private HIGHSCHOOL SWEETHEARTS ;; GREENEYES

[Fireflyglow]

The shining light of the moon cascades silvery glow onto his cream-and-dusk form, soft sloshes of warm water lapping at the sandy grounds nearby. It is a serene feeling, the chirping of cicadas filling any silence in the air as Fireflyglow waits patiently by the river. His paw sweeps over the cooling sand below him, drawing shapes into the sand that he cannot see properly. It looks like blobs of badly sketched shapes, but he likes to imagine that he's drawing the last memory he had of Greeneyes' face. The sun shining on his white and orange face, evergreen hues staring at him with a kindness that everyone in the clan loved. His pale pawpad is barely coated in a layer of grainy sand, the tom flicking it with a hum.

He hoped Greeneyes would show.

The waning crescent moon above lit up the sandy clearing beautifully. He knew a night like this would lighten the atmosphere between Greeneyes and himself. He doesn't wish to make his best friend anxious, only ever comfortable in the presence of him. It had been a long time since they had been alone together like this, after all. He had grown used to having Greeneyes visit him during emotionally volatile times, but a situation like this.. It almost feels unfair, putting Greeneyes through the anxious waiting until the moon rose into the sky. He'd groomed himself to perfection for this moment, his fur lying neatly against his form. He almost looked like he was preparing for a ceremony, the way his face was relaxed into a neutral expression.

The river sloshes against land, the whisper of Mother's words against his ears reminding him of Her omnipotent presence. They will be alone here, in peace and quiet, and Fireflyglow knows that. There wasn't any way Greeneyes would bring others with him, he knew that his friend valued their secret little meetings together. Avoidant of Dawnglare, hiding from the high priest's scornful gaze, had become one of Greeneyes' habits. It didn't take a genius to figure out that his best friend feared Dawnglare's wrath. Firefly couldn't blame him.

But this feeling was ever so present, ever-burning like a willful flame. Threatening to consume everything in it's path, enveloping him and taking his will with it. His tail sweeps over the ground, his expression turning thoughtful. I thought my duty was more important than anything else. But.. He thinks to himself, his gaze lifting to the sky above. A cool breeze brushes against his face, making his eyelashes flutter under the soothing light of the moon. ..I cannot deny this any longer. If Greeneyes accepts my love, I'll make it possible. If Dawnglare can balance his duty with his love he had with Mallowlark, I can do the same. His eyes harden with determination, the sound of a stick cracking nearby causing him to jerk his head in the direction of the noise.

I hope that's you, Greeneyes. Please, please be you.. He begs the stars above that it's Greeneyes. I want you to love me as much as I love you. As much as I've always loved you. He thinks desperately, though he feels as if he can take denial if it happens to him. He could continue to watch after Greeneyes from a distance, loving him so completely and wholly even if Greeneyes didn't feel the same. In the past, he had childishly confessed his feelings to his best friend before he had left for the journey, but his feelings weren't direct enough. In the end, Greeneyes had merely re-established their stance of friendship in naivety, disappearing for moons into the mountains.

He wouldn't make the mistake of being indirect this time. He would be blunt, straight to the point, and be forward with his affections for the tom.

Now or never. ​

SKYCLAN MEDICINE CAT ✦ 23 MOONS ✦ CHUNKY, BIG-FOOTED SEAL POINT ✦ TAGS​

 

[GREENEYES]

✧ . Finally, the sun falls, and the moon begins its ascent.

A long day has come to a close, an end to training marked in the lead warrior returning Fluffypaw to camp as flames of red and orange simmer into waves of blues and purples above them.

Though he praises his apprentice, tells her good work today! as he brings her back home, he knows. He knows today’s session wasn’t a strong one. Greeneyes fumbled nearly as much as his niece had, perhaps more. A prime example of what not to do, the lead warrior had made himself out as today. At any point of questioning, he’d blamed it on the weather — on the warm air against his thick fur. His scapegoat of greenleaf’s staunch weather was true, but only partially.

For when they were hunting, when they were trekking the forest, or briefly in the territory’s training grounds — Greeneyes’ mind had been elsewhere. His thoughts found shelter in future moonlight, in the trickling song of the river and sand beneath his paws. His thoughts were here, padding away from camp with the moon rising over his head, shining silvered light against his fur and guiding him forward, toward cream-and-black fur and whatever’s to come.

Greeneyes walked to the mountains and back. He’s trekked across broken bridges, been buried under rubble, stuck in thick undergrowth and chased by dogs. And somehow this walk — one he’s made many times before on his own accord — feels longer, more dangerous.

An uncertainty, a fear gnaws at his stomach. A meeting made in the quiet of the forest, with only he and Fireflyglow as witness — what for? Surely not… Surely not something bad, right? An end? Whispers of friendship no more, paths diverging too far from one another for Fireflyglow to want to spend time with him any longer, to be friends with him any longer?

That can’t — his lungs tighten at the idea, the thought of this, being no more. Of a friendship foraged in youth finally crashing down, of him having to — what, pretend? Pretend that Fireflyglow isn’t… that Fireflyglow isn’t his best friend.

Greeneyes doesn’t think he’d know what to do, who to be, without the medicine cat in his life. It’s a realization that shakes him, that nearly guides him in the opposite direction, away from inevitable confrontation.

But he can’t do that to him. He can’t do that to Fi. No matter what this is, bad or… good.

He jolts at the break beneath his paw, a simple snap of a twig that cuts harsh into the river’s rising song; a placing of his foot he knows better not to take. He knows he’s bound to have scared off any prey in the area with his misstep. But tonight, he’s not out to hunt, to catch an extra meal or two for the fresh-kill pile, and his mind… his mind lies far from a hunter’s mindset, cradled by uncertainty and guided by a swiftly thumping heart as he pushes through long grass and his eyes catch sight of a glowing form under the moonlight.

He is here; full name and all, he — Fireflyglow, his Fi — is here, just as he said he’d be.

“ Fi, “ Greeneyes breathes out in greeting as he pads over to join the medicine cat — his best friend — and breathes in the scent of pine needles and herbs he’ll never quite be able to tell apart or know any other purpose for than to find Fireflyglow in their smell. To find familiarity, comfort.

Oh, why are they here? Why has he asked for him to be here?

Does he step forward, greet him in the only way he knows how? Or is that unfitting for what’s to come? “ Hi, “ he offers forth instead, begging his hooked tail to still behind him, his paws to stop shifting beneath him. ​

✦ ABOUT

• 
  GREENEYES ✦ AMAB. He / Him. Lead Warrior of SkyClan.
  ✧ . A red tabby and white tom with bright green eyes.
  ✧ . Daisyflight x Raven Ramble
  ✧ . Mentored by Sheepcurl ; Mentor to Fluffypaw, formerly Falcongaze
  ✧ . Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted!
  ✧ . Penned by Abri ‣ @_abri_ on discord, feel free to dm for plots!
  ✧ . " Speech " ; Attack
  

​

 

[Fireflyglow]

Fireflyglow knows his best friend better than most cats do- he'd spent so much time near his side, following him around like a loving shadow, that his mannerisms became second-nature to him. Even when he couldn't see, even when he couldn't picture the expression warped with anxiety on Greeneyes' face.. He just, knew. To be asked to meet him in private, in a secluded area that can possibly be seen as an eerie picture. When Greeneyes finally speaks, greeting him with that nickname that always sent his heart aflutter with feelings, Firefly's expression softens instantly.

"You came." He exhales a breath he didn't know he had been holding all this time. He knows he should reassure the tom first, move aside any bad thoughts that may harbor in the orange and white tom's head. "It's nothing bad, Minty. I promise." He speaks in soft tongue, taking a step forward, then another, finding Greeneyes' face and gently pressing his nose into his friend's cheek fur. His scent surrounds him, gripping him as tightly as it always had- clover and pines, sweet and grassy against his nose.

When he pulls back, there's a fierce determination in his milky blues. Say it. His mind begs him, and Fireflyglow knows that he had all the time in the world in this space between them. The moon's light flickers, clouds passing over the shining light before revealing waning crescent once more. His eyes burn with a fire that he cannot explain. His maw opens, then closes, then opens again. His pelt feels warm, too hot for him. Is this how his father felt, when he had confessed his love to Little Wolf in their solitude together? His mouth feels dry. "Back then-" He stops himself, eyes shutting as he stutters. "Back at the gathering before you left for the journey, I told you that I liked you." He pushes through his bubbling embarrassment. "..Y-You didn't take it the way that I meant it." He looks up towards Greeneyes, his body slouching slightly as it always did. At his full size, he was intimidating and scary. Even if Greenie had grown used to his size, he still didn't want to make this confession feel forced onto him.

His paw reaches out, clumsily patting the ground for a moment before it lays itself on Greeneyes' own. His face burns with a red hue, stubbornly meeting Greenie's gaze. "When you returned from the journey, I felt so hurt that you didn't understand my intentions. We were both still so young then." He laughs at himself. "But I won't let you mistake my intentions now." He smiles, determined.

He stands up then, waving his tail for Greeneyes to follow him as he wanders over to the sloshing of water, the river flowing slowly against the windy night breeze. He seats himself by the shallows, a paw reaching in to feel the cool liquid against his pads. Lilypads are not too far from them, floating and sprouting with flowers that he cannot see the beauty of. "I'm in love with you, Minty." He blurts out, tail wrapping around his bulky form. "Like, romantic love. Fierce, intense romantic love for you. I have been in love with you for moons upon moons now." He admits boldly, head tilting as he peers blindly towards his friend. "..I've always been your best friend, and I'm satisfied with being just that. But I cannot, in good conscience, go on pretending that I don't love you as much as I do. When you're in pain, I'm in pain, too. With all of the things we've been through together.. I can't imagine my life without you in it." He smiles, his lips quivering at the corners. "You're my entire world, Minty." His face is alight with brutal flame, cheeks burning like fire.

"I love you, Greeneyes. Under this moon, I promise to you in the name of my mother, father, and sister-" His eyes peer upwards, the sparkling of the stars and the shining of the moon above (are they listening?), before his eyes turn back to Greeneyes with fierce emotion. "-that I love you more than the air that leaves my lungs. If you accept me, I promise that I will continue to love you just as intensely 'til the day Mother claims my body and my soul returns to the stars. No-" He shakes his head. "Longer than that. I will love you even when my fur is littered in stars." He nods, finally sure of himself. "I can't.. Have kits, it's against the medicine cat laws, but I'd like to think.. That our Clan is like my kits, instead. I j-just know, that I want to spend every day of my life from now on as your mate." His resolve never wavers, but his own words feel like they're becoming rambles. "..S-So, let me take care of Dawnglare. I won't let him ruin things between us. I will protect you. O-Okay?"​

SKYCLAN MEDICINE CAT ✦ 23 MOONS ✦ CHUNKY, BIG-FOOTED SEAL POINT ✦ TAGS​

 

[GREENEYES]

✧ . At the breath his friend lets out in greeting — a soft exhale of words in relieved astonishment — Greeneyes wonders if Fireflyglow is just as nervous as he is. For what reason, the lead warrior fears: uncertainty as to how he’ll take the news? As to how this just might end?

“ I have, “ Greeneyes says slowly, a careful tread through words aiming to falter.

Impending doom is a rising storm in his mind at times like this. They’ve always been, and his friend knows this too well. It’s as if the seal point can predict such moments, can see them coming before Greeneyes can — is this a sort of skill medicine cats learn, or is this a sort of gift his best friend has? — for he assures him quickly.

It’s nothing bad, Minty.

It’s nothing bad.

So why does his heart still race as Fireflyglow moves? As the medicine cat moves closer, his heart begs to leap out of his chest, a thrumming only made worse by a night-black nose pressed against his starlit face. The lead warrior tenses, but only for a mere moment, before his head tilts to the side and he leans into the touch.

They’ve always been close like this. Always. Nudges against one another in greeting, a nest shared in sought-after comfort in their youth, fur brushing together as they walk. Always.

But confusion lies in his gaze as Fireflyglow pulls away, as Greeneyes searches for meaning in frosted eyes set upon him.

His best friend guides him to a memory, one forged what feels like lifetimes ago now, but one not forgotten by either of them. A goodbye made in tears and a set of words Greeneyes mulled over throughout his time away from the clans, through lonely nights missing his friend, nights making others. I like you.

And Greeneyes liked him back. Of course — Fireflyglow was his best friend, of course.

But he didn’t take his friend’s words correctly, he learns, as a dark paw reaches out from the cowering form before him, eclipsing his own paw.

He hurt Fi with his words, he learns. His heart sinks — he never meant to hurt them. Words he’d thought were fitting for their last-moment goodbye, even if Fireflyglow’s had confused him. He thought his friend was seeking reassurance in his begging for him to stay, back then. And he…

He is so stupid.

His fur grows hot at the realization of his mistake, at Fireflyglow’s assurance to clarify. At the realization of what this might mean.

His eyes are wide as Fireflyglow stands, his heart racing as he watches the taller wave him over to the edge of the river. The shorter tom follows, finding relief in the cool air surrounding them now, hitting flame-riddled fur. He settles beside the seal point, listening to the river’s song as it fills the silence between them while he waits for the medicine cat to continue.

And when the words are finally spoken, Greeneyes feels that falter in his limbs again, that tightening in his lungs at an unmistakeable sentence. His heartbeat grows louder than the river.

I’m in love with you.

His gaze shifts from floating lily pads to his Fi’s face as he listens to his words — as he listens to a profession of love, one for moons upon moons now, all for him.

Fireflyglow loves him. Wholeheartedly, irrevocably, loves him.

And Greeneyes…

“ Fi, you’re my best friend, “ the tom says when he gets the chance to, his words swift, “ Of course, I like you. “ A repetition of a mistake made moons before, but one he can fix now under the moonlight as he looks up at his friend. He leans upwards, pressing his nose against Fireflyglow’s soot-stained cheek.

“ Of course, I love you, “ he whispers. Words foreign to his tongue, a phrase he thought he’d never get to say to anyone. But he’s here — he’s here, in front of best friend, saying them to him. And he couldn’t imagine saying them to anyone else.

For Greeneyes loves him too.

Wholeheartedly, irrevocably: a realization made all-too-late for feelings inevitably growing, feelings he’d once thought were bound merely in friendship, but not late at all. Because, his Fi is here before him, saying he loves him. He thinks he might’ve loved him all this time, maybe since they shared nests in the apprentice den. He thinks he might love him forever, until they’re in the stars and beyond that.

“ I love you, Fi, “ he says once more as he pulls back, a smile growing on his face and happy tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He chokes out a laugh, trying to keep them at bay.

“ You’re my whole world too. My life, I think… I think it would crumble without you in it. I was so scared that’s what was going to happen tonight, that you’d… that you didn’t want to be friends anymore. And I — I almost went back home, I was so scared, “ With a heart light with giddy relief, Greeneyes laughs once more as he presses his face into Fireflyglow’s chest, “ This is so much better than what I thought was going to happen. “

How foolish of him, to suspect anything else! To fear for the worst, when this is the outcome!

“ I love you, Fireflyglow, “ Greeneyes meows, his gaze peering up at the stars as he echoes his best friend’s sentiment, “ I promise to you in the name of my mother and my brother, that I love you more than the sun and the moon, than the forest and the air I breathe. And I always will. “ Are they listening now, their families? Watching from the stars, wondering what took them so long?

“ Yes, I’ll be your mate, Fi, “ Greeneyes accepts with a grin and a sniffle, “ So long as you’ll be mine, I’ll be yours. “

Always and always and always.

Ginger ears twitch at the mention of a name he’d forgotten during all of this, one that leaves his stomach sinking, leaves him fearing the outcome of the night. A figure more than quick to judge his presence, Dawnglare won’t be pleased by this. How unfair, for the mere thought of the High Priest to shift his joy into something of alarm. But Fireflyglow will take care of it, he insists — he'll protect him from what’s to come, and Greeneyes can only nod his head, can only put his trust in the medicine cat while promising to do the same. To protect him.

“ Okay, I — “ He takes a breath. " Tomorrow, we’ll… We can talk to him tomorrow, yeah? Or.. Or maybe a few days from now...? “ For now, he’d rather stay here, where their love can be just for them, perfect and unharmed by judgmental glares and harsh words.

For now, he moves forward — a bump of his head against a cream shoulder he’d held back on prior. A greeting to his best friend, his mate.

Hello. I love you.​

✦ ABOUT

• 
  GREENEYES ✦ AMAB. He / Him. Lead Warrior of SkyClan.
  ✧ . A red tabby and white tom with bright green eyes.
  ✧ . Daisyflight x Raven Ramble
  ✧ . Mentored by Sheepcurl ; Mentor to Fluffypaw, formerly Falcongaze
  ✧ . Peaceful and healing powerplay permitted!
  ✧ . Penned by Abri ‣ @_abri_ on discord, feel free to dm for plots!
  ✧ . " Speech " ; Attack
  

​