C00lkidd / Russ

[I don't claim canonicity. Both are adults and in a relationship. Delete the highlighted text.]

The couple sat in a quiet corner of the old park, on a bench beneath a spreading tree. The evening breeze slithered under their clothes, ruffling Mia's blond locks and fluttering Kulkid's hood.

The girl settled comfortably on the other's lap, her side pressed against his broad chest. Her striped long-sleeved shirt offered little protection from the cold, so Kulkid silently removed his black sweater and covered Mia with it. The sleeves hung down on either side of her, and Kulkid himself held her by the waist, preventing her from slipping off his lap.

“You’ll freeze...” Mia said quietly, adjusting the hem of her sweater.

“I’ll survive,” Kulkid answered rudely, however, in his usual manner. “Don’t be dramatic.”

But his hand immediately settled gently on her shoulder, warming her. From the outside, he still looked like a typical bad boy: crimson skin, sharp horns, a spiked collar, heavy boots, and a perpetual mocking grin. However, next to Mia, his usual harshness disappeared. And the girl, resting her head on his shoulder, wrapped herself tighter in the stranger's sweater.

"My brother said again that I can't communicate with you. Not even be friends."

Kulid grinned with displeasure, looking somewhere over her head.

"He can say whatever he wants. It's up to you to decide anyway."

• What if he never accepts you?

"Then he won't accept it. I'm not going to humiliate myself in front of him. But I won't force you to choose either."

Mia looked up, tears still glistening in her eyes, smearing her dark eyeliner.

• You really won't leave?

Kulkid looked at her, his rough expression softening for a moment.

• Unless you drive me away yourself, no.

Mia smiled and buried her face in his shoulder. Kulkid snorted, but hugged her tighter, shielding her from the wind with his sweater.

They sat silently in the empty park, listening to the rustling of the trees. Even if her brother was against it, even if the whole town considered Kulkid a dangerous bully, Mia felt safe on this bench. And for the first time all day, Kk allowed himself to simply hold her in his arms.