The air in Mika's room was heavy — not the kind of heavy that came from silence, but the kind that came from everything left unsaid.
Kuro sat at the edge of the couch, hands clasped tightly together, staring down at the floor. Mika was standing by the window, back turned, staring out at the fading light through the old glass.
Lucien had left not long ago, claiming he "didn't want to die between whatever this is," and disappeared before Mika could even glare at him.
Now, it was just the two of them.
And Elvastia.
[You could cut the tension in here with a knife.]
{Please don't start.}
[Oh no, I'm starting. Look at him, brooding like he's auditioning for 'Most Dramatic Man Alive.']
Kuro's lips twitched. {He's not that bad…}
[Not that bad? He just glared at a window. What did the window do? Exist?]
Mika's head tilted slightly, his voice calm but sharp. "You're both very loud today."
Kuro flinched. "Ah— s-sorry, I—"
"I wasn't talking to you," Mika interrupted, finally turning around. His gaze flicked toward Kuro — but it lingered, just a second too long. "Or maybe I was."
Kuro blinked. "You… can really hear him?"
Mika exhaled slowly. "It's hard not to when he never shuts up."
[Hey, rude! I'm providing emotional support.]
"Emotional support," Mika repeated flatly. "You call insulting me and talking about my glare support?"
[Constructive criticism, tall boy. Learn the difference.]
Kuro bit the inside of his cheek, trying desperately not to laugh.
Mika sighed and rubbed his temple. "I swear, if I ever find a way to remove him from your head, I will personally—"
[What, fight me? You can't punch air, sweetheart.]
"Try me," Mika snapped before catching himself, visibly restraining his irritation. He turned back toward the window, muttering, "I can't believe I'm arguing with a voice."
{He really can hear you… this is so weird.}
[Oh, this is amazing. I've been waiting for this day. Two hot idiots arguing because of me — dream come true.]
Mika visibly stiffened. "He said what?"
Kuro's face went bright red. "N-Nothing! Don't— he's just— he's joking!"
[No, I'm not.]
"Shut up," Mika growled under his breath.
Kuro quickly stood, stepping closer. "Mika, please, he's just— he's like this all the time."
Mika's expression softened slightly as he looked down at him. "And you live with that?"
Kuro smiled faintly. "I've… gotten used to it."
Mika looked at him for a long moment — really looked — and in that quiet, something shifted.Gone was the cold aloofness he wore like armor. In its place was something deeper, heavier. Concern.
"Kuro," he said quietly, "back there… when the guild master mentioned your power…"He paused, searching for the right words. "You didn't seem surprised."
Kuro's fingers tightened slightly. "I wasn't."
[Here we go.]
Mika stepped closer, voice low. "You've known about it for a while."
Kuro didn't answer. He didn't have to.
The air between them thickened — not dangerous, just… intimate.Like one wrong word might shatter something fragile.
Mika's voice softened. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Kuro hesitated. "…Because it's nothing to worry about."
Mika frowned. "You always say that."
"Because it's true," Kuro said, forcing a small smile. "If I worry you over every little thing, then… you'll stop smiling, and I don't want that."
That hit harder than either of them expected.
Mika blinked, caught off guard, a faint blush creeping to his ears before he quickly turned away. "Idiot… who says things like that so easily?"
[He does. And now you're blushing, oh this is great.]
"Silence," Mika muttered through gritted teeth.
[Nope. I live here rent-free, pretty boy.]
Mika's hand twitched, and for a moment, Kuro swore he saw sparks flicker around his fingertips.
Kuro chuckled softly, stepping closer. "You'll burn the guild down at this rate."
"Maybe it'd be worth it," Mika muttered, but his tone was softer now — tired, not angry.
For a moment, everything went still.
The tension, the anger, the exhaustion — all of it dissolved into quiet understanding.
Mika finally sighed, sitting down on the couch. "You're impossible."
Kuro smiled faintly and sat beside him. "And yet you still put up with me."
Mika gave him a sideways glance. "Don't remind me."
[Oh my god, the flirting is so slow. At this rate, I'll die again before you two hold hands.]
Mika's jaw clenched. "Kuro. Muzzle him."
Kuro laughed under his breath. "If I could, I would."
For the first time that evening, Mika actually smiled — a real one this time. Small. Rare. But real.
And for a brief moment, that was enough to make Kuro forget the emptiness inside him.