Trigger Warning:

- near drowning

Today's regimen was exhausting, but it was worth it.

Class 1-A and 1-B were given individualized training regimens to focus on specifically improving the ranges of our quirks.

Mine consisted of alternating my quirks quickly: heat the water inside the metal barrel to boiling point one second and blast ice the next.

It was tiresome, but good training. But it is what the Wild & Wild Pussycats (there were four instead of two like I had thought) tell us afterward that really makes me feel like satisfied. We have to cook our own dinners. Not a problem for me. I've been helping Sis around with house chores for some years now. My classmates ask Bakugou and I to help create fires for the rice and curry. Doing so makes me realize another aspect of fire I had misjudged because of Endeavor: it destroys the wood to create a meal. Fire can create as much as it can destroy. If I could go back into time, I would tell an angry younger me this lesson. The difference it would have made would be unfathomable.

More unfathomable is how my eyes search for her, like sunflowers to the sun. I can't help it. And I can't help the snort that escapes my mouth when I watch her expression contort from hesitant determination to pure horror. Her eyes dart to our classmates, observing them, copying them. Slowly she lights the wood on fire, slowly she cuts the vegetables, slowly the water in the pot simmers. But the flames are too small, the pieces are too big, and it will take hours for the water to boil. It's obvious, this is her first time ever cooking.

I should help her. Cannot have her eating some half-cooked meal and risk getting food poisoning. Since the cooking stations are organized into rows, I occupy the one next to her. I whisper, "Need some help?"

Selene-chan looks startled but nods. "My salutations to chefs, housewives, and everyone else who cooks on a daily basis. This is so much harder than it seems. I ought to tell Hanada-sama to raise the pay of our cooks."

She refers to her father as Sama? I think it was a slip of the tongue she didn't notice, and I don't point it out either. Just another piece of evidence to my suspicions about her father and her abuse. I gesture her to watch my motions and copy them. We raise the temperature of her flames. I guide her through how to cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces. She is surprisingly adept with a knife, though, because after a while, she chops them rapidly and easily. Nearly as fast as Bakugou, who is expertly chopping his. Kind of hurts to admit how slow I am in comparison. I show her the order of ingredients after the water boils.

She lets me stir her concoction the last time, and I lift the ladle to her mouth. "Taste it."

She blows on the curry, making my gaze drop to her lips. I feel my neck burn red, and I resist the subconscious urge to rub it. She takes a sip. "It's … all right for a first attempt." I try it, too. From the same spot her lips touched because I am a damn idiot right now, and I want to be an idiot. The pink tinge of her cheeks tells me that she's noticed, too.

"Yeah. I agree. A little more spice will make it flavorful." And I toss in a pinch of ground red pepper into her curry.

The next day, after the morning intense quirk workout, both Aizawa-sensei, Vlad King-sensei, and the Pussycats inform both classes of a recreational mountain hike. Though, given the size of the hill we have to climb, it seems less recreational and more like a physical workout.

Our reactions vary on a spectrum. Some are eager, others are exerted, some are nonchalant, and others are irritated. Midoriya is one of the eager ones, those taking the remedial classes are the exerted ones (much to my surprise as they're actually the rowdiest ones of our class), I am one of the nonchalant ones, Bakugou is one of the irritated ones, and Selene-chan has her own spot on the emotional spectrum. She takes one glance at the colossal structure and turns back.

"If this is a joke, then I am not amused at all," she mumbles.

"After blasting our asses off during training, we have to tear our muscles, too?!" Bakugou exclaims. "And this hike is supposed to strengthen intra- and inter-class bonds? I don't give a damn."

"Wow, for once, the two of you agree on something," I comment, unimpressed at the complaining.

Said two glance at me, then stare at each other before simultaneously erupting with an identical response: "Agreement with this egoist! Absolutely not!"

I'm entertained now. Behind my hand, I snicker, "Wow. Even when both of you disagree, you still agree."

Bakugou sneers, and Selene-chan frowns. She approaches one of the Pussycats, and an animated discussion follows. I cannot discern what either of them are saying from this distance, but given Selene-chan's frequent motioning of her cane and pointing to her knees and elbows, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. The Pussycat tries to placate her. A while later, she sighs in acquiescence. With some final words, she returns.

Still, I ask her what the conversation was about. She replies, "What people call hiking is trekking for me. What people call trekking is torture for me. How is it logical for someone with arthritis and a cane to climb up a hill? This was the subject of debate. But then the Pro-Hero said that if I stayed behind, one of the heroes would have to stay with me, too. And that this exercise would be good for expanding the limits of my physical movement. As if a person with a disability doesn't know her own limits?"

She did make good points, but I'm not convinced that was at all. A Pro-Hero staying with her and the encouragement to push yourself would not be enough to persuade someone as stubborn as her. "Right. What was it that made you give up the fight?"

She glares at me. "Sometimes, you are too clueless, and other times, you are too smart. But fine, though it is going to hurt my pride to say it," she mutters. "The Pussycat said that if I did not go, I would have to cook everyone's dinner tonight. For Class 1-A, 1-B, and the teachers."

I chortle at that, and when she looks away, I laugh harder. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who noticed your lack of experience in the kitchen."

"Why does that make you so happy?" she questions.

"Because I think it's adorable."

"You really like teasing me," she murmurs, still not meeting my gaze.

Now it's not so funny anymore. I tilt her face in my direction with the tip of my finger below her chin. "I do, but my teasing is never meant to insult you."

"Th-that's not what I meant. I-I was curious a-as to why you found my inability to cook s-so endearing," Selene-chan stammers.

My mouth opens again to answer her cute question-not-question. But I stop when I note our proximity to each other. Without my noticing, we moved so close together that the tips of our shoes are touching, and my hand has moved from her chin to her cheek, stroking its curve like a feather. If only you knew that there are so many things I find endearing about you besides your poor cooking skills. I become all too aware of her.

Remembering my inner conflicts, I step away from her. I remove my hand from her cheek. She's surprised at my sudden change in behavior, but I can't articulate it. Pain appears in her eyes, making me want to bridge that distance again and wash the hurt away. She speaks slowly, warily. "Shouto-kun … I have been observing for some time that-"

I cut her off. "For the hike, everyone is in groups. But we are in different groups. So, see you at the meeting point."

Her hands inch closer together, just waiting to be tightly wrung like sponges. The urge to clasp them in mine is so strong, but I suppress it with all my willpower. I can't be near her right now. It's my turn to move away. I turn my back toward her, but all of a sudden, she reaches out and grasps my hand with hers. I look at her, first at our linked hands and then her eyes, and am taken aback by the tears glistening in them. She stutters again. "Have I … have I made a mistake? C-c-can I amend it? Please? I'm sorry-"

"It's not your fault," I interrupt her. Shame at myself and what I'm doing to her climbs up my throat. It escapes through my choked out words. "A lot has been going on, and I just need some time to sort it out. Part of it is you, but I assure you, you did nothing wrong. Please don't apologize for something you never did."

A tear drips down. "But-"

I let go of her. Again. "Don't blame yourself for my erratic behavior. I'll figure things out. See you later … Selene-chan." It feels strange to call her by that honorific now.

She subtly wipes her tears with a handkerchief, and I move away, holding back my own.

I'm lost.

There's no doubt about it. At some point on this hike, I straggled too far behind, too caught up in my roiling thoughts, that now I have veered off the trail and have no clue how far away my classmates or the trail is. Even better, there is no internet connection available at this altitude and cell reception is nonexistent.

Still, I might as well try. I punch in the number of the Pro-Hero leading our group - I made sure to note the emergency contact of each teacher here - and listen to the dial tone ring. It goes on and on, and just as I am about to press the end-call button, I hear a splash.

My only landmark is the ravine some meters away from me. Within the ravine, is a rapid river. Clouds darken with the promise of torrential rain and thunder, but rain has yet to fall, so the only explanation of the sound of water is the river. I tread slowly on the slipper rocks and gaze down into the gorge. Water rushes with speed, crashing and rising above rocks, but ever undeterred. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see a pale pink glove reach out of the water only to be sucked back in.

There is only one person at this training camp who wears gloves, and only one person who wore pale pink ones today. There's no time to think. I leap into the rushing waters. My stomach plummets with the fall, but I manage to stifle the urge to shout. More important is that I don't crash into the rocks below. The instant my head makes contact with the water, I'm blinded. Silt and dirt fog my vision. The water is freezing. I narrowly escaped being splattered. I feel for the ground with my hands and feet and propel myself above water with their momentum. Between catching my breath and treading the water, I scan my surroundings for any sign of Selene-chan. None. I dive again, and this time, I don't resurface.

Swimming underwater, I have nothing to rely on except my hazy vision. Given that there is no sunlight, I can't discern any true shapes. Just light and dark and general movements. I swim further. My reservoir of carbon dioxide has been maxed out. I have to resurface. The fact that Selene-chan hasn't for so long makes me anxious. My thoughts race again, for her, but for completely different reasons. She cannot swim. What if she's trapped? What if she got knocked out by the impact? What if she's already dead? I stop there. I cannot lose control. I cannot think such horrifying things right now.

I go underwater again, worry and fear fueling every push of my arms and kick of my legs. Hope ebbs from my body with every stroke. Just then, something snags onto my arm. A strap. A backpack strap. I yank it and myself out of the water. This is Selene-chan's backpack that she brought with her for the hike. She must be nearby then. I toss the backpack onto the nearest rock on the side of the gorge before diving in one more time.

This time, I spot something about ten meters away. A light colored object shaped like a hand, drifting back and forth. I won't take my chances. I swim in that direction, operating on the idea that it's her and not some aquatic plant. When I get there, I almost swallow in the water. It is her. Unconscious. Trapped beneath a log. Wisps of dark liquid rise and dissolve into the river water. Is that blood?!

I attempt to lift the log. Useless. It's too damn heavy. Then I try to pull her out. Futile. She's thoroughly stuck. And I'm running out of time. My fire quirk is unusable in these circumstances. My best shot now is to splinter the wood with ice. Even if it means injuring myself and hurting her more. I return to the surface for a final breath. My strength is depleting, but I can't give up. Back in the water, I lodge my foot in a crevice between the rocks and unleash the ice on the log. The ice seeps through every crack and hole, making more cracks and holes. It's not enough. Maybe it's the adrenaline and the natural instinct of survival that pushes me forward. More ice, more fissures. More ice, more fractures. Eventually, the log shatters into pieces that drift and float in the water. I swim toward Selene-chan and bring her to the surface.

The sensation is paralyzing: I'm heaving for oxygen, but her eyes don't open. I retrieve her bag and drag both of us forward. There's got to be shallow water somewhere. Really, it is just instinct that is driving me forward. Otherwise, I have no stamina left in me. I trust that instinct to guide me to safety. After God knows how long of swimming, a water bank appears. I pull us out of the water and well away from it.

Now instinct is replaced with basic knowledge of health care. I pat her cheeks repeatedly for a reaction. Nothing. I check for her breathing. Nothing. Her pulse. Nothing. Her body warmth. Nothing. I have to give her CPR. It's been a long time since I last practiced, but I still remember the process: thirty chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths. She's on a flat surface covered with grass. Good. I kneel perpendicular to her, by her neck and shoulders. I place my hands where her sternum would be and press hard. My entire body weight concentrated in my hands. I press again, and again, and again. The point of chest compressions is to do it fast. I count each time I press, and with each number, I chant a word mentally. 14. Please. 15. Please. 16. Please. She's not awake yet. Blood is dripping from her forehead.

I prepare for the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I remove my hands from her sternum and put one on her blood-soaked forehead. Lifting it and her chin, her mouth parts. Then I pinch her nostrils shut. Bending down, I cover her lips with mine, leaving no space. I breathe into her mouth. Her chest doesn't rise. I breathe again. Still, no response.

I repeat the procedure over and over again. While I keep track of counting to thirty and two, I don't count how many times I've repeated this process. I cannot. It will only exemplify how long Selene-chan has not been breathing or beating. The clouds don't hold back any longer. Torrential rain falls like curtains, washing away the silt sticking to clothes and the blood on skin. Thunder claps like massive cymbals, and lightning flashes brilliantly. I feel something hot pour out of my eyes and cool instantly with the rainwater. My tears. I'm crying. The flood of dark thoughts returns with a vengeance. Don't. Please, please, please don't. Don't die. I beg you. You have a whole future ahead of you. And in mine, you're in it. If you go, what will I do? Flowers, sweets, the moon, the night … every simple thing I used to take for granted will remind me of you. I've already lost so much, I can't lose you, too. Please come back. I want you. I need you. I need you because I love you.

Just as I give one more mouth-to-mouth, I feel something splash on me. To my awe, she spits up water at me. I don't mind at all. She's alive. She chokes again, and I lift her to a sitting position, clapping her back, encouraging her to get it all out. More water spills out. She's going to have a nasty sore throat after this, but that's okay. Her usually vibrant eyes are dull, and she winces in pain. "Shouto-kun?" she rasps. She recognizes me, thank God! "Where am I?"

In response to her question, I grab her shoulders and weep into the crook of her neck. "You're safe. You're alive." I repeat these two sentences to no one and everyone. When I let go of her, her vision is still out of focus, but she seems more responsive. There's still the matter of the head injuries. Every time the rainwater washes away the blood, more coagulates. "Let's go find somewhere dry first, okay? I couldn't find your cane, so lean on me if you need support." I help her to her feet, and when she stumbles, I sling her arm around my neck while slipping one around her waist. "If I had more strength in me, I would offer to carry you. But it's just for a little while, okay? We'll find some place to rest soon, I promise."

I toss her backpack around my free arm and lead us parallel to the waterbank. More than once, Selene-chan nearly trips. Her injuries, combined with her missing glasses and the heavy rain, must be why her vision is so poor right now. She's nearsighted, but in these conditions, she can't see anything beyond her two feet. After seemingly endless lagging, I eye a small cave some distance away. The cave is few meters from the river and dry. I drag us into it. Propping her against the rock wall, I slouch in front of her. I have to inspect her head wound. She groans as I push her hair back and tilt her side to side. It's deep. Must have formed when she made contact with the log after falling. The risk of it getting infected is too high if I don't treat it now.

"Selene-chan, did you bring any sort of first aid with you?" I ask, rummaging through her backpack.

"Bottom of … main pocket …" she moans.

I push aside plastic containers and electronics, finding a small box of first aid. It's all too likely that the contents inside are wet, but they're the best option right now. Indeed, the bandages are a soggy mess and the cotton balls are heavy with water. Still, I make do. I wring the water out of the cotton balls and dab rubbing alcohol on them. "This is going to sting, but just bear with me. All right?" And I put them on her forehead. She flinches and hisses but makes no move to resist. Gently, I wipe the congealing blood. "Almost done," I tell her. Tossing the last of the cotton balls aside, I unravel the bandages. Very slowly, I wrap them around her cranium. I murmur softly to her to distract her. "Everything will be okay. Just trust me." She swallows her pain and lets me continue. Finally, the bandages are secured. I return the bottle of alcohol and everything unused back into the kit.

"We're both lost. Staying put here by the river is our best shot at someone finding us. When our group leaders do headcounts, they'll notice two students are missing, and they'll have to send a search party to scour for us," I reason. She nods and leans back. "In the meantime, I'll try to make some sort of beacon, so they arrive sooner." I step out of the shelter of the cave into the rain. Again, using fire is pointless, so I implement ice again. Focusing on my training since we came to this camp, I create the largest ice spire of my life. One single, supreme spear. It towers above the trees by at least three times their height. That should be enough of a signal for help.

I turn to head back inside when suddenly a lightning bolt strikes. And of all things it could have struck, it chose the spire. Now with rain, boulders of ice fall from the sky. Hail is one thing. This is another. I'm lucky I'm not pelted by any of them. I'm more lucky that it wasn't me the lightning landed on. Rattled by the fact that I just escaped death, I stagger beside Selene-chan. Given her enormous, wide eyes, she's just as shaken as me.

"Perhaps we can send … some kind of flare?" she suggests as she tries to summon a small flame. Blue sparks appear in her palm and die out just as quickly. Selene-chan clutches her head and groans in response.

"Don't use your quirk," I tell her. "Your headache will only worsen."

This is bad. I'm limited to just one quirk, and that nearly cost me my life. Selene-chan has many, but her injuries prevent her from using them. My phone and hers are dead from the water. We can only trust that someone will find us soon. Speaking of soon, while we have water, we'll need food. "Hey, Selene-chan? By any chance, did you bring some snacks with you?"

To my relief, she nods. "Main pocket … toward the top."

Those plastic containers I had shoved aside earlier store fruits and sandwiches. She even brought some plastic utensils and napkins with her. "Care to share?" I jest.

She snorts and ushers me to have some. I pry open a container of oranges and a box of sandwiches. "If there were any dry wood around, I could have used my left side to generate a small fire to warm us and the food. But, hey! At least, we have food, water, and shelter to keep us alive for the next few hours!" I try my best to be optimistic. It feels strange to me.

Selene-chan smiles. "My thermos … and some cups are in the bag, too. Since the thermos is made of metal, there's milk we can warm and drink … if you would like."

"Of course, you brought your thermos," I comment. Why did I not think that she would bring it with her even on a hike?

Just as I heat the metal of the thermos, Selene-chan perks up a little. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

She's about to speak again, but shakes it off. "Must be the delirium of the headache. Shouto-kun … about earlier … just before starting the hike … I-"

But this time, I do hear something. Both of us do. The sound of a branch snapping. Our gazes snap toward each other. Help? Our eyes communicate the same question. I get out of the cave and glance around. Now that it's getting darker outside, it's hard for even me to see. I'm about to head back in when I hear a familiar voice call out, "Icy Hot, why the hell are you here?"

It's Bakugou. Alone. Drenched and furious. I'm speechless. I want to ask the same question to him, but I can't. If he was the help that arrived, why is he alone? Where's everyone else? When I continue to stare at him dumbfounded, he huffs and enters the cave. "Oh, so this was a secret date?"

That brings me to senses. "This isn't a date. Both of us got separated from our groups, and now we're lost," I explain as I return inside. He and Selene-chan are staring each other down. "We thought that help had arrived, but it was you."

"Disappointed?" he teases. He sits on the wall across Selene-chan. "She was in the same group as me. We were fighting-"

"Bickering," she amends.

"Same thing!" he retorts. "We were bickering, and I had enough of her, so I marched up way forward. Since she couldn't catch up to me, she was the caboose of the group. Then I got bored with everyone else lagging behind, so I stormed off. Now I'm lost in the middle of nowhere, just like you two."

Anger surges through me. "Why would you leave her to be the last climber? You know that she already walks slower than everybody else?" I demand.

Selene-chan places a hand on my arm. "It's all right … The fault was mine. I was the one who goaded him in the first place … after all."

"What? Why would you do that?" My attention shifts to her. Bewilderment replaces anger.

"So you do admit that you lost," Bakugou smirks gleefully.

"When did I say that?" Selene-chan questions.

"Oh, come on, Salt and Pepper. I roasted you hard, and you know it. You didn't have a comeback, so our little match ended. I won and didn't want to hear whatever measly little jab you would come up with."

"Oh, I assure you. My riposte was anything but measly."

Now I'm frustrated. With both of them. "Will either of you clearly tell me what is going on? What the hell is happening between you two? Since the Festival, I've noticed you two have had it for each other. Engaging in word battles, taunting, mocking, jeering." Both of them fall silent. "Well?"

Selene-chan glances at Bakugou. "Do you want to tell, or should I?" When he simply glares, she shrugs. "All right, I will." And so I hear the tale. Bakugou had wanted my declaration of war to be for him instead of Midoriya. But when that didn't happen, his ego was hurt, so he chose to give his to Selene-chan to soothe it. She figured it out and told him that her pride was not his toy to play with. Then both of them struck a bet: whoever would outwit the other by the end of the school year would earn the respect of the other. If Selene-chan won, he would start calling her by her name instead of petty nicknames. But if Bakugou won, she would make a public statement that he was far better than her. "At that time … neither of us knew that training would continue into the summer. So technically … the school year is not over … thus, the bet is not over."

I scoff at them. "Both of you are ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."

She laughs but immediately winces. Bakugou rolls his eyes. "It's childish … but we both need an outlet for our sass and snark. Say, Bakugou-san … would you like to dine with us?" She raises the thermos.

"Eat with you? As if! You can't even cook. Who knows what bacteria are crawling on that!"

She raises an eyebrow. "Just because I cannot cook does not mean I have no sense of hygiene. I can cut fruit and make a sandwich just fine. Who knows how long it will be until help arrives … Perhaps we will have to stay here the entire night. We might as well nourish until then. The invitation still stands."

He glares hard at her before acquiescing. He gets up and crosses over to our side, sitting next to me.

"Care for some milk?" I ask him as I take the thermos from her hands and heat it again.

He doesn't respond, so I take that as a yes. Once the milk seems warm enough, I pour it into three small cups and pass two to them.

"Cheers!" Selene-chan exclaims weakly, before taking a sip. Soon, we are nibbling onto fruit and devouring sandwiches. She packed a lot more than necessary for just one person on a few-hours hike. There is plenty to satiate all three of us. Neither of us talk, but we don't need to. By the time we finish, the thermos is empty and so are all the containers.

Selene-chan falls asleep and rests her head against my shoulder. I don't move her away. But Bakugou stares, gaze alternating between her and me. "She can fall asleep anywhere, can't she? So how did you two get lost? And why's she hurt?" he inquires, disdainfully. I tell him all that happened. He makes a noncommittal sound at the end. "Hope she doesn't get a fever. No point in bickering with the sickly."

That thought didn't even cross my mind. From all the stress today, the injuries, and the frigidity of the water, she's likely to fall ill. Slowly, I shuck off my jacket and place it on her like a blanket. Goosebumps rise on my arms, but she needs the warmth more than I do. As if the word is another reminder, I ease my left arm behind her back and activate my quirk. Heat seeps through the layers of fabric.

"She'll live," Bakugou groans at my actions.

"I don't want to take any chances. She nearly drowned," I murmur, my attention still on her.

I hear him snort. When I look at him, he smirks like he knows something I don't. "For all your coolness and impassivity, you're pretty obvious, you know? Like an open book, or something like that."

I narrow my eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You love her, don't you?" Am I really that obvious? First Recovery Girl, now him. My silence must give me away because he snorts again. "You love her, but you're conflicted about it, too. You've been acting weird for nearly a week. How do I know this? Deku invited everyone to the schools' swimming pool to hone quirks. But because this girl keeps to herself so much, and Deku is a blubbering mess around her, he didn't have her number. You did, though. You wanted to call her. Invite her over. I saw your finger hover over the 'send message' button before you deleted the whole script and put your phone away. And then you alternated between talking to her and avoiding her. On the bus ride here, I watched you freeze when you woke up to see her face that close to you. You wanted to touch more than hair, but you pulled back. You didn't talk to her after that. But yesterday, you helped her out with dinner. Then this morning you shut her out. Now you're holding her like she'll slip out of your grasp and vanish forever."

I don't know what to say to any of that. It's all true. Crystal clear like water. Every last word. Bakugou notices more things than I give him credit for. Finally, I manage to speak up. "Your point is?"

He heaves sarcastically. "Man, I knew you were annoying as fuck, but I didn't think you could you be any more. The day of the Sports Festival, you pulled Midoriya aside to tell him your tragic life story. Well, surprise, surprise! There were two other people eavesdropping, me and Salt and Pepper. Granted, she unintentionally stumbled upon the scene, and I had to keep her quiet, so I could listen. Before you get uselessly angry with her, know that I wanted an explanation for why you chose him over me for your declaration. That's why I listened. She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and she didn't mean any harm.

"But that's beside the point. I overheard what your dad did to your mom and you. I don't really care about your mommy and daddy issues. But honestly, you should sort out your family problems by yourself. No one needs to know. Anyway, I figured that your childhood tragedy is what is affecting your behavior with her now."

"Yeah … it is," I verify.

"Well, I say fuck it all and give it all you got. She's your free therapist, and you love her, so why not lavish her all your love? Prove to your douche dad that you can treat a lady better than he can because Salt and Pepper is a lady in every irritating sense. Just don't do it in public or in class because all that sappiness will make me wanna puke."

I cannot tell if he's being serious or joking. "Are you sure? What if I mess it up? Forget about love, I could lose her friendship forever."

"Your choice whether you decide to act on your feelings. But make up your mind. Don't give her mixed signals. I'm a straightforward person. If in another universe I were a girl, I would hate getting mixed signals. Might just murder the douche giving them to me."

His words make sense, but I'm still doubtful. "Why are you telling me all this? And why are you encouraging me to act on my feelings?"

Bakugou looks at her sleeping figure.

"Because she's the only one who dared to beat me and actually did. More than once," he admits. "Not that I'm ever going to ever tell her that."

I smile. "What if I tell her?"

He grabs my collar, jarring me.

"Tell her, and I promise that will be the last day you live, Icy Hot bastardt," he warns.

I raise my hands and placate him.

"God, you're a violent one," I mutter.

But thanks for the advice.