You didn’t mean to ignore Sylus, but you did. Out of habit you ignored everyone during times like these. You needed the time alone, time to recharge, then you could come back like nothing happened.
You met reality again when after a long day of work you found Mephisto perched on your balcony. You turned to the caw. “Mephisto?” You strided toward the glass door, feet dragging from fatigue and you flicked the lock. A gentle tug on the handle and Linkon’s night air blew across your face. Before you could interrogate Mephsito you saw a familiar bike and a familiar form. Sylus, leisurely leaning across the bike, elbows on the handles, like he wasn’t a wanted criminal casually parked in a residential area in Linkon.
Guilt hit you in the gut when you remembered the text messages from Sylus you kept ignoring the past week.
02:31
I noticed something was missing from my closet. I hope my sweater keeps you company. Though, I’d like to ask why you’d settle for that instead of the real deal.
23:57
Your password creation skills need some work, sweetie. I will applaud you on your creativity however. “Mesph!stoisann0ying” and “voulezvouscoucheravecmoiSylus”. Too bad Luke and Kieran got them first try when they realized someone changed the passwords to our armories.
You locked eye contact with Sylus and you froze on the spot. He raised his arm and made a small gesture. Come here. You chewed on your lip and turned around to re-enter your apartment—not without sending Mephisto your usual glare of course—in search of the sweater you stole from Sylus’s closet. As you rummaged your apartment you forced your brain to come up with a believable excuse for why you’d been ignoring Sylus.
You were sick? Being sick didn’t necessarily mean you couldn’t respond to his texts, especially if you were home. Away on Hunter business? If he suspected you were ignoring him he probably would’ve sent Mephisto to your place to check if you really were on business. Too risky. Accidentally dropped your phone in water? Couldn’t get it repaired until today? Probably the most believable, but then you’d have to deal with his teasing. You could hear his chuckle, could imagine the smirk in his voice as you refused to look at him because of your embarrassment as he said, “You’re combat trained, you fight Wanderers…and yet you accidently drop your phone in water.”
The thought made you realize how much you missed Sylus despite it only being a week. A part of you wondered why you tortured yourself like this. Pushing Sylus away to silently deal with your own complex emotions. Hoping a hole would suddenly appear beneath you and simply engulf you so you could hide; hide away from the feelings of shame, guilt and gut wrenching self-loathing that prevented you from doing anything productive.
But amongst the ugliness was a small voice that wondered what would happen if you told Sylus, if you confided in him. Would he embrace you? Comfort you? Would he push you away? Call you weak and pathetic?
No. This was Sylus. He would never say that. Sylus would—
You pushed the thoughts away that often had you playing an endless game of tug-of-war with yourself. You exhaled harshly and rubbed the back of your neck.
Amidst the chaos of your thoughts you finally found the gray cashmere sweater you stole from Sylus. It only took three trips back and forth from your bedroom to main living area to find it. You snatched it, quickly slipped your feet in some comfy slippers and ran out the door.
You slowly approached Sylus with the sweater in hand and the best fake smile you could muster. “Hey, sorry. I accidentally dropped my pho—”
“Get on.” You watched as Sylus ignited the engine and the bike awoke with a rumbling roar.
“Huh?” You stood there dumbfounded, hand slightly outstretched, still intending to give Sylus his sweater back.
The man eyed the sweater and gently shook his head with a slight smirk before he threw his leg over the side of the bike, approaching you. He gently took the sweater from your hand and slipped it over your head. “It’s cold tonight, you’ll need this.” His eyes fell to your fuzzy slippers.
“Are we going somewhere—" The question turned into a surprised squeak as Sylus lifted you off the ground with ease. One hand under your knees and the other on your back as he set you down on the bike.
Sylus reached down to your feet. “These are going to fly off. Let me.” He slid your slippers off, exposing your toes to the cold air. “Mephisto will place these on your balcony.”
“Like hell he will! He’s going to throw them in the bushes—” The pad of his finger silenced your protest.
“I suppose I should be glad you still have the energy to argue,” he said softly as he placed your slippers on the ground.
You threw a leg over the other side of the bike, settling in the back seat as Sylus settled in the front. You wrapped your arms around his waist, your fingers intertwining across his abs. “You didn’t answer my question,” you said over his shoulder. Without a word he lifted the kickstand with his foot. “Wait—no helmet—?!” Sylus sped off out of the residential area.
“I’m assuming we’re going to the base?” You finally said once you both stopped at a red light.
“We’re going nowhere."
“What? Then why did you suddenly show up and demand I get on the bike with you?”
“You’re smart, kitten. Use that hunter brain of yours.” The light turned green and he started forward.
You huffed and rested your head against his broad back. Minutes went by and it seemed there truly wasn’t a final destination. Sylus zipped past Linkon’s streets, rarely taking turns and instead choosing to remain on a steady course straight.
You did not in fact use your hunter brain to figure out Sylus’s intentions and instead chose to mull over whether or not to push Sylus further for an answer. You entertained the thought. In the time you’ve known Sylus you realized he never got mad, at you anyway, and rarely did he get annoyed either. “Sylus?” You decided to test the waters. When he didn’t respond you assumed it was safe. “Are we there yet?” He still didn’t respond. A few more stops at red lights later and you decided to try again. “Are we going to get more skincare products?” You teased. “I think they’re closed.”
You tried again, and again, and yet again, but still got no answer from Sylus. In between you started counting the minutes. Five minutes…ten minutes…fifteen minutes…When twenty minutes flew by your patience was at its limit. “Sylus, please, just tell me why you’re doing this. It’s late and I’m tired. I’d like to go to bed. I’m not nocturnal like you.” Still no answer from the man. A week of not talking and this is what he does. You let out a controlled exhale of frustration and your head fell back to the space between his shoulders a little too harshly. You knew that he knew you were irritated and you debated whether or not to simply jump off the bike.
But frustration was soon replaced by sleepiness. The past week’s emotional rollercoaster finally took a toll on your body and you closed your eyes and half prayed you didn’t accidentally fall asleep and fall off the back of a moving bike (despite contemplating whether to jump off just prior).
And for a brief moment, as your muscles relaxed, as your thoughts quieted, as the rumble of the bike beneath you turned into a gentle humming and the world seemed to fall away. The lights from Linkon buildings seemed to dim as you passed by. The cold, harsh air turned into a gentle, lulling breeze across your face. You focused on the feeling of Sylus. The trust you placed him as he drove through Linkon. The feel of his strong body in your arms. A smell that is undeniably him. Your arms tightened around him and you nuzzled into his back. You opened your eyes—
And everything came back. The harsh Linkon air. The lights of Linkon buildings. The rumbling of Sylus’s bike. The presence of other cars and people around you. You looked around and realized you were both stopped at a red light.
You made a small sound in the back of your throat, something akin to a sound of surprise. As if you saw something you had not seen before.
“Did you find something interesting, sweetie?” Sylus’s voice could be heard over the rumbling of the bike.
You smiled gently and closed your eyes, your head found its way into the comfortable curve between his shoulder blades. “I am a smart hunter,” you mumbled softly, sleep overtaking your body once again.
You relaxed your body, searching and falling into that newly discovered trance. Your muscles relaxed, your thoughts quieted, the rumbling turned into humming. The lights dimmed and the breeze came back.
And you focused on nothing but Sylus.
