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Wendy awoke to an unusual sound, one they had only heard rarely in many centuries.
"Clayman?" They whispered, forcing their eyes open at the muffled sounds of crying. The sounds stopped for a moment.
"Wendy..." Came the weak, whimpered reply.
"Oh, Clayman." Wendy rolled over, smiling softly as they embraced the tearful Demon Lord, pulling him to their bosom.
This seemed to break the floodgates open as Clayman sobbed against them, arms wrapped tightly around them.
After some time, he gained control of himself again, his tears ceasing even as he remained nestled tightly against them. Their physical presence grounded him, reassuring him of their existence in this world.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Wendy asked softly, gently stroking his hair.
"It was...that again. From the times I...died." He winced as he said it, vulnerable in this moment.
"I'm sorry." They pulled him to them a bit tighter.
"It's just..." He took a shaky breath, considering his words as he fought back a fresh onslaught of tears. "It's not my death that bothers me so much as...yours."
Wendy tensed up despite themself. Clayman had alluded to this before. He had dodged the specifics of their involvement, only mentioning that they had attended Walpurgis with him, and strongly implying that as a result they had died with him.
Wendy had both wanted and not wanted to know more - morbid curiosity compelled them, while an unsettling fear that settled in their stomach held them back.
"You- can I tell you about it?" Clayman looked up at them anxiously.
They nodded, setting the fear aside for now as best they could. "But if it's too much, don't push yourself, okay?"
Clayman sighed, but nodded his agreement. He looked away, collecting his thoughts again.
"I never wanted to see you die." He said softly, sorrow permeating his words. "That was the last thing I wanted. I would have- I did beg for your life as fervently as my own." He took a moment, fighting to compose himself again with shuddering breaths as a few tears slid down his cheeks. "And the slime would have spared you. He said as much. But you-!" Clayman's voice cracked. "You refused."
"I refused?" They repeated softly, frowning in confusion.
"Yes." Clayman's reply was quiet, pained. "You knew you couldn't beat him, I'm sure of it. You were covered in <Crystalline:Regeneration>. And still he would have spared you. But not me. And you told him," Clayman was crying openly now as he continued, "that he had better kill you now, because so long as you lived, you would dedicate your life to ending him." Clayman shook his head violently. "Why would you-"
He was sobbing again, pressing his face into them, desperate to ground himself.
"Why would you do that?" He whimpered. "What were you thinking ?"
Wendy continued stroking his hair as he cried, contemplating the question with a serious but thoughtful expression. Once Clayman was stable again, quiet and calm, they let out a long exhale.
"I can't tell you what I was thinking. I don't know what you and I went through in that timeline." They sighed, forcing their body to relax. "But I can tell you what I think right now, as I am today."
Clayman looked up at them with shiny, watery eyes. "Please?"
"This world isn't worth living in without you." They said softly.
"How can you say that?" His voice cracked again. "What about Tear, and Footman, and Laplace- and Kazalim-sama?!"
"Don't misunderstand. I care about them - of course I do. But Clayman," they pressed a kiss to his forehead, "I didn't choose to come to this world. There were times, especially when I first got here, that all I felt was pain."
Clayman looked away, expression pained.
"But there was you." Wendy continued. "From the very beginning." They smiled fondly at his surprised expression. "Do you remember that first time you found me crying?"
"Yes." Clayman mumbled immediately. "Of course I do."
"Heh." They carded fingers through his hair gently. "I never expected anyone to find me. I remember being scared - you were dead silent, and unreadable behind your mask. I didn't know what you were thinking, and I couldn't stop crying. But then," they smiled warmly, "you just...sat with me. Quietly. And that meant everything to me."
"I had no idea it meant so much to you." He replied in a hushed tone. "Honestly, I didn't know what to do. That was all I could come up with."
"You did great. It was what I needed." They closed their eyes a moment. "And so, to me, this world is only worth being in because you are in it. And I've known that for a long time.
Clayman was silent.
"Did...are you okay?" Wendy asked, genuinely worried.
"Yes." His voice cracked once more. He cleared his throat. "Yes. I just...don't have any words."
"That's alright. Just rest." They pressed another kiss to his forehead. "I love you."
"I love you, too."