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rises on their knees again, posture pretty, eyes prettier. 〝 i love you. 〞 leans in for a kiss —— and 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 loses their footing. cants forward. can’t put their hands out as the mattress disappears and they curse, »
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fixes his eyes on the wall behind them, unable or unwilling to bear witness as they separate his layers, surgeon——delicate. doesn't relinquish his grip but doesn't choke up, either, in spite of the overwhelm thrumming in his blood.⠀»
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» scrambling. claws at his hands then loses the air in their lungs to the collision. he’s always been an unmovable force.
〝 tommy. 〞 their voice is hoarse and their mouth fills with cotton. kicks out like they’re drowning. »
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no, i do. i 𝒶lways do. [ catches the childlike shift of her hands and suppresses a smile. ] i was only curious. [ * 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 who they ask for favors ⎯⎯ who they invite to stand this close. ]
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[ takes a section of scarlet hair between his fingers, pulling the strands taut, like thread in a loom. carefully snips at the ends; following given guidelines, of course. ] you don’t have someone else who does this for you?
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₍ dove takes perch with a flourish of her skirt. holds index horizontally across point of nose. ₎ don’t cut below here, okay? otherwise it’ll look stupid.
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» his cheek. eyes rove over his face, looking for injuries.
〝 there you are, 〞 hushed despite the otherwise quietness of the night. brushes his cheekbone. 〝 i missed you. welcome home, baby. 〞
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molly waits, having grown familiar with the language of desolation. chin tilts up, making space for gloved——grip. they’re 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 —— they told him as much —— but the pulse he finds thumps like a rabbit’s foot. »
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parts his lips for their exploration. the mask yields, dampened by the heat of his breathing; he takes in the fabric with their thumb, rubbing the latter against his teeth and gums as if trying to soothe an ache. pushes the digit⠀»
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» recovered, they can still feel the promise of his canines, and the imaginary ridges work against the flesh of his cheeks. folds it in their hands and reverently balances it on their thighs. quickly reclaims their place cradling »
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