Together, Always (TPN x reader fanfic)

Rabbits, Tigers and Canary

"What's wrong?" Ray asks the eight year old (H/c) haired girl while looking away from his book. "I'm just thinking..." She replies as they lean against the tree, he noticed she was more absent minded than usual and closes his book concerned before placing his hand on her forehead, "Well you don't have a fever... are you feeling sick?" He asks her, she shakes her head. "Ray... What do you wanna be when you grow up?" She asks him, catching him by surprise.

'Dead.' He thinks before replying, "Never thought about it, what about you?" "Are you serious? You could be anything with your intellect! C'mon, there has to be something!" "Nope." She pouts.

"Why? Is that what you're so worked up about?" He asks while smirking teasingly, "Don't make fun of me!" She asks flustered while smacking his arm. "Well, you used to say that you wanted to be a florist, what happened to that?" He reminds her which makes her look up at the spring sky above them. "I want to help people, I'm not sure being a florist would help me reach that goal though." She explains, "I have read multiple books about politics, I think they're pretty interesting." Y/n adds. "A politician? Didn't see that one coming. Some say politics are harder than war itself, are you sure about that?" He asks her, oddly into the conversation now.

"Yeah, that's mostly why. Politics are corrupted in so many places, innocent people pay the price of cats dressing up a lions. I want to help those people, even if it's only a bit." She tells him, Ray furrows his eyebrows unknowingly. "You should help yourself first, idiot. It's not like we should be worrying about that now, yes we should put effort on our daily tests but don't think that far ahead." He replies by instinct and making the words come out harsher than planed. She smiles sheepishly, "You're right... But you didn't answer my question from before! Just think of something, please~?" She asks with puppy eyes, causing Ray to have to look away to hide his sudden pink cheeks.

"Fine, I guess as long as I can spend time alongside the person I love I'll just roll with life." He answers, Y/n stands up and places her hands behind her back, Ray followed her action a few seconds later. "Never thought you'd be the romantic type..." She murmurs before speaking up once again while facing her back at Ray and looking at the other kids playing around. "You're right, I'll think of that when I leave the house. For now, as long as I can spend time with you and the others it's enough for me." She says.

Ray reaches to touch her, as if any second now she might disappear to never be seen by him again. Just as he was about to touch her (H/c) strands of hair he stops himself, ' 'When I leave the house'  Huh...' He mentally recalls, his eyes reflecting pure pain "But..." She adds, catching him by surprise. "I'll still find Ray. I promise! Even if you end up in Asia and I in America, I'll definitely find my way back to you. So don't be too sad when I leave, 'kay?" She turns round and winks in the last words.

Ray turns and walks away with his book in hand, leaving Y/n confused before stopping midtrack. "I'm finished with this one, wanna come to the library with me?" He asks with a smile while looking over his shoulder. Y/n smiles before joining him.

--End of flashback--

'Now we just have to wait... It'll be fine, Emma's in a safe distance, so is Oliver. Leuvis won't try to pull anything funny since he wants to play this game fair and square, if you can call it that,  more than anyone.' Y/n mentally tries to convince herself. 'If Phil can stay in Grace Field for two years, you can stare at a 10 and something feet tall demon with a weird monkey-like creature on his shoulder for a few minutes.' She tells herself which seemed to calm her nerves. 'I wonder how Ray's doing...'.

'Ray...I want to hug Ray...' She thinks while recalling all the times he comforted her, calming her nerves even more. 'The others are strong, I'm sure they are doing great. Right now all I have to focus on is distracting Leuvis.' She tells herself as a certain song popped into her mind.