Loathe the way they light candles in Rome
But love the sweet air of the votives
But love the sweet air of the votives
Not very good at it, eh? That makes two of them, at least, both bumbling through the best they can, hamstrung by inexperience and past mistakes before the race can even begin. Koa listens silently as the Luminary speaks, trying to offer open patience and chewing nervously at his lip. Each word of Sohalia's halting confession sparks upon his skin, pinpricks of emotion sizzling down his shoulders, making the hair on his arms stand upright. He wants to laugh, to shake his head, to tell her it shouldn't be this scary, that he shouldn't scare her this much-
But then, doesn't she terrify him?
'I'm in love--'
Oh. Oh. Wait. Hold up. Koa's eyes widen in abject shock, his mouth falling slightly open, comical and agog. He can feel his heart catch in his throat, hopeful and ecstatic as it thrums an electric beat, heat flushing over his neck, his ears, filling his throat, stealing his breath. I'm in love with-- she says, and it feels like a thunderclap, like the first warm day in springtime, like a blow to the temple, like being at home.
But the timing feels wrong.
"Wait." Koa's hand flies to Sohalia's mouth, covering it before she can finish those fateful words. "Wait. Not like this." He shakes his head vehemently, but there's joy in his copper eyes, elation and wonder and a vulnerable shine as he sinks back into that glorious silver gaze. "Not that I don't want to hear it - gods know I do, so fucking much." He laughs like sunlight, warm and bemused. His grip on her shifts, and now his thumb is brushing her lips and he's wondering if they taste like he remembers, and he knows he needs to look away because he wants to do this right.
Swallowing hard, Koa forces himself to regain some composure. "Just... don't make a decision yet, okay? I want - I need - to know that if you say this- if we do this- that it's because it's really what you want." He searches her face, brows knit over earnest eyes, desperate to make her understand. "Not because I said I couldn't be friends, and you don't want to lose that, but because you want me - really want me." Not just someone- him. Koa. And fuck, he knows it won't be easy, not with the Family looming above them, with Flora and Jude jagged wounds in their past.
He needs to know that she's willing to fight for it. That it's something she's serious about - that he's something she's serious about - despite the challenges they'll face. Because gods above know if he'd survive being tossed aside again.
But then, doesn't she terrify him?
'I'm in love--'
Oh. Oh. Wait. Hold up. Koa's eyes widen in abject shock, his mouth falling slightly open, comical and agog. He can feel his heart catch in his throat, hopeful and ecstatic as it thrums an electric beat, heat flushing over his neck, his ears, filling his throat, stealing his breath. I'm in love with-- she says, and it feels like a thunderclap, like the first warm day in springtime, like a blow to the temple, like being at home.
But the timing feels wrong.
"Wait." Koa's hand flies to Sohalia's mouth, covering it before she can finish those fateful words. "Wait. Not like this." He shakes his head vehemently, but there's joy in his copper eyes, elation and wonder and a vulnerable shine as he sinks back into that glorious silver gaze. "Not that I don't want to hear it - gods know I do, so fucking much." He laughs like sunlight, warm and bemused. His grip on her shifts, and now his thumb is brushing her lips and he's wondering if they taste like he remembers, and he knows he needs to look away because he wants to do this right.
Swallowing hard, Koa forces himself to regain some composure. "Just... don't make a decision yet, okay? I want - I need - to know that if you say this- if we do this- that it's because it's really what you want." He searches her face, brows knit over earnest eyes, desperate to make her understand. "Not because I said I couldn't be friends, and you don't want to lose that, but because you want me - really want me." Not just someone- him. Koa. And fuck, he knows it won't be easy, not with the Family looming above them, with Flora and Jude jagged wounds in their past.
He needs to know that she's willing to fight for it. That it's something she's serious about - that he's something she's serious about - despite the challenges they'll face. Because gods above know if he'd survive being tossed aside again.
Koa Carpenter
Hurt and grieve but don't suffer alone
Engage with the pain as a motive
Engage with the pain as a motive
