[attr="class","matias"]she doesn't leave — she persists, and matias grins at the change of pace that's both expected and unexpected at the same time. he's not sure which he prefers yet, but he'll have a taste and find out.

"how rude of me," he downs his drink, places it on the bar, then reaches for her hand, touch gentle as ever. "whenever you're ready."

[attr="class","noodles"]illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]”absolutely rude,” her smile doesn’t falter. instead, it grows teeth and bite, sinking and sinking into dangerous territory. predatory, carnal, cruel, a mild shard of a deity’s missed bond slowly bleeding back in. ”can’t say i exactly mind. i’ve handled worse men.” each lion reduced to a purring kitten. her pride grows.

his touch is gentle, slipping between spaces of her fingers and settling. she allows it if only out of desire and curiosity. will he continue to be this gentle? will she have to pluck aggression from him with her own nails?

”lead the way.”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]the walk from whatever boujee bar they were at to the hotel is brief. the skyscraper of a building towers over them, its lights bright against the darkness of night. his touch grows hungrier, more aggressive, and the moment the elevator doors slide shut, he's giving into his cravings.

lips meet and he savors her taste. the distance between the elevator to the room blurs as the door shuts behind them, leaving them to their desires.

[attr="class","noodles"]illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]once an accident, twice a coincidence, thrice a habit. does this elevator tryst count as two or three? realistically probably three, but regardless, it’s a pattern shoved into existence and kept there by aggressive hunger left unchecked.

a button isn’t even pressed before she’s giving in to everything he offers. the press of lips, the breathy sigh breathed and swallowed up, the backing of him against a wall.

and now that she has him right where she wants him, she’s sinking claws in and bleeding him dry. the beginning tendrils of faint mist swirl off her body, painting the elevator in a fairy-esque glow.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]faint mist do not go unnoticed — he peers at them through narrowed eyes, noticing how they slowly paint the elevator. they curl up towards the vents, rising with every passing breath.

hands wander. one rests on her thigh, finding its place under shapely curves. she presses him against the wall, taking control. to submit goes against his nature, but for her, he considers it, just for this night.

the elevator dings, the doors slide open, and after a brief stumble, they find themselves in the room. lights flick on automatically and here, matias waits to follow her lead.

[attr="class","noodles"]illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]she doesn't pay much attention to her mist anymore, not in the way he does. it's an afterthought now, so woven into her dna that she doesn't even feel when it leaves. the days after the assembly led to control, to balance, to power. and now, in the confines of this elevator, he sees a new form of illeana reyes: the beginning of stepping into power owed.

she's absorbed in him, in the moment, in the feeling of finally being in charge. it's a power trip she's needed, one that keeps her hungry for more. the elevator dings, doors slowly opening, and she's stumbling right off. bearings are gained with each step until the room surrounds them. the door clicks shut and there's not an ounce of patience left in her body.

he allows her the control, the lead, the power. she's quick to smile, existing halfway between mischievous and dangerous. and yet, her movements are slow, savory, as if she wants to take her time. she starts with the closing of distance, with the leaning in for a kiss.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]patience is a trait he has never quite had a grasp on. he is restless and aggressive and confident and much more — all of which carry him forward. they are what allow him to move so freely, act so freely, and they set the prelude for the night to come.

slow and savory are easily overpowered. the scales tilt, balance shifting as he presses her against the wall. his hand wanders low, past the threshold of fabric, but not past proboards tos.

a restless night awaits them.

[attr="class","noodles"]illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]she wakes to daylight, filtered in through cracks in blinds and left to illuminate a hazy room. a pink undertone coats them, soothing the worst of her hangover with faint tendrils of mist.

she’ll reach for him, then, once slumber has fully been blinked out of her eyes and orientation comes back. a soft touch, one that’s almst tenative given how aggressive their night had been.

there’s an uncertainty in her, in the way she refuses to break the silence.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]matias sleeps but he does not rest, not even under the numbness of alcohol. perhaps it once helped soothe a battle-scarred man, coaxing him just enough to forget. but not anymore. not for a long time.

her touch, no matter how soft, pushes him off the edge, and the reaction he gives is sudden. instant. he reaches for her hand, squeezing, threatening, and only moments after his eyes open and recognition glosses over does he let go.

for a while, he does nothing but breathe, allowing silence, and possibly awkwardness, to surround them.

[attr="class","noodles"]illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]aggression is something she’s used to. threats come and go and only scars remain. and yet, there’s something about this intimate moment turned dangerous that has her trembling.

recognition dawns over him after her hand is crushed beneath his grip, fingers squeezed until they ache and she yelps. she doesn’t wait for him to let go, wretching her hand from his grip without warning.

the stare she gives him is halfway between pained and mostly angry. her lips twist into the beginning of a scowl, as if she’s able to defend herself here and now with nothing but bed sheets on her.

”what the fuck?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]where she finally breaks the silence between them, he allows it to linger for a few more, just long enough to find some form of stability. he loses himself in the endless whites of the bed sheets, sighing as unfamiliar words escape him in the moment.

"i forgot you were here. i'm not used to sleeping with someone."

behind the tiredness and exhaustion that shadow his eyes are genuine hurt and pain and anger. he blinks, doing his best to suppress them but they linger. they always have.

"sorry."

[attr="class","noodles"]illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]”i,” she starts and stops as quickly as breathing, as if her mind needs a moment to catch up after being stunned into submission. whatever words she might say get lodged in her throat, weighed down by an emotion she doesn’t want to place.

grief, she realizes after. the emotion is grief.

”i see,” she murmurs. it’s soft, faraway to match the mildly glossed over look in her eyes. she’s in a different city, in a different bed with a familiar body beside her. the weight of the memory is crushing. still, she refuses to reach out once more, fingers still mildly aching with pain.

”you didn’t know,” she whispers. there’s too much pain in this bed, between them. it threatens to suffocate them both. ”it’s fine.”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]the lull, he decides, is disturbing, and the thought of wallowing in it for longer than he already has uneases him. so he moves, pushing off the bed before heading over to the mini-fridge over by the corner. he grabs two bottles of water, pauses, then also reaches for an ice pack.

"here," he says, extending over the bottle and the ice pack. "for your hand."

[attr="class","noodles"]illeana reyes