"No, we can stay." Tses felt herself blurting out, and she felt her cheeks tint a tiny bit. She glanced at her boots, then back up at him. "I just... I'm still a little.... I can't get it out of my head..." She felt herself admitting slowly. Her green glow shook slightly with her hands, and she felt the memories drifting through her head. She looked up out the open roof, felt the cold air against her face, but her mind still just felt emptiness. Empty and alone.

Without warning, she crawled from her seat over to his, and wiggled her way into his arms. It was a little awkward to maneuver there, but she was past feeling embarrassed right now. She just felt scared, and didn't know how to handle it. But as she felt the familiar feeling of his arm around her, some of the fear dissipated, and she shut her eyes, trying hard not to let a tear glimmer past. She hated being afraid, but the fear she felt was unlike anything she experienced before. The only comparable feeling was when the house caved in on her and she felt the pain along her back. But she was unconscious for so long after that, she didn't have time to be afraid. This time, she was trapped in her fear, and trapped knowing Ty would never come.... never care about her again. She needed to know that wasn't true. She needed to know he was really staying. She didn't want to be mad anymore. She wanted to be ok.

"Oh..." Ty murmured as she explained. She didn't have to be descriptive, he knew what she was talking about."I know I can't take that back, Tses, but I'll make for damn sure it'll never happen again, okay?" he whispered softly, holding her in his arms, rubbing her back and playing with her hair.

"I'm gonna be here for you, from here on out I'm going to be the boyfriend I'm supposed to be. The boyfriend you need me to be. I don't deserve another chance, but thank you for giving it to me." He just held her, enjoying the warmth of her being in his arms, despite the awkwardness. He slid the seat back, making it more comfortable for the two of them.

"I love you. After what happened, I can't say or show that enough..." He kissed the top of her head, letting his lips linger a bit before pulling away, going back to just holding her.

Tses was used to being the strong one. She was used to holding it all together and when things fell apart, she was the one to pick up the pieces. But this time, she was the one in pieces. This time, she was the one falling apart. She could deal with pain, and she could deal with injury. She could handle so many things, but that feeling... the feeling of being so alone, so helpless...

There was a time not too long ago where she ran into a mutant that made that sort of fear take over. She managed to fight it by getting angry, and she felt she was stronger than her fear. But even then, the feeling of being alone was nearly crippling. Now it felt even more powerful. She closed her eyes, there it was. She was having fun then it returned. She was virtually running from herself, hiding from the demons in her mind. And they were winning.

But Ty was here. She could hear his voice, feel his hands run through her hair and run along her back. It helped keep that fear at bay, and made her feel more like herself. Her hands kept shaking and she was still a mess. But she wasn't going to fall apart. Not right now. "I just feel so....weak, and dumb and stupid..." Tses said, voice cracking slightly. She squeezed her eyes tightly to avoid any tears that would try to appear, and settled against him. "I just.... I don't like falling apart in front of you... I don't like you seeing this side of me..." She whispered, looking up at him. She looked terrified, an expression that rarely crossed her face. She could run across roofs and catwalk above certain death. She could pick fights with people who could snap her in two, and she didn't bat an eye. But this... this was was frightened her the most. Being real, and being vulnerable. He could hurt her so easily if he wanted to, but she trusted him not to.

"I love you too...And as long as you're there for me now, I'll always know you care." She whispered.

"You're not dumb, you're not helpless, and you're not weak," Ty replied, holding her closer, tighter. "Tses, there's a side of me I didn't want you to see. That's part of why I hid...I wanted to kill my old man for what he did to me...and after what he did to you....I snapped. I killed two people when I came for you. And...part of me....enjoyed it...." he admitted slowly.

"I didn't, and still don't know what I'm turning into. That's my fear right now....that I may end up going crazy or hurting you and/or Butterfly in the process...but this is something neither of us has to face alone. I've got your back, and you've got mine." He kissed the top of her head again.

"Tses, you know why I called you Luna earlier?" he asked, changing the subject. "Lunar refers to the moon. Luna refers to much more than your powers though." He cut off the headlights, leaving the pitch black of the night to overtake them. "See? I can't see you, or even my hand in front of my face. But look up. Look at the sky. See the moon? A hole of light in an otherwise overpowering darkness." He turned the headlights back on.

"Tses, that's you. It was when we first met, and it's you now. You are that sliver of light when I feel alone, trapped in the darkness of my own life, my own self. You mean so much to me, an dI almost lost you due to my own mistakes..."

Tses listened to his words and tried to sort out what they meant. He had been worried what she would think if she found out what he thought about doing, which to her seemed sorta silly. She didn't care how mad he was at his dad, or if that changed him a little. As long as it didn't hurt her, and didn't hurt them, it didn't seem to matter. Everyone made their own choices, decided their own lines to cross. "Whatever happens, as long as you're there for us, I don't think it matters. Butterfly may have trouble accepting because she doesn't seem like the type to kill. But me, doesn't change anything."

She opened her eyes and made a tiny face as he repeated the nick-name, but listened to the explanation. Then she gave the tiniest hint of a smile. "I don't feel like I'm much of a light to anyone. Unless I'm just leading you the wrong way... I'm a twisted little moral compass pointing whichever way suits me, so be careful not to follow in my footsteps in that manner." She remarked, but she settled he rhead against his shoulder once more. For some reason right now being in his arms didn't terrify her. It felt safe, and she liked it. "Sometimes it's better not to waste time on the 'almost' things in life. Just focus on what does happen. That's enough to handle."

Ty nodded, biting his lip as he thought on this. Then, he looked down at her. "When we met, it was the first time in a long time I actually laughed. I'm no Mr. Perfect but..." He paused, scratching his chin. "If it makes us happy, is it really the wrong way?" he asked her thoughtfully.

He rested his head against hers, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment. For some reason, this seemed to make all of the bad go away. Everything always seemed perfect when she was nestled in his arms. His left hand pulled the glove off of his right, letting his bare palm rest against her cheek.

Tses always felt like she was learning with Ty. Learning how to relax, or how to enjoy a moment, or even how to let someone care about her. Usually, she hated those moments, because they made her feel dumb and confused. But right, she was appreciating them. The tension left her shoulders, and she relaxed into his touch. as his skin brushed across her cheek she looked up at him, and blushed slightly but smiled. "I know I'm not great at saying it, or showing it....but you mean a lot to me.... I didn't know what to do without you. I like having you around..." She reached up, and let her fingers run across his jawline, and the sensation sent little chills up her arm. Like every time she was close to Ty, she was frightened but she loved the feeling. Perhaps, he was his own variety of danger to her. He was a danger because she kept falling more in love with him.

"Is it dumb that sometimes you only realize what you have when you think you're losing it?" Tses said quietly. she looked at his face, putting all the details to memory. When he was gone, she wished she had paid more attention to the little details like the subtle color of his eyes, and the way his hair fell. She got him back, and she had a chance to make things work this time. But she was still worried she would ruin it somehow.

Ty smiled, hearing her say what he meant to her. Deep down he always knew she felt that way, but sometimes he just needed to hear her say it, because it let him know for sure. He shuddered slightly at her touch on his jawline, it sent a jolt of chills down his spine that he'd never really felt before. The man could only wonder if this was how he made her feel.But instead of being afraid of it, Ty embraced it.

"No, it's not. I've done the same thing," he explained softly. "When we have our...spats...or those moments where we seem to not get along....I tell myself I don't care. I even try not to care....but I care. Earlier today, I was reminded just how much I need you." Pulling her closer, he leaned in and instinctively kissed her like he never had before.

Only after their lips touched did he realize what he was doing. But he didn't pull back, instead, he merely waited for her. Maybe she wouldn't hurt him too badly...

"I was reminded just how much I need you..."

The words echoed in her head as his lips met hers, and she found herself taken off guard, but this time it was in a good way. Rather than the jolt of fear that usually rushed through her veins and caused her to lash out, she felt the tingling butterflies rush through her stomach. When people said a good kiss was like electricity, they weren't lying. It traveled through her like little tendrils of tickling energy, and made her feel strong, made her feel brave again. It felt different...but it felt right.

His lips seemed to hesitate against hers, and she knew why. Every time he tried showing how he felt, she pushed him away. But for the second time that day, she returned the kiss, letting her lips linger then looking up at him and letting her hand slip back and move through his hair. The dark shadows in the corner of her mind started to melt away, and she just felt happy.

Honestly, truly....happy.

"I guess we just needed each other more than we realized..." She whispered. It was dark outside, but the stars and the moon glimmered with light. It was just like them: finding a little piece of light after the darkness.

A wide grin was on Ty's face after the kiss, his eyes slightly closed as his heart and stomach fluttered. That, he definitely wasn't expecting, but it was the single most amazing feeling he'd felt in his entire life. Feeling her hand through his hair sent a shudder through him, and he merely held her close, just loving and cherishing this moment.

His hand moved to her side, resting there as he looked into her eyes. "Yeah. I guess the saying proves true. You never know what you have until it's gone. But luckily...we got each other back." He smiling, not realizing exactly where his hand was resting. It was on her side, but given their current position it was more...level with her chest.

When he realized something felt...off...he froze. He didn't move a muscle, scared to look and see if his hand was where he thought it was. Ohhhh crap....

Tses enjoyed the kiss, and the moment felt nice. But then she felt Ty's hand wander, and the moment was gone. Eyes sharpening ever so slightly, she wiggled so it was back at her waist at flicked his nose. He looked terrified enough she doubted he did it on purpose, but it it seemed like a signal to her they had probably been cuddly for too long. "We can probably head back now... You gotta visit your sister still." She said. She started to climb back to her seat, then paused, turned back and kissed him on the cheek then scampered back to her spot. While her face looked normal, there was the tiniest hint of pink on her cheeks. She was learning, true, but some things took a little more time.

Settling back in her seat, she glanced at him with a little twinkle in her eye. It was a sort of dangerous twinkle, that warned he may still be in trouble, but may not be. She hadn't done anything really violent....yet...but it was hard to tell what the results would be once they returned the car.

Ty said nothing, but he heaved a sigh of relief. His eyes showed a look of apology when he glanced over at her, but his heart was racing. That look in her eye was one he never could determine the motives of. That twinkle could have been good or evil, but the only way to know was to wait. Oh well. Guess it was just time to take it as it was.

Cranking up the car, he threw it into gear and sped off into the night, going the same way they'd come from. "I will, but it's getting late now. And I'd feel kinda....bad if I left you right now..." he murmured, blushing. However, being with her made him fear for his life right now too. Thanks to his little accident...

They reached the neighborhood both of them knew well, maybe a few blocks away from where the car was stolen, and suddenly the car sputtered to a stop. Looking down, Ty realized the fuel gauge was on E. Great...Throwing the car into park, Ty opened his door. "Close enough, I guess....hope you don't mind walking? We ran outta gas..."

As the car stopped, Tses glanced around. It wasn't too far away, and it wasn't snowing so that was good. She gave a shrug and clambered out of the car, going through the still open roof without even bothering with the door. She landed gracefully and turned to face him with a smirk. "You act like I'm used to getting driven places." She chuckled, and started off with a smirk and a toss of her head.

Around them, the city moved on with the nighttime hum of activity. She wondered how Butterfly was doing, and felt guilty for keeping Ty for so long. But letting Ty go check on her gave her a lonely ache in her stomach. It wasn't really something she wanted to think about one way or another. She slowed her pace, waiting for Ty to catch up, and glancing up at the sky. The stars were harder to see here, with the city lights reflecting against them. But it was still pretty enough.

"True, true. I gotta admit, I liked cruising the open roads with ya. Cops or no cops," he replied, catching up with her, taking in the sights and sounds of the New York nightlife. Sure, they were a familiar scene, but sometimes it just felt good to just take everything in, especially considering recent events. He slipped his arm around her shoulder as they walked, and he began to relax again.

Of course, this was after making sure his hand was where it was supposed to be. Otherwise, the walk was relatively quiet, and her apartment soon came into view. As they walked inside, Ty removed his arm from around her, brushing his hair out of his face before stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Uhm.." he started. "Just so you know....earlier was an accident..." he stammered, blushing pink as he looked away.

The weight of Ty's arm on her shoulder was lifted some of the turmoil in her mind. He kept saying she was the light to him, but lately it felt like he was the light to her. She was somewhere teetering on the edge of fear, and he kept pulling her back. In the middle of the crowded city, she felt alone until he was there beside her. She didn't know how she would ever get back to her normal fearless self. Right now, it felt so far out of her grasp, it wasn't worth considering. Her right arm shook slightly and she crossed both arms across her chest to help stop it. The cold air ruffled her face and neck, bringing the much needed air to her face, and she watched the few people walking past as Ty spoke. She snorted a little laugh and glanced at him with a look that was hard to place.

"Yeaaahhh I figured as much. If I catch you intentionally trying something, my response will be a little bit more...oh what's the word?" She let the green light flicker across her arms and the tendrils lit up her face with dangerous shadows. "Explosive." Then she let it fade and gave a shrug, pulling closer to him.

"One step at a time. Just enjoy the chase." She winked at him, and then looked away with a smile. She didn't know if they would ever be a normal couple, especially when both were thieves and pick-pockets. But they could try to make things as normal as possible.