Neon Lights

42

Rave frowned. Callisto knew that his friend was disappointed in him. But he had made up his mind. Finding Luna was his top priority and nobody was going to change his mind, not even Rave. He looked away from the burning red eyes boring into his face. Turning his attention to the table, he waited with bated breath with the silence ringing in between them.

"You've never been this stubborn in face of danger before," Rave said. Callisto gave him a one-shoulder shrug.

"Things have changed, I guess." Losing his sister definitely changed things. "Wanting to feel safe had never been in the cards for me it seems."

How tragic. He had run away from Draven wishing for the same thing before and now that he was back in his arms, even if it wasn't in the same way it had been last time, he could almost see how his wish was never really going to come through. And his sister was involved with that man with neon green eyes. It was clear that road for a secluded life from most prying eyes was never going to be an option for him now.

"I could make it safe for you," Rave said, his voice low.

Callisto didn't meet his eyes as he said, "Could you?"

"Yes." Rave's touch was on his fingers again, forcing him to shift his gaze to look at his friend's face. "I could." There was a certain seriousness in those eyes that had Callisto's heart almost jumping out of his throat. And... he didn't want it.

"You..." Callisto opened his mouth and then closed it. In the end, the reality was that his friend couldn't give him that. The incident with him refusing to help him look for Luna was still fresh in his mind. It was unfair he was holding this over Rave's head but... it proved to him that people, androids, nobody could be trusted. "Not you."

He pretended that he didn't see the way Rave's face fell. Keeping his body as still as possible, he didn't react when Rave pulled his touch away, this time keeping his hands close to his body and shoulders hunched. If there had been guilt in Callisto once for hurting his friend, there was none right now at the moment.

Rave wasn't the person he could count on.

Not for this.

"Well..." Rave whispered, gaze now on his lap. "That settles it then."

Callisto's throat dried a little at that, wondering if this was where their friendships end. Instead of voicing that out, he could only say, "I have to go now. I'll... see you, Rave."

Rave didn't meet his eyes again as he gave him a nod and moved away from his seat, allowing Callisto to move. And he didn't turn to look at his friend as he walked out of the diner. Perhaps he should've looked at him one last time — but a warning siren in his head told him to keep walking. That this was for the best.

And the ball was on Rave's field now if he wanted to stick being his friend or not.

Callisto stopped walking once he felt he was far enough from the diner and sighed, ducking his head to look at the pavement. Weariness washed over him, weighing his feet down like lead. If he could collapse now in his bed and just sleep, he would've done so.

Life was hard.

Fuck, life was hard.

Shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, he forced his feet to move. Walking home as the temperature continued to drop and welcome the night sobered him from his sombre mood a little bit. And with his newfound soberness, it had him wanting to laugh at the ridiculousness that was his life right now.

What was he even doing, honestly?

How did it end up this way?

He bit his bottom lip as his eyes burned.

Was a peaceful life so hard for someone like him?

"Luna is going to owe me big time," he whispered to himself before the wash of guilt hit him hard for even saying those words out loud.

She had always been the only one who understood him. Without her, he didn't have anyone to hang onto. His only family. Even if one day she had shot herself to the sun, he would follow after her to make sure she was okay. Even if at the end of this journey she was not a good person, Callisto wouldn't be able to bring himself to hate her.

All he wanted was her to be happy and safe.

If she was any of that, he would be by her side to watch the world fall apart.

He rubbed a hand down his face. With each step he took into his familiar neighbourhood, the shakiness he felt had him wanting to curl further into a ball right there and then. Just a few more steps and he would be home — and then he could quite literally face plant into his pillow in the darkness of his room.

His heart almost jumped out of his chest when a shadowy figure in front of him stepped right in front of him. A short scream almost escaped his lips until he realised who it was.

"What are you doing here?" Callisto whispered harshly, placing a hand on his chest to feel how fast his heart was beating.

Draven took another step toward him until he was right under the streetlight. He raised his eyebrows, searching his face. "Came to see you, what else?"

Callisto almost frowned at that. "Haven't you been coming here too many times lately?"

"Have I?" Draven quirked a corner of his lips upwards.

"Right..." There was no speaking to him rationally nowadays. "What do you want?"

After a beat of silence, Draven said, "It's about Dr Lia. I think what Angelo said might be true."

Callisto raised his eyebrows this time. "What?"

Draven nodded. "I'm here after meeting up with someone. He told me some interesting things about her. Some that I think you should know."

"Why tell me?"

The other man simply stared at him for a few seconds before he said, "Because you won't be able to find out what Angelo wanted you to from her. Not when you can't lie to save your life."

Callisto's face burned a little from that. He would retort but... today did prove what Draven was implying. Still... to help him out was... generous to say the least. He contemplated on this for a second but curiosity got the best out of him.

"Tell me," Callisto said in the end, eyeing Draven.