pretty short ik got exams soon
A few days had passed since the infamous Ben n Jerry meetup.
Sunny had accustomed to the peace and enjoyed every second of it.
But, he had learned long ago that peace never lasted.
Nephis stood near the window of his room, her silver hair glowing by the faint light of the streetlight.
(yk the little lamp they got like that in the streets)
She hadn't spoken yet, but Sunny already knew what she was about to say.
"I'm attending the Valor Ball."
She said calmly, but he had been around to notice the slight hesitations in her voice as If she's denying it.
He frowned. "Valor's hosting a ball? Like what, a football? The one they sent us in the envelope?"
She nodded before turning to
him, her pale eyes reflecting off his onyx eyes.
"It's a front. They're trying to recruit me, specifically Morgan."
Sunny's lips curled downward.
He had heard of Morgan before. The so-called 'Princess of War', 'daughter of Anvil', and one of the most dangerous people in the waking world.
If Morgan was taking an interest in Nephis, it wasn't just a casual invitation.
He leaned back against the couch, arms crossed.
"Why would you want to work for someone else?"
Nephis was quiet for a long moment. Then she said, "Because I need to get closer to Anvil."
It took a second for her meaning to register. Sunny exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face.
"Neph, no."
"I have to."
"No, you don't." His voice was firm, sharper than he intended, but he didn't care.
"You don't have to do anything. You don't have to go crawling to Valor just to get close to him."
Nephis's expression didn't change, but something flickered in her eyes.
"It's not crawling. It's infiltration."
"It's suicide," Sunny shot back. "What happens if they find out? What happens if Morgan catches on? You think she'll just let you walk away?"
She took a step toward him. "I'm not afraid of Morgan."
"Maybe you should be," Sunny snapped. "You're not invincible, Nephis."
Her jaw tightened. "I know that."
"Then why? Why do you have to do this?"
Nephis's hands curled into fists. "Because Anvil is the reason my parents are dead. Because I swore I would end him."
Sunny clenched his teeth. He understood vengeance.
He understood hatred, he's felt the same.
But this?
This was different.
This was her throwing herself into a war she didn't have to fight, alone.
His voice lowered. "And what about me?"
Nephis blinked. "What?"
"Why can't you just stay with me?"
His words were quiet, but the weight behind them was immense.
"I know. It's selfish. I know I'm taking away your need for revenge."
He looked down at the ground and said,
"But…we've fought enough, Nephis. We've been through too many to count. The past couple of days has been the greatest for me. I don't want anyone to take that away from me. So.. can we just not?"
She looked at him, and do the first time in a while, she hesitated.
She didn't want this either. And now, she was forced to make a decision.
Her gaze dropped for just a second before she forced it back up.
"Because I have to do this," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "Even if I want to stay, I can't."
Sunny let out a bitter laugh. "So that's it?"
She hesitated. "I don't want you involved."
Sunny stiffened. "You don't want me to join you?"
Nephis nodded. "I don't."
Anger flared in his chest, a sudden heat that he couldn't contain. "You don't get to decide that."
"I do."
"No, you don't," he snapped. "You don't get to push me away like this."
"I'm not pushing you away."
"Then what the hell do you call it?"
Nephis exhaled, her shoulders tense. "I call it protecting you."
Sunny's eyes darkened. "I don't need your protection, Neph."
She didn't respond right away. Then, softly, she said, "Maybe you do."
Something in Sunny's chest twisted painfully.
He wanted to say something, anything, but the words got stuck in his throat.
The anger, the frustration, the helplessness.
He turned away.
Then, without another word, he stepped into them and vanished from the room.