Written for crumbsorciere on tumblr. Sequel to Chapter 20, Alone.

The prompt:

"Fakiru, "I'm the same, you know"."

Rating: K+

Genres: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff

She disappears right after dinner. Of course, Ahiru makes every effort to help clear the table and scrub the dishes, but as soon as the last plate is dried she slips away without a word. Fakir does not give chase immediately, however. He knows her well enough to figure where she is, and if anyone can understand the need for alone time, it's him. So he gives her half an hour before he makes his way out the back door.

Sure enough, he spots the ladder propped up against the barn. Fakir makes sure to make enough noise as not to startle Ahiru with his sudden appearance; the last thing he needs is her falling off the roof. He hears her before he sees her.

"Hello?"

"It's only me," Fakir says, lifting his head over the edge of the roof. Ahiru sits with her back to him, silhouetted by moonlight, but he can see the blue of her eyes as she peers over her shoulder at him.

"Oh. Hey, Fakir." She says, turning away. Fakir furrows his brow at her melancholy tone of her voice and makes to sit beside her. "How'd you know I was up here?"

"Well first of all, you left the ladder propped up against the barn. Not very subtle." He teases. "Besides, it wasn't like it was very hard. You don't like walking through the woods at night so the lake was out, and if you were really planning on going somewhere far you would've left a note so Karon wouldn't worry."

Fakir doesn't have to see her cheeks to know that she's blushing. He smirks and nods to the spot beside her. "Mind if I join you?"

She shakes her head and scoots over to allow him some space to sit.

Fakir leans back on his hands and glances at her from the corner of his eye. The moonlight highlights the frown on her face, and it tugs at his heart uncomfortably. He turns his attention back to the sky, following the line of her distant gaze.

"Hey, Fakir?"

He isn't expecting her to be the first to speak. Fakir tries not to betray his concern as he answers.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think the moon ever gets lonely?"

Fakir turns to her, not bothering to hide his surprised expression. "What kind of question is that?"

She puffs her cheeks. "I'm serious! I mean, it's up there all by itself every night." Ahiru turns her attention back to the moon sadly, pulling her knees to her chest. "Wouldn't you get lonely?"

Fakir draws up a knee to his own chest, perching his chin on top of it thoughtfully. "I guess I would." He says after a moment. "But I don't think the moon is as lonely as you think it is."

Ahiru cocks her head towards him, eyes bright. "Huh?"

"I mean, look at all of the stars up there. How could you possibly think the moon is lonely when there are so many stars all around it?"

"But the stars are really far away, aren't they?" Ahiru mumbles, eyes downcast. "I remember you saying something from one of your books about stars being really, really far away."

"That may be so, but maybe that's why stars shine so brightly. So the moon still knows they're there, even when they're far away." Fakir says quietly.

Despite the crisp night air, Fakir feels his cheeks warm. It sounds silly, even to himself, but it seems to give Ahiru some comfort. He sees her shoulders relax a bit, and she shifts closer towards him.

"You really think so?" She asks.

Fakir shifts closer to her as well. He doesn't fight the small smile that settles on his lips. "I do."

They settle into a calm silence again. After nearly half an hour, it is Fakir who speaks first.

"I'm the same, you know."

Fakir doesn't look at her as he speaks, though he can feel her eyes on him. He fights to squash the sudden pang of self-consciousness.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm scared of it, too. Of being lonely, or being abandoned." Fakir pauses. He glances at her, eyes soft. "It's a terrible feeling."

Ahiru straightens up, shocked. "You—You feel that way too?"

"Yes, I do." Fakir twists himself to face her, and he's momentarily in awe of how the light hits the curve of her cheek. A fierce, warm affection swells in his chest, and his self-consciousness clears like mist in the heat of the afternoon sun. "Everybody is afraid of being left alone. So don't go beating yourself up over being scared of it too."

"How did you know that I've—?"

Fakir grins crookedly. "Give me some credit. You've been moping around ever since you had that nightmare the other night. And if I don't know you at least that well by now, then I've done a pretty poor job of keeping my promise."

He feels a small surge of accomplishment when he sees her crack a smile, and chuckles quietly when she shifts closer to him and nudges him with her elbow. Ahiru lets her head fall to his shoulder and sighs contentedly.

"Remember what I said the other night, though." He murmurs in the space between them. "I'm not going anywhere. So you don't have to be afraid of that or feel guilty over it, okay?"

"Okay." She says, pressing closer to his side. "Sorry, Fakir."

"What did I just say, idiot? Don't go apologizing for things that don't need to be apologized for."

"Ah, sorry!" Ahiru squeaks, covering her mouth sheepishly. "Ahh, I did it again…"

Fakir sighs, but the sound is an affectionate one. "Moron."

Ahiru giggles, and the sound makes Fakir feel light. "So, you get scared of being alone, too, huh?"

Fakir feels his ears burn, his embarrassment returning full-force. "Well, I said that already, didn't I?"

"You did," Ahiru concedes. "So I guess we're both scared of being left alone."

"Seems like it."

She lifts her head from his shoulders, eyes glittering and wide and filled to the brim with something that makes Fakir's heart do strange things. "Well. If I don't have to be scared of that, then you don't have to be, either."

Fakir quirks a brow at her large grin. "Why is that?"

"Because as long as I have you, then you'll have me! If you promise to stay with me, then it's only fair that I promise to stay with you, right? And that way neither of us ever have to worry about it again!"

Fakir blinks, surprised at how confidently she proclaims this. Then the implications of her words dawn on him, and he blushes furiously.

"Stupid, don't go making promises like that so lightly!" Fakir splutters.

"I'm not making it lightly," Ahiru huffs, cheeks red. "I'm happy with you, Fakir. And I want to stay like that…with you, I mean. If you want me to, that is."

Fakir stares down at her flushed face, taking in the determined yet self-conscious glint in her eyes and the stubborn, hopeful set of her jaw. She means what she says, and Fakir knows from experience that there will be no changing her mind. He sighs in defeat, but it is a battle he is more than willing to lose.

"Idiot," Fakir says as he wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Of course I do."

Ahiru snuggles closer against him, and Fakir rests his chin on top of her head. "So it's a deal, then?" She asks hopefully.

Fakir smiles. "It's a deal."