[this time, Edmond reaches out, tilts his face back up, and it's him who crosses the distance to kiss Hans, with a gentleness that is at odds with his declarations of hell and darkness. in his chest is a sweet longing, the tension of instrument strings, but he can give it form and purpose in this.
still, his touch is light. as if saying you can escape, if you choose. so long in the flame, he barely knows how to exist out of it, to think that his touch won't poison and corrupt. and yet, they are still here.]
[He's always been the one to pursue, never the one pursued. Over their Bond there's a gentle surprise and Hans closes his eyes. Lets himself be carried away in the moment, to leave the past and future behind, to exist only in the present. He doesn't move away -- not until he needs to take a breath -- and when he does break it off it's with uncharacteristic shyness.]
So...
[Where do they go from here? He fumbles with his thoughts.]
Are we going to stay here? Romantic as it is to kiss among the ruins, it's nowhere as comfortable as a couch.
[there's the faintest dusting of pink on Edmond's face, highlighted by his usual lack of color, but he carries on as if it's not there.]
Where it's far more comfortable, though it's up to you how swiftly we go there.
[what he's not saying, what he could be, is that if they take their time, they could be spending it together, in each other's company. without responsibilities.]
[He hears what he means. Hans reaches up and brushes back a strand of Edmond's hair. It's softer than he expected it to be and his touch lingers. His fingers trail down the side of his Bonded's neck.]
... my offer to kill you still stands, I want you to know. Even this-- [this awkward love, this strange bond they've formed] --won't keep me from carrying out a promise.
[stillness, quiet. Hans is touching him so gently, and in the brief area of his skin that his fingers brush over, Edmond has to inhale softly, hold it close. to be touched, to have that boundary broken. it's almost too much to bear.]
Let's make that decision closer to the end of the month. It's too early for me to truly know if that's needed or not.
[he's not so eager to rush and let go of everything they have.]
[the promise and the bond both served to bring him down to where he needed to be, giving him that control over himself again, and he cannot hide how much it means to him. there was a path forward, now.]
[Over the Bond, there's a buzz of surprise that quickly settles into a calm hum. Hans isn't accustomed to being so important to anyone. It was his role to long and pine, but never to have. Not in his past life; not in his current life.
Or at least, that was what he told himself. Hans drops his hand.]
You understand I cannot promise to remain yours? That my being here is at the whim of forces beyond either of us? Will your resolve still stand if I were to be whisked away once more?
[he takes a breath, and there's the sense of him having to bend down an iron pride that rarely knelt to any except God. this is a moment of that high importance.]
I may also vanish before you do. The difference is that you accepted that before I could.
[I thought myself untouchable. the words he will not say, because that is still too much. but he had thought this would be different.]
Even if you are not my Bonded, you know my sentiments. Those existed without that connection - you're just aware of them now.
[And -- gently, slowly -- he tips his forehead against his. He doesn't believe his time in this world will be long. He doesn't think he'll be granted a chance to linger by Edmond's side. But it doesn't keep him from hoping, from wanting to be close for a little longer.]
Whether we stay in this world, or meet again at Chaldea or at the Throne... I'll wait and hope.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
still, his touch is light. as if saying you can escape, if you choose. so long in the flame, he barely knows how to exist out of it, to think that his touch won't poison and corrupt. and yet, they are still here.]
no subject
So...
[Where do they go from here? He fumbles with his thoughts.]
Are we going to stay here? Romantic as it is to kiss among the ruins, it's nowhere as comfortable as a couch.
no subject
[there's the faintest dusting of pink on Edmond's face, highlighted by his usual lack of color, but he carries on as if it's not there.]
Where it's far more comfortable, though it's up to you how swiftly we go there.
[what he's not saying, what he could be, is that if they take their time, they could be spending it together, in each other's company. without responsibilities.]
no subject
... my offer to kill you still stands, I want you to know. Even this-- [this awkward love, this strange bond they've formed] --won't keep me from carrying out a promise.
no subject
Let's make that decision closer to the end of the month. It's too early for me to truly know if that's needed or not.
[he's not so eager to rush and let go of everything they have.]
no subject
You sounded so sure earlier. Come, don't tell me you're becoming as sentimental as I am.
no subject
[the promise and the bond both served to bring him down to where he needed to be, giving him that control over himself again, and he cannot hide how much it means to him. there was a path forward, now.]
Enough has changed since then.
no subject
Or at least, that was what he told himself. Hans drops his hand.]
You understand I cannot promise to remain yours? That my being here is at the whim of forces beyond either of us? Will your resolve still stand if I were to be whisked away once more?
no subject
[he takes a breath, and there's the sense of him having to bend down an iron pride that rarely knelt to any except God. this is a moment of that high importance.]
I may also vanish before you do. The difference is that you accepted that before I could.
[I thought myself untouchable. the words he will not say, because that is still too much. but he had thought this would be different.]
Even if you are not my Bonded, you know my sentiments. Those existed without that connection - you're just aware of them now.
no subject
[And -- gently, slowly -- he tips his forehead against his. He doesn't believe his time in this world will be long. He doesn't think he'll be granted a chance to linger by Edmond's side. But it doesn't keep him from hoping, from wanting to be close for a little longer.]
Whether we stay in this world, or meet again at Chaldea or at the Throne... I'll wait and hope.