Revamped!

[Get ready for a beautiful explosion of fluff for so many reasons.]

Forming Clay Soldiers: Part Nine

Kai and Cinder continue to rest at the crossing light, waiting for it to turn green. They're grateful and anxious that this light was taking forever to change: grateful because they're tired and need a breather, and anxious because Winter will keep on running and they'll have no clue where she went the mire time she has to gain some distance. The two of them hear people approaching so they turn around only to see Thorne, Cress, and Scarlet.

"Look, Cress, we caught up to Kai," Thorne says, panting.

Cress cheers a little as Kai glares at him. Now isn't the time for remarks on his non-athleticism. He doesn't question how or why they're here since that thought doesn't even cross his mind possibly due to the lack of oxygen. If they were spying on his date with Cinder, he can't blame them.

"Aces, what are you all doing here?!" Cinder asks them.

Thorne, Cress, and Scarlet pause, unsure of what to say. A response like "spying on your date" wasn't the best answer. It was a blunt one, but not the best. Cinder has to keep her focus on Winter, not them.

"Chasing Winter, duh," Scarlet states as if it was obvious. Cress and Thorne nod along. "Wolf's Lunar senses were tingling."

Cinder doesn't further question mostly because she doesn't care. She looks up at the red light and taps her foot in frustration, wondering when the damn light will turn green.

"Look, Cinder," Kai says, turning her away from the light that might never change. "We might never get a chance to do this and I want to do this right. I want to make this official. I want to be able to call you my girlfriend."

Cinder looks at him shocked. Thorne, Cress, and Scarlet have the same expression. Kai stands his ground because he was serious about that despite his blotchy face at the moment. Kai rarely gets flustered and this time, it wasn't because of all the running. To Cinder, he's never looked more handsome.

"I want that too," Cinder says.

"You do?" Kai questions just to make sure. He wants to make sure the lack of oxygen wasn't making him hallucinate.

Cars stop and the light turns green. Without answering, Cinder turns around and starts running again.

"Green light!" Cinder yells. "Come on, boyfriend!"

-o-

He almost got hit by a car back there but it was all worth it since it gave him the adrenaline he needed to catch up to Winter. Wolf never expected Winter to have so much speed in her, thinking that all those curls on her head would cause some drag. She was once so far ahead and now he's on her tail. Calling her name repeatedly did nothing since she didn't even turn her head. He's worried that she's running without watching where she's going.

Wolf has no choice but to take Winter down. He leaps forwards and brings her down on a lawn of grass up ahead. Winter screams and struggles against his arms, even clawing him. Wolf holds her wrists and uses his strength against her own.

"Winter!" Wolf yells. "It's me!"

Winter looks up at him and calms down a little although she's still rattled and distressed.

"My boyfriend needs me," Winter tells him. "I think he's in danger but I won't know for sure until I get there. Wolf, you'd do the same for Scarlet. You have before."

Wolf pauses. Thinking back to when the Wolf Pack kidnapped Scarlet, he did go after her. And he drove almost as fast and reckless as Winter's run. For all he knows, he could've gone to jail or died. It's how he understands love. Wolf loosens his grip on Winter and helps her up because if there's one thing he is besides in love, it's not a hypocrite.

"Get on my back," Wolf tells her.

Winter nods. She jumps on his back and he starts sprinting for her because they'll get there faster. Winter howls excitedly as she holds on tight.

-o-

Wolf lets Winter off his back at the airport which is where she led him. He has no idea why they're here and it looks like she doesn't either. She looks overwhelmed. Wolf turns around and sees everyone else show up, exhausted up to the point where they will drop dead. Half of them lie down on the seats in the waiting area, gasping for precious air.

"Really, Wolf?!" Thorne exclaims. "It was bad enough chasing Winter and we had to chase you! You'd think that constantly running from you would put me in better shape."

Wolf glances at Scarlet. "Winter is very persuasive."

Scarlet grabs Winter's arm. "Winter, what's your plan from here?!"

Winter pauses, realizing that she doesn't have one. She has no passport, money or a destination. She feels defeated.

Scarlet runs her arm where she grabbed it. "Winter, you're seventeen. You'll have a heart attack before you live the full extent of your life."

Winter starts to sob. Cinder goes forward to hug and console her step-cousin, rubbing her back tenderly. Everyone else stands with her for support, feeling bad that they couldn't do anything more to help Winter and they all hope that Jacin isn't actually in any danger.

"The next flight heading for Artemisia will now be boarding."

Cinder and Winter perk up at the sound of their old town. They look around for some reason and hear a boy's voice protesting something, making it the centre of their attention but nobody else's. Winter mutters some inaudible words in recognition of that voice. Her body lightens, her inner spirits replenish themselves as she runs over to the sound of resistance.

Winter plows through people in the airport. They curse at her but she couldn't care less. Her friends follow close behind and the same occurs. Winter looks ahead and sees his face in the distance with a hint of blue, sandwiched between two customs officers.

It's him. It's really him. It's no hallucination and she knows it.

"Jacin!" Winter exclaims.

Her feet are on clouds as she runs over. She sees Jacin's eyes open wide as he breaks free from his restraints to join her. Winter throws her arms around him and slides her hands from his shoulders to his neck. She pushes herself onto her toes and presses her lips against his, running her fingers through his soft hair while she feels herself relax into the warm, sweet, long overdue kiss. He's so gentle and mindful and takes his hand down a caressing stroll along her back.

"I wasn't expecting you…" Winter mutters to him.

Jacin gives the customs officers a look and they dismiss him since his girlfriend does exist. He puts his focus back on Winter, not letting her go.

"Just blessing you with my presence," he replies with a hint of sass.

As his body melts into hers, he smells the soothing apple fragrance she always wears. Being with her always makes him feel better, no matter what's going on. He needed her. Winter looks up at him but when the dark thoughts come back to him, he looks down and away from her eyes.

"I just, I didn't know what to do…" He mutters.

"So, you ran away because you didn't know what to do? In what way does that make sense?! Jacin, talk to me," Winter encourages. "Look at me and not the ground."

"You're all that I'm confident in!" Jacin exclaims, looking directly into her eyes. "All I know is that making you my girlfriend was the best decision of my life. With that in mind, I don't want to write letters to you anymore."

Winter pauses for a second. "...what?"

"I don't want to write you some words in ink that I can and should tell you with my voice. I need to see you, Winter, hear you. I can't formulate my emotions that well but, spades, it's just hard. It's hard but I want to get to that point where it becomes easy. Forget curfew and strict cell usage. Let the stars handle that."

Winter smirks a little, then it disappears. "...Jacin. That phone call. Are you on drugs?"

Jacin eyebrows wrinkle in confusion. "What? Of course not. I'm only addicted to you. I love you with an intensity I can barely feel."

"Oh, thank the stars."

Jacin laughs a little as he cups her face and kisses her again. She wraps her arms around her shoulders and sways in his hold on her. The others watch from close by, all with stupid smiles of glee on their faces. Scarlet and Wolf hold hands, Cress leans against Thorne, and Kai and Cinder embrace the moment.

Cinder exhales, unaware that she was holding her breath. (Maybe it was because she has never heard Jacin say so many words in one sitting. Also, she wonders where the blue tips came from.).

"That was a lot," Cinder says. "I think I might cry."

Cress weeps. "I already am!"

"Me too," Thorne adds.

Jacin and Winter part from their kiss. Winter cries, this time from pure happiness. Jacin wipes her tears away and a small laugh escapes her mouth.

"I don't know what to say," Winter admits.

Jacin shrugs it off. "You don't have to say anything. I didn't say it for a response but because I wanted to. I apologize for all the problems this must've caused because of me."

"And you call me Trouble." She laughs a little. Jacin pulls her close and quickly kisses her cheek. "Okay, look, we'll deal with the obvious issues later but for now…" She turns him to her friends. "Meet everyone! Half of them are Lunars!"

Cinder goes over to hug Jacin. "That's Scarlet, Wolf is her Lunar boyfriend, Cress is also Lunar, you probably remember Ex-Cadet Carswell Thorne, and that's my boyfriend, Kai."

Cinder admits that she likes calling Kai that. Kai feels the same way. Thorne hates his introduction but he doesn't complain since Cinder purposely did that. Jacin shakes hands with them, staring at Thorne for a few seconds longer since he does remember him from long ago.

"You have a boyfriend?!" Winter and Jacin exclaim together in Cinder's face. Winter's excited and Jacin's confused.

Cinder nods. "I have a boyfriend and Jacin has blue tips and new emotions. It's a new day for everyone."

"I really have to explain all this," Jacin says about his presence in Commonwealth.

"Well," Cinder mutters, "it'll be the worst and possibly your last day."

[You're very welcome for the Kaider and Jacinter feels.]