( dani gapes, and alina stares back, a doe-eyed animal openly wrestling with its fight-or-flight instinct. for a single moment, the light shudders and shakes, flitting about like a nervous firefly. then: a calm settling as it dims into a non-threatening pulse, fingertips twitching at the first brush of his. )
Daniil.
( his name leaves her in a winded breath, the air sucker-punched out of her gut. daniil, who would believe her if she spat a lie through her teeth, claimed it to be another trick of this awful place. daniil, who is so in love with the sun that his fondness borders on devout. daniil, who might be the least likely to expose her secret.
she hates it — the thousands of calculations her mind races through, the quick-snap decision she has to make between friend or foe, advantage or disadvantage, dangerous honesty or self-preserving lie. she hates it, but she makes it as she's made every other impossible choice: hoping against hope it won't be the wrong one. alina's fingers cling around dani's in return, bleeding out warmth. the heat of a cozy bath, of the first brush of morning light through curtains.
on a wince, she pushes herself a step forward, bare skin bitten by prickly brambles. )
You wouldn't believe me if I told you. ( through a labored exhale, she manages: ) Pull me through.
no subject
Daniil.
( his name leaves her in a winded breath, the air sucker-punched out of her gut. daniil, who would believe her if she spat a lie through her teeth, claimed it to be another trick of this awful place. daniil, who is so in love with the sun that his fondness borders on devout. daniil, who might be the least likely to expose her secret.
she hates it — the thousands of calculations her mind races through, the quick-snap decision she has to make between friend or foe, advantage or disadvantage, dangerous honesty or self-preserving lie. she hates it, but she makes it as she's made every other impossible choice: hoping against hope it won't be the wrong one. alina's fingers cling around dani's in return, bleeding out warmth. the heat of a cozy bath, of the first brush of morning light through curtains.
on a wince, she pushes herself a step forward, bare skin bitten by prickly brambles. )
You wouldn't believe me if I told you. ( through a labored exhale, she manages: ) Pull me through.