Relationship Explosion

Commission from Etsy

Summary: Neko knew the rough estimated time he had left for his life, but he never expected to make a friend, or more, during that time. All he wanted to do was make the world a bit safer.

Blast slid slowly through the alley. He pressed himself into the shadows while sirens wailed in the background. Crouching down Blast carefully reached behind the dumpster and pulled out his backpack. Keeping a distrustful eye on the alley entrance in case anyone decided to investigate further than the monstrous creature's body currently blocking traffic. First, the tight-fitting shirt stretched across muscles defined from years of hand to hand combat. It folded neatly and dropped into the bag after he pulled out his hoodie and pulled it over his head. The tight pants were next and the jeans he pulled on instead were worn, one knee threadbare. He put on the same shoes he had been wearing on, he used to replace the combat boots with warn sneakers but the soles had finally given out on them and he could not trust them to keep the broken glass from tearing into his feet. Finally, the mask was pulled off and shoved into his bag. Blast, the vigilante with explosive power that helped fight the monstrous creatures plaguing the world, the ones that other heroes deemed beneath them to fight because they did not bring the same level of fame and money as the more human supervillains brought, was gone. In his place was Neko, just another homeless young adult not worth even a glance from people around him.

Sighing with relief that no one had come into the alley while he changed Neko turned, with a running start he grabbed the bottom rung of the fire escape and swung himself up to climb towards the roof. Three ladders up, Neko froze. Sitting on the fire escape of the building opposite him was a woman about his age. She stared at him, dark circles beneath her slowly blinking eyes. Neko stared back, not sure what else he could do while his heart pounded in his throat. He wondered how long she had been there, watching him, if she had seen Blast, if she knew Neko and Blast were the same.

Standing up the woman slipped in through the window, pulling the curtains closed. Neko released a deep breath and continued his way up to the roof. He told himself he would take a break from Blast, but he knew it for the lie it was. He was equipped to handle the monsters that so many others dismissed.

Neko kept an eye on the newsstands, pausing in front of TV stores to watch what they had playing, anything to listen for news that the secret identity of Blast was known. He flinched any time he saw police officers coming his way, convinced that they would pull out the cuffs and drag him in for his illegal activity.

None of his fears became reality though.

Neko managed to last two days before Blast was back on the streets fighting monsters.

It was three weeks before he saw the woman again.

He had been careful to avoid her neighborhood when he escaped after defeating a monster. Even if that alley was the closest alley he would risk having to outrun the police to avoid her alley. But the sound of feet crunching the trash ground drew Neko's unmasked attention from the open alley entrance. He stared with wide eyes at the woman.

Neko nearly tripped to get away from the woman when she stepped toward him. She paused for a moment before stepping closer again. She had a paper bag in her hands that she held out to him. Neko hesitated, eyeing the bag and then eyeing her distrustfully before carefully reaching out and hesitantly taking the bag. Neko noted the dark circles under her eyes did not seem to be any better than when they started but there was a slight curl to the corner of her mouth, a half smile that Neko wanted to see more of before she turned to walk away.

Once she was out of sight Neko opened the bag and looked at the new sneakers and ace bandages. He jerked his head back up in the direction she had disappeared before looking back down at the package. He pulled out one of the shoes and noticed a note stuffed into it. Pulling it out he studied the handwriting for a long moment. It curled and at points seemed like the writer was writing faster than their had could move, words squishing together and letters overlapping, other times they spaced out as if the writer was pausing at length between one letter and the next.

I noticed you change everything but the shoes. I hope these fit so you don't wear out the boots. They seem better for fighting than day to day. You never go to get medical help either. I think you probably need it. Maybe that's a power you have though. But just in case I hope these supplies help. If you need more, or help, I believe you know where my apartment is.

Curiously Neko pushed the ace bandages around and revealed a small first aid kit as well. He put the note inside the paper bag and leaned against the wall to take off his boots and put the new tennis shoes on. They were a bit too big, but curling his toes in, Neko decided they would do. They were a better fit than his old ones had been after all.

A week later was when Neko saw the woman again. He had been distracted going into the fight. He had noticed his powers increasing. Worried they would grow out of his control he had gone in to have them examined. It did not seem that they would grow out of his control. It was still a possibility but one that was near enough to be nonexistent Blast saw no reason to think about it. The only reason that possibility was all but null was not a reason that gave him any comfort though. His power was growing, he was better equipped to face the monsters. But his help now had a time limit. There was an expiration date stamped onto his life and he now knew when it would be over.

Eighty days.

Eleven and a half weeks.

Not quite three months.

Blast thought that being distracted going into the fight was reasonable given that he had just been given a sell by date for his life. But when a clawed hand, more than large enough to crush his entire body, slammed into him Blast wished he had not been so distracted. He felt pain radiate from his side in an explosion of pain that left him gasping for air. He saw the rocks coming down to crush him after a tail swipe from the creature removed the support beams on half the building. Blast did not hesitate to hold his hands out and let the explosion rip out. He felt the concussive blast pulse down his arms and send shock waves through his shoulders and into his ribs. Groaning with the realization that at least one was definitely cracked, possibly even broken.

Blast won the fight.

Barely.

There was a lot more of his own blood on his costume than normal. And a lot more pain for himself as well.

When Blast was packed away in the bag and Neko was left making decisions he was not even really conscious of making them. One moment he was in an alley near the fight and the next he was shakily climbing his way up the ladder of a fire escape. Neko nearly collapsed when he got to the third landing. He looked at the window, curtains drawn, lights all off.

Tipping his wrist Neko looked at the watch with the cracked face. If he was honest he was not even sure that it told the correct time. Looking at the sky he figured three in the morning was not too far off either way. He shakily leaned against the window sill and studied the curtains. Neko thought they may have been a pretty sage green at one point. Now they were clearly sun bleached and the edge looked a bit frayed. They were still heavy though and clearly blocked out the light easily.

Neko did not pay attention to the passage of time, he could only sit and stare at the window, questioning how he got there. Neko wondered what the wisdom would be in knocking and seeking asylum with the strange woman who brought him shoes and a first aid kit. One he had nearly used up except for a couple of small Band-Aids.

'What if she turns me in?' Neko thought with a heavy frown, catching his bottom lip between his teeth. Then the results of his test flicked through his mind and Neko could not have stopped the choked laugh that pushed from his lungs if he tried. Reaching out Neko carefully wrapped his knuckles against the window pane, hoping that the woman was home. And that she did not have a roommate he would need to explain his presence too.

Despite the pulse of pain when he moved, Neko stood at the edge of the small landing, ready to make a quick escape if he was wrong about the apartment, or if someone else answered the door. While he waited, Neko began to berate himself for the decision to go to a stranger for help. No matter how kind they had been to him.

Then the curtains moved aside and a curious but familiar face peered out at Neko. Neko deflated with relief when the eyes staring back at him widened in surprise for a short moment before melting back into their normal acceptance of his existence. Neko watched as the woman silently opened the window and stepped aside, holding the curtain open and staring at him expectantly. Neko hesitated a moment before reminding himself he did not have much to loose and stepping in.

Neko took in the room quickly. The apartment had a very open layout, he could easily see into the kitchen living room and both of the open doors, one leading to a bathroom the other to what he assumed was the bedroom. The kitchen had a coffee pot and microwave on the limited counter space, a tea kettle on the stove, and a couple of dishes sitting in a dish drainer between the sink and fridge. There was a square table shoved in the corner with chairs tucked in but they did not look like they ever got much use, the tabletop was loaded down with pots and terrariums of mushrooms and a few rocks.

Neko jumped when a hand softly touched his shoulder. The woman quickly withdrew her hand and he noticed that her fingers were tinted red with his blood.

"Sorry. You're hurt. Let me get my first aid kit." The woman turned her back and rushed towards the open door Neko could just make out the outlines of a bathroom in. "Sit down and expose any injuries. It won't be anything I haven't seen before."

Neko hesitated before pulling out one of the chairs from the mushroom table, he did not want to bleed on her carpet or couch. He sat his backpack down on the floor within easy reach, just in case. He hesitated a moment before removing his hoodie and flinching as he felt the blood that had soaked the shoulder. He hesitantly glanced at his own shoulder to confirm that where the claw had caught him had ripped the flesh wide open. He figured it was more a testament to how long he had stood staring at the curtain than the pace of the bleeding that had soaked his sweatshirt. It was barely trickling through his shoulder, down half his bicep, was red with blood.

Neko did not have the courage to look down at what he was sure was a network of bruised splotches coating his torso. Instead, he turned his head towards the footsteps as the woman came up to him. He watched her carefully as she knelt in front of him, he was sure if he had not been watching he would miss the flash of concern and worry that flicked over her features before they slid back into the patient calm he had grown used to seeing from her.

"My name is Elly." The woman spoke opening a bottle and leaning close. Neko hissed at the sting as the woman began cleaning his wounds. He watched her as her hands carefully cleaned the blood from his skin.

"Neko," Neko spoke after the third butterfly stitch was placed over a wound just below his ribcage. Elly lifted her gaze to him questioning. "My name. It's Neko."

Elly smiled and the shadows beneath her eyes crinkled with the movement. "Nice to meet you Neko."

The two fell into a comfortable silence again while Elly continued cleaning and bandaging the wounds littering his body. Neko lifted his arms willingly when Elly moved to wrap the ace bandages around his torso without a question. She had yet to comment on the wounds. Elly rocked back on her heels and examined him carefully, looking for any wound she had missed.

"Thank you," Neko whispered standing up and reaching for his hoodie and bag.

"You're leaving?" Elly tipped her head watching the man flinch when he threw the backpack over his bare shoulder. Neko nodded. Elly hesitated long enough for Neko to get to the window before she spoke. "You could stay the night."

Neko spun around quickly enough Elly feared he would rip open a wound or trip out the window. She did not want to explain the broken window to her land lord.

"The couch is not the most comfortable in the world but it beats the street." Elly said holding Neko's gaze as she confirmed what he had suspected for weeks, the strange woman followed him.

Neko knew the smart thing would be to get away from her. She could be dangerous for all he knew. Then he remembered his expiration date and let out a small huff of laughter. Elly frowned in confusion, tipping her head in the other direction as if asking him to let her in on the joke.

"Alright. I'll stay." Neko offered a broken half smile. After all, it did not really matter what happened next. He had a time limit.

'There's that saying.' Neko thought as Elly went to fetch him a pillow and blanket. 'Live like you're dying.'

Neko had been living with Elly for nearly a week and a half. Not that either of them had labeled it as such. He said he was leaving every night, and every night she asked him to stay another night. It was a strange ritual. He would go out during the day, and come back after Blast had done his patrol. If he was injured he would sit silently in the only chair at the kitchen table that was no longer tucked away. Elly would bandage his wounds, and Neko would pick up his bag and thank her. Then Elly would whisper for him to stay 'just one more night.' And it was not like Neko had better options. So he would tuck his bag against the side of the couch and unfold the blanket that no longer went to a closet in the morning.

He knew she still followed him. He would catch glimpses of Elly as he joined fights. But she kept herself out of the fight easily enough so he did not worry about it beyond insuring that whatever creature crawled out of the abyss did not go in the direction he had spotted her in.

They never spoke more than 'thank you', 'please stay', 'just one more night', and 'okay'. But Neko felt he had still learned quite a bit about the woman. She struggled to sleep at night. She attended a local college. He had caught her studying more than once. He did not ask what she was studying. She had anatomy and biology books more than any other though. She got up far earlier than she needed to leave, often sitting out on the fire escape for hours at a time. She usually had a cup of tea at night. If she was awake when he came in. In the mornings she would drink tea until about nine then switch to coffee.

The word 'insomnia' floated through Neko's mind. But he never questioned it. Never tried to break the tentative relationship they had. Neko did not want to get close. The countdown until the end of his life looms over his shoulder at all times. She had been kind to him. He hoped she would not be there when his powers finally claimed him. He did not want her hurt.

Neko had managed to avoid getting any more serious injuries as Blast. Until another hero decided to prove themselves. There had been some scandal and the hero needed to get a good review and positive public opinion to thrive again. So they walked into 'charity' work.

Unfortunately, the hero did not know the creatures the way that Blast did. As a result, Blast spent his time trying to cover the hero's back and keep them from injury while neutralizing the threat at the same time. Blast did not get his powers firing in time when a building came down on him this time. He crawled away with a broken arm.

He saw the approaching feet where he lay in a dirty alley, attempting to get to his backpack, but did not have the energy to get himself hidden. His vision blurred as the feet stopped near his head and then his world went black.

Neko wanted to blast the beeping that echoed in his room giving him a headache. Or maybe it was making it worse. He could not decide if it was an existing headache that was being made worse by the beeping or if the beeping was making the headache to begin with. He tried shaking his head and moaned in pain as a result. There was a soft hand on his arm and he blinked his eyes at Elly.

'The bags under her eyes are worse.' Neko thought watching her mouth move as she talked but he could not hear what she said. Dark shadows moved around the edge of his vision and slowly pulled him back under.

When Neko woke up again he no longer had a headache. He was aware that his arm hurt but it was not intense enough for him to really pay too much attention to it. Instead, he started looking around trying to figure out where he was. He thought the white room should have given away his location if he was honest but it was not until a nurse walked in that he realized he was in a hospital.

The nurse smiled at him. She asked if he could hear her. Neko's voice broke when he answered and he became aware of how dry his throat was. The nurse held a cup with a straw to his mouth.

"You've been out for four days." The nurse told him. She nodded her head to the uncomfortable chair bed to his left. "She's been here most of the time. You have a good friend."

Neko turned his head and saw Elly sleeping on the hospital pull-out chair bed. He saw his bag clutched tightly in her hands. He could only nod his head in agreement with what the nurse said. He had a very good friend. He realized he would have to tell her the truth.

It was a week later before he was released from the hospital into Elly's care. Internal bleeding and potential brain hemorrhaging were the excuses they used to keep him there. His arm was in a cast when he left and he knew he would be out of commission until it healed. He pushed down his anger at the hero who had caused the mess.

"Thank you." Neko stared at the ground while taking his bag from Elly, using his good arm to sling it over his shoulder. "I should-"

"You're coming with me." Elly reached out and lightly touched his arm. "Until you're healed."

Neko lifted his gaze to meet her eyes and the two stared at each other. Neko slowly nodded his head, the nurse's words that he had a good friend echoed in his mind. The words he thought he needed to tell her, his expiration date, swelled in his throat and caught on his tongue. All he could do was thank her yet again.

Neko was not a good cook, even when he had full use of both arms. Having only one arm he could do little more than boil water. Luckily Elly did not seem to mind ramen and instant oatmeal for dinner and breakfast every day. Some time within the first day of his being banned from hero duty he had started cooking for them. Or at least attempting to. He burnt the eggs and undercooked the bacon on the first day he tried. Elly had been nice enough to make the oatmeal that day while he cleaned the mess he had made.

Elly had coffee with three spoonfuls of sugar. Her oatmeal had sugar and milk in it. She seemed to have a never-ending supply of ramen packets for him to cook when dinner rolled around. If Elly was home at lunch, on the weekends, and every other day, then Neko could manage to make them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He started making them when he realized she would not eat lunch if it was not provided. He would make one for her on the days she was not home for lunch too, and send it with her in the mornings. On those days he did not eat lunch himself and he knew he was a hypocrite.

Neko told himself he would tell Elly about his expiration date every night. Every night he found an excuse not to tell her. She had a test to study for. It was too nice of a night with the both of them sitting out on the fire escape watching the stars they could see through the pollution. Before he knew it, it had been two and a half weeks since his release from the hospital. And Neko still had not told Elly that his powers were going to kill him.

'You've got a really good friend.' Mocked Neko from the back of his mind for hours at a time at night. All he could do was close his eyes and listen to Elly try to find sleep herself. He would get up and sit with her when she moved silently through the dark to sit on the fire escape. Sometimes he even managed to bring her a cup of tea.

"Only two and a half more weeks." Elly reminded Neko as she helped him unwrap his arm after he had taken a shower. He was not sure when she had done it, when he was in the hospital perhaps, but at some point, the woman had snuck extra clothes into Neko's backpack. She had made a comment about him taking a shower and changing clothes, saying she would wash his hoodie and torn jeans in the laundry with her own. Neko had admitted to not having any other change of clothes except Blast's costume. And he did not think he could fit that shirt over his cast. Elly had told him to check his pack again.

The reminder that he would be able to return to hero work only served to remind Neko that he still had not told Elly about the countdown.

Forty days now.

Just under six weeks.

About a month and a half.

He could only stare into her eyes as the countdown beat in his skull like some kind of broken mantra. He did not realize he was speaking until the words left his mouth.

"It's killing me."

Elly jerked slightly and met his gaze. They still rarely talked. Except when he was helping her with flashcards and trivia questions to study. "It's okay. The attacks aren't that bad. They've been managing. I'm sure they'll be happy to have you back, just not before you're healed."

"No. I mean... yes." Neko reached up with his good arm and ran his fingers through his hair. "Yes, I don't like being put on the sidelines but that's not... that's not what's killing me."

Elly frowned in concern and tipped her head in the endearing way Neko wanted to capture in a repeating animation.

"My powers... they're... I'm going to die." Neko could not keep eye contact with Elly. He turned his gaze to the sky through the window. The sliver he could see where he sat on the couch had no stars. He could not tell if it was cloud or smog cover that swallowed them though.

Elly was silent for a long moment before she spoke hesitantly. "They've gotten stronger. If you stop using them?"

Neko snorted. "No. They'll still kill me."

"How?" Elly's hands were soft against his own. Her hands gently curled around them.

"Radiation poisoning." Neko leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. "Not caught soon enough to make a difference if I stop using them. They still would have killed me. I'd just have had years instead of three months."

"That's quarter of a year still." Elly's voice had hardened with the same determination she got glaring down at a particularly difficult homework problem.

Neko shook his head. "It was there's barely a month and a half now."

Elly's breath caught in her throat and Neko felt her hands start to shake. He squeezed her hands back to try and steady her. He tipped his head back to look into her wide eyes and offer his own half-smile.

"I just... when it happens I wanted you to know it's been coming." Neko had not considered that she would be as upset by the news as he had been. All he could do was try to soothe her now.

Two and a half weeks later and Neko had his cast removed. Sometime between the night that he had confessed what was going to happen and getting his cast off Neko had begun sharing Elly's bed instead of sleeping on the couch. The shadows under her eyes had lessened. She still had bad nights, when they would sit on the fire escape and listen to the sounds of the city. Sometimes they talked. Most of the time they slept through the night.

Elly had begun taking pills prescribed by her doctor. Confessed that the possible side effects frightened her so she resisted previous attempts to convince her to take the pills. Now Neko was usually up before her. He rarely burnt the oatmeal anymore. He still could not cook bacon without burning or undercooking it but he could manage eggs now. Only partially burnt. Occasionally runny. He had even started adding peas and carrots to their ramen.

What they had discussed that night had not been brought up since. Until three days after the cast was removed. Neko was putting Blast's costume in his bag to go out. He did not want to risk leading anyone to connect him to Blast or Blast to Elly. Not when he only had just under three weeks left. Not if he could not guarantee he would be around to help save her.

"Should you be going out?" Elly's voice made Blast turn around and blink at her with his own head tilt. "With... with what your powers are doing to you? And you've only had your cast off a short amount of time."

Neko saw the fear in Elly's eyes and once again felt guilt that there was nothing he could do to ease her fears, that he was the cause of them.

"It's fine." Neko forced a smile, moving his arm to show it was not so weak it would be useless. "I'll be fine. I won't go near any heroes trying to redeem themselves."

"It's not funny." Elly crossed her arms and Neko realized she was trembling.

Neko did not have a response or any idea how to make it better so instead he turned and slipped out the window.

They repeated the conversation, or at least conversations close to it, every night for five more nights. Neko noticed the shadows under Elly's eyes were coming back. He also noted her pillbox was not being used. She was not taking her pills any longer. He could not bring himself to bring it up to her though. Not when their nightly arguments left him drowning in guilt. All he could do was hold her close after she had checked him for new injuries and assure her that all was well. He had survived another night.

Neko could not bring himself to tell Elly how his powers were growing but he could feel himself spiraling. He was not losing control but he could only manage a blast or two before he was left shaking and weak, barely able to hold himself up. On the fifth night of their new ritualistic argument, he came home injured enough Elly had needed to put the butterfly stitches on a gash in his back. He could not stop the trembling either. He had barely been able to hold himself upright.

Elly was angry.

Neko could nearly feel her anger radiating out of her as she cleaned and dressed his injuries before helping him to bed. Neko held Elly as close as he could while they both trembled. One with anger and the other with weakness. Neko whispered apologies against Elly's lips until they fell asleep.

The next night he could not find his costume.

"Where is it?" Neko crossed his arms glaring down at Elly. She sat on the couch with notes spread out around her and did not even look up from what she was examining.

"Where is what?" Elly answered evenly, turning a page in her notebook.

"My pack and Blast's costume." Neko ground his teeth together. He knew she knew where it was and what he was talking about.

Elly just shrugged her shoulder. "I don't know. Haven't seen it."

Neko could not honestly say what was said during their argument. Or even at what point it had gone from tense demands to screaming at each other while standing nearly toe to toe. But Elly was in tears and he felt closer to losing control over his powers than he had ever felt before.

"Fine!" Elly screamed through her tears, she pulled the back from where it had been hidden underneath the kitchen table, in the back dark corner. She threw it at Neko who barely managed to catch it. "But if you go out there you better pack everything else too!"

"Elly-"

"No! I can't keep doing this!" Elly wrapped her arms around herself pushing away from Neko as she choked on her sobs. His shoulders slumped and he blinked his own emotions back. "I can't keep worrying about if you'll be coming back or if tonight is the night..."

"I've got two more weeks." Neko tried, holding his bag in numb fingers.

Elly shook her head. "And you should spend them trying to find a solution. Not fighting monsters no one needs you to fight."

"I'm sorry Elly," Neko whispered. "I don't see it that way."

Neko moved towards the window. Elly did not reach out for him.

"I mean it. I don't want to see you again if you... if you go out there. If Blast is around, we can't be." Elly was blinking rapidly staring up at the ceiling trying to stop her tears.

Neko slid out the window. When he was done fighting monsters he stood on the fire escape landing. He stared down at the pile of clothing. in a paper sack with a first aid kit. And a note in familiar handwriting.

I love you. But not enough to watch you give up and die without a fight.

Neko looked up at the window and stared at it. He could knock, he could open it, and he could go in. He could try to reason with Elly. He dropped his gaze to the paper sack and watched as a drop of moisture dropped onto it. Swallowing Neko blinked back tears he was not ready to share with the world and looked up at the blurry sky. He told himself smog made the stars blur not the tears stinging his eyes.

"I love you, too." Neko looked at the sun-bleached curtains. "I really do."

He shoved the paper bag into his backpack. He could not ask Elly to watch him die. Even if he hunted the whole two weeks he had left for a solution he knew he would not one. He had an expiration date. It was part of being human, he was just unlucky enough to know when it would be.

Two weeks later Elly broke down sobbing in the middle of campus. She could not explain to anyone why even as people turned to comfort her. All she could do was stare at the TV broadcasting the news story. Blast, a hero few people barely even knew had a name, died. It was during a fight. He had found the rip in dimensions the monstrous creatures were coming through. And he had eliminated it. The explosion took out two city blocks, and countless were injured. The news reporters could not seem to decide if Blast should be cast as a villain or a hero. They frequently called the heroes rescuing the injured 'real heroes' as if eliminating one of the biggest threats to their world was nothing.

But all Elly could think of was her hopes of a knock on her window were never going to come true now. She rocked in the middle of the commons area, her arms wrapped around herself while screaming Neko's name even if she knew he would never answer now. She would never be able to ask him to stay 'just one night' ever again.

The public decided Blast was a hero. Especially those that were most severely affected by the monster attacks, and often ignored by the 'real' heroes. A memorial statue was erected at point zero of the explosion.

Elly visited on the third of every month.

Elly was just another of many who laid flowers around the memorial. No one knew the face behind the carved mask. They assumed her tears were for the loss of a hero that cared about the people. None knew she mourned the man behind the mask more than she ever cared about the hero.

It was the first month that her tears slid silently down her cheeks. That she did not fall to her knees sobbing to the point she nearly puked. She wrapped her arms tightly around her torso to keep herself from trembling. She stared up at the statue's face, carved into a battle cry. Her breath shook slightly but no sobs broke out even as the tears rolled over her cheeks.

"I'm taking my pills again," Elly told the statue once she was sure no one was close enough to hear her. "I don't know if they really help but... I'm trying. The therapist says... It doesn't matter. Sometimes I think I still see you. I try to follow but then I remember. I can't go where you've gone."

"Maybe we can sit on a fire escape, though." A voice behind Elly had her gasping and spinning around with wide eyes. "See what stars we can see."

Elly stared at Neko who offered a nervous smile while she gaped at him. His pack was thrown over his shoulder and she took cautious steps toward him. Neko made no move to stop Elly when she reached out and softly touched his cheek.

"You're real." She whispered then pressed her face into his chest as sobs wracked her body. Neko held her close and slowly rocked them back and forth, promising her forever, and explanations when they got home.