You Owe Me Two

Chapter 29 - Words Spoken

××Zypher××

I shifted my eyes away from my tiny fairy and watched as the Fairy King landed. Dust kicked up under him where his metal boots hit the ground. It settled as he too looked at his land. His silvery armor was now coated in blood, I'm sure some of his own, and his hair was knotted and frizzy. But even with all of the dishevelled appearances and tired eyes, the group of fairies still managed to look strong and powerful.

"Lend the trees your power, my fairies. I know you are tired but the earth needs our help," The king said, his voice was quieter, more subdued this time but held authority all the same.

Without complaint, the fairies walked forward and set their hands upon the burnt trees or bushes closest to them. The ones near the middle set their hands upon the blackened earth. Their eyes slid closed and a soft white light began to spread under their fingers. The light danced across the burnt bark or the charred leaves and began to heal the damage. It ran across the ground and spread through the entire clearing.

Water focused fairies took to the skies and used their powers to douse the remaining flames.

Grass started to grow and small plants popped to life where the light touched and soon it was flowing towards where I stood. With nowhere else to go, I stayed put and let it slip under my feet and to the foliage behind me.

In minutes, the clearing looked as green as ever. The trees I'm sure were here before were gone but in their place sat grassy plains and small plants, the beginnings of new life.

My eyes shot back over to the fairies where they all seemed to heave a collective sigh. Slowly, the magnificent details on their bodies began to fade away. The symbols on Wilds arms melted into her skin and her wings returned to the simple ones I knew. Her hair fell back around her body, no longer lit, but just as messy as the other fighters.

I found myself walking over to her, even though I hadn't even begun to think about what I was going to say. Wilds eyes were shut and she was leaning against a renewed tree for support as I approached. Her shoulders were sagged; she looked so tired.

She didn't say a word, leading me to believe she didn't know of my presence near her. I reached a hand out and with much hesitation, set it on her shoulder.

Her eyes flickered open, exhaustion evident in her golden orbs. I couldn't stop the frown that slipped onto my face at the sight.

"I'm sorry." The words slipped from my mouth in a rush. I could barely understand them myself but Wild must have as she tilted her head before responding.

"Why?" Wild asked after a moment, her tired eyes never leaving my face. Her question caught me off guard. I expected her to yell at me, to tell me I was stupid, and that she wasn't going to forgive me anytime soon. Maybe never.

"I only wanted to protect you," I began, already feeling weird about speaking about this, "Danger always follows me and I wanted you to be safe and happy. I thought leaving you here would be the best option for both," I said. My head dropped, ashamed of leaving behind the only person who's ever shown that much care for me.

"That's dumb Zypher," the words stung. "You stay close to the people you care about so you can protect them. And I was never going to be happy here without you," Wild said sternly. My gaze lifted and I was met with Wilds eyes, hard with anger.

"Wild, you are the only thing that's ever brought me this kind of happiness," I paused, struggling with my words, "Where I feel free, where I can be who I really am. I know I don't always do the right thing but you were the light my life needed. It was like the sunshine lighting up the dark," I laughed a bit at my own metaphor.

"You are like my own personal sunshine," I mumbled.

I glanced up at Wilds' eyes again, having a hard time focusing on them. They held no inkling to what she was feeling, the anger had dissipated into nothingness.

"I- I love you," I forced out, "Would you ever consider giving me a second chance? To love you properly and treat you how you deserve to be treated." My voice cracked embarrassingly at the end but that's not what my mind was stuck on. I had said the three short words my father had told me never to utter. He believed feelings like that brought on weakness but I wanted Wild to know how much she meant to me.

I was okay with having a weakness if it was her.

I wanted her to know that I thought it was cute when she buried her head into the pillows in the morning, desperately trying to stop me from waking her up. I wanted her to know that even though I've never done hair a day in my life, I wanted to learn for her. I wanted her to know tha-

My internal rambling was cut off when soft lips pressed against my own. I wrapped my arms around Wilds lower back, being careful of her folded wings, and pulled her flush against me without a thought. She stood on her tip toes and I leaned down, wanting to be closer.

Wilds small fingers gripped tightly against my jacket as I ran my hand up her back and tangled it into her red hair, further increasing the mess that it had become. The strands felt soft still and I couldn't believe how much I missed the simple action of running my fingers through her long locks.

Wild pulled back for air and I set our foreheads together, not satisfied with having her that far away.

"Does that mean yes?" I asked, hopefully. Our eyes locked and Wild's breathtaking smile made an appearance.

"Of course it does Zypher," Wild said, pulling me in for a hug. She nestled into my neck while I squeezed her tightly against me.

"I love you too." Wilds words were soft but they captivated my entire being. I crushed her impossibly closer and let out a content sigh. This is where we were meant to be.

In each other's arms.

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Original Version A/N:
Gonna be honest here, can't remember if they said I love you in a different chapter and it's 1:20 so I'm not gonna check
(Can confirm now that this is the first time they said I love you)

It's a bit of a sappy ending for the chapter but that's alright. There's only two more chapters to go, things are finally winding down for my babies.