just bare with me and i'll be back some day i hope

// and i hear your ship is comin' in, your tears a sea for me to swim in
and i hear a storm is comin' in, my dear, is it all we've ever been? //

There’s a hum of agreement when it comes to the idea of the peppermint drink. It’ll certainly taste better than what Vai had given him the first time – before he’d realized what it actually was. Peppermint was refreshing, something that would easily soothe him into sleep. For now, however, he’s awake for the most part, pouring all of his focus into his husband and the idle chatter between them (something that felt like ages since they’d ever gotten to do). “The warden?” He pipes up curiously. “She didn’t seem the type, to be honest.” He murmurs, nodding along with Nate’s thought process but trying to figure out where it all fit in.

But then he’s shifting and moving so he can hover above his husband, his steel gaze focused on vibrant blue and steel just as Nate shares the information of having another vision. It pulls his brows together, his head tilting slightly as he pauses in everything he does, the bound wing of his still limp but shifted to encase Nate’s side while the other tucks in beside them, curtaining them off from the light of the room aside from the taloned peaks of his wings. His hand lifts to run his thumb along the Ascended’s jaw as he clears the sleep from his throat. “What was it?” He asks softly, quietly, almost tentatively, afraid of the answer.

He nestles in close, however, offering the idea of his shifts for LongNight, tucking away the burning hot sensation of jealousy that spikes through him. The Attuned’s head nestles up, pressing a kiss to his husband’s neck, then to his jaw, before he’s taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes to the mental rumble, doing his best to let it soothe over all the other jaggedness he’s felt these last few months. You’d better, Skatjie. It’s an empty threat, sullener than anything else. Nothing has to come of the bites, I just want you all to have options. His head lifts then, his hand rising with it to run through Nate’s dark curls as he aims to press a kiss to the Ascended’s lips, at a loss of what else to say that might soothe the barbs he feels prickling down the bond.

anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love

SUNJATA

// i am not the only traveler who has not repaid his debt
i've been searching for a trail to follow again, take me back to the night we met //

”I didn’t think so either.” Even now, it’s a touch surprising, though Nate will be the first to admit he knows very little of the Warden. ”Neron assured me though, and I’m trusting him.” Odd phrasing, deliberately so, though Nate doesn’t stumble over this like he has other things. It stops mattering quickly though, and they tangle together into something more comfortable, Sunjata a warm soothing weight on him.

It’s a comfort he needs, as his gaze dips away, and the all too real premonition comes to mind again. Darkness helps, Nate’s throat clicking as he swallows, then speaks, hesitation dragging every word. ”We weren’t prepared enough. I... I didn’t see how, but we were split up, spread out.” A death sentence, in that deep, lonely darkness, even for an ascended. Perhaps especially for an ascended, this year. It’s not a train of though that Nate wants to linger in, but practicality forces his hand, a verbal pout tainting the silent words. I know nothing will come of it. And I think it’s a good idea. I just... don’t like it. Not that he needs to say that, the very mood dripping off just his words, when it hasn’t even happened yet.

Nate knows exactly what Sunjata is shifting to do, and yet the kiss still hits him like a train. There’s not even a feigned moment of stillness, just the ascendeds hands, possessive and firm and desperately pulling his husband closer. It’s almost manic in how quickly it comes on, how it overwhelms their bond with a wordless sense of love. Of appreciation. Of something deep and unreachable, save for moments like this one. Shifting instead of pulling away, Nate lets his lips drag across the attuned’s cheeks, his jaw, then presses a harder kiss to the spot just below his ear, and just above the ghosts of his teeth. A warmed hand swipes down along Sunjatas spine, lower than it necessarily needs to before rising again, meandering along the long arches of scar tissue and tattoo ink.

A bite seems inevitable, but it never comes, Nate slipping further and further along his husbands neck until he’s leaning up into the crook of his shoulder. Lips still tickle against tanned skin, though it’s impossible to tell if the movement is yet more kisses, or silent words. I love you. This at least, is clear, a bells chime in the sudden calm that emanates from the ascended, buzzing and doomed to be short lived. For now though, it lives, thrives.

NATE

// and i hear your ship is comin' in, your tears a sea for me to swim in
and i hear a storm is comin' in, my dear, is it all we've ever been? //

A small nod is given at the mention of trusting Neron. Sunjata trusted him too, even if the Warden seemed… Cold. Any additional help was beneficial. If only he could offer his own help during the week as well. But he can’t, and they both know that, even if it burns against him internally. He trusts Nate, believes in him to make it out. It’s the only thing he clings to anymore the closer they get to LongNight. So he drapes himself over his husband, listening as there’s some hesitation as Nate speaks of his vision, Sunjata’s lips forming a tight line in response. “Have you told anyone?” He asks quietly, his breath soft and warm against his husband before the feeling of a pout shoots through him.

I know you don’t. Sunjata hums, though there’s this part of him that relishes in the possessiveness even if he doesn’t show it. It still slips along the bond, trickling down as Nate’s hands wind their way around him, as the kiss breaks and Sunjata’s wings flare in closer (at least one), his head tilting this way and that, acquiescing to wherever Nate chooses to place his kisses and trail his hands. The hand in the Ascended’s hair moves further in, resting his fingers along the back of his head while his thumb strokes along the soft space beneath Nate’s ear just as Nate’s lips do momentarily along the Attuned’s neck.

Perhaps there’s some anticipation, some hitch of a breath that comes and goes swiftly with the tender touch of lips against his shoulder. He presses down against Nate again, tucking himself into his husband wherever he can. I love you too. He offers quietly but with just as much love and warmth that Nate had offered him. So, so, so, so, so much. He almost catches himself apologizing again, but he manages to stop himself, pausing to press a kiss to Nate’s temple before his face tucks in beside the Ascended’s and he closes his eyes. 'I missed you' nearly slips his lips, but is quickly replaced by “I missed this.” Because it wasn't Nate's fault Sunjata hadn't been all there. And he had missed it, all of it. The tenderness, the closeness, the way that today he doesn’t have to drink himself to sleep. There are no nightmares in his vision or his mind. Only his love, his moon, Nate.

anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love

SUNJATA

// i am not the only traveler who has not repaid his debt
i've been searching for a trail to follow again, take me back to the night we met //

”No, just you. I’ve been trying to...” A sigh heaves out of Nate, shifting Sunjata up and down with it, a motion that’s usually absent when they’re together like this. ”Figure out some way around it. I don’t know. I don’t know how set in stone any of this is.” He didn’t want it on his shoulders, he’d never asked for this stress, but here it was. Here he was.

It’s so much easier to whine about small things, to try and voice larger frustrations with a bit of exaggeration. Not quite relieving still, but easier at least than simply trying to avoid it. There’s no more words from him, at least not for the moment, while he laps at the paradox of satisfaction coming from Sunjata liking the way he grows possessive, and only tightens his hands that much more, fingers twisting in the curls of his husbands hair. It’s been too long. They haven’t had a moment of ease like this since... since the fever broke, maybe? Even the reception had been tense, fraught with secrets and worries and things he wasn’t sure how to untangle.

A shiver runs through him at the fingers so close to his ears, a barley there tickle that he relishes in. He wants to sink into this moment as he sinks his teeth into his husband, adding another pair of scars, but he doesn’t. Nate can’t bring himself to end this moment like that, can’t bring himself to hasten it along. He sinks instead into the heavy warmth of being here, being safe, better than they have been in a while. He sinks and he sends it to Sunjata, the safety, the comfort, the relief, and the blistering love. And it all comes back to him, more than he ever expected before. I know you do sonskyn. I know. his voice cracks under the weight of emotion, even silently, and Nate is glad for the security of the wing shroud around them. Grasping fingers loosen their grip, curling together in a tight embrace and holding Sunjata close instead.

He doesn’t know the thoughts that move through Sunjata’s mind, doesn’t know the words that almost fall from him instead. But Nate doesn’t really need to, when they come from his own tongue instead. ”I missed you.” The words are warm, almost as insistent as the way Nate presses his cheek in against the attuned’s shoulder. ”It’s...” Nate nearly lets himself slip, lets the words come silently instead, but it seems more meaningful to give them a chance to ring out in the air. ”Its harder to take care of things when I know you’re not okay.” Maybe it’s selfish, maybe it puts too much pressure on the other.

NATE

// and i hear your ship is comin' in, your tears a sea for me to swim in
and i hear a storm is comin' in, my dear, is it all we've ever been? //

Some way around it? Sunjata can’t help but to cock his head slightly to the side, letting those pieces of his attuned nature spread through the bond. “You’ve… Been right every time so far.” He murmurs softly, pausing to press his lips into a tight line. “The blood with the fever cure, something happening during the Festival of Lights.” He reminds, though he can’t recall what each vision had been, he does recall that something indeed happened.

So he nestles in, lets Nate grow possessive, lets his husband run his hands wherever he chooses and move him however he wished while he considers his next few words carefully. Melting into Nate’s embrace, he heaves a quiet but soft sigh. “Tell them… Perhaps it’ll keep their guards up.” There’s another soft tone of his voice, an attempt to nudge Nate into telling someone else so he didn’t have to bear it all on his own. “I think they’ll believe you. They know the Voice gave you your eye back. They know she can give you… Fancy things like that.” And if there were doubt, well, if it did happen then it’s just another reason for them to utter that they told them so.

But for now, Nate’s voice cracks and Sunjata lays himself upon his husband like a blanket, wings shrouding in to block out the light so it’s simply just them and the crackling of the fire in the room, the blankets that pull up and around the both of them and Sunjata’s warm but not fevered nor drunken warmth. He’s thankful that Nate says it instead, and he shifts slightly to not press all his weight into the comfort of the embrace, shifting just so he’s on his side again and dragging Nate with him, the large wing spread out so it blocks out the light still. It gives him a moment to simply look at his husband, to take all of him in, a sudden fear that he might never again in these up coming weeks.

He swallows those down swiftly, already having had too emotional of a day. And instead, offering a boyishly crooked smile back in response. “I know, liefde.” He murmurs softly, shifting a bit so his head rests on the pillow and his arms can pull Nate against him tight, perhaps showing a bit of that possessiveness as well, almost as if he’s afraid that if he doesn’t the Ascended will disappear from his touch. “I’m okay now, though. I…” He quirks his lips slightly, cutting himself off to run his tongue along his lower lip as he figures out how to say it. “I didn’t want to add more to your plate… I’m sorry. I’ll tell you first thing if it happens again.” He promises quieter, leaning forward and letting his hand run along Nate’s jaw to lift his head slightly to plant another kiss, to relish in a moment where nothing demands their attention.

anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love

SUNJATA

// i am not the only traveler who has not repaid his debt
i've been searching for a trail to follow again, take me back to the night we met //

”I know I have been.” Though he’d hoped maybe he had been the only one noticed, maybe it was just in his head, stretched out to fit reality. Nate shuts his eyes tightly, squeezing until he sees a swirl of colour in the darkness of his own eyelids, and sighs. Tries to drag comfort from Sunjata, and succeeds in some small way, even if he grumbles at the sigh, the suggestion. ”Its better if I come with it and something to help.” Another sigh rumbles through him, lingering longer than it has any right to if only because he doesn’t actually need to breathe again. ”I think.. I think I have to. We have to be prepared.” He’s surviving the week, no matter what. All there is to worry about is everything everyone else.

This is a lesson that he will have to learn over and over before he truly trusts it. Nate doesn’t have to be a lone pillar, always standing tall and straight and giving away nothing. He can stumble, can falter, can lean on Sunjata in moments like this. It’s nice, relieving in a way  that Nate isn’t sure how to voice, except to go along when the attuned shifts, easily and without hesitation. It shows in the way he doesn’t flinch away from the sudden scrap of light shifting across his face, the darkness of wings lifting away and revealing a fragile expression uncertain and afraid and trying to face it, if not for himself then for Sunjata.

Something about the explanation has Nate’s face flickering, not quite a flinch, but not quite not that either. He understands the sentiment, clearly, obviously. He can’t refute the thinking. But it still makes some part of him ache and throb, twisting in his chest. ”I know you didn’t.” The words are sincere. ”It wasn’t your fault.” Apologetic. ”Its all alright.” And a distraction from what actually bubbles in Nate’s throat, yet more honesty and vulnerability that needs to be forced out of him, especially now, when he feels so... visible. ”There’s... always some of you on my plate.” A soft chuckle leaves him, trying to put some distance between him and the words, while his eyes refuse to leave the attuned’s face, no matter how much he may want to look away.

They do close, when Sunjata leans in for a kiss, Nate indulging in the closeness for as long as he possibly can, and then a moment more, a soft chuckle on his lips when they finally part, only for him to lean in again.

NATE

// and i hear your ship is comin' in, your tears a sea for me to swim in
and i hear a storm is comin' in, my dear, is it all we've ever been? //

He stops himself short of saying that Nate has to. He refrains from saying that he needs to make sure he gets back home to him. There’s a selfish clinginess that inhabits the bond suddenly, like a breath taken, before it’s gone again, and Sunjata shifts with other thoughts drifting through his mind, in tandem for what he tells his husband next, of plates and so much that the Ascended was doing. But he settles easily, wrapped up in one another, Nate unflinching as the Attuned’s wing shifts a bit. But he drowns them in darkness again, soon after, giving that comfortable blanket again.

And then he’s apologizing, despite telling himself he wouldn’t, his emotions still relatively raw all things considered and the words and thoughts they speak of drift into more tense categories as the minutes go on. All he can do is break it up with tenderness, to answer the unsaid questions with the movements of his body, with the pulses through the bond of love so strong that nothing could shake it. And he knows he should try to deny the fact that it was okay, because it wasn’t… But he doesn’t, instead choosing a huff of an airy, breathy laugh when Nate tells him there’s always a piece of him on his plate.

It feels good to be able to laugh about things, it feels good to be able to scan Nate’s face in the soft darkness and not have his husband’s gaze drift from him. It feels like progress of a sort, though he’s not sure why he thinks it as such. “There is a lot of me to go around.” He comments wryly, into the kiss gently, before pulling away ever so slightly to catch a warm breath or two before they close in again.

Sunjata pulls Nate tight against him, his leg moving to hook around the Ascended and keep him close as his hand runs along Nate’s jaw to tuck into dark hair again. Let’s forget about it for a little bit, hm? It’s a low, mental rumble, edged with a hint of amusement that he can’t hide. Never thought I’d say it but the Grounds have been the best vacations I’ve had. This is added with the sprinkling of laughter, the pinch of his cheeks into the kiss that curl the edges of his lips up. And he presses in further, relishing in the closeness, relishing in his ability to pretend that everything was okay if only for the rest of the night.

anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love

SUNJATA

// i am not the only traveler who has not repaid his debt
i've been searching for a trail to follow again, take me back to the night we met //

Nate likes the breath of clinginess, likes being wanted as much as he wants, like being something worth clinging to. It soothes him even more, smooths down spines that have been up for far too long. Even if only for the night, it's a break that's invaluable, that keeps him sane. And at it's most, it's a night they'll remember together.

The bubble of laughter that rises in Nate's throat is light, matching Sunjata's easily. Somehow, he does feel lighter for the scrap of honesty, even if he knows it's still only the bare minimum. "And yet, I don't know if I'll ever get enough." His fingers brush hair away from the attuned's face as he leans in again, as their lips catch on each others. Nate finds himself leaning, tipping closer and closer to hovering over Sunjata, though he's mindful of the wing still, careful to keep an arm wrapped around his husband and support him.

A wordless agreement pulses through the bond, Nate more than happy to set things down, as much as he can, just for the night. Happy to lean into Sunjata, into the kiss, and pretend like they're going home to something normal tomorrow. Happy to shiver against the barely-there feeling of fingers in his hair. It has been nice, hasn't it? Nate laughs into the kiss, a huff of amusement that he can't help, but that he makes up for quickly. He very nearly thinks something about how long it can last, a shadow of darkness that he drowns out by pressing against Sunjata harder, his teeth threatening the other's lips. I think I might know a way to make it nicer though.

NATE

// and i hear your ship is comin' in, your tears a sea for me to swim in
and i hear a storm is comin' in, my dear, is it all we've ever been? //

Sunjata’s content enough to remain in this clinginess, this attachment that has him unable to keep himself any distance away from his husband. It had been an emotional day, a struggle to get through it and not simply will himself back to sleep. Nate makes it worth it, in the end, someone else to focus on, someone else that understood, someone else that appreciated him as much as he appreciated the other.

The laughter that slips from Nate is welcome, it’s a balm to Sunjata’s frazzled and burned mind, made better by the fingers that run along his face, pushing sleep tousled hair back as he leans in for another kiss. You’ll let me know if I’m too much, yeah? He hums through the bond, that edge of playfulness with a hint of honesty – the only way Sunjata’s ever been capable of getting his thoughts out in the open.

It’s forgotten nearly as quickly as it came, Sunjata’s hands running along the smooth, cool skin of his husband as Nate edges in closer, leaning in and hovering and the Attuned happily obliges, the wounded wing curling just enough that he can both be supported by the Ascended as well as bear most of his weight on his hip. He doesn’t mind, not at all when there’s the laugh that’s offered through the kiss and Sunjata relishes in it – trying to remember the last time he’d heard Nate’s laughter (a laugh that wasn’t accompanied by worry or fear or the act of simply not knowing what else to do). But that thought is quickly drown out, Sunjata’s now free hand that’s not tangled in Nate’s hair, dances along his husband’s spine, lifting up from beneath his shirt to run calloused fingers along Nate’s spine.

A huff of a pleased sigh leaves him with the threat of teeth he feels, sparking anticipation within him, sparking a greediness within him that he happily sends down the bond. It’s evident that he is feeling better, with the nudge of his head against Nate’s, aiming to place his own playful bite on the Ascended’s lower lip. Indulge me. Comes the purr, comes the shift of Sunjata readjusting to settle on his back to tug Nate atop him.

anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love

SUNJATA

- NATE -

no surrender, no retreat, i'll tear down every wall
just to keep you warm, just to bring you home

The thought that Sunjata could ever be too much is laughable, literally laughable. If it wasn’t for the fact that he didn’t need to breathe, the uncontrollable chuckles might be a touch concerning, but Nate doesn’t even need to stop to reply. You’ll never be too much for me Sonskyn. Kisses, or at least things that are trying to be kisses but can’t quite make it there with the way mirth still bubbles up from Nate, are pressed against tanned skin, against freckles and scars. I wanna hold on to everything you can give me for as long as possible.

With how long it’s been since he’s simply laughed, it’s difficult to stop. He’s not trying to cover something up, not trying to distract away from an issue he doesn’t want to talk about, he just is. And just being with Sunjata is all he’s wanted for ages now, a treat always just out of reach, with the way everything twists around them.

Giggles finally peter out into nothing as they shift, Nate’s focus seized by the balancing act he tugs the attuned into, offering his arms and body to try and hold up his husband. While fingers tangle in his hair, and dance along his spine, drawing out shivers and soft noises, Nate’s free hand reaches out to trace along the leathery skin of Sunjata’s good wing, stretched out around them. There is a bite of stubbornness, a moment that floods the bond with a playfully indignant rush, some pet of Nate about to insist on a please before he just leans into the rare moment of peace and shifts, teeth sinking into a place high on Sunjata’s throat. A rumble moves through the ascended, vibrating his chest and his back with simple pleasure.

i will burn this city down for a diamond in the dust
i'll keep you safe and sound when there's no one left to trust

// and i hear your ship is comin' in, your tears a sea for me to swim in
and i hear a storm is comin' in, my dear, is it all we've ever been? //

He wants to believe Nate, wants to believe that he’d never be too much. But he’d been burned so many times before, it makes it tough for him to fully believe it. The laughter helps, as if it was something that Nate hadn’t thought of, as if it was asinine that Sunjata had suggested it in the first place. At the follow up, however, the Attuned can’t help but to offer his own quiet laughter with Nate’s, relaxing, soothing, letting this night be a good night. I certainly won’t stop you. An assurance, a recollection, until the end.

Nate could laugh for the rest of the night and Sunjata wouldn’t tire of it. The infectiousness of it, the way it feels refreshing, like turning a new page to something blank without the daunting sorrow that typically followed the happiest times. This is one he commits to memory, however, something to try and keep him sane while Nate’s off fighting monsters and he’s left alone in the cool dark of Torchline.

They shift and his hands run along his husband, the Attuned’s body supported in all the right ways. A shiver racks down his spine with Nate’s touch to his wing, a low hum that’s unintelligible leaving him with the sensation, the wing flares slightly and Sunjata’s back arches slightly, just enough to press into the body above him. And he’s given a bit of whiplash, a dazed one, focusing on the stubbornness and Sunjata’s quiet effort to draw it out, before there’s a rush that he hasn’t understood yet and likely won’t, because there’s teeth at his throat and electricity burning through him, and those fingers that have drawn patterns on Nate’s spine dig in, keeping the Ascended against him, a needy moan slipping from his throat, and his hand tightens in dark raven curls.

He sends the sensation back through the Attuned bond, with a shift of his hips pressing against Nate, while he burns and tries to bring the Ascended with him.

anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love

SUNJATA

- NATE -

no surrender, no retreat, i'll tear down every wall
just to keep you warm, just to bring you home

Anything sensible is blown out of Nate as soon as his teeth sink into his husband. Electricity envelops him, scouring along every part of him, and the sparks that flow through the bond only add to the feeling. The last thing that is any kind of coherent from his side of the bond is a near strangled Good boy, all but involuntary. His arm tightens, holding Sunjata close, not even giving him the option to shift away, while his other hand clenches against taut skin, blunt nails dragging marks into the wing. The details don’t matter, a shift that would be awkward in any other moment made smoothly now, his hips rolling against Sunjata until they’re snug together, and then some.

And when Nate pulls back, his chest heaves, every bit of him buzzing with a frenetic energy. ”I love you.” The words grow out loud, rough and desperate, even as they purr through the bond, sweet and gentle and oh so sincere. You know that right? He all but coos softly, while a gravelly ”Don’t forget it.” pours into Sunjata’s ear.

A messy kiss presses into the space between the attuned’s each and the graveyard of bite scars before lips slip lower to add another mark, hesitating properly this time. Nate’s hips roll, and his tongue dips out to wet his lips while he gathers himself, just a little. ”Another, sonskyn?”

i will burn this city down for a diamond in the dust
i'll keep you safe and sound when there's no one left to trust

// and i hear your ship is comin' in, your tears a sea for me to swim in
and i hear a storm is comin' in, my dear, is it all we've ever been? //

The purr is heard mentally and Sunjata can’t help but to press his fingers into Nate harder with it, suddenly breathless as his husband both presses against him and holds him close. Hips roll into his and he shudders with that paired with the nails at his wing, another groan leaving him, the need to tilt his head back and enjoy every bit of it. He doesn’t get that far, though, Nate pulling back and allowing Sunjata just enough clarity to push his hips up against the Ascended, Sunjata’s hand at his back shifting to a clawed form to press and drag the tips along Nate’s spine, the other tangled in raven hair moves to the back of Nate’s neck, pressing down in his greediness.

He’s panting, but the words break through the fog as his head tilts briefly to brush against Nate’s own, horns spiraling from his head as he formulates his answer. “I love you too.” He offers through a hoarse rumble, softening slightly as the coos reach him, a sensation sent down the bond of Sunjata positively melting with the words. I won’t. A quiet vow, mentally, but full of honesty.

Nate’s hips rolling again catches him slightly off guard, a bit of a squirm from Sunjata with a huff. “Ah—” He manages before huffing a breathless laugh, his head angling to offer Nate more space at his neck, the tips of the horns bumping against the headboard with a clack–

“Please?” He gives in, his voice both amused and hoarse and edged with a whine of need.

anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love. anchor up to me, love

SUNJATA

- NATE -

no surrender, no retreat, i'll tear down every wall
just to keep you warm, just to bring you home

Nate leans into the press against his forehead and arches against the claws on his back, his emotions tugged in opposite directions. Lust wins out, Te the hand in his hair the tipping point that has his spreading hungry kisses across his husbands face. A”I know.” He gasps between kisses, breathless despite the paradox of it. I know you do.

The huff, and the laugh, and even the click of horn against wood all tug the corners of Nate’s smile up even more, his grin more than obvious in his voice.”How could I ever say no to you, Sunny?” Nate rumbles, his voice melting against his husbands neck, just before the points of his teeth drag against skin, teasing and utterly at odds with his words. He’s still stalling, still hesitating, just for a moment longer, just to make Sunjata whine.

But Nate doesn’t withhold the bite for long, his hips moving against as his teeth sink in again, the motions suddenly desperate and possessive. The hand on Sunjata’s wing drags down his side suddenly, then further still, slipping down his leg and pushing it right around his body.

i will burn this city down for a diamond in the dust
i'll keep you safe and sound when there's no one left to trust