"If Lumi wants to join us, all he has to do is let me us my power on him. Since I'm an insectoid with superpowers, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, hehe. Anyway, I can give Lumi the same thing I gave Echo — like a sixth sense that lets him feel when insectoids are in danger nearby. But if Lumi hurts an insectoid on purpose, or worse, kills one, he loses the ability, and after that it'd be better for him to not show up here again"
"Wait, wait," Lumi said. "Echo, you never told me this before. And, uh… what's the range on that ability?"
"Good question!" Bei replied, pretending to think for a moment. "The catch is… I don't actually know," she added with a silly expression. "You'll see how it works once you do it.. You'll feel it like a tingling in your head. The closer you are to the one in danger, the stronger the tingling. Simple enough, right?"
Lumi sighed.
"Before I join you, I need to know where your funding comes from, and what your true values are."
"Oh, Mr. Idealist," she said with a smile. "The first one I can't tell you. I'll just say it's someone high up, who actually cares about those beneath him. As for the second… we just want equality for insectoids, but we don't want humans to suffer in revenge. Like Echo probably told you… we fight humans who hurt innocent insectoids, and insectoids who hurt innocent humans."
I looked at Lumi. I could see the uncertainty and hesitation on his face. Did he really want this? Was he ready to take on even this strange power, just to help others?
"I like that you didn't ask about payment at all," Bei's high-pitched voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "It's not much, but enough – just sign the contract today and you're set. There's one condition: you have to help at least ten insectoids a month, and trust me, that's still not much. I'll be generous and count this little moth of yours," she said, pointing at me, "as the first one."
"Fine," Lumi said after a moment. "If it's going to make the world better…"
"Okay, then I'll bring the agreement, and afterward, you'll get a big meal, hehe," she smiled and got up from the table.
Once she disappeared behind the staff door, Lumi spoke again:
"This all feels a little… weird."
"What do you mean?" Echo asked, confused.
"I thought it would be, you know… more hidden. But it feels like I just walked into a job interview at a pizza place."
Echo laughed.
"And you know why it's empty? Also, they don't pay rent because the room doesn't belong to anyone. If someone asks, they just say it's a pizzeria, which is… technically true. Insectoids are great at hiding themselves and other things, right, Asaelie?"
"M-maybe," I muttered, not really sure how to respond.
If that were true, then I wasn't very good at hiding. Me and thousands of other insectoids who die every day. Maybe it's a species trait of ant-people – I can't really say. For some reason, I wanted to go back home… maybe I was just tired from so many new experiences and emotions. I was thinking of lying down on our… well, Lumi's couch.
When Lumi signed the contract, Bei reached out her hand. A green, magical ring appeared around it, and another circled around Lumi's head for a moment. Then both disappeared.
"Done! Looking forward to working together," she said with a smile. "Now I'm off to the kitchen to tell them to make you the best pizza they can, hehe."
The next two hours were spent eating pizza and talking.
Again, I felt a warmth I couldn't describe.
At some point during the meeting – I don't remember exactly when – Echo pulled out her phone and told us to smile for the photo. She said that when she got home, she'd send it to Lumi by text.
Soon after we finished eating, we left the sewers. I had to put my cover back on, and then we took taxis to our apartments…
*
Tonight, Lumi went to sleep first.
I just couldn't.
He was lying on his side, and I sat against the wall with my knees pulled up. Lumi had left the LED lights on, and they cast a very soft purple glow.
Through the windows, I could see the moon and twinkling stars.
I stared at the black night sky.
Before I met him, my life felt meaningless.
I can't imagine how I could ever give back the warmth and kindness Lumi has shown me.
It made me feel worse about myself. Like someone who keeps taking without giving anything back.
It was a message from Echo.
As I thought about it, Lumi's phone, lying on the couch near me, buzzed. It was a text from Echo
Lumi's screen was unlocked. I didn't want to look at his phone, but I couldn't resist just seeing that one photo.
It was the three of us. Happy, smiling, like time and problems outside didn't exist.
I'd give anything for it to always be like that.
I looked at my smiling face and Lumi's even wider smile — how even though we were trying to look at the camera, we were really looking at each other.
With a trembling hand, I put his phone down.
I don't want to lose this. I don't want to lose what fate gave me. But what if I can't give back the same? What if someday they get tired of me?
I couldn't hold it in. I started crying, curling my knees to my chest even closer.
My life had been full of sadness, fear, and darkness.
Seeing the first rays of light in it, I realized how precious and fragile they were, how much I didn't want to waste them.
I tried to cry quietly so I wouldn't wake him, but I couldn't stop. Soft and louder sobs escaped me, running down my cheeks — burning from emotion. My body started shaking.
I woke him, even though I didn't mean to. Seeing him slowly open his eyes, I didn't want to say anything, but the tears wouldn't stop.
"Hey… what's wrong?" he asked immediately, sitting up.
"Lumi… I'm sorry… I…," I whispered through tears.
"It's okay… right? What happened? Did you have a nightmare about your past?"
"No, Lumi, I… I…"
Lumi moved a bit, just to be closer to me. He made a motion like he wanted to wrap me in his arm but stopped halfway.
"Can I?" he asked.
"Yes," I whispered.
Even now, he respected my boundaries…
"Let it all out. I'm here for you, no matter what."
"Lumi… I… I…" – the emotions took over. I couldn't keep it in. "I don't want to lose you! I don't want to lose what you've done for me. I'm sorry, I'm an awful person for only thinking about myself. I just want to give something back, anything, so you'd know how much this means to me. My life used to be hopeless – full of cold, rain, fear, suffering, and darkness. I don't want to go back… it's so warm and cozy here, I don't want to lose the light you give me, but I know that one day, I probably will… I'm sorry. I'm so childish, I probably got attached to you too fast… maybe it would've been better if you hadn't saved me, so you wouldn't have to listen to all this…"
Lumi didn't interrupt me once. He listened with his gentle smile — full of understanding, compassion, and kindness.
He hugged me tighter, though I felt it was more of a friendly than a romantic gesture.
"Don't worry. I'm glad you can feel at home here. Even if you think you're giving too little now, that's not true, Asael. One day, you'll probably do so much that I won't even be able to do as much for you."
I shook my head.
"No! You're wonderful and you give so much, and I just… I just…"
"You're just here. That's more than enough," he said softly, calmly, in a voice full of warmth.
Our gazes met. When I looked into those deep brown eyes full of kindness and welcome, I cried even more.
I couldn't tell if I was crying from happiness or if all the pain I'd carried was finally finding its way out
Lumi let me cry, holding me close. I could feel his body and his tender, caring touch.
That evening, that was all I needed, until I stopped crying and fell asleep nestled in his arm...