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"Not that interesting?" He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Everyone says that. It isn't true. Right now, you are the most interesting person that exists, to me. That is simply how things work. And I will learn as much as I'm allowed until you've tired of me." He spoke, casual and content, until her fingers traced what he knew to be the lines of insanity down his face. His content disappeared, and he went rigid, his brows rising in concern. She didn't recognize them.. did she not know?

He could lie to her, easily. Tell her that they were tattoos, from some ancient ritual that only the bravest of warriors were given. He could fill her with fallacies of his heritage and make it seem like he was a hero. And she, in turn, would be happy to have such a hero at her side for the promenade.

He could lie to her face without blinking.

He could.

"They are not tattoos." His voice was a quiet whisper, filled with sadness. His hand reached up, running up the length of the back of her hand until his fingers were able to intertwine with hers and hold them steady. Then he slowly pulled them away, because he was sure she wouldn't want to be touching him when he explained. But he kept her hand intertwined in his.

"Have you heard of an affliction called Insanity?"

"I don't want to.. I've never actually - " Bastion stumbled with his words, all of his earlier suave confidence fallen away like flecks of gold leaf covering the real him. But in the end, he wanted to talk about it. With someone. Anyone. And Sophie had asked. Her gentle touch, the soft and sweet caress of her voice, it coaxed truth out of him before he could stop himself.

"I lost everyone." He whispered. "Our entire world, destroyed, so easily. My family, all dead, except for Noni - and I didn't even know about her until recently." His eyes closed. "It came to us all, then. I don't remember most of it, and I like it that way. But I was hidden away, kept far from the massacre. That's why I'm not very infected. And why I wasn't killed, I suppose." His eyes opened, glowing yellow and filled with childlike immaturity. "They saved me, my family, but only because they thought I couldn't take care of myself."

He reached up, and brushed his fingers across the lines on his face. "It's very faint. I think my cousin Noni has more than I. We hear voices sometimes, in our head.. but that is all. It's not contagious, if you're worried. At least, I don't think it is."

Suddenly he realized he truly didn't know as much about his own affliction as he'd thought, and he pulled away, frightened for the ghoul.

Bastion froze when she pulled her arms around him, and pressed her head against his chest. That soft fluffy hair brushing against his skin felt so strange, so unfamiliar. It tingled. But eventually, he relaxed into the comforting gesture, and found he was deeply touched by just how little she worried over the proximity of his affliction. Sophie had a heart so pure, so beautiful, it hurt Bastion to think of it ever feeling anything but joy.

He wrapped his arms back around her, and hugged her soundly, pressing his chin against the top of her head. If the angel in his arms told him the world was ending, he would believe her.

"You know something, Sophie." He whispered softly into her hair. "For the first time in my life, I believe that, too."

He smiled, a sad, but genuine smile, and hugged her tight. "I would surely go to my grave believing in your promises." He didn't even need to know why she believed everything was okay. He just knew that Sophie had to be right. Somehow.

Kissing his hand was a gesture that made Bastion helplessly smile. The ghoul was sweet as honey, comforting him by honoring him with such a gentle gesture. It made him smile a sad smile, and he let out a soft chuckle through his breath. Words would have left him; words of thanks, words of compliment, words of affection, perhaps. They would have, but they didn't. They died on his tongue when his eyes read her intention, and the way she leaned forward had his throat closing up in terror.

He couldn't let her do this. This was probably her first kiss. It wasn't fair. She had no idea what she was doing, she couldn't possibly. It was the moment, the darkness, the softness of their words, the hushed breath against his lips-

Against his lips.

Before she even touched him, Bastion let out a soft sigh of resignation that he couldn't hold back. A gentleman would stop her from what was surely a mistake. A good, honest, kind man would tell her to wait until she was sure she wanted this. Him. This.

Their lips touched.

Every part of Sophie was soft and sweet, and her kiss was no exception. She melted him with a single touch, and he swore he heard a whimper escape before his lips turned to auto-pilot, reaching out to take her kiss. Hesitation be damned; he was lost in the moment, probably just as much as she. His eyes closed, and the world went dark around them. Dark, and greedy.

His hands slid up to cup her face, splaying his fingers across her cheeks as he leaned forward, far forward, until she was all but under him. His lips parted, and took hers with them, coaxing them open just enough to taste her-

"Ohh Medea no-" The moment he knew he'd gone too far, he was up on his feet like lightning, backing away from his own forgotten restraint. "No, oh no, oh Sophie, Sophie why do you let me - no."

He walked straight to the light switch, after slamming his foot into the table on the way, and flicked it on. His face was flushed dark, and his eyes were dilated. He looked.. strange. Hungry, perhaps. But most of all, the absolute shame of his lack of restraint was evident in his pained eyes.

"I should leave. I'm sorry. Oh, Sophie. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to - I'm - I should definitely leave."

His heart was trying to escape out of his chest. And the worst part of it all was, all he wanted was more.

"Leaving. Now."

He was leaving. He had to leave, because it would be improper to stay in her dorm any longer than was necessary, after they'd-

"Sophie." His voice rang out, the moment he saw those tears. "Please don't say such things. You could never scare me off, I was the one who - I thought I'd scared - Sophie." This time his voice implored her to look at him. He gave up the pretense of leaving and returned, kneeling to the ground in front of her and pulling her head in his hands once more. This time, however, he would not go any further than that. "This is not your fault. It's mine. And I promise, I will not push myself on you like that again." Unless she - Bastion, no. He scolded himself. The phrase would remain as it was, without any darker intentions sneaking in.

"My rose. My sweet, innocent rose." He grinned up at her, almost childishly, and brushed his thumb against her swollen lips. "Forgive me, so that I may leave here without a heavy heart."

Bastion sighed in relief. At least she wasn't turning him away completely, if she was still planning to make him a prom outfit. "Of course it's all right. You have my number now. You, alone, have it, actually. So, if the phone rings, I will always know it is you, and pick up immediately. When you're ready, inform me via these skellyphones and I will return."

He bent in, and very carefully laid a kiss on her cheek. It was chaste, and it was quick, but it was still so close, that he hesitated as he pulled away. His lips were no longer touching her, but his slow pull back meant their faces were, once more, a breath away from where they'd been. And it made him falter, it made him slow, until time itself seemed to stop.

But he took it no further.

"Have a good night, Sophie."

Little did Sophie know, that Bastion had turned and slid down onto the floor from the other side of the door, staring up at the ceiling with absolutely no idea what he was doing anymore. He remained there at her door, reliving that one stolen moment, for a good ten minutes before he actually managed to get up and leave.

Prom was going to be difficult.