Chapter Text
The next morning started off like most others. You woke up in a haze. It had been like this for a couple days—like a morning fog, just heavy enough to obscure your vision for a spell before lifting with the rising sun.
As it passed, you went through the motions of your normal morning routine. You had fallen asleep with the charm still wrapped around your neck. You let it rest over your shirt, but below your zipped jacket as you prepared yourself for the day.
You always checked in with Tomme before making your way down for breakfast. The two of you usually eat your meals together. The only exception being on mornings after she stayed up too late working on reports—mornings like today.
You waited patiently at her door after knocking. It was after your second knock and a soft call of her name through the crack of the door that you finally heard shuffling on the other side. Her eyes were closed as she pulled open the door. She must have stayed up pretty late.
You asked her quietly, as if she were still asleep and you were worried you’d wake her, if she would like to come with you to the mess hall. She only offered a hum in response, but the fact that she started to rummage through her clothes told you that was a ‘yes.’ After a few minutes to put herself together enough to meet her standard for eating breakfast, you both made your way downstairs.
When you entered the mess hall, you found that Gris and Follo were already digging into their meals. Follo noticed your presence almost immediately. Gris caught on soon after, waving the two of you over to join them.
You shot them both a smile before turning to Tomme.
“Let me get your food. Go ahead and have a seat,” you told her. Even in her muddled state, she tried to protest, claiming she wasn’t that tired, but you insisted.
As she made her way toward the table, your eyes caught Follo’s once again. You thought you caught sight of a slight tension on his face as if he were clenching his jaw. You wondered what he thought about your interaction the night before. You offered him another smile which seemed to put his jaw at ease before the corners of his lips ticked upward ever so slightly.
You made quick work of the breakfast offerings, plating two trays, and bringing them over to the table. Tomme, not settling for being completely useless, had gotten drinks for the two of you while you were busy. You exchanged thank yous before digging in.
Few words were shared except for Gris’ usual pre-mission rundown of information for the specific job you were about to embark on. It didn’t seem like anything too crazy. Just some proactive citizens wanting the Cleaners to take care of trash beasts near their safety barriers.
In the presence of the others, you and Follo didn’t exchange any words about what happened outside your room. You weren’t even sure if there was anything to say. After you slept on it, the gift felt more like a friendly gesture than anything more. Friends get each other gifts.
Friends also remember small details about you, too. Right?
You stole a glance at him for no particular reason other than you liked how he seemed to glow even under the fluorescent lights of the mess hall. His hair was slightly messy under his cap and his goggles sat slightly crooked on the bill. It almost seemed as if he rushed to get ready this morning.
Before long, the three of you were making your way to the car. With Enjin away, Gris got behind the wheel with Follo beside him while you, Riyo, and Rudo climbed in the back.
The drive wasn’t long or eventful. It was actually unusually quiet. No one made a move to introduce themselves to Rudo and you didn’t want to be the first to speak. It wasn’t until you arrived that Riyo offered up introductions.
It seemed Rudo had not been made aware of the Supporter role in the Cleaners, so Riyo took to explaining how we work to assist the Givers on each mission before diverting her attention to the growing body of trash beasts just beyond the barricade. With that, the mission started off like any other save for a bit more time dedicated to explaining various aspects of the beasts and environment for Rudo.
It was after the trash beasts broke through the barrier that things started to get dicey.
As the designated note taker for the mission, you opted to stay back, cataloging every detail you could as quickly as it was happening, utilizing a common shorthand Tomme had taught you.
Gris and Follo were assisting Riyo with the smaller beasts by throwing them her way so that she could finish them off. Once it was only the big guy left, Gris and Follo began working to dismember the remaining beasts lying around to ensure they wouldn’t come back. You shoved your pen into the side pocket of your baggy pants and tucked the notebook under your arm. With the majority of the fighting over, you were able to close the distance a bit and assist your team.
You did your best to keep a close eye on Rudo to ensure his safety was not at risk, but you couldn’t help your eyes’ natural pull toward a certain Supporter.
You noticed him trip and stumble over something you couldn’t make out from where you were. As he crashed to the ground, a trash beast arose, towering over Follo’s frame. Before you could move, Rudo stepped in with some sort of stick to guard him.
Just as suddenly as he appeared, the stick in his hand transformed, undoubtedly the power of his jinki. You didn’t have the presence of mind to make sense of how his vital instrument was able to transform another object into a vital instrument, too focused on making your way to the supporter on the ground, but Riyo beat you to it, sinking the Ripper straight through the beast and destroying it with ease.
You and Gris made it to Follo, helping him up from the ground. You tried to ask if he was alright, but the way his face was flushed told you he was still recouping from the encounter. Follo brushed himself off, avoiding your eyes as he dropped his head down.
In the aftermath, Riyo noted how the big trash beast she was facing wasn’t disintegrating, despite her attacks.
Gris, always quick to action, replied with confidence, letting her know we would note of it. He shot you a look, but you were already on it, quickly pulling out your notebook and jotting down as much information as you could in hopes that something would be useful later. “And we’ll warn the neighboring towns, just in case.”
He put his hand on Follo’s shoulder, encouraging him to follow suit, while you tried to make your way back to the sidelines and out of Riyo’s way.
As you jogged off, you couldn’t help but turn back to watch as Riyo worked her magic against the beast, chopping and slicing with practiced precision. You noticed Rudo still standing in the same spot. Without thinking, you stopped and called out to him. He didn’t react, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
He was standing dangerously close to Riyo and the beast. Worried he may suffer repercussions from the proximity, you moved in closer, trying to let your voice reach his ears better over the sound of scissors smashing through bone.
“Rudo,” you called out louder. He still didn’t respond, not even offering a glance your way. You looked over at Riyo again. She was chopping away at the beast and it was thrashing all around as her attacks continued to hit their mark. You knew you were going to have to hurry.
“You’ve got to move,” you said as you closed the distance, reaching out a hand to shake him from his dazed state.
It was right at that moment that you felt the ground shake beneath you and a horrible screech shot through the air and pierced your ears. You looked toward Riyo where she stood atop the beast and watched as the ground around it began to break, splintering off in all directions.
One crack shot right toward the two of you and the ground below you and Rudo caved in. There wasn’t even enough time to react before you were descending into the pit. You couldn’t gauge the depth, only feeling a sense of hopelessness as you continued to free fall. You tried to grab onto something—anything—that would stop your descent. As your body twisted, you caught a glimpse of Rudo’s body, dangling just at the edge of the opening you fell through before your body hit a hard surface.
Your head slammed against the rock, setting off a ringing in your ears that seemed to get louder and louder as debris fell around you. You watched through blurry eyes as Rudo was lifted out of the opening from someone above as another face peered over the edge. The haze continued to grow, obscuring your vision and diluting your hearing until everything seemed to mesh together as one constant blob of stimulation. Then, all at once, it stopped.
The first thing to return to you was your hearing. Then, slowly, your vision followed. You could tell it was bright in the room before you even opened your eyes. It was the type of brightness that filtered through the thin skin of your eyelids and was felt behind the back of your eyeball in the form of a dull ache—unable to be relieved except in the absence of the source.
You tensed your eyelids, attempting to block out the light without moving your arms to cover them, but the tension caused a new discomfort that paralleled the sun’s rays. You opted instead to raise one arm to rest across your eyes—an act that was stopped short as you felt a tug at your wrist. You heard a quick shuffling by your side. His voice followed soon after.
“Hey,” Follo said softly, almost like he was cooing to a newborn baby. Still not ready to open your eyes, you hummed softly and let your arm come back down to rest by your side once more.
“Eishia, she’s awake,” he said hurriedly somewhere off into the room. You could tell you were in the recovery room by the constant hum of machinery working idly in the background. It cast a lull over the space that made you just uncomfortable enough that you couldn’t fully relax, allowing the stiffness in your body to spread throughout every limb.
You heard more shuffling as Eishia made her way closer. Even with your eyes closed, she had the presence of a deer caught in headlights—timid and frightened. She was messing with something by your bed, then you felt the hum of her vital instrument.
She did what she does best, scarcely using her words except to apologize or explain herself—as if she wasn’t actively contributing to your recovery. You never heard Follo leave, but couldn’t bring yourself to crack your eyes open even a hairswidth to check. And all the while, you simply laid there, wishing the hazy feeling and pounding ache you were experiencing beneath your skull would magically cease to exist.
As if the headache wasn’t enough, you were also slowly being hit with the memories of the events from earlier. You weren’t even sure how long it had been since the mission with Rudo, but bits and pieces began flooding back, and with it, a sense of shame.
You couldn’t piece much together, but you remembered sitting back while the others fought—a memory that hit harder when you realized that even Rudo managed to contribute to the mission. You knew it was your job to make sure your reports were as accurate as possible, but you wished you were able to do more when the time called for it, like being more aware of your surroundings. If that had been the case, maybe you could have saved Rudo from falling in the pit instead of taking his place.
You heard more shuffling in the room, feeling the loss of one presence but the addition of another which settled beside you. A weight dipped into the mattress you rested upon. Follo’s voice came out softly.
“I’m sorry,” he said. His voice cracked, sounding broken. “I couldn’t get there in time.”
He blamed himself. He was assuming responsibility for your injury, as if he could have done something to prevent it. It pulled at your heart.
You wanted to console him—tell him it wasn’t his fault. That there was nothing he could have done to prevent it from happening. It was just bad luck and worse timing. But the way the light was still filtering through your eyelids was somehow making the hum of the machinery seem louder and everything only hurt more.
The words you wanted to say only came out in broken hums. You could hear his voice again, but your ability to distinguish when one word ended and the other began was diminishing by the second, until eventually it all just blurred into one long garbled mess, lulling you back into another long rest.
You didn’t realize how long you had slept until Eishia checked on you again when you awoke next. It had been almost a full day since you came to with Follo by your side. It was now the day after the observation mission with Rudo, sometime between lunch and dinner judging by the setting sun. Gentle rays of soft orange hues filtered through the half-pulled curtains.
Eishia told you about what she knew from the mission where you lost consciousness. About how you fell into the pit formed by the trash beast’s explosion and the Cleaners pulled you out while you were still unconscious. She said she only knew as much as she was told and apologized for not knowing more, which you quickly reassured her was not something she needed to apologize for.
“The Cleaners are going on another mission tomorrow," she stated. A pause followed, like she wanted to say more but didn't know the right words. You did not press her, allowing her the time she needed to string together the right words.
"I think it would be best if you sat it out and continued to rest,” she said hesitantly. Despite her wealth of medical knowledge, she always seemed unsure of her own advice.
“I trust your expertise, Eishia,” you spoke softly, still suffering the repercussions of your head injury. “I’ll stay here tomorrow.”
You noticed the way her cheeks filled with color and her lips twitched up ever so slightly at your words.
“You had some visitors while you were resting,” she said, trying to push the attention away from herself. “Tomme was here not too long ago. She also came by yesterday with Gris and Follo. He’s stopped by a few times.”
You smiled as she continued, “I don’t know if you remember, but you woke up briefly yesterday while he was here."
She said it so casually, as if the very thought of it didn't pulse shockwaves through your heart. In her ignorance to your glee, she continued.
"Enjin and Rudo also came by yesterday after you fell back asleep.”
You did remember. Not very clearly, but you did. The warmth of his presence beside you and the gentleness of his voice. You remembered him apologizing—a thought that made your heart feel like a buoy out in the open sea, bouncing along through the rough currents, bobbing up and down beneath the waves, but tethered tightly to its post.
The conversation lulled off into a comfortable silence.
Eishia eventually left the room, informing you that she would retrieve a meal for you from the mess hall. You didn’t feel very hungry, but you knew you had to be given how long you’d gone without a proper meal. You soaked in the silence while she was away, trying to reground yourself in reality. The haze you often woke up in seemed to extend beyond the morning hours now and hover around as a looming constant. The injury to your head was likely inviting it to stay longer than you were wanting to host it.
Upon her return, she placed your food tray on the bedside table and shared that she found out the Cleaners were planning to host a welcome party for Rudo. It was set for later this evening. She hesitated before she spoke next.
“Your body is still healing,” she stated, “so if you decide to go, please just try not to overexert yourself.”
You appreciated the autonomy you were being granted given your current state.
“Thank you,” you said kindly. You smiled as you continued, “not just for the food… for everything. You do a lot for us and I don’t know what we would do without you.”
A blush overcame her entire face and neck. You knew she was shy, but you didn’t want her to ever overlook the hard work she contributed to the team. If embarrassment was the cost of your words, you hoped she would forgive you for spending so freely at her expense.
The next few hours were spent resting in the recovery room. You didn’t end up falling back asleep, but you also didn’t make any effort to move. At one point, you heard Eishia’s voice outside the room intertwining with a few others. You couldn’t make out the content of the hushed conversation, but it was clear there was an edge of dissatisfaction at the way it ended.
You didn’t see Eishia again until she returned a while later.
“They’ve started the party.”
She seemed somber. You hesitated a moment, trying to gauge if you had misinterpreted her tone. Her eyes avoided yours and she turned to meddle with some instruments on the table against the wall opposite of you, forcing her back toward you.
“Is everything alright?” you asked.
You saw her head dip down lower, almost as if she was ashamed.
“Some of the Supporters came by again earlier,” she started. You could see a slight shake in her shoulders. “They wanted to see you.”
She still didn’t look at you.
You let out a soft sound of acknowledgement, still unsure how this was affecting her behavior.
“I—” she stopped herself. “I told them they couldn’t see you.”
Her confession came out rushed, like she was admitting to doing something she knew she shouldn’t have.
“You’re still recovering, and I wanted you to rest as much as you could before the party tonight.”
You started to string together her thought process.
She didn’t let you have visitors because she knew you would want to go to Rudo’s welcome party and she wanted to make sure you were in the best condition to do so. You knew Eishia was kind, but this was the first time you experienced her thoughtfulness first-hand.
You noticed her shoulders shake harder.
“Eishia,” you called out to her like you would to a wounded animal. She didn't respond.
“It’s okay,” you said, slowly bringing your legs around the side of the bed. You took your time standing up so as not to overwhelm your body or frighten her as you continued.
“You were doing what you thought was best for my recovery. I appreciate it. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.” You approached her with short, intentional steps. You hated to see her of all people beat herself up over doing what she thought was right.
“You’re the best doctor we’ve got, and from what Enjin says, you learned from the best, too.”
As you got closer, you gently placed your hand on her shoulder. She turned just enough to look at you. She had tears in her eyes—not yet falling, but dangerously close.
“I put my life in your hands,” you said, “so please don’t doubt yourself.”
That was the final straw and her tears flowed down her face like a rainfall. You came closer to her and moved to wrap her into a hug that she desperately needed. She rested her cheek on your shoulder and turned her face away from yours as she continued to sniffle through her tears.
You let her sit like that while you rubbed circles on her back to help calm her. After a few moments of continued cries, her heaving breaths began to die down.
“I hope they’re not mad at me,” she managed to get out after facing the brunt of her emotional onslaught.
“I’m sure they’re not,” you reassured her. “How could anyone be mad at you?” you said as you pulled back slightly, hoping to lift her spirits.
Her lips turned into an upside down smile and she pushed her face into your chest, wrapping her arms back around your sides and hugging you tight.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
As she settled back into her usual self, you extended an offer for her to join you on your way to the welcome party, but she was quick to decline. She stated she had some things she wanted to see too before joining the festivities, which you thought might be a discrete way of saying she wanted to clean herself up after crying on your shoulder, so you didn’t push any further.
Instead, you let her know you were going to head to your room to clean up before joining the others and set off.
You hadn’t had a proper shower since the day before the observation mission, which at this point, felt like far too long ago. You took your time scrubbing at your body and hair before putting on a fresh set of clothing. You tucked your necklace back into your shirt, more as a habit at this point than to hide it, and made your way back down to the ground floor.
You followed the sound of chatter to one of the common rooms. It was hectic inside with lots of people and even more food. You didn’t plan on looking for anyone in particular, but your mind subconsciously scanned the room for one specific individual. You found him sat at a table in the far corner with some of your comrades.
As always, he somehow managed to sense your presence and turned to look your way. You could see the way his back straightened and his eyes widened ever so slightly, a smile overtaking his face. Tomme, whose back was to you, picked up on his diverted attention and also turned to meet your eyes. You offered them both a smile as you began to make your way toward the table.
You didn’t make it more than a few steps before you were caught by the arm—not roughly, but firm enough to stop you in your tracks. Your head swiveled back to meet your captor. With that same quiet confidence that he wore like armor, Tamsy spoke your name.
“It’s so good to see you out and about,” he said. “We were all worried about you.”
“Thanks,” you said, turning your body to face him, bowing your head slightly. “I’m still recovering. Eishia doesn’t want me out too long, but I wanted to see everyone.”
You turned back for a moment to catch a glimpse of your friends as Tamsy said something you didn’t quite catch because of what your eyes landed on. Behind you, you found Follo standing from his seat now, the smile he wore faded as he watched your attention be stolen right before his very eyes.
The man before you cleared his throat. You looked back at Tamsy, realizing he had stopped talking, waiting for your attention to return to him.
“Of course,” he sang out, “rest is an important part of recovery.”
You didn’t speak to Tamsy often, but something about him gave you the feeling you were talking to a humanoid being imitating a man.
“Right,” you said. You weren’t sure what to say next.
Before you could find your next words, Tamsy’s hand came up toward your chest. You startled at the sudden act, unsure of his motive. His fingers gently grazed the cord of your necklace.
“What’s this?” he asked, curiously eyeing the charm just below your neckline, tugging the cord slightly so it was just visible enough for him to get a better look at it. “You didn’t take this from Gris, did you?”
You fumbled with your words for a moment before answering. “No, no, it’s my own,” you said simply, pulling it out from your shirt to allow him a better look. “It’s similar to his, though.”
“I see,” he hummed out in understanding. “Where did you get it?”
For some reason you felt hesitant to share that it was a gift, but you also didn’t see the point in lying about it.
“Follo gave it to me,” you answered. “He said he found it in Canvas Town.”
His eyes met yours at that, an intensity you had not seen in him flashed behind his eyes before you returned his gaze to admire the charm once more.
“That is very generous of him,” he replied. He paused, continuing to look it over. You were surprised by how interested he was by the charm, seemingly lost in thought.
“Well,” he said, breaking his trance, “I don’t want to keep you too long. Enjoy the party.” The words came out with that tight lipped smile familiar to his face—the type of smile that toed the line between genuine and superficial so well it left one’s mind reeling for days after as you contemplate the intention behind it.
He walked off, leaving you disoriented by the sudden interaction. You took a moment to ground yourself as the haze from before loomed back over you once again.
You watched him leave, joining a few others by the drinks. You quickly tucked the charm back below your shirt and turned to make your way back to your original destination when you bumped right into Tomme.
“Hey, come on,” she said, beaming a bright smile at you, “We didn’t know if you were going to be able to make it.”
You fell in step with her as she took your arm and led you to the table where the others sat. Gris had raised a glass as he saw you approach. Follo was seated now, keeping his gaze down.
You caught up with Tomme and Gris while Follo seemed to spectate the conversation. They expressed their worries over your injury and gratitude that you were recovering smoothly. You shared the pieces you remembered from the mission as Gris filled in the gaps. Riyo even stopped by for a brief chat to check up on you before getting lost in the crowd once more.
You kept stealing glances toward the quiet Supporter, hoping he would jump into the conversation, but he seemed content with admiring the room instead. You thought if disappointment had a weight, yours would rival an elephant right now.
As the conversation lulled off, Gris eventually made his way to the guest of honor, who apparently was not enjoying his own party as much as everyone else. Tomme, though she hadn’t been present on the mission, shared that he seemed to be experiencing some internal conflict after they returned.
If anyone could raise his spirits, it was Gris, you thought as you watched him take a seat across from the young boy.
“Let me grab you another drink,” Tomme offered, watching as you sipped the remainder of your beverage.
You tried to protest, but she made a fair point in arguing that you had done far more for her when she was battling sleep instead of injuries. As she stood, you realized this was your first chance all night to speak directly to the one person who had been avoiding you.
You looked at Follo once more. He was fidgeting with his hands in his lap. As Tomme departed, he finally lifted his gaze, meeting your eyes for the first time since you entered the room.
“Hi,” you said softly.
“Hey,” he replied.
You weren’t sure what to say, your gaze shifted with uncertainty across the room, focusing on nothing in particular as you tried to find more words. Then you remembered what Eishia had said when you awoke.
“Thank you for visiting me,” you said, looking back toward him. “Eishia told me you stopped by while I was asleep.”
You watched as that same faded pink tint from the other night rushed to his cheeks.
“I was worried about you,” he said, trying hard to maintain eye contact.
Your eyes softened, not expecting him to be so blunt with his confession.
He pursed his lips and redirected his gaze away from you toward the floor as he continued.
“I guess I wasn’t the only one,” he mumbled under his breath. His tone held the faintest hint of what you could only liken to bitterness—or maybe even jealousy.
You didn’t even need to ask what he meant as you followed his line of sight directly to the man who stole you at the door. Tamsy stood unbothered near the other side of the room, unaware of the attention he was currently receiving.
You brought your focus back to Follo, not wanting to entertain false notions.
“It seems a lot of people were,” you said, trying to refocus his attention elsewhere. “I’m grateful to have a team that cares about me.”
It was only then that he returned to you. Your lips curled into a gentle smile. You caught the slightest twitch from the corner of his mouth. It stopped short of a full smile as he seemed to remember something unpleasant, shadowing his face in quiet agitation once more.
He went still for a moment, clearly thinking about something with great intensity. You could see the uncertainty written all over his face in the silence, like he was at battle within himself between saying something or nothing.
Finally—quietly—he granted himself the right to speak.
“Why was he touching you?”
His voice was weak. He sounded scared, almost like he was afraid to hear the answer that followed.
The questions gave you pause, forcing you to stop and think about what exactly he was talking about. Tamsy touched you?
The thought immediately brought you back to the moment he raised his hand to inspect the charm around your neck. You quickly put the pieces together that, while he didn’t touch you, it may have looked different from the angle where Follo was forced to witness the interaction.
A noise of understanding left your lips as relief washed over you, finally seeing the full picture that painted the context for his question.
“He was asking about this,” you said, looking down to pull the charm back out from where it hid below your shirt. As you brought the gift he’d given you into view, you let your eyes return to him. He had done the same, eyeing the charm around your neck.
The look on his face from before was nowhere to be found, now replaced with what you could only describe as pure shock, but one that held a softness below it. His back straightened out from the hunched position he previously held.
He looked precious, and for a moment, you wondered if this was how you looked when he showed it to you for the first time.
You couldn’t stop your smile from growing. You wished you could stop time in this moment and stare at him forever, but for now, you would savor the time you were given. His gentle eyes finally came back to yours, all the fear he once held behind them diminished in the presence of that charm he so thoughtfully gifted you.
He opened his mouth and you thought he was about to say something but instead of his voice, you heard Tomme’s.
“Oh, that’s so cute,” she complemented, eyes finding the necklace that was still within your grasp while she set down some drinks. “Did Gris get that for you? It looks just like his.”
You looked from her to Follo, unsure how he would feel about you revealing the truth. For some reason, you felt an overwhelming sense of intimacy laced in the act that he had performed. It was there when you revealed the truth to Tamsy, too, though that happened outside of Follo’s watchful gaze.
Now, with him sitting right across from you—watching you—you worried you might cross a line that you didn’t know was there. You fumbled with your thoughts which filtered through your mouth in jumbled um’s and uh’s as you tried to determine the best course of action.
But unlike how you left him stranded the other night, Follo swooped in to support you.
“I bought it,” he said, never letting his eyes leave your face.
When Tomme turned to him, he met her gaze and continued.
“I thought she would like it,” he said simply, though you noticed that faint color return to his face.
“I do,” you spoke suddenly, drawing both of their eyes back to you. You looked between them a couple times, trying not to let your confidence falter under the pressure of vulnerability.
You finally settled your gaze on Follo. “I like it a lot.”