TAGGING __ // STUART TWOMBLY, ALLISON ARGENT
LOCATION __// UNDERGROUND ( STUART’S QUARTERS )
TIME _ FRAME ___// RECENTLY
INPUT_SUMMARY…?__// One of the nights that Allison stays over in Stuart’s quarters, Allison wakes up from a nightmare, which wakes Stuart. Stuart comforts her, and fluff ensues. [ CHATZY LOG ]
Allison
Where Allison could lie so easily while awake, the nightmares that came at night screamed of the truth of her mind and ability. She could not hide her pain in her sleep, and even though the nightmares would slip away for a while, they always returned. In the past, they had featured her friends - bound and tormented by the handicaps that had been imposed upon them by her own blood-relative. Ever since she'd been shot, they'd taken on a different form.
A cry of Stuart's name ripped from the huntress' lips in her sleep, her mind assaulted by images of him that recalled too closely how he had looked, restrained and drugged in the jail. Only now, she was helpless to stop it, tied up to watch him beaten and bloodied, Allison was living a nightmare that her body refused to break from despite the way she thrashed about in the bed. Sobbing at the sound of electricity against Stuart's skin, Allison's minds finally revolted enough to pull her from the hell that her dreams had twisted into, jerking so quickly into a seated position that her eyes didn't open until a moment later.
Stuart
Stuart had his share of nightmares recently. Sometimes they featured his family - the burning house and the screams of pain. The cackling of the witch and her crow-like face with her devil, black beady eyes. Others, they were the jail and the room Allison had found him in. Usually, it was the unnamed men in white jackets operating on him with unknown tools. In his nightmares, he was never restrained-- but, in them, he still couldn't move. Couldn't speak. And couldn't close his eyes to it. Those were the worst. He always woke up silently from those -- body stiff and shaking slightly with wet lashes.
Tonight for him, though, was merciful. It was peaceful and dreamless -- until the sudden shifting on his bed woke him, groggy eyes opening in the darkness and struggling to adjust to where he found Allison's silhouette sitting up; and that alone concerned him. His voice was still heavy and thick with sleep when he spoke, sitting up with a soft noise so he could see her better in the dark. "-- Ally?" He spoke softly, trying to gain her attention without spooking her.
Allison
Allison's movements stilled despite the way her body shook nearly violently at the adrenaline and panic rushing through her ears. Lips parted in pants that shook her entire frame even more with each gasping breath, Allison's fingers gripped into the sheets so tightly that her knuckles ghosted white. In spite of herself, Allison flinched at the sound of Stuart's voice before she was looking over to him with tear-filled eyes in the dark, shaking still.
Lips parting in an attempt to speak, Allison found herself speechless despite trying to reassure him that she was alright - she wasn't. She wasn't okay at all. Closing her eyes against the surge of tears the found their way onto her cheeks, Allison found that her eyelids were ghosted with the memories of her dream, splattered red with the memory of his blood on the cement.
Stuart
He felt his heart sink for a moment when she looked over at him -- eyebrows knitting in in the darkness at the expression that was across her features. " -- hey, it's okay," he murmured, once more feeling out of his depth. Because he knew she was hurting and he wasn't completely confident in his ability to comfort.
He moved a sleep-lazed hand to gently move her hands away from her face so that he could see her eyes in the dark, " -- talk to me. It's okay, we're still just in my room."
Allison
It was always easy to deal with the nightmares when Allison was alone, but it was not healthy. Their after-effects consumed her until she passed back into sleep, too exhausted to fight against the fear coursing through her veins. But now, with his hand moving hers from her face, Allison opened her eyes to his face - darkened by the lack of light in the room.
After a moment, Allison just moved across the bed to him, so close to him that she was nearly in his lap as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Burying her face against his neck, Allison tried to ignore the way her cheeks were wet with tears, reassuring herself that he was not harmed - that he was here and they were safe. Still, she shook as she held him, breathing still wreaking havoc against her lungs as her heart tried to escape her chest.
Stuart
His breathing shook and wavered -- choking off in his throat slightly when she moved across the bed and basically draped herself over him. He frowned deeper, swallowing harshly before he was wrapping one arm around her center and burying the second in her hair; scratching gently at the scalp there. He assumed, with her reaction to him speaking, that he didn't want to know what he nightmare was. He assumed that it involved him.
He nosed against her temple for a moment, closing his eyes as he felt her tears against his bare shoulder. "It's okay," he echoed softly, "It's alright, I've got you. You're okay -- I love you." The words came out so quickly, so softly, and without filtering them, that he didn't notice the words were out in the open until after he said them -- breath catching harshly in his throat as his hand against her hair paused it's soft carding.
Allison
Allison's fingers splayed flat against the back of his shoulders, shaking against his skin as her body relaxed just the smallest amount with his fingers on her scalp. He was real and there, and she kept telling herself that as she attempted to control her breathing.
His words, so quiet, stilled the shakes in her body. With her breathing still irregular, she was shaking somewhat, but her mind was no longer focused on convincing herself on the reality in her arms. Instead, she was leaning back just slightly and focusing her tear-filled eyes on him in reverence. He had managed to, somehow, calm her mind with only those three words - something she had felt for a while, but had been too scared to tell him. "You-you do?" She whispered, brows drawing together as her breathing caught in a shudder from the remains of fear and anxiety swirling through her.
Stuart
He hadn't meant for the words to slip out -- no matter how much he truly meant them. He had never felt that before in that way, and it terrified him in so many ones. One of the biggest fears of it, but not the only one, was that he was alone in his feelings -- that she simply didn't care for him in the way that he did her. Love, in this definition, was so foreign to him and outside of his depths that it had taken him almost until now to discover that that was the feeling he had been feeling for a while.
His breathing shook slightly as he forced himself to look at her, anxiety written clear across the usually so guarded and stoic expression of the witch as he tried to read the reaction of the other -- swallowing so hard that it burned his throat and ached at his lungs. " ... yeah," he finally managed, pressing his lips together tightly for a beat, "I do."
Allison
Allison sat in silence, save for her ragged breaths, quiet for not too long after he answered her. She had known for some time that the feeling that swelled in her chest consistently at the sight of him was not just longing or a simple like. It wouldn't cause her to burst with adoration each time his fingers traced hers when he knew she was stressed out about something, and it wouldn't cause her to shake with hesitation each time he leaned into her touch. But seeing the guarded look on his face made her heart clench, as though she pitied how uncertain he seemed to say it because each part of her body was screaming that she felt the same way. She would not have such terrible nightmares if she didn't.
Leaning close, Allison's shaking fingers touched lightly to his cheek, "Stuart," She smiled tentatively, "I love you too." Her voice was barely a breath, though she had never said those words with such confidence before. He had succeeded in calming her, despite the way her body still lightly shook and her heart still raced - but in a slightly different way than it had.
Stuart joined the chat
Stuart
His eyes flickered down fleetingly as he waited for a response -- something nasty and ill feeling swirling in his stomach. The fear of rejection, he was sure. It wasn't a fear that he was used to, since he never usually opened himself up enough to let anyone in. And now, he had. She had wormed and needled herself into his life, into his heart, without trying. And, he wasn't even upset about it. The only thing that bothered him was the terror that she might not feel the same.
His breathing trembled ever so slightly as her shaky fingers ran across his cheek -- and it was that gentle touch that brought his eyes back to hers, hope now beginning to swell hot and heavy in his chest as a hand came up to gently wrap itself around her wrist. And when she spoke, barely a whisper, he felt his cheeks heat in the dark, his neck. Grinning in a way he didn't remember doing in a very, very long time. And while he couldn't find the proper words to respond to her with -- he instead was leaning in closer to close the space between them; slotting their lips together just as perfectly as they always did.
Allison
Allison's fingers slid from his cheek as he leaned into her, feeling a lightness settle in her stomach that chased away the knots of fear and anxiety that had been there before. His skin grew hot beneath her fingers with her words and Allison found herself grinning before he was leaning in and their lips were pressing together. Tears all but forgotten, Allison's hand slid to his shoulder, fingers sliding across his skin reverently.
"Thank you," Allison murmured when she pulled back just enough that her lips barely touched his. He had calmed her anxiety and fear, and while her fingers still shook she was not panicking any longer.
Stuart
He hummed into the kiss before she was pulling away -- feeling her warm breath against his lips, a reminder of her close proximity. He pressed one hand on the back of her neck gingerly to press his forehead against hers so that he could continue to share the same space with the huntress. " -- you don't have to thank me," he told her softly, goosebumps dancing in the wake of her fingers against his bare shoulder. He knew that she would probably do the same for him -- to try and calm him.
"You can always wake me up if you have a nightmare. I'm always here--" he continued, hoping to better reassure her as his free hand traced gently shapes into her lower back where his hand had gently hiked up her sleep shirt.
Allison
Allison wanted to thank him, closing her eyes as he pressed their foreheads together. The backs of her eyelids were no longer painted with blood, peacefully allowed to coexist with an easier emotion. "I know," She murmured, though she would not have wanted to wake him - Allison always felt so vulnerable after a nightmare. Particularly the ones that involved those she cared for. Still, it was soothing to be held by him in the wake of her nightmare, shivering at the goosebumps that his touch elicited from her skin.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," Allison whispered, pressing a light kiss to his lips as her fingers moved to card through his hair.
Stuart joined the chat
Stuart: He smiled gently into the light kiss and the words from the other, shaking his head ever so slightly at the apology. "Don't apologize -- trust me, I know that you can't control nightmares. They just .. happen." Stuart hadn't really talked about his own in detail, either. But he knew very well that it was not something that was so easily grouped into mind over matter. One's brain simply found the spots where you were weakest in your subconscious and continued to poke and pry at it until a primal fear and terror swallowed you whole.
Allison
Allison bit her lip lightly, murmuring an agreement to his words. If Allison had the type of control she had over her facial expressions when it came to her nightmares, she wouldn't have to worry so much about them - but she was not so lucky. She watched him with a stilled expression for a moment as her fingers played with his hair, a now-familiar feeling of longing at knowing that he loved her bringing a hesitant smile to her lips.
"You should go back to sleep," She murmured, fingers lightly resting on his neck. He would likely find something to keep himself busy the next day - and she knew that he needed his rest. It wasn't likely that she would go back to sleep, but he didn't necessarily need to know that.
Stuart
He let out a low breath when she spoke, smoothing a hand gently over her sleep-tousled hair, his hand against her lower back pulling the warmth of her body closer to him. He was tired, he really was. But, he felt like it was a state of being by this point. No matter how much sleep he got, he was always tired. He could, however, at least find solace in the fact that during his waking consciousness, the mental trauma from before was much less than before. It was something that was easier to ignore now that he had found a place to file it away. He was no longer jumpy -- no longer skittish or paranoid. He had found his happy medium with it.
"I'm alright," he reassured her, knowing that after this it was unlikely that she would be going back to sleep.
Allison
Allison's eyelids fluttered as he smoothed his fingers over her hair, and as he pulled her closer, she was almost too eager to close the small amount of space left between them. She shifted, until the only way she could have gotten closer was to straddle his lap, and settled where she was. She knew his answer before he spoke, knowing him well enough that he would refuse when he could likely tell that she would not go back to sleep.
"I don't want to keep you up if you should be sleeping," She whispered, eyes on his with concern clear on her features.
Stuart
He shook his head ever so slightly at her when she spoke again, pulling back just enough to look down at her. "I'm alright," he promised. At this point, he had maybe gotten five or six hours of sleep. He could run on that, easily, without running out of steam. He would be fine. In the weeks following coming back to the Underground, Stuart had ran on less. "I've ran off of less," he told her softly, " -- I'm not stranger to nightmares, and not wanting to go back to sleep because of them."
He kissed her temple softly, "I'm completely okay to sit up with you."
Allison
Allison sighed softly, deflating a little at his words - she knew that he had important work to do and she really didn't. She could survive without the sleep. Still, she clung to his words and found herself asking another question instead of insisting he go back to sleep. Normally, she wouldn't have asked - but it was Stuart. And as much as she didn't want to share her own nightmares, she would with him. If he asked.
"What are your nightmares about?"
Stuart
His brow furrowed in slightly at the question, a frown dancing across his lip before a sigh was escaping them. "They're not always the same," he murmured, voice almost lost in the dark. "Sometimes they're about losing my family. Sometimes they're about the government storming the Underground and it being my fault, because I looked in the wrong spot. Sometimes ... -- sometimes they're about that room you found me in." Those were almost the worst. They were the most terrifying.
The ones about his family just hurt and left behind an ache of helplessness. The ones of the Underground being taken were just a general fear that almost everyone held. But the ones with the men in the white coats -- ... those elicited a true fear inside of Stuart like a burning flame that he couldn't smolder.
Allison
Allison's lips trembled into a sympathetic smile because she knew all too well how nightmares morphed into whatever could most affect you at that time. She listened quietly, her heart aching for him enough to distract herself from her pain, "My nightmare was about that room." She whispered, almost inaudibly, because she couldn't help it.
She knew that fear; but Allison had seen it from a different end too many times. She had seen the pain inflicted upon a person until even the strongest willed had broken under the pressure of pain, had seen the lengths they went to - at least the hunters - to get the information they wanted. Allison had tried to convince herself that the government would never do the same - that they at least had some sort of morality but they were all the same. An evil that burned through the world and hurt the people that Allison loved most.
Stuart
His head tipped in curiosity at her comment about her own nightmare, soothing a hand against her lower back and tracing shapes into it idly to occupy his mind. He gave himself a moment to think about it and connect the pieces of the puzzle before he realized .. oh. That would make sense. The way she reacted to him when she first woke up. The way she latched herself onto him and didn't calm down until those three words slipped from him without his thinking.
" -- me?" he asked softly and almost hesitantly.
Allison
Allison nodded briefly, a small motion that felt harsher than it needed to be. She bit down on her lip, unsure if she wanted to elaborate more for his own sake than hers. It was hard to tell him that she knew what those burn marks were from the moment he had told her what they'd in a jumbled mess of words when she'd found him. Still, she swallowed thickly around the lump of anxiety in her throat.
"I couldn't help you," She looked down, "And I had to watch them hurt you."
Stuart
He let out a long breath, moving a hand to brush gently across her jawline to encourage her to look at him. "But -- that's just a dream," he whispered, trying to find the right words to comfort her, " -- in reality, you saved me. You stopped them from putting that abomination in my head. Without you, I wouldn't be here," he told her softly, smoothing a hand across where he held her jaw.
" -- I know nightmares suck. Just -- " he sighed heavily, "If you have another nightmare like that one, please wake me up. It's okay -- I wouldn't be mad. I want to help you if you wake up feeling alone and afraid."
Allison: Eyes drawing up to his as his hand brushed her jaw, Allison frowned at him despite the warmth she felt at him trying to comfort her. She leaned into his touch just slightly, her answering sigh defeated and quiet. "I don't need to wake you up -" She frowned, "Just knowing that you're here and okay is enough." And it was, that was all she needed to know when she woke up - what he had said in response, though, had been both reassuring and a big point for their relationship.
Stuart: He let out a hushed noise, nosing against her temple for a moment before he was pulling away once again to look at her in the dark. "Still, the offer stands," he reassured her softly. He knew that he wasn't the best at reaching out for comfort when he needed it -- especially after a nightmare of his own -- but that didn't mean he wanted to subjected Allison to that same helpless and alone feeling. There was sometimes nothing that compared to a human comfort. He was slowly learning that with her.
Allison: Allison mumbled a quiet thank you, fingers tracing his skin lightly as she closed her eyes to the warmth that rushed through her with his comfort. "I love you," She whispered, the words seeming to be the only ones that fit that moment well enough to convey how much she appreciated him.
Stuart: He felt himself smile warmly in the dark, moving both arms to wrap around her center once more to bring her warmth closer to him, burrowing his head against her shoulder "I love you," he whispered -- never more sure of anything that he said in his life before this.
Allison: Happiness settled in Allison's stomach, a content feeling washing over her as he pulled her closer to him. Her cheek rested against his head, arms sliding around him gently, fingers tracing light circles on the skin at his back. Silence settled comfortably over them as she drew her fingers across his back slowly, turning her head to press a kiss to his temple, nightmare pushed to the back of her mind for the moment.
TAGGING __ // STUART TWOMBLY, ALLISON ARGENT
LOCATION __// UNDERGROUND ( STUART’S QUARTERS )
TIME _ FRAME ___// RECENTLY
INPUT_SUMMARY…?__// Allison takes back on the role that she has discovered - at least for a short time - helps to better put Stuart at ease and help him stop thinking so much. ( TRIGGER WARNINGS for bdsm concepts, d/s elements, bondage elements, and just smut in general. We’re kink trash, sorry. ) [ CHATZY LOG ]
Stuart
The door of his quarters was locked. Not that he would think that any of the Underground members, at this point in time, would barge right in without asking. But -- they didn't want to be too careful...
The air in the room was chilled against bare porcelain flesh, speckled chest heaving slightly with the high, twisted nerves that bundled in his chest as he tried to remind himself calm ... . Thoughts bounced and danced around his brain, rattling at the edge of his skull and ricocheting off each direction and causing his mind to ache. A soft cadence of stop thinking .. tried to push its way into his mind, but he felt each thought ebb in despite that.
Long hands twisted at the ropes at his back where his hands rested low against the curve of his back, finding himself briefly amazed with the secure rope work present there -- his mind once again finding another thought to focus on as amber eyes -- the edges of his vision dulled without the help of his lenses -- found their way upwards to the huntress, hazelnut locks of hair drooping into his vision where he was unable to brush them away. Knees stationed on one of the few rugs he had managed to commander for his room so that the entirety of it wasn't harsh, cold cement.
Allison
It had been a stretch of the imagination for the Huntress to grow accustomed to this new role, but it was one that she had slipped into comfortably, all too intent to help the other relax. Not that he was particularly doing that at the very moment, her eyes straying from his chest to his eyes, meeting those lovely ambers through the curls of hair in his vision.
Crouching down, she could see the tension in his shoulders, knew that his hands were working against the binds at his back. Gently, Allison's fingers touched the hair in his vision, pushing it back and carding her fingers through his hair. Lingering with her hand at the base of his neck, she kissed his forehead gently. "You're doing wonderful," She breathed against his skin, moving back to find his gaze once more, lips curling into an encouraging smile.
"Just relax, Stuart. I'll take care of you." Her fingers made a lazy trail along his jaw.
Stuart
Stuart still found himself amazed at the gentle touch that Allison was capable of. Maybe .. -- maybe not because it was from her, but because it was someone directing the touch to him. The feel of her fingers against bare skin made his nerves dance, warm and sedated -- the impossible feeling of, for once in his life, wanting to give himself over to simple, human pleasures. Pleasures that, before her, he had never thought were within his reach.
Lashes fluttered briefly when she brushed his hair out of his eyes and carded them more so through his thick locks -- hanging his head briefly when she praised him before urging him to relax -- letting out a long breath, trembling and rattling in his chest. He was trying -- his habits over his life playing against him in that moment and battling his most basic instincts to over analyze everything about the situation. From the touch of her hand against his jaw -- the one that he couldn't stop himself from leaning into if he tried -- to the twist of the soft smile against her lips.
" -- 'm trying," he finally spoke, his soft a soft whisper as he brought his eyes back up to her -- and, despite his rapid thoughts, his whiskey eyes were nothing but trusting of the other.
Allison
Allison's smile did not fade as he breathed, though she worried somewhat for him, not wanting to push him too much. This was new to both of them, and she was still figuring out what was best for him in these situations. Still, when she had noticed that it helped him relax she had been eager to try.
He leaned into her touch and she felt her insides melt, but his words brought her smile to a slight frown. She let her touch fall from his jaw, standing. "Look straight ahead." She told him, and though her voice was gentle, her tone left no room for misinterpretation. She disappeared from his line of vision, retrieving a piece of black cloth from her things and walking back over. Stopping behind him, Allison gently moved the locks from his forehead that always seemed to fall back into his eyes before placing the cloth over his eyes. She tied it, firmly but not too tight, in place and ran her fingers down each of his arms.
"Don't move," She ordered.
Stuart
His eyes followed her for a brief moment when her expression changed and she was standing -- but soon, she was ordering him to look straight in front of him; and while it was briefly hesitant, he did as she asked. Honeydew dropped away from her as she was moving out of his line of vision and looked at -- or more, past -- the leg of his desk as he waited, his own heart pounding in his ears and racing against his ribcage.
He started -- but only slightly -- when she returned. And, before he had a proper moment to reassess that she was in his space again, his hair was being brushed away in favor of a soft cloth blocking his vision and darkening his sight ; blinking harshly a few times against the total darkness that she had deprived him with, as if it would make it clear away.
He swallowed once when she ordered him to stay where he was, hands falling lax where they had been twisting against his back idly as his body grew still aside from the soft heave of his chest.
Allison
She had needed to get him out of his head and as she watched his hands relax against their restraints she smiled, eyes tracing his figure as she removed her hands from his arms and walked around him. Kneeling down in front of him, Allison lightly traced a line from his shoulder to his chest. He was not shaking, and that was a good sign, but still she found herself needing to check on him.
"Color?" She whispered, finger pausing above his heart. It was no surprise that he had relaxed with the removal of his sight, it seemed he always thought too hard when he had something to look at. She resisted the urge to lean forwards to kiss him, waiting instead for a response from him.
Stuart
His ears tracked her movements, hearing her crouching down near the front of him -- his breath coming in slow, slightly shaky strides from between barely parted lips before it hitched as her hand trailed down his body -- goosebumps following her fingers down his chest. He was comforted with the warmth of her hand on his skin, his body yearning and aching for more -- but he knew he couldn't ask it from her. Not yet.
He tipped his head up ever so slightly, as if he could see her, as his breathing clicked at the question as her hand rested over his heart -- no doubt feeling how it hammered still against his chest, even if it had slowed more so than it had before they started. He licked down on his bottom lip before he was dropping his head back down. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, but still confident in his answer - " -- green."
Allison
With the beat of his heart under her fingers, Allison awaited his words on bated breath. She felt her desire for him spike, a small breath forcing its way out of her lips, the waiting killing her nearly more than it had to watch him undress. With his word, Allison nodded as though to herself, her own heart racing from the restraint in her touch.
Only once she had received his thoughts and let them settle between them, in the form of a color, did Allison finally lean forwards. Her lips met his jaw with heated desire, determined to draw his attention from his hearing - which she had no doubt he was focused on without his sight - and to the feeling of being with her. Her fingers did not move from their spot against his heart, a gauge for his reaction in the way his heart beat against her fingers as her lips traced his jaw and captured his earlobe lightly between her teeth.
Stuart
A low breath drew itself harshly from his throat as she kissed his jawline -- eyes closing behind the blindfold as a gasp shuttered in his chest at the attention. Before they had done anything together, it was clear it was something he was deprived of ; something he had never had given or offered to him, and even now he still took it in like the first sip of water -- or the first breath of air, his heart rate fleetingly skyrocketing under her hand.
And when her attention moved from his jawline to his ear, the breath soon ebbed into a soft and low groan that vibrated in his very being and his hands twisted once more. This time not out of idle need of wanting to do something, but instead the desire to touch. The desire to feel and be felt as he bared his throat to her.
Allison
Allison felt her breath catch at his gasp, just as it did every time she heard it. Her reverence for his desire never faltered, it was enough to set her heart running each time. She felt a heat in the pit of her stomach light as he groaned, a sigh escaping her lips as she released his earlobe. She finally moved her hand, lightly trailing the tips of her nails along his sides.
"You're such a good boy, Stuart," She whispered, ducking her head down to his exposed throat where she reverently kissed the flesh, sliding her nails across his stomach to his navel.
Stuart
He felt himself shiver as her nails feathered across his hips -- a soft noise rumbling in his chest as she did so, teeth worrying down on his bottom lip harshly and causing the plush of his lip to swell slightly. Breath caught around a soft moan of a sigh, his chest once more heaving -- but it was much less about the bundle of nerves that he couldn't let go of -- and it was instead because of what Allison was doing to him, a red hot desire twisting hard in his stomach that he didn't know what to do with; his length clearly showing interest between them, even if he verbally drew no attention to it. He knew Allison would take care of him -- he knew ... -- but that didn't mean he didn't want.
He whimpered, despite himself and despite his resolve, at the words from the huntress -- at the praise -- as his neck colored before she was kissing where he bared it to her, lips parting with a slight pant as his lungs fought to stay above the surface.
Allison
Allison was all too aware of what she was succeeding in doing to Stuart, but she did not acknowledge it yet. She focused her efforts elsewhere, intent on what she was doing at that moment. Her teeth gently scraped along his throat before she pulled her lips from its spot, kissing a path along his jaw before her lips found his - parted with the pant that fought to ignite her desire further.
Allison's nails slid dangerously low, before she slid the pads of her fingers back up to where they had started, teasing him just the slightest.
Stuart
He was sure that Allison knew what she was doing to him -- how she was driving him crazy. How his nerves bounced from one to another with a sharp heat that it made his chest quiver. But that didn't stop the moan that escaped him when she kissed him- leaning forward and threatening his balance to press into it with a soft noise; eager and desperate for it.
He shivered as her hands roamed dangerously low, so close to where he ached to be touched -- only to move away just as quickly and leaving him merely wanting-- a low breath escaping him as he fought the binds again and chased the kiss the best he could with his balance on his knees.
Allison
Allison leaned back just the slightest to part their lips from each others as Stuart moved towards her. She longed to continue to touch him, but such were the rules, and she sighed ever so quietly as he moved closer. "Stuart," She sighed, sitting back on her legs. "You know you're not supposed to move," She scolded him gently, relinquishing her touch on him to settle her hands in her lap.
It felt punishment enough just to cut the physical contact with him, knowing how much he ached to be touched from how eagerly he had kissed her.
Stuart
He let out a soft, slightly frustrated breath as she pulled away from him -- lips twitching downwards into a frown as he leveled himself once more and sat himself back on his calves to catch his balance so he didn't topple forward without the weight of the female there. Brows furrowed as he chewed briefly on the inside of his cheek. He could already feel the loss of her touch, and the way his body protested.
He swallowed, ducking his head down for a moment to swallow his pride, " -- I'm sorry," he finally whispered after a long moment. "It -- It wouldn't happen again."
Allison: Allison hummed, pressing her lips together. "What am I going to do with you?" She asked, though more for the benefit of herself. His frustration was amusing, but rewarding - knowing that she had succeeded in taking his mind off everything around them. Standing, Allison moved around behind him, reaching for his bonds. Her fingers quickly released his hands, "Stand up." She told him, "And go lay down on your back on the bed. Without taking off your blindfold." She wouldn't let him fall, but she would let him struggle a little just for the punishment he deserved.
Stuart
He started noticeably at the command from the other, tipping his chin back - once again - as if he could see her. Thankfully, it at least worked in his favor that the room was small and he hadn't changed the lay out of it since he'd been here; but, he still had never tried to navigate it basically blind. He raked his teeth across his bottom lip once more as his breathing stuttered.
It took him a moment longer before he was finally moving, placing his hands against the floor -- as he had no depth perception as of that moment to know what was near him to help him stand -- and pulling himself onto shaky legs. His gait stayed slow, reaching out a tentative hand until it came in contact with the bed; fingers twisting into the sheets before he was pulling himself up and onto it and shifting himself around to lay as Allison instructed him to.
Allison: Allison thought about tying his hands together once again as she watched him navigate his way to the bed, but it was much more interesting if he had to try to control himself. She moved over to the bed, sliding off the last of the lingerie that she had been wearing as she placed one knee on the bed. "Your hands stay on the sheets. No touching." She told him, "And again, don't move." Allison's tone was nearly scolding as she pressed a hand against his chest, supporting herself as she climbed onto the bed and moved one knee to the other side of his chest.
She slid her hand from his chest up to his neck, fingers carding gently through the ends of his hair. She leaned down over him, still on her knees, pressing her lips to his jaw on the opposite side from her hand.
Stuart
He cursed mentally at her command, especially as he felt her weight partially settle on top of him, when he wanted nothing more than to feel the female above. To feel everything that she was, everything that he was now allowed to him -- to smooth steady, able fingers down her skin and feel her warmth. But, instead, he was twisting his fingers tightly into the bedsheets until his knuckles paled.
He whined -- a soft and high noise that almost never seemed like it would come from the likes of him, a noise that was privately for her, as her hands and lips explored his skin ; dropping his head back as his lips parted with a gasp and his eyes squeezed shut behind the blindfold.
Allison
Allison knew that it was killing him not to touch her - because it killed her not to be touched. Still, her kisses traced a heated pattern as he squirmed - which she allowed purely because he was trying - and her fingers tangled in his hair, gripping the locks loosely. She led her lips down to his chest, nipping at a patch of skin before she adventurously traced her tongue over one of his nipples. She glanced up at his face, attempting to gauge a reaction from him.
The whine sent a shiver through her body, one that shook her frame above him and had her eyes closing in satisfaction. She savored it, sliding her stomach along his lightly as she moved her lips to his, rewarding his whine with a slow, lingering kiss.
Stuart
His breathing hitched off in his throat when she showed attention to his nipple -- rattling in his chest and in his throat as his nerves seemed to go into hyperdrive and he wanted nothing than to pull her against him and quell the the growing interest that was causing his stomach to twist and turn. Every touch from her -- every kiss and nip -- was making him over sensitive and desperate. At least she had managed to archive her mission -- he was definitely not thinking about anything else at at that point in time but her, and everything about her.
He pressed into the kiss just enough to return it, but not to move himself from where he laid on the bed, still so eager and wanting -- needing -- so much more. When she parted, he asked in a harsh pant ; a plea, " .. Alli..--Allison, Allison, please...-"
Allison
Having achieved the reaction she was hoping for, Allison released his lips, though she paused in her movement when he began to beg. "Please what, Stuart?" She asked softly, lifting her stomach from his, though she was impressed with his determination to listen to her. Releasing his hair, the huntress trailed her fingers down his chest, eyes on his blindfolded face with a small smile.
She would not have thought that she would enjoy this at first, but the more she grew used to it, the better it got. Particularly when he begged and she knew that she had achieved just what she was attempting - to remove his focus from the world around them and help him relax. Not that he was particularly relaxed beneath her at that moment.
Stuart
His eyes fluttered closed again behind the blindfold as he struggled to properly string his words together -- a struggle that was nearly foreign to him. Then again, Stuart wasn't accustomed to begging for anything, from anyone. Even when the government had him held in lieu of Stiles, he hadn't plead for anything.
" -- I want ... I want to feel you," he breathed then, words catching around itself and tumbling out in a mess, "Please--, I want to touch you."
Allison
Allison waited patiently for him to speak, fingers lazily tracing circles on his chest. She smiled, almost giving in then but refraining for the moment. Her lips trailed along his jaw, lips just touching his earlobe as she spoke. "How badly do you want it?"
Sitting up on her knees, Allison watched the way his lips parted with his breathing, drinking it in.
Stuart: He groaned -- soft and low in his throat, to betray a slight twinge of frustration. But, until given permission, his fingers were still tightly grasping the bed sheets, even as her lips feathered in a teasing manner across his earlobe before she was pulling away from him fully -- not seeing, but feeling her weight against the mattress as she seemingly hovered over him. " -- Allison," he whined, the corner of his lips twitching as his breath stuttered. "I need --" he cut off around a grunt, closing his eyes and trying again, "I want to touch you. So bad. Please --"
Allison: Allison bit her lip, feeling the pit of her stomach heat with desire as he grunted. She wasn't about to let him move his hands, but since he was being so good.. "I think we can manage something," She breathed, her voice hushed with lust. Allison lifted herself from her position, "You can't move your hands, but you can eat me out." She told him, shifting so that she was positioned above his head, lightly carding one of her hands through his hair.
Stuart
He could feel her shift against the bed until her weight was over him -- smelling her before he was even fully aware of what she was doing, what she was asking him to do. And once the words sunk in, a soft noise vibrated in the back of his throat. As she carded a hand through his hair, his fingers twitched against the sheets and his knuckles began to ache. But, he kept them where they were -- nosing against the inside of her thigh, briefly, before pressing a soft kiss to the skin there -- dangerously close to her center.
Unseeing, he kissed his way to his goal before giving her clit a small, experimental lick -- nose carelessly brushing up against her before he was allowing himself to feel a little more forward and sucked harshly for a few seconds before alternating before to quick, uncoordinated licks.
Allison
Allison sighed as he kissed her thigh, fingers pausing in his hair in the anticipation of the touch that would come next. With the silence that fell over him it seemed that he was satisfied enough with her solution. She certainly wasn't complaining.
A shiver ran down her spine as he found her clit, looking down at him for a moment before he seemed to gain some enthusiasm. Her fingers gripped his hair, "Slow down," She spoke, voice quiet.
Stuart: A soft noise vibrated out of him, rumbling against her, when she gripped tighter at his hair and softly commanded him to slow down -- so he did. Taking his time to learn how she liked it; twisting his tongue against her to fully explore her -- more so with his vision taken from him -- and trying to listen for any sounds that would give away if he was pleasing her -- if she was enjoying it. Even as he dipped slightly lower, tongue feathering up against her entrance before circling around to her clit once more.
Allison: Allison sucked in a breath as he slowed down, humming with quiet satisfaction as he began to take his time. Her fingers loosened from his hair, though her hand remained there, fingers hovering in the locks. Her head dropped back as his tongue dipped lower, eyes closing as a shiver of pleasure rolled through her body. Despite his newness to any of this, Stuart was a quick learner - and an attentive one, at that.
Stuart
God, he just ached to touch. To feel how she was reacting to him -- to feel what he could not see. To run his fingers over the dip of her back; to brush them over the curves of her ass. He wanted to explore -- but, the only thing that betrayed his harsh need was the tightened curl of his fingers against the bed, the way his hands shifted only ever so slightly with the impulse of wanting to use them.
He was encouraged by the way her breath changed, the harsh intake, and the hum that resounded in the room to his oversensitive ears. He continued to circle her for a moment longer before he was bringing the bundle of nerves back between his lips and sucking once more -- this time softer, and slower as he did so.
Allison
With the absence of his hands on her body, Allison found herself aching for more, but she could not give in to that desire. With her eyes closed, she felt her legs begin to shake as he returned his lips to her clit. Her fingers curled into his locks, his name breathed out among her sigh.
"Good," She murmured, because that was about the amount of vocalizations that she could muster in praise.
Stuart
He could feel the tremble, the shake, in her thighs. And he wanted nothing more than to soothe the ache with his own fingers. To take her weight in his hands to make it easier and better for her -- but he didn't. He hadn't been given permission to do so.
Albeit, when her breath chased his name, it did something tight in his chest that made him moan harshly around her -- lashes fluttering under the dark cloth as he pulled back just long enough to breathe; feeling slickness against his chin and his nose, tasting her against his lips as he drew in a shaky breath.
Allison
His moan had her legs shaking even more, the desire balling up in her stomach. Allison hovered for a second longer before she was sliding back, relieving the tension in her legs by placing her hands against his chest. She paused a moment to take in a breath, before she was sliding down the bed to settle her weight on his legs.
If it hadn't been obvious to her before that his mind was on nothing but her, it was obvious as she gently grasped the base of his length, glancing at his face before she was sliding her tongue along the length of his dick without much warning. She wanted him to feel just as good as her, resting her free hand on his thigh because she still shook with the longing he induced in her.
Stuart
He felt her slip away from him once he had pulled away to refill his lungs -- brow furrowing inwards in mute confusion as he felt her, once more, moving about the bed. But he didn't voice it, as he assumed that soon enough she would be satisfying his curiosity. And, besides, even if he had asked, she likely wouldn't have told him.
His breathing hitched hard in his chest, a rattling noise in his throat, as she gripped at the base of his erection -- screwing his eyes shut and using whatever self control he had left to keep himself from thrusting up into her hand. Albeit, his resolve teetered as she licked a line up his cock without any kind of forewarning, causing a breathy and ruined, "A--- ah, fuck......!" to drop from his lips, toes curling with the little bit of resolve he had left to keep himself still; even as his legs shook.
Allison
Allison allowed herself to be silently amused by the confusion on his face, taking in the small pleasures of having this usually stoic man bend to her will. His silence impressed her, evidently he was learning by this point that she would not answer his questions, she was nearly too tongue-tied to do so anyways.
Relieved to not be the only one shaking, Allison swirled her tongue around the tip of his erection. She watched him through lash-hooded eyes, his vocalizations nearly pushing her to rescind her no-touch rule. She hummed as she slowly took him into her mouth, the hand on his thigh sliding up to press flat against his stomach - a gentle encouragement to stay still.
Stuart
His hips jerked ever so slightly, almost on their own accord, before he was pressing them back to the bed with a rushed, "... sorry .. 'm ... shit ... .. sorry--" that was more of a slurred groan than anything, his words coming apart before they even left his mouth as she took his length slowly into the warmth of her mouth, a keen rising high out of his throat as his chest heaved harshly with hot pants.
"-- A ... - Allison......" he breathed, unsure at this point what he was asking for -- his brain tunneled only to the female around him, the female that surrounded his senses and made his usually keen and sharp brain short circuit to nothing but pure, human longing.
Allison
Allison stilled when he jerked his hips, fingers pressing down slightly harder against his skin in warning. She resumed her action after a moment, taking most of his length into her mouth before she slowly pulled back at the sound of her name.
Watching his frame heave with his breaths for a moment before she spoke, she felt herself shiver in anticipation. "Stuart," She didn't move, "Tell me what you want." It was spoken as an order, but her body ached with longing for whatever his answer may be - she did not know what he wanted, unsure if he knew what he wanted.
Stuart
He let out a soft groan as she stilled briefly, no doubt in a warning as she pressed her fingers against his skin -- chewing down hard on his bottom lip. But, thankfully, it was fleeting and she was working at him once more -- taking almost all of him in ; almost to the base before she was pulling off when he spoke.
A soft grunt made his chest shake when she asked him to tell her what he wanted -- and, god, she was right in thinking that he didn't know what he wanted. He just ... wanted. So purely, so intensely that he ached for it. " -- you. I want -- fuck, I want you. I don't -- I don't know, I don't care how.."
Allison
Allison sat back for a moment, watching him, making him wait even though she knew exactly what her next move was. This was where she wanted him - so desperately wanting that he couldn't string together a proper sentence. She moved from his legs for a moment, though she did not go far as to completely remove her body from above his, reaching into the drawer of his side table and returning with a foil-wrapped condom.
She found his hand, not knowing if this was exactly what he had in mind and so she gave him the option, sliding the condom into his hand before she was removing his blindfold. "Then do what you want," She told him softly, lids heavy with desire and anticipation as she relinquished her control.
Stuart
He felt her moving around once again before he felt the foil covered object against his hand -- and, soon after, she was taking the blindfold off and light was once again flooding his vision; it caused him, at first, to squint into it before the room was fading into full focus. Or, as much as it could without glasses on. And, just like that, she was releasing the reins. He was surging forward, now that he was given the permission to do so. He pressed a hand against the back of her neck and smoothed the other up her ribcage -- letting long fingers take in her gentle curves as he was pulling her body to his and kissing her; hard and desperately as he panted against her lips -- pulling back just enough to tug on her bottom lip with his teeth.
" -- are you ..." he struggled once again for real, coherent words, " -- are you wet enough, or..?" he asked, his words thick and husky and his words betraying his intentions.
Allison
Allison was reeling as he pressed forward with the fervor of a starving man. She relished in his touch on her body, returning his kiss until he was pulling back and releasing a quiet moan of desire from her lips with his teeth. She reached up, carding her hands through his hair at the nape of his neck.
She smiled at his words, "Yes," Allison answered for his sake, clearly, her stomach churning with the heat of desire that the heaviness of his voice evoked in her.
Stuart
He was merely nodding when she answered him, sucking in a shaky breath. He was reluctant to remove his hands from her -- but he did so long enough to fumble with the wrapper on the condom, removing it from the packaging and rolling it -- as quickly as he could with uncharacteristically shaky fingers -- onto his length. He was scooting himself back on the bed until his back hit the wall -- tugging on her wrists to bring her into his lap.
" -- can we --- like this?" he asked hoarsely, burrowing himself in her neck as he awaited an answer ; hands once again taking in all she could offer; splaying one broad hand against her lower back and the other cupping a breast and giving it a light squeeze. "You on top? In my lap?"
Allison
Allison sat back, patient despite the need she felt for him to continue to touch her. As he tugged her wrists towards him again, she sucked in a breath and eagerly brought herself into his lap, settling herself there with her eyes focused on him. It was now her turn to be attentive.
The rasp of his voice brought a sigh of desire from her lips as he tucked his face against her neck. She hummed, a hand moving to his hair - the thick locks easily one of her favorite features of his. "Please," She answered, biting her lip as he squeezed her breast. Her body felt heated wherever his hands wandered, placing one of her own on his shoulder.
Stuart
He was oh-so-eager, but he awaited her confirmation before he was moving again -- merely showing attention to her neck as he waited; nosing his way up the curve of it as he kissed along the way. The hand on her breast moving to gently pinch at her nipple before soothing over it with a thumb. Finally, she was answering her request, pulling away from her neck to look at her. The eyes of the witch flickered and ignited a deep purple -- a betrayal of the restrained magic under the surface, and also giving away just what the huntress did to the magic user with so much control.
He raked his teeth across his bottom lip fleetingly before he was nodding and adjusting himself slightly on the bed -- giving his length a few sharp strokes with a whine to get himself back to where he was before he was settling a hand on her ass, where it had been previously against her back, " -- ease yourself on," he encouraged, wanting her to set the pace at first so he didn't hurt her.
Allison
Allison's lips betrayed a moan as he pinched her nipple, a shudder passing through her body at the attention he was giving her now that she had released him from his stasis. Her eyes opened to meet his as he withdrew from the kisses he placed against her neck, the flare of purple in his amber hues only serving to turn her on that much more - the control he normally displayed so haywire that he was losing control. She had no worries about him losing control either, simply surrendering herself to trusting him.
Allison's eyes remained trained on his as he encouraged her to set her own pace, lips parted with the breaths that heaved her chest as she did just that - easing herself down onto his erection. As he entered her, Allison's eyes closed, a moan slipping through her parted lips as her grip on his shoulder tightened.
Stuart
Eyes flashed one last time as her tightness began to ease around him -- slipping down low around his length as he ducked his head down and squeezed his eyes shut to put a lid on his control, sucking in a harsh and dangerously trembling breath. The hand against her breast instead moved to tangle in her dark hair, tugging only very slightly in order to try and offset the urge to press up into her until she was settled.
His breath shook as he pressed his nose against the curve of her shoulder, his hips twitching ever so slightly, "-- god, you feel --" his voice broke, shaking his head as he huffed and his hot breath fanned against her skin, "God, --- you alright, you good--?"
Allison
Allison slid her fingers through his hair as he ducked his head, knowing that he was getting himself under control. Her head tilted back just slightly at the pull of his hand in her hair, pressing herself down onto him until she was moaning with the fullness she felt. Her hand moved from his hair to his other shoulder to steady herself, as he pressed his nose against her own shoulder.
"Oh, Stuart," She breathed as he spoke, his breath heating her skin and his presence inside of her setting her stomach alight. Minutely, Allison rolled her hips, growing comfortable with the feeling of him inside of her. "I'm so good," She moaned, lifting herself from his dick slowly, pausing a moment before filling herself up once again.
Stuart
He let out a half baked noised that rutted off in his throat, almost strangled, as she very lightly rolled her hips against him. He could feel her against the base of his erection where had had bottomed out against him, and that was almost enough to make him weak. And, Christ, he was already worked up as it was -- but he wanted to try and make it last long enough for her to last.
When she gave her confirmation -- after the sinful hush of his name -- he felt himself practically purr. One hand moved from her ass to her thigh -- helping to support her weight as his hips set a slow, at first, rhythm of skin against skin ; fingertips trembling against her flesh and sweat beginning to bead against his hairline. " -- god, you're gorgeous, did you know that?" he asked, the words leaving himself before he could stop them as he took all of her in; liquid amber raking over her, her face and body in perfect focus since she was so close. He was panting, using the hand that had previously been in her hair to brush a few locks of bangs out of her vision before he was kissing her hard once more -- messy and uncoordinated as teeth clanked against hers before he was sucking against her lip.
Allison
His noises were enough to work her up to a state of heady bliss, lacking the sort of lucidity for coordinated thought. His hands on her body were what she had been awaiting the whole night and he did not disappoint her with the way he handled her - a perfect mix of rough and gentle that left her inside a puddle.
Allison felt her nerves light up as he began to take control again, each nerve screaming with pleasure as her hips matched his rhythm with so much ease that it seemed like they just fit. Her eyes closed, taking in the overwhelming amount of stimulus she was feeling. When he spoke to her, her eyes opened to focus on him with what she could muster through the haze of delight, her mind incapable of capturing enough words to string together in a sentence but god, did she ever adore him. When he kissed her, she didn't even care that it was a mess, freeing her lip from his to nip at his lower lip.
Stuart
His grip was hard against her thigh as -- despite shaking hands and quivering muscles -- he helped support her weight as they rutted up against one another. Hard enough to leave red markings in their wake, but not harsh enough that the markings would linger more than a few minutes. Nevertheless, despite being a supernatural that relied on his magic rather than physical strength, he did have more than most gave him credit for. Twisting and eating at the canvas of porcelain flesh alongside the speckled constellations that made their home there.
He groaned hard as she fought with him for control of the kiss, but he didn't fight too hard and allowed her to have it for the moment -- fingers twisting once more in her hair before he parted his lips from hers long enough to suck in a harsh gasp of a breath, " -- shit .. I'm -- I can't ..-" he fought with his brain before he was squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head in hopes she would understand.
Allison
Allison's eyes dropped closed again at the pain of his grip on her thigh, mingling with the pleasure of their steady rhythm and his lips against hers. Her own fingers gripped his shoulders tightly, knuckles white though the marks she left on his skin would not linger. Her body shook with the twists of pleasure building in her stomach, moaning as his lips parted from hers.
Understanding, Allison released one of his shoulders, finding his hand in her hair and grasping it. She guided his hand down her body, hoping he would understand that she wanted him to be the one to push her over the edge. Her lips found his again with an extra fervor and a drawn-out moan of his name, her body tense for all the right reasons.
Stuart
Her fingers were gripping his shoulder with a similar strength to that of his hand against her leg -- and the small twinge of pain from that was nothing compared to the white hot pleasure that ate him from the inside out.
Eyes followed her hand as she took his and guided in down between them, wetting his lower lip briefly before he was nodding to her -- using two fingers as he pressed against the bundle of nerves at her center, circling it one way and then the other with the same haste that his hips were rolling against. She swallowed his breath as she kissed him again -- kissing away the groan of his name and meeting it with a soft whisper, prayer of her own. All messy breaths and graceless and desperate movements as he tried to push them both over the edge. " -- can you come for me first?" he asked, suddenly -- once that night -- taking charge.
Allison
Allison felt herself grow weak as he understood her intention, the added stimulus causing her grip to slacken for a moment on his shoulder as she leaned into the kiss. She left him to his own devices, her hand sliding up his chest to return to his shoulder once again. Her name, breathed against her lips, forced a shudder through her body that had her fingers tightening against his shoulders again.
As he asked her to come for him, Allison found her words swept away at his wish. Her forehead, beaded with sweat from the heat that they had created between them, came to rest against his as she felt her stomach tighten with pleasure, her eyes closed as the pleasure muscled her control from her. Allison felt herself tighten around his length, his fingers urging a whine from her as her orgasm hit her with its full force.
Stuart
Everywhere that she touched felt like fire -- tearing him apart and bringing him back together all at once, rushing in full force and making it hard for him to breathe. And the only thing that kept him grounded in that moment was the weight and warmth of her body against his own. Experiencing her in ways that he never initially thought that he would.
He let out a soft noise as she pressed their foreheads together, fluttering his eyes closed with a heavy and harsh groan as he worked her through it, his ministrations against her clit continuing to help bring her through her orgasm, " -- there you go," he managed to breathe, his voice knocked down a few octaves and almost more of a slur than a coherent sentence. It wasn't but a few moments later that he rutted his hips a few more times into her before his body stiffened, blunt and trimmed human nails digging slightly into her thigh as the red hot coil inside of him snapped, a high noise muted off in his throat as he hit his climax, feeling himself pulse inside her -- against her walls.
Allison
Not a moment passed with Stuart - innocent, stoic Stuart - that didn't surprise her when they were unclothed. His voice and fingers, encouraging her higher into her orgasm, had her crying out his name. Allison shook as he stiffened, rolling her hips against his, encouraging him through his orgasm as he had done for her. Her grasp on his shoulders tightened, until she was sure that she could not grip him any tighter, body heaving with the ragged breaths that pushed their way through her lungs.
Every nerve felt sensitive, each small movement sending a shock of pleasure through her body that threatened to be too much for her. As her cries died down, she was left a panting mess of nerve endings, pressing a clumsy kiss to the corner of his lips.
Stuart
He was shaking by the time she helped him through his orgasm -- by the time he was done, and he felt himself grow lax inside of her. And now -- he was just .. tired. Completely and utterly spent. He gave her a sated smile as he pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips, once more using a hand to brush hair out of her face so that he could see her properly, pressing a chase kiss to her jaw before a quiet, "hold on," fell from his lips.
He shifted around just enough to pull himself out of her -- a soft whine swallowed down as his oversensitive, lax dick brushed against her opening and then, in turn, against the bed sheets before he was reaching down between them to slowly ease the spent condom off -- at the very least grateful for the easy clean up that it made. He dropped it on his bedside table to throw away later before he was tugging her still bare body to his heated one, wrapping both arms around her waist wordlessly as he pulled her close to him.
Allison
Allison hummed tiredly, her body feeling weak as she panted in his arms, moving just slightly in an attempt to help him despite the fact that she likely did not help at all. She felt utterly satisfied, her limbs jelly-like with the exertion of their evening, and her heart swelled as he pulled her close to him.
One of her arms slid down his bare his chest as the other wrapped around his shoulder. Allison tucked her forehead against his neck, one of her fingers lightly touching the bottom of the brand on his neck as she shifted her arm around his neck. Distracted by how the mark was still slightly raised, the huntress traced a finger lightly over it, "Does it still hurt?" She asked quietly, fingers resting on his neck below the brand.
Stuart
The corners of his lip twitched as he felt her fingers graze over the still slightly pink markings against his neck. It didn't hurt when she touched it, he was still just unused to the feeling of the scarred skin -- despite the fact that he had ran his own hands over it several times. It was taking him just until now to not touch it every day as a reminder of what he went through before Allison got him out.
"No," he breathed softly, shaking his head against her. "At least, not really -- not unless I accidentally scratch it too hard, or put too much pressure on it. It's tender, but not sore," he elaborated, tracing gentle shapes into her lower back as -- almost subconsciously with the mention of it -- his free hand came to hover over her shoulder, "Does -- does yours?"
Allison
Closing her eyes at the feeling of his hands on her back, soothed by the tenderness of the action, Allison rubbed a circle underneath the brand with her thumb. "No," She answered quietly, knowing that her wound was a sensitively loaded subject for him. She pressed a light kiss against his neck, "Sometimes I wake up and it aches, but I think it's more the memory of the pain." She shrugged, because it didn't matter. It was a small price to pay to have him back - to have a chance to understand what had begun to bloom between them.
Allison felt a calm ease settle through her, cradled in Stuart's arms as she was. She wondered idly what time it was, but found that she didn't want to know - the more time she spent in ignorance of the time, the more time she could spend with him without the worry of their world weighing on them. She could still feel his muscles relaxed against her, where they would normally be tense with the constant stress he carried with himself.
Stuart
He let out a shaky breath as she kissed against his neck -- nosing briefly against her hair and musing mentally to himself just how lucky he was to have her. To marvel that ... somehow, she choose him. Among all the walls that he built around himself, and the stoic way he protected himself. She choose him. " -- yeah, I understand that," he whispered, his voice having only a slightly bitter edge to them as his muscles ghosted a memory of pain in agreement; closing his eyes for a fleeting beat before he was allowing himself to relax. Allowing himself to live in the moment -- and, in that moment, he had her in his arms. This wonderful, brave woman who had come for him. Who had helped him unravel parts of himself he didn't know what possible.
His hand came to rest just against her shoulder blade, away from the still puckered wound against her shoulder just in case to avoid hurting her. Without the woman in his arms, he didn't want to even think about where he would be. Where his mind would be. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, letting out a soft breath against the skin there.
Allison
She felt him tense beneath her for a moment, smoothing her hand over his shoulder in an attempt to help him relax again. He seemed to relax, not too long after, and she was grateful that they could stay where they were for at least a few minutes more. She lifted her head to look at him, meeting his gaze with an expression that merely asked where his mind was headed.
Eyes closing to the pressure of the kiss, Allison's lips turned up into a smile, one that frequently graced her lips when Stuart showed her tenderness. It felt so wonderful to be with him. She found a bundle of words push their way to the edge of her tongue, but none of them really escaped when she parted her lips to release them. They settled there, her feelings towards him simply settling into a caring smile.
Stuart: He found himself chuckling low in his throat at the searching look in her eyes that, at this point, he knew far too well. A smile crinkled at the corner of his lips as he cradled her close once more -- especially after the warm smile that made his heart swell in his chest. " -- just thinking again," he admitted, now that he was coming off of the high of the arousal, his mind was once again kicking into gear. Lashes fluttered closed, once again hiding himself against her hair. " -- don't worry, I'm still .. good." Good meaning calm. Relaxed. Tired. Lazy enough to just enough her company and her warmth around him. "Just thoughts ... nothing more. Nothing to focus too much on."
Allison: His ability to read her was uncanny, she had not bared so much of herself to someone in a very long time and yet he made it quite easy. She moved her arms, shifting to rest her hands lightly on his sides, closing her eyes as she rested her cheek against his shoulder once more. "As long as you're still good," She whispered, somewhat sleepily. Allison felt heady with exhaustion and appreciation, nestled against Stuart. "You really are something, Stuart," She yawned gently, stifling it as she turned her face against his chest.
Stuart: He laughed softly, a soft noise that was carefree and almost unlike him, when she spoke. "You're really the first to think so," he admitted, moving one hand to cradle it in her hair as his other fumbled blindly for the blanket -- tugging it over the top of them. His eyes flickered upwards to where the light was before moving over to the light switch. Quickly, if one would blink they could easily miss it, his eyes flashed once before the lights went dark in the room -- the hum of the artificial bulbs going to rest. " -- we can rest here, like this, if you want. Door is still locked."
Allison: "That's okay, I think it enough for an army of people." She murmured, thumb tracing a lazy circle on his side. She closed her eyes when she felt the blanket slide over her, opening her eyes to find that the room had gone dark. A small, sleepy laugh bubbled from her lips, it was always something new that impressed her. "I wouldn't mind," She trailed her fingers over his chest in the dark, closing her eyes again and resting her palm against his chest. "If you don't mind slowing down your busy schedule for a while longer, that is." Her tone was teasing, her mind more focused on hearing his heart beat - calm and strong - where she had her ear pressed to his shoulder.
Stuart: He found himself wordlessly smiling at her response -- feeling the back of his neck heating ever so slightly at the words. And he wondered how she managed to make him feel so soft around her. ( But, he reminded himself, he could also be so cold for her. The memory of the gunman forever forged into his mind, just as the brand on his neck was. ) As she trailed a hand up his chest, he moved one hand from under the blankets to gently pull it away just enough to lace their fingers together -- giving her a hand a squeeze to try and convey everything that he still didn't quite understand. "I think I can pencil you in."
Allison: As his fingers fit into the spaces between hers and squeezed just slightly, she felt a smile light her face that she was almost grateful he could not see. She moved, just enough to reach her lips to touch his after he spoke. "Oh, good," She murmured, after she had laid her head back against him, closing her eyes and giving his hand the most minute of squeezes. Words that she had not uttered for a very long time settled on her tongue, but she did not part her lips to release them as she drifted closer to sleep.
Stuart: He smiled softly into the chaste kiss before she was resting her head against him once more. He carded his fingers through her hair, feeling the energy of the day beginning to drift out of her. " -- get some rest, Allison," he encouraged her softly, scratching gently at her scalp in an attempt to soothe her. His own lids were heavy, and his body was tired. And he was ... so impossibly comfortable where he was, words without meanings, and feelings without words to go with them swirled unspoken in his chest as he watched her against him.
Allison: Allison hummed in content as he touched her hair, his fingers on her scalp pushing her closer to sleep despite her desire to hold onto this moment of bliss with him. Still, she knew there would be more - it was something she would fight for without question - so she surrendered to the exhaustion. "Night, Stu," She whispered, words half-slurred with sleep.
TAGGING __ // STUART TWOMBLY, LYDIA MARTIN
LOCATION __// THE UNDERGROUND ( STUART’S QUARTERS )
TIME _ FRAME ___// RECENTLY AFTER ‘THE IMPOSTOR’
INPUT_SUMMARY…?__// Lydia comes to check on Stuart’s recovery while Allison is still in the infirmary.
Lydia: Lydia hadn’t quite gathered a fruitful basket of ideas just yet. All she knew for certain was that she needed to visit Stuart. The boy had given her quite a difficult time when they first met, in fact she wondered if they’d ever tolerate the thoughts the other had. It deemed to be a very real possibility once she learned of his close ties with Allison. Things were shifted in that moment. Lydia needed to make certain her friend was safe, that he cared for her the way that she did. Thus far she’d rested assured to that assumption. Now, things had changed in a way she hadn’t expected. In fact, no one had seen this coming and she worried for him. The girl entered his room with a heaviness dragging down her posture. A smile tried to expose itself when her words slipped out. ❛ How’re you doing? Still have a snarky remark to give me? ❜
Stuart: Stuart was sitting in his bed -- he still hadn't gotten the energy to get up and work on getting his computer back online, so instead he was working on sorting files to later transfer into his computer. When the door opened, without warning - mind you, he groaned. His skin was on the wrong shade of pale, and yellow-black bruises still scattered across porcelain flesh like a splatter painted canvas. Wrists still raw pink, and a slight tremble in his touch. He managed to mostly hide the start from the door opening -- on the wrong end of jumpy, still -- in lieu of rolling his eyes and looking up at her through a strand of hazelnut hair that had drooped into his vision; still relearning his own skin. "I could point out the fact that you need to learn how to knock."
Lydia: There it was. That attitude that made her want to laugh as much as it did grit her teeth into a dust. He was unique in that sense. ❛ If I had you probably wouldn’t have let me in. I’m not your favorite person, right? ❜ The redhead’s eyebrows curled to express more than what her words could bluntly state. Perhaps this conversation would be harder to get through than she thought, not to mention his appearance made her feel a bow starting to tie itself inside of her gut. ❛ You should’ve expected me to come, you know me better than that. All I really need to say is I told you so. ❜
Stuart: His eyes dropped back down to the file he had in his hands, letting a low breath out through his lips, "Well, if it helps, you're not my least favorite person either," was his quick retort, honeydew skimming over the page before he was dropping it into one of the piles and carding a hand through his hair. He looked up at the female, then, with a quirked brow that almost said Is this really the time? He was still barely recovering, and Allison was still in the infirmary. " -- I told you so? You came in here to talk to me about Allison?"
Lydia: Sometimes she wasn’t quite sure if he tolerated her or if she cared about him more than she should. There was a line drawn between them for reasons she would never understand and in all honesty try not to overstep. ❛ Wow, me? I’m flattered. ❜ She didn’t come for herself though, this wasn’t about her. Another comment that caused her body to want to shrink. Sometimes she felt small compared to his words, it was hard to stand up to her cause when he was in this state. Instead; a shrug, a shrug driven by her annoyance and guilt for what happened. ❛ I just wanted to say thank you, for caring about her and making sure she was okay when I couldn’t. Even after all that happened I know she’s safe with you and that means everything to me. ❜
Stuart: The words from the redhead were not expected, and they caused Stuart to pause. The witch, thoughts bouncing around his head where no wall for them to land on, slowly laid down the paperwork completely and pulled his full attention to the banshee. "I --" Once again, the female had managed the catch the magic user off guard and confuse him -- a feat not capable by many, and yet she was so easily able to do so. He was quiet for a long moment, brows arching inwards as he tipped his head at her. " -- I wasn't the one keeping her safe. She came for me -- without her, I probably wouldn't be here. At least, not fully." He might have stopped the second bullet that might've hit its mark more fully, but -- without her coming for him, that would never have happened in the first place.
Lydia: An exhale pushed through the lips of the female into the air that suddenly felt cooled against her skin. There was an air about them that she was just now starting to get a real sense of. They had found something in common, something that tied them together: Allison. ❛ I know that but I also know what you did for her. She’s my best friend and one of the most important people in my life, what you did for her after what she did for you is what matters right now. You both are okay because of each other. ❜ These were things she hadn’t come in with, though the blueprint of speech had been throw into the wind many sentences ago. ❛ I’m not saying no one else cares for you two but that doesn’t change the reality that we both see here. ❜
Stuart
" - she wouldn't have needed me to do that if she hadn't come alone in the first place. If she hadn't needed to come and save me." It wasn't accusatory towards Allison, not in the slightest. If anything, the whispered words were weighed down heavily with guilt. If Allison hadn't felt the need to come and find him, she wouldn't have been hurt in the first place. The guilt over what he had done, going much too far the day before leaving, and needling each other's way under the other's skin .. -- He thinned his lips and shook his head, as if trying to shove away the guilt to somewhere where it was easier for him to stomach.
"I'm just glad I was able to focus long enough to put a stop to it. I don't know what I would've done if --" his voice caught around the intentions of his words, choking on them before he was swallowing the rest of it down; stomping out the thought before it came to full focus. " -- did you come here with intentions to boast? Maybe you should do that." It would be easier, at least, than facing the guilt that was bubbling up like a bile in his chest.
Lydia: ❛ Don’t tell me you’re blaming yourself now, are you? Come on. It could’ve been any of us. We’re all wanted, we’re all targets. We stick together as a family because right now we’re all each other has. If it had been Isaac or Kara we would’ve been there just the same. She cares about you, as does everyone else, don’t feel guilty because people expressed it. ❜ She knew he would be fighting back with words sooner or later but she needed to express her current emotion towards the situation. This wasn’t a time for him to feel bad for what happened but to be happy it’s in the past. Death, injury, and loss are all things that came along with the rulebook to being supernatural which Lydia was still awaiting her copy of. There was nothing he could’ve done but it was over then, why worry anymore? Though she found herself as the queen of concern more days than not. ❛ What? You think that’ll be easier or something? I’m not about to light that fire if I don’t need to. I’m also not going to make you talk about it if you don’t want. I just wanted to come and thank you, make sure you’re okay. ❜
Stuart
"It could've been -- and would've been -- Stiles," was his murmured reply, eyes finding the papers on the bed sheets once more. He knew his actual name was now plastered across the Most Wanted lists along with his brother's. Part of him wished that Allison would've waited for the others, knowing that they had been putting together some kind of plan. But, if she hadn't made it to him when she did, he would've met the same fate that Cora was currently dealing with. At that thought alone, the one that haunted him and left his mind creeping down darker alleys, he smoothed a hand over the back of his neck -- visibly wincing as fingers caught the still pink and irritated edges of the brand at the base of his neck.
" -- she got hurt because of me. I'm not --" he sucked in a breath, eyes still averted from the other as he struggled for the right words. He wasn't used to someone caring enough about him to put their own safety, and life on the line. "I'm fine," he decided on instead, " -- you don't have to thank me. I care about her, and I don't want to see her hurt. Seeing -- Seeing what I did was enough."
Lydia: The words that came from his lips made her eyes lock, her jaw grip tightly against the socket, and her teeth clasp downward into the ones below. He had to say it, he had to say it would’ve been Stiles. She knew that. In fact, from the moment Lydia removed the handicap she’d been terrified that he’d get into trouble all because she was foolish enough to do it. Lydia would’ve rather it been her than either of them but without a doubt she would’ve been the Allison in the situation if it had been the druid. ❛ I know that. ❜ The words came out through the tiny gaps between her teeth which almost had them hiss. A moment was needed before speaking again to relax her tensed muscles. ❛ You would’ve done the same thing for her, I’m sure of that. But you’re both here now and you’re safe. We can’t dwell on what was or we’ll never move forward. ❜
Stuart
His gaze softened. Both at the way she tensed when he mentioned Stiles -- after all, while he knew more about his brother now than he did before, he did not know everything, including whatever relationships he might hold and who he cared for in what ways -- and her words thereafter. You would've done the same for her. His eyes closed for a moment as a defeated breath released itself from his lungs. Burning at his organs before it fizzled away to nothingness. Because -- she was right. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it. Stuart wasn't an expert in his craft, but he still had twenty two years of practice and he would've figured something out, even if it meant pushing himself to his limits to bring the whole building down around them to get her out.
It was still hard for him not to dwell on what was -- the visions of the men in white coats, nameless and faceless -- as his memory was foggy around the drugs that he had been under at the time -- danced in his mind's eye every time he closed his eyes. The pain of the shackles -- the electricity -- the blunt force of an object -- it was all still new to his memory with every movement he made, causing his nerves to protest. " ... - that's a work in progress," he finally responded.
Lydia: She took a few moments just for herself, to get back the same mindset as before. There was such an unsettling nausea that presented itself at the mention of Stiles. If there was one person she could look in the eye and thank for saving her life it was him. Too many times had the position been presented where they needed to make sure the other survived, that situation would’ve been no different. Lydia would’ve done whatever it took to make entirely certain that Stiles Stilinski would get home safety. This being the exact same thing Allison did for Stuart. The thought made her feel lightheaded so she tried to keep her head open. She brought herself back to their current point in time, responding at first with an understanding nod. ❛ That’s all we can do right now, just work on it to move forward. You went through a lot. Results don’t come overnight. Give yourself a break, you deserve it. ❜
Stuart
Lips thinned when she spoke again, letting out a long breath before his eyes dragged across the room -- almost wearily -- to where his computer sat. Still off, and offline, where he had tugged the cords out after locking it out before he left the Underground for what he believed to be the last time. In that one moment, as he looked to the machine that held his work for the last four years, Stuart looked exactly like he felt. Tired. Almost vulnerable -- he felt like he had the day he watched his home burn to the ground. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop and the mental anguish and trauma he had endured to finally make him snap -- to make the rubber band that was pulled too tautly release. He knew it would happen, he wasn't foolish enough to think even he was immune to such, he just hoped he was alone when it did.
"I can't afford to," he said simply, taking a breath as he tried to pull back up his defenses. But, with his appearance looking so broken and chipped, it was a difficult feat to accomplish. With the new and vague information about what was wrong with Cora, Stuart need to do all he could do to figure out more.
Lydia: ❛ None of us can and the thing is I don't really care about that right now. If we lose you then this entire thing's a bust. We need you to be okay to get through this, Stuart. That means getting off your high horse and taking a break. We're okay right now and I can pick up some of the slack. Give yourself a breather, okay? Can you stop being so stubborn and do that? ❜ She could feel her features darkening as she almost scolded the boy. There was an assuredness that they would be alright without him because if he was lost for good then doom would certainly set in. Lydia offered a smile to show her words were meant with kindness, though the serious tone of her face remained in perfect tact. He was important to not only this project but to her best friend, that meant he was important to her.
Stuart
Stuart's expression faltered at the words from the redhead -- not quite expecting such from her. "I'm not going anywhere, Allison made sure of that," he argued softly with a small shake of his head. "These .. devices, whatever they put inside of Cora -- what they wanted to put inside of me. I need --" Honestly, he didn't even know where to start. He didn't know what these things were designed to do -- nor did he have any information outside of the vague tidbit he had heard under the sedative the men had given him.
Stuart was also not accustomed to someone actually showing that they cared to the point of putting their foot down on his work -- "It's not like my work is overly taxing -- I sit at a computer all day, or in front of papers. Honestly, I'll probably go stir crazy without something to do. Especially with Allison still in the infirmary and the nurse on my ass about spending too much time in there."
Lydia: ❛ Well now you have me bothering you so take a break for a second and stop thinking about it. Trust me, I'm doing enough overthinking for the both of us. We'll figure this out. We've gotten this far. ❜ Lydia's level of hope battled up and down between trusting and doubting her own abilities. This moment was no different, in fact she was wondering if she was even good enough to do this. Although the reminder that with Kara's help she'd figured out some of the handicaps assisted her in knowing that they would also discover what they needed to about these objects. No one else would have to deal with them if she could help it. ❛ That's stupid, I bet the company's doing nothing but helping. ❜
Stuart
" -- I can't stop thinking about it," he admitted. He couldn't -- in any shape or form of the phrase. If he stopped thinking about the logical and technical side of it -- what the devices were and how many people actually had them -- then it instead forced him to think about the trauma that he had endured. The panic inducing memories that made his throat tight and chest heavy until he wanted to once more lock his doors to everyone outside of his room. Either way he thought about it -- he couldn't stop thinking about it. And he would rather think of it logically than to have it assault him emotionally -- or admit that his defenses were cracked at their foundations.
"Well -- I'm not the nurse, so I can't make that distinction. Even if I agree with you."
Lydia: ❛ I can understand why, I wouldn't be able to get it out of my head either. ❜ Lydia still had thoughts stuck inside her brain that she wishes she could bleach the stain of. So far her luck in forgetting the events of her past had been unsuccessful and she didn't wish for Stuart to suffer the same way, though she feared this was a path that had no end for him. Forgetting is one of the most difficult things to do. The sigh that removed itself from her body was not an amused one but almost ashamed to even be in existence. Everything felt wrong anymore, even with the few answers that had been retrieved. ❛ Maybe I can talk to them and get them to lighten up. Confusing people with a lot of big words and facts usually throws them off enough to get them to agree. ❜ A smile was brought to the surface before a silence trembled through the room. Lydia dared to open her mouth and ask what she feared to hear. ❛ Did they want Stiles, not you... ❜
Stuart: Stuart merely fell quiet at the words from the other when she agreed that it was a difficult matter to get out of his head -- the events rattling around in his skull until there was a sharp ringing in his ears and he couldn't focus on anything else -- despite his attempts to do so. At that thought, the witch was bowing his head slightly and raking a hand through his hair to try and let the concerns roll down his spine and out of his body -- focusing instead on the words about the infirmary nurse, "You can try," he told her with a light chuckle that was almost devoid of humor. "She's not the most agreeable of types."
He then felt a sharp frown on his lips. "Yes -" he answered quietly, "They wanted Stiles. Whatever they had planned for me, they originally wanted with him. But they settled, because we have the same abilities." It was something else that had been bothering him -- what they wanted from either him or Stiles. What they wanted with their magic.
Lydia: ❛ Of course I'm going to try. No one keeps anything from my best friend, absolutely not. ❜ Lydia would always stand up for Allison, perhaps now more than ever, for all the time lost. She was a strong woman who could easily do it herself but the redhead had a few tricks up her sleeve that could benefit the situation to allowing Stuart to see her. Then the answer came, her smile fading into dust, her eyes softening into a pool of melted metal, and feeling dripping from her fingertips. ❛ They didn't even care about the person but the abilities? Why? And why Cora? It doesn't make sense. ❜
Stuart
He couldn't stop himself from giving a soft smile when Lydia insisted that she would try ; even if Stuart realized it was for Allison's benefit and not his own. He still knew that he would feel better .. mentally, emotionally... he if he could still see for himself that Allison was okay. That he could actively spend time with the huntress.
He then frowned deeply at her next words, shaking his head harshly. " -- I don't know," he admitted after a moment. He hated not knowing something -- hated being left in the dark. Hated uncertainty.
Lydia: They'd figure it out, wouldn't they? They had to. Lydia refused to accept defeat when it came to something on this level of seriousness. She would not let them win. ❛ Not yet you don't but we will. We can totally get it all sorted out. You're a genius after-all. ❜ The redhead gave him a grin to lighten a mood that could easily turn darker than it currently was. Even if her thoughts were drifting there he didn't need that energy filling the empty space. ❛ I'll let you rest so you can get back to figuring it out with me soon. And I might just stop by the nurses station on my way back. ❜
Her slip from sleep was slow, but the silence in the room seemed to set her nerves alight the moment she realized that there was an absence of warmth with her that hadn’t been there the last time she’d woken up naked in this bed. Eyes focusing through a haze of sleep, her joints protested as she sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest as her eyes scanned the room in a sleep-drunk panic.
It was when her eyes settled on his back that Allison sucked in an audible breath, one that may have betrayed the pain she’d been feeling and the relief that she felt to see Stuart at his computer. He hadn’t left her again.
It was the breath that caught his attention, straying his eyes away from the computer screen slowly to the bed where the huntress sat. He felt a hint of guilt that toyed with his emotions as the look of no doubt panic that was beginning to ease off of her features, but he softened his expression despite that and laid his mug back down on his desk as he leaned back in his chair slightly to give her his attention -- letting his mind take a short reprieve from his work.
“You’re awake,” he mused the obvious with a gentle smile on his lips fleetingly. A passing thought told him that this is how it was supposed to be -- not like before, when he was forced to leave the poor girl sleeping alone to turn himself in. It was supposed to be like this, a mutual comfort in each other’s company like they had built upon ; but merely letting it naturally build as their feelings became something new. And seeing her awake in his bed, instead of the infirmary, made his chest swell slightly as his smile grew more warm and he ducked his head with the weight of it.
Fair enough. Stuart came here from his hometown for a multitude of reasons -- one being Stiles; and searching for Stiles revealed the world of the rebellion to him. And that had become another. “That’s a lot of risk just to endanger your own safety.”
“ -- you could’ve stayed in France. You were safer there than any of us. Why did you come here?” His tone wasn’t biting, nor accusatory. Merely curious.
INPUT_SUMMARY…?__// Akilah texts Stuart after she knows that he’s safely back Underground to check on his well being.
Akilah: Stu?
Stuart: Yeah?
Akilah: You’re back, right? You’re safe? I know you escaped, but I just wanted to make sure
Stuart: As safe as I can be, yeah.
Akilah: …How are you doing?
Stuart: Tired. Sore. I’ll be fine.
Akilah: Are all of your friends oKay?
Stuart: Allison is hurt. She was shot. She’s … okay. Or, she will be. She’s healing. But, she’s human.
Akilah: I’m glad you’re all still alive. Which one is allison again?
Stuart: Brunette. Huntress. She was presumed dead for four years.
Akilah: Presumed dead?
Stuart: I don’t know the whole story. Stiles does. She faked her death to fall in with the hunters so she could collect information from the hunters. She fed me information anonymously for years.
Akilah: Ahhhhh. Who shot her? Do you know? And how did she get shot?
Stuart: Just one of the guards. I .. honestly don’t remember a lot of it clearly. I was drugged when she got to me. But I do remember that she came alone. Probably despite the others trying to make a group plan.
Akilah: Alone? Why would she do that? That was dangerous.
Stuart: .. I’m aware that it was dangerous. And I know she was too. I – Do you remember when we were younger and you told me that one day I would met someone special? Do you remember how I made fun of you for it and told you how cheesy you sounded? You have my permission for one – just one – “I told you so.”
Akilah: : ) I won’t rub it in
Akilah: I’m really happy for you, Stu.
Akilah: Now don’t mess it up.
Stuart: I don’t really plan on it. You know as well as I do that I’m not really used to something like this.
Akilah: I know. I’m just teasing. Was she as stubborn as I was about befriending you?
Stuart: It was different. I don’t know how to explain it, but .. - It was different than us.
Akilah: I’m really glad you have someone down there with you
Stuart: … I am too. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have made it out.
Akilah: …You sure you’re gonna be okay?
Stuart: I’ll be okay, yeah. The only thing that’s going to scar is the back of my neck. Allison got to me right on time.
Akilah: [delayed] What did they do to the back of your neck?
Stuart: [ delayed ] Before they knew it was me and not Stiles, they branded the back of my neck with his initials, and our birthdate.
Akilah: Stu…I’m sorry
Stuart: Don’t. It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize.
Akilah: I know, I just…I work for the government. I work for the people who do this shit to people. It might not be my fault, but it doesn’t feel like I’m doing enough to stop it.
Stuart: If you tried to do anything to stop it, you would be putting yourself in danger.
Akilah: The thing is, I don’t really care about that.
Stuart: But I do. You’re in the safest possible place you can be right now. You’re an asset to them, and they’re going to protect that. What will you do if they do start coming after you, Akilah? I can’t have you hurt.
Akilah: Then how do you think I feel, knowing how badly they hurt you when they had you?
Stuart: .. – it wasn’t that bad.
Akilah: Don’t you dare lie to me. They hurt you so badly that you were unconscious, and I know you’re probably still littered in bruises.
Stuart: … what do you mean?
Akilah: [delayed] Did you really think I wouldn’t come check on you when I found out where they were holding you?
Stuart: … you came to see me? Don’t you know how much of a risk that was?
Akilah: Yes, Stuart, I’m not an idiot. I was fully aware of the risk.
Stuart: [ delayed ] It wasn’t as bad as I’m sure it looked. They still wanted me in one piece.
Akilah: What, exactly, is your definition of bad?
Stuart: I wasn’t dead. Nothing was broken, for the most part. Bruises and minor burns will fade in time.
Akilah: At least you weren’t dead, so everything is just fine? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?
Stuart: Even so, what can be done about it now? I did what I meant to do. I kept Stiles save, and freed his father. I didn’t intend on getting rescued, if you want the honest truth. I went into it to save my brother ; to save what family I have left.
Akilah: I mean, nothing, but…you don’t have to downplay it. You looked like shit. I was worried at first that you WERE dead.
Akilah: How did Stiles feel about your little stunt, anyway/
Stuart: They weren’t about to let me die. Being Stiles, or not, I still have magic. And they wanted something out of me because of it. What they wanted, I’m not actually completely certain on.
Stuart: … he feels guilty. Because he feels like it was his fault.
Akilah: You have magic too?
Stuart: Yes, I’m like Stiles. Except I’m a witch, not a druid. My powers are not connected with a pack like his are. Which actually means he has the potential to be stronger than I ever could be, depending on the strength of his pack.
Akilah: But that’s…basically impossible. Supernatural twins rarely, if ever, share the same powers.
Stuart: I’m very well aware of this. At least, I became aware of this after I learned I had a twin brother. I’ve tried to not think too hard about the implications. But the more I learn about my birth, the more it makes sense to me.
Akilah: …What do you mean?
Stuart: You have access to almost anyone’s records, right? Tell me what you can find on ‘Dymek Stuart Stilinski.’
Akilah: [delayed] I’ve looked you up before…I don’t know how I missed the part where you died at birth.
Stuart: More than a week after birth, but – according to records, I wasn’t doing too well after birth to that point anyway.
Akilah: …Do you know how you were brought back?
Stuart: A witch coven. They stole my body from the morgue and used my spark to bring me back – in hopes of using me in their coven.
Akilah: Wait, you’re…you’re not in their coven, right?
Stuart: I’m not, no. My parents - the ones who raised me - were both solo witches. While covens are not inherently bad, this one was corrupt. My parents took me from them to prevent them from getting more powerful. And since I was legally dead in Beacon Hills, they raised me. The fire? That was the coven trying to come back for me.
Akilah: Oh my god
Akilah: Stu, I’m so sorry.
Akilah: I didn’t know.
Stuart: I know you didn’t. I tried to keep you out of all of this stuff as long as I could. Letting you think I was dead was one of the most painful things I’ve ever done, next to losing them. But, I had to. I hoped it would keep you safe. You were far too smart, had far too much going for your future, to get mixed up in the affairs of the supernatural.
Akilah: Okay, well…now you know that was a stupid decision. I don’t care if you’re supernatural. I don’t care if I work for the government. You’re just as smart as me, and I’m not going to let you get hurt again if I can help it.
Stuart: … the thing is, you probably can’t help it. We’re on complete different sides of the same war, Akilah. There might come a point where you have to pick between my life, and your job. And I don’t want you to have to make that decision.
Akilah: It wouldn’t be a hard decision for me to make.
Stuart: It should be. Because your job is also your safety net.
Akilah: Stuart, my job is just a job. If it came down to you or my job, I’d pick you every time.
Stuart: It’s not just a job. It’s a part of a bigger problem. It’s a part of the people who hurt me – and not just me, any of my people that they catch.
Akilah: I understand that, now…
Stuart: Do you just understand because it’s me that made you realize that? Because it’s so much more than me.
Akilah: No. I just never really got to hear the other side of it until now.
Akilah: Stuart, I took this job before the laws were enacted. I didn’t even know the supernatural existed when I took this job.
Akilah: When I learned all that stuff really existed, I thought it was fascinating. But the government doesn’t think that: they paint all of you as dangerous monsters with no self control.
Akilah: I REALLY thought what I was doing was for the best of the country, but I get now that things aren’t so black and white.
Stuart: None of us are that black and white, Akilah. Not just magic users. Werewolves. Vampires. Banshee. Anyone that your government claims is dangerous.
Stuart: Each one of us still has a human soul.
Stuart: If we were that dangerous, it would have been us that exposed us – not the laws. We’ve been living, as a whole, for centuries without the rest of the world knowing about us.
Akilah: I know. I mean, I’m sure there are bad werewolves and vampires and magic users just like there are regular bad people in the world. But I fully believe that most of you are just trying to live your lives like everyone else.
Stuart: Exactly my point. Exactly the whole point of the rebellion. None of us are meant to live our lives in chains.
Akilah: Stu, what do you want me to say? I’ve already said I agree with you.
Stuart: .. I know. I guess… I’m just not used to someone on your side changing your mind.
Akilah: I wouldn’t get too used to it. Most of the people I work with are very set in their ways.
Stuart: I know. I’ve met your brother.
Akilah: My brother and I…we’ve always been really different.
Akilah: I’ve been working for the government for four years, and he didn’t even realize I had moved here until recently.
Stuart: I’m aware. And grateful
Stuart: [ delayed ] Your brother is the one who took me in.
Akilah: If he ever found out I’ve been helping you…I don’t doubt that he would throw me under the bus in the name of the law.
Akilah: [delayed] …Did he think you were Stiles?
Stuart: No. He knew I wasn’t.
Akilah: Does he know who you really are??
Stuart: He doesn’t know who I am to the Underground, but he knows my name.
Stuart: Not that my name is important anymore. I’m on the list.
Akilah: Shit
Akilah: Does he know that you know me?
Stuart: I honestly don’t know.
Akilah: If he doesn’t know already, he’s going to find out.
Stuart: Even if he does, how is he to know I know you now?
Stuart: .. and besides, he still took me. And let them believe I was Stiles.
Akilah: I mean, I guess he wouldn’t be able to find out that we still know each other now. But if he finds out we were friends in high school, he might press.
Akilah: Why would he let them believe you were Stiles? Why not just keep you and Noah to lure Stiles out?
Stuart: … I really don’t know.
Akilah: I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to figure my brother out.
Stuart: I’m sorry.
Akilah: It’s not your fault.
Stuart: Still.
Stuart: And … thank you. For coming to see me. Even if I wasn’t awake. I just –
Stuart: I don’t like the idea of you seeing me like that - but it means you care.
Akilah: You don’t have to thank me. And I’m always going to care about you Stuart.
Stuart: .. I’m realizing that.
Stuart: But I haven’t had many people in my life that care. So, thank you.
Akilah: I’m really glad you’re okay.
Akilah: I already mourned for you once. I really don’t want to have to do it again.
Everyone's around, no words are coming now.
And I can't find my breath, can we just say the rest with no sound.
And I know this isn't enough, I still don't measure up.
@thejulieteffect
A low hum resounded in his throat as he worked -- one hand toying with the handle on his coffee mug before he was typing once more. If one could ignore the bruising against his skin, he almost looked like nothing had happened. Observant eyes darting across his screen quickly and taking in the information that The Shadow had given him about the Pavolv’s Device -- allowing himself to distance himself from the fact that that is what was almost put inside of him.
Scrolling through the mess of numbers, he took a small sip of his cooling coffee -- intent on just letting the female get the rest he knew she still needed. When he had gotten up, quietly as to not wake her, he had tucked the sheets around her shoulders for her modesty and tucked on a fresh pair of clothes; feeling slightly more comfortable in his own flesh as his computer glowed brightly at him and echoed against his glasses.
TAGGING __ // STUART TWOMBLY, ALLISON ARGENT
LOCATION __// UNDERGROUND ( STUART’S QUARTERS )
TIME _ FRAME ___// RECENTLY , SAME DAY AS ‘ PERFECT PORCELAIN ‘ CHATZY
INPUT_SUMMARY…?__// Just a few days after Stuart’s real life nightmare, Stuart wakes up from a nightmare -- the shifting in the bed waking Allison, who was sleeping over in his quarters. When she wakes, she notices he hasn’t been getting his bandages changed, so she does it for him. Afterwards, things grow more tender. [ TW for smut. ] [ CHATZY LOG ]
Stuart
He was shaking -- but only slightly. He didn't want to wake Allison. The nightmare that had plagued him tonight, it wasn't new. It wasn't brought on upon by what he had endured when he was being held. But instead, it was memories of burning flames and the black, beady eyes of the coven leader. He always woke in a sweat with a helpless terror gripping at his chest -- waking him with a strangled gasp.
He now sat on the side of the bed and he had shed his shirt -- sweat caking parts of his hair to his temples and the back of his neck as he raked both hands through his hair. He had been sleeping in a loose tshirt to keep Allison from worrying about him until he healed, but the nightmare fueled the heat inside of him -- almost as if the flames were in the room and engulfing them both -- and he woke up burning up. Bruises hugged at his skin, the bandages against his lower sides, near his back, were growing discolored as he had not returned to the infirmary to get them fixed -- the burn under the bandage festering as it tried to heal itself and staining the too-far-gone bandage.
Allison
The shifting of the bed had woken Allison, but she had laid there in silence for a time until she heard the soft thud of Stuart's shirt falling to the floor. Perhaps she wouldn't have moved any other time, but the fact that he had hidden his bruises and bandages from her as much as he possibly could had Allison moving in curiosity. She was quiet as she sat up in bed, her healing shoulder aching in pain as she slid over to where he'd been laying, pressing her hand lightly to his hot back.
"Stu," She murmured softly, voice concerned at the way he shook just slightly beneath her fingertips, "Are you okay?" Allison had worried about him constantly since they'd gotten back to the Underground - she had seen the way that his time in the jail had effected him. He wasn't the same - and he never would be, much like many of the experiences in Allison's life had changed her permanently. This was not the kind of pain she would have wished upon anyone, and her fingers at his back remained feather-light in an attempt not to hurt him - unfamiliar with the pathing of bruises on his skin.
Stuart
He was aware of the bed shifting under Allison's weight as she moved, a soft breath resounding in his throat before her hand was touching his back gently. He swallowed thickly before his eyes were opening and moving to her in the dimly lit room. A breath rattled in his throat before he was moistening his lips for fleeting moment, moving to bring a hand to her knee and squeeze gently.
"Yeah --" he breathed, "I'm alright." Now that he was awake, he was fine. He just needed to let himself wind down from the nightmare -- to let himself air out for a while. He hadn't meant to worry her, especially now that she had her hands on his bruised skin.
Allison
Allison let her hand fall from his back, scooting a little closer, "Nightmare?" She asked softly, pressing a light kiss to his shoulder where she knew there was no bruises. She leaned around him, clicking on the lamp at his bedside before she was straightening up again and her eyes were wandering to his skin.
Her expression softened at the sight of the discoloured bruising there, before her eyes were falling on the stained bandages and her lips puckered in a frown. "When did you get those changed last?" She asked, voice quiet and concerned. It looked like it had been far too long.
Stuart
He closed his eyes at the gentle kiss, humming under his breath at the warmth and comfort that it brought him -- a very different warmth than the memory of the flames that melted at his bones. He squinted a little when the light flickered on, allow ambers to adjust before he brought his gaze back to her as he watched her eyes dance across his damaged skin.
He craned his neck to look at his back side, letting out a breath, " ... since the nurse put them on," was his hesitant admittance. He couldn't easily do it himself, and he wasn't too keen on going back to the infirmary. "They're fine -- it's fine, Allison."
Allison
His hum in response to her touch set her skin tingling with longing, but her mind was quickly brought to more pressing matters. "That's too long," She brought her eyes to his, brows drawn together in concern. "If you don't change them, then they'll get infected," She told him, moving from the bed, tugging the hem of her shirt down as she walked towards her bag.
When she returned to stand in front of him, clean bandages and alcohol wipes in hand, Allison's expression was pleading. "If you don't want to go to the infirmary, then I can change them. Just please, let someone do it."
Stuart
He let out a curious noise as she stood and walked across his small room where she kept her bag -- a frown twitching at the corner of his lips, knowing what she was grabbing before it even came into view. He squinted, without his glasses in the barely lit room, to see the items she was holding before he was looking back up at her.
"If you think it's that big of a deal," he told her with a small breath, "Then I'll let you change them." He didn't like being around the nurse, he didn't like the feeling of being babied. And, at the least, he knew Allison wouldn't baby him.
Allison
Allison nodded, "I do," She confirmed, having no desire to let him have his wounds get infected. She sighed, moving back onto the bed and settling behind him. Quietly, Allison set down what was in her hands, "Just tell me if I'm hurting you, okay?" She knew that he probably wouldn't, but she wasn't the best at changing another person's bandages. She was used to her own wounds, where she knew the limits of pressure that she could exert upon them before they were screaming for relief.
She didn't want to hurt Stuart, and so her touch was gentle as she began to peel off the bandage, focused on the task at hand. She hadn't seen the reason for the bandage until then, and so when enough of the bandage had been peeled away, her lips settled into a frown of anger. As her fingers reached for the alcohol wipes, Allison realized just how much she wanted to make them pay for what they had done to him - he hadn't done anything wrong. Stuart had only been protecting Stiles and their friends. Despite the anger that she gave way to momentarily before swallowing it down, the pressure she cleaned the burn marks with was only hard enough to actually clean them.
Stuart
He kept himself still to allow her to change them, watching her out of the corner of his eyes with curiosity. Aside from his parents, he had never had anyone care enough about him to fuss over something like this and it was definitely a new feeling for him. But, he didn't fight her -- eyebrows drawing inwards at the slight pull of his skin from the bandages peeling away. He grunted in response when she told him to tell her if she hurt him.
As she gently ran the wipe over the markings, it stung ever so slightly -- but, he could easily suck in a small breath and let the light pain roll down his spine until it was nothing at all. He knew what they looked like, he had seen them fresh. He didn't need to look at them again. Angry, second degree burns against his flesh -- but, thankfully, the edges of his skin was already beginning to knit itself back together with new skin and it was likely that it wouldn't even scar at all.
The bandages on his side were the only ones that remained -- as he had removed the one off of his wrist, it simply getting in his way and the cut against the side of his wrist bone mostly scabbed over at this point. And the one on his neck was as healed as it could be, black lettering surrounded by an irritated pink tinge.
Allison
Once the skin around the burns was as clean is it could be, Allison gently placed the clean bandage where the old one had been. Her fingers lingered for a moment on the edges of the bandage, making sure that they would not peel from his skin before she was satisfied with the job she had done.
Gently, her fingers remained on his skin, tracing the edges of one of the most healed bruises on his lower back before her eyes were drawing up to the healed lettering on his neck. Lips still a gentle frown, Allison traced the mark with her eyes alone - not near brave enough to touch the angry pink skin around it. She sighed quietly, eyes dropping back to where the tips of two of her fingers were lingering against his skin.
"All done," She murmured, words quiet and caught with the emotions rolling through her, a mix of anger and protectiveness, and wanting.
Stuart
The witch continued to force himself still as she finished up cleaning it, satisfied once she was finally placing the new bandage atop it so that the injury could be more out of sight, out of mind. As her fingers wandered -- inspecting the rest of the now yellowing bruises against his back and ribs -- he felt goosebumps dancing across his flesh in her wake, worrying down on his bottom lip at the warmth that the feeling rose of his chest; suddenly hyperaware that they hadn't really been this intimate since he left.
He looked over his shoulder at her, eyes flickering down to take in just how close she still was, "Thank you," he murmured, moving a hand to rest on her knee and not missing the emotion flickering across her face -- wonder at the mixture of what he could read off of her visible in his eyes.
Allison
Allison's eyes flicked from his bruises to meet his gaze, fingers pausing in the gentle lines she was tracing over his bruised skin, longing to allow herself to be closer to him despite the fact that she didn't want to hurt him. She hadn't let herself touch him in this way since the night before he'd left, terrified once she'd had him back of hurting him with any pressure against his battered body.
His words drew a tentative smile from her lips, "Just don't leave it so long next time," She didn't sound scolding or patronizing, only relieved that it had been taken care of. She was overly aware of his hand on her knee, without her eyes moving from his she felt her skin flush at the touch, desire welling up in her chest as she dropped her fingers from his back and down to the bed. Leaning her weight on her hand, Allison leaned forwards, pressing her lips to his, careful not to lean her weight against him.
Stuart
The hands on his body felt ... warm and nice. His experience with her before was his first in any kind of intimate setting, and he was still wetting his toes and learning what it felt like to feed off of another person. To know someone in such a private way was not something he felt he would ever have the chance to learn -- and, especially after leaving her to turn himself in, he never thought she would let him back in. But she had done it so quickly that it melted his heart and he felt nothing but grateful. He didn't know how to express that, to express how thankful he was that he had this wonderful and strong woman who cared so much for him.
Albeit, after she spoke, she was leaning in to kiss him, and he felt the heat crackle in his chest -- a hand coming up from her knee to cradle the side of her neck, pressing into the kiss as he leaned into her. His free hand moved from its spot on the bed to slide up the material of her clothing on her side, toying and teasing at the skin on her hip.
Allison
With so long apart from anyone that she deeply cared for, Allison was a new kind of stranger to intimacy - and really just touch in general. She hadn't realized how much she had needed it until Stuart had kissed her the first time, and after he had left and she had been shot, she found it almost difficult to ease back into the trust of it despite finding so much comfort in him. With her lips pressed to his, though, it felt much easier than it was.
She welcomed his touch, sliding her now free hand lightly up his arm, as though her touch were a ghost. She was terrified to hurt him. They already had so much hurt in their lives, she wasn't interested in bringing that pain into a moment so sweet. Allison pulled away from the kiss with his fingers finding their way to her hip, "I-I don't want to hurt you, Stuart." She bit down on her lip, concerned that where she wanted this to go would only remind their bodies of the pain they were in.
Stuart
He pulled away when she did -- enough to look down at her. The lighting in the room was low, only supplied from the lamp on his nightstand. It brought out shadows against her skin that made his stomach twist -- making her flesh look warm and open, and her eyes melt into his like honey. He echoed her concern -- not wanting to aggravate the wound on her shoulder. And he knew exactly where she was coming from. But, there was also a wist of want in his chest; and not only that, a need to make her feel good. A need to make her feel wanted, and show her just how grateful he was for this second chance with her.
The hand on her neck moved to gently take her hand - the one that had ghosted down his arm -- and intertwine their fingers; looking at the way it cast shadows across his bed. " -- slow and steady wins the race?" he asked her in a soft voice, almost softer than the hum of the bulb in his lamp.
Allison
With his face cast in shadow, Allison smiled slightly at him, teeth releasing her lip as his hand moved from her neck. Watching him quietly, Allison felt her heart squeeze as he locked his fingers with hers. His words twisted her stomach with need, and despite the fact that she didn't want to hurt him, she did want to feel that same closeness she'd felt the night before he'd left. "Very slow," She stressed quietly, eyes on his as she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his once more.
With her fingers tangled with his, Allison's free hand settled on his chest lightly, leaning into him. She moved her lips from his, lips light as she pressed soft kisses along his mostly healed jaw.
Stuart
He chuckled softly at her response, laughing into the kiss -- an action that was so unfamiliar to him, and yet - with her - it came so naturally and so easily that he hardly even thought about it. When she kissed him again, his hand trailed down her back -- mindful of her injury and favoring the opposite side -- before letting his hand settle on the curve of her back.
He tugged her closer with the grip on her lower back as she pressed into his chest -- letting out a soft noise as she showed attention to his jawline, tipping his chin back on instinct to give her more room as his lashes fluttered shut for a fleeting moment.
Allison
Stuart laughing against her lips left Allison's inside practically melting, it was a sound that she did not hear enough and one that she would certainly never tire of. She shivered under his touch, appreciating his mindfulness of her injury.
Settling closer to him, Allison's lips paused before he was tilting his chin. Her fingers trailed across his chest slowly as her lips moved along the line of his throat - her movements restrained, mind screaming in worry each time she moved her fingers across skin that she knew was bruised.
Stuart
He hummed ever so slightly as her attention moved to her throat, but it did not escape his notice that she was being so hesitant against his skin. He did drop his chin a little so that he could look at her in the dimly lit room, smoothing his hand against her lower back slightly so that his long fingers rode up against the material of her shirt and skirted against the flesh.
"I'm not going to break," he reassured her, capturing her chin gently in his free hand -- sharing the same air as her before he tried to reassure her with another chaste kiss, "I promise."
Allison
Goosebumps rose up along her skin where Stuart's fingers touched, a soft hum low in her throat at the touch.
When he spoke, she looked up to him, surprised when he caught her chin. "Sorry," She breathed, cheeks flushing before he was pressing his lips to hers. Allison's fingers rested a little more firmly against his chest as she pressed into the kiss, dragging her top teeth gently over his bottom lip.
Stuart
He was relieved when she seemed to take his words to heart -- pressing a little more firmly into his body as his hand on her back continued to tug at the lower part of her sleep shirt -- fingers slowly feathering and teasing across her lower spine; still amazed at his ability to just explore her body.
He let out a long breath that almost sounded like a groan as she tugged at his bottom lip with her teeth, lashes fluttering once more before he was adjusting himself -- without parting their lips -- to be more so on the bed once more. He pulled back enough to breathe, tugging with more intent at her shirt, " -- let's lay down?" he whispered, fully intent to be the one on his back so that she didn't put pressure on her shoulder blade.
Allison
She shuddered at his near groan, reveling in the fact that she could pull responses like that from him - that he let her do it. Allison drew back just slightly when he tugged at her shirt, heart catching in her throat as he spoke. "Okay," She murmured, sliding back from him to give him room to move - unaware that she had drawn so close to him.
Allison couldn't stop herself from sliding her vision down his bare chest, and while her heart pulled at the bruises, she felt a tightness that wasn't worry or pain; it was simply desire. Her eyes drew back to his, waiting for him to move at his own pace before she was drawing close once again.
Stuart
Once she spoke her agreement, he was shifting himself around and laying against his back on the bed -- laying on his back was easier now that most of the bruising was faded, so long as he pushed most of his resting weight onto his opposite side and his lower body; and, even then, the fresh bandaging was serving as padding as well.
He reached for her, even as she drew closer to him, to tug her towards him. To invite her to straddle his body as well as to let his hands roam beneath her shirt that still served as an obstacle. Letting his hands roam against her ribcage slowly, chewing down on his lower lip as he caught her eyes.
Allison
Allison did just that, one knee resting on either side of him as he pulled her closer and his fingers slipped along her skin, the touch drawing her closer before she met his gaze. A small smile drew her lips upwards where they had been drawn into a desire-clouded frown before. Leaning her weight on her uninjured arm, Allison brought her fingers gently to his cheek, thumb sliding along his jaw before she leaned down to press her lips to his.
Though she was less hesitant, Allison was still gentle as she drew her body closer to his, hand lazily drawing a path down his throat and along his shoulder.
Stuart
He gave a soft and warm smile when she did take his invitation -- hands moving to now dance up her back under the material of her clothing. However, he was mindful to stop his hands just at her ribcage to avoid hurting her, letting his hands pass downwards one more to settle on her hips.
He let out a soft noise into the kiss, arching up and off the bed - into her - as her own hands explored his body. Feathering against memories of bruises and making him shiver with the gentleness of her touch, when his own nerves were still so haunted by the abuse from days prior; soothed by her caress.
Allison
As he pressed up against her, Allison slowly pressed down into him in answer, not wanting him to strain himself or his bruises. She pressed her fingers into his shoulder gently, as though telling him to relax, before they were sliding across his skin and lifting away from it.
She found the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and over her head - only parting her lips from his long enough to do so - and dropping it off the side of the bed. Once again, she pressed down against him, kissing him lightly for a moment before she moved her lips to his jaw and throat.
Stuart
He was relieved when she finally shed her shirt - skirting both hands down her bare sides with a soft breath. He didn't miss the gentle touch to his shoulder, and he did relax further into the bed slightly at that, a quiet noise beginning to resound in his throat as her lips face attention to his neck and jawline, amber lashes fluttering as he dropped his head back against the pillow.
One hand moved to thread into her hair, the other settling on her lower back. He was still finding himself so amazed at everything about this. That she wanted him -- that she still wanted him after the decisions he had made. That this was here for him; that she was here with him and so soft and so achingly gentle with him. This is how it should have been their first time - with the mutual understanding of where they stood with one another. But, he still didn't regret it, even if the guilt still secretly festered. He instead just wanted to find a way to show her how grateful he was; hand on her back beginning to roam into all the dips of her body, feeling how the muscles responded and the body reacted in his wake.
Allison
It had never been a question of whether or not Allison would still want him once he was back - she'd been upset, and even angry, but the second she'd laid eyes on his bruised face and heard him struggle through the haze of drugs to tell her that she shouldn't be there she'd felt all of her qualms melt away. Sometimes, of course, she still had nightmares about him leaving again - just leaving her, for no other reason than not wanting her - but she knew that she would have done the same if she'd been in his shoes. She had done something similar.
It had been a relief to find that he had actually wanted her though, and with his hand tracing the curves of her body Allison shook under the touch, knees weak at the attention he gave her. She slid her hand over his chest, down between their bodies and over the front of his pants as she nosed at his throat, kissing along his neck. Despite his insistence that he would not break, Allison's movements were still slow and careful, her shoulder reminding her not to move to quickly with the small stings of pain it would bring when she did.
Stuart
He let out a soft and pitiful noise as her hand traveled across his body - shivering slightly at the intimacy of it. It was all still so new to Stuart to be touched this way; in such a heated manner, and it made him weak at the knees. It made every nerve jump to her like she was the last thing on earth that he could ever need, praying and longing that it never, ever leave.
His breathing was growing heavier, his hand against her hair and back shaking as she continued to pay him attention that he had been deprived of his entire life, lashes creating shadows down pale cheeks in the barely lit room as he swallowed compulsively, " -- Allison..." he breathed, unsure of even what he was asking for.
Allison
Breath fanning against his skin in a silent release of breath at the noise he made because of her, Allison was reluctant but eager to moved enough to bring herself up enough to meet his gaze - heart catching at the way shadows danced along his pale cheeks. Her name on his lips was a sight to behold, with his lashes heavy over his eyes and a confused eagerness in his breath.
She shifted, hand paused mid-motion, "Stuart?" His name was breathed as a question, brows drawn together in a shaken reverence seated not in her desire but in the need that tucked itself underneath her attraction to him and rooted itself in her appreciation for who he was and everything he meant to her.
Stuart
He let out a long and trembling breath before he recognized that she had stilled and was looking at him, raking his teeth across his bottom lip before he was opening his eyes more fully so that dilated eyes -- amber almost eclipsed by the black -- could look down at her. And, if one didn't blink, one would notice the very brief flash of bright purple across his eyes that betrayed just how deep what she did to him ran.
He moved one shaky hand to pull her down enough to press their foreheads together, breath trembling audibly as he smoothed his hand over her back in small circles before it went lower and slowly squeezed against the loose material against her ass. " -- I need you," he whispered, voice almost a plea. Which, that in itself was a feat to come from Stuart. Stuart didn't beg.
Allison
Allison hadn't blinked, the purple in his eyes there and gone so quickly that for the briefest of moments she'd thought it wasn't real - that she couldn't possibly effect his pristine control so well. But then, the wound on her should stung in a reminder of what he had done for her in the not so distant past and Allison's stomach clenched with a mixture of guilt and adoration.
Forehead pressed to his, Allison trembled under his touch, hand lighting a path of goosebumps down her skin. Her breath caught when he spoke, hand squeezing her ass, before she was sucking in a breath and kissing his pleas away, the near-begging of it setting her abdomen alight with desire. Her hand slid to the waist band of his clothing, gently tugging at it, her intentions clear despite her slow actions.
Stuart
His own breath shook when Allison trembled against his touch -- continuing to let his hand wander down her thigh, at least as far as he could reach, before it danced back to her ass to press firmly against it before she was kissing away his plea. He gave a soft groan, one that fluttered mutely in his chest as he pressed himself up against her; feeling her flush against his bare chest.
He was needy, but still mindful enough to be gentle with her. At least, gentle enough to not aggravate her shoulder. When he felt the tugging on his sleep sweats, he was hoisting his hips up off the bed to help her tug them off his ass with a hand -- no boxers to pull down with it and leaving his already growing interest exposed as he made quite the effort to finally kick them off his legs and onto the floor.
Allison
Stuart was quicker than she was, though she was grateful for that, relinquishing her grip on his sweats to allow him to move. She continued to kiss him, hand roaming along his chest while he tugged the pants down and freed his legs. Gently, she pushed his hips back down onto the bed with one hand before that same hand slid downwards.
Taking his length into her hand, Allison gave his lower lip a gentle tug with her teeth as she stroked his dick, slowly and with a twist of her wrist. With his interest in her clear, it was yet more difficult for Allison to keep her movements slow but she did, soothing the tug of her teeth with a slow kiss to his lips.
Stuart
He went willingly as she pressed his hips back against the bed, the hand that had tugged off his pants now moving around her front to smooth over her abdomen and across the individual dips of her ribs before his fingers finally found the swell of one of her breasts -- cupping it in his palm.
A high whine resounded in his throat when she took his length in her hand, pressing more so into the kiss as she tugged -- his other hand moving to tighten at her hip and toy with the edging of her waistline. His hips stuttered, eager and desperate at her slow strokes -- parting his lips just enough to gasp and pant against hers as he squeezed his eyes shut. " -- do you ... do you want me to touch you?" he asked her, his voice knocked down a few octaves as he looked down between them -- the sheer imagery of her hand around his dick enough to make him moan once more, eyes crinkling around the corners as he arched up into her.
Allison
Allison's breath stuttered as his fingers traced her ribs and eventually cupped her breast, a sound caught between a sigh and a groan slipping from her in response.
His fingers at her waistline seemed to send her nerves into hyper-aware, movements slow enough that the answering stutter in her brain didn't halt the steady strokes of his length. A noise left her lips when he spoke, voice low and hesitant - torturing her in the best of ways. "Oh, Stuart," She half laughed against his parted lips, "I want you to touch me," Her breath was short, halted and liquid with desire, "I want you inside of me." She added, hesitant and left needy with his moan and his body moving up towards hers.
Stuart
He felt his throat dry when she spoke his name, lashes fluttering shut as a breath hitched and choked off in his throat before she was continuing, liquid amber opening back up to meet her eyes. When the words fell from her lips, he felt a sharp hot white mess of desire twist in his gut that he didn't know what to do with, or how to sate it. A long, breathy moan dropped from his lips, an almost tortured, "Ally--.." all that was able to form as he rutted up against her hand, eyes screwing themselves shut around another bright - and more noticeable - flash of his eyes that very briefly illuminated the room before he was snuffing it out.
The hand against her hip moved to slip under the waistband of her clothing -- blindly searching for her until two fingers found the wet center and gave it a few small, experimental circles. After the first time -- he wanted her to feel cared for. He wanted her to know that this was something he wanted -- not just the once. He wanted her in anyway that she would give herself to him. His other hand was moving from her breast to instead start to tug at the last of her clothing, not stopping the ministrations against her center; even as his hand would falter around every gasp that her hand around him brought forth. He grunted, opening his eyes once more and looking to the nightstand -- " -- drawer," was all he could manage, as both of his hands were occupied.
Allison
Her name, broken and shortened as he rutted into her hand heated Allison's core, the brightness of his eyes melting all inhibitions that had hidden themselves away as worries about his intentions. It was a lot for him to give away his control like that - she knew, had seen it happen on a couple of occasions - if his words were not enough for her, then his actions were. She had been scared to let him back in, in a way that left her raw and worried, but still it had been so easy for her to do it - so easy to find herself sleeping at his side and being with him that she had been forced to acknowledge how right she felt with him.
Allison's legs trembled as he circled her center, her slow strokes faltering with the attention. She sucked in a breath, gathering her senses briefly as her pace resumed, her insides turning to jelly with his touch. Her half-lidded eyes caught the movement of his eyes before he was speaking, understanding what he wanted before she was releasing her grip on his length and stretching to reach the drawer - a wince of pain caused by a twinge in her shoulder swallowed by a soft moan that his touch coaxed from her. With the foil wrapper in hand, Allison paused, biting down on her lip as she rested her hand above his shoulder on the bed.
Stuart
He whimpered, despite himself, as her hand left him. But, he did use her moving to his advantage to fully tug off the rest of her bottom and toss them into the mess on the floor to join his. He soothed that same hand over her back, close to her injury - but not close enough to hurt it, as if to try and soothe the pain he knew the strain had caused. Even as she leaned back into him and hovered above him, he still continued to gently work at her with two fingers.
Eyes dropped down to the object in her hand, hesitating a moment longer before he was drawing his hand away so that he could take it from her. Shaky hands, wet on one hand, fumbled with it for a moment before he was pulling the condom free of the packing and -- carefully, still, as it was still newer to him -- easing it onto himself. After it was on, he placed a hand on the back of each of her thighs to gently tug her closer to him so that his length was brushing up against her clit -- that in itself drawing a small keen out of him, "Slowly," he reminded her -- for both of their sake, even if his body didn't quite agree.
Allison
Allison almost regretted the whimper that her moving elicited from him, moving in an effort to cooperate with the removal of her sleep shorts. She closed her eyes as his hand smoothed across her back, just far enough from the stunted nerves that screamed with pain at anything, a feeling swamping her that was akin to happiness - to being cared for. A hum resonated in her throat at the touch, though broken by the reminder of his fingers at her center.
Allison's shoulder quietly complained as she set her now empty hand on the bed to support herself, weak from his attention that, upon leaving had elicited a whine from her not unlike the one he had vocalized. When he moved her, brushing against her clit, Allison moaned quietly, before gathering herself enough to nod in response to his reminder. Leaning most of her weight against his hands, Allison reached down to take hold of his length, guiding him inside of her as she slowly lowered herself onto him.
Stuart
The whine that had risen from her left his stomach in tight, hot knots -- swallowing thickly around his dry throat before he merely allowed himself to look at her -- to watch her reaction to his tip brushing up against her center. To just see her like this, to see her worked up because of him. It was almost more than he could take. And soon, he was watching her line herself up to ease herself on -- the muscles of his biceps shaking only slightly with her weight. Usually, he would take it easily, but his body was still recovering -- but he gave no verbal complaints, as it was not painful and only a slight strain on him.
As she did begin to ease herself on, he felt a true test of self control to not press up against her to meet her -- careful and mindful of both of their healing bodies. " -- you feel so good," he breathed, his voice hoarse as he swallowed around it, looking to where she took him in before letting his eyes trail over her. "You look so good. So beautiful." The words were slipped out without a filter, but he hadn't tried to filter them -- a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, as shaky as it was, as his neck colored. " -- please, god -- Can you -- I really need --" he didn't know a better way to say please fuck my dick that didn't sound ... as bad, merely giving a small twitch of his hips where words failed him.
Allison
Allison wasn't sure where her shaking stopped and his began, both only slight with the strain of their healing bodies, but his lack of complaint had Allison trusting that her weight was not too much for him. Her eyes slid down to his, watching with bated breath as his gaze seemed to take in her appearance, lips twitching into a smile at the way he swallowed thickly after he spoke.
Had her cheeks not already been flushed, they would have brightened at his words, making her glow with appreciation as she caught the way a smile tucked itself onto his lips. At his following words, Allison felt her body heat up, giving a roll of her hips in answer. His scattered need called out to her own, one of her hands resting lightly on his stomach where the bruises seemed most healed before she was lifting herself, biting her lip as she moved, slowly riding his dick.
Stuart
He pressed his hands into her thighs where his grip was stable -- not enough to hurt her, but enough for his grip to be secure and to help keep her in place and support her weight. Thankfully, he didn't need to finish his incoherent thought, but she was moving and -- oh good god. A heightened groan, low and deep, tumbled from his chest and caused him to arch up into her ever so slightly, dropping back to the bed with a whimper.
He rolled his hips up and into her with an unsteady rhythm, swallowing harshly and thickly as he did so. " -- J... Jesus .. " was all the he could manage in the moment, his voice barely audible and barely coherent.
Allison
His groan heated her stomach, heat washing across already hot skin as she moved her hips, eyes heavily lidded as Allison's eyes focused on him. She bit down on her lip as he dropped back on the bed, eyes following him.
She was quiet as her pleasure warred with the pain that had begun to bleed down her back and arm from her shoulder, eyes closing as he rolled his hips up into her. She shifted her arm just slightly, putting less pressure on her injury as his choked out words hit her ear and her eyes opened to Stuart's face once more. She moaned quietly as she rolled her hips against his, despite his unsteady rhythm finding herself matching it, pain all but forgotten.
Stuart
Parts of his body were aching from the exertion he was putting into what they were doing -- bruised muscles screaming at him as he worked his hips; as his hands gripped at her thighs to take some of her weight. But, the slow and unsteady rhythm of her own rolling of her hips made it easy for him to ignore it. Made it easier for the throb to something that was much more dull -- more sedated as choked noises rumbled in his chest while he arched into her once more; dark amber hues raking over her bare body to take her all in.
Once hand moved to smooth up her front -- because it was right there. Because she was right there and on top of him and -- oh so hot, oh so gorgeous. Disbelief running in his blood that she would want him as he feathered long, able fingers over her ribcage. He wanted to make this last, wanted to keep it slow and sensual -- but the sharp heat was already starting to coil tightly in his stomach, a grunt leaving his lips as he slowed very slightly.
Allison: Allison felt a roll of pleasure through her body at the way Stuart's eyes raked across her figure, eyes closing as his hand traced a line of fire across her skin, leaving raised goosebumps wherever he touched. A moan tumbled from her lips, lids fluttering as she focused her gaze on her hand on his stomach, eyes dragging along his torso to his gaze. She hummed in appreciation as she felt his pace slow just slightly, heat building in her stomach as she rolled her hips against his slowly.
Stuart: His eyes fluttered shut for a brief moment -- feeling his thoughts grow more muddled by the moment as a groan vibrated in his chest and rumbled out of his throat. "I'm --" he started, the words getting lost somewhere in his frazzled mind as he shook his head and tried again -- the hand on her torso moving itself downwards to tease around her pelvic bone ; long fingers curling as they feathered against her clitoris, " .. -- I think .. I'm close."
Allison: He began to speak, but his words left him so quickly that his voice merely bounced around in Allison's pleasure-hazed brain, watching in wonder as his lashes fluttered against his skin as his eyes shut. As his hand moved, though, Allison gasped in pleasure as his fingers touched the bundle of tightly wound nerves, "Oh, god," seeming to be extent of what she was capable of stringing together at that moment as the heat in her stomach curled tighter in on itself.
Stuart: He whimpered at the groaned words that left her, and he used it as encouragement. Sloppy at best, his fingers circled her center in an effort to entice her orgasm from her ; slowly still rolling his hips as he did so -- gritting his teeth around a small cry that accompanied his own, stilling for the briefest of moments as he stiffened inside of her ; feeling himself pulse inside of the warmth of her muscles and walls.
Allison: Breathing coming in heavy pants as he drew her orgasm from her, Allison bit down on her lip, muffling her cry of pleasure as he stilled inside of her. Her fingers curled against his stomach as she leaned her weight against him more firmly, the pleasure rolling through her body coaxing her eyes closed as she welcomed it as a relief from the pain that seemed to accompany all of her actions.
Stuart: He worked her through her orgasm the best he could with his own pleasure wrapping warmly around every nerve of his body -- panting through it until they were both sated. " -- you .. you good?" he asked her, voice hoarse with sex as he smooth his hand gingerly over her thigh ; his fingers still trembling.
Allison: When they had both returned from the haze slightly, Allison forced her eyes open when Stuart spoke to her. Her body trembled against his, but she nodded nonetheless, "Are you?" She asked, voice catching as she shifted atop him, relieving the pressure that she had put against her shoulder.
Stuart: As she shifted, he gently slipped himself out -- one hand moving to peel off the spent condom before dropping it into the trash bin by his bed, returning his eyes to her as soon as he did. "Yeah--" he reassured her, gently wrapping a hand around her hip, " -- lay down," he then urged gently. "We can go back to sleep." He was confident, at this point, that he could without the fear of a nightmare.
TAGGING __ // STUART TWOMBLY, ALLISON ARGENT
LOCATION __// UNDERGROUND ( STUART’S QUARTERS )
TIME _ FRAME ___// RECENTLY
INPUT_SUMMARY…?__// The emotions and fears Stuart has been keeping tightly under wraps since returning to The Underground finally makes him snap over something small -- thankfully, Allison is there to help cushion his fall. [ CHATZY LOG ]
Stuart
In the end, it didn't matter what it was that set him off. In the end, it was something small and insignificant. And that in itself would make him hate himself more for it later. It was a product of his own, lingering shakiness. It had only been a few days, and he was still getting the hang of trying to figure out how to be himself again. Shaky fingers had moved to his desk for support as he tried to pull himself up off the stool he had been using to hook his computer back up -- and a rather harsh tremor caused him to stumble. The stumble, in turn, knocked his stool into the nightstand and caused his alarm clock to topple nosily to the floor. The clock was fine, even if some of the paint was scuffed, but that didn't erase the sharp and loud noise from behind him. That didn't erase the initial fear that the noise behind him -- where he was vulnerable, where most of his abuse had been caused -- had ignited in his bones. And, without the shackles to mute his powers, he felt them twist and harbor in his chest like a wound up rubber band before they snapped harshly. A crackle in the room as his eyes glowed a bright purple -- his body jumping from his skin as his knees gave and he hit the floor. And from there, from the moment still bruised knees hit the ground below him, it all happened so fast. The realization that it was just his clock. That it was just him in his room, and the nightstand was now on the floor as well. The fact that his abilities were thrown out of control, a mirror that was carefully hung on the wall crashing and tumbling to the floor -- causing Stuart's hands to come up over his head as if on instinct as he scampered back until his back hit the wall; whimpering at the pain that it caused his still sore body.
He was shaking, dangerously so, and his eyes were wide and watery -- bottom lip trembling, and his brain still hadn't caught up to what was unfolding around him. The mundane accident that could be picked up in five minutes -- the simple misstep that instead had him a cowering mess in the corner of his room, hands still shaking and raised near his head as if to defend himself. His world tunneling in and his hearing growing fuzzy -- and suddenly, he didn't feel like he was in his room anymore. Suddenly, he felt warmth on his cheeks and a harsh, strangled sob tear itself painfully out of his throat. Suddenly, he realized he was crying. His body quivering as his hands finally lowering and pulled his body into itself to look smaller.
Because it wasn't the nightstand. It wasn't the clock. Or the mirror. It was the weight of that combined chaser thrown back over the cocktail of what was done to him, building until it finally hit his stomach in such a harsh manner that his elastic skin finally broke.
Allison
From the moment Stuart had come to the infirmary door, bruises reaching deeper than the skin that showed them, Allison had almost waited for it. That moment where the weight of everything crushed him - where something small, stupid, terrified Stuart. She waited with an iron fist around her sore, slightly guarded heart for the moment that he would break - terrified that she would be present and unable to help him. She hadn't expected it to be such a short amount of time that he'd needed, Allison's shoulder complaining quietly as she carried a coffee in each hand, balancing them to open the door to Stuart's room.
It took all she had to not drop the hot drinks to the ground, adding to the chaos that likely set him off - instead, she calmly set them on a table nearby. Carefully, but quickly, Allison tread across the room, avoiding the scattered glass before she was shrinking to her knees in front of Stuart, though not too close. She was close enough to reach out and touch him, but far enough that she would have time to react if she frightened him.
"Stu?" She whispered, voice a gentle mix that slipped among his hard sobs, heart clenching at the sound as he unknowingly peeled some of her guard away. Allison had only guessed by the way he'd looked that he'd never experienced this kind of pain - this kind of abuse - before, but maybe she'd been right to interpret the unsettled look and the way his stoic features became nearly boyish with poorly masked fear. Not about to try her luck, Allison kept her hands away from him for the time, despite the way she ached to hold him - to smooth away the pain and tension he held.
Stuart
He didn't seem to notice the female entering the room -- consumed by the world seemingly crashing down around him and trying to swallow him whole. She would be right in her assumption; this was nothing like Stuart had ever experienced before. Mental trauma was all but almost foreign to him. With the exception of the death of his parents, he had never had to find ways to put himself back together when he was so completely broken; shards edges of his mentality finally betraying him and slicing his inhibitions with the weight of everything that he had endured. His thick skin finally chipping away at itself eroding until he was nothing but a sobbing mess on the floor.
A voice, speaking the shortened call of his name, made his breathing catch with a strangled sob -- and, despite himself, it caused him to press himself back more so into the wall he had backed himself into. His mind not currently completely caught up to reality -- that he was merely tucked into a ball around insignificant broken pieces of himself cast out among the broken pieces of glass. Watered over eyes snapped upwards with a guarded gasp, porcelain cheeks speckled with tears that clung to his skin. Amber flashed violet for the briefest of moments as the lights in the room flickered in response to his emotional dismay; betraying his terrified and teetering control.
His chest was heaving between choked sobs -- a harsh sniffle burning his lungs -- as the female's features slowly swam into view. And the fear was soon just replaced by a sense of sad shame -- ducking his head down to hide himself behind his knees, body still trembling dangerous as he tried - and failed - to get his sobs under control.
Allison
The grip around Allison's heart nearly suffocated her as she watched the violet in his watery eyes flash, brows knitting together into a cradle for the concern and pure ache she felt for him - for the understanding of that first big break down. They were very few for the huntress, despite her need to bottle things up until they became uncontrollable within - but almost never outwardly uncontrollable.
Unable to stop herself as his head ducked, hiding from her, Allison slipped her hand along his shoulder, touch so soft that it was almost not there. "Stuart, it's okay." She breathed, after everything he deserved this. He deserved to cry, to snap in spite of the shame he seemed to feel for it. The weakness was hard - full of sharp edges and she could only imagine the shattered bits of his pain scattered through his lungs with each heavy sob.
Moving closer until there was little space between the two of them, Allison ran a hand through his chestnut locks, lungs short of breath for the pure amount of sadness she felt for him.
Stuart
The touch, the comforting words, was almost too much for the dark place that Stuart had found himself in. The place that, every time that he shut his eyes, he could see the men in the white coats. He could feel the press of a needle. The sharp, white hot pain of the crackling of electricity. The blunt impact of a boot. The words spat at him through sneered teeth and his refusal to offer them anything that would even resemble a reaction that they wanted -- even if he lost some of his resolve int he downward spiral of his pain. And, at that touch from the other, a high whimper rose out of his throat as he screwed his eyes shut, the action merely enticing more tears to roll down his cheeks as he sucked in a shaky breath.
But, it was the touch against his hair that made him stir once more -- cautiously taking in a quivering breath around a harsh sob, his lungs already crying for release from the hell that it was wrecking on his body, his eyes rose back up to her again; this time a mute and sated honeydew shade that she had grown accustomed to, even if the male sitting in front of her was a very different version of who she had grown to know.
Stuart didn't know how to behave like this, he didn't know what to do with himself, even at the touch that made him ache for comfort. Human instincts won out, lips parting with no words to follow them as another sob made his entire body quake. "I don't--- I ...-" his voice broke and cracked, eyes screwing themselves inwards as he shook his head and wrapped both arms around himself.
Allison
The distant look in his eyes was more than enough to tell Allison how he was feeling - indication enough of what he was reliving, what he had finally let snap inside of him. His whimper had the hot sting of tears threatening to fall in her eyes, blinking back the feeling when his eyes shut to hers. She sucked in a slow breath, because she couldn't cry. He needed this, she did not.
When he looked back to her, his eyes, glossed over with tears, tugged at her heart. She frowned, a sad turn downwards that spoke volumes for the sympathy and understanding she held for him. Despite the fact that she doubted he wanted sympathy, she couldn't stop it now - not when she had grown so accustomed to those honeydew eyes on hers.
His body shook and her hands dropped gently to his shoulder, her own shoulder protesting as she closed any distance left between the two of them and pulled him to her. "I know," She whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead, "It's okay, Stuart." She traced a gentle pattern of comfort along his back, touch light because she feared breaking him any further. Her heart ached, but still she was relieved that he was letting it out - despite how much it hurt to see him this way, she knew that it would help him in the long run.
Stuart
Part of himself wanted to retreat to the darkest corners of his mind until he couldn't feel the pain anymore -- the only time he had ever felt anything similar to this was when his parents had died. But he had never broken; not quite like he was now. He had cried, of course he had -- he remembered vaguely a break down in a motel room shower -- but never .... never anything like this. Never anything that left him so broken apart.
He felt ashamed, almost -- that Allison had to see him this way. That he couldn't just suffer in his silence and loneliness of his empty room. But, at the same time, now that she was here, it made something inside of him ache and feel desperate at the thought of her leaving him alone like this.
He was trembling by the times that her hands wandered ; by the time that she was pulling him to her. And, at this point, he couldn't stop himself. At this point, he was ran too thin. Pulled too taut. Once her arms were around him, his own moved from they cradled himself. They moved to wrap around her shoulders tightly, burrowing himself impossibly in her uninjured shoulder to hide himself away from it all -- away from his shame, and the pain -- as painful sobs ripped from him and he merely clung to the female in ways that he never thought himself able to lean on the dependency of another.
Allison
If there was one thing that she knew, it was that she was grateful to be able to be there to comfort him. This wasn't something she would want him to go through alone, not the kind of pain that she knew he was experiencing - the kind of pain that you only feel every now and then. It was the kind of pain she'd felt discovering how her mother had died - that had driven her to do terrible things - the kind of pain she'd felt in the elevator when Noah had asked if she was okay.
She winced when he held her, but did not complain despite the pain that blurred the edges of her vision - wound not nearly healed enough for him to be holding her shoulders as tightly as he was. Still, she did not complain, her hand pausing for a moment before she sucked in a breath and rubbed his back once more. Her body shook with the force of his sobs, breaking just slightly with each one, mourning the loss of his ignorance to the kinds of pain that the government inflicted upon people.
She felt helpless to his pain, unable to do anything other than hold him and let his pain run the course it needed to before he would be able to find the words to put himself back together.
Stuart
It was foreign to Stuart, the way that he was feeling -- and he did not like the feeling. The feeling of encroaching helplessness. That he was just as much of a victim to his emotions as anyone else -- that he too was able to be broken. That - things like this - they weren't algorithms that he could pick apart and piece back together in a language that he could read. It was much too much outside of his depths, and clinging to the girl was an effort to someone take those pieces of himself and hold them together with safety pins and duct tape.
He was ...scared. A deep settled fear that he never knew he could feel. Twisting and aching at his gut until it almost made him sick. Quivering in the huntress's arms as fingers twisted themselves into the material of her clothing.
"I don't --" he started once more, gasping around a sob that threatened to strangle him. " ... I can -- I can't... " He sucked in a trembling breath before he managed a muffled, " .. I'm scared."
Allison
Allison moved her fingers from his back to his hair- avoiding his branded neck- and stroked her fingers through it gently, in an attempt to calm some of the sobs, her heart aching with each one. When he began to speak she closed her eyes, once again struggling against the tears that his pain threatened to bring forth.
"I know," She whispered, "But it's okay." Allison told him, and while she would have attempted to pull back to look at him, she knew that she was better off to keep him in her arms - where he seemed to feel safe. "I'm terrified all the time," Allison's voice was quiet, choked off with both the pain his hold caused and her sadness, "And it's okay to not be able to cope with it. I'm always here for you, Stuart. You don't have to do this alone."
Stuart
He swallowed thickly - as if it would quell the burning in his lungs and against his rib cage. He hadn't been held like this in a long, long time. Not since he was a child and his mother held him. And, as he had gotten older, he had developed an aversion to physical touch. Even from his parents -- his social ineptness had always kept him from reaching out for a comforting touch. And here -- with Allison offering it so willingly, it almost broke him more so.
But he trusted her. Anyone else he would have done anything in his power to get them to leave. But something about her presence let his emotions melt into her.
He sucked in a harsh wheeze when she spoke, pulling away just enough to look at her. And for the sake of his pride, he tried to ignore that he had cast himself more or less in her lap as he clung desperately to the anchoring effect she offered. "-- you are?" He asked, the rare sense of uncertainty finding an awkward home in his tone.
Allison
When he spoke, as though he was in awe of the fact that she was there to support him, her heart broke a little more. Her gaze met his, brows drawn together in sadness as she stroked his hair lightly. "Yes," It almost hurt that she had to clarify that for him - but still, she knew that this was new to him. She didn't want to think how long he had been so emotionally alone for, how long he had had to deal with life on his own.
"Of course I'm here for you," She whispered, as though to once more solidify that fact for him.
Stuart
He swallowed so thickly that it hurt -- swallowing down another sob that threatened to break his entire body, ducking his head down with a small whimper as she stroked his hair. He hated how vulnerable he felt here; how breakable. How he felt like that - with the smallest tip or turn - he could easily shatter into a million pieces here in her arms. But ... here .. - here he felt safe. Whereas, with anyone else, he would've felt threatened.
" -- and .. you're ... still afraid?" he asked, voice tentative and small.
Allison
"I think everyone is," Came Allison's hesitant answer, "Not a lot of people know what they do to people that betray their efforts, that don't align with their values but.. I've seen more than my fair share." She swallowed thickly around the tears that threatened to fall, memories that she preferred not to think of if she could.
"I was terrified when I woke up that morning and Stiles figured out where you'd gone." She had only wished she was able to get to him sooner - to keep him from the extensive amount of abuse that they had put him through.
Stuart
His breath exhaled slowly ... shakily as he pressed one hand against his lips when he ducked his head down, hiccuping around a sob that cracked off in his chest - in his lungs - and burned all the way up as he squeezed his eyes shut, tears breaching his defenses once more and rolling down his jawline. Barely trusting his voice, he was shaking his head initially to her words.
"... -- I'm sorry..." he finally managed in a quiet tone. He had truly believed, and still did, that what he did was for the best.
Allison: Allison shook her head, "You did what you thought was right, I'd be hypocritical to hold it against you." She told him gently as she sucked in a shaking breath, touching her fingers to his tear-stained cheeks. Wiping away some of the wetness, she offered him a watery smile. She was worried about him - worried that he was holding too much of it inside, but he was getting there. Still, she was terrified of pushing him too far, so she let him talk as he felt the need to.
Stuart
His breath trembled as she wiped at the tear stains on his cheeks -- a soft noise catching in his throat as moisture clung to his lashes and his lungs stuttered ; sniffling around the feeling of drowning in the devastation that clung to him and darkened his soul. It had been so jarring to him that a human being could be so cruel to another. Just because of what was in their blood.
" .. I shouldn't -" he started, almost regretting the words that hadn't even left his lips yet. Words he hadn't spoken to anyone, not even Stiles -- or Noah. " ... I shouldn't be alive. Not now -- not ... not before all of this."
Allison
Her chest tightened as he seemed to struggle with whatever was going on inside of him - and it killed her that she didn't know. This was the easiest he'd ever been to read, and yet she never could have imagined the words that left his lips moments later. He always surprised her, but now it was the type of the surprise that rotted her arteries and poisoned her blood with grief.
"Stu..." She paused, mulling over her options before speaking, "What do you mean? Of course you should be alive."
Stuart
His head shook insistently as he trembled once more, squeezing his eyes shut as if it could melt away all the pain that ate away at him -- and the pain of the revelation that he had tried, up until now, to not think about. "No .." he breathed. Because he wasn't trying to be self depreciating, or trying to wallow in his grief. Because it was nothing but the truth.
" -- twins with the same supernatural powers aren't supposed to exist. It's cheating nature .. c .. - cheating death. I died after I was born, because both Stiles and I inherited our powers. And both of us weren't supposed to live. It's the universe's way of keeping the balance."
Allison
It took too long for Allison to process the information, the silence growing between them filled by their breathing and the pure tension of his pain. Her brows drew together in confusion, "But you're here," She finally said, thumb dragging across his jawline slowly, almost to reassure herself. At this point, it was hard to imagine a place where he was not - he had helped her get away from the hunters, had given her a safe space.
She was relieved that whatever magical force at work, whatever had made him die after birth, had not succeeded. That somehow it had all been reversed. "I don't.. understand, what balance?"
Stuart
The corners of his lips twitched, his eyes still cast downwards even as her fingers smoothed across his wet jawline in a manner that made him shiver -- lashes fluttering, creating wet shadows down his cheeks as he seemed to slouch into himself -- shaking his head with a harsh swallow.
" -- the .. stupid laws of the universe, or whatever -- " he gritted out around a choked feeling in his throat. He might've been a witch, and he might've been good at what he did. But that didn't mean he was as in tune with the earth like some of the more ... hippy witches one might run across. " -- keeping the balance, like druids are supposed to do."
Allison
Allison ducked her own head down, a space drawing between them that she loathed merely so she could meet his gaze. Her fingers tucked beneath his chin, gently encouraging him to look at her as her other hand smoothed across his shoulder. She sought for the right words, grasping at the straws of how she felt and falling short, because nothing that she felt would really console him.
"Sometimes those laws are supposed to be broken, Stuart." Allison's voice was quiet, choked off from whatever seemed to be burning through her stomach, "Just because you're not supposed to be here doesn't mean that you're going to ruin anything."
Stuart
He let out a small whimper as Allison's gentle fingers urged him to look up at her -- a whine rattling low in his throat and meshing with a nasty sob that make him convulse slightly -- amber hues swimming behind his lenses, the glass now speckled with water marks from tears, as he looked up to the girl when she spoke, brows dancing towards the center.
Teeth raked across his bottom lip as he sucked in a long breath at her words. On one hand, he could thank the coven for bringing him back -- but, on the other, they had also took his parents from him. Had left him alone in this world before he hunted down Stiles and Noah -- his connection to his twin still unknown to the both of them. " .. - they .. used my spark. To bring me back -- but they wanted to use me. Use it."
Allison
The acid in her veins curled its way through her heart as he sobbed, his body shaking against her fingers as he finally met her gaze through his tear-marked glasses. She sucked in a slow breath, one that reminded herself that despite his tears, she needed to not cry. He needed strength, not more tears.
She nodded slowly at his words, and while she knew very little of the spark and of his and Stiles' magic, she knew just enough to understand what he meant. Enough to know why they would want to use him. "It's not enough to make up for anything they did to you before," She whispered, "But you're strong. Maybe you don't feel strong right now, but I know you are. It'd be near impossible for anyone to be able to use you." Not that she would let anyone if they tried.
Stuart
She was right in the respect that -- right at that moment -- he didn't feel very strong. Even if he knew he was capable of great things with his magic, it was only because he had the unfair advantage of learning with it all of his life. Of having that spark, that magic, ever since he could remember until there was not a time he was without it. But, even with that skill, it didn't make him strong. It just -- in the eyes of some -- made him dangerous.
At her words, another rough sob tumbled out of him -- shaky hands finally moving to pull off his glasses and set them to the side so he could try and hide his tears behind his hand.
Allison
Allison's heart seemed to retract and expand, the ache she felt for him nearly overcoming her as he hid his tears away from her. She closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, body shaking just barely from the effort to not cry, before she was focusing her gaze on him again. Feather-light, her fingers traced over the hand covering his eyes on their way to smooth across his hair and down to his shoulder, avoiding any injuries that she could aggravate.
"I'm sorry," She breathed, so quietly, unsure if she had said the right or the wrong thing - she felt so guilty. Her sympathy was plain to see, but she knew that part of what bogged him down was what had happened when she'd been shot - it wasn't something she would soon forget, considering he had saved her life. But she knew that it was likely the first violent thing he had ever done, and she felt it in each piece of her, like a dull ache that wouldn't leave, just like the first time she'd done the same.
Stuart
Her assumption wouldn't be too far from the truth. Because, while he did not regret killing that man -- because it saved Allison's life -- it still haunted him. It was still a life that had been in this world that he had taken out of it. How did he have the right to take away someone's life just as easily as that man could've taken theirs? How did he have the authority?
At her apology, and the overly gentle touch from her, he shook his head once more -- she didn't need to be apologizing. All of it -- all of it was out of her hands. None of it was her doing -- it was the universe at war with them, the world demanding that they were too different for this reality -- and because of that, they were enemies. " .. it hurts," he managed, voice muffled.
Allison
While Allison could not bring herself to regret the means by which they had come upon this situation, it did not stop the way she wished to distance them from the pain that he seemed to be experiencing - from the pain that she knew could take over if she didn't figure out how to help him. She had been there. She was terrified that Stuart would let it consume him, because she had seen his obsession in the way he could stare at the computer for hours. But still, it was a relief to know that he hadn't held his pain in so long as she maybe could have expected him to.
Her arms tenderly wrapped around him, closing the small distance that had formed between them and she simply tucked her forehead to his, "I know," She whispered, closing her eyes as a frown found its way to her lips, "I'm so sorry," She managed, fingers tracing a small circle against his back because she was at a loss - she truly wasn't sure how to help.
Stuart
He hadn't wanted to break. Logically, on some level, he knew he had needed to. But -- if he had had it his way, he would have kept pressing in until it finally broke him. And his hopes had been that it would be late in the night -- when he was alone and no one was around to see him break. He couldn't stand the thought of being so vulnerable around someone else. But -- Allison was different. From the start, even if he hadn't realized it, Allison had always been different.
He whimpered slightly as she tucked herself around him, this time his hands latching onto the front of her clothing -- around the material of her biceps -- as he cried, more softly this time -- " just --" he started, the sense of shame already weighing down his words, " .. don't leave."
Stuart had finally decided to give into exhaustion and take a break from his work -- sitting the commons so he didn’t feel so enclosed in his small quarters. And, for once, he was actually doing something for amusement in the plain eye of everyone in the Underground -- toying around on a dated Gameboy Advance.
“You’ve been working, and working isn’t resting.” She answered, sliding her hand gently across his shoulder because she recognized the way he stepped closer - the unknowing way he asked for comfort. If she hadn’t needed it so badly herself, she might not have realized, because this was so new - Stuart showing her any sort of need. “I was resting until they told me I could go.” She told him, reaching her hand up to touch his cheek, tentatively, thumb smoothing across his skin lightly, as though she could smooth away some of his tension. The few days she’d had to spend in the infirmary had been torture - at least now she was free to go where she wished.
“It’s not like my work is particularly taxing,” was his response, gesturing to the pile of papers on his bed. He hadn’t gotten his computer back up and running quite yet. It was a work in progress, so he had instead been sorting through a few files that Allison usually handled -- since she had been in the infirmary. His lashes fluttered softly at the touch to his cheek, sucking in a shaky breath at how gentle it was -- not accustomed to such an intimate touch. “ -- how are you healing?” he then asked quietly, trying to not address why she was injured and what he had done about it. Even if, between them, both were obviously transparent.
Allison’s eyes closed for a brief moment, and despite the tension in her body, his hand on the small of her back relieved some of the tension in her heart. She knew that people were angry with her for the way she’d handled the situation, for going in alone to get Stuart, but he was alive. And safe. And that was so much better than the alternative that they’d faced - of him becoming like whatever Cora had become. He spoke and she brought her eyes to his again, stepping closer and bringing the hand of her uninjured shoulder to his chest. Her touch was light, unsure where he had bruises and where he didn’t, “You should get some sleep then,” She suggested quietly.
His lips thinned for a moment and he sucked in a breath that burned at his lungs and at his core -- tipping his head down more so to meet her eyes when she spoke; when her hand ever-so-gently rested against his shoulder. And, despite himself, he found himself stepping closer as if in need of the comfort; even if his own pride would never allow him to ask for it. “I’ve been resting,” he offered in a whisper with a small shake of his head, “--besides, I could tell you the same, couldn’t I?”
Allison shook her head at his apology, lips turning down, “Don’t be sorry..” She should have known better - should have known just how tense and jumpy he would be. If she was, then he had every reason to be. “Yeah,” Anything she would have said trailed off as he stood, moving close enough to her that she could reach out and touch him if she wanted. And she did. A need for physical comfort seemed to drive her to his room - not just the silent company that they’d shared previously. Allison wanted to hold him, to be held, but she was terrified of hurting him. “Sore,” She answered, and despite the understatement she was sure that she looked how she felt - pale, and weak. “How are you?” Allison asked softly, brows drawing together, eyes tracing over the bruises on his skin before moving to his gaze.
It was relieving to see her on her feet -- out of the infirmary and upright. It eased a little of the worries that threatened to eat him alive. Not all of them, but just some of them. Enough that maybe -- maybe he could close his eyes without worrying about her with every breath. ( He doesn’t know when this happened -- when he became almost dependent. It was so unlike him and the connection almost scared him. ) The corner of his lips twitched slightly when she reassured him to not apologize, crossing the small amount of space that separated them after a hesitant breath to smooth his hand over the small of her back; being overly gentle, even if he knew it wasn’t near her injury. “ .. tired,” he responded when she asked how he was doing -- that being the only honest answer he knew how to give.
TAGGING __ // STUART TWOMBLY, ALEKSANDER PATEL
LOCATION __// TOPSIDE ( HANDICAP OFFICE )
TIME _ FRAME ___// PART OF ‘THE IMPOSTER’ EVENT, DIRECTLY AFTER THE “CONCRETE STREET SKIN” SELF PARA
INPUT_SUMMARY…?__// When Stuart goes to turn himself in in lieu of Stiles, he’s not expecting Aleksander to be one of the ones at the office -- an individual he knows has met both himself, and Stiles, and will likely be able to make his entire plan fall apart. [ CHATZY LOG ]
Stuart
Panic had bubbled and swirled in his stomach the moment that he had seen Stiles on the top of the Most Wanted list. It had been a risk, in more than one way, when Stiles had removed his handicap. He knew that. For his physical well being, it could've killed him. But, the witch also knew that the druid differed from him when it came to problem solving skills -- that Stiles typically jumped into the situation and thought of the complications that could arise later. It didn't actually seem to be Stiles' fault that he was exposed; Stiles had been using the faux handicap that Stuart had crafted for himself. For all intents and purposes, unless seen by someone who spent a lot of time around them on a more work-orientated level, it passed pretty flawlessly. Stuart was just currently not to keen on going Topside after his run in with Camden, and he had planned that if he did decide to return to Topside, he would craft himself a new one.
That, however, all changed now that Stiles was exposed.
Stiles was much more of a valuable asset for Le Chassé than he was, at least in Stuart's eyes. And there were far more people who would be effected by Stiles' disappearance than his own. ( Even if his heart still broke for the hurt he knew Allison would feel once she found out after what had transpired the night prior. )
He composed himself for a good half an hour nearby in a hidden alleyway, raking both hands worriedly through his hair before he finally got his heart to a level that he could breathe without it choking him. Albeit, when he walked into the Handicap Office, he had to once again swallow his emotional reaction and stomp back down his erratic heart. He didn't give it any thought, that the government man he had met on the surface as Stiles would be in the office. But, there he sat -- ( Alek, right? ) sitting next to a man he didn't recognize. The unknown man was burly and large and had far too many weapons on his person to make Stuart comfortable. The muscle, he assumed. Probably didn't know much about the working of everything, but was paid enough to not need to. But, if he didn't get past Aleksander, everything would fall apart. He would still be taken in, and Stiles and Noah would still be in danger.
He swallowed that all down in a beat of a moment, walking up to the desk and clearing his throat to gain their attention. "I'm Mieczyslaw Stilinski," he started. And, despite his brother's name being more complicated than his own, it still fell off his tongue easily and sounded natural. "I'm here to turn myself in so that you'll let my father go." He almost flinched at that -- almost. It was unnatural, saying father when referencing Noah, when he hadn't even met the man and was still unsure if Stiles had told Noah that Stuart was even here.
Aleksander
There was a point in his life when Aleksander realized that he wouldn't be okay with everything that was happening by his own hands. He knew that there would be a chance that he would disagree with his peers- that there would be something something that would set him apart from the others and risk his job. He knew that there would some things not even he could let slide. He tried to tell himself that he hadn't reached that point. Taking in a prisoner that had done nothing wrong, simply because his son was a criminal? That was definitely past a line that Aleksander ever wanted to cross, and yet it was no reason for him to stop what he was doing.
They had cross examined Noah, but the answers had been exactly as expected. He didn't know anything about Le Chasse. He didn't know Stiles' whereabouts. They wouldn't get anything out of the father, though his peers knew that just as well as he did.
Aleksander had his own office, but he liked to spend a lot of time out with the others. He wasn't in charge, but his authority could be deemed as threatening unless he made them believe that he was just like the rest of them. It was that kind of viewing that would gain him votes, whenever he decided to run for the Presidency. That was where he was, when the other walked in. Ironically, it wasn't just Aleksander that was making rounds, gathering the information that he needed for the day. Jason Stansgard, commander of the special task force, was with him as well. They had been mid conversation when the other walked in, but the entire office fell silent the moment he walked in. Aleksander pretended not to notice, but Jason watched the boy like a hawk. His hand was inching towards his gun belt, Alek noted.
"Mieczyslaw," he tasted the words, letting his eyes examine the other. Coldly. There was no doubt. With the way he carried himself, with the constellations of moles dotting his skin... this wasn't Stiles. And yet. "Weren't you supposed to be the smart one?"
Stuart
His eyes didn't miss the way the bigger man's hand went for his belt. Stuart had no intentions of trying to fight unless this went south. He didn't want to do anything that would endanger Stiles -- or Noah -- further. He knew that the man before him was armed to the neck with all different kinds of weapons. Weapons to take down almost any supernatural creature. And while he was not Stiles, his abilities likened his in the way that whatever would take down Stiles -- it would take down Stuart as well.
He let his eyes linger on the man for a moment longer, mostly because he was actually afraid to make eye contact with Aleksander. Albeit, when the man spoke, he was forced to give him his attention once more -- drawing in a long breath that made his chest expand as he bounced the other's words around in his head. Bounced around the way that the man was looking at him. There was no doubt in his mind that this man knew that he wasn't Stiles, and it made his throat go dry. "I guess that's entirely subjective to who you ask."
Aleksander
Aleksander had already made his mind up on the other, knowing that his first instinct would always be the right one. Logic came easily to him- enough that it was ridiculously simple for him to put almost everything together. "I suppose it is," he said simply, holding his hand out for Jason. The bulkier man slipped a pair of cuffs into his hands, drawing out a weapon with his other hand. He had no intention to shoot, Aleksander was sure. After all, Stiles was wanted alive, not dead.
These cuffs weren't standard. They were thicker, designed specifically for those with the M restriction. Aleksander moved around the desk with them in hand, raising his eyebrows as if to dare the other to react. He wasn't Stiles, and yet the man had every intention of taking him in despite that.
Stuart
His heart was hammering a wild cadence in his chest that almost made him sick -- but, Stuart had schooled himself over the years to keep himself, his reactions and his expression, entirely separate from his emotions. It was never that he didn't feel them, because he did, but he kept them disconnected from how he acted and how he expressed himself. It was a dangerous matter if he mixed high emotions to anything higher than what they were on surface value -- or else he could totally lose control of his magic.
There was a strange balance of both intense fear and relief when he watched Aleksander take the larger cuffs from the bulky muscle. They were bigger than standard cuffs, and he assumed that it was to restrict his magic. That in itself made him nervous, since he had never been Handicapped -- he never knew what it was to be without his magic. It was always something he could fall back on. The corner of his lips twitched with this realization, but as Aleksander came around the corner, the only reaction he gave to the challenging look was to place his hands behind his back.
Aleksander
Aleksander crossed the way easily, snapping the cuffs on without any further hesitation. He didn't know how it felt, being handicapped, but he truly did think it was for the better. Having powers that could alter everything, having extra strength or agility, or being able to turn yourself into a weapon-- those things weren't good for the public. Detaining people like Stiles was for the greater good, even if he wasn't sure if a greater good truly existed.
"Take him down to the holding cell," he said, once he was sure the handicaps were secured on Stuart's hands. "I'll meet you down there in a couple of minutes." He had to finish up one little thing, but he had a few things he wanted to ask with Stuart. Jason met his eye and nodded, and Aleksander knew that he'd be taken to their small little cell. There, he could ask his questions, before Stuart was sent to the prison.
Stuart
When the cuffs clicked around his wrists, he felt his heart drop into his chest. Part of him wanted to try and tap into his powers -- but he knew better, on the other hand. He swallowed so hard that his throat burned, stumbling when the man grabbed him roughly. In his opinion, it was much too rough for someone who wasn't putting up a fight, but he supposed the man wanted to keep up appearances.
He man drug him out of the main office and down a too bright hallway before taking him into a small room with just a table and two chairs. "-- you don't exactly have a comforting touch, do you?" He bit out hoarsely. The man didn't give any indication that he even heard him.
He forced Stuart into the chair, taking a pair of standard cuffs to secure his hands to the back of the chair -- his bolted to the ground while the other wasn't -- before leaving the room and leaving Stuart there to wait for Aleksander.
Aleksander
Aleksander was another five minutes before he could head down to the holding cell, but Jason was standing outside the door dutifully. "I won't be too long," He told the man, pushing his way into the room. It was a simple room, two chairs and a table, just enough to ask a few questions before the transport team was allowed to arrive. They rarely ever got to see this room, mostly because they were taken straight to the prison if allowed.
Stuart was seated in the chair furthest from the door, his arms secured behind his back. Every moment with him was another moment to solidify the thought that no, this wasn't the man he claimed to be. Stiles Stilinski was somewhere else in Beacon Hills, still able to cause havoc. "Who are you?"
Stuart
Stuart didn't look up from his spot glaring at the table until Aleksander was fully in the room and speaking to him -- and even then, it took him a moment to bring amber up to the other. He had to force himself to not squint -- the older man out of focus without his glasses, but he was growing more and more used to the hazy vision that resided when he would go Topside and allude as his twin.
Eyebrows drew inwards as he tipped his head to the side, attempting to not let the illusion slip through his fingers even if he knew that -- with Aleksander -- that illusion was nothing more than grains of sand already in the air. "What kind of question is that?"
Aleksander: Aleksander eyed the boy, approaching the table. Oh, it was so dreadfully obvious, and Aleksander wasn't interested in playing this little game. "You know exactly what I mean. We both know you aren't Stiles and you aren't going to fool me." He kept his tone the same as it always was, because even something like this held no excitement. The only thing that mattered to him was the why and he didn't have an answer for that. Why was he letting this difference slide by? He wasn't entirely sure.
Stuart
Stuart leveled his gaze at the other male, eyes raking over him for a few long moments. He was too eerily still in this moment, anyway, to be Stiles. Stiles, by this point, would've smarted the man off in more ways than Stuart could probably even think of in his lifetime. Stuart hadn't been expecting someone like Alek to be here when he turned himself in.
He let out a long breath that made his chest heave before he was dropping his eyes, something in his body relenting visibly, " -- are you still going to release Noah?" he finally asked, " -- if I tell you, will you still let his father go?"
Aleksander
"Yes." The words came out of his mouth before he allowed himself to truly think about it. If he were any other man, he'd be lying. Jason, or Nate, or any of the other men who worked alongside him. They'd tell Stuart that they'd free Noah, get their answers, and continue to keep the man locked up to lure out the real Stiles. If he was ruthless, or cunning, or actually cared about the things he was fighting for, he would do exactly that.
But Aleksander didn't care about the cause, he was just doing his job. Though, in actuality, he wasn't even doing his job right now. He was satiating his own personal curiosity. "You have my word. As far as anyone else is concerned, you are Stiles." And he wasn't lying about that.
Stuart
He regarded the other man for a long moment -- and he almost debated asking the man why. Wondering what his motivation was to so easily lie when it could just be easier to keep them both and continue hunting for Stiles. But -- Stuart didn't want to push his luck. He knew better to when to hold his tongue than his twin did; inhaling sharply -- so roughly that it burned his lungs and his chest.
After a long, long moment of silence, he was finally speaking -- tearing his eyes away from the man to focus on a spot on the table so he didn't lose his nerve. "I was born here in Beacon Hills as Dymek Stuart Stilinski. If you look for that name, you'll find records of a baby that died barely over a week old. My legal last name is Twombly. I was raised in Del Mar, California; I was adopted. That you can also verify by searching my records."
Aleksander
Aleksander's eyes glazed over for a moment as the boy decided what he was going to do. There were a couple explanations that flitted through his mind at the sight of him, but the most logical seemed to match up pretty evenly with what was the actual truth. Shapeshifter didn't seem right, because why would a shapeshifter cover for Stiles? All of his knowledge never showed any shapeshifter in this town, let alone one that cared enough about the Stilinski boy.
Twin was the most logical. Though, according to his information, that boy was dead.
The thing that shocked him the most wasn't that he was somehow alive, or that he somehow made it back to Beacon Hills (though he assumed he was still a part of Le Chasse. After all, it was likely he had the same powers as Stiles.) No, the thing that shocked him was where he was raised. Del Mar... the same place as his sister. "Okay," he said in response, not even bothering to hide the thoughts flitting through his head.
Stuart
Once he finished talking was when he finally raised his eyes to the other -- taking in his reaction. Curiously enough, the most surprise from the other came from the information of where he was raised. After all, Stuart wasn't sure if Akilah and Alek grew closer after his susposed death -- especially after they both got jobs in the government fighting for the same side. Even if his sister was now ... emotionally compromised. He hoped that Akilah didn't dig enough to discover what he did. But, his hope was in vain because it would be all over the news that the sheriff's son turned himself in; and Akilah would know better.
Instead of focusing on that, his wrists twisted slightly in the crude and bulky cuffs. "-- don't worry. These work just as well on me as they would Stiles--" he breathed, not too keen on trying to test them.
Aleksander
Aleksander had a lot of questions and the need to know everything. Even more than that, he had quite a bit of concerns. If Akilah knew who this boy was, there was a chance that her ob could be compromised. After all, she grew much more attached to people than he would like. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to ask the boy about it. If he knew Akilah, it was possible that he didn't know she was here, or even working for the government. He'd like to keep that way.
"I figured it was hereditary, since you haven't attempted an escape yet. You've already got what you wanted, after all." Noah had been ordered for release already, though Stuart wouldn't know that he knew it was safe to assume.
Stuart
He let out a long breath at that, his eyes still focused on the table instead of the man beside him. What you wanted. Stuart honestly wasn't sure exactly what it was he was wanting. Noah's release? Stiles' safety? Yes -- but at this cost? It wasn't the best decision he had ever made in his life -- and he was already anxious and afraid, a feeling Stuart was not overly familiar with, with whatever was to come for him. What they would do to him -- believing he was Stiles. What they would do to try and draw out whatever information that they wanted from him. But -- them not actually knowing what he truly did for Le Chassé, even if they did learn he wasn't Stiles ... -- it was a blessing. If they knew he was The Pariah, he was sure that it would have been much worse.
" -- why are you doing this?" he finally asked. The one thing he had in common with this man was a strong sense of curiosity. Why was this man, who did his job so well, lying for him? True -- they still got Stuart in custody in lieu of Stiles ; but, Aleksander could've easily ratted him out and continued to search for Stiles without releasing Noah.
Aleksander
Alexsander could feel his own brain spinning at the question that Stuart then asked. Of course his thoughts supplied him with the thoughts that, perhaps, Stuart was asking about something else. Why he was working for the government, or why he was letting the other know that he knew he wasn't Stiles. But no, he knew what Stuart was truly asking and there was no point in playing coy. He wasn't very good at that, anyways. "Why does anybody do anything?" He asked, not even intending to sound so discreet. He wasn't even entirely sure himself. Perhaps it was his own connection (or lack, thereof) to his family. Perhaps it was a kindness he didn't even realize he had.
He shrugged, his expression going slack once more.
Stuart
He looked the male over for a moment longer, a low breath escaping his lips. The man was hard to read, and Stuart was not used to that. He was used to being able to - at least by face value - pick someone apart and at the very least assume what their motivations behind their actions were. But this man .. - he was different. And despite how well he knew Akilah -- Aleksander operated differently than his sister. If he didn't know from their past, he almost wouldn't even believe that the two were related.
The look that crossed over the witch's features was almost unreadable before he was letting out a soft breath, turning his eyes away once more and twisting his wrists in the uncomfortable restraints. " -- did you need anything else from me?" he finally asked quietly.
Aleksander
Aleksander shook his head, surprised to see this brief look of fear in Stuart's eyes. This boy reminded him of himself in some ways, but he wasn't quite able to hide the apparent discomfort. No, this boy probably functioned on a different level than him, he was decent at masking it.
"No," Alek replied, moving to hover by the door. Of course there were other things he could have asked, but it seemed pointless at this time. Nothing was urgent, nothing he truly wanted to bring to light as a concern for the enemy. Anything else would be asked by the interrogators. "Anything else we need will be worked out of you, one way or another."
