((Y'know, I could totally see him at a rally or something, waving around a sign that's got some pun involving equal rights on it, or some not-so-subtle roast @ the patriarchy))
Lily was slower to open her eyes, meeting his without hesitation this time. And then an admittedly small and slightly shy, but happy, smile flickered into place. Her eyes were drawn to his lip ring as he licked it, for just a split second, before they were back on his.
group
He sunk back down into the water, as his arms were getting tired of holding him up. But his eyes never left hers as he did so. A matching smile flickered over his lips as he rested his chin on his arms. He didn't have anything to say, but his focus was still solely on Lily as he looked up at her.
She stayed in about the same position, reaching up with one hand to rub the back of her neck. Her eyes searched his, a small part of her expecting a sudden change in reaction, and the rest of her just not wanting to look away.
group
He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to just hold her and relish in the absolute honor she's given him by lowering her walls this much for him. But he wouldn't force her. Not now, not ever. So he just swam a little bit off to the side to pull himself back onto the earth next to her.
She was quiet, thinking as he pulled himself up next to her. Hesitantly, she leaned against his shoulder, just slightly. She trusted him, that much was obvious to both herself and anyone that knew she avoided contact like the plague. She opened her mouth, an apology forming on the tip of her tongue, likely for something along the lines of 'not being very open.'
group
He didn't make a move to pull her closer or to wrap an arm around her, just looked down at her and said softly, "Shh, I know. You don't need to apologize for something like that." As he looked down at the girl leaning against him, the girl that went out of her way to avoid contact, was opening up to him and willingly moving out of her comfort zone for him. A soft and slight smile bloomed on his lips.
She blinked, startled that he'd managed to guess exactly what she was going to say. He was good at that, and apparently, at soothing her fears and worries. "Alright." She said softly, her cheeks dusted a light pink as her eyes caught on his smile. Was he smiling like that because of her?
group
His eyes flickered down to her lips once again, his tongue poking out to brush against his lip ring—he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He wanted to kiss her again, but he didn't know if she'd be okay with that. Best to leave her to make all the first moves until she was completely comfortable with him. What was he saying? It was as if they had their first kiss and now they're together till the end. He didn't a mental head shake to rid himself of those thoughts.
"Your eyes are really nice." She said quietly, the blush painting her cheeks darkening a tad as she resumed fiddling with the ring. She didn't remove her eyes from his face though, more evidence of the progress he was helping her make. "Is there-any chance I could kiss you again?"
group
His lips twitched up in slight amusement at her first comment and her blush following it. He noticed that she didn't look away this time, and he felt a flutter of something in his chest at seeing her progress. His gaze softened as he looked back up to her eyes, his chin dipping in a slight nod to answer her question.
She let out a small, sort of relieved type sigh, despite the overwhelming evidence that he wasn't in any hurry to mess with her. She was a bit less hesitant this time, though the offer for him to change his mind was always obvious, as she shifted and gently pressed her lips to his again.
group
He tilted his head slightly and returned the kiss, a hand braced against the ground next to her. He was incredibly happy at the moment; he couldn't even describe the feeling. He was both proud of her for how much she's opened up, ecstatic that it was him that she chose to open up to, slightly miffed that Cinthia's plan to set them up worked (but that was just a tiny fraction of the mixed emotions he was having), and a few other things he couldn't place.
Carefully, she reached up to cup his cheek, her hand barely ghosting over his skin to make sure it was all right with both of them. Something warm bloomed in her chest, as her thoughts focused on the man kissing her so gently. Somehow, he'd managed to help her get around her touch aversion just enough to function, something she hadn't been able to do in an entire year.
group
His eyes fluttered closed as he felt her hand brushing over his cheek, not moving away or making any sort of movement that might spook her and make her curl back up into her shell. For some reason, her simple touch meant more to him than any other girl that he's been with. He found himself wanting her more yet letting her control the pace for her own sake. She wasn't just some fling like the others were. She was different. A good different, though.
She broke away slowly after a few more moments, lips parting slightly to take in a breath as she opened her eyes. Her hand stayed where it was, cupping his cheek gently as her eyes flickered across his face. She felt happy and at peace, something that was rare for her. And most of all, she didn't feel quite as alone as she usually did.
group
He opened his eyes as well and looked into hers as she pulled away. He was still slightly hovering over her from how he was leaning, but not so much that he was looming over her like he was going to do something. He caught his breath as well as he looked at her trying to gauge how she felt about all of this.
She was quiet, a small and soft smile turning up the corners of her lips slightly. Her mask was once again gone, leaving her emotions free to play across her face, all warm and light and happy.
group
He released a relieved sigh through barely parted lips. She was happy. Happy. He hummed and hesitantly, gently, rested his head against hers. "You're incredible," he murmured, unable to come up with anything more to say.
The move was startling, but not unwelcome. He had yet to find a spot that would trigger the panic, like her waist last night. She'd been slightly focused on the relieved sigh, something she was trying to figure out, when he spoke. The faint blush returned, her voice soft as she spoke. "How-how do you figure?"
group
He smiled slightly at her returned blush and the positive reaction to his move. "It's mostly a feeling," he said, his voice low as he looked her in the eye, "but a part of that is you slowly but surely opening up." He huffed a soft laugh. "And to me of all people."
Opening up. That's exactly what she was doing, wasn't it? Slowly but surely was right, but it was more progress than she'd made at all since she'd gotten free. "You…you make me feel safe." She admitted, unable to remove her eyes from his. She wasn't sure when, but she'd at some point decided that she couldn't do what she came here to do.
group
His eyes crinkled some, but he didn't look away. "I can honestly say I don't know why, but that just might be my low opinion of myself speaking." His heart warmed at the thought that she felt safe around him, despite his words.
"You really should get rid of that opinion." She said softly, scrunching up her nose. His issues with how he saw himself had shown themselves multiple times now, and she was set on convincing him otherwise if she could.
group
He chuckled and pulled back some. "I'll try," he said with a playful wink. He was more concerned about her issues than his own right now. She was doing great right now—he had never expected her to allow him to be this close to her this quickly.
She let her hand drop from his face, though not without unconsciously running her thumb along his cheek as she did, and shifted back just a bit. She'd managed longer than she thought she'd be able to, for sure. She stayed closer than she might have though, fiddling with her sleeves to keep her hands busy. "Good. And-thank you."
group
He tilted his head slightly. "For?" He had an idea, but he hadn't been directly responsible for anything involving her—at least that he thought of. His skin tingled with a lingering feeling of her hand where she had touched his face. His heart was beating a thousand miles a minute right now. He was like a schoolboy, and his crush just touched his hand. That's what it felt like.
"Everything." Her lips quirked into the warm and soft smile, the one she really only showed him. "I haven't felt this comfortable and safe in…years." She said, slipping the photo from her pocket just to fiddle with it.
group
Rhydar smiled at her smile, the rare sight that he had steadily fallen in love with each time he saw it. The reason he had done his best to make her smile—it was mesmerizing. His eyes flicked down to the photo, and he laughed slightly, remembering their first meeting when he had nicked the photo from her without her knowing.
Lily glanced down at the photo, shaking her head as she huffed a laugh. "I'm still amazed you managed to get this off of me, considering I haven't parted ways with it since I got it." She said, raising an eyebrow up at him. She'd been incredibly careful with the photo all her life, not wanting to risk losing the last tie to her family. It was obvious she wasn't upset though, more amused.
group
"Well, I'm a very good thief he said proudly with a smirk. "If you must know, I nabbed it when we ran into each other and I grabbed you to steady us both." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, now realizing that she probably got uncomfortable with that small action. "It's…a bad habit of mine. I'm bad at introductions, so I resort to stealing someone's stuff and giving it back later."
