Desolate Throne [ClefDraki]

18. [Intermission pt.2: Still Here]

[Song Above: The Diary Of Jane by Breaking Benjamin]

Back in the present...

"So, it is true?" Draven huffed quietly, "He really meant you. Why you? What's so special about you?"

"I'm not sure... we just had this almost immediate connection." Clef shrugged, absently staring up at the 408.

James looked suddenly concentrated, "I had a dream about this... It was short but I definitely remember this..."

"Hm?" Like... the dream in the tale...

"Like Clef's?" Draven asked gently.

"Y-Yeah... Exactly."

"Exactly?" Clef leaned forward, eager to hear more.

"Yeah, there were... two of you?"

"Weird..." Draven said, a short response.

"With my dream- er- nightmare, I could kind of grasp what it all meant, but I never quite understood what the birds were about." Clef muttered vacantly. Unless... it's something yet to come?

"I wanted to ask about another thing," James started again. "About the... uh, voice? In your head?"

"What about it?" Clef canted the brim of his hat, giving James an interested look.

"Does it... Did you ever get rid of it?" James asked with a small voice, a much darker sense of forbidding drenched on his tongue.

"Why?"

"N-No reason-..." James looked away sharply, a dark look creeping steadily across his features.

"Well, not exactly but I guess you could say I did."

"How? And- Umm- what do you mean by not exactly?"

"I don't know why out of all the things I've said this is what interests you..."

"Please." A crack of desperation loomed out from under the calm demeanor James normally presented.

"It's complicated. How, I'm not too sure, something involving a fire-breathing beast, but I'll get to that later. When I say not exactly, I mean that it's less vocal, less ominous and hovering, I can still feel it at times but it's otherwise gone."

James frowned, a deep-set line of disappointment that seemed completely immeasurable.

After a few heartbeats of unbearable silence, Draven spoke up. "Clef?"

"Yes, kid?"

"Did you love my father?"

"..." Clef let his eyes flutter shut, feeling the 408 scuttle in his bangs. "Yes. Yes, I very much did."

"Did you ever get to tell him? I mean, truly tell him how much he meant to you?"

"...Kid..."

"Answer me."

"Hm." Clef sighed, his heavy heart beating a lonely song in his chest. "No... No, I never did get to."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. That's my own fault."

Clef glanced briefly at James, who was increasingly looking more and more antsy next to his husband.

"Something wrong, James?"

The small man jolted, "NO! I mean— No. I'm fine."

Draven kissed him on the forehead, murmuring something quietly to him. James smiled in return and hugged him.

"Do you think he's watching over us?" Draven asked, not taking his eyes off of James.

"... I'm... not sure..." Clef began, trailing off when the 408 frantically scuttled down his eye in a haphazard manner.

"Huh- excuse you, little bug!" Clef huffed playfully. "But to answer your question, I'm not too sur—OUCH!"

Clef yelped when the 408 jabbed a hooked leg into one of his eyes. It flapped its shimmering wings desperately, trying to convey a message of sorts.

He grasped at it gently, letting it scramble around on his palm. Ink black letters rippled across the mosaic wings, Me. Alto.

He furrowed his brows together in confusion, What? No... it couldn't be... Is he... somehow... communicating through... this 408? Or is it actually him?

"What, Clef? What is it?" Draven asked, glancing over at him in concern. He had read the startled look on the blonde's face.

"K-...Konny?" Clef let out a broken whisper, staring down with wide eyes at the insect.

"No way..." Draven's voice went quiet too.

The ink shifted, turning a beautiful indigo color, My. Love. Its painted response read.

Clef let his head fall, Draven carefully asking if he was alright. Draven let his sentence drop off, clutching at James in confusion and concern.

Clef felt it. He felt the tears stinging his eyes, running down his face, dripping down and down. His shoulders shook as he silently let out everything he'd bottled up. He shakily inhaled, letting out a loud, broken sob as he exhaled.

The pair next to him stayed quiet, letting him let it all out. The 408 fluttered up, desperately trying to clear his tears away. He broke down even more from this, the image of Kondraki wiping his tears away was nearly tangible to him.

He feebly tried to wipe them away himself, the butterfly fluttering in the air by his ear. It was useless, every tear he wiped away seemingly got replaced by two more.

The 408 landed on the brim of his hat, trying to comfort him by presence alone. But honestly... it only worsened his feelings.

"C-Can we just get back to the story?" Clef choked out between heartbroken cries.

"Yes!" The pair said in unison, a tone of sadness and concern piercing through. Konny, they feel bad for little, lying, pitiful me!

•••

Wowie, love a constantly inconsistent art style~ Anyway, appreciate my doodle of our sad boi that took like five minutes!

Our boi vibin with Shadow-Clef!