feelings are fatal

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐭 seemed like it was coming to an end, but then again, eros knew that there was nothing like a solid distraction to raise his spirits. planning a belated birthday blowout for his best friend in the entire world was by far the best of his options in this case, and so he’d spent more time than he cared to admit calling in favors and making arrangements in advance to ensure that everything was planned to perfection. all that remained at this point was arguably the toughest part of all — convincing persephone to go along with it all. he’s jovial and perkier than ever as he drops down in the seat across from her for that reason alone, hoping in vain that it would rub off on her. “ so i know you’re not big on the whole birthday thing, “ he crooned, gently pushing his ear-marked planning binder across the table as he gazed on in keen interest, “ and i know yours is already over and all, but it’s a crime that we’ve not celebrated it yet. what d’you say — better late than never ? “

      𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 bella’s lifestyle as anything close to settled, the one comfort she could always rely upon was her strong sense of self. rather, that was the case until all hell had broken loose upon her once-peaceful home town, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. there wasn’t a piece of aurora that hadn’t been left unscathed, and her own identity was no exception; it had left her struggling to look past the shockingly crimson eyes and terrifying beauty to find a face she recognized in the mirror and trying to avoid ever-present burn that ripped at her throat. in short, she felt lost — like a ship left adrift without its anchor — and try as she had to stubbornly deal with it alone, she also knew all too well that her only option in understanding what had happened to her was likely lurking right within town. perhaps that’s why it doesn’t take so much as a second thought for her to approach on sight, the slightest hint of desperation coloring her tone as she addressed him. “ hey — you’re not busy, are you ? “ lithe arms cross tightly over her chest, the image of sheer discomfort as she pushes off the memories of him ( of them ) that had haunted her for hours. “ because i really need a word with you ... preferably in private ? ”

        𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 is the last person that he should be worried about. she’s managed to prove time and time again that she’s more than capable of handling herself — more capable than he could ever be, undoubtedly — and orpheus could only imagine that he was just about the last person she’d want to see after the less-than-pleasant encounter they’d shared at the bonfire. still, the visions that had plagued him for the better part of the evening left him concerned enough to swallow his pride and show up at her doorstep if only to ensure that she was okay. “ eury ? you home ? ” he leans his forehead against the doorframe after knockng, his feet tapping impatiently as he wills away the worst case scenarios that whirl about his mind. “ it’s, uh — it’s orpheus. we really need to talk. ”

𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝-𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚, one would think that packing a sweater would be a no-brainer. that had unfortunately not been the case — a fact that she was now cursing herself for as she found herself huddled by the bonfire, drink abandoned in the sand as she hugged her arms tightly to her chest. “ ha. very funny, ” she deadpans, though the girl’s warning is just convincing enough to encourage her in taking a couple steps back from her original spot. “ d’you think that’s even possible ? i get freak accidents and all, but that just seems a little ... far-fetched, don’t you think ? ” granted, she’s one of the last people that should be criticizing the likelihood of freak accidents; if her nightmares have taught her anything, the fact that she’s apparently the greatest of all flight risks is chief among them.

“ shit, ” he hisses, stumbling back on reflex, “ my bad ! i wasn’t — " and yet as he finally gets the sense to glance up at the person in front of him, he stops short. of all the people he could’ve spilled a drink on tonight, of course it had to be his ex-wife. fantastic. the apologetic grin almost immediately fades only to be replaced with wide-eyed sheepishness as he barely manages to stammer out a response. “ eury. uh ... hey ! sorry, didn’t see you there. ”  so much for playing it casual. a hand rises to uncomfortably rub at the nape of his neck, gaze flitting here and there but never quite settling on her as he tries to think of something — or anything, really — to say that could dispel the lingering tension “ you okay? nothing stained or anything ? ” not his smoothest or cleverest move in the world, but then again, this particular ghost in his closet has yet again managed to leave him a nervous wreck.

‘𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.’  𝐡𝐚. he just barely manages to bite back a scoff at the insinuation that he could possibly miss someone as pretty as the girl at his side, though he doesn’t conceal the sharp shake of his head in response. “ excuse me, i’ll have you know i’m just about the most observant person i know. ” his head lolls in her direction, brows quirked in wry amusement as he rolls his eyes playfully at her insinuation. the dim light of the moon just manages to catch on the object she so hastily shoves into her bag, and it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed; he’s not lying when he says he’s observant, but he’s also just as sensible to know better than to call her out on it. instead, he leans back on his hands, digging his fingers into the soft sand as he turns his gaze back to the horizon as he shrugs. “ maybe, maybe not. might be one of those weird deja vu moments or something ? ”  it’s just as casual as ever, but there’s an undercurrent of uncertainty below the smooth facade; like it or not, there’s an eerie sense of familiarity to the girl’s visage that’s hard to shake, one that makes his stomach twist for reasons largely unknown. regardless, eros quickly decides he doesn’t like the feeling, which serves as enough motivation for him to quickly shift gears. “ so ... are you planning on telling me what you’re doing out here or are you expecting me to just take a wild guess ? "

𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥... 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭. “ something like that, ” bella admits reluctantly, a wry smile just tugging at the corners of her lips, “ but don’t let me stop you if you really liked them. i’m not exactly an authority on style. ” her shoulders tense ever so slightly as the other questions her choice in footwear. “ these? i mean, they’re just — ” her defense is quickly interrupted by the other’s quick insistence that she could find better ( and truthfully, the mere idea of what the girl’s concept of better was is enough to leave her cringing ), and while bella wants no part in whatever she has planned, latent guilt leaves her trailing along almost immediately. “ hold on ! i really don’t — i mean, you honestly shouldn’t — ” synapses fire at a breakneck rate as she tries to come up with a valid excuse to get out of whatever situation she’s managed to land herself in, and yet bella’s still reduced to a stammering mess as she stumbles after the girl. “ it’s nice of you to offer and everything, but i really think i can handle this alone. ”

“  sorry,  ”  she  grimaced,  having  realized  that  she’d  managed  to  break  her  promise  of  silence  in  record  time,  “  it’s  just...  this  week  has  been  weird,  don’t  you  think  ?  i  don’t  know  if  you’re  in  the  same  boat,  but  i’m  getting  sick  of  these  nightmares.  "  she  could  only  imagine  that  her  sleep  patterns  were  low  on  his  list  of  concerns,  and  yet  it  felt  surprisingly  good  to  get  at  least  a  fraction  of  it  off  her  chest  at  last.