Guilty Pleasure Friends

Speaking in Codes

"Hey, Angel-chan?"

Licht looked up from the piano he had been practicing at. Life, after all, had to go on even with missing companions and gang wars, and he had concerts to prepare for again. Now, however, he turned around where he sat to face the figure sitting upside-down in the nearest chair, trying to learn his lines for the drama club play.

"What?" he asked. A few months ago there would likely have been aggression in his voice; that is, if he had even tolerated this guy joining him for piano practice in the first place. Looking back, he would probably have kicked him across half the building for trying.

Now, however, his tone held no annoyance. Just...a certain calm, along with the comfort that naturally came with spending all his time with another person out of his own volition.

Dangling his legs, Hyde slipped his feet off the backrest to sit upright in his chair. "Do you ever get worried," he said, "about what could happen?"

Licht rested his elbow on top of the piano. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, this is still a gang war." Hyde made a grand gesture, flapping his script around. "You know what happens in wars? People die. Are you ever worried that one of us could end in tragedy?"

For a brief moment, Licht pondered the question. Then he smirked.

"Are you scared, hedgehog?"

"Damn right I am!"

Familiar frustration appeared on Hyde's face, along with something deeper that Licht had only glimpsed a small handful of times. "In case you forgot, I lost my very first love to a gang war," he said, melodramatically pressing a hand to his chest. "What should I do if I were to lose you too? How am I supposed to keep living without my angel—ow! What was that for?"

Licht snorted. Even this reaction was exaggerated; he had only smacked him lightly upside the head to snap him out of his dramatics. Compared to getting kicked across the room, it had to feel like a tender embrace.

"Being such a drama queen," Licht answered, turning back to his piano. "Save that for the stage, stupid hedgehog."

"You're the stupid one, idiot angel! I was being serious, you know!"

"I know."

Hyde's mouth gaped open. This was a response he clearly hadn't been anticipating.

"My answer's the same," Licht continued, crossing his arms in a challenging motion. "Stop being dramatic. I'm not that girl from middle school that you were too stupid to confess to."

Hyde blinked, then a bitter smile crossed his face. "She has a name, you know."

Licht ignored him. "I'm not here to make peace," he said. "I'm not planning to sacrifice myself. I'm an angel here to purify all these demons, and that means kicking their stupid asses."

For a good moment Hyde stared at him, then he began to laugh. "Classic Angel-chan!" he exclaimed. "I expect nothing less from our beautiful violent angel cakes!"

A comment, Licht mused, that would have resulted in him getting kicked out of the room not long ago. He really was getting patient with Hyde. Or maybe lenient was the more accurate term.

"No one's dying," he remarked. "You're not, I'm not. Now shut up before I purify you too."

"...You're reckless."

Licht looked up. Hyde's tone had changed; there was no more exaggerated drama in his voice, no more fake exaggeration. Instead his voice was quiet now and almost disconcertingly honest.