Chapter Text
Lily felt a familiar chill run down her spine, the prickle of unnatural cold curling around her wrist. She set down her journal, wrapping it shut with the leather cord. That's enough writing for the day anyways, and she slips her pen inside the grip attached on the inside flap of the leather.
If she looks at her wrist, she knows there's a familiar band of dark shadow, one that would appear unnatural to anyone else if they didn't know a certain Oh Haewon.
She's known Haewon for a while though, ever since she arrived at camp in fact. Which is somewhere in the ballpark of five years. While the reserved girl had never really emerged from her shell like she'd hoped, they'd become good friends, mostly due to Lily's continued attempts to drag Haewon out to try more activities. She would say they were best friends. In any case, Haewon hadn't protested her efforts to bring her into the sun, so it was probably fine. She'd caught her smiling while picking strawberries, and secretly caught her making birthday cakes for herself and Kyujin, so her tough image didn't really hold up on Lily anymore.
She turned off her desk light and pushed away from the desk, folding the wooden paneling up against the wall. In spite of the tight space they all inhabited, she was extremely glad someone's clever design for everything to be able to fold away and make space for something else. It was nice to have more than just a mess of bunks and bathrooms with just a few pushes of buttons and levers.
Peering out the window, she glanced at horizon, noting the absence of the sun. Past sunset always meant it was going to be a little cold out. She grabbed the nearest coat from the rack by the door, shrugging it on over her camp shirt. Slipping on a pair of sneakers, she left the cabin, making sure to close the door as quietly as possible. No need to draw attention to her late night activities. Especially when she ducked out on helping organize the cabin.
The nighttime air of camp was pleasant, not too cold, not too hot yet. The light fog rolling in over the sea tended to avoid them, allowing for temperatures not to skyrocket or plummet suddenly. The breeze on her neck did make her glad she's worn a jacket however.
Lily hopped down the steps of her cabin, looking around for her shadowy friend. Haewon had to be close by to send her that, otherwise she would've been yanked away directly by shadow travel. Not that Haewon would have done that unless it was an emergency, but she appreciates that Haewon respects the boundaries she set after the first time it happened.
Scanning her surroundings, it was clear Haewon wasn't waiting for her on the porch, nor by her cabin, or at the pier. That left only one direction. Up.
She whipped her head back towards the top of the Athena cabin, spotting Haewon waving at her with a sleepy grin. "Why hello there," she drawled, "took you a little while did it not?"
"Haewon!" Lily whisper-yelled, "Get down from there!" she motioned with her arms, trying to use her whole body to communicate that she should not be up there. "That's dangerous," she hissed, mind whirling from the potential disrespect, to the inherent danger of dangling of the roofs of buildings. "What if you get in trouble?"
Haewon only swung her legs out over the edge of the roof, bringing her hands up in a mock impersonation of The Thinker. "Hmmm, I think not my dear."
Her mock serious tone was not fooling Lily, who'd known her long enough to suss out the teasing tone in her voice, along with recognizing the glint in her eyes that promised nothing but grief.
"I am quite comfortable in my perch it seems," Haewon nodded snootily, slowly, aggravatingly stroking her nonexistent beard. She even brought her legs up, slowly crossing them like a Victorian era gentleman.
Lily only saw a pale Victorian child dangling atop the roof of a cabin. It wasn't like she didn't think Haewon could take care of herself, but it wasn't exactly a good idea to fall off a cabin in the dead of night. She had a right to be worried about her best friend's oddly horrifying habits.
At least Kyujin grew up normally, even though she could fly she didn't actively test her limits by trying stupid stunts all the time. A shame she didn't manage to stop Jiwoo from learning from Haewon. Now she has to deal with a potential knife wielding disaster. Luckily she managed to bully convince Haewon to actually teach Jiwoo how to use them, instead of letting her get used to them via trial and error.
Even if she couldn't convince Haewon to come down, she did have her own ultimate weapon.
"Fine then," she called up to Haewon, "stay up there." She began to walk around the side of the building, heading for the tree that grew beside the Athena cabin. "I'll come to you."
"Eh?!?"
As she rounded the corner, Lily smirked, hearing the sounds of Haewon spluttering in surprise.
"No! That is not what I meant!" Haewon called to her, voice traveling a little harried, faint scrambling noises interrupting her. "Wait!" There was a quiet patter across the roof, then a hand grabbed hers from behind.
"I'm down! I am down!" Haewon panted from behind her, firmly grabbing her wrist and preventing her from trying to climb the tree. "Stop."
Lily grinned, trying, and failing, to tamp down her lips as she turned around. "Don't do that again alright?" she cast a light glare at Haewon, watching her straighten up, grip loosening but not dropping.
"Yes madam," Haewon saluted mockingly, exaggeratingly straightening her back and head. "I apologize for my transgressions." She reached her spare hand behind her, withdrawing a large rectangular object. "Here, my apologies for the lady."
Wrapped in simple newspaper, it had a simple string tying the package together, no note, yet Lily recognized it as the same wrapping each gift Haewon gave her had.
"I gladly accept your offering," she curtsied grandly, carefully taking it with her off hand. Haewon always brought her something new when she returned from a trip, and she'd grown to look forwards to her return, not just for the odd trinkets, but for her best friend. The objects weren't valuable because they were hard to procure, but because they were proof that Haewon was thinking of her.
It wasn't like she was the only one who received something, but she could tell the magnitude of effort put into their gifts was much different.
Haewon caught her wrist, stopping her from unraveling the string. "Wait." Her hands were cold, the cool weight lightly pressing into her skin. "You, can you open it later?" Her voice trailed lower at the end, face turning away from Lily.
Lily could spot her ears, poking through her dark hair, glowing a red that stood out from her pale skin. Cute. Her lips curled up, eyes automatically crinkling in warm acquiescence. "Sure," she whispered, "of course Won-ah," she twisted her hand around, intertwining their hands. "Thank you." She squeezed their hands, trying to spread some of her warmth into her skin.
Haewon cleared her throat, tentatively squeezing her hand back. "Uhm, yes, it is for you. Anyhow," she peeked at Lily, brushing her hair aside.
Lily watched her, finding her nervousness charming in contrast to her teasing demeanor just moments ago. "Yes?" she asked brightly, smiling. She knew Haewon was always struck dumb when she smiled like that, but she couldn't help but try and get back at her for scaring her all the time.
True to her conjecture, Haewon's ears were clearly tinting darker, made more obvious by her dark hair and pale skin.
Haewon stumbled over her words for a second, mumbling, eyes quickly scrambling in all directions but her face. "I uh I returned to camp," she said lamely.
"I can see that," Lily said, smiling gently at Haewon.
Haewon's eyes scanned her, poring over her limbs and face. If it were anyone but Lily, they would probably assume it was intrusive, but Lily knew this was her way of checking that she was alright. For demigods, it wasn't exactly uncommon to suffer injuries from random monster attacks, and often it resulted in serious damage when far from any safe house. Which pretty much meant anywhere but camp.
"I am glad you are uninjured," Haewon whispered, finally meeting Lily's gaze. "I returned again. Safely."
Lily opened her arms, tugging Haewon close. "I know." She felt Haewon press against her, arms momentarily tightening. "Dummy," she whispered, "I'm not angry you know. Just worried about you."
"You don't have to," Haewon muttered, a familiar part of the same song and dance they each played every summer. "I can take care of myself." She felt a head bop against her skull, gently pressing against her hair.
"I know," Lily replied back, "but I miss you."
At this, Haewon fell silent, hands gripping tighter against her jacket. The sentiment was not new, but that Lily said it, that was not yet familiar to her. "I-" a shuddering breath, "I-," she sucked in a breath, hesitating. "-you too," she choked out, in the softest, meekest murmur Lily had ever heard from her.
They fell silent, standing there together under the quiet moonlight. It wasn't yet a warm summer night, but they both simply basked in the warmth of each other's presence.
Lily reluctantly broke away from the embrace first, gently prying herself away from Haewon's lean frame. "Anyways," she tucked the package under her arm, looping their arms together in the other. "I believe we are long overdue for a chat?"
Haewon slowly scanned her face, her free hand fidgeting with the silver rings adorning her hands. "Yes," she said slowly, "I promised."
Lily grinned, raising their intertwined arms. If it weren't for the different color of their coats, Lily's a thick flannel coat contrasting with Haewon's practical leather jacket, it would be hard to discern where they came apart as two. "Take us away then," she grinned at Haewon, marveling at the smile creeping up the sides of her face. It was quiet, an expression that Lily missed seeing, something she'd long since wormed her way into seeing on the more reserved girl's face.
"Yes," Haewon nodded, lightly squeezing her hand. "It has been a long time since we have spoken." The shadows curled up from beneath them, silently cutting through the moonlight. "I missed your smile," Haewon whispered, the admission barely noticed by anyone other than the blonde she held beside her.
The shadows faded around them, revealing a bright alleyway, the familiar brick walls full of carvings. Across the way was a bright sign, familiar golden arches. McDonald's. Open 24 hours.
"Going straight to fries for the first meeting!?" Lily playfully pushed against Haewon's shoulder, dragging her towards the familiar establishment. "You really know the way to my heart Won-ie!" She giggled, pulling her towards the bored looking cashier.
Luckily, Lily easily ordered for the both of them, her excitement infectious enough to coax a smile onto Haewon's face as she watched her excitedly debate whether or not she should get an ice cream as well.
"She will have the ice cream as well," Haewon interrupted, nodding at the tired cashier, who shot her a gaze of acceptance. Peering to the side, she grinned at Lily's shocked expression, feeling a wave of happiness spread through her at the way it melted into a something unbearably warm.
"Then, it'll be two large fries and the ice cream?" The cashier droned, tapping at the screen. At the nod, they tapped the screen a few more times, "That'll be $6.99, will that be cash or card?"
Haewon pulled a black card out, elbowing Lily before she could reach inside one of her many pockets. She quickly inserted it to the proffered device, waiting for the cashier to finish the transaction.
"Hey!" Lily pinched her hand, playfully whispering in her ear. "I could've gotten that!"
Haewon pulled her card out, slipping it back into her seemingly bottomless pockets.
"Your order will be ready soon," the cashier stated, "Pick it up at the counter when its called out." They gestured at the empty store, bright lights illuminating the spotless surfaces. "Feel free," they muttered emotionlessly.
"Thanks," Haewon nodded once, turning and pulling Lily away from the counter. "Isn't it allowed for me to treat you every once in a while?" she whispered, a barely concealed glint in her eye shining. It was rare that Lily wasn't the first to pay for something, something about her being at camp the longest making her the oldest.
"No! Of course not," Lily pursed her lips, "I- well, fine." She slid into a booth, pulling Haewon down next to her. "Just," she sighed, not of defeat, but exasperation. "Next time it'll be on me, okay," she poked at Haewon's face, booping her nose in retaliation.
"Sure," Haewon nodded genially. You can try. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted another worker carrying a tray out of the backroom kitchens. "Be right back," she muttered, eyes on the food as she peeled herself away from Lily.
Lily leaned back in the cushions, a smile settling on her face as she watched her walk towards the counter, hands still holding the package Haewon had given her. She set it next to her, absentmindedly reminding herself not to forget it when they left. Haewon could be seen speaking with the worker, and she watched as Haewon turned, carefully holding a tray with their fries in one hand, and a vanilla-chocolate swirl in the other.
Funny that, Lily snickered a little at her intense glare towards the foods. One would think that since she used dual blades, she would fairly comfortable using both hands at once. But no, she always maintained that type of focus whenever she was carrying something, no matter how small or big.
She stood up, taking the tray from Haewon and setting it on the table. "Thank you!" she cheered, grabbing a fry and popping it in her mouth.
"No problem," Haewon set the cone down on the tray, careful to balance it on the paper. She took a fry, slowly putting it in her mouth, chewing steadily.
"Anyways," Lily gulped down the perfectly golden fried potato stick, "I haven't heard at you at all since last summer. What happened? How have you been? Are you okay?" She briefly turned away, dipping her fry in the small cup of ketchup.
Haewon winced, her eyebrows furrowing before relaxing. "Yes, that was, well, unfortunate." She paused, grabbing another fry. "I was unexpectedly called away shortly after the summer ended," she explained, holding up the fry and staring at the salt crystals on it. "The business unexpectedly ended up keeping me busy until now."
Lily turned to face her, quietly tilting her head and pointing up, pausing, then down. Haewon hesitated, eyes quickly darting left and right, before making a slight nod. "It is," she sucked in a small breath, eyes losing focus for a moment, "a private matter," she finished, adding, "I am not allowed to inform you of the details."
"That's ok with me," Lily mumbled, speech muffled by the fry sticking out of her mouth. She swallowed, nodding at her with a quiet understanding. "As long as you're staying safe."
Haewon looked at her, letting out an amused breath and patting her thigh. "Yes, I will try my best," she chuckled, turning to look at the survivors of her attack on the fries. Grabbing a stray fry, she offered it to Lily, munching on it when she gestured for her to eat it.
"I've already had most of them anyways," Lily justified, "I should eat the ice cream before it melts on us too." True to her word, the tall swirls were beginning to droop, brown and white mixing in a few liquidy strands. "You can have the rest of the fries."
Of the remaining fries, there were about a small handful remaining, and Haewon let Lily try them with her ice cream, occasionally laughing as she continued to proclaim the unexpected combo's deliciousness.
"What about you?" Haewon asked, choosing a moment when she was recovering from taking a bite of the ice cream. "How have you been since I left?"
Lily waved her hand around, mumbling out her answer around a frozen tongue. "Nothing happened," she rolled her tongue around the roof of her mouth, attempting to warm it. "Just a little uptick in monster activity, but nothing really serious."
She peeled the paper off the bottom of the cone, crunching on the remainder. "Now, we should probably head to sleep soon," she looked pointedly at Haewon, eyes staring at the trademark eyebags that had not abated one bit from when she last saw her.
"Of course," Haewon nodded cheerfully, dodging her gaze. "Then let's go?"
Lily grabbed her present, standing, following Haewon out of the booth. She dropped the tray by the trash can, linking arms with Haewon as they left the bright, harshly industrial lights.
Back in the city at night seemed to summon her circadian cycle, and Lily yawned, bringing the package up to cover her mouth. "Let's get back, I need to rest if I'm going to have to clean out the cabin tomorrow."
They ducked into another quiet alleyway, Lily now almost leaning on Haewon's shoulder. She felt a hand comb through her hair, patting it down neatly. "All right then," she heard, watching as black shadow danced beneath them, neatly pulling them away from the city to the moonlight outside her cabin.
A pair of warm hands curled around her, and it took her a little sleepy second to register the feeling, leaning into the pressure, before dragging her arms to tug Haewon a little closer. "Thanks," she mumbled, leaning on the door as she quietly swung her cabin door open. "Now you go sleep too, okay?"
Haewon nodded, gently pushing her inside. "Yes yes, goodnight to you too." Her grin was the last sight Lily saw as the door closed in front of her.
She leaned against the wall, shucking off her shoes. "Urgh," she groaned, making her way over to her bunk. No need to change, she could just wash her sheets tomorrow anyways.
Flopping on her bed, she winced, rolling over to pull the package from Haewon out from under her stomach.
Due to the shape, (and weight, along with Haewon's fairly predictable gifting sense,) she could probably guess it was a book. Tugging at the string, she pulled it apart, gently setting it aside. It was perfectly reusable. Slowly, she unwrapped the paper, lying on her back to stare up at the blue hardback cover.
Pulling the paper down, she suddenly flinched, a flash falling from the paper folds. A small, cool weight fell towards her face, landing in the junction of her neck and shoulder. Setting the book on the bed, Lily reached for where the item fell, fingers curling around a smooth, circular metal object.
Lifting it up, she found a small silver ring, engraved with lily flowers. There was a small paper tied to it, and she gently teased it apart, already smiling at the small note she slowly revealed.
'This will keep you safe. Just in case. Please wear it?'
"Alright Haewonn-ie," Lily giggled, holding it up to the light for the last time. Slipping it on her thumb, she was surprised by how perfectly it fit, before dismissing it as a lucky coincidence that that was the first finger tried.
Besides, like she told Haewon, it was time to sleep.
Placing the halfway unwrapped book on her nightstand, she sat up, quickly running to the bathroom to change and freshen up, rushing through her routine so she could sleep.
Finally jumping into her bed, she held her thumb up to the light, watching as the lilies shone against the metal.
"Goodnight," she whispered, pulling her blankets up to her chin.
Slowly, she drifted away, darkness replacing her vision as she succumbed to the late hour.