Damien
the woods have remembered you
Damien hadn’t expected all those words to come out of him. He could feel it in his bones, that long spill of honesty—like once the first stone had been dropped, the rest just followed. And when she leaned in, forehead pressing against his chest, it knocked the breath out of him in a different way. Stunned him silent, his heart thudding hard against her temple. Best friend. She said it like she meant it, and he hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to hear that until now.A smile crept over him before he could stop it, rough and boyish all at once, like he’d just walked away with a prize he hadn’t known was on the table. “You’re damn right,” he murmured, voice edged with good-humored enthusiasm, chin tilting down so his words brushed close to her hair. “We’re the best.”
He shifted then, turning enough to slide an arm around her shoulders. The shield swung from its strap, forgotten. He leaned his head toward hers, voice low, meant for her alone. “Next time we’ll fight how you want to. I’ll go all cloak-and-dagger, shadows and knives, if that’s what it takes to keep up with you.”
He lingered there for a moment, watching her expression, studying the flicker of it to make sure the storm had passed.
Finally, he drew back just enough to free his arm, turning toward the racks to put away the shields. Over on the bench, Aria stirred, gave a big stretch and biiiig yawn.
“I will say,” he said once he was done, hefting the axe once, letting the etched blade catch the early light, “I like this one. Think I’ll keep it. You're confident with that sword. Do you like it?” He glanced over at Theea, head tilting.
ever since the first time you got lost in them
