yes, he did mean with him. but whatever he felt didn't surface, at least not beyond a slight tilt of his head.

"you sure? doing nothing could be good for you."

Lulu Flint

☉

good for her. on her own, maybe.

“that’s not quite doing nothing though, is it? her mouth pressed a little and she sighed, looking down at what’d been pushed off the desk. “i’m not really a ‘cuddle after sex’ kind of person.” maybe true only because it had been a while, and because she told herself she wasn’t.

she brought two fingers to her lips and whistled sharply, taking a step back. bats descended to devour the rest of what had fallen onto the floor before disappearing upwards again.

THEO BECKETT

☉

"neither am i."

but, as time would prove — and had proved — he was trying to change.

"it's not quite doing nothing, no, but it might help, at least."

it was only then that he finally reached for his clothing, slowly putting them back on.

Lulu Flint

☉

“help?”

was he implying that she had a problem?

“with what?”

she didn’t yet look offended, but there was a certain twinkle in her eye that surely theo would be able to recognize by now—one that dared him to elaborate at his own risk.

THEO BECKETT

☉

the twinkle in her eye had him hesitating, and after a brief moment of silence, he shrugged, pulling his shirt over his head.

"resting your mind, maybe. isn't it tiring?"

Lulu Flint

☉

isn’t it tiring?

it struck something unexpectedly.

yes. yes yes, i’m so fucking tired. 

her eyes didn’t leave him as he got dressed. for that moment, he was like something on the other side of a window she couldn’t afford. the mere empty space between, with pants on, was somehow impenetrable.

she shrugged.

”i’m fine.”

then, she looked up at the mess around her. she figured he might leave, and then she’d get lost for days underground. it was a sad life.

as the warmth of his presence faded from her body and the cold of her home set in with the sickness of being alone, she wondered.

”… actually… maybe i could try.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

his clothes were still damp from the rain. they clung to his body, practically sucking wahtever warmth remained from their exchange out of him. he sighed, suddenly feeling the chill in the room and in the space between them.

at least until she spoke again.

"alright."

he looked around at the mess.

"here?"

Lulu Flint

☉

there was a hill that her heart went over, peaking at the sound of his very simple response. this experiment hurt already.

but maybe she’d accepted for naught.

“uh… no, i guess not.” she turned and her lips pursed on a bitter face out of sight. “sorry.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

it was a mess.

"let's go back to my place."

he sighed, smoothing out creases on his wet pants.

"we can dry off there."

Lulu Flint

☉

organized chaos. mess. meh.

it never occurred to her that theo lived somewhere.

”your place?” she turned around and scrunched her brow at him. ”huh. i always figured you stayed on the sub for some reason…”

with a deep breath, she decided, ”okay.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

for what reason exactly, perhaps he'd never know.

her acceptance came at a pleasant surprise. he turned, nodding.

"okay."

and then they were off, not to slateport where he once lived, but to higher areas of sootopolis where it was far less crowded and more peaceful.

his house was old, rustic, but comfortable. though it didn't connect directly to the water, it looked out at the rest of the city along with the lake. not that much of it was visible regardless as it was late into the night, but during the day, the view was lovely.

the door closed behind them.

"make yourself at home."

Lulu Flint

☉

if she had imagined theo to live somewhere, it would not have been here. she looked around with great curiosity, but didn’t take more than a step or two at first. it all felt like something she wasn’t supposed to see.

“…”

i shouldn’t be here.

eventually, she willed herself to enter further, despite the discomfort knotting in her chest. an arm came up to wrap around her ribs.

“it’s nice.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"isn't it?"

theo didn't take pleasure in many things, but house-hunting had been a thrill, to say the least, and the reward was worth the effort.

as old as the house was, it felt comfortable, perhaps because it reminded him of the house he used to live in on cinnabar.

he pointed off to the side towards a clear space. in it was a fish tank that stood on its own, large enough that it stretched across the wall. various fishies swam inside it.

"i haven't had time to renovate it, but i'm planning on converting that empty room over there into an exhibit."

Lulu Flint

☉