Darkness Ethereal | K.TH

Name Choosing

"V?"

All I can hear is panicked, choked breathing as I find his face, my own blood roaring in my ears. The thunderstorm outside crashes like waves against the walls of the prison, sounding violent enough to break the walls down.

Perfect darkness.

"Hey," I say comfortingly as I draw his trembling figure to mine. My fingers are rushing to find the metal cylinder— I hadn't expected to use it this quickly, but things never seemed to go the way I did.

"It's going to be okay."

Soon enough, I touch the cool surface of the flashlight as I hurry to pull it out of my jeans pocket. Its round curvature comforts me as I search for the switch, clicking it on when I find it.

A beam of light splits the darkness in half, and his trembling stops instantly.

A smile lights my face as I look into his confused eyes, wrapping his fingers around the metal cylinder.

"It's yours," I tell him, thankful that I'd come prepared. "Now you'll always have this with you whenever everything goes dark. You don't have to be afraid anymore— just remember you have this. That you have me."

To my surprise, I find his gaze pinned down to the ground. When I tilt his face up, his eyes shift away from mine and towards the doors of the cell.

Why is he avoiding my eyes?

Worry thickens my voice as countless possibilities run through my mind, none of them positive. Had I been to forward to his comfort? Why else would he be avoiding me— or was there something else I was missing?

I find myself watching his every movement, searching for any signal, any hint of what possibly could've gone wrong. Knowing that he could be so unpredictable sometimes, I'd grown adept in looking for the tiniest clues, the smallest answers.

Then his lips part, and I find myself holding my breath as he clutches the tiny penlight to his chest.

"I feel pathetic."

In the faint glow of the light, V looks more vulnerable than I've ever seen as the shadows warp and twist over his features. His voice has lost all the edge and the angles, stolen of winter and ice.

And I see the real V.

Just eighteen years old, and having already faced more than enough to last him a thousand lifetimes. A teenager that just wants to be normal like everyone else, with people to love and moments to cherish.

All he wants is one person who he can depend on, someone he can protect and treasure. Someone who can save him from the darkness that follows him around everywhere he goes.

I would give anything to be that person.

"You're not pathetic," I say firmly, afraid he'd doubt me if I said it with any less certainty. "And by saying that, you're making me think that I'm worthless and pathetic as well."

Surprise tenses his body when I say that, and his back grows taut underneath my touch as he raises his head to meet my eyes.

"That doesn't make sense."

"Of course it does," I say, my cheeks already flaming. My slightest hopes that the dark would conceal the bright blush is dashed down to the ground when his eyes follow the spread of heat.

"Because I love you."

The moment those words leave my mouth, I want to dig myself a hole and never come out to see daylight again. I watch in horror as his eyes slightly go wide, and all I can think about is how brutally this was going to go down.