**suicidal mentions here**

--

Things get better bby

Location: ???

Mindless conversations seemed to fuel the fire (Y/n) and her crew huddled around. The warmth it radiated was so welcoming. Night had fallen and the sky was littered with stars. The moonlight wrapped (Y/n) with a feeling she couldn't describe.

Gazing up at the sky she was. Thoughts raced throughout her mind but none of them could she focus on. She sat slouched atop a log, with her elbows resting on her knees and her chin propped up with her hands. Every so often she would glance at the glowing fire, watching the flames dance freely.

'How nice would it be... to be as free as those flames?' (Y/n) thought.

'Don't be so cheesy, (Y/n).' Her brows furrowed at the thought and she turned away, facing the muddy ground.

'Nothing interesting down here.'

Her eyes fluttered shut as a feeling of sadness washed over her. Tears burned and brimmed her eyes quicker than ever. She didn't dare open her eyes and face her friends. With quivering lips, (Y/n) tried her hardest to contain little sobs that threatened to escape. A hand covered her mouth before anyone noticed.

Silent tears fell down her face like rain. Her eyes started to hurt from being closed so tight. She felt her face growing red; hating the feeling.

'Oh (Y/n), just take a look at how weak you are!' Her own mind mocked her and she shook her head, wishing she never heard it.

The sudden feeling of someone placing a hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality, making her eyes shoot open, though never daring to look that person in the eye.

"(Y/n)?"

'Oh Dempsey, please don't make me look up.'

The rest of the crew was knee-deep in discussion for following plans, seemingly unknowing of (Y/n)'s current state. Tank edged closer to (Y/n), being as she was farthest away from the guys and the fire. The air grew colder the closer Tank got to her.

"(Y/n)?" Tank called again, this time his voice barely above a whisper.

She sniffled and faced him without a word. A soft sob escaped her lips.

Worry settled in Tank immediately. Instead of just engulfing her in a hug, he held his arms out to her, unknowing of whether she would accept a little embrace. Without a second thought, (Y/n) threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, crying softly. Dempsey held her, stroking her hair and trying to sooth her.

The American never glanced over his shoulder, he knew his friends were sneaking concerned looks.

The world seemed darker than ever, like everything was caving in on her. A light tap to her shoulder made her peek up at the ice-blue eyes staring down at her. Tank wiped her tears with his thumb. With a sigh, (Y/n) rose to her feet and glanced around the dampened forest that surrounded their group.

"Everything alright, liebling?" Richtofen asked, worry lacing every word. (Y/n) merely nodded in response, with a few tears trailing down her face.

In utter silence, (Y/n) walked away from her friends and into the misty forest. She crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. All she wished for was to be alone; more specifically, to be alone with one other.

)Y/n) achieved a fair distance from the crew, though not to far; the fire they made was still visible. She wandered aimlessly, kicking a few pebbles below her. By now, her tears had dried and left the feeling of frustration upon her. She felt guilty for showing her weakness to the crew.

'They hate you (Y/n)!'

Turning on her heel, she faced away from the illuminating fire, now staring into the abyss of the forest. She leant against one of the many looming trees, simply taking in the scenery with awe.

'There's always beauty in darkness.' (Y/n) shook her head with a small smile, seeming unimpressed with her own thoughts.

Leaves crunching sounded from behind her. They grew louder with each step. (Y/n) peeked from behind the tree and saw a figure approaching her. Once the figure grew close enough, she could see who it was.

'Dempsey!' (Y/n) yelled mentally.

She gave a tiny wave to him, earning a kind smile in return.

"How you holding up?" Dempsey asked, leaning against the tree with his shoulder.

(Y/n) put her head in her hands and sighed.

Dempsey raised his eyebrows with worry. "If you don't want to talk about it, I understand." He spoke.

The girl perked up. "It's not that I don't want to talk about it," She started, as her eyes met his. "I just feel like I'm showing how weak I am when I open up about things."

Before (Y/n) could think, Tank spoke quickly.

"You're not weak at all. You're probably one of the strongest people I know." He said in the softest voice.

(Y/n) could only stare at Dempsey, unsure whether to believe him.

"Count it, how many times have you thrown your life to the zombies just to help one of us?" He asked.

"Well-" She was cut off.

"A lot. And I can't say we ain't thankful for all those times."

(Y/n) went back to thinking. She sat at the foot of the tree, Dempsey doing the same beside her.

"But, those were only a few times. It's no big deal." She commented.

Dempsey paused for a moment. "Stop doubting yourself."

"Sorry." She bowed her head.

"Don't be."

Tank moved to sit closer to (Y/n). Their hands grasped each others and instantly he felt the coldness of her body. The girl shivered as Dempsey wrapped an arm around her, bringing her closer to try to warm her.

"I can give you my jacket." Dempsey offered.

"No it's fine. I'm not cold." (Y/n) lied.

Tank let go of the girl, only to take off his jacket and drape it over her shoulders. Immediately, (Y/n) caught the scent of purely Dempsey, making her heart warm.

(Y/n) sat slightly hunched over, with her knees brought up to her chest. Hardly ever did she meet Tanks eyes, considering how captivating they were. Dempsey gazed at her. She caught the sight of the childish grin on his face and giggled.

The smile she held faltered fast. Her gaze went to the trees once again.

"Something's bothering you? What is it?" Dempsey asked.

"Do you ever just..." She brushed some hair out of her face. "Do you ever just feel like giving up?"

"I guess we can all feel that way. I can't say I haven't with regards to this whole apocalypse." Tank replied.

"But I mean, have you ever considered just putting a gun to your head? I have..." She spoke quickly.

"(Y/n)." Tank said, almost harshly.

That made her look at him. His expressions went from agitated, to sad, to frightful, almost.

'What're you doing (Y/n)?!' She mentally shouted, cursing at her behaviour.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Dempsey wrapped both his arms around the girl, wanting to comfort her as much as possible. He pulled his jacket around her once more, finding it falling from her body. He planted a gentle kiss to her forehead. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her had to face him.

Tank's lips met hers. Considering how cold the air around them was, his lips could still be so warm and soft. (Y/n) melted into the kiss, sliding her arms around his neck. They broke away and (Y/n) drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment.

"I'm sorry I say the things I say." She said. "I'm so stupid."

"Stop being so hard on yourself all the time."

"I'm honestly surprised you would want to kiss someone like me." (Y/n) spoke quietly.

Though (Y/n) never looked up at Dempsey, he could tell he spoke with a smile on his face. "Do I have to go through all the reasons why I love you?"

She breathed a laugh. "Damn it Tank."

(Y/n) placed a kiss to his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck. Dempsey embraced her in return.

"Really though, I love you." Tank confessed.

"I figured that a while ago." She giggled. "I love you too."

They stayed in their hug for some time. It was their only sense of serenity.

A cold breeze whirled around them, causing the pair to shiver.

"Should we go back to the others?" (Y/n) questioned.

"That's probably best." Tank replied.

Tank stood and held out a hand for the girl, which she accepted. She gripped his jacket tightly, tugging it around her body.

"You want your jacket back at all?" She asked.

"It's all yours."

"You sure?" She said as Dempsey nodded.

Their hands, on instinct, grasped each others, their fingers intertwining. A dusty-orange glow still emitted from the fire, so they headed towards it.

'Perhaps things will be better.' She thought.

(Y/n) looked to Dempsey, catching him smile at her.

'Yeah, definitely.'