Tea Alenko

I still don't know if I'll make the crew from ME2 and ME3, this cost me a lot of time and effort to do... And tbh I'm getting quite tired of drawing them (but who knows... Maybe I'll do them in the future, but I need to get some rest from this style of drawing or I'll go mad)

btw I'm always open to asks, sugestions, prompts... or whatever you like! And feel free to pm me too if you want to, I'm always glad to meet and talk with more people in this fandom.

She’s flushing harder than she would’ve ever expected at the possibility of just laying next to someone else.

Maybe he wants us to sleep on our own. Or not... I mean, better if not.

Her heart attempts to do a backflip, teeth biting her bottom lip as a small wrinkle gets drawn on her forehead.

But, what if it isn't 'not'. I can't just assume it’s 'yes' just in case it’s 'not'... But if it's 'not' and I'm not there and I say 'yes', isn't that somewhat worse?

Jacob fades for a moment, along with the rest of the cabin, her mind more than occupied in her inner ramblings. So when his hand lowers gracefully on her hip, suddenly standing by her side, it takes her even more effort than usual to avoid melting into a puddle of goo, giving him the opportunity to follow her gaze as she attempts to recover her ability to breathe. 

After a few seconds, his eyes move to her, full of warmth, and he leans towards Lara to make the most of his next words.

"We don't need to pretend either of us is considering sleeping in different beds, do we?"

Lara laughs, and the room is somehow warmer now, the tension finally breaking after reaching its boiling point.

“No, I guess we don’t.” She pushes him ever so slightly, on her way to her now-old bed, and leaves her coat there with the rest of her belongings.

“Ah, so the jacket does come off.” 

She hears him laughing at his own comment, needing a second before turning to look at him.

Jacob is emptying his pockets, slowly, basking in his own glee as he waits for a comeback.

“Why shouldn’t it?” 

And what a comeback, indeed.

“It’s just a mere substitute. A stand-in.” His smile breaks, a little in expectation, knowing what the coat truly means. “Something to hug and embrace me until I could have the real thing around my arms.” 

She expected him to laugh but, instead, he stays petrified for a bit, eyes unable to look at her as his face acquires a rosegold hue. Without adding a single word, he goes back to his own ritualistic patterns, looking for something to busy himself while he prays inwardly, hoping she won’t be able to hear the crash of his heartbeat against his ribcage.

Just keep yourself busy. His mind finally offers him.

Did you really just say that! Her own instantly screams. 

Jacob changes his focus to his bed, moving the blankets to get inside.

Lara invests an additional second to calm herself before attempting to move: Relax. He’ll tell if you say something out of line. Trust him.

The inner speech carries on as she gets closer to the fire, warming herself as she decides how much clothing she should remove, and if she’ll be able to survive the experience.

Or if he will be able to survive the experience.

She tames a laugh into a smile before finally deciding to undo her hair first, no issue found there at least, sensing another set of eyes glued to her as her hands travel to the elastic tie at the end of her braid.

Even someone who lacked Lara’s perception and ability to gather clues, wouldn’t need to see it to know his eyes are admiring the action with care and attention, a sensation of warmth and presence as her fingers work with expertise to free her hair, serving as a useful comb once the process is over.

But, instead of panicking, she lets it be, the pressure coating and warming her skin to a level where the crackling fire doesn’t seem to matter anymore. 

Making the most of the time it takes her to get ready, she manages to decide about her clothes, and finally opts for following his example and removing only the outer layers of her outfit. 

She takes off her many belts and satchels, her bra, with a far-too-practice motion, without removing her t-shirt and, with a bit of effort, her boots and socks, which quickly proves to be a mistake.

Baited by the warmth of the room’s atmosphere, a shiver travels throughout her body the moment her feet meet cold stone.

“Shit…”

Jacob laughs, finding the image extremely familiar, having made the same mistake many times before he learned his lesson.

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Out loud…”

He laughs again, and so does Lara.

With her shyness suddenly replaced by urgency, she speeds up her pre-bed rituals in record time, desperate to make it under the blankets, no longer preoccupied about the person waiting for her underneath it.

In no time, there’s only one thing left to do before she can join him.

“There’s a poker on the left side of the…” She finds it before he’s able to finish the sentence, grabbing the iron rod that rests against the chimney to spread the dying embers of the fire.

Finally, she takes care of the couple of oil lanterns that illuminate the room, teeth chattering with the heat vanishing slowly but surely from the cabin.

The crackling flames dissolve into nothing at an unhurried pace, giving her more than enough time to cross the room and get inside the bed.

That part is easy.

Lara finds it comfortable, or comfortable enough, at least, to avoid deepening her worries. After the last four years of her life, she could sleep anywhere no matter how much she hated her sleeping arrangements, but she discovers herself being more than okay with it this time around.

Jacob’s bed is big enough for the two of them, way bigger too than the old cot she’s been using these past few months, and the addition to her life of something that resembles a mattress is more than welcome the moment her body makes the first contact with it.

The pillow is nice too. It could be softer, there could be a second one, but she likes the dimensions, allowing her to find a more than adequate position in no time.

The glow of the fire diminishes by the second, but there’s enough light for her to notice the carvings of the wooden posts. 

Surely done by Jacob himself. She figures, wrapping around the dark frame with an intricate yet simple design.

Nature seems to be the predominant theme, with leaves and trees being the main feature, making it almost rewarding every time her eyes are able to spot the occasional flower, witnessing the beauty of the valley from the comfort of the bed.

And she’s quite comfortable indeed, way more than expected, with, perhaps, one mere exception to threaten the state of her night: the blankets.

The dying embers do indeed die, at last, light and warmth abandoning the small cabin side by side and, as the darkness starts to creep in, so does the cold, both of them finding their way under the covers.

Perfect.

Lara fidgets her hands, eyes still focused on a bedpost she’s no longer able to see.

Her heart thunders violently inside her chest, her nerves taking the opportunity to creep back in now that she’s no longer able to focus on anything that distracts her from them.

Now what?

She trembles, half cold half who knows, anticipation and coldness all mixed into one successful strike, taking advantage of the fact that the inside of the bed is almost more frozen than the outside air.

Should’ve let the fire extinguish on its own.

Another shiver goes through her and, in her efforts to suppress it, not wanting to bother Jacob, figuring he must be dead asleep already after the long day of work he’s suffered, she doesn’t even notice him moving, with all the care in the world, in order to face her.

Despite the complaints, the trembling more than helps to ease her worries.

Lara’s entire being protests in silence about the temperature, with the cold more than winning her attention above everything else, which in retrospect, she’ll find a blessing in the days to come, once she’s had the opportunity to reflect about this night. 

Right now, nevertheless, she just mutedly curses the universe, gods, and whoever else is listening, for the disappointing effectiveness of the bed’s blankets.

A third chill joins the party, but she never gets the chance to complain about that one.

Even before she can start to process it, a rogue hand wraps around her waist and pulls her over to the center of the mattress.

“Come here.”

Jacob’s arm embraces her with ease and, as Lara follows the movement he initiates, she finds herself no longer resting on her back but half laying on top of him instead.

The invitation is more than welcome; no room left for hesitation as she embraces him, pillow more than forgotten, with her face resting on his clavicle as her hand lands a prime spot on top of his chest.

Jacob’s head reacts on instinct, no room for worries here either, shifting ever so slightly to rest on hers, a soft sigh sealing the movement once the whole action is over.

“God, you’re burning.” Both amusement and shock tint her voice, but the overall feeling can only be pinpointed as relief, as Lara deepens the embrace in a desperate search of warmth.

“Ah, yeah…” His laugh roars with grace against her cheek. “I’ve gotten used to the cold, after all these years. Sorry.”

“I’m not complaining.”

“You will, once the temperature rises.”

“I doubt it…” She doesn’t.

She already knows she won’t mind.

Her left hand moves a little, traveling downwards to wrap around his hip, the cold more than vanishing from her mind by the tenderness of the embrace.

“Feeling better?”

Her sigh echoes the one that left his body less than a minute ago.

“Yeah…” She almost feels like melting into him. “Should’ve done this sooner.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Answering the truth would be optimal for their current situation.

“Thought you were sleeping already…”

But half the truth should suffice, nonetheless.

“Wouldn’t have minded it even if that was the case.”

“Ah… Well…” It takes her a second to gather her own thoughts. “Good to know.”

She dedicates a moment to think about it even further.

“I should let you sleep now, though. It’s been a long day.”

Despite not even hinting a sliver of movement, his arm strengthens its grip around her waist, an instinct more than a chosen decision, anchoring her just in case her statement is accompanied by the end of their embrace.

Lara never gets to notice, sinking into it even more, closing her eyes despite knowing there’s no way she’ll fall asleep so easily.

“I don’t mind the conversation.”

“I’m sure you’re tired…” She hesitates for a fragment of a second, but her words turn to truth with ease. “It’ll take me a while, as it always does. That’s if I’m even able to sleep.”

“I see.”

“Sorry in advance if I… The nightmares have been…”

“Don’t apologize.” His right hand travels to her hair, combing it with care before searching for her chin. Despite not being able to see a thing, her head leaves its resting place to look at him. “However… Whenever you need me, need help… I’m here.”

Lara smiles.

A rogue tear threatens to join them, but she’s too tired to summon it. Instead, she just sinks into his touch for a few seconds before the unavoidable kiss finally materializes into existence. 

The smile deepens.

Her forehead rests on top of his for a few seconds, just so she can repeat the action and let their lips meet a few more times, navigating the river of their relationship without escalating it into a new type of warmth.

Instead, after the soft and tender exchange, she finds her way back to her prior resting spot, welcomed once again by the confirmation of his embrace as his arms bring her closer to his chest.

“Goodnight, Jacob.”

She closes her eyes.

“Sweet dreams, Lara.”

“Sweet dreams…”

She should laugh at that statement.

Sweet dreams.

What an oxymoron, indeed. 

Lara learned that term back when she was a kid, mentioned in one of her mother’s art books. 

The impossible tones coating the sky make it seem like, instead of air, it’s surrounded by water, an oxymoron the artist employs to further the metaphor of the main figure sinking into an emotional abyss.  

“What’s an oxymoron?” She asked Winston, amused by the unknown word.

“An impossible comparison, a contradiction. Like living death or freezing fire.”

She didn’t give it much more thought, and carried on playing in the garden, leaving both the book and the term behind to carry on with more exciting endeavors.

Who would’ve known back then that her life would be full of them.

She had felt both alive and dead even before she had the chance to see the impossible comparison turn into reality.

She had suffered the ice burning her skin as she sank into the water.

She had been numb, cold and frozen while being devoured by fire.

She had rejected the light of the Source while it threatened to drown her in darkness.

And somehow sweet dreams had been the only one to resist Lara’s touch, the one to stay impossible, an oxymoron, something that cannot happen no matter what transpires. 

So indeed, she should laugh at that statement.

Yet she doesn’t, for as one may already imagine, Lara is fast asleep before she has the time to mock the term, too busy proving it true before the thought of it being impossible ever gets to grace her mind.

Jacob is the only one awake to witness this miracle, or sense it, at least.

The room, deep in darkness, doesn’t allow him to see it with his own eyes, but he can more than feel it in the way her body sinks against him, no restraint to be found. He can hear it in her breathing, slowing down, marking a precise tempo as her chest moves up and down.

He can trace it with his fingers as they caress her hair.

He can taste it in his pulse as her heart sings unhurried against his own, a soothing lullaby inviting him to her realm.

Most of all, Jacob just knows, just sees, without eyes or confirmation, yet everything surrounding him just tells him the oxymoron is no more.

The reality taking form between his arms is so sweet that it almost hurts him at the beginning. A feeling too big to be harbored on the inside, happiness and ease striking against him with the strength of the gravitational pull of a planet, tearing him apart with might.

The sensation, too good to be processed and too new to be pinpointed, would’ve been more than able to keep him awake for the remainder of the night. But his resolve, set on putting all these feelings to shame, is the unmatched winner of a battle that never gets to begin, nothing in this world powerful enough to make him disturb her extremely earned rest.

Instead, he suffers the pressure until he learns to get used to its light and warmth, focused on making sure his body is as still as possible yet failing to tame his arms which, attached to such a divine presence, cannot do more than further the embrace as he follows her into her slumber.

In her deep sleep, the strength of his hug translates as comfort, a grounding force keeping her safe from any harm. But the longer this one takes place, the longer its nature seems to morph into something else, as all their physical contact usually tends to, dissolving the honorable facade to leave room for more primal thoughts.

Completely unaware of it, Lara smiles in her doze, her body answering the closeness before her mind can name it, heat gathering low and slow as the arm around her waist tightens even further. 

If she were awake right now, she’d wish it could last forever, knowing it to be a fleeting moment before they return to the realm of their respective dreams.

The want never gets to form and yet, it becomes true.

Far from ending, it heightens, a carbon press attempting to create a diamond, arms trying with all their might to get her even closer despite being physically impossible.

That’s what wakes her.

Not the pressure, not his strength. What manages to sway her closer to reality, is the fact that it does not end.

And that’s when she begins to worry.

As woozy as she is, Lara instantly knows there’s something wrong in the way he is holding her. Not by its effect on her, but by the thought that caused him to act like this.

It’s not the first time this has happened, which makes it even easier to recognize it, but what results in a novelty is the fact that he is not in control this time around, allowing her to see, without a trace of restraint, what his fears of losing her really look like.

She’d probably panic or at least overthink the situation if her brain was able to but, in her current state, the only thing she can do is react to him with some lazy movements, which instantly makes him hug her even harder.

It’s almost painful, by now, but that manages to shake her motor skills a little and, with the unseen speed of a sloth, Lara finally does something with purpose and moves her hand to his face, her thumb skillfully finding his forehead despite the darkness to erase his frown with a caress.

“Shhhhhh…” She soothes him, more of an instinct than an active choice. “I’m here.”

The pressure fades.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

The embrace doesn’t.

“Rest.”

It becomes limp instead, soft. 

A sigh of relief exits his body and, for a moment, Lara almost wonders if he’s awake, asleep or something in between, just as she is, but the thought never gets to form.

She is out before any of that transpires, profoundly lost in Morpheus' arms as if Jacob’s weren’t just preventing that from happening only a second ago.

But the second is indeed over, and Lara quickly surrenders to her dreams.

He’d be able to sense the change, to hear her breathing settling in, if he were indeed present. But unsurprisingly, he is no longer to be found, fully asleep as if nothing had happened. No added pressure, this time around.

Just as if it had never taken place, the tense exchange vanishes as quickly as it was brought to life, dissolving into thin air.

The darkness settles.

The sound dies out.

Jacob’s arm remains around her, but just to tell her that he’s also there. And that, more powerful than anything caused by the now lost pressure, is indeed enough to ensure her a warm and mellow night of peaceful rest.

-------------------------------------

I realized half way into writing this, that people may expect smut on this chapter given its title. Sorry to dissapoint if that's the case but: THIS IS A SLOW BURN ZONE ehehehehehehehe We're still dealing with the remnants of their trauma. Poor Jacob... It was his turn to heal a bit, he's been fearing losing her for way too long. Anyways, only two to go... yaaaaay... I see the light at the end of my madness

Every sound engulfing her trembles inside her head but it never gets to be processed, not even the voice of Vega, screaming at Garrus with excitement because of the way she just managed to defeat a reaper, on foot to top it all off, is enough to get her out of the trance that’s managed to conquer her brain.

Almost as if she is on autopilot, Shepard enters the elevator.

I must go to them…

If there was any strength left in her, she’d probably be angry.

Her legs lead her to her cabin without consulting her own will, messages and duty already pressing at her desk, but she ignores them nonetheless, choosing to walk further into the room. 

I’m sorry.

She stares at the deep blue water of the aquarium, but her eyes do not lock to any fish in particular, sinking into the low hum produced by the water pump.

“I.”

Her eyes close, and she tries to control her breathing as the previous hour of her life, tinted in the blue tone of the fishtank lights, flashes at lightspeed to conquer her from the inside out.

She wants to be angry. Or terrified. Or proud.

Instead she’s just numb. 

Her entire being is somehow petrified at the thought of everything that just happened, her memory, not satisfied with having lived it just once, is the only exception, forcefully echoing her last conversation with Legion as if they were the only memories she had in her.

It’s the only way.

The words press against her heart like an icepick.

“Hey…”

Or perhaps comparing it to an icepick it’s not enough.

I know…

The feeling is closer to a combat wound, an ugly wound.

“Need space?”

The kind that gets reopened and infected while you try your best to stay alive.

“I can leave, if you want to.”

…Keelah se’lai.

“No.” 

It’s the kind that your enemy finds and uses against you. The first spot to get targeted when they want you to fall. 

She shakes her head.

“No.”

It’s even worse. Way worse.

It’s the thing they use to torture you.

That’s it.

That’s it. And she more than feels it.

A sharp finger digging inside of it, sinking right through the wound, blood spilling out as the burning pain carves its way inside her heart.

Anyone else would be in panic, yet she isn’t.

Shepard’s just numb.

As freezing over can feel like fire, this amount of pain feels like nothing: an empty void of water, drowning her in a daze of loud memories and quiet sadness.

Anyone else would also drown.

Yet she doesn’t. Not this time.

The blue light from the water tank coats her memories, but just as the tide is about to tip her over, the gleam disappears without warning, darkness invading everything and forcing her to open her eyes.

The first thing she sees are his hands.

“Mio.”

She grabs them.

Kaidan is in front of her, blocking the moon-like light that illuminates the aquarium from hitting her.

“I’m here.”

Blocking the entire universe from hitting her.

“...” Her head moves upwards to look at him.

It takes her no time to see what he’s thinking.

Millions of sentences and possibilities cross Kaidan’s mind as he attempts to find the appropriate thing to say next.

There isn’t one.

Shepard lets her hands fall back to their place, almost in slow motion, moving ever so slightly to look into the moonlit blue void that homes all her fishes.

They stay in silence for a while.

And then she hears his steps.

Every thump echoes in her ears, gracefully walking away from her. Or so she thinks.

Instead, they die shortly after and, stopping in front of the blinking orange light of her desk, Kaidan presses the console and plays the unseen message. 

“Commander Shepard,” The voice is unmistakable without having to even give it a second thought. “I’m ordering the Normandy into dry dock on the Citadel for much needed repairs…”

Hackett’s message fills the room while her sight remains stuck on the water.

“...We need everybody at their best.”

But without having to turn, she can hear Kaidan, powering up his omnitool, to find a time bracket to fit all this in, she imagines.

“Admiral Anderson has an apartment on the Wards. Head over there when you arrive.”

Perhaps in a few weeks. She thinks, knowing she should be dreading to look into the rest of the messages that are gonna occupy all her time between now and then, but she doesn't have it in her to even feel dread right now.

“I hear it’s a nice place.”

Kaidan’s omnitool powers off.

“Admiral Hackett.”

And the message ends, leaving room to silence.

The silence, to her surprise, doesn’t last long either.

“EDI,” Kaidan starts walking closer to her. “Patch Joker through.”

He stops at her side, eyes fixed now on the water too.

“Hey, Kaidan, what’s up? Wanna look for the nearest reaper to see if you can kill it too?”

“No, but thanks for the offer.” He smiles ever so slightly. “Head to the Citadel, we’ve been needing to go there for a while to sort out a few things.”

The enchantment ends just like that, pressure and bleeding forgotten for a moment as her head instinctively turns with awe to look at Kaidan.

“Why isn’t Shepard the one saying this? I know you outrank her but…”

“This comes from Hackett, direct orders. We’ll follow these duties with a shore leave.” His eyes remain glued to the tranquil waters. “I’ve sent you a copy of the message just now.”

“Ah, okay.” There’s still some hesitation in his voice.

“Shepard was desperate to get under the water.” Kaidan adds, finally moving his sight away from the aquarium. “Asked me to take care of it.”

His eyes meet hers, searching for something that contradicts any of his statements despite really well knowing he won’t find even a hint of disagreement in her.

Quite the opposite.

“I see.” Joker, half laughs before mumbling something to EDI they cannot really hear. “Understood, we’ll get going as soon as possible.”

“Thanks.” The call ends.

Kaidan smiles at her.

“As beautiful as the fishtank is, I think you’ll find the shower a better companion.”

Her heart sinks into an abyss inside her body, the wound in it screaming in pain because of it but, covered in the pressure of his love, the hit isn’t as bad as she was expecting, shaking her pain enough to be able to react to it.

Not much, but just enough.

Her hand moves again, with all the care in the world, surrounding Kaidan’s wrist with a tender touch, her body gratefully saying what her words cannot even start to describe.

Thank you.

“I’ll be here when you finish.”

She nods.

Her hand falls back to her side.

“Be right back.” She finally speaks, after what feels like it’s been hours and not only minutes, prolonging the eye contact for as long as she can before beginning to walk.

Shepard hesitates, just for a moment, as the door of the bathroom opens on its own in front of her eyes.

“Take your time.” She hears him saying.

And then, so she does.

--------------------------------------------

This may be the most harmful title I've ever chosen for a chapter in my entire life. Or at least it will be, until I post the next one. Ups.

Now serously, I'm mainly writing this shit for myself so I don't think anyone is gonna read this, but in case they do. "Hey, you *points with finger*, thanks for dedicating my madness a few minutes of you life. It means a lot, and I hope you have a lovely day (or night, if you're like me and tend to read fics at 4am when you should be sleeping lol)"

~

She should ask.

Lara follows him down the stairs of the observatory, hands trembling out of control no matter how much she’s attempting to tame them.

Of course she should ask.

Jacob is only a few steps further, guiding them, she assumes, farther away from his people.

She already knows, nonetheless she should ask.

You are him, aren’t you? That would be enough to confirm it.

His hands hide in the pockets of his coat.

The Deathless Prophet. 

He expects her to ask. 

That’s why he has isolated them for the rest: a sign of trust, of camaraderie. 

He is allowing her to ask.

Jacob’s steps halt after a minute, once they are completely alone. His head looks down for a second before deciding to turn to look at her.

He wants her to ask.

So he turns.

But she never does.

The moment their eyes intersect Lara loses control of the few inches of her body that she was somehow still in charge of and, before her brain has anything to say in the matter, her arms envelop him in the tightest hugs she’s ever given anyone.

Waterfalls bleed silently from her eyes as her trembling hands find an anchor on his coat. A mix of sorrow and elation tangled in her throat as her nails dig in even further.

If she’s hurting him, she’ll never know, for Jacob remains frozen as the whole display develops, not even daring to move when his air supply starts to run out. But he isn’t tense either, as one is when receiving unwanted attention.

He is just waiting, patiently, for what seems like an eternity, completely stoic yet full with softness, surrendering everything to her to do what she pleases.

Having everything in consideration, the few minutes they stay like that are not as surreal as Lara expected them to be. She isn’t double questioning and doubting everything inside her mind, as she supposed she would have.

She is just acting, as she always does when the situation is too important to overcomplicate it.

Choosing instinct over mind.

No matter the price.

“I…”

It takes Lara longer that she would like to finally say something but, eventually, the tears dry out and, by the time she finds her voice Jacob’s hand has managed to move ever so slightly, despite its owner’s wishes, to rest on her arm, anchoring her to the reality she thought impossible when she left him behind.

And so: she acts.

“I thought I lost you.”

His stillness changes, the softness quickly vanishing away as something else conquers his body in record time.

“I thought…” Her arms react without her even noticing, all the strength leaving as an opposite reaction to his own. “I thought that I left you here to die.”

For the first time in forever, fear creeps inside his body.

Could this be possible.

Stretching slowly to every corner of his being.

How could it be?

Drowning in it 

“And the thought of it…”

How?

Pure and unfiltered fear.

“Made me wish I was dead too.”

Fear that this isn’t true.

Jacob’s soul echoes inside his body, begging him to back his body to look at her, to confirm it’s there. To make it true.

And so he does.

Lara’s arms do not fight when he moves, ever so slightly, eyes desperate to meet each other, his with hope, hers with relief, and, once they finally link, the two feelings mix in what may only be described a shockwave, reality, truth and emotion all mixed into one and crashing against the two of them.

She smiles at him like she was witnessing a miracle, which she is, but that’s not the true source of her smile. He looks at her like she was proof of the divine, which she certainly isn’t, but no one will ever be able to convince him otherwise.

“Lara…”

He should ask.

Her eyes sparkle with ethereal light as his lips announce her name.

Of course he should ask.

She notices his hand, trembling, moving on its own as Jacob can do nothing else than stare at her.

Lara’s smile deepens even farther.

She expects him to ask. 

Are you sure? 

His mind screams, but his mouth never does.

Lara remains silent, putting together the pieces of what’s happening in front of her eyes.

She is allowing him to ask.

A simple: May I?

To know if it’s alright.

His hand raises as the other strengthens its grip, moving slowly to find its landing as he cups her face with a tender touch.

The only reaction she’s able to summon is a soft gasp, lips parting ever so slightly in anticipation of what she already knows his own are about to demand.

She wants him to ask.

So she leans in ever so slightly.

He never gets the chance to ask.

Taking the silent invitation as if it was a gift from the heavens, Jacob finally lowers his head and lets his heart take full control of his being as their lips finally meet.

Heavens, indeed.

His arm wraps slowly around her waist to bring her as close as he’s able, his opposite hand travelling even farther to tangle around her hair.

The motion is quickly rewarded with a welcoming hum and, more than accepting the invitation, Jacob’s tongue parts her lips with ease to find a new haven inside her mouth.

Lara’s hands aren’t idle either, one in his hair, the other against his heart, touching as his heart crashes against her palm and echoes throughout her entire being.

Fuck…

She knows there’s no going back. No safety net.

Fuck.

Not that her body seems to mind.

Lara presses against him, deliberately pushing her chest against his own and giggles like she never thought she’d be able as the movement is rewarded by a low grunt and a change of gears in Jacob’s pace.

Fuck.

She doesn’t seem to mind it either.

His body immediately reacts to the teasing and, a second before he moves away from her lips to target her neck, all caution and consideration more than discarded, her focus is completely shattered as she feels how hard he is, pressing against her leg.

“Jacob…”  Comes out more like a moan than a word, followed by a true one as she feels a deep laugh traveling her skin as a response to the first. “Ahh…”

Her soul leaves her body while her brain spirals into pleasure and, with no other guard to keep it in check, the hand trapped between them takes full ownership of its movement and starts to trail a downward path.

“Lara.”

The pace is excruciatingly exquisite.

She makes sure to trace, map and memorize every inch of his upper body before making it all the way down to the final destination, or near, hand anchoring to his belt before giving him a playful tug to pull him even closer to her.

His kisses stop for a second and, if his reaction would’ve taken any longer, perhaps she could’ve had the chance to second-guess if he’d welcome taking the situation to the next stage but Jacob is quicker to act and, before she can even ask herself, his teeth sink into her neck.

In any other scenario, she would’ve been extremely ashamed of the moan that exits her body the moment he bites her, but right now she cannot find the strength to care, way too lost into pleasure and desire to leave room for anything else. So instead, she embraces it, nails digging harder into his scalp, as many more follow that first one.

The feeling of it is overwhelming, almost as if her soul is the one being devoured, so normally, it takes her a while to remember where her previous focus was. Nevertheless, Jacob is graceful enough to remind her after a while.

“Lara…” He prays her name against her skin as his mouth traces its way back to hers, hand anchoring around her hip to move them towards a nearby tree.

Her back crashes against the trunk with more strength than he initially intended but his body is already pressing into hers and she shivers with pleasure as the rich pain travels through her spine.

Jacob’s hand deepens its grip while the other moves to her breasts, cupping one of them with the necessary strength to make her melt against his touch.

Fuck.

Control she can lose. 

But a fight, she cannot. 

So, summoning every inch of her will, she manages to remember why her hand is anchored around his belt and, moving just a bit lower, she finally manages to find its wanted destination.

“...”

His attack stops for a second and she laughs, although not for too long, not willing to waste the opportunity. Before he is able to resume it, her other hand joins the fight, expertly managing his belt as the other keeps him distracted enough to give her the opportunity to do so.

“Lara…” His head falls to rest on top of hers. She giggles even more. “I…”

He does so too.

Perhaps it’s because he’s had more years to develop his autocontrol, or perhaps it’s all the experience he’s had as a leader, but Jacob gains control of his body way quicker than Lara was able, and commands it to do what he really wants.

Should surprise no one that, what he really wants to do: is Lara. 

Lara, on her side, is more than pleased to oblige.

And so she does.

Not in a million years would she ever suspect how quickly she would have found herself without pants but, the time it takes her to kick off her boots, is almost the same he needs to undo her belt with expertise and remove the annoying fabric that separates them.

The whole maneuver is in fact so fast that she can only lower his a bit before she finds herself pinned against the tree once again, legs wrapping instinctively around him as his right hand anchors around her body to bring her upwards, the other traveling to his own pants to free himself of the restrictive prison.

Lara gasps and waits a second for his eyes to ask her, his mouth never does. 

Jacob takes a deep breath, a moment to focus, witnessing the nod he never gets to hear out loud.

The final unanswered question gets answered, and just like that, with his free hand aiding the movement, he sinks himself into her, inch by inch, her name on his lips as a prayer he cannot avoid but to say out loud.

His head lowers as he hears her first moan, resting on her shoulders, trying to summon all the self-control he’s developed over a millennia of life in order to do this right.

Slow down. 

He hears her giggle.

Mark a pace.

She bites her lower lip.

Take your time.  

Her hips roll on their own.

And everything falls apart for, not even Jacob, is able to control himself after that.

They meet everywhere all at once: her hands beg and scratch, his own grab and sink, mouth crashing and tongues dancing as his hips move back to ram against her a second after. 

Her scream of pleasure fills his mouth as he grunts, sinking into her as deep as he’s able before repeating the action.

Jacob employs even more strength this time around and, as a reward, her reaction is even louder, inviting him to another try.

And so he does.

Again, and again, and again.

His body moves and conquers with expertise, leaving her no other choice than to give up, for the first time in her life, and surrender to the pleasure.

And so she does.

Again, and again, and again.

She so overstimulated after so much build up and pleasure that she almost wonders if it will be ever be able to crash but, as he increases his speed, he also increases he strength and, the moment he loses control, and completely gives in into her, is what finally does it for her, feeling him at the edge of his own clif, sinking into her as hard and as fast as he’s able.

The cry doesn’t even come out. There’s so much build up, and she’s struggling so much to breathe, that it dies in her throat before it’s able to become a full on sound.

He senses it nonetheless.

Hears it in the way he nails sink in his flesh, tastes it as her lips part from one another and, above all, feels it in the very core of his being as her body tightens in pleasure around his own.

And, of course, that’s what does it for him.

With an incomprehensible blasphemy, that he will surely have to spend many hours repenting about, his soul dissolves into bliss, pace dying out little by little while keeping the motion as long as he can, riding out the wave of pleasure as he gets used to being human after existing so close to the divine.

“Holy shit…” He’s not alone in his blasphemy, it appears.

His head moves to rest on her shoulder once again, but the comment earns her a laugh nonetheless.

They stay like that for a while, neither of them wanting to break apart, taking the needed time to recover the use of their lungs.

“Yeah…” He finally answers, eyes rising in search of hers.

The first thing he finds is a smile.

“That was…”

Utter happiness.

“Yeah.”

And a smile.

“I mean…”

He knows he should move.

“... Wow.”

They should dress up.

“Yeah…” But he finds himself too lost to consider it, so instead, he just asks: “Mind if we stay like this a bit longer?”

His eyes are filled with glee, and love, and many other feelings he cannot come close to even begin to describe.

“I…” So he just mirrors her smile, asking despite not needing to, just to bathe in her reply. “I don’t want this moment to die.”

Lara cups his face and leans forward, a small droplet of happiness streams down her face, and sears her answer in a kiss before saying it out loud.

“Neither do I.” 

Their gazes meet for the last time.

The ice in his eyes seems to burn her, in a way she never thought she would love this much.

“Neither do I.”

------------------------------------------

All of his obligations were already taken care of, and she knew it, but exiting the cabin with a path in mind made everything easier and, this way, she could focus on Jacob.

Once they set foot outside he offered his arm, all gentlemanlike, patiently waiting to see if she would take it.

She did.

Her hand linked around him and, after granting her a moment and a look, making sure she was ready, he started walking towards the Lowlands. 

The path from her old cabin to Jacob’s couldn’t be any bigger, set almost in opposite sides of the Western Village, and Lara cannot help but to blush a little just by imagining Sofia carrying all her possessions, plus a fully assembled cot, from one to the other.

The feat had caught many eyes indeed and, if that wasn’t enough, she was quite sure that the two of them, walking together just like that, would certainly catch any rmaining attention that Sofia’s impromptu move had not managed to obtain.

It should have been, without any trace of doubt, the most embarrassing moment of her life.

But, against all odds it wasn’t for, after a few steps, Jacob started talking.

Nothing very significant, nothing that needed input either. 

Just talking.

And, just like that, Lara was lost in him, and nothing else seemed to matter.

How could anything else matter?

A few of the villagers started whispering. She laughed at something he was saying.

Some of them pretended they didn’t exist as a show of respect. She nodded at something in agreement.

A couple of the children tried to run up to them before their parents stopped them. She asked a follow up question about what he just described.

The blacksmith nudged his wife with his elbow, an ‘I told you so’ smile plastered in his face. She held his arm even tighter.

There’s even the sound of a group of young girls, doing their best to keep their voices as low as possible as they scream at each other. Excited to see their wished coupling take form in real life after thinking it would never happen.

Lara heard none of these.

Instead, they just walked, happy to be in each other’s company and left the village just like that, their minds set on a mundane task that didn’t take them too long to accomplish.

~

Sofia cannot help but laugh.

“I’m serious… I’m gonna fucking kill you.”

Despite her words, so does Lara.

~

The excuse they used to be able to return to normality was effective, but extremely short to her liking, having Jacob done everything already before the whole cabin scene happened.

“I wanted to free my morning so we could spend it together.” He confessed with a smile, rubbing the back of his head.

It made her feel like she was melting.

Nevertheless, something came up in the Southern Settlement that claimed his attention and, being the only one ahead on his duty, he couldn’t say no and parted ways with her.

She cursed herself for not waking up earlier and doing the same, but he seemed so happy that she decided to rest, or attempted to, that the pain got quickly diluted.

“See you tonight.” He said, before kissing her on the forehead.

Whatever was left of the pain, got quickly erased.

“See you tonight.”

He left right after, in silence, duty pulling them both in different directions.

Lara couldn’t ignore hers either.

She headed north, replaying her entire morning inside her mind and: yes, it wasn't as easy to do it without Jacob by her side.

The news spread like wildfire, as they always do, and she had a long way until she reached the tomb she was supposed to inspect today with Sofia, which meant crossing paths with a lot of people on her way there.

“It wasn’t as bad as she had expected—just curious looks, at most.”

No negative comments or expressions, at least that she could witness, which was more than enough for her. 

In fact, the bulk of the people she encountered seemed even happier than before with her presence in the valley.

And then, of course, there was Levi, to whom ‘happier’ was far too mild a word to describe him.

“I had to restrain myself from applauding when I saw Sofia marching to her father’s cabin with your cot.” 

Lara covered her face with both hands.

“Sorry, sorry.” He added, shaking her by the shoulder a couple of times, which managed to make her smile a little. “It’s just that… Wow.”

“Yeah…”

“You and Jacob…” His tone of voice was almost a contradiction, both shocked by the news but not that surprised, either. “Should’ve seen it coming.”

“Meaning?”

“He never came to my morning practice before I started to feature you in them.”

They both started laughing.

~

“You’re not really mad, aren’t you?”

Lara huffs, taking a moment to think before she answers.

“No…” There’s hesitation, which alarms Sofia for a moment, so she tries one more time. “No.”

~

She and Levi said goodbye as he headed towards the Abandoned Mines to do his part in the cleaning effort. Lara continued north, finding Sofia a few minutes later at the entrance of the tomb.

“Took you long enough.”

Sofia smiled at her.

“Gee… I wonder why?” Lara asked with as much irony as she could summon, getting inside the tomb while her friend followed her trying very hard not to laugh at her comment.

~

She tries again.

“I’m not mad…” She explains, no hesitation now in sight. “Ask me in a few days, and I’ll probably tell you it was epic.”

She takes her boots off the ground, now that her feet are finally dry after sinking them in the water for so long.

“And you didn’t see the reactions.”

“Thank God.”

They both start laughing again. 

Sofia mimics the gesture after rolling down her pants, now the risk of getting them wet is no longer there, tying her shoelaces in record time in order to catch up with Lara so they can walk side by side as they head for the exit of the ancient baths.

“Sure you’re okay?”

She insists after a while, sunlight already reaching them even before Lara and her make it to the entrance of the tomb.

“Yeah…” Hesitation once again. “I mean… I guess.”

Sofia stares at her, now on the outside, letting the sun warm her skin as she waits with the patience she knows her friend needs.

“It’s…”

Just enough of it.

“Complicated?”

“Yeah…”

That’s an understatement. Lara thinks, unsure of what else she should say, busying her hands with the end of her jacket.

“Wanna talk about it?” Sofia offers.

“Wanna hear about it?” She instantly replies, finally manifesting the obvious awkwardness of the situation. “I mean… He’s your father.”

“So?” It takes her a second to process the idea. “Oohhh.”

“Yeah…” This one is more playful, or ironic, but there’s still a tint of worry in it.

“Still… If you’re in need of a friend…”

“I know, I know… But there are things that I don’t think I’d be able to survive if you knew them…” Lara hesitates for a bit, an intrusive thought squirming around her courage, but eventually summons enough strength and just asks: “I mean, how much do you know?”

“Not a lot… Mostly about my father…” She laughs a little. “I’ll ask for details once I’ve had the opportunity to process what I do know.”

“Heavens…” Sofia laughs even more. 

“Speaking of which, I meant to ask you: Are you okay with me having read your letter? I mean… It was…”

“Not mine.” Lara states, with surprising confidence, no matter how much her heart wants her to switch to a different topic. “Not anymore. It’s Jacob’s now, and if he decided to show it to you...”

“Still…”

“I know, It’s fine.” She smiles at her, before shrugging her shoulders, with the answer brewing in her head being way too clear to reply anything other than: “We’re family.”

The concept comes out way overly natural, the truth flowing out of Lara to simmer into reality, for any of them to consider the depth of her last sentence, or pay it enough attention for it to spiral into complex hesitation.

Instead, they just stare at each other with glee in their eyes, letting it float around them and dissolve into thin air.

“That we are.” Sofia seals it with words, cementing what her body has already said. “Besides, in terms of love letters, yours was far from embarrassing, if that serves you of any help.”

“It does. Luckily you haven’t read the one he…”

Lara covers her mouth with both hands, censoring herself, but Sofia doesn’t need to hear it to complete the sentence on her own.

“Dear Lord, he wrote you a letter too?”

The tone on Lara’s skin migrates instantly into a reign of vermillion shades.

"Shut up." She reprimands Sofia once she starts laughing, her tone of voice resembling that of a teenage girl.

"Sorry, sorry…" Her friend attempts to tame her smile, fixing the upper corners of her lips with her fingers. "Sorry."

But, as always, curiosity makes a rapid comeback.

"Can I read it?"

"No!" 

The answer is so fast and loud that Sofia cannot help but laugh her heart out, missing little complaints as Lara hits her ever so slightly, pushing her into the path she needs to take any moment now.

"Okay, okay…" Sofia keeps laughing, understanding her intentions. "I’ll leave you be."

"Thanks."

"For now…"

By the time Lara is ready to reply to that last comment Sofia is already too far to see her reaction, but not hear her reply.

"I hate you." She half screams with a loving tone in her voice.

Sofia lets her have the last word, feeling like she’s more than earned it. So, instead of replaying, furthering their distance as she walks away, she lifts one hand and waves goodbye a few times, not even turning to look at her, hiding from Lara the glee coating her expression while she fades into the distance.

~

The sun was starting to fall from the sky.

Despite having eaten not that long ago, still carrying in her pockets the empty containers she and Sofia devoured mid their tomb exploration a few hours ago, she is starting to feel peckish already.

Having just exited the Baths of Kitesh, being now at the entrance of the upper village, Lara contemplates, for a moment, the idea of entering it in order to get something to eat, not sure she’ll be able to wait the couple of hours that separate her from the beginning of the dinner.

The thought never gets to fully form.

People had remained close to respectful, as long as Sofia stays talking to her, but the moment she disappears into the horizon to carry on with her daily duties, a horde of young girls manages to corral Lara in record time, snatching both the idea and the hunger right out of her mind.

"Heavens Lara! You and Jacob!" The leader of the group half screams as she grabs her hands with passion. "I was telling Nikia the other day what a wonderful couple the two of you would make, but I was not expecting it to come true."

Of everything she imagined happening once the truth was out, Lara has to admit, this wasn’t even an option.

"I told you sooner or later it was going to happen, Rhea." Says Nikia, Lara deduces from the prior statement, as this one catches both her arm and attention with enthusiasm and redirects her words towards her. "You have to tell us everything."

There’s more than emphasis in the way the young girl says that last word.

The screams that follow that statement, despite coming all from a respectful place, or as much juvenile female gossip is able to summon, engulf Lara little by little into a fog of excitement and cheers.

"Now you say you knew, instead of explaining how you were plotting for it to happen." Rhea’s attention switches momentarily to her friend, annoyed by this one taking the spotlight. 

"Plotting? How dare you? I was manifesting it. And look!"

The group doubled before she could even inhale, girls coming out of nowhere and targeting Lara with way too many questions to answer any of them while simultaneously screaming at each other and discussing the entire topic out loud.

"I…" 

And, of course, any attempt that Lara makes to leave is immediately squished by the energy of the group.

"How long have you been together? Did you propose? Was it Jacob?"

"Well…"

"Thena swears it was Jacob but I know she is talking without knowledge."

"I know what I know!" A faceless voice replies, two girls on her left. "Tell her I’m right, Lara."

“Erm…”

Even if she wanted to reply, she never has the chance.

"Shut up you two, don’t you have any shame?” Kiah opens the way with her elbow, or at least she is almost certain that’s the name of this one, pushing Nikia away so she can face her. “So immature…” She huffs under her breath. “Lara, don’t mind them, okay? Just tell us the overall story as you want?”

“Wh…?”

“Oh, yeah, and that was the mature thing to say, no Klea?” 

Right… Klea. Not Kiah.

“What!?” Klea turns with anger, hands moving to rest on her hips. “More than anything that’s ever left your useless mouth you ignor…”

Luckily for everyone present, and the overall wellbeing of the Remnants as a society, the sentence dies as fast as it was ignited, with a powerful yet melodic voice impacting against the entire group with a precise strike.

“Girls!” As if it was the Red Sea, the group is quickly divided in two, a familiar figure walking in between, arms on her hips, making it all the way to where Lara is before turning to face the rest of them. 

What Lara thought would come out with anger, or at least with a stern disposition, is closer to tiredness and disappointment than she would’ve expected.

“Why is no one at their assigned post?” She sighs. “Come on, Sofia is waiting for half of you to join her in the mines.” She rubs the back of her head. “As for the rest, we’ve been waiting for you for almost an hour now.”

“Sorry Nadia.” A few of them say at the same time and, before anyone has the courage to complain, she speaks one last time.

“Now go.” Half the group leaves right away, with speed. Lara suspects more in fear of Sofia than to the order itself, but she doesn’t question it for too long.

The other half has one last attempt.

“But Nad…”

An unsuccessful one.

“But nothing.” She shakes her head. “My grandmother has little patience, if you really want her to train you all you should not test it.”

“Sorry, Nadia.” They say again.

“We’ll apologize to Serafima too.” Klea remarks.

“That’s more like it.” Nadia smiles, before sending them away. “Now go, on your way.”

Just as it was formed, the horde of people vanishes in no time leaving Lara alone with her.

“Sorry about that.” Nadia turns towards her. “You’ll have time to catch up with them later if you wish to…”

“Oh hell, no.” Lara brings one hand to her mouth, forcing the rest of her thoughts to stay in there. “I meant: no reason to apologize, really.” She insists: “Really.”

“I… See.” The young girl attempts to tame her smile. “I…” 

“In fact I should be thanking you, for saving me from… Well… That.”

She doesn’t succeed. Nadia laughs for a few seconds before even realizing that she’s doing it, forcing herself to stop the moment she is aware of it.

“They’re quite a handful, right?”

“Yeah… You could say that” Lara smiles a little. “So, thanks… For the rescue.”

“My pleasure.” Nadia pats her on the arm. “Glad to be on this side of the bargain with you for once.” She starts laughing. “But, alas, duty calls. I’m tasked with collecting herbs in the valley, only diverted myself to search for the apprentices, but I should get going now that’s done, before it is too dark. It’s really a shame, we haven’t had the time to talk that much since you came back.” 

“Well, that has a quick fix.” Lara feels somehow shy to even ask: “Need some help?”

“Always...” Nadia looks at her, a bit confused. “Aren’t you too busy for something so… Erm, trivial?”  

“I’m free right now and… To be completely honest, I could use the distraction.” 

Words seldom felt so natural slipping from Lara’s mouth, especially having in mind the sentiment behind them, so she is pleasantly surprised of how easy it was for her to formulate them just now.

“Though day, huh?”

Nadia interprets the grunt that Lara gives her as a yes.

“Not much for talking, either?”

“You know me.”

“I sure do.”

There’s nothing in her tone that resembles a reproach, Lara knows as much, but the comment brings back a forgotten memory that, once unburied, she isn’t able to ignore and, willing to see if this will come out with the same ease, she decides to at least give it a try.

“Yeah… Sorry about that, by the way.” Nadia looks at her with confusion, until she clarifies. “Three years ago, shut you off, as I often do… While you were talking to me on the radio.”

The young girl keeps staring at her, expression morphing into deep concentration, doing her best to recall the situation.

“The whole ordeal with the Soviet Weapons facility, remember?"

“Oh!” It seems to cost an inhuman effort for Nadia to remember the occasion, a smile replacing the confusion once she does. “Right… Completely forgot about that. Just assumed you were trying to concentrate.”

“Well, that too.”

“Nothing to forgive then…” She pats her shoulder with glee. “And happy to have you back. And for so long… You’re spoiling us.” 

“Right…” Lara smiles back at her, fidgeting her hands, not knowing what else to do.

“How are things out there? Heard you saved the world… But that’s about it.” She laughs a little, not sure why. “Something worth mentioning from outside our little haven?”

“Not really…”

The silence sinks for a moment and Lara wishes she was better at this. Her conversational skills, that never were that great to begin with in a heightened environment, really pale when put into a relaxed and easygoing context.

Nevertheless, she seems to be with an expert in the area and, the moment Lara runs out of things to say, Nadia is quick to set an example on what a normal exchange between two people sounds like.

“I guess you wouldn’t be here if you found it interesting.” She laughs yet again. “Glad that you’re, of course. Here, I mean.”

Lara stares at her, truly thinking about her own reply.

“So I am.” Short but true.

She smiles too, satisfied, after taking the small step. Nadia cannot help but to reply in the same fashion.

“Glad to see you’re doing fine.” 

Her head turns to focus on the task at hand, so she isn’t able to see Lara stop for a few seconds to think how to follow the conversation.

She figures it out quicker this time around.

“What about you? How’s the family?”

“Oh, better than ever. Spent all morning with grandpa helping him before heading to the apothecary.”

“Western village?”

“No, the new one, well… It’s actually the oldest but… ” Nadia halts herself mid rambling. “On the Southeast Settlement.”

“Right.” Lara smiles. “Still cannot believe what you’ve managed to do with the castle ruins.”

“It’s a work in progress… But yes. Now it’s been halted for a while, they’re focusing on the mines.” She switches to a new patch of flowers. “Not my expertise, but we all help when they need extra hands.”

“Seems you don’t stop all day…”

“Look who's talking?”

Lara laughs.

“I meant, your grandfather this morning and now you’re helping Serafima with the inventory, and the trainees… Must be a handful.”

“I like to spend time with my grandmother… Has tons to share.” She cleans her hands on her pants. “And I’m not that good as a herbalist, but I have good enough memory to do this.”

“Don’t mind the work, then?”

“No… I like to help.”

Lara turns to look at her, wanting to check that she doesn’t see in Nadia the way too familiar pattern that she got tired of finding in every mirror.

“Do you do anything, outside of helping?” The tone, and intentions, do not lean towards concern, but there are hints of it hidden in both. “What do you do, around here, in your free time?”

“You know, the usual… ” Nadia, unaware of the sliver of worry on her friend’s heart, quickly erases it by being her usual self. “Talking, reading… I like to draw, too. I’ve been sketching the local flora, but in my free time I like to paint whatever I feel like.” She laughs, quite pleased with the summary. “We eat together… On special occasions we dance. You were there for the last one.”

“Yeah… I quite enjoyed it.” Lara smiles, battling her body to avoid losing herself into the hypersweet memories. “Like dancing too, then?”

“Not a lot, I prefer the food, but a few friends insisted… So my feet hurt more than expected at the end of the night.”

“They must have been worthy of the effort, then.” Lara comments without giving a second thought, following the natural flow of the exchange. “Someone special?”

“Eh? No, no… Just friends.” Nadia laughs. “Haven’t met anyone who was worth that much effort, if you know what I mean.”

Lara breaks into laughter, Nadia follows right after.

“Heavens…” The first replies after a while, cleaning an almost tear from her eye.

“What about you?” Nadia asks, as she composes herself too, looking for something to distract her from the laughter so she can go back to her task. “Anyone special?”

She’s in for a distraction, indeed.

Lara’s immediate response: is choking. Exhale and cough mixed with surprise as she turns to look at Nadia with confusion in her eyes.

The reaction to her question should’ve definitely given her a hint of the answer, but reality escapes Nadia as social skills usually evade Lara and so, she just stares at her friend, looking even more confused than her.

“What?”

Lara, on the other hand, after increasing to new found heights the span of her embarrassment tolerance, thanks to this morning’s events, is surprisingly ready to provide a reply with an unseen level of ease for the first time in her life.

“You mean you don’t know?”

Perhaps she would’ve been more embarrassed, if the surprise of finding someone able to elude the news of Sofia’s blessing into domesticity in the most unhinged way she could’ve ever conjured wasn’t there to catch her full attention.

“Know?”

She finds it almost comical: Of course the one person I decide to confide in is the only one in the entire valley who hasn't heard.

“About me and Jacob…”

The sentence comes out even more natural than she had expected, having the long years of waiting and longing rooted the feeling into reality too long for her body to cast them away as foreign.

“You and Jacob…” Most people would’ve instantly questioned their doubts. “Yeah right.”

Most people.

For Nadia, an additional second is required.

“Wait… WHAT!?”

But that really seems to do it.

“Heavens, you’re not joking.”

Lara shakes her head.

“I am not.”

Nadia gets closer to her, the basket of flowers completely forgotten for a while now.

“And everyone knows?” She grabs her hands. “How come I don’t?”

Lara cannot help but laugh.

“Of all the questions you could ask…” Shakes her head again, and cannot do anything else than answer. “We told Sofia this morning… Well… Jacob did. I think. Wasn’t there for the whole show, thank God, but if I had to guess, I think she figured it out and Jacob just filled in the blancs.”

Nadia nods, hyperfocussed, not wanting to interrupt the explanation.

“And then, well… Sofia decided to move all my belongings to Jacob’s cabin, cot included, and everyone got the overall gist after that.”

“I… See.”

“That’s why I got cornered by your apprentices… They had questions.” Lara sighs, remembering the experience.

“Uf…”

“Yeah.”

Unlike the young girls, Nadia’s comments don’t add anything close to a sentence for a while. A collection of ‘aha’s and ‘right’s serving as a placeholder until her mind is able to process all the information.

Lara, on her part, cannot do more than give her the needed time. After recovering their baskets, she decides to set foot to the apothecary, on the Southeast Settlement, imagining that’s where they’re meant to deliver them. 

Nadia follows her initiative and, eventually, is able to say more than three words in a row.

“Sorry… Perhaps I haven’t had the best reaction.” She apologies, revising the last few minutes of her life. “It more than took me by surprise.”

“Oh, you're handling it way better than most, so don’t worry.”

“I’m trying…”

The words cause Lara to laugh again but, this time around, Nadia doesn’t follow her. 

Instead, she stares at her.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Lara’s expression morphs, but the glee remains.

“Do not ‘nothing’ me… Come on.”

Despite her words, the hesitation is still there.

“It may be too much for you… So I won’t say it.”

“Nadia…”

Almost there.

“I…”

Almost.

“I was tempted to ask… If you were happy.” 

There.

She stops walking, her will and feet halt in unison to finally leave room for her words.

“But now… Kinda seem unnecessary.” Their eyes meet. “I can just see it for myself.”

Lara blushes, of course, but takes the comment with much more ease than expected.

“Right… Right. Well…” She clears her throat. “You’d be right, it seems.”

“It seems.”

Now they both laugh, once again, exorcising the nerves out of their bodies, resuming their walk as the sun starts to fall.

“I really admire you, Lara… Even more than before.” Nadia remarks, after giving the situation a second thought. “I think I’d die from embarrassment if I were you.”

“Got close… At least the worst is now behind me, I guess.” She smiles. “And the pros more than outweigh the cons so…” The sentence doesn’t need an ending, so she doesn’t bother to create it. “Yeah…”

Nadia sighs, with an overwhelming feeling of ease.

“I’m glad to see you like this… I mean…” This one doesn’t need one either. “Yeah…” 

“Yeah.”

The rest of the path is quite calm. They deliver the flowers and, after a quick and unnecessary exchange, they confirm they both want to go back to the Western Village, so they more than agree to travel there together.

With the sun now close to set, the valley is almost empty, giving them the perfect canvas to keep drawing their precious conversation.

“I assume you and Sofia are okay… After, you know…” 

The comment surprises Lara for a second, but she quickly realizes why she’s asking.

“Yes, of course. Even closer, now… I guess.” 

“She really guessed it on her own?”

“Well..” Lara shakes her hand a couple of times. “Half and half… Had no idea about my feelings, that’s for sure. And also the length.”

“The length?”

“Oh yeah… She thought it was recent.”

A moment of silence.

“It isn’t?”

Lara turns a little, smiling, something closer to mischievous than shyness but still in between the two.

“No.”

Another moment.

To process it, Lara guesses, cause she never hears a comeback about it.

“Must be difficult, I imagine, to talk to her about it.” Nadia says instead, trying to picture what they are discussing. 

“It’s quite easy, actually… Or I’ll be, in no time, I think. For most of it, at least.”

“And the rest?”

There’s a flicker of hesitation on Lara’s eyes.

“The rest? Well…” She tames it in just a moment. “I’ll figure it out on my own, I guess.”

And still, its trace is still there, glued to her smile.

“You don’t have to… You know?” Nadia fidgets with her fingers. “Even if you don’t know where to start… The only thing for you to bear is to ask.”

Lara nods, feeling honored, understanding the depths of the offering and the understanding Nadia must possess of her to even offer it in the first place.

“Thanks.”

Just ask.

No unnecessary banter, no awkward conversation: just ask. It is almost as if Nadia had listed all the things she despises in the equation just so she could erase them in order to ease all her troubles.

Just ask.

“Really… I…”

Could it be that simple? It never really is.

“...”

Her words make it simple, or at least simpler, which is all she can ask for: to forget about the overcomplicated form and focus for once on the matter.

“...”

To erase second-guesses and discuss what it matters.

“...”

Just ask.

And so she does.

“You think I’m silly… After everything… For being nervous?” Lara's voice trembles as the words come out of her. “About tonight… With Jacob.”

It takes a moment for Nadia to respond.

“No.” She gives it a second one. “Seems like a big deal to me.”

“I feel like it shouldn’t. I mean, we’ve talked about it… We are on the same page, you know. Letting things grow little by little. I’m not expecting anything.” She sighs. “And still…”

“You’re still nervous.”

“Yes.”

“It’s still a step Lara. A big one.” Nadia explains, like it isn’t something completely foreign or from another galaxy. “It's still intimacy… Emotional, which is even deeper than physical.”

“...”

“It’s okay to be a bit nervous, you wouldn’t be human otherwise.” She laughs a little, Lara follows the tone. “Don’t worry too much about it. For what you tell, and knowing Jacob, it’ll be okay.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Course I am.”

Nadia’s words float on Lara’s mind as they climb the steps towards the entrance of the village, coating and soothing her hesitation as she internalizes them.

It isn’t almost until the end of the long path of stairs that she finally breaks the silence.

“When did you get this clever?”

Of course, the comment quickly makes Nadia burst into laughter, considering her words for a few seconds before answering.

 “I’ve always been this clever… It’s just that you now have the patience to wait until I’m done talking.”

As one can only expect, Lara starts laughing too.

~

The morning had been glorious. Jacob thinks.

Feeling accomplished by doing all his tasks even before the sun had put a halt on its rise, ecstatic to spend some time with Lara, he marched to her cabin and, despite not finding her there, the conversation with Sofia, being finally able to stop pretending there was nothing between Lara and him, gave him a sensation of peace he never expected to find, if one is being objective, in the more than awkward encounter.

The truth was out and, to top it all, he got to spend his time with Lara after that, so he could not be happier about how the day had started.

Noon was uneventful. 

He headed to the Southern Settlement, forced to leave Lara behind as his help was needed elsewhere but, despite the walk where he cursed the skies for being separated from her, he found enough distraction in his work, and the promise of their reunion after sunset, to keep a normal disposition for how the day was developing.

Everyone was being normal, or normal enough, to keep away from his personal matters but, the more the day stretched, the more he could sense the difference in the way people acted around him.

By afternoon, it was impossible to ignore it.

Not an eye had dared to hold his gaze, everyone was way too worried about offending him to share more than a couple of words before running away and, of course, everyone pretended there wasn’t anything strange about it at all.

The respect he had commanded over the years had leaked onto this too, and the passing of the hours just managed to confirm it, for not a soul made a single remark about it.

Jacob found it amusing at the beginning, or as much as he could, with a hint of worry, wondering how different the experience must’ve been for Lara.

They won’t keep their distance with her. He guessed correctly, wishing there’s more he could do, but the works in the mines area required his attention so, after a late lunch, he headed there and joined his daughter and the rest of the team in charge of the project.

The people there are used to working with him, to talk to him, making even more obvious how much they are keeping themselves from making remarks about the subject. Levi seems like he will, but in the end, he doesn’t. Jacob attributes it to Sofia’s presence, but he never gets to know.

Perhaps she would’ve corralled him if she had the chance, but his workload was so intense that he was still deep into the thick of it all by the time his daughter had finished, leaving the place before having the chance to even exchange a word.

Jacob is in fact the last one left in the place not long after that, lost in calculations and planning next day’s advancements with care, track of time completely forgotten until a low growl in his stomach finally begs for him to stop and he decides to oblige.

It isn’t until he takes the path to the Western Village that it really sinks in how tired he truly is, being awake since sunrise and having worked without rest until the lonely star had decided to set.

A tiring day, indeed.

The evening, nonetheless, presented itself way too interesting to even think about it coming to an end.

It’s quite late when he makes it to the village, people already dining, seated around the big table, composed of many different ones, that extends throughout the center of the village.

Jacob spots her instantly, although no one else would’ve been able to do so, surrounded and covered as she is by her friends. Sofia has her in a permanent hold, a half hug, one arm embracing her shoulders as the other overworks itself with many movements and gestures, completely lost in what he assumes can only be a passionate speech. 

Like father, like daughter.

Nadia is on the other side, both hands grabbing Lara’s, extremely excited and giving many comments to whatever Sofia is telling them.

He cannot avoid smiling at the scene. There’s something more than comedic in the contrast of their over-effuseness compared to the way Lara just listens to them, without interfering, with a relaxed expression on her face, similar to the one a proud parent adopts when they witness their kids talking about something they’re truly passionate about.

There’s a moment where he considers interrupting: make his way there and sit by her side. He’s sure none of them would mind, even if that meant breaking the lovely image he finds himself lost into. But the place is overcrowded and most of the food is already gone so, instead, he decides against it. 

His eyes remain on the small group, nonetheless.

“...”

Someone talks next to him, but he doesn’t react.

At first, at least.

“Right?”

Jacob shakes his head ever so slightly before turning it to find Levi standing next to it, a big grin painted on his face as he witnesses the overall reaction.

“Everything fine?”

They both know the answer, and why he asked such a question, but Jacob pretends not to and simply replies: “Of course, why’d you ask?”

Perhaps courage has built inside the young man since he last saw him, perhaps the lack of Sofia’s presence is enough to let him be completely honest.

“You look… Distracted.”

It requires more effort than he expected, but Jacob manages to suppress his laugh after hearing his comment, or most of it, with a small smile betraying him as the way Levi just said ‘distracted’ hangs around them for a few seconds before he’s even able to give him the answer a comment as such truly deservers.

“One is only distracted when their attention roams away from their original target.” Jacob finally replies.

Unlike him, Levi isn’t one to hide his emotions, so he just laughs and marvels at Jacob’s comeback for a few seconds and hits him playfully on the arm right after.

A gesture he’s adopted from Lara, no doubt.

Jacob smiles too, warmed by the reaction and extremely proud of his own words, to the point of almost feeling embarrassed by the sentiment.

And you wanted to keep all that to yourself. His mind offers with Lara’s voice, unburying the memory as if it was happening again. Shameful.

“Shameful…” He whispers to himself.

“What?” Levi looks at him, half confused, half amused, not knowing what is going on in his mind but guessing the overall cause. “Sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah… Hungry.” He says it, and then he hears it, but despite not being fast enough to see the double implication of that statement before it comes out in the air, he’s sure quick enough to stop Levi’s comment about it.

Jacob’s hand rises with an accusatory finger, not needing words to draw the line he’s not willing to let him cross.

Despite his smile, Levi discards his comment, raising his hands as a gesture of innocence, faking he doesn’t have the faintest idea of what caused that reaction.

The only thing Jacob can do is sigh, but the smile remains, suddenly understanding a lot better how his daughter’s feeling came to be.

“Come, join me.”

Levi smiles too and nods, following him to a distant part of the table where there’s still some food left.

The young man remains quiet for a while, staring at the three girls from the distance, but instead of questioning it, Jacob takes the unusual manifestation of his silence to start eating. He’s almost mid dinner when Levi decides to finally break it.

“You think we are in danger? You know… They’re surely talking about one of us.”

Jacob smiles, at ease, more sated now that his stomach has something in it, a true meal, or half of it, unlike the quick bite he grabbed for lunch before resuming his work.

“Who knows?” He gives the idea a second thought. “You’d care?”

“I’d care more if there was nothing to talk about.”

Jacob couldn’t agree more with that statement.

“Indeed.”

Levi looks at the small group once more, mulling something else before turning his attention back to him.

“At least you don’t have to worry about your daughter and Lara being on good terms.” He adds with a smile, pointing at their respective partners with his head. “I mean, look at Sofia… I’ve never seen her so protective of anyone. Not even you.”

He doesn’t give the comment much consideration at the beginning but, following his instructions, Jacob looks at his daughter, arm still hanging around Lara’s neck, now hitting Nadia while she laughs about something they’re way too far to deduct just from looking.

“She enjoys talking with Lara…” He remarks after analyzing the scene, not sure what he should be looking at.

“She’s not just talking... She’s shielding her.”

Jacob looks a second time, now through Levi’s eyes, seeing it as he sees it, now confused about how long it took him to see it too.

“I…”

Lara is hidden from almost everyone at the table, only visible to those who truly seek her. For the rest, Sofia’s body and joy are a magnet that attracts any attention roaming towards them, guarding his friend to allow her to be her own, to feel safe. It is surely not voluntary, not completely at the very least, but Sofia has indeed managed to create, with Nadia’s help, the perfect oasis for Lara to reside in the middle of this vast storm of people.

“...”

He smiles and nods, nothing left to add, resuming his meal even happier than before: who would’ve thought it to be possible.

Levi, on his end, mirrors his expression and, also involuntarily, mirrors Sofia’s gesture in spirit too, squeezing Jacob’s arm with playfulness before focussing his attention back to his own plate too, enjoying his dinner before redirecting the conversation to more general and uninteresting topics.

~

Lara knows it’s starting to get quite late when the temperature begins to lower. A soft chill runs through her body but she ignores it, not wanting to miss what Nadia is telling her.

She hugs herself, protecting her body from the cold.

It doesn’t help that your coat is worn-out to the point where every inch of it is paper thin. Jacob’s words echo inside her mind. 

She ends up missing what Nadia was telling her in the end.

Her eyes roam away from her friend and inspect the place, a lot quieter, emptier, now that most people are getting ready to go to bed, and that Sofia is no longer present, after she excused herself to retire away with Levi when he approached them a few minutes ago.

A couple of girls are cleaning some plates, there’s some small groups and couples talking calmly over the leftovers of their respective meals. And, of course, there’s Jacob.

He’s enjoying what she assumes is some kind of infusion, talking to Mikhail about a forging technique the old blacksmith is eager to try before implementing it in the mine reconstruction project.

Seems tired. She tells herself as another shiver recovers his body.

“Any plans for the week, then?”

“Eh?” Lara comes back to reality. “No, not really… Just going with the flow.”

Speaking of which…

She smiles a little, and then a lot, seeing the old men leaving the table after wishing a farewell by the corner of her eye.

“Erm, Nadia…”

“Yes?”

“Do you mind if we continue this tomorrow?” 

She could explain herself a bit further, but it’s not needed, the way she redirects her head towards the distance tells her friend all she needs to know.

“Sure.” Nadia smiles, lowering her head ever so slightly as a goodbye, not wanting to keep her there any longer.

“Thanks.”

Lara squeezes her arm with love before standing up, crossing the distance of the long table with confidence until she reaches the northern end.

~

His hands are resting around the mug, enjoying the warm sensation as he closes his eyes and brings it a little closer to his chest.

The day was longer than expected but he feels at peace, at ease, a mix of calm and tired woven into his body to distill a sensation of utter happiness as he bathes in his silence.

There’s a moment where he thinks life couldn’t be better.

“Mind the company?”

Reality is quick to prove him wrong.

The smile forms without the need of opening his eyes, but he does it nonetheless, taking his time to admire the view. Eventually, his hand moves lazily, offering a seat to his side before resting on top of the table, the other still glued to the cup.

Lara smiles and takes not only the invitation, pulling the chair closer to him as she sits, but also his free hand, enveloping it with both of her own.

His smile deepens into uncharted territories.

“What?” She asks in a nonchalant tone of voice, perfectly knowing the source of his happiness. “I’m cold.”

Suddenly uncharted territories feel short, way too familiar, to describe the current state of Jacob’s glee, too overwhelmed by happiness to formulate a mere miserable word.

Instead, he takes his own coat, grabs it by the collar, and flips it with such grace that can only be compared to a bullfighter, enveloping her with a swift gesture.

If Lara ever thinks of arguing about his own wellbeing, the complaint is instantly lost the moment his hand goes back to its previous position to find a home between hers.

How can it be so easy? She finds herself thinking for a moment. How…

“Had a nice day?” His voice derails her train of thought with ease, somehow even more mesmerizing than she remembered after spending so many hours without hearing it.

“Yes.” She tightens her grasp. “And you? Extremely busy? Tons of work?.”

He laughs.

“You could say that.”

She doesn’t.

“Is the mine project doing okay?” 

There’s some worry burning in her words, but by now he’s become an expert in extinguishing it.

“Yes, but there is much to do… And not many to actually do it.” His eyes are warm, despite the glacial blue, way more inviting than a bonfire. “We did quite a number in them three years ago, remember?”

Maybe she feels like laughing now.

“We!?” Lara fakes to be offended in between smiles. “Trinity is the one to blame… We were just passing by.”

“Yes, passing by… You know Levi has a bet going about how many arrows we’ll find out by the time we finish clearing the tunnels?”

“Shut up…” 

He laughs instead, and his voice is warm too, deep, full of joy and love on equal parts.

Some people look on their way, some already were, since she took his hand and they started talking, but just as this morning, from the moment they were in each other’s presence, everyone else just seemed to fade or disappear. 

Curiosity more than overpowers the respect many of them holds for the couple but, as their conversation proceeds, the novelty dilutes itself into normalcy and, as the night begins to set, most people return to their normal affairs, finding the picture forming in front of them way too natural to question it, almost as if it had always been a part of their ecosystem.

Of course, the couple doesn’t register this change, too deep into their conversation to pay attention to what’s happening elsewhere.

And, in that fashion, they do not notice that the sun is long gone for a while now, or that most of the people have already said farewell to the day they keep prolonging, or that every time they laugh it echoes throughout the entire village, no other sound there to stop it from spreading out.

What they notice, eventually, is the silence.

Lara has finished narrating her encounter with the young apprentices and, after a much needed break to recover from so much laughter, they are finally able to hear, or better said to not hear, the void left behind that surrounds them.

“It’s late…” He eventually says as he stands up, offering her the same hand she was just holding a second ago. “Should we retire for today?”

She nods, accepting both the hand and the offer without hesitation, and standing up a bit closer to him than she should’ve.

“...”

It takes Jacob a few seconds to react, needing the thousands of years of experience to tame his heart back into place before taking a step backwards.

“Well…” He smiles for the umpteenth time, jaw starting to feel tired at this point and, after the much needed moment to come back to reality, he offers her his arm, all gentlemanlike, patiently waiting for Lara to take it.

And so she does.

Her hand wraps around his arm and they start walking side by side, leaving behind the few people left awake. 

Some of them smile at the scene, others do not seem to mind it that much and, of course, Jacob and Lara register none of it, way too lost into each other’s presence as they walk together into the night.

-------------------------------------

I swear... Next one: is "Bed Companions" ehheeheheehe This chapter was a weird one, but it took shape on its own and really: who I am to stop the story from flowing where it wants? So here we are.

Btw, Nadia is character from the Baba Yaga dlc that I really like (and so are her grandparents) and realized later that tons of people don't even know her... But I'm writing this shit for me so here she is lol If you're interested both Levi and Mikhail (the blacksmith) are based on real background characters you hear talking a couple of times, but they didn't have any name so I gave them one (and more personality)

As always my will to write this madness is fed by comments, so don't be shy and scream a little with me about this two or whatever, if you want to. Can pm/follow me on tumblr too: @tealenko for more nonsense.