A/N: Title gives credit to As Tall As Lions' song 'Love Love Love (Love Love). It is beautiful.

I have a strange soft-spot for this piece. I hope you like it.

ODDS AND ENDS #18:

love's not a grave (it won't decay on you)

By Emilee Petersmark

Please, his lips move against her, painfully slow, Please stay.

"Shhh," she hushes in a voice that is stronger than she feels, fingers stroking his hair in what she hopes is a soothing manner. "It'll be alright. Everything will be alright."

"You don't know him," he growls, fingers fisting tightly into the fabric at her hips. "I won't... I, I can't be there to save you if... if... Fuck." With a curse, he pushes her back to give him room to stand before gripping her face with both hands, hard enough to let her know how desperate he is. "How am I supposed to let you do this?"

He takes up her entire vision, larger than life as he makes her look at him, tries to make her see, to make her understand. His eyes are wet around the edges and his nose is a little red and something in her chest physically breaks to see him like this.

She needs him to feel the strength surging through her, the courage and confidence that assures her that she's doing the right thing-- she needs him to know. She's no longer afraid.

Her arms move, she leans forward.

She closes her eyes.

His whole body goes rigid as the blood comes to a dead stop in his veins-- her hands (God, her perfect little hands) are cupping his jaw and pulling him down, down, down... And suddenly its her lips at the corner of his mouth that forces his heart to resume beating, her lips so fucking close to his that he thinks it makes part of his brain actually shut down.

Her sweet mouth, so delicately pressed against his skin, is enough to break down his last shred of restraint (the rest of his control had been completely mauled my his emotional turmoil). His brain may be malfunctioning, but on instinct his body reacts.

(Be mine. Please be mine.)

One twist of his head and he's kissing her, hard.

Her eyes snap open and she makes a muffled sound of surprise against his mouth, but he's working his lips over her own in a way so savage and needy that she can't force herself to think or even breathe... her heart is bursting inside of her chest like a firework (beautiful colors and lights bright enough to illuminate the darkest places inside of her) and she's kissing him back. It's awkward and new and glorious and she is awash with his passion, swept away.

She's never been kissed before (she's certainly never been kissed like this).

This is right, this is perfect, this is fucking destiny and she can feel his tears spilling onto her cheeks and down her face like they're her own.

Reviews are appreciated.