permission had been granted for them to leave the underworld . . . given their earthly bodies once more to search for something to fix their current situation. perhaps some fool to pass his job onto. laura was devout in her following him around this time and fully separate from her connection to shadow. a hotel room was rented, one not much unlike the one they properly first met in. weird carpet, huge and somehow still outdated bathtub, a large bed with a scratchy quilt. it likely smelled of stale cigarette smoke even though the place was rated as non-smoking for years. sweeney had showered first so that he could do so quickly and allow her much longer time under the water. stale blanket was pushed to the edge of the bed and he laid under the sheet clad in his boxers.
large body shifted and rolled a few times to find what was comfortable to him. it ended with his broad back facing where she came from the shower. they had spent a lot of time together while in the underworld, but nothing upon the earth since his death. since new orleans. heart beat wildly within his chest. a miraculous feeling on its own. one that he knew she could share. the water has turned off and sweeney finds himself wishing she'd let him book two beds. this wasn't because he didn't want to share one with her, no. it was purely that their one and only circumstance of physical intimacy had all been a trick placed upon them by the baron.
olive gaze flickered over his shoulder to glance at her and ultimately returned to staring at the wall whenever he realized she was wearing his white tank like a night dress. fuck. laura's lithe body barely made a dent in the soft mattress as she climbed in behind him. maybe - she would think him asleep. and whether or not she did, her slender arm came up around his waist and the rest of her sidled against his back.
the hotel soap didn't do any wonders for them other than cleanliness and yet, her scent still somehow fought through. entirely her. no rot or decay. a large breath of air cleared from his lungs and she would know then that he hadn't been asleep. ❝ hey, ❞ lilt to his voice was quiet as his hand grasped at hers where it landed on his chest. head turns enough that he can just see her eyes peering over his shoulder and then the rest of him follows suit. laura was still mostly spooning him.
❝ i wasn't sure if — ❞ he cuts himself off and starts over, ❝ i hope yer not uncomfortable with this situation. ❞ they still hadn't exactly hashed out anything in great detail. she didn't seem to be uncomfortable considering she was the one that initiated their current contact. one that he graciously accepted. another feeling that he hadn't experienced since new orleans was heat swirling within his abdomen. its flames lashing up around his heart and downwards to places he couldn't yet admit. / @embalmic sent : [ HELD ] for the shorter muse to be the big spoon.
