Day thirty-four. He had just about managed to doze off to sleep when a blast of noise jerked him from the cool comfort of unconsciousness – the clang of metal, the scuffling of jerky footsteps, and the shrill cry of a boy.  

“No! Let me go! Where is Rai?! What did you do to him?! Let me see my brother!” With a second metallic clang, the metal doors of the cell shut. But the wailing didn’t stop. “Let me out!” the voice pleaded desperately, muffled by the thumping of fists against the metal door. “Let me out! Let me out…!” He trailed off, voice fading into whimpering sobs. “… Please, this is a mistake… this is all a horrible mistake… someone… anyone…” 

Sighing inwardly, Aris squeezed his eyes shut tighter and gritted his teeth. Honestly, and I’d just gotten rid of that obnoxious old geezer. Aren’t they giving me new cellmates a bit too quickly? Irritated, he pulled his blankets over his head and searched vainly for his stolen comfort of sleep. But after another endless moment of listening to the boy’s pathetic, whimpering sniffles, Aris threw his blankets away and sat up with a vicious snarl. 

 “Wah, wah, wah! What are you, a fucking baby?” he growled, pointing a finger accusingly at the boy. “I’m trying to fucking sleep here! Do you need help shutting up? Because if that’s the case I’ll gladly rip out your tongue –” His voice died abruptly in his throat, along with his anger, when he saw the boy – head turning in shock and curved, delicate nose illuminated in the crack of light from the cell door. Aris met the wide, tear-streaked dark eyes and felt a deep memory throb painfully in his head.  

“Brother – big brother –!” 

“Ah, I-I’m sorry!” The boy’s shrill voice tore him promptly back to the present and Aris blinked, shocked, as he stared back at the boy’s terrified gaze. “I didn’t know there was someone else here! I’m sorry, p-please forgive me –” 

“… Shut it.” Gruffly, Aris reached over and turned on the lamp beside his bunk, filling the dark cell with a warm orange light. Glancing back, he observed the boy’s face, struggling to keep the memories back every time he met the boy’s dark eyes. For some reason he couldn’t stop glancing at the boy’s eyes.  

“… I’m… I’m Yuya…” the boy sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve and stumbling shakily to his feet. There was still fear in his hesitant gaze, but also relief reflected in his dark irises. He seemed to have decided that Aris wasn’t a threat – a mistake that others had often made in the past. “I-Ishitaka Yuya. Please, what’s your name…?” Yuya stammered, taking a timid step forward.  

What girly movements, Aris noticed, eyeing the way the boy’s hands were clutched nervously underneath his throat. This kid isn’t like the rest – he’s not a criminal. What is he doing here? “… My name’s Aris.” The next thing he knew, he’d gone ahead and introduced himself. Annoyed that his mouth had acted without his consent, Aris pressed his lips together and turned away. “Your bunk is the upper one. If I hear another whimper out of your pathetic mouth –” 

“A-Aris, please,” Yuya interrupted him desperately. Astonished, Aris turned and raised an eyebrow at the boy. Did he not know what a threat was? Or did he think Aris was joking? Instead, the boy stood up and promptly bowed ninety degrees. Aris felt his eyebrow twitch upwards in surprise. “U-Um, my older brother, Rai, he’s here somewhere. They took him away and I don’t know where he is, I’m worried. C-Could you please help me? I’ll do anything, so…” The boy bit his lip, eyes narrowing in apprehension as he glanced off to the side. “Even i-if you want me to be your woman, or… or something…” 

“… Ah?” This kid was seriously pissing him off. Scowling, Aris fell back into bed and pulled the covers firmly over his head, turning his back to the boy. “Who’d want to fuck a brat like you? I’d rather go to a daycare. Look, I don’t care if you’re going to get in your bunk or not but you better shut up. I’m going back to sleep, roll-call sounds in six hours.” 

 “P-Please…!”  

Behind the darkness of his closed eyelids, the boy’s pleading cry suddenly morphed into the wail of a younger boy with the same dark eyes.  

“No! Don’t take Brother away! No! No!!!” 

“… Anyway,” Aris said resignedly, reaching an arm out and turning the lamp off with an irritated scoff. “Cell doors are locked until roll-call, we can’t do anything right now. Tomorrow morning I’ll help you take a look.” He sighed, rolling his eyes as he heard the boy sniffle again. He hated the sound of crying brats. “Your brother was probably just placed in a different cell. We’ll see him during breakfast.” 

“T… Thank you!” Yuya’s outburst sparkled in genuine gratitude and Aris closed his eyes, swallowing a hard lump of strange discomfort. Damn, really, what was this kid doing here…? The high-security wing was for criminals like himself. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m only doing this to shut you up. So do me a favour too and go to sleep,” he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. “Or you’re going to have a rough day tomorrow.” He heard shifting as the boy got up, then a faint tell-tale clatter as somebody began to climb the rungs of the bunk. Then the rustling paused and Aris felt his heart sink as he wondered – what now? – but after a moment of silence, it was just Yuya’s speaking again. 

Softly – his voice was gentle and modest, not that high-pitched trembling whine he’d been using earlier. Hearing that kind of voice, even Aris felt himself instinctively relax. “Aris, you… you seem like a good person. Thank you.” 

Pretending to be asleep, Aris didn’t move. But behind his quiet breathing, closed eyes, and stiff lips, his conscience fluttered in incredulous amusement. 

Him? A good person?  

For sure, this Yuya guy wasn’t going to last a day.