See No Evil (Airy X Reader)

Bygones

You spent the next few days sprawled flat on your back on your bed of reeds mourning the loss of your watch. Gazing up at the cabin ceiling with a far-off stare, you laid for hours rubbing your thumb over your watch numbly. Airy would check on you regularly, though you only had half the mind to take notice. He would gently shake your shoulder to wake you in the mornings and would always let you know when he was leaving the area to do chores, with an open invitation to join him. Your reply was always the same – a simple "no, thanks" in a deadpan that rivaled his own and nothing more.

One morning, you found yourself waking up on your own only for sobriety to hit you like a truck. You felt your heart twist as you realized how much of a sorry loser you had been for the past half week, pitying yourself as if Airy hadn't already been here alone for years. You shuffled yourself into a sitting position on your reeds, propping an elbow on your knee as you blinked bleary eyed at your surroundings with a clear head.

Outside, sunrise had slowly begun taking effect on the landscape. A light breeze wafting in through the door brought with it the faintest hint of smoke from a fire's dying flames, while the fresh scent of damp leaves permeated the air and provided humid woodland undertones. You were alerted to Airy's presence outside by the soft sounds of footsteps rustling the grass outside as he wandered about, which you recognized as him preparing to begin his morning chores. The sound of the rustling grew nearer, and soon enough the patch of sunlight that shone into the cabin from the entrance was obscured by a familiar lamp-shaped shadow.

You peered up at Airy with growing uncertainty from where you sat. He was holding a wicker basket, and when you squinted past the rays of sun that obscured your view, you could just barely make out a bewildered look on his face. When he noticed you staring, he started slightly in embarrassment, his eyes now roving to make contact with anything but you.

"Good... morning?" He spoke cautiously, shifting the basket in his hands so that it was propped underneath one of his arms. His fingers on his free hand teased the handle anxiously, and it was then that you realized just how much of an impact your self-isolation had on him. Did he blame himself? Did he think you were mad at him? Was he mad at you...?

"Airy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I... I just..." You deflated, shifting your gaze inward and to the watch that you held close to yourself in a loose grip in your opposite hand. A teardrop splattered onto its dull screen.

You heard the soft sound of the basket making contact with the floor, and the shuffle of footsteps hesitantly drawing closer. You cringed as Airy's shadow engulfed you, folding into yourself some more as your shoulders shook pathetically with muffled sobs, your arms shielding your head which you had nestled in between your knees.

"You..." Airy was struggling to find words to say, and you couldn't blame him. What could you even say in this moment? What could possibly make up for your cruel absence?

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

You froze when you felt a hand brush along your upper arm, gliding up to your shoulder and then back again in a steady repetition. It was meant to be a soothing gesture, but the fact that he was trying to comfort you when it was you who had been so cold to him only drove your guilt even deeper.

"Why? I... Let my emotions get the best of me, I left you all alone and-"

As if his sympathy wasn't surprising enough, your eyes widened in shock as Airy leaned forward to pull you in for a hug, one arm wrapping around your waist while the hand that was on your shoulder moved to your upper back. You merely sat there in disbelief for a second, before tears began pouring from your eyes. He simply held you closer in response as you unraveled for the second time in his arms.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He repeated, slower this time, and you had to work extra hard to hold back the fresh tears the words spawned.

As your sobs faded into soft sniffles you found yourself nuzzling into Airy's shoulder, taking comfort in the way he smelled of dew and leaves and metal. Of sunlight and water and sand. Of this strange, tiny world floating all alone somewhere in the multiverse.

Slowly, you felt the gnarled fingers of grief that had gripped your heart since that fateful day begin to release digit by digit.

Deep breath in...

Images of your adventures flashed through your mind. Laughs you shared, dangers you've faced, lives you lived...

Deep breath out.

You needed to move on.

You cleared your head of those memories, locking them away in a place where they would never be forgotten, but always treasured. Pulling away from Airy slightly, you spared one more glance at the device in your hands.

"Airy..."

You gave the screen a terse tap with your thumb, swallowing back the last of your emotions as you put on a new resolve.

"I want to bury it."

*****

Airy helped you in preparing everything you needed for the "funeral," even chopping up a log into a crude headstone for you to stick into the earth. You didn't have anything carved into it (what could you write that wouldn't sound hopelessly pathetic?), but it would be a nice biodegradable landmark for at least a few months.

The two of you made your way to the furthest reaches of the wooded basin opposite to your camp, where the tree line met weathered stone walls whose cracked face was slowly being overtaken by creeping roots and vines. It appeared that the oldest trees of the forest grew here, their thick, scaly trunks and closely packed branches above evidence of their age. A few thin beams of sunlight managed to poke through the dense canopy and illuminated patches of land here and there, and together with the heavy smell of sap and mud in the air the area held an almost otherworldly presence. A perfect site for a grave.

Airy sat down on a mossy log and watched you while you worked to dig a small hole fit for your watch, and only stood up once you gave the wooden headstone one last stomp into the earth with your foot. You walked backwards until you could feel your friend's presence next to you, dusting dirt and debris from your hands while you admired your efforts. It was a little wonky; there was a rather noticeable mound of dirt sticking out of the earth and the headstone wasn't exactly parallel to the ground, but it got the job done. Unconsciously, you reached for Airy's hand and gave it a squeeze as you took it all in.

"Well..." You started, your eyes flitting from spot to spot as you scrutinized the scene like a judge.

"Hah... this... was stupid." Your gaze sunk to your feet as you cracked a thin, crestfallen smile. Airy turned to face you, mild shock etched into his usually stoic face. "Why?"

"It's just... I mean look at it! It's so... so...!" A quiver was finding its way into your voice, and you weren't even sure why. Part of you almost felt like tearing up the ground to retrieve your watch and call the whole thing off.

Airy now gave your hand a squeeze, and it was your turn to look to him in shock. He had a sort of resolved look about him, as faint as it was.

"It's nice." He stated matter-of-factly, defending you from your own self-criticism.

"Hah... you... really think so...?"

He didn't offer up a verbal reply, but instead turned face the grave again, and you took that as a yes. You followed suit, pursing your lips as the two of you stood in silence. Perhaps... he was right. You've been far too harsh on yourself these days, and you needed to lighten up.

You looked up.

Above, you heard the branches creaking as they swayed in a breeze passing through. From far off behind, the gentle rush of running water barely reaches your ears. From your side, you felt Airy untangle his hand from yours and silently draw you nearer by your shoulders.