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The boy is quiet, more so than usual.
Jin squinted through the dark, past the smoke of the dying embers of the fire. Haze and Mikhail laid next to each other, sleeping. He glanced to his side at Lora. She'd dozed off a while ago, sometime after the other two had. Jin was the only one awake now, though that wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
None of it was, really.
They returned to their simple daily life easily, like nothing had happened. Like they hadn't watched a whole Titan fall in a night, like they hadn't fought alongside a prince and an Aegis, like they hadn't watched the emperor of an entire nation sacrifice his life to save his best friend's.
Jin glanced back at Mikhail. He too, had been saved by his best friend. He hadn't been there to witness it, of course, but he knew from the moment they saw him on that ship that that had been the case.
He frowned. He didn't like it, this new life they seemed to be leading. It was too similar to how it'd been before. Lora and Haze were too chipper now, too easily slipping back into their previous lives. Sometimes that optimism seemed to rub off on Mikhail. Haze would pat him on the head, praising him for something, and he'd smile up at her, blue eyes wide. Other times, Lora would make some sort of joke, or she'd tell a story, or she'd do something stupid and the boy would laugh at her.
It was rare, but sometimes he'd be left alone with him. Just the two of them. Jin always felt awkward around him, not used to such a quiet, admittedly independent kid. Lora had been the opposite, endlessly talkative and painfully dependent upon her Blade for everything from cooking to keeping her safe.
There were times he'd attempt to talk to Mikhail, pointless small talk meant to fill the void of silence between them. Mikhail would answer, his voice clipped. He never smiled around Jin, never laughed. On one occasion, he'd even offered to cook something for the boy, "whatever he wanted because Lora and Haze wouldn't be back until tomorrow," and Mikhail had only shrugged, saying, "he wasn't hungry."
"Jin…?" came Lora's voice suddenly, heavy with sleep. "You're still awake?"
Jin blinked and turned to look at her. "Keeping watch," he said easily.
Lora kept looking at him, the look on her face making it clear she didn't approve. "Well, make sure you get some sleep..." she mumbled.
Jin looked away, back at what barely remained of the fire. He listened to Lora shuffling around, laying down a blanket for herself.
_______
It was one of those days.
The next morning they woke up to a cloudy sky, wind howling past them as they trudged along the path. Haze led the way for once, staff held firmly in both her hands, like she expected a monster to jump out at any moment and attack them. Jin didn’t put the possibility completely out of his mind.
Lora and Mikhail strolled along behind him. She was telling him some story from when she was a child, probably no older than him. Something about how she'd been running from Jin. He could remember a myriad of examples, most of them after she'd stolen something of his, giggling as she fled, eternally carefree. He never got angry with her when she did that.
Lora finished the story, and an odd silence fell over them. Jin could tell she was waiting for Mikhail to say something, to maybe even laugh. He did neither, completely silent. And then he heard sniffling. He stopped in his tracks, whipping around.
Mikhail stood stock still, tears running down his cheeks. His big eyes were wide and his mouth hung open slightly. Lora kneeled beside him, one hand on his arm, the other on his shoulder, concern etched onto her face. Mikhail blinked, sniffling again.
"What happened?" Haze asked as she ran up beside Jin. She pressed a hand over her mouth, gasping. "Oh dear."
"I-I don't-" Lora stammered, gold eyes searching Mikhail’s face. She looked up at Jin pleadingly. "I was just telling him a story."
"What did you tell him?" Haze asked.
"Just a story about me and Jin! Nothing out of the ordinary!" she replied
She was right, it hadn't been anything out of the ordinary. But today felt different, and Mikhail clearly felt so, too.
Haze didn't answer. Another drawn out silence followed, only being broken by Mikhail as he made a choked noise, falling that up with full sobs.
Lora panicked, pressing him to her chest. Haze quickly moved beside her, rubbing comforting circles on the boy's back. Jin was the only one who didn't move. An odd feeling twisted in his chest as we watched them. Mikhail kept crying, completely limp in Lora's arms. Haze offered to hug him instead, and Lora happily obliged, passing him to the other Blade. She was more successful, hugging him, still rubbing his back the whole time.
"What's wrong?" Haze whispered, her chin resting on his shoulder.
Mikhail didn't answer, only pressed his face closer to Haze and crying harder.
Haze looked up at Jin, frowning.
"What do we do?" Lora whispered to her.
Haze shook her head.
Jin remembered when Lora had cried like this, though it'd been rare. "Give him to me," he said.
Haze's eyes widened and Lora mumbled "eh?" as he moved forward, bending down in front of them. He took Mikhail from Haze, hoisting him up in his arms. He maneuvered him to his shoulders, with some difficulty, Mikhail being much limper and larger than Lora had been.
It took a few long, suspenseful seconds. Mikhail sniffled again, lifting his head from Jin’s back.
"It worked..." Lora marveled, eyes wide.
Jin looked at him over his shoulder. He'd stopped sobbing, mouth pressed into a thin line. Tears still wandered down his cheeks, but there were less now than before. He stared into the distance, his own eyes wide.