The light escaped the horizon, the sun towering over the environment. Birds were chirping to the joy of the sight, the bright light finally showing the way. The street lights shut off, agreeing to let the Sun take their shift—exhausted throughout the night.

The birds sang a song, a melody like a wakeup call to start the day fresh. Citizens of Athena were already working to prepare for the world. People began to gather around the town center, greeting each other kindly with a warm smile and a wave.

The mailman roamed the city, leaving letters, specifically love letters written by other people. It was the special day for lovers—Valentines Day. Everyone wanted to send each other special letters to their loved ones, friends, families, and even a few of their neighbors.

The mailman passed by a house, reaching his bag and pulling out a few letters, one standing out from the rest of them. It was addressed to this home, one with a unique design. The mailman inserted the letter along with a couple of others in the mailbox, whistling as he began to move on to another house.

Peri stepped out of that house, yawning as she stretched her arms. She scratched her head, glancing at her mailbox. She smiled brightly and opened it, reaching her hand in to pull out the letters. She was glancing at each of them, her heart filled with genuine happiness. Then, she finally noticed the one letter that stood out from the rest. There was a few glitter splatted over the top, paper cut into hearts were glued to the middle, and a well written "Peri" was plastered onto the side.

Peri entered back inside her house, opening the letter with all the glitter and hearts.

Dear Peri J.,

I could only imagine the memories we can make— either they mean something or they don't. Every second you're around is all that matters, just feeling your presence makes me happy. There aren't enough words to describe how much you mean to me. I just wish I knew how to express why.

Just like that, the letter ended. Peri smiled warmly, glancing to the side to find a signature. But there was nothing, just a blank spot that seems so satisfying to fill with a single name.

She sighed and held that letter to her chest. Was it a secret admirer? Could it be Rogue?

But she began to doubt herself. Rogue is too busy helping the town and hanging out with the children of the citizens. A smile slowly appeared on her face. It's one of the things that she loved about him.

Peri decided to confront him about the letter, but took the chance to speak with her best friend Kilo for advise. She dressed herself, brushed her hair and brushed her teeth. She also decided to tie her hair in her classic bun, smiling.

Peri bursted out her home, grinning as she held the letter in her hand and made her way to Kilo's house. Lee moved in with Kilo after everything. Their relationship was going strong 'till this day.

Peri stood in front of the door, staring into each individual piece of wood that stood in front of her. She took a deep breath and adjusted herself, feeling awkward and third-wheel-y. She knocked on the door, awaiting for an answer. Peri glanced back at the letter, every voice in her head telling her to calm down and lower her expectations.

The door creaked open and Kilo stood there, grasping a cup of coffee. She smiled widely when she met eyes with Peri, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm so glad you're here, hon! I've missed you."

"I missed you too," Peri smiled, hugging her back tightly. They pulled away and Kilo spotted the worry in her eyes. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"Kilo, I got this letter for Valentines Day and um..." she handed her the piece of paper, blushing. Kilo smiled, opening the letter and scanning every detail it offers. She understood clearly. "You think it's Rogue?"

"What? No, no, no. He's not...-" she turned away, her face almost completely red. She sighed shamelessly. "Yeah, yeah."

"You shouldn't be ashamed, hon. You know Rogue and hang out with him almost all of the time. You two are so close, why should it seem difficult for you to confront him about the letter?" Kilo smiled warmly, giving her back the letter. Peri smiled back and didn't resist.

Kilo patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Thank you so much, Kilo. I don't know what I would do without you." Peri took Kilo in her arms tightly, smiling.

Peri walked through Athena, seeing the smiles and laughter from every citizen. They hugged with joy and thanked each other. Peri questioned herself. If it really was Rogue, wouldn't he be talking to her about it?

Peri now arrived at the town center, spotting Rogue lifting boxes with his sleeves folded to his elbows. His hair remained his classic look with the ponytail, a few strands poking out here and there. Peri smiled at the sight, giggling quietly when she noticed the fun little gestures he made when he passed by the children.

Peri took a deep breath, and approached him. Her heart swelled up more for every step she took. When she was almost a foot away, she panicked. Rogue's back was facing her and she felt worried. She was about to run away but alas, it was too late.

"Peri?" Rogue looked at her, his hands on his hips as he eyed her carefully. Peri squeaked in shock, blushing. She began to rub her arm nervously. Rogue raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"I, uh... I got this letter for Valentines Day and..." Peri said quietly, lifting the letter up. Rogue spotted the letter, taking it and reading it. He skimmed through it and chuckled. "Seems like Periwinkle has a secret admirer."

Peri felt her heart ache, but she didn't expect highly of Rogue to have written the letter. "You.. you think so?"

"I mean, yeah. Who do you think it is? Sounds like a poet and a great guy to get with," Rogue replied, handing her back the letter with a wink. Peri chuckled lightly, glancing away to avoid meeting his eye.

"I-I have no idea."

"Seems like your character development reversed. You're back into the sweet lovestruck Periwinkle!" He laughed, holding her face gently. Peri blushed madly, rolling her eyes as she took his hands and pushed them away.

"Okay, okay, I may be acting like this but that doesn't mean you get to act all weird." She said, hearing Rogue laugh. She blushed at the sight of his smile, not resisting the urge to smile as well.

"So, wanna help out with the community service or do you wanna find your secret admirer?" He raised an eyebrow, gesturing towards the stacks of boxes. Peri gulped, too flabbergasted to say a single word. She sighed and forced the words out. "I... have to go. Sorry for wasting your time."

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it, Peri." Rogue shrugged, smiling warmly. Peri grinned and began backing away. "Thanks, Rogue. See you later?"

"As always," he remarked, watching as she waved and turned her back on him. Rogue smiled, returning to his work. He glanced back slightly, only to chuckle.

He began to lift the boxes again, grunting slightly. His heart skipped a beat, struck with joy. His hair began to get all over the place, sweat sliding down his face only for him to wipe them away. He was about to take the boxes away but a voice struck him.

"Hey, Rogue!"

"Laden! How you doing?" Rogue lifted his head up, spotting the mailman with a letter in his hand. "Nothing much, I actually got you a letter."

"Really? Who is it from?" Rogue carefully put down the boxes, being given the folded piece of paper, scanning the details plastered onto it. One giant heart was pasted in the middle with a hand written "RO" in it.

"Someone by the name of Peru," Laden trailed off, confused when Rogue bit his finger and attempting to contain his laughter. Laden raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. Just something that Peru wrote," He said, lovingly putting the card away. Laden nodded slowly, walking away slowly.

"Well I better go deliver more letters. There's still a whole stock of them!" He said, rushing away. "Cya, Rogue!"

"Cya, Laden," Rogue watched him leave, chuckling.

Peri sighed at herself, staring at the letter that taunted her with every written word plastered onto the paper. She was walking for what seemed like days until she noticed the sun coming down. Peri grumbled a curse, spotting the community service group preparing the Valentines Day party.

She looked around to see Rogue but didn't quite see him. Peri sighed in defeat, realizing that she needed to wear something decent than her usual outfit. She might just meet her secret admirer at the party and she wants to look her best.

The clock struck 7pm and Peri wore a bright red dress that seemed to puff a little at the bottom. It reached her knees, ending the dress off with decorative embroidery. It was sleeveless which was the only flaw but Peri didn't complain.

Her hair was braided, much different than her casual hairstyles during a regular day. She barely applied any makeup, wearing only a coat of lipstick and blush.

Peri couldn't bother wearing heels, she thought they were too difficult to stand.

The party also wanted participants to wear masks that covered most of the upper part of their faces to heighten the chemistry. Peri wore a simple red mask with a few stickers attached to it. She didn't wanna go all out.

Fireworks lit up the night sky, covering the whole canvas with bright colors that everyone admired.

Peri glanced at them, standing awkwardly in the crowd. She smiled, hoping to see someone familiar at some point. Music began to play which set up this sort of adrenaline in her blood.

Romantic instruments roamed the entire city of Athena and everyone was in the moment, dancing with loved ones. Peri was rushing through, staring at the stars to give her some sort of guide.

Just then, she bumped into someone, almost slipping as she started to fall down. She felt a hand grasp her arm before she could reach the ground. She glanced up, panting.

It was a tall man wearing a tuxedo, with a bright red rose clipped onto his chest. He wore a red mask that covered his entire face with only one peep hole for the man to see, specifically for his left eye. Peri was surprised by it, but it didn't really bother her. In fact, she found it uniquely attractive.

"You okay?" The voice startled her, making her blush from embarrassment. She nodded, practically speechless. The man carefully pulled her back up, chuckling. "Sorry, that was my fault."

"What? No, no. I wasn't looking at where I was going-" she said, seeing everyone around them dancing, one in the other's arms. The man looked around as well, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, me too. Guess you could blame the—"

"—stars?" They both said in unison, meeting each other's eyes. Peri blushed, sadly she couldn't tell if the man was blushing as well due to the mask.

The man cleared his throat, reaching his hand out, smiling under the mask. "Care for a dance while they're at it?"

"Sure," Peri smiled, taking his hand gladly. She laid a hand on his chest, a sense of comfort when his free hand held her waist gently.

They began to follow the movements of the others, their steps in sync. Their eyes glued to each other, unable to look away.

"Say, you're a good dancer. Who taught you?" Peri asked, raising an eyebrow as she smirked. The man laughed.

"A close friend of mine," he answered.

Peri noticed the man with a hair bun, chuckling.

"What?" The man raised an eyebrow, tensing when he saw her laughing. Peri blushed again, looking away.

"S-Sorry, it's just that I know a guy who has his hair tied up," She admitted, blushing madly now. Her face a hue of red.

The man chuckled, glancing down. "I'll be honest, men with long hair is really becoming a thing after Rogue helped protect Athena."

"Y-Yeah! Yeah," Peri smiled, daydreaming now. She sighed lovingly, leaning her head on his chest effortlessly. The man was taken aback, smiling warmly.

"Rogue IS an amazing guy. I wish I got the chance to get with him," she mumbled, still dancing to the music. The man sighed, nodding in agreement.

"But y'know, his former First Mate, Peri Jackson? She's truly my hero," she bragged, snickering. The man laughed softly, his eyes softening as he thought of Peri as well.

"I can't lie but I think she's amazing too. She's so brave, full of colors and life. She can really handle herself quite well, really makes you wonder if she ever actually needs someone to create memories with," his voice was calming, gently pulling the lady in his arms close. Peri felt lovestruck once more, glancing up at him. She found him.

"I bet she does. I mean, it gets lonely once in a while... y'know?" Peri felt as if her cover was blown, but the man barely noticed. He was too busy daydreaming. Once he snapped out of it, their eyes met once again as if pulled by some sort of trance.

"Holy hell," he said, unable to take his eyes off her. Peri blushed, patting his chest.

"Thanks, you too." She managed to say as if she read his mind, inching closer to him. The man could tell that she was aiming for a kiss, unafraid to move close. Peri took a hold of his mask, slowly lifting it up as she inched closer to him. She tip toed, closing her eyes as she lifted his mask off almost completely and pressed her lips on his.

The man held her close, kissing her back. Their kiss was soft and yet intimate, pulling away ever so slowly. Peri opened her eyes, still holding the mask up. She noticed the bandages under his mask, her eyes widening as she pushed him away gently.

"W-What's wrong?" The man stuttered, reaching for her carefully. Peri backed away, her heart racing.

Everything became so clearly now. The familiar sense of comfort in his arms, his one eye that you could easily get lost in...

"W-Was it something that I said?" He began to stutter more often, getting anxious and panicking. "P-Please, don't leave so soon, we can talk—"

"Rogue?" Peri blurted out, quickly covering her mouth to prevent any more words from coming out.

His eyes widened, pulling off his mask slowly. Peri eyed him, seeing his entire face. She didn't want to ruin the moment but she thought that he looked even better in his outfit without the mask.

"Wait... you— know me?"

Peri was speechless. Out of all the men she could've danced with, it was with Rogue. She thought it was too good to be true, but everything felt so sudden. If it weren't Peri who danced with him, would he ever get with a lady he doesn't even know that well?

She didn't know what to say, only able to run away to avoid any other interaction with him. The love letter fell out of her pocket, ending up in front of Rogue's feet. He picked it up, finding it familiar. Then he was hit with a brick of realization.

"Oh no," he said, looking around to see where she left. He was standing alone in the middle of the dance circle, sighing as he attempted to push through.

Then he bumped into another lady who was alone. She glanced up at him. "Rogue? What are you doing here without a dance partner?"

"Sorry, b-but maybe we should talk later," He said, trying to get past her when he noticed Peri's bright red dress escaping in the alleyways. Rogue sighed with frustration.

"Why later when we can talk now? Why don't we dance together? I'm completely free—" she said, watching as Rogue furrowed a brow.

"What? No! I'm sorry but I have a bigger fish to catch-" he finally moved past her, leaving her in the dust.

Peri panted, hiding in the alleyway near the bar. The emptiness of it felt so familiar. It was where Rogue and her reunited. She felt comforted when she shouldn't have.

She pulled off her mask and tossed it to the wall, sighing heavily. She thought that the whole idea of Valentines Day felt pointless.

"Hey Periwinkle," Rogue's voice echoed through the alleyway, startling Peri once more. Peri scoffed, facing away. Rogue sighed, leaning against the wall as he spotted her mask on the floor.

"I got your letter," Rogue said, still wearing his mask, resting on top. Peri didn't say a word, blushing.

Rogue gazed up at the sky which was limited due to the tall walls. Peri leaned against the opposite side, staring at the ground.

"Those... things you said about me— Did you really mean them?" She asked all of a sudden, never taking her eyes off the ground. Sometimes she would stare at Rogue's shoes.

"Of course! I wouldn't just go blindly telling people how amazing you are," he explained, meeting her eyes with a small smile. "I mean, what's the point of lying about you? If I were to lie about you, no one would believe me because they love you."

"Yeah, yeah, guess you're right," she blushed, nodding her head. She also chuckled at the thought of their conversation. She looked down.

"Would you ever like a different lady?"

Rogue froze at the question, afraid to answer. He hesitated, crossing his arms.

"Well yes..." he trailed off, answering truthfully. Peri remained silent, surprised when Rogue continued on.

"—if it meant moving on so you could be happy with someone else," He pulled out the love letter, handing it to her. Peri smiled at him, kindly taking the letter.

"But why didn't you tell me you wrote it?" She asked again, finally seeing him blush. He chuckled, turning to her completely.

"It's... a little complicated."

"What are we, Rogue?" Peri asked, lifting her head up. Rogue followed suit with a serious look, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I... I don't know."

Rogue was walking back to his home, his mask in his hand. He stared into it, sighing. He gazed up at the stars again as if some message were written on them. Rogue took a deep breath.

"'I don't know?' Is that really the best you could do, Ro?" He scolded himself, the streets empty. His steps felt heavy, the street lights blinding him as the stars mocked him.

Rogue passed by a garbage bin, tossing the mask in it. No words could describe how much he felt like a clown, a fool, a dumbass at that moment. He untied his hair, brushing it back with his bare fingers.

From the distance, he heard cheers and glass cups clinking. Rogue glanced up, spotting the crew celebrating. He began to panic, looking around for somewhere to hide. I don't have the time for this! Who knows? Maybe Peri will show up!

"Rogue!" James called, waving his hand high up into the sky. Rogue sighed quietly, wishing so badly to disappear right then and there. What's the limit of being disappointed in one's self?

He had no choice but walk up to the party, smiling widely with his shoulders raised. "What's up?"

"What's up with you? You look like you just witnessed a murder," James laughed, taking a sip of his beer. Rogue raised an eyebrow, seeing Kilo and Tris sitting next to him.

"Your hair is down. Something is definitely wrong," Tris pointed out, turning to the others as they nodded. Rogue crossed his arms, eyeing them and struggling to keep everything to himself.

"Oh yeah?" He scoffed. "Like what?"

"Did you find out that Peri is dating another guy?"

"Is Peri finally over you?"

"Did you and Peri finally break— wait, they weren't dating?" James asked, quickly being interrupted by Rogue.

"Woah, woah. Out of all the other possibilities, you guys assume it's about me and Peri?" Rogue was unsurprisingly surprised. He blushed, attempting to hide his face with his hair.

"Oh c'mon, Rogue. You're wearing a tux."

"What's that supposed to even mean?" Rogue glanced down at himself, checking the outfit he was wearing.

"Face it, Rogue. We know you. We've seen your drawings—"

"You WHAT?!" He blushed madly now, his face completely red as he clutched onto his hair and pulled. His heart began to race. "What were you guys doing in my house?!"

"Rogue, relax," Tris stood up, walking up to him and wrapping an arm around the red and embarrassed man who just wanted to hide his face from the world.

"I know just what will cheer you up," Tris grinned proudly, ruffling Rogue's hair.

"Oh yeah? Let me guess, a kick to the face because that sure does fun and helpful right now," He muttered, still blushing madly.

Tris laughed, shaking him by the shoulders.

"You do have a way with words, Rogue," He continued to laugh, leading Rogue down a certain path.

Rogue avoided meeting Tris's eyes, frowning. Tris grinned, the neon lights towering them and blinding them with their bright colors. Rogue glanced up, sighing with a goofy smile.

"Oooof course, the bar," Rogue turned to him with an eyebrow raised, watching as Tris ran closer to the building, flailing his arms to exaggerate the bar's size.

"Not just the bar, The Heart of Athena!" He practically screamed which scared Rogue, crouching down slightly.

"Tris, I don't think you should be screaming at the middle of the night," He whispered, blushing as Tris completely ignored him and dragged him inside the bar.

The two of them stood there, watching as the lights roamed the whole building. It was practically crowded with people, only making things worse for Rogue. He sighed, turning to Tris.

"Tris... can we please just leave?" He begged, frowning when the man next to him shook his head. He threw Rogue onto the chair right next to the actual bar stand, grinning widely.

"You go order a drink for yourself. I'll be right back," Tris winked, leaving Rogue alone who sighed and leaned on the counter.

He muttered to himself. "He takes me to the bar for no reasonable explanation and just leaves me here."

Rogue sighed, glancing up at the bartender with a weak smile. "I'll have a beer as usual, Alex."

He pulled out his bag of Athena coins, taking out a few and sliding it to the bartender who thankfully took it. "Ya got it, Rogue."

Rogue smiled genuinely until the guy left. He sighed and began thinking to himself. He leaned against the table diving the bar to the dance floor. The neon lights surrounding the whole area felt shallow to him, as if their purpose of giving color to life was pointless.

The color red was intriguing though. Every time the color appeared it gave him a sense of familiarity. It felt like an anonymous hug that just felt so needed no matter who it came from. The sense of being in someone's arm felt long overdue.

"Rogue, how are ya holding up?" Tris finally came back, sitting right next to his troubled friend with a friendly grin. Rogue shrugged his shoulders, smiling. "Not one of my best visits here, but y'know, it's—it's pretty okay."

"Good to hear," Tris replied, almost ending the conversation. They stopped talking for a moment along with time itself. Everything felt so unnecessarily slow and different compared to the energy being portrayed by the people dancing and celebrating with all the life they have in them.

Tris sighed. "You... really like her, don't you?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Rogue replied quietly, slowly turning to his best friend with a sympathetic look, his heart racing even if her name wasn't even mentioned. He knew who Tris was talking about, and Tris himself knew he would.

"But why would you?" Tris leaned down to meet Rogue's height, his eyes focused on him with concern.

"I mean you've made it clear that she deserves better. You admit that you hurt her when you didn't even notice it." Tris says deeply, watching as the bartender returned and gave Rogue his glass of beer. Rogue thanked him, grabbing the glass until Tris took it and dragged it away just to catch Rogue's full attention.

"What the hell, Tris?"

"Just look at yourself, Ro. Do you really think she would want to see you like this?"

"Why would she? She's busy doing better things—"

"Better things? What other things could she possibly be doing?" Tris continued to push Rogue away from the beer, their eyes fixed on each other with anger. Rogue refused to answer, continuing to reach the glass.

"Tell me Rogue. Do you really think she would want anyone else other than you?"

"Give me a damn break, Tris."

"You give yourself a damn break. Do you think you're THAT low of a standard? She would love you either way. She forgives you dammit."

"Tris, don't you fuckin' dare—"

"Do you even forgive yourself? Do you think this is all your fault—?"

Rogue was pushed to the limit, his temper rising as he shoved Tris away. Rogue stood up, his figure towering Tris as he was on the floor. Everyone in the building gasped, turning to them when they heard his body hitting the floor.

Tris was shocked by this, his head in a daze until he saw the shock in Rogue's face. Rogue saw everyone's eyes on him, sighing as he awkwardly walked out, each step quick.

He exited the bar, hiding his face in his hands once he leaned against the wall. He heard the door open, refusing to see who it was. He felt a presence next to him.

Rogue was facing down, noticing the shoes.

"I'm sorry," Rogue started, pulling his hands away from his face as he faced away, his arms crossed with his body slumped with guilt.

"I do blame myself. Every time I look into her eyes, I see myself. I see the fire that started everything..." he sighed, staring at the ground.

"I can't forgive myself after everything I've done. She's just... she makes me feel so many emotions I've never experienced before and... it's almost all too new to me. Peri is incredible. Almost too incredible that it hurts."

"She is," Tris finally said, chuckling as he faced the ground as well. He took a deep breath, his heart pouring all it's contents out. "I care about Peri a whole lot. I trust you to love her a certain way no one else can because she's my best friend. You both are, and I need you to know that not everything is in your control. Not everything is your fault."

"If you need someone to talk to, you can always come to us. We're family. We love you." Tris grinned, watching as Rogue turned to him, smiling brightly with tears in his eye.

"Thanks, Tris. Don't tell Peri about anything I said, please?"

Tris laughed. "Don't worry. I won't."

It was the very next day, the sun began to rise and occupy the space in the sky, lighting up the city of Athena. Birds were chirping once again, citizens were preparing the city market, their supplies of fruits and vegetables displayed right in front for everyone to admire.

Rogue groaned, hearing the sounds of the birds singing their morning melody. Rogue sat up, finding himself in his bed. He hissed, his head throbbing as he got up. He sighed, walking to his bathroom only to stare at himself in the mirror.

Rogue breathed deeply, grabbing his toothbrush and applying toothpaste. He carefully rinsed water on the thing and began brushing his teeth, gripping onto the edge of the sink.

Knock knock knock knock knock!

Rogue was alarmed by this, turning to his door. He rolled his eyes, expecting it to be Tris with his mom vibes. But Rogue didn't mind, it felt nice to have someone care about you in a certain way. He continued to brush his teeth, walking up to the door and grabbing the handle.

He pulled it open, seeing Peri outside in front of him. She smiled.

Rogue looked her up and down, quickly imagining how Peri sees him; wearing plain clothes with a huge shirt and shorts, a toothbrush in his mouth with his hair being a complete mess.

"Hi Rogue—!"

Rogue slammed the door close, startling her as Peri stood there with eyes wide. She could hear objects crashing, hearing Rogue curse as he stumbled around everywhere. Peri heard a glass object break followed by another curse. Peri tried to contain her laughters.

Just then, the door opened once again but with Rogue, wearing a proper and complete outfit with his hair in a bun. He was leaning against the wall, his hands struggling to find a place to hold. He grinned widely, sweating nervously.

"Hey Peri! What brings you here?" Eventually he gave up and held his waist, standing straight up. Peri took a deep breath, smiling warmly.

"I-I just wanted to talk, y'know, about—"

"About what? About the card? Oh yeah, yeah. I'll make sure to sign it next time—!" Rogue tried avoiding the specific subject, panicking when Peri finally interrupted him.

"No, I wanted to talk about us."

"Right," he sighed, moving aside and opening the door wider for her to enter. Peri smiled, thanking him as she gazed around his house. Rogue noticed, smiling as he gently shut the door.

"Like the place?" He clasped his hands together, taking a look around as well. But his eyes were mainly on her.

Peri admired the tiny details as well, his house completely spotless. There was a little bit of life, a couple of plants in pots here and there. She laughed, turning to him. "You sure have a lot of free time."

"Well, when you work at a community service center, you get a habit of cleaning or two," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. Peri nodded, smiling as she continued to gaze around. Rogue leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you came here to talk, not to give your full attention to my house," he joked, smiling when Peri finally turned around to face him.

"Oh I'm sorry, are you jealous?" She remarked, making Rogue blush. He rolled his eyes and began heading to the kitchen, muttering under his breath. "Fine, if you like it here so much then why don't you just move in?"

"What?"

"What?" Rogue turned away, his heart racing. Tris' words came rushing to his head again. He cleared his throat, crossing his arms.

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Peri smiled when he asked, moving towards him. Rogue took a couple of steps back, his heart beating at a rapid pace when she stood right in front of him.

"Well, clearly there is something happening between us," She said, surprised when Rogue laughed.

"Oh really? I, uh, didn't even notice at first." He smiled, nodding as he bit onto his finger. Peri chuckled, shrugging as she grinned genuinely.

"Surprise!" She giggled softly, standing up straight and looking up at him with genuine joy.

"Oh boy, you always seem to surprise me in ways I can't even imagine," He remarked, rolling his eyes playfully. They shared a good laugh, standing there in silence.

Their eyes met, Rogue looking into hers and seeing himself in the reflection. His shoulders slumped, taking a deep breath as he walked up to her and lifted her off the ground, his arms wrapped around her tightly.

Peri was taken aback, blinking rapidly as she hoped that this wasn't a dream. She smiled warmly, hugging him back as much as she could.

Compared to the kiss shared during the night on Valentines Day, their hug embraced innocent love, their hearts put into the pressure of their arms around each other especially since they know who the other is.

There were no masks, no fancy outfits, no romantic lighting of the night sky, just one hug.