i wont lie

She was hurt- Archon could see it. He both wanted to pull her closer and shove her away. To tell her he only had feelings like this for her or to tell her they never should have done this. Fight or flight. She stammered through her words and it hurt Archon to see her that way. His strong empress. Wait... his? No, not his, he mentally corrected.

She said they could stay, but Archon didn't have time to celebrate. Belle stuttered something about what she wanted and then buried herself in his fur. Archon didn't hesitate to wrap his paws around her and to secure her place by his side, if only to hold her tight enough to keep this fantasy from falling apart.

"Shh, shhhhh..." he soothed, wrapping his neck around her and pulling his tail over her, engulfing her within his titan form. "I want this." Saying it out loud surprised even himself. His eyes flew open, staring into the darkness for a while before he screwed them shut and buried his face in her fur.

"I want this," he said. "I'll stay in Ashen, with you."