Chapter Text
Joseph woke slowly, his awareness returning in fragments that did not quite fit together, leaving him with the distinct feeling that something important had happened without his full understanding of what it had been.
He sat up and looked around, immediately realizing that he was not where he expected to be.
“…What.”
The room was quiet.
The light was soft.
And he was on the sofa.
He frowned slightly, trying to piece together the events of the previous night, but his memory felt strangely incomplete, as if entire sections had been erased or blurred beyond recognition.
“…I remember talking to Caesar,” he said to himself.
He looked down.
Then to the side.
Caesar was there, still asleep, his expression calm and undisturbed.
Joseph blinked.
“…Okay.”
He scratched the back of his head, confusion settling in.
“…Did something happen.”
He could not remember.
Not clearly.
Just fragments.
A conversation.
A feeling of warmth.
Something soft.
He shook his head slightly and looked away, only for his attention to be caught by something resting on the sofa beside him.
A feather.
Large.
White.
Joseph picked it up and turned it in his hand, examining it closely.
It looked identical to the ones in Caesar’s headband, but there was something about it that felt different, something that suggested it did not belong there in the same way.
“…That is weird.”
He glanced back at Caesar.
The headband was still in place.
The feathers were perfectly arranged.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Joseph looked at the feather again, then sighed.
“…I am probably overthinking it.”
He leaned back slightly, letting the confusion settle without pushing too hard for answers, because despite everything, he did not feel upset or uneasy.
If anything, there was a quiet sense of comfort lingering in his chest.
He looked at Caesar again, studying his face for a moment longer than necessary.
“…We probably did something stupid,” he said softly.
But he did not mind.
Not really.
Because the thought of it did not bother him.
If anything, it made him smile.
“…I like you anyway.”
The words came out without hesitation, quiet but certain.
He paused, then leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Caesar’s forehead, the gesture soft and unguarded.
“…So it is fine.”
He stood and stretched, the last traces of sleep leaving him as he moved toward the door.
Before leaving, he glanced back once more.
Caesar was still asleep.
Completely unaware.
Joseph smiled faintly.
Then he left the room.
The feather remained where he had found it.
And Caesar did not wake.