Morgan couldn't keep the grin off her face as Gerome wordlessly helped her move a stock of swords and tomes to the tent housing the weapons.
"If you wanted to keep up with how the camp is doing you could have just asked me." Teasing the weyvern rider usually didn't elicit much response, but Morgan knew that this was a subject that did. And on cue, Gerome's usually pale cheeks grew a shade pink. She mercilessly continued, "No need to be shy. Or are you trying to keep up that broody reputation?"
She was certain that Gerome was rolling his eyes under his mask at the least, but if he did, he didn't give any hint of it. He simply adjusted his grip on the crate in his hands and briskly walked towards the tent.
Trying to keep up with his long strides, the tactician jogged a few steps to catch up. Morgan thought it was sweet that he would try to stay updated on the status of the members of the army, even if he did so by asking Laurent to fill him in. Teasing aside, she was curious as to why he didn't just converse with the rest of the Shepherds. "Don't tell me you're scared of us."
Gerome allowed the tactician to walk beside him, but it wasn't until a few moments later that he answered. And even as he did, his reply was barely loud enough to catch. "No so much scared of you than of losing you."
Morgan tilted her head slightly, not completely sure what he meant. "I'm right here?" Tightening her hold on the tomes clutched against her chest, sensing a slight change to the mood. She ventured to continue. "I don't remember leaving you."
"And that's the problem." Breathing through his nose, Gerome set the crate down, running a hand through his hair. Though he didn't dare bring it up, Gerome noted that Morgan's amnesia would make this conversation far from easy. He clicked his tongue, trying to find a place to start. Avoiding Morgan would have made things easier, for the time being at least. But he'd have to talk to her eventually, even if it meant digging up old wounds. The situation he was in right now was entirely his fault, and he gotten more than one reprimanding look from the rest of the future children for refusing to confront her until now.
"You don't remember leaving me." He took another deep breathe, failing to find a way to begin. Cursing himself, he decided to leave delicacy aside and tell Morgan what he'd been keeping locked away. "You're not the Morgan I knew. The Morgan I knew did leave me. She's dead." The words were heavy as the left his lips, but there was no way to soften the blow. Casualties were everyday from the future he came from, but losing Morgan was hard for everyone. And seeing her again in this timeline had been a shock for all of them. "We've speculated, and you might be from a different future."
Morgan hadn't said anything, and simply searched Gerome's face for any trace of emotion, but found that he was a blank slate. She bit her lip, her voice failing her.
Seeing as she wasn't about to speak, Gerome continued. "I'm not sure what we were in your timeline, but I lost someone important that day. I wasn't expecting to see her again." He wasn't enjoying explaining and he silently wished that someone else was there to help smooth things over. An apology now would do little to alleviate the situation, so Gerome opted to stay silent, waiting for what Morgan would say.
The tactician had quietly taken in what Gerome had to say, keeping her eyes fixed with his. Mulling over the new information, she nodded. "It's been hard for all of us." She gave the barest smile. "And here I though you hated me for something else." She'd noticed that Gerome avoided most of the people in camp, but did interact with the future children. Oddly enough, she was part of the group he avoided. But at least some of it made sense now. "Does it hurt you to see me?" Asking if he'd rather that they not interact, she kicked at the gravel. She didn't have any memories of Gerome, anything more than being friends, and decided to keep this to herself. Gerome, who most likely had an array of memories to reflect on, didn't need the ghost of the girl he knew making a poor attempt at being a replacement.
"Yes." The short answer carried weight, a layer of pain embedded into the answer. But at the same time, he was fighting with himself to keep from being overjoyed at seeing Morgan again. It may not have been the Morgan he knew, but the idea that she had managed to survive in another world was more than enough for him. Believing that this was her second chance, he resolved to keep her alive. Even if it meant doing it for his own self interest. The risk of losing her if he got to close was a fear that nagged him from the moment he'd seen her again, and despite the opportunity to grow closer, he cast the idea aside in favor of concentrating on the singular goal of making sure she made it through.
"Then I'll leave you be." The smile on Morgan's face grew by a fraction, and she bowed slightly, excusing herself.
Gerome waited until the sound of her boots against the ground here but a faint crunch before he picked up his burden. He'd reached a resolution, however poor it was. He'd have to live with it.
AN: That was anticlimactic.
Testing season is on and it's a bit difficult to update so you'll have to excuse me for the lack of updates.
As always, thank you for reading and if you have any request please feel free send in a pair/situation!