Awe of She

[MK Kilmarnock]

"Heheh... you don't have to tell me twice. I'm fucking beat."

Ivan held out a hand for Tabi to take and looked up at her with an honest, uncovered smile. The way her eyes looked, even in the evening sky, made him so glad that he was no longer wearing his glasses. It surprised him even now how blinding a slight green tint could be. Oh, he could see the shape and outline of everything just fine, and colors were never offset strong enough to be much of a problem. In fact, most of the time, he hardly even noticed it. Without them, though, something about Tabi's eyes felt like they might bring him peace.

When Tabi took the hand that he had offered to her, Ivan tugged gently to guide the girl down next to him. A tingling storm of pleasure persisted on his lips, his heart experiencing the joy over and over again as long as he was touching or holding her. Then in a smooth motion, Tabi was sitting beside him, and Ivan held her close with no intention of letting go.

"Just another night. ... Sky's pretty, but..."

It's not dark enough to see the stars yet.

And so Ivan closed his eyes.

One arm had gone behind both of Tabi's shoulders to act as a cushion against the rough tree bark. As long as she was still and didn't grind his arm, that wouldn't really hurt all that much. The slight trepidation of her skin counteracted any and all discomfort of the pressure exerted on his arm, and his freshly bandaged wound was in the clear. The presence of the bandage reminded Ivan to take care, but there was so much more he wanted to care about. That's why his other hand rested on Tabi's stomach, letting him feel every detail of her breath. His fingers slowly flexed and explored the girl's stomach, breathing a sigh of contention as he caressed her.

It was when his fingertips found a break in the fabric that Ivan opened his eyes again. When he moved his hand away, just an inch down, he saw a small circular patch of skin right under Tabi's chest... one of the bulletholes that Clio had so graciously threatened Tabi with so many days back. A reminder of how fragile their lives were on the scales, hanging in the balance. With the both of them rested their love.

But that was stronger than the both of them put together, wasn't it? That was the conclusion Ivan had come to by this point. It was the only way they could still be alive.

He touched the bullethole again, letting the feeling of the edges of the fabric tickle his fingertip. Tabi had noticed, giving him a questioning look, but Ivan could think of nothing to say. In lieu of saying anything, he leaned in and kissed her again. His hand drew up and set against her, their kiss thriving to the beat their hearts created. The sky grew continuously darker around the two until night had completely set in.

They felt nothing but light.

((Ivan Kuznetsov and Tabi Gweneth, continued in The Mighty Sparrow))