"Have you apologized to her?"

"…Shut up."

"…I know you're a useless buffoon, but you have to draw a line somewhere."

Cardin clenched his fist. "It's complicated."

"And in what way exactly other than you being a useless buffoon?"

He clenched his other fist. Kid's guts never failed to impress him, alright. However, was that a good thing or not was an entirely different debate.

"She'll forgive me."

"…So? Doesn't that make it all the more easier then?"

"That's exactly the problem."

"…What?" How was he supposed to take that?

Cardin released the tension from his fists, yet it traveled to his face it seemed. "Velvet's too kind. She'll forgive me just like that. I'll go over to her, say that I'm sorry and then bam, she'll forgive me and act like I never did anything to her. It's just…it pisses me off, she's dumb."

June listened carefully, now more certain what the problem was. There was actually quite a lot of sense to his words, he admitted. "So then…what do you plan to do?"

"Knock some kindness or whatever out of her. She has to learn how to stand up for herself. She can't just let whatever scrubs to push her around as they please. Such passiveness will backfire plenty and badly for her." He finished, feeling how last few words came to be heavier.

June in return curved his lips into an aspiring smile. He felt that aura of his again. "Then just go and tell her."

"Like simply telling her will change much."

"It won't, but it's a good starting point. Besides, I think she'll appreciate it. Your concerns, you know."

Cardin allowed himself a second to think, his face returning to a neutral grimace. "Yea, but…I'm not sure what to do after."

"You'll figure it out. Somehow, you…" June stopped, his eyes turning kinder. "You just somehow make things work. Maybe not perfectly, but people still appreciate it. Or at least I do, and I'm sure Velvet does too."

Cardin smiled. "Wasn't I a useless buffoon?"

June grinned. "You are at times. But other times you're pretty damn cool."

Cardin stretched his hand and rubbed the kid's hair. "No swearing, lil'fang."

June rolled his eyes in over exaggerated manner. "'Damn' isn't even a swear, I think."

Cardin simply smirked, flicked his forehead and looked at the time.

"It's not 10 p.m. already, is it?" June asked as he was messaging the spot on his forehead.

"Nah, we still have half an hour." Cardin explained, then suddenly felt how his scroll vibrated. He quickly fished it out and saw he had received a message.

"What is it?" June casually asked and noted right away how Cardin paused for a moment too long. His face folded worryingly.

"It's from mom," Cardin said and quickly typed something down. Then he put the scroll back in his pocket.

Neither of them said anything for a moment or two, but after June remembered something, he eventually did. "You know, if you want to know how she's doing then-"

"I don't."

"But-"

"I don't." Cardin repeated, his eyes meeting the kid's. "I already know how she's doing…That's why I don't want to ask." His gaze turned elsewhere.

June's eyes dropped to the ground along with his head. He contemplated, remembered some things yet again and then barely mumbled under the nose. "It doesn't take much to ask her, nor would it hurt anybody if you did so…I-I mean," He suddenly got flustered, realizing the mistake he made, but before he could say anything, Cardin's hand was wrapped around him, his body soon cuddling with Cardin's.

"It's alright. I understand so it's alright."

June said nothing nor did he want to. Cardin's tone was kind and caring, much like his hug and that was enough for him.

That's why he'd let it be how it was.