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Yami and William have stopped walking around the Festival. They’ve climbed up the tower, a little earlier, and are now waiting for Julius to call them and the rest of the captains to the stage. No one is there; they are early, very early, too early, but it’s fine. It’s too noisy outside anyway.
“You’re fine, Goldie? You’re quiet as fuck.”
The year has been a long, never-ending one. A year ago, right here, the king and Julius announced the creation of the Royal Knights to launch an attack on the Eye of the Midnight Sun. The attack left the country weakened. Six months were then spent preparing for another threat and rebuilding all that was destroyed: villages, towns, buildings of course, but also and maybe more importantly for William, the trust of Julius, his knights and his fellow captains. And then… he was taken; they were both taken and used to open a door to the Underworld, letting devils run loose. Lives were lost again, William and Yami made it out alive thanks to the unwavering determination of their squad members.
William sighs, “I don’t deserve any of what I’m going to get.”
Yami guffawed, “What, you think you’re getting anything? The Black Bulls will be first. Look at us getting all the praise, you’re not ready for it. My guys are the best.”
Yami doesn’t know how much what he just said means to William. He didn’t try to make him feel better. He did just like he used to. He’s the only one who hasn’t started treating him differently. For being a traitor. For killing Julius. For letting himself be captured. For being responsible for the death of so many citizens, of so many of his knights, of so many loved ones.
There are mornings when William doesn’t believe how lucky he is and he can’t believe how unfair it is that he is this happy. He feels like he doesn’t deserve it. He feels like an impostor; all he’s ever been. He’s only true with Yami, his fellow captains and his squad; the rest of the country is ignorant of his faults, his mistakes, his sins. There are mornings when William wishes they knew, when William wishes he was punished. It stops when Yami finally wakes up.
And it’s all right now.
“We’ll see about that,” William says with a smirk.
Yami scoffs, “It’s a no brainer, Will.”
Yami smirks at seeing the blush on the small area of his face he can see. He’ll have to rid him of that mask permanently one day.
William slips his hand into his.
Yami smiles.
Yeah, they're back now.
When you’ve seen death, you don’t hesitate anymore. When you thought these were your last instants and realize how many regrets you have, you work so you don’t have any anymore. When you’ve realized just how fast things can change, you don’t take your time anymore, you jump right into it. Also, when your idiots have seen you get taken, they do not respect you anymore and are on your back 24/7 and they definitely end up noticing the obvious crush you might have on a fellow captain, and when your idiots notice this, it’s over for you: they devise a hundred of plans, and before you let them the luxury and satisfaction of following one of theirs, you walk up to William and straight up tell him you like him.
Easier.
They, your idiots, are devastated. They worked so hard on these plans. You don’t give a crap.
You’re happy and they’re happy.
It’s all good now.
“Hold up! I think that’ll be the first time I'll be here on time?” Yami says suddenly, clearly shocked.
“I think too.”
“You have a bad influence on me. What’s next?”
“Next, you cut the swearing.”
“Fucking never, Goldie.”
“Well, the supposedly ‘best squad’ has to be here on time anyway.”
“You are right. Supposedly best squad,” Nozel points out as he settles next to them.
“Pffft, you think you’re competition, braids?” Yami laughs.
“I am convinced that my Knights’ efforts will pay off,” Fuegoleon says proudly.
“Your contribution in Spade sure was impressive,” Kaiser says. “But those who stayed behind to protect the kingdom have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Keh keh! Your squad had to sit out the invasion, old man!” Jack mocked.
“Can you all behave?” Charlotte asks.
“Oooh we’re all here on time for once!” Rill says as he stops by his fellow captains, a little out of breath from having run (he isn’t especially known for being on time either, but, unlike Yami, he at least shows up). “Now if only Dotty was awake, it would be perfect!”
Rill taps the sleeping captain on the back energetically.
“Morons,” Yami says.
William smiles, intertwining their fingers, “Let’s go.”
“Oi, you’re not the boss of me?” Jack says.
“No, but I am,” Julius says with a strained smile, “And I’ve been calling for you for a while now. Is Yami bringing all of you down now?”
William chuckles.
He might have brought all of them up instead.