she kissed him back, with tenderness rather than the urgency she’d shown earlier. then, she withdrew only enough press the side of her face against his chest, gently nudging for his arms around her so that she could curl up within his muscle. a contented sigh, entirely unlike her, would breathe across his skin. the troubles of rough hands and mind control faded into nothing.

for some reason, it felt a bit like the sensation of sitting at the edge of the ocean.

THEO BECKETT

☉

his arms folded around her, pulling her into him as he held her. it was then that he sighed as well, content and relaxed, as though he deserved anything but.

for as long as she wanted, he'd hold her close.

Lulu Flint

☉

she didn’t move until the water began to cool, at rest—perhaps as much as she was capable of. like they were here for.

she lifted her head at him, blinking water out of her eyes.

”done?”

THEO BECKETT

☉

after a parting kiss on her forehead, he nodded.

"done."

the water shut off, and out he stepped. he reached for her towel first, unfurling it before extending it over to her.

Lulu Flint

☉

she followed him out and allowed him to place the towel around her. drying off, she remained wordless, not wanting to fill the space. whenever she spoke, it felt too loud, as though it might disrupt the bizarre peacefulness.

when she was finished, she held onto the towel, looking around. did it go anywhere in particular?

THEO BECKETT

☉

it didn't take him long to dry off. once done, he stepped back out into the bedroom, walking over to the dresser to rummage through.

"i don't have much."

at least not much she could comfortably wear. he pulled out a sweater, fitting for him but likely oversized for her.

"maybe this?"

Lulu Flint

☉

she did as he did with the towel and then followed. out in the open of the room, she felt the slightest bit off balance, but the heavy anxiety in the ends of her limbs weighted her down. if before felt like sitting at the ocean, this was more like traversing the thin side of a high cliff.

a hand reached out to take the sweater. “that’s fine. thanks…” the smallest sharp edge poked through her tone; defensive, untrusting. meanness that lived inside her like a guard dog, eyes flashing suddenly through the fog of her docility.

she pulled fabric over her dragon’s angry face until she was swallowed. a large part of her felt ridiculous, and the other fraction fiddled idly with the end of a sleeve, finding comfort its texture.

THEO BECKETT

☉

he reached for whatever shirt was on top, pulling it over his head as loose fabric fell around his body. he turned to look at her after.

it felt slightly odd to see her in his clothing, though the feeling quickly faded in favor of something else entirely. happiness, perhaps, as if he knew of such a thing.

"you look good."

after putting on some pants, he extends his hand towards her.

"come on."

Lulu Flint

☉

she watched him a moment, and then looked down at her lowered arms. the sleeves fell past her hands easily and hung there, fingerless and unassuming. this was softer than the average lulu.

at his compliment, her gaze found his again, by now looking almost perpetually startled.

“i feel silly,” she declared.

regardless, she neared when he beckoned.

THEO BECKETT

☉

silly. at least it wasn't 'weird' this time.

when she neared, he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers together. he didn't take a step towards the bed just yet, instead opting to peer down at her and her outfit.

"why?"

Lulu Flint

☉

she wiggled her fingers out of the sleeve where they tangled, but soon found his. as he looked at her, she stared up at him and shrugged.

“i don’t know. just do.”

she raised her free arm and flapped the sleeve a little.

“might be this.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

the flapping of her sleeves made him chuckle, and he slipped his fingers out of her momentarily to reach for one of her sleeves.

"here."

he folded them up to just before her elbows, and despite how big the sweater seemed to be on her, they hold, at least for now.

the same was done for the other sleeve.

"how about now?"

Lulu Flint

☉

her mouth went flat as she allowed him to make his loose alterations, raising each arm in turn an inch or two. then, she assessed. a light wiggle of her elbow caused one of the folds to fall, and she stared at it a moment before looking back up at him.

“it’s fine. it works.”

THEO BECKETT

☉