"Hey Biki?" Tristan asked softly, glancing over at Hibiki who had moved beside him. "Can I ask you something I've been wondering about?"

Hibiki looked up ever so slightly bewildered, then nodded and smiled to say that he could.

"What is it like being rich? I want to know how you feel about it, because I've been told how I should feel about it? And to be honest I don't really know how to handle it, we've been skirting around the topic..."

Hibiki seemed slightly taken aback by the question, pulling away and looking down at Tristan's shoulder while trying to gather his thoughts on the topic. For a long while, at least several minutes, he typed his response. Tristan gave him the time to do so, even though the longer it lasted, the more he was afraid he had breeched into something he shouldn’t have.

'It's not what people think it's like, it's not a literal mountain of money. Well, maybe it is like that. Some of it I can use, but most of it is set like stone to my name, or dad's name: stocks and bonds and investments, all locked up into companies. It's so much that when you look up from the bottom you can't even see the top, and when you're at the top, you don't know what happens at the bottom. And that's just the part you’re able to see: you never know what goes on inside. There are caverns of revenue and taxes, and probably some very bad things that I am afraid to look into. Not because there is some master plan to hurt people and exploit them but, there is so much that you can't avoid it?

I think that's why most of us want to close our eyes and look away from it. I've seen a lot of people that hide in the luxury, and comfort, just because they don't want to bear the weight of their money on their conscience? They will tell you it's because they're enjoying it, and maybe I do enjoy it sometimes, but I think it's also so they don't have to acknowledge it. I know that when I do, I get overwhelmed.

Each time I think of it, I have to think of everyone that could be helped if I wanted, and all the people where it must come from. I understand it gives me the freedom to go any place I want, be any thing I want, and I am glad for that, but it's at the cost of knowing that any moment I do that, I could be trying to make things better?

And I really do want to try, but I don't know how. I don't even really know if it's something I can change, or if I am just another part in something larger than me that would crumble if I shifted it too much. But please don't hate me for it? So many people do. They think I'm evil because of my money, but they have never even seen me.'

Hibiki handed his phone to Tristan, and stared down the entire time while waiting for him to finish reading. As Tristan got further and further in, he put a hand around Hibiki's shoulder and held him.

"I don't hate you, and I know you’re not evil." He answered softly, feeling guilty that he had upset Hibiki. The latter nodded and took his phone back from Tristan to type again, but he still seemed distraught.

'I'm told I shouldn't judge poor people, because I don't know them – so then why is it okay for so many people to judge me, because I'm rich? It doesn't make it hurt less knowing there are people out there saying I should be imprisoned, or have everything taken away from me. I haven't done anything. It's as much a choice for me to get born from my parents as it was for anyone else. But I have to be scared for the rest of my life that people want to hurt me, or kill me for my money. It already happened once'

Tristan swallowed audibly as he read, and looked up from the message only to see Hibiki grip his knees tightly, staring blindly ahead into his own mind. He felt his heart sink, as it reminded him of how he had found Hibiki when his phone had been stolen.

“Is that why you don’t want to talk about it?” He asked softly, while running his hand over Hibiki’s back. He could feel how tense he was, his posture locked up. Although Hibiki didn’t look up, he did shake his head in response. Between clenched teeth he let out a heavy breath, and then bit on his lip tightly while trying to regain control over himself.

“I’m sorry,” Tristan continued, still carefully running his hand over Hibiki’s back. “It’s fine, nothing can happen to you.” He felt Hibiki shift just enough for gravity to lay him down against his chest. Instead of his knees, both his hands now grasped at his shirt. A frustrated, yet somehow vulnerable and desperate noise expressed how he felt, unable to do so with words. Tristan’s heart ran cold because of it, the whine resonating in his very bones.

He still didn’t know exactly what had happened to Hibiki, but more and more he started to believe he really didn’t want to. If only the mention of it could reduce Hibiki from confident and playful to quiet and quaking, it had to be awful – and that only made him ache more. He tightly wrapped both hands around him, holding him as close as he clearly wanted to be. Hibiki’s warm breaths were a bit heavy and uneven, but the longer he embraced him, the more he managed to pull himself away from the edge that his mind had nearly stumbled over.

“I’m really sorry… I should’ve known better.”

Hibiki shook his head against his chest, before pulling away from him and sitting up. He ran a thumb over his eyes, the corners glistening with tears but he wouldn’t allow himself to cry. His fingers trembled slightly when he typed from leftover adrenaline still affecting him.

‘It’s not your fault, I know why you ask. I just need more time to tell you everything, will you please be patient?’

“Take as much time as you need.” Tristan nodded.

A reserved smile raised the corners of Hibiki’s mouth, and he made a quick, grateful nod of his head like a bow – which told Tristan that the situation probably affected him more than he’d admit to. So he spread both arms out, making a gesture with both hands for Hibiki to come to him. Immediately Hibiki flopped back down onto him, and he let himself fall down all the way onto his back. While he wrapped both his arms around Hibiki, he closed his eyes and got comfortable on his chest.

The hug lasted for a long while, both of them simply enjoying the presence of the other. Until suddenly Hibiki’s phone was put in Tristan’s line of sight.

‘Are you really happy with me?’

The question caught him off guard a bit, and he lifted his head slightly to glance at Hibiki: he smiled back.

“Of course I am.” Tristan admitted as he laid his head back onto the couch. "You're absolutely brilliant, why?"

Hibiki shrugged a little, but then typed out his response.

'I just like knowing that I make you feel better'

"You probably make me feel better than I make you." Tristan said rather sheepishly, but he felt Hibiki shake his head against his chest.

'I did really fuck up'

"Part of it was my fault though, if I had stayed calm things would have been cleared up. We've talked about this, there's no need to blame anyone."

Hibiki sighed deeply, then nodded.

'You are going to see a psychologist though, right?'

"Next Tuesday… I have the intake." In response to the words, Hibiki lifted himself up slightly, so he could look down at Tristan. With one finger he gave two stern taps against Tristan's cheek, which made the latter frown in confusion.

'Promise you'll go'

"The appointment is already made," Tristan answered, as if that meant that he couldn't cancel it ever again – although his schedule did appear to have a certain sense of sacredness to it. "I'll go. The timing isn't great, but I'm going to try."

Hibiki responded with an approving nod, before laying back down on his chest.

"Do you think I should call out of work for today?" Tristan asked after another few moments of quiet. Hibiki tore his gaze away from his phone and looked at Tristan a bit too bright eyed by the prospect. He gave a nod that was somewhere between caring and over-eager.

"Liz is telling me I should…" Tristan explained further, holding his own phone in his hand. "But I don't want to get behind."

Hibiki nodded again, spurring him on even before writing his answer.

'If you feel like you need a day off?'

"You just want me to stay, don't you?"

Hibiki looked up with his best puppy eyes – which he'd undoubtedly learnt from Maki, before nodding slowly. For a moment Tristan weighed his options, but then wrapped both his arms around Hibiki again and settled in.

"I guess a day won't end the world." He muttered softly, and although he pretended to resist it, the slight smile playing around Hibiki's lips was more convincing than any argument.

'Want a game night?'

Tristan nodded, and he felt Hibiki wiggle his way further into his arms until he could lay his head on his shoulder instead.

"I do have to go tonight though, I have early classes tomorrow."

Hibiki nodded, not putting up a fight against that when he had already gained a whole afternoon and evening.

'I'll bring you back at ten?'

"Ten will will do." He closed his eyes, and fought the ever so slight twinge of guilt over not going to work – but it wasn't very hard to forget about that with Hibiki close and the room both quiet and warm. It was simple and peaceful, and he didn't want to ruin it with his worries.

A few fingertips gently caressed his neck and jaw, playing with a few strands of hair behind his ear, and feeling up the coarse stubble in the few spots he hadn't shaven as neatly.

A soft but long sigh escaped him, and he looked up at Hibiki. He was unable to hold back a gentle smile, his gaze drawn to Hibiki's. The pale white light that spilled through the windows reflected in his eyes, and the colour usually barely discernible from the black of his pupils now had a warm, brown hue to it. Those same eyes glanced down to his lips, and knowing well enough what was about to happen he parted them slightly. The kisses that followed were enough to make him forget everything else.