A Birthday Surprise (Ash)

[Camila Reyes]

Camila stared at the calendar in near disbelief. It was June 24, once again. This time last year, she was seriously considering drinking an entire bottle of rum by herself to get drunk so she did not have to be miserable. Normally, she did not really like her birthday, so she avoided celebrating it or making a big deal out of it. After all, it was just another year; there was nothing super amazing to celebrate about it. Her feelings surrounding her birthday that particular year, though, were a little different. Despite some lingering negativity, she decided that ‘just chilling out’ for her birthday would not be a bad idea. She had not been expecting Carter to pounce on her when she finally woke up, but it made her laugh anyway. She managed to shake her roommate off, stating an excuse along the lines of ‘need caffeine’ to temporarily break away from the embrace. It was not like she did not enjoy her roommate’s company; she did. It was just a matter of being able to actually function, because without any version of the mild stimulant in her body, she was even more miserable and b***** than normal. She hung around the room for a little while, chatting with Carter and sipping on tea. It was actually nice to slow down and not have anything on her mind, and, hell, she could say that it was almost a relief. After some time, though, she got a little bored of lounging around and texted Ash. It had been a while since she had last seen him, but considering all that had been going on recently, it was not too much of a surprise. Carter had feigned hurt and even teased Camila when she left to wander the hallways for a little bit. The brunette left her room with a small blush on her cheeks and stuck her tongue out playfully at her roommate as she shut the door behind her. She nodded to herself; maybe today was not going to be such a bad day after all.

The brunette young woman strode down the hallways in relative silence, carefully avoiding the prefects that were lurking in hollow halls of stone. She chuckled quietly to herself; more than a year ago, she was convinced that prefects lurked in every shadowed corner of the building. Thankfully, those prefects that had been kind to her cleared up that misconception, but she was always dubious of prefects, especially newer ones. Some of the older prefects liked her and were even friends with her, but if she received a bad “vibe” of sorts, she knew to stay away, or, at least, make them think she was neutral. After all, Battle Front was a secret, but not really. She liked to think that she kept it pretty well, considering that she had only told one person, and he had basically flipped his shit. Might explain why he decided to take that offer, she thought bitterly, but she shook her head to push the thought away. No. Today was going to be a good day, dammit, no matter what she had to do or say to make it so! As of to change the subject, her stomach growled a little and she hung her head slightly. Of course, she had forgotten to eat something before she left. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the thought of eating cafeteria food, and she was far too lazy to break into the kitchen and cook herself something. Instead, she headed toward the student lounge, where she knew there were vending machines. Sure, she was not really fond of packaged snacks, but she was hungry and there was no other way to get her stomach to stop rumbling.

After buying some vaguely ice-cream flavored poptarts, Camila settled down on one of the rather lumpy and uncomfortable couches that were positioned in the room. She opened the package and started eating them, remembering why she had never really liked many processed things in the first place. The manufacturer had definitely used artificial ingredients, because she tasted absolutely no parts of a hot fudge sundae. It was dull, generic sweetness, the likes of which she was not used to. Most of the time, she made her own sweets by breaking into the kitchen and just using the oven as she pleased. The night patrol prefects were lazy at times, so she got away with it a lot. It also helped that she had learned to walk softly from the experts on the Battle Front. Of course, he clumsiness could still get her caught, but she hardly cared at that point. She had been at the school for a year and a half; if someone wanted to kill her, he or she would have killed her by now. She placed the pastries aside, linking her fingers together and putting her palms against the back of her head. She was glad that she decided to leave her hair down; it was much easier to do that when there was not anything in the way. She could not help but let her eyes slip closed for a few moments. Her sleep had been on and off the previous night, which was much better than normal. Still, her lack of sleep showed underneath her eyes, where there was a patch of darkened skin. She rested for a few moments before her phone started buzzing in her pocket and she nearly fell off the couch to grab it. That’s what I get for sitting on the edge, she thought to herself as she answered Ash’s text message. His rapid response time surprised her a little; usually, he was as slow as mud when it came to texting back. She figured maybe he was just bored or something.

Camila laid her head on the arm of the couch, closing her eyes once more. She figured he would take his time to get there, anyway; he usually did. Of course, she was never really bothered by it; after all, one of the two of them had to relax, and it sure as hell was not going to be her! She drifted off while waiting, not even realizing that she had done so until she heard footsteps. Immediately, her eyes shot open and she sat up, staring at her friend, who was leaning against the doorway. Her dark eyelashes fluttered lazily and she yawned slightly, covering it with a delicate hand. She smirked at him a little bit, tucking her legs under herself and gesturing for him to come sit beside her on the lumpy couch. She addressed him in a joking tone with a small smile on her lips.

“You’re lucky I love you. Otherwise, I’d hafta chew you out for interrupting my beauty sleep.”

[Ashton Kay]

Like most teenagers, Ashton appreciated his sleep. It wasn’t often that he got up before noon but it wasn’t often that he got to bed before six in the morning. Lately, however, he hadn’t been able to sleep so instead he had put all his spare time into practicing his lunar manipulation and planning a surprise as one of his very good friends had a birthday coming up. Presents and cake and all those other things that he had never actually thought about before. Now, finally the day that all his planning would finally come together was here, and yet he had managed to sleep past noon on today of all days.

What raised him from his sleep that rivaled the undead’s was the instant chirping of his phone. With his face still in a pillow his hand floundered around for the device, only managing to knock it onto the floor. With a groan he slid half off his bed, his legs still firmly twisted in blankets, to check the text. With a phone in one hand, he grabbed his glasses with the other and slid them on, his green eyes squinting at the tiny text. Of course, seeing Short Stack blaring at the top of the screen made those same squinting eyes nearly pop out of his skull, “SHIT!”

He twisted around so he was on his stomach and tried to get up using his arms, but only managed to fall on his face as his blankets refused to let go. After a solid five minutes of doing battle with his blankets he finally got up. Replying to Cami, he dropped the phone on his bed and started the next battle with his closet. After another five minute of jumping around his room with one leg in his shorts and the other out, he finally assembled his clothing. The rather simple ensemble of basketball shorts, a Charlie Brown comic strip shirt, sneakers and his life-depending contacts. He gathered her birthday items and ran out the door.

Continuing to text her as he slid down the hall, yes slid as he created a seemingly never ending path of ice in front of him, he made his way to the kitchen. There, he picked up the final piece of his birthday plan, an Oreo ice cream cake. That cake paired with the book, ‘The Clockwork Angel’ he had neatly wrapped in his right hand would make a perfect birthday surprise. The amount of money he had to bribe a prefect to get these was something he never wanted to think about. It would be worth it if he got his best friend to smile on her birthday.

Turning on his heels he headed towards the lounge, the last place she reported she was at until she went silent. Coming to a stop a few feet away, he closed the distance from his spot in the hall and the doorframe with good, old fashioned walking. He paused at the doorway, leaning one of his wide shoulders against the frame as he held the bag with all her goodies behind him. “You don’t sleep half the time anyway, clearly nature is trying to tell you you’re beautiful enough already and don’t need the extra z’s.” Ashton replied with a sly grin, the flirtation easily flowing from his lips. “Besides, luck has nothing to do with it.” He gave her a wink, the grin slowly growing.

Once the birthday girl invited him to sit down he moved from his spot in the doorway, plopping down on the other end of the couch. “Happy birthday, princess!” He yelled, with a rather large grin on his face as he placed the overly colorful bag that held the cake and book in between them. “Open the present first, please! I’m dying to see your reaction. And no giving it back, it’s your birthday and we’re going to celebrate like normal people who aren’t trapped on the island of the damned.” He gave her a stern look before tilting the opening of the back in her direction, feeling almost like a kid again.

[Camila Reyes]

Many of the Battle Front members, especially the older ones, had mastered the art of being light on their feet. In all honesty, Camila did not even hear the sound of Ash’s footsteps until they were right outside the doorway, and that was only because she thought that a prefect had discovered her. Once she realized it was him, though, she immediately relaxed. If there was anyone who was trustworthy, it was him. Well, him and Carter, her roommate. She rubbed her eye with her right hand while the left pulled down her white-t-shirt. She had been feeling rather lazy that morning, so she had just thrown on a plain-white shirt and shorts, since she had figured the heat of the day was going to be oppressive like it always was at the end of June. It was almost like Pennsylvania; well, minus the humidity. She chuckled to herself; a tropical island and a semi-land-locked state had almost nothing in common except beaches, and that was only because New Jersey was just a hop, skip and a jump away from Philadelphia. Someone had actually made a comment to her about it, because she had accidentally called the beach ‘the shore’ in conversation once or twice. She was hardly embarrassed by the slip-up, but that did not mean she forgot the look of confusion she had received. She shrugged to herself; it was no big deal anyway, just a little funny. She could not help but notice a bag dangling from his hands and had to prevent herself from raising an eyebrow. She wondered if he even knew it was her birthday; after all, she had not really mentioned it last year for the obvious reason that he had been locked in his room for some time. She pushed the thought away, chuckling a little at the flirtation. Without her permission, her cheeks flushed just slightly and she internally cursed her body’s betrayal; she should be used to her best friend semi-hitting on her by now. After all, he had been doing it for some time, and nothing had really changed about it. A small, fond smile crossed her lips as she shook her head a little bit, responding with an ease that she had developed over some time and a small wink.

“Mm, maybe you’re right. After all, how could any girl reject a compliment from someone as dashing as you? Oh, it doesn’t now, hm? Are you trying to imply something, dear?”

The latter statement was punctuated by a soft giggle. It was only then that the red-head decided to take a seat next to the brunette, who was a little surprised at his sudden enthusiasm. She laughed a little bit and sat up a little, almost kneeling to peek in the bag. There was a box and something wrapped, almost expertly so, perched on top of the box. She heeded his words and plucked out the wrapped gift first, laughing a little when she saw that the box contained a cake. She could not remember the last time she was even presented a cupcake on her birthday, let alone an entire one plus a present. Surely, she was not dreaming, right? She could feel tears start to prick in her eyes, but she was able to hold them back long enough to actually open the gift. She slowly unwrapped the present in her hands, occasionally glancing up at her best friend with a raised eyebrow. She was not entirely sure what he had placed inside the wrapping paper, but she knew for a fact it would be something she liked. The two of them were close, so he could at least hazard a guess at what she would want. Of course, she never would have guessed that he managed to get her a copy of the book she had mentioned she wanted to read one time. She cursed herself internally as more tears started to come to the surface; her head was a mix of emotions and she could not decide whether she was happy or relieved. It was only then she realized how much she had really been suppressing lately. The exhaustion from lack of sleep, her feelings of anger toward Stephen and her guilt and self-hatred for driving him to make said decision. Of course, she was not really to blame for his choices, but she needed to place blame on someone so she could cope, and who better than herself. In that moment, though, she was happy beyond words because for once in her goddamn life, everything seemed okay. She supposed that maybe the emotional overload was the cause of the tears that were now escaping her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, shaking her head and chuckling a little before all but launching herself at him and wrapping him in a tight hug. She was never really good with putting her emotions into words, but she would try her best to thank him anyway.

“T-thanks a lot, Ash. Gosh, I can’t remember the last time I celebrated my birthday outside of my room. Anyway, I’m sure this was expensive, but I really do appreciate it. A lot’s been goin’ on lately and… it’s just so nice to actually be happy for once, ya’ know?”

Camila had shifted slightly so she could talk directly to Ash. Well, and also wipe at the tears falling from her eyes. Last time they had spoken, her tears had been sadder in nature. These tears, though, were tears of happiness, and even relief. She did not know why, but she felt a little better. Maybe it was because, for once, life was not trying to drown her or bury her alive. She leaned over the bag carefully to hug him again, murmuring in his ear as she buried her face in the junction between his neck and shoulder.

“This means a lot more to me than you’ll ever know…”

[Ashton Kay]

Standing against the door frame, a smile was slowly growing on Ash’s face. Most girls either blushed or smacked him for his comments, but Cami just played along and that was something that Ash more than appreciated. Despite popular belief, girls didn’t throw themselves at Ashton one-hundred percent of the time. Some of them had things like boyfriends, what a silly idea that was. Just being labeled one word can constrict you so much, who would ever want something like that? Even as the thoughts flowed through his mind, that a little voice of reason was yelling at him that it was a good thing and even Ash had some desire for that label in the future.

Giving a light shrug, he winked at her, “Anyone who does should be considered certifiably insane. I mean, look at me? I could be a model in these basketball shorts!” Ash laughed, gesturing to his hastily put together ensemble. “I’m just implying I’m a calculating fiend whose goal is to get all the beautiful women to fall for me. Is that so bad?” He batted his eyelashes harmlessly at her, putting on a look of innocence. Maybe he could have held it if it was anyone but Cami sitting on that couch, but he on could only get the expression to last on his face for ten seconds before that ear splitting grin came back.

However, as Ash stood there his fingers were continuously bouncing the bag, creating a simple rhythm as it bounced against the back of his leg. The disappearing and reappearing weight a constant reminder to why exactly he woke up and slowly building up more excitement. By the time it nearly felt like a bubble was about to pop inside his chest. Without taking a second more he closed the distance between the two of them, plopping the bag down in front of her. It was almost comical how he went from a flirting master to acting like a five year old in three seconds flat. But he had good cause, it was his best friend’s birthday after all.

Birthdays had always been a huge party with Ash’s family. The whole crew would come over, friends and family both. Depending on the season they’d go all out with decorations in the basement or do something along the effects of a pool party. They’d have a large party with endless food, music, games and drinks (for those eighteen and up, of course). Each one was always a little different but each one had a ton of fun memories, things that he’d kill to relive and experience again. Sadly, he didn’t have a basement or pool, and he was a little short in supplies. However, that didn’t mean that he still couldn’t do something little for Camila and make the day stand out from the rest a bit.

Which is exactly what he seemed to manage by the expression on her face, at least he hoped so. He tilted his head slightly, his bangs that were getting a bit too long brushed into his face as he looked at her glassy eyes. ’Tears of happiness?’ He questioned mentally, as a crease of worry formed on his brow. All that doubt was erased the moment that Camila launched herself at him. Automatically his arms wound around her waist and held her tightly. “Hey, don’t worry about the price, that’s nothing compared to the joy you get out of it.” He said, a smile playing on his lips, “I’m glad I could make your birthday something you could be happy over again.”

When she shifted he took the opportunity to move the back over a bit more, before bumping it to the floor so that she wouldn’t have to worry about falling on it. He knew exactly how clumsy she could be. Aside from that, it shouldn’t have hurt the cake too badly, plus, a smooshed cake is still a cake. He was a tad surprised when she went back to hugging him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. That smile softened as he placed his arms around her once more, pulling her closer to him, “I guess I did pretty good, huh?” He said, a small laugh being released with a huff of breath.

[Camila Reyes]

At first, Camila had been slightly surprised by the way that Ashton blatantly flirted with her. She quickly adapted to the situation, though, and, after a few weeks, she became a natural at playing along with him. It was almost like they had been friends for years, and, as time went on, she continued to perfect the art of her comebacks. Usually, they were just flirtatious statements to match the ones he volleyed her way, but there was the occasional sarcastic barb thrown in with a subtle apology to show remorse for it. She certainly enjoyed their friendly banter, and, for the most part, considered it anything but what it actually was. She was in denial of her feelings, and she treated them like some kind of skin rash that would go away by just ignoring it and not itching it. She brushed the thoughts away, covering the fact that she was thinking them with a chuckle in response to his words. A smirk stretched across her face and she winked at him after she finished her last statement.

“Oh, definitely. As a matter of fact, those shorts highlight how nice your a** is.”

Camila’s tone was playful and joking, but her words were sincere. She had to admit, her eyes might have lingered a little too long once or twice, but what was a girl to do? It was not exactly that she could ignore it, since he usually sat around her, but still toward the front of the classroom. She shook her head slightly at his second statement. She was pretty sure that not all of the beautiful women in the school would fall for him, especially if they were enamored with their boyfriends. Honestly, the brunette found it hard to see herself in love or in any kind of relationship beyond friendship. Her first travel into the world of romance ended with the death of a good friend, and the second ended with the young man that she had been interested in nearly setting the entire room on fire. Needless to say, she was batting zero when it came to romantic feelings, and she had decided that she would allow a pinch hitter to come in and substitute for her. All of that was basically a messy baseball metaphor for not even bothering to try anymore. In all honesty, she did not really need that kind of distraction, anyway. She needed to focus on strengthening her powers and making sure that the people she cared about got out of Ashford alive, even if it would be years down the line.

“Calculating fiend? Honestly, I think it just comes naturally to you. Flirting is like, part of your personality or something, I swear. Is it bad? No, not really, I guess. Gotta live some dream, right?”

She could not help but chuckle a little at the innocent face and him batting his eyelashes. Sometimes, she found it a wonder how someone nearly an entire head taller than her could look anything remotely related to adorable, even for a second. Usually, it was a word reserved for puppies, kittens, little children, or anything small with faces or characteristics that would be considered ‘cute’, but on an amped up scale. Of course, not even a moment later, a huge grin nearly split his face in two and she could not help but respond in a similar manner. Their facades never lasted long with one another, probably because they were far too alike to keep such masks up and not see through them. She noticed the way he seemed restless, all of a sudden, and she decided the best thing to do was invite him over to sit. She found it almost hysterical how he could switch from a ladies man to a five year old at the drop of a hat, but, then again, he would not be Ash if that was the case. There was just something about his uncanny ability to change his attitude on a whim that she found endearing. As quick as the thought came, though, she shoved it away. No time for that! she scolded herself. She instead turned her thoughts to old memories of birthdays gone by. Her birthday had always been more of a funeral than a party. When she was a child, she used to lock herself in the bedroom she shared with her brother and cry, wondering why her parents never kissed her and wished her happy birthday. It was never a matter of presents or anything monetary; she just wanted to know why her mommy and daddy never wanted to celebrate the day she was born. As she got older, she became accustomed to days without kisses or even birthday punches and just kept to herself, trying not to piss anyone off. Even her seventeenth birthday was spent in a self-imposed solitary confinement, since she encouraged Carter to go have fun so as not to dampen her spirits. She was grateful for being able to celebrate her 18th at least, even if it was in small gestures and gifts from her closest friends.

Camila glanced up to see Ashton’s slightly worried facial expression and chuckled a little, though it was more of her shoulders shaking than any noise coming out. She reached up to lightly brush the red hair that was falling into his green eyes before all but tackling him into the couch. She had taken little caution toward the bag between them, but she did not really think about it in the moment. Her main focus was trying to express her gratitude in the way she knew best: affection. If they had not been so close, he probably would have received a handshake or, maybe, a one-armed hug, but, since she considered him one of her best friends, he was more than eligible for a tackle-hug. She could not help but blush a little bit at his words; it was very rare that someone said anything like that to her. Then again, she had not mentioned the fact that she had a birthday that day to many people, mainly because she did not want to draw too much attention to herself. She watched as he shifted the bag to the floor, chuckling a little. It was almost as if he could guess her clumsiness would suddenly make an appearance and wanted to save the cake from ending up as a casualty. Of course, that was forgotten a few moments later in favor of her trying to express her emotions in fragments by hugging him and muttering something that she probably would not have said if she was not being so candid and blunt. After a few moments, she lifted her head to smile at him sincerely, with the ends of it finally touching her eyes in what seemed like forever. She wiped at the lingering tears with the back of her hand, just to make sure there was no moisture left.

“You did fantastic. I think this is the first birthday I’ve celebrated since I was real little that actually didn’t involve me locking myself in a room, curling into a ball and either a), crying and wondering why my parents never loved me or b), being irritated and not wanting to talk to anyone. So, thanks, I really mean it.”

Camila then reached over to grab the bag from beside the couch. She could only hope that he had thought ahead enough to put a knife in the bag to cut the cake. Sure, they would probably have to make a mess on the couch to eat it, but it was not like they really cared anyway. She fished around the bag, finding a small, plastic knife under the box. She chuckled a little and pulled the box out of the bag, placing the book that had fallen beside her on the couch in its place. She then put the bag on the floor and opened up the box, cutting a piece of cake rather clumsily and placing it on her thigh before reaching over to cut other one and offering it to him. She figured that, since he had bought it, he would probably want a piece too. She joked as she swiped some of the icing off the cake and putting it in her mouth, unknowingly leaving a little bit smeared on her chin.

“Here’s to finally being legal.”

Camila could not help but laugh a little at her own joke, even if it was bad. She continued to eat the piece of cake with her hands. She was far too lazy to wander around and find forks, after all. After a few minutes of eating happily, she noticed that there was a particularly large glob of icing at the end of her piece and a small smirk crossed her face. Without warning, she casually swiped it up and reached over to smear it across his cheek, just a little bit away from his lips, with a devious snicker. She batted her eyelashes innocently at him, , trying to keep herself from breaking her innocent facade with a smirk or a grin.

“Oops, my hand slipped.”

[Ashton Kay]

After losing so many people, Ash hadn’t been one to socialize. He had lost his will to interact with his friends and even his normal, laid back attitude. At one point, he hadn’t been sure he’d ever be able to get it back but when he stumbled across Camila singing on the beach things changed. She managed to bring out that teasing side again and in a way showed him that he could still work his way through life. While he may never admit this out loud, he was fairly sure he was able to function again just because of the way she treated him.

They had been friends before, trainer and trainee but never this close. She was able to toss sarcastic and flirtatious comments alike at him. It brought back a sense of normality that he could never thank her enough for. It brought back a part of him that he had long since thought died. But clearly, that wasn’t the case as they joked about how dashing he appeared. Forming a mock appearance of surprise on his face Ashton retorted, “Are you implying you’ve been looking at my ass, Cami? And here I thought you were the innocent one.” As the shock slid into a familiar, cocky half smile he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of satisfaction that he had managed to catch her eye.

Brushing that small jab of emotion away that small smile grew into a large grin. “Not so calculating huh?” He shrugged a little, nodding along, “Alright. I can deal with that since eighty-five percent of my family are natural flirts and we don’t even realize we’re doing it half the time. Except for me, I know how sly I am.” Which was a fair bit of truth, while at times he wasn’t aware of his flirting majority of the time he was laying it on thick to grab someone’s attention or just to screw with people. Flirting could be an excellent way of throwing people off their game. Or a way of pissing people off, as Ash and Camila had made an example of at the school dance.

The memory of a hot tempered boy who couldn’t take a joke quickly flashed through his mind. Yet, Ashton didn’t waste his time on that boy now just like he didn’t back then. Today was about Cam and making her feel wonderful on her birthday. She had probably only directly spoken about her past a handful of times to Ashton, it was enough for him to piece together what the whole picture might look like and he didn’t like it. The thought of his friend being in that situation made a protective flare ignight. He knew he couldn’t change the past but that didn’t stop him from wanting to.

Since his powers didn’t include time travel, he would simply have to make do in the present. That would mean showing her in gifts, cake and a whole lot of laughs. Anything that would make her day the best birthday that she’d ever had, really. When she invited him to the couch he jumped at it, placing the presents near her as a near face splitting smile only seemed to grow. He was excited for her and a tad anxious at what her thoughts on the presents would be. The redhead watched her expressions carefully, noting each change. It was only when the tears had appeared that he really began to worry.

The moment that she brushed his hair out of his face, which he hadn’t even noticed since he was so used to it at this point, a soft smile spread on his lips. There weren’t many people willing to exchange such casual and simple interactions with him. And in a way, a movement as simple as that warmed the cold caverns in his heart. However, it wasn’t long until Camila had launched herself at him in a full on tackle hug giving him little time to dwindle on her previous motion. Almost as if it happened every day he responded by wrapping her up in his fairly well built arms and holding her against his chest.

As she spoke softly in his ear, Ashton couldn’t help but tighten his grip on her. A familiar sense of anger bubbled inside him at the thought of her going through that pain. No kid should ever have to endure questioning whether or not their parent loved them, it just wasn’t right. The fact that it was Camila, someone he had gotten so close to, he couldn’t stand it at all. He nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, taking a breath to calm himself down. “Good, I wanted it to be a fantastic day for you. After all, those are the only kind of days that you deserve. Plus, now you don’t have to worry about if someone loves you.”

Easing his grip he let her move back to grab the bag, the warm smile remaining on his lips as he watched her movements. “Nah, I definitely don’t want a piece of cake,” Ashton joked as he nabbed the piece offered to him, just in case she got any wise ideas and tried to withhold the sugary goodness form him. There would have to be some tickling to go down if that happened, no one messes with a man and his cake. “Finally! You joined the club and we don’t have to sneak around anymore,” He teased as he nudged her with his elbow lightly.

He had been pleasantly absorbed in his cake for the moment, too distracted to realize the incoming frosting that now decorated his cheek. Looking down at her with a face full of surprise, it quickly turned to an evil grin. “Oh now it’s on!” Taking the remains of his piece, he defrosted it and flicked in her direction. The moment the colorful, sugary goodness was in the air he snagged the cake from her and carefully placed it out her reach. There would be no reloading for her. Oh, but he didn’t stop there. He was too well versed in their food wards to know to leave her an opening. Instead he closed the distance between the two teens and started tickling her sides. War had broken out.

[Camila Reyes]

Camila could not but help but snicker at the faux-scandalized look on Ashton’s face. She knew he was entirely joking, but the fact that he was doing so was a great thing. The huge fight that had broken out the previous summer had really made an emotional and social impact on those who had witnessed or been a part of it, including Camila herself. At first, she had been under the impression that Ash had died in the fight, but she was pleased, if not a little startled by his sudden appearance, to see that he was alive. It seemed that, from that day, they had kept each other going with jokes, sarcasm, and the occasional, playful lobbing of food at each other for no real reason. Sure, they had been friends before that, since they attempted to beat each other up on pretty much a daily basis thanks to training, but it seemed to have evolved since then. Honestly, she was pretty glad it had; she considered the redhead one of her best friends, aside from Carter of course. She snorted a little at his comment about her being innocent. “Sweetie, I don’t know who you think you’re talkin’ to, but I’m no angel, trust me,” she joked, leaning back slightly against the couch with a small grin. She was really grateful that she could joke and be casual with someone. It seemed like whenever she met someone new, she had to be stiff, formal and polite. Of course, she often failed to be the latter because of her lack of a mental filter, but most people took it in stride because they could sort of tell she was joking. Still, she often felt on edge around new people; it was nice to feel comfortable and relaxed, even when she always had a nagging feeling that s*** was going to hit the fan sooner or later.

“Oh, but of course you do,” she said with a small chuckle. “Flirting is fun,” she added candidly with a shrug, “Especially when you can stir up a little trouble.” She chuckled slightly, adding a wink to the end of her statement. She still remembered how they had royally pissed off one of her former friends at a dance by flirting with each other. The thought made her a little sad, but she knew that the past was just that: the past. There was nothing she could do to change or alter it; all she could do was live in the present moment and look forward to the future. Sure, it may have seemed shrouded in shadows and dim lighting, but it was better to keep going forward than trying to go backward. One thing was for sure though; she would definitely remember her eighteenth birthday particularly fondly, thanks to her two best friends. A smile crossed her face at the thought; it was really nice to actually be able to say (er, think) something like that. She had isolated herself before, but it seemed that people did actually take an interest in her and actually wanted to be her friends. She could see how eager Ash was to see her reaction, so she tried to open things at a decent pace. Her tears brought a look of worry to his face, but she smiled through them, trying to communicate to him that she was actually happy. The last time he had seen her cry, she was genuinely upset. She was the exact opposite of upset on that day.

It was really only because Camila was looking at Ash that she noticed his hair was in his eyes. She had brushed it aside merely out of kindness and to allow him to see better. Still, it was a gesture that she did not often extend to anyone except those that were close to her heart. The soft smile on his lips, which she assumed was her thanks, only served to make her feel slightly warm and fuzzy on the inside. To thank him for his kindness (and to distract herself from the feeling, she all but tackled him in a hug. His arms wrapped around her almost automatically, and his grip only tightened when she hinted at her not-so-pleasant past birthday experiences. It was almost as if he was trying to protect her from the past, even though it had already happened. His hair tickled her neck, and she had to stifle a giggle to prevent startling him. Her cheeks flushed a slight pink at the nuzzle she received and she lightly rested her head against his for a moment. Physical contact was a rare thing in Camila’s life, mainly due to her enjoyment of personal space. Her highly emotional state broke down the walls that normally kept people out. “Thanks, Ash,” she replied with a gentle and sweet smile, one that was rather rare from her, even when her friends were around, “You’re one of best friends I could ever ask for.”

Camila snorted slightly at Ashton’s sarcasm, but still offered him the piece of cake regardless. She knew that he was only being facetious. Besides, he had done something very nice for her, so the least she could do was offer him a piece of cake for his troubles, even though he probably did not see them that way. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to snatch from people?” she joked, chuckling a little as she bit into her own piece of cake. The brunette was a sweets addict, plain and simple. She loved all kinds of sweets: cakes, cookies, pies, pretty much anything. She probably had mentioned it once or twice to him, hence why he probably purchased the cake. Or maybe, it was because normal birthdays often came complete with a cake, even when there was no big party. His second statement brought drew another snicker out from her. “Is this the part where you officially make me your girlfriend?” she replied, giggling a little bit afterward. She was certainly not being serious by any means. She knew how he felt about the whole relationship thing, but she figured there was no harm in poking a little fun at him. After all, that was basically the foundation of their friendship: joking and goofing around with brief, fleeting (but still appreciated) moments of sincerity and kindness.

Camila took advantage of Ash’s interest in his own piece of cake to goof around a bit. The extra icing was on her cake, and she figured a brief food fight would not hurt anyone. It was her birthday after all; she was given a free pass to do whatever she wanted, as long as she did not get caught. The shock on his face caused a triumphant grin to cross hers, but it was only for a moment, because, in a matter of minutes, the cake was out of her reach and she was being tickled. Dammit, go straight for my sides why don’t you? she thought, letting out a peal of laughter that sounded less like bells and more like a pig squealing. She huffed through her hysterics and attempted to do the same to him, but only succeeded in falling backwards onto the couch. The cake she had originally placed on her lap fell to the floor and she laughed a little bit. She attempted to tickle his sides again, hoping to actually get him that time.

[Ashton Kay]

There had never been an issue with joking around with Cam. It always felt so natural from the near constant bantering to the easy going flirtations they slipped in. He rarely had to restrain himself in any way shape or form around her and that’s what he absolutely adored about the tiny brunette. She dealt with him as he came and preferred him like that. And it showed as they teased one another over Ash’s amazing posterior, “Oh, I know you’re no angel. Being under a near constant thread of food being launched at my head has proven that.” He joked as he sent a mocking glare her way, “Silly me for thinking you might be innocent outside of your violent food habits.”

As always, the dynamic duo slid seamlessly into the next topic, flirting. A certain topic that Ash was rather versed in and often brought it up with just about any living creature. It was also a subject that got him into trouble on more than one occasion, just as Camila reminded him when she referenced the last dance. “The best kind of trouble is normally instigated with it," a small smirk formed on his lips before he chuckled a bit. His mind turned to the instance when a certain boy got a bit too fired up after a few careless flirtations between himself and Cam. Not everyone was up to play the game and that night showed it, along with a few ugly colors.

However, that banter could always take a turn and ease the pair into a softer moment. Sitting on the couch, joking and laughing, with her it was hard to imagine the tough and emotion destroying childhood she had. Whenever Ashton learned something new his stomach began to turn and his chest tightened with a darker feeling. He found himself wishing he knew her all those years ago so that he could have pulled her out of that situation. He wanted to wipe the pain out of her memory and replace it with endless hours of smiling. Something he hoped he was doing with moments like this one.

Ashton hoped he was achieving that as he clutched her to his chest and nuzzled into her neck. Showing affection was fairly easy when it wasn’t serious. Joking around and maintain that easy going feeling was practically second nature but when it came to these tender moments Ash nearly always felt like he was on unsteady ground. For once, he felt like it worked at this particular time and that thought was confirmed as Cami thanked him. Easing back slightly, his arms still around her waist, Ash smiled softly at her. “Hey,” he shrugged lightly, "that’s what I’m here for. To deliver cakes and make you crack a smile.” While he could handle some seriousness, he couldn’t let the air hang with it forever.

And just like that, he released her and the heaviness of the conversation vanished. They were back to their normal bantering ways and messing around with cake. Now, Ashton wasn’t normally too possessive of his food. He normally didn’t care about much but when it came to cake, especially baked goods that he knew were going to be delicious, he couldn’t help but get a little grabby. Not to mention he knew Camila’s habit of taunting him. “Well, she did. It just didn’t work with my grandfather and uncle being pretty heavy into crime, grabby hands came naturally.” He shrugged lightly before taking a large bite of his cake, almost as if he were trying to get the whole piece in his mouth.

Once he swallowed, amusement light up his eyes at her comment. “Official? I thought we talked about this, cupcake. I don’t do the whole commitment thing.” He said, easing back against the couch and running his hand through his red locks like he was the hottest thing on the island. “There’s just too many fish out there for me to be hung up on one line.” He raised an eyebrow towards her as a smirk slid into place, taunting her to challenge him on his history of being a lady’s man. He really didn’t have much wiggle room with his reputation, especially with those nights he had more than one chick back at his dorm. Prefects should’ve stepped up their game a lot earlier.

Not so surprisingly, it didn’t take long for frosting to land somewhere that it shouldn’t have. A simple swipe of frosting on the frost king’s nose started a series of events which lead to all-out war. It wasn’t just frosting being flung at one another anymore, it was serious now. There was tickling involved. Ash grinned wickedly as she flopped backwards on the couch in hysterical laughter. “I’ve got you now, Reyes!” He chimed confidently as his fingers set to work to make sure she stayed powerless under his might tickling reign. That reign was rather short lived as she countered, laughter sprouting from his lips in seconds. It didn’t take long for him to be on the receiving end, laughing as he tried not to flop onto her.

[Camila Reyes]

Camila could not help but giggle a little bit. She knew that she was far from perfect, and she knew the young man before her knew it too. They played off of each other so effortlessly; it was like they had been friends for years. He accepted her despite her very obvious flaws and honestly, she could not ask for anything more. When he mentioned about constantly being under attack by food, she pouted slightly and batted her eyelashes cutely. “Well,” she said, a playful gleam in her sapphire eyes, “Clearly, me not being a sweet, innocent angel doesn’t bother you that much.” She winked at him and laughed a little bit, easing herself back into the couch. She chuckled when he said that the best kind of trouble was caused by being flirtatious. “Not to mention some interesting situations,” she replied with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “It’s mostly all fun, though,” she added, shrugging a little, “At least, for me it is.”

Camila and Ashton often had fun together, but there were moments that were a little more personal in nature. Another one she could think of besides the current one that was getting her a little choked up was the one on the beach. It had been after the battle, and he had opened up to her in a way that he never had before. In return, she opened up a bit herself as he tried to comfort her. She knew that he was not really one for the more emotional moments, so she took it upon herself to tackle him in a hug and settle into it. She had always been an affectionate person, even with the few friends she actually had when she was younger. The soft smiles traded between them were a silent language of thanks all their own, but she still felt the need to actually say thank you. His words brought a happy smile to her lips and she laughed a little bit. “You can do more than just those two things. Though, I have to admit, smiling is awesome.” As if to prove her point, she grinned at him before laughing a little bit, attempting to ease the heavy feeling in the air.

Camila laughed a little bit at his grabby hands comment. “Might explain why Bridge is so good at being sneaky and getting her hands on things,” she joked, drawing on the fact that he had mentioned both his uncle and grandfather. She then watched as he tried to devour the whole piece of cake in seemingly one bit. The sight made her laugh, and she shook her head. The temptation to mutter something about men under her breath was strong, but she decided not to say anything and instead poke some fun at him. A flirtatious smirk crossed her lips and she shrugged slightly, dissecting another piece carefully from her cake before eating it, then saying, “ Oh well, guess you’re missing out on the fun, then~” Of course, she was merely teasing him and, to prove it, she winked at him slightly before grinning. She was never really able to keep her teasing front up without breaking into laughter, giggles, or smiling afterward. It was just part of her personality.

Camila could not really figure out why Ash had flopped backwards on the couch. Wouldn’t it have been better for him to dive right at her? Regardless, she could not think about it too much because she was being tickled too much for her liking. So, she did what anyone would do and retaliated. Of course, what she did not expect was for her clumsy instinct to kick in and soon, she found herself toppling on top of him while still tickling his sides and trying to get away from his hands all at the same time. She decided in retrospect her idea had been cute, but not very smart. After all, she was dealing with a practical tactician with a knack for thinking on his feet. Someone was going to end up on the floor, and she hoped it would not be her.

[Ashton Kay]

The smirk that had wound its way onto Ashton’s thin lips only grew as they continued to tease one another. It was true, he was never really a big fan of the whole sickly sweet act that a lot of girls put on. It was refreshing to see that some could let their mischievous side out, whether that with some eye pleasing clothing or chucking food at his face. He was pretty content with either. “Nah, innocent and I don’t mix well. There’s just no fun in playing by the rules all the time,” he sent a wink her way with a rather coy grin in place.


Relaxing on the couch, he let his head sink to the back of the stiff piece of furniture as he remembered the night. Majority of the memory was centered on Camila’s grins and the way her dress played off of her body as they danced, rather poorly due to Ash’s metallic leg. However, he did recall a dumbass who could light his on arms on fire getting rather testy. “Isn’t all flirting just play? Really, the only difference in situations are your endgames. Whether it’s getting in someone’s pants or just having a bit of fun, like you.” He questioned, one green eye peering at her curiously.


Of course, it wasn’t long before the two ease into a gentler atmosphere filled with warm smiles and quiet tones. Ash hadn’t always been a fan of emotion, especially when it got the better of him as it did after the countless deaths that had occurred not all that long ago. But in moments like these, when it was for her, he found himself more willing to show his actual thoughts and emotions. So far, it would appear that Camila was the only one that could manage to drag out actual feelings out of the red head. For a brief moment he thought of making her trophy for her grand accomplishment but she began speaking again, capturing his attention.


It seemed the boy was full of smiles today as her words really sank in. He was glad that he could be there for the tiny brunette when she needed him. In all reality, he really would do just about anything to make her happy; training, food fights, cake, and anything else. He rarely gave out that best friend status but she seemed to take the roll on without much trouble and rather quickly at that. “It is,” He beamed at her, content with his accomplishment for the day, “and I’ll try to make you do it as often as I possibly can. You look better with one than glaring at everyone all the time.” Teasingly, he reached out and pulled her cheeks into a smile to make a point.


As the mood lightened up, Ashton quickly became focused on the food at hand. After all, he was a growing (not really) young man (hardly) who needed the extra calories (definitely not). He hadn’t really thought about what he said about his family, a subject he so rarely touched on, until she brought up Bridget. He looked down guilty, knowing she didn’t like people knowing too much about her father. “Yeah, bit of a family trait,” he said with a light shrug before quickly moving past the topic to one he was far more comfortable with. “Who knows, maybe you’ll be the girl to end my man-whore days. Maybe I won’t be missing out for long.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, adding a joking under tone to his words.


However, it wasn’t long until they were both in a semi wrestling match focusing on who could become the top tickler. At the moment, Cami was pulling ahead she managed to get to his side causing a less than attractive snort to sprout from Ashton. “Oh god, make it stop,” he pleaded through laughter as he fell backwards to avoid falling on top of her. He didn’t want to crush the poor tickle bug on her birthday. Trying to think through the feeling of hands dancing along his sides, he took hold of her hands and pushed them up slightly, holding majority of her weight. “You’re a tickle demon, not monster, you’ve graduated past the point.” He said, trying to catch his breath and remember to work out his arms.

[Camila Reyes]

Camila herself was not a fan of the sickly sweet act. She knew she was far too playful and mischievous to act like that. Okay, she could put on the batting eyelashes and shy smile, but it was hard to keep much up beyond the superficial. She was hardly the sweet type of young woman, anyway. “Tell me about it, hun,” she joked, winking back at him. Interacting with Ash was always so much fun, and Camila was grateful that they were friends. Sometimes, she would get too wrapped up in her own head, and she needed someone to joke around with her and bring her back down to reality. Despite the fact that she was not a typically giggly and innocent sweetie pie type, she did like to have fun and laugh. And honestly, there was no one better that she could think of to do those things but Carter and the young man lounging on the couch in front of her. His comments about flirting and different endgames made her chuckle a bit. “You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I think that poor sucker thought you were trying to get into my pants that night, but really, we were just amusing ourselves.” She grinned a little, leaning back and muttering ‘oof’ when she hit the back of her head on the stiff arm without much warning. “And, if I may say, you dance pretty well with a metal leg,” she added with a wink, lightly poking said leg with the toe of her sneaker.

Seeing Ash smile was not a rarity, but seeing him genuinely happy was, and Camila was grateful she was able to witness such a thing. Ashford was a very depressing place, filled with sad, tragic, and sometimes downright criminal backstories, kidnappings, death, and pretty much permeating misery. It seemed that the only happy moments that were found were in the mundane interactions between friends, and she was not going to complain if she was one of the people who was able to brighten someone else’s day. As jaded as she was, Camila still liked to help others and make them smile. She laughed at his words; she supposed he had a point. She did have a tendency to scowl at people when she was in a bad mood, which was almost a majority of the time, especially if she was not allowed to have any caffeine. Unexpectedly, his hands reached out to pull her cheeks up and she batted them away playfully. “I can do it by myself,” she declared, pouting cutely before grinning, “See?”

Camila noticed that Ash was not to keen on talking about his uncle so she did not reply to his statement about having grabby hands being a family trait. She figured that, if he wanted to continue with that train of thought, he would have. She gave him an incredulous look when he proposed that it might be her that would end his days of being a playboy. She rolled her eyes a little bit and chuckled. “Darling,” she teased, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” She shrugged a little and smiled at him coyly, “But, until something like that does happen, you’ll just have to keep missing out.” It was rather easy for her to slip from joke to joke, almost as if she were gliding along on some kind of slide that she would be nearly coordinated enough for normally. The best part was that they both understood that the other was joking. For the most part, anyway. She was still not entirely sure if his statements were actually true or not. It was most likely a joke, though, knowing him.

It was quite clear that the two of them knew each other’s weak spots well. Still, it seemed that Camila was winning the tickle war against Ash, since she was able to draw a snort from him. Her giggle in response to the noise also turned into an undignified pig snort, but, then again, she was the girl who was constantly falling on her ass, so dignity was not always the first word in her dictionary. It was probably more like the thirtieth. Despite his request to stop, she continued to tickle him until he stopped her and pushed her hands up and away from him. “I’ve also been called a bull in a china shop,” she commented with a snicker, “But I like tickle demon better. At least I can make people laugh.” While she was being held up by the arms, she noticed the smear of icing on his face from earlier. With a mischievous smirk, she glanced at him, “You’ve got something on your face.” Without warning, she leaned over and licked the icing off his face in a gesture similar to a puppy dog. “Got it,” she declared triumphantly, snickering a little bit.