#spiderbyte.

nonverbal / accepting !

@enlumaria​ ,  off track get lost with them.

     “    i thought we were just going on a walk.    “

     “    we are !    “

     amelie squints -- she was never great with directions -- but all of this looks like things she’s never seen. the last person the two of them had spotted was over an hour ago ! she doesn’t panic, there’s no reason to do that, but she lifts the big sunglasses from her face to get a better look at sombra. amelie finds herself getting distracted at the curve of sombra’s smile and swallows, frowning for a beat. her grey coat brushes against the back of her legs, nearly a real manifestation of the impatience she could have felt if she were someone else. if she were Her. she shakes her head. she’s no longer her, she tells herself.

     hurry up, sombra ! this is no time for games. we need to make it to the extraction site.

     that’s what she would have said, amelie knows. this isn’t a mission. sometimes it feels like widowmaker is still inside, swirling and insidious.

     “     i think we’re lost,    “  ame finally says, and the air of defeat to it is undeniable,  “    don’t you think we’re lost ?    “

     she sighs, allowing herself to look up at the canopy of vibrant, green trees above them. it’s nice, even if it reminds her of a cage for some reason. she sinks down on a dirt path, hand automatically scrabbling for the first rock it comes in contact with.   “    can’t you...i don’t know ? don’t you have built in gps ?    “

     sombra tilts her head back with her jingling laugh.  “    sorry, arana. the connection is bad out here.    “ sombra gestures to solidify her point.

     amelie pauses again, brows pinching with concentration. her lips purse. it must be nice for sombra to see all that emotion flow across her face. she pats the ground next to her and hopes sombra will comply, brightening slightly when the other woman does so. amelie swallows hard.

     “    can’t you hack a telephone pole ? oh...i don’t know -- if that sounds silly. i really don’t understand how any of this works.    “ she doesn’t stare at the prongs in sombra’s head. she never asks about it: did it hurt ? how did you endure ? with all the changes amelie went through, she always wonders when she sees someone else who did, too. but she doesn’t ask because she would hate if someone asked her.

     “    you worry too much,     “  sombra says, letting her head hover around above amelie’s shoulder, seemingly testing the waters of her comfort. when amelie doesn’t freeze or flinch, sombra fully rests her head.

     “    i do love you, you know. i mean --    “ amelie throws the rock from her hand and watches it thunk against the trunk of a tree across from them,  “    i know widowmaker was never kind. but i know you watched out for me somehow.    “  amelie’s alive today. she should thank sombra.

critical role / accepting !

@enlumaria

     amelie feels blood trickling down the side of her face. her vision doesn’t blur, so she marks the wound off as a back of the mind thing for now. the rest of her feels sore, though, having taken the brunt of the impact when she’d grappled them on top of the building. amelie’s a lot bigger than sombra, so it was better to let her fall on top of her. her arm hooked around sombra like a vice lets go, maneuvering both of them to sit up. amelie gives her grapple a steady yank, and it recoils back into its place.

      “     that was not near death. of all the things that have ever happened to us...i think this is really low on the list.    “  all that matters that sombra got her blackmail, and that amelie’s deploying her grapple across the way without warning sombra. don’t worry. she’d never dream of dropping her !

nocturnal animals / accepting ! 

@enlumaria

     “    i look that bad, huh ?    “ it’s not a great thing to hear strolling into the room first thing in the morning. “    if i do, you can tell me. you won’t hurt my feelings.    “ her voice winks, even if her face doesn’t. her voice has to struggle first, though. was she screaming during the night ? fingers splay across her throat in her subtle distress.

     amélie pauses, leaning her weight against sombra’s breakfast nook with a roll of her neck. she lifts both arms above her head and stretches, allowing them to thud against side when she’s finished. she looks sombra over scrupulously without a word. amélie doesn’t know how exhausted she looks, dark circles even more prominent with the blue of her skin. but, she smiles warmly, teeth too white and seemingly too many.

     “    how did you sleep ?    “ amélie croaks more than asks. she hopes she wasn’t screaming about gérard in the middle of the night. it hurts to think about and she can only imagine how much more it hurts to hear it. “ if you slept, “ amélie adds. she hopes sombra wasn’t up all night working or something.

     exhaustion wants to lay waste to amélie but she isn’t going to let it. she paces over to where sombra sits, greeting her with a gentle kiss. she doesn’t apologize about how cold she is anymore.

taxi driver / accepting !

@enlumaria

     amelie looks around. sombra’s studio does look clean, in no small part to her, mind you. amelie rests the broom she holds in the kitchen, props it against a door before gliding into the living room. her steps make no noise. it’s not hard being a spider. it’s not hard not being heard when you don’t want to be.

     she stops when she gets to sombra, winding a comfortable arm over her shoulders. she’s done it many times before. and she’ll do it many more times. amelie leans down, moving to steal a kiss that makes her giggle.

     the immediate seriousness of her face doesn’t match the whimsy of her actions. there’s still a bit of widowmaker in there somewhere, isn’t there? you can’t shed an animalistic skin like that.

     “    what’s a clean conscious like ?    “ amelie inquires, genuine curiosity lifting her voice.

      amelie feels the blood on her hands all the time. life is like that, she guesses. sometimes you want to forget things but you can’t. there’s no way.

     “    i think you’re doing the right thing, by the way.    “ she guides sombra towards the couch. amelie needs to get off her feet.

     of course amelie thinks sombra is doing the right thing. if the world forgot about you, what would you do ? if the world was abusing its power, wouldn’t you want to take it down, no matter the avenue taken ?

     “    have you been blackmailing anyone lately ?    “ amelie doesn’t one hundred percent expect an answer but she’s still interested. she’s been making moves of her own: baptiste is still out there, vigilant and talented enough to kill whoever talon sends after him. she’s the only person from talon who’s seen him since he left and came back alive. but it’s always going to be like that for someone who left for something better.

first kiss / accepting !

@enlumaria

     amelie can’t believe she let herself fall asleep like that. deep down she can, but that’s a depth she’s too tired (haha) to look into. she blinks slowly and lifts her head — still resting against sombra’s thigh just as when she went to sleep — to look at the other woman expectantly. yes, amelie expects for sombra to say something clever: typically barbed and whimsical. when nothing like that comes, amelie hums.

     “    i told you making me fall asleep was a crime,    “ amelie says, dropping her head back down. the fog of sleep is steadily starting to lift. she’s always been quick to wake. she gives herself time, though. it’s nice to feel sombra’s warm thigh pressed against her cheek. she’s achingly aware of the fingers sombra has twined in her hair. she almost wishes her heartbeat was more noticeable if it meant feeling things to a lesser degree ; feeling like her entire body is on fire isn’t it for her, personally. it’s too vulnerable.

     amelie feels sombra stare like a brand. she considers for a moment: what’s the harm if she’s honest ? people spend a lot of time lying to themselves. lying to each other, but amelie’s always been pretty honest about herself and what she wants. a deep inhale and she’s shifting, letting her nose run across sombra’s hip bone like earlier, presses a kiss there with intent. she thinks she feels sombra’s hand tighten in her hair for a moment.

    amelie gives an airy chuckle. “    what’s wrong, cherie ?    “ she’s a notorious case of can dish it, can’t take it. if she works sombra up and it bites her in the ass later, then so be it. that’s half the fun.

     she allows herself to fully sit up. it’s almost funny how much bigger she looks in an instant. however, it’s almost frightening how her face comes alive: eyes sharp, mouth set in a mischievous smile. there’s no way for sombra to tell looking by amelie in the face but she’s terribly nervous. a lump is trying to build in her throat. she tries to calm herself down internally. it’s really not a big deal.

     “    i’m glad you let me sleep,    “ her voice is sweet. that’s bad,  “    because now i can do something else with my time. don’t you think ?    “

     god, she’s obnoxious and obnoxiously close, too. a cold hand reaches for sombra’s face, thumb brushing over her cheek while she’s bridging the gap between them. amelie spent a long time not being able to appreciate how beautiful sombra is: the curve of her mouth, the mole under her left eye which amelie’s thumb finds next. she doesn’t kiss sombra just yet. she wants her to want it.

     “    i must really like you,    “ amelie breathes. yes, if the way her stomach tightens is any indication, she must really like sombra. in fact, amelie doesn’t think she can test her restraint any further. she leans forward to kiss sombra hotly and she tastes just like she thought she would. her hand skates over sombra’s neck in the moment. sombra’s pulse jumps under her touch.

plane emoji hair touching / accepting !

@enlumaria

     how can she be this stupidly tired ? if this is what time catching up feels like, amelie isn’t so sure she wants it.

     “    m’tired,    “ she mumbles, words skating over the warm expanse of sombra’s thigh. amelie isn’t going to be able to keep this up for much longer. she gives it ten minutes before she knocks out.

     it’d be a federal crime if she didn’t. she’s got a tired disposition to start with and the warmth of sombra’s skin against her cheek isn’t helping. sombra’s gentle fingers carding through the pool of her hair that bleeds like ink over sombra’s lower half doesn’t help either. her eyes flutter rapidly while she fights the urge to pass out. amelie shifts, letting a hand snake upward until it can reach the junction of sombra’s arm, thumb pressing into the crook of her pulse.

     amelie hums, nosing over sombra’s hipbone with a steadied breath. is that a kiss ? the movement’s too swift to tell. “ you’re trying to make me fall asleep, “ she accuses, lifting her head up enough to point her squinting stare into sombra’s face.

     lacroix’s giving her a sleep touched smile, hair loose around her shoulders. “    that’s a crime.    “

the inexplicable logic of my life / accepting !

@enlumaria

     the way amelie starts up is violent. it must almost feel like a rejection, that harsh flinch that pinches amelie’s features together. she doesn’t mean to flinch.

     “    sorry….i’m just..in my fucking head,    “ amelie grits through her teeth. her jaw stings with the effort. “    i didn’t hear you come in,    “ her voice cracks with little use. she hadn’t heard sombra come in, that’s all. sombra would never startle her on purpose.

     amelie bows her head, shrinking in on herself and pushing her elbows into her thighs so hard that it hurts. the way she brings her hands up to her eyes looks less like she’s trying to comfort herself and more like she’s ready to smash herself in the face. there’s an air of restraint when she looks towards sombra again.

   “    i’m sorry,    “ the crackle in her voice pushes forward again. amelie sits up straight. she looks too long for the couch. she looks misplaced as a whole, too bright and too blue among everything.

     at least there’s an awareness in her sharp features. amelie takes a deep breath in, then pats the spot beside her. when sombra sits down, arm bumping against amelie’s own, she feels it like a bolt of lightening. if her heart could thud in her ears, it would. instead nervousness beads at her hairline. she swallows.

     “    missed you while you were gone,    “ amelie comments. the feeling of her arms like dead weights unsettles amelie and she leans into sombra’s space, heads resting temple-to-temple.

     amelie doesn’t envy the chill sombra must be feeling with her sinking into her like this.

rumors / accepting !

@enlumaria

     the table has a fair bit of distance between them. amelie’s covered head-to-toe in black, large hat included and pulled low over her face. she’s leaning forward on an elbow, slim fingers of her hand holding a cigarette. the smoke from it dances around all the other fumes of cabaret luna. a place for entertainment, sure, but amelie knows of the omnic revolutionaries brewing schemes here.

     “    why ?    “ the sincerity sits heavy in her voice. amelie lifts her head just enough for sombra to be able to look into her eyes.

     sometimes people genuinely want to help. they genuinely can’t walk away. amelie knows that even when sombra could have sold her out to talon, told them that their programming was breaking down, she didn’t. but amelie still doesn’t understand why.

     “    everything you’re working for, everything that you do, and have done…    “ how can personal feelings be beneficial to all of that ?

     amelie sits back, turning her attention to luna, lovely as ever and gleaming under the spotlight. her soft voice soothes the nerves shaking amelie’s hands.

     “    you must like me,   “ her eyes roll around to sombra’s face again. a smile lifts the dark curtain from amelie’s shrouded features.