The nights were always quiet, hauntingly so especially for tonight. It seemed colder, Suo could tell the warmth felt lesser this particular evening. It felt colder.
Suo sat in her bunk, knowing that the quiet one above would already be asleep to provide any sort of weirdness like last night. She sat there, her fingers fiddling with each other, her fingerpads grazing over her nails.
It was then the door the female quaters creeked open, Orion in the doorway and spotting Suo. "What are you doing...?" Suo whispered, quickly standing up and rushing over to Orion.
"I could say the same for you." Orion mumbled, surprised to see Suo awake at such hour. "Wanna go outside...? I was kinda looking if anyone else was awake anyways." Orion extended his hand, pausing for a moment when Suo took it without much hesitation than the other times.
"I can't sleep either. I might as well go with you." Suo let Orion drag her out of the room, the door closing quietly behind the pair as they quietly traversed the halls.
"Maybe this is why you get in trouble so often." Orion spoke to himself, their feet making soft patters against the cold white floor. At least his hand was there to keep her warm. That's what mattered most.
"Me? You asked me to come." Suo retorted back, moving her fringe out of the way of her eyes as they navigated the halls. "I said yes out of politeness." Suo quickened her steps, making pace with him and eventually making a steady rhythm.
"Sure." He squeezed Suo's hand, eventually opening the door to the fake garden in Anakt. "Come on. Let's just... play around a bit, okay?" Orion led Suo to the piano in the ground. He let go of Suo's hand, walking to the other end and stepping on a low note.
"For the one telling me to not get in trouble, you are being quite rebellious at the moment." Suo stepped on a higher note, approaching Orion as the keys made lower notes as she approached. "Thought you said I should stay out of trouble at all costs?" Suo questioned, her brown eyes meeting his green ones.
"So? Why now?" Suo asked, tensing as Orion reached out and brushed his knuckle against her cheek. "... And stop doing that." She took hold of Orion's wrist, lowering his hand.
"You don't like it?" Orion asked, the notes already dying down and the piano staying quiet. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He rushed to make that fact known, most likely not wanting to come off as a creep. "Really-"
Suo placed her other hand over his mouth, her cold palm pressed against his warm lips. He got the hint, his voice dying down. "Don't... say anything more." Suo mumbled, eventually lowering her hand and letting it stay on her side.
"I'm not a creep to you, right...?" Orion asked quietly, expecting an answer. Suo only let out a sigh, her gaze going elsewhere. "I'm sorry." Orion eventually leaned over, pressing his forehead on her shoulder.
"Well... you're... touchy." Suo lowly whispered, reaching up a hand and placing it on his shoudler, unable to say more than that. "You keep me warm. I can't deny that though." She admitted it quietly, her gaze drifting of to the side.
"At least I can provide you that." He mumbled into her neck, his eyes glancing upwards at Suo. "Kinda like when we first met, right?" Orion recalled, remembering it well. How could he not?
—
"This is your new classmate, Suo." The purple alien pushed the young child forward, letting her stumble. Orion, approached her before she could fall, catching her with no strain at all.
"Are you alright...?" Orion asked, tensing at the sight of the young girl. She looked pale, too pale. White as snow, thinner than most kids he had seen around. Practically bones, even.
"I am." Her voice was soft, quiet. 'Suo', the alien said her name was. "Thank you." Suo stabilized herself, her hair in her eyes. Orion eventually let go, letting the girl stand on her own. "I am sorry for... falling on you. I'm dirty." Suo apologized, making a small bow of apology with her head.
"No! No, it's fine." He reached out, noticing the flinch that she had before his hands made contact with hers. "Are... Sorry- are you not comfortable with me touching your hands?" Orion glanced down her hands, seeing the purple finger tips that graced her hands.
"... It's... a bit weird feeling warm." Suo said quietly, her hands trembling in his while his thumb caressed her palm. His finger tips grazed her skin, gently massaging the blood vessels under her skin.
"I can keep you warm!" Orion quickly spoke up, causing Suo to flinch at his sudden enthusiasm. "I- I can do it! I'll keep you warm, and you'll share your cold!" Orion's smile was bright, clear as day.
Suo swore she saw an personification of the God she wanted so desperately to escape to.
"Okay then, I'll let you keep me warm." She spoke quietly, gazing into his eyes. "But uh... can you lessen the grip maybe...?" Suo glanced down, seeing the tight grip Orion had on her hands.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry! But... My name is Orion, okay? So if you wanna find me, just call my name!" Orion loosened his grip, caressing the reddened skin afterward.
Suo could see it. Maybe it was the lighting. God doesn't exist in such a world anymore. But, here he was, in front of her. It was if he was purity personified. She just sullied him with her touch... she was certainly unworthy if he were to retain his purity.
"You... can let go now. My hands are sweating." Suo nervously tugged away, Orion's grip slipping from her hands. She stared at her hands, then her gaze drifting to Orion's , his perfect- slightly calloused but smooth.
"Too hot?" Orion asked, glancing at his own hands. The two's eyes eventually looked up and met, gazing into each other's eyes before a voice spoke up.
"Oi-ron!" Hands wrapped around Orion's neck, a sing-song voice of a male's. Suo looked past Orion, seeing a taller male than Orion, and practically double Suo's size. "Oh! Hi, Soren!" Orion's eyes lit up at seeing the older male.
Suo stood there, a wrenching feeling in her gut. Even if she was an imp, she could tell he was one of the seven sins.