raised on the edge of the devil's backbone

fire in the ground between my teeth, we're dancing on the poison in their graves
at the end of the night, we'd all seen better days

He changes, wings flexing and tucking in without pain, soft and easy as if it hadn’t been broken in the first place. And it’s that partial relief that has him approaching, hooves clicking along the wood floor as he nudges her shoulder with his head. The forelock brushed out of his face causes a puff of air to leave his nostrils, angling his head so that he might tuck his larger skull along her shoulder and against her back.

He pulls away, brushing his cheek against her own, letting large steel blue eyes focus on her with the whisper, a flick of his tail and a ruffling of his tri-toned feathers the only response he can give to her. So he nips at her hair instead, pulling at the blonde locks, ears perked forward when he pulls away fully – giving her the option to take a look at all of him, the colors and shifts and changes, for his wing to open up and let her fold and unfold, to see what that’s like too.

And he waits.

i know you tried, i know you're cursed, i know your best was still your worst

SUNJATA

Honey, these arms that once held you are ready to fight

Somewhere in the collective downpour of thoughts there's the appreciation for the fact that it's clear his wing is fully healed now, but it's drowned out beneath the haze of realization that eclipses it. She is easily maneuvered beneath his mighty head, pressing her cheek to the velvety soft vulnerable area at the bottom crest of his neck as she tries to conceal the shakiness of her next inhale. It's easier to transform it into laughter as his blunt teeth nip and pull at her long hair, and she playfully cups her hand over his nose and gives it a little shake.

Heterochromic eyes trace the revealed colors before her hands dare to, but she obligingly steps beneath the canopy of his wing to test the bone structure with delicate, probing fingers. The fine bones are strong and properly placed no matter where she examines them. Gently she takes hold of each wing, encouraging each one to open, testing the range of motion carefully; this type of body had never been hers, ground-bound and ornate as she had been, and Hotaru is reluctant to accidentally hurt him again regardless of how strong she knows these wings to be. Occasionally she gets distracted by the vibrant colors and lets her palms stroke down a warm flank or snag a lock of colorful hair. By the time she has come full circle to his head once more, the buzz of memories has receded and composure has returned.

She can't tell him. Won't. What would it matter? It wouldn't change anything, would perhaps only make him feel worse for not remembering naturally. Convinced, she smiles and presses a kiss to the swirl of hair at the center of his forehead where once a horn would have been for herself. "I'm no doctor, but I think you check out. Handsome and whole." For this form certainly deserves praise for its beauty if nothing else.

HOTARU

// and if i was the only thing you couldn't bear to lose,
i'd set fire to the wood, just so you wouldn't have to bury me too //

Her hand at his nose with the small little shake is well received, a snort of warm air passing over her hand as she departs. And he lets her explore, remaining still as her hands run along him, to his wings, to testing feathers and bones. There’s a few spaces that are still sore and likely would be given the fact he’s only just healed — his body having gone for months with overcompensating for the pain of it. But with it is relief, ease, comfort.

A wing extends and a wing withdraws, for however long until she’s rounded back toward his face. The kiss pressed right in the middle of a pale forehead has his eyes closing for a moment, before he’s withdrawing, ears wavering, his steel gaze casting over her before he steps out of her embrace to shift back into himself. “For once, hm?” He responds, reaching for her to close the distance, the edge of tri colored feathers drifting along his spine and shoulders from his neck.

He aims to pull her into an easy embrace, to catch her lips in a kiss full of both gratitude and apology.

SUNJATA

Honey, these arms that once held you are ready to fight

Reversing the transformation is far more fluid than Hotaru expected, but of course it makes sense after all this time and with so many different forms that it would be second nature for Sunjata. His arms wrap around her, chasing old memories and regrets away easily with the heat of his body and the soft press of his lips against hers. She wraps her arms to rest around his own waist, eyelids fluttering open from the kiss to trace his features in the quiet aftermath, stuck on his pewter eyes that still shine despite his exhaustion. Just as captivating as the first time.

"It's a rarity for you," she agrees, voice soft and affectionate. She wants to stay in this moment where it's just the two of them forever, no worries for the future and the darkness kept at bay by firelight and the flicker of oil wicks. "Though I think this form is my favorite." A soft kiss is pressed over his heart where her head falls naturally. If only Nate were here everything would finally feel right. "You still need to rest though." Surely there will be nightmares to overcome, but she will be there when he wakes, ready to chase the memories away.

HOTARU

// and if i was the only thing you couldn't bear to lose,
i'd set fire to the wood, just so you wouldn't have to bury me too //

Her arms wrap around him, vanquishing the fears he’s kept close to his heart too, smoothing over the sharp edges and thorns that want so badly to erupt. He feels better, at least, having eaten and healed. And she’s right, in the end after their lips have parted, that he does need to sleep. So he lets his hand rise to her hair from where she places her head against his chest, letting the evenness of his heartbeat be the only sound for a few moments as he gathers his thoughts.

“I am hoping I have exhausted myself enough to sleep through the night.” An apologetic smile is given her way as he moves to withdraw fully, keeping his hand in hers as he moves back to the bar to stack their plates. He’ll deal with it later.

Because for now? For now he needs to try and sleep and hopefully end up feeling better in the morning.

— FIN <333

SUNJATA