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“I want to see the world through your eyes.”
The words found their way out before Belle could think about how invasive, insensitive they were. The sunglasses are practically a part of Lighter now, both physically and mentally; asking him to take them off, let alone borrowing them, was no doubt hard to be accepted. She was ready for some profuse apologizing as Lighter turned to look at her, his face colored by wide-eyed confusion.
However, it was just for a split second and fast replaced by amusement accompanied by a slightly teasing sigh. “Unfortunately, I can’t just pluck out my eyes and give them to you, but…” He reached for the shades and took them off, “You can try on these if you like.”
Even though this wasn’t Belle’s first time seeing him without them, she had never been this close. The emerald eyes, the piercing pupils, were all long healed; she knew that. Yet facing them, staring at them still felt almost like pulling off the bandages from his past, exposing and prying into what lies underneath. An action that leaves anyone wondering how allowed they are to do so, and to the Lighter even. Her heart fluttered for a moment from the implied undertones it had.
The change of the look on his face didn’t go unnoticed to her observation. There was something much softer, milder about the air around him, and Belle bet people who knew him would be stunned to see him like this, as she sometimes was. After all, it can be difficult to believe that the confident Red Scarf, the Undisputed Champion, managed to pull such a gentle expression. Do the shades make that much of a difference?
Belle was going to reach out and take them when Lighter decided to put them on her himself. He was careful, meticulous even, the leather gloves barely brushed her cheeks yet left a trail of heat all the same. She suddenly wished she hadn’t requested this; nothing obscured his vision anymore and her embarrassment was on full display. He seemed to be oblivious to it though, perhaps thanks to the sunset’s golden glow.
“They really don’t fit you at all,” huffed Lighter with a smile as he turned to the view in front of them. The occasional breeze tousled his hair like a child playing around, yet he didn’t look the slightest bit upset. Instead, he just closed his eyes and let it be; one could say he was enjoying the situation. Not bothering him, Belle also admired the surrounding vista, now through his sunglasses. The world had, obviously, become hazy and gray—as though someone had placed a weird filter over everything.
Nevertheless, for some reason, she couldn’t help but feel a special sensation. So this is how Lighter views our world, Belle remarked in her mind, and he shared it with her however temporarily it was. Can this be seen as a token of trust from him? It was a silly wonder, considering what they had been through. No words were exchanged between them, yet a sense of reassurance still permeated the air. Belle thought back on her original intention, and breathed out.
“You better take a good look, Lighter.” So that the view we enjoyed together today would be carved in your mind forever. The warm hues of the sunset, of the memories we made today. Of me, hopefully.
The emerald eyes gazing straight at her spelled out nothing but utter devotion. “With a beautiful view like this, how could I not?”
“Which flavor do you like? It’s my treat.”
“Come on, let’s split the bill once in a while,” Belle said, near nagging, her hands on her hips. “You’re always treating me, at least let me pay for half.” Lighter sighed and adjusted his shades, which made her have to physically stop the need to giggle. Her plan couldn’t fall apart now; she knew his weak spot was seeing his friends upset. Begrudgingly, he gave in after a one-sided staring contest from her, “...Alright, I’ll pay for mine, the same goes for you, and we split on the other. Deal?”
“Deal!” Belle grinned wide with the victory and took out her wallet. Sure, Lighter could be insistent at times, she just didn’t expect it to happen even with something small like getting fries at Elpis Port. At least it had been settled for now. “I’ll take one with sour cream and onion then,” said Belle while browsing the menu. He raised a brow at that and got a quizzical face as her answer, “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” he shrugged, “just didn’t think you’d be into it.” She oohed in silence and explained, “I picked it because I’ve never tried it. Gotta try it all, you know.” Lighter mouthed “I see” before continuing with their order, and Belle used the waiting time to look around them. It was early afternoon, so the sun was a bit harsh with its rays; luckily, the sea breeze provided some nice balance. The fishing competition had concluded long ago, but the number of people coming to reel in some catches was nearly the same. She wondered if Qingyi was among them.
A gentle nudge pulled Belle back to reality. Lighter was already holding three servings of jumbo fries in his hands, looking like he wanted to ask what she was daydreaming about. She took hers and offered an apologetic smile, “Sorry for that, I was reminiscing about the angler championship. Let’s head to our table.”
They kept talking on the albeit short way to their seats and afterward. From Belle’s unbelievable catch – a shark, the story beneath the competition to the man Lighter helped but (still) couldn’t remember his name correctly, all was recounted both fondly and a little helplessly. The frequent chiming of seagulls’ squeals next to them wasn’t very troublesome; rather, it made their outing all the more special.
“By the way, last time I heard from Pulchra that you have a monthly fries agreement with these guys,” Belle said, pointing to the seagulls with a piece of fries. “Is that true, or was it an excuse to get her here to enjoy the sunshine and sea breeze?”
“You got me, Manager. And here I thought it sounded believable enough, seeing that she accepted it.” He sighed, without the embarrassment of being exposed, “It’s true that sometimes when I have business here, I’d share some of my fries with them, but there’s no agreement or anything. The sun in our place can be quite… unforgiving, so I thought getting her here would be a nice change of pace.”
Belle recalled Pulchra’s reaction back then and smiled, “And I’d say you did well. You’re lucky that she cared more about the profit than how comical your commission was.” Her companion shifted in his seat and stared at the gluttonous seagulls, “True.” It was getting weirder by the minute with him sneaking glances at her and then returning to anywhere but her. She still found it hard to not burst out laughing whenever she saw nervous Lighter, despite knowing she shouldn’t tease him too much.
Barely had she had the time to ask him what was wrong when his hand reached out, freezing her in place. His thumb swiped a smooth line on the corner of her mouth and took away some leftover cream. Lighter adjusted his sunglasses after wiping it out with a tissue, “You didn’t seem like you were aware of it, so I went ahead and did it. No need to thank me.”
Belle could only stare at him in disbelief and tried to regain her composure. How can he be so on edge one second then afford to be all cool the next?! The switch must be from how frequently he alternates between his work persona and his casual one. Thinking this, she finally collected herself and exhaled, “You’re one dangerous man, Lighter.”
“I’m starting to believe it really is impossible to carry you.”
Belle’s tone was helpless yet lighthearted as she looked at the large ‘DEFEAT’ on their shared arcade machine for the umpteenth time today. Lighter just turned away and reached for his shades, “...Sorry, I suck at this more than I expected.”
She let out a dramatic sigh that meant no offense. “You told Lucy to come here and play some time ago, so I thought you’d have more experience.” Seeing him getting more and more dejected, Belle quickly patted his back, “Lucky for you, I’m something of a champion myself here. It’s my turn to be your teacher~”
The playful determination in her voice and pose made Lighter smile, “Alright then, I’m ready for the lesson, Ms. Belle.” She giggled while going to his right side and fully embodied her temporary job.
“First thing first,” she wagged a finger, “staying alive is the most important. Therefore, you must master moving the controller to dodge the bullets. I had a look earlier and seems like you’re a bit awkward with that.”
Lighter’s expression became more serious, as if he was really in a classroom and receiving comments from a teacher. “I mean, my hands do better with strength and dexterity than delicacy, not to mention the controller isn’t very big.” Belle nodded, “Don’t worry, it doesn’t take much time and you can practice it.”
Not giving her “student” time to react, she already laid her right hand on his and felt his body tense up immediately. “Relax, it’ll be more difficult if you don’t. Here, let me show you,” still grasping his hand, Belle moved the controller around and Slippy – his chosen Dream Seeker – ran accordingly on the display. They stayed like that for a while before she decided that was enough one-on-one teaching, “Okay, it’s your turn. Try this practice wave.”
For some reason, Lighter’s voice was even stiffer than his hand, “Sure.” He controlled Slippy much better though, and for that Belle was delighted. She now understood why her teacher was so pleased when she got something right the first time. “Look at that, you improved a lot in such a short time! Keep it up,” rejoiced Belle with a thumbs-up and a beaming smile.
“It’s all thanks to your brilliant teaching, really,” his words were humble, but the tone they were said in was the opposite of which. She chuckled at the contradiction; he could never hide his love for praises, “Yes yes, that’s a good start. Let us move to the stats and companions then.”
After a good deal of time spent sharing tactics, observing and trying out multiple times, both of them could finally agree that the current Lighter should at least survive to wave 10. At this point, Belle was completely fired up and her energy was contagious. “Time to get serious, don’t you think?” She slapped her hands at the rhetorical question, “Of course! Let’s head towards your first arcade win!”
There were many near misses, two hearts were pounding until the sweet voice announcing ‘VICTORY’ sounded from their machine. Belle felt like her tears of joy could gush out any moment now, and Lighter tried to suppress his laugh at her reaction, “This isn’t your first win, right? Why the emotional face?”
“It isn’t, but it’s your, our first arcade win together! Obviously I’d be emotional,” she wiped away the imaginary tears. His originally teasing and amused gaze turned tender, “Makes sense. You’re not only a good manager, proxy, but also a great teacher, y’know.”
The chuckle came washing over Belle. “Enough flattering, you’re a quick learner too. Let’s come back some time, there are still many games I want you to try,” she said, eyes gleaming, and patted her companion’s arm. Lighter huffed happily, “Okay. With you by my side, the Undefeated Champion shall never lose again.”
“Thank you, but aren’t these a bit too many?”
That reaction got him a slightly disapproving snort from Belle, or rather, Eous. “You know what they say, ‘better to have too much than not enough’,” she raised a short, gray arm of her beloved Bangboo, “just give the spare ones to the staff if you need to.” Lighter nodded as she waddled to Lucy not so far off.
“Oh, Proxy, perfect timing. I could use some pressure relief this instant.” Belle happily handed her some kits, trying to bite back a sigh, “No matter how far we go or what we encounter, Lighter keeps using the least supplies; I wonder if he’s enduring without letting anyone know.”
Lucy just glanced at the mentioned man, his back facing them, once and rubbed Eous’s head. “There’s no need to fret over that matter, as I’m sure he’s well. He wouldn’t do anything that reckless.” Even though they weren’t physically together, Belle felt the reassurance from both her words and action, and smiled while waving, “Thanks, I believe you. I gotta get to Piper now, see you later!”
The truck driver was dozing off as usual when she reached her spot, but then woke up from the sounds of familiar footsteps. “Piper, if you are that tired…” Belle scratched her little ears, “Maybe we can stay here more?” She was answered with a yawn and blonde hair swinging left to right. “Nah, ’m good,” Piper yawned again, this time more quietly. "Had a lil' nap just now."
“If you say so. Take these kits though,” exhaled Belle, and her companion sluggishly took what she offered. “Thanks for bringing 'em to me, Proxy.” Now that she thought about it, while Bangboos’ eyes and voice express emotions just fine, it’s a shame they technically don’t have anything to smile with. What did Lady Sunbringer think of her design? Realizing her immersion in daydreams, Belle waved to Piper, “No problem! Please rest well, okay?”
She joined the staff for some checking, from the Ether corruption level, Hollow Zero’s stability to Eous, before determining it was safe to continue the exploration. Under her coordination as well as the agents’ abilities, the weekly venture into Hollow Zero was concluded without a hitch. Even so, a bad feeling nagged at Belle, so she stayed at the outpost until her team came back.
The three members of the Sons of Calydon didn’t seem to be hurt anywhere as she thanked them again for their hard work. Lucy recognized her gesture to the two girls and went back with Piper first, giving her some alone time with Lighter. He was visibly puzzled when Belle stood in front of him, face dead serious. “What’s wrong, Proxy?”
He most likely wouldn’t admit it if she asked directly; thus, she opted for a more roundabout route. “Can you give me your left hand?” she extended hers first. In a mere second, his posture got rigid, as though he knew Belle had looked right through him, which confirmed her suspicion almost completely. Lighter was hiding something.
“Yeah,” he didn’t try to escape, probably because he couldn’t. Holding his hand, Belle looked for another permission, “Can I take your glove off?” The hesitation vanished in less than a heartbeat, “Yes.”
It wasn’t a tough process by any means, but took a while nonetheless from how extra careful she was being. And there it was, just as she guessed: his thumb was neatly bandaged in white. If one took a closer look, they would see a few faint red spots scattered. So this was why he looked strange during the last battles.
Belle could see the words tripping over each other in his throat before he rushed to explained, “...It wasn’t serious and I’m used to it, so I handled it myself.” Lighter’s hand wrapped around hers, head drooping. “I’m sorry.”
She wasn’t, no, she was upset, but above all she was filled with worry. He was still trying to keep most things to himself, and Belle didn’t blame him, not one bit; they both understood how it feels to not bother others. She just wished Lighter believed he could rely on them, on her more. “Okay, come with me. This is quite thin and needs changing.”
He followed suit, saying nothing. One look and even a child could tell he was waiting for forgiveness. She ignored it by taking off the bandage; as he said, the cut wasn’t deep, perhaps due to the protection from his glove. It wasn’t small in length though, which made some basic movements awkward. Belle’s whole focus was on making sure it would heal fast and Lighter didn’t push himself too hard again.
“All done,” she caressed her handiwork lightly before turning her gaze upward, “Lighter, I know you and I know you know that. So you don’t need to unlearn your habit right away. Just, promise me one thing.” She held out her pinky finger and his hooked around it—a quiet act of compliance. “Try to remember that you aren’t alone anymore. Many people are here for you.”
“Oh, they have Nitro-Fuel here too. It’s nothing compared to Burnice’s though.”
Dark green hair swayed as Lighter nodded in agreement, “That’s a given.” Belle stopped reading the list before them to look at him. “Anyway, I thought you already spotted it from the time you and Billy got invited to be actors?” He thought hard for a while before shaking his head, “I didn’t pay that much attention to the scene and guessed the glasses we had were props.”
“Fair. I’ll have one then, what do you prefer?” She already had mustered some predictions in her mind; he might choose something refreshing and non-alcoholic, perfect for after-work relaxation. It seemed like the sky heard Belle, as Lighter left the decision to her, “You’re more familiar with this, it’d be better if you choose.” She grinned ear to ear while frisking to the bartender, “Got it, I won’t let you down~”
As confident as she sounded, Belle was actually beginning to imagine the hypothetical situation where he didn’t like her pick. Knowing Lighter, he would certainly not say his opinion out loud and would endure it in silence to the end, and that would be overkill even for her. She browsed the list of drinks again: Raging Taurine could be too bitter, Scarlet Noble Special was up to chance, Bomb Cola seemed a bit childish…
From the corner of her eyes, Belle saw him settling down in a seat and looking around, and the need to have just the right choice suddenly became much bigger. Determined, she went back to the list and glanced at the newest flavor of soda – BBQ – from the brand TANKA. It was a bit questionable at first, but the description sounded promising. At least personally, she likes having barbecue with cola and knows some people do too.
The order was done in a flash, and she joyfully brought two glasses back to their table. Lighter was focusing on something and didn’t realize her arrival immediately. Belle followed the direction of his eyes to the stage, if it could be called so. A band was performing there, and she recognized those constant misplayed notes with the dreadful acoustics—it was the band of Nicole’s friend.
“...The music isn’t very great, so I hope you don’t mind,” said Belle helplessly. She didn’t expect them to have a live show now and here, of all places. “Ah, you’re back,” he turned and acknowledged her remark, “it’s fine, I actually think it suits the vibe of this arena very much.”
Belle breathed out in relief; even if he didn’t enjoy the drink, everything else wouldn’t ruin it further. “Really? That’s great. A friend of mine said so too, they must truly belong here.” The feeling didn’t last for long as she watched Lighter studying and trying what she chose. “So…? What do you think? You can be honest with me.”
His expression was unreadable, which heightened her tension, but was quickly changed into a genuine smile. “It’s good. Reminds me of the time I had barbecue with the Sons of Calydon, so it’s a bit nostalgic.” This time Belle could relax for sure, and her obvious reaction drew out a quiet laugh from him, “I’m telling the truth, thanks for picking out such a fitting drink for me.”
“You’re welcome,” and together they wallowed in the one-of-a-kind show. She remembered a saying that goes ‘it matters not where you are, only who you are with’, and resonated with it even more now. The moment they finished their drinks was also when the show concluded at last. Joining in the sparse applause, Belle stood up and surprised Lighter. “Wait for me, I have to get this real quick,” she said, almost in a hurry, before sprinting to her car.
She came back, out of breath, with an intricately designed skateboard, while her companion was still processing what happened. “Well, I have a show of some sort too~ Wanna see it?” Lighter, both confused and intrigued, agreed to be her sole audience, and Belle just chuckled on their way to the skate ramps.
“I haven’t practiced for long though, so...” she fondled with a lock of blue hair, looking away, “don’t laugh at my skill.” Lighter huffed a short laugh and adjusted his shades, “I’m flattered that you care about my opinion, but I don’t know much about skateboarding anyway. As long as you’re comfortable, you’ll do fine.”
Both shyness and excitement were mixed in her; he was a smooth talker, as usual. Maybe she should start small, impress him first and then Wise! Fueled by this goal, Belle did some warm-up and started with the basics—maintaining balance, increasing speed and creating a path. Once all of those were smoothly done, she proceeded to do a few tricks such as stalls and kickturns. Lighter’s eyes stayed fixed on her, providing reassurance rather than pressure.
A wild idea popped up in her head: can she attempt to do an ollie to fakie now? She had been trying over the past month and never succeeded. At the moment, both her momentum and spirit were in great condition; she might actually nail it. Contemplating it, Belle decided it wouldn’t hurt to try. Just as the skateboard went near the deck, she managed to do an ollie before landing and kept sliding down the ramp.
Belle was so moved she almost became speechless while skating towards Lighter. Almost, because she soon raised both of her arms high in the air and cheered loudly, “Lighter, I did it! I completed my next goal!” Her joy swiftly spread to him, who clapped in pride. “Good job. That was impressive, I’m not kidding.”
She was about to step off the skateboard to celebrate more when the loss of balance made her trip forward. Before Belle could realize it, a pair of strong, firm hands had already wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. “Are you alright?” he moved to avoid hurting her with his spikes but didn’t let go.
“Ah, yes, thanks to your quick reflexes,” said Belle gratefully. She almost had a heart attack from the adrenaline combined with falling down, and reality only started sinking in now. Lighter’s warm hands were still grasping her waist; he seemed a bit too occupied with the close call to mind their proximity and release her.
He did finally notice her reddening face and let go in a flash as though he touched hot iron. Adjusting his sunglasses, Lighter awkwardly turned his gaze elsewhere, “I’m not the Champion for nothing. What do we do for celebration then?”
The sun hung high in the cloudless sky, signaling the arrival of midday. Lighter stood guard over a warehouse of the Leaps and Bounds company, despite knowing there would probably be no troublemaker at this hour. He sighed unconsciously and took out a flip lighter from his pocket, engaging in his usual pastime.
Many people thought Lighter did it to “look cool”, some guessed his goal was to fix the gauntlet when needed, and they weren’t wrong. But the primary reason for this was to keep his mind busy, since he had to pay constant attention if he didn’t want to be burnt. The only different thing today was the topic he wanted to avoid.
If anyone had spied on Lighter now, they would surely be hypnotized by how the lighter moved effortlessly in his hand. The man with the same name, not so much. It was proven to be increasingly difficult to stop his thoughts from drifting to a certain blue-haired manager of a video store. His fingers almost lost their grip on the lighter for the third time in the past five minutes.
Perhaps not the greatest idea, but he kept going anyway. Who knows, this time he might be able to concentrate completely; it couldn’t be that bad, right? And so, the flaming companion went back to dancing between his long, gloved fingers once more.
No one was to blame for this half-pleasant, half-nerve-racking predicament Lighter currently had. Had he had to choose, the only thing at fault would be his tendency to overthink. It wasn’t like he had never touched a woman before, as he lived with a whopping five of them. Countless were the times his body was used to stop Burnice’s pursuit of Pulchra or heated bickering between Caesar and Lucy. Belle is also a friend, and it’s normal for friends to have such interactions. Why would he be so self-conscious and fixated then?
The scorching sensation on his fingertip jolted him awake from prolonged daydreaming. Instinctively, Lighter closed the lighter shut and swung his hand, but the leather put itself out before he was even aware. Although the glove’s damage was small—only a little charred (he haphazardly recalled these were fire-resistant ones), his skin underneath was red and in mild pain from the heat. Lighter gawked at it for a good, long minute.
He was doomed. The flame in his heart had already found its way out.