The brush of Derek's fingertips against her skin is subtle, perhaps not even a conscious choice on Derek's part. For a brief while, Sookie can't even bring herself to look. She knows what it's like to let grief fade away by pursuing the company of another person, but where friends are concerned, it seems so tenuous. A risk that might not be wise to take. So her brow furrows, and the presence of Derek remains strong in the room, from the intake of every breath to the warmth of his hold, and she tries her best to focus on his words, even though they leave her feeling even more isolated. Alone.
In need of something to fill that void and bridge that gap.
"Your mind forgets it. But the rest of you doesn't. You still wake up every morning, and when life throws shit at you, your body still knows to run away. Or to face it, the stronger you get, the more you know that you can overcome it all," Sookie says, clearing her throat as she downs more of her own glass, tilting the comforting weight in her fingers. She's not sure if it's Derek who pulls her closer, or if she moves in that direction of her own volition, but her eyes are stinging again and the tears threaten to fall. Somehow, right now, it feels like it'd be the worst admission of defeat.
This is the last thing that Jason would have wanted, for her to grieve over the simple fact that Jason's stepped only into the next room, inaccessible for a brief period of time.
"Don't close your mind off to that," she says, looking up to meet Derek's gaze. "To living. Because the rest of you is gonna get through everything the world throws at you, and the worst would be if you don't let yourself to see the happiness in every new day that you get. It's there, it's just... buried, sometimes." She huffs a soft, broken laugh, leaning her head to rest briefly on Derek's shoulder. "I don't even know what the hell I'm saying."
Pausing, after a few moments, Sookie tilts her head up slightly, the bridge of her nose pressed soft against the line of Derek's jaw. She doesn't have his sense of smell, and yet she feels like everything around her is heightened. Maybe she's reading his mind, she thinks to herself. He always did think in sensation — the smell of fresh grass, the feel of dirt soft under each step. The smell of sunshine, indescribable and clear.
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In need of something to fill that void and bridge that gap.
"Your mind forgets it. But the rest of you doesn't. You still wake up every morning, and when life throws shit at you, your body still knows to run away. Or to face it, the stronger you get, the more you know that you can overcome it all," Sookie says, clearing her throat as she downs more of her own glass, tilting the comforting weight in her fingers. She's not sure if it's Derek who pulls her closer, or if she moves in that direction of her own volition, but her eyes are stinging again and the tears threaten to fall. Somehow, right now, it feels like it'd be the worst admission of defeat.
This is the last thing that Jason would have wanted, for her to grieve over the simple fact that Jason's stepped only into the next room, inaccessible for a brief period of time.
"Don't close your mind off to that," she says, looking up to meet Derek's gaze. "To living. Because the rest of you is gonna get through everything the world throws at you, and the worst would be if you don't let yourself to see the happiness in every new day that you get. It's there, it's just... buried, sometimes." She huffs a soft, broken laugh, leaning her head to rest briefly on Derek's shoulder. "I don't even know what the hell I'm saying."
Pausing, after a few moments, Sookie tilts her head up slightly, the bridge of her nose pressed soft against the line of Derek's jaw. She doesn't have his sense of smell, and yet she feels like everything around her is heightened. Maybe she's reading his mind, she thinks to herself. He always did think in sensation — the smell of fresh grass, the feel of dirt soft under each step. The smell of sunshine, indescribable and clear.