cherry [fezco]

1.0

Juniper opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. "They might?"

Rue chuckled and shook her head. "Not a chance," she stuck the cash back into the bag. "I think it's time to tell Fez."

*

Juniper rubbed her hands together to create some heat before looking around her surroundings for Fez. Her nerves started to grow the more she waited. Juniper reached down to flatten out her skirt, fidgeting with the seems.

"Yo, Red," She heard, and instantly twisted toward the calling of her name. Fez walked toward her with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," She replied, exhaling slowly. Juniper squinted slightly at the odd behavior from Fez. He was typically quiet, but he seemed more reserved standing in front of her than she had ever seen. Fez kept his head down, and avoided her eye contact as much as possible. "Fez," Juniper reached out and brushed her hand against his arm. "You okay?"

"Before we do anythin', I gotta tell you something," Fez ignored her inquiry and concern. "That okay?"

Juniper nodded her head lightly. "Of course," she softly smiled to calm herself down. "I was actually goin to tell you something too."

"Yeah?" Fez asked, barely picking his head up.

"Yeah," Juniper echoed with a gentle chuckle. "you can go first though, it seems more important."

Fezco nodded, and started to walk away from the commotion. Juniper followed close behind. The two walked to a bench next to a few broken down water fountains. It was quieter there, and seemed liked a good place for the two to talk. They wouldn't have to speak over the loud carnival music or the crowds of people.

"So," Juniper breathed with a grin. The two sat on the bench, and Juniper turned to Fez. His left knee was bouncing, a nervous tick Juniper had never seen from the boy. He rolled his knuckles between his fingertips and exhaled slowly. "Fez?" She asked and ducked her head down a little to be able to see his eyes. An airy laugh left her lips. "What was it you wanted to talk about?" Fez stayed silent, and his knee started to bounce a little harder. "Come on," Juniper urged, her heartbeat fluttering with nerves. "You're starting to scare me... I mean is it that bad?"

Fez tilted his head toward her a little, pulling at the skin on his bottom lip. "Look," He breathed, voice filled with anxious wavers. "I think we should stay away from each other for a while."

Juniper's stomach dropped at his words, and she felt her breath get stolen from her lungs. "What?" She stammered. "I-I don't understand?"

Fez ran a hand over his face as he thought on how to reply. "The other night with Mouse really had me fucked up," He confessed quietly. "Made me realize I'm not the safest person to be around and I don't want you to deal with none of my shit."

Juniper felt her lip give the slightest quiver. "but," She sighed harshly to keep herself from exposing too many emotions. "But what If I want to be around you?"

Fez shook his head slowly. "Thats not a good idea, Juniper."

"Why?" She argued. "So it's unsafe, so what?"

"I can't have you 'round when I'm doin' all this risky shit," Fez held his hands on the back of his neck. "I just can't."

Juniper dug her teeth into her bottom lip to prevent herself from crying. She couldn't place why her emotions were getting the best of her, but it was just one of those situations where tears were armed and ready to fire. "I don't care thats it's risky."

"I do--"

"Risking shit doesn't mean anything to me Fez," Juniper cut him off, the emotion catching up to her voice. "I just wanna be around you," she felt a tear slip down her cheek. "Please?"