"What am I doing, what am I doing?" Peri whispered to herself, speeding through Athena as she made her way to Rogue's house in the middle of the night. This was a habit of hers, just showing up on Rogue's doorstep with an awkward smile. The moon looked down at her with disappointment and Peri could feel it. She was disappointed in herself too.

It was just the way that bastard exists. Everything about him offends her like the way his hair is tied into a little bun, mocking her as her hands itched to feel his loose strands, the way he has this smile that makes her feel weak in the knees that was surely unfair and the way his expressive brown eye makes her skin burn when it meets hers as if she was standing on the very sun. The bandaged half of his face didn't help either with the way it just makes him stand out from the crowd. All of those things had this strange effect on her. He had this strange effect on her, a rather strong one.

Peri never brought those feelings out, rather bottling them up with denial. All of the things she was feeling felt too familiar and nostalgic. She thought teasing Rogue would drift her away from them, but instead they did the complete opposite.

"Moonbathing this late, hon?" a voice broke her away from her thoughts. Peri sighed, stopping in her tracks as she thought I'm busted.

"You caught me, Kilo, gosh darn it," Peri forced a smile as she turned to face her best friend. She raised her shoulders, turning with the heel of her foot. She wore a rather plain gray shirt and leggings for the night, deciding that her usual outfit was a little too uncomfortable at this hour. "But I promise, this won't happen ever again."

"It's not the fact that this could happen again that concerns me, it's the reason why," Kilo walked up to her, cupping her face like her usual mother-friend self. Peri grew accustomed to it, pouting as she refused to meet Kilo's challenging gaze. "Peri, look at me please."

"Why am I still feeling this way? I thought I moved on after everything?" Peri's voice almost cracked, looking back at Kilo who gave her a gentle smile. Peri held in any unnecessary tears, figuring that now was not the best time to break.

"Sometimes our feelings are just too unpredictable, hon," Kilo whispered.

"What should I do, Kilo?" Peri almost whimpered.

Kilo thought for a moment, quite unsure what to say. But when she met Peri's eyes again, she smiled with confidence. "I think you should confront those feelings. Go up to Rogue and confront him with everything you feel. It might sound bold but.. It's for closure. Talk to him."

"What if it backfires and he doesn't wanna be my friend anymore?"

"Hon, you've known him for a long time, we both have. We both know that he's not that kind of guy. He's your friend, hon," Kilo brushed Peri's hair and placed the strands behind her ear. She caressed her cheekbones gently. "And if he does turn out to be that kind of guy, you can bet that I will cut that little hair bun behind his head."

Peri held back an amused laugh, channeling it into a chuckle as she thanked her best friend. After preparing to confront the most handsome man in her eyes, she was making her way proudly to Rogue's house. Kilo promised to accompany her on the way there, dropping her off at Rogue's front door.

"You got this?"

"I got this,"

"You got this!"

"I got this!" Peri whispered loudly to herself mainly, grinning widely as she knocked on the door. Kilo bid her good luck and quickly walked away.

Yet, the door remained close. No light emitted from the window and no noise could be heard from the inside. Peri was growing nervous. I knew it. This was a bad idea. I should not have come here at a time like this-- I need to find Kilo-

"Periwinkle?" Rogue's gentle voice cut her back to reality, startling her as a squeak escaped her lips. Dang it Rogue, why'd you have to say my name like that? You're making this way harder than it should be. "Hey, you okay?"

"Oh! Rogue, hey, I was just meaning to ask you something! Heh," Peri started, enchanted at the way the light of his house outlined his figure. She could barely make out his face from the dark. Yet, she could feel his gaze focused on her and she felt all the more pressured. She forced a smile, crossing her arms tightly. She refused to return the gaze. "Hehe, um, can we talk about this inside?"

"Yeah, yeah! Of course," he stepped aside to let her in, arranging his things along the way. He chuckled meekly. "Sorry, it's a mess."

"No worries! If anything, I think it brings out the best in you," Peri walked around the house quietly, trying to find the right words to say in the meantime.

"Is that so?" he chuckled. "It's just that I usually clean during the weekdays when you usually visit-"

"Wait, you keep track of the days I visit?" Peri tilted her head. She watched as Rogue stiffened, forcing a laugh out of him. This man, sometimes.

"I mean, why not? It'd be embarrassing if I wasn't prepared to see you," he scoffed off his shoulder, making his way to the kitchen mindlessly. Peri followed, shaking her head in disbelief. It was difficult to contain a smile around him. That was another thing about Rogue. He always knew how to make her smile without even trying.

"Hey Rogue, I need to tell you something," Peri started, momentarily meeting Rogue's gaze when she mentions his name. He seemed just as surprised as her when he reacted so quickly. He looked unsteady. "Rogue, are you okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I am," His voice sounded empty and shallow. Peri watched his hands, every movement slow and careful. She grew worried. Before she could say anything, Rogue changed the subject swiftly. "Hey, have you eaten dinner yet? I'd sure love to have dinner with you. Any cravings?"

"Aww! Rogue, I'd- wait a minute it's 12 o'clock. Ro, have you not eaten dinner yet?"

"... Unrelated! I'll get you some ice cream sundae."

Peri gasped. "My favorite!"

~~~

Peri sat on the couch, eating her ice cream sundae in a bowl. She held the spoon in her slender fingers, feeling its steel material. Dang it, it happened again. How does he do it? Peri put the empty bowl down on the coffee table. The gentle thud of the bowl broke the silence and as odd as it is, it made the entire house even quieter. Where is Rogue, anyway?

"Rogue?" Peri stood up, looking around the house. She began walking when she received no answer. The silence felt somewhat familiar. With silent steps, she searched through the whole house. When she arrived at the bathroom in particular, she heard incoherent mumbling. She stood behind the door, listening closely to every word.

"What am I supposed to tell her? What is there to say?"

Without even thinking, Peri knocked on the door instinctively.

Crap. Why did I do that?

"Periwinkle?" Rogue's voice alerted her. There was shuffling from inside the bathroom. Peri didn't dare open the door but she grew anxious. What was he talking about? Did he overhear me and Kilo outside? Is he going to say we can't be best friends anymore?

"Peri, I was meaning to ask you if-"

"WOAH! Woah, woah, woah," Peri quickly interrupted, her smile gently crooked as she made her way to Rogue. She grasped his hands and held them up, leaving no space between them. Their eyes met. "Rogue, I know this is going to be weird for the both of us but I know what you're going to do. And as much as I want you to know that-"

"Periwinkle, what are you talking about? I was just going to ask you if you've been okay lately. You seem off," He held her hands back, trying to see through her. "You're my best friend and I have the right to know what's going on. So what's going on?"

Well, crap.

"I..." she glanced down to look at their hands intertwined. His fingers were gently calloused and warm, but they were tender. Her hands will never feel so lonely again.

The bathroom was so quiet, but it felt so cramped with the way they were so close. So much for subtlety, Peri scoffed internally. But she liked this feeling. She absolutely loved it.

"I know you just asked me a question but.." she looked into his warm hazel eye. Always so expressive and easy to get lost into. "Can I hug you?"

Rogue gave his sincerest smile and spread his arms out wide. Rogue was only ever a fan of hugs for Peri but she knew that. Peri gladly embraced him, burying her face on his chest. His arms wrapped around her ever so tightly.

Every single emotion inside of her seemed to suffocate from the hug, yearning its release. She managed to keep her tears in but the words felt too painful to contain.

"I haven't been able to sleep, Ro. Food lost its taste, I can't think straight-- Why is it all so familiar?"

Rather than returning with words, Rogue laid a hand on the back of her head and ran his fingers through her hair. Her strands were so soft and they smelled of strawberry. The scent matched her perfectly, the guy thought. She's full of spirit, righteousness, and love. She's practically perfect in his book.

"I know exactly why, Peri. And I'm sorry. I know it's not what you want to hear right now but I'm sorry. I promised myself that this wouldn't happen to you again. I promised you. You don't deserve this at all." He gently tugged her hair.

No, Rogue never saw her as helpless even at this very moment. Rogue never understood how his past self could ever overlook that. Past Rogue was too blind to see that everything he could have ever wanted was right in front of him all along. What an idiot.

"Periwinkle, I want you to take off my bandages."

"What?" Peri glanced up at him. "No, Rogue, I can't do that-"

"But don't you want to see my entire face? It's inevitable for you to ask anyway."

"That is not true. I know that I can be invasive at times but I would never go that far," she backed away. It's true, she can forget how to stay in her own personal bubble at times.

"It's only fair, Peri. Please," He tried not to be clingy and grab her hands right at that moment. He needed to show some restraint.

"Are you sure?"

"I have never been more sure in my entire life," he joked around with a smirk.

"Just so you know, I'm not doing this just to make things fair but only because you're asking for it." She stated sternly but returned the smirk.

"Fine by me."

"Fine."

Peri hesitantly reached for the bandages around his head, pulling them off with a tender pace. Peri swore that she could feel goosebumps everywhere but she resisted to give in to the excitement inside. She felt like she was breaking down every wall separating them both. But those walls were like a pristine fruit that gets spoiled overtime, and yet you can easily break through them. It's not the prettiest experience, but it gets things out of the way.

As soon as all the bandages fell to the floor, Peri covered her eyes. She wasn't prepared. Not yet. Not now. "I can't do it, Rogue. Not like this."

"Well there's no going back now. The bandages are everywhere," He chuckled lightly, slowly pulling her hands away from her face. Still, Peri kept her eyes shut. Rogue laughed and cupped her cheeks and caressed them lovingly. "I'd love to see your beautiful eyes right now, Periwinkle."

Peri sighed and opened her eyes. She met Rogue's gorgeous brown eye that smiled with his mouth. The scarred side of his face was certainly textured with reddish marks. His fun little hairbangs covered most of his forehead and Peri remained frozen.

"Sorry, it's a mess," He looked away for a moment.

"No worries! If anything, I think it brings out the best in you." She sobbed with a clumsy smile, feeling Rogue's calloused fingers wipe her tears away. She pressed her hands on top of his which rested on her face. She was quite surprised that she could actually form words.

"Does it live to your expectations?" He asked suddenly, feeling self-conscious of his face as usual.

Peri could barely express how much he exceeded all of her expectations. "I know you just asked me a question but.." She chuckled ever so sweetly. "Can I kiss you?"

He nodded without a second thought and Peri's lips met his lips in an instant. She could feel his hands lift her up by waist as she stood on her toes to meet his height. The kiss was tender and gentle, no space was left between them and yet the room didn't feel cramped at all. They felt free and loose.

Peri tugged on his shirt while Rogue held the back of her hair with one hand. The other pulled her somehow even closer. They would pant between kisses to catch their breaths because the deeper their kiss grew, the more they felt that it was long overdue.

Even though they wish it wouldn't stop, they needed to breathe at some point. Rogue panted with eyes closed, resting his forehead on Peri's. She smiled weakly and wrapped her arms around his neck, unable to look away from the absolute beauty in front of her. She laughed and didn't know why, but he looked beautiful in her eyes. She took in the sight as much as she could. What was she here for again? Peri completely forgot the whole point of this visit. With ease, she planted a kiss onto his nose.

"What was that for?" Rogue laughed breathlessly.

"I love you, Rogue Con." She replied broadly without a thought.

"I love you too, Peri Jackson," He confessed genuinely.

Their lips met for a moment once again and it was practically difficult to pull them apart.

~~~

"How did things go last night, hon?" Kilo inquired, scooching closer towards Peri on the bench. The sun was up and bright, citizens were out and celebrating life like the usual Athena life. "Did you confront him? Did he hurt you?"

"What? No, no, he most certainly didn't hurt me!" Peri blushed, looking off to the side.

"Then what did happen last night, Peri?" Tris interrogated. Kilo told him everything as soon as Peri entered Rogue's house and now Tris couldn't stop asking these questions. "Don't tell me you guys-"

"Nothing happened!" Peri crossed her arms in denial, blushing even harder. These two really give mom vibes, she thought.

"Then tell us what happened, Peri!" They were almost begging to know. Peri rolled her eyes and smiled, catching Rogue with James from the corner of her eye. She looked at them, mainly Rogue. Rogue had the bandages over his face once again. He laughed when James said a particular thing and Peri wished she could hear his soft laugh. The same kind of laugh from last night.

Rogue spotted Peri from the distance as well. He smiled and waved ever so slightly. He noticed how Kilo and Tris were bothering her so Peri shrugged with a grin. They could literally read each other's mind and Rogue decided to give her space to save her from more trouble. But before he could, he nodded his head pointedly towards the side.

'See you later?'

'Oh, I'll see you alright, Con. You can bet your beautiful face that.'

A/N

This took too long to write <:( Hope ya'll liked reading this <:0