When Crow came home it was to a quiet apartment.

He’d only lived with Aion for a few months, and while the taller man could be rather silent a lot of the time, there was something off about it. Normally he’d at least have some music playing in the background, even while he slept; it was something that had taken Crow some getting used to, but the nightmares that plagued the lion when everything fell silent motivated the hedgehog to be there for him. Now he found comfort in the noise as well.

Walking through the small apartment, Crow finally found him in the bedroom, hiding underneath the bed. Lying down on his stomach next to the bed, Crow reached out a hand toward his boyfriend, but left it where it didn’t touch him. Just there, in case Aion wanted to take it.

“Hey, what’s up? You were in a pretty good mood when I had to go cover Yaiba’s shift at the record shop.”

A watery eye cracked open, the rest of his face hidden behind his hair. Without a word, Aion unlocked his phone and pushed it toward the singer.

Confused, Crow picked it up. It was a private message on Aion’s chirper account.

Aion. I know it’s been years, but

we still miss you. When you just

disappeared we were all hurt.

Why would you ever leave?

Everyone loved you, but you still

left. Sara passed away last night,

because you broke her heart.

What did we ever do to deserve

you leaving us in the middle of

the night like that? Come back

for her funeral. You owe her and

Jabberwock that much, after

what you did to us.

Yufumi.

Crow squinted at the bright screen. There was something familiar about those names… When realisation hit him, he sat up abruptly, startling Aoin with his yell. “Ah! You were in that cult?!”

When he received no reply, he lied down again, finding Aion shaking like a leaf. “Hey, Aion, is it okay if I join you under there?” he asked as he clicked the screen off, putting it on the floor. Slowly, he saw the lion’s head move, and Crow pulled the blanket off the bed before scooting in underneath the bed with his partner. Carefully he tugged the blanket through the little space between Aion’s back and the bottom of the bed. He still kept a small distance between them, just to make sure he didn’t make Aion uncomfortable.

For a while they just stayed there, Crow patiently waiting until his boyfriend finally stopped shaking. Aion motioned over Crow’s shoulder, and the hedgehog reached over to get the discarded phone, handing it back to him.

After a few minutes of typing, Crow’s phone vibrated, and he wormed his hand into his pocket to read the text.

I met them the day after my parents

threw me out. They let me stay and

then I just never left

Crow shifted, leaning on his arm. “How long were you there?”

7 years

I left the night after my 24th birthday

Feeling Aion’s body grow tense, Crow knew he was expecting some comment on how long he’d been there. 24 - 7… Shit, he’d still been a teen and had gone straight from his family home to getting sucked into a cult? He didn’t really know what to say to that, so he decided to focus on what had ended Aion up under the bed in the first place.

“You definitely shouldn’t go. You don’t owe those assholes anything . I dunno what happened to you there, but if you get like this from a DM there’s no way you should actually go there.”

He watched Aion’s brow furrow, eyes flickering back and forth between the phone in his hands to Crow’s face. After a few minutes of silence, Crow held out his hand, and Aion slowly slipped his fingers between his.

“Look, we’ll block whoever this dude is, delete the message, and if any of them ever contact you again, I’ll tell them off for you. Sound good?”

After a moment of hesitation, Aion nodded. “Good. I prefer when you’re at your regular anxiety level, but if it gets worse, you know I got your back, right?” He scooted closer, cupping Aion’s cheek with his free hand. “Can I kiss you?”

Aion squeezed his hand, before nodding, cheeks flushing pink. Carefully, slowly, to give Aion enough time in case he changed his mind, Crow leaned forward to plant a firm kiss on his boyfriend’s nose. It made the tall lion let out a startled laugh, and Crow grinned back at him, pushing blond hair out of Aion’s face.

“Wanna get out of here and cuddle on the bed with me? I bet I can find us something to eat, too.”

Giving it some thought, Aion finally nodded, and they shuffled out from underneath the bed. Standing up, Crow watched Aion make his way onto the bed, cocooning himself in the blankets. Crow pushed blond fringe out of his lover’s face, leaning over to give him a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be right back, you pick something to watch or listen to if you wanna.”

He left for the kitchen, smiling at the sight of pink on Aion’s cheeks. He’d make sure to be back as soon as possible.

Even though part of Aion’s day had been shit, he’d make sure he was happy for the rest of it.

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