Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to Pixelberry
Summary: MC (Millie) and Diego talk about his insecurities
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The sun was starting to set on the island, dark pink and purple hues ushering in dusk. Millie, with a rare moment to herself, sat on the sandy beach and watched the waves crash in the Caribbean Sea. Her attention moved to the Wolf Mask sitting next to her and she picked it up, inspecting it – the craftsmanship was impeccable, no detail left behind. After a quick survey of her surroundings, she put on the mask.
Diego had spotted his best friend several yards back and attempted to jog over to her. He never was very skilled at running on a beach. Since their reunification a few days prior, they hadn’t gotten a chance to spend any time alone together. Six months had passed and there was a lot to catch up on. “Hello there, Vaanti warr – aah!” His scream was a few octaves higher than he would have liked anyone to hear. Dropping next to her, he reached for the mask and pulled it off her face. “Warn a guy next time.” Laughing, Millie wrapped an arm around her friend, giving him a squeeze.
With her arm still around him, she studied her friend. Though it’d only been six months, his hair had grown past his ears, almost to his shoulders. His usually bare face was covered with a mustache and beard. Sighing, she smiled. This look was good on him, made him seem happier, freer.
As he moved his leg to cross it over the other, Millie noticed him wincing. “You alright, Diego?” He nodded, rubbing his shin.
“Yeah. Went for a long run with Varryn this morning. Limbering up for Valinorim.” She cocked her head towards him, raising an eyebrow. Diego Ortiz Soto did not go for runs, especially long ones. “Hey! During those six months, we spent a lot of time running and practicing sparring. I like it. It’s fun.”
Slowly shaking her head, she patted his arm. Millie knew Diego far too well. Her eyes shifted to the horizon, the sky quickly darkening. “You did great today with that sparring match. Especially against Craig.”
“Thanks.” He let out a deep breath. “Not like you, though. You were a badass climbing up on Jake’s shoulders and getting that disc … goal … point … thing.” The Wolf Mask was between them and he picked it up. “I wish I would have gotten this. Impress Varyyn.”
“Diego …” That confession alone affirmed her suspicions. “You don’t need this mask to impress him.”
“He’s the freaking Elyyshar, Millie!” Diego whined helplessly. “Why would he like a guy like me? I hate running. My sparring skills are rudimentary at best.” His speech sped up, “I never want to be on one of those hang gliders again. He doesn’t get my pop culture references!”
Luckily, it was dark enough that Diego didn’t see the look of sadness on Millie’s face. Her friend never seemed to be confident in the amazing person that he was – unless when it came to his writing and pop culture references. Tilting her head back and closing her eyes, she thought about when they first got to know each other at Hartfeld. He had evaded discussing his upbringing, making vague comments about his parents’ blue-collar careers – especially when trying to rush at the Alpha Theta Mu frarority. Not wanting to pull a four year ‘Romy and Michelle’ scenario, pretending his parents developed a popular small business iPhone app, he dropped out of contention.
Millie moved to crouch in front of her friend. At her new angle, Diego could make out her face with the lights of Elyys’tel in the distance behind her. “Maybe, just maybe, that’s not what he likes about you.” Looking down, she took Diego’s hands into her own. “After we won that wind disc game earlier, Varyyn sat Taari down and actually went through the entire Star Wars storyline.”
“Including the prequels?!”
“Including the prequels.” Millie adjusted to a seated position. “He hangs on to every word you say.”
“Yeah,” Diego pouted, “to learn English.”
Shaking her head, she squeezed his hands. “You were there for him after Ximaedra died. When he was crowned Elyyshar.” Her hands moved to either side of his face. “Diego, do you trust me?” He nodded. “First of all, he’s literally been living on a rock so he won’t understand the pop culture references … yet. Second of all, he likes you. For you. For the wonderful person that you are.”
Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, Diego pulled his best friend in for a hug. “Yeah, I trust you.”
They held each other for a few moments until they heard someone coming towards them. Pulling away they saw Varyyn. “I have found you!” Reaching out a hand to both of them, he pulled them up. “I thought I had seen you two but Seraxa said I was wrong.” He beamed. “Could I BE any more right?!”
