Background 6

"Too slow," Avery pointed out, poking his stomach with her sword. They had been Guardians for about two months at this point and after losing the capture the flag game, training became intense for them as they prepared for the next match.

Nathan groaned, swinging his wooden sword but she quickly copied the action, causing their swords to collide. He immediately dropped his at the impact and hissed.

She frowned, poking his stomach again.

"What's wrong?" she questioned, furrowing her eyebrows. "You seem... distracted."

"I'm fine," he assured her, grabbing a cloth and wiping the sweat off his face. "One more round?"

"No. You need to rest. I don't know what's wrong with you but you are one of the best sword fighter of the new Guardians, we can't afford you messing up."

"I'm fine, Av. I swear."

She scoffed, "I don't think so. Something is wrong with you and you better snap out of it soon because you never know when the Royal Army will come knocking at our door."

He sighed, taking a seat on the steps leading to the front door of the Guardian Building. His eyes searched hers as she narrowed her eyes at him, wishing for even the slightest glimpse of what he was thinking about.

"Any plans for the holiday season?" he decided to change the subject.

"It's only the beginning of October," she chuckled.

"Its never too early to start thinking about seeing your family again."

Her smile dropped as she fiddled with her sword, "I don't think... I don't think I will be going for Christmas."

"Why not?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"I was planning to stay over the holiday to work on my archery. I suck at it and Youngjae said each Guardian should at least have a basic skill in it so that's that."

"So you are willing to throw away one of the only chances we will get to see our family again?"

"My parents will understand," she mumbled, shooting him a soft smile while taking a seat beside him.
She wore a red medieval dress that day and had her hair -- short as it was -- tied into a bun.

He placed his hand on hers, interlocking their fingers, "what aren't you telling me, Av?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Avery, I'm the leader of our mini group. I'm the one who has to supervise you all and make sure you are alright. If you need someone to talk to, here I am."

"And who do you talk to? Or do you just keep that to yourself?"

"I can handle my problems by myself."

"Are you telling me or convincing yourself? Because your tone suggests the latter. What is it? Don't want to burden the rest of us?"

"I said I'm fine. I don't need to talk to anyone else."

"If you are 'fine', Mr Nathaniel Park, please tell me why you spend most nights practicing your fighting and yet you get worse with each day? What is happening to you because you have certainly changed from the Nath I knew back in Masan."

"You wouldn't understand-"

"Then help me understand!" she snapped before exhaling sharply. "You are under a lot of pressure, arent you? Being the leader of our group isn't as easy as you thought it would be, right?"

"I just need some time to get used to it-"

"Right?" she repeated, louder.

He sighed, fixating his gaze on their hands, "... right."

"Guess what?" she lifted his head to meet her gaze with her free hand. Her touch gently, almost fleeting, making Nathan internally groan. Large, brown eyes replicated the warmth of a blazing fire on a frosty, winter night and he found himself inching closer to it, craving the heat to pull him out of the freezer of self-hatred he locked himself in. "You don't have to carry the baggage alone. We are all here for you: Chan, Hyunjin, Chaeyoung and I. I am here for you, Nath. And I'm not leaving."

His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her closer until their lips met in a sweet, tender kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, feeling the heat of his lips against her own as they moved in a synchronised dance.

Her heart seemed to skip a beat when he finally pulled away, resting his forehead against her own and sending her a soft, bashful smile while whispering, "thank you."

Hello, it's me again. I'm just dropping in to ask two questions for future reference (probably not though lol):

1) Who is your favourite character in this story?

2) Out of all the female leads in all my stories, who is your favourite?