Starlight | completed

Chapter 19 | blackmail

❝This time when he walked away it was for good.❞

Chapter 19 | blackmail

The sky was a vibrant pink, streaks of purple running along it. The sun was setting in one corner, and there was a hazy glow cast around everyone's figure. The blue of the sky was more faded at the bottom, and towards the top. It was a light orange as well, pink and purple dancing along it.

Luce thought it was a pretty day to start over, as he walked away from Will. He turned to the sky, and tried to push the memory of Aera away. It never seemed to work, all he could do was recall her. And all Will could do was glower after Luce. He wasn't done.

Running after him, he tapped him on the shoulder. Luce wanted to groan, and just walk away once more. But he could be civil, he was the one who had started this whole mess anyways. A bit wary, he turned around and smiled at Will.

Will didn't return the smile, instead he glared. "She's my girlfriend, leave her alone" he muttered out. And Luce frowned, Will was never the type to get mad. It seemed Luce had sparked his anger. He once again resisted the urge to smile, and nodded.

"Relax, she's my best friend. She'd never see me as anything more" he said, hence a bit bitterly and hurt. Will didn't seem to care, nor did he seem to notice Luce's words. His eyes instead drifted to the trashcan, the one where he had thrown in Luce's letter.

"Did she like the letters?" he asked, and Luce looked away. Of all the things, he just had to ask that. Aera had loved those letters, her face, everything about her would be brighter the day she got them. She'd glow like the sun. He frowned bitterly, except for that one time he'd reminded her of her dad.

He didn't imagine that there was much glowing there. "She loved them" he said a bit wistfully, he would miss sending those letters. They made Aera so happy. And they made him happy because they made her happy. He liked writing to her. He'd really missing sending her those letters, but he no longer had the right to do so.

Will clenched his jaw as he observed Luce "Why didn't you tell her you sent them?" he asked, and there was something nasty and mean in his tone that Luce couldn't recognize. Something that he failed to notice. Something he should have probably picked up.

"She doesn't like me, we wouldn't even be friends anymore if I told her it was me" he mumbled, voice meek and weak now. Will seemed to notice the change in his tone as he eyed him. There was still something cruel in his eyes that Luce didn't notice.

"So I can't tell her that it was you?" he asked, and Luce's head snapped up. He chided himself for being a absolute idiot, what was he thinking? Will could have just went and told Aera. He resisted the urge to bury his head into his hands, and just sob. He instead glared at Will.

"No, please don't tell her" he said, a bit desperately. A bit frantic and wild, terror visible in his eye. Will seemed to take note of that as well as he stared at Luce. There was no kindness in Will's eyes, the usual smile and brightness he had had seemed to disappear the moment he found out Luce liked Aera.

"I'm going to tell her" he instead said, and tried to walk away like Luce had done to him before. His walk away was even less of a success that Luce's. Luce grabbed him by the shoulders, and whirled him around. A desperate plea evident in his eyes.

"Don't tell her" he asked and then as if a afterthought "I'll do anything" he said. He instantly regretted saying that, but he knew it was true. He would do anything, because Aera knowing that he loved her just meant he would lose her. And if there was one thing Luce couldn't handle, it was losing her.

"I want you to let me pretend I wrote those letters." Will asked, a tentative smile on his face. Luce gaped at him, what in the actual hell? Those were his words, his feelings, his thoughts. Will couldn't just take them from him like that.

"The fuck man, you're blackmailing me?" he asked, his tone was utterly shocked. Will frowned, and nervously scratched the back of his head. He looked a bit hesitant now, Luce swallowed he could see a bit of the old Will once again.

"Don't put it like that, it sounds worse that it is. It's simple really, if she knows it's you she'll leave you. But if she thinks it's me, she'll like me and you'll never be found out" Will said nervously, Luce's jaw clenched.

"They're my words" he mumbled out, and Will frowned once again. His expression wasn't cruel, but it wasn't kind either. Luce sighed, they were still his words. It was fine that Aera had thought it was Will before, because she had never been completely been sure.

There was still that doubt in her, that place where she would question it. Because she didn't have a confirmation that it was Will. That place was the one where Luce's words his own, not someone else's. They were entirely his. That place was the one where his love for Aera was entirely his own.

"Then I'll tell her it's you who wrote the letters" Will said suddenly, and Luce glared at him. A agitated expression on his face. He resisted the urge to reach over and punch Will in his smug face. He put his hands into his pocket, he was never a violent person. That wasn't going to change.

"You're just blackmailing me man" Luce muttered out bitterly. How had he managed to get himself into this situation? He sighed, he'd just been trying to do the right thing. He told Will because his intent was never to be a home wrecker and if he sent that letter, that was what he would be. Screw him for being a good person.

"Look put it how you will, but either go with it or I'm telling Aera" Will mumbled and Luce looked away, that kindness he thought he'd spotted in Will's eyes was once again gone. His expression was peculiar, and all Luce could think was those were his words that were being stolen. But then it would be his Aera who would never talk to him again if she knew it was him.

"Do you love her?" he asked and Will looked at him, a peculiar expression on his face now. It was confusion, mixed in with something else, that Luce for the life of him couldn't seem to read.

"I could love her, that's what scares me" he mumbled, and Luce sighed pushing back the words in his throat. Will could never love Aera the way Luce loved her, but then again Aera could never love him the way he wanted her to.

"Then we have a deal" he finally mumbled, defeated. Will looked up at him, a triumphant look on his face and Luce sighed and said "I'm not writing anymore letters though." He wasn't going to let Will have anymore of his words. Will opened his mouth, as if to object but then he seemed to realize better and instead just nodded at Luce.

Luce looked at him, and Will looked as if he wanted to say more. Maybe even apologize, but Luce had enough of Will to last a life time. Those were his words that Will was taking. Swallowing back the words in his throat, he turned away.

This time when he walked away it was for good.

~~~
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