Avengers: Liberation

Chapter 24- A Kiss Plain And Simple

I can’t do this anymore.

Suddenly the grips relaxed on my arms I wanted to run far away, I wanted to scream out. But as Eric’s hands gently slid down my arms they suddenly wrapped around me. His large hands splayed out across my lower back and between my shoulder blades keeping my body close to his.

Keeping me safe, as I cried into his grey sweat shirt. My nails dug into his shirt as I balled the fabric up into my fists. My body was tense as my breathing remained ragged uneven and pained.

At a point no more tears can be shed. It is physically impossible to continue the onslaught on tears and emotions. My hands splayed out over Eric’s waist and ribcage as I leaned against him. I couldn’t stand on my own anymore. I’d never felt like this. There hadn’t been a point since I returned where I could just cry and someone would be there to take it all in.

I didn’t want to look up at Eric, instead I moved my head up from his chest and looked over his shoulder to see the dawn break, the sun began to peak over the horizon in a blinding glory. I squinted through heavily lidded eyes and watched the white light glint off the water and watched as the light rushed off the water towards us. I shielded my face in the crook of Eric’s neck as the sun slashed across my eyes, leaving pained spots in my vision, burnt onto my eyelids.

I pulled away slightly; Eric kept his arms tightly around me as I looked up into his storm blue eyes. He had a small smile on his lips. One of sympathy, it was strange the one man who reacted so badly to me seeing his past, reacted so well to the pain I felt because of it, he accepted it.

“How are you feeling Liberty?” he asked sincerely as I remembered I was still leaning against him completely. I planted my feet firmly on the ground and tried to stand on my own without support which ended badly.

My ankles gave underneath the weight. I was exhausted; I sighed and chuckled as I smiled up at Eric.

“Exhausted apparently.” He nodded and quickly maneuvered his hands. He bent down keeping on hand in the center of my spine, while the other pushed in the back of my knees collapsing me into his arms.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered against his ear as he walked us out of the kitchen. I knew what I was sorry for, he had so openly accepted my pain and suffering yet back at the mansion I had openly chastised him, after he showed me the death of his first child, and the length he went to, to get revenge.

“It’s fine Liberty.” He knew why I was sorry; he just knew that right now was not the best time to speak about it. I buried my face into the crook of his neck as he walked down the hallway towards my room. My lips were lightly pressed against his pulse point, as he neared my door.

He gently let my feet touch the ground again. I steadied myself and pushed gently down on the handle to my room, he opened with a quiet click. I stood I the threshold to my room and smiled up at Eric. I could feel the bags underneath my eyes grow heavier with each waking moment.

I looked down at the laminated floor then back up at Eric. He nodded and turned to leave. For a moment everything froze, this was a terrible idea.

I grabbed Eric’s wrist with my hand and pulled him back. He looked as shocked as I did, be I didn’t freeze I continued. I reached up, one hand in his white hair another on hand on his chest.

What was I doing?!

I pulled his lips down to meet mine. My back slammed against the wall next to the doorway of my room. Eric pushed his body against mine. One hand rested don the bleach white wall the other wrapped around my waist as his hand splayed out. I arched my back as he deepened the kiss. My fingers knotted in his hair as I angled my head to the side, further deepening the kiss.

This want a kiss to show him my past, it was a kiss plain and simple. Something that I had only really succeeded with once in my life so far.

My heart hammered against my rib cage, as my lungs screamed at me to breath. I pulled my lips away from Eric’s, we both gasped loudly as out lips broke away. I stayed firmly pressed against his body, as my fingers stayed firmly knotted in his hair.

I slowly and gently pulled my hands from his hair as he pulled his arm from around my waist. Yet I was still trapped by the arm by my head. Finally Eric leaned back and looked down at me with his deep grey eyes.

“You should get some sleep Liberty.” I nodded and stepped towards my door. I opened my door and looked over my shoulder to see Eric waiting for me to leave his eye line first. I closed the frosted glass door and threw myself down onto my plush bed. I stared up at the ceiling and gently brushed my fingers over my lips. They felt swollen and sensitive, a feeling my lips hadn’t felt for a while.

As I stared up at the ceiling I could feel my heavy eyelids draw to a close, as the dawn broke across Manhattan.