[attr="class","beck"]it is fear — it always has been.

but for once,

"i don't want to run anymore."

if only tears could swell.

with a resigned sigh, he mutters:

"i'm trying not to."

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

"You can start by taking charge and doing what you want, taking what you want."

Emma leans back to look at him, offering the man her full attention. Her brows come together in a concerned, pinched expression. She studies his face, trying to read between the lines of his face, to see past the defeated muttering.

"What is it that you want?"

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]"right now?"

she won't have to study for long.

"you."

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

"Hm."

Hearing him say it made her chest strike like a gong. She shouldn't be surprised- and frankly she isn't.

She caught him watching her often, felt his gaze linger, his smile soften. The gifts, the wine, the walk home. The kiss to her cheek, the whispered farewell.

The fact that he had dropped everything to accompany her to Sootopolis even though it was clear he didn't like the city.

Perhaps she had been the fool, ignoring the signs, pushing away the blatant truth. Theo had been nothing but crystal clear for a while now, he just hadn't spoken out loud. For a woman of action, she was now so numb.

"That is in very poor taste, I think."

And then she starts to laugh, though the sound is far from anything happy.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]unlike before, her laugh is anything but comforting. it tears his gaze away, shifting it to whatever little sootopolis has to offer.

"maybe."

no,

"probably."

but would he care either way?

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

Shit.

She hadn't been laughing at him. Not really.

"I told you not to get attached."

Emma searches for his gaze again, though he is avoiding it now. Perhaps it was for the best. She's always been good at pushing people away.

"Once upon a time I could have sworn you hated me."

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]theo chuckles, shaking his head.

"i never hated you."

and though the logical thing would be to keep his gaze elsewhere, it returns, going against logic to find hers again.

"i just wanted you to survive."

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

"I'm sorry to disappoint."

His muted, straw-coloured eyes return, offering her an unsettling sense of relief. The longer he lingers, the more she realizes she meant what she said. Her attempt at humor was a poorly written disguise.

She wanted him to hate her, just like she wanted the world to. Just like she wanted to hate him.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]"you didn't."

compassion creeps onto his features, showing through the way his gaze holds.

"you don't."

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

"You're lying."

But she leans toward him anyway. Against reason, Emma pursues what she knows she cannot have. The woman hesitates, breath warm against his lips.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]slowly, with a gentle shake of his head, he leans towards her, craving the warmth of her breath that brushes against his lips.

what is it that you want?

his lips find hers.

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

She didn't owe anyone anything.

She didn't belong to anyone but herself.

She could indulge, take what she wanted, be selfish.

Theo leans in, matching his breath to hers. His lips are warm, his kiss soft compared to the passion and the heat she was used to. There was no fire behind it, no threat, no desperate lunge for control.

He kissed her not to compete, and she realizes she doesn't know how to describe it.

Whatever it is, however, she is receptive to it. Slowly, the woman leans into him further, shifting her weight to reach him easier.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]he's known for a while now, or at least suspected, that this numbness inside of him would never fade.

it lessens every now and then, perhaps aided by external factors, but it always lingers, never to disappear, always to stay.

so there's no fire, no threat, no need for control behind his kiss. there's only a desperate need to feel something. anything.

this time, it's warmth and intimacy and passion.

naturally, he shifts closer to her, desiring more. it starts slow: with a hand that reaches up to the side of her face.

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe