salvation

"Smores, every night?" Celeste laughed, a smile breaking onto her face. She found it impossible not to smile too when Henry looked at her like that. His grin did wonders, it caused her heart to swell up and feel like it might burst, just seeing him smiling at her like that... "That sounds amazing," she teased, grabbing the foil and doing as she was asked.

After Henry finished cooking the fish and the vegetables, they sat outside watching as the sun fully disappeared behind the horizon. Her first day with him out here in the mountains had been a good one, even if she had cried to him. It had felt good to let out some of those emotions, to speak out loud what she had endured at Erin's hands, to hear someone promise to do their best to keep her safe... Celeste was feeling more and more comfortable as the minutes passed by, watching as Henry stoked the fire after they finished eating. They enjoyed smores under the starry night sky, and Celeste was relieved when the evening ended on such a light note. There wasn't anymore crying or heavy emotions, yet anyway.

It was nearing time to go back inside, that was evident when Henry pushed himself to his feet and began putting out the fire. Knowing that it was time to retire, most likely back to his bedroom, Celeste could feel the nervous feeling coming back. A pit was opening again in her stomach when she realized tonight wouldn't be like the last. Henry wasn't exhausted like he had been after driving all the way up here, he wouldn't already be passed out in the bed when she came out from the shower. Soon, they would be in his bed, lying next to one another, and who knows what would happen.... She knew, or at least was hopeful, that Henry wouldn't push himself on her, but that wasn't what she was worried about. He was a man, and if he did that, she knew how to please a man, but...

Standing to her feet as she watched him snuff out the flames, she couldn't help but admire him. The way his shirt clung to his muscles, the way they flexed as he moved,the way the wind blew through his curls... Maybe some sick part of her wanted him to force himself upon her because that was all she knew. Clearing her throat, she moved to touch his bicep, "I'll meet you inside, okay?" She squeezed his arm before leaving him there, hurrying inside and up to his room.

Stepping into his room, Celeste quietly shut the door and moved to where her bag lay in the corner. She pulled out a pair of sleeping shorts, staring at them as her hands began to shake, knowing how vulnerable she would feel showing so much skin. Fighting through it, she undressed and pulled on the shorts, yanking off her long sleeve shirt to reveal the light gray tank top underneath. Last night had been unbearably sweltering. She had woken up many times through out the night, hot and sticky from the amount of clothes she had been wearing underneath the covers. All she wanted was to be cool and comfortable, but glancing towards herself in the mirror above the dresser, she had to force herself to look away, unable to stomach the shape her body was in.

Climbing into the bed quickly, hearing Henry's footsteps on the stairs, she crawled under the covers, hoping that she would be able to hide her body from him.

@ castle.

“Every night if that’s what you want, angel,” Henry said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world. To him, it was. Making sure that Celeste was happy and comfortable was the easiest thing to him. He did it naturally because for him, it was. There was no having to think about it. Nights like tonight, he wished that they could have them all the time. He wished that this was every night for them because he knew how happy he could make Celeste if she gave herself to him fully. He already did so well, if only they had the chance to truly explore life together. He knew that would be a chance.

Moving to put out the fire, Henry looked up to Celeste when her hand settled on his arm. He gave her a lazy smile, nodding. “See you inside, angel,” he agreed, watching her retreat for a moment before he turned back to the task at hand.

Henry’s stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot as he made his way into the kitchen so that he could put away the left over food. He knew what he was about to see. There would be new bruises and marks on Celeste’s body and it would break his heart, make him feel like an absolute failure because as a man it was his job to protect. And he wasn’t doing that. He knew he wasn’t. Leaning against the counter, Henry exhaled lowly as he willed himself up the stairs.

Coming up to the bedroom, Henry have the door a little knock just so that Celeste would know he was there. He didn’t want to startle her. He smiled softly as he stepped inside, moving over to his dresser. Henry didn’t keep a whole lot of clothes here but he kept comfortable things because his weekends at the cabin were all about relaxation. Pulling out a pair of sweatpants, Henry straightened as he kept his back to Celeste. It was all for her comfort as he changed into them, shedding his shirt and dropping it into the pile with his jeans.

Henry turned back to Celeste and felt an immediate response - he couldn’t see much but what he could see on her arms broke him. He forced a smile to his face, moving to climb under the covers before he opened his arms for her. “C’mere, angel. Wanna hold you,” Henry murmured, having no intention of taking it further if she wasn’t ready for that step.

Celeste tugged the covers tighter around herself when she heard Henry knock on the door lightly. She tried to relax when he came into the room, watching as he moved to the dresser and started to undress. Her gaze was glued to him as he pulled his shirt over his head, her eyes moving down over his back, feeling her stomach twist and flip, but in a good way. Watching him undress, for a moment, helped her forget what she was trying to hide from him. He was gorgeous, and she knew he had to catch her staring when he turned around after pulling on his sleep clothes.

A bright pink blush was evident on her face when he slipped into the bed, his voice causing her to shudder as he opened his arms for her. She scooted over in the bed, instantly moving into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist as she felt his arms fall over her. All she could hope for was that the shadows in the room helped mask how badly bruised she was, that the darkness would smooth over her cuts and burns and hide them, at least a little bit.

Henry was so warm, and comfortable and as she melted into his arms, she felt her insecurities melt away too. Laying with her head on his chest, she knew he would never hurt her. That was enough to help calm her down, even if her hands were still trembling. "I wish we didn't have to leave, I wish we could stay here forever."

@ castle.

Henry didn't think that he would ever be able to stop the way this his gaze had swept over Celeste's form. Most of it was hidden by the blankets and what wasn't was shadowed, he couldn't see much but he knew there were bruises hidden from his sight. He started playing with her hair, burying his face into the other side of her hair. He smiled, nodding at her words. "You just have to say the word, angel. I'll make it happen," he teased and he wondered if she realized how truthful he had been in the moment.

Already, Henry was realizing once he got this promotion and they moved, he would have to find another cabin to buy. He would sell the one they were in now, knowing that he would want to secure their safety. He had no clue entirely what Erin was capable of and he knew that Celeste would probably feel better if they cut all of their ties keeping them to this place.

Henry's grip tightened on Celeste's waist and he wished that he had the courage to roll on top of her and show her just how much he loved her but he wouldn't. He didn't want to put her into a compromising position but he wished that he could show her just how much he loved her. He would dedicate his entire life to her if he could.

"Tell me. When we move, are you going to decorate our place? Make it a little less like a bachelor pad?" Henry teased as he glanced down to her, still continuing to play with her hair. It was calming to him and he was sure it was the same with her. "What would you decorate it like, hm?"

Celeste chewed on her bottom lip nervously, her fingertips brushing over his skin, around his waist. It was comforting to just listen to him speak, his voice was so soothing. Her body couldn't help from tensing when his grip around her tightened, pressing her body up even more against his. Her face heated up, but she didn't mind it, slowly forcing herself to relax. She could feel every part of him, one hand sliding up his torso to rest on his chest. He felt so firm, almost like a stone though his skin was soft and his body was welcoming.

Letting out a slow sigh as her muscles loosened and her head lulled back into the pillow, Celeste thought about it. "Hmm, I don't know, but I do know that I definitely wouldn't be putting up the live, laugh, love stickers on the walls." She couldn't help but giggle, though she could see somewhat of a home with Henry. Though, it seemed like a far off future, one where they had their own home out in the country, with a large dog running around... She thought back to her own cramped, dim apartment and could almost laugh again, thinking she wasn't deserving of a life like that.

She looked up at him, feeling a tightness in her chest and like her throat was closing up. Her eyes flickered to his lips and she couldn't help but feel the sudden craving to kiss them. His fingers gliding through her hair had goosebumps popping up all along her arms and her face felt like it was burning, but still, she forced herself to move, leaning in to kiss him gently, slowly, almost too terrified to let herself linger there.

@ castle.

Henry couldn't help but laugh at the little giggle that she let out, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. "We could hang up our own version though... Dream, inspire, love?" He contemplated lowly, his fingers moving to brush gently against her shoulder. It was the most that he could bring himself to do without Celeste pressing for more. "Might be a little bit corny but that's okay. If it makes you smile, it's worth it," he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

When he looked down to her, Henry's face softened because he noticed the way her eyes dropped to his lips. He grinned lazily, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "Hi," he breathed lowly. Henry sighed into the kiss, his lips parting as he reached up to cup Celeste's cheek gently. He deepened the kiss carefully, making sure to keep his touch gentle in case Celeste needed to pull away from him. Leaning his forehead against Celeste's when they finally pulled away, Henry was breathless. His eyes fluttered shut and he nuzzled closer to her.

"You okay, hm?" Henry tested, allowing his hand to tease down her arm before it came to rest on her hip. It wasn't a request for anything other than his fingertips dipping beneath the fabric of her shorts. He only wanted to feel her skin against his, it was a physical proof that Celeste was safe and in his arms. Nothing would happen to her here. "You're so beautiful," He murmured quiet, his thumb brushing back and forth over her delicate skin.

Celeste couldn't help the way her back arched when his hands ran down her arms, his hands coming to rest on her hips. She also couldn't help the way she smiled, how her heart seemed to jump up into her throat when he called her beautiful. It was so hard for her to believe, but when he said it, she couldn't help but just believe him. "I'm more than okay," she bit down on her bottom lip, brushing her nose against his.

She moved her leg over his hip, making it to where there was no possible way they could get closer. The butterflies in Celeste's stomach were making her feel like she might vomit, but she forced herself to push past the feeling, telling herself she couldn't be scared forever. She wanted to tangle herself up with Henry, feel his hands all over her body and allow herself to explore his too, but unless she was willing to tear down the wall she built up around herself that would never happen. She was trying to tear it down.

Kissing him again, she slid her hands down his sides until they came to the waistband of his sweat pants and all she could do was let them linger there. Her lips brushed against his as she gently pulled back, feeling her whole body tense again. She wanted to go further, but she was too embarrassed to say anything.

@ castle.

That little smile that she gave him, it was all of the life that he needed. His heart warmed and he pressed closer to her if only because he realized that Celeste was okay at the moment, her words only affirming that. He smiled, lifting his head enough to press a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose.

Henry inhaled sharply when Celeste moved closer to him, her hands travelling to the waistband of his sweats. He knew where his thoughts were going and he was pretty sure that Celeste was probably going in the same direction. When she hesitated was the only time that Henry allowed his gaze to lift to her face instead of anywhere else. His eyes found hers and he could see how she was struggling with something. The way her body tensed was enough to stop his fingers from slipping further than the curve of her ass.

"If you don't want to do more, that's okay, angel," Henry murmured quietly. He was sure she was afraid of him being angry with her, for 'leading him on'. There was no other real possibility of entering his mind other than that. Celeste's mouth opened and closed and Henry started thinking a bit more. His brows pulled together as he looked up to her. "Do... you want to do more?" His voice dropped several octaves, keeping his focus solely on her face. He didn't want her to feel swayed one way or another, regardless of what he personally wanted.