They were walking down the street, towards Hawk's home. Sky had braided her still moist hair in a loose french braid, and single strands had escaped it, soft baby hair that was curling as it dried, forming this smooth, fuzzy red halo around her face.

She was wearing loose sweatpants and an oversized hoodie with a Batman logo on the front, her comfy outfit, and she looked so cute Hawk honestly couldn't decide which one he preferred better - this look, or the one from last night, the dress, the heels, the carefully done make up.

Maybe this one, though, he thought, glancing at her by his side. She probably had no idea how pretty she looked like this, with the wind messing her hair, a slight blush on her naturally pale skin.

"I'm sorry about my dad," Sky said, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "He can be such an ass sometimes."

"It's okay," Hawk replied. "I get it, he just wants what's best for you."

Sky glanced at him and gave him a small smile. "I know. I just wish he realized that what's best for me, is you."

Hawk's heart skipped a couple of beats at those words. It was beginning to look like the decision to stay and look after Sky throughout the night was really paying off - there was something different about the way she looked at him today, something soft, and the way she had said she loved him—

"Yeah well, maybe he will. I feel like he's warming up to me," he joked. "He barely yelled at me at all."

"No, because he was too busy yelling at me," Sky rolled her eyes. "I can't even remember when was the last time I was grounded. Must be when Kat stole her brother's weed and we got high on it—"

She stopped mid-sentence, a shadow falling over her face as every single time she started talking about Kat.

Hawk knew there were no words that would make it better, so he just silently reached out his hand, and Sky took it. Their fingers entwined.

"Anyway—" Sky continued as if brushing off the lingering sadness, taking a firmer grip of Hawk's hand. "I still have no regrets, I had so much fun last night that it's definitely worth getting grounded for two weeks."

That made him smile. He remembered how she had danced - her body moving as if she was one with the music, her hips swinging to the beat, the way she had laughed, laughed, laughed at the black night sky reaching for the stars. That image was burnt into his brain, and Hawk knew he'd replay it over and over again, just to relive the happiness that had bubbled in his bloodstream when seeing her like that.

He gave her one of his crooked smiles. "Well, I had fun too."

"I bet you did," Sky snorted.

"Hey, I had fun because you were happy," Hawk clarified. "Not just because of... the stuff we did."

"You know," Sky said, suddenly serious again. "I am aware that I drank too much. And I'm really sorry about that—"

"You don't have to apologize—"

"No, I do, it was a bit over the top," She fell silent for a small moment, but her hand was still in his, her palm pressed against his own as they walked down the street hand in hand. "It's just that... Sometimes it gets so fucking loud in my head. Like, I can't make the voices shut up. And getting drunk just makes everything... quiet. That's why I like it. It makes me forget, at least for a little while."

"I know," Hawk said, because what else was there to say?

He wished he could fix her, to make it all better, to make her believe it wasn't her fault that Kat was dead, to make Sky realize that the things that had happened to her weren't because she deserved them. But it seemed like no matter what he did, what he said, he could never make her believe that - so the next best thing was to try and make her forget, even for a short moment.

If she wanted to get drunk to forget, then who was he to say she shouldn't? Hell, he would rob a fucking liquor store to make her happy, if that was what it took.

"Anyway, I'm sorry about passing out," Sky said, returning to the topic. "It was just... stupid. I really would've wanted to finish what we started."

Shit! Does she really mean that she wants to... fucking do it? Like, finally?

Hawk swallowed, his gaze darted to the ground, then back up to glance at her. He ran a nervous hand through his still moist hair. "Yeah, me too."

"We'll get there." She said with a small, sideways smile. "As soon as this stupid house arrest is over—"

"Hey, no pressure," he managed. "I said I'd wait as long as you want to wait."

"Well, I don't want to wait anymore. I might not remember that much about last night, but what I remember was pretty good."

Oh my fucking God—!

He had to clear his throat again. He so very badly wanted to ask what did she remember - if she remembered how he had moaned her name when she'd been touching him, her hand in his fucking underwear? Or maybe the way he had buried his fingers between her legs and she had been trembling and begging for more? Those memories were burning in his gut like a pot of molten lava, but he just couldn't get the words out of his mouth.

"Last night was amazing, Sky," he finally managed to say. "It was fucking beautiful."

She blushed, the red spots creeping onto her high cheekbones, and then started fidgeting the end of her braid, as if she was suddenly nervous or shy. Hawk melted in front of that sight.

"Come on, I was so wasted—" she started, but he interrupted her sentence.

"No, listen, the stuff we did... you were so beautiful, Sky," He said, his voice low and suddenly a bit raspy. "I've never seen anything as pretty as you on the bed when I'm on top of you."

"Shit, Eli," She laughed, her blush deepening. "I love it when you talk dirty."

"And I love you—" he replied, and she started laughing. And fuck, how good it felt to see her laugh like that, it felt better than anything.

"You know what Aisha said last night?" He asked, his fingers entwining with hers.

"No?"

"That I'm disgustingly in love with you," Hawk grinned. "She was so right,"

"Then I am disgustingly in love with you too," Sky said with a wide smile and stopped walking. She turned to face him, their hands were still touching, her fingers rested in his grasp.

Looking into her green eyes made the sidewalk under Hawk's feet feel all wobbly like he was standing on top of waves instead of dry land.

"Can you say that again?" He asked, bringing his other hand up, to pull some curls back behind her ear.

"Say what?" Sky asked with a teasing grin. "That I love you? 'Cause that I want to say a thousand times over. I wanna fucking shout it to the world! I love you, Hawk—!"

"And I love you," he replied softly, his voice suddenly low in his ears, "More than anything, Sky. I would fucking burn down the world if you asked."

"Then it's a good thing I won't ask that," She said and leaned closer.

The invisible force that was always there between them, pulled their bodies together, like a hook embedded in the muscle of his heart. He leaned in, locking their lips in a kiss that tasted like peppermint toothpaste, and the world disappeared, the sidewalk under his feet turned into a cloud.

The kiss grew deep fast, her lips on his, no matter how soft and smooth, were hungry and desperate. It was as if the happenings of last night, or maybe their declarations of love this morning had removed her inhibitions, her need to keep him at an arm's length, and Hawk sure wasn't complaining. He loved to burn like this, pulling her close, wrapping his arms around her body, kissing her like it was the only thing that mattered like this was the end of the fucking world—

She broke the kiss and looked up to him, her eyes wide, her pupils dilated.

"Hawk—" She asked, "Would you do something for me?"

"Anything. Whatever you need—"

"I want to get a tattoo," she said, and whatever he had been expecting, it sure wasn't that. "You think you can book an appointment for me? With Rico?"

"A tattoo?" he replied, his hands cupping her face, his lips still almost touching hers. "What do you have in mind?"

"You'll see. Something big,"

He thought about her soft, smooth skin that was fucking flawless, that was perfect just as it was. The glimpses of white skin of her stomach, of her chest - always just glimpses, he had never seen more of her, but what he had seen had been enough to fill his mind with heated fantasies, of thoughts where he was kissing her everywhere, running his tongue over that smooth skin.

Unlike Hawk, she needed no fucking tattoos to be perfect.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod. "It's something I've been wanting for a long time."

She sounded so serious, her eyes were huge, and all Hawk wanted to do was to make her happy. Whatever she wanted, she would get.

"Okay," he replied. "I'll call Rico."

"When I'm not grounded anymore, of course," Sky added with an eye roll. "So make it after two weeks."

"Your Dad's gonna lose it," Hawk said, with a small laugh. "Or am I wrong?"

"Yeah, well, what's he gonna do? Ground me again?"

"I sure hope not—" Hawk brushed her lips with his own, breathed in the taste of peppermint. "I was kinda hoping to get some alone time with you after that."

Two weeks. He had been waiting for months, so two more weeks shouldn't be that hard, but right now it felt like an ocean of time between him and what he so desperately wanted.

They had been so close to doing it last night, and now... well, Sky had said she didn't want to wait anymore either. That she wanted him too - and that made Hawk's mind go wild trying to think of a loophole in her house arrest.

He leaned in again, his lips meeting hers, and just like that they were kissing again, his tongue sliding into her mouth—

He paid no attention to a car that pulled down next to them, barely noticed it. Everything that mattered was the way Sky's lips opened for him, how her body melted against his. Only when Hawk heard his name being called, did he break the kiss.

"Eli!"

He turned around, his chest still heaving, his hands lingering on Sky's hips.

Shit!

It was Mom's car, and indeed it was Mom sitting in the driver's seat, and she did not look pleased.

"Mom—"

"Where have you been?" Mom yelled through the opened window. "I have been worried sick!"

"At Demetri's—" Eli started, though he realized that the way he'd been sucking Sky's face made this lie lack some credibility. "I texted you last night—"

"Don't lie to me, Eli." Mom interrupted. "I called Demetri's Mom when you wouldn't answer your phone and she said that Demetri came home drunk and that you weren't there."

Oh crap!

He was still trying to come up with a new lie, when mom snapped: "Get in the car, Eli. Now."

"You should go," Sky said silently, releasing herself from his arms. She then turned to look at Eli's Mom giving her an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry Mrs. Moskowitz. It was all my fault, and my dad has already yelled at us. Please don't be too hard on Eli."

Mom didn't even reply to her, just repeated her command that Eli had to get in the car now, and grudgingly he obeyed.

Through the car window, he saw how Sky stuffed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, suddenly looking small, vulnerable. She said something, but he didn't hear her voice as Mom was already driving away. He didn't need to hear it, though, for he could read the words from her lips.

The words that made his world spin.

I fucking love you, Eli Moskowitz!

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