Everest
As Isla's fingers slip free of his, Everest’s hand follows instinctively, circling her middle so that the space between them disappears entirely, his arm firm and sure around her. He feels the hitch in her breathing before he sees it, and when he looks down to find her eyes shining he stiffens for half a second in startled concern, only for her lips to brush his jaw and undo that tension completely.
He shifts his hold without thinking, his free hand sliding from her waist to cup her cheek, thumb warm against her skin as he gently guides her face up toward his. The kiss he gives her is soft and unhurried, more grounding than passionate, and a quiet hum of contentment slips from him as he lingers there for a moment before pulling back just enough to look at her again. Whatever fear still coils in his chest loosens slightly at the edges, soothed by the simple, undeniable fact of her wanting this with him and him, surprisingly, finding he wanted it also.
Her laughter draws a breathy huff from him in return, something close to a laugh even if it never quite makes it all the way out. He lets his hand fall from her cheek and runs it through his hair instead, the gesture faintly self-conscious as if he is only just realising how large this all is. "I’m...nearly certain they will," he says, nodding as he speaks, confidence creeping into his voice where the subject is familiar and concrete. "Unless Tobi got rid of them while cleaning, but I suspect she will have kept them for precisely this moment."
He glances back at Isla, expression thoughtful rather than anxious now, and gives another small nod when she mentions telling people. "I think that part should be up to you. When, and how." His arm tightens around her again, protective without being possessive, and he leans his forehead lightly against her temple, breathing her in as if memorizing this version of the moment, the one where everything has changed and yet somehow still feels like home.
He shifts his hold without thinking, his free hand sliding from her waist to cup her cheek, thumb warm against her skin as he gently guides her face up toward his. The kiss he gives her is soft and unhurried, more grounding than passionate, and a quiet hum of contentment slips from him as he lingers there for a moment before pulling back just enough to look at her again. Whatever fear still coils in his chest loosens slightly at the edges, soothed by the simple, undeniable fact of her wanting this with him and him, surprisingly, finding he wanted it also.
Her laughter draws a breathy huff from him in return, something close to a laugh even if it never quite makes it all the way out. He lets his hand fall from her cheek and runs it through his hair instead, the gesture faintly self-conscious as if he is only just realising how large this all is. "I’m...nearly certain they will," he says, nodding as he speaks, confidence creeping into his voice where the subject is familiar and concrete. "Unless Tobi got rid of them while cleaning, but I suspect she will have kept them for precisely this moment."
He glances back at Isla, expression thoughtful rather than anxious now, and gives another small nod when she mentions telling people. "I think that part should be up to you. When, and how." His arm tightens around her again, protective without being possessive, and he leans his forehead lightly against her temple, breathing her in as if memorizing this version of the moment, the one where everything has changed and yet somehow still feels like home.
I was a dead man walking,
with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
with bloodshot eyes—right place, wrong time.
