Henry

We were just finishing breakfast when Trevor froze, probably being mind-linked by Vile. As he unfroze, he sighed, and I looked up at him.  

"You alright?"

He nodded begrudgingly.

"B is still out, and I need to go watch her," he said, looking down. "I mean, of course, I want to, she is my friend, it's just-"

"You also want to watch Vile."

I glanced sideways at Annie and Skylar to see if they had noticed our conversation. They seemed indifferent, and I made a quick decision.

"I can watch her if you want to. But don't tell anyone."

His eyes snapped up at me, and he mind-linked back.

"You sure?"

I nodded.

"Sure. Just don't tell Annie."

He gave me an amused smirk and mouthed a thank you before he excused himself and left for the Ironwood pack camp.

I deliberately slowed my eating, and when everyone had finished and got ready to go to the arena, I pointed at my food and said I would catch up. I waited to ensure my friends left before I gulped down the food, sprinting on the back lane towards the Ironwood camp. Trevor waved to me from one of the small tents, and I sneaked in from the back.

"You sure?" he said hesitantly.

"Sure. Now hurry, or you'll miss the fight."

He darted off, and I moved the curtains hanging in front of the entrance to the side and walked inside. The room was quite comfy, with two beds on each side of an armchair angled towards the bed B lay in. Some racks for clothes, a small desk, and some chairs completed the picture.

B still had warpaint and her suit but was tucked under her bed cover. I sat in the armchair and rested my elbows on my knees, leaning towards her bed, studying her face.

It did annoy me that I had never really seen her face upfront. She had always had a scarf, sunglasses, wounds, or, in this case, war paint on whenever I encountered her. At the restaurant, she hadn't worn anything, but she had also refused to look at me, meaning that not even that time counted. For some reason, the fact that we never had any eye contact made me feel like I hadn't met her for real. 

Still breezing, just doing this as a favour to my friend, I reached to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear—a friendly gesture for sure. No one wants hair in their face when they sleep. My fingers were inches from that stray blonde hair when she moved. I froze. Both hoping that she would and that she wouldn't wake up.

She didn't wake up. She moved from the side to her back, kicking the cover half off, exposing part of her thigh and leg. She still had her wrist protection on and some shoes. It bothered me that her legs were only hastily dried off, as blood, sand, and dried sweat were still visible. Slowly and deliberately, I removed both her wrist protection and her shoes. I was careful not to touch any skin. It was a friendly thing to do. No one wants to sleep with shoes on.

I tucked her under the covers again and was about to sit in the armchair when she moved to the side.

"Mmf."

I froze. Nothing more happened, so I sat down again, resting my elbows on my knees and leaned forward towards her. The strand of hair had once again fallen over her face, and once again, I reached out to tuck it behind her ear. This time, though, just as my finger touched the hair, her eyes opened. They widened in terror, and she jerked back, crawling up to a sitting position, back against the wall with her knees protectively in front of her. I pulled my hands back and held them up in front of me in surrender.

She looked around, clearly disoriented.

"You passed out after the fight," I said quickly. "I'm just here to-"

Her eyes focused on me.

"The fight.."

I smirked.

"You won. It was yesterday."

She frowned and looked down on her hands and her body, touching her face and hair, grimacing when she saw some blood.

"You look fine. I mean, you look great. Uhm, I mean you," I sighed. "..are not injured. You are fine."

She smiled meekly, still a bit disoriented, and nodded thoughtfully. Then she froze, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Vidar.."

Oh. Right.

"Vidar is also fine," I said casually, eyeing her warily. But she just nodded.

Then she leaned towards me, eyes focused as she grabbed the bottle of water standing on the table next to her. She gulped it down and leaned back against the wall again, tilting her head and looking at me. Eyeing me from head to toe. Then she frowned and sighed. My self-esteem took a bit of a turn; someone sighing after eyeing you from head to toe could not be good.

"I look like a mess."

She did, but there was something with her warpainted face and bloodied hands that was so out of tune with the tone of her voice and the pouting lips that was adorable.

"A cute mess," I blurted out, cheeks blushing.

She blushed and looked down at her hands, fidgeting in her lap. Her mouth twitched in a faint smile, and she spoke before looking at me with an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry I slapped you."

I smiled and nodded.

"I am sorry I," I wasn't sorry I had chased her. Or I was, but also I wasn't. "I had to chase you."

She nodded.

"It's ok."

"And I'm also," I swallowed. On thin ice. "..sorry about the restaurant thing. What Annie did."

She looked at me.

"Annie is your girlfriend?"

Uhm, yes, but no?

"I... Our parents, or my father..he.."

"..wants you to be together," she finished my sentence. "She is very pretty and girly and stuff."

She looked so incredibly sad saying the last words. I almost hugged her. I tried a joke.

"Well, I mean, Vidar is very handsome and manly and stuff?"

She gave me a surprised look, and then she laughed.

"Vidar is not my boyfriend."

"He's not?" I said it too fast and chippered, but still in a cool way. Breezing.

"No, of course not. He is older. And Vile would kill me," she smiled.

"Vile?" I frowned.

"Yes, you know, he saw him first. Though, with Trevor around, he may have changed his mind. Vile kind of likes Trevor," she said with a crooked grin.

Oh.

Oh.

Why am I such a blind idiot?

"Wait. Why are you here? And where is everyone else?"

"They are fighting. Hild asked Trevor to stay with you as she was fighting, and I figured he wanted to watch Vile and offered to sit here."

She furrowed her brows like it was too much information.

"Hild is fighting?"

Yes. And I offered to sit here with you?

She got up as I nodded in reply.

"We must go there now!"

She staggered, and I got up, ready to catch her if she fell.

"You sure you don't want to.." I motioned over my face, then gestured towards her general appearance.

"Oh right, uhm, can you help me to the showers?"

"I... I... I..." I said hesitatingly, but I felt Rune threatening to destroy something. "Sure."

She took a few tentative steps with me in tow, ready in case she lost balance, and grabbed some clothes on the way. We walked around to the back, where I sat down with my back towards the outside of the makeshift shower booth, trying not to think about what was happening on the other side of the thin wall.

She came out in a knee-length shirtdress, leather belt, and leather sandals. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back, and she had a pair of sunglasses in her hand.

"Is it gone?" she gestured towards her face.

I guessed she meant the war paint, but I couldn't focus. There was nothing between her face and me now, and I would take advantage.

"Well," I leaned in closer as if to inspect, and I did examine. Mostly the soft lips, half separated by her question. And there we stood face to face a couple of seconds too long. I could see her pupils dilate and her gaze turning towards my lips. She bit her lip doing it, making Rune freeze entirely in my head like he was afraid to move.

I couldn't breathe.

Breathing meant I would have to exhale the lovely strawberry scent from her shampoo. Her molecules would leave my lungs, and I didn't want that.

"They won."

Phew. Or not phew. Saved by the bell or interrupted by it. Hard to tell. Breezing. Not breezing. Not breezing at all. But, control, composure, cool as a cucumber. Breezing.

I leaned back and grinned.

"Trevor just mind-linked. They won."

She grinned back and lifted her hand in a high-five. It was breezy enough. I high-fived her.

"Let's go!"

We turned and walked towards the main street when I suddenly came to my senses and stopped.

She turned to me, frowning, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I can't be seen with you," I shrugged, embarrassed.

"Ah. Right. Of course," B smiled politely and did her best to hide the eventual offence she felt.

I felt like an absolute idiot.

"I'm sorry."

She gave me a brave smile and extended her hand towards me.

"It's alright. It was nice not meeting you again."

I took it, shook it, and she darted off down the main street. I took the back road back to our cottage and lay in my bed for a while, faking it for hours.

I decided that now that the air had cleared, things had been forgiven, and people had been unmet; I could finally let go of that adventure and focus on other things.

I got up and walked towards the arena. I figured I would find Trevor with the Vikings in the locker room, so I hurried down the pathway there. I found Vile and Trevor re-enacting parts of the fight and went over to them.

"Hey, Henry. Too bad you missed the fi.. umph - " Trevor staggered back as I hugged him hard. "Okay.."

His arms hesitantly went around me, but I could feel him frown in amused confusion to Vile.

"I just love you, man."

I turned to Vile and did the same to him.

"And you are... ok."

He laughed.

I put my hands in my pocket and grinned towards them.

"Alright, tell me every punch."

Beonnie

I couldn't believe my eyes. Why was Henry Johnson here? And why was he leaning over me like that?

"You passed out after the fight," he lifted his hands in surrender. "I'm just here to.."

Right. The fight.

"The fight.."

He smiled.

"You won. It was yesterday."

Yesterday? Ugh. I looked down at my hands and my legs, noticing that they were covered in dirt, sweat, and even blood. I suddenly became very self-aware. Was I hurt?

"You look fine. I mean, you look great. Uhm, I mean you.." he sighed. "..are not injured. You are fine."

Okay. I frantically tried to remember the fight, but only what happened just before came to mind—what Vidar said. Stupid Vidar and stupid B. It hurt just thinking about it.

"Vidar is also fine," he almost sounded annoyed.

I grabbed the water bottle and gulped it down to buy some time. Still, why was Henry Johnson here? I gauged him; he looked immaculate, of course. Strands of hair falling onto his forehead, that lovely scent of freshly baked bread I knew would be alluring to his future mate. Me, on the other hand... I sighed.

"I look like a mess."

"A cute mess," he blurted out, cheeks blushing as if surprised.

Cute. I could live with that. For years, probably. Trying not to look too smug, I went for the long-needed apology I had wanted to deliver.

"I'm sorry I slapped you."

"I am sorry, I..." he hesitated as if every word was important. "I had to chase you."

I knew he had been forced to, and I also knew the rules of rogues.

"It's ok."

"And I'm also," now he looked bothered. "..sorry about the restaurant thing. What Annie did."

Oh, right. I had forgotten about Annie. And Vidar's comments about her. All girly and stuff. Bah, and now that tall, dark, handsome pharmacy stranger was so close and so cute and gorgeous and stuff – why did we have to talk about... her?

"Annie is your girlfriend?"

He seemed to hesitate to answer a relatively simple question.

"I... Our parents, or my father..he.."

But not all simple questions have simple answers, do they?

"..wants you to be together," I finished. "She is very pretty and girly and stuff."

I wanted to be pretty and girly and stuff too. Instead, I was bloody, sandy, and fighting in a pitch.

"Well, I mean, Vidar is very handsome and manly and stuff?"

What? I laughed.

"Vidar is not my boyfriend."

"He's not?"

I decided that he sounded happy with my answer.

"No, of course not. He is older. And Vile would kill me," at least before Trevor, he would.

"Vile?" he frowned. He didn't know?

"Yes, you know, he saw him first. Though, with Trevor around, he may have changed his mind. Vile kind of.. likes Trevor," I hinted or flat-out said.

I could see the slight twitch of his eyebrows when he understood what I meant. Cute. And then, hang on a second. Why was he here again?

"Wait. Why are you here? And where is everyone else?"

"They are fighting. Hild asked Trevor to stay with you as she was fighting, and I figured he wanted to watch Vile and offered to sit here."

Ok, that was a lot of information at the same time. I focused on the pivotal thing.

"Hild is fighting?" and he offered to sit with me.

He nodded, and I got up. We must go to the fight. I rose too quickly and immediately felt dizzy.

"You sure you don't want to.." he said, indicating the sad state of affairs with my looks.

Right.

"Oh right, uhm, can you help me to the showers?"

Ugh. Did I really ask Henry Johnson that? Well, it was a bit of an emergency, wasn't it? I quickly showered and threw on a black dress and a belt.

"Is it gone?" I didn't want to walk around the Gathering with war paint all over, looking like an idiot.

He said something, but most importantly, he suddenly was very close to me. His face was so close. He was close. I could see small scars, stubble, every strand of his eyelashes, and that slight twitch between his eyebrows as he checked for remnants of the fight on my face.

However, I couldn't think about anything besides his lips being so close to mine. I had to bite down hard on my own to stop them from leaning in. He froze. Obviously not interested in kissing me. If I wanted to kiss him. No one had decided on any kissing at all.

Politely, he leaned back and smiled.

"Trevor just mind-linked. They won."

Alright! Time to go.

We turned towards the street leading to the arena, which was the only street, when he suddenly stopped, looking embarrassed.

"I can't be... seen with you."

"Ah. Right. Of course."

Ouch.

"I'm sorry."

Stupid B. Remember what Vidar said about the soft lips of his girlfriend and how girly and pretty she is.

I put on a brave face, and to distance myself, I extended my hand towards him.

"It's alright. It was nice not meeting you again."

So, now that all was apologised for and forgiven, I could let it go.

Let it go.

As I darted towards the arena, I both hoped to and hoped not to see Vidar again. Subconsciously, I knew that something was off with his conversation just before the game, but I wanted him to wipe it away. I needed him to make it good again.

The guys were all standing in various forms of undress inside the locker room when I found them. Vidar was carrying a bloodied Hild in his arms. I paused at the door opening, not knowing if they would mind my presence in all their nakedness. They didn't, but instead, were all happy to see me. Not that Vidar moved a muscle to talk to me.

I suddenly felt alone. Vile and Trevor would be an item soon; I knew it, even if they didn't. Hild was off to work, and Vidar was not mine anymore. I couldn't even fantasise about Henry Johnson anymore because he clearly had a girlfriend.

Zac.

I brushed past Vidar in the hunt for Zac, whose back I could see was moving towards the door opening at the other end of the room, going upwards into the arena. I had taken a few steps when, finally, strong arms lifted me, twirled me around, and pressed me to his chest.

Soft lips pecked on my hair.

"For the record, I think that girly and stuff is overrated."

I chuckled to his chest and climbed up so he would have to carry me instead of Hild, who he unceremoniously had handed over to Toke.

He gave me a crooked smile, glancing towards Vile and Trevor, joined by Henry.

"But who knew you would be so concerned with who Henry Johnson was kissing?" he teased me. I knew that, but he said the name so loud I feared they would hear.

"Oh, shut up."

I hung like a monkey around his neck, with legs wrapped around his waist. It probably was the safest place in the world. Even if he was a trickster, he was our trickster. I leaned back, grabbing his shoulders for balance, looking him in the eye.

"So, what happened when I was out?"

"Well," he looked at me conspiratorially. "Hild seems very concerned about what someone thinks about her."

Oh, this was juicy.

"Who?"

He gave me a smug smile but shrugged.

"Dunno. Someone who walked her home from the dinner last night."

"Are you talking about Ben Connors?" Jack entered both the room and our conversation. "What about him? Nice fellow. Walked us home last night. Or mostly Hild, actually."

We looked at each other, grinning.

Ben Connors.