Creve Coeur II | Ahri x Male Reader

Prologue. Life Goes On

long live life

Free Fall (feat J. Cole)
Tems, J. Cole
01:06 ======⬤-------------------------- 03:12
                           ⇆ㅤ ◁ㅤ❚❚ㅤ▷ㅤ ↻

The night before graduation, (NAME) found himself on the same beach where his life began to change.

It wasn't too long ago—two months ago he was pretty sure. Prom was fun, but the event didn't matter much to him, just what came from it.

Now it was May 16th, the night before his high school graduation.

Was it childish to say he was scared? Because he was—a lot.

Four years of high school had done well to lull him into a sense of security. He was comfortable in the familiar, and now that everything was about to change, it left a bad taste in his mouth.

A familiar weight suddenly pressed itself against his side. Strands of blonde hair crept into his peripheral vision. The bad taste in his mouth left—he liked the familiar a lot.

"Nervous?" Ahri softly asked him.

His phone sat off to the side on their pile of things, playing a song from his playlist. He wished he'd thought more before tossing his bag onto the ground. He'd be cleaning the sand out of it well into his thirties if he was lucky.

He finally looked over to her. Ahri hadn't changed much. Her hair had gotten longer, with her darker roots showing, creating a contrast between black roots and light blonde hair. She'd recently gotten her ears pierced, so there was a soft jingle of jewelry every time she moved her head. Her nails were freshly painted for the occasion tomorrow night.

"How could you tell?" (Name) questioned.

The vastaya scoffed, gently dragging nude acrylics down his clothed stomach. "You have a different brooding expression on your face than usual."

He made a face at that. "I don't brood."

"Says all people who brood," she countered, her hand sliding down to his and intertwining their fingers. "What's on your mind? Graduation?"

(Name) didn't respond at first, just exhaling through his nose. "Not really graduation, more like what comes after it."

She gained an understanding expression. "I mean—I feel like it's easier for us. We're not going to college."

"That was a hard conversation with our parents," (Name) said.

"Ah, your dad didn't go to college either. Straight into the workforce and look at him now." She spoke, leaning further into his shoulder. "And my mom knows I've been wanting to pursue music for years now. All it took to convince her was showing her the contract from Riot Records."

"Congrats again on that."

"Thank you," she nodded. "The only one hard to convince was Jade."

"That was a time," he let out a breath. "Once she figured out my dad planned to give me a job at his company, she kinda calmed down about it."

"Kinda," Ahri snorted. "We'll be fine."

"But sometimes I wonder," he began, "is this what I really want to do? Do you ever get that?"

Ahri stared out at the horizon. The moon was above them with glittering stars illuminating the night sky and casting a dazzling light over the beach. A gust of wind came at them, catching them off guard.

She shivered, snuggling into him harder, making him give an amused look to the top of her head. "Not really," she finally answered. "This is what I wanna do. But sometimes, I wonder if it'll be worth it once I'm there."

Her nine tails sprouted from her lower back, curling around them to ward off any more sneaky gusts of wind. Thick fur coiled around them like a heated blanket, granting them reprieve from the sudden cold.

"If you follow your heart," he spoke, "you can't be wrong."

(Name) expected her to just hum in response or say something back, but he instead heard her snort softly against his chest.

"Where's you get that from? A motivational quotes book?" She asked between giggles. "That was so cool of you, (Name)," she cooed.

And just when he thought this was going to be a serious conversation.

Oh well, if everything else changed, at least there was one constant in his life. Even if she teased him relentlessly.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Even if he stagnated, life goes on.

He would just have to learn how to go with the flow.