Gunned | SatoSere

Chapter 9 - Alike Hearts

"This might give you a scar," Ash says, breaking the silence.

Serena resists the urge to laugh at the irony because he says it almost regretfully and it's ridiculous to say the least. "That's okay. Guess that just means I'll look more like the rest of you."

Ash spares a smile at her attempt to feign nonchalance. "You're taking this surprisingly well, Serena."

And there it is, the dance around the subject coming to an end. Serena sinks into her chair a little bit more, flexing her hands again as if expecting an answer to drop right into her palms. But despite how she feels or doesn't feel about Ash, she trusts him.

"I'm not quite sure how I should feel about it." Her eyes pan to his inquisitive gaze. "Is there something I should feel?"

Ash exhales through his nose, scratching the back of his head, searching for the thought. Serena, despite herself, thinks it's a cute look on him.

"I can't say. It's been a long time since..." he trails off, his lips slanting downwards.

Serena's eyes drop to her lap. "Yeah, that's understandable." On a whim, she reaches her other hand to lay on top of the back of his that's still resting on her arm. Ash's fingers spread to let them slot with hers, filling the spaces between and she wants to desperately belong there. She sighs. "Is it okay if I don't feel anything?"

Ash brings up his hand to brush a kiss to the backs of her fingers, her knuckles, and eventually her wrist. It paints hope right along Serena's veins and she's ready to dive in blind once again. But in the same moment, a fatigue washes over her entire body like a midnight cloak and instead, she drops her forehead to his collarbone, lingering. She feels his head tilt to rest her temple against the crown of her hair and she sighs in content, taking in his scent of cologne.

"I'm honestly tired," Serena mutters.

Fingers comb through her hair once like a breeze before Ash nods, a soft whisper against her ear so gentle Serena would've never imagined the life he leads. "Okay, beautiful."

In her room, the tea that Misty and Dawn leave on her bedside table is a kind sentiment, but unfortunately it doesn't do anything to help the restlessness in her limbs. No matter how she tosses and turns, sleep doesn't find her until she eventually gives up, throwing her comforter halfway across the bed in frustration. The images in the rain still play when she closes her eyes and she can hear the shudder of the gunshots in her ear.

She drags a clammy palm down the front of her face, sweeping her fingers into her tousled hair. The pads of her socks hit the wooden floor as slides off her bed. Standing in the center of her room, it occurs to her how much everything has really changed. Just months before, she was designing outfits, wholeheartedly greeting customers and now, blood runs down her clothing and stains her hands to the point she can't find herself to care about the act itself.

Surely, anyone else in the world would cast judgement on a murderer. But she walks briskly toward her door, turning the handle to one of the few people that would dare stand in awe of who she has become. Her feet carry her down the hall and a pair of even bigger ornate doors settle before her, knowing exactly who they belonged to. Before she loses her nerve, she knocks softly on the wood and tries to hide the fact that she's holding her breath.

The door creaks open and Serena doesn't miss the surprise on Ash's face, shirtless with a pair sweatpants. It's comforting to know these little bits of him that aren't so different from normal people and she feels a little better for showing up in her own crop top and shorts glory. The door opens wider and he steps aside wordlessly.

"I couldn't really sleep," Serena explains before she's asked, taking a view of Ash's room that's similar to her own.

There's a large walk-in closet, windows up to the ceiling that have a clear view of the city night skyline, a few books stacked on a bookshelf, and if she shouldn't be surprised enough, several guns and spears resting on displays on the far wall. Ash closes the door behind him, carefully approaching Serena because the sentiment is obvious. They're alone in his room.