Youth Center/Hotel Place

Madoka smiled, relieved. “I think that’s exactly right,” he declared. “It’s strange, b-but I can’t seem to find a way to be angry about it. I-I’m upset, sure, but that’s more about the situation than at any one particular person. And it’s not that bad, really. At least he didn’t reach my brain or anything, and Fauss and Levi ended up fine because Faqir did something, so…”

Madoka trailed off, suddenly remembering Graham’s reaction to the whole endeavor. Talking about it now probably wasn’t the best idea, but maybe…

“U-um...Graham, don’t...don’t feel bad about what happened, by the way. I wasn’t sharply aware of what was happening but...w-well, I guess I’m just trying to say I wouldn’t have been able to watch either. I-I already lost consciousness from the shock, so...so, um, you don’t need to feel like you did anything wrong. It was a perfectly normal reaction and I know that because it was mine too. Ah...I-I’m probably not helping, I-I guess my point is that I don’t hold anything against you or anything…”

Madoka, you probably should have stayed quiet…

He paused, honestly unsure if he wanted to burden Graham with remembering Vivara’s portrait. It was bad enough the fact was keeping Madoka restless--the others didn’t need that.

But as Graham continued, Madoka realized not explaining things would probably only make things worse--talking things over honestly would help them grow closer, and if Madoka lied to him it could make things tense.

“Vivara…” Again, Madoka paused.

It’s okay, Madoka. He offered.

“Vivara doesn’t have a portrait,” he finally said. “She was making one for all the students who died, but...since she...well, I won’t go into that, but the point is she doesn’t have one and I have to change that. I-I can’t really draw--certainly not as well as her--so I’m asking around now to see if anyone else can help. I think Faqir might be able to draw at least a bit and Levi’s title has ‘artist’ right in the name and Fauss seems creative, so one of them can probably help.”

Once again, just telling someone about it lightened the load on his chest. Madoka let out a sigh.

“I almost didn’t want to say anything,” he admitted. “It’s already bothering me so much, so I don’t want it bothering everyone else...but maybe if we share it, it won’t feel so heavy. And, um...th-thank you again for offering. I think you’re really nice too.”

Somehow, hearing Graham talk about other kids teasing him so freely only made Madoka feel more comfortable. That was something he could relate to.

“I-I’ve always been really shy and awkward, s-so I’m not very good with other people. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up--m-mostly the other boys used to pick on me for being quiet and not very tough--so I guess I sort of get it? I-I had a few friends, but they were mostly younger kids who were able to look past my inability to communicate well or girls who thought the stuttering was endearing and just kinda adopted me as their little brother. W-which was fine, but it...didn’t lead to a lot of genuine, meaningful friendships. I had acquaintances, I guess, but...not really any friends. I-it’s fine, though, because I always had my sisters and my parents, s-so things weren’t as bad…”

---

Graham's gaze drifted toward the floor. As much as he wanted it to, Madoka's reassurances about him fainting did nothing to make him feel better. Heart heavy, he offered Madoka a tired smile. "If Faqir hadn't done anything, Fauss and Levi would be dead. I could've been there to stop them before that happened and before Faqir got hurt even more, but I fainted. It's...I'm still really mad at myself for that. So thanks, but..."

But I'm never going to stop feeling bad about that. He took a deep breath, then sighed.

"...Sorry. I appreciate you saying that, though. A-anyway, about Viv not having a portrait. I think it's really awesome that you want to fix that because--because you're right. She's our friend, too, and she should be honored just as well as all the others," Graham replied. He bit the inside of his cheek--and as much as believed that, he doubted the people left had the drawing expertise to so much as come close to what Vivara drew for the others. "B-but what if what we come up with is a disappointment? I...we should do something for her, but m-maybe we can try something we know we're good at so we don't tarnish her memory? I don't know. I worry a lot."

He readjusted his grip on his chair, smiling slightly. Graham didn't have a lot of friends, either--over the years, he'd learned to be grateful for the ones he did have and more than anything, his dad, who'd always been there for him. In this, he could relate to Madoka a lot. "It... it kinda sucks, huh? But you're right--we always have our families. Oh, man. Having siblings must be so cool. Since my mom left, having a little bro has never really been something that seemed possible, because...well, yeah. But I've always wanted to have a little brother or sister to keep safe, or an older sibling to keep me safe. My dad thinks I'd actually hate having a sibling, though. He says they'd steal all my stuff and I'd get mad, which...which I probably would."

He paused, remembering how Madoka had thanked him again. Somehow, being called nice put a skip in his step. "You should smile more, you know. Everyone looks so great when they're smiling. It's--it's hard to smile right now, but...but still. We're gonna get to a point where we can really smile again. I can feel it."

There it is, Graham thought, relieved. I'm getting back on my feet, like a big kid. Finally. Now I just need stay up and hopefully, things will turn out okay. They have to be okay.

"And we're going to help Levi and Fauss find their smiles, too," Graham added, after a deep breath.

Madoka nodded slowly, chewing on his lip. “Y-you’re probably right, but...somehow I feel like if we work together, we can do it and make it look really good. Not as good as it would be if she did it, but...somehow I feel like Viv will be satisfied with whatever we come up with.” He paused, feeling himself smile. “Yeah...whatever we can do, as long as we can honor her, I think she’ll be happy.”

For a moment, Madoka tried to imagine Graham with siblings--more specifically, with Madoka’s own two sisters. Admittedly, he could only see it ending poorly.

“Siblings are nice most of the time,” he decided. “B-but sometimes my sisters used to take my stuff without asking or drag me out places to help them go shopping--and by that I mean so I could carry their stuff--a-and also for some reason Juri really liked trying to make me put on her clothes. Sh-she seemed to think I was her little sister instead of a little brother, w-which is kind of fine most of the time but sometimes it was pretty embarrassing…”

After a moment, he sighed, his smile wavering. “...I miss them. I miss my sisters a lot. E-even if sometimes they were kind of mean to me, they were always there to look out for me when I needed them and they didn’t judge me for crying a lot. So...s-so we have to get out of here, Graham. We have to so you can see your dad and I can see my sisters. That’s why I’m not going to give up. I’m never going to give up even though things are really hard, so…”

With every word, his smile grew larger. Madoka headed for the next flight of stairs, grinning. He turned to face Graham, a skip in his step he hadn’t had since childhood.

“So, let’s not give up, Graham! And let’s make sure no one else gives up either! We’ll find our happiness like Yuno said and we’ll smile until the end. Everything is going to work out just fine, because we’re together and there’s nothing you can’t do when you have other people around to give you courage and strength and to help you find your happiness.”

Yeah...we’re going to be fine.

God in heaven, thank you for getting me this far. I think we’re going to be alright.

---

"We'll find a way for Viv," Graham agreed, nodding. He moved forward, trying to keep up with Madoka as well as he could while still carrying his chair and blankets. "And you're right. We're not gonna give up. We're never gonna give up. Everyone's going to smile again, everything's gonna be okay, and we're gonna make sure of it."

He took a deep breath, trying to convince himself of these words. As much as he wanted to feel renergized, his less happy thoughts from before was still lingering, leaving a fog over him. He put on a smile for Madoka, however, wanting to be supportive. If he was happy, then that was already amazing.

"We should try to think of something to do that'll make everyone happy," Graham proposed, starting down the next flight of stairs. "I mean, I know we're going to try and draw something for Viv, and that'll be nice. But we should do something to--well, I don't know. What do you think?"

Graham bit his lip. He wanted to be able to something that'd bring everyone together. They all spoke of being a team and working together, and yet he got the feeling they weren't as close as he wanted. They were all going through this together, so they needed to want to be there for everyone--and that meant everyone. Really, he was more concerned that he and Madoka were the only ones who actually cared about Fauss and Levi. Mercy was going to let them die and Faqir had said on several occasions how they'd be much better off without the two. That being said, even Fauss and Levi themselves didn't even want to live.

What were they going to do when they got to the final trial? What if they tried to vote themselves up? Or worse, what if Faqir or Mercy...

They wouldn't...right?

“Mmm…” Madoka placed a finger to his chin, thinking. “You’re right, we should all do something fun. Well, Faqir wanted to have a team meeting, right? Maybe we can talk about doing something then, when everyone is awake and can contribute. Maybe we can have Fauss put on a magic show!”

Come to think of it, hadn’t Eriko asked him to do something way back at the second trial? And it seemed magic was the only thing that got Faussin truly excited and happy (well, besides planning his own death, but Madoka chose not to think about that). Mercy seemed a bit cynical, but maybe she would warm up to the idea if she remembered that Eriko had first suggested it.

Then again, mentioning Eriko again would probably just throw everyone off. Four of the remaining six survivors had had some kind of role in her death, after all, and Madoka knew for a fact all four of them were still kicking themselves over it.

Still...what better way to endear Faussin to the others and cheer him up at the same time?

“It might be risky,” Madoka admitted, “but at least he would get to show off his talent and we could all relax and watch him together and maybe Levi will finally feel comfortable talking to him again. If three of us are sure to look out for him, I’m sure he’ll feel better in no time, right?”

As jealous as he was, Madoka was also extremely worried about Levi and Faussin’s friendship. It was obvious in the way the two spoke about each other that they really did adore one another, but with things as they were now Madoka couldn't think of a way to fix it.

He sighed. “Well, maybe we can bring it up, at least. I-if he gets scared we’ll just have to calm him down. It can’t be that hard, right?”

Sure it can. Levi has failed three times now and they were best friends.

Madoka pushed that thought away, choosing instead to focus on the positives. Everyone was going to be alright--they just had to be careful.

---

"A magic show would be fun," Graham said, "and yeah, maybe it could make Fauss feel better, too. He can dazzle everyone and then maybe they'll start to warm up to him more. He--again, I feel like he's actually really nice and sweet, and even Eriko's note said that he had good intentions and to be supportive, so...if we could just get the others to care, we'll all be okay."

He paused, mind going back to the last trial they'd eventually face. If they could get everyone to like and care about Faussin, that would be great, but...if he was triggered during the trial, who was to say he wouldn't end up voting someone up? And worse, what if that made someone else snap and vote Faussin up? It could easily end in everyone dying, couldn't it? What if he singlehandedly votes everyone up during one of his episodes?

"I think it's really important that we make sure Fauss likes everyone else too," Graham realized, suddenly scared. "L-like, really important. Of course, we can't really make sure that happens unless everyone else actually tries, but we'll find a way. R-right? We've got to find a way. And we will find a way, because we're all going to get out of this together."

Madoka, you seem so optimistic, Graham thought, glancing over st the lucky student and flashing a smile. P-please don't lose that, I need it right now.

It only took Madoka a second to understand exactly what Graham was so worried about.

He didn’t think Faussin was the type to lash out during an attack--if anything, Levi was more dangerous in that regard--but then again, Faussin himself had confessed to actually killing before.

Madoka took a deep breath. We’ll be alright. We have to be alright. We’ve gotten this far, I’m not willing to quit yet. Come on, Madoka, get that optimism back and let’s all get out of here.

“That’s a good point,” he mused. “W-well, I know he already really likes Levi and I think he likes us too, s-so I guess we should just make sure he can get along with Faqir and Mercy. Those two are a little difficult...e-er, I like them and I think Faqir is warming up to Faussin at least, but yeah, considering their interactions so far it’s safe to say we have some matchmaking to do...h-haha.”

Madoka adjusted his grip on his blanket and pillow, clapping once.

“Well, then that’s just further reason why everyone still needs us, right? Now we definitely can’t give up, and so long as we keep trying, everyone will get along just fine.”

---

Graham nodded. The thief was still just as worried, but at least Madoka seemed to be maintaining his optimism. Empowered by it, Graham took a deep breath, smiling slightly. "Right. We'll find a way. Everything's going to be okay, and we're going to get out of here--together. Thanks, Madoka."

Whatever ended up happening--if they couldn't get Faqir and Mercy to get along with Fauss and vice versa, if Madoka and Graham were doomed to be third wheels forever, or if just about everything started falling apart again, everything would be okay. That's what he was telling himself--and even if there were parts of him that didn't believe it, he had to stick with it. Otherwise, he'd break down yet again, and there was a chance he wouldn't have the strength to get back up next time. If he fainted again...

Graham took a breath, willing himself not to think about it. If they were lucky, a situation like that wouldn't come up again at all. There wouldn't be anything for him to faint over. Of course, they weren't really known for being lucky, were they? It felt like all of the worst things that could possibly happen to them were always happening. It was disheartening, exhausting and despair-inducing--every time they had some glimmer of hope or positivity, it just seemed to get stomped on.

Three trials ago they'd sworn that there would never be another trial ever again. Every 'happy' situation was always followed by something terrible--the day they'd all hugged and welcomed Clair (Levi) back in and things started to feel like family again, Lottimelia killed herself; their final investigation that would lead to freedom and seeing their family again ended in near suicide, Madoka losing an eye, and Graham fainting; the list went on. Why was this going to be any different?

He held back a sigh, knowing it'd do him no good to think like that. He had Madoka's brief optimism now, but the last thing he wanted to do was burden the 'lucky' student with Graham's own problems. Madoka had enough to deal with already, after all.

Madoka smiled, admittedly rejuvenated. Things would work out somehow. It would take work, but it would work out. They just had to cater to Faussin and Levi and make sure Mercy and Faqir didn’t do something reckless. Surely they would--

“Ah, shoot…” Madoka hesitated going down the last flight of stairs. “...I-I forgot Levi’s clothes in the market.”

The whole reason I went up there and I completely forgot about it. Ah, Madoka, focus…

“I’ll be right back,” he promised. “U-um, you can go ahead to the nurse’s office...o-or wait here. In any case...I just have to go get that. I’ll be back!”

That said, he hustled up the staircases again to fetch Levi’s clothes.

When he finally made it back, Madoka met up with Graham and headed for the nurse’s office. A piece of him dreaded finding out what would happen, but more importantly, he was extremely eager to get back to Levi and make sure nothing awful was happening.

He expected the worst, to put it lightly.

O-oh gosh, please don’t tell me he’s being assaulted again.

---

Graham descended the last flight of stairs alongside Madoka and headed toward the nurse's office. He was pretty sure nothing awful was happening inside, though he was wary of what might happen later--it was the question of how long it would take for Mercy and Faqir to sneak off again and be irresponsible.

Sighing, he briefly placed his chair down to open the door to the nurse's office. Scooting it inside, he walked in after it, waving to everyone with a fake but much more convincing smile than before. "See? I told you guys I'd be back soon. No need to worry, right?"

Mercy halfheartedly waved to him and Madoka. As Graham had predicted, everything was the same, save for Mercy having finished helping Levi eat and had returned to sit next to Faqir. Seeing them together felt weird, especially after his discussion with Madoka upstairs, but he pushed those feelings aside for the time being. Everything was going to be fine.

"Now that you two are back, we can finally go to sleep," Mercy sighed, leaning back against the wall. "If you couldn't tell already, I'm rather exhausted."

Graham nodded. "I think we all are. I honestly can't wait to pass out for a couple of hours. ...Ah. Actually, if I didn't need to bring the blankets, does that mean we're all sleeping in our rooms? Because I think I actually like that more than all of us sleeping in here. It's--it's kinda cramped."

"Sort of," Mercy muttered. "But no one's allowed to sleep alone, just...as a precaution. The buddy system or whatever. Because of the room rule, Faqir and I will sleep in the market, and you three can figure something out on your own. Got it?"

"Uh. Uh..." Graham bit his lip. ...Are they...is this...?

He glanced at Madoka, concern clear on his face.

Madoka bit his lip, shifting his gaze between Graham and Faqir. Faqir lifted a hand as a greeting of sorts.

We can't let this happen! Madoka decided, taking on a serious expression. We have to protect everyone from making bad decisions like this!

"Ooooi," Levi called suddenly. "Does this mean you're going to let us up now?"

"Maybe," Faqir decided. "I dunno, I kinda like seeing you all helpless."

Madoka stiffened.

Ah! I knew it! He's a predator after all! Hang in there, Levi, I'll save you!

Levi glanced over at Madoka. "Please tell me you brought my clothes."

"Y-yes, u-um..." Madoka shifted, looking over at Faqir and Mercy. "A-are you two sure about this? Sleeping together, I mean. W-well, um...I-I just think, maybe now that things are calming down...maybe you can take some time to think things over a bit more clearly?"

Faqir raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? We've already been talking about it, it's fine."

It is most certainly not fine! Madoka almost screamed. Faqir, you're going to get her pregnant! This hotel is no place to raise a baby!

"R-right," he said instead, placing his things aside and scratching his neck. "I-I just thought, um..."

Madoka looked pleadingly at Graham for help.

Levi sighed miserably. "Can I get dressed yet...?"

---

"W-well. Um." Graham hesitated, having no clue what to say. Was he supposed to say it outright? Was he supposed to skip around the subject instead and hope they'd get the gist? Or was he supposed to ignore it completely and just subvert their plans so that they wouldn't even get a chance?

Deciding he was too nervous to go with the first two, he decided on the latter. "Actually, I-I've been thinking about it, and after what happened before and everyone being on-edge, I think we should all sleep together. J-just not in here, because you know, it's cramped."

"I'd really prefer we didn't all sleep together," Mercy muttered, crisscrossing her legs. "Everything'll be fine so long as no one's alone, so I don't know why it's bothering you. You can stay in here with Levi and Fauss if you want? You wanted to, anyway. Madoka would have to stay in here too, then."

"Well, if all four of us are going to be in here, why not you guys too?" Graham tried.

Mercy pursed her lips. She took a deep breath, then muttered something under her breath, presumably to Faqir.

Oh gosh...what are--what's she saying? Please be compromising. Please just agree on staying in here for now because it's not worth arguing over and you can't say no to this wonderful smile.

He smiled warmly at them. "Pretty please?"

Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes...

"I don't think I can sleep while tied up and mostly naked," Levi insisted.

Faqir raised an eyebrow. "If we were all going to stay together, we might as well just stay in here. Anywhere we go would be too cramped. You guys can spread out a bit, I'm not sure everyone staying all together is the best idea right now."

Madoka wilted. "W-well...i-it's just, with everything so wild lately, I'm not sure it's a good plan..."

"Is anyone listening to me?" Levi whined, in a pitch extremely reminiscent of Clair's. "My clooothes, guys!"

"I mean, we have a buddy system in play already, so..."

"You too, Madoka...?"

Faqir shook his head, tapping his fingers against his leg. "Some time apart might do us some good," he admitted. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to feel like I need to stay up to watch over everyone while they sleep in case something horrible happens. I'd rather we were all just responsible for one other person. Unless you guys want to stay in here with these two."

"If you're going to make us stay tied down here, you could at least refer to us by name," Levi protested. "...And seriously, is no one going to let me get dressed?"

Madoka briefly went into a panic. W-what do we do?! Sh-should we just confront them outright? Ah, Graham! We need to make sure this doesn't happen!

He reached out to grab Graham's arm, unreasonably nervous.

After a moment of silence, Levi mumbled, "That's fine, it's not like I f*cking shower in swim trunks and this is extremely uncomfortable for me or anything, let's all just ignore my trauma."

---

"To be fair, you're the one who tore your shirt off in the first place," Mercy muttered, crossing her arms. "And honestly, I agree with Faqir. Can we just be done with this, give Levi his clothes, and sleep already?"

Graham hesitated, scrambling to find something to say. "Uh. Um. Well. I-I...then...okay, confession time, I just want Faqir to be my buddy instead of Mercy's but I didn't want to say it outright! You've spent a ton of time with Mercy so now it's my turn now, right? M-Madoka, why don't you be Mercy's buddy? That'll work out, right?"

Well, it wasn't exactly a lie, right? Graham inhaled sharply, hoping he didn't accidentally make them start to hate him even more. Not that he was sure they hated him in the first place, but he had to be a nuisance by now, didn't he?

Ah...I'm losing my friends...

Graham bit the inside of his cheek. He almost wanted to say it'd be better to confront them outright, but he was honestly just terrified to confirm it or even hear the two talk about it at all. As someone who thought he was their friend, it hurt.

Mercy's gaze switched between Faqir and Graham--after a moment, it drifted to the ground.

"I wasn't exactly thinking straight," Levi declared. "And I like this plan. This is a good plan."

Madoka shifted, offering Mercy a bright smile. "Th-that's fine by me!" he announced cheerfully. "U-um, we can let Fauss and Levi up and--"

"No," Faqir cut in, expression conflicted. "We can't leave Levi and Fauss alone together anymore. That's not something I'm willing to risk."

Levi pursed his lips, then paused, chewed on his lower lip, and looked towards the door, distracted.

"I...ah, geez..." Faqir massaged the bridge of his nose, thinking. "Mercy, you...would you be okay with Levi, do you think? No, that won't...sh*t. I don't know...sh*t."

The fact that he was conflicted at all was a good sign, right? Madoka glanced over at Graham worriedly. Faqir was right to be concerned about Faussin and Levi alone together--especially if both were untied and their relationship really did involve hurting each other to get aroused--but they had to figure something out and it couldn't have been easy fro Graham to hear Faqir making excuses.

"...I understand the concern about Fauss and I," Levi said suddenly, "but I'm never saying a word to him again as long as I live because of those exact concerns. S-so it's fine, right? Just for a little bit."

"I'm not risking it," Faqir mumbled. He muttered something to Mercy, fiddling with the chain around his neck. Madoka frowned, stepping closer to Graham to offer some kind of comfort.

Sh-should we just say something?

---

Graham watched Faqir, heart dropping. Is...i-is this really so big of a deal that you can't even...I-I guess we're not as close as I thought we were.

He looked the other way, feeling the hurt show on his face. Really, if they'd never liked him as a friend, that was fine--that was their opinion, and it was nice of them to humor him in the first place. But thinking that all of those things Faqir said to make him feel better were fake, that all of the jokes they had were forced, well...

Sh-should I have known better? Graham wondered. Maybe they were giving hints for me to back off and it just never registered. I-I don't know. ...Does Madoka even like me, or is he just being nice to humor me, too?

Suddenly the lucky student's presence was less comforting. Graham huffed, willing himself to man up.

After a long pause, Mercy muttered something in response to Faqir, eyes still fixed on the ground. There was a hint of a dry smile in her expression--Graham tried not to wonder what it was from, but his mind immediately jumped to the conclusion of it being a joke at his expense.

He shifted. You don't know that. It could've been anything.

Madoka could almost feel the change in the atmosphere of the room. He took another step closer to Graham, patting his shoulder.

Ah...I've got to say something. This can't keep going on! I know it's none of my business, but...

Faqir offered Mercy a smile, then turned back to Graham.

Come on, Madoka...you've got to say something! Before Graham gets even more hurt!

"Graham, you can--"

"W-we don't think you two should be having sex like this!"

Faqir immediately went silent. Levi perked up, glancing in alarm at Faqir.

Madoka rubbed his arm, blushing. "I-it's just...I-I know it might seem like a good idea now--a-ah, I-I know it's none of my business to intervene but it just seems like a really bad idea right now, a-and if you two really like each other so much th-that's fine, b-but..."

A-ah, Madoka, should you really be interfering like this?

"B-but now isn't a good time! S-so maybe some time apart will..."

Faqir suddenly burst out laughing, holding a hand to his stomach. Madoka jumped, startled. Of all the reactions he was expecting Faqir to have, laughing was not one of them.

Come to think of it, had he ever even heard Faqir laugh before? Had he ever heard any of them laugh?

After a while of laughing at Madoka (peppered with the occasional gasp of breath), Faqir finally straightened up, wiping a tear from his eye.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he insisted, chuckling. "No, no, you're totally right, man."

Madoka relaxed, relieved. "I-I am?"

"Of course! I shouldn't be letting Mercy hog me like this. That's not fair to you beautiful boys."

Madoka's face drained of all color. I knew it! He really is a predator! A-ah, Madoka, you've awakened the beast! What have you done?!

"So, uh, how about this, everyone take off your pants and get in a line and I'll just do each one of you one at a time, sound good?"

Madoka squeaked, hiding behind Graham. Graham! Do something! Save me!

Levi hissed violently. "You leave Fauss alone, you gross pervert! If you so much as touch him I'll bite your f*cking finger off!"

"Ooh, kinky."

Levi hissed at him again. "A-and don't you get any ideas about me either! D-definitely don't touch Fauss, but I've had quite enough of getting assaulted, thank you very much!"

Madoka squeaked again, squeezing his eyes shut. I knew it! A-ah, Madoka, you've doomed us all!

---

Graham stared. After a moment of contemplation, he decided that last part was definitely a joke (or more like refused to believe it wasn't) and patted Madoka on the head, offering the two an awkward smile. "U-uh. Uh...I don't think that's going to happen, but I mean, if you could just bang no one, that'd be n-nice."

Whereas Faqir was still chuckling, Mercy went rigid. Muttering something under her breath, she stood, made a beeline for the door. Graham flinched--she grabbed Madoka's arm and dragged him outside with her, clearly pissed off.

Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Is she gonna kill him? Is she gonna beat him up? Graham watched where they'd left in terror. Surely she would take it easy on the boy--he was tiny, and she was...she was scary, she was strong, she killed tigers for a living, and now she was angry.

"Wha--what is she doing?" He asked, ready to follow after them.

---

"Are you stupid?!"

Mercy slammed the door shut behind her and dragged Madoka a distance away from the nurse's office, only stopping once she was sure no one inside would be able to overhear their conversation. Just in case, however, she kept to a harsh whisper--better safe than sorry.

"What possessed you to say that?! I mean--god, Graham misunderstanding so severely I understand, considering he's been left totally in the dark, but you? You know what's really going on, Madoka, so why would you even--?!" She fought the desire to kick something, beginning to pace. "Do you think I'm stupid? Do I look like the kind of girl who has sex after knowing a guy for however long we've been here, surrounded by cameras, with no protection, being watched by a person we don't know who likes to see us all suffer?"

She paused, turning on him. "Well? Do I?"

Madoka shrieked in terror, pressing against the wall.

"P-please don't kill me!" he begged. "I-it's just, G-Graham brought up all these things and I realized it was pretty weird, and then I thought what if you were emotionally vulnerable or something and he just took advantage of you? A-and now I'm convinced Faqir is definitely a predator and I-I didn't think you were stupid or anything, I-I just thought he must have manipulated you or something! I-I'm sorry! I-I don't want to die like this!"

God in heaven, please don't let me die like this! S-some other way maybe, but not like this!

"I-I was worried about you, th-that's all! A-and then we started getting concerned and I couldn't stop thinking about how all these things added up and please don't kill me!"

---

Being nearly naked was bad enough.

Being nearly naked and tied to a mattress with no chance of escape was even worse.

Being nearly naked and tied to a mattress with no chance of escape while another man made jokes about sleeping with everyone in the room?

Levi was currently in the middle of a panic.

"She's probably just super fired up to get to sleep with me again and is just getting herself warmed up," Faqir stated seriously, nodding. "Alright, which one of you boys wants to go first?"

Levi hissed, trying not to let his racing heart show outwardly. "So help me if you're not kidding about this I'm going to literally bite your throat out. And if you touch Fauss I'm going to bite your throat out and spit it into your eyes."

Sure Levi had sworn off ever talking to Faussin again, but that was for Faussin's own good. Secretly, he was desperate to reconnect with the magician...but when every attempt thus far had just led to him making everything infinitely worse, wasn't it better to just leave him with Madoka?

All of this after I swore up and down never to leave your side. Fauss...I'm really sorry. I hope you understand I'm only doing this because I love you so much.

If he couldn't hug Fauss and insist he would never leave the boy's side, the least he could do was protect him from a maniac on the loose, right?

Faqir shrugged. "Sounds kinky."

...On second thought, this was the most he could do.

"I-if one of you doesn't let me get dressed in the next five minutes I'm probably going to have an actual panic attack," Levi announced, loud enough that he hoped someone would hear him and actually cut the ropes.

Faqir scoffed, crossing his ankles. "If I did that I wouldn't get to have hot steamy sex with you. Seems like a waste to me."

If Levi hadn't already had experiences with men worse than Faqir while spending time dressed as Clair, he probably would have actually started screaming.

Thankfully, Clair's voice in the back of his head was enough to keep him calm.

You're fine, hon. I'm here. I've handled things like this before. You know what to do, babe.

Clair, don't go anywhere. Levi took a deep breath, shaking. It was hard to explain exactly what Clair was to him at this point--she was a part of who he was, she was him, and yet she was someone completely separate, like an old friend or a comforting voice. Talking to her as though she existed separately was somehow calming--no matter what happened to Levi, no matter who he lost or where he went, at least he knew he would always have Clair.

"I'm going to actually kill you."

"Ouch. I thought you were a masochist, not a sadist," Faqir sighed.

"For your sake I hope you're kidding right now."

"Nope, totally serious. Anyway, I guess I have to let you out of those ropes if you want to roll over for me."

Levi hissed at him. Faqir returned it with a wink.

"You know what?" Levi glanced over at Faussin's unconscious form, suddenly incredibly concerned about him. "F-fine, do whatever you want to me, just leave Fauss out of whatever this is. I-it's not like this is new to me, but if you touch him I swear I will rip both your eyes out. And you know I'm not kidding. If I could do it to Madoka, I can sure as h*ll do it to you."

Faqir actually looked genuinely terrified. "Okay, okay, I cave! It was a joke! ...Please don't kill me."

In response, Levi hissed at him.

You're d*mn lucky I'm tied to this mattress, jewelry boy.

"...O-okay, he's actually scaring me, c-can we let him put some clothes on so he can calm down? And Graham, I was just pulling your leg, nothing is...did you think Mercy and I were sleeping together too, or was that just Madoka?"

---

Graham hesitated, trying to process everything that was happening. He glanced at the door, then back at Faqir and Levi, still worried about Madoka. "I mean--y-you've gotta admit things have been really weird with you two all day. And like--the kind of weird that would imply something like... like that. A-and it's not just me, because Madoka agrees! You guys have been jumping at the chance to be alone together, you guys were super cuddly earlier and Mercy is never cuddly, she has her hair down and even changed clothes for some strange reason, and you..."

You said you loved her, Graham almost added, feeling his heart drop.

"...Nevermind," he muttered, rubbing his arms. "Levi, I-I think Madoka still has your clothes, and Mercy kind of...dragged him away. That said, you still didn't say where she went or what she's doing, why is--she's not gonna hurt him, is she? Because she did not look happy!"

---

---

"What are you--I'm not going to kill you, stupid," Mercy muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Why would you even think that? You think I'm a short-tempered murderer, too? Great."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Even if she couldn't do the same for Graham, at least she could tell Madoka all of the reasons why he was completely wrong and stupid for thinking that anything sexual was transpiring between her and Faqir.

"What 'things' did Graham bring up?" Mercy asked. "And why would you--if Faqir ever made an unwelcome advancement toward me, I'd punch him and you should know that by now. Listen, I--nothing like that ever happened between us. There's no way he could manipulate me into sex no matter how hard he tried, and I can't believe you'd actually think so. Is--is this what I come off as? Just...just some girl who bends to every guy's whim as soon as I get upset...?"

Mercy sighed, continuing to pace. I don't look strong in front of Madoka anymore, Graham and Levi probably think the worst of me now, and Faqir's just f*cking laughing away at this, of course. Why do I try? Why do I care? Why can't I just give up already?
I just lost all respect amongst all of the people I actually know and am stuck in here with.

Now that Graham brought it up, it was awfully strange. Still, Levi couldn't see Mercy as the kind of girl who would just go along with whatever stupid jokes Faqir made. Out of every member of the group remaining, she was the most likely to punch him or kick him in the knees for something like that.

I'm curious, but not curious enough to ask. G-geez, w-why aren't they letting me put my f*cking clothes on...?!

"She's probably not going to hurt him," Faqir decided. "Anyways...oh, geez, I'm really sorry about all this. Graham, nothing's going on between Mercy and I, okay? It's just..."

By this point, even Levi was curious as to what was actually going on--but not curious enough to stop being extremely uncomfortable. "Do you think we could continue this conversation after you let me up? I'm starting to feel extremely helpless and terrified and frankly it's worse without Mercy here to keep everyone in line."

"You're fine," Faqir insisted cheerfully. Levi's eye twitched. "Well, it's...hard to explain, Graham, but I promise nothing's going on. I guess I can see how you'd be confused. ...Wait a minute, did you seriously think I could wrap up with a girl that quickly? We were only gone for like, ten minutes, right? That is not long enough. I'm offended."

"Can we please not talk about this while I'm tied to a f*cking mattress and mostly naked?!" Levi yelled. "Seriously! It's not that hard to just cut a few ropes and let me put a f*cking shirt on, I'm losing my mind over here and the current topic of conversation is not helping!"

"At least you're talking," Faqir offered.

"Talking? I am not talking, I'm panicking. P-please let me up at least, I swear I won't hurt anyone so long as you let me put some pants on!"

Predictably, Faqir ignored him.

"Well anyways, I can't give away any details but nothing's going on. We're still bros, Graham. Sorry if I've been pushing you away lately, it's...it's not easy trying to be there for everyone at once. I'm here now if you need me."

"...Faqir, if you keep ignoring me like this I actually will hurt you."

"Settle down, kitty."

---

Madoka flinched, fidgeting. "W-well...i-it's just, your hair is down all of a sudden and we've never seen it down before, a-and you had changed your clothes, and you took a pretty long time upstairs together, a-and you've been all cuddly with Faqir and w-we just thought that was weird because you were never very keen to spend time around people before..."

As Madoka said it out loud, he found the connection between all of those things.

Ah...of course. I-I'm stupid...

"...Th-that was when..." Madoka paused, gesturing to his neck. "...w-wasn't it? A-and so that's why...o-oh. ...O-oh. Oh..."

Good job, Madoka.

"I-I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I-I've been misunderstanding things a lot lately...i-it all made so much sense when Graham was talking about it so I just got carried away, I guess..."

---

Graham bit his lip, taking a scalpel from a nearby drawer and crouching down next to Levi--he made sure to keep a fair distance between them, not wanting to spook the makeup artist. "I-I'll let you out, I feel bad and I want to be able to trust you, but c-can you just promise you won't kill Faqir first? And F-Faqir, please don't make any sex jokes about Levi anymore! It's not funny!"

He clenched his fists, oddly agitated. Deciding leaving Levi tied up like this while they talked about sensitive things and he didn't have a shirt on was torture enough, he cut the makeup artist free without waiting for a response. "Madoka has your shirt. Mercy just dragged him out into the hallway, so you can go there to get it from him. I'm going to--I-I..."

Graham took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. There's no reason to be angry. Everything's fine. Why are you...no, d-darn it, I am angry! I'm furious! Why would he ignore Levi like that?! Why would he joke around like that when--when all it does is just hurt my feelings more!? Why...

"I don't think I want to be in here right now." Tears welling in his eyes and stood, wiping them away before anyone could see them. He grabbed his chair, dragging it toward the door.

Why don't you trust me enough to tell me what's going on?

---

---

"So now it occurs to you?" Mercy laughed, fists clenching. "Great. Well, it's too late now. I can't believe you'd actually think Faqir was that kind of person. Sure, he's f*cking terrible sometimes, but not that terrible. You do realize if it wasn't for him I'd be dead right now, right? Do you know how close I came? Do you want to see?"

Not waiting for a response, she pulled down the collar of her turtleneck, showing Madoka the bloody cut along her neck. The fabric of her shirt having rubbed against it all this time, it was even more red than usual, inflamed and constantly hurting.

"Or is that not enough for you?" Mercy asked, stepping forward. "I asked him to stick with me, because I was afraid of what I might do if left alone for too long. Madoka, I want to die. I want to give up because I have nothing left to get back to, I feel empty inside, and I'm tired of it. The reason Faqir and I have been together so much is because me coming so close to dying scared us both sh*tless. I asked him not to leave me and he promised not to let me out of his sight. Is it starting to make sense now? Do you think 'sorry' makes up for what everyone now thinks of me? You...d*mmit, Madoka..."

She sighed, shaking her head. "F*ck it. I know it's not your fault, I know you said sorry, I know you didn't mean to, but I just wanted to make sure you understood what was actually going on before you went on convincing Levi and then Fauss, once he woke up, of this nonsense."

Immensely grateful, Levi sat up immediately, pulling the blanket around himself. He shivered beneath it, letting out a sigh. The rope burn he had from squirming wasn't bad; Levi was just happy to have free reign of his arms enough to move.

He glanced at Graham, chewing on his lip. Graham...

D-did I do something wrong? O-oh God, I'm so sorry.

"I-I won't actually kill him, I promise," he insisted. "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to scare anyone or anything like that..."

Shut up, Levi. Shut up before you make things worse again. Haven't you learned by now, stupid?!

Levi promptly went silent, hugging the blanket around his body to cover himself. He watched the door, waiting for Madoka to return with his clothes.

"Graham, wait," Faqir called, moving to hop off the bed. "I'm sorry, I just...this is just how I cope, I know it's not a good coping mechanism but it's...all I've got right now. I'll stop, okay? Hey, are you doing alright? Do you need me to do something?"

Just leave him be. This was my fault. Levi avoided saying anything out loud for fear of ruining everything again.

Geez, I'm so useless.

---

Madoka tried his best not to burst into tears, but he failed the moment Mercy showed off the scar on her neck. He buried his face in his hands, sniffling.

"I-I'm sorry," he whimpered. "I-I didn't...I-I'm sorry, I-I was just..."

Ah...she's right, Madoka, now you've done it...

"I-I won't tell anyone else or anything...I-I was just...I guess I-I was worried about you, a-and then...I-I'm sorry, Mercy..."

---

Graham hesitated, taking a deep breath. His voice softened: "Levi, I'm not mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong. Don't worry."

He reached for the door to leave, but somehow it felt wrong. He paused, turning back to face Faqir. Somehow he'd managed to hold back his tears for now--enough to keep the quiver out of his voice and his eyes relatively dry, but he wasn't sure how long that'd last.

"It's not okay. Nothing's okay. That wasn't cool, and you know it, but you still did it. And it wasn't even you making jokes that time! You just ignored him while he was clearly panicking! He asked you, Faqir! A-and you...why would..."

You hurt my feelings. I even told you I wanted to spend time with you earlier, and still you...why didn't I realize that you don't care as much sooner? Why didn't I realize you liked Mercy? Why did I think that I meant something as your friend? Graham's breathing was uneven. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Maybe it was because you let me cry on you. Or maybe because you didn't hate me for stealing your things, or because you listened to me when I said things, or because you said nice things to me when I was feeling like a total failure. I...

...This is probably my fault in the first place, huh? Graham sniffed, glancing back toward the door. Tears trickled down his cheeks and he hated them. He'd always hated them. I just expected too much.

"I'm fine, okay?" Graham mumbled, wiping his eyes. "And I'm mad at you."

I'm mad at you, but I feel bad for being mad, Graham realized, chest tightening. You...d-darn it, why am I...am I mad at me, am I mad at you, or am I just mad at both of us? I can't decide!

---

---

"You...Madoka, please don't cry, I'm sorry..." Watching Madoka burst into tears, Mercy felt her heart drop. She'd already broken him once, and now she'd dragged him out into the hallway and yelled at him just so that she could make him cry again. It was true that he'd only said what he did because he was trying to look out for everyone--even if it was a huge (and stupid) misunderstanding, it was one he clung to with genuine concern. "Listen, Madoka. Even if you were a little off the mark, I really do appreciate you looking out for me. I, ah..."

She stepped toward him, then hesitated, feeling awkward. Finally, however, she stepped fully toward him and pulled him into a hug, sighing. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you. You don't deserve that. It just--it would've been fine, honestly, but Faqir laughing and going along with it kinda pissed me off, and then I got mad at you, and...you were the easiest person to yell at. I already feel guilty enough for putting Faqir through all I have, I didn't want to add yelling at him to the list for the second time."

She paused, biting her lip. "...Just think a little more before you say something like that. And I'm sorry about showing you the scar, too, I'm sure that was...well, it's probably not very pleasant to look at, huh? We've been trying to find a time to disinfect and bandage it up but things just keep happening and getting in the way. Was kinda hoping this nap would be the opportune time. Even with that said, though, I wasn't kidding about being exhausted and looking forward to it. I think we all are."

Levi winced, snuggling into his blanket.

It was my fault for being an attention-seeking whore again. He chewed on his lip, desperate not to say anything out loud. Don’t be mad at him. I should have just kept quiet. I should have known there was too much going on. I should have…

W-where’s Madoka?

Surely if anyone could fix everything, it was Madoka. Even having him in the room was somehow incredibly soothing--he had his own problems, but one thing he did well was look out for everyone.

That, and he still had Levi’s clothes.

“Graham, I…” Faqir hesitated. “I didn’t...ah, geez…”

It’s not his fault. I’m the one who lost my mind in the first place. If I could just be normal for once, none of this would have happened. If I weren’t so screwed in the head everything would have been fine. Levi, can’t you control yourself at all?

No...even Clair has lost it.

Levi sniffled and rolled his shoulders, burrowing into the blanket.

Clearly there is something fundamentally wrong with me. I’m just a mistake and I can’t even die properly. Is there anything I can do right?

“I’m sorry,” Faqir repeated. “I’m scared of letting him up because if I do there’s a chance he’ll snap, or Fauss will get jealous and he’ll snap, or maybe they’ll both snap. I just brushed things aside because I didn’t want to have to deal with that and it…”

Levi let out a dry laugh. See? I told you. It’s my fault.

“...This isn’t just about Levi, is it?” Faqir asked softly. “You’re mad at me because I’ve been spending so much time with Mercy lately and not enough time with you. Ah, man...Graham, it’s not...it’s not that I don’t like you or I don’t want to hang out with you, it’s just...this is beyond me, okay? I know that doesn’t explain anything, I just...I don’t know what to do. She said it’s okay for you to come with us to the market, all three of us can hang out up there if you want, I just...I can’t let her out of my sight. Not yet. I can’t tell you why because it’s frankly not my business to say, but...just know it’s nothing you did wrong. Things are just tough right now.”

Even with his explanation, Levi still found a way to blame everything on himself.

This is because I broke Mercy, isn’t it? Tasting his own blood from biting open his lip was comforting, if nothing else. This is because I manipulated you and Madoka into helping me kill Eriko and made everyone feel like it was their faults. Stop, please...don’t fight anymore. Just blame me…

Why...why can’t I die? No matter what I do, why can’t I die?

---

I’m such a wuss…

Madoka sniffled, trying to get his crying under control. He managed to hug Mercy back for a brief moment before reaching up to wipe his eye.

“I-I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I-I didn't mean to cry...I-I didn’t realize...a-and now...a-ah, Mercy, I-I’m sorry I keep doing this to you…”

He sighed, managing to at least get his tears to slow to a stop. Even so, his heart felt oddly heavy. Figuring the makeup artist wouldn’t mind, Madoka wiped his eye on the sleeve of Levi’s shirt.

“I’m okay,” Madoka insisted. “I-I was just sad because you got hurt and now I made things worse...i-it’s okay. Ah, I’m tired…”