𝙃𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙎 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝘾𝙍𝙄𝘽𝘽𝙇𝙀𝘿 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿𝙎; 𝙃𝙊𝙊𝘿𝙔

Chapter 7

        Hoody quietly sighed as he trudged through the woods with his soulmate. Remembering his earlier thoughts, he stopped as he thought about the fact that he didn't want her to know where to go in order to get out of here. He stopped, which made her bump into his back. "Hoody?" She asked as she peered up at his mask.

He turned around and placed his hand over her eyes. "Keep your eyes shut, and do not open them at all." He demanded, and she nodded, closing her eyelids. Fabric rustling was heard in the forest as he removed his mask before he shoved it onto her head not-so-gently.

After making sure that at least her eyes were covered, he picked her up like she was a princess. She squeaked at the sudden movement of her body, and her hands immediately reached out to grip onto the yellow fabric of his namesake. He glanced down at her with steely eyes before turning his eyes back to the forest around them.

"Do not say a word. If you hear something other than my voice, no, you don't. If you feel something other than me touching you, then no, you don't. If you see something, no, you fucking don't. Do you understand me?"

She let out a few rapid nods at his words, her body growing tense in his arms. Hoody gave a hum of approval before he set off walking again, keeping his mind as clear as possible. He kept his eyes trained ahead, not wanting them to wander.

He took a deep breath as a breeze ran through his hair. His grip tightened as he ignored the darkening sky of the forest, only one destination in mind. Sure, he knew the forest like the back of his hand, so he wouldn't get lost.

It was everything that lurked in the forest. Especially the thing that had ruined his and Tim's friendship.

Hoody ran his tongue against the back of his teeth, pausing at the gap between his two front teeth for a second before continuing. Don't let your mind wander. He scolded himself as he hardened his expression.

His fingers itched to grab his gun, but with the way he was holding (Y/n), he couldn't. His body grew tense as his gut began to twist, so he made his pace faster.

Static rang through his ears. His body grew tense and his grip on his soulmate tightened. He tried to ignore it, but it only grew louder. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. He swore in his head as he focused his attention on the trees.

Why isn't it going away? Is it because it thinks she's new prey? Is she thinking about it? Hoody glanced at the shaking girl in his arms, who was clutching onto him for her life. What do I talk to her about?

Panic raced through him. Shut up, mind. Stop fucking panicking. It isn't like you haven't dealt with this bastard before. He relaxed as he calmed down. "(Y/n)," he addressed the terrified girl. "Clear your mind. What helps you calm down?"

"Uh music." She stuttered as she trailed a hand up to the back of his neck. He couldn't help but flinch slightly at the sensation of her fingers messing with the short hair on the back of his neck.

"Do you want to sing?" He could hear the static fade slightly, but the sight of a blank white face in the trees in front of them made him bite his tongue. She shook her head out of the corner of his eye. "I could sing, but I'm probably rusty and I definitely won't sound good."

She giggled and he figured she rolled her eyes. "That's what a good chunk of people who say they aren't good say, but then they sing and it sounds amazing." He let out an amused little huff as the left corner of his lip quirked up.

"Oh?"

"Oh right! You aren't around people, so I guess you wouldn't know that."

"Starlight, the first sixteen years of my life were that of a normal person."

"Shit, sorry."

"It's alright."

The static was faint, but Hoody could still tell it was there. He had calmed her down to the point where she had forgotten what had happened. Let's hope she doesn't remember that and accidentally summon it.

"Hoody," she called, which made him turn his attention to her as he continued walking. He slowed down his pace as he took a sudden right. "You take any song requests?"

"No."

"Damn. You should definitely sing."

"Hm, maybe another time."

"What? Why?"

"Because your college is to my left."

"We're already back?"

"Yup. Time moves a little differently in this forest."

"How does that work?"

Hoody didn't answer her question as he set her down on the forest floor. She swayed a little on her feet at first, still gripping onto the front of his hoodie and the back of his neck. "Are your eyes closed?"

After she nodded, he took his mask off her before he quickly put it back over his face. He had to gently nudge her hand away from the back of his neck in order to put it on fully, which also seemed to signal to her that he had put his mask back on. She seemed to frown once she saw the mask was back on his face.

"Will I ever be able to see your face?"

"Maybe one day, Starlight, but that day is not today."

"Alright."

"I'll be around." He said as he released her grip fully from his body.

"See ya." She responded before walking off and back into the world where it was harder for him to protect her.

Hoody's skin began to crawl with the familiar feeling of being watched. His hand slipped into his pocket, where his gun rested, and he grabbed onto the metal object. He clicked the safety off as he turned and ran back into the forest, knowing the person would follow him.

Guess he was going to have to deal with an unwelcome interaction.