PRETTY VENOM, CORPSE HUSBAND ✓

⠀EPILOGUE.

until they were face to face once again, tangled in each other's embrace. feeling the rise and fall of his chest, roisin realised that they were breathing at the same pace and their hearts were pounding as one; she wondered if they had ever been out of sync, even before they met. unable to stop smiling, she curled her fingers through his soft locks when his grip tightened on her waist, head buried in her shoulder. she almost collapsed on the spot when he giggled.

"what's so funny, axel?" roisin asked, voice barely above a whisper.

his voice came in dulcet tones, vibrating across her skin, feeling different than it did over the phone. "you feel so different, but you breathe the same." he admitted, "and i like your hair long."

"oh, yeah?" she smiled as he drew his head back, taking a large, ring-clad finger and twirling a straight, chestnut lock around it. "because you haven't changed a bit."

"i was just waiting for you to catch up to my level."

"level of what? success? badassness?"

"my level of mental stability. which, guaranteed, isn't the best, but it's better than where you were." he teased with a smirk, despite the fact that there was some truth in his words. maybe they needed some time apart so, in the end, they could get closer. and roisin had gotten better.

"since we're on the same level, can we get, like, married, or something?" the brunette joked. he scoffed, eyes rolling comedically before he handed her his suitcase. though, she saw the blush across his cheeks before he slung his arm over her shoulder and steered her away from the crowd.

"chivalry is dead, and you killed it." she joked, readjusting her grip. the masses thinned as they neared the exit of the airport, and she noticed the boy beside her looking around nervously. "hey, axel. you're okay- we're okay. we're just gonna take the train to brighton."

"it's really busy." he sounded breathless. she knew what he was implying: that someone would recognise him because he was with her. for a split second, she felt overwhelming guilt that she was the one causing so much anxiety for him - but then realised that it wasn't about her.

there was a bump in her pocket that demanded her attention, lifting a bundle of black fabric from around her keys to hold a mask. he was still unable to focus on her, dark eyes darting back and forth, so roisin took the hand that rested around her shoulders and pressed it onto his tanned skin. "i knew you'd forget yours, so i stole a prototype."

"you're making masks? as merch?" he inquired, seeming much more relaxed when the cloth settled over the bottom half of his face. the simple design, an embroidered rose like that on corpse's sweater, made the shine in his eyes even more prominent. he would argue that it was down to the company he kept, not the accessories he wore. "why?"

"there are other people out there who don't like to show their face. anonymous streamers, people in general. if they want one with a cute rose on," she smoothed a painted nail across the design, across his cheek, "they can get it."

"this is why i love you." axel tugged her close once again, earning a fairy-like giggle from parted lips. "you're so thoughtful."

"i've got a huge heart. 'lotta love to share." she half-joked.

the couple came to a slow stop at the train station, a mere few minute walk from the airport. it was just as busy, too, with similar souls that she observed before: the annoyed business-people, the happily reunited families. a new addition, though, were the loved-up couples that she and her boyfriend just happened to be a part of. intertwined hands, locked eyes, secret whispers and glimmering jewellery. the sight made her reach a hand to her collarbone where her necklace sat. there wasn't a day that passed where she didn't wear it.