Actually Starting Over

by Techno Flare

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Equestria Girls, Flash Sentry, Sunset Shimmer, Sad, Drama
Length: 5851

Sunset rehashes some old wounds after talking with Flash Sentry at Camp Everfree.

Sunset and Flash have “started over” as friends, but the guilt from her past is on her mind whenever she sees him now. With her newfound power, she could see into his mind and find out his side of their past… but she can’t go invading his space without asking, right? She's going to have to wade through the emotions of her past while keeping the reality of her new life afloat.

Set directly after EqG:LoE, and is my take on the romantic happenings of our pony friends and a certain Brad.
Cover art done by a kind soul.

Published 2020-11-19 20:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2020-11-19 20:00:00 UTC

Boys Aren't Easy

"APPLEJACK!"

I whirled around towards the lakeside, and stared as a cascade of tumbling wooden planks encased my friend. I clenched the small red gem in my jean pocket. A worn out cowboy hat flitted through the air and settled upon the pile of planks.

"Dash, fer the last time: could ya please not surprise us like that with yer speed?"

I saw a yellow glow emanating from beneath a few beams, and I breathed out. As Rainbow Dash sped over to meet the friend she nearly entombed, I chuckled and slowly shook my head. I knew Applejack would be all right, and I also knew that Rainbow Dash would probably not pull a stunt like this again for three days. Probably. The two of them had been struggling to make peace since the rebuilding of the dock started up again, but after yesterday's magical battle, this group was as close as ever. Even better, Twilight really came into her own with the group, just like how I did once I joined the Rainbooms. We've built a home for each other.

I swiveled around and took a look at the lake. Besides this unfinished dock, Camp Everfree's beauty pressed on my mind like a massage. Every way I looked, the view was soothing and pleasing. The lakeside flush with trees, and the water was perfectly still. The white peaks of blue-grey mountains bridged the tree-line to the sky, like the hands of lovers on a walk. The cloudless sky hoisted a beaming sun that relaxed my tired muscles. With everything that had happened over the past couple days, I didn't realize how much I had fallen in love with this place. It reminded me of Equestria's gorgeous scenery, which I had dearly missed.

I sunk my hand into my jean pocket and pulled out my fire-red geode. This certainly helped the connection I felt to the camp, and it gave me something I was missing in this world. Magic was such a huge part of my life back in Equestria, and while school at CHS was enjoyable, it was nothing compared to studying spells. Especially with magic on the rise here, I had plenty of reason to stay here with my friends. I could do something great for the world by engaging with magic; my destiny fully revealed itself. Thanks to Everfree, I was really coming into a brand new life, one that was a far-cry from my manipulative past. It no longer haunts me.

For the most part, it no longer haunts me.

"Sunset!" Twilight screamed cheerfully. She had certainly gotten louder and prouder since yesterday, as that scream nearly shoved me off the unfinished dock. I flailed my arms as I felt Twilight's hands wrap around my torso. "Whoa!" She wasn't able to hoist me up, and I braced myself for impact with the water. I felt movement all around me as Twilight gripped us with her levitation magic. The sensation of feeling the air moving but not feeling the force of the wind was always surreal, and this sensation excited me. As Twilight set us both onto the doc, our friends gathered around us.

"This magic stuff really is handy," I stated, and all the girls chuckled. "I can't wait to really get to the bottom of this! I'm gonna have to tell Twilight everything, and hopefully come up with a plan to uncover the mysteries." I glanced around at everyone, expecting a snide remark or two, but Twilight's face showed signs of concern.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Sunset!" She walked closer to me. "We were trying to get your attention for a good twenty seconds." She glanced at my body language. "Is everything all right?"

I gave a firm nod. "Of course! I was actually just thinking about how great everything is. This place is beautiful, it brought us magic, and it brought us all together." My mind rolled over my memories of the past, and I shut out the beating of my heart. "I'm grateful for everything, and I guess I must've zoned out taking it all in. We haven't really had time to process it all."

"And we still don't!" Pinkie Pie burst out. "The bus leaves at dusk which means we're almost out of time to finish this dock!"

"It would be a travesty to leave the camp without a proper gift, and we can always talk on the long bus ride darling." Rarity stepped forward and faced us, exclaiming, "Let's get back to work everyone!"

In the corner of my eye, I caught the flopping of blue hair from behind some logs. I crouched down, telling Applejack some loud instructions while staring intently at the pile of planks at my feet.

The hum of the motor mimicked the wind of a quiet storm, and the rocks tip-tapping the underside of the bus were raindrops. Sheltered from the quiet murmurs which bubbled like distant thunder, I was held tightly in the long bus seat by my knees, snug against the back of the seat carrying Twilight and Spike. The light from her phone shone on her face, but only when it flashed with an electric buzz whenever she got another text from Timber. Others had their phones lighting up the bus interior, but it seemed as though the field trip's energy supply had petered out, leaving only the subliminal sounds.

Escaping my own head, I pulled out my own phone. I checked a few apps, and nothing had changed from when I checked them a few minutes prior. I swiped back and forth, searching for some game or app to mindlessly bide my time. There came another buzz from the seat in front of mine, and with it I decided to try and siphon some deets from the lovebird in front of me. I tapped away on my phone and sent Twilight a smirk emoticon.

Instantly, she flung her hair around and blushed in my direction. "What's this supposed to mean?" she asked pointedly but quietly. Her face was contorted with shock and discomfort.

I raised one eyebrow and one side of my mouth. "It doesn't take some magical empathy powers to know when someone is texting their partner, Twi." I scooted up in my seat so we could speak at the same level. "I don't know if you know, but I had a relationship once too."

Twilight's eager curiosity overtook her earlier bashfulness. "Oh really? I didn't actually. When could I hear about it?"

My face drooped when I said, "I mean it wasn't a big deal or anything." Twilight gave me the same look of concern as she did on the dock. "So, you know how Flash had a thing for the other Twilight?"

Twilight blinked and nodded. Then her eyes shot open.

"Yeah, before that happened, we were dating." I felt my scowl deepen. "That was when I was different. I used Flash for his status and connections, but he split things off a few weeks before the other Twilight came to town. Who could blame him?"

Twilight reached over the seatback and held my shoulder. I picked my head up and relaxed at that. "Did you two ever talk again after that?" Twilight probed.

"Not until recently, actually." I thought back to the conversations I had with Flash over the trip. "Although we had been amicable, being friends with the person he had a thing for, we never talked until that awkward conversation you two had." Twilight took in a breathe, and I could feel her discomfort as she gripped my shoulder harder. "Since then, I talked to him about that a couple times. In fact, he said he wanted to start over with me, as friends." I felt my cheeks heat up and my mouth twirl up. "He appreciated the new me, but he also was able to recognize that something was bothering me, like he gets me still. He did care about me before, even when I didn't reciprocate that."

A snap in my heartstrings sent my mood spiraling. My mouth fell open. My mind started fogging up with nebulous, indiscernible questions. I heard Twilight's voice faintly. "Sunset, you know that was a different person who made those decisions."

"Yet, after I reformed, I never even talked to the guy," I grumbled. Sinking in my seat, I said flatly, "I think I just need some time and some rest to think about all this." I turned, bringing my knees onto the seat and leaning against the seatback to face the window.

"Okay, Sunset, but please let me know if you want to talk about this anymore." I shifted to face her, and she gave me a soft, knowing smile. "Boys aren't easy." She waved her phone in the air beside her head. It buzzed once more, and she turned back around to feverishly type out a message.

My head spun as the motors picked up, as pebbles pelted the bus, and as voices rumbled louder. I sank down, shimmying deeper into my jacket.

"I'll catch you all in school on Monday!" I waved and turned to exit the parking lot, my friends either walking to cars or their homes in the opposite direction. The sparse lighting made it hard to see the field or anything near it, but I knew my way in the dark. After spending many days walking home as a lone wolf, it never bothered me to be out here at night. What did bother me, however, was the person waiting for me at the corner of the field fence.

"Hey Sunset!" Flash Sentry exclaimed. He sounded urgent, but I couldn't see his face well yet.

"How's it going, Flash?" I asked, but I pressed no further questions.

"Listen," he said as he stepped into the parking lot lighting, "I've been actually thinking a lot about what you said with the whole Twilight deal." He scratched his neck and looked at the ground between us. "I guess I'm just thinking that I should, I don't know... let her know?"

Flash looked to my eyes, and in him I saw genuine concern for Twilight's feelings. I smiled and put my hands in my pockets. "You really are a stand-up guy, Flash." He passed a soft smile towards me. "I have this messaging book that I use to communicate with her. I don't have it with me right now, it's at my place. I could write her something or you could write something yourself, whatever works." I shifted my weight to one side, readjusting the backpack on my shoulders. It was getting really uncomfy.

"Uh actually," he said quickly, "I was thinking I could talk with her face-to-face." He braced himself, then his eyes gleaned and his haphazard smile dropped to a composed look. "I know that she's great, but like you said, I'm just not sure how an 'us' would even work. At the very least, I would like to know that she isn't planning on keeping up this thing with me whenever she comes over. She's kinda just stringing me along." Flash faltered for a moment, his face pulled back and eyes winced shut, but he regained composure. "You don't have to tell her all of this, but this is a serious thing for me. It's worth more than just a message."

I nodded and reached my hand out to his shoulder. "You're completely justified," I said calmly. "I'll send her a message tonight saying that you want to meet her. When is good for you?"

I dropped my hand from his shoulder to grab my phone. "I’d like to soon, so if she's free at all tomorrow after twelve, that’s good."

I typed in a quick note in my phone and wiggled it at Flash saying, "I'll text you what she says as soon as I know." I took in a sharp breathe before saying, "You still have my number, right?"

He looked a little puzzled and replied, "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

I smiled and gave his shoulder a quick jab. "Just making sure!" At that moment, I felt my hand closely pass his, and time seemed to freeze. I could've reached out and even lightly touched his hand, and I would get a glimpse into everything. His true intentions about Twilight, his feelings over this past week, his memories over the past year would all flood into me in a moment. Before I had a second thought, the moment passed, and I saw Flash perked and ready to talk.

I yawned, and then I embellished it with a couple of raised arms and a wide mouth. "I'm pooped from this trip, so I'm gonna head home and get this thing underway." Flash drew back, and tried to regain his train of thought before I whisked by him, a bit of a pep in my step. I turned back with some finger guns popping, saying, "If you need anything, just text me!"

The sound of plastic meeting the leather drowned out a series of synthesized buzzers. I rubbed my temples, trying to dispel the combination of anger and aching from my head. I reached to my side table for a drink, but I only knocked over empty sushi containers. Only then did it cross my mind that I was possibly dehydrated. So much for a day of ‘recharging’.

I stretched and stepped along the cold floor to my fridge to grab a bottled water. Opening it and leaning on the post holding the loft, I saw that the rain had slowed down. Conversations from the night before replay in my head. Should I have been more upfront with Twilight? Would Flash know how to let her down easy? Knowing Flash, probably not, that cheeky airhead. Heh.

I wasn’t sure if I could handle that mess, but the two of them seemed amicable when I fell asleep. Even as an empath, I wouldn’t want to mediate between people all day. I could understand a person’s innermost cognitions, but articulating was a different process. Never confiding in anypony back home was fine until I wanted to make friends.

I heard muffled buzzing from above me, and I ran up to my bed. I glanced out the front window and sure enough, Twilight was out front, pen in her mouth, looking reserved. I took a breathe and put on a smile when I opened the front door.

"Twilight, is everything okay?" She full on embraced me, tighter than any group hug I'd ever been a part of. I wrapped her up, ignoring the pain for a moment.

"Kinda, but I have plenty of emotional baggage now." She broke it off and stepped back, while asking shyly, "Could I come in?"

"Only if I can help you carry some." Her shoulders fell back as I warmly gestured her through the door. Before I could lock up, Twilight was slumped over the back of the couch. "How was Flash?" I asked dismissively. It wasn't the best leading question, but I figured it would help me get a clearer picture.

"He was, well, trying to figure things out." I sat quickly, offering her a bottled water. "In the end, we agreed that it would be best to just split off," she said softly, wandering with her eyes. "He didn't want to 'get in my way' with Equestrian duties, even when I promised him otherwise." Her head slowly made its way to face me. "You knew?" I gave a silent nod. "Did everyone know?"

I shifted and forced my brain to shake off the cobwebs. "About today?"

"About how I treated him." She wrung her hands on her lap, watching intently. "We both had feelings but I didn't respect or understand his. At all."

I put my hands on Twilight's, and her starry purple eyes looked worlds away. "Boys aren't easy. There's so many ways to screw up, Twi. You may not have realized things before, but even romance needs failures for people to grow from." She swallowed and took a deep breathe. "I know you have probably been battling your own mind, but you're in control of your thoughts and how you approach this situation. Take an approach that will heal you." It felt relieving to share this kind of advice with her.

Twilight's cheeks released their tension, and she leaned back on the couch. "You're right, Sunset. This was simply my first trial. I have learned a lot from just talking with Flash on occasion." She reached out for her water. "I'm just worried about him."

"Is he okay?" I quickly pursued. "What do you mean?" My mind felt cobweb free now.

"It seems like the situation got to him." Twilight pursed her lips and twirled her hair. I felt a breath hitch in my lungs. "I've seen some ponies in Equestria who get, well, bitter because of emotions like these." My mind wandered to memories of my former mentor and I.

"Twilight, what are you saying?" She glanced in my direction, then raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't take one heartbreak to become evil," I spat. My brain scattered, and anything pertaining to Flash came to the forefront of it. Twilight's musings were too familiar. My memories pushed regret into my mind and fear into my reality. I hesitated. "Maybe two bad ones would do the trick."

Twilight's face hardened. "I'm not saying he's evil, but what I did to him wasn't healthy at all." She softened up her tone saying, "I wish I could make sure he was alright." I locked hands with Twilight again.

Overwhelmed, I choked out, "I do too." Twilight may have questioned something, but blood bombarded my ears. I put my hand over my heart in an effort to get a grip on my emotions.

That’s when I realized my geode was glowing. “Oh, shoot!” I muttered. The walls in my house began shining and shimmering with a white light. It coalesced to cover every detail except Twilight.

Twilight stepped out of the portal with her momentum carrying her a bit too fast for comfort. She flailed her arms as she stabilized herself, but she felt her right hand pass through a bit of hair. "I know you were eager to see me," said the face underneath her arm. Pushing it to the side, Flash Sentry smiled and said, "I at least thought you'd give me a second before you jumped on me!" Twilight retracted her arm and gave a wide smile, splotches of red pushing their way to the surface of her face. She reached up her hand to twirl her hair when she realized it had gotten wet.

Canterlot High's red bricks were a shade greyer from the rain, and its high flag flapped steadily. Twilight then noticed the black umbrella Flash was maintaining above both of them. "Thanks Flash, I'm sorry for almost poking your eye out." Again Twilight blushed. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Flash extended his arm and said coolly, "Yeah, but let's get out of this rain." Twilight caught his gaze finally. She saw it all. The retreating smile, the drooping eyelids, and the grey in his gorgeous blue eyes called out to Twilight with a warning. Flash took a deep breathe. "C'mon, let's get going."

In the Sweet Shoppe, Flash and Twilight sat in pink booth seats across from one another, heads down, arms folded. Twilight couldn't keep this tension down, Flash seemed so off. "I-is it bad, Flash?" the question bubbled from Twilight. Flash stole a quick glance and put his hands on the table.

He started slowly, "Twilight, it's been so long since we've, you know, talked. Like, I think about you a lot." He waved his hands in circles in the air, motioning towards his mouth.

"This is about me?" Twilight questioned softly. Mrs. Cake plopped down two glasses filled with soda and cream, raising the two from their slouches. She nodded and departed quietly.

Flash took a sip and cleared his throat. "I've been holding out for you. We're, kinda, a thing." Twilight took a long look at him as he ran his hands through his hair and gazed back at her, uncertain. "Right?"

Twilight flipped very quickly through her mental catalogue, eyes flittering back and forth. "A thing? What thing?" She looked at him, despairing. "Is this a thing I should know about?"

Flash's dejected face chuckled. "I would hope so." He grabbed her hands. "Twilight, be honest with me." He locked her eyes in place. They saw pain. "Do you want me in your life?"

Twilight shrunk back, unable to withstand the pressure from his gaze. "Flash, I'm not sure what this all means. I-I've never really dated anyone before. I mean, I know my brother dated Cadance before they got married but I really don't know what that entails and—" Twilight saw Flash biting his lip, holding back his laughter. "What did I say that was funny?"

Flash swallowed and began breathing again. "Twilight, you're really smart. I thought you would've known about reltionships at least a little bit." He shook his head. "I guess that makes much more sense now." Flash let her hands fall down onto the table.

Twilight grabbed her soda and took a sip from the straw. She breathed out, "Flash, I have no idea what romance entails." She looked at him, earnest and honest. "I don't have the slightest idea what my feelings are or what to do about them, especially away in Equestria where I have so many other things to keep track of." She passed a shy smile. "I do appreciate you, Flash, and everything you've done for me here. I just don't have the time or the experience to reciprocate that care."

He matched her smile. "It wouldn't be the first time."

A searing flare struck my heart.

"I keep fighting for girls that won't fight back." He put his hands to his face.

I pulled back. My vision glazed over, so I tried wiping away the tears.

"It wouldn't b-b-b—" Flash's dejected face chuckled.

Flash's face was still distorted and blurry. He wouldn't stop.

"Be honest w-with me." He shook his head.

"What?!"

—Flash biting his lip, holding back his laughter. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"Flash..."

"Right?"

The walls of the Sweet Shoppe glowed bright white, until every detail disintegrated except for Flash Sentry. He embroidered his glaring blue eyes and smirk into my mind's eye. Finally the surrounding light captured him as well. I blinked my eyes once, and I could see Twilight's panic-stricken face.

I rocked forward, then right back down as a ringing ache ravaged my skull. "Sunset don't!" Twilight knelt down and fussed over my head.

"Flash," I gasped quietly. My vision constantly dimmed, and my brain was only reading TV static.

"Sunset, take it easy." She put her water bottle in my hand. "Try and take a drink."

"Okay." The fuzziness was clearing and I felt my heartrate slow. When the pain in my head subsided, the cracks in my heart remained.

Twilight looked on with shock, and she spoke slow, "What in Equestria just happened?"

“My magic.” I closed my eyes and ran through it all again. “I’m still getting used to it, but that didn’t feel right.” I looked up at the magic expert in the room, hoping for answers.

“There isn’t much known about empathy powers like that back home.” Twilight's eyes targeted mine. “Why did you use them on me?”

I put my hand on the ground and leaned up. “That’s the thing. I wasn’t trying to use them on you, and I didn’t know that touching the geode activated them.” I thought back to the moments before it happened. “I was focused on someone else,” I mumbled. Twilight took my other hand and helped me up.

She put a hand on my shoulder. “Sunset, is everything okay?” I scoffed at her wit and took a seat. Now my heart is the one out to dry.

Drained, overwhelmed, and crushed, I let the floodgates open. "I was a different person in the past. I've grown beyond that now, and I've made amends to the school as a whole." I grasped my arms and crossed my legs as I felt my heart tightening. "Except for Flash. He was the one I manipulated the most. I studied him, and I learned he was naïve and impressionable, and I exploited him. I knew exactly what he wanted, and so I feigned care and charisma. I blew off dates. I never listened to him. I had so much blackmail—" I threw my head at my hands to wipe away the building water. "He always seemed so unbothered by me, rolling with the punches. Then one day after school he comes up to me with an emotionless face and tells me we're over. I was shocked and frustrated, but I shooed him aside and worried about my plans in Equestria."

Twilight gave me a brief hug. "There's no use dwelling on all that now, Sunset. You've done so much good since then, and you know that the real you can make amends." She pulled me back to face her. "My talking about Flash must've stirred up those feelings again, which caused your emotions to go haywire and your magic to flare up. I'm so sorry that I did this. I had no idea it was such a sensitive subject." I chuckled.

"I didn't realize how much bottled up guilt I had." I took a deep breath and reclined. "Thanks for being here for me Twilight. I recently started talking with Flash again, so this was bound to happen at some point. This helped, even if it happened in a crazy way." I reached around my neck and took my geode in my hand. "I think that when I saw what Flash said about me in the past, I tried to interrupt the flashback. When that happened, it showed like a broken record of a memory."

Twilight reached out to take hold of it as well. "Wow, the power from this feels immense!" Curiosity grabbed hold of her face. "It feels similar to the Elements, even. Yet the interaction with this world grants people powers, without a unicorn horn or anything. How do they transfer the energy?" Twilight turned towards me, hoping for answers.

"Even as someone who is quite familiar with unicorn magic, I haven't been focused on the academic approach to this yet." I smirked at Twilight's lost enthusiasm. "It's been a crazy few days."

Twilight's demeanor shifted back. "Talking with Flash helped me, and I know it helped him. You should try and meet up with him soon as well."

I glanced at the shiny gold smartphone which lay face down on the floor. It enabled so many atrocities which devastated this community, and I was it's holder. Now, it carried the benevolences of my renewed self, and all of the people I embraced. It was a tool, and I've mastered it. It allowed me to do as I pleased, but now I know how to use it for good. "Here's to actually starting over." I turned my phone face up and typed up a message.

“Why do you do that with me?”

Flash got really flustered now. “Do what with you?”

I straightened my shoulders and gave him a calm glance. “When you talked with Twilight, you could barely get the words out. With me, you do that thing where you take in a breathe and say ‘Listen’ and then the floodgates open.” I slowly drew my arms back into a fold and raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Flash let out a loose sigh and hunched over his float. Putting a hand to his cheek, he gave a slow look out at the road beyond the Sweet Shoppe. "Sunset, why did you ask to see me here?"

"You know exactly why." I leaned into the pink booth and took a quick sip of soda, casting my gaze towards the window as well. "That day changed our lives forever."

"You make it sound like a good thing," he said.

"It wasn't." I peeked over to check Flash's face. I had his curiosity. "You never asked me why I wanted to see you."

Flash took a sip, then pushed the drink aside. "Alright then, why did you want to see me?"

"Because we have a lot to talk about." I dropped my shoulders to his level, and felt the expression on my face relax. "I know most of what went down with Twilight. I know you're still rattled from that, but I also know that you're still rattled from, well, me."

Flash put his hands below the table and bit his cheek. "Sunset, I know you've changed no—"

"Flash, it has nothing to do with me changing." I drew myself inward. "It has everything to do with me not doing this sooner."

He threw up a dismissive hand in my direction. "It's been nearly a year, I've learned to get over it."

"You and I both know that's not healthy, Flash. For a year I've been avoiding this as well." I felt my heart tense.

He examined me with an honest question. "Then why do it now?"

"Because I've seen how much it hurt you, Flash," I candidly said.

He retorted, "Since when do you care how much I hurt?"

My blood stopped cold.

"I mean," he continued, shaking his head, "do you have any idea what our relationship was like?"

"It's all I've been thinking about for the past couple days!" I felt my fiery emotions stirring as the sun shone through the window. "Please, give me a chance to set this right."

Flash ran a small hand through his seamless blue hair. "I don't know. I've been trying to put this behind me and I feel ready to let it all go. I want us to start over, with a clean slate and no hard feelings."

"So then what?" I glared in frustration. "We make some memory-wiping gadget and pretend this never happened? I'm not going to be able to put this all behind me and not make up for what I've done wrong."

"You've already done plenty for the school and this community," he grumbled. "It's good enough for everyone else."

"Exactly." I caught his eyes. "But it's not good enough for you."

The intensity on his face ebbed slowly. He put his next sentence together deliberately. "Why shouldn't we just put this behind us?"

"If we want to start over, then we need to clear up the past." I put my hand to my heart. "I cannot understand the ways you feel about me after the trauma I put you through. I want to show you that the person who did that to you is long gone. I want to learn how to love a partner properly. Most of all, I want to help heal the heart that I'm responsible for breaking in whatever way will help you. I know this will take time, and I know this won't be easy." I closed my eyes, swallowed my fear, and opened my heart to both myself and him. "I care about you, Flash Sentry."

Flash locked onto his float and took a long sip. Never taking his eyes away, he said, "You always used to say that to me." The heat inside me bubbled the water into my eyes. He only looked at his hands, his black hoodie never wavering. He was resolute, and I could tell something mattered to him when his face showed determination like that. It was like that on the day we broke up. He looked up in order to inspect my face when spoke.

"For the first time in my life, I have zero doubts that you mean it."

At first I didn't speak. I couldn't speak, my mouth wouldn't move. I reached his heart. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to belt lyrics in a car with him. I wanted to call all of my friends and freak out. I wanted most of all to say something, but the oceans of my mind were littered with debris from this shell shock. I probably looked ridiculous, but Flash smiled brightly at me.

I showed him the person behind the curtains and he did the same. It was just so cheesy and sappy and unbelievable. I avoided it for so long. Maybe I was afraid of looking that deep inside of me. Maybe I was afraid I wasn't capable of love. Maybe I didn't believe I could reconcile with him. Fear controlled me for so long, and will for plenty of times to come. Now, though, the tension in my heart was gone.

I must've sat silent for a minute because he started chuckling. I couldn't help myself. Soon we were sprawled over the glass table, watching ourselves as we broke down in a fit of laughter. I saw him with that stupidly cute small smile on his face trying to contain himself. Nothing made my heart warm up like seeing this moment. That heat infected my shoulders and my head, and soon I wasn't sure if those tears were from the laughing.

I took some deep breaths as I put my arms out for my head to rest on. Flash did the same. We were so close, and the heat was still sprawling across my face like a desert. "I couldn't be happier, Flash. Thank you for hearing me out."

"Of course, Sunset. I needed this, as much as I thought I didn't." He shook his head. "I'm still harboring a lot of thoughts and feelings, but I can see the good-natured you. It's even more beautiful than the mean you."

I gave a smug side look. "I'll take that as a compliment this time." He rolled his eyes and smirked.

Then, he sat straight and twirled his straw. "So, it's been a crazy week for me and my love life." That was an understatement. "I just want to take my time with this and talk things through first, especially considering our past."

"Of course," I said, showing my hands. "I want to be considerate of you and your mental. And let me be clear, I'm not trying to get close to you for the sake of dating or anything. I'm here to help you. I'm here to start over."

"That doesn't rule it out, though," he suggested.

"No, I suppose it doesn't." I stood up from the table, taking a look at my phone.

Flash got up as well. "Busy bees never bide their time."

"Well," I said, "now that I fight magical monsters on the regular, can't exactly rest easy."

"Just let me know one more thing," he said quickly. "You still opposed to this?"

He scooped me up, and from my heart that warmth flowed everywhere, consuming my mind. I rested my head against his soft hoodie and clambered over him.

"For the first time in my life, no. Not at all."