Setting: The Oletus Manor, specifically Lucky's room.
Character(s): Lucky (main focus) and Helena.

No real content warnings, but this is kinda a vent for me. I won't go into too much detail, but I've been feeling kinda shitty lately and I needed to get this out somehow (since vent art hasn't been doing enough for me).
So... Yeah. Take an emotion vent spoken through Lucky. :P
   Anyway... Enjoy, I guess...
(Artwork above was drawn by me... I know it's Lucky in his partial wolf form and he's actually in his human form for this oneshot, but I kinda didn't feel like drawing another picture for this.)
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Helena instantly knew something was wrong when she returned from the last round of the day. She had become very perceptive of the feelings of others over the years, and she knew when something didn't feel right.
This was one of those times.
She began walking down the hallway where all the survivor rooms were, lightly tapping her cane on the ground to ensure she could get where she was going without running into anything as she allowed her feelings to guide her.
The blind girl made her way towards a room at the end of the hallway, where all the veteran survivors stayed. She finally stopped in front of a door that had a four-leaf clover carved into it (though she couldn't see it herself, of course).
Her heart sank a little as she realized that Lucky was the source of the negativity she was sensing. He'd really been going downhill lately, in terms of emotion. She was really starting to worry about him.
She gently knocked on the door. "Lucky? You okay in there?"
There was a shuffling sound on the other side of the door before the other survivor answered. "Y-Yeah...?"
"You seem upset... Are you sure you're alright?"
There was a moment of hesitation. "I'm fine..."
She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but she could have sworn that she felt the energy of his negative emotions grow stronger for a moment. "...Can I come in..?"
Lucky sighed. "Yeah... I guess..." There was more shuffling, and in a matter of seconds, the door creaked open, allowing the blind girl to step into the room.
Lucky sat down on the edge of his bed, and Helena followed. They were silent for only a moment before the blind survivor spoke up. "You... haven't really been yourself lately, have you...?"
He seemed surprised by the question, but quickly remembered that this was Helena he was talking to. She could perceive the emotion of any given survivor from a mile away. This was no different.
"No point in trying to hide from you, huh?" He sighed. "I'm gonna be honest... I've been under a lot of pressure for awhile now... And I think it's finally starting to take its toll on me..."
"Do you... need to talk about it?" Helena turned to look in the other survivor's direction, her glazed eyes seeming to lock onto him for a moment.
Lucky quickly shook his head, averting his gaze. "No no... I'm fine... I'm just having a series of off-days..."
"This has been going on for awhile..." Her tone became a bit more firm as she spoke. "Longer than most strings of off-days should be."
Lucky flinched as Helena lightly tapped his leg with her cane, as if to make sure he was actually listening. When she started talking again, her voice had softened once more. "Don't think I haven't been noticing it. What's bothering you?"
The other survivor hesitated. "There's been a lot of things... I-I really don't wanna get into them right now... I'm afraid they're gonna burden you..."
"They won't. I promise." The blind girl gave a soft smile. "I'm here for you. I'll listen to whatever you have to say."
Lucky returned the smile, though it was half-hearted. "I... still don't wanna get into it. I don't know if I'm ready to share all that..."
"Then... At least try to tell me how you're feeling? Maybe I can help you feel a bit better if I can understand how you feel in the first place?" She paused. "I know you're upset about something, but I don't know the extent of it."
Lucky bit his lip, thinking for a moment. "It's just... I have a lot of thoughts that I keep under lock and key... And these thoughts are horrible. I want to get them out, but I'm afraid that if I do let them out, they'll only bring harm to others..." His voice quivered and his eyes began to tear up. "I keep my darkest thoughts hidden because I'm scared that I'll lose the people I love if they get out..."
"It's... alright to have those kinds of thoughts, Luck." Helena murmured softly, reaching over and rubbing his arm a bit. "All feelings are valid. Even the really bad ones."
The other survivor sniffled, and tears began to roll down his freckled cheeks. "The thing is, I can't keep those thoughts caged forever. One of these days, I'm gonna shatter, and my true colors are gonna shine through whether I want them to or not. And I pray to God that those things aren't gonna come out in front of the wrong people."
Lucky buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking as he fought the urge to start sobbing. Helena's hand rose to his bowed head and she gently ran her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him a bit.
After a few moments, the other survivor continued with his vent. "There's only so much I can handle before I break... And I really don't wanna find out where my breaking point is at. But I'm really starting to freak out because I feel like that point really isn't that far away. I don't know how much more I can take."
The blind girl leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Well... I'm here for you, no matter what happens. Us survivors are in this together, and nothing is going to change that."
Lucky gave a half-hearted chuckle at that. "Yeah... I dunno. I'm just so afraid of people turning on me and leaving me to fend for myself if something surfaces at the wrong time... I just don't wanna be alone... I don't wanna lose everything I've worked so hard to earn and maintain..."
"Like I said, I won't leave you. Whatever happens, I'll help you get through it. But please," She tapped his arm with her hand, making sure he was paying attention. "You need to tell me these things if you want me to help you deal with them. I don't mind helping, but it's hard to do that if you never talk to me about them."
"Yeah... I'm sorry..." Lucky murmured, averting his gaze once more. "I'm just so used to not having anyone to go to with these things... It doesn't feel right to talk to people about this stuff..."
Helena reached up and ruffled his hair again. "I know it's tough... But I'm here to support you, no matter what. And you need to remember that."
Lucky smiled, and it seemed a bit more genuine this time. "Thanks, Helena... I really appreciate this..."
"It's no big deal, really. I care a lot about you, and I want to make sure you're okay. You mean a lot to me, Luck. You're a part of my family now. And nothing is going to change that." She hugged him again, and this time, he hugged her back.
"I don't know what I'd do without you..."
After a few long moments, the blind girl stood up. "Alright... It's getting pretty close to dinner time now... You should get cleaned up before then. You wouldn't wanna miss the last meal of the day."
Lucky chuckled. "Emily would be mad if I missed it. And I don't think anyone wants to see her get angry again."
The two survivors shared a small laugh at that statement, just before Helena turned to leave.
"I'll see you later then."
"Yeah... I'll try to turn my attitude around before dinner."
"Sounds good." Helena paused. "I love you, Luck. I hope you know that."
He watched the blind girl leave with a light smile on his face, and he wiped a single, lingering tear from his eye. "I love you too, kiddo..."

   Sorry if that wasn't something you guys were wanting to read... But I had to get my emotions out somehow. Like I said, venting through art hasn't been doing enough for me.
   This one's actually a pretty emotional piece for me because I put a lot more feeling into this one than my previous ones. In fact, I actually did start to tear up as I was writing certain parts of this.
   Don't... think too much into the meaning of this one. By the time everyone finds it, I'll probably have snapped out of this weird negative phase.
   If you (somehow) enjoyed this oneshot, please do vote and comment. Seeing your interactions with my stories really does tend to put a smile on my face.
   Love you guys... Hopefully the next oneshot won't be so depressing and needlessly emotional... And again, I'm sorry if this disappointed anyone...
   - Sora 🐾