✦━━━━⛧━━━━✦
He exhaled slowly and muttered under his breath, "What light through yonder window breaks? 'Tis the east, and Juliet is stacked."
Seraphine blinked. "...What are you even talking about?"
She took two teasing steps toward him, towel wobbling dangerously with each movement.
"Your turn! The water's still hot… well, I think it is. I might've used most of it, hehe~" she said, twirling a damp strand of hair, blissfully unaware—or pretending to be—how close she was to wardrobe malfunction territory.
Ashen immediately took two steps back, as if afraid a light breeze might disrobe her completely.
Her gaze caught the flicker in his eyes; half amusement, half something else darker… hotter? She couldn't pin it down. What she could pin down, though, was herself… heating up
She couldn't decide whether to blush, laugh, or lean into it. So she just smiled… and her hips swayed, unintentionally, like her body had made the choice for her.
"What?" she grinned. "Don't tell me I'll have to drag you in there myself~"
"...I'm going, I'm going." Ashen backed away, waving a hand like a man fending off temptation with a feather. "In the meantime… for the love of God, go dry off and put something on."
With that, he slipped away toward the bathroom, trying his best not to look back.
Probably for his own mental safety.
*
Seraphine watched Ashen's retreating back and exhaled a soft sigh of relief.
'He seems okay…'
Ever since that night a week ago, when she caught him smoking in the training field, something had felt slightly off about him, not broken. Just... distant, maybe?
And after tonight, it wouldn't be surprising if things got worse.
Seraphine knew better than anyone that not all wounds were physical. That's why she'd gone all-in on the clinginess and teasing tonight.
It was her way of tending to the wounds he wouldn't talk about. A silly method, maybe, but it worked. It always worked on him.
'If it ain't broke…'
As long as Ashen stayed her usual sarcastic, broody mess with a soft core hidden under dry humor, she'd keep teasing him forever. Not like she didn't enjoy it anyway.
With a small smile to herself, she wandered into the bedroom to change.
She opened the closet—half of which, not that she noticed, was filled with her clothes now—and plucked out a pair of panties and her favorite mini shorts. She hesitated... then reached for one of his shirts.
God, she loved how loose and comfy they felt on her. Plus, they smelled like him. Bonus points.
She'd just tugged it over her head when she heard slow, deliberate footsteps in the hallway. She perked up and turned toward the sound.
Ashen stepped into the doorway.
Fresh from his shower, hair still damp, towel slung low around his hips, water dripping down his shoulders like liquid temptation.
Seraphine's eyes shot up, skipping past the wet eight-pack and the unfairly tempting biceps, desperately avoiding eye contact.
'Don't look at me… if he looks into my eyes, he'll see every filthy thought I've had in the last five seconds…'
So she stared at his hair instead. It was still perfectly messy, like he had just gotten out of a hurricane and looked better because of it.
It felt like the universe was punishing her for her earlier towel stunt by giving him the upper hand now… and making her too shy to act on it.
But when her gaze met the dry, knowing smirk curling on his lips, she instantly knew.
Ashen was returning the favor.
He let his eyes trail over her in that maddening, unhurried way of his.
Seraphine straightened up too fast, flustered. "Oh! Hi, Ash! Did you have a good bath? You look all... steamy."
She tilted her head, grinning wide, waiting for the inevitable sarcastic remark.
Instead, he just smiled and said, "It was refreshing." Then he strolled past her, grabbed his pajamas from the closet, and left the room without another word.
Seraphine stood frozen for a second. Then pouted.
"What a tease…"
*
A few minutes later, the two of them were curled up on the bed together. Neither commented on how natural it felt.
It was easy to forget the world like this, cocooned in a bubble of warmth and half-whispered affections. These small, stolen moments were the only things that kept the pressure from crushing them in this place.
As silence stretched between them, Seraphine shifted toward Ashen and cuddled up against his side.
"...Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
She couldn't see his face in the dark, but his voice betrayed the worry buried in it.
She knew what he meant. After what they'd done tonight, no sane person would be fine.
But Seraphine was.
Honestly, she felt nothing.
Chris's entire existence, to her, didn't even equal the threat of a low-ranking Wild Beast. Taking him out hadn't felt like murder; it had felt like stepping on a cockroach before it bit her favorite person.
Cruel? Maybe. But Seraphine didn't have room in her heart for strangers. Not when every ounce of her care was reserved for the few she did love.
Especially someone who tried to hurt him.
"I'm fine…" she murmured after a beat. "I just wanted to ask you to use that on me."
"...Dreamweaving?"
"Yeah."
"Why? Can't sleep?"
"No, nothing like that. I just... wanted a good dream, I guess?"
There was a pause. She felt him freeze beside her.
Then, in a slightly different tone, he replied, "Alright."
Her cheeks flushed.
'Oh. He knows.'
He'd caught on to the kind of dreams she'd been having lately. No need to spell them out. Not like she didn't do it already…
Thankfully, she didn't have to be embarrassed long. Moments later, the familiar pull of his skill wrapped around her mind like silk, and she drifted off.
Warm, safe, and ready to dream.
❖⛧❖
Ashen watched Seraphine's breathing steady out, each rise and fall of her chest signaling that she'd finally slipped into a peaceful sleep. Only then did he release a quiet breath of relief.
'She seems okay…'
With a little more peace in his heart, he leaned back and activated the same skill, this time, on himself.
.
.