𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔

The living remember the dead

Both Vanya and Ayron sat there together in the dark of Indigo's room, each left to their own thoughts.

The silence between them was unbearable.

When Vanya had enough, he peered at Ayron, whose shaking had increased to the point where it would easily passed off as a small earthquake.

"Hey," Ayron's eyes slid over to Vanya, "what's going to happen to us all now, Ayron? Do you think we'll all be separated? With Indigo gone..."

"No, no. I don't really think so. That man? When he came here he was whisperin' somethin' to the arm of Indie, the sicko, he said somethin' about boss appointing him now she was gone, then tossed the whol' lot o' the window and vanished, too," Ayron's voice was rushed, and his eyes darted erratically from to the ground to the door, his voice faltered slightly. 

"He's still here."

A lance of fear bolted through Vanya's chest as he stared, unseeing at the door. He felt like curling up and turning his face to the wall, but instead he stood up and moved towards the door slowly.

"If, if I can get to the phone, then I can-"

"No, Vanya, if-" Ayron took a sharp breath, "He's still downstairs, I can 'ear 'im, but you can't, and don' get me started on his smell, and then if he gets you, too, what then? It'll be an assault to my nose."

Vanya nodded slowly, a thin smile spreading across his lips at Ayron's dark humour. He changed direction, crouching closer towards Ayron instead.

"We'll figure out what to do then, but for the meantime, I need to find a way to get back to my room and avoid every single creaking floorboard. Any ideas?"

Ayron shook his head and rested his head on Vanya's.

"Nah. What 'bout you?"

Vanya remembered the dark stain seeping across his smiley face like a taunt on his door and shook his head.

Minutes passed.

After a while Ayron broke the silence.

"Isn't this a bit strange, man shows up, kills Indie, vanishes? One who knew her to top it off?"

Vanya shook his head.

"It's coincidental. Indie plans to go out. Man intercepts her. Also, an assassin in the era of thirty-seventy-six? They'd shut this orphanage down when they find Indie's body. We'd all be separated like they did with Oak Orphanage."

"But look man, we can' tell the police, they're not led by the supers, they're led by 'umans who wish us lot death. Our best bet is to figure what's goin' on, besides, we never go to anyone else for our problems, yeah?"

Vanya, not knowing what to say, simply nodded.

Indigo had been his family, now she was gone.

Who would care for him now?
Who would care for them all?

He supposed he had Ayron now, and Ayron had him.

They'd both been tied together by circumstances that were beyond their control, but they'd try and solve it.

They would try.

Ayron's hand surrounded Vanya's, squeezing it slightly; the warmth radiating from him was proof he was alive.

Vanya let a smile slip onto his face as he returned the gesture.