He shambled down the trail, black dust kicked up with each desperate step. Both arms were wrapped around his armor, one side as jet black as the ground below him. Scorched, alone, and just as pathetically desperate as he had always been, Greidhof stumbled forward closer to a clearing, muttering under his breath. To an outsider, he would've looked like a madman, shivering and stuttering and looking ready to jump at the slightest sound. If one could look into his head, they would see this was indeed the case.

Greidhof walked into a circular clearing, tufts of vibrant green grass poking out from a large dusty circle. Soulless were scattered around the area, sitting and talking. A few looked up to see Greidhof approach, their hands drifting towards their weapons. Each one of the onlookers was adorned in crumbling armor, years of fighting and rotting encased over their flesh, scars of the painful past etched onto their faces. Greidhof grumbled at the watchers, not terribly impressed by their garb despite his own armor in about the same condition. Upon closer inspection, Greidhof spotted exactly what he was looking for at the legs of some of the Soulless – patches of black, dripping yellow on the side that was glued to their limbs. Scalpers. Headhunters. Hitmen, assassins, broken down serial killers. Greidhof chuckled as he thought about the people before him, for despite their reputation they looked no different than any other Soulless he had seen in his years in the Nothing. Everyone was rotting away, everyone was breaking down, some just took slightly different paths than others. And the one he was walking now was too treacherous to not look for help.

"You," snarled one of the Soulless, his body so thin that he was little more than a shadowy skeleton with just the slightest bit of meat on his bones. "You here to hire, or you some kind of scalper yourself?"

"Hire," said Greidhof. "Hire, hire."

"Well, do you have anything?"

There were around thirty Soulless in the clearing, all about as decrepit as the one who spoke to Greidhof. Despite their terrible condition, Greidhof could see killer in their eyes, some of the hunters truly fearsome looking beings, like rabid animals. The ones he took more interest in had entire lumps of flesh glued to their sides, the clumps of dozens of scalps forming makeshift tumors against their legs. Taking a step closer, Greidhof swallowed his fear as a few of the scalpers stood up.

"I…" said Greidhof. "I am a Supremacy lieutenant, an important one at that. I don't have anything on me now, but if you take this job, I can assure you whatever you want will be yours! Drugs, guns, a ticket back home, Supremacy power, whatever you please!"

Laughter. A whole wretched orchestra of it. Thin chuckles, deep, powerful guffaws, and snickering so sharp that it could've pierced right through Greidhof's chest. He groaned at their reactions, he had a feeling it would come to this, but he had nothing else…

"You look as desperate as they come," said the scalper. "What the hell is that on you, a burn mark? If you're not sure if you can pay us, then we ain't working for you." He chuckled, his laughter coarse like a brush against sandpaper. "We're not working for free, who do you think we are?"

"Listen," said Greidhof. "It's a simple job, one target to be taken out first, and then a couple more later! Once the first one is gone, then it'll be much easier for me to get you your payment!"

"And do you even have any proof that you're oh so important?" asked the scalper. "We've had people come in here before, claiming they were top dogs of the Supremacy or some other gang, only for us to find out they were just some random shit with someone who has a bone to pick going out for them."

"I was with Silan's gang," said Greidhof.

"Who?" asked the scalper.

A human came into view, initially obscured behind several of the hunters. Greidhof turned, surprised to see one all the way up here and with scalpers no less. Yet when Greidhof saw his face, he almost immediately knew why.

The man had an elimination machete handle at his side, and not a hint of life in his eyes. Somehow his gaze with both pale and dark, his pupils black as space itself but coated with a sheen to protect him from any semblance of invading humanity. He was about a foot shorter than the Soulless due to his form, but the way they moved aside as he strode towards the center of the clearing screamed respect despite his stature. Built like a damned tree, with arms as solid as the thickest of branches, he took a seat in the middle of the clearing. He was simple in his clothing, a white shirt with a few strange dark stains on the front and plain denim jeans over his legs. As he looked up towards Greidhof, he gave a tiny sigh of indifference before going back to inspecting the weapon at his side. Though he didn't have a single scalp to his body, Greidhof had the impression that this one had killed before and had killed a lot. That this one was about nothing more than killing, that was all he did and all he was good at. He was a monster amongst monsters, something that only the most insane would dare to deal with. Somewhere deep within that man was a bomb, something that could go off at the slightest touch, something that the being wouldn't be bothered if it exploded to harm everyone around him. He was exactly what Greidhof needed, to deal with the mad creature who was pursuing him.

Ceasing his gawking at the sound of chuckles around him, Greidhof turned back to the scalper he had been talking with before.

"Silan," said Greidhof. "He was one of the biggest names in the Supremacy, and I was his second-in-command!"

"And where is he now?" asked the scalper, grinning. Deep down, he had already guessed the answer. Greidhof's quivering was a dead giveaway.

"He's gone," said Greidhof. "His killers are who I want to get rid of, there's only three of them-"

"Hold on," said the man, gazing up from his weapon. His movement was slow, lazy, like a cattle munching on its afternoon meal. But behind his look was the stare of a predator, one that only someone accustomed to the look might be able to pick up. "Only three eh?"

"Well yes," said Greidhof. "Terrible mistakes were made. Did you know about Silan?"

"Oh sure," said the man, yawning. "How many did he have in his group?"

"Around twenty or so?" said Greidhof. "Which is why the defeat was so-"

"Nice," said the man. "Ahhhhh, let me think about this for a second."

The rest of the scalpers started to shift and exchange glances. A thick fog of unease suddenly blanketed the air, covering everyone within an instant. Greidhof looked from side to side, wondering just why the hell everyone was so uncomfortable all of a sudden. What the hell was he walking into?

"But you don't have anything," said the man. "Name's Verdus, by the way."

"I can get you anything-" said Greidhof.

Verdus held up a hand, commanding Greidhof to stop. His mouth hung slightly open, as if in total shock at Greidhof's apparent stupidity.

"Right now, you've got nothing," said Verdus. "You're clearly on the run from somebody, probably one of the same people that thrashed your group. And by the looks of it, he was about to thrash you as well."

"I…" said Greidhof. "Yes, their mad dog is after me. Crazy asshole shot my ship down and nearly got me, I barely escaped and had to look for people like you."

"Well you came to the right place," said Verdus. "And the right person."

The rest of the scalpers got up, almost in unison. They all began to leave, some shouldering past Greidhof while others took different paths to walk away. Greidhof's heart began to pound, he didn't want to be left alone with this man.

"Wh-where are they going?!" asked Greidhof. "Hey!"

"They see I'm interested," said Verdus. He grinned up at Greidhof, an otherwise pleasant smile of a man who looked like he would murder Greidhof just for looking at him wrong. "They won't want to compete with me."

"I…see you're a hunter of high stature."

Verdus laughed, throaty and deep. His voice reverberated around the clearing.

"How nice of you," said Verdus. "And I suppose you could say that. But enough kissing my ass, lets discuss exactly what you want."

"I want my hunter dead!" said Greidhof. "Him first, he's a large Soulless, still has a ship, I don't know his name but he uses a staff and is an imbecile."

"That says a lot about you if an imbecile nearly killed you and also helped destroy your whole group," said Verdus. "But this thing about three people killing Silan and his whole entourage…that's interesting."

"It's pathetic," grumbled Greidhof. "If I were in charge…"

"Quit whining," said Verdus. His eyes went pitch black, his tone deeper than an ocean. "Seriously."

Greidhof swallowed at Verdus's rising annoyance. Just calm it down, no provoking this man.

"Yes, yes," said Greidhof. "But yes, the three of them surprise attacked us, it was likely due to their own planning, and those damned espers' fault too!"

Verdus pushed out his lip and tilted his head to the side. Interest was there, but it was mocking.

"Espers?" asked Verdus. "Now that's just neat."

"Yes, this took place on a version of Earth," said Greidhof. "A version with a bunch of heroes, or so they called themselves. I can give you the coordinates, if…if you like."

"You've got nothing to give me, so that's a big negative," said Verdus. "But…this whole thing sounds interesting. Three people against that whole group huh? Must've been some fighters!"

"Crazy bastards," said Greidhof. "And our own troops failed us. Not to mention two of them betrayed us, fuck, they might still be alive too!"

"So we're up to five now."

"I don't know. I don't know."

"So you came here with nothing to your name except an old rank, being pursued by someone who helped kill a Soulless with the power of five, want the hunter to go all the way out of the Nothing to Earth, and don't actually know how many he would be up against. That's what I'm hearing."

Greidhof said nothing, for he had nothing to say. Verdus snickered and wiped his nose.

"I've heard some stories, and many requests," said Verdus. "But this one is just so damned out there, so fucking stupid and pathetic that it kind of intrigues me. Just how desperate were you? How stupid are you? What made you think the scalpers wouldn't just kill you on sight for suggesting something so goddamned moronic, and with such little info?"

"I…had no other option," said Greidhof.

"Yeah yeah, you're desperate," said Verdus. "The losers always are."

"Please," said Greidhof. "If I can just get this guy off my back, I can find my way back to a Supremacy outpost easy and they'll recognize me for sure! Then I'm sure I can arrange a reward for your services, Silan was valued in our group!"

"Assuming some other schmuck doesn't kill you before your pursuer does," said Verdus. "Thinking about doing it myself, really."

Greidhof groaned, a tiny, pathetic sound to be voiced only by those on the verge of death. He fell to his knees, his shoulders dropping.

"I have nothing else," he groaned. "What do you want from me…"

"If you think I'll do this out of the kindness of my heart," said Verdus. "Then you're making a mistake."

"What do you want?"

"You have nothing, you are nothing."

"I can-"

"No, you can't. As far as this world goes, you're finished. Even if you make it back to the Supremacy, you'll be a fucking laughing stock. Never mind what Silan thought of you, you'll be seen as the coward and weakling that you really are. And I can see a coward from a mile away, I know what I'm looking at right in front of me."

This bastard, thought Greidhof. If I wasn't so damned desperate…

"However," said Verdus. "I am a bit bored myself, and the people you're up against have some impressive feats under their belt. Perhaps I'll check it out, when I have time."

"But I need your help now!" said Greidhof. "There's no telling when that asshole will find me!"

"Well you best start hiding and praying," said Verdus. "Because I'm going to take my sweet time with this."

"But-"

"Do not fucking complain,"said Verdus. "You're lucky you even got a bit of interest, let alone an actual offer. Go crawl under a rock like you normally do, and hope that I feel up to getting your pursuer before he gets you. That's the best you're going to get."

"There's no time-"

Verdus tilted his head, his eyes going wide. Greidhof shut his damned mouth. Another word could very well mean his doom.

"Good," said Verdus. "That'll be enough out of you."

"Coordinates…"

"I will find them, in time," said Verdus. "I do this shit for a living after all."

Greidhof gave a tiny nod.

"Now go," said Verdus. "I'll get some people, and find my targets in whatever way I see fit."

"Secter, Tatsumaki, Fubuki, Sycamore…" said Greidhof. "Those are their names… perhaps Viskel and Vastal too if they're still alive."

"Right," said Verdus. "Great. Now get out of here."

Greidhof began to turn around, clutching at his scorched side. Slowly, he took his first steps out of the clearing, feeling just as hopeless and desperate as he went in.

Verdus shook his head, watching him go.

"I'll have me some fun when I get there," Verdus muttered. "Take a nice little vacation. Could use some relaxation…"

In his head, he could already envision the bodies.

. . .

Tatsumaki lay flat on the bed, her dress clinging to her body as her chest rose up and down. She clutched a tennis ball in her hands, her phone right by her side. Rolling the ball over her stomach, she heard the rushing water of the shower turn off from the bathroom and she glanced up, waiting for her loved one to enter her room. Disappointed, she focused back to her ball, kicking her feet up and down until finally she heard the door open. Tatsumaki smiled and looked up, her heart pounding as she thought of a million mischievous little things to do to her man.

Secter emerged from the bathroom, nothing but a white towel drooping over his waist. His body glistened with water, pale scars shimmering with the wetness. A little portion of the towel had fallen down from his waist, revealing a patch of skin near his crotch and leg. Tatsumaki started to sit up from the bed, her eyes immediately caught by the section of towel starting to fall a bit.

"Mmmm," she said. Smirking, she licked her top lip as seductively as she possibly could, her heart fluttering when she saw Secter smile back and his face flush.

Tatsumaki laughed. Even after all the things they had done to each other, all the things they had gone through, he still got embarrassed and flustered when she got flirty with him. It was so damned cute, she couldn't begin to tell him how much she adored this about him.

"Look at my big sexy man," she said. "Come here you."

Secter lowered his shoulders. He couldn't wait for what Tatsumaki wanted with him, he loved it every time she got playful with him. Lurching forward, he tipped himself over the side of the bed and grasped the sides of the sheets around Tatsumaki, lowering himself until his face met hers. Tatsumaki dropped the ball and let it roll off her stomach, raising both her arms around Secter to grab him and pull him into her, his body drenching her clothes wet. She kissed him as deeply as she could, refusing to stop as Secter kissed her back. Then she pulled back for the tiniest of seconds before jerking him right back into her lips again.

They kept kissing until Tatsumaki's jaw grew a little sore, with her finally falling back to the bed. She looked up at Secter hovering over her with soft eyes, Secter looking down at her like she was the greatest thing in the world. And to be fair, she was.

"You still get so flustered sometimes," said Tatsumaki. "You realize just how cute you look when you do that?"

Secter chuckled, lowering himself a bit further on top of her.

"You've told me," he said. "You realize how cute you look all the time?"

"Oh stop it," said Tatsumaki. "You're being corny again."

"I thought you liked that."

"I like a lot about you."

Secter leaned down and kissed Tatsumaki again, when he finally separated he pulled her lip up with him a little, the skin stretching up a tiny bit before Tatsumaki leaned away. She let out a little sigh.

"It feels so good to see things start to get back to normal," said Tatsumaki. "I just want to love you and live with you, and have things be just fine for as long as possible."

"Oh God me too," said Secter. "Every time I see you I just want to hold you and kiss you until your heart can't stop fluttering, until you feel like you're the most loved person in all the damned world."

It was Tatsumaki's turn to blush.

"Everything you say just gets to me," said Tatsumaki. "I don't know how you keep doing it, but it's like you always find ways to get me to love you even more, when I didn't even think it was possible."

"Hehe," said Secter. "I got a way with words, huh?"

"You do," said Tatsumaki. "Mmmmmm." A slight smile spread across her face as she thought of something. Slowly she raised her hands along Secter's sides, feeling the muscles underneath his skin as she reached towards his back.

"What," said Secter, raising an eyebrow. "You're looking mischievous, what are you thin-"

It was too late. She had already made it to his lower back, and as soon as she did, she yanked Secter down completely on top of her and started to tickle away, going crazy with her fingers at his soft spot.

"Aaaaah!" said Secter, twitching as he landed on top of her. "No, no, stop that!"

Tatsumaki grinned at him, wrapping her legs around his own as she watched him start to giggle and squirm. Her blood began to run hot as he wriggled around on top of her.

"Goddamnit Tatsu!" said Secter in-between little fits of laughter. He struggled for air, doing his best to throw Tatsumaki off of his back. But she was like a goddamned monkey, clinging to him no matter how much he squirmed.

"You're doomed," she said, snickering. "You're not going anywhere. You think I forgot how much you tickled me? Now you're mine." She tickled harder at the spot, forcing Secter to start shivering from laughter.

"Oh my God," said Secter, still chuckling. "Tatsu, I swear to God."

"What are you gonna do?" asked Tatsumaki, the smuggest of smiles on her face. "You're all mine."

Secter started to crawl over Tatsumaki towards the end of the bed, dragging his body over her stomach and the sheets. His eyes bulged as he ran out of breath from Tatsumaki's vicious tickle assault, but finally he managed to escape her grasp as he fell over the side of the bed, losing his towel between her legs in the process.

"Oof," said Secter as he landed on the floor. Tatsumaki chuckled at him and peered over the bed at his fall.

"Are you ok?" she asked, laughing.

"Oh you're gonna pay," said Secter, unable to stop smiling. He stood up, completely naked and his hair still glued to his head from the water. Tatsumaki eyed him up before turning back on the bed.

"What are you going to do?" she asked. "What are you thinking?"

"You'll see," said Secter. He turned and stormed out of the bedroom in mock anger. Tatsumaki glanced down just below his lower back as he went, watching him move.

"You're forgetting your towel," said Tatsumaki, kicking it off her leg and down onto the floor.

Secter continued to the kitchen, and without further ado, opened the door to the freezer and stuck his hands inside.

Meanwhile, Tatsumaki wrapped her hands behind her head, propped herself up against the headboard with a pillow behind her, and waited. And waited. A minute went by, then two, then three. Raising an eyebrow, Tatsumaki's suspicion was reaching sky-high levels.

"Secter?" she called from the bedroom. "What are you doing out there? Are you just wandering around naked?"

She chuckled at the thought of it, a steaming mad Secter wandering around the house with not a bit of clothing to his name, wondering just how to get back at her.

"Secter?" she called again. "You want me to go out there? What are you doing?"

Another minute went by. Then, Tatsumaki heard him coming back. She narrowed her eyes when she spotted him in the doorway. He was just as nude as before, his hands at his sides and a totally neutral expression on his face. The look of someone who surely had nothing suspicious going on, just a normal, everyday expression…

Secter walked towards the bed, Tatsumaki scooting out of the way to let him lay next to her. She didn't like this, didn't like how quiet he was being, didn't like how he hadn't looked at her yet…

Suddenly he turned over, the tiniest of smiles on his face. Tatsumaki leaned back a tad.

"So," said Secter. "How you been Tatsumaki?"

"Good…" she said. "What did you do?"

"Oh!" said Secter. He reached behind him and grabbed the tennis ball and phone before handing them over to Tatsumaki. "You want these?"

"Sure…" said Tatsumaki. She took the items from Secter. Goosebumps rose all over her arms when she grabbed them, both the ball and the phone ice cold to the touch. "Hey, why are these so col-"

Secter lunged over at Tatsumaki, and within seconds, had both hands down her dress. Just like she had down before, he wrapped his body over her, his legs intertwining with hers. Tatsumaki dropped the ball and phone as Secter's freezing cold hands found the middle of both her breasts and he squeezed gently.

She shrieked and rolled over, Secter refusing to let go as he clambered on top of her.

"Secter it's cold!" she screamed. "Did you stick your hands in the freezer?! Let go of me, you dork!"

She shivered in his grasp as Secter massaged her breasts and leaned down to kiss her on the neck, past her curled hair. Every hair on her arms was standing on its end as Secter felt her up, Tatsumaki struggling to roll back and forth to throw him off of her but finding it even more difficult to get him off than Secter did with her earlier. She yelped as Secter pinched the middle of her breasts, his hands slowly warming up but still cold as ice packs.

"Oh my God, oh my God!" she yelled. "Secter, I swear to God, your hands are so cold, let go of me right now!" She started to laugh as Secter kept kissing her on the neck, then up to the cheek and finally her ear. "You think you're being cute but you're not, cut it out!"

"I told you I'd get you," said Secter. "Who's got who now?"

"This isn't sexy, I'm just freezing," said Tatsumaki. "Oh thank God…your hands are starting to warm up…ugh, they were so cold…"

"I had them in there for like almost five minutes."

"Well I know that by now!"

Secter kept massaging her, Tatsumaki twitching and shuddering underneath him. By now her breasts were aching, her nipples completely hard from the icy touch and tweaking. She let out a little groan as Secter's hands warmed to her body temperature, the rubbing and pinching finally starting to feel nice as opposed to torturous.

"Ugh," said Tatsumaki into the sheets. "Alright, you got me, you got me. At least it feels nice now."

"Mmm," said Secter, his mouth pressed against her neck again.

"Can you roll over for a sec?" she asked. "This feels good and all, but you're kind of crushing me."

Secter slid his hands out from her dress and rolled over to the side of the bed, smirking at her as he propped himself up against the pillow. Tatsumaki flipped over and grabbed at the front of her dress, doing her best to warm herself back up.

"Look here you," said Tatsumaki, giving him a glare that was full of nothing but mock irritation. "You can touch me anytime you want, but I swear if you do that with freezing hands again…"

"We'll just have to see," said Secter.

Tatsumaki shook her head, her chest still tingling.

"You big dork," she said. "You're a dork. You're a big, lovable dork, and sometimes I hate you."

"You don't really hate me."

"Of course I don't really hate you, I'm joking. You're just…ugh, you and me…we just connect on so many levels."

"I don't want to be with anyone else but you," said Secter. "You're the one for me."

"Mmm," said Tatsumaki. "And I want to be with you, forever."

She glanced back down at the ball before picking it up, inspecting the words along its side.

FOR MY FAVORITE ESPER

She smiled, warm thoughts and memories running through her head.

"You know what I did when you gave me this?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Uh, I don't think so," said Secter. "I know you got a case for it eventually."

"Yeah, but I mean like the first night."

"No," said Secter. His chest warmed up, he loved seeing Tatsumaki get all sentimental and open. "What did you do?"

"I kinda slept with it," said Tatsumaki. "Well, sort of. I held it against me for a while before I fell asleep. I think this gift…this gift meant so much to me, showed how much I meant to you, and on that night…on that night I knew I had something special. That we could have something special. And well, look at us now."

"You were right," said Secter, propping his head up against his hand. Tatsumaki liked the look he was giving her, his eyes all soft and loving. "And I did totally have a thing for you when I gave it to you, it really meant a lot to me."

"I know," she said. "God I love this so much. It's so…it's so you."

Secter didn't think he could smile any wider, his cheeks already tugging from his expression. He leaned over and laid his head against Tatsumaki's shoulder, a light sigh escaping his lips. Tatsumaki sat up further and laid her cheek atop his scalp.

"I really hope things just stay like this," said Tatsumaki. "Right now…right now this is perfect. I'm so happy right now."

"I'm so glad you are," said Secter. "And I'm so happy too."

"I've got a good feeling that things are gonna stay this way."

"You think so?"

"Yeah…yeah I think so."

"Honestly I do too, but I'm keeping a bit wary because of Koros. Hope he's doing alright."

"Yeah…"

"Sycamore and I have been keeping an eye out, made a schedule so that way there's always at least one of us is watching."

"Well, that's good at least. But…ugh, I don't want to think about more Soulless right now. Just…not right now."

"Me either," said Secter. He started to pull away, crumpling the sheets away from him as he kicked them back. "Hang on, gonna actually put my towel away and fix my hair and shit."

"Alright," said Tatsumaki.

He clambered out of bed, walking around and scooping the towel off the floor before heading back into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, he got himself ready and dressed. Then he went back out, only to spot Tatsumaki grimacing at her phone, the ball back on its stand. She looked about ready to punch whatever it was staring at her back through the screen. Secter leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom, worried at just what the hell was bothering her so much.

"You ok Tatsu?" asked Secter. "You look upset."

"Secter, there's people online saying that Sycamore was not only responsible for bringing Silan, but secretly works for him and still is," said Tatsumaki.

Secter dipped his head down a bit, his mouth hanging open. Never in his life had he heard something so stupid, so blatantly wrong and offensive that for a moment, he almost had to block out what he had just heard, as if it were a full-frontal attack on his senses.

"You have to be fucking kidding me," said Secter. "You're not serious."

"I am! They have full forums about it, there was a news article about it."

Secter strode over to the bed and sat down next to Tatsumaki before swinging his legs over to lay down. She leaned over towards him to let him see her screen, and sure enough, there was an article about groups online trying to find "the truth" about Sycamore and his involvement with Silan. Reading the first few lines turned Secter's stomach into a maze of knots, nausea becoming his new enemy.

"It's sickening," said Tatsumaki. "Like…I get it, people will be afraid of Sycamore, I understand that, but to go this far with no evidence? Especially when we've already been saying that he helped kill Silan and his group and we were there for it? Just…ugh, people disgust me sometimes."

"We can't help it unfortunately," said Secter. "Some people are just going to be fucking idiots. Christ, poor Sycamore…"

"It's just so unfair," said Tatsumaki. "And isn't he just kinda cooped up over at Fubuki's house right now? I guarantee he's seen stuff like this, probably just watching tv or online most of the day."

"Yeah, after he got kicked out," said Secter. "And gotta say, I was worried when you found out about it, I thought you were going to go kill that hotel owner."

"It was hard to resist," grumbled Tatsumaki.

Secter collapsed backwards into his pillows, worrying for his dear friend. A whole ship of weight felt back on his chest and shoulders yet again.

"It just fucking sucks to see all this," said Secter. "Sycamore went through all that just to be feared by most people…ugh, I can understand why, I'm afraid of Soulless too, but come on, just give him a little credit…"

"I get it too," said Tatsumaki. "Doesn't mean I don't hate it. All we can do is keep pushing with the people we've got to get the real story out there, and to let people know Sycamore is a friend. I've already started to see people give Fubuki weird looks when she mentions Sycamore as a boyfriend, and it pisses me off."

"Oh God."

"Yeah. You don't want to make me angry."

"I'm well aware of that by now," said Secter, chuckling. "Ahhh, we're just going to have to keep working at it, you're right. I just really hope Sycamore doesn't take it too hard, though knowing him…he probably will."

"You think so?" asked Tatsumaki. Her chest hurt with worry, she cared about Sycamore almost as much as Secter did.

"Yeah he…" said Secter. "Had some issues back in the Nothing with thinking people would resent him or not care about him. And remember how at the end of our little confrontation he mentioned we might as well kill him? Well he pleaded to some Supremacy troops early on in the Nothing that they should just kill him right then and there as opposed to take him away."

"Oh God," said Tatsumaki, her heart sinking. "You're right, I remember. Fuck, poor Sycamore."

"We'll need to be checking up with him, for sure."

"Yeah, without a doubt."

"Just so damned unfair…" said Secter. "If only people could've seen the truth."

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "Well, I think that's enough internet for now." She set her phone to the side and rolled over to embrace Secter, who let out a little sigh within her embrace. "For now we just relax a bit, no more serious stuff."

"That sounds nice," said Secter. "Just rest for a bit, we've got a long and amazing road ahead of us, right?"

"That's right," said Tatsumaki. "Now come over here and kiss me before I tickle you again."

"Oh you know I have the advantage in that fight," said Secter. "You're ticklish all over."

"Don't start that," said Tatsumaki. She hugged him tighter just as Secter returned the embrace. They were warm, beyond happy, and while there were still troubles ahead, for now they could appreciate what they had, that for now, things were ok as long as they had each other.

. . .

Sycamore gazed down at the screen, wrapping his arms around his sides. The laptop was warm to the touch, the bottom burning against the top of his pants as he let it rest on his legs. Groaning, he leaned back into the couch and stared off at the ceiling, a sight that had become all too familiar to him for the past few days.

The doorknob at the front entrance began to creak. Sycamore glanced back over to it just in time to see Fubuki enter with a grocery bag tucked under her arm. She was beaming, looking as if she had just won the lottery and was eager to spread the good news.

"Hello Sycamore!" said Fubuki, smiling. "How are you today?"

"I'm uh," said Sycamore. "I'm alright." Truth be told he was far from it, but seeing Fubuki happy brightened his mood.

"I made good progress with the group," said Fubuki. "Had a pretty good day thus far all things considered."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we went off to rebuild some stuff and spread the real story some more, met some really fun and nice people! And they've been very supportive of me, will…will definitely help when I get to certain things."

"I'll support you just as much, every step of the way."

Fubuki beamed even brighter, her face lighting up like the glow of the sun.

"I know you will," said Fubuki. "I just wish you didn't have to stick around in here all day, but at least it gives me something to look forward to when I get home."

Sycamore gave Fubuki a weak smile. Looking at her made his heart rise, but something was keeping it from reaching its normal height, something was holding him back from the normal happiness he got from seeing her.

Fubuki walked over to the kitchen island, setting the bag down. A soft little crunch emanated from the bar as the bag landed and Fubuki turned back over to see Sycamore and his laptop. Her face fell.

"Oh no," said Fubuki. "Sycamore, sweetheart. I told you not to go looking at stuff like that, you're just going to get hurt by stupid people."

"I know, I know," said Sycamore. "But it's hard to avoid. It's not like…it's not like I go looking for conspiracy sites or anything like that, stuff like this is on the actual news. Like it's…normal stuff now."

"What is it this time?" asked Fubuki. She walked to the couch and leaned over Sycamore's shoulders to stare at his screen. Within seconds, she was disgusted beyond belief.

"You have to be fucking kidding me," said Fubuki. "I thought some of the things I had heard were ridiculous, but this is completely just…ugh. Why the hell would people think you are working for Silan still? You helped kill him! I just…I just…ugh."

"What other stuff did you hear?" asked Sycamore. His chest was burning now, his arms pulled so tightly over his ribs that it had begun to ache. Fubuki looked down at the sheer sadness upon Sycamore's face and it almost made her wilt. She couldn't bear to see him like this, all frail and wrapped up like a shivering corpse instead of the normal boisterous and cheerful man she adored. Reaching down, she slid her hands down his chest and hugged him from the back of the couch, leaning over his head. Slowly she crept her reach down onto the laptop before closing it shut. Sycamore shuddered in her grasp, letting his arms back to his sides before sliding his own hands over hers. Fubuki smiled again.

"Sycamore," she said. "I know it's got to be tough, but you can't be letting these things get to you. These people are just scared, they're projecting, they don't know the full story, at least most of them, and what they think is not an actual reflection of who you are."

"I know," said Sycamore. "It's just hard to hear, you know? Hard to turn on the tv and see stuff like this every day when I was already…already so unsure of myself."

Fubuki sighed, a deep and drawn out breath of sadness dredged up from her very soul. She kissed Sycamore on the top of the head, causing Sycamore's eyes to widen. His heart hammered at his ribs.

"Unsure of yourself…" said Fubuki.

"Yeah…" said Sycamore. "Even all the way back…and you knew about this, all the way back when I first got here there was all this doubt in my mind, and building up more and more when I made mistakes, and then all culminated with me…making a really big one."

It was Fubuki's turn to be shocked.

"And you told us it was alright to kill you," said Fubuki. Horror took hold of her heart, icy claws into her veins. "Sycamore, no please, please don't think of yourself in that way, you're an amazing person, all that-"

"It's…it's ok. I don't. Least…not nearly as much. But even back in the Nothing, I still worried about…not being cared about I guess. That I had antagonized everyone too much to be worthy of their care and respect, and that even if I went and helped, I would still be resented. The thought scared me Fubuki, I really wanted to make some friends by that point."

"And you have! And you have me."

Sycamore chuckled, something more akin to a little giggle than a full laugh. He leaned further back into the couch while Fubuki rested her cheek on the top of his head.

"I know…" he said. "But all this…it's not really helping…it's just making me more paranoid, feeding into stuff I was already worried about. About you, about the public, about Tatsumaki and everyone else…"

"About me?" asked Fubuki, leaning back and raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" said Sycamore. "I…ugh, how do I say this without coming across as some kind of asshole…"

"What do you mean Sycamore." Her voice changed from sad to outright stern.

"I…" Sycamore shifted in his seat, feeling like Fubuki's grasp over him had gotten tighter. Twitchier and twitchier his legs got. "It's…a few things."

"Like what?"

"When you…when you first started kind of pining after me, I did like it, trust me, I did, but I was paranoid about some things, you know? And still kind of am. And certainly all this crap about me not being the person I am doesn't help."

"Just tell me. Please, Sycamore."

"It's stuff like whether you're actually attracted to me, since you know, I look so damned different, and for a bit I worried that you were pursuing a relationship with me not just because you liked me, but also…because you wanted something to help ease your pain. Something akin to what your sister had, something to look forward to to help you deal with all the loss and misery and shock…"

"So you're saying…I'm not being genuine."

"No!" said Sycamore, curling his fingers over Fubuki's own. Fubuki had begun to dig her hands into Sycamore's shirt, tightening at the skin below. "No, not exactly. It's just…it's…it's more a reflection on me than it is on you, alright? I'm just being paranoid, that's all. You know me, you know how nervous I get about stuff, how I read too much into things…"

"But these are real fears you had," said Fubuki. "And that sounds exactly like what I just said, that you don't think I'm being genuine and am just using you as some kind of comfort rather than a significant other."

Ah God. Sycamore knew there was no way worming out of this one. Even still, he had said his peace, it had to be addressed sooner or later.

"I know…I know you have real feelings for me," said Sycamore. "That's not something you need to prove. It's just…I'm all paranoid and it just seemed so quick that I got scared and…ugh I'm just sounding like a real asshole, aren't I?"

Sycamore wilted down into the seat, ready to cry. His frown had stretched all the way across his face, a symbol of bitter defeat. Though Fubuki was irritated, she couldn't help but feel terrible for him. Perhaps he had some reason to be nervous after all.

"No," said Fubuki. "I get what you're saying, I did mention my sis's and Secter's relationship to you a lot. But the truth is that I really do have feelings for you Sycamore, and really do want to be in a relationship with you. If I didn't, I would've just called you a close friend instead, you know? I…did want somebody to help ease the pain, somebody to support me since things were hard, but I also wanted to do the same for you, to be close enough to you so I could see you every day, to talk to you all the time…"

By now the dam had broken. Yellow tears streamed from Sycamore's eyes. He gazed up at Fubuki, another weak smile on his face. Fubuki felt herself starting to cry but held strong, smiling just as Sycamore did.

"Thank you Fubuki," said Sycamore. "I have no idea what I'd do without you."

"Aww, sweetheart," said Fubuki. "Come here."

Sycamore leaned up and kissed Fubuki on the cheek, who chuckled at him.

"That's more like it," said Fubuki. "I want more of that."

Sycamore smiled sheepishly and shrunk down into his seat, his cheeks burning.

"I guess that kinda takes the whole idea of you not being attracted to me out the window," said Sycamore. "I suppose I was just surprised, is all."

"You look handsome," said Fubuki. "And I adore your personality."

"Ahhhh," said Sycamore. "Now you're just going to make me blush again."

"Good," said Fubuki. "It looks like you're in a better mood, and I like it. You've been kind of glum these past couple days, I want you to cheer up!"

"I'll do my best," said Sycamore. "I hope…I hope things get better out there, I'd like to go out and help rebuild stuff. Since you know, it'd be a piece of cake for me."

"It's going well," said Fubuki. "Gives a lot of heroes something to do too."

"Good to hear."

"Well, is it alright if I invite Secter and sis over? I'd like to have a nice lunch with them."

"Sure! Of course!"

"Great!" said Fubuki. "Now come help me put some groceries away, and we can talk some more."

"Ok," said Sycamore, his mood just a bit brighter than when he had started.