He closed his eyes and allowed himself to r e s t as her fingers traced his eyes gingerly, leaning into her touch as if he had yearned for it for days. And he had as they had shared such a small space and yet the distance was so massive and growing by the day almost. One again he was grateful for his heightened hearing as her words were sure but very soft. He had longed to hear these very words from her, that she didn’t see him as the monster that she once did, but the following words of warning quickly ruined it.

His eyes snapped opened once she warned him he wasn’t safe with her, his clear blue eyes studying her quizzically. He seized her hand once it was free on her lap, holding onto it in case she suddenly decided to leave. “What are you talking about? Where is this coming from Allison?”

Allison’s skin f e l t raw to the touch. Every nerve received the jolting relief of his energy to only take fire from her defense. Love. Hope. Desire. All inflammatory emotions that eroded the base of her teachings. She wasn’t allowed to feel these things when she went out destroying it for others. No matter how convoluted the circumstance, the binds of her oath strangled out the moral questionability that hung between the paces of each draw of her bow. Staring out onto the rippling sky, she felt herself spiraling back to earth with such a furious intent. Fate and the universe had plans for the young huntress; the folly of love wasn’t strong enough to persuade her to change her colors.

Isaac turned his gaze back towards the sky as a couple dazzling fireworks lit up the sky consecutively, his blue eyes flickering golden with each reflective flash. Everything seemed a little more fascinating ever since he got back - the subtle rise of the sun that warmed the earth each morning, the cool crisp breeze that brought goose bumps to his skin, the slightest contact from her that warmed him all over…

“I come back from the dead and you suddenly think so highly of me? Allison, I have these eyes for a reason.” he reminded her quietly, blinking a couple of times to readjust his sight before looking back over to her.

Even in his darkest moments, Isaac rose like the brightest star. The unfortunate thread that unraveled the solid path beneath his feet never soured his vision. He lead with his heart; all ill will and malice washed from his skin with the glamorous golden hue of the rising sun. God, or whomever was up there, knew that he deserved a second chance. 

He thought things had changed. He thought they had moved past their differences but maybe he had something in his sleep? Or she had caught the reflection of his eyes? She just seemed closed off, not as she had been before, but there still seemed to be something keeping her from him and he couldn’t pinpoint it. He kept his eyes on the sparkling night sky but he was aware of her stolen glances, his skin prickling as he tried not to notice. It was growing more difficult not to just kiss her then and there.

“May be a good one?” Isaac repeated, finally turning his gaze back to her as she moved over to make room for him. He did his best to fit his tall frame into the space without overcrowding her. “I dunno about that. I think I’ve gotten a chance to start fresh,” he grinned.

There was something about the bursts of colored flashes from the firework and the closeness of their skin that felt magical. Allison firmly stopped believing in fate and fairytales. All the twisted creatures that plagued the little prince and princess were real and there was no happy ending at the end of the strife. All that was left after the carnage was death and darkness. Yet, here she was feeling like she’d been touched by some potent fairy dust. The hours that spanned between his reentry into her life backfilled the voids in her with rekindled hope. In the same breath, her defense worked feveriously to stomp out the flames. She wished selfishly that she could wrap up in him and fade into the sunset.

His intention of a short and simple exchange was quickly dissolved by her hand on his wrist that brought his tall frame to a halt. He’d be the first to admit that the smallest touch from her had so much control over him - more than it probably should but the boy couldn’t help it. Strange to think how far they had come from knives and claws to gentle brushes and soft words. His fingers dropped from the cup as she reassured him she didn’t need anything and he exchanged a warm smile as he gingerly withdrew his hand back and folded his arms across his chest.

Was he ready for the new year? It felt like a very complicated question that needed more than a simple yes or no answer. Since almost half the year had been stolen from him and the rest was hiding as a fugitive…he felt like this new year he could actually breathe. He didn’t have to constantly look over his shoulder, he had a place to call his own, not to mention Allison.. “Yes. I’ve been more than ready,” Isaac murmured, leaning against the window frame and gazing out the window at the view that had captivated her gaze just a bit ago. “You?”

Phoenix is ours.

It wasn’t that Isaac wasn’t grateful to be back, don’t get him wrong, being alive and safe was a great improvement to how his luck had been going. His color had returned quickly and he was already back to hid old self, before the Harvest and all. But when Allison had invited him in not so long ago and the kiss they had shared, not only then but at the club many months ago, he figured…well he didn’t think it was going to be like it had been when he had been living with Bonnie. Sparse exchanges here and there but nothing too personally shared. And the d i s t a n c e. He longed to close spaces between them, whether it be a couple inches or five feet apart, but was it his place?

He didn’t think he imagined the sparks between them all this time, the tension, but maybe…? Regardless, he loved being around her and he didn’t want to do anything that would disrupt it - they even shared the bedroom unless one of them fell asleep on the couch. Nothing except sleeping of course. He waited a moment, watching her silhouette in the window for a moment before walking over to her.

“I can heat that up for you…?” he asked softly so not to startle her, his hand brushing hers as he reached for her mug.

He liked that he could still make her blush after all this time. Isaac couldn’t help but grin at her admitting she actually liked his charm - she couldn’t act annoyed all the time now because now he knew the truth. There was already so much about her that attracted him but when she allowed him to see these vulnerable pieces, he just wanted to be around her more because those pieces were rare and even more beautiful.

He didn’t put up much of a fight or argument as she ordered him to take the bed instead. Sleep was sleep and while he typically like a good verbal spar with her, he figured it was alright to let her win this one. He winced as he finally let his body relax and rest, the first that he felt he could after he woke up back in his body. Letting out a long sigh, his hand lingered on her arm as she began to pull away. “Can you stay? Just for a moment…”

1.04 → 1.17

Isaac laughed, a very tired but real sound that seemed to take his whole body to accomplish it or else it wouldn’t make it past his lips. “I don’t think I ever had a choice to your “assertiveness” but that’s true, it’s what I like about you.” They had butt heads quite a bit before but he always summed it up to the fact they both felt something neither could act on in the moment because he trusted her to guide him on whichever plan she had within in reason - it was just fun to give her a bit of a hard time to make it fun.

He shuffled inside, taking the tidy and well put together place she called home. Not too much clutter or extra things. His eyes closed momentarily as she placed a hand on his chest, breathing deeply and relishing her touch. “I think I just need sleep. I can take the couch if you prefer…”

The crimson blush settled on her cheeks at his admission. Allison didn’t really have any confirmation that her forbidden feelings for him were reciprocated. They were hot blooded teenagers tangled up in the tragedies of their fate and the burden of choice. There wasn’t much downtime between each horrible event; it was hard to miss the innocence of true connection. “You’re right partly. Just like you didn’t have a choice in my assertiveness, I didn’t have a choice in your charm.” Allison allowed one single glimpse at the crack he’d created in her air tight defense. He’d seen the ugly pieces of her and didn’t turn away in disgust. Isaac didn’t leave her for her violence or lack of faith.