Author's Note

Another special short chapter for the same reason as the last.

Face to Face

Neon and Sugarcoat stared at each other. Sugarcoat wore a smile, while Neon's jaw was agape.

Royal put an arm on Neon's shoulder. "I think I should leave you two to yourselves," He said, then walked away.

Neon remained still, stuck for words. Goddammit, Neon Lights! Say something, he scolded himself. "S-S-S-Sugarcoat, what are you doing here," he stammered out. "I thought you said to take all the time I needed...that you'd wait as long as you'd have to."

Sugarcoat kept her smile. "That's true," she said as she adjusted her glasses, "I did. But then I saw a fight in cafeteria and the consequences that it wrought. It reminded me that we may be hurting, but we need each other now more than ever."

"Sugarcoat...I..." Neon said as he felt a lump in his throat.

Sugarcoat walked towards Neon Lights as she continued to smile. She gently took him by the hand. "We need to move on from what happened yesterday, Neon," she said. "If we don't move on, we can't move forward." Neon sniffled. Looks like I might have to push him a little harder, she thought. She ran her hand up his arm and caressed his neck. "Neon Lights," she said, "I still love you...and I forgive you."

Neon sniffled once, then broke. He hugged Sugarcoat as he let out all of his guilt, his pain, and his sadness. "I-I'm so sorry," he said through his sobbing. "I'm sorry...for everything I put you through! Everything I put your parents through," he said as he continued crying into his girlfriend's chest. "I shouldn't have tripped you over a stupid competition!"

Sugarcoat sniffled as a tear fell from her cheek. "It's okay, hon...it's okay," she said in a reassuring tone as she ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just happy to have you back." She sniffled again.

Neon Lights and Sugarcoat stood still as the former rode out his emotions. After a few minutes, he calmed down, then looked up at his girlfriend. "Thank you...I had no idea how badly I needed to hear those words," he said, then sniffled. "Nothing felt right without you yesterday," he said.

"Same here," Sugarcoat said. "You mean a lot to me, Neon. I wasn't going to let you suffer."

Neon smiled. "I appreciate it," he said, then caressed Sugarcoat's cheek. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly.

"I've missed your touch, hon," Sugarcoat said dreamily. "I just didn't realize how much."

Neon chuckled. "God, I've missed you, Sugar."

Sugarcoat blushed at her nickname, then gave her boyfriend a deep and passionate kiss. She immediately prodded Neon's teeth with her tongue and he complied instantly. The two sighed as their tongues did battle in their mouths for the first time in what felt like an eternity to the couple.

Neon broke the kiss slowly, keeping his tongue stuck out as it slid on Sugarcoat's tongue. He closed his mouth as he smiled and caressed her neck. "I love you," he said softly.

Sugarcoat smiled. "I love you too."

The warning bell for sixth period went off as the couple continued to gaze in each other's eyes.

"We're going to be late," Sugarcoat said.

"Fuck that noise," Neon said. "I'm enjoying the view too much."

Sugarcoat laughed. "All right, hot stuff...you know we'll see each other later."

"Yeah," Neon said. "I do." Sugarcoat let go of Neon's hand and started to walk off. "Wait," he said, causing his girlfriend to turn around. "I've met your parents...would you like to meet mine," he asked.

Sugarcoat smiled. "Yeah...I'd love to," she said. "See you after school." She ran off to her sixth period class.

Neon grinned widely and sent a text to his parents.

I'll be coming home with a surprise!

He immediately pocketed his phone and beamed with happiness all the way to his next class.