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The sunlight does not stir her yet, but Gavin's slight movement does. The rotation of his shoulder shifts the bed slightly and she finds herself blinking through sleep to peer up at him. The light through the blinds is blinding for a moment and she slowly sits up.[break][break]

But she would soon be caught staring at the angry wound in his shoulder. Her eyebrows crease with concern and she only finds his eyes when he speaks.[break][break]

"It's fine."[break][break]

His voice gives her the impression he's irritated, and his distinct Galarian accent leaks through. It's almost jarring.[break][break]

But before she could respond, he's leaning in to kiss her cheek. It leaves a warm impression on her skin that still catches her off guard. His affection is overwhelming, but welcomed.[break][break]

"You're chatty in the morning."[break][break]

Consider her oblivious to whatever it is he's trying to suggest.

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Emma is, for once, oblivious. Gavin chuckles.[break][break]

"I've been up longer than you," he reminds her, teasing. Granted, it's been mere minutes since he was roused from his sleep... but she doesn't know that.[break][break]

"Would you go?" he asks. "Dancing, I mean."[break][break]

Night clubs were far from his first choice of locale, but a classy lounge was more to his speed. They were less loud, less packed, and this particular lounge catered to a different kind of patron than the wasted youth.

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Emma takes care to pull her hair back and twist it over one shoulder. The act of deep sleeping, comfortable sleeping is still foreign to her. To wake up relaxed is almost more unnerving than waking up tense and sore.[break][break]

He asks her a question and she can hear the mild unease in his voice, the hesitant suggestion. Or maybe she's reading too far into it. Regardless, the woman glances at him, gaze particularly confused.[break][break]

"With you? Why?"[break][break]

She was only looking at the potential consequences of such actions, of going out into the night on a whim, in public. It seemed reckless, and for what? The concept of courting is still painfully unclear to her.

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There's a brief flutter of anxiety at her question that Gavin brushes aside. There's no need to jump the gun; it had taken Emma some time to so much as acknowledge his flirting.[break][break]

"For fun," he insists, smiling. "Why else?"[break][break]

Perhaps she wouldn't see it as an entertaining experience. He's already steeling himself against the potential disappointment of rejection. Their interests are varied and not always aligned, and that's OK.[break][break]

"If dancing's not your thing, they've got live music and good food... or so I've heard."

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For fun.[break][break]

He emphasizes the word fun, a word that brings her pause. He was serious about this, genuinely interested in taking her dancing. It's because of this that she remains quiet a moment, considering his offer.[break][break]

"W-- is it safe?"[break][break]

But he goes on to try and entice her with good food and music, as if these are things she takes pride in or searches for. Emma has lived a simple, secluded life for a very long time. She is not spoiled in the least.[break][break]

"You sound enamored with this idea."

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Safe?[break][break]

It's not the concern he would have expected. His brows knit together in confusion, a frown playing his lips.[break][break]

"Why wouldn't it be?"[break][break]

While it was true that they were a pair of criminals discussing a foray into the public eye, Gavin was cautious. He'd crafted a civilian identity with the sole purpose of flirting between light and darkness, maintaining his job within Rocket while also being able to freely roam Hoenn's streets. He was taking the gym challenge, for Arceus' sake.[break][break]

She accuses him of being enamored, and his good shoulder lifts in a shrug. He winces at the pain in the other, takes a moment to recover before speaking.[break][break]

"Galar was fun — leaving out the return trip." That had been the opposite. "I think we should more together. If — you're up for it."[break][break]

He doesn't want her to feel pressured, after all.

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Because, unlike Gavin, she was not confident in the public eye. There was a reason she stuck to the shadows, why she had only challenged a few gyms in the circuit. Her real identity, the name Emma Gray had been out of the public eye for years. Bringing it back seemed dangerous.[break][break]

"We were attacked on our way back, Gavin. While we may not have been the target then, who's to say they aren't looking for me now?"[break][break]

She refers to herself, specifically, because she is confident in the League's ability to be uncannily smart at the worst of times. [break][break]

But the disappointment in his voice or the expression of yearning he offers her - she realizes how important this is to him. He wants to continue being as intimate as they had been in Galar. There, she hadn't been afraid to show her face.[break][break]

"Is it not enough, what we have now?"

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"Should we live our whole lives in the shadows?"[break][break]

Rather than challenging, his tone is soft. He understands what it's like to fear discovery, to constantly look over your shoulder. It's why he's been so determined throughout his life to not let his occupation drive him into the dark.[break][break]

He and Emma are different, their situations especially.[break][break]

Though he does his best to be casual about the whole ordeal, Emma's words cut deep. It feels as if he's being accused of wanting too much. He is careful in formulating his response, aware that he must be coming across in ways he doesn't intend.[break][break]

"You're enough all on your own, love." He means it, searches her eyes with his own. "If this isn't something you want, I wouldn't push you."

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It's what I deserve.[break][break]

Her thoughts are poisonous as she regards him, listens to his explanation, his question. It's a heavy topic and one she's thought about often. The concept of rejoining society and falling back into normal is more terrifying to her than someone holding a knife to her throat.[break][break]

It's something she cannot control.[break][break]

The crimes she's committed are vastly different from what Gavin has experienced, surely. She's selfish in that thought, placing herself on a pedestal of pain. [break][break]

She swallows as he assures her that she is enough, that they don't have to go out if she didn't want to. But she does, really. To be normal is something she's yearned for in secret for a long time.[break][break]

"No-- I do, Gavin. It's just been a lifetime."

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After stating his intentions, Gavin expects this will mark the end of the conversation. He's already preparing himself for that, to adapt to a life half-spent in the shadows for the sake of the bliss that Emma provides. She's worth it, to him.[break][break]

Her answer, then, comes as a surprise.[break][break]

It flickers through his expression momentarily before he composes himself and it softens.[break][break]

"Then we'll go at whatever pace you like." It can be hard, to break a lifetime of conditioning. It's a fact he knows all too well. "We don't even have to go as ourselves, if you'd feel more comfortable."[break][break]

He doesn't add that he would like to; he's put pressure on her enough.

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His flickering expression is captivating and she's drawn to it. It brings her an immediate sense of relief, an emotion she has forgotten even existed. And yet now, when faced with it, she cannot get enough. It means a lot to her to see him remain close.[break][break]

So when he suggests they go disguised and she finds his hand, seeking his warmth.[break][break]

"For you, I'll do anything."[break][break]

She smirks.[break][break]

"No disguise, the wolf and the raven are going dancing tonight."

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The raven and the wolf. A symbiotic relationship like their own — two independent forces working together in tandem.[break][break]

"It's a date, then — fuck."[break][break]

Gavin's expression contorts with pain as a particular movement of his arm threatens to reopen his grizzly wound. His jaw clenches as he rides out the agony, trimmed nails digging deep into the flesh of his palm. He does his best to play it off as if it's nothing, albeit favouring his left arm as he pushes himself out of bed.[break][break]

"Grabbing a shower," he explains as he moves toward the bathroom. A cheeky glance is shot over his shoulder. "You're welcome to join me."[break][break][break]


She joins him later at the door as they're getting ready to leave and Gavin's fixing his hair in the hallway mirror. The sleeves of his button-up are pushed to his elbows, putting the wicked scars that pattern his left arm on display. Faded ink accentuates them — he needs to get the tattoo touched up, but hasn't bothered.[break][break]

The click of heels on hardwood floors draw his eyes away from his own reflection; he rakes them shamelessly down Emma's silhouette in evident approval of the dress she wore.[break][break]

"You look gorgeous, love." He tilts his head to brush his lips against hers, their difference in height largely negated by her choice in footwear. His good arm snakes around her waist. "Ready to go?"

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Emma squeezes his hand instinctively when he cries out in pain, following it up with a worried crease of eyebrows and an involuntary movement to kiss him. Pleasure mutes pain, right?[break][break]

Regardless of whether it works, he would slip from her fingertips to shower, even going so far as to invite her. She would gladly follow him, if only to subtly show her more doting side - she totally wasn't participating in order to keep an eye on his stitches and make sure they didn't get wet.[break][break]

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When it comes time to leave, Emma arrives from the bedroom dressed in a very flattering black dress. It's open-backed and sparkly, subtle in the right areas and flashy in others. It suits her.[break][break]

And when she catches him staring, a confident smile spreads over her features. It truly fuels her to be appreciated by him, and him specifically.[break][break]

"I aim to please, mon amour."[break][break]

But where he brushes his lips against hers in a brief kiss, she hungers for more. He cannot compliment her so easily and give her brief affection in the same breath.[break][break]

When she pulls away, his arm is wrapped around her waist as they head out the door.[break][break]

"You look good yourself."

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