old friends

for always

peaches had run off, and riley was freaking out.

she had searched the house up and down ten times, combed the backyard, even ventured into the untamed wilderness outside her fence. but peaches wasn't there. peaches wasn't anywhere.

he had always been an escape artist, that's why riley rarely even let him onto the balcony of her old apartment. why she always had to know where he was.

riley ran through the streets at midnight in the pitch black, barefoot, still in clays clothes. she had no regard for her own safety, only peaches.

and that's where clay found her, an hour later. she was heading home, on the phone with erin. why her, he wasn't entirely sure. it's not like she could help.

he was worried, mostly for her. peaches could come back. riley couldn't. she was everything, one in a million, his world, his sun, all of his stars. all the sappy bullshit he had never truly believed, she made him believe.

it was getting colder, later and later into the year. riley was shivering, so clay ushered her inside and got her warm.

he made her hot chocolate, which he had a packet of for some reason, and wrapped her in a blanket. he sat her in front of the tv, practically shoved patches into her arms, and called his sister.

at fourteen, she's just happy to get out of the house after midnight, so she happily agrees to searching for the 'love of his life's lost kitten' as she puts it.

clay, despite his better judgments, arms her with a sharp knife and a fully charged phone, with the instructions to 'stab first, ask questions later' if somebody tries to kidnap her. and if it's a gator, she had a nice fourteen years.

riley ends up joining her, though, not wanting to lose her 'little sister' to a man eating gator. but it's mostly just because she doesn't trust her with a knife.

"he likes you, a lot." clays sisters starts, her fingers nervously playing with the knife in her hands. she refuses to reach over and hold riley's hand, because she's 14 now and 14 year olds aren't supposed to be afraid of the same still.

riley smiles, "does he?"

"just a little," his sister laughs, "he talks about you all the time. it's so annoying, no offense."

riley laughs, shaking her head, "whenever my brother annoys me i just hit him."

"i didn't know you had a brother?"

riley nods, "he's a few years older than you, but he's way less cool."

the younger girl smiles, "if somebody tries to rob us am i allowed to stab them?"

three hours later, clay finds peaches trapped in a trash can a few doors down. he seems to be content with his temporary home, a container of half eaten strawberry's sitting in front of him.

honestly, he seems a little upset when he's pulled from his strawberry paradise.

he calls riley to tell her the good news, and then sits on the curb and holds patches like a baby, gently bouncing him up and down.

riley comes running, his sister close behind.

clay laughs, holding an arm out and catching riley as she comes to a sudden halt, the momentum spinning them around.

riley, without thought, grabs clays face and pulls him in.

clay has kissed people before, many people, but nothing quite like this.

her lips taste of strawberry chapstick, the only flavor she wears, because for years riley was allergic to strawberry, and she never wants to forget how they taste because they taste so good, and they've been riley's favorite fruit since she was able to eat them. and after this, they damn well might be clays too.

an over-exaggerated gag breaks them up, but neither of them can stop smiling.

and riley has peaches, so she hugs the stinky trash cat and promises to murder him if he ever does that again, obviously in her high pitched pet voice.

and clay follows them inside, helping to, unsuccessfully, bathe peaches.

they don't mention the kiss the rest of the night, not on the car ride to drop clays sister off, not on the car ride back, not when they change into new clothes and fall asleep in the same bed, two cats cuddled with them, but strawberry's never leave clays mind. he's not sure they ever will.

----   --  -  --   ----

YOOO THEY FINALLY KISSED

i had a hard time writing this because i think i honestly just forgot how to spell, i don't know what's happening to me

ANYWAY
our favorite little sister is back 🥰

lol don't get to comfy
prepare for angst?