she wasn't unbreakable, neither was he, but she was resilient, and that was something he respected about her.

his head titled at her words.

"what are you scared of?"

Lulu Flint

☉

it was difficult to admit. it was hard to tell if it was any easier, or worse to open up while right next to him. it put her at a near-crippling level of vulnerability.

”i don’t know what’s real anymore.”

not just the hallucination from that evening, but the months she’d spent, totally unaware that her mind wasn’t entirely her own. it had taken so long to put it together. even recently, she’d spent a considerable amount of time trying to decide if @emi was just a ghost too, when she’d appeared.

the foothold she’d once had on her sanity was gone, and her artificially wired fearlessness wavered. it wasn’t afraid so much that she was afraid of others, but rather herself—it was like stumbling through a waking nightmare all its own.

THEO BECKETT

☉

it must be exhausting to constantly doubt whether things were real or otherwise. he had never experienced anything like it, so it was difficult to imagine. oddly enough, his sanity remained in tact, albeit dulled and buried for long periods of time.

"i'm real, as far as i can tell."

last he checked, anyway.

"maybe i can tell you what's real and what's not."

Lulu Flint

☉

”i believe you.” her tone lacked any humor.

it was unexpected comfort. she breathed a bit easier, muscles starting to relax. tentatively, she leaned into him more, and rested her head on his chest. eventually, even her trembling subsided.

she nodded against his skin at his suggestion.

”okay.”

did she trust it? not one bit—but for now, it was enough to hold onto.

THEO BECKETT

☉

he would do his best to anchor her to reality, to remain tethered even when she'd pull away. to feel her trembling subside filled him with relief; he sighed, appreciating her presence.

"good."

he held her a bit tighter, reassuring the best he could.

Lulu Flint

☉

she felt drained, after the events at the lighthouse, and then a panic attack. she did need rest, and she also needed dreams—or at least, she felt like she did.

she kept it buried, trying not to think about it. distracting herself with other thoughts.

good. there was a light blush to her cheeks, and she hid it. the word would maybe never lose its initial context for her. theo had always flustered her in more ways than one.

her eyes shut, for no real reason at all.

THEO BECKETT

☉

her eyes shut, and so did his.

exhaustion wore down on his body and spirit, and he soon drifted off to sleep, not dreaming, but certainly resting. finally.

Lulu Flint

☉

even without looking at him, she could tell the second he was out. for a while, she lied there with, willing herself not to hurt him despite how much she wanted in his head. she breathed through it, until she couldn’t take it anymore.

her eyes darkened. hypnosis would keep him under when she raised up and straddled over his torso, staring for a minute or two. white knuckling.

”no.”

she turned into darkness, slithering off of his slumbering body and down the hall, out a door, and then up onto the roof, pulling herself up the last bit from the shady side.

there, she sat for the rest of the night, staring out at the city.

THEO BECKETT

☉

for once, he rested.

he awoke hours later, before the crack of dawn, and peered over only to find the space beside him empty. he yawned just once before sitting up, looking around. her clothes from yesterday were still here; did she just leave them?

slowly, he searched his house, not taking long before finally stepping outside. there, he rounded to the back of the house, then peered out at the city.

Lulu Flint

☉

it wouldn’t have been the first time she’d simply left her clothes behind, but no. not this time.

usually, during the nights, she buried herself in work. it was a form of escapism; problems and formulas running through her head instead of nagging thoughts of how her life was going.

this was, maybe, the first time in years she’d sat and stared off for so long in thought. certainly, it had been since well before darkrai.
she heard the door open, and peered down at him.

“hey.”

good morning might’ve been nicer, but what did he expect from the woman at this point?

the arms of his sweater billowed lightly in the wind. it covered like a loose fitting dress, threatening to reveal, but safe enough in the still-dark of early morning.

THEO BECKETT

☉

hey.

it was more than he expected, honestly.

his gaze shifted up, away from the city, and he offered a soft smile that came naturally when around her.

"morning."

he blinked.

"do you want company?"

Lulu Flint

☉

she returned the smile, but it was a bit weaker than his. one of the things she’d decided during the pensive hours of the night was that it would have been nice to be able to sleep beside him.

quickly, she pushed aside the thought.

“sure. i should probably put some pants on before the sun comes up, though.” she blinked. “can you even get up here?”

THEO BECKETT

☉

he wasn't dressed too appropriately either: his boxers were the slightest bit revealing.

"hold on. i'll bring you some pants."

without answering her question, he disappeared back into the house only to step back out a good ten minutes later. he wore sweatpants now and carried some pants for her; likely hers from the night before, except dry.

to answer her question — no, he couldn't get up there, at least not without the help of the alakazam she gave him. after a TELEPORT, the psychic-type was called back into its pokeball.

he settled next to her, extending over pants and a mug filled with coffee.

"here."

Lulu Flint

☉