A Dead Man's Secrets

Chapter Two

 Cicero woke up with a massive headache. He drank a bit more than he wished he had the night before. Getting up with a groan, he looked at the time, seeing that it was only 5:46 am. "By Yoba, it's too early..." He muttered to himself, debating whether or not he should just go back to bed, but he was already awake, so there was no point in trying to sleep more.

It had been almost a week since he arrived in Pelican Town, and everyone had been fairly kind to him. Granted, Alex is an asshole, but he can handle a few insults now and then. When he met Alex, he seemed cool, but he started acting differently when Cicero had spoken to Elliott-who had become much less annoying once Cicero got to know them-about how to deal with their family.

Alex had asked Cicero if he was "One of them", and it confused the man to no end until he realised what he meant. "Yes, I am. Why?" Cicero responded, looking at his new friend in confusion. Alex looked at him in shock and confusion before telling Cicero that they couldn't be friends and storming away. Cicero took a second to process the information that he was just given before going to do other things with a careless shrug. One less person to annoy him.

He shook the memory from his head. He didn't care. One person won't affect him in any way shape or form. Especially someone he barely knew for half a week. Letting out a sigh, he picked out an outfit for the day and laid it out on the bed before going to take a quick shower.

Once he was in the shower, he just tried to get clean as fast as possible, not wanting to look at himself without clothing for any longer than he had to. When he did look at himself, he cringed at the jagged, uneven scaring that stained his body. He hated his scars. They reminded him of what caused them, and the only thing he really wanted was to forget that night. Maybe, if he could act like it never happened, he wouldn't think about it.

By the time he finished his shower, a half hour had passed. He looked at the time, seeing that it was 6:38. It took all his willpower not to scream into his pillow. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion, and his hangover wasn't helping. He got dressed, went outside to water his crops, and got his sword to practise.

However, when he opened the door, he was met with Marnie and Shane. Marnie looked like she was about to knock on the door. "Oh, Cicero! I was just about to knock." The brunette said, eyeing his sword. Cicero nodded and invited the two in for tea instead of standing outside, as a light drizzle had begun to fall. They accepted, and he led them to the living room before heading off to the kitchen to start the tea and grab the cookies he had for guests.

When he walked back into the living room with tea and cookies, both of his guests looked at him in shock, not seeing him as the baking type. He set everything down semi-gently and poured the tea waiting for them to eat the cookies. Shane awkwardly grabbed a cookie and took a bite, brightening as soon as he tasted it.

"You put red peppers in cookies too? I make em' the same way!" Shane beamed, much to Marnie and Cicero's surprise. He truly looked better with a smile on his face. That, combined with the failed attempt to get his guests to leave, made Cicero awkwardly stumble over his words, "Mhm...I guess I made them that way out of habit. I'm glad you like them..?" he stuttered, sounding more like a question than anything else and not convincing Marnie in the slightest. Shane nodded and continued to munch on the cookies.

Marnie looked over at Cicero's claymore and decided to ask about it, "Say, why do you have that sword? It looks...ominous." she asked, looking mildly uncomfortable. "It was a gift from my mother. I've had it since I was little. It's comforting to know that if I need to, I can defend myself just fine. In fact, I was about to train when you showed up." Cicero answered, making both the people in front of him pause in shock.