It`s °too co.ld Out:side ❥

[-13Lone Wolf13-]

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Xian's sleeping form remained practically motionless while Elle entered his house, his chest barely rising and falling with his steady breathing. As she knelt down beside him, she was gifted the rare opportunity to look him over as much as she pleased. As her finger traced down one of his scars, his muscles tensed in automatic reaction, but he didn't stir otherwise. His mind did, however.

Xian found himself standing in a dimly lit room. He looked around and then down at himself. He was wearing a white suit and light blue tie, paired with white gloves and white shoes. Somehow the outfit seemed oddly familiar. It was only till he took a few steps forward and felt a heaviness dragging behind him that he realized why. His head turned quickly and looked in shock at his beloved wings folded gracefully behind him. His shocked expression quickly turned to a wide smile as he unfolded them. Oh how good it felt to stretch them out once more. His reunion was, however, interrupted by the eerie echo of music. He folded them back and moved for the door in the room that it seemed to be coming from. He opened it to a staircase and he slowly made his way down. The stairs took him to a massive ballroom where people in masks, dressed only in black and white, below danced in unison to the wordless symphony of a violin and piano. He slowly made his way down the stairs and stood to the side as he watched the couples.

A flash of color drew his attention. A lady with a bright baby blue mask danced alone with a seemingly invisible partner. Xian felt drawn to her and so he began to make his way through the crowd to her. She didn't seem to be going anywhere but it felt as if he were walking in place; not getting any closer to her. He began to run and he had almost made it to touching her hand, when she faded, along with everything else. Xian froze, looking around him at the black abyss. He stood on nothing surrounded by nothing. He called out a name. Somehow he knew it was the girl's but he didn't know what he'd just said. He felt a soothing touch, like someone stroking his wing, then the invisible floor beneath him gave way and he was falling through the sky.

A searing pain shot through his back and when he looked, his wings were turning black and loosing feathers. He yelled and reached to grab them to save them from what he knew would come next. They began to shrivel though, shortening and retreating into his back painfully. Xian gasped as he fought for his breath, slowly turning in air until his back was leading the way to the ground. The clouds rocketed past him and he reached for them. "No.." He whispered. "No!" He frantically searched for something to grab on to. Anything to save him from the impact that was fast approaching. But there was nothing, and he was soon greeted with the bone crushing ground.

Xian shot up from the couch with a gasp. He was shaking, with wide terrified eyes, in a cold sweat, and breathing rapidly. He'd previously only twitched and murmured in real life, rolling over at one point, until he spoke the "no"s a little louder. He leaned forward, closing his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. Between the nightmare and being cold he couldn't stop shivering. He'd not even noticed that Elle sat just next to him.

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[bees and knees]

❝ εℓℓε вℓιтнє ❞

Elle quickly gained confidence, soon laying her whole hand on the scars before her. She held her breath, staring at his sleeping face. She could feel my move beneath her hand, but he was still dreaming, she was sure. She bit her lip and returned her fascination to the skin before her.

Xian suddenly gasped and shot up, causing Elle to squeal. She removed her hands from him quickly, staring at him wide-eyed. "Xian?" she whispered. He looked like he was in a different place. Oh, God, he looks like he's seen a ghost.

Elle got up and sat next to him on his couch, her brows drawing together with genuine concern. "Xian, are you okay?"

Elle watched him shiver, almost as if he had been shaken from his core. She put her hand on his and wrapped her arm around him in an awkward sort of hug. She moved it up and down in effort to warm him up. Maybe that would stop the shaking.





llamallamallamallamallama

[-13Lone Wolf13-]

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The sudden feeling of someone touching him made Xian tense up a little. He turned his head a little and saw his new friend at his side. "Elle.." He whispered, his expression softening and muscles relaxing. Her hand running gently along his back calmed and warmed him and he sunk into her embrace with a small sigh. His pale eyes slowly blinked closed as the tiredness caught up to him. He rested for a second in comfort before the reality of the moment hit him.

He was nestled in the embrace of a girl. Who he'd just met today. And he was shirtless. And she was touching his scars. And she'd just seen him wake from a nightmare. And it...didn't bother him?

Xian flushed and cleared his throat a little, sitting up. "Um..Thanks.." He stammered awkwardly and looked away, scratching his head in embarrassment. "So, uh. I guess you got all the stuff." He stood a bit wobbly and began searching lazily for a shirt. He found a loose t-shirt and pulled it on. "It wasn't any problem for you was it?" He hoped he wasn't being too much of an inconvenience. Judging from the room lighting, it was late. He ambled over to the thermostat and adjusted it to be a little warmer.

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[bees and knees]

❝ εℓℓε вℓιтнє ❞

Elle's heart beat rapidly in her chest as he drew closer. She continued to gently touch him, her cheeks burning. She realized with a start that she wanted to kiss him. No, she wanted him to kiss her.

She couldn't help the pang of distress as he moved away from her. This is so crazy! Get it together. You're ridiculous. she chastised herself mentally. She quickly stood along with him, wrapping her arms around herself, over her chest. She looked down at the carpet beneath her feet, determined not to look up. She felt like a little kid.

"No," she said quietly. "It wasn't any trouble. Your ice-cream is in the freezer."

She glanced out of the window, finding only darkness. "Do you want me to go?" She returned her wide-eyes back to him. Oh, man, what was she even doing? What was she feeling?Ugh, I'm an idiot.





llamallamallamallamallama

[-13Lone Wolf13-]

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Xian nodded in acknowledgement about the ice cream, his cheeks flushing a little. He felt like one of those kids that got excited whenever their mom returned just from the grocery store because they thought they'd been gone forever, when in reality it'd only been a few minutes. Ambling back over to the couch he froze at her statement, caught a little off guard. He blinked a little before answering. "No. I_I..mean, you're welcome to if you want but.." He was stumbling over his words again. Why did that keep happening?

He couldn't seem to find the right thing to say. No, I want you to stay and take care of me. No, you're free to stay however long you like. No, I really like having company for once. No, I like you, please stay. They all sounded so needy and pathetic and strange. Of course, being okay with a girl he'd just met staying the night at his house was strange. But she'd already seen him asleep, she'd been there for him when he woke in fright, and she'd been taking care of him. He felt close to her already and trusted her, so maybe it wasn't all that weird. He was usually so calm and collected, why was he falling all over himself whenever he talked to her? Because she'd shown him genuine care and affection?

The fallen angel didn't know what was going on with himself. All he knew was that he was currently sitting down on the couch once more and his brain was racing a hundred miles an hour trying to think of an excuse for her to stay. It was silly. So was the fact that his face was turning redder by the second.

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[bees and knees]

❝ εℓℓε вℓιтнє ❞

Elle's couldn't help the tiny pang of joy that coursed through her as he didn't tell her to leave. She knew her cheeks were an embarrassing shade of red and she was sure he could hear her heartbeat from over there. She lightly touched his hand that was resting on the couch. She felt compelled to touch him, to make sure he was really there. This was all too good to be true.

There was something about him that made her desperate. Desperate for what, she wasn't sure. But she could already feel a place in her heart for him begin to form. She looked up finally, into his eyes, and bit her lip.

"Xian?" she whispered, her eyes widening. "I..."

Elle quickly shut her mouth. Oh, man. She liked him. She really liked him. More than anyone else and more than she should already. But she knew that he was, well...special. At least to her he was.

Elle stared into his eyes - oh, God, they're so beautiful - begging herself to say something. Anything. She wanted to tell him to kiss her, that she liked him, that she would stay as long as he wanted. But wasn't it rash? And what would she do if he didn't feel the connection that was oh so apparent in her mind? What if he was just grateful for her help?

Elle could only stare as the words got caught in her throat.





llamallamallamallamallama

[-13Lone Wolf13-]

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Xian froze up again at the feeling of her hand on his. His heart was racing almost painfully as she spoke quietly, staring into his icy eyes. It was like a scene from one of those cheesy movies. Judging by those, this was the part where he was supposed to say something super suave and then kiss her. Xian stayed awkwardly frozen, red as a cherry and mind spinning. "I, uh, Elle, I.." He stuttered, not even really sure what his sentence was supposed to be.

He gulped and his body decided that was the right time to remind him he was sick, by sending him into another coughing fit. He turned away, burying his mouth into the crook of his arm. He groaned slightly once he was finished. "I really hope you don't get sick from me." He looked at her with apologetic eyes and a slightly guilty smile. "But I really do appreciate the help." His face had returned to a relatively normal color, now that he wasn't about a foot away from kissing her.

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[bees and knees]

❝ εℓℓε вℓιтнє ❞

Elle felt like she got slapped in the face.

She gave him a numb smile. "It's fine."

Elle stood up and looked away from him, embarrassed at herself. She was an emotional idiot. He must think I'm ridiculous. Which I am.

"Well," she began slowly, trying to keep her voice neutral, "I have to get going. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Elle closed her eyes, regained her composure, and turned on a bright smile. She still had some shred of dignity left, right? "If you need anything, give me a call."





llamallamallamallamallama

[-13Lone Wolf13-]

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Xian nodded and tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. "Alright. I will." He stood to escort her to the door, and realization hit him at how late it was. Had she driven here? He hoped she wouldn't be walking home this late at night. He turned to her and locked eyes once again. "You drove here right?" He paused, looking at the door a bit awkwardly. "Um, be safe, okay?" He looked back to her again, a pleading seriousness in his eyes.

-----------------

Once she was gone, Xian turned off the TV and wandered to his room. He stared at his phone for a few seconds before picking the device up and starting to tap out a message.

Hey.
Tell me when you get home...
-X.M.

Xian stood staring at the glowing screen in his hands, debating whether to send the message or not. It sounded like something from a possessive boyfriend. Which he was neither. He was just protective and knew he wouldn't sleep until he knew that she'd arrived home safely. He set the phone down, message still up, on his night stand and changed clothes. He picked a loose gray tank top and baggy blue and black plaid pants to sleep in. Rolling into bed, he made himself comfy and picked the phone back up, resuming staring at the screen. He sighed and closed his eyes, roughly smashing the send key. He opened his eyes to see the words "sending" flashing across the screen before turning into "message sent".

Xian closed his cell and rolled onto his side, nestling down into the covers. He held the device in his hand out in front of his face as he lay on his arm, waiting for the flashing light of a reply.

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[bees and knees]

❝ εℓℓε вℓιтнє ❞

Elle nodded. She glanced back up at him. "Thanks."

Quickly looking away again, she exited his place and raced down to her car. She was scared of the dark, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She quickly unlocked her car and got in, sitting there for a moment to go over things in her mind. She shook her head, closing her eyes. She put her forehead on the steering wheel and tried not to feel too vapid. She could feel the tears gather in her eyes and she immediately felt even worse. She had always had a problem with crying when she made a fool out of herself. It was definitely a drawback, considering nothing really even happened.

She ran her hands through her hair, taking a careful breath to calm herself down. It's not a big deal, she thought. Everything is fine. He probably didn't even know what you were thinking.

Elle felt her phone buzz in her pocket, but she didn't look at it until she finally made her way home. She sat on her bed, staring down at the screen. She moved her fingers delicately across the keyboard of her phone.

I'm home.
Goodnight, Xian.
Sweet dreams.

Elle placed her phone on her pillow, quickly disrobing into shorts and a tank top. She slid into bed, clutching her phone to her chest.





llamallamallamallamallama

[-13Lone Wolf13-]

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Xian's ice blue eyes had began to slide closed slowly, but the bright light and buzz in his hand quickly brought him back. He brought it close to him and opened the new message. He smile a little and began typing a reply.

Goodnight, Elle.
You too.
See you tomorrow.
-X.M.

He sent it and watched the sending icon trail across the screen again before he closed it, allowing his eyes to slide back closed, glad to know that she'd made it home.
Her words flashed through his mind though.
Goodnight, Xian.
He smiled.
Sweet dreams.
This one seemed to echo and he began to fall asleep, partially dreaming but still partially awake. He could almost feel her fingers stroking down the scars on his back and up his neck and through his hair. He smiled contently, relaxing into his bed as he fell deeper and deeper into sleep. He would definitely have sweet dreams.

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[bees and knees]

❝ εℓℓε вℓιтнє ❞

Elle sat in her first period, staring blankly down at her coffee cup as her Physics teacher droned on about the lesson that Elle was sure she had already studied. She absently sipped at the tea inside, accepting its warmth. She shuddered as she thought about her dream that night. It still haunted her.



I sit down on the white plush couch in front of me. I'm clad in a simple white dress that hug my curves. Why am I not self conscious? I feel confident, light. Happy.
I'm waiting for somebody. And here he comes. I see his icey stare before my eyes roam the rest of him. He's dressed in a pure white tuxedo with a pearly smile to match. I stand up and welcome his embrace.
"You look beautiful," he breathes, wrapping his arms around my waist. I breathe in the scent of him and I watch as he stares into my eyes.
I feel as if I can swim in them. I want to plunge into the cool depths.
I lean forward, but he's suddenly gone. I turn to find him shirtless, his flesh smooth and flawless. He turns and his scars look back at me. But they're beautiful. I reach out to him, compelled to touch them.
But then I'm falling. Falling into blackness. And it's never ending. I scream at the top of my lungs, waiting for my body to dissolve into the freezing air around me. And all I can see are his eyes.



Elle shuddered as she recalled the dream, spilling her drink on the text book in front of her. "s**t," she muttered under her breath. The rest of the day went by exhaustingly slow, her thoughts distracting her the rest of the day. She almost cried with relief as the bell rang. She looked down at her phone, her heart quickening pace.

Hey. School's out.
I'm coming over.
K?

She watched the flashing green "SENT" on her phone, a tiny smile creeping onto her face.





llamallamallamallamallama

[-13Lone Wolf13-]

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Xian woke peacefully to the sounds of the city, feeling rested and content. He lounged in bed for a few minutes before rolling into his feet. He made his way lazily into the kitchen and debated with himself over what hot beverage he wanted. He finally settled on coffee with lots of cream and sugar. After preparing himself a cup he wandered over to the living room and drew back the large blinds, allowing the light to flood through the deck door. Xian opened it and stepped out, leaning against the railing and taking a few sips of his drink now and then as he surveyed the happenings around him. It seemed to be a quiet, mellow kind of day. Xian smiled a little before going back inside. Glancing at the clock he noted it was just after 11:30. He still had about 3 hours before Elle would be back over.

Xian plopped down on his couch once more, staring at the school papers that had yet to have been touched since they were set on the end table. He should probably try to do what he could. But all he could seem to think about was how nice it would be to have someone here to make breakfast/lunch for him. Xian sighed, setting down his cup and going back to the kitchen to search his fridge. He saw that the things he'd listed had been restocked and he smiled warmly before grabbing a yogurt.

Xian turned on the tv and idly watched the news while he ate, not really paying attention to what the man was saying. Once finished, he turned to stare down the stack of papers. Picking them up he leafed through them, picking out those he knew and setting aside the ones he didn't. Once he'd gone through the stack he got to work on them.

After a few hours Xian heard the buzz of his phone in his room. Setting down his things he went in and searched for it in the sheets of his bed. His face lit when he read who it was from. Though he couldn't believe it was already the end of school. Had he really been working that long? Xian wrote back a quick "okay, see you soon." before going back out to the living room. He probably should've taken a shower to make himself more presentable than his current bed hair and slept in clothes self. But it wasn't too much of a trip from the school to his home, so he'd likely not have time he preferred to avoid another awkward situation if he could as well.

He had finished about half of the work and now having broken his concentration streak, he couldn't seem to get back into it. Setting his things to the side he turned his attention to the tv as he waited.

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[bees and knees]

❝ εℓℓε вℓιтнє ❞

Elle rushed over to Xian's place, eager to see him. Well, not too eager, of course. I wonder if he's feeling better, she thought idly as she pulled into the parking space she occupied the day before. She grabbed her backpack and her purse and rested them in her lap as she glanced at herself in the mirror.

She sighed at her reflection. She was pretty, but she was nothing special. Golden hair that was a shade too light to be out of the ordinary and dull green eyes. She even had the faintest smattering of freckles that rested on her nose. No, she was nothing special.

Rolling her eyes at her reflection, sternly telling herself that it was sexy to be confident, she opened the door of her car and stepped out into the crisp air.

The walk from her car and to Xian's door was a short one which she accepted with a grin. The sooner she'd be there the better. She was just excited to her, well...friend. She was delighted to have one, but it was also a sad thought at the same time.

Elle knocked on the door, deciding to be polite this time, rather than barge into his home. Besides, maybe this time, things wouldn't be as weird. Although she had to admit that she liked how odd it was between them.

llamallamallamallamallama

[-13Lone Wolf13-]

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Hearing the knock at his door, Xian stood hurriedly, making a last ditch effort to fix his hair. It was of no use though, as it still looked as if he'd just crawled out of bed. Not to say that look didn't look good on him. Xian answered the door, still clad in his pajamas, and welcomed her inside.

He sat back down on the couch, crossing his legs laxly and leaning back with his arms propped up on the back. "I started some of that work you brought yesterday. I got about half done. There's a few things I didn't understand though. Mostly the math."

Xian was smart yes, he got As yes, but math was not something that came easy to him. English and sciences, yes, math and histories, no. He just really didn't see the point in them. In his opinion numbers and letters shouldn't be mixed, and if he's not going to use it, then it's a useless topic. As for history, he just wasn't good with the date memorization. To keep his As he had to study vigorously for these subjects, though he knew a little more about history than some people because, well, he was technically dead. Not to say that he was actually one of the old geezers in the photos of their text books, he'd only died a few years ago. He didn't know the exact time--maybe 10 years? He'd always been curious to find his grave, but didn't know whether that would open up some kind of time paradox or something.

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