NAILS   DANCE   ON   THE   COUNTER   OF   THE   BAR   AND   AN   EYEBROW   DANCES   UP   ON   HER   FOREHEAD.   he   is   cocky.   maybe   that’s   what   a   drink   or   two   did   to   a   man.   leighla   doesn’t   mind.   she   feels   charmed   by   it,   feels   that   it   is   a   compliment   that   he   tries   to   impress   her.   air   between   them   sparks,   fire   in   her   chest   long   ignited.   or   was   that   the   cosmopolitan   she   was   sipping   on   ...   “   why   would   i   not   enjoy   that   ?   why   would   i   not   enjoy   staring   at   the   way   your   arms   stretch   that   shirt   and   your   mouth   turns   into   a   bit   of   a   grin   every   time   my   lips   touch   the   glass   ?   “   petite   blond   flirts   back.   too   bad   that   her   husband   would   probably   return   any   second.   too   bad   that   she   wouldn’t   get   to   enjoy   the   attention   a   little   longer   ...

Instantly, Stephen knew he had said the wrong thing.

Reddening eyes, filling to the very brim with tears, and a complete shift in demeanour were rather obvious clues that his words had done damage. His own stance changed, awkwardly shuffling his feet and glancing in Wong’s direction in a silent plea for help.

The plea was ignored, Wong stalking ahead and not looking back. Stephen was left to deal with his own mess on his own. Great.

“That’s…uh…not what I said,” he started, dragging his gaze back to hers. His hands twitched, beginning to tremble, and the sorcerer stuffed them into his robe pockets. “You’re not stupid. The question is. They’re two very different things.”

   “   NO   IT’S   NOT.   “   leighla   shoots   back   right   away   because   one   just   went   with   the   other,   right   ?   stupid   people   asked   stupid   questions.   one   hand   comes   up,   fingers   wiping   under   her   eye.   there   is   no   wetness   yet,   but   she   also   doesn’t   want   any   to   start   rolling   down   her   cheeks.   this   is   the   best   she   can   do   to   prevent   herself   from   crying.

arms   crossed   over   her   chest   once   again,   petite   blond   swallows.   hard.   “   can’t   everyone   be   a   doctor.   and   not   everybody   knows   everything.   “   finally   she   finds   it   within   herself   to   look   back   at   him,   that   tug   at   her   heart   still   there.   that   feeling   of   an   indirect   insult   too.

“   but   it’s   cool.   “   of   course   it’s   not.   naturally   she   just   tries   to   swallow   the   scene   she   was   causing   once   leigh   had   seen   the   expression   on   his   face.   STEPHEN   DIDN'T   LOOK   TOO   PLEASED   EIther.   “   just   answer   my   stupid   question.   i   won’t   ask   again.   “

“   SO   WHAT   IF   I   AM   ?!   “   he’s   caused   her   to   snap.   once   again.   once   again   instincts   take   over   and   instead   of   a   normal   response,   all   she   can   offer   him   is   aggression.   “   what   if   i   am   in   love   with   you,   huh   ?!   keep   making   your   little   jokes,   damon.   but   you’re   even   more   pathetic   than   i   am   for   pretending   you   don’t   feel   a   single   thing.   you   may   not   love   me   back.   but   you’ve   taken   me   in   to   your   home   and   never   asked   me   to   leave.   so   if   you   don’t   love   me   then   at   least   you   feel   something   like   ...   pity   or   whatever   the   hell   goes   on   INSIDE   YOUR   SICK   HEAD.   “   she   stands   up   from   where   she’s   been   sitting,   ready   to   storm   out   of   the   living   room.   “   i’ll   pack   my   things   since   a   little   love   in   your   life   seems   to   me   such   a   bother   to   you   !!   “   she   was   being   over   dramatic.   leighla   knew   that.   but   it’s   just   how   they   balanced   out.

THEIR   HANDS   ARE   TOUCHING.   her’s   resting   on   the   back   of   his.   god,   she   really   doesn’t   need   to   be   so   touchy,   so   proactive.   he’d   just   stepped   in   when   he   thought   it   was   needed.   but   leighla   can’t   help   it.   she’s   a   little   tipsy   and   that   roman   had   been   willing   to   play   knight   in   shining   armor   had   been   enough   to   impress   her.   “   about   me   ?   “   he   was   flirting   ...   right   ?!   too   many   years   spent   on   and   off   with   philipp   had   almost   messed   her   up   enough   not   to   notice   when   a   guy   was   making   a   move.   but   shorter   one   was   almost   certain   ro’   reacted   to   the   touch   of   her   palm   against   the   back   of   his   head.   “   really   ?   huh.   i   hope   it   wasn’t   because   philipp   was   ASKING   YOU   FOR   ADVISE   on   how   to   get   me   back.   “   she   addresses   the   elephant   in   the   room.   they   both   know   her   boyfriend.   ex-boyfriend.   this   time   for   good   !!

      ❛  never  said  i  crave  death.  ❜  after  all,  he’s  already  dead.  been  there,  done  that,  he’d  prefer  for  it  not  to  happen  again.  ❛  i’m  just  saying  everyone  dies  anyway,  might  as  well  live  a  little,  ya  know?  ❜  if  danger  is  how  someone  wants  to  live  anyway.  he  thinks  it’s  boring  without  a  little  risk.

HE   WAS   PROBABLY   RIGHT   AND   SHE   WAS   BEING   A   CHICKEN   ABOUT   IT.   about   everything.   once   again.   but   it   was   hard   coming   out   of   her   shell,   a   big   task   for   her   every   day   over   and   over   again.   fear   now   covered   up   by   big   mouth   instead   of   admitting   that   maybe   she   was   just   scared.   “   oh   my   ...   how   am   i   even   still   talking   to   you   ...   “   empty   words   followed   by   eyes   being   dramatically   rolled.   “   go   ahead   then.   get   caught.   i’ll   wait   here.   “   coward.   she   is   such   a   damn   coward.

flabbergasted . it was an unflattering looking word , but in this case , it perfectly described tony’s reaction to her advice . “me ? apologize ? me … impossible . no , just …” he laughed dryly . then his face went slack again . “no … but hypothetically , if one were to do that , how would that work … hypothetically …” 

THE   EXPRESSION   ON   HER   FACE   TURNS   MORE   AND   MORE   DOUBTFUL.   he   must   have   been   kidding   ...   right   ?!   he   must   have   apologized   to   somebody   before   ...   at   least   leighla   hoped   so.   “   you’re   joking,   aren’t   you   ?   you   don’t   know   how   to   apologize   ?   “   the   disbelieve   audible   in   her   tone   now.

IT   HAD   ONLY   BEEN   A   MATTER   OF   TIME   UNTIL   SHE   EXPLODED.   she   had   felt   it   from   the   day   they   first   shared   a   bed.   when   his   lips   had   first   met   hers.   and   when   he   had   rejected   her   just   so   shortly   after   with   cold   words   and   his   usual   heartless   nature.   where   he   seemed   to   feel   nothing   at   all,   leighla   felt   twice   as   much.   and   the   desperation   within   herself   to   get   a   sign   from   him,   it   had   gotten   more   and   more   ridiculous.   embarrassing   even.   pathetic.   

it   was   that   why   he   had   her   bottom   lip   trembling   so   easily   when   he   finally   opened   up.   why   her   eyes   started   burning,   overwhelmed   by   emotions   so   easily.   leighla   did   all   she   could   not   to   make   it   awkward.   she   didn’t   want   him   to   give   up   on   sharing   what   he   felt.   she   didn’t   want   to   be   the   reason   for   it   all   to   end   as   soon   as   it   had   begun.      

“   you   could   show   me   instead   ...   “   shorter   one   whispers.   so   much   hope   in   her   voice   and   in   her   eyes.   DAMON   HASN’T   SEEN   HER   LIKE   THAT.   they   were   all   teeth   with   each   other.   on   most   days.   but   the   roughness   of   his   voice   and   the   fact   that   they   couldn’t   look   at   each   other   for   longer   than   a   minute   ...   it   had   her   heart   racing   in   her   chest   and   her   knees   about   to   give   in.

“i’m not going to leave you.”  soft prompts || @unbitt·

Steve didn’t have a good track record when it came to people staying with him. Some left because it was out of their control like Bucky had, both times that he had lost him, others were lost to time which wasn’t their fault either. But some left because they wanted to. He’s sure he was meant to some sort of deep introspection the last five years and sort things out. Find out why people either want to stay by his side to the death or run screaming for the hills. But it doesn’t matter the why. In the end they all leave.

“Famous last words.”

FROWN   GROWS   ON   HER   FACE.   nothing   is   harder   than   looking   into   his   face   with   a   promise   on   lips   while   knowing,   he   doesn’t   believe   her.   how   could   he   ?   he’s   older   than   her.   has   seen   more   people   leave   than   she   met   in   her   life   probably.   leighla   knows   she   is   naive.   EASILY   BELIEVES   IN   PEOPLE   –   blindly   too.   maybe   she   should   learn   from   the   doubt   in   his   words,   maybe   it’s   a   hint   at   how   life   works.   but   if   it   is,   she   is   blind   to   it.   “   steve   ...   i’m   not   going   to   leave.   “   if   only   he’d   understand   how   true   these   words   were.

petite   blond   swallows.   hard.   tongue   still   feels   dry.   hands   are   rolled   into   fists.   like   she   could   actually   harm   him.   like   she   wanted   to   ...   like   leigh   wasn’t   trying   not   to   let   violence   get   in   the   way   of   a   proper   conversation   even   though   she   was   already   overwhelmed   by   emotions.   “   do   you   really   not   remember   ?   you   forgot   about   all   of   it   ?   “   voice   shakes   slightly   but   she   doesn’t   want   to   be   obvious   about   her   feels.   SHE   DOESN’T   WANT   THEM   TO   GET   IN   THE   WAY.   she   wants   him   to   recognize   her.   and   most   of   it   all   she   wants   to   understand   ...