"Oh," Claire says, as soon as she answers the door. "Hi." The face on the other end looks surprised to see her so jolted and awake.

"This is yours," Gray mumbles, his eyes fixed on the floor. He hands her the shawl that she left at the inn, bringing his hat over his face with shaky hands.

Claire nods, throwing the wooly fabric over her bare shoulders. "Thank you."

He teeters on the spot, holding on to the edge of her doorframe. His face is flushed crimson. "Don't… sweat it."

"Are you okay?"

His knuckles have been squeezed to a bone white. "Ah-huh."

Claire doesn't know if she really believes this, and worriedly gestures for him to come inside. How much alcohol does it take someone like him to get this tipsy? Although, at least he looks better than he did a couple of hours ago; way more alert. And if he's alert, then he can answer this: "Can I ask you something?"

Gray closes the door behind him, rubbing at his bleary eyes with balled up fists. She hasn't bothered to turn on a light, and he hasn't bothered to come up with a smart-aleck reply. "What?"

Drunk people always tell the truth, right? "Do you think that I was, like, temperamental today?"

Maggie scampers over to Gray's feet, whimpering and rolling over on her back. He simply sits on the cold floor, petting her tummy lazily. "No, you just kept crying… over nothing. But you weren't…" It's like he's forgotten that he's in the middle of a sentence. He lays on his back to lift Maggie over his chest.

"Erratic?" Claire finishes.

"Yeah," Gray agrees.

She bites the inside of her cheek. "Well, you're brutally honest and rude, so-"

"Thanks."

"Is my stomach big in this dress? Like, did I look super bloated today?"

Gray raises his head to stare at her figure in the moonlight. He smells like a million different alcohols, from the fruity Pornstars that they did together, to the bitter fermentation of the whiskey he requested. "Where's this coming from?"

Claire sits down on the floor across from him, motioning for Maggie to come closer. But, as usual, her dog would much rather cling to Gray like a… well, like a lost puppy. "Look, I've never liked my stomach. Just tell me."

"No." With great force, he hoists himself up on his elbows, lifting his hat so that he can look at her. "You didn't. You looked like you always do." Gray pauses, as if contemplating his next words. "You know… b-"

Claire's attention immediately shifts to the persistent knocking at her door. Her heart skips as she rises to her feet quickly, unable to mask her worried expression.

"Hope that i'nt your boyfriend," Gray says.

Claire glares at him, even though for both of their sakes, she hopes not either, given how jealous Trent is. She swings the door open as Kai rapidly barges in, Popuri silently trudging along behind him.

They both look far worse than she's ever seen them. Frazzled, restless, and maybe even a little bit… ashamed? Compared to them, Gray's sobered up big time. These two are intoxicated goners.

"Doug told me you'd be here," Kai says to Gray, jamming his hands into his pockets. He's changed into a pair of purple pajamas, while Popuri wears what looks to be Kai's sweat-top and track pants. They look so oversized on her, like she's drowning in them.

He slowly takes Maggie off of his lap, standing sloppily. Claire can't help but wonder why Doug even knew at all. "What's wrong?" Gray asks.

Popuri starts to silently cry, her back slumped against the closed door, hand hovering over her mouth in order to muffle the whimpering sound. Claire anxiously takes her friend's hand, guiding her to the couch. "Popuri, what is it?"

Popuri sluggishly fixes her gaze on an embarrassed Kai, who still stands next to Gray by the doorway. "Why don't you *hic* tell them, Kai?"

"PLEASE tell me you have Plan B on you," Kai pleads with Gray.

Plan B...?

Popuri's sobbing gets louder when she sees Gray shake his head no (it gets even worse when Gray rudely asks why he would even be the one to own any). Claire, confused as ever, places her hand on Popuri's shoulder in attempt to comfort her. Kai rushes over to try and do the same.

"What the hell did you do?" he mutters to Kai.

"What do you think?!" Popuri screams, jerking herself away from Kai. As she shoots up from the couch unstably, Gray tries to support her with his own unsteady arms. She just buries her face in his suit jacket, sobbing.

"I'm sorry, you guys," says Gray softly, his hand gently on Popuri's back. He glares at Kai. "I don't have."

Kai lets out an exasperated breath, turning to Claire with desperate eyes. "Claire, I know that this is a long shot, but do you have any Plan B?"

She frowns. "I... I don't know what that is, but I don't think so-"

"Why would she *hic* have it?" Popuri asks harshly, whirling around to face Kai. "She'd never need it, because her boyfriend wouldn't forget to wear a condom!"

Yikes.

"You guys had unprotected sex?" Claire widens her eyes, as if this is a crazy, unheard of notion. But for two eighteen-year-olds that should know better... it feels like it kind of is.

Jeez, I sound like such a prude. She grimaces at her choice of wording.

"Jesus, Blondie," mutters Gray, affirming her thoughts.

Popuri chokes out another strangled sob. "I *hic* can't believe you, Kai!"

Kai buries his head in his hands, rubbing his face painfully. "Christ, Popuri, don't you know how awful I feel?"

"I didn't realize that you didn't have a condom!"

"Popuri, we both didn't realize. We were friggin' wasted. We're still wasted! I knew that I was forgetting… something-"

"But you *hic* never carry your own. You always… freaking rely on Gray, because you're just so *hic* immature-"

"You're calling me immature? Do you know what kind of a hypocrite you sound like?"

"Kai, just shut-up! You know *hic* what? Maybe my brother... was right about you all along."

"Oh great, here we friggin' go."

Claire rises from the couch to stand next to Gray, watching as the couple continues their screaming match. The two are going back and forth, like a Ping-Pong tournament, in a slippery slope that is leads to nowhere. It's a little scary to see someone as playful and sweet as Popuri scream at the top of her lungs, but it's even scarier to watch her shoot daggers through her eyeballs at Kai, when she's always gazed at him so lovingly.

"So, does Plan B just, like, stop a pregnancy before it happens?" Claire whispers to Gray.

He gives her the side-eye. "Did you not learn about contraception in high school?"

"We barely learned about conception." Hello? Catholic school. The only way to prevent a pregnancy that we got taught was abstinence.

"There's only, like a three day window to take it, but the sooner you do, the more effective it is," says Gray.

Kai lightly steadies Popuri's arms, but she only reacts by sobbing into his shoulder as he holds her. She looks scared. No, terrified.

If Rick ever finds out, he's going to kill Kai, and then her.

"I'll go to Trent, then," Claire tells Gray. "He's bound to have… that."

"You don't even know what 'that' is," he says tiredly.

"I'm guessing it's a medication? Like a pill?"

Gray sighs, like he'd rather be having any other conversation right now. "Just stay here with them. It's dark; I'll go."

"I'll come with you."

He scowls at her. "You really think that's a good idea?"

She stops, then shrinks back. "Um, I guess not."

Gray makes sure that his knock on the clinic doors is extra rude and abrupt. If Trent's asleep, then he hopes that the sound scares him awake. The world isn't dizzy anymore, but he still feels wobbly.

... There's no answer.

Gray drums his knuckles against the door again. Mineral Town is eerily quiet at 1:30 in the morning, so he can easily hear the sounds of rustling and shimmying coming from inside the clinic. What the hell is going on?

He bangs his fist against the door one last time, knowing damn well that the doctor is in there. Trent finally answers, disheveled, out of breath, and wearing only a pair of shorts. Amidst his drunken thoughts, it makes Gray really happy to see how much muscle this guy's lacking in comparison to him, even if this does sound chauvinistic.

"What do you want?" Trent snaps, but it comes out more like "whaddyawant," followed by heavy breathing to follow.

Gray makes a face at him. He reeks of alcohol, even worse than himself. He doesn't even remember Trent drinking that much at the inn. "Do you have any Plan B?" he asks begrudgingly, almost forgetting that this isn't just any kind of request; it's one that makes him feel stupid and embarrassed.

Trent smirks as he catches his breath. What the hell kind of porn was this guy watching? "You... you mean, Lev... Levonorgestrel?"

Has Gray ever mentioned that he hates this piece of shit? Because he really, really does.

"Eff off," snaps Gray.

"What? You don't like condoms either... huh?"

Is Trent just trying to make him upset? "It's not for me."

"Well, of course not. It would be for a female-"

"I mean, I'm getting it for a friend."

"Classic excuse."

"I dunno why you wanna think that it's for me."

Something shifts inside of Trent's eyes, like a flicker of anger. He slams the door behind him. "What the hell did you do to my girlfriend?!" he spits at him.

Gray likes to think that there's different classifications of people who get drunk. For example, he, his father, and Kai are fun drunks. The liquor makes them the life of the party, something that Gray is not always used to being. Then, there's the sad drunks, people like Rick, or even his own mom, who used to avoid alcohol like the plague because it only evoked a sorrow inside of her. And finally, there's the angry drunks.

Exhibit A right in front of me.

Gray staggers, but regains his posture. He stares at him incredulously. "Are you dense? Nothing! Jesus, it isn't for her or me!" He shakes his head. "You think so freakin' little of her."

Trent fumes, like he's internally questioning how he could have ever thought that Claire would do such a thing. "I only care about her."

"Put some of that 'care' into yourself, 'cause you got issues."

"I don't have what you're looking for." Trent frowns, rubbing his bare arm contritely in an attempt to calm down. "Wish I did."

"Thought this was a clinic," says Gray bitterly.

"It ain't a pharmacy, though. Shipment comes… Tuesday morning. Of course, emergency contraceptive is only effective for the first seventy-two hours, so it really looks like you're SOL."

First of all, this guy is slurring the hell outta his words, so he hundred percent drank more when he got home.

Second, who actually says the acronym letters for shit outta luck?

Third, I really hate this douche.

Gray takes a step forward, but Trent keeps his hand on the doorknob, as if he's preparing a flight response at any minute. "What're you hiding?" Gray asks suspiciously.

"Nothing," says Trent, way too defensively. "I have nothing to hide, and I sure... sure as hell don't have to answer to a smart-mouthed... little punk."

"You have a pack, don't you?" Gray's bullshit detector is going off. "You got it and you aren't giving it to me."

Trent blinks, his tone faltering. "No."

"I know you're lyin'."

"I-I wish I could help," Trent says, actually sounding very guilty. "All I wanna do is help people, but-"

Gray scoffs.

"I just don't have an extra one." With that, Trent clasps the doorknob, staggering inside. He slams the door behind him, leaving Gray to return back confused, irate, and empty-handed.

When he opens the door to Claire's house, he sees Popuri sprawled out on the couch, the tears that have streamed down her cheeks all dried up in the glare of the moonlight. Claire sits next to Popuri, absently biting her nails and still wearing that damn yellow dress. How could she have even asked him earlier if she looked bad in it? She always looked so beautiful, and he was drunk enough to almost reveal that to her.

"What'd he say?" Claire asks, rising from her seat to rush over to him.

"Your boyfriend doesn't have one to spare." Gray looks around the room. "Apparently."

Claire narrows her eyes. "Gray, don't be like that. This isn't Trent's fault."

Gray ignores this, because arguing with her is just asking for a goddamn headache. "Where's Kai?"

Claire crosses her arms over her chest, kicking her foot out. "Throwing up."

Kai emerges from the bathroom, swaying. He looks over at Gray hopefully, but Gray just shakes his head, leading Kai to let out a string of curse words.

"You need to take Pope home," Gray instructs Kai. "I'm goin' to Forget-Me-Not Valley. Zack should be back from bringing Rick and Karen to the Sunshine Islands."

Kai stares at him. "I'm coming."

"You already did."

Kai scowls, apparently not finding this very funny. "Don't be a jackass," he slurs. "This exact same… bullshit happened to you lotsa times."

Gray scowls at him. "It happened once."

"Ah-huh."

"Start bein' responsible for yourself," he snaps. "I'm not the goddamn condom fairy."

"It isn't like you been using your stash. You don't get any, lately," Kai snaps back.

Like this is a competition.

Claire grabs Gray's arm in attempt to stop and prevent him from hurtling out any other words. "Kai, you can hardly stand," she murmurs. "I don't think that it's safe for you to go."

"Claire's right. Bring Popuri home, stay with her, I don't care. You're just very friggin' lucky that Rick's on his honeymoon."

"This is my problem. I'm going with you," says Kai, stumbling over his own two feet. He slumps on the floor, groaning.

"You can barely stand," says Gray, not bothering to hide his annoyance. He kneels down to help him up, teetering, but regaining his composure like he's done all night. "Get home and get lost."

Kai sighs deeply, leaning against Claire's wall. "You're... right. I'm about to pass out. I'll be more KO'd than Pope."

Seeing as though Kai can't even hold his liquor, much less, hold a person, Gray is the one to carry Popuri home, while Claire helps Kai to walk in a straight line without stumbling. They go in the way that Karen snuck in the night she was dared to panty-raid Rick's house, by the back window. Claire unclasps the lock for Kai to steps inside, as Gray gently hands Popuri over to him. The window stays slightly ajar for when they return.

"Let me walk you home," says Gray, turning to Claire.

She furrows her brow. "Um, Gray, I'm coming with you."

"Like hell you are."

"Gray!" Claire exclaims. "You can fake it, but you're not exactly sober. Someone needs to make sure that you'll be alright."

Gray rubs his temples. "This isn't up for debate. You're going home." He removes his suit jacket, slinging it around his shoulder as he shakes his head at her.

"I'm way more persistent than Kai, and I'm not letting you go alone!"

"Jesus Christ, Blondie. Forget-Me-Not Valley isn't safe at night. They don't have anyone like Harris there. It's fine during the day, but it's messed upwhen it gets dark."

Claire blinks, as if she hasn't heard him. She starts walking to the direction of the docks with him, shawl wound tightly around her body. "Gray, we need to help our friends, and you can't do it alone. Plus, what if something happens to you?" She whirls around dramatically to look at him, locks of her hair colliding with his face. She smells so sweet, like peaches on a summer morning. "I'd cry."

"You'd do that anyway," says Gray.

"I'm coming with you."

And Gray realizes that this really isn't up for debate.

"Good," says Gray as they get closer to the beach pier. "Zack's boat is still out on the water."

"You think he'll have no problem taking us?" Claire asks, the sound of waves crashing against the shore drumming in her ear. She's never been to the beach at night, but it somehow feels more calm; more serene.

Gray nods, knocking on the door to Won's place, much to Claire's confusion. Why are we getting Won involved in this? The seller answers in a silk bathrobe, looking like an entirely different person without his tinted shades or hat on.

"Uh oh," he says. "This is not a good sign."

"Is Zack up?" Gray asks impatiently. "We need him to take us to Forget-Me-Not Valley."

Claire feels confused. Does Zack live here? She's never really given much thought to where her shipment deliverer resided.

"Do you know what time it is, pal?" Zack asks, emerging from the shadows, behind Won. He wears his usual attire, a grey tank with some blue shorts.

"Look, we really need to pick something up there from Hardy."

Zack squints at him, like he knows exactly what he's talking about. Gray's face flushes. "I'm real tired, man. I just got back from Karen talking my goddamn ear off."

"Zack, please!" Claire cries, grabbing his abnormally large bicep. He stares down at her small hand over his muscle. "We truly need your help." She lowers her voice. "It's for… Lillia's daughter."

The three men gawk at her stupidly. "So what?" Zack asks.

Claire deadpans. "I just thought that… you and Lillia… well, I, um... you know…" Is she missing something? Doesn't Zack have a huge crush on Lillia, but their love is totally forbidden because Lillia's long-lost husband and Zack are buddies?

Or did I just make that scenario up?

Won arches his brow at her. "Just… just disregard that," says Gray, facepalming. "Can you take us?"

"Please," Claire adds, nudging him with her elbow.

"Yeah, yeah, please?"

"You're a real pain in the ass, eh, Gray?" Zack says with a sigh. "No wonder your grandfather doesn't let you go to the horse races." Won disappears in the shadows of the house to retrieve the boat keys, tossing them over to Zack. As Claire and Gray walk over to the docks, they hear a sound, turning their heads to see Won kissing the seller goodbye, much to her own surprise.

"I-I had no idea," Claire mumbles, unable to contain the shock from her voice.

Gray smirks. "That I'm not allowed to go to the horse races? Well, believe it, Blondie."

Yeah, that's what I was referring to, Gray.

"Why do ya look so surprised, Claire?" asks Zack, quickly peering at her before averting his attention back to the water. He has to yell his question over the noisy sound of his boat driving through the waves. He looks off into the distance, directing his boat toward the location of wherever this Forget-Me-Not Valley is. He quickly turns to her again, staring at the little Catholic cross pin on her dress. "Is there a problem?"

Claire looks down at where his eyes are fixed on, vigorously shaking her head. "Oh my gosh, no! Of course not! I just… I had no idea, that's all. I thought you were… you know, into Lillia."

"I suppose that's just a cover," Zack replies absently, turning around once again to direct the boat. "None of the town gossips, or the elderly folks know about my relationship, so I'd appreciate you keeping it on the DL."

"Why aren't you asking me to keep it 'on the DL?'" asks Gray, already knowing the answer.

"All you kids already know," says Zack. "Plus, you're antisocial as hell, and no one talks to you."

Yup, there it is, he thinks.

"He's got a point," says Claire. He rolls his eyes at her.

"It's time for the quiet game," Gray says. His head feels like it's splitting, and the loud sounds of everything around him are heightened.

"How long have you two been dating?" Claire decides to ask Zack, ignoring Gray's request of silence. The breeze picks up along the hemline of her dress, but she fastens it down with her hands quickly.

"Aren't you tired?" mutters Gray.

"Ten years," Zack tells Claire, staring off into the boat's water. "Well, it's ten years tomorrow."

"That's so sweet." Claire smiles. "Happy almost anniversary!"

Gray had no idea that Zack and Won have been together for a decade. "That's a long time," he says apprehensively.

Zack shrugs. "Doesn't feel long. Feels like you've known that person your whole life."

"Rick and Karen literally have!" exclaims Claire, a dreamy look in her eyes. Gray wasn't too big on their ceremonial shit, but he liked the fact that they booked an open bar for their wedding. Open bars make everything much more tolerable.

"They're a good match," says Zack. "I mean, I've known those two since they were kids, and I think they really balance each other out."

"Do you and Won?"

"I'd say so." Zack drives the boat toward the ratty old dock of Forget-Me-Not-Valley. This pier isn't located where the beach is, but rather, on the side of the mountains near some crazy lady's named Vesta's vegetable farm is. His cousin Flora used to tell him all about that. "That's the most important thing, isn't it?"

Claire nods enthusiastically in agreement, with Gray wondering what kind of a balance there is in her relationship with Trent.

Power imbalance, sure.

But even just looking at her with alcohol-hazed eyes, Gray would like to believe that Claire is the one who balances him out. Every. Damn. Time.

The trip proves to be successful, and not a total waste of time and energy. Hardy is wide-awake, just like Gray predicted he'd be. He's like some sort of cyborg that doesn't require sleep, in the literal and figurative sense of the word. No, really, he's got this robotic eye that looks like it's been sewn in. After he introduces Claire and explains the ordeal, Hardy hands over a package of Plan B to her.

"Be careful next time, Grayson," Hardy warns, adjusting his metallic eye like he's focusing the lens of a camera. "What do the youngsters say? Wrap it before you…"

Gray groans. "It isn't mine and you know it."

Hardy chortles a laugh, sounding mechanical and forced. "Aha, ha. Tell those two that this is no laughing matter, although I do hope that it all works out for the best. Be sure that Popuri takes it immediately in order to increase its effectiveness."

Claire kicks at a rock on the road after they've left. "Do you think that it's both of their fault, Gray?"

"Honestly… I dunno," he says with a sigh. "Kai's a freakin' moron because Pope's right, he never comes prepared. But they were both fried, caught up in the moment, and when that happens, you forget shit." Gray shrugs. "It takes two to dance, but I honestly think that they both didn't realize that they were missing... well, something."

"Kai said that this happened to you."

"Kai's an idiot."

"So it didn't?"

"It did," he mumbles, his cheeks feeling hot. "I told you, I almost got my girl pregnant around the time my mom got diagnosed."

"Did it, um, did it… break?"

"I wasn't even wearing one. We were both stupid and wanted to try it out without one, because it feels better. Low and behold: I'm a huge dumbass and thought that I could, uh... well, you know."

Wait, maybe she doesn't know.

"Jeez."

"I felt like such a piece of shit, and she was royally pissed at me, even though we both made a dumb decision together. I went out and bought the morning after pill for her, and it worked, but she said it made her feel like she was on her period for a month." Gray makes a pained face. "She wasn't pregnant, but we broke up regardless."

"How much ice cream did it take to get over her?" Claire asks.

He rolls his eyes. "I wasn't in love, so it wasn't hard."

"Ah-huh."

He pauses. "Just needed three pints of Ben and Jerry's Uncanny Cashew to hold me over."

She laughs, playfully pushing him as they walk. "Yikes!"

He gestures toward the Plan B in her hands. "Was this night too much for someone as religious as you?"

Claire scoffs. "Just 'cause I go to church, doesn't mean I'm homophobic, or anti… birth control, or like, anything like that."

"What about your boyfriend? Is he gonna be mad about our little endeavor tonight?"

Claire looks up at him, stopping in her tracks. Her face is painted with visible worry. "No," she lies.

"Bull," Gray says, stepping closer to her. She looks so pretty, cast under the soft light of the moon.

"My, my, my," says a voice, standing near some planted stalks of corn, by Vesta's farm. "What a beautiful darling. An absolute maiden."

The two stop dead in their tracks to stare. The voice belongs to a guy, a pretty boy with long, silvery hair, a leopard-print shirt, and purple slacks. He's older than them, but not by much. He steps closer to Claire, who is now frozen in fear.

"Um," Claire says, biting her lip.

Gray scowls at him. "Leave her alone."

"Well, you are a maiden." He takes another step closer, to which Claire moves back hurriedly. "Aren't you?"

"I-"

"Claire, don't answer this shit head."

The guy takes another step forward, frowning at the box clutched in Claire's hands. "Oh, dear. I suppose you aren't a maiden, then." He raises his green eyes to her. "But I guess I don't mind. I can make an exception, you know, just this once-"

Gray throws his arm over a nervous Claire, leading her away. "You touch her and that'll be the last thing you freakin' do," he warns. What the actual hell is wrong with people?

"I'm sorry, are you threatening Skye, a Prince of the Stars?" The guy smirks, following them.

"No, I'm threatening a dumb cock," Gray spits back, clenching his fist next to him, only he says a different c word instead. His mom would hate when he used that kind of language, but his mom isn't here right now, and plus, it seems fitting, given what a scare the guy's got Claire feeling.

Gray flips him off with his other hand as he leads her away. Skye or Star-Prince or whatever the hell his name is tsks as he turns to leave.

"What a freak," says Claire, her voice warbling. She's pretending to play it cool, even though she looks beyond anxious and panicky. Gray loosens his arm around her, dropping it to his side quickly, like he wasn't just holding her close.

"This is why I didn't want you to come here. I told you, there's freaks at night." Gray glances to the other side of him, over the direction where his cousin lives, in that dumb little tent with her strange boss. "Like, some of the people here are fine. But it's people like that who-"

He hears a stifled noise behind him, near the mountain path. Gray turns around, not realizing that he's walked way ahead. And Claire is no longer behind him anymore.

In fact, she's nowhere to be seen.

Jesus Christ. "Claire?!"

The guy has his hand clamped over Claire's mouth, pinning her against a rough indent of the mountain. She screams, the sound muffled by his palm. He isn't even that much taller than her, but his grip is firm. "I've stolen you away, it seems."

Claire is screaming, but it only comes out like a low, strangled noise given the constraint. The guy smells like cigarettes and curry powder. He is gazing at the pin on her shirt with those frightful green eyes, like some kind of an evil cat. "You know, I am a self-proclaimed thief," he says. She squirms to try and break free, but he's got such a tight grasp on her. "And also a lady-killer."

IS THAT LITERAL?!

She feels like a helpless butterfly caught under the dissection board of a mad scientist. Her heart fearfully thumps hard, so much so that she wonders if it's going to crawl its way up her throat, or pound right out of her chest. As quick as a magician, the guy releases his hand over her mouth, grabbing both of her arms and bringing them over her head. The Plan B that she's holding drops to the ground with a tiny thud. He secures her like this with one of her hands, as the other unclasps the pin over Claire's chest. She cries out, her voice finally freed, as he takes the time to squeeze both of her breasts individually, much to her repulsion.

"Let go of me! Stop!" she shrieks.

The guy (what was his name again? Skye?) smiles at her insincerely. Unable to fight back, she spits in his face, to which he recoils disgustingly. Claire angrily juts her head away as a fist that doesn't belong to her quickly collides with the guy's jaw.

Skye's head thrashes around from the punch, hard like whiplash. Claire has collapsed against the mountain, on her knees and panting. Skye scowls at Gray, whose knuckles are twitching from the blow he delivered. Skye lunges at Gray with a shout, clobbering his jaw. Gray flinches slightly, but he quickly grabs the thief's fist, twisting it around to shove Skye to the ground. "I told you," he says, his teeth clenched and stuck together, as if they've been glued down. "NOT TO FUCKING TOUCH HER."

Skye rises, reaching for his mouth, gasping when his hand comes back with blood. Claire watches in terror. "She was practically begging for me," he retorts, swinging to hit Gray back.

But Gray dodges it, tackling his fist into the thief's pretty face. Skye's got all the features of a model: the high cheekbones, the silky hair, the almond eyes, but such a slime-ball personality. "Try saying that again," Gray snaps.

Skye looks dazed, like even the moonlight is too bright for the concussion that he's developing. He tries to tackle Gray, but it's done in vain; Gray is much taller, and far bigger. "Anyone would beg for yours truly. It isn't my fault that your girlfriend wanted-"

Gray doesn't let him finish. He pummels his fist into Skye, which knocks him to the ground. Towering over him, Gray delivers another punch, and Claire watches a tooth sail across the dirt. She hasn't ever witnessed a real fight, not like this. These two stupid football jocks in high school brawled over who was the better linebacker, but one of them just kicked the other in the stomach and got his hair pulled back for it. Her school held this huge assembly on why violence is not recognized in the Catholic religion, even though the Bible is chock full of it.

This feels worse, though. Way worse. It feels like something that she's not supposed to see; like it's taboo. Skye groans as Gray lifts him up by his collar, to his feet.

"Don't you EVER lay your goddamn filthy hands on her again, you sick shit."

Skye groans, blood pooling along his mouth. His right eye is swollen shut. Gray pulls his arm back like he's about to hit him again, but he stops when he catches Claire's horrified expression. He lowers his fist uncomfortably, letting the thief go. Skye teeters, before running away while howling bloody murder. She can see the tooth, an incisor or a canine or something, in a spitted, bloody mess on the floor.

Gray just swallows, staring at his fist. In the moonlight, it doesn't look like his calloused hands are cracked and caked with blood at all. It looks like they could be covered in anything, for those who don't know what just happened. It could appear as though he's merely spilt ink on them.

But the two of them know what just happened. She saw it all.

"Are you okay?" Gray manages out, in a voice that doesn't sound like him at all. It sounds older, angrier, more tired than she's ever heard him. She can't see his face, and he doesn't dare turn to her.

Claire bites back a whimper, nodding slowly as she picks up the Plan B and cross pin laying on the ground beneath her. Gray extends his bloody hand to help her up, but she still can't make out his face; it's hidden and dark beneath his hat. He bends down by a small pond near them, noiselessly rinsing the blood off of his hands.

Their walk back to the boat is silent. Claire wraps her shawl tightly around her, as if she's a mummy, listening to the distant sound of waves colliding against the shore. This isn't Mineral Town. Nothing is nicely paved, there's no flowers planted or blooming around their paths, and even the moon feels different now; as if it's been dimmed.

"Thank you," Claire says quietly. She tries keeping up with him, but he's pacing so fast. She wonders if he even realizes it. Her heart is racing, crashing against her ribcage in humongous leaps.

"This is what I didn't friggin' want," Gray finally says.

Claire blinks the moisture back from her eyes. She hates the fury in his voice. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Gray finally looks her in the eyes guiltily. They're almost by the dock, where Zack is patiently waiting. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I just thought-"

He curses under his breath as he wipes a smear of blood along his jawline. Skye must have caught Gray's skin with the multitude of rings on his finger when he punched him. "Claire, you are not invincible."

"Neither are you!" she exclaims, pain edged in her voice. "I'm so, so sorry, I didn't mean to get caught by him, I just-"

"Why are you apologizing?" Gray stares at her incredulously. And to her surprise, he pulls her close, and hugs her, his arms wound tightly around her, like he's trying to get a grip on reality. She looks up at him with tear-filled eyes, burying her face in the fabric of his chest. "Don't you dare blame yourself… I'm just so freakin' sorry I let that happen."

This isn't his fault at all.

"I've never seen you so angry."

Gray sighs deeply. "I try not to let it get that bad."

"Are you angry with me?"

"Fuck sake's, Claire. No. Of course not. Why would I ever-"

"I was so afraid," she sobs out, the noise muffled by the cotton material of his dress shirt. He has his hand on her back, dissimilar to the way that Trent traced her scars a mere few hours ago. This isn't suggestive; Gray just does this as an attempt to get her body to stop tremoring so much. He pulls her shoulders back to face him, expression twisted in drunken distress.

"Claire, no one should be touching you against your goddamn will." And, as if he thinks that this attempt to hold her fits into this category, he shamefully brings his hands to his side. "No one should be touching you like that. I don't give a shit who it is. You're seventeen-years-old."

She nods like she gets it, though she doesn't dare allow herself to compare Trent in this way. He's her boyfriend… he never touches her in an attempt to hurt her, not like Skye did tonight. This is totally different. But, why do Gray's words resonate with her so much?

Because he's right. Claire really doesn't want anyone to feel her up like that, doesn't matter who it is in question. As much as she hates to admit it, she isn't an adult yet. There's so much that she's still so naïve and oblivious to, but she knows for certain that she definitely doesn't want that.

Claire is still shaking by the time that they get back on Zack's boat. She tries to clamp her mouth shut to keep her teeth from chattering. She's wavering, as if someone is violently taking her and shaking her body like a tremor, like a damn earthquake. Zack stares at the two of them as they clamor into his boat, wordlessly shrugging as he turns the key in its ignition, beginning their ride back home.

Gray collapses, slumping himself against the seat rest near the back with a moan. Claire just gently places his head on her lap mutely, watching as his eyes shut. She blinks back tears as the three ride home quietly, clutching the box in one hand, the pin clasped tightly in the other, pricking her palm and drawing blood.

A/N: Okay listen, before you Skye fans come at me, hear me out. I used to adore him, given the lack of attractive bachelors in Harvest Moon DS Cute. BUT NOW I LOOK BACK AND HE'S KINDA CREEPY AND LITERALLY A CRIMINAL WHO LACKS ANY KIND OF REMORSE LOL. ALSO HE PARALYZES YOU IN LIKE, TWO OF THE HEART EVENTS WHEN HE WANTS TO SUBDUE YOU? I USED TO THINK THAT WAS SO ROMANTIC like uhhhh what was wrong with me?! PLUS HE'S GOING AROUND ASKING ABOUT FAIR MAIDENS (Yeah Ik maiden has two meanings but I guess you know which one I used here LOL). Low key, not a cute look for him ngl. But c'mon, I never knew I needed a Gray/Skye fight in my life until I wrote it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (don't b mad).

ALSO ALSO I remember reading a Won x Zack pairing on here YEARS ago and I totally loved it and thought the pairing really worked. So I've been shipping it ever since and decided to ship it here too

Hear me out... imagine Gray as the condom fairy... that would be a LOOK hunny (I dig it). Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, it was a long one I know but idk lol hope it was ok (as you can tell I'm not great at writing fighting scenes either). Cheers, take care of yourselves x

PS: Sorry, sometimes I go overboard in these and tend to treat them like a DeviantART journal, where I express everything that's been bugging my mind lately. If you guys ever wanna talk about anything though, feel free to PM me :)