doppio slightly before nodding his head in the distance. Arven coming outside.

Arven looked a little bored and a little tired, adjusting his backpack over his shoulders as he idly looked around… before his gaze suddenly lit up. Smiling as the tired bled away from his face, catching Doppio’s eyes in the distance. Bringing up his hand in a little happy wave as he headed over.

Doppio gave Kaito an embarrassed look at the nudge, but immediately that faded away. Just like Arven, Doppio’s face lighting up with a delighted, shy smile as he waved back, barely able to wait for Arven to cross the school courtyard. 

“Hey! …hi. Hi, Arven,” Doppio grinned. “You ready to head out? Um, we could wait, o-or stop somewhere, if you needed a second after class.”

“Nah, I don’t have anything. I’ve just been waiting to do this all day, really.” Arven smiled, looking Doppio over for a second… before his gaze went to the floor. Scratching the side of his nose as his face started to warm red. “...you look nice. I don’t think I’ve seen that sweater before.”

“He looks great, right?!” Kaito grinned, finally feeling like it was okay to say it, now that Arven had said it first. Now Doppio wouldn’t have time to tell himself all the ways he didn’t look good, after Kaito pointed it out. “Alright, pass me your backpack, Arven…”

Kaito glanced at the school, before looking at the boys. “You can get yourselves to the café alright. Right? No detours?”

Arven immediately looked suspicious. “What, you want to start stalking us from a distance already?”

“Ahhh, the sass,” Kaito grinned more fiercely, “Nope. ‘Bout to go bother all your professors and see if there’s any big things coming up in your classes I can keep an eye on.”

Blushing, Doppio’s gaze soon joined Arven’s on the floor, though there was a small pleased smile on his face. “I don’t wear it that often… It’s in a weird space, like, weather-wise, but…i-it’s a nice enough day today that…yanno. Thought it’d work. …I like the orange coordination you chose today. I-I know I could’ve told you this morning, but…”

Glancing back up, Doppio gave Kaito a mildly surprised look, having expected that their enthusiastic escort would’ve insisted on walking them right up to the café doors…but, ah. The temptation to butt in on Arven’s school life was too strong…

“Don’t harass Arven’s teachers,” Doppio huffed, “You talk over people all the time, most of them have probably just done a full day of work so give them space. …we’ll stay at the café, and alert any guards if something suspicious happens. …th-though we won’t wait for you if we feel like going back to the castle, so your schedule is on you!”

Taking Arven’s hand, Doppio gently nudged his arm, blushing as he urged, “Let’s go before he really does decide to stalk us…i-if you’re ready.”

“What? Hey, don’t scold me! Scolding is for the grownups!” Kaito insisted, though he just watched fondly as the two boys started walking off, hand in hand. Cute…

Alright. Time to go make sure Arven’s education was on the right track! 

Arven squeezed Doppio’s hand a little, looking bright and eager as the two headed off. “...I missed you,” Arven admitted, flushing a little at the confession, “Is that too weird? You were only gone for, I don’t know, just a school day… but I really missed you anyway. It’s a little silly.”

Doppio let out a soft, delighted giggle, though he immediately agreed, “I missed you too. I-I think that kinda makes sense for us though? We haven’t spent that much time apart over the last week--it’s a change to just…not see each other for a few hours. …I missed you a lot.”

Pressing his shoulder affectionately to Arven’s, Doppio hummed encouragingly. “How was school? Not too crazy?”

…as much as he didn’t want to go himself? Doppio found himself…genuinely interested in hearing how Arven’s day had been. If there had been any interesting tidbits from his lessons, or overheard jokes or stories that had made him laugh, or some bizarre happening he might’ve seen from a window… Just…all of it. Doppio wanted to know everything.

“Tsk. Everyone in class was absolutely insufferable about you today.” Arven huffed, running his hand through his hair, fluffing it up a bit. “Absolutely grilling me about you. How I met you, how long we’ve been together. How did I trick someone like you into dating someone like me. Seriously, Aceto, it’s like they’ve never seen a pretty guy before. They would not let it go.”

Was he trying to flatter his boyfriend? Sure, absolutely. But he was barely even exaggerating. It was all anyone wanted to talk about, that day. Did you hear? Arven has a boyfriend. Yeah, the pink-haired boy the prince was walking around with. Anyone know him? Why was he with the prince? How’d Arven manage to land him?

Arven for the most part had dodged the questions, cause it wasn’t anyone’s business… but, yeah. It’s not like he hated hearing people gush over his boyfriend. Doppio was worth gushing over.

(...though he did NOT look like Trish! Dammit!)

“Aw geez…” Doppio sighed softly, turning pink. “I’m sorry about that… I got kinda caught up in Kaito’s nonsense, but I would’ve tried harder to…well, I dunno if I would’ve been able to convince him to not walk you to class, but I would’ve stayed by the gate, if I knew it’d make you the gossip mill for the day…”

“...also, like…really?” Doppio flusteredly huffed, squeezing Arven’s hand gently with nervous energy. “They said…how did you trick me? They already know you a-as the school heartbreaker,” he grinned, nudging his boyfriend’s arm. “Would’a thought people’d be more interested hearing why you’d give someone like me a chance.”

“...I got to talk about you too today, though. Doesn’t really matter, I guess, but…my therapist who’s also a professional relationship therapist says that it sounds like we have a good dynamic going,” Doppio laughed softly. “So that’s neat.”

“Me? The heartbreaker?” Arven laughed, looking both flattered and absolutely embarrassed by the thought, “You’ve absolutely got, uh, ‘couple’ blinders on. I’m not breaking any hearts… well, till they find out I’m the reason you’re not available, I guess.”

“Oh, right, therapy!” Arven said, giving Doppio a curious look at that, while also searching his expression. Looking for any sign of distress, as he asked, “That is pretty neat. Glad she can recognize greatness. But other than that, how was therapy? It was only your first session, so I’m hoping she took it easy on you…”

Doppio gave Arven a confused look, before it grew more worried. “...uh… Didn’t? You talk about how…people would confess to you a lot, but you said you weren’t looking to date? …I didn’t make that up, did I? …shoot… I mean…you’re absolutely pretty enough that I’d believe it without thinking much, but…”

Sighing, Doppio gave Arven a small shrug…before his gaze darted around. “It was fine, for most of it. She’s a little intimidating but…not in a bad way. Just that she’s a person that really knows what she’s talking about, and has that confidence from it, you know? She, uh…” Doppio snorted softly. “...she played Red Light, Green Light with il angioletto and me, so…she’s cool.”

“Just…uh…”

Doppio looked over, giving Arven a wary look. “...did…anything feel weird to you, today?”

“Well, sure, I’ve had one or two confessions, b-but, I wasn’t… beating people back with a stick,” Arven said, flushing, now feeling very embarrassed. Had he exaggerated how attractive he was to other people to Doppio? Geez, that was kind of pathetic…

Though, he managed to (mostly) stop thinking about his cringe as he listened to Doppio, smiling lightly at the story of ‘red light, green light’. Aw, that was nice… though, “Weird?” Arven asked. “Weird how?”

Though, before Doppio had a chance to explain, Arven said, “Actually, and this might sound random, but something weird that did happen? And this might be me bragging a little, I’ll admit. But when I was getting lunch today, I was standing next to one of those damn Rabbits, and I don’t know why, but I just knew he was gonna ‘accidentally’ knock my tray down? Maybe I saw his hand move, I have no idea, I just knew it was coming. So I dodged my tray out of the way, and he didn’t expect his elbow to lean on just air, so he just, bam! Splattered all over the ground. Tripped, dropped his tray on himself, he was covered in food… it was great. I felt like a superhero.” Arven admitted, grinning a little, “Master reflexes. But, okay, humble brag over. Weird how?”

“...pff. Wow, okay, that sounds super cool,” Doppio laughed, snickering as he gave Arven’s hand another squeeze. “Serves ‘em right, assholes… Bravo, tesoro.”

…so Arven had felt it too. So…it wasn’t just around himself. So, potentially…it was the whole world. Reality, like Amaina had said. …but…maybe people’d had experiences like Arven’s. Maybe not getting one over on bullies but…stopping something inconvenient. 

…that felt a little better, honestly. 

Glancing around, Doppio made a little nervous sound, before hinting, “...you know that time you predicted what Kaito was gonna say?”

Arven hummed, thinking back. “...oh, you mean when you…”

His eye suddenly widened. Looking at Doppio. “Oh?”

Doppio gave a few short but emphatic nods. Looking down as he gnawed on his lip. He felt…better now, but he felt like he’d crumble all over again talking through what had happened, and…it was a lot. He didn’t want to burden Arven more. 

“...I…kinda fucked up,” Doppio said softly. “But…I got really sad for a while, and…I’m really happy to see you again, and we’ve been looking forward to this so…can…can I tell you about it later?”

Arven hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he could wait, honestly. He didn’t like to think that Doppio was having a hard time, and Arven just… didn’t know.

…but. Doppio had asked him to hold off. So. “Sure, that’s alright. We’ll talk about it later. You’re alright now though, right?”

“Thank you,” Doppio affectionately, and gratefully, pressed his shoulder to Arven’s before nodding. “Yeah. I’m a lot better, at least. I, uh…” 

He blushed a bit, scratching his cheek. “...I don’t really have much more to say about my day since…I kinda spent the rest of my time sleeping… But I’m sure the rest of our day is gonna be more than fun enough!”

Determined to have a good time and not just…be a whiney sad sack, Doppio gave a little enthusiastic bounce as he looked back over at Arven. “I bet I can win one game on you today!”

“If we do tic-tac-toe, we’ll both be lucky if either of us ever wins any game,” Arven laughed, feeling himself get caught up in Doppio’s enthusiasm. “But, for any of the other games? I’m gonna wipe the floor with you.”

It was becoming more and more common as the technology became more widely known, but a record player jukebox had been set up in the café a few months back, and it was currently playing fun, boppy music. It was one of Arven’s favorite additions to his otherwise favorite café, as he looked around the various game tables and couches, sunlight pouring in from all ends as the warm air of coffee and pastries battled the sweet scent of fresh plants decorated throughout the cafe. 

The decoration was pastel and sweet, and the food was the same. Elaborately decorated and cute and pristine. And as Arven looked around, it occurred to him, “Heh… you know, I didn’t remember this café had so many, uh… bright colors,” Arven said, blushing a little, “I hope it’s not too, uh, ‘cutesey’, the food is really good.”

Doppio chuckled a bit at that. “Well, probably, but I’ll put up a good fight. I think nostro angioletto said…maybe exactly that to me during our game earlier? And, uh…she did. But I think partly ‘cause I tried to cheat and it backfired, just, phenomenally on me,” Doppio rolled his eyes. 

As he had told Arven before, during the…months Doppio had been living in Usott, he did enjoy wandering around the city, checking things out. And while his meandering less likely actually took him into shops or businesses or other places of interest, he had gone to a good few, and cafés, probably, most of all. However, Doppio couldn’t even remember walking past Shabon-Bon before. 

The upbeat music, the smell of sugar and baked goods and potted plants in the air, every single thing that Doppio could see obviously elaborately and deliberately placed and picked out, all in a pastel explosion of color that, somehow, was still cohesive…

Doppio looked around in awe, before he colored a bit at Arven calling the place ‘cutesey’... But he turned to give his boyfriend an awkward, amazed smile, squeezing his hand gently. “I, uh…really like it? I’ve never seen any place like this… M-maybe just someone dressing in that…shoot, uh, that really elaborate style, kinda like Mariah, actually… Um…Deco-kei, I think? But that’s a, like, person style, not decoration design…”

He flushed. “It’s cute. ‘N happy. …um…you said the chai was good. Do you wanna get that then split a honey-brick toast, or, uh, wanna see other stuff they have too? O-oh, and I can pay!” Doppio’s expression became a little eager and insistent, excited to…uh… Treat his boyfriend! While they were hanging out! At a very cute and cool café!

Arven smiled, looking around before saying, “Why don’t you pick some seats you like, and I’ll go order our chai’s and honeybrick to start with, and bring back a menu if there’s anything else you want to look at.”

And– partly because the café wasn’t that crowded today, and partly because he was feeling happy and bold– he leaned over to place a kiss against Doppio’s cheek. 

“Ehehe,” Doppio giggled lowly, a smitten, delighted thing, and…he couldn’t even bring himself to get embarrassed by it this time. Not when Arven was so sweet, and his kisses were even sweeter. Squeezing his hand one more time before letting go, Doppio glanced at the prices on the overhead menu before handing over a gold, confident that would be more than enough for Arven to get the drinks and toast, along with any other thing he might order for himself as well. “See you soon~”

Smiling to himself, Doppio looked around before choosing some seats around an intricately carved, dyed wood table with a painted, treated top. It wasn’t quite the size of a standard coffee table, a little bigger, and wasn’t too close to either the door or the jukebox, Doppio figuring it was one of the best places for them to be able to chat and easily hear each other. 

…it really was a really nice café… He was glad Arven brought him here. Settling in the--a little over-plush, but Doppio didn’t think that was a bad thing--chair, Doppio lightly swung his legs, looking around the café and other patrons more.

There was a small smattering of people. A friend group of three near the jukebox, laughing over some shared stories. An older couple near the door and the counter, not talking a lot but clearly enjoying a favored past-time together as they played a game of backgammon together, a few people alone, working on studying or writing a book. In a back corner, a young woman was working on a painting on a canvas stand. She seemed to be drawing the café.

The atmosphere was friendly and calm. After a bit, Arven came back with a small plate, plus two more smaller plates and little forks, setting them down on the side of the table that wouldn’t cover the main game board. “They’re still working on the chai, buuuut I went ahead and picked the brick toast they had freshest. What do you think of kiwi-banana-watermelon?” he asked, showing it off. “Though, if you don’t like it, they have others. We can get more than one,” Arven said, passing Doppio his change.

(As hopeless as he had been talking to Kaito earlier, and as aimless as he’d been talking to Dr. Mariah…Doppio was truly content in this moment. Happy being in a bright, lively place, watching moments of other people’s lives. An event or routine, a creative burst or idle enjoyment…Doppio loved it. He had always loved it alone, and sharing it with Arven now, having his own moment of life…Doppio couldn’t think of anything more perfect.)

Something beautiful in the world to see. 

Taking his change, Doppio’s eyes glittered as they locked onto the plate in Arven’s hand, excitement visible in every facet of Doppio’s being. Though, he wasn’t entirely consumed as he soon turned that gaze onto Arven, grinning wide. “That looks amazing! Just like I’ve seen in the paper! Great choice.”

Giggling softly, Doppio gave his boyfriend a teasing look. “You gotta tell me, though, if this is a good hint about what your favorite fruit is.”

Arven smirked, sitting down opposite of him, keeping an ear out for his name from the counter. “You really can’t go wrong with watermelon, in my mind, though adding banana and kiwi is a nice touch. But yeah, one of my favorite aspects of summer? Is finding big, fresh watermelons and popping them open. The crack is really satisfying, they’re really juicy and sweet… I’ve loved it since I was a kid.”

Leaning against the table, looking curious and eager, Arven asked, “What about you? Favorite fruit?”

(Watermelon, huh?)

Tongue peeking out a little, Doppio eagerly hoisted a ‘brick’ of the toast (with plenty of fruit, ice cream, and whipped cream, of course) onto his personal plate, excited to try the, for him, elusive dessert. Though, he gave Arven a surprised look. “Wait…that’s a real thing? I thought cracking watermelons was just…like, seasonal flavor text, b-but for pictures in advertising. …aw man, really just missed the season for ‘em, huh?”

Sighing softly, Doppio shared a small smile with Arven. “You’ll have to show me next year then.”

Finally taking a bite… Doppio lit up, practically a confetti cannon in a parade around him as he looked amazed at the toast. “Oh…wow! Did…they pan-toast the bread in…a marmalade or something?! And…this has to be a special flavored honey, o-or from a specific flower field or something… This is incredible!”

Digging in with more gusto, Doppio grinned softly at Arven. “I really like raspberries. There are these raspberry and white chocolate scones I had once? It was insane how good they were, I didn’t need to put butter or jam or anything on the scone at all, just ate ‘em straight. Always have to be careful when I’m buying them in cartons too, I’ll just snack and eat the whole thing if I’m not paying attention.”

Arven got caught up, watching Doppio gush and enjoy the treat. Nodding along with Doppio’s guesses, though in truth he wasn’t sure. Marmalade made a lot of sense though. Though, maybe instead of a special honey, it might be a specific type of sugar? Maybe he could convince the café to give him the recipe, try to recreate it for Doppio.

He mentally tucked that bit of information away– raspberries, hm?-- before saying, “Gotta be careful buying them, huh? Man, so I shouldn’t show you where I know some great raspberry bushes are, hm?”

“Arven!” the woman at the counter called.

“Be right back,” Arven said, heading up to go grab the chai. Bringing back two large mugs, durable and practical, he put them down, before saying, “See that top layer? That’s how you know it’s gonna be strong. Definitely peel it off before you start drinking though. I mean, you know.”

Doppio snorted a laugh. “Not if we don’t want me decimating the local flora. I’ve never been berry picking, actually… I know they say it’s okay, for the community garden, at least, but I always got too nervous to actually pick anything. It’d be the worst kind of patience game too, waiting to wash ‘em.”

Perking a little, Doppio watched Arven go pick up their drink order, just… Man, those kids at Arven’s school were wack. How could anyone know Arven for more than a minute and not immediately fall over themselves? How lucky was he?

Humming as he observed the chai, Doppio huffed a laugh as he self-deprecatingly rolled his eyes. “Oh boy do I know. Have you ever had the coffees that have a top layer like this? Um…like, whatever-creams, I think they’re usually called… I didn’t really understand what a layer drink was at the time, like how you’re supposed to get a sip of everything at once for it to mix in your mouth. I couldn’t get at all why anyone would drink anything so both cloyingly sweet and achingly bitter.”

Carefully pushing back the substantial foamy top layer, Doppio took a sip of the chai, an immediate pleased sigh leaving him. “Oooh… This is definitely an in-house spice blend. You were absolutely right, this place absolutely deserves the Arven seal of approval.”

“Yes! I swear, I’ve tried to replicate this exact chai tea at home a dozen times. I’ve come close before, to whatever that distinct little kick is? But every time I come back here and drink the original, I’m reminded I still haven’t managed it.” Arven laughed, “At this point I think I’m gonna have to apply to work here, learn the secrets from the inside. Though, to be fair, I’ve never asked to learn. There’s something fun about experimenting with it.”

“Also, no, I actually haven’t? Layered coffee?” Arven asked, looking absolutely fascinated, even as he put his mug aside and started setting up the table to do a game of tic-tac-toe, spinning over the top part of the oak, revealing the shifting board map. Then, reaching to the underside of the table and pulling out a well-organized drawer, he pulled out the x’s and o’s, passing them both over to Doppio to let him pick which one he wanted. “That sounds incredible, honestly. Maybe you and I could try to brew some?”

“Just wait, you get hired and they make you sign an NDA,” Doppio giggled, before nodding emphatically. “Right? I mean, cookbooks and recipes help me a lot, but sometimes it’s just fun seeing what you can do with the ingredients you have. Or trying to mess with a basic recipe you know, and turning it into something really special. It’s crazy, what little tweaks can do to the flavor of something.”

Looking on with interest as Arven started setting up a game--wow…that was really cool, how it was built into the table!--Doppio selected the o’s and gave him a small nod, before a more excited, yet mildly nervous look crossed his face. “That sounds like fun, definitely! …though I’m really not sure how they get the cream to…be? It’s not just like adding straight cream to coffee… I think it might be some specific tool but…maybe it’d work with a whisk? I dunno what to do to keep it from just being whipped cream, though.”

Giggling softly (Doppio…didn’t know why he was laughing so much, but…it just felt natural, and good around Arven) Doppio gave his boyfriend a sheepish look. “It’s a little different, but there’s this drink I read about called a, uh… Pousse Café, I think… It’s this alcoholic drink in two cups, where it’s, um, like…a ton of different spirits all layered in one cup, but just a little, and coffee in the other, and you’re supposed to sip back and forth to try out different flavor combinations. It sounded really interesting to me, but buying like, ten bottles of unique spirits just for a sip of each is ridiculously expensive, especially if you don’t really drink.”

“Well, maybe in, um… roughly four or five years, we could go to a place that sells it and we could try it?” Arven mused… before smirking a little, “Or we talk someone into buying one for us. Prince Kokichi kind of has a fun side, in the few times we’ve talked. Think we could talk him into doing it? I don’t know why, my gut is telling me we’d have a shot.”

Doppio snickered, covering his mouth as he licked a little whipped cream off his lips. “What was it that Kaito said? Prince Kokichi was ‘encouraging teenage rebellion’? At the very least, I think he wouldn’t tattle on us if we asked and he said no, so…worth a shot.”

Briefly, something anxious crossed Doppio’s face before he leaned over the table more, lowering his voice as he spoke more covertly to Arven. “...a-actually, uh… I have an ID that says I’m an adult. If we could find a busier bar, s-so they wouldn’t pay as much attention to us…we might be able to get one ourselves.”

Arven gasped a little… before snickering, though there was something just as nervous as it was excited, as he whispered, “Really? Oh man, take care of that, if anyone realizes they’re absolutely going to take it from you. But, yes, we, uh… we should try that sometime! At least once, right?”

Taking another little sip of his chai, Arven barked out a nervous laugh, blushing, “That’d be kind of exciting, but I’d definitely want to be careful, if we did that. And maybe go to a nice place? I don’t really want to get drunk, I can just get high if I wanted something like that, but you do hear about all these cool, intricately made drinks… It’d be nice to try one or two in person.”

“How’d you get something like that anyway?” Arven asked, “Your work?”

Doppio nodded sheepishly. Considering how often he had forgotten his, er, various IDs at home, Doppio had been astounded when he took inventory of his bag, after he and Arven had been taken back to the castle, and found an ID that listed him as being 22. It had been a little annoying, actually, because…that might’ve been able to clear some stuff up, if, er, the fake CPS agent hadn’t been fake, and he had tried for Arven’s idea of acting like he wasn’t a minor. Just goes to show that he really should sort through his bag more often…

But, well. If he couldn’t find his ID most of the time, he didn’t know how anyone else would find it. 

…huh. He wondered if someone was working on getting him an ‘official’ ID. 

“That’s kinda how I feel too,” Doppio nodded. “Sure there are a lot of mixology and bartending guides out there, but I think a lot of the more interesting stuff is done by just…people in the field, working, you know? I don’t think I’d really be looking into how to mix interesting drinks myself, but…it’d be an experience, getting to try some.”

…and especially if he wasn’t going to grow up properly? Doppio didn’t want to wait around for some arbitrary length of time to check out something he was curious about. 

Glancing around, Doppio hummed a soft, ‘Mhmm,” before sighing. Still speaking quietly, “...there were…some times where I really thought I was…yanno. Older. And sometimes work brought me to adult-only spaces. Sometimes I’d get scrutinized, but…a lot of the time, that I can remember, I just…walked in? I didn’t really think anything of it.”

“Mmmm,” Arven nodded, taking another bite of the honey toast– it really had no business tasting that good, though Arven was so relieved everything had come out nice, considering he had wanted Doppio to have a good time– as he considered all of that. “That makes sense. It’s not like you had any reason to question it, really. And you still, obviously, could just pass as a very young looking adult. I could see you just being confident and able to walk right into any sort of adult…”

Arven paused, considering that… before turning bright red, giving Doppio a wide, searching look… before he said very quietly, “Oh my gods, does that mean you’ve been to… you know…” Arven leaned forward, saying even quieter, looking embarrassed to even bring it up, “strip clubs?”

(...a…young-looking adult…huh?)

Tilting his head a little, Doppio gave Arven a mildly confused look, a little…lost on why Arven looked so embarrassed… Before he smiled slightly, nodding. “Yupp! The ones I’ve been to were pretty cool, actually, like what I imagine seeing a circus or acrobatics show would be like. And every time I needed help going to a backroom for a meeting, the employees were always really nice to me.”

Thinking about it, Doppio idly ate some more toast before shrugging. “...it’s kinda dark, but a lot of places I went were, and at least the clubs usually had, like, reflective tape outlining walkways so people wouldn’t trip ‘n stuff.”

Arven looked scandalized. Making that small, high ‘eeeeeeeeee’ sound he made sometimes when he was flustered, his whole body bright red now as he looked at Doppio like he had a second head. Clearly torn between being shocked and asking a thousand more questions.

Trying to calm himself, he took another long sip of chai, before taking a breath… and leaning in, whispering, “Really? W-wow, you’ve… even been to b-backrooms? I, uh, I hear…” but then Arven stuttered out, clearly second guessing if he should admit to the kind of rumors he had heard, like Doppio might find him weird or gross, despite the fact that Doppio had actually seen for himself what the places were like. Flustering in his seat as he said, “That they’ll, ya know…. Gah, s-sorry, I’m being so uncool, I just…”

Arven steamed in his seat, clearly embarrassed. Apparently, his independent lifestyle had not had him directly interacting with just the idea of sex in general, and a place for it recreationally? He had no idea how to talk about it. Half intrigued and half embarrassed for that intrigue.

“...acrobats?” Arven finally managed to coherently get out. Looking a little surprised at that.

Doppio gave his boyfriend a more concerned look. It was really clear that Arven was flustered, but… Well, every other time Arven had been, so was Doppio, and all that made sense. Now? Doppio just…didn’t understand, and…honestly he was getting a little nervous that he’d said something wrong and was weirding out Arven. 

Retreating a little, Doppio looked to the side and nibbled on his lip, shaking his head a bit. “Um, you’re fine… I, uh…”

With a breath, he looked back with a small nod, hoping…that this wouldn’t be weird too. “Yeah. Like the stuff with poles? I remember having to wait around a little, once, and I saw one of the performers lift someone onto a bar in the ceiling…while they only had their legs wrapped around a pole.” Doppio huffed a little, still astounded by the feat. “...I can’t even do a regular sit-up, and they did it mid-air, lifting a whole damn person, while also supporting all that with just their legs? It was crazy.”

Arven gasped slightly at that, looking properly impressed at the idea. “Wow, really? That’s incredible… Is it really, like, that performative? I’ve always just imagined it’s, ya know… ah, I don’t really know what I imagined. Swaying?” Arven guessed, looking a little sheepish. “While leaning against a pole or something… I saw a picture of the inside of a strip club once, and it just looked like people leaning against poles or swaying next to them. Mind you, everyone was clothed in that picture too, so maybe it wasn’t incredibly accurate.”

“...a few of my friends wanted to sneak into a strip club once.” Arven said, looking away  from Doppio, “They invited me along, and I was going to go. But as I was walking to where we were all supposed to meet up, I stopped to grab a quick bite to eat at a ramen place and just… didn’t leave it. I don’t know why, I just entirely chickened out. Nursed a bowl of ramen for almost two hours before I headed home. My friends made fun of me for weeks. Told me a bunch of stories that sounded totally made up, but since I didn’t go and no one was fessing up, I have no idea if they made it in or not, or if they were just teasing me still. I bet they never even made it inside. No one talked about them being acrobats.”

Gaining a little confidence back as Arven seemed just as astounded, Doppio made a little hum like, ‘See???’ before he hummed thoughtfully. “Um…not every performance I saw used, like, big props like that. Some people were just, uh…dancing, I guess? But even then, it looked like a lot more than just swaying. Real energetic stuff. Kinda what I mean when I compare ‘em to acrobats, working at a strip club seems like a super physically demanding kind of job…and then, ‘cause a lot of them are performers, they have to make it all look effortless, you know? It’s impressive.”

Doppio gave Arven a curious look as he told the story of his friends sneaking into a strip club, smiling a soft, fond grin as his boyfriend admitted to bailing. “Well, nursing a bowl of ramen still sounds like a good night to me. That sounds annoying, though, that your friends made fun of you…especially if it was made up stuff.”

Doppio pouted a bit, unhappy with the idea of…anyone making fun of Arven. “I…guess it could just have been a club with different performances than the ones I’ve seen, but…that’s bullshit if they didn’t even go, and still ribbed you for it. If you didn’t wanna go, then bailing is way cooler than just going along with something ‘cause everyone else is doing it.”

Arven smiled a little at that, pleased to be defended. “Yeah, my friends could be kinda massive tools. I mean, we were all middle schoolers and middle schoolers are the worst, but, well, that doesn’t make them any less jerks. And it was good ramen.”

“Still, it’s a little surprising how calm you are about it.” Arven said, “Though maybe it shouldn’t be? I guess you never really went through a phase where those places were ‘forbidden’. Anything you’re told you’re not allowed to do immediately becomes more… mmm, what’s a word for it… ‘mystique’? Not being allowed into a place adds a mystique to it. And, well…”

Arven paused, considering his words… before pouting a little, “‘s not like I have a ton of experience with that sort of stuff. Everything you and I have done has basically, uh… been my experience. I just wasn’t up to seeing stuff like that, by then. But you, like I was saying, never had a time in your life where you weren’t allowed into places like that. So it was probably less of an ‘event’ for you.”

Doppio tilted his head a little. “I guess… I mean, I didn’t exactly feel thrilled going into a guards’ office for the first time when I got my clothes. Usott Castle is pretty cool, admittedly…but it kinda just feels cool on its own, without, uh, forbidden mystique. At most, I think, it was just kind of…an upside, when I first saw some of the gardens while I was sick, like a, ‘well, I can’t get even more in trouble, and I’m already here’ kind of thing.”

Giving Arven a slightly confused look--that was kind of a weird way to phrase that--Doppio sighed softly. Glancing around again before giving Arven a guilty look. “...honestly…I’m really glad you don’t have a lot of experience with that stuff. I mean, I knew about the foraging stuff you kick butt at before you ever told me you fooled around with that stuff, so I didn’t really have any time to get nervous about it…but the thought did cross my mind. It…was a relief, knowing you probably’ve just done it on your own. …the people you can get it from are…” Doppio wrinkled his nose a bit. “...really weird. If you never meet any of ‘em, I’ll be grateful.”

“Usott Castle? Why would the castle be a forbidden place?” Arven asked, “It’s always been open for the public.”

“....foraging?” Arven asked, suddenly looking a little lost, “Sorry, what does foraging have to do with, you know… wait, get what from? I think we started talking about two different things, I’m talking about us kissing and…” Arven sighed, rolling his eyes, “‘Shenanigans’. What are you talking about?”

“For the public, yeah, but…” Doppio shifted, shrugging a little. “...well…it’s the headquarters for the local Guardforce and government, and the royal family lives there too. Before…all this? Going there would’ve been just asking for trouble.”

Blinking once, twice, Doppio gave Arven a substantially more lost look. “...when did we start talking about shenanigans? We were talking about me seeing strip clubs for work, right?” Glancing around again--he knew it wasn’t the most subtle thing, but Doppio thought he wasn’t being that obvious--Doppio leaned forward. “I was talking about drugs? Why else would I end up at a strip club for work?”

“...oh.” Arven said, blinking, “I forgot you said you went for work. Uh, I thought… wait.”

Arven squinted at Doppio. “...you do know strip clubs are for shenanigans, right?”

Doppio blinked again, before his eyes widened in alarm, a blush ramping up. “...no they aren’t, what?” he demanded of Arven in a hushed whisper. Suddenly Arven’s fluster from before making a whole lot of sense.

…oh.

…oh fuck. 

Suddenly…a lot of things that Doppio thought he’d forgotten made a lot more sense. 

His face going scarlet, his gaze dropped and shoulders raised, a distressed, uncomfortable expression growing on his face. 

Arven’s eye also widened in realization… before he laughed. Putting his mouth behind his hands, his face going red as he laughed, before giving his boyfriend an endlessly fond, amused look. “Dude. Weren’t they naked!? How did you miss it!?”

“Nnnng,” Doppio grumbled, before he gave Arven a hapless look. “People are naked a lot? A-and a lot of the performers weren’t? They had, like, really elaborate costumes! I don’t get art, h-how was I supposed to know?!”

Arven laughed some more, tickled pink the more Doppio grumbled and looked distraught. He couldn’t help it. It was so cute. How had his boyfriend managed to hang out in a strip club and never realize… 

Letting the giggles die down, Arven grinned slightly apologetically at Doppio. “Aceto, you’re the best, did you know that? You are. I cannot believe you didn’t see anything that clued you in. Maybe they’re not as sexual as I’ve always imagined? Or you’re actually kind of oblivious sometimes. Either way, that’s so cute.”

Letting out an amused sigh, Arven said, “Well, I guess I don’t need to wonder if you’ve ever had a lapdance then. I feel like that would have had to have given it away. I was this close to asking you what it was like, and now I’m glad I didn’t just assume. You’d have looked at me like I was crazy. No, I have no desire, by the way, to do the kind of drugs you’d need a whole secret organization to spread around, by the way. I like to get high, not ruin my life. I’d never touch that stuff.”

Doppio pouted a bit, huffily eating some ice cream. …though, he didn’t mind being called ‘the best’... People did all sorts of weird stuff he didn’t understand, why would he be expected to know if something was…y-yanno, sexual by nature? It always just looked like people admiring performance art! And, honestly, some of the employees were more covered up than some of the stuff Boss liked to wear so???

Sighing, Doppio shook his head of it and gave Arven a softer look. “...good. You’re really smart and responsible, but…there’s a lot of dangerous stuff out there. I don’t like thinking about you being put in a position to be around that stuff… It’s not even the drugs, really, like, no one’s shovin’ stuff down someone’s throat, but…” Doppio grimaced. “The people…”

The drugs were just…objects. Sure, he supposed Passione leveraged stuff like addiction and just…people in vulnerable positions, but still, actually taking drugs was a decision a person had to make and enact on their own. 

The people, on the other hand… Doppio never knew what to do. If a hairpin trigger temper meant he had to be quiet or loud, if the consequence was being shouted out, or having to dodge a knife, if going into a secluded location was just business, or…someone trying to go above their station. Or people just being weird, and it had always felt like the most stressful puzzle ever, trying to figure out how to leave those situations, if he couldn’t just walk away…

The people were easily the worst part, and…well, of all the parts of his job, Doppio was glad to be rid of--

“Hkk!” Doppio squeaked, hurriedly holding up the extra menu Arven had brought to the table, putting it in front of his head, blocking the view of the front window. “Chi cerca mal…” (If you go looking for evil…)

“Act normal!” Doppio desperately whispered to Arven. “A-and don’t turn around!”

Arven did not do a great job of not looking over his shoulder immediately. He half turned, before Doppio’s words sunk in, forcing himself to look back at Doppio, body tense as a rush of alarm ran through his body like a siren. 

After a moment, Arven grabbed his fork like that would help. Of all the days to let Chief hang out with Timothy and those friends of his. Chief probably had his nails painted right about now. Arven wished Chief was here… “I don’t know how to act normal,” Arven suddenly whispered, sweating a little. Still staring at Doppio. “What’s happening, Aceto?”

Doppio stared wide-eyed at the menu in front of him, listening. Keeping aware. Every instinct and alarm he’d ever honed in his work blaring at him, readying up for…something. 

…the café door wasn’t opening. 

Sighing softly, Doppio barely peeked around the menu, giving Arven a tense look. “...saw some of my coworkers pass by… Um…ones I’m not on very good terms with. Sorry. I think they were just walking past, um, I think we’re fine.”

Arven squeezed the fork in his hands… before glancing over his shoulder. Looking for… he wasn’t sure who. Shady drug dealer types, he guessed? Whatever that looked like? He imagined sunglasses. Who here was wearing sunglasses… Before he huffed, looking back at Doppio. “We should report them. Get them arrested.”

Doppio gave Arven an alarmed look, paling a little. “Wh-what? Why would… What?”

Blanching more, Doppio shook his head. “I’m not going after them, and I’ll piss off every healer in the country carrying you in the opposite direction to prevent you from doing it either. Those guys…”

Gingerly setting down his menu, Doppio sank down in his seat, shrinking down with a grimace. “No way.”

Arven frowned, squaring his shoulders a little. “Why not? Look at what just seeing them through a window is doing to you. I don’t want you to be afraid just going out to a café. What are they gonna do, attack us?”

Doppio gave Arven a hard look before nodding slightly. 

“...I’m not scared,” he mumbled petulantly. “...it’s just better not to…be noticed.”

“Well, I’m not scared either,” Arven lied. He was a little scared, but he was trying to put on a brave front, clutching his fork again. “Do you like these people? Is there a reason you don’t want to turn them in?”

Doppio hesitated a little, eyes falling to the table. “...I don’t want any reason for them to want revenge. They’re bad enough even being “friendly”...if they actually had a reason to think about me or anyone I care about…”

He huffed, looking to the side, lips tightening. “...but they’re employees too… I-I…what. I’m not going to…dismantle everything for Boss just…’cause I was dumb enough to get caught…”

Arven’s mouth thinned a little at that. “Okay, but aren’t we already waiting for him to be arrested? And you aren’t dumb, why would you call yourself dumb? I just…” Arven sighed, crossing his arms, looking less stern and more concerned now as his eye drifted to the left. “...I don’t know if maybe this is a bigger problem than I’m imagining. But I don’t like the idea of you being in danger, or needing to hide, or being unknowable. I mean… how many coworkers did you have? How big of an issue is this?”

Doppio went quiet, looking down as he scratched his hand. …it would ruin everything if he told anyone that it wasn’t actually Boss that had been arrested. This was Boss’s plan, and…and if Doppio exposed it…he would be putting Boss in danger. It would bring more people in to invade their home, put people into a position to see Boss, actually get him arrested… Doppio couldn’t do that to him. 

(...he told you to die.)

(He didn’t miss you at all.)

(He said you were never supposed to be human.)

He…

Doppio gnawed furiously on his lip, lowering his voice. “...hundreds. Over the whole continent.”

Arven’s eye widened at that… before a nervous energy came over him. Deflating a little as he fussed at their food a little, eating a bite and letting the sweetness settle on his tongue. And when he swallowed, he said, “Oh. That’s bigger than I was imagining.”

“...” Arven ate another bite, “...well. Well…”

“....” Another bite. “....shoot. Okay, well, forget about bringing them down then, I guess.” Arven huffed, leaning back. “But if there’s a way to get you off their radar permanently? I have no idea how that would work, but… ugh! Sorry, I’m frustrated.” Arven sighed, “Hundreds… that’s kinda beyond us, huh.”

Doppio closed his eyes, guilt visibly settling on him. “I’m sorry… I know we just…wanted to have fun together here today… I always put way too much on you.”

And there was more to come. It wasn’t anything Doppio particularly wanted to keep from Arven, and…honestly, the thought of confiding in him was…relieving. Doppio could just keep it to himself, but…it felt big. Too big. Like…hundreds of hidden potential enemies just…waiting for you to slip up. 

The kind of thing that made you want to curl up and hide from the world. 

“...I’m sorry,” Doppio whispered, wilting more.

“I don’t think you really need to apologize for it,” Arven said, brushing his bangs further over his face with his fingers, fitfully playing with his hair, “None of this is your fault, Aceto, you were literally born into it. I just…”

Arven leaned his head back. Looking for his words. “I guess I just wish I could think of a way where none of this is your problem anymore… Maybe we should move. Someday, I mean. Go somewhere where these people aren’t just around. It’s not something we can do immediately, but as a long term solution?”

It wasn’t Doppio’s fault Passione, like…existed. And it was probably more Kaito’s fault than anyone’s that it and Boss were in such a tight spot right now. 

…but it was Doppio’s fault for bringing Arven into all this. 

Sighing softly, Doppio rolled a banana slice around his plate. “...I was made for it to be my problem, though…” Another sigh. “...maybe. Relatively few of my coworkers actually, like…know my face, so…”

Something tightened in Doppio’s chest, an unpleasant, twisting feeling… Glancing up at Arven, Doppio gave him an earnest look. “...is there anything I could do to…help? Not the whole issue, I mean, but… To make you feel better?”

Arven’s nose wrinkled slightly, brow pinching… before he scooted his chair forward. Reaching out and taking Doppio’s hand, staring at him determinedly as he wrapped his hands around Doppio’s. “You know what would make me feel better? You knowing that I do not, even slightly, give a flying… fuck, what you were ‘made for’.”

“I think everyone has an idea of what their kid is gonna be, before they’re even born,” Arven said, squeezing Doppio’s hand, “And I think everyone can take those expectations and shove it, at the end of the day. We’re not made for anything. No one has any right to tell us what our… I don’t know. Destiny. That’s the word I’m looking for. We’re not destined for anything. We were born, or made, and now that it’s done our lives are ours, and screw our parents, their part in it is done. Your life is yours, and it’d… make me feel better if I knew you knew that.”

Doppio didn’t so much startle, as Arven’s movements hadn’t been particularly fast, and his boyfriend holding his hand was far from something to startle at…but his eyes did widen as Arven took his hand, Arven’s determined, steady gaze enrapturing Doppio. Narrowing all his attention just to him. 

So…the words got through. Said so emphatically, with a squeeze of his hand, Doppio couldn’t drift away or blank out, and instead he just…listened. Listened to…a rejection of fate. Not a singular declaration, painting Arven as a champion among beasts…but a rally cry. A bright belief that applied to everyone, giving them all freedom. All…including Doppio. No possible way for him to be an exception, no inhumanness or…status just…slotting him into a role. 

…his life was his…

(Are you trying to tell me no? Is that something you think you can do?)

(...but he had…)

Doppio did startle, but because he found his vision swimming. The burning build-up skipped as his eyes were already filling with tears, threatening to--oop!

“Ah, fuck,” Doppio softly warbled, bringing up his free hand to cover his eyes. “W-well…a-at least I know I wasn’t exaggerating to Mariah, when I said I cried like everyday.”

“Ah, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Arven frowned, looking around before grabbing a napkin, at first just awkwardly holding it towards Doppio, before realizing he didn’t– and couldn’t– see it. Then, trying to be gentle, he reached forward and dabbed at his cheeks a bit. “I just hate hearing you talk badly about yourself. Sorry… You’re crying everyday?”

“Y-you’re fine,” Doppio softly laughed, that tight spot in him now soft and jiggling around like a barely set custard. Threatening to break and splatter with each tremble. “You’re just…b-being too cool, you know? Need some protection to handle it.”

Shuddering a little inside, feeling those soft dabs against his cheeks, Doppio peeked out from behind his arm, giving Arven an embarrassed, though fond look. Sniffling, he finally accepted the napkin and pressed it to his eyes, trying to stem the flood. 

“Mmhmm…” he nodded, taking a shaky breath. “Like…everyday, I’m going into a panic, o-or crying a bunch… I told her that’s what I’d like to get help to stop, through therapy, ‘n…she said it wasn’t a very strong goal, but we’d work with it for now.” Huffing softly, Doppio pressed the napkin more aggressively against his face. “...shit’s just embarrassing…”

Arven pouted a little. “Well, I’d like you to stop crying every day. I didn’t even realize that was happening. Though, I’m assuming maybe you’re just not crying around me… Should I go beat up Prince Kaito? I feel like if someone’s making you cry every day, it’s that guy. I’ll sic Chief on him. The guy’s kind of a coward, I bet Chief could chase him up a tree.”

“But, more seriously,” Arven frowned, squeezing Doppio’s hand again, before letting him go, leaning back a little, “I don’t like the idea that you’re struggling so much. I want to help with that, if I can. Though, that means you have to tell me what you need, because I’m not exactly a mind reader, Aceto. You have to be a little selfish with me. Is that a weird way to put it? Whatever, I’m sticking to that. I need you to be more selfish, so that I can figure out what I can do to help with your goal… Who cares if it’s ‘strong’,” Arven said, rolling his eyes, “It’s yours. We’ll focus and figure that out.”

Wiping up what he hoped were the last of the tears, Doppio gave Arven a wobbly smile. “You’re not wrong…and I think I’d appreciate it,” he giggled softly, “But maybe not today… Did you see that bandage on his neck? He was being all dumb, talking around it, but someone threw hot coffee on him earlier…” Doppio’s smile faded at that, twisting into a mildly frustrated frown. “How messed up is that? Burns are dangerous on their own, but someone could get seriously hurt from that… Plus, like…gross. And what a waste of money and food.”

Really…the more Doppio thought about it, the more frustrated he got. He hoped Kaito wasn’t just talking nothing, and would go report this incident, and talk to his husbands about it…and get himself a damn bodyguard. 

Doppio gave Arven a soft look at the last hand squeeze, before he looked down, starting to flush. …be selfish? Doppio already felt like he was selfish a lot…

Glancing back up, he offered a small smile. “...well… Can I ask that we just…play some games, and enjoy our food? That’s all I really wanted to do today…”

Arven’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that what happened? I’ll be honest, I saw that and immediately thought he needed to cut his fingernails. He’s always scratching his neck, maybe he had just cut himself… oh. Oh. People are doing the food thing to Kaito?”

Arven frowned, conflicted by that. He had heard of people doing things like that to, essentially, bad people. And it wasn’t exactly a practice Arven disagreed with. Some people had it coming, and it wasn’t like throwing garbage at a person hurt them… well, except apparently if that garbage was a burning temperature. But why Kait– oh right. Arven had, literally, actually forgotten about the version of Kaito he had heard about before actually meeting the weirdo. And Kaito was weird… but he really didn’t live up to the brutal, violent war-monger that people talked him up to be sometimes. He could be kind of a dickhead sometimes, and he really did like to throw his weight around too much, but… the guy was kinda extremely sentimental? And half of his weirdness seemed to be a sort of flighty, all over the place energy that made Arven think more that Kaito needed to be distracted by a coloring book, more than him being a brutal war-monger. 

Maybe a few weeks ago Arven would have nodded along, unsurprised, at the idea of ostracizing the foreign invader prince, but now… it felt kinda cruel. And wildly misplaced. 

…Did Arven know anyone who might have done the coffee thing?

As he worried over that thought for a moment, he forcibly put it aside, refocusing on Doppio. Kaito’s family would take care of him, Arven didn’t need to worry about it, it’d get taken care of. Doppio was his focus. And with that in mind… “We can do that, yeah. Though, don’t think crying in front of me means I’m just gonna let you win– oh!”

The counter worker placed down a small plateful of freshly made beignets, freshly covered in powder and still warm to the touch. She didn’t say anything, just gave them both a smile and a nod, before heading back to the counters. Arven watched her go, before laughing a little quietly, grinning to Doppio. “Looks like you getting emotional got us some free treats~ Wanna see how many other places we can get to give us free stuff if you put on the waterworks?”

Doppio gave Arven a concerned nod. He’d…sort of heard of the practice, though it all…seemed a bit silly, to Doppio. But he’d…he had also “grown up” in the sort of crowd that, if they had a problem with someone, usually made it known through knocked out teeth or missing fingers. In comparison, throwing food at someone you took some dumb moral offense to seemed…like throwing a childish tantrum. 

All the more reason for Kaito to get some help, against assholes. 

Though it was exactly what Arven said, Doppio smiled softly as he agreed to just…get on with their cool hangout, and he smirked a little, not wanting Arven to just hand him a wi--

Doppio blinked at the plate of pastries, before he flushed fiercely, covering his face in embarrassment. “...oh fuck, we’re in public… oh no, that’s so embarrassing…bedda matri…cazzo…”

…fuck, they smelled amazing…

Arven laughed again, though there was something a little sympathetic in it as he looked at Doppio, his expression easing somehow. In a way, Doppio’s embarrassment was reassuring. It meant his boyfriend wasn’t entirely depressed, Arven thought. Still cared about himself enough to want to keep up some appearances.

But! “It’s fine, people cry in public all the time. It’s normal, no one’s gonna think any worse of you for it. Here, I think they’re still warm?” Arven guessed based on the smell, before grabbing a beignet and, lighting up, popping one in his mouth. “...Aceto. Try that, that’s amazing. Here,” Arven grinned, taking his fork and stabbing into one, pointing towards Doppio, “Try this. It’s so good.”

Sighing--sure, Doppio wouldn’t think poorly of some stranger crying in public, but it was embarrassing--Doppio slowly uncovered his red face and leaned forward, taking the beignet off of Arven’s fork…

"Martedì darmi fuoco…” Doppio groaned, eyes fluttering a little as he ate the donut. It was almost too hot to comfortably eat, but instead was just a persistent warmth as the crackling outside gave way to an impossibly pillow-soft interior, sweet and just a little perfectly chewy…

Doppio savored the whole thing as he chewed, before giving Arven a sheepish look. “...I dunno if I’d be up for going on a cafe-hop to see how many people will take pity on me…but those are really good.”

Arven flushed a little bit, seeing Doppio take a bite off his fork. He wasn’t sure why? Weird. But it was very cute, especially seeing how happy it made Doppio right after. Putting his fork down, Arven grinned adoringly at him. “It’s a small consolation prize, anyway. And it was very nice of her to do. But, alright! We’ve got warm pastries to energize us, a belly full of tea! It’s time to battle! …tic-tac-toe style! I call x’s!”

-

Four days… Four days until the start of Atua’s Week, and the start of Mid-Fall, and the week notice of Kaito’s birthday… The shine was…pretty much ready. The architecture had been long done, and Kokichi’s orders for all the furniture and decorative bits had come in, he’d even spent a full afternoon recently just unpacking and arranging the giant cushions he’d ordered. Some big and plush enough to pray on, or just lounge on during discussion o-or maybe a reading from The Good Book, and some smaller, to hold or to provide more pointed support, and just…to bring a little more cozy warmth to the shrine. Though Kaito’s comments about things looking “cheap” had been constantly ringing in Kokichi’s head, as he’d been decorating the shrine over the past month or so. Hopefully the beaded and embroidered designs he’d gotten for the cushions were beautiful enough…

Pudiciam had just happened. At first, Kokichi had felt bad, not having the shrine done for the major holiday…before he remembered that Pudiciam was a ‘cleaning’ holiday. Giving thanks for the year before, and…symbolically, really, it would’ve been better for Kaito (and Waku and Nadya, Kokichi had heard) to observe it in his closet shrine. But for Atua’s Week? It’d be ready. And Kaito would never have to observe his religion in a small, shunted away place again. 

Just…the final touches to go…

Kokichi was spread out on the floor of their room, playing…well, he called it Empath Catch, with Miyako, who was curled up by his side. It was like…imagining a ball of light--simply because it tickled Kokichi, and Miyako seemed to like the different colors he, and likely she, encouraged it to change--and…”tossing” it into his daughter’s mind. The first few times he’d done it, it was just to entertain Miyako, and so he’d made it spin and drift around her mind…and he had been astounded the first time she’d “sent” it back. Not with any feeling of displeasure or boredom, though…no, Kokichi had only felt what he could describe as…an excitement for someone else to see something cool too. 

It was one of his favorite games with Miya, for many reasons. 

…and it was easy to do when he was tired, and didn’t want to dash her hopes when he wasn’t as enthusiastic dancing with her.

Kaito approached the door, and then stood outside of it. Squeezing his hands, and then letting them go, squeezing, letting them go… before finally breaking and just starting to wring his hands a little, cracking and popping the joints, feeling increasingly anxious. 

… Kokichi might be… mad.

……. Kaito had said he was going to tell him to Doppio. If he didn’t now, Doppio was going to use that as an excuse for the next time he and Arven were keeping secrets about stuff. And, uh, the burn was hard to hide anyway. It wasn’t a bad burn. It’d go away on its own in a few days. But it was… there. And a liquid burn on the back of your neck was tough to explain away. 

………. It’d be fine. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be, though. Because, well, the big thing was that, well, the really important thing that Kaito was mostly nervous (terrified) for his husbands to find out is that Miyako had been there once and Kaito hadn’t fucking done anything, had just crawled to Waku like a fucking worthless pushover–

It was fine. They’d understand. And if they didn’t, they had a right to be angry. Kaito had messed up.

Okay. Let’s do this.

Kaito gave a small warning knock, before using his key to get in. Sing-songing gently, “Is everyone awwaaaake~? Dad’s home.”

“Miyaaaaa~” Kokichi sang in a similar tone, smiling softly, though he just barely tipped his head back to see the door. “Mi-Mi, look who it is~? It’s Dad, your favorite person~ Oh, is…that Arven’s bag, hun? You see the boys off on their date?”

Taking a deep breath, Kokichi considered getting up off the floor. Went through the steps in his head, rolling onto his side and supporting Miyako, picking her up and kneeling, rising up one leg at a time…

Whining softly, Kokichi stretched a hand up in the air. “Joooooooin us! You’re my favorite person tooooooo.”

Kaito grinned, shrugging Arven’s backpack off and putting it down by the door. “I did, though I let the boys go to the cafe from the school on their own. See! I am not a tyrant! I can be reasonable! …also now I know Arven’s reading schedule for the next three months so ha. Time to make sure he actually has all the books he’s supposed to be studying from.”

“Well, no, time to hang out with my lovely floor family,” Kaito corrected himself, pulling off his shoes and putting them aside as well, before going to lay on his stomach next to Kokichi and Miyako, rolling onto his side a bit before reaching around them to give little pats. Pat pat, on Miyako’s little tushy, while she wiggled excitedly, and pat pat, on Kokichi’s side, before leaning forward to give him a kiss. “And I’m your favorite, huh? I’ll try to keep that in mind next time you’re all cute and cuddly and kissy with Shuichi while I’m left in the cold, only able to look on and watch while I’m laboring over painting my figurines. You two were torture yesterday, you should know. Too cute.”

“Our Miya giving you any trouble today?” Kaito asked, looking at them both adoringly. Shuichi was at school, so it had been mostly Kokichi on his own today with Miyako. Little babies could be a lot of work, as he asked, “You looked wiped. She keep you busy?”

Kokichi gave Kaito a soft look. He actually didn’t think it was that unreasonable for Kaito to walk with the teens wherever they were going, as much as he did want them to still have the freedom to just…be young teens. He knew a lot of parents were comfortable with letting their kids explore around the city--though he also knew a lot of families had talks about certain places that were okay--quite young, around Tim’s age, and…Kokichi was happy for that! Usott had never felt like a dangerous place to him, sheltered as he was. 

…but Arven and Doppio were in danger… Even with “Boss” in custody, they couldn’t just assume no one else from Doppio’s work would try and take some sort of retaliation out on him. Until the case was settled…it would be wise to keep an extra eye on the boys. And…likely, whoever ended up adopting him would have to contend with extra precautions as well. 

Cheering, Kokichi grinned at the pats and, graciously, pressed up into the kiss, reaching over to…hm. That was new. Kokichi eyed the bandage on Kaito’s neck for a moment before leaning in for another peck. “That’s the real truth, though--you and Shuu-chan are my favorite person. It’s a deadlocked tie, I’m afraid. And we did invite you,” Kokichi raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. “You were just in the middle of something. That, like, uh… knight figurine with the mace turned out super cool, by the way. Ah~ My artistic love flexing his skills~”

Giggling softly, Kokichi looked down at Miyako and gently petted her back. “Not too much, actually. I think she was tired out from your run this morning, so she was snoozing for most of it--probably better for Nadya and me not getting distracted, just wanting to play with her all morning,” Kokichi laughed, though he tilted his head to the side. “...there was something a little weird, though. Around lunch? I think I was picking up on some, maybe…super subtle vibes from her. Miss Mi-Mi didn’t even have a chance to scrunch up her face before I was SuperDaddy to the rescue! And…other than that disaster averted, we’ve had a pretty calm day.”

…other than consulting his daughter at every moment, as he finished up the shrine, but…

Again, Kokichi’s eyes fell onto the bandage. “...what about you? Not too stressful, getting Doppio to his first appointment? …did…you knick yourself or something? I’m glad you got it looked at…”

“Nah, the therapy appointment drop-off and pickup went alright. Doppio looked exhausted though, poor kid,” Kaito said, grabbing Miyako’s leg and giving her little kisses against her leg. “Miyaaaa~ was Daddy SuperDaddy today? Of course he was, he’s SuperDaddy every day. Able to notice when Mi-mi needs him. Our good Kokichi.”

Okay… yeah, alright, it was time.

Kaito gently touched the back of his neck, before smiling warmly at Kokichi. Then, just wanting to do something semi-self comforting, he leaned forward to place little kisses against Kokichi’s shoulder blade. One, two, a third lingering one… “...this may upset you a little bit,” Kaito warned him, peeking up from his bangs, giving Kokichi a mildly sheepish grin, “But I’m fine, just so we’re clear. Seiko looked at it, it’s a small burn, I’ve got ointment to put on it, it’ll clear up in a few days. It barely hurt. I was honestly more surprised than anything.”

Another little kiss, this time on Kokichi’s shoulder. “So… someone snatched my coffee and threw it at me. I don’t know who. I didn’t see them.”

Ah, therapy would do that… Other than the safety concerns, Kokichi was glad on another level that someone was there to walk Doppio home after his appointment. The teen hadn’t really gotten any more comfortable with him, and Kokichi did try not to intrude too much, but…well, even having just known him for about a week, now… 

It was a little funny, actually. With all the comparisons they had been making between Doppio and Kaito. The kid just…felt so strongly. Like raw emotions just flaring up like a firework in the pitch black night… Considering the heightened emotions therapy tended to bring up…Kokichi was glad someone was there to get him back safely. 

…he was glad Kaito got back safely too. 

Giving his husband a mildly wary look as he started to explain, Kokichi nodded. A small burn… Well, good that Seiko saw it, Kokichi could trust that it, and Kaito, would be alright. But…for how Kaito got it…

Kokichi’s eyes widened, his lips thinning as a stern fury started to tighten his jaw…before he glanced over at Miyako. And with a soft, yet deep breath, he relaxed his tension. 

“...did you report it? I know you did that anonymous tip off before, but if there’s another incident, you should report this one too.” Another breath, though Kokichi gave his husband a strained, worried look, reaching out to gently card his fingers through the side of Kaito’s hair. “...people are still doing it? You said it wasn’t big… Kai-chan, if someone took your coffee, then… Hun, this is escalating.”

“Yeah, I know it is,” Kaito murmured, placing another little kiss at the tip of Kokichi’s shoulder. He knew what he was doing a little, though he knew it wasn’t necessary. He just wanted to soothe a little, little kisses to hopefully make up for the bad news and rough feelings. “And I haven’t reported it yet, but I’m going to. Uh… I may not do it anonymously this time. How do you feel about that? Just cause it is starting to be a little…”

Kaito paused, trying to find the right word, before trying, “Pointed? I kind of hoped that people would get bored with it over time, but you’re right, the last few times have been getting more… pointed. Aggressive, maybe is what I’m trying to say, um… yeah. So I might need to be more specific that they’re throwing things at me, rather than just in general.”

Good… Kaito wasn’t going to try to…grin and bare it, or just…

Something tight and angry went through Kokichi’s face, before he relaxed himself again and kissed Kaito’s cheek. “I’d be happy, if you did a personal report. You were injured, Kai-chan. You saw a healer. This is beyond just…plausible accidents, or some jerk taking a childish potshot. This is targeted, and harmful, and it’s putting you in danger.”

The tightness returned, though it was marked by a sad downturn of Kokichi’s eyes. Kokichi turning slightly to press his head against Kaito’s shoulder. “...this is your home…you shouldn’t be in danger, just taking a walk. You shouldn’t have to worry about your safety here…”

Peeking up at Kaito, Kokichi gave him a worried look. “...the Guardforce might ask if it’s alright for someone to shadow you, some day. I think…that’s something you should consider agreeing to.”

Kaito paused a bit at that, hesitating… before humming a bit. Few more kisses. “Um… actually? Doppio saw the burn while I was walking him to Arven’s school, and he asked me a question that kinda cut through… though, I’ll admit, I’m saying this not entirely sold on it yet.” Kaito huffed, adjusting himself to rest his head against his fist, propping himself up against the floor and ignoring the ache in his neck. “...Doppio asked me why I don’t have a bodyguard. Which, like… hmmm.”

Kaito hummed uncomfortably, closing his eyes a bit, before shrugging, opening his eyes again. “...it’s kind of an uncomfy thought, huh. Were you this awkward feeling when we were thinking about getting you a bodyguard?”

…why did Kaito…not have a bodyguard…

Kokichi paused, face open with surprise for a moment, before he looked down at Miyako’s gurgling, his expression softening as he rubbed her back gently. “...why the heck has it taken over a year for us to consider that?”

Sighing, Kokichi thunked his head back against the ground. “That’s even… When we got the notice about Shuu-chan and Maki-chan coming along with you, they were listed as ‘escorts’...basically bodyguards. That was such a normal thing to see, no one thought anything of it…other than the general ideas of takeover we were nervous about.”

Tilting his head, Kokichi gave Kaito a soft look at his hums. “...kinda. There was a part of me that was just…mad. On the whole, Dicea’s a safe place to live, and…I’m an adult, I didn’t need a babysitter following me everywhere I went. I should be able to just go to the market on my own, if I wanted, and not have to tell anyone…”

“...but, yanno, you were there for those conversations,” Kokichi shrugged with a small smile. “I am an adult, and Dicea is a pretty safe place to be, and I should be able to decide my own schedule…but even in the safest place, I’m a person that people would specifically seek out. That, if someone was going to do something violent, I would be a target just by recognizability. And even for the kind of accidents that everyone has exposure to? …well, I have the means. And added to the specific dangers of my life, and my responsibilities to others, lowering my chances of those accidents, or making sure I’d have aid right next to me is just…smart. To the point of being insultingly unwise, if I went without it.”

“...should we look into getting you a bodyguard?”

Kaito laughed, nodding. “Yeah, I can understand you being mad. For me it was just such a no-brainer, not just because of all the things you mentioned, but just because, you know…” Kaito grinned, gaze openly adoring, as he brushed his thumb against the edge of Kokichi’s hairline, admiring him, “You’re so important to me. It made me feel so much better, when Maki took on the task officially, of looking out for you. And now Nazumi does a great job, and it really does keep me from worrying, when you go out, knowing Nazumi was there. You’re precious to me. You deserve every little bit of care and protection that I can convince you to take on.”

“.......gah. Kokichi, am I gonna look like a paranoid weirdo, though, taking on a bodyguard? What, to keep people from throwing food at me?” Kaito frowned, reaching to pat Miyako’s booty again, while Miya drooled slightly against Kokichi’s chest. “Isn’t that kind of… weak? And before you try to compare you getting one to me getting one, you were kidnapped. Along with all of that other stuff. People are just throwing coffee at me, it’s not the same thing.”

“........it might reflect badly on Dicea, ‘Kichi,” Kaito said softly, “It might not be worth it.”

Smiling softly, Kokichi pressed into Kaito’s hand…before sighing. Giving Kaito a long look. 

“...so what if it’s weak?” he said after a moment. “Which…personally, I don’t think it is, but…do weak people not deserve to feel safe? To have help? That seems backwards to me… If a person is being hurt and threatened, they should receive help and protection, not be blamed for what’s being done to them.”

“It’s not just people throwing stuff at you,” Kokichi frowned, reaching out to squeeze Kaito’s bicep. “There’s nothing ‘just’ about that. That’s not acceptable behavior. And you were injured--that’s more than enough reason to take action, let alone the fact that even something that wouldn’t injure you is still…an act of hate. Of ostracization and cruelty that’s not acceptable to show to anyone.”

Shuffling closer, cuddling Miyako to his chest, Kokichi closed the space between him and Kaito, leaving mere inches for his words between them. “...but especially you. You’re precious to me…and you deserve care and protection,” he grinned a little, borrowing Kaito’s words. “...what’s reflecting worse on Dicea, to Diceans themselves, would be allowing hate and violence to fester. Showing that their leader is too cowardly to say anything when someone is being hurt, for some vague idea of…political advantage.”

“...Diceans choose their leader. If I make a stance to protect someone I love, and make a stance against harassing people outside of the law, and my people choose that that’s not the country they want?” Something grim and certain hardened in Kokichi’s eyes. “...then that’s not a country I want. People can be better than that, and I expect that from them. If I can’t find it here, I’ll find it somewhere else.”

Kaito’s eyes widened slightly, alarmed… before he looked down. Face flushing a little, his neck burning up, as he tried to hide his little smile against his arm, looking honestly almost shy. 

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Just hiding the lower part of his face against his arm, peeking up at Kokichi every few moments, before looking back down again. His skin burning hot… before he chuckled into his arms, and the next time he glanced up his eyes were swimming a little. “Daddy’s very good to Dad, Miya. We’re very lucky. Geez… you really have no idea, still, what you do to me, huh babe?” Kaito laughed, leaning back into Kokichi’s space and planting a small kiss on him, before laughing against his lips. “Damn, a literal chill ran through my spine. God, you’re sexy…”

“Alright. It’s not gonna get to the point where my ‘Kichi and his Dicea are squabbling over how to treat me, I won’t let it. I vowed to not make it hard for you to be an Ouma, after all. But,” Kaito grinned, stealing another kiss, “I will get myself a bodyguard, and there will be no more food incidents. Honestly, that’ll make me feel loads better too. I do get nervous sometimes when I go out with the kids. That’s the only time where it really, like, makes me anxious, thinking it might happen around them. So it’ll be reassuring to have someone around to help with that.”

“...I’m not asking Maki,” Kaito decided, “Honestly, I just don’t want her to feel responsible for keeping us all safe again. She’s finally starting to relax, have you noticed? She spends time with her girlfriend, she looks after Timothy, and she goes off into the city to do… who the heck knows. Shuichi probably knows. But she spends time in the dojo and just… she feels relaxed, you know? I don’t want to ruin that.”

He laid down next to Kokichi, wrapping his arm around Kokichi’s waist, staring at nothing in particular. “........you think Shuichi will veto it if I pick someone hot?”

“You deserve good things,” Kokichi said simply, kissing Kaito back, rubbing his arm. “I only do my best to ensure they happen.”

And…well, it was a little easier to declare something like that when Kokichi knew Dicea much more intimately than he had as an anxious, imposter-syndrome-having teen. In some lives, he had set out for sunnier, friendlier shores. In some lives, he’d made a stance and had been rejected…only to find kinder times the next life around. In some lives, he’d made a stance…and things had changed. 

The Ouma wasn’t always right, but when paired with a vigor for the future, wisdom did have some good things to say, and…that was what Dicea was about. 

“Me too,” Kokichi hummed softly. “Not so much about the food throwing, ‘cause I hadn’t been thinking as much about that, but… I trust you, when you’re out with the kids. I know they’ll be safe with you… But I think I’d feel better knowing you all had another person in addition to you that’s there to help, if anything happens. Like…a person to stay and help, and one to go run for help, you know? Safety in community.”

And while it was just Maki’s personality to be vigilant for danger in front of her… Kokichi nodded in agreement. “I really appreciate all she did for me, while she was my bodyguard…but Maki-chan’s focusing on her life right now. It wouldn’t be fair to her to ask to drop so much.”

…but as for who could be Kaito’s bodyguard?

Kokichi snorted, looking down to snuggle Miyako a little more, as she started to nod off in his arms. “Depends on the hotness level, I think. If you start getting flustered, it might be out--if you’re gonna be spending a good amount of time around them, I think Shuu-chan would feel jealous if they’d be running through your thoughts.”

“I’d be respectful about it,” Kaito pouted, putting his arm under his head and scooting in closer to Kokichi, pressing up against his side, “...well, as respectful I ever am, when people are running through my mind. Oh, god, has Shuichi told you yet? About my magazines?” Kaito snickered. “He was soooooo mad… I knew he’d be mad. I kinda love it. I can be a real jerk sometimes. It’s kinda nice sometimes, Shuichi fussing at me and over me and feeling possessive. Or, protective, maybe.”

“...I’m lucky. To have so many people who consider me a priority,” Kaito said softly, “Incredibly lucky. I love you, Kokichi.”

“But, alright. Ya know what I’ll do? I’ll ask Maki and Shuichi to look into who out there might be a good candidate for a protection gig. If Shuichi’s a part of the picking process, then it’s not my fault if they’re hot. Which is good, since most people are hot anyway… Not as sexy as my good husband who’d stand strong against his country in my defense,” Kaito said, face flushing again. He didn’t expect Kokichi would ever have to, of course, and would do his best to ensure it never came to that… but it was still sexy as all fuck (and one of the most reassuring things he had ever heard in his life). “But then, that’s an impossible standard to meet anyway. You set the bar waaaay too high, ‘Kichi.”

Joining in on Kaito’s snicker, Kokichi playfully booped his nose against Kaito’s. “He did~ Honestly, he made me a little curious; an old nudie mag that could get our Shuu-chan riled up like that? Must be at least one good cutie in there.” He snickered a little more. “Maybe that waiter at the vineyard had a grandpa that was an illustration model--Shuu-chan has a good eye for those things. Similar aesthetics~”

Nodding his approval--not that Kaito needed it--with the idea of asking Maki and Shuuichi to help with the employee search, Kokichi let out a small hum. “Oh, I can show you the contract template I have with Nazumi, and we could work out any changes you’d want for your situation. It makes it easier to negotiate a job if you know exactly what you’d want from someone you’re hiring.”

…and while he didn’t think he would, Kokichi would feel a little better knowing exactly what official boundaries Kaito would make for the job. No handshake deals for his husband. 

Grinning, Kokichi pressed his lips to Kaito’s. “I gotta, when everything I want for my Kai-chan is even higher. Shoot for the stars, for my astral brilliance.”

Kaito’s body warmed, and once again he was struck by how fortunate he was. Had he ever really dared hope that his love life would end up like this? Shuichi had been a daydream Kaito had given up on years ago. Maki nearby, their relationship changed but not lost. And Kokichi… he was everything Kaito had ever secretly burned for. And while it still made him twitch a little, he knew a lot of it was a selfish, self-centered desire to… be special to someone. Important. Maybe even sometimes, when he was letting himself daydream, the most important. Though maybe at the same level of most importance as Kokichi’s other husband and his child, children, someday. Maybe, sometimes, as important as an entire country.

(and maybe, sometimes, a little more)

It was selfish, and Kaito didn’t always emotionally trust it. But he genuinely, hopelessly loved how Kokichi let him believe it. It made Kaito feel safe. It made the anxiety go away, wondering when the next big mistake was coming. Because Kaito could make mistakes, and Kokichi would still care about him. Love him. Openly and without punishment.

If Kaito was made for Kokichi? He couldn’t hold it against Atua. Atua had given him to a genuinely good person. One who loved him with all of him.

“So lucky,” Kaito murmured again, lightly rubbing Miyako’s back, as she snuffled against her daddy, “We’re so lucky, Miya. Your daddy’s a good man. Atua be pleased.”

“Atua be pleased,” Kokichi hummed, booping his nose against Kaito again as he cradled Miyako. “And Kai-chan be pleased too.”

-

For as stressful as it had momentarily gotten, Doppio and Arven had easily spent a few hours at the cafe, taking their time eating and drinking and playing a bunch of games as they chatted together. Doppio…hadn’t managed to win any, but he still wasn’t put out much, as they started walking back to the castle, hand in hand. 

He could almost call it a perfect day. 

…almost. 

They got Arven’s backpack back from Kaito, Doppio giving the prince a stinkeye, if he hadn’t talked to his husbands about his burn, and returned to their room to…well, whatever they wanted for the rest of the afternoon into evening, Doppio supposed, but…

Cross-legged on the bed, Chief’s head in his lap, Doppio gave Arven a nervous look. Trying to judge his boyfriend’s mood, as he looked through his school things.

“I don’t know what he’s thinking, of course I have all my reading material… or, enough of them.” Arven sighed, squinting at the list Kaito had written for him, pulling out his books and cross-referencing them. “...oh, I guess this isn’t the right version? Well, that’s probably okay, though I bet you anything he’s going to insist we have to go get the ‘right’ version. Did you ask them to cover the bill for the food? I know you don’t need it, but if we’re gonna have ‘guardians’ anyway, they may as well pay for stuff.”

Chief’s tail thumped happily, if lazily. His nails were indeed painted. They were a bright orange, and little attempts at suns and flowers were on there as well. 

“I think, if it’s like, editions of things, it’s just that the page numbers might be different,” Doppio hummed, scratching behind Chief’s ears. It was very cute, what the younger kids did. He wondered if it was on purpose, that they made it so the orange against Chief’s black fur were kinda like Harvest colors. “I think you should be fine…”

Making an indistinct sound, Doppio looked to the side, turning a little pink. “I, uh…didn’t ask… But Prince Kokichi pressed a gold into my hand while Kaito was grilling you. He wouldn’t take it back, so… I guess, yeah, they paid.”

Teeth worried at a torn lip, Doppio staring blankly at the ground. “...my savings are still at my house. …Kaito…tried to talk to me about going to get the rest of my stuff, soon.”

“Oh?” Arven said, still looking through his books, frowning. Okay there was maybe… like, one or two missing books. Hmmm… could he have possibly left them at the house? “Do you want me to go with you for that? I don’t mind, we could go after school sometime this week.”

Doppio felt an ice cold shock of terror run down his spine at that, and while he had brought up his house with the intention of…explaining things, Doppio could only make a small, frightened sound before…

“Angelo-got-hurt-and-I-did-something-and-I-hurt-her-and-Mariah-and-they-said-it-was-okay-but-it-wasn’t-and-I-ran-away-back-to-my-house-and-Boss-was-there-they-arrested-someone-else-and-Boss-didn’t-miss-me-and-he-said-I-had-to-die-and-Kaito-was-there-and-Boss-had-a-knife-and-I-rewound-everything!”

Arven paused, looking up at Doppio as he spoke rapidly, all in one breath, his olive skin whitening a little until he took a breath. Arven was glad to see Doppio take a breath. It’d be bad if he did the stop breathing thing…

“...what?” Arven asked, before fixating on one particular part, “Amaina’s hurt?”

Then, looking around, he called out, “Hey, little angel! Come here, are you okay!?”

Amaina yaaaaaawned, crawling out of the top of Doppio’s shirt, hanging against the collar of the shirt. Whaaaaaaaat? Shush little senpai, I’m napping. 

“Are you injured? Doppio said you had an accident–”

OoO the weirdo said he hurt me clean out your ears senpai

O.O

OoO but I dunno I guess he rewound the SUN to fix it so it’s all chill 

Arven sighed, nodding… before the rest of that registered. “Wait, what happened today? Your boss stabbed Kaito with a knife!?”

Doppio made a little sound as he suddenly felt Amaina on his chest, going to cup his hands under her as she made the wide collar start to slip down his arms…in feeling, anyway. And…and she was okay. Nothing had happened, actually, so…she was okay. No jittering or…her flumping down… No full-sized girls in her place…

Flinching a little, Doppio shook his head, giving Arven a stressed look. “No, he just…h-had a knife in case… I-I distracted Kaito, to make sure he wouldn’t go near Boss… But everything was just…” Doppio squinted, shame drawing his face. “...I-I fucked things up so badly… A-and so…I passed out, when I brought it back, and…I kept passing out until Angioletto shared power with me…’n the peeling feeling was so bad I couldn’t touch anything.”

Arven put down his books, standing up and heading over to the bed. Sitting down next to Doppio with a bit of a flop, the mattress shifting beneath them. Before, with a sigh, flopping his arm around Doppio’s shoulder, and pulling him into a side hug, resting his head against Doppio’s. 

“...Okay, so. Some sort of accident happened with Amaina. Then you… went to your house? And your boss was there. And Kaito followed you, because of course he did. And a knife got involved. So you… did your time stuff. And it gave you the peeling feeling. And Amaina gave you some power to stabilize you a little.”

“...did I miss anything?” Arven asked. 

Doppio closed his eyes, focusing on the hug and press against him. …it was over…but it wasn’t like consequences didn’t exist. And he didn’t…

Doppio grimaced, paling a bit. “...I think I…gave Amaina the ability to turn Dr. Mariah into an adult.”

O.O

OoO ! 

OOO I AM A GOOOOOOD–ooph

“Hush, angel,” Arven scolded, poking her head a little, pushing her back down Doppio’s shirt. “You are not.”

As Amaina pulled herself back up the shirt, sticking out her tongue at Arven, Arven peered at Doppio. “...I sort of thought Dr. Mariah was already an adult, but I’m assuming you mean, uh, she was physically taller and stuff? That’s something… how?”

Doppio gave Arven a stressed nod. “She looked like she was in her 30s. She…” A wince went across Doppio’s face. “...she passed out… Even when her r-receptionist woke her up, she couldn’t get up…”

Legs trapped in Comfy Dog Prison, Doppio could only hunch his shoulders to curl into himself. “...I-I don’t know… I don’t know what I did… It didn’t feel like anything, until I threw up… I-I think Mariah said something like…’the upper limits of my abilities’ but…I don’t know…”

“Okay,” Arven said, closing his eyes, “...you have time stuff. Maybe that actually makes sense? You pushed her body forward through time. Through Amaina, somehow. But honestly maybe it shouldn’t be that surprising that you can do something like that. We’ve already accepted you can make flowers grow and, I mean… like Amaina said. The sun went backwards. The idea that you can age individual things makes perfect sense, in that logic.”

Did it? Doppio still…wasn’t really sure what he’d done. At least with the other stuff there were feelings he recognized… But maybe that was just…something he hadn’t noticed, at the time. 

Maybe feeling like he got punched in the chest was the feeling for…aging an individual thing. 

…

“...she said that…it’d granted a wish,” Doppio said softly, mulling the foggy fragments of the Time That Wasn’t over in his head. “And…and you guys do still get a sense that something happened… She looked sad, in this time…”

Arven frowned… before wrapping his other arm around Doppio. Holding him tighter. “You can’t think that’s your fault. Aceto, if you literally changed someone by accident, then I think the most responsible thing you could have done was reverse it. If that was her ‘wish’? Maybe it’s something she can get on purpose, someday. But you’re not responsible for… You shouldn’t feel bad about getting everything back to normal. It’s not your fault if there’s some regrets.”

“That’s what I think, anyway.”

Doppio relaxed a little in Arven’s arms, his breath stuttering a bit, but just from the total sense of security he felt. The world not feeling as big. And yet…not small either. Just…something handleable. 

“...it’s a little dumb if I stress out over stuff that never happened, huh?” Doppio asked softly, gently bringing his arms around Arven too. “It’s just gonna turn me into a crazy person if…if I’m trying to juggle two different realities.”

…maybe he’d still ask Dr. Mariah about it, though, his next session. Which…

“...oh, shoot,” Doppio whispered, tucking his head against Arven’s neck. “...she gave me homework… I have no idea what it was. I…think there was something about it I wanted to ask you about? But…”

OoO Ya gotta go hang out with your FELLOW DIRTY, STICKY-HAND CHILDREN

OuO it’ll be fun we can go flex on the normies

“Hey now, I’m a normie, Amaina,” Arven scolded lightly, “And so is Doppio… mostly. Except for the magic stuff. Otherwise he’s just a guy. A great guy, but a guy.”

OoO you’re an idiot baby senpai you are BOTH freaks you went and defeated DEATH with heeeeerbs you weird witch

Arven blinked at that. Witch? … before deciding to ignore her, looking to Doppio. “Homework?”

…hang out with…children. Fellow children. …be around peers. She hadn’t just told him to make friends, had she? Shoot… Ugh, he hated this… Dumb memory issues. 

Huffing a little at Amaina, Doppio then smiled softly at Arven and, with a small warning of, “I’m gonna kiss you,” he…did just that, softly kissing Arven’s cheek. “...you did defeat death, and that’s pretty spectacular.”

Then, he sighed, nodding. “She said she calls it homework, but…therapists can’t actually require their patients do anything. It’s just, like…advice she’s strongly advocating for, that I should try out before the next appointment…if I want. She said…um…”

Doppio looked to the side, squinting as he tried to scavenge the scraps of his memory. “...something…about it helping a lot of my anxiety? I think? Um… I don’t… It was… Shoot.” Removing one hand from around Arven, Doppio pinched the bridge of his nose. For the first time in front of his boyfriend, really straining to remember something. 

Arven waited. 

At some point, he started running his fingers lightly through Doppio’s hair, smoothing out some of the edges. Then he leaned his head against him, nuzzling him a little. Listening to Doppio huff and murmur to himself. Waiting.

After a bit, he offered, “It was something you had to ask my help with, right? You said that first.”

(...it was a little weird.)

(On his own, Doppio knew it was kind of hopeless, if he knew he’d forgotten something. And if he was with Boss…)

(...he’d usually have been long dismissed. Told again what it was he was missing, or told it didn’t matter. Told not to bother straining himself. Because…they both knew it was hopeless…)

(...why had Boss made something with half a brain in the first place?)

…but it was nice, feeling the small pets and nuzzles. Made him feel like he could almost…

Doppio sighed. “...yeah. And…if Amaina said it had to do with other people our age… Maybe…it had something to do with your school?” Doppio pinched his nose a little harder. “...but probably not trying to get me enrolled since…that’s a little much for an optional therapy thing, and I don’t really wanna go anyway…”

Doppio squinted, giving Arven an unsure look. “...is there…optional stuff at your school?”

“Like the events and clubs and stuff?” Arven guessed, nodding against Doppio’s shoulder, “Sure, all sorts. Oh, and that’s open to teenagers who don’t go to the school, so… maybe that? I’m supposed to show you some events with other teenagers?”

Events with…other teenagers…

(...rip the bandaid off…)

Releasing his grip on his nose, Doppio blinked at Arven for a moment before lighting up, a hesitant, yet hopeful look on his face. “...I think that was it. Y-yeah! Going to a, like, non sign-up event…thing!”

There was a brief moment of pride in Doppio’s face before he gave Arven a sheepish look. “Ah, so, uh…have…you heard about any interesting events going on? And…would you go to one with me?”

Arven lit up. Heck yeah, they had figured it out. Though, events… hmmm…

“I know through one of my classmates that there’s a sort of dance competition going on, at the end of the week? That’s an event. Or, for a club, maybe… I mean, there’s a lot, but the only one I know who’s meeting this week specifically is the chess club. Do you play chess?”

Doppio snorted, shifting slightly--with an apologetic pat to Chief--to get more comfortable against Arven. “...you just won…what was it, 30 games off me today? And chess is one of the big strategy games… I guess I wouldn’t mind playing, but I’d probably be an annoying opponent, just from how bad I am…”

“...I don’t really know anything about dance either, though,” Doppio softly frowned, starting to get an inkling about a…possible issue with him trying to “get out there” through events. “...how do you compete in dance? Is…it like a specific routine that people are trying to perform most faithfully?”

“Honestly?” Arven said, “I have no idea. I’ve never been to one before. It’d be a first time thing for both of us.”

OoO one by one the pairs do small dances to music and the chaaarming smiler says to the crowd ‘thiiiiiiis one?’ And then Amaina flew outside of Doppio’s shirt, turning into several Amaina, all cheering and shouting, before the center Amaina pointed to another random Amaina, or thiiiiiis one, followed by all the Amaina losing their mind applauding, jumping up and down and throwing flowers at the other Amaina, a pair of white panties flying through the air and landing on that Amaina’s head. She winss!!!!!

“Oh,” Arven said, blinking a bit at all the dancing, cheering Amaina, “...well, that could be fun? Sounds lively, anyway. And we wouldn’t have to dance ourselves, we could just be some of the cheerers. I suppose we could go buy some fresh panties to throw.”

OoO DO NOT ACTUALLY DO THAT the school will take issue

Watching Amaina’s demonstration, Doppio couldn’t help but laugh softly, just…the energy infectious, even in its barest form. Just…watching small performances, and giving a popular exclamation? That sounded…

“Seems like it could get pretty loud…but that could be exciting,” Doppio chuckled softly. “They can get a little overwhelming, but…I always liked watching festival celebrations, when I could. If the ranking doesn’t have to be any more nuanced than a shout? Could be fun.”

Though, uh… Cheeks turning pink, Doppio gave Arven a shy, surprised look. “...have…you bought panties before?”

Arven laughed, “No, of course not. I was just making a joke.”

…….. Arven’s eyes suddenly widened. His ears burning red. “Why? Are you… w-were you hoping I… uh…”

OoO Ooooookay, this is where I bounce you two have fun be SCANDALOUS it’s gonna be a beautiful week! 

Amaina disappeared… and then suddenly reappeared. Hugging Doppio’s face.

-_- I’m not mad about anything that happened in the other timeline

OoO I’m okay and you’d never hurt me on purpose

O.O

OOO Not like you even COULD scrub I am literally P O W E R I’m sure I was fine don’t @ me alright byyyyyeeeeeee

And she disappeared.

Doppio’s eyes widened in alarm. …was he hoping? Hoping for what?! That…that Arven bought panties before?! W-why would he hope for something like that, he knew Arven hadn’t had any girlfriends before, o-or other people who’d wear panties so… A-and it wasn’t like Arven would…buy…them for…hims…

Turning bright red, it was…a little hard to process Amaina’s forgiveness, though Doppio still felt that soft bit in his heart… He brought up a hand to hug her back, and then…

…

Burning scarlet, Doppio looked down at the bed with wide eyes. “...I wasn’t… Um… I mean… It’s just…underwear…”

“Well, s-sure, I mean… sure,” Arven said awkwardly, fussing with his bangs, “...it’s not weird if that’s something you’ve thought about. I’m just surprised! Have you… bought panties? Before? For any reason?”

…was it?

Playing a bit with Chief’s ears, Doppio’s blush…well, remained, but for a different reason. “...a-almost. Um… When I… Well. I guess the first time I went clothing shopping…I didn’t really know what to do. I was looking at a panty display before someone at the store asked if I needed help, and…” Doppio squinted, his embarrassment fading a little as he really took a look at the memory, with new context. “...maybe they were trying to ask if I was trans or something? I’m not sure… But I did find out that, uh…that kind of underwear would be kind of uncomfortable. So I bought briefs instead.”

Doppio tilted his head a little. “...Boss always sent me out with like…detailed descriptions, or ad clippings, after that, when I needed to buy clothes.” Huffing softly, Doppio puffed his cheeks a little. “...I did figure it out eventually. I think my clothes are fine…”

Arven nodded, listening. Makes sense, makes sense, makes… “D-did you have to try it on to know it was uncomfy!?” Arven suddenly said a tad too loudly. Before covering his face, blushing, and then flopping backwards. “Ahhhhhhhhh maybe don’t answer that, I don’t need to know that. Why do I want to know that?”

Arven kept his face covered, laid back… before he rubbed his hands roughly over it, before slapping his cheeks a little. Flushing a bit, before sitting up again. Huffing, “Okay, okay, I am good. I do not care that you’ve tried on panties before. I am not imagining it. Everything is… good.”

“...sorry,” Arven suddenly laughed, looking embarrassed, “I have no idea what that was.”

The deflating sense of annoyance was shot out the window as flustered embarrassment took its rightful spot once more. Blush ramping up again, Doppio just looked at Arven with wide eyes…before sputtering, “I-I didn’t say anything! If I t-tried on panties or not!”

…there were some that had cute designs, though. Doppio thought the solid color of his briefs were just fine, and…well, no one was going to be seeing his underwear anyway, so there wasn’t much reason to get any with cool designs…

…but sometimes it didn’t matter if you were seen…

Sometimes it was just…

Doppio swallowed, looking a little nervous…and continually flushed. “...can I kiss you?”

“After that? If you d-don’t think I’m too weird… yeah?” Arven laughed, still looking embarrassed, but now pushing his hair back behind his ear, making his face more easily kissable. “Are we kissing now? I mean… I suppose Amaina did run off.”

He leaned forward, but waited, letting Doppio fill the space himself, smiling lightly. “...our hangout was a lot of fun, by the way. If that’s us just hanging out? Our first date’s gonna be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

“You aren’t weird. It was just…” Doppio made an indistinct noise before shrugging. And, well…he always wanted to kiss Arven. He was a very kissable guy. And though they were side by side…Doppio just felt the need to be closer. Even after all that. 

Gently, he filled the space Arven left, pressing his lips to his boyfriend’s…before laughing softly. A sweet, happy little sound. “I had a really good time. I’m, uh…” Doppio glanced down, lips giving a sort of nervous wobble. “...I talked in therapy about how I felt a little…nervous and rushed, just…having someone say we were on a date? But planning out a real date with you… It’ll be a lot of fun. I always have fun with you, but…yeah.”

Again, he pecked Arven, leaning into that comforting sage scent…

Arven kissed back, that warm scent of sunlight like a small fire coming off Doppio’s skin. Arven was a little addicted to that scent. He was starting to associate it with comfort. With fun. With– “Ah! Chief!”

Chief, perhaps understanding the ‘vibe’, sat up and with great abandon, started licking the boys’ faces. He got a few good slobbery licks in before Arven managed to push him off. “No, down boy! Down! You old jerk, no kisses while we’re kissing! Go lay down!”

Chief panted beneath Arven’s pushing palm, looking entirely pleased with himself. It was a good day for licking. 

“PPPpbbbbbbbbpt-pfffhahaha!” Doppio sputtered and laughed, wiping his face, both grossed out and…okay with it. At least in the moment. How could he ever be mad at Chief, after all? “Okay, okay, buddy! You’re feeling left out, I get it!”

Snickering, Doppio flopped his body sideways, reaching over into Chief’s ruff and giving him the good scratchies. “What, did Kaito pay you off with some goodies, old guy? Told ya to keep shenanigans on the downlow? You’re supposed to be on our side, Chief!”

Chief was on the side of treats and the good scratches, and Chief’s side was winning the war. Panting happily, tail thumping, as Doppio spoiled him with affection.

Arven wiped his face off, before pouting a little, a little jealous of Chief. Darn. Way to steal his boyfriend, traitor. Though, now that Arven thought about it, “Let me put together his food, actually. Then when he's distracted with a good meal, we can get full shenanigans time.”

Getting up, Arven went to open up his ‘Chief’ drawer, pulling out some of the jars of dog food he had prepped a few days back, before going to grab Chief’s cleaned out dog bowl. Chief ignored Arven, content with good scratches, right up until he heard the familiar pop of the glass jar, looking up curiously at Arven before excitedly wiggling off Doppio’s lap. Trotting over to his bowl, excited for food. Food, and then hopefully, treats… and then maybe more scratches. And then a nap.

Chief was living his best life.

“Alright, alright, there you go,” Arven grinned, letting Chief get to it, before heading back to Doppio. “...we should go wipe our faces off real quick.” Arven laughed.

“Ah, it is about that time, huh,” Doppio hummed, just as content in Dog Pat Town as he ever was. “We did stay out for a while… Do you think you wanna get dinner in the dining hall tonight? I still have enough in groceries to whip something up, I think, but I’m still like…stomach-marveling over all the stuff we ate earlier. Gosh…I really can’t believe honey-brick toast lives up to the hype, that was incredible.”

Giving Chief one last pat as he left for food, Doppio got up with a stretch, before sweating a little, giving Arven a small, sheepish smile. “...I’m gonna do a full wash. …and take off my sweater.” Heading to the bathroom, he wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, it was so gross earlier… I totally just spat up water on myself. I’m glad I have plenty of sweaters to choose from, but I’d really prefer not having to change, like, three times in a day. It’s…”

(Do you just enjoy being filthy, Doppio? I let you out of my sight for a mere moment and you lose all sense of personal decency?)

An insecure look immediately shadowed Doppio’s face. “...maybe I should just take a shower…and change everything…”

“Oh no, did you?” Arven laughed, leaning forward to hug Doppio real quick, before letting him go so he could take his desired shower. “That’s alright, that happens to anyone. I almost choked on water once? It just went down the wrong pipe, but you’d have thought I was dying for how much I rasped at it. There I was drowning on a literal sip of water. Would have been a weird way to go, if nothing else.”

“And you can if you want to,” Arven said, going to sit back down again, “I might take a shower after you're done, so that when we go to bed tonight I’m not dirtier than you. We can be equal levels of squeaky clean for cuddling.”

“Oh, that’s always the worst,” Doppio huffed in a soft laugh, enjoying and returning the brief hug. “For as much as it’s like…an actual danger? It seems so mundane…and it’s always the worst thing ever.”

It would only occur to Doppio later, that as someone who had had so much water go down the wrong pipe that he had to get his chest pumped, he perhaps wasn’t the best person to talk lightly of such a thing. 

…Doppio’s shoulders relaxed, an odd sort of tension in him relaxing as he just…looked at Arven for a moment. Absolutely adoring. 

“...can’t say that isn’t tempting. I’ll be quick. And…” Flushing lightly, Doppio offered up a grin. “...I’ll leave my hair down to air-dry…if you want.”

Arven considered this idea quietly… before turning beet red, but otherwise nodding very seriously. “Yes, I think I’d be amenable to that, yes.”

Before he laughed again. Waving Doppio off as he covered his face with his other hand. “Stop flustering me, why are you so good at that? Sheesh. Breaking news, I think I’m attracted to my boyfriend… phoo.”

Snickering, Doppio collected his change of clothes and gave Arven a wink. “It’s fair play, heartbreaker.”

The laughs followed him into the bathroom.

-

Doppio didn’t really think he’d be left to his own devices, after he’d been put in the system. Even if it wasn’t Kaito’s overbearing nosiness, or Prince Kokichi trying to catch him or Arven at least once a day, asking if they were alright or needed anything, Doppio knew that…there was a lot going on for him, legally. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when he’d returned to the castle after dropping Arven and Chief off at school to find that he’d been requested for a meeting. 

It didn’t really keep the apprehension at bay, though, and neither did the cup of hot chocolate in his hands, nor the tray of cookies on the coffee table in front of him. The parlor he’d found himself in was incredibly similar to the one he’d talked with Dr. Mariah in the first time, and, well, it was comfortable, he didn’t have any complaints about the decor…

…but Doppio had a feeling what the agents across from him wanted to talk about, and this was going to be…difficult. 

Peach Shnaps smiled pleasantly at Doppio, while beside her, her partner Aurange Juce looked at the small cup of hot cocoa in his hands like he was trying to mentally will it to become something else. Perhaps coffee. Preferably alcohol. The day had just started, but it had already been a long one for them both, an unexpected case getting them both up at nearly three in the morning, and their day having not slown down since then. Peach, for her part, seemed entirely fine, with the exception of small wrinkles around her eyes that could be passed off as her age starting to show.  Aurange looked wrecked, but that wasn’t too unusual for him either. He was usually what could be generously described as ‘scruffy’ anyway.

“Now, Aceto–”

“Doppio,” Aurange corrected with a small sigh, resigning himself to the ever grim reality that he only had warm sugar to push him through this conversation. 

“Ah, right, my apologies. Doppio, we do come with what we acknowledge to be perhaps not the most welcome news to you,” Peach said, still smiling, but sympathy lining that otherwise pleasant expression, her tone gentle as she said, “As you are aware, we are making a case against Mr. Ginocchio, alleging against him charges of child-abuse and potential abduction.”

“Unlawful imprisonment,” Aurange added in.

“Ah, yes, unlawful imprisonment,” Peach nodded, “As well as a few… broader things we are looking into.”

“Hiring a hitman’s a new one for me, as far as Child Protective Services go,” Aurange muttered, sipping at his worthless warm sugar.

“Mmm. Well, as of two days ago, an arrest has officially been made. Mr. Ginocchio has been taken in under the custody of the Usott city guard, and is currently in holding as the city puts together its initial trial, arguing that Mr. Ginocchio is a security and flight risk. If the trial charges go through, he will be kept in holding throughout the following trials for the charges as we have discussed.”

“If,” Aurange said pointedly, “It can be tough to convince folks of flight risk even for our more gruesome cases. There’s always a chance they’ll decide he can be placed on house arrest. Or, worse, city arrest. Which is one of the things we want to talk to you about, for that worst case scenario…”

“Doppio, have you ever heard of a restraining order?” Peach asked.

Unlawful imprisonment… 

(Boss hadn’t kidnapped him, though. But…Doppio couldn’t argue that.)

(...in a sense, it was almost…lucky he had discovered that they hadn’t actually arrested Boss. It would be mortifying, trying to explain how he was connected to some rando.)

Nodding as Peach explained the arrest, Doppio frowned slightly at the…flight risk stuff…before he frowned more. “...you want me to consent to a restraining order against him.”

…should? He agree? Doppio didn’t really care about being legally separated from some random person, but…would…they expect him to put up more resistance? Considering how much he hadn’t wanted the charges against Boss in the first place… Would that be too obvious that he was hiding something? Hiding that they got the wrong person? H-how would they even guess that, though, if someone confessed then there was no reason to think they were wrong?!

Gnawing on his lip, Doppio seemed to be visibly fretting…before he glanced up at the agents. “...Kaito told me that he confessed to stuff, when he got arrested. …what…did he confess to?”

“The physical assault,” Aurange said, placing down his warm sugar, and reaching for a hard sugar– Peach’s cookies– in the vague hope something solid in his stomach might wake him up more, “The drowning, especially, though he seemed ready to agree with any other bit of physical assault we suggested. Seemed confused about the kidnapping charge though.”

“Aurange,” Peach frowned, “Consider your words.”

“What? Just because he wasn’t ready to recognize taking an amnesiac kid from his home to be ‘gainfully employed’ as a personal housekeeper as abduction, doesn’t make it legal. Couldn’t provide any documentation, couldn’t provide any familial references. Couldn't even hazard a guess at how old you are. Like it hadn’t occurred to him to think about it till the guardsman asked.”

Peach smiled thinly. “Doppio, a restraining order will ensure, no matter how this case ends up going, that Mr. Ginocchio can cause you no harm, nor intimidate or implore you in any way in the future. And while I have full faith in the Usott legal system to handle this case responsibly, it’d be in your best interest to ensure that regardless of Mr. Ginocchio’s fate, your life personally can be no further disrupted by him. A restraining order would give you full legal protections from him.”

…Doppio…felt a bit bad. The person they arrested had likely been told just to agree with any charges they brought up and get the trial done as quickly and painlessly as possible. Which…would probably make the trial a little difficult, balancing the severity of the crimes, with the accused’s willingness to cooperate and, well…become a cohesive part of society again. The other option had…likely been death. 

…but…on the other hand…it was likely some way out of the gang life. If it was someone who had served faithfully, and wanted a way out? This…could’ve been an opportunity! Sure, they had to be willing to sacrifice some time and…accept the record under a new identity, but…they would likely be completely separated from Passione afterwards. 

Was it actually an opportunity from Boss?

(...he wants it done quickly, saving himself, and then for you to die…)

Doppio blinked a few times, tuning back into what the agents were saying. “...but I don’t want legal protections from him.” …was that enough? …he was kinda flat, er…maybe they’d just think he was depressed or something?

Peach and Aurange glanced at each other, looking more or less unsurprised. This was always the tricky part, really. Kids very often didn’t want to be permanently separated from their abusers, it was a painfully common mentality among childhood abuse victims. And they couldn’t force a restraining order on him… “T’t,” Peach clicked her tongue at the top of her mouth, tsking, as she noticed a shadow breaking the light at the bottom of the door. “Aurange. Could you…”

Aurange followed her gaze, before sighing. Getting up and going to the door, hearing a scramble on the other side as he turned the knob and opened it. “...Prince Kaito, we did tell you that we had things under control, from here.”

Kaito, standing at the other side of the hall now, grinned like he hadn’t been caught with his ear to the door, holding up a tray with a pot and some mugs on it. “I brought coffee!”

Aurange’s eyes narrowed. “...you can pass it to me and go.”

“Sure, sure, everything okay in there? Just, you know, I know you’re having the restraining order talk today and– hey Doppio! Everything going alright in there?” Kaito called over Aurange’s shoulder as the man took the tray from him, waving from outside the door. “I can come in, if you want!”

Doppio huffed, equally as unsurprised to see Kaito snooping, as he sipped from his hot chocolate. He had accepted Kaito’s answer why he wasn’t there for the initial interview, but…well, he supposed that now his meetings were supposed to be less emotionally charged, Kaito had no damn problem butting in…

A twitch going through his eyebrow, Doppio glowered at the door. “...you know, I had people bringing up the possibility of me getting a restraining order against you, Kaito. Go away, this isn’t your business.”

…Kaito would definitely notice any lack of passion Doppio had in trying to defend the arrested person. And…Doppio wasn’t so convinced the prince would delude himself into thinking Doppio had just started listening to them. 

…Doppio’s eyes widened slightly. People didn’t remember the…Time That Wasn’t. But they did still carry over feelings, and even guesses about…immediate things, possibly. Kaito didn’t know that Boss had been there, but…would he have remembered that Doppio went to his house?

…no, he’d already brought up getting Doppio’s things, and…and that was probably all the deja vu from that bit of information…right? …Kaito didn’t know. It was fine. It was fine.

Eyes unfocused from the rest of the people there, Doppio was starting to sweat a bit.

“Ha ha, he kids, he kids,” Kaito insisted sheepishly, as both the CPS agents suddenly looked at Kaito curiously at that. “No one needs to restrain me! I am fully restrained myself! One hundred percent self-restraint! Okay but seriously Doppio can be really hard-headed sometimes and he needs this restraining order if you could just let me talk to him I’m sure I could–”

Aurange closed the door in Kaito’s face– even before Doppio, Kaito had started developing a reputation among Usott’s social services circle, with his absolute refusal to keep out of Addason’s adoption case, and his insistence to be able to sit in on the case readings for the Luminary batch of children they had had not that long ago. The man’s entire lack of faith in the system was a real hassle, to the people actually working it– before heading back to Peach and Doppio with coffee. On the other side of the door, Kaito called out, “Okay, well, I’m nearby if anyone needs me, I could go get food or water or maybe reiterate that change is a good thing and– oh, hi Kirumi. No, I’m not hassling anyone, I’m just shouting through a door, what’s…”

Whatever was happening outside, it went quiet, Kaito apparently being led away. Aurange poured himself a cup of coffee and sighed as he took a sip. Mmmmm… “What’s the problem with the restraining order, Doppio?” Aurange asked, “You know, arguably it’s in Mr. Ginocchio’s best interest too. Being persecuted for violating a restraining order is bad, but if he were to assault you again? After all of this? That’s some severe antisocial behavior. Someone could suggest isolation is the next logical step, after a repeating pattern of assault. Why not spare the man the temptation from further ruining his rehabilitation to society?”

Focusing in again, Doppio glanced up, scowling. “I can’t make Boss do anything. He’s not…predisposed to whimsical acts of violence. He’s meticulous…he sets a goal and plans the perfect steps to achieve it, and nothing sways him. He--” Not the real Boss, idiot!

Doppio glanced back down. “...I can’t go back to living with him, after this, so…what even are the chances of seeing each other again? A-and if he’s decided not to…as-assault me, he won’t. It’s just more of a bother, going through with a restraining order…a-and it feels needless to…like, get him in trouble for going to the market, just if I happen to be there too.”

…that sounded reasonable, right? Not exactly like he was scrounging for all sorts of reasons to avoid placing an order, but…a type of defense all the same. And it didn’t sound like Doppio was…trying to see the guy, to trying to ‘go back to Boss’...he was pretty sure.

…how many times had Kaito told him that they couldn’t actually stop him from going back? Doppio knew where Boss was. All the hiding spots in the house. He could make sure he wasn’t followed this time too, and…well, he could bring groceries, and cook a bunch of stuff, a-and do laundry, even if he’d failed once, and clean all that stuff in the bathroom--

(Aceto, he told you to die.)

(...he didn’t want to die…)

(but Boss…)

Doppio blinked. And everything was dark.

Peach hummed. The man they had picked up didn’t… seem like the type to meticulously plan anything. If anything, Mr. Ginocchio seemed like a grouch who’d honestly just prefer to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible. He talked as little as possible, but was expressive to the point of communication, and mostly he just seemed… fed up. Fed up with questions, fed up with being told what his future looked like, fed up with the whole process.

He had never once asked how Doppio was doing. 

He had never asked anything about Doppio at all.

Peach wondered what sort of relationship this had to be, for Doppio to defend and praise a man so entirely uninterested in him– or anything, it seemed– with so much rage and passion. 

It didn’t quite add up… but Peach put that aside, for now. The restraining order more important than the inconsistencies. “If it’s unlikely you’ll ever see him again anyway, then there is still no real harm in taking on the restraining order. And people do not get arrested for just happening to be in the market at the same time as you. They get arrested from approaching you, interfering in your daily activities, harassing and pushing themselves into your spaces. A restraining order isn’t a magical forcefield around a person: it’s a legal insurance that literally any approach is immediately counted as harassment. No legal gray lines or ambiguous definitions. If he approaches you, you have an immediate legal case against him.”

Aurange sighed around his coffee. “Also, Doppio… if this guy isn’t ‘predisposed to whimsical acts of violence’, then I’m all ears to hearing how his drowning of you was part of some larger plan he had meticulously laid out. If this is all some small step to some greater, all encompassing plot, well, he’s doing an excellent job of making it appear to be just a massive oversight coming back to bite hi–”

“Aurange,” Peach said.

“What? It’s important to start knocking holes in this bigger than life image of him he has–”

“No, I mean, look,” Peach said.

Aurange frowned, really looking at Doppio now. “...Doppio. You still with us?”

…uh oh. 

…last time he remembered walking home. A long, more grueling walk than usual, ‘cause he’d been…freaked out and… Well, it was a little…inaccurate to say that it actually happened because…it didn’t. That time never happened. But Doppio knew it wasn’t just something he’d made up in his head…

…did that…matter? O-or was that substantially different when he was the only one who remembered? 

O-okay, but he was definitely just…hallucinating right now, right?

Doppio blinked, the sun streaming through the windows illuminating the whole parlor. Welcoming, bright…the agents just talking about restraining orders… Still didn’t really matter, but, maybe “learning” about them would be enough to “change his mind” and get one--

‘Did you think you could leave? You won’t be getting any pay for this.’

Doppio froze, looking around blindly, just…familiar cabinets around him. The island, where…

Knifeblock above. 

Don’t take the knife.

“...Arven?” Doppio hesitantly asked out into the darkness, voice nothing more than a frightened whisper. His heart pounding in his chest. 

(ACETO, HE WANTS YOU DEAD!)

Aurange frowned, glancing at Peach to see if she had heard it too– she nodded– before saying, “Maybe we should all take a break. Let you have a moment, Doppio. You haven’t had, uh, any of the cookies, they’re quite–”

“I don’t think he can hear you,” Peach said, “Perhaps we can simply wait it out… Doppio? Do you need us to get someone for you?”

…Arven wasn’t there. So that meant…

…b-but Arven was at school, wasn’t he? Of course he wouldn’t be there, so that didn’t necessarily mean… But Arven was at school before, and…and Doppio didn’t want to sabotage even more of his education, Arven was so brilliant a-and he didn’t necessarily need school to succeed, but Doppio knew he would. Arven would do amazing, incredible things, because he already had, and…and Doppio didn’t want to bring him down…

…but he had really been home, right?

So…

‘Must you always be so ungainly?’

Doppio flinched, blinking into light, and…

…w-why were they staring at him? Why…

(bring your arms up, defend your head, he was reaching for your throat, don’t let him)

Even if it was a dumb move--in a fight, in a crowd, being too noticeable--Doppio brought his arms up defensively in front of himself, hunching behind them and scrunching his eyes shut. 

“I don’t wanna die even if it’ll fix everything I don’t want to!” he whispered, speaking that forbidden refusal. 

…he’d do anything for Boss. …he thought, at least. 

Peach frowned, before looking to Aurange. “Perhaps we should call in a therapist–”

“KIRUMI!” a voice called outside the door, “CALL FOR DR. MARIAH, TELL HER KAITO’S CALLING IN AN EMERGENCY SESSION FOR DOPPIO! … WHO CARES WHY I’M AT THE DOOR AGAIN!? YELL AT ME LATER!”

Then there was a knock at the door. Aurange groaned into his hand while Peach called out, “It’s unlocked, Prince Kaito.”

“Okay, hey, it’s me again, I just happened to overhear that and he actually already has a therapist and she’s going to be here as soon as she can and I’m coming in now, okay??” Kaito insisted, hurrying inside, eyes fixated on Doppio in concern as he headed over, “Also, I couldn’t accidentally overhear what he said, Doppio, kid, what’s going on?”

“Kaito, it might not be wise to touch him or approach him…” Peach’s voice trailed off, as Kaito didn’t do that. Instead, he got to the front of the couch Doppio was sitting on and then stopped, squatting down so that he was sitting against his ankles, resting his elbows on his knees as he peered up at Doppio.

“Kid, what’s going on? No one’s gonna hit you, I’m not gonna let them,” Kaito said, eyeing his defensive arms, before asking, “Where are we?”

Hit? Fuck, Doppio would take getting hit a thousand times over this! Just him and Boss, taking care of business…no one else. Just the life he’d been…

(It doesn’t matter what you were made for, your life is your own.)

But Doppio didn’t know what to do with his life. He didn’t have any hobbies and he barely had any interests and he was dumb as a rock and only ever did what other people told him to. He’d never had any friends because he didn’t care about anyone but Boss and everyone thought he was a total spaz and weirdo that - that was just some mouthpiece for Boss and all the kids at Arven’s school were going to think he was weird and he wouldn’t get along with any of them because he couldn’t care about anything but--

Doppio blinked, sucking in an unsteady breath as sweat dripped off his face…only to see Kaito’s face between his elbows. …and it didn’t matter whether it was dark or light, because…

“You can’t be here!” Doppio stammered, voice still hushed, though not quite in a whisper now, as he glanced around. “You’ll ruin everything, l-like you do everything, h-he can’t see you!”

Doppio blinked, before shakily bolting upright, a stroke of genius coming to him. Just…do what he did before. Still glancing around, Doppio reached out to take Kaito’s arm…and missed by a mile, toppling over instead. “Don’t, don’t don’t don’t…”

Kaito reached out and grabbed Doppio, and when Doppio thrashed, pulled him into his arms, tucking his head between Kaito’s shoulder blades as he curled his body around him, bordering Doppio with his legs. 

“Ah, Prince Kaito, it would appear that Doppio may be having an episode–”

“No fucking kidding,” Kaito murmured, holding Doppio tight.

“--and it would be wise to let him go and give him some space,” Peach finished. 

“Sure, absolutely,” Kaito said, “You two should go find someone to convince me to let him go.”

Peach frowned. “I’m sorry–?”

“Get out,” Kaito suddenly growled, shooting her a genuinely frustrated look, “He doesn’t like being stared at. Go.”

Peach bristled up, ready to argue with him… but Aurange tapped her shoulder. Pointing down to Doppio, pulling her attention to what Kaito was actually doing. Blocking Doppio’s face and body with his shoulders and legs, his hand on the back of Doppio’s head to tuck his face against him. Hiding him.

At the very least, it meant Kaito was sincere in the idea, and wasn’t just trying to get rid of them. And, frankly, the man knew Doppio better than they did… Peach huffed, “We’re stepping outside for a moment. You have until his therapist arrives or I lose faith in your ability to handle this.”

Kaito barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her, just watching the two of them leave. Yeah, yeah, he was being pushy and unreasonable, whatever. What else was new. His gut was telling him this was the next step and he was following it.

And when the door closed with a click, Kaito whispered to Doppio, “There’s no one here to see us, Doppio… No one’s here. It’s just us.”

“Stop!” Doppio thrashed against the arms that started pulling him in, and when he blinked, it wasn’t a dark, familiar kitchen, or the castle parlor, it was…raining. It was wet, and he could feel his clothes soaked and heavy against his body, walls on either side of him. There were still people in front of him, but…Doppio knew what to do to these ones. As he heard the clicks of switchblades opening, people starting to approach…

“Nnngrah!” Doppio lashed out, trying to get away from the body in front of him, though he blinked again and…it was just dark. Like, dark, dark. Pressure all around him…

…a hand on his neck…

“NO!” As hard as he could, Doppio rammed his elbow into the mass in front of him, trying to pull himself back. “I’M NOT DYING FOR YOU!”

Full-body flinching, Doppio cried out, “I don’t care what I was made for, you can shove it and hide out in the chimney for the rest of your fucking miserable life!”

Oooph, oh fuck, that was a good shot to his side, oooooooow. “Th-thats– kaugh!-- That’s fine! That’s– ow, shit, ooooh your elbows are bony– good! I’m not asking you to do that! I’m just asking you to– G-AH!”

Kaito felt his teeth suddenly hit together. Doppio in his thrashing– and it really was more thrashing than fighting, he seemed a little too confused to be coordinated– hitting up against Kaito’s lower jaw in just the right way, skidding around its edge and—

Kaito whited out. Falling backwards with a thump. Entirely KO’d.

As soon as that pressure let up around him, Doppio’s panic tripled and he pulled himself back, scrambling up to his legs and…and…

Leave, leave, you can’t lead them back to… Wait, no, you’re trying to stop… Um… They were looking and you…

Doppio barely got a few feet away before he sank to his knees, clutching his head with a whine, shaking in the rain. 

He hated this he hated this he hated waking up in alleys alone he hated being alone why did Boss make him like this? Why did Boss hate him? Doppio tried…he tried so hard to be someone to be proud of… His work was incredible, when he could put it together… Why was the rain getting louder, ow, ow, ow, why was his head… 

Pull yourself together!

Battling the onslaught of a migraine, and trying to breathe through the sudden downpour, Doppio fought to stand back up.

After a moment, Kaito heard a ringing in his ears, and his eyes fluttered open, staring at the entirely unfamiliar ceiling. His jaw hurt. Ah, shit, someone had knicked the glass… “Ngh.” Kaito groaned, forcing his heavy body to sit up, blearily looking around. What was he… ah, right. Doppio.

Kaito tiredly watched Doppio try to stand back up. He kept stumbling, thumping down onto a knee, then trying again. Kaito warily rubbed his cheek for a moment, before muttering, “Damn, kid, you got me good. Alright, alright…”

Uncertainly shuffling forward, his jaw still giving him little warning throbs, Kaito got closer to Doppio. His brain still swirling a little as he stared at him, almost a little incomprehensibly. Getting hit in his glass jaw tended to scramble him a little. Blinking a bit at Doppio’s mumbling to himself, Kaito said, “Kid, I have no idea where you are. Can I just be there too? It’s Kaito. Can you just let me in wherever you are? Please?”

O.O

Doppio tumbled onto his side, startled by a voice and he looked over, eyes wide…before he paled, flinching as light assaulted his brain. Oh fuck oh fuck he was gonna throw up…

“Why’s it raining inside…?” Doppio mumbled, before letting out a soft whine. “You can’t be here… He’ll kill you if you get close; I tried! I tried to fix things… B-but he said I’d have to die, o-or kill myself in front of someone to fix things a-and I won’t! I promised Arven I wasn’t gonna kill anyone!”

Wiping haphazardly at his--sweat-soaked--face, Doppio tried to push himself up from the brick-tile ground, trying not to let the rain slip him up. “I gotta…go… I dunno… Only ever made to do what he said… I don’t know what to do…”

“Raining…” Kaito murmured, looking around, “...okay.”

Scooting closer, Kaito said, “Doppio, if you sit still, just for a little bit? I’ll make something for the rain and somewhere we can hide, okay? I just need you to sit and close your eyes and trust me for a little bit. Give me a chance, kid. You can time me.” Kaito said in a sudden flash of inspiration, “Give me…  thirty seconds. Count to thirty. Can you give me a chance to try for thirty seconds?”

Doppio flinched, now feeling grass under his hands, much slicker than the ground of an alley and causing him to skid a bit. “We can’t hide! We tried! And he found us anyway… He wants me dead! He wants me to die…” A sob caught in Doppio’s throat, as he ducked his head. “He didn’t miss me at all… He looked at me like I was an idiot for ever thinking I was a person…”

Thirty seconds? A lot could happen in thirty seconds. Even that long still sent his skin snapping…

“Kaito, don’t,” Doppio pled. “If you go, you’ll die…”

Kaito’s shoulders dropped a little. Okay… “Alright then, I won’t,” Kaito said, scooting a little closer. “...but I’m not planning to go anywhere. I’m gonna make a structure around us, alright? To border us a bit. Twenty seconds. I only need twenty seconds to do it. Fifteen will break my back,” Kaito laughed, the sound a little strained, “But I can’t even go far in twenty seconds anyway, right? Give me twenty?”

Twenty was still…dangerous. But…if Kaito was gonna stay by Doppio, then…

Doppio nodded a bit, sucking in a breath as he wiped at his face again. “...one…t-two… Three… Ffff…four…”

…it smelled like coffee. Not blood or…rain or…just an ambient nothing. It smelled like coffee, and something sweet. 

“...five…six…” Doppio breathed, bringing up his arms to, more gently, hold his head, his voice lowering as the volume just made his headache worse. “...seven…eight…”

…why were his hands stinging? Not like…the snapping kind of stinging, but…like a rug burn. “Nine…ten…”

Kaito smiled lightly, before getting up with a groan. Okay, let’s move, Momota.

Kaito quickly headed to the windows, closing the curtains. He had noticed Doppio wincing at the light, so, away those go. Then he hurried and snapped the room light off. Boom, that’s done.

Then, moving quickly, he pulled the cushions off the other couch, hurrying over with them. It took his eyes two of Doppio’s counted seconds to adjust, but Kaito quickly stacked the three large cushions around Doppio, propping them against each other, before going back for the couch itself. Dragging it across the floor, he tilted it on its side on the open side of Doppio’s walls, before going back and grabbing two more cushions from where Doppio had been sitting. Plopping one on top, and then crawling inside, pulling the other back as a sort of ‘door’ behind him.

“...okay, I am not as small as I was the last time I did this,” Kaito realized, scrunched up, his shoulder blades pressing against the ‘ceiling’ of the couch. The low, low level of light coming in from the curtains turning Kaito’s vision into silver silhouettes as his eyes struggled to adjust. “But I absolutely beat my record for how quickly I can set up a pillow fort. You gotta give me credit for that. Maybe just don’t… sneeze. Or anything,” Kaito said. Trying to lighten his tone, grinning in the darkness. 

(Hoping, blatantly, to pull Doppio back by doing something laughable.)

“...nineteen…twenty…twenty-one…t…” Doppio blinked. Dark…cozy. Quiet…small… Not pressing in on him, but… “...only twenty…”

…ugh, why was he wet? Like…completely soaked through, Doppio could feel it everywhere… That gross, stickiness of sweat… Ugh, he probably reeked…

…ow. 

“...Kaito?” Doppio whispered softly. “...where are we?”

“My super-duper cool fort,” Kaito said, allowing himself to sound just a tad tired. Alright, good… “In a study on the first floor of the castle. Usott. Still pretty early in the day. We dropped off Arven at school, then we came back, and CPS wanted to talk to you. I bullied my way in when you got lost in your head. And then we made a cool fort. You offered moral support and time limits, I was the physical labor.”

“...” Kaito sighed, “...you were saying some things. Dr. Mariah’s on her way, if you don’t want to talk to me about them. But I want to talk to you. It’s your choice.”

Doppio closed his eyes. It was dark enough that it didn’t hurt…but it felt better having them closed. The first floor of Usott castle. That…was real. Everything else… Doppio put a hand on his notebook, taking some comfort in its familiar shape. …he should’ve looked at it… That was a mistake. He’d just gotten too comfortable.

“...happened before,” he whispered. “When Arven and I were leaving… It wasn’t like I just…forgot. I couldn’t tell where I was, and it kept changing… He said to hold his hand, if I felt it happening again, but…he isn’t here and…I forgot what to do…”

Doppio cradled his arms around his head, trying to cushion it in a way that didn’t make him want to vomit. “...probably just said…nonsense. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ah, yes, I’ll just… do what I’m absolutely famous for,” Kaito said dryly, “Not worry. That’s totally a thing I can… do.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Kaito’s eyes adjusting enough to see the way Doppio was positioned. “...I tried to hold you when it was happening. I think it just scared you. You got a few decent hits in, it was very impressive. I know it’s not as comforting as Arven’s hands, but… I’m here if you want to lean on me.”

Doppio’s eyes opened a sliver, a faintly worried frown painting his face. A few hits in? Oh… Kaito was…well, talking to him so… But he’d also been like this right after falling out of a tree. “...I’m sorry… Are you okay?”

The dark was comforting. Familiar. About the only thing Doppio felt like he could handle at the moment. …but he’d become a bit spoiled, lately. Always having people nearby, getting all sorts of…hugs, just…general touches, he guessed. It was nice… Even if they weren’t always touches he liked, Doppio…didn’t think he could really handle going back to just…hugging himself under a blanket for comfort anymore. It had felt lonely then, but it’d be unbearable now. 

Doppio couldn’t really see Kaito--better that way--but from where he was speaking… 

Hesitantly, a clammy hand reached out. “...I’m pretty gross. I think I must’ve…sweat, like, a bathtub.”

“Ah, I don’t mind that. Come here, kid,” Kaito said, reaching forward, taking the hand and pulling Doppio in.

Even scrunched as he was, it wasn’t that hard to find a good spot to pull Doppio in. Kaito’s back would hate him for it later, but shuffling his butt out and leaning back on the lower curve of his spine made it easy to make a spot on his lap to pull Doppio onto. After that, it was just ignoring his neck and his lower spine, and everything was fine.

It didn’t matter if Kaito had to fold himself into a strange pretzel to do it. He could feel Doppio, after a moment, lay normally against him, his head resting against Kaito’s shoulder, as Kaito encircled him with his arms, hugging him tight, and that was all Kaito wanted anyway. Kaito just wanted to hold the people he cared about until they felt safe. It didn’t always work, but nothing made Kaito happier in a situation like this, than knowing he was a safe spot for someone.

Safe, if annoying, as Kaito said after a moment, “...I could totally beat your dad in a fight. Just saying. You ever see me get killed by a knife? Me neither. No one can prove a knife would even kill me. You know how many times my Maki-roll’s thrown knives at me? So many… I mean, usually not to hurt me, and definitely never to kill me, but still! Perfect record.”

“...nnnmngh,” Doppio softly groaned, opening his eyes for a moment before just…succumbing to The Kaito. Even if he’d fought him off once, apparently, there was no way Doppio could even put up token resistance as his head throbbed, pulsing lights behind his eyes. He’d just meant to…to hold Kaito’s hand, even if he felt too embarrassed to ask straight out. Not for Kaito to pull him completely against him… But that’s what Kaito decided, and that’s what Kaito did. 

…it was a little easier on his neck, though… And the pressure was nice… Didn’t feel like he’d fall…

It didn’t escape Doppio that Kaito didn’t answer if he was alright, but…

…well, there were other battles he needed to fight. 

Tensing slightly, as what Kaito was saying processed, Doppio shut his eyes tight. “...didn’t happen. Never happened.”

“I know, I know, I just… you seemed scared,” Kaito said softly, “...but also really brave?”

“Like, really brave,” Kaito said, closing his eyes. This was comfy. It was getting pretty warm in the fort. Kaito could see himself pretty easily napping like this. Maybe he could talk his husbands into a pillow fort, just cuddle in it. “You were saying that…you weren’t gonna die for me. Or, whoever you thought I was. That was when you got those good hits in, screaming and arguing with me. Saying you didn’t care what I wanted you to do, or, something like that… made you for? Something. It was strong! You were really standing your ground. I was intimidated, you made me back off from you for a while there. And you know how hard it is to shake me off. I was afraid to touch you, because you just seemed so determined.”

“...I wish I had grabbed you again though, just bore through it. It looked like it got worse, for a little bit there… You were still brave, but you got scared for me. Which is very kind of you, Doppio. Brave, kind, strong… you were acting incredible, really, I was impressed…”

“...Anyone who wouldn’t miss you has no idea what they lost.”

…oh fuck. What had he said? Thankfully Kaito didn’t seem to think anything of it, but…fuck. If he’d slipped up and said more, or someone with less nonsense in their head heard it…

“...stop just grabbing people,” Doppio groaned softly. “If someone’s panicking and fighting you, what…what the hell makes you think it’s a good idea to touch them? And stop…just trying to compliment me… That’s not gonna make it any better. You can’t magically heal people by bear-hugging them, and…and I just freaked out, and trying to spin it any other way just makes it feel like you’re trying to get something from me…and I hate it. I hate that you do this. It makes me feel gross…”

“...just shut up…” he sighed. 

…before his face scrunched. “...I’m sorry… I know you’re just trying to help and be nice…but it just feels bad.”

Kaito winced. “...I’m not trying to magically heal anyone. I just… it always feels like the right choice in the moment. I can try to be smarter about it, but it goes against my nature to ignore my gut on these things. Sometimes people need to be held.”

“Admittedly, holding you until you physically knocked me out may have meant I misjudged the situation… Could we not tell the CPS agents when they eventually check in on us? I was very rude to them and would greatly prefer not to admit I was wrong. Spare my pride, kid.”

“And I just have no idea where you got this idea that I say things to just be nice,” Kaito sighed. “I don’t lie about compliments, I’m not trying to ‘spin’ anything. Or, if I am, it’s not coming out of nothing. Same where your panic wasn’t coming out of nothing. It wasn’t you acting irrationally or animalistically, you had a reason for what you were doing. A real thing really upset you, and you reacted to it the best you could. The fact that it wasn’t there doesn’t matter. Based on what I could tell was going on, you were brave and you were kind. And yeah, I’ll still count it as kind after telling me I ruin everything. You still didn’t want me to get hurt. You still worried about me. That was still kind. Sorry it’s gross to point out your strengths, how fucking could I.” Kaito said, rolling his eyes, “What a bastard, I am.”

“Not a chance,” Doppio quietly muttered, pressing a hand over his eyes. Feeling a little adrift even with Kaito’s body steadily under him. “...and if you were rude, you need to apologize. Just learn to be wrong, especially when it’s hurting other people.”

…he didn’t think he really would get a restraining order against Kaito…but one way or another, the guy needed to chill the fuck out. If nothing else…that was a lesson Doppio had learned once again here. Kaito wasn’t even supposed to be around his meeting with the CPS agents, and…look what happened? Neither agent in sight--or…in sound, since Doppio hadn’t heard anyone else, and if Kaito was saying they’d ‘come check on them…’--and Kaito holding him, even after…well, probably being punched a few times. 

…maybe not, if Kaito said he’d gotten him good… His knuckles weren’t hurting enough for that. Probably a good elbow strike, then…ouch. 

“But why point out my strengths now?” Doppio sighed. “The timing just feels…manipulative. Like you’re trying to…trick me into forgetting what happened, and just be happy with the compliments. I know you said you’re just dumb, not manipulative…but that’s still how it feels, and it just makes me want to yell at you.”

“...but I won’t, actually, ‘cause…think ‘m getting a migraine…”

A small shiver went through Doppio’s body. “...of course I don’t want you getting hurt. Unfortunately…you’re my friend.”

“...awwwww,” Kaito grinned, “I am?”

“No, wait, focus,” Kaito said, gritting his teeth, “I’m not gonna just focus on the one cute thing you said and ignore the rest of it. I’m not trying to trick you into forgetting? If anything, Doppio, I wish you’d talk to me more. I mean…”

Kaito sighed. “I know why you don’t. I haven’t forgotten messing up with Arven. I know spreading your secrets in general was bad, but I seriously messed up at that point. And that was me being dumb, I can’t take that back. I wish I could. But… ngh.” Kaito paused, grimacing. “...okay, yes, I am manipulative. To the point where, yes, even admitting I’m manipulative is my attempt to manipulate you into… I don’t know. Sometimes it’s easier to feel how I want a situation to go than it is to explain it in words. Admitting I’m untrustworthy to convince you to trust me more? That sort of thing. And yes, I offer a lot of compliments after… after…”

Kaito hesitated. “...after someone’s embarrassed themselves. Or hurt someone else, in some way. Or done something that they might regret. Not that was wrong, but just… that awful feeling of when you lost control of yourself, and you behaved in ways that you’re not proud of, even if you couldn’t help it or needed it… I’m not asking you to forget you did that. I guess I just… I’m quick to want to add a positive, so that the negative stuff doesn’t fester. I don’t want you to sit in only the negative shit. The negative shit’s never fucking going away, and sometimes it feels like getting someone to say something nice or uplifting is like fucking pulling blood from a damn stone. Maybe I’ve just spent too much time around depressed and angry people, I don’t know… Someone needs to say something nice. Or it's just not gonna be said.”

“...I’ve been told I’m maybe a little toxically positive, sometimes,” Kaito admitted softly, “My old boyfriend Korekiyo told me that. He’s kinda, or, was kinda a blatant armchair psychologist, and he was diagnosing me with some new thing every other month, so I kinda just ignored him. But, I’m sorry if that’s what I’m doing to you. It kinda sounds like that’s what you’re complaining about.”

Doppio scowled for a moment, before easing the expression, even that a little much right then. “I was talking to you. All the time, way more than I ever wanted to…and sometimes you helped. But whether you did or not…you always told someone else. Do you really realize how fucking frustrating that is, Kaito? You said all that shit about being someone to rely on, and…and it just feels like I’m a damn gossip well to you.”

It didn’t matter if Kaito genuinely cared, and that he wasn’t just using Doppio for entertainment. It was still…selfish. Oooh, did you hear this latest fucked up thing Doppio said~? Oooh, we should really do something about it, huh, his life must be misery with all these things he’s confessing in confidence to someone who said they’d just listen. 

Huffing as Kaito explained himself, Doppio groaned quietly. “...maybe? Yeah… It’s just…kindness to try and cheer someone up after something awful…but not literally while they’re still…” Doppio swallowed a frown. “...fucking panting, trying to figure out what just happened. Not when they don’t even get the full scope of what’s bad in the first place. It’s like you’re trying to hide it… And then it just feels even worse later when I do have time to think and process it.”

“I don’t want someone…telling me I’m strong and kind while I’m still laid out on the ground.” He wouldn’t believe it anyway, because it wasn’t true. Doppio wasn’t a kind person. Basically everything about today had shown that. This whole mess… A kind person would’ve gotten out of trouble ages ago. 

Doppio, as usual, was just…fumbling everything right in front of him.

Curling his shoulders slightly, Doppio croaked, “...I just want someone to tell me it’s over.”

“....okay, well…” Kaito sighed, “...I live to please, I guess. So, here we go.”

“It really is done, Doppio,” Kaito said, “Lots of things are. But… this especially. It’s done. You got through your panic attack, and you’re back in reality, and you were str…”

Kaito bit his tongue.

“...it’s safe, now. Dr. Mariah is on her way, and you can talk to her if you want. You don’t have to, she won’t make you. It’s an option. I know your head is hurting you, we can get you some pain relievers, take the edge off the sting. If you want. I won’t make you. It’s safe now. All you really have to do is rest. And you don’t even really have to do that either. It’s over. It’s safe now. You’re past the worst of it.”

“...I’m sorry I haven’t been better for you,” Kaito said softly, “You needed a friend. A normal one. It was just too hard to be a normal friend to you. I couldn’t handle it. I’m sorry.”

…it’s over. You’re safe. Reality is…in the dark, in the castle. You can rest…

And…maybe Doppio was literally only giving advice for himself. Maybe Kaito’s method was kinder for his loved ones, and that’s what really mattered at the end of the day. But as Kaito assured him the worst was over…

Doppio relaxed against him, a deep, shaky sigh leaving his chest. 

“...need to talk to her anyway…” Doppio mumbled. “...don’t want the stuff Arven gave me before, don’t wanna pass out for a million hours,” Though it sounded tempting, right about then, his gripes about not being able to stay awake regardless, “But…if…there’s something that would help…I’d like that…”

“...m sorry I wasn’t a normal friend for you either. …would’ve been nice, just…being occasional drinking friends.”

“I’ll give you the stuff I give ‘Kichi for his migraines. He sleeps a lot through his, but I don’t think that’s the actual medicine, my ‘Kichi just… kinda likes to sleep when he’s feeling down,” Kaito explained, “I think it should treat you fine.”

“Heh~” Kaito chuckled softly, “I was excited about that, when I met you. Believe it or not, Doppio, but I… actually have a bit of a hard time making friends. Here, anyway. Maybe this isn’t ‘shocking’, but it turns out that being anti-social, co-dependent on your relationships, exploring a budding new plethora of neurosis in a new country while refusing to admit to anyone that anything is actually wrong for, oh, I don’t know how long it actually was… maybe seven months? Makes finding people to just hang out with a tad challenging. And, ya know what? I don’t know if during the worst of it, anyone telling me to buck up and that I’m fine would have helped. Maybe I’d have resented the shit out of it. I don’t know… Like I said. Didn’t tell anyone. I can be kind of a hypocrite.”

“Waku and Souda are kinda the first two people I’ve felt like I can just spend time with and it’s just… fun, ya know?” Kaito grinned slightly, “And then we stumbled on you and you were also fun. You had this little mean, sarcastic edge to you, but then, I can enjoy that, as you’ve seen with Souda. And you were also weirdly sweet sometimes, just, out of nowhere! Worrying about my jokes about my kids, it was so endearing. Which, is something I appreciate in a person, like Waku. I was just like, yes! This is the new friend to add to the friend group. You even, heh… met me at my ‘best’. When I was fun and friendly and without all the damn baggage and neurosis I bring into fucking everything… If I coulda had my way? I’d have hidden that side of myself from you for as long as possible. To not scare you off or make our friendship something weird. I was really looking forward to it.”

“...I’m a little sad, that’s not how it worked out,” Kaito admitted, “But, I’m happy that you found Arven instead. And that even if you like me less and less, that… you might get more and more things like Arven out of it. That’s worth the trade, in my eyes.”

“But yeah,” Kaito whispered, “It’s a shame we didn’t get to be the kind of friends I wanted us to be. I think we would have had a good time. Ah well… you’ll have other drinking buddies, someday. When you’re legal.” Kaito grinned. “Am glad I dodged that particular arrow.”

There was a knock at the door. Kaito sighed. “They’ll just open it eventually.”

“Making friends is hard,” Doppio mumbled, quietly validating Kaito’s struggle. “Even more when you have a Deal. You do things so whole-heartedly too… Casual friends seem like they’d be more of a strain than just…a good time for you. Need to love ‘em or let ‘em pass by.”

Not that Doppio was exactly the kind of person to be giving advice about anything concerning friends, but…well. That’s how he saw that. 

“...I don’t know why I stayed, that night. You did bully me a little but… I don’t know. …it was kind of fun, being around weirdos who…didn’t also wanna maim each other and also me. And after the start, you didn’t treat me like a kid… It was nice just being able to talk to someone.”

After a moment, Doppio let out a small puff of air, the biggest laugh he could muster. And smirking a little, he said, “...I have already been drinking for…almost two years. And I think I still do it more responsibly than you.”

Tensing slightly at the knock--and pressing his hand more firmly against his eyes--Doppio sighed. Not…quite feeling up to opening it himself, but… “...if I cover my ears, will you tell them to come in? …don’t think I can talk that loud right now…”

Kaito snorted, “It’s not hard to drink more responsibly than me. Once upon a time, I literally defined my personality around being, like, wildly irresponsible. Parties, drinking, shenanigans, all of that. I was the Wild Prince, and I liked it. Weirdly enough, I was proud of it because I felt like I was the ‘best’ at it? I had all the money, time, looks, and resources to be the very best at being a dumb, reckless piece of shit. I loved being wild and out of control. I was awesome at it.”

“Now here I am, being the endless Dad Friend,” Kaito sighed dramatically, “How low I’ve sunk. I even managed to Dad Friend so hard that I literally turned one of my friends into an actual child. That’s pretty impressive, honestly. There’s gotta be a reward for that.”

“...I kinda want to promise you that from now on I can just be a normal friend to you, since I’ve basically done all the big helping you out stuff already,” Kaito said, “A part of me wants to be, ya know? But… I don’t think realistically I can. So, you gotta… yeah. You gotta start setting some boundaries with me, and I gotta start listening to them, because all I wanna do is help you with every little thing, and it’s driving you crazy. So, yeah. That might just be how it’s gotta be between us. Shame…”

“Tsk, what made you so polite all of the sudden?” Kaito tsked, “If we ignore them they’ll come in anyway. You’re such a goody-two-shoes.”

“Living life outside of time, like there are no consequences for your actions,” Doppio mumbled, a disapproving downtone to his voice. He supposed there was a time and place for living life wildly…but priding yourself on being nothing but that? …pff. He needed to remember that, if he ever did get a chance to write that letter to Arven’s mom. He could pretend how offended the “renowned professor” would be to be compared to some junkie college idiot.

Sighing a bit at the notion that they could legitimately turn tail in their relationship now, Doppio could only huff a little louder. “...I’ve been setting boundaries with you. Do I actually have to beat you up for you to listen to them? I gotta say, that’s not the kind of dynamic I wanna have with anyone…I don’t like fighting. And I don’t want to have that be the limit for someone to just…listen to me.”

…it seemed like the limit he had with everyone though, except Arven.

“I’ve always been polite,” Doppio grumbled. “N I need ‘em to come in faster to save me from you.” He slouched a little against Kaito, saying softly, “...I don’t think I can get up by myself.”

“You don’t need to fight me, I can just be a bit… bullheaded. Honestly, sometimes I just need to be convinced a limit needs to exist. That’s not fair, I know, but every time I break your boundaries, it’s cause I’m worried I’m letting you down otherwise. I need some damn reassurance that things aren’t going to go to shit for you if I look away.” Kaito said, “...actually, this might be a good opportunity. You think, after you’re done talking to her in private, I could sit down with you and Dr. Mariah? She can be good at putting me in my place sometimes. Could help you out with me.”

There was another knock at the door. Kaito rolled his eyes. “Seriously, the door isn’t even locked. What is with people, just barge in. Alright, cover your ears.”

“That’s bullshit… If someone tells you to stop something, you stop, and telling yourself to keep going ‘cause you’ll ‘save them’ is entirely self-serving…even if it turns out that way sometimes. Just because you got the right answer doesn’t mean the process was acceptable.”

He was so close. But, unfortunately, Doppio hadn’t really heard of an outside example of someone being punished for their own good, so he couldn’t make the connection. Unfortunately, though, even if he did, he still might’ve not thought about it concerning his own situation. 

Quiet for a moment, Doppio sighed. “...I think she would… But I don’t… I don’t want to put her in a difficult spot, since…she’s both our therapist, right? I feel like it’d be mean to ask her to just…choose one of us to prioritize all of a sudden…”

Groaning softly, Doppio brought up his hands and tried to cover his ears the best he could. Taking steadying breaths to hopefully mitigate the discomfort even more. 

“She’d pick you,” Kaito immediately guessed. “Or, well, I think she should pick you. You wouldn’t be the first person I needed to have a revelation about that I need to treat your independence and agency better. That’s, uh… kinda a pattern for me. I bet you’d find yourself in good company with my family, actually, you could all complain about me as a group. Ooooh, that’d be a great support group: the ‘Kaito Decided We Were Literal Infants’ anonymous. You could have a poster with my face on it to throw darts at as a stress relief between group discussion.”

He felt Doppio tense up against him, before sighing. “Okay, hold on…” 

Digging his meditation stone out of his pocket, Kaito shuffled a little, pushing the ‘door’ cushion over. Cradling Doppio to not jostle him too much, Kaito leaned out of his fort, pulled his arm back, and– THUD!

“Just come in already,” Kaito whisper-shouted, “Seriously, what is wrong with you all, what if we were dead in here? Why doesn’t anyone else just put their ear to the door, it’s easy, what, is it just too rude to make sure the two guys in here dealing with a panic attack are alrigh– oh, hey, Dr. Mariah.”

The door opened up and long locks peeked in, Kaito recognizing her hair and size, since he couldn’t really see her against the light. Two other silhouettes peeked in above her, and Kaito frowned. He didn’t really like the CPS agents… “Don’t turn on the light, okay? He’s got a migraine. That’s why we’re hiding in the fort… One of you tall ones. Go to medical and ask for the pills they give for Prince Kokichi’s migraines. Bring it back with water,” he continued to whisper-shout.

Doppio didn’t think it should be an automatic pick like that. While he didn’t think it was…like, possible for her to have no emotional investment, it was her job to help them. It was her job to help every patient with the same chances and investment, regardless of how Mariah felt personally. That’s why it felt shitty to him to, potentially, spring a discussion like that on her…

…but she did group therapy stuff, didn’t she, at least for the royal family… Maybe it wasn’t such a big ask…

He still heard the…weird thump against the door, and, well, he could feel that Kaito had thrown something… The harsh whisper wasn’t…that bad, honestly…

“...ugn…” Doppio grunted quietly, sucking in a quicker breath at the pulse that went through his head. How pathetic…

Squinting his eyes open, Doppio judged roughly where the “opening” of…wherever they were was, and put his hand out too, once Kaito had stopped talking, giving a half-hearted… Well, it couldn’t even be called a wave, really. Just some kind of floppy gesture. 

“Kaito, don’t forget what we’ve discussed, about how you speak to people in ways reminiscent of your time in Luminary,” Dr. Mariah called in, “Tone counts.”

“Right, right, sorry…”

“...well? Are either of the ‘talls’ going?” Dr. Mariah asked, looking up, “Regardless of how Kaito asked, Doppio does need medicine. One of you should be moving along now.”

“Fine, I’ll go get it,” Aurange said, the tallest head disappearing.

“Doppio,” Peach said, “We do still need to talk about that restraining order…”

“Seriously?” Kaito whisper-shouted, “What, you can’t come back later when he’s feeling better? Actually, that’s not a question: you can come back later when he’s feeling better.”

“Kaito.”

“Sorry.”

Doppio…wasn’t quite quick enough to cover his ears again, though…well, no one was really yelling, or even speaking above normal indoor volume, as far as he could tell, however maybe just the act of him preparing for it made it worse, as he cringed against Kaito’s chest. Just…too much…

Huffing, Doppio groaned against Kaito, raising his voice just the barest smidgeon. “Just…file it, I don’t care…” It wasn’t like he was the person that would be signing off on it anyway, considering he was a minor. He’d probably have a courtesy signature, after his legal guardian signed it, and…maybe something giving him full…whatever over the order when he was legally of age but…

…fuck, he didn’t care. The whole conversation had been a useless performance anyway. 

“Oh, Doppio, that’s very brave. I’m glad that now that you’ve had a moment–”

As Peach talked, Kaito frowned at Doppio’s little groan. “Still too loud?” he asked quietly, “We can go back in the fort if it helps. Wait for the painkillers at least.”

Gods, was she just an idiot? How did CPS ever end up helping anyone?

…going back in the fort probably meant she’d shut up. Or leave. They couldn’t possibly think he’d want to talk about anything else, after this, and they had a fun little task to get to anyway. 

Nodding against Kaito, Doppio whispered, “Please…”

Kaito didn’t need any more prompting, shuffling back into the fort and, for good measure, pulling up the door again. He chuckled a little as he heard the muffled sound of Peach trailing off uncertainly, followed by murmurs as she and Dr. Mariah discussed something. Then, light footsteps walked up, sitting at the door of the fortress. 

“...Kaito,” Dr. Mariah said softly, “You do recognize that you’ve literally put up walls this time, yes?”

“At least I keep it interesting for you?” Kaito said softly, grinning in the darkness. “And technically, I made walls for Doppio, so… I don’t know. What does that one tell you?”

“You know that book I mention wanting to write on you all of the time? This could be a chapter.”

“She’s such a flatterer,” Kaito whispered to Doppio.

“Doppio, we’ll wait for the medicine before we talk. For now, just tell me yes or no, if you think you are in crisis.”

“She means if you’re feeling self-destructive, basically,” Kaito whispered.

Dark, and quiet. Good… 

…ugh, he was so nauseous… So much for staving that off. …he probably wouldn’t feel up to picking up Arven from school either…because he was so…dumb and had to sleep constantly because he kept freaking out like a little…

…was he feeling self-destructive?

“...I don’t think so, no,” Doppio mumbled, remembering after a moment to raise his voice…as much as he could. He was just…tired, and in pain, and super gross… And…like… He didn’t know… The aftermath of being scared. Worried. But he didn’t really want to…do anything. So he couldn’t really hurt himself, he didn’t think.

Dr. Mariah tasted uncertainty from Kaito.

Kaito, again, had to bite his tongue, something worried running through him… before he called out, “Dr. Mariah, could you give us both a minute? Please?”

Dr. Mariah knew it wasn’t always wise to indulge Kaito’s more controlling tendencies– asking for a private side-conversation before the therapist could get involved likely meant Kaito didn’t entirely trust either her or Doppio’s ability to navigate whatever was on his mind, and when he felt like that Kaito had a habit of dividing his social group until they were in more manageable, smaller chunks– but she also knew from the familiar taste in the air that if she didn’t let him try whatever was on his mind, his anxiety would ramp up until he likely just said whatever he was worrying about all at once. Or shut down and withdraw entirely, but thankfully that was rarer these days.  

So, in a compromise, she said, “You have five minutes, Kaito. Your timer starts now,” before getting up and walking to the door. 

Kaito made sure she was gone, before whispering to Doppio, “...kid, I won’t say anything. You’re already getting help, and I didn’t entirely understand what you were going on about anyway, but… you were talking an awful lot about someone else being better off if you killed yourself, just now. You didn’t seem to want it, which is a huge reason I’m not gonna say anything, but… maybe you should tell her whatever’s going on with that? That seems kind of important.”

Doppio grimaced a bit. What now? It wasn’t like Doppio was just going to therapy to indulge anyone! He’d thought it over, and asked for references, and he had his own goals in going; Kaito didn’t need to manage it! And…he didn’t particularly feel like indulging Kaito’s sense of responsibility either, if the “minute” was more for him. 

Blanching, Doppio breathed for a moment before growling softly. “You don’t understand, and, frankly, I don’t want you to. I’m not sure all I said, but if I had a choice, I’d never want you to hear it. Like…fucking no shit. ‘Course I’m gonna talk to her about it…’s the reason I’m going to therapy in the first place.”

A smaller breath. “...you don’t need to manage my problems. I’m not hiding things from, yanno, the person I’ve had one damn session with. There’s just a lot to get to, so if I’m not doing everything in the order you’d wish? …die mad about it, damn. I’m doing it my way, because it’s my life, not yours.”

Kaito bared his teeth a little… before sucking on his tongue a bit, forcing his jaw to relax. “Fine, I get it, I get it, I’m just saying, maybe that’s a crisis. Sounds like a crisis to me. Someone’s put that shit into your head, maybe don’t brush that off as not worth talking about… whatever. You said you’re gonna talk to her about it, that’s all I wanted anyway.”

Kaito’s brow furrowed. Die mad about it… who else had he heard that phrase from? Who had… oh, right. What was her name? Lawyer lady, evil wife chick. He couldn’t remember her name. Something with a ‘y’... “Oh that’s gonna drive me crazy all day,” Kaito muttered, before shuffling a little, his lower back starting to scream at him. “Alright, fine, I wasn’t gonna say anything, and I’m not gonna say anything, I just wanted to make sure you know that I know that– oh.”

“Time’s up.” Dr. Mariah smiled lightly, pulling the cushion away, and holding a cup of water. “The tablet’s already mixed in. Scoot out, Kaito, we’re trading places.”

“Oh, I mean, I can make sure he drinks it–”

“It’s my time, Kaito. Please heed my instructions as you would in your own sessions.”

“...” Kaito sighed, “Think you can sit up for me, Doppio? I’m getting kicked out.”

Doppio huffed softly. “...how’s it a crisis when…I literally said I’m not doing that? And it’s not like it’s new… It’s what you already blabbed to everyone about.” Doppio had already been feeling like everyone’s lives would be better if he died. Boss saying it was just…a new layer. Or something. Just…more… But Doppio had proven at every opportunity that…well, essentially, he was too scared and too selfish to give himself over to die. 

He wanted to live. So…that was that. 

(...there was probably more to it than that.)

Doppio gasped softly in surprise as Dr. Mariah pulled the door cushion away, though…he was silently relieved that she wasn’t going to ask him to get out. For one, he wasn’t really sure he…could crawl out of the pillow fort (that’s what Kaito had called it, right?), but also…

…it was nice in there. The room they were in was dark too, but…it was another layer of darkness that just felt…safe to him. A physical barrier too that… He didn’t know. But leaving just felt daunting, right then, and not just physically. 

Taking a breath, Doppio tried to scoot himself off of Kaito, more just kind of…flopping onto the ground, than purposefully moving, but…well, he could feel one of the throw pillows that had been on the couch on the ground, so he just…braced his arm against that as he cradled his head, curling up in the corner of the fort. Cozy…

“...go see someone about…where I hit you. Please.”

Dr. Mariah’s eyes widened ever so slightly, before looking to Kaito. “You’re injured?”

“Pfff, no,” Kaito said quickly, though there was an edge to it that suggested maybe he was very specifically trying to play it off, as he added in with an indifferent air, “Kid got me in the stomach once or twice and then got a damn lucky hook into the edge of my jaw. Made me see spots a little, nothing serious–”

“Maki’s fondly told me the story of you looking Dr. Kimura dead in the eye and saying there was nothing unusual with you, healthwise, while your arm was snapped in a cast.”

“... snapped is a strong word–”

“Go to medical, get it checked on. I will follow up.”

“Don’t gonna follow anything up, what am I gonna do, just not go, what kinda guy do you–” Kaito continued to grumble as he shuffled out, getting up with loud popping noises in his back as he grunted, before heading out the door. 

Dr. Mariah, in turn, had a much easier time shuffling inside the fort. She was much smaller than Kaito, after all. “It has a straw. Do you think you will be able to drink this, Doppio?”

…Kaito was flighty about medical stuff? …hypocrite. Though Doppio figured he had already known that… Well, he’d just have to be more on top of it, then. Enlist Maki or his husbands to back up his concern, if Doppio had a good suspicion about something. 

Sighing softly, Doppio’s eyes caught the shine of the glass in the dark after a moment, and he reached out to take it. “...yes, thank you. Um… Kind of nauseous but…I’ll warn you if it’s a danger.”

Sipping from the cup--just the slightest impression of bitterness, but not disgusting--Doppio…wasn’t quite sure what to say, so he quietly tried, “...sorry for calling you out here… Did say this happened every day, though.”

“You did,“ Dr. Mariah agreed, “Though, I’m curious if you always meant at this level of heightened emotion. There are arguably some differences between having a cry, and what’s currently happening, Doppio… Is this level of emotion normal for you?”

“N… Um…” He wondered how long it’d take for the painkiller to start working… It was probably good stuff if it worked for Prince Kokichi’s intense migraines… “...not every day this bad… But maybe…every three days, on average, lately. This is different from the other panic attacks…which are different from crying a lot, which is different from crying a little.”

Closing his eyes, Doppio curled up around his glass a little more. “...this has only happened to me once before, that I remember… Everything kept going dark ‘n I couldn’t tell…what was real, or where I was… Arven said that…I could use him as a test, th-that if he was there, then I could be sure I wasn’t back home, but…’course he’s not here now…”

“Having a person be a grounding item can be very helpful, but, yes, there are some obvious limitations,” Dr. Mariah said, rolling that over in her mind. Visual hallucinations actually weren’t a sign of a panic attack. Not how Doppio was describing them. They were, though, a symptom alongside panic attacks, if one was considering a very intense form of PTSD… which would almost be unsurprising, really, for someone in Doppio’s position. And if the flashbacks were this extreme, then… perhaps Dr. Mariah should request a specialist assessment, one that could prescribe Doppio some medication… 

That was long term. She needed to exhaust the attempts to give him coping mechanisms first, and if he still needed additional help, by then hopefully she would have managed to get him acquainted and used to the idea of medications to help with it. 

For now, though, “Do you have any proof of Arven’s existence on you? An item that you associate with him, for instance? If not, I might recommend you two working together to create one. Something easy to reference visually, at a moment’s notice.”

Doppio hummed softly in agreement. This was a prime case of that, if nothing else. And as much as, if he sincerely had the option to, Doppio would want to spend all of his time with Arven…he didn’t want to constantly bother his boyfriend with every little thing. They had promised to take care of each other, not for Doppio to constantly need him nearby to keep from…fucking, bursting into tears. 

“No… I have my reminders in my notebook, which usually help if I’m feeling confused, but… After we worked out what to do last time, I forgot to check this time, so… I’ll ask him about it.” Doppio sighed softly, before opening his eyes slightly. “...oh. I forgot to write down your assignment for me, before. Um…was it to go to some school event to meet people? That was our best guess, from the stuff I did remember.”

“It was, yes,” Dr. Mariah said, settling against a cushion, able to let her legs stretch out, crossing them at her ankles. “I wanted you to attend at least one school function, with the goal in mind of getting used to being around people in settings like that. You do not have to participate, just attend.”

“And, you can always feel entirely free to take your journal out during our sessions and leave it open. Jot notes down when and if they occur to you. I would not consider that a distraction or rude, if there was any concern there,” Dr. Mariah said, “Supporting you is my number one priority, during our sessions, and that means accommodating whatever you might need to make the most out of our time together.”

“It’s a bit dark in here for note-taking, admittedly,” Dr. Mariah said, tapping at something in her pockets, “I can transcribe the events and give you a copy of my own notes at the end of the session, if it would help?”

“That said… in your own words, Doppio,” Dr. Mariah said, “Why was I called here? What was the crisis?”

OvO

Yesssss! Wow, that was…one of the first times Doppio forgetting something had actually worked out for him. Piecing something together and…it being right! And…no one getting mad at him for it. 

Doppio smiled softly against his arm, before making a small surprised noise. “...oh. Um… A-actually, yeah, if…if it wouldn’t be trouble on your end that…would help a lot. Thank you.”

Boss had never minded his note-taking either, knowing how important it was if Doppio was going to be able to do anything accurately, but… (He’d never even touched the idea of passing notes onto Doppio. Not ones for him to read.)

Taking a small breath--this was a…a crisis call, not just a regular session--Doppio thought for a moment. “...I…I’m not sure, really… My best guess is…Kaito and the agents didn’t want me to just…sit with myself after I calmed down…”

Doppio gnawed at his lip a little. He could explain about…what his…freakout had been like, but…

“...you can’t tell anyone things? …even if it’s…illegal?”

“I actually do have a mandatory reporting of any plans for upcoming acts of murder,” Dr. Mariah said, “So if you do decide you can’t talk about it, it’s going to be a very awkward pause. Otherwise, no.”

“Mn not,” Doppio quietly grumbled, before he sighed. …if she said no, then she wouldn’t tell anyone. Even if it was knowledge pertaining to…an on-going case. That…did have a…certain amount of danger involved. 

…anyone knowing was a danger to Boss… 

…anyone knowing would be an ally, for however Boss decided to…

Doppio shut his eyes tight. 

“...I made time go back, yesterday. I…did something, i-in the time that didn’t happen a-and…you had an adult’s body, but you and Angelo weren’t…okay, and I got really freaked out. A-and I…I needed somewhere to just…rest, but I didn’t wanna see or bother anyone, so I went home, but…”

Doppio curled into himself more, his voice going even smaller than the soft tone he’d been speaking in. “...but Boss was there--the person they arrested was just someone he’d made take the fall. And…”

In that small, frightened tone, there was an undercurrent of hurt. “...he just…talked like normal. Said I was late ‘n…not gonna get paid for my time off, at least part, and… And he said it had been nice and quiet, without me there, and…and he just said…”of course” when I…I asked about not being human and just…s-said maybe it was convenient to let me believe I was and… H-he wants to kill me, to end this investigation…”

Tears burned behind Doppio’s eyes as his voice wobbled. “...he said I should commit suicide in front of someone to make it believeable. A-and when I said no…” A small sniffle. “...Kaito interrupted and…Boss had a knife but…I kept Kaito from going into the kitchen…”

“...he didn’t miss me…”

“...” Dr. Mariah lightly traced her finger over where her journal was pressed against her side. She didn’t tap it. Just rubbed it a bit. Considering something. “...”

What to tackle first.

“It can be difficult, to be in a relationship where there’s an increasing amount of evidence that the connection and depth of the relationship doesn’t look the same to the other person, as it did to you,” Dr. Mariah said, after a moment. “It can be a literal, physically painful feeling, and can leave the sufferer with symptoms more serious than I believe people tend to give it credit for. Depression, a blow to self-worth, and I’d argue worse, a true or at least perceived weaker grasp of reality. After all, if you were wrong about this, your mind could argue, then how can you be sure of anything?”

“Does any of that ring a bell? Resonate?” Dr. Mariah asked, “It’s alright, to tell me no.”

Doppio paused for a moment, before nodding…and then after another moment, remembered they were in the dark, so he hummed, “...mhmm.”

However, right after he let go of a little breath, making a frustrated noise as he pressed his sleeve to his eyes. “But it’s not… I-It’s just…me. There was no depth to our relationship, not beyond just…working together. Maybe…maybe, y-yeah, I did…want some things. But I never kidded myself that any of it could happen, and I felt gross for even wanting it.”

“...I knew the whole time, so it…it shouldn’t be a surprise,” he murmured, curling into himself more. “...I just…thought that maybe he wouldn’t want me dead.”

Dr. Mariah licked her lower lip, ever so slightly, as she considered that. “...I do believe, Doppio, that one of the first things we discussed was your perceived immortal nature. Now, I made the argument that immortality, if it exists at all, is still unproven for you. That said, you are still arguably extremely durable and long lasting, by your own self-view.”

“So, with that caveat in mind?” Dr. Mariah said, “What does your former employer wanting you ‘dead’ actually look like? In practice?”

…that was true, though not really something Doppio had considered through all of this. How could he die? It still wasn’t something Doppio felt any desire to test, but…

Chewing on his lip, Doppio tentatively said, “...I dunno. He told me to kill myself in front of someone, i-if I saw an opportunity before he did. Even if…I wouldn’t actually die… I don’t wanna…like, jump off a building or stab myself for anything…s’scary…”

“...Dr. Mariah? …what does ‘respawn’ mean?”

“Even if you couldn’t die, I wouldn’t recommend you playing out the idea either, especially in such a morbid and physical way. If you needed an example of how bad for your mental health that is, I only have to point you towards the Flora species,” Dr. Mariah said, a soft sigh in it.

“And the Flora, too, is also who I would point you to, as excellent examples of the word ‘respawn’. Respawn is, by definition, to bring something back that is dead. While that is a useful definition for fiction, in practice, it more often looks like what Flora do. You see, Flora are a type of plant species that mimics the looks and mannerisms of whatever culture it’s grown in. Flora are incredibly difficult to kill and are long lasting, like us. But Flora, especially in recent centuries, have taken up the habit of allowing their bodies to meet violent, brutal scenarios, mimicking death, because even leaving behind a small part of them can allow them to regrow into a full version of who they were again. They call this practice ‘respawning’. And its practice is highly discouraged among durable, long-lasting species, because the beings who practice it, and worse, practice it regularly, tend to start experiencing severe episodes of depression, dissociation, and intense mood-swings. Precisely because the act of playing out a violent death is terrifying. No matter how many times you do it. The only way to mitigate the effect is to detach the mind from the body in some meaningful way during the act, which in practice is very difficult to do. Our bodies are not things we puppeteer and have no personal connection to. Harm to our physical being, even if not permanent, is harm to our mental being. The side effects last, even if we heal.”

“For instance,” Dr. Mariah said, “How is your head? Do you think you could stomach a small source of flame as a light?”

Flora… Well…Doppio didn’t feel like he was a plant, even if his body did “mimic” things, apparently… And if she knew about them, he felt confident that Dr. Mariah wouldn’t talk about Flora being ‘other’ if there was a chance he was one. 

…plants getting up and walking around… Maybe Flora started from Titans? Or maybe those were…other plants. 

As Dr. Mariah described the, well…pitfalls of taking advantage of respawns, Doppio balked, making a few soft, disgusted and concerned noises. Well, that was a good advocate as any to prove to him he wasn’t just…(being dramatic, whiney) about not wanting to test how he could die. Doppio was…already sorta dealing with those things, he didn’t need to make it worse. …he liked his body, he didn’t want to hurt it. 

The painkiller had started to kick in, he realized, though it was such a…subtle change he hadn’t thought about it until Dr. Mariah asked. Though, he knew better than to think he was totally fine, so… “...um… I think so. Let me cover my eyes so I can adjust more slowly, though…and, uh, is there an opening, still? We should leave some sort of vent…”

Softly mumbling about safety concerns, there was the sound of shifting, as Doppio covered his eyes.

“I’ve not closed up the entrance I came in by, though I don’t think this structure Kaito’s made for you is exactly air proof,” Dr. Mariah said, smiling lightly.

She cleared her throat for a moment, before the clearing became a harsher, rasping sound. Sticking her finger in her mouth, she drew her finger out, before with a snap, a small, blue flame lit up on the tip of her index finger. She seemed physically undisturbed by it, as she pulled out her journal with her free hand, opening up to a page, before saying softly, “When your eyes have adjusted, please look at this image I’ve drawn in my notebook. I believe this may be an example of the ways you can never truly erase all the physical effects of a body from someone’s mind, even in the most complete way I can possibly think of.”

Inside the journal was a charcoal doodle. It was made by the skilled hand of a learned hobbyist artist, competent in the way any artist could become, through casual practice for decades and decades. It was a casual, but detailed, depiction of Dr. Mariah, sitting by her fish tank in her office, fully grown. She had done lovely shading, depicting the light from the fish tank illuminating her as she looked up towards it. There had been special emphasis, in her clothing, to show off her legs and the hard angles of her face and shoulders. It had clearly been a drawing made fondly, the woman in the picture lovely to look at.

“I drew this yesterday afternoon,” she said, “I couldn’t get the image out of my head until I drew it down. Does it look familiar?”

…fair enough. The idea of putting fire near cloth--the cushions--had come to mind too, but…well. Dr. Mariah had proven herself to be nothing but reasonable in Doppio’s eyes, so he figured he could leave the warning by the wayside. 

…he wasn’t really sure of the proper way to put out magic fire, though. Not that he had any nearby water to test that. 

Slowly Doppio turned his hands away from his eyes, bracing himself from the light he’d see…and when it didn’t immediately send spikes of pain through his brain, he let go of a breath and brought his arms down again. And, carefully, he sat himself up more, shifting to look at the drawing…

Before he gasped softly, and had to immediately lower himself again, his arms too shaky to stay upright, especially in the face of… Doppio cringed into himself a little. “...yeah. That… That was what you looked like, after…what happened.”

Settling back onto the pillow, Doppio was quiet for a moment before his voice came out tentatively. “...you didn’t hold it against me…but…it was still without your consent. ‘N surprising… You passed out ‘n your receptionist had to come help and…you couldn’t get up… I was too freaked out at the time, but…thinking about it…you seemed kind of excited…”

…and even just to get an image out of your mind, Doppio couldn’t imagine drawing something so…tenderly, if you hated it. 

“...if you did…um. With…something more planned out… I-I’d be willing to try…more properly in this real time. But…I-I’d prefer if you didn’t hurt Amaina to start it…”

“I would also prefer I not harm anyone, for something so superficial as a mere cosmetic change,” Dr. Mariah said, taking the journal back and, for a moment, observing it… before closing the journal with a small snap and blowing out the flame on her finger with a small puff. “Though I can’t imagine being that cross about it either, should it have happened. Not that it has. Not in a way that matters to me, personally.”

“Though, it very much did happen for you,” Dr. Mariah said. “Anything you personally experienced, retconned or not, has an effect on you, Doppio. I think it’d be unwise to view your ability, in the future, as a clean way to escape consequences. Not just for the echoes it apparently leaves behind, but also, because it still matters that it happened to you. You are the greatest lingering consequence, for the timelines you erase. And it matters what happens to you.”

“Do not concern yourself about my physical appearance. Cosmetic changes to my appearance are incredibly low on the list of priorities, yours or mine.” Dr. Mariah said, pocketing her journal, “Perhaps someday, when circumstances are more boring and nothing pressing is occurring, we can rediscuss it. For now, I’d rather focus on more important things. For instance…”

“I think it’s highly unrealistic, to suggest that your perceptions of your relationship with your ex-employer were entirely one-sided or fabricated in your mind, Doppio,” Dr. Mariah said, “Specifically because, well… you’re fundamentally a toddler, in your perceptions of what relationships even are. Toddlers, actually, are not terribly creative little minds. They tend to just recycle and repeat the world as it's presented to them, but from a simple and not entirely comprehending worldview. If you were looking at your relationship a certain way? It’s far more likely than not that you were repeating ideas that were being fed to you. Consciously or not.”

Doppio frowned softly. “...but it didn’t actually happen… Maybe, um…echoes, like you said, but… I know I don’t remember it, um…even as well as I don’t remember regular stuff. It’s…basically just a dream at that point. Even if it might give me a better idea of stuff that’s sorta going on…”

It didn’t happen so…it was dumb to focus on what he remembered. He should just focus on the actual time they were in. If the past was irrelevant, then what did that make a time that didn’t exist at all?

Doppio made an uncomfortable noise at being called a toddler…and even more at the idea Dr. Mariah posed. “...but he never alluded to being anything more than my boss. He just…” (Mio. Vito.)

Doppio trailed off, curling up again. “...he called me mio vito a lot. Um…’my life’, but that’s…more of a term of endearment.” He chewed the side of his lip. “...it sounded more…literal. When he was talking about me being…not human.”

“My life,” Dr. Mariah said. “... Doppio,” she continued, her tone gentle, “That is not the type of endearment an employer usually gives to their employee. Not even a prized one. That is the sort of thing you call a loved one.”

“What else?” Dr. Mariah asked, “What were other moments where you felt particularly connected to him? Let’s go through them.”

“...?” Doppio made a soft, confused sound. …wasn’t it? Sure, Doppio had never really heard Boss speak about other employees fondly, but…none of them met with him face-to-face, and a lot of the time when Boss talked about other employees it was because they were doing something shitty and he was complaining about them, and…well. Doppio was the best employee. So…it made sense that he’d be praised more and…all that. Right?

“...um… When he’d compliment my cooking. And…sometimes when I’d get home and I’d done everything on my checklist, he’d squeeze my shoulder and tell me what a good job I’d done…” Doppio pressed more into the pillow under his head. “...sometimes when I’d get hurt, he would just…stop working, and take care of what I’d done… He’d always lecture me for a while about being more careful but…I dunno. In a good way? About taking more care for myself, that sort of thing…”

Doppio scrunched his eyes, a sort of…hollow, aching feeling growing in his chest. “...when we’d work in his office together, sometimes he’d…ask me about my day. What sort of cool animals I saw, o-or what events were going on in town… I’m sure I was really boring but…he still asked…”

Oh dear…

This was a fairly unique situation, for Dr. Mariah. She had never had a patient who was in an abusive paternal relationship that would have a motivation to reject or deny the more openly paternal parts of that relationship. If anything, she was more used to steering the child away from hyperfocus on those moments where their parent was actually willing to act as a parent. Trying to hide from the ‘unusual’ sides of their parents by fixating on the moment where things were going well. 

How to proceed…

“It sounds like your ex-employer, for his many, many faults, did have a nurturing side.” Dr. Mariah said, “Perhaps unsurprisingly. You were likely, in the last near two years, primarily learning how to function as a person by observing him, first and foremost. And you yourself have nurturing qualities. A desire to feed, a concern for the wellbeing of your partner, a scolding insistence for healthy choices, as we just now witnessed between yourself and Kaito.”

“...an impulse to face danger with violence,” Dr. Mariah said, “As we also just saw with an example in Kaito. A willingness to use your abilities in large, unchangeable ways, as we know from yesterday. You have signs of your upbringing that are undeniable, and need to be confronted for what they were. A product of the way you were raised. By the man who was your father.”

Doppio just cringed into himself. …he’d wanted it so badly… But it still just felt…insulting to Boss. Associating them so closely… Implying in any sort of way that something…something so…like Doppio could’ve come from Boss. Like a broad and blossoming cherry tree dropping a shriveled leaf. 

But Dr. Mariah wasn’t phrasing it like an option, or a hypothesis. She was saying that it was something he needed to face. That…like it or not, insulting or not…

…Boss was his dad. 

“...oh…” Doppio mumbled softly. “...he’s always said to…cast off dead weight of the past. Always be the apex of yourself in the present. …if I’m a product of him then…no wonder he doesn’t want me… …must’ve been such a disappointment…”

“Hmm,” Dr. Mariah hummed, “Of course, I can’t diagnose him with anything, not without talking to him myself. A thorough examination, if you will… but a person who refuses to acknowledge the weight of their own past tends to mean an avoidant personality. An absolute refusal to face the consequences for their own actions, unless, of course, it suits them in some way. A refusal to face how your actions affected, primarily, other people, or your own future, tends to be a symptom of narcissism.”

“Tell me, Doppio. For your ex-employer. Was there anything he didn’t consider a disappointment?” Dr. Mariah asked. “And it is a leading question. Narcissists are almost impossible to please.”

Doppio’s brows furrowed and he made a low, displeased sound. “...himself. P…um, his business. My cooking, at least recently… Cool clothes.”

“...h… He’s not…a-an unhappy person,” Doppio softly defended, gripping the pillow between his fingers. “He’s really amazing… It’s not a bad thing to have high standards, ‘n…i-it was always amazing when I could meet them! A-and Boss thinks about all consequences all the time! He plans out everything that could happen, b-but he’s really adaptive if things go wrong!”

Almost like a switch, though, Doppio deflated, curling in on himself. …because Boss’s latest great plan was…killing him. And that didn’t…feel…amazing. 

“The ability to be appeased and whether they’re happy in that state are two very different things,” Dr. Mariah said, before considering her angle. Doppio needed to see the flaws in his abuser, sure. But it was more important in this moment for him to recognize that his abuser’s desires for Doppio didn’t require action on Doppio’s part. That was the crisis, if Doppio could be persuaded to act on his ex-employer’s desire for him to fake his death. 

Which, considering Arven, Dr. Mariah considered unlikely. Young love tended to thrive on acts of rebellion against authority. This wasn’t quite as quaint as, say, sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night, it was far more serious, but the emotions and motivations around it were likely still comparable. Once teenagers fell in love, that tended to be The Most Important Thing that has Ever Happened To Anyone, Ever.

That would likely keep Doppio safe through this. At least from himself. 

No, perhaps the angle Dr. Mariah needed to work from was less the abuse, and more… the change in Doppio’s life.

“Doppio, do you feel like there’s a risk, at any point, that you might go along with your ex-employer’s plan for you?” Dr. Mariah asked.

…maybe? It made a lot of sense to Doppio that, if you were appeased, you’d be happy. But…he guessed you could be happy without being appeased. Probably a lot happier in general if you could be happy without having to be appeased. Um…

Feeling himself sweat again--groooooooss--Doppio closed his eyes before shrugging a little. “...I wanna say no, and…everything I’ve done says that it’d be no, but…”

“...maybe,” he whispered, feeling a deep, sludgy churning in his gut. “...that’s kinda why I wanted to talk to someone, other than the magic stuff… E-even after I fell out of the tree, I got really scared by it, but…”

Doppio grimaced, hugging himself. “...but I still have thoughts like that, no matter how scary they are and…I dunno… I don’t want to die. But…i-it feels like if enough goes wrong all at once…something might happen.”

Dr. Mariah nodded. “That makes sense. You have a personal limit to what you’re willing to exchange for the sacrifice you’re being asked for. I think if you were to press any random person, you’d find that nearly everyone is the same. We all have things that matter to us more than our safety, or stability. And because that exchange can cause us so much harm, it’s important to face and recognize what those things are, before it’s asked of us.”

“On that note, paint a picture for me.” Dr. Mariah said, “Enough stuff goes wrong. What does that look like? What does a world where you kill yourself actually, physically look like? What makes that worth it?”

Doppio made a small, uncomfortable noise before he shifted. Still lying on his side, because even with the pain killer he didn’t really feel like he could move much, but…Kaito always said stuff about opening up his chest, making it easier to breathe. Maybe that’d help. 

…a world where he killed himself…

“...they find out they didn’t arrest Boss ‘n…everything’s put in a panic, trying to find him. Um… Boss starts trying to target other people, to…give me more opportunities…” Doppio felt his heart drop as he tried to think of the worst stuff. “...they put Arven in the um, foster/orphanage system, ‘n he hates it, ‘n he hates me and breaks up with me…”

…or…

“...get really freaked out ‘n I forget things ‘n no one else is there ‘n I just…hurt myself.”

“Let’s tackle those one at a time then. In the order offered,” Dr. Mariah said. 

“The first possible criteria. Your ex-employer’s latest crime is discovered, and,” she said, stressing the ‘and’, “Everyone is put into a panic. What does that mean to you? Why is that part of the criteria?”

Doppio furrowed his brow a little. “...um… I don’t… I think that would just…happen? If people find out? It’s a big deal if people are unlawfully arrested… ‘N I know Kaito and the others would get really worried, thinking there’s…” He huffed softly. “...a danger to me anywhere out there. The person they arrested would probably be questioned a lot about why they confessed, ‘n if they know where Boss actually is, or any information about him, ‘n… It’d just turn into a manhunt…”

…he didn’t like the idea of people hunting Boss. He didn’t like the idea of work coming to a standstill, and Boss having to do his own laundry and cooking with no one looking after him, but…at least Boss was safe at home. If they started searching for him again…

“I understand being concerned for others' behalf. How it would affect the man being falsely imprisoned, your ex-employer, the people currently trying to mitigate danger to you,” Dr. Mairah said, “But I’d like you to think selfishly for a moment. In this worst case scenario, so long as all the adults around you are following through on the vows they’ve made to you and their positions in their own employment… none of that really affects you. You could even make the argument that the people currently dealing with this circumstance, the arrest, the conflict, even the dangers, are not your concern anymore. By stepping away from your employer, being given to guardians who are responsible for your safety, and starting a new life for yourself, everything else is background noise, happening to someone else. It’s not your responsibility to save any of them from themselves or each other. You’re no longer a part of this.”

“Your role in everything that’s transpired is functionally done,” Dr. Mariah said, “The next step for you is accepting that and moving on.”

Doppio gnawed on his lip, not…getting that at all. Of course it was his concern! How could he just…let it go, like none of it mattered to him? It mattered a lot, actually. …sure…he couldn’t…really go back to Boss. Not really. The only way to do that was to go through with Boss’s plan, and…Doppio had already said no to that. So…he had committed to…being in the system. It was like Arven said, he couldn’t half-ass being there for Boss while also letting CPS and the government take care of his business. 

But…but…

“...I still want to protect him,” Doppio whined softly, tucking his head down. “...I-I know I…I’m more than what I was made to do, a-and I don’t have to…but I still want to. I hate thinking about how he’s on his own… He told me he’s even had to do his own laundry and cleaning… I hate thinking about anyone finding him, exposing him… I was supposed to take care of him…”

Dr. Mariah, ever the professional, said patiently and kindly, “I understand… but you trust in his abilities, don’t you? Perhaps as part of the letting go process, you can trust him to… do his own laundry. It’s still something you both have to now move on from. How he does it is not your responsibility to manage. You can only manage your own life, and choose what moving on looks like for you.”

“I don’t agree that you should forget your past,” Dr. Mariah said gently, “But I do agree that you shouldn’t live in it. Your time with him is done. You cannot make how he is doing a criteria to how you live your own life. It cannot matter.”

The whole conversation had been bad, but something about hearing, specifically, that…his time with Boss was done. That Doppio’s decisions had been so final, the consequences laid in stone. Boss, at least his well-being, couldn’t matter to him…

…there was a small sniffle in the dark, followed by a fragile, quiet, cut off cry. Doppio curled completely in a ball on his side, as a wobbly, wet voice pleaded, “...why?”

“Everything I’ve ever done was for him… I just wanted him to be safe and happy… I-it didn’t… Nothing else mattered… Why did he make me think, if I had to leave…?”

“You would honestly know that better than I can guess, right now.” Dr. Mariah said, “I agree. If he wanted a mindless puppet to clean after him and run errands, you are a strange example of that. You’re emotional, and intelligent, and independent. You can fall in love. You can value your own life. You make a very poor puppet.”

“But I’ve said it before, and I will keep saying this.” Dr. Mariah said, “Your experience, as someone’s child, is typical. Normal. Your ex-employer, if he intended to make a puppet, failed. He succeeded at something far more impressive. He made a life. A child who is growing and has the potential to grow into so much more, very rapidly. Twenty years is a blink of an eye. Anyone hoping to have a child to ‘keep’ something is wildly misunderstanding how quickly children grow up. You were never going to be suitable to be kept.”

“And as also typical, at least here in Dicea, anyone who would mistreat a child, harm their development, will not be trusted to continue raising them.” Dr. Mariah said, “Your ex-employer made choices, Doppio. You’re not responsible for the choices he made, but you do have to live in the consequences for them. And that consequence is that he no longer gets the privilege of raising you. It’s not fair, not to you. But it is true.”

…Doppio had always hated that. People calling him a puppet or a mouthpiece or…stuffing-for-brains, the Boss’s obedient little pet… Sure, he followed orders well and without complaint, but it had been something he had prided himself on. He was obedient by choice, and the best examples of his creativity came in completing his orders better than anyone else, even past the expectations of the person giving them. 

…somehow, hearing Dr. Mariah call him a poor puppet hurt. 

He was a poor puppet, and instead…a child who had idolized the father that raised him, and…had been hurt. And in Dicea, that mattered, and now…

There were some more sniffles, little sounds as Doppio cried against his arms, trying to be quiet. 

…actions had consequences, and Boss’s plan for avoiding them, Doppio had rejected. So…he had to live with his own consequences too. And just…not cry too loudly while they played out. Not put himself in danger, trying to take too many things for himself. 

(...should he…tell someone? Like, actionably, that Boss was still free?)

Dr. Mariah tasted the air.

Hmmm… they may have gotten past the crisis mark.

They had two more criteria they had to deconstruct, but as Doppio cried, Dr. Mariah considered the idea of making that their starting point in their next official session. She could stay longer, do a full session, but Doppio coming down from an emotional high like that probably would need real rest soon. Allow himself to process what had happened and let his feelings stabilize. Hmmm…

She would ask. 

After a moment, letting Doppio cry for a while, Dr. Mariah said, “This has been a lot, especially for so early in the day. We can keep going, exploring this into its exhaustion, but I want to give you the opportunity to call essentially for a break, put this conversation on hold for our next session. Confronting our emotions is good, but processing and rest– breaks– are also important. You can always ask for a break, Doppio. Would you like to break?”

Thankfully his migraine hadn’t fought past the painkiller from all his crying, but once he could…fucking pull himself together, Doppio just felt…bad. Tired, and everything ached, and he was sticky and clammy, and there was still a thrum in his head, reminding him that there was some sort of headache awaiting him if he let his guard down…

There was probably enough he could talk about with Dr. Mariah for years, but…

“...m-maybe,” Doppio said softly, “But…um… Kaito was asking about if…we could, um, talk to you about something together? I-if you had time… Um…” There was a pause, just soft, slightly audible breathing. “...um… I think it was about boundaries?”

“...it’s kinda sudden, I know, so if you’d want to have more time to…prepare? Before talking to two different clients, I-I’d get that.”

“Ah, I see.” Dr. Mariah said, “...is this a conversation you want to have? Now? Because that does matter.”

…?

“...yeah?” Doppio mumbled, sounding a little confused. He just wouldn’t have brought it up if he thought it was a dumb idea… Though, um, asking about now was a good point… “...yeah. I don’t…like blowing up at him all the time, even if he deserves it. Even if it’s something that we’d need to talk more about later…I think even just getting a start would help.”

“...”

“...m not getting out from under here yet, though,” Doppio muttered, curling around his claimed pillow more.

“Alright. Let me go fetch him. We’ll continue this conversation at our next session, and don’t forget that I’ve given you an additional homework: I want you and Arven to pick a grounding object together. Something you can look at quickly that reminds you where you are in the timeline.” Dr. Mariah said, “I’ll put it at the top of the notes I’m going to work on while we talk with Kaito. You’ll put them in your journal, yes?”

Making a small, understanding noise, Doppio nodded. “I’ll tape ‘em to the next page too, so I don’t think it’s just something I’m carrying. …m usually pretty good at keeping stuff with my notebook organized, but…doesn’t hurt to have some precaution.”

Some minor shifting noises. “...if…he’s injured enough that he’s still in the medical wing, um…we can postpone. O-or I could…try to get over there…if he still wants to talk.”

“We will see. Don’t forget, we can also put this off if you need more time. But for now, let me go see how one of our resident princes is doing,” Dr. Mariah said.

Though, when she walked out of the study… “Kaito,” she sighed.

“Look, see, I went,” Kaito said, pointing to the little ice-heat pack that had been taped over the farthest back part of his jaw, where it curved up to his ear, “Tell that isn’t a lucky shot. Who hits there? Even by accident?”

“He did mention he hit you in other places,” Dr. Mariah said. “I believe you specified your stomach?”

Kaito crossed his arms over his chest, shrugging as he leaned against the opposite wall. “I have bruises. They put cream on them. I was fine and I knew it.”

Kaito paused, looking over Dr. Mariah’s head, into the darkness of the study. “How is he?”

“We’ve reached a good stopping point,” Dr. Mariah said, “And he said you requested we have a boundaries discussion?”

“...okay, but is being a good stopping point mean he’s good or–”

“Have faith in me Kaito.” Dr. Mariah said, “Trust in the process. Including the privacy aspects of it.”

Kaito huffed, looking a little annoyed. “I’m not asking for his deepest darkest secrets–”

“Aren’t you?” Dr. Mariah asked. Watching Kaito’s body tighten with discomfort, as she said, “Let’s continue this with Doppio, since this feels like it’s part of your boundaries request.”

“...look, you’re gonna at least try to see this from my point of view, right?”

“Kaito, do you doubt me, after all of this?” Dr. Mariah frowned, looking a little hurt. “I’ve taken your point of view into account for a great many things already. I always do. I have, in fact, taken your side on many complaints and issues we’ve discussed as a group. Sometimes your actions are correct. Sometimes they need evaluation. They always have purpose. Trust me.”

Kaito’s lips thinned… tapping against his arms a little fitfully.

Dr. Mariah smiled. “You think you’re in the wrong,” she guessed.

“Mindreading~” Kaito sang-songed at her, before pushing off the wall and heading into the study. Dr. Mariah following behind him. 

Kaito peered down at the entrance of the fort. “...okay, guys, I’m not gonna be able to fit inside with three people.”

“Let me in and then you can poke your head in,” Dr. Mariah said, getting on her knees and shuffling inside.

“My back’s gonna hate me again,” Kaito muttered, getting down onto his stomach, getting his shoulders and head in, resting on his elbows. “...eyyyy. Tummy time!” Kaito said cheerfully. “Man. No wonder my little baby’s so buff, this is a tough pose to hold when you’re already sore. Tough little baby Miya. How are you, Doppio?”

Doppio could hear the murmurs of them talking across the room…which was pretty telling, even without being able to pick out individual words. Kaito was just outside the room…not even eavesdropping this time, since Doppio and Dr. Mariah had been muffled, and talking relatively quietly on top of that. He was just…waiting there. 

…yeah, they really needed to have this talk. 

Huffing softly as they reconvened as much inside the fort as they all could, Doppio made a sort of indistinct sound before looking at the shadowing mass in the entrance that was Kaito. “...you okay? …I’m still saying it’s dumb to try and hold onto someone when they’re panicking, but… …’m sorry. I didn’t break anything?”

“Break anything? Kid, how fragile do you think I am?” Kaito grinned, ignoring the ache in his stomach as he said, “You barely nicked me. You only got a lucky shot because I got a weird little pinched nerve thing in my jaw hinge. Kinda scrambles me. Otherwise I was fine… Don’t tell Arven. Actually, don’t tell Timothy either, I don’t think he knows about it yet either. If one of them suddenly gets ‘lucky’ throwing a ball at the side of my head, I’m coming after you, Doppio.”

“Kaito, perhaps let's not be dismissive of others’ concerns.” Dr. Mariah said, “Especially considering that it’s a mindset you struggle with greatly. If you’re allowed to worry for others, allow others to worry for you.”

“...yeah, sorry.” Kaito frowned, fussing with his hands in the dark. “How is your head, Doppio?”

Yeah, right. If Kaito was gonna blab his secrets everywhere, Doppio was going to tell Arven and Tim about his…weird jaw thing. He didn’t think either of them would really want to knock Kaito out on purpose, but for teasing material? Kaito was done for. 

…also, wow. Kaito was right about Dr. Mariah reining him in. 

“Better,” Doppio hummed. “Thank you for the recommendation…and building this. ‘S cozy. And it’s not really much of a mess, so it’d be easy to fix when…whenever I get out.” Eventually. At some point. Look, Doppio wasn’t going to take a nap on the ground of some random study, so he’d leave at some point, but for now? …all his. 

“...if I give you a boundary, I want it to be respected,” Doppio started softly, just…deciding to get to it. “Not constantly pushed against, so you can break it when I’m just too exhausted to enforce it myself. You’re not my enemy, I shouldn’t constantly have to defend myself against you.”

Kaito sort of wanted to just agree. To just promise to be better… but he could do that any time, and that wasn’t why he had suggested they talk this over with Dr. Mariah. He needed to be honest about what was happening, and since this kept being an argument between them, that meant Kaito had to just confront it was a conflict.

“Okay, but–”

“Remember, Kaito. We start with the reality as it’s first presented, acknowledge that, and then explore the alternatives. That’s true for when you’re arguing, the same way as when you’re trying to stop arguments.”

Kaito tightened his hands together. Fine. “Okay, yes, you shouldn’t need to defend yourself against me, and I shouldn’t take advantage when I’ve emotionally worn you down, especially when you’re already physically worn down. That’s a shitty thing for me to do, especially when you’re in a position where you can’t really escape me. I mean, the first few times I did it, I wasn’t expecting it to… escalate the way it did.”

Kaito hesitated, before looking over to Dr. Mariah. “Now?”

“Go ahead.”

“I can’t justify pulling back and leaving people alone when the same kind of fights we’re having now, happened when you were literally drowning in front of me.” Kaito frowned. Squeezing his hands together tightly. “It’s hard to be told I’m being paranoid or pushy, look away, and suddenly like… people are being literally tortured, and–”

“Kaito.”

“--No, can I finish? Because I’m not being delusional, there are too many literal examples–”

“I’m stopping you, so that you don’t accidentally reveal things about yourself that perhaps you don’t want to say in a moment of emotion.” Dr. Mariah said, “I’m aware of your personal history. I understand what you’re saying. Let’s try to focus on your and Doppio’s situation, specifically.”

Kaito licked his lips… before nodding. “Right, right, sorry. But that doesn’t change my fears. I’m worried I’ll back off, and this time someone will get hurt. That Doppio will get hurt. And how do you know when you should or shouldn’t push?”

Dr. Mariah waited, looking to see if Doppio wanted to answer that first.

Doppio sighed softly. “...for those things? I do understand… I purposefully hid…dangers, I guess, from you, and in that case, your pushing got me…” Doppio wrinkled his nose a bit. “...aid. …but it’s not just me and Boss at my house anymore. I literally live in the same place you do, surrounded by people who want to make sure I’m safe, with a bunch of people specifically looking out for me, not just danger in general.”

“And, like… Making me see a healer? Or stay in a new house? Is way different from not listening to me when I don’t want to be picked up or touched, or leaving me alone for an hour when I’m just in the castle garden. Those aren’t the same thing, and treating them like they are, and that they’ll all lead to me dying is infuriating.” 

Doppio huffed softly. “...I know I’m not good at it, historically…but you never let people ask for help, you always force it on them first, whether they want it or not. And that response never changes even when the circumstances do. It’s like you don’t believe people can ever learn, or change, or make different decisions. It’s just…everything up to Kaito.”

“That is, in fact, what I was going to bring up as well,” Dr. Mariah said, looking to Kaito’s silhouette. “You ask how you’re supposed to know when to push, and while I know to you, that feels like an impossible question, that’s only because… well, to be honest, Kaito, you’ve developed an ‘alarmist’ bias. It’s not something we’ve had a chance to discuss in a group, but I’m hoping…”

Kaito hesitated, before nodding. “Miss Crystal’s talked to me about it, yeah. I assume the most alarming scenario is going to be true, if I don’t go check on it myself. The medication’s supposed to help.”

“Has it been?”

“I don’t feel the need to check everyone’s rooms anymore.” Kaito said, “But I usually did that in the middle of the night, so…”

“Keep on top of that with Miss Crystal. But my point is, Kaito, there are scenarios where you can assume that things are normal, that the risk-factor is low, without physically putting hands and eyes on it yourself. Your alarmist perspective is just blinding you from making real risk-assessments, because your default is the worst case scenario.”

“Okay… so what do I… do about that?” Kaito asked, “With Doppio?”

“What did Doppio say?”

“...I shouldn’t touch or hold him when he doesn’t want it.”

“And when, in a worst case scenario, would that be okay?”

“If I let go and…” Kaito suddenly hesitated, “...he throws himself out the window?”

“Is that what you thought would happen? Earlier, when he punched you?”

“No,” Kaito admitted.

“What did you think was happening? What was so alarming that you had to do it?”

“...I don’t know,” Kaito admitted, “I get really aggressive, when I see signs of suicidal tendencies. I’ve never been any good at handling them. My impulse is to fight something, but the only person there is, ya know, them.”

“So you’re aware that this is something you aren’t good at handling, and it’s proven in your history,” Dr. Mariah said, “So, what should you do, when you see that?”

“...”

“Doppio said it.”

“...... I ask them what they need help with, and trust them?”

“You can’t trust your own instincts when it comes to that scenario. So you have to defer to them or others,” Dr. Mariah agreed. “What else did Doppio say?”

“I need to let him be by himself.”

“And why can you trust that?”

“Because we’ve already made things safe for him… and I need to trust that?”

“And wait for him to ask for help if he needs it,” Dr. Mariah said, “And trust that he would, now.”

“...okay, but how do I know he would?”

“That’s the ‘trust’ part.”

Alarmist? Doppio thought expecting the worst-case scenario was an anxiety thing. He supposed it still could be, just…specific language to talk about a specific thing. He was fairly sure he’d told Kaito before, but…that sounded exhausting, not being able to trust that things would just…happen normally, if you didn’t personally get involved. 

Doppio sighed. “...okay, like? If I’m about to fall off something? That’s a time I would appreciate you grabbing me, Kaito.” He pressed into his pillow with a grimace. “...I guess Lake still would’ve mitigated what she could, but…you probably saved my life, before. I’m not ungrateful for that. But you have to see the difference…”

Along with-- Doppio huffed. “...you think the person refusing to let themself die is in a suicidal situation? For real? And if you were put into a Four F situation, like…it’s not a leap to think I’d be too.”

While he did employ--though saying that a stress response was something you consciously chose was a stretch--Flight, Freeze, and Fawn a good deal…Doppio wasn’t a person to shy away from Fight. If Kaito had chosen to fight him, and was holding him down? Of course Doppio was going to try to fight him off.

Sighing, Doppio tried to lift his head a bit, looking over Dr. Mariah at the blobby shadow of Kaito. “...you don’t have a lot of reasons to trust me. And you apparently don’t trust anything around me either. Maybe that’s just not fair, but…the reasons I did lie to you before? I don’t have anymore. Instead, I have a lot of incentive to ask for help when I need it…so give me a chance?”

“...I know I sound like a brat saying this but…if you don’t, I’m not just going to roll over and let you keep me as some crate-trained pet,” Doppio softly groused. “I told you… If your responsibility feels suffocating, I’m gonna fight it. And if I’m constantly fighting you, then…guess what? You’re not the person I’m gonna go to when I need help.”

Lowering himself again, Doppio chewed on his lip, remembering some of what he and Dr. Mariah had talked about before. “...maybe that’s the best outcome for the both of us. I told you…you are my friend. I don’t want to…completely cut you out of my life. But if that’s better…” Doppio trailed off for a moment, sadness draping over him like a wet sheet. “...well, I’m learning a lot more about that, lately.”

Kaito could feel his eyes physically dilate, as he growled lowly, “You are no one’s pet.”

“Kaito, hear him out…” Dr. Mariah cautioned, as Doppio kept going.

And while she could feel the alarm increase as he got to the end point, Dr. Mariah hummed. “Actually… that might be a good point.”

“No, please, that can’t be the answer…”

“Maybe not knocking you out of each other's lives, not that,” Dr. Mariah said, “Though that’s always an option too. But, Kaito… you are not Doppio’s guardian. Not in any sense. You are not qualified to request it. That is a reality. You are not in charge of Doppio.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Kaito, you’ve done your part in Doppio’s life. You’ve literally pulled him out of a dangerous home environment and completely restructured his life, built a support network around him, he has literal safety nets on top of safety nets, including myself, including your family, including everyone in the castle. And this is something you struggle with. And it’s unrealistic to ask you to fix a neurosis you have overnight, upon request.”

“So, what, I just… stop caring?” Kaito asked weakly, “That’s easier than changing overnight? Somehow??”

“No. You stop being an option for who Doppio goes to for help. We take you, officially, off the board for who Doppio goes to for aid. Make it an official, understood thing, between you two. That Doppio, when he needs assistance, will, and is supposed to, go to the other members of his support system. Not you. Not anymore.”

“...B-but what if he, like, what if he changes his mind, and he needs me, and–”

“That’s going to be his part of it. His way of supporting you, by sticking to this potential deal to utilize his network. Kaito, if I may bring this up here… the fears you have for Arven?” Dr. Mariah said, her voice soft, feeling a little guilty to say this in front of Doppio, but needing Kaito to understand, “That is what I’m saying needs to be done for you, right now. For the same reasons. You’ve done your part. This needs to no longer be your responsibility.”

“...but I swore…”

…oh. Um. Hm… Doppio didn’t think there was anything that could really keep Kaito from caring, and that would be a cruel thing to ask anyway, but even though he had been the one to broach the idea… 

…not going to Kaito for help anymore? And, instead, going to…other people… King Ouma was his official guardian, Doppio knew, and those two CPS agents were supposed to be able to help him out with most things, if he asked, and…all the castle staff was supposed to at least point him towards someone who could help… Prince Kokichi was always checking in, and…Maki had plainly outlined her willingness to help, and Prince Shuuichi too…

There wasn’t a lack of options for him. But…actually utilizing them? For the more mundane things he did ask Kaito about? Nnnng…

…he supposed it wasn’t supposed to be easy for both of them. 

Doppio gave…well, the darkness a confused look, wondering how Arven fit into this…before he huffed. “...so? Take it back. Or swear something different, like…swearing to actually help me. If you’re gonna say that some words--with a super nebulous meaning that you pick and choose to suit what actions you want to take, I wanna point out--matter more than my actual well-being? Then maybe I really will think about that extra restraining order.”

Sighing, Doppio closed his eyes. “...I told you before, when you promised me that? …all I wanted was reassurance that I wasn’t about to have my insides jarred and displayed at the university. I never wanted you to be responsible for me… I can face my own actions. And if I can’t…” He opened one eye, guessing about where Dr. Mariah was in the dark. “...then I’m learning how. And I can’t do that if you’re determined to take all my choices away.”

Kaito felt his stomach twist up with frustration. He had sworn to help him… he had been helping. His vows weren’t nothing. He didn’t like to hear them disparaged.

And he didn’t like where all of this was going. How was he supposed to stop? Half the time Doppio didn’t even come to Kaito for help, Kaito just pushed his help onto Doppio, was he just supposed to ignore it when he noticed something was wrong?

He hated this. He didn’t know if he could do it. It was going to drive him crazy… “You’re thinking of getting a restraining order against me?”

“It’s an option we’ve strongly discussed,” Dr. Mariah said. Tone stern. “I wanted to explore it with him.”

Kaito’s eyes widened slightly, hurt… before he sighed. Resting his forehead against his biceps, resigning himself. Well, if those were his options…”Yeah, alright,” Kaito said. Sounding tired and a little defeated. “I’m not the guy who helps Doppio. Okay. Sure… are you guys sure about this? What if he needs–”

“If he needs anything, there will be someone he can go to for help.” Dr. Mariah said, “You will have to trust the system works.”

“Ugh,” Kaito scoffed, frustration running through him again, “...what the fuck’s even the point of me, if I’m not helping…”

“Think of it like this, Kaito. Doppio’s learning to use his support network in its entirety, and you’re learning how to talk to someone you’re close to again without indulging your controlling tendencies. It’ll develop both of your social skills.”

“Uuuuuuugh.”

“One, you’re helping me by not sabotaging me, or blowing past my boundaries and making me freak out or get super sad. Two…” Doppio scoffed a little, curling up. “...what the hell. You don’t make friends with someone because they can do stuff for you. That can be a bonus, sometimes, but you make a friend because you vibe well and you enjoy spending time together. You’re not irrelevant because you’re not “doing” anything, and people who’d act like you are are just taking advantage of you…and you deserve more than conditional people in your life.”

Rolling his eyes a little, not unselfaware, Doppio muttered, “Take it from the guy with three friends that I made in the last two weeks.”

“...don’t be a baby about it. Out of the two of us, I reserve that right.”

Groaning, Doppio rolled over a little onto his stomach, cradling his head in his arms. “...what time is it? Is school over soon? …did those two agents leave?”

Three? …Oh, right, Amaina. Kaito huffed, bringing his legs up and kicking the air a little, feeling a little petulant. He still hated it, but… this was what was happening. And he was just gonna have to deal with it. “Be a brat if I want to be. I was being a brat before you were ever even born, kid. I’m a master brat.”

Huffing again, Kaito flopped onto his back, easing some of the pressure in his lower back and easing the ache in his stomach, staring at the dark space above the fortress. “You wish it was later in the day. This all started so early… Okay, but Arven still needs my help, right? Because he did not have three of his books! Who’s checking on Arven’s books!?”

“Arven’s not one of my patients, go nuts,” Dr. Mariah said with a small shrug.

“The CPS agents are actually waiting on your signature for the other restraining order,” Kaito said, “I told them to wait in the dining hall. I told them I’d come grab you and you’d be out in a minute.”

“...you really can be very randomly aggressive, Kaito,” Dr. Mariah noted. “Why bully them?”

“They give me smug vibes.” 

“That’s not very hard,” Doppio grumbled. Most people alive had been most things before he had been born. It wasn’t that long ago. 

Tightening his arms around his head, Doppio let out a long groan. “Oh nooooo… I’ve just unleashed the full brunt of you on Arven…what have I done? Mio tesoro pietoso… (my poor darling) Need to give him warning, at least…” Maybe Amaina would be nice if he asked politely. And promised to cook her something yummy…even if he didn’t really have any energy to cook right then. 

Groaning again at the mention of the agents, Doppio tilted his head back up and huffed in agreement. “...barreling in and grabbing someone having a panic attack is dumb, but just sitting around doing nothing is such… una mossa baciannicchiu. (a dummy move) Aren’t they supposed to be used to helping traumatized kids? Weirdos…”

A deep sigh. “...I can try getting out…”

“Actually, there’s so many ways to engage with a variety of panic attacks that if you’re unfamiliar with the subjects, it’s recommended to step back and let them self-soothe. It’s just considered the safest choice for the largest number of people, though it can look a little cruel and dismissive from the outside.” Dr. Mariah said, “And Kaito, keep in mind, CPS agents work very hard, in very stressful positions. If they seem ‘smug’, it might just be they’re too stressed out to put on pleasant, personable faces. Let's be generous.”

“I don’t waaaaaant to be generous,” Kaito grumbled.

Dr. Mariah suddenly laughed. It was an unusual sound, and Kaito found himself looking at her in the darkness, curious. After a moment, she said, “Apologies, but you’re so upset with me. Do try to forgive me a little, Kaito. This really is the best advice for both of you, even if it’s difficult to hear.”

“...right, right. Sorry.” Kaito sighed, turning over, staring at Doppio’s silhouette. He could offer to go bring the paperwork to Doppio. Or maybe offer to, like… pick him up, take him. Or… “Man, I have no idea.” Kaito muttered, “Can’t we just take a nap here? I want  a nap now. Shoot, what time is it actually, I might be on Miya duty soon. Supposed to relieve Shuichi after lunch.”

“Close, but not quite there,” Dr. Mariah said.

Doppio grumbled a bit. If they were gonna do that, he would’ve preferred that they leave. He couldn’t quite remember all that had happened, and of course he didn’t know what it looked like to…yanno, a normal person, but…ugh. It had probably been embarrassing…

Maybe leaving was one of those multitudes of options, though. 

…he still didn’t like the agents. 

Doppio looked up, surprised by the sound of Dr. Mariah’s laugh…but, man. If Kaito was being childish…

Sighing, Doppio kicked the cushion side of the fort, before starting to crawl out backwards. “...go take a nap. If you’re staying here, I’ll leave you to the fort, but otherwise… I’ll go sign the stupid form, then…” Doppio wrinkled his nose as he sat up out in the room, carding back his mussed bangs. “...m takin’ a shower.”

Kay, call him if you need him, do you want him to bring food during lunch, are you going to rest after the shower, the migraine will probably feel better when you wake up, do you want more of the tablets he could– “Auuuuuuuuuugh.”

“It’ll be okay, Kaito,” Dr. Mariah said, patting Kaito’s shoulder, before escaping by kicking down another wall, the ceiling falling off from the other half of the tilted chair. “I will see you both at your next sessions.”

“Ngh.” Kaito grumbled from the toppled fortress. Making no move to get up. He’d get up when he was ready.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Doppio pulled himself up from the ground…only getting part way before his legs gave out on him. But on the second try he made it up, however wobbly his stance was as he held his head. Taking a breath, though, he gave Dr. Mariah a nod. “...thanks for coming over. And, um…sorry. School event and grounding item…right?”

“Yes. Oh, let me give you the notes I made. Follow me to the hall, it’ll be easier to pass it over in the light,” Dr. Mariah said, following Doppio’s unsteady steps to the hallway. 

She carefully ripped some pages out of her notebook, passing them to Doppio and showing him the highlighted areas, where his homework was noted. “Please feel free to reach out to me whenever. Some days will be like today was, where I’ll have to finish a session before I can arrive, but I always put in time between sessions to make room for emergency sessions, it’s literally slotted into my day. Never hesitate.”

“Right! Notes…”

Carefully taking the notes--ugh, please don’t stain; his fingertips couldn’t be that gross…--Doppio slotted them into the next free page in his notebook to tape in later. Alright…he’d probably review them later today, once he’d had time to rest and think, and…well, he needed to talk to Arven anyway about the grounding item, so he’d probably glance once or twice then too… 

…it wasn’t a great feeling, thinking about telling Arven he’d had another freak out today… And this one he couldn’t even wholly blame on Kaito…though Arven would probably find some fault. Because, yanno…Kaito had bungled--

Doppio blinked, looking at his palm in surprise. His…reddened, scratched palm. …that probably explained the stinging… 

…sign the paper, take a shower, put balm on. 

“Thanks,” Doppio sighed, bringing his hand down again and giving Dr. Mariah a grateful nod. “Um…even so. I hope there won’t be an emergency the next time we see each other.”

Dr. Mariah just smiled at that, nodded her head, glanced at the study, before heading off. 

-

Arven yawned as he opened the door, letting Chief trot inside first before he came in, closing the door with a small thud, dropping his backpack by it. Blegh, long day… he was glad to be out of school. He had been missing Doppio. It was the shittier part of his days, honestly, missing Doppio while he was away. Though otherwise it had been an okay day. 

He wondered how Doppio’s day had been. He wondered… oh.

Arven realized that slightly warm, floral scent was coming from the bathroom, and yeah, now that he was listening, that was the shower going off. Heh, alright. Squeaky clean Doppio~ Maybe Arven would take a shower next, clean the sweat of the day off himself. 

Arven sat on the edge of the bed, sighing. Just sitting for a moment…

Doppio blinked, looking at the wall of the shower, from his spot leaning against the side wall, under the spray. Oh… That probably meant… Well, Kaito was going to try and butt out, now, so…

Okay. Okay, okay, he could do this. He’d taken his time washing up, actually letting conditioner sit in his hair for an elongated stretch of time…and, well, he’d washed his body again, while he did that…and after that…well…he’d been pretty tired, so he’d rested his eyes for a while… And when he woke up, well, he’d been feeling a little better, so he washed up again, and now Arven was home so…

…maybe one more time…

After a while, Doppio tentatively opened the bathroom door, a heavy plume of steam billowing out. Though, when he saw Arven on the bed, Doppio smiled softly and went over to join him. Plopping down beside his boyfriend and wrapping his arms around him, tucking his face into his neck. Squeezing firmly. 

“...welcome home,” Doppio murmured, nosing against the crook of Arven’s neck and shoulders. “...missed you.”

Arven smiled, wrapping his arm around Doppio’s lower back, his face warming pleasantly as he felt Doppio’s nose nuzzled into his neck. “Hey. I missed you too. You smell nice,” Arven complimented, placing a small kiss against Doppio’s temple, “Put something into your hair?”

“Nuh,” Doppio hummed, feeling himself relax against Arven. Just an absolute sense of comfort enveloping him. “Just left conditioner in for longer… ‘ssposed to help with, like…breakage ‘n stuff, I think. Maybe moisturizing…dunno, ‘d have to look at the bottle.”

Humming happily at the kiss, Doppio returned one against Arven’s neck. “...how was your day? You get the books you need sorted?”

Arven grinned, that warm flush getting hotter. Doppio was being very affectionate right now. Like he usually was, to be fair, but Arven was feeling it right now. Maybe Doppio was in a good mood. Maybe a good day? 

“Yeah, I got them. I couldn’t risk Kaito deciding he needed to drag me back out to the market to find the books with me. Gotta mitigate Kaito-nosiness as much as possible,” Arven laughed, wrapping his arm around the front of Doppio too, hugging him a bit, “Can I have a kiss?”

Doppio huffed a soft laugh, gently rocking his knuckles against Arven’s side. “You are good at that. Though…more might be coming your way, as a heads up.”

Smiling softly at the request, Doppio picked his head up and leaned in close, murmuring, “Of course,” before he pressed his lips to Arven’s. Kissing him slowly, just…enjoying the heat and press and taste of him. The utter sense of peace and joy that Doppio always felt from his boyfriend…

He’d calmed down a lot, in the shower, but…it was still nice. Hmm… Maybe he’d try to whip them up a special dessert that night…

Even when Doppio pulled back, he followed up with a few pecks, just…happy. Happy to see Arven again. 

“Mmmm~” Arven smiled into the kisses. “This is a great way to come home, hm? Well, temporary home, anyway. I really like this part of it. Coming back, and there you are… you’re the best part of my days.”

Kissing Doppio a bit, Arven felt a small tightening of arousal in him. Thankfully, he was getting more and more used to that, when he held Doppio. It had been pretty alarming the first few times, not knowing what to do with it, but now it was just a pleasant side effect of making out with his boyfriend. A fun bonus to just getting to be close to Doppio and show him affection. 

After a while, though, he needed to let his face cool a little, breaking the kiss and gazing at him fondly. “You’re in a good mood~” he observed, “Did you have a good day?”

“I campi brillano d'oro quando sono abbelliti dal sole, (The fields shine golden when graced by the sun.)” Doppio hummed, kissing the tip of Arven’s nose fondly. “Couldn’t wait for you to come back.”

He didn’t just wait around for Arven to come back whenever they weren’t together…but Doppio couldn’t say he didn’t look forward to it. He knew he couldn’t just spend his days waiting around while other people decided his world, and he did spend time learning about the castle and its inhabitants, or just enjoying beautiful moments with Amaina, but with how scary and frustrating things were a lot of the time…knowing that he’d get his greatest ally and peace with Arven did make him a safe place Doppio always wanted to return to. 

The kisses were really great too. 

Blushing lightly as Arven pulled back, Doppio looked to the side, smiling awkwardly. “...not really. I had a really bad panic attack, like the one I had on the road with you, and they had to call Dr. Mariah in to help sort me out afterwards. I’m just…happy to see you.”

Arven frowned, before sighing. Kissing Doppio’s cheek, he said, “Yeah? I’m sorry. Like on the road… Oh no, the hallucinations then? Was it scary? Are you alright now?” Arven asked, hugging Doppio’s waist tightly, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, Aceto.”

“Hhhhm…” Doppio let out a soft, pleased sigh from the kiss and squeeze, though he gave Arven a soft smile. “...it was pretty scary. ‘N Kaito got involved too, and, uh, apparently he’s got something up with his jaw, and I hit him there while I was freaking out and it wasn’t…great for him. But, yeah. I’m okay now.”

“More than okay, really,” he grinned, pecking Arven’s cheek. “You’re here now, and that’s more than wonderful to me.”

“...though, uh…” he gave Arven a sheepish look. “...Mariah recommended us talking about, or making a, um…grounding item? Something I can keep that will remind me of you, so if I have something like that again, and you’re not there, I have something that’ll remind me of reality.”

…he really didn’t want to put the responsibility of his brain freaking out on Arven, but… Doppio glanced down. “...I got scared, when you weren’t there. I thought I was back home, like yesterday…”

“Pffff. I’d pay good money to have been able to see that. What’d you do, chip his tooth? I bet he deserved it.” Arven smiled lightly, teasing, reaching up to catch Doppio’s hand after he poked him, holding it. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. You do seem okay.”

Rolling the new task Dr. Mariah had given him around in his mind– a grounding item that reminded Doppio of him, hm?-- Arven played with Doppio’s fingers a little. “Oh no… I wish I had been there. I would have wanted to be. Did you think it was literally yesterday?”

“I think I knocked him out? He was holding me, and I was freaked out and…I don’t really know what happened, but he let go all of a sudden… I was kinda worried…he had some kind of patch on it later.” Leaning against Arven lightly, Doppio smiled, a little amused at himself by how much he was enjoying the feeling of Arven fussing with his fingers. Huh…who would’ve thought. 

(...even if they were a little…sore.)

“...I don’t think so?” Doppio hummed, trying to think about it. “I remembered that all that stuff like…already happened, at least to me… I just thought I was back, sometimes…I think. …I remember…thinking it was raining, like…like I was in an alley with, um, some of Boss’s enemies, too. And everything just kind of mushed together until I was never sure what was happening. Kaito made, um… Have you heard of a ‘pillow fort’? He put all the couch cushions around me and got me to count and…even though I was getting a migraine, that helped calm me down.”

Blushing, Doppio gave Arven a shy look. “...it was actually really nice in there…cozy. If I wasn’t literally lying on the floor and, like…super sweaty and gross, I don’t think I would’ve wanted to leave.”

Arven blinked. A little wide eyed and starry. “...I’d pay so much coin to have been there to see you knock him out. You knocked him out? Wow. Hold on, let me see your arm,” Arven said, pulling Doppio’s arm out a bit, looking it over, before going, “Wow. This is the arm that knocked out the Luminary Prince. You realize this makes you a legend, right?”

Though, as he let Doppio’s arm curl naturally again, still looking at his hand… he noticed little scratches against it. Frowning a bit at that, his fingers carefully traced around where the worst of the scratches was, “Have you put anything on these? Does it hurt?

“And I’ve heard of a pillow fort before. Never done one myself. It’s stacking cushions, right?” Arven asked distractedly, thinking of what he had available to put on cuts.

Doppio chuckled softly, feeling a little shy in the face of Arven’s awe and flushing more. “I don’t think it’s that special… He told me not to tell you or Tim about his jaw, but like…I don’t feel much of an incentive to keep his secrets,” Doppio said a little dryly. 

Not that he was keeping many of his own from Arven either. Looking away, Doppio mumbled, “...stings a little, I guess… Um, no, I, um…meant to put something on, but…I haven’t gotten the chance to yet. I-it’s not bad! But…I probably should use a balm or something…”

Sighing, trying to get over his embarrassment, Doppio nodded. “Seems like it? Like…stacking cushions around to make a little pseudo-building. Kaito tipped one of the couches over too to make part of the ceiling and sides. I feel like there’s a lot you could do, with other kinds of cushions ‘n pillows, and probably blankets too. Like…laying down a comforter or a futon on the ground first, as a sort of foundation? I feel like that’d get really comfortable.”

Arven hummed distractedly at that, disentangling himself from Doppio before heading to his drawers. Opening the one that held most of his concoctions, Arven looked through it, before taking out a small container, opening it up and sniffing it. Still good. Before bringing it back to Doppio. “Alright, Aceto, hold your hand out. You should be good, you just took a shower, so it should be ready for some balm. This shouldn’t sting much, tell me if it hurts.”

Catching some balm in his thumb, he carefully rubbed the paste against Doppio’s scratches. Trying to be gentle, as he asked, “Anywhere else hurt?”

…man, Arven was so…cool. Doppio hadn’t looked through them extensively, and he wouldn’t know what he was looking at anyway without Arven explaining everything but…he had a drawer full of…stuff! Things! Medicinal and cool herbal things! Things that…he knew how to use and make and knew exactly what to get when his boyfriend had been dumb and banged himself up in a certain way…

Holding his hands out, Doppio let out a soft, awed sigh, looking at Arven tenderly with amazement…and some sheepishness. 

(...it was different from Boss taking care of his injuries. Doppio had never wanted to passionately make out with Boss from his care, for example. But…still… It was such a clear sign of care that Doppio just felt warm and gooey inside.)

“...um… I still have a bit of a headache…b-but I did already take migraine stuff earlier, a-apparently the stuff that Prince Kokichi uses, so it’s pretty heavy duty. Um…” Doppio flushed, looking down. “...nothing to be done, really, but…I think I fell or something, ‘cause my knees are pretty bruised… Shoulder too, but…that might be from yesterday.”

Turning redder, Doppio made a soft sound in his throat. “...sorry… I know it…um… It can be pretty annoying, how clumsy I can be… Thanks for the balm, still.”

“It’s not annoying,” Arven said softly, still a tad distracted, as he closed up the balm, wiping his hands off on his pants. Though, this time he was distracted being a little flustered, having glanced up to see the way Doppio was looking at him. Sheesh… it was a lot, sometimes, the little reminders that, well… Doppio was genuinely attracted to him. Liked him. It still took Arven off guard, sometimes. He knew technically it was always true, but man, it was easy to forget. 

“Well, um… maybe I should check your knees and shoulder?” Arven asked, flushing a bit, glancing at where Doppio’s shirt met his collarbone. “I mean, I’m sure it’s fine, but… i-if you wanted, I could check.”

…Doppio felt that it was at least a little annoying. People who cared about him didn’t like seeing him hurt, for one, so that was always a bad thing. And if they wanted to help him then…that was time away from whatever else they could be doing, that they had to spend on him. Still a choice, and a choice that was an act of care that made him feel warm and flustered, but…still. A choice he wished he hadn’t provided for them. 

And while Doppio didn’t think bruises really needed to be checked out… He burned red, glancing up to Arven in alarm before curling his shoulders in slightly. For a moment he was quiet, feeling a need to do something with his hands, but not wanting to get balm on anything…

“...I…” Doppio coughed, clearing his throat. “...I’d probably need to change. Um… Can’t roll these pants up high enough, ‘n…don’t wanna stretch out my collar…” For a moment, a frightened wince went through Doppio’s face, before he swallowed and started worrying his lip.

Arven frowned. “...you know it’s… okay to just tell me no, right?”

Arven scratched his chest a little, feeling a bit awkward, before sitting down beside Doppio. “Sorry, I was being a little creepy. I just like looking at you, though I wanted to check for more scratches too. I forget sometimes you don’t like showing a lot of skin. But you don’t have to make excuses, not to me. You can just tell me no and that’s it. It’s just no. I won’t be mad or anything like that.”

Doppio sighed, leaning over to press against Arven when he sat back down. “...it didn’t feel creepy.” Another sigh, as a depressed haze clouded around Doppio’s head. “...I never used to mind it,” he muttered, softly tapping his socked feet on the floor. “I never cared, really. Always thought my clothes that had cool designs were…cool, you know? Just…more fun designs than just a ‘shirt shape’. ‘N I liked…like, not overheating, or being out in the sun, while being able to cover whatever I did wanna cover that day…”

Sagging a little, Doppio stared miserably at the ground. “...I know it’s dumb, ‘n Kaito ‘n people said it’s bullshit too, but… I don’t even remember what they said, really. I just…felt bad about my body for the first time and…it stayed. And now I just…don’t want anyone to look, ever, and if I could just…like, stay under a blanket all the time, I would.”

“...I don’t like this,” he muttered, sinking down more. “I don’t like feeling…weird in my own body. ‘N all the magic bullshit stuff doesn’t help either.”

“Oh…” Arven said, scratching his hair a little… before laughing lightly. Tucking his hair back, as he peered at Doppio from his working eye. “Well, it’s not like I can’t relate. I mean, I’ve been wearing my hair like this since it happened. I hated people looking at it… Still hate it, I guess.”

Leaning against Doppio, Arven frowned a bit. “I don’t love that you feel that way about your whole body, though. You said this is recent? Who made you feel bad? Let’s sic Chief on them. Kaito too. If anyone knows how to relentlessly annoy, that guy can pull it off, we should use it for the power of good.”

“And you can stay under a blanket all the time if you want, I just…” Arven smiled a little, “Between you, me, and Chief, it’s gonna get really hot, under there and curled together. Especially when summer hits. We are not a group meant to be covered by a lot in the heat.”

“And you deserve the sunlight,” Arven murmured, kissing Doppio’s cheek lightly, “You literally radiate it. Aceto, who always smells like summer’s heat… I really love it.”

Doppio looked over, giving Arven a soft look. He thought Arven was gorgeous, with his hair up or down, but…well, like Arven just said. They could both understand insecurity and a distaste for being seen. 

Sighing, Doppio fussed with his fingers in his lap a little, trying not to smear balm, though…Arven had massaged it in pretty well, and it wasn’t like there were thick globs covering his palms. “Those…jerks from your school. I’ve gotten catcalled before, sure, but…people didn’t tend to…” Doppio grimaced. “...turn tail? O-or… I dunno. I always just felt uncomfortable, not…bad.”

…but a lot of the time, he felt less bad with Arven, even if insecurity still found places to strike. Snorting, Doppio grinned at the kiss to his cheek, turning to return one immediately. “Well, winter is coming first. Guess that gives me more time to get over myself. I remember being pretty prepared last year, and I really like snow, but…it seriously gets too cold for me up north, during the winter. Curling up under a quilt with you and Chief sounds kinda perfect in that scenario, actually.”

Pressing another kiss to Arven’s lips, Doppio blinked and hummed softly. “...is…your birthday next week or…? You said it was at the start of Mid-Fall. There’s a lot I wanna do to celebrate you, but…I remember Kaito saying that trips can be a birthday thing too? If it’s something you’d be interested in…I think it’d be fun to explore somewhere.”

“...I know it’s still kinda dangerous, but…” Doppio huffed, puffing his cheeks out in annoyance. “...I like traveling with you.”

Arven leaned happily into the kiss, his face a little red as he answered, “My birthday is a few days after Harvest, actually. And, it probably is kinda dangerous, but… well, if we travel somewhere hard to find, technically that’s us being careful, isn’t it? We could go find something cool to look at.”

Though… “The Rabbits?” Arven guessed, nose wrinkling in distaste, “Screw those guys. They tease everyone they come across. ‘Tease’. They’re just bullies, honestly. They have worms in their brain, far as I’m concerned, only thing that explains them.”

Looking around, Arven hummed… “...You said you liked the fort thing, right? You think it’d be as comfy in here?”

Doppio laughed softly. “A Fall’s Bounty Baby--seems fitting to me. I don’t really know about that, like…horoscope or date-fortune-telling stuff…but the idea’s neat.” Shrugging a little, Doppio blew at his bangs with a sheepish look. “...probably if we tell people where we’re going, it’d be okay… Unless it’s someone pretty unhinged, I don’t…think we’d be in too much trouble out in public. I dunno…” He’d been the one to bring it up, but…maybe it’d be smarter to wait a little longer before going somewhere, er, potentially pretty secluded. Still…Doppio hated the idea of being trapped around the castle forever. 

Giving Arven a grimacing nod, Doppio sighed. “I know… I know they’re full of shit, but I just…” …after, er…learning more, Doppio had realized that quite a few people had made some…distasteful, sexual comments about him before…but his run-in with The Rabbits had been the first time someone had said something so plainly that Doppio actually understood it. And he knew it wasn’t true, and that they were just trying to make him feel bad, so it was a little his fault for falling for the bait…

…but he still did feel bad. 

Looking up, raising his eyebrows a little in surprise, Doppio glanced around their room. “...we don’t really have big cushions… Um, but…if we used the bed and the chairs and…m-maybe used a sheet or something as the roof, rather than a cushion? That might work? I did see a comforter in the closet, when I’ve changed out our sheets, that could work for a base…”

Smiling shyly at Arven, Doppio swung his legs a little. “...you wanna?”

Arven grinned. “Why not? I’ve never done it before. Here,” Arven said, standing up and offering Doppio a hand up, “Show me how it’s done~”

Flushing, Doppio awkwardly smiled. It was…a high order when the only pillow fort he’d ever seen was made while he was in the middle of a panic attack, but…well, he had at least seen the end product, and had dismantled it a bit so he could start to understand the structure…

Working together, Doppio and Arven moved the chairs over to the side of their beds farther from the door, fitting a few sheets over the backs, and, an ingenious suggestion from Arven, securing the ends with some of his textbooks. There was a bit of a slope from the chair backs to the bedframe, but still enough cover to instill that cozy feeling, especially once Doppio laid out the comforter from the closet. From there, they brought down their bedding, and filled out the gap under their beds with some spare pillows until…

“Hmmm,” Doppio hummed approvingly, snuggling a bit with Chief as he looked around their fort. “I think maybe we should co-opt some supplies from the linen closets next time, or commandeer couch cushions from somewhere, but…for a first attempt? I think this is pretty good. Nice work, Arven.”

Arven thought it was pretty good, really! “It’s like a tent~” he decided, holding up his hand to fist-bump Doppio, before petting Chief a bit, “We should leave it like this tonight. You’re right, it’s cozy. We’re gonna be, just, so snuggly.”

Leaning back on the pillows, Arven looked at the top sheets… before he said, “Oh. You know what? Wait here, Kaito’s a space guy, right? I bet you anything… Here, I’m gonna go see if he’ll have something I want. You want me to grab anything on the way back? Or come with?” Arven asked, sitting up.

Doppio bumped his fist against Arven’s with a grin, before smiling wider. “Ooh… You think we could sleep in it? That sounds awesome! …and it’s not like you have to take your books back until school tomorrow.”

Giving Arven a questioning look, Doppio considered the giant dog on top of him…before shaking his head. “I’m alright. I think I’ll just chill out with Chief for a bit. And, well, I’m not supposed to ask Kaito for stuff anymore, so even if it’s you asking, I think staying will be easier.”

…it was weird. He’d definitely missed lunch, and Doppio hadn’t had anything to drink since the water Dr. Mariah had given him, but still…Doppio didn’t feel any particular compulsion to eat or drink. Which was a little concerning… Even for his longest shower mopes, Doppio had always forced himself to drink something afterwards, and those…had been entire degrees shorter than the one he’d just had. 

“...maybe some water?” he mumbled unsurely to Arven. “Just so we don’t have to get out for drinks later…”

Arven raised an eyebrow, before saying, “You’re not asking for stuff anymore? Explain to me what that means when I get back. And sure, I’ll bring back water. Give me a bit.”

Arven did find Kaito, up in his room, and as he asked if he had any galaxy projectors around, there was a weird sorta… vibe. That Arven couldn’t place. Kaito, hearing what Arven wanted it for, had grinned and said awww and admitted he didn’t have one, but he had something that would be just as nice, if Arven was okay stealing from an itty bitty baby. And then made a big show of asking Miyako if she was willing to let the boys borrow her toy. In a way, everything he ‘did’ was normal.

But there was something off. Arven wasn’t sure what. It only occurred after he left with the projector, going to get a pitcher of water from the kitchen, that Kaito hadn’t asked anything. Not how Arven’s day was, or if he got his books, or anything else. It was weird. 

“Alright! I got both the things I was looking for,” Arven said proudly, getting back into the fort. “Alright, watch this. This should look nice.”

Flicking the switch, Arven was a little surprised at the music. Kaito hadn’t mentioned that. But the tent filled up with pictures of slowly spinning animal silhouettes. Arven smiling as he snuggled in back to Doppio’s side. “Not as good as stars, but this is nice too.”

Doppio jolted a little as Arven switched on the…device, not having expected music either, but not the…light projection too. Watching the shadow animals spin over the sheets, Doppio was wide-eyed in wonder, speechless for a few moments before he could only utter a hushed, “Whoa…”

He’d never heard of anything like this before… 

Putting an arm around Arven, scootching against his boyfriend as much as he could make adjustments under Chief, Doppio just…sat in the experience for a moment before pressing a kiss to Arven’s cheek. “This is amazing… Great idea, tesoro.”

…though, he couldn’t help guiltily gnawing at his lip soon after, shooting Arven a side look. “...was Kaito alright? I guess…both physically, and… I dunno…he seemed kinda pissed earlier…”

“He seemed a little distracted?” Arven said, watching the lights as he pet Chief’s head, who was snoring softly on Doppio’s lap, “Maybe it was because I caught him in the middle of watching his daughter. He didn’t ask me a thousand probing questions. It was a little weird. I didn’t notice anything physically wrong with him. Oh, I guess now that I think about it he had that little heat patch on his cheek. That was you?”

He was still wearing the patch? Eugh… Granted, Doppio hadn’t known what he was doing, really, but…he still felt bad. He didn’t want to hurt Kaito so badly he’d gotten knocked out and…had to have some kind of aid for the rest of the day. 

Nodding, Doppio squeezed Arven’s waist gently. “Yeah, that was me. …maybe he was just busy…” A sigh. “...did…I tell you that Mariah brought up getting a restraining order against Kaito, yesterday? We, uh…had a talk about boundaries, after I stopped freaking out today, and…we, um, Kaito and I, made a deal with…Mariah as a proctor of sorts, I guess, that…Kaito’s, like, officially not gonna be someone I go to for help anymore. So, not an official order, but…”

Doppio shrugged a little. “He can’t keep pushing past my boundaries and constantly doing things for me, and…I have to ask other people if I need anything, now. He said he was just gonna put the full-force of his fussing on you instead, but…maybe he’s more upset about it than I thought…”

“...you think that’s gonna work?” Arven asked, genuinely asking. Shifting onto his side a bit to look at Doppio, clearly a little skeptical. “I mean, Kaito’s kinda… Look, I’m not trying to be mean, but that guy’s a little out of his mind. Not the way the CPS lady was trying to sell it, I agree with you on that, but he’s not ‘normal’ either. I can’t help thinking if it was as easy as just getting him to agree to cut it out, he would have cut it out by now.”

“Though, if he does plan to burn that energy on me, he didn’t when I went up there. I was expecting to be grilled on the books. He never brought them up,” Arven mused, “Maybe he’s worried about chasing me off too?”

Doppio nodded with a tired sigh. “Yeah, he basically told me that the only way he respects boundaries is to, like…cross them and have something catastrophic happen. Which I said wasn’t fair, and he agreed with that but…apparently he’s getting help for it. I think…with the discussion we had, he’s at least gonna try… And if nothing else…” 

Groaning softly, Doppio hid his face against Arven’s shoulder. “...I don’t wanna actually get a restraining order against him… But if he’s gonna insist on…freaking me out, I can’t just keep it as an empty threat forever. But right now it’s just kind of…a potential threat, and I know he doesn’t want it either, so…”

“...ugh, bad enough I’m getting one against the guy in guards’ custody right now…”

Making a little unsure noise, Doppio kissed Arven’s shoulder, comfortable even with the slight crane of his neck. “...maybe. He didn’t seem that worried about it before…but maybe he’s just…distracted with his daughter, like you said. He does fuss over her a lot…”

The guy in the guards’ custody right now.

Arven had actually been avoiding that conversation. He had heard what Doppio had said. Someone else had been arrested in his ‘boss’s’ place. Arven had heard that and had… not known what to say. Or do. Or think about it.

So he had been avoiding it. He had vaguely been hoping he misheard. Doppio had said a lot in that moment. But now he was bringing it up again, and…

“Getting a restraining order against him would be kinda intense,” Arven said softly, still distracted by his anxiety, “Maybe that was the ‘catastrophe’ he needed? Who knows. That guy’s a lot.”

Arven chewed lightly on the inside of his cheek. “...so, maybe we should talk about what’s happening with your boss,” he said. While he still had the courage to bring it up. “That’s, uh… that’s still happening, right? You did say that… someone else got arrested on his behalf?”

“Maybe… It did give him pause, if nothing else,” Doppio sighed. He really wanted just the threat to be enough. Well, honestly, he had wanted Kaito to respect his boundaries in the first place, and if not that, then at least the ones that weren’t going to get him killed. But that’s not what happened, and now… Kaito said that he didn’t think they could go back to being normal friends. For how annoying and aggravating he was…

…Doppio didn’t know why he felt so strongly, wanting to keep that relationship. Honestly it would be better to just drop, and the times he’d actually just…hung out with Kaito were pitifully few compared to all the bullshit. He shouldn’t feel any sort of…obligation or loyalty or longing…but Doppio did anyway. He didn’t want to lose even the awkward times with Kaito. So…he hoped this would be better for them. 

(...maybe Doppio was just bad at cutting off any sort of relationship, for the very few he’d ever made.)

Glancing at Arven, Doppio sighed again and nodded, quiet for a moment before he spoke. “...yeah. I mean…I don’t think anything new would’ve happened between the…um, timelines, I guess, and I figure I would’ve heard something like they’d found out they’d arrested the wrong person if so, so…yeah. It’s still happening.”

Shrinking a bit, Doppio traced the hem of Arven’s vest, his voice coming out small and worried. “...do…you think I should tell someone?”

“...I don’t know,” Arven admitted, “I’m kind of afraid you’ll get hurt. If you do, I mean. It sounds like your boss is setting up an escape for himself, and I kinda don’t care about that. Good, let him leave, I’d rather he was gone. But… if you interfere…”

“It’s scary,” Arven admitted, closing his eyes with a small sigh, “I just want you to be okay. I wish all the rest of them were gone.”

Grimacing, Doppio moved his arm up and turned slightly to fully hug Arven, shielding him slightly. “...I’m sorry. I never wanted to get you involved with all this… I know that…just getting to know you at all was just…” Doppio sighed, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Selfish. On my part. And that the moment we hung out on our own volition, I was dragging you into this… I thought I could try to just…keep you away but…”

Boss would know it was him, if he blabbed. Sure, Boss had no way of knowing that Doppio had literally re-wound time away from finding out Boss was still at their house, but…it would be easy to guess that, thinking it was him, Doppio had gone to see the man in custody, and saw it wasn’t Boss, and snitched. Doppio was the only person who would be able to. 

But…

“...don’t I already have a target on my back?” Doppio murmured, rubbing Arven’s back gently. “...I just… I don’t want Boss to be arrested either. If…If he was just going to leave, I’d never even think of it. But…”

Doppio squeezed his eyes shut, knowing how scary this was. “...he’s not leaving. This is to make sure the guards aren’t coming after him anymore, yeah, but… He… He…” Doppio took a shaky breath. “...he wants me to do my part of that too. He wants me to kill myself, to get the case dropped, then when I…”respawn” or whatever…for us to go back to how things were before. He’s not leaving…he’s just waiting. And…I don’t think his patience will run out…”

“What!?”

Chief brought his head up, suddenly alert. Making a small little warning barking sound. His boy sounding frightened. Where was the danger? Grrrrr.

Arven distractedly patted Chief’s head, trying to reassure the dog, but it was a distracted, halfhearted attempt, as he sputtered, “What are you talking about!? He can’t make you do that! Who even thinks something like that!?”

Doppio flinched at the shout before covering his eyes a little, nodding slightly as he let out a shaky breath. “...my dad, apparently…” No. No! Don’t you start crying again, Aceto, don’t you do it! Pressing the side of his palm into an eye, Doppio swallowed, taking a few breaths before his voice could come out evenly. 

“...he doesn’t care,” he whispered, apparently that the trade for steadiness. “He raised me and he’s my…father…but…in all the way he makes choices? I’m just…” Doppio’s shoulders dropped as he shortly gestured to himself. “...some non-human object. So that’s the most efficient way, so…i-it doesn’t matter what I feel about it, right?”

…fuck. With that voice crack, Doppio felt like he was starting to lose the battle. Sniffling softly, Doppio hunched further into himself and Arven’s shoulder. “...I told him no. Before. I’m not gonna do it. For the f…for the first time, I told him no…” Doppio trembled slightly. “...and I think he wanted to kill me for it. Said something like…’i-is that something you think you can do?’”

Arven’s lower lip wobbled a little, his own eyes reddening in sympathy… before he huffed out a breath. Setting his jaw a bit, trying to not lose it and be an absolute blubbering child when his boyfriend needed someone to lean on, as he wrapped an arm around Doppio, scooting in closer now that Chief’s head had made room. Holding him tight.

“...he’s such an asshole,” Arven snarled. His voice only wobbling a little. “Who does he think he is!? I’m sorry, Aceto, I know he’s your dad, but I hate this guy.”

Doppio pressed into Arven’s hold, despite the bad feelings welling up in him again, feeling…safe, in familiar arms and under a fort of sheets. “...the Boss of Passione. Emperor of his self-made empire. The person who made me…”

Sniffling, Doppio put both arms back around Arven and held him just as tightly. “...I love him… But…but I made my choices and…he made his. And I can’t… I’m not… He can’t be…” He let out a shuddering breath, unable to articulate what Dr. Mariah had shoved in his face earlier. “...it’s not fair…”

“...I’m not dying, though,” Doppio squeezed Arven tighter. “I refuse. That’s why I punched Kaito earlier… I’m not dying. For Boss or anyone.”

“Yeah, I know,” Arven said, resting his head against Doppio, still stubbornly trying to keep himself from getting sniffly alongside Doppio, and not entirely succeeding. “I didn’t think you would.”

“...you talk like you’re this big burden on me, and sometimes I don’t know what to say to that.” Arven said, “Because it’s so not true that I don’t really know how to argue it. Same way when Kaito said that stupid bullshit about you being suicidal. Like… how do you argue with something that wrong? Of course you wouldn’t. Because… I don’t know… maybe this is me being naive, but…”

Arven huffed, frustrated, “We’re dating. Like, you’re not just gonna leave me like that. You’d at least dump me first, I think. You’re not unreliable like that. I just trust you. I don’t think you’d do it. I just can’t see it.”

“....still wish I had seen you punch Kaito,” Arven joked quietly. Partly to make up for, yep, there were the tears.

“I’m not leaving you,” Doppio said softly, though there was an underlying strength to his voice. The sentiment meant to be a reassurance, and delivered that way too. “I’m scared, and…s-sometimes I feel real bad… And…sometimes I do feel like I’m a burden on you…’cause you never would’ve gotten mixed up with a gang or CPS if it weren’t for me…”

“...But I’m not leaving you. I really like you, Arven… I just want you to be happy, so…s-so that’s all I’m trying to do. You’re worth everything to me…so if I…if I need to stand up to scary things, or get help with them…that’s what I gotta do.”

Glancing up with a soft, affectionate look, if still watery and scared, Doppio gently brushed Arven’s tears from his cheeks, holding him closer with his remaining arm. Leaning his head up to gently press his lips to a wet cheek. “...I think Angioletto can see my memories ‘n stuff… We could ask her if she could show you me knocking him out?”

“...” Arven pouted a little, blowing out his cheeks a bit. “... I don’t… hate that people have finally noticed my mom abandoned me. Like… I told people. I told everyone. I didn’t keep it a secret.”

“I hated that everyone was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. To just assume I was being angsty and that she was coming back any minute. I started going out of my way to ruin her reputation. Wanting people to… notice. What was happening. Hoping if I was worse and worse, maybe someone would finally think it was a problem. And no one ever did… at least not enough to do something.”

“I don’t really dislike Kaito for how he treats me, specifically. I mean, in some ways…” Arven looked away, irritated, “...well, it just sucks it took me turning 15 for people to finally give a shit. That it took some guy who's got a whole busy-body complex. And I really only dislike how he treats you. He’s weird about you. Way weirder than he is about me.”

“I just want you to be happy too.” Arven said, frowning a bit, “...and while I want to watch you hit Kaito, you were also in the middle of panicking, right? I don’t exactly looove that…”

O.O

OoO Alright fine here’s how it happened.

Neither of them could see her at first, but after a moment, they noticed one of the shadows rotating around the sheets was jumping, the silhouette a little person with large pigtails. Getting their attention as she jumped from the back of animal to animal– which made soft little animal sounds when she did– the colors all suddenly swirled, showing an aurora of Doppio, standing there, looking majestic in the bleeding, swirling colors…

And then Kaito was beside him, and Doppio roundhouse kicked him. Kaito flyyyyyyying across the sheets, disappearing into the horizon. A soft ‘ahhhhhhhhhh’ sound disappearing with him.

“...??” Arven blinked, looking to Doppio. Was that what happened???

Doppio looked up, giving Arven a mildly surprised look. He’d never thought for a moment Arven’s mom was a good parent, not since he’d ever heard the concept of her, but… Arven had always insisted how happy he was, being independent. That it was a bad thing and a waste of effort if anyone had tried to…butt in and take that from him. From everything Arven had said…that’s what Doppio thought. 

…he supposed he was pretty dumb, though. He guessed someone noticing and doing something about it wasn’t his job anyway, but…

…well. Doppio was glad he hadn’t actually tried to stop it. 

Doppio frowned a bit. “...I still don’t like all that stuff we talked about before, about how he treats you. But…if you’re happy that he got involved and pulled CPS in, then…” Doppio looked down, a little lost on how to actually…praise Child Protection Services. “...well, then I’m happy too. But I’m gonna be on their asses that they still treat you well, and don’t just settle for doing one good thing. You deserve better than ‘eventually’s and bare minimums.”

Looking up, Doppio’s eyebrows raised at Amaina’s puppet show…before he snorted, giggling softly against Arven’s shoulder. “...I absolutely think I’d fall on my ass if I tried to do a fancy kick like that.”

O.O tsk

OoO Fine, THIS is how it happened.

Arven settled back to watch as Amaina put them through a few more scenarios. Doppio pulling what Arven could only call a ‘kung-fu’ move, dramatically breaking Kaito’s nose with the bottom of his palm. Doppio distracting Kaito by pointing in the opposite direction before THWAPPING the back of his head, hand in a straight line. Doppio drawing a circle around Kaito’s feet, and when he stepped away, it turned into a hole and Kaito fell through. Another soft ‘ahhhhhhh’ sound accompanying it.

Arven felt a little childish, but he laughed loudest when Doppio kicked Kaito in the balls. After the hole trick, it seemed so anti-climatic and matter of fact, and Arven laughed way too loud and way too long at it. “Holy shit, Amaina,” Arven giggled. “Aceto, that’s so mean. Don’t do that.”

While he supposed he consented to it, Doppio was glad that Amaina didn’t show what actually happened. It all seemed like a fading smear of a memory now, but…well. He knew he had been scared and panicking and hallucinating, so…it couldn’t have been anything good. If anything…Doppio figured he had just been thrashing around, knowing enough to put strength into blows that mattered, but too disoriented to actually put together a plan of attack. It had just been luck he’d managed to hit Kaito somewhere that mattered. 

But the…ass-kicking montage they were treated to?

Doppio snorted at the image of him nut-shotting Kaito, though Arven’s burst of laughter was contagious and Doppio had to curl over his stomach to contain his flurry of laughs, looking over to grin at Arven. “Hey, sometimes you have to fight dirty. But~”

Leaning over, he pecked his boyfriend. “For you, I’ll abstain in the future.”

Arven laughed some more, looking at Doppio with sparkling eyes at the little peck… before his expression turned a little more serious. Staring at Doppio. “...if you decide to tell them. I’ll back you up. I don’t want you to have to be afraid of these people. Of your dad. If you’re gonna stand up to him? I’ll be standing beside you.”

Doppio’s grin calmed, before he sighed, leaning forward to press his forehead against Arven’s shoulder. “...thanks. …honestly…I’m more scared of them hurting you…but thank you. If… If we do things right, then…hopefully no one will get hurt, so just… Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“...I know you’re tough, but…some of these people kill for a living. If you’re cornered or in a bad spot… Please promise me you’ll run and get help?”

Arven laughed lightly, giving Doppio an incredulous look. “Uh, Aceto, I don’t know what kind of impression I’ve given you, but… I’m not looking to be murdered either. I mean, I know I confronted you in the alley, when we first met, and I get a little puffed up against my bullies, but I’m not crazy. I’m not that much of a fighter, and I know it. Chief makes me feel safe, for the most part. I’ve lost most every fight I’ve ever been in, I have no delusions as to how well I’d do in a fight against killers.”

“When I feel confident, it’s because I feel confident I can get out of a bad situation. Like, us going traveling? I’m good at traveling. I’m good at navigating dangerous paths that other people can’t even find. I feel confident in that. When I want to go out to the city, it’s feeling confident around other people, and knowing I can get back home, or I guess now to the castle, if things get really bad… I’m just saying, you don’t have to worry about me being stupid. My confidence doesn’t come from stuff like that. I just really think we’ll be okay. We always have been, before, individually. And together?”

Arven grinned. “Who can stop us?”

Peeking back up, Doppio gave Arven a sheepish look. “...that is one of the first things you told me… You wrote in my notebook that you’re not much of a fighter. You’re just…”

Flushing, Doppio looked away, rubbing a cheek sheepishly. “...cool. And confident. …I guess your confidence comes from, yeah, that stuff… Better stuff than just acting tough. It’s just…really amazing to me, you know? You’re amazing… Makes me think you can do anything, which then makes me worried ‘cause…yanno, guess that’s just… But…you’re the kind of amazing that’s even more amazing ‘cause you never forget you’re…you? Like…you’re smart enough to know where your knowledge ends, I mean… I…”

Doppio shook his head with a little huff, starting to twist his thoughts into mush. And looking up, he gave Arven a grin. “...we’ll be okay.”

“We will be,” Arven said. And he really believed it. Being around Doppio made it feel like everything really would be okay. His boyfriend gave him hope for his future in a way nothing else ever had. The universe wouldn’t knock them down now. Not after they had just found each other.

It’d be cruel.

“...you make me way more of a romantic than I ever thought I’d be,” Arven admitted, smiling, “You get me goofy.”

Snorting out a soft, flustered giggle, Doppio kissed Arven’s cheek. “It all seems so intentional and, like…cool and…suave, I think is the word, to me… If it helps? I feel pretty silly too--like I’ll explode or somethin’ for how much you make me blush.”

“I mean…we did kinda talk before, about how I never even thought about dating…” Doppio furrowed his brows, settling against Arven as he watched some of the silhouettes pass by, amused watching Amaina wildly ride what he guessed was a sheep. “...I guess not even two years isn’t long for considering that stuff. Mariah said I’ve been figuring out how to be a person from Boss too, and…well, dead-end there.”

Arven’s nose wrinkled. “I can’t imagine this guy is anything like you. You’re awesome. Everything I’ve ever heard about him kinda sucks. Definitely not dateable.”

“It’s not like I never thought about it myself. I had a crush or two. Nothing serious, nothing more than thinking someone was cute, but…” Arven shrugged, “I don’t know. It always felt like a ‘someday’ thing that I never thought too hard about.”

“But you? You have me tripping all over myself. Not only do I have a ‘crush’, but,” Arven grinned, looking both exasperated and a little delighted, “I’m one of ‘those guys’. Who’s, like… clearly tripping over myself over you. It’s dumb. You make me dumb. I love it.”

“...and I still keep finding myself daydreaming about you randomly,” Arven admitted, blushing, “You keep distracting me in class. It’s a problem.”

Doppio shrugged a little--he felt too weird even trying to defend it, for all Dr. Mariah’s words had cut into him earlier--before he frowned softly. “...I…think he has dated before, though… I can’t remember it, really, but…” He trailed off with a small sigh, not actually that invested trying to do detective work on his father’s love life. 

Whatever it had been, it obviously hadn’t worked out. 

Being told that Arven had a crush on him, though, completely reversed Doppio’s mood, as he bashfully, smugly looked to the side, cheeks pink as he grinned to himself. His flush grew deeper as Arven admitted just how much Doppio was on his mind, too. “...oh no,” he said softly, covering his face before he sank down, wiggling a little as he snuggled to Arven’s side. “That’s so cute!”

Doppio only burned brighter as a small sound that could only be described as a ‘squee’ left his throat. “You think about me at school… Aaaaaaaaaa! No, you can’t do that to me! Ugh, I can barely go a conversation with anyone else without ending up gushing about you either… Arven…”

Arven laughed, flushing a little, the tips of his ears burning. “Is it? If you say so, I just feel silly. I know I’m literally gonna see you in a few hours and I just spend the day pouting that you’re not around yet. It’s dumb…” he said, though he looked far from displeased, grinning foolishly. Especially as Doppio squeed and snuggled into his side happily. Cute…

Arven tried to watch the lights a bit– Amaina had sprouted bird wings, at some point, and seemed to be cheerfully flying around the animals, who Arven was pretty sure were dancing now, with how they swayed– but kept finding himself watching Doppio. “...I’m gonna kiss your freckles,” Arven decided, grinning cheekily, “Can I?”

Well, considering that Doppio did the same exact thing? His moping sessions the past few days notwithstanding… He understood exactly how Arven felt, just…wanting his entire life consumed by his boyfriend. Maybe not exactly that dramatic, but Doppio did want to spend all his time with him. 

Flushing, Doppio gave Arven a crooked grin. “...it’s gonna take a while, if you’re trying for all of them… I have a lot. But, um…yeah, you can. Can I…um…” His blush deepened. “...can I touch under your vest? I think I just kinda…wanna, like…put my hands on your waist or something, but…”

Arven flushed. His heart pounding lightly. “...yeah?” he said, grinning a little loopily, “You can? I uh… I remember you saying once you wanted to touch my stomach. Don’t know why that stuck with me. It did though. You can.”

Trying to ignore his flushed embarrassment, Arven looked over Doppio. There were, indeed, a lot of freckles… but some were bigger than others. So he’d focus on those first.

Leaning in, he decided to kiss the large one below Doppio’s right eye first. Kiss. And, well, there was another one right next to it, so, kiss. And he was in that area anyway, might as well get those little spatter of freckles at the corner of his eyes, near his temple. Kiss, kiss, kiss. Oh, there was another big freckle, at his cheek bone. Kiss. Wow, lots of big freckles in this area. Kiss. Kiss. Don’t forget that one. Kiss. 

“This may take me a while,” Arven murmured, still just mostly in that area of Doppio’s face. Kiss.

He could… Doppio didn’t know why, but…a strum of excitement went through him hearing that. Arven pink and looking excited and flustered and happy and…telling Doppio he could touch him. Enthusiastic consent, he supposed…

Watching Arven dreamily all the way as he came down to meet Doppio’s face, Doppio gently…well. Just put his hands on Arven’s hips, to start. Grinning with a small giggle as he shut his eyes, feeling soft lips in the area. 

…Arven wanted to kiss his freckles… Thought they were worth kissing. Arven had mentioned liking them before, but…

Doppio felt a swell of affection, and he gently slid his fingers under Arven’s vest to express that. Just tenderly holding Arven as he expressed his own affection. “I did warn you,” Doppio murmured back, feeling warm. “...but we have time.”

Arven shivered a little at the feeling of Doppio’s hands under his vest. A good shiver. He really had enjoyed himself when they were messing around, but… there had been a constant thrumming of tension and fear there too. Arven feeling a need to keep up with… he wasn’t sure. He supposed what he imagined Doppio’s expectations might be. He had felt like he’d let him down, if he admitted how nervous he was.

There wasn’t that undercurrent of nerves, this time. Beyond a delightful tension of feeling Doppio touch places that Arven had rarely had touched. 

Hmmm, there was a little freckle on Doppio’s nose that was a little bigger than the others. Little kiss there. Hmmm, kiss on the space between his eyebrows. Mmmm, maybe he’d skip Doppio’s eyelids. Oooh, but there was a cute little freckle next to his eyebrow there. 

Arven laughed against Doppio’s skin. “Shame you don’t have any freckles on your lips. The rest of your face is so greedy for kisses.”

Doppio paused as he felt that shiver, making a small questioning sound in his throat…but as Arven seemed more happy than nervous, he let himself relax again. …he knew it…wasn’t really his fault, before. He had always stopped and asked Arven if what they were doing was alright, and Arven had said yes so… It wasn’t like Doppio could read Arven’s mind. Even still, though, he felt bad about the nerves Arven admitted to later. He never wanted to, well…leave either of them with regrets. 

But clearer boundaries in place now? Doppio was happy to indulge his craving for intimacy within them. …Arven was soft… So undeniably sturdy and strong under his hands, but still just…with a certain plushness that made Doppio feel like…he didn’t know. He just liked it, and liked Arven’s weight over him, and every warm point of contact. 

Snorting softly, though he was quite red, Doppio held his boyfriend tighter for a moment. “Maybe indulge me, then? L-like a palette cleanser… Get some non-freckle time in between. I, um…” Tentatively, Doppio slightly opened his eyes, looking up at Arven. “...I certainly wouldn’t complain about you taking breaks for it.”

“Okay,” Arven agreed, smiling brightly, “Little breaks, sounds good~”

Arven, with that, placed a small kiss on Doppio’s lips. At first gently, but lingering when Doppio kissed him back. Mmmmm~ sunlight…

But after a moment, well, the freckles seemed lonely. So Arven went back to his task, now kissing the other side of Doppio’s face. Ooof, were there even more freckles here? Well, he guessed it was time to buckle down. Mmm, wouldn’t want to miss those freckles near his ear. Oh, there were freckles on Doppio’s ear. Gotta get those…

And, kissing a freckle at the tip of Doppio’s ear, he felt a little bold… and gently, mostly just using his lips, he lightly bit Doppio’s ear, before lightly licking. Barely licking Doppio’s ear, more just licking his inner lips while they were pressed around Doppio’s ear, but still, ever so lightly tasting him….

…and then blushing bright red, Arven pulled back, giving Doppio a nervous, sheepish look. Just giggling a little, looking to see what kind of reaction he’d get.

As they kissed, Doppio felt okay being a little bolder, and slid his hands farther up Arven’s vest. The buckles made it a little awkward, but if he turned his wrists enough to actually just rest on Arven’s waist…

…fuck, Arven was so hot. Doppio couldn’t believe how lucky he was. All those people shooting their shot before him, Arven’s past crushes…somehow Doppio had managed to land in the sweet spot, and get this sweet guy kissing at his face. It was so cute… And certainly made Doppio feel warm and affectionate, and…well, maybe one day when they were both more comfortable, he’d actually give his own loving trails across the places he said he--

“!!” Doppio gasped softly, turning crimson as he felt teeth against his ear, and…um…

Meeting teal with wide gold, Doppio just looked at Arven for a moment before insistently--and yet not actually pulling--pressing Arven closer by his waist. “...I’d like another break, please.”

Arven’s grin, somehow, grew even loopier, clearly smitten, before nodding. Too flustered to say anything cool, but leaning in to kiss Doppio, caught up in how cool that line had been. Doppio was so put together and calm, it was so impressive. Arven felt like he was gonna spontaneously combust into flames any second now.

And, uh, Doppio pressing closer to him at his waist did remind Arven of other stuff. His face flushed more. Those memories were faaaaar from bad, really. It sure wasn’t like Arven didn’t think about them still, especially when he was, uh… caught up. Which, he was a little caught up right now…

Amaina, in turn, flopped onto Chief’s head, looking bored. She was happy they were together, but waaaaaaah, did they have to make out alllll the time? They made out so much! Gah. Watch, she was gonna make out with Chief. M’wah! There, kissed his head… blegh. Dog fur. 

She wondered what Miyako was up to? Now that was a baby who knew how to have a good time. She was a little lass who knew the value of a good dance. She was gonna go hang out with Miyako. Hmph. Good luck with the kissy boys, Chief.

While he didn’t totally want to, incredibly enjoying feeling up his boyfriend, Doppio did free one of his hands to gently tuck some hair behind Arven’s ear as they kissed, enjoying this type of touch too. And while ‘break’ did imply something on the shorter side--at least to Doppio--as they just…kept kissing?

Doppio sighed softly against Arven’s lips. …gods, he was so cool. So hot… Coolest, most awesome guy… Doppio just wanted to kiss him forever, if not for the fact that he also wanted to listen to Arven talk about everything forever. At the very least, hold hands or be by each other’s side… But definitely kissing. 

Definitely…

(Pressing up against each other, blurring boundaries, each point of connection burning bright, points Doppio couldn’t ignore if he tried. But he didn’t want to. He just wanted…Arven. All of him, offering all of himself in turn. Increasing that closeness until even the impossible space of atoms was erased, always together, Doppio’s skin torn open and his ribs cracked out until there was space for just Arven, his heart beating openly for--)

Doppio shifted his hips and gasped, feeling quite overheated as he trembled slightly, pulling away from Arven. 

“H-hey, hold on. I-I’m, um…”

“Huh?” Arven asked, a little spaced out, still smiling dreamily as Doppio pulled back, though he nodded, pulling back a bit too. “Yeah? Yeah… uh, sure, ‘s fine.”

Leaning back on the pillows, panting ever so slightly– he had been getting overheated too, though he hadn’t noticed till Doppio had pulled away– he just stared at him dreamily for a bit. “...freckles r-really doing it for ya, huh?” Arven teased lightly, still flushing.

“Mmmmrng,” Doppio mumbled, half covering his red face as he looked away. Just…trying to breathe and, um…yeah. Trying to breathe. “...you’re really cute, a-and… It’s…”

…freckles were cute on some people, he guessed. But how they heavily spotted his whole damn body, not just…a sign of being out in the sun, though there were definitely more when he was… Doppio didn’t feel as… (insecure) about them as he did about his body, but…

“...I like that you like them,” Doppio murmured, before closing his eyes and tipping his head back with a groan. “...’nuff that I really like it, apparently… …fuck…”

Don’t think about it, just breathe.

Arven grinned, not exactly unhappy to see how flustered Doppio was. Look at that~ Arven had done that? He liked that…

“...” Arven flushed, tucking his head against his bicep, peeking at Doppio a bit above it, seriously debating with himself. “...I could, uh…”

Arven flushed, embarrassed again. Needing to hide his face in his arms as he said into the cushion, muffled a bit by it as he tried not to die from embarrassment. “...kick Chief out of the fort? And you could uh… we could… do stuff. Some stuff.”

Doppio’s eyes snapped open as he looked blankly up at the sheet ceiling, his mouth going dry. …do stuff? What kind of…

Trying very hard to not listen to certain parts of his body, Doppio tilted his head up and looked over at Arven…hiding himself too. “...you said you weren’t comfortable with…stuff. And I’m not comfortable doing anything you’re not comfortable with. I-I mean, I…” He took an unsteady breath. “...j-just need a sec…um… Or, uh…”

…he really didn’t want to not cuddle with Arven, if they were going to hang out in the fort, but…oh gods he couldn’t take that. Not with the fresh memories of Arven’s body under his palms, o-or the soft insistence of their lips together…

Clenching his jaw, Doppio crooked one of his legs a bit, covering his face again. 

“Nooooo!” Arven said into the cushion, before huffing, forcing his burning face up. Come on, Arven! Pull it together. Just look the guy in the eye! 

Arven determinedly stared at Doppio… before his face reddened hard enough to steam. Visibly shaking in the effort, before he gave up and put a hand over his face, making a small ‘eeeeee’ sound. “You’re just so hot! What am I supposed to do!?”

Frustrated, Arven flopped back down onto his back, letting his hand drop and huffing. Closing his eyes as he said, “I just… it was the literally rocking back and forth on your body thing that freaked me out! Like, I kept feeling heavy. And a little mindless? It wasn’t anything you did, not really, I just… I felt so big on you. And it was a little scary! Like I was just gonna…” Arven huffed putting his hands up, palms towards each other, before clapping them together, “Splat you! I felt mean. It scared me.”

“I don’t know, it just moved so fast.” Arven pouted, looking away. “I don’t really understand how I feel. It was overwhelming. But it was that big, mean feeling that was overwhelming. Not you.”

Peeking out, almost alarmed, Doppio made a confused, terribly embarrassing squeaky sort of noise. He was hot??? Sure…Arven had said so before, but… “W-well, then you know how I feel,” Doppio stammered, covering his face with both hands now. 

Though, okay, c’mon, they were having a serious conversation…but what Arven said didn’t exactly… 

(...being crushed by Arven… The clap, like a moment of…tension release. Everything breaking like…)

Biting his lip hard, Doppio still couldn’t quite muffle the small, aroused groan that came from him, even if he managed to keep his hands…decent. Not indulging the tight, hot knot in his gut that pulsed out impatiently between his legs. 

“...n-no, I…” Doppio huffed, just bringing up a leg entirely and rocking forward so he could half-hug around his knee, hiding his lower face. “...okay. …I’m sorry you were scared…a-and I still can be, even if it wasn’t me,” he muttered, glancing over at Arven with a concerned look. “...I don’t want you to be scared… I know we agreed already but…we won’t do that, okay?”

“...but…um…what else?” Doppio whispered, turning more red. “I-I mean I know how to, yanno, take care of myself, but… And I don’t want to…um. You know… I’m not… I don’t want to take my clothes off.”

Arven laughed into his hands and then grooooaned. “So I can’t handle grinding, and you can’t handle nakedness. Phooooo~ oh, we’re gonna drive each other crazy. Phoo.”

Arven rubbed his hands into his eyes, groaning a bit. It wasn’t just being nice to Doppio, that he wanted to figure something out. He was also horny! He was a teenage guy, he was allowed to be horny, especially when kissing his boyfriend! But also not when he was kissing his boyfriend! Sometimes it just happened just thinking about Doppio! Just, living his life, and suddenly! Doppio! Gah!

Chief, hearing his boy so distressed, finally lumbered up going to sniff Arven’s face. He gave him a little lick. “Oh, noooo, not now Chief. Go, go, lay down in your bed! Go, go!”

Chief sniffed.

 Treats?

“Ugh, let me go lure Chief out with treats real quick, and we will… figure this out when I get back.” Arven huffed, shuffling out on his knees, escaping the fort, Chief heading out with him. 

Doppio couldn’t help snorting along with Arven’s laughter. “What a damn pair… I-I mean…” He huffed softly. “...hopefully I won’t feel like this forever. And…and I know out of everyone I’d be most okay taking my clothes off around you… But I don’t even wanna look at myself…”

It’d be so easy if he could just…get over himself. They could have a little fun, feel good in a way that was fun and good for both of them, and just…

…well, actually, Doppio wasn’t really sure what they’d do naked together anyway, but…

Peeking up, Doppio laughed a little at Chief taking an interest, and as Arven left the fort…

…fucking damnit he was so hard! GAH! Why was Arven so hot?! And considerate?! And awesome?! Fuck, Aceto, don’t you dare fucking touch yourself in the damn second Arven’s just on the other side of a sheet…

“...nnnnm,” Doppio softly whined, squinting his eyes as he angrily unbuttoned his jeans and flopped onto his side, shoving a pillow between his legs as he crossed his arms tightly across his chest. Staying statue still. 

“There you go, you old dog,” Arven grumbled, getting Chief his treats, and then to keep him occupied, pulling out a large bone he had gotten for him on the way back with Doppio from the cafe. Chief was gonna annihilate the thing, it’d be gone by tonight, so Arven should make sure to put some powder in his food that night to help with digestion…

…he shifted his pants around a little, before looking down at himself.

Ugh, he looked so lame. Walking around with a boner. He hoped he didn’t look too weird to Doppio…

Arven paused. Staring at Doppio. “...oh,” Arven said, flushing red, “I mean… I guess that is one idea. Um… it might be a little strange if we both do that, but… I mean, I’m not against you doing it, and I could maybe… uh…” Arven flushed. “...watch?”

Flushing deeper, Doppio hunched into his shoulders, a plea for Arven to just…shut up and not make fun of him on his lips… But, uh… It hadn’t really been an idea that he’d… He hadn’t expected Arven to…encourage. Him. 

Eyes going wide, Doppio gave his boyfriend a nervous look. “...you…wanna watch me masturbate?” His voice went a little strangled at the end, too embarrassed to say the word confidently. Bright, bright red, Doppio squished his face against the comforter, looking away. “...I feel like I look…weird. A-and, I mean… If we’d… I’d want you to, um…enjoy it too…”

“No!” Arven said, before flushing, “Or, I guess maybe I did mean that. But th-that wasn’t really how I was… um… no, I meant more like… can I show you? Kinda what I was imagining?”

Oh, Arven could show him a lot of things.

Eyes wide, Doppio nodded, glancing around for a moment before he sat back up, scooting further into the fort to give Arven room for…anything. 

Arven flushed. “No, no, uh, just… kinda lay back down, how you were? Um, with the pillow between your legs. Though, you don’t have to do that, you can do it however you want really. And then I’d, uh, I’d… you know how when we cuddle?”

Arven scooted in, laying next to Doppio, though immediately he found a problem. Because he did want to touch himself too, but at the same time, he kinda wanted to hold Doppio. Hmmm… it’d hurt his right arm a little, but if he tucked it beneath himself, and then wrapped his left around around Doppio, holding him close, and then tucking his head sort of lightly against the back of Doppio’s head, his chin nestled into Doppio’s neck.

Then, he lightly kissed the side of Doppio’s neck, before lifting his head, kissing at Doppio’s ear… and whispering into his ear, “Uh, maybe… like this? And I won’t look down or anything, but we can, like… feel each other. Hear each other…?”

“O-oh, sorry…” Doppio stuttered, lying back down, er, about how he was, and, um…

That exploding from blushing feeling Doppio had talked about before? Yeah, he wasn’t sure why it wasn’t literally happening right now, because holy shit a hot guy was spooning him a-and Doppio could…sort of feel, um, a hand behind him, but also Arven’s face… A-and he was kissing him and…

Doppio huffed a horny groan, squeezing his legs around the pillow as he turned his head slightly back towards Arven. Gaze flustered and wanting. “...y-you can look, if you want. Kinda hard for me to look back, but… Um… Talk to me? I-if you want… I just…wanna know.”

Though, with that, Doppio couldn’t hold off, given the okay, and he shoved a hand on top of the folded pillow, rolling his hips against it with a huff.

“Oh, wow,” Arven said softly, the words almost a gasp. His face burning red, but also, a sharp rush of arousal running through him, because, uh… well, i-it was certainly, uh, something, to, uh, feel Doppio’s hips sorta… move back and forth like that. So close to his, uh…

Oh, Arven was gonna die. 

Tightening his arm around Doppio, hurriedly undoing his own button and zipper, Arven shoved his hand into his pants, finding the length of his already half-hard cock, starting to lazily palm himself as he listened to Doppio. This was… way sexier, than Arven had been expecting, almost immediately. It was so strange, feeling Doppio move in his arm. The little breaths of effort.

Doppio had wanted him to talk. What should Arven say?

“Um…I really like the way you’re moving your hips,” Arven whispered, lightly kissing the spot where Doppio’s jaw met his ear. “Um, I…”

Should he try… like. Dirty talk?

Both tempted and embarrassed by the idea, Arven tried to think of what counted as ‘dirty’ talk. Uh… “...I like to imagine you… r-rolling your, uh–” butt wasn’t sexy, “a-ass back onto me. I mean… sometimes, when I’m distracted in class? That’s what I’m imagining.”

His wrist already hurt a little at the awkward angle, but Arven was starting to get really hard, as he scooted a little closer to Doppio. Trying to maintain room to give himself his handsy, but also really wanting to feel Doppio’s hips move against him, as he whispered, “You get this look on your face? Where your mouth is open and your eyes are lidded and it’s like you’re both looking right at me and not seeing anything? I picture that face and all I wanna do is rush home and kiss you. Do uh…” Arven huffed, starting to feel warm. His chest starting to thud, as he kissed at Doppio’s neck. “Stuff like this. And I hate it, cause I’m just stuck at my desk. Thinking about you.”

Oh fuck. 

So, look, Doppio hadn’t exactly gotten right into ‘self-care time’ position, but, uh…it had been close. But feeling Arven’s arm firmly holding him across his waist, just the whole presence of another body behind him, e-especially the, uh…prominent hand bumping against his ass… Not to mention the warm breaths against his neck and, gods, the kisses…

Doppio whined softly, hiking his upper knee up to cross over him a little, shoving the pillow against himself harder as he rocked. 

And then Arven started to talk. 

Crimson red, Doppio’s face was almost that expression Arven, apparently, daydreamed about, if not for the clamp he had on his lower lip. Gold eyes going a little hazy as he chuffed and whined, only half-muffling himself. 

“Fuck, Arven…” Doppio breathed, tipping his head back a little. “...pretend the pillow is you… S’not enough…o-obviously, but… Drive myself…fucking crazy, during the day when I’m alone…”

Clenching his eyes shut, Doppio bit his lip hard as he bucked a few times, his dick demanding full attention for a moment. “...like rolling onto your pillow, i-if we haven’t washed ‘n…just press my face into it. While I do this…”

Arven burned. “Do you really?” he whispered, eyes practically sparkling.

Arven knew he had been the one to say no to grinding. And he still stuck by that. But the reason he had said no was coming back full force, Arven already finding himself struggling with the feeling of just…wanting to roll on top of Doppio. Be heavy. Be mean. Mean because Arven just sorta wanted to be… too much. In some way. That feeling already back.

But it was easier to manage, like this. Especially when Doppio bucked, Arven just dazzled when he felt Doppio’s butt poke back and against his dick a little. Fuck. He wanted more of that. “Can I move closer to you?” Arven whispered. His breath stuttering a little between the words. “Up against you?”

“Hhhhhhhnnk!” A soft, odd sort of honk escaped Doppio’s iron fortress around his lips as he felt something in his chest flutter, hearing the…awe, in Arven’s voice. The flattery and excitement… Arven happy to hear he was the object of Doppio’s more intimate desires. Doppio wanting…and Arven flattered and happy with that want. 

Nodding furiously against the comforter, Doppio even wiggled his hips back a little, shifting to try and find that magic angle… 

“Arven,” Doppio gasped, feeling his briefs drag against his cock, the pressure just right and everything just nearly there… “Please… U-um…you can hold under my shi-shirt if you want but…please… Hold me closer.”

…fuck, he hoped Arven would take him up on that. Maybe…grip a little hard. Scratch a little.

Arven, honestly, did not need to be told twice. 

Though, when he did touch under Doppio’s shirt, he was a little startled at the warm feeling of skin. He hadn’t expected it, really, though he wasn’t sure why. Arven had put his hand under the shirt confidently, but now that he was there, he couldn’t help but touch it gently. Rubbing his hand lightly against the smooth heat. His thumb catching on Doppio’s belly button. Wow…

Arven let out a little shuddering breath, and moving closer to Doppio, he pressed his hips up flush against Doppio’s. Pressing his palm down against his dick, so that the underside, through the fabric, got the full length of Doppio’s movements. “F-fuck… oh, wow, A-aceto…”

And, a little lost in the sensation, Arven mindlessly put his leg over Doppio’s. Pulling him in tighter by both the arm and the leg, before now sort of of mindlessly rutting against him. His fears buried by his lust, getting a little lost in that ‘mean’ feeling he was afraid of, just wanting to be closer.

“C-can I take it out?” Arven whispered into Doppio’s ear. “I wanna take it out.”

…it wasn’t the bruising grip that sometimes came across Doppio’s mind, but all the same, his breath stuttered as he felt a callused palm press to his stomach. Warmer than he had expected, though he hadn’t known Arven’s hands to be cold. Just…the touch of another person, and the person he adored on top of that, pressing against him…where his waistband would be, if Doppio hadn’t already unbuttoned his pants, but so close to…

“Uung, huh, fffff, nng,” Doppio chuffed and grunted, feeling a zing run from his belly button straight down his dick, his hips stuttering. An uneven rhythm, just in time to feel something hard rub against his ass, and knowing that it was…

And then, Arven pulled him close. Almost climbing over him, gripping all around like he was making a cage, despite every touch being gentle, and…fuck, it was too much…

Lips parting around silent breaths, a bit of drool seeping into the comforter, a rough, violent shudder went through Doppio’s back, his hands pressing desperately against his crotch, barriered by the pillow.  

It was the shudder that did Arven in. He had thought he could last until he could get out of the constrictive feeling of his pants, but feeling Doppio press back against him, that little full body shudder like a vibration that ran across Arven’s skin, straight down into the deepest part of him…

He didn’t cum right away. But whatever restraint he had before was gone, Arven burying his face into Doppio’s neck as panting, his aching hand working furiously against himself as he rutted against Doppio. That mindless feeling was back. Like Arven was both slightly outside of himself and far too much of himself. He really didn’t know what to do with those feelings. Just rode them like he rode his orgasm, his heart thumping painfully into his chest as he gasped out, “Oh, A-aceto, ooooo’h–sh-shit, mmmm…”

He had spilled messily into his drawers again. Blinking dazedly, seeing little spots in his vision. Everything smelled like sunlight. Everything smelled like Doppio.

…Arven grooooaned. He wanted to go again. That was the other tough part of this. He wanted to do this for hours. Uuuuugh, calm down.

“...w-wow,” Arven muttered, resting himself against Doppio, panting against him, “...th-that was… wow… ah, hold on, I gotta pull my hand away, hold on, ow…” Arven groaned, shifted before pulling his hand out of his pants, not sure where to… touch, and for lack of better ideas, just kinda wrapping it around his own waist, still holding Doppio. “Wow.”

Ah…ach… Well, he’d probably be feeling the strain in his arms for a little but…

Doppio panted heavily as he came down, something softening in his heart as he heard Arven gasping (and uh, felt him…going at it) behind him. Just feeling…good, knowing Arven was feeling good. 

…though, uh…those spots in his vision were…sure taking their time, huh? And that weird, weak dizziness too…

Deciding not to think that much about it, not when he had a, um…very happy boyfriend behind him, Doppio hummed softly and brought his hands up to press to Arven’s still around his waist, snuggling back against him, though there wasn’t much space to close anyway. Especially not with Arven’s leg still over his. 

“...wow,” Doppio softly echoed, when he got his breath back. Giggling softly. “You know, I wasn’t really sure how we’d…but this was a good idea. Um…good for you too?”

“Yeah,” Arven said immediately, and meant it. The word coming out in a little huff of breath. He had sort of gone mindless there again, for a moment, and he wanted to talk to Doppio about it. But not at that moment. Later. For now he was just enjoying the high of the afterglow… though, “If I go to the bathroom and rub one out again, it’s not because this wasn’t good. If anything, doing this with you just winds me up. I always feel like I could do this all day, with you.”

“Though, maybe that’d be fun,” Arven smiled lightly, nuzzling his face into Doppio’s neck, kissing it. “Doing this all day? Or, things like this? We could get food in the room, put a do not disturb sign on the door, make sure we have plenty of water… oh,” Arven said, glancing to the pitcher of water, “Have you had any yet? I may need some. I could pour you a glass too? I was sweating through that.”

Blushing--though his cheeks had stayed a hot pink--Doppio laughed softly. “No, I get it. I’d, um… I think I told you, I did that after the first time… I’d probably…” Want to do more, but, uh…

Closing his eyes, Doppio tilted his head to the side, encouraging the kisses and nuzzles against his neck. “It would. I feel like someone might get suspicious if we lock ourselves in here all day, but…fuck ‘em. S’not their business.”

Sighing softly, Doppio squeezed Arven’s hand gently. …he was a little sweaty, but thankfully not a ton, since…he really didn’t want to take another shower so soon, just wash up a little and, uh, change underwear, but, mostly…

“...I should…” Doppio muttered, pressing his face into the comforter, before guiltily admitting, “...m feeling a little…dizzy, actually. But, um… Haven’t really…eaten today. Or had much to drink…”

Arven huffed. “I think the only person in the world with a problem with it is Kaito, and Kaito’s supposed to stay out of your business now. And I’m your business.” Arven grinned, kissing Doppio a bit, before frowning. “You’re feeling dizzy?”

Brow furrowing, Arven kissed Doppio’s temple, before sitting up with a small grunt of effort. “If you haven’t eaten and you’re dizzy, you’re probably just hungry, Doppio. You want to just swing by the dining hall and eat whatever they have? I know we could cook something ourselves, but quicker might be better if you’re feeling that bad. Though, water’s easy. Hold on, I’ll go get a cup.”

Shuffling out, Arven made a detour to the bathroom, washing his hands real quick– specifically his right hand– before going to get a cup. He poured a quick sip for himself first, gulping it down, before pouring another glass for Doppio. “Delivery,” Arven said, squatting down in front of the fort, handing Doppio the glass, “See if that helps any.”

“I know…” Doppio grumbled, pouting a little as Arven left, sitting up and…oogh… Okay, maybe…more than a little dizzy… Pressing a hand to his head, Doppio carefully steadied himself, just…trying to keep it together through the pulses of Headache 2: Back with a Vengeance. Though, when Arven returned, Doppio gratefully took the glass and started to take small sips. 

“...probably a better idea than cooking tonight, yeah… Sorry…” Sighing, Doppio pouted at his glass. “...I was always the person reminding people to eat ‘n stay hydrated…this is bullshit.”

He narrowed his eyes a little. “...didn’t even take any of those cookies the CPS agent brought.”

“Eh, I bet they sucked anyway,” Arven said gamely, looking fondly at Doppio as he drank, “And it’s alright, didnt you have a crazy morning? I think we all forget to eat and drink sometimes. It’s not gonna kill us, don’t beat yourself up about it.”

Stretching, feeling a little calmer now that he had been up and moving around, Arven said, “We should shower before we go. I’ll go first, that’ll give you a chance to finish your water. Want another cup full before I disappear into the bathroom?”

…Arven thought he should shower? 

…he…guessed he was kinda gross… It’d be fine. He’d be fine! Honestly, the dizziness from not eating aside, Doppio was feeling way better than he had been earlier, and he was pretty happy right then, with everything he and Arven had done, so…it’d be fine! Just a quick shower, in and out, then they could go get food!

Doppio smiled softly up at Arven. “I can pour another myself, when I finish this. You go ahead.”

“Alright,” Arven agreed, giving Doppio another fond look, before heading to the bathroom.

Kicking off his dirty underwear, along with the rest of his clothes, Arven headed into the shower.

…mmm… maybe just one more time wouldn’t hurt anything. He’d be quick. It really would not take long. Not with everything that had just happened fresh on his mind. Mmmm~

Meanwhile, Chief sniffed the air a bit, before heading into the fort. Flumping down next to Doppio, looking up at him curiously. Thumping his tail lightly, looking for pets.

Doppio looked over fondly as Chief flumped next to him, a big heavy paw plopped on his foot. Laughing softly, Doppio carefully held onto his glass with one hand as he started petting the dog’s head. 

“Hey, Chief--sorry for kicking you out. Though I guess you probably don’t mind much, since you got a nice treat out of it, hm?” Some good scritchies behind the ear…the real good stuff. “...I don’t say it enough to you, but…I’m glad I met you too, buddy. Thanks for sticking around too. I guess it’s simpler from a dog’s life, but…I still appreciate it.”

Grinning, Doppio offered the mastiff a wink. “I’ll be on the lookout to see if there are any goodies in the dining hall for you, okay? That’s definitely one benefit of cooking.”

Mmmmmm, yes. Scritchies and pets and treats. That’s the good stuff. 

O.O

OoO y’all physical types are soooooo weird sometimes

Amaina plopped herself on top of Doppio’s head, flopped onto her belly, and then sllooooowly slid down onto his face, looking down at his eyes as she rested on his forehead. You know at this rate i think its safe to say you like, liiiiiiiiike him

Doppio blinked, before looking up, blushing lightly. Huffing a small laugh as he offered Amaina a small grin. “Yeah? I’d hope so, by now.”

Finishing his glass, Doppio gave Amaina a, well, he supposed it was an upside-down pat, but he hoped it was just as nice as his usual ones. “...I’m sorry for, uh… Kinda kicking you out. Even if you left of your own volition. I know we hang out a lot otherwise anyway, but…still,” he shrugged, giving her an apologetic look. 

“Did you go visit Princess Miyako again?” Doppio asked, before smiling a little wider. “She’s a really lucky baby, to be making such a cool friend like you, so early on.”

OoO I am the coooooolest friend and I can read a room

O.O

OOO LITERALLY I LITERALLY READ THE ROOM yall were gonna do it by the third freckle kiss you HORNDOGS

Amaina slid allll way the way off his face, before falling. As usual, Doppio caught her, and she rolled happily in his arms a bit, before lounging in them, staring up at Doppio.

OoO I went to go dance with her, but she was busy playing war games

OoO they’re alright but they can go slooooooow so I thought I’d take a break the generals are gonna be talking fooooreeeeever

Doppio flushed harder--h-he didn’t think it was that predictable, even if Arven had been so…sweet and cute and…fuck, how on earth was he that hot, damn--but just huffed a little, puffing his cheeks in flustered embarrassment. Cupping his hands to catch Amaina, some of that embarrassment faded as she just sort of…started using his arms as a playmat, Doppio watching endeared. 

“War games? Hmm…” Doppio tilted his head a little. “...well…I guess Kaito was part of a diplomacy mission, so…war talks would be something he’d know a lot about. I guess I don’t really have a reference but, um… Interesting game to play with a baby, I guess.”

“Mm, after I shower again, Arven and I are gonna go get some food,” Doppio told il suo angioletto, even knowing full well she probably already “read” it on him. “You wanna come with? I…think it’d be pretty safe to get something for you, if I just keep it on my own dishware at first. I do like cooking more, I think, but…it can be kind of fun trying out a bunch of new things, with the huge spread they always make. Right?”

OoO I can do that yeah

Amaina twisted and turned in Doppio’s hands, pulling her knees into her chest and rolling up into a little ball, rolling around his hands.

And then, as she rolled, she suddenly slithered. Her body morphing together into a small, pink snake-like creature, her pigtails turning into curved, long ridges along her spine, as she peeked up at Doppio curiously.

OuO

OoO I can taste every meal in that room at once, if I like. Every bite everyone has in there.

She slithered around his arms, and as she climbed them, she got bigger. Curling around his shoulders, the size of Nini, as she peered forward and around up at him.

O.O

OoO I think you could too. If you ever wanted to.

Doppio’s eyes widened a bit in amazement as Amaina…er, turned into a snake? Sort of? Some sort of serpent-adjacent thing, at least, he’d best guess from sight alone. There was really nothing about Amaina that was mundane in the slightest, so Doppio never really forgot…but she really was incredible. Someone that had the greatest bounds of imagination as their limit, and constantly played in that space to their heart’s content. 

Raising his shoulders a little, trying to give her a better platform (aaaaa holding a big snake was super cool!!!!) Doppio blinked, before he looked down, grimacing a bit. “...I feel like that’d be more…overwhelming, than anything…” he mumbled. “I like just…eating normally. ‘N I don’t know how I’d even start, approaching trying to do something like that…”

Doppio sighed softly, before he glanced back over at the pink snake. “...you…always call your senpai, er, senpai. Did…it ever feel like she was your mom, or…is your relationship not like that?”

Amaina slithered, hissing lightly. Flicking out her tongue, tasting the air. 

O.O

OoO holy shit dude that is a complicated fucking question yoooooooooo

O.O

OoO alright fine i’ll explain

Curling around Doppio, long enough to hug him, before resting her large, snake head on his shoulder, she sighed. Senpai was someone elses joke. 

It was a mean joke. Cruel. You shouldnt speak ill of the dead but this chick could be a real bitch sometimes. Middle schoolers am-i-right?? O.O i think i’m uniquely allowed to talk shit about the dead in this case

But love is a weird thing and the joke became something special. To them. Between them. Me. us.

And I call senpai, senpai, because it makes her happy. It reminds her of love. Even if that name started as someone being mean.

And I like making senpai happy.

O.O

OoO shit man she might be my mom that might be a thing

Except i’m not entirely sure if i’m real, Amaina said. I might be. I’m P O W E R. She was something else. Something special. And people like us? Me and you? Amaina sighed. We dance at the lines of reality. I dont know if im real. But i may be something beyond that.

And if I am? O.O then yes, senpai is my mom. Gave birth to me. Is the reason i exist.

O.O … OoO But man that’d be soooooo weird for me because I super remember being the person who thought she was sexy as fuuuuuck like i’m just saying it’s a WEIRD question for me so i dunno i gotta figure out who the heck i am first ask me again later

Amaina sighed. It’s hard being brand new. Isn’t it?

It was a complicated question. Doppio supposed it would be complicated for anyone who couldn’t answer with a cut and dry, yes, and for him and Amaina… Amaina said they were the same, but Nell and Mariah talked about them differently, and Doppio didn’t really know what to think, but…even if they were different? Amaina was the only person he knew that was even similar to…how he was. So, complexity acknowledged…he wanted to ask. 

He hadn’t exactly been asking why Amaina called her senpai, senpai, but the story was given anyway. A cruel joke that had been…co-opted, he supposed. Taken away from its derogatory roots and made into something new. Something loving. Something with meaning. 

Between…

Doppio snorted softly before gently snuggling Amaina’s long, snakey body. “It is. Um…” He remembered Dr. Mariah’s earnest praise. “...I guess it’s been longer for you, but… Congratulations on being born, Amaina.”

His eyebrows knit slightly, as he ran a gentle hand over her scales and ridges. “...I think you’re real. You may not have a physical body, a-and you might’ve been born in a unique way but… We’re here, talking together right now, aren’t we?” he softly asked. “...and that matters. I know my life has been changed because I know you…a-and I know Arven’s has too, so…e-even if I don’t qualify, at least he does… A-and that matters! So…you’re real. To me, at least.”

“...I’m glad you exist.”

-_- thank you. It’s about time someone congratulates me

OoO Took fifteen years and someone finally noticed, SHEESH

Squeeeeezing around Doppio’s body, her body snapped back into her usual chibi form as she hugged him. 

OoO I don’t really care if you’re real or not. You’re one of my favorites. That should really be the whole of the criteria. I deem you…. One Of The Best! 

“Doppio, the shower’s open,” Arven said, peeking out of the bathroom. 

You are also One Of The Best, little king! You now officially exist!

Arven blinked. “...kay. Thanks Amaina.”

Fifteen? …Doppio felt like he might’ve known that, or something like it but…damn. She really was older than him in every sense, wasn’t she. And being taller wasn’t even a category, in Amaina’s rules. 

“You’re One of the Best too, Angelo,” Doppio hummed, hugging his friend back. 

Though…it was time to leave the fort. Settling Amaina on his shoulder--at least just for the start--Doppio crawled out of the fort…blinking at himself as he realized…he’d been talking to Amaina the whole time with his pants soiled and open. …nnng, at least it’d been mostly covered by his sweater…

Getting up, Doppio swayed a little, putting a hand to his head before he steadied with a sigh, giving Arven a smile as they traded places. “Grazie, tesoro.”

Okay. Just! A quick shower then… Food. 

-

“You know, for a second there I wondered if you had fallen asleep in there,” Arven joked lightly, sitting down with his tray and starting to collect food, “Just enjoying the heat?”

Hair just pulled to the side in his scrunchie, not wanting to leave it loose while they were out and about--as much as just going to the castle dining hall was ‘out’--but…enjoying how much Arven liked seeing it down, Doppio tucked some loose bits behind his ear as he blushed lightly. “Um…kinda…”

…he had almost fallen asleep again. His head had been spinning so much, and even though the day had turned itself around… Shit, he and Arven had only spent, what, an hour? Or two? Hanging out, and Doppio had really spent most of the day in the shower. And being back in… 

(He’d just felt dirty. And sad. And scared… And between that and his unsteadiness, it had been hard not to just curl up under the spray again and go back to sleep.)

Though, actually being clean--his body a little…raw, actually, from just how much he’d cleaned himself that day--and loading up on food… Doppio’s stomach let out an embarrassingly loud gurgle, his appetite remembered. 

Getting a big bowl of some kind of squash soup, Doppio smiled softly at Arven. “...that pumpkin soup you made before was really incredible… Even if I don’t think I got to eat much.”

“Didn’t you?” Arven said, tasting the soup and, without much thought, immediately grabbing some of the condiments around them, spicing it with more salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Mixing it all together before tasting it again, humming, “I could make it again for you, I still have plenty of pumpkins. We just gotta get back to my house.”

…Arven’s nose suddenly wrinkled in displeasure. “I hope none of your coworkers have messed with any of my stuff. I mean, I don’t really care about it for my mom’s sake, but… a lot of those antiques in there are kinda historically and research-wise important. And who even knows what’s been delivered since then. She wrote that she was sending me another animal soon… I asked Lake to have guards check for any boxes that might have ‘living’ things in them, but I’m worried they wouldn’t tell me if one showed up. They shouldn’t try to mess with those animals by themselves. Some of them are… weird.”

Tearing into a sweetbun--it threw off the balance a little, the bun too sweet for a soup that already had the sweetness of squash--Doppio hummed softly. “I…think? Angelo headbutted me then you kinda were like, this guy needs some painkillers, and then I passed the fuck out.”

“But that’d be fun… Maybe instead of heading back here, we could just go to your house after school? As long as we let someone know, I mean…it’s not like they said you were banned or anything.”

…that would be something more fun to do, than just wander around the castle. If Doppio went to Arven’s place first, while he was at school? He could clean, preparing the place for their hangout. He figured it wouldn’t be much, since it wasn’t like Arven would leave his home in disarray after getting his things, but…he could dust, at least. 

Sighing, Doppio shot Arven a strained, apologetic look. “...I hope so too. I’d think that, if they were staking out your house at all, they’d leave it alone after seeing we weren’t staying there, but…” He sighed again, before giving Arven a nod. “Mm, the, uh…electric mouse, ‘n stuff, right?”

“Right,” Arven nodded, “...though, this would be a lot bigger than a mouse. At least the way her letter described it. Ever heard of an ostrich? Like, that size.”

“Nyeh?” Himiko plopped down at the other side of the table, adjusting her large, wide brimmed hat, before giving Arven a curious look, “What’s the size of an ostrich?”

“I’m curious too,” Shuichi agreed, sitting down beside her, “...what is an ostrich?”

“What?” Himiko gasped, looking to Shuichi, before stomping her foot on the ground, “Seriously, what is with your weird gap in foreign animals!? You’re so smart!!”

Shuichi narrowed his eyes, huffing, “I can’t memorize information I never had access to. Someone explain it.”

Raising an eyebrow, Doppio started to shake his head, before he jumped, startled at the newcomers to their table. Obviously he did know Prince Shuuichi, but…uh… Well, one of his friends, he supposed. Tentatively, he gave the duo a nod, greeting a soft, “Hello.”

Calming from his momentary alarm, Doppio looked back at Arven and tilted his head. “...is an ostrich another type of rodent? Like, um…capybaras, since they’re described as giant rodents… That size?”

“What!? Another weirdo who doesn’t know basic animals!?” 

“What is ‘basic’ about an animal that neither you, nor anyone you’ve ever met, nor anyone they’ve ever met, has ever seen?” Shuichi huffed, “For all we know, it’s totally made up anyway.”

Himiko rolled her eyes. “You can’t pretend an entire continent doesn’t exist just because it wasn’t on any of your maps.”

“No, but I’m tempted to try it,” Shuichi said, looking to Arven.

Arven kept looking at Himiko, then glancing at Doppio– who is this person??-- before saying slowly, “Ostriches are actually flightless birds. The biggest recorded type of bird, actually. Twice the size of people. Can be ridden, I’ve read.”

“And what’s like that?” Shuichi asked.

“Potentially the animal my mother asked me to prep our basement for,” Arven said, “...sort of. Maybe more like a lizard that size. We’ll see.”

“Truly terrifying. I am going to make absolutely certain the guardforce knows you have a dinosaur being delivered to your house,” Shuichi said, sipping his soup, wrinkling his nose, “Strong. And, I’m sorry, Arven, you were supposed to take care of the dinosaur?”

“Wait, you’re on board for calling this thing a ‘dinosaur’, but wanna talk about ostriches like they’re fantasy creatures?” Himiko drawled.

“I’ve heard of dinosaurs before,” Shuichi shrugged, “And I’m just curious how wildly irresponsible this woman actually is. She was going to have you keep an animal twice the size of you in your basement?”

Arven blinked… before nodding. “Well, yeah.”

Shuichi’s nose, again, wrinkled. “So she’s a bit stupid then.”

Arven blinked… before nodding more enthusiastically.  “Yes.”

Doppio pouted a little--this was the whole ‘penguin’ thing all over again--before he sighed, eating his soup as he listened to Arven’s explanation. And that was…certainly something… “Twice the size of a person?” Doppio muttered incredulously. “I’ve heard that albatrosses are pretty big…but not that big…”

And not a bird or a rodent, but… “Oh, shoot,” Doppio huffed. “...you’ve told me that before, haven’t you. Giant lizard coming.” Which was very cool, just as a concept, but…

Doppio blinked at Shuuichi, glancing to Arven, before he snorted softly, digging into his inarizushi with a fork. “More than a bit, from what I’ve heard, at least… I really hope the lizard is gonna be okay in transit. Arven, I know it’s the kind of merda baciannicchiu (stupid shit) she’s done before, but…ugh, seriously? Sending animals through the mail?? Ugh.”

“I mean, the animals aren’t harmed, but… yeah.” Arven sighed, shaking his head, “I have no idea where they go once they’re picked up from the house, but I’m usually just one stop for the animals on their transit to somewhere.”

“Yeah, that feels like it should be illegal, if it’s not,” Shuichi said, “Though, my guess is there’s some paperwork somewhere that’s been done. However, I’ll also bet everything that paperwork was accepted under the idea that more than a wild-haired child was taking care of the actual dinosaur.”

Now Arven looked a little offended. “I mean, it’s not like I can’t handle it–”

“Can you guess why that’s beside the point?” Shuichi said, eating a blackberry, “Your answer will help me gauge your intelligence.”

Arven’s lips thinned into a line. “... you have a problem with me?”

Himiko smirked. “No, Shuichi’s just acting kinda bitchy because his mentor just quizzed him on a bunch of Dicean laws. And it turns out she’s been doing her homework.”

“Look, when she’s studying law in between having a baby and then raising a baby, then she can scold me for not being entirely up to date,” Shuichi frowned, “But I’m mostly saying that it’ll help me determine your emotional intelligence. There’s a difference between recognizing that you can do something, and if you should.”

Arven sighed, leaning back. “Is random parenting a Luminary thing or what?”

Shuichi’s eyes narrowed a bit. “...kinda.”

It did feel incredibly illegal…mostly because it was very similar to drop-offs Doppio had put together for Passione. There was nothing illegal about just giving someone a package, but…linking a change of hands, usually using specific bases, was, er… Well. A sign of sorts about exactly what you were transporting, in Doppio’s eyes. 

Narrowing his eyes at Shuuichi a bit--wild-haired???--and drawing himself up a bit by Arven’s side in solidarity, Doppio frowned. He…knew he didn’t have much space to talk, but taking something out on someone just because you had an issue with your mentor seemed…mean. Bully-type shit. 

The kind of thing that made Doppio want to snark that, oh, if Luminaries were so focused on being parents, then how come so many of ‘em were slaves? …but even in the moment, he knew that wasn’t fair, and…well… If Dicea was so community-focused, then how come Doppio had only ever really known his boss? 

He was sure there was some kind of saying about that. 

Grumbling softly, Doppio gently pressed his shoulder to Arven’s. “...you’ve taken care of all the other wild shit she’s thrown at you…but it’s never been fair for her to have that expectation. …maybe with help, at least you wouldn’t have to worry about some stressed out lizard in a new place accidentally tearing up your basement while you’re out.”

“Nyeh… is it okay to keep a dinosaur–”

“See, and now we’re on the same page,” Shuichi said happily.

“--in a basement in the first place? Like… I mean, I guess if it was only gonna be for a day or so? But even the small animals we keep at the magician shop I work at have some really, really strict habitation space laws we have to work around. I mean… where’s his–”

“His?” Shuichi asked.

“--enrichment center? For one?” Himiko asked.

“I take them for walks,” Arven said, “...at night. If no one shows up for them for a while.”

“Nyeh…”

“I did the best I could.” Arven frowned. “Some of those animals weren’t entirely safe to handle by myself, like Doppio was saying. I needed help. But they were never with me long. I think the longest was a week.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone?” Shuichi asked.

“Who would you tell?” Arven asked.

Shuichi paused… before nodding. “Fair.”

…taking a dinosaur for a walk… Doppio could barely even conjure up an image to imagine it, just settling for a big lizard, but…wow. That’d really be something… But hopefully the dinosaur wouldn’t be at Arven’s house long enough for him to need to do much for it. 

Looking at his food, Doppio squinted, mulling something over before he turned to Arven curiously. “...did you ever need to, like…walk the plants? I can’t remember if you just…talked about, like, plant creatures generally, or if your mom sent you one…” Stirring his soup a little, Doppio snorted. “...it’s kinda cute to think about, actually, if there was a type of plant that could move on its own like that… Bet they’d be like sunflowers, how they turn to face the sun, but they could just get up and follow sunbeams like cats.”

Shuichi hummed. “...Miyako does that. My baby. She curls up in the sun, laying on her back. She’s not crawling yet, but with the way her gaze follows the light when she’s not in it, I think when she’s ready to start trying, it’s gonna be sunlight she’ll head towards.”

“Cute,” Himiko said, “I mean, a little off topic, but cute.”

Shuichi just shrugged. “Just sunlight made me think of it.”

“Wait, you work at a magic shop?” Arven asked. 

Himiko nodded. “Yeaaaaah. I’m a maaaaage.”

“...” Arven blinked, “Like a stage magician?”

“No, she means like real magic.” Shuichi said, “Though the place she works at does stage magic.”

“It pays the bills,” Himiko said.

Aww… That did sound cute. It wasn’t like the few days he’d had was much of a pattern, but Doppio was starting to enjoy the concept of sunbathing. Just in time for winter, he supposed. 

For a moment, Doppio just stared at Shuuichi’s friend in surprise before his eyebrows drew down a little in concern. “...so…you do stuff like…sleight-of-hand professionally? And…real magic as a hobby?”

…they said it so bluntly! If they were actually talking about real magic, would it be so casually inserted in conversation?? Or, uh… Was Shuuichi’s friend a little…off? But just happening to be right, about the fact that magic was a real thing???

On Doppio’s face, the wobbly cogs were visibly churning along.

Arven was currently wondering the same things. While he had been pursuing the titan herbs, the usual best course of action was to word everything like it wasn’t magic, because there was no easier way to invite bad information and get totally distracted than to get caught up in the ‘magic’ crowd. There was ‘real’ magic, ‘fake’ magic, and then ‘fake real’ magic. And fake real magic was the most frustrating of all worlds.

… but, like, Arven was currently ignoring Amaina swimming through his soup, so, like, he couldn’t entirely ignore the idea that the person in front of him might be a ‘real magic’ person. 

The easiest way to tell was to look to Shuichi, actually. And he seemed calm, as Himiko said, “I mean, yeah, more or less. My master, who runs the magic shop, realized it was smart to theme his magic store around a popular book series; draws in the crowds and gives us a focus. And since it’s dangerous to give little kids real magic, we give them magic box kits and stuff. But we use the space and resources to do reaaaaal magic. He’s very powerful, I’ve learned a lot from him.”

“Their show is very impressive,” Shuichi agreed, nodding.

“And… your ‘real’ magic?” Arven asked, “What does that look like?”

“Oh, uh, things like… levitation and… sleep,” Himiko drawled. “Rain.”

“...you make it rain?” Arven asked.

“Not consistently.” Shuichi smiled lightly. “It tends to work best if it’s already a little dark and cloudy.”

“...you make it rain on rainy days,” Arven said dryly, watching as they both nodded, “And sleep?”

“Himiko and I like to play with this stuff together, for fun,” Shuichi smiled, “We’ve worked out some concoctions that make people sleep.”

“Knock out drugs,” Arven said.

“Maaaaagic,” Himiko drawled.

…uhuh. 

Sipping from his water, Doppio hummed shortly. “Arven’s done that. I don’t think I’ve ever slept as deeply, still, than when you gave me that stuff. And I’ve always heard that, like, chloroform works really well…though it takes like five minutes, and, uh, I think is toxic, so not really useful as a sleep aid.”

He tilted his head a little. “...I guess doing chemistry for fun isn’t that weird of a hobby.” He wrinkled his nose a little. “...that guy that was going through my clothes seemed to be pretty enthusiastic about it, at least, and it seemed like more than just…pride in work.”

It kind of reminded Doppio of his own vigor for…what used to be his work, and, well, now he supposed were his hobbies, so…made sense. 

Looking between the adults for a moment, Doppio nodded at Shuuichi. “...were you guys doing ‘magic’ stuff today, then?”

Himiko pouted. “...not ‘chemistry’. Maaaaaaagic.”

Shuichi smiled. “We were. We were trying to make a potion that would help with perfect memory. I took it, and looked at every page of a law book.” Shuichi sighed, “My mentor saw me, was a bit upset to see me studying so poorly, quizzed me, and not only did the potion not work, but I looked like an idiot.”

“I still think we used it wrong. Maybe you had to read each page, not just look at them. I bet you remember what each page looks like.” Himiko said, “Though that’s a little harder to quiz. Do you remember if there were… any pictures? On page 356?”

Shuichi paused, considering it. “...I don’t think any of the pages had pictures.”

“Voila! Maaaaaagic!”

“Ooph,” Doppio cringed. Despite having not been very impressed with the part of the story he’d heard before…working on something, then having someone you looked up to get disappointed by your failures, and you just failing again in front of them? Thankfully, other than the bullying earlier, he supposed, Shuuichi didn’t seem that put out by it, but… Ugh, Doppio could feel his stomach tie into knots just thinking about it. 

“...that does seem kind of…beyond incredible, though. If you could just,” Doppio rolled his eyes a little, “Drink a potion, and suddenly have amazing memory? Or, uh, maybe I’m just a little more impressed with that kinda stuff…”

…Shuuichi was an adult. He was, specifically, an adult, and a member of the family that was…well, one of them was his legal guardian, and kind of supposed to look after him anyway, and…Shuuichi had already just shot off the concept of telling the guards about Arven’s mom’s dinosaur like it was a side note on a to-do list…

…should? He tell Shuuichi that…

Looking down, Doppio gnawed on his lip as he idly spun his spoon in his bowl, heavily debating what to do.

“It’s a great ability,” Shuichi agreed, ”I used to be able to do it–”

“With a night buffer,” Himiko pointed out.

Shuichi frowned, before pouting a little. “Well, yes, with a night buffer. Being able to do it instantaneously would still be better. But I mostly wanted to do it because unfortunately, these days my memory is merely extraordinary, rather than perfect. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“You are just the king of humble brags, you know what?” Himiko smirked, entirely amused. She and Shuichi got along for a reason. They both thought the other was endlessly amusing.  

“You used to have perfect memory and now you don’t?” Arven asked, “Why not?”

“It’s a side effect of my conditioning easing off.” Shuichi said. “Ultimately a good thing, but still a bit of a bummer.”

…conditioning?

Doppio glanced up, a question in his eyes…before he lit up, a half-remembered conversation ringing in his head. Not like shampoo conditioning, but… “Oh, that training thing? Uh…shoot…um…”

Sighing, Doppio just decided to let that one go, despite his and Arven’s success at navigating the path of things forgotten in his brain before. “I know Kaito did tell me about it, sorta…I think. But I don’t remember.” Tilting his head a little, Doppio asked, “...it’s good that you’re…not doing training stuff, but your memory isn’t like a superpower anymore as a side-effect?”

Shuichi nodded. “Training thing. And the fact that my memory was so good was a result of that training. Take away the training, and you take away the ability. But, considering the other side of it was that if I thought you said something in a particularly authoritative way, I compulsively info-dumped the information I had memorized, so it’s still a fair trade to be rid of it.”

“I’m still not sure I believe all of that,” Himiko admitted, “I’ve never seen you or any of your family do anything like that. You sure it’s not an exaggeration?”

Shuichi laughed a little, “Kaito, Maki, and I used to play with our conditioning pretty liberally. We’d trigger it in each other for fun. But now that we’ve lost it, it’s less obvious we had it at all. My mentors still have it, but I would not recommend testing it. They’re a little subtle about it, but they take themselves far more seriously than we do.”

Doppio still wasn’t really sure he understood. He guessed like…complete memory loss was a thing, but…if you had learned something, wasn’t it with you forever? Sure, you might be rusty, or never quite get back to the level you were if you stopped for a while but…experiences couldn’t be ‘taken away’. You lived it! 

So…maybe there was just some nuance to it that he didn’t know. 

But, uh…purposefully triggering your friends’ compulsions for fun? Doppio grimaced a little, kind of wigged out by the thought. In a way it kinda sounded like…mind control. And how terrifying was that?

…maybe there still were some creepy things about Luminary.

“Actually, Mr. Saihara,” Arven said– Shuichi sat up straighter– “This is a bit out of nowhere, but Aceto and I were just talking about how we wanted to check on my plants back at my house. I know we’re not really supposed to go anywhere on our own…”

“Why not?” Himiko asked.

“They’re handling some troubles, right now, the castle’s helping out,” Shuichi explained, chewing on some more blackberries. Mmmm. “If you're asking for help getting there, I could escort you, for as useful as I’d be. At the very least, I could recruit Maki, or perhaps the guardforce to assist you.”

“We’d appreciate it, thanks,” Doppio said softly, glancing at Arven with a half-amused look. That was right… Arven had quite the garden in his yard, which would’ve probably been alright in his absence, but the ones in his room… Those could probably do with a good watering. …though…Arven had probably checked on them the few times he’d gone back to get things. 

…troubles…

Doppio opened his mouth, the words right on the tip of his tongue. ‘Actually, about needing an escort, I have some news about that’...

…but immediately he shut his mouth again, tearing at his bun as conflict flickered over his face. He couldn’t go back, he couldn’t keep…entertaining the notion of protecting Boss…

(...but he had looked so panicked, before he dove behind the island. Being hunted… Doppio couldn’t do that to him.)

(...but he had been reaching for his throat just before that.)

…telling someone was another point of no return. But not saying anything was…half-playing his own path. 

(...an opportunity before I find one. Boss had said that.)

Bringing his hands into his lap, Doppio started anxiously scratching at his left wrist.

Shuichi looked Doppio over, before humming, lost in thought for a moment… “Doppio. Kaito mentioned to me that he was hoping I might teach you how to handle an electric baton. Arven, you as well, though Maki thought a different type of weapon might suit you. With that in mind, Doppio, would you like to do any training with me?”

Doppio sighed softly, looking back up. “He did just start rambling about that, one time… I mean…I guess I wouldn’t mind, but I wouldn’t want to waste your time,” Doppio shrugged, looking a little apathetic, before a sort of depressed haze weighed on him. “I don’t really like fighting…”

…though, saying that, something seemed to occur to Doppio, and he blanched, looking away guiltily as he tapped his fingers together. “...though, uh… Um… I did already apologize to him, but, um… Sorry about earlier…since you guys are married an’ all…”

“I would, in the future, appreciate you don’t knock my husband around, yes,” Shuichi said, sipping his water.

“Nyeh? You fought Kaito? Wow…” Himiko said, looking Doppio up and down, before looking to Shuichi, “Kaito’s kinda weak, huh?”

Arven frowned. “Or Aceto’s really strong.”

Himiko looked Doppio over again, considering this… before shaking her head. “Nah. That’d just make Kaito weak. I mean, he is royalty, guess it makes sense he can’t fight.”

“Kaito has a bad habit of treating fake fights like life or death brawls, and real fights like wrestling matches.” Shuichi said, “He can’t seem to tell the difference, sometimes. Kaito-vision.” Shuichi sipped at his glass. “...well, I wanted to talk to you about your fighting techniques at some point, Doppio. I thought training might be a good opener, but otherwise, whenever you can get around to it.”

“Fighting techniques?” Arven said, “The way I hear it, it was less technique, and more just Aceto got in a lucky hit.”

Doppio nodded guiltily--he didn’t want to fight Kaito again in the future either--before he blinked, looking over at Shuuichi’s friend with a bit of a dry look. He had once relied a lot on looking unassuming but…wow. That was probably the bluntest assessment without being intentionally derogatory he’d ever heard. 

Sighing, Doppio slumped over the table a little, resting his chin in his hand as he gave Arven a nod. “I wouldn’t really call me blowing a gasket while I was hallucinating, and Kaito trying to hold me down much of a fight. …guess I wouldn’t really say I have much technique, but I’d like to think I employ some strategy if I’m actually fighting, rather than just thrashing blindly.”

Sure, he had put actually a decent amount of effort into not getting into fights in the first place, but…he thought he’d done pretty well, the few he’d been in. Especially if it had been him against multiple people? It had always been satisfying, getting them to accidentally take each other out. Not too shabby for a 1-year-old.

Shuichi nodded. “My guess is you’d do well with short ranged weapons. Knives work well for that, but the electric baton would work better for stopping a fight in its tracks. Do you still carry any of your weapons on you?”

Doppio went still. Glancing around for a moment before he gave a short nod, sitting up again as he started to scratch at his wrist. “...not really around the castle, but when I go outside or leave…yeah.”

…he had admitted to using his flashlights for defensive purposes to Kaito, before, though something like that didn’t need to be registered as a weapon. He…supposed that wasn’t much of a logical leap for Shuuichi to make, if he’d heard some Kaito-version of that.

“Well, then again, I’m offering to teach you a safer weapon.” Shuichi said, “It’s good that you want to avoid fighting entirely. I agree with that sentiment. But if someone else forces the issue, it’s good to have a weapon that will ultimately let you leave the fight. Knives and bludgeoning weapons are well and good, but they’re more dangerous than I like. Both to myself and anyone I would need to use them on. I don’t like the idea of accidentally seriously hurting anyone. That’s why Maki insisted I learn this type of weapon. It could work well with you.”

Himiko glanced between Shuichi and Doppio, before drawling to Shuichi, “I think you’re talking to a brick wall. Might wanna let it go.”

Shuichi pinked a little. “Well, it’s just an offer.”

…hm…Doppio didn’t really know himself, but…he supposed something like electric batons were, er, legal. Probably to certain specifications of, like…shape and use and amount of electricity. But, yanno, legal, if both Kaito and Shuuichi were talking about it. …uuuuuunlike chemical weapons which, uh…

…seriously hurting someone, if they pushed Doppio enough to actually start a fight, wasn’t something he was particularly concerned about, but… Doppio glanced over at Arven, before going pink as well when Shuuichi’s friend piped up. 

“I-I do appreciate the offer, sir,” Doppio embarrassedly stuttered. “Um… I don’t… Maybe I’ll take you up on it. I just, uh… It’s… Um. Like…right now I don’t…think is the best time…probably.”

Glancing over nervously, Doppio cleared his throat. “A-are there dishes anyone’s done with? I could take ‘em to the kitchen drop-off.”

“Here you go~” Himiko said, passing Doppio her plates immediately. She caught Shuichi’s eye, smiling coyly. “What? He offered.”

“You’re so lazy.” Shuichi said, “But yes, mine as well, thank you Doppio.”

“I’ll help,” Arven said, rolling his eyes a little, collecting dishes with Doppio. He didn’t really think he and his boyfriend should be collecting everyone's dishes for them, but whatever, his boyfriend had already offered.

Shuichi and Himiko spoke lightly to each other, as the boys headed off. “...look, they’re not as bad as I was told they were, but Luminaries are still weird, so far.” Arven murmured.

Doppio just nodded slightly as he collected the dishes, stacking them securely almost absent-mindedly, though he gave Arven a surprised look at his offer to help. Doppio…hadn’t really been trying to get out of the conversation, but he just…needed to do something. Um, take a break! Like Dr. Mariah had said! A-and she said breaks were good, so…

“...you know, I’m not gonna argue against that,” Doppio softly sighed, keeping a careful eye on Arven’s stack of dishes for a moment, making sure he was steady. “...I dunno… Prince Shuuichi’s alright, but… It’s not really, ‘cause he’s always been pretty calm since we’ve met him, but…it’s almost like his moods change without warning, or something, and it puts me on edge. I can’t tell where things are going with him, and I just…feel like he’s trying to get me to admit to something, I dunno… But he’s so casual about it, it kinda makes me doubt all that.”

His shoulders slumping a little, he gave Arven a questioning look. “...you think you’ll wanna learn how to fight?”

“I can see that,” Arven agreed, keeping foot for foot with Doppio, letting him set the pace and lead. “I’d be willing to say it might be ‘just had a baby’ hormones, but you’re right, it’s like he has this sort of…” Arven tilted his head trying to think of the right words, “...mask? That he randomly puts on and takes off? Like a chameleon or a frog, suddenly changing its colors to make predators think it's poisonous. Or warn predators that it really is poisonous. You like to touch random toads outside, don’t you, Doppio? You probably already know this, but be careful of lizards, reptiles, and insects with particularly bright colors on them. They’re usually warnings.”

“...maybe that’s not relevant,” Arven laughed, opening up the kitchen door to let Doppio drop off his plates, setting down his own, “Though, now I kinda want to go looking for animals.”

That hadn’t been quite the analogy Doppio had been thinking, but once Arven outlined it Doppio couldn’t help but think about just how apt it was for the prince. Shuuichi never came across like he was scared of them, or even their circumstances, but he definitely had a ‘don’t mess with me’ vibe. As they talked more, Doppio guessed that the consequence for that was more likely to be utter verbal humiliation, but…well, it was the same vibe as, uh…nastier surprises. 

Poisonous colors. 

Flushing a little at the phrasing, Doppio pouted a little and nodded. “I know… I-I mean, I didn’t always, but I try not to just…grab any animals, you know? It freaks them out. Even if I sometimes get closer than comfortable, for the animals that don’t have as much of an inclination to come closer to people, I always wait for an animal to approach me of its own will first…”

Setting down the dishes in the drop-off bin, Doppio sent off a brief smile and wave to a few of the kitchen staff he’d talked to over the last week before tilting his head a little, humming a consideration. “...unless it's about to be hurt, or something. They may not appreciate being grabbed, but I think that’s a better trade to getting splatted or something.”

Lighting up a bit, Doppio glanced out the large dining hall windows. “...we probably have a few hours of daylight left--you wanna check out one of the gardens?”

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Arven said, following Doppio’s eyeline out the window, “It’s too nice a day out to spend all our time in the fort anyway. It’ll be there when we’re good and tired. Come on, Chief, you wanna go outside? You ready, boy?”

Chief’s tail wagged gamely a few times. Heck yeah, he was ready.

-

There was a small pond next to one of the walls of the castle. It was too small to swim in, but what the teenagers had yet to realize was that on the other side of the wall was a larger connected pond, which Timothy and the girls played in often. They didn’t venture to this side of the wall very often, as this side was more covered in shadow and bush-wild, making it not ideal for splashing around in, but very ideal for little creatures to chill out in.

Arven was currently watching a rather large toad chill out on a lily-pad. It was big and fat and was likely prepped to hibernate beneath the water for the winter, finding some pockets of air in underwater caves, or hiding itself in mesh near the pond, settling in to be still for months at a time. “I suppose not all that different from how we do it here, when the snow climbs up over our heads,” Arven mused, “Were snow-ins difficult for you, Aceto? I imagine you got about as much work done as anyone else could.”

Already giving his greetings to the toad, Doppio had been happily watching some beetles crawl in and out of the pond-side brush. He couldn’t spot any fish in the pond, which was a shame, but he figured it might’ve been too small and contained. “Well…I mean, I tried…” he hummed softly. 

“Last year, at least…” Doppio tilted his head, propped up with a hand rested on his knees, trying to think back. “...Boss liked suggesting meals more, then, and especially if it was something difficult that I had to spend the whole day cooking, it made the house really warm, so…that was fun. At least from what I saw, a lot of people just consider, like, messages and work to be a no-go during the snowstorms, so there wasn’t a lot else I could do…” 

“Unless it was an urgent message, of course,” he conceded. “I liked that a lot less. What about you? Just a lot of hanging out with Chief? Or did you ever stay with anyone else?”

“Usually a lot of hanging out with Chief,” Arven agreed, glancing over at the ol’ man, who had found a sunny spot and was snoozing in it. “Thankfully I was good at preparing food from a young age. People would ask me if me and mom were prepared for the snow, and that was back when I was afraid of getting her into trouble, so I always just said yes. But I remember my first snow-in alone was kind of touch and go there, for a little bit. The food more sparse than I had prepared for, because Chief’s food had gotten broken into by raccoons I hadn’t realized nested in the attic. So I ended up sharing my food with Chief, which made it run out faster.”

“But in the end, we just did what the animals do. We basically slept the entire last week of the winter. I don’t even remember actually ever feeling hungry,” Arven said, “Chief and I just slept in a big bundle, we’d get up to drink water, and one morning I woke up and the sun was peeking through the windows, the snow melting. I had lucked out.” 

Doppio looked over as well, smiling fondly at the snoozing dog. Though, as Arven told his story, Doppio returned his attention with a wince. “Oh, that’s rough… I’m glad you two managed, though. Man, always forget about the attic raccoons.”

He went quiet for a moment, looking at the pond pensively. Something deep in his brain that couldn’t quite be teased out, but certain threads catching his attention nonetheless. “...I…think I was “born” during a snow-in? The timing would be right…”

…and considering he had only been alive for two winters, then that meant… 

“I think we might’ve been out of food that first year? I don’t really remember… I just remember climbing through the snow on an errand, but…not like messages ‘n stuff.” Doppio smiled shallowly, regarding a frog that had poked its eyes out of the water. “I stayed out too long and, uh…well, got really cold, I guess. I remember being all bundled up and sitting next to the fire by Boss… Definitely didn’t happen last year, so…I guess that was it.”

Arven looked over at Doppio curiously at that. “...if your dad made you in a snow-in, that memory might be one of the first things you ever did,” Arven said, sounding a little in awe at it, “Like… maybe the actual first thing you ever did. What else do you remember? From that first winter, I mean?”

Logically that made sense, but…Doppio blinked up at Arven, a little off guard from the awe in his voice. He…supposed it was interesting. Not a lot of people could remember anything from their first few weeks of life, uh, as far as he knew. 

“Umm…” Doppio hummed, trying to think back. And almost immediately turning pink as he gave Arven a stubborn, embarrassed look. “...okay, don’t laugh. I told you before I was really bad at cooking when I started, right? I guess…I didn’t really have any concept of what things were, uh…supposed to taste like, or what was supposed to go together…”

Sighing, Doppio looked away with an embarrassed pout. “...drank, I dunno, probably like a quarter cup straight of balsamic vinegar. Threw up in the sink immediately. I…don’t remember exactly what he said, but I think Boss teased me a little, with my name and all…”

Arven laughed. Beaming at Doppio, adoration plain in his eyes, as he said, “Awww, cute. And understandable, you were only little. Vinegar drinking vinegar~”

Eye widening, Arven grinned. “I remember when I was little, I decided one day that it’d be badass to bite into an egg. I don't know what made me think of it, maybe it was seeing some animal do it or something, but I was determined to do it. I thought it’d be great. And, Aceto… it was awful.”

Arven blanched, still shuddering at the memory. “A raw egg tastes so much worse than a cooked one, and I was unprepared. I just stood there in the kitchen like a weirdo, drooling egg yolk and too stunned to do anything. My mother found me like that and asked me what the heck happened, and I tried to answer and ended up spitting all the shell and yolk up on myself. It was awful. It’s one of the clearest memories I have of that age.”

“...” Arven smiled lightly, gaze a little distant. “We washed out my mouth, and my mom gave me an ice cream instead. To help with the taste.”

“I told you not to laugh!” Doppio groaned in embarrassment, covering his face, though he couldn’t help giving a few soft chuckles to join with Arven’s mirth. It really wasn’t that long ago, if Doppio was right about the timing, but…well, he…supposed it was a ‘little kid’ mistake. Doppio had done that with a lot of foods, not knowing what they were and just…trying to figure it out. 

…it wasn’t him being dumb. It was him being young and trying to learn. 

Peeking up, face still red, Doppio’s eyes widened as he gasped a horrified, “Oh no!” Thankfully, that had been one trial he’d learned enough to miss out on, but, ugh, he could imagine it… Eugh, with the shell and all…

…though Arven hadn’t had to deal with it alone. This memory early enough that he hadn’t had to. 

(...at least his mom hadn’t been all garbage. It couldn’t make up for what she’d done, but…Doppio was glad that Arven had at least a few good memories of his mom. That someone had loved him and treated him gently when he was little.)

Expression softening, Doppio took in the distant look in his boyfriend’s eye, and he asked softly, “Do you remember what kind of ice cream it was?”

“No,” Arven said honestly, barely needing to think about it, “The egg, I can remember. The flavor of the ice cream, lost to time… It was blue. I remember that. So some ‘blue’ flavored ice cream.”

Leaning back, Arven looked up just in time to see a large triangle of birds flying by. Leaving for the winter. Bye guys, have a good trip…

“Are you still feeling dizzy?” Arven asked, glancing over at Doppio, “Now that you’ve eaten?”

Doppio hummed consideringly. There weren’t a lot of blue ice creams out there. He bet it was a sea salt one--Arven’s mom could definitely be the kind of weirdo who got salty ice cream.

“No, I’m feeling a lot better,” Doppio gave Arven a sheepish grin. “It probably just was that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast… I don’t really count the hot chocolate I had during my meeting. Just, wow, what a surprise,” he rolled his eyes, “Turns out your body freaks out if it doesn’t have anything to make energy from.”

A small frown ticked down Doppio’s lips. “...well. At least for most people.”

“Most people, which includes you,” Arven said, nudging Doppio a bit, “But that’s a good thing to know, I think? That going without food can hurt you. I mean, you probably already knew that, but it’s a good reminder, I think.”

The frown softened, and Doppio nudged Arven back. “I did, but…yeah. I guess so. I just…wasn’t thinking about it, I guess…” Sighing, Doppio cupped his chin again. “I was just…so gross, after everything, ‘n I just dragged myself over to sign the restraining order, then got my shower… Then you came home. Didn’t really think about it…”

Arven hummed… before snickering. “To err is human,” Arven quoted, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, looking back at Doppio with some amusement, “Shows you and I aren’t that different after all. I’ve forgotten to eat plenty of times. It happens. I honestly barely even consider it a mistake… so why do you look so hung up on it?”

Doppio sighed, opening his mouth…before looking nervously around. Shifting his weight on his heels a little as he scratched at his arm a bit…before sighing again. “...Boss forgets to eat…a lot. He just…gets caught up in work. Most of the time, if I wasn’t there literally putting a plate in front of him, I-I don’t think he would… And some of the time even doing that he wouldn’t.”

Looking down, Doppio squinted at the pond, gnawing his lip in worry. “...that was my job. Making sure he was eating, and eating well, and getting enough sleep, and…living in a place that was clean and comfortable… As much as I could make it, anyway… Sometimes it felt like…doing that was the only thing I was good at. So I feel…dumb, and wrong, I guess, messing up with it for myself.”

“You’re not dumb or wrong,” Arven said, watching the sunlight ripple in little patches over the water. “It’s harder to do things for yourself, than it is other people. I don’t know why. But I know that’s true.”

His eyes drifted to Chief, watching the ol’ dog sleeping with little doggy snuffles. “...I was so scared, when Chief was dying,” Arven said softly, “But not just for Chief. I mean, that was a big part of it, but… I couldn’t see a point. Past Chief. A point for anything. Taking care of my dog, for a long time, for a lot of reasons, was kind of the reason I did… literally anything.”

“I kept the house clean because I didn’t want him sleeping in filth, in his old fur. I keep regular sleeping hours because his walks needed to be consistent. Gotta be up in the morning to let him out to do his business, make sure dinner is ready to eat before bed. Gotta go foraging to make sure I have fresh ingredients, gotta clean the windows to let the sunlight in so he can sleep in it…” Arven closed his eyes. “Gotta be responsible. Stay on top of things. Because if I don’t, if I let everything go to shit, who’s going to take care of Chief?”

“And then he started getting older… weaker.” Arven frowned. “And the vets started using… scary words. Final words. Talking about ‘gentle’ ways to go and I just remember thinking… why would I ever get up in the morning again? Why would I forage? Why would I even go to school, since I really only went to keep up the routine I had for Chief. I wasn’t just waiting for my dog to die. I was waiting for my purpose to end. And I couldn’t see a future past it.”

“...... I didn’t exactly learn to ‘let go’,” Arven grinned a little thinly, “Did learn how to travel the country by myself and go spelunking though. Don’t know if that’s what I should have learned, but it’s what I did.”

Doppio’s eyes widened a little, and he shuffled over to Arven. Pressing their shoulders together just… Well. It was already over but…Doppio still wanted to be there. Show support. Be close, while his boyfriend talked about his entire purpose flagging the end with grave words in a vet’s office. 

It was hard to imagine. Arven’s love for Chief was obvious, but…Arven was just so full of life! Passion and curiosity and, just, so much potential for so much… But Doppio could also understand what Arven was describing. How he…

Swallowing, Doppio put an arm around Arven and squeezed his bicep gently, offering a small grin. “Learned that…when death comes knocking, say ‘fuck you, not today’? Might just be me, but…I think that’s a pretty good lesson. And I’d say you got, uh…full marks. And extra. Um…what do teachers do when you’ve done really well? Get a bunch of stickers.”

Arven smiled, leaning into the hold. “Extra credit, all the stickers, yeah. But, you have to remember, they say one of the benefits of getting a dog as a young kid is they’re supposed to one day teach you how to cope with death. I know that. I know animals die. I know people leave. And even now, I know one day Chief is going to… all of that. As well. I’ve only put off the inevitable.”

“... that’s easier to think, now, admittedly,” Arven said softly, staring at Chief for a moment, before looking to Doppio. Expression soft, “It doesn’t feel like as much of the end of the world. Still terrible, but… there’s a future, at least.”

“You know what I mean?” Arven smiled.

…well…that was true. Coping with death was just part of life, at least Doppio had heard that. And…while he’d lived a unique side of that and would likely continue to…there were still a lot of normal sides that he’d live through too. But, still. You told death, not today, but not ‘never’. Even for a fact of life, there was still enough wiggle room to make your own demands, until you were ready.

Turning a deep pink at that soft expression Arven sent his way, Doppio looked down, smiling, before he nodded, giving his boyfriend another squeeze. “...I think so, yeah.” 

-

It was a request from Shuichi, since, apparently, Kaito ‘couldn’t’ go. 

And apparently, while Kaito was pouting and acting melancholic, now Shuichi ‘couldn’t’ go, because he had to look after Kaito. Who, frankly, probably just needed a good kick in the pants, or a bit of dancing with Maki, to get his head out of his ass. It didn’t help that Kokichi seemed particularly busy lately, which was likely making Kaito even more pouty, which was making Shuichi pouty, which had all somehow led to Maki doing babysitter duty.

She didn’t mind much, really. Elia was busy that day, Tim was in school, so she really didn’t have much to do that day otherwise. Besides, it was a good idea to be alone with the kid every now and again. Give him a chance to talk to her about magic problems, if he had any. And see more of the kid that’s got Kaito acting like a kicked puppy. She really didn't know what had caught Kaito’s fascination so much. Beyond the sob story, she supposed.

“Well, we’re here,” Maki said, “...I hope you have a key. I don’t know how to break locks in a way where they don’t stay broken.”

Doppio did trust Maki, ever since their talk, but…well, she was still a very intimidating person. He guessed all the royal Luminary immigrants were, though each in their own way. But, regardless, he appreciated her coming along to his trip to Arven’s house, and had told her so more than a few times as they’d walked over. 

And, uh, through the quick trip Doppio had made, getting some extra cleaning supplies. Arven was well-stocked, but for anything that came in a bottle, Doppio didn’t want to deplete his supplies, so…extras. …along with some groceries, because, well, Maki was nice enough to escort him, and it’d probably be a full day cleaning until Arven was out of school, so, naturally, he’d make her lunch as a thank you. 

But! They were there! So…

“I do,” Doppio nodded, offering her a small smile as he dug the key out of his pocket, gently opening the door. “Before we left this morning, I told Arven about this and asked if I could use his key, so… No startling surprises! And, uh…breaking the lock permanently would, uh…probably be a security issue, with everything…”

Trailing off in a mumble as he held the door for Maki, Doppio set his supplies down, putting the cold items away before he gave her a sheepish look. “Um, I’m sorry that this is probably going to be a bit boring for you. I don’t need help, so…if there was anything you wanted to do…uh, yeah.”

“It is, but it’s an ideal kind of security issue,” Maki said, giving him a small nod as she walked inside, looking around the house curiously, before sitting on the kitchen counter. Letting her legs swing lightly as she looked around. “Middle of the day, guards nearby, ex-assassin at your heels. If someone were to try something here?” Maki shrugged. “Ideal.”

Sighing, she tilted her head back, looking at the plants hanging from the ceiling. Diceans and their plants… “Which means we’re perfectly safe. No one would try this. So, relax, have fun, I’ll keep myself occupied.”

Perfectly safe, huh? …oorgh, that just sounded like tempting fate… But, well, he’d already decided to take the risk of being at Arven’s house, and Maki was right that they had mitigated literally everything they could, so… It’d just be anxiety for the sake of anxiety. 

“If you say so,” he nodded, putting gloves and a non-cooking apron on, getting his dusting supplies out. “Still, let me know if you need anything. I bought stuff for lunch, but also some extras for, like, snacks or anything, and Arven said we should probably try to finish up the orange juice he’s got in the, uh…tall, like, would be a rectangular prism, but has rounded corners…container. A-and cups are the next cupboard after the one just right of the stove.”

But with that…it was cleaning time~

In some ways, it was a unique challenge, dusting Arven’s house. There was the more basic stuff, of course, but Arven’s space had something that Doppio had never really had to contend with in all the spaces he and Boss had claimed--a plethora of knick-knacks. Which could be any sort of size or shape with different kinds of grooves or insets, and could be any sort of material… Ooh, he even had to get creative, not using the dusting fluid he’d bought, and had to repurpose an empty spray bottle to use air to clean a cloth-covered…er, figurine? Doppio wasn’t really sure what it was, but it was clean now!

It was quiet at first, but the more Doppio got in the groove of cleaning, he started to hum softly. For one of the first times since he’d ended up at the castle, looking completely at ease.

Arven found himself a homemaker. Well, good for him.

Maki leaned against the wall, stretching her legs out along the counter. Letting one of them hang and letting it wave lazily, back and forth. She was enjoying the lazy day, honestly, and hearing the boy hum was relaxing. 

It really was the funny thing, about living with one foot in the seedy underbelly of secret keepers and hired killers. There were… rules. Safety in those rules. You had dumbass killers, who tended to just clumsily go along until they messed up and died. But the people in charge of those people? They overthought everything. No one was more scared, more cautious, than someone who saw how mindlessly stupid a person it took to successfully kill you. It barely took planning. A lot of it was luck. Having someone like Maki? Like Nekomaru? Was like owning a notebook where all you had to do was write down a name, and that person died. It was like being invincible. 

But killers like Maki and Nekomaru were rare. That was why all of her siblings had died. It took brutality and persistence to raise a killer that made you invincible. Everyone else? Had to settle for caution. Planning. Restraint. 

Nothing made people safer, than the underworld recognizing how vulnerable it was, and how risky their own people’s work was. How easily it all falls apart.

(The Ledger back in Luminary always there, always being added to. Old Assassins, protecting their own by holding the dirt of everyone who had ever used them. Their abuse protecting their children.)

A situation like this? Only an idiot or a lunatic would try something in a situation like this. It was begging to have something blow up in your face. And anyone with half a brain would err on caution. 

{...}

{...the woman has a killer aura.}

{A violent history.}

{People might believe she was capable of it…}

Okay… Well, with dusting done, Doppio really should check on Arven’s plants…but if they needed any additional care other than watering, it would be better for Arven to take care of them himself, and, well… Doppio didn’t know if wet soil would make anything more difficult? So he could just clean outside of the pots for now. 

Crossing over the living room to some of the potted plants by the big window, a subtle flinch flashed over Doppio’s face, his eyes jittering over to Maki for just a moment…before he sighed and got on with it. 

…what the hell, seriously? He knew Maki was…well, not like him, but had lived in a similar world. It had made him wary, when they first met, and it was still something he considered in the back of his head, but… Pah, wh-what? He wasn’t…scared of her! …at least he’d thought. 

She was Kaito’s best friend! Basically Kokichi and Shuuichi’s sister, from what he’d heard around the castle. And she’d reached out to him specifically to offer help in a realm he was unsure about. …sure, she’d been a little mean, but…being mean wasn’t scary. Maki wouldn’t… 

A-anyway, the princes would {never believe she’d do it.} He didn’t know why the thought had crossed his mind. 

Rolling his eyes a little at himself, Doppio started cleaning the windows. 

Maki went to the container, opening it up and looking at the orange juice. Taking it out, she gave it a quick sniff, before calling back, “You’ve been at it for a minute now. Take a break, drink some juice. You seem like the ‘gets caught up’ type.” She put the juice down on the counter, before going to grab some glasses. Putting ice in both of them, she set them down. “I feel like the answer is ‘no’, but I’m going to ask anyway: Arven didn’t put you up to cleaning his house for him, did he? Because that’s not good boyfriend etiquette, not this early in.”

Doppio paused, almost startling as Maki spoke up, and for a moment he just blinked at her, as if not comprehending her words. 

…take a break? He’d…barely done anything though… It’d be, like, what…two hours? Maybe?

For a moment he just dithered, before Doppio sighed and went to the back door, roughly brushing himself off. Approaching the counter as he gently took his gloves off, he offered Maki a small smile. “Um, thanks…”

“And, uh, yeah. I-I mean, that the answer’s no,” Doppio softly chuckled, sipping the juice. “We had just been talking about hanging out here, and, oh, he makes this really incredible pumpkin soup, so that’s what started it, but, uh… Well?” Doppio chirped softly, shrugging like it was the most natural thing. “Since he’ll be at school for a while, I thought that I’d come early to clean! It’s not a mess in here, Arven’s pretty neat normally, but, um, being away does accumulate stuff, and…it’s always nice being in a clean space.”

Looking away, Doppio tapped his glass sheepishly. “Uh, actually, he tried to talk me out of it when I brought it up, but I just think he didn’t want me to, I dunno, feel obligated or anything? But it’s not like that, really. I just like cleaning.”

“Good. It’s a silly thing to do. I’d have still called him a bad boyfriend for not trying to talk you out of it,” Maki said, sipping the orange juice. “Hmm. This is good stuff. Way the rest of this place looks? Bet he squeezed and preserved this himself. Impressive,” Maki said, sipping again.

“...any magical nonsense going on?” Maki asked. “Or, more importantly, magical problems? Or are we good?”

Choosing to just…let opinions be opinions, with Maki calling his cleaning silly, Doppio perked up and gave her a proud nod. “He did! It’s a little difficult to grow your own oranges all year, but he talked to me about how even buying citrus from a market and making your own juice, it lets you control the sweetness and texture and, well, overall flavor, kind of tailoring it to whatever profile the particular fruit you’re using has? Since with following a set recipe, you’re not considering that things grown are all unique! He’s really knowledgeable about all that kind of stuff!”

It was very impressive, and Doppio would not miss out on any opportunity to gush about Arven. 

Though, his delighted passion faded a little. …magical problems…huh? 

Doppio glanced down. It…wasn’t really a magical problem, more just…a separate magical problem that had led him to just…a normal problem… He…should tell her. He should tell someone. And, well it wasn’t like…

(Killer aura, violent history)

(She wouldn’t, but…Boss…)

“Um…not… F-for, um, magical nonsense… Not…really,” Doppio stuttered, looking around nervously. “Uh, that is, I figured it out so…nothing to do, really.”

Setting his empty glass on the counter, Doppio offered Maki a strained grin. “Um, thanks for pouring out the juice, but I really should be getting back to it!” Quickly walking back, he fumbled trying to put his gloves back on, and, distracted, tripped over the edge of the living room rug. 

“Just don’t feel like talking to me?” Maki said, shrugging. “Fine. Does your boyfriend keep any alcohol? Anything not used for cooking, I mean. I’m planning to buy it from him.” She said, looking around the kitchen, “Kid’s going to be coming back here to live eventually. Figured I’d spare his future guardian the headache of trying to figure out if they should leave it here or not.”

“Ooph!” Doppio landed hard on his ass, before he just sighed, getting up more carefully. …well, that was embarrassing. And it was almost…jarring how much Maki didn’t care, compared to Kaito’s smothering. He figured it was different but…he wondered if Tim got any whiplash, going between his parents. 

Heading back to the windows, Doppio shook his head. “No. He doesn’t even use any in cooking either. When we first met, he tried to pull something, saying that it was ridiculous to use alcohol in cooking, to…I dunno, make me seem dumb or weird or something, but, well, obviously not.”

“...hmm… I’ll probably give him some recommendations when he’s back more permanently,” Doppio mused, mostly to himself. “Oh, I could copy down some recipes from my books so he could try some out…that’d be fun!”

He didn’t…totally want to just completely move out of the room while Maki was semi-still talking to him, so Doppio just kind of shuffled towards some of the other rooms, still keeping an ear out. 

…Arven’s mom had really sent back a lot of weird stuff, huh. Doppio couldn’t tell what half of it was, or even if some things were just for decoration, or some were usable items, but…well. It made Arven’s house unique, if nothing else. 

…hmmm… Well, there was a glass bit on this…thing. So may as well give that a wipe…

{if you push your hand forwards a bit, this could be a truly terrible acciden–}

Maki went from the kitchen, fruitlessly looking for bottles of wine– come on, house like this had to have some nice wine– to glancing over at Doppio, to suddenly across the house, grabbing his wrist. Her grip like stone, her other hand grabbing the back of his shirt and jerking him backwards.

“Do not touch that.”

It was barely an instant. Doppio’s eyes going a little hazy, the gold almost looking tarnished. Almost looking green…

Squeaking, Doppio fell backwards along with Maki’s grip, looking at her with wide-eyed alarm as he instinctively dropped his cleaning supplies. “O-okay!?”

Maki kept her grip for a moment, making sure he wasn’t going to sway and faceplant right into the damn thing if she let go. When she deemed he wouldn’t, she let go. Looking around… “What here isn’t expensive?” she muttered, before picking up a bone, squinting at it, “...dog bone… fossil… dog bone? Fossil…”

Realizing she couldn’t tell, she tossed it aside, looked around again, and saw the broom Doppio had been working with. Grabbing that, she gave him a hard look, reached forward, and snapped the glass.

The contraption shut itself on the broom with a THWACK! The broom’s wooden handle shattered. Splinters of wood hit both their clothes.

“...since you’ve never seen a bear trap before, let me show you how it works. That’ll help you identify other things primed to snap your bones in half. It’s good information to know.” Maki said, heading forward, before waving him forward with her, “Come on, let me show you how you set it. Then I’ll show you the non-dramatic way to disarm it too. See this lever on the side here? Go ahead, pull that up…”

Honestly the reaction wasn’t that out of there, but, uh…only if it was actually Maki’s things, that he had been trying to clean. Doppio could remember plenty of times he’d been yelled at or snagged away from things he’d been trying to tidy, only to be informed that it was a bad time, or those weren’t things for him to touch. So it wasn’t so much “what”, than the “who”, but--

“EEP!” Doppio flinched, watching in horror as the, uh, metal bits of the…thing snapped closed and shattered the broom. He could even still hear the metal clanging together…that meant there was enough force not just to break the broom, but to completely go through it in an instant… Oh fuck, his whole damn arm had been in that…

Looking between the splinters of wood and the snappy-thing, still, Doppio found it in himself to groan softly. “...Arven’s new broom is coming out of the CPS budget… Holy fuck, why does he have this?!”

A little hesitant, Doppio shuffled forward, giving Maki an uneasy look before he pulled up the lever, flinching again as the metal bits fell back down. “...bear trap? Who would use this in…hunting? It just seems cruel…”

“I imagine Arven knows how it works and got cocky leaving it around, and as we’ve already long established, his mother is an irresponsible piece of shit,” Maki said, pointing out the hinges, “Now, the ‘correct’ way to disarm it is to grab the lever again, twist it back down, and let it fall closed. But what we’re going to do is permanently disarm it. If Arven wants to kill bears, he’s gonna have to come to me for the pin again. And maybe by then I’ll still have it.”

“So, never letting your fingers into the inner part of it, not even if you think you’ve got it and it feels safe,” Maki said, palming the outside of the trap, “We turn it around. And you see right here? We’re gonna take our knife, and using the broad end, we’re going to slide it to the right. And see how the pressure goes down little by little the more you push it? That slow de-escalation is how it’s not going to snap shut again, until we have it out.”

Pulling the pin out, the tension was gone, and Maki let it fall down, with no real force. Maki opening and closing it, hearing it squeak. “There. Harmless.”

Maki looked down at the pin, considering it… before handing it to Doppio. “I’ve changed my mind. Here, if Arven needs it, he can ask for it from you. You seem to know already how cruel it’d be to use this on an animal.”

“Though, I hope someone’s gotten around to telling you that people matter too,” Maki said, as an afterthought.

Doppio watched carefully as Maki disarmed the trap, glad she hadn’t asked him to do it just by following directions. What a horrible device… It reminded him of those awful old drawings of mousetraps. He supposed there was something to killing a mouse so quickly that it wouldn’t even feel pain, but…mice didn’t always trigger them head-first, he’d read. And with the bear trap, it wouldn’t even fit over a bear’s head, so in both cases it was just…causing unimaginable pain and suffering to a creature for…however long it took for someone to find it…or until the poor thing grew so frenzied it took its own life in another way. 

{…what an awful way to die.} If they ever went back to that conversation, Doppio was gonna insist Kaito put it at the top of the list. 

Giving Maki a nervous look as she handed over the pin, Doppio blinked…before looking down, lip caught between his teeth. “...I don’t want people to get hurt…” he mumbled softly. 

“A lot of us don’t,” Maki agreed, still vaguely wishing she had found alcohol. She had been looking forward to a fancy bit of wine. Guess she’d just have to buy some on the way back to the castle. Maybe she could convince one of the wet-blanket parents to drink with her. “But a lot of us stop caring too. Even the animal lovers… I always thought that was particularly sick,” Maki admitted, pushing pieces of wood around lightly by the tips of her toes. She should probably help the kid clean at least this, since she had broken it. “But I think I only feel that way because my mentor felt that way.”

“He told me, growing up, that there’d always be this temptation to make exceptions,” Maki said, crossing her arms a bit, “That you start deciding ‘this group’ is okay to let die horribly, ‘this group’ deserves gentleness, ‘this group’ deserves protection. People start with animals, and how they decide that does say a lot. If they decide animals needed treating gently, it meant they’d likely spare children and the elderly and the criers. Unreliable. If they relish in animal deaths, there’s no salvaging them, they’ll be your biggest nightmare if you let them keep working… I’m sure you know the type.” Maki sighed.

“My mentor taught me that for an assassin, you want someone who can recognize that all creatures are basically the same,” Maki said. “And that you should care that their last moments aren’t the worst you can possibly make them. That keeping your humanity will make you smarter. Safer. And you’ll be able to live with yourself more when the years pass… because at least you had some sort of code.” Maki said, “How animals die matters. How people die matters. And how you feel about it says something about you… that’s the moral code I was raised with.”

“What about you?” She asked, genuinely curious, “What kind of assassin were you raised to be?”

The trap dismantled, Doppio felt the urge to get back to work, take the remainder of the broom and sweep up the bits of wood, at least. Floors were always last, when you did a full clean, so he did still need to sweep, and…well, it’d probably hurt his back a bit just using the remainder of the broom so…maybe they could take a break in a bit and go get a new one…

But something in Maki’s voice demanded that he wait and listen. So he did. Even if his expression grew more concerned and distressed with the more she expanded on the subject. Not because Maki had revealed herself to be a monster; actually, the code she had gotten from her mentor seemed exceptionally kind, with the kind of work he could only imagine she had done. But…because of what that kind of view painted him to be…

…he shouldn’t say anything. He’d let the secret fly, somewhat, with Kaito, but…he still hadn’t admitted to anything concrete. And Maki wasn’t Dr. Mariah, she had no incentive to keep anything he said out of court records. 

Still, Doppio grimaced, feeling himself sweat as he looked at the scattered wood on the ground. “...not one?” And…despite the fact that he had killed people…that still felt true. Being an assassin was never his job, just…certain tasks that had needed to be done, when an official job wouldn’t suffice. …he guessed, anyway. He never really knew the reasons. Or…that he was on a hit in the first place, a lot of the time. “...someone that throws up when they see a corpse?” he mumbled, clarifying just a little.

Though, clenching his fists, before nervously letting them go, he briefly glanced up at Maki, nothing but nerves in his expression. “...I don’t want anyone hurt. And I’m not killing anyone.”

He’d promised.

Maki raised an eyebrow. Just openly looking at Doppio, fully and openly appraising him. “Do you? Vomit at corpses? Because Shuichi says your wounds made you seem like a capable fighter. It tends to help not to vomit when you’re fighting.”

Doppio’s eyes widened for a moment before he self-consciously held his left arm. Almost reminiscent of his first meeting with Maki, for how absolutely ineffective it was at hiding his arm, even if he was wearing long-sleeves. “...I’m good enough to not get myself killed. ‘N…that’s enough for me.”

…he…should tell her. About Boss, about…the bodies. About what it was like, waking up in dark corners of the city, covered in blood. He’d told Arven, not wanting to stay silent and just let his boyfriend defend some…made up idea of Doppio. Not wanting to…(only be loved as a lie.) But…it was a lot. And Doppio was reminded of that with every trembling jaw and tight hug meant to conceal tears. Doppio could let Arven know the truth, but he could never really talk about it at length, not for his boyfriend’s heart. 

…Maki might actually understand, though. She might be one of the only ones who could, while still being a person who’d…care enough to hear it. 

But there was no going back, after he told someone--not Arven or Dr. Mariah--about Boss. And could he really…

(...what did Boss mean, by an opportunity? What was Doppio’s timer actually like?)

Maki nodded, leaning against the wall for a moment, before she frowned, a wood chip beneath her heel,.. “I should have just broken the bone,” she pouted, puffing out her cheeks a bit as she kicked the wood away, “Who cares if it’s old? It was probably a dog toy anyway. Might be easier to just go out and buy a new broom.”

“It’s good that it’s enough to protect yourself,” Maki said, looking around, hoping a new broom might spontaneously appear. Arven felt like the sort of nerd that’d have two brooms. “I hate cocky fighters. The ones that make a show of it? It either is a performance or it isn’t, but you shouldn’t try to blur the lines. That’s what spars are for.”

“You don’t really look like someone who should be fighting to me, honestly,” Maki said, opening up a walk-in cupboard. Plenty of food. No brooms. “Even if you’re good at it, your energy is all wrong. Are you just really good at hiding a killer instinct? Or have you managed to survive without it?”

Antsy. Maki was still talking, so he had to listen, but…this was a ‘get something done while listening to me’ kind of energy now. Historically not Doppio’s strongest, er, performance? But still something he could do and…

(...it was a lot better than being yelled at for just…sitting there.)

Crouching, Doppio took what was left of the broom and started sweeping up the wood shards, glancing up every now and then to focus more on what Maki was saying. “I don’t really care about preserving whatever Arven’s mom’s sent back…but I would prefer asking him first, before breaking anything. It sucks when someone trashes your stuff, even if it was something you didn’t care about much. …we should get a new broom, though…”

Doppio puffed his cheeks in some annoyance. “Even if CPS should be footing the bill for, like, household purchases for him now…man, that sucks.”

Reaching over for the dustpan, Doppio sighed. Gnawing on the inside of his cheek anxiously. …talk or don’t, dumbass. You can’t keep toeing the line like this, it’s infuriating… “...Kaito said… I act differently, when I black out. Has…he talked about that with you, or…?”

“He mentioned that you get nicer,” Maki said, noticing Doppio was taking care of the mess and heading to the kitchen counter, peering over at him as she leaned against it, “But in an uncomfortable way. Like you’re play-acting. Kaito thinks it’s a side effect of your headaches. Is ‘nice’ Doppio also your ‘you’ with a killer instinct?”

Doppio let go of a deep sigh, an annoyed tick going through his expression. “How should I know? Until he told me, like, last week, I thought I was…” Doppio frowned, looking more conflicted as he rose with the pan of wood chips, considering it for a moment before heading to Arven’s garden compost. “...I don’t know. I guess, asleep? But I mostly would wake up weird places, so I guess I knew I wasn’t… But I certainly didn’t know I went around acting like a…pretend version of myself.”

“I just…” He sighed heavily, dumping the pan and dropping his shoulders before he looked over at Maki, his frown almost pained. “...they haven’t started asking about it yet, but I’m not telling CPS about my job.”

You don’t snitch about Passione. You open your mouth, and you end up across town with a hole blown through your chest.

“Why would they ask you about it?” Maki asked sincerely, “They already have the person above you in custody. You aren’t the person to interrogate anymore. I wouldn’t bother asking you anything either.”

“Mind you, I’d be in your position, not CPS, in this exchange,” Maki said, walking out of the kitchen and back to Doppio. “...you know, Kaito used to pretend to be my boss, to get me out of trouble.”

“He technically could give me orders and I’d have to follow them, though he wasn’t actually in charge of me in any meaningful way,” Maki explained, leaning against the wall a bit, “And when I’d do something I wasn’t supposed to? Big things. If I got caught, Kaito would always show up eventually when they were interrogating me, and tell whoever was trying to pry answers out of me that I had done whatever it was on his orders. It was always interesting, watching Kaito try to appear like he was entirely in control of the situation, while still trying to figure out through context clues what it was that had even happened. Then, when he figured out what was going on, he’d come up with some excuse and argue his way out of any consequences. Went very ‘Momota’ as he likes to call it.”

“But one thing that always happened, when he came to rescue me, was that no one ever had any interest in asking me questions when he arrived,” Maki said, her blood-red eyes searching Doppio’s, “They’d barely even look at me once Kaito was there, let alone talk to me. Questioning me was pointless, once the ‘source’ was there. Because I was just acting as a tool to him, and you don’t bother asking tools questions.”

“So,” Maki said, “Maybe they’ll just never ask you anything. Since you were a tool too.”

Doppio started to sweat again. 

Still, he paused, holding the pan and broom down low as Maki approached him. (It’s rarely good when they stop what they’re doing and come to you. It’s always supposed to be you that’s beckoned if things are normal. If they walk up, keep everything unsightly below eye level, don’t try to work, look up and keep your full attention on them. Try to commit their words to memory for once in your excuse for a life, because this is important.)

So…he listened. And smiled softly, if strained. “...that system sounds…really exploitable. I’m…I’m glad Kaito came to rescue you, though. I mean…he said you two were best friends, so…that’s a friend thing.”

“...even if I’m lower, though…they’ll probably still try to ask. Getting the full picture, and all that, even if I can’t be summoned to court about it,” Doppio mumbled, trying to remember exactly what the agents and Prince Kokichi had told him about the, er, second case he was involved in. “A-and…they said it was important to know for, like…personal things…I think. So…”

…gods, it was the worst. Doppio hadn’t thought of himself as much more, while he had been working--an employee was an asset, and if he was the tool through which Boss exerted his will on the world, Doppio had been more than pleased to play that role. 

But it was different, now knowing exactly what context Boss had actually viewed him as, when it came to a concept like…being an asset. And hearing Maki call him a tool… Never meant to be human, never meant to be a person, but meant for…

Doppio’s face crumpled, tears welling in his eyes as his lips trembled. “...Maki, I--”

Whatever was going to be said (I fucked up, they don’t really have Boss, Maki, I wake up hurt near bodies and I’m scared) was cut off with a sharp gasp and a grunt, Doppio recoiling back a step as he nearly let go of the broom and dustpan, clutching his head with his arms. 

Maki hummed a bit, staring at Doppio as he suddenly seemed to writhe in pain. Letting her hands relax down to her skirt, as her hair shifted along her face a little, peering down at him.

“Have a headache?” she guessed.

“I-I do,” ‘Doppio’ gasped, wincing up at Maki with wide, whimpering eyes, “C-could you please get me a g-glass of water? I-it hurts so badly.”

“So you want water?” Maki asked. Sounding a little unimpressed. “What’s water supposed to do?”

Diavolo did not understand the question. When he was in pain or irritable, Doppio brought him water. That was, like, the thing to do. He scowled a little, confused, before trying, “It’ll… k-keep me hydrated?”

“Oh, I see,” Maki said, staring at him, “So I’ll just turn around and go get you some water then.”

“Y-yes! Thank you! You r-really are a l-life saver, miss…” ‘Doppio’ frowned, “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Just gonna tuuuuurn my back,” Maki said again, “Any second now. Try not to die in the meantime.”

“R-right, well, hurry, because i-it— sniffle— h-hurts.”

Maki and ‘Doppio’ stared at each other. ‘Doppio’ barely keeping the frustrated confusion off his face as Maki still made no sign of moving. A silence dragging on.

“... a-any time now–”

Maki made the first move. A knife suddenly in her hands as she lunged forward, only unable to attack as she brought her other arm up to block the hard, sharp end of the dustpan from trying to slam into her approaching neck. Feeling it fall heavily against her arm, she twisted her wrist and grabbed its handle, wrenching it out of ‘Doppio’s hand and throwing it across the room. She tried bringing her knife down to his neck, but was surprised when ‘Doppio’ dropped the shattered broom and recovered quickly enough to grab her knife-wielding arm, spinning in place to use her momentum to try to throw her back into the wall. 

Maki caught herself before crashing, skidding to a halt. It was like ‘Doppio’ blinked, and suddenly instead of holding one dagger, she was holding six, all interlaced between her fingers, a heat radiating off of her, her hair shifting in its steam.

They stared at each other a minute.

…Diavalo scowled. “You attacked me.”

“I know when someone wants to kill me,” Maki said.

Diavolo glanced at the daggers between her fingers, scowling… before his eyes went wide and wobbly again. Barely holding back tears as he started taking stumbling steps backwards. “Wh-why would you th-th-thiiiiink!? That!? I-I’m just a boy! Y-you’re supposed to p-p-protect me– AHH! Holy shit, what the fuck is wrong with you!?”

Diavolo shouted this, collapsing on one leg as Maki’s dagger sliced above his ankle, lodging itself onto the floor behind him. 

“Whatever the hell you are?” Maki said, stepping a little closer to him as Diavolo hissed in pain on the floor, glaring at his injured ankle, “He’s not going to be able to fight like that. Get out.”

“W-what are you talking about, it’s me, A-aceto–”

“Do you even know what you do to him?” Maki asked, staring at him. Staring at his eyes. “Kaito’s an idiot for not noticing. How have we gone this long and no one’s mentioned your eyes? I’m surrounded by idiots.”

Diavolo frowned– eyes?-- before deciding, fuck it. Letting the trembling stop in his body, ignoring the pain in his leg as his wound bled beneath him and just glaring at her. “You should just kill me.”

Maki’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Ah. So you did throw yourself off the tree.”

“You should kill me, because if you don’t,” ‘Doppio’ smirked, “I’m going to kill that kid of yours.”

Diavolo didn’t so much as flinch when the dagger nicked his cheek, the blade falling into the floor behind him with a crackening split of the wood. “He’s so small. It’d be really easy. There’s so many stairs in that castle, I could literally just drag him to one and throw him down it. Off a balcony? It’d take just one wrong turn on his neck and then snap. I mean, it’s quite easy to kill children, isn’t it? I would assume you’d know. Look at you… you reek of blood. You practically fill the room with the scent of it. It’s almost exciting, in its repulsiveness. You’d make a lovely L’Unita speciale–”

Maki relaxed. “Oh. I see. You’re him. Well, that’s at least a step in the right direction.”

Diavolo tensed, Maki stepping closer to him. He tensed to give off the impression he was helpless. This stupid woman had literally handed him two weapons. She just needed to get closer, and then he’d plunge her own black daggers into her chest. Caught up in the fight, forgetting that he was meant to be ploying her to kill him…

Maki paused. 

“Amaina,” she said. “Connect his and my mind or I’ll kill you.”

-_-

OoO Rude but okay

There was a feeling. Like a line being pulled. Diavolo’s vision, briefly, went black.

And when his vision cleared, it was wobbly. Like the world was shifting around him. Still in that boy’s home, still with Maki in front of him, but there was something… else. Something too big for him to comprehend.

Like he was staring at a mountain.

And the mountain was looking back. Eyes blood-red, looking down at him. Making him feel a way that Diavolo could not recall ever feeling like. Like he was small. Something to be devoured. ‘Chewable’.

Diavolo had no idea what he was looking at. But the wobbling got worse, as the mountain shifted, a cave opening wide. And Diavolo could feel the building heat even before he saw it–

“You should go,” either the woman or the mountain said. He could not tell which. “Do you want to die?”

And realizing he didn’t, Diavolo cut the connection.

Out in the physical world, there was barely an instant, a bright, vibrant green turning gold before Doppio’s body slumped to the ground like a tossed-away doll, his eyes falling shut. 

…and by the time awareness started to return? The first thing Doppio noticed was…an odd lingering warmth. Not quite like having been out in the sun and feeling it still seep into the skin, even while now in shade. More like…being in front of an oven going full-blast, and feeling that slight trepidation. You’re careful, but…you have to reach in far, and you know that just the slightest mistake will result in a burn that’ll need more than just cool water. 

…like lighting a match, the stench of gasoline clogging your nose, and quickly throwing it as you scramble back. Having to ignore the sudden roar in front of you, because you know if you don’t move…

The second thing he noticed was a pain in his leg, a little different from the throbbing headache he was more accustomed to. 

Squinting his eyes open with a soft groan, Doppio looked around, trying to focus his vision enough to figure out where he’d ended up this time.

“Bought a broom,” Maki said, sipping on a bowl of ramen at the table, hearing Doppio groan. “And bought food. Careful getting up on that foot, it’s injured. Do you eat tofu ramen? I don’t actually care, unless it’s going to kill you, come eat it.”

…?????

Doppio turned his head a little, towards the voice. …you know this… And…you’re…on the floor. A floor, at least… Fingers just twitching for a moment, Doppio slowly patted his pockets, before pulling out his notebook. Just…looking at it for a moment, before opening it. 

Hello! :) Your name is Aceto Doppio and you have memory problems! It’s okay, because everything you need to remember you’ve written down here! Good luck!

    your boyfriend!

Arven^ and you promised to take care of each other--it’s going to be okay. Uphold your end of the promise. You’re more than what other people need.

…okay, flipping to the newest page…

Head 2 Arven’s, clean :), taken w/ Maki (friend!)

…right… Right. Okay. 

…come eat. 

Rolling slowly onto his side, Doppio sat up, just holding his head for a moment, blinking dazedly… Before he gingerly got up, frowning at…yeah… Injured leg, but…bandaged, so… Coming over to the table, Doppio raised a hand, touching the slight stinging on his cheek, finally noticing it…and a bandage there too…

Shyly looking up at Maki, he quietly said, “...thanks, Maki. Um… I-I’m sorry, but… What…happened?”

“I can’t really say for certain,” Maki admitted, sipping at her ramen before gesturing her head towards his, which was still in the paper bag she had brought it back in. Sluuuurp. “But it seems like you were possessed somehow by your boss in an attempt to goad me into killing you. Nicked you a few times, chased him off with your little floaty friend’s help, saw you weren’t going to wake up anytime soon so I went shopping.”

Slurp. “You should probably do something about getting possessed in the future,” Maki said, “Because if you don’t, I may have to take your threat to my son's life far more seriously.”

Doppio had started to take the ramen out of the bag, but he soon stopped, staring dumbfounded at Maki. …he was…possessed by Boss… An…opportunity to kill… He went ashen. “...I threatened Tim?”

Well…m-maybe not him-him, maybe it was just…Boss…but… Wait, but if Boss could possess him, then…

“Oh fuck,” Doppio whispered, covering his mouth in horror as his eyes widened. If Boss could possess him (still, what????) then…the suicide thing… Fuck, he was alone with Arven all the time! If Boss had…attacked, or something, to Maki, then…Arven, Tim…hell, even Kaito…

“THE MAN THEY ARRESTED ISN’T MY BOSS,” Doppio blurted out, looking at Maki with an increasingly panicked expression. “H-he’s still in hiding, just made someone take the fall and he wants me to die to get the case dropped a-and respawn to make things go back to how they were!”

“That makes sense,” Maki said, pointing with her chopsticks, “Eat. You look pale around the eyes. You’ll get queasy in a few hours if you ignore your body.”

Chewing lightly at one of her bites of pork, she considered this new bit of information. It did make sense. She hadn’t entirely trusted it when she heard the man had given himself up without a fight. Too easy. She doubted she was the only person who had thought so. One of those annoying suspicions that couldn’t be easily looked into, not when someone seemed to be insisting on taking responsibility for assaulting a minor and running a cartel. She was sure some of the Diceans must be looking into it, they weren’t the unintelligent sort. 

“I know people who can put defenses in your mind,” Maki said, “They won’t do it without your permission though. One of them’s kind of annoying about things like that. It’s the main reason I bring it up. You need one either way.”

It almost felt anti-climatic, once the words were out of his mouth. Not like everything stopping--er, atmospherically, or…metaphorically--or like his heart dropping with the sound of a gong, or anything like that. Just…him saying something, and Maki telling him to eat. 

…he brought the bowl out of the bag the rest of the way, and popped off the lid. Taking the other pair of chopsticks on the table and starting to eat. …it was pretty good… Really flavorful broth… If he remembered, he’d ask where she got it from…

…oh fuck he told on Boss…

Oh fuck, Boss could possess him. Whatever that actually meant. 

Chewing through some mushrooms, Doppio glanced up at Maki anxiously. “...and…that’d make it so Boss can’t…do what he did? What…does that mean, a mind defense?”

Mildly, he flinched, shrinking a little. “...s-sorry… I just…really don’t know about any of this stuff. The day we talked…I-I literally found out I’m not…yanno. That day…”

“I don’t know,” Maki said, slurping… before she sighed. Putting down her chopsticks, looking over at Doppio. “Look. I’m not good at this part of it. I don’t consider myself a comforting presence. The best I can do is make you safer, and honestly, I’m not even that good at that. I was raised a killer, and I try to take the things I learned during that and make them something I can defend people with. But it doesn’t come naturally to me. So if you feel tense and unsafe around me, that’s fair. The only way I know how to fix that is being so blatant about my murderous instincts that it loops around to feeling protective again. Just so you’re aware.”

“But you’re not going to be able to survive this unless you’re honest, at least with yourself, about what’s happening,” Maki said, frowning, “Don’t dance around it. Before you found out you weren’t human? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

Doppio wouldn’t say he felt particularly…comforted. But, while the resulting pain and confusion of one of his black-outs (along with…everything else) has dulled it to be processed later, there was a sense of peace and awe he felt for Maki. He woke up, and she was still alive. He woke up, and he was still alive. She said that…she’d gotten Boss to leave, and…given all of Doppio’s other experiences with, well, he supposed this situation? 

That was incredible.

So it didn’t matter if she didn’t know the sorts of things to say to put someone at ease--Maki was still incredible. And…well, he trusted her. 

Still, Doppio grimaced, closing his eyes for a moment before nodding. “...yes. I found out I wasn’t human, like…a couple hours before we talked about…magic bullshit. I…I guess it’s my fault I haven’t been looking into it more, but…I haven’t.”

He sighed, looking to the side with a small shrug. “...Amaina said I’m like her, if…that helps any? But, uh…I have a body. …obviously.”

“Amaina,” Maki said.

Amaina, after a moment, peeked her head suspiciously out of Doppio’s ramen bowl. What?

“Don’t pout,” Maki said, spinning her noodles in her bowl a bit, “You and I both know I can’t kill you.”

You could eat me you freeeaaaak go MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH

“You’re too small to eat,” Maki said. Slurp. “And it was a bluff anyway. I’m not her. I just hoped that opening my mind up to her presence would be enough to spook him. It worked… and now we’ll find out if he’s listening.”

Maki and Amaina both stared at Doppio.

O.O

OoO… how long do we have to wait??

“He seems impulsive. He couldn’t help trying to lure me into a close range attack, when he was supposed to be focusing on me killing him, with which my throwing daggers would be better with distance.” Maki said, “I think I scared him off enough for now. It won’t last though. Obviously I can’t be nearby twenty-four seven, relying on empty threats.” 

OOO I THINK YOU SHOULD EAT HIM!! NOM NOM BOM

Maki rolled her eyes. “I just said I can’t–”

IN REAL LIFE

Maki paused. Hummed, like she was considering it. Before shaking her head. “I have a feeling Doppio here will be the first defender, if I try to solve this problem by killing the man. I’ve had enough experience trying to murder my friends’ abusers. It rarely works out that way. I’m correct, yes?” Maki said, looking to Doppio, “You’d defend him if I tried to kill him?”

Doppio looked down, a little unsurprised to see Amaina in his food…though his expression grew more worried. …she was literally talking about it as a bluff, but…he didn’t like the idea of anyone hurting Amaina. Not…

Gently, Doppio pet his thumb over il suo angioletto’s head, his heart aching a bit. 

(He never wanted to see that again.)

…he didn’t want to see people hurt. 

As Maki and Amaina stared at him, Doppio stared back, a little discomforted the longer it went on…though he huffed a little as Maki called Boss impatient. Feeling the urge to prove it completely wrong! But Doppio barely opened his mouth before he let out a small, defeated sigh. 

But even without acting on that impulse… He gave Maki a hard look and a small nod. “...it’s bad enough that I’ve told you he’s still…not in custody. If I thought the Guardforce would actually hurt him?” Doppio closed his eyes, withering in his seat. “...I can’t. Everyone keeps telling me I can’t…care about him anymore…but I can’t let anyone hurt him. He’s not like that…hopeless. Even with what he’s done…I won’t let anyone take his life.”

Maki rolled her eyes a little. “Yep, that. It’s been annoying enough dealing with that for the last year for people I’m close to. I’m not about to try to reason with some random edgy teenager Kaito’s latched onto about it. If that’s how you feel about it, fine. We won’t kill him.”

OoO Booooooo so wait what did you need me for if not for munchies or cannibalism? Cause I can’t actually eat anyone since i’m mostly ideas. 

OOO P O W E R F U L ideas! 

O.O …but ideas.

 “Right,” Maki said, pointing to Doppio as she looked at Amaina, “What the heck is he?”

O.O

O.O;;

Maki narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know?”

OoO He is also ideas! 

>.>

<.<

OoO But if like an idea could eat someone.

Maki stared at Amaina. Waiting for more helpful information. Raising her murderous intent, trying to pressure her into talking more. Amaina just stared back… before looking up at Doppio. Pet me more i want scritches.

Maki sighed, letting her murderous intent dampen. Alright, that was a dead end. “I just want to know if Doppio’s mind works the same way as anyone else’s does. Will mental defenses take hold in there?”

OoO ooooooooooooh

O.O

OoO I dunno maybe?? Sounds fun let’s try it

Ah. Trying not to cry too loud while people got things done. Doppio didn’t think it was too much of an…unreasonable, weepy request not to kill someone, though. Maybe weird coming from him, but…certainly not weird in Dicea. 

…wasn’t there that rumor that someone had had to explain to Kaito that murder was illegal? It still…didn’t matter that much, he guessed, but Doppio wished he had paid more attention to when Prince Kokichi was talking about dealing with the culture differences with his family, if just to be able to feel sympathy for it now. 

Feeling a bit…embarrassed and awkward, Doppio glanced away, before dutifully petting Amaina again. “...the other person I talk to about magic bullshit…um, other than Mariah, I guess now… They didn’t know what I am either. A…” Doppio smiled weakly at the table, more of a grimace. “...apparently it…wasn’t so much of an irrational fear, that healers would take a look at me and wanna start a thesis project…”

Gently brushing Amaina’s bangs, Doppio chewed on the inside of his lip. “...maybe you shouldn’t be living in my thoughts, if…we’re experimenting, Angelo.” Doppio opened his mouth, feeling something in his chest sink, before he swallowed and tried again, his voice coming out softer. “...I don’t want to…hurt or stop you… But I can’t let Boss hurt anyone else.”

OoO !?

O.O

OoO do you want me to leave?? Because i dont want to go.

O.O

OoO yeah no that sounds shitty and boring lets not do that ima stay

“I don’t want you to go either,” Doppio said softly, his eyes shimmering slightly. “But…if a defense keeps stuff out of my head…”

He sighed, before looking tiredly up at Maki. “...well, you said you didn’t know either. If…I was able to talk with the person you know who could…help me? Would they be willing to answer some questions, e-even if I wanted to back out after? Or…is it just a blind yes, or no-go?”

“Oh god no, it’ll probably end up being a whole,” Maki rolled her eyes, waving her hand around a bit, “‘conversation’. I don’t think you could get away with a blanket yes even if you wanted to. And if you so much as look uncertain, that’d probably end the process right there too. The main person I’m thinking of asking for help has a whole complex about things like that. I couldn’t convince him to do it for your own good even if I felt like it.”

As Amaina, furiously rubbing her face into Doppio’s palms, trying to comfort him, huffed against his hand, Maki continued to explain, “And it would happen at night. While you’re asleep. The conversation, I mean. You’ll be aware of it, but you may not be aware of ‘him’. Depending on how he feels about it, he might end up projecting himself in a disguise or something, so that you’ll never on the off chance meet him in real life, or potentially give him away. A safety precaution. It’s up to him, beggars can’t be choosers, and the other people I could potentially ask may be too much of wild cards to be safe to leave you in the hands of. A tendency to just do their own things, if you understand me.”

“So, would you like me to set up a meeting for tonight?” Maki asked. “Have him show up, talk it out with you?”

That was probably a good thing. Maybe not for like…production, but Doppio wasn’t sure being super productive about going into people’s brains was something useful or needed in the first place. But…good. Ideally he wouldn’t have to…to give up seeing Amaina ever again {(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)} to make sure…Boss wouldn’t end up using him to kill Timothy, but…well. Doppio wasn’t feeling very lucky, lately. 

In any case…he’d want to learn more about what a ‘defense’ would actually mean for him, before committing to it. 

Nodding slowly--Doppio definitely understood Maki about wild cards--he gave her a nervous, but steadfast look. “Yes, please. …thank you, Maki. A-and…I’m sorry about attacking you.” After a blink, he quickly looked her over. “...you didn’t seem so, but…I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No,” Maki said, slurping the last of her noodles. “I attacked you first. Well, him first. I don’t like just waiting around for someone to make the first move. I’m glad I hit your leg first, he actually managed to move me around pretty effectively. If I hadn’t prioritized slowing him down, I think he’d have given me some trouble. And that’s without even really trying to kill me. I hate fighting good fighters,” Maki said.  Not bothering expanding on that point. The reason seemed too obvious to need clarifying. 

“I’ll set up the meeting then. Let me see your face,” Maki said, reaching over and, cupping the end of Doppio’s chin with her thumb and index finger, pushed his head left, then right, looking around his eyes… “Drink some water too. No wonder you get headaches after your blackouts, your temple veins are tight. It’s like you haven’t hydrated in days. Try drinking a lot of water and juice next time your mind goes screwy.”

“Also finish cleaning the house,” Maki said, bringing her hand back and picking up her bowl to drink the broth, “If only because you strike me as the type to get annoying if you leave a project unfinished.”

Doppio let out a small breath of relief. Maki really was incredible… Yeah, Boss hadn’t been trying to kill her, but…still. Any fight…well. Against…Boss he supposed…

(...what did that mean? About the alleys and the people. Was this every time Doppio blacked out? He knew he just forgot stuff sometimes; what did that mean?)

…he just nodded knowingly. He could trust Maki, but it had still been lucky what the aims of that fight had been. If there was a next time… Doppio had to make sure there wasn’t a next time. 

Making a small, confused sound, but allowing Maki to move his head around, Doppio just watched her with some curiosity…before nodding. “Yes, ma’am.” Though, as he gingerly got up to get a glass of water, he just sheepishly grinned. “...kinda. Um… I guess I can check in a sec, but… Did I get blood on the floor? Wanna prioritize that first, before Arven…”

Doppio trailed off before his eyes widened and he looked around, trying to remember where Arven’s clocks were. “Shit. What time is it?”

“I wiped up the blood with a towel. Threw it…” Maki paused, looking around, “...somewhere? Laundry bin? Right, there was a laundry bin in that connecting hallway, tossed it in there. You’ve got a little over an hour before you’re supposed to show off to him.”

“Nnnnnnnnnng.”

There was suddenly much more hustle in Doppio’s movement, leg injury be damned. And, for that next hour, Maki would bear witness to the true power of The Boss of Passione’s Personal Assistant. 

-

Somehow (though it wasn’t really a question. Doppio had always excelled with deadlines, even seemingly impossible ones) Doppio had finished cleaning Arven’s house, even scrubbing the floor where he had bled, sanitizing it and making sure no stains or reactions would come up later, and washing out the blood from the towel Maki had used…and washing out the laundry bin too. It had been a very productive hour. 

And…despite the headache still thrumming in his head and the plaster on his cheek… Doppio hadn’t looked as pleased with himself as he was in a while, as he waited by the school wall for Arven to get out of class. 

Which…would surely happen at any moment! Because, really, it wasn’t like a few students in Year 10 had been called to wait, given a talk about how they hadn’t submitted their year-end project proposals yet…

Uuuuuuuuuugh, it wasn’t like Arven hadn’t picked a project. He just hadn’t…told anyone about it yet! 

Well, anyway, he guessed he was committed to making a research paper about the Titan Herbs. His professor hadn’t had any idea what he was talking about when he told him that, but, well, that made sense. Since no one had written a research paper on them yet! 

Well, except his mother, sort of. But she was paraphrasing the journal she had dug up. Arven had seen them in action.

Wandering out, Arven sighed as he checked the time. They had really kept them that late, huh? Waiting for his classmates to literally invent a project on the spot… oh! Arven lit up. “Hey, Aceto,” he called, waving, “Sorry I’m late.”

Nela and Giovanni were wearing complementary grimaces as they walked out of the school with the other late-exiters, Nela’s tinging more towards guilt, while Giovanni’s was just barely annoyed enough to be called that, rather than just disinterested. But, well. Even if Arven had been gone through most of last year, it wasn’t like the three of them hadn’t been used to that routine. 

Having decided to sit on the wall while he waited, Doppio brightened as he heard that familiar voice, beaming as he waved back. “Ciao, Arven! I-it’s fine, it really wasn’t that long… How was school?”

“It was alright~” Arven said, because now that Doppio was there, his irritation at being kept late had disappeared. Walking up to the wall, Arven grinned up at him as he leaned slightly against Doppio’s knees, resting his hands on Doppio’s thighs as he beamed up at him. “You smell like cleaning product. Really did it, huh? Did my place give you too much trouble?”

Doppio blushed lightly, feeling warm from Arven’s smile and casual affection. “I did tell you I would… And it was fine; you keep things clean so it was just, like, regular, routine stuff, you know?”

“...though, uh,” Doppio coughed, turning pinker, “...I did break your broom. But Maki bought a new one! So, um…sorry. A-and I didn’t end up cooking lunch for us, so…we could use some of those groceries for side dishes, maybe? Or we could just bring the more expireable stuff back to the castle, and the longer-lasting stuff you can have for, yanno, whatever you want.”

“Sure, sounds like a plan,” Arven said, smiling. He wanted to kiss Doppio. Probably not in front of school, but look, Doppio was there, within kissing distance. Arven couldn’t wait to get somewhere private, where he could kiss him. “How’d you break my broom? It was a bit on the older side, I’m sorry if it snapped if you just happened to lean on it or something…”

Arven suddenly frowned. Having been so caught up in looking at Doppio that he hadn’t really seen him, suddenly noticing the bandage on his face. “Is that how you cut your face?”

“Uh, not exactly…” Doppio’s eyebrows knit in worry, as he saw Arven’s smile fade, and he scooted off the wall, making sure to land mostly on his uninjured leg. Taking Arven’s hands, Doppio squeezed them gently, smiling sheepishly as…he tried to think of a way to explain things that wouldn’t make his boyfriend’s frown grow. 

“Um, well! I’m…assuming the bear trap you have is from your mom? I’d…never seen anything like it before, and uh… The broom was a demonstration. …o-oh, I have the pin for it on me, by the way,” Doppio patted his pocket and pulled the pin out, giving what he hoped was a reassuring nod. “My face is, uh… Just a scratch, s-so don’t worry! But, um…I’ll…tell you about that…in a sec.”

A little nervously, Doppio glanced around, before brightening his smile and giving Arven’s hands another squeeze. “...you ready to head to yours?”

Arven was happy to accept Doppio’s hand, but… 

“It sometimes seems like every time I get out of school, some new awful thing’s happened to you,” Arven admitted, squeezing Doppio’s hand a bit as they started to walk. “...I don’t really know what to do about it,” he admitted. “Is there anything I can do?”

Doppio looked down. It felt that way too. That every day was just…some new, terrible revelation about…everything. Himself, his life, Boss, the world… 

The world was big.

With all of the beautiful, wonderful things…and all of the scary things too. And Doppio couldn’t forget or forsake all the beautiful things he had gotten recently, but…there was an awful lot of scary stuff. Amaina called him lovely, and full of beautiful things, but…Doppio wasn’t so sure about that. It really felt like all the beautiful things were out there, and all of the scary things were just…him. 

“...you being here is pretty great,” Doppio offered softly, glancing over with a small smile. “And, um… There’s something that’s supposed to happen tonight that…I-I’ll tell you what I know about it soon, but…I think I’d like your help…i-if it’s alright.”

Arven smiled, bumping his hip lightly against Doppio’s. “Of course, I want to. If you have to wait until we’re in private, let’s hurry home then. Also…” Arven glanced down at the pin in his other hand, a touch of concern in his face. “...wait, the bear trap!? Oh, shoot, did I leave that set up? I could have swore it was closed. I guess I didn’t double check it before I left… No one was hurt?”

It really was a light tap, but it had been while Doppio’s bad leg was on the ground, and, just slightly, his knee buckled, before he resumed his normal pace. Not even a wince on his face. 

Chuckling softly, Doppio shook his head. “Just your broom. Um…” He pinked again, looking down. “Like I said, I didn’t know what it was… Maki is very fast. B-but, uh…obviously, ‘cause of the pin…it’s closed now.”

Glancing back up, Doppio tilted his head a little. “...out of curiosity…why did you have it set up?”

“It had arrived a few days before I met you, and I wanted to see what it looked like. I mean, it’s a trap, but it’s also an ancient artisan piece. I wanted to see it set up,” Arven explained. “I guess I just forgot to take it apart after sating my curiosity.”

“Chief knows better than to nose at new items in the house, so…” Arven sighed, shaking his head, “Well, thank goodness Maki was quick then. If you had gotten hurt in that? I’m not sure how I’d have forgiven myself. The thought makes me sick.”

Doppio snorted softly, pressing his shoulder to Arven’s. “What a thing to forget about…not that I’m one to talk, I know. It is pretty cool-looking, admittedly… You have a lot of neat stuff in your house.” Glancing down, Doppio’s cheeks went pink as he giggled softly, a gleam in his eyes. “It was pretty fun, actually. Figuring out how to safely clean everything? There’s a lot of shapes and materials I’ve never had to tackle before, so…yeah, it was fun.”

“Maki’s pretty cool,” Doppio nodded, squeezing Arven’s hand again. Reminding him that he was there, and alright. “I mean…kinda the point of the whole system right now is for people to keep us from getting hurt, but I’m gonna bet that ‘household bear trap’ wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.”

“Protecting us from household bear traps seems like a big ask, really.” Arven laughed lightly, reassured by the squeeze. “I still don’t like her much. She did try to use you as bait and made you feel weird about stuff when you first met her. But I guess she’s done a few things since then that makes her a little better in my eyes.”

They spoke softly to each other, Arven telling Doppio more about how his own day had gone. Talking about Arven’s project, his latest shakedown with the Rabbits (“Like I’m not going to notice them trying to swipe my pens, seriously.”) and his latest run from Nemona (“Okay, admittedly, her ranting about my project makes more sense now that I know I was gonna be held late otherwise. But still.”) before opening the door to his house, letting Doppio in, since Doppio had passed him the key back already.

“Ahhhhh!” Arven crowed, taking in a deep breath before sighing, “Home. Ugh, didn’t realize how much I missed the scent till now. Hoooooome. Oh, let me go check on my plants.” Arven said, hurrying around, “Let me seeeeee, oh, my poor plants. How are you guys doing…”

Of all the beautiful things…Doppio really loved this one. Just…spending time with Arven, chatting. The rest of the scary things in the world feeling far away and inconsequential while they rolled their eyes at high school bullies and well-meaning but annoying class presidents. Riding the high of just…simply life. 

“I didn’t water them, since I wasn’t sure what other care they might need and I didn’t want to accidentally sabotage anything,” Doppio mentioned, carefully wiping off his shoes at the entrance. “But if they don’t, we could split the work now…”

Doppio smirked. “Unless you wanna spend some personal time checking up on all your bud-dies.”

“Pffff. Pun-prison. To pun-prison you go.” Arven laughed, though he didn’t look away from the pots he was checking on by the window, looking them over. “Thankfully the fertilizer I use is designed to help them last without water if they need to, which is why I was never terribly worried about it. It’d take more than a week to starve them. Still, let’s add more fertilizer to their pots and give them some water~ I’ll show you, Aceto, you can help me out.”

Arven brought Doppio into the backyard, showing him the fertilizer bags he had. As he scooped them up into little cups, he explained idly how he made the fertilizer. Insect waste was a surprisingly large part of it, as they brought the cups inside, mixing fresh fertilizer into the pots and watering them when they did. 

As they got into a rhythm, Arven said, “So, what was it you needed my help with?”

Doppio snickered, a dastardly gleeful convict of pun-prison that was more than happy to pay back his debt to society through the community service of learning how to make fertilizer and care for houseplants. …or, at least, hearing how to do it, and helping out once. He did think his watering technique was pretty good, though. 

Carefully tending to each plant, Doppio was happy in their productive bubble…but he could only sigh softly. “...this is kind of…a big scary thing, so…warning, I guess.”

Move around the old potted dirt, sprinkle in new fertilizer, mix it all around, careful of roots… 

“...I had a black-out, earlier. And…um…you know how Kaito said I act weird when that happens?” Once mixed and aerated, gently pour in water until it no longer immediately seeps into the soil. “...I…don’t know if it was, um, always, but…today at least. My boss, er…’possessed’ me. And tried to get Maki to…” She said face your reality. “Kill me.”

“She got Boss to leave…somehow,” Doppio muttered, eyes trained on the plant he was tending to. “And…she offered to set me up a meeting with someone who could make a ‘mental defense’...which I assume would…stop. That from happening. But it’s gonna happen while I’m sleeping, so…”

“...i-if you wouldn’t mind,” Doppio said softly, leaning back on the heel of his good leg, “...could you stay up a little later to…make sure nothing weird happens?”

“Kill you!?” Arven yelped, looking up from his small, growing carnation bush. He looked over Doppio like he needed to reassure himself that Doppio was indeed still alive, watering plants, before sighing, scratching his stomach. “Ugh… ngh. You were in so much danger today…”

Frowning, Arven put down the watering can he was using, hurrying over to Doppio and pulling him into a hug. Squeezing him tight. Still alive… “Ngh. Okay… possession? Well… ngh.” Arven grunted, holding him tighter… before he sighed. Resting his head against Doppio’s as he held him. “...well! Alright, it sort of sounds like Maki’s already gotten you a solution? That’s a relief… I’ll take it all back if she can keep you from being possessed. And from dying. All of those things.”

Pulling back a little to look at Doppio, Arven frowned a bit… before leaning in to gently kiss him. “...okay. Of course I can do that. I’ll stay up all night if that’s what it takes. It’s going to happen while you’re sleeping?”

Doppio looked up at Arven’s yelp, immediately looking concerned, but he couldn’t even shift his weight enough to fully stand and cross the distance himself before Arven was over, putting his arms around him. That tight squeeze of pressure…

(...gods he was so thankful Maki was as clever as she was quick and strong. He did trust her in other ways not to have killed him, but…the fact that she saw through…whatever was happening? …he couldn’t imagine it, if she had fallen for Boss’s plan.)

Shifting, Doppio hugged Arven back, squeezing just as much. He didn’t know if it was as immediately comforting to Arven as it was to him, but…well, maybe it was. And that was something Doppio wanted to give Arven. 

“She said possession… I don’t really know what that means,” Doppio shrugged a little, before pecking Arven back. “And I hope it doesn’t take all night. But, um…yeah. Maki said while I’m sleeping. I, uh…kind of got the impression it was a mind thing, like the dreams Amaina makes…I think. And the guy she talked about sounds really reliable, when it comes to safety stuff but…”

Doppio shrugged again, looking to the side. “...I don’t really know what’s going on…and it freaks me out. I’d just…feel better if I knew someone was there keeping an eye on me…you know?”

“I do. If you hadn’t asked, I may have offered anyway, when you told me what happened,” Arven said, kissing Doppio’s cheek when he looked away. “If anything looks weird? Like, you look distressed or something? I’ll wake you up. Okay?”

“Okay, thank you.” 

Looking back, gaze filled with fondness for the kiss, Doppio tipped his head forward, resting against Arven’s. “...I really like you. And thanks for your patience with all my bullshit.”

He huffed a small laugh. “...sometimes it’s hard to imagine what the aftermath of all of this is gonna be like…but I know I want to do something special for you, when it is. Not necessarily payback, ‘cause you’d say something like I don’t need to pay you back for it, right? So just…appreciation. For giving me hugs and staying up late and humoring me when I ask to clean your whole house.”

“To be fair, the ‘clean your whole house’ part feels like it’d probably count for pay back,” Arven smiled, swaying with Doppio a little, “But you’re right. It’s not something you have to pay back. This is just what boyfriends do for each other. You’d be there for me.”

“We promised, right?” Arven said, closing his eyes. “To be there for each other. This time it’s just your turn. And I’ll be there for as long as you need.”

Doppio’s sway was a little stuttered. Falling a little more on one leg, and taking longer to reverse direction and shift his weight to the other. 

Gently, Doppio pressed his lips to Arven’s. “We promised. …it feels like my turn is taking a long time, and asking for a lot, but…well. Yeah. I’ll be there for you no matter what, for as long as you need. N-not that I want bad things to happen to you so I could but…yeah.”

He snorted a short laugh. “...I was pretty disoriented when I woke up again? I’d almost forgotten I wrote our promise on the first page of my notebook.” Closing his eyes as well, Doppio grinned a small, embarrassed smile as he held Arven. “...I re-read that page a lot, just…kind of by happenstance, and also just to remind myself of the most important things… I love reading that part.”

Arven loved hearing that, but, this time, he couldn’t miss the way Doppio was favoring one leg over another, as he looked down and frowned, before stepping back and looking at Doppio’s body closer. “...is your leg hurt?” he asked, kneeling down and placing his fingers along the open seam near Doppio’s ankles… before he startled, realizing why the shading looked wrong. “Aceto? Is that blood??”

“I-it’s okay!” Doppio said quickly, physically trying to wave away Arven’s worry. “It…it is blood, and, uh, yeah, I guess, but I woke up with it bandaged! Something that happened when I was blacked out, Maki let me know before I tried to walk on it. …don’t worry, I sanitized the floor and everything, so you won’t have to worry about stains or germs.”

“Aceto, I’m not worried about stains or germs,” Arven said, before murmuring to hold still as he rolled up Doppio’s pant leg, frowning at the wrap. The wound had been bleeding when it was wrapped, Arven could see the little red stains in the spot above Doppio’s ankle. “We’re going to clean and change this before you go to bed, I think. Doesn’t this hurt? Aceto… you shouldn’t walk around if you’re hurting.”

A more mildly worried expression crossed Doppio’s face. “You should be. I mean… Nell’s not really sure I can carry blood-transmitted diseases, but that’s still super scary and super gross.”

Steadying himself as Arven rolled his pant leg up, just bypassing Doppio’s embarrassed mumbles about how he didn’t have to do this, Doppio just shrugged a little. “...it’s not that bad. And I wanted to be there to see you when school got out…”

Arven frowned… and then pouted. Standing up and, with a huff, crossing his arms. “Whelp. Guess who’s not getting grinded today, then. Y-yeah, it’s you. That’s going to be a new rule for us! If you get injured, you don’t get any of th-the, ya know…” Arven flushed, embarrassed, before gesturing at himself, “The goods. Maybe that will convince you to stop getting injured all the time.”

Doppio blinked at Arven, before turning scarlet, gawking as half-formed syllables squawked out of his throat. “Wh- Hu- Wha- Tu- What?!”

“I-I’m not trying to get injured!” Doppio squeaked, the argument familiar, but the terms brand new. “I wasn’t even conscious! I think! Arven! Y-you don’t even want to…t-to do that!”

Huffing embarrassedly, Doppio rose to his full height and crossed his arms petulantly as well, making sure to stand straight on both legs. “It’s not bad at all, I’ve dealt with stuff that’s way worse… I-I’m not so needy for you that I need a… I-I don’t know, incentive!”

…pausing, Doppio suddenly deflated, giving Arven an insecure look. “...right?”

Arven… pouted. Puffing up his chest as he demanded, “O-oh? I see, y-you’d rather deal with injuries th-than admit y-you…”

Arven cleared his throat, embarrassed at how stuttery he was. It was nerve-wracking! He had never had a conversation like this before! “...maybe I want you to consider it an incentive! I don’t know? Is it… weird? To be needy? B-because I think about you a lot.” Arven crossed his arms over his chest, his face beet red. “...th-this is stupid, I was just joking anyway.”

At first, Doppio felt his heart sink, as he could only look at Arven with confusion and embarrassment. …rather deal with injuries than admit…what? That…he liked being intimate with Arven? Doppio thought he was pretty clear about that, so…

(...that he was pushy and sex-obsessed and pushed his boyfriend into things he didn’t want, to the point Arven had to set limits like using sex as an incentive to get Doppio to do anything, because he was just some horny asshole that…abandoned his job to chase tail.)

(Doppio hadn’t thought a lot about that part. There had already been so much to think about. …and he really didn’t want to think about it. Not with how it tied his stomach into knots and made him feel…small and stupid and useless and unreliable and…)

…but then Arven phrased it all as…a good thing, and…

“...I think about you a lot too,” Doppio whispered, before he looked away, his crossed arms acting more like a self-hug as he hunched his shoulders forward. “...I don’t think I can catch that kind of joke well…”

Doppio chewed on his lip, as his fingers dug into his sides. His skin crawling like the squirm of maggots, and he wanted nothing more than to just…find the biggest, heaviest blanket and hide within the folds, no one ever seeing him again. Even wearing an oversized sweater and jeans, feeling too exposed. 

Arven glanced at Doppio, felt embarrassed, and looked away. Feeling like all of that had gotten a bit quickly out of control. He felt upset and he wasn’t sure why. Not knowing why made him feel more embarrassed that he was upset. Feeling a little overwhelmed, Arven suddenly said, “I’m going to take a shower. Do you mind finishing up the rest of the plants?”

Then he glanced down at Doppio’s ankle and frowned. “Or maybe go sit down? Does it hurt?”

…Doppio felt like the scum of the earth. 

(Gods, why wouldn’t he? Of course he’d ruin the one good thing in his life, hurt yet another person he’d vowed to protect. He was so dumb he couldn’t even recognize a pattern, fucking idiot. Gods, he should just…)

Doppio shook his head a little, turning to start tending to the next plant. “I’m okay. It’s just a little…it’s fine. Sorry. I’ll finish the plants, go shower. You’ve been at school all day, so…’course. Go relax.”

(It was literally the least he could do. Arven had been hard at work, improving his education and Doppio had…what? Done barely there cleaning, broke Arven’s things, passed out for a couple hours? Useless piece of shit…)

Arven frowned, not sure if he liked that. The atmosphere felt thick. Should he apologize? He wasn’t sure for what though. He shouldn’t have told that joke, he guessed. Had it been a joke? Well, yeah, but also kind of no. He really did wish Doppio would get injured less. It’d be nice if he could pressure Doppio into being safer with, well, sex, he guessed. 

He just hadn’t expected that intense of a reaction. It had embarrassed him. Doppio’s defensiveness making him embarrassed about how much he desired Doppio…

Ugh! Just go take a shower! He could sort out his thoughts and feelings there. “I won’t take long.” Arven sighed, turning to head to the bathroom. It’d be nice to shower and change in a familiar place…

O.O

OoO oh damn is your first fight officially gonna be about…

O.O

O.o uuuuuuuh withholding the D??

Amaina looked confused, glancing between the bathroom to Doppio, before flying over to him, peering down at him. I don’t really know why you’re arguing. Should I go thump little king?

Nodding quietly (it’s better if you’re quiet, you ruin everything the second you have the audacity to open your damn mouth, that’s why no one likes you), Doppio kept his head down as he gently tended to the plants. Going through the steps Arven had shown him. Arven loved his plants, so Doppio needed to be careful. Give them proper care to keep growing strong and healthy…

Doppio blinked, before looking over at Amaina with wide-eyed horror. “...we’re fighting?”

…oh fuck. 

Doppio took a deep breath, wincing as his shaking hands spilled water on the ground. “...okay…okay…um…” he quietly muttered to himself. “...he’s in the shower, I can’t apologize while he’s busy… Um…finish the plants while he’s there…fuck, there’s no time… I-I could apologize and…offer to cook everything? He said cleaning was payback, so I could clean the bathtub after he’s done too, um…while things are cooking, so he’s not waiting…fuck…”

He was going to throw up. He’d pissed Arven off and…instigated? Perpetuated? H-he fought Arven, so they were fighting and…fuck, he felt sick… 

Amid his fretting, Doppio barely even registered tasting blood, his teeth wearing through his inner lip. 

Amaina tilted her head at him. Flying in front of his face, peering at him… before reaching back and punching his nose.

She was, in that moment, very tiny, and it wouldn’t have felt like much more than a ‘bop’ despite putting her whole arm into it. Battering his nose with a few more ‘HYAAAA’ shots, as she shouted, Pull it together, maaaaaaan, you’re falling apart! 

Huffing, taking a break from beating up Doppio’s nose, Amaina fluttered about, You don’t buy his happiness you weirdo if he’s upset you have to talk to him, duh.

Almost dropping the watering can, Doppio squeaked in surprise at the barrage, only belatedly bringing up a hand to shield himself from the abuse…though it had worked wonders bringing him out of his head. Still, though, he went back to worrying his lip, his eyes scrunching in shame. 

“...Boss would always get angrier if I tried to talk to him if I pissed him off…” he quietly explained. Knowing full well that Arven and Boss were completely different people, but…feeling the same in the face of their anger. The disgusted disappointment that made him want to be completely swallowed up by the ground to decompose. “...if I was really quiet and managed to get a lot of chores done, e-especially extra stuff then…sometimes it’d get better.”

“...I don’t want to make Arven even more mad with me…” Doppio whispered.

Amaina sighed, fluttering over and patting Doppio’s hand insistently to get it out of the way, and when it moved out of the way she sighed as she huffed at his little pointy nose. You’re soooooo stupid sometimes I forget I’m sorry my dumb precious boy

Arven is a little senpai. Senpais don’t want meek little skittering frightened babies for boyfriends. Amaina sighed, petting his nose, you are also a little senpai, remember? Whaaaaaaat do you want from Arven?? I’ll tell you NOT a quiet little meek thing all shivering at your anger, RIGHT?? She demanded. Closing his nose by squeezing it, you brute???

“O-ow, Amaina, stop!” Doppio whined, somehow his voice clogged, despite Amaina not physically closing his nose. “O-of course I don’t! I never want to make Arven scared of me!”

(And he doesn’t want you scared of him, dummy.)

(...)

(Boss tried to scare you all the time. And then ridiculed you for being scared and meek. You were never enough, never obedient enough, never with enough spine. You thrived on his pleasure and approval, living in a nice, comfortable space, because none of it would ever be directed at you.)

…he tried to kill you today. He tried to make your friend kill you. You would’ve lived out a death, and she would’ve had to be blamed for the consequences. 

Your dad tried to murder you today. 

…and despite Arven not wanting a frightened baby for a boyfriend… Doppio set the watering can down and sat, wrapping his arms around his injured leg, applying light pressure…and he cried. A few, admittedly, baby-adjacent sounds leaving him in hiccups. 

Amaina fretted a little. Glancing down worriedly at Doppio, fluttering down to give him little pets on the head… before suddenly disappearing.

A second later, in the bathroom, “Gah! Amaina!? Don’t–”

There was silence, and then the shower turned off. After a moment, soaking wet but a robe around him, hurriedly running a towel through his hair a little as steam escaped the bathroom, Arven hurried out. “U-uh, Aceto? Amaina says she broke you… oh.”

He hesitated for a second, seeing Doppio crying on the floor. Not because he didn't want to comfort him, but because he was in a robe and maybe he should put on clothes… but he couldn’t really bring himself to look away even for a moment. His bare feet padding softly on the wood as he hurried over, at first squatting down as he put a hand on Doppio’s back, before carefully tucking his robe under him as he sat down next to him.

“...I’m sorry,” Arven said softly. Rubbing Doppio’s back lightly.

Oh no.

Shaking his head a little, Doppio sucked in a breath, trying to get himself under control, only for it to jettison back out as a sob, his voice cracking in a wordless wail. A few more attempts, to varying degrees, were just as unsuccessful, as Doppio stuttered out sounds. “Nuh…hh, guh…n….hhhuuuphhhh, n!”

“N-nuh… M s-sorry,” he eventually managed to squeak, trying to wipe his eyes with his sleeve, like trying to sop up a lake with a washcloth. “S-s’not… huuuh… I-I’g’bum. I mean I-I am s-sorry ffffor upsetting you, but i’s… k’hhhuh!”

He could barely speak, after that, the words clogging his throat, so Doppio settled for, “C-could’ve died….”

Arven, briefly, looked confused… before he realized, oh, yeah…

And his eyes reddened, lower lip wobbling, as he wrapped his arms around Doppio’s shoulders. Both pulling him in and leaning against him as he felt Doppio’s sobs shudder through him. 

He didn’t know what to say, and didn’t trust himself to say anything clearly anyway. His throat felt thick, like it was literally swelling in emotion. He suspected if he said anything, he’d start to sob too, and that didn’t seem like a good idea. Doppio needed support, not a freaked out, sniffling boyfriend. Not after a day like today.

Tucking himself into Arven’s hold, letting go of his throbbing ankle to hug him back in return, Doppio could only cry for a bit, stuttered apologies the only words he could manage, when even that was possible. 

But, eventually…

…well. More of the same. 

“...I’m sorry,” Doppio whispered, still holding Arven tight. His face tucked down against Arven’s collarbone…and just the edge of the robe. “...I didn’t want to fight you, o-or make you upset. …I got scared, ‘c-cause I’ve never really fought with anyone like this…e-except for my dad and…i-it just hit me… I’m sorry, y-you’re allowed to be mad at me.”

“No,” Arven said, “...well, I mean, maybe usually yeah. But not today, no. You could have died today, Aceto. I…” Arven swallowed. That thick, about to sob feeling that had died down a little while he held Doppio coming back. “I th-think if I’m going to get all upset over nothing, it really shouldn’t be on days you almost die. That was shitty of me…”

“Sometimes things happen to you and I can’t really get my head around it,” Arven said softly, “It upsets me, but that still doesn’t mean I understand. I’m being stupid. I’m sorry. Sometimes it’s so hard to understand… We can be angry over stupid stuff some other day. I just want to be here for you today.”

Doppio sniffled deeply, clutching Arven tighter for a moment. “...don’t want you to understand… Don’t want anyone to try and kill you. I’d lose it on anyone who’d even think it…” The sound that came from him next sounded more like a choke than a laugh. “...don’t think we really choose when w-we’re upset…”

Regretfully letting go of Arven with one hand, Doppio wiped his eyes again before slightly pulling back, a pained flash going through his eyes as he took in Arven’s distress. “...you’re not stupid. …but I don’t understand either… Sorry. …what did I do? …I’m sorry I didn’t get your joke…”

Arven sighed, shrugging, all of it seeming so small and stupid now. “I don’t know. I got mad because you seemed mad. It made me defensive, I think. Were you mad?”

“...” Doppio brought his head back down to rest on Arven’s shoulder. “...I was scared. ‘n…I felt gross. …I felt like…some asshole that was just…always pressuring you into sex to…to the point where it was like…obvious. Only way to get Aceto to do something is to withhold sex ‘cause… That’ll motivate him to do anything.”

Even as exhausted as he was from, surprise, surprise, another crying fit, Doppio felt his eyes burn and his throat close. “...when I saw him… Boss called me a floozy.”

Arven couldn’t help being confused as Doppio explained. When had Doppio ever been an asshole about sex? If anything, Arven had felt like he got too aggressive when they did anything physical…

But his brow furrowed when Doppio explained the last bit. Scoffing as he looked away. “...your dad is a… total jackass.”

“For the guy who apparently made you, it’s really dumb how he knows basically nothing about you.” Arven frowned, playing with Doppio’s hair a little. Smoothing it down with the tips of his fingers. “How are you a floozy? Or, an asshole about sex, or anything like that? You’re shy, if anything! That’s not crazy to say, right, I mean… you are shy.” Arven frowned. “Is this because I said I had to ‘keep up’? That wasn’t you pressuring me, that was just… You were clearly having fun, and I didn’t want to be the spoilsport too scared to escalate or try things. If anything, I peer-pressured myself. I don’t remember you ever asking anything of me. Is that why you feel that way?”

Doppio sniffled against Arven’s shoulder, half-fisting the back of his robe. “...’ said I’d…b-been skipping out on work to ‘chase tail’...” 

And for Arven’s other point, Doppio nodded against his boyfriend before he paused and picked his head up, giving Arven a worried look. “...I think… --sniff-- Feeling like you don’t wanna…’spoil someone’s fun’ is still being peer-pressured. ‘Doesn’t matter if I actually asked anything of you…though I did,” Doppio frowned, “If you still felt like…you’d be letting me down if you asked to stop, or said no, or…even asked to slow down? Then that’s still me pressuring you. It’s a lack of communication that’s…making a space for you to feel insecure.”

“...I saw you were scared,” he said quietly, an upset twinge in his voice. “I did ask you about it, but…we should’ve talked more.”

That was the actual thing that bothered Doppio, when it came to things of a sexual nature…but the things that planted the seed of his insecurity had come around long before the Rabbits. 

Doppio closed his eyes in shame, a few errant tears escaping still. “...I never put it together ‘til… You told me strip clubs are sexual.” A small sniffle. “...lotta people would make…’jokes’. A…a-about The Boss being…kind enough to share. N…like… Saying that the backrooms were still booked out for more time, after our business.”

Arven still didn’t really feel like Doppio had pressured him much, even if Doppio had noticed he was tense. Scared. Arven had barely noticed he was scared. It had been something he had realized later. How was Doppio supposed to guess when Arven had thought he was fine?

Though… “Ugh.” Arven scowled, pulling Doppio closer, even though they were pretty wrapped up in each other already. Just wanting to hold him. Keep him safe and near. “...did… did anyone ever…?”

Shifting, Doppio curled himself even more into Arven’s hold, carefully bending one leg under the other, so he could keep his injury from bending uncomfortably. He shook his head against Arven’s shoulder. 

“...remember one person tried to pat my butt, once. Got a knife through their hand for the trouble.”

“Was mostly…’jokes’.” Letting go of a shaky breath, Doppio held his arms tight around Arven’s waist. “...Boss would…threaten m’ coworkers to leave me alone… Don’t…remember anyone trying to… To…touch me, after that.”

Arven winced a little at the idea of someone getting a knife stabbed through their palm– ouch– though more than a large part of him was relieved the boss at least took care of Doppio that much. It made Arven… kind of angry? The idea of anyone touching Doppio. Not just because it was a terrible, fucking awful thing to happen to Doppio, though of course it was a lot because of that, but also, just…

Right now, Arven was surrounded by that warm sunlight scent that always radiated off of Doppio. That warmed skin scent that sometimes flooded all of Arven’s senses, made him unable to really register anything other than the sunlight that Doppio radiated. He loved that scent. And the idea of anyone else getting wrapped up in it? Getting close enough to Doppio to be able to press themselves against him like this, breathing that scent that Arven was so attached to…

Yeah.

That thought made Arven angry. He didn’t think he’d be okay with that.

“I’m glad no one actually managed to touch you then.” Arven sighed, resting his head against Doppio’s. “And I’m sorry what I said made you feel like that again. I wasn’t trying to… call you a slut or something. I didn’t mean sex motivated you… I guess I was just trying to say sex with me might motivate you. But, like, not to the point where it… defines you, or something. Nothing like that. I mean…” Arven suddenly laughed a little sheepishly, nuzzling Doppio’s head a bit, “If it does, and I really am the reason you left your boss, ‘chasing tail’, then you sort of lost out. You barely ask anything of me, and I still am barely putting out. Which you’ve never made me feel bad about, by the way.”

Doppio hummed softly, happy with the nuzzle, before he huffed a barely there breath against Arven’s collarbone. “I really don’t try to get injured. I don’t even think I take many, like…injury-consequential risks. And I try to not get hurt ‘cause…that sucks, and I know it sucks for you too, ‘cause you care about me. You already are a motivational factor, nothing extra needed.”

“...a-and…being intimate with you is motivating for…other stuff,” Doppio mumbled, feeling flustered as he held Arven closer. “You’d think being unemployed would give me a lot of free time, but apparently I’m just filling it with…being a crying baby instead of anything else. …but…I-I’m glad you don’t feel pressured by anything…”

A small sigh, as Doppio just relished in how he was tucked against Arven. Still…uh, pretty damp, and Doppio would probably feel bad about interrupting his shower in a sec, but…for now? Just being held, and smelling cleanliness and Arven’s own, persistent scent…

“...not how he said,” Doppio whispered, “And you weren’t a reason to leave… But I think you’re the reason I never went back.”

Arven absorbed that idea…

…before his face lit up bright red, spreading down his neck and into his shoulders. His heart thumping in flustered pleasure. “Y-yeah?” he squeaked, before clearing his throat– why did that keep happening? His voice dropped years ago!--  and trying again, “Yeah? I mean… good? Good. Is that good?”

Arven wasn’t sure why he asked that, other than being just generally flustered, but… after he said it, he wondered. “...do you resent it? That you and I couldn’t have been together if you went back? We never talked about what we’d do if you decided to go back, not in terms of us. I want to say we would have figured something out, but… I don’t know if we would have. Your lifestyle was kinda…” Arven winced, “Intense.”

Doppio was quiet for a moment, before his arms tightened around Arven’s middle again. Protectively. Selfishly. 

“...I would’ve wanted to… I think I mentioned before… Those first few days? I kept thinking about how I could keep ending up outside your school during my breaks so we could hang out, even if I only had time to walk you home or something… I really like you, I would’ve wanted to see you any way I could.”

“...but it would’ve been really dangerous,” Doppio murmured. “You would’ve been put in a lot of danger, if anyone wanted to…even mess with me, not to mention if an actual enemy thought to target you. And even for allies… It’s better just to not be known at all, in that world, Arven. And…I couldn’t pull you in all the way. You’re too good for that…”

Sighing against Arven’s skin, Doppio gently nuzzled him. “...honestly it’s still dangerous. So…’m glad that the guards ‘n royal family are nosy ‘n stuff. Wanna keep you safe.”

It felt weird to suggest Arven was too ‘good’ for something. He had never exactly considered himself a paragon of virtue. The opposite, at some points in his life. When he was feeling angry and rebellious.

But at no point in his life had any of his rebellious tendencies prepared him for the sort of stuff Doppio was dealing with. Murders and gangs and a father that drowns you, not to mention won’t even acknowledge you as his kid. It made Arven’s life of the occasional letter from his otherwise absentee parent seem pampered and sheltered. Arven wasn’t sure if he could have handled the lifestyle that trying to date a still actively in the mob Doppio would have caused him. The idea made him nervous and anxious in a way little else in Arven’s life had.

Too ‘good’, maybe too squeamish… Arven wasn’t sure. But he was glad Doppio didn’t want it for him. He didn’t want it either.

“Thanks… still, I wish I could keep you safe.” Arven pouted a bit. “I know you’re not doing it on purpose, but I’m starting to think going to school is an ill omen for you. I’m not saying you should wait for me to get home before you have something terrible happen to you, but at the same time I’m not not saying that…”

“It’s not like shit happens on my way to pick you up…a-and I think it’s kind of important to not give up on therapy after…I guess technically two sessions. …and I’d rather have some say about what happens to me, with what CPS decides, even if they…”

Doppio trailed off, thinking about CPS decisions reminding him of something that happened. “...I told Maki about Boss.” Eyes opening in the shadow of Arven’s chest, Doppio clutched the back of his robe. “...oh fuck, is that what… D-do you think that’s happening now?”

Arven felt Doppio stiffen in fright, his stomach tightening in empathetic nerves. If Maki knew, then, probably… “Should we go ask them?” Arven asked, before amending, “Or, I can go ask? If you want to avoid them right now? If anyone does, you have the right to know.”

Doppio was quiet for a moment, before he shook his head. Taking a bracing breath…and then taking another when that wasn’t enough, before he lifted his head, reluctantly letting Arven go to wipe his eyes again. “...you should finish your shower…sorry. A-and I should finish up the rest of your plants…”

He looked over at the pots he’d yet to touch apologetically. “Thirsty guys…”

…if they were already going after Boss…there was nothing he could do. And…

…

(...maybe it’d be more tempting later. But he couldn’t…face Boss right now. Not after what he’d done.)

Arven supposed that was an answer. He sighed, nodding. “Alright. We can think about it again later, if you want. But for now, yeah. Let’s do that.”

“Hey,” Arven said, before he was willing to let go, getting Doppio’s attention before giving him a small, pecking kiss. “We’ll make some stuff with the pumpkins outside, and use up some of my expirables. We’ll put on the record player in my mom’s room, take it out here and play random songs. I have a ton of candles, you can look through them and pick one and we’ll light it and fill the house with the smell. We’ll relax. We’ll kiss. If you get me all wound up, you can push your luck even, injury or not.”

Giving Doppio another little peck, Arven smiled warmly, imploringly. “I’m sorry I upset you so much. We’re going to have a good day. Okay?”

…it was weird, how much hearing about an afternoon like that filled Doppio with an utter sense of warmth and peace. Excited to cook, which was normal…but not that being the focus, and excited to just…listen to music and light up a nice scent and (〃՛▽`〃) kiss for a while…

Blushing, Doppio smiled bashfully at the kisses, giving Arven a small nod…before capturing one of his hands and giving it a squeeze. “I’m sorry for pissing you off too. …I like you. Enjoy your shower.”

Arven smiled, before going to do that. 

There wasn’t much more he had to do in the shower, but he took his time, if only to let them both calm down from the intense flurry of emotions that had just been. When he did eventually come both out of the shower and of his room, clean and with fresh clothes on, he looked around before finally thinking to say, “The house looks great, by the way. I’m surprised you did this much by yourself, even the windows look wiped down? Am I imagining that?”

It had taken Doppio a few tries to get up, his headache not helped by sobbing his eyes out and his muscles not impressed with the tension of misery…and…um…maybe he’d take a look at his ankle before bedtime, perhaps… But he did make it up and finished the plants, even managing to sop up the water he’d spilled and get himself a cup of water by the time Arven finished his shower. 

And, leaning against the kitchen counter, keeping off his injured leg, Doppio beamed proudly. “You’re not! Oh, and, so, you have more glass cleaner now. I know you already have a bunch of supplies, but I didn’t wanna run you down, so I bought extra cleaners for, like…everything. Oh, but I didn’t do any pipe treatments? We could definitely set it up, though--when’s the last time you did one?”

Arven paused, squinting at Doppio.

“...pipe cleaning?” Arven asked a tad uncertainly, “Wait, do you mean like unclogging the sink?”

Doppio nodded earnestly. “Yeah. Like…cleaning the scum build-up from indoor pipes, so you don’t have to worry about full clogs or pressure loss or breakages. I saw you have one of those nice bristle snakes too, it’s in really good condition.” Doppio rolled his eyes a little. “I guess the, like…flat ones with the hooks do the job, but I feel like they’re way less efficient.”

Arven relaxed, feeling a little foolish. He had suddenly had a vision of Doppio, just… somehow getting into the walls, shining the pipes with a toothbrush. And his biggest concern had been Doppio thinking he was gross that Arven had never even thought to do something like that. Phew. Crisis averted. 

Though, admittedly, even cleaning inside the pipes with the brush was something Arven only thought to do when the water started to build in the sink. Hmmm. “Why don’t we save pipe cleaning for next time,” Arven suggested, making a mental note to make sure to clean the pipes before Doppio had a chance to do it himself, seeing how much buildup might be in there already. “You’ve done so much cleaning already, I’d rather we just relax for the rest of the day. Oh, let’s start with the candle and music, yeah? Come here, let me show you my drawer over here; when I say I have a lot of candles, I mean like actual dozens…”

Opening up the drawer in his living room, Arven glanced over at Doppio. “Oh, how’s your ankle? Should we change your bandage soon?”

Doppio nodded easily. Pipe treatments were very much a ‘once in a while’ sort of thing. He didn’t think he’d accidentally de-coated any pipes, but…well, it was a waste of the treatment to do it too often, and just made more work for the water treatment pump. Sure, sure, all the packaging said it was fine for yard irrigation, but Doppio didn’t really trust, like…anything. Even for not being much of a gardener. 

Following Arven over to his candle drawer, Doppio grimaced sheepishly at the question posed to him. Especially since he was…notably limping. “...probably… I know it’s ‘cause I’ve been walking on it, but…it’s starting to do that, kinda warm throb thing.”

Looking a little shamed, Doppio looked to the side as he tapped his fingers together. “...I should…probably try to stay off it, if we’re just gonna relax until someone shows up to drag us back to the castle.”

“You’ll let me cook then,” Arven decided, looking through the candles for a moment before deciding to leave Doppio to it, “But first, let’s take care of your ankle. If it’s throbbing, I have some stuff that can soothe it. Give me a minute.”

Seeing that sheepish look on Doppio’s face, Arven laughed lightly, before pulling him into a half hug. “Hey, you cleaned all day. Let me pamper you a little. It can’t all be one sided. Be right back,” he said, getting up and heading to his medicine cabinet. 

Amaina sat on some of the candles, watching Arven leave before looking up at Doppio. Okay but you’re not gonna explooooode anymore right???

“You are the five-star pumpkin chef,” Doppio grinned, before sighing, hugging Arven back. “...thanks. I really appreciate you, Arven.”

He wasn’t really cleaning all day, but…it wasn’t the worst thing, letting Arven take the lead and…do things for him. A little weird, admittedly, but…it was all give and take. They did things for each other because they wanted to, because they cared. And even if it’d feel weird to Doppio to not be up and helping…well, letting his ankle rest was still doing something. 

Looking through the candles, Doppio glanced at Amaina and gave her a pat, before sighing with more annoyance. “...I really hope so. I’m so tired of it…” A little sheepish, he offered Amaina a small grin. “...thanks for getting Arven. And sorry for freaking you out. …and you were right, about talking.”

OoO of course I was right I am very wiiiiiiiise

O.O

OoO do you want me to kiss your wound away? Sing it a song?

P O W E R ?

Picking up a cream-colored candle and taking a whiff--mm…warm vanilla…--Doppio looked over, his expression softening. Gently, he patted Amaina’s head, before smoothing her bangs, making sure they laid nicely around the angel’s odd over-sized head. “If it gets to the point where it’s too painful for me to walk? I might ask you to. But…”

He sighed softly. “...I trust you not to do more than you can give, Angelo. But it does…frighten me, that you give me power so often. And I know that’s just…my fault, for needing it… Your kindness isn’t a fault. But for something that’s easy to heal normally…I’d rather you keep your power for yourself. Kept for something that really needs it, you know? I’ll be fine.”

O.O hmmmm

OoO I’m not sure if i have limits

O.O

OoO but yeah alright sometimes i get sleepy and that does suuuuuuck so if you wanna wait we can wait 

Her hair smoothed over, Amaina decided now was the perfect time to start doing some dancing, twirling in place, letting her hair spin around her elegantly. There would be music soon, after all, might as well warm up. Besides, Amaina always heard music. Always, always, always. It was a part of her. 

Arven noticed Amaina dancing in the drawer, but didn’t comment on it as he sat down next to Doppio. “Here, let me see your ankle.”

Unwrapping it, Arven’s nose wrinkled a little. That was an awful looking cut. Clean, but deep. Taking some of his medicine balm, Arven frowned at it, before apologizing softly as he went to rub the balm in. It was going to sting, a cut that deep? There was no avoiding the initial sting. 

But once the balm was in, Arven was quick to wrap Doppio’s ankle with a fresh clean bandage, collecting the dirty one as he asked, “Well? Too tight? Not tight enough?”

OoO YOU SHOULD PROBABLY KISS IT BETTER

O.O

OoO BUT ON HIS FACE

Arven rolled his eyes a little, before leaning in to give Doppio a small peck. “Better?”

Doppio wasn’t sure what sleep was like for someone like Amaina. Sleep was…well, he assumed it was pretty normal for him, but…he did have a physical body that needed the rest time. Amaina didn’t seem upset the times they had gone to sleep together, and…she was still there, though…thinking about it, he wasn’t sure if she was just pretending to play along…

…well, it wasn’t hurting her, at least. 

Smiling at her dance, Doppio grunted softly as Arven joined them, and he shifted to sit on the ground, rolling up his pant leg to make it easier for Arven to get at his injury. Which was…

Doppio frowned softly, taking Arven’s warning about the balm, but not all that bothered by the sting. It wasn’t deep enough to hit bone, and it obviously hadn’t severed any tendons but…well, that explained why it hurt to walk. …this was a disabling strike. Something to keep him from moving quickly, even if he wholly ignored the pain. 

…it was really smart. 

Rolling his ankle lightly, once Arven re-wrapped it, Doppio smiled softly…and then a little brighter at the kiss. “You know, I really think so? Though, if we were feeling, um…particularly like testing the scientific worth…we could probably do with a few more tests.” He grinned, turning pink. 

Though, with a quick peck of his own, Doppio started pushing himself up. “The pressure is good, though; thanks, Arven. I’m sure I’ll be feeling fine in no time!”

Arven laughed a little… before saying sternly, “Hey, wait. That’s not an invitation to get up and start cooking or cleaning more or whatever. Pick a candle, and after I set up the recorder you can enjoy my couch while I start putting together some dinner for us.”

“Theeeeen we can check on the healing power of kisses.” Arven grinned, pecking Doppio again, before standing up. “You’ll just have to tough it out till then.”

Doppio froze, stuck in a weird crab-like position as he blinked at Arven, before pouting. . “I-I wasn’t trying to go do stuff… A-actually, seeing it, I…probably shouldn’t have been walking on it at all but…” Doppio pouted a little more. “...I didn’t want to just stay on the ground.”

Waiting another second to see if Arven would stop him, Doppio started getting up again.

Arven, suddenly, determinedly, reached under Doppio. Deciding, well, maybe he’d just pick Doppio up and put him on the couch and– ooph, nope, nope, heavy.

Barely getting Doppio off the floor before immediately needing to put him back down, Arven groaned both in effort and embarrassment… before saying, “L-let me give you a hand up.”

OoO Laaaaaaaame get RIPPED senpai what the heck loser

Arven pouted. Face red.

Doppio’s eyes widened, his heart starting to speed up in his chest--!

…but, uh…

Just as red, Doppio accepted the hand up. …he wasn’t…that heavy, right? That wasn’t a weird mimic body thing, that healer Kaito had made him see said he was actually on the light side, of, er…well, he wasn’t really sure how weight ranges were calculated, ‘cause there were a bunch of factors, but…

“...it’s hard, from the ground,” Doppio mumbled, embarrassed, before he limped over to the couch.

“Y-yeah! It’s a weird angle to lift from.” Arven huffed, ignoring Amaina’s teasing, going to collect his lighter from the kitchen before flicking on a little flame, lighting the candle. Letting it rest at the coffee table near Doppio, Arven headed back into the back area of the house, heading to his mother’s room.

While Arven had never bought records for himself– they were expensive– he still had been sent quite a few by his mother, for whatever reason. He had no idea if this was her personal collection or something she was using for an experiment, but he had just started putting the records in her room, as he usually did with all the miscellaneous items that no one seemed to be coming for. Pulling out the record player and some random records, he went out to set it up on the kitchen counter, placing a random one on and waiting to see what they’d get.

A song Arven could only classify as sort of ‘folksy’ hummed to life. It was pleasant and jumpy, Arven got the sense people were supposed to dance to it, and deciding it was the sort of light atmosphere they needed, he let it play as he called out, “Amaina. Help me pick out a pumpkin outside.”

OoO I don’t work for you!

O.O

OoO but yeeeeees heck yeah let go smash pumpkins

“One pumpkin.” Arven said, heading to the back, “And it’s not ‘smash’, it’s ‘cook.”

OOO SMASH ALL THE PUMPKINS!!

“No.”

Chief, who had been napping in his bed since they had gotten home– he had missed his bed– decided he was done with that as Arven went through the back sliding door, getting up and trotting over to the couch, before lazily letting his head fall into Doppio’s lap. Pets time.

It was an entirely different smell, so it probably didn’t actually work with, like…a scent memory or anything, but Doppio huffed a small laugh to himself as the candle started to fill the room with a scent like…fresh cupcakes. It kind of reminded him of that stuff Arven had taken, the one night they had been on the road. Still vanilla, but at opposite spectrums… 

…even if their plan had fallen through, Doppio was glad Arven hadn’t regretted it. Wasn’t regretting him. 

Settling on the couch, keeping his leg up, Doppio smiled at his friends’ enthusiasm, absorbing the music that he’d never heard before and…aw yeah. Pets time. Letting his hands rove and love on Chief, a warm contentment settled in Doppio. Even if horrible things kept happening…as long as stuff like this kept happening too? He’d be okay. 

There was some bickering outside, Amaina still gamely trying to peer pressure Arven into smashing some pumpkins– one pumpkin! Just one! Okay fine just twoooo pumpkins!!-- before deciding on a medium sized pumpkin. Arven had dragged it back inside, starting the prepwork of cooking it in the kitchen, humming along with the music while Amaina danced around.

After a while, the warm scent of pumpkin cooking accompanied the vanilla warming the house, and after a bit, Arven brought a warm bowl of pumpkin soup, along with some freshly baked bread, to Doppio. “Don’t be impressed by the bread, I’ve had dough just ready to go. It was just a matter of putting it into the oven and letting it cook.” Arven said, sitting next to Doppio, ignoring Chief’s eyes boring into him, looking for treats, “Let me know what you think. I’m hoping I didn’t go too hard on the garlic, I ended up using more cream than usual to use up some of my cream and I added more garlic to compensate. Hoping I didn’t overcompensate.”

Honestly, Doppio had nodded off a few times, surrounded by nothing but comfort. Considering the total cry fest, it was probably a good thing in the long run, but each time Doppio had woken up, he’d looked back towards the kitchen with red cheeks, hoping he hadn’t been caught. 

…though he had caught a few very cute scenes himself, Arven at ease cooking and playing with Amaina. …and, ahem, one very nice scene of Arven bending over to get something from the walk-in pantry. 

Shifting to sit more properly on the couch, just propping up his ankle with his other foot, Doppio gratefully accepted his bowl, taking a deep breath of the fresh food. “Too late, I’m already impressed,” he grinned, warming his hands on the bowl for a moment. “...seriously, if you’ve had a dough fermenting for the past week, it’s sure to really be something.”

And seeing for himself, Doppio opened his slice with a delicious crackle of the crust, and dipped it in his soup, taking a generous bite. …and giving a hearty groan of enjoyment, as he chewed. 

“Wow,” Doppio managed after a good few moments. “It’s a high order, to go overboard with garlic in my opinion, but…wow, yeah, this is fantastic! It’s…almost tasting like you slow-roasted the pumpkin, or something, with the extra creaminess and the extra depth of garlic, but…it’s, like, not actually since there’d be a deeper sweetness if you did, but it’s just the conceptual taste…you know? …oh wait, but…no, there is sweetness there…”

Leaning to his side, Doppio pressed his shoulder against Arven’s affectionately, giving him a proud, adoring look. “You’re such a good cook~ Pretty lucky guy I am, huh?”

Arven couldn’t help lifting his head a bit higher, squaring his shoulders and puffing his chest a bit, one hundred percent taking the praise to heart. He knew he was a good cook, but… it was nice. More than nice. Hearing someone else say it. Get excited about it and talk in detail about why they liked it. It was the kind of feedback Arven could get addicted to, honestly. 

“I did slow-roast, yeah. I know it took a while, but, well,” Arven smirked, “When I came to check on you, you and Chief seemed pretty content to snooze, so I figured there was no rush. You were cute… How’s your ankle feeling now? Also, is the cut on your face giving you any problems? I didn’t think to ask until you were asleep and laying on it.”

Doppio flushed, looking away as he busied his mouth with more soup. So much for being sneaky about it… Though he sighed, lifting his foot a bit to show off, the wrap still clean this time. “It’s a lot better. Whatever it was you put on it helped a lot--thanks. I probably still shouldn’t be running around until it heals more, but it’s not…” Doppio blushed a little more. “...yanno. As bad as it was.”

“...and…oh.” Doppio blinked, raising a hand to touch the bandage on his cheek. “Uh, no, I…actually forgot about it. I assume that means it’s pretty shallow, then…” Glancing at his ankle, he sighed, a mild amount of exasperation in the breath. “...this was a purposeful injury, but…a barely there face shot like that? My dad’s goading probably just pissed Maki off enough for her to wanna make a statement. This one I think I can just double check before bed, probably won’t even need another bandage.”

Arven’s brows furrowed a little, nodding along, but mostly caught up on, “He really can just… talk through you, huh? Creepy. Whatever’s supposed to help you tonight, I hope it works. I don’t love the idea that when I’m talking to you, it might sometimes be him.”

Doppio nodded, giving Arven a discomforted, creeped out look. “I don’t know exactly what happens, since, um, Maki wasn’t that descriptive…but… I mean, if he could…use my body enough to get in a fight?”

Doppio shuddered, grimacing. “...that’s super creepy. I’ve…kind of been trying not to think of the, um, greater implications of that. Like…i-if I just assume that whenever I’ve blacked out, it’s him? Kaito’s said that I get ‘nice’ but in a kind of weird way. …I don’t know what that means either, but…it’s weird.”

After a beat, Doppio suddenly turned green, cringing fully into himself. “...oh fuck, what if he could, like…read my mind?! Ew, no, e-even if I wanted him to care, I do not want Boss knowing anything about the time we spend t-together.”

“Nice but weird…” Arven murmured, brows pinched together, “I mean, you’re nice to me all the time, but I wouldn’t call it ‘weird’...”

And he blanched as soon as Doppio did, groooooaaaning as he put his hands over his face. “Oh, gross. I mean… hopefully n-not? He didn’t let people touch you, maybe he’d… i-ignore it? If he noticed? Like Amaina… uuugh. Hopefully he’s not that kind of creep…Honestly, Aceto, I think I’m gonna pass on the ‘meet the parents’ part of our relationship.”

It’s alright, Amaina sang out, patting Arven’s hand sympathetically from within his soup bowl, You already met me so you’re goood… BREAK HIS HEART AND I’LL SMASH YOUR HEAD! LINE YOU UP WITH THE PUUUUMPKINS!!

“Why are you always in our food?”

Shuddering, Doppio shook his head, deciding that he didn’t want to think a lot about that possibility either. “He was never creepy that way to me, like…ever. So hopefully not…urgh. He never wanted me in any relationships in the first place, so…”

Huffing a little, trying to soothe his disgusted soul with delicious food, Doppio had been just about to agree, back to his previous stance of ‘parents are overrated’, but… Something pensive came over his face. “I don’t really think of you as a parent, Angelo, though I appreciate the sentiment. But…”

Doppio stirred his soup a bit, dunking another chunk of bread in, letting the soup soak in. “...CPS ‘n people talk like I’m gonna be…put up for adoption, once the legal stuff is more sorted… I guess ‘cause I don’t have a home anymore, like you do, so I can’t be an emancipated minor…” …and everyone kept telling him that he was…dumb and useless and needed to be taken care of. 

“...if it comes to, like…” Doppio wrinkled his nose. “...interviews, I guess… Would you do ‘em with me? I mean…I wouldn’t wanna be adopted by any idiots who wouldn’t like you anyway, so…”

“Oh, uh… sure, of course,” Arven said, genuinely surprised Doppio would ask. Surprised he would want him there. “Though, what if we tried to argue with someone that you could be emancipated with me? I mean…” Arven looked around, before shrugging, “I clearly have the space.”

“Though, they might not go for it,” Arven admitted with a small frown, mixing his soup a bit with his spoon, ignoring Amaina’s pleased cries as she spun in the whirlpool. “Then… yeah, I’d sit in with you for your interviews. Scare off the losers and dumbasses. I can tell a loser adult from a mile away. Definitely scare off Kaito. Watch, he’s going to show up to an interview in a fake mustache and a big hat, trying to pass himself off as some guy named ‘Wallice’.”

Doppio sighed softly, pressing his shoulder to Arven’s again. “...you do. And…that’d be really incredible.” Glancing down, he turned pink, with a small smile. “I love getting to sleep with you every night, and waking up to you every morning. And the idea of…coming home to you, or vice versa is something that makes me happy, and excited for…a dream of that future.”

“But…ugh. Okay, this is sort of Kaito advice,” he admitted, rolling his eyes a little. “...I don’t think we’d really get away with it, but I-I mean… This sounds a little dumb, considering everything…but that’s a little…fast? I dunno… I don’t know.”

Sighing again, a little frustrated being unable to articulate exactly why it felt like moving in with Arven was a bad idea, at least while they still hadn’t known each other long, Doppio glanced up with a small smirk. “I’d like to see him try--I think he has a reputation with CPS. Imagine, him just coming up with more and more costumes, trying to get an interview.”

There were more depressing reasons why Kaito wouldn’t actually try to adopt him, that Doppio and Kaito had actually talked about, but…it was more fun, imagining him trying to pull off comic-like hijinx to trick the stodgy agency folks. 

Though even trying to have more fun… Doppio sweated a little. “...how the hell am I supposed to explain the whole…potentially-not-aging thing, if I’m supposed to stay with some people for, like…five years?”

“What kind of nonsense do you have to pull to get CPS to look sideways at you?” Arven murmured, though he was still considering Doppio’s assessment. 

Yeah, maybe it would be too fast. Arven wasn’t sure what timing really would be… like? Between him and Doppio. They were already pretty close, and honestly hadn’t known each other long. Sure, Arven knew maybe some of this was, basically… trauma bonding? But that felt like too negative a term for what he and Doppio had. Arven liked Doppio a lot. He wanted to keep him close.

…but at the same time, maybe slower was better, for the long run. Arven had at one point been ready to do way more than grinding with Doppio too, but even just grinding had felt like too much, too soon, both in the moment and even more in retrospect. Maybe his feelings were sincere, sure, but… that still didn’t mean they were ready for more. “Yeah, maybe you’re right about not moving in together. Not yet, anyway.”

“I don’t know, Prince Kokichi’s kinda… young looking, right? And what is he, in his thirties? Or is Prince Kaito way older than him?” Arven asked, genuinely not sure. He hadn’t been that involved in the small details of politics, more just the overall, broad gossip around the war and the riots. “Maybe some people just look like that. What are they gonna do, accuse you of being immortal? Kind of a leap.”

Doppio shrugged a little, unsure. “I…kinda thought Prince Kokichi was younger? I mean, obviously an adult, but…I feel like I remember people talking about that… With the way they both kinda skirt around mentioning that they had some issues when they first got married, I’d believe that an age difference could contribute to that.” Doppio squinted his eyes. “...though what does that make Prince Shuuichi?”

…stuff that ultimately didn’t matter, though. 

Sighing, Doppio nodded. “I guess so. Immediately thinking I’m…I-I’m not human is kinda far-fetched, compared to other guesses, I think. And…I guess stuff like changing my clothes or hairstyle would help…” Though, involuntarily, Doppio pouted as he said that. A year and a half wasn’t that long, all things considered, but…he liked how he looked! It felt…dumb that he should…change everything about his look, to keep up some facade of getting older. 

(...if he aged, and…Boss was his dad, then… Would he grow up to look like…?)

“Yeah, exactly,” Arven encouraged, not noticing Doppio’s disgruntlement with that idea, “And for all we know, maybe you do age? You haven’t exactly had a ton of time to test that theory out yet. Honestly, until I see some hard proof, I don’t even really like taking the idea that you can’t die for granted. No random throwing yourself off of buildings for fun, alright? Not unless we’re sure.” 

That was true. Sure, the average almost-2-year-old wasn’t usually easily mistaken for someone in their early 20s, but just because he’d never look like a toddler (...probably?) didn’t mean he wouldn’t get older from where he was. And…it wasn’t like Doppio had really been paying attention to if he’d changed over the last year and a half. 

But the other theory…

Grimacing, Doppio gave Arven a nod. “...I talked about that with Mariah, actually. Like…even if I really can’t die? Apparently it’s a known thing, for magical bullshit, that putting yourself through the process of dying is mega horrible for you. Like…mentally. Which seems kinda obvious, but…still. I’m not curious to find out, a-and…I think the worst time to test, even if I was, would be during while someone’s out for my death.”

“Even more reason not to then,” Arven said, smiling a little brightly, “We just talked about how I, apparently, do not accept things dying well. That includes you. That includes even if it’s just for a minute or so. I’ll cry. And probably vomit. So let’s just not do that.”

OoO He really would probably be fiiiine

O.O it’s tough to destroy an idea

“Right… get out of my food Amaina.”

OOO NEEEEVEEEEER

-

Kaito grooooaned into Miyako’s belly. Miyako, unconcerned that Dad was frustrated, giggled as fuzzy air vibrated against her, perfectly content to lay on Dad’s face for as long as he was content to keep sort of blowing raspberries into her stomach. Novel! New entertainment. “Maki-roooollll. You stabbed him?”

“A little,” Maki shrugged at the desk, as Shuichi sighed next to Kokichi, Kaito and Miyako laid out on the floor. “I really feel like the ‘fought his boss, who’s not been arrested, and is possessing him with green eyes’ thing should take precedence.”

“Uuuuuuuuugh.”

Miyako giggled.

Kokichi, hair looped around his fingers, had been tugging on his strands for a bit now, ever since Maki had gotten to the crux of the story. Which, considering it was Maki, had been the whole story. “...an accusation that Ginocchio, which, wow, yeah, I did think something was off that he was using the name Doppio made up, was paid or threatened to admit to the crimes…is something that would be taken seriously. But they can’t start officially investigating it without proof. And it’s not like there would be a public money trail…”

…what it would likely end up coming down to was Doppio seeing the man in holding, and telling the guardforce himself that he wasn’t his boss. Still only a word of mouth case…but different coming from the victim. And if the rest of them backed him up, it was more likely to be considered seriously, rather than people thinking Doppio was trying to get his boss out of suspicion. 

That did bring up the question, in the back of Kokichi’s head, how Doppio had figured out that Ginocchio wasn’t his boss in the first place, if he hadn’t gone to see him, but that might lead into…

Sighing, Kokichi released his grip on his hair and ran his fingers through it instead. “...of course I’d help Doppio out as much as I can, Empathically…but I don’t have an idea of what we’re actually dealing with here.” He glanced around to his family members, lingering on Shuuichi’s gaze for a moment. “How you describe the possession acting, I’d most closely relate to…you know, body-snatching, like we’ve talked about before…but even then, the affected people still talk like themselves. Just as if they’ve been convinced of something. Though…I’ve only seen it done by infants, so maybe it’s different with an adult that’s honed their skills…”

But more than that-- “...but the eye color thing is brand new,” Kokichi frowned. “And…Shuu-chan, what you’ve learned about ghosts… A ghost possessing something can’t just leave on their own, right? So if it was like that…Doppio’s boss couldn’t just come and go as he liked…”

Frowning, Kokichi sighed again. “...I’ll ask Doppio about it when we talk, but…I might have to ask my mentor to help out too. I don’t want to experiment on a child if I can avoid it, even if he’s asking me to.”

“Ghosts tend to trap themselves, or get trapped, into whatever they’re possessing, yes,” Shuichi agreed, “And I think part of the criteria would have to be that Ginocchio would be, well… dead. Which as far as any of us are aware, is not the case, yes?”

“Are you a little body snatcher, Miya?” Kaito murmured, lifting up his daughter and peering up at her as she wiggled happily in the air, gurgling back at him, “Did you snatch Doppio? Miya! So rude, baby.”

“Kaito, can you take this a little seriously?” Maki said, “You’ve been in pure baby-talk mode for days now.”

“Cause I am talking to the baby,” Kaito pouted, looking up at Maki as he placed Miyako down on his chest. “Which I can do and be serious at the same time. But so far, all evidence points to this guy being an empath, right? We, or, our ‘Kichi knows how to make defenses against Empaths. Doppio’s going to be fine now.”

“I don’t know if assuming this is Empath abilities is wise. Something feels off about it,” Shuichi said, adjusting his hat a little, “Specifically, Doppio doesn’t seem like an Empath. He’s half of the equation, after all. Empaths would be terrifying in a mob setting, but not because you’d want to send them out to physically fight people. Physically is where they’re least useful. And the eyes thing… We've seen Miya possess enough people to know that’s not a physical change she can do. That feels more…” Shuichi pointed to his own eyes, which still sometimes flashed pink in the right lighting, “biological.”

“That’s true… Hey~” Kaito grinned, looking over to Kokichi, “Can I come? Tonight, I mean.”

“We don’t know it’s the case…but we don’t know it’s not the case,” Kokichi sighed. Something like that would explain why Doppio said the guy never wanted to be seen…but he’d like to have enough faith in Doppio that the teen would notice if the man he lived with was a ghost. And…Kokichi wasn’t sure ghosts could hit a person, if they weren’t already possessing something. “But that is a reach, without any other evidence to support it.”

And that was sort of the problem--there wasn’t enough evidence, or just enough that was contradictory, that…Kokichi honestly had no idea what they were dealing with. Giving Shuuichi a little nod, Kokichi hummed, “I don’t think he’s an Empath--it’s not like I could pinpoint every Empath around me, without trying, I mean, but…that’s not really what I get off of Doppio.”

Unless Doppio was, for some reason, projecting his own emotions as “loudly” as he could, without making an Empath Dome, just…constantly. Which seemed unlikely, even as an accident. Plus, with that much “racket”, the Empath community would notice the waves, like they had with Kokichi, and…well, Kokichi would’ve gotten his second community announcement. 

…but Kokichi hadn’t noticed any waves at all. 

Looking over, Kokichi raised his eyebrows, before giving Kaito a concerned look. “...you want to come help Doppio, in the most private place he has, uninvited, after making a promise with him to stop helping without him asking?”

Kaito thought about it.

“.......nooooo?” Kaito grinned, patting Miyako’s back as she tried to devour his shirt. It was getting slobbery. “I want to run around and do empath stuff while you go being cool and heroic and responsible. Like… like, um…” Kaito paused, trying to think of something, “...like make myself really big and drink a waterfall.”

“What, like a water fountain?” Shuichi frowned, trying to imagine it, “Tip your head beneath it and sip?”

“I bet he means all at once, the whole waterfall,” Maki said, “Though I’m not sure how you’re supposed to disconnect it from the river on either side of it.”

“It’s a logistical nightmare,” Kaito agreed, nodding, “I’m sorta imagining it, like, bending? And eating it like spaghetti. And it just keeps flowing in and out of me.”

“Ugh. Sounds horrible.” Shuichi said, nose wrinkling, “Feels like that's the sort of thing that would set off a gag reflex.”

“Kaito has a gag reflex?” Maki asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

“Heck no, Dad does not,” Kaito told Miyako firmly, supporting her desire to sit up as she slapped at his chest, readjusting her to sit on his chest. “Alright, alright, no Empath fun for Dad. What do you think you guys are gonna do about fake boss guy?”

Kokichi frowned. It…really didn’t seem like Kaito was taking this seriously at all… But maybe he was honoring his pact with Doppio even more than Kokichi could think of. Besides Kokichi agreeing to meet with him, and…whatever they’d figure out to get the proper person arrested, there wasn’t much Kaito was able to do. So…maybe just…fully remove himself, even emotionally?

…that didn’t seem right at all…

Kokichi sighed, running another hand through his hair. “...ideally, if I can set up a defense that really will protect Doppio from his boss, then…we can ask him to confirm that the person the guards arrested isn’t his boss, and they can restart the investigation. Mr. Ginocchio will likely be questioned on why he admitted to the crime, and if they can prove on court record that he was trying to obstruct justice, then he’d be arrested for that. If not, then…he’d likely be let go.”

“We know that’s not the case, if what Doppio implied is right, but…it’s not a crime to be nervous and admit to a crime falsely,” Kokichi half-shrugged. “And if that’s the only result the evidence can point to, then…he’s off the hook.”

“Sounds like we can handle it~” Kaito grinned, sitting up and cradling Miyako in his arms, before looking to Maki, “Uh, though, about Timothy…”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Maki agreed, “I think the castle and school are both still safe enough for him, though I’m telling him he can’t be alone until all of this is over. And he’s not going to be around Doppio either until we can be sure the man in his head won’t attack him.”

“Good,” Kaito sighed a little, picking up Little Lamb and having it dance in front of Miyako a bit, “Sounds good… What if Shuichi went with you, Kokichi?”

Shuichi raised an eyebrow. “If you’re hoping Kokichi will have backup, perhaps it’d be better to suggest Alter Ego or Temp. Someone who can actually assist him.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Sorry, just spitballing,” Kaito said, standing up and heading over to the crib, putting Miyako into it and turning on the mobile as she started to try to suck on her toy’s ear. “Anyone seen the pacifier? Oh, wait, I see it,” Kaito said, picking it up from the changing station and heading to the bathroom to wash it, calling from inside. “Well, sounds like you guys have got this! Good~ keep me informed, alright? I know you don’t want to experiment on the kid, ‘Kichi, but I’m certain you’re gonna think of something! You got this!” Kaito said cheerfully, coming back out to give Miyako her pacifier, “Heeeey, baby girl, let’s stop chewing on Little Lamb, yeah? Come on, you know Dada doesn’t like you chewing on fabrics~”

Shuichi gave Kaito a considering look, before turning to Kokichi. “Is there anything I can do? Would you like me to research anything?”

Honestly Kokichi was a little nervous about Doppio being alone with Arven too…but completely isolating the kid was just cruel. And, well…”Boss” hadn’t threatened Arven. Maybe just because he had been talking to Maki, but…still. A little more supervision would be annoying, but not totally unreasonable, he hoped the teens would see. 

…even if they’d kind of gotten off to a terrible start that day. But, again, hopefully Maki’s bluff would buy them at least the rest of the day. 

Getting up, Kokichi went over to the crib and Kaito’s side, rubbing his husband’s back gently. “Like I said, I will probably ask Alter Ego for help, after getting Doppio’s permission. Even if we don’t figure out a defense tonight, between the two of us, hopefully we can figure out a starting point.”

And…Alter Ego, in their search for answers all things Empathetic, had come across many things…but so had Shuuichi in his own research. Looking up at his other husband, Kokichi gave him a contemplative look. “...if you have any idea where you could find out more about…body take-overs? That make physical changes? Or…cause physical pain in the person being taken over? I think every bit of information would help…”

“Maki-chan?” Kokichi questioned, looking over to her. “I already feel bad enough about what being in his head will reveal but…did Doppio tell you anything else that might give us a better idea of what’s going on? Like…anything magical he’s noticed, or…even what it feels like to him?”

“He doesn’t seem to notice anything happens. He does get severely dehydrated, I noticed, after a possession,” Maki said, aiming that at Shuichi, who nodded, “So the act of it drains him in some physical way. Also the eyes… Kaito, how did you not notice the eyes?”

Kaito hesitated… before shrugging. “Sorry.”

Maki huffed, “Anyway, whatever the boss is? He has the same fears of dragon fire as every other mental-connected thing does. He booked it. So we have that as a trick, for as long as that lasts. I told Amaina to contact me if anything happens, we’ll try that trick again for as long as it works.”

“I was wondering why you were here if they’re still back at the house,” Kaito murmured, before smiling brightly at Kokichi, leaning down to kiss his husband. “You guys are gonna figure this out~ It’s really just a matter of time now that all of you are on it. I give this whole thing… mmm…”

Kaito hummed, thinking about it. “...till the end of the week. You guys will have this solved by Sunday! Betting on it now, who wants to bet me on that? I’ll put… tst… oh! I’ll bet new onsies money on it! You all have to buy my Miya here new onesies, if you solve all of this by Sunday. No delaying it to get out of cute new onesies duty~” Kaito cooed, looking back down at Miyako. “Awwww, I wonder what you guys would pick, if you went onesies shopping? Something cute~”

Hmm… That was in line with psychic strain, but…again, not the eyes. But the eyes were so…purposeful, it wasn’t like there was just another color in Doppio’s irises that just caught the light sometimes, like Shuuichi’s. There was a clear trigger, but…something biological that was only ever triggered by whatever it was that happened when his boss took over. 

…uuuugh, Kokichi didn’t knooooooow! 

“Oh, that’s right,” Kokichi perked. “Amaina-chan will probably be there. Just to see whatever happens, if she hasn’t just been staying with Doppio overnight anyway. Oo, hopefully that’ll be helpful… With the amount of time she’s been with him, she’d probably be able to pinpoint where the take-over happens, even if it’s more of a purely biological thing than something that can be explored metaphorically.”

Smiling softly at Kaito, Kokichi offered his husband a kiss. “Definitely cute, but… Are you okay, hun? If this is…just how you wanna cope, that’s understandable, but…it’s okay to be worried about him.”

“Cope?” Kaito asked, before realizing, “Oh, yeah. No, I am worried about him, but… way less now, than I was before.” Kaito admitted, leaning into Kokichi’s kiss, “You guys are on it. Honestly, we should have been doing it like this from the beginning. I was all freaked out and overwhelmed for a minute there. Acting crazy enough that Doppio was ready to take out a restraining order on me… I guess I just lost it there, for a minute.”

“I still kinda feel it,” Kaito admitted, looking back down at Miyako, “Like, ‘oh noooo, I’m not intimately involved in what’s going on so everything’s going to go to heck’. But that’s not true. All I was doing was burning myself out and driving that kid crazy. I shouldn’t have been doing all of that in the first place…”

“But!” Kaito grinned, looking back at his family. “Check it out! Support system! He’s got a problem, and the people I introduced him to are doing something about it! Ideal! That’s what I should have been doing in the first place. This is… working. This works. What I was doing wasn’t working. This works.” 

Kaito paused, before nodding. “Yep. And, until you guys are finished with all of this, I’m just gonna focus on my Miyaaaaa heeeeere~” Kaito cooed, looking back down at the baby, “Can’t obsess over what’s happening if I’m busy on baby duty~ No Dad can’t~ Dad’s part in this is done, so Miya gets him allllll to herself~”

Honestly…that was a pretty good sign. Kaito had been burning himself out, worrying over the teens, and especially with how vitriolic Kokichi had heard Doppio could be about it…it wasn’t good for Kaito. Kokichi didn’t think…completely checking out, and using Miyako to be his primary focus was the best answer to try and take a step back…

But Kaito had a point. Doppio was getting help from other people, they had a plan of action, and…well, it’d be some time before Miyako would need some space from having a parent constantly fussing over her. 

Leaning over to press a kiss to Kaito’s arm, Kokichi nodded. “Alright. I just wanted to check in. Still…he said he still wanted you guys to be friends, right? I think Mi-Mi would be willing to forgive you if you wanted to go say hi.”

Sighing, Kokichi flashed Maki a sheepish look. “Personally, I wanna check in on them when they come back tonight--even if Doppio doesn’t want to go to the med ward, I wanna make sure they have enough supplies to re-wrap his cuts tonight. And I think I should check in with Arven about how school is going, if he needs anything… I suppose they already brought all the supplies for Chief they needed, but…well, I guess they could bring things from Arven’s house today…”

Kaito’s eyes widened slightly as Kokichi talked about supplies. He had forgotten to check on Arven’s books… Also, wasn’t the project subject due today? Kaito had meant to remind Arven of that, it was in his planner and everything. He felt a small squeeze of anxiety. Maybe Arven had remembered?

… okay but what if Timothy did end up alone and Doppio was around and he suddenly got possessed and then his son was hurt and Doppio was going to be arrested and there was nothing actually stopping Arven from getting hurt and was just Amaina watching really enough to ensure that everything was okay because Maki was allll the way over here and Arven’s house wasn’t far but it wasn’t close either and were the guards really paying attention sometimes they promised to help and they didn’t and everything— fuck, check Miyako’s diaper.

Patting Miyako’s diaper to see if it was wet, Kaito said, “You should ask if Arven’s matched his books to his list. He was supposed to the other day, hopefully he did. Maybe ask him how his project subject discussion went? I’m sure he got it figured out, he kinda has to, otherwise they would have sat him down and made him, really. Either way.”

“His ankle is probably still giving him some trouble. It’s likely going to be a slow walk back.” Maki said, “Which is maybe for the best, for the next few days. Better for him to be slowed down, if he’s the main weapon being used. He’ll recover in time, but for now I’m hoping the recovery is slow.”

“Harsh,” Shuichi sighed, standing up, “I’m going to start doing that research. Maybe I’ll have info I can pass on before you go visit him in his dreams tonight. Amaina said Doppio is ‘like her’, right? What on earth could that mean… How can a construct look at a flesh and blood person and decide she and Doppio are the same… hmm. I’ll start searching.”

Kokichi looked up at Kaito in surprise…but he just nodded, stowing away his slight disappointment. If Kaito didn’t feel like he could see the boys without over-worrying himself, that was a boundary that he was well within his rights to make. …hopefully it didn’t just end up with Doppio and Arven feeling abandoned. 

“I’ll ask. I’m afraid I probably wouldn’t be able to help with specifics, but I might be able to point Arven towards some reference books,” Kokichi nodded, before laughing softly. “Hope I don’t bug him too much, asking about what high school’s like. Can’t really help his distaste for it, with people constantly talking to him about it.”

Sighing softly at Maki’s unfortunately practical assessment of Doppio’s injury, Kokichi nodded a bit at Shuuichi going off to do some research, raising a hand to give him a wave…before it paused partway up. Kokichi’s fond farewell falling into a look of confusion before it focused on Shuuichi with intensity. 

“...wait, say that again. A construct…saying that a flesh and blood person and she are the same…?” 

A construct. A device used by Empaths, focusing their mental power into a form of an idea or concept, meant to aid. But still a person’s mental power, all the same, not a separate entity. And especially not a separate entity that could exist in the physical world. 

An idea, that said something like her--an idea--that was in the physical world. Alive. 

Kokichi’s eyes widened.

“Say it again? Um, Amaina said Doppio was like her. A construct. But that should be impossible, since constructs by their very nature can’t exist in the real world…” Shuichi looked curiously at Kokichi, “...why?”

Kaito glanced down, before grinning. A small red to his cheeks as he said, entirely impressed already, “Babe’s figured something out. That’s his ‘eureka’ face. My second… no, third favorite expression he makes.”

“I hope this isn’t going to be Kokichi realizing he can make real life constructs,” Maki sighed, “Chibi Kaito is a handful, we’d end up chasing him around the entire castle. Well, Kokichi? Done leaving us in suspense?”

“No,” Kokichi said softly, his lips pressed together in a serious expression. “I can’t make real life constructs. Shuu-chan’s right; constructs, by their nature, can’t exist in the physical world. New life can’t be made from something like a construct, or a shard, not without other life as a trade.”

“Not unless it was something almost impossibly difficult, and rare…and the sort of thing that the entire psychic community would be put on alert for.”

Kokichi looked at his family members, worry written over his expression. “...if Doppio really is an idea come to life? …guys, I think the Tulpa alert I got is Doppio.”

There was a heavy silence, for a moment. The three Luminaries digesting this.

“Oh.” Maki said. “Huh.”

Shuichi pulled out his journal, opened it up, and started quickly cross-referencing notes. Murmuring to himself, flipping back a few pages… “Kokichi, you did say that the community has been investigating this tulpa incident for a year and a half…”

Kaito scratched his goatee… before lighting up. “That’s incredible! Wow! Wait, wait, wait, I need someone to remind me exactly what a Tulpa is. I remember Kokichi talking about his community being worried about stuff, but…?”

“Tulpa are essentially imaginary beings given physicality,” Shuichi explained, “We were told by Dr. Mariah, if you’ll remember, that psychics could do this because their abilities involve manipulating physical matter around them. A Tulpa is that manipulation but extremely complex, to the point of independence.”

“Oh… oh! Wow! Okay,” Kaito grinned, looking thrilled, “More magical family! Or, no, not family, um… more magical friends! Oh, shoot, more magical friends.” Kaito said, eyes going a little distant as he murmured, “Oh, I gotta learn about what hurts Tulpas… We probably need to make certain his boss stays alive, right? Oh, I do not want to risk that, what if something happens to Doppio if it happens to the guy who thought him up? We can’t risk that… Wait. A year and a half??”

“Maybe a bit more.” Shuichi said, checking his notes. “Roughly that, yes.”

“.........oh my god, I gave the sex talk to a toddler,” Kaito whispered. 

“That’s probably not the way to think of him.” Maki frowned. “Maybe it’s physically not inaccurate, or even mentally, in some ways, but it’s clearly not the reality of the situation, and ignoring the reality is only going to confuse him. If he’s only nearly two years old, that doesn’t mean he can be treated like a two year old. It would be ignoring his reality.”

“Right, right,” Kaito nodded… before insisting, “But he is absolutely going through his terrible twos! Just saying!”

Sitting heavily on the bed, Kokichi tapped his lips, a worried crease forming between his eyebrows. The alert hadn’t included a call to action, really. It was just a warning for strange things…because, by their nature, a Tulpa could be anything. Hell, Kokichi had even wondered to himself, at the time, if a Tulpa could be a person. 

But…in that warning, was a sense of danger. And Kokichi knew too well that if people saw something as a danger… 

It didn’t matter. Doppio was under their protection regardless, and even with unsaid, magical rules, Kokichi would make sure Doppio was a protected citizen of Dicea. Regardless of what he was or how he came to be, or…if Doppio even had a soul, he was one of Kokichi’s people. 

So that was that. But everything else…

“...it’s not a sure thing, but…that does point heavily towards Doppio’s boss being a psychic, then,” Kokichi muttered, before his expression went pained. They had already known what that man had done to Doppio, that the guy was basically his father in a lot of ways that mattered…but if he had been the one to…give Doppio form? Or however Tulpas were made?

…Kokichi couldn’t even fathom hurting Chibi Kaito like that. Even knowing that he was an extension of himself, even having made Chibi Kaito as an aid, Kokichi still loved the little creature. 

Doppio had been beaten and abused by…oh. Someone who only…likely thought of him as a tool. Literally. 

Not…well, basically new life, that…was only a year and a half…

“I agree, it wouldn’t be helpful to treat him as a toddler,” Kokichi nodded, speaking softly, his heart aching in sympathy, “He already digs his feet in being treated as a teen. But… Well, I think for me, at least, it’d be helpful to keep in mind that…he hasn’t had a lot of experience being. And the experience he does have was primarily around someone who…” Kokichi sighed, a disgusted sneer twitching his lips. “...likely never considered him as a person.”

Kaito had already come to that conclusion. Doppio didn’t need to be babied, but…he needed some gentleness and understanding. 

…oh, the poor kid was terrified of healers…

“...poop,” Kokichi softly cursed. “Everything I read said Tulpas could be anything. I guess…Amaina-chan’s enough of an indication that…he has a mind, and it’s similar enough to, uh…the rest of us, that my abilities would still reach and affect him… Nothing even mentions any sort of relationship between a Tulpa and the thing that made them, though, if it even was a singular thing…”

“Hmmmm… hear me out…” Kaito said, putting up his hands, “...we make Doppio’s boss a stair person. Keep him fed! Watered! Healthy–”

“Stair person?” Shuichi asked, as Kaito continued on like there had been no interruption.

“--and make absolutely certain he lives a looooong, healthy life… under the stairs.” Kaito paused. “...asleep. The whole time. Sleeping people can’t possess their mental manifestations made real, right?”

“Empaths literally primarily do that.” Maki pointed out.

“Well, he’s psychic, so!” Kaito waved his hands in the air, before shrugging. “Different rules for psychic comatose stair people!”

“I still don’t understand what a stair person is.” Shuichi said.

“It’s what the guy who abused a cool, brand new being like Doppio deserves to be.” Kaito said sagely, “A prisoner under the stairs… preferably with no access to any structural support beams.”

Maki sighed, “I’m not saying this isn't big news. It is. But does this change our plans any? Shuichi should still do research, though now he knows what he’s researching, Kokichi and his gang of mental bandits should still look into it, and I’m still on standby to be both a physical and mental defense, with Amaina’s help. We still have to neuter this psychic then. Preferably without it affecting Doppio, but the danger is still primarily in this man having full possession access.”

“And an entire gang, to a lesser but still troubling extent,” Shuichi reminded her.

“One thing at a time.” Maki sighed, “The danger is possession.”

“Even if he is a monster, and…probably absolutely an ethical nightmare, magic-wise, Doppio’s boss still needs a fair trial and rehabilitation,” Kokichi sighed, weight slumping his shoulders. “...though…that is something more to consider. Load of good the standard charges’ll do if he can bypass them psychically.”

Giving Maki a small nod, Kokichi ran a stressed hand through his hair. “Hopefully an Empathic defense would still work…but I really have no way to know. I’ll make a strong case to Doppio for my mentor to help us--Alter Ego likely won’t have much more of an idea about Tulpa, but…well, who knows, and they’re good at problem-solving. And, well, navigating an unusual existence is something they do have experience with.”

The crease between his eyebrows deepened. “...if he doesn’t know already… Should I tell Doppio? I…feel like he deserves to know about his own existence…” 

Kaito’s expression did a few complicated things… before he turned to look back down at Miyako. “I mean, I’d vote yes. But I’ll leave that up to you guys. Just… be aware, if you tell him, he’s probably gonna take it a little hard. Kid takes things hard. Just be patient with him.”

Shuichi hummed, “It might be wise to wait until we know for certain before telling him anything. We are still basing this on largely circumstanti–”

“Shuichi, man, don’t do the ‘hold back until we’ve got it figured out’ thing,” Kaito sighed, “Our group likes to fall back on that a lot. I’ve been doing it too. It always creates problems for us. Just tell him.”

“We’ll need to tell him it’s a secret he should keep, then.” Maki said, “The magical community is looking for him, aren’t they? It’s rarely a good sign, when a bunch of people are seeking you out. I wouldn’t out him to them just yet, and he should know that he’s being sought after.”

Kokichi nodded a bit, still looking worried. He’d made the connection largely on…relatively vague things he’d heard secondhand, so he could be wildly off base…but if he was right? Doppio deserved to know. If nothing else, then to just have an answer to not search for other possibilities. 

“Yeah…” Kokichi sighed. “The notice I got didn’t say anything about calling out the Tulpa, or, like…reporting them, but…people get scared of unusual things, and that fear can be dangerous.” 

Kokichi shook his head a bit. “...he’s a kid, and he’s one of my people. I’m going to make sure that it’s Doppio’s choice if he wants to talk to anyone seeking out a Tulpa, they don’t get to find him first.”

Kaito glanced at Kokichi, before reaching around and pulling him into a tight hug into his side, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “You look worried. Don’t be worried. You guys have got this! Dream team~ Watch, it’s all gonna work out. I can’t wait to hear how it went tomorrow morning.”

-

For such world-tilting revelations, the evening went by pretty smoothly. Kokichi caught the boys as they came back to the castle, asking Arven about school and fretting a bit over Doppio’s injury, and while they both still had some of that same awkwardness around someone poking into their business, it was a pleasant exchange. And before Kokichi knew it, he had kissed his husbands and daughter goodnight, and went to sleep. 

Kokichi had once compared using Empathy outside his own head like diving. The smaller you were, the fewer ripples you’d make, though with clumsy execution, it was still noticeable. The bigger you were, you couldn’t help the inevitable displacement, but with skill and finesse, you could minimize the impact, even causing less of a disturbance than moderate sizes of moderate skill. 

Amaina, while a being of P O W E R…was quite small. She was made to be, after all, specifically made to dance on gossamer threads and slip into practically anyone unnoticed. The lightest of touches, even when reaching in deep. 

Kokichi was not that. 

Preparing himself to warp to Doppio, Kokichi sought out that bright, more familiar signature, creating a portal and stepping thro--OUGH!!

-

Kokichi jolted awake, gasping like he’d just slipped and fallen into a lake…because that was exactly what it had felt like. Immediately sinking like a stone, falling… Damn…he hadn’t thought he was that…obtrusive or anything, just trying to quietly slip into Doppio’s dreams before raising his consciousness, but… 

Well, okay, now he knew. Maybe he should contact Amaina-chan first, and…

‘Doppio’ blinked amethyst purple eyes, looking around the room he’d finally registered was unfamiliar. Or…not wholly unfamiliar, but… Looking towards the other dip on the bed, ‘Doppio’ blanched, whispering in an unfamiliar voice, “Arven? …oh what the fuck…”

Arven, who had promised to stay up and keep watch, looked up from the book he was reading on top of Chief’s back, sitting cross legged beneath him as he was faced towards Doppio. “Shoot, Aceto, did I wake you up? I shifted around a little…”

Arven’s brow furrowed. Tilting his head slightly. The lighting was doing something really weird to Doppio’s eyes… “You alright? It didn’t happen already, did it? You really only just fell asleep.”

Amaina peered down at ‘Doppio’ from atop Arven’s head. Her eyes wide. Slightly glowing in the darkness. They were currently red. 

O.O…

OoO ruuuuuuude so rude what the heck at least make space

Kokichi balked, trying not to panic. Okay…okay, he was…in Doppio’s body. Or…just so in his mind that he was controlling his body?? He hadn’t tried to do this at all, though! He hadn’t tried to exert any power over Doppio’s mind, let alone what it would take to…

…body-snatch. 

A…Tulpa could be anything. 

Taking a small breath--also, like…what the fuck. There was a mild sense of fatigue, but…Kokichi couldn’t feel any…pain or weight at all!--Kokichi offered Arven and Amaina an apologetic frown. 

“I’m terribly sorry, but this…is the person that Maki-chan asked to help Doppio. I’m not quite sure what happened, but I’m going to back out.” Nodding, Kokichi laid Doppio’s body back down, making sure there wouldn’t be any issues if it went lax. “...oh! But!”

“Er…maybe wait an hour or two? But please make sure Doppio drinks a lot of water when he wakes up--I was told this sort of thing makes him very dehydrated. Alright, sorry again!” Closing his eyes, Kokichi pulled back to his own body, Doppio’s body, as usual, going limp…though there wasn’t much shifting that happened. Kokichi had tucked him in quite well. 

Arven stared at Doppio.

O.O

Arven looked up where he knew Amaina was.

V.V Amaina looked back at him.

“...what the hell just happened?” Arven whispered.

OoO Baby wisdom suuuuuucks at this

Okay… More careful this time. 

If…Doppio’s mind was like an ocean, then…Kokichi just needed to float, right? Unobtrusive buoyancy… As he paced in his own mind-room, Kokichi manifested arm-floaties and an inner tube, channeling the lightest touch he could muster… But before going in again, he focused, seeking out Amaina. 

{May I use you as a benchmark, Amaina-chan? If this doesn’t work, I’ll just talk with Doppio normally, but…it’d be easier to figure out how to set up a defense in his mind…in his mind. I’m sorry again, I don’t want to hurt him…}

{...?}

{....uh, if it’s Amaina, chances are it’s fine. Good luck! I’ll pass it on, sort of, she probably already knows.}

{Yeah, she says ‘of course I’ll guide stupid baby wisdom since he is so rude and heavy footed and sucks at just existing in another state of being what the heck I’m working with amateurs where’s the damn cat.’}

{Sorry about her. Good luck again!}

{Thanks, Miku-chan. We should hang out sometime soon, it’s always lovely talking with you :o)}

-

There was nothing. And then Doppio was just…in his and Arven’s room in the castle, scratching his wrist unsurely as he looked around. 

And then there was a cat. 

Doppio blinked, taking in the long-furred purple cat, a little perplexed that it seemed to have a…small inner tube around its middle, and was standing on a boogie board… But he smiled softly, and extended a hand for the cat to sniff. 

“Ciao, signore. Am…I just dreaming, or are you the person that I’m supposed to meet?”

The cat gave an…oddly horse-like chuckle as it rubbed its head against his hand. “Hello, Doppio-kun; yeah, I’m the person Maki-chan told you about. It’s nice to meet you like this!”

…like this? Doppio tilted his head a little, but didn’t speak before the cat let out a remorseful sigh. 

“I’m really sorry--I accidentally took over your body, like your boss does, I think, the first time I tried to contact you. I suppose that’s an important quality to know about your mind, so now we know, but…I’m sorry.”

Doppio jolted slightly, looking at the cat with more apprehension. “...you what? What do you mean an ‘accident’?! I-I’d think…t-taking over someone’s body would be…y-yanno, purposeful?!”

The cat lowered itself, ducking its head. “...Doppio, I…think I have some answers about you. Which relates to why that was an accident, though, I agree, that’s not something you should just be expected to accept. But…while I appreciate Maki-chan’s faith in me, your case is out of my depth. Would you be willing to talk to my mentor as well, tonight? I think together, we might be able to find a solution for you.”

Quiet for a moment, the cat looked up with big, purple eyes. “They are also a cat, by the way.”

…he supposed Amaina was…almost always in his head, so it wasn’t so much that that concept was weird, but… Answers about him? What did that mean… If this person couldn’t help him, then…what? 

…he didn’t want to hurt anyone… 

Sighing, Doppio nodded, giving a small shrug. “...sure.”

Tentatively, the cat got up and rubbed against his arm. “Thank you.”

{Alter Ego? So…I need your help…}

{...}

{Oh, and I’m also projecting as a cat, and you should try to warp just to me, rather than finding Doppio, since his mind is…wet.}

{Why is it always wet.}

Alter Ego stepped lightly out behind Kokichi, slinking through the small spaces where Kokichi’s mind met up with Doppio’s. They didn’t move far though, taking a few steps out onto the boogie board, before freezing, their eyes wide and their ears up, tail puffing a bit in alarm…

“Oh, this place is…” Alter Ego looked around at the ocean beneath the boogie board, fur standing on end the more he looked, “...malleable. Ooooooh, this is going to be tough.”

The boogie board started to shake. This was because there were suddenly little waves, pushing it back and forth, when suddenly–

(⌐■_■) 

Amaina, wearing a swimsuit and sunglasses, rolled about in a mini surfboard, riding a wave that seemed to be constantly under the mid-back part of the surfboard, rolling expertly around the cats, before doing a small flip and coming to a stop next to Doppio.

To Doppio, this would have looked like Amaina surfing around their bed. To Arven, he was also watching Amaina surf around their bed. Minus the cats and boogie board. And minus Amaina settling down to talk to them.

(⌐■.■)

(⌐■o■) Okay but where’s the annoying one???

Like the purple cat had said, soon there was a golden cat sharing the boogie board, though Doppio looked on with more concern as the cat puffed up. And that concern was joined by even more confusion as Amaina surfed in, and…

Doppio sighed. “...are you all seeing something different? Look, it’s confusing enough when Amaina takes me different places in my dreams, I-I don’t think I can get if we’re all in different places. Can we just choose one? Please?”

“Sorry, Doppio,” Kokichi apologized, his ears drooping. “Oh, and, um…this is my mentor, Alter Ego. Alter Ego, this is Aceto Doppio, a friend. Though, trying to all get on the same page is…”

Kokichi sighed, cocking his head at Amaina. “...I don’t think it’s very fair to Doppio-kun to bring my guy here to play with you, Amaina-chan.”

Pouting a little, just…none of his confusion abated, Doppio leaned back against his pillows, hugging his cat pillow in his lap. “You’re already making a party in here…why the fuck not… Can you just get to the point, or are you just…here to look sad and apologize?”

Kokichi did still look sad and apologized. “I’m sorry, I just don’t know where to begin… Well, um… Doppio-kun, Amaina-chan says you two are the same, despite the fact that you have a physical body, right? Like…that’s exactly the case?”

Doppio nodded, still looking a little annoyed, though more worried as the purple cat kneaded, somehow conveying anxiety. 

“I could still be wrong, but… I believe you are a type of being called a {Tulpa}, Doppio. And that makes this…difficult.”

Doppio narrowed his eyes in confusion. …a what?

O.O

o.o?

>.>

<.<

O.O ….. OOO OH SHIT YEAH THAT 

OoO yeah i knew that word

O.O

OoO totally

O.O

QoQ OKAY FINE I DON’T KNOW WHAT A TULPA IS

“A {tulpa}.” Alter Ego repeated.

O.O

“A–”

{Sigh} Miku sighed in their heads, {Please give her a second.}

Alter Ego paused. After a second, Amaina shouted, oooooooh yeah of course story time come to life yeah duh i already knew that I’ve told everyone like a thooooousand times no doi

“Why are chibis like this?” Alter Ego whispered to Kokichi, before sighing. Walking off the boogie board, Alter Ego moved carefully, Amaina not the only small construct-like creature used to darting quietly through minds. With each step he took off the boogie board, Alter Ego stepped onto a small cloud that materialized just below his paws, before sitting on a small cloud as he peered at Doppio. Bowing his head slightly.

“What my friend here is trying to convey, is that you, Doppio, are a…” Alter Ego paused, trying to think of the way to say this, “...descendent of a human mind, rather than of a human body. Specifically human this time, though I know other species can do this as well. You’re still a type of human, just… a new idea of what a human can be. Literally. You are a concept of a human, as conceived by a human, and that conception given life. I’d argue a new human subspecies, since that’s how I conceive of myself. I am also a new type of human. Just a human from a new perception… It's great to meet you, really. I don’t have many chances to meet new types of people.” Alter Ego said, their whiskers twitching in a way that portrayed delight, “We’re a rare breed.”

Doppio heard the word that the two cats said, sure--Tulpa. But he also heard… Ideas come to life, a belief so strong that it transcended into the world, godliness made manifest through the power of collective thought, an album referenced in a story that was never recorded but showed up in a collection one day, a red disk that acted like an impossibly powerful magnet towards mirrors… 

A lot of strange, varied concepts that seemed to have no correlation or link, just…that they were strange. 

So Doppio still didn’t really get it by the time Alter Ego stepped forward. But…the concept of a human, as made by a human, and…given life… 

“I guess we already figured that out, but…” Doppio sighed through a small mumble, “...he really is my father, then…”

Gently, Doppio reached out to the golden cat, extending his own greeting. “...it’s nice to meet you too. Uh… You’re a human, but a cat? Did…you choose that, or?”

As they made their greetings, Kokichi curled up on the boogie board, loafing, before he let out a little chirrup. “So, you see… Because of that new perspective…I’m not really sure of the…connections, I suppose, for making a defense for you. Your…” His ear flicked, having caught Doppio’s mumble. “...father is almost definitely psychically linked to you, and that’s what’s causing your possession issues…but it’s more subtle than what I did by accident. Which means there’s a different sort of connection we have to be aware of, to make sure your father doesn’t bypass a defense.”

“...also…” Kokichi said softly, but gravely. “...the reason I know what a Tulpa is at all? Is because there are people looking for you. I got a notice almost a month ago, that a Tulpa existed. There wasn’t an indication that it’s a dedicated search or anything…but I would advise you to only tell people you absolutely trust. And…I know that you’re already being careful, but…”

Slouching onto his pillow, Doppio gave the purple cat a dry pout. “...Prince Kokichi, you can just…talk normally. It’s a little annoying to pretend you don’t know what’s going on.”

Blinking wide, the purple cat puffed up, giving a surprised, “Mraow?!”

OoO yeah wisdom baby we can like

O.O

OoO literally see you

What could they see? Well, sure, a purple cat all decked out to float in some water, but also, well… it was pretty clearly also Kokichi. In the same way that Saint Madison hadn’t been confused by Kokichi’s ‘masks’ in Kaito’s mind. The visuals weren’t the defining thing, for the mind. And Kokichi wearing the mask of a cat wasn’t going to disguise his mental signature.

At least, that’s how Amaina knew. 

“I’m actually a person made from the consciousness of four different humans,” Alter Ego explained. “I’m a being made of human shards, essentially. Big pieces of people that mix and merge to make someone new. Arguably, if we include myself, I’m five people at once, but that mentality sort of complicates my existence a little. It's easier on me to think of myself as a new life that the four people who exist within me have adopted as their own personal identities as well. Easier to understand that way, when I say I am both myself and them at once. And what they could all agree on, when they formed into me, was that they liked cats. Bit of a split second decision, but this is the form I find myself most comfortable in.”

Alter Ego tilted their head as he admitted, “I do sometimes think of designing a more traditional human form to be in, at least sometimes. That’s trickier though. I haven’t quite come up with an image that feels ‘right’. Maybe someday.”

“But, to the important matter at hand… We’re attempting to block your father from your mental landscape, yes? That is… tricky, here,” Alter Ego said, looking around. “Not impossible! Though I say that more optimistically than pragmatically, I don’t know how to do it yet. But I’m sure we can. The issue is, that the mental landscape is usually something pretty clearly contained and divided from a person’s physicality. For me, for example, I’m connected to one body, who sort of acts as an ‘anchor’ to our five consciousnesses. If someone were to go into my mind, they could mess with pieces of me, or try to mess with the whole of me, but while this version of me, the cat, might be physically affected by that, my anchor, the person, would look no different. The anchor is consistent, even if the mind can be changed. That’s true for most people.”

“You don’t have an anchor.” Alter Ego explained, “Or, rather, your consciousness is the anchor. Changing your mind changes you, physically. There’s no difference between your physical self and your mental projection. Which means we can’t count on most people’s natural defense against empaths and psychics and hives, which is their initial, physical layer of defense….”

Alter Ego tilted their head, whiskers twitching. “What I’m trying to say is your mind is a room with no walls. We can still figure out defenses for that, but it’s got to be a defense that can protect everywhere, all at once, forever.”

O.O

OoO cool sounds easy just do that

Kokichi sighed in embarrassment, giving Doppio a sheepish look. “Well, I suppose that secret’s out… Yeah, I know about magic too. Maki-chan thought it would be safer if she stayed as a sort of resource for you, without getting the rest of us involved, but…well, I am a resource for you and Arven as well. I…know you like cats, so I thought this would be a good projection to use.”

It went unsaid, but felt in the implications of intent, that Kokichi thought it would be fun too. 

Doppio was no Empath or psychic but…well, Kokichi was the only person he knew, and thus would know about his situation, that talked like a grandpa. He could’ve been wrong, but it did make sense for the prince to be a person Maki would trust to help him out with this. But, yeah, cats were cool, so…Doppio could understand that much of Alter Ego’s story, even if the rest was, uh…a bit beyond him. As was…his own situation, kinda…

Kokichi snorted a little at Amaina’s ruling, while Doppio frowned. “...so I’m like…mentally naked? Would, like…clothes work then? …in whatever metaphor that is?”

“Maybe…” Kokichi tilted his head. “Though I’d be worried about cutting your consciousness off completely… But something with that concept might work. Hmmm…”

Very, very gently, Kokichi extended a paw off the boogie board, the end of his tail twitching back and forth. For an ocean…perhaps like an aquarium tank…

-

Doppio sighed softly in his sleep, eyebrows slightly drawing together. His torso, should anyone investigate, taking on the hardness and texture of glass, or perhaps porcelain. His insides sloshing a bit, like water in a tank. 

Arven, being the good boyfriend he was, was not investigating Doppio’s torso in his sleep, though he was still fretfully waiting for him to wake up. 

Amaina, though, gave no shits about Doppio’s privacy, felt something shift, peeked, and then went back.

-

OoO Yeah you turned my boi into glass.

O.O

OoO he’s Glassio now

“Wow.” Alter Ego said, “That’s fascinating. And maybe not safe.”

Kokichi immediately withdrew his paw--and influence--his fur puffed, while Doppio choked, hiding behind his pillow a little. 

“Uh!” he stuttered, “Y-yeah, I’d prefer not to…y-you know, be even less human than I am.”

“Sorry,” Kokichi said, ducking his head a little. “We don’t want to change the make-up of your body either, Doppio. Though…hm.”

It was difficult. Because…there wasn’t really anything to reach out into. It was all just…there. Malleable, like Alter Ego said, no dusty streets or flooded corridors to search out into… 

“Maybe…we could try finding a connection to your father through you? If there’s a lasting one. And maybe through that, we could…” Kokichi trailed off, seeing how Doppio’s eyes went wide and his face went pale. “...Doppio, we wouldn’t hurt him, if that’s…”

“H-He doesn’t like being seen. I think that would extend to, like…mentally being seen too,” Doppio mumbled, clutching his pillow tightly. 

Alter Ego, who only somewhat understood the relationship, hummed a bit. “It actually might be easier keeping him from going out than keeping you from letting people in. Putting less of a defense and more of a guard in his mind that keeps him from reaching out to you… though, ethically, that’s maybe a little unkind. Perhaps a last option sort of thing.”

Looking to Kokichi, Alter Ego said, “What about trying to modify the Gardener? What do you think the odds are that Doppio’s body would try to replicate essentially smoke?”

…a last option, but…an option nonetheless. It felt…like cruelly taking away someone’s autonomy to bar their abilities. Like indefinitely keeping someone handcuffed. 

But limiting a person’s movements, like house arrest, was considered ethical by their laws. And if Doppio’s father would continue to use his abilities even after he was arrested, then…maybe Kokichi had a proposition to pose. 

Hm.

Swaying his tail, Kokichi considered the Gardener. “...that could work. The Gardener was conceived to be as unobtrusive as possible, while still effective, and it’s…supposed to be ‘around’ rather than ‘be’. I think that’d be a good shot, to try…”

For Doppio’s sake, Kokichi nodded at the teen. “It’s a type of defense Alter Ego and I have made before, that proved effective at keeping people out of a certain mind. It’s basically…just a fog or mist that sits in your mindscape, but is everywhere at once, so it can act anywhere, always. We would have to modify it for what it’s meant to keep out…but I believe it could work for you.”

Doppio glanced nervously at Amaina, before a small, strained giggle escaped him. “...if it doesn’t actually make my body a gas… P-people have called me an airhead so…n-no difference there.”

Whiskers drooping, Kokichi stood up on the boogie board and…looked nervously off it. Gently, the board started bobbing towards Doppio, until Kokichi was near enough to put a gentle paw on his arm. “...we won’t do it if you’re not comfortable. This isn’t the last option, Doppio…”

Tilting his head a little, Kokichi softly pressed his cold nose to Doppio’s arm as well. “...why would you call yourself dumb? Everything Kai-chan has told me paints you to be clever and intuitive…not to mention what I’ve seen for myself. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or out of your depth…that’s not you lacking anything. This is just--”

“It feels hard ‘cause it is,” Doppio murmured, snorting softly. 

Kokichi’s whiskers twitched up as he rubbed along Doppio’s arm. “Spot on.”

Doppio sighed softly. “...sure. You can try. I just… I just don’t want him to possess me again. I don’t want to put people in more danger…”

“Good. It’ll have to be done, at least partly, in the physical world,” Alter Ego explained, “And we have to get your birth stone held by Maki for a while, then crushed and painted on your body. Kokichi and I can attempt to do the internal part by ourselves, but a third person would be ideal–”

OoO fine yes of course i’ll do it don’t beg it’s disturbing

Alter Ego hesitated, before saying somewhat uncertainly, “Well… perhaps if your empath would be willing to volunteer? I’m not sure that’s something you can do as a chibi by yourself, Amaina.”

O.O

OoO don’t test me pussy cat I got P O W E R for daaaaaays

“Still, we’ll talk to her about it, or a third empath we know,” Alter Ego said, “That should make it powerful and comprehensive.”

OoO can’t we just ask the princess?? 

O.O she’s got more juice than all of you

“...the literal infant?” Alter Ego said, blanching a bit, “No. That won’t work. Otherwise, how soon should we attempt to do this? How urgent is this?”

Kokichi nodded, his tail curling protectively around Doppio’s side. “We still have some supplies for the paint medium, so that should work, and…let’s see, Doppio, was the birthday you gave CPS something around when you were actually born? I suppose we could just find a stone that would be able to store power well, but…”

“No, it is,” Doppio nodded. 

“Mm, okay. Then that’s…” Kokichi snorted. “Amethyst. I’ll ask Kai-chan about getting a piece, or one of my friends… Man, everyone has easier birthstones to get than me, huh?”

Kokichi…decided not to respond to Amaina, since Alter Ego had shut it down. Even that might be enough for Doppio to put it together, he was clever enough, but…while Kokichi had exposed his own secret, he still wanted to shield his daughter as much as he could. 

Turning to Alter Ego, Kokichi was about to explain, when Doppio made a small, distressed sound. The atmosphere of his mood not changing the scenery around them much, but filling the room with an oppressive, frightening air. 

“Soon,” Doppio pleaded. “My dad… He threatened Maki’s son today, and…” A flash of fear in his eyes, as he looked at Kokichi. “A-and if you guys are looking for him…he might get scared, and try to kill me more obviously.”

“Ah, I see…” Alter Ego’s tail twitched, before looking to Kokichi, “We need to give Maki time with it. Can you send Kaito out tonight? Now?”

“...I don’t think anywhere’s going to be open, this time of night,” Kokichi regretfully sighed, “And if Maki needs a whole day…” He butted Doppio’s leg, pressing against the teen. “We’ve been talking about how to protect you, and make sure your father doesn’t hurt anyone else either. Do you think you could…shit, Friday’s the start of Atua’s week…”

Contemplating the timing, Kokichi shook his head a little. “...Alter Ego, do you celebrate?”

“Not particularly,” Alter Ego said, feeling like considering the circumstances, Kaito could probably find an amethyst somewhere if he had to, “Most of the rituals are physical in some way. I can do the prayers, of course, but those don’t tend to take all day.”

“Okay,” Kokichi nodded, taking that in. Laughing softly. “Almost feels fitting… Alright. Doppio, do you think we could do it Friday night? We could get the stone first thing tomorrow morning, give it to Maki, and…well, there’s an Atuan holiday that starts on Friday, so I wouldn’t be able to help during the day, but that night I would be free to help you with the physical aspect, as much as you’re comfortable.”

Looking to the rest of them, he cocked his head. “Would that work?”

Doppio furrowed his brows. “The…physical stuff is painting me, right? I-I can just…do that myself.”

“We can give you a blueprint of what it's meant to look like, though it might be easier on you to have someone help you.” Alter Ego said, “Though thankfully it is all meant to be on your front. Your stomach, for the most part. It sounds like this is a plan.”

OoO i mean worse comes to worst one of you physical types can devour him

O.O really seems to be an underutilized function of having a body, just eating a guy

OoO physical people don’t know how eeeaaasy they have it!!!

Kokichi snorted softly, snickering as his tail flicked. “Perhaps, but we still have to worry about prions, Amaina-chan. I’m not very approving about one of us sacrificing ourselves to immobilize Doppio’s father.”

Pressing against the teen, he purred softly. “...if we can solve this all peacefully? That’s the goal I’m aiming for.”

Doppio shrank a little, pressing his face into his pillow. “...thank you, Prince Kokichi.”

-

Kaito woke up to small, light kisses pressing against his neck. “Hm?”

“Morning,” Shuichi hummed into his neck, hand tracing against Kaito’s side. Fingers exploring the hard lines of his adonis belt.

“Morning…” Kaito whispered, instinctively wrapping his arms around Shuichi, sighing softly at the kisses… before he blinked blearily in confusion, waking up a little. “It’s not my birthday, is it?”

Shuichi rolled his eyes. “No. I just woke up this morning and thought you looked cute. Which does happen more often than just your birthday.”

Kaito was actually fairly certain it didn’t, at least not first thing like this. Not that he could blame one of his husbands waking up and feeling frisky, but… “Kokichi’s still asleep?” Kaito asked, glancing past Shuichi, where Kokichi was sleeping on Shuichi’s other side. “We don’t want to wake him up.”

“We could go into the bathroom,” Shuichi murmured, kissing Kaito’s jaw, causing him to shiver, “The closet? Your shrine…?”

Kaito sighed, closing his eyes, feeling sleep calling him again. “Sorry, handsome, shouldn’t leave Miyako alone with Kokichi without at least warning him. Wouldn’t be fair.”

“Then we wake him up and tell him?”

“‘Kichi’s been working hard, shouldn’t wake him up either,” Kaito murmured sleepily, before chuckling lowly when Shuichi huffed, thumping his forehead into Kaito’s shoulder. “Don’t pout. It’s, like, seven in the morning, how pent up could you be?”

“...”

“I can literally feel you pouting against my skin,” Kaito sighed, opening his eyes and looking down at Shuichi, who was indeed pouting, “What’s up, what’s happening, handsome?”

“...” Shuichi pouted some more, before looking away. “Don’t make me say you’ve been too busy to pay attention to me because of the baby. I’ll sound insane.”

Kaito snorted. Hugging Shuichi tighter, sighing into his hair. “Awww, oh no… haven’t been pampering my Shuichi like I’m supposed to? ‘M sorry…”

“It used to be I had to chase you off with a stick,” Shuichi continued to pout, “Now it feels like you barely glance at me. You don’t even get riled up when I do this.”

“I am…” Kaito yawned, eyes still closed, “So riled up. You don’t even know.”

“Shut up.”

“No, I really am,” Kaito murmured sleepily, “Definitely gonna….” another yawn, “give me some wet dream or something. My Shuichi being cute and sexy and pouty… ‘s just a bad time, Shuichi. That’s all.”

Shuichi huffed. Kaito opened one eye, looking down at him. “...look, if you can promise me it’s not gonna take long, I’ll follow you into the closet and we’ll get you sorted out.”

Shuichi grumbled. Kaito sighed again. This felt like one of those lose/lose moods. Well, let’s try again… “Come on, handsome, I want to now, okay? Let’s go to the closet and real quick I’ll make my Shuichi gasp and whimper–”

“I wanted you to want this,” Shuichi mumbled, “You’ve been so down lately. And you only focus on the baby. I thought you’d get excited.”

“Okay, okay, let’s just talk, alright?” Kaito decided, settling back down, his arms still around Shuichi. “What’s wrong, handsome. You worried about me?”

“Maybe…”

“I am a-okay. I’m sorry I’ve been grumpy and distracted. Your Kaito got really caught up and obsessed with the kids and is still trying to figure out what stepping back and calming down looks like. I’m sorry, I’m sure it hasn’t been much fun to watch.” Kaito said, kissing Shuichi’s temple,  “And it’s been making me think about how I treat you guys too. That maybe a lot of things I’ve been doing aren’t okay… I’m just trying to take a step back and figure things out.”

“Things like what?” Shuichi asked.

“Like…” Kaito frowned, “Like telling you guys you’re… doing well? Or complimenting you a lot, or stuff like that, is, like… undermining you? And you’re right to be… unhappy? Without me trying to force you to be happy? Stuff like that.”

“What?” Shuichi asked, looking up at Kaito in confusion, “What brought that on?”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s super a thing I do. Both in big and small ways. Like… like losing it on you and Kokichi when you guys get suicidal and stuff. Trying to, like, intimidate you into stopping. And smaller things, like… well, just a bunch of small stuff,” Kaito finished uncomfortably, “I just… I’m controlling. Is what I’m starting to realize. And I just kinda need to take a step back and figure out what that means. So I’m trying to do that.”

“By obsessing over the one family member that can’t talk back to you?” Shuichi asked dryly.

“Oh, come on, like our Miya isn’t a little bully herself.” Kaito scoffed. “No, I just… It’s good to focus all my energy on something while I’m trying to work out my controlling tendencies. Be less controlling, that’s the goal~” Kaito said, forcing some chipperness into his tone, “Less telling you guys how you should feel! And stuff!”

“I think maybe you’re doing one of your Kaito things and obsessing over an imaginary problem,” Shuichi murmured, “Or at least a problem that’s not as bad as you think it is. But I also know the more I say that, the more you’ll dig in your heels and worry about it, so, fine. Get this out of your system. But I’d like to have you back sooner rather than later, just so we’re clear.”

“Mmm. Duly noted,” Kaito whispered, closing his eyes. “...though now I do really kinda want to give you a blowjob.”

“You’ve ruined the mood.”

“Get a little bit of tasty Shuichi dick~”

“Ew, Kaito. It’s not ‘tasty’.”

“It is literally one of the few dicks in existence that actually kinda is. Still kinda tastes like honey~ wanna swallow it down.”

“Kaito.”

-

Doppio felt kind of frustrated with himself, but after he woke up the next morning…he really didn’t want Arven to go to school. Or, not really that, but…he didn’t want Arven to leave him. If he could just…hug his boyfriend and snuggle between him and Chief all day, that sounded kind of perfect. 

Maybe some of that was the dehydration headache, though, because if he could push past that surge of neediness with an eye roll, Doppio wanted to make sure Arven made it to every day of school that he could. For all the regular reasons of Arven being brilliant and deserving every chance to hone that, but also specifically that Thursday since…well. They had plans. 

And as the afternoon rolled around and Doppio walked to Mid-Valley High as usual, he took a small breath before walking past the retaining wall, looking for Arven in the courtyard so they could head to…wherever it was the dance competition was being held. Where… Well, where Doppio didn’t need to try and be sociable and make friends, Dr. Mariah’s advice had just been to be there and make the prospect less daunting, but…he did know that was the eventual goal. 

Finding other people to relate to. Even being…an idea of a person. Which he had learned in an instant last night still didn’t make him entirely unique, being a new concept of a human, but…still…

…ugh, his skin had stopped crawling hours ago, but just the idea of his mind being naked was--

“O-oph!” Doppio grunted, blinking as he stumbled back, having run into someone while he was lost in his head. “Oh, s-sorry!”

A tall, bulky, square… fella? Looked behind themselves and down at Doppio. Down at Doppio. Their large mass making them a bit of a tower of a person, as they peered down at him behind thick, round glasses that seemed to always catch the light in just the right angle to make their actual eyes near impossible to discern. Their size made it difficult to tell their age.

When they turned around, face height Doppio was met with a small, yellow skinned, blue haired puppet, with a lazy, sweet expression on its face. The ‘puppet’ saying, “No worries, friend. Here for the dance?”

Doppio blinked, looking between the person and the puppet, unsure…which he should address. Deciding to just split the difference and look between both as he spoke, Doppio nodded. “U-uh, yeah. I’m, uh, here to watch the competition with my boyfriend. We, uh, were going to meet out here, but…”

Flushing lightly, Doppio gave the person and the puppet a sheepish look. “Guess I got distracted. Sorry about that. Are…you going too?”

The puppet nodded, somehow seeming to brighten with delight, despite being entirely unable to change his expression. “Oh, pink hair, kind of look like Trish… you’re the famous Doppio, aren’t you? Arven’s new flame. Am I right? He may have gotten recruited to help move furniture out of the stage room, the drama club was rehearsing and didn’t clear the stage. Nemona's been dragging anyone unlucky enough to be close into helping setup. Here, follow me, I’ll bring you to where they’re storing the furniture, neighbor.”

The person flicked their fingers. The puppet waved his hand in a gesture for Doppio to follow, as they headed further into the school, passing by a few milling about students. “And, yep, I’m going. Got a friend who’s real into dancing, figured I’d come support them. I’m Wally, by the way. The big guy puppeteering me is Clay. Don’t mind them, they don’t talk much.”

“F-famous?!” Sure, Arven had told him that people had gotten hyped up asking about him, but…Doppio had sort of assumed it was just a momentary wave of gossip…a-and contained to Arven’s class. Not that…the whole school? Knew about Arven’s love life, and who Doppio was and…that he looked like that girl in Arven’s class? Which Doppio didn’t…totally see, but…

Sighing and burning red, Doppio gave, er, Wally and Clay a nod. “Yeah, that’s me--it’s nice to meet you two. And, um, thanks. I don’t go here so I probably would’ve just waited around until Arven found me.”

Following Clay into the school, Doppio had idly looked over the people they passed--after one incident, it’d be better to put more effort into not running into anyone else--but as he caught a few stares, Doppio kept his gaze forward, only turning redder. “I, uh, suppose I’d find out when it starts, but…are dance-offs like this a regular thing? I thought a lot of, like…competitive stuff was kinda built up, like a…later in the school year, type of thing. Is this more of a…students really doing their own thing, rather than something set up by the school so, um…it can happen whenever? And…I guess it’d be a good promotional thing, if there was a club associated…”

“The second one~” Wally said, his voice almost musical in its gentle softness, “There’s various dance clubs associated with the school, for different types of dance, along with of course more than a few different music playing groups; a lot of independent bands among the students looking for a place to perform, sort of thing. So all the different clubs like to bond and show off what they’ve been working on by setting up events like these every now and again. I think it’s quarterly, though it can feel a little random sometimes. Still, doesn’t seem to matter, they’re never hurting for eager participants.”

As they led Doppio into the ‘stage room’, which actually seemed to be a mostly empty space with mirrored walls and smooth, wooden flooring, it became pretty obvious quickly that the area was meant to be more of a setup for practice performances, rather than an actual stage with a seated audience. There were bars on the walls that allowed for physical stretching, and large doors that peeked into storage areas. It was a practice area, but it was filled with students standing around and chatting, comfortably existing in the informal space, some helping set up instruments in the corner and some still moving the last of the stage props away.

Arven, wiping his forehead, his button up shirt off and tied around his waist and wearing a tank-top, his vest laid against the wall in a corner, stepped out of the storage room, looking around… before brightening up when he saw Doppio. Giving him a wave. 

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Doppio,” Wally said, holding out his small felt hand for Doppio to shake, “Don’t be a stranger if you see me around. Though, if you see any of my friends with Clay here, say hi, I’ll be sure to tell them to keep an eye out for you.”

“Oh, that’s pretty cool,” Doppio hummed. Maybe the type of chaos Arven had described school being, students doing their own thing outside of official regiment…but that sort of self-direction didn’t have to be chaos. And considering that it was a competition that organized several different clubs, and not just dance ones…that was pretty impressive. Getting large groups of people on the same page was always a monumental undertaking. “That kind of reminds me of, um, cultural showcases, during festivals… That’s neat, that the clubs are setting it up themselves.”

As they got to…the room they were heading for, Doppio assumed, he broke his nervous forward gaze to look around in awe. Sure, he knew schools were well-funded…but this was incredible! Practical while still aesthetically pleasant, large and clean, even with the clutter of items, and just…

(｡♥☉⌂☉♥｡)

Holy shit. 

Bright red and absolutely staring, Doppio felt his heart start to rapidly thud in his chest, as he took in…wow. Wow. 

(He absolutely did, shaking Wally’s puppet hand and returning the ‘nice to meet you’s, thanking him and Clay for their help again, but Doppio didn’t remember literally any of it by the time he shuffled over to Arven.)

“Ciao, bello,” Doppio said softly, eyes stuck on Arven’s exposed biceps.

Arven grinned, his gaze following Doppio’s and realizing where he was looking, flustered a little, rubbing his arm in a slightly pleased act of self-consciousness. “Hey. Sorry, Nemona caught me and before I knew it, I was hefting a bunch of overly fancy chairs. We just finished up, for the most part.”

“What? I didn’t force you into anything, you volunteered!” Nemona insisted, hopping out of the storage room and, also half dressed due to excessive sweating, grinned fiercely at Doppio. “Hey, you’re here! Arven said you were coming! I don’t think we’ve properly met yet! I’m Arven’s friend, Nemona! Nice to meet you!” Nemona shouted, reaching over to thump Doppio in the shoulder, saying boisterously, “Arven won’t stop gushing about you!”

Arven rolled his eyes, his face red. “You’ve come up, like, once.”

“A day, maybe.” Nemona snickered.

“No, it’s fine,” Doppio shook his head a little, still ogling. Wow… Arven’s clavicle was looking very kissable. All exposed and with a slight sheen of sweat… “Um, Wally and Clay were really nice and, uh, obviously, showed me over here. This place is a lot bigger than it looks from the front.”

Honestly, Doppio could keep staring at Arven all day…so maybe it was to all their benefit that he stumbled, staggering to the side with a small, “Weeeehh,” as Nemona clapped him on the shoulder, breaking his lovestruck haze. And he blinked a few times, before offering a small wave. “Nice to meet you, Nemona. Um… I’m Doppio, uh…”

Giving Arven a sheepish, awkward smile on a red face, Doppio rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I…guess word spreads fast around here, huh? I mean, I guess I did come with you on Monday, but…uh…still. People seem very…aware.”

“Well, yeah, Arven’s a sort of celebrity around here,” Nemona said, looking surprised Doppio wouldn’t realize that.

Arven rolled his eyes. “No I’m not.”

“He’s been doing the edgy mysterious loner schtick for so long that hearing he’s actually dating someone? And, like… openly thinking someone’s cool? And spending time with them?” Nemona said, looking to Arven, grinning as he shot her an annoyed look back, “Eyyyy, I knew you had it in you, Arven! He’s cute too! About time you gave someone a shot! Think you’ll stick around here long enough to actually finish a year for once, for him?”

“I’m going to skip a month just to annoy you,” Arven swore. “I’ll do a full year over my cold, dead body.”

“We’ll see! Love changes a person~” Nemona sighed… before laughing loudly, “Well, that’s what I hear, anyway! You guys going to dance today!?”

???!!

Damnit, Doppio knew he was a heartbreaker!

Though, uh, hearing he was dating a celebrity--if only in the context of a particular school system--was…a-a little daunting… Not that it’d scare him away from Arven, of course (that’d be ridiculous, for everything they’d been through, and if Arven could deal with being tailed by a hitman, Doppio could deal with teen-focused fame) but…uh, well, it did explain some of the looks he’d gotten…

Flushing a little more as Nemona called him cute--and a reason for Arven to stay around more for school--Doppio started to nod, before her question caught up with him and he shook his head, brows furrowing a little in confusion. “Um…we’re gonna watch the competition, yeah, but not…actually dancing. …r-right?”

That wasn’t something they had discussed at all, and honestly the two of them had both admitted to not being dancers in their own right so… Doppio glanced over to Arven, hoping he hadn’t missed some implicit plan.

Arven nodded, not missing a beat as he said, “We’re gonna wallflower it. Honestly, we may not even cheer. We’re here to people watch first and foremost.”

Nemona stuck her tongue out. “Blegh. Don’t be a bad influence on your boyfriend here, Arven. You’re here anyway, have fun with it! We should be starting soon, seems like a good amount of people are here.” Nemona grinned, looking around, before pointing dramatically at Doppio. “When I go up to dance, you better cheer REAL loud for me, got it Doppio!?”

“E-eh?” Doppio squeaked, startling a little at being pointed at. He had been half banking on, er, wallflowering it, just trying not to stand out, which…he had thought would be pretty easy, considering there was a whole event that people would be paying attention to. But, uh…that was a real forceful expectation… “U-uh, sure, Nemona… Um, good luck?”

There really were a lot of people around. Some people more obviously part of the performance aspect, people tuning instruments or going over what Doppio could only assume was sheet music, likely the different bands or music clubs Wally had spoken of, and others Doppio guessed were spectators, sitting against the walls and chatting amongst themselves. Some Doppio even vaguely recognized as students in Doppio’s class, while…um…

Doppio blinked, catching sight of…well, he could admit, a very familiar shade of pink…but…

Putting a gentle hand on Arven’s shoulder, Doppio offered his boyfriend a small smile. “Do you wanna go snag a space, or is there still more stuff you need to move? I-I could help out, if it’d be more trips.”

“Let’s find somewhere to settle in, I’m not even part of any of these clubs, I’m not about to put my boyfriend to work for them.” Arven scoffed, matching Nemona’s stinkeye with one of his own, before taking Doppio’s hand. “Come on.”

“Remember! Loud cheers!” Nemona called out, before looking around, “...hey, you! You look strong, you ready to move the last of these things? Come on, time to be a team player!”

As Nemona focused on her next victim, Arven smirked, shaking his head a little, before looking around. “How about over there? Wanna be corner lurkers?”

Smiling softly, just a bit tickled by, like…all of that, Doppio gave Arven’s hand a squeeze. Ah, that was better. It wasn’t like Doppio considered his hands to be particularly lonely during the day--that was kind of a weird thought, honestly--but…this was good. Hand in hand once again. 

Looking over to where Arven indicated, Doppio nodded before smirking a little, pressing his shoulder to Arven’s. “Looks good to me. I’ve been pretty fond of corners myself but I’d like to hear any reasons you might prefer them. Yanno, just to know. ‘N stuff.”

Was his brain a little stuck on the fact Arven was still just in his undershirt, and looking very good in it? Maybe.

Arven raised an eyebrow, no idea what the heck Doppio was on about… but wanting to play along, because his boyfriend was being super cute, he grinned as he tried to think on the fly. “Well, you know… for two people, corners of a room are nice, because with the… spacing? Kind of tucks us in together, doesn’t it? Walls literally pushing us together. I don’t know what you were doing in corners pre-me, but getting to lean against you is the main benefit I can think of.”

Arven said this all pretty smoothly… before he snorted. Face turning a little red, a little embarrassed, as they settled into the corner. Arven leaning against the wall as he stared into Doppio’s eyes, grinning crookedly. “Sorry, too goofy?”

Oh no…that was really cute…

Doppio giggled delightedly, cheeks pink as he looked absolutely chuffed by Arven playing along. Along to what, well…honestly Doppio wasn’t even that sure of himself, but…he didn’t really care. No one expected anything particularly intellectual from him anyway, and just…chatting with Arven like this was nice. Spending time together, being cute…

Settling in against the adjacent wall, Doppio gave Arven’s hand another squeeze. “Not in the slightest. …gah,” he chuckled, ducking his head into his shoulders a little. “...Gah. you’re cute. I really missed you today.”

Arven’s grin widened, butterflies in his stomach. “Am I? Heh… I missed you too…”

“Hey, shorty!”

Arven immediately rolled his eyes. Not because he was used to being called ‘shorty’, but because he was now painfully used to this word coming out of this person’s mouth, as he said, “Trish, you are literally the same size as him.”

“I need another look at this apparently short, male version of me,” Trish said, ignoring Arven, as she put her hands on her hips, leaning in to peer at Doppio, “...I just don’t see it. How the heck does everyone say we look alike? Just because of the hair?”

“Trish, didn’t you start that gossip?” Arven asked.

“To mess with you. I wasn’t expecting the whole school to agree.” Trish scoffed, looking Doppio over… before asserting, “He’s way thinner than me.”

“Trish, he’s covered in clothes, for all you know he’s swole under there,” Arven said, knowing exactly what Trish meant by ‘thinner’. She was very proud of the muscles she had developed over the last few years, it had become part of her identity.

They were there to, if not participate, then at least pay attention to a school event, but Doppio would be more than happy just to spend the rest of the afternoon staring in Arven’s e--

“E-eh?!” Doppio squeaked, blinking as, uh…oh, Trish was…suddenly beside them. Struggling to keep up as, rapid fire, he was called short and…the subject of gossip and thin…

(...her eyes really were…something.)

Grimacing a bit, Doppio shrank back and picked at his collar, uncomfortable being put under such a scrutinizing gaze. “Uh, I mean…that’s fine, if I’m thinner or whatever… I-It probably is just the hair…”

(...and the rounded shape at least for the lower parts of their eyes, even if Trish’s gaze was much sharper. The straight, defined bridge of their noses. …maybe even the freckling he could see on her shoulders…)

(...it was weird, though. She did look so familiar, in a way that made his stomach swoop in nerves and…painful, longing nostalgia, but…not in a way like looking in a mirror would.)

Tapping his fingers together nervously, Doppio glanced around, before nodding in Trish’s direction, a little too intimidated to meet her (striking) eyes. “Um, hi Trish. Are you here to watch the dance-off too?”

“I’m here to win it, small-fry,” Trish said confidently, crossing her arms and squaring her shoulders as she leaned into an obvious pose, a type of ‘casual’ so clearly unnatural that it looked like she might break her spine if she happened to get jostled in any way. But despite how uncomfortable it looked, she seemed perfectly happy with it, as she said, “Me and my dance group are competing, but I’m also going to do the single rounds and prove I’m the best of the best!”

“Doesn’t Ren always end up winning these things?” Arven asked, “I hear the Personas are impossible to beat.”

“Tsk, that joker?” Trish scoffed, untangling herself from her pose, “He’s a junior now, which means he’s swamped in work! I bet he hasn’t been practicing, so now it’s time for an underclassman to swoop in and knock him from his throne!”

“Yeah? We’ll see. What about Nemona? I hear she’s great at singles,” Arven pointed out. “Plus, people love supporting the president.”

“Yeah, about that,” Trish said, focusing on Doppio again and pointing at him, “When I square off against Nemona, I better hear you cheer for me. Got it, squirt?”

“You are literally the exact same size,” Arven pointed out again dryly, “And stop trying to terrorize the judges. We’re not afraid of you.”

(...???)

(What the hell, even this…?)

“Oh, good luck, then!” Doppio softly encouraged, though he took a metaphorical step back in the conversation as Arven and Trish talked about, uh…school social politics, he supposed. It was a little hard to keep up with, but…

“S-sure?” Doppio nodded, looking at Trish’s point towards him, back in a very similar position. “Though, uh, Nemona already asked me to cheer for her. I’m not…uh, really sure I’m qualified,” and hearing Arven call them ‘judges’ just made Doppio sweat a bit, “To…really know what good dancing looks like… But I’ll cheer, sure.”

“Playing the whole field, huh? Gotta respect that~” A tall red-head sauntered over, a sly smirk on his face. “When Trish and Nemona face off in singles? I’d bet we’d even get a noise complaint out here. You lovely ladies really know how to shake. Add in Daisy too, if they haven’t disqualified her from throttling Fiora’s head off during their duos segment?”

“Ah~” he chuckled, putting a hand to his chest. “Now I’m looking forward to that.”

Arven, as Josie approached, glanced up at the tall, handsome, notoriously flirty senior, kind of noticing these things about him for the first time in their school time together… and put his hand around Doppio’s waist, slightly pulling him closer.

Trish, in turn, smirked, sort of dipping back into another strange, slightly painful looking pose, as she said, “Now here’s someone I’m glad I’m not going up against. You’re still banned, right Josie?”

“The school’s usually pretty good about letting dancers get a little risque in their dance routines,” Arven explained quietly to Doppio, “And this guy still managed to get himself banned for it, for context.”

Doppio blinked, glancing over at Arven, but settled comfortably against his boyfriend, happy with the sudden closeness. …even if the spur for it seemed a little out of the blue. 

In turn, Josie dramatically sighed, leaning back a little as he laced his hands behind his head. “People are so picky about art these days. Could you believe it? I think the stuffed-shirts were actually going to let me compete again for my last year, but Irene demanded that I not scar the freshies. Done in by my own friends, tragic.”

It didn’t seem like he was too put out, though, as he dropped his arms with a light-hearted chuckle and leaned towards Trish a little, giving her an alligator grin. “Though, if you’re looking for more competition after this? I’d be happy to go head-to-head with you, Trish. You know, maybe do a little horizontal tango, let our bodies speak for themse--”

“JOSIE!” An affronted gasp came from another red head, a girl with short hair in a lighter shade as she, er, loudly interrupted the senior. “Cease your harassment of the underclassmen at once! You have already lost your privileges of competition due to lack of decorum once, that is not invitation to push the envelope further!”

While he jumped a little at the volume by the newcomer…ah. He understood. Doppio gave Arven a little enlightened nod. 

Turning slightly with a smile, Josie offered the other girl a lazy wave. “Fi, I’m just saying hi. Look, we’ve even got a newcomer--you want everyone to feel greeted, don’t’cha?”

Doppio’s eyes went a little ‘deer in carriage-lights’ as the girl let out another gasp, this time looking a little worried. 

“Oh, do forgive my tardiness, I did not intend to ignore your presence!” Drawing herself up, she put a hand on her chest, bowing her head a little before proudly (and loudly) declaring, “I AM FIORA VON AEGIR!! It is a monumental pleasure to make your acquaintance! You are Doppio, yes?”

Smiling sunnily at Arven, she gave him a nod as well. “It is most wonderful for you to invite your paramore to school functions, Arven! It is with my greatest wishes that you both find enjoyment in the showcase!”

Doppio just continued staring, visibly blue-screening.

Arven glanced at Doppio, held him a little tighter around the waist, before saying dryly, “You all are gonna give my guy here a conniption at this rate. When is this show starting anyway, we’re just here to be looky-loos and to make fun of you.”

“Same.” Penny said.

“Gah!” Arven gasped, looking down at his feet, where Penny was sitting, reading a book. “How long have you been there!?”

“Die wondering about it.” Penny said.

“Hey! We’re getting started soon, people! Find your positions! Band, hey, band! You guys ready!?” Nemona called, frowning as she tried to listen through the noise of the crowd, “What? What!? Nevermind, hold on, I’m coming to you!”

Nemona pushed through the crowd to go talk to the band at the opposite end of the room, while meanwhile someone finished messing with the lights at the top of the ladder. Shouting to flip the switch, the room was suddenly bathed in soft red light, then blue, then green… “Hell yeah, mood lighting a go!” the amature technician shouted, hopping off the ladder, his friend helping him put it away.

Crossing her arms with a frown--before glancing down and seeming to hesitate, for a moment loosening her position to try and figure out what to do with her arms--Fiora lectured, “That is most unsportsmanship-like, Arven, and a poor show of social comrad - oh, dear…”

Cringing a little as Nemona called for the contestants to take their places, Fiora gave the others a small parting nod before heading off, stressedly muttering about hoping she wasn’t pissing Daisy off by being late, while Josie just laughed and headed off back to his own friends with a wink. Grinning a little wider at Arven and Doppio as the lights dimmed and saying, “You two have fun~”

With a little more space and…less direct lighting, Doppio let go of a little breath, glancing down at Penny before shifting to the side, more against Arven. “...you, uh…really do know everyone in this school, huh…”

“I remember watching Josie declare to everyone in the playground that he could aim a kickball off the wall to hit his own face,” Arven said, settling back into the wall with Doppio, “Knocked out both of his front teeth. Spoke with a lisp for months. It’s easy to know everyone when you’ve been going to the same school district your whole lives.”

“People do move in and out,” Penny added in, not looking up.

“Well, yeah, obviously.” Arven frowned. “But still, the bulk of the kids are all the same. Like, admittedly, Trish only showed up, what… first year of middle school? Remember back when she was shy and sweet? What happened to that Trish?”

“Her time with the Rabbits was not good for her,” Penny agreed, flipping a page, “Though at least she figured out for herself what a bunch of jackasses those guys are.”

“Mmhm.” Arven hummed, looking to Doppio, “You okay? I know that was kind of a lot.”

Admittedly, Doppio had a hard time picturing the provocative guy he’d just met with someone who’d punch themself in the face with a ball on purpose…but he guessed that was part of the point Arven was making. For a lot of people in the central Usott area, they’d been together long enough to see each other grow from tiny dumb kids to…less small dumb kids. 

With every mistake along the way, like…joining a group of bullies, Doppio guessed. 

Sighing softly, Doppio shrugged, giving Arven an awkward smile. “I mean, yeah. I’m just…not really used to that… This? Sort of thing. A lot of people talking at once and…stuff.” Sighing and shrugging again, he rubbed his wrist. “I guess that’s kind of the point of Mariah telling me to do something like this, though. To get more used to it.”

Across the room, music started to swell, the intro making it clear that this was going to be a medley of sorts. The band accommodating for all the different styles of dancing the various clubs were based around.

“Yeah, though… it’s kind of nice, seeing people get excited to see you,” Arven admitted, “A part of me was worried we’d come here and people would pretend like you didn’t exist. I’m not good at being social myself, I wasn’t sure how I was going to, you know… introduce you to people.”

“Poorly, probably.” Penny said.

“Penny, you could sit literally anywhere else.”

“I was here first.”

“...were you??”

“Alright, alright, alright!” Nemona called from the center area, “Everyone ready! Let’s give it up for our MC of the night, Monokid!!”

Penny and Arven both groaned at the same time, before Arven grumbled, “Who the hell  okayed this? Haven’t all the clubs kicked him out?”

“Way I hear it, they picked him because he impartially hates all of them.” Penny sighed, “And also apparently he’s pretty good at running games.”

A freshman with a stark, spiky mass of white and blue hair bounced out into the center of the room, holding a guitar and shouting, “ALRIIIIIGHT! ALL YOU DUMBASSES AND DIPSHITS READY!? FUCK YEAH! WE’RE GONNA LET ALL THE DANCERS DANCE FIRST TO SHAKE THE DUST OUTTTA THOSE COOCHIES AND GET EM AlLLLL WARMED UP! IF YOU’RE TAKING BETS, NOW’S THE TIME TO SCOPE OUT THE WEAK BIIITCHES!! IF YOU’RE COMPETING TONIGHT, GET THE HELL OUT HERE, SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT!”

The music picked up, and about a quarter of the room headed to the center, people dancing even just getting into place. Trish, at first nowhere to be seen, suddenly flipped out of the crowd, alongside four other girls, the five coordinated dancing, and almost seemingly in response to them, a group of five boys started doing the same on the other side. Clay was out there, though he wasn’t moving much, beyond what he needed to to walk around a puppet with long blond hair, who was dancing wildly. 

It was chaotic and disjointed, but people were already getting into it, a lot of the nonparticipants swaying and dancing in the circled audience around the competitors, a party atmosphere warming everyone up. 

“Who are you here for anyway, Penny?” Arven asked.

Penny nodded in a direction. A young man was breakdancing, his dark hair already wild from his flipping and spinning around. “Giacomo.”

“Ah,” Arven said, nodding.

Doppio didn’t think he’d be that upset about people pretending like he didn’t exist, honestly. In…some ways, he kind of preferred that, over…practically everyone in the school, it seemed like, knowing his name and that he was dating Arven and…that he looked like Trish, apparently. For someone whose greatest social conversations came from market vendors he frequented for however many months he and Boss stayed in a town, it was…weird. That people already sort of knew him, and, like…wanted to greet him. Were excited. 

(...he didn’t understand what they were excited about, really. Doppio wasn’t all that interesting.)

Looping his arm around Arven’s waist as well, now, Doppio raised an eyebrow at their synchronous groan. Sure…that was kind of an unfortunate name--he could be remembering wrong, but…that was kind of similar to the cultist that still had a warrant out, wasn’t it?--but…

Oh.

“...that’s certainly a way to gather attention,” he mumbled. But as the dancers started…well, dancing? From synchronous groups to pairs doing little jives, to people going solo, it seemed, grooving to their own beat, even with the accompanying music… And even in the crowd, too. As chaotic as it all was, Doppio couldn’t help smiling softly, seeing everyone’s obvious enjoyment. Pretty exemplified by a short girl with long blond hair almost stealing part of the show within the audience, doing little twirls, sometimes with the boy beside her whenever there was a little extra room from the participants. 

…well, Angioletto? Gonna put ‘em all to shame?

-_-

O.O

OuO

“Hey,” Arven heard someone whisper to each other, “Who’s the new girl with the blue hair?”

“Huh? Oh, wow… uh, no idea. She’s kind of cute though,” the friend whispered, shading her eyes from one of the streaming lights to get a better look, “She can dance too. Maybe she’s brand new? Otherwise I’d have definitely heard of her.”

Arven looked curiously. Oh yeah, look at that. Definitely a new person, with teal eyes and long, teal pigtails… really long pigtails… like if it was the size of her whole body– oh shit holy fuck. “Doppio, Doppio, look,” Arven whispered, pointing, sweat beading on his forehead, “Is that??”

Her whole body swayed into picture perfect, damn near professional movements, dancing and twirling on her feet so gracefully that, ha ha, sometimes it looked like her feet were barely touching the ground. And she moved without touching anyone else flawlessly, like she knew where the dancers around her were going to step before they did. Her short skirt bouncing off her hips and her long tie bouncing off her chest. 

(It was important to note, that she did not look like the girl Doppio, briefly, saw her become)

(But at the same time, she did not look entirely unlike that girl either)

But more than anything, her face was beaming. Excited to the point of serene. Clearly  in her element.

Doppio nodded slightly, looking on with amazement and pride. “...I think so, yeah,” he whispered back, though…there was no question to it for him, really. It had been some sort of idea in his head, about Amaina, like…flying over the dancers to join in, or weaving throughout them…and, well, he guessed she was doing that last thing, but… Wow. The power of POWER, he guessed. 

…she looked so happy. 

(The power of POWER was certainly something to behold, and it was within Amaina’s capabilities to change her form and project herself to a room full of people.)

(But the steady thrum of energy she had access to likely couldn’t hurt helping her maintain that.)

…though it did pose, er, a question at least, if not a problem. 

Sweating a little, Doppio glanced over at Arven with a strained smile. “...there’s no way she’d ever throw to not win, huh.”

“Darn it, angel,” Arven muttered, fretting for a moment… before he huffed, “She won’t throw the win, but… maybe I can tempt her to… damn it.”

It was humiliating. But he had to do it. Amaina was a total weirdo about just literally everything, but Arven couldn’t risk her getting known by the whole school, so… grasping Doppio’s hands, he said to him, “Don’t judge me too hard for this. I’m going in.”

Quickly stealing a kiss, Arven took a steadying breath,and headed out into the dance floor. 

Pushing his way through, ignoring the stares, Amaina was mid twirl when Arven reached out to ‘poke’ her. Briefly the tip of his finger went through, and he quickly adjusted. Thankfully, Amaina seemed to notice in that instance, adjusting her projection, before beaming excitedly at him. Opening her mouth– “Don’t say anything,” Arven whispered, not trusting her to remember that her voice was oddly musical, before holding out his hand warily, “Can I have this dance?”

Amaina looked gobsmacked, for a moment… before smiling brightly, she ‘took’ his hands. Matching him as, very, very poorly, Arven sorta swayed off beat, Amaina gamely matching his movements as he just sorta shuffled their arms back and forth, like two little kids learning how to dance.

Doppio gave Arven a confused look, not following at all what his plan was. Doppio…supposed it could work out, like…Amaina could just ‘disappear’ when…whatever happened when they were announcing the winners, and, yeah, that’d be kind of weird, and people would probably talk a lot about that mysterious dancer, which…wasn’t ideal, but…

“Good luck,” Doppio wished his boyfriend, returning the good luck kiss before he set him free to save their friend. In a sense. 

Which looked like…oh gods. Arven was dancing. 

Eyes widening, Doppio almost completely matched Amaina’s shocked expression, before his face went pink and he had to half cover his face. Shrinking into the wall as he covered his wobbly, delighted grin. Gaaaaah, how was his boyfriend so cute!!

There were quite a few other people watching the spectacle as well, including the boy the blond girl had been spinning with. A sort of spacy, but contentedly curious look floated onto his face, as he stared at the girl with the twin tails’ arm for a long moment…before he whispered to his companion. The blond pausing her dancing before whispering back. A sort of haughty, annoyed look crossing her face before she huffed, bringing him over to where Arven and Amaina were dancing. 

“Hey! Stripes!” she called, pouting a bit at Arven. “You suck! C’mon, you two can walk in a circle outside the competition space, leave dancing for the dancers!”

The boy shrugged, a spacy smile directed at the older teens. “Less space to be bumped into, on the outside,” he mentioned a little more quietly. 

If Arven was secretly a very good dancer, right now might be the moment where he stopped playing around, flipped his hair, and started pulling out the moves.

But he was not secretly a very good dancer. He was a teenager who genuinely couldn’t remember the last time he had danced. Did Amaina dancing on his head count? No, probably not. 

Besides this was, sorta, exactly what he had wanted, as he huffed, freeing one hand to flip the two the bird, before whispering, “Come on, we can go dance with Doppio–OH!” 

Kaito had once explained to Kokichi that a really good dancer could practically dance their partner for them. Amaina was a very good dancer, as Arven suddenly found himself spinning, dipped, swung around, before safely stopped… and then Amaina turned hard, vibrant eyes to the two, before twisting Arven to make it look like he was spinning her around, fancy footwork making her look like the spin was practically a floating glide… before she too flipped them the bird. Huffing and heading out of the circle with Arven.

…and huffing again. Sweating. Something a little strained on her face.

“Was that too much?” Arven whispered to her, “Do you need to be little again?”

Amaina hesitated… before nodding. Looking annoyed.

“Don’t disappear yet, let’s get out of eyesight first. Step outside, come on,” Arven whispered, leading her to one of the doors.

As amazed as Lisa briefly looked, watching Amaina kill it, she still stuck her tongue out at the pair, returning two birds in kind, to make up for Enoch’s lack of retaliation. Though as Arven and the girl left, she whispered to her twin in a dry tone, “See? They didn’t need any help at all!”

“So it seems,” Enoch agreed easily, watching the pair leave for a moment before turning back to the circle. “It’s a shame she wasn’t able to dance longer--she was really good. Like a perfect loaf of fresh bread…”

Watching Arven and Amaina head to the doors, Doppio cursed softly before carefully stepping around Penny. “Scusi, sorry…” And, quickly, he headed after his friends. “Shoot, guys?”

“We’re just stepping out so she can do her thing,” Arven explained, opening the door, the three shuffling out.

Thankfully there was no one in the hallway, because not a second later Amaina poofed back into her chibi form, dramatically allowing herself to fall into Doppio’s hands, panting slightly in them. Arven gave her a somewhat scolding look, as he said, “Moving my body around was a step too far for you, huh.”

>.<

OoO nooothiiiiing is too far for me!!

O.O;;

OoO;; maybe lose some weight

“Maybe don’t puppet my body next time to prove a point.” Arven scolded her, “Amaina, you can dance in the group all you want, but do it how you normally do it. Small… and not projecting to, I don’t know, forty plus minds? You’re too little to be pulling stuff like this.”

 I coulda wooooon I coulda beat all of them I am the BEST, O.O;;, projecting physicality that size is kinda haaaard

Catching Amaina, Doppio held the little angel carefully…even though he knew any sort of physical gentleness wasn’t something that would actually help Amaina’s fatigue. As much as that did often seem like a positive, that physical things couldn’t hurt or hinder Amaina…it did worry Doppio. That if she ever was hurt, there was…practically nothing any of them could do. 

(...well. There was something.)

“It was pretty cool,” Doppio mumbled softly, before giving Amaina a more encouraging smile. “You’d absolutely win, Angelo. We all know it. Tesoro and I’d cheer the loudest for you, and it’d be absolutely well deserved. But…yeah, that was a little much, to prove a point we all already know.”

…he wished she could, though. She looked so happy, dancing among the students, even if he’d never seen her look particularly put out to dance in her usual form, unseen. 

Bringing her up to place a soft peck on her forehead, Doppio offered her a grin. “...are you alright? Um… I’m not really sure how to do it like you do, but…if you can take a little power from me, like you do for me sometimes… Would that help?”

-_-

OoO;; i guess itd help a little you scrub 

O.O;;

OoO its like drinking but in reverse

“Vomiting?” Arven guessed.

OOO;; EW NO GROSS DONT VOMIT ON ME

O.O;;

OoO;; pouring. Thats the word

OoO giving power is pouring

-o- and you wait for them to drink

Pouring? Still, what was he…pouring? Power, he supposed, but…Doppio still wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. What it was he was actually doing. It was so easy in cookbooks when he came across a technique he didn’t know. Usually in some recipe there was a description, and things like…cutting or stirring or cupping…they were actions he understood. And even if he didn’t quite get it right the first time, it was usually easy to see how he could improve with practice. 

Pouring power… What was he supposed to do with that?

…still… He hated seeing Amaina tired and drained like this. He wanted to help…

Setting his jaw, Doppio tried to concentrate on…something. The concept of giving… 

For a moment, there was a cacophony of noise. Like the clap of a sonic boom, everything happened. Both blinding light and utter darkness; still, quiet hours, and shouts. Countless conversations in that school hallway, from wooden slats to odd, glossy tile, beyond as well. Tamped dirt, a forest area, a construction site that would seem utterly foreign…

For a single moment, everything. 

All of time in that single space, in the moment of a popped balloon. 

Doppio gasped, opening his eyes. Realizing he was hunched over his knees on the ground, hands clapped over his ears. 

…the windows, mildly rattling in their frames, starting to calm. 

Arven had no idea what the hell was happening. It was just suddenly a lot of noise and a weird moment like he couldn’t see. Not that it was too bright, or he was blind. He just couldn’t understand what he was looking at, and the immediate memory of what he was trying to process just sort of gave up trying to show him what he had seen.

It was terrifying. So Arven just grabbed Doppio and sort of threw himself over him, clumsy and with no idea what he was defending him from, just trying to shield him.

After a moment, the shaking stopped.

O.O;;;;;

OoO okay sure thats one way to do it

O.O

OoO I guess

“Do what?” Arven gasped, looking around, trying to find the source of the danger, “What was that!?”

OoO P O W E R

O.O

OoO but like kinda everywhere really gotta focus more next time baby senpai

“Sorry,” Doppio quietly croaked. Contemplating reaching out to hold Arven too, wanting to comfort his boyfriend, but… That would require taking his hands off his ears. Which…were still ringing, and felt…sensitive, and…uh…

“...think I gotta… Sit down…” he mumbled, before glancing, er, squinting up at Amaina. “...you okay?”

OnO

OOO I MEAN YEAH BUT THAT WAS STILL A DOOFUS MOVE DUMMY

And then Amaina smacked him on the forehead. Then, after a moment, smacked him a few more times, as she shouted You! Gotta! Stop! Bursting!! 

Arven frowned, trying to swat her away. “Amaina, stop that.”

Amaina opened her mouth into a wide circle, with razor teeth ridged along every edge… before biting at Arven’s finger. “Owww, Amaina.”

This dummys gotta start practicing or hes gonna burst all of his power out of his butthole someday like the worlds wettest fart!! Amaina insisted, her voice ‘muffled’ around Arven’s finger as her little body swayed as he tried to swing her off, you dont want him with a bursted butthole baby king, trust me! We gotta start jumping jacks!!

“What? What do jumping jacks have to do with anything!?”

Braaaain jumping jacks!!

Doppio grimaced, turning a little green. “...did you have to describe that in the grossest way possible, or…? Ew.” Though he sighed, curling himself back down to rest his forehead on his knees. “...I don’t know how though. It doesn’t make any sense… Even with the stuff I feel like I even sort of have a grip on, I still just…fucking fall on my face.”

…whatever. Whatever.

“...you guys ready to head back in? I feel like it’d be kinda lame if we literally just watched the warm-up…”

And, uh…the thought of ever seeing Nemona or Trish again, with them finding out he’d immediately left was…kind of terrifying. Nemona seemed like she’d set up a whole ‘nother competition, or just do a whole routine herself just to make sure he got some sort of experience, and Doppio was a little concerned he’d…like, end up with Trish putting him in a headlock and calling him a twerp, or something…

Neither of which he really wanted to experience, and…he didn’t hold out much hope he could indefinitely avoid them both forever.

Amaina pouted, before sighing Poor dumb baby senpai. FINE! I’ll find you, she sighed, another upgrade. Even though you totally messed up my last one! Those are hard to find you knoooooow!

O.O

OoO but i’ll find one and you will learn magic bullshit, kay???

Arven sighed, rubbing Doppio’s back a little. “Well, so long as no one is hurt then… sure, let’s just go back. We can figure all of this out later–”

OoO with the upgrade!!

“Sure, with the upgrade. Come on, Doppio,” Arven said, helping his boyfriend up, Amaina spreading wings and buzzing around them, “I bet they’ve started properly.”

They had. The Spice Girls were currently facing off against the Backstreet Boys. They were both good, but even a cursory listening to the cheers for the girls’ latest routine showed the Backstreet Boys were on the ropes. People were shouting loudly, only slightly drowned out by the music. Monokid was commentating, kind of making it sound like the losing team was going to be executed. It was a hyped up energy.

…

…had…it been Doppio’s fault, everything that happened with Kaito? For so much of it, it felt like he hadn’t had a choice at all, and…a lot of that had felt like it was because of Kaito. But…but…if Doppio really was…a poor puppet, and…not a tool, then… That meant he’d made choices. 

So, that meant…

It had been big words for Doppio to say, for them to head back into the stage room while he was still curled up on the ground, but Doppio forced himself to drop his arms as Arven helped him up. And…well, maybe he did slightly hide behind his boyfriend as they re-entered, feeling like he was hitting a wall of noise and energy…

…oh boy, if he’d been feeling a little overwhelmed before. 

As they found another spot against the wall, Doppio slid down it, half-sitting to watch the… Well, it was only apt to call it a battle, especially with how Monokid was commentating it. Each flourish of synchronized or coordinated moves like a strike, The Spice Girls stealing the stage while The Backstreet Boys could barely manage to proverbially parry…

Even kind of feeling like he’d been plunged into a swimming pool of Static for All Senses…it was pretty cool.

Arven leaned against the wall, holding Doppio’s hand as he watched. He didn’t bother cheering, the crowd so loud that he doubted it mattered either way. Just watching the ebb and flow of the room.

…what had that been? Really Doppio? It was like the room had exploded…

….. Amaina had seemed worried about him…

Wrapping his arm around Doppio’s waist again, he pulled him closer. Feeling protective. Protective, but also very aware this was a problem way too big for him. He had no idea how to stop Doppio from… uh, exploding with power. Through his ass or otherwise. He hoped someone out there did. He hoped Amaina could find them.

It wasn’t as big an event as, say, a big city festival, or even something akin to Usott’s Friday Night Dances, but there were still quite a few groups that would get the chance to show off their moves, and even more when some in the groups would later appear in duos or singles dance-offs. There was plenty to watch and marvel at, plenty of folks to cheer for…

It was plenty of plenty. And Doppio was just…feeling more jittery and raw as it continued. He did enjoy it, and he wanted to be there…but getting stronger, he also wanted to meld with the wall, o-or just…maybe get shoved into a locker, like Kaito talked about. Curl up somewhere dark and quiet and not…like everything was made of nettles scraping against him…

“Hey,” a soft voice called, breaking through the mass of cheers and music, while still being, well…soft. Doppio looked up, seeing the tall red head from before…though even with the dimmed, colored lights, there was a noticeable red mark on his cheek. 

Lounging a little on his side against the wall, close to Doppio and Arven’s spot, Josie offered a smile that rang to Doppio a little less…sharp. Or saccharine, than before, as he offered out, a, uh…tube. 

“You guys want a fruit taffy? …I gotta be a little sneaky, so Irene doesn’t eat the whole thing. Don’t rat me out, okay?” he playfully winked. 

Arven glanced over at Josie, looking cool and sophisticated and tall and older as he leaned against the wall… and once again pulled Doppio ever so slightly tighter against himself, as he said, “Sure, I’ll take one.”

Reaching around Doppio with his free hand to grab it, Arven peered at Josie’s face, before snorting slightly. “Overstep again?”

After Arven--seeing that he wasn’t going to…do some weird social faux pas--Doppio mumbled a quiet thanks as he took a taffy as well. He was a little surprised by the flavour; it was intense sweet fruitiness, without being cloying, or edging into that back of the jaw tartness that sometimes happened with candy. He didn’t think he knew this brand…

Chuckling softly, Josie shamelessly shrugged. “Seems so. She seemed into it, all until her girlfriend came back with drinks. Girlfriend seemed a little into it too, actually.” It would take another critical eye to catch it, but briefly Josie’s gaze sharpened, looking over Arven and Doppio. “That’s a point, though. You two doin’ okay? Even if you’re not dancing yourselves, you should probably get a drink or snack or something, if you’re gonna be here for the whole dance.”

Stretching a little, Josie looked back at the center of the circle, appreciating the current performance with a little nod. “The energy gets a little over-the-top--it can be nice to take a breather.”

Arven was about to answer that they were fine, thanks, but… glancing at Doppio made him hesitate. Doppio did look a little… strained.

Also, Amaina was being weird, hovering next to Josie’s face, looking enraptured. She just kept moving around, looking at it from different angles. What was she so caught up about?

“Where are the snacks being held, do you know?” Arven asked, mostly playing with his taffy between his fingers rather than biting into it yet.

Nodding, the senior lazily gestured over to a door against the wall to their right. Not one of the entries to a storage room, but an emergency exit that looked to be narrowly propped open. “There’s a pop-up tarp set up outside the door--seems like the movers and shakers were planning for everything, including rain,” he chuckled. “Looked like there’s a big water jug, then assorted stuff like granola bars and rice cakes. Not too shabby for something that’s only had about a week to put together.”

Doppio considered it. He really didn’t want to just…give up and leave yet. But if this was something the people putting on the competition set up, then…it wasn’t leaving, and…it was practically expected that people would use it! To keep hydrated! A-and…maybe just needing to get away from the noise wasn’t…too weird, like this guy said…

Glancing over to Arven nervously, Doppio tried for a small smile. “I-I wouldn’t mind getting us some water, if you wanted to keep watching?”

“Nah, I’m here to spend time with you,” Arven said, giving Josie a little side eye, before pushing off against the wall. “Let’s go, I could use some water now that we’re talking about it.”

O.O

O///O 

OOO ARVEN THIS GUY IS HOT WHAT THE FUCK

OoO Doppio have you looked at this guy???

O.O

OoO I WANNA RIDE AROUND IN HIS SHIRT

Arven pouted. “And maybe some pies to shut our pieholes.

OoO HES SO TALL!! ARVEN LOOK!!

With a friendly wave, Josie saw them off, before going back to watch the performance. Man, for all the issues between them, Daisy and Fiora really had great chemistry as dance partners. It was part of the style, admittedly, but Fiora dipping Daisy nearly to the ground, only for them both to spin while Daisy was nearly horizontal? Ha, she was good on her own merits, but Trish was lucky neither of the older girls had signed up as soloists this time. 

…

Going out of the room would probably be enough to soothe Arven’s boyfriend’s nerves, but…maybe he should be near, just in case… Kid looked like he was overstimulated as all get out. 

As they quietly slipped out the emergency exit, Doppio took a little breath, the roar behind the ringing in his ears easing back a bit. He just rubbed his hands down his arms for a moment before going over to get some of the water, laid out just as Josie had described. 

Though, uh… He gave Amaina a mildly amused, mildly awkward smile, cheeks empathetically pinked. “I guess he is kinda good-looking… But I’d save your crush, Angelo.” A little dry, Doppio shook his head. “I think it might just be a decent blanket judgment to reject anyone who propositions by calling sex the ‘horizontal tango’.”

Look, Aceto Doppio could not be bought with candy. It was a moral stance that he wanted to live by.  

OoO pfff easy for you to say you already have eye candy all raaaaaring to go

OOO SOME OF US GOTTA SETTLE FOR CHEST RIDES WITH THE BOOBIES DOPPIO

OoO dont hate the player hate the game

“Okay, now she’s lost me,” Arven said, though he was preening a little at the idea of being called eye candy. Yeah, take that, Josie. Doppio was not interested. Hah! 

There were rugs laid out for people to sit on while they ate, and grabbing some water and granola, they found a spot, Arven plopping down with a sigh. “Well, your first school function. They’re not all this loud, if it helps.”

Doppio raised an eyebrow at Amaina. It certainly never looked like she was settling when she took chest rides. Though, uh… Well, personality aside, with just a button down, it didn’t look like Josie’s chest was something to settle for. Just as an observation. 

Crossing his legs across from Arven, Doppio let out a weak laugh. “I think that does help, actually. I’ve always been in cities, it’s not like I’m used to silence, but…u-uh, it’s…pretty. Constantly. Loud, in there…”

“I-it’s cool, though!” he quickly cut in, not really…sure who exactly he was trying to soothe. “I couldn’t really say any details, but…it seems like everyone’s really skilled. And it looks like they’re having fun.”

“You don’t have to like it if you, you know… don’t.” Arven frowned, fussing with his granola bar. “We’re just doing this because it was a therapy assignment, remember? If chess had been this week, we would have done chess. I think all of this is pretty loud and obnoxious really. The only thing I really like about being here is being with you.”

Doppio glanced up in surprise, before he sipped his water, trying to hide his blush. He had known that Arven was here pretty much just because of him, but…for all that Arven said he wasn’t very sociable? …it seemed like he had easy conversations with everyone they met, and always seemed comfortable and in control of the situation and…like he’d found enjoyment, even if he wouldn’t have chosen to go to something like this on his own. 

…he supposed that enjoyment was…hanging out with him. 

Looking to the side, Doppio quietly tapped on his water cup before saying quietly, “...it’s loud. Even if I hadn’t…freaked out earlier. I…” He huffed a small sigh, gnawing his cheek in embarrassment. “...I feel overwhelmed. E-even if I’m not…doing anything. My assignment was literally just to exist in a space, and even that… It feels like too much…”

Like he’d…burst into mortifying tears or something, even if he wasn’t actually upset. His body just felt…hyped up and tingly, in the worst way. He really did like seeing people have fun with things like this…but he had always observed it from the fringes. Even being as close as they were, watching from the wall, had felt… Too much. 

“Well, I mean… you’re not used to it,” Arven said, before glancing behind him, where the music was still thumping, “And again, this is a lot for anyone. I don’t think it's weird you feel overwhelmed. I feel overwhelmed.”

OoO I don’t!

“Well, you did for a second there.”

OOO I AM LITERAL DANCING P O W E R

“She’s an exception. And you know what?” Arven said, gesturing towards the door, “So are they. There’s at least five hundred people in this school, Doppio. Who all knew what was happening today. And maybe at most fifty people are here. What does that tell you?”

“...that of the sample size, only a tenth of people like this sort of thing?” Doppio mumbled softly. Though…it didn’t seem like just some skewed statistic Arven was pulling out to make him feel better. If…only 10% of people wanted to come in the first place…a-and like Josie said, even for that demographic they prepared an area to take a break…

Doppio looked down, folding his taffy wrapper into little triangles. “...you think it’d…not be giving my assignment a fair try, if we left? O-or, um, if you wanted to stay, I guess… Your friends seemed happy to see you here.”

“Eh, screw ‘em.” Arven shrugged. “We came, we looked around a bit, that sounds like what you were supposed to do to me. You hungry? For more than granola, I mean. We could stop somewhere on the way back to the castle.”

OoO You’re supposed to tell a guardsman when you’re heading back

Arven rolled his eyes. “What, now you’re Little Miss Responsible? We’ll eat, we’ll head back to the castle, no detours. It’ll be fine.”

Doppio smiled softly…though he felt a little bad about Arven not even stopping to say bye. …though, he guessed Arven would be seeing all his classmates tomorrow anyway, so…

“I could go for something, yeah. The ramen Maki brought back…” Doppio trailed off, face going blank…before it scrunched in disbelief. “...fuck, was that only yesterday? Damn… Well, it was really good. D’ya wanna check out a noodle shop or izakaya or something?”

Though, he looked a little sheepish at Amaina’s reminder. “...we’ll probably see a guard on the way. I think you told me something about Lake mentioning they have routes near schools, right? We’ll let someone know…er, just in case.”

“Sure, we will. But it’ll be okay either way,” Arven said, confident. He wasn’t sure why he felt like that. That things would be okay, if danger came.

Maybe it was watching the walls literally shake from Doppio’s time warping mind, so that he could perk up the pseudo angel that literally watched over them.

Who could say.

-

In some ways, it felt a little…anticlimactic, for Kokichi to ask if Kaito had some time after he got off work. Like he just wanted to play cards or take a walk, and not…like he was going to show off a gift that was literal months and more gold than Kokichi would ever want to admit in the making. 

But, well. Work needed to happen. So that was the timing. 

The cat had long been out of the bag, but Kokichi still trotted over to stand in front of the elegantly carved double doors in the east wing of the fifth floor, bronze tiles arching around the portal. 

“You have Ori and Chie with you?” Kokichi asked, as Kaito joined him. “I know it’s a little early, but… Happy birthday, Kai-chan.”

Kaito’s eyes were as wide as saucers. They had been for about twenty minutes now, going to meet Kokichi at the office and following him upstairs, and had been equally saucer-like that morning, when Kokichi had hinted that today was a special day. Which it was, because it was Kaito’s first ritual day, but!! Exciting for other reasons.

Kaito had spent all day (and in truth, several months now) telling himself to not get his hopes up too high. Whatever Kokichi gave him was great and enough and Kaito was very lucky to have a husband who would do something like this for him at all. But Kokichi was, on top of being wonderful and beautiful and beyond all of Kaito’s wildest hopes and dreams for a partner, also practical. And spent his money wisely. And was a member of a royal family that prided itself on its humility and down to earth nature. And Kaito was a member of that royal family, and needed to also be humble and down to earth and not expect anything extravagant.

He tried not to daydream about what the shrine would be like around Kokichi, since he had been told about it. Whatever his husband did for him was enough. Kaito was not going to Momota all over this.

But, fuck, he was excited. Even desperately trying to temper his expectations, he couldn’t help the electric excitement running through him like one of Maki and Shuichi’s damn batons, Kaito having been struggling to focus all day. He had promised to only start his ritual later that day, and spend the morning and midday with Miyako and Shuichi, and chatting with Tim a bit about Atua week before dropping him off to school, so he had been sober all day. But even chatting to Shuichi or playing with Miyako, his mind kept drifting to the shrine. Wondering about it.

He had even told the teens about the day too a little, though they hadn’t quite understood why he was excited. He had done it partly to make sure they knew where he was, even if, uh, they weren’t supposed to come to him for stuff anymore. Or, Doppio wasn’t. But better safe than sorry! Just… just in case. That was all. They’d know roughly where he’d be all week.

And with his clams all bundled up in their little aquarium and his ritual tobacco tucked into his pockets with his kiseru, he kneeeew what this was and he couldn’t stop the fluttering of excitement, glancing down at Kokichi with his saucer eyes.

Temper your expectations. Whatever it’d be was enough. If it ended up being a bigger closet, that was fine. 

(...god, he bet it wasn’t though, he bet it was spacious and pretty and– gah! Focus!)

Kaito grinned. “It is a little early, but I’ve always low-key kinda considered this week my birthday week too. Thank you, beautiful…. Are?? Are we going in now??” Kaito asked, unable to look away from the doors for long. Too excited.

Kokichi nodded, some trepidation and excitement making his expression wobble as he took a breath, starting to open the doors. “I really wanted to make sure it was ready for Atua’s week, which is why I’ve been so busy lately--and I am sorry about that. But…well.”

Kokichi glanced back with a small, hopeful smile. “I hope you like it.”

The double doors opened up into a large, spacious room that, even past noon, still sparkled in the sunlight. …like, literally sparkled. It wasn’t very customary for Dicean architecture to heavily feature stone, but from the buffed floors to the inset arches that came down into pillars, the polished, carved red sandstone sparkled with flecks of quartz that picked up even the slightest hints of sunlight. Which there was plenty of, the outward facing eastern wall almost entirely made of windows, geometrically curved into a bay fashion. And not just any windows, but custom-made stained glass, delicate enough in their craftsmanship to cause the room to glow from such effigies as…hands clasping a red-hot disk, a woman triumphantly holding a shield, two women in tender embrace over a baby, almost a supernova exploding into being above them all. 

One wall out from the windows was relatively normal, containing another set of doors flanked by tapestries. Kokichi knew that they would more traditionally be set against the outdoors, but…well, he had thought they were a nice touch, and the woman at the market Shuuichi had told him about seemed more than pleased with his business. The other wall, however, was a showstopper in its own right. 

Much like in Dr. Mariah’s office, the whole wall looked into an aquarium tank. Unlike her office, it seemed a little…bare. Not entirely empty; there was what could be construed as a whole garden in it already, along with all sorts of stone and wood structures--both more natural looking, and more artistic--for potential fish to hide within. But, well, that was just it--there weren’t any fish. Not any more than the itty bitty kinds to maintain a healthy ecosystem, that Kokichi had been steadily introducing over the past few weeks, along with some vibrant marimo at the bottom but…well, no fish that you could see more than a few inches away. 

Near the bay windows, there was a monolithic, heavy iron table, fitted with a curved indent in the middle and two book stands on either side, and everywhere in the room were various seats. Plush ottomans about half the size of Kaito himself, heavy floor cushions, embroidered and tasseled, even a velvety couch along the normal wall, which could open into a futon for anyone’s resting needs…though the couch itself would prove to be more than pleasant enough for naps. 

And, skipping back to stand in the center, amid the splendor, Kokichi only had eyes for his husband. Still smiling hopefully. “...what do you think?”

Kaito’s breath caught in his throat. 

He was frozen at the door for a moment, clutching at his clams’ aquarium tighter, needing the weight in his hands as a way to ground himself as he was startled by the sheer sunlight. The brightness bouncing off the walls like a sparkly gem, something so achingly familiar about the deep red, a taste of old sand in the air from when the room had been constructed. Nothing quite like he had ever seen before, not really, but something that echoed a landscape that he had grown up in, creating the illusion of having seen it before. Kaito, briefly, irrationally convinced Kokichi had opened a door to Luminary.

But the moment of shock passed, and Kaito quietly followed his husband inside. Looking around at the bits that he could see from here– because holy fuck, there was more than just this opening entrance area– still clutching the fish tank as a reminder that things were solid and real and not a dream (Kokichi wouldn’t do that to him) as Kaito looked around. It was so bright. Friendly. It reminded him of the prayer rooms in the temple. Bright and friendly and inviting and safe…

Kaito’s eyes glanced at the tapestry to the other connecting room, before looking up at where the sunlight was coming in. Eyes widening as he recognized his saints. Engraved and honored in beautiful mosaic glass. Saint Meridan, stable and reliable, maternal, Saint Sarah-Mei, an idol to aspire to, aspiration, Saint Madison… protection. Strength. Both. Burning stones that promised a community, held in hands that could be so many priestesses Kaito had grown up with, but in Kaito’s mind would always be Priestess Meruko, Priestess Merry…

Kaito knew there was more to see. He knew. He wanted to go look. But he was caught by the window. Staring at it. Staring until he couldn’t see it anymore, his vision morphing and wobbling into each other, until Kaito gave up and had to squat down to put down the aquarium, rubbing at his eyes, pushing tears away with his palms.

Kaito tried to say something thankful, but couldn’t. His throat had closed up sniffling. Trying to pull himself back together, as he stammered out, “K’kichi, I– h’ffff– i-it’s really– snh’fffff–”

Oh, Kaito…

Kokichi had grown to have peace with himself as an Empath, and even really liked it a lot of the time these days, but it was something like this that really made him appreciate his abilities. Logically, he knew Kaito falling to his knees in tears wasn’t something his husband would do if he hated the shrine, but without something more solid, Kokichi’s anxiety would take full rein to make him doubt all he could in this moment. 

Instead, Kokichi just smiled softly and took a steadying breath, the overwhelming joy and gratitude and awe and homesick nostalgia coming off of Kaito burning his own eyes. And, going over, Kokichi brought his arms around Kaito, gently pressing his lips to his temple. 

“No rush, love. …I’m glad you like it.”

Giggling softly, Kokichi gently scratched the nape of Kaito’s neck, up into the back of his head, careful of the healing burn lower down. “...the windows came out really lovely, didn’t they? They were one of the parts I was most worried about… I dunno in Luminary, but…there’s nothing quite like them here. I had a lot of meetings, with the artisans I commissioned, to make sure we were on the same page…”

“...I wasn’t really sure how to represent Atua creating the universe,” he hummed softly. “But I remember that dream you told me once, of stars exploding? So I tried to design something that was…kind of the opposite of that. Stars forming from explosions. It’s a little abstract, I’ll admit, but…I think it looks nice, over the saints.”

Kaito had been so caught up looking at the human figures he hadn’t realized there was more to it. Shoving his palm into his eyes some more, furiously trying to clear them, he looked up, looking for what Kokichi was talking about… and felt another shuddering sob run through him.

Fuck, he was a mess. Pull it together… Pressing his thumb into his joints, trying to hurt his hand a little to ground himself, Kaito took a looooong, steadying breath, filling his chest… “Kokichi, I…”

The attempt to talk was too much, and his throat closed up again with more sobs. But something seemed to calm him in the attempt, that last shudder easing his breathing, giving Kaito control of himself again, as he looked at his husband with wet, puffy eyes. “...I mean… I always knew you were listening, but…”

That was what had knocked Kaito down. Not just because it was a beautiful room, but, “I-I know my religion is… dark and scary, sometimes. I-I said it at our bonding ceremony with Shuichi, that I always regretted what my religion looked like to you from our first one. What Luminary looks like. Me…” Kaito sniffled again, rubbing his eyes some more, as he whimpered, “I was always so bad at explaining it. What it looked like. I tried to tell you about the main dome with the candles and the windows and the lights, and even explaining it to you, it all looked so… dark and suffocating, in the explanation. And it’s not, it’s…”

“A-and after a while I thought maybe I should give up, trying to tell you. Because everything I said made it sound worse. And my mindset got worse and worse and I couldn’t think of nice things to say anymore…” Kaito said, sniffling, before looking around the beautiful room. The soft, plush rug beneath their feet, the walls and the ceiling and the flooring literally sparkling from a wall full of light. “...but you were still listening. Even when I had given up trying to explain… you couldn’t have made something like this without paying attention… You even added in important dreams I told you about who knows how long ago…I-it’s perfect and… fuck,” Kaito laughed, glancing at the tapestry now, before shakily forcing himself up. “I-I want to go see the rest. Is that a storage area?” Kaito asked, still trying to taper his expectations, because fuck, how much more could he possibly ask of his husband, but something in him telling him he should expect more as he said, “Can we go take a look?”

Sighing softly, Kokichi kissed Kaito’s forehead, just holding his husband for a moment. “...I didn’t understand. Especially at the start, but…well, even now I know I don’t, not fully. Even knowing exactly how your religion feels to you, that doesn’t mean I get it, for myself. But especially when everything I knew about Atua was in scary rumors, and how people did what they could to make it miserable for us, and when everything we said to each other couldn’t paint us to be more different as people…”

Well. It was a bit of a downer. However…

“...but you kept telling me stories, even when I didn’t understand. And talking about your connection to faith, and…well, a lot of stories you had about your mentor, admittedly…” Kokichi let out a soft laugh, bumping his head against Kaito’s. “...I wanted so badly to make a space that looked how Atua feels to you. Just…all the love and…stability, I guess, and undeniable beauty… I wanted to do this right for you. And of all things, you did give me a lot to work with.”

Smiling adoringly at Kaito as he got up, Kokichi backing off…though just to take Kaito’s hand, an impish smile tweaked Kokichi’s lips up. “Go right ahead.”

And when Kaito would open the side door, he would be greeted by, not a storage room, but a room just a bit smaller than the main room. The windows more standard, but still large enough to illuminate the whole room with that same sparkling effect; the cloth draped over some of the walls not tapestries, but fine fabrics all the same. There were a few smaller tables, sitting cushions surrounding each, along with some comfortable-looking backed chairs, and a proper bed as well, if the futon-couch in the main room wasn’t enough. But what probably clued Kaito in the most to the inspiration for this room, along with its purpose, fitting for that particular day, was the tall, ornate hookah pipe on one of the tables. 

It had been too much of an architectural ask for Kokichi to get the ceiling to be low and slanted, but the draped cloth along the ceiling had been his earnest attempt to recreate the feeling. 

This room, also, had a huge effect on Kaito, though it wasn’t the same deep punch in the gut to his feelings seeing the mosaic wall had instilled in him. This one was just pure, unbridled excitement– the kind he’d show for his shrine table and the fishtank wall when he was less overwhelmed by how much there was to see– as he looked around, shaking his husband’s hand and inexplicably saying, “Kokichi!! Look at this room!!”

Like Kokichi hadn’t literally mapped out every detail about it, Kaito excitedly pointed out everything about it, excitedly rambling about the ways he could use this room as he explained (again, like it wasn’t exactly Kokichi’s purpose), “This is perfect for my rituals! Oh my god, look, I can keep what I need over here on these tables, store food and, look, the window opens, it’ll be so easy to air everything out, and wow! Kokichi, this is an entire hookah setup!” Kaito explained, looking excitedly over it, “Like I was telling you about? I could even use this for non-rituals, if Maki and I just wanted to enjoy some hookah, or maybe even Waku or Souda might be into it, there’s room! There’s plenty of room if people wanted to sit and chat and it’s nice and–”

Kaito burst into tears again. “Kokichi, it’s so fucking amazing! Can you imagine Miya praying in here!? It’s so nice!”

“A-and, what was that on the other wall, it was like a… glass garden thing?” Kaito murmured, now just entirely caught up looking around, hurrying back outside and taking a more proper look at the other wall to the side of the mosaics, staring at it in slightly bewildered awe… before his eyes widened in understanding, “Kokichi, is this an aquarium!?”

Again, he pointed at it, like somehow Kokichi might miss it, practically hopping at his toes as he said, “Kokichi, this is huge!! This is like the size of the one in Dr. Mariah’s office!!”

Kokichi giggled happily, letting his arm be shaken about and dutifully following Kaito around the secondary room. “The window’s good for airing out, but in the corner there’s an exhaust fan that’s shuttered off right now, that you can open and turn on if you need to air it out more quickly,” Kokichi explained. “It’s a really cool system, actually! Souda-kun did that thing where he acted like he got bored of it super fast, but he does have a relaxed contract with castle maintenance now to install a few more of them, if he wants.”

A little apologetically, Kokichi hugged Kaito’s arm. “I can’t be in here if there’s smoke, but…otherwise? …I wanted to make sure this was a nice space to spend time in. Even not just for religious purposes.”

Back out into the main room, Kokichi chuckled as Kaito finally noticed the aquarium, pointing out a door along the same wall as the entrance that would lead into the maintenance area for the aquarium.

“Mhmm!” he nodded proudly, before giving Kaito a sheepish look. “I actually got the name of the company that installed hers, actually. And I consulted a lot with the city aquarium… I got really worried when you got Ori and Chie, but the tank is outfitted for freshwater fish, so they should be happy in here. The ecosystem is all set up, but…well, I didn’t want to get pets for you, you know? So let’s plan a trip to the aquatic reserve soon, okay? This home’ll be ready whenever you are.”

“Oh, wow,” Kaito whispered, peeking into the maintenance area, before looking over his shoulder to his tiny aquarium, “Orecchiettes!! You guys are moving!! It is an insane upgrade!!”

Stepping back to look over everything one more time, Kaito did another breathtaking, awed little laugh… before he finally pulled his husband into a hug. Holding him tightly. “Thank you, Kokichi. Babe, this is more than I could have ever hoped for. Fuck, I still can’t believe you did all of this, this must have been… so much work! Holy shit,” Kaito laughed, looking around again, before beaming at his husband, “You spoil me, you know that? God, my light of Dicea… Kokichi, I love it so much!! Thank you!!” Kaito shouted, pulling him into a hug again, before grasping his face and, with a wide grin, leaning in to kiss him. “Thank you… Kokichi, I love it, thank you…”

Kokichi grinned brightly as Kaito scooped him into a hug, hugging Kaito back. He hadn’t really thought he’d literally bring Kaito to his knees, but…a reaction like this? It was all he had wanted. 

Yes, the shrine would be a place of worship for anyone in the castle in the future. But, well…there were quite a few things that were pointed. Unapologetically Atuan, and unapologetically Kaito. And even if Kokichi hadn’t been able to ethically work that into the remodeling budget…he had been happy to pay for them himself. Happy to honor and celebrate his husband. 

And even if the iconography was specific, the windows were terribly beautiful. Kokichi didn’t think future generations would mind. 

“Happy birthday, my Kai-chan,” Kokichi smiled against Kaito’s lips. “And happy Atua’s week.”

Kaito grinned into the kiss… before whispering, “Shuichi broke in my last shrine.”

Leaning back to smirk at Kokichi, grin wolfish, “Wanna break in this one?”

-

Arven was half napping next to Doppio, the two hanging out in the observatory again. While they had fussed with the telescope for a bit and gave cursory glances on the notes, they were mostly curiously looking at the star maps. Arven briefly able to recognize some of the constellations– it was useful to navigate by in the wild– but then otherwise getting lost, just looking at the maps with a bewildered stare. There couldn’t possibly be this many. That was too many stars. It was excessive, really.

And for some reason this observatory had a bed?? Which was weird, but whatever, and Arven had started lounging in it, nodding off into sleep every few minutes.At one point briefly having a dream about taking Doppio out on a rowboat, Doppio looking sweet and cute and struggling to keep his braid out of the water, since his braid was weirdly long in the dream. Arven had been helping him bundle it into Doppio’s lap when he had woken up and, in lieu of nothing, said, “Aren’t we supposed to get you a grounding item? So you know you’re… in the present? Or something?”

It had been…tempting. Kaito had let them know that morning that some religious holiday was going on for him, and that his husband was opening up the shrine he’d commissioned, so that’s where he’d be, and… Honestly, Doppio was kind of curious to see what it was like. But considering how much Kaito had been avoiding him lately, and the fact that he actually had something going on and it’d be a bit awkward just to sightsee…

Well, the observatory was really cool too. Doppio liked seeing the view over the city, and while he didn’t really get the star maps, they were still neat patterns. 

He’d been idly flipping through a collection of the maps that were bound together--not just up on the walls and hanging from the ceiling--not wanting to move since it seemed like Arven was dozing off…but he turned, just blinking blankly. 

Before his eyes widened. “Oh shoot, you’re right! Uh…” Closing the book, Doppio frowned in slight frustration. “...okay, I forgot, but I still have no idea what it should…be? Like, it’s supposed to remind me of you, but I’m not really sure what that would be since, like, you remind me of me, and…yeah.”

“Hmmmm…” Arven closed his eyes, “I remind you of me… how about… a full size portrait of me you can take wherever you go?”

OOO A PUPPET!! LIKE THE ONE AT THE DANCE!!

“Oh, Amaina’s got a point, we could make a full sized puppet of me as well,” Arven smirked, peeking over at Doppio, “Do you want a man-sized puppet of your boyfriend, Aceto? If you do weird things to it, I’ll just consider it you practicing, I won’t get jealous of puppet!Arven, promise.”

Doppio grimaced, rolling his eyes a bit as he shoved Arven with his shoulder. “Preferably I’d like to find something that works that doesn’t make me an entirely different kind of freak, thanks.”

“I think anything but the real thing would be a let down, too,” he smirked at his boyfriend, his next nudge softer.

Though, he sighed, looking Arven over. “...I dunno if something I just carry around would work… I mean, I already have my notebook, but I just straight up forgot to look at it last time… Maybe now that I know I kinda have to check for more stuff than just if you’re there, I would, but…I dunno.”

“Yeah, I think it’d be tough to check your journal when you’re in the middle of a… panic attack?” Arven frowned, looking to Doppio to see if that was right, “Is that what brings on the hallucinations? Panic attacks?”

Sighing softly, Doppio shrugged a little. “I think? It’s kinda hard to remember, since my brain gets all scrambled like…as a defining feature. But…it’s like things are kinda normal, and then I blink and I’m somewhere else and…I just get confused. And scared. And I can’t tell what’s actually going on, and…well, at least by the end it’s definitely a panic attack.”

Groaning, Doppio flopped backwards on the bed. “...it’s such bullshit. This never used to happen to me.”

Arven leaned over, placing a small kiss against Doppio’s cheek, “It’s alright, we’ll work through it. Alright, so you need something easy to check, that would be almost instinctual to check, really. Something nearby and easy at a moments notice… maybe some sort of jewelry? You don’t really wear jewelry, but maybe that’ll make it more obvious… we could go to the market still today.”

Arven sat up, glancing down at his watch as he mused, “Yeah, it’s not that late, we have plenty of time really, even if we have to find a babysitt…er…”

Arven squinted at his watch.

He looked at Doppio. “Do you wear a watch?” 

Doppio pouted a little, but was suitably soothed by the kiss, and he pushed himself back up, trying to think. “Maybe… I mean, you don’t really wear any jewelry either but I guess that just means we’d have to find something more thematic? Or…maybe just if you picked something out, I’d be able to associate that with you…more…”

Doppio blinked, trailing off, before he shook his head. He rolled up his sleeves, showing bare wrists--the scar on his left looking a little jagged--before smiling wanely. “I had a, like, pocket watch type one, but…I think I might’ve left it at my house? Or just lost it, honestly. I remember Boss just telling me to check the time in public, after a while…”

Arven hummed a bit, looking down at his watch… before saying excitedly to Doppio, “Alright! I have two options for you. First, check out my watch. It’s pretty plain, honestly, it’s practical, but, if you associate it with me? You could just have my watch, it’d make sense for you to wear every day, easy to check, and after a while you’d get into the habit of checking. Right?”

“Or,” Arven shrugged, “If you want something nicer? Like, more distinct, to make it obvious? We could go get you a personalized one? It might take more time and money, but that might actually help imprint it in your mind, right? Having the memory of getting the new watch? And it’d be my treat of course~ your boyfriends gift to you.” Arven smiled, “Either one sound appealing?”

“Oh…oh!” Doppio gasped, looking at Arven’s watch, before looking back up with a nod. “That…could work! I-I mean, yeah, it’d be something pretty easy to get in the habit of checking, since it’s useful, and…”

“...uh…” Doppio curled his fingers around his wrist, not quite scratching yet. “Though, I wouldn’t want to, yanno, take your watch from you… I do like your watch, I think it looks nice…but maybe we should go get a new one. I don’t think I’d really want anything fancier, but…yeah.”

Smiling softly, he pressed his shoulder to Arven’s. “...feel like going back out today? O-or we could go this weekend, I’m not super in a rush and…it doesn’t seem like those hallucinations happen that often.”

“I could do it today,” Arven said, reaching around to hug him, “If it helps you, I’d rather get it done sooner than later. Plus, it’ll distract me from the desire to go prank Kaito today.”

Grinning a little, Arven explained, “Timothy told me that part of Kaito’s holiday today is he has to get reeeeaaaally high and wait for ‘visions’. I thought it’d be funny to go watch him ramble a bit. Apparently last year, he ended up wandering around the castle and dancing on the stairs, so he’s gonna be really out of it.”

Doppio hummed happily, leaning into the hug and wrapping his arms around Arven in turn. There were a lot, far too many to list, but this was definitely one of his favorite boyfriend things. 

…and maybe not boyfriend specific, but just Arven specific, but pranking Kaito was too. 

Snorting, Doppio chuckled as he slipped a few fingers under Arven’s vest, just happy with light touches. “If they let us go check out the new room without it being, like, an emergency or something? That could be interesting. …pff, it almost feels like an excuse to do something ourselves, but…I probably need to be sober for the thing Prince Kokichi and his cat friend are gonna help me with tonight.”

“Is that tonight?” Arven asked, eyes widening a little, “Oh, right… do you need me to help with that? I know you have to paint on yourself, I could help, but… I also know you don’t want me to see you undressed like that. I can make myself sparse tonight, use a different room?”

“Yeah? Friday night? …yeah,” Doppio nodded, reminding himself of the day, quickly flipping through his notebook. “They wanted to do it as soon as possible and…” He winced. “Honestly, I do too. I don’t want Boss to just…be able to do whatever he wants with my body, and I’m really worried about putting Timothy in danger.” Even with Maki’s threats, Doppio had no doubt in his mind that Boss really would hurt Tim, just to provoke her. So the sooner they could make sure that couldn’t happen, the better.

Glancing at Arven, Doppio flushed before looking away. “Prince Kokichi offered to help too, a-and he said he’d be coming by our room anyway. Though, um…” Doppio grimaced, turning pinker. “...I was kinda just planning on being in the bathtub and…i-if it was okay with you, we could just…talk around the curtain? They said they’d done something like this before, but…apparently my body’s a little weird, and it’s still just…experimentation.”

Shrinking a little, he mumbled, “...I don’t wanna be alone…”

“We can do it like that then.” Arven agreed, taking Doppio’s hand and interlocking their fingers, “But you know what? That makes me want to go get the watch even more. You can wear it while you paint…”

Arven’s thoughts trailed away… before his face turned red. “Wearing nothing but that while you paint…”

O.O

OoO He’s gonna probably wear pants too you teenage perv!!

“I-it doesn’t matter, I’m not looking anyway!!”

Doppio turned scarlet, squeaking as he hid his face against Arven’s shoulder, gently squeezing his hand. E-even if he could feel his palm start to sweat, a-and that was pretty gross, and he shouldn’t subject Arven to gross things, even if Arven never said he was gross even when they…

“...i-it’s mostly on my stomach,” Doppio said weakly. “Um…there is still stuff on my legs, from the picture the cat gave me, but…I-I have pants that have those places open so…I’ll probably just wear those.”

“Y-yeah! Makes sense.” Arven said, face burning brightly… before he shook his head, shifting a bit under Doppio’s weight, “Well, no time like the present. Let’s go get you this watch. If tonight is stressful, maybe it’ll help? Even if I am right on the other side of the curtain.”

-

With a quick notice to the guards that they were going out to the shopping district, it wasn’t long before they were there. Which was still kind of a marvel to Doppio. Sure, all of the homes he and Boss had had weren’t a half-hour walk from the city…but a lot of them tended to be in the suburbs, and Doppio had gotten used to factoring in that travel time wherever he had to go. To just…leave the place he was staying, and within five minutes be in the market, and within ten be in the shopping district? It was kinda nuts.

Hand in hand, Doppio idly watched people go by on their own Friday shopping before he hummed softly to Arven. “...I’ve never really had to buy a watch, or something like one here, so…got any store recommendations? Or do you just wanna walk around for a while and see if we go past any place promising?”

“There’s a street that’s literally just around the corner from this block where it’s basically just all sort of artisan jewelry stores?” Arven said, gesturing to the corner he meant, “I know almost all of them sell watches too, but I think there’s just specifically a watch store there too. We could check that out first, see if we strike gold in the mines?”

Doppio smirked. “That does seem like the smartest way to do things, yeah. Though, uh…” He gave Arven a mildly worried look. “...I know CPS was talking to you about, like, refinancing and getting you a return for all the stuff you’ve paid for over the years, but…I-I don’t want anything expensive, okay! You know how clumsy I am, I don’t want anything that’ll put any sort of strain on your pocket, even as a gift!”

Arven laughed lightly, shrugging, “Alright? Look, I want to get whatever you actually like there. And somehow I don’t think you’re going to be drawn to a… shoot, I don’t even know. Solid gold watch? Are solid gold watches really expensive? Solid diamond watch… you just don’t seem the type to want to wear something like that anyway. Let’s go see what we’re working with before we worry about price.”

As they headed into the store, Arven suddenly laughed again, “I was told you got my broom reimbursed. That’s honestly really funny. You’re kind of a hardass negotiator, huh?”

Huffing softly, Doppio grimaced even at the thought. “Ugh, yeah… Something like that is just like wearing a sign saying that you wanna be mugged. Not to mention…like, ow? I guess someone would figure out a way to do it, but a solid diamond watch just sounds painful.”

Giving a small wave to the store proprietor--Doppio figured, since they were behind a counter--as they entered, Doppio drew himself up and gave Arven a small, playful pout. “I did do business budgeting for a living. They gave us that whole list about expenses that would be covered by the government, and considering that living in a clean space is a right, getting a new broom doesn’t count as a personal space! So of course I’d save you, or Maki, the silver.”

“Apparently it’s super common for people to over pay taxes, or just not get money back that they could just ‘cause they don’t think about declaring certain expenses,” Doppio shrugged, starting to look over watches. “It depends on the person, I guess, but the majority of expenses are things considered living rights, so if you think to declare them, it can save you a ton. …which, most of the time, just ends up going out again as a donation, but I think that’s better for the economy, or at least more self-directed, rather than making the government double check everything and then redistribute it itself.”

“Mmmhm,” Arven nodded in agreement, already looking curiously at the displays, idly wrapping his arm around Doppio’s waist, “I’ve probably done that a few times myself. A few years back mom told me to get some of our taxes looked over by a lawyer on her behalf, and that, like everything else, ended up just becoming me doing it myself. But the lawyer had told us that we were overpaying by a bit. Apparently moms excursions are really tax deductible. Something about it being research grants or something, I never really got my head around it. Just sorta trust her on it.”

“Well, anything immediately catch your eye?” Arven asked, looking around, “Some of these are kinda neat. Think a wooden one would be super breakable?”

“I’d believe that,” Doppio hummed, leaning against Arven a little. He couldn’t really place when Arven had started idly wrapping his arms around his waist, but…he liked it. It felt nice. “Science and the arts tend to be really well funded…and really scrutinized. I’m glad you got that deductible looked at, though, even if they’re kinda doing it again now.”

“It might depend on the wood,” Doppio hummed, before glancing at Arven with a mildly sheepish look. “...I kinda like the cloth banded ones. I feel like I wouldn’t have to worry as much about losing it, or the band snapping and…while paying attention to it is kinda the point, I think not having it move a ton on my arm would be more comfortable…”

“...I’m not sure about the faces yet, though.” Blushing a little, Doppio tapped his fingers together. “...the glow in the dark ones kinda sound intriguing though.”

“Ooooh, yeah, that is cool,” Arven grinned, before motioning to the shopkeep, “Hey, can we look at your cloth bands and glow in the dark faces closer? Take your time, thank you.”

It wasn’t long before they were peering through two display boxes, comparing and contrasting. They were allowed to touch it, so Arven put a few faces with a few cloths, musing, “These kinda look nice together. This color of purple is kinda nice against your skin. Or we could go with something really bright and fun, like these rainbow flowers?”

The rainbow flowers was pretty tempting. A lot of the things Doppio owned hadn’t been allowed to be very…bright. Or eye-catching. On one hand, Doppio didn’t think he was a very flashy guy in general, so more subdued and forgettable things suited him, he thought. But…there were times he was drawn to things that were brighter. More…well. Fun. And he’d never gotten them. 

…but now he owned a frog raincoat, and…he could wear whatever he wanted, so…

“...I kinda like this colored leaf-patterned one?” Doppio meekly pointed out. “A-and the glow face with the yellow casing… I don’t think I ever asked you about it, but…a-at least from your room, yellow reminds me of you.”

Arven smiled. Picking up the multi-colored leaf clothe, he enterwove it with the yellow glow in the dark face, prompting Doppio to put out his wrist. Gently clasping it against his wrist, Arven adjusted the size a little till it was snug against him, “How does that feel, Aceto?”

Then, admiring it, Arven looked up at Doppio, “I think it looks nice on you. You’re cute in it…”

Rolling up his sleeve a bit, Doppio let Arven adjust the watch on him and… Well, putting anything new on would feel a little weird at first but…it was a little comfortable? Just having something snug and secure against his wrist. Something…bright and fun and yellow…

Moving his hand in gentle circles, testing the size from different angles, Doppio blushed and grinned up at Arven. “...i-it’s a watch? But, um…thanks. I like it. …thanks for suggesting this, Arven.”

Leaning in, he gently kissed Arven’s cheek. “Feel like there’s no way I’d forget the right time for you, with this.”

“Then it’s perfect.” Arven smiled, staring at him adoringly.

“...ahem.” The shopkeep coughed, “That’ll be three silver.”

“Oh, wow, nice.”

-

It was a quick pay of the watch, and because they  were out anyway, they took the long way back, letting Chief run around and sniff trees and use the potty. They grabbed some quick, easy food, and got through it so quickly that they got some dessert too, grabbing some handheld crepes. 

By the time they got back to the castle, they were full, in a good mood, and at least on Arven’s half worrying less about what was coming that night. Prince Kokichi had said it was an experiment, sure, but Arven trusted the prince. If he really thought there was a risk of this ‘gardener’ thing hurting Doppio, then Arven didn’t think Kokichi would do it.

(...)

(Arven wondered if Kaito knew.)

(... how could he not?)

“It’s been a few hours.” Arven mused, looking up at the approaching castle, “Think he’s wasted yet?”

Mm… Doppio had gotten the chance to have crepes up north, where the cultural exchange from Danganronpa was a little more apparent, but they seemed just as good in Usott. He did figure they had a different kind of batter from regular pancakes, not literally that they were just thinner, but, hm. It’d be interesting to try and make them himself, sometime. 

While the night loomed before him, Doppio was pretty content at the moment, and looking forward to potential hijinx. “Probably?” he hummed, looking up towards the top of the castle. “I mean…you have more experience than I do. That stuff you gave me felt like it kicked in in only a few minutes, so…I dunno. Depending on how strong the stuff he’s taking is, probably.”

Tilting his head a little, Doppio squeezed Arven’s hand. “...do you think we should bring anything? I’m sure they’re prepared, if this is, like, an event, but…maybe they’d be happier to let us in if it’s less obvious we’re just there to gawk.”

“Uuuuh, hm.” Arven hummed, thinking about it, “...water feels pretty harmless. Or maybe we could bring flowers? As a sort of… housewarming thing? Because he’s at the new temple Prince Kokichi commissioned for the castle right? Or, not a temple, that was the word Shuichi used, but Kaito called it a… shrine? He was so excited about it, bringing flowers could be a totally reasonable gesture.”

“And, actually, now that I’m thinking about it, we have someone who’ll know what state he’s in. Amaina.” Arven said, looking around.

O.O ??

Amaina fluttered out of Doppio’s shirt, giving Arven a curious look. “You can read Kaito’s mind, right?”

OoO I can exist there

“Uh, right. Well, you think he’d even see us if we went?”

O.O

-.-

@_@ ?????

Arven watched, bewildered, as Amaina suddenly lilted to the left, somehow staggering in the air as her eyes literally swirled together. “U-uh, Amaina, you okay?”

@v@ ……. w-Ow thAts GooooOOOD shit

Doppio nodded, pensive. “Flowers are nice, and he liked the last flowers I got him. Though…he did say that it was mostly Prince Kokichi tending to them, since it wasn’t really his forte. Let’s bring water definitely, though. Extra hydration never hurts.”

Grumbling softly as Amaina came out of his shirt, Doppio watched her as she checked in on Kaito…before his eyes widened in worry, and he quickly brought his hands up to steady her. “...I guess you’d be able to feel exactly how if feels to anyone under the influence, huh… Aaaand I guess that means Kaito’s high as birds right now.”

After a pause, he laughed softly, glancing over at Arven. “...actually, seeing it affect Amaina this much? I’m kind of curious now… I’m not sure he’d even notice we visited, at this rate.”

@o@ how DARE i notice allllLLLLLLLLL!!!!

@V@ like how all the colors are also… THINGS ya know?? You ever think about that? how colors also have to be THINGS? Cant have one without the other. 

@0@ we ARE colors

And to prove her point, Amaina started shifting from color to color, eyes still spiraling. Arven pouted at her, before saying, “She’d probably disconnect if she didn’t like it, right? She’s… probably fine. Amaina, are you fine?”

@O@ I AM THE BEAUTY OF THE UNIVERSE MADE MANIFEST

@.@ I do not seek. I am.

“Yeah, if this is what he’s like right now, I have to see it too.” Arven laughed, “Alright, I know where we can get flowers nearby. Quick trip for them and water, let’s see what’s going on with him.”

-