Chapter Text
Rudo’s arrival didn’t come as a surprise to you. You knew it was only a matter of time before a spherite made it safely to the ground. But, of course, everyone else was shocked when they heard someone fell to the ground and lived. Such a feat had never happened before.
Everyone had questions: about the sphere, how he survived, what life was like in the sky, how he was able to cross the barrier. The questions just kept swirling in the air and through the halls of HQ while the young boy wandered along behind Enjin.
You hadn’t had the chance to properly introduce yourself yet, but you knew you would have time once things settled down a little bit. Besides, you were sure Rudo was overwhelmed by all the changes that were happening in his life so suddenly. Falling to the ground and landing in one of the forbidden zones only to be attacked by trash beasts, then tied up and thrown to some freaks that wanted to sell him off… Yeah, it didn’t exactly scream, ‘Welcome!’
You opted to chill with the other Cleaners until Enjin was ready to introduce the kid to everyone, which seemed like it was going to happen when he opened the door to the room everyone had occupied. That is, until he promptly shut it before anyone had the chance to say a word.
“Aww, come on.” It was Guita. “I was looking forward to talking to him.”
Bro Santa consoled the young girl, assuring her that she would have her chance to eventually.
You stood at the back of the room off to the side. Gris’ large frame mostly blocked your view of the kid behind Enjin so you only caught a glimpse of his scruffy hair.
You found yourself in a unique position with the Cleaners. You joined the team quite suddenly as the most recent addition before Rudo arrived. Truthfully, there wasn’t much to tell. One day you were just another ordinary person and the next, you were thrown into the chaos of exterminating trash beasts and helping the people of the ground.
“Should we have said something?”
It was Tomme this time, looking between you, Gris, and Follo. You spent the most time with these three, being resident Supporters for the Cleaners. Gris felt very fatherly to you with his calm demeanor and kind presence. He made you feel welcomed from the moment you joined. You thought he would make a good dad if he was to ever settle down.
You got along well with Tomme, too. She filled a hole in your lonely heart that made you feel like you belonged. You considered her your closest friend among the Cleaners, always sitting by her side and often spending your free time together.
But Follo… while he was kind and welcoming, you wished you were closer. He had such a positive presence, it reminded you of a puppy. But when it came to his role as a Supporter, his dedication to the work you shared was inspirational. You often found your gaze gravitating toward him during battles and training, maybe lingering a bit longer than necessary. Even now, you couldn’t help but shift your eyes to him despite Gris being the one to answer.
“No, it’s probably best if we give the kid some space,” he said. “He’s been through a lot. I’m sure Enjin will bring him back around when he’s ready.”
You looked at the clock. It was a quarter til seven. Gris seemed to also pick up on the time, too.
“We should eat some dinner and get some rest if we want to be sharp for tomorrow,” he said, ushering the four of you toward the door to head to the mess hall. Gris always made sure that the three of you were in tip-top shape for every mission in order to guarantee the best outcomes for the team.
Gris and Follo led the way. Your eye caught on Gris’ lucky charm, dangling from his belt. You had asked him once where he got it, interested by the design, and were saddened when he couldn’t remember--only able to recall purchasing it from a random shop some time back. It warmed your heart when Gris explained his habit of praying to it before each mission. You had hoped to get one of your own someday.
When you entered the mess hall, you quickly fell in line to pick up some food from the window. It didn’t take long after you joined the Cleaners for you and Tomme to fall into an unspoken agreement that you grabbed the utensils and saved a table while she retrieved drinks for the both of you.
Tomme sat beside you and Gris took the seat across from you. The spot adjacent to you was left for Follo. The meals here weren’t anything special. Tonight they were serving up soup with some basic sides. You took a moment to cool your steaming food before sipping it down. The conversation was kept to a minimum while everyone ate. Gris, finishing his food first, began to speak lightly about tomorrow's assignment.
Semiu informed your team earlier that you, Gris, and Follo would accompany Riyo on a simple mission. Tomme was allowed to sit this one out. You and Tomme often switched out for each other, both filling the role of record keeper on missions with the Givers. It was fulfilling work, but recently you had been making an effort to train more toward combat, eventually hoping to help the Cleaners beyond just taking notes. You felt as though you had more to contribute to the team, you just didn’t have the proper skills yet. Tomme, on the other hand, seemed to find that type of work well suited to her strengths.
Having already reviewed the details earlier, your attention drifted away from his voice and toward the opening doors of the mess hall.
Tamsy made his way into the mess hall with Delmon’s large figure in tow. Despite your perception of the smaller Cleaner, you couldn’t deny his alluring presence. On the surface, the intricacies of his jacket and unusual hairstyle were unique to him and gave him a captivating air when pitted against some of the others. But beyond that, he walked with a beaming, but modest, sense of assurance that communicated his confidence without uttering a word.
Delmon, of course, was notable for other reasons.
“HELLO,” his booming voice rang out.
You thought you felt the ground shake as he continued, “I’M SO GLAD TO SEE OUR SUPPORTERS EATING WELL AND PREPARING THEIR BODIES FOR THEIR UPCOMING MISSION.”
Yeah, he was hard to miss.
You caught the faintest change in Tamsy’s face at the sound of Delmon’s resounding voice. Whatever it was left as fast as it came, showing you just how exceptional he was at maintaining his facade. His eyes met yours as the two approached.
“Yes, it is commendable,” he said, eyes not leaving yours until the last word came out.
You had no way of knowing what Tamsy thought of you, but you could tell he was keeping his walls high behind that sly smile. He continued.
“We just heard from Riyo that our new Sphereite friend will be joining you on his first mission tomorrow. Unofficially, of course,” he added, knowing Rudo wasn’t officially part of the team until he met with the boss. Tamsy’s eyes flickered to yours once more, lingering just a moment longer than necessary.
“How exciting,” he said through a polite smile. “I hope to hear all about it when you return.”
Both Givers passed by without incident and you returned your eyes to the tray of food before you, only realizing then how both your gazes extended past their expiration date.
You supposed it made sense to bring Rudo. After all, if he was going to stay, the Cleaners needed to feel confident in his ability to hold his own.
Tomme gingerly commented on her appreciation of Delmon’s kind words, though she wouldn’t mind if he shared them in a softer tone. You turned to flash her a smile, letting her know you agreed, and as you did, you thought you caught a glimpse of Follo’s gaze on you. When you looked again, his eyes were covered by the bill of his hat, fixed downward as he prodded at his food.
A part of you wanted to believe that there was more going on behind every coincidence with Follo—that he was sneaking glances at you the same way you did when he wasn’t looking. But the other part of you didn’t like to get your hopes up. It usually only resulted in a farther fall into the pit of disappointment, making the landing hurt more than if you just stayed grounded in reality.
The four of you continued your meals, engaging in conversation both work-related and personal. Gris was the first to turn in for the night, saying something about the importance of a good night’s rest and that we all ought to follow suit soon. We waved him off with promises to do just that. You and Tomme would usually head to your rooms together, but since she wasn’t attending tomorrow’s mission, she wanted to stay up a little later to clean up some notes from her latest mission for Corvus. The three of us enjoyed the peace before she bid us farewell too, making her way to the records room where she spent the majority of her time.
You hadn’t been with the Cleaners long. With the exception of Tomme, your relationship with each of them was still very much in their formative periods. Each one of them interested you in different ways, all having such unique backgrounds and personalities. But the one you were most interested in—the one you’d hoped to get closer with—now slid over to sit directly in front of you, flashing you a kind smile. It made your heart flutter. How could such a simple act elicit such an electrifying reaction?
You’d worked with Follo on the field, helping each other and the Givers when you could. But outside of the polite small talk he made with you between missions and during training, you couldn’t really get a good gauge on his perception of you. After all, he was a friendly person. The way he treated you that felt special was likely no different than how he treated everyone else.
You both still had a little bit of food still left on your trays, though your pace had slowed significantly. Follo brought his tray over with him, and took another sip of his soup.
“What do you think?” he asked, catching a small drip of soup on his lower lip with his tongue.
You didn’t have a clue what he was referring to but that didn’t stop your lips from curling up at the ends, knowing his voice and gaze were directed to you.
“About what?”
You saw that small glint in his eye as he said, “The Spherite.”
You let your gaze fall back down to your food. “I’m not sure,” you said, honestly, “I guess I look forward to learning more about him.”
He hummed, “Tomorrow should be interesting. I wonder if we’ll get to see his jinki in action.”
He buzzed with a low hum of excitement at the anticipation of what awaited both of you tomorrow. You thought it was endearing. It made you smile.
One thing you had picked up about Follo in your short time with the Cleaners was his innate ability to put others at ease. He continued to make idle chit-chat with you as you both finished your meals, savoring every last drop of the food and conversation.
It was very rare that you two were alone together. Tomme or Gris always accompanied you wherever you went. The only instances that you could think of were when the two of you happened to make it to the mess hall after training before everyone else, and even that was short-lived.
Even so, you both knew it was getting late and decided it was about time you headed to your rooms. He offered to return your tray for you, which you modestly agreed to, waiting by the door for him to return. Follo fell in line next to you as you both made your way down the hall and up the stairs.
“I hope the trash beasts aren’t too bad tomorrow,” he said. “I don’t want to make a fool out of myself in front of the new kid.” Despite his attempt at a smile, there was a solemnness to his voice. His hands were in his pockets. It looked like he was fidgeting with something.
“I’m sure you’ll do great,” you said, giving him a soft smile. Your voice came out gently as you continued, “you always do.”
You knew how important it was to him to become a Giver. You also knew how easy it was to look down on oneself when it feels like everyone else is doing better than you.
“And even if you don’t,” you said, the corners of your mouth turning up just a little higher, “I’m sure you’d make a great fool, too.”
He finally looked at you, mirroring the smile on your face. His eyes are pretty, you thought. The light banter between the two of you was nice, but it was as far as you went with him. You were scared to cross that line, preferring to play things safe, which was probably why things never seemed to change.
You made your way to the third floor where both of your rooms were located. Yours was in the west wing while his was in the east. You took note of the clock ticking on the wall. Quarter til nine. You’d lost track of time, absorbed in Follo’s presence. As much as you enjoyed it, you knew you’d be leaving early in the morning for the mission. It was best to get as much rest as possible.
You will see him tomorrow.
You turned to say goodnight when his voice interrupted your thoughts.
“Can I walk you to your room?”
You both looked at each other, surprised. His face quickly conveyed his flustered state.
“Sorry, that was sudden,” he said, clearly trying to talk his way through it. “I thought I’d see you to your room. I should have—” You could feel him trying to wiggle his way out of the awkward air he thought he had created.
“No, please,” you said quickly, not wanting him to go yet. “I’d like that.”
The pink flush in his cheeks didn’t disappear but his worry seemed to melt away at your words. He had a sheepish smile as he fell back in step with you as you both turned down the hall together. For once, you were thankful for the fact that your room was at the far end of the wing so you could savor this time with him.
You found his presence comforting. No words were shared on the walk to your door. The two of you both seemed to have a lot on your minds, but still managed to enjoy each other's company.
As always, it felt like your time together came to an end all too soon as you stopped in front of your door. Turning to face him, you took in his features once more before the night ended. The reminder echoed in your head once more.
You will see him tomorrow.
You turned your gaze down, not able to bring yourself to look at him as you said, “thank you for walking with me.” It was only after the words escaped that your confidence allowed you to look at him again.
His gaze, while not intense, felt as though it was piercing deep into your soul, causing your heart beat to speed up. He offered no smile as the words, “of course,” left his lips, though there was an underlying warmth to them. You noticed him fidgeting with the object in his pocket again. Now it was his turn to look away.
“I actually had something I wanted to give you,” he said, shyly. He brought his eyes back up to your face. They had a pureness you imagined was akin to that of an angel, fallen from his heavenly homeland and now lost on our mortal plain. He continued, “if that’s alright.”
His confession came as a shock. You hadn’t expected anything from him and he never gave you any clue into his plan to give you something.
Your response came a little delayed as your mind works to catch up after the sudden curveball. “Yeah, of course.”
He pursed his lips slightly as he pulled out the object he had been fidgeting with in his pocket. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, hiding it from your eyes until he stretched his hand out in front of him and moved his fingers away.
You recognized it immediately. It was a lucky charm similar to the one Gris kept with him. It wasn’t the exact same design, but you could tell it was made by the same person.
Your face must not have expressed your enthusiasm well because Follo quickly blurted out, “It’s not the same one Gris has.” Once again, you noticed his habit of trying to talk his way through the anxiety he was feeling. “I just remembered you saying you liked his charm and thought you’d like one of your own.”
He was right. You had told him—offhandedly, in a random conversation you couldn’t even fully recall now—that you liked Gris’ lucky charm. And you did want one of your own, but you never told him that.
He remembered. And he went out of his way to get you one.
You had no control over the smile that crept its way onto your face. When you realized, you tried to suppress it by pulling your lips inward to tuck between your teeth, but it wasn’t much use, lasting only a second before barging back out to the spotlight again. You felt a flutter in your heart.
You shifted your eyes from the charm in his hand to his face, relieving him of his panic at the sight of your joy.
“That’s so thoughtful,” you said as your cheeks flushed, struggling to find more words to express your gratitude. You reached out to take the charm from his hand, your fingers grazing his palm as you picked it up. Your voice came out quiet as you looked it over. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing,” he said, bashfully, “I just happened to see it when we were in Canvas Town and I thought of you.”
You continued to look over the charm, lost in your thoughts. It didn’t feel like nothing. It felt like a lot of things. It felt like happiness and consideration and hope. He thought of you.
You finally returned your gaze to him, settling on those eyes you found so captivating. His eyes, however, rested a little lower. You realized they were focused on your lips. His eyes quickly shot up to meet yours, a blush rising in his cheeks at the realization of what he was just doing.
You expected him to open his mouth, talk his way though it like he always did when he felt panicked. But instead, his eyes only shifted between yours—once, then twice. Then, you noticed his eyes lingered a little further down once more, settling on your lips again. You couldn’t help the way you mirrored his actions.
There was a sudden tension in the air and your mind was starting to convince you that there was only one way to break it as your eyes stayed fixed on his lips. Follo moved a fraction of a degree forward, seemingly coming to the same conclusion that you had. He drew in a breath like he was about to speak, when—
“Hey guys!”
You heard her before you even realized she was there. Riyo was making her way toward the two of you, her room just a few doors down from your own. Follo quickly straightened back up away from you.
“What are you doing down here?” she asked, looking toward Follo.
You deflated a little, disappointed by the potential that was just lost, but also somewhat grateful to Riyo. In spite of your desires, you were smart enough to know it is foolish to cross that line with someone you work with.
“We were just saying goodnight,” you responded for him, saving him the embarrassment. He looked at you. You thought it was the same look he donned in the mess hall when Tamsy strolled by, though it was hard to tell with how quickly it happened.
“Ah, well, rest up! We’ve got a busy day tomorrow!” Riyo didn’t stick around long, swiftly making her way into her room and shutting the door.
You turned to face him once more. You could see his chest rising and falling as he took in deep breaths.
“I should go,” he said.
Contrary to his words, he didn’t move. His eyes were still fixed on yours, like he was waiting—hoping for a sign that you wanted to return to the moment right before Riyo appeared.
And you wanted to, but you were much more aware of your surroundings now than you were a minute ago and you could hear the sound of more footsteps coming your way. So, instead you said, “right.”
The pull between the two of you was now nowhere to be found. Instead, a melancholic lull loomed over the two of you.
“Thank you, again,” you said, hoping you didn’t just ruin something wonderful.
“Of course,” he replied. “Rest well.”
“You too.”
You watched as he turned to walk back down the hall you both walked together. You took your time in unlocking your door, wanting to see him off as far as you could. When he reached the corner, he looked back at you for just a brief moment as he offered you a small smile and a quick nod of the head. You did the same and then he was out of sight.
You felt the disappointment hit you the moment he was gone. You were sure he was thinking the same thing as you in that moment. But it wasn’t meant to happen. Not tonight.
You entered your room and immediately locked the door.
You had felt a connection to Follo since you first met him. He and Tomme were the first to welcome you into HQ when you joined. It didn’t take long before he confided in you about his dream to become a Giver—hoping to get rid of all trash beasts. You remember the somber look in his eyes when he shared that only those with powers could destroy trash beasts, knowing he wasn’t at that stage in his journey yet. It was only then that you learned about the perception some people had about Supporters.
When the word ‘worthless’ left his mouth, you knew it was because he had heard it first-hand. It made your heart ache.
You sat down on the edge of your bed, taking another look at the charm. Your heart fluttered again as you reminisced on the kindness of the gesture. It had a long nylon cord threaded through a metal loop attached to the charm. You decided it would make a nice necklace and worked to adjust the knot so that it rested below your shirt neckline when worn, allowing you to tuck it into your clothes if needed.
You let it rest there. It was light, but the weight of what it meant was heavy. You wondered if Follo added that weight when he bought it or if you were only imagining the extra heaviness in your head. The thought lingered in your mind as you drifted off.