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As you turn the corner, Clementia comes into view, its heavy wooden doors wide open to invite in any visitors. Such is the case on every Saturday and Sunday, where people can cleanse themselves of any anomalous events that occurred on Darkwick’s campus (or missions, if you were unlucky enough to be one of the ghoul..) The birdsong is as loud as cicadas in the summer as you approach the entrance, wrigging your hands nervously. It’s not like you’ve been making stuff up, you have a totally valid reason to be here. One of the anomalies from the biology laboratory had spat on you earlier, and you’d gotten an earful from the captain about it. What if it was cursed? Dangerous? Sure, you could have gone to the nurse, but you had a perfectly capable student right inside this very building.
No one spares you a second glance as you walk in— both due to the influx of non-Clementia students, and also because they simply have grown to expect you. Some of them have even begun calling you the monarch of mistakes with how often you find yourself cursed, hurt, or otherwise. They think you can’t hear their whispers— but you can’t bring yourself to mind that much, especially when you find the smiling face you always look for.
“Benkei!” you call out, waving your hand in the air as you jog towards him.
“No running in Clementia!” The Vice Captain calls, “Especially not you!”
You can’t hold back your soft laugh at the teasing you as slow your pace to a stop. You’re hardly that prone to mistakes.
Benkei turns his eyes to you and then crinkle in the corners, teeth flashing in a boyish grin.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
He chuckles at your apparent awkwardness, the way you shift your feet just slightly and look a little past his eyes, your hands pressed against each other as you fidget with your fingers. It’s so unfair, the way he always seems to get you, to understand what's going on in your head long before you do.
A silent understanding passes between the both of you.
“...Are you a mind reader?” you narrow your eyes at the column behind his head.
“I’m definitely not,” he laughs out loud, causing a few studying students in the corner to turn and see what the noise was, “You just have a very readable face.”
“Only to you,” you huf.
You wrap your arms around yourself as you rock back and forth on your heels, as if that will protect you from his scrutiny.
“Only to me,” he agrees, “What happened this time? Doesn’t matter how embarrassing it is, I’ll treat it for you.”
“Got spat on by an anomaly in the bio lab,” you murmur, rolling up your arm to show him the small black marks, “It was a spiritual anomaly with acidic properities.”
“And you hit my line before the nurse?” Benkei’s brow furrows.
You open your mouth to defend your choice, but his hand is on your forearm and the words die in your throat with a pathetic squeak. Benkei spares you the embarrassment of acknowledging it as he observes your arm, holding it close to his face as his warm hands turn to limb from left to right. You have no doubt that you must look insane— eyes wide and mouth gaping, your gaze turned up to the ceiling to avoid catching his gaze. Your face feels warm and your legs must be shaking, there’s no other way to express just how mortifying this is, and yet—
And yet—
“It looks more like acid damage to me, but it’s superficial. I’ll still cleanse you though! Better safe than sorry!” he beams, dropping your arm like nothing happened, “Come on, you know where to go.”
You do, you swear you do, but your legs aren’t working right and your head feels like it’s going to explode. In what world is this fair!? Taking a single step forward, then another, you slowly trail after Benkei in what has to be the most pathetic shuffle Clementia has ever seen. No one is looking at you, thank goodness, but—
“Hey, are you nauseous?” Benkei asks, craning his neck toward you, “I can help you, if you want.”
“Oh! No, you don’t have to! I’m fine!” you snap out of it, rushing to catch up with him.
Your arms still tingle from where he touched you.
Do his hands feel the same way?
He leads you to one of Clementia’s many prayer rooms, taking off his shoes at the entrance. You follow suit, having done this many times. Once the two of you are inside, he performs the cleansing ritual, same as always. This part always gives you ample time to stare at him, as he closes his eyes and furrows his brow in concentration,
And so, you do. You watch him while he works, beads clutched in his hands, washing away any spiritual traces of the anomaly within your soul. You always feel lighter after he’s finished— whether it’s because you got to see him or because his blessing is actually getting rid of something, you don’t know.
It could always just be both.
“All done!” Benkei beams, his eyes opening abruptly.
His next words catch in his throat when he notices you already staring.
“Ah— ! Thank you!” you jolt away from him, turning on your heel, “You just keep getting quicker! Thank you Benkei, bye now— “
“Wait!”
You freeze, hand hovering over the doorknob.
“...Maybe we should go outside first,” he concedes, and that’s all you need to turn the knob and step out.
There are always a few curious onlookers after your cleansings, eyeing you and Benkei as if they know something you don’t. You pay it no mind as usual, focusing on getting your shoes back on and avoiding Benkei’s eyes.
“Listen,” he breathes, murmuring your name in such a gentle tone, “Do you want to...go to the new pastry shop on campus...? I heard it’s an anomalous location that sells weird desserts.”
“You want to go with me?” you ask, the words tumbling out of your mouth before you can stop yourself.
“Yes? Hold on, did I say something wrong!?”
“No! No, you didn’t, I’d love to!”
“Oh! Oh. Okay then!”
A beat of silence.
You two stare at each other, searching the other person’s gaze for any apprehension.
When you find none, you start to smile.
But then—
“...It’s a date, right?” the Vice Captain chime sin from behind you both.
“Vice Captain!?” Benkei yelps, pink burning in his cheeks.
You hope so. Heaven’s above, you hope so.