There was a knock on the door, and Icarus looked up from where he was mopping the kitchen. He paused, not sure of what to do, but it was 7pm, and he thought it might be maintenance. His swamp cooler had broken, and he had been calling for two weeks to fix it, to no avail. With a sigh, he leaned the mop against the wall and made his way over to the door, pulling it open to reveal… Aiden.

Aiden stood there staring at him for a long, long moment, and Icarus studied him in silence.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not letting you in.”

“Did you listen to my voice note?” Aiden asked, and Icarus snorted.

“No,” he replied and crossed his arms. “Why, should I?”

“Don’t act like this. I’m trying to reconcile with you,” Aiden said, sounding frustrated, and Icarus lifted his eyebrows.

“So, you feel entitled to my time?” he asked, and Aiden hissed out through his teeth.

“Icarus, knock it off. I’m trying to apologize.”

“Were you embarrassed by me?” Icarus asked, and Aiden was quiet for a moment. “So, yes then.”

“No, I wasn’t embarrassed by you. Fuck, can you just let me in?” Aiden asked in annoyance, and Icarus studied him for a moment more before he stepped aside. Aiden stepped in and looked around, at all the art on the walls and drawing table set up at the window. There was watercolor paints arranged there, and there was yarn everywhere. The half constructed stegosaurus was left on the bed, but it was clean, just a little cluttered. It smelled faintly of Fabuloso, and Aiden breathed out.

“I see you’re still drawing,” he said and inspected the art on Icarus’s desk of a girl with hair made of water.

“Yes. I am,” Icarus replied and closed the door before he flopped on the bed. “Well? Start talking.”

“I want you to move in with me,” Aiden said, and Icarus stared at him.

“That’s what you’re opening with?” he asked, and Aiden breathed out.

“Yes,” he replied stubbornly, and Icarus lifted his eyebrows.

“I’m not forgiving you that easily,” he said, and Aiden rubbed his hand over his face.

“It’s not about forgiveness, it’s about safety,” he said, and Icarus tilted his head. “You’re going to have paparazzi crawling all over this place soon, and you will have to move. It’ll be better if you move in with me.”

“I can keep myself safe,” Icarus replied stubbornly, and Aiden’s eye twitched.

“No. You can’t,” he said, like that was a fact, and Icarus pursed his lips.

“Why did you leave?” he asked, and Aiden sat down on the stool at Icarus’s desk. For a long moment, he didn’t speak, and when he did, he sounded entirely wrecked.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” he said quietly, like that somehow made all of this better. “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life, and I regret it every day.”

“That doesn’t explain why you did it,” Icarus said, and Aiden sighed and dropped his head between his arms. His hands folded together, and he didn’t speak for a long, long moment.

“Icarus… When I became S-rank, I thought nothing would change,” he said quietly. “I was wrong. I was hounded every day by the Association to start taking on dungeons. Paparazzi showed up to my job. I… I got fired.”

He… got fired? He never told Icarus that.

“Because I was becoming too much of a problem,” Aiden continued, his voice soft. “I had to pay rent for both of us, and I just… I needed to make it work. So, I started working as an S-rank. I started doing the job, even though I was further and further from you.”

“You missed my high school graduation,” Icarus said quietly, and Aiden was silent. “I never forgave you for that.”

“I know. I know I did,” Aiden said, and tears pricked at Icarus’s eyes.

“I was alone,” he said, and Aiden swallowed. “There were no flowers for me.”

“I’m sorry,” Aiden said, and Icarus stared at him. “I… I tried to make it home to you. I tried to be on time, but I… I wasn’t good enough.”

Aiden was good enough now. That much was clear. He had taken out those Killer Chickens with one single blow. He was the best of the best, and everyone hated him for it. He was better than anyone else, and he wasn’t even guild affiliated. It was…

It probably wasn’t how he envisioned his life going.

“So, you left,” Icarus said, and Aiden inhaled slowly.

“I did. I left, because I thought that was the best way I could protect you,” he said, and Icarus studied him.

“And not explaining it to me? Was that the best way to protect me?” he asked, and Aiden pursed his lips.

“I was all you had. I didn’t… know how to explain to you that I was gone,” he said quietly, and Icarus stared at him, angry. “I want you to join the guild I’m setting up. All the paperwork will be done in two weeks.”

“Your guild?” Icarus asked in surprise, because Aiden hadn’t been guild affiliated since he started hunting.

“Yeah. My guild,” Aiden replied. “Harbinger Guild. I was gonna make you, Jacinto, and Ember team B until I can get a few more people.”

“You’d give up your support?” Icarus asked in horror, and Aiden was quiet.

“I want to protect you,” he said quietly. “And I trust Ember. I would trust him with your life.”

Icarus was quiet, processing that for a moment. In all actuality, it would be ridiculously hard to make it as an independent S-rank. He had no idea how Aiden had managed it for so long. He wouldn’t make it. It was hard, long hours, and you would be gone for days at a time. Dungeons were notoriously hard to get through, and he didn’t have anyone except Jacinto to tackle it with. He didn’t know anyone, and this was not like a Korean manhwa. He wasn’t a necromancer, and the abilities in his plushies were assigned at random. He had very little control over it.

He… He couldn’t conquer the dungeons on his own.

He had to be honest with himself.

He did, in fact, have to be honest with himself.

With a sigh, he stood up.

“I’ll only go if Jacinto goes,” he said, because he could just make a guild himself. He imagined it was very difficult, and Aiden studied him.

“You can’t make all your decisions based on what Jacinto does,” he said, and Icarus pursed his lips together.

“Yes, I can,” he said stubbornly, and Aiden rubbed his hands over his face.

“Okay. I’ll prepare an official offer letter for Jacinto,” he said, and then he eyed Icarus. “You’re not doing this whole trans thing just because Jacinto is doing it, are you?”

“Remember when I went for a solid year wanting to be called Parker?” Icarus asked, and Aiden dropped his head.

“Right. Stupid question,” he muttered under his breath. “Okay. I’ll send you an offer letter. I assume you have a new email address.”

“Yes. It’s icarusisfalling at gmail dot com,” Icarus said, and Aiden twitched.

“Why did you have to pick a name with such dark implications?” he muttered, and Icarus crossed his arms.

“Are you done nitpicking everything I’ve done in the past two years?”

“No. Why the fuck did you have to go picking?”

“I needed to afford testosterone and rent.”

“I paid for your rent for a year. You couldn’t find a job in that time? Take out loans for school?”

“I also had a phone bill, gas, motorcycle insurance---”

“Why are you still riding that piece of junk, anyway?” Aiden asked, and Icarus gave him a look of disbelief.

“Do you have any idea how expensive top surgery is? I can’t just go take out a loan on a new bike.”

“I will literally buy you a new motorcycle,” Aiden said, and Icarus’s eye twitched.

“I’m attached.”

“It’s old and busted. You’re gonna get in an accident. Can it even go on the freeway?”

“Can you stop nitpicking literally fucking everything? Let me live,” Icarus snapped even though the answer was no, it could not go on the freeway.

“You’re still living in the same apartment. Why not get a one bedroom?”

“I thought you wanted me to move in with you.”

“You said no.”

“Oh, so you’re actually going to let me say no?” Icarus asked, and Aiden twitched.

“I was going to have the movers come over next week,” he muttered, and Icarus blew his lid.

“What about my lease??”

“I was going to buy it out.”

“What is wrong with you? I’m not going to live with you!”

“I need to protect you, Icarus!” Aiden thundered, and Icarus flinched. There was that infamous March temper.

“Then, you shouldn’t have left me,” Icarus said quietly, and Aiden stared at him. “Please get out.”

“You don’t mean that,” Aiden said, and Icarus inhaled slowly.

“I do,” he said and opened the door. “I’ll see you around.”

“They generally have a party to welcome the new S-rank on the West Coast,” Aiden said after a long pause.

“Okay? And?” Icarus asked, and Aiden pursed his lips together.

“I’ll be organizing it,” he said. “I’ll have a suit sent over for it. Make sure you wear it. I’ll text you the details and pick you up.”

“What, don’t want me to show up on my shit motorcycle?” Icarus snapped, and Aiden frowned at him.

“No, I don’t want you to get it dirty.”

Okay, that was fair. If Icarus got in a dust storm, he would be coming into the party in a mess. With a sigh, he deliberately held the door more open, and Aiden got up and made his way out.

“Hey. I love you,” Aiden said, and Icarus studied him with dead eyes.

“Yeah. Okay,” Icarus said and shut the door in his face.

That did not feel like a productive talk.