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[color=808080][color=ffc300][b]#ffc300[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/jHwq935][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=0a6d6b][b]#0a6d6b[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/YTIldpm][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]sylas's cabin[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]After another quick shower, unable to tolerate the blend of sweat and cold seeping into her skin, and the dirt that clung to her fresh grazes, Evelyn tried to absorb herself in a book. On her bed, in her small kitchen, on the couch. She tried to close her eyes and nap. Even settled for meditation but there was no denying her mind was ill at ease. 

Her eyes opened with a sigh, knowing well the cause. In addition to the abysmal day itself, she agreed she would abstain from Sylas, thus in the instance she went to check on him…she wasn’t sure she could trust herself. Since her attraction first turned physical with him, she had been very liberal with touch. He could shut it down, sure, but she didn’t want to put herself in that position. A child of Eris being the voice of reason over a child of Nemesis indicated how over her head she was and Sylas shattered her control.

Yet, her eyes persistently flickered to the hanger where his coat hung, fingers wringing around each other. A good excuse as any but one he’d see through.
 
She did want to thank him for both the coat and breakfast…
She gave another sigh, wrapped herself in a jacket, folded Sylas’s coat around her arm and began the march across camp to his cabin. Her confident strides lost their pace as worry increasingly crept in as she gnawed on her lip. What was she walking into?
The hesitance brought her to a full halt along his path, at the steps that led to his cabin. She glanced over her shoulder, a voice inside advising to turn back and leave, but the rational part of her brain pushed it aside. A decision wasn’t about to be dictated by superstition, a knot in her gut and uncertainty.
Evelyn proceeded to his door, knocked and waited, shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking off in the surrounding trees.

Nothing. Her hand hovered over the door handle. Her fingers slowly curled around the knob and she felt the door give way under the light pressure. [i]Unlocked.[/i] Evelyn paused again and checked over her shoulder. He would be nearby then. Or ignoring visitors. Something said likely the latter if anything. She closed her eyes, braced and opened the door. [color=ffc300]"Sylas?"[/color] she called. She could feel the contrast of the heat in the cabin and cold outside that persistently nipped at her and blew snow through the threshold.

Still no answer.

Evelyn stepped inside, closing the door narrowly behind her. She wandered a few steps in but dared not venture further. She tucked his coat to her chest, hugging it to her as if it was a safety vest. She let her eyes roam over his cabin interior.

Sylas had tried to distract himself, as he often did when alone in his cabin, but nothing held his interest and his thoughts continued to wander. He managed to make some semblance of lunch that he hardly touched, not realizing he didn’t really have an appetite until the food was prepared and on a plate. Just another way to keep himself busy, another [i]failed[/i] attempt. He eventually settled for a shower because at least he could be productive and get clean, and hope that the steaming water would wash away his conflicted feelings or motivate him to turn his frustrations on Daniel or Sloane’s new friends… [i]Something.[/i]

He stayed in the stream of the shower with his hands pressed against the tile until the water ran cold and longer still. It was only when the chill found its way to his bones that he forced himself to clean quickly and get out. He stood on the bathmat, water dripping off his naked body as he started drying himself with a towel. Just as he finished roughly scrubbing what dampness he could from his hair, he could have sworn he heard the sound of a door closing. His brows furrowed as he quickly tied the towel around his waist and made his way down the hall. 

Sylas was prepared to kick someone’s ass for intruding, compel them to leave, or use them as an emotional punching bag for his frustration, but when he stepped out into his living room and saw Evelyn standing not far from the door, he just… froze. His gaze fell to his jacket clutched tightly in her arms, then back up to her eyes, but he said nothing. 

Her eyes found him but she couldn’t muster either greeting or explanation, lips frozen as she took Sylas in, damp messy hair and only a towel secured around his waist.

[color=ffc300]"I—"[/color] She swallowed, not quite able to find her words or rip her gaze from Sylas’s body. She had seen it before. Felt it before. But apparently that didn’t make her impervious to him. She cleared her throat and her senses with it. She lifted her eyes to his with new resolve. [color=ffc300]"I came to say thank you. For breakfast and the coat."[/color] She gestured to it in her arm. [color=ffc300]"I would have stayed longer if I…could."[/color] There was evident hesitation on her confession. And she knew he’d be sweet and compassionate, but Evelyn dared not bring to light his gentler and considerate qualities slipping through. The same way she dared not to tell him she just wanted to check on him.

His cabin seemed stifling with his judgemental, expectant gaze boring into her. She swept her hair to one side under her beanie, exhaling slowly, hoping some miraculous breeze would sweep through his cabin.

Sylas’s chest heaved with every breath, like they were measured, counted, controlled. He didn’t move as she spoke, just listened with a clenched jaw and muscles that slowly grew tense with each passing moment. There were questions, judgements, and accusations that churned behind his dark eyes, but he was also aware of the fragile balance that hung between them. He knew the hypocrisy that tainted the air around them. The same anger that ignited in Evelyn the night before now festered in him. Envy, jealousy, unparalleled possessiveness of seeing the person he wanted with someone else. Daniel. [i]Fucking Daniel.[/i]

He bit his tongue, swallowed the words he wanted to spit like venom and slowly approached. The expanse between them was large, larger than he ever wanted it to be, but Sylas didn’t dare move a step closer. He stopped just far enough away to extend his arm, reach out, and take back his coat. [color=0a6d6b]"You could have kept it,"[/color] was his only response as he crossed the room and hung it up on the hook it lived on earlier that morning.

Obligingly, Evelyn handed over the coat, her brows pinching together briefly in how Sylas moved and talked. Stiffer than usual but he was always deliberate. [color=ffc300]"I didn’t want to assume anything."[/color] Usually her eyes tracked him and his every move, but she lost herself in wondering what had warranted his distance.

Without her barricade now, Evelyn didn’t realize the extent of comfort the coat gave her. Something to fidget with and clutch; the only real acceptable reason to be in his cabin. She folded her arms across her chest in substitute as she struggled with her thoughts. Her eyes flickered back to him. [color=ffc300]"Are you okay?"[/color] She offered quietly, almost afraid to ask. But she needed to know before she turned tail and left.

Sylas stilled, his hands still hanging from the fabric of his coat as he drew in a deep breath. He didn’t know how to answer the question. A million venomous words flooded his mind and dammed behind his clenched jaw, all sharp and envious… Weakness and jealousy, that’s what it all boiled down to. [color=0a6d6b]"You’re so… [i]frustrating,[/i]"[/color] he admitted low and quiet, almost like a growl. He released his hold, finally turning to face her. [color=0a6d6b]"You get mad at me because you [i]thought[/i] I kissed Nelly, but you won’t be with me… and then [i]fucking Daniel.[/i]"[/color]

Her eyes widened. [color=ffc300]"[i]That’s[/i] your problem?"[/color] She asked, incredulous. Her eyes flickered away to temper her immediate annoyance and bite back what she wanted to say. Arguing with him wouldn’t get her far, much the same as fighting fire with fire. Evelyn stewed on it for a moment. [color=ffc300]"Can I show you something?"[/color] Her eyes moved back on him, keen to make her point.

She approached him, taking in a short almost imperceptible breath—another brace, and held her hands up in surrender as she stood before him. She wasn’t going to use her powers, hurt him or break their promise to refrain. 

Evelyn tugged his wrist from his side and entwined her fingers through his before he could oppose. [color=ffc300]"There’s this sensation. Something we learn in early childhood to do as a safety precaution."[/color] As much as she tried to minimize the gesture, she couldn’t deny the smallest spark holding Sylas. She looked at their hands contemplatively. [color=ffc300]"From here I can numb you to feeling or make you feel [i]every[/i] sensation."[/color] There was a brief flicker of suggestion in her tone and eyes as they lifted back to his, but it quickly evaporated, easily dismissed as nothing. 

She released his hand and stepped away. [color=ffc300]"I helped Daniel with his pain not...seduced him."[/color] 

Sylas held his ground, not stepping forward but not away either as she approached. He didn’t fight when she took his hand, simply remaining silent and stoic with measured breaths and tensed muscles. Once his gaze shifted, sliding along her arm to where she laced her fingers with his. He could understand—[i]sort of[/i]—how a more caring person like Evelyn would feel inclined to help a friend or whatever in pain. That wasn’t the problem. [color=0a6d6b]"I looked over at you and saw him laying beside you with your hand on his chest… That fucking sucked, but you know, I still waited."[/color] His head tilted, just a fraction to look down at her. [color=0a6d6b]"I sat and watched your second run to be supportive. I even went to you afterwards… and guess who got there first?"[/color]

He looked away as he took a small step backwards, creating more space so he didn’t act on impulse and let his body act without thought. Sylas drew in a deep breath, running his tongue along the back of his teeth. [color=0a6d6b]"I didn’t say you were seducing him. If anything, maybe he’s trying to seduce you. But I wasn’t going to stand around and watch when you made it very clear that you want my affections… [i]private.[/i]"[/color]

Everything she wanted to say was only a retort. [i]‘Your sister re-ran the course too. How was I supposed to know you were there for me?’ ‘Yeah, well I looked over and saw you inches away from Nelly’s lips then you thought you could waltz over to me.’ ‘You kissed me in front of everyone!’[/i] All things that would only escalate matters.

Whatever happened between him and Nelly was not the same. She didn’t dangle the son of Hecate on a hook then go play with Sylas. Though she wasn’t sure why she bothered defending it. But, since she was feeling so demonstrative and he couldn’t apparently understand why she was mad at him last night, she’d make that point too. [color=ffc300]"Imagine something for me, Sylas."[/color] She wasn’t sure hypotheticals were effective for him but it was worth a try. [color=ffc300]"It wouldn’t bother you if I came along while you were..."[/color] She weighed on the right words and the right scenario as she wandered behind him. [color=ffc300]"Being your charming self, getting to know our new peers and I interrupted?"[/color] Her hands snaked down his shoulders, following down his arms then her fingertips drew inwards drifting to his sides along his ribs and up his chest. Interrupted was putting it mildly. She leant her head forward, almost touching his shoulder, eyes carrying across the room like there was an audience. [color=ffc300]"What if I claimed you in front of them?"[/color] She reiterated. 

Evelyn drew back once more. Despite the small primal side that appreciated being publicly claimed, she was confident that when Sylas did any degree of conversing and an assuming person came along and attempted to lay claim to him, it would jar his purpose and he wouldn’t exactly be appreciative of it. 

Then it dropped. Her flirty façade, the show and tell, the soft velvet voice. [color=ffc300]"New Year’s took me off guard Sylas. It could have been you or anyone else and I would have reacted the same.”[/color] Though that wasn’t entirely true. She probably wouldn’t have kissed anyone else back initially. And she only pushed him off because he was forbidden fruit and appeared to have just finished [i]something[/i] with Nelly.  

[color=0a6d6b]"And what if you did?"[/color] Sylas’s head tilted to the side as his face contorted into something incredulous and challenging. [color=0a6d6b]"You have no idea how deep my feelings run… Do you?"[/color] He ran his hands back through his damp hair before dragging them down his face. [color=0a6d6b]"I don’t care [i]what[/i] I’m doing or [i]who[/i] I’m talking to. There’s nothing I’d want more than for you to claim me in front of everyone… openly, without shame. I don’t give a fuck what other people think."[/color]

She focused elsewhere, preventing her teeth from clenching and sighing. Maybe she really did have no idea about how deeply his feelings coursed. But that she would ever bump up to a priority like he made it sound and that he’d enjoy some primitive display of ownership done on him… She doubted it. Obviously he wasn’t an imaginative person and Evelyn could prove it later if she was desperate enough.

But more importantly, and what she hadn’t got to address in his earlier statement. [color=ffc300]"I never said I wouldn’t be with you,"[/color] she said, her tone serious and low.

[color=0a6d6b]"Sure, Evelyn,"[/color] he conceded, his tone dropping to something that was little more than a whisper as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. [color=0a6d6b]"But you didn’t say you wanted to be with me either."[/color] Sylas clenched his jaw while exhaling deeply through his nose. [color=0a6d6b]"I won’t pressure you or force you. But until you make the decision to be with me… You’re not. But I also can’t pretend like it doesn’t bother me seeing your hands on someone else."[/color] His fingers gripped his arms a little bit tighter as a way to force himself to remain calm. [color=0a6d6b]"I didn’t make a scene because I knew it’d piss you off… I don’t know what else you want."[/color]

Evelyn pulled off her beanie. [color=ffc300]"Look, I’m tired, I’m upset, I [i]screamed[/i] at the leader, and have been mentally and physically beaten by a course,"[/color] she said matter of factly, barely managing to keep the frustration from etching in her tone. She peeled away her coat, setting her layers on the arm of the couch nearby and collapsed into the seat. She wasn’t after sympathy, rather, giving him a disclaimer she was defeated and in no state to play mental chess.

[color=ffc300]"I know what I want,"[/color] she stated plainly. [color=ffc300]"It’s never been a matter of not wanting you, Sylas. I’m just not sure I should have you."[/color] All of which had been painfully evident in their past encounters. But he insisted on verbal admission.

[color=0a6d6b]"I…"[/color] he started, sucking in a deep breath as he tried to parse out his thoughts before speaking. [color=0a6d6b]"I can’t help you make that decision,"[/color] he confessed quietly, irritation still clung to his words, but there was still a raw honesty beneath it that only came out around her. Sylas swallowed, head downcast as he paused for a second. 

[color=0a6d6b]"While you bring out the best qualities in me, that obviously isn’t saying much."[/color] There was a dark cynicism that clouded his words as he motioned generally back and forth between them, as if their constant fighting and clashing was example enough. [color=0a6d6b]"I am a violent, vindictive, and jealous man. I know what I am and I’ve told you as much."[/color] He cleared his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he gritted his teeth through his own frustrations and the two warring halves of his mind. [color=0a6d6b]"I could [i]never[/i] in good conscious tell you to pick me, no matter how much I want it."[/color]

Sylas’s chest tightened as his own words and thoughts turned venom inside him. The only thing more rare than honesty and vulnerability from him was a genuine smile. It all twisted and churned uncomfortably beneath his skin like the serpents of his inner thoughts and feelings were constantly at odds. He could only handle so much before the need to move and withdraw into the safety of his shell. [color=0a6d6b]"I…"[/color] He rolled his neck through the discomfort. [color=0a6d6b]"I should get dressed before…"[/color] He shrugged and shook his head before wandering across the room and disappearing down the hallway.

A single inquisitive brow arched up. But the minute his back turned, she exhaled, slumping forward, covering her face. She wished she could scream into the abyss. He could shut up now and then about his bad traits. He could [i]try[/i] and help and be persuasive at least. That would make things slightly easier.

As the thought slotted in place, she got up abruptly and followed Sylas where he disappeared to. He could extort all he wanted from her, but he didn’t get to treat her as a fool. She didn’t sell her soul for him to act disinterested. [color=ffc300]"Sylas!"[/color] she said sharply. [color=ffc300]"You wanted me to say I want you. Now I’ve admitted as much but you’re still unsatisfied. What the hell do you want?"[/color]

Sylas had barely set foot into his bedroom, his towel half removed when he heard her follow behind and snap at him with a bite he couldn’t recall ever hearing before. He sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth before pivoting on his heels and turning to face her. He quickly tightened the towel around his waist once again before bracing his hands against the doorframe on either side of her. He tried to walk away, to calm down and avoid arguing like they always did, but she had to follow, she had to prod his shell until it cracked and everything just came flooding out. [color=0a6d6b]"I want you!"[/color] His words were sharp and raw, cutting through the space between them. [color=0a6d6b]"I don’t want to just fuck you, Evelyn… I want to be [i]with[/i] you."[/color] 

His breaths came ragged and heavy as he tried to make sense of the chaos she had turned his mind and emotions into since the moment he met her. [color=0a6d6b]"Gods know it wasn’t on purpose,"[/color] his words came out shaky and desperate as he took her face in his hands with a gentleness that felt so different compared to the anger and frustration that flared behind his eyes. [color=0a6d6b]"You consume my thoughts from the moment I wake up until I find sleep and even then you haunt my dreams."[/color] Sylas held her gaze intently as every confession kept escaping one word after the other. 

[color=0a6d6b]"I am… [i]kind[/i] for you."[/color] The sentence fell heavy from his mouth like each syllable was weighed down by a truth he couldn’t take back. [color=0a6d6b]"I lie, manipulate… toy with people like they only exist for my amusement. I would kill without batting an eye… and then there’s [i]you.[/i]"[/color] His face leaned a fraction closer for emphasis, like she needed to do more than hear his words but understand them. [color=0a6d6b]"I quell my darkest urges around you because the thought of hurting you makes me sick."[/color] 

He swallowed, pulling her closer until their chests pressed together as if severing the space between them would somehow make his words cut deeper. [color=0a6d6b]"I hate how much we fight. I hate making you unhappy. And I fucking hate having to suppress my feelings and hide—[i]for you[/i]—while you’ll touch and be seen with other men."[/color] 

Evelyn stared wide eyed, a doe frozen in fear from the moment he spun to meet her. Everything else that followed only muddled her thoughts as her heart thundered dangerously against her chest. Her breath hitched when he took her face in his hands, but her gaze didn’t move from his. What tumbled out was not some simple confession back as expected, but something that seemed to pour out like he was teetering on the edge for a long time. Like a man pushed. Every word landed with surreal weight, impact and consequence. Her mouth parted, but she couldn’t speak. Not even a meek croak. Instead, she just stood there, locked in his green eyes, pressed against him.

Sylas’s chest rose and fell as his breaths filled the narrow space between them. The silence dragged on for several seconds, tense and electrified, until his final words came out little more than a whisper. [color=0a6d6b]"I don’t want to be your secret. I want to be [i]yours.[/i]"[/color]

With that, he took a step back and slowly dropped his hands from her face. He didn’t say another word as he turned around and wandered deeper into his bedroom. Sylas pulled his towel from around his waist and tossed it onto the bed with little care if she saw him or not. He trudged toward his closet, skin still flushed from frustration as he stepped inside and tried to sort through his wave of emotions while looking for clothes.

She didn’t notice how tense she had been, including shallow breathing, until she was left panting for breath when he left the small proximity and resumed changing. She looked to her right, the path to the exit clear, then glanced back in his room where he was obscured by his closet.

Evelyn wrung her fingers around each other and hesitantly stepped into his room. There weren’t any appropriate words. She approached him cautiously. Before Alex’s trial in Olympus, she had joked about being a fly that could change the nature of a spider…the phrase ran through her again as a cautionary tale. Still, her fingers reached out, letting him know she was there, lightly skimming his back. She placed a soft kiss at the center of his spine. An apology and gratitude in one gesture.

Sylas grabbed the first pair of boxers available in his dresser and pulled them on. Not a second after the elastic snapped to his abdomen, he felt her gentle, hesitant touch against his back. His body froze like a wild animal caught off guard. He pressed his hands against the top of the dresser, using his grip on the wood to both ground himself, and keep him from giving into the soft caress of her fingers. When he felt her lips against the bare skin, his breath hitched. The muscles along his shoulders tensed as his head tipped forward, hanging downtrodden and in weak resolve to hold his ground. No matter how much he wanted to hold her, kiss her, or take her right where she stood… He meant what he said that morning and he had to stand behind that.

Her eyes were trained intently on him, studying for his reaction cautiously as she tried to be there for him. His head only sagged and she felt his muscles coil and tense beneath her touch. [i]The contact was unwanted right now.[/i] She backed away, granting him space again, moving slowly and eased towards the middle of his room. Evelyn knew it was her turn to talk. To say something after the beast exposed his belly. But what could she possibly offer to soothe him.

For a moment she stood there silently, wrangling with nerves and putting her thoughts in order. [color=ffc300]"I assumed I was only a toy to you. A privileged one maybe, but a toy nonetheless,"[/color] she admitted.

Another moment passed, Evelyn thinking on how to best address their private affair. Then it came out, erratic, sudden—a confession off her chest. [color=ffc300]"I didn’t want Nemesis’s judgement."[/color] She could see herself being mocked for it. The gods had better things to do than get involved in their children’s relationships, yes, typically, but if Nemesis was invested in a subject, everything went under microscopic detail and she knew gods could be petty and wrathful. If she saw something she didn’t like or that ruined her reputation… Evelyn would have rather not risked it.

[color=ffc300]"I don’t mean to be public with others and put you in the shadows. I wouldn’t ask you to endure that had I known how you…feel."[/color] The latter word fell from her lips with cautious weight.

Sylas lingered behind in his closet, needing the moment to get a grip and piece back together his shell. Being raw and vulnerable was… not him. It was like an out of body experience where he was watching himself through the eyes of another, screaming at himself to shut the fuck up but he didn’t listen. His skin crawled like he felt out of place in his own body as the war that had been waging between his mind and heart finally reached its breaking point. Rather than face it, he sought to repress it like he did most things, clearing his throat and straightening his shoulders before getting dressed. 

Once clothed, he padded across the cool tile toward the door that led to his room. Sylas crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned his right shoulder against the doorframe. He didn’t speak, listening to Evelyn’s words as his gaze traced lines in the grout along the floor, or fixated on the snow falling outside his window. [color=0a6d6b]"I would tell you not to live your life in accordance to your mother, but that would also make me a hypocrite,"[/color] he finally responded, his tone was plain, factual, missing the fire beneath the honesty he had a moment earlier. 

[color=0a6d6b]"[i]Well[/i]… Now you know,"[/color] he added solemnly. His gaze eventually found its way back to her, heavy and serious but also honest in a way he only was around her. 

[i]I’m trying, can’t you see that?[/i] But the words never left her. Instead, she inhaled and nodded, seeing his tough exterior slowly build back up brick by brick. The window was closing to access him. Her gaze fell elsewhere. Indeed, that would make him a hypocrite. Now she knew [i]a lot[/i] about their connection. Yet she only wanted to wrap him in her arms and whisper affirmations. But he would hate that. Or so she presumed.

Her eyes lifted slowly from the bottom of the doorframe, finding the courage to look back at him. He could hear this one time, and one time only. [color=ffc300]"I only want you."[/color] For as awful and toxic as he could be, there was one undeniable fact—Sylas consumed her.

Wishing to spare further uncertainties and back and forth for the day, Evelyn extended a hand out to him. While her hand wavered, a decision sat under the palm of her hand and she inclined her chin. He could come to her or she could go.

Sylas studied her gaze, weighing the truth and hesitancy that sat heavy behind her eyes. While he didn’t move at her words, not an inch beyond the slow rising and falling of his chest with every breath, and the steady pensive blink of his eyes, his heart betrayed him. It quickened behind his ribs, fast and erratic like a traitorous sliver of humanity beyond the cold persona he had embraced. That was the real truth of it all, what it boiled down to… The unbidden and unavoidable yearning that was intoxicating and addicting. He wanted her when he shouldn’t, the very fabric of it was destined to end in destruction… Yet… She wanted him too. 

His eyes slowly trailed along the edge of her jaw, down the curve of her neck, and caressed the length of her arm until they settled on the extended hand. Evelyn held it out, unsteady but determined, a silent ultimatum hanging in the balance between them for him to accept or never be offered again. Sylas could read the subtext. He could feel the heaviness and vulnerability that laced something so simple.

His legs moved before his mind could formulate a decision. The soft padding of his bare feet against the tile was the only sound that filled the deadly silent room alongside their uneasy breaths. Sylas stopped before her, close enough that they shared space and the air around them stirred with every breath and movement. He looked down at her, holding her gaze as he raised his hand slowly, stopping when it hovered so close beneath her palm that she could feel his warmth radiating from it. [color=0a6d6b]"Are you certain?"[/color] he asked. His voice was deep and quiet with the severity of that single moment. [color=0a6d6b]"This… is all or nothing."[/color]

Another sharp inhale came from her nose as Sylas delivered a blow to her stomach. He gave her many warnings about his character and reminders and even checked with her, giving her room to withdraw from him in all aspects. She should be appreciative of that. Locked in the eyes of him, she knew the right thing to do. But Evelyn understood the stakes and he needed to stop doubting that. [color=ffc300]"Can you just come here?"[/color] She said, only gentleness in her now as she awaited their hands to close around each other. [color=ffc300]"Or do you prefer I run?"[/color] There was the slightest undertone of a taunt in her, but as she paid it more mind she became equally as intrigued.

Sylas could hear the foreign softness in her tone. It was a sound that caught him off guard. He was used to their fiery tempers lashing at each other unrestrained until anger gave way to passion, but tenderness was different. He could count on one hand, if at all, the number of times they allowed themselves to be unguarded around each other without coaxing it out of each other through heated words and jabs meant to cut past their shells. It felt fragible. He was never good with… [i]delicate[/i] things. He had fought and argued to reach this point, but now that it was offered, a new fear sunk in deep, entangling itself around his ribs. Trust was something he had never been offered, nor someone’s heart. He didn’t know what to do with it or how to handle it with care. 

His gaze fell to their hands and how they were close enough that every pulse and breath drew them closer. Sylas hesitated for a long moment as he studied the way her ivory skin curved along her fingers. He contemplated pulling away, letting her walk out the door and never come back. That was the smart decision. He had been trying to convince her of that, but she didn’t listen. Was it crueler to give her what she wanted knowing he’d likely destroy it or withhold it after yearning for her to the point of madness? He could weigh that decision until the day he died and never make a choice, and while locked in that endless torment, his body instead chose for him. His hand raised the remaining distance and pressed his palm flush against hers. His fingers then slowly curled around the side of her thumb and slid along her skin until they curled around her wrist, gentle but possessively firm.

The first thing she felt was a cruel chill ripple down her spine as Sylas finally met her hand. She expected relief. She [i]was[/i] part relieved but it was as if her body knew it had betrayed her mind, agreeing into being his possession. And somehow that made her dance closer to danger than ever before.

The sensation didn’t pass either, cold sweeping through her entire body as they only coiled their relationship further. Evelyn’s eyes dropped to his hand embodying the exact slow teasing torture she felt wind around her internally but made no attempt to escape. Her eyes flickered up on his, darkened with want but always careful. [color=ffc300]"Are you feeling better?"[/color] She asked softly.

Sylas didn’t answer right away, filling the silence with an indiscernible, [color=0a6d6b]"[i]Hmm.[/i]"[/color] His thumb absently stroked the inside of her wrist in a steady and grounding rhythm as he was lost momentarily in thought. Anger, passion, and manipulation were his natural state. This was… [i]different.[/i] He was once safe behind his shell of cold indifference, and while he fought for more, now that he had it, the realization that he had to let her in struck something inside him. He could protect her and please her, but vulnerability stuck in his throat like a dry pill. 

He inhaled slowly through his nose as his gaze slowly lifted to meet hers. Sylas looked calm and stoic like he always did, the only thing betraying him was his elevated pulse that raced through the veins of his wrist where her fingers rested. He swallowed before speaking, quiet and measured, like now every word he spoke held an unseen weight he didn’t know how to carry gently. [color=0a6d6b]"That was a lot,"[/color] he confessed, speaking to the whirlwind of emotions that often spiraled around them whenever they were together. [color=0a6d6b]"I’m processing."[/color] It was the best answer he could give, honest in a way that twisted uncomfortably in his chest.

A small smile twitched at her lips. [color=ffc300]"I know the feeling,"[/color] she offered quietly. For once she envisioned them alike–in the same compromising position, at war with themselves to some degree but…choosing…this. Evelyn glanced down at their hands like a place of surreality. 

Evelyn cleared her throat and pulled him along gently to guide him to the foot of his bed. [color=ffc300]"Sit a moment."[/color]

When he settled in place, Evelyn shifted in front of him carefully, remaining on her feet. Now that she could set eyes on him properly, without him turning away, without the protection of his height, she really looked him over, as if he bore an open wound to assess. Evelyn reached for him, hesitated—not wanting him to feel smothered, then ran her fingers through his damp hair. [color=ffc300]"Do you want some space?"[/color] Kind as he may have been to her, she didn’t possess the ability to quell Sylas when he was agitated or ill at ease, even when she wanted to, so she asked.

Surprisingly, Sylas did not fight her instruction or gentle guidance as she directed him to take a seat at the foot of the bed. He lowered himself, settling himself before her while his hand never released its hold on hers. His gaze slowly lifted to meet hers, submissive in a way he had never been before, didn't know how to be. He was always the type of man who needed to be in control, with both hands on the steering wheel. But in that quiet surrender of allowing himself to be hers as she did him, he let go… if only for a second, head lulling subconsciously into her touch, like her embrace alone was life giving and life stealing. 

The question was simple. A yes or no would have sufficed, but even in this strange new openness he found himself in, he couldn’t form the word. It was as if admitting that alone was too much, whether or not it was true. His free hand curled around her waist, fingers pressing gently into her as he beckoned her forward. Sylas pulled her closer, just a step or two, until she stood in the space between his knees. His chin nearly brushed against her stomach as he tilted his head back to look up at her in silent surrender. The words fell quiet in the small space between them and shockingly unguarded. [color=0a6d6b]"I left the door unlocked for a reason,"[/color] he finally admitted.

Her hands stilled for a moment, letting herself be guided nearer by his touch, if only because it was fair. Her gaze stayed steady on him until his admission left him. She expected him to dismiss her so he could process all the things that tumbled from his lips alone and slip his cold mask expertly back in place. But it was a rare moment, and she enjoyed being proven wrong. He continued to surprise her, even in these moments. She nodded slowly and moved her hands to cup his face, thumbs stroking his jawline, fingers curling towards the nape of his neck, her movements careful as ever, almost reverent. 

While typically she would ask outright how she could help or change subjects to divert from their moment of vulnerability, she instead let silence settle between them, drinking Sylas in just as he was now, like she was committing it to memory. Raw. Unguarded. Hers. [color=ffc300]"Then I’ll stay. As long as you like,"[/color] she said, her voice barely above a whisper.  

Sylas’s thumb gently stroked her abdomen over the soft fabric of her shirt. He could not deny that he desired to be with her, but not in the passionate haze that all of their intimacy lived within. He didn’t want to take her, he wanted to worship her. He wanted to undress her slowly, piece by piece, with a tender reverence, while his lips caressed every bit of ivory flesh the moment it became free. But he also understood the strain of training and how she was one of the unlucky few who had to do it twice. Sympathy might not have been one of his strong suits, but he’d be unsurprised if she was exhausted physically from training and emotionally from their hot tempers that didn’t know how to simmer until they had boiled over first. 

Rather than pressing his own wants, he gently squeezed her sides as he looked up at her. [color=0a6d6b]"I imagine you’re tired,"[/color] he commented softly. [color=0a6d6b]"I can leave you to rest or… hold you while you sleep. Whatever you wish."[/color] Sylas’s words were quiet, barely louder than a whisper with a gentleness he hadn’t shown since Pandora’s box. For once, there was no reason to argue or yell. There was only a quiet calm that settled in his cabin as their desires finally aligned without denial or manipulation.

A small smile twitched at her lips. Not cruel or mocking just…at the odds of having the son of Eris like this, considerate and catering to her. Going against the discord stigma of his line and what dark things he was capable of.

While she could feel the pull of exhaustion now the adrenaline had waned; she didn’t want to break the spell of this moment. [color=ffc300]"Well, if you’re truly offering,"[/color] she began, shifting away from him only to unfasten her boots. [color=ffc300]"And you have nothing better to do, you can hold me."[/color] For a moment she stood there, giving him time to withdraw or reconsider perhaps. Then, when no objection came, she moved to the edge of his bed, lying down facing outward. 

She waited another moment or two for Sylas to settle behind her before reaching back for his arm and hugging it to her chest as she pressed back against his body. His arm gently tightened around her waist, pulling her closer as he nuzzled into her hair, warming the back of her head with the soft cadence of his breaths. Evelyn didn’t immediately close her eyes but absorbed him curled around her body to fit. There was a small part of her—proud, victorious, spoiled to have him physically wrapped around her. And another part that screamed this was all on borrowed time. But for now, she enjoyed it, settling into his embrace before sleep eventually took her.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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