"Hey, Val?"
It was Vamos who brought Val out of his never-ending daydream. He was sitting on the porch of his house, the moon hanging high in the navy blue sky.
"What?" He tilted his head calmly at his friend.
"Maya wants to know if you can put her to bed."
Val's eyes widened. The young girl had been in his care for over two weeks, and the two had only just started to bond. Val still hadn't come to terms with the fact that Maya was a little girl, and often spoke to her as if she was an adult.
"Why?" He stammered.
"Because she's tired?" Vamos rolled their eyes. Val huffed in frustration.
"Yeah but, why me?" He repeated.
"Because she seems to like you. Now go." Vamos pointed to Val's house. Val shot a glare at the pink haired Killjoy, not accustomed to taking orders from other people, but he listened. He walked into the house, drunk with fatigue. Vaya was sitting at the dining room table, a cigarette in their fingers. Val ignored the other twin, making his way over to the couch where Maya lay.
"Ready for bed?" He asked the little blonde girl, who's head was facing the black-screened T.V.
"Yeah." She yawned, rubbing her eyes. Val unfolded the beige throw blanket that waited on the armrest of the couch, carefully placing it over Maya's tiny figure.
"Goodnight, kiddo." Val patted her head before shuffling away.
"Wait!" She called to him. Val stopped in his tracks.
"Yes?" He questioned, spinning around on the heels of his black boots. The girl simply held her arms out in front of her.
"I don't speak child." Val crossed his arms impatiently.
"Can I have a goodnight hug?" Maya asked, her arms still outstretched.
"I'm not the hugging type." Val reasoned, stepping away.
"Oh come on, give the kid a hug." Vaya scolded, inhaling another puff of the cigarette. Val sighed before walking back over to the girl. Maya wrapped her arms around his neck contently as he picked the seven-year old up, bouncing up and down ever so slightly.
"You smell like lemons." She giggled, much to Val's confusion.
"We don't have lemons out here." The white-haired man told her.
"Huh, must just be me then." Maya shrugged as Val put her back on the couch.
"Can I leave now?" Val put his hands on his hips. Maya waved her hand dismissively.
"You may leave, but I require a hug in the morning." She ordered. Val rolled his eyes playfully.
"Go to sleep." He chuckled, walking away from the living room.
Having a tiny little roommate wasn't too bad. He didn't feel shitty about stuffing his face with Cheeze Puffs because now he had someone to share them with. Besides, it beat talking to himself for hours on end. The bedroom door creaked as Val opened it. He threw off his jacket, and pulled his shirt over his head. He then stripped down to his boxers, and climbed into bed, leaving his clothes scattered across the floor. Val listened as Vaya opened the front door, walking out of the house. Slowly he began to feel himself drift away, his eyes feeling heavy.
---
"Good morning." A sleepy voice next to him cracked softly, filled with universal morning edge.
"Well, look who came back." Val teased quietly, his eyes fluttering open.
Atomic lay on the bed beside him, her red hair spilling onto the white pillow.
"Did you think I'd be able to stay away for that long?" She smiled softly, biting her lip.
"C'mere." Val stretched out his arm, leaving her room to curl up against his body.
"I've missed you." He admitted, his nose resting on the back of Atomic's head. She quickly turned around, placing her forehead against his. Her wide eyes locked with Val's icy blue ones.
"Don't make a big deal. I promised I'd come back, didn't I?" She smirked, delicately pressing her lips into his own. The light kisses soon turned to full on outbursts of passion, and it wasn't long until Atomic was straddling Val's waist, her face over top of his. Val put his hands on the sides of her head, staring back up at her.
"You're so beautiful." He admitted, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. Atomic didn't respond, instead she brushed her thumb against his cheek.
"I'll never leave again, I swear."
And with that, they were kissing again. Val began to tug at her white t-shirt, encouraging her to take it off. But as he pulled at the white fabric, he was met with the familiar feeling of sand.
"What the-" He pulled his hand away.
"What is it?" Atomic tilted her head, concerned.
The breeze from the open window began to pick up, blowing into the bedroom. Slowly, Atomic's figure was turning to golden sand, falling onto the bed.
"Wait, no!" Val began to panic. Atomic didn't speak, as she was too busy falling through Val's fingertips.
"Stop!" He cried out, his voice hoarse. Soon, Atomic was completely gone. Only a pile of desert sand remained. Val frantically picked it up, almost as if he could put it back together like a puzzle. Another gust of wind brought the sand into his face, flickering into his eyes. Val coughed, but only inhaled more of it. He was blinded, and he was suffocating.
"Please!" He weakly clawed at his throat, but he wasn't breathing anymore.
The sand was attacking him.
"Atomic!" He cried out with all the air he had left.
"Freia!" He gasped for air, opening his eyes,
The window was closed, and the room was dark. Val's white duvet was tangled around his body, and the space next to him was empty. When he sat up, he saw the outline of a little girl sitting at the end of his bed.
"You love her." Maya commented, sitting cross-legged against the bed frame.
"What are you doing here?" Val wheezed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"I had a bad dream, and so did you." Maya responded.
"You... saw that?" Val narrowed his eyes.
"Every last thing." She nodded her head. Val let out a deep sigh, resting his face in his hands.
"What did you dream about?" He asked finally.
"There was a monster in the T.V, and I don't want to sleep next to it." Maya admitted, causing Val to let out a small chuckle.
"Tell you what, you can stay here tonight, but no snoring." He bargained.
"Deal." Maya responded before throwing herself into one of the pillows.
"G'night." The cocooned herself into Val's blanket, leaving him with nothing.
He just shrugged and went back to bed.
______________________________
I'm baaaaaaaack!
Sorry about the wait.
YOU ARE READING
Without a Whisper //Danger Days//
Fanfiction(Book #3 of the Danger Trilogies) ::COMPLETED:: "When they poured across the border, I was cautioned to surrender, this I could not do. I took my gun and vanished. I have changed my name so often, I've lost my wife and children, but I have many frie...
