My Muse || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

🔒 My Muse || Chapter Sixty Three

"You four have to be careful!" Don cried, shaking my shoulders. "You're all going to come home!" 

I smiled warmly, nodding at him. "I promise." Yuugo put his hand on my shoulder. "They won't get hurt. Not a single one." Gilda forced a grin out, looking at us worriedly. "Don and I can't take care of all these babies by ourselves, o-okay?" Tears started to well up in her eyes, her gaze falling to the floor. Gilda... I jumped onto her, grabbing her in a tight hug. I said it as sternly as possible. "We will come back home." 

We climbed up the ladder, locking the latch. The ground rumbled underneath us, the environment becoming a plain desert yet again. 

"Let's go." Ray said, turning to me. I pulled out the pen, turning on the map. "That way." Yuugo pointed south of the compass, back into the forest. I gulped nervously. Emma held my hand, giggling. "This will be a fun adventure, y/n!" She never failed to brighten anyone's day. I squeezed it tightly, following Yuugo's quick steps. "Wait up!" I called, skipping behind him. Emma laughed, being dragged behind me. Ray silently glared at him from behind us, quickly looking away at my glance. "Why don't you keep Yuugo company, Emma? He seems to like you." Emma nodded, racing to his side. I slowed down, waiting for Ray to catch up. 

"What's with the death stare?" I giggled, nudging his shoulder. He huffed, chuckling back. "He took something important from me." "What is it?" I asked, tilting my head. He look away, pulling his bangs down. "It's... a secret." He booped my nose. "We should try to catch up." We broke into a quick sprint, watching Emma's antenna disappear behind a tree. The ground underneath my foot became rocky, along with the forest. "Ack-!" I yelped, tripping on a stray tree root. "y/n?" I heard Emma call. I closed my eyes, bracing for impact. 

Instead, I fell onto someone's chest, but another strangely angled arm was holding my waist. "Emma..?" I whispered, looking up. "Oh, hi Yuugo!" I chirped sheepishly. I caught a glimpse of Emma winking at me behind him. "He moves fast!" She mouthed, sticking out her tongue. "Th-Thank you..." I muttered, still clutching tightly onto his shirt. The corners of his mouth lifted, staring at me warmly. "Watch where you're going, princess. I don't want any cuts on your pretty face." He gently swept my hair away from my face, placing me securely on my feet. "Careful, okay?" He walked back to Emma, glancing back to me once. My face was warm. 

But... There's an arm still holding me? I'd think Yuugo would have taken those. I turned around, looking at the person who those arms belonged to. "Ray, did you catch me?" I blushed, looking at his also pink face. "He caught you better." He mumbled, letting me go. "Thank you, though, Ray." I said, brushing off my leggings. He opened his hand, pushing it in front of me. "Hmm?" I asked. "Hold it. You might fall again." He said it roughly, refusing to make eye contact with me. "Okay." I giggled, placing my tiny hands in his. 

"Y'know that thing Yuugo took from me?" He said, helping me down a boulder. "Yeah," I replied, jumping into his arms. His gaze turned serious, looking at me. My heart started to race. His lips were inches away from mine. "I intend to take it back."