Youth Center/Hotel Place

“Why do you care so much?”

The more Faqir thought about it, the more he realized he didn’t exactly have an answer.

There was no way to explain exactly why, how, or when he had decided everyone in this hotel was his honorary sibling/best friend and now he had to take care of them all. It was even more difficult to pin down exactly how or when he’d gotten to attached to Mercy in particular--though at least he had slightly more of a “why” for that one.

In all honesty...he’d never thought of a reason because he’d never needed one. He didn’t need a reason to try and protect Mercy. He didn’t need a reason to want to keep everyone safe and together. It was just the right thing to do.

That in mind, his answer came more smoothly than he’d expected:

“Why not?”

Sure, it wasn’t the most eloquent response, but it summed up everything he was feeling in a neat two-word phrase.

Why not care? Why not try to keep her safe? Why not work to hold everyone together? As much as everyone tried to insist that everything was their fault, it wasn’t--they had acted on feelings of fear, despair, and helplessness because of the situation they had been forced into and manipulated into.

So why not? What did he have to lose? A few toe bones? Simple enough, pain meds would take care of that. The contents of his stomach? It wasn’t like they were running low on food--he could always make some more. Sleep? Bah, who needed that?

But if he didn’t care? He would lose so much more--a friend, a companion, his sanity, his identity...none of that was worth it.

It was a perfectly reasonable exchange in his book. Trade physical comfort for a lifelong friend--not a bad deal.

“The market should have everything you need to make a new room,” he continued, addressing the rest of Mercy’s statement. “I wasn’t planning on letting you sleep alone ever again anyways.”

---

"Why not?"

Mercy was silent for a moment, contemplating his answer.

The two words were oddly frustrating. 'Why not?' She could think of a thousand reasons why not--in fact, the reason she'd asked at all was because she couldn't understand why. In a twisted way, it almost felt like she was being mocked, even if she knew that wasn't the actual intent.

Huffing, she brushed the hair out of her face. "That's...y-you're kidding, right? There's no way that you...I'm not...don't make me spell all out the reasons 'why not' for you."

Did he honestly not see them? She could ask Graham to get her a pen and paper from somewhere so that she could spend an hour or two writing them all down. Even now, the reasons were piling up in her head, as they tended to do when she dwelled on them too much anyway.

By the door, Graham reappeared, carefully fitting his chair through the frame. He'd brought a blanket from his room, too, apparently, having wrapped it around his shoulders like a cape. Setting the chair down in one of the corners of the room, he took a glass of milk from the drinks that Madoka had brought and sat down, getting comfy.

"Much better," he declared. He took a sip of the milk, seeming to relax a small bit. "Ahh. I always knew there was milk in the cafeteria, but I never really had any until now. It's nice. It reminds me of nice things. Speaking of, I kinda wanna take a nap now..."

Madoka waved Graham over. “There’s room on this mattress for one more.”

“Please don’t invite people to sleep with me without asking my permission,” Levi blurted. “I-I’m already uncomfortable enough with you here…”

Madoka mumbled something and drew the blanket tighter around himself.

“Okay, that’s fine, clearly my opinion means nothing to you. It’s okay, I’m used to men taking advantage of me. Not like I want to sleep alone and I hate being touched or anything.”

Faqir thought for a moment, then began speaking, quietly at first. “You mean like the fact that you bottle up your feelings too much? Sure, that’s obnoxious, but it’s not a reason not to care about you. Or maybe you mean that I’ve gotten myself hurt trying to take care of you? I mean, that’s just a side effect of caring about someone, not a reason not to--I couldn’t care less. Or maybe you’re talking about the fact that you played a role in Eriko’s death? B*tch, over half the people in this room played a role in her death and I still care about all of them. Even myself, strange as that may seem. Or, or, wait--do you mean that you can be rude and standoffish? I f*cking called a rape victim a whore, I don’t think I have room to complain about that. Still not a reason not to care. You might be talking about the fact that you keep breaking and getting me so worked up I get physically sick over it--still not a good enough reason, I knew I signed up for that when I chose to care about you and I’m still caring anyways, you need a better reason. What’s that? The fact that Madoka broke with you? That was bound to happen, the poor kid’s been doing the same thing you are with not letting his feelings out. When those pile they tend to explode--not a good reason not to care about someone.”

Faqir realized he had gotten slightly louder over the course of his monologue, but frankly he didn’t care.

“Mercy, I care about you because I can’t think of a single reason not to. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you at your absolute worst now and I still love you. You’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of me this late in the game.”

Was he aware he had said “love” again? Perfectly so. Again, he found he wasn’t able to take it back.

---

"I-it's okay," Graham assured the two, seeming awkward. "I don't want to make Levi uncomfortable, and I don't think I should go to sleep, anyway. I'm kind of the only person left who isn't badly injured now, so if anything I feel like I should try and make sure you guys all stay okay. Ah...w-we should make sure Fauss eats once he wakes up. The pain medicine will have kicked in by then, right? Probably. ...I'm gonna shut up now, y-you probably all want to sleep or something."

Mercy bit her lip, heat returning to her cheeks. He'd said it again.

"You..." Frustratingly at a loss for words, she gently pushed him, the warmth in her cheeks worsening. "S-stop saying stuff like that, I'm not...I-I'm not worth that much. A-and don't say it so loudly, it's weird."

It's weird when it's quiet, too, she realized, heart rate ramping up again. This... this entire situation is far too weird. And I can't even decide whether or not I like it. Of course, I actually don't, because...

D*mmit. She tucked her arms into the inside of her sweater, feeling even weirder.

Meanwhile, Graham cuddled into his chair, setting his glass of milk on a shelf nearby and wrapping his blanket around himself. He sighed, but it was hard to tell if it was a content sigh or just a tired one.

Aha. There it is.

Faqir smirked, unable to resist a jab. “You’re pretty cute when you’re flustered.”

Madoka yawned, sitting up. “Graham, you can take a nap. M-my eye hurts, but I can still walk and carry things fine, so if anyone needs something I can take care of it. A-and I saved a sandwich for Fauss, so hopefully he’ll feel good enough to eat when he wakes up.”

“No one is going anywhere alone ever again,” Faqir insisted. “I’m forcing a buddy system. ...Also I claim Mercy and Graham as my buddies. They’re cute and make me feel more desirable than I am.”

After a moment, he added, “I volunteer to take Levi too. Guy or not, he’s a sex bomb.”

Levi quite literally hissed at him. Twice.

“I did say no promises.”

Levi hissed at him again.

“Settle down, kitty.” Faqir paused. “...I’m starting to worry about Fauss, how long has he been out?”

---

Mercy scoffed and pushed him again, willing her heart to slow down. "Sh-shut up. I'm not...flustered. Just exhausted."

"A-are you sure?" Graham asked Madoka, shifting. He bit his lip. "I-I mean, if you don't want to--it's fine if you just want to rest some, you deserve the break. And I'm okay, honestly, just tired. ...As for the buddy system, I think that's a very good idea, but I kind of want to be alone sleeping in my room right now, so I'm going to ask for a one-time exception."

She sighed, going to the effort of raising her voice so that everyone could hear her. "A nap does sound nice, huh?"

"Yeah," Graham admitted, smiling tiredly. "But again, if you guys need me to stay awake, I will. I'm worried about everyone, to be honest. And--F-Fauss, he... ah, I-I don't know if you were here then, but he was awake for a while. H-he just got kinda nervous and asked me to sedate him before he started losing it again, and he was...well, I-I mean, I did. He's probably going to be out for a few more hours until he wakes up again."

He brought his legs to his chest, resting his head on his knees. "Y-you know, he's really nice and easy to talk to. I-I know he has his problems--we all do, to be honest--but if...I-I really think we should make more of an effort to help him. It's just hard to know what to say to him sometimes, which makes it a little scary."

Levi bit his lip to draw blood, quickly lapping it up. Madoka mumbled something to him, snuggling the makeup artist closer. Levi blushed, mumbling something back.

Faqir sighed. “I’m willing to try,” he admitted. “But I refuse to take responsibility if something terrible happens.”

“Don’t worry,” Levi insisted. “He won’t snap again, because I’m never talking to him again and it’s my fault he keeps breaking. So you’ll be fine. H-he’s really a sweetheart, just be gentle with him…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Madoka said, his voice muffled.

“Are you sure you two weren’t dating?” Faqir blurted. “I mean, you’ve both got pretty freaky kinks and the things you keep saying are not helping your case.”

“We weren’t dating.” Levi huffed. “Does the phrase ‘I’m not gay’ mean nothing to you people?”

“Are you sure you’re not gay? Because literally everything you do screams otherwise and Madoka literally kissed you flat on the lips.”

Madoka went bright red, squirming.

“Can we not have this conversation right now?” Levi shifted, expression unreadable. “The inner workings of my psyche that contribute to my skewed sexuality are an extremely dangerous place.”

Faqir shrugged (or tried to with a Mercy in his arms, at least). “What better time to explore it than when you’re tied up on a mattress and can’t hurt yourself?”

Levi shot him a glare. “You really want to pursue this? This is that important to you?”

Faqir nodded vigorously.

Levi huffed. “Fine. After being systematically sexually abused and physically assaulted by other men for a vast majority of my life, I learned to fear them and the power they had over me. Cognitive dissonance kicked in when my body experienced physiological reactions to the sexual stimuli but my mind was horrified and disgusted. It fixed itself by giving me a masochism fetish that makes me more excited for physical pain than for actual sexual stimuli. Couple that with Clair helping me take advantage of men for once instead of them always taking advantage of me and you’ve created a monster who is only romantically interested in girls, gets turned on by physical pain of any degree, and assumes all men are just after me for my body. Thus, I’m not gay and stop pushing it.”

At this, Madoka promptly sat up, apologized profusely, and went to curl up on the floor. Levi seemed relieved.

“So…” Faqir paused. “...I have no chance of getting to bang you.”

“...Why did you even apologize if you were just going to do this?”

“I didn’t hear a no!”

“Ask yourself this next time you’re about to open your mouth: if you got betrayed by a close male friend of yours who proceeded to take advantage of your weaker stature and emotional vulnerability to have violent sex with you on a regular basis while simultaneously causing you immense amounts of physical agony, would you ever want to be anywhere near the point of sleeping with another man ever again?”

There was an odd fury in Levi’s voice and fresh tears spilled from his eyes, his lower lip quivering. Faqir winced.

“I understand you get your f*cking kicks out of making me miserable, but for the love of God, please stop bringing it up. Is watching me cry good enough for you?!”

Sh*t, too far.

“I’m sorry,” Faqir blurted.

Levi turned away from him, focusing on the door. “Just shut up. I don’t want to hear it when I know you don’t mean it.”

Welp. There goes our friendship forever.

“...Levi, I’m sorry. I’m an idiot, I know. I didn’t realize it was still so fresh for you.”

Levi didn’t respond. Suddenly alarmed, Madoka hustled to his side and began to whisper with him.

Yep, there it went.

“I’m stupid,” Faqir muttered. “Faqir, you need a better coping mechanism. One that doesn’t involve damaging your friends forever. Ah, let’s all just take a nap or something until Fauss is up, okay? When we’re all in a better place and all awake and here, we can have that meeting I was talking about. Sound good?”

Not your best move, jewelry boy. This has been a rough day…

---

"Nice one, dumb*ss," Mercy muttered. If she wasn't just as insensitive as he was most of the time, she probably would have punched him--that, and was hesitant to put him in any more pain than he was already in.

"I-I..." Graham hesitated, gaze lingering on Levi. Briefly at a loss for words, the thief glanced down at his hands, taking a deep breath. "U-um, w-well, we already know I'd like a nap, a-and I think everyone else would, too... b-but I don't... I don't want us all to go to sleep and Fauss to wake up alone, so I might stay up just in case. I'll just bring something in here to help pass the time, um...how hard do you think it'd be to drag in an arcade machine?"

He paused, seeming frustrated all of the sudden. He huffed, wrapping his blanket tighter around him.

"Why are we staying in the nurse's office still?" He asked, sighing. "It--i-it's depressing and cramped in here. We should relocate to somewhere less cramped and happier. Like...like..."

Mercy closed her eyes, lips pursed. Nowhere in here is happy. We should know that by now.

Most likely realizing this, the thief trailed off, seeming distraught. "I-I...l-let's just all take a nap, okay? O-okay. Great. H-here, I'll go get blankets, pillows, and teddy bears for everyone!"

Standing, the thief carefully draped his blanket over his chair. He moved toward the door, then paused, glancing back at his stuff. He glanced back at the others, then back at his stuff again. Huffing, he picked up both his blanket and chair and starting bringing them out the door with him.

“I know, I know, I’m the worst.” Faqir paused, watching Graham at the door. “...Hey, Graham, I’m not that tired. I can stay up for Fauss, you get some sleep.”

Madoka whispered one more thing to Levi, then went to help Graham get out of the room. “D-do you want help, Graham? Like I said, I can still walk and carry things fine so I don’t mind going with you...w-we can visit the market together. I would say we could get stuffed animals from the plush shop, b-but I...I don’t think any of us want to see a Monokuma right now.”

He’s not wrong. Just the thought of that bear still made Faqir livid. He grumbled to himself.

“I really don’t mind,” Madoka repeated, offering a smile. “That way you can carry your chair easier too!”

Faqir bit his lip, admittedly still worried about both Graham and Madoka. The two hadn’t been given an awful lot of time to rest...but maybe if they stuck together, nothing would go horribly wrong.

He would have offered to go himself, but admittedly he was far too comfortable and his foot still ached.

Speaking of… Faqir removed one hand from Mercy to grab the medicine Madoka had left him. He pried it open, checking the label before pouring and taking a dose. That oughta help. Hang in there, Faqir. And don’t dig up trauma again, maybe?

---

"U-uh..." Graham looked down at his things, then back at Madoka, biting his lip. "Thanks for the offer, but it's okay. I can handle things well enough on my own. A-actually, I kind of--it won't take that long. Promise!"

Mercy felt herself shudder--she'd said the same thing before and it'd ended with her holding a knife to her throat. She didn't picture Graham as the kind of person who'd do something like that, especially after coming so close to death had scarred him so much, but...

"Don't we have a buddy system now?" Mercy called, realizing her voice sounded slightly off when she spoke--unsurprisingly, all of that screaming did a number on her throat. Even just trying to project was painful. "There's no way you'd be able to get all of that stuff down on your own, anyway."

Graham took a moment to respond, seeming frustrated. "Ah...pretty please? And F-Faqir, I don't mean to--ah, I-I'm just...not sure you and Fauss are gonna get along super well. Not that he'll be mean to you or anything, it's just that, um. Well, you need the rest anyway, y-you're hurt all over. I'll be fine."

Faqir frowned, concerned. “Mercy’s right, I don’t feel right letting anyone go out alone after...considering what we’ve all been through,” he called. “And don't worry. I might not get along with Fauss now, but that’s what making attempts is for.”

“After what you just did to Levi, I don’t think I want you anywhere near Fauss,” Madoka admitted, an odd edge to his voice. Faqir winced.

Fair point, I deserve that.

After a pause, Madoka leaned in and gave Graham a hug. “I think we should let him go alone. I’m only a little tired, so I’ll stay here and rest while Graham gets things, and then when Graham gets back he can go to sleep and I’ll stay up for Fauss. I-I think we’re friends now, so I’m happy to talk to him!”

I caught you alone and you shattered on me, Faqir wanted to argue.

He only shattered because you forced him to go with you to Mercy instead of leaving him time alone, his conscience argued back.

...Ah, shut up, Faqir.

“Fine, fine. Since the buddy system hasn’t technically been officially activated, you can go alone. But just this once, and if you’re gone for more than ten minutes I’m coming after you!”

Madoka stepped back from hugging Graham, smiling.

---

"Th-thanks," Graham breathed, relieved. He briefly set his stuff down to give Madoka a quick hug, then picked it back up, holding the door open with his foot. "And I'll be back soon, really. Nothing to worry about! B-but about Fauss, um...well, we can talk about that when I get back. Speaking of, be right back!"

He proceeded to drag his chair and blanket through the door, taking a deep breath. Knowing he was leaving alone made Mercy anxious; she bit her lip, shifting. Returning to speaking quietly, she mumbled, "I don't like him going alone."

"H-haha...if I can get...my chair...through the door, that is," Graham muttered. He took the blanket and decided to throw it over his shoulder instead, picking his chair up and carefully maneuvering it through the doorway. Door shutting behind him, Mercy could faintly hear the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor outside.

"I-I really don't like him going alone," Mercy repeated, panic swelling. Graham wouldn't--of course he wouldn't, but... well, it's not like the others expected her to go off and kill herself, right? Remembering how close they'd cut it before, she was wary of risking it again.

Not wanting to put something like this on Faqir again, she pulled away from him, sitting up and glancing at the door. She cautiously rubbed her throat, neck still stinging and throat burning from all of the screaming she'd done. If Graham really is suicidal, then I don't think my presence is going to help much...d*mmit. D*mmit, if only I was more stable, I-I could...

She clenched her fists, hating that she didn't know what to do. He'd only been gone for a few moments, so if she just stuck with him while he got everything he needed, he wouldn't make any attempts, right? If that was even what the thief was thinking about.

"I...I'm tempted to go after him," she muttered, still quietly enough that only Faqir would hear. She would at least tell him instead of leaving without a warning.

“Honestly, me too,” Faqir muttered. “Ah...why’d I say yes…?”

Madoka stepped back from the door, humming. He turned to smile at Faqir and Mercy, as if he could predict exactly what they were thinking (not that Faqir was being particularly discreet). “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. I-I think he’s just doing what I tried to do. He let me go out alone to clear my head earlier, so I owe him this. T-trust me, I think...I think sending someone after him will make it worse.”

“Someone...kill me…”

Faqir shuddered, sitting up beside Mercy. Admittedly, he could see what Madoka meant--if he had just left Madoka alone to cry out all his feelings and collect himself without interruption, he probably wouldn’t have broken in the first place. Maybe Graham just needed to get all his feelings out without worrying about other people needing him or watching him.

“I don’t think Graham wants us to worry about him,” Madoka continued, “so let’s all welcome him back with smiles when he returns. In the meantime...Faqir, do you want to share this burger? Levi, d-do you want this sandwich?”

Levi was quiet for a moment.

“I’m only eating if Mercy is the one to give it to me.”

“Mercy? W-why Mercy?”

“Because she’s a girl,” Levi answered as though it should have been obvious. “Girls have never tried to touch me against my will and I don’t want one of you lust-driven f*ck-lovers anywhere near me when I’m shirtless and tied to a mattress wearing a pair of shorts.”

“I’m sorry,” Faqir repeated. Predictably, Levi ignored him.

---

Mercy brushed her hair out of her face, gaze still fixed on the door. As much as she wanted to be able to trust Madoka's instincts, she'd also left to try and clear her head, and Faqir (and Madoka now, too) knew what had happened. Granted, Graham didn't bottle up his feelings like she did, so it wasn't like he was going to explode or anything like that...maybe the thief really did just need to be alone for a bit. Even then, though...

"Ten minutes," Mercy muttered, taking a deep breath. "Or just seven."

Crossing her legs, she looked over at Levi, understanding where he was coming from (to an extent.) As someone with absolutely no females in her life, (save for Eriko, who was dead), and a creep of a neighbor who made far too many unwanted advancements on her whenever she was around, well...boys were terrible, to say the least.

Taking another deep breath, she stood, feeling relatively better than she did before. At least now she was a bit more confident in her ability to keep things together in front of the others. Madoka knew now, which she hated, but admittedly, that was completely her fault. She shouldn't have asked Faqir to shoulder such a burden alone in the first place--she didn't blame him for telling someone after she'd stormed off the way she did. That in mind, at least it was only Madoka who knew. At least Graham, Levi, and Fauss weren't any the wiser--though honestly, if anyone was going to find out without being told, it was probably those two.

"You want a sandwich or a burger?" She asked, walking over to the plate of food.

Faqir nodded, moving to lean against the wall. “Ten minutes,” he agreed. “Or less. We’ll see. Feeling better, pretty girl?”

Levi hummed. “I’m not super hungry, so a sandwich should be good. Ah, geez...s-sorry to make you do this, I know it’s a little weird. I’m really feeling good enough to be let up by now, but I can understand if you all are too nervous with me for that. ...I just don’t want these perverts anywhere near me right now, I am wearing way too little and holy sh*t I want my shirt back.”

Faqir resisted the urge to say something inappropriate.

If nothing else, his emotions were in check by now. It was useful to feel “okay” again--it meant his stomach had settled, at least.

That in mind, he addressed Madoka. “Mado, I’m gonna take you up on that offer to split a burger. Sorry, I wouldn’t be as hungry if I didn’t keep throwing up all my meals.”

“It’s not a problem, I-I’m not all that hungry anyways. Then, I’ll look for something to cut it in half with.”

Madoka seemed to be mostly back to his usual self (if not better than usual) as well, which was certainly a plus. Faqir sighed contentedly.

For the first time in a while, he felt sure they would make it out alright.

---

"I'm... 'fine,'" Mercy sighed, attempting to get across that the only reason she wasn't breaking right now was because she was in front of all these other people. At least now that she wasn't laying right next to Faqir, the nickname 'pretty girl' didn't make her heart beat nearly as fast as it did before. Brushing her hair behind her shoulders and resisting the urge to tug at her collar, she moved over to Levi's side, crouching down cautiously. "And... it's weird, but it's alright. Guys are pigs. I get it. Can--will you be able to eat alright while lying down? And you know, come to think of it, where is Levi's shirt?"

Honestly, Mercy knew that the minute she wasn't surrounded by everyone else, everything that she felt before was going to come rushing back. Hopefully, it wouldn't manifest quite the same way--she was feeling more stable than she was then, at least--but there were still several emotions she was still holding in (particularly well, considering earlier) at the moment that she probably needed to get out. Whether she would or not through screaming fits or actually telling someone how she felt was hard to say.

Whatever happened, she was honestly really looking forward to that nap, but part of her loathed sleeping in front of everyone else. She couldn't quite find a reason why, but just the idea of it made her feel uncomfortable. ...Actually, thinking about it, maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was quite literally surrounded by guys. And as she'd just told Levi, guys were pigs.

"When we take this nap, by the way," she started, wanting to address this, "no one's thinking that we're all going to sleep in here, right? Because there's no way that's going to happen."

Faqir resisted the urge to answer with the worst possible response.

"I dunno, I kinda figured we'd all just have community nap time," he admitted.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "There is no f*cking way in h*ll I'm sleeping with all of you people still around me after what just happened."

"Have I already said I'm sorry? Because I'm sorry."

"I can eat fine laying down," Levi insisted, ignoring Faqir. Faqir sighed. "...Although I really am feeling fine now, i-if you could let me out of these ropes that would be fantastic. I really want to go get changed, w-without Clair here wearing her clothes seems wrong somehow."

Once again, Faqir resisted the extremely strong urge to make things worse.

"We can arrange something," he announced. "When Graham gets back, we'll work things out and set up places to sleep. I'm forcing the buddy system, though, no one is allowed to sleep alone. Mercy, we can head up to the market if you want."

Levi hissed at him.

"I wasn't even talking about you that time!"

Levi hissed at him again.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You hate me."

Madoka brought Faqir the plate, passing him half of the burger. Grateful, Faqir began to munch on it.

"D-did you leave your shirt in Eriko's room?" Madoka asked cautiously.

"I left Clair's shirt in Eriko's room. And frankly I don't want anyone going back in there to get it." Levi paused. "I-if someone wouldn't mind just grabbing me something from the boutique, I-I would greatly appreciate it. ...And a pair of pants too, please."

"After the nap," Faqir declared. "Sleep first, shopping trip later."

Levi huffed, grumbling to himself. Faqir shrugged.

At least he's talking. If nothing else, he's talking. ...Not to me, but whatever.

Things felt "okay" for now, and that was most important. On that note, though, Faqir made sure to keep an eye on Mercy--if she needed something, he had to be ready to give it to her.

---

Mercy cautiously brought the sandwich close enough for Levi to take a bite, oddly used to this. Not that she'd ever handfed Levi before, but there were times when Harvey couldn't eat on his own and she had to help him. Thinking about it was already starting to make her heart feel heavier--a brief deadness flickered in her eyes and she sighed, trying to force it back down. She really did just want to stop thinking about it before it started to get to her too much, but the similarities she felt in that moment were too much for her to just forget.

This isn't that bad, she thought, drearily. I could have done this every day. You didn't have to leave...

She bit the inside of her cheek. This was quite possibly the worst time to start going down that rabbit hole. All she had to do was suck it up at least until Graham got back and then she'd be fine, she could think about it all she wanted--away from the others and with a hug from Faqir. Right?

Well, no. Honestly, she'd rather think about that stuff alone, but...something told her she didn't really have a choice anymore.

"Someone can get you something before you go to sleep," Mercy offered Levi, suppressing a sigh. "And I don't really mind cutting you free, I guess, but it depends on the others. Fauss, though...if he just asked to be sedated because he was worried about going insane again, then I'm going to go ahead and assume cutting him free is a very bad idea."

Would it be weird if they let Levi go and Fauss still had to stay tied to a mattress? On one hand, it wasn't really fair to Levi if he had truly regained his sanity, but on the other hand, there was a chance that would drive Fauss even more insane. Unsure, she figured she could just leave it up to everyone else once Graham got back, and maybe interfere if it looked like they were going to make a stupid decision.

Surprisingly relaxed, Levi craned his neck to take a bite of the sandwich. Madoka munched on his half of the burger.

Faqir lay back on the mattress, sighing. The pain medication hadn’t quite kicked in, but at least he was barely aware of the pain by now. He thought, admittedly dealing with the same concerns as Mercy regarding Levi.

“We shouldn’t risk it,” he admitted. “Madoka, you wouldn’t mind helping him out, would you?”

Uh-oh, here it comes.

“Unless, of course, you’re enjoying this turn of events too much. If I were you I’d want to keep ogling my man’s legs too.”

Woop, you’re a genius.

Levi hissed.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, it just happens!”

Madoka scowled. “First of all, h-he is distinctly not ‘my man’. Second of all, I-I’ll be fine. I’ll go once Graham gets back.”

Faqir nodded, glancing warily over at Fauss. He seemed to be doing fine so long as he was sedated, but there was no telling how well he would do when he woke up. Faqir was admittedly nervous about how things would go when both of their “patients” were awake, but if Levi’s erratic behaviors so far were any indication, he would likely be keeping himself far away from trouble.

If nothing else, Madoka seemed to have adapted himself to the task of befriending and caring for the two. Surely things would work out somehow.

Levi mumbled something, then moved to take another bite of the sandwich. He offered Mercy an awkward smile.

Feeling like returning the awkward smile was a bit too weird, she offered Levi a brief thumbs-up instead. The ongoing conversation was helping her try not to think about other things too much, but as it started to die down somewhat and her thoughts returned to Graham, who she was growing more worried about with each minute that passed.

If he... if he's actually planning to do something extreme, then if we wait it may already be too late, she thought, frowning. I can't...I don't want to lose another person. I don't want to risk it. Oh god, please, no...

Panic rising again, she glanced back at the door, anxious for the thief to come back. It'd only been a few minutes, if less, since he'd left, so even if he really was just getting blankets for everyone, he wouldn't be back yet.

But we're not even going to all be sleeping in here, so there's no point in getting blankets for everyone, Mercy realized, sensing an excuse to go and check on him. Might as well tell him before he hauls all of that stuff down for nothing, right? Of course. Of course...

Mercy glanced down at Levi, internally willing him to eat faster. There was a chance she could be worrying about Graham for absolutely no reason, but better safe than sorry. She was not losing someone else. She couldn't.

Taking a deep breath, she looked back toward the door. "Since we're all sleeping separately--to an extent--there's really no reason for us to need more blankets and pillows. Shouldn't someone tell Graham so he doesn't have to waste a trip?"

If Madoka were honest with himself, he wasn't overly worried about Graham.

Somehow he got the feeling the thief was a lot like him--suicide just wasn't an option, even if sometimes it felt like it would be better to just die. Sending someone upstairs after him may make things worse...but if Faqir and Mercy would demand that someone go anyways, he wanted it to be him.

"I'll check on Graham," he offered. "I need to get some new clothes for Levi anyways, so I can grab those while I'm upstairs. You all should stay here in case Fauss wakes up or something."

Faqir raised an eyebrow at him. "Mado, don't worry about it. I'll go, you just stay here and--"

"With your foot that injured? No way. And besides, I have to get Levi's clothes anyways. ...I-I don't think either of us trust you to do that."

Madoka honestly hated how jealous he still got over Levi--watching Mercy get to directly feed him and hearing Faqir make raunchy comments somehow only made his crisis worse--but he couldn't say that out loud. Levi's earlier rant had made his feelings extremely obvious, after all.

"Don't worry," he assured. "There are people here who still need me, so I'm going to be alright. I-I'm sorry for snapping earlier, but I'm really truly doing better now. I promise I won't snap."

---

Mercy took a deep breath, honestly just thankful that was someone was willing to check on Graham right away. With her free hand, she brushed the hair out of her face. "I'll trust you. But if you want to be the one who checks on Graham, hurry up. I don't like him being alone."

Getting back into the flow of pretending to be fine was relieving. Even she still felt like a wreck on the inside and desperately wanted to be able to get away from everyone so that she could feel terrible in peace, it was showing less, and that was nice. She already hated feeling vulnerable, but when she felt that way in front of all the others, it was a whole new level of terrible. The least she could do now was act like everything was okay, she didn't want to kill herself, she hadn't just exploded, and she wasn't a total mess on the inside.

"Try not to take a long time, though," Mercy muttered, looking forward to that nap--though there was a part of her that doubted she'd actually be able to fall asleep, at least she'd be away from most of the others. Besides, the longer they took, the more worried she'd get. "I don't want to have to wait all day."

And my neck is probably going to get infected at this point, she realized, again resisting the urge to tug at her collar. This turtleneck was starting to drive her crazy.

Madoka nodded, taking another bite out of his half of the burger. He glanced at Faqir for approval.

Faqir stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Just...stay safe and don't be out too long. Mercy and I can handle things here."

Madoka glanced at Levi. Content that the makeup artist was still particularly absorbed in eating (briefly, Madoka wondered when the last time he'd eaten anything had been), Madoka headed for the door and into the hallway, immediately starting for the stairs.

If nothing else, this is giving me lots of exercise.

What still bothered him the most about his earlier breakdown was Vivara's lack of a portrait. Even if he was no artist, Madoka felt urged to at least try to make something for her. Maybe working together, they could manage to make something that looked half as good as the pictures Vivara had made for everyone herself.

He went particularly quickly past the third floor, avoiding the art room.

Faqir used to sketch jewelry designs, didn't he? Madoka suddenly realized. I bet he's a pretty good artist. Maybe he can sketch something out for Viv...ah, I'll have to ask. I wonder if Graham and Mercy are artistic...I bet Fauss is pretty creative, maybe he's good at art. Levi...well, his talent has "artist" right in the title, doesn't it? Maybe he can make something.

Viv, wherever you are...please don't be sad. We'll make you a portrait, and one for Finnian too if we have to.

Once he reached the fourth floor, Madoka paused. Somehow, checking on Graham just yet didn't feel right--instead, he headed for the boutique first to pick up some longer pants and a shirt for Levi.

In a far-off corner, a pile of familiar garments sat in a heap. Madoka recognized them as the clothes Levi had picked for himself when he'd reintroduced himself earlier. Figuring they had likely been chosen for a reason, Madoka scooped them up. (He tried to avoid thinking about the fact that a pair of briefs was included in the pile and the implications of that discovery. This attempt only served to make him even more aware of the fact that Levi was probably stuck wearing women's underwear at that moment. No wonder he wanted so badly to be able to change.)

This errand finished, Madoka headed in the general direction of the market, allowing himself to take his time. It hadn't been long since Graham had left the nurse's office--it was likely the thief wanted a bit more time to compose himself. Knowing now how nice it could be to get out of the room, Madoka didn't want to barge in and ruin whatever moment of peace Graham had found.

He hummed to himself, sauntering slowly across the food court towards the next hallway over.

---

Graham sat in the back corner of the market with his head buried in his blanket, sniffling.

Everything sucks. This sucks. And I can't even get myself to try and be positive for everyone else without stuttering because I'm so bad at this! I fainted earlier and Faqir had to get hurt more and Fauss and Levi might have actually died, and...and... He let out a small sob, more glad than ever to have the comfort of his blanket. It was soft, warm, and was always there for him when he cried in his room. On that note, it probably needed to be cleaned again at some point, but he didn't want to let go of it just yet. At least when he felt like a stupid loser for crying in front of everyone else, his blanket would never judge him.

"I'm sorry!" He cried into his blanket, tears gushing down his face. "I-I'm sorry for leaving you guys, I'm s-sorry for...for...for all the things I do that suck!"

He fell against the wall, grateful that he'd (not-so-subtly) found the time to sneak away from everyone before he burst into tears. Honestly, seeing everyone have a person to hug and sitting all alone in the corner of the room pulled something out of him--that an even more injured Faqir had just come through the door carrying an unconscious Mercy was even worse. And was it his imagination, or did Faqir tell her he loved her? Since when did this happen?! Had Graham just been completely oblivious this entire time?!

Graham threw his blanket over his head, feeling shameful. It wasn't that he was jealous or anything like that--if anything, he thought the two made a cute couple--but it just completely changed things. Was there a need for him to act differently now? Would him hugging one of them make things awkward? Was it better dor him to just take a step away altogether and let them do their thing?

Wait, wait. Were they--exactly how close were they now?

Were they...?

No way. Mercy wouldn't agree, right? She would turn him down and then punch him or something, right? There was no way Mercy and Faqir were involved in that way. Not with all of these cameras everywhere. Although, now that Graham thought about it, they had been laying awfully close to each other in the nurse's office...

Oh my gosh.

It made sense. Graham hadn't thought anything of it at first, but Faqir and Mercy had taken a very long time upstairs when he'd left to go get her. Not only that, but when she came back, her hair was down, and she never wore it down. Not to mention, she even had different clothes on. And wasn't her hair really messy, too? Almost as if...

No. There was no way because if they were involved in that way and didn't want anyone to know, Mercy would totally cover it up. Coming down like that was just plain giving it away, right? And all of the closeness, too...

...Unless they'd already told people and assumed they'd catch on and Graham was just that oblivious. When did this even start? Why didn't he realize it sooner? And why did he feel so weird about it?

Thinking about it, he realized that maybe there was a chance he was actually jealous, but not in a lovey-dovey way, but more in a...a "bros before hoes" way. Graham had honestly kind of thought of Mercy as a bro up until this point, but now he didn't even know what to think. Did this mean he was going to be losing two of his best friends? Was he always going to be the third wheel now? It was probably best for him to just be okay with it and not cry, right? Then why was he crying even more now?

Maoka slowed even more as he reached the entrance of the market, admittedly still hesitant to bother Graham so soon after he'd left. There had to be something he could do in the meantime--maybe get some more food?

No...if I don't come back soon, the others will get worried about both of us.

Sighing, he moved towards a collection of bedding, picking up a down blanket before moving ahead. Sure it was painted with Monokuma faces everywhere, but it looked warm and comfortable. Maybe he would put it in his room or see if anyone else needed it.

He took a moment to rest on one of the remaining mattresses, humming quietly to himself. As long as he was alone, maybe it was a good idea to do his own thinking--he was still extremely conflicted about Levi, for one.

The boy had explicitly said he needed Madoka and their conversation had alleviated some of the worse feelings he had, but even though he had told Levi he forgave him, Madoka still felt a level of resentment. Maybe he was just frustrated by how attached Levi seemed to Faussin even though Madoka had stuck by him throughout the whole endeavor. Maybe he just missed Clair.

Either way, his conflicting feelings weren't helping him feel more comfortable.

I forgive him, right? I mean...we're friends, right? ...Right?

We...are friends, aren't we?

No. Stop thinking like that, Madoka. Of course we're friends. We're more than friends.

Ah, Madoka...you keep thinking these weird things...

As if his eye wasn't bad enough, his confusion over his sexuality was just getting worse and worse. Did Levi have to look so much like Clair even without her get-up on...? Worse yet, did he have to still act like her? Now that Madoka had already gotten it in his head that Clair and Levi were the same person, he could no longer separate his feelings towards Clair from his feelings towards Levi--by this point, it was obvious to him that he was still completely in love with the makeup artist.

Madoka blushed, mumbling to himself. Ah, geez...I-I really don't even like boys, but he's so...warm. I-I can't just give up on Clair after I swore I would always love her...oh, Madoka, look what a mess you got yourself into...