𝐉𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐀 ||

"Do you have any idea of what today is?" My mother screeches as she stumbles downstairs, I glance away from the coffee mug, towards her direction. It's late at night, and I thought they had already gone to bed, but I guess not.

"Answer me!" she screeches, and I flinch slightly, already knowing why she's so upset. Today would have been my brother's seventeenth birthday. I've been trying to forget about it all day; everyone kept quiet about it, so why does she have to bring it up now?

"Yes, Mom, how could I forget?" I respond softly, unable to keep the hint of sarcasm out of my voice.

"Watch your tone with me, young lady! You are the reason my son is dead!" she yells. I look down at the ground, nodding in agreement.

"I know," I say softly.

My mom takes a few powerful steps towards me, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up at her. "If you weren't busy getting high, he would be alive, damn it!" she curses. She only does that when she's really upset or under the influence, and she only drinks around my brother's birthday.

"I know, Mom," I say again, trying to keep my voice steady.

Suddenly, she starts hitting my chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You killed my son! You did this! You're the reason he's dead!" she continues to yell, her fists pounding against me. I just stand there, taking it all. I glance up and see worry and anger on Rune's face as he watches from the shadows.

"Jenifer! Quit hitting our daughter and let's get you to bed," my father's calm voice says as he walks downstairs, pulling my mother away from me. The tears sting my eyes, and I glance away, not wanting them to see me at my weakest point.

Rune steps forward as my parents move towards the stairs. His golden eyes are filled with a mixture of sympathy and fury. "Jeniva, you don't deserve that. None of this is your fault."

"Shut up, Rune. You don't even know what happened or what you're talking about," I snap, glancing up at him.

"You're right, I don't know what happened. Maybe, enlighten me," Rune says, taking a step closer to me.

"I don't want..." I pause, my voice falling vacant, tears threatening to spill from my eyes as I try to shove down my emotions. "I don't want to talk about it," I say softly. Rune nods, a soft smile dancing across his lips.

"Okay, how about we go for a walk? Maybe getting out of here will help you," Rune suggests, placing his arm on my shoulder and pulling me into a comforting side hug. His touch sends tingles across my body, surprising me with how much it soothes my turmoil.

I nod, feeling a desperate need to escape the suffocating atmosphere of my home. We slip out into the night, the cool air offering a stark contrast to the heated confrontation inside. The moonlight bathes the path ahead in a soft glow as we walk through the woods, the sounds of nature filling the silence.

After a few minutes, Rune breaks the silence. "Jeniva, I know it's hard, but sometimes talking about it can help. I'm here for you."

I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words. "My brother... he died in a school shooting when I was in the tenth grade. I was supposed to be there with him, but I was too busy getting high with my friends. I didn't even know what was happening until it was too late."

Rune listens intently, his expression serious. "Jeniva, that's not your fault. You couldn't have known."

"But I should have been there for him!" I cry, the tears I've been holding back finally spilling over. "I should have protected him. Instead, I was too wrapped up in my own stupid life."

Rune stops walking and turns to face me, his hands gently gripping my shoulders. "You were a kid, Jeniva. You can't blame yourself for what happened. It's not fair to you."

His words hit me like a wave, and I can't hold back the tears any longer. I look down, my vision blurred by the stream of tears cascading down my cheeks. "My parents blame me. They always have. And a part of me... a part of me believes them." My voice cracks with the weight of my confession, the words trembling as they escape my lips.

Rune's expression softens, and he pulls me into a hug, his embrace warm and comforting. "Your parents are wrong. They're hurting and looking for someone to blame, but that doesn't make it true. You didn't kill your brother, Jeniva."

I bury my face in his chest, letting out a shaky breath. The scent of him—something familiar and safe—grounds me, but the guilt is still there, gnawing at my insides. "It feels so heavy, carrying this guilt," I whisper, my voice barely audible.

Rune tightens his hold, his hand gently stroking my back. "I know," he whispers back, his voice a soothing balm to my wounded soul. "But you don't have to carry it alone."

In his arms, I feel a mixture of vulnerability and a flicker of hope. His warmth seeps into my skin, and for the first time in a long while, I allow myself to lean on someone else. The pain is still there, raw and aching, but Rune's presence is like a light in the darkness, a reminder that maybe, just maybe, I don't have to face this alone.

We stand like that for a while, the night enveloping us in its quiet embrace. The cool breeze rustles the leaves around us, and the distant sound of crickets fills the silence. Rune's arms around me provide a strange sense of solace, a sanctuary in the midst of my turmoil. Eventually, he pulls back, his golden eyes soft and understanding, yet distant. "Do you want to know why I'm here? Why I'm not just some terrifying demon?" he asks, his voice steady, almost detached.

I nod, wiping away my tears, my curiosity piqued despite the emotional storm raging inside me.

"Heaven cast me out because I cared too much about humans," Rune begins, his tone calm, almost indifferent. "I have too much empathy. They didn't think I belonged, so they sent me down here. I'm not a powerful demon because I still care." He pauses, his eyes meeting mine, a flicker of something deeper momentarily breaking through his facade. "And I care about you, Jeniva."

His words hang in the air, heavy with unspoken emotions. I search his face for any sign of vulnerability, but he remains composed, his expression unreadable. "Does it bother you?" I ask, my voice trembling slightly. "That you were cast out?"

Rune shrugs, a hint of a bitter smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I've learned to live with it. It is what it is."

I feel a pang of sadness for him, even though he seems so indifferent to his own plight. "I don't think it's fair," I murmur, reaching out to touch his hand. "You shouldn't have been cast out for caring."

Rune's gaze softens for a moment, but he quickly regains his composure. "Life's rarely fair, Jeniva. But we make do with what we have." He squeezes my hand gently, his touch grounding me.

As we stand there, the weight of our shared confessions hangs between us. Rune's indifference to his own pain contrasts starkly with the turmoil inside me, yet his presence offers a strange sense of comfort.

A small smile tugs at my lips. "Thank you, Rune."

"Anytime, Sunshine," Rune replies, his nickname for me bringing a warmth to my heart that I haven't felt in ages. We continue our walk, the conversation lightening as we share more about ourselves. Rune's sarcastic and light-hearted spirit helps lift my mood, and I find myself laughing more than I have in a very long time. His wit is sharp, and his stories about his misadventures in the human world are genuinely entertaining.

"I'm telling you, the look on that guy's face when I just disappeared—priceless," Rune recounts, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

I giggle, feeling a bit of the weight lift off my shoulders. "You must have scared him half to death."

"Eh, he had it coming," Rune says with a wink. "Besides, a little chaos never hurt anyone."

We share a laugh, and for a moment, everything feels okay. But then, the serenity is shattered. Suddenly, I trip over a hidden root, my foot catching on it just right to send me sprawling forward. I yelp in surprise, flailing my arms in a futile attempt to regain my balance.

Rune's reflexes are quick, and he catches me before I hit the ground. However, his momentum combined with mine sends us both tumbling down. We end up in a heap, me sprawled on top of him. My hands land on either side of his head, and our faces are mere inches apart. I can feel his breath on my skin, warm and steady, contrasting with the cool night air.

For a moment, the world stands still. My heart pounds in my chest as I meet his golden eyes, which are filled with a mix of amusement and something else I can't quite identify. His usual sarcasm is absent, replaced by a surprising gentleness.

"Well, this is cozy," Rune says, a lopsided grin spreading across his face.

I blush, unable to suppress a nervous giggle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Don't apologize," he interrupts softly, his voice low and soothing. "If I had to break someone's fall, I'm glad it was yours."

I smile, feeling a strange mix of embarrassment and comfort. Slowly, I push myself up, my hands lingering on his chest for a moment longer than necessary. Rune sits up as well, brushing dirt and leaves from his clothes.

"Are you okay?" he asks his tone light but with a hint of genuine concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply, still feeling the heat in my cheeks. "Thanks for catching me."

"Anytime, Sunshine," he says again, the nickname now holding a deeper resonance.

We find a spot to sit down, a small clearing surrounded by trees that offers a perfect view of the sky. The night is still and quiet, with only the sounds of crickets and the occasional rustle of leaves to keep us company. I lean back against a tree, feeling more at ease than I have in a long time.

Rune stretches out on the ground beside me, propping himself up on one elbow. "So, there was this one time I tried to convince a guy that his toaster was haunted," he begins, a mischievous glint in his eye.

I laugh, shaking my head. "Oh, this I have to hear."

"He was convinced that every time he tried to make toast, it would burn. So, I may have... enhanced the situation a bit," Rune says with a grin.

"Enhanced how?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"Well, let's just say that every time he put bread in, it would pop out perfectly toasted with little faces burned into them. Scared him so much he threw the toaster out the window," Rune chuckles, clearly proud of his handiwork.

I burst into laughter, the image of a man frantically trying to escape his possessed toaster too funny to resist. "You have way too much fun with this, don't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Rune admits, his eyes twinkling.

As we continue sharing stories, the sky begins to lighten, the inky black giving way to shades of deep blue and purple. The first hints of dawn start to appear on the horizon, casting a soft glow over the landscape.

"Look at that," I say, my voice filled with awe. "Dang, we were out here all night."

Rune follows my gaze to the horizon, where the sun is just beginning to rise. The sky is a breathtaking canvas of colors, shifting and changing with each passing moment. "Time flies when you're having fun," he remarks, his tone lighter than usual.

We sit in comfortable silence for a while, watching the sunrise together. The golden light spreads across the sky, casting long shadows and illuminating the world in a warm, ethereal glow.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I say softly, my voice barely more than a whisper as I admire the way the colors blend and shift in the sky. The sunrise is a breathtaking symphony of hues, with deep purples and blues giving way to pinks and oranges, the light spreading its warmth over the landscape.

"It really is," Rune agrees, his voice unusually gentle, almost reverent. There's a tenderness in his tone that I've never heard before, and it makes me turn to look at him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Rune's gaze, but he's not looking at the sunrise. He's looking at me. His golden eyes are filled with a soft intensity, an emotion so raw and unguarded that it makes my breath hitch. The way he looks at me, it's as if he's seeing something profound and precious, something that he wants to protect.

I feel my heart skip a beat, the sudden rush of emotions leaving me momentarily breathless. There's something in his expression that I can't quite place, a depth of emotion that takes me by surprise and makes my pulse quicken. It's vulnerability and affection wrapped into one, a look that speaks volumes more than words ever could.

I turn my head slightly to meet his gaze fully, my eyes locking with his. For a moment, the world seems to stand still, the only sounds the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds waking with the dawn. The sunrise casts a golden halo around him, the light catching the sharp angles of his face and the warmth in his eyes, softening his features. In this moment, he looks almost... human. The ethereal quality of his otherworldly presence is replaced by something achingly familiar and comforting.

"What?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, the weight of his gaze making my heart pound.

"Nothing," Rune replies, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. There's a softness in his expression that I've never seen before. "Just... enjoying the view."

A blush creeps up my cheeks, and I quickly look away, focusing on the sunrise again. The warmth of the dawn's light bathes my face, but it doesn't compare to the heat rising within me from Rune's words. The way he said it, the way he looked at me, it felt like he was seeing me—really seeing me—for the first time.

The sunrise continues to paint the sky with vibrant colors, but I can't shake the feeling that something has shifted between us, something subtle yet profound. It's as if the night has not only given way to a new day but also to a new understanding between us. The air feels charged with unspoken possibilities, and my mind races with thoughts I can't quite grasp.

I steal a glance at Rune, who is still watching me with that soft intensity. His golden eyes reflect the dawn, but they also hold something deeper, something that makes my heart flutter. The connection we shared under the night sky, the vulnerability and the closeness, it's still there, lingering in the early morning light.