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For RJ, his love for Lucy began after the cave-in. He woke up groggy and broken, trying to figure out what happened. Eyes hazy and blurry, he tried to look anywhere other than the bright light directly above him. He squinted and tried to move his head, but it hurt, damnit so he settled on closing his eyes and looking ahead. The spots behind his eyes danced as he tried not to move, not to panic.
Suddenly, the bright light is muted on the other side of his eyelids and he heard soft music. Curious, he opened his eyes to see an angel. Her facial features were a bit obscured but her wide, focused eyes glittered with a halo of light behind her. The angel made a small movement and he felt pressure on his abdomen, enough to grimace in pain.
All at once, the haze of medication dissipated. RJ felt pain, deep, stabbing, and unbearable. There was a strange tickling sensation around his abdomen that feels like string being pulled across his flesh. The room around him came into sharp focus, smelling like copper, decayed wood, and damp rock.
But the angel, she was still there. RJ focused past the pain and zeroed in on her for a distraction. There was sweat on her brow and her bottom lip was pulled in so she could chew on it lightly. Her eyes still shone; brown with little flecks of green mixed in like broken bottles on the shore.
And there was still music. RJ watched her throat muscles work while she hummed soothingly. Whether it was for her own benefit or for his, he didn't know, but it washed over him like a wave. It calmed his heart more than the medication did.
The angel's eyes flicked over from his body to his face and the humming stopped instantly. As she looked at him questioningly, he found himself missing the noise.
"You're awake?" she asked incredulously. Another glance to his abdomen and back up. She fumbled around behind her for a moment and held a syringe.
"Don't worry," she soothed. "I'll fix you up."
A pinch in his arm and he felt lead in his veins, weighing him down until it was impossible to move. His vision clouded and spun again, but he fought it. What if she wasn't there when he woke up again?
As he started to drift away, he heard music again.
Lucy was hit by her feelings all at once. This boy she saved when they were children…he arrived in Little Lamplight the same day of the cave-in. They hadn't had a chance to meet before he was cut open on the operating table.
Once he awoke, he was crass and obstinate. Constantly using vulgar language, the boy tried hard to make it seem like he was more important, bigger than he was. RJ was the shortest kid in his age range by far. Scrappy and angry, he took his frustrations on everyone…except her.
For awhile, Lucy assumed he was simply grateful to her for saving his life. After all, not many kids were lucky enough to have survived a cave in, let alone survive the open surgery afterwards. Lucy had set up his bedroll next to hers when he was first injured, so she could monitor him. There were enough close calls while he slept-torn stitches and choking on his swollen tongue-for him to be grateful towards her.
So it was because she was a good doctor, that's all. But as time went on, he never mellowed out. The kid would go so far as to defend her honor of she was being antagonized.
If someone was picking on Lucy, she would usually take it until, inevitably, they received an injury. She'd make sure she patched them up well, sure, but she would make it hurt the entire time.
With RJ in the picture, within the first few words, he'd launch himself at the kid like an animal. Lucy had to admit, it was an impressive sight to watch a 10 year old take down a 14 year old.
The first time it happened, she yelled at RJ for being a savage. The fifth time it happened, she just sighed and rolled her eyes as she stitched up the pest that was just making fun of her. The fifteenth time it happened, she fumed about the antagonizer while she patched up RJ's broken nose. The fiftieth time it happened, she couldn't stop smiling at RJ as he held a cool rag against his jaw.
Eventually, the kids stopped aggravating Lucy and got fewer and fewer injuries as a result. RJ could be counted as a dependable friend in Lucy's eyes and they began eating meals together and talking softly before bed.
RJ's straight forward attitude ended up putting him in a position of power in Little Lamplight as mayor. Lucy, not being a fan of Princess, sadly couldn't do anything to subdue the ache in her jaw after RJ punched her. Lucy gave RJ a wink after sending Princess on her way. When he smirked back, she wrote off the swell in her chest as pride.
Over the next week, she watched with fascinated mirth as the color of Princess's face changed from blue to purple to green. RJ began asking her opinion on matters, more than she thought he needed to. Lucy noticed he sent out scavenger teams to more hospitals and pharmacies than usual. When they came home exhausted and a few kids short, RJ would give her first dibs on all supplies.
It wasn't until RJ's announcement of his fifteenth birthday that Lucy was forced to recognize her feelings were more than mere friendship. She faced a reality that she may never see RJ again after he leaves Little Lamplight and the thought scared her.
RJ had ditched the army helmet but kept the goggles. Up on the podium, he pulled them off to run a hand through his brown hair, exhausted. The pressure of leading these kids was nearly over and she could tell he was drained. When he stepped down, Lucy squeezed his shoulder in empathy and he gave her a small, tired smile.
It took two months for Lucy to work up the courage to tell him. RJ was always busy with preparing for his departure. Usually, kids simply vanished in the night, but RJ was no simple kid. He ran the caves like he was born to do it. Before they left, the older kids would comment that they've never seen the caves so productive, never even heard of a time when the kids worked together so seamlessly.
The first couple times she's tried bringing it up, RJ was pulled away on some urgent matter. The next few times, Lucy lost her nerve and changed the subject. Finally, one night she was looking up at the cave ceiling, concentrating on the full glow of the cave fungus, when she found her courage.
"RJ," Lucy murmured to the lump in the bedroll across from hers. The lump groaned in response. Irritated, she tossed a piece of fungus at the lump until it groaned again and she left her hand where it lay outstretched towards him.
"Yeah?" he asked sleepily, turning to face her. He blinked one eye and then the other in an exaggerated way to show her how tired he was. When she didn't smile, but looked at him seriously, he sobered.
"What's up, Luce?" he asked her. Lucy tried to ignore her stomach flipping as he said her nickname. The one only he could use, just as she was the only soul to call him RJ.
"I…" Lucy began, but the words got stuck. She cleared her throat and began again.
"I think I love you."
RJ's eyes widened in surprise and his eyebrows met his hairline. After a moment of shock, his face settled into a knowing smirk.
"You think?" he asks.
He's answered with another fungus hitting him as she pulled her blanket up to cover her face with a mumbled "Forget it."
Smiling genuinely, RJ reached out his arm to just barely brush his fingertips to hers. She pulled the blanket off her face slightly to peek at him.
"Well, I think I love you, too, Lucy," he told her quietly. RJ smiled at the ceiling wistfully and Lucy followed his gaze. The fungus looked like they were glowing a little brighter and they drift off to sleep with their fingers entwined.
When Lucy awoke, she was alone with a pair of goggles in her outstretched hand. Glancing over at RJ's bedroll, she found it missing and in its place was a folded note.
Meet me in Big Town.