#interaction: reverxiii

[jxrmngxndr]

🎲 whats a little kissaroo between coworkers right big boss kevin

Lucky number 13. A kiss to the chest

None of them had quite gotten the handle on the shift to their lifespans, the changes that came from the infusion of honkai energy turning time into merely a suggestion for them that flickered in the sense of urgency, the fire in the distance they all could only reach for on behalf of those normal humans for whom the suggestion of time was a death knell.

It was a cruel juxtaposition, that hint of eternity, draped in calamity. Kevin could not get too ahead of himself, not when there was so much that remained here in the present, so many promises to fulfill, responsibilities due - and the more time went on, inching them toward that eternity at the sluggish pace with so little to show for it, the less he could allow others the same luxury.

He was their leader, was he not? The tip of the spear to plunge this light into the darkness, and forge the path forward. Not merely for the Flamechasers, their little band, but for everyone, all of humanity at his back.

His steps crunched forward on the gravel, his eyes sweeping about the empty courtyard - no, not empty, he knew that if he only searched for a moment, he would find -

"Ah."

He would find basking in the sun, stretched and supine and very asleep, fingers reaching toward the sun, lips curved into a satisfied little grin -

"Felis." He did not raise his voice, did not feel the need, his gait continuing toward her at the calm pace needed lest she be spooked and scurry off, warm gravel continuing to crunch with each step until he slowed, found himself kneeling just beside Pardofelis, decidedly not rousing from her nap despite the rise of gooseflesh that heralded his proximity.

It did not seem to bother her, indeed prompting a long, languid stretch, reaching for the sun in her palms but neither recoiling, however subconsciously, from the breath of cold that rolled from him in gentle waves. Of all Flamechasers, Pardofelis seemed the one least concerned with eternity, seemed the most content to spend the time that she had now – it did not seem to matter which conference or war table was gathered, or to where they would shortly be dispatched.

For his entire adult life, Kevin had seen the gift of his power through the lens of his responsibility, the weight of what he could give with it, what burdens he could bear, the dirty difficult tasks that only few could accomplish. The expectation he carried, then, was that others would do the same, even if he would shift that weight and carry for them, too, if needed.

He dipped, turned his head, let it hover over the rise and fall of her chest arced skyward, the better to catch the warmth of the sun on the tender parts of her, heard the steady rhythm of its beating – not frantic, not frightened, no hammer of urgency despite the world that turned around them. With a gentle sigh, his eyes fluttered closed, relished that quiet moment as his head turned and his lips ghosted softly over that steady heartbeat before he adjusted himself to sit sentinel, to keep watch over his comrade while she slept.

Perhaps...they had time for just a moment...to spare for the quiet.

He could catch her up later.