Seven looked through the kitchen in Rika's apartment only a few hours after he got there. There wasn't much. Some instant noodles, soup, a carton of milk, and a few fruits. He wondered how MC didn't starve in the time she was there. Then it dawned on him.
"How much have you eaten since you've been here?" He turned to MC, who was sitting on the couch in the living room, talking to the others.
"Oh, a few things. Like sandwiches and stuff, ya know?" She smiled.
"I thought you were eating well. We all did. But there's not much stuff in here for you to eat anyway. Are you okay, MC?"
"What do you mean? I'm fine, Seven. I've been eating what I can."
He sat down next to her and looked at her, "When's the last time you ate?"
"This morning. Why so many questions all of a sudden?"
He looked over her, "I don't know. I'm just... worried."
She sighed and put down her phone. "You know how you said that the Seven in the chat room and the Seven in real life aren't the same person? Well, that's how it is for me, too." She smiled, but it was the kind where you could see the sadness in her eyes. "Sometimes I think that I'm not good enough. That I could have done something to prevent things that have happened to people that I care about. That maybe, I'm just tagging along and everyone's nice to me just for the sake of being nice. Maybe I did something to make you hate me, and you would like me if I was... normal." She looked at his sad face and turned away with a blush. "Sorry. That got kind of deep, didn't it?" She awkwardly chuckled.
"MC..."
"It's okay though. I mean, this will all be over once you track down Saeran, right? So don't worry about me. Just worry about yourself." She smiled again.
"MC, stop! We are nice to you, because we care about you. Do you understand that? We would do anything for you. I would put my life on the line just to make sure you are safe. So don't think for a second that you're just 'tagging along' or that we're nice to you 'just for the sake of being nice'." He put his hand on her cheek, "You are important to us."
Suddenly, she was crying.
She put her head in her hands and started sobbing, "I'm such a failure, Seven! I can't do anything! I feel so alone, even with you here! My chest aches whenever I hear you say that you don't care! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be stuck here, and you'd be living your normal life! I'm so sorry, Seven!"
He pulled her into his chest, "Shh. Don't say things like that. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have found out what happened to my brother. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have genuinely smiled for the first time in a long time. You do more good things than you know."
"I'm getting tears and snot on your shirt." She chuckled before sniffling.
"I don't care. As long as you feel alright, that's fine with me."
The shaking of her body and her breath hurt him. Bad. She was crying; she was hurting, and he didn't even know it. Just like everyone else, he just assumed that everything was fine. God, he was stupid.
He hugged her tighter.
"Seven, let go. I have to go clean up. I must look like an ugly mess." She chuckled.
He put her face in his hands and forced her to look at him, "Stop. You. Are not. Ugly. Even crying, you're beautiful."
She felt her face flush and she pushed his hands away as she looked at the floor. She walked to the bathroom and closed the door.
He heard the water running, and she came out with a slightly damp face. Her eyes and nose were still red, but he didn't mind.
"I'm tired... I'm going to bed."
"Okay. You should sleep, and tomorrow, I'll make you breakfast."
"Can you... sleep with me? Just for tonight? I don't want to be alone right now..."
He nodded, "Yeah, sure." He stood up and followed her to the room.
She pulled the covers up and got underneath them. She turned her back to him and exhaled shakily when she felt him lay behind her. Then, her breathing stopped when he put his arm over her waist and pulled her closer.
"I feel so alone, even with you here!"
Not anymore.
It wasn't completely better, but she felt... okay. After getting all of those things off her chest, it felt like her heart was lighter. It hurt less.
Suddenly, his face was buried in her hair.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Showing you that I care, and that I want to be close to you. Next time I say I don't, hit me. Okay?" His voice was low and quiet. Almost as if he was about to fall asleep. It was nice.
"Okay. Thank you, Luciel." She smiled before falling asleep.