cause you're a teddy beneath

It was not difficult to notice the way the almost-Empress had to collect herself, feign grace and swallow her disappointment. Az could feel the discomfort between them lingering in the air, could hear it in the hesitance in her voice, and could see it in how she turned away from him.

For a fleeting moment he yearned to close the distance once more, to apologize for the hurt he assumed he'd delivered, to hold her and make her feel whole and happy once more. The feeling did not remain long, as Venom's response brought a cold chill to his rapidly beating heart.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd allowed his young age to hold himself back from anything - he was a skilled hunter and fighter long before he turned one. It had been seasons since he considered himself merely a child and here Venom was, implying his immaturity had anything to do with his hesitance to blindly share her affections. Maybe had he been more mature the comment wouldn't have offended him, though offended him it had. "Do not push me because I've dared to reject you." He began lowly, sabers bared. "Empress or not, you do not scare me. I am not my father, and I will not tolerate insult from those I love as easily as he might. You have no right to lash out. None."