Author's note: Yeah, I think one more chapter is needed here. Something about progress. Again big shout out to everyone who has favorited, followed and commented on this story. To anyone who's reading this and has struggled/is struggling with self harm, please, please, please don't do what Wally did. Please don't wait until you almost die. I love you all so much. Without you to read my stories or comment, these stories wouldn't exist. Please talk to someone. My inbox is always open. Both here and on tumblr (secondgenerationnerd).
Also there might be some Spitfire love this chapter. ;)
Tiggers warnings: Mentions of selfharm.
Wally finds some peace as he zetas into the Cave. It's been almost six months since Artemis and Robin had found him. It's been a challenge trying to repair things. Weekly therapy with Canary. Two months before the League cleared him for missions again. Three more months to patch things up with Dick, who has started going by his real name more often. His parents were still very skeptical about their son around any sharp objects, but slowly they began to give him more freedom again. Them letting him spend most of winter break in the Cave (with death threats if he wasn't home on Christmas day) is a sign they're trusting him again. M'gann doesn't stare at him as often as she did. Kaldur doesn't give him as many pity filled looks. Connor's still angry but some things never change.
"Hey, KF," Dick grins at his best friend," Come check this program I'm designing."
"Didn't Batman threaten to cut you off from all technology if he caught you breaking into League computers again."
"What my mentor does is beyond my control. And you said it yourself. If he catches me." Dick has one of his Robin gloves on, hooked up to the zeta tube's terminal.
"Ok, I'll bite. What are you doing?" Wally asks, dropping his gym bag.
"You know how sometimes the league worries that our zeta tubes will be hacked or our enemies will figure out that we use them and try to intercept us?"
"No. Literally I don't think I have ever heard Uncle Barry talk about that at freaking all. But I assume Batman has considered it, so," He waves his hand for Dick to continue.
"Basically, the program is to make the Zeta tubes explode so no one can follow you. There's a very complex code that you'd have to type in, so I'm the only one that can turn it on or off. Still working on the off part though." Dick grins.
"You're one weird kid, boy wonder," Wally shakes his head. Dick laughs," Where's everyone else?"
"Kaldur went home to visit his mom. He should be back tonight. Connor is out running with Wolf. Zee and Rocket are out shopping," Dick turns," But you really want to know where Artemis is, don't you?"
"Shut up," Wally blushes.
"She's in the kitchen, helping M'gann."
"My girlfriend, the one who has expressed venemous hatrd for cooking, is in the kitchen with M'gann," Wally reiterates.
"She's keeping her company. You know how Miss M gets when she's alone." Dick winks," Go get her, Romeo."
"Shut up." Wally grabs his bag, going to the kitchen. M'gan had definately improved in her cooking over the past year and a half. She chats happily with Artemis, who tries not to look bored out of her mind. There's only so much girl talk that she can suffer through before she needs to hit shit. Wally drops his bag, coming up behind Artemis. He steals a kiss," Hello, beautiful."
"I thought we talked about you coming up behind me," She stares at him in annoyance, but her smile betrays her.
"I thought you knew I was stubborn and didn't listen," Wally asks her.
"Nope. Never picked up on that, Baywatch," Wally blushes at her nickname for him.
"Wally, are you staying with us for Christmas?" M'gann asks.
"I have to go home Christmas day or Mom will literally murder me. I thought we were doing the early Christmas gift exchange thing tomorrow morning?" They all had normal lives, for the most part, outside of the team. Because of family stuff and parties, they decided to do Christmas a few days early.
"We are, I just wanted to know how many I'm cooking for," M'gann smiles at him. He returns it easily. She then launches into a story about her finals that lasts for ten minutes.
"Hey, babe, I actually need your help with something," Wally tells Artemis. She knows exactly what it is- an out for them.
"Where are you all going?" M'gann asks, more curious than accusing.
"I need help wrapping presents because I'm incompetent." Wally jokes. M'gann's face tenses for a second," It was a joke, M. I'm brilliant in all fields except gift wrapping."
"Just gift wrapping?" Artemis asks,"I think you're forgetting a few things.
M'gann rolls her eyes as the two leave the room, bickering. As much as they care about each other, some part of them will always be those fighting 15 year olds. Wally and Artemis laugh once they know they're out of M'gann's range of hearing.
"God, I thought she'd never let me go," Artemis scoffs,"I love her and all, but if I had to hear one more goddamn story about cheerleading practice, I'm going to slap someone."
"Well, not sure I want to be slapped, but I really do need help with presents."
"So this wasn't a clever ploy to get into my pants," Artemis teases.
"Nah, I've got plenty of time for that. However the gift thing is tomorrow so...," Artemis laughs. Wally loves her laugh. He loves the way her nose wrinkles with her smile. The way her beautiful gray eyes twinkle. He loves seeing her happy. He loves her. Wait did he just say love? They go into his room. He'd already wrapped her present (with his mom's help), but there's quite a pile on his bed.
"Of course you left this til the last minute," Artemis rolls her eyes.
"I'm the fastest kid alive. You know how long it takes me to write a paper or a lab report? You think I was worried about wraping Christmas presents?" He grabs some of the wrapping paper his mom bought a month ago that he'd immediately thrown into his closet here. The papers range from plain red to this horrible tacky funny Santa paper. He grabs tape from his desk. They both freeze, just for a second, before Wally hands Artemis the black handled scissors. They aren't the same ones that he...used before. He'd thrown those out as soon as he could. But there's an uncomfortable tension between them. Artemis filled with worry that he might relapse and him filled with guilt for making her worry. He tries to distract them both by picking up a book of myths about Atlantis," I got this for Kaldur. Think he'll be offended?"
Artemis relaxes a bit," I doubt it. You know how much he loves reading myths. Plus it might make him feel like he's at home."
They work together for a while, talking about the presents they got their friends. Artemis admits that she made M'gann a shirt that said 'Hello, Megan!' in big bubbly letters. Wally grins as he helps Artemis wrap Dick's gift. He'd found an empty charcol bag in his garage and filled it with some stuff that reminded him of the circus. Give Dick something to remember from his past. They forget that they're in the Cave. They forget that there are other people in the mountain. In the last six months, something had changed between them. They weren't as lonely as before. Wally doesn't make up excuses about not feeling 100%. Artemis has actually had her friends over to her apartment for dinner, which her mom loved. But even when it was just the two of them, no matter where they were, they didn't feel overwhelmed, like when they were with their friends. They understand each other, and right now that's enough.
Hey, guys! M'gann's bright voice in their heads Dinner will be here in a few minutes.
I thought you were cooking? Artemis asks,
Rocket and Zatanna got pizza in New York for us. They should be here any minute. How are the presents going?.
We're pretty much done, Wally says as they throw the trash away. Artemis was great at wrapping presents that he was actually shocked. She was surprised that he hadn't been lying when he said he was bad at it. He looks around his room before they leave. There's a slight pain in his chest. It had taken him several weeks of talking to Canary to go back to the room. He remembers how much it'd hurt walk in. Everything that he'd felt came rushing back. Now, it nagged in the back of his mind, but he turns the pain off.
Dick grins as the two of them," So you two were 'wrapping presents?'"
Wally brushes off the insinuating tone," Yeah, and someone's getting a big lump of coal this year. His name rhymes with the Boy Blunder."
"So, how was everyone's finals?" Rocket asks around a slice of pizza. Wally digs into the first of his two large pizzas, ignoring the question.
"Decent," Artemis shrugs," Studying isn't exactly the same as kicking ass."
"They were easy," Robin boasts.
"Did you hack into the school computers and cheat?" Artemis asks.
"Not this time."
"You know if you weren't on the side of good, Dick, you'd make one hell of a villain," Connor points out," You've got the intelligence and the means."
"Not my style. What about you, Connor, how were Happy Harbor High's midterms?"
"I'm a fucking clone who was taught pretty much everything except social interactions. How do you think they went?" He says blandly. M'gann and Zatanna chat happily about some shop in New York that they need to visit together. Artemis, Dick, and Rocket toss insults at each other, smiling. Connor and Aqualad discuss the possibility of an attack around Christmas. Wally takes a second to marvel at the normality of the scene. Well, their version of normal. Then he hears the voice again. You almost fucked this up. Wally tenses, not enough for anyone else to notice. He focuses on his chewing. What if they hadn't found you? What if when they did find you, but they were too late? Wally takes a deep breath, letting the air go slowly. He'd told Canary about the thoughts. He's in control. If you were in control, then I wouldn't be here. You have no power over me. Wally makes himself smile. In his head he begins to list things that make him happy. Slowly, the darkness in his thoughts begins to disappear.
"So who wants to watch a movie?" Dick asks," I got the new X-men movie."
"Dude, we're superheroes, I think we would spend most of the movie comparing our own powers with theirs." Wally points out.
"They're mutants. We've got," Dick does a quick head count," Two Metahumans, an Atlantian, two flavors of alien, one witch, a badass archer, and me."
"Different name, same issues," Artemis says," Besides, I'm pretty tired."
"How about an early night?" Kaldur suggests," Then we can continue the festivities in the morning."
Dick and Zatanna both disappear into the screening room, disscussing the probably of time travel. Wally rolls his eyes as he helps clean up dinner. They all go their seperate ways. Though Wally knows that he's not staying in his room that night. Since June, whenever they spent the night in the Cave, they always slept in her room. There are no cameras in the bedroom area (which is a stupid choice, Wally often thinks, but one he's come to appreciate) so getting to her room is always easy. He changes into his pajamas and runs over. Artemis sits on her bed, reading a worn copy of Alice in Wonderland.
"'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!/The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!/Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun/The frumious Bandersnatch!'" Wally recites the only stanza that he can remember. Artemis rolls her eyes, but she's smiling," Babe, are you really going to stay up late reading that?"
"You have a better offer?" She looks at him with a sinful look in her eyes. Wally crosses the room, jumping onto her bed. She laughs until he pulls the book from her hands," Hey!"
"Sorry, beautiful, but I have an offer you can't refuse," Wally pulls her close to him, capturing her lips in his. Artemis sighs happily as she melts into the kiss. Wally admitted to her that she was the first girl he'd ever kissed. Surprisingly, he's good at it. After a year together, they both knew exactly how they fit together in almost everyway. This though, Wally kissing her, his hands messing with the bottom of her shirt seemed the best. Artemis pushes him back a bit so they fall onto her bed. They wrestle for a moment before she rolls them. Her knees are planted on either side of his hips, so she can look at him. He shoots his hand up, stealing the ponytail holder from her hair. Gold locks fall down her back and over her shoulder.
"You like my hair way, way too much," She teases.
"Babe, I can't think of a single part of you I don't like," He gives her a signiture grin. She wants to attack his lips, kissing him until they couldn't breathe, but something stops her. His shirt sleeve has fallen just enough for her to see one of the scars. Wally notices her tense up. He takes her face in his hands, making her look at him," Hey, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
"I know," She looks down at him, her intelligent gray eyes studying every line of his face," I just… I can't forget."
"Let me help," He takes her moment of distraction to flip them over. He presses his lips to her throat, nipping at the skin there. She bites her lip to stop a moan. Wally knows exactly where to kiss her and how to make her forget her own name. He notices she still hasn't untensed yet. He moves up to kiss her lips again. Pressing his forehead aginst hers, he says," Babe, I'm doing better. And these scars, They're just a reminder of a dark point of my life. I'm okay. This time I really mean it. I'm happy."
"Doesn't change what happened." She relaxes a bit, seeing the old spark in her boyfriend's eyes had returned," But I guess you're right."
"Well, statistically I have to be right every once in a while," She rolls her eyes as she brings his mouth back to hers. Some part of her does believe him. Since she'd found him in his room in June, something in him had changed. They'd both teased each other about the walls they'd built, neither really understanding why they were theret. Maybe she's just come to terms with the fact that the happy goofball she fell in love with a year ago had a darker side. Wait did she just say love? She doesn't have time to think about her sudden admission of love as Wally begins to kiss her neck again. This time he kisses lower, pressing his mouth to the neckline of her shirt. She's suddenly extremely thankful she chose one of her looser shirts today. Wally's hands move under her shirt, spreading over her stomach. She takes the oppertunity to flip them again so she's on top," Babe, I was no where near finished."
"Don't care, Wallman. My turn." She pecks his lips before kissing his neck the same way he had kissed hers. She bites the skin just under his adam's apple. Her own hands begin to move down his t-shirt. But where he teased, she got right to the point. Wally takes a sharp breath as he feels those long nimble fingers slipping under his shirt.. He'd marvelled at those same fingers as they knocked back arrow after arrow. As they laced themselves with his own. As they traced patterns on the table during dinner. Wally sits up, pulling Artemis back up to his mouth. She pulls his shirt off so her hands can run over his chest. His muscles had developed nicely over the last year. He's a long away from that lanky sophmore. Wally buries his hands in her hair, pulling her down onto him.
He loves her. The way her skin glows against his. Her hair flowing over her shoulders in long beautiful waves. Her brillant, gorgeous body pressed against his in all the right places. He pulls her shirt off, aching to feel more of her. She smiles, happily lifting her arms to help, wanting him as much as he wants her. Artemis rolls her hips against his. She gets so much satisfaction hearing her boyfriend moan. She can feel his growing excitement beneath him. God, she loves him so much. She loves his fiery hair. The thousands of freckles on his skin. His strong hands slipping beneath her sportsbra. She mentally pats herself on the back. Rather than her usually crappy sweat pants she sleeps in when he's not here, she'd found a pair of cute black panties buried in her drawer. She decides fuck it and pulls her bra off. Wally's green eyes widen, sending a jolt down her spine. Artemis feels like heaven on top of him.
"God, can we just stay here forever," He asks, taking in the sight of her.
"That another offer," She kisses him, slowly, deeply, and lovingly. She holds his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb," If Dick wouldn't find us here, I wouldn't have to question how long forever really is."
"What part of 'fastest kid alive' don't you get?" He gives her his signiture smartass grin. Rather than rolling her eyes, she rolls her hips again. His grin fades a bit.
"Does that apply to every part of your life?" She asks not so innocently.
"Let's find out," Artemis actually squeals when he uses his speed to pin her underneath him. She can see his scars much easier now, as his hand pushes hair out of her face. Rather than tense or freak out, she lifts her head, pressing her lips to his wrist. She lays back, staring him with a mix of emotions that he can't place.
"Do you remember what you said to me after that happened?"
"I said a lot of things, babe."
"You said that if we hadn't found you, you'd be dead."
Wally nods, pushing hair from her eyes," I remember. You were half asleep. I also think you threatened me if I died while we're together."
"You know that still stands." Wally laughs. She loves his laugh. Something about it just made her want to laugh too.
"Babe, have I ever told you how sexy it is when you threaten my life?" He kisses her before she can answer. She stops herself from groaning into his mouth as he slips a hand into her panties. Wally kisses her harder, leaving breathless. She bucks under his touch, any thought of self presevation long gone. He kisses lower and lower, pulling her panties down with him, taking the time drive her to the edge before he's anywhere near his hand. Her fists ball up the sheets. Jesus fucking Christ. Wally has never been with another girl so she's not sure how the hell he's this good. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she's very vocal about what she does and does not like. She moans as he presses his mouth to her. God help her, he'd be the end of her.
"Wally!" She cries out, knowing no one can hear them. Waves of pleasure run through her body. He waits before moving up her body again. She can taste herself on his lips. Her nimble hands find his pajama pants, pushing them down. She can feel his excitement against her thigh," Have I ever told you that you are amazing?"
"Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" He teases.
"I mean it, Wally. You're amazing. I can't imagine my life without you in it."
His eyes soften," I can't imagine my life without you in it."
"And," she kisses him, nipping at his lip," I can't imagine another thing in my life without you in it."
"You had to make it sexual, didn't you?" Wally shakes his head. She presses her body against his.
"If I didn't, you would have." She points out. He considers it for a second before nodding. She looks up and down his bady before meeting his eyes again," Do you have protection?"
That sends a new surge of blood to his crotch. They haven't had sex yet, both still figuring out what they were ok with. He flashes out of the room to his own. Back in less than ten seconds, he finds Artemis sitting up, smiling. That beautiful golden hair covers her beautiful body. Her kiss bruised lips are pulled back in a soft smile. One very clear question that he knows the answer to. If I let you in, will you stay? He presses her into her bed, answering the question with every kiss. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Later they lay next to each other, a thin layer of sweat covering their skin. Both of them grinning like crazy. Artemis looks at him," I guess that's one Christmas miracle we didn't see coming."
"Us having sex or no one interrupting us?" He asks, kissing her hair.
"Both, and the fact that we had sex and I didn't punch you in the face." She tells him. Wally laughs.
"Yeah, that surprised me too." He admits. Artemis climbs over him to look at the clock. She groans," What time is it?"
"1:37," He groans too. M'gann insisted on starting the festivities at 7 am, because some bullshit that she picked up from media. That meant they had to be up and moving at 6:30," Still worth it."
"Shut up," Artemis rolls over him, grabbing her sleepshirt. Wally pulls his pants on. Their team knew that Artemis and him slept together (until tonight it was only ever to sleep) but they knew Dick would lose his goddamn mind if he found them naked in bed. They would never ever live it down. Artemis turns away from him, curling up on her side. He pulls her close, kissing her shoulder," What are you doing for Christmas?"
"My aunt and uncle are coming over. Jay and Joan are going to be there for New Year's. My mom's sisters will probably come in with their kids. Other than that it'll be me trying to survive my mom's well ment intentions. What about you?"
"My mom and I are having a quiet day in. Since most of my friends will be gone, I figured it might be nice to spend some time with her." Artemis had been working on her relationship with her mom. With all the love she'd started to accept from her friends, she'd found a reason to let go of all the hate she'd held. Well, not all the hate. She'd never be able to forgive her dad. But maybe she could forgive her mother," She's been happier lately since I've been more open. Something about my friends being a good influence."
"I hope that included in that." She can feel his smile against her shoulder.
"You're my boyfriend. Though if my mom knew what we just did, she'd probably kill you." Artemis smiles. Wally chuckles. They both talk for another few minutes before drifting off to sleep. For the first time in weeks, neither of them has a nightmare. They barely move between the time they fall asleep and when Dick bangs on the door. Artemis groans, pulling the sheets over her head," Go away."
"Come on, Arty. Don't be like that!" The fifteen year old half shouts through the door," It's a party!"
"Give me like ten minutes to wake up," She sits up, shaking Wally. Softly so Dick can't hear her, she says," Babe, get up. We have to go be social."
"Uggggggggh!" Wally moans. They both feel like death. Probably look like it too. They're both more than familiar with each other in the morning. Artemis's long hair puffs out like a lion's mane. Wally's mouth tastes like death. Wally sits up, swearing at the morning," Jesus fuck. I hate everything in this room."
"Everything?" Artemis asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Everything but you," He corrects himself.
"Better." She stands, groaning in pain. Everything was sore. From a extra long sparing session with Conner to gymnastics with Dick to Wally, all the muscles in her legs and arms were screaming at her. Her eyes burn with lack of sleep. Wally searches for his shirt on the floor. It takes them both several minutes before they're ready for actual interaction. Artemis decides against pulling her hair up, mostly because she has no motivation to find a hair tie.
They stumble into the living room. Dick grins at them, like he does most mornings. Their presents sit under the tree, even though none of them actually put them out. Zatanna used her magic to make them appear so everyone could sleep for another minute or two. Dick probably has half of their presents already figured out. Artemis accepts a cup of coffee from M'gann, who's more than familiar with her best friend's inability to deal with the mornings.
"Morning!" Artemis answers her best friend's cheerfulness with a not so cheerful grunt," How'd you sleep?"
"Not nearly long enough." She yawns. Wally sits next to her with a bowl of ceral.
"Let's get this party started," Wally pretends to be peppy. Most likely to annoy Dick.
"Alright, who wants to go first." Connor asks.
"Here, toss Dick the one with the Santa Clauses on them." M'gann hands it over. Dick rips the paper off and laughs at the bag of charcoal.
"You're such an ass."
"Open the damn bag," Wally tells him. Opening the bag, Dick looks in. For a solid minute he doesn't say anything. Then he pulls out a stuffed elephant, a snow globe from Halley's circus, a bag of cotton candy, and kettle corn. Dick isn't sure what to say. Wally points his spoon at him," I think the words you're looking for are 'thank you.'"
"Thanks. Really thanks, dude." Dick picks up the elephant," I'm gonna call her Elinore. That was the only elephant at the circus that didn't hate my guts."
"Why did the other elephants hate you?" Zatana asks her boyfriend.
"I was an annoying little shit that had a tendancy to go where I shouldn't be. Wally, shut up."
"Ok, who's next?" Wally asks. The whole thing lasts a few hours longer than it should. They keep stopping to talk, swap stories, and make fun of each other. Kaldur loves the book of myths. M'gann hugs Artemis after she opens her new t-shirt. Wally gets a bunch of books on gamma radiation and a few new notebooks for his labs. He usually has seven or eight going on and is always running out of notebooks in the middle of them. Artemis made him a shirt that says 'Magic is just unexplained science.' Zatanna is fairly amused by the shirt. They take a break to eat some breakfast after Wally's second bowl of cereal. The last round of presents goes pretty quick until there's only one left.
"Who's that for?" Artemis asks.
"It's for you," M'gann passes it to her. The wrapping is a soft green with a gold ribbon wrapped around it. There's no name on it. She carefully plucks the tape off the paper after sliding the ribbon off. In a plain white box, under green tissue paper, is a silver braclet. She lifts it up, showing the rest of the room.
"Damn," Dick nods in approval," That's pretty sweet."
"I-" Artemis is lost for words. She's never been given anything so beautiful. Her entire childhood of Christmases had been one long string of disappointments. Last year hadn't been so bad, with the team and her mom, but all the ones before sucked ass. Her dad, rather than toys or clothes or any real presents, would make her train more or would give her a new bow when she out grew her old one," What...who-who…?"
"You really think I wouldn't do something special for our first Christmas together," Wally asks. Artemis stares at him, more shocked that he managed to keep a goddamn secret than the gift," It's not new. My aunt had a braclet with a broken clasp and M'gann helped me with the charms."
Artemis studies the three charms dangling from the braclet. One looks like a small doll, another is a moon, and the last is a lightning bolt. Wally takes the braclet, gesturing for her to hold her wrist out. He struggles for a second to clasp it.
"You made this?" Artemis looks at M'gann.
"I helped. Wally found some silver somewhere. He heated the metal and I shaped it."
"Why those?" Dick asks," Like what's with the charms?"
"Well, the moon is because she's got the same name as the greek goddess of the moon and hunt. I read that she was pretty kick ass with a bow too. The doll is because I know Christmas in the past hasn't been what it should have been."
"That sums up most of my childhood," She points out.
"Yeah, I figured. Then the lightning bolt is-"
"You?" She asks with a soft smile.
"Yep," Surprisingly, he doesn't give her a cocky grin. He gives her a shy smile," Do you like it?"
"Of course. I love it," Artemis says. She wants to say she loves him, but can't.
"This is the part where you kiss," Dick tells them.
"Damn it, Dick. They were having a moment," Zatanna throws a pillow at him. Artemis kisses Wally's cheek. They're both smiling. The others begin to clean up, M'gann going to start on lunch. About ten minutes pass before their friends realize the young couple is asleep. Artemis has one arm around his waist , her head resting on his shoulder. Wally's head rests on top of hers. He holds her close. None of them, not even Dick, have the heart to wake them up.
Both Wally and Artemis have both been struggling the last six months. They had fought a lot, especially when they had bad days. They'd nearly broken up twice. Then there were the days that they couldn't stand to be apart. Artemis was trying to open up to her friends more, even inviting them over to her apartment. She still had days that she shut them out. Days that she wouldn't answer her phone, unless it involved missions. Wally had days when he couldn't cope. When he would break down in tears or when he would throw whatever was in arms reach. There were days that he would just stay in his room here. He wouldn't open the door. There were no sharp objects in his room until last week. Dick once stuck a camera in there. Wally would sit on his bed, unmoving.
As bad as they had been, the whole team knows that if they weren't togther, one or both of them would have fallen apart completely. Their bad days weren't lining up as often as they did at the begining. Now one could talk the other down. They could coax them out of the darkness inside. Sometimes with long conversations, sometimes just letting the other vent, sometimes niether of them talking. Just sitting together, reading or writing, was enough. The team was there for them when they could be. It had taken a lot of time and trust, but they were mending. They were going to be ok.
The last Christmas gift the team decides to give is to the young couple on the couch. They let them be. Zatanna coaxs Dick into helping her with a school project, to draw him away from pretty good blackmail material. M'gann uses her powers to cover them in a warm blanket before they all leave. Neither Wally or Artemis move for hours. In time they would wake up, bleary eyed and disoriented, but they would wake up. They would always wake up and they would always have that moment of unknowing. Not knowing where they were or what was going on. But they'd feel the other's warmth. They'd feel the other breathing, knowing if they were still asleep or awake. They'd lay there, neither daring to move because when they move, they'll have to talk to other people. When they move, they'll have to feel all the dark feelings they have. They'll have live when they move. So for now, they are content with sleeping. Because when they're sleeping, nothing bad happens. Nothing can hurt them. They're going to be okay. They're going to wake up one day and be happy. It might not be today or tomorrow or next week or next months or even next year. But they'll wake up one day and they'll be happy. Hopefully their happiness will include each other.
Author's note: I had someone message me asking about each chapter of this story. Chapter 1 was about the loss of control that comes with self harm. Chapter 2 is the want and determination for control when something has gone way to far. This chapter is all about progress. No matter what any of you has gone through, anything that has hurt you or nearly destroyed you, there is always, always, always a chance for things to get better. Always, always, always. Again I've struggled with self harm in the past and it is an everyday battle. There are days that I have to fight harder than others. But there is hope. Again, I love you all so so so much. I have loved writing these stories. They've let me explore different parts of my life and I've developed my writing.
So other notes, I will be expanding one of my stories (Still Family). I have this idea for another story. I'm going to go through an edit some of my current stories. That's about it for story updates. I have been hella busy with work and have had like zero motivation to do anything. I have to kick it into gear though. Any way, Love you all. I hope this story has helped some of you.