”i guess you could call her that.” absolutely. FERNANDO SILPH might’ve seemed like a candidate, but he was nothing short of an enemy. skyler was... someone she’d fight for, if it ever came down to it. she would be no fun if she were dead.

his question drew a small heat to her face, but less than it might have weeks or months prior. she figured he knew what he did to her by now. or, maybe he was just oblivious.

a small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she gazed up at him.

”maybe.”

after a moment of warmth, she looked towards the ocean again.

”no more fish wrestling, though, please. i don’t care how relevant it might be.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

a similar smirk equally as small tugs at his lips. it's one that only grows as he ponders over a thought.

settling on it, he clears his throat.

"now seems a good a time as any to admit something."

swig.

"i was fucking with you with the fishie wrestling."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

her smirk only grew at the trace of his—until the words pulled her features back down at all the corners, pinched and appalled.

”what?”

she reached for the tequila again, fixing him with a narrow stare. ”you ought to sleep with one eye open.”

”were the wetsuits necessary?”

THEO BECKETT

☉

in truth, the wetsuits likely kept them safe from the surprisingly rough scales of his barraskewda, but this thought only occured to him after that day. his thoughts were elsewhere before.

"no."

he reaches for the kahlua this time, smirk still showing.

"i just wanted to see you in one."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

she’d never been able to suppress the uncomfortably warm memories of being with him, and perhaps this had contributed to her resentment in the time after. now, to know that he’d been appreciating her as well summoned a similarly complicated emotion.

she sighed, annoyed by the blush that rose in her face as she raised the bottle to her lips for a swig.

”hm.”

setting it back down, she glanced up towards him, shaking her head. she smirked despite herself. his was contagious.

”i was afraid you were going to catch me staring.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

the brief flush to his face could easily be attributed to the kahlua but the timing seems a little too coincidental. he looks away for a moment, smirk still staying, not fading just yet. he has a feeling it won't any time soon.

"i didn't think you were."

the bottle lowers between them.

"maybe i was just distracted."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

he blushed, and she found herself reveling in it, forgetting the offense. there was something empowering in realizing she could have this effect on him. was it the kahlua? perhaps. regardless, it was a dangerous biscuit to give someone like lulu—especially when her eyes were this searing, drunken red.

in the spirit of playing games, she drew a breath closer, taller. her eyes didn’t leave him atop a self-assured grin.

”good.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

she draws a breath closer, and he stills under the weight of her presence. how unusual. he catches himself, seeking to correct it as he steels himself.

maybe it's the alcohol, but it's too much to fight against. another blush forms, and perhaps for once in a very long time, he retreats, gaze shifting away.

"shit."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

over the past year or so, she had learned to crave something she hadn’t so much before. theo had been the exception to that. she’d sought a sort of commanding presence from him, both directly and in a general sense. it didn’t mean she always listened to him, but the expectation was there.

having grown in her comfort with him and accepted whatever vulnerableness he had exposed to her—at least to some extent—more true colors were coming out.

instead of turning away in discomfort, she drew closer.

”theo...” her voice was teasing and low. her head tilted over to get a better view of his face. she was smiling, almost darkly. ”you’re blushing...”

THEO BECKETT

☉

"i don't think so."

denial.

he bites his tongue, almost huffing as he raises the bottle for another swig. when it lowers, he finally turns to meet her gaze, holding it for mere moments before he leans in to kiss her.

one.

two.

three.

and he pulls away, exhaling.

"yeah. i was."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

it was the smallest papercut in his confidence, but she was a vampire. her eyes practically glowed despite the darkness that enveloped them in the gazebo. her lips were there to meet his, and she hummed into them, teasing him with satisfaction for his uncertainty. ”hm.”

when he pulled away, the heads-worth of distance between their heights might do nothing to cut the potency of her stare. she was tall like a poisonous snake reared up at the knees. she inched higher.

”i know.” the tip of her tongue brushed the salty inner corner of his jaw, wetting it to the cool night air beneath her whisper, ”it’s cute.”

THEO BECKETT

☉

cute.

ridiculous.

"it's not."

but it is.

he practically shivers underneath the weight of her words and presence. every attempt to regain some semblance of control has been easily thwarted.

the kahlua lifeline goes untouched for now.

"lulu..."

Lulu Flint
mission!

☉

”it is.”

her nose traced back towards his chin affectionately. she felt a flush on her own face. drunkenness and longing both, radiating like a furnace. everything else was forgotten as she gazed up at him. no meteoroid, no aliens, no alternate dimensions. just the two of them, drunk and in love.

like the beyonce song.

”yes?”

THEO BECKETT

☉