Knov interrogates Vastorie for the truth, the man doesn't like what he hears.

Vastorie was sorting through the details, double, even triple-checking Annex's work. Recovering from Victor's recent attack has been a long and taxing process. The Sigil required a heavy flow of giving or take aura. Whatever remained in the reserves, was sapped dry thanks to his latest stunt.

The school hadn't been attacked day in and day out, so it was amassing aura every single day from the students and teachers. Any excess aura they output not only on the underground training grounds, but the sliver that leaks out on the daily also gets collected, so there will always be a way for Eifion to expel someone without having to touch his natural aura.

The stunt allowed Eifion to kick Victor, but because it wasn't connected to the reserves at the time, it reset the counter to zero, meaning the moment it was reconnected to those reserves, it was considered bankrupt.

Recharging it from flat, was a long and tedious process. However, being stressed, tired or even cranky, doesn't compare to the amount of work still left to do.

The only good decision he believed he had done in the last week… was making sure Eifion continued to remain by Luca's side. Whether the relationship was one-sided or mutual, it still has had a positive effect on the deacon.

He needed someone to take care of him, mainly health-wise and emotionally. He had been far too reserved, pushing himself through work for far too long, that it's definitely, starting to show… he must have shaved a few years off his life by now.

Sometimes, he's surprised that man is still functioning at all… He's basically, a walking corpse that needed time off.

Vastorie shook his head before turning back to his current work, taking a sip of his long cold coffee whenever he could.

A knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts, his head turning to face the figure poking their head in. He let out a childish grin, "Ahh… there's my favourite Silver fox."

Knov adjusted his glasses, pushing them up as he stepped in the room, choosing to ignore the compliment that clearly… was being used as a distraction, "You hadn't stopped at the hospital yet. I was wondering if you were ignoring me… or burying yourself in work as a deterrent."

Vastorie smirked, "I like to bury myself in things."

"Kinda ironic, considering you like having things buried in you."

"Ooo, ouch." He faked verbal hurt, "you wound-"

"We're not going to distract me here." Knov stood in front of the desk, "this game ends now. Who's involved in this drama, besides Daniel, Killua, Luca and Eifion?"

Vastorie's expression stilled, acting serious for the remainder of the conversation "If I told you, you'd have to keep it confidential. Under no circumstances, must Cheadle find out. I know she's got you on her books, under the down low… I'm good at what I do, which is finding out what people are trying to hide… so don't bother faking ignorance."

"Victor Tempest is involved, isn't he…?"

"He is…" Vastorie strained a smile, "his knees deep in this shit. But I digress… anything I tell you; it will not reach her little doggy ears. Agree or disagree?"

Knov frowned, "Neither. I want the truth… then I'll choose what to do with that information, given that is a risk involving friends-of-friends, of mine."

"Fine…" The man leaned forward, "Victor is not only involved in this matter, I've known for a long time he was in the vicinity of this school."

"YOU KNEW, and you didn't tell anyone…"

"One of the other Zodiacs, Kurapika has tried keeping an eye on him… he got one of my contacts killed in the process. There's a reason I tell none of the other Zodiacs, or Cheadle for that matter, about what I know. If Victor takes notice of what you're doing, he'll not only take out your spy… he'll go back into hiding. For me on the other hand, I know he's got someone watching me, so, I'll watch his movements in return…"

"You got someone almost killed…"

"He lived, didn't he…?" The man shifted his gaze, "You made sure of that."

"Barely… He's-"

"Mute," Vastorie interrupted casually, eyes changing his focus point "I'm well-aware of the situation, given that I was able to see it with my own eyes. I know a deep cut when I see one. He's lucky he survived…"

"It could've been reduced if you told the other Zodiacs…"

"One or two of them would've died in the process of subduing him. Then he'll escape without a single issue, thanks to his ability…"

"Which you've failed to tell anyone counter-tactics or how to avoid its memory wiping capabilities."

"I'm an exception to the rule… that's all." Vastorie dismissed the conversation, "Like I said, even if they managed to capture him, there's no sure way to keep that man locked up for long enough for you guys to dissect him."

"Do you have a way to track him at least…?"

"I do, but if I told anyone how I'm doing so, my deal will be considered void. I'm in the process of trying to find a way to kill him… indefinitely."

"But you don't have a way…" Knov crossed his arms, "of keeping him trapped forever or killing him. This is why more eyes and tacticians on the situation will help."

"Not unless you want more deaths… He'll kill anyone, but me, in his path to get his way. The last time Cheadle walked by him; she forgot their encounter. The only reason he didn't kill her, was because she hadn't realised, she was walking by him before it was too late."

Adjusting his glasses, Knov defended the Chairwoman "She wouldn't have let a prime target go, had she noticed the enemy was so close."

"DO NOT… give excuses for the woman, who should be towering over everyone like a shining beacon of hope. Had she noticed… we'd have another voting process for a new Chairman… or Chairwoman, in this case. She will not get a pat on the back and a: we'll get him next time, speech from me. Ignorance is no excuse…"

Pressing one hand against his hip, he addressed the situation, "Then work alongside them… find a way to stop him, not by yourself, because you're clearly, failing in this department too."

"At least I'll never forget my seething hatred for the man… They'll forget they were even standing a foot away from him. You think I'll trust them with information on how to successfully track and hunt this man down… I'll sooner nuke the man from orbit than consider giving them this information."

"More people will die if nothing is done at all about the enemy… sooner or later, he'll find a way to stop you from tracking him, then more people will die."

"At least I'll have time to find a way to dispose of him before others die. He can't do shit, while he knows I'm watching him like he was the only contestant on Big Brother." Vastorie shifted in his seat, "If you decide to tell Cheadle about this, also say this to her… fuck… off… He's my prey, and I'll deal with him, in a manner that stops me from wasting lives. I won't risk my family on this issue."

He shut his mouth, but it was far too late. He already gave away his secret agenda.

Knov opened his mouth to speak, only for Vastorie to stop him, "Don't mention that part to anyone else… or I'll leave you in an untraceable grave. Got it?"

Knov's expression stilled at the new information, "You've become too cold…"

"Yeah, yeah… I know the drill. You should be more open with your family because bla, bla, insert reasons here. Leave me alone… I still have work to do."

Knov scoffed at the idea, "Being dismissive won't help you or anyone involved in this situation. I get it… you've been told enough time that you should be doing X. But maybe, you should start listening…"

"If I listen…" The man sighed, "More people will get hurt. Don't test my patience. Now go…"

Knov stood there for a minute, watching Vastorie actively ignore him. He took in, the moment before saying what needed to be said. One final piece to set the record straight, "I will tell Cheadle what you told me, including the part you told me not to mention…"

Vastorie's aura flexed, his pressure growing cold as the seconds pass, "What-"

"You're not the only one who can use threats. I'm a friend of your son's friend…" Knov leaned forward, "And I'm the only one who knows how to mobilise a hospital with the best in its field in under a moment's notice. If your son is in such a position, I would help him… by killing me… you'll be killing him."

The man fell silent.

Knov let a smirk grow across his features, satisfied at the man for losing an argument. It's about time someone put him in his place. There aren't many Nen users who can transport people and equipment over long distances with zero notice.

Vastorie instead returned to his work, "Get out…"

When Knov left, Vastorie slammed his fist on the table, cracks spreading like a web. He bit his lip in frustration, both at losing an argument and ruining Eifion's furniture. I'll replace it… but how could I lose it. Knov makes a good point… I'm losing my cool. I need to figure out a way to deal with, Victor… sooner, rather than later.

Returning his fingers to the keyboard, he returned to his work, typing away.

"~"

It had been two weeks since Eifion had gone on a temporary break from work. He gets the occasional message from one of his fellow work colleagues here and there, the occasional message from Vastorie checking in, but he's mostly sending updates about the school.

He doesn't bother replying to that man, but the updates are helpful in a way… to serve as a distraction.

But they don't last long, mostly because he spends every minute he can at Luca's side. By now most of the nurses have gotten to know him, an image he projected of himself. Under this strength and bravado, there was a man slowly dying on the inside.

Luca showed no signs of waking, he might never wake up…

The nurses assure him it'll only be temporary, that he was stable and his vitals were good… but until those eyes opened, all those positive signs were just that… positive.

When he wasn't allowed to stay at Luca's side, he returns to his partner's house, making sure the house remained cleaned and tidy, just to keep him distracted. His sleeping schedule was screwed up due to his state.

He barely slept, only when he was by Luca's side… when his mind was able to rest, did his body relax.

But if it didn't, he'll mainly hold the man's hand, telling the sleeping man stories of his childhood… of ideas he hoped he could achieve in the future, hoping that the man would wake up mid-monologue, to drop his input…

Not that it was possible…

This vicious cycle continued for a long time…

Till one day… he was woken up by a hand rubbing his shoulder.

Groggily, he wiped at his sleepy eyes, frowning at having wasted his time sleeping by his partner's side, rather than talking to the man, "Sorry… Is it already that time?"

He received no response, just the gesture continuing, as if it were trying to rouse him from a night of sleep, he hadn't yet woken from. Was he having a vivid dream, perhaps…? He shifted his gaze, slowly blinking his eyes as he attempted to wake himself.

He saw a blurry figure looking at him, on another blink, he saw the figure properly. It took him far too long to process who, he was looking at. The man had already removed his hand from him, instead, opting to smile in replacement of the previous gesture.

"L…" Tears fell freely, he couldn't believe his eyes. The one time he fell asleep, had to be the time he wasted his chance of hearing Luca stir from his slumber. Exactly how long was he out for, how long did the man let him sleep before attempting to wake him?

Had any nurses witnessed this scene?

Did he shoo them away?

He had so many questions, but he wasn't sure how long he had before he had to leave "Lucas, you're awake?" The question came out freely, sooner than he'd realised he had made the mistake.

Luca tried to open his mouth to speak, but no noise had come out. It was as if someone had hit mute, the moment he tried to speak.

Eifion broke down, "I'm so sorry… I'm so very sorry. If I- I- I acted sooner, none of this-" He felt a finger pressed to his lips, stopping him from progressing. The tears, however, hadn't stopped.

Luca made two gestures, for the first he wiggled his fingers as if he was saying no or not. For the second, he stretched out his fingers as if he was saying 'distance' or 'long'.

"I'm not good at charades, you know this…"

Luca let out a silent boisterous laugh, using his whole frame to gesture he was laughing hysterically at the sad, but true, fact.

Luca hadn't changed at all, besides being unable to speak, he was still acting the same. Eifion spoke calmly, "You said not long, correct?"

The man nodded; he then made another gesture.

Eifion found himself having to repeat himself, "Again… you know I'm terrible at charades. The last one was easy."

Luca pouted, before he raised a finger as if he was projecting, he had a lightbulb moment. He pretended to write on a piece of paper.

The man knew what the other wanted. He reached into his bag, pulling out a notepad and pen. He should've gotten it sooner; it's just he was still taking in that Luca had woken from his coma.

Luca wrote a question on the notepad before passing it back to the man.

Where am I? How did I get here? I don't remember much…

Eifion closed his eyes before looking up to answer the questions, "You're at Ashiena's Hospital, under intensive care. You were put here by someone named Victor Tempest, I can't remember the motives, just that he was after Daniel Darkscryer… we… we refused to hand him over, then we were attacked. I'm sorry… I failed to protect you…"

Luca tapped the man's shoulder before waving him off. He took the notepad back, writing on a new page now before handing it back.

It's okay, it's not your fault… no matter how much you feel like it is your fault.

Eifion sobbed at the note. He knew Luca would write that down, that he'd say something like this to him… but he still beat himself up, tried to argue it's all his fault. He was far from perfect, but his partner still took it upon himself to say that none of this, was his fault…

"But I got you-"

Luca acted frustrated, ripping the notepad from his partner's hand.

Don't be like this. NONE OF IT IS YOUR FAULT! (I'm screaming this at you)

Eifion got a chuckle from the sentiment, not that the capitalised words wouldn't have said it for him. But then his expression changed to a glum one, "Well, I feel this way… I feel like I messed up."

Luca leaned forward, pulling his partner in for a hug. He held the man over his shoulder, lightly patting his back. Eifion found himself sobbing uncontrollably. Without words, the man had let him know he was appreciated, that he was still wanted.

Eifion hugged the man back, fingers gripping the gown tightly.

They held each other for a while, Eifion only stopping when he heard a cough. He pulled apart, smiling at the nurse who had walking in on them sharing affection for one another, "My apologies, is it late?"

The nurse gave a nod, "It's five minutes till visitor hours are over."

"I'll take my leave then, I'll see you in the morning, L-" Luca grabbed his hand, shaking his head.

The man turned to the nurse, making a few gestures.

The nurse nodded along, "Alright, sure." Luca silently cheered.

"I'm bad at charades. What did he ask?"

"He just wanted to know if you could stay a bit longer. I'll allow it, but only for ten minutes after visitor's hours, after that, I'm sorry but you'll have to leave."

Eifion gave a nod, turning around to sit back down.

Luca made a few more gestures.

The nurse turned to Eifion, "What's 'Q' and 'T' stand for…?"

"I believe he called you a cutie, as a thank you."

"Oh…" The nurse blushed as he checked the man's vitals, "my wife wouldn't like that."

"It's okay… his boyfriend wouldn't either…" He turned to Luca to give him a 'seriously' look.

Luca shrugged in response before writing in the notepad before showing it to his partner.

I can't deny he looks good… on the eyes, but you'll always be my one.

Eifion chuckled as he smiled, "Is that so…?"

"Hmm…?"

"He's being a sap, don't mind him. So, now that he's awake… what's going to happen?"

"He'll have more extensive tests in the morning, routine stuff mostly. Rehabilitation, to see if he can move on his own. After being in a coma for that long, his body may be stiff, but judging by everything else, he should hopefully be fine in the next month or so. It's hard to give a clear timeframe for these sorts of things."

Luca listened quietly to the conversation.

"What happens after, is there a surgery that could help him recover his voice?"

The nurse shook his head, "I'm afraid not. The damage was serious, too serious… I'm afraid to say, he'll no longer be able to talk."

Luca wrote on the notepad before showing it to the nurse. As Eifion frowned at the process, the nurse burst into laughter, "I guess that's true…"

Luca then turned to show it to his partner.

At least I have a reason to brush up on my poetry skills. I'm gonna woo my partner with killer lines.

For the first time, ever, Eifion found himself blushing. Something about this moment pulled at his heartstring. Whether it was the longing or enthusiasm contained in the man's eyes or the fact he ignored the bad news to instead, focus on the positives in life, something about this moment made him blush…

Maybe it could even be a simpler answer, that seeing the forgiveness combined with the want and desire to continue their relationship, even though Eifion felt like he had failed to protect his partner, was enough to make him fall for the man to some degree.

Luca's jaw dropped before he found his expression softening. Even with morbid news on the horizon, he was able to achieve something new for the first time. He got Eifion to break character…

He found himself looking at the deacon longingly, cherishing this new moment to remember. Whether it was because Eifion was mentally and physically tired, or that poetry was a weak point of his… he vowed to find out how to keep his partner blushing.

Luca made three gestures to the man, ones that even Eifion would understand.

I love you

The act made Eifion smile, answering the gesture with kind words, "I know…" His expression softened completely, freeing himself from the confines of his position, the power he holds over Luca…

It's time he stopped using the old reason he set on their relationship, to start on a more positive route, not just because Luca had saved his life… or because he was unable to voice his concerns any longer.

It's because this exact moment, combined with these last few nights had made him realise something…

He had almost lost someone important to him…

"I think…"

The nurse raised an eyebrow, confused at why the man had spoken, only to keep quiet "Yeah…?"

Eifion looked at the nurse, then back to Luca. He won't chicken out, not while another was in the room. He closed his eyes, holding a hand to his chest as he spoke calmly, "Remember how you asked me a question about what you mean to me?"

When Luca nodded, the nurse returned to his job.

The man continued "I… I love you… I know that now… I realised that, almost too late…"

Even though the nurse felt awkward being in the room as the others had this conversation, he continued on his tasks.

"Yes, there are things that will have to change. I understand that much… but, I also want to be at your side. I love you… emotionally and…" He grabbed the notepad, writing in it before handing it to Luca.

Luca looked at the line. To him, it felt like he was reading gibberish, but at the same time… he knew what Eifion had written down.

I want to be with you physically too…

Luca felt tears fall as he wrote his response before handing the notepad back to his partner.

Eifion read the response with a smile.

I want that too…

He found himself leaning forward, kissing the man on the lips.

The nurse awkwardly coughed, "I… I can give you guys a moment."

Eifion pulled away with a smile, "No, it's okay…" He kissed Luca on the forehead, "I'll get going."

Luca pouted at his partner's words. He wanted him to stay longer, but at the same time, he knew his partner was a stickler when it came to time. So, he held the man's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go.

Eifion smiled softly, "I'll return in the morning, we have other things to discuss, now that you're awake."

Luca gave a nod, allowing his partner to leave on his own. The man then turned to the nurse, smiling at him. He gestured to the man, asking him to take care of him.

The nurse offered a nod in response, "We'll look after you, don't worry."