A/N: So, there may be a lot more delays, as my Mac is kinda being an idiot right now, but I'll make sure to post ASAP! Now, I'll also keep AN in the beginning brief and simple, but leave my AN at the end with more. This is actually a continuation of the first oneshot of this whole collection series. Anyways, it's Day two, and without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter Summary: Another day, another night under the stars, another moment Rayla's left as an emotional disaster. How can she keep her cool and calm after the last time they did this? Trick question, she doesn't.

Word Count: 1,770

Clichéd Constellations

Clichés weren't always a bad thing. Rayla's come to realize that there are some moments in life, you just have to appreciate them for what they are. Moments. Just little snippets of reality, meant for you and only you. That was the philosophy Rayla stood behind, the idea she believed, all since she began crushing hard on her travelling partner.

Sure, it was cliché for her to fall for him. What with only having a month's span of time together, realistically it made no sense. From the get go, she didn't exactly hate Callum. Rayla wasn't even sure if she was angry with him. She just wanted to do her duty. She wasn't even sure if she could kill him. All she knew was that he looked in her eyes and sensed something. Like he knew she didn't want to do it, or that she wasn't going to do it. He just knew her.

He knew to trust her immediately too. On a whim, he betrayed his friend and ran to her aid, conjuring up a spell to save them both and his brother. A rocky and most bizarre start to a strange but fun adventure. The unlikely beginning of a travelling their entire journey, she's come to rely on him, depend on him like a partner. Even when he didn't trust her, she did with him. Because there was just something about him.

And from then on, they slowly found a mutual bond within each other. A shoulder to lean on, a laugh to share, and a target to tease. Slowly she found his smile to be the highlight of her days. She saw his unrelenting sarcasm and dry wit as funny in their own way. He just grew on her. More than she thought. Rayla didn't have all the answers. She just knew Callum was important. Important in their mission, important in becoming the first human Mage, important to her.

Turns out something inside her grew too.

Her heart.

Slowly, his laugh became an elated tune she swooned over. His perky smile made her feel warm inside. And his jokes, still dry and stupid, were somehow funnier than she ever remembered. But most importantly, his hands. Ever since that night under the stars, next to the campfire, Rayla couldn't help but remember his touch. They've held each other before—in embrace—but this was different. The way his hands slipped into hers so effortlessly. It just felt right just grew for Callum. Even with the slightest moment, the two of them just felt right to her. Even with a night under the stars.

"Are you sure that's a dragon?" Callum's question disrupted her deep focus, causing her to startle in her spot. He noticed her reaction and raised a brow. "Whoa, you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," she answered immediately. "I was just thinking for a moment. What was your question?" she innocently asked.

Callum raised his head up from the grass to gaze at Rayla with a more curious look. The two were lying side by side once again, hands just barely an inch away from each other. He chuckled, shaking his head as he laid back to look up at the sky once more. "The fact that you weren't even paying attention makes me believe it's not true even more."

Rayla looked back up at the sky and realized what he meant. She had just pointed out the constellation representing Thunder, the previous King of the Dragons, Zym's father. A topic that hadn't seemed to budge the sleeping dragon at their feet. She rolled her eyes at his statement. Unconsciously, she slipped her hand into his and dragged them about above them, pointing out the outlines of the stars. "That's his horns at the top, then if ya trace it down there, you faintly get—"

"A beard?" Callum guessed. His head turned in thought. "Dragons have beards?"

"Kings do apparently," Rayla teased.

"Hmm, you made that up," he accused in a childish tone.

She snorted. "Duh, not all kings have beards I'm sure."

"No not that, I mean that constellation," he argued, shaking his finger up at said stars. "It's just too big and weird."

Rayla frowned at his statement. "Your people have a constellation dedicated to some hunter guy."

"And yours have stories about a word in the sky," he shot back. Sensing her annoyance, Callum glanced at her. "If you have to make up constellations to feel cooler, that's fine. But don't knock down my stuff too," he cleverly added before gazing back at the stars.

She rolled her eyes as she brought her hand down. Or rather, their hands down. Her face instantly reddened as she realized: they were still holding each other's hands. Again. This was the second night they stargazed, another night where they taught each other about their people's astronomy, and it happened again. Zym was tuckered away near their feet, their campfire was burning on its last few embers, and a flatbed of grass cushioned underneath their bottoms. The very first night it happened, Rayla knew what it meant to her. This was what started her whole debacle. And here it was, the very same situation, and it caught her off guard again.

It was just too easy. Scarily easy how they could just slip their hands into each other's with such ease. A night where there was an entire sky filled with stars, and Rayla's focus wasn't on the beauty above, but the boy beside her whose hand held hers. The constellations she pointed out outshone his, but he made a show of always being defensive. And she loved it. She loved hearing his people's stories about their stars, no matter how absurd they seemed. She loved making fun of them just to get a rise out of him. Rayla just loved how it always worked too. Yes, she was far gone in the pits of smitten.

"Make it up to me," he spoke up.

"W-What?" she said, half in a daze and half out of confusion. She blinked at him as he smugly smiled.

"Show me another," he cheekily requested. "But a real one this time," he teased.

A brief second passed and she realized what he was talking about. Rayla opened her mouth then paused. Quirking a brow, she stated, "But it's your turn."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but now I'm afraid the next one I show you're gonna say is either fake or make fun of it."

She scoffed. "Aww, c'mon, ya know I don't mean it!" He didn't budge the frown on his face. "Don't be such a baby!" After a few seconds of staring at him, she sighed. "What if I promise not to tease ya?"

"Swear?" he perked up with a somewhat hopeful look. He was such a child.

"Aye, my heart for Xadia," she winked at him. "I swear on it."

Callum seemed satisfied with her response, and somewhat embarrassed? A faint flush appeared on his cheeks, Rayla swore she saw, but he seemed to fight it back as he looked back at the sky. His focused remained above as Rayla's breath hitched. For she felt his hands momentarily tighten around hers, leading above their bodies. She extended her finger, and allowed him to lead it around. It was at this point, she usually just gave up on following his finger. Subconsciously, she would remember the outline, but outwardly, her gaze trained on the embrace of their hands. Her gazing was not on the unity of the stars above, but their conjoined gesture below.

"Done," he smiled proudly, lowering their hands once again.

Her eyes widened as she realized she actually wasn't paying attention this time. "Wh-What? Sorry, I didn't see."

He frowned at her. "Are you trying to tease me by making me redo it?"

She chuckled. "No! I just… lost it for a second. Try again?" She extended her finger and smiled as he reluctantly conceded. She needed to be more careful. It was getting real bad for her. As their hands traced the sky, Rayla was much more focused on the outline Callum was drawing for her. And for a second, she just couldn't believe it. It was very small, with the bottom of the image extending down with only three stars as its stem. But the top, it was clear as day. The cup-like form above, the small swirlish waves circled at the top, it was like a crude yet adorable attempt drawn by a child. It was a rose.

It looked… "Cute," she uttered out softly.

Callum raised his brows. "C'mon, you said you wouldn't tease!"

"I'm not!" she quickly defended. She smiled at Callum as she looked at his eyes, his sincere eyes. Because of course this meant a lot to him, of course it meant a lot that he showed her something so fragile and small. His passion was reserved on his sleeve, barely sheltered by his cuff whenever it was just them. Rayla knew this. He hadn't shown her his drawings yet, as that was a step in a whole new direction. But this was a step forward. He was letting her see more of himself. "What's it called?" she curiously asked.

"Nothing special," Callum shrugged. "The Rose," he simply supplied.

"Simple works," Rayla shot back.

"Yeah… my—" he stopped himself. Rayla noticed and glanced over at his fallen expression. It looked saddened, but also laced with a small sense of content. There was something there. "Someone once said that to me," he continued. Someone close. "She once told me that roses were a symbol of romance, and that whenever a couple found themselves underneath the brightness of The Rose, it'd seal their fates as lovers. So… as simple as it was, it works." Callum's face slowly grew into a small smile. "Ridiculously cheesy, I know."

Rayla squeezed his hand, causing him to look back at her. "I don't think so," she softly said, "I mean roses, a night under the stars, that definitely sounds like a romantic moment." She smiled at him. "Whoever… told ya that, they must've had a nice experience of their own."

Callum gently nodded. "They did."

A firm embrace between a few folded fingers, and a sea of stars scattered high above—it was sweet. Rayla knew it. It was the definition of cliché, and no doubt was something she'd blush about the morning after. But she didn't care. Whatever was buried inside her mind subsided because it just didn't matter. The moment between them was brighter than any star above them that night anyways.

A/N: I think I can appreciate this more because it was simply just a moment. Alas, no acting on true feelings, just an appreciation for what they've got now. Callum's story, now, I think it's obvious who it alludes to and who's relationship it's about. But also, might foreshadow what's to come? Hmmm?

Review responses:

SassySapphire: Yes indeed, I am back and ready to attack! With 31 fics... Might be a lot, but I'll do my best! Hope you stick around!

Anyways, tomorrow is Day 3: Confession. It's here, the big one.

Until next time,

- Bleh