#viresa

Your moirallegiance ends on an average work day at the clinic.

You were looking over his shoulder at his phone, and see that he has a blog now. You’re slightly annoyed that he didn't tell you; you would’ve followed him!

But then that’s not the only thing you don't know about him. You don't know what TV shows he's been watching lately, what he had for dinner last night -- you don’t even know if he's dated anyone lately.

You ask him, and he tells you that he was with a guy called Porter, but they broke up recently. You’re very offended that he didn’t talk to you about this. Breakups are serious business!

You ask him why he didn’t tell you, and he just shrugs and says it didn‘t come up. You try to enquire further, but it’s fruitless. Eventually, you drop the subject.

The other day you talked to him for an hour about the finale of a show that he hasn’t even seen, about what a colossal disappointment it was. He was engaged and made comments and jokes and it was like he was actually being himself. But he’d been dating someone for months, and he didn’t tell you.

You have no idea who he is.

Noru gives you that irritatingly polite smile and tells you that he must be off to see a patient soon. Before you stop him, you blurt out that you should ‘probably stop being moirails’.

He smiles again and says that that’s fine, if you want it that way.

"Shouldn’t we actually talk about this?" you say. "Don’t you want to know why?”

He says he’s got to rush, and that you can talk about it later. As he turns around, you think he might look a bit hurt, or it might be your imagination.

Sometimes, you think about the person Noru used to be. He was scrawny and sick, but he would always try his best to beat you in a race; he was scared of confrontation, but he would stand up to other bluebloods if they picked on you; he laughed when you tried and failed to do a handstand, cried when he saw a very fluffy cat, even swore when he stubbed his toe; when you both started the clinic, he fought tooth and nail with you to get you both recognised as the leaders of the institution and owners of the building, and not just him because of his blood.

Now V shows up after work to take him somewhere and he doesn't protest. She mentions something about helping her cover up evidence. Noru doesn't decline to do so; he’s gotten very good at never saying no. He looks over to you and you look away.

Sometimes, you think about Aginus. He was a close friend of yours. He was mischievous, but knew not to overstep other people’s boundaries; he had pretty eyes, but had terrible teeth; he was a mutant, but still a rebel, and Ruschi kept him out of trouble only barely; he was a healer, and he would have saved lives at the clinic if the interview had taken place.

One night you’re working late, and you feel your eyes drooping from lack of sleep, and all it takes is the sight of a marigold in a vase to send you bawling. Noru is there and he holds you close, comforts you, lets you let it all out. You feel hot-faced and snotty and gross, but relieved.  It almost feels like old times, when you acted like moirails, and you never hid anything from one another. You’d seen him crying many times back then, but you haven’t seen him cry once since V came around.

It comes as a shock to you, then, when you look up and see Noru with the same mild, sympathetic expression you've seen him wear when talking to his patients. You wonder if the look of confusion on his face as you push him away and leave is even real.

You're starting to forgive him. 

What he did was wrong, yes. But at this point in time he’s not that good at lying, and V does not take kindly to lies. She’d pinned him to a wall and threatened to burn him to a crisp if he didn't comply, and Viresa would be kidding herself if she thought she would do anything other than confess in that situation.

Viresa wondered, though, if V would’ve actually done it. Noru was important to her, surely? She wouldn’t kill him just for one lie, would she?

"Why? Why would you continue dating a freak like that? Even after what she did?"

Ruschi, Aginus’ mate, bellows at Noru; twice his height, twice the muscle, infinitely more temperamental. Noru is backed up against a wall, wide-eyed and shrinking into himself.

"It’s because he’s a coward,“ says Desidi. He idolised V until this point, and hated Noru for having her attention. This will be the last time you ever see him before he runs away from this place to escape all that’s happened.

You look at Ruschi’s face again, and you realise he doesn’t look angry at all. He looks hurt. And no wonder. He’s been trying to kill V for days, but even with all his muscle he’s been coming to you clinic every day looking beaten and broken. V only lets him live because she thinks his constant attempts at revenge are funny.

And Noru? Noru’s been insufferably compassionate the whole time.