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"It's kind of always like this, isn't it?"
Treech's head was on resting on her shoulder, and Lamina could feel his curls tickling her cheek, the soft texture of his hair against her skin grounding her. He was a crutch for her when it all became too overwhelming.
His breathing was irregular, and his voice was strained. She'd say it sounded like he'd run a mile, but she knew he'd never willingly do anything of the sort. It's was almost as though he was nervous.
They were under one of the many trees in Seven, the leaves failing to shelter them from the warming weather, though Lamina didn't mind much. She enjoyed how the light always illuminated his smile, how it framed him like a halo.
After another of her many panics, Treech had gladly led her away from the crowds, knowing full well the struggles that came from loud, cramping groups.
They often understood each other's struggles. It was as though they were tuned into the other's mind.
"Like what?" Lamina asked after a moment of basking in the feeling of sunlight painting their skin. Her voice was quiet, as she didn't wish to fully cut through the serenity of the moment.
"You and me," Treech answered, moving his hand to thread their fingers together. They were intertwined again, which is something Lamina was very thankful to be used to. The feeling of their souls mixing together, their hearts melting to become one, was something she was sure she often felt running up her spine. Especially when their burning skin met.
Of course, she had never vocalised that to him. She doubted he would do much but nod and voice an agreement, yet she still bit her tongue around the subject of their budding relationship.
It wasn't as though they hid their romantic interest for one another very well — she was sure the majority of their friends knew, and had certainly grown sick of them.
They hadn't hidden it from each other either. They had wrapped themselves around the other's heart long along, continuing to water their growing love daily, with Treech often draping himself over her back and with Lamina often pressing clumsy kisses to his burning cheek.
But, Treech always made her short of breath, made her lose her train of thoughts and caused her to lack the proper words she needed. The words she so desperately wanted to string together in a confession.
Was she terrified of rejection? Not really. However, she was certainly petrified of the idea of scaring him away, at the idea of losing her tether to reality at the worst of times. Her reason for laughing during the best of times.
She wasn't brave at many things, courageous at the strangest of times. But, she couldn't risk that.
"What else could it be?" Lamina wondered aloud, lifting their intertwined hands up, studying the way their skin contrasted. His tanned bony fingers were wrapped tightly around her pale slender ones.
For a moment, when she squinted hard enough, she could see their hands blending in with each other. But then, when she blinked again she could see the stark difference in their complexions.
They had many differences, many small parts of themselves that seemed like direct contrasts. That should have been in conflict.
However, that had never stopped them from joining together. Ever since she watched him stare with stone cold eyes at whoever had been picking on him that day, and ever since he watched as she tearful pushed her bully into a rose bush, they had been attached at the hip.
It was comical how the cruelty of other's pushed them together. Because that's what happened, they weren't pulled together by some unseen force that had been tying them to one another their whole lives, instead they had been shoved hard into each other. They had collided with enough force to forever change the other's path in their life forever.
They were additions to each other, surprising, unexpected additions that would never leave. And they were content with that.
"...I don't think I want it to ever change," Treech mused, his eyes not being on their joined hands, but looking up at Lamina's face. Mapping the freckles that sprinkled her nose, the specs of green in her brown eyes and the strands of hair that had escaped from the confines of her hairband.
Lamina hummed, understanding the want. She had never been one to wish for something beyond what she deserved, but she would still yearn for Treech whenever they parted.
She was sure they would follow each other anywhere, no matter how taxing it might be. Being alone would always be worse.
She moved her gaze to look down at the mess of curls resting on her shoulder, smiling fondly at the way his shoulders had relaxed to the point he was practically limp against her side.
"Then don't let it."
It sounded simple when said aloud. Even if she knew it could never be that easy. She knew that they were both so complex that nothing in life would ever be straightforward for them.
But, she would gladly lie a million times over if she could feel the way Treech smiles against her shoulder each time.
They sat idly in that position for minutes, or maybe hours. Time never seemed to matter much when Treech was with her. Nothing but him took any importance to her when he was against her.
"Mina." Treech breathed out, breaking the comfortable silence, lifting his head from its resting place against her.
His face didn't hold the usual carefree expression it almost always has when he was around her, instead leaking determination. A fearful determination.
"Treech," Lamina said back, her hand itching to reach out for his face. Screaming to hold him in her grip, to never let go. But, she held back, keeping their fingers wrapped tightly as she stared back at him.
"I'm going to do something stupid," he announced, his voice shaking slightly. She watched as his mouth curved into a frown, almost a pout.
Every expression was beautiful on him, but Lamina was embarrassed to admit she quite liked when he got frustrated. She liked how his face would scrunch up whenever he got annoyed. She enjoyed being able to reach up to smooth the crease in his eyebrow.
She didn't reach up to do it this time, though, knowing he wanted to do this without interference. She could see it in the glow of his eyes.
She tilted her head, a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. "Nothing you do is stupid," she murmured, even if they both knew that was a lie. Treech was often one to act on impulse. One to do idiotic things, cause avoidable problems.
"Punch me if I do something wrong," Treech said after a moment, making Lamina laugh quietly. She didn't think she would ever punch Treech. Why would she attack such pure beauty in an otherwise twisted world?
She huffed out another giggle at the way he paused, as though he was waiting for her to follow through and land a fist against his face. "I'm not going to punch you—"
She was cut off by a pair of soft lips gently greeting her own, with a careful hesitance.
She finally let their hands fall away from each other, now knowing they didn't need a physical intertwining of their fingers to stay bonded. Then she reached up to cup his face, her thumb slowly running over his cheek bone.
She watched him as they kissed, keeping her eyes trained on the way his face relaxed.
"Close your eyes weirdo," he mumbled against her lips, making her smile against him. It made it quite difficult to kiss when they were grinning so much.
Far too soon for her liking, Treech pulled away, his face dusted in pink.
"How was that?" He asked after a moment, that previous hesitance and fear reappearing.
She ran her thumb against his lip instead of answering, feeling oddly proud of the way his lower lip seemed flushed. She looked back up at him, his worry melting away when their eyes met.
He was gorgeous in this moment, with his lips parted, his curls a mess, his cheeks burning and the sun leaking on him. He looked like a piece of art work, one the critics would bid the highest on. One she wanted to frame and stare at for hours on end.
Treech was beautiful.
"Idiotic," she replied, leaning her back against the tree for further support. "Do it again."
It didn't take much convincing for him to comply.