Spooky

-Chapter 12

{Author's Note:
Hey everybody. I know in the Comments section of the last chapter, I suggested I was going to go down a certain route with this story. Some of you might've figured it out already, probably not, but maybe. In case you have no fucking clue what I'm talking about, the buildup hinted at in previous chapters—literally all the way from Chapter 1 to now—was that Shadow has issues with self-harm, and Scourge is the first to find out about it yet still want to help him (big ol' complicated arc). But I can't... I just can't do that now.
I almost lost one of my best friends to suicide from self-harm and self-hate on Christmas day. I thought I would be okay writing about it, through my own personal experience, because I've been on both sides of the coin. It was a long time ago, it was behind me, and I was comfortable with it. I felt I could write about it without making myself uncomfortable, but now it's just. It's too soon. I'm still coping with what happened, and right now I don't think I'll ever be able to write about it. It might still come up later, if this story spans across years of writing, like my others have, but right now, I can't. I'm sorry. Though I'm sure hardly anyone's upset about this news.
I'm going to try and keep this book incredibly light-hearted instead. I think I need that right now.
On a more cheerful note, I'm considering drawing (maybe even animating) bits from this story; there's one scene in chapter 9 that's particularly eye-catching to me, and I might animate it. Might. Only if any of you would actually care about that. I won't waste my time if I'm the only one who gives a damn.
Anyway. On to Chapter 12. Sorry it's been so long, I'm a little bit of a mess.}

-Scourge's POV-

Light grey rain streams down from above, lending a hazy, streaky glow to all light in the city. Thunder rumbles far away, but it's indubitably approaching, probably at a rather fast pace, so I've done my best to get us across town in time. Shadow, weirdly enough, still doesn't seem to mind the rain; he's humming an odd tune, arms wrapped around my chest to keep from falling off, and I feel him twist a bit to look up at the sky. Somehow the cold isn't bothering him at all, despite the fact that the wind's picked up (and we've started driving, so the windchill's effect is doubled). The cars around us keep spraying water all over us, but his only concern is whether or not it gets in our eyes; even now as we roll up to what must be the tenth goddamn red light we've hit on our way home, he's still rather cheerful, at least by emo standards I suppose. Sighing, I let the bike drift to a stop, waiting for our turn. Cars drift lazily past just ahead of us, their lights reflecting off the misty haze, burning bright in my eyes, blinding. Blinking sunspots out of my eyes, I look down, smiling gently at the black-and-red arms circling my torso. His fur is soaking wet and kinda gross, clinging tightly to his skin due to its weight, but I really don't mind it. What I do mind is how goddamn cold it is! I keep shivering terribly, teeth chattering, and all I can really focus on is how far away we are from school. Only a few more blocks, but it feels like an eternity, despite the fact that we're almost three-fourths of the way there; Shadow seems to catch on to how cold I am, and he scoots just a bit closer, wrapping his arms a bit tighter around me. His weight presses comfortably into my back, and he leans forward to mutter in my ear, "Hey, are you alright?"

Concern drips from his every word and I almost smile, but somehow that doesn't seem appropriate, so instead I just nod, not taking my eyes off the road. "Yeah, just cold, that's all. How are you holding up? I mean, you're the one who took your jacket off..." Despite that, though, I notice that he's practically radiating warmth, a welcome sensation.

"I'm okay," he replies, his deep voice resonating happiness. I can feel his voice rumbling through my back, and it sends shivers up my spine. "A bit chilly, but I'll live. How far away are we from the school?"