Shadow Slave - One Shots

The moment Beth stepped into the shop, she froze.

For a long while, she simply stood there, her dark eyes locked onto him.

Her lips opened slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Then, just as suddenly, she clenched her jaw, her gaze shifting away as if to gather herself.

Sunny watched, waiting. Beth had alwyas been ignoring him, though that wasn't his fault. But now she was aware of his existence.

He had expected Aiko's reaction. Beth's, though?

He wasn't sure.

When she finally spoke, her voice was rough.

"You bastard."

It was barely above a whisper, but there was a sharp edge to it.

And yet… something about the way she said it made his chest tighten. Can you blame him?

Beth took a deep breath, lifting a hand as if to rub at her eyes, then stopped midway and clenched it into a fist.

"All this time?" she said, her voice trembling.

"You were here? And, I didn't even-"

She cut herself off with a sharp exhale and shook her head.

He had seen Beth under unbearable pressure before.

But this…

This was different.

"I thought you died, Sunless." she finally muttered, her voice low but heavy.

"I thought-" Her breath hitched, and she scowled at herself, looking away.

.

.

"I don't know what I thought."

.

.

Sunny swallowed.

There were a lot of things he could say, a lot of explanations he could give.

But none of them would change the fact that Beth had carried the weight of Falcon Scott's fall, the weight of losing people, the knowledge that Sunny sacrificed himself

for a few of the survivors to go.

Only to now find out he had been here all along.

"Beth-"

"Don't." She shook her head again, more forcefully this time. "Not yet."

The silence stretched between them.

Memories flashed through her head, bad ones.

The frozen wasteland of Antarctica.

The nightmare of Erebus Field.

The death of Millions due to that beast.

The siege, the endless waves of Nightmare Creatures clawing at the walls.

The way the city burned before it froze, the way people screamed before they went silent.

And afterward…

The way Beth had stood on that ship, staring at the ruined horizon, looking at her professor and Sunny, knowing that thousands, no.

Millions - had not made it.

And so did they.

Her breath was shaky when she exhaled.

"You were there, weren't you?" she asked quietly. "In Falcon Scott. Until the end." Her mind was still all over the place, not knowing what to believe or not.

Sunny nodded. "Yeah."

Beth closed her eyes for a moment, her fingers curling at her sides.

Then, finally, she looked back at him. Her eyes were wet, but her voice was steady. "I hate you a little bit for this."

Sunny exhaled, something like a tired chuckle escaping him.

"That makes two of us."

Beth scoffed, shaking her head again - this time, as if amused despite herself. "Of course it does."

And then, just as quickly, the moment passed.

She straightened, squared her shoulders, and fixed him with a familiar, scrutinizing look.

"Well? Don't just stand there looking like a kicked puppy. You going to get me my drink or what?"

Sunny let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Yeah, yeah. I remember how you like it."

Beth snorted. "Damn right you do."

As he turned to prepare it, she let out another exhale.

And when he glanced back, she was staring at him again, something softer in her gaze now.

But then, a smirk made its way on her face.

"If you think my reaction was bad, then get ready for the rest.."