i hope you don't disappear

Aurelia

I want to know where I can go
when you're not around

She huffs and puffs in protest and it sounds like she might bark something back at him, but her voice dies in her throat as her strength gives out on her. She sinks back down, pinning her back against the tree so she can at least sit up. Her hands fumble to try and.. well, she doesn't really know what she's trying to do anymore. So she submits to his aid with a defeated shrug of her shoulders.

"Okay, a minute then," her voice is paled by her pain but she raises her brows at him as he finds the cuts left across her shoulder.

"Should've seen the other guy," she mumbles, but her voice gives way suddenly to soft laughter that parts her shaken breaths. "Stop-" she tries to stifle it but as his magic works its... magic, "it tickles- Milo-" It's no secret to him that she's very ticklish, not after their fight on the isles. She squirms beneath his hand but tries to hold still.

When he's done there and the healing has ran its course over the wound, the unsteadiness fades with her giddiness. His question is more of a demand and she tilts her head to look at him, green eyes already sharper now that she feels worlds better. "I've been through worse, really," her tone is still light from her laughing, "you don't have t-" but as she looks at him, more clearly seeing the concern and worry in his own expression, she deflates. "Here," she reaches for his hand and guides it down to the worst of the bruising, down along the bottom of her ribcage.

and I'm feeling down
so won't you stay for a moment

code credits go to Skylark!<3

MILO

island smiles and cardigans
these nights that we've been drinking in

Finally, finally Aurelia gives into him and he works his literal magic on her. Her jokes fall flat in the face of his worry, even her ticklishness doesn’t spark a smile to his face. No, if anything, it’s a fracturing sense of relief that crosses his face, one that has him holding his breath without realizing it, leaning back on his heels to focus on her when he finishes the first round of healing. Sweat beads along his brow as he watches her, concern flaring in the bronze of his eyes.

“Y’don’t have t’be though, Aurelia.” He says quietly, raising his hands again to focus on her ribs where she indicates, letting his magic pour through her again to heal the bruising there. Exhaustion lingers in the lines of his face when he’s done, and he reaches up with the back of his hand to wipe the sweat away from his forehead, focusing back on her as he reaches down to pull her up into a tight hug, to bury his face into her neck.

Once he’s breathed her in a few times and assured himself that she’s okay, he finally speaks. “Fuckin’ let me heal ya next time. Please.” He manages, ignoring the tremble in his hands to embrace her tightly.

we're here to help you kill all of this hurt
that you've been harboring

Aurelia

I want to know where I can go
when you're not around

His magic gives her enough relief that she feels like she can actually breathe again, aside from another laugh that escapes at the feeling of it working along her ribs. Those short, heaving breaths lengthen and smoothen into equilibrium once more. If he'd let her, she would still gladly sink back and try to relax with it. Instead he reaches around her and pulls her into a tight, nearly suffocating hug. At first, she's stunned and doesn't immediately react.

Then her expression warms and she sneaks her own arms around him, too. "It's okay," she murmurs close to his ear, feeling the way he breathes against her, "you fixed me. I'm actually fine now." A small laugh rumbles out.

At his next comment, she sighs and she would pull back a little, but he seems fixed on holding her close. She rests her chin against his shoulder as she searches for what she wants to say, to try and dodge the confrontation, to shake off his worry. Instead, her words take on a meeker honesty, "I didn't want to be a burden... but I should've told you." Especially since things had only ended up even worse.

She bites back her self-frustration though, focusing on him instead, "Are you okay?" It's now that she tries to ease back enough to look at him more directly. "You got down here pretty quick."

and I'm feeling down
so won't you stay for a moment

code credits go to Skylark!<3

MILO

island smiles and cardigans
these nights that we've been drinking in

It’s okay, she says as she wraps her arms around him and he’s not entirely sure if it is okay. She tells him that he fixed her and he doesn’t quite believe that either, not fully, but so long as she’s feeling better that’s all that truly matters in the end, isn’t it? It’s what he was there for? Her arms wrap around him and he tenses a fraction as one hand of hers runs along a bruised side, but he mulishly keeps clinging to her as if she might fall apart if he doesn’t hold her so close.

His breathing begins to even out a fraction and he swallows hard at her implication – of being a burden, because when has she ever been a burden to him? He loves her. She could never be a burden to him. “Y’should’ve.” He says weakly, exhausting clinging heavily in his tones as he loosens his grip on her, lets her pull back a fraction to look at him. “And y’could never be a burden. Y’hear me?” There’s a hard line of seriousness in his gaze before it fractures into relief.

“I’ll be a’ight.” He assures her, releasing her now so he can lift his shirt to try and spy the bruising that forms on his side. It’s already swollen and red, puffy and painful to the touch, but he ignores it. He’s too tired to focus on it. “Nothin’s broken ‘r cracked. Jus’ sore.” He lowers his shirt and sits back on his heels, hands bracing on his thighs as he regards her.

we're here to help you kill all of this hurt
that you've been harboring

Aurelia

I want to know where I can go
when you're not around

She doesn't miss the way he tenses at her touch, and her hands flinch back from him a bit in reaction. But he keeps his hold on her anyway. Her first instinct would normally be to pull away, to brush it off and tell him - once more - that she's fine, he doesn't have to worry. Normally this sort of attention and concern makes her uncomfortable, even squeamish.

But she has to give Milo credit. The way his breath evens out in tandem with hers, the injury he reveals, the sweat beading along his tired brow; he's sharing her pain with her in every way possible - and not out of necessity but a crystal clear obligation he feels. And to add to that, he's alleviated her injuries while his remain along aggravated and bruised skin. Few people ever showed her that amount of selfless care.

In this proximity, she doesn't feel uncomfortable. She feels responsible, and being unable to do anything for his pain makes her feel guilty. Her brows pinch together as she brings her gaze up from the spot on his own ribs to his eyes. "I'm sorry," she frowns, leaning into him again, reaching for his arm. She tries to coax him down from where he kneels to sit beside her so that he can actually relax, at the very least.

"I really thought I was fine," she murmurs, glancing down, "Wish I could heal you, too. I could cauterize it?" She smirks despondently back up at him, knowing that would be completely unnecessary and feeling all the more guilty. "Useless, stupid, and a burden," she scoffs bitterly and it rouses a winded cough. "What exactly do you see in me again?" She raises a brow at him as she subconsciously hugs an arm around her ribs.

and I'm feeling down
so won't you stay for a moment

code credits go to Skylark!<3

MILO

island smiles and cardigans
these nights that we've been drinking in

“S’okay.” He assures her when they pull away and he’s showing her his bruised ribs and she’s leaning into him again. Her hand wraps around his arm and he follows her coaxing to sit beside her, legs crossing beneath him as he focuses on her and leans back his arms, trying to let the bit of respite work wonders within him. Truthfully, though, it only makes him want to sleep.

Still, he manages a soft laugh, breathy and tired at her murmur, the joke breaking through his previous worry now that he knows she’s okay. “I’ll be a’ight. I jus… Wanna sleep it off.” He offers her in response until she scoffs and it catches in her throat, her words a sudden seriousness that has his smile instantly falling as his head tilts toward her.

One hand rises from where he braces himself so that he can lay back on the ground and draw her into him instead of her into herself. “Oy, I see everythin’ in ya.” He chastises gently, pausing to swallow, before he’s sucking in a breath. “I love ya, ‘Relia. Jus’ ‘cause y’wanna not be a burden doesn’t mean I don’ wanna help when I can. Jus’ lemme help.” It’s easier for the both of them.

we're here to help you kill all of this hurt
that you've been harboring

Aurelia

I want to know where I can go
when you're not around

He settles beside her, wrapping her into him. She can feel his shaky exhaustion in the way his ribs quiver against her with each intake of breath. In that moment, as she sinks down beside him, she realizes how stupid it all was, to hide something from him again.

He loves her, he says, and it drives a stake through her heart. She props herself up on one elbow and stares down at his face. "It's not that I don't want your help, Milo, I do," she replies with a defensive hint in her tone, feeling her chest rise with frustration. But it simmers as she looks at him, finding herself unable to get upset. "I just don't know how to say it," she admits, gaze drawing away, "I'm too proud, I guess. Too used to being there for myself. I always made it so that I didn't need anyone else," and so it would only be herself to blame for her shortcomings. No one could ever let her down, no one could ever hurt her that way.

Of course something, and someone (many someones) had to come along to change her entire world though. It's not that simple anymore, and maybe it never really saved her any pain at all.

"I don't care if I need you, I want you," she assures him, stubbornly set in this sentiment - even if it goes against her better judgement. Her expression falls back on him as she brings her other hand up to his cheek, "I want you right here with me through it all. But I hate to see you hurt because of me." Her thumb traces gentle circles against his jawline.

and I'm feeling down
so won't you stay for a moment

code credits go to Skylark!<3

MILO

island smiles and cardigans
these nights that we've been drinking in

She lays down beside him before propping up on one elbow and Milo manages to peer at her through his half-lidded gaze, head tilting a fraction as he peers up at her. The realization that she does want his help does make him feel a fraction better, but when she continues and explains she doesn’t know how to say it, he reaches up with a hand to rest on her arm, his thumb rubbing a small circle in her bicep. “Y’don’t gotta say anythin’ much at all.” He breathes to her. “A ‘hey Milo, I’m not feelin’ great’ and that’s enough.” He tries to explain.

“Or, don’ say anythin’ at all ‘n just lookit me all sad ‘til I ask. And when I ask, jus’ nod?” He has some options laid out, though whether or not she’ll take them is another story. She says she’s too proud and there isn’t much he can do against that. He can’t do anything much more than he already is to show her that he’s there for her through it all, through the thick and thin of it all.

Either way, Aurelia assures him that she wants him even if she doesn’t care that she needs him and a small smile blooms across his face. His head tilts into her hand, eyes closing easily as he breathes her in and the relief that she’s alright. “I’ll be fine, ‘Relia.” He pauses, before his gaze opens a bit mischievously, peering at her with consideration. “’ve had worse.” A red brow raises in a slight challenge, the smile on his face turning a bit more crooked.

we're here to help you kill all of this hurt
that you've been harboring

Aurelia

I want to know where I can go
when you're not around

She gives him a look then, her lips twisting into an uncertain smile. As she tells him her deeper thoughts, she can't help but feel a bit relieved to let it out. It feels freeing just to admit that sometimes she's her own worst enemy. But he says something that, at first she doesn't realize is a jab, until she fully processes the 'I've had worse' sentiment and the way his brow arches playfully. "Hey," but she chuckles, not able to retort right away.

As her laughter subsides and things feel a little easier, she reflects on what he'd asked her to do in the future should she need his aid. "Look at you all sad, huh?" She can't help but feel amused at that suggestion. "Sure," it's a reluctant agreement but she's also feeling a little playful now that he feels alright, enough to poke fun at her.

"If I give you the puppy dog eyes, then you know. It'll look like this," she blinks dramatically, tilts down her head, raises her brows, letting her bottom lip pout just enough to achieve a pitiful look. "Please, Milo," she starts to lean in over him, closer and closer, allowing for a dramatically desperate flare to creep into her voice, "kiss me and make it all better."

and I'm feeling down
so won't you stay for a moment

code credits go to Skylark!<3

MILO

island smiles and cardigans
these nights that we've been drinking in

She doesn’t notice how he pokes fun at her at first and all she receives in an innocent smile as he lays back when she chides him with a “hey”. Her laughter causes him to smirk into his own hum of laughter, something softer given the pain to his side. But he mellows out, flashing her an easy grin as she comments about him looking all sad. “If sad’s what this is, I ‘spose that’s a good thing.” He offers her, before she’s getting into his space.

She offers up the idea of puppy eyes and his gaze remains glued to hers, amusement glimmering in his gaze and the way his eyes crease with it, focusing intensely on her as she breathes against his skin. “See? That’s perfect.” He teases her, reaching up with his hand to tear through her hair and cup the back of her head, dragging her down with him to crash his lips into hers. And when he pulls away it’s a bit of triumph. “There. All better.”

we're here to help you kill all of this hurt
that you've been harboring

Aurelia

I want to know where I can go
when you're not around

His fingers through her hair is a welcome reprieve, the way he cups the back of her head making it all the more easy for her to give in. A laugh blooms in her chest, but she stifles it as he reigns her in. She's careful not to lean in too close. Though she wants to, she's also being maybe too mindful of his injury. It's a hawk in the back of her mind that he's still scuffed up and bruised, and he's waxed so much of his energy that he can't even heal himself.

Her own fingers push past his stubble and through his hair, though, needing to give him that extra affection. He pulls away, breaking the kiss. He has to - she couldn't.

Her brows press together and she blinks back, sitting up stubbornly once again with a hard expression. "Not quite," She queries, moving her hand from his hair down toward his ribs gingerly. "There has to be something I can do," she says. Something more.

She wants to tell him that she loves him, too, "I.." but just as the words build on her lips, her already fractured confidence thins and she can't muster her voice. It's stupid, she thinks, and unhelpful.

There's a feeling that rises within her, sudden and fleeting. It's akin to how it feels when she uses her magic, only.. it's also different. Her gaze sharpens as she tries to focus on it. It's not the burn of the flame, or the whisper of wind, it's... brighter. Like a shimmer of something more.

"Hold on," she mumbles, raising her palms to look at them, wondering if it requires a conjuration of some sort - like the fire, "I.. hm. Wait a second-" She shifts to prop herself onto her knees, settling into her concentration. It's hard to describe, and she's not sure how to warn him of what might be coming. But it doesn't feel... dark, like something to be warned about. It does feel... weak, though, like if she doesn't grab hold of it she might lose it completely.

But it's right there, like a word on the tip of her tongue... or.. fingers? As naturally as if she knew what she were doing, her fingers immediately snap. She can feel the connection to it now, like a warm vibration of light in her core, but then it's gone. Like it left her and went... somewhere else.

As she glances back towards Milo, she startles. There's a fine dusting of strange orangeish-red... sparkles! All over his chest, his arms, his face, his hair (sorry Milo). "Is that... glitter!?" Panicking a little, she hovers over him and asks, "Are you okay? It doesn't hurt, does it?" She reaches down to try and wipe at it, only to find that it seems to smear and multiply. On her own hands, it feels like normal glitter. At least, to her. Completely perplexed, her expression twists into a confused frown.

---

Glitterific | Aurelia snaps her fingers and conjures a dusting of glitter over a 5ft area. It can be any color she chooses. It's very hard to remove and trying to wipe it off makes it spread. Effects one user. Success is based on END stats. A difference of 10 or more is ineffective. 5 or more is weakly effective. And below 2 is effective for surface-level emotions. Lasts 1 minute. Restrictions: Cannot successfully compel characters to feel emotions outside of their normal range.

Aurelia is attempting to make Milo feel loved! But her magic only works at a surface-level, so interpret it accordingly I guess?

and I'm feeling down
so won't you stay for a moment

code credits go to Skylark!<3

MILO

island smiles and cardigans
these nights that we've been drinking in

“Yeah?” He asks, raising a red brow with a soft smile – even if he doesn’t notice the emotions that drive within her down below. She suddenly seems a bit confused and it reverberates against him, it sends off those warning bells as he tries to gain as much of himself again to heal her should something else be wrong. She’d just fallen out of a tree, after all, perhaps his magic hadn’t been enough?

So Milo studies her face, his bronze gaze dancing along her hands after as she looks down at them, and when she shifts to prop herself onto her knees, he rises slightly on an elbow to watch her – awaiting what might come of the confusion that’s so easily read across her face. “What is it?” He asks slowly, his accent lighter here, turning his attention back to her hands when it finally occurs to her.

She snaps and there’s a whirlwind of glimmering, glittery orange and reds – like fire but not quite, certainly not painful like fire. If anything, it’s only spurred on a warm sensation within him and he laughs, a barking laugh that racks through him so heavily he has to flop back down into the ground, glitter managing to make its way into his mouth despite the way he tries to spit it out, while still giggling and sucking more down. “No, no, don’t hurt.” He manages through the hiccupping laughter.

And all he can feel is an addition to his love for her, warm and smooth, serene and beautiful. “I fuckin’ love you.” He chuckles, reaching up to grasp her hand and tug her down into him so he can press his face against hers and share the glitter with her.

we're here to help you kill all of this hurt
that you've been harboring

Aurelia

I want to know where I can go
when you're not around

She's stunned by his reaction, eyes narrowing with concern but he's there laughing. She's not sure what to make of it until he finally manages to say no, it doesn't hurt. Her shoulders drop and she lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodn- uh!" Mid-sentence she gets yanked into his arms and her face squishes up against his. She gets a sense that the glitter is traveling pretty generously, but she doesn't look down to see.

The laughter rolling out from his chest, his heartfelt declaration, it puts a warm smile on her face. She peels back from him, but this time just enough to be able to press a firm, lasting kiss to his cheek. For a few seconds, she's lost in this happiness. And whatever this magic is, she decides, it's pretty fuckin' awesome - even if only because of this moment.

She leans over him after the kiss, propping her elbows up on either side of his neck and letting her hands begin to tangle through his hair. Her gaze flickers across his orange-speckled face with an amused air. She bumps her nose against his. "I love you too," the words come a lot easier than she expects. Then she lets out a childlike giggle, pulling back a fraction, "your face is all shiny." Hers is too, no doubt.

"I'm glad you came," she says after a moment, "aside from the whole falling out of a tree ordeal, it's been... fun. I'm glad you came with us." Recalling the idiotic way she'd told him she cared too much to feel okay with it. She regrets that. She regretted it the moment she'd said it, too. "You should come on the next voyage, wherever the hell that'll be," she rolls her eyes playfully before she smiles back down at him. "I still can't believe how good a singer you are," she laughs, "or Jack!" Who'd have thought?

and I'm feeling down
so won't you stay for a moment

code credits go to Skylark!<3

MILO

island smiles and cardigans
these nights that we've been drinking in

The last fucking thing he expected out of all of this, was for her to have glitterbombs for fingers. It still brings him amusement, his laughter settling in with quiet hums of snickering as he presses his face against her, spreading the glitter all across her face and skin. If he had to be covered in it, so did she.

But she seems to have other plans, pulling away briefly to press a firm kiss to his cheek, one that he leans into before he peers back at her as she props herself over him, as her hands rake through his hair and his own hand rises to rest at her side gently. His smile is crooked and boyish as she bumps her nose against his and tells him she loves him too, and he hums another laugh at the idea of his face being all shiny. “I know. I can see it.” He murmurs. His eyelashes have glitter, his cheeks and nose have glitter, and it all flickers with the movement in his field of vision.

Her honesty, though, has him smiling softly at her – his hand rising to her arm where it’s propped up beside the side of his head. “’m glad too, ‘Relia.” He murmurs softly, his gaze crinkling and softening at the edges as he watches her. “’n sure, I’ll come on th’other trips. Don’ think Jack minds me too much.” His shoulders rise and fall in a shrug.

His smile shifts more playfully as she rolls her eyes. “No? Y’never asked.” He winks to her, raising his head to press a kiss to her lips – chaste and soft, before his head is dropping back down to the ground beneath him. “Guess it means I gotta start singin’ ya some love songs, huh?” He teases.

we're here to help you kill all of this hurt
that you've been harboring