>The serene night sky is almost funny, given what is happening on the grounds below it.
>Your grip on your keys tightens. Tightens so hard that you're afraid you might break them. Your car sits a few feet away in the parking lot, almost calling you to come to it.
>This is for them, you tell yourself.
>Over and over again: this is for them.
>"So that's it then? You're just gonna leave?"
>Aria's scowl deepens when you sigh and shake your head. She didn't understand. Nobody could understand.
"It's the right thing to do. Trust me, this is the only way."
>Adagio stands behind Aria, her eyes alight with barely contained rage; beside her, Sonata stares wordlessly at you, her lips trembling. The sight of it makes your chest hurt. But it must be done. Not only for her sake, but for all three of them.
>"What the hell does that even mean!?" Adagio yells, her rage finally breaking. Sonata looks back and forth between you and her, before looking away and staring at the wall.
>"If you're going to sit here and just... just leave our lives, the least you could do is TELL US WHY!" Adagio shouts, and it is at this point that tears begin trailing down Sonata's face.
>Now you definitely feel like a piece of shit.
>But maybe it's good.
>Looking at the three of them right now, you fully believe that they will hate you for this. But that'll just make it all the more better for them that you're out of their lives.
>Still though, Adagio brings up a good point. After all that you've been through with them, they do deserve an explanation. Especially if that explanation makes it clear that it's not their fault, but yours.
"I don't want to leave. I want to stay, but if I stay, then I'll only end up fucking it all up and hurting you all. What you're feeling right now? It's nothing compared to what you'll feel if I stay. That's why I have to leave. This isn't your fault, it's mine. You can get by fine without me - you don't need me. Nobody needs me."
>An explanation. The truth. It's all you can give them. Now, they will not blame themselves. The blame will be where it belongs: on you.
>Adagio's rage melts away into disbelief, and Sonata follows suit.
>Aria however does something you aren't expecting.
>She laughs.
>You raise a brow at her, and wonder what could possibly be so funny about what you just said.
>Maybe this is her way of dealing with it? She's never really struck you as the type to deal with pain by laughing at it. But then again, you never have seen her hurting before, except for when you first met them. When they all were hurting.
>She stops laughing, her face flushed as she catches her breath.
>Then she looks at you for a second, and breaks out into another laughing fit.
>Adagio and Sonata have turned their attention away from you and are staring with just as much confusion as you are.
>Have you actually ever seen her laugh this hard before? Granted, she rarely laughs, but you HAVE seen her laugh... but you've never seen her laugh like this before.
>Not knowing what else to do, you turn and start to walk to your car, when Aria's laughter sharply ends.
>"You are a fucking idiot."
>You stop dead in your tracks and look back at her, and your eyes widen when you see that not only is Sonata now full on crying, but Adagio has a few tears streaming down her face as well.
"I-"
>"You honestly think that you could fuck us over worse than we how fucked ourselves over? I don't know about them," she motions towards where Adagio is shakily wiping away Sonata's tears with a tissue, "but me? Dumbass, you're the *only* reason I've gotten it this far without my amulet. The only reason I haven't gone off the deep end. You seriously think that we'll be fine without you here? That we don't need you?"
>She closes the gap between the two of you quicker than you can react; quicker than you can raise your arms to block the strike you think is coming. But instead of a hitting you like you thought she would, she latches onto your shoulder with an iron-clad grip, forcing you to stare into her now glassy eyes.
>The usual mask of indifference and irritation is gone, replaced not by anger, but by pain.
>It's a look you know all too well. You see it every time you look in a mirror.
>"You fucking idiot," her grip tightens so hard, you swear you hear a crack, "I need you."
>Behind her, Adagio quietly walks up to the two of you, her arm around a silently sobbing Sonata.
>Aria releases your arms, and glances at the others.
>"WE need you."
>Dumbstruck, you look at all of them,
>Adagio's silent, pleading look
>Sonata's choked sobs,
>Aria's pain...
>You don't know what to say.
>Thankfully though you don't need to say anything, because Aria continues talking.
>"I don't know what hell happened to you to make you think that you're so fucked up you have to run from the people you care about - and you DO care - but for fuck's sake..."
>She trails off, her gaze ripping down the walls you worked so hard to put up around yourself.
>You feel something warm go down your face.
>Raising your hand, you wipe at it and feel the wetness.
>You are crying.
>Aria yanks you over to her, then pulls you into a tight embrace.
>"Let us help you, Anon," she whispers with a shaky voice, loud enough that you know the others can hear, "like how you've helped us..."
>The dam breaks.
>Your body is racked with the grief and anguish you've tried so hard to repress. It shakes you, literally, to your core.
>You lean into her, wrapping your arms around her; you feel yourself slipping away, held only in position by Aria.
>You feel another pair of arms wrap around you from behind, and another from the left.
>The weight of what you were going to do hits you like a truck, as well as how fucking stupid you have been.
>All of it hits you.
>Pushing them away,
>The cold shoulder you've been giving each of them over the past week as you grappled with what you thought you had to do in order to protect them, and the flinches of pain you've seen in each of their eyes every time you did it,
>They care about you, and you care about them.
>And you almost destroyed everything. Again. Just like everything else in your life.
"I'm so... I'm so s-"
>Someone shushes you, and you realize it couldn't be Aria, as she is also crying.
>Through the tears, you look to your left and are met with Adagio, who is mere inches away.
>She touches your forehead with hers, and ever so silently, she says:
>"Let us help you..."
-
>It's been a month since what you now refer to as 'The Great Collapse' occurred.
>The radio plays some R&B tune by some band you've never heard of before as you flip the contents of the skillet.
>In the kitchen with you are what others call 'The Dazzlings', but not you. You don't call them that. Not now.
>You've come to call them what they really are:
>Your family.
>"Is it almost done!?"
>You jolt upright as Sonata bounces up out of nowhere; her gaze fixed squarely on the pancakes sizzling on the stove-top.
>Chuckling, you pat her head, earning a small coo from her.
"Soon, real soon. I give it about 3 minutes, tops."
>Behind you, you can hear Aria chuckle, something she's been doing a lot of in the past few days.
>It makes your heart swell with glee every time you hear it.
>"About time. I'm starving my ass off. I just hope Sonata doesn't eat it all." she says with her usual cynicism, but you can hear the happiness in her voice.
>Sonata sticks her tongue out at her, and runs off.
>It isn't long before you hear Aria start yelling, "Sonata, I swear to god - let go of my hair right now!"
>Rolling your eyes, you chuckle and flip the pancakes again.
>"Now now, let's not fight in the kitchen... or at least wait until the stove is turned off."
>Looking over your shoulder, you see Adagio place her cup of coffee down on the kitchen table as she watches the scene with a small grin.
>Her eyes meet yours and the grin is replaced with a small, genuine smile, which you return.
>Blushing, she looks away, making your own smile grow a little.
>Turning your attention back to the stove, a strange feeling sets in. A feeling you once had felt all those years ago, but had long since forgotten.
>Even still, you know what feeling it is...
>Adagio steps up next to you, planting a gentle kiss on your cheek as you turn the stove off.
>...Belonging.