An hour later, the cabin door creaked softly. Leonard, exhausted and sweeping the floor with listless energy, didn’t notice Vin had returned. It was only when he turned toward the kitchen that he saw him —standing still, tall as a concrete wall.

The scream was inevitable.

“Aaaah! W-what the hell?!” Leonard gasped, clutching his chest.

“Don’t overreact,” Vin scoffed, tossing several bags at him without ceremony. “Here. I brought you gifts. You’re welcome. And no, I didn’t leave for good.”

Leonard blinked. “What is this? And you came back? And... V-Vin! Everything that was next to the mat —how did you get it?”

“Here and there. And the weapons were nearby. You could’ve gone to that house two kilometers from here, but you’re just lazy,” Vin said. “There’s also clothes, canned food, hygiene products… you can’t keep wearing rags.”

Leonard wasn’t useless —how was he supposed to know there were weapons in a house inhabited by an entire family of Rainbanes? He frowned and rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

As he sorted through the supplies, his face lit up when he found even a small alarm clock.

“T-thanks…!” he whispered. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“The journey will be long,” Vin said, already opening the door to step outside and give the human some space. “You need to be prepared. There’ll be hundreds of Rainbanes in the forest. Don’t stray from me, no matter what.”

Leonard stopped him before he crossed the cabin door. “Wait… don’t go! Just… stay a while. I made something.”

He had Vin sit on the kitchen floor. There was no furniture, but the air felt warm —almost domestic. Leonard served him a steaming broth. Improvised vegetables and spices floated in the soup.

“I haven’t eaten like this in months. I want to celebrate.”

Vin looked at the bowl, somewhat amused. “I appreciate it, truly. No joke. But you should already know —we don’t eat human food. It tastes like nothing to us.”

Leonard fell silent.

“...”

“Aah.... well, yes. Uh… it’s true,” he said eventually. 

“DAMN IT! When I was younger, I saw news reports saying that. I guess I forgot. I’ve been… really disconnected from everything. I woke up here three years ago. I don’t know how I got this cabin. There was no one. Not my parents. Not my friends. Not… Vincent.”

Vin watched him, but didn’t interrupt.

“I was eighteen when I last saw him. I’m thirty now. It’s hard to believe he’s still alive… and that I’ve aged.”

The silence turned heavy, and after a pause, Leonard went on.

“Did Vincent… say anything about me? About us?” he asked suddenly, clinging tightly to Vin’s coat, as if the answer depended on that touch.

Vin took a deep breath.

“Huff… Vincent…” he murmured. “He’s part of me. Not a metaphor. We’re different now… and even so, he knows me better than I know myself. His words pushed me to do the right thing, you know? Vincent… he was the one who found me first. I was in hiding, and at the time, my face had just started to deform.”

He looked at Leonard with conviction and continued,

“I don’t know how you lost consciousness, but he told me he was the one who brought you here. According to him, he took care of you for years, making sure neither of you were exposed to the rain for too long. He even found an underground lagoon nearby —a place untouched by contamination— and used it to keep you alive.”

“Yes, I know that lagoon. I gather water from there whenever I can. It’s strange that spots like that even exist,” Leonard replied, unblinking.

“I don’t know how he knew you’d survive, but he was sure of it. He asked me to look after you… and then he left. Said he had to go to Eridanus —he’d heard it was the last mutant-free refuge, and he had to be sure. He left... three… four years ago? I think. The guy was… is quiet, not much of a talker… but he says everything in his letters.”

“So, you've been watching over me while I slept?” The human asked, nervously.

“You didn't snore much, man. You were pretty quiet. I barely had to keep an eye on you at all,” Vin affirmed without subtly. 

Leonard lowered his gaze. He didn’t understand why he had been left behind, why Vincent hadn’t taken him along.  

But at least… he wasn’t alone now. Vin was with him. 

And that was enough.