Summary: This is a day that never dawned, a night that never came to be. Or is it? Just because it's the middle of the night doesn't mean the single bar in Novum Chaldea is closed for the day. Some Servants visit for a chat, unknowing of their little Master starting to wander the halls outside.

Note: This is a much-belated birthday gift to Ted/Teddog, the mod for the Fate fanfic discord server I've joined since March 2023, as well as Lunar/The Maw, Carim's partner. Ted's been both the reason I've been writing for more of the Salem crew (Nezha, Sanson, and Mata Hari) and part of why I've been able to keep up my Fate writing after letting go of another friend and losing a lot of self-confidence as a result. Lunar's support, along with Carim's at the same time, helped me from feeling lonely. The recent family death I had with my cousin, Anh Ti Anh, on Oct. 2, 2023, would've had me in a much worse state if not for their combined help, along with the love of Leo, my real life Achi, and everyone around me.

I'm still recovering, but the fanfic server and fellow friends help keep me afloat.

So, thank you, Ted. Thank you for letting me be on your server and for the opportunity to be your friend.

Thank you, Lunar, for letting me meet you. For letting me be your friend even when you left FGO.

I love you both lots platonically. This is for you.

Canonically takes place in Part 2, after Lost Days 3 and 4, right after Olympus and Sanson's main chapter of Day 59.

The theme for this "Lost Day" is the song Light Up the Dark by Taylor Henderson; with alternatives being (1) the track titled Deep Breath at Dawn, from Laid-Back Camp, and (2) the live version of Credens Justitiam from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, performed by Yuki Kaijura and Kalafina. (The lyrics from Credens Justitiam are actually used in the story, if you're curious!)

Here we go.

Lost Day 5: Light Up the Dark

A lot of things could be said in a bar. An offer for a one-night-stand. A question about whether to socialize or sit to the side. But—

"…We could consult the authors. Perhaps even look into one of the spells Murasaki Shikibu learned from her onmyōdō, through that Abe no Seimei fellow."

Robin lowers his glass of sparkling water to the counter (because even at night, it didn't feel right downing ale anymore — especially when a certain beloved little sparrow didn't like the taste), giving Mata Hari a raised brow past the rim of his drink. Even if it was the middle of the night, this question wasn't looking like a simple case of his fellow Servant becoming "drunk" from the atmosphere. Hell, even the lack of flush on the woman's face and the uncharacteristic full brim of her own tankard suggested otherwise. Still, he humors her with a quiet, "Consult them about what?" With one gulp of his drink, he cleared his throat of the growing guilt as he went on with, "We all know the authors have their own 'deadlines' to make with any upcoming events and magic support, Sis."

At his line of questioning, Mata Hari — no, Margaretha — seems to shrink back some in her seat, an equally solemn sigh leaving her lips as she sips at her drink for the first time since inviting him and Charles to Moriarty's bar. "That may be true, but…"

"Is there something you wish to investigate, Margaretha?" Charles surprisingly isn't drinking either, his one drink untouched too. "You gathered us here to talk about almost anything, but you seem to have something… specific on your mind now."

Moriarty — the evil Archer genius of a bartender who served all the drinks — merely wiped at a wet glass with a hanging towel from his hip a few feet away from the counter, seemingly ignoring them and their conversation if not for one visibly opened eye past his bangs. Robin couldn't help but feel apprehensive seeing him there — because didn't he try to betray Vy before in Shinjuku? Not to mention have a legacy of backstabbing anyone and everything? Why was he allowed to manage a bar?

Oh, right. Holmes could keep an eye on him this way. And bars were a form of stress relief. It was only thanks to Moriarty manning the counter that they all had a place to talk together to begin with, for once away from their shared Master's worried eyes.

"…Memories," is all Mata Hari elaborates at first, breaking off Robin's next line of thought, and when she daintily sips at her tankard again, Robin glances at Charles and immediately tries not to think about how wide the other man's eyes grow in response to Mata Hari's words. "Because after what happened with Passionlip and that… that Beast III/R simulation, I can't help but wonder if there's a way we can help Vy with the backlash."

Oh.

"You're…" Sanson does his best to gulp down a sip of his drink to clear out whatever had clogged his throat, his voice coming out remarkably calm despite the choked tinge at the end as he said, "You're not suggesting sealing those memories, Margaretha, are you? Because that's just—"

"No." And this time, strength fills Mata Hari's voice as she shakes her head. "Absolutely not, Charles. From what I've heard regarding BB and the incident with Mnemosyne, sealing them is out of the question. Vy's gone through enough tampering in that direction from our previous enemies. I just…" Mata Hari trailed off again, sighing again before tipping her head back to take a more generous drink of her tankard. "At times like this, I just can't help but remember Salem and worry that Vy is still hurting from it all."

Not to mention the Ooku and what that other Vy had to say. Her voice seemed to spell out without putting it to physical form. What that other Vy kept hidden from all of us because she didn't want us to worry.

Oh.

Robin felt the saliva dry out from his mouth as Sanson lowered his cup with a shakier hand. Because what could he — or heck, even Charles — say to something like that? "…That might be a tall order, Sis." And Robin hates how hesitant and cowardly it sounds coming out of his mouth, but if he closed his eyes, he knew his mind wouldn't let him forget the sight of Vy's bloody hands hanging onto her bo staff, or the sound of her crying out her hatred and frustration with herself after everything in Olympus. And even if she was seeing Chiron and getting help now— "Poking at memories is something an expert would know how to handle safely, Sis. And we're just..."

Ghosts, lost heroes — not therapists.

Sure, it was hypocritical coming from someone who wanted to marry the one human Master left in the mess of the currently Bleached World of Proper Human History, but there were no stories of Robin Hood saving absolutely everyone in the Sherwood Forest. Not to even get into his own death at the hands of poison, both in life and his brief time as a Servant in the Sakura Labyrinth. (How Vy started loving a sadist like Meltryllis was somewhat beyond him, but better her than Kiara. And with how that other Meltryllis grew so jealous of him in Seraphix, he could understand. At least a little. Vy's heart was just too big, even after a redo of time.)

The brighter the light had an equal amount of darkness lingering behind it in the end. Almost akin to "the law of equivalent exchange," or so that one manga Vy liked — Fullmetal Alchemist — would phrase it.

It didn't stop Mata Hari from grumbling in the most dainty and delicate way a lady could afford to over her drink. Politely snorting into her hand to cover up the disbelieving sound, if anything.

Moriarty starts shaking a cocktail mixer behind the counter, the clink clink noises of ice hitting the walls of the metal bottle inside being the only sound echoing in the bar for a long while. The resulting lull could've been cold enough for snow to come in at any moment now with how long it stretched out between them.

"…I don't recall studying mental health in life before I took on the title of 'executioner,'" Sanson puts in after taking a long, quiet sip of his cup. Not even a slurp stopped him. "But if Vy needs it, I can be an assistant to Chiron during their therapy sessions. That can be something we can agree on, I hope."

Especially to make up for my part in Salem, Robin could sense. Charles wasn't outright saying it, but it was obvious on his face.

"…Good call, Charles." He said, just to try to ease the residual guilt in the air. "And besides, we all are still Vy's Servants. We all can do something to help so long as we're alive with her." Robin swirls his sparkling water for a minute, considering his words before glancing at the two friendly Assassins sitting with him in the bar and putting on his best attempt at a smile. Chaldea was supposed to be safe. So… "Therapy or no therapy, it doesn't change how the little sparrow has been flying for so long because we're all still here. She keeps saying as much, if you ask her. And hey — even with the tough memories, we've at least made it this far. So we can take some solace from that."

Mata Hari raised her head from her tankard in response to his comments, and if Robin didn't know any better, the glazed-over look in her eyes made it seem like she wanted to cry. The answering smile on her face spelled out so much more, though. Relief. Shock. Something along both those lines. "…I never took you for being the optimist, Robin."

"In my defense, let it be said the little sparrow's sparkles are contagious." His throwaway attempt at a joke thankfully gets both Charles and Moriarty hiding a snicker in almost unison, and Robin conceals a bigger grin of his own with a sip of his drink. The carbonation of the "sparkles" in his water burns his throat a little, but it's better than getting drunk and possibly throwing up his stomach later. Vy's stubborn pouting may be cute (irresistibly so, if Achilles had anything to add about it), but even he had his vices that didn't need anyone to start worrying about. "And you know just as well as I do that she's not someone to ask us to bring down the moon, Sis. Just caring about her means the world to her."

Even when it hurts knowing that's the lowest bar to clear.

Mata Hari glances back at her tankard then, smile fading to the point of her opening her mouth as if trying to come up with something else to say. But it's at that moment a very specific something stopped her from speaking up and consequently grabbed their collective attention.

To be more exact — it just took a soft whoosh of a door opening behind them, a painfully loud thud noise echoing in the bar room in quick succession, and a very high-pitched voice going, "Bwah!", soon after for Robin's heart to stop.

"Maître—?!"

Robin doesn't even hear Charles using the French word for "Master" at that point, the brief flash of pain echoing in the back of his mind screaming Vy as he stood up from his chair fast enough to make the bar stool screech against the floor from the pushback. Mata Hari is thankfully quick to follow his lead, reaching out to take one of the little sparrow's hands in hers while he makes sure to use himself as a supportive pillar for Vy to fall against once the distance is closed between them. And sure enough, his little sparrow falls into his open arms once he reaches her (just like he unfortunately predicted), her nose brushing her chest as her free hand flails about for balance for a moment past her pink pajamas.

"Fwah!"

An "Oof" was all Robin was going to allow himself when his little sparrow's well-being mattered more. He could take a Vy-shaped dent somewhere on his chest anytime.

Slightly tangled brown hair brushes his neck once Vy is shakily leaning — no, perhaps slumping was a better word — against him, the lotus petals of her Command Seals glowing faintly from the back of her left hand as she wobbles. "Darn it… trust fall was not intended… ow, head hurts…" Vy winces, blinking rapidly past the growing tears in her eyes (for once not obscured by her glasses) as she raises her hands to grip both Robin and Mata Hari's own. "'M sorry for the landing… and interrupting… missed the timing for the door… and here I thought I was getting better at… at walking around without my glasses…"

…Seriously?

"Vy, it's not an interruption when it's the middle of the night. You shouldn't be walking around, period." Hypocrisy be damned, Robin can't help the worry leaking into his voice once he gets a firm grasp on Vy's small frame, hugging her tight and cradling her close to his chest. It was honestly acting on a selfish desire that made him rest his chin on top of her hair too (it surprisingly still smelled of the floral/fruity mix of hair products that were commonplace in Chaldea), despite the small twinge of guilt electrifying his nerves at the answering Muu. She should've been eating better meals since getting back to Novum Chaldea, so why did she feel thinner and smaller than usual? Was it the lack of Mystic Code? Or how light her pajamas were? "What are you doing awake again? Were you wandering around for some water?"

"…Before I answer the first question…" Vy slowly eases herself up to standing height after a few moments of silence, carefully resting her cheek against his shoulder once Mata Hari moves her hand downwards to support the girl's waist from behind. "Water was a goal to help get back to sleep and… phew, it wasn't a scary zombie dream that woke me up… didn't even want to wake up this time…"

"Then what was it, maître?" Charles cuts in before Robin can open his mouth, extending a glowing hand towards Vy's forehead. Ignoring the Master's (second) tiny Muu noise at the incoming touch (her newest attempt at trying to say "I'm okay, you don't have to," it seemed), Charles' healing skill kicked in almost immediately to start mending the growing bruise on Vy's skin once he made physical contact. As the mana transferred between them to stitch up any broken internal blood vessels and prevent swelling, a quiet sigh echoed in the back of Assassin's throat. "Getting up in the middle of the night so often isn't healthy for you."

Amidst all the worry, Robin absently wondered if Charles was saying that from experience or worry of his own, considering the Assassin's apparent deep reading/"soul-searching" of the Salem records in his free time. Vy's fitful sleeping was detailed plenty enough as is in those files.

"I agree with Charles, honey. Beauty sleep is important for all people — boys, girls, and everyone in-between included." A muted uuu noise left Vy's lips this time once Mata Hari was fondly yet sternly patting her head past Charles and Robin's extended reach. From the sound of it, Vy wasn't rejecting the attention but apparently not fully liking it either, the unfocused squinting of her eyes in all of their directions telling of her exhaustion. Nonetheless, Mata Hari didn't relent in her patting ministrations, smoothing out some of the more tangled parts of their Master's hair as she frowned disapprovingly. "What happened to make you wander here?"

"…Weird dream," Vy eventually relented after a lull, leaning into Charles' glowing palm once the pain seemed to visibly subside from her features. Color slowly returned to her cheeks once Mata Hari patted her head some more, making them look rosy even in the bar's dim lighting as she slowly said, "Something about zombies with ribbons… dancing too..."

Robin blinked once, twice, then thrice. What? "...Zombies," he echoed dully, feeling his grip on Vy loosen some. "With ribbons."

"Dancing?" Mata Hari added a second later, a tinge of wonder sitting at the edge of her voice. "That's… that's certainly an interesting image!" The cheer in her last few words was obviously forced, and for good reason. Robin couldn't find it in himself to blame her.

"I…" Sanson blinked, looking just as baffled as Robin felt currently. "I didn't realize zombies could dance with ribbons."

"Hate to break it to you, Charles, but they're supposed to be too dead to even dance." Robin deadpanned. "Run after the living, sure, but not dance."

A small, barely hidden yawn brings all attention back to their little Master, who for all apparent purposes seemed intent on fighting the urge to fall back asleep with her rapid blinking. "Aye… I know how suss it sounds… so give those reactions to my subconscious, Big Robin, Margaretha, Charles… please." A dry laugh punctuated the end of Vy's statement as she slowly shook her head. "If it's not zombies eating people… it's zombies doing weird things. At least…" Another exhale of an interesting noise comes out of her mouth. "Fwee… they weren't wearing bikinis this time… while spurting rainbow blood… the rainbows weirdly made me want water after that…"

Okay. I'm way too tired and sober for this.

Holding back a snort, Robin waited for Charles to finish his impromptu examination of Vy's head before bending his knees and scooping her up into his arms. It didn't matter that the bridal style method of carrying someone brought in all the attention — what mattered was getting Vy to sleep. Because goddammit, Vy. "Enough talking about the dancing cosplay zombies in your dreams, little sparrow. Weird dreams or not, good and adorable Masters need to be asleep at this time of the day."

"But…" Vy shifted once he held her up, legs thankfully not kicking at his forearms once he got a good grip on her tiny figure. "Big Robin, I can walk and I'm not adorable…"

If not for the slight burn in his throat from his previous drinks of sparkling water, Robin would've been tempted to groan. Because goddammit, Vy.

"Bzzzzzzzt!" Mata Hari said suddenly, loud enough to make both Charles and the lonely Moriarty behind them all wince from the buzzer impression. Robin would've been tempted to feel the same if not for her adding, "Wrong answer, honey," to Vy with an equally unimpressed face. "You are adorable, and you need to sleep. Since you hit yourself on the door earlier, Robin can and should carry you back. This friendly Assassin performer insists on it."

Thank you, Sis. Robin thought to himself. Took the words out of my mouth.

"Uh…" Vy slowly rubbed at one of her eyes with a closed fist, the glow from her Command Seals dimming in and out of view to contrast the growing pink of her cheeks. In a higher-pitched squeak, she eventually said, "…Am I allowed to object?"

To Robin's surprise, Charles interjected with a fond, "By the decree of the fellow friendly executioner, your objection has been overruled, mon chère maître."

He's making jokes.

Moriarty suddenly yelling out, "You are adorable, Master, but not as much as my Fran!", from the bar background for his five pieces of QP seemed to support both Robin and Mata Hari's shared thought process. And Charles immediately retorting with, "Single fathers who keep betraying any potential partners in competition should please stay out of this," soon after led some credence to Robin's internal conclusion.

Still, Vy made a soft Muu sound of protest again (punctuated by a smaller, "Darn it…"), enough to make Robin's chest tighten up in response, and then she was shifting to look up at him. "But then… what about you, Big Robin? Will…" A little yawn cuts Vy off right before she can finish her sentence, the sound making her resemble a cat for the smallest of moments before she rubs at her eyes again, choosing to slump against him weakly. "Will you… and Charles and Margaretha… be okay?"

The hopelessly fond and affectionate smile tugs at Robin's lips before he realizes he's making such a face, and he hides the growing warmth of his cheeks by pressing a kiss against the top of Vy's hair. Because of course Vy would worry about them first — that was part of what made her Vy. "We'll be fine, little sparrow. We were just talking about some things over soft drinks. Nothing important."

"You… you sure?" Despite the growing heat between them, Vy raises a hand to weakly tug at the collar part of the No Face May King, the surge of emotion flooding their mental bond both embarrassed and concerned. "Had a bad feeling… after waking up… and wanted to check."

Before Robin could respond, Mata Hari reached over to gently poke Vy's cheek, sparking another uuu of protest. "Well then, dear," and oh, there's definitely a note of shameless teasing coming up in her voice there, "to ease that bad feeling, was there anything specific you were looking for when stumbling into the three of us? Perhaps some hugs with your May King?"

…Damn. She had to go there, didn't she?

To Robin's surprise, Vy actually shakes her head, leaning into him and letting her fingers relax their grip on his mantle collar. "Hugging Big Robin is great, Margaretha, but… but I wanna hug you and Charles too…" With a soft mwee noise this time, she turns away from Charles and Mata Hari both to press her forehead into Robin's neck, her next few words almost inaudible if not for the lack of distance. "Hugs are good… good for everybody… and I kinda… kinda don't want to be alone tonight. That's all I got…" She exhales. "Phew."

…Oh.

Now how could Robin be frustrated after hearing that? If there was a time for hearts to melt, this would probably be it.

And somehow, Mata Hari actually blushes. "Aww, sweetie…"

Yet amazingly, Charles is the one to reach out first, beating Mata Hari to the punch when extending his diagnosis hand from before to gently stroke Vy's hair. Sharing a glance with Mata Hari and Robin both, he says softly, "Then should we have what you call a 'sleepover' in your room, maître? I'm sure Margaretha and I can pull extra blankets from our rooms."

Wow. He went there. He really went there too.

It was almost a no-brainer that Vy startled a little against his chest, raising a shaky hand to immediately say in a quiet voice, "Yes, please."

A grin surfaced on his face. "Think you'd save more time by going to the Grail Lounge, Charles," and Robin means the sincerity beginning to seep into his voice, taking what pleasure he could in the sound of Vy's quiet gasp underneath his chin. Because with all the hell that the Lostbelts had given them, a pleasant surprise was more than deserved for everybody. "It's less of a walk from here to there, and I'm sure the others wouldn't mind. We have the extra space."

"…Oh my. Are you sure, Robin?" Mata Hari surprisingly is the one to cast doubt on the statement, her blue-gray eyes growing wide in the bar's lighting. "Wasn't the Grail Lounge something made specifically for you, Vy, and the other Grailed?" A hint of vulnerability leaks out in her voice. "Charles and I aren't…"

"Bond 10 counts," Vy interrupted suddenly (and petulantly too, aw), shaking her head enough to tickle Robin's throat with her hair (and make Mata Hari freeze up) as she pouted. A burst of awareness seeped back into her voice when saying, "Rainbow flames work to me. If anyone says it all doesn't count, fuck it, I'm asking Da Vinky and Sion for a Bond Lounge. Just because." With a small Murgh, she finished with a stubborn breath of, "Calling dibs on it now."

Mata Hari blinked. "Ah…" Then, to Robin's relief, she slowly but surely smiled. "No need to curse, sweetheart." The words sound vulnerable in spite of the embedded, genuine gratitude as she says, "Thank you."

Not even a second later, Charles chuckled when taking in the new look on Mata Hari's face, absently tucking his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Well. Sudden cursing aside, it seems that notre chère maître has spoken, Margaretha. The Grail Lounge is open to us for the time being."

"Indeed~" And just like that, Mata Hari hummed and was back to her usual self. Good.

"Course it is. I would've let you two in even before the dibs on a 'Bond Lounge' were placed." Still, Robin had to take more fortitude from his storage than usual to hide his own laugh bubbling up in his throat. Because of course Vy would wake up a bit more if it meant helping someone. If it meant dispelling any insecurities or tension. That was all a part of Vy. Still— "But Vy, Da Vinky?" he echoed in half disbelief, half choked-up laughter. "D-Don't you mean Da Vinci, little sparrow?"

"Da Vinky is Da Vinky," Vy said in the same voice, shaking her head again and tugging at his mantle. "And Lily is Lily. Just like how you're Big Robin and always will be." She puffed her cheeks. "So there. Meh."

Da Vinky is Caster Da Vinci — good to know. Storing that thought away for later, Robin leaned in to impulsively press another fond kiss to Vy's hair, taking what sense of victory he could in the embarrassed uuu that echoed in his ears as he smiled. "Then c'mon, little sparrow. Let's get you that water and then go back to bed. Charles and Sis should be right behind us."

"Okay…"

Sure enough, Charles was already calling out to Moriarty, something along the lines of, "Bartender, please give us a water bottle to-go; the payment of the drinks will be on me," when walking back to clean up the glasses they left behind. And without hesitation, Mata Hari was following his example, carefully opening the exit door to expose the hallway outside and stepping out of the way for Robin to slowly walk through the doorway.

Vy had grown still in the single moment it took for him to move out into the hallway and wait for Charles and Mata Hari to follow, but her steady breathing more than spoke for her sleepiness as she forces her eyes open after another long blink in yet another attempt to stay awake. "…Big Robin?"

Robin blinked, looking down at her with another smile. "Yeah?"

Vy rubs at one of her eyes, leaning against his shoulder weakly with no other place to be, but her words are still audible as she whispers, "…You and Charles and Margaretha… you all know… I love you… right?"

This Master of mine…

Robin smiles and leans in to press his nose to hers, bumping their foreheads together. "...I know. And I'm sure Charles and Sis know too. So get to sleep, little sparrow — I'll make sure you won't get lost on the way to a zombie-less dreamland."

"Aye…" A little giggle is his reward for the joke, a faint kiss to the tip of his nose the best attempt Vy can apparently make at returning the affection before her breathing starts evening out again. "So… don't leave me… okay…? Don't… be alone… I'll stay with you for as long… as I can…" Her arms barely come to wrap around his neck for balance, her eyes closing one last time. "I love you all lots… very very much…"

Robin holds her close once she slumped against him in sleep, tightening his grip and giving a wry smile to Charles and Mata Hari once they start matching his walking pace to get back to the Grail Lounge. Back to home.

"Home" was such an odd feeling. Definitely something he didn't have when he was alive, outside of the Sherwood Forest. But even if Robin never got used to sleeping with other people — for once, it felt nice, thinking about having a warmer bed. Having a vision like his little sparrow cuddle up to him willingly.

"On t'aime aussi, maître," Charles spoke for them all, smoothing out a part of Vy's hair once they passed a corner to get away from the bar. "We'll stay with you for as long as we can too."

The next time Robin opens his eyes, it's to the smell of sugar and freshly laundered cloth. A few feet away, in the borrowed foldable canopy, Charles is easy to make out in his blankets, arms and legs sprawled out in sleep (yet surprisingly supporting a slumbering Mata Hari curled up next to him). Amazingly, Meltryllis was the only other inhabitant of the room, sitting at the kotatsu past the bed's partition and fiddling with another one of her model kits. As expected, she merely gives a quiet jerk of her head in his direction once he gets up.

Before you say anything, Archer, I didn't set her up to it. All I did was walk in here and she was already working. So don't blame me. We're getting a homemade breakfast out of it.

Apparently the Grailed Alter Ego of the Lounge was a bit touchy, it seemed. But her voice wasn't hiding any malice whatsoever in spite of the blunt words, because once her gaze was directed towards the kitchenette, Robin moved the No Face May King out of the way.

"Solti ola i~

Amaliche cantia masa estia!

E sonti tolda i~

Emalita cantia mia distia!"

Robin had to close his mouth to avoid making a sound.

…That certainly explains which "she" Meltryllis was referring to.

Bustling around the kitchenette, pulling out a whisk, bowls, and the Lounge's stash of sugar, Vy was there, awake bright and early. Surprisingly standing up tall through her casual blouse and shorts and frilly purple polka-dotted apron too, her ponytail hanging low past the back of her neck as she continued to sing softly to herself. If the Lounge had a window, the scene would've been perfect had a sunbeam come down to illuminate the bright smile on her face as she broke an egg to stir into the batter she was apparently making. The stars in her eyes past her glasses, though — that made up for the lack of sun.

It was honestly amazing enough that a girl like Vy would choose a dirty rogue like him to hold her hand. To see her cooking for him like a housewife, though?

"A litia dista

Somelite esta dia~

A ditto i della

Filioche mio

Solti tola

Solti ola i!"

Vy stops herself mid-note once she catches a glimpse of him getting up from bed, and before he can attempt a greeting, she places a finger to her lips, teeth shining past her smile as she shrugged her shoulders his way. "Good morning, Big Robin~!" he can hear her stage-whispering to him. "Just stay quiet and wait a bit longer, okay? Pancakes should be ready for you, Melt-san, Charles, and Margaretha soon!"

Robin smiled back, throwing his mantle over his shoulder and not even regretting his reply in return once he sat back down on the mattress below.

"I love you."

Vy blinked, blushed, and nearly dropped her whisk from the resulting embarrassment, much to Melt's nearby exasperation (even saying, "Tch, lovebirds"), but Robin couldn't care less about her reaction. Charles and Mata Hari were sleeping just fine, and besides.

It was only really with Vy that Chaldea had a light to illuminate the dark.

Note: The ending scene is inspired by the few days my real life Robin — Leo, stayed with me when my parents were out of the house, after Anh Ti Anh died. I wanted to cook breakfast after the first night of crying, and his only response to seeing me in my pajamas and apron was, "I love you." It stuck with me since.

And to Leo, my real Achi, Ted, Lunar, Carim, and everyone else who's stuck with me through thick and thin, from real life and through the screen — I love you. Thankie for staying. The author's back to fluff for now. I'll see you all in the next chapter.