A/N: I got too invested in this oneshot, and it got longer than I planned. It takes a while to build up, I guess-
Gradient was lonely.
Well, there was Cross, Lust and Fury in the bunker with him. But he hardly knew them and didn't feel like putting in the effort to talk to them, and his mother was out.
He missed Crescent, but it was his fault he was gone.
Crescent had asked him to come with him to Sci's lab. He had wanted to look for more information about the infection.
Gradient had said no. That it was too dangerous and if he wanted information, then to go on his own.
So Crescent left.
And he didn't come back.
There was a notebook left in the storage.
A notebook that was full of details on each of the infected that Sci, himself, had probably written before becoming infected himself.
But Crescent hadn't been anywhere in sight. So if Crescent hadn't placed it there, who did?
The notebook wasn't even much help.
He had already known most of the things written in there, like how his father, Dream was the freaking amalgamation that liked to appear from time to time, Horror could be distracted if you threw some food at him, Killer would only attack if Nightmare did and Nightmare would instantly stop attacking if you called out 'dad.'
The last two were found out by Crescent. He'd figured it out by accident, and now everyone used it to their advantage.
The only thing Gradient had learned was that the effects of the virus depended on the infected's desires.
So Cross wasn't immune. He had always desired to think for himself without being manipulated into making certain choices, so the virus didn't do anything.
Except maybe make it impossible to bribe him with chocolate anymore.
The notebook was completely useless to Gradient. He just wanted to know what happened to his boyfriend, for Star's sake.
He was this close to leaving the safety of the bunker to go and look for Crescent himself.
Actually... That was a good idea. It wasn't like he had anything else to lose.
He would still need to prepare himself though. If he died before he found Crescent, the entire thing would be pointless.
He just needed food, water and a few weapons in case he got too tired to use magic, maybe.
The only problem was he didn't know where to start looking. He did know someone who would though.
*
Blue was one of the more passive of the infected, as long as you didn't provoke him.
He would appear in the most random places, offering an assortment of items. The items weren't really helpful. They were just decorations, to be honest
If you happened to encounter him though, he would not let you leave until you picked at least one of the items.
If you tried to take off without taking an item, you would most likely lose a limb.
So most just tried to avoid him entirely and stay out of his sight.
However, Blue was exactly the person Gradient needed right now.
Blue had always liked to gossip, even before he had been infected.
If you happened to take a while to decide on an item while Blue was holding you hostage, he would start talking about things he'd learned recently.
See, that was how Crescent had learned the whereabouts of Sci's lab.
If Gradient could find Blue, he could find Crescent.
. . .
It wasn't all that hard to run into Blue. All Gradient had to do was hang around one of his usual spots until he showed up.
"Hello there," Blue said, walking over to him. If it weren't for the blank eyelights and the visible bite on his neck, it would have been impossible to tell Blue was one of the infected. He moved around with ease, unlike most of the others. "You've been waiting here for me, haven't you?"
"Yes... I have," Gradient replied, glancing around nervously.
"Oh, how sweet! I feel so, so appreciated!" he said, an eerie smile spreading on his face. "Not like how they made me feel. They were always so rude, don't you think?"
"Y-yeah," he replied softly. Gradient had no clue who Blue was talking about, but he was beginning to understand why the other got so mad when someone refused to buy his things.
"Such a nice boy. I see why Crescent likes you so much," Blue cooed, giving Gradient a pat on the head much to the other's surprise, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few buttons. "Take one."
"O-of course," Gradient said softly, before taking his time to look at each of the buttons.
The buttons had little animals painted onto them. An owl, a bear, and an octopus to name a few.
With the level of detail on the buttons, Gradient would've thought that his father had made these. Maybe he had before he'd been infected.
"U-uh, about Crescent," Gradient started, looking up at Blue, "he's been missing... Have you maybe... seen him?"
"Of course I did. He asked to give you a book he stole from Sci," Blue replied, before snickering. "He kept saying he didn't steal it, but rather just permanently borrowed it."
"He did...?"
"Yep! It was hilarious how he tried to defend himself."
"I- I meant about the book. He asked you to give it to me?"
"Oh, yes. Did you like it? He seemed desperate to make sure it got to you safely." The look he gave Gradient made him feel like if he said no, he would be having a bad time.
"Y-yeah, I loved it. I keep reading it over and over again," he said quickly. Gradient had read it so many times, searching for anything he may have missed, that by now, he had the entire thing memorized.
"That's good, that's good," Blue said. "I'm sure he'd appreciate knowing that."
"Do you maybe know where he could be? I just- I just wanna tell him in person..."
"Last I saw him, he was at the Mettamall."
"M-Mettamall?!" The supermarket was filled with the infected.
"Yep! You know, I'm not sure why he didn't hand it to you himself," Blue said, "he kept saying he wanted to see you again, and he's quite stubborn when he feels like it."
"Yeah..." he mumbled, nodding. "If he's at Mettamall, he won't last for very long..."
Blue hummed in thought for a moment.
"You always appreciate what you have, right?" Blue said, placing a hand on Gradient's shoulder. He didn't appreciate Crescent. Not until he was gone.
"After all, you waited for me! I trust that you wouldn't abandon me if I helped you! You wouldn't, right?" His grip was starting to become a bit painful.
There was a right answer to this question, and Gradient was pretty sure he knew what it was.
"I- I wouldn't abandon you. If something like that ever happened, it- it would be because someone made me," he said, glitching.
"Oh, you're so sweet," Blue said again, letting go. Gradient gave a small smile, picking the button with the octopus on it. He'd gotten everything he needed.
"Can we get going? I-if that's alright with you," he said.
"Yes, of course! No time to waste!" he exclaimed. "The others won't hurt you as long as you stick with me. I'll make sure of that."
"I- I trust that you won't," he said.
Blue was one of the more passive of the infected. Until you provoked him. Then you might as well say your goodbyes. He'd even attack other infected.
*
Gradient trembled slightly as they got closer to Mettamart.
"Scared already?" Blue teased. "We haven't even seen anyone yet!"
"I-it's just this is where dad was..." he trailed off. Where his dad had been bitten.
"Ah," Blue said. "Ink is a bit unhinged now, isn't he? Reminds me of Underverse."
"Underverse?"
"Yep! That was before your parents got together."
"Oh..."
"Anyway, we can go around the back here. Dust likes to stick near the front to catch some 'toys' for his brother," he said, leading the way.
"R-right..." Gradient said, following.
"He loves his brother so much. It's really sweet, don't you think?" Blue asked.
"Yeah," he said quickly. Blue smiled, nodding.
"That's what I love about him! He cares about a few people and will do anything for them!" he said.
"Yeah, that- that sounds like him," he said. That did not sound like Dust, but he knew better than to argue.
"Well, here we are!" he said, opening the door. "Why don't you go first?"
"M-me?"
"We wouldn't want you running away if I went first, would we?"
"I- I wouldn't just leave-"
"Sure thing," Blue said, frowning. "Now why don't you step in?"
Gradient took a few deep breaths, before walking past Blue and poking his head through the door. He glanced around, looking for any signs of hostility. It was dark and he squinted, trying to see better.
The other waiting outside got impatient and pushed him in and then stepped in himself.
"Ow-"
"Oh, don't be like that! A frown doesn't look good on you," Blue said. "Now let's go! Crescent's waiting!"
"Right... I, um- th-thank you for doing this for me," he said softly.
"Of course!" the other replied. "Now we have a lot of ground to cover. This is quite the large mall after all." Gradient nodded.
"I-is there anyone we know who's um... who's hanging out around here?" he asked.
"There's Dust, of course," Blue started as he started walking. "Classic usually sticks near Grillby's. He just kinda sits there, staring. Sometimes, I wonder what goes through his skull. How can you sit in one place for so long?" Gradient hummed softly.
He had never actually met Classic in person before the infection started, so he didn't know much about him. He did have a reputation for being lazy though.
"Whenever Horror comes by, he mostly stays in the produce aisles or restaurants, where they keep the food. He's always hungry."
"Y-yeah, that makes sense."
Horror had always been afraid of starving. Everyone knew that. It was the nature of his hometown that had made him become this way. There was never enough to eat.
But now he was always eating. If he couldn't find food, he'd grab onto the nearest person. To him, it no longer mattered if they were friends or foes. If he was hungry, it was food.
"Nightmare comes by with Killer to collect negativity once a day for about an hour. He likes the routine, it helps him pretend things are like before." That was... kind of depressing. But it also made sense.
Nightmare had been the one to create the infection. After Killer had died in a fight Nightmare had been determined to bring his husband back to life. It got to the point he started neglecting his children in favour of figuring out how to reverse death. He had succeeded... but not in the way he'd planned. Killer was just a shell of his former self.
No wonder Crescent was so hopeful when he heard about Sci's cure.
"Ink is a wild card. Sometimes he's here, sometimes he isn't, but you'll hear him if he is." Gradient nodded.
His father wasn't exactly the quietest, even before he was infected. But now, he was always shrieking incoherent threats, and he wasn't anything like what Gradient remembered him as. It was terrifying.
"Oh, and there's Merciless."
"Crescent's brother?"
"Yes, he's like you, I believe."
"Like me?"
"Trying to stay out of sight. Trapped, I suppose."
"I'm not trapped-"
"Of course you are. When I finally let the others catch me, it was the most relieving feeling ever. I can't imagine how you feel. To think I was trying to avoid it for so long..."
"I-I'm fine, really," Gradient said quickly. Blue hummed.
"If you say so."
"Do you maybe remember where Crescent was when you saw him?" he asked, deciding to change the subject.
"Ah. He was with Merciless."
"Then he might be okay," Gradient mumbled.
"Sure..."
"That sounds sarcastic a-and now I'm concerned."
"It wasn't meant to be, but I see why you would think that."
"S-so Crescent is okay then?" he asked.
"Oh, look at the time!" Blue exclaimed, looking down at his bare wrist. Gradient gave him a look. That was a poor attempt at changing the subject.
"You're not even wearing a watch-"
"Nightmare will be here soon if we don't hurry! Come on, let's go," the other cut in, grabbing a hold of him and leading him to one of many clothing stores at Mettamart.
"Where are we going?" Gradient asked.
"To find Merciless, of course," he replied. "If we do that, we might find your boyfriend!"
"Oh."
"He likes to stay hidden where he can hide, but see us as well," Blue said, humming. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Crescent's tendrils make it easy to find him."
"Y-yeah, they, uh- they do that," he mumbled.
If he had a nickel for every Crescent had nearly been bitten because of his tendrils, Gradient would have a lot of nickels.
"You would think he'd be better at hiding them by now," Blue said.
"He can't unsummon them the way Nightmare can," he explained.
"I see," he said. "Now please be quiet so we can find them. I'd rather you not dust before I get to see you and Crescent back together."
"A-alright," he said softly, before doing as he'd been asked.
Blue smiled at him and started walking around the store. Gradient followed, not knowing what else he should do.
He felt tense. It was too quiet for comfort. Not that he wanted any infected nearby - aside from his companion, of course - but the silence felt suffocating. He felt like he was being watched, and he didn't like it.
Blue didn't seem bothered though, so maybe he was just overthinking. Then again, Blue didn't have to worry about getting bit. You couldn't get infected twice, could you?
Unless you got cured and then infected again. That was supposedly what happened to Sci.
From what Gradient had heard, Sci had found a potential cure and used it on himself to test it, as he had already been bitten. Once he was sure it worked, he was going to try it on the next person he came across but was bitten again, and the cure was lost.
Another reason Crescent had left. He needed to know if there was anything left of the cure.
Gradient wished he'd gone with him.
"Stay still," Blue whispered, bringing Gradient out of his thoughts. "One of the others are here."
Gradient glanced over where the other was looking, and in the dark noticed a form tugging on the clothes as though they were trying to get a look at them from where they were hanging on the racks. Instead, the clothes just fell on the floor and they let out an audible sigh of annoyance.
Gradient couldn't tell if they were infected or not, but Fury always said the infected could see in the dark. Guess he was right if Blue could notice a detail like that when it was this dark.
"I'm going to see if they're calm enough to see you."
"O-okay, be careful," he whispered back. Blue hushed him and walked off. Gradient watched as he approached the other.
"Hello there!" he called, catching the other's attention.
They turned towards him and said something Gradient didn't catch. They spoke too quietly and he was only able to hear Blue's side of the conversation.
"Oh, I didn't even recognize you! You look awful," Blue said. "Did Horror do this? I bet he did."
So not even the other infected were safe from Horror. Lovely.
"Oh, it was Dream? I didn't know he was one of us." Gradient hadn't known that either.
But now that he thought about it, he should have expected it. Dream was always trying to help others, regardless of his own safety. He was probably one of the first to be infected. After Nightmare, of course.
"Do you want me to go beat some sense into him? Dream, I mean," Blue asked, as he beckoned Gradient over.
Blue had said he wouldn't let the others hurt him. He never went back on his word so Gradient took a few tentative steps forward.
"No? Why not? Just look at what he did to you." A pause. "He said he was lonely?! That's no excuse to do that."
"It's okay, I don't even feel it anymore..." they murmured. Gradient knew that voice...
"Crescent...?" he called softly. The other tensed, before giving a soft sigh and turning towards him.
"Hey..."
"Do you know how worried I was?! I thought you were dead! Why didn't you come back?"
"I, um... it's a long story," Crescent mumbled.
"No, it's not," Blue cut in. "He's like me and the others. Only he's scared he'll hurt someone, so here he is, hiding away."
"I guess you could say it like that..." Gradient was silent for a few moments.
"Crescent..."
"I... I didn't know how I'd turn out, and... and I was scared," he said softly. Gradient wrapped his arms around him.
"Don't you ever leave me again!" he exclaimed. Crescent hesitated for a moment, before burying his face into the other's shoulder, one of his tendrils moving to return the hug.
"I'm sorry..." he said softly.
"Well! I'll leave you two lovebirds to have your fun," Blue called out suddenly. "I've gotta go do my rounds, see you!"
"Wait, how am I going to get back out?" Gradient asked, letting go of his boyfriend, but staying near him.
"The same way we got in? I only agreed to help you find Crescent," he said.
"But-"
"I'm sure you'll be fine. See you!"
"Blue!" he called out. "You-"
"Gradient, please be quiet... They'll hear you..." Crescent reminded. Gradient sighed.
"It's too dark for me to see in here," he muttered.
"It's okay... I can't see anything here either, I think Dust said it's cuz I'm new...? I can still sense emotions though," the other replied.
"That's good, I guess," he said. "We should probably find a way out then."
"What about Merciless...?"
"Is he still here?"
"He said he needed to get something... it has been a while though, maybe I should check on him..."
"Do you know where he went?" Gradient asked.
"No... he told me to wait at Muffet's bakery, but I got bored," Crescent said with a nervous laugh.
"Let's try there first," he suggested. "It's near Grillby's, where Classic hangs out, right?"
"Yeah, right across from it... but, uh... you should try and stay far from Classic," he replied.
"Why?" he asked.
"He's lazy... but if you come close, he'll bite. That's... that's what Merci said."
"Oh. Thanks for that," he said with a smile.
"Y-you're welcome," Crescent replied.
"Oh, um... how's your, uh- your mobility?" he asked suddenly. "I-is it like Blue's or like- um-"
"I'm really slow, if... if that's what you're asking..." he answered slowly. "You can't tell, cuz it's dark, but um... Uncle Dream kinda did a number on me, but I'm... I'm fine, I swear. I can't feel pain anymore, it's just hard to move..."
"That doesn't make it better," Gradient said softly, trying to contain his anger. He knew Crescent could feel it, but that didn't mean he had to react to what he felt.
"When we find a good source of light, I'm gonna try wrapping your wounds in my strings, at least."
"I don't... I don't think that'll work with how I'm-"
"I'm going to try, okay?" he repeated.
"Okay..." he said softly. "We should... we should get going..."
"Right."
"If... if I sense someone nearby, I'll tell you," Crescent said, shuffling alongside Gradient, "but I'm not very... good at fighting right now..."
"I get it, it's okay," Gradient said. "It's not your fault. But, um... why did Dream attack you?"
"He said he was lonely..." he replied, "that he was scared of losing someone else, so... so he asked me if I'd stay with him, and I said no... I wanted to see Merci... So then he got a bit upset..."
"Oh," he said, frowning slightly.
"I didn't mean to make you upset..."
"You didn't make me upset?" Gradient said, confused.
"But you're upset... I should've kept quiet," he mumbled. Gradient turned, taking a few moments to find his boyfriend in the dark and hugging him once again.
"I'm not upset with you," he said. "I'm upset because you're hurt."
That, and the fact that he hadn't even noticed how the other was feeling. After all, the effects of the virus depended on the desires of those infected.
"I'll be fine..." Crescent murmured. "I'm not gonna be much help though... I.. I'll try, but, um... just don't get into trouble, please..."
"I won't, don't worry," he said softly. "Can I hold your hand?"
"I... I want to... but I can't..." he replied hesitantly.
"Why not?" Crescent was silent for a few moments. "Crescent?"
"I... never mind," he said, one of his appendages wrapping around Gradient's arm.
Gradient put two and two together and found another reason to keep as much distance as he could from the younger Apple twin, aside from the risk of getting infected. At least he knew how to calm down Nightmare.
"Let's keep going... If there were lights, we'd see it from here, I think... It'd be at a distance though..." Crescent mumbled.
"Muffet's bakery, right?" he asked, just to be sure.
"Yeah. Don't get too close to the... the others... I... I don't want you to become like me..." Crescent mumbled the last part to himself, but Gradient heard him anyway.
"I'll be careful, I promise," he said.
"If you say so..."
The rest of the walk was mostly silent, aside from their footsteps.
When they entered the bakery, Crescent let go of Gradient's arm and dropped into the nearest seat with a sigh.
"Are you okay?" Gradient asked.
"Just tired..." he mumbled. "I'll be fine..."
Gradient took a seat next to him, and his boyfriend rested his head on his shoulder.
"It doesn't seem like Merciless is here right now," he commented. "Let's just wait for a while. If we stay here for too long, the rest of the infected will notice us."
"Okay..." he replied. "I'm gonna take a nap..."
"That's alright. I'll wake you when Merciless gets here, or in a few hours." Crescent hummed in response, wrapping two of his tendrils around Gradient as though he were cuddling before going still.
Gradient sighed, deciding to instead keep an eye on the window for any signs of movement.
. . .
"Crescent, wake up," he called, gently shaking the other. Crescent blinked, lifting his head and looking around.
"Is Merci here yet?" he asked.
"No... but I kept hearing things and I can't tell if it's paranoia or not," he replied sheepishly.
"Oh..." Crescent said softly. "Don't be scared... It's just dad's aura, I think. I didn't know he came here..."
"You think?" he asked.
"Uncle Dream's aura is almost the same as dad's now..." he explained. "He almost looks just like him too with... with the goop and all that..."
"That's... unsettling," he said slowly.
"We can leave if you want..." Crescent said.
"I thought you were supposed to wait here for him," Gradient reminded him.
"I was... but that was before he noticed the bite..." he started. "He was mad at me for hiding it... I... I don't think he's coming..."
"Crescent..." he said softly.
"It's... it's fine... I don't want to risk hurting him anyway..."
"You wouldn't hurt anyone," he said.
"But-"
"No, listen to me. You and I both know you would never hurt someone unless you wanted to."
Crescent would never want to hurt anyone. He wasn't a pacifist and needed negativity to thrive off of and now during the infection, he had to defend himself, but he didn't like hurting anyone.
He never had.
So he would never infect someone on purpose. Especially not the people he cared about.
"I guess you're right..."
"Of course I am."
"I still think we should leave..." he mumbled, "it's not safe here..."
"If that's what you want," he replied. "You might have to let go of me if we're going to be going places."
"Oh... right," Crescent said, laughing nervously and he let go. Gradient stood up, before helping Crescent up as well.
The virus made people's desires come true. So if Crescent never wanted to hurt anyone, it made sense why he was so nervous about accidentally causing someone harm.
What didn't make sense was his sudden low self-esteem. No one would want to see themselves in such a way, so where did that come from? The only thing he could think of was trauma and Crescent, unfortunately, had a lot of that. But even then, he'd always used it to become stronger.
At least, that was how he portrayed himself... Gradient didn't like thinking about this.
He held onto one of Crescent's tendrils and led him outside.
Classic was watching them from across the mall. He seemed interested but didn't even attempt to come closer.
Crescent shot a glance at the other and Classic turned away, going back to what he'd been doing.
"Let's go... Mom might be nearby..." he said softly. Gradient nodded.
Where ever Nightmare went, Killer would be close behind.
*
With Nightmare wandering around, the other infected seemed more active.
Horror had left his post near the food and had found his way over to Gradient and Crescent.
Since the last time they had seen him, the crack in his skull had grown larger, effectively leaving him half-blind. So really, all they had to do was walk around him, making sure to stay as silent as possible so he wouldn't turn towards them. This was an easy task for Gradient.
Not so much for Crescent. Unfortunately, his nap did not seem to help him very much. He'd slept in a weird position, and it made him feel even worse. Every time he moved, his bones would creak.
Gradient was concerned, worried, and curious.
If Crescent could distance himself from the other to keep Horror from finding Gradient, he would, but the other wasn't letting go of him.
So when Horror inevitably got too close, he panicked, thinking of all the possibilities of what could happen if he found Gradient too. So he ended up smacking Horror lightly in the face with an appendage out of instinct.
It threw Horror off, leaving him very confused for a full five seconds. Gradient had enough time to reach into his inventory and throw a can of tomato stew past him.
Horror was pleased with the offering and let them continue on their way.
If only the other two members of the Murder Time Trio were just as easy to deal with.
Dust began firing attacks at them as soon as he saw them.
With his current speed, Crescent hadn't been able to dodge very well. So Gradient was forced to use his strings to hold the maniac in place. He hadn't used his strings in a while, so it took a ridiculous amount of time trying to catch him.
But once Dust was restrained, they resumed their journey to the exit.
Then they came across Killer. He had just as much mobility as Blue. Maybe, even more, considering how fast he ran. Without Nightmare to stop him, he wasn't going to leave them alone.
And yet again, Crescent's lack of speed made him a target, but this time, they used it to their advantage.
When Killer lunged, Gradient sent his strings out. The older didn't stay trapped for very long though. Using his knife, he easily cut himself free.
He grinned, twirling his knife as though he were taunting them.
"I don't think this will work..." Crescent mumbled. "I'd say we teleport, but then we might get a repeat of last time..."
The last time they tried teleporting, they'd ended up in the middle of a large group of infected. That was when Cross was bitten, and when they met Fury.
"I know, I know," Gradient said, using his strings to pull Crescent out of another attack instead. "There's nothing else we can do though."
"Mom, please..." Crescent said softly. Please what? He didn't know, he just missed his mother. Maybe calling out to him would work? It worked with his father...
Killer turned towards him, blankly staring at Crescent. He tilted his head, frowning, as though he were trying to remember something, his target soul wavering.
Gradient wasn't sure what was happening, but he had his strings summoned in case something happened.
For a moment, it took on the form of an upside-down heart, and Crescent took the risk to take a few steps closer. Gradient's parents had told him that a heart meant Killer was feeling emotions of some sort, so he relaxed, letting his guard down.
However, at that moment, his soul snapped back into the form of a target and he lunged.
"Crescent!" Gradient screamed out.
Crescent couldn't feel pain. Not since he'd been bit. Sure, there was a knife embedded in his chest at the moment, but it didn't hurt at all.
But it sure hurt a lot to know his mother didn't recognize him anymore.
Gradient took that moment to wrap Killer in his strings and pulled Crescent past him and out the door. He didn't stop, wanting to get as much distance as possible.
. . .
"Okay, now let's take a look at all the damage you've taken," he said, once he decided they were far enough. He looked over, frowning almost immediately.
Crescent was aware that he probably looked like a mess. He knew he had broken something - that something was probably his arms - but he hadn't been aware what the extent of the damage was because there hadn't been a good light source until now.
It was... a good guess, maybe?
He... he wasn't sure how to feel about this.
Actually, he felt numb and cold.
One of his arms was missing entirely, and the other had been fractured along the ulna. He knew that there was more damage, but he stopped looking. He didn't want to know the rest of it.
Gradient made him sit down, saying that he was in shock, and needed some sort of rest. Then he summoned his strings again and started setting the broken bones back into place.
How was he supposed to feel about this?
Ever since the infection took hold of him, everything felt strange and new and he just wanted to make it stop.
This... this was all very different from what he was used to.
But he still had Gradient, at least.
"Sorry..." Crescent mumbled.
"What? Why are you apologizing?" he asked, pausing in his work.
"I'm... I'm sorry I keep worrying you," he said softly.
"Well, that's okay. I worry because I care."
"I know..."
"Just sit here and rest, okay?" he said.
"But what if someone comes...?" he reminded.
"I'll be right here," he said. "I promise."
"What if I hurt you?" he asked softly.
"Crescent, we talked about this," he replied. "And even if you were like them, I would have let you bite me so that we could keep being together forever."
"R-really...?" he questioned.
"Really."
"Okay... I believe you," he mumbled, closing his eyes. Gradient gave a small smile and continued.
Together forever.