Man of Fiction

It has been a week since Detective Alaric Bentlee was sent to the hospital. Despite his arm injury and a few broken bones, his poor predicament did not stop his colleagues from giving him more paperwork on his lap. Typing with one hand could have been fine, if only Gareth the monk did not get himself involved in the case. Otherwise, his report would not have been longer.

His fingers struggled between the shift key and the letter g on the keyboard. Then he lost the balance in his hand and screen read, 'gGIkm' Alaric muttered a curse, giving the MCPD laptop a light pound.

"Do you need some help in typing your report, Detective Bentlee?" a male asked.

Alaric sighed as he gazed upon Gareth's arrival to his hospital room. The blonde monk was the first face the detective had to see after waking up in Mavon City's Hospital. Before he could utter a single word, Gareth declared that he was going to be watching over him until he got discharged. Alaric wanted to refuse him, but he then placed a large shopping bag on the bench provided. Gareth showed his firm decision in staying by bringing out his belongings inside the wrinkled shopping bag that he brought. He expected Gareth to only watch over him for just a night; but then one night turned into two and three.

This time, Gareth came back from his work at Mavon Mart, with a large brown paper bag tucked in his right arm. "My employer, Mr. Manny, has just learned about our situation." the monk said, placing the paper bag by his bedside. "He insisted I brought these to you. They're canned goods."

"I'm getting discharged tomorrow," Alaric told him.

"I told him that but he said that he likes law enforcers, so he wanted you to take these." the monk added, placing his hands on his back as usual. "I think he truly admires the service that you and your colleagues deliver to society."

Alaric nodded and returned to his laptop, tapping on the delete key. "I think your work will be maximized if I do it for you," the monk said, maintaining his position. "According to my calculations, you will get one page done in at least two and a half hours. Therefore, fiinishing your entire report will take the entire night, which I personally do not recommend. Rest is essential for you, if you want to be discharged tomorrow."

"I know what I'm doing," Alaric groaned, focusing his blue eyes on the screen.

"If you are concerned with my capabilities, then I must let you know that I have experienced writing reports for the Masahiro Human Protection Company." Gareth urged. "I'm positive that your ways in this work force are not that different from mine."

Alaric sighed. He wanted this report writing to be over with, and Gareth had no intention of backing down. He reluctantly handed the bulky laptop to the monk, who gladly accepted it. Gareth took a chair close by and placed the electronic on his lap, sitting with his shoulders straight. He noticed that the detective managed to write three pages of his report. "I'm quite impressed with the progress you have made, so far." Gareth complimented.

"You're kind of freaking me out." Alaric said, instantly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Guys like me are supposed to get pretty women or nurses as visitors!" Alaric complained. "You don't even like me, and yet here you are!"

Gareth blinked his green eyes. "I see, you are that kind of protector." the monk nodded. "Shall I fetch a young lady to appease your needs? Is there a place that provides such entertainment services in the West?"

"NO!"

"Then what is it that you really need, Detective? Do you prefer a man?"

"I need answers, obviously!" Alaric said, exasperated. "You don't even like me, so why are you spending your nights here? If Emily told you to stay here, I wouldn't believe it for a second because you're not the type to leave her alone."

Gareth flinched at the mention of the girl's name. The detective smirked at this reaction. The monk never grimaced at the thought of Emily Rose, and no man ever dared to. Apart from her timidness--which she was slowly outgrowing--there was nothing to dislike about her. When Emily visited them during the other nights, Gareth always excused himself from the room. The detective found it strange, but he figured that he had other things to attend to like making him some dinner.

It only meant that there was something up between them.

"Okay, tell me what happened." Alaric demanded, looking away from him. He did not want to pummel his annoyingly stoic face for what he was going to say next, since he only had one working arm.

"It is a complicated matter." Gareth said, dismissively.

"Did you figure out the truth?" Alaric probed. He did not want to mention the Mob Boy Order show to him, because he did not want to jump to a conclusion. His question made the monk close his green eyes and rub his temples, though. "I must say your deduction skills are quite exceptional, detective." the monk said, sadly. "Do you know about Mob Boy Order, as well?"

Holy Heavens I was right, Alaric thought. He cleared his throat, maintaining his level of seriousness with him. "Everyone does." he simply said. "I actually advised Emily to tell you about it, earlier. She had trouble finding the right time to tell you, though."

"I understand, but I can't help but be…"

Gareth closed the laptop and propped his elbow on the chair's arm. He buried his disappointment into his palm. He remained quiet for a while, which unsettled the detective. "What are you going to do, now?" he asked, later realizing how dumb his question was.

"I do not know," Gareth silently answered, his face still in his hand. "If I can't go home, what in don's name does that mean for me?"

"There's a psychiatric ward that you can see in the East wing." the detective suggested.

Gareth lifted his face, giving Alaric a stern look. The detective's face fell. "I'm just kidding," he said, immediately. Silence filled in the close space for a while, then he heard the monk mutter, "Does that mean Rowan is not real?" to himself. Alaric's mind drifted to the pretty ginger in the animated show. Doctor Rowan was his fictional crush back in his teenage years, and he had a few wallpapers of her face saved in his old phone. But thinking fondly of her while her love interest was in the same room as him, made him more awkward.

"When did Emily tell you?" he decided to ask. "While I was in the ER?"

"She didn't." Gareth said. "I overheard some policemen talking about the show. I looked it up on my smartphone and the rest is history."

That explains everything, Alaric thought to himself. "I think Emily had every intention to tell you the truth, you know."

"I'm sure she did, but… this is a reality I can't acknowledge. For that, I can't bring myself to face her."

Alaric recalled the confrontation he had with Emily. She told him that Gareth had a hard time grasping his situation, and it was showing right before him. When he was a police officer, the cases of missing children were the easiest to deal with. When he found the child, he would give them a ride in the police car and ask simple questions about their home. The children either knew their address, or they gave him visual clues of what their house looked like. Gareth's case was unfortunately a challenging one.

How do you take a missing person home, when it does not exist?

*****

"Next week, I will be heading to our Lacras branch for the annual conference." Madame Helga discussed, during their department's meeting. "Emily Rose, please double-check my booking and confirm our flight details by this afternoon."

Emily remained silent, staring longingly at her Danooki notepad. The image of Gareth's pain was glued to her brain. The guilt kept on eating her alive for days, and she did not know how to face him again. She was afraid that he would ask what they should do next for Operation Adonis, because there were no more solutions. The world of the Don Heads did not exist in Agapen. Everyone that he knew, including his beloved Doctor Rowan, did not exist.

"Emily? Emily!"

She shook her head and sat upright. "Uhm, the next thing on--"

"I'm asking you to confirm my flight for Lacras." Helga repeated, showing her the austere look that Emily has not seen in a while. The secretary braced herself for her gaze to harden. "The conference is next week, already?" she asked, in disbelief.

"You did not book our flight, did you?"

"Wait, I'm coming too?"

"Okay!" Helga clapped her hands, controlling her tone. "Meeting adjourned, you may all proceed to lunch. Emily Rose, come with me."

Great, she was back to where she started.

She followed her boss back to her desk, where Helga Rooney sat with a sigh escaping her burgundy colored lips. Emily assumed her usual scolding position, standing before her desk with her sweaty hands clasped together. She waited for her boss to start barking and telling her the usual, "Get yourself together!" speech, which she has heard a million of times since her hiring. Her boss remained silent until all of her employees left the room, with her face barely readable for Emily. When the door silently shut behind the two, her boss began. "Are you alright, Emily?" she asked. "You're off, again."

Emily blinked her brown eyes, stunned by how gentle their conversation began. "I-I'm fine," she stuttered.

"No you're not," Helga said, propping her elbows on her desk. "You've been doing well, recently. That is, until this week. You've reverted back to your old self. Care to tell me what's going on with you?"

Emily hesitated, for she has never opened up to her boss. She pondered on telling her about her falling out with Gareth, but she did not want to add further explanation about the predicament that they were in. It was hard enough for her and Alaric to believe that he was a fictional character that came to life.

"Is it because of the Racket Vengers incident?" Helga guessed, her face showing concern. "Do you need more time off?"

"N-no, it's not that," Emily shook her head. "A dear friend of mine is really mad at me. It's honestly bothering me, but I don't know how to make up for my mistake."

Helga nodded, her narrow face softening. "What did you do?" she asked. "If you don't mind telling me."

"I...hid the truth from this person for so long," Emily carefully said, keeping it vague and simple as much as possible. "And it just came out, suddenly. Now my friend is very upset, and he does not know how to handle it very well."

"Oh so that's how it is," Helga said. "I guess that's what happens when you hide something from someone. It finds a way to come out--sometimes in the most unpleasant way."

"I see that, now."

"I understand if you do not want to share the full details." Helga continued. "But let me ask you this; do you know what we value in business partnerships?"

"...Honesty."

"Exactly." Helga leaned back on her chair, and crossed her legs. "A business venture works when the people involved are being transparent; sharing their suggestions and concerns with one another. We hold these meetings to be direct with another, hoping our thoughts can build solutions that would benefit the business. Businesses fall when we hide things from one another. Do you remember the Employee Outbreak, Emily Rose?"

"Yes, I do."

"I was a victim of that." Helga confessed. "I had my own small business with a partner, who embezzled half of our assets every quarter. He hid it from me, because he did not know how to tell me that he needed money for his daughter's college tuition in the East. If he told me that, we might have found a way to help him. Instead, he took money behind my back and the next thing I knew, my former employees were rallying and destroying every branch that we had in Mavon City."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Madame."

"I'm over it, I'm kind of glad to be in a regular office again." Helga reassured, shrugging her bony shoulders. "Anyway, that incident made me realize how important it is to be more communicative with my colleagues. I'm putting this into practice with you, actually. I admit that my efforts at the beginning were nowhere near satisfactory. I'm not used to being this open, either.

This lesson does not just apply to work, but in real life too. You've done the first step, which is admitting that you were in the wrong. If you want your apology to be sincere, then you have to tell your friend how you feel. Tell this person what made you keep the truth from him for such a long time. If you truly are friends, then sharing that personal information should not be too difficult. He will understand, regardless."

"I don't think justifying my actions will make it better." Emily remarked.

"You're not defending what you did, Emily." Helga clarified. "You're just doing what you should have done in the first place, which is coming clean. Your friend seems to trust you very much, considering how upset he must feel."

"He won't talk to me, though."

"You should try, anyway." her boss encouraged her subordinate. "I'm sure you've given your friend enough space. So give him the transparency that he deserves from you."

Emily Rose did not know exactly why she hid the truth from Gareth. At first, she did not want to destroy his hopes of going back home. She could not stand seeing him all torn up. Sadly, she eventually learned that there was no way for him to do that, so telling him the truth was the only option left. Yet, she refused to do it. What really hindered her was the fear--the fear of him drifting away from her.

"I will do my best." she decided to say. "Thank you for your advice, Madame Helga."

"Would you like to have lunch with me?" her superior suddenly asked.

"With me…?"

"I hope you don't mind." Helga said, standing up. "It will be my treat."

The brunette nodded and followed Helga to the company elevator. While they waited for the slow lift, Emily suddenly realized something. She wanted to spend more time with him working on Operation Adonis. The thought of him going away soon, brought an unexpected pain to her chest. Emily did not want to let him go, just yet. Unfortunately, her actions made him more distant. Her new problem was expressing this vulnerable feeling to Gareth.

*****

"You did not have to follow me all the way back to my apartment!" Alaric whined. Gareth ignored the detective's complaints and invited himself in. The monk thought that Emily's home was a mess, but Alaric's studio apartment was much worse. Shirts were scattered all over the floor, there were piles of paper at every corner, and the sink was filled with filthy dishes, glasses, and carton boxes from Bby Box. "This is not what I expected from you, detective." Gareth said, looking around.

Alaric tried to grab his things from the monk, who dodged his advances. "You don't have to stay here!" he said.

"You're still considered a handicap," Gareth explained, placing the bags beside his unmade bed. "That is why I must stay here, as well. To assist you in your daily needs." Alaric had always prayed to the heavens that Gareth would move out of Emily's place. He did not expect that the outcome would turn out this way. He suddenly wished that he and Emily Rose got along, so he would leave his small nest.

Gareth started fixing his place, starting with the papers. While he collected them, the monk picked up crumpled posters that had pictures of animated women. Before Alaric could stop him, Gareth slowly stood up, holding a 12-inch poster of Doctor Rowan in a black two-piece swimsuit. Despite it being just a cartoon version of his love, the glaring monk gripped onto the poster paper so hard that Alaric heard it tear through his nails. "Real or not, I do not appreciate how she is viewed in this world." Gareth sneered.

The embarrassed detective snatched the poster from his firm grasp. This caused another tear from the paper. "My room is so messy, that I did not realize that it was here!" he excused, laughing nervously. "This is just a silly poster that I got in high school! I don't look at this anymore, I swear by the heavens!"

The monk sighed, and returned to cleaning the detective's space. Alaric dropped the torn poster to the untidy floor and scratched the back of his head with his free hand. He turned around to close his door, only to see Emily Rose by the doorway. "Oh you're here!" he said, feeling relieved.

Gareth turned around and his mood became even more sour. "What are you doing here? You should be home by this hour." he told her.

"I actually texted her to come here." Alaric intruded, earning a betrayed look from the monk. The detective simply smirked at his retort. "I'm going to give you guys some space." he said, walking out of the door. As soon as he was outside, he called out to Gareth. "Quit your scowling and talk it out."

Emily moved closer inside his apartment, looking sincerely at the monk. Gareth only stood there, his green eyes fixating on Alaric's smelly sink. The girl took a deep breath. "I honestly did not know how to tell you at the beginning." she began, moving closer to him. "You've been through a lot, and I'm sure you're more confused than ever. I'm sorry for not telling you, right away."

Soon, the monk returned her gaze. He no longer looked angry; just sad. "Now that you're here, I don't think I'm angry with you." Gareth confessed. "I am still mad, but I don't know what to do with it. I admit that I did not appreciate you not mentioning the show anytime sooner, but I have come to understand that you were trying to spare my feelings."

"But I really wanted to tell you." Emily added, standing before him.

"I know but… I feel so empty."

The blonde buried himself into his hand again, and his body trembled. When he broke into sobs, Emily slowly pulled him in for an embrace. The monk placed his tearful face on her shoulder, and the brunette's right hand gently patted his back. His cries became louder and louder, and Emily could only hold him tightly.

"You're not alone," she said. "I'm right here."

Gareth could only respond in more tears.

They stayed in the hug, until he slowly pulled away. He wiped his eyes, before he was fully composed. Emily gave him a small smile. "Do you forgive me?" she asked.

Gareth finally smiled back. Heavens, she missed the warmth in his smile. "Of course." he said, kindly. Emily was very happy, until she heard a rustling sound underneath her shoes. She looked down and saw that her heel caught a crumpled piece of paper. She picked up and unfolded it, revealing a torn poster of Doctor Rowan in a swimsuit. Gareth glowered at the graphic image, again. "I knew there was something off about that detective," he remarked.

Emily folded the destroyed poster, snickering.