Can you please come over?

He wasn't in the mood for her texts harassing him, but a quick reply of 'no' wasn't enough to get her to stop messaging him, instead it only encouraged her to send text after text in the hopes of breaking him down and getting him to do as she asked. No matter how hard he fought it, Kiyotaka somehow found himself leaving the sanctity of his silent home and heading across the street. He saw no use in fighting with her forever, not when Haruhi was practically famous for digging her heels in and refusing to let something go even when it was long past time to move on.

The sensation of being stabbed had yet to leave his gut, his mind constantly running through the day before and reminding him of everything that had happened.

Failure.

Useless.

How could he ever expect to be loved when he couldn't protect the only person he'd ever cared for? How could he ever see worth in himself when he failed at the one thing he promised himself he'd do no matter what? He couldn't be a protector if he was unable to protect the one person he wanted to put before himself.

He didn't want Vash to see him, he couldn't dare look him in the eye after everything he had done. It terrified him to even think about facing the person who put faith in him, who trusted him to protect him when things got bad.

A shaking hand reached itself out, slowly knocking against the door. Please, just don't hold this against me. I know I should've done better, I know I should've fought harder, but this is what I've been reduced to and I've got two months before I can do anything about it.

He was trying to hold everything in, hide the boiling misery he worried might eat him alive, when the door opened. A slightly puffy eyed Haruhi stood on the other side, her fingers tightly wrapped around the wood as her lips parted. "Come on in." Trying to smile only to give up about half way through.

His concerns washed away at once, the self loathing and desperation to be forgiven replacing itself with confusion and worry. When she was upset, Kiyotaka wasn't exactly the type of person she would run to. Although he'd proven himself to be quite paternal and gentle when facing somebody in tears, he and Haruhi hadn't had the bond where she'd feel comfortable rushing into his arms looking for the comfort he might be able to provide. He was never what she reached for, something both had come to terms with in their years together.

And yet, here he was on her doorstep.

"Haruhi?" The sound of his own voice surprised him, the softness and care in it unfamiliar to them both. "What's wrong?"

She took a step back, allowing him inside. She remained silent while he pulled off his shoes and placed them down, her usually sparkling eyes dim and shaking. A few times she would open her mouth, attempting to try and find her voice only for the sound to disappear and her chin to lower itself in fear. Come on, she could tell him, she could say this. She had to tell him what happened, even if he wasn't going to handle it the best.

She had to tell him.

"Er, Taka?"

Their eyes met, the burning emerald eyes getting her to slink down for a moment. She swallowed her fear, hearing the popping sound in the back of her ears. "I... It's about Vash."

The change in his expression was almost immediate, fear filling his eyes. His lips parted, the slight shaking of the lower taking Haruhi by surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't see him today?"

He flinched. "No, I didn't have a chance. I was... busy." Unable to look at her, somewhat humiliated that he spent the day filling the Class B whiteboard with strategic babble. "Why? What happened to him?"

"Well," her voice trailed off, the realization that his response might be violent suddenly striking her. Oh god, was talking to him about this a mistake? "It's... Well, I..."

"You?" The nervousness in his voice practically biting.

"It's his father. Last night, I guess something happened between them, Vash never really told me what the whole thing was about. But the important part is that sometime during the argument, his Dad... well, he hit him."

The air suddenly grew cold, the stunned silence causing Haruhi to tremble, trying to keep any tears from escaping down her cheeks. The horror on his face said it all, his hands slowly clenching into tight fists. "He hit him?"

"Y-Yeah."

The sensation of being stabbed slowly morphed into the feeling of being sliced in the half, Kiyotaka slowly reaching for the shoes he had discarded. There is no way this could be happening, there was no way that he had managed to fail Vash twice in one night. Not only had he managed to lose the test war to Class A, but he wasn't able to protect the one person he treasured from his own home life.

Was everything trying to tear into Vash? How was he supposed to protect him when the world seemed to be fighting against his beloved's safety and sanity?

"I..." He shook his head, biting his lip. He couldn't believe he had failing him twice, that he left him alone to fight for him only for his father to turn against his child. Valvatorez and Gerard had won, Kiyotaka had failed and Vash lost.

His shoes were back on his feet, the B Rep standing himself up and reaching for the doorknob.

"What are you going to do?"

"... I'm just going to talk with the Taylors."

Only Gerard had the last name Taylor.

The door was opened, Kiyotaka going to head out only for Haruhi's hand to shoot out and take ahold of his arm, gripping it firmly.

"Let me go."

Her lower lip trembled, fingers winding tightly around his right arm. "Please don't do anything stupid. You'll only make it worse for Vash if you try to break into the house and get some form of revenge or justice. He's already had a really bad week, with both the school and his own house having somebody that can and will hurt him. If... If you want to be there for him, to protect him, then you gotta be there to hold him and make him know he's loved. If you go around beating the daylights out of everybody that hurts him, you'll start becoming the thing you hate."

"Haruhi."

"You can go over there and see him," Her voice was cracking with the onset of tears, trembling hands slipping down his arm and tightly squeezing his wrist in response to his trying to pull free of her. "But please, don't do anything crazy. That'll only make it worse for him. And he's already suffered enough."

He didn't say anything, only gently pulling forward as her fingers began to unwind around his skin. He was trying to ignore the sound of her crying, chewing at his lower lip. He was going to do whatever he saw fit, this week had screwed him over enough and he didn't owe it anything at this point. "Goodbye, Haruhi."

He closed the door before she could say anything else, trying to steal his nerves and keep rage from boiling over before things became impossible to keep in control. Surely if he just kept it in, if he took deep breaths and tried to calm himself down, everything would be alright. He would be able to handle the situation like Haruhi wanted him to, he would be able to say everything he needed to while not making things worse.

But how could he ever sit by and allow somebody like Gerard to lay a finger on the most precious thing he had in his life?

Beginning the walk, Kiyotaka tried to rationalize the entire situation with himself, going over the words he wanted to say and the things he felt he would need to do.

He would apologize. He would allow himself to become the villain, the force unable to protect everything that he held close. He would let himself grow warped, find his strength and fight for what he saw fit.

Facing the door, he tried to push the words dying to get out down, chewing at his lower lip and reaching his hand out, knuckles gently tapping against the door.

Please be there. Please let me speak to you.

The sound of the lock clicking open got him to freeze in place, Kiyotaka's teeth severing the skin of his lip. He suddenly felt terrified, his heart pounding inside his ears. Could he do this? Would he mess everything up like Haruhi had feared?

A beat.

"Kiyo?"

The door had slightly opened, one singular blue eye peering outside at the B rep from behind a thick black frame. His voice was quiet, slightly shaking at the sensation of the man's name leaving his lips. "What are you doing here?"

"I," his words fled, leaving Kiyotaka standing there without a clue what to say. "I, er, I wanted to see you."

The single eye darted from left to right, a shaking breath leaving Vash's lips. "I don't know if now is the right time."

"Please."

The sudden weakness in Kiyo's voice was what caught Vash off guard, the F representative knowing he couldn't close this door no matter how hard he tried, shaking hands slowly pulling it open. He took steps backwards when opening it, hiding himself from the entering Kiyotaka, terrified of what would happen when the taller student got a look at his face.

"So, uh," Vash couldn't even look up at him. "Why are you here so late? Couldn't this wait until tomorrow?"

Emerald eyes had found him behind the door, a shudder overtaking him as Kiyotaka's hand found its way to Vash's softened chin. His hand was gentle as it lifted Vash's visage into the light for inspection.

Just as he feared, a purple and grey color had overtaken one of his eyes, the poor thing swollen shut. His lips pressed themselves into a frown, trying to keep the shaking rage from within down as he found his words. "Haruhi said your father did this to you." His tone wavering, his attempt to keep his tone still failing him as it came off more as a growl than it did a half hearted statement.

The fear had returned, Vash pulling himself out of Kiyotaka's grip and pushing his back against the space between the open front door and the wall. "I don't want to talk about it."

"And if you don't, it's going to keep happening."

"This isn't any of your business!"

The sudden ferocity in Vash's voice took the both of them by surprise, the taller student taking the door in his hands and pushing it closed, leaving Vash with his back pressed into the corner in an attempt to guard himself.

"Why did he do this to you?" The softness in his voice confusing Vash, who found his legs giving out as he slunk back into the corner, pulling his knees to his chest in a somewhat pathetic attempt to feel safer.

"Kiyo, we're not going to talk about it." He firmly said before resting his forehead against his knees, beginning to tremble. He didn't want to cry, he didn't want to seem weak when he was already feeling as low as possible.

"Please don't shut me out."

His voice cracked, Vash lifting his head in shock to find the crumbling structure that was Kiyotaka. He slowly lowered himself, sitting across from Vash and staring at him with slightly watering emerald eyes. Nothing managed to break his composure, Vash had known him for years and only seen him cry a handful of times and almost all of them were when they were kids. Something about this felt even more toxic than the conversation they were going to have about Vash's father.

"What happened?" Vash found himself asking, voice meek and cautious.

"The world is out to take you away from me," Kiyotaka muttered, now afraid to meet Vash's eyes. "I go off to try and fight Class A to prove to Valvatorez that I wouldn't let him put a finger on you without punishment and he, he wins. I lose to Valvatorez and that same night, somebody else hurts you. I want to protect you, keep you safe but, I'm scared I'm not enough."

"Not enough?"

"Not enough to keep you safe." Kiyotaka's voice had grown soft, terrified. "Not enough to make sure nobody lays a finger on you and intentionally hurts you. If I want to, want to be right here with you, if I feel like I can stay here with you forever, I need to keep you safe. And that night I, I failed you twice."

His shaking palms slowly lifted themselves, pressing against his face before parting around his eyes. Kiyotaka was somewhat alarmed by how quickly he was beginning to shrink, taking in a deep breath to try and prevent anything he couldn't control from coming out.

"Kiyo?"

Vash hadn't expected to be the one moving, slowly crawling out of the corner and sitting himself directly before the trembling man. He felt the need to reach out and hold him tightly and yet, something kept him from doing that right away.

"Kiyo, I know a lot of bad things have happened lately, but nobody is blaming you for any of it. So maybe you lost to A, they've got more students with perfect GPAs anyways. Everybody was expecting you to lose, just by statistics alone. And so what? Sometimes you lose, it happens. It doesn't mean the world will end."

"And by losing, I've proved to Valvatorez that he's the strongest force in the school. That he can do whatever he want without any consequence."

"Then get into A next year and dethrone him. Sitting here and pouting about losing isn't going to do anything but please him." Vash sighed, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against Kiyotaka's shaking shoulder. "You're not going to get anywhere if you keep acting like you are right now. You and I both know that."

"And what about your father? Am I supposed to sit by and just let this happen?" His deflating voice beginning to shake. "Because we both know I can't just leave you to suffer on your own. We both know I'm not just going to sit by and let you stay here, fearing punishment when you've done nothing wrong."

"You can't-" Vash sighed, trying to keep himself together, "you have to let me fight my own battles sometimes, Kiyo. If you just, if you trust me on this, I know I can fight this one on my own."

"I don't want to ever leave you alone again." Vash was taken by surprise when he was suddenly pulled tightly into the arms of Kiyotaka. He was stiff for a moment, slightly struggling in the rather harsh grasp before loosening up when he felt a choking sob rise up from the other's chest before forcing itself out as the taller party found his voice. "Please, Vash."

In a way, he had no idea why this was being asked of him. Why Kiyotaka was begging just to stay here, why he felt like he needed to do everything in his power to feel like he was in control of keeping him safe. But then again, he didn't understand everything that made the B rep tick. Instead, he only pressed his forehead to Kiyotaka's shaking shoulder and wrapped his arms around the waist of the shaking man.

"Look, nobody's going anywhere, okay? I'm right here and nobody's going to change that. Valvatorez might be a pain and my Dad an ass but they're not going to do anything. They're not going to make me disappear or leave, okay?"

"But you need to come to me when things aren't good," Kiyotaka whispered. "I want to be there when you need to be safe, I want to always make sure that nobody is hurting you. I don't want anybody to cause you any more suffering."

Vash sighed, squeezing his good eye shut. "Don't blame you for this. I should've seen this coming. It was my fault for telling him who I really am."

"You came out to your father?"

"And he hit me because of it."

"Did you tell your mother?"

"No." Vash mumbled. "I'm afraid to say anything, because I'm so worried that she actually does love him. That she wants to be with and loved by him. And if I ruined that, what if she hated me?"

The F Rep felt their positions shift, Kiyotaka slowly releasing Vash and scooting back so he could look down at Vash, his emerald eyes damp and red. "Nobody could ever hate you for something you didn't do. Nobody would be mad at you for what your father did to you."

The shorter man felt himself cease up, tears beginning to form in his eyes as he really thought about what had happened. A family member hit him. And for no reason other than admitting to his true self in front of them. He had been struck and punished for something when he did nothing at all wrong.

Why was he suffering for being himself?

Why did his father hate him so much?

"Why doesn't he love me, Kiyo?" Vash choked, beginning to crumple down only for the taller man to pull him into his arms, tears and snot beginning to stain his shirt. "I've never done anything but try my best to get him to love me! I tried to be the perfect son! I did my best to get good grades, I went to sports games with him so he'd think we liked the same things, I always did more than he asked of me! I wanted him to love me so bad, but it was never enough! He never gave a damn about me no matter how hard I tried!"

Having come from a stable family with two loving parents, this absolutely shattered Kiyotaka. He had known this day would eventually come, where Vash would finally realize how unfair this truly was and break down because of it. He rested his hand against Vash's soft black hair, the other arm holding him tightly as a quiet shushing sound left his lips.

"He never deserved a son like you. He never deserved somebody so kind, smart and skilled and it's going to be only his loss. You're going to grow up to be a strong man and one day, he's going to regret everything he's done, but you're going to be above him. He doesn't deserve anything from you, Vash."

For what felt like an eternity, Kiyotaka sat there on the floor, trying not to cry a little himself while rocking Vash gently in his arms as the shorter man cried his eyes out. He wasn't always the best person to comfort those crying, but when it came to Vash, it felt natural. He wanted to kiss him everywhere, from those tear stained cheeks to his soft pouty lips. But now wasn't the time.

And then he felt something pricking his leg, slowly opening his eyes to find a calico kitten stabbing into his uniform pants with her razor sharp claws.

"A cat?"

Vash slowly shifted, moving his head from Kiyotaka's chest and trying to chuckle, his gunked up nose making it sound rather off. "Oh, Milk." He slowly reached out, scooping the kitten up and into his arms. "Sorry, did I scare you? I'm alright, promise."

The B Rep's brow furrowed, the sight of the animal having caught him more than a little off guard. "A cat?"

"Yeah," Vash sighed fondly, stroking the beginning to purr kitten. "Haruhi jumped to her usual conclusions and figured if I was going to feel better about myself, I needed to get a cat. And instead of asking me about it, she just showed up with Milk and all the supplies I could possibly need."

A smile crept onto his lips. "It suits you."

"Huh?"

"You've always been more nurturing than Haruhi or I, so it suits you to have something to take care of and love." Kiyotaka said, leaning against Vash's shoulder as the shorter student blushed slightly.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Of course."

Vash opened his eyes to say something else, but found himself quieting as the front door was fiddled with and began to open, both men bracing for the worst.

"Vash? ...Kiyotaka?"

The gentle voice of Noko Tanaka filled both of their ears, collective relief flooding the room before disappearing when she got a good look at the obvious evidence of their crying. "Oh my, boys, what's the matter?"

The thing that had always fascinated Kiyotaka about Noko was how quick she was to try and repair something when she saw fit. In a way, she reminded him a lot of Vash with how easily flustered but good natured she was. Instead of prying into details, she instead insisted Kiyotaka to stay and for both of them to explain the situation to her over a pot of tea. She hadn't even asked about the cat yet, instead skirting around that fact to try and pry the reason for crying out of them before anything else.

Being more of a coffee person, the B Rep had hoped to avoid both the drink and the conversation, but Noko wouldn't hear it, refusing to let him inch away for even a second.

So there they both were, red eyed and sitting at the table, nervously waiting for when she sat down and began grilling them for answers. Vash had seemed pretty relieved that Noko had taken the whole 'suddenly having a pet cat' thing well enough, but Kiyotaka wasn't sure just how much he was willing to say when it came to what was about to go down. Would he tell the truth about why the two were so worked up, or would they be lying.

He glanced over at Vash, trying to silently notify him that he would be following his lead, to which the F Rep only nodded slowly. His mind and heart were racing, panic and the feeling of being trapped growing almost too impossible to bear.

"You two do know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Noko set the teapot down before retrieving three cups and filling them up. She seemed bewildered, but was doing her best to keep herself composed, afraid of scaring them into saying nothing otherwise. "There isn't a thing in the world either of you could say to ever make me stop caring about the both of you. Alright?"

"Yes."

"Of course, Mom."

"So can you both tell me what's wrong?"

Kiyotaka looked to Vash, chewing at loose skin on his lip as he silently wondered just what Vash would comfortably own up to in those moments. The shorter male's hands slowly slid up, beginning to fiddle with his glasses. "It's just that, I..."

She sat across from both of them, taking a drink of tea before focusing on her only child. "Vash, honey, it's alright." Reaching out and gripping one of his hands in her own.

"I-I," his voice was shaking, surprising even Vash as he cleared his throat in an attempt to help himself calm down. "Remember yesterday, when I told you I got this black eye at school, because my class was fighting and I was hit with debris?"

"Er, yes?"

"Well," he took in a deep breath, shifting nervously. "That isn't, that's not what happened to me."

She straightened up in her seat, squeezing his hand tightly in her own. "Then what exactly happened?"

"D-... Mom, Dad hit me."

For a moment, everything was absolutely silent, the F Rep trying to steal his nerves while keeping his eyes dry. He worried about how she would react, feared a negative response that would seethe hate when all he wanted in those moments was to be loved.

But only horror was on her quickly paling face. "He HIT you? But why? Why would he ever do that?"

"Because I said something he didn't want to hear."

"And that was?"

Here it was, the moment of truth that Vash had feared. The moment of putting everything on the line once again. He knew what he wanted to hear and was terrified of anything else leaving her lips. "I told him that I was, that I am, that I'm gay." Pinching his open blue eye tightly shut, bracing for the worst.

But in those moments when his eyes were shut, Noko's expression grew from surprised to knowing, her eyes softening as she looked to Kiyotaka. She nodded slowly to him before mouthing what the B Rep thought was 'thank you' before turning back to her son. Kiyo thought he felt his heart stop in those moments, wondering just what he could have possibly done to earn some sort of thanks from the woman. He wasn't dating Vash, at least not right now. So why would she think to thank him?

The sensation of his mother squeezing his hand took Vash by surprise, opening his eye to see his parent smiling back at him. "I think, I think a part of me always knew that you weren't interested in girls. I guess I was just waiting for you to tell me yourself before I thought much of it."

"You're not upset?" Vash found himself whispering, his voice cracking.

"Honey, of course not!" The boys watched her rise from her seat before pulling her child into her arms and holding him tight. "There is nothing in the world that you could ever tell me that would make me stop loving you! I can't stop loving you anymore than you could change who you are. If you're gay, then you're gay. You're always going to be my baby and I'm always going to love you."

Kiyotaka could only watch as his friend began to crumple into the arms of his mother, beginning to cry tears of relief as she cradled him, pressing a loving kiss to his forehead before glancing up at Kiyotaka who was getting up from his chair to leave them be. He slightly bowed to her to thank her for the tea while she only smiled. Maybe she knew that he had pushed Vash to say something, or maybe she knew that Kiyotaka loved her son with all his heart. Whatever it was, he was just glad to see mother and son together, to see Vash feeling loved and accepted.

He slipped on his shoes and headed out the door, closing it behind him before reaching for his cell phone. He felt his fingers tap against the worn keys as the warm late June air whisked by. He chewed at his lip, smiling slightly as he listened to it dial and ring.

"Hello?"

Just the sound of the voice felt nice. "Mother?"

"Oh, Kiyotaka! I haven't heard your voice in so long!"

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" He found himself chuckling as he began to walk home. He knew she'd be home in three weeks or so and that his father would be home sometimes around then. But after seeing Noko, he couldn't help but yearn for the affection of either of his parents. "I was hoping we could just talk."

"Of course, love, I'd be happy to."

That sensation of love, he could only imagine how strong it must have been for Vash back there. A smile spread across his lips as he tried to think of everything he'd want to say to his mother.

It felt good to be accepted.

It felt good to be loved.