Don't paint wonderful lies on me that wash away
He said she already had shared him the world, and it made Maea's eyes narrow. "I know," she replied, so sulkily and peeved that it was almost amusing. But then... her eyes glittered ever so slightly, and she turned, easing a leg around until she straddled him, and she raised her bottle to the lips and tilted her head back, throat bobbing as she took several deep gulps. Licking her lips, she set it aside, her fingers suddenly free to rake into his hair, nails a little rougher than they usually were... her motor control wasn't great at the moment. "But... lucky for me, I suppose. I get the best teacher..."
Maea leaned in, meaning to kiss him, but the question he asked was so serious, so soft and... almost vulnerable? So she halted, hummed a soft sigh, and settled for brushing her cheek against his instead. Shivering slightly at the way his hands traveled over her back.
"You know... how there are birds, who form pairs?" she said slowly, a bit clearer than before, if only just. "They find one mate, and they stick to them, forever. If one of them dies, the other never takes a new partner. It remains solitary, for the rest of its life."
She leaned back. Met his gaze, though she knew there was no real way to convey how deep her feelings for him ran. Not with just eyes alone. "I don't know if I'm like those birds. I don't know what will happen a year from now, or in ten years... or even tomorrow. All I can say is, that the way I feel now? I wouldn't want anyone else. I don't think I could leave you, even if I wanted to. If I think of it... there's this physical pain, like something in me is about to break. Is that love? Or obsession? Is it real, will it last, I don't know. But... I want it to be. I want this, I want you. Even if it's not what I chose, even if it'll hurt, or be rough... I would want to stay. Work things out. Try."
Trailing down from his hair, her knuckles stroked his cheek, soft and tender as if he might break if she put in too much pressure.
"What do you want, Sunjata?" The question was tentative, searching. "You're the one who's been hurt most, by everything. Time, gods, people, feelings... Are you sure this is what you want? That I'm really what you want?"
Maea made a slight gesture to the house around them, the dreams they could build together around it. "Maybe there is someone else out there, who could do better by you. Let you be free, the way you deserve to be. I... I get jealous. And possessive, and I might doubt you, if you stay out too long at night. Afraid that you'd choose to stay with someone else... Could you stand facing that, dealing with that?
"Or would you... prefer to walk away?"
The same question, reflected back. Both her hands were at his face now, his cheeks, stroking his skin with fingers that seemed luminous in the soft glow of sunlight sneaking in. It should be night, they should be wrapped in shadows and touched by moonlight for this, but... it was still daytime. Sunshine, blue skies and a salty breeze sighing through the trees outside.
But Maea only had eyes for him.
Maea leaned in, meaning to kiss him, but the question he asked was so serious, so soft and... almost vulnerable? So she halted, hummed a soft sigh, and settled for brushing her cheek against his instead. Shivering slightly at the way his hands traveled over her back.
"You know... how there are birds, who form pairs?" she said slowly, a bit clearer than before, if only just. "They find one mate, and they stick to them, forever. If one of them dies, the other never takes a new partner. It remains solitary, for the rest of its life."
She leaned back. Met his gaze, though she knew there was no real way to convey how deep her feelings for him ran. Not with just eyes alone. "I don't know if I'm like those birds. I don't know what will happen a year from now, or in ten years... or even tomorrow. All I can say is, that the way I feel now? I wouldn't want anyone else. I don't think I could leave you, even if I wanted to. If I think of it... there's this physical pain, like something in me is about to break. Is that love? Or obsession? Is it real, will it last, I don't know. But... I want it to be. I want this, I want you. Even if it's not what I chose, even if it'll hurt, or be rough... I would want to stay. Work things out. Try."
Trailing down from his hair, her knuckles stroked his cheek, soft and tender as if he might break if she put in too much pressure.
"What do you want, Sunjata?" The question was tentative, searching. "You're the one who's been hurt most, by everything. Time, gods, people, feelings... Are you sure this is what you want? That I'm really what you want?"
Maea made a slight gesture to the house around them, the dreams they could build together around it. "Maybe there is someone else out there, who could do better by you. Let you be free, the way you deserve to be. I... I get jealous. And possessive, and I might doubt you, if you stay out too long at night. Afraid that you'd choose to stay with someone else... Could you stand facing that, dealing with that?
"Or would you... prefer to walk away?"
The same question, reflected back. Both her hands were at his face now, his cheeks, stroking his skin with fingers that seemed luminous in the soft glow of sunlight sneaking in. It should be night, they should be wrapped in shadows and touched by moonlight for this, but... it was still daytime. Sunshine, blue skies and a salty breeze sighing through the trees outside.
But Maea only had eyes for him.
