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Chapter Text

Of course Soul would do something like this. Even now. He always did this. He shoved away problems and hoped they got resolved. Why would now be any different? Just because he thought it was over? Just because they weren't at threat of being killed? The Heart's hands shook. Stuck in a room with this lunatic just being told to make friends. What kind of bullshit is that?!

Heart was always hunched in on himself, but now, curled up so tight, he must have looked like a ball of feathers. His neglected wings curled around himself defensively.

He sucked in a shaking breath. His hands clamored together, looking for something to pick at. When he released his breath, the shudder caused his wings to shake themselves out involuntarily, sending stray crooked feathers flying. He flinched violently as one wing jerked back- hitting himself square in the face. His face screwed up at the impact while a hand flew up to cover the expression on instinct. Fuck. At this rate, he was going to get his blindfold wet. He was already a sorry sight to see- he didn't want to make it even worse.

Heart turned away from Mind; if he was going to cry, the other wasn't going to see it. His wings moved away from himself to splay across his back- a barrier between himself and Mind. As he did so, his hands settled to grab at his arms. It was a sick, sorry excuse of grounding himself. If he weren't on the verge of tears, he'd laugh. What grounding? When has he ever felt grounded? He shook his head, another shaking breath in and out as he waited until he could trust his voice.

"Just so you know. I'm not going to talk to you," was all he choked out, once he thought he had waited long enough.

It really was a terrible idea. The Mind should know, it wasn’t his after all. Even if Soul did want them all to get along, this certainly wasn’t the way to do it. He thought his own ruling-with-an-iron-fist idea would have been an easier choice anyways. The smartest decision is always the simplest.

But instead, in an effort to concede, and still understand that death was a far worse option, Mind stood alone in this room with Heart cowering from him in the corner. It was almost amusing, and certainly fed his ego. He could still pretend in this moment that he was able to have Heart bend to his whim.

The Mind only scoffed at such a statement made by The Heart. It would have almost been rewarding to mock the thing. However, he stood still, cold and calculating. Taking in and analyzing every detail of the pathetic excuse of a creature in front of him.

For such an emotional being, Mind found the other to be quite neglectful. Far too many feathers were broken or crooked- if not taken care of properly, they could get infected and eventually cause paralysis or septic shock.

Mind also thought the other to be reactive, manipulative, and dangerous. While he most likely lacked the forethought, all of the actions he displayed were attention seeking. Heart was pitiful, and it was a conscious choice to make. It was absurd how much sway this childish thing had.

In a low, monotone voice, Mind said, “I don’t care if you do or do not talk to me. I don’t care if you continue to throw yourself a little pity party in the corner. But know that I think you look deplorable.” He sighed. “And know that you should probably take care of those extra limbs of yours, lest you lose them from amputation.” Mind had no intention of sounding threatening, but made no effort to amend that he did.

The Heart sniffled. He rubbed his hands along his arms as the monotony of that robot's voice grated on his ears.

Insufferable. Smart ass. Piece of shit. Thinks that he's above it all. As if he isn't here too. Shoved into a corner left to rot with him. Mind was just as pitiful as himself. Why couldn't he see it?! Why was Heart the only one?! Another shaking breath in. Why couldn't he faze Mind? Just once. Mind isn't better than him. He isn't. Breath out. Heart lifted his blindfold just slightly. Just enough to wipe the tears that threatened to fall, then repositioned it onto his face. Fucking madman.

Despite what that machine may believe, Heart wasn't an idiot. Of course his wings were a tattered mess. Of course he looked pathetic. What was the point in relearning to care for them? His sight was taken from him. No one gave a shit, and until recently, he thought they'd be dead soon anyway. His aching, neglected wings were the least of his worries. Of any of their worries. Why did Mind give a shit anyways? Just to rub it in his face? To taunt him?! They aren't his wings.

"Huh." Heart barked out a vicious laugh, wet and broken. "Isn't it funny?" His wings drew closer to his body, allowing Mind to see his face as he looked over his shoulder at him.

"I haven't been thinking too much about appearances lately." Heart sniffed again, and turned away, wings once again lifted slightly. A wall between him and the other. Under his breath, he muttered, "Asshole..."

Mind took a few steps towards Heart; if the damned thing could stay still for more than a second, maybe he could count just how many feathers were bent and out of place. If anything, it was a fairly concerning amount.

Mind himself had done no research into how to care for winged creatures, let alone this amalgamation that called itself a personification of emotions and feelings. But he knew blood should at least be cleaned up, so he summoned some cotton balls and hydrogen peroxide.

He reached a hand out quietly to the other’s wing, just close enough to grab a broken pin feather. “Are you truly so vain?” Mind bit back. “I couldn’t care less what you look like or what you think you look like.”

Heart shook his head, hair falling into his face- muttering under his breath. Vain?! Clearly, Mind did care, he was the one that brought it up. Why did Mind care about this? What was he even doing?

Mind yanked the feather off. The blood vessel detached and started bleeding, staining the surrounding feathers.

“See? I shouldn’t have to be the one to do this for you,” Mind hissed. “You act like such a child.” He quickly applied the cotton balls and hydrogen peroxide to the wound. He knew it would burn, but had no intention of warning the other.

Heart’s spiral was cut off by a sharp pain. He didn't hear anything that could be said to him.

A yelp ripped itself from Heart's throat. His wings jerked, pushing the aggressor away- flapping wildly. Blood splattered, coating more feathers in that awful red, dotting the floor. He could hear a loud crash, followed by the sound of something spilling to the floor.

"What?!" He huffed, choking on his own rapid breaths. "Is wrong with you?!"

Heart spun himself around to face the lunatic, though he didn't know exactly where he was. Heart's head jerked around wildly, as if lost. As if by looking- by trying hard enough, even with the blindfold, he would somehow be able to tell.

"You- you're sick!" He screamed. "What made you think-?!"

His wings flapped. Flayed out, every broken, battered and frayed feather was on full display. Shaking like a rabid animal, chest rising and falling dramatically, his hands clenched and unclenched from fists. The Heart took a step forward- then back again. It was ready to lunge. When he spoke again, it was, if only slightly, more measured.

"What is it? You want to fight, again? You want to beat me, again? You want Soul to try and kill us, again?!" He spat.

Every argument, every fight, every attempt he had made to hurt Mind, every time he had laughed in his face, it was all replaying. At least this time he didn't have to see the freak sneering back at him. He must be doing that now. Insufferable. Asshole. Piece of shit. He gripped at his chest. Feeling the pounding that resonated through the space they were in- till it was all he could hear. Still, the Heart made one more attempt at speaking over it.

"You," he spat, "are here too." He swallowed. "Do not think you're better than me."

After the impact of the wings hitting him, only a few things registered to Mind. He faced the ceiling. He felt a cold dampness by his leg where the bottle had spilled, sizzling as it mixed with the blood. And there was that feral beast, gnashing its teeth as it stood over him.

Mind’s focus returned to him slowly, his ears ringing and head spinning from hitting the floor. He seethed, his head throbbing with a splitting headache. He gripped at his temples, digging into them to calm himself, something to stop the aching.

He turned over, slowly moving to his knees, the room suffocating with the pounding of his head. “You ungrateful, brain-less savage!” He stormed, groaning as he finally got his feet under him and stood at full height.

“Is it really so impossible for you to accept that I might have been trying to help?” Mind provoked. “Or do you insist on trying to villainize everything I do so that you can continue to be the victim?” It was angry, though he would never admit it. He was asking an honest question, though his tone of voice defied him. He took in deep breaths through his nose, keeping his mouth in a thin line. Staring at Heart where his eyes once were.

As Mind yelled, Heart's head stopped its erratic jerking, finding the direction the other was in. Victim? He was the victim! Mind and Soul, both, they only ever wanted him gone! That glorified piece of machinery wanted him compliant. He refused to do that again. First his vision, then his voice, his say.. who knows what sick ideas that madman would come up with next. Still...knowing where Mind was, now... and "helping." What was that about help?

The pounding calmed. Lungs aching, Heart's breathing slowed.

"Help?" Heart rasped out, energy gone from his voice. "What would you know about..." He couldn't finish. The energy left him as easily as it came.

Emptied of adrenaline, his hands shook weakly. The Heart reached for his blindfold, fumbling for a moment before finding the edge. He peeled it up, flinching at the light that hit his sunken, black eyes. Still, he squinted, making out as much of his self-made destruction as he could.

Mind... A bottle of... something. He assumed it was a bottle. It was small, and he... vaguely remembered, he heard something spill, in the chaos. His failing eyes trailed over the room once more- face contorted in concentration. Though he tried, Heart couldn't stop a wince from escaping him. The light, straining his eyes- it felt like he was being stabbed again. He gave Mind one last glance, though nothing could be made from it. Only a person shaped mass that he knew shared his face.

Mind watched Heart with a scrutinized glare as he surveyed the room. He watched him struggle and hurt himself. Watched his eyes glaze over him, unfocused and uncertain. It cemented how permanent the changes they have gone through were.

Heart replaced the cloth over his eyes as quickly as he could. A deep, tired sigh fell from him as his palms pressed against his eyes. The tension released from his wings and they fell, draping across the floor in a shaking motion.

"What were you..." He sniffed, bringing an arm across his face. "Fuck."

They were...supposed to get along. Mind was an asshole. A prick. The worst. A smart ass- He could go on. But Heart knew that he wasn't exactly the easiest to get along with, either. Heart could feel it through his whole body, just how exhausted this made him. He didn't... want this. Hm.

"Your attitude could use some work. If you wanted to help..." It was still defiant. The bite didn't leave his voice so easily, but he made no effort to correct it. The Mind could figure it out.

“Tch. You do not have the privilege to be picky about my attitude.” Mind rolled his eyes before leaning down to pick up the bottle and cotton balls that had landed on the floor. With a flick of his wrist, they were replaced with new clean ones, and a new filled bottle.

He took a few steps towards Heart again, reaching for his wing again, this time with a gentler hand. He lifted the wing slowly, watching Heart for a reaction. “How do you even deal with these things?” He muttered, still loud enough for the other to hear. “And how are you supposed to take care of them?”

"The privilege to be..." Heart muttered under his breath, mocking. "I guess you enjoyed getting hit then?" Hypocritical bastard. Heart grumbled to himself- till he felt those cold, cold hands grab at one of his wings.

Heart flinched. His wing jerked away, but not enough to rip it from Mind's grasp. Every muscle tensed. The touch was gentle. It didn't hurt, but that only meant that any second now Mind could attack. He was reminded of the locked door. Soul would never come to help, if anything happened. Heart swallowed. He couldn't pull away yet. What was Mind doing? He said he was going to help- what does he even mean? What did Mind think help was? Mind talks about what he thinks is best all the time- was that help to him?!

Through his quickening pulse, Heart could just make out Mind's question. He had asked him a question. Not laced with insult. Not meant to belittle him. Was it rhetorical? It didn't sound rhetorical. It sounded like he was waiting for an answer. Heart's hands found their way to his arms again, squeezing. As the tension in his body slowly left, Mind's touch began to feel less and less threatening.

Mind pinched the wing in between his fingers, watching Heart twitch and spasm as the gears turned in his head. He concluded that it must be an arduous battle for the other to think clearly. Unlike his, Mind’s thought process was useful and profound. The emotional mess in front of him was a hindrance to that most of the time. Here, he even needed Mind’s help to take care of himself. It only served as evidence for his claim.

His gaze shifted to the wing in his hand, observing the way it stilled, a deer in headlights under his touch. He could feel the beating thrum of the pulse beneath the skin and feathers, how it quickened and slowed alongside Heart’s thoughts. It was everything Mind was not.

Heart wouldn't let his guard down completely, he refused. That machine still had it in him to be a threat, he always would. Heart knew this. But Heart wasn't an idiot, either. Mind was trying. He'll try too.

Mind’s emotions were a hindrance to his decision making. The gears in his head turned as he watched the other, and he came up with solutions on how to fix their problems. Easy, safe and simple solutions that will help them survive. Entropic and robotic, dry and apathetic. He was drawn back to the moment when Heart finally collected his thoughts.

Heart squeezed his arms, grounding himself from his constant spiral.

"Here...it's better if we..." He scuffed his foot along the ground, feeling around to be completely sure that he wouldn't sit down in whatever it was that had spilled. Once certain, he gently lowered himself down- tugging gently at the wing that Mind had in his hands, urging Mind to sit alongside him.

Mind did not let go of the wing as it pulled him to the ground. He sat next to Heart, asking “Okay. What now?” Flatly, he added, “I have an inkling of an idea that if I were to start tearing feathers out at random you would reacting rashly and negatively.”

Heart bristled. "Rashly?! It fucking hurts! I bet you don't even feel pain." He seethed. Of course he didn’t. He was nothing but a deranged freak that wanted him gone. He didn’t feel anything at all. A hand moved to his chest. The rise and fall quickened again. He was actually doing this. Sitting here and letting this lunatic preen him- and that's only if he kept his word! He shook his head, a meek attempt at ending the thoughts. He was going to try.

He told himself he was going to try.

In the spirit of this, he reluctantly began to splay out his wings so that Mind could see all of them. Every tangled mess. Every broken and neglected feather. He was going to regret this. Mind was going to hurt them. Berate him even more. He tapped the ground and made a low noise in his throat like a hum.

"I don't know what they look like now, but usually, broken feathers should fall out on their own..."
He was quite sure that there were plenty of broken feathers stuck in there. His wings ached and shook as he kept them splayed out. They must be in a miserable shape. They didn't hurt before. Even when he couldn't bring himself to care for them as much as he should- they never ached like this.

"If they haven't, they're either caught and tangled, or a blood feather- just-" Mind wasn't actually going to do this. There was no way. He was going to snap at him for lecturing him or telling him what to do.

His voice hushed as he continued- taking a defensive edge. "You have to detangle it- just. Brush your fingers through it. You only have to pluck the broken ones that won't fall out. You'll figure it out," he concluded. He pulled a leg up and hugged it with his arms- waiting for whatever the other would choose to do.

Mind puffed defiantly. “Brush my fingers through it? Aren’t I essentially petting you?” He mocked, but his hand found its way to the top of the wing and he stroked the wing down, loosening feathers as his hand passed by.

Heart muttered a curse thrown at Mind under his breath. Petting. As if Mind didn't offer. As if it wasn't his fault that he couldn't do this on his own, anymore.

Then he did it again, starting at the top, gliding his hands along the wing, the old feathers fluttering to the ground. He picked out a few he had seen move under his fingers that did not fall. He made his way from the primaries to the secondaries, and started over.

Mind’s grip on the top of the wing holding it in place was tight, and he would squeeze even more when he found a particularly difficult area to comb through. He slowly slipped into his more rigid muscle memory as it went on. His fingers dug in deeper into the feathers, feeling the down through the top layer. It was as if he was slowly growing claws, edging closer to scratching rather than brushing.

Despite Mind's complaining, despite the insults and his awful, grating robotic voice- Despite himself, Heart found himself relaxing. His wings slowed their shaking. Frigid hands ran through his wings, but the cold was almost nice. The intricate movement through his feathers lulled him, and he began to still. There was no more muttering under his breath, no more twitching and fidgeting.

For just a moment, Heart relaxed to Mind's touch, and they sat in silence.

A snag was hit- he could feel Mind pulling his feathers. He winced, but let it go. His foot began to tap. Another snag- he flinched. Another, he shook his head. Even then, Heart stayed silent. Maybe he'd get better at this... Heart could relax again.

Nails dug into his skin, right at the base of his feathers, and Heart choked.

"Ah- Calm down!" Heart exclaimed. "I know you hate me- but I thought violence was beneath you!" It was a replay of one fight of the many that blurred together- throwing his words back at him. His wing jerked in Mind's clutch. "Why are you scratching me?!"

Heart turned over the idea of a trap in his head. It could be one. It felt like one! Mind had him on the ground. A bug some brutish child held under his thumb. Heart attempted to jerk away from the aggressor. His breath quickened again. Mind was going to hurt him. Mind's grip was hard- uncaring, it was only holding on to tear it right off. The betrayal stung. Heart had almost thought they could have had peace- for a small moment. Soul wouldn't care either. Soul would never even know. Fuck. Heart was an idiot. Mind never fucking changed. The fabric beneath his fingers returned him to the moment, as he realized that he had an entire fist of it. Heart shook his head again, taking a deep breath. He remembered what Mind had done before.

Thinking about it, there was one thing Heart knew for certain about Mind. He always wanted the easy way out. It wasn’t like him to lull him into some sick...sense of security. He didn't care nearly enough about Heart for that, and it was too much work.

The jerks and twitches continued, and Heart scoffed. "Are you just that bad at this?"

"Will you calm down?” Mind pulled the wing closer to him roughly to counter Heart’s trembling and hold it still again. “You are so sensitive.” He bit back scornfully with a roll of his eyes.

An involuntary yelp left Heart as he was roughly pulled and a hand shot to his mouth. Choosing not to reply, Heart grumbled under his breath. He wasn't so unaware that he could argue with being called sensitive- But Mind was one to talk. Callous. Cold bastard. Said callous, cold bastard had a death grip on his wing, however. It wasn't worth the fighting, not when he was at such a clear disadvantage. Heart huffed. He switched the leg he held close to him, constant movement bringing him out of thought.

Mind was not supposed to be delicate, he was efficient. He could get this task done quickly; who cares if the pathetic thing ended up wounded again due to his callousness. The faster this was over with, the sooner they were out of this misery.

There was a pause as Mind thought this over, where his hand hovered over the wing, ends of feathers lightly tickling his fingertips. He readjusted his grip holding the appendage steady. Mind certainly did not care, but his hand went back to lightly brushing the other again. Detangling the feathers slowly and steadily.

Heart calmed as the Mind resumed his pace, and they fell back into that relaxing rhythm. Heart traced circles and swirls on the floor contently, otherwise, he stilled. Mind was actually helping. That was scarier than anything he could have done before. What was he supposed to make of it? Where was this energy before? Why now, of all times? It wasn't because of Soul, that's for sure. It couldn't be, unless it was just to keep them all alive. Did Heart do something? Did Mind do something? The idea that this could all be a trap, or at least temporary still rang through him- but the thoughts were less frantic. He was already exhausted from today.

Mind meticulously repeated the motion until his hand was caught on a particularly broken feather surrounded by old blood, older than when he had ripped out the feather earlier. He stared at it, moving it around with caution. His eyes traveled up to Heart’s face, watching for contortions and twisting emotions.

“Heart?” Mind said slowly. “This is another pin feather.” His hand hovered over the spot, prodding it so the other knew where he was talking about. “If I rip it out again, it will hurt you, and you will get upset with me.” It was a pattern he observed. If the Heart saw the pattern, maybe he would see it from his point of view.

Heart was interrupted from his musing by that dull pain. He winced as Mind pressed the feather, but his wing remained still. Was Mind an idiot? He snuck up on him! He hurt him- without saying a word! Heart didn't even realize that he had plucked a pin feather before. It was lost in his panic. Still, Mind sounded almost unsure of himself. Why wouldn't he go and pluck it again? Heart made a low noise in his throat as he wondered.

He could berate Mind. Make fun of him. He could. It may actually work this time. Mind was trying to help him and he could deny him that chance. Tear him apart. Now Mind cared about if Heart was upset with him?! Now he cared if he gets hurt?! He could rub every goddamn action back in his face if he wanted. He furrowed his brows. He didn't want it. That was new.

"You warned me," was what Heart voiced, instead. "I won't be upset." His fingers tapped, unsure of what he was going to say. How it would be received.

"Promise." It was spoken quietly, with importance.

Neither of them had a good track record with promises. He hoped that it would reassure Mind regardless. He extended his hand so that Mind could see, pinky out.

Mind stared at Heart’s outstretched hand, dumbfounded. Was this some sort of joke? “That’s rich,” he scoffed. Was it an insult? He hadn’t been the one to break the oath in the first place! Mind felt his cheeks grow hot as they reddened.

Heart was the one with the bad track record, not him. Heart was flimsy, untrustworthy, and difficult. Mind knew he could never and would never please him, so he hadn’t even bothered to try. This feeble excuse of a man, wallowing in his own endless self-pity, only listened to his emotions, promises be damned.

Ah.

Heart deflated. He did something wrong. He said the wrong thing. Mind had been berating him this whole time, but he still helped...was that what this was, too? Was this back to the usual? What if this was Mind's last straw? What was he doing now? Slow inhale. Deep breaths. He tried to keep his pulse down so he could listen for Mind. Any shuffling, any whisper, any indication for where he may be. An exhale. Despite all effort, Heart began to shake. He fucked up. He was dead. Another inhale.

With an exhale through his nose, he pressed his lips together to a thin line. Mind’s hand lifted from where he held the wing still, his other still hovering over the pin feather. He raised his pinky to Heart’s, gently brushing by it so that the other knew it was there.

Heart felt Mind's pinky as it brushed his. He choked on his breath.

A light feeling washed over him as a smile crept to his face. He was going to accept. A new oath. A new promise. This could work! It would all work out.

And then Mind squeezed. Maliciously, spitefully, he squeezed Heart’s pinky and ripped out the feather harder than he had the first feather. He made no attempt to stop the bleeding, nor let go of Heart’s finger.

The Heart screamed.

Thoughts froze. A searing pain in his wing. A death grip on his hand. Shaking wracked his body. His hand didn't leave the promise. His pulse rang in his ears. His chest ached.

He was a lunatic! He was insane! Cold and uncaring? He wished. What the fuck?! He was trapped. He was helping. What happened?! What did Heart do wrong? He didn't do anything wrong- Mind was unpredictable. He should have never tried. He should have shut the hell up. He should have never spoken at all. Fuck that. It wouldn't kill Mind to learn for once!

Thoughts crashed back into him all at once. Thick, raspy breaths tore itself from him. Head hung low. Hand raised above, in the unyielding grip. Heart felt his eyes wet. Quickly soaking through the blindfold. He dissolved into tears.

What was wrong with him? A choked sob. What was wrong with him? He grabbed at the ground with his free hand. What was wrong with them? He spasmed, contorting painfully. Couldn't they just have this? Just once? Why did it always end up like this? Mind just had to go and ruin everything. It's all he knew how to do. It's all Heart knew how to do.

Through scattered ideas- heaving cries- panicked shakes, one coherent thought rang out.

Mind will not win this.

Heart let out a broken, strangled sob. He grit his teeth. He looked straight at the bastard. Though tears still streamed, he spent every bit of energy he could into schooling his expression. He wasn't upset.

"I promised."

Finally, Heart’s hand was set free. Mind looked at Heart incredulously and barked out a laugh. He didn’t stop, devolving into a fit of bitter laughter. In his mania, two thoughts faintly echoed to him: just how incalculable the Heart could be and thus how he had disrupted the pattern.

Mind cackled as the other writhed in front of him, petty and snide. The weak excuse of a calmed expression. The pathetic reflection of their first oath. It was a caricature of who they were.

The curtain call of the scene, the stage lights dimming, the audience roaring with laughter alongside him. It was the beginning to the end, and Heart had upstaged him. Heart stopped the pattern. In his lunacy, something told him that maybe that was his goal all along.

This didn't feel like winning.

Heart crumpled. His hand released and suddenly he was a puppet with no string. His wings still splayed behind him, head and arms down, folded over himself.

Deranged laughter peeled through the air. It was dry, broken, and indicative of everything Heart knew to be true of him. Just as unstable as he was. Just as awful and vile. Heart hiccuped a sob. This was always going to be how it ended. He buried his face in his hands. Mind's mask had cracked and nothing was better now.

As his hysteria slowly subsided, his brain continued to short circuit. Now acutely aware of the feather in his hand, doubt creeped its way into the corners of his consciousness. It was spiteful, what he had done to Heart. Petty, malicious, callous, arrogant, cruel; these were all things Mind was. It was emotional, and in his realization that he had acted on those emotions, he reassessed how he held himself. Squaring his shoulders and neutralizing his face.

The laughter ended just as fast as it started. The bastard got tired of Heart already? Was he more deranged than he thought? What was he going to do now?! Hadn't he done enough?! Heart shook. He braced himself for impact.

It was just the two of them in this room, no spotlight and no audience. But there was one more thing that he had to do to start the beginning of the end. The last dance to the final scene. He held the feather tight in his hand.

“I apologize,” Mind said quietly.

Heart was sure that something had broken with them.

Everything seemed to come to a halt. He was wrung out. He had no idea what he was even feeling anymore. Was it everything? Nothing? Was there even a difference? Or did the sheer volume of- anger, indignation, misery, hope, guilt- of everything cancel out back to zero? His tears began to dry.

He pushed himself up- adjusting until he leaned back on his heels, all to look Mind in the face. He tried to imagine what expression he could possibly have, only to draw blanks. Mind had never done this before. What was this? His head tilted.

The Heart thought.

He thought of every insult that had been thrown. Every cruel and callous act he'd endured. Thought of the apathy that had been forced on him. Every spiteful and malicious thing that Mind had done while claiming to be purely logical. Heart almost couldn't believe that he had actually thought him emotionless, with how much Mind seemed to hate him. He thought, also, of every first punch thrown. Every claw and jab and vile fight that Heart had begun. What he tried to do to Mind. Past emotion echoed through him. It ran parallel to this period of lucidity, a mass of jumbled and unnamed feelings coming back for him. It was stored in him. He couldn’t let them go.

He finally spoke. "I don't forgive you." A deep sigh broke from him as he rubbed the old tears away. He was still trembling. He shrugged. "But m'sorry too." For everything he left unspoken.

He shook out his wings, flicking the blood off of the fresh wound. "We don't have to do this." His voice was low and tired. "I can... I'll have to relearn how to do it eventually."

Mind stood up quickly, without saying a word. His movements indignant and assertive, stomping as he silently paced a few steps away from Heart. He fumed as he assessed himself again. Being upset about not getting what he wanted? What was he, a child?

He stopped to settle himself down again, taking a deep breath and turning to face Heart. “Fine,” he said curtly. “You don’t have to forgive me. I don’t forgive you, either.” Mind said it as if it were an attack he could throw back at him.

“It’s fine,” He said again, more relaxed. Mind found himself standing in the spot where he sat next to Heart. “And no, I might as well finish what I was doing. I won’t end up missing any like you’re bound to.” Mind rolled his eyes, sitting down again, picking Heart’s wing back up and resuming brushing his fingers through the broken feathers.

A weight had been lifted from the two of them. They spent their time, from here on, in relative silence. A warning from Mind that he was going to pluck. A weak jab from Heart, reminding Mind to use a delicate hand. The pile of feathers around them grew as the pain in Heart's wings faded, slowly replaced with the dull, foreign ache of healing.

Heart's wings were nearly finished now. They still ached, but they were recovering. Heart let out a breath. They were going to be okay.

Chapter Text

The door creaked. Not even thinking to knock, their captor returned for them. It sounded slow- simply torturing them, or nervous to what he'd find, it was unclear. The beating in Heart's chest picked up as his head jerked towards the door. What would Soul do now? Did he hear their yelling?! Could they leave, or was Soul merely checking in on them, before leaving them again? He froze, a deer in headlights under Soul's gaze.

As the door opened, Mind rose from his position at lightning speed. He had half a thought to push Heart away from him as he did so. He quickly created space between him and the other, brushing off any feathers that might have fallen on him. God forbid Soul ever see them getting along.

Soul squinted at the two, scrutinizing their reactions. He looked to Heart, who faced him with what seemed like utter terror, and then to Mind, who grumbled to himself as he patted his clothes down, as if he were trying to rid himself of a dirt that had seeped in too deep.

Mind’s scrambling cued Heart to stand up, himself. While standing, he flapped his wings once, then twice. The air through his wings, now untangled and free, brought an involuntary smile to his face. He forced himself to choke it down. He tucked the wings neatly behind his back. Soul would see them eventually- but maybe he could delay it. His hands went to his arms. He squeezed. They would never hear the end of it if Soul knew what happened. He would rub it in their faces forever. Mind would never want to help again. It was going to make everything worse. For good measure, he shuffled a step away from Mind.

"...We didn't kill each other," Heart said, breaking the silence. "I'd like to leave."

The Soul was not so easily fooled. His eyes drifted, again, from Mind to Heart, to the feathers strewn about the floor. A dangerous smile began to spread on his face. He stepped into the room, peering around Heart's shoulder to see his wings- his suspicion all but confirmed.

Short, incredulous laughs burst from him as he stared. "Oh my god." Heart's wings were never that pristine. Not even before he was blind. They weren't bad, but he was never this attentive.

Heart bristled, his question unanswered. "What?" He spat. "What is it?! What problem could you possibly have?!" Heart shook his head- rubbed at his arms. Soul was going to keep them trapped here for nothing! There was no winning with him.

Promptly ignoring his Heart, Soul turned to Mind- who was decidedly not looking at him, nor Heart. That awful grin refused to leave Soul's face.

"Mind. You helped him, didn't you?!"

Mind scoffed, scowling at Soul, “You must be joking,” he spat. “Jumping to such conclusions with what evidence?” With a shake of his head, he huffed and crossed his arms. ”Helped him, the thought disgusts me.”

Soul was not easily fooled by his Mind, however, grabbing at Heart’s wing. “Evidence? It’s right here, Mind!” He forced the limb to extend, displaying the newly manicured feathers for the other to see. “You think I would believe you if you told me Heart did this on his own? Is Heart ever this precise?" Trying to get a rise out of Mind, he added sarcastically, "Or maybe the word is calculated?”

Mind seethed, cheeks turning red in his anger, but before he could respond, Soul turned to lean closer next to Heart. “Did you ask him to help you or did he offer?” He asked, that sickening smile never leaving his face.

A choked noise tore itself from Heart as rough hands yanked at his wing. It twisted and wracked itself in Soul's grip. The twitching only cued Soul to hold it tighter and tighter, ensuring it would be still. How much longer was he going to do this? Soul was still ignoring them! He promised he would be better! Heart took a shaking breath in, then out. He'd get himself out of this.

Not deigning the question with a response, Heart reeled back his wing and flapped- knocking Soul on the head. The collision was enough that he dropped the wing out of shock. He stumbled backwards as Heart used this opportunity to twist around, wings flared and out of reach of any wandering hand.

Soul gripped his head. That was going to leave a mark.

"What the fuck?! What's gotten into you?" His excitement began to fade. Thoughts returned to old habits as his anxiety swelled. He left them for an hour and now they're getting along? Fighting him? His hand twitched for his trident, but he forced himself to still. They weren't doing that anymore. He would hear Heart out.

"Oh! I'm sorry." He almost sounded genuine. "I just can't control myself...I couldn't possibly be calculated." Anger finally seeped into his tone. He was deflecting the question and he knew it- but Soul didn't need to know. If Heart had any say in it, Soul wasn't going to barge in here and ruin the tentative peace they had found. It wasn't for Soul. Not completely at least. Not anymore.

Mind gloated as he watched Heart thwack Soul with his wing, reveling in the fact that Heart wasn’t one to hold back to the one who thought he was the host either. But Mind knew that- perhaps he just found pleasure in seeing Soul lose a small battle after his attitude towards them had been so high and mighty.

A moment of silence passed. Heart was glaring- and only slightly trembling, as Soul looked between Heart and Mind. A puzzle he still couldn't quite figure out.

"Fine! Fine. Whatever." Soul's face screwed into a glare to match. There goes that. Fuck. "Come on out, God forbid I get excited for you two." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and made his way to the door. Heart joined close behind, thoughts spiraling again, telling him that Soul would simply close the door on his face if he took too long.

Watching as the two shuffled towards the door, Mind turned to the feathers and mess he and Heart had left on the ground. With a flick of his wrist, it was clean again, including the stains of blood from earlier. Any signs of what happened here were now left only within Heart and Mind’s unspoken acknowledgments. Perhaps it would remain that way.

Soul turned back around to Mind, letting Heart pass him out the door. “C’mon, I’m not trying to torture you guys anymore,” he jeered, gesturing with his hand to urge Mind to follow them.

Distantly, still in his contemplation, Mind slowly looked up from the now unblemished floor. “Is that what this was supposed to be?” He asked coolly, a knowing smirk creeping onto his face. Nonetheless he did as Soul wished, following them to the door.

Out in the hallway the air was clearer, if only a little. Quickly tarnishing it, Soul declared, “Well, you guys didn’t kill each other, so I think you both can thank me for being such a good leader!” He teased with a laugh.

“Absolutely not!”

“No! Not at all!”

For once, his Heart and Mind were in complete agreement.