Ignite

Five || Explosions. Explosions Are Fun

Hey! So sorry for the long wait, I meant to update yesterday but apparently if you have a blizzard heading your way teachers think that's an excuse to give you twice as much homework.

That aside, thank you guys so much for reading, we're almost at 3K reads! I was jumping up and down like a psycho. But enough about that.

This is dedicated to DamariusStandifer, because they vote and comment, and I just really appreciate that. It means so much. Not to get super feelingsy and all that icky stuff, but you readers are pretty awesome.

Anyway, this isn't a question, unless any of you have questions you want me to ask, but more of an announcement that I am aware of my bad lyric skills so please do not judge me on my ability to write music. That said, the Code fluff shall go on forever! Or WILL it...?

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We only sleep for an hour or two. I stand and grab Coal's arm, dragging him outside and dropping him in the snow. "Wake up."

I put out the fire while he stands slowly, brushing off the snow and muttering belligerently about my methods.

    "But I love you." I walk past him, ruffling the snowflakes out of his hair and pecking him on the cheek.

    "Not so fast." Coal reaches after me and in a swift movement he's spun me around and pulled me into a kiss.

    "That's how you wake someone up." he says.

    "But why just kiss you when I can dump you in the snow and then kiss you?"

He shakes his head, giving up, and we start walking. I'm not really sure where I'm going, but I will not admit that to Coal, though I'm pretty sure he already knows. I got Owen to land vaguely in the right spot, and I kind of remember the map showing a dirt road similar to the one we’re on.

I'm walking ahead, used to having to pretend that I know everything, and then I glance over my shoulder to check on Coal, because he's being uncharacteristically quiet. His eyes are trained on me, dark and observant.

    "What?" I ask, and he jumps as if breaking out of a daze.

    "I need you." he blurts, startled into the truth.

I slow so we're side by side. "Have you been thinking about that a lot?"

He pauses before answering, just to be certain I'm not being sarcastic, and then he stares straight ahead, carefully choosing his words.

    "I need you." He repeats slowly. "That's why I'm so protective and obnoxious. Losing you is my worst nightmare, that's why I incinerate anything that tries to hurt you. So I don't know what to do when you're trying to hurt yourself." He ends bleakly, turning his head to look at me with his stupid mesmerizing grey eyes.

My mouth forms a small "o" shape, though no sound comes out.

Coal looks back ahead, rolling his shoulders to shake off the light snow that's started to fall. "I know you're not going to stop." The words come out in a cloud of steam as he sighs softly, walking faster as his shoulders return to their guarded, hunched position.

I have to run to catch up because I had stopped walking in shock.

    "Coal?"

    "What?"

He's cold, wet, tired and surly. But he's here, and that's what matters.

    "I need you too."

Pause.

    "Thanks Flippers."

~

    "Are you sure this is it?" Coal asks doubtfully, peering behind his shoulder at the small village in the twilight.