⠀⠀⠀⠀𝓟ₑᵣᶜ͙ᶦ͙𝔳ᵃ͟ˡ͟ 𓈒

@hyrded⠀⠀ ⠀∕⠀⠀⠀honestly  feel  free  to  drop  anything  anytime  <33

@draquIa       &.              perfect,  perfect.   imma  drop  something  for  you  in  a  min.  >3

@hyrded⠀⠀ ⠀∕⠀⠀⠀hey!  and  i'm  not  opposed  to  the  idea

⠀‬‬ ⠀⠀‬‬⠀ eye  twitch.  he’s  not  getting  out  of  this  one.  with  a  sigh  of  exasperation,  montresor  turns  around,  like  he  wasn’t  trying  to  get  away  in  the  first  place.    “  fine.  good.  ”   he  replies,  very  very  flatly.  straight  to  the  point,  so  the  conversation  doesn’t  have  to  last  any  longer  than  it  has  to.
            
            ⠀‬‬ ⠀⠀‬‬⠀ ▆    ﹙  @draquIa.  ﹚

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀‟dear  friend  montresor!‟  it  was  near  impossible  to  keep  out  of  percival's  line  of  sight  with  his  abnormally  large  stature.  he  also  found  that  montresor  always  stood  out,  even  in  a  room  full  of  countless  different  people,  like  a  flower  among  weeds.  ‟how  are  you  and  your  'partner'?‟  the  word  partner  was  spoken  with  emphasis,  a  knowing  look  in  percival's  eyes.
            ⠀⠀ ‎  ‎  ‎ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ۫⠀ ‎@impunemente 

⠀⠀⠀wouldn't  have  pegged  you  as  the  bossy  sort,  huh.   ﹙  of  course,  bernadette  has  to  save  face.  there  is  no  way  she'd  admit  it  out  loud…  not  after  spending  who  knows  how  long  dodging  her  real  feelings  for  percival.  so,  naturally,  she  falls  back  on  her  usual  snark,  throwing  a  teasing  jab  his  way  as  payback  for  him  being  difficult  earlier.  she  tries  to  play  it  cool,  brushing  it  off  like  it's  nothing.  with  a  forced  nonchalance,  she  pushes  herself  off  him  (or  at  least,  she  attempts  to),  pretending  that  saying  those  three  words⸻words  she  never  thought  she'd  utter  again⸻hasn't  just  made  her  want  to  keel  over  and  die  out  of  embarrassment.  ﹚   told  you  already.  not  my  fault  you  weren't  paying  attention.
            
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀﹡⠀﹕⠀⠀@draquIa.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀percival  has  never  known  bernadette  to  be  *this*  needy  and  affectionate.  having  those  three  words  uttered  back  to  him,  no  matter  how  humiliated  she  must  feel  baring  her  heart  to  him  like  this,  is  uncharted  territory.  loving  came  naturally  to  percival,  feeling  loved  was  not  as  much.  but,  god,  did  it  feel  good  ──  to  be  loved,  to  be  loved  by  *her.*  weeks  worth  of  hanging  onto  every  little  thing  she  did  with  him  for  some  kind  of  meaning  now  paid  off  with  this  confirmation.  but  now  ──  percival  didn't  even  know  what  to  do  with  himself.  he'd  gone  still,  as  if  paralyzed,  unable  to  move  away  from  the  embrace  himself.  he  only  offered  a  quiet  grunt  of  acknowledgement  while  he  reeled  her  in.  in  bernadette's  home,  among  her  rooms  and  possessions,  and  in  her  arms,  percival  found  a  sliver  of  hope.  ‟again,‟  it  wasn't  a  request.  ‟louder..‟
            ⠀⠀ ‎  ‎  ‎ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ۫⠀ ‎@sanquinarian 

⠀⠀⠀okay.   ﹙  "wasn't  so  hard  now,  was  it?"  is  something  she'd  say  if  she  was  still  oh-so  cocky.  bernadette  has  finally  gotten  what  she's  been  after  all  along.  his  surrender  was  almost  laughably  easy,  but  she's  seen  others  fall  faster⸻oldest  trick  in  the  book,  y'know?  though  this  time,  victory  tastes  sweeter.  there's  a  warmth  blooming  within  her  as  she  melts  into  his  embrace,  her  face  tucked  into  his  chest.  and  god,  she  prays  he  doesn't  catch  the  words  she's  about  to  whisper.  ﹚   mm.  i..  love  you  too.   ﹙  i  mean,  what.  who  said  that.  ﹚
            
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀﹡⠀﹕⠀⠀@draquIa.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀amused,  his  lips  curved  into  a  subtle  smile  and  he  only  allowed  a  soft  hum.  between  wisps  of  hair,  his  pupils  appeared  to  have  outbalanced  the  steel  blue  of  his  eyes.  ‟are  you  refusing  the  idea,  miss  bernadette?‟  her  name  was  spoken  in  jest,  a  callback  to  older  times  when  she  was  so  much  younger.
            ⠀⠀ ‎  ‎  ‎ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ۫⠀ ‎@sanquinarian 

⠀⠀⠀﹙  it's  cold,  but  familiar.  she  doesn't  flinch  when  his  hands  touch  her  skin,  just  a  little  jolt  that  runs  beneath  the  surface.  she  keeps  her  gaze  elsewhere  while  he  talks,  refusing  to  meet  the  softness  in  his  eyes.  god,  he's  so  sappy.  is  she  being  sappy  too?  maybe⸻especially  now,  with  her  fingers  finding  his,  still  resting  gently  against  her  cheeks,  as  she  glances  up  to  finally  look  at  him.  to  lighten  up  a  mood,  she  tries  to  crack  a  joke.  ﹚   what,  and  let  you  coddle  me  like  a  princess?
            
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀﹡⠀﹕⠀⠀@draquIa.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ungloved  hands  coming  down  to  cradle  her  face  were  enough  to  silence  her  protests.  and,  really,  it  should  come  as  no  surprise  to  her  of  all  people,  but  percival's  hands  are  cold.  it  prickled  her  skin  no  matter  how  featherlight  his  touch  came.  ‟don't  get  me  wrong,  i  know  you  can  take  care  of  yourself.‟  percival  murmured.  eyes  lowered  as  he  tended  to  her  cut.  ‟but  sometimes..  i  want  to  be  the  one  to  do  that.  do  you  understand?‟
            ⠀⠀ ‎  ‎  ‎ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ۫⠀ ‎@sanquinarian 

⠀⠀⠀﹙  she  doesn't  complain  when  percival  leans  against  her,  letting  him  be.  it  takes  her  a  moment  to  answer.  there  are  a  lot  of  things  she  likes  about  percival;  he's  got  more  green  flags  than  all  her  past  flings  combined,  and  he's  definitely  miles  ahead  of  her  trainwreck  of  an  ex-boyfriend.  but  what  is  it,  exactly,  that  pulls  her  toward  him?  she  thinks,  and  thinks,  and  keeps  on  thinking.  there's  so  much  she  could  say,  but  there's  no  way  she's  about  to  swallow  her  pride  and  list  them  all.  so  then,  what  is  she  supposed  to⸻  ﹚   …  your  kindness.   ﹙  she  just  blurts  out,  voice  sounding  unusually  timid.  she  doesn't  even  bother  to  elaborate.  ﹚
            
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀﹡⠀﹕⠀⠀@draquIa.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀an  airy  laugh  rose  from  his  throat,  the  sound  like  liquid  light.  it  was  almost  reminiscent  of  a  more  youthful  percival  who  would  have  laughed  just  the  same,  because  any  quirk  of  hers  would  endear  her  to  him.  ‟you  don't  *realize*  you  do  that.‟  percival  corrected.  the  sudden  loss  of  her  warmth  made  him  lean  against  her  like  he's  chasing  after  her,  not  enough  to  crush  her,  but  just  enough  to  have  her  lodged  back  into  his  side.  ‟well,  what  do  *you*  like  about  me?  i've  given  you  two  answers.  i  think  it's  only  fair  i  get  at  least  one  back.‟
            ⠀⠀ ‎  ‎  ‎ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ۫⠀ ‎@sanquinarian 

⠀⠀⠀i⸺  i  don't  do  that?   ﹙  despite  her  denial,  she's  practically  doing  it  already.  she  rises  from  his  side,  eyes  wide  with  scandal⸻but  her  gaze  wanders  uncertainly,  torn  between  meeting  his  or  focusing  on  the  suddenly  fascinating  flower  vase  just  behind  him.  is  she  really  that  easy  for  him  to  read?  and  then,  she  says  it  again  as  if  to  make  a  point.  ﹚   i  don't  do  that.  you're  lying.
            
            ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀﹡⠀﹕⠀⠀@draquIa.