i'll be here 'til the end of time

two .

linh

I handed the list to Fitz, and he studied it. "Huh."

"What?"

"... nothing. Anyway, this is ..." He trailed off. I couldn't blame him. What word could you use to describe being on someone's - no, his girlfriend's - match list? It wasn't great. It couldn't be great. The matchmaking system was unfair and fucked up and destroyed people. Yet, it wasn't bad either. It just was.

Wasn't this what I wanted?

"Yes." I hadn't realized I'd answered my own question out loud until Fitz's head snapped up. "Sorry, I- uh, I meant that, it's- it's good y'know? It'll make things a lot, um, easier!"

Easier. I sounded like I was lying out of my ass. This was awesome.

But Fitz relaxed. "Yeah. Let's open mine now."

Linh Hai Song was not first on his match list, thankfully, and instead twelfth. And after all, this was Fitz's third packet, not his first. So, in all, the entire match thing felt less "elven-society-will-murder-you-if-you-don't-get-together" and more like "I have a choice, thank god." A smile made its way onto my face somehow.

"So... what does this mean?"

Fitz shrugged. "It doesn't really mean anything. We can just keep going like normal."

"Keep going?" I teased, giggling. "What does 'keep going' mean?"

Fitz reddened. "I don't know!"

We were both laughing by then. I felt relieved. Nothing had changed. Nothing would change.

But somehow, it all still felt wrong.

"LINH!!" Marella squealed, ducking and avoiding the sprinkles of water I was tossing at her.

"If you keep screaming like that, someone's going to think you caught the house on fire." I smirked.

"Maybe that would be a good thing, at least they'd come and help me."

"Mare, I hate to break it to you, but they'd probably run in the opposite direction."

"Quit calling me Mare while you're attacking me, you bi- aaAHHHHH!!!" She screamed when I got her in the eye. "UNFAIRNESS! THIS IS SO UNFAIR!"

"I'm tired of playing babysitter," Tam grumbled from a corner, drenched in a combination of water and soggy ripplefluffs.

"Yikes, Bangs Boy." Marella glanced his way. "You better get yourself cleaned up before Biana gets here."

"Biana's coming and you didn't even bother telling me!?" Tam yelped. "And you decided to have a food fight instead? You guys are nuts."

"Relax, she'll probably love you more if she sees you covered in flour, like all cute couples." I told him as he stalked towards his bedroom. "Also, I didn't decide to have a food fight, Marella tried eating my ripplefluffs!"

"SHUT UP!" Tam yelled from his room as Marella sighed.

"This is true," she admitted. "They just looked so goooood."

"I hope it was worth it." I rolled my eyes.

"It... was, but maybe not for the reason you're thinking?" She turned a little pink at this and got up off the now sticky kitchen floor. "Anyway, do you mind if I have a shower or something?"

"You're not the one covered in ripplefluffs," I deadpanned. "But go ahead. I'll clean up."

"Love you Linhhhh!" She blew me a kiss as she skipped away.

I sighed as I stared at the floor. I had the sudden urge to break something.