@devildrop / continued .
㠀㠀Dice stands there for a moment, the smoke from his cigarette curling into the cold night air, just watching Ramuda. He could feel the tension coming off of him in waves, the fragile little cracks in the facade he usually wore. His chest tightens, his grip on the cigarette tighter than it needs to be as he exhales slowly. Damn it, Ramuda. It was always this way, wasn't it? Dice didn't need to be toldâhe already knew. He could see it. That fear. That reluctance. All the walls Ramuda built around himself. And here he was, yelling at Dice like he hadn't spent the last few years getting to know him better than anyone else. It stings. But Dice doesn't let it show.
㠀㠀"Yeah, I care," Dice mutters again, his voice steady but thick with frustration. His hand moves to the back of his neck, rubbing it with a low growl while his other tosses the cigarette to the ground, grinding it out with his heel. "You're goddamn right I care, Ramuda. SO DON'T tell me you don't want me to care, because I know you. You'd have never thrown your ass on the line for us if you didn't care too!! And you wouldn't even be asking âWhy?â if you didn't know what's coming next⊠You're not fooling me." The tension in the air between them was thick, but Dice wasn't done. He wasn't going to back down now. He had to say thisâneeded to say thisâbecause if he didn't, they'd keep walking around in circles forever. "You think I don't see it? You think I can't tell when you're just... pretending like everything's fine? Like you don't care? Don't you dare pull that shit with me!"
㠀㠀He sighs heavily, trying to rein in his own emotions. "You don't have to say anything. Hell, I'm not asking you to spill your guts or whatever, but don't pretend like this isn't eating at you. You matter to me, damn it! We've been through too much, and I'm not about to let you push me away just because it gets too hard to face whatever the hell's been bothering you." His voice softens, but the weight of what he's saying lingers in the air like a heavy fog. He reached out, not to touch, but just to close the distance and face the other, violet eyes searching Ramuda's face. "I'm not going anywhere, Ramuda. Not now, not ever. So you better figure out what it is that's got you running before I do something stupid... like... like actually let you push me away."














