She awoke peacefully, stretching her arm out to the other side of the bed. She shot upright when all she felt was the blanket, flat against the mattress.
"Discord?!" She hopped out of bed and nearly tripped attempting to get her clothes on. Where is he? Did he go off without me? He promised he wouldn't! She started to panic, her breathing faltering for a second as she heard the bathroom door open.
"What's wrong?" He asked, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair soaking wet. She exhaled heavily, relieved laughter bubbling in her throat.
"I thought-"
"I know, but i'm right here." He sighed. She hugged him tightly, not caring that he was still wet. "I still think it's a bad idea for you to come." He said, tugging his clothes back on.
"I still think it's necessary that I do." She retorted. He sighed, no use arguing. He promised himself he wouldn't put her in danger, and intended to keep that promise. He simply needed to find a way to convince her to stay away from them.
He decided to change the subject. "How about we go get some breakfast?"
As they ate, she watched him cautiously. She had a feeling that he was going to do something stupid. He held up his fork and caught her gaze.
"What?" He asked.
"N-nothing." She stuttered, looking away.
"Come on, what?"
"W-We're gonna do this like we planned, right? You're not gonna trick me or force me not to come?"
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shy, I don't want you to see me-" He glanced around and lowered his voice. "I don't want you to see me kill someone."
She frowned. "I-"
"You would never look at me the same." He interrupted, knowing what she wanted to say.
"That's not true." She countered, not fully believing her own words. She hadn't really thought about it-Discord killing someone. Even if he had to. Maybe it wasn't something she wanted to witness. But she had to be there for him! What if he got hurt and she had no way of knowing? Protecting one another was a two way street, and after all he'd done for her, she wasn't going to sit back and let him do this alone.
"It is true, my dear. And I think you know it." He said.
She glanced away."How will I know if something happens to you?"
"Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise."
"But what if-"
He leaned over and kissed her, not wanting to speculate on the 'what ifs' anymore. She shut her eyes and kissed back, it was all she could do.
"I love you." She whispered when they separated.
"I love you too." He replied. "More than anything on this entire planet."
"Are you two done with your order?" A waitress asked as she passed by.
Discord cleared his throat. "Yes we- we're done."
The waitress nodded, grabbing their plates and leaving the bill. Discord left the cash on the table and stood, grabbing her hand.
"Let's go somewhere for a little while, before I go." He said. She took a deep breath and mustered up a smile, following wherever he went.
They wound up on the beach, away from the noise of the town. She started to laugh as he lead her to the shore.
"Why are we here?" She inquired.
"What, you don't like the beach?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course I like the beach."
"Then don't question me." He teased, stripping off his pants and shirt.
"What are you doing?"
"We're going swimming." He chuckled.
"We don't even have swimsuits."
"We don't need them." And with that, he stepped into the water, going deeper until it was at his chest. "Come on in, the water's great!"
She breathed in deeply, taking a look around to make sure nobody was near. Laughing, she stripped herself of her clothes and joined him in the water.
"This is crazy." She snickered.
He smiled widely. "But fun, yes?"
She simpered. "Yes."
They got out of the water after an hour, both exhausted.
"I guess we should head back to hotel, now." He murmured.
"And then...you're leaving." She said, her smile dying down.
"Yeah..." He whispered.
They returned to the hotel and dried themselves off. He avoided looking at her at first, not sure why. He had an odd feeling in his chest. When he finally turned to face her, he was unsure what to say. He didn't want to say goodbye- that made it seem like he wouldn't be returning. And he needed her to know he was returning. Shy's heart was racing, unprepared to let him go.
"I'm going to come back." He said with absolute certainty. She nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. He hugged her tightly, shutting his eyes. They kissed again, and with every inch of willpower that he had, he walked out of the door.
She started to cry, and watched him through the window. "He's gonna come back." She told herself quietly.
She didn't really believe it.
He took the bus again, and it felt quite different without Shy there beside him. He knew he was doing the right thing, he was keeping her out of harms way. Still, he'd never felt more alone. Sombra would've found a way to use her against him, had she shown up.
The sun was setting as he was let off, and the air started to chill. Sombra's hideout wasn't a far walk from here, but he wasn't sure what to do once he got there. He'd killed before, but only ever in self defense. Guys from other gangs wanted to show how tough they were and went after him. He did what he had to do.
But this was different. This was a man who he once worshiped. A man he listened to and respected and now he was going to attempt to kill him. He would gain the gangs' respect and subsequently, they would follow him.
His body stiffened as he heard footsteps behind him.
"Well well well, boys. Look who decided to join us on this lovely evening." Sombra's voice was dark and angry.
"Hello Sombra." Discord said, turning around. Sombra held a gun out, and the rest of the group backed away.
"I knew you'd come back to us." Sombra said. "That girl wasn't enough to make you stay away."
Discord blinked. Did Sombra really believe he was back to rejoin them?
"That's not why I'm here."
Sombra cocked his head. "Then why are you here?"
"I challenge you to a fight to the death." Discord said. Once the words escaped his mouth, there was no going back.
Sombra chuckled deeply, throwing his head back in laughter.
"It won't be much of a fight." He declared.