ok ok so time for the discussion
what we know for sure: that train ride was undeniably filled with sexual tension. scarlet wanted to kiss wolf and was touching him up. he initially tells her to stop (questionable scarlet moment tbh) but then folds immediately. she kisses him and then he kisses her back more passionately. chapter ENDS. scarlet wakes up with wolf spooning her. they fell asleep like that. what happened in between??
evidence suggesting that they didn’t:
the most obvious: the text does not explicitly say anything beyond that happened (but what does it suggest? more on that later)
in cress, scarlet’s pov says the only time she kissed wolf, aside from in the opera house, was “that night” on the train. if anything more than a kiss happened, a kiss would have been less significant and not worth mentioning
evidence suggesting that they did:
now correct if i’m wrong, but no where else in the series does a chapter end off with two characters (in arguably the most sexually-charged relationship) kissing and the next starts with them sleeping next to each other. and then said characters frequently thinking back to that “magical night”. this suspicious pause in the narrative and the significance the character’s place on the night just screams subtextual sex to me idk
scarlet’s later dig at wolf when she’s upset at him: “i can’t believe i let you touch me.” most likely referring to the kiss but wouldn’t this hit much harder if they actually had sex? the word “touch” is also italicized in the book which has always been sus to me,,,(could just be scarlet emphasizing the word when she says it but IDK it has always stood out to me)
wolf’s intense attachment to scarlet after the events of scarlet makes more sense if they had sex on the train,,,now i am also accepting of the actual canon that wolf is a heavily traumatized and touch-deprived individual, so it makes sense that he would fall so hard for the first person to show him a modicum affection, respect, and intimacy. BUT, forming emotional, long lasting bonds after sex is intrinsic to the whole alpha male-female wolf mate thing they have going on and that both characters allude to, so it would just make more sense
based on the drafts marissa posted ages ago, the series seemed to be a bit more mature in earlier iterations (i.e. thorne aka woods suggesting cinder sell HER BODY FOR CASH). mayhaps the ambiguous night on the train was a vestige of this old version of tlc,,,(a weak point, i know, but worth mentioning regardless)
my final verdict: this night was intentionally left ambiguous for younger readers of the series but subtextually screams they fucked for those who could pick up on it/assume it. while i do believe more happened that night than what was explicitly described, i also enjoy all the fanfics that write about their first time happening after the events of the main series (in fact, more people should write about it tbh)
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
