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Realistic or Modern DotC High

As Kilo moved his arm around her, Winnie found herself curling into his side, thankful for his presence. She had only known him hours and yet it felt like years. "I'll make this up to you one day," she whispered, before closing her eyes and relaxing against him. She took comfort in his presence, in his warmth. He was so warm. She didn't even think she needed the blankets when she was against him, and yet she made no move to take them off. Whether she felt it or not, they had only known each other a handful of hours, and she was sure they were already overstepping a handful of boundaries, so for now she'd stay under the blankets, with him by her side, keeping watch over her. "You're like my guardian angel, you know that? Keeping me safe. I don't know if you understand how important it is to me that you've been here for me. I'm not really used to people sticking around after the first panic attack. It freaks them out. The fact that you're really taking care of me isn't something I'll ever forget." She rested her arm on his chest, her hand over his heart so she could feel the steady rhythm of its beat, before slowly drifting off next to her knight in shining armor.


Sage groaned loudly as Korren gave everyone the answer they wanted to hear. "No! We are absolutely not showing Korren my embarrassing prepubescent stupidity!" He stood as Rose stood, and she raised an eyebrow. "You're going to fight with her cancerous sister?" she asked meekly, pouting at him. "Don't play your cancer card with me!" he snapped, though he was only joking around. Rose chuckled and walked over to the television, pulling out some old tapes. "I'll play it all day, bro. It's my only ace." She put in a tape and Sage sunk back into the chair, his hands over his face as the first video played. It was of a twelve year old version of him jumping around and fighting some nonexistent source with a light saber- his Star Wars phase. He was even making the sound effects. "Rosalina Vixen, you will rue the day you showed this to my girlfriend!" he snapped, peeking through his hands and watching the screen.


After a while Rose stopped the video. "It goes on for thirty minutes but I think we should move on." Rose popped it out and grabbed another, slipping it in. This one was of a slightly younger Sage, about nine, standing on a ladder resting against the house, Christmas lights wrapped all around him. "I'm stuck!" video-Sage cried out. Laughter could be heard out of the shot. "Well climb down, Honey!" His mother's voice. "I don't know how!" Little Sage yelled, and then climbed up another step, realized he wasn't going down, and stopped. "Oh I remember this!" Rose said, turning to look at a horribly embarrassed Sage. "It was the Great Christmas Crisis. The beginning of Sage's rebel phase. He wanted to spend the night on the roof to say hi to Santa but he forgot his juice box so he needed to get down." Sage nodded solemnly before turning back to the video. Finally his father came to get him. Sage screamed as he was picked up and carried down. "I'm falling! I'm falling, Daddy!" he cried out, squeezing his eyes shut. His father set Sage on the ground. "Daddy I'm falling!" Ten year old Rose walked into the shot then. "Hey, Dumby, open your eyes." Sage opened his eyes, saw he was on the ground, and immediately fell to the grass, hugging it tight. "Yay! I'm alive!"  Rose took the video out then, snickering as she put it up, looking for another. "That's enough!" Sage snapped, and while Rose pouted she finally listened, getting to her feet and going back to the couch, grabbing some more Sour Patch Kids. "Fine, fine. Korren, you wanna spend the night too? We'll get you away from Sage for a bit and show you his baby pictures," Rose said, laughing at the thought. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren shrank away, not really sure how to react. Slightly she panicked, stiffening up for the moment. Over time she calmed down, though felt like the moment was tense. Alas, he was joking, but she didn't really know this. Her face went white, though settled to its usual color before Sage could see her. Still she was tense, though watched the video to try and take her mind off of everything. The video took her mind off of it, and she smiled to see a tiny Sage jumping around, reenacting a Star Wars fighting scene. She giggled, not at what he was doing, but at how into it he was. It was cute in a way. Then, Rose took out the tape and popped in another one, showing an even smaller Sage. Again, the situation was goofy as Sage was stuck on the roof, though she didn't laugh. She looked over to see Sage completely embarrassed, and leaned against him, trying to lighten the mood. Overall she felt horrible for embarrassing him, but she couldn't help but watch. She held back from laughing, and instead smiled brightly as the younger Sage hugged the grass. As Rose was looking for more, Sage had snapped, which caused her to stiffen and sit up. Korren felt horrible for the embarrassment she had caused him, and wanted so badly to apologize. Did he hate her now? Maybe he did. Her cheeks filled with red again, while her eyes turned to her lap. Quickly she looked up at Rose, listening to the question and pondering. She couldn't turn down staying the night, though she did want Sage with her. He grounded her during social interaction, but perhaps she could step away from him, but not for long. Maybe he wanted her to go with the girls and leave him alone. "Uhm, sure. That sounds fun." She smiled at Rose despite feeling extremely awkward.


Meanwhile, the two other girls were letting out their laughter and 'aws' all the while, not helping in the slightest bit. The only thing silencing them was the Sour Patch Kids, which they stuffed in their faces every now and again. Winsley had already seen these tapes after watching them one night, curious as to what she missed out when she wasn't hanging out with him. She remembered his phases though, especially the Star Wars phase. 


"Yea, Korren. We'll do whatever girly shit that girls do, and you get to see Sage's bare chubby ass as a baby." She chuckled and Patch smirked, with Winsley looking at Sage with that same old sly look in her eye. It was her ob to torment and embarrass her best friend whenever it was deemed appropriate, especially in front of his girlfriends. In a way she did it to protect him from whores that would break his heart. 


Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, and she checked to see a text finally from Kilo. Gonna need a ride, tell her hola for me. Winsley chuckled at her phone, standing up and heading towards the door. Another text buzzed in with a strange address, and an explanation. Was helping someone.This made her raise a brow, and she looked back at the group. "Kilo needs a ride, was probably helping patch a roof or mow a lawn." She chuckled, looking over to Rose before exiting. "He says Hola." From there she stampeded down the steps, wanting to get this over with and come back as soon as she could. She sent a text before hopping into the car. Alright, you better be done mowing their lawn when I get there.


----


Kilo listened, resting as she laid against him. He smiled as she spoke, looking over this girl that he found at work, disheveled and in need of assistance. His heart skipped a beat at her moving her arm over him. He was hit with the want to pull her closer, to hold her and kiss her head and tell her she was safe with him, to sleep with her next to him. None of this was suppose to happen, though. God, he had only just met her, what was he thinking? He was fantasizing something that probably wouldn't happen. By now she was just a friend, and he was there to help her but no more than that. What he did today though was for the better, since she really did need something like this to happen. He made a difference in her life for the better, and that's all that mattered. She had a guardian angel, and that was Kilo. 


Once he was completely sure she was asleep, he ever so slowly moved away from her and off of the bed, not wanting to disturb her peaceful form. He took a pillow and slipped it in his place, though didn't immediately leave. He searched for a pen and paper, scrawling down his contact information, adding a small note in scrawled writing. If you want to talk with anyone, I'm here for you. I apologize for leaving, had to go home. When he was done he put the note down on her dresser. He crossed over to her and for a moment watched her, smiling to see her at peace. For a moment he paused, unsure of whether to act on instinct or just leave. She was asleep though, so he was sure she would have never known. He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead, smoothing her hair away from her face. 


From there he turned off the lights, shut the door, and headed down the stairs. Before he left, he sent a text to Winsley and packed up the food on the stove, putting the plastic container full of food away in the refrigerator. Just to be sure to keep the kitchen clean, he put the spices away, hand washed the dishes, and cleaned off the kitchen counter. As soon as he was sure the kitchen was spotless, he exited through the front door. Patiently he waited on the porch, leaning his elbows on his knees as he looked at his phone. He chuckled at her text and put his phone away, looking around at the neighborhood that surrounded him. It wasn't overly posh, but it wasn't downright poor. This was the mid-region, where wars between the rich and the poor didn't happen. People were content with what they had mostly, but weren't swimming in needless money. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. If only life were as simple as this neighborhood portrayed it to be. Across the street there were children shooting hoops in their driveway, something he wished would happen in the slums. All he ever saw was drug dealing and gangs walking around. Children weren't allowed outside, since it was dangerous for them.


@McMajestic
 
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Sage looked towards Korren, his embarrassment melting away. He had noticed her move away a bit when he snapped, and he wanted to assure her he wasn't really mad. As she agreed to spend the night, Sage pulled her into his lap, smiling brightly. "You don't have to sleep with those losers. You can sleep with me, love," he cooed, kissing her once before nuzzling his nose against hers. Rose smiled as the interacted, before turning to Winsley as she offered a hello from Kilo. "Kilo! That boy better get over here fast. It's fun to get piggyback rides!" she said, watching as Winsley started for the door. Once she was gone everyone fell into a content kind of silence until Sage began to hum quietly. It was mostly towards Korren, but it made Rose want to hear him. "Why don't you sing a little, Sage? I haven't gotten to hear those pipes in a while." Sage stopped humming and looked up at Rose. "Any requests?" he asked her, and she sat in deep thought for a moment. "Something we can dance to, maybe?" Rose suggested, and Sage grinned, getting to his feet and clearing his throat. He held both Korren's hands in his own, pulling her up.


[SIZE=13.4px]What are you yellin for you're screaming out your lungs all day and night,I can't control a, girl like you,[/SIZE][SIZE=13.4px]She need a Saturday away from home to drink more champagne,[/SIZE][SIZE=13.4px]I can't mold a, girl like you,[/SIZE][SIZE=13.4px]In all designer, to remind ya,[/SIZE][SIZE=13.4px]You can't buy her, just her clothes,[/SIZE][SIZE=13.4px]Can't define her, can't design her,[/SIZE][SIZE=13.4px]In the 90210 ( [/SIZE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_OKQ7sDsl0 )


[SIZE=13.4px]As Sage sang he moved Korren closer to him, swaying with her and spinning her around occasionally. Rose had looked towards Patch and smirked, hopping onto the coffee table and encouraging her friend to come up and dance with her. Sage was singing a slower version of the song, but it still had a rhythm they could easily swing around to together. It was nice to have a little fun with her friends after being stuck in the hospital for so long, with her only silver line being the nurse who she was sure would only remember her as a patient when it was all said and done. Sage sang through the whole song, not having a problems with it since it always seemed to cheered up Rose when he sang. She liked music, especially the stuff Sage could do with it. She was his biggest fan and always had[/SIZE] been. She supported him through everything. He glanced towards Rose, trying to hold in his laughter at her ridiculous dance moves.


Dalton pulled into the driveway an hour or so after he left, after getting a new client and asking a few people at his firm to start heavily advertising his name on the case. It was going to be a big one, and after he won- which he was sure he would- he wanted people to know. This had put him in a good mood, and he was excited to get him to Winnie and tell her they were about to win enough that maybe he could take a month or two off and work on her parents' case. It had been ruled a car accident, which was true, but Dalton nor Bronze never believed it to be a true accident, and after Bronze had told Winnie about their suspicions she had pushing him to work on the case. He'd be able to as long as he won this one. Of course, his good mood faded when he noticed Kilo on his porch. He parked, getting out though he didn't get mad yet. "Kid, you got a ride home?" Dalton asked as he got out of the car. He wasn't a complete monster. If Kilo needed a ride, Dalton didn't mind giving it to him, he just didn't like the idea of this guy getting too close to Winnie. He walked up to the porch, setting his briefcase down by the door before glancing towards his house. "Where's Winnie?" he added, curious as to where she could have been. She was a night owl, so she tended not to go to bed early. Maybe she was doing something inside. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren slightly jumped when she was pulled into his lap, though relaxed by the sight of him smiling. She was met with a quick kiss and nuzzling noses, which made her giggle. Soon she leaned her weight against him, holding on to him as the others talked and as he hummed. She stood as he pulled her up, listening to his voice that captured the room. He moved her closer, and she swayed along with him, laughing as she was spun. Her eyes had brightened up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. As they swayed she looking up into his eyes, glancing over to Rose and Patch to see them dancing along to the music. She chuckled and laid her head against his chest, moving her arms around his waist as they continued to sway along.


Kilo looked up as Dalton's car drove up, sighing. Of course Winsley would arrive late, though it wasn't an easy drive either. She probably got lost through driving through the winding neighborhoods. As Dalton got out, he nodded respectfully towards the man. "Yes sir, I do." He spoke sternly, holding eye contact with him until the man walked past him, standing at the door. There was no need to lie to this man, since he would find out the truth eventually. People like him were never left in the dark, since they had their ways to find information. "She's sleeping in her bed, sir. She was exhausted." He gave a glance to his phone, wondering whether or not he should yap at Winsley to hurry it up or not. It's not that he wanted to leave Winnie, but he desperately wanted to see Rose. 


@McMajestic
 
When Sage finished the song he picked Korren up, kissing her again. He was glad they all got to have a little fun. Rose hopped off the table walking over to ruffle her little brother's hair. "Damn, Sage, if you're not famous before I die it'll be a crime," she joked, and while Sage smiled he didn't truly feel happy by the compliment. Rose could die at any moment. If the cancer wasn't gone, then neither were the risks. "Rose, you make sure you take a long damn time, okay?" he told her, and she smiled and nodded. "Of course. As long as it takes." She walked back over to Patch and took some more candy, smiling at her friend. "Patch, I got this dark red whig and I want us to make it cool, okay? Next time I see that nurse I have to look hot," she said, laughing lightly. Sage grinned, though his smile fell and he looked at Korren. "Wanna go to my room for a bit, love? We can just hang out, watch some TV or whatever?" he suggested. "Sage, you never get alone with a girl to watch TV!" Rose turned to him, raising an eyebrow at his offer to Korren. "Well I do with Korren," he said simply, before turning back to her, waiting for an answer.


At the explanation for where Winnie was, Dalton grew a bit pale, his face contorted with worry. "She never falls asleep this early." His hands ran down his face as he walked up to the porch, leaning heavily against the rail next to Kilo and looking out. "God dam, she probably had a panic attack. Poor girl's been traumatized since her parent's died." Dalton let out a heavy breath. "No wonder she's clinging to you." He thought for a moment, before looking over at Kilo, trying to decide what to say. "Tell me, how'd you meet my little girl? Did you see her have the panic attack? Do you know what caused it? She just kinda passes out." Dalton added as explanation. "She just can't get calm once she freaks out.  I knew I should have just homeschooled her. It was probably that fucking public school," he muttered bitterly. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren squeaked as she was picked up, giggling after the kiss. She listened to them as they spoke, smiling all the while. 


Patch hopped off the table and stood by Rose, chucking at the mention of the hot nurse. "Alright, beautiful. Snazzy as fuck hair comin' up." She placed her hand on her shoulder, looking at her friend with the brightest possible smile that only tended to escape when she was around the people she truly loved. Rose had her unconditional love, and she would always be there for her friend. Her grin partially faded at the mention of Korren being taken off with Sage. Instead it was replaced with an arched brow and an expression that basically said: Is that really what you'll be doing? She didn't say anything, since even if they had other plans it didn't matter. At the end of the day, Sage was Sage, and nothing would change that.


Korren blushed at the offer, unsure of whether or not it was a good idea. Although so far she had wanted to be alone with him, so why was she unsure now? It was mostly her fear of being trapped in a room with someone, since that has happened on multiple occasions. "Yea, that sounds good." She smiled at him, though leaned up to whisper in his ear, just so only he could hear. "Can we leave the door open?" It was embarrassing to have such an odd request, almost like she didn't trust him, but it was hard for her to  trust when her anxieties got in the way. She leaned back and smiled meekly at him, hoping he would understand.


-----


Kilo listened to his worries, looking over as he was asked a question. Only the truth could come out, and so it did. "She came to get her car cleaned up at the car wash I work at. I came out to help her, we talked for a bit. She was nervous and passed out, sir." There was a long pause, when he realized fully that he was the one that had caused the attack. He sighed, closing his eyes. "I was asking her about school, sir. There were people she hung around that are dangerous, so I warned her about them." About him. "She needed someone to drive her, so I drove her home." That was all that needed to be said. It was better to just dish out what really happened now rather than pay the price later. He wasn't one to lie to people, since it was truly pointless. Nothing but the truth needed to be said, especially to her own adoptive father. Though even though he had said what he needed to, he felt the urge to speak up for an apology. The poor girl had an attack because of him, and multiple close calls on their way over. "I'm terribly sorry, sir."


In the back of his mind he wanted to ask about her parents and what happened with them, but it would have been too soon. He kept his mouth shut, even if it would nag at him in the back of his mind. Why did they die so soon? Were they murdered? They had to have been. Just the thought of innocent people being murdered made him frustrated. For now he left it with his apology. He wondered when Winsley would get there, though she probably got stuck behind some people at red lights and was honking her horn and yelling in the car for them to move.


@McMajestic
 
Sage looked down at Korren, nodding slightly at her request. "I'm taking my love away before your corrupt her!" he called out, starting to walk away. Rose smirked, patting Patch's arm before rushing over to Sage and Korren. "Korren, honey, if he starts being a fuckboy you just yell for Momma Rose and I'll straighten him up for you- and you just have to come around for a little while. We always have a good time at sleepovers. I promise we won't do anything too stupid. One time we roasted Marshmallows in Sage's room. We lit his curtains on fire. It was the funniest thing." Sage snorted and nodded, continuing to walk over to the stairs and up them to his room. Their house was a good size for four people. They didn't have a lot of yard and they had bought it with many problems that still lingered, but it was livable and it was comfortable and it was home. "It honestly was. We were all freaking out because if we burned the house down my mom would beat the stupid out of us." He snickered and stopped at the door to his room. It was plain, and he reminded himself for the millionth time to ask Winsley to paint it for him before tapping it open with his foot.


Inside the walls were painted a forest green, with one wall painted to actually look like a forest. He had actually remembered to ask Winsley to do that for him. There was a window to the side of his bed that a short view of the woods behind their house before the house next to theirs cut it off. He had a desk pushed up against a wall covered in failing grades and across from that was a small closet. Nothing you could walk into. Rose got the walk in closet, but her room wasn’t big enough for a desk. It all balanced out. He set Korren on his bed before turning back to Rose. “Just because I’m leaving the door open doesn’t mean you need to stand there and watch us make out,” he muttered, walking over and leaning against the doorframe. Rose laughed, shaking her head. “Sage, you better let her come to our sleep over in my room.” He rolled his eyes but nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll work it into the schedule with my girlfriend. Now bye,” he said, watching as Rose finally gave up and walked away. “Just remember, I know all your worst fears!” she called in a singsong voice, and Sage felt himself grow pale before trying to shake out of it as he turned back to Korren. “So, anything in particular you want to do, Harvard?”


Dalton felt a wave of frustration pour over him as the boy admitted to causing the panic attack, but let it flutter out as he sat back on the porch swing. “Sorry doesn’t really help anything, Kid, but at least you were smart enough to do something about it when you saw her pass out.” He took in a heavy breath, trying to think. “She’s been left before. Some people rile her up and then she passes out and then they just leave her wherever she’s at, in the hallways at school, on the side of the road, in a mall. Poor girl’s never had a really close friend to take care of her. It used to be Bronze, but he’s turned into one son of a bitch and I can’t make him stop. I get it, you know? Your parents die and you need some relief, but if Winnie doesn’t have to be an alcoholic then why does he?” Dalton groaned, standing back up and leaning over the rail once more, looking out at the world. “Winnie must like you- I’m not talking about in some romantic away so don’t get your hopes up- but she must want you to be her friend. She never let people who weren’t friends into the house. They always see pictures of her parents and ask. She hates telling the story.”


He looked over at Kilo, at this shirtless punk of a kid who had taken care of his Winnie, of the daughter he never got a chance to raise, and sighed, nodding once. “You be good to her, okay? She can’t handle anymore bad in her life. Don’t you dare drop out of it now. You’re in too deep, Kid.” Dalton was more or less finished after that, although he didn’t go inside yet. Even if Kilo was something close to an adult- or maybe already was, Dalton had too much of a parental instinct to leave him outside. He’d wait with him until he was sure Kilo was in the car, and then he’d head in to go check on his daughter.
 
Korren smiled at him, looking to Rose shortly with a chuckle. Being with her seemed to be enjoyable, but she needed time to settle. She nodded quietly, clutching tightly onto Sage and leaning her head against his chest. On the way up to his room she closed her eyes, listening to the rest of the miniature story. It made her smile, and she imagined it the way they described it. They set up the fire, laughing and roasting marshmallows over it until the curtains caught fire, burning up as they scurried around to get something to extinguish. If only I could have been there. It was a selfish thought, but she couldn’t help it. She chuckled at the idea while being set down. While they chatted, she was looking around the room at the trees that were painted on the walls, filled with different shades of green for the trees. It was neat, and she almost wondered if whoever did this could do it for her, which was probably Winsley, though who knew?

Her attention was pulled back to Sage, who asked the one question she never seemed to know how to answer, since she barely ever answered it. “Uhm…” She placed her hand delicately over her chin, arching her brow to ponder the question. What did she want to do? It was such a simple question, why couldn’t she answer it? It frustrated her that she didn’t know the answer to such a simple question. Sure, she could pass with flying colors on any test in the world easily, but simplistic questions that were emotionally driven, she couldn’t. It always stumped her, as if it were some philosophical question that were meant to trip you up purposefully. She moved her hand away from her chin and set it in her lap, shrugging. “I don’t really know. What do you want to do?” It was the easy way out, but she didn’t know what to say. Her big blue eyes looked up at him as if it were some mystery, and to her it truly was.

Kilo looked back over at Dalton, arching his brow at the mention of her being left alone. This frustrated him, and he almost scowled. Why would anyone decide to leave a girl like her out like that? He looked back out on the neighborhood, running a frustrated hand through his hair. The ends stuck up in random places, scraggly and tangled. He listened carefully to the rest of what he had to say, folding his hands patiently. She must like me. This part made him nod his head, almost smiling. He wasn't seen as a threat by her, and that's what mattered to him. It didn't matter if she did or didn't want to date him, that was her own choice. If she did choose to do so, though, he would greatly consider it. He look straight at Dalton as he was addressed, nodding to him. Of course he wouldn't leave her like that, he wasn't like that. “I will.”

As he said this, his car came into view speeding down the road and skidding to a halt in front of the house. Winsley rolled down the window, patting the side of the car. “C’mon Kilo! We gotta go!” By now she had been leaning out the window, still in her bikini. Her voice momentarily drowned out the loud bass and music blasting.

Kilo sighed, lowering and shaking his head at his friend. “Coming.” He spoke up, standing up to leave. He walked down the steps, stuffing his thumbs into his pockets all the while. Before he left, he turned back and looked at Dalton with a partial smile, nodding his way. “Have a nice night, sir.” It was out of respect for how much he cared for Winnie, when no one else would. Even her own brother treated her horribly, so she needed someone to be there for her as an adult figurehead. He turned back around and half-jogged off to his car, smiling the whole way. They were off to Rose’s house, and he was excited. He hopped into the passenger seat, patting the side of the car to signal he was ready. “Stop by my work, alright? Gotta pick up my shirt.” He spoke up to Winsley, who chuckled and pat his arm. “Psh, you don't need a shirt, chick magnet. You got skirts flying and…” She continued on with more vulgar things to say, though Kilo rolled his eyes and just road along with his arm out the window, glancing around the town as they drove along. When it got to be a bit much what Winsley was saying he spoke up. “Alright, short bus, I get it.” The rest of the ride was filled with music and reciting lyrics from old bands they use to listen to, as well as racist jokes flying left in right with Kilo chuckling all the while. It was only funny whenever his friends did it, only because they didn't ever mean what they said. They were the only ones that could insult him and freely get away with it, since he cared for them in return for them taking him in.
 
Sage sat down next to Korren, watching her think before deflecting the question back to him. “Well I want to do whatever’s going to make you happy. If you’re smiling then I’m satisfied,” he said, kissing her gently as he wrapped his arms around her. “Besides, what I wanna do is probably a bit ambitious right now.” He chuckled, resting his forehead against hers as he thought for a moment. “We have all kinds of shit to do here. Board games, an endless pantry of food, movies, a lake to swim in back in the woods.” He laid back on his bed, carefully pulling her along with him. “Or we could just lay here, maybe play twenty questions, learn some deep, dark secrets about each other.” He turned to kiss her again, since he would never get tired of doing so. “You have all the options, I want you to pick Korren. You deserve to have the ability to choose, don’t you think? Those popular bitches probably don’t give you much choice.” Sage was determined to be the opposite of them, to be loving and kind and considerate. He wanted to show Korren he was so much more than the street rat they claimed him to be, and he especially wanted to prove he was better than them. They may have been rich, but money couldn’t buy happiness and love and safety, and if he could give all those things to Korren then he was the most successful out of all of them. “There’s also stargazing on the roof. But I’m sure the height factor would be a bit much for you,” he said, teasing gently as he poked at her side, laughing lightly.


Dalton let out a sigh as he watched Kilo get into the car of a bikini-clad girl with blaring music. Winnie always had a big heart, but it tended to aim towards the wrong people. He waved goodbye though, as Kilo called out to him. “Bye, kid. Stay stay,” he said, watching as they pulled out. He turned to head inside, grabbing his briefcase and dragging himself upstairs to check on Winnie. He tossed his briefcase in his room quickly, and kicked his shoes off, before quietly slipping into her room. She was fast asleep, twitching ever so slightly, no doubt reliving the same nightmare as always- being in the backseat when her parents died. She was actually at home with the babysitter when it happened, but Winnie had a vivid imagination that ran rampant with images of her parents being flung through the windshield or sliced in half by their seatbelt. It was unsettling. Her old therapist had put her on a bunch of medication but it obviously wasn’t working. It hadn’t been for a long time.


He walked over to her, tucking her in under the covers and glancing over at the information Kilo left behind, smiling gently. He truly hoped Kilo would be good to his little girl. She certainly needed good. “Shh, Winnie, Dalton’s here,” he whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed and resting his hand on her arm. Slowly, her twitching stopped, and she went limp in bed, stuck in a dreamless, peaceful sleep finally. He leaned down and kissed her temple. “Sweet dreams, Honey,” he said, his voice barely audible before he left her alone, closing the door behind him and heading downstairs to find something to eat. He opened the fridge, noticing some stir fry. It was probably burnt, knowing Winnie, but he was hungry and so it would do. Dalton heated it up in the microwave before sitting at the table, taking a casual bite. He was halfway into his second when he paused. “Jesus Christ, what kind of heaven am I in?” he exclaimed, looking down at the food in awe. Winnie couldn’t have done this, but if not her, then- That kid.
 
Korren smiled at him, appreciating his patience with her. She listened to each option, blushing slightly at what he admitted of what he first was thinking to do, understanding the underlying meaning. It would be a bit much to do what he was thinking, and instead she tried to piece together what options were given out that they could do. Perhaps they could do it all? The night was young, and as were they. She laid down with him, smiling all the while as he kissed her. Of course though when he poked her side, she jolted and squeaked, chuckling slightly afterwards. “Maybe we could do a mix, like stargazing and 20 questions.” If they were going to be a couple, they were going to need to know more about each other than just what has been said about them in school. In return to his little poke of fun, she poked him in the stomach and smiled, deciding to make a joke about the videos. “I'm not the cutie that couldn't get off the roof.” She didn't giggle or taunt any further, since she did want to give him more of a break from the complete embarrassment. Although immediately after she said this, she felt horrible. Her expression contorted to a frown, looking down at her hands or wherever that wasn't his face. “Sorry.” It was more of an impulsive thing over everything to say, since she usually apologized for no good idea as to why. Everything always seemed to feel like her fault, even if it truly wasn’t in the first place.


Kilo exited the car when they finally arrived, with a hundred dollar bill in his glove box and dried shirt put on over him. As soon as he got out, he rushed to the door and swung the door open with a wide smile on his face, happy that he could finally see Rose again. Winsley followed in after him, stuffing the keys to his car in Kilo’s back pocket on her way in. She went over to Rose and sat on top of Patch, pretending she didn’t know her friend was right there. “Wow, such a comfy seat.” She chuckled, followed with a playful groan from Patch. “Get off me, twirp.” Winsley turned to Rose with a pretend surprised look, gasping. “Oh my, and it talks too!” At that point she was knocked off and wrestled on the ground. The only thing that stopped them from wrestling was Kilo, who walked over and pulled them apart, picking up Patch all the while. He knew she didn’t like to be picked up, especially when it meant her being cradled like a child. “Alright, alright, kiddos. Settle down.” Patch growled, though couldn’t help but laugh in the end. Kilo put her down and looked over at Rose with a bright smile. “Rosa,” He rolled his R in the hispanic accent he retained for the sake of his mother. Carefully he pulled her up from the couch and picked her up, hugging her tightly, though he didn’t squeeze. “I’ve missed you.”
 
Sage began to chuckle just as she apologized, and his laughter melted into a frown. “Korren, love, you have nothing to be sorry for- especially not towards me.” He rested his hand on her cheek, feeling angry and upset all at once that she couldn’t even make a joke without feeling bad. He hated Bucky. He was going to hurt Bucky so bad for everything he’d done to Korren. The beatings Sage had given him already would be nothing compared to what he would do later on. He would never let anyone get away with making his girl feel so inferior. “I never want you to apologize to me, okay, Korren? I promise you have no reason to. It just a joke. It was funny. And there’s no reason to apologize for making fun of me. I make fun of myself all the time.” He snickered and sat up. “I know it’s hard to trust me and to feel safe enough to be yourself since that psycho got you first, but just try, alright? I don’t judge and I certainly don’t get all pissy like Bitchy did. You’re my love and I have to cherish you forever and always. No bullshit.” He took her hand in his own, kissing the back of it before getting to his feet. “Now come on, the stars await our presence,” he added, leading her over to his door and walking into the hall and down it a bit, grabbing a string that hung from the ceiling. He pulled the steps to the attic down and started up them, leading the way. There was a window tucked away in the back and he opened it, grabbing a blanket to lay on before slipping out. It was a bit of a hop to the roof, but nothing difficult. Rose could even do it now in her weakened state. Sage easily pulled himself up, laying out the blanket for him and Korren before leaning down over the edge, holding his hand out towards the window for her to grab. The first time getting up was always scary.


Rose squealed as Kilo pulled her into a hug, practically jumping up to hug him tightly, squeezing hard even if he wanted. “Kilo! Mi amor! Where have you been?” She cried out excitedly. “I can’t get a proper piggyback ride without you around. Was it a late shift, detention, a girl? Don’t spare the details,” she added, always excited to hear even her friends’ most boring stories. It was just being with them that made her feel good, just hearing their voices and memorizing all the little details. She never knew how much time she would have with them and so she always strove to be a good friend, to listen with care. It was the best she could do in her state. She finally let go, leading him over to the couch so they could all sit down and chat. She practically pushed him down on the couch before moving to lay back, resting her head in his lap, ready for whatever story he had to tell as she propped her feet up in Patch’s lap, snickering quietly at her and Winsley’s little stunts. They were always fun to watch, but for now she looked up at Kilo in wait.
 
Korren looked up as he spoke, intent on clinging to every word. She nodded slowly, mouthing the word ‘okay’ every now and then, until she finally said it allowed in a cracked voice. “Okay.” It was hard for her to move forward without taking two steps back, starting at step one all over again. She softly smiled, pulling herself up off the bed and walking out the door with him. From there they walked up to the attic and out through a window, where she took his hand and exited out on the roof. Just like he had said, she was feeling anxious about the heights. They could definitely fall, though she wanted to trust that Sage would make sure she didn’t. She held tightly on to his hand, which turned into her clinging on to him, her arms wrapping tightly around his torso. It was mildly warmer than usual days, though it surely wasn’t hot. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look down past the roof for now at what they could fall of and to their death.


Kilo chuckled as she spoke, patting her back lightly. “Slow down, amiga.” He plopped down on the couch, leaning into the cushions as he looked down at Rose, who was laying her head in his lap. With a sigh he brushed his hand through her hair, closing his eyes as he did so. “Alright, I was at work, a girl came up and needed some help. She had a bit of a panic attack so I took her home, helped her cook-” Winsley stopped him right there, gasping dramatically. “Woah woah woah woah! MY Kilo with another girl?” She lowered her voice and glanced around, making sure not for Rose’s parents to hear. “Did y’all fuck?” He sighed and shook his head, smiling all the while. Typical Winsley to get to the nitty gritty questions first hand. “Anyways, her father seemed real pissed for me being there, pulled a gun on me.” He shrugged it off, as if it were no big deal. “But I think we’re all good now. I respect that man, tell you what.” Of course, the response to his little story was all about the girl.

“How old is she? What does she look like? What’s her name? Is she hot? Is she a v-” Kilo placed a hand over Winsley’s mouth so she would be quiet. “She’s around our age, her name’s Winnie Calloway. She has long blue hair and these amazing purple-ish eyes.” Winsley jumped up and down, seeing the look on his face as he spoke. This boy had been struck in the heart with cupid’s arrow, whether he knew it or not. It almost made her question who this girl was, though she wouldn’t ruin the mood for now. She chuckled, but didn't press any further, though still wanted to taunt him.


Without a word she licked his palm, which made him retract it and shake his head at her jokingly. “Kilo and Winnie sittin’ in a tree-” Kilo blushed by this and pulled Winsley into a headlock, daring her that he would mess with her hair by hovering his hand over the green mess on her head. She glared at him, almost ready to bite him. At this point she stopped talking, though smiled evilly to herself. He let go when she was completely silent, and looked back at Rose. “Might have a friend to introduce if she decides to talk to me ever again.” The thought of her dropping him by just one visit was completely possible, though now that he knew the impact he was causing on her life there was no way he would let that slide.
 
Sage pulled Korren up close to him, holding her in his arms for a moment so she could steady herself. He could tell by the tight grip around his torso that she was afraid, though she didn’t need to be. “I won’t let you fall, Korren,” he promised, kissing her forehead before shifting slightly and laying down on his back, pulling her into his side. “You just stay real close to me, alright love? Nothing bad will happen so long as I’m around.” He looked up at the stars, watching as they twinkled, looking for constellations he knew well thanks to his and Rose’s nights on the roof, learning about the world above them. He let them rest in silence for a moment, knowing the beauty of the stars was an important image to soak in, and gave himself enough time to carefully trace three constellations with his eyes. It was a slow process, seeing as he would think of the name of the star as he looked at it, which always left him to rack his brain for a few seconds as he struggled to not get any of them confused. “Okay, I have a question- but first we have to establish the rules. You get one pass for the whole game, and it goes until we get off the roof.” He took a short breath, trying to think of how he was going to word this. “Why did you like Bucky?” It seemed simple enough, Sage supposed, but it meant something to him. She couldn’t correlate a proper answer when he prompted the question about himself, and he was curious to see if she could answer the same question about Bucky.


Rose smiled as Winsley and Kilo played around with each other, watching their banter and laughing every now and then, especially when Winsley’s hair was threatened. She sat up to get out of the way, and rested her head on Kilo’s shoulder as the two finally began to leave each other alone. “Winnie Calloway, huh?” She thought for a moment, before getting up to walk over to her laptop, bringing it back to the couch and sitting back in her seat next to Kilo. “Why does that name sound familiar?” She logged in, opening a web browser and searching the name. The first result that came up was Dalton (Whatever his last name is) taking in the unfortunate Calloway Children.


“Oh yeah, I totally remember this. It was that court case like four years back. They tried to prove the car accident was a murder but the evidence was substantial so it stayed an accident. I was taking that law class at the time so we spent like two weeks with the class split into the prosecution and defense.” She clicked on the article, skimming it over quickly. “She was thirteen when she lost them. That sucks. And her brother was fifteen. Poor kids. You really pick the tragedies, huh?” Rose asked, only half joking as she enlarged the picture of a thirteen year old Winnie, her hair still dyed blue but her head wasn’t half shaved in the image, and she looked as if her face was stained with tears. There was no smile, but what could anyone expect? “You better be good to this girl.” Rose decided. “I know you will be though,” she added, before clicking out of the article. “So does she go to your school? Are you going to put on the charm so you two can screw?” she asked, extremely curious as to how Kilo would handle his newfound love. Of course, if he didn’t go about it right, Rose could always straighten it up.
 
Korren moved along with him, pressing herself against him as she was pulled to his side. She slowly opened her eyes when she was completely sure that everything was safe. Everything was going to be okay, because Sage was there to help her. The stars were beautiful, though she never really took time to notice them until now, when everything slowed down and life was at its calmest point. It was almost like the ocean and how its storms raged in the abyss of water, though appeared on shorelines as a calm wave washing up on the sand. As he talked she kept her eyes on the stars, soaking in each ball of fire burning in space. She nodded as he established the rules, listening to his first question. Her hands tightened so the nails would be touching her palms, cringing in a way at the mention of that dreadful name. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and laid her head down on his chest. How did she start to like Bucky? It was difficult to dig through her memories, searching for the first time she met him.


It was at school, where fights and insults were everywhere you turned. Korren had been having a rough day, pushing through all the insults and just trying to get through the day. She had dropped her books just as Bucky was passing by, and scrambled to pick them up before they could be kicked around and lost in the busy hallway. Just as she scrambled to grab a book, Bucky had been reaching for the book. Their hands met for a moment, though Korren shrunk away. “S-sorry…” She spoke, picking up the rest of her books and holding them. From there he stayed with her, making sure his goons cleared the way for her. Then and as the day went on, they talked and somehow clicked. She remembered he was charismatic, patient, and sweet, though later on everything turned on her when he convinced her to come with him to a party, where he got drunk and all hell broke loose.


She inhaled, taking her time to process and place her words. “He was charismatic, patient, sweet… but I know now that it was… all a lie.” Her voice was solemn and quiet. It was hard enough to think about him, to think about what he did to her. She ran her hand over her wrist, letting out a breath. Instead of lingering on the idea though, she decided to get her turn done with. There was a long pause, with her unsure of how to phrase the question. “Why did you chose me?” She genuinely wanted to know, since she felt like they almost started this relationship on a whim, which was not how she felt it to be. Genuinely she wanted to be there with him, to love him and help him through the troubles that he faced, even as she had her own share of problems.


Kilo watched as she pulled open an article, reviewing facts about the death of Winnie’s parents. It shocked him by the results of when and how they died. He arched his brow as he quickly reviewed the article by her side, leaning in to cling to each word he possibly could. Surely he would look through it later, but for now he got the first look at why she was so broken up over their deaths. The poor girl was thirteen when it happened. Thirteen. No wonder she didn’t cope well. He nodded to what she said, shrugging. It was coincidence that he bumped into these girls, but he did purposefully stick with them. Kilo had too big of a heart to leave someone who was in need of comfort, no matter how horrible the person.

He took a long look at the photo of Winnie, before she had half of her hair shaved off. She was still pretty, though it saddened him to see her cheeks stained with tears. How did he not find her until now? He pulled his attention away when Rose continued questioning, curious of this new girl. “Said she goes to Dawn.” Kilo smiled at her, lightly bumping her arm with his fist. “C’mon, Rosa, you know me. She’s just a friend, I’m takin’ care of her, now by yours and her foster dad’s orders.” He smiled, wrapping an arm each around his friend’s leaning back into the couch again. Winsley rested against him, curling up by his side with a smile on her face. Patch had been sitting quietly, nibbling on her Sour Patch Kid’s. The whole conversation had been interesting, though the girl was just another obstacle to the friend group, which slightly frustrated her. First Korren, who seemed relatively nice, and now Winnie. As long as her friends were loyal, that’s all that truly mattered, though she did want to meet this Winnie girl. For his sake she would attempt to be nice to this girl, since she had serious problems from what she described, since she couldn’t even drive herself home.
 
Sage listened to her answer, holding her close. Look at all the traits she can list for him, he thought, feeling slightly bitter about her answer. She had an answer. She had an answer for that son of a bitch but not him- but how could he blame her? She’d known him for two days and Bucky for years. Of course she knew him better, of course she knew what she liked better. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as her question registered. Why her? Of all the millions of girls in the world why choose Korren Csholm?


“Because nobody else is what I want,” he said simply, though he knew he’d need more explanation than that. He opened his eyes, tilting his head to face Korren and kissing her gently. “I’ve had a crush on you for a year or two now. At first I just thought it’d be fun to have a one night stand, show you the wild side. You’re such a goody two-shoes I thought it’d be a fun challenge- especially with Bucky as an obstacle.” He looked back up at the stars, back up at the patterns. “But then Rose got cancer, and her boyfriend dumped her, and I was thinking about how I wanted someone who would stick with me- even through a terminal illness, and funny thing is, you popped in my head, Harvard. Of course, that was Sophomore year, and you were like officially with Bucky at that point and I just didn’t want to get in the way of anyone’s business. So I just stuck around the hoes. It was easier- there’s a point to this, I swear,” he added, realizing he had gone off on a tangent. “And the point is I knew you well before you knew me. Wait, that sounds creepy.” He let out a breath, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.


“I mean, at first I thought you were hot, but then I heard things and I thought ‘wow, she sounds like a loser’ but the good kind of loser, the loser that gets all her work done and wears a Harvard pin because she knows what she wants. The loser that sticks with a guy even through a terminal illness.” He looked back at Korren, his face a bit red as he struggled to dampen his nerves and just get out with it. “I fell in love with the idea of you well before I met you, and it was the idea I chose- not you, if you want the truth. But even more truth than that? You turned out to be what my idea of you was, and that’s all I really wanted, and so you’re all I want. So that’s why I chose you.”


Rose snickered, shaking her head. “Listen, amigo, if you’re going to take care of her then you gotta take care of her needs too, and that means screwing her, which means you have to get with those ‘amazing purple eyes’ you go all googly for. Don’t act like you’re not crushing. You see a pretty girl and even you have urges, Kilo- granted, you’re nothing like Sage, and thank God for that, but you’re still a man looking at amazing purplish eyes, are you not?” Rose mocked, moving to ruffle his hair. “Come on, open up that cute little heart of yours, tell Mama Rosa all about it.” She winked at him, being sure to roll her ‘R’ on her name as he had done earlier. “And since you go to the same school, you either tap that, or I’ll set it up for you. Either way it ends in you two becoming lovers. But if I have to intervene, it’s going to be hot-off-the-press sex in a supply closet at school. I’ll let you decide how you wanna go about it. You have… the rest of the night.” She nodded once, to finalize herself, and tapped her arm once, where a bandaid still rested from the hospital, implying she would use her cancer card if he tried to argue.
 
Korren turned to look at him, bringing her full attention to his answer. They met for a short kiss, which made her smile as she looked at him. At moments she nodded, though laid her head on his chest for comfort. It was interesting to her, how he knew her much longer than she did him. She almost felt bad for not knowing him, but in a way she was always scared to approach him and his group. They were intimidating people who were usually up to no good. Bucky always had her avoid them and just stick with him, which she would of gladly did at that time. Now, though, there would be no other group she wanted to be with. To think that the one person who wanted to genuinely be with her for a year had been in her school this whole time, with her avoiding eye contact and sticking with a group of jocks and preppy girls.


She curled herself up by his side, staying against him out of her own free will. What could she say? She was stuck, unsure of how to answer. It was the truth that she needed, and she almost asked such a selfish question. Where have you been? Why didn't you see the signs? Why didn't you help me? All these questions swam through her mind, though she didn't say any of them. She only held onto him, keeping her cheek against his chest as she looked up at the stars. Korren let out a deep breath. None of what her mind swarmed her with truly mattered now. He was here with her in the present, and nothing would change the past. “I wish I could say the same,” she began, unsure really of what she was saying. “To say that I've known you as who you were truly.” There was a pause, and she let out a sigh. She was in too deep now to get out of telling him the truth. “They convinced me you were some monster, and I believed them at the time.” Korren moved her head so that she was looking at him. “I know it's not true, though.” She gestured a light hearted smile, trying to comfort him from telling the truth. It was the truth after all. “I know for certain that you care for those you love, that you would do anything to protect them.” She blushed, her words shaking every now and then. Words were difficult to phrase, but thoughts flowed eloquently. She repositioned herself, moving so she was leaning over him while her legs laid to the side. Just looking at him gave her some strength, and her breathing calmed down. There was nothing else she could say at the moment, since nothing else came to mind. Words weren't safe anyway, but actions were. Actions could be justified most of the time, but words could not. She propped her arms on top of his chest, leaning closer down until they were nose to nose. Again she was trying to get use to being the one to initiate the simplest of things like kisses. Her arms were tucked in, while her hands laid on top of his chest. Closer and closer she leaned in, with lips almost touching. Her eyes fluttered to a close, and she finally pressed into a kiss. She wanted him to know that she cared, to remind him that she loved him without truly saying it. Every part of him she loved: his flaws, his protectiveness, how patient he was with her, and that he cared about her. He was someone that was normal, someone that she could help and he could help her in return.



Kilo shrugged to what she was saying. He chuckled lightly, knowing at this point there would be no use in arguing with her. He put a hand up, waving the thought off of them doing it in the supply closet. “I'm caring for her, Rose.” He bluntly restated. He wanted to pretend he didn't see her cancer card being thrown so the mood didn't depress. “She is beautiful, I'll admit that.” Correction: She was stunning. Such an amazing girl like her didn't deserve the challenges that life threw at her. “I just kinda clicked with her, ya’ know? That sounds like bullshit. I dunno.” He shrugged again, meaning what he said. Truly he didn't think he'd take such a chance with her. Could she handle him? Probably not. He was brutally honest no matter the cost was, and didn't dare lie to enemies or those he cared for. No one deserved to be lied to, no matter how harsh the truth was. “Look, I'll talk to her at school, but don't expect anything to happen.” He chuckled, winking at Rose. In the back of his mind he badly wanted something to happen between them, some kind of spark that could all of the sudden ignite like some cheesy chick flick. This was reality though, and he wasn't going to dream up a world that could all of the sudden collapse on his hopes and dreams. “I gave her my number though, so we'll see if she ever wants to talk to me again.” He half joked, troubled with the thought that she would never talk to him again. The feeling that he had when he was around her was nothing like anything he could describe. Perhaps he could love again, and find the girl of his dreams in the form of Winnie Calloway.
 
Sage watched as Korren slowly lowered herself against him, and closed his eyes as she kissed him, relaxing completely as his arms wrapped around her waist. He melted into her, soaking in her explanation. Monster. To think she had thought of him what he already knew was true. In reality, Korren’s idea of him was just as spot on as his idea of her, but it would be ruining the moment to admit such a thing, wouldn’t it? For now he deepened their kiss, holding her closer against him, before remembering how nervous she had gotten at the beach. He didn’t want to stop, but he did want to respect Korren’s boundaries, and so he pulled away, though it took him a painfully long amount of time to do so. He laid back, gently brushing his fingers through her hair as he thought. “You know, Korren,” he began, looking past her and up at the stars. “They were right about me. I’m not a good person. I do very bad things and I know very bad people.” He let out a breath, glancing over at her. “I’d die for you, but that doesn’t make me a good person, that just shows I know who the valuable people in this world are.” He kissed her forehead before looking back up at the sky and smiling gently. “But it’s nice that you think I am. I don’t care about a lot of people’s opinions, but of course yours matters to me almost more than anyone’s.” He fell into silence, not sure what to expand on after that, and so he tried to think of a question instead. What could he ask this lovely girl? “Okay, so back to our questions,” he finally said. “If you had one week to live, what are the top three things you would do- no limits,” he added, wanting to hear her answer beyond money and law restrictions.


Rose nodded, though she wasn’t finished arguing her side. Kilo’s eyes truly lit up at the mention of Winnie, something she hadn’t seen since his last skank of a girlfriend. She just wanted Kilo to be happy, because she felt like he wasn’t after he lost the love of his life- and while she knew it wasn’t always a new love that could fill that hole, in her mind it applied to this case. “Some people say the ones you click with are your soulmates. Of course, a soulmate doesn’t necessarily mean a lover,” she explained easily, handing her laptop off to Kilo. “I think she’s your soulmate, Kilo, and whether you believe in those silly things or not doesn’t matter.” Rose took a breath, and it seemed a bit more strained, a bit more focused, than before. It happened with cancer. Sometimes it was just a bit hard to breathe. She leaned against Kilo, giving herself time to recover. She had gotten a bit too wild so far, maybe, and the effects were starting to show. She was starting to grow tired as she curled up against his side, though she didn’t want to fall asleep. “I’m just glad you’re going to take care of her, because I think she’s going to take care of you, too.” As she got her point across, her breathing became a bit more labored and she closed her eyes, trying to relax. It took a couple minutes but Rose finally got herself under control, though she didn’t stop leaning against Kilo, since she needed the support. “I’m cold,” she mumbled, her hands moving up to hug herself. “Could you grab me that blanket, Patch?” Rose gestured towards the one folded up and hanging over the recliner, shivering slightly now. It could have just been the weather or the air conditioning, but they lived in California, and so all it truly was was yet another stark reminder of the sickness she was fighting as hard as she could so that way she could stay alive.
 
Korren had gotten into the kiss, with minor signs of anxiety of putting herself in the situation before Sage pulled away. She moved her head up, adjusting to lay on top of him. Her arms crossed in front of her as she laid there looking at him as he spoke. She smiled at him, though that smile shrank slightly at what he said. Even if it was true, she didn't want to believe it. The person he showed her that he could be was not someone he described himself as. In answer to what he said, she laid her head down, not wanting to ruin the moment more than it needed to be. The questions were set back on track though, and she pondered over the question. “Hm..” It took her a minute to think about, since there were so many things in the world to do. What would she not normally do. “I think I would travel around the world, wherever I can go,” She smiled to herself. “Maybe drink all different kinds of wine, and then go break laws for once, since I’d have nothing to lose. I wouldn’t do it alone, though.” At that moment she blushed, since the idea of breaking laws and rules was so new to her, since she’s never seen it to be a good thing. “You could come with me.” She smiled at him, and shifted so that she was back by his side with her arms around his waist. “What would you do?”


Kilo nodded, putting the laptop on the coffee table to set it aside. He smiled to himself at the thought of Winnie being a soulmate, whether it be friend or lover. His smile dissipated at the sight of Rose straining to breath, falling weak to her condition. As she began to show signs of weakness, he moved away from Winsley and wrapped his arms around Rose. Patch quickly got a blanket, laying it over the two, while Winsley rushed over to Rose’s side. They were all extremely worried for her health. “Do you need to go to bed, baby doll? Get some rest in your bed?” Patch spoke calmly, crouching in front of Rose with a hand on her knee. They all fell rather silent, just wanting Rose to be okay. Every day was a battle for her to survive, and they wanted to win the war. Winsley looked up at Kilo with a white face, unable to handle situations such as these. Rose was a part of their family and kept them all sane and acted as a sort of glue to keep them all together. If any of them were to trade to be in her spot, they would all do it in a heartbeat.
 
Sage thought for a moment as the question was turned back on him, practically holding his breath as he looked to Korren. “I’d wanna get hitched. That’d be the first thing I’d do.” He blew out a breath, thinking of the stars above and all the shapes they made. Most people couldn’t even find the big dipper, let alone name a star. “Get me a cute little red-headed wife that I could say I took pretty good care of.” He winked at Korren, chuckling slightly, before looking up at the night sky, thinking for a long moment. “And I’d wanna go down in history, make a name for myself, you know? I don’t wanna die and be forgotten like most of the world. I want people to know me, who I was, what I did. I wanna be on billboards and in the textbooks. I don’t know what I’d do yet, but definitely something to cause that.” He pulled Korren back on his chest, keeping his arms loosely wrapped around her. He just liked her there, liked feeling her weight, liked knowing she was a real human that was there for him. “And one last thing. What would I do? Well that travelling thing sounds pretty nice. I’d wanna see the seven wonders of the world. Maybe on the last day I’d jump off one, think that’d get me somewhere?” He snickered at his own dark humor, shaking his head. “Probably not.” Sage tilted his head up, kissing Korren gently. “Okay, next question- how are you so insanely beautiful?” he asked, smiling brightly at her, wanting to make her smile too.


Rose waved them all off, though she didn’t mind cuddling under the blankets. She was in sweats and one of Sage’s old band tee shirts with the sleeves cut off so she was comfortable enough where she was. “No, no. It’s our sleepover, guys, I don’t wanna cut it off early. I haven’t even had dinner yet.” She smiled at them all, faking it like she always did, hoping they would let it go. “I’m just a little cold- not dying,” she joked, although her smile faded. She was dying. She was cold because she was dying, but she tried not to think about that. Rose moved her hand out from under the blanket to grab onto Patch’s. “I’m okay, Sweetie, I promise.” She then looked up to Winsley, who had turned ghostly pale. “Wins, Hon, I’m fine. It’s okay. Tell you what, let’s eat dinner in here, that way we can all watch some TV while we’re eating, maybe play some cards?” she offered, though in reality Rose was starting to feel weak, and she didn’t have the drive to pull herself up. Going up and down the stairs once had taken a toll on her. She wished Sage was back down with them. He knew all her signals much better than the crew because she shared them with her little brother, but not them. He would know to command her to go to sleep, to carry her to her room and tell her to go to bed- no phone games. Of course, the rest of them wouldn’t get this. He was such a good little brother. Rose knew why he wasn’t down there with them, though. It wasn’t just because he wanted time with Korren, it was because he didn’t like seeing his sister in a sickly stage, so if he could see her when she was fine and then not have to see her as she was now then all was well. She let out a sigh, not blaming him by any means, but still a bit sad because she was worried he’d one day leave her alone entirely.
 
Korren smiled as he spoke, chuckling slightly at his answer, to marry her and live well. It was indeed a plan that she surely wouldn’t ever stop from happening, though at the moment she didn’t think they would marry. Only time would tell, and the future held mysteries that were unpredictable. She nodded at his answer, scooting closer as she was pulled onto his chest. It felt nice to lay there, and he seemed not to mind it at all. At his little joke she didn’t say anything, though it did make her uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he was saying the joke, but just the thought of death scared her, especially when it came to those who were close with her. Awkwardly she chuckled, even if it didn’t amuse her, before being greeted with a small kiss. When they pulled apart, the next question was asked. She looked at him with a bright smile, red clothing her skin over the comment. There was no answer that came to mind, and it was replaced with a soft giggle. She didn’t believe she was beautiful, and hasn’t believed this in a long time. “I do not know the answer to that, sadly.” Korren chuckled through her words, looking him in the eye. She lightly poked him above the heart, sticking her tongue out for a moment. “You tell me.” It wasn’t a fish for compliments, she genuinely wanted to know what he thought of her. Not many people ever told her she was beautiful and whole heartedly meant it.


Winsley backed off, breathing to calm herself as she laid there next to Rose. Everyone was on edge for Rose, but if she wanted them to back off, they would do exactly that. Patch sat on the floor in front of Rose, laying her head against the couch. The girls were quiet, so Kilo spoke in place of them. “That sounds good. The troublesome twins’ll get the food, you just rest, Rosa. We can play Card Against Humanity.” He winked at Rose, pulling her close to him under the blankets. Even if he was just on edge as the other two, he didn’t want to show it to Rose. She needed a good time, and so they would have a good time. The other two nodded with smiles on their faces, hiding their concern from Rose now. Kilo leaned over and grabbed the remote on the coffee table, turning on the TV and handing Rose the remote, since she deserved to watch what she wanted. “The queen has control.” He joked, smiling at her all the while.
 
Sage grinned as Korren blushed, finding the red on her cheeks absolutely adorable. He brushed her red hair back, making sure it didn’t fall in her face as she admitted to not knowing the answer, sticking her tongue out at him. He chuckled, leaning forward for another quick kiss. “Me answer your question? Alright, but it’s gonna cost you,” he joked, his hands sliding down to her mid back before one hand slid back up to her shoulder and down her home to hold her hand. He thought as he did this, trying to define her overwhelming beauty into something he could talk about. “How do you describe perfection?” Sage asked. “Because that’s what you are, love.” He squeezed her hand a bit, smiling brightly, just happy to be able to tell her this, to hopefully build her up. “Where do I start? You hair is beautiful, and silky, and it contrasts with your skin, which is kinda pale- but the pretty kind of pale, you know? That really makes your ocean blue eyes just pop. Damn those eyes. I could get lost at sea in those eyes and I’d float around for a lifetime. And then- time for the real shallow part- your body is fucking smoking.” He smirked at himself, at giving that compliment. “It all just works and forms this beautiful girl. But that’s just the physical stuff. You’re also smart and driven- you know what you want. That’s beautiful, too. Even the things you would consider flaws are beautiful too. Like…” Sage gently moved her hand up so they could see the scars on her wrist. “These scars. They’re beautiful, because they’re part of you, because you fought a war and you won and these just how resilient you really are.” He kissed her wrist, before letting their hands fall back to their sides. “And you’re shy. The cute type of shy. The quiet kind. You got that I’m gonna rule the world one day and then they’ll all wish they would have talked to me vibe. That’s beautiful. I know you lack some confidence sometimes but even your vulnerable moments- those are beautiful. Especially when you’re vulnerable with me, because then I see you trust me, and that’s beautiful. So basically over all you’re drop dead gorgeous in mind, heart, and body. I only hope you learn to believe that,” he said, his words as authentic as could be. He wasn’t trying to spit out useless compliments, he was trying to tell her what he saw, the complete truth of it.


Rose huddled up against Kilo, nodding once as he mentioned a game she quite liked. She turned slightly, so her mouth was close to his ear. “Thank you,” she whispered, keeping her voice just audible enough for him to hear. She knew they were all worried, and they were all struggling to keep everything in check when things like this happened, but Kilo was always composed. It made Rose wonder if he ever let his emotions speak for themselves, but in this moment she was grateful for him encouraging a light mood. As he handed her the remote and deemed her queen, she chuckled, turning to Winsley and Patch. “My beautiful subjects, I ask for as much food as you can pile onto one plate, and get my silly brother and Korren off the roof,” she said, using the most pretentious accent she possibly could before laughing at herself for it. She then relaxed back against Kilo, closing her eyes to rest. Of course, she was already starting to drift off, but she tried to keep her mind awake so she wouldn’t, not wanting to ruin the night..
 
Korren smiled as he moved his hand to be in hers, holding on slackly. With each word she examined his eyes, almost as if she were searching for what he saw in her. Over all she was genuinely listening, though was unsure of what to do with what he told her. All she could do was smile, squeezing his hand throughout his speech. She looked down at her wrist, seeing nothing but riddled scars, and yet what he saw was different from her own view. What she saw was trial and error, punishment from being so easily tricked into dating such a hateful and twisted person as Bucky. In a way though Sage was right, she did fight many battles against Bucky, but has not won the war quite yet. She looked back up at him with that same old smile, though her eyes seemed tired. For the rest of his speech, she looked him in the eye and kept an arm around him. One hand reached for his, holding on tightly while deep in thought. “Thank you,” This was all she could manage, but advanced on the appreciation of him so much as existing and being a part of her life. “For the times you believe in me, for the times you’ve been there and will be in the future if you so chose to, and for caring about me.” Each point has a resemblance, since they all consisted of what others lacked to do, including herself. She leaned against him, feeling stable as always with him next to her. Just before she could ask the next question, there was a shout from out the window. The noise made her jump, clutching on to Sage when she was spooked by the outburst.


Kilo smiled as she leaned against him, shooing off the two girls to do their bidding. “Yes, m’lady.” Winsley spoke in the most posh accent, while Patch bowed jokingly as if she were some knight. They did as they were told, with Patch heading off to grab some food, while Winsley scrambled up the stairs to grab the two love birds. She went up the ladder and to the window, shouting out of it to get the two’s attention. “Hey! Make out time’s over, come downstairs you two! Queen Rose’s orders!” She didn’t wait for the two and instead bounded down the steps and to the living room, going to grab the C.A.H cards from the game closet. Of course though it was on the top shelf, so she had to get a chair, just barely managing to reach the cards with her fingers. In the midst of her grunting and trying not to fall off a simple chair, Patch was preparing a dish piled up with Rose’s food, making sure to almost overflow the plate. She brought it into the room, placing it carefully down on the coffee table, before rushing back to the kitchen to grab the other’s food. It took a few minutes of bustling before everyone finally settled. Patch sat on the couch next to Kilo, with Winsley curled up next to her. They were surely ready to play, but wanted to wait until the other two came down. For now though they watched whatever Rose had put on, sitting in peaceful silence.
 
Sage was just about to respond to her ‘thank you’ when Winsley yelled for them. He sighed, sitting up and pressing his feet flat against the roof shingles, keeping his arms tight around Korren so there was no fear of falling unless they were falling together. “You don’t have to thank me for that, Korren. It’s my job. It’s what I’m meant to do. I believe in you because of you, and I’m always going to be here for you, to take care of you. Even if for some reason this didn’t work out, I would never turn my back on you, Harvard.” He leaned forward, kissing her one last time, savoring the moment with her, before a cool, night breeze made him pull away. “Come on, love, it’s getting cold. I wouldn’t want you getting sick.” He nodded towards the window. “You go first, and I won’t let go of your hand till you’re inside, alright?” he said, taking her hand and squeezing gently, wanting to reassure her everything would be okay because he would always be there to catch her when she fell.


Rose smiled and thanked Patch as she brought in the food. It was one of her and Sage’s favorites. Alfredo pasta with shrimp. Rose leaned forward slowly, grabbing the plate and fork before leaning back against Kilo. “Ten bucks Sage pulls a Lady and the Tramp with Korren,” Rose guessed, smirking towards Kilo, wanting him to take the bet as she twirled a piece of pasta on her fork, stabbing a piece of shrimp as well before shoving it all in her mouth and chewing slowly, moaning slightly from the delicious taste as she changed the television channel to a comedy horror movie. “I haven’t had good food like this in such a long time,” she mumbled, swirling up another bite, eating rather quickly for a cancer patient. In the back of her mind, she knew she could make herself throw up by eating so much, so fast, but it was just so good it was hard to slow down. Rose glanced towards the stairs as everyone settled down, excited to play as she waited on the two lovebirds. Hopefully they’d be down soon.
 
Korren smiled, standing up carefully on the roof. She kept her arms wrapped around him, as to make sure she didn’t fall off. Her stomach turned on its head when she glanced over to her side, seeing the end of the roof and the ground below. She turned her head back to listen to him, connecting lips in a savored moment before they would have to rejoin the group. Now that she had settled down, it would be easier to socialize, or at least that’s what she hoped. The cold breeze brushed past them in the night. A shiver was sent down her spine as Sage pulled away, with goosebumps popping up on her skin. She nodded to him and turned to the window, avoiding from looking down. A pit fell in her stomach as she looked over, with the walk to the window seeming like miles when it was only a few steps. She kept hold on his hand, keeping a firm grip before taking nervous steps towards the window. Each step was calculated yet shaky, attempting to keep her footing on the slope that was the roof. Once she was at the window, she carefully turned around, gripping the frames as she climbed in. All the while she was holding her breath, as if her breathing would knock her off of the roof. As she climbed back inside, she stumbled back after tripping on a small object, which was a toy car. She chuckled awkwardly, moving hair out of her face. “Oops.” Korren whispered, waiting until Sage was inside to move.


She walked down the steps of the attic ladder, almost tripping with that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. They walked down the stairs to see the rest of the group congregated at the couch, chatting among themselves.


Kilo picked up his plate and ate at a casual pace, placing the plate down on his lap when Rose spoke. He rose an eyebrow, chuckling lightly. “Deal.” Knowing Sage, he’d might as well give Rose the ten bucks now and spare any grief. They all ate at their own paces, with Winsley scarfing down her food and Patch trying to enjoy the taste of it rather than stuffing it down. Kilo watched Rose as she ate, moving his plate over to the coffee table to wrap his arm around her again. “Slow down, princess. Don’t you wanna savor it?” It was a joking little jab, followed with a smile. In his mind though he truly was concerned on how fast she was eating since she had just got back from the hospital, knowing she wasn’t fully well. As the two lovebirds climbed the stairs, Kilo turned his head and waved to them with on hand, turning back to what was on the TV. It was a comedy horror film, something they would all enjoy. Fru-fru films just weren’t any of their styles, excluding childhood cartoons like Disney or Studio Ghibli, which were sacred to Winsley.
 
Sage followed after Korren with ease, not having much fair for heights or getting down from them since he had done it so often. He easily slid through the window and into the room, grabbing for Korren as he watched her stumble, but she caught herself before he could do much. He stepped over to her, taking her hand in his own again and intertwining their fingers together. “You silly girl. You almost fell.” He smiled and kissed her cheek. “I’ll never be able to let you out of my sight, will I?” he joked, before walking with her down the stairs. As they were walking down he noticed Kilo slowing Rose down from stuffing her face, which he was grateful for. Rose always got sick when she ate too fast. Sage led Korren over to the love seat, picking up their plates from the coffee table and handing hers to her before sitting. He glanced over at Rose, who was wrapped up in a blanket and huddled next to Kilo. Sage turned towards his friend, a silent message in his face. She’s not okay. Rose normally didn’t get chills till the second or third day back. It made him worry for her, but he tried not to show it as he slowly spun some spaghetti on his fork before taking a bite. It was amazing, and it made a small sound fall out of his mouth, somewhere between a moan and a whimper, as he leaned back against the couch. It was enough to make him momentarily forget about his sister’s condition. But only for a moment.


Rose glanced at Kilo as he asked her to slow down. “That’s queen to you,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him before spinning some more spaghetti on her fork. This time, though, it was obvious she was slowing down, taking her friends’ concern for her into account. She didn’t want to worry them, and so she slowed down quite a bit as she watched the movie, glancing between Sage and Korren as she ate a piece of shrimp. “So, what were you guys doing up on the roof?” she asked, curious to know. Sage normally didn’t take his girlfriends up there, but then again he’d never said ‘I love you’ to one of them either. It made Rose really hope that Korren loved him too, because he certainly deserved someone to be there for him when she couldn’t. Hopefully, Korren could steer him towards a good path, and soon. He had a lot to fix if he was going to make it into a good college.
 
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