( mal presses a kiss to the boney slope of her ankle, a reverent touch of lips as if he were within the halls of a church and praying in the pews. the only altar that malyen oretsev worships at is before him; his home, his country, his wife, the other half of everything that he is and makes him whole.
he misses the times when he knew where she was at all moments, where he was drawn to her like only her proximity filled his chest with air and soothed every wound and worry. it is different now, though he is still a moth to a flame. now they have been unmade and remade, now they are bound by choice and never duty.
and it is no duty to care for her, to ease the aches of long days with anything she asks of him. she does the same with every laugh, with every simple touch.
he does not mind when she needs to rest in the shade, when her bones ache and he must carry her. this part of her has always been his to guard, to protect once he grew beyond the snares of youth.
he kisses her again but this time it is her calf, then the inside of her knee. her thigh before he rests his cheek against her skin, looks up at her from where he is kneeling between her limbs. his shirt has joined her trousers, his own undone. ) A long, hard day is best ended with tending to those one loves. I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.
( heard it somewhere, maybe. or made up on the spot and sealed it with another kiss and a boyish grin.
it has been a long day, the work to keep a homestead and tend to children as rambunctious as they once were tiring. yet, he wouldn't trade a moment of this life for another. )
she's kissing him. one of her favourite pastimes. alina smiles against his lips, sucking his bottom lip between hers before she tips her head away slightly so she can murmur, ]
I'm pretty sure you heard that from Viktor, who heard it from Mikhail, who heard that from Irina.
[ she chuckles. gliding her hand along his nape, she cups the back of his head and drags her nails down his back with her other hand. when the world feels upside down and inside out, touching mal, hearing the little sounds he makes, and feeling the warmth of his skin is enough to centre her. ]
Mal.
[ this time, it's not said in a desire to protest his ministrations. she loves it when he's here, when he's either beneath or on top of her. alina's never felt so safe, so free to simply fall apart if she so wishes to. if she does, he won't ever begrudge her for being ridiculously human. ]
It hurts here.
[ she taps her fingers against the underside of her jaw near her ear. there'd been an ache hours ago that's long since gone, but malyen oretsev doesn't need to know that. ]
this has some mix of show mechanics & pretending mal reads
he misses the times when he knew where she was at all moments, where he was drawn to her like only her proximity filled his chest with air and soothed every wound and worry. it is different now, though he is still a moth to a flame. now they have been unmade and remade, now they are bound by choice and never duty.
and it is no duty to care for her, to ease the aches of long days with anything she asks of him. she does the same with every laugh, with every simple touch.
he does not mind when she needs to rest in the shade, when her bones ache and he must carry her. this part of her has always been his to guard, to protect once he grew beyond the snares of youth.
he kisses her again but this time it is her calf, then the inside of her knee. her thigh before he rests his cheek against her skin, looks up at her from where he is kneeling between her limbs. his shirt has joined her trousers, his own undone. ) A long, hard day is best ended with tending to those one loves. I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.
( heard it somewhere, maybe. or made up on the spot and sealed it with another kiss and a boyish grin.
it has been a long day, the work to keep a homestead and tend to children as rambunctious as they once were tiring. yet, he wouldn't trade a moment of this life for another. )
mal knows what a book is???? #alinasimpact
she opens her mouth andβ
she's kissing him. one of her favourite pastimes. alina smiles against his lips, sucking his bottom lip between hers before she tips her head away slightly so she can murmur, ]
I'm pretty sure you heard that from Viktor, who heard it from Mikhail, who heard that from Irina.
[ she chuckles. gliding her hand along his nape, she cups the back of his head and drags her nails down his back with her other hand. when the world feels upside down and inside out, touching mal, hearing the little sounds he makes, and feeling the warmth of his skin is enough to centre her. ]
Mal.
[ this time, it's not said in a desire to protest his ministrations. she loves it when he's here, when he's either beneath or on top of her. alina's never felt so safe, so free to simply fall apart if she so wishes to. if she does, he won't ever begrudge her for being ridiculously human. ]
It hurts here.
[ she taps her fingers against the underside of her jaw near her ear. there'd been an ache hours ago that's long since gone, but malyen oretsev doesn't need to know that. ]