"Would you slow down a bit?" she asked exasperatedly as she tried to stick with Alex's longer strides.

"Maybe if you hadn't thrown away the magazine, we wouldn't have to hurry." He bit back teasingly. She bit her lip, catching up to him as she jogged beside him.

"I'm sorry."

"You wouldn't be sorry if you hadn't thrown away the magazine." She groaned in frustration, shooting him a side look.

"You wouldn't be irritated at me if you hadn't thrown away the magazine."

"I'm sorry, okay! Can we just find a place to sleep for the night?" she asked pleadingly. His eyes flicked over to her's. He looked back towards the road, scanning the nearby houses as a smirk tilted his lips upward.

"You wouldn't be raising your voice like this at me if you hadn't thrown away the magazine." She yelled out in frustration, pointing a finger towards him as she came to a stop. He slowed to a stop a bit in front of her, cocking his head questioningly to the side.

"That is a lie! I would raise my voice at you no matter what when you're being stupid!" she defended, crossing her arms childishly. She started off again, glancing around for a good house.

"You wouldn't be getting so defensive if you hadn't thrown away that magazine." She shot him an ugly look before deciding on a nearby one story house.

"Anything else you want to blame on me?" He contemplated that for a moment before rolling his eyes over to her.

"Not at the moment, no."

"Good." They made their way into the abandoned home, raising their guns as they scoped out their surroundings. Nothing but you few mice and some bugs resided inside. Sun claimed one of the rooms she was in, closing the door as she entered. She propped her book bag against the wall by the bed as she plopped onto it. The bed gave out screams of protest with the new weight, but she ignored them as she sighed. She rested on her side, facing the dirt clad window

She gazed out the window as the sun set in the city, causing glares of sunny halos to outline the buildings. She could hear a few haunting calls from the Blights echoing around the city. She shivered, curling up tightly on the bed as she laid her gun close by. Her eyes close on their own accord, and she drifted to sleep.

~~~

Her eyes popped open as they stared terrified at the ceiling. Her breathing was labored, and sweat coated her skin from the night terror she just had. She winced at the thought. She hadn't had night terrors for a while, but she knew what caused them to come back. Her legs shifted uncomfortably as they crossed over themselves.

She laid there for a while, hoping and praying to go back to sleep, but she couldn't do it. Her body still thrummed with the danger it thought was present, leaving her wide awake. She bit her lip as a fleeting thought crossed her mind. Should I go see Alex? She hated to admit it, but ever since he had saved her, she felt like he was trustworthy. He had the chance to run and leave her behind, yet he went back to save her.

Before she could think more on the subject, her legs were swaying as the dangled over the edge of her bed. She got up towards the door, hoping to be able to find the room that Alex had taken residence in fairly easily. As she twisted the knob and pulled the door open, there was a force on the other side doing the same. The door swung open with surprisingly fast pace and revealed an equally shocked Alex.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, her suspicions rising. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ever since the beginning of this, I haven't slept a full night. I thought I would check on you because of what happened..." She felt her heart twinge in guilt at his confession. "What are you doing up?" he asked her curiously. She froze.

"I thought I heard a noise," she lied. Alex nodded his head, believing her.

"Ah, okay. Well, I just walked the house. I can assure you; there is nothing. You may have just heard me walking around." He sent her an easy smile. "Well, good night, I guess."

"Good night," she muttered, a look of disappointment flashing across her features before she could mask it. He turned around, waving goodbye as he started down the hall. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth as she nibbled on it indecisively.

"Wait, Alex?" she called out, the words slipping. He stopped and turned around. She instantly regretted her actions because now she couldn't take them back. "Would you... Come lay down with me? To be honest... I woke up from a nightmare... I was getting up, so I could ask for your comfort." Her eyes slid off to the side as a blush crept up her neck, covering her cheeks.

"Of course, Sun," he said gently, padding down the hall towards her. She turned around, entering the room. He followed behind her, closing the door as he passed through.

He grabbed her wrist, softly tugging her to the bed. Though the comforter was dirty looking with various holes, Alex still covered themselves with it as they slid into bed. He propped himself slightly up with a pillow of a similar appearance as the comforter. Sun watched him get situated into a comfortable lounging position before he took hold of her shoulder and pulled her down on top of his chest. The side of her face was pressed to his chest, and she was calmed by the consistent, slow beating of his heart. Alive... We are alive... She thought to herself as she listened to the hypnotic rhythm.

Alex began to stroke her hair with feather light touches as he carefully and painlessly began to work the knots out. Her eyelids fell as she breathed out a content sigh through her nose.

~~~~~

#neverforgets