#frauleinteller

i already do / smooches / 

her words stung, made him clench his jaw. worse, though, than the instinctual defensiveness to protect his reputation and that of his kin was his –– what? protectiveness? –– desire to protect her. she should not think of herself in those terms. neither should he, of course, but that was besides the point. “ I don’t know. ” he said finally, lacing & unlacing his fingers together behind his back. his voice was slow, steady, like each word required some thought. “ We have had rotten things happen to us. But I think, ” here, he paused, took an extra second to evaluate. “ we are doing… well. The best we can. ” he gave a quick, small smile. “ And what else can they ask of us? ”

✑ describe something they like without naming it: it reminds him of his mother, in the times Before. the three of them, him, and his parents, surrounding their kitchen table, the soft wood surface scarred from nightly card-shuffling and childhood experimentation with a pocket knife. his mother would pull the large pot from the stove, the enamelled surface painted with orange & red blossoms, and serve them before herself. even just the smell was enough to comfort him if he’d had a bad day at school, or if he’d hurt himself falling off his bicycle. he wasn’t even a child then, not by his own declaration –– “ I’m nearly 9, Мама, stop fussing! ” –– but sitting there, the fragrant steam rising from his bowl, he’d admit to feeling as though he did need a mama to fuss over him. 

She starts off lying on her back, arms at her side, and blanket drawn up to the top of her chest. As the night progresses, she moves around in her sleep and into a loosely curled up position with both her arms and legs bent.

Cuddling - or at least something like it. She wraps her arms around them and lays her head on their shoulder. Sometimes, she sits in their lap and buries her face in their neck.She’s only done this with Alexander for obvious reasons.

There is a way it makes you feel when you look upon it. A sense of peace and belonging like no other. For a moment, just a moment, all the bad shit of the world doesn’t matter. Because no matter how much badness there is in the universe, there is good too. Beauty. And as you stand there, you realize that you are looking upon some of the most beautiful things this world has to offer. And that they have far outlasted the awful ones.

For the most part, Nicoletta’s posture it meant to convey confidence – absolute confidence oozing out of every inch of her. Tall (well as tall as she gets), straight, and with an air that says ‘Of course I know what I’m doing, don’t you.’

Fingertips lightly ghosting the tops of the pews they passed, Nicoletta headed towards the front of the church. “No. We’re not here to worship the Saints. We’re here to worship the church itself and the masterpieces within. You’ve made it out from behind the wall, now it’s time to experience the world. Beginning here. Tonight.”