[Uncouth. Such language- she must not have had an aunt to pinch her arm when she spoke out of turn. A stern, narrow mouth and dark eyes that seemed to always be judging- and never satisfied. And inane thought to rise to the forefront of his mind now. Swiftly interrupted as Shepard reaches out to pull Cathaway's hands away from him. But he is too slow and still too distant to stop her hands from finding the bare skin of his arms.
Prince pulls away sharply- as if she is made of flame, but it's too late. She touches him, and his barriers are still stripped down. Skin to skin, no amount of flinching away prevents the feedback she receives- yes, it is bright, very bright, brighter than it seemed to her before, the stark harshness of it stabbing into her brain- a sharp pain that radiates down to the base of her neck. The exhaustion, pulled deep into every muscle, the hollow feeling in her chest, the tremor in her hands. And Cathaway's mind, just there, her thoughts still twinned into hers, not quite comforting, but so familiar that it aches, the promise of more, the ease of stepping off of a ledge- and then he jerks out from under Shepards hands, pulling his mind from hers.]
Don't- [For a second he is sharp, tension through his fingers, but then his attention is back on Cathaway and away from the unintentional violation, the crease between his brows very deep as he sets his palm to her shoulder, whatever thin support he can provide.]
It was intentional. [he has to force the words from his thick tongue, the roof of his mouth dry] One of our duties. The only thing we will require is rest.
no subject
Prince pulls away sharply- as if she is made of flame, but it's too late. She touches him, and his barriers are still stripped down. Skin to skin, no amount of flinching away prevents the feedback she receives- yes, it is bright, very bright, brighter than it seemed to her before, the stark harshness of it stabbing into her brain- a sharp pain that radiates down to the base of her neck. The exhaustion, pulled deep into every muscle, the hollow feeling in her chest, the tremor in her hands. And Cathaway's mind, just there, her thoughts still twinned into hers, not quite comforting, but so familiar that it aches, the promise of more, the ease of stepping off of a ledge- and then he jerks out from under Shepards hands, pulling his mind from hers.]
Don't- [For a second he is sharp, tension through his fingers, but then his attention is back on Cathaway and away from the unintentional violation, the crease between his brows very deep as he sets his palm to her shoulder, whatever thin support he can provide.]
It was intentional. [he has to force the words from his thick tongue, the roof of his mouth dry] One of our duties. The only thing we will require is rest.