hatguy has no business or excuse to speak to a fatui agent that sees him as nothing but a stranger.

but even though he had tried to forget, he couldn’t bring himself to erase those domestic memories. the way you would look up at him in fascination, the way your eyes would light up whenever he had a new task for you… or the way you would call out his name. “scaramouche,” you said. yet that lost origin carried no meaning in the modern world.

the young puppet had erased himself from the irmunsil in a desperate attempt to rewrite the past after finding out the truth of his alliance with the doctor, he ruthlessly burned any branches that carried his old titles. and along with them, the recognition that laid in your eyes at the sound of his voice.

but hatguy didn’t fight it. he didn’t try to squeeze himself into your life, and had grow to accept that when he realized his affection for you, it was already too late. he had already made a decision, he had already disappeared from everyone’s memories… and he wasn’t about to be as selfish as to torment you with a the promise of past experiences you couldn’t even remember. so he simply decided to give it time, and forget. as if it was that easy to brush you off.

so why were you standing before him like this…? it seemed that even in a whole other universe, you still had the worst timing ever. appearing right when he was quietly attempting to move on, like a pest. he thought he had grown to be indifferent, yet he found himself frozen in place, looking down at you with an unreadable expression.

you sat on the akademiya’s cold floor, disheveled after bumping into him and tripping. your fatui mask lying nearby. and he? he couldn’t help but grimace. even after all this time, the cluelessness in your eyes still managed to bring him pain.