Shattered Windows, Broken Locks

Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness, So long to the regret, and now I see the world through diamond eyes.     He held her. For the first time in far too long, she allowed him to hold her when she was terrified. Despite her initial panic, Ashe didn’t pull away from him, instead leaning into his body, which brought him to strengthen his hold on her just slightly. He didn’t want to constrict her in anyway, but rather give her some kind of feeling of security, of safety in his arms.     As she lifted her gaze to meet his, Kalt flickered a gentle smile, seeing the effect in her eyes of reality bleeding through. He had been dealing with her night terrors since she was seven years old, so even after the time apart, holding and guiding her through one was second nature to him.     Her apology brought a roll of his eyes, though he waited until she had looked away to do so. Apologies... Why would she apologize for this? Why should she have even felt the need to apologize? His jaw feathered slightly at the thought, but he didn’t move, didn’t comment any more than whispering, ”don’t be.” She didn’t have to be sorry for her terrors. They were justified ten times over, and he shoved away the knowledge that he was the source of some of them. Everything done was for the sake of survival. He knew that, she knew that. The rest of the world might not understand, might not approve of what they did, but it didn’t matter. They were the ones who lived it, who survived it, so they were the only ones who got to say what was necessary or not.     Kalt realized he had gotten suddenly consumed by his own thoughts when he felt he moving. His hold on her lessened, allowing her to sit up, but he didn’t take his hands off of her, the instinct to keep a reality tie against her ingrained in his mind.     ’I should go.’ Go? Go where? The two assassins sat together on the floor for what felt like hours in silence, as Kalt’s eyes searched over her. She didn’t move when she said it. It was Ashe. If she had truly wanted to leave, she could have blasted his door off its hinges and disappeared into the fading darkness. But she hadn’t. No, instead she remained exactly where she was, sitting on the floor against the door while he knelt just in front of her.     ”Ashe, you aren’t going anywhere,” he whispered with a gentle smile. ”You’re already home.” He drew a slow breath, casting a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure they hadn’t woken Theea. Bringing his eyes back to her, he would reach forward to brush his fingers over her cheek, before putting both hands on his knees and pushing himself to stand. ”Come back to bed,” he said, offering his hands. ”You don’t have to sleep if you don’t want to, but just come. I’ll carry you if you’d prefer that.” Kalt smirked down at her at the latter comment, but it was true. It wasn’t like it would be difficult, considering she weighed as much as a piece of parchment. Ashetta