I woke up to a bright sunrise blinding me. I was laying on a patch of grass, his jacket wrapped around me tightly. I sat up and slid his jacket on. After a moment, I took if off.
And I put it back on again.
I really needed to get my feelings in order.
Phoenix was sitting on a rock, watching the sunrise, his wings hovering just above the ground. I walked over to him and sat down. "Good morning," he murmured, not looking at me.
"Good morning," I replied. "How did you sleep?"
He shifted his wings, uncomfortable. "I didn't."
"You didn't sleep?" He shook his head and looked at me, his eyes sad. "Why?" He shrugged and laid his hand on his thigh, his fingers twitching. "Why?" I repeated.
I watched his hand creep over to where my own was resting. This was the moment I had to tell him no, that I couldn't fall in love again. This was the moment where I had to put my foot down. I wouldn't have time for a relationship, I couldn't get hurt again.
His hand rested on mine, a question.
I laced my fingers through his and he smiled. Peter's eyes burned in my mind, the tears dotting my skin. But as his hand warmed mine and his wing drifted around me to protect me, I felt something different.
I felt safe.
"Phoenix-"
"Just say the word, Raven, and I'll stop," he said, not breaking eye contact with me. "Just tell me no and I will stop, I promise you. I know you've been through a lot, but I want to help you."
I looked at him, watching tears form in his eyes.
"I know that we don't each other very well, but I like you. And I just want you to be better."
I reached up and wiped the tears away from his face. I didn't say anything, just leaned my head on his shoulder. He leaned his head on mine and we watched the sunrise.
Oh, what trouble my heart was in.
The sun washed over the land, dipping the trees in golden orange. Out of nowhere, I started crying.
"Hey," he whispered. "What's wrong?"
"I killed him," I sobbed out. "I killed them all."
He didn't say anything, just held me tightly while I cried, my pain bubbling up to the surface and overflowing.
* * *
Once I recovered, we ate apples he had in his bag while we walked. He didn't want to get caught flying in daylight, so we would just walk for a while. With a burst of fire, his wings disappeared again.
We walked for a while, talking about a lot of different things, including his childhood and my own. Nothing of importance, just getting to know each other, slowly. We walked until midday when we took another break.
This would be a very long week.