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The human face has always been a wonder to Elias Ainsworth.
He had studied the anatomy and mechanics of faces for many years before ever attempting to replicate it in his glamour. Even then, his best attempts could never quite match what they were trying to emulate. Chise has been none too shy to tell him how fake his glamour looked shortly after bringing her home, and though at the time it may have been a slight blow to his ego, Elias learned to improve from her response and better his skills of imitation.
Silky had a human face, but she was not human. Her expressions were very limited. Studying her face wasn’t an option. Angela was quite expressive, but Elias could only get as close to her as any other humans would allow. Simon tried to keep his distance, like most other humans. But Chise...she didn’t mind it when he brought his face close to hers. She didn’t mind it in those moments when he got up close and personal with her. In fact, she seemed to respond quite positively to having her teacher near to her.
At least, based on experience, that’s what Elias had come to believe.
One of the mage’s favorite places to relax with his apprentice was on the sofa in his study. Often times they would only sit next to one another, but on the rare occasions Elias would lie down with his head on one end of the couch and his feet hanging over the other as Chise curled up in his chest and fell asleep. He had heard of the act of “cuddling” “snuggling” and even “canoodling”, but he had never once thought of the activity as enticing. Not before he met Chise, at least.
The allure of cuddling with Chise quickly became a weakness for Elias. When he managed to even pick up the faintest hint that Chise wanted to curl up with him and fall asleep, the mage was quick to drop whatever he was doing and oblige. In fact, those quiet and intimate moments he spent cozying up with his apprentice became so important to him, sleep became nearly impossible to achieve unless Chise hunkered down in his bed and tucked snuggly under the covers by his side.
It just so happened to be one such day, when Elias found himself lying across the sofa with his apprentice sleeping soundly on his chest. He cheek was squished and pressed into his shoulder, but she looked comfortable as ever, breathing slowly and deeply in her sleep.
Elias observed the features of her face carefully, and sighed contentedly. Her eyelashes are quite long. He thought silently to himself and lifted an ungloved hand to stroke a delicate finger up. The lashes brushed the sides of his finger smoothly. And her nose is like a button. He pressed the pad of his index finger to the tip of her nose, just slightly. She stirred a little but continued to sleep.
Her cheeks are soft and smooth. And always blushing. He cupped the side of her face and gently stroked his thumb down her cheek with adoration in his eyes. Her lips are...they’re…
The only lips to ever graze his skin….
Elias gingerly ran his finger over the contours of her lips. They parted at the sensation of his finger and promptly closed once more. Chise stirred again. This time, she lifted an arm to wrap around Elias’s neck as she buried her face in the crook of his shoulder on the other side.
Chise was soft and delicate. The fea had named her well. The robin. Holding Chise was much like holding a bird. So beautiful and fragile. Elias rested one hand on her back and the other on hip before allowing himself to close his eyes and follow his little robin to dreamland.