Home; I Found With You // Ryeji FF

cigarettes on rooftops.

"Ryu!"

She turned around from leaning against her Evo 7 with a soft smile, the wind blowing through her hair. The pink-dyed hair had grown out, leaving her with an awkward hairstyle that she was regularly teased about. She wanted nothing more than to chop off the color, but she feared the jokes that would come about her mushroom haircut.

"Heejin!" She called back as her companion came to her side, hiding something behind her back.

"Got a cool surprise for you," the brunette smirked, swaying her shoulders back and forth as if she were a child.

Ryujin squinted at her, "You come bearing frogs again like yesterday?"

Heejin had thought it would be a brilliant idea to catch a frog and present it to Ryujin. She did not find it amusing when Heejin revealed her gift; she almost wrapped the car around a pole while screaming.

"Okay, not frogs, but close enough!" Heejin's face brightened as she slowly opened her hand.

"Cigarettes?"

Heejin grinned brightly, taking Ryujin's hands in hers and pulling her into the apartment building they had just cleared. They raced up the flights of stairs; Ryujin's legs were starting to give out from the strenuous exercise from earlier in the day. Eventually, they pushed open the steel door to the rooftop. The air was cooler up there, providing relief for the burning ache from running up six flights.

"Isn't it nice up here?" Heejin sighed lightly, taking in the fresh air (with a hint of decaying flesh) and turning back to the panting woman behind her.

Ryujin swallowed the harsh lump in her throat while trying to catch her breath, "I would... enjoy it more... if you hadn't dragged me up here..."

The brunette rolled her eyes while dragging Ryujin's exhausted body to the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the ghost town of a city.

"Oh yes, kill me now!" She breathed out, throwing her leg over the railing only for Heejin to crackle and drag her back over.

"Not before we have our smoking session," Heejin laughed, opening the pack of cigarettes as her elbows rested against the metal bars.

Ryujin watched carefully as the other quickly peeled the plastic off the pack, "Where did you get it anyway?"

She took out a cigarette, flipped it and placed it back into the pack, "Robbed an old man at gunpoint," Heejin quickly quipped, only to receive a judgemental glare from her partner. "Fine, I found it while clearing out that store down there." She pointed at a small supermarket below before placing a stick between her dry lips. "There were a couple of packs left behind the counter, figured some other survivors left it behind for others to find. How thoughtful."

The sight of Heejin with a cigarette in her mouth left Ryujin in awe. She had always recognized Heejin's badass persona, but it wasn't until this moment that she truly appreciated how alluring she looked with that cigarette.

Heejin looked over at Ryujin with a smirk tugging at her lips, "Take one."

Ryujin peeled her eyes from Heejin's lips and glanced down at the opened pack in her hand. "Thanks," she tried to hide the nervousness in her voice, taking one of the sticks out and awkwardly placing it between her index and middle fingers.

Heejin shoved the pack into her pocket and pulled out a lighter, swiftly flicking the flint and bringing the fire up to the end of her own stick. Shielding the flame from the wind, she then brought it towards Ryujin's cigarette. Nervously, Ryujin drew in a sharp intake of air, causing the flame to ignite the tobacco. Soon enough, she began to cough violently, gripping the railing harshly.