heart as cold as ice [blythe]

Ron had been at the beach when the attacks had begun. He had barely enough time to make sure his sister was okay, nevermind getting armour or weapons. He managed to get off of the beach and to his cabin, but not unscathed. His right cheek was bruised a deep blue with edges of green, and cuts were scattered over his face and body. Another bruise was forming on his chest. Ron felt it as he gingerly pulled on armour. His face was in a grimace, but his blue and green eyes were filled with a set determination. Though the zombie invasion was only a month ago, Ron was prepared to protect his camp once more. Grabbing a knapsack and supplies, Ron went through what he would need to get done. Food, water, extra weapons, armour, a safe house.
Kim.
Though they weren’t together anymore, Ron still cared deeply for the daughter of Khione. He hadn’t seen her since she had came back, and in the battle on the beach, Ron hadn’t a chance to find her. His sister was safe, but now he had to make sure his beloved Kim was. Quickly snapping the last pieces of metal to his body, he grabbed his knapsack and ran out the door.
It took him an hour. An hour saving campers, an hour killing monsters, an hour running through camp trying to find Kim. He had scoured the buildings, skimmed through the beach, and asked every Khione camper he found. After a while, the only place in camp left was Half-Blood Hill. And there, Kim was sitting, beautiful as ever, dimly shown in starlight and the flashes of battle.
“Kim!” Ron ran to her. Remembering their current relationship, he stopped within a yard of her. “What’re you doing here? We’re under attack! You should be at the Big House, or the Armory, or at the very least, at your own cabin!” His breathing was ragged, and as the adrenaline slipped out of his body, he started to feel the new set of wounds he had acquired during the hour. He slumped, and his face fell. “I was worried about you.”

Ron stepped forward, cutting the space between them even smaller. His voice begged for him to shout I love you, I need you, you’re not a waste of space, but the words that came out were hoarse and tired. “Kim, I’m not the only one. Your siblings have been worried sick about you, and so has Blythe, and the rest of your friends. I have reason to worry about you. And I have no one else to worry about.” He took out his key, snapped it in half, and in the blink of an eye, a two-handed Celestial Bronze sword appeared in his hands. He held it limply by his side.
“I wanted to make sure you were safe. I wanted to, Kim. And I’ve learned if you use your time to do what you want, it’s not a waste of time.” He stepped forward.
“You’re not a waste of time. Now, can you please come with me?”  His voice was strained and hurt. “I can take you to a safe house. Some campers took hold of the Big House, Armory, and the Library. I can take you to your cabin if you want. But can you just please come with me so I know you’re safe?”
He stepped forward once more, and the space between them was so small, he could reach out and touch Kim’s hair. But he restrained himself.
“Please, Kim?”

Ron almost laughed. Sitting down, a foot away from Kim, he tossed his sword next to him. "I don't want to be around you? You're not good enough?" Despite the severity of the situation, and the immense pain he felt at Kim’s words, he allowed himself the leisure of chuckling. "Kim, I just went through a battlefield to get to you. To find you, I had to save three campers, kill a hellhound, and interrogate every sibling of yours. They are worried about you, they care.”  He folded his hands into his lap, taking in every inch of the girl before him. There was a time where he would’ve loved carefully, when he would’ve done everything in his power to be out of the way and not bother anyone, but then he met Kim. He got to know Kim. He got to learn the feel of her skin, the mirth of her laughter, and the sparkles in her eyes. He had never loved so recklessly, never stood up for what he loved without this girl.
Ron desperately wanted an “us” to be there again. To be a Ron and Kim, loving and protecting each other. But their relationship right now was fragile, and he was tiptoeing around the line between “okay” and “too far.” And every word Kim said drove another splinter into his heart, adding to all the other heartbreaks he allowed this girl to put him through. Despite all that, Ron wasn’t going to leave her here, alone, to face whatever was in store for them down at the battlefield. He shrugged off his knapsack and pulled out two water bottles, two chocolate bars, a salve, and bandages. He gently pushed the one chocolate bar and bottle towards Kim.
“I’m not leaving you alone. No matter how much you hate me, I still love you, and even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t leave you alone on this hill.”
With a sad smile, he turned around to face the camp. There were flashes of green fire all over the place, and endless roars rent the air into pieces. He sighed. Ron was going have to go back into the fray sooner or later, and he would rather be somewhat in good shape when he did. Quickly slipping off his armor, he slipped off his shirt and began to apply salve to his various injuries. The cool breeze on top of the hill revealed several cuts on his back, ones he couldn’t reach. Sighing, he resigned himself to wrapping a bandage around his chest, holding him together.
But he was still falling apart.

Ron pressed his hand against hers, holding it against his cheek. Her fingers were cold, but Ron was used to that. In the dim light of the night, he saw tears glistening on Kim’s face. Her ice blue eyes seemed soft in the darkness, and her hair was shining in the starlight.
Did he still love her, after all she had put him through?
Suddenly memories poured in unbidden, memories of the short time he had with Kim, beautiful and painful. There was the winter fair from last year, and the icy rollercoaster and snowball fight, and Ron laughing and Kim smiling. There was the date at the movies, and they were watching Dream House, and a blur of memory where they were attacked, and then their first kiss.
Then the painful return of Kim. He had begged Chiron to allow him to go out and look for her, and after months of pleading, Chiron finally relented. Then came the harsh months where Ron went everywhere to find Kim. He tried family, friends, family friends, and after many more months of searching, he came back to camp. There was always a small flicker of hope that Kim would return but after the hunt that Ron had been on, that light was very, very small. As soon as he put his mind to rest, suddenly Kim was back in his life in a whirlwind and Ron was breathless, and all he focused on then was getting Kim back. He didn’t realize he would still have to find her in the sea of depression she had lost herself in.

There was a burning in his chest and eyes and suddenly his other hand was tangled in her hair, bringing her closer, bringing beautiful Kim closer. He was about to step over the line, but he didn’t care. He needed her.
But did he still love her?
He smiled, and whispered, “Of course.”
The space between their lips disappeared.