The first week of Roy’s patrol work came up.
As he had previously requested of Charlotte, his assigned patrol partner was Toby. Neither of them had asked Charlotte to change it, even though they’d barely spoken over the last few days.
Needless to say, the mood was kind of awkward.
They had met up at the HQ and moved to their patrolling area. Despite their issues, they had no time to mess around. It was Roy’s first day patrolling and he still had much to learn.
“H-How exactly do you know where we’re supposed to go?” Roy asked, seeing how Toby was staring at his phone.
“Ah… you need the Defenders App.” Toby pointed at his screen. “And the Morpho Com. You receive your area of duty the day before your shift. You should download it soon… you’ll need a code though, you’ll get it at the reception.”
“Ah, I see…”
“You will also get an upgrade for your map. See.” Toby opened another app on his phone. “It allows you to see who else is on patrol around the city. Look, there and there are Defenders, and on the other end is another group of apprentices. I think they’re from the third year class…”
“... That’s so many…”
Toby nodded. “Apparently, they station more Defenders when there is higher Morpho Mon activity noted. I dunno how it works to be honest, but based on the time of year and recently measured activity, they station more or less Defenders on patrol.”
“Mh… yes, that makes sense.”
The awkward silence returned.
Toby pressed his lips together. He had so many thoughts in his head, screaming all at the same time. Speaking to Roy again after everything that had happened made him realize how much he liked him, and how desperately he wanted him back in his life. It had only been a few days, but it felt like months without regular contact.
“... Roy-” Toby turned around to him, after finally catching a train of thought, which he immediately lost when he saw Roy’s expression of incredible distress.
“T-Toby… I’m so sorry…” He held his own arms. “I overreacted- I was so incredibly stupid… I cannot expect you to share everything with me, I just can’t. It’s your life… It doesn’t mean you don’t trust me… Or that we aren’t friends…”
Toby’s mouth stood agape. “Uhm- I-It’s alright Roy, really.”
Roy let out a deep sigh. “I just… I have no idea what it’s like to have a friend like you, you see… I have been homeschooled since I was nine, and even my connections to my colleagues have never been… like this…” His icy blue eyes pierced Toby with a desperate stare. “I want things to be like how they were before I lashed out at you.”
“Ah…” Toby blinked, processing everything Roy had just said. “No, really… It’s all good… Thank you for telling me. Please don’t be upset… I’m not mad at you. I also want to go back to how things were before.”
“Mh… okay… Thank you, Toby.”
Toby smiled at him. “No need to thank me. I’m glad to have you back.” He pulled out his phone again. “Now, how about we scout the area, hm? We could take a ride on Memis’ back.”
Roy’s eyes widened. “R-Ride?! On the dog?!”
“Yeah!! It’s super fun and very practical because he’s very fast!”
“... What do you think, Famfay?”
Famfay lifted his head. “I will not ride on Memis’ back.”
“WRAFF! We should do a race, Famfay! That would be awesome!!” Memis jumped up and down.
“Okay. I’m up for that.” Famfay jumped off Roy’s shoulders and morphed into his Pergrandis Form.
“Okay, then it’s just you and me taking a ride, right?” Toby tilted his head, looking up at Roy.
“Ah… Can’t hurt to try, I suppose.”
“Awesome!! Come on Memis!”
“WRAFF!” Memis now also changed into his Pergrandis form, laying down to allow easier mounting.
“Come on, Roy!” Toby climbed on Memis’ back. “You can sit behind me.”
Roy eyed the large dog. “No saddle, no halter… This looks very unsafe…” “Don’t worry, I’ve done this many times, nothing ever happened! If you want to, you can hold onto me for security.”
“... Well. I trust you.” Roy now joined Toby, carefully laying his hands on his shoulders. “You’re gonna be able to keep up, Famfay?”
“Easy.” Famfay stretched his arms. “I’m as fast as the wind.”
“Okay!” Toby patted Memis’ neck. “Let’s go, my boy!”
“WRAFF!” Memis stood up, and without a warning or signal he started dashing and jumping up the buildings, closely followed by Famfay.
“AAHHH–!!” Roy couldn’t help but scream from the sudden unexpected acceleration and shaking, and his slight hold on Toby’s shoulders quickly turned into him holding on for dear life, his arms now tightly wrapped around Toby’s chest.
“WOHOO!! Faster, Memis!!” Toby had a tight grip on Memis’ neck, guiding him where to go and when to jump. The fast speed and impossible heights were such a rush of adrenaline every time, and he was so happy to finally share this feeling with Roy. He was glad to have him back - but admittedly, him suddenly clinging tightly onto his body had startled him for a second.
The wind that blew in his face was cold, but Roy was so warm… and he could even feel his breath on his neck, sending shivers down his spine.
“H-Hold on Memis–!” Toby made Memis stop on top of a building, and turned around to face Roy. “Are you okay?”
“Eh-?” Roy looked up. “AH-” He quickly let go of Toby after realizing how tightly he held on to him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry- Oh lord-”
“Nah, nah, it’s alright-” Toby jumped off of Memis and pulled out his phone again.
“Are you okay, darling?” Famfay helped Roy down from Memis’ back.
“Yeah, I’m okay… My heart’s beating like crazy…”
“Wah…” Toby held up his phone. “Roy, look- there seems to be quite the commotion in Arrow Street. Some wild Morpho Mons that are super strong attacking the town… The Morpho Com asks for experienced Defenders to back-up!”
“W-We aren’t experienced enough for this though…” Roy brushed his fingers through his hair to get rid of the mess. “That sounds like a very dangerous situation.”
“Yeah, but wouldn’t it be great to witness this first hand for educational reasons? From a distance, of course. This doesn’t happen all that often!”
“Mh… That’s true. We could watch from a safe distance.”
“Okay, then let’s get back on track.” Toby put his phone away. “I promise we’ll go slower this time.”
“Ahm- no it’s okay, really.” Roy nodded. “We’re in a hurry now anyway, trying to catch up.”
“Also true. Then let’s get going!”
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