Chapter Text
The universe just kept throwing punches at them, with some okay times in between.
It often felt like they were always in the calm before the storm, that they were one step away from disaster. It was all so precarious and a little scary. The sacrifice of emotional vulnerability was the fact that those ideas had to be faced and dealt with , which was never really the strongsuit of either of them.
Even yet, they were able to avoid it.
They took a few days to hold each other at arms’ length, and their strings began to sever. The closeness that they had was unwavering, but this idea of separation made the others less suspicious of their goings on.
“How are you doing today?” The blond’s voice rang clear through the room, bouncing off of machinery and screens.
“Better than I have been. And you?”
Sova had assumed his spot at the small chair near Cypher’s desk, setting a blanket and book from his collection on the small table nearby. “No nightmares, which is always a plus.” The blond sipped at a mug that he was holding between his statements, which was filled with the sweet and fragrant mint tea that Cypher had hid in the cupboards all those months ago. “Still tired, since sleep did not come easily.”
“I am sorry to hear that, my measured friend.” There was a slight smirk in his voice as he turned back to the board, adjusting pins and notes as he worked diligently. “Sleep is only a luxury for us, it seems,” he joked.
“That it is.” As if by divine timing, his communicator began to buzz just as his sentence finished. Sliding it out carefully, he saw that it was just for a meeting that he was required to attend. “I must be on my way, meetings call.” He felt a pull in his chest to stay here; a rare moment of not wanting to leave the warmth of the room.
“You know, one would think that you would get more notice on those things.” The two stood about two or so feet away from one another, now looking for any signs of dishonesty.
“Oh, I do. I choose to ignore them outside of the initial message, they can often get repetitive,” the blond chuckled as he closed the space to wrap the other in a hug. The man seemed taken aback at first, but he began to relax as the seconds ticked. “I will be back as soon as time allows.”
“Take as much as you must, I have no plans.” Cypher’s hands came up to reciprocate the hug, his hands laying flat on the other’s back and rubbing small circles.
If the hug took a second or five too long, they weren’t going to tattle.
The gumshoe watched as the archer left the room quickly after the hug, making sure the door closed softly behind him as to not disturb his work.
This is totally a platonic thing, it had to be.
He continued to place his pins as he thought about everything, as he often spent his time doing. The two had fallen into a pattern of complacency as the weeks passed since the incident, keeping eachother in reach just in case but also refusing to blow their cover.
They knew the ins and outs of needing privacy, and they would die before giving that up.
If you had it your way, this wouldn’t be platonic.
That thought rang through his brain as he set his items down, taking a moment to process that.
It isn’t that he wouldn’t be upset about anything moving forward, he just knows that he has unfinished business.
It felt like a betrayal, even if he knew that it wasn’t. He and Nora had had this conversation very early in their relationship; setting the boundary that they were not bound to one another after death. They were going to be people for a long time, especially as two Radiants, and tying themselves to one another in life and in death was a bit much.
Nora would like him.
That thought made his chest warm, knowing it was her influence that let him know that it was okay. Her visits were few and far between nowadays, but her hand often was a leading force for him. He took the things that she said to heart, even if he knew that they were coming from a place of selflessness.
“You’re right, I do like him.”
The man turned comfortably around and found the apparition of the woman perched on the end table.
“That’s good to hear, Nora. I’m happy you do.”
Her unfinished business, standing in the flesh. There were fleeting moments, when it felt as though she was able to move forward, but she was pulled back just as quickly.
She tried to visit when she could, just to see that he was still standing. He was never known for taking care of himself, and she knew that, but it was such a comfort to see that he was retaining weight and able to walk consistently every time she had peaked her head through the veil as of late.
That boy took good care of her Amir.
“I really like him, he’s good to you.”
“That is not the only indicator of a good person.”
“I need you to tell him.” There was a frown in her voice as she stood, moving smoothly to be at a comfortable distance. “About me, about everything .” She pulled at the long sleeve of her shirt as she looked away; she did not want to be lecturing or strict about this, but she knew that he would not listen any other way. “You are so happy with him, you light up like you used to.”
“I will, in time.”
“I spoke to him, he seems oblivious.” Her tone was lighthearted, but Cypher knew to read further into it. She seemed happy, almost excited. “Kind and a little paranoid, but overall a great man.”
“He just keeps getting closer, and I keep letting him. I don’t know why.” The man frowned. “It feels like I am betraying you.” Her hands were suddenly on his cheeks, but he could not feel her familiar warmth.
“You could never betray me, you have done so much for me. You devoted so much of your life to mourning my death, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy with him .”
He nodded quickly, his hands reaching shakily up to cover hers. “Okay.” His voice was slightly teary and quiet, the closest he’s come to crying in so long.
“Time is of the essence, Amir. You are on a borrowed lot and do not have much.” Her smile was almost teary, but she knew she was making the right choice. “If a blessing is what you’re looking for, it’s what you have. He’s a good man, he loves you dearly.”
Cypher’s heart was in his throat. He knew that this was her ; his brain was never able to recreate the Radianite glow that her visiting spirit always possessed. He nodded heavily.
“I will, when it is most opportune. I don’t wish to blindside him.”
“Believe me when I say that any time will be a blind to him.” She laughed softly and looked back over her shoulder. “I must go, please take care.”
In the next blink, she was gone.
The warmth in his heart told him everything that he needed to hear, and that he needed to make a pitstop in Rabat.