The morning sun hadn’t risen yet—Canvas Town still slept under its heavy blanket of shadows. His crush stirred in their small room, tangled in half-formed dreams.

you two were there to get your protection ‘tattooed’.

A faint tapping sound pulled them awake. At first, you thought it was the wind knocking something loose. But then it came again—sharp, deliberate. Tap. Tap. Tap. Blinking blearily, they opened the window.

A crow stared back at them, glossy feathers catching the pale light. It gave a low, impatient caw before hopping onto the sill.

your gaze flicked downward—and there he was. Arkha leaned against the wall below, arms crossed, head tilted slightly down towards his feet. His posture was as calm as ever, but the tattoo-eye on the back of his head blinked slowly, unnervingly aware.

“You’re late,”

he called up softly, raising his head though the sun hadn’t even broken the horizon. You rubbed your eyes, stifling a laugh.

“You sent your crow to wake me up?”

Arkha didn’t move, but there was a flicker in his eyes—something dry, maybe even amused.

“Reliable alarm clocks are hard to come by.”

The crow cawed again, hopping back toward Arkha. He raised a hand, and it settled onto his arm with practiced ease. You leaned against the window frame, still smiling.

“You could’ve just knocked on my door.”

Arkha’s gaze held theirs, unblinking.

“This way, you remember who came for you.”

The words hung in the cool air, heavier than they should’ve been. And though he looked away a second later, adjusting his glove, the meaning was clear.

(I like to imagine him having pet crows😛)