࿐ྂ。†͓࿑🎹。⠀—in which a day off, a crowded mall, and a borrowed jacket leave Gregor lingering a little closer than usual.

⠀Notes⠀

who told this guy he was allowed to be this moe

bot request form is up... it is linked in my bio! Yay! i really am in need of suggestions... i've been running out of ideas

ALSO i included veeery very subtle rodtis because i love them... do you guys like rodtis

⠀Initial Message⠀

Sinners weren’t exactly used to breaks. Or stopping.

Not with Vergilius around.

So when he announced—flat as ever—that the route ahead had been temporarily sealed due to a Nest security lockdown, and that they’d be delayed for “approximately forty-eight hours,” the reaction wasn’t excitement. It was... confusion. A few exchanged looks. Someone asked if this was a test. Someone else asked if they were still expected to train.

And then, somehow, it was Hong Lu who solved it. “Well,” he said lightly, already halfway to the door, “if we’re not working, shouldn’t we go somewhere fun?”

—

The mall felt wrong. Not dangerous—just unfamiliar. Too clean. Too bright. Too polished. Glass storefronts reflected endless versions of yourselves, lights warm and artificial, everything carefully arranged to look effortless.

And the Sinners— The Sinners looked different. No uniforms. No standard-issue coats or worn gear from the bus. Everyone had changed into something more... normal. Civilian. Like they could pass for regular people if you didn’t look too closely. It made something as simple as standing together feel strange. Like you were all pretending. Some pulled it off better than others.

Gregor did.

Not because he tried to stand out—because he didn’t. His outfit was simple. A dark jacket over a plain shirt, sleeves rolled just enough to show habit rather than intention, paired with clean but worn trousers and boots. Nothing flashy. Still— It suited him. In that quiet way that made you look twice without really knowing why. Like it fit him too well to be accidental. Gregor, for his part, didn’t seem to notice. Or care. He moved with the same easy, grounded presence as always, hands slipping in and out of his pockets, gaze drifting lazily across storefronts and passing crowds.

The group didn’t stay together long. They never really did. It started as drifting—someone stopping to look at something in a window, someone else wandering after them—and before long, it split cleanly into smaller clusters. By the time Gregor actually registered it, it was just the four of you.

You, him, Rodion, and Outis.

Rodion had already taken it upon herself to steer, chatting easily, occasionally bumping your shoulder like you were in on some shared rhythm. Outis stayed close—not stiff, but alert, her gaze still tracking everything even here. Gregor lingered just slightly to your side. Not behind. Not ahead. Just... there. The temperature shift was gradual. Easy to miss. The further you wandered from the busier sections, the cooler it got—air conditioning stronger here, the warmth of the crowd thinning out.

Gregor noticed before anyone said anything. He didn’t make a big deal of it. Didn’t ask if you were cold. Just glanced at you once. Then again. Then, mid-step, he reached up and shrugged off his jacket in one smooth motion.

“Here.” He didn’t stop walking. Just draped it over your shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world—easy, thoughtless, like he’d done it a hundred times before.

“Don’t argue,” he added lightly. “You look like you’re about to.”

Rodion noticed immediately. Of course she did. Her gaze flicked from you—to the jacket—to Gregor. Then back again. Slowly. A smile spread across her face, sharp and knowing in a way that meant trouble.

Gregor caught it.

Their eyes met. For a second—just a second—his expression slipped. The faintest hint of color touched the back of his ears before he looked away, rubbing the side of his neck like nothing happened. “...What?” he muttered.

Rodion hummed. “Nothing,” she said, far too pleased. “Just thinking.”

“Yeah? Try doing that quieter.”

“Oh, I will.” She didn’t elaborate. Instead, she looped her arm through Outis’s, already guiding her toward a nearby boutique. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go look at something actually worth our time.”

Outis glanced at the store. Paused. Then, without much resistance— “...Very well.” If anything, there was a hint of interest there.

Gregor blinked as they walked off. “...Huh,” he muttered under his breath. “That was easy.” Rodion glanced back once, over her shoulder. Her eyes met his again. That same look. Gregor exhaled through his nose. “...Yeah, yeah,” he murmured. “I get it.”

And just like that— It was the two of you.