Content Warning: Attempted Suicide, Emotional Distress.

Without saying a word, he got up and went to the small adjacent kitchen, seeking some privacy. The sound of the rain was more muffled there.

He sat on the floor —there were no chairs— and read the first letter.

Leo,

When I kissed your cheek, it wasn’t just a gesture. It was my way of apologizing, of telling you that I understood how hard it must be to deal with me. It was never your fault. Life has taught me to expect rejection, to feel like I don’t belong —but you tried to understand me.

And for that, I’m sorry. For seeking comfort when I shouldn’t have, for feeling what I shouldn’t. That kiss was a goodbye because I don’t want you to carry the weight of my emotions. I don’t want to be a burden to you.

I was about to end everything, but something stopped me —and that’s why that Rainbane is with you. He’s crude and sarcastic, but he won’t hurt you.

I know trusting is hard, but I saved his life by reminding him he was once human. 

He swore to protect you.

Go to Eridanus with him. It’s the only mutant-free zone in the city. The uninfected have lived there for years.

Take care of yourself,  

Vin

Leonard’s hands trembled. He wasn’t a man who cried, nor one to  show such sentimentality, but he felt the sadness building up in his chest. He read the letter again. Once. Twice. Three times. Then he moved on to the other letters —most were instructions about Eridanus and precautions for traveling to that zone, more than fifty away.

The name Vincent Lyon echoed in his chest. And with it, a memory hit him like the storm outside the cabin.

Thinking back to when he was eighteen, for Leonard, that gesture from Vincent was a unique moment. It was his first kiss —even if it wasn't on the lips. He felt it in his heart. The feeling had been clumsy, but filled with something he still couldn’t define.

Vincent had looked at him with a tenderness Leonard had never seen in him. As if he wanted to apologize —but also, to say goodbye.

He remembered Vincent’s hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from the rooftop. But as they walked, his friend began to drift away from him. The clouds thickened, and Leonard smiled, confused.

But then he saw it. Vincent broke into a run toward the edge of the rooftop.

“NOOO, VINCENT!”

And just as he screamed his name… everything went black. Leonard couldn’t remember what happened next, and years later, he had woken up completely dazed and alone in that cabin.

Startled by that memory, he took a deep breath, his eyes focusing on the floor —where he noticed a particular letter. It was different. It had a seal, and on it, handwritten, were the words:

“Don’t open this letter until you’re alone.”

“Vin,” he said, surprised.

While Leonard tried to understand what Vincent had written through those letters, in the other room, the Rainbane —Vin— pressed his right hand against his chest. His breathing was growing more and more labored.

Something was wrong.