Contains spoilers for chapitre 119 and up.

Fragile smiles

Kurogane knew how weak the wizard really was. How fragile. Just some words from his lips and the other man's wall would break down, leaving Fay in pieces, nothing but pain left in the remains. At least the pain was real.

"Don't you dare," Kurogane looked directly at the other man, his eyes as hard as steel.

"I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions," Fay smiled. "Kurogane doesn't need to make them for me."

"Too bad you only make bad ones then," Kurogane got up from the breakfast table in the hope that the mage would sit down and eat something; now that he was not there. With those words he left and again he did it. He made Fay drop his mask, his true face slipping through the broken facade.

Although Kurogane was right on many things when it came to Fay he was wrong about the most important. The significance of just who's lips the words that could reach through into the other man's heart belonged to, that meant the whole world. It was the difference between another smile, another defending comment to a real smile, that although hurt the most, brought a little light into the seemingly endless darkness, a light of hope burning fragile in the depth of Fay's heart.