waiting for your return

I thought you said forever over and over

Steam filled the bathroom, warming the small space. Liam stood with his eyes closed, one hand held out in front of him, fighting the urge to crack open an eye to peek. But he was a man of his word, and even if he hadn't explicitly promised to keep his eyes shut, it still felt dishonest to try and sneak a look at whatever Maea had gotten for him. So instead he waited patiently, feeling his partner reach to brace his hand, pressing something light against his palm, something that he couldn't quite discern the shape of.

Then he felt a prick.

Jolting with surprise, the soldier instinctively moved to withdraw his hand, but the damage had been done. The violet haze that had colored his thoughts ever since that day in Stormbreak lifted, and with it, a look of dawning horror appeared on his face. He looked at his palm, at the tiny spot where blood welled up; his gaze flicked to the rose still held in Maea's hand - and then, finally, slowly, to the Ancient's face.

Everything came crashing down on him with a sudden clarity that he'd been lacking for months, and he turned abruptly from his partner, raking his hands through his hair. The bathroom suddenly felt too small, too stifling, but there was nowhere to go, not when he'd promised to stay; nowhere to run when he'd promised forever. And if it wasn't for the sudden wash of shame poisoning his thoughts, he'd never want to. But suddenly, he felt small, and weak, and stupid, and wholly undeserving of Maea's love.

"Fuck," he swore, turning back to Maea with a tortured look on his face. "Maea - I'm so sorry -" For everything he'd said and everything he'd tried to do, for trying to drag her into hell with him, stopped only because the Family had left. That he would have still been trying to convince her to join them if they were still in Caido made him feel sick, and it took all of his will to stay upright, to keep from falling to his knees to beg her forgiveness.

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

Liam

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

He flinched. A prick of blood appeared in his palm, and she almost whooped in triumph, stunned by how quickly it was over. The worry, the wait, the careful maneuvering to avoid mentioning his condition or Stormbreak or the Family or anything else that might trigger a bad reaction. It wasn't that she had been afraid of him. She had been scared of forcing a split, of having to leave to keep herself free to search for the cure, of finding out that all that they had become would disappear along with the purple haze.

A wide, hopeful smile froze on her lips as Liam turned away from her. Her hand closed around the wilting flower, cradling the thorns carefully - resisting the impulse to clamp down hard so she could share whatever pain he might be feeling - and waited. Gave him time, and space, whatever he needed to process the incredible violation he had been subjected to. Assault of the worst kind, the loss of his own free will and agency. She understood only vaguely, and it was enough for her to linger in silence for however long it took. Seconds, minutes, hours if needed; she had promised him forever so these cold, lonely few instances was nothing she couldn't bear.

What she couldn't stand was the tormented expression on his face when he turned back to face her. "Don't," she cut him off, soft but fierce. The box clattered against the floor as it dropped from her hand, rose petals scattering as she let the spent flower follow suit. Reaching up to cradle his face between her hands, her touch was agonisingly gentle; trembling ever so slightly with concern for him. "Do not apologise for what others did to you. You have done nothing wrong." An ache was starting up in her jaws, a prickle behind her eyes. Relief for his sake was doing what thoughts of her own ordeal could not; she blinked against the growing dampness, and brushed a thumb lightly across his cheek. "Welcome back. I'm home.. I really missed you."

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

I thought you said forever over and over

The clatter of the box against the floor was a jarring contrast to the gentle thump of the rose in its wake, and then Maea's hands were cradling Liam's face, drawing his distraught hazel eyes to hers. Gods how he wanted to believe her. How he wanted to blame others, to point the finger at anyone if only it would erase this complete and utter violation to which he had been subjected. But it all came back to him: his foolishness, his weakness, his folly. He might not be responsible for the actions of others, but he damn well hadn't made it difficult for them.

Hadn't made it difficult for her.

Thalassa.

If he hadn't been furious with the woman before for her role in injuring Maea - whether she had been directly involved or not - he certainly would be now. With the return of his sanity came the return of his memory, and the moment she'd lured him in replayed in crystalline clarity in his mind. The way she'd asked, oh-so-casually, if he was Maea's. Right before forcing him to Stormbreak, taking him to Dahlia.

As if she were choosing a target specifically to hurt her former friend.

A wrath unlike anything he'd ever known rose in his chest, threatening to choke him. But Maea was cradling his face, tears welling in her pale eyes, speaking softly to welcome him back - and in that moment, he chose love over hate. What good would it do to dwell on what had happened? For now, he had to let it go, lest he drown in his own self-loathing. But next time he saw Thalassa...

Liam shook it off. His hands came to rest at Maea's waist, and he leaned forward to press his forehead against his partner's, taking a deep breath to steady his racing heart. "I missed you, too." He swallowed hard, and his voice was thick with emotion as he added, "I was so worried about you. I saw you leave the masquerade, but when you didn't come home, I thought..."

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

Liam

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

He was so tense beneath her palms. She felt him think, though couldn’t follow the train of thought. Didn't know what truths he allowed himself to believe or what wounds he found, though she hoped he would allow her to know about them, at some point. Whether now or later, whenever he was ready to give voice to the darkness and pain she glimpsed in his eyes.

For the moment, she was just glad to have her worst fears turn to dust, scattering across the bathroom floor along with the rest of the unnecessary things. The hands cradling her were still warm, still safe, and now she was finally able to tell him the full truth.
"I'm so sorry for leaving you," she murmured, aching at the memory. "A rose grew right in front of us as I was speaking with Thalassa. She wanted to burn it, and all I could think was that I had to keep it safe - from you, too." Reaching up so she could slip her arms around his neck in a proper embrace, Maea gritted her teeth against the recollection of discovering that her efforts had been in vain. "Ludo took it from me. I had it, but it took it away - I was so furious, I couldn't think clearly."

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

I thought you said forever over and over

"Don't ever apologize, love," Liam murmured, his eyes opening to peer insistently into Maea's. "You did what you had to do - to save the rose. To save me." He slipped his arms around her properly, tugging her against him to bury his face in her shoulder. "I will never blame you for leaving. The important thing is that you came back." Injured, perhaps, in ways that Liam had yet to fully understand, but she was here, and she was his, and at least there was that. No matter what they were going through individually, there was still this.

His infection hadn't ruined the best thing that could have happened to him.

Liam pulled back just enough to press his lips to Maea's forehead. Then he looked down at her, frowning, before glancing at the discarded rose on the floor. "But if Ludo took the rose, then how...?" Had Maea been fortunate enough to find another rose? Had she somehow managed to get it back from Ludo? What kind of ordeal had she gone through to cure him?

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

Liam

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Pale fingers slid up the column of his neck and delved into his hair, rubbing tiny circles across his scalp. It was as soothing to her as she hoped it was for him, and silenced the objections habit would have her voice. Tit for tat though; "I'll always come back to you. So thank you, for waiting for me," she murmured instead, in a subconscious shift; to stop apologising and start being grateful.

Smiling up at him at the kiss - the final proof that everything really was alright between them still - she leaned over to close the tap before the bath could overflow, and followed Liam's gaze to the massacred rose. "Ah, right. I found this one the day after. Once I had calmed down, I met a young girl in the Wildwood... She yielded it to me. Gave me that box too. If you ever come across a chatty dark-haired kid named Theea, be sure to thank her. Also... I may have promised her a place to stay when she comes by." Hardly a worthy trade, to be honest, as Maea would have given the moon to that girl for her generosity.

"My mistake was not going straight home after that," she sighed, easing her grip on Liam only to lean down and pick up the box so it could sit more safely on a shelf instead. "I just... didn't know how to get the rose near you without repeating the mess with Thal. I kept flying and thinking, got interrupted and wound up further and further away... then the whole thing with Noah happened." Her expression fell with the reminder, and whatever burst of energy had sustained her through the past few minutes seemed to drain away. "It was mostly the trip back from Torchline that took so long. Seemed safer than the dragon."

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

I thought you said forever over and over

As Maea's fingers delved into his hair, Liam smothered a sound somewhere between a hum of appreciation and a groan of pleasure. He hadn't realized just how much he craved her touch, and feeling her in his arms, her fingers drawing tiny circles on his scalp, only served to remind him how addicted to her he was. "Always," he murmured in response to her gratitude, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips as he gazed adoringly down at her.

He kept his arms firmly around his partner even as she moved to shut off the water, unwilling to let her go quite yet. Her tale had his brows raising in surprise as a soft chuckle rumbled through his chest. "The roses must just be drawn to you," he teased. "In all my years here, I'd only ever seen one, and yet you've found - what, four? In a matter of seasons." Shaking his head in wonder, he filed away the name of the girl who'd helped her for later. If he ever came across this Theea - and, if she was coming to the Greatwood, then he very well might - then he'd be sure to thank her.

Liam reluctantly loosened his grip as Maea reached for the box to place it safely on a shelf. When she'd secured it in place and finished speaking, the soldier took her hands, cradling them gently against his chest, over his heart. "I'm sorry that you went through all that," he told her. "But... you made it. You're safe. You're home." He paused. "And Maea... thank you. For saving me. For loving me. For never giving up on me."

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

Liam

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Her mouth quirked in response to Liam’s wonder, her own view perhaps a touch more wry. If roses were all she attracted for the rest of her life, Maea would count herself fortunate. There had been enough grief and misfortune in her life already, far too much leaping headlong into danger for the sake of proving to herself that she was worthy of this life. Enough already. Let this be the end of her quest. She had found her knight, saved him from the curse that bound him and found a kingdom to dwell in. May they live happily ever after, from now on. With Liam's heartbeat to steady her like a drum beneath her palms, it shouldn't be difficult to find peace.

His gratitude soothed the tender chafes these past seasons had rubbed into her nerves. The look in his eyes as he gazed at her drew a blush to her cheeks, shy and confused at the shyness; would he always stir up butterflies in her like this? Render her speechless, at a loss for what to say, except for a simple always. Whatever happened, she'd always be there for him, always love him – and never, ever give him up. Not to anything or anyone.
Mutely burying her face against his sternum, she needed a moment - or several - before she could speak without breaking down. "For you, I'd do it all over again. But... yeah. It really is good to be back home again." Back with him. Back in familiar surroundings, with a bath waiting to cleanse her of folly and fear and the grime of a journey that shouldn't have happened.

And that bath was very much beckoning now, almost as alluring as staying tangled in Liam’s arms. "... wanna join me in the tub?" It seemed a wonderful compromise, the perfect solution that would let her have two wonderful things at once. If they stood there for a while longer the water should be bearable for Liam too.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

I thought you said forever over and over

Now that Maea was home, Liam felt complete - doubly so, because for the first time, he could feel the depth of his feelings without the purple haze that had clouded his thoughts for the past seasons. While his infection had never impacted his love for Maea - aside from wanting to convince her to join the Family - he had always known that, if he had been forced to choose between his partner and the Family, he would have had to choose the latter, even if it had broken him to do it. Now that he was free of that, he could love her as she deserved. And he intended to do just that, not inclined to leave either her or the Greatwood behind any time soon.

The bath steamed faintly behind them as Maea invited him to join her in the tub. Liam's grin was certainly answer enough, but just in case it wasn't, he added, "I'd like nothing more." For her, he'd withstand any mild discomfort from the heat of the water, content to soak until the bath cooled and his fingers pruned. Leaning down, he dipped a finger into the water to make sure he wouldn't actually boil alive and was pleased to find that it was only slightly hotter than he'd prefer. "I think it should be comfortable for both of us." Or close enough, anyway.

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

Liam

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Huffing a quiet giggle at the look on his face, Maea didn't need any more encouragement. "If it's too hot, we can wait. I can think of several ways to occupy us in the meantime." The smile that lingered on her lips took on a suggestive expression, warm and inviting as her hands slid from their rest over his heart to the buttons of his shirt and slowly began to undo them, one by one. Maea might need the bath far more than he did, but she enjoyed the ritual of taking it together, of doing these little things for him that no one else was allowed. Simply existing in his space, breathing in the fragrance of him.
Tilting her head back she traced the lines of his face with a gaze soft as lavender, admiring every angle, every imperfection that turned him from a work of art into a very real, very human man. There weren't many. How anyone could be this handsome without magic or the touch of divinity was beyond her. The hint of a beard shadowing his chin only enhanced it; she couldn't resist freeing one hand from its work unbuttoning to reach for his face so she could feel the bristles again. "This suits you," she smiled. "Have you ever let it grow out fully?"

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

I thought you said forever over and over

Liam chuckled, the sound rich and seductive in the scant space between them. "Oh? Tell me more," he suggested, reaching for her waist to tug her closer against him as she worked to unbutton his shirt. As her fingers ghosted along the bare skin of his chest, Liam swallowed hard, his grip on her tightening. What was it about Maea that was so addicting? When she'd been gone, he'd felt like he could scarcely breathe, like her absence had sucked all the air from the world. And now that she was back? Now he felt invincible. Everything was right in his world again.

Maea's hand reached up to touch his jaw, and Liam leaned into her touch. "I have," he admitted. Of course, that had been back when he simply couldn't be bothered to shave. "If you like it, maybe I'll let it grow a little." It was past time to make new memories, anyway, to replace the negativity that had resided in the back of his mind for far too long.

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

Liam

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

That nervous flutter turned to swarming moths as Liam pulled her up against him. Heat rose in her with the easy possessiveness of the gesture, like there'd never been any question of where she belonged. Those same comforting hands that welcomed her home were reminding her with increasing urgency of all the ways their dynamic had changed; from merely friendly and supportive into a burning need demanding closeness. Intimacy. To touch and feel and confirm all over again their promises to each other superceded any commands of the Void.
"Mmh. For one, I have yet to properly show my gratitude, for your patience in waiting for me."
Undoing the last button, her free hand traced a feather light path across his collarbone and down over his torso, winding down the valleys between lean muscle and came to rest just above the lining of his trousers, light and teasing. 
Brushing his cheek with the thumb of her other hand, the suggestion to grow out his whiskers was met with an approving nod. "I do like it. I can't actually think of anything about you that I don't like." From the shaggy curls of his hair to the shifting hue of his eyes, and the way his mouth sometimes lent him the air of the younger, frailer boy he may have been - only for the man he was now to reemerge. Solid, confident... hungry. Gods, but she loved the way his expression intensified when gazing at her.

Letting her palm slide from his cheek and down the column of his neck, Maea leaned in and brushed her lips against the hollow of his throat in a lingering kiss. Breathed in the fragrance of his skin, savored how warm and alive it felt under her fingertips. "I like your scent. And your warmth. And how your hands fit around my waist. How your voice sounds... the way you laugh." All of it. All of him.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

I thought you said forever over and over

Heat washed through Liam as Maea's body pressed against him, his gaze darkening with desire. He might have said something about her not needing to show gratitude - about not owing him anything simply for doing the only thing he could do in the situation he'd found himself in - but the feather-light touch that coursed down his chest to come to rest just above the waist of his pants distracted him enough that words eluded him. Instead, his grip on her waist tightened briefly, possessively - and then he was reaching for her robe, intending to slip it off her.

But before he could, her other hand was sliding down his neck, and she was leaning in to press her lips against the hollow of his throat. He swallowed hard, vaguely wondering how attached she was to the robe and whether she'd be at all upset if he simply ripped it off of her, a sudden, surging desire driven by her hands and her lips and her words. Taking a shaky breath, Liam tilted his head to capture her mouth with his, lifting one hand to cradle the back of her head to deepen the kiss. "I love you," he murmured against her lips. "All of you. Always."

He kissed the corner of her mouth, then pressed a trail of kisses along her jaw to nip at the sensitive skin beneath her ear. "Everything between us - it hasn't changed," he continued. "I may have been infected, but this? Us? It's always been real." Their friendship, the slow blossoming into something more, the love that they'd come to share: it all burned as brightly now as it had upon first discovering it. Being cured had only served to solidify Liam's feelings, and he wanted nothing more right now than to show Maea just what she meant to him.

A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion

Liam

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Whether he needed to be thanked or not, she still wanted to express what words couldn't. Not from her mouth, not with her lacking eloquence. Besides, there was something about him... when she first caught sight of him through the fallowing leaves, desire had been the furthest thing from her thoughts. Yet here she was, not even half an hour later, burning under his touch like his mere presence was an aphrodisiac. Maea was vaguely aware that they still had things they needed to talk about, concerns and worries and further explanations as of yet unaired - but with Liam's breath hitching under her fingertips, how was she supposed to focus on any of that?

She'd had plans to sample his skin with her tongue, but before she could put them in action, his mouth was claiming her lips in a kiss that stole her breath away. Pushing herself up on tiptoes to respond, fists closing around shirt flaps to steady her, she closed her eyes against the dizzying spin of the room around her; knowing nothing but the shape of his lips the way they undid her composure for long, blinding moments.

Heat surged even further as Liam's mouth wandered, painting burning reassurance across her skin she never thought she'd need to hear out loud. But with the way her eyes burned in response.. "I love you too," she whispered thickly in return, breath catching and turning into a soft gasp as his teeth graced the tender skin beneath her ear. "So much. You didn't seem any different so I hoped... I thought... but I wasn't sure if we would be alright... " But they were. They were, they were, and maybe relief was part of the reason why she trembled so, why the desire pooling in her core felt so fierce and demanding. Shuddering with need she pressed her hips into his, grinding against his crotch; eager to feel his response, too swept away to remember that she had wanted to drag this out for him.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3