Prompt: 051. Fireflies
Rating: G
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Word Count (on Microsoft Word): 401
Notes: It's little longer than I expected but I'm fairly happy with the way it turned out. Inspired by my childhood spent mostly on the coast of Cape Code catching fireflies (yes, even if they're more abundant in Maryland, they dwell in the Cape too) with my cousins and family. Good times, good times :D
Characters: Miley, Oliver, briefly mentioned Lilly.
Pairing(s): Established Oliver/Lilly, implied one-sided Oliver/Miley
Summary: She called them lightning bugs.

As he clung onto the last seam of summer threaded with dark, star-spilled over skies and dewy air, he wondered why the beaches in Cape Code looked far better than the ones in Malibu. They felt much more… real, in a sense. Very mundane, he supposed. While Malibu beaches appeared as if they were ripped right from painfully perfect postcards and he just couldn't live up to the perfectionism.

A low buzzing sound rattled suddenly through his eardrum and he yelped, flailing his arms about as he jerked backwards. A familiar giggle immediately accompanied his clumsy fall and he huffed upon the instant recognition of the voice.

"Miley," he scolded, pulling himself up. "What was that for?!"

The beaming brunette, clad in a white sundress over her slightly damp swimsuit, shot him a smile and slightly opened her cupped hands to reveal a glowing insect ready to take flight from her sandy palms.

A smile eased its way onto his face. "A firefly? I thought you hated bugs."

"Not ones that light up," she nimbly responded, wiggling her free index finger at him. "Now come on. Lilly wants her Ollipop and I gotta show you this bush filled with lightning bugs." She paused, glancing at him while they fell into step as they began to walk back to their rented beach house. "What? You don't wanna catch them with me?"

"You called them lightning bugs."

"So? Plenty of people call them that!"

He smirked crookedly, shaking his head in disagreement. "Nope. Just you."

"Whatever. Will you help me catch them then?"

"They're bugs."

She laughed. "Bugs that, if you catch them and let them go, carry your wishes on their backs. If they reach the sky," she pointed to the inky atmosphere above them, "then your wish will come true. Its fun, Oliver, just try it. Please, for me. Here, you take this one—"

Before he could respond, Oliver's hands were suddenly cradling the tiny bug Miley earlier harbored in her own delicate grasp. Swallowing hard, he began to hate himself for allowing her smiles and pleas to easily sway his better judgment and how his skin involuntarily shuddered at her slightest touch. He told himself it was simply because they were too close for comfort but…

"—and make a wish."

The firefly was suddenly off; zipping away into the black horizon.

I wish I picked the right girl.

So I'm sorta back but not really. I'm definitely nowhere near in shape to continue my chaptered stories but I figured if I created a story where I can post multiple one-shots pertaining to certain themes, I'll slowly ease myself back into fiction. I'm actually pretty happy with the idea of this. It's definitely getting my inspiration juices flowing and reacquainting me with the characters. You can also request pairings for me, just not the prompts. I've already got a list of those. But I am open to any pairing, just not Jonas/Hannah Montana characters. And reviews would be love, too. (: