'Your grief doesn't absolve you of your consequences.'
He didn't even know why they were arguing – but it seemed that luck wasn't on his side as [Name] stormed out of the dining room, Declan's voice ringing out in his ears. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear Declan following after him until he was spun around by the collar of his shirt and slammed into the wall.
[Name] let out a pained grunt – his hands reflexively tightening around Declan's wrist and twisting before he could stop himself.
This seemed to anger Declan further as he slammed Leo into the wall again with a pained grunt.
"Why are you even annoyed?!" [Name] grunted out, his nails digging into Declan's arms.
"You piss me off! Acting like you're better than us, as if father isn't the reason you have the life you're living right now!"
"How the fuck was I doing that?" [Name] landed a kick to Declan's leg, making the other let go of his collar.
"Fucking hell, if you've got something to talk about, talk to me, don't just yank on my collar," [Name] warned darkly, glaring at Declan.
Declan huffed once more, glaring at Leo before storming away.
[Name] sighed and ran a hand through his hair, and sighed again, thinking back to what even happened to cause this argument, it seemed that Declan had a long day and [Name]'s awkward attempts at making conversation annoyed him more than he thought it would.
He then remembered that their father was just sitting there at the dinner, and when the argument started he did try to deescalate, to no avail as it resulted in him being told off by Declan, due to the perceived favoritism.
[Name] sighed once more before slinking off to his bedroom, closing the door and locking it gently before slumping into his bed.
'What kind of luck is this?'
'It is random, Host.'
[Name] buried his head into the pillow in frustration and groaned. Sitting up slightly, and thinking to himself for a moment before his phone buzzed, the screen lighting up as he glanced at the text. He looked at it for a moment before groaning again and throwing his phone down.
"God, why did I do this? Why did I even give him my number?" [Name] muttered to himself as he got up and grabbed his jacket, he saw Declan as he walked past the others room, but kept his gaze straight and didn't acknowledge the other and left the house, closing the door slightly harder than he intended.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Henry sat on a park bench, the weather was turning slightly, and though it was supposed to be summer the skies were cloudy. The heat wasn't high either, Henry looked around, almost antsy as he waited for Leo to arrive.
It didn't take long before Henry caught sight of the other, walking briskly, and he looked more tense than usual, annoyed and a tenseness in his shoulders as he approached, and just as Henry was about to stand up and greet the other, to ask if something was wrong – he watched Leo's expression soften once their eyes met.
"Henry, apologies for keeping you waiting, you've not been too cold have you?"
Henry smiled and shook his head, "No, I haven't been waiting long, don't worry."
"Yeah? What did you have planned then? Did you eat already?"
"Uh, no, I haven't yet, wasn't hungry when I came out," Henry answered, as he stood up.
"Mind if we go grab a coffee? I know a good café."
Henry smiled slightly, and nodded, catching sight of a slight smile on Leo's face too, and as they walked he ignored the slight flutter in his stomach as the two walked into town.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This almost reminds me of home, [Name] thought to himself as he and Henry sat down, finding a seat in the corner of the café. It was a warm setting and cozy, no big harsh overhead lights, small yellow lights that hung low from the ceilings, giving the café a rustic look, the brick walls were exposed and a large coffee machine grinding the coffee beans, and allowing a strong yet mellow smell of coffee to permeate the air.
"So, what have you been up to today? How's home life?"
[Name] glanced back at Henry, noting the other's curious gaze, and the familiar sparkle in those enchanting green eyes, he cleared his throat for a second before replying, "Nothing much, my brother and father are fine. Haven't been up too much, apart from reading up on the lecture notes."
"What about you?"
"Nothing much either, same as you. Been enjoying the greyness of the day," Henry responded sarcastically.
"You're not fond of colder weather or seasons, I'm assuming?"
"No, God no. I prefer the hotter weather, summer and all. The other seasons are just so all over the place."
[Name] chuckled for a moment, before thanking their server quietly as their drinks were brought over, "I can tell that, I prefer autumn and the wetter weather. I don't really know why I do. I guess there is something calming about the rain."
Henry smiled as he took a sip from his drink, "Yeah? Fair enough, I guess there is a charm in the rain."
[Name] let his gaze wander over the other slightly, "So, why'd you invite me out again today?"
"Is it bad I want to hang out with you today?"
[Name] laughed at the other's quip, "You barely know me."
Henry smiled in response, "Well, I'm getting to know you better aren't I?"
"Touché."
The conversation flowed effortlessly, and a strange heaviness settled in [Name]'s chest as he knew that once he completed this world, it meant that he'd have to leave behind the people he met once more. He took another sip from his drink, trying to distract himself from the feeling of helplessness in his gut, the coffee bitter now on his tongue, and nothing else. Only a strong bitterness, and it reminded him of himself.
He wondered how many things he could have done differently through the different worlds he's been through, before forcing himself to zone back, focusing on what Henry was saying. It was some story about him and his sister, and distantly he confirmed that Olena was his older sister.
[Name] did a double-take, even though he already knew this information, he couldn't believe that the man in front of him was the stealth protagonist, determined for great things, whilst [Name]'s life was supposed to have ended in failure and ended in pain and retribution paid – now, compared to the bright-eyed individual that was in front of him, talking animatedly to him about his likes, hobbies and dreams, and [Name] had never felt so far-removed from this conversation.