Have You Lost Your Marbles?

“Don’t. Even.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

Sharp blue eyes pierced his soul but Tim kept up an easy smirk. It was a staring contest more biting than the winter around them.

“We could… you know… share it?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she contemplated his proposition. Spending her holiday with him or freezing to death outside. Should be an easy choice, right?

“I’ll sleep out here.”

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A hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to the brown eyes of the taller boy beside him.

“We can leave now if you want,” he whispered.

He looked into the boy's earnest eyes for a minute before turning away and taking a few steps forward so he was right in front of the burning body. He threw the torch in his hand into the pile of straw.

“Let the witch burn.”

The crowd behind him cheered.

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There was a special type of pain that came from love.

The kind that scorches through your veins like fire, hitches up your neck, itching just under your skin, vines tied and stabbing into your heart.

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“You gonna read to me now, Pretty Boy? You do have on the sexy reading glasses,” Daisy smirked.

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and focused back on the book. He was ahead of Daisy but she usually slept through it anyhow, more focused on the vibrations that emanated in his chest and spread through her being than the words themselves. On top of the fact that it wasn’t a book she was particularly interested in. He was happy to provide that comfort for her if it meant she got to sleep. He knew she had trouble sleeping in the past and was so proud that she was doing so much better.

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“Woah Boss!” They squealed and laughed but put her arms around his shoulders, head buried into his neck, and returned the hug anyhow, “I know I’m amazing but didn’t expect that much excitement.”

He didn’t respond, just held her close. He closed his eyes, a hand laying atop her head as he fell to his knees, bringing them down so they were kneeling too wrapped up in a strong hug.

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“Come. Take a break. For me?”

“You don’t play fair,” Marinette whispered, as if speaking louder would shatter the moment like glass.

“If it convinces you to care for yourself,” Luka matched her volume as he released one of her hands to tuck a stray hair behind her ear and pressing his palm to her cheek which she leant into, “I’d cheat every time.”

“That’s not very heroic of you.”

“I never claimed to be a hero.”

She pressed her lips to his once more, pulling away and looking intently into his eyes, “you didn’t have to. You prove it every day.”

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“Well…” Tim started, tilting his head slightly in thought as he pulled away just a tad, “If you were a worm, I would make a box and make it all pretty with dirt and plants and tiny worm decorations and stuff and dice fruit for you- even if whenever I try I end up cutting myself- and put it all on a tiny platter to serve you whenever you wanted it. And I would keep you on my bookshelf in my office and my nightstand in our room so whenever I’m lonely or sad or happy or want to keep you company, I could go and sit by you and read you books and offer you a tiny easel to set up with a tiny picture on it replaced every week so you always have something new to look at and put up tiny little things all the time to decorate your box and make sure you live the best worm life a worm ever could.”

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Subjects demonstrate a predominant inclination towards the singular goal of spreading the disease. Transmission can occur through the action of biting, the release of spores, exchange of various bodily fluids, and profound scratches if they pierce the skin. Variability in responses to the illness has been observed among the infected, with distinct manifestations evident across individuals. Although the underlying cause remains unknown, efforts have been directed towards characterization upon the identification of new subspecies. The Infected refers to the entirety of the population of the infected. The Ailing are the only ones we’ve seen until now. Characterized as what we’ve put in prior reports. A distinct subspecies has arisen, exhibiting heightened threat level compared to their precursor, raising concerns about the potential evolution of the disease that is likely to impede progress in developing a cure. This evolved state, Cleave, distinguishes itself primarily through notable differences in its physical appearance. ‘The Cleave’ features elongated limbs, a considerable increase in height, and a distinctive transformation of the jaw. The jaw extends, seamlessly merging with the rest of the body until it forms a colossal mouth from the waist to the face, delineated by numerous sharp and protruding teeth. Subject #019 was the first to showcase this evolution. Additional research is required to understand how and why this happened.

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Once the flaps of the cardboard box opened, out splattered paint. Tons of it. A multitude of colours spit out from inside it painting the room in a fiesta of rainbow. Lex himself was covered with it. He stood frozen for a moment, taking in what happened before he snapped out of it and angrily kicked the box.

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It was the last thing Marinette heard before her eyes closed. The world went silent in a flash of light, a colour she couldn't see.