#croftborn

[ TXT ] : what if i said i'm outside? — @croftborn.

SEND 🎁 FOR PRESENTS (SPECIFY MUSES). ACCEPTING.

DEAN FOR LARA : 1. croft sherry. he's not the most inventive gift giver so everyone gets an alcohol of sorts, and he thinks the specific choice is funny. 2. women's tank tops multipack. look, he is all about the practical and he knows she digs them and they have to be tearing and staining like crazy in her line of work, right? 3. scratch card. always a christmas staple with dean, everyone gets one alongside the same old joke about him getting a cut if you win big. 4. fake artifact. got sold some story at a market about spanish armadas, pirates, pieces of eight. obviously lara spots the gimmick straight away, but i'm ngl it probably isn't hard. bet they say made in china.

DEACON FOR LARA : 1. bubble wrap. some stray sheets scavenged here and there after countless jokes of having to wrap her in it every time she gets bruised and scraped. 2. pot plantain. consulted sarah on medicinal plants, apparently this one heals cuts and ulcers faster. sensing a theme here... 3. a cap. again scavenged and in a lot poorer condition than pictured, but it's had a wash and it made him think of her. and they gotta match, right? 4. biker gloves. picture is just for vague reference, he actually got some guidance on how to embroider and has (poorly) managed to put E L S I E (LC) along the knuckles/fingers.

she sits to next to him , her arm going to pull him close as she rests head upon shoulder - in front of them a fire stirs , the embers dance , and his grey eyes haven't left flames. there's a stirring , a nagging piece of him that's left him beyond ragged. parts of himself that he's starting to doubt - more of his mind ebbs away each day , and he is all but defeated. bruce wayne an even bigger enigma. there was always the idea that this mask would be one that would enable another but ? there are nights in which he questions his very will.

there is of course the question of inherited traits , DNA that he can no longer deny. he remembers his mother - manic in her emotions. days in which she'd be exactly who she'd always been , and days in which ? well ... she'd frighten her son. there was no knowing back then , he a young child the levity of what mental illness could do. a father who was less than perfect , and treated her with less attention over the years. perhaps it was this need for power , - to know that thomas wayne could get away with practically anything ... entitlement.

as they sit on the edge of that couch he can feel his eyes burning , the sadness of it all settling. wondering if the memory of his mother fades due to the nights that he has spent fighting for the people of gotham. her cruelty now is more remembered , the goodness of heart slipping. that frustration felt acutely , his mind playing tricks on him. wondering if his early years spent in arkham have not quite come to an end.

❝ it's you and me. ❞   / @croftborn

her words grounding his very soul , whispered solely to him , and they bring him back. eyes avert , and he looks over at her - staring down as her chin rests against shoulder , her eyes staring up. the flames of the fireplace reflected in her very iris'.

                        ❝ i'll pay you back for this, i promise! you ever need a favor? i'm your girl! ❞ she's beaming, a smile brighter than the sun. and in the beat of a second, she's grasped with both hands around one of lara's and pulls her forward with unfathomed strength. ❝ all you need to do is stand — without twitching a muscle. it'll be super easy. ❞

body repairs behind wall of rocks as explosions go off not too far from where claire and lara are standing, chest heaving with deep breaths as gaze drops on her gun - bullets in the magazine almost finished just like the ammo in the bandolier draped over her shoulder. if they want to make it out alive, every shot has to count.

at first claire thinks words have been made up in her head - lara couldn't possibly ask to leave her behind again, not after what happened on sejm, not after the unspoken hurt about it that still lingers like poison claire can't get rid of. "are you kidding me?" she asks, huffing a laugh as gun gets reloaded. "we stick together, alright?" brows quirk at her question - together or not at all. "no heroic shit this time, we both get out of here."

                    history unravelling before his very eyes , centuries of hiding revealing itself within mere weeks. he doesn't regret his actions , he simply wishes he saw it coming. ironic , given his proficiency in reading the future. she brought him out of hiding , legend incarnate , legend of the modern day. she fought against odds to keep his past safe. he owes it to her to fight back alongside her. he just didn't expect hope to accompany his actions. ❛ i've lived my entire life in the shadows. myths are all i've ever known.  ❜ a beat , eyes looking to her with plea. ❛ you've helped me get this far , lara. let me help you the rest of the way.  ❜