Chapter Text
He didn't know it was possible to hurt worse after sleeping. He didn't know how long he was asleep, nor why he's awake now.
He hears… something, from within the space of the house. Movement? Did the others find him? Did... did that thing find him?
He looks through the crack under the door, but he doesn't see anything. He DOES, however, hear something. He hears… Mari. He hears her calling his name. But she didn't sound right. Her voice sounded… weak, like she'd been hurt, bad …
The dread that settled in the pit of his stomach caused a feeling of acid to rise in his throat. Fighting the terror that threatened to freeze him in place, he opened the door. Mari's voice stopped. Nothing was out there. Even looking around the whole house was empty.
Exhaustion settled in his bones quickly, followed by an unforgiving coldness. Getting up was a mistake , he sighed inwardly. He was here for who knows how long, with nothing to eat or drink. He shouldn't be wasting his energy when there's nothing… but he couldn't help but be worried for Mari. He heard her. He could swear she was inside…
He shivers, the cold settling into his bones and making him want nothing more than to curl up in the closet once more. He didn't check too much earlier, but he wondered if he could find a blanket or something in this house…
He makes his way up the stairs, to check the other rooms in this house for anything to help keep him warm. The first room he checked was totally barren, not even a scrap of garbage. The other room… it was too dark to see, even with the window glowing with light.
Hero stares into the room, looking at the shadows just outside of the reach of the light spilling in from the hallway. He carefully leans forward, and tries to find the light switch. His hand touches something else, what feels like cold, dry… skin . He yanks his hand away, watching as a pale… Dead looking hand reaches out from the darkness, towards him.
The last of his energy goes to fleeing, running back to the relative safety of the closet.
He's so cold, and so tired. He tucks his knees up to his chest as he leans against the door, and closes his eyes, waiting with distant hope that he'll wake up, back where he belongs with his friends.
But he doesn't. Instead what wakes him is the door, carefully and gently sliding open, pushing him along with.
“Hero?”
It's Mari. Her voice is solid, real, like her cries for help from him earlier was nothing more than his mind tormenting him.
He can barely open his eyes, though, tongue feeling like a heavy weight in his mouth as he speaks “Mari? How'd… you get here?”
He can feel her warm hands on his shoulders, even through the thick jacket fabric. He leans into her touch, though he doesn't expect as she pulls him into a hug. He melts into her warmth. He manages to open his eyes fully, though his face is tucked in her shoulder, and he can't see a whole lot. All he can really take in is the texture of her soft, thick cardigan.
“Long story, but when I didn't see you, I had to come looking for you.” She explains, still holding him close, gentle. He laughs slightly, but the laugh falls quickly to sobbing. She gently runs a hand through his hair, Comforting him the best she can. “It’s okay, Hero. You're going to be okay.”
“Can we go home?” Hero manages to speak, looking up at her. The room was too dark for him to properly take in the look of her, though She definitely looks like her , and at this point that's enough for him.
He watches her expression go from surprised, to sad, to a little thoughtful “I can't take you back to the home you know, but I can take you somewhere safe. I'll be with you”
Not giving himself time to think about it, he nods “Anywhere, with you. I trust you.” The words felt right , despite how terrified he was, every word feeling forced past the exhaustion.
He didn't hear what she said after, his exhaustion catching up with him. He barely registers as she picks him up in a bridal carry. He idly wonders how she can do that with her bad knee, but the fog in his brain was too thick to question it too much.
It was too dark for Hero to see as they left the building, though he figured Mari knew where they were going either way…
When he could see again, he couldn't quite recognize where they were. He assumes he dozed off at some point, while Mari was carrying him.
Hero became aware of three things quite quickly, one being that he didn't hurt anymore, the second being that he didn't feel nearly as cold and tired anymore, and the final thing he noticed… he had no idea where he was. None of his surroundings were familiar. Mari had set him on a couch- One he could fit on, thank the stars- but the room he was in was nothing like anywhere he had been before.
He sat up and noticed a pair of notes, placed gently in the pocket of his jacket.
“Hey Cassanova, I had to leave and didn't wanna wake you. The paper in your other pocket explains a bit better what's going on, but if you need more explanation it shouldn't be hard to find me.”