It was dark as they remained on the couch, waiting for her mother to return. Shy fell asleep first. He stared in wonder as she lay her head against his chest and her eyes fluttered shut. He was amazed that this sweet, incredible person could love someone like him. He was reckless, he made mistakes and he had done bad things-some of which she knew nothing about. Yet, the things she did know, she didn't care about and brushed them off like they were nothing. To him, it was nothing short of remarkable.
He felt himself being lulled into the pull of sleep. At home, he had an extravagant bed with silk sheets and soft pillows, yet here, he had never been more comfortable. His eyes drifted shut wearily right as the front door opened and someone stumbled in, turning on the lights.
"S-Shy!?" Nora cried. "My baby!"
Her eyes shot open at the noise and suddenly she was pulled into her mother's arms.
"I've been looking for you for hours!"
"Mom i'm okay." She whispered as she heard her mother sniffle.
"Where were you?" Nora asked, pulling away to examine her. "Are you hurt?"
"I-"
"It was my fault." Discord said. "I took her out and I guess we lost track of time."
"For an entire day!?"
"Yes, well..." He chuckled nervously. Shy glanced at him apprehensively and nodded.
"U-uh, yeah-he's right, we're sorry. We didn't mean to worry you." She gulped.
Her mother glanced between the two doubtfully, and sighed. "Alright...Discord do your parent's know you're here?"
"Absolutely." He lied.
She pursed her lips. "Well then, it's too late to bring you home now. I'll take you in the morning."
Shy shot him a nervous look as her mother headed upstairs. "Why did you lie to her?"
"Because i'm not going home." He answered simply. "I can't stay here, either."
She frowned. "What are you going to do?"
He let out an exasperated breath and fell back onto the sofa. "I have no idea."
"You promised you'd stay." She shot.
"And I will." He said sincerely, taking her hand. "I just can't stay long. Sombra is no doubt angry with me and is going to come back, over and over and it'll never end, my dear."
"He's not just angry with you anymore." She said nervously.
He glanced at her. "What do you mean?"
"Um, well...I may have, kind of, accidentally-"
"What?"
"I kind of shot him in the forest."
"You what!? Where did you even get a gun!?" He shot up, stunned.
"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" She warned, glancing up the stairs. "My dad used to keep it hidden in the bushes. I remembered it last minute."
"Why would you fire a weapon at someone who is hellbent on hurting you?"
"I-I panicked. I'm sorry."
"We need to leave." He said perturbedly, starting up the stairs and into her bedroom.
"Wait what?" She followed him.
"I won't take anymore chances, I just won't." He said, stuffing her clothing into a backpack.
"D-Discord, stop."
"I thought he was just after me but after what you've done-I-"
She grabbed his arm gently, her face filled with concern. "What are you doing?"
He stared at her. "I've gotta get you somewhere safe."
"What about my mom?"
"He's too focused on you and I to go after her. She'll be okay."
"I-I can't just leave. I have my friends, my school, my whole life."
He sighed heavily and sat on the bed. "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is take you from your life. But what am I to do?"
"Isn't there a way for you to overthrow him? For you to become the leader?" She asked. He blinked at her.
"I watch a lot of dystopian movies." She explained with a sigh.
"No, you're actually onto something." He mused, rising from the bed.
"I am?"
"There is a way."
"How? Maybe I can help you."
"No, no no. If i'm to do this, I'm to do it alone. It's not something I want you witnessing."
She glared at him. "You can't stop me."
"Flutters, really, I don't want you there."
"Too bad." She said.
"Listen to me!" He hissed. "The only way is for me to engage in una lucha a muerte."
She furrowed her brow. "In what?"
"It's spanish." He frowned. "It means- a fight to the death."
"You mean...you have to kill him?"
"Do you understand now why I don't want you there? This is heavy stuff, stuff beyond your understanding."
"Don't patronize me. I-I understand." She balked. "I still don't want you to go alone."
He pinched the bridge of his nose. He used to think he was stubborn.
"Face it, i'm going." She folded her arms across her chest.
He sighed, but zipped her backpack and handed it to her. "Then let's go."
The two snuck out into the forest. Discord seemed to know where he was going and she trusted him. She had insisted on going, but in truth, she was horrified. Horrified for Discord's safety, for her own safety, for what would happen next. The forest reminded her of the night she spent running away, like prey on the run from a predator. Discord being there beside her made it easier, however, and they continued on. They traveled through the woods for what seemed like hours until they found a road.
"We'll need to take the bus." He said, eyes focused on a bus stop ahead.
"The earliest bus that comes is at 6am, and it's nowhere near sunrise." She sighed, glancing at her watch, which read 2:15.
"We'll just have to wait." He decided, approaching the bench and taking a seat. She sat beside him with a yawn.
"Still tired?" He asked.
"No-i'm fine." She answered. Truthfully, she was very tired. She wanted nothing more than to lay her head down and shut her eyes. She simply couldn't bring herself to do so. Discord liked to believe he was good at hiding his emotions, but she could read him well. He was scared, just like she was. She could tell in the way he clenched his jaw, in the way his hands shook when he thought she wasn't looking. She refused to let him feel alone even for a second.
The hours passed slowly, their only entertainment the sounds of dogs barking and cars honking. Much to her relief, the sun eventually started to rise. She knew her mother would be waking up soon and find the note she left. She hoped she would understand that she had no other choice. After-all, her mother knew what it was like to harbor so much love and affection for a person, that you couldn't let them go, not for a second. She sighed and checked the time. 5:43.
More people were starting to show up as the time got closer to 6:00. They didn't seem to notice the two teenagers, who had clearly been rambling around in the woods.
"The bus should be here soon." She murmured sleepily. He watched her in adoration, pulling a leaf out of her hair.
"Promise me one thing. When we get where we're going, you'll get some sleep." He contended, dropping the leaf to the ground.
"Where are we going?"
"There's this hotel in my old town, the owner and I are close. Het let me stay there when things got rough at home."
"That's really kind of him."
"Yeah, ol' cranky is nice like that."
The bus came to a hard stop with a hissing sound that stifled the light conversation of the crowd around them. The group piled in one by one and found their seats. She felt as though she was going to suffocate in the muggy air surrounding them.
"Never taken public transport before?" Discord asked, noticing her nauseated look. She shook her head. Chuckling, he wrapped an arm around her and grabbed a bottled water from her backpack. "Here, this will help."
She smiled and took a sip, thankful for something cold to relieve her senses. The time passed quicker than she expected and by the time they were let off her watch read 8:20.
"Cranky's place is just up the road." Discord smiled fondly, memories of his friend passing through his mind. Cranky had been more of a father to him than his own.
"Why do you call him Cranky?" She asked as they walked.
"You'll see."
They entered the building to find an old man screaming into a phone.
"If you don't like it, then you need to change it Steven! I don't care how much it costs. Do you know how much it costs to quit complaining to me about it?" He paused. "That's right! Nothing!"
"Ahem." Discord uttered. Shy couldn't help but smile a little as the man ignored Discord and continued his rambling into the phone.
"Craaanky." Discord sang. Cranky finally slammed his phone down and glanced up.
"Weelllll if it isn't my old pal Discord." Cranky greeted with a chuckle. "What brings you back here?"
"I need to stay here, just for a night."
Cranky went around the counter and started filing through papers. "Alright, I can get you booked in room 8. Room for one?"
"Cranky-"
"It's not your favorite, I know, but room 7 is already taken. Room 8 is just as great, it's got one bed, one ba-"
"Cranky I want you to meet someone."
Cranky finally stopped and took notice of the young looking girl beside him. His mouth broke into a wide grin and he gasped.
"Looks like someone got themselves a girlfriend."
Shy felt her face redden.
"Um yes well-"
"What's your name kid?" He asked her.
"Shy." She answered with an anxious smile.
"Let me tell you, you've snagged yourself a good one, Shy. I've known this boy since he was ten years old. The stories I could tell you-"
"Cranky, the room." Discord interrupted.
He frowned. "Fine. Ruin my fun. Here's the key."
"Thank you, Cranky." Discord smiled.
"And don't let me find any type of weird stains when you two leave!" Cranky called.
Shy shot him a mortified look to which Discord laughed loudly. "Yeah, Cranky's a little much to those who haven't known him long." He said, putting the key in the lock and opening the door.
"A bit." She smiled. "So um...when are you-"
"Tomorrow. You should rest until then."
She eyed him and simpered, pulling him to the bed and kissing him softly.
"Or we can do this." He chuckled in between kisses and tugged off his shirt.
Nora opened her eyes and and yawned. The house was completely silent. Shy must not be up yet, she thought. She put on her robe and padded down the hallway to Shy's bedroom, and knocked. No answer.
"That's odd." She opened the door and gasped. Her bed was perfectly made, it hadn't been slept in.
"Shy?" She paced around the room and spotted it. A folded note on her daughter's dresser. She swallowed anxiously and opened it.
Dear mom, please don't freak out. Discord and I We have to go somewhere. We'll be back in a day, so please don't worry about me. Try to understand. If you had known what dad was going to do, wouldn't you have done anything to stop him?
I'm sorry. I'll see you soon, I love you. -Shy
"Oh my god." She whispered.