Why are you here?

It's Been Years

Radley stuck close to her the entire way home. He kept asking her if she was okay, and if anything hurt. Radlynn, of course, assured him time and time again that yes, she was okay and no, she didn't need him to evict anyone from the caves. Still, she couldn't stop him from insisting she shower and wear some fresh clothes. Radlynn couldn't say no to that, having worn pretty much the same outfit since she got there.

Radley's old hoodie and shorts felt oddly comfy. The hoodie was baggy, but warm. It was faded, and the sleeves were coming apart slightly from years of wear. The shorts, however, were the opposite. They went down just a bit past her knees and looked like they hadn't seen a single day of use. She wasn't complaining, though. It seemed to make Radley calm down and stop fluttering anxiously around her.

He'd settled down, calmly sitting in his armchair knitting quietly while Radlynn lay out on the couch and flicked through the tv channels MunchMore had to offer. It felt oddly peaceful, just sitting there with him just in reach.

Then they heard a loud, firm knock on the door. Both of them looked up in surprise. Not once since she'd come here had Radlynn heard or seen anyone come to visit Radley. He stood up slowly, head cocked in confusion. Radlynn watched him move over to the door and open it.

His skin broke out in goosebumps when he saw who it was. Breath caught in his throat, and his blood ran cold suddenly. He swallowed, feeling his heart beat violently in his chest.

"Hello, Shida."

His voice came quiet and soft, barely a whisper. He couldn't bring himself to even look at his guest.

"Radley?" A voice, soft and deep, full of worry, came. Radley toed at the ground, avoiding the other's gaze. Silence fell between them, neither willing to break it. Radley briefly considered just closing the door again and keeping it that way, but he couldn't. Not again. "Radley, I-"

"I'm sorry." Radley murmured.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry." He repeated, harsher this time. "I got mad and did something stupid again, and I ruined us and you probably still hate me-"

"Radley," he was grabbed by the shoulders, and squeezed tightly. "You didn't ruin anything. And I don't hate you." Radley clenched his teeth, willing himself to not cry. "Would I be here if I hated you?"

"...maybe."

Radlynn, who'd been watching the whole exchange, heard the guest sigh. "B," they began. "You can be really stupid sometimes, you know that? Coming all the way from fort onion just so I can tell you I'm still mad about something that happened years ago?"

"Not the weirdest thing someone's done to hurt me." Radley replied jokingly. A light chuckle escaped them. Radley sniffed, and glanced aside. "So why are you-"

"Because I was worried." They cut in. "You failed, again, and I knew you wouldn't take it well and I was worried that you-" they paused. "...you'd do something irrational."

"...I missed you." Radley murmured, dodging the topic.

"I missed you too. A lot, actually, I would've come earlier but-"

"You had more important things."

"Rads- you know you've always been the most important thing to me and...well I guess I haven't done great at showing that, have I?" Radley didn't answer that one. He just stood there, silent. "...c'mere."

Radley hesitated at the arms being held open to him. He stood there for a few moments, unsure if he wanted to return the hug. He stepped forward, then he was yanked forward into tight, warm arms he knew far too well.

"S-Shi-" he swallowed back sobs. "Shida I-"

"Shh," god how could that voice be so soft and affectionate? "It's alright."

They stayed there, pressed together, for what felt like hours, when in reality it was only six minutes (Radlynn counted).

"Do um- do you want to come in...?" Radley asked once they finally moved apart. He cocked his head, almost like he was hoping for a yes.

"I'd love to."

"O-oh, okay! Uh-" Radley moved out of the doorway and gestured inside. "The uh- the door might be a bit small I wasn't- wasn't taking you into consideration when I built it."

A bit small was putting it lightly. Sure, Radley's door was well over seven feet and pretty wide, but the guest was even bigger. Definitely a foot taller than Radley, so that was at least eight feet, and built widely.

And purple.

Radlynn's eyes widened when she realized who it was. Sargeant Crushida Pepper. And, of course, he noticed her staring immediately.

"Radley?" He asked, not shifting his eyes off of her. Radlynn gulped. Radley looked over at her, suddenly remembering that she was actually there.

"Oh! This is Radlynn," he gestured to her, then looked back to Sarge. "You um- you probably already know who Crushida is." He flashed her a sheepish smile.

"Radlynn?" Shida looked at him. "Isn't she-"

"A human? Yes." Radley cut in sharply. Crushida arched a brow for a moment, then dropped it. He cocked his head, or at least as much as he could considering his body shape.

"...why do you have a human here...?" He asked. "Didn't they all go home?"

"Yes- well you see um-"

"Please tell me you didn't keep her on purpose, Radley." Crushida muttered, his eyes moving over to Radley.

"What?! No! I-I'd never do something like that!" He yelped back.

"Uh- actually," Radlynn finally spoke up. "I chose to stay back." Radley looked relieved and nodded. "Radley's been taking care of me."

"...taking...care, of you?" Shida looked over at Radley, who just shrugged. "So you're just...okay? With her being here?"

"I guess."

"And...does she know about your...?" Radley cocked his head at the question. "Does she know about 'Them'?" Crushida asked. Radley's eyes widened.

"Who's them?" Radlynn asked.

"NOBODY!" Radley yelped back. "They're nobody you need to worry about!" Radlynn didn't look convinced in the slightest, which made Radley worry a bit. He glanced at Sarge. "She doesn't um- doesn't know that much." He murmured.

"...I see."

"Uh- am I missing something here?" Radlynn asked, confused.

"No." The two of them replied, completely in sync. They looked at each other in surprise. Radlynn frowned even more. Radley cleared his throat.

"How about some tea, Shida? And you can get to know each other a little!" He suggested. He looked at Radlynn and smiled, hoping she'd go along with it. Of course she would say yes, what else would she do? Wasn't like no was an option in this situation, since that'd just be rude. And awkward. That and Sarge would probably kill her if she didn't get on his good side quickly.

"Sounds nice." She replied.

Crushida looked at her for a long moment, sizing her up. "Sure," he finally answered. "Sounds nice, B."