Mm... right, right..

{GET OFF! We're starving!}

[Desmond quickly pulls himself away from Simon, rubbing one of their arms.]

..!

S-sorry.. he gets *very* snippy with me when he's hungry.

[Under his breath, he mumbles;]

Like a brat.

{Excuse me?! You INTENTIONALLY go without eating for days!}

{Yes you are. The pretty boy is literally keeping you from eating.}

[Desmond listened closely to the sound of his heartbeat, gently closing their eyes for a moment.

...Cut short by their stomach grumbling.]

{Weren't we making food? Ugh, you always get so hopelessly distracted while I have to starve to death.}

'M not getting distracted...

{It's all sounding far too good to be true, isn't it?}

...

[He hated how much he had to agree. Simon was too kind. In turn, he simply couldn't have been real, could he?

Breathing shakily and holding back a tear, he nods.]

Maybe a hug...

But— what if— what if I— I mean, that's too much, isn't it?

no ..

i don't think it's the cat ...

i think its something ... else ..

somewhere between .

in the trees .

I-I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like..

Like a piece of me is missing. But it hasn't happened yet. But it also... has..?

Th-think it has to do with the weird time differences.

Ask for something..? L-like what?

Mm... if you want to..

I don't want to make you upset..

If..

you can ...

I think

I do need help .

I'm— I'm glad I could help... I'm not typically that sort..

[Desmond leans into the hand, squishing their cheek in the process.]

Mm'kay... I guess that makes you stubborn, like me.

We met in the weirdest way possible, ha.. and it's been nothing *but* weird since...

..

I'm sorry, again. For.. that night I pretended I was Hershel, for scaring the living daylights out of you.. *multiple* times.. and...

Just generally being a pain.

R-really...?

[Glancing up towards his face, they express shared pity.]

I'm sorry you feel that way too...

[Desmond's heart began to speed up, letting his hand fall limply over Hershel's back.]

It's— it's okay...

[He let out a stressed hum.]

I.. don't actually know how. I'm not even sure if it's *really* gone.

No... no you didn't..

[Coming a little closer, he gently rests his head against Simon's shoulder.]

It's me. It's always been in my head that I should just disappear. That life could be better if I was Hershel.

[Desmond grips at their chest, tugging the sweater.]

I'm sorry...

... I don't know why. All I can think of is how I'm an even more broken version of someone I could have been.

It's more than that— I just push people away. I abandon them. I make them hate me.

Because I'm obsessed with doing nothing else with my life except for studying the Azran. There's nothing to me.

...

It's not just him. I'm a pain too.

I don't make any friends.

...

He's blunt, and we've argued before, but he looks out for us. He's been with me for a very long time.

[Desmond's eyes widened.]

You know about that..?

[The sound of his voice hurt. Even still.]

..

You'll think I'm crazy, or hate me..

...

*I* hate me..

I'm not... uncomfortable..

[Desmond's voice gets soft once again, picking at his hands.]

It's you who'll get uncomfortable...

... W-what?

[Watching Simon's expression, their eyebrows furrowed.]

{Why are you ruining this for yourself?}

...

[Desmond's head lowers, as he murmurs.]

Y-you wouldn't love me if you *really* got to know me.

[Desmond flinches, their emotions so raw that their yell comes out rather watery.]

Hh—! D-don't call me that, please, I'm not Hershel! You don't need to feel obligated to love me anymore!

H-huh..?

[Their head whips back to Simon's direction, staring like a deer caught in headlights. The guilt creeps up as he lies.]

I'm— I'm fine, mhm. Did you say you found something?

...

[Lost in thought, Desmond looks away.]

[Desmond kept staring at his hand, as they walked. They weren't replacing Hershel, were they? As ludicrous as that sounds, it was Desmond's fear.]

{He's not big enough of a bitch to do that.}

(What, so he's a micro bitch?? What does that even mean?)

{It means he's too much of a pussy to cheat.}

[Taking his hand, he gets up from the couch and takes a moment to call out to Hershel in his mind.

No answer, except..]

{Let's just go eat. We're starving.}

..

I hope so... Um, if anything, I can cook? If there's anything in the fridge..