Christmas Came Early

Lillith was tenacious in her attempts to reassure him and make him feel better. Her efforts were appreciated, but it didn't change the fact of what had happened. Had he been a second slower, he'd be planning a funeral instead of sharing a kiss with her. He'd only barely managed to beat the jaguar, and even then it had come down to a circumstantial twist of fate and left him with numerous claw lacerations. He'd lost every single fight he'd had since he arrived in Auster, and while he was so proud of Lillith for being able to defend herself against him twice, those losses coupled with his defeat to her big brother definitely bruised his ego.

Romulus didn't resist or pull away when Lillith leaned her forehead against his, her ruby eyes now the only thing in his vision. Lillith reiterated their relationship was a partnership, that she wasn't looking to be protected and wanted to fight alongside him, even if it meant her getting hurt. Roman's ears flattened shamefully to his head. He knew she was right, that he was coddling her the way her father had done before, exactly the way she didn't want to be treated. It went against everything they'd been working on together. Guilt started to gnaw at his chest when he realized what he was doing; he didn't mean to undermine Lil or make her feel like some damsel in distress. She was so much more than that and even if it meant her sometimes getting hurt, so long as she was okay at the end of the day, then everything was all right.

Before he could respond, however, Lillith was kissing his cheek and sliding off her bed to move over to her work table. He followed her with curious eyes, having ignored everything else in her room up until now. She slipped on her jaguar pelt like a scarf, confusing him further until she explained that she had made him something. Roman trotted closer, gazing with stunned awe at the gorgeous jaguar cloak Lil lifted to present him with. She had skinned and preserved the coat of the big cat he'd killed, turning it into armor similar to her own. Big paws carried him up to the girl, stopping only once he was close enough to handle the fur himself. She had done a tremendous job keeping it pristine, the fur soft yet dense and protective.

As he lifted the head that had become a hood and stared into the blank amber eyes of the cat he'd slain, he noted the small puncture in the back of its head. The place where he'd driven the bone fragment to kill it. His heart swelled to realize all the work Lil had put into this gift for him, all of the thought and consideration and love—so, so much love. "Lil... it's magnificent!" he said with an awed gasp. He looked to her, then frowned when he realized she was avoiding his gaze now. Abandoning the cloak, he aimed to catch her chin with a gentle paw and guide her eyes back up to meet his, the light of love finally beginning to shine in those silver pools once more. "You're far too good for a renegade like me," he said with a roguish smirk, then slowly guided her ivory lips up to his in a slow, affectionate kiss, pouring all of his adoration and love into the singular gesture to show her just how thankful he was to have her as his.

"Speech"