It takes her a few attempts to say anything at all. She stares at the lettering on his arm, reaches out to trace two fingertips lightly over it with a sort of wonder. For all their similarities, she hadn't expected him to take the exact same step she had to ensure that they didn't lose this... whatever it was.
When she looks up at him again, her expression is hopeful, if still guarded.
"I can't go back to how it was before. If I'm going to keep kissing you in the future, I mean."
That's part of why she'd had it done. At the very least, she had faith in their ability to make it back to being allies and figure the rest out from there, even if neither of them could remember what the tattoos meant. But this also meant that she was giving him the power to hurt her more deeply than before, and she needed him to know that it wasn't easy to hand over.
"I can't, either." He can't make any specific promises. Even here and now, they wouldn't be able to agree on exactly how anything should go, back in their usual lives. But even before he'd been here, he hadn't wanted to keep her as an enemy; he'd just lacked any hope that she could be swayed. Ultimately, the gesture represents as much vulnerability on his side as it does on hers.
Her expression brightens, some of the weight of uncertainty lifting with his admission.
"Me, too. But maybe without the magic and the eggnog next time?"
Would she have gone about it the exact way she had on her own? Probably eventually, actually. But she still wishes she hadn't fallen asleep in the middle of it and woken up with a slightly hazy uncertainty over the entire thing.
She decides she'd better clarify, though, just in case there's any way he could possibly take her words the wrong way.
"I don't regret it, but I want us to be who we are, not who we've been artificially influenced into being."
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no subject
When she looks up at him again, her expression is hopeful, if still guarded.
"I can't go back to how it was before. If I'm going to keep kissing you in the future, I mean."
That's part of why she'd had it done. At the very least, she had faith in their ability to make it back to being allies and figure the rest out from there, even if neither of them could remember what the tattoos meant. But this also meant that she was giving him the power to hurt her more deeply than before, and she needed him to know that it wasn't easy to hand over.
no subject
"And I would like to keep kissing you."
no subject
"Me, too. But maybe without the magic and the eggnog next time?"
Would she have gone about it the exact way she had on her own? Probably eventually, actually. But she still wishes she hadn't fallen asleep in the middle of it and woken up with a slightly hazy uncertainty over the entire thing.
She decides she'd better clarify, though, just in case there's any way he could possibly take her words the wrong way.
"I don't regret it, but I want us to be who we are, not who we've been artificially influenced into being."