Be Mine

It was three a.m. when Will staggered back in with Jack, his flatmate.

It had been a good night.

"That chick- the one with the nose- she was well into you," Jack slurred.

"Yeah, but you saw her nose. I couldn't bring that thing back here, no beasts allowed in the house."

Jack cackled, and they fell into the living room.

Will wobbled over to a sofa while Jack turned on the light.

Jack was not ready for Will to yell- it surely could not have been that much of a shock?

But when a voice- a female voice, no less- said "Shite, there are nicer ways to wake people up!" he yelled too.

The chick peered over the back of the couch at him. All he could see were her dancing green eyes and shining black hair.

"Who the fuck are you and how did the fuck you get in here?" he demanded, stumbling over the words thanks to the sheer drunken terror that engulfed him.

"I'm Aurora. Don't worry, I'm a friend of Wills."

Jack looked to Will for confirmation of this fact.

Will nodded slightly, still staring at Aurora.

He hadn't expected to see her for a while yet, especially not in London, especially not in his flat.

But that wasn't what had surprised him the most.

What had surprised him the most was how much she had changed since he'd seen her last, two and a half months ago.

"You've cut your hair," he stated, ignoring Jack plop down on the other sofa and flick on the TV.

"Yeah. Ciane flipped when she saw it. I mean, she actually, properly sobbed and everything. Personally, I don't see what the problem is,' she ran her hand fondly through the little curls that adorned her now, longer at the front than at the back. "I mean, it's not like she or Etae are ever gonna cut off their hair. She's too set in her ways and Etae's too proud of hers."

Will studied her. It made her face seem sharper, and more mature. It changed the way she looked completely, along with a nose stud that glinted in the light.

The third change was harder to notice.

It was later, as they were watching some awful film, that Will saw it.

Aurora stretched, and yawned, and peeking from the hem of her shirt was ink.

A tattoo.

He didn't think twice. He pushed up her shirt so he could see it.

It was a vine, with six leaves on it. each leaf had a name following it's outline. Will found his name at the top.

"My favourite people,' Aurora said, not at all perturbed by the fact that Will had exposed her.

He traced his fingers over his name and leaf.

"But don't tell anyone about it. Your mum and Luciana would both have a bitch fit and a cry."

Will shrugged. He hadn't been about to tell them anyway.

After a few more minutes of watching they decided that the film just wasn't ever going to get any better, and so left Jack passed out on the other sofa and made their way up to Will's room.

Will got Aurora a t-shirt of his to sleep in.

She sat at the top of his bed, and patted the space beside her.

"I think I'm going crazy. Like Ciane went crazy," she said quietly.

"Why?" Will asked simply.

"I don't know. I keep having these horrible nightmares, and seeing things that aren't real."

Will took her hand comfortingly.

"Like what?"

"I saw a fire burning. It was burning everything. It was burning me. And when I woke up, it was all red where it had touched me. And I remember someone shouting at us that they would kill us," she sucked down a deep breath.

"Have you told anyone?"

"No. I don't want to worry them."

"You should tell Luciana. She'd be able to help."

"She's busy with her kid."

"You've still got to tell her."

Aurora sighed. "I know."

They watched the sun rise through Will's window, both exhausted, neither wanting to sleep.

"I've missed you. You never come home for long enough," Aurora said, startling Will.

"I'm sorry," he said, feeling guilty about his long absences for the first time. "I'll, um, try harder in the future."

"You bloody well better. I don't like being so far away from you."

Will froze, unsure how to react.

He was saved from having to do anything by Aurora kicking him.

"I want to sleep now. Shove over."

Will reluctantly moved down, and let Aurora lie down.

"Don't sit at my feet, it's irritating. Lie down," Aurora commanded, and Will complied with a grin.

"You've grown up too much," he complained, looking at the sharpness of her face.

"So have you. And yet you still act like a five year old."

"I still feel like a five year old," he replied mischieviously, and pulled her to him, squeezing her waist tightly. "You're my teddy."

Aurora shrieked, laughing, and hit him.

"Stop, you're tickling me!" she said, but it didn't have the desired effect. Will just began to tickle her for real, his fingers working at her sides, her feet and under her arms, making her squirm and squeal till she could no longer breathe.

And even then, Will didn't truly stop. He changed tactics, pushing up the t-shirt he had leant her and blowing raspberries on her stomach.

When he finally, finally stopped, the sun was high in the sky.

"You're something else entirely," Aurora said when her breathing was back to normal, and Will was lying next to her again.

"Yeah, I am. It's why you love me."

Aurora rolled her eyes and lay on her back.

Will slung an arm around her again, more gently this time. "Aurora, say you love me," he whined, mock hurt in his eyes and voice.

"I love you, Willy-poo."

"I love you too, Aurora-dora.'

After another fifteen minutes, Aurora fell asleep.

She was really tired, Will could see by the deep, creased bags beneath her eyes.

He kissed her cheek, and pulled her closer to him before falling asleep himself.



When he awoke, Aurora was not beside him.

He found her holding a pack of frozen oven chips to her cheek. Jake was still passed out on the sofa.

"What's the matter?" he asked, switching on the kettle.

Aurora silently removed the packet from her cheek, showing Will the angry red mark on her face.

"Shite. What happened?" he reached out a hand to touch the mark but Aurora shied away.

"It's a burn. I dreamt again," Aurora said.

Will sighed, and leant his forehead against hers. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"No. It's more like a bruise, and it'll fade in a couple of days. Ice just helps it go faster. It's more irritating than anything else."

"I wish I could help Princess."

"It's fine Will. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Still, I can't help but worry."

Aurora sighed, and shut her eyes, leaving Will looking at her closed lids.

Impetuously, he kissed her. It was a quick kiss; Aurora didn't even have time to react before Will pulled away completely and turned to the kettle.

"What was that for?" Aurora asked. Will shrugged, wondering to himself how she was so composed. He was going crazy inside.

He started making tea.

"Do you regret that?" she asked, her voice sounding odd. Unformed.

Will shrugged again. He honestly wasn't sure.

Aurora sighed, and Will heard the scrape of her drag a chair across the tiles.

"I'm sorry," Will muttered. He set two cups down on the table.

"What are you sorry about?" Aurora challenged.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, I'm very emphatic about it."

"Do you like me?"

Will did not reply.

Aurora sighed, and got up, leaving the frozen chips on the table.



"Will, get her out of the shower, please," Jack complained. It was the second time in an hour. "Seriously, whatever shit got between you two means nothing. I need to shower!"

"Ask her yourself," Will grumbled, for the second time in an hour.

"I can't. She's your friend. Get up there!"

Will got up, because he couldn't be bothered to listen to Jack moan any longer.

He went upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door.

"What's the matter Aurora?" he asked, but there was no reply.

Will tried the door, and it swung open. Aurora was sitting on the floor of the shower, allowing the water to run over her.

She was asleep, and very naked.

Will turned off the now cold water and shook her shoulder. She moaned, but wouldn't wake. He shook her again.

"Aurora, you need to get out. Aurora!"

"Yes, yes, okay," she grumbled, and fell promptly back asleep.

There was nothing for it.

He wrapped her up in a towel as best he could, then picked her up and carried her into his bedroom, yelling to Jack that the bathroom was free as he went.

He lay her down on his bed- although really, he more dropped her- and covered her over.

And he felt something stir in the pit of his stomach.

Not lust. He could have delt with it, had it just been lust.



When Aurora woke up, Will was typing on his laptop.

"Are you going to answer my question?" she asked, staying prone.

For a second, she didn't think he was going to say anything.

Then finally, he said "it's so wrong, Aurora. You're my adoptive sister. You're seven years younger than me. We hardly even get to see each other anymore."

"So that's a yes then."

Will sighed. It was a yes.

"I like you Will. That's why I came. Because I miss you so much. I hate that I am so far from you, but I am, and I'm dealing with it. I can continue to deal with it."

Will shut his laptop, knowing he would be unable to do anymore work that nigght. "You've changed a lot, Aurora."

"I have. I'm better than I've ever been."

"Long distance relationships don't work. Look at Chuck and Juillietta. They broke up eight times last week."

"That's because Etae's high maintenance and Chuck's insecure and they're both idiots. We're smarter than them, and stronger."

"It's not as simple as you think."

"I never said it was simple, Will, I just said that we could do it. I would like to at least try."

"Wouldn't you rather wait, and see other people?"

"Not at all. I don't just want a boyfriend. I want you."

"Aurora, please give me time."

"Fine." She sat up, and watched Will watch the covers fall away from her body.

He looked away hurriedly, but not hurriedly enough.

"I'm going back home," Aurora said when she was fully dressed.

"I'm sorry Aurora."

"Whatever."

"She left his room, and he heard footsteps against the stairs.

He ran downstairs after her.

"Aurora, I'm truly sorry!"

"You're truly shit, that's what you are! What do you need time for?"

"So we don't rush into anything stupid-"

"Pussy," she hissed, "that's what you are."

"I'm not. And I don't want you to leave, either."

"Then make up your mind!"

"I love you, Aurora! Be happy with that for now. Please, just stay."

The rage in Aurora's eyes subsided.

"You love me?"

On the inside, Will swore. He had not wanted Aurora to know that, not just then. He had only just found out.

But on the outside, he nodded.

Aurora looked at her hands, played with them.

More and more she could feel power welling up within them, power welling up within her.

She was brilliant, she knew. It shouldn't have come as a shock that someone loved her, but it did.

"I'll stay," she said finally.

Will, ecstatic although it was such a small thing, pulled her into his arms and hugged her to him tightly.

And in the living room, Jack wished that- just once- a girl fell for him.