His touch was slow and careful as he spread the cooling balm over her shoulder, tracing the scratches with a tenderness that made her throat tighten. The sting of the wounds eased beneath his fingers, but it was the gentleness in his movements, the way his calloused thumb brushed the edge of her skin, the way his brow furrowed in quiet focus, that made her chest ache.
Nova studied him as he worked, his hair still damp from the fire, strands clinging to his temples, his skin marked by soot his powers would heal overnight. The beast within him simmered close to the surface, she could feel it thrumming through the bond, yet it bent to her presence, calm and obedient.
"You've changed," she whispered without meaning to.
His head tilted, but he didn't look up from smoothing balm over her arm. "How so?"
"You're softer," she teased faintly, lips quirking. "At least with me."
That earned her a low, dangerous smirk as his eyes finally lifted to hers. "Only with you."
