A Greek Tragedy PV Dealla

@Dealla Prince

Ruka smiled lightly at Dealla's huff, shaking his head when she questioned if he really cared what people thought. "I suppose not," he agreed, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't going to let anybody else stop him from stealing Dealla away for a dance if that was something she allowed him to do. The thought made him smile, the disappointment washing away more and more with each passing second.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Ruka let Dealla adjust her position next to him as she talked, waited until she had rested her head against his shoulders, seemed to welcome his close proximity, so he didn't pull away. Instead he tightened his hold around her waist a little and gave her fingers another squeeze. Remaining silent as she let go of all those frustrations she seemed to have hidden inside her seemed to be the only right thing to do, so Ruka simply listened, leaned his own head against her's gently as he let his gaze drift across the fields with a far off look in his eyes.

Once he did talk to question if that was truly what friendship was about, Dealla almost sounded appalled that he would suggest something like that but the question seemed to give her pause, her following words sounding uncertain. He sighed quietly and turned his head a little to bury his nose in her hair, lips pressed against her scalp in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. "You'd know her best," he relented quietly, closing his eyes again. "As long as you're prepared to deal with any consequences." He let the pad of his thumb trace the side of her hand gently as he pulled his head back to look up at the blue skies and the occasional clouds passing above them. "If you ever needed any help..." He paused and carefully nudged his elbow against Dealla's side. "Not that you'd ever need any, of course... Just know that you can come to me. You're my friend." That felt good to say out loud. Such a long time of having only one friend who was allergic to the term, finally saying the word out loud felt like proof that there were people he had a real connection to. "And I'm here for you. Even if it's just to help you pick up the pieces."

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Dealla didn't reply to his concession that she knew Ileen best, because at this point, she wasn't sure herself anymore that this was true. Kazuo hadn't tried to talk her out of this, and no one else knew, so this was the first time that Dee met with doubt since that storm of feelings, the impulsiveness that had set this all into motion. But as exhausting as it was to hold a grudge, she wasn't prepared to step down on this, still carried the hurt in her stomach, in her heart, radiating even to her fingertips when she was left alone to think too much.

A deep breath and she closed her eyes, allowing herself to soak in some of the calm of the moment. She wasn't sure if it was her own heartbeat in her ear or Ruka's, but it was something steady to cling to.

Ruka's next words had her lips first tightening into a thin line, then relaxing again, showing something close to a smile. "Of course I don't need help." Of course she did, she was just terrible at admitting it, and it meant a lot that Ruka knew. "And of course I'm your friend." It wasn't as momentous a statement to her as it was to him, and she didn't quite grasp how important the moment was, but her words were matter-of-fact. Not a question, not a doubt, solid truth. A long pause before a few more words were added. "Thank you, Ruka."

@Ruka Burnett-Tân

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