WHY LIKE THIS?

WHEN YOU CAN BE THAT?

“MHM.”

Fernando swallows his lie with another sip. This time, old habits prove too hard to shake off. He swallows more than he intends to, nearly killing what’s left of his shot.

“Have you met me?”

He cautions her a witty smile.

“I’m a dick.”

Pause.

“Why do you think I’m so good at showering?”

Lulu Flint

WHY LIKE THIS?

WHEN YOU CAN BE THAT?

MATCHING WITS FLOW LIKE WATER. No matter where it comes from, it all congeals into a single stream. There is fluidity in assimilation. To have her become one with him is the final end goal—more than just in body. He needs her to intertwine with him, in mind and soul.

“Yeah, I know,” he keeps his voice low, answering both statements with one reply.

Just how much he knows and how much he’s letting on is lost between the layers. In simplicity there is a meaning that transcends understanding.

Lulu Flint

WHY LIKE THIS?

WHEN YOU CAN BE THAT?

THE DEPRAVITY OF HER SHADOWS REFLECTS HIS EXPRESSION. Fernando wears his mask with a frigidness that knows no love. Ice runs through his veins as he pulls out all the stop to not react.

He doesn’t so much as twitch. Instead, he runs her a smile and leans in, keeping up the act of two love birds intermingling at a lounge. “I know,” he repeats, slower, quieter.

But inside, he’s anything but. Excitement pounds in his chest with the curtails of a victory. Eagerness throats to jump out his throat as he cautions through his next move.

All Lulu will see is the same man she came in with, appeased but ultimately indifferent.

Lulu Flint

WHY LIKE THIS?

WHEN YOU CAN BE THAT?

“THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO HURT ME,” he cautions with a flirtatious rouse. “And not all of them through me.”

When she reclines from him he refuses to let her slip away uncontested. The bridge is gapped, a tug-of-war of longing and physical affection. He edges closer, bumping shoulders as they replay the scene with a role reversal.

He leans in, lowering his head to fit against hers. He plants a kiss against the exposed side of her neck. “And then what,” he murmurs against the crook. “There is balance that must be maintained, Lulu.”

Lulu Flint

WHY LIKE THIS?

WHEN YOU CAN BE THAT?

LAUGHTER TICKLES HER SKIN IN MEASURED HUFFS. Fernando can’t help but snicker at the offer. What can she offer him? To what extent does the olive branch extend?

She’s gone this far—given, for reasons he’s yet to understand. So he plays coy, resting against her like the foundation she is.

“Oh?”

Lulu Flint

WHY LIKE THIS?

WHEN YOU CAN BE THAT?

THINGS NO ONE ELSE CAN. Interesting but blatantly false. There is always someone who can provide the same. It merely a matter of finding them. And should the exception to the rule exist—there is subservience in death. A stark reminder that all good things come to an end.

Lulu Flint is the first to becoming a living corpse. His influence is insidious, lacking the immediate satisfaction that comes from his fae ghouls, but in patience there is reward. She lasts longer then any of them.

If only she was just as reliable.

“Mm.” He nods into her neck, fashioning a kiss with a bit too much teeth. Their sporadic moments of intimacy is always laced with his juvenile markings. At first, it had been intentional, dual purposed albeit insignificant. Now, it feels like tradition.

“And how does that help?”

Lulu Flint

WHY LIKE THIS?

WHEN YOU CAN BE THAT?

QUICK IS SUBJECTIVE. A moment’s notice means a moment’s departure. Fernando takes the generous window she’s provided him to mull over this new information. A piece of the puzzle comes to fruition as he strikes the match.

Katherine Fairburne.

oscar clayton.

Lulu Flint.

They’re not connected. Not in the least bit. But every inch they provide him intertwines in a web that creates a well written narrative. He knows nothing yet each individual ends up snitching on the other. Smoke and mirror part ways as Fernando’s investigation starts to come to a close.

He hadn’t even known about Lulu’s avatarship. Not the faintest clue. Not at the beginning. But luck too is a part of skill, one that he hones with due diligence and ample opportunities.

“It’s terrifying, actually,” he agrees with a curt nod. His head sinks into cross palms, held up by propped elbows, “which is why I wanted to give you space. Let you come forward when you were comfortable.”

Lulu Flint