The woman in his lap, with her hands exploring every inch of him, is not the same woman he knew all those years ago. She had been cold, unwelcoming: a monster. Built for pain- both giving and receiving.

Once upon a time, she would have used this opportunity to put a knife in his back.

Rocket had created the beast, molded and manifested the darkest part of her. But the people she'd met had taught her how to love. They had shown her kindness, even when she'd bitten their hand, beaten them bloody.

And she craved that love and acceptance with every beat of her broken heart. Even if it meant reopening barely-healed wounds. Even if it meant sacrificing pieces of herself.

Beneath the piercing gaze and bared teeth there existed a human being.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]his touch smooths against fabric, slipping beneath to find bare skin as he wanders, exploring with intent. it's slow, slower than he's used to, but all the more intimate as clothes are stripped and discarded. skin presses against skin and he wants more.

even if it's just for the briefest of moments, he's allowed to feel human again.

to feel alive.

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

Emma tugs the shirt up and over her head as his hands slide up her sides. He'd find no bandages there unlike before. Instead, her smooth skin is on display in its entirety, her canvas littered in still-healing bruises and cuts. But where his fingers tread she does not flinch.

She craves the pain, craves the way her skin jumps beneath his touch, sensitive, receptive.

The woman's own fingers peel at his shirt, pulling it over his head. She pulls away from his lips from time to time, breath hot, laboured, uneven. Her skin is still littered with remnants of another passionate night, but those bruises have faded far quicker than the ones that blossom against her ribs.

"Is this really what you want?"

Her question is whispered against his lips and she pulls back from him, chest rising and falling, legs loose against his hips.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]bruises threaten to bring back unwanted memories long kept dormant. it reminds him briefly of different times, of how his own hands once bruised and damaged and broke regardless of how good or pure his intentions were. for most of his life he's traveled down a single path thought to be the only one.

all it took was time, patience, and hurt to reveal more paths.

her touch grounds him, keeps him in the moment here with her.

his response, hot and strained, leaves without any hesitation.

"i want you."

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

This was a war path.

This was a road to recovery.

This was her reclaiming her mind, taking hold of the reins and turning down a path of her choosing.

There is no pause between her question and his answer. He is immediate, unwavering, his heart a beating drum beneath her fingertips.

Emma seals his answer with a deeper kiss, pushing back with force this time. Their teeth will collide, her hands will coax him roughly against the steps they sit on, forcing him to bend.

She hovers over him, lips carving a path against his skin, leaving marks to remind him of his choice. One hand reaches to pull her hair over one shoulder, out of the way while she smothers him with passion and heat.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]marks are added to a plethora of others that mar his body. he's never minded them; he won't mind these ones either.

it's funny how all it takes is a simple push to make him realize just how much he longs for intimacy, for a connection that grounds him in both reality and humanity. he's tired of drifting, of simply existing, but above all else,

he's tired of being alone.

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

With every bite she leaves behind a kiss, taking her time. Her eyes flirt back to meet his gaze, though she suspects he is far too preoccupied to meet her in return.

And although she knew that this union was far from a happily ever after, it was certainly a happy now.

Eventually, Emma returns to lay claim to his lips. Painting the bedroom could wait, it seems.

THEO BECKETT