3 chapter 3

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iii.

I MISS YOU

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Harith was sleeping, when he felt his ears being tugged. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and he was surprised to find Harley's hands over his ears, gently pulling at them. Harley seemed to notice that he was awake, and, before Harith could stop him, he was already scrambling away, falling off the bed at the same time.

Harith sighed.

This wasn't the first time this happened.

"Harley, are you okay?" Harith asked, and he watched as Harley rubbed his hip. He was about to help the mage up, but, when he got closer, Harley moved away from him instead. "Harley?"

Harley's eyes were downcast before he started searching for his notebook and pen. Harith waited as Harley started to write something on it.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched them.

Harith gave him a reassuring smile. "I don't mind you touching them, Harley."

Harley just shook his head and started standing up.

"By the way, why were you sitting so close to the edge of the bed?" Harith asked.

Harley stared at him for a while before looking at his notebook thoughtfully. Harith could tell that he was hesitating to write when he just held the pen against his notebook. But he didn't have to wait for long.

You keep moving closer to me while you were sleeping.

"Wait, I did?" Harith said, and Harley bobbed his head a little. "Harley, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise. I should've just slept on the couch yesterday."

Harley quickly shook his head and started writing again.

I don't mind. It's your bed after all.

"Firstly, it's our bed. Secondly, I shouldn't have invade your space like that. Next time, just wake me up when I'm being too close to you, all right?"

Harley fidgeted a little before writing again.

I don't mind.

Harith knew how uncomfortable Harley could get whenever someone gets close to him. Harith would always make sure he would approach him carefully in order to avoid scaring him. Last night, however, he must've not realised when he moved closer towards the mage while he was asleep. It was no wonder Harley ended up being so close to the edge.

"Even if you say you don't, I know that it still makes you uncomfortable," Harith said, his lips curling into a frown. He then glanced at the clock. "Harley, I already told you it's fine to admit–"

Oh shoot.

Harith cursed under his breath when he realised that it was almost eight thirty in the morning. He had intensive training today, and it would be bad if he was late for it. He looked at Harley and found the mage thinking deeply. As much as he'd loved to keep an eye out on Harley, the mage couldn't follow him this time. Intensive training only involves the heroes who currently has it. The training room would be dangerous, so people who weren't involved were not allowed to enter.

"Harley, do you want to stay at home? You can just relax here," Harith said. When Harley looked shocked by the suggestion and shook his head, Harith added, "It's way more comfortable here, and there's food too if you want."

Harley wrote onto his notebook before showing it to him.

Where are you going?

"I need to train, and, this time, you're not allowed to enter. It's intensive training today."

Harley shook his head vigorously.

Please don't leave.

Harith let out a sigh. This was going to be a problem.

— ❅ —

It turned out that leaving Harley alone at home wasn't an option, because Harley was never going to leave his side. Right now, the mage was determined with following him around, and Harith had to figure out a comfortable place in the academy for Harley to sit while he waits for him.

Luckily for him, his friends were passing by when he almost reached the training room. They don't look like they have training today, so maybe they could keep an eye out on Harley while he trains. All of them greeted him when they spot him, and Harith couldn't help but envy them for not having any training today.

"Hey, you two!" Lolita said, a wide smile on her face. She then looked at Harith. "Training today?"

Harith sighed. "Yeah, and it's an intensive one too."

"Wait, so what about Harley?" Claude asked.

"You see, I tried making him stay at home because it's way comfortable there, but he doesn't want to leave me." Harith stole a glance towards Harley's direction, and he found the mage fidgeting anxiously with his head lowered. He then looked back at his friends. "Do you guys mind if you look out for him? Maybe he just doesn't want to be alone."

"Sure!" Kimmy said, smiling at Harley. "Don't worry, Harley, we'll take care of you."

Harley stared at Kimmy for a while before looking at Harith. There was a pleading look on his face, and Harith felt sorry that the mage didn't want him to leave him.

"They're my friends, Harley," Harith said, gently. Harley shook his head and continued looking at him with worry gleaming in his eyes. Harith sighed before giving the mage a small, reassuring smile. "Please, Harley? Just this one time. They're not going to hurt you or anything, I promise."

"Yeah, we're very harmless people," Ruby said, grinning at the mage. It made Harley move closer to Harith. Ruby frowned when Harley's movement was visible to her. "Harley, before you lost your memories, you always hang out with us. Harith, tell him."

"Yeah, Ruby's right," Harith said, and he watched as Harley's brows furrowed as he looked at him. He placed a hand over the mage's shoulder. "Just three hours, and then I'll be done. I'll go straight back to you."

Harley had a look of contemplation on his face before nodding. He gave one last pleading look to Harith, and Harith couldn't help but feel guilty that he couldn't fulfill his desire right now. He would let him follow him if this academy belongs to him, but, since it doesn't, he had to respect the rules.

Harith observed as Lolita, Ruby, Valir, Kimmy and Claude led Harley out of the room. He noticed Harley looking over his shoulder to give him one last look, and he couldn't help but smile when the mage gave him a small wave.

So cute.

He shook his head and went over to his training section. Now was not the time to fantasize about Harley. He needed to help the mage first by returning him his memories, and only after that was when he could finally show him all the love he could give. It would be an apology for not saving him sooner—no, for not preventing him from getting in danger.

But maybe Harley wouldn't have to face any of this if he had done things differently back then.

— ❅ —

Harley couldn't help but feel nervous when Harith's friends accompanied him to go wherever he wanted. They kept asking him where he wanted to go and what he wanted. They didn't force him to do anything. As much as he appreciated that they allowed him to choose what he wanted, he still felt awkward being with them. Somehow, he could just feel their eyes onto him, and he wished that Harith was with him instead and not them.

Harith.

For some weird reason, he was the only person he felt comfortable to be with. It still scared him whenever Harith was too near to him all of a sudden, but he doesn't feel as uneasy as being with others. Even though he kept doing some mistakes, Harith never once punished him for them. He noticed how careful the mage acts around him, and he would always ask what he wanted for himself. Harley felt overwhelmed whenever Harith gave him a choice.

He never had this much freedom before.

"The moment you think you're having things go your way, I'll make sure you regret every second of thinking that."

Harley flinched when the man's words suddenly echo in his head.

"You don't have any rights here. I own you. Do you understand? You will obey every order I give you. You have no right to refuse."

"Harley."

"But, right now, you made me really angry."

"Harley."

"Do you want me to send you to that room again–"

"Harley!"

Harley snapped out of his thoughts, and he found Harith's friends looking at him, their faces full of concern. They were all suddenly standing too close to him, and he felt like he was going to suffocate if he doesn't keep his distance with them. But when he took a step back, he realised that there was a wall behind him, and his eyes widened in fear because–

He was trapped.

They all seem to notice his expression, and Harley watched as their mouths started moving. However, all of their voices were muffled, and he couldn't make out what they were saying at all. Then, all of a sudden, their faces morphed into those men, and Harley could hear them laughing, sneering at him for what they were about to do to him. He could see their hands reaching out to him, and he crouched down in an attempt to defend himself.

And then he screamed.

— ❅ —

Harith couldn't help but think about Harley while he trains. He hoped that his friends could give him whatever he wanted. Even though Harley barely asks for anything, but he wanted the mage to finally realise that he was no longer under any control anymore. Maybe if Harley stopped thinking that he was like some kind of slave, maybe it would help him remember?

Harith was about to attack a hologram, when he heard a faint noise, followed by some thuds. He paused and focused on his hearing to listen. When there was nothing else, he decided to ignore it and just continue with his training. Maybe it was his imagination–

"Harith!" Lolita exclaimed, bursting into the training room. She had her hands on her knees, panting, and her face was terrified. "It's Harley! He's–"

Lolita didn't have to finish. Harith was already making his way to wherever they had brought him, and he was shocked with what he discovered. His friends were currently hiding behind some heavy furniture, shielding themselves from Harley's cards—which was flying everywhere. Harith could hear the sound of metal piercing as those cards sliced some items, and he could only imagine how sharp they were at the moment. Harley, on the other hand, was in a crouching positon with his hands over his head. It was as if he was afraid of something. What happened? Why was he like this?

"We didn't do anything!" Valir said before Harith could ask what had happened. "We were just trying to talk to him, but then he–"

"Save it, I need to help him first," Harith said, his face solemn. He then carefully approached Harley, dodging the cards that were flying around him. "Harley, stop! What's wrong?"

When Harley remained in the same, crouching position, Harith knew that he wasn't listening. He decided to bend down and shake the mage to snap out of it. Slowly, Harley lifted his head, and Harith was shocked when he found the mage's eyes glaze over, unseeing. It looked like Harley was still trapped in that daze of him.

Harith could hear the sound of a table being sliced in half, and he cringed when the sound was loud to his ears. He then focused back onto Harley and shook the mage again. "Harley, snap out of it! It's me, Harith. I'm not going to hurt you."

Harley blinked a few times, and Harith let out a sigh of relief when Harley seemed to return to his senses. All the cards that had been flying around disappeared in thin air, and the mage stared at him for a while before bursting into tears. Harith gently rubbed his back when Harley buried his face in his chest, and he could feel the mage's hands clutching the front of his shirt as he sobbed.

"Hey, it's okay," Harith spoke, his voice soft. He looked down and found Harley still weeping. The mage looked traumatised for some weird reason, and Harith would like to know what his friends did that caused him to react like this. "What did they do to you? Did they make fun of you? Hurt you? Just tell me what they did, and I'll make sure they never do it again."

"Harith, we swear we didn't–"

Harith glared daggers at Claude, and it was enough to get the marksman to shut up. He didn't care if Claude was his friend. If he decided to play some kind of prank and cause Harley to become like this, he won't hesitate to make sure the same thing wouldn't happen twice.

All of a sudden, Harley shook his head. He used his arm to wipe his face before looking around. He then reached out for his notebook—which wasn't far from his reach—and Harith noticed how his hands were trembling as he started writing.

I'm sorry.

Harith's eyes widened. "What are you saying, Harley? It's not your–"

I started seeing them.

Harith could only guess that 'them' meant his captors. He waited as Harley continued writing.

Your friends were suddenly too close and I just saw them.

Harith just stared at the words written on the notebook. He then looked up to face his friends, who were reluctant in approaching them. "Can you guys give us some privacy for a moment?"

His friends nodded, and, without another word, all of them hurried to exit the now disordered room.

"Now," Harith said, looking at Harley. "I want you to be very honest with me, okay?"

Harley hesitated at first, but then he ended up nodding.

Harith took a deep breath. He knew that this question would deeply affect him, but he had to know. After seeing how Harley reacted, he could only think of one thing. "Harley, did they... touch you?"

Harley didn't move for a while. Then, he grabbed his pen and wrote;

Almost.

Harith let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. At least they didn't. But that still didn't mean they didn't want to. He watched as Harley continued writing.

There were a few guys who got praised for doing a good job. They were allowed to do anything to me. One of them suggested to do something fun.

Harith didn't like where this was going. Nonetheless, he let Harley continue.

I remembered him asking me to go bare.

Looking at what Harley wrote, it made Harith froze.

They all agreed with the idea and started approaching me. I begged them for anything but that, but they just kept coming closer.

Harith could feel his magic stirring, and he forced himself to calm down. He had to remind himself that those people weren't here at the moment, and, if he decided to show his anger, it would only scare Harley away.

Thankfully, Harley doesn't seem to notice his expression and continued writing.

Their hands reached out to me, but it was the last thing I remembered. The next thing I knew, almost half of the men there were killed.

Harith was glad that they couldn't do whatever they intended to do. It seemed like Harley had reacted on instinct, and Harith was so grateful for that reaction. He had no idea what he would do if they had done what they intended to do. Sure, he would hunt down for every last one of them, but that still wouldn't have changed anything.

"Is this the reason why you started hyperventilating when I tried to get you to bathe the other day?" Harith asked all of a sudden.

Harley looked down and nodded.

It reminded me of that day.

"I see," Harith said, standing up. He took out a napkin from the pocket of his pants and handed it to Harley. The mage gave him an appreciative nod before wiping his face. Harith then turned around to look at the mess Harley had made. "I'll get this cleaned up soon. Right now, I think it's best if I send you home."

Harley's eyes widened when he looked at the room. He quickly grabbed for his notebook, wrote something, and showed it to Harith.

I'm sorry. I'll clean it all up. I'll earn money too to pay for the furniture.

"No," Harith said, shaking his head. He gave the mage a reassuring smile. "It's fine, Harley. I can pay for all of this. Let's just get you home, okay?"

Harley fidgeted nervously before writing something again.

What about your training?

"I don't care about that anymore. You're way more important," Harith said, helping Harley to stand up. "You okay with walking? Do you want me to carry you?"

Harley shook his head and started heading towards the door. Harith was about to follow him, but he watched as Harley jumped in surprise when his friends toppled onto one another the moment the doors slide open. All of them groaned as they started getting up, and Harith couldn't help but scowl at all of them.

"Don't tell me you guys were eavesdropping," Harith said, a frown on his lips.

"Psh, what? Come on, man, we didn't–" Claude's words were cut off when Harith sent him a glare, and he watched as the marksman shuddered under his gaze. "All right, so maaaybe we were eavesdropping, but we were just trying to figure out what was wrong with Harley."

Harith let out an exhausted sigh. He didn't care whether they had heard or not, he just wanted to bring Harley home. Gently, he grabbed the mage by the arm and started leading him out of the training room.

"Harith, wait!" Ruby said, running in front of him. "Don't you have intensive training? I'm sure it's not over yet."

"I'm not in the mood for it," Harith said, his voice quiet. He gave his friends a faint smile, and all of them seemed to understand what his facial expression meant. "I'm just going to go home. I'll explain it to the Headmaster later."

Valir opened his mouth. "But–"

"Quiet, Valir," Kimmy said, her voice low. But Harith could still hear her with his enhanced hearing. Before he left the room with Harley, he heard her say, "He's mad right now."

She wasn't wrong.

— ❅ —

Harith noticed how Harley was squirming a lot. The mage seemed nervous every few seconds, and Harith didn't know what to do to make him less uncomfortable. He also caught Harley glancing his way a few times, and he wondered whether the mage needed something that he couldn't express out loud.

"Harley, are you okay?" Harith asked, and he watched as Harley bobbed his head a little. "I know you want something. What is it?"

Harley fiddled with his fingers before grabbing his notebook. Harith waited patiently as Harley started writing.

Why are you nice to me?

Harith frowned. He expected for Harley to tell him that he was hungry or something, but not this. "Why can't I be nice to you?"

Harley stared at his face for a while, his eyes seemingly searching for something. A lie, perhaps. Then, he started writing again.

I thought I don't deserve any of this?

Harith glared at the paper for a while before looking at Harley. "Is that what they said to you?"

Harley lowered his head and nodded.

Harith sighed. "Harley, you need to forget everything they had said to you. What they did to you was wrong. Turning you into their slave for their own sick entertainment is just–" Harith couldn't find himself being able to continue any further, but the word was at the tip of his tongue.

It's cruel.

Harley was surprised when he saw his face, and, for a moment, he was deep in thought. Then, he started writing something on the paper, and Harith had to look over to see what was written.

I don't mind serving you.

"No," Harith said, firmly. He noticed how Harley was startled by his grim tone, and he forced himself to soften his features. "I mean—no, Harley, I don't want you to serve me. Just treat yourself like a normal, human being, okay?"

Harley shifted a little on the couch before nodding.

The both of them stayed like there in silence for a while. Harith opened his mouth to ask Harley something, but the words were trapped in his mouth. Was it okay to ask Harley now? He eyed the mage and found him constantly twitching. Maybe it wouldn't hurt it he asked.

"Harley?" he called, and he watched as the mage turned his head to the side to face him. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Harley shook his head.

"Why don't you want to talk?" Harith asked.

Harley stiffened at his question, and Harith noticed how the mage looked reluctant to answer him. He waited for a few seconds for Harley to pick up his pen. When the mage didn't move, Harith was about to move on to the next topic—because he didn't want to pressure Harley into answering him—but then Harley started writing.

They don't let me.

"I see," Harith said, his lips thinned. He then shook his head and smiled a little. "But this isn't like that place anymore. I told you that you can do whatever–"

They gave me a warning.

Harith paused midway and stared at the words being written by Harley.

They said that if they ever find me uttering a word, they'll bring me to that room again.

Harith subconsciously clenched his fist. "What room, Harley?"

The room with that chair.

Slowly, Harith looked up to see Harley's face, and he was devastated when he saw the mage's eyes starting to water.

They'll force me to sit on it. And when I do, they'll start sending electricity through my body.