this is an insomnia fic, in response to chapter 76. at the time i'm writing this, the full scanlation hasn't come out yet, but i'm basing it on a pretty reliable translation i've seen. non-proofread, so please forgive any grammatical or spelling errors.

confessions
heine/naoto.
safe.
word count 700+

She found Heine sitting in the same room they were in earlier, on one side of the couch he had been resting upon before all that commotion had been stirred. He was holding one of his guns (the mauser, if she remembered correctly) in his hands and staring at it intently, brow furrowed.

He didn't look up as she entered the room, though he knew she was there. His eyes flickered in recognition, but still never left the weapon.

"Did you need something?"

Naoto didn't answer. She continued to walk, hesitantly, towards him. She hadn't actually thought about what she would do once she found him. Naoto eyed the small stool she had sat upon earlier, but something she couldn't explain guided her to the couch instead. Cautiously, she seated herself next to him, leaving a fair amount of space between them.

Heine flinched ever so slightly when she finally sat down, and she couldn't help but feel disheartened. She didn't blame him though - it was a wonder he didn't immediately spring up on the spot and leave the room. To be honest, he had surprised her very much recently. His attitude towards her was definitely changing, but from what to what she had no idea.

It didn't help that her view towards him was changing, as well. She couldn't shake the sensation of his hands around her face, and she couldn't forget the look in his dark red eyes when he called her name.

Naoto sighed wearily as she remembered these things, and why she had come to talk to him.

"I just wanted to say... thank you," she said.

There was a pause. He still didn't look up. "For what?"

"For... For trying to get through to me." The grimy tile floor suddenly became incredibly fascinating. "You could have easily killed me first, and you had every reason to. I don't know why you didn't, but... thank you."

He didn't say anything for a while. The air was still, and the atmosphere was heavy. Naoto wasn't sure what to do next. Part of her wanted to get up and leave as fast as possible, and another wanted him to just say something to break the silence.

Eventually, he let out a frustrated sigh. He leaned back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling, and let the gun hang loose from his grip. Naoto turned her head to look at him.

"You know what's weird?" he said, "At that moment, when you went out of control, I realized something."

Another silence. She thought he would continue, but he seemed to be waiting for her to reply first. "What... did you realize?"

As soon as she said this, he turned to look at her. His frown was as deep as it could ever get, and he appeared both confused and frustrated. At himself, or at her? She couldn't tell.

"I don't want you to die."

They stared at each other for a long time after that. Heine's expression never changed, and his eyes never left hers. Naoto had no idea how to react. She was, however, becoming aware of her increasingly rising heartbeat.

"I... I don't want you to die... either." Before she knew it, she was saying the words out loud. She had been surprised at his response, but her own had just surprised her even more.

Since when had she felt this way? Since when had she cared this much about Heine, and since when did he apparently start caring about her? It wasn't too long ago that they had been glaring daggers at each other, with looks of pure disgust and irritation. What had changed since then?

"Huh." Heine finally tore his eyes from her, and closed them as he leaned back and rested his head. He sighed once again. "Well, this is gonna be a problem if we're supposed to kill each other."

Naoto didn't respond, but she knew he was right. Nothing else was said, and neither of them moved. The two of them sat on the couch for a long time after that, not exchanging another word or glance.

The air around them was somehow even heavier, but at the same time, she felt a strange sort of comfort.