Thank you everyone for being so patient with me!! I will try my best to get the last two one shots for RayEmma Week out today!!

Emma carefully placed her yellow hair pin over her green one and after clipping it she slowly moves her hands away from her hair and sighs in relief when it doesn't finally fall apart. But barely seconds after that many pieces of her hair start to fall out of the clips or stick out. Emma puffs out her cheeks to prevent herself from groaning in frustration but fails by doing it anyway.

"What's wrong?"

She turns to the source of the voice, Ray, her best friend. It was early in the morning and the duo decided to search for some clues for the 7 Walls before breakfast.

Emma gave him a grin as she turned her attention back to her hair.

"I lost one of my hair clips, and now it won't stay." She had noticed the other day that her blue hair clip was missing; it usually kept her hair together and prevented it from falling or sticking out. But now that it's gone her hair refuses to stay put. Without looking at her, Ray motions with his hand for her to come closer.

"Come here." Emma can't help but to jump back a bit.

"No."

"Emma, come over here."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you're going to hit me!"

Ray stutters for a bit before saying, "Why would hit you!?"

"Because you're going to scold me for losing the hair clip."

"Emma, just get over here!"

"No!"

Ray glares at her in annoyance for a bit before sighing and closing his book. He sets it aside and stands up from his spot on the ground and makes his way to Emma, which makes her take a step back while putting her arms in a defensive position. Ray stops and clicks his tongue in annoyance at her actions.

"Stop, I'm not going to hit you, I promise."

She looks at him with a skeptical expression for a few seconds until she lets out a sigh and puts her arms down. He then continues to make his way over to Emma and when he reaches her side he slips the hair clips off in a swift motion. Ray takes a few steps back before sitting himself on the floor crisscrossed; he pats the space in front of him while looking at her in the eyes.

"Sit." He says, and Emma gives him a face while she opens her mouth to ask why, but he tilts his head and smiles at her before she can.

"Just sit, I know what I'm doing."

Emma continues to look at him before her face softens and she walks over to him and sits down in the same place he was patting. With her hair clips still in his hand, he scoots closer to her, causing Emma to lightly flinch as a million butterflies enter and swarm her stomach.

He holds the clips out to her. "Hold these." He says and she carefully takes them from him—making sure that their hands don't touch—and then Ray gets to work. He reaches out and starts to comb her hair with his short nails before separating them into three parts. His fingers brush against her cheek every now and then and he always mutters out a 'sorry' every time.

Emma feels an all too familiar feeling of warmth take over and spread throughout her chest. She tries her best to keep looking forward, but her eyes betray her and she looks over at her best friend.

He's not looking at her, he's paying attention the small part of her hair that he's braiding. His face is of upmost concentration as his fingers weave their way through her hair. And Emma thinks to herself that she's never seen Ray look at something with such a deep gaze. But she's soon proven wrong when over a handful of memories of him looking at her with that same gaze rush into her head. But there's something else in that gaze, something that she can't quite put her finger on.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that when she came back to reality she felt how his movements slowed just a bit, and that his gaze was no longer on her hair, but on her. And that now his deep gaze has the same thing in his eyes that he has in her memories. But what is it called?

She feels panic—and embarrassment—rise up in her chest and cheeks, and in a split second she looks away from him and back to the front. She plays with the pins in her hands while biting her cheek as she feels his movements go back to normal.

She knew what was happening—what she was feeling, heck that was the whole reason she suggested to him that they should get up early and search for clues together. It was thanks to Gilda that she realized that her feelings towards Ray were changing. She had a crush on him for a few months now. At first she questioned why, but one day, out of the blue, it just clicked to her as of why.

Almost everyone in this shelter knew that Ray and Emma were less like siblings and more like friends. Even back when Norman was alive and it was three of them not two, a trio not a duo, their family always commented about it. And now that it was only the two of them, it was only a matter of time before the pair became closer.

It was only natural that she would fall for him sooner or later. But it was so much more than thinking he was cute or whatever. Yes, Ray was kind to their family, she liked—more like loved—the way he would talk to their younger siblings and played and took care of them. But it was their friendship itself that made her realize why she liked him so much.

It was the way he always made sure she was okay, and how—as much as it annoyed her—he always asked if she was alright if she got hurt during their travels. She liked how even the slightest, smallest scratch was like a stab wound in his eyes. He was her rock, every time Emma thought or felt like she was alone, every time she felt like the brave face she put on her family was about to crack, he appeared. He would walk into her room unannounced and silently hug her, placing his chin on top of her head while quietly rocking her back and forth. Tears would be shed; her doubts and fears would be shared with him. And even without him saying a word she felt better.

He never forced her to do anything she didn't want to do—unless she was making a big deal out of something stupid or small—he always made sure she was okay with something before doing it. Her comfort was one of the most important things to him.

Though he never said it, her happiness was his. She could tell, every time he snuck a glance at her when they found a new clue, or when something just made her really happy and she can't help but to smile, he thought he was being slick when in reality she caught him in the corner of her eyes every single time. And she loved the smile that appeared on his lips each and every time.

It was the way he would tease her over the smallest or silliest things. And she would tease him back; after all, Emma never backs down from a challenge.

It was these things and so much more that explained why she liked him. And each and every memory of these events made her smile as her cheeks got hot and her chest got warmer. Oh wait, it was happening right now.

His fingers accidently bumped her missing ear—the reason he was even making this braid—and he muttered a 'sorry' once again. But Emma didn't flinch; he was the only one in this shelter that she trusted to touch her missing ear. It was yet another thing in their friendship—no, their relationship that she treasured.

She felt his fingers pause while holding the braid tightly. "Emma, can you hand me the pins?" Without nodding—cause then she would mess up the braid—she handed the hair pins over to him. He thanked her and clipped them on top of the braid. She saw him remove his hands and back away for a second before smirking proudly and nodding his head.

"You can touch it if you want." He said, and finally Emma nodded back at him. She tried her best to move her gaze to the corner to see the braid while her left hand reached up and started to touch it lightly.

Even if she wasn't able to see it, she could tell it was tight and neat. She softly ran her fingers over her hair until they reached the bottom and she played with the ends just a bit before she turned to Ray with a smile.

"Thank you, Ray."

He shook his head while holding his hand up.

"It was nothing; I just didn't want to see you struggling anymore."

Emma couldn't help but to soften her gaze into a loving one. And it was then that her memory clicked back to her, right, she didn't suggest to do this because she wanted to search for clues with him—okay she wanted too, but it wasn't the real, main reason. Emma was going to confess to him that was why.

She watched him with the same love filled gaze as he went back to his spot in the library. Her emotions were swirling around in her heart and she didn't even give him the chance to sit down before she said.

"Ray, I don't want to be friends anymore."

He froze.

Her heart dropped.

'THAT CAME OUT WRONG!' She thought—more like screamed—to herself. Ugh, she practiced this all night only for her to get the first word wrong! She really is an idiot, huh.

Ray turned around to face her, and she could tell by his eyes that though he was trying to act confuse, he knew what she said and—unintentionally—meant and was hurt. God she was an awful human being for making him feel this way!

"Huh?" Is all he said, and Emma leaned forward while looking up at the older boy.

"No! I—uh—didn't mean it that way! I meant, uhh..." She trailed off and looked away from him. But she knew he walked back over to her and kneeled down when she saw his boots.

"Emma?" He called out her name, and she took in a deep breath before looking at Ray in the eyes.

"I meant that sometimes I can't help but to wish that we aren't friends anymore because I want us to be more than friends."

She saw how his eyes widen and how his jaw dropped just a bit; he leaned away just a few inches. And he opened his mouth to say something but Emma cut him off before he got the chance.

"Ray, I like you."

His expression matched the one he had on the night of his birthday, the night they escaped, when he was staring at their younger siblings with wide eyes and an open mouth. And to his surprise she continued.

"I'm not expecting an answer or anything so you don't have to give me one. I just wanted to tell you, that's all." She said as she started to stand up and stretch.

"Mmm! It felt good to get that off my chest! Come on Ray, lets continue research—Mmph!" She didn't get to finish when she suddenly felt a hand grab her wrist and pull her down onto her knees.

It only took about two seconds for her to realize that something soft and chapped was pressed up against her lips, and it only took one for her to realize that Ray was kissing her. And by the time she did he pulled away leaving her lips with this tingling feeling, and she used every inch of her will to not touch her lips.

"Idiot... I like you too..." He whispered to her in a voice so quiet, she was barely able to hear him. And it was then she noticed that there were tears streaming down his face, yet there was also a smile filled with nothing but happiness on his lips.

She looked into his eyes and finally recognized that look in his deep gaze. It was the same one she gives him every day, the same one she gave him only moments ago.

Love.

She smiled and closed her eyes as she leaned back into him. And when their lips touched again she felt like she was going to cry from the warmth of love and happiness swirling in her heart.