The Rise of Venus

More Than We Expected

Song: i'm in love with my best friend playlist by rainbeary

It was the little things that got on my nerves now.

Like the eggshell in my scrambled eggs or the thread in Leo's dark sweater that wouldn't stop unraveling. My feet were too cold and a hot shower did little to soothe my conflicted emotions. Now, the biggest source of annoyance were the knots I couldn't get out of my hair. No matter how hard I cursed and tugged, dragging the brush through my thick hair proved to only make the mess worse.

"Do you want help?"

Placing the brush on the wooden vanity with a huff, I looked at Leo through the ancient mirror. He was sketching something new in his journal, something I wasn't allowed to see just yet. My bed was littered with art supplies. Hues of reds and blues stained his long fingers and little pieces of my blankets.

Not that I minded the mess.

"Yes, please."

Taking my hair in his hands, he gently finger combed my long locks. The damp strands of silver clung to his nimble fingers as he worked diligently. When he was finished he took the wooden brush and worked out the rest of the knots with ease. The middle of his forehead creased as he poured all of his focus onto me.

"Ava?"

"Ava," he confirmed. Parting my hair into two even sections, Leo set the brush back down and started braiding my hair. Harsh tugs tingled up and down my scalp as he laced silky silver into a thrice woven plait.

Closing my eyes, I fell into our quiet moment and brought my knees to my chest. The uncomfortable chair pushed against my numb butt but it was inconsequential. The feeling of Leo's fingers were heavenly.

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" I asked.

Yesterday, after Pride healed Reign, Leo took him outside to spar. The pair didn't stop fighting until an hour ago at 4 am. It made me sick to see them both battered with bruises and cuts. But, honestly speaking, it hurt even more to see the raw vulnerability written all over Pride's face.

With no more secrets to hide and no more eggshells to walk on, I saw just how torn Pride really was. There was no more cocky, full of himself, Werewolf Pride to gaze upon anymore. Now he was heartbroken, throwing himself into magick, Hybrid Pride that looked so lost.

And I didn't know how to help him anymore. I didn't know what to say or if a touch to his lower back could calm him like before. Whatever progress I'd made with Pride felt so far away now.

I didn't know how to get back to him. Or, even worse, I didn't know if he even wanted me to reach out to him.

"It doesn't hurt." Leo finished one braid and switched to the left side of my head. His blunt nails scratched my sensitive scalp. I shivered at the soft touch. Growing up, I always loved when Mother and Father would play with my hair. It made me feel relaxed.

"How is he?"

"Embarrassed," Leo replied. I watched him through the mirror as he struggled with the final braid. The one on the right was perfect and threaded together in even chunks. The braid on the left however, seemed to be putting up a fight. I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"He shouldn't be."

"Agreed. But he's, for the lack of a better word, a proud man." Leo bit his lip at the bump that appeared in my braid. Tugging on my drying hair, he unraveled the messy braid and tried again. "I don't think he's ever had a breakdown like that before. He's ashamed but it'll pass."

My Mate leaned closer to my head, working slower to make the braid perfect on his second try. It amazed me how he could read others, articulate his thoughts so well. And then become a shy, stuttering mess when it came to talking about himself.