// won't you breathe with me? //
Her heart bled for him, upon hearing his reply. Even though he had told her that he cared about her, the weight of that had not fully landed with her. It was dawning on her now, when this strong and capable man professed to need her, just to hold for a while until old trauma subsided. What she had promised him went so far beyond morning jogs and shared dinners and laced fingers on a stroll through the marketplace. This was not a man she could ever walk away from without an explanation, not one who could sit and wait if life got hard and she needed a break. He'd come with her, he'd be out with lanterns searching until the end of days - as he'd promised.
Letting out an awed breath, pale fingers combed through his locks, and began to gently massage his scalp in small, circular movements. Working her way down along his neck and to his shoulders, she sought out knots of tension and kneaded them out. "Then I'll stay where you can see me," she murmured, "and hold me. Any time you want to, you can just reach out. I'll be there." She couldn't imagine a situation where his touch wouldn't be welcome, and even if such a time were to arrive, she'd still stay by his side. Maybe she shouldn't be so happy about it; but it wasn't often that she was needed by someone. It felt kind of nice. The kind of weight that was comforting and bracing, not crushing at all.
"Tell me about the ways you would like to be stronger?" Maybe there was something she could do to help him get there just a little bit faster. Maybe there was something they could do in the meantime that soothed the impatience, the frustration of not being where you wished to be - like her friends had done for her, and were still doing. Maybe saying it out loud would help him find the spark of inspiration he needed to find his path forward. She'd love that for him.
Letting out an awed breath, pale fingers combed through his locks, and began to gently massage his scalp in small, circular movements. Working her way down along his neck and to his shoulders, she sought out knots of tension and kneaded them out. "Then I'll stay where you can see me," she murmured, "and hold me. Any time you want to, you can just reach out. I'll be there." She couldn't imagine a situation where his touch wouldn't be welcome, and even if such a time were to arrive, she'd still stay by his side. Maybe she shouldn't be so happy about it; but it wasn't often that she was needed by someone. It felt kind of nice. The kind of weight that was comforting and bracing, not crushing at all.
"Tell me about the ways you would like to be stronger?" Maybe there was something she could do to help him get there just a little bit faster. Maybe there was something they could do in the meantime that soothed the impatience, the frustration of not being where you wished to be - like her friends had done for her, and were still doing. Maybe saying it out loud would help him find the spark of inspiration he needed to find his path forward. She'd love that for him.
Maea
// won't you take me to your heart? //
