(Yami POV)
The café was too bright. Too… ordinary.I didn't belong here.
Yet, somehow, Scourge did.
He sat across from me, stirring his drink like someone who had done this a thousand times. No hesitation. No fear. Just quiet control.
"I didn't think you liked public places," I said.
"I don't," he admitted. "But I thought you might."
I frowned. "Why would you think that?"
"Because you spend your life being observed. Controlled. Watched. Sometimes, hiding in plain sight is the only way to feel free."
That answer silenced me. He wasn't wrong.
Outside, the afternoon sun turned the window glass golden. The world was loud — people laughing, talking, clinking cups. For once, I didn't mind.
He leaned forward slightly. "You still don't trust me, do you?"
"I don't trust anyone," I replied automatically.
"Then start with this," he said. "One hour. No missions. No orders. Just us."
The simplicity of it… disarmed me.
We talked. About nothing important. Favorite foods. Why humans smiled so much. Whether cats dreamed. Small, human things I'd never had reason to think about.
Then, without realizing it, I smiled — faintly.
He noticed, of course. "That's the first time I've seen you do that," he said softly.
"Don't get used to it."
"Too late," he murmured, half to himself.
The silence that followed wasn't heavy. It was comfortable — like a held breath you didn't want to end.
When we left the café, the sun was setting. The air had cooled. He walked beside me, not leading, not following.
"Yami," he said as we crossed the street, "do you ever wish you could stop being what you were made for?"
I didn't answer right away. I looked at him — the being who had once been a parasite, now asking questions no human could answer.
"Maybe," I said finally. "If I had a reason strong enough."
He smiled — that small, quiet smile again. "Then I'll try to be that reason."
For a moment, I forgot to breathe.
And though I said nothing, I didn't walk away.