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It was another long day in Compass. Long but efficient and satisfying, at least so it was for Justice. Now, he finds himself sitting alone with Luciano, two glasses, a bottle of gin and an ashtray. He never liked the smell of cigarettes, but didn't let it interrupt their evenings together. After the first few times he did comment on it, he knew Luciano wasn't going to stop.It was tradition for them by now. They fight, win, lose, and then drink together. They did since their first day in Compass. Justice tells stories of his travels, the planets he had seen, his troops, or just space in general, and Luciano listens quietly with a cigarette, only raising his voice once in a while to ask what happens next. His stories are usually lighthearted, but every once in a while he talks about his battles, always ending it on a positive note. Leave no man behind.Not that it seemed to help raise the melancholic air that always surrounds the other.After all, the battles the other fights are of a kind Justice never faced.The hitman who wanders the battlefield like the Grim Reaper. Even after meeting an actual reaper that arrived on Compass, the dark air around him didn't grow any lighter in comparison.The opponent who rarely speaks, and even then wouldn't let any emotion show through his words.The professional ally who gets the job done without any distractions.The man who hides his different kind of scars in the darkness he coldly demanded every night they spent together in bed.The man who seeks out comfort in those intimate moments, but refuses to have their eyes meet.The lone man who cries in his chest after every time…The first few times, it was just a few tears.
"It's been a while since I touched a living person."
Justice could tell it wasn't a case of letting down those tall walls the man had surrounded himself with, but a case of a bit of overflow. Justice didn't ask, only held him close for the man to find his comfort. The times after that, he would allow himself to cry. Without holding back, he let out his tears till none was left, held in Justice's warm embrace.Those were of the few moments he could see the true Luciano. Not a hitman, opponent or ally in combat.Just a lonely man haunted by loss.Justice would wonder to himself if he could win any of the battles Luciano faces daily, every time his fingers briefly felt the wounds on his wrists. He would wonder if his presence helps Luciano with his struggles. No, he hopes he does.Just like how he hopes that suddenly, one of those evenings, it would be Luciano telling a story. Of his work outside of Compass, of "that person"… Even a story of a battle in Compass he wasn't present in would do.But until it will be his turn to listen, Justice would fill the silence with lighthearted stories."You must really like your job if you can talk about it so much," speaks up the other as he sets down his glass, taking Justice by surprise with the comment.A moment of silence hangs between them. Luciano puffs out a cloud of smoke, and Justice takes a sip of his own drink. His gaze lowers down to the glass in his hand, watching the little ripples on the surface of the liquid."That's not the reason why I constantly speak of it," he replies."Hm?" Luciano turns his head to him, only for his gaze to meet with Justice's warm smile."I tell my stories to entertain you. I know you don't like the silence."Luciano's eyes widen in surprise for a brief moment before he collects himself again, a hint of a smirk on his lips. "Huh. Is that so,” he retreats back to his usual dry responses.They both look up to the artificial sky of Compass created by the familiar AI they both knew. A moment of silence, but one that didn't seem out of place. A silence that doesn't have to be filled with stories of different lands, or with one calling out the name of the other.Justice looks back down to the older man. Any other person would see in front of them a cold blooded hunter, a cruel murderer… But all Justice sees is a lost man he cares about so deeply, more than any of his officers.His hand reaches for Luciano's, his fingers intertwining with cold, slim digits.“After all, I leave no man behind.”Their eyes meet, and the new sight before him is more breathtaking than any star the man witnessed.He never saw anything as beautiful as Luciano's genuine smile.