Project: Neverbound (A Double Life AU fanfic)

5 - The Survivors and the Fountain

"Martyn, please, promise me you'll never come back here!"

"No! I'm leaving enough people behind, I can't leave you too!"

"I'll find you! I trust that fate will help me find you when we need each other, no matter what happens to us! Just go!"

"Stop it! What are you doing !¡ᒷᔑ ∷ꖎ?!"

"Your memories will be gone tomorrow, a-and you'll be safe, but you have to run and never look back! Promise me Martyn, promise me-"

"MARTYYYYN!"

The blonde jolted awake, sitting up quickly and being met just as quickly with a frying pan to his face. He could hear the iron's loud ding reverberating and feel the pain in his forehead as Pearl howled with laughter.  Even then, he couldn't help himself from laughing with her.

"Pearl!  What the heck?!" Martyn asked between giggles, holding his hand over the now reddening spot where the pan hit. 

"Ooh, I bet Cleo had a great time with that one!"  Pearl said, barely able to get her own sentence out and having to take a minute to calm down before she continued.  "By the way, tell her to lock your front door when she leaves next time.  I let myself in,"

'Of course you did', Martyn thought.  He finally stepped out of his bed, stretching his arms out as Pearl twirled the frying pan around in her hands.  "So what else is on the agenda today, other than the obvious?" (The obvious being beating each other up to terrorize their soulbounds).

"Get dressed cat boy! We're going explore!" Pearl proudly exclaimed. Martyn groaned.

"I accidentally leave my ocelot hat on once and that's all you ever call me now," the blonde complained. "Right, well if I'm getting changed you best skedaddle, and if you're just going to help yourself to our frying pan you may as well take the whole kitchen while you're at it."

Martyn didn't actually mean the last line, but Pearl still gasped in excitement. "Really?!" She said, looking as if she would've had stars in her eyes.

"No! Please don't- aaaaand she's gone." Martyn sighed in defeat as Pearl dashed out of the room, letting him close the door behind her.

10 minutes and a utensil covered kitchen later, Pearl and Martyn walked along down the road together. It was a bit of a lengthy walk, but neither of them minded it that much, especially when Pearl distracted Martyn the entire time by telling him yet another story he somehow never heard her tell since the years they've been friends together. 

"-and then this kid threw himself onto the pool table," Pearl exclaimed, "broke it straight in half, and it still took 2 hours for someone to call the police on us, it was wild!"

"Can't believe you didn't think about inviting me to that one," Martyn said sarcastically.

"I just said this was way before I knew you, ya dingus!" Pearl chuckled, punching the blonde's shoulder playfully. Martyn responded by punching her shoulder back, and the two called it even.

"Welp, we're here," Pearl pointed out as they stepped into the town centre, looking around at the shops surrounding the open area. Martyn noticed a group of people around the base of the fountain.

"What's goin' on over there?" He asked, turning to the brunette who was scanning over the map to look at the shops. She quickly put the paper down in favor of looking up at Martyn.

"You wanna go find out?" Pearl asked.

The answer was an obvious yes, because now the two were walking up to the group of 5 standing around the flowing water like a couple of curious cats.