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[img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b3/ba/f2/b3baf2f06380a08f4d7138cdf046161c.gif[/img]
[color=black][sub][sub]Location: Tyche's Cabin[/sub][/sub][/color]
[sub][sub][sub][color=black] Collab Between [@Pyxis] & [@Rodiak]
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[color=d998a0][sup][b]______________________________________________________________________________________[/b][/sup][/color]
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There had always been something about the boy next to her that she couldn't quite place. 

He had always been so different. Had always been so quick to smile. The way it reached his eyes when he saw her or the tiny pull of his lips when he made her tea early in the mornings. A smile that he still gave her despite how hard she had pushed him away in the past. He always came back with gravity, and when she couldn't hold it together anymore, he was always there. 

Reaching over, Anzu's finger trips traced over his features. Her fingers danced over his eyebrows lingering on the scar there before moving to the bridge of his nose down the cupid's bow and lips. She could feel it, the pull of his lips under her fingertips, his warm breath tickling her skin. Anzu moved her hand down to his jaw and down his neck until they rested over his bare chest. 

[color=7F6B5D]"Like what you see?"[/color] 

Carlos had had his eyes on her for a few seconds now. The warmth of her skin against him had lulled him into a sleep-like trance, their bodies tangled against each other. The sunrays that peeked from the crack of the blinds illuminating the room with warm light, warm enough to push away the thin blanket that covered them both. The hand that draped over Anzu's hips pulled her in closer against him as he buried his face into the pink of her hair. It smelled of jasmine and coconut, a smell he had associated with home for so long now. 

[color=d998a0]"Idiot."[/color] Anzu rolled her eyes as she pressed her cheek against his chest. [color=d998a0]"Of course I do."[/color] A smile graced her features as she pulled back, the blanket falling from her shoulder and pooling around her waist. One hand held her up while the other stayed over Carlos's chest as she stared down at him. 

She didn't want to look away, just a few more minutes to memorize the curve of his cheeks, the pink of his lips, and the darkness of his eyes. As dark as the night sky, so dark she could get lost in them forever. Anzu had finally wrapped her head around the idea that he'd be gone for a week. 7 days that she'd have to endure without his stupid jokes, or oneliners, or the feeling of his skin against hers. 

[color=7F6B5D]"You're doing it again,"[/color] Carlos lifted a hand to her face, cupping her cheek tenderly. [color=7F6B5D]"I'll be back before you know it, Zu."[/color] She didn't have to say anything for him to know what she was thinking. To anyone else, Anzu was like a cipher, a puzzle in an ancient and forgotten language that no matter how hard you try to figure out, you couldn't get it. But to Carlos, she was an opened book, a door wide open. She had a way of moving, almost invisible to others, but in plain sight for Carlos. He could see the way her eyes softened and the slightest change in her tone, the way she held herself all told him what he needed to know.

[color=d998a0]"I know."[/color] Anzu could feel the corners of her lips tug the slightest. [color=d998a0]"I know."[/color] His hand felt warm against her porcelain-like skin, almost like it was hot enough to burn. Sometimes she wondered how he always managed to figure her out. Know exactly what she was feeling without having to voice it.

[color=d998a0]"We should-"[/color]

[color=7F6B5D]"Just a few more minutes."[/color] Carlos pulled Anzu back down into the bed and against him. His hand trailed over her spine with feather-like touches, and his lips covered Anzu's forehead, cheeks, and jaw until they found her lips. 

They laid in Carlos's bed for a few more minutes. Anzu knew they were wasting time, but the bags were already packed, and weapons were ready to go. Any minute now, they'd have to get up from bed, get dressed, and say their goodbyes to each other. Anzu was still unsure who would be part of the rest of the group aside from Carlos and Zeru. Brandon would be the next person Erin would have asked, knowing that they were close, and then... Tyler. Her older brother. It hadn't dawned on her until now. The three people who meant so much would be stepping outside the camp's safety and across the world in search of a fucking dove. 

[color=7F6B5D]"Zu,"[/color] Carlos nudged the girl besides him. He could see it in her eyes again, the same look she had when Erin asked him to with her on the quest. [color=7F6B5D]"I think I should get ready now,"[/color] he pulled back, shivering at the loss of Anzu's warmth. He turned his back to her as he walked over to his closet and pulled a fresh change of clothes. He could hear her get up from the bed behind him and gather her clothes from the floor. 

[color=7F6B5D]"Promise to bring you a souvenir from Italy,"[/color] Carlos looked over his shoulder toward her direction. [color=7F6B5D]"Maybe a shirt that says [i]I Love Italy[/i] or a mini Leaning Tower of Pizza."[/color] He pulled on a dark shirt over his head, now finished getting dressed. 

[color=d998a0]"Just a coin. An Italian Lira,"[/color] Anzu slipped on the large white shirt she had been wearing. One of the many items she had stolen from Carlos's closet and claimed as her own. [color=d998a0]"Might be hard to find, but just one would be nice."[/color] She reached down for the black skirt, pulling it up to her hips and tucking in half of the shirt into it. 

When she was done getting dressed, Anzu walked over to Carlos, reaching up to push some of the stray curls away from his eyes. [color=d998a0]"Keep an eye on Ren and Ty, please."[/color] She could already feel it rise on her throat again, forcing her to swallow down the emotions threatening to slip out. Anzu had to trust them, all of them, that they'd come back safe and sound. Carlos had luck on his side, after all. That didn't mean he wouldn't get badly hurt. What if he broke something, or was badly wounded, or- 

No. Carlos would come back just fine. 

[color=d998a0]"And it's Pisa, not pizza."[/color] [i]Idiot.[/i] She smiled.

[color=7F6B5D]"I know, and I will."[/color] Carlos took her hand in his, pressing her knuckles against his lips before leaning in to kiss her. Tender and full. He pulled back, smiling down at Anzu before he pulled away to gather the rest of his things. A backpack with enough clothes to last him a week, some snacks, and his weapons. He was glad now to have taken them to the forge just a few days ago to get them sharpened, and his bow tightened. He still felt unprepared; Carlos knew he wasn't the best at fighting, and those rare times he had won against Anzu or Zeru had just been his luck at hand. 

[color=7F6B5D]"I'll bring you that Italian Lira."[/color] Carlos said as he fastened the backpack's straps and patted his sword's sheath. His trusty Spartan sword at his side and bow neatly tucked into the bag. 

Anzu had taken a step back to look his over, tucking a few strands of the pastel pink behind her ear. [color=d998a0]"You're missing something."[/color] She turned around and hurried over to the wall where her swords were resting neatly on the floor. She picked up the wakizashi, the shortest of the two swords, and pushed it against Carlos's shoulder. If her grandmother knew she was giving away the wakizashi to him, she'd never hear the end of it. Her two swords were meant to stay together, to show others that she was a worthy [i]Onna-Bugeisha[/i], but she didn't need it. Carlos would get better use of it than she would.

[color=d998a0]"Take it; you'll need it more than I will."[/color]

Carlos stared down at the sword being presented to him. He knew how much it meant to her family, and most importantly, to Anzu. He didn't know what to say, really. [color=7F6B5D]"Zu, I-"[/color] He couldn't say no. She was trusting him to come back, to deliver that Lira, and to return her sword. Alive. 

[color=7F6B5D]"Thank you,"[/color] His fingers wrapped around the sheath of the sword tightly, the engravings of it marking his palm. The metal felt cool against his skin, almost like Anzu's skin. Smooth. [color=7F6B5D]"I'll take care of it."[/color]

Anzu nodded, taking Carlos by the shoulders, pulling him closer, and wrapping her arms tightly around him. Seconds passed before she pulled back, dark gaze staring back at his own. She didn't have to say it; he already knew. No promises or goodbyes, because then it would mean there might be a chance he wouldn't make it back. Anzu didn't want that.

[color=d998a0]"Come back to me."[/color]

Carlos nodded, reading her with a simple glance. 

[color=7F6B5D]"I will."[/color]

Both left the cabin, hand in hand.
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