Note

Just listen to Varúð by Sigur Rós throughout this chapter, it perfectly sums up the whole atmosphere of this chapter. WARNING: SLIGHT SEXUAL CONTENT AHEAD (forgive me, mum). I took inspiration from The End of Oz for this chapter and the next because everything I tried to write on my own was rubbish so here goes. The much-awaited sinning is finally upon us.

By the time the pair decided the come back down from the roof; the entire museum was dark and silent, showing that the pair had spent more time up there than they originally planned. After coming down from the roof, Adelaide asked DogNut to wait as she dropped off her camera and the bottle in her room before she returned to him. They walked through the quiet halls together, their hands linked together.

"Y'know," DogNut spoke up, causing Adelaide to look at him. "As weird as it sounds, I'm kind of gonna miss this place."

Adelaide smiled, leaning into him a little. "Yeah, me too. But I'm happy to be on the move, it'll be nice to get away from this place and leave it behind."

"You wouldn't miss anyone?"

"Nah… apart from Esme. But she'll be at the tower with us soon enough so I wouldn't miss her that much, plus, she'll be safe here. Just until we can come back and bring her to the tower."

DogNut nodded his head, the pair falling into silence again as they made their way back towards the living quarters to finally get some sleep. In truth, neither of them really wanted to go to bed or be separated from each other but they didn't say it in fear it would seem a little too needy.

They arrived back at the main sleeping area, surrounded by sleeping kids and they knew they had to say their goodnight's. Looking at each other and around each other awkwardly, they didn't say anything until DogNut spoke up.

"I guess this is goodnight then, princess." He whispered, making sure to keep his voice low to not wake up the sleeping kids.

Adelaide nodded, her grip on his hand tightening. "Yeah, I suppose it is. Sleep well, Jacob."

DogNut nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to Adelaide's cheek before slowly releasing her hand and turned away from her, starting his walk to his room to sleep.

Adelaide watched him for a split second before she rushed after him and gripped onto his back to stop him before walking to stand in front of him. Without speaking, Adelaide kissed DogNut with all the love and compassion she had within her. She didn't need words to tell him everything she wanted him to know with that kiss: that she was hopelessly, helplessly, unconditionally in love with him, that she would stay by his side until the end, whatever that end looked like.

He kissed her back – hesitantly at first, and then with a hunger she could feel through his mouth, his hands buried in her hair. It was a long time before the pair came up for air.

"Adelaide-" he said hoarsely, but Adelaide stopped him.

"No talking," she whispered, nodding towards the sleeping kids several feet away from them.

Adelaide took DogNut's hand and pressed a finger to her lips to keep him quiet as the pair almost jogged through the quiet museum. Adelaide knew exactly where she was going; she was taking him to one of the old offices that she had refurbished to better suit her and became her bedroom – she added a small bed and placed various books and weapons around the room, along with placing various valuables around to make it feel like she was home.

The pair looked at each other in the darkness for a moment before Adelaide carefully locked her arms around his shoulders, bringing his body closer to hers as she pressed her lips to his. They had kissed before, but it felt different to both of them.

They were nervous, of course. This would've been the first time either of them had done anything remotely close to this, but it felt right to them. It would've been the perfect way to say that they loved each other without even saying a word.

Hesitantly, the pair began to remove articles of their clothing, laughing between kisses until they both collapsed onto the bed, completely lost within their own little world.

Adelaide placed a hand on his chest, pausing the moment as she caught her breath.

He paused for a moment, running a finger down her bare arm. "Are you okay?"

Adelaide moved a little closer to him, covering her chest with one arm. "I'm, um, really nervous," she confessed, feeling herself blush. Then she blushed more because she knew he could see her blushing.

"It's okay," he answered, his voice soft and gentle. "We don't have to do this. We don't even have to do anything at all. I can go if you want me to. Do you want me to go?"

"No!" Adelaide's voice came out as an urgent squeak, not something she intended to happen. "It's just that I, um, I've never done this before. The thing that it seems like we're maybe about to do."

"Oh," he said, blushing a little too. "I, well," he sat up, and Adelaide's heart sank inside her chest, thinking she'd ruined everything. "I've never done this before either."

"Oh," Adelaide breathed, her heart relaxing a little as she heard his words, knowing that she wasn't the only one who was nervous.

"When I first met you, I thought you were just another pretty face who would end up dead anyway. But then I got to know you. And I couldn't believe how stupid and selfish I had been – I was a jerk to you, yeah, I admit it. But I had to be to keep myself away from you because I thought that if I allowed myself to get close to you, I would just end up losing you. But then I saw you on the bridge and that was when I knew – I knew that I couldn't stay away from you or allow myself to be a jerk to you anymore. I was too late to tell you. But I do know this; you taught me that there are good people left in the world. You taught me how to love. You taught me how to choose. And I choose you. Always. I choose you. And I'll choose you, over and over and over. Without pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I'll keep choosing you."

Adelaide's heart clenched inside her chest. "Jacob…"

Adelaide and DogNut had kissed and touched before, but there was always a stopping point. A holding back. This was letting go. Every touch and kiss was a call and response of skin and feeling. But it wasn't like the movies. They still giggled a lot and it was awkward and funny and a little weird but also completely, totally perfect.

Afterward, she pillowed her head on his lean and slightly muscular chest and stared up at the dark ceiling above them as the pounding of his heart slowed to a regular beat. He put an arm around her and she burrowed into his side, jerking her head away from the ceiling.

"I love you," he said softly into her hair, breaking the silence.

"I know," she said back, a small smile coming onto her lips before yawning and falling into the deepest and more contented sleep of her life.