alight. : a fireafy fic

Chapter Thirteen

The ginger boy wasn't entirely sure how long it took him to get home, but his head was boiling hot with embarrassment.

It was nearly 8 am. The streets were starting to fill in with people. His head was hurting, his brain throwing a tantrum within the confines of his skull, angry at himself for drinking so much last night.

His bed sheets were cool to the touch. He peeled off his clothes, discarding them haphazardly onto the floor before collapsing into his bed and burrowing himself into his blankets. After a while, his body heat warmed his bed, but he still shook violently. Not because he was cold, but because of nervousness.

So much has happened in the past month. How will he be socially accepted now?

Is this how Leafy feels?

Is this what he did to her?

He buried his face into his blankets and shivered. He's terrible. He's so terrible. How can anyone like him? Leafy hasn't forgiven him. She probably never will.

Maybe because he was the selfish one.

And it was true. He often disregarded her feelings in favor of looking after himself. He wasn't very kind to her, even though he thought he was. The night shifts he took at work were for HIS paycheck, and although he made more than she did, he never bought her gifts. He kept their relationship a secret because he was worried about his own reputation.

He refused to move in with her. He didn't want her moving in with him. It was all for his own security, to make sure no one found out more than they needed to. Although a select few people knew about him and Leafy, they never quite knew the extent. It was almost like he was embarrassed by her, when she should have been embarrassed by him.

She must have loved him a whole lot to stay with him through that. And he went and blew it. What was probably his only chance at a real, loving relationship was thrown out the window mercilessly.

He clenched his blanket in his fists. He was going to make it up to Leafy. He was going to do his best to get her back. If she didn't want him anymore, that was fine. Maybe they could be friends.

Or not. Still her choice in the matter. But god, he hoped. He just missed her so badly. He missed his girl.

He rolled onto his stomach and buried his face into his pillow, trying really hard not to fall into the pit of self-hatred.

He remembered her smile when she handed him her umbrella. She knew he hated the rain. She's got to still care about him. No other person did that to him on the street. No other person wanted to help out a hungover dumbass but Leafy. Only Leafy.

He wasn't a stranger after all.

She had allowed him to stay in her apartment overnight, albeit in the bathtub, but still. Her place. She acknowledges him by name. She looks him in the eye. She still CARES about him.

Firey's head shot up to look at the clock behind him. He was late for work. Oh well. He pulled out his phone, which was quickly draining of it's battery life, and gave his manager a quick call. He wouldn't be in today. He had personal matters to take care of.

At this point, he didn't care about his job. He could get fired for all he cared. All that mattered to him right now was getting Leafy back in his life. Doesn't matter the relationship between the two, he just had to get her back.

Knowing she still cared about him too made it seem all more possible. He was going to make it up to her.

His lips cracked into a small smile as he finally admitted something he had been burying deep inside him.

"I'm in love with Leafy." Firey's lips cracker into a smile. "I'm still in love with Leafy. I love her."

He repeated this manta over and over again until he knew the only thing he was saying was the truth.

With that, he stopped wallowing in his self pity, got dressed, and ran out his door.

He had something to do.

"Leafy, I love you."