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"Hey, Devil?"
"Hm?"
"I think I'm gonna faint."
"Hm... Wait wha-"
Before Shinra can fully react, Arthur's limp body collided with his own, almost sending them both tumbling on the floor. However, thanks to Shinra's fast reflexes, he managed to sit on the floor with the other's upper torso leaning onto his.
"What the hell?"
Shinra was about to wear Arthur's ears out when he felt the heat seeping through his friend's clothes. Worry gnawing at him, he adjusted his hold on Arthur so that he was supporting the plasma user's back with his arm. Arthur was literally on his lap, but Shinra didn't have the time to process that.
"Fever," the pyrokinetic deduced after feeling Arthur's forehead. "Why did he even get out of bed?"
Arthur and Shinra were on breakfast duty for the day, and breakfast duty meant waking up earlier than usual. Shinra noticed the sluggish way Arthur moved when freshening up and cutting up ingredients in the kitchen. Still, he only thought that the sleep didn't fully seep out of Arthur’s system yet. The reality was actually different, and now Shinra had a passed out blond in his arms.
"Shinra, what happened?!" Maki gasped as she peeked at the kitchen to see the commotion. She kneeled beside the pair. "Is Arthur okay?"
"He has a fever, but I think he's fine." Shinra glanced at the burning pot on the stove. "Maki-san, is it okay if you watch over the food? We already started cooking everything. I'm really sorry about this."
Maki assured him that it was okay and anxiously asked him to take Arthur back to bed. "I'll tell Lieutenant Hinawa and Captain Obi about this, so don't worry. Though you'll probably be tasked to watch over him."
Shinra gave one last look at the figure on his arms before hooking his arm underneath his knees and lifting him up from the ground.
Surprisingly, he wasn't all that bothered by Maki's words.
"Some Knight you are. Aren't you more like a princess?" Shinra huffed under his breath.
Hours later, Arthur, who was permitted a sick leave by Captain Obi, lay on his bed. At the same time, Shinra was assigned as his caretaker.
"Devil, I'm cold," the now-awake Arthur complained, pulling the blankets further to cover his neck with it. He certainly looked sick now that his red cheeks were in full view. He was shivering too, which prompted Shinra to turn up the heat in their room.
"Better?" he asked, to which he earned a nod. Shinra sat back on the stool beside their bunk bed and propped his chin with his elbows on is lap. His stomach churned with guilt, because now that he thought about it, he may have caused Arthur's sickness.
"Uh, when we had a fight the other day because of the Adolla link, did I hurt you and make you sick?" Shinra asked, his nervous tic of a grin manifesting.
Days ago, Shinra was possessed by a blonde woman that resembled Sister Iris and battled with Company 4's Captain Hague. Fortunately, Arthur intervened and knocked some sense into him. Shinra thought that the blond was unharmed during the fight, but seeing that he got sick days later...
"Idiot," Arthur said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Why would I get sick from that?"
"W-Well..."
"This always happens at this time of the year."
Shinra raised a brow. "This time of the year?"
The plasma user fixed his gaze on the bed above him. "It's around this time years ago when my parents left to save the world."
After saying goodbye to Asako-san, Shinra and Arthur were about to leave when Ogun rushed out to call them.
"Shinra!" he panted. "Come here for a second."
The two Company 8 members shared a look of confusion before Shinra approached Ogun. Ogun pulled his arm to whisper at his ear.
"Can you talk to Arthur about his parents? I'm worried."
"Worried?" Shinra asked in a low tone. He didn't even know why they were speaking in hushed voices, but he just went with it.
"Well, when you were possessed and stuff, Arthur talked about his past and... well."
Shinra's eyes widened at Ogun's next words.
"He spoke weirdly as usual, but from what I got from it, it seems like Arthur was abandoned by his parents when he was young, and he trapped himself in his own delusions to cope with it. Can you at least talk to him about it? He might need it."
"You may be rivals, but I'm sure you care for each other."
Ogun’s words repeated over and over in Shinra's mind like a broken record. Admittedly, he didn't know anything about Arthur's past. He first met him at the academy, and all the while, their relationship was that of rivalry and bad blood. Now that they were fire soldiers under the same Company, their relationship mellowed out to casual friendship. They often bickered about useless things, but there was no malice behind their actions.
Arthur was... his friend and partner. And Shinra realized that he wanted to know more about his friend.
"Hey, Arthur?"
The sick boy sluggishly tilted his head a little to look at Shinra. Arthur's eyes were only half-open, his cheeks flushed from the fever. The latter felt guilty for bothering him when he was sick - about his past no less - but his curiosity got the best of him.
"What is it, Devil?" Arthur croaked.
"Where do you think your parents went to?"
The brunet could see the imaginary gears turning inside Arthur's head. If he had his bangs tied up in a cute (wait, did Shinra just think it was cu-) ponytail right now, said ponytail would have twitched along with his thought process.
"They are currently traveling the world to defeat evil, I suppose."
"Like fighting infernals?" Shinra offered.
Arthur shook his head at the question.
"Like dragons."
... Dragons, huh. Okay. Shinra figured that it wouldn't be that easy to talk to Arthur about something so serious. He always spoke in cryptic riddles, spewing out of this world stuff like being a knight saving a damsel in distress and slaying dragons. What made it worse was that he actually believed it- Shinra only realized this recently - and was not putting on an act. He needed to decode Arthur's riddles one by one.
Naturally, the most logical way to go about it is to hear the story from the very start. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Arthur, before your parents... left for their journey, what were they doing?"
"When I was a kid, my parents managed a tavern. It was situated in the commoner part of the kingdom that was close to the capital. Many travelers who sought the capital went to our tavern for respite, making it famous in the area."
His parents were probably restaurant owners, Shinra noted. But what happened after that?
"I see. So what happened to this tavern?"
The plasma user shifted to his side so that he was facing Shinra. He had a faraway look in his eyes like he was reliving unpleasant memories.
Shinra felt bad for pushing him. "You don't need to tell me, really-"
"Everything was going well," Arthur continued, ignoring the brunet, "but one day, the wife of a previous customer barged in the tavern and complained about the food. Apparently, hours after eating the bread and soup served in our tavern, her husband fell sick. Several customers came in in the following days and the tavern's popularity plummeted because of the complaints."
The blond sighed deeply.
"Well, there's that, but then a fire razed the place to the ground. It was unsalvageable."
Food poisoning and fire. So his parents' business shut down?
Weirdly enough, Arthur's mood did a complete 180 turn.
"But we still had our castle!" he exclaimed.
"Your... castle?" Shinra repeated.
Arthur nodded as enthusiastically as he could in his fever-riddled state. "Our castle had a lot of food and treasure, and my mother and father liked to dance in the halls. I hoped that those peaceful days would last forever. But then they needed to go."
"One day, when I woke up, I found a letter on the table where we have our feasts. It said my parents needed to save the world and that the castle was all mine. That's when I became the Knight King."
.
.
.
.
.
Eh?
Shinra's heart dropped to his stomach.
"That's it?" he asked, almost in a fit of desperation. The story couldn't possibly end there, right?
Arthur looked at him funny. "What do you mean?"
"I mean... In your castle, you just woke up and found a letter saying that they left?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"That's..." Shinra laughed humorlessly as he buried his face in his hands. He didn't expect Arthur's story to be anything like this. It's ridiculously unfair, the way his parents left him.
"What's with that?"
Even if Shinra was forcefully separated from his mother and Sho, he could still remember how much their mother loved them and cared for them. Her warm embrace, her delicious food, her beautiful smile... As he grew up, Shinra fought hard every day not to forget those fleeting memories to grow stronger. Just so that he can be a hero who can protect others.
But what of children who were abandoned by their parents? What memories do they have that can help them go through life, no matter how harsh it is? What of Arthur, who doesn't even realize that he was abandoned like a toy grown out of?
Isn't that too cruel?
Shinra couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you lonely?" He lifted his head to hear Arthur's answer. However, he was met with his sleeping face instead. He looked so peaceful it hurt.
The pyrokinetic took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. I must have exhausted him. I shouldn't get worked up like this.
Suddenly, the door flung open, and Shinra saw a flash of pink.
"Vulcan?"
"Shinra." Vulcan's hand gripped the doorknob while panting, his voice thick with urgency. "There's a sighting of infernals five kilometers to the west. Around 20 or so infernals were spotted. Reports classified them as low-level infernals but we still need all the help we can get. Come with us. Company 5 will also be there."
The pyrokinetic whipped his head back to Arthur's sleeping form. "But what about-"
"Here, to ease your mind." Vulcan stepped into the room. Shinra realized that he was holding something in his hands. It looked like a round object with a lens embedded in it.
"I'll set up a camera quickly so that we can monitor Arthur from time to time. Go gear up."
"Understood!"
Before leaving, Shinra lay Arthur on his back again so that his arm won't cramp up from sleeping on his side. He then ran to get his gear. He was still pretty worried about Arthur, but people needed his help. The longer the infernals roamed around, the longer they'll suffer.
Once the squad was ready, they loaded the matchbox and drove at full speed to the location where the infernals were spotted. There, Captain Obi and Captain Hibana split the Companies into groups to maximize their numbers.
Captain Obi gestured to three of his people and pointed to a specific point on the map with three red dots. "Shinra, Maki, Iris, go to this location. I'm counting on you."
The three Company 8 members raised their hands in salute. "Roger!"
"Pusupusu, meromero!"
Beside Shinra, Maki's Tekkyou were already in attack mode. The woman's vibrant, violet eyes shone as she locked on her flying machines to the two infernals that were now in attack range. Shinra raised one knee up, his feet already wrapped in hot flames.
Behind them, Iris raised her hands in prayer.
"May thy soul return to the great flame of fire..."
Maki and Shinra charged, effectively putting the infernals to rest as Iris uttered the last of her prayer.
"Látom."
Fortunately, the description of the infernals was precisely that of the report. Not only that, they gathered in clusters all around the city so it was easy locating them. In less than an hour, all the infernals were put to rest. After the three met up with Captain Obi, Lieutenant Hinawa, Tamaki, Vulcan, and Licht, the Company 8 Captain expressed his gratitude to Company 5 for aiding them. The infernal outbreak had no perceived connection with the Evangelist, but Captain Hibana resolved to investigate more about the situation. As the two captains talked on the side, Vulcan called Shinra's attention.
"Uh, Shinra?" the pink-haired mechanic said, eyes glued on the device on his wrist. "Arthur's..."
The mention of his friend's name alarmed Shinra. "What happened?" he asked as he looked over Vulcan's shoulder, who was squatting outside their matchbox.
Vulcan's device showed Shinra and Arthur's room's video feed, probably from the camera he set up. The pyrokinetic's eyes widened when he saw Arthur slumped on the floor, head hung low like he didn't have the energy to get up.
"Why is he out of bed? He's sick!" Shinra's disbelieving tone also sent Vulcan to panic mode, who rushed to explain the situation.
"I-I don't know; he woke up disoriented and tried to stand up from the bed but his knees gave out under him. It's like he's looking for something-"
Shinra didn't even let Vulcan finish and rushed to their captain to explain what happened. Captain Obi sensed his urgency and, worried about Arthur himself, gave Shinra his permission to leave first.
He tapped his subordinate on the shoulder." Take care of him. We'll be done here in a minute.
"Yes, sir!"
Shinra materialized flames under his feet and shot up to the sky, all the while thinking of blond hair and blue eyes.
The pyrokinetic barely managed to land properly at the cathedral's entrance before running as fast as possible to his and Arthur's shared room. Once he reached his destination, he hastily opened the door, and sure enough, Arthur was on the floor instead of the bed.
"What are you even doing, you stupid Knight?!" Shinra lashed out as he kneeled in front of Arthur and cupped his forehead. Did he just make his fever worse? What was he even thinking, getting out of bed like that?!
Shinra gripped Arthur's arms firmly and tried to pull him up with him." Come on, go back to be-"
"I'm looking for the letter," Arthur said, head hung low. His form looked lifeless, like a broken rag doll. Shinra hated it, hated seeing someone so strong look so weak and out of it.
"Letter?"
"I thought you..." Arthur's words trailed off, finally looking up to see Shinra's features as if he just realized that Shinra was indeed in front of him. His normally bright, blue eyes looked dull, having lost all their sparkle. "Nevermind. You're here. You came back, so of course there's no letter."
The brunet grazed his sharp teeth over his lip in deep thought. What letter...?
Suddenly, a realization hit him. He felt like he'd been splashed with cold water. Did Arthur think that Shinra left him for good? Like how his own parents left him? Arthur was probably just delirious from the fever, but Shinra still scrambled for an explanation to correct the misunderstanding.
"We received a report about infernals a while ago. You were already asleep when Vulcan entered the room, and we didn't want to wake you up... so..."
Shinra halted, having lost the ability to speak at the sight of tears steadily streaming out of his friend's eyes.
Arthur was crying. He made no sound doing so, not even a sniffle or a hiccup, and it made Shinra's heart ache. As he watched him weep silently, he wondered if Arthur cried before in this room or anywhere in the cathedral without anyone knowing.
"Arthur?"
Shinra’s voice was painfully soft. He loosened his grip on the plasma user and lifted a hand to touch the other's cheek. He couldn't help it, not when he wanted so badly to wipe those tears away. Arthur tilted his head a little to press his cheek against Shinra's hand.
"Shinra?"
"Hm?"
"Knights should vanquish evil, right? They were knighted for that purpose." There was a touch of melancholia to Arthur's voice, as if he forced himself to believe what he said and never question it even if his heart told him a different story.
To that, Shinra didn't know what to say.
"My mother and father... I'm sure they have already slain evil creatures more than I can count, more than I can probably defeat. Even now, they are probably hunting down strong enemies to protect people from harm. I wanted to be like them. That's why I worked hard to become the Knight King. But... "
Arthur eased away from Shinra's warm palm and looked straight into the latter's ruby eyes. It was painful to see his tear-stricken face, but Shinra couldn't look away. Not now when he was needed.
"If being Knight King meant that I had to endure the loneliness of an empty castle, then I wish that my family was normal. Even if I don't get to eat luxurious food or live in a castle full of treasure, I get to live with my mother and father, was what I was thinking."
"Wanting to have my family by my side instead of protecting the world..." Arthur smiled most heartbreakingly. "I'm pretty damn selfish, aren't I, Devil?"
You're not. Your parents are, and they're monsters for leaving you. Shinra wanted to drill that into Arthur's mind until he understands, but that's not what the boy needed at the moment. Shinra put both of his hands atop the other's shoulders and leaned forward so that he's staring right at Arthur's eyes.
He needed to make things clear.
"You're not selfish. You never were. But Arthur, you're wrong about one thing."
Shinra grinned, and not because of nervousness.
"Who said you're alone in your castle? You have us here."
Arthur's eyes widened, vibrant blue slowly blanketing over the dullness in his eyes.
Shinra smiled warmly. Those were the eyes that he knew.
"This... Company 8. It's your new castle and your home. Despite all of us having these ridiculous flame powers— uh, well, not everyone has, but they're still ridiculously strong— we're still normal people deep inside. We laugh when we're happy and cry when we're sad. If you think about it that way, aren't we all normal? So going by that logic, didn't your wish come true in a way? To have a normal family, I mean."
Arthur blinked once. Twice. "... Family?"
Shinra nodded and pointed at himself. "Me. Us."
"You'll stay with me?"
The brunet nodded again and continued, "Also, you always act like an idiot and pick fights with me, but you're strong and reliable. I still don't like you calling me Devil or Dragon or whatever, but I also call you Stupid Knight, so we're even. Anyway, what I'm saying is..."
He felt his cheeks heat up, but Arthur needed to hear his next words.
"You're not so bad, Knight King."
Arthur stared at him, eyes still wet and eyelashes clumped with tears (they weren't flowing down his cheeks anymore, thankfully). Shinra wanted to reach out and dry them, but he didn't want to further overstep his boundaries. He was about to assist Arthur in standing up but was surprised when the latter buried his head on his shoulder.
"You'll stay with me?" Arthur repeated with a muffled voice. Quiet. Pleading. That alone made Shinra wrap his arms around the blond in a warm embrace.
"I will." He promised, tightening the hug. "We will."
Ever since the tragedy that tore apart his family, Shinra swore to become a hero to protect people and make them smile.
This day, he made another promise, and that promise was to always be by someone’s side. However, in this world full of infernals and other ominous forces, fire soldiers' lives were not guaranteed.
But for as long as he can, he’ll never break that promise.
Later that night, Shinra asked the rest of the Company 8 members to gather and disclosed what he found out. Everyone was shell-shocked at what they heard, eyes stormy with sympathy and anger.
Captain Obi pinched the bridge of his nose. “I fell short of my responsibility as a captain. Damn it. I should have known earlier."
"How could Arthur's parents do such a horrible thing?" Maki was shaking. Beside her, Tamaki and Sister Iris looked solemn. For once, Licht didn't have his signature smile on.
Vulcan appeared to be in deep thought. "So he really doesn't realize that his parents abandoned him?" the pink-haired mechanic asked.
Shinra shook his head. “When he's vulnerable like today, he’s more open about his past. But I don't think he realized that he was really left behind.”
"What do you suggest we do, Shinra?" Lieutenant Hinawa asked, eyes uncharacteristically soft. "Do we break his delusions? Or entertain them for a while longer?"
Shinra balled his hands into fists. "I don't know if I'm fit to decide this, but right now, I don't think it's a good idea to overwhelm him. He's still recovering, and... I don't think he can handle it. But when the right time comes..."
He looked at his colleagues with determination and saw his own resolve reflected in their eyes.
“I hope we can comfort him together."
Everyone nodded in sync, and Shinra knew that things will be fine.
A few days later, Arthur's health was back to normal. His movements were quick and light, and his plasma sword sliced through the infernals' bodies with ease. Two infernals ganged up on him, but Shinra used the blond's shoulder as a springboard to knock one infernal with a kick. The other one was swiftly dealt with by Arthur's Excalibur.
They felt in tune with each other's movements more than ever.
As Company 8 gathered for the post-mission meeting, Shinra and Arthur sat at the back of the matchbox comfortably as Captain Obi reviewed the events to the members.
The brunet was surprised when Arthur leaned against him, making him worry.
"Are you still feeling sick?"
Arthur shook his head. Shinra sighed in relief.
The head resting on his shoulder shifted. "Shinra?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
Shinra's lips curled up. So he can be honest like this too.
"You're wel-"
Arthur sprang up and grinned at him.
"Thank you for admitting that I'm the best Knight King that ever graced this planet."
Shinra growled in exasperation. "Why do you have to do that every single time?!"
Arthur crossed his arms and huffed arrogantly, his (ridiculous, not cute) ponytail bouncing atop his head. "I knew you were just bluffing when you kept denying my status as Knight King. To think that you held me in high regard..."
Shinra was so ready to bonk his head. When he saw the blond's expression, though, his hand stilled. Arthur's cheeks were flushed, but they clearly weren't caused by a fever or any sickness. It's almost as if he was...
The two couldn't take the awkwardness anymore and looked away at the same time.
"I-I suppose you are fit to be my companion, Devil," Arthur said, a little quieter this time. It sounded sincere too, which just made Shinra more embarrassed.
Sheesh. Shinra rubbed the back of his head, feeling the warmth rise up to his cheeks. His heart thumped faster in his chest too. What even is happening?
Well. Arthur just had a hard time showing it, but Shinra knew how to recognize genuine gratitude.
"You're welcome, stupid Knight," he muttered and slowly turned around to see Arthur again. Those bright blue eyes, nowhere as dead-looking as they were a few days ago, bore onto his own.
They mirrored each other's smile, and Shinra thought that yes, they'll be just fine.