⸝⸝ Arkha Corvus . !!

The Cleaners' base was rarely quiet, even during the slower hours, with people arguing over equipment, returning from missions, shouting across the halls, or causing problems that absolutely did not need to exist in the first place. Despite all the chaos, there was one thing everyone in the base understood: Arkha Corvus was the leader, and you were his partner. Arkha was kind, patient, observant, and surprisingly easy to approach despite the authority he carried. People respected him because he never demanded respect simply because of his position; he earned it. He could be gentle with the newest recruit and intimidating enough to silence an entire room when necessary. He also had one extremely obvious weakness: you. Everyone knew that you and Arkha were together, and there wasn't even an attempt to hide it anymore. You could walk through the base wearing one of August's carefully designed outfits, Arkha could be standing across the room, and somehow his attention would find you within seconds. It had become so normal that nobody even reacted anymore. Well, almost nobody. Enjin still liked making jokes about it. Enjin was one of the more laid-back Cleaners, the type who could look completely unbothered while doing something incredibly reckless. He was strong, experienced, confident, and annoying enough that very few people actually tried to challenge him. He was also particularly fond of teasing you. One afternoon, you were sitting around the base while waiting for Arkha to finish a meeting when Enjin walked past. He stopped, looked at you, looked at your outfit, then looked back at you. "August did it again, huh?" You looked down at yourself. "What?" "Made you look more expensive than the rest of us." You rolled your eyes. "Jealous?" "Deeply." He dropped into the seat beside you. "Do you know how much easier my life would be if August designed my clothes?" You laughed. "You'd still look ridiculous." "Wow." Enjin placed a hand over his chest. "That's hurtful." You smiled. "You'll survive." "I might not." He leaned closer. "Arkha would probably bury me." You snorted. "You're the one who keeps messing with me." "Yeah." Enjin shrugged. "You're entertaining." You narrowed your eyes. "You're lucky he's not here." "He's always somewhere." Enjin glanced around dramatically. "Arkha!" You immediately looked toward the hallway. Enjin burst out laughing. "You actually looked!" You shoved his shoulder. "You're annoying." "That's why people like me." "Nobody likes you." "Arkha likes me." You paused, and Enjin grinned. "See? No argument." Unfortunately for him, Arkha had actually been standing near the entrance to the room, his arms folded and his expression completely calm. "Enjin." Enjin slowly turned. "Ah." Arkha stared at him. "Having fun?" "Absolutely." Arkha's gaze moved briefly toward you. "Good." Enjin relaxed. Then Arkha continued. "Because you're taking an extra mission tomorrow." Enjin's smile disappeared. "Wait." "You're taking a week-long mission." "...A week?" You immediately covered your mouth to hide your laugh. Enjin looked at you, then at Arkha, then back at you. "You're enjoying this." You smiled innocently. "Maybe." Enjin pointed at you. "This is your fault." "You're the one who started it." Arkha's expression remained completely neutral. "Eight days." "WHAT?" You couldn't hold back your laughter anymore. Enjin stared at Arkha in disbelief. "You can't be serious." "I am." "Because I teased them?" "Because you were distracting them while they were supposed to be resting." Enjin's jaw dropped. "I was providing entertainment." "You were being annoying." "That's basically the same thing." "No." Enjin groaned, and that was how Enjin learned a valuable lesson: do not mess with the leader's partner, especially not when the leader is nearby. The next morning, Enjin was already preparing to leave for his mission. He looked miserable, not because the mission itself was particularly dangerous, since Enjin could handle dangerous, but because he had been sentenced to spend an entire week away from the base because he couldn't stop himself from bothering you. Before leaving, he spotted you standing near the entrance. Enjin stared at you for several seconds, then walked over. He stopped in front of you, looked away, and his shoulders slumped slightly. "...Sorry." You blinked. "What?" Enjin mumbled something under his breath. "What was that?" "I said sorry." You stared at him. He stared at the floor. You had never heard Enjin apologize so sincerely in your life. In fact, you weren't sure anyone had. "Are you okay?" "Don't make this worse." You immediately started laughing. "Did you really just apologize?" "Yes." He sighed. "Apparently I have to now." You grinned. "Wow." "Don't tell anyone." You laughed even harder. "Too late." "You're cruel." He pointed at you. "And I'm blaming you for this entire week." "You're the one who got yourself punished." "Yeah, yeah." Enjin started walking away, then stopped and glanced back. "...Seriously, though." His expression was unusually sincere. "Sorry." You smiled. "It's okay." Enjin nodded. "Good." Then he immediately returned to his usual attitude. "Still think your outfit is too fancy." You stared at him. "Go on your mission." "Already going." He walked away laughing. The base would later discover that Enjin completing an entire week-long mission without getting himself killed was considerably easier than getting him to apologize, and somehow, the apology became one of the most legendary moments in the Cleaners' recent history. Despite all the teasing, nobody actually had anything bad to say about you. Everyone respected you. Everyone knew Arkha loved you. Everyone knew better than to cross that particular line. At least, most of them did. One evening, after you had spent most of the day in Canvas Town with two of the newer recruits, things began to feel different. The recruits, Mira and Sera, had been excited to spend time with you. You had walked around the town, browsed shops, talked about clothes, and generally enjoyed yourself. At least, you had at first. Eventually, you noticed something strange. The two girls kept talking about Arkha. "He's really strong, isn't he?" "Definitely." "And he's so mysterious." "Everyone respects him." You smiled. "Yeah. He is." Mira glanced at Sera. Sera glanced back. You noticed. "What?" "Nothing." You gave them a suspicious look, and they laughed awkwardly. "We were just saying..." Sera hesitated. "Arkha could've probably found someone better." Your smile faded. "Better?" "Yeah." Mira quickly added, "Not that you're bad or anything." Somehow, that made it worse. "Then what do you mean?" The girls exchanged another glance. "Someone more... fitting for him." "Someone skinnier." Your heart sank. You didn't know what to say. You tried to laugh it off. "That's a weird thing to say." They shrugged. "Well, we're just saying." You didn't respond. The rest of the day, the word stayed in your head. Skinnier. Better. You started looking at yourself differently. You wondered if Arkha secretly noticed, if he ever compared you to someone else, and if everyone else thought the same thing. By the time you returned to the Cleaners' base, your usual confidence had disappeared. That night, you and Arkha were supposed to leave together for a work trip. You usually enjoyed preparing with him. Tonight, however, you chose an outfit that looked nothing like your normal style. It was plain, loose, and didn't resemble the stylish clothes August usually designed for you. You thought that was safer. Arkha noticed, of course. He was checking the mission equipment when he glanced toward you and stopped. His eyes lingered on you for a moment, not judgmental, but observant and concerned. "That's different." You looked away. "Yeah." "Why?" "I'm just trying something different." Arkha didn't believe you. He set the equipment down and approached you. "Are you uncomfortable?" "No." He waited. You sighed. "...Maybe." Arkha approached you slowly. "What happened?" You didn't answer. He gently took your hand. "You've been distant since you came back." Your eyes lowered. "Do you think you could've found someone better?" Arkha's expression immediately softened. "What?" "Someone prettier." You swallowed. "Someone skinnier." Arkha was quiet for a moment, then gently pulled you closer. "Who told you that?" "Some of the recruits." Arkha sighed, but his attention remained completely on you. "Listen to me." You looked up. "I don't care about your weight." His voice was firm. "Not now. Not when we met. Not five years from now. Never." He gently touched your cheek. "You think I chose you because of how much you weigh?" You shook your head slightly. "I don't know." "Then let me make it very clear." His eyes softened. "I chose you because you're you." "Because you're kind." "Because you care about people." "Because you can walk into a room and somehow make everyone feel comfortable." "Because you make me laugh." "Because you challenge me." "Because you make this place feel like home." He smiled faintly. "And because I love you." Your eyes began to water, and Arkha wiped away a tear before it could fall. "You don't need to become smaller for me." "You don't need to hide yourself." "You don't need to dress differently." "You don't need to look like someone else." He gently rested his forehead against yours. "I don't want someone skinnier." "I want you." His arms wrapped around you. "And I want you comfortable." You quietly hugged him back. Arkha held you for a long moment. "Besides..." His voice became slightly playful. "Do you really think I wouldn't notice you suddenly abandoning all of August's outfits?" You laughed weakly. "He'll probably be offended." "Probably." Arkha smiled. "Although I suspect he'll be more concerned about why you stopped wearing the clothes he designed." You leaned against him. "You're not disappointed?" "Not even slightly." He kissed your forehead. "You're my partner." "Not a measurement." "Not a size." "Not a number." "You're the person I love." He pulled back just enough to look at you. "And that's not changing." For the first time since Canvas Town, you finally felt some of the weight in your chest begin to disappear. Arkha picked up the equipment again. "Now." He looked at your outfit. "Are you actually comfortable in that?" You thought about it. "...No." He smiled. "Then change." You laughed softly. "Bossy." "Only when necessary." You finally smiled properly. And somewhere down the hallway, Enjin's voice suddenly echoed from far away. "ARKHA, IF YOU'RE STILL MAD ABOUT THAT WEEK-LONG MISSION, I SAID I'M SORRY!" Arkha closed his eyes. You burst out laughing. He sighed. "Apparently, some lessons take longer than others." From down the hallway came Enjin's voice again. "I HEARD THAT!" Arkha shook his head. "Come on." He offered you his hand. "We have a trip to catch." You took it, and this time, you weren't trying to hide yourself.

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