Collaboration with Glorifiedscapegoat.

Shion sat on the closed toilet lid with his head in his hands. His elbows dug into his knees; it stung, but the pain was grounding.

He hadn't bothered turning on the lightswitch, and so he sat in complete darkness. The roaring in his skull had already softened to a gentle thrumming, but even that was far louder than Shion preferred.

He could still taste the sting of rage on the tip of his tongue. Nezumi's cold, harsh words zipped around his head like a furious bee.

"Great. Yet another thing you can't control."

I know. Shion pressed the heels of his palms against his eyelids until he saw red and blue spots. Don't you think I know already?

Shion couldn't understand Nezumi. He'd come breezing in out of nowhere, and in a matter of moments Shion's entire world had come crashing down. Shion knew he couldn't blame it all on Nezumi. Horizon Lab's agents had come to question his mother because of what his father could do. Nezumi had nothing to do with that. If anything, Shion owed Nezumi a debt. If he hadn't come along and turned the agents away, there was no telling what horrors he would have endured.

But Nezumi was...difficult to get along with. He spoke harshly and had no patience. He pushed and pushed until Shion went tumbling over the edge. He said he would teach Shion to control his powers, but he expected immediate perfection.

Shion couldn't keep up with him.

He wanted to do well.

He did.

But the way Nezumi needled him, the way he spoke as if Shion was an idiot, rubbed him the wrong way.

Shion scrubbed the back of his hands against his eyes. Tears had started to prick along the edges. If he started now, he wasn't certain he'd be able to stop.

Don't cry, Shion told himself. He sniffled and drew a few sheets of toilet paper from the roll. He dabbed at his eyes and then blew his nose. Just breathe.

Shion tossed the wad of toilet paper into the nearby trash can. He took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. Safu had researched meditation when Shion's mother expressed concern over his elevated stress levels. She'd experimented with him―Safu had bought books, taught him to close his eyes and let go of the bad thoughts.

Shion's fingers drifted to his right arm. He nudged the sleeve of his cardigan up and touched the bit of braided string coiled around his wrist. Blue and purple strands twisted together in an elegant braid. Hanging from the bracelet were five little silver baubles. Even plunged in darkness, Shion knew the distinct shape of each of them. A book, an aster, a cupcake, a butterfly, and a heart.

Shion loved each and every one of his charms. His mother had made the bracelet for him when he was young, and with it, she'd given him his first two charms. The aster had, of course, come from his name, while the heart was meant to be an expression of the bond he shared with his mother. Shion had loved them immediately. The simplicity of the shapes mixed with the depth of their meaning had kept him grounded in his darkest moments.

Safu had given him his third charm to celebrate his twelfth birthday. "I couldn't find a cookbook specifically," she said, "but a book works just as well!"

The cupcake had come from his mother for his fourteenth birthday, to celebrate his success at the bakery. Karan couldn't afford to hire another worker, and so Shion had offered his assistance. He'd practiced baking techniques on his own time, woken early to give his mother a hand, and even crafted a few new flavors to sell in the shop. Karan kissed his cheek, thanked him, and gave him his fourth charm so he would always remember his successes before considering his failures.

His fifth and most recent charm―the butterfly―had been a gift to himself, to represent rebirth. A transformation from something small into something beautiful and strong. Someday, Shion told himself, stringing the charm to his bracelet and watching it glimmer alongside the others, I won't be afraid of what I can do. Someday I'll be able to control my powers. Someday.

That day, unfortunately, had not come yet.

Shion stood up from the toilet lid. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness. The shower was still damp, the wisps of steam leaving fog on the mirror.

I need to survive this, Shion told himself. The day to confront what he could do might have come sooner than anticipated, but that didn't mean Shion couldn't conquer it.

Horizon Labs had come after Shion's father, and instead they'd discovered him. Now that they knew about him, Shion knew another confrontation might be possible. Nezumi knew how to avoid them, but Shion wasn't foolish enough to think he and Nezumi would always be one step ahead.

But if we're going to survive this, Shion thought, we need to find some way to communicate. We can't keep going like this.

In order to survive, he and Nezumi needed to learn how to work together.

⁂

Nezumi was still awake when Shion finally emerged from the bathroom.

After what had happened―after the way Nezumi had thrown himself to the ground with his arms over his head―Shion didn't expect Nezumi to be relaxed. Even so, it surprised him when he opened the bathroom door and found Nezumi sitting upright on the bed staring back at him.

The lamp cast a dim light around the small hotel room. The shadows blended against the sharp curves of Nezumi's cheekbones, the light turning his silver eyes into blades. Nezumi was tense, his spine straight and his lips drawn in a thin line.

Shion paused on the threshold. He made sure both of his hands were visible. He thought it might make Nezumi feel more at ease.

"I'm sorry," Shion said, and then added, "About almost destroying the lamp."

Nezumi's eyes flashed, but he didn't move.

Shion dared a step forward. When Nezumi still didn't move, Shion took another step.

"I'm OK now," Shion went on. "I calmed down. I just… What you said, it―It wasn't fair. You need to understand that I'm trying. I'm trying, Nezumi."

Nezumi straightened a bit as Shion approached the bed. He didn't look frightened, but Shion could tell he wasn't relaxed. He didn't blame him. Both of them were virtual strangers, despite the time they'd been forced together, and Shion hadn't done much to prove to Nezumi that he was safe.

And while Shion wasn't completely at fault for everything that had gone wrong, he couldn't erase his part in it.

Sometimes it was better to reach out first.

Shion took another step toward the bed and said, "I want you to teach me how to control myself. I want to learn, Nezumi. But the way we're approaching things right now isn't working. This is a stressful situation for both of us. You don't know me, and I don't know you. I'm not good at pulling it back when I get stressed out. I know that's terrifying.

"But I promise I'm going to try. I'm going to do everything I can to listen to you and get a handle on things. But," Shion said, "you need to promise me something, OK?"

Nezumi made a sound in the back of his throat.

Shion tried not to let it bother him too much. "You need to promise me that you'll try to be a bit more patient."

Shion had finally reached the edge of the bed. Nezumi sat looking back at him. His hair spilled over his shoulders in dark, damp strands. He looked different with his hair down. Softer. He looked dangerous still, but Shion couldn't help the pang of sympathy that shot through him.

It must be so hard, Shion thought, living your whole life on the run. He couldn't blame Nezumi for his caution. When he'd lived his whole life being hunted down, it really was no wonder Nezumi didn't trust anyone.

Shion sat on the edge of the bed. Nezumi slid back a bit, but Shion suspected it was just to give him a bit of space.

Be the first one to reach out. Shion lifted his arm and drew his sleeve back. The charms on his bracelet clinked together as they settled. "My mom made this for me," he said. "It's supposed to be a way to ground myself. It's a little different, so I usually don't show it to people. I used to get teased in school for wearing it. But if we're going to be working together, I want you to know a little more about me."

Nezumi blinked at him. "You're so weird," he said after a moment, but there was no hostility behind his words.

Shion's lips quirked up at the corners. "Maybe a bit." He put his sleeve down and folded his hands on his lap.

The tension in Nezumi's shoulders released. He leaned back against the headboard. There was still a good amount of space between them, but Shion didn't feel the same aura of fear and frustration that had suffocated him before. Their petty squabbling felt like something from the distant past. It was almost comical, in a way.

We were so upset over a bed, Shion thought, even though he knew it wasn't only about that.

"I shouldn't have said that," Nezumi said, his voice jolting through Shion like lightning. "I'm sorry."

Shion hadn't been expecting an apology. Nezumi didn't seem capable of it. Shion had seen him pretend with the old man and the woman at the front desk, but he didn't think Nezumi was pretending now. Nezumi wasn't reaching into his mind and forcing Shion's perception of reality to shift.

"I forgive you," Shion said. "Just…can you promise me you'll try to stop getting so upset?"

Nezumi stared at him.

"I'll try and see things from your perspective," Shion went on. "I know life's been difficult for you, Nezumi. I know this situation isn't ideal. I'll do whatever I can to make it easier, I'll do my best to understand where you're coming from, and I'll do what I can to stop stressing you out so much. In exchange, can you try to understand where I'm coming from? Can you please try and understand that this is hard for me, too?"

Nezumi peered into his face and didn't say anything. Shion stared back into the thunderstorm pigment of his irises. Nezumi was so unlike anyone Shion had ever met. He was beautiful and terrifying, like a hurricane rolling through the streets.

After a few moments, Nezumi said, "This isn't the most ideal situation. You're right. I need you to help me take down the Lab, Shion. I can't promise I'm not going to get frustrated with you again. But I'll…change my approach."

Shion nodded. It wasn't the world's greatest apology, but it was better than he'd anticipated.

"Oh!" he said a second later. "That reminds me. If we're going to be traveling together, maybe we can get to know each other a bit more. I told you about my charm bracelet. So, now it's your turn."

Nezumi narrowed his eyes. "Don't push it."

Shion couldn't help himself. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he laughed.