 “Florescent balloons and face paint? I knew you were young, but not a child.” She teased, laughing playfully as the conversation wavered between the light and the heavy aspects of their life. They had learned to let their guard down, learned to be able to be themselves with each other in such a short amount of time. Of course, their history helped: you couldn’t sleep next to someone for half a year without knowing them inside and out. It made things easier, better even, that they could now just joke around with each other. The darkness that had consumed her when they broke things off no longer hid in the corners of the house or in her mind: she was free from the chains that had bound her to the dead bodies of the small children she hadn’t been able to save. She had found peace, happiness, understanding - mainly on her own. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all.” She commented, happy and content, standing in the kitchen they had been together in a thousand times over. They had made dinner, breakfast, lunch, love... The whole house was full of them, of their history both good and bad. “Do you remember the first morning we spent here?” She asked, an amused smile crossing her face. They had lost themselves in passion the previous night which had left Ophelia nearly in a coma, not even waking to Danny getting out of bed. Sunlight had poured into their bedroom through untreated windows, her hands grasping at her undergarments and his button down shirt before she made her way downstairs, lured by the smell of eggs and bacon. There was Danny, in this very kitchen, doing the very thing she could see him doing on the weekends with the kids or (in the rare case) when she wasn’t up before him. It had been easy and comfortable, their shared vulnerable moments so few and far between. Overcome with nostalgia, she walked over to where he was standing, the smile still playing on her lips. “I’m looking forward to many more of those mornings with you.” Her words were sincere, hopeful - she had never felt so sure about them before. They knew and understood the work that went into a relationship now, the kind of relationship that they both longed to have. Their conversation drifted back to how she had changed, her comments to Cronus so out of character for the once meek and humble Lombardi. There was a fire within her, one that was now pushing her to be better - one that pushed her to know she deserved to be treated better. “The one who threatens your younger siblings?” She asked with a teasing smile, her thoughts churning over a subject Beatrice would have been more proud of. “Or one who isn’t afraid to tell you what to do...?” She let her words trail off, mouth half open with a smile tugging at the corners. Her eyebrow raised in suggestion, letting his mind follow her to where she was. “Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one who is finding our living conditions painful.” She smiled, her words soft and meaningful. They had made a vow to move slowly, to work the kinks of their past out before jumping into something. Taking a breath, she looked up at him, eyes searching his for what she did not know. “I’ve also been thinking. I mean really, we’re not going to really get into things if we continue to be so formal with our... courting. The more we keep our lives separate, the deeper into this we’re going to get. I’m sure there are going to be more instances where I see your work when we’re out together, or if you have a bad day - and same with me. We aren’t going to know if this can really work unless we stop worrying about the past repeating itself and just jump into... Well, whatever this is.” She paused, her face still holding the seriousness of her monologue. To her, them moving in together while they sorted out the house seemed like the smartest move that they could make right now. Putting ideas of honeymoons and a family aside, just to be together, just to see if they could handle it. Though Fee didn’t see how they could fall apart again with such a strong foundation. “The North Pole?” She asked, eyebrow raised as their conversation had come back to their impending trip. “That sounds surprisingly romantic.” She let his last thought linger for a moment, the reminder of what she had been capable of while on Cure something that they hadn’t talked about since that night. “You know, I never did thank you. You...” She paused, collecting her thoughts. “...Helped me to remember the force of nature that I’m capable of being. Beatrice isn’t the only wild thing in the family. I just need a little reminding every now and then.” and as the world comes to an end
i’ll be here to hold your hand because your a king and i’m your lion heart |