Book Two : Aveline. | Slash Fanfiction

chapter twelve

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TWELVE - 1992, On A Boat.

          PERHAPS IT WAS due to pity, perhaps it was caused by heartache and longing, but the clause was unimportant as Aveline wove her touch gently through Saul's curls, careful to not dwindle on one knot for too long. For the remainder of the day - of the watery journey - she had remained squished within Saul's bunker, legs dangling off the end of the bed as her back pressed against the wall, curtain drawn to not disturb the slumbering man as he lay his head on her lap and breathed in her tasteful smell. See, the thing was, Saul had awoken five-or-so minutes ago. Though the feeling of his locks being parted and twirled within a caring motion lulled him into a state of purity that he felt utterly unfamiliar in; he didn't know where he was but it was nice.

The ambiguity was nothing abnormal for him, but the scent - the reminiscence - of such a pretty girls sweet smell sent his mind into a frenzy, completely disregarding his pride as he consciously snuggled further into his warmth, suddenly cold from the shoulder down.

Saul had always had this thing about being shiveringly cold - he hated it. He hated it with a burning passion and as of that moment, lightly wrapped in Aveline's embrace, he felt the need to curl up and force her to never let go. Because no matter how grungy and rocker-y Saul appeared to the media, he was still a soft heart in need of loving and he was consistently lonely. However, as Saul discovered within the uncomfortably small space of his bunker, Aveline seemed to wipe that feeling away. She seemed to wipe all of his feelings away, in all honesty. It was as though when Saul danced his gaze upon her smile, his day had become fresh and any issues he'd had previously fluttered away. And he struggled to decipher if that was down to the fact that Aveline could ask such difficult questions with ease and get the correct answer from his mouth - despite his usual coldness around the subjects - and she didn't allow him to push her away, even after she discovered him trashed in the boat toilet, surrounded in disgusting waste.

"Why'd you do this to yourself, huh?" Aveline questioned, frustrated by how saddened her tone felt and how lamely her words executed themselves. "You're a pretty boy, Slash," Saul didn't like the way his nickname sounded as it rolled from her tongue - to her, he was Saul. It was the last reminder of who he truly was and he didn't intend for her to stop calling him it then, nor ever. "And you drink too much to be so pretty."

Saul thought for a moment, the static silence filling in for his lack of communication - and what Aveline believed to be sleep - before speaking in a groggy tone with a soft smirk. "You think I'm pwetty?" He grinned, turning to face the girl as he used a boyish tone to question her statement.

Aveline scoffed with an enlightened smile that ruptured her unimpressed frown, tugging harshly upon his locks as an attempt to inflict pain upon the velvety laugh he coughed out. "Watch it, Slugger, you're still an easy knockout." Her threat was empty and echoing around his timid smile as he vibrated her frame with a low chuckle, shaking his head as he adjusted his entirety to face her grin.

"Whatever you say, Leanie," Saul smirked, "Whatever you say."

"Oh, shut it, Curls."

"You gonna make me?" Saul sprung up to a seated position, a challenging glint twinkling within his delicately mocha eyes as the smile entrancing his lips grew lopsided and cocky. Scooting himself merely inches away from Aveline, he felt his breath hitch unnoticeably as the two practically shared breaths, their noses millimeters apart.

She raised a daring eyebrow at his intense stare and inquiry, recalling the way it felt to run her hands through his luscious locks and to stare absentmindedly at his beautiful features as he dozed off in a peaceful slumber. "Like you'd listen to me." She scoffed, glancing up to the ceiling and cursing her elevated heartbeat as his breath warmly fanned her collarbone, the shrug of disagreement following a small noise of nonchalance. "And anyway, even if you did go by my rules, how would I force you to be quiet?" Aveline smirked, "You love your voice too damned much."