OC Oneshots

Summertime Sadness (Part 3 of 3)

Two years had past since the two had met, and with the professor and his grandson visiting frequently, Leo and Phoenix found themselves growing to be thick as thieves.

With help from Grey, Leo, and his grandfather, Phoenix became nearly completely fluent in English, with Grey and Prof. Maleficus teaching him how to read literature and speak clearly, and Leo giving him plenty of practice by chatting with him, and occasionally teaching him swear words when the adults weren't around.

When Grey and the professor were busy with studies and experiments of alchemy, the young teen boys would run around town causing mischief or talking about whatever nonsense would pop into their heads at any time. It seemed like those good times would never end, until one summer day.

The two were going about their regular business, playing pranks on salesmen and whatnot, befriending stray cats, and just wandering around town (while avoiding sunlight, of course, since they were both prone to sunburns), when Leo noticed that Phoenix had gone strangely quiet for the past few minutes.

This was a strange occurrence, since he always seemed so eager to practice his English skills.

"What's wrong?" Asked Leo. Phoenix gasped slightly, as if he'd forgotten he wasn't alone.

"Oh... well..." he trailed off, biting his thumb. "This is probably crazy sounding..."

"You can tell me," Leo was visibly concerned for his friend.

"I..." he sighed "I feel that something terrible is going to happen soon. Something that... that will result in us being separated for a very long time. This will be our last day together."

A shiver slipped down Leo's spine, as if someone had put an ice cube in his sweater. He'd found out that Phoenix had a strange ability to predict small pieces of the future a while ago. He couldn't predict any future event in full detail, but he could sense when something big was going to happen. Because of it, they had been able to save Grey from an engine explosion several months ago.

"Is there- can't we... we can do something to stop it, though, right...?" He asked. Phoenix shook his head without looking at him.

"Well, if this is goodbye," he picked up a pine cone and held it out, "I want you to take this with you back to your place!"

Phoenix finally looked at him, his eyes glistening with teares that refused to fall. He looked at Leo, then at the pine cone, then back to Leo. "A... a pine cone...?" He said as he picked it.

"Yeah! It can be a souvenir from the surface! While you're stuck there, you can look at it and think of me! Maybe one day, when you can come back, you can bring along something from the underground for me, and then we'll be even!"

Phoenix paused, then laughed softly. "I would like that, thank you." He put the pine cone in his poket.

Noticing the sun going down, the two ran to Leo's house hand in hand, and found Professor Maleficus waiting for them at the door.

"Phoenix, il est temps d'y aller." He said softly.

"Attends, je dois dire quelque chose à Leo avant de partir." Phoenix replied. Leo didn't know French, but he heard his name somewhere in there, causing him to perk up. His grandfather nodded, and stepped back inside. Phoenix suddenly grabbed Leo's hand and lead him away from the house, behind some bushes and trees.

Phoenix turned around to face his friend, looking deeply into his eyes.

"Leo," He said softly.

"Phoenix...?" Leo echoed back. Phoenix stepped a little closer, almost too close.

"What is something that one give a another, who they love very much...?" The question fell gently from his mouth and into Leo's mind, like a soft stream of water. Though it seemed like hardly anything, he found himself struggling to respond, as though he may drown in it.

What kind of question is this, he asked himself. "Umm... A... A kiss?" He didn't realise what he had said until several seconds later, when he saw Phoenix's eyes widen.

Phoenix nodded slightly. "A kiss... well, then..." he stepped closer. He took Leo's shoulders gently. His eyes delicately dropped closed as his head turned slightly sideways. Unsure of what to do, Leo pinched his eyes closed, his body becoming tense.

Suddenly, a soft warmth pressed on his lips, and he felt himself relax as he pushed back slightly. Before he, knew it, though, it was over, and Phoenix was already walking away.

Leo just stood there, taking in the summer air and wondering what had just happened.

______________________________________

AN, *spoilers*, the thing that happened that separated them was that a group called the Human Defence Alliance (A group of people with the goal of killing all vampires and similar creatures "for the good of humanity") attacks the town (which was kind of a sanctuary for Fae and humans who wanted peace between the different races) resulting in the "death" of Grey (It's complicated), and Leo having to flee back into the woods. (But he's got a better chance this time because he's stronger and has better survival skills.)