Chapter Text
He was nervous. Unable to predict what her initial reaction would be to his sudden appearing. Would she be happy to see him? Or would she recoil in fear of the monster he had become under the influence of darkness? He was not sure. Either way, time seem to creep more slowly than it usually did as the moment of their reuniting drew closer.
He dutifully followed the directions he was given to find the room where he was told she would be in. And there he saw her. Busied with some task, with little children running all around her. She had her typical laser focus that he was familiar with, so the children running amok did not seem to distract her at all. But rather than a cold indifference to their presence, there was a warm acknowledgement of them as she manoeuvred her way around them until…
Their eyes met and she froze.
She was stunned. Too stunned to speak in fact. Too stunned to avert her eyes, she held his gaze for several moments. He took this time to notice that she was not wearing her glasses. Just like the last time he saw her: lying motionless in a hospital bed.
He wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow, during his brief reflection, she had managed to cross the distance between the two of them and now stood right in front of him. She was so close that he couldn’t see her face, only the top of her blonde head. As if unsure of her own movements, she hesitated before slowly raising her arms to wrap around his shoulders. He felt his heart skip a few beats from the sheer surprise over her actions. But eventually, he reciprocated the action himself.
When was the last time someone had hugged him?
*
Eventually, they found themselves outside of the orphanage, sitting on a ledge in the back to be given some privacy to talk. He wasn’t sure what he should say at this point. But he decided to apologise first and foremost.
His words left his mouth the same time she spoke the same apology to him. They looked at each other in confusion, unsure what the other could possibly have done to warrant an apology. Then came the explanations.
It was being near him that put her in danger, he explained. And also, for his actions, though they were directed by another, they were still heinous, especially since he didn’t feel any remorse at the time. He didn’t feel anything back then.
She began to vehemently disagree before stopping short when the realisation dawned on her. After all those years, he still didn’t have the full story. She took a second to gather herself; it was never easy recounting what had happened during that time, but it needed to be done. He needed to hear the truth.
And he was devastated by it. His anger flared up to the dangerous peak it was at when the events were still fresh in time, but this time it was directed at the correct target who was nowhere to be found; probably for the best of everyone at this point. He felt himself crash land back into a more rational state of mind when he felt the weight of her delicate hand resting on top of his.
He could feel his emotional exhaustion increasing as she continued her tale: how she was forced to leave the job she’d held for years, threatened with death if she approached him, and the roundabout way she tried to rescue him by approaching the other monster. And she apologised once more.
The gaps in his mind started to fill up with the details he had been missing for years. Despite the confusing emotions he was feeling in response to the new information, he felt a pervading sense of relief. Relief that she was okay, and that she harboured no ill will towards him.
Intertwining his fingers with hers, he sat for a moment in silence, simply digesting all that he had heard. But being there in that moment with her was peaceful.
*
It was only a few days later that they found themselves in a familiar amusement park. Sweet memories clashed with the bitter before they eventually settled in a tainted equilibrium. Unwilling to let the shadows of the past haunt the day’s planned events, she grabbed his hand and rushed forward with a militant determination for them to enjoy themselves and be happy. This forced enthusiasm soon turned into turned genuine as the hours flew by in spinning teacups, rigged carnival games, fast-paced coasters and, yes, even the haunted house. She held his hand the entire time, while he held onto her purse to avoid her assaulting another employee. They were able to make it out this time with the employees unscathed, and with no surprise encounters.
The day ended with them on the ferris wheel. The sunset briefly greeted them as they crested the peak of the ride before it was quickly chased away by the night. It was there, in the peaceful, almost eerie stillness, that he decided to ask his question.
“Why?”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Why had she cared all those years ago? Why did she care now?
Her gaze shifted to her lap, then out the window as if searching for the long-retreated sun. She sighed.
Then she confessed.
Oh.
She seemed somewhat relieved and unburdened after the confession. A gentle smile remained on her face as it was lighted by the intermittent glow of the fireworks. The distant rumblings served no help in him trying to get his neurons to fire so that he could vocalise a response. It was only when her smile dropped and she rushed over to his side of the car in concern, that he realised what had happened. In his belated embarrassment, he realised that his response was spilling out of his eyes.
For the second time in less than two months, he had cried. It was like he had regressed to a child, but the comfort he lacked then, was embracing him now, similar to how it met with him in the ring recently. He was not alone now.
He sobbed pitifully into her shoulder. In over two decades of living, he had never heard those words before.
*
It wasn’t too long after they found themselves outside his front door. He hesitated to enter the consuming emptiness once more, so instead, he walked around to the backyard to a place where he found some form of grounding in the recent upheaval in his life.
Confused, she followed him. Unsure at first why they were there, staring at a small patch of disturbed earth, then…
She wept at the realisation.
It was his turn to comfort her, as he patted her back a bit awkwardly until her sniffles quieted down. He had come to terms with being companionless; after all, he wasn’t truly alone. Not anymore, even if he was by himself.
The night ended tamely compared to day’s excitement and emotional exhaustion. After reassuring her that he was fine by himself in the house, she pressed a kiss to his jaw then wished him sweet dreams before she left.
That night he dreamt of spinning rides and gentle smiles.