“wimpiooooon! that’s you!” he snickered as he finished drying the pot, and set it aside. he was glad aion was pushing back a little. it wasn’t much, but it was something. it was more like his usual self. he wanted to help cheer him up. he didn’t want him to be upset. he hated seeing his best friend like this.
when he looked back at aion, he noticed the tear. grabbing the front of his shirt, he tugged him down to his level with one hand, and wiped the tear away with another. now they were really face-to-face, even closer than usual. “are you really okay? you don’t have to like, talk about it if you don’t want to. but i can tell some shit is bothering you. you don’t have to hold it in. we’re friends, right?” he wanted aion to know it was okay to be vulnerable with him. he wouldn’t think any less of him.
“and if you need something, you can ask. it doesn’t have to be me you go to. rom and yaiba are here too. ‘cuz we care about you, aion.” they all cared about aion so much. they were special to one another. he scratched the back of his head. “so…you don’t have to hold back. ‘cuz you’re my best friend. even if you keep going on about how you’re a fucking god.” as if he didn’t talk about being a fallen angel.
when crow dragged him down, he flinched. his hand dropped from his face. he was afraid of what crow might do. he’d only been slapped by crow once before, and he apologized for it, but it wasn’t like aion was afraid of crow. it was the situation. memories that he chose not to think about rose in his mind until crow finally made contact with him. oh, he was crying.
“ c, crow, it’s nothing, really, i just, ” he had trouble even thinking about a coherent sentence. aion’s hands were quivering at his sides. he wished he could speak normally. he wanted to reassure crow that he was fine, but it was too late for that now. he couldn’t talk about it with him, though. not with anyone. he didn’t deserve to.
but he was cared for. even though his parents hated him, even after he was left all alone, he still found friends that cared for him. friends that accepted him no matter what part of himself he decided to show. but it felt so fragile. it wasn’t their fault. it was his own. everything in his life felt fleeting. he didn’t get to have friends as a child. all he had were his parents and sister. his parents abandoned him and he left his sister behind. even his own self could be shaken. on days like this, it felt like the whole world was on top of him, weighing him down. he wasn’t strong enough to pick himself up.
“ i, i’m not --- it’s ... ” aion couldn’t talk about it. he couldn’t talk about his past at all. he felt even guiltier knowing ailane probably felt like this, too, if not worse. he put his hand back up to his face, forcing himself to say something more coherent, even if he was lacking the energy for any more dramatics. “ it’s too much. i don’t deserve to talk about it. ”
