Just the concept was shocking enough, but seeing it on the outside looking into the open bedroom was what tipped Fantasio to the breaking point. Without thinking time suddenly stopped. Spirou's opened windows stopped creaking with the wind, Spirou himself no longer slept, chest slowly, softly, dipping up and down with his breath, the intruder hunched over him paused.  Fantasio paused as well, trying to comprehend the azure wash covering every inch in the room but him, as well that even without transforming he still could use magic, before walking forward and grabbing Seccotine's wrist. Her color returned, and she gasped while looking at him in shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Fantasio snapped, pointing a finger at her. "And what the hell are you doing to Spirou?!"

After a quick pause she stuttered, "T-time magic, y-you have--"

"Of course I do! And it's a good thing I caught you too, considering how fast I've seen you go! Now answer my questions. What are you doing in my house that you need to be all secretive about? Would it had killed you to freaking knock?"

For once the normally chatty woman's tongue was cut. She looked at him, only grunting and "uh-ing" while trying to regain her voice.

"Seeing I found you in his room, I take it it's about Spirou?"

Much to Seccotine's and his disappointment Kyubey tricked Spirou into a contract three days before. When they found him he was encased in gelatin about to be devoured by a witch that resembled a giant green gumdrop. If it wasn't for that people were in danger, and it was his friend at that, he could've found it somewhat comical. One witch already killed Pacome, Zorglub, and Zantafio. If he lost Spirou he didn't know how to continue.

Seccotine nodded.

"What is it then?"

She turned around and straightened in front of him, then nervously giggled. "Nothing, it's something stupid..."

"Oh trust me, I've done a lot of stupid things in my life. Contracting with that white cat thing was just the latest one. If you don't start explaining though, I'm about to think joining forces with you was the latest one."

"Okay, you want to know then? I was kissing Spirou, nothing more."

He raised his brow. "So you have a crush on him? You couldn't, like, tell to his face instead of being a creep about it?"

"Actually... I kissed you too. Don't worry, it was on the cheek."

A small smile crept up as she watched her fellow blond's eyes practically bulge. "You're sick!"

"I suppose. It's nothing romantic, trust me."

"How the hell is that not romantic? What is it then? Are you're too afraid to talk to guys but you're still a little whor--"

A slap to his face later and his right cheek stung.

Teeth bared, eyes halfway shut, Seccotine stared. "You deserved that. I could spit in your face but I'm above that. You, Fantasio, don't know shit. Do you remember how long I've been in this little business all three of us is in?"

He gripped her wrist tighter. "...Ten years right?"

" Ten years!" She repeated. "Absolutely correct! Ten years of squeezing school and then work, not being able to date longer than a night or two, never knowing if I'll ever be with someone when I spend a good deal of my nights fighting witches to keep this place from becoming a hellhole... You're lucky I found the time to help your sorry little ass a few times long before you ever contracted! And do you know how many other ten year veterans there are around here, big boy?"

He gulped. He had an idea where this was going. "I'm guessing a handful."

Seccotine frowned. "Not a one. You're looking at the only magical person in Brussels, maybe even the whole region, that's survived for so long. If you reach two years with or without my help Fantasio you've done very well. Same with Spirou. I'm only on borrowed time at this point.

"The most frightening thing is that you have no idea if you're coming back alive. That witch that Spirou was fighting when we found him was tough even for me and you, remember? If we didn't find him he would've lost his first battle. That has happened so many times with other people I've  partnered with that I've lost count. In fact, I began this little custom when something like that happened. I had only been fighting for about six months around the time. The girl I joined forces with contracted with Kyubey only hours before and just got a boyfriend the day prior. She was going to go on a date with him that weekend and hoped she would have her first kiss that night."

"And she died during the battle."

Another nod. "The largest piece left of her was a foot before I composed myself and slayed it. I had gone to school with that girl since we were very little. When she went missing the police questioned me since someone last saw her with me. I saw the boyfriend too, and had to fight another witch that drove him to hang himself. It was... very painful, to say the least. I hadn't kissed a boy at the time. Just that teenage fear I'll never be kissed before dying got to me I suppose. It's creepy, I'll admit, but..."

Seccotine dropped her head down. Fantasio heard a sniffle before she faced him again, with the saddest, rawest,  staged smile he ever saw on anyone. "... I suppose once you start something it can be hard to stop, right?"

She snapped her eyes shut, still sporting the same smile. Fantasio felt maybe it was best she didn't see the shameful look on his face. What an awful human being he was for calling her what she interrupted him in saying. He really did deserve that slap. That, and this was the most emotion and humanity he had seen from that ponytailed imp. For the first time ever he felt sorry, for her.

There was a crinkle to his face and then he began. "I know I was a huge jerk just now, Seccotine. You really didn't deserve how I treated you. Can you forgive me?"

Once again she faced him. "You? Admitting you're wrong?" She laughed, although she didn't feel it was a genuine joyful one. "Yeaaah, it's fine.  Don't worry about it. I suppose the lesson of the day is to enjoy life while you can, eh?"

He shook his head in the affirmative. "Yeah, I guess."

They stood together, silent, for half a minute before Seccotine said, shaking her clasped wrist, "You know, you can let go now."

"I don't know how to make time start again though."

"Whatever. You'll figure it out soon enough."

Fantasio gulped, then released Seccotine. Immediately the azure freezing everything else engulfed her. He wasn't kidding. He really had no idea how to restart time. He didn't even know how he stopped it in the first place. When he transformed he had a shield that doubled as a clock. Oh, if only he could have the minute hand click forward agai--

Suddenly the room returned to its normal colors. It was odd hearing streaks of wind creaking the window panes that the fast as lightning magical girl entered and left through before he opened his eyes post-blink after such long silence. He still had no idea what caused time to resume, and he only knew his encounter just happened since Spirou didn't normally keep his window open at night. The redhead, meanwhile, apparently sensed that someone was near as he turned away from facing the window and towards his friend.

"Fantasio? What's going on?"

"Uh... Nothing. Thought I heard a noise. Your windows just opened, that's all. Really gusty tonight. Just go back to sleep; I'll close them right now..."