a midnight marathon, a prompted drabble compilation
warning: use of coarse language, sexual situations, and adult themes
He always lights a pathway for her to follow.
She knows that sometimes he likes to meet in the center of their quad but all she has to do is gaze out her window to see him seated in the center of a ring of lit candles. Tonight, there are only a small handful of candles in the quad in the shape of an arrow pointing away from her. She walks along the sidewalk where candles light the way, following the winding pavements until she stops down by the end of the small lake beside one of the campus dormitories.
It's there that she can see him. He's sprawled flat on his back, his hands beneath his head and a ring of candles around him. There is some other misshapen object beside him, but she can't quite make it out. When she gets close enough, she sees that he's lying on a blanket and beside him is a wrapped basket. She sits on the other side of the basket without a word; he doesn't move either, except to open his eyes. The two of them are quiet for a long time until she speaks.
"You got a good luck basket," she notes. He gives her a grunt of affirmation and shifts slightly. "Is it from your uncle?"
"'Zula," he says without a beat, "but I think it's poisoned."
She doesn't know whether it's the startling honesty or the idea of a poisoned basket of snacks that causes it to happen, but she bursts out into laughter, slapping her palms against the ground. He sits up, propping his hands behind him and glares at her. She manages to reign in her laughter before reaching to pick through the basket. Rice crisps, boxes of tea leaves, candies, other trinkets.
"So you brought it to share with me? How very Romeo of you," she teases, moving the basket out of the way so she can sit closely to him. He looks affronted for a moment and she almost laughs again; only he can manage to look appalled by her closeness despite the fact that they've been even closer before. She hesitates before she leans her head onto his shoulder, and they fall into a comfortable silence again.
"Once…once we graduate, will we ever see each other again?" His voice is low and raspy, but tinged with the hoarseness of emotion. He clears his throat but she can see past that. She wraps her arm around his waist and leans into his body.
"I don't know," she answers quietly, "I…I don't think so."
Her answer sits between the two of them awkwardly. He sighs. She presses herself closer. And the two of them try to ignore the fact that these are the last sets of exams that they have left with each other as comfort, the unofficial bonds of a relationship.
She cries when she kisses him on the lips. It isn't a depressing cry, despite her sadness. It is a gentle, harmless crying that doesn't do much to deter him when he cups her cheeks in his hands and she moves to sit herself in his lap. She pulls her arms around his waist and presses her body against his, and then he touches her carefully. His fingers trace her face, his thumb brushing her lips and the tips of his fingers wiping her tears away. He kisses her cheek, under her eyes, across her nose.
"I'll fail," he says and she starts laughing against him, "I'll fail all my exams."
She doesn't stop laughing until he's kissing her again, his tongue curling against the roof of her mouth and his hands sliding under her shirt to cradle her back. Before she can protest anything, her shirt is off and she's lying on her back, and he's hovering over her and she's still laughing at him. He scowls for a moment before he leans down to kiss her again and she stops again, her hands fumbling at the hem of his shirt before she pulls it over his head and runs her palms down his chest. Things progress gradually from there.
Her touches are slow and light and she barely realizes that they've taken all their clothes off until she feels his hand between her legs and she gasps. There isn't a lot of foreplay and she doesn't mind it, because he enters her slowly so he can draw her into his arms. It isn't some crude behavior; she's not having sex with him, he's not fucking her. They are moving and working together in symbiosis; she pushes her hips forward and he pushes his hips forward and he tangles his hands in her hair and she looks into his eyes and they are loving each other equally. It is chilly outside and perhaps that only serves to bring them closer to one another. Their legs wrap around one another, their hands cup each other closer in an attempt to protect the warmth that they cherish.
In the approach of their climax, they make empty promises. He promises that this won't end, that he's going to see her, that this touch won't be their last. She promises all the same things; she also promises not to eat any of the things out of his good luck basket.
It's the last time she sees him, because he always sees her. He thinks he sees her in the crowd of his graduation, or in the alleys of the market; he thinks she lingers just in the corner of his vision, but when he turns, she isn't there. He always sees her in his dreams.
She works diligently when she returns the following year; sometimes, she laughs at how much she can accomplish when he's not distracting her from studying or trying to get her to do something she ought not to be doing. Sometimes, she cries because she misses him so much and would rather get nothing done than to be without him any longer. She walks the same pavements that they used to walk together under the cover of clouds and stars. She dates publicly now; she refuses to hide anything any longer. She tries to be happy, but it's seemingly pointless.
When she settles for her first night, an envelope is brought to her. Inside, there is a boarding pass with her name on it, and a photo of a map with several points marked with stickers in the shape of flames. She smiles just long enough so that she doesn't start to cry.
He always lights a pathway for her to follow.
notes: i am even further behind because of the holidays, but i hope you all enjoyed yourselves no matter whether you celebrated or not! this one i decided to write after having an AU idea in my head about this prompt and combined it with a request by Sakarya: Katara and Zuko are at university studying and slip away together for a short "study break." i would have written it sooner but i missed it on the list i made to keep track of suggestions! i wanted to keep this entire story in the same universe, but this along with "holiday" are going to be in an AU for the sake of writing a modern christmas tale. thanks for the continued support! i appreciate all of it and all of you guys :)