or: inej and nina make out in a library for fun
the ketterdam library is high walls and thin, winding balconies, bookshelves built to the sky and dusty light falling across the floor. nearer the entrance, people are milling gently, silence broken only by shuffling feet and the turning of pages. further back, though, it’s emptier, the silence somehow quieter. inej melts into the shadows like a ghost, but when nina’s fingers brush against her wrist, she’s warm to the touch. nina can feel the other girl’s pulse beneath her fingers.
it’s one of the things she misses most about her powers, as they were. she never needed to reach out before, not like this. but inej understands, and lets her do it, although nina can hear the way her breath catches even as she remains perfectly still.
inej’s hair is tied back. the bare skin of her neck suddenly feels hyperaware, and she suppresses the urge to shiver. when nina’s hand comes to rest there (gentle, barely touching) she can feel herself tense. nina feels it too, pauses, ready to pull away if inej asks.
inej doesn’t want her to move.