Endless

Chapter Two: Warmth

The evening ended up being a peaceful one. The warmth of the early August air enveloped them, which created a pleasing atmosphere. Overhead, the sky was a colorful gradient of purple and orange, and the clouds were a purplish-gray. Perfect conditions for their miniature family reunion.

Steve sat on his newly repaired fence, idly kicking his legs. Beside him, Alex also sat, her posture relaxed. To his delight, the wood was very sturdy, and it made for an ideal seat. The pair had done a fine job at fixing it, in Steve's humble opinion. It hadn't taken very long at all with both of them at work, and as such, they were able to spend the rest of the day together doing other things around the cottage. They had decided to end the day with a friendly sparring match, and they were now winding down while the excitement wore off.

Steve listened to the crickets chirp noisily in the grass. He noticed faint glowing dots appear as fireflies emerged. It felt good to just sit and take everything in, and not have to worry about watching his back every single moment. The sounds of nature were soon interrupted when Alex released a contented sigh.

"I forget how quiet not living around people can be. I really gotta visit you more. It's so peaceful here," she commented, her green eyes looking to Steve briefly. "Yes. It is," Steve agreed, as he continued to observe their surroundings.

The quiet moment was soon interrupted when something shuffled in the grass. Their heads whipped towards the direction the sound came from. Steve focused his eyes on the area, trying to see what it was in the dwindling light of the sun.

At that moment, a huge black spider scurried out from under a bush in the forest. The thing was about the size of a dog, and its red eyes were hungrily locked on them as it scurried over as fast as its eight legs could carry it. It sure was agile. When it got close enough, Steve hopped off the fence, and intercepted the arachnid. He stamped it, which created a disgusting squelch as his boot caved the mob's fragile body inward. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he lifted his foot to see the black guts of the spider on his gray shoe. As much as he liked spiders, he didn't appreciate when they made messes on his shoes.

"I think that's our cue to go inside," Alex announced, getting off the fence herself. Steve nodded, and followed behind her to get to shelter. Being out in the open during this time wasn't smart, even for people as experienced in killing mobs as Alex and Steve. The monsters of the night often proved to be very unpredictable if you weren't mindful of yourself.

They hustled over to the cottage, getting to the front door quickly. Alex entered the house first, Steve right behind. He shut and locked the door behind them once they were both inside. He leaned down to untie his laces and then kicked his boots off in front of the door. He'd worry about cleaning the one boot off tomorrow.

Alex had already plopped herself down on his couch, her tall boots laying in the floor near her feet. "Man! You really need to decorate this place sometime. It's always so empty in here," she stated bluntly, observing the rooms. It looked virtually the same and just as empty as it did the last time Alex was here, which was months ago. Steve hadn't changed anything at all.

He shrugged in response to her words, turning to walk into his bedroom instead of joining Alex in the living room. "I think it is fine. Far better than your mess of a house, at least," he quipped, opening the door to his room and going inside to get to his bed.

Alex scoffed in mock-offense from the other room. "My house is not a mess, thank you very much. It's lived in! Clear difference," she corrected. Steve snorted, a small grin on his face. "Regardless of what it is, mine is still better." He snatched his pillows and comforter from off the bed. Since he didn't have any extra blankets or pillows, he figured it would be best if him and Alex had a little sleepover in the living room so they could share them. Holding the items in his arms, he rejoined Alex in the living room.