The Origin Story...

Bullying never happened like it did in the movies. 

That's what Juno had always thought, anyway. Any time his mother turned on an American highschool movie, he couldn't help but stop watching and try to ignore the ignorance occurring on-screen. More often than not, it felt like someone who had never been bullied before in their life trying to re-enact what they had once seen when passing a fight in the halls. They rarely ever performed in such public displays, why would they? If they were to bully others in broad daylight then the few teachers who really cared would be able to see and take action. 

No. It never happened like that. All the worst cases happened out of sight of others. In the alley behind the school, quiet hallways, bathrooms, on the walk to and from school... 

It was those places that Juno feared most, and he should have known better than to keep using that same route.

Funny the thoughts you'd have when running for your very life.



"Get back here f***-face!" "Gonna snap those f***ing glasses in HALF."

Even in middleschool, Juno sometimes wondered where they had learned that kind of language. True, they were a couple years older than him in their last year of junior high, but still. Television, he assumed while ducking under a parking barrier and breaking into a full-on sprint. Ritchie and the Wolf Pack were hot on his trail. They were much bigger and stronger than he was, he knew already from the sounds that the stones made when they wizzed past his head and landed on the sidewalk or broke against the brick walls. It was enough to send a kid like him into a full-blown panic attack -- but not yet. He couldn't stop. If he stopped running for even one second, it would be over. He would be a dead man. 

The worst part was, that this was all just a game to them. They howled and barked with laughter, calling out insults he wouldn't even understand the meaning of until several years later. A pit formed deep in his stomach and an icy dread ran through his veins. He should have learned his lesson... They had even said 'If we see you here again, you're gonna wish you ain't never been born.' But what else was he supposed to do? This was the fastest route to and from school, his dad timed it. If Ibrahim didn't get that text right on time, then he'd get mad and start to ask questions. And if he knew about Ritchie and the Wolf Pack... 

Even at eleven he didn't think he could stand another 'be a man' talk.

No, he thought hopelessly, his ankle twisting slightly under him but he kept on running. Not again. I can't lose another set of glasses...

That would make for four pairs since the beginning of the school year. His mom was kind enough to believe the first three lies he had told her about his broken frames, but a fourth? No. She was smart enough to put the odds together and figure it out -- if she hadn't already.

"Where you going you, eh? Think you can really outrun ME?" That came from Ritchie. The biggest and meanest of the whole crew. He had a twisted mindset, and once some poor kid fell under his gaze as his next victim, everyone else avoided them too. Any friends or defenders of the 'prey' were next in line for an ass-whooping, and no one else dared to stand up to the Wolf Pack. This was his first time being targeted by Ritchie specifically, mostly he had just had run-ins with others and managed to fly under Ritchie's radar. But not today. They had a knack for picking on kids who were younger than them, and the weirder they were, the higher they were on the list. 

The worst part was that Juno had just been a completely normal kid up until recently. One could usually avoid the Wolf Pack as long as they weren't very pretty or very ugly, or very heavy or very skinny, or very smart or very dumb. As long as they kept to themselves and weren't foolish enough to raise their hands when the teachers asked 'Who can name all fifty states?' then the coast was usually clear. They had 'minions' everywhere, and those were nearly impossible to spot. Juno always kept to himself and minded his own business. It wasn't until one of these little rats found out about his robotics hobby that things took a turn for the worst.

He really didn't stand a chance against them. 

Juno turned a corner and was out of their sights for just long enough to make another turn down an alley and try to shake them off his trail. Maybe, just maybe, if he lost them for long enough they'd give up and go home. They couldn't follow him forever, right? It was getting late, surely they had places to be...?

Maybe if he ducked behind these bushes and made a run for it, cutting across the backwoods and beelining for his neighborhood, then he would avoid them and get home safely. A little late, perhaps, but safely nonetheless.

It was a nice thought.

Juno felt the blow before he saw it. His head was turned to look behind him, so he didn't notice Buford blocking his path. His fist collided deeply into Juno's gut, knocking the glasses off of him as he doubled over and lost all sense within moments. He crossed his arms over his middle and howled in pain, tears stinging his eyes immediately. The dread took little time to form a pit in his stomach. 

Juno lifted his head and met Buford's eyes, pleading silently with the large boy before him. But it wasn't of any use. "Ay, Ritchie! He's over here, caught 'im trying to sneak by!" Juno heard him yell. Buford's hand had ahold of Juno so he couldn't run off despite his best efforts. He tried to duck and squirm out of reach, thinking that maybe his smaller frame would give him an edge in speed if he could slip his shirt off and make a run for it, but he didn't get a chance.

Ritchie's cold, cruel laugh cut through the woods, echoing inside of Juno's head. He panicked and tried to kick Buford, swinging at every part of his body that he could reach, but it was pointless. Ritchie and Andre closed in, and it was pointless to even try and run.

The more one struggled, the worse the outcome. A lesson Juno learned the hard way.



It was nearly an hour past the time he usually returned whenever Juno managed to arrive home. The front door was open, only the screen door seperating them so they would be able to see when he walked up the steps. Juno was in shambles. He likely wouldn't have stood a chance in even one-to-one combat, but three-to-one? Even just walking took up every ounce of energy he had. One eye was swollen nearly shut, he couldn't stand up straight and the ankle he had rolled over earlier now felt like maybe the injury was worse than he had previously thought. His glasses were gone. Just like Andre had said he'd do, he snapped them in half. But not before getting a good amount of mockery out of them. 

Everything hurt. But the thing that hurt the most was that he just didn't have an answer as to 'why?' He hadn't done anything wrong... Why him? He was just a normal kid...

Juno stood in front of the house for a long moment, dreading what would happen when he came to the door. He didn't want to see his mother's worry, he didn't want to hear his father shouting, he didn't want them to aruge, he didn't want any of that... 

As soon as hid foot landed on the first step leading to the porch -- he had mangaed to get past the gate without making a noise -- Mariko appeared immediately in the doorway. Juno lifted his head to look at her, opening his mouth and trying to blurt out the practiced excuse he had thought up along the way, but he didn't get the chance. She screamed and fled out the door towards him, falling down to her knees as she took him by the shoulders and stared. He must have been a horrid sight, if her expression was anything to go off of.

He heard her speaking to him, but her voice seemed echoed and far away, he couldn't make it out. "M...Mom ..." Was all he had managed to say, before falling into her arms. It hurt to stand. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to know the pain he must be causing her, to see her one and only child like this. But he couldn't do anything about it. She, however, could. 

Running him inside, she wasted no time finding everything she could to fix him up. She may have retired from the medical field a long while ago, but some things always stuck. She had just never imagined she would be using these methods on her own son.


----



"Did you hear about Juno?"

"Ritchie and the Wolf Pack got him."

"No way! Really? But he's so normal."

"Apparently he's actually, like, really smart. A teacher offered him extra credit for helping Nina when he finished early, so they looked into it. He's super-smart."

"I heard that one of his ribs got broken."

"I heard he lost an eye!"

"No, he didn't lose an eye, you dummy. Ritchie wouldn't do something so obvious."



Echoes followed him everywhere he went. It was a week before he had been allowed to return to school, and in that time a lot had happened. His mother met with the council -- despite him begging her not to -- and tried to get the boys who had done it expelled. She had always been a respected woman, but it seemed there was nothing they could do. Since it happened off of school-grounds and there wasn't sufficient evidence, they couldn't just throw the boys out. She didn't take that well.

But there wasn't anything they could do. 

Juno hated the extra attention. They were all staring... Why couldn't they just mind their own business?? 

"Hi, Olin." Juno muttered, opening his locker up and looking to his left. Olin was one of his closest friends, they went way back. And right now, he could use a little distraction from everyone else in the world who was prying at him. "I heard that Lily joined the track team. Her coordination sucks, we should go watch her and see if she falls on her face again."

Juno looked to his left, expecting to see the blonde laughing and agree with him. Olin had always had a crush on Lily, so he leapt at any chance to tease her. But Olin wasn't smiling. He was just staring at Juno. "Ah, I know, I look pretty bad, huh?" Juno tried to laugh, assuming his appearance was the cause of the tension, "Andre clocked me across the face and--."

"What are you doing?"

Juno blinked. He didn't understand. "...What? What do you mean...?"

"Why are you talking to me?"

"B... Because we're friends?" He didn't know why, but Juno felt a pit starting to form in his stomach, like it always did when something bad was about to happen. "We... We're friends, Olin."

But Olin didn't seem to agree. He stiffened and his head darted back and forth to see if anyone around them had heard what Juno had just said. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he leaned forward and hissed, "Are you crazy?? I don't want what happened to you to happen to me! Once Ritchie and the Wolf Pack narrow in on somebody, everyone around them becomes prey!"

"B... But, I--."

"No! Juno! We can't. I'm sorry but I just -- I can't be seen with you right now."

"Wh-What do you mean?? But we always--."

"No. I'm sorry Juno, I really am. But I can't risk that! I'm going to join the soccer team, and I can't do well if I have to be out for a week because I got beat up for being friends with you." Olin shut his locker quickly, doing another survey to see if anyone was listening. "Just for right now. After this all blows over we can be friends again, okay?"

"B-But Olin--."

"NO, Juno." Olin hissed, taking a step back as he started to walk away. "Don't talk to me."

Juno just stood there, stunned. He felt heat rising up to his face and looked down at his feet, a new feeling he couldn't quite place spreading through him. He wanted to cry, but he didn't. Big kids don't cry. 

He went to classes and remained quiet. He didn't look at anyone, didn't talk to anyone, just kept his head down and scribbled inside of his notebook. Olin sucked, that much was clear. Maybe it was just a phase and he'd come back around by the time lunch came by. 

The bells rang and finally it was time for lunch. Sure, Olin was being stupid, but Olin wasn't his only friend. He'd sit with everyone else at lunch, tell them what happened, and they'd all tease Olin and tell him he was being paranoid and stupid and they'd quickly move on from this whole ordeal and it'd be business as usual.

If only it had been that way...

Ignoring the stares and whispers that passed him by, Juno got his tray of food and hummed quietly to himself as he made way to their table. "Mornin' guys!" He'd announce cheerily, setting his tray on the edge of the table as he waited for them to greet him back like they always did, every morning. "Did'ja miss me?"

But no one responded. Juno blinked and looked around the table, worried for a moment that he had walked up to the wrong one. But no. It was the right table. They all just looked at him, mirroring a similar look that Olin had worn earlier that morning. There was that pit again...

"Good morning, Juno..." That came from Lily, so softly he almost didn't hear it. Juno blinked and looked around at them all, feeling ice start to fill his veins. He tried to meet their eyes, but they all turned away.

"G...Guys?" He tried again, trying to force a smile on his wavering face. "Don't tell me Olin got to you guys too? He's being kind of weird today, I think something might be wr--."

"No, it isn't Olin." Someone else finally spoke. It was Tyler, and he looked stern. Juno started to speak again, but Tyler stopped him. "Juno, come on man! What do you want us to say? You... You know how this works."

Juno couldn't believe it. His breath stopped and he just stared at them all, unsure what to say in response. This... This wasn't happening. It wasn't -his- fault! Why were they looking at him like that? He didn't make this happen on purpose. "G-Guys, I..."

"Look, just get lost, okay? Don't put the girls in danger like this! It'll blow over eventually, just, not right now."

Juno tried to say something, but couldn't seem to come up with any good conversation topics. He reached out and tried to calm them down and convince them that is was okay, nothing was wrong, but it was of no use. And before he could stop it, they were getting up from their seats. This couldn't be happening... They were leaving, too...?

One by one they all got up and left. Lily was the last one. She stood up and turned towards him, taking a deep breath as she built up the confidence to speak. She looked remorseful and, for a moment, Juno thought that she might say 'forget it' and sit back down to stay with him. But it seemed she lost her nerve. She closed her mouth, looked down at the ground and walked away, dark pigtails swinging regretfully behind her. 

He didn't move for the longest time. His tray of food, which he had once been starving for earlier in the day, turned bitter. His mouth went dry and the thought of eating made him feel like throwing up. He pressed his lips together and stared down at the contents of the tray and it's poor excuse of food, his vision blurring suddenly behind the new set of glasses. Moments later, he left the cafeteria and wound up in the fourth floor bathroom.

There was no reason for it to hurt as much as it did. He would easily take one hundred more of Ritchie and the Wolf Gang's beatings if it meant that he would never again in his life experience what had just happened. The bathroom on the fourth floor was never occupied, and that was where Juno spent fourth hour, wallowing in the fresh feeling of abandonment that pulsed through him. This wasn't how today was supposed to go, not at all. He was supposed to come back and they were supposed to cheer for his return. He'd sit down with them all and joke about what had happened, giving his version of events before they moved on from it all forever. Not this... Whatever 'this' was. 'This' hurt so much worse than anything else he had ever experienced before.




His attendence dropped. His social life came to a halt. He didn't want to go to class anymore, not when that meant he would have to look at his ex-friends and wonder what he had done wrong. It was a rinse and repeat pattern for the following years. He didn't go to class yet still earned A's, but the teachers were worried about his attendence and called his parents with their concerns. He would be chased or mocked or punched on his way home, where his dad would yell and lecture him about appearances and consequences and how he needed to 'stand up for himself.' His mother tried to lessen Ibrahim's influence, but it was of no real use. 

By the time he was getting ready for highschool, the bullying became so bad that Juno wouldn't even bother to show up at all. He spent all his time locked away in his room, ignoring everyone and everything. He spoke to no one, had no friends, and rarely came out of his room to even talk to his parents. It wasn't worth it anymore when he knew that any time he showed his face it would just be Ibrahim yelling at him and calling him names. Standing up to others wasn't as easy as he always made it sound. It was clear Ibrahim had never once been bullied like this in his life. If Juno had tried to follow that advice, he already knew the consequences would be tripled. But that didn't matter. He was content where he was. That bright, social boy that only got picked on every once in a while had faded away, and in his place was a quiet, reclusive boy who never spoke unless he felt he had something meaningful to say. After being shushed so much and told his words didn't matter, it kind of took the will to talk out of him.

That didn't change the guilt he felt when he heard the news though. They were moving, and it was all because of him. Mariko had tried to divert it and say it was her dream to live in a more lively city-area with skyscrapers and taxis, but Ibrahim made sure to make the truth known. They were moving because Juno 'wasn't strong enough to make a man of himself.'

"Ibrahim, please, he's just a child!"

"Children -must- learn. Maybe if you didn't coddle him so much, he would actually be of use to society."

Mariko had to find a new bakery to work at, and Ibrahim left his drinking buddies behind when he had to relocate to a new base. It was Juno's fault they had to move. Maybe if he had just been selfish and never helped that girl with her homework, then none of this would have ever happened. It was his fault they were moving. And, though he'd never say it outloud, it was his fault his parents were having problems, too.

That, of course, was ridiculous. But it seemed true enough at the time. They'd had problems before all of this, but it seemed that Juno's nature was the most popular subject for their quarrels. Before long, even those stopped. They simply didn't speak to each other anymore. And that was arguably even worse. 





Juno didn't know what to expect from his new highschool. It was a new city, a new environment. Did this place have it's own Ritchie and the Wolf Pack? All in all, he didn't have high hopes for what he was going into. But Juno made a promise to his mother that he would attend every single one of his classes in the first month, and then decide from there. So, the first week came. 

First impression? Weird. The environment was completely different. Random people talked to him, the teachers were nicer, the school itself felt cleaner. Juno couldn't tell if all those things were actually true, or if they only seemed true because the burden of the past wasn't looming over him in the eyes of everyone he encountered. It was nice. 

He was still reclusive and tended to run when other people approached him, but they weren't nearly as rude as the kids in his old school had been. The girl who had the locker next to his greeted him every morning, the courses were challenging enough, and all in all it seemed to be a vast improvement. He was even allowed to bring his bots into class and work on them, as long as he was subtle and wasn't being distracting. 

But beyond all of that, one student really stood out from the crowd. Juno didn't know his name at first, but something about him just commanded attention in a way that no one else did. The moment he walked into a room, everyone else was paying attention. It was so admirable... 

"Hey, Shiro, wait up!"

So that was his name. For some unknown reason, he really liked Shiro. The guy was charismatic and friendly, a little loud at times because of his friends, but he could forgive that. Everyone liked him because he didn't discriminate when people approached him. Juno wished he could be like that. 

Any time Shiro entered the room, Juno bowed his head and kept on working. No point in drawing attention to himself, there was no way he'd want anything to do with someone like him. No, if he got attached to anyone -- not just Shiro, but anyone else -- it would just end up as a repeat of the incident several years ago. He was a bully-magnent through and through, and others didn't want to be associated with someone like that. 

Still. Every once in a while, Juno thought he saw Shiro looking at him. Watching him study or work on his bots, seeming almost like he wanted to walk up and say hello. Was... Was he imagining that? Surely he was. If Shiro wanted to say something, he would have just said it, right? He didn't need permission to speak, certainly not from the weird, quiet kid in the back of the class. 

But... still. There were exchanges. Brief words, passing nods of recognition, even moments when it almost seemed like Shiro went out of his way to just pass him by. Maybe he was imagining it all, but it still felt nice. Too bad Shiro was a senior, maybe they could have been great friends if Juno had ever worked up the confidence to say something to him. The jock and the nerd, an amusing friendship to say the least. At least, in Juno's eyes. It was a shame they wouldn't see each other any more after he graduated, maybe he should have said something and gotten up the nerve to just let him know how much he was appreciated. Shiro's smile was like a beacon in the dark times, the warmth never stopped. 

Maybe he should try to be like that...

Easier said than done. Juno wasn't popular enough to pull off the kind of energy Shiro had about him, but he could be kind to the ones around him. The girl at his locker, Maria, was one person he tried to be pleasant towards. She seemed to appreciate it, and he quickly found that she was around a lot more. Sitting next to him at lunch when he was usually by himself, seeking him out for projects. It was a nice friendship.

Or, so he had thought.





History liked to repeat itself, and in his highschool years Juno found a very different, yet highly similar situation befell him. Maria was a nice girl, but he just didn't like her like that. What was so wrong with that? Apparently a lot, judging by how people exploded and disproportinalized the situation afterwards. He wasn't a freak, he just didn't want to pursue her. It wasn't that weird...

"Hey Juno, do you want to be a girl? I mean, you already have the name of one. Want me to help you out?" 

"Sh-Shut up Roland. You're failing anatomy, you wouldn't even know where to begin." Juno was convinced that some guys were the absolute worst thing in the world. Especially straight, white, frat boys from rich families. Usually he could dodge under the radar as he typically wasn't that interesting. But his name did cause some what of an uproar, given the movie most people thought of when they heard it. Even though he wasn't even named after the movie and rather the constellation -- but then again Juno had also been a goddess of legend in english-speaking countries. 

He tried not to blame his mother, she really hadn't known any better. Where she was raised, names ending in 'O's were usually unisex. But that didn't matter. When he wasn't being made fun of for it, he actually really liked his name. Everyone else be damned.

"Wanna have a baby with me?" Roland was annoyingly persistent with his stupid harrassment. "I mean, you turned down that hot chick, so surely you're gay, right? I mean, there can't be any other reason for something like that."

"You are quite honestly the m-most disgusting person ever." Juno wasn't as timid as he used to be. He was generally quiet unless spoken to, but he wouldn't just sit there and take the abuse. Not anymore. "Y-You're a highschool-has-been waiting to happen. A future gas station attendant."

Roland didn't like that. But Juno didn't mind, the bruises and black eyes were kind of a signature look for him by now.  






Highschool ended in a very similar note to juniorhigh. But this time it was worse. The only good parent he'd had supporting him was fighting her own battles and the one remaining likely wanted to skin him alive for what he had done when leaving the house. But at least he got his GED.

The following college experience was unlike anything Juno had ever thought was possible for himself. The moment he had seen Shiro, just sitting there across from him, Juno knew things would never be the same. He wouldn't let it be. It threw him for a loop, naturally, but he wasn't hit with that usual urge to run away and hide like he usually did when someone new started talking to him. Maybe it was because Shiro wasn't new, that he was familiar with that face and that voice, the tender look in his eyes that he got when he was trying to figure out a situation. 

So many times before, Juno had wished he had befriended Shiro. In his head, that's all it was. A heavy pull of fascination at someone he wanted so badly to be friends with. It wasn't until a few weeks later that he realized that wasn't what this was at all. That 'friendship' he had wanted? He had never felt that way towards anyone else before in his entire life. Those feelings ran so, so much deeper than that, and it only took a few more days for him to come to the realization that he had a crush on the man.

And that absolutely terrified him. All his friendships before this had crashed and burned, and now a romantic interest?? Oh no. That couldn't go over well. What if it ended badly? What if Shiro laughed at him? Or, worst of all, what if they managed to get into a relationship, fall in love, and then get forced apart by some inciting incident that left him alone in the end? Alone again... What if this wound up only pushing him further into reclusion?

...No. No, Shiro wasn't like that. He wasn't going to just up and leave one day, and he wasn't going to laugh in his face. Shiro wasn't like that. He was strong, confident, generous, kind, and a complete dork as Juno would quickly learn. He was funny, witty, caring and selfless. He was patient, tolerant, and, most importantly, it seemed this crush wasn't one-sided.

Shiro liked him, too. Shiro really, genuinely, liked him, too. 

The next months were heaven on Earth. Juno was frightened the entire time, worrying that one day Shiro would just wake up and realize he didn't love him anymore, then leave. That someone would talk to Shiro and warn him about some unknown secret Juno had -- did he have any? -- and Shiro would become disgusted and leave, just like everyone else did. But that never happened.

And Juno was happy enough to become complacent.





It was unfortunate to have ended the way it did. It wasn't Shiro's doing, and that much brought him comfort. Indeed, there was nothing Shiro could have done to avoid what had happened between them both. Those thoughts kept Juno going, when the lies kept trying to invade his brain and make him give up hope. He held on to all the little things, they kept him from giving in to that despair they had so desperately tried to jam into his brain.

Before long, those memories became an echo inside of a shell of what used to be. He could recall them in his memory, but that memory seemed to be warped now, as if that year was a threat to his well-being. Try as hard as he might to hold on to the warmth of that time, but it seemed that history was constantly repeating itself. 

"You asked him not to leave, but he did. Don't you see that?" The voice of Dr. Cote was becoming annoying. Even in such a threatening situation, all Juno wanted to do was lock out that voice, so bent on repeating the same five phrases over and over again. "He abandonded you. He doesn't want you anymore, just like your little friends don't want you anymore either. You were a burden to him, but not to us."

Bullsh*t. Shiro wasn't like anyone else. He never had been, and never would be -- he knew that now. But at the time, it all seemed so real. Maybe it was the drugs, or the repetition, or the shocks, but he did genuinely believe it. Shiro had left... 

When he saw them again, all that time later, a war went on inside of his mind. A massive muddle of memories both real and fake fighting for the limelight. A part of him, buried so deep past the surface, wanted to just leap forward and embrace Shiro and never, ever let go. But the terror stopped him from doing so. The terror not even for himself, but also for Shiro. If he was found here, if they were caught together... It wouldn't be just Juno facing the consequences. If, by some chance, they got caught, Shiro would suffer too. 

Those thoughts were what plagued his thoughts when he was left alone in the complex now. Shiro was strong, both physically and mentally. But would he be able to handle such turmoil that those people were capable of? If he was given the choice, if he really knew what they were and every detail, would he stay put? A part of Juno hoped that he would, but another part grew increasingly anxious that he wouldn't. He had already put so much at risk, but what about his mental stability? He had a family to look after now, after all. 

I also want it. To be with you. I’ll wait as long as you want me to if it means we’ll get to be together again… like before.

... They had to do this. It wasn't just a matter of escaping Ibrahim anymore. He wasn't just going to run away and live his life in the shadows. No. He was going to take that entire corporation down. He wasn't the only victim anymore, and he wasn't going to sit idly by and risk other peoples livelihoods by keeping his mouth shut. He had a platform, he had a name. So he was going to use it. 

How, exactly, he had no idea. And in a way, destroying the corporation also meant destroying himself. But as far as he could see, Shiro would not be safe until they were obliterated. Not Shiro, not Momo, not Arisa, and not Risako or François. This didn't concern just the two of them anymore, but Juno was sure that he would be the one to end it as soon as possible. For Shiro's sake. For the one person who never, in his whole life, never gave up on him.








"You should have known better, Juno." The voice echoed in the large room. It was quiet, dark, and gave off the feeling that something bad was about to happen. The pit formed in Juno's stomach once more and he paced nervously, looking around for the source. He didn't get far, the room was only so big at no more than six-foot by six-foot. Whoever was speaking wasn't inside the room. "We'll always find you. There's no escape. You can't outrun us, not you or your little boyfriend. And no, he isn't independent of this either, not anymore. Someone has to pay for what you've done."

Juno pounded at the walls, opening his mouth to scream and yell for help. But nobody came. "You've done a lot of damage, but that's okay. What has been torn to shreds can be put back together again. Maybe you just need some proper motivation." Following the voice was a haunting sound, one that torrmented Juno's waking moments as well as his sleeping ones. It wouldn't be easy to recognize to anyone who was unfamiliar, but Juno knew it well. That electric buzz was still engrained in his brain. 


Juno gasped, sitting straight up in the bed as the dream quickly faded from his mind. The dark room scared him at first, the worries that it was real winding Juno up into frenzy as he nearly leapt out of the bed and ran to find an exit. But a shift in the bed beside him cut through it all. Shiro had felt it and woken up as well, his hand landing on Juno's shoulder ever so delicately to bring him back down from the terrors that gripped his heart. He jumped at first, looking over to figure beside him in the dark and staring wide-eyed. His heart was racing inside of his chest, but the rate started to slow carefully, reality coming back to him.

A dream. It...  It was just a dream... Shiro spoke his comforts and any remaining grips on the dream vanished. "N-No, I'm sorry. I'm okay." He sighed softly bringing one hand up to rest his forehead. "Go b-back to sleep, it's okay. I'm okay." But it seemed Shiro knew him better than he knew himself, and soon the inventor felt those arms folding around him once again, pulling him close and enveloping him in their warmth. 

Nothing in the world could compare to this. They'd had their struggles and their hardships, their ups and downs, fought their seemingly never-ending battles. But this was all worth it. There wasn't anyone else in the world that held a candle to Shiro. Because despite it all, all the good things and the bad things, Shiro came back. He was here. He was steady. Had he ever even really left in the first place? 

He loved Shiro. And that's all there was to it. Nothing in the world -- not Ibrahim, not the Americans, not the Portuguese, nothing -- would ever, ever take that away from him.