no vacancy

save your eyes for someone brighter than i will ever be

A soft sound comes from her as he uses her as a pillar to steady himself into the sleep that threatens to steal him away. His breaths follow softly, his heartbeat evening out, soft like the beat of a drum as he listens to her and focuses on it. At least until it drowns everything else out, the sound of the waves crashing against the caves, the rocks, the burning crackling of the wood in the fire, the sound of her breaths and her lullaby.

It was… Nice, sweet, gentle – so much different from what he was used to. But he focuses on her, as much as he can until the sense of sleep sweeps him away, steadying and evening out his pulse, his hand stilling along her shoulder when it finally does take him, but he keeps her close, keeps his head pressed against the top of her head, letting it sweep him away.

don't hesitate to bring me to my knees

SUNJATA

You're so cold

but you feel alive

The man fell asleep, and so too did the woman. The embers of the hearth burned down, and peace settled over the cave as the night deepened, veiling their tangled forms under a cloak of darkness. No nightmares haunted the girl that night, and when she woke it was to the sound of rolling waves and Hels crying in the early morning light.

For a time, she just lay still, with eyes closed. Not wishing to open them, not really wanting to wake up. But reflections from the ocean outside was playing on her eyelids, and returning back into that peaceful oblivion was quite impossible. Breathing in, she reluctantly pried open salt-crusted eyelashes. There was no real sense of disorientation. No tracing of the cavern roof to see where she was, or moment of panic before realization set in. Maea knew exactly where she was. Why she was there. What the weight of an arm around her waist meant, and understood the significance of the warm, slow breaths against her cheek.

Turning her head carefully, she looked at Sunjata's sleeping form. He looked utterly relaxed, face made younger by the lack of frowns and tension. The dark hair was mussed from sleep and her restless fingers, the mouth still a bit swollen from their passionate kisses... and there were bruises lining his neck, down across the shoulders, where she'd tasted his skin.

Unable to help herself, she eased up a hand and brushed feather soft fingers across his cheek, tracing sleep-lines from the rumpled blankets on the skin. It felt as though her chest might actually cave in under the impossible affection she felt at seeing him like this. So quiet and calm, almost vulnerable.

"I love you," she breathed, with her heart in her voice, so quiet that not even his preternatural hearing should be able to pick it up.

Maea closed her eyes again and settled back down against him, hoping she might fall back asleep. Did not want to wake him up.



-----

- FIN <3

lay your hands on me

one last time

MAEA