Just look my way

The ache in Stolas' chest and the roiling emotions in his heart wanted to continue to roll like a thunderstorm on a summer night, but Widow's surprise by his words and her apparently genuine reaction to his hurt stole whatever energy those storms in his broken heart had. His pained expression softened gradually the more she spoke, explaining what had happened following the last night he'd ever seen her. Knowing that Recluse had never even told Widow about Stolas' numerous attempts to find her shocked him. Why had she done that? Did Recluse have some issue with him hanging around Widow? Hearing the tale from Widow's mouth filled in some of the blanks he had in the aftermath of their adolescent coupling. She had indeed gotten very sick, and that same sickness had her in a haze to where she couldn't remember much. It somehow ended up with her with a nursing pup, Habari gone and Insomnia founded.

Stolas' brows furrowed; so many more questions lingered in his mind, but right now he was having a hard time focusing on any of them. Every breath he took intoxicated his brain with her scent, a chemical reaction akin to taking a hit of a narcotic. The dire brute swallowed thickly, his body flush with warmth radiating out from his core the longer he stayed in Widow's presence. But he wasn't about to walk away or put space between them, not now that he'd finally found her after all this time. His breathing became a touch more labored, Stolas more consciously aware of every inhale as he could practically taste her on the air. Graphite eyes stayed on hers, losing himself in mercurial silver pools. She was still so beautiful... even more so now in all her glory as a fully grown fae. If she had said anything after her story, Stolas was having difficulty keeping his mind on track when already the primal part of his brain was picturing her underneath him—or him beneath her. Fuck, keep it together!

"I never stopped looking for you. I passed by Habari's borders every day until they fell and Insomnia rose. Nobody could tell me if you were alive, or a prisoner in Insomnia, or anything! I didn't stop... until I couldn't keep wasting away chasing a fleeting hope any longer." Stolas' shoulders slumped and he heaved a sigh, averting his gaze from hers to stare out at the still water of the pond, hoping that would give his mind enough clarity to stay in control. "I never stopped thinking of you. Every night when I looked at the stars, I prayed that you might be looking up at them too. But... I never thought I'd ever actually see you again." The brute's lips quivered into a soft lopsided smirk, his eyes lifting to look up at Widow from beneath his lashes, a bit of a smolder in those gray depths. "Fate likes to prove me wrong time and time again, it seems..."

Stolas took a deep breath, and- fuck, big mistake, there was her scent again! His whole body shuddered as that instinctive reaction to her pheromones sent chills rippling down his back. He clenched his jaw, letting the sensations pass by before trying to speak again. Gods, he hadn't felt those sensations in a long time. "I missed you, Widow..." he spoke softly, his voice a practically a rumbling purr while he risked another step closer to her. His eyes were searching hers, searching her expression for something. Did she ever miss him too or had he just been a good memory for her to please herself with at night?

"Stolas"