Chapter 13.- Determined Cracks
She wasn't close enough.
The hand he'd wrapped around her waist, her head lightly resting on his shoulders, her warmth on his side, none of it was close enough. From the moment Mikey met her, he'd known he wanted to have her. No matter how big of a disruption he'd cause in her life, or the problems he could bring her, the blond was determined to pull the unusual priestess into his world. Especially when he felt her warmth directly.
Her touch had been addictive even when it had been limited to her holding him when she rode on the back of his bike. Perhaps it was because there was something to that sacred energy of hers, or maybe her presence was just naturally calming, but Mikey could tell from the start that she wasn't an obsession that'd fade over time. Every touch, innocent or not, made him want more, and she'd responded to his every advance with one of her own. The delinquent leader was greedy even under normal circumstances, he'd expected the craving, it was the intensity of it that surprised him. Because when it came to her, Mikey wasn't sure anything would ever be close enough. And his need had grown more ravenous these days, to the point it would be useless to pretend his possessiveness wasn't getting to aggressive.
Patience wasn't something the blond was good at.
As far as the pace their relationship advanced, the blond could admit he'd rushed in.
Finding out where she lived, where she studied, and making his presence in her life loudly known before a week had gone from the moment he first met her had been quite invasive. Minami's targeting of the girl had been a perfectly convenient excuse, but Mikey would've done the same regardless of the justification he had to use. By having Toman constantly around her, there's no way anyone else could try to get their hands on her. The methods didn't matter, Mikey refused to let her slip through his fingers.
Pride wouldn't stop him from admitting how lucky he was that Me-chan had welcomed him and the others with open arms. Despite how obsessive he'd been, she'd received them with a smile on her lips, taking his hand one time after another. Still, he'd tried to follow Draken's advice at first (at least a little) and had attempted to respect her personal time. For the most part, the blond stayed away from her shrine, allowing her to spend time with her family without him hanging around, and then she'd reunited with her distant relatives, leaving him with no choice but to recover the time she spent with the clan by crashing into her family time a few times a week. These days, however, he'd completely disregarded almost all the restraints he still tried to keep. From the moment she got out of her school to the very last second before her curfew was up he had her with him. Already, she'd skipped classes for him once, and it'd likely happen again before the next week was over, either because he'd cave in and asked her to stay with him for another day, or because she'd notice it without him having to say a word. At the pace his patience was fading, he'd probably ask her to lie to her family to have her spend the night with him. It wasn't uncommon for her to stay with the clan for a couple of days at a time, it wouldn't be unusual for her to spend the weekend away. They'd lie for her if she asked them to, and all it'd take for the girl to make that petition would be Mikey telling her stay for the night.
Quite a number of her decisions were made because of him…at times, he couldn't help but wonder if there was a line she wouldn't cross were he to ask her to.
Words danced on the tip of his tongue. The temptation to test how far she'd go to please him was difficult to swallow back down. There was no need for him to do so; she'd stay with him of her own will. Just yesterday she'd made a choice that'd eventually end up alienating anyone who might've been close to her at school. He wanted to have her, the entirety of her, and he didn't want to wait, but most of all, he wanted her to make the decisions that'd cut off others from her life without any interference. So, instead of asking her not to return to the shrine tonight, he pulled her a little closer and contented himself with the limits they were already pushing.
If he didn't have to worry about being kicked out before the somewhat unofficial meeting could even begin, he would've pulled her into his lap. They were already getting wary glances as it was.
"Not everyone will be happy," she said softly, her hand moving to take his hand. "You know that, right?"
"You changed your mind?" It was a genuine question.
"I'm with you, no matter what." With a shake of her head, she let her fingers intertwine with his. "But this probably won't be an easy meeting."
"How many?" His words were vague, but he didn't bother to add anything more. Knowing her, he didn't need to.
"Draken, more than likely. Baji too." She was listing the same names he'd thought of. The names of those who were likely to oppose his decision. "I can see Mitsuya refusing to change his mind."
Yeah, he could see that.
Out of all the members of Toman, those three were definitely good people. They genuinely cared for those around them, and Mikey had used them as a moral compass before for a reason; he didn't think any of them would ever be okay with the idea of accepting someone with a reputation like Kisaki's into their ranks. It's not like he couldn't understand why. Kisaki was slimy and likely wouldn't care too much about breaking the rules Mikey had set up for Toman. Even the offer of getting Pah back might not be enticing enough to change their mind.
Because they'd be getting him back in the wrong way. It'd suck to let Pah get stuck in juvie for a whole year, but that's what their friend chose. Most of them were already resigned to that fate. They didn't understand that while that was part of why he was upset, it wasn't the only reason Mikey hated the situation they were in. Toman belonged to him, the captains, vice captains, every single member was his, and the mere thought of having someone, no matter who, take what was his away from him just made his blood feel like poison instead. It wasn't right. He didn't need anyone to point it out. But whether he liked it or not, that's the way things had always been with him.
Ever since he could remember, his thoughts always veered into unkind territories whenever he felt pushed to the edge. The dark impulses that swirled in the back of his head turned into urges that only grew more insistent. It had taken him some time before he understood why Shinichiro was so concerned whenever Mikey lost control. Eventually, the blond had come to realize that other people's anger didn't usually end only when blood was shed. On the odd occasions something like that happened, regret would kick in, feeling sorry for whatever cruel action they'd done while blind with rage. There was something off with him; it had always been there, and while it'd be a lie to say he fully understood what was the difference between the lines that he should or shouldn't cross, what Mikey did know, was that he loved his family, and he certainly didn't like the worried look on his brother's face when he lost it. Fully controlling the impulses that coursed through him was impossible, but he could hold back enough to avoid real trouble. Repressing those urges had been easy at first, but as time went on, the thoughts grew harder to stomp back down. And now that someone had stolen from him, even the knowledge that Emma and his grandfather were worried wasn't enough for him to pretend everything was alright. Just like Draken and the others, his family didn't understand.
Not one, but Me-chan did.
Unlike the others, the girl didn't look away in terror or willful ignorance. She didn't want to contain him because while the darkness he'd seen inside her wasn't exactly the same, it was similar to his own. Even if some of the others weren't going along with what he wanted, they wouldn't really get the reason behind his actions. Only her. After all, she knew what it was to have something stolen from her. Her distant relatives had once also contained human members who couldn't fight against time. That's probably why the girl had given him this warning; she knew why he couldn't back down.
"Mitsuya!" Kagome's voice got a little lighter as she waved to the first of his captains to arrive, snapping him out of his darkening thoughts.
"Kagome-chan, Mikey." There was a slight confusion in his voice as he greeted them both and took a seat. "You're here early."
"Class ended early, and since I'm not in any clubs…" she trailed off as she shrugged. That was one way to say she skipped her last class because he'd arrived early.
After her words, silence stretched out, broken only by a not-so-subtly nervous waiter bringing the food he'd ordered a few minutes ago and reluctantly taking a new order.
There were a lot of silences lately, even when the others joined them No one was really in the mood for talking or doing much of anything else really. Even eating had fallen by the wayside. The only reason Mikey had bothered to order anything aside from a soda was because it was his fault that the girl had skipped dinner last night. While Me-chan's mood wasn't any brighter than anyone else's, the girl took good care of herself, if only to stop others from worrying. Since he'd completely forgotten about food last night, she'd followed suit, but unlike him who could simply take anything from the fridge, he doubted she'd want to explain why they hadn't eaten anything. He didn't want her to spend the whole day having only eaten breakfast, so taking advantage of the silence, he brought a fry to the girl's lips.
Blinking twice in surprise, Me-chan finally rolled her eyes before taking a bite.
Fast food wasn't the healthiest thing ever, especially compared to the menu kept by the Higurashi household, but it was better than nothing.
"Ah, right…I know the time this isn't the best time, but Luna and Mana are asking about you." Mitsuya started, not quite asking the question.
"It has been some time." Me-chan agreed with a soft smile. A while ago, she'd offered to help the other boy with babysitting, and it had turned into a bit of a habit now. From what he'd heard, the kids loved her. "I'm free on the weekend, but.."
"I'll pick you up at six on Friday," Mikey said with a nod.
"It doesn't have to be this week, really. A bit of patience won't harm them." There was a hint of an apology in his captain's voice. Mikey supposed all of them had noticed how reluctant he was to let her go these days.
"Pretty sure those two would disagree." The girl's soft laugh lacked her usual cheer, but she was still trying to be reassuring. "You pick me up from school on Friday, then."
"Got it. Send a text if your schedule changes again."
Finally, the two of them managed to keep a relatively pleasant conversation.
Compared to their usual chats, this one was far more subdued. Out of all his captains and vice-captains, Mitsuya was easily the one who liked her the most. The fact that the girl didn't hesitate to volunteer to help him babysit his sisters likely did a lot to help. Honestly, though, he wouldn't be surprised if Me-chan simply suited the other boy's tastes. Her cheerfulness and kindness were genuine, and they were vibrant enough that Mikey didn't think most people realized those shadows that were so appealing to him existed in the first place. If Mitsuya couldn't see it, it wasn't shocking for the boy to feel something. Of course, the delinquent leader noticed it a while back.
It was impossible not to when the captain's reaction to being told Mikey wasn't going to ask for his uniform jacket back was a tired sigh and a few sullen mumbles. If there was one thing the lavender-haired delinquent could raise hell about was mistreating or losing the uniforms he'd made, Mikey himself had been on the receiving end of a long-winded scolding before. The blond would bet anything his girlfriend would be wearing something designed specifically for her before the year was over. After a night spent wondering if Mikey should do anything about it, the realization that there was no need to change anything dawned on him. Mitsuya was far too considerate to do anything that could be thought of as treason, he wouldn't make any moves. As far as Me-chan's feelings went, she was clearly fond of his Second Division Captain and the two kids, and she wasn't shy about showing her favor. Far from being unwanted, that's what the delinquent leader wanted. Me-chan valued Toman, and he was happy to know she loved the gang he'd created; it'd be ridiculous to try to restrict her actions in any way. What he'd wanted to see was how she'd act when unbound by other's expectations, though she wasn't the type to stay quiet in the first place. Still, Me-chan turned to look for his opinion first, making sure he was okay with the idea of spending a few more hours away from him. There was no reason for jealousy when Mikey's needs and preferences was undeniably her first priority.
Well, now that she'd gotten his approval, she wouldn't go back on her word, even if both of them knew that if the disagreement they were expecting to happen did happen, Mitsuya would likely be against their decision yet she'd insist on keeping this house visit. And Mikey wouldn't complain. That said, out of those who'd oppose them, their _ division captain may end up changing his mind if things went on for long enough. If Me-chan pushed the lavender-haired boy, he might just flip.
Absentmindedly making sure to keep finding bits and pieces of food for his girlfriend, the blond kept quiet even as the others arrived and began taking their own seat around them. Greetings and soft questions barely breaking the silence.
One year wasn't too bad.
Nobody would be happy, but after a single year, everything would go back to normal. It'd take some time, but they could get used to the new, unpleasant changes. Things would settle down without any conflict. Right now, the only one who knew about the deal aside from Kisaki himself was Me-chan. Were he to back down and turn this into just another meeting, maybe talk about what to do about a provisional organization until it was time for Pah to get out no one else would notice. She wouldn't mind going along with him again. It's what they'd initially resigned themselves for. And if he really did feel like he couldn't take it, Me-chan's people could get him what he wanted. She wouldn't mind.
Mikey would, though.
Pushing the girl to take a leap she wasn't ready for yet wasn't what he wanted, even though she'd probably make that choice sooner or later without him. He got her to the line, he didn't force her to jump across it. At the same time, the blond couldn't just let this go, and if Kisaki presented him with a chance for him to test how far he was willing to go into that darkness, he'd take it. It's not like he could make those impulses go away. Kisaki was a convenient method to test the waters. If Me-chan's suspicions were proven right, then he could always throw him away once he was ready for the path he'd probably end up going through. This offer was too convenient for him to pass on.
"About this meeting…" Everyone was here; no point in putting it off any longer. "Kisaki met with me the other day. He asked to join Toman…I'm willing to agree."
"Wha…" Baji trailed off.
"You seriously want to get that guy in Toman?" Unsurprisingly, Draken's voice dripped with skepticism. "I don't like him. He's shady as hell, he has to have hidden motives."
"This isn't like you, Mikey, I can't agree with a decision like that." Shaking his head, Mitsuya finally joined in as well.
"Kagome, have you met the guy?" Finally, Baji seemed to have shaken off the shock. "You can't tell me you trust that asshole."
"Trusting someone like Kisaki would be stupid, but…I don't think we can't manage it." The girl offered calmly from her place at his side.
"I agree." Mucho nodded at her words. "I think he's the type of guy we need to grow Toman."
"Me too," Smiley chimed in from the other side.
"Don't let Kisaki in." This time, the _ division captain was far more forceful. "Kagome just said we can't trust him."
This was the exact division they'd expected. And this was his last chance to take back his words…any more than that, and he wouldn't be able to keep their current estate.
"He's useful to us." Mikey pushed back. "In fact, he's the only way we can free Pah-chin."
Ah, they were definitely going to get kicked out of here.
Loudly slamming the table and startling every single person in the restaurant wasn't going to go well with the staff once they got over their fear from seeing the taller blond angrily glaring at half the table. Honestly, the only reason Draken hadn't tried to throw a punch first was the combination of their current location and Me-chan's presence right next to him. This was partly why he'd chosen this place instead of one of their other hangouts. Just because he and Me-chan had been expecting some conflict didn't mean he wanted the girl to witness an all-out fight. She cared too much about Toman to see infighting.
"Getting Pah out of…is that the reason?! In that case, I'm even more against it!" Draken was straight out yelling now. "We didn't form this going to pull this sort of dirty tricks."
"Doing that is more than just starting a few brawls." Uncertainty tainted Mitsuya's words.
"I know that already," Mikey said, his tone unbending. "I don't care."
"You don't…" His vice president stared at him in disbelief. "You don't care that you're also dragging Kagome-chan into this?"
"What's that supposed to mean…"
"Draken, that's not fair." Slender fingers pushed him settled on his chest; she'd heard the threat in Mikey's voice. "Me being here shouldn't affect Toman's decisions in the first place; it's not my place to make choices for you guys, and I'm not being dragged into anything."
"Are you…" Mitsuya started, only to be interrupted.
"If you try to do anything about Pah, I'll leave you!" Draken's yell accompanied his violent turn as he stormed away from their table.
"Mikey…" The Second division captain started again as he, too stood up. "I don't think Pah would like this idea either."
Baji didn't even bother to say anything, pushing against the table as he got up and followed the other two out. All things considered, this could've gotten way worse, though it also could've gone better. A quick dismissal had the other two getting out as well. With a tired sigh, the blond rested his head on the backseat. He was tired. Knowing how hard this could be didn't make it any easier. Alone again, Me-chan moved closer to him, and instinct had him pulling her closer. They'd have to leave soon; the waiters would regain their courage and timidly ask them to leave sooner rather than later, but until then, he wasn't about to move just yet.
Mitsuya was right.
If Pah knew what he was doing right now, what he was willing to do, the other boy would probably get angry at him. Logically speaking, the blond understood that his friend had made his choice loud and clear even when Me-chan had given him an easy out Pah insisted on staying behind. Doing this was the same as throwing away his friend's wishes. In any other situation, Mikey would've likely joined in with Draken and the others in their anger. That would've been the right thing to do. Shinichiro would've supported them…but if he couldn't keep what was him by his side now, then he could easily lose more in the future. Just thinking about it was enough to make his worry turn into rage. This wasn't anyone else's problem but Mikey's. He could accept this was unfair of him. But then again, the blond had never truly been fair. The reason he'd followed his brother's principles was because he'd admired the former delinquent, not because he fully understood his motivations. It's not that Mikey had changed; the others simply hadn't understood him. Allowing his true thoughts to show would cause more conflict, but it was bound to happen at some point anyway.
Gentle taps on his shoulders finally made him open his eyes once more. Right azure dimmed in concern for a heartbeat before glancing to the side. It looked like the staff was regaining their courage after calling for an older worker, likely a manager.
Standing up after the girl, he didn't spare a look at the whispering people around them. He hadn't thought everyone would agree with him right off the bat, but he hadn't exactly planned on what to do next. No, it didn't matter; the others would have to give in sooner or later, they'd have to accept this was part of who he'd always been and that Toman's direction was his and his alone to decide. This is what needed to happen. Me-chan knew it as well. Patience wasn't something he was good at, but he'd always gotten what he wanted.
"Are you mad?" His voice was low, and he couldn't quite hide the uncertainty inside it.
"Emma was scared," she said; despite not pushing him away, he could clearly hear the disappointment in her words. "She genuinely thought it'd come to blows."
Probably because it very nearly did.
One week and a half after letting his captains know of his intention to take Kisaki in had passed and things had only grown worse. Immensely so. What had started as silent glares quickly devolved into screaming matches, insults had become commonplace by now. The only way Kagome had been able to spend any time with those who didn't agree with him was by making sure Mikey's path didn't actually cross with theirs. He'd known it'd get bad; he'd been prepared for it, so he wasn't exactly surprised. Through it all, Me-chan had stood by his side, quietly lending him her support, even though it couldn't be easy for her, either. But she too, had been prepared for it. Her presence helped to stop things from going out of control, and she usually pulled him away when it seemed like the explosion would finally happen. But Draken and Baji were starting to get frustrated with her refusal to condemn the idea of accepting Kisaki into Toman. So when his sister's pestering crossed the line from understandable concern to almost impossible to bear, he'd agreed to let Emma tag along half-hoping the blond girl's presence there would help calm things down.
The meeting had included vice-captains this time around in an pointless attempt to break the even split. Unsurprisingly, they'd all agreed with their respective captains, and since they weren't in a public space this time around, the volume of their yelled curses had gone way up, despite his sister's worried looks. Mikey had thought that today's meeting would end up like all the others they'd had before…but then Draken tried to bring Me-chan fully into the argument. Attempting to use her to pressure him and asking her to repeat her earlier assessment of how untrustworthy Kisaki was.
Draken had known him for what felt like forever; the taller delinquent understood him better than most. By now, he'd most likely realized the only opinion with even a sliver of a chance to sway him was Me-chan's. So he'd tried to switch tactics and force the blue-eyed girl to take a stand against Mikey, reminding her of all the sketchy shit Kisaki had done, the innocent people who might've gotten hurt, and that anything that would get Pah out of juvie would be well and fully illegal.
It's not like any of that actually mattered to her. The people she loved the most had done things that made the rumors floating around Moebius sound like child's play. A criminal record wasn't something that'd drive her away. But just Because Draken couldn't see the darkness within her didn't mean that there hadn't been an attempt to separate them. And that wasn't a line Mikey had been willing to let go of.
Me-chan had gotten used to the loud arguments; she didn't like that it was happening, but the priestess could deal with them. Even if those screaming matches turned into actual fights, she was prepared for them…but Emma wasn't, and while he'd been deaf to his sister's worried pleas, Me-chan hadn't been. Azure eyes sharp and narrowed in a clear warning; her voice had echoed in the dead silence that followed her throwing a full thermos of tea at both Toman's president and vice president in full view of its captains and vice captains as she essentially forced the meeting to come to a stop, the younger girl clinging to her arm. The priestess may have accepted things would get difficult for some time, but she didn't have the heart to deny Emma's pleas for help.
Letting out a tired hum at the memory, Mikey snuggled closer to his girlfriend.
After shocking basically everyone in the abandoned storage building, she'd all but demanded Haruchiyo and Chifuyu get her and Emma to the Higurashi shrine. Electing a vice-captain from each side of the conflict had been a very clear message that the one thing she wasn't going to tolerate was having the infighting happen in front of Emma. She'd barely even waited for him to prompt those two to do as they were told before she walked by him, telling him to go get clean clothes and catch up with them.
So he'd done exactly that.
The friendly, oblivious atmosphere at the shrine had done wonders to help soothe his sister's worry. Honestly, Mikey would've preferred to just ride the rest of the afternoon with Me-chan behind him, but he could understand why his girlfriend was prioritizing Emma's well-being for today so he'd kept quiet and accepted the invitation to stay for the didn't take much for her to convince her mother to let the siblings stay over for the night. They had little privacy in the house with all the others hanging around them, but now that everyone was sleeping, he'd managed to sneak out of the house to find Me-chan already sitting under the sacred tree, waiting for him.
"Won't let her tag alone next time," Mikey conceded. "Promise."
"She won't be happy with that either." And she wasn't letting go of this so easily.
"Emma will understand…" he trailed off for a second. "Eventually."
"But you're not going to explain things, are you?" Me-chan didn't stop combing through his hair.
"It wouldn't work." Of that, he had absolutely no doubt. "It's better for her to keep her distance."
"You're still determined then." There was no reproach in her voice; she was doing much the same with her own family, after all.
"Wouldn't you?" He already knew the answer to the question, but he wanted to hear it anyway. "If you were in my place?"
"Not a chance." With a wan smile painted on her smile, Me-chan didn't hesitate for a second.
Gentle fingers kept going through blond strands, and he tightened his grip on her. Of course, she wouldn't; there were few things that could make the feral nature slumbering within her rage, and protecting what was hers was certainly on top of that small list.
Still, he couldn't help but smile at her annoyed huff.
Me-chan had a uniquely expressive personality, even without taking into account the shadows in her. Yes, she was genuinely kind and was absurdly patient about having a constant series of delinquents knocking on her door to be patched up at any hour, but she also stomped on the ground when she got upset and could curse with the best of them. She was more likely to laugh at scary or action movies than comedies, and while she wouldn't cry at fake stories, she'd tear up for somebody else's appearance. When she was with Toman, her feelings were never hidden and he knew that even if he hadn't caught a glimpse of the demon, Mikey would've still found himself drawn to her, wanting to see more of her. That's why it felt so weird to notice that when she was with her family, she only ever seemed to smile. The expression wasn't always false, but he could see how forced it was at times. And today, that was the case for most of the afternoon.
Seeing her displeasure openly once more was comforting, even if he was at the other end of it.
"Kisaki is definitely not the type of person we can trust," she reminded him. "We'll have to be careful."
"Did you have someone check up on him?" Toman was hers to protect as well; even if she wanted to leave most of the decisions about it to him.
"From what Shippo could find, it looks like he's been toeing the line with criminality; he's probably behind many of Moebius' actions. Things Toman would usually condemn." Things she would usually condemn too, but she was clearly willing to bend her moral lines for him. "But he's stayed on the sidelines to avoid being directly connected to anything that could land him in real trouble."
"Which means he can be useful."
"That's one way to put it," she said with a sigh. "But he can probably pull this off."
"Will you keep someone on him?" Her people likely wouldn't mind, but this was far more than she'd asked them to do so far.
"Do you want me to?" So she hadn't been planning to. Looking down, he could feel her willingness to do as he asked. "I'm sure they'll agree."
"It's fine…are you mad?" He finally repeated a plea in his words.
"You know I'm not." Soft lips pressed against his hair for a second. "Not at you."
A little tension left him at her reassurance, and he drank in her scent. It was a flowery thing he couldn't quite recognize and raring and something else uniquely her that helped him regain a little calm. Aside from the weekend she'd spent over at his place a few days ago, he hadn't really gotten any decent sleep, but he felt like he could fall asleep right now as they were, him lying down, his head resting on Me-chan's chest as she combed his hair with her fingers in a soothing rhythm under the watch of the sacred tree. The more this situation went on, the more difficult it was to find moments he could truly relax.
"Let's stay here," he mumbled against her.
"I'll have to wake you up at dawn in that case." She wasn't refusing. "We have to get back before anyone wakes up."
"Don't care. Tell me a story." Closing his eyes, he focused only on her voice.
"You really are shameless, you know." For the first time in days, she laughed a little. "Especially today."
"But you said you weren't mad."
"Fine, fine." He could imagine her rolling her eyes at her. "Have I told you about the town that only had women?"
Quietly shaking his head, the boy moved closer to her, settling down as the girl began her tale. He could fool himself into calming down as her words washed over him, weaving a story from five hundred years ago. Really the only reason he'd been able to relax at all these last few days was because she was by his side. And that's the way things had to remain. If there had ever been any doubts in his mind that he wanted her to be chained as tightly to him as it was possible, they were gone now. Once this was over, he'd have to figure out a way to make it up to her for having to bear with all this infighting. Me-chan hadn't really complained, and even today's show of displeasure was more about him being careless with his sister's feelings than anything else. He'd never planned on letting her go, regardless of what happened, even if she wasn't happy with his presence in her life. But he'd rather she stayed with him by choice, especially considering how difficult it'd be to keep her close if she brought the rest of her family into something like a breakup.
A yawn finally sneaked in.
Sooner or later, she wouldn't be able to keep going. Me-chan had been free during last year, and now that she was stuck having to fake her reactions and restrain her emotions, she'd eventually hit her limit. Places where she had no choice but to pretend she fit would eventually asphyxiate her, and she'd leave them on her own. All he needed was to offer her a place to go. Leaving behind the people she couldn't even call friends any more. If she couldn't be true to herself in this place anymore, she'd choose him over them, too. And when that line was crossed, there'd be no need to be careful about how he touched her or when, and he wouldn't have to worry about leaving without her. A little patience was all he needed. He'd have her all to himself. Until then, he'd content himself with half of her days and some of her nights. Another yawn escaped him, and he could hear his girlfriend's voice becoming drowsy. Waking up at the crack of dawn didn't sound like fun, but if it let him sleep like this, together with her, then it'd be worth it.