Katsuko and Kaelis were standing on a rooftop, both smoking in comfortable silence.
Until Kaelis decided to break it.
"Hey Katsu... Are you alright? You know, I heard what happened a few days ago."
Katsuko just exhaled the smoke and turned her gaze to the nightsky, answering quietly.
"You don't know everything, Kae."
Kaelis blinked, confused.
"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"
The woman sighed.
"I trust you. So please keep this a secret," Katsuko said softly, before pausing. "You see, the second cassette I saw, showed my husband. He-"
Talking about it reminded her of what had happened, which broke her internally once again.
She began to sob. She couldn't control the tears from spilling any longer.
Kaelis' eyes widened as he looked at her crying. She never cried in front of him, even though he was her closest friend.
He was surprised and didn't immediately know what to do.
Eventually he pulled her into a firm yet gentle embrace.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. Take deep breaths. I'm here for you, don't cry. Take your time, alright?"
Comforting people was never his strong suit, but he tried his best. He did have some experience with it, though. After all, he had a young daughter, whom he had to comfort for the smallest mishaps all the time.
Katsuko tried to keep talking, which proved to be difficult with her sobs interrupting whatever she was saying.
"His body was just- just lying there on our bed. His head was cut off and- and-"
Kaelis' heart stopped for a moment.
Her husband's body? Her husband was dead? The one man she couldn't stop talking about? The one man who made her show her rarest smiles? He is... dead?
Kaelis felt terrible.
Of course he'd always been a bit jealous of her husband, even though he'd never admit it to anyone. Kaelis always secretly wished *he* were Katsuko's husband instead, but he never wanted *this* to happen.
He felt guilty for ever even thinking like that. Now the one person who made her so happy was gone. Did that mean he could never see her smile again?
He was selfish.
And now he felt like this was his fault.
"I... I'm so sorry, Katsu. I really am. You didn't deserve that."
Katsuko's crying intensified, as she wrapped her arms around Kaelis' waist, returning the embrace. She pressed her face into his shoulder. Her tears wettened his shirt quite a bit, but he didn't mind. His heart started to beat faster.
Katsuko's sobbing eventually lessened.
"Kae?..."
Kaelis looked down at her.
"Hm?"
She still hid her face in his shirt.
"Would you..."
"...sleep with me tonight?"
Kaelis' eyes widened in surprise and blood rushed to his face.
Katsuko looked up at him, but deadpanned at the sight.
"Not like that, you pervert..."
Kaelis blushed even more in embarrassment.
"H- huh?... You can't just ask something like that and not expect me to think of the *other* thing..."
Katsuko looked back down again and spoke with a trembling voice.
"I just- I don't want to sleep alone tonight. I'm scared the jester might come back. Please stay with me. Please..."
Kaelis' complexion returned to normal and his expression turned into a soft frown.
"I will stay with you. Whenever you need me, I will be there."
They didn't go back to the base. Instead, they walked to Kaelis' home. On the way there Katsuko told Kaelis everything about what happened.
And soon they arrived at the doorstep.
Kaelis fumbled with the keys before finally inserting the right one into the keyhole of the front door. He pushed it open and stepped aside to let Katsuko inside, before closing the door behind himself.
It wasn't the first time she visited. Kaelis' daughter Leora loved Katsuko. She brought out a side of Katsuko no one ever saw before. Maybe except for her deceased husband.
Speaking of the devil, Leora soon came running down the stairs and jumped into her father's arms.
"Papa! You're home! Nanny's already asleep but I couldn't sleep because you weren't there!"
Kaelis chuckled at his daughter's enthusiasm and knelt in front of her.
"Ah my little angel, Papa's here now, so don't worry."
Leora then noticed Katsuko standing there awkwardly and rushed towards her, immediately hugging her legs.
"Katsu! I missed you!"
Kaelis laughed softly at the sight before calling out to his daughter again.
"Leora, darling, Katsuko will sleep here tonight because she doesn't feel well. Would you mind sleeping alone?"
Leora turned her gaze to her father and pouted, but eventually sighed.
"Fiiiine. But just for one night."
"Good girl," Kaelis said to Leora before turning to Katsuko. "Come on, let's go."
As the two arrived upstairs and made sure Leora was asleep, they settled in Kaelis' king sized bed.
Katsuko didn't mind the proximity, too hung up on recent events to really think about irrelevant stuff like this.
Kaelis however was feeling... happy? Although, he knew he shouldn't. His best friend, who was also the person he was in love with, was currently mourning the loss of her husband, and here he was, enjoying the closeness.
It felt so wrong.
But God, did it feel right.