The first time it happened, Kat thought she was going to die. She thought it was a fight and someone had broken in. But when she peaked out the bedroom door, there wasn't anybody else there.

The cabinets torn off the hinges, glass bottles broken on the floor, a knife though one of the couches pillows and her roommate gone.

She finally opened the door, noticing the door next to hers off its hinges. She peaked inside and saw it empty as well. Her toes touched broken glass and she pulled back.

It was eerily quiet.

Where was Cream?

She thought her roommate was out with his best friend. Lately that's where he always was. Came home with a smile before leaving the next day, each time the smile feeling more forced. She didn't press as they weren't that close. She moved in and barely paid him. He didn't seem to mind or care. Sometimes they'd mess around but it was unrelated. They were a casual thing. Friends. She had said that. He had agreed.

She moved toward the back door that had been left open, the glass cracked. She didn't see much but more of the fields that surrounded the farm. She heard the small breeze brush the wheat aside. Her eyes squinted. She saw movement and then his head of messy pink came up. It was so sudden and abrupt, she jumped.

She immediately fell back, hiding behind the door. There weren't any sounds but the brush of grass and the slow crunching of footsteps. The only change being the heavy thud as his barefoot made contact with the wood porch, she could hear the wood squeak in complaint.

She felt her breath hitch, and covered her own mouth. His presence felt overwhelming. She saw his shadow loom across the living room, even before she saw him. He was never this quiet.

He didn't say anything as he passed her. It was like he didn't notice her. She could see his bloody hands and bruised arms, limply by his side. He looked scratched up, shirt ripped, jeans muddy, hair a mess, and feet bloody as he casually moved through the glass ridden floor. He didn't make any noise, she could barely hear his breathing. The whole house was quiet, until he entered the bathroom. The click of the door finally releasing the tension.

Kat slid down. What the hell.

She didn't move until she heard the shower going. That broke the fear and she breathed deeply. She wasn't sure what to do other than to clean up a little bit. So she did. Grabbing the broom, she started on just that numbly. Anything to get her body moving. It was almost like being in shock. She had never seen him be violent. Or even yell or shout. He always has a confident smile. An upstanding man with nothing remotely like this brewing below. It felt like she was seeing something she wasn't supposed to have seen. The thought gave her a shiver.

She was able to at least clear a pathway to save her feet before she heard the click of the bathroom door. It was like being alerted. A detection going off.

Kat looked up at him, as she tipped the glass into the dust bin. He looked put together enough, although very tired. New jeans, new shirt. He put on his jacket.

"Where are you going?" She didn't recognize her voice. She hadn't sounded like that in a long time. Scared. Pleading.

"Coco is in the hospital right now, I'm going to see if he woke up."

"Is that what happened last night?" She gestured to the room. There was still a lot of mess. A Lot of broken things.

Cream paused, looking around like this was the first time he had been there. "No--" he said slowly.

They stood in silence. Uncomfortable and eerie. He looked like he didn't want to continue the conversation.

"Cream--"

"It was just me--" he interrupted.

He did all this? There was a huge crack in the sliding glass door for fucks sake. The pillows were punctured with a knife. Multiple hinges from multiple places were destroyed. His footprints from just entering the house, trailed blood.

Kat swallowed as she looked down at the trash can. She tapped the little dustpan to get the rest of the glass to fall into the bin.

She could hear his footsteps approaching and she fell still. He always walked heavy but right now she felt it. Like prey to a hunter. He slowly attempted to take the broom and dustpan. Kat flinched back, grip white.

"It's 3am. You can go back to sleep," she heard him say, "I'll clean it up when I get back."

She didn't understand. His voice was distant, like he was angry she was cleaning. Or maybe angry he made a mess. She didn't know. She's seen Cream annoyed. She's seen him less than happy. Small things that surprised her. But she never saw him angry.

She swallowed but didn't meet his eyes. "I can do it."

There was silence. And then he sighed. It wasn't angry; it was resigned. His hands fell to his side. She felt prickly under her skin and her right grasp trembled.

"Kat," she heard him say, "can you please look at me?" She didn't. She couldn't move. The room felt stiff.

"Tamaki--"

Kat snapped up. He never said her full name. She looked up at him and saw his tired eyes. He had never looked so worn down. Her hand placed the broom down before it came up to his cheek. He pressed his face into her only for a moment before she felt the wetness hit her palm. She immediately dropped the dustpan and embraced him.

His strong arms wrapped around her as he sobbed into her shoulder. And she let him. She could hear him mutter apologies but shook her head.

"I just-- i don't know what to do, I just found him like that and I couldn't-- i couldn't--I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't want to scare you-- I-- last night, I--" he blubbering in-between sobs and Kat shushed him.

She let him go on for a while, until silently they parted. It wasn't far since he seemed to not want to let her go, but she was able to put enough space to see his face. She placed her palms on his cheeks, whipping away the tears as he sniffed. He was a mess. But she wasn't scared.

"Okay," she said patiently, "how about we start from the beginning, yeah?"

Cream held onto her like the lighthouse at sea. He nodded weakly.

Kat gave him a smile. "Tell me what's wrong, Cream."