Recovering from his time as a spirit in the Record of Sealing gives Klug time to contemplate his actions and how the others are reacting to him. When Sig arrives, Klug needs to know something from him to calm down his frantic heart. Requested by a tumblr anon! Based on the prompt: "Do you hate me, too?"

Aftermath

Being free didn't erase the pain beating in his heart. Klug took in deep breaths, but he still felt like he wasn't getting enough air. His heart refused to circulate the oxygen, and clogged pores in his lungs rejected the air he gasped down. Only bitter sludge pumped through his cracked body, spreading through his veins as he recovered from his possession.

He had been cruel. Mocking Amitie and seeking power to enhance his skills certainly left the others with a bad opinion about him. Raffina refused to give him the time of day as he recovered. Lidelle shied away, casting him weary glances and squeaking when they caught eyes. Tarutaru steered clear of him until they had ceased communication altogether. Feli acted as if she had earned the right to sneer at him after learning what he had done.

Only his teacher, Lemres, and Amitie acted as if he hadn't done anything wrong. It seemed like they were playing pretend with him. Amitie insisted it wasn't him, that the spirit was the villain. Lemres agreed and urged him to rest, but hadn't he told him about the Record of Sealing and the items necessary to summon the demon? Klug didn't want to doubt him for the sake of his own rattled thoughts. Ms. Accord merely tapped him on the shoulder with her mallet and embraced him when it was all over.

Then, there was Sig. The spirit reacted so violently towards him. When he was a morbid soul stuck in the tome, he sensed the demon's animosity. His desire to possess Sig terrified him, reminding him that he was a mere pawn in the demon's chess game. If he were the pawn, then Sig was the king, and claiming him would secure a catastrophic ending.

Klug shuddered as he nestled in the cot. The nurse's office was too white and sterile. He wished there was some color to liven up the room when all he could do was glare at the pristine walls.

Closing his eyes, memories taunted him. Each time he blinked, he was greeted with the demon tormenting his friends. Raffina, Sig, and Amitie, they had been too close to the monster he had released, and the thought of what could have happened if the demon won sent shivers racing down his spine.

He took off his glasses and rubbed them on his jacket. The smudged lenses only worsened, smearing fingerprints along the faint cracks. Sighing, Klug draped his arm over his eyes and heaved out a sigh, listening to the tick-tock of the clock on the wall.

The door creaked open. He dug his chipped fingernails into his palm as footsteps squeaked on the tiled floor. A shadow crossed over him, and he willed whoever it was to go away.

"Glasses."

Klug's arm smacked down to his side. He stared at Sig with too wide eyes, his classmate's gaze as unreadable as always. He struggled to sit up, his weary body twinging with the slightest effort.

Sig set a stack of papers on Klug's lap, saying, "Here. Teacher wanted you to have today's lessons all neat and orderly."

"How thoughtful," he said hoarsely, resting his hands on the papers. He shifted through them, absorbing a few words about the rich history of fairies only to forget them seconds later. Sighing under his breath, he mumbled his thanks and set them aside on the oak table by his bed.

"Not gonna read 'em?" Sig asked, tilting his head. His hair antennae twitched, which made Klug's eyebrow raise.

"Eh, not now. My mind is still foggy after..." Klug pursed his lips and dipped his chin to his chest. He tugged his collar, a question tickling his throat, and remaining silent would get him nowhere. "Do you hate me, too?"

Sig straightened his back and sucked down a breath. He let silence fill in the space between them, dead air poisoning Klug with every passing second. He thought back to the ruins and the battle against the demon, considering it far more serious than others perceived from him. Knowing it was related to his scarlet arm had initially made him wary; he always had a sensitive spot towards his peculiar appendage.

But it hadn't been Klug. It was the spirit who tried harming Salde and him. Klug was a victim trapped in the record. He certainly hadn't been expecting to be captured, his body free to be used by the demon.

"'Course not," Sig said, his small grin quelling the anxiety swirling in Klug's heart.

And yet, it wasn't enough as he asked, "Well, why not? It'd be imbecilic not to hate me."

"It wasn't you, though. You didn't do anything bad like he did." He shrugged. "Wasn't you, so you shouldn't feel sad."

Before Klug could snap at him, from the open window came a yellow butterfly with black spots. It fluttered between them and perched upon Sig's finger. He gently stroked its soft wings, his featherweight smile spreading into his cheeks as he offered it to Klug.

Before he could accept the butterfly, it beat its wings and took off. Klug squealed, his hands instinctively swatting it away, but it landed on the tip of his pointed nose. As Sig hummed an aggravated tune, Klug blinked, his glasses lopsided as the butterfly rested.

A chuckle escaped him and placated Sig's growling. Klug streaked his fingers through his hair and said, "Thank you, Sig. I appreciate your honesty."

"Mm. No problem, Glasses."

"You are aware my name is Klug, right?"

"Yeah."

He furrowed his brows, the butterfly taking off back to Sig's finger. "Well, why do you insist on calling me that?"

"'Cause it suits you."

Sighing, Klug shook his head. "If that's a compliment, then I guess it's acceptable."

Sig beamed, his cheeks a bright shade of pink as he murmured, "It is."

As Sig's antennae wiggled, Klug felt all of his worries evaporate from the bottom of his soul like mist over the sea. He relaxed in his cot as Sig explained the butterfly's anatomy, his voice much more comforting than he anticipated. When Sig sat on the bed and offered him the butterfly, their fingers laced together to give it a proper resting place.