❝ you’d be so surprised how easy it is - ❞ he immediately refutes , head slightly turning to the side as if her accusation was foolish . in no version would emmeline ever be any sort of too difficult . every rough edge she had offer was something tristan had come to adore and just like breathing , it became instinct to look for her . but she catches his cheek before tristan can even move once more , holding him firm with a purpose that he does not understand just yet as her gaze fiercely captivates his consciousness . emmeline holds him as if this was moment was fragile - a glass that could break at any moment and it was true - she is suddenly leaning forward and it’s a miracle that tristan doesn’t tear away .
all of his attention is fixed on her , heads lightly pressing together as they were just moments ago in a fit of rage directed towards the world that was burning around them . but this time , it was about them or for them - the serenity that brings to his mind that always ran on full speed is what eventually draws him to close that last bit of space . he finally decides to kiss her back and it’s just as gentle at first - hands only respectfully moving on her body to adjust for the height difference that had once been just a joke between them for years . this moment was easy , so tranquil , so needed - which was a spectacle when many things around them were falling apart . tristan is almost tempted to feel selfish - how could he indulge in a moment like this ? but he passes just as quickly as it came as his own body reacts to the kiss . there was much more he wanted to say - and do - but with every ounce of strength left in him , he is regretfully the first tear away .
❝ i don’t regret that - ❞ he says fiercely , needing emmeline to know that nothing in him thought the kiss was a mistake . just like she had her own imperfections , he had his . she was one to always fix it all , though - ❝ you are easily the one that matters , emmeline . you - ❞ he is not even exactly sure what to say then . she was many things to him and yet , the one . ❝ i do not think i would ever be able to lose you . ❞
the cold does meet him first when she steps back . ❝ i still have a sordid habit of calling her professor and she absolutely despises that - ❞ he adds with a laugh , hand extending towards her this time and while it was to provide some balance along the uneven path , it was also mixed in with the desire to feel her touch once more before she left . ❝ it’s not as frightening as having to hear some folk call dumbledore by his first name - even the thought frightens me . ❞
as stubborn as she was -- this was a time she didn’t care to be wrong, and maybe if she could see herself through his eyes she’d feel differently, yet looking at him now and the conviction that came with his quick disagreement, by rowena - she believed him. fingers stroking his cheek, a gentleness she hadn’t known she was capable of till him, maybe it was the surprise in his gaze or how for the first time since she realized he had her she wasn’t terrified -- sharing a breath seemed natural as he drew closer, nose grazing against his as she waited - lips parted in anticipation, a second - the longest moment of her life that nearly had her drawing away and almost had her doubting herself before she felt his lips against her. the soft gasp -- eyes that were embarrassingly open for a second as she allowed herself to process before she stepped into his warmth, like a radiant sun -- he was better than a summer day and all she could truly focus on as she sought her peace.
heavy breath that slipped -- it wasn’t regret that she felt as he finally drew back, no it was a question of how she had gone the last five years without doing that, how that even though it had only been moments ago - she already missed him. as she willed her eyes open, crooked smile at her lips as she found her bearings, arms still clutching to his sides for her dear life as she pressed one final kiss against his jaw before dropping to her heels, “i could never regret you” she stated simply, it was as if her heart beckoned for her to confess that she didn’t want them to be just a kiss -- one stolen moment of peace in a world of noise and pain and as she looked at him and the perfection that was this moment of time, her fear caught up to her. it had winded her as she tried her best to listen and not retreat into the shell that had hid her heart from him for so long, “to you --” she murmured, “ask anyone else and they will disagree” there was no self-deprecation in her statement, but she did want was for her to understand that she will not simply lean on him - she wanted him to lean on her.
“i matter to you” there was a time she dare not believe it but looking at him, she would have to be blind to deny her - ask her in a few hours if it had been a figment of her imagination and she may have been loss, but right now she had clarity, “just like you matter to me” finger poking into his chest gently, “tristan mckinnon -- there hasn’t been a moment in which you haven’t mattered to me, i won’t lose you” definitive was what that was and deep down she knew that even if they crumbled - if they never made it pass this moment and it became buried in a lifetime of hellos and meaningful glances that never became more, this would have still been enough. she wouldn’t have regretted it - she could never regret him and the selfish part of her, the part that didn’t care if she set her own heart on fire - she knew deep down she would be anything he needed them to be, even if it was just friends. it was a bitter pill she would force herself to swallow --
smile widening -- his laugh tended to have that effect on her, “i can only imagine - she’s a prickly woman, brilliant but if you don’t keep up, she won’t let you hear the end of it” she warned, brow raised for a mere second as saw his outstretched hand, “you refuse to let chivalry die, don’t you?” she mused, sly smile tugging at her lips as she took his hand, entwining their fingers as her other clutched his bicep as she drew herself close to his side. happy to bask in his closeness. she couldn’t help the shiver that fell over her as her nose wrinkled with disdain, “i refuse --” she huffed, shaking her head, “i might not be able to call him headmaster, but i refuse to call him” looking around playfully before she whispered, “albus-- i believe he has four names just before his last, i still won’t use any of them”