Twilight

by eyitzme

Summary:

Vivia Twilight is given a book by a random man. He wasn't expecting them to grow closer.

Notes:

I’d draw that one guy in “Lending the Church a Hand Again” giving Vivia a book, but I can’t draw. Good thing I have decent writing skills or else this idea would be stuck in my head for the rest of eternity.

Chapter 1

I'm just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they may.

•••

When asking anyone in the Nocturnal Detective Agency where Vivia Twilight's favourite place was in their submarine that served as their office, all of them would say it was the fireplace. They were, in fact, correct. Being in the fireplace was indeed comfortable once getting used to the back pain. Vivia's posture would simply have to be the sacrifice, though it wasn't as if he minded.

When getting kicked out of the submarine, which was frequent nowadays due to Yuma Kokohead getting himself into trouble frequently, he would go to the Sun and Moon Hotel and lay under the grand piano in the main hall. Despite getting looks from others—though, the hotel employees didn't seem to have a problem with him—it, too, was also comfortable. It was also a nice place to read books.

Vivia was there reading a book when a man wearing a grey suit crouched down in front of him. "Excuse me...sir?"

Vivia said nothing as he looked at him.

"I, uhh... I have a book. For you." The man pushed a book towards him. "I heard you like books, so I got one I thought you might like."

"Why?" Vivia asked, now looking at the book.

"I just...saw you reading books under here and even heard you really like books from your colleague, so I thought I might as well give you one."

Vivia took the book. "Twilight?"

"It's about vampires—"

"I know what Twilight is about."

"Oh." His face fell. "Have you read it already...?"

"No," he said, making the man's face brighten again. "I just find it funny you gave me a book called Twilight..."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"My last name is Twilight."

"Oh, so your name is..."

"Vivia Twilight." He looked away from the book. "Who are you?"

"I'm Chizue Abe. It's nice to talk to you. You know, since I saw you underneath this piano for so long but never talked to you," he quickly added with a nervous laugh.

Vivia simply nodded.

"So, umm..." Chizue looked away. "Since we're talking...are you free today? We could go to the café not far from here."

"Maybe some other time... I want to read this book about vampires."

"Really? You're actually interested in it?"

"I've always liked supernatural things."

"Oh, cool! So...can I get your number? So I can contact you when we can get some coffee and talk."

"I don't see why not." Vivia and Chizue exchanged numbers, and he noticed how happy Chizue got when receiving his number.

"I'll see you around, Vivia." Chizue left him under the grand piano with a smile on his face.

Vivia sighed, turning to the first chapter of Twilight. "I wanna die someday..."

Chapter 2

Summary:

Extra chapter because I was bored. :P

No measure of time with you will be enough. But, we'll start with forever.

•••

Chizue was on his way to the café. He was finished with work, and he liked to have a coffee after work. There was no other place in Kanai Word that served coffee better.

There was one spot where he liked sitting, and sitting anywhere else just wouldn't do. Though, when he got there, someone else was already sitting here.

Even though it was a surprise to see him, Chizue still smiled. "Vivia? What are you doing here?"

Vivia waited for him to sit. He pushed over a book—Twilight. "I finished it."

Chizue was a bit shocked by this. It had only been a short while since he gave it to him. "Did you like it?"

"I did. Though...the romance was unusual... Bella seemed to keep pulling Jacob on by a leash, treating him as an owner would a dog. Jacob wants her love, and although she doesn't feel the same way, she leads him on... Is there a sequel?"

He smiled. "It's a series. I can show you the rest of them if you want."

"That would be nice..."

"So, did you come here just to give me the book back?" Chizue wouldn't have minded if that was the reason alone, but he couldn't say he didn't feel disappointed.

Vivia met his eyes, and Chizue had to look away from his black eyes. "I thought today could be the day we get coffee together. We were already meeting..."

"Oh!" A giddy smile was on his face. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"My colleague goes here often, and my other colleague worked here for a day. Both of them saw you—though one saw you leaving here in anger when someone was in your seat..."

He laughed nervously, remembering the girl that almost all the men in Kanai Ward wanted to see purely because of her body. "W-Well, I don't like sitting anywhere else. It's too awkward there, and it takes too long getting used to that I don't even bother."

Vivia nodded like he understood.

"Speaking of your colleagues," Chizue continued, "where do you work? I saw another one, and I was wondering that when I saw him."

"I'm a detective." Vivia's gaze stayed on his face. "You don't know what a detective is, do you?"

"Well..." It would be embarrassing to admit to someone, especially Vivia in his case, you didn't know their job. Whatever a "detective" was sounded like something he should know anyway.

"A lot of people in this city don't know. To put it simply...a detective is someone who solves mysteries."

"What sort of mysteries?"

"Depends... One of my colleagues specializes in undercover cases, and another seems to specialize in murder cases since death seems to follow him. Almost like a death god has decided to haunt him..."

"What do you specialize in?" Someone as cool as Vivia had to specialize in something as equally cool, wouldn't he?

Vivia shrugged. "I guess I do whatever... I just do whatever I'm ordered to. I prefer ones that require little work..."

"So, what kinds of mysteries do you usually do? What kinds do you like?"

Before Vivia could answer, a voice said, "Vivia, there you are!"

A short blonde boy carrying a backpack about the size of him walked to their table. "Vivia, what are you doing here? Come on, Chief wants us! Yuma's probably in trouble again."

Vivia kept his attention on Chizue. "I forgot to tell you I might have to leave soon. One of my colleagues gets in a lot of trouble... It was only a matter of time before I needed to go. Thank you for letting me read Twilight."

"It's no problem. You know, if you like it so much you can—" He couldn't tell Vivia he could keep it as he already left with presumably his colleague.

Chizue sighed and held his head in his hands. There went his chance with Vivia... Though, it was no matter to worry about. As he told that purple-haired man who told him Vivia liked books, it was love at first sight when he saw Vivia. They were simply meant to be, and fate would give him another chance!

Chapter 3

Notes:

Angst is hard to write so this isn’t really Hurt/Comfort... I tried.

Look after my heart. I've left it with you.

•••

Chizue needed to come up with a plan. He still hadn't confessed his love to Vivia! His original plan was to give him Twilight and confess, but that dashing face made his brain malfunction and he didn't. He needed to do something about it, but he didn't know what.

He stopped by the Sun and Moon Hotel before going home. He was hoping to see Vivia under the piano, just like when he first laid his eyes on him. Vivia was there, but he looked sadder than usual. His eyes were unusually darker, and he didn't have any books around him.

Chizue crouched down in front of him. "Hi, Vivia."

Vivia didn't even look at him.

He had to snap his fingers several times to get him to focus. When he did, his black eyes looked darker than before. He wasn't sure if it was his place to ask what happened.

He just sat in front of him to try to show support. Feeling too awkward, he offered his hand. Vivia took it without much thought. He gently rubbed circles on Vivia's hand. It usually calmed himself down, and it looked like Vivia was relaxing.

"Why are you here?" Vivia eventually asked. "Don't you have better things to do than be with a lowlife like me...?"

Chizue didn't mean for his voice to sound harsh, but he couldn't help it. "Don't say that. All life is precious, and you're no exception." He calmed his voice down before he said, "And, to answer your question, I don't have anything better to do. Being here with you is the best thing I can do."

He sighed. "I wanna die someday..."

"Don't say that either. Suicide isn't something you should joke about. And if you're not joking" —he squeezed his hand— "I'm always free if you need to talk."

"I wasn't talking about suicide," he paused to think, "but may I take you on your offer to talk?"

"Here? Don't you want to go somewhere more private?"

"The workers don't care."

He wasn't wrong. The hotel employees didn't have a lot of visitors due to Kanai Ward's isolation. Right now, the current hotel receptionist was taking a nap.

"If you're comfortable here, then we can talk."

Vivia opened his mouth but closed it soon. He adjusted his position and laid his head on Chizue's lap, making his heart skip a beat. Chizue forced himself to look like he liked that a normal amount. Vivia was sad, so being in love was not the priority.

Vivia stayed silent for a little longer before saying, "My boss died."

"I'm sorry," Chizue whispered.

"It's not your fault... But it is mine..."

"No it isn't."

"You weren't there."

"I know you didn't have anything to do with it."

"I did." Before Chizue could argue he didn't, Vivia continued. "I was being stubborn during the time he died. I suppose I couldn't have helped him...but I still feel like I should have tried. Everyone was asking me to help...but I refused."

Chizue stayed silent so he could continue. When he didn't, he risked running his hand through his hair. It was messy, it was tangled, it was rough, and it was the best thing he ever felt.

But he shouldn't be thinking about that.

Vivia wasn't continuing. Even though Chizue could reluctantly admit he didn't know him for long, he could happily, though not too happily, say he knew Vivia wasn't too open about his feelings. It would help him if he talked about them, so he said, "Are you here to avoid your colleagues?"

"I'm not hiding... They know I like coming here."

"I didn't ask if you were hiding from them. I asked if you were avoiding them." He waited for him to ask what the difference was, slightly panicking since he didn't have an answer.

He never asked. The only thing he did was hum quietly, closing his eyes. Chizue was fine was that, but he still wanted to help him. But, if he didn't want to talk about them, that was fine too.

Eventually, Vivia asked, "Why do you keep associating yourself with me? Someone like you...is obviously not meant for someone like me. Wouldn't it be better to be with people of your level...?"

It was the perfect moment for him to confess his love. Vivia could say he loved him back, and their story would continue forever. The opening was right there, and he would be a fool if he didn't take it.

Unfortunately, even if now was the perfect moment, it wasn't the right time.

"Why wouldn't I?" he said instead. "You're nice to be with."

"Is that it?"

"Of course not. But do you really want me to list everything I like about you?"

"You haven't known me for long..."

"Trust me, is more on that list than there are people in Kanai Ward."

The corner of his lips twitched up. He was going somewhere with this.

"You're a nice person, Chizue," he said.

"You're not too bad yourself, Vivia." Chizue glanced at the clock in the lobby. He didn't want to ruin the moment, but what would Vivia's colleagues think if he didn't show up even after his boss's death? They might be taking the day or even week off, but something told him that wasn't true.

Seeming to sense his thoughts, Vivia said, "My colleagues won't notice I'm not there."

Chizue's gaze snapped back to him. "What? Vivia, that's bad."

"It's not. They simply forget I'm in the fireplace..."

Being in a fireplace sounded exactly like Vivia, and he loved it.

With the recent death in mind, Chizue decided to try something. "Vivia, I just got off work. Do you have the day off?"

He sighed. "No..."

"Not even..." He stopped himself before he could say something to ruin whatever he had. "Do you want to go to work?"

"I guess..."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Isn't that an answer?"

"Not a clear one."

"You're acting like a mother..."

"Well? Is it a yes or a no?"

His black eyes shined a bit brighter with amusement, taking away some earlier sadness. "Yes."

"Then go. You're friends with your other colleagues or at least get along with them, don't you? If you somehow still have work today, I can promise it won't be tiring. You'll all be there to support each other, and I promise, no one will forget you."

"You believe in them so much..."

"I believe in you. I know you can go there, support others, and even talk about your emotions. If you can talk to me, you can talk to them—and you have known them for longer, haven't you?"

"It's easier to talk to you..."

"It can be easy to talk to them if you put in the effort."

"That takes energy..."

"I believe you can do it."

Vivia didn't move. Then, he sat up, met his eyes, and nodded. "I'll do it since you asked."

Chizue tried not to let the phrase get into his head as he smiled.

"Though...in return, could we spend time together after? I know I'll want to see you after."

Chizue's smile widened as he nodded. How could he say no to his one true love?

Vivia stood up and headed for the door. Just before he left, he looked at him with a smile and said, "I'll meet you at the café."

When the door closed, the hotel receptionist, who apparently woke up from his nap, said, "Why were you under the piano...?"

Chizue went up to him with sparkling eyes. "Sir, I am in love!"

He sighed. "If you really have to be gay, could you at least do it when I'm not trying to sleep? Romance stops me from sleeping..."

Chizue ignored him and went out the hotel feeling more ready than ever. He had to go home and look good but also casual, and he also had to plan a day of relaxation for Vivia, so he didn't have to feel overwhelmed. So much to do in who knew how much time... But he was determined to help him, and if this was what he needed, then he would do it all the way.

Chapter 4

I'm only afraid of losing you. I feel like you're gonna disappear.

•••

Desuhiko Thunderbolt on the edge of a bed. "Can't believe I'm saying this...but maybe we should stop. We've been trying to get out of this place for an hour. Let's at least have a break!"

Halara Nightmare frowned. "And leave Yuma to deal with whatever trouble he's most likely in right now?"

"Listen, my man's cool and all, but he gets in trouble every other day. He can handle himself!"

Fubuki Clockford said nothing as she laid down on the bed. The sweat on her face made it clear she had rewound time, trying to get to before they were transported to the apartment they were now in, and the sheer amount of it showed she rewound it a lot. Taking a break would be the most beneficial to her.

At the Nocturnal Detective Agency, Vivia and the rest of them were talking to Number One while still trying to move on from their chief Yakou Furio's death. The call ended when they saw a bomb had gone through the World Detective Organization's building, which followed by mist surrounding the Nocturnal Detective Agency and making them all pass out. They woke up in an apartment they decided was the CEO of Amaterasu's, Makoto Kagutsuchi, but Yuma Kokohead and Kurumi Wendy weren't with them. They had been trying to find a way out, but they hadn't had much luck.

It was ruining his plans.

"Are you sure we can't try a little more?" he said. "We can find a way out if we tried harder."

Desuhiko scoffed. "Since when were you so motivated to get outta a place like this? Is it cuz there's no fireplace to stay in?"

"He has a date," mumbled Fubuki.

"I don't have a date," said Vivia, though it seemed his input wouldn't change anything.

Desuhiko's jaw dropped. "Someone's interested in you? There's people out there that like guys who hide in fireplaces?"

"I thought you of all people would understand romance isn't a main priority right now," said Halara, narrowing their eyes.

Desuhiko looked him over. "What about you made her find you so interesting?"

"It's a guy," mumbled Fubuki, whom they listened to but not him.

"Guy, girl, doesn't matter! What about you makes people think, Wow, I wish I could date him?"

"Is that where you go when you're not in your fireplace?" asked Halara. "You're meeting with your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

Fubuki, who seemed to have more energy now, said, "I see them together a lot when I walk around Kanai Ward... They seem close."

"We're not together every time I go out."

She frowned. "You don't go out a lot though..."

"I can't believe the Joker-wannabe got a partner before I did," grumbled Desuhiko.

"Anyway," said Halara, "do we all really want a break?"

"Yes please." Fubuki closed her eyes.

Desuhiko shrugged. "To be honest, this place isn't half bad. There's food to last us for days, the furniture is nice, and honestly, I don't really see a point in leaving. My man can take care of himself, and I'm sure Kurumi can too."

"I do," muttered Vivia. How long would Chizue wait for him?

"You're only saying that because you have a date. Listen, I get it and all, but come on, Vivia, you can reschedule your date!"

He didn't bother trying to deny it wasn't a date—even though it wasn't. There was simply no point in denying it if they wouldn't listen. Although, he wasn't too upset at the idea of it being a date. Chizue might not look at it the same way, though, so it was better to not look at it like that.

From the rate they were going, though, it didn't matter if it was a date; he was missing it.

Vivia sighed and sat on the floor, leaning his back against the bed. "I wanna die someday..."

"If you say that, then you won't see your boyfriend again," said Fubuki.

He didn't bother trying to deny being boyfriends for the same reasons. He didn't feel too upset at the thought of being boyfriends, though. Chizue, however, might.

Halara reluctantly sat next to him, forced to take a break because of their colleagues. Four Master Detectives were taking a break from trying to find their way out of an apartment which anyone would have suspected would be easy for them while a trainee detective and a high schoolgirl were out somewhere most likely deep in trouble. How pathetic they were. If only Yakou could see them now.

After a few minutes of silence, Fubuki sat up. "Should I try rewinding time again? I feel as though I have enough energy."

"Don't bother," said Halara. "I'm guessing you've already tried a number of times. Pushing yourself more is unnecessary."

"But...then what do we do?"

"We can keep trying to look for an escape," said Vivia. "I can use my Forte to see if there's a way out."

"Didn't you already try that?" asked Halara.

"I can try again."

"You must really like this man if you're trying so hard." Fubuki smiled. "Are you in love? Is this what love looks like?"

"I wouldn't say I'm in love..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I do not know much about romance. If you are not in love, then what are you?"

Vivia stayed silent, not sure how to answer.

"He's down bad, that's what he is," Desuhiko answered for him, though he wasn't sure if he liked the answer.

"Down bad? What does that mean?"

"It means he really likes this man romantically and would do a lot for him or whatever he wants just to keep him happy," answered Halara.

"How does Halara know what that means but not you?" Before either could reply, Desuhiko turned to Vivia and ruffled his hair. "I didn't know you could be so interested in someone!"

"What is his name?" asked Fubuki. "It is our job to make sure your boyfriend knows we accept him!"

"His name is Chizue Abe." Simply saying his name brought warmth to Vivia's chest, yet it also brought discomfort when thinking of how disappointed he would be when he realized he wasn't coming.

Halara's eyes lit up slightly in realization. "Him? I've seen him in the café. He always has this one seat and gets upset whenever someone else sits there, but he never asks them to move or sit somewhere else. He seems to be someone who pretends to tough but is actually very shy."

Vivia stopped himself from scowling, but he couldn't let Chizue's name be shamed like that. "He's very nice. He gave me a book he thought I would like just because he heard I liked books, and he was the one to convince me to be with the rest of you at the agency. Despite what you think, he's a very respectable man whom I have to see." He stood up. "If you excuse me, I will be trying to find an escape."

"You know what, I'm liking this motivated Vivia!" Desuhiko grinned at him. "If romance is the way to get him 100 times more pumped than usual, then we should invite his boyfriend over whenever we need him! Break time's over, guys! We don't know how long motivated-Vivia is lasting, so we have to take advantage of this! Let's get you to your man, Vivia!"

Vivia was happy just to have another chance of seeing Chizue.

. . .

After several hours of non-stop searching, they still couldn't find a way out.

Desuhiko tried to smile at Vivia. "Sorry, man..."

"Chizue will understand," said Fubuki with a smile.

"Romance shouldn't be a main priority anyway." Halara frowned at themselves. "Sorry. That was meant to be comforting."

Vivia looked around for a fireplace or something like that to crawl into and read Twilight in before remembering there were none, and he only read Twilight once when Chizue let him borrow it. He sighed, trying not to think of him waiting for him but him never showing up. He wasn't sure how he could fully explain himself without making either of them feel horrible, him for missing it and Chizue for being the one who made him go. The pure thought of it felt draining. "I wanna die someday..."

Chapter 5

Notes:

I think I might’ve written the angst better than last time. I know the romance is kind of rushed, but if you’re writing a fanfic with seven chapters, it kind of has to be.

Life is not fair.

•••

Chizue thought the news was fake. Everyone thought the news was fake. He didn't want to believe it. No one wanted to believe it.

He was in Kamasaki District when he and everyone else in Kanai Ward found out they were all homunculi—defective homunculi. Makoto Kagutscuhi broadcasted a live stream of him revealing the truth behind Kanai Ward. It felt too much, and it wasn't just for him. Every resident of Kanai Ward couldn't wrap their head around the fact they weren't human, that their original human counterpart was eaten by one of them—they could have eaten their human counterpart themselves—they were all failed experiments, they needed to keep out of the sun to keep themselves from turning into actual zombies, they needed to eat human food to keep themselves sane...

And do not even get him started on the meat buns.

Chizue found himself in an empty alley, needing to stay away from everyone. He was a homunculus, but he didn't feel like one. He remembered everything from before Kanai Ward was isolated, but his heart sank when realizing they weren't his memories. They belong to the real Chizue Abe, the human version of him. The one he might have eaten alive himself.

Being alone wasn't helping, but being surrounded by other people wasn't what he wanted either.

"There you are."

He jumped at hearing Vivia's voice. He backed away as far as he could until his back pressed against the wall of a building. "Don't come any closer."

He held his hands up in peace. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"But what if I hurt you?" Defective homunculus could be dangerous, especially towards humans. If everyone in Kanai Ward was a homunculus, then outsiders like Vivia were humans. He didn't want to hurt him.

"You're not going to hurt me." Vivia took one step forward.

Chizue's back pressed harder against the wall. "That's probably what someone thought before they got eaten by their best friend's homunculus."

"You had some human meat to eat a while back, though. It should last you enough time to have this conversation. Even if it doesn't" —a faint smile appeared— "I wouldn't mind getting eaten by you."

"Don't say something like that..."

His face turned serious. "I won't as long as you let me at least stay with you."

He wouldn't go away. Was there really any point in making him?

Vivia tried taking another step forward. Chizue didn't move, making him try another. More came until he was right in front of him. It wasn't often they were both standing, and Chizue realized Vivia would be taller than him if his posture wasn't so bad. It was Vivia, though, and he loved that.

Vivia hesitantly wrapped his arms around him, light as if he was unsure. Knowing he was a human while he wasn't made Chizue's stomach churn. He hugged back tight, forcing Vivia's grip to tighten.

He wanted to let go before he hurt him, but he couldn't.

They stayed silent for a few minutes. Then, Chizue asked, "Why are you here anyway? Aren't detectives busy with everything going on? You have better things to do..."

"The best I can do right now is be with you." Vivia's head rested on his shoulder. "Also...why wouldn't I be here? You're nice to be around."

A small smile was on his face. "You can't say what I said to comfort you..."

"I like what you say."

Chizue pulled him closer. He didn't want to be alone, and he didn't want to be in a crowd, but being with Vivia was always the better option.

"Are you going to be okay?" Vivia asked. "The news..."

"I don't know... I don't want to think I ate my human self."

"You don't know that."

"I might have."

"You could have eaten some other person."

"I don't want to think about that..." Thinking about it made him think of meat buns. At least he couldn't remember eating humans during the Blank Week Mystery—though it wasn't a mystery now.

"You can get through this... I believe in you."

The smile on his face grew. "Thank you, Vivia."

They could pull back from their hug, but they didn't. Chizue liked feeling Vivia so close to him. He felt a little cold, but he was a distraction from the non-stop rain, the recent news, and the thoughts poking at his mind. Vivia was someone he could go to for help, support, and a distraction. Vivia was who he needed.

"I never got to thank you," Vivia said. "For making me go to work after my boss died. I know it didn't go as planned...but I think it would have been worse if I didn't go. Thank you."

"I didn't do anything..."

"You did a lot. You can't imagine how much it is."

The firmness in his voice made his heart flutter.

"Let me repay you by at least being here when you need it. Granted, I can't comfort anyone...but I can give you my support."

"That's fine—"

"No it isn't. You can cry, talk about all of your problems, whatever you want. I will give you all of my support."

"You didn't cry when we were at the hotel."

"That was different."

It wasn't really, but he was being too cute to be truly upset. Chizue only smiled and leaned back to meet his eyes.

Seeing his face made him lose his confidence, like normal. He still managed to whisper, "Thank you, Vivia."

Vivia only smiled back, but that was enough of a response as anything.

They were close together, their noses just about to brush together. Just pushing his head forward a bit would change their relationship. It would be going in the way Chizue wanted it to, but after thinking about his initial plan of flat-out confessing his love after Vivia never showed up, he wasn't going to try to force him into loving him.

Which was why it was Vivia who kissed him.

For a second, Chizue couldn't breathe. His lungs forced him to remember their existence, which made him pull back. Which also ruined the moment.

"Sorry," he quickly said.

Vivia tilted his head, leaning back slightly. "For what? You didn't do anything."

"It's..." He shook his head. "Can we restart that?"

So, they kissed again. This time, Chizue was prepared and could breathe. He felt too much to count, both physically and emotionally. He felt Vivia's rough lips, the raindrops falling onto them, Vivia's arms still around him. He felt joy at their kiss, worry he might mess up, and love from being with him.

Vivia was someone who could be relied on for help, support, and a distraction. Chizue never knew he needed Vivia until now, but he knew he could never let him go now.

Chapter 6

You are the only one who has ever touched my heart. It will always be yours.

•••

Vivia was on his way to the train station when he saw Chizue. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see him, but Chizue spotted him and made the decision for him.

"Vivia, there you are," he said. "I was looking for you. Are you free today?"

He had some time before he had to leave, though he shouldn't abruptly leave with a quick explanation when the time came; Chizue didn't deserve that. "I have to leave Kanai Ward today."

"You do?" Other than shock, he wasn't showing much emotion, making it harder to know how to handle this.

"My work in Kanai Ward is done. I have to go on the next train back to the World Detective Organization and wait until I get my next case."

"I see..." Disappointment flooded his eyes.

He hated seeing him like that. "I can quit."

"Why?"

"Detective work is getting more demanding. It can be nice and it has its moments, but it's tiring..." He hesitated and added, "I also wouldn't mind staying in Kanai Ward and being with you..."

Chizue turned his head away, quiet for a second before saying, "You shouldn't quit your job if you like it..."

Vivia sighed. He would have said he wanted to die, but Chizue didn't like it when he said that. He shouldn't ruin the mood any further as well.

"Where is the World Detective Organization? Do they have a main building, multiple buildings?" Chizue eventually asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"If it's near a city, maybe I can move somewhere near it. That way, we can see each other more often."

"Didn't you just find out you were a defective homunculus?"

"Amaterasu Corporation is starting to make coats for us that lets us go into the sun. I can order ramen packets when I get there, or maybe I can learn how to make them myself."

The new ramen shops around Kanai Ward were replacing the meat bun shops after residents found out what was inside them. The ramen had everything a defective homunculus needed to survive, but whether they could send delivery to places far from Kanai Ward was still unknown. The recipe for them wasn't shared yet as it was still fairly new, and the ingredients might be hard to find outside of Kanai Ward. It would be safer if Chizue stayed.

When telling him so, the disappointment in his eyes only grew. Vivia's skills at comforting we're near zero, but he couldn't leave Kanai Ward with him so sad. "We'll meet again someday. As a bird does—"

Vivia stopped talking. Chizue was crying.

"Do you have to leave now?" he mumbled. "You can't... You can't stay for a day longer? Not even an hour?"

Vivia couldn't think of anything comforting to say. "I...don't think I can..."

Chizue didn't respond, simply biting his lip and wiping away tears falling from his eyes. Vivia tried wrapping his arm around his shoulders, remembering how a hug seemed to help him when discovering he was a homunculus.

After a few minutes of silence, Chizue muttered, "Sorry for this. You have to leave soon, so you shouldn't be here with me..."

"It's fine."

"We can still talk after you leave, won't we? Kanai Ward isn't isolated anymore."

"We can talk every day." He could plan a time when they could talk. It might change depending on whatever they have going on, but he would try his hardest to keep that time free.

Chizue smiled with less sadness in it than he expected. "It doesn't have to be every day. But if you want, I can free time for you."

Vivia smiled. He would like that a lot.

Chizue pulled himself away. "You should head for the train. It should leave soon, right?"

It would, unfortunately. He should have made time for him earlier so what could be their last moment together in person wasn't so rushed.

Seeming to sense what he felt, Chizue took his hand. He squeezed it before kissing the back of it, his smile wider. "I'll miss you, Vivia, but even if we don't see each other a lot, I wish you the best of luck. If you need me, I'll always be right here in Kanai Ward."

Vivia's mind wasn't working, too focused on Chizue himself. He should have been thinking of something to respond with, but he was focused on remembering his smile, his voice, and the feeling of his lips on the back of his hand.

Chizue let go. "I'll see you later, Vivia."

"I'll make sure it's soon, Chizue." Vivia smiled one last time before heading to the train station. While many people were around him now, all he could do was remember Chizue. It might take a while for them to see each other again, but simply knowing he was right there in Kanai Ward whenever he needed was enough to motivate him to do his job.

Someday, they would meet again, but for now, they would have to go their separate ways.

Notes:

Give me, like, at least two weeks to write the last chapter. I’m going to Ottawa probably without my phone and laptop so it forces me to interact with my cousins who are four and seven. I probably won’t update again until I move to Alberta, which is about right after I leave Ottawa, but I promise I’ll try my best to make the (short) wait worth it! It is also the last chapter, so I have to make it good.

Chapter 7

Notes:

I'm back from Ottawa, so here's the final chapter! It wasn't as bad as I thought, to be honest. It was just a lot of Aphmau since my 7-year-old cousin is in her Aphmau phase (which made me get back in my Aphmau phase) with a dash of NewJeans since my 5-year-old cousin loves them (I have successfully introduced him to Pastel Palettes and Hello Happy World, and his favourites are Aya, Chisato, and Kokoro). As nice as it was, it's also nice to be connected to the internet again and post this final chapter. :)

You don't know how long I've waited for you.

•••

Chizue Abe was in a rush. Everything from the moment the train arrived to the place he first stepped his foot in had to be perfect. Would he get told it wouldn't matter? Maybe, but he didn't care. His stomach was in knots, and the only way it felt better was to make sure nothing went wrong. It did bring him more knots, but he couldn't help it. He trapped himself in this, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

While he was making sure his apartment was clean for the thousandth time, he got a text from Vivia. His heart pounded when he read he was less than an hour away, but he tried to act as calmly as he could as he replied. He still had a lot of things he wanted to do, but for now, he decided to go to the train station to welcome him.

He knew Vivia was exhausted, as usual, from his detective work. With all the travelling he had been doing, Chizue thought it would be the best if he spent his few weeks off simply relaxing. While he got ready to leave, he checked over everything he planned for them to do—which, to be honest, was nothing. The only thing he had planned was a walk around Kanai Ward and show him everything new about Kanai Ward, and he also thought they could visit the book store and find books he might like.

Right now, though, Chizue had to go to the train station. He only left with one thing on him—something he knew Vivia would like to have again.

---

Between getting several weeks off of detective work from the World Detective Organization and getting a train ticket to Kanai Ward, Vivia Twilight was luckier to achieve the latter. When news spread of a city isolated for three years was now communicating with those outside, tourists jumped at the opportunity to go visit. While it was nice to have the city gain tourist money, it had been hard to gain a ticket, not to mention they were expensive as well. Vivia had gotten time off before, but due to lack of tickets, he couldn't visit Chizue no matter how much he wanted to. He didn't tell him so, however, to keep him from feeling disappointed.

Now, though, he managed to make his way to Kanai Ward. Now, about half an hour from seeing Chizue, he couldn't resist a smile. It was the happiest he felt since Fubuki had managed to make a reunion with her, him, Halara, and Desuhiko. Yuma—or the previous Number One—couldn't be contacted, and though Halara had accidentally seen Kurumi, she was too busy travelling for a reunion—though after so long in isolation, no one could blame her.

An announcement came on for passengers to start packing their bags. Vivia remembered trying to hide in a suitcase for someone to carry him away when it was time to leave Kanai Ward. He wasn't as lazy as before, and he had also packed items too, unlike when he first went to Kanai Ward. Granted, he didn't pack much and stayed in his seat and left at the last possible moment, but it was better than last time.

Vivia turned to the window, watching the scenery pass by. The train had gone under the infamous rain of Kanai Ward a few minutes ago, leaving everything darker while the neon lights and signs brightened the area. It had a nostalgic feeling to it, and his heart settled at feeling as if he was returning home.

---

Chizue was at the train station. While butterflies fluttered around in his stomach as the train came to a stop, he couldn't stop a smile when he saw Vivia step out.

Vivia shared his smile, but he still felt a bit awkward to approach him first. In a way, it felt like he was seeing him for the first time. How long has it been since they last saw each other? Both of them knew the answer: 203 days.

"Vivia," Chizue said, "I have something for you."

He brought out Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. "I can't look at this book without thinking of you."

Vivia took the book, memories of first meeting Chizue flowing through his mind. Had it really been less than a year when they first met?

"I was thinking about reading this again," he said. "I didn't have time to, though, and I couldn't find the book when I did..."

Chizue smiled. He had been remembering their first meeting as well. He remembered something he had been meaning to tell him, and now, he had the chance. "You know, you can keep it if you want. I don't mind. I bought it for you anyway."

"That's kind of you. I would say yes...but it doesn't feel right to read it outside of Kanai Ward."

Chizue nodded. "It's nice to have you here, Vivia."

"You as well, Chizue."

Chizue offered his hand. Vivia took it. Together, they walked out of the train station and into the streets of Kanai Ward.

Notes:

We're done! ^^ It's been fun writing this, even if this was supposed to just be a one shot. Now I'm kind of attached to this ship, so I'm planning on writing one shots that are staying as one shots of them. I have some ideas in mind, but I'm going to start writing them once I officially moved to Edmonton, Alberta. (I'm still in London, Ontario as I write this, so I'm technically not supposed to be writing this. Not my fault our flight got cancelled and I found my laptop and charger with nothing else to do. I would've used my phone, but I think my dad took all the phone chargers with him to Edmonton so I can't charge it...)