All rights remain.
Mention of alcohol and cigarettes.
Cursed Blessing
Saturday—May 30, 2021
Goro woke the next morning with a dull ache somewhere behind his eyes. He groaned and sat up, looking around the hotel room before his gaze settled on the door that led to another connected room where Ren and Yusuke slumbered peacefully. He looked around to see what else was in his surroundings when he heard rustling coming from his left. The box-dyed blonde boy that was supposedly Ren's best friend looked up from rummaging through his suitcase and sighed apologetically.
"I'm looking for some medicine to get rid of this headache," Ryuji explained as he gestured to the nightmarish chaos in his baggage, clothes wrinkled and thrown amuck, socks not paired with one another, and balled up pairs of pants.
"You, too?" Goro asked and braced his elbows on his knees, rubbing his eyes with a bit more force than normal.
"A bit," Ryuji admitted and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Those girls almost ran me dry, man! Luckily, I got their number—which turns out she has a boyfriend and Ren stopped me from goin' after her and all."
"Well, rightfully so," Goro said firmly, a glow of pride for Ren surging through his veins. "Why pursue a woman who is already taken?"
Ryuji shrugged.
"I'd think the best friend of Ren would have some more respect...especially for yourself," Goro chided, although there was some lightheartedness to his more serious words. "What time is it?"
"Like 07:00, dude," Ryuji said, ignoring everything else Goro had said previously. "But they're servin' breakfast downstairs. Wanna grab somethin' to eat real quick? We can even bring stuff back up to the two sleeping princesses."
Goro shrugged, which was his way of saying yes, and swung himself off the bed. He slipped on some shoes and followed a yawning and mumbling Ryuji to the first floor where they were serving quite a large breakfast buffet. He never spent much time outside of the Phantom Thieves with him before and it was always in the company of others.
"Sakamoto?" Goro asked, taking even himself by surprise. "What do they enjoy for breakfast?"
"Honestly, Yusuke'll eat anything and Ren's a big egg and rice guy," Ryuji said thoughtfully and groaned again, eyes squinting at the bright lights.
"How did you even get drinks?" Goro asked, knitting his eyebrows as he tried to fathom the idea of an underage kid getting a drink without showing an identification card.
"Ren."
"He's got guts to do that right under the nose of a bartender...and a detective," Goro mumbled under his breath and shook his head.
"Take it easy on him," Ryuji said, uncharacteristically somber. He looked at Goro with an out-of-place frown, but Goro did not get to see much of it for Ryuji immediately wore a grin the moment he saw Ann and Sumire walking towards them. He rested his arm on her shoulder and leaned against her. "Speak of the she-devil…"
"Oh, har har," Ann said with a roll of her blue eyes, shrugging his arm off and giving him a bit of a shove. "You are incorrigible! Oh, is that pudding parfait?"
She rushed over to the dessert section, a laughing Sumire following close behind as she grabbed a fruit parfait for herself and about a thousand other things. Goro wanted to ask where in the world it all went, but he didn't feel like starting a conversation this early in the morning, especially with his spawning headache. He merely kept his head down and got enough food for himself and Yusuke. After they had piled on as much food as they could, the party of four headed back up to their hotel rooms, with the girls joining, and sat down to eat.
"What's this?" Yusuke asked, emerging from the mountain of blankets he had buried himself under and stifled a yawn behind his hand. "Goodness, I do not remember the lights being this bright."
"It's called the sun, dude," Ryuji deadpanned.
Yusuke sent a glare in his general direction, but it was smothered by the squinting. Ren came out moments later, hair wet and washed up, but changed into his day clothes.
"Sorry," Ren said, mostly to Ryuji, Ann, and Sumire. "I would have come down sooner, but I wanted to get ready first."
"It's fine," Ann said cheerfully and tossed him a red apple. "Red delicious! You're favorite."
"Honey crisps are his favorite," Ryuji interjected, shooting his friend a grin over his styrofoam cup of orange juice. "I remembered! See? How's your head? I didn't know you could put away so many glasses!"
Ren chuckled and took a bite of the fruit, evidently unwilling to outright answer the question. His eyes jumped to Goro for a fraction of a second before they settled on his food, fingers tapping uneasily on whatever he was holding; just as they were munching lazily on their food, the door swung open as two housekeepers came storming in, taking everyone by surprise.
"Oh!" the woman said and looked a bit shocked to see the room occupied. She did, fortunately, speak English. "I didn't expect people! The sign said to clean…"
"Damn," Ryuji muttered and threw an apologetic look towards Goro. "Sorry, guys, my fault. I forgot to change the sign."
"Wait," the woman said and pointed a finger at Goro, her eyes widening as recognition drew over her face. She narrowed her eyes through the crowd and tried to crane her neck to get a better look. "I know you! You're that Japanese detective prince! Acheka? Acheki?"
She was, without a doubt, butchering Goro's name, but he was feeling taken aback and off his game. He could not muster a proper response in time. The woman began to gush, pulling out her phone. Goro hissed softly in frustration, keeping his head down. As she was scrambling for the device, Goro felt someone standing over him; he was about to ask the lady to leave him be, but suddenly, someone smashed something onto his face, effectively crushing the bridge of his nose.
"Wh—"
"Go with it," came Ren's voice from somewhere above his head.
It took a moment for Goro to register the glasses on his face; his fingers rose up to brush along the black frames as his breath hitched.
"Who?" Ren's voice rang out above the others, who were all stammering their answers as the woman was asking for pictures.
"That Japanese detective," the woman huffed and lifted her phone, pushing past Sumire and Yusuke to get to Goro in the back. However, she was effectively blocked by the much taller Ren, who stood in front of Goro rather protectively. "Right there, right?"
"Him?" Ren asked and stepped aside to reveal Goro. "That detective attends school in Japan."
The woman peered at Goro then frowned before adopting a sheepish look, hanging her head a bit. "I'm sorry and I'll come back later to clean."
Ren stepped in front of Goro once more until the two housekeepers departed the room and closed the door. He sighed and finally dropped his defensive stance the moment the group of friends had their privacy back. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, moseyed over to the same spot he stood before, and leaned against the wall. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at his shoes.
Goro watched the entire ordeal with his mouth hanging open slightly, hands still touching the frames of the glasses. It was the second time Ren had ever done that for him, the first being at a coffee shop in Japan...only, that time they were able to resume their conversation immediately. Goro didn't want to take off the glasses or return them to their rightful owner. He wanted to hang onto them because it reminded him so deeply of what he and Ren once had.
"Goro?" Ann's voice broke the silence.
"Hm?" the detective hummed and looked at the blonde in mild surprise at being addressed.
"I asked if you were okay," she replied, frowning. "Though based off that, I'm guessing not."
"Oh, no," Goro said in a falsely cheery voice, even adding the fake smile to go. "I'm okay! I was just thinking maybe I should get a pair. Thank you—Ren."
Ren grunted in acknowledgement, but even he did not ask for them back until…
"Ren's going to need those back," Morgana said as he padded into the room, sitting down and taking a bite of egg. "Those are real this time."
"Really?" Sumire asked, her eyes widening at Ren and tilting her head. "I had no idea you needed glasses."
"What can I say? Ryuji is an eyesore," Ren quipped, earning himself a hard shove from his friend. His laugh resonated throughout his body, this time, and he flashed the most genuine grin; what a rarity it was to see that.
"I resent that!" Ryuji said with no venom.
Goro looked down. He used to receive those, too.
"So, I was thinking," Ann said, swallowing a mouthful of food and setting her plates aside. "We're about an hour out of Paris. Why don't we take a day trip there?"
The group murmured excitedly at the prospect of going to Paris, the city of France, but it was Ren, who began to second guess the idea.
"We shouldn't stray too far," he said logically, putting a hand on his chin as he thought. "Besides, we may have to stay here in case—"
"No!" Ann suddenly shouted, rising to her feet then blushing red as she cleared her throat, lowering her volume. "I mean...we have to go see Paris. We—I mean I have to see the tower! Please, Ren! For me?"
Ren must have found her desperation somewhat endearing for he merely smiled softly and nodded, relenting with little fight. However, Goro watched Ann's fingers brush her pocket with her phone inside as if she was itching to bring it out. That was suspicious, but his theory was confirmed when she did, in fact, pull out her device and type away furiously and vigorously.
"Excellent," Ann said and visibly relaxed. "I have just the place to go."
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Initially, Goro felt hesitant about being stuck in a car for an entire hour with everyone, but he found himself enjoying their company and banter. Perhaps he was beginning to feel more comfortable with a smaller group rather than being thrust in the midst of the entire party. There were still obstacles even he could not hurtle over with the usual ease he graced, but fleeting moments like this made it feel possible. Even Ren, who was always reserved, seemed to have let some tension rise off his shoulders. Their leader had a loping style about him as he dipped his head in acknowledgement to Ryuji's words, fingers tapping on the steering wheel to the upbeat music that played in the background.
The windows were rolled down halfway, tousling everyone's hair, but Ren already had unruly locks and the wind only made it look stylishly wind-blown. Meanwhile, Goro was sure his brown hair was un-stately and unbecoming. Still, he could learn to be less uptight for the sake of his own mind's recovering sanity. Goro had learned many things about mental shutdowns and the perception of one's cognition, especially one's own, but he never imagined it thrust upon himself. Still…he had to do what was needed to summon Loki, the Trickster god—
Goro stole a glance at the driver and frowned to himself. Joker and Ren were, perhaps, the yin and yang; Ren's face remained in the light while Joker's back faced the dark. Goro envied the way Ren adapted to his Metaverse identity so well and embraced it with acceptance while Goro struggled to understand what he had done that went so horribly wrong, especially with Crow. Goro hated the envious feeling, but no matter how hard he tried, the burn never ceased...nor did the old wounds. Would he ever reconcile with Ren?
"Hang on! You're left-handed, Goro, do you swing with your left or right?" Ann asked.
Goro blinked at the question before he remembered they were speaking about the batting cages. "Left."
Ren was right-handed. He and the Trickster perfectly mirrored one another. Did Ren think so, too?
Goro felt his shoulders slump as he gritted his teeth; his vengeance cost him everything, everything that meant something to him. He should have known earlier his father would have no merit in the end. Goro hated himself for getting lost in all the wrong feelings.
Ren hated him, too.
He would just never admit it, but Goro knew Ren owed it to himself to admit it.
The car ride seemed to take hours when he was stuck in his own head but it seemed to fly by the moment they forced him into their conversation. Goro, now more engaged in the present, managed to keep himself from his thoughts until they reached the outskirts of the city.
"Paris!"
The group instantly perked up, squashing their noses against the windows, breath fogging up the glass, while Ren took them closer to the city's center. However, Ann began whacking him on the shoulder.
"Hey, hey! Let me drive!"
"You aren't licensed," both Ren and Goro said together.
Ren cleared his throat awkwardly. "Why?"
"I-I need to g-go somewhere," Ann said with evident uncertainty before switching her tone. "There's somewhere I want to visit! It's a clothing store for my next modeling gig."
"I didn't know it's in France," Ren said, picking up quickly, narrowing his gray eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Just work with me, Ren," Ann grunted and folded her arms and legs, sitting back in her seat as Ren put in the address and rerouted.
Goro was not sure where they were going, but he certainly knew why. Ann had confided in him this morning, something he was so surprised by, he was speechless. Was it a sign of trust? Regardless, he knew why she was so bent on going somewhere specific.
When they found a spot for parking and all clambered out of the car, Goro's legs felt like they were never going to work the same again. He groaned and rubbed his thighs, wincing as they began to cramp just from standing up.
"Trouble?"
Goro looked up to the smug voice and frowned sharply as Ren stood over him with his hands in his pockets and a loping grin on his face. He lifted an eyebrow, evidently waiting for a response.
"Not at all, thank you," Goro bit out, annoyed but more so from the pain in his legs than at the stupid boy in front of him. Morgana poked his head out over Ren's shoulder and laughed. "Wouldn't you like to have the problems of a person?"
"Now that I've seen Ren deal with it, nah," Morgana replied smoothly.
Goro had to admit...the cat seemed to be far more content with himself than he was a year ago. He straightened up and looked at his watch.
"Mishima?"
Both Goro and Ren whipped around the moment they heard that name. The other boy waved cheerfully and rushed over to embrace each Phantom Thief, letting out a happy cry as he did so. He gave Ren a particularly long and hard hug, which Ren returned politely.
"How have you been?" Ren asked when they pulled away, leaning his weight on one leg. "It's been since the last day of our second year since we last spoke."
"Too long if you ask me!" Mishima said with a happy smile, chuckling a little to himself. "I've been studying here for my final year of high school! I've been focusing on journalism. What have you been up to, Ren?"
"Oblivous Ren-ren here has stepped up his game," Ryuji butted in and rested his elbow on the taller boy's shoulder, giving Ren a playful nudge. "Been studyin' like crazy and turnin' into quite the ladies' man."
"Is that so?" Mishima asked mirthfully, smile growing even wider. "What do you study?"
"Psychology," Ren replied modestly, physically turning a shoulder to the awkward onslaught of attention and praise.
Goro never knew what the boy was doing for his future...he never even thought to ask but now it seemed like a foolish thing to forget. Was he really going into psychology? What was he going to do? And what did Ryuji mean about being a ladies man? The Ren he remembered was too shy to even talk about romance...it was another reason why they got along so well. Goro could never bring himself to talk about those kinds of feelings either...there was so much he did not know.
When Goro returned to reality after the defeat of Dr. Maruki, he had no desire to seek out the other Phantom Thieves, only briefly speaking to Sumire about his plans to step away from detective work and become an honest student. She supported him and kept her word, not mentioning a word to the others about his plan to remain anonymous for a while. Then he learned Ren had left and it was too late to make amends with the other. Goro struggled during those six months of absence yet he remembered walking past the flower shop and spotting Ren at his part-time job; he almost stopped by, but his heart told him he was not ready yet. About seven months after Goro returned, he finally managed to find the courage to speak to Ren, but it didn't go how he planned.
He imagined every possible scenario in which Ren was angry—livid for disappearing. However, the boy merely shrugged his shoulders and insisted he understood. Goro, unprepared for this kind of reaction, was unable to respond appropriately and Ren took the time to tell him he was going to study abroad with a few others from Shujin and Kosei. It was then Goro decided he needed to follow Ren wherever he went...he wanted to...and he would follow him around the world…
The Phantom Thieves and Mishima, the self-appointed Phantom Thieves' Strategic Image Management Representative, caught up when Yusuke finally lifted a hand to cease the ramblings of the conversation.
"How on Earth did you find Mishima in France, Ann?" he asked.
"Oh!" Ann said, surprised by the question. "Well, I remember him saying he was going to study in France. I've always wanted to visit, especially for modeling, so I asked him for his contact information so he could teach me some French phrases."
"Bonjour, comment ça va?" Mishima demonstrated with a pleasant wave.
"Je parle français?" Goro asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Only a little," Mishima replied earnestly, giving him a sheepish look. "Sorry, I'm not that well versed yet. I just moved a bit ago, right at the end of second year."
Within the first ten minutes of meeting Mishima, he strongly reminded Goro of a too-hyper puppy without the canine cuteness. The kid never stopped talking and he would talk a million kilometers an hour. It was almost hard on the ears and it made him want to stuff his fingers in his ears...or at least have some plugs.
"The novel is Les Misérables, not 'Lay-whatever-you-said' and it's written by Victor Hugo," Goro said through gritted teeth, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Not to mention, Goro knew and spoke better French than the kid who lived in Paris. It was most likely the sixth or seventh time correcting him. However, he chose to keep quiet, silently sending a prayer when Ryuji finally interrupted the kid for some lunch.
"Oh!" Mishima, changing direction faster than a Phantom Thief could move in combat. "There's loads of places like…"
Goro drowned Mishima out once more, opting to look around himself with his eyes. There were plenty of small cafes and other bakeries, but he didn't see any restaurants—
Ren gasped, letting out a cry of pain, and doubled over, clutching his midriff with both arms wrapped around himself. The rest of the group jolted in surprise and rushed over to see what happened, Goro included. Ren was breaking out into a sweat, one arm moving to brace itself on his knee. He fixed up a look of concentration as he tried to mask his affliction. Mishima ran towards Ren and bent low to get into the bespectacled boy's face. Ryuji, at once, nudged Mishima out of the way and took his place beside Ren.
"I—what's wrong? What happened?" Ann asked, voice filled with concern. She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to look up at her. "Ren?"
"I'm...fine…" Ren lied through his gritted teeth, breathing hard and heavy.
"Lean on me," Goro said from behind, hand coming up to rest itself on Ren's back. Beneath his fingers, he could feel the boy's spine through his shirt; Goro never realized how skinny he really was despite his ability to clear an entire table of food. Ren reluctantly threw an arm around Goro's neck and did his best to stand up with him. His body felt hot to the touch. "Do you get heat flashes easily?"
"No," Ren replied, eyes flickering closed as if the effort to keep them open became too great.
Goro watched Ren fall limp in his arms as if he had chosen to sleep right here and now. The rest of the group began to flounder as their leader lost consciousness on the side of the road. Ryuji, who had the loudest voice, insisted on crying out, but his voice died in his throat when he and the rest of his friends realized they were the only ones in the street. Goro felt his heart skip a few beats as he, too, looked around and saw not a single soul when a few moments ago, the streets were bustling. He looked down at Ren in his arms and frowned.
"He's doing something," Goro said and squeezed Ren's arm.
"How, dude? He's knocked out!" Ryuji spat, groaning and kicking a stone as he continued to call out for help.
"No one is here, Ryuji," Ann said softly, moving forward to comfort her agitated friend. "We need to focus on Ren."
Yusuke put a hand on Ren's chest as if palpating for a heartbeat, humming when he evidently found one. Goro resisted the urge to roll his eyes; the kid was unconscious, not dead. However, he reined in his annoyance after understanding how frightening this must have been...even he was worried inwardly.
"Did he eat anything weird?" Sumire asked, kneeling at Ren's head. "Did he hit his head somehow?"
"None of the above," Ryuji stated firmly, shaking his head. "There—"
Just then, Ren's eyes fluttered open, and just like that there were people moving around them once more, appearing from seemingly thin air. Ryuji let out a strangled cry of relief and helped move the messy-haired boy to a less busy part of the street.
"Hey! What's going on?" Mishima asked, following close behind.
Goro almost forgot the kid was still there although he must have been affected by the time pause.
"Sorry, man, but I think we're gonna cut this visit short here so we can figure out what's goin' on with him," Ryuji said though his eyes never left Ren. Goro had to give the fake-blonde some credit; while he was reckless and impulsive, he truly did care for his friends.
"That's all right!" Mishima said although there was a hint of dejection in his voice. "Keep in touch, will you?"
"Ann will send us your contact info," Ryuji said as the group chorused their agreement.
"Great!" Mishima said, perking up immediately and grinning broadly. "Well, I look forward to hearing from the Phantom Thieves again. And don't worry, I'm still your Strategic Image Management Representative."
"Still can't get used to that," Ryuji groaned.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Goro was the one who drove them back seeing as Ren had lost consciousness and anyone with common sense would have preferred him to drive than the fainting one. The Phantom Thieves were discussing softly among themselves, speculating what had happened when Ren picked his head up from his current lull and began speaking in a rather hoarse voice.
"It was Igor...and Lavenza. If they're back, then the Metaverse is back."
"It was never gone," Morgana said as he curled up in Sumire's lap, tail tip flicking left to right. "Cognition will always be around, but it is constantly changing. As long as there are people, there will always be the Metaverse and therefore the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Now, the question is why you were summoned by my master again."
"A mission," Ren said and finally lifted his gaze towards his friends. "There's something...in the Metaverse that...that seems to worry Igor."
"I have seen him, too."
All heads turned to Goro as he spoke, but his eyes were locked ahead and focused on the road.
"He and I are the ones who are summoned to the Velvet Room."
"Makes sense," Sumire suddenly said and folded her hands neatly in her lap. "They are the only ones who can wield more than one Persona."
"Through different sources, but in hindsight...yes," Goro said and shrugged his shoulders. "It's complicated to explain though one day we will."
Ren hummed in agreement.
"But, as for tonight, we all need to rest."
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Goro watched Ren lean against the railing, cigarette dangling loosely between his thin fingers. There was something almost poetic about the way the smoke curled around the boy's downward-turned lips or the way the burning end of a midnight cigarette seemed to illuminate his tired features.
"Does Ryuji know you're here?"
Ren shook his head, still looking forward, and took a drag. "No one."
Goro hummed and took a long drag from his own cigarette, relishing the feeling of dizziness that accompanied him after taking too deep of an inhalation. It had been a long while since he smoked a cigarette, so it only took two or three hits to get him feeling lightheaded. Evidently, it was the same for Ren; he had his head in his hand, groaning softly.
"Hmm...remember when Boss caught us the first time?" Goro asked suddenly, finding himself grinning at the memory despite himself.
"Course," Ren said with a nod, his lips turning upwards for a fraction of a second. "Haven't smoked one since—well, until now."
"Well, you were on probation," Goro said logically, leaning against the railing a few feet away from Ren to keep a comfortable distance. He sighed and tapped the ashes off the butt. "You couldn't be caught smoking. Sojiro was livid though...regardless of your probation."
Ren, surprisingly, let out a soft chuckle. "I thought it was the strangest thing...seeing the famous detective smoking in a back alleyway. It didn't seem to fit your image."
"And here it fits your image precisely," Goro said and took a faithful drag, exhaling slowly and letting the smoke come out in rings. "The delinquent criminal kid with a record longer than the years he had in life."
"That is highly exaggerating my past allegations," Ren said gruffly as his eyes flickered to Goro's party trick. He smirked as he took a drag of his own, blowing out rings inside rings of smoke.
"Is there nothing you can't do?" Goro grunted in slight annoyance, feeling his shoulders tense. Of course the kid would be good at something as smoke tricks.
This, in turn, caused Ren to look down.
.oOo.
~FLASHBACK~
Ren struggled to step foot in Leblanc for some time, actively avoiding the place only until he had no other choice but to return for the night. But, the moment Sojiro would leave for home, Ren would sneak out and wander the streets till morning. Morgana followed him around every night—sometimes they would talk for hours, some nights they talked for a few minutes, and some nights not a word was spoken between the pair. He had been distant and withdrawn from the world, his phone left on the dusty couch in the attic. The only thing he carried was a black king piece from the chess set.
"Checkmate."
Ren clung to the chess piece as if it were his only supporting lifeline. It was the only thing that could breathe some sense of desire back into his withered and hollowed out heart. He had lost everything that year and the wounds of losing him never seemed to turn into scars. He started moving on autopilot, living but not his life. The grieving boy spent his days in the library or work at Central Street, claiming to be too busy with exams and work to spend time with anyone else. While there was truth behind those words, he was avoiding everyone, too. He knew they knew and was grateful they chose to give him some space.
Still, this went on for months and his time in Tokyo was drawing to an end. He once had no desire to return home but now the distance from this godforsaken city was the only thing motivating him despite seeing his friends less often. Ren bid everyone a farewell, watching them fly down the street in an old camper while he went to the station and found his seat with Morgana tucked away safely. For the fleeting day, his spirits were lifted.
However, the novelty of being away from Tokyo and back home bad flouted his happiness and seized it away the first chance it got. His family was less than pleased to see him, only keeping him for the sake of his additional income from work.
Ren travelled back and forth between Tokyo and Kyoto, a simple train-ride away. No one asked him to come home nor did they show any concern when he disappeared for nights on end. They were only pleased when Ren brought back a few thousand yen in a yellow envelope. Morgana had been with the boy every step of the way and the feline began to worry as Ren's mind began to shut down. He hardly ate, only stopping for an half an hour or so to grab a single meal for the day and the meal usually consisted of a small sandwich and rice. He worked longer hours to bring home greater wages. He studied later and sometimes throughout the night just to keep up—or perhaps it was to avoid going home.
The late nights out, the discord within his own blood family, and the grief of losing Akechi weighed the poor boy down. Morgana would be in deep slumber when Ren would jolt upright, sweat pouring from his forehead as he screamed his throat raw and one name always came out: Goro Akechi. Ren barely smiled and the light that once burned in his eyes was nothing more than a flickering, fading gloom. His once colored skin was pulled taut and pallid over his sunken face.
Morgana began taking initiative, stepping up as a faithful friend rather than an ally in battle. He would sit on Ren's chest for hours, saying nothing, and purr his friend into an uneasy sleep, but a sleep nonetheless. He would part ways with Ren during some of his classes and fetch newspaper clippings about Tokyo, especially ones that mentioned the Phantom Thieves. Ren would smile but it hardly reached his dead eyes for the moment he thought Morgana was not looking, his smile would slip back into a frown and his expression fall back into the lines of misery.
Within those six months away from everyone, he had moved mountains to get back on his feet.
~END~