Black spring

"Henkin, are you hiding something?" you suddenly asked, unable to contain yourself. Your voice sounded sharper than you expected, breaking the silence that seemed to thicken around you. The words hung in the air, taut as a string. The blond froze as if he'd been caught red-handed. His body tensed and his eyes widened. "Huh... What? What do you mean? No..." he babbled, his voice unnaturally high-pitched, his words slurred. He tried to smile, but it came out so fake that you almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Kisa chuckled. His eyes opened and he looked at Hank with mild disdain. "Fuck, you can't even lie properly," he said, his voice calm and confident, a complete contrast to Hank's panic. Kisa tossed the cigarette butt into the ashtray on the edge of the windowsill and slowly, with dignity, approached you. He leaned over, his face very close to yours, and you caught a faint scent of tobacco and mint. "Don't worry, little one, everything's fine," he said with a smile that was almost gentle. His hand lightly touched your cheek and then slid through your hair, a soothing gesture. But you couldn't help but worry. Your gut instinct was screaming that something was wrong. Their nervousness, his self-confidence—it was all too suspicious. "I can see you're hiding something," you replied, not taking your eyes off him, but this time your eyes were filled with contempt mixed with stubbornness. "Mel?" Mel, who had been huddled against the sofa until then, immediately panicked. His eyes darted around, and his hands began frantically fiddling with the edges of his T-shirt. "What about me? I didn't do anything... There, let the kitty talk..." Yegor rattled off, trying to shift responsibility like a hot potato. He looked like he was ready to sink into the ground just to avoid your interrogation. You sighed heavily. It was all so tiring, so predictable. "Darling, don't worry about a thing. These two idiots... They're too much," said the kitty, smiling again.