You were laying on your back in the small clearing. You'd come to the conclusion that it was also a small meadow. The flowers tickled your skin but the grass was surprisingly soft.
You were watching as the light slowly disappeared from the sky and the moon started to fade in with the stars faintly following. Probably you would be missed. Your friends and possibly your family would be looking for you right then. Even so, you didn't really want to move. Instead, you just forever wanted to lie there and watch the day turn to night.
You turned your head and traced the moon with your gaze. Lifting a hand, you drew its shape in the sky. Slowly, you lowered your hand again and placed it on your stomach with your other hand. In your other hand, you still held onto the little pink candy. You'd thought about eating it, but you weren't very hungry.
Besides, pretty boy in the forest was also pretty suspicious whether he liked it or not. You let out a soft breath and shut your eyes. Faint fireworks of light moved on the back of your eyelids like seeing a star up close and personal, not that you'd ever done that.
You barely noticed when your breaths slowed and you turned over, curling your knees up to your chest and starting to fall asleep. You were stirred out of that feeling of drifting on the edge of sleep by a sound.
You flinched and scrambled back when you heard a rustle by your head. You drew yourself into a sitting position and looked up in fright. Your heartbeat calmed only a tiny bit seeing it was the pretty forest boy, or Riki as he'd said his name was.
"Why are you still here?" He asked you, frowning. You frowned back, but it was intimidating seeing his silhouette like that. His figure was traced by moonlight and, although he was still at least a foot away from you, it felt like he was standing over you.
You pushed yourself up so you were standing as well. He was still tall. You furrowed your eyebrows and hadn't realized you'd tightened your grip on the poor candy. You loosened your clench around it and slipped it into your pocket. "I'm...lost." You frowned.
Riki looked you up and down. "And you didn't try finding your way back?"
"I ended up here by doing exactly that." You mumbled. Riki moistened his lips and looked down at you like you were some burden he had to all of a sudden take care of. You hadn't exactly asked to be taken care of.
He turned and started walking back to the edge of the tree line. You blinked, watching him walk. He paused and turned back, raising his eyebrows. "Are you coming?"
"Yeah, sure." You picked yourself up and ran a little to reach him before slowing to a stop. "And my name is l/n y/n." You said softly. Riki only nodded and led you into the covering of the trees.
————
The forest was far darker at night, but it was still beautiful. The moonlight traced the edges of the leaves and fell in dapples on the ground just as the sunlight had, but this time in a pale silvery blue color.
It was a peaceful sort of silence to walk next to Riki,
or behind him, following around little moonlit creeks and glowing ferns.
After around five to ten minutes of walking, you finally asked, "Where are we going?"
Riki eyed you, pausing for a moment. "My house, why?"
"Oh." You said softly. "Just that you're a stranger and i'm kinda lost and I have no idea how deep into the forest I am or how to get back to town.." You were rambling.
Riki frowned fluffily and sighed.
"We can figure out how to get.." He eyed you judgingly, "You back to town or whatever in the morning. For now, sometimes coyotes like to show up and I think you'd prefer having shelter. Am I right?"
"Yup." You frowned at your hand. "Yup, you're right."
"Yeah." He mumbled. "Watch your step here and there's gonna be a fallen tree soon. It's easier to go over it then around." He glanced back at you as he continued walking. "Then we'll reach my house."
"Okay.." You said softly.
————
When you reached the fallen tree, you tried your best to get over it without assistance, but after Riki watching you struggle for a while, he grabbed your hands and pulled you up. You gasped and nearly stumbled into him. His hands were surprisingly soft, and so warm too.
Immediately, he let you go and jumped over to the other side. You followed suit but more shakily and nearly falling. Again, he caught you, and this time by the arms. He held you at his own arms length for a moment, frowning. "Geez, can anyone be more clumsy?"
You frowned back and gently pushed his hands off of your shoulders. "I'm sorry I don't spend every day climbing over gigantic logs."
He sighed. "Doesn't matter, my younger sister always needs help anyway." He continued walking. You picked up your pace a little to match his stride. "Right, why exactly do you live in the forest?" You asked.
Riki glanced at you and his lips quirked up into a tiny smile. "Ask my dead parents." He frowned.
"Oh." Your voice felt tiny. "I'm sorry-"
Riki shook his head. "It's okay, I live with my sisters." He pushed aside a branch and you ducked under his arm. "My older sister is out right now, but my younger sister should be asleep." He stepped after you into the clearing.
It was much, much larger than the last.
"And now I'm over sharing to a stranger." He said sarcastically.
"No." You corrected. "Because you know my name and I assume I'm sleeping in your house tonight." You said. Riki glanced at you out of the corner of his eyes and sucked in his lips. There was a faint beauty mark under his left eye. "Yeah." He frowned. He looked over the clearing and at the little cottage. "Correct."
You followed his gaze. "Pretty house."
Pretty boy.
"Also yeah." Riki's lips moved back into that tiny smile again, almost like he was shy. It was endearing and you couldn't help but like the way his eyes shone in the moonlight.
He didn't say anything more, but started walking towards the house. Less gracefully, you followed.
