#explur

          “    YOU  DON’T  WANT  ME  ANSWERING  THAT .    ”     instead  he  offers  a  hand  as  a  means  to  help  him  up .    head  moves  a  fraction  of  an  inch  side  to  side ,   knowing  the  men  they  had  been  tailing  were  long  gone  at  this  point .    “    look ,   i’ll  take  losing  them  and  making  sure  that  you’re  okay  every  time .    they  weren’t  that  hard  to  find  just  now ,   right ?    we  can  find  them  again .    ”     brows  raised ,   there’s  something  smug  in  lips pressing  together  despite  him  attempting  to  mask  the  expression .    “    now  just  -------  watch  it ,   be  careful .    ”     he’s  prepared  to  brace  the  other  if  need  be .    “    that’s  gonna  leave  a  nasty  bruise .    ”

     𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐁 𝐇𝐄𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 , that here on this world there are few things as delightful as the ability to show up with little to no anticipation prior , and seemingly without explanation for how quickly he arrives . it’s all worth the look on their face , whoever he visits . it’s made all the better , he thinks , when it’s someone he loves . heugh’s grinning ear to ear .     “     surpriiiise .     “  

After a brutal battle High King Peter is hurriedly transported back to Cair Paraval, severely wounded, half-dead, he remains unconscious for more than a week. Susan, Edmund and Lucy all take turns to sit by his side, but there’s another unwavering presence  — that of his most loyal companion, patiently awaiting the return of life in familiar blue eyes.

TAP, TAP, TAP. THE STEADY DISTURBANCE WAS near deafening to ears that perceived all, especially when concentrating on a particular potential criminal getting far too gaudy and crude. The repeated tapping was getting all the more difficult to disregard as the seconds ticked by, until his head whipped around nearly as swiftly as the tapping had come to cease, peripheral honing in on a profile  ⎯⎯ ⎯⎯  a sharp jaw, the strong bridge of a sloped nose. Clark found himself fleetingly absent-minded on the perpetrator to be and now thoroughly captivated by this man who exuded familiarity and... comfort. 

Breath halted mid-inhale, for it was a visage he believed to not witness again prior to then, a frame that stood strong and determined once upon a time, a man who long ago saved his very life. Allowing denim-hugged legs to be steered toward frames encasing post-impressionism, Clark silently crossed the gallery floor, eyes twinkling as he neared him.  ❛  ...Sometimes I look at art and see one thing, I let it confess all of its secrets until I connect to it on a personal level. But, then I remember it says something different to everybody else. It... speaks to its audience separately,  ❜  unable to suppress the grin threatening to play across his lips, a hand briefly ascended to remove the glasses perched atop his nose, gaze scanning over Shawky’s as he awaited recognition.  

  pouring  a  cup  for  shawky  and  then  for  himself  ,  hershel  is  eager  to  catch  up  .  it  has  been  several  years  since  the  two  have  been  face  to  face  ;  yes  ,  the  only  thing  more  sweet  than  the  introduction  of  a  new  friend  is  to  be  in  reunion  with  an  old  one  !      “  i  can’t  quite  remember  your  tastes  ,  i’m  afraid  .  if  you’d  prefer  something  stronger  ,  please  don’t  hesitate  to  let  me  know  ,  as  i’m  sure  your  flight  was  exhausting  .  ”

❝   he’s not a beast   ,   shawky   ——   he’s an ancient deity   .   ❞   starry smile glitters upon pale skin   .   there were many types of loneliness   :   the one felt when left alone in a strange world   ,   baring her teeth at all things moving   .   the one sitting in an empty throne room   ,   the air around her is cold   &   no one except her knows what it’s like to be king   ...   the loneliness felt before meeting seth shawky   .   she’s proud to believe she’d overcome most of them   .   ❝   he doesn’t talk too much   ,   but don’t hold it against him   .   ❞   they’re both reflected on the shimmering mosaic of the dragon’s eyes   &   it seems like she’s not lonely anymore   .   lodrum   ,   large as a mountain   ,   keeps an unreachable gaze   .   serpent-like neck slides down nearer her   .   she moves   ,   taking both of shawky’s hands within her own   &   pulling him along while walking   (   she’s gloved   ,   ready to fly   .   are you   ?   )   ❝   are you sure you’re ready for this   ?   ❞

𝐇𝐄𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 by how heavy the bog of sleep has become when he tries to dislodge himself from it’s sucking pull , but he can’t be mad , because he’s too tired , and because shawky has had a nightmare that he knows is serious by the way he sees how he trembles even in this amorphous black of the night in their room .     “     hey .     “     he hates how the rasp alludes to a grog he can’t shake off but tries to , knowing shawky’ll feel guilty for having woken him . heugh still reaches for him , touching to what of his naked back that he can reach , groping for his elbow in hopes that it’s what he wants , that he’ll come back down onto the bed beside him .     “     it’s okay . you’re okay .     “     because he has nightmares too , and they too wake him up when he’d rather be in a thoughtless sleep and not on his feet searching every inch of his back yard for any signs of invasion while his body screams for anything else , anything . their terrors are different , yet the same in all their little ways . it’s a comfort , and an understanding heugh wishes they never had to share .     “     tell me about it . tell me about it ?? so you don’t have to think about it in the morning .     “   

On their voyage, far from Narnian shores, High King Peter, his most beloved advisor Shawky, and a small crew of men, find themselves captured by a band of brutal criminals. During a failed attempt at escape, all bruised and battered, they are recaptured and given the option of going free in exchange for all their possessions and one man’s life.