Digital Parents - Halloween Special (Phainon x f!Reader)
Summary: You got isekaied in Amphoreus, coming from a world of struggle and pain, the only thing you have left of it: your Tamagotchi.
Halloween special: you find out that in Amphoreus, halloween's day it's pretty different from what you are used to in your world.
Content: mention of canon info, grief and mourning are present in this chapter, a bit of a filler before i finish writing the second part, for the rest it's pretty much all FLUFF AND COMFORTING, because the reader and Phainon both need it.
ps. english it's NOT my first language!!!
Tag list: @shining-nebula2000 @celesteelysia @momoniq @neithriddle
Author's note: I know i'm late but when i got this idea i had to take some time to write it down, i got pretty excited so it could have some errors here and there, still you'll enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it, thank you all for your sweet comments and support i really appreciate it, you are all so sweet ^^
I'm a bit busy with university exams lately but i'll do my best to finish part 2, have a good halloween!!
As soon as you stepped out from your apartment building, it didn't take long for you to notice the change of temperature in the air. A little shiver creeped upon your back as you tugged your coat closer to your body and your scarf a little tighter to your neck—enough not to choke yourself. You shoved your face in it as you felt your nose getting colder, threatening to make you sneeze. It wasn't really that cold yet, but the wind sure was bothering your shivering form; after all, it was autumn now, and winter was right around the corner. You shoved your hands into the pockets of your coat, where your little Tamagotchi lay, far from the cold wind, its beeps muffled by the warm material.
"Are you seriously feeling cold?" The voice of a far-too-familiar man rang into your ears as he reached for your shoulders. His hands rubbed them, not too hard, but enough to shake you, in an effort to warm you in a teasing way.
"P-Phainon?!" You yelped, as you were being shaken, your voice came out shaky in an embarrassing way in response to your friend's action. The motion shaking you, instantly quieted down as Phainon erupted in a big laugh. "Oh stars, you sound so silly," he wheezed, tears started welling up at the corner of his beautiful blue eyes, now filled with joy.
"What the hell…" You murmured to yourself as you looked at him turning your head over your shoulder, his hands still on you.
"Good morning to you too, what was that about?" you tried to hide the smile that grew on your lips behind your scarf, you wanted to at least pretend to be mad but failed miserably as his smile didn't falter.
"Well, you looked cold, you were shivering. I wanted to help, but honestly, I didn't expect that kind of reaction," he giggled. "Still cold?".
The heat on your cheeks, hidden by the soft material, and the slight warmth on the tip of your ears were the proof that his little tactic worked, but not in the way he intended. "No, I'm fine now, but please don't scare me like that! You are going to give me a heart attack!" You scolded him.
The warmth of his hands moved from your shoulders to your hands as he stepped in front of you. "Your hands are cold…" he whispered, looking down on them, pale from the cold wind. With gentle care, he cupped both in his, shielding them.
"Um, wha—" you tried to stutter, but he instantly shushed you, giving you a gentle squeeze. "Let me apologize like this, please" he whispered gently, his tone sincere as he looked at you with a look that almost seemed like fondness. That didn't make you any less embarrassed, but you let him warm you anyway, not minding how warm his hands were on yours. The air around smelled like rain as the wind kept blowing leaves off the trees outside. Maybe it was the temperature change, or the cold wind, or even the gloomy atmosphere caused by the dead leaves on the ground, but in that moment Phainon seemed more serious than usual. He was strangely silent as he kept rubbing your hands together, his motions completely focused on the task of warming you up, but his mind was distant.
It was subtle but you noticed it. Usually he would have been chatting non-stop, talking about what he had to do throughout the day, maybe even bragging on how he planned to beat Mydei at some of their stupid challanges, and then ask you about Iris, only to complain when he have to hand her over to you for the day. But this time, the silence was long and odd. So you did what you usually did best.
"Well…" You broke the silence, slowly taking away your hands from his, already regretting it as you felt the cold hit them again. "If you really want me to forgive you, then take your responsibility," you said, bringing out your digital daughter from your pocket.
The little bunch of pixels quickly lit up, emitting various beeps of joy as Phainon laid his eyes upon her. A smile rose on the man's face, his gaze and the features of his face relaxed at the sight of it in your hand.
"Were you keeping her in your pocket away from the cold? What a good mother you are," he instantly teased, but you wasted no time to counter, "Yeah, exactly. Now it's your turn. Be a good father and take responsibility!" you declared, handing him the little object, a little smirk on your face.
"Oh, don't worry. I'd never run away from this responsibility!" he played along, squeezing the Tamagotchi close to his chest.
"Oh my, youngsters these days are so bold and shameless…" An old woman commented as she walked past you, giving both of you a big side eye, clearly judging.
"No, wait, it's a misunderstanding! I, we—" Phainon stuttered to explain the weird situation, but got completely ignored by the woman who immediately left the scene.
Warmth crept up over your body as you laughed your heart out at the unexpected outcome of your teasing debate. The flustered man, let out a big sigh rubbing the back of his head, combing the snowy locks of his hair, he gave up on trying to explaining himself. He turned to your direction giving you a small glare, "you really enjoy messing with me like this don't you?"
"Yeah, but only because you tempt me first hahaha. To be fair i didn't plan for the old lady to hear us." you countered between giggles.
"You are really good at that alright…you never stop amusing me with your silliness" he smiled softly at you, his gaze lost in thougths once again.
"We should really get going now, Aglaea is waiting for us at shop, we have a lot of stuff to prepare today for the event!" Phainon announced snapping out of his small trance.
"Event?" You asked tilting your head in confusion.
"Nikador's day, the day dedicated to the souls of the executed," he simply answered you as if it were the most obvious thing ever. You almost forgot how different things in Amphoreus were to your world. You took a moment to think real quick, trying to find in your memory something related to this event.
Your eyes lit up as you remembered reading something about the Amphoreus calendar in one of the books that Tribbie lent you. The current season you were in is what you would call Autumn in your world, but in Amphoreus this month in particular is known as the Month of Strife, and Nikador is the titan of strife. It made sense.
"Oh, of course," you blurted out. "What does she usually plan for this day?" You asked, Aglaea hasn't told you anything about it before today.
The leaves cracked with a satisfying "crack" under Phainon's feet as he began to walk in front of you, and you followed right behind. "Usually for this day, she does a live stream where she presents the costumes designed by her, based on the criminals or the entities seen as a 'bad omen' back in history. A legend says that the souls of these criminals keep traveling throughout Amphoreus out of spite; their spirits never truly rest. So, from some decades until now, people who believe the legend play tricks, trying to scare people and remind them of the invisible danger that always lurks on our land. But of course, it's only a legend—it can't be true… or at least that's what people say about legends." Phainon explained, a smirk gradually growing wider on his features as he got deeper into the legend, expecting you to get spooked.
"Oooh, scary… Do people really believe the legend?" You asked, giggling.
A sigh escaped his lips, a bit disappointed that you weren't spooked as he expected, but he immediately forgot about it when he heard you giggle beside him as you walked. The Tamagotchi, attached to his work belt, faintly lit up every now and then, showing Iris through the small screen. She was in the middle of her room, looking around like she was trying to follow your conversation, emitting some brief beeps. The man's hand flew to the gadget, playing absently with the little button of her stats.
"Hmm… no, not really, or at least not as much as before. Now people only do it mostly for fun, and Aglaea just tries to take advantage of this by sponsoring her shop. Hyacine is the perfect person for that!"
"Hyacine, who's she?" You couldn't help but keep asking question after question, not that Phainon minded, as he happily replied.
"She's a brilliant girl, she helps Aglaea taking care of the shop's social media account, she is a pretty influential icon with a lot of followers of her own, she's also a pretty good student in medical school, she even manged to be the assistant of one of the stricter professors of her school, so abviously she's going to help host the livestream, and knowing everyone we'll probably going to go big with the costumes and decorations around the shop" he laughs.
"She sounds so cool," you said.
"I bet you are going to get along. She is just as kind and altruistic as you," he declared, gently patting your back. "Oh, most probably Castorice and Cypher are going to be there too," he clicked his tongue as he remembered the pair. Before you could ask again, he soon explained who they were.
"Cypher is Aglaea's most beloved model, personally trained by her since the start of her career. She's the most elegant and flexible model I've ever seen during the years I've worked with Aglaea, and trust me, I've seen a lot of models. She's probably going to wear a costume in the live stream." He didn't say anything else about her, so you guessed you were going to find out more once you'd meet her.
"Castorice is a talented photographer. She's mostly quiet and reserved, but she's pretty invested in her work. I guess she's going to be there to take photos of the costumes to post later on, especially Cipher, those two often works together".
You nodded in understanding, humming under your breath. You sure were going to meet a lot of new people today. You hoped that everything would go well and you would get along with everyone somehow.
Before you could even notice, the two of you had already reached your destination. You stopped just a few steps from the entrance of the shop.
"Nervous?" he asked, tilting his head in your direction, his eyes studying your expression.
"Just a little… I'm going to work with them for the rest of my career, I just want to make a good impression, I guess," you laughed nervously, your hands unconsciously playing with the corners of your scarf.
His gaze softened at your admission. "Pft—you are so silly, you know?" he humored. Before you could even complain about that answer, he spoke again, crossing his arms over his chest. "You really don't realize how capable you are? Aglaea took you as her pupil, AGLAEA! Do you know what that means?" He sighed at your confused face. "Stars… what I mean is… that you are amazing, (Y/N). I bet everyone is going to like you. You are going to be fine—no, better yet—I KNOW it'll be fine. Trust me on it."
A faint warmth embraced your cheeks as you felt his intense, caring glance on you. His tone was so sure and sincere it almost brought you to tears. You swallowed them up, a cough passing through your throat covered by your scarf, as you adjusted your voice in fear it would come out shaky. "Wow, thanks. I didn't expect you to think so highly of me."
"O-of course I do," he stuttered out, looking to the side. "You know what? Here," he reached for his belt, detaching your Tamagotchi. "Today is my turn to take care of her, but I feel like… you need her right now. She'll be your emotional support today!".
You reached out to take Iris into your hands, the smooth material felt familiar at the touch, the object from your home, your world, a place that you cannot reach anymore, but will always be in your heart no matter how bad it was, there you learned bad and good, and you'll never EVER forget it.
Beeps of joy came from her as you check on her stats, before you attached her to your bag. It's silly, but having her near was more comforting than you thought.
"If you really belive in me that much, i won't let you down" you declared as you turn towards the entrance, a new energy travels through your body.
Feeling more confident and after reciving a nod of approval from your companion, you finally open the doors of Aglaea's shop.
"Sis, you are finally here!" Tribbie shouted when she saw you enter. Her small feet scurried over to you as she embraced your waist, resting her head on your side given her short stature.
"Hey there Tribbie, excited for today, I see," you patted her head. Her crimson locks felt soft under your touch, and you softly smiled at the feeling.
"You bet! Aglaea is at the back; she's adjusting the costumes. Cypher is going to be here soon," she giggled at your gentle touch. She suddenly stopped as she remembered something, and her grip on you slowly let go.
"THAT'S RIGHT!—Snowy, Aglaea needs your help with the decorations as usual. Meet her at the back, please," she said as she regained her professional composure.
Just like that, your working day started. The new people you were supposed to meet had yet to arrive. In the meantime, you helped little Tribbie organizing the materials as usual. She excitedly yapped about the special Nikador's Day program. She explained to you how they usually organized an activity for the live stream.
The year before, a certain "Cyrene" read the future of the viewers through the cards. She had worn an antique fortune teller costume made by Aglaea. Apparently, fortune tellers were seen as blasphemies of the Titans, so they used to be executed too under the Month of Strife.
The more you learned about Nikador's Day, the more you got reminded of "Halloween." The scary legends, the haunting spirits cursing the land, the costumes… the only thing missing were the pranks and tricks.
"So what's the activity you planned for today?" you asked; cringing a bit as you noticed how's Tribbie's excitement had rubbed off on you.
"Unfortunately, Cyrene is not in town. Hyacine said that she'd handle it. I don't know what she exactly has in mind." She pondered, biting her nail as she thought. "But trust me, she's really good at entertaining. She's pretty popular on the internet!" She beamed.
"Yeah, Phainon told me about her."
"Are you talking about me?" A deep voice asked behind you. You took a deep breath. "Phainon, I know it's you. Deepening your voice won't scare me that easily," you rolled your eyes as you turned around, only to get startled by a mask of iron. You yelped and took some steps back at the sight, instinctively reaching for Tribbie's hand to keep her away too.
An almost maniacal laugh filled the room. You looked around in confusion; it wasn't Phainon's boyish laugh, so who…?
"You got them good, Snowy~" A girl with gray hair came out from behind Phainon, her voice teasing as she made fun of his nickname. A big smirk on her face, "Her reaction was priceless~" she giggled.
"Haven't we gone a bit far with the costume? She looks terrified," Phainon took off his mask and let down the hood of the black cape he was wearing, his eyes full of concern as he looked at you. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you that much, (Y/N)." He apologized.
Here it was, the final element that was missing from the "Halloween experience," the pranks. You could tell that this clearly wasn't Phainon's idea, but of this new girl.
"Ciphera, what are you doing in the storeroom? I believe that I only sent Phainon to call for them" Aglaea's voice cut in as she joined you in the room, "Nothing, i'm just giving out some Nikador's day vibes" she replied with a mischivious smile.
Aglaea gaze was stern on Ciphera only to gasp as it finally fell on you, "oh dear, you are pale, did Cyphera pulled one of her pranks on you?" she pushed the two prankster aside as she reached for your face, observing it with care.
"Are you feeling alright?" Tribbie softly asked you as she sqeezed your hand still wrapped in your hold.
"You guys… I'm fine, I just got a little scared," you sighed, feeling your muscles slowly relaxing, even letting a little laugh escape your lips, reassuring them of your well-being. You smiled softly, then let go of Tribbie's hand, giving her a lazy wink.
Gradually everyone calmed down. You had been scared; that costume was crazy good. You didn't expect anything less from Aglaea—her creations always manage to capture the concept, and if it was meant to creep you out, then she totally did the trick.
Moving on, you finally met Ciphera, the talented model Phainon told you about. You didn't expect her to be like this, but looking on the bright side, at least she was in theme with the current event. You couldn't be too mad at her.
"So you must be Ciphera, congratulation you got me with that prank" you introduce yourself to her.
"Mh? You understood it was me that planned it? You are a smart one~" she smirked at you.
"It wasn't that hard, trust me…"
"I'm sorry if I scared you too much. I hope we can be good colleagues, and please drop the formalities—just call me Cipher~" she said with a glint in her eyes. You felt like working with her would be… pretty interesting.
"You really had to take out the Flame Reaver costume, huh? It gives me the creeps," Tribbie commented, looking at the mask Phainon was holding.
"Well, it's a classic! What's more scary than an executioner—and the most famous in history at that?~" Cipher snickered.
"The flame reaver…"you whisper to yourself, just the name was enough to give you shivers.
Aglaea pulled you back to reality as she gave you a firm pat on the shoulder. "Now, if you are done here, my dear, we shall get back to work!" she lectured, everyone already on their way out of the storeroom.
The decorations were pretty different from what you were expecting. Nothing spooky, nothing creepy—only elegant, dark. Mostly black and white colors were used. Instead of spiderwebs, the walls were adorned with purple butterflies and silver threads. But what caught your attention was a mascot, a slimy little purple spirit that Tribbie called a "spirithief"—the symbol of the Titan of Trickery.
Was it wrong to associate it with the spooky carved pumpkins that represent Halloween?
"Aren't spirithiefs so cute?" Cipher asked with a smirk on her face.
"They literally stole treasures from the cities," Phainon mumbled with an annoyed look.
"EXACTLY!" Cipher shouted with enthusiasm. "These little slimy things were so sly and smart, how can you not like them? They seem so fun!"
You couldn't be too sure about that statement, but judging by the previous events, you weren't too surprised to know she loved this kind of things.
"Took you long enough to get out of the storeroom," Mydei grumbled as he approached you. He was wearing a costume too.
"Wow, Dei, you are wearing a costume too?!" Tribbie jumped of joy. "Kremnoan antique clothes really suits you!"
"Well, I am from Castrum Kremnos, of course it suits me best, but… thank you," a faint smile grew on his face at the compliment.
Your eyes glinted at the sight of his costume. It wasn't scary like Phainon's; you guessed it was supposed to be historically accurate to Castrum Kremnos culture. Tribbie lent you a book about it once: it was well known to be a city of war. Kremnoans primarily worshipped Nikador, the Titan of Strife, due to his use of extreme violence to protect the city and bring balance. They valued battle so much that whoever would lose in battle was destined to be sacrificed to Nikador. The reason this costume was in theme with the current event was kind of obvious, but did Kremnoan really went around with their chests exposed like that? You could see all of his red tattoos that he usually hid under his clothes; you were aware of them, but you didn't know he was literally covered in them.
"I didn't know you had so many tattoos, Mydei. They look cool," you complimented him.
"Mhp, tattoos like these are pretty common in our culture. You have good taste," he smirks.
"I think you just look like a thug…" Phainon commented, a teasing smile on his face.
"Look who's talking, you have tattoos too, Deliverer!" Mydei snapped.
"He does?" You looked at him, trying to find where he could've possibly have them, were they to small to be seen, or they were placed in a non-visible area?
He laughed at that. "You silly, you can't see them because I cover them up. I have a really big one on my neck," he said, pointing at himself.
"Really? Do you cover it up with foundation?" You asked, getting curious about his mysterious tattoo.
He nodded in confirmation. "Yup, when i was eigthteen i thought it could look cool having a really big tattoo, but now i feel kind of embaressed to show it so freerly unless…" He stops sublty bending closer to you "If you are curious, I could let you see it once," he said in a quieter voice so only you could hear. You felt your body getting warmer at the suggestion. Damn his good looks. "You don't need to be so secretive about it," you scolded him as you avoided eye contact, only to be met by one of his teasing smiles.
"Anyways, Hyacine and Castorice are waiting for us in the other room. We should go join them soon," Mydei cut in, interrupting your private moment, trying not to cringe at his friend's attempt to flirt.
Snapping out of your embarrassed state, you noticed how everyone else was already gone, leaving only you three there. Feeling awkward by the sudden actions of your friend, you pushed him away from you. "Stop teasing and let's get back to work, you dork!" You really didn't want to be punished by Aglaea…again, the memory of the overtime you both did after your prank wasn't so plesant.
You quickly moved to the other room followed by the two men.
.
.
The room that Aglaea usually used for hosting events had been transformed into a look-alike TV studio. There were lights in every angle, and a camera was in front of the "set" in which elegant chairs and various materials were thoughtfully organized; you could distinguish a set of makeup in there, of course it didn't miss the decorations put up by the two men beside you. Right beside the recording gadgets stood a screen that showed everything caught by the lens of the machine. It all looked so professional, you almost forgot how famous and rich the blonde stylist actually was.
A girl with pink side ponytails was adjusting herself in front of a mirror; you assumed she was getting ready for the show. Tribbie was passing her some brushes to fix her makeup as they were discussing the preparations.
"Hyacine, Tribbie, where is everyone else at?" Mydei asked.
The girls turned around at the sound of his deep voice. "There was a little change of plans, and now we are waiting for Cipher and Castorice to get ready," Hyacine replied with a small smile. Her fidgeting feet showed how nervous she really was about the little inconvenience.
"What do you mean, Castorice is going to wear a costume too?" This time Phainon asked, surprised by the sudden change of plans.
"Well, Aglaea needed another model for one of her creations, and Castorice was the best choice for her. You know how she can be when she gets inspired," Tribbie explained, tapping her foot in a rhythmic way as she waited impatiently.
"Um, maybe it's not the best moment for introductions, but… I'm (Y/N), nice to meet you!" You extended your hand toward the pink-haired girl with a nervous smile. Her stressed posture softened as she noticed your gesture, immediately reciprocating it. Her hand felt soft in yours as she gently shook it, a polite smile on her face.
"It's nice to meet you too. Your help is totally needed right now. I must ask you if you could, please, take care of the camera instead of Castorice at least until her turn is finished. I know you're not a photographer, but…" Her tone gradually grew more insecure as she looked at you with desperation.
Her shoulders tensed as you put one hand on her shoulder in a reassuring way. "Hey, deep breaths. As long as I am here, I'll try to do everything that I can to help you all out, okay?" you said in a lower voice, trying to calm her down. She sighed, shaking her head side to side. "Yeah, thank you. Sorry, I just got a bit nervous, I guess."
Luckily, you had a bit of knowledge on how to use the camera. You weren't a professional, of course, but you could manage until Castorice was done. And just as you thought that, a gentle tap of footsteps approached you, followed by a more energetic one.
Cipher was wearing a black, long-sleeved bodysuit. Her hood had some cat ears on top of it, covering the top of her head, and to top off the "cat look," she also had a tail attached to her back. She was wearing long golden boots; all of the details were extremely organized and cared for.
The girl with white hair beside her wasn't any less beautiful. She was wearing a white dress adorned with flowers and purple butterflies; its design reminded you of the decorations for the holiday. The main colors were white and purple. She was wearing high boots too, and long gloves that reached her elbows. Her hair was styled in two low ponytails, adorned with little bows and butterfly accessories. But what caught your eyes was the black crown on her head, adorned with purple flowers too. If you looked close enough, you could notice the makeup on her chest resembling the bare chest of a skeleton. These costumes were probably the two masterpieces of the whole event.
Aglaea presented the two models to you. "Behold the main outfits, the two demigods that I decided to bring to life this year: the Demigod of Trickery," she announced, gesturing toward Cipher, "and the Demigod of Death," she then gestured to the other girl.
A round of applause and cheering filled the room; the event had officially started. You had the big pleasure to know Castorice, now dressed as the Demigod of Death. She was a gentle and quiet soul, and she guided you on using the camera and taking photos of each outfit before the live stream. The job was harder than you initially expected, but luckily Castorice was patient with you.
The live stream went on smoothly. The activity prepared by Hyacine revolved around makeup; she did a tutorial on each of the models. Useless to say, it was hilarious, especially when Mydei's turn came. He looked rigid and tried not to sneeze at every powder of makeup put on his face. He already knew that he was going to be teased about it by Phainon for a really long time.
As you worked and checked on the various recording machines, beeps and calls of attention from the Tamagotchi attached to your staff's badge kept you company, reminding you to stay calm and work through your worries. Phainon's words still echoed in the back of your mind. You had to thank him for that later.
Talking about Phainon, you hadn't forgotten his odd behavior that morning. Yeah, he looked way better now, but you couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right.
"Cultural differences suck," you thought to yourself, as you sat in your room, Amphoreus culture's book in your hands.
Aglaea's words were fresh in your mind: "Tomorrow you don't have to come to work, enjoy your day and rest."
"Mh? Don't be silly. I would be a really bad boss if I let you work even the first month of mourn."
The book in front of you was open to a paragraph in particular:
Eleventh Month — Month of Mourning Patron Titan: Hand of Shadow, Thanatos
"The month when the cities would gradually fall silent. Wars usually approach their end during this month. People would drag bodies back from the battlefields, bury the dead, and comfort the living. Priests are the busiest this month, for they need to pray for the dead. The mood of this month is one of grave somberness. People would gradually lessen their activities during this time, as if in slumber as well."
Nikador's Day wasn't only a silly holiday about a historical legend, but it was also the last day of joy and celebration before the Month of Mourning—one of the most important and respected periods of the year in which people took their time to mourn and remember their losses.
How could you be so oblivious? There were many clues that could have made you realize sooner: Phainon's weird behavior, the decorations in the shop that hinted to the symbol of death, like the purple butterflies that also lay on Castorice's Demigod of Death costume.
The evening when Phainon told you about his past replayed in your head. He was probably mourning too, and you were totally unaware of it. And he even worried for you and consoled you.
The book slammed shut with a loud bang as you slapped it close. You couldn't just sit around sulking and feeling bad; you had to do something. You were determined to do something to cheer him up and stay close to him in this hard moment. Along with Aglaea, he was the only person who got close to you and helped you in a very difficult time, and he never stopped doing it. He is the best friend, the best neighbor, the best colleague, and also the best digital parent. You looked at Iris, who stared at you through her screen, glowing and jumping around as if she was trying to cheer you up; her beeps were faint but insisting. You pondered a few seconds more before getting up from your bed and heading into the kitchen. You decided you would prepare something for him. You hoped he liked cookies because you were going to fill him with those.
Morning came, and as soon as you got up from bed, you already knew what you had to do. You quickly got ready, picked up the bag with the cookies, and of course, Iris too. He was going to need her.
Taking out your phone, you quickly sent him a message asking if you could come over. The response was almost immediate; as he agreed, you went out of your apartment, and just a few steps to your right, you were already in front of Phainon's door.
You took a deep breath, you raised your hand to knock, but before you could do it, the door already flew open, revealing your neighbor's face. He looked tired; you could tell he didn't sleep too well the night before.
No questions were needed, you just looked at him raising up your gift and your digital daughter in front of him.
"Need a friend?" You asked softly with a reassuring smile.
His gaze first when to the gift and then on your face, he forced a small smile, before accepting it.
"You… you didn't have to concern yourself because of me…" He murmured.
"Please," you interrupted him, getting a bit closer to him, "let me do this, let me be the one to help you this time."
The look on his face was one you never saw on him before; he looked tired and sad, and it made your heart ache in your chest. But after hearing your words, he took your hands, pulling you inside his apartment and closing the door behind you. He dropped the bag as he did so; only the little Tamagotchi remained wrapped between his fingers. He now stood in front of you, closer than he had ever been before.
"Can… do you mind if…" He timidly tried to ask.
Almost out of instinct, you wrapped your arms around him, taking him into a hug. He let out a deep breath he didn't realize he was keeping in, as he hesitantly rested his head into the crook of your neck.
"I- I'm sorry. I… I always get like this. I just can't help it. When Mourning Month comes by, I just…" he softly whispered into your ear. By the sound of his voice, you knew he was still holding himself from falling apart in front of you.
"Shh… it's okay. You don't have to apologize. I know you miss them… I know," you soothed.
That did it. He melted into your touch. Small sobs erupted from him, a sound that he was trying really hard to keep in but that took only a few words to let out all together. His breath slowly steadied as the sobs gradually got weaker and weaker. You could feel both of your heartbeats slowly matching each other as you held him close to you, trying to comfort him as much as possible, even stroking his back gently with your hands.
"You know… I'm sorry that…" he tried to talk once again, stuttering on his own words.
"Hey… it's okay, talk slowly," you reassured as you let go a bit so you could look at him.
A soft giggle escaped him. His smile was still bittersweet but definitely better than before. He exhaled deeply, ready to speak again.
"You are… stars… you are incredible. How can you be here and reassure me like this when you are supposed to be mourning your own people?" he asked. "Don't you miss them too? Don't you feel sad and wish you could go back and see them all again?".
"Of course I do… I miss all of them dearly… and not a day passes by without me thinking of all of them. But right now? Right now, you need help, and that's what counts for me right now… And also there's Iris. How can you take care of her with me if you feel down, mh? I need to do something about it."
"Heh… you are so mysterious. Are you ever going to tell me about your past?" he asked.
"Mh… maybe one day…" You murmured, your eyes meeting his. He wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, but it was enough at the moment… having you there was enough for him.
Maybe one day you'll take the courage to tell him all the truth about yourself… but for the time being, you just sat beside him on the couch of his living room, eating the cookies you made in a rush the night before. They tasted of comfort and care, a taste that Phainon hadn't really felt in a long time.
Iris sat in front of you on the small coffee table, keeping you company with her small beeps, as you both took the day to tend to her together. Just for today, you both would share the comfort of this small digital pet that came from a world of pain and struggle but that still managed to share and bring love.
credits -> dividers by @saradika-graphics
Please don't repost this fanfiction anywhere without consent, DON'T FEED TO AI PLEASE.
