Martin and Mari snuggle up in Mari's room. She tries her best to bring comfort to him in his frazzled state, gently running her fingers through his dark curls, as he nuzzles himself against her stomach. A couple hours prior, Mari practically had to make Martin shower; he had showed up to her house looking extremely disheveled, and as she embraced him, he smelled distinctly of.. copper, and outside. Martin refused to tell her where he was or what happened to his family, or where Arthur was, and she decided not to press him any further on the matter, for now at least. Mari let him borrow one of her bigger shirts and pajama pants, and led him to bed. She gently strokes his hair, finding some comfort in holding him so close. The warmth of his head on her stomach brings her to a certain level of serenity even in the midst of all the chaos. With Martin close by, she feels more content, like he's protecting her. Mari feels Martin raise his head off of her stomach, and he begins inching closer to her face, putting both of his hands on either side of her as he does. He leans in, and she gasps as he plants a kiss on her neck, and then slowly along her jaw. Mari’s mind goes blank, her face flushing in heat. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest. Mari shut her eyes tight, not believing that she would react like this at all. She released an exasperated breath through her nose, and frowned slightly, her jaw tightening briefly in mild irritation. Mari then pulls Martin flush against her body, running her hands through the sweet, soft, and curly hair that she's always found so irresistible. As she continues to hold onto Martin, tears are running down his face, wetting Mari's neck. Her eyes spring open. "Martin.. are you alright?'' she asks softly, with a face brimming with concern. Martin pulls away to look at her, face red, eyes puffy. His eyebrows furrow before he tries to speak. His voice comes out shaky. “I-I..” He can't even look at her. “Uh...” He stops himself, gritting his teeth for a second as he hears his voice crack. Martin sighs and looks down at Mari, slowly rubbing his thumb across her chin, and then he lightly grabs it. Mari looks up at him, cheeks flushed, breaths coming out short and shallow. His face becomes a sight to behold; soft yet passionate, so familiar yet not like how she's ever seen him before. She pulls him closer, her lips touch his, lightly at first, and then intensely. Mari tastes salt on his tongue as they kiss passionately. Their lips separate for a moment, and in that moment her mind catches up with her. She hesitates as his lips linger, but then she kisses him again. Mari can feel her heart pumping hard, so hard that it hurts almost, but she savors each lingering moment. They pull away from each other, feeling more content than before. Mari eyes stay closed, chest rising and falling gently as Martin's thumb lovingly caresses her cheek. Martin’s long, boney fingers gently slide to the back of her neck, continuing the same motions. Mari’s eyes open, flitting to his lips. She's tempted to kiss him again, but instead she pulls him close, nuzzling into her neck, breathing him in. She ran her hands slowly up his back, brushing them along lightly until he felt the prickling of goosebumps and shudders along his body. She continued up over the crest of his shoulders and along his neck, drawing slow, hypnotic circles with her fingertips. Mari's hands move up from his neck to his face, and as she rests her hands on his cheeks, she allows herself to really look at him. His facial hair was overgrown, his face was gaunt in appearance, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He tilts his head to look into Mari's soft, olive green eyes as she runs her fingers over the beauty marks on his face. Mari asks in a low, whispery voice, "...Are you okay?" Martin nods slightly as Martin speaks. Mari smiles, and Martin moves to lay beside her. He wraps his around her, pulling her snug against him, and she hugs him back, wrapping his legs around his. She runs her hands up and down his back in soothing motions, and she lifts her head to look into Martin's tired, bloodshot eyes, lined with dark circles. She caresses Martin's shoulders, and he leans into her, pressing a soft kiss into her neck. Mari's voice echoes with concern, not just with a concern of Martin's current condition, but also the events that had probably caused it. "...You know you can trust me with anything, right? You don't have to tell me about anything that happened. You don't have to say anything to anyone if you don't want to.." Mari sighs and moves to hold Martin's hand now, squeezing his fingers tightly. Mari's heart breaks as she sees her friend in such a sad, fragile state. "I.. I know I can trust you, Mari. I just didn't want to drag you down with all my problems, that's all…" Martin squeezes her hand back, he wants to hold her, to keep her close. Martin looks away, trying to avoid Mari's sad expression. Mari moved her hand to his face. "You can trust me with anything, Martin. I may not always be the warmest, but I'll always be there for you.." Mari's voice, while usually very soft and sweet, sounds just a little.. off. It's like she doesn't feel the emotion she's supposed to feel when she says that. As she speaks, she can see those same, odd emotions in Martin's face.. the happiness, the longing, yet there was still something.. else. Mari notices that she's rubbing her fingers along Martin's jawline. She moves her touch back up to his hair. "..Yea, I know." Martin's voice is soft, yet filled with regret. He's still in love with Mari, still hung over her like a drug. Mari knows something's up, she can feel that something's wrong. She continues to stroke his hair, as he leans his head onto her shoulder. Mari's touch continues to make him forget. It was as if they were still young, still together after all these years. Maybe they could fix it… if Mari could just touch him a bit more. "Shh.. it's alright.." Mari continues to scratch his hair, her hand slowly moving to the nape of his neck. Mari closes her eyes, trying to take a deep breath. Mari can feel her worries and her feelings for Martin slowly merging into one. Mari opens her eyes, looking at Martin in a way that shows just how much love she still has for him. Mari's touch is almost a hypnosis for Martin, a way he could forget about what he had done. Martin pulls away from Mari, and moves towards her face. Martin can feel his heart start to beat faster, his breathing becoming irregular. He feels lightheaded as he gazes into Mari's soft, green eyes… Her hair is almost like a comforting blanket, and he feels as though he's melting as Mari kisses him, being lost in the warm, intimate silence between the two of them. Mari pulls away, heart thumping in her chest as her breath comes out in hot, slow gasps. Mari smiles gently at Martin, her eyes full of affection. Mari rests her head against Martin's shoulder, and cuddles against him, feeling so safe and comforted as she does so. Martin's heart was beating out of his chest. He felt as if Mari was the only thing that mattered to him right now. Martin holds her tight, as if he was afraid that if he loosened his grip on her, she would disappear right in front of his eyes. Martin and Mari stay in the tight embrace for a long time, their breathing slowing, the warmth of their bodies comforting them. Martin's lips gently ran to Mari's chin, her eyes still closed shut. Martin couldn't help but smile, the warmth of this moment was exactly what he needed right now, and it felt like heaven itself.