You're running, lungs burning, heart hammering against your ribs. The white monoliths loom menacingly behind you, their sterile edges catching the unforgiving sun. You can almost feel their cold embrace, but you dare not look back.
"Don't stop," Jay says, his hand warm against yours. The two of you have been running for what feels like hours, ever since the Guardians spotted you in the abandoned marketplace.
"I can't," You gasp, your voice raspy from exertion. "They're... they're right behind us!"
Jay throws a quick glance over his shoulder. The Guardians are closer now, their white forms growing larger with each passing second. He turns back to you, his eyes filled with a love that even the threat of the Guardians can't extinguish. "We can make it. Just a little further. There's an old tunnel system up ahead. We can lose them there."
Hope flickers in your chest, a tiny ember against the encroaching darkness. You nod, digging deep within yourself for the strength to keep going. Together, you push yourselves harder, your footsteps echoing in the dusty silence of the abandoned city.
You come to a halt, leaning against the rough stone wall, your chest heaving while Jay pats your back. Relief washes over you, seeing him safe. Though the scar that cost him his right eye makes you clutch your own, the memory of his sacrifice still raw, the relief is tinged with a bitter aftertaste. "We made it," You whisper, a shaky smile gracing your lips.
He smiles back, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "We always do."
The fear and adrenaline of the escape slowly ebb away, replaced by a quiet sense of peace when Jay wraps his arms around you and you nestle against him, inhaling the familiar scent of worn leather and woodsmoke that clings to his jacket.
Here, in the dim light filtering through the cracks in the tunnel entrance, the world shrinks to just the two of you. A comfortable silence settles between you, broken only by the distant echoes of the Guardians' patrols searching above.
"Now what?" My voice is barely above a whisper. I don't want to know what happens next, yet I can't help but ask.
"Now," He says, his voice husky against your ear, "we breathe."
Jay cups your face in his hand, his thumb brushing away a stray tear. He tucks a stray strand of hair behind your ear, his touch sending shivers down your spine despite the chill of the damp stone wall.
"The tunnel should lead us to an abandoned sector of the city," he finishes, his gaze lingering on your lips longer than necessary. Your heart skips a beat under his warm gaze, the memory of stolen kisses echoing in the dim light. "They wouldn't think to look for us there."
And so the two of you head there, through the darkness, hiding from any patrols that might emerge from the oppressive silence.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, you find an abandoned building after stepping out of the tunnel. Taking Jay's hand in yours, you run towards the dilapidated silhouette. Its broken windows gape like open wounds, and paint peels from its walls like forgotten skin.
Jay gestures to a shadowed doorway. "This way," he whispers, his voice barely audible. You follow him and the two of you are inside a big hallway, lit only by slivers of moonlight struggling through cracks in the boarded-up windows.
There's a pile of clothes in the middle of the hallway, a jumbled mess of forgotten fabrics and faded colors, and curiosity prickles your skin. It's a huge pile towering almost to the ceiling, and when you approach it, faded dresses blend with worn work uniforms, their once vibrant colors dulled by dust and neglect.
"Y/N," You hear Jay call your name and when you look at him, he's holding a white dress and a black suit in his hands, making you freeze. It's a wedding dress. "You always wanted one. Come on, let's get married."
