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He couldn't remember where these days started.
How it ended… was also a blur.
+++
"You, should be more gentle with yourself"
After the red-haired young man walked out of the harbor for a while, Lancer talked to the man who was also fishing behind him. The Archer class servant in a full-on red fisherman costume that comedically looked so out of place on him, ready with high-end fishing equipment that he traced himself.
Archer didn't reply to him directly. Just made a noise in his throat that was so low Lancer couldn't really make out what it meant.
Before the red man asked "How did you know?" back without looking at Lancer.
Well, Lancer didn't look at the man either. Have fish to pay attention to.
Lancer stared blankly at his old fishing rod. Waiting for a long time wasn't his problem. But that doesn't mean he won't secretly get bored. He thought so for a moment before answering.
"Well, it's not that hard" said Lancer. "Don't forget that I was there when you were about to fight that boy. Even if it's just the beginning, I heard enough to piece things together. Plus since Kotomine made me observe everyone. The kid's magic is exactly the same as yours"
This time, that low noise of Archer came up again, but a little louder. As if he was tired. "And then?" Archer asked.
“Well, you said that no one knows you. Plus the point just now, is you're probably a Counter Guardian"
"But that doesn't mean I'm Emiya Shirou anyway" Archer replied. But it sounded more like he just wanted to argue. It's hardly a denial of facts at all. It made Lancer laugh a little bit, good grief...
"Yeah yeah"
He did not continue. Because a Saba fish (how many Saba has he caught already?) took the bait.
But there was another reason he didn't tell Archer.
...he found out because both Shirou and Archer have exactly the same adorable facial expressions when being teased.
+++
"Help me ruin Emiya Shirou's date"
As they were walking around in the water park thinking about what to do, Archer suddenly turned around and said that to him.
Lancer frowned in confusion before understanding immediately as he turned to look in the direction Archer had looked before.
Little Shirou and Saber were alone together in the water park too.
But he immediately understood why Archer had invited him like that. Makes him laugh, forgetting to hold back, "'ey man what's this? Are you jealous? Do you secretly like Saber as well?"
"You are the crazy one here, mind you" The sarcastic reply made me want to laugh out loud even more. He thought that Archer knew what he thought because the bowman had drawn another sour expression on his face, before changing to a tired one. "Oh, if you want to laugh, laugh until you're satisfied. I don't care what you're thinking. I already have you, how can I want someone else?”
The first time the latter sentence slipped from Archer's mouth, neither of them had thought about it. And it would have gone through their heads if Lancer hadn't come to his senses.
"...Hah?"
Cried out in question as he looked into the eyes of Archer, who had just realized it too.
But when Archer kept looking back at him his face turned red with embarrassment (shyness...?) Lancer's processing became clearer and clearer. His smile widened until burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!! This one, hehehe-- you are so cute, Archer!"
Only then Archer exploded as well. But in a completely different way.
"Shut up! Forget it just now! Will you help me or not!!"
In order to preserve the other's dignity, Lancer does his best to stop laughing. Even though he succeeded, his ears were still red.
...It's red because of laughter. Not something else, yeah.
"Well, because you're asking so politely and cutely. I will help" Lancer replied, his hands crossed behind him and his body swaying left and right. As if following a song that only he could hear, "But for a price"
Before he lifted his two index fingers, poked the corners of his mouth in a gesture that he hoped would taunt Archer, and said, “Show me that side of you more often, okay?”
Archer looked a little less irritated while looking at the 'mocking' smile that Lancer sent with a faint gentleness in his eyes.
"Whatever" was Archer's only reply.
+++
Bad things will happen no matter what…
Grab your happiness now. Because in the end... joy and pain will have equal value.
+++
The harbor at night was busier than expected. In addition to the less light in the city, the starlight is clearly visible. The sound of the wind blowing the waves hitting the shore until the water crashed was louder than during the day. For there was no other noise to disturb it.
Including music from Lancer's radio.
"Give me~ one more kiss~"
Oh, and his singing voice too.
"You sang in the wrong key," the impatient Archer tried and failed to stop Lancer from singing to his heart's content. He knew the man could sing and sing really well. But for god's sake, Lancer never tried to sound nice at all right now.
Lancer pouted. "You're tone deaf" before singing louder and more off-key than before.
Good grief.
The music and vocals continued to reverberate around their empty harbor. There were occasions when Asher hummed along with the song, but not often. The two figures sat side by side and looked at the sky, doing nothing.
Archer thought for a while. All these nights he came to lay down and look at the stars in the middle of the night with Lancer like this... The Irish man seemed to like listening to sad songs.
It's not a song that will make you grieve or cry. But it is a song that has somewhat hopeful melodies despite the sorrow in the lyrics. The kind of music that accepts fate and tries to stubbornly enjoy it.
Just like how Lancer lived his life... Archer thought so.
“I will never erase that feeling oh~~”
But no matter what the meaning of the song was, the sound was distorted and pierced through the ears, killing the mood anyway.
+++
He was talking to Rin while Lancer was closing the cafe where they'd been working part-time today.
But though he was talking to Rin, Archer’s eyes kept secretly following another Servant. Even when he was working in the kitchen, his eyes would constantly glance at the waiter. The excuse he had for himself was that Lancer in a Butler suit was weird. And it's human nature to be curious about weird things, right?
It was the same excuse he gave Rin when she asked.
But of course, Rin didn't believe it. The girl narrowed her eyes and covered her mouth with one hand, making a knowing "ho ho ho" laugh. "Okay, I believe you, I believe you, Archer."
“You better be.” he replied sarcastically. Rin's attitude never failed to make his head hurt.
The girl laughed lightly again in a good mood before taking a sip of tea and speaking up.
"But I'm glad to see you starting to find your happiness."
That caused Archer to look at Rin with a question. Clear sea-blue eyes looked back at him. Those intelligent eyes he had loved so long ago. Long before he gave up on the dream he had tried to pursue.
Rin smiled back with the same smile he remembered no matter how long time has passed… She smiled gladly.
and asked, "Are you happy now, Archer?"
Archer couldn't remember what his answer was. But those blue eyes of hers are happy.
Then glanced at the corner of his eye. Another pair of crimson eyes peeked over. In them, looked like the owner just made a decision…
+++
"Archer"
He regained his awareness when a soft gruff voice called his class name.
Archer saw his own hand, held by another hand that was around the same size as his. The color of his hands and the other's hands even though they were around the same tan shade, his hand was much darker.
He raised his head. What he saw next was the tips of the other’s hair, a slightly lighter shade of blue under the moonlight. Long, flowing hair was gently blown by the ocean wind. It spreader than usual... He didn't tie his hair like usual.
And when he turned to look straight at Lancer's face The red eyes glowed back. Moonlight doesn't just make other people's hair look unusual. But both Lancer's face and body seemed to be glowing with a mysterious light.
Child of Light, indeed.
And that Child of Light gave a satisfied smile towards Archer. With eyes brimming with affection... Which, he didn't know if it was true or not, or if it was just because Lancer letting his hair down all over the front and back makes his face look gentler than usual.
"Archer, what's the answer?"
Lancer calmly repeated the question-- another unusual thing. But the repeated question made him remember.
"...Your idea is terrible, Lancer" was all he could answer. “Your idea sucks. I bet it could even rival Emiya Shirou’s ideals"
Archer stopped. Before bowing down again, letting his own undone hair cover his face and thought he shouldn’t have raised his head in the first place.
Lancer was still patiently waiting for him... And that's even worse.
Archer snapped back up. He was furious. “Even though I can't remember how this happened. But we are still Servants! Have you gone crazy? Do you really believe in these peaceful days?
"It's like knowing the bridge was going to collapse but you still walked across it. It's like knowing that the book has a sad ending but still reading it.
"You want to walk straight into Hell?!"
"Did you compare my wishing to love you to hell?" Lancer tilted his head and asked so innocently that Archer shouted;
"It's not that different!"
The silence so loud that made ears ring fell down after that. Archer didn't want to say anything more. Lancer didn't say anything either... But he didn't know what the other was thinking. Archer took the time to recover his posture. The free hand was brought up to lightly rub his own messy hair, then slowly lowered to massage the temples, and then reduced the movement until it was only placed over the eyes.
No one knew what Lancer was waiting for before. But finally, he spoke.
"Yeah, I know my idea sucks."
Lancer gripped his hand tighter.
“But the more I think, the more I know whether I want to love you like this or not. In the end, I will regret it either way.”
Archer's heart ached strangely, funny, even though he was thinking the same thing.
"...So I thought, then, I want to regret it to the end" Lancer said firmly. The words that clearly came from the heart. Causing Archer to lift the hand that covered his eyes and look at the person in front of him.
The moonlight that hit Cú Chulainn's body shone like sunlight.
“When the time comes, I will grive, I will mourn, it will be painful like hell. That such you are right…”
“But I want to regret, in a sense that it’s over. Not regret that it never happened at all”
“So, Archer, let me ask you one more time…”
Lancer's Smile. A confident and hopeful smile but also full of awareness of the end.
"...Would you like to walk straight into hell with me?"
Archer couldn't remember all of his reactions. I only remember him laughing bitterly, pulling the other person into a hug. He remembered when Rin asked if he was happy.
He remembered saying, "I'm already in Hell."
He remembered his first kiss with Cú Chulainn tasted like salt and sand.
+++
Tonight Rin stayed over at Shirou's house again. So it was convenient for Archer to do anything.
Tonight he went to their harbor as usual.