Coming back around again

Anthea's grin widened at his teasing warning about her winding them up in a second round, the thought making her giggle and her cheeks flush as he kissed her neck. "And who said that's not what I wanted?" she teased in return. As he continued to wake up she noticed how his expression seemed to shift with some kind of thought or realization before he pulled her tighter to him. She looked at him curiously, but before she could question him about what was on his mind, he asked her about the time she had mentioned needing on her own out here. He phrased it lightly and teasingly, but she could feel the undertone of that question and what it actually meant to him.

It was no secret how deeply he felt about The Hallows and his place there so she knew there was not a world where he would ever leave it to be with her–not that she would want him to. But it had only been one night. It had been one night as lovers in an escape from her emotional turmoil. But was it? Was that really all it was? As she thought about their time together and how it had felt to be with him like that it didn't feel like it was just an escape or just a moment of weakness. She cared about Mercury more than she had anyone else and the thought of being separated from him again made her heart ache.

She was quiet for a moment as she considered her answer until she finally tipped her muzzle up to place a gentle kiss at the end of his nose. "You are my home," she told him, echoing her words from the night before with a loving smile. Even if she had no idea how to navigate the idea of a true relationship, she knew she didn't want to be without Mercury and that told her all she needed to know to make a decision. There was still a hesitation though as she added, "I just feel guilty about asking Artorias for a place in the Hallows again. I asked to live there only to turn around and ask to leave almost immediately after and now I'm coming back to ask him to live there yet again... I just worry what he'll think." Art seemed like an extremely nice and understanding wolf from her few times speaking with him, but everyone had their limits and it felt embarrassing to appear so flighty to someone like him.

"Anthea Dásos"