Work Text:
In hindsight, you probably should've been more careful. Actually, that's a gross understatement, because you totally let your freaking guard down, and you know that's completely and utterly your own fault. Now your biggest secret--your mutant blood color--was in the hands of a would've-been legislacerator-in-training.
But really... could you have helped it? If anything, it just felt like all the romcoms you'd been watching were trying to leak out into your actual life. Somehow you'd found yourself in a situation that read a lot like one of second summer's action blockbusters, where the writers had decided a little more romantic tension was needed and just said "oops" as they wrote, with eyes looking anywhere other than at the drivel on the paper coming out of the keyboard transcriber.
Maybe Terezi realized the situation was unfolding like that and she was playing right along into it because she knew you'd like it. Or maybe she was getting some kind of perverse pleasure out of making you blush, but what else was new? Most of your friends were kind of sadistic that way, seemingly enjoying a good game of "let's torment Karkat" during the worst moments possible. Whatever the reason, just thinking about it--your "little moment" as she'd called it--set your cheeks on fire and your pump biscuit thumping hard. At least, once you remembered it had happened. How did it happen, again?
...
...You have no idea how long it's been since you've been out, and you're hoping nobody saw you go down. For many reasons, but mostly because as the leader, that would've been a very undignified way to end a battle with a hulking monster. On your own planet, nonetheless. Strike after strike against your reputation. Not that they thought that highly of you anyhow, but dammit, you had to preserve what little you did have.
Besides, there was Jack to consider, and he was already disgusted enough by you crying.
But back to your situation: everything aches, and every beat of your pulse just sends another wave of pain through you. It's a weird sort of pain in that it simultaneously has you wanting to rip your hair out in agony, and also wanting to lie still relaxing because it's the good kind of pain as well, when your body says "It's okay, I got this." And if that wasn't enough, for some reason, it feels heavy. Almost as if there's a weight on you, squeezing down on your chest, abdomen, hips, left leg...
Suddenly you remember you weren't alone in that battle.
Immediately, your eyes fly open and, despite everything being blurry to heck and back for half a minute or so, you can see her. Terezi. Panic shoots down your core as you try to focus and see if there's any sign of movement... any life within her. No... no no no, Terezi, you can't be dead! Please!
You slowly lift your left hand and unfortunately it lands a little heavier on her neck than you would've liked. But within a few moments, not only do you feel a shudder, but more importantly the gentle throb of her pulse. She's alive. She's aliiiiive...!
...Which could be in part due to you acting as her impromptu cushion, because at the very least, she had somewhat of a soft landing. Maybe you weren't the squooshiest troll, but at least you were more pleasant than the hard ground. Trust you, you've suddenly become an expert on this and you have the fresh full-body injuries to prove it. You think. You haven't been able to check yet.
It occurs to you that this is probably a very, very bad position to be in. You can't check yourself for any cuts, and if she wakes up, you just know she's going to investigate the fresh, obvious scent of BRIGHT red in the air. And besides that, where were you two, anyway? A quick scan around and it looks like you both got knocked through a crack in the ground. In the grand scheme of things, it's not all that high up, but it was enough to rattle both of you into unconsciousness.
You try to lift your head and glance around for any conspicuous blood puddles pooling up anywhere. No, none from this angle, at least. And none of your clothes felt wet with blood, from what you could tell.
While you're mentally feeling around for possible open wounds, it also occurs to you that you're lucky you weren't stabbed to death by Terezi's horns, considering her head landed on top of your chest. No wonder you felt a little winded, having an eight-ish pound mass of bone, blood, and organ thwacked into a very air-filled part of you. It wasn't just being so close to your crush that had taken your breath away, she literally had taken your breath away. Not intentionally, of course. But knowing her, if she knew she could, she would've anyway.
Speaking of her head, she starts moving it slightly. Only to quit a few moments later. Concern rises in your gut until you realize that you can feel her stomach move with her breathing. You could've realized that earlier but you were too preoccupied with other concerns... one of which ironically being whether or not she was alive. You're aware. You know. You're not proud of it.
A few more moments pass before you decide to try and get up.
...No luck; it'd be hard enough already, but having Terezi on top of you is proving to be a weighty issue. She can't be all that much heavier than you are (even if you were fairly small for a troll), but if we're being honest, with poor leverage and the wind having been knocked out of you, you're not going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
But then you swear you hear something that sounds like a sigh and flip your head to try and get a good look at Terezi. You're just going to have to trust that you're not going to start bleeding all over the place if you stand up once she gets off of you.
IF she gets off of you. One moment at a time, please.
"HEY. HEY, TEREZI. YOU AWAKE?"
No response.
"...YOU ALIVE? I KNOW YOU'RE ALIVE, I CAN FEEL YOU BEING ALL ALIVE AND SHIT. SO DON'T TRY AND TELL ME YOU'RE DEAD BECAUSE THAT IS THE BIGGEST FETID LOAD OF MUSCLEBEAST FECAL MATTER AND YOU KNOW THAT."
A giggle. Yep. She's awake.
"OH, OH YEAH, THANK GOD. I WAS WORRIED THERE FOR A SECOND. NOW WOULD YOU MIND GETTING OFF OF ME SO I'M NOT STUCK HERE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?"
Her only response is to giggle a little more and wrap her arms around your torso, hugging you like you were the oldest, dearest, and most darling scalemate plush she had. Maybe the next few seconds WOULD be the rest of your life.
"HEY--!!" You try scrambling to your feet as quickly as you can, but to no avail. If anything you only manage to scooch back about two inches. Meanwhile, Terezi is looking like she's about to settle in for a pleasant nap, completely in stark contrast to the gravity of the situation.
"TEREZI I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T LET GO AND GET OFF, SO HELP ME, I AM GOING TO FLY OFF THE FUCKING HANDLE SO FAR AND SO HARD IT'LL SET A NEW RECORD FOR AERONAUTICS OFF A DOOR OPENING APPARATUS!!"
She lets go. "4LL R1GHT, K4RK4T, F1111N3, BUT ONLY B3C4US3 YOUR3 B31NG 1NSUFF3R4BLY LOUD"
You drop your head to the ground again. "THANK YOU. REALLY. NOW HOPEFULLY I CAN GET UP, OTHERWISE YOU'LL HAVE TO DRAG ME AND MY SHATTERED BONES OUT OF HERE."
"SH4TT3R3D BON3S? OOH L3T M3 S33!" she giggles, getting up and off your body, but crawling up closer to your face.
Shit. This is NOT happening. You try to get up but in your haste you end up bonking the front of your think pan into hers.
"OOF... H3Y CUB3P4N... 1 TH1NK TH3 D34L H3R3 1S TO TRY 4ND G3T B3TT3R, NOT M4K3 OURS3LV3S 3V3N MOR3 1NJUR3D..." she mutters, rubbing her new source of pain above her glasses (how did those even manage to stay on during the fall into this pit, by the way??).
"SORRY, JUST THOUGHT I'D GIVE YOU A MATCHING CONCUSSION SEEING AS I'VE PROBABLY GOT ONE."
"4WW 1TS 4 DR34M COM3 TRU3" she chuckles, still trying to dull the pain as quickly as possible.
"WHAT, THE MATCHING OR ME HAVING A CONCUSSION? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN PLOTTING, PYROPE? WAS THIS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG?"
You're being facetious, but a small part of you worries that she might not take it that way.
She smirks. Whew. "OH NO, NOT MY PL4N... BUT P3RH4PS SOM3ON3 3LS3S… 4ND M4YB3 W3V3 F4LL3N R1GHT 1NTO TH31R CL3V3R TR4P! D4MN, TH3YR3 GOOD..."
You finally manage to prop yourself up with your arms, quickly looking down the length of your body while she seems slightly distracted. No visible blood, that's a relief. You're not sure about your back, but at the very least, nothing on the front of you is warranting alarms in your head. And you're not sticking to the ground, so no apparent bleeding either. "TEREZI..." you mutter. "I DON'T THINK THEY COULD'VE PLANNED ANYTHING. THEY WERE A STUPID LUMBERING MONSTER. IF THEY'D BEEN ANY MORE NOOKSUCKINGLY UNINTELLIGENT THEY'D HAVE TO BE REMINDED TO BREATHE BEFORE CHOKING TO DEATH ON THEIR OWN FUCKING CARBON DIOXIDE."
"HMM... 4 L4CK3Y, P3RH4PS?" Oh no, she's doing that thing again. You know, where she tries to turn her lips into a question mark. And somehow for her, it actually kind of works? How is she doing that with her mouth?
"NO, LOOK, JUST..." This was getting out of hand. "THERE IS NO PLAN, OKAY? I WAS JUST POKING FUN, BUT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE I WAS UNINTENTIONALLY LEADING YOU ON, BECAUSE YOU'RE STARTING TO TAKE THIS INTO A MIGRAINE-INDUCING DIRECTION. SO LET'S JUST TRY AND FIGURE OUT SOMETHING ELSE."
"L34D1NG M3 ON? M1GR41N3? SOM3TH1NG 3LS3?" Her brow furrows a bit, occupying the space her silence left wide open. "OK4Y, SOM3TH1NG 3LS3 1T 1S."
You hold out your hand. "MIND HELPING ME UP?"
"OH, YOU N33D H3LP, 4LL R1GHT."
"YES. SO PLEASE?"
She takes your hand, but before you can pull yourself up, she pushes it back to the ground.
"WHAT THE--"
"THOSE F13NDS!!! H4V3 TH3Y L3FT B3H1ND 1N TH31R W4K3 4 H4PL3SS V1CT1M??"
In a melodramatic manner, she picks your hand up and drops it again, only to gasp and narrow her eyes. You apathetically let it fall back to the ground, the collision echoing a thud of sheer annoyance against the walls of the surrounding cavern-like hole. You were literally trying to steer out of roleplaying territory but damn it, she had to grab the wheel of the metaphorical scuttle buggy and drive it right back in. "TEREZI, WHAT THE FUCK..."
Like a private unrestigator out of a cheesy film noir, she quickly puts an auricular sponge clot to your chest and feigns deep concentration. She's having a grassy plain night with the whole thing and your cheeks were already hurting from your earlier attempts to keep them from blushing. And to make matters worse, she's giggling... and doing a horrible job trying to stifle it.
"HEY THIS ISN'T FUNNY, CUT IT THE HELL OUT--"
"SHH!" The tealblood shuts you up with her whole hand over your face, letting a few moments go by before she lets go of it. "...1 C4NT S33M TO H34R TH1S POOR TROLLS PUMP B1SCU1T! NOT 3V3N 4 P33P OUT OF H1M!"
"TEREZI THAT'S A FUCKING LIE AND YOU KNOW IT--"
She melodramatically flops over you, her hand back over your mouth. "TH1S 1SNT GOOD! H3 M4Y ONLY H4V3 S3CONDS L3FT! NOT TO WORRY, THOUGH..." Hand off your face, she peels herself off you and is once again kneeling next to you, her hands firmly planted on the ground on either side of your think pan. "4 GOOD L3G1SL4C3R4TOR M4Y B3 4BL3 TO SW1FTLY 3ND 4 L1F3... BUT SH3 4LSO KNOWS HOW TO S4V3 ON3..."
"UUUUGH NOW WHA--" You can't finish that question. And even if what she was saying earlier was a lie, it may as well have been true now because her lips are on yours and you're pretty sure your heart just stopped beating.
But it's more like that was a result of everything else in the world stopping, so you can't bring yourself to care much about it. Terezi. The girl you were so, so flushed for, literally holding her obsidian lips to yours, somehow tender-aggressively (somehow??) exploring every inch of your lips with her own. You can feel your eyes roll back as they close slowly, a warm shiver running all the way down from the apex of your think pan to the very edges of your toes.
The world slowly begins moving again, but all you can feel is the immediate present. Despite her sitting to the side of you, she has your upper arms pinned to the ground with her forearms, and her chest is close to aligned with yours. You're absolutely certain she can feel your now-racing pump biscuit smacking up against your ribs, but in all fairness, you can feel hers too, somehow managing to match and keep up with the pace of your own--then again, she's always been blazingly energetic like that. She's cool to the touch--much cooler than your own skin--but after the heat of an intense battle and with your sore injuries, it's more welcome than gulping a huge bottle of water on a hot night.
It's far too soon when she's about to pull away, but you manage to wrench an arm free and hold her head in place. If she's going to be pretending to give you mouth-to-mouth, she's going to commit, dammit. That, and now that you've had this taste of how wonderful kissing your crush could be, you want to make this last as long as possible... because who knows, it could be a fluke. She is, after all, a troll; she could just be teasing you.
...You really don't want to think about it like that.
When you manage to open your eyes for a brief moment after kissing her back, you realize that she looks a little surprised, like she hadn't expected you to be so eager about this. But she reciprocates, so she's clearly not unhappy about the turn of events. Besides, she started it. If she didn't want you to kiss her back, she shouldn't have kissed you in the first place.
Gently ruffling her hair with your liberated hand, you begin your own exploration of Terezi's lips. The seconds tick by and you find yourself insatiably curious and with an increasing hunger for more smooching, as though she were an air tank in outer space and you had been holding your breath for the past five minutes. And if it were up to you, you would breathe in Terezi Pyrope for the rest of your life if you could.
The mood, unfortunately, is interrupted by someone trolling you. You reluctantly break your lips away from Terezi's, the tealblood panting a bit. "SORRY... SOME... NOOKWIPING ASSHAT IS... TRYING TO CONTACT ME..." you mutter, reaching for your huskphone while trying to catch your own breath.
"T4K3 YOUR T1M3" she says, straightening out her hair a bit as she sits up.
centaursTesticle [CT] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]
CT: D --> Is everything all right
CG: OH GOOD, JUST WHEN I THINK I CAN HAVE A MOMENT OF PEACE, SOME SWEAT-MOPPING BULGELORD DECIDES TO RUN IN AND ABSCOND WITH IT.
CG: WAY TO FUCKING GO.
CT: D --> Uncouth language notwithstanding, it would behoove you know that the others deem you une%pendible enough to be concerned about your recent disappearance
CG: THAT'S A FUCKING RIOT
CG: HERE, LET ME HAVE A GOOD OLD LAUGH AT THAT WHILE EVERYONE ELSE PATS ME ON THE BACK WITH THEIR EYES SCOPING OUT A GOOD PLACE TO DRIVE THE KNIFE IN.
CG: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
CG: OKAY, THE LAUGHTER HAS BEEN HAD. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?
CT: D --> Preposterous
CG: NO, I'M PRETTY SURE I WAS JUST LAUGHING.
CG: YOU SEE ALL THAT EAR-GRATINGLY HORRENDOUS NOISE I WAS MAKING UP THERE?
CT: D --> Do not play the f001 Vantas
CT: D --> Perhaps there may still be some unburied minisc001e a%es between and among our members, but it would be ill-advised for any of us to e%terminate each other without good reason
CT: Such would be 100dicrous
CG: OH, SO MY EXISTENCE ISN'T A GOOD ENOUGH REASON? WELL WHAT A FUCKING RELIEF THAT IS, WHEW
CG: LOOKS LIKE I'LL BE WIPING ALL THAT SWEAT OFF MY BROW.
CT: D --> I do not believe I have any towels to spare at the moment
CG: HOLY SHIT I WAS BEING FACETIOUS. I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOUR GROSS-ASS SWEAT RAGS.
CG: SERIOUSLY THOUGH, ARE YOU GUYS... REALLY WORRIED?
CT: D --> Some moreso than others
CT: D --> It was Nepeta who implored me to search for you
CT: D --> You and the tealb100d, who has likewise vanished as well
CG: OH. WELL, TEREZI'S FINE. I CAN SEE HER FROM HERE.
CG: SHE'S A LITTLE SCUFFED UP FROM THE FIGHT WE JUST HAD WITH SOME GLOBECHAFING PAIN IN THE ASS MONSTER, BUT OTHERWISE, SHE'LL LIVE.
CT: D --> Monster
CT: D --> Do you perhaps require assistance
CG: NO. THE DAMN THING'S DEAD
CG: WE'RE JUST LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GET OUT OF THIS HOLE WE GOT KNOCKED INTO.
CT: D --> I see
CT: D --> I shall 100k for you, then
CG: WAIT, YOU'RE ON LOPAH?
CT: D --> Yes, and I only just arrived a few moments ago
CT: D --> I figured you must have been in some state of turmoil
CG: OH REALLY. WHAT GAVE THAT AWAY?
CT: D --> Given it is your planet, the very atmosphere felt as though it was frantic with the a%elerated pulse of a scuffle
CT: D --> It was so STRONG it was almost palpable, neigh, I could hear it in the very air
...The castles. Shit.
CG: RIGHT
CG: IT WAS
CG: SOME KIND OF ORDEAL, LET ME TELL YOU.
CT: D --> Yes
CT: D --> You and the tealb100d may e100cidate further once I locate you and e%tract you from your predicament
CG: FINE.
CG: SO LONG AS YOU'RE NOT GETTING OFF ON THIS, WE'LL WAIT.
carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling centaursTesticle [CT]
Great. You run your hand slowly down your face, hoping that if you die of embarrassment, you won't have to answer any more questions from anybody.
"WHO W4S TH4T?" Terezi asks.
"SOME JACKASS COMING TO SAVE OUR LIVES BY GETTING US OUT OF THIS HOLE."
"OH GOOD!" she grins.
"YEAH, IF BY GOOD YOU MEAN THE ABSOLUTE WORST."
"TH3 WORST? TH4TS 4N ODD W4Y TO PUT 1T, WHYS TH4T?" She leans in closer, every passing second showing a few more teeth. "C4NT G3T 3NOUGH OF M3, C4N YOU?"
This really isn't the time for that. "...OKAY WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER, BUT NO, THAT'S NOT WHY."
"TH3N WH4T 1S 1T?"
You try to ignore that adorable little questioning lip curl and... what the hell. You might as well tell her. If the two of you were that comfortable sharing oral microbiomes and a little tooth cavern liquid, what was something said in confidence?
"THIS... WHAT I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU, AND THIS WHOLE THING THAT JUST HAPPENED RIGHT NOW, IS JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME, GOT IT?"
"OOH, S3CR3TS" She nods, grinning eagerly.
"OBVIOUSLY. ESPECIALLY ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED WITH US." You sigh, feeling your face heat up a bit. "BECAUSE WHETHER HE KNOWS IT OR NOT, OUR HEIR IN SWEATING ARMPITS GOT A FRONT ROW SEAT TO OUR LITTLE... UH... ESCAPADE, JUST NOW."
More question lips. Dammit, stop being so cute, Terezi!
"I MEAN THE PULSE ON THIS PLANET IS SYNCHED UP WITH MY OWN FOR SOME IDIOTIC REASON, SO ANYONE WITHIN EARSHOT OF THOSE DAMN CASTLE ORGANS CAN HEAR IF WE'RE... I MEAN IF IT'S ALL LOVE OR WAR OR SOME DAMN COMBINATION OF THE TWO." For all your loquaciousness, it keeps getting caught in your protein chute. Though in all fairness the idea of sharing this information with her did seem reasonable a few moments ago. You think.
She still looks confused. Damn it. Just damn it all.
"HOLY SHIT, TEREZI, HOW ARE YOU NOT GETTING THIS?? THE FUCKING HEARTS IN THE CASTLES WERE RACING LIKE A FUCKTON OF TINY HYPER FEATHERBEASTS A FEW MINUTES AGO WHEN WE WERE BUSY SUCKING EACH OTHER'S LIPS OFF!!"
Terezi's grin gets wider. She got it. She CLEARLY got it. She was just making you say it. "OHH?" she cackles, trying--and failing--to feign that the revelation was news to her. Why do you let yourself walk into these stupid little traps she sets up?
You flinch for a second as she quickly leans back down, her ear back on your chest. She giggles after a few seconds.
"SO 1TD SOUND L1K3 TH1S, HUH?"
You roll your eyes, trying as hard as you can to suppress the blush from your cheeks. "MORE OR LESS. I MEAN IT'S ALL OVER THE DAMN PLANET, SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY YOU'RE ACTING LIKE YOU DIDN'T NOTICE IT BEFORE. IF YOU STAND UP YOU CAN PROBABLY HEAR IT BETTER... SINCE NOBODY IN THIS SHITHIVE OF A UNIVERSE SEEMS TO HAVE ANY GRASP ON THE BASIC CONCEPT OF PERSONAL PRIVACY..."
She stops a moment, but then rises to her feet, an earnest look on her face. You can tell she's concentrating for real this time and not making it part of some silly game. As you study her features, you spot the exact moment she can pinpoint the thumping in the distance. Damn... that little smile of hers... it's beautiful. When she's legitimately smiling and not grinning like a maniac (not that you were 100% annoyed with that, you had to admit, only mostly annoyed), it was enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy all over.
Including now, which was a mistake. That trademark grin of Terezi's is back. SHIT.
"K4RK4444T... YOUR3 ST4R1NG 4T M3 4R3NT YOU?" She cackles. "DONT D3NY 1T; 1 C4N H34R HOW YOUR PUMP B1SCU1T JUST SK1PP3D 4 B34T!"
The sooner you got off this planet, the better. Especially considering all the questions that freaking musclebeast-fancier would have about the second round of "combat" you were going through just now. "YEAH, THAT'S GREAT, TEREZI. EVEN MORE PROOF THAT I'M ADORABLOODTHIRSTY. NOW CAN WE JUST..."
"W41T FOR R3SCU3? SOUNDS GOOD. BUT ON3 MOR3 TH1NG..."
She leans back down and is about to put her head back on your chest, but you stop her.
"REALLY? HOW MUCH MORE OF THIS AM I GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH FOR YOUR SICK AMUSEMENT?" You'll admit, that popped out much quicker than you would've liked it to, and the results are immediate and unfortunate.
"WOOOOW K4RK4T, YOU F1ND TH1S S1CK?"
Crap. You didn't mean for it to sound that way.
"I... UGH. FINE. IT'S... IT'S NOT. IT'S JUST... TOO NEW AND I'M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH BEING SO... SO CLOSE TO SOMEONE AND SO VULNERABLE. EXPOSED, I GUESS. YOU KNOW I'M NOT THE MOST OPEN IN OUR GROUP. AND WELL GEE, FOR ALL THE ROMCOMS I WATCH, GUESS WHAT? I'M REALLY NEW TO THIS. AND IT'S... EXCITING. AND I'M SCARED. I MEAN WOULDN'T YOU BE IF YOU JUST MADE OUT WITH YOUR FL--" WHOA THERE, Vantas, you're starting to get into dangerous territory. Not that you weren't kind of already there considering that you literally were all over each other's lips before. But wow, pouring your heart and soul out on the cave floor for her to have in full auditory "view"? You're that hopped up on adrenaline still, aren't you?
Terezi's face flushes bright teal. Wow. Wow, wow, WOW, you were NOT expecting this. I mean… okay, she did just make out with you, and she was all close and cuddly, so it seemed like she was into you, and... why was any and all of this surprising you??
You sigh, trying your best to sound reluctant and annoyed but you know the planet's atmospheric thrum is totally giving away that your insides are all tied up in knots over this. "FORGET I SAID ANYTHING. JUST... IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY, YOU CAN... GO AHEAD AND FINISH THE THING."
"BUT 1F 1T M4K3S YOU UNCOMFORT4BL3..."
"SERIOUSLY, TEREZI. LIKE I SAID, I'M ONLY UNCOMFORTABLE BECAUSE IT'S NEW. I'VE NEVER... NEVER HAD THIS KIND OF ACTUAL PHYSICAL CLOSENESS TO SOMEONE BEFORE, AND IT'S WEIRD AND STRANGE AND SOMEHOW ALL KINDS OF STUPIDLY NICE. AND... BECAUSE OF THAT... BECAUSE OF YOU... I WANT IT."
She smiles. It's not as wide as her usual grin, but there's a genuine happiness behind it, and that in turn, makes YOU smile.
In a dignified manner, she gets back down to her knees, sits on her heels, and leans forward, once more putting an ear to your chest. "...TH3 SOUND OF L1F3 ONC3 4G41N B34TS 1N TH1S POOR S4PS BODY! L3G1SL4C3R4TOR PYROP3 H4S S4V3D 4NOTH3R L1F3!"
"HOORAY."
And yet she doesn't get back up. She's still nuzzled into your chest, this time with her arms wrapped around you. Again.
You sigh, allowing a small smile to play across your lips. Heck, you'll even humor a chuckle. "TEREZI, REALLY? IS THIS WHAT THEY TRAIN LEGISLACERATORS TO DO AFTER BRINGING THEIR VICTIMS BACK?"
"NO. BUT 1TS N1C3..." she mutters quietly, pouting a little. But the pout soon fades into one more smile of her own.
And that smile is all it takes to ease you even more through the discomfort into feeling something... something you've never really felt before. Is this peace? Contentment? Feeling like... home?
...Who really cares what it's called. Point is, she is happy, and you are happy, and it is okay. As far as you're concerned now, she can stay that way all day or night or however long she wants to, hugging you, listening to your heartbeat, falling asleep, whatever. And you're perfectly fine with that.
Until Equius shows up, but you'll deal with that when he gets here. I mean, it's a big planet; he'll need some time to try and find you two anyhow.
...
Yeah. Yeah, with how many times she got close to you and how much you couldn't keep your freaking blushing under control, no wonder she figured it out (and spent so much more time hugging and cuddling you once she knew it was bright red). And you were too distracted with emotions and hormones to notice. Either that or you really did have a concussion and most of it was temporarily blocked from your memory. Goodness knows that was one heck of a "moment" you two shared. Honestly, the head injury was seeming more and more likely.
...But just like how you were eventually good with her being so close, you're okay with it, with her knowing. For as much as she enjoys teasing you, she's as good as her word. And let's face it: if you wanted to entrust your heart to her, you might as well also entrust the blood that comes with it.