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The turmoil of the past few weeks finally calms down, making the halls of the Star of Life less crowded and a lot more quiet. It gives them much needed moment of respite – together and alone, behind the closed doors, with no urgent tasks or tests looming over their heads.
Lee doesn’t say anything, watching Eva while she explores his features. Her touch is more affectionate than usual (she missed him… he missed her too), but it also bears the mark of great curiosity and scientific interest. This is the first time she can actually take a good look at the Hyperreal frame up close.
He should be happy, but underlying dread stirs inside of him, the one he can’t identify or remember the reason for.
The legacy of the Hetero Tower, no doubt.
Like everything is just a fragile dream that can shatter easily; like he lost her - once, twice, several times. Lee knows this isn’t true, but at the same time, he can’t tell the opposite – there are no memories of what happened at that Tower in his M.I.N.D., after all.
The unknown dread scratches violently at all his senses, at the back of his throat, urging him to do something he has never had the courage to bring to reality. Lee follows its chaotic guidance – and in doing so, his own promise to be more open about his feelings as well; both with Gray Raven and her.
“I love you”, the words come out of his mouth easier than he thought it would be… saying them is even pleasant.
Eva’s fingers flinch and stop in the middle of getting his bangs aside; her eyes widen slightly in disbelief. A few seconds pass by, filled with the low hum of the medical equipment and a faint sound of the footsteps outside, when none of them speaks or moves or even breathes.
Then she smiles – slowly, subtly, in a way that gracefully softens up her face.
He expects her to answer, as Eva never had the problems with verbally expressing herself… but she only finishes her earlier movement, sliding some of his not fully dyed hair behind his ear.
What is she thinking about when smiling like this, Lee wonders. He is graced by the sight of it more than any other person, yet still can’t grasp the meaning that lies behind. It makes him restless and vulnerable, even if he knows full well that letting the words out was the right thing to do.
“Must you really just smile in silence, it’s unsettling… aren’t you supposed to act differently?”
“Sorry”, Eva laughs quietly, gaze shining with amusement, and not a single trace of guilt in her apology. “Perhaps I should, but let me act on my desire to give your confession a spotlight today… I’ve said these words enough times, but it’s the first I hear them from you.”
Not the first.
He would never tell her about it though – not after lying back then.
“You’re making things strange again.”
Her hand on his cheek keeps him from turning away in an attempt to hide a blush. She moves forward, until her eyes is the only thing he can see.
“Am I really? It’s just a little whim”, she tilts her head to the side as she speaks. “But if you want my answer so badly… I think this will do nicely.”
Her lips on his skin are soft and slightly hot, like it’s always been… maybe a bit dry after the lack of care, but he doesn’t mind. A tight knot in his chest eases up beneath her kiss; feathery, almost chaste – and fleeting as well.
It’s not enough.
So when Eva leans back, Lee chases after her, for something more, something deeper than what she gave him a moment earlier. His hands slide down to her waist, bringing her closer into his embrace, and he catches a surprised sigh with his mouth.
The way their bodies press together and breaths mingle, letting her warmth envelope him; the way her fingers lace through his hair, gently tugging on some of the strands; the way she matches his sudden boldness, adding to her “answer” – everything alleviates the shackles of the lingering anxiety around his heart and his mind. He’s being anchored by it and tied to reality, exactly as he wishes for.
The crisis is over. Their friends are safe. Eva is alive, right here, in his arms.
Now; now Lee finally feels at peace.