Chapter Text
Bennett and Razor have become a bit of a duo.
Bennett’s Adventure Team has not been empty for many months now, in fact, but Barbara and Fischl have since split up to adventure as a couple. Now it’s just them two, doing commissions, finding treasure, and carving out a little space in the history of the world in which to stake their claim. It is beautiful, and it makes his heart feel so full, and yet it is bittersweet. Because Bennett knows he needs to put a stop to this now, for Razor’s sake. No matter how much he knows it will hurt.
“All good things must come to an end,” Bennett muses, and the phrase doesn’t comfort him in the slightest. If anything, it throws water on the oil fire in his gut, that is spitting and bubbling and furiously flaming. It’s an envious flame- Envious of people whose ‘good things’ don’t end. Because people get married and live happily ever after. People make adventure teams and meet lifelong friends they stick with forever. People devote their lives to adventuring, and stick their hands in the mud of the Adventurer’s Guild and pull out something beautiful. Bennett doesn’t get these things, like normal people. With his bad luck, all his good things end.
At least this time, he’s making the decision himself. It’s not a kick in the dark that catches him off-guard when his heart’s unprepared. Well, his heart is still unprepared, but he’s not caught off guard. He gets to set the stage here, and he’s in control; It won’t be nearly as bad as that time all three of his teammates quit on his birthday.
“And,” he reminds himself sternly, “This way, Razor doesn’t get hurt.“ Really, the less time the two spend together, the lower the chances of Bennett’s bad luck rubbing off on the elder. So this isn’t just about disbanding the Adventurer’s Team. He knows Razor won’t go to Mondstadt. If he just keeps as much distance as he can, the two won’t bump into each other so often. He can make a conscious effort to not visit Razor anymore. ”There’s a lot of commission hot spots in his territory, but I can always look for other ones.” It’s really, really going to suck, because his heart and his feet lead him to Wolvendom almost every day now, but he’ll manage.
To make matters worse, the sky is mocking him. His whole morning spent walking up to Wolvendom has been pleasant- Clear skies, a quiet breeze, gentle rays of sun- which means that the moment he meets up with Razor, it’s going to start to rain. Because it always does. Hell, it might even storm- Bennett remembers that time a storm he brought almost burned down the forest. And he’s been building up good karma for a while now, the whole morning, so when it finally unleashes, it’s gonna suck. Razor will be fine, because Bennett brought him some beeswax to rub into the fabric of his coat, making it waterproof, but Bennett’s coat got ripped last Tuesday.
Regardless of his fears for the weather, Bennett pushes on and climbs the last little bit up the hill to their meeting spot. They cleared the trees and bushes around a little spot atop a hill, just because there was a cool, flat rock there that was nice to sit on. He didn’t care much for the way it made his legs go numb, but Razor loved it- And sure enough, there he was.
Bennett’s best friend. The only one of his friends that stuck by his side in the adventure team, no matter how many mishaps he caused, or bad luck he brought. That let him ramble about his adventures, and put up with his hyperactive personality, and not once teased him for something he was passionate about or things he wasn’t skilled at. A person he found caring, and honest, and loyal and sweet and funny and so, so tolerant of what Bennett put him through. The first person to stand with him for this long. ”But all good things must come to an end.”
Bennett shakes his head a little and breathes out a laugh, light and airy and easy like he’s used to. “Mornin, Razor!”
The silver-haired boy turns around, but he isn’t smiling when he greets Bennett like he usually is. “Bennett hesitate. Something wrong?”
“Huh? I.. what now?”
Crimson eyes squint at him (But admittedly, it is just the normal ‘looking for words’ squint he does). “Bennett… stand behind me for a second. Not run up and hug like normal. Bennett always greet with hug.”
He shrugs and brings a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “Sorry, buddy, just tired from the climb up here! Do you still want a hug?”
The squint gets tighter. It’s not a ‘thinking’ squint anymore. “Something wrong with Bennett. I fix first. What wrong?” He stands, and Bennett suddenly feels crowded- His silhouette blocks out the sun, and he’s taller, and his hands are reaching out, and- And Bennett just wanted to get in, tell him the news, and leave. He wanted to run away. The longer he saw Razor now, the more he would miss him, right? “Haha, nothing’s wrong, silly! I really was just tired on the way up. I burnt my breakfast, so I didn’t eat much, but I didn’t get injured on the way up at all!”
“Bennett doesn’t get tired by walk. Bennett never get tired by walk. So, something wrong.” Hands, bigger and more calloused and scarred than his own, settle heavily on his shoulders and hold them face-to-face. Bennett’s seen Razor’s eyes before, sure, and even told him he thinks they’re very pretty, but the fire in them now seems so unfitting of someone with an electro vision.
Razor sounds sure of himself when he talks. Good; That’s as it should be. “If Bennett hungry, Razor feed. Come, we hunt.” That’s less good.
“I- wait, buddy!” But Razor’s already let go of his shoulders and grabbed his wrist instead, pulling him through the woods with a purpose. “I didn’t really intend to spend that long in Wolvendom anyway-”
“Bennett hungry, Razor feed. Razor promised to fix, when something is wrong with Benny.”
“I know you did, bud, and I appreciate that, but this really isn’t-”
“Razor does not break promise with lupical.” Bennett’s trying to dig his feet into the mud here, to maybe slow the wolf boy down, but it has no effect- If anything, it might be making him walk faster.
“Razor hunt, and Bennett rest. When I get food, we cook, and you eat.”
“It’s very kind of you, really, but I need-” He cuts himself off mid-sentence. He doesn’t know where he was going with that.
Razor notices his pause, and stops dragging him through the bushes to turn and face him. His hand is still firm around Bennett’s wrist. “Bennet need? Razor get.”
“I.. I don’t know what I was going to say. But- But I don’t need you to go through all this effort for me, Razor, I was just passing by! I was gonna head home soon.”
“Bennett never leave early. And Bennett told Razor, someone is home this week for… Dads. Nice man, with fried sausages.” Bennett knows it’s out of character for himself, but he has to look away. There’s something unsure and confused in his friend’s eyes. Yes, Razor already knows that he asked Jack to help look after the Dads this week.. And he can’t think of an excuse that will keep Razor from trying harder to look after him. Mind blank, and cheeks rapidly warming, Bennett has nothing to offer but a weak shrug. “We are Bennett’s Adventure Team, we do everything together. Why Bennett go early?”
“I just… I don’t know.”
“Razor knows.” Bennett looks up at him again, but before he can make eye contact, firm hands are pushing at his shoulders, with enough power to sit him flat on his ass.
“H-Hey! What was that for?”
“Thinking… Is harder, when hungry. Bennett sit and rest, while Razor hunt. Be still, so boar don’t run.” His tone leaves no room for debate, and neither does the sound of him unsheathing his greatsword. Even if Bennett had something to counter with, Razor quickly crouches by a tree not far from him and concentrates, like he always does when he’s hunting. He knows from experience that he can’t get his attention while he’s like this, nor can he move away.
Bennett allows himself one, single sigh. It’s quiet and soft, and Razor doesn’t notice it in his concentration, thank god.
If fate’s gonna force him into one last day with Razor, he’s gonna take as much as he can from this. He’ll memorise the smell of the breeze, and the crinkle in his friend’s brow, and the glint of his claymore. He can keep all these memories of him when he finally splits them up for good.
He shuffles a little where he’s sat, backwards against a tree, and leans his head against rough bark. It’s… quiet and peaceful, at least, and the sun just about warms the air under the trees to something comfortable. Razor’s presence is like an imposing, looming beast, and it takes up so much of his attention and thoughts there’s little room for his own. But… Razor’s presence is a safe, familiar one, and the grass is soft, so Bennett closes his eyes. Yes, he’ll enjoy this last day that fate allowed him. As much as he can.