Inside the waiting room, intermission dragged on like a weight. Bobo paced, his heavy boots tapping against the damp floor, the sound echoing faintly off the walls. Ryosuke sat tucked into a corner, a cigarette glowing faint orange between his lips, smoke curling around his sharp features before disappearing into the flickering light above. Tobi had sunk down against the opposite wall, knees up, thumbs twiddling, lost in his own head. Mikey stretched out on the cot, staring at the ceiling, his mind circling like a hawk that couldn't find a place to land.
'Fate… destiny…'
The words looped through his head, the Predecessor's voice still crawling under his skin. The silence broke when Bobo spoke. His voice was rough but warm, steadying.
"We got an hour, maybe less, before the next test. I don't know what it's gonna be, Kid." He stopped pacing and came over, laying a heavy metal hand on Mikey's shoulder. His smile softened, as if he wanted to take the edge off. "You're gonna be fine. Okay?"
Mikey let out a short laugh that wasn't really a laugh.
"I hope so…"
He managed a small smile back, more out of politeness than belief. Ryosuke stubbed out his cigarette and crossed the room, the streak of gray in his long black hair catching the weak light. His reddish-brown eyes were tired, but his posture was steady. He gave Mikey a small nod.
"Young man, good luck. I'm going to join the rest of our squad in the stands." He patted Mikey lightly on the head before turning away. "Be safe."
Bobo looked at him, then sighed. "I'll come with."
The two of them stepped out, leaving the waiting room to the hum of the vents, the drip of water from a pipe above, and the faint buzz of the failing ceiling light. Now it was just Mikey and Tobi. The quiet pressed in like a blanket. Mikey shifted, glancing over the edge of the cot. Tobi had slumped into sleep against the wall, his head tilted at an uncomfortable angle, breath slow and uneven. A small chunk of rubble was tangled in his hair. Mikey snorted, plucked it free, and flicked it across the room. It bounced off Tobi's shoulder. He jolted awake with a shout, eyes wide. Mikey burst into laughter.
"Damn, man. You're acting like you're the one taking the tests."
Tobi blinked, rubbed his eyes, and stretched, arms shaking with exhaustion. "Sorry… got sleepy…"
"You can actually sleep against that wall? That's a goddamn superpower." Mikey sat up, resting his arms on his knees, watching him.
The silence crept back in. They hadn't really talked since yesterday—the fight still hung between them. Mikey could feel the awkwardness, thick and prickly, but he tried to push through it. Tobi scratched at his neck, his messy brown hair falling into his face. His voice came out stuttering, cracked, nervous. "Y-Yeah, it's not too bad. I just… I get really tired after stressful situations."
Mikey raised a brow. "Stressful? What was stressful?"
"You," Tobi said flatly, though his voice cracked halfway through. "You were all shaking and shit. Like… like having a seizure."
Mikey let out a surprised laugh, though nothing about it was funny. "I was?"
Tobi nodded. "S-Sure were…"
The pause that followed was heavy. Mikey hated pauses—he hated silence even more. It left him too much room to think. He rubbed his face, then let the words tumble out.
"Hey, Tobi. I'm… I'm sorry about yesterday."
Tobi turned his head, his oversized, ragged jacket swallowing his thin frame. His eyes narrowed slightly. "For slamming me through a table? Almost breaking my back?"
Mikey smirked. "Hell no, you deserved that. You hit me in the face."
Tobi perked up, defensive. "Y-You hit me there first!"
"Shit…" Mikey chuckled. "That's true. Then I'm sorry about that too."
The tension cracked, just a little. Tobi nodded, fidgeting with the cuff of his sleeve. Mikey leaned back, lips pursed, thumbs twiddling. "What I meant was…" He paused, forcing out a breath. "I'm sorry about what I said about Amelia. Sorry I started the fight."
Tobi looked down, thoughtful. "It's okay. I-I shouldn't have said what I did either…"
Another silence, but softer this time. Mikey hated it less. He spoke again, words a little lighter. "I was drunk and an idiot. I never got to really say sorry, not for real."
"You don't have to," Tobi said quietly. "Amelia feels bad for what she said too. She wants to apologize, but… trust me, you apologizing to her would just upset her even more."
That made Mikey blink. A small, surprised smile tugged at his mouth. "You know her well." He hesitated, then added, "What are you two, anyway? To each other?"
Tobi laughed, a short, awkward giggle. "She's like a sister to me. Don't worry." He gave Mikey a wink, and Mikey immediately blushed, groaning.
"Shut up…"
Tobi grinned, looking back up at the flickering light, his voice softening. "A-Apparently Amelia's father was on a food scouting mission, years ago. Out in the d-dunes. He f-found me near one of the entrances—Portal 23. I was just… there. A baby in a crate. No idea w-who my parents were, no note except an envelope with my name in it. H-He brought me back and raised me."
Mikey leaned back against the wall, the story hanging in the air between them. For the first time since meeting him, he saw Tobi not as the awkward, stammering kid who'd gotten under his skin, but as someone carrying his own weight of questions and scars.