The fan of his breath across her skin when he laughs sends a pleasant shiver across her skin and Mazikeen only has a moment to smile to herself before her breath catches at his reply. She lies there quietly, feeling her heart ache as its pulse quickens while he speaks.
And then when she can feel the soft tremble where their skin connects, when Firion tells her he would try for her, Mazikeen moves. She slowly shifts her weight, rolling just enough that her back is no longer to him - and while this means his head won’t be draped over her anymore, it allows for other things as she faces him. Like how her tear-bright eyes find his gaze and all of what she is feeling is shining there to see. And how, this time, she doesn’t hesitate when she reaches out to touch her muzzle to his cheek. And as Mazikeen holds it there for a moment as her eyes close, it is so easy to wonder if this was just some lovely dream. Or perhaps she had died for good when she had torn at her own skin.
She’d lived a lifetime of denying herself any sort of comfort, of hiding her hurt under anger - it made sense that an afterlife paradise would involve finally knowing what it felt like to face those things. And finally having Firion this close with neither of them pushing the other away. A few years ago, she would've thought he'd preside over her hell instead - but a different face reigned there now. One she cannot think about yet or she will crumble again.
So she focuses on what is happening here and now, on enjoying this moment for as long as she can, whether it is a dream or not.
With her lips against his golden skin, she replies quietly “I’d like you to.” To stay, to try. Whatever he had to offer. In this moment, it does not occur to her to doubt his words - she is too raw, those ways of shielding her heart are utterly spent. She believes everything he is saying and even her thoughts of how she does not deserve this offer from him are quiet as she lightly traces a dark spot on his skin.
“We…” For a breath, she stutters over that wonderful word. She feels the way it shines through her, bringing a light to her orange eyes when she pulls her head back enough to look at him. A very old flutter of nerves stirs in her stomach, born the day they had met. She’s pretty sure that’s the last time she let herself think anything we when it came to Firion.
Now, there’s a small smile despite that flutter - now Mazikeen doesn’t let herself look away as she dares to hope that word means as much to him as it does to her. “We could go somewhere else, if you'd prefer not to stay in Hyaline.” For now, Mazikeen doesn’t think about the logistics of this offer. She doesn’t think about anything at all because if she thinks, she might lose her nerve to add the next words she wants to say to him. “Anywhere or nowhere, I would stay - or run - with you, Firion.”
@firion