1 I'll help you, so help me out too.

The skies were a deep orange and her surroundings were quiet. A breeze passed through her and the scent of citrus tickled her nose.

Her feet moved swiftly and her breath came out in short pants. Her surroundings were a blur, but she didn't care to slow down enough to appreciate them.

Constantly she was turning her head, checking the road behind her as if she was being chased. And she was.

Far behind her, a group of people followed the exact route. Where she made a turn, they also did. But when she would loop back and throw smiles at them, they would glance at her and continue following her previous steps.

Despite their high speed and the three people that made up their group, their steps were quiet. Occasionally, a small laugh would escape their mouths and they each held a smile on their faces.

Eventually, the distance between them widened. For the nth time, she turned into a different street. Glancing back, her smile widened and eyes watered. She crouched down and held her head in her hands.

After taking in a couple of deep breaths, her body began to shake. As if the trembling couldn't be contained, a burst of laughter erupted from her lips. Her hands moved to wipe away the moisture on her face.

"I love you guys so much."

She moved to lean against the alley's walls and shut her eyes. After a while, she heard footsteps and felt a few familiar gazes directed straight at her. The smile still hung on her lips.

Within the three minutes they stared at her, neither side said a word. Soon, they started moving again. When their footsteps began to fade, she opened her eyes once more.

"Thank you." Her eyes moved to her side and a small frown covered her face. She shut her eyes once more and sighed. She could still hear the faint sounds of someone crying fade away.

-

Not too far from where she rested, a man was running and out of breath. His face shone as a testament to his effort and from his wobbling figure, he seemed to be running out of energy.

On his tail was a stampede of girls, ranging from a variety of ages. In the mix were a woman who was somehow able to run in her ridiculously tall heels and a couple of men who almost caught up to him more times than he liked.

With his decreasing speed and rapidly dropping energy, he didn't dare look behind him, at the ever-growing group. His only option was to continue running full speed ahead.

His feet carried him in and out of small roads and alleys and he felt as though he was only running through pure willpower. At this moment, the gears of fate began to spin.

He turned into another alleyway and found himself face to face with an unfamiliar woman. Immediately he halted his steps to avoid crashing into her.

Regardless of his efforts, the remaining momentum threw him off balance and he began to tilt forwards. Both pairs of eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to absorb the fall.

She watched as he shut his eyes tightly and lifted her hands slightly.

When the expected pain did not come, he slowly opened his eyes and was met with a face only inches away from his own. He froze and tried to assess the situation.

With his hands wrapped around her, he was embracing an unknown woman while also leaning very heavily on her. Instead of the two of them falling to the floor, she remained upright like a pillar.

Her hands rested on his waist, sending sparks through his body. From a different perspective, they looked like a pair of lovers, cuddling in the setting sun.

His blue eyes slowly met her silver ones and she gave a slight smile. His face slushed deeply and he pulled away as if he was shocked.

As she watched him avert his eyes and cover his face with a hand, a laugh escaped her mouth and she continued observing him in amusement. His ears seemed as if they would burst with how deep in color they were and almost blended in with his fiery red hair.

Her eyes flicked over to the entrance of the alleyway and made its way back to the man in front of her. The redness in his cheeks had faded but his ears shone bright pink.

A brief thought passed through her head and elicited a grin.

The man took a few moments to compose himself before returning his gaze to the woman. The mask of indifference that he had carefully crafted was ripped away with her next actions.

Her hands reached out towards him and pushed on his shoulders. The strength from those two hands managed to immediately tip him off balance. He looked at her in confusion as his view shifted.

"You.."

Before he knew it, he was lying on the ground and the woman was sitting astride him.

"What are-"

His question was cut short as she took his hands in hers. She placed one on the nape of her neck and the other wrapped around her waist. Through the slightly wet fabric, he felt a firm outline and a warmth emitted to his hands.

He froze again, but with something being placed in his hands, they gave an involuntary squeeze. She gave a slight wince and watched his actions which caused the hem of her shirt to lift, exposing a sliver of the skin underneath.

Even though the light was dimming, he was still able to see this clearly. Looking down at his arm, he saw that he was probably paler than she was. At this moment he decided that he needed to get out in the sun more.

Likewise, she could also see the redness that began creeping up his neck and laughed, almost forgetting her throbbing side. 'Cute.'

Bringing her face closer, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her head rested on his shoulder and when she spoke, shivers were sent down his spine.

"I'll help you out, so help me out too."

Not too soon after, a familiar crowd entered the alley. He stayed still, not daring to move an inch and even holding his breath. They glanced at him before scanning the rest of the alleyway.

"Just a stupid couple."

"Where'd he go?"

"I'm sure he went this way"

His eyes followed him as they slowly toured the area, approaching closer and closer. From the alley's other entrance, he heard rapid footsteps. Within a couple of seconds, the crowd was already out of the alley and running towards the sound.

He let out a breath of relief and relaxed his tense body. Tilting his head downwards, he shook the woman laying on top of him. Her head rolled over, letting her breaths land on his neck.

He flushed and stiffened. Slowly he moved his head to look at her face. Seeing her shut eyes, he sighed and shifted her face away.

He pulled out his phone and almost dropped it as it assaulted his vision with a bright light. He had just adjusted it when he saw the redness that covered his hand. His eyes darted between the woman and his palm a few times before deciding what to do next.

Scrolling through the contacts list, he dialed the number of the man he trusted the most. On the third ring, it went through.

[Aye Sir, what can I do for you?]

"Come pick me up."

Ending the call, he thought back to the events of that day and his eyes frosted over. After looking back at the woman one last time, he shut his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.