A/N: Wrote this for Elendraug, because I owed her Marcus/Blank. Unfortunately, this is more Zidane/Blank but hey, I'm not pushing it on anyone. Let me know what you think.

"Looks like a happy ending all around, huh?"

The crowd has gone, the moons are up, and though they're already miles away from the castle, Marcus imagines he can see the lights on the water; that he can hear the small, personally party going on within those thick stone walls; he imagines it with such intensity that hell, they could be there, for all he knows.

But Blank doesn't like imagining much, not anymore. A lot of time with your mind encased in stone gives you enough to catch up with – you don't need to imagine.

The Prima Vista creaks and the deck is lit up by blue light, but there are still patches of shadows from the propellers and sails and towers. Still places to hide, to get away from the happy ending in the castle and the happy ending in the galley. You can hear Baku's laugh from here.

Marcus takes too long to answer and so Blank shifts on his feet, arms uncrossing and then crossing again. He's nervous, or anxious, whichever, and he spits out, "Think Zidane's got a princess in his bed tonight?"

There's acid laced with the casual remark, and Marcus looks to his brother.

"I don't know."

Blank chuckles nervously and leans against the wall with Marcus, unconsciously mimicking his pose. "Think he noticed that we bailed?"

The older Tantalus member wants to tell the truth and say no, probably not, but Blank doesn't need that now. So he shrugs and says "I don't know" again.

The thing is, Marcus knows how Zidane works. He's happily sailing on the S.S. Happy Ending with his blushing princess and his allies – meanwhile, he's too far out to sea to notice his brothers on the ship Regret. He's gone and it'll take a good few years before they hear from him again, probably.

"Think this will be the same as last time?" Blank asks, and Marcus catches the shaking syllables in the redhead's question. This isn't a casual question like the last two – this is a real, "is this the end" question that Blank doesn't ask, ever.

"...I don't think so," Marcus responds quietly, as if a lower voice will make it hurt any less.

Blank doesn't say anything but it's there, alright. His eyes are a little glassy but he blinks that away quick enough.

"Stupid sonofabitch," he mumbles darkly and Marcus sighs, turning his eyes to the shadow-patched deck.

Blank pushes off of the wall and even as he's turning away Marcus has to tell him. "You know, it's not the end of the world."

"Right."

He reaches out and touches his brother's shoulder, but he's stone again so he pulls back.

"You still have us."

A shrug, a kind of nod, and Blank starts off down the walk towards the galley. Marcus tries again.

"You still have me."

Blank stops a moment, and tosses a dulled look over his shoulder.

"Yeah."

Marcus doesn't try to stop him again. He knows better than to mess with stone.