🍼

Despite trying not to be too obvious with it, his insistence that he won't go falling asleep during the race still made her giggle to herself, ducking her head slightly in an attempt to hide it.

Though, when she noticed him select the wrong floor, her amusement faltered, replaced with concern. Was he that tired? Maybe they should go with a movie or something instead so he could rest... She found herself reaching out to select her floor at the same time as him, accidentally bumping his hand in the process with a small "Oop, sorry!" before letting him press the button.

His request earned a nod, since that's a good point, even if she ended up a bit flushed again when he pointed out how warm her cheeks had been earlier. "That's a good idea. I have plenty of water and juice and stuff, so we have options."

After spending the morning doing research on places in Linkon City that offer milk tea, Lily finally found a place that seemed like it would be a nice place to visit and had the coffee milk tea that Xavier mentioned. Plus it wasn't far from a few good places to eat so they'd have options based on what they were feeling up to without having to go all the way across town. Perfect.

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

'I found a place that has that coffee milk tea you mentioned! And it has really good reviews.'

After a moment of thought, she sent another text as well.

'And thank you for walking me home last night. I really appreciated it. It was nice, looking at the stars with you.'

If not for the sporadic texts, Xavier would still be asleep. Outside the birds that often bickered over his balcony were squawking at a volume loudly. The combination of factors is enough to stir him, just barely. He knows its her before having to unlock his phone.

↪[ Audio: I'm awake. I'm up. I'm coming. ]

↪[ It was nice. Let's do it again sometime ]

In a flash he rinses off, takes care of basic hygiene, and is donning a favored hoodie in spite of the weather.

By the time he gets downstairs, he's already rubbing his eyes again as he knocks on the door.

Lily's expression softened at his admission that the cookies were meant to be a surprise. Bless his heart she really can't stay upset with him for any length of time. He's too sweet for that.

Once she was done with cleaning his microwave from the explosion as best as she could, she turned her attention back to him. The music he'd chosen had her absently swaying along, moving over to him to take a look at the state of the recipe paper.

"I'd say that's still pretty legible, yeah." She agreed, smiling up at him. "Then shall we? Do you have enough ingredients for a second attempt?"

[Phone call, Xavier's voice sounds urgent] "I'm in great danger I need you to come downstairs right now. Please! You're the only one that can help. In fact, the entire complex may be in danger if you don't help me stop this right now."

As soon as she registered the urgency and he mentioned 'upstairs', Lily was rushing out of her apartment, only sparing enough time to grab her guns as a precaution.

"I'm on my way!" She reassured as she hurried upthe flight of stairs between them. Her thoughts were already racing a mile a minute, wondering what could possibly be causing Xavier of all people to struggle and call for help, especially without causing much of a ruckus.

By the time she reached his door her heart was pounding and she was braced for a fight.

Lily couldn't help but laugh to herself when listening to his audio message, shaking her head affectionately. He sounded half asleep still, meaning he must just have been waking up. She almost felt bad for potentially waking him, but well... He shouldn't go sleeping the whole day away either.

She'd opted for a simple pair of black slacks, a tank top, and a jacket just in case the shops are cold. She'd already gone through her morning routine, so once he acknowledged he was awake, she made sure she had her wallet and phone, and waited to hear from him again.

When he knocked she was quick to answer the door, offering him a relaxed smile. Seeing how tired he still looked, her expression became more sympathetic. "Did I wake you up?"

After spending the morning doing research on places in Linkon City that offer milk tea, Lily finally found a place that seemed like it would be a nice place to visit and had the coffee milk tea that Xavier mentioned. Plus it wasn't far from a few good places to eat so they'd have options based on what they were feeling up to without having to go all the way across town. Perfect.

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

'I found a place that has that coffee milk tea you mentioned! And it has really good reviews.'

After a moment of thought, she sent another text as well.

'And thank you for walking me home last night. I really appreciated it. It was nice, looking at the stars with you.'

If not for the sporadic texts, Xavier would still be asleep. Outside the birds that often bickered over his balcony were squawking at a volume loudly. The combination of factors is enough to stir him, just barely. He knows its her before having to unlock his phone.

↪[ Audio: I'm awake. I'm up. I'm coming. ]

↪[ It was nice. Let's do it again sometime ]

In a flash he rinses off, takes care of basic hygiene, and is donning a favored hoodie in spite of the weather.

By the time he gets downstairs, he's already rubbing his eyes again as he knocks on the door.

Eᴠᴇɴ Mᴏʀᴇ Iɴᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ Qᴜᴏᴛᴇs Gᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛᴏʀ!

Send in ✏️ and I’ll use this (improved) incorrect quote generator featuring both our muses! (please remember to specify how many muses/which muses for multimuses!)

She didn't resist the suggestion, even as her cheeks flushed at the proximity. She doesn't have the energy to try and be more independent, and is content for now to enjoy the company while she can.

"That sounds like a good plan." She agreed, looking up at him with a quirked brow in response to him doubting himself. "I have a feeling you know me better than you think. Or at least, better than you let on. I don't imagine that I'm difficult to figure out, either."

Turning her attention forward again so she wouldn't risk tripping over her own feet and taking a moment to tuck her hair behind her ear, not used to having it down while she's out and about, she hummed. "So, who should start with the questions?"

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

Send me a prompt!

~

Normally, Lily tries to be fully aware of her surroundings. Working as a Hunter means she shouldn't let her guard down, especially when by herself. Who knows what threats are just waiting for a chance to strike, after all?

Though normally, Lily doesn't have to resort to late night walks to try and clear her mind so that she can sleep.

Suddenly hearing a voice nearby startles her out of her own thoughts, immediately setting her on alert. Her head whipped around towards the source, her posture tense and ready for a fight. Once she finally recognized Xavier, she let out a slow breath that ended in a sheepish laugh.

"Xavier!" She half-greeted, half-scolded.

Once she finally processed his warning, she offered what she hoped came across as a reassuring smile. "I know, I know. But I'm a big girl, I can handle going for a little starlit walk before bed." She teased, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down further so her heart wasn't pounding so hard in her chest.

"What about you? You're out rather late too."

"Oh, wait! Before you leave, what color do you think the jacket should b—" Not looking away from the clothing rack in front of her, she grabs the sleeve of the person nearest to her without thinking, and realizes a little too late that it felt... Different. She turns, blinking; the person she'd been talking to had left, and beside her instead was...

"Wait, you're—! Lily?! You're Lily, right?! Oh, my god, I am so sorry, I totally thought you were someone else! Gosh, and this is the first time I'm actually talking to you, too..."

—&&. @kaiakaya 🤍

Lily was more than a little startled to suddenly feel her sleeve grabbed while she was looking for a new jacket to replace her favorite one that has... been through it. It's getting a few small holes in it but she's already mended it so many times it's time to retire it.

She blinked in surprise at Kaia for a moment before she started laughing, keeping it relatively quiet for the moment so they don't draw too much attention.

"Yes, I'm Lily. You're Kaia, right?" She asked, hoping she doesn't make a fool of herself.

At Kaia's concerns about how this is the first time they're speaking, she shook her head with a smile and waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright, don't worry!" She reassured easily "Do you need help finding the person you're here with?" She offered, tilting her head slightly.

Lily couldn't help a small huff when seeing that Xavier had been no better than her about listening to suggestions to sit down and rest, not that there was any heat to her expression either. Instead she finally sat down beside him, her expression softening in gratitude when he explained the reason for the icepack.

She accepted it, but set it aside for the moment to focus on him, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration as she took in the injuries she'd be able to see. With that, she opened the first aid kit to get to work doing what she can.

"I'll be okay too," she finally reassured, her voice quiet as her gaze remained completely fixed on her hands and what she was doing, "Once you're all patched up, we can just... relax."

Perhaps it's because she's so used to feeling like this, or she didn't spare a glance at herself in the mirror while in the bathroom, or a more deep-rooted reason she doesn't have the energy to unpack right now, but she'd much prefer he focus on himself first.

"I'm fine, don't worry... it's just a scratch. What about you? Isn't it a nope day? You should lie down..."

"I'm still going to worry," she insisted stubbornly, her eyebrows furrowed, "Sit down for now, I'll be right back."

As much as she knows she should listen to him and sit down, trust him to tend to himself, not over do it... She can't help but fuss. Is she going to pay for it later? Probably. But it's worth it to know he's okay now.

So she shuffled her way to the bathroom, grabbing a hair tie and messily pulling it back and out of the way for the time being. Once relatively satisfied with that, and once again dismissing the thought that short hair would be easier to deal with on days like this, she grabbed her first aid kit from under the sink and shuffled her way back to Xavier.

Lily's clever, she'd figure it out! Plus the idea motivates her more to try and get strong enough to carry him, whether he's asleep or hurt.

She opted instead to let out a small laugh, letting him move her hands as he pleased. "Only for a moment, to not completely blind ourselves." She hummed, following him to the crosswalk. "Besides, I like a challenge." She teased with a grin.

She did get her phone out though to check her map, humming as she double checked their path, nodding to herself. No getting lost today!

After spending the morning doing research on places in Linkon City that offer milk tea, Lily finally found a place that seemed like it would be a nice place to visit and had the coffee milk tea that Xavier mentioned. Plus it wasn't far from a few good places to eat so they'd have options based on what they were feeling up to without having to go all the way across town. Perfect.

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

'I found a place that has that coffee milk tea you mentioned! And it has really good reviews.'

After a moment of thought, she sent another text as well.

'And thank you for walking me home last night. I really appreciated it. It was nice, looking at the stars with you.'

If not for the sporadic texts, Xavier would still be asleep. Outside the birds that often bickered over his balcony were squawking at a volume loudly. The combination of factors is enough to stir him, just barely. He knows its her before having to unlock his phone.

↪[ Audio: I'm awake. I'm up. I'm coming. ]

↪[ It was nice. Let's do it again sometime ]

In a flash he rinses off, takes care of basic hygiene, and is donning a favored hoodie in spite of the weather.

By the time he gets downstairs, he's already rubbing his eyes again as he knocks on the door.

( Jump - sender jumps on receivers back - @lily-of-the-linkon )

Lily grinned when seeing Jeremiah wasn't paying attention to her, a mischievous little plan forming in her head.

Putting her training to the test, she carefully approached him from behind. She kept her movements as silent as possible, slowly lifting her arms to brace herself for step two.

When she was finally within reach of the (unsuspecting?) man, she lunged to jump on his back. While she was careful not to knock him over if she could help it, she was still dramatic.

Almost immediately after 'impact', she couldn't help but break into giggles, shifting to at least attempt to look at his face. "Hi Jer~" she greeted with playfully exaggerated casualness.

"What the- ah!"

The sudden surprise and sensation of warmth pressed against his back shocked him enough to let out a yelp in surprise, but the familiarity of the voice immediately calmed his instincts.

He adjusts his grip to ensure her safety but doesn't put her down.

"Stars, Lilyyyy! Where did you come from!? How did you manage to be so quiet!?"

What are you seeking? - HOME

"i wish i could say i am a light that never goes out, but i flicker from time to time." 

oh, little one, you have burned for so quietly for so long, haven't you? burnt yourself out trying to give others light? wishing, desperately, that they would notice the way your hands shake or the wildflower bruises under your tired eyes. but they never have, have they? and so, it obviously wasn't bad? right? you had more to give, didn't you? how much could you pour yourself out before they noticed? it is all you've ever known, after all. help, help, help, help. (are you providing it, or begging for it?)

but you've given too much, spread yourself too thin, didn't you? you are so heavy, so tired. you have spent your life carrying for others the way you wished someone would care for you. but you're worried, aren't you? that if you can't be what they need, if you can't be the pillar for others to lean on, they'll leave you.

what you seek is home, a safe place to rest and be taken care of. and little light, you deserve it. you have earned it. you are worth more than what you can provide for others: you deserve the same care you so freely give out. they will love you all the same, honey. set down the world, and rest that weary heart of yours

Tagged by @mikiquette ! Thank you so much!

Tagging: @dolasach , @deepspacepunk , aaaand anyone else who wants to do this!