Chapter Text
"Nghh... Where...?"
"Aldo? Are you awake?"
Their trip to the moon was more than a little rough, as per usual. The streets were filled with constructs resembling crystalline beasts, though they were far more advanced in form and substance than the surface world could ever hope to be at this time. No one knew what to expect.
Clarte should have known. Maybe then, Aldo could have also known not to act so rashly.
At the moment, they were back at the inn, with the swordsman's head laying on his lap. The power was out, and the others had some form of business to take care of, leaving Clarte to watch over their injured friend. His hand remained rested atop the brunet's mop of dark hair.
It felt unexpectedly soft. From all the traveling they were doing, he would not have guessed that Aldo could have much time to groom himself. His hand wandered towards his own hair, running it through the too-smooth strands. He sighed - it still felt unnatural. Perhaps he wasn't in any place to question such sensations.
Looking closer upon Aldo's resting face, he felt a strange urge tugging at his fingertips. At any rate, it wasn't rare for him to see him unconscious. He was a well-meaning, if reckless fighter, and all that it meant for him was that he would end up taking unnecessary hits.
He placed a cold palm against the swordsman's face. A small smile graced his lips. It wasn't something that he hated about him at all.
"Clarte...? That you?" The slight disturbance seemed to wake Aldo, as the swordsman asked him tiredly, stirring in his place before wincing in pain. "Gah... What happened?"
"Perhaps it's best you don't move so much for now," Clarte replied, placing his hand back on his forehead and gently pushing down. "You took quite the hit, my friend. I've been told to keep you here until you make a full recovery, in case you try anything rash."
"I'm not that careless, you guys..." It's then that Aldo opened his eyes, finding only Clarte staring back down on him. A strange expression adorned his face after a few moments, and he averted his eyes. "I uh... Is this alright?"
Curiously, he tilted his head. "What is...? Is my lap not comfortable? The bed was far too cold..."
"I... Sure. But even like this, it's kind of... Don't you get cramps like this?"
"You seemed uncomfortable without leverage. I did not think it best for your recovery either,"
"...if there's really no problem," Aldo sighed, resigning himself and leaning into Clarte's hold. "How are Melina and the others?"
Clarte hummed lightly, and glanced outside. The night was littered with stars and bright neon lights. Rosetta and Mistrare were insistent on further investigation - though the curious twinkle in Mistrare's eyes was difficult to miss. "Last I've seen of them, they were sifting through the archives,"
In truth, Melina went off with Thillelille to try and communicate further with the rabbits not long afterwards, and tagging along were Milsha, Minchy, and an exasperated Prai. He was certain he heard the sound of an alarm going off just earlier, and he shook his head. They were able to handle themselves just fine - is what they would tell him, and there was no need to worry the swordsman. "I can imagine it would take a while. Are you feeling any better?"
"I'm al-" As if to chide himself for his stubbornness, Aldo cut himself off mid-sentence with a groan after failing to prop himself up. "Alright no, my head still hurts a bit..."
Clarte nodded down at him, with his hand resuming its place atop the brunet's forehead. "I see. I'll stay with you until it gets better, so you don't need to worry."
"Er. Thanks,"
Silence settled between them once more as Aldo closed his eyes. Clarte turned his attention back outside the window. The sight of the city outside filled him with a peculiar bitterness, distaste clouding his thoughts almost subconsciously. The spirits stirred warily inside of him as he breathed in the lunar airs, and he could feel it in their kindred discomfort - he would find his answers here.
Dread crept up his spine. Exactly what was it that he would find, in this empty, doomed place? How much responsibility did he truly bear for its lonesome state? Whatever it was that was waiting for them at the end of this journey, he was certain that no one could walk out of it the same.
"...this feels familiar."
Aldo's voice shook him out of his brief trance. Looking down, the swordsman still had his eyes fluttered shut, though he looked to be deep in thought. "How so?" Clarte asked.
"You remember when I told you about Eden, right?"
He's not sure why his breath hitched in his throat at the name. "Of course... Then, does something about this remind you of him?"
Again with the awkward fidgeting. Aldo's hands twitched by his side, ever restless. "Sort of. It's kind of awkward to explain, but... You know. Cats curling up on their owners, that kind of thing,"
A quick mental image of an Aldo with cat-like appendages rubbing up on their companions flashed through his mind. Clarte bit back a laugh at the thought - especially as the swordsman sighed heavily, with the weight of unspoken burdens.
"I don't have very many memories of him. But I remember how warm it felt... And I guess this reminded me of that. It's strange, but I can feel some of him in you, even though you're thousands of years apart." His tone was wistful - yearning. Fidgets turned into shivers, as Aldo breathed a shuddering breath and hid his eyes under his arm. "Ah. Sorry, that was pretty weird, huh?"
Clarte frowned. This was not an Aldo he was used to seeing - and undoubtedly, that was on purpose. Aldo was an earnest person who wore his heart on his sleeve, this much was true.
And yet, even he had demons that haunted him. "No, it's fine. I feel like I understand... And you do seem to miss him."
Aldo chuckled, and Clarte's frown deepened. That settled it, he thought - letting his fingers roam. "Of course I do. Eden is..." He paused, lifting his arm up to look at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"
The winged man merely hummed. His hand resumed its ministrations across the swordsman's hair, brushing and playing with it lightly. Tears shone from the corner of Aldo's eye, and he brushed them away as well - wiping them away with his free hand as he let his frown melt into an apologetic smile. "...I figured it would help soothe your nerves. Am I overstepping my bounds...?"
"Not really, but," Conflicting emotions flashed through his face for a few moments, before Clarte's hand rested itself firmly against Aldo's cheek once more.
There were emotions in his dark eyes that Clarte recognized. An intimate conversation with pain that he was all-too familiar with - and for a moment he thinks that finally, he's fully understood Aldo for the first time.
"...Aldo, I am not Eden. So I doubt it could ever feel the same, but... You've helped me so much on this journey. I am more grateful to you than words could ever say." he said quietly, words spoken like a hushed secret. Though Aldo was no delicate thing, his touch remained tentative - gentle, for a gentle soul seeking respite. "I'd like to do this for you, if you would let me. To bring you some small form of comfort, I mean,"
Clarte carefully observed the reactions on his friend's face as he let his words sink in. He hoped he knew that he could take his time - that in here, it was just them.
"You don't have to go out of your way for me, you know…" Aldo eventually said, relaxing into his hold once more. "But I appreciate it."
The smile on his face was a little less strained, and that was enough for Clarte. "...you can rest some more now. I will be here for you until you recover."
Once everything was over, and he could cause trouble no longer - perhaps then, Clarte could see that promise through to the end.