WHEN THE RAIN STOPS- Scrutinized [TANNER x LUNA] 2 IN 1

SIDE STORY PT. TWENTY FIVE

|LUNA|

Tanner was hugging me tight by I didn't hug back, I was too scared of hurting his back. With the burns and all that. But instead I placed my head on his shoulder. I couldn't tell why but I wanted to laugh. I bit my lip to hold it back when Tanner pulled back and cuffed my cheeks. "It's ok, you can tell me you liked it. You can even laugh." My lip quivered to a smile as I covered a part of my mouth and scoffed a laugh. "W-what are you talking about? I'm not laughing." I said, clearly trying to not show my happiness. He playfully rolled his eyes. "Yea right." He hooked his pointer finger over my hand and pulled it down to see my face. "Laugh." He demanded with a smile. I choked it back but eventually fell into his embrace, full on laughing in his chest. He laughed with me until it settled down. He then picked me up and carried me to the sleep quarters. It was more warm than usual, but then again I was being carried. He smelt of body wash and his skin was smooth. "Hey Tanner.." he looked at me while placing my body onto the same old cot. "Yes?" He sat down next to me. The cot was in a corner so we sat with our backs on the wall while looking up at the ceiling, "how's your back?.." he looked at me with a surprised expression. "Fine." "You sure? Let me-." "Trust me it's fine." He was avoiding my help and got defensive out of no where, "No let me take a look." "I'm fine Luna." He laid down on the cot. "Just let me sleep." I turned to face him. "Tanner.. I know you're hurt." He blew air out of his nose with his eyes closed. "Just let me sleep Luna." He said, slightly annoyed.  "Tan-." "I don't see what the big deal is. Just. Let. Me-." I got up and went behind him, but only to met with him turning around and facing me. "What are you trying to hide Tanner? Seriously. Let me see." "No." He bent his eyebrows to be mad.

...  "Fine." I got up and started walking. "Where are you going?" He asked. "Somewhere else." I went to open the door when he yelled. "Stop!" In a firm, deep and authorizing voice. It made me stop as I grasped the door handle. "Come back to bed." I stood there for a minute. "Now!" I gripped the handle before swinging the door open. Him yelling at me made my frustration worse. "LUN-!" The door shut with a bang when I was outside in hallway. The sound of my feet running on the concrete floor filled my ears as I started to run down a hall. Surprisingly no one was there, not a guard, not a masked person, not even cameras. I heard Tanner open the door and start running, looking for which way I went. "Luna!" I heard him yell in the distance. "Luna! This isn't a joke!" I kept running down the hot and steaming pipe hall when his voice became louder. "LUNA! COME BACK!" I was getting tired, the lack of food didn't help my stamina. I decided to hide behind a pipe and catch my breath. "LUNA!" He screamed while he ran past my hiding spot. I took that as a sign to get up and run the other direction. I was in the middle of my journey when my foot twisted the wrong way. I stopped running and immediately sat down on the floor. "Fuck." I whispered to myself. I winced in pain as I held my foot. I needed to go back. But if I tell Tanner then he'll have the power. I decided to stand and walk the way, trying not to think about the pain. Then when I finally got back I ran to the cot. Slamming myself down and curling up in the blanket. I was cold, and the foot didn't help at all. I held it and massaged it til a heard the door open. Tanner was out of breath and tired. I faced the wall and didn't dare to turn when I felt his presence behind me. "You've got-. To be-. Kidding me." He said in between catching his breath. I softly said in the same mad voice. "What? I got tired." He rolled his eyes and slammed himself onto the cot and turned over. "Don't talk to me." I turned to face him and sat up. "Oh you can't be serious." He sat up
With me and got defensive. "What?" "Like you have any room to be mad." I said back. "Why can't you just let me sleep Luna?! I'm tired! And exhausted!"

I got offended and showed it on my face. 'That's all he had to say?! How could he be so insensitive?!'

I got mad and slammed him down to the bed, pinning his wrists down. "DONT YOU KNOW HOW SCARED I WAS FOR YOU?! HOW WORRIED I WAS AT THE THOUGHT OF THEM NOT STOPPING WHEN YOU WERE BURNT AND BEAT?! GOD TANNER... I THREW AWAY MY MORALS FOR YOU!" He didn't say anything but he had a guilty look on his face. "And I know...half of it is my fault..." I said in a meek voice while crumbling into his shirt. "But I thought.." I sniffled "I thought we..would live a normal life. But now that I think about it..I know. That could never happen..." I let go of his wrists and laid down on his chest. A second after I let go he wrapped his arms around me. "After we repay our debts I'll...stop. I won't do anymore favors, I won't eat people, and I won't do any more dirty deeds." He lifted my head, "I'm sorry.." I softly smiled and wiped my tears away. "Promise?..." he nodded and I held his head to give him a kiss.

-Time Skip-

We fell asleep after the kiss, and I was surprised to find I was the first one to wake up. It meant a lot that he was willing to change his life for me but I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of guilt. Besides I couldn't tell if I would miss it...the killing.. some part of my mind still wanted to do it but I wanted it go away. Non the less I kissed Tanners forehead and stood up. When I yawned I noticed two people standing by the door. "Good morning Luna." The woman spoke. Just by her voice I could tell it was the same pair that had brought us here. "Good morning." I said back kindly.  She then went to the door and held it open. "Please, follow me." I was confused but went with her. The man on the other hand stayed behind with Tanner. "Where are we going." I asked when we were in the hallway. "To brush your teeth. Today you get to eat." "Oh, thank you." I smiled in anticipation. I hadn't had anything since I got here, so the news was a god send. "I see Tanner was exhausted." I nodded, "we had a fight yesterday." She turned her attention to me. "What about?" "He got hurt..and he wouldn't let me see his wound, I tried to check it but he just wanted to sleep." She scoffed a laugh. "He didn't tell you huh?" I furrowed my brows. "Tell me what?"

"He didn't sleep when you were gone, so he was understandably tired. He was awake for almost three days." I 'oh'd' and realized that's why he just wanted to sleep, it's not that he didn't care but it was because he was irritable from exhaustion. The running didn't help. We reached the bathroom and we both went in. It was the same shower room but we only went to the sinks. There she gave me a toothbrush and paste. After I had brushed them throughly I spit it out and we started our journey back to the room. Right as we were about to reach for the handle we heard commotion. "WHERE IS SHE?!" Tanner yelled while the other man was being choked. We slammed open the door and prayed them off each other, "I'm right here..she took me to brush my teeth." I reassured him. He held me close with a relieved expression. "Damn man! I told you that's where she went." The male commented. After Tanner had calmed down he was soon taken to the bathroom. After five minutes they came back, only for the male and female to leave again by themselves. I guess they were getting the food. Tanner and I sat next to each other, he sighed and turned his back to me. "Don't tell me you're still ma-." I was stopped with him taking off his shirt. And there, on the right side was a scar from the pipe.

I touched it gently and he flinched. "It's still a little raw." He chuckled. "And sorry for last night..I was just tired and wasn't thinking rationally." "Yea, was it because you haven't slept in days?" He scoffed a laugh "She told you?" "Yup. And gotta say, it was kinda sweet." I stood up and walked to the little sink in the room and a towel, I damped the towel and came back to Tanner. He groaned a bit before accepting the towel on his wound. "Is it helping?" He nodded, "yea, Thanks." ... "did you mean what you said last night? About quitting? I'm only asking because I wanna make sure your-." "Yes. I'm sure." He turned around to face me and cupped my hands in his. His hands were warm and big. As if he was inviting me in. "I just want a life with you. And without that I have nothing," he moved one of his hands to my cheek and massaged the space. "You're my first love. You're the only thing I've ever really wanted to last." He brought his forehead to rest on mine as we both closed our eyes. "I love you, Luna." We smiled and stayed in each other's embrace. "Tanner.." we opened our eyes and I informed him. "I.. want to join you.."