That shift in Drake's posture, the sharpness in his gaze—subtle, but enough for someone like him to notice. The gears were turning in the boy’s head, a quiet whirl of analysis and suspicion. And beneath it, that faint ripple of negative emotion. A hint of mistrust, maybe even resentment, brushed against Maruki’s senses like a cold wind.
He hated it.
He hated that he could feel it at all. This ability of his—whatever it was—never let him look away from the cracks in people’s hearts. It made everything feel heavier. But what he hated more was the one-dimensional judgment in Drake’s eyes, the assumption that whatever help he had to offer must come with strings attached.
1/2
That shift in Drake's posture, the sharpness in his gaze—subtle, but enough for someone like him to notice. The gears were turning in the boy’s head, a quiet whirl of analysis and suspicion. And beneath it, that faint ripple of negative emotion. A hint of mistrust, maybe even resentment, brushed against Maruki’s senses like a cold wind.
He hated it.
He hated that he could feel it at all. This ability of his—whatever it was—never let him look away from the cracks in people’s hearts. It made everything feel heavier. But what he hated more was the one-dimensional judgment in Drake’s eyes, the assumption that whatever help he had to offer must come with strings attached.
The boy’s next words only confirmed it.