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[ Kano lets Yuya try to walk down them without any guidance because he is a terrible friend.

okay, fine, he will grab Yuya's arm if and when he stumbles and falls but otherwise, he is a terrible person who thinks this is hilarious. ]

[Yuya absolutely stumbles on the first step, letting out a yelp and nearly losing his blanket before Kano grabs his arm. He steadies himself, stopping and leaning back a little as he's able to peek down at the bottom of the stairs. Like Kano didn't know these were coming!!

...] Hey... if I fall, will you catch me?

[Yuya's voice is, at least, low enough to stay private between them as he breaks the silence. But, well, Kano already caught him from falling so he obvious means something else.]

Hm~

[ In all honesty, there is no need to keep quiet and no need for Yuya to have that blanket over his head, but Kano doesn't tell him either of these things as he steps close enough to Yuya so that his foot is right next to Yuya's and he can use that as a guide for where and when to step down the stairs. ]

I'll do my best, but I might have to just cushion the fall?

[ He's weak, Yuya... you know this. ]

Aw, you'd do that for me? [He stifles a chuckle, pulling the blanket back securely over his eyes and then waiting a moment before following Kano's lead down the stairs. Now that he knows he's on them, it's actually not a struggle--he's been up and down them enough times, he knows the pace he needs to take along them.

But he still follows Kano's lead a little, foot beside foot without grabbing the railing.]

[ He should grab the railing instead of relying on instinct and the whims of a gremlin child... At least Kano takes care to go down the steps steadily instead of his usual hop down two steps at a time, but mostly for the sake of continuing the conversation without it turning bloody. Also, he does want to eventually make it outside for milkshakes. ]

'course I'd do it for you~ But I'm your last resort, okay!!?! The absolute last line of defense!!!!! I need you to do everything you can to stay afloat and keep from falling, so I don't have to do any work! Can you do that for me??

[There are a lot of more reasonable ways Yuya could have approached this, and instead he's putting all his safety into Kano and making him choose if he's gonna try not to fuck it up or not. That might be on purpose.]

Mm, I can do that. But don't worry, you'll be strong enough to catch me sooner than you think once we get back to practice.

[ Milkshakes take precedence over Yuya's health and safety, that is the only reason why he's still alive right now. ]

Heh~ Did you ever get to scout out a good waterfall spot?

Gongenzaka said we can't just start with waterfalls, so he didn't tell me any places. [He shrugs.] He did say he didn't think any of them were good for training and he's been improvising.

Hm... Waterfalls are just a large amount of water crashing down from a high place, right? We've got plenty of towers on campus.

[ Imagine... overflowing one of the bathrooms at the topmost floor of the Quad and blocking the door so the only way for the water to escape is out the window and cascading down onto the ground 340985394 feet below.

This is how bad ideas start. They come into fruition because Kano never voices his plans so there is nobody to stop him. ]

Yeah... and there's a water park in Soleil.

[There are two types of bad ideas.] Apparently we're supposed to start with learning the stance and using normal weights, first. It's different than what I normally do.

[Yuya does a lot of running, swimming, and gymnastics. Not so much making himself a human brick wall.]

Stance and normal weights, huh... If we lie on the ground, we can't get crushed any flatter, right? We can start there!

[ Kano does a lot of lying around. He's got this. ]

Actually, I think you can. [To like, a paste.

Once they hit the last step Yuya opts to pull the blanket back enough to see, mostly because he's tired of being blind and it's making his face feel too hot. He glances sideways to Kano, keeping his voice low even though they're the only people up and about at this hour, in the halls.]

You have some kind of healing power now, don't you?

[ Kano takes half the blanket and pulls it around his shoulders too, because one more flight of stairs and they'll be on the ground floor and out the door, and nights are cold and dark and neither of them are wearing jackets. ]

Hm...

[ Stalling... The urge to deny is immediate, but Yuya's seen more than once what Kano can do, so why bluff? ]

Why do you ask?

[Yuya relinquishes his hold on the half Kano tugs on, shuffling a little closer so they're not pulling against each other.]

Well... it's just I think that's the most useful thing you can have, being able to do something about someone being hurt instead of just watching. [His smile twists wryly.] I'm pretty clumsy, so maybe instead of expecting you to always catch me, can I ask for you to make it better after it's happened?

[Not that he expected Kano to always be there, supporting him. Especially when he thinks Kano needs support himself. But Kano takes too much on himself, like Yuya tries too, even if it isn't realistic for either of them to completely prevent their friends from going through pain. Kano, at least, can do something after the fact.

It's kind of funny to think about it now, though, that Kano wanted to do something useful when he has something Yuya's envious about being able to do.]

[ The most useful thing one can have, yeah. It's part of the multitude of reasons why Kano had settled on that wish, had jumped on the chance when he'd met a fey that doesn't immediately try to kill him, because for as much as he hurts people, he also does want to make up for it, somehow. When Nightfall comes, no matter how hard he tries to stop it or change its course or want to run away... in the end, Kano cannot fight. In this way, at least he can be useful, even though he can only be useful when it's too little too late, unable to prevent his friends from being hurt and has to settle for picking up the mess.

There's a reason why, too, that he doesn't like to admit to that new power of his, and this is exactly why. The fact that it came from a Contract aside, the fact that it would be troublesome for him if people knew and started heckling him to healing services, it's also the fact that people will start to think the same way Yuya is, the same way Kano thought when he had Ekkehardt and Hieke as his safety nets. ]

...It's no good like that, Yuya. Of course I'll make it better after it's happened, but did I say I'm the last resort? Just 'cause I can maybe help, doesn't mean you can let up on being careful, or think you can be more reckless.

I'm not going to! [Yuya raises his free hand, a little defensive.] But I'm going to be the one who's fighting, right? And the more I fight, the more likely I'm going to get hurt. I'm not going to stop getting stronger, because I can't protect anyone if I'm dead... but I can't do it alone either, see?

[Yuya's chosen a future where getting hurt is inevitable. He knows that, he's accepted it. But Kano shouldn't think he has to make the same decision to be helpful. He doesn't have to be on the front line of all of that the way Yuya and Nana are. And both of them, they really hate the fight itself.

Yuya lowers his hand.] I need someone to come back to, or else I'm not fighting for anything. Just being there is enough, Kano, but if it's that you want to do something useful, that'll mean a lot more to me than giving yourself up to a daemon.

[ In the end, Kano is a foolish human who believes he could help best if he could fight. And protect, and scout, and gather intelligence, and pull the strings from behind, and do basically everything that can be done so nobody else has to do it. Only fools contract daemons, and only the most foolish of those come back for seconds, or thirds. He rubs at his arm, thinking about that other secret he can't ever tell anybody, the one associated with death and destruction and if anybody found out about that, he surely would be kicked out of the school or sentenced to death then. ]

You've got lots of people to come back to... [ Just being somebody to come back to... Somebody who will be there at the end of the day with open arms and a bright smile, something like that... That's not enough. He can do more. Isn't sure if he can do even that much. ]

But I get where you're coming from. That's how I live my life too, [ giving everything he could to his mother, giving everything he could to Ellie, that's how he keeps going, and having somebody there at the end of the day is the strongest motivator there is for somebody who is terrified of ending up alone. ]

So alright, alright~ I get it! When you come back from war, I'll be home waiting with a large pot of soup and a warm bed!!

[It's never enough for people like Kano and Yuya, who really have no limits to what they'll give to the people most important to them. Yuya's world is only a little bigger. He has a lot of people to come back to, and who will be out there with him. Selfishly, he wants to keep Kano as part of it.

Yuya smiles warmly, and this time it's him to reaches for Kano's hand to lace their fingers together.] Yeah. I'd like that.

[ There's only a moment's hesitance before Kano squeezes Yuya's hand back. ]

Looks like I'll have to seriously learn how to cook, huh?! And maybe see if I can negotiate my bed back from Nightmare~

[Yuya laughs heartily.] Maybe get him a nest even better than the bed.

[Why doesn't Nightmare have a proper tank, is something Yuya will think more about later now that he knows Kano even has a lizard.

For now, he's content crossing to the building with the grand hall for milkshakes. Before they make it, though, he looks at once of the convenience stands and passes the blanket to Kano before quickly excusing himself to ask the clerk for something.

It's a single sleeping pill, because he thinks he's going to need some help tonight.]

[ Presumably, Nightmare has a tank somewhere, because he'd picked the lizard out himself at a pet store with Imelda and she had made sure he had all the proper documents, information, food, and supplies to take care of a bearded dragon. Where is the tank??? Who knows. Sometimes Kano gets the heat lamp out and uses it on himself, though, it's the only thing that made winter bearable.

Kano takes the blanket and throws it over his head like a hood, keeping the rest of it draped over his shoulders while he waits for Yuya to come back. ]

...I think I still have some vodka left?

[ If that'll help??? ]

Uh, it's okay. [He's not inclined to any alcohol after the last time.] I don't normally have trouble falling asleep. What kind of milkshake are you going to get?

[ Is he sure? The only other use for the vodka Kano can think of is Molotov cocktails. ]

I can share some tips for falling asleep later, maybe they'll help! As for milkshakes..... one that's really really really thick!! Peanut butter?? France doesn't really know what peanut butter is, huh? I brought my own so maybe they can blend it in~

I was thinking of chocolate. I bet the school can make peanut butter even if it's not popular, like they can make a lot of food from home too.

[The benefits of a rich multinational school. There's probably not much of a limit on what they can get.

He pushes open the door, letting Kano go through first.]

Traditional chocolate, huh? [ Nothing wrong with the traditionals; they're popular for a reason. Kano places his order first- mint chocolate chip ice cream base with peanut butter and rainbow sprinkles on top. None of these flavors probably go together. ]

Hm, hmm~ Maybe you can settle this one for me: hot chocolate or chocolate milk?

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