To Burn A Phoenix (Complete GxG)

Chapter 6: The One With The Lighter

A/N: I learned about this vocaloid, named VFlower. Now every time I type Flower, I think of the Vocaloid and appetite of a people pleaser starts running in my head. God dammit.

---EX POV---

Flower gave me a smile, for me, it was more warming than the suns weak rays. My heart did a little flutter as she grabbed my free hand and we walked into the park. I walked just a little bit closer to her and she seemed to turn a tiny bit pink. I meandered to the swing, enjoying the sweet little moment coming to pass.

"Well, I'm surprised you'd like this but, we're here. Hold tight." She spoke softly, but with enough volume for it to actually reach my ears.

"Oooh k." I put my cane in my lap and sat on the slim black seat of the swing.

"You shouldn't put that there, it'll go flying and hit someone!" She put the cane, round end in my face, in my boot.

I felt the soft warmth linger on my skin as she moved away. "Tha'z wear Ah shuud puth ith?" I looked at some shadows that had to be human silhouettes and imagined the trouble I'd be in if any of them got hit by my flying cane.

"I don't know if there's better place or not. I've never dealt with canes before." I gripped the chains so hard I could see my knuckles going faintly white, but on my pale skin, you'd never be able to tell.

"Hoow doo Ah mage ith moof?"

"Let me help you with that, hold tight!" She walked behind me and gave me a push, soon enough I was swinging.

Back and forth, back and forth. But for some reason, every time Flower's hands touched my back, I felt my face warm up a bit. I stole a glance at her ever blushing face as often as I could, feeling my own face develop the same blush when I did. Every time she caught me, my face turned into a cold tomato. Every time I caught her glancing at me, the same thing happened to her.

Whhhhhhyyyyyy???

My internal scream turned into an external one when I went flying into the cold snow. Flower ran over to me, her cute face in tears. "Are you okay?! How many fingers am I holding up?!"

"Fower, ur oldin' uph tree fingersh."

"Ha, nice to know your okay. But damn, you sound drunk talking like that! I mean seriously! The slurring sounds like you got wasted in a back alley!" She reached her hand down to me,p.

"Bish." I said, looking away, reaching for her hand with a rapidly reddening face.

"You can swear?!" She yelled, a bit louder than she meant to, attracting the attention of some shadows.

Some girl her age stalked out of the shadows. She was all dressed how you'd expect a delinquent to dress. Her messy hair and ripped clothes, her bandage swathed arms, her, basically, everything, was how you'd imagine a child monster. She also held a crowbar like a weapon, weird but okay.

Why are they staring at us? Flower, did you do something?

---Flower POV---

Oh shit. My precious EX could be in danger now, just because of my carelessness. "Heyy~" One of the girls spoke, one I knew to well.

"What?" I spoke with more confidence than I normally had.

"Oh? So now you're off, pretending to be an innocent little lamb, for your little lamb! Cmon, you know you liked to play with us! You need us you piece of shit." EX shot me one of those looks, the kind that make you sense the confusion.

"Why would I need you? If anything, from the way you're the one who sounds like you need me!" looked at EX, she looked confused, but she gave me an almost too well hidden grin and a thumbs up.

"Well then. If you've become sooo daring, why don'cha come with me?" My heart stopped.

If I'm not careful, EX could get hurt, but I could too. I looked down at EX, who was still on the ground, and I felt my heart go dark at the prospect of her getting hurt. Before I could do anything, Demonica grabbed me and picked me up.

She dragged me off, into an alley. My bones chattered, and my heart beat faster than the speed of light. I could feel trickles of sweat moving down my neck. I knew what would happen, but I didn't wanna think about it.

"Leth er goh!" I could hear that voice yell, only EX spoke like that.

Demonica turned to the unsteadily standing EX. She took one look at my small friend and her cane. "You want a fight!? The old lady girl!" She pointed at EX's cane, but the insult went over her head.

"Ah don'th jet ith." EX moved her hand to her back pocket. She was reaching for the lighter.

Demonica licked her lips and dropped me. EX was easy prey.

Oh god no.

---EX POV---

She ran at me with her grotesque fist outstretched. I wasn't fast enough to dodge, but the lighter was behind my back, and its soft click was enough. I moved it to my side in anticipation for her net punch. She threw one, but this time, I made sure it was fire! She screamed as her sleeve slowly got enveloped in flames.

How pretty.

I moved past her, and with a shaky stride, lit the rest of her jacket on fire. Flower looked horrified.

---Flower POV---

If word about this gets out, EX's in trouble. For every second EX stood there, my face became more dark. Every second she was there was a memory, a memory of the secret girl who shouldn't be alive. I grabbed EX and fled with her in tow, I can't let her get caught. If the police found her, they'd see she didn't exist, because of that she'd be deported. If she became an urban legend, then John would come looking for his missing experiment. All of it would be much worse if she also told people I was there, basically handing my head to Thea.

I can't let any of that happen! I expelled all thought from my mind, just running. The two of us ran past a parking lot filled with rocks, almost tripping over one of the smaller one of them, a bunch of locally owned stores with barely any shoppers, a large chain store with no one there, and a bunch of other things. EX seemed to be having trouble running like I was, and I could hear the frantic clicks of her cane as she struggled to keep my pace. If she couldn't, I'd drag her in the dirt to safety.

I rounded more corners and stopped. We were back in front of the treehouse. I helped my EX back in. She collapsed onto the futon as soon as she was inside. Had running tired her out that much? I just wish she hadn't said what she did next.

"Wha thid Ah doo wong?" She looked at me, with tears in her eyes, while rubbing her wrist where I had practically dented it with my death grip.

"I just... I want to keep you safe. That girl.... I-I'm sorry EX, but I need to put your safety first!"

"Shanksh Fower." I hugged EX as tight as I could.

I knew, I knew this wouldn't last. So let me hold her, let me hold her until it hurts. Let me hold her before she slips through the cracks of my broken world.