Winter exhales a soft gasp as he pulls her gently towards him. She goes without any resistance whatsoever, leaning into his touch the second he brings his hand up to cup her jaw. His touch is one that she’s never been nervous or scared about, even before all the chaos around them started. His touch is one she trusts implicitly. She knows he won’t even think of hurting her, and so the thought that he will never comes to her mind.
For a moment, she can almost imagine they’re not in danger at all, that she hasn’t just double-crossed the General, again. That moment only intensifies when he closes the distance between them and presses a soft kiss to her lips that she returns, that lingers long after he pulls away. She desperately clings to that feeling with everything she has.
Then he speaks again, and the moment ends sharply. Though she wants to say that won’t happen, she knows he’s right. She’d gotten lucky with his reaction to her letting the kids go, but somehow she doesn’t think she’ll get that lucky again. Lightning rarely strikes twice, after all, and that’s not a chance she wants to take. Especially not when she pictures herself in Marrow’s place before she’d stepped in, an outcome which is seeming increasingly likely right now.
Winter leans into his touch on her cheek. “Okay.” She whispers, looking at him. “I’ll come with you.”
winter is not something delicate or fragile, but in this moment marrow handles her as if she is. the specialist deserves something soft, something gentle, and he’s wanted to give that to her for a while--that he didn’t have the courage until now to tell her plainly how he felt is a shame, but he’s glad he took advantage of the opportunity all the same. both of them need something like this, a fleeting moment of solace in the chaos that surrounds them, and with the way she responds to his kiss... he almost doesn’t want to pull away at all. he wouldn’t, if their escape weren’t so time sensitive. the canine exhales a soft sigh, warm breath washing over her lips, and resists the urge to kiss her again--at least for now.
she complies with his request, and marrow’s relief is evident. he nods solemnly, gently brushing loose strands of snow-white fringe from her eyes before he reluctantly withdraws his hand all together, nudging her gently with his forehead before he steps back and releases her hand. “thank you, winter,” he smiles at her, though it’s a little saddened, “for doing the right thing. mantle... mantle is my home. more than atlas ever was. it’s home to a lot of people, and they deserve better than this.”
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