Tell me, am I going crazy?

Watching all of Briar's reactions to their shared kisses brought out emotions in Artorias he hadn't felt with any other wolf ever. Pure joy, bliss, a sense of ease and contentment, fulfillment, affection and adoration. It was Briar; it had always been Briar. It was why he had been so drawn to her, why he had been so concerned for her and protective of her, why he had nearly torn her father limb from limb when he'd hurt her. His heart had always beat for Briar, belonged to her. And as he was experiencing firsthand, it appeared Briar had felt the same for him—for how long, he didn't know, but it didn't matter. Briar was his, and he was hers. Their relationship had always been so strong, unbreakable, and now it was evolving into something even stronger and more beautiful.

Artorias savored the moment of his first kiss with Briar. The way she looked at him with that big smile on her face, the way her turquoise eyes twinkled with joy, the way she smelled pressed so close to him, her paws clinging to his chest, their fur mingling where their bodies pressed together. The sound of the rain on the windows and the crackle of the dying fire, the dim light that blurred out all of the world except for her. The soft sheets and furs surrounding them, keeping them entwined and warm, the plush pillows their heads lay on less than an inch apart. He would remember this moment for the rest of his life, and if anyone ever asked when was the moment he knew he fell for Briar Fatalis, he would remember this night. Briar leaned closer and placed a lick on the end of his nose, making his snicker under his breath while he wrinkled his nose jokingly. His paws stopped on her lower back while hers touched his cheek, both wolves holding tight to one another. If he had his way, he would never let her go every again.

Briar's whispered question made him grin as well and he chuckled quietly, his amber eyes flashing with mirth and affection for his Deer Girl. "I would be disappointed if you didn't, cause then I couldn't tease you back," he remarked, returning the playful lick to the end of her nose as a punctuation to his reply. Even if their relationship was growing, Artorias didn't want to lose or change anything they already had. He wanted their new relationship to build on the friendship they had, to keep the same snarky comments and teasing jokes going, to keep pushing each other to be the best, and to always be there to support the other through anything—just now they could kiss each other too!

In that instant, Artorias realized this was what his mother had been talking about. That moment when you would just know you met the wolf who was the one, the wolf who was right for you and who you were meant to be with. His heart yearned and ached and beat for Briar, as if no amount of closeness or kissing could quell the need to be hers. She made him happy just being in her presence, she was his best friend—but better. This was that obsessive and passionate kind of desire she had told him of. And when Briar leaned closer to push another kiss to his lips, Artorias' eyes lid closed and he felt complete. The kiss felt both perfect and over too painfully quick at the same time. He breathed a soft sigh as well once their lips parted, eyes opening halfway to find hers with a loving smile. Gods, how was he ever going to let Briar go back to the Armada now?! Maybe he'd be able to talk Ulric into letting him spend a season training with Sirius back in Boreas, then he wouldn't have to leave her for a while. They could go back and forth between their homes together, never having to spend much time apart.

A thought flickered in his head at the notion of Sirius, and Artorias' dopey, lovestruck expression sobered up just a little bit while he peered down past Briar's beautiful face towards her neck for a moment. In the heat of the moment, he had entirely forgotten why Briar had come to him in the first place. He was sure she wouldn't be having any more nightmares tonight, and probably not any more when she was sleeping next to him—but what happened when he couldn't be beside her at night? He had to make sure he did everything he could to protect her from those memories and the fear. Looking back up into her gorgeous turquoise eyes, Artorias gave her a protective, adoring look before coming in to give her one more quick, gentle kiss.

"I kinda wanna do something... I just need you to trust me and not move, okay...?" he whispered, waiting for her to agree before he softly brushed his muzzle against the side of hers. Ever so slowly, he began to follow the curve of her jaw with his muzzle, nuzzling his way to her cheek, then dipping lower to beneath her chin, then slooooowly lower down her throat. As he moved, he made sure to pay close attention o Briar's reactions, not wanting to freak her out and preparing to pull back if this became too much. But he had to try. If she didn't stop him at any point, Artorias would move his muzzle to find the nearly perfect circles of scars on her throat left behind by Sirius' fangs, his heart racing as he gave the two marks a few slow, gentle kisses each. He was trying to show Briar that he still thought she was the most beautiful wolf ever, regardless of what had happened, and give her something other than her father's fangs to think about whenever she touched her neck. His forelegs squeezed her gently, keeping her held close the whole while, making sure she knew he had her, and he was there for her.

"Artorias" | "Corbin"