[She sets the cider down again so that her hand can slide around the back of his neck and up into his hair, and she brings him a little closer until their lips are grazing against one another's, and she can taste the rum on his breath.]
... Okay.
[Tifa presses their lips together into a tender, lingering kiss, one that makes her feel fuzzy as a wave of warm happiness washes over her, only made more violent by the alcohol that's making her blood run hot.
She remembers that night on the terrace, and how they had been just like this. Close, overcome with feelings, but now, she's no longer confused and conflicted. Her heart no longer wishes to go to him, but he holds it in his hands now.]
I'll never get tired of hearing you ask.
[And just like that, more starflowers bloom around the log they're sitting on, and even some of the dogs lift their heads up to watch them spread outward.
There's a pause as she captures his lips again for another.]
I know that you're worried about the wedding... and making sure it all goes right. That it's perfect, but... [She smiles against his lips as she nuzzles their noses together.] I just want this. This is enough.
[He smiles at her answer, his lips eagerly taking hers as his arm wraps around her shoulder to pull her more flush against him, his fingers threading between hers as he keeps hold of her hand.]
And I'll never tire hearing you accept it.
[How could he? He could say it again right now, and just like before there would be that giddy ripple, an emotion that he only ever feels around her and no one else—not even the dogs. Tifa, his precious, treasured beloved. Who else would he show this side of him other than her? He can't imagine it. He doesn't want to.]
But even if this is enough... I still want to give you more.
[Give her everything and anything she could ever want. Not in the sense of luxuries (but he would damn well try), but just to keep her happy and smiling. His beautiful light, his radiant sun.
His spring.
With his lips brushing against hers, he says it again, his voice lower than before.]
Marry me.
[This time he follows it with a deep kiss, his words carrying more of that sincere weight than the more playful one from before.]
[She doesn't even get the chance to respond with words, so she uses the kiss he interrupts her with instead. She invites him deeper, the taste of the rum and the apple so intoxicating that she feels dizzy, but beneath all of that, Tifa's answer can be felt. Felt in the way the fire surges brighter and hotter, the crackling loud and comforting. In the way her ring grows warmer around her finger, and in the glow of their charms as they chime together at their chests as she presses her body close to seek him. It's in the way she breathes him in and keeps him close to her until she's had her fill, too.
Which will be never, but she has to compromise with herself somewhere.
It's only when she's slightly out of breath that she frees him from her, but she doesn't go without a small nip to his lip first.]
I wish... we could get married tomorrow. That I didn't have to wait to be your wife...
[But she knows better than that. She knows that there's plenty of preparation they still need to do if they want to have the wedding they deserve. To celebrate the love between them with those who have stuck at their side even during their toughest times...
It doesn't mean a girl can't wish, though.
She can hear the rustling of some of the dogs getting up as the flowers continue to spread, and in the corner of her eye, she sees Eria move in the direction back to the house.]
[Passion and love... Two emotions Eustace never thought he would have yet here he is filled to the brim and it overflows into the kiss and in his touch and heat that wraps around them, the crackling fire fueled by their love distant as he hears her breaths and the way their lips meet over and over again. He could repeat those two words a thousand times and he doesn't think it would truly satisfy how much he wants her in his life. How grateful he is.
When she eventually pulls away he wants to pull her back, only half mindful how the dogs are disappearing. He can vaguely hear the clicking of Eria's tongue and the soft mutters and giggling whispers of There they go again, but he doesn't care. It was inevitable. So as they quickly become more alone, he smiles faintly at her cute complaints.]
I thought you already were.
[His wife. He's called her that a few times already, partly in jest, but at other times more symbolic of how he already considers her. So there's a light gleam as he whispers softly, breath warm.]
My wife.
[A teasing nip of her lower lip as if in return for the one she gave.]
My precious mate.
[And then he pulls her into another sweet kiss before murmuring against her lips.]
My only love.
[How many more things could he call her? Better yet, how much more can she stand?]
Tifa could listen to him call her all these things a million times and she would never grow tired of it. Each one sends a shiver rippling through her, heightened by the kisses he embellishes them with, her mind already dizzy and drunk from the combination of his scent filling her head and the rum that's swimming in it, and she can only breathe soft laughs on his lips before it's her turn to kiss him.]
I guess I am.
[All of those things. It's said both with a sweetness and appreciation to it, but there's an air of possessiveness and pride to it as well, drowned out in another kiss.]
And I'm the luckiest girl in the world.
[That she's somehow managed to find someone like him... Someone so supportive and loving, so gentle and caring... He has sharper edges, but there is a softness that she knows is reserved only for her, and that she is the only one that can see that part of him? She feels on top of the world to be that girl. The one that he chose to give his whole heart to the way she did with her own to him.
She smiles on his lips, and Tifa has practically wrapped herself around him on his lap.]
[The luckiest man in the world to find someone as loving, caring, and supportive as her. Someone who has saved him from his old hollow shell countless times stuck with him despite the hells they've had to suffer through. Reminded him of the potential he had, the potential future he had. Someone be could truly open up and give his fragile heart, knowing no matter how many times it breaks she can help mend it. As terrible as the whole noctaere ordeal had been, it had also been the ultimate test to prove...they really are for each other.]
But what is it?
[His lips have moved to her chin and to her checks, soft little pecks as he slowly moves down to her neck.]
[Tifa's thoughts are broken up when his lips find that tender little spot between her chin and her throat, and she tips her head back, allowing herself to savour in the feeling first before she's seeking out his eyes with her own.]
... When did you know for sure? That you wanted to marry me, I mean.
[There's no reason for her asking besides out of pure curiosity, but all of this talk about the wedding has made her wonder.]
[He pauses at her question, lips lightly resting against her soft, sensitive skin before his teeth lightly graze it as he murmurs against it.]
From the moment I decided to enter a relationship with you.
[Of course he knows how that sounds so he continues, pulling back to look at her properly.]
I'm not someone who would date or seek a partner carelessly. While I was aware things could change and it might not work, the intent to remain loyal to only you was a factor in whether to pursue or not.
But the real moment that I knew I wanted you as my life partner...it was during our "first night" in the Romeo and Juliet dreamscape...and remained even after. [When they officially ended their song and dance and committed themselves to each other.] I know it seems rash and I sometimes wondered if I was given how quickly we fell into it, however...
[His gaze deepens as he meets her eyes, a hand rising to gently brush against her cheek.]
I just knew you were the one who moved me to this point...and the only one who ever will.
[Call it a gut feeling or some primal, ancient erune instinct, but he just knew. Knew that she was the one... That she would be his mate for life.]
[She leans her cheek into his touch, and she doesn't bother to hide her surprise at his answer. She swears that he might be able to hear her heart beating furiously in her chest, or the butterflies that flutter in her stomach like they are trying to break free from her. Tifa knows that, under the intensity of his gaze, he will see the way her eyes grow heavy with the weight of all the feelings his words thread through her, piercing right into her very soul and carving themselves there.
It isn't the answer she was expecting, but after her initial surprise, what comes next is shock that she was even surprised by it at all. That night had been a tipping point for both of them and their relationship. It hardly had a definition back then, but she knew that those things she felt for him in that dreamscape were her own. They weren't scripted or written into her, but she felt them in every bone of her body, and her heart pulsed it through her with every beat until her blood was saturated with it.
With him.
Tifa doesn't say anything, but she practically falls into him, her lips crashing against his because he has rendered her completely speechless and breathless again that she kisses him like she needs him for air to live.
...]
That was before you got your memories back.
[Which is why it astonished her at first... but in all the good ways.]
[He eagerly welcomed her, arm fully wrapping around her as his hand cradles her cheek, supporting and holding her fast to him. His own heart pounds, his blood rushing and heating his body as their connection to each other continues to strengthen. Having to confess all these things is making him grow more impatient, wanting to fully embrace and show her the depths of his love—even if he's done so countless times already.]
Yes.
[The hand at her cheek rises up to thread through her hair, thumb roving over her ear.]
Even without them I still fell in love with you... And had things been different in Camelot, I would have gone down the same path.
[Back there... They were still in the beginning of their (at least there) ill-fated love, too short for him to have decided how far he wanted to go with her. Far enough at least to enter the relationship, and he knows if they had had a little more time together...]
...No, I already knew even then.
[A small, rueful smile as he looks at her.]
On that last night... When I felt the regret of leaving you... I realized then that I was truly in love... And wanted to stay with you.
[He didn't want to leave. He had tried so hard because he really didn't want to part from her. Not when they had just started to be together, caught that sweet glimpse of a brighter future. Even if it might not have been appropriate given the situation... He didn't want to lose it. He wanted to take it.]
[Tifa never needed any further proof, but when it's so readily offered to her, she takes it and holds onto it. Proof that there was something that the stars saw in them, and that something was written within them that would inevitably draw them together. Hearing this only makes her more sure that in every world, every dream, every iteration this universe could think of, their hearts would always find a way to each other.
She can feel her eyes growing warm with the tears that line them at that bittersweet memory, and she closes them against his touch, sighing when she feels one streak down over her cheek. She remembers that letter and how she read it a thousand times, and how cold the bed felt when he was gone. How much she missed his warmth and wished harder than she's ever wished for anything that he would come back. By the time either of them realized just how far and how hard they had fallen, it was too late in that world.
...
But then... this place gave them that second chance.
She laughs quietly under a shaky breath.]
I still wonder sometimes if that was what brought us here. Those feelings, the wishes...
[She can't say how many times she wished, but it was more than she could ever keep count of.]
The timing's a little funny but isn't everything around here? I wonder if maybe we wanted it so much that we put ourselves here.
[Until there's another, better explanation for their timely arrival, she chooses to believe it.]
[He gently smiles as he brushes the tears with his thumb before leaning in to kiss her right beneath her eye, tasting the salty water.]
It would be nice if true... To know that we will somehow always find each other.
Like how I returned to you.
[When he had unexpectedly disappeared yet still somehow saw her in his dreams. That despite being from different times, different worlds, at least in one lifetime they could meet and be like this. That perhaps in another lifetime, they could share the same story same love. Even if it's not all the time... As long as he can have her at some point, that's enough. And as long as he has her here, then that's all that matters.]
Or maybe this is our only chance... So we need to make the most of it.
[They already are. They do every day, and that's exactly what they're doing right now. Something as simple as curling up together with cider near a fire means so much more to Tifa than she could ever put into words. The dogs, and perhaps others, may scoff at them for being far too into one another, barely able to keep their hands off each other, and maybe their tree is covered with too many flowers, but to Tifa, it isn't enough. It isn't enough when this could very well be their only chance and they need to take advantage of every second they have together to make it the best they can be.
If she didn't, she could never forgive herself.
Regardless of if it is or just one of the million chances they might get, she isn't going to let any of it go to waste.
She leans in to kiss him again, this one a touch more bittersweet, but still tender. Loving. Just another moment seized by her to make the most of it.
When she parts, she lets her eyes remain shut, and she can feel the lingering tingle of where he'd pressed his lips to her cheek as she takes in a trembling breath while she sorts through the memories in her heart.
...]
I think... the day I realized I had feelings for you was... that night after that dream. The first one, a year ago...
The one when we were in it together? Of your hometown?
[Thinking back, he remembers how even then he had already noticed his feelings and how desperate he was to not allow them to even grow. Things were still complicated, and yet...]
[Funny, how she hasn't stopped to look back on those days often enough until now. They're faraway memories, tucked away for safekeeping but never really taken out to observe and think about. It's not a bad thing, but she's a bit surprised at herself.]
I think maybe... even before then. When we met at the riverbank, but that was the night when I knew for sure. Which is probably why it made it so hard for me after the fact.
[He stares at her for a moment before a strange expression falls over him, one of hesitation and reflection before he begins to speak.]
Truthfully...
[...Haaa.]
...If you want to know when my feelings for you first developed, I don't know the beginning. But the lake...
[A small pause as he glances away, as if drawing upon his memories. It's never a good memory for him, what happened. But...there were the other parts. The ice skating before and then after...
...]
I realized I cared for you very strongly then, but I tried to ignore it. I couldn't say for sure what it was and there were other reasons. It wasn't until that night after we exchanged gifts and I walked you home that I realized I was attracted...had deeper feelings towards you.
[By then they had become more aware of each other, especially after what happened in the Christmas dreamscape and the box. And that night how he felt the various temptations and the final pull when he reached for that flower in her hair... How he had wanted to kiss her then, an impulse he had never felt before. How he had also realized that she was possibly feeling the same kind of attraction.
He then looks at her, his expression wistful, gaze deep.]
And on the night of the dream... I was already wrestling what to do, especially after hearing about Cloud. I didn't want to push anything knowing it was a complicated issue so I tried to draw a line out of respect. But given how things later turned out...
[Ah ha. Even now he can't help but feel a little ashamed that he allowed it to happen. Sleeping with him when she was emotionally compromised.]
Sometimes I wondered if you ever regretted it at the time.
[Even if she had consented, the fact that he even offered... What had he been thinking? Aside from seeing her so upset and wanting to gather her in his arms, to kiss and hold her. Such a strong desire that he had never felt before and then things escalated and took over. Even if it's not really unusual for two healthy adults, it was still unusual for him.
He might not think about it much anymore, especially given how things turned out. But he still remembers how he felt at the time, the concerns he had.]
[Her answer comes swiftly and immediately, firmly, leaving no room for any other interpretation.
There had been times before that when Tifa had questioned her feelings—if it was just another bout of loneliness that she would seek him out so that she had someone to fill the void. If it was just familiarity, something that she already knew from not this world, but another one, that had her clinging to the idea of him so hard. But there had been those two weeks in the winter where it all came to a head.
He brings up the night they exchanged gifts, and how she had hoped that he would kiss her at her door before he left for the night. How, before that in the factory, being in such close proximity to him in that box made her feel things she isn't sure she's felt before.
When they met at the riverbank that first night and she recognized him, even if he didn't remember her, she was sure that she felt something even back then.
It's difficult for her to pinpoint the exact moment because she carried her memories here from Camelot, but...
Her fingers brush through his hair, and she kisses him gently, as if to seek to reassure him.]
I felt weak... scared that night... Embarrassed that you were there to see it all. But...
[Her eyes shimmer with admiration for him when they connect with his.]
You still stuck by me. You stayed with me and comforted me when I thought... when I was scared you would run instead. No one's done that for me before... It made me realize that... the safest place I felt was with you.
[There is some relief at hearing her answer, his head tilting towards her touch and kiss. Even then...he really, truly treasured her. Far more than he realized and it only grew and grew and continues to grow.]
...I'm glad then.
[That he could provide her that support and comfort. That...he could be needed by her.
As his hand drifts up to lightly touch her jaw and then brush against her lips, he gives a small laugh.]
[It takes a few seconds for her to realize what "routine" he's talking about, but as soon as she does, she buries her face in his shoulder.]
... I guess it did.
[Although, that was where it all started, too—that desire that still forever remains unsated, that overcomes her every time he so much as lets a finger graze over her skin. That lights her whole body on fire whenever he's near. That want to always, always be close to him, and that no matter how close they become, it's never enough, and she'll always be seeking more.
Tifa squirms a little in his lap, feeling that heat already starting to pool where their bodies meet, but she takes in a staggered breath and holds it back just a little longer...
And steers the conversation back on course before she no longer can.]
It was during the play that I realized that maybe I really did want something more out of this. I just never knew how to say it. Though, I guess I kind of did back then, huh?
[He has been holding back for quite a while, all those past feelings resurfacing to stimulate new ones. But he's managing to last a little longer, their talk also helps temper things a bit. Still, when he can see her faltering, it's more tempting to want to move things elsewhere...]
Yes... [His lips brush over her skin.] Through song.
[And then a small laugh.]
Why is it that I was the one who had to chase and convince you both times? I would have thought I would be the one to be more resistant...
[Tifa lifts her head to look at him, and her face is beet red by the time their eyes meet.]
I... don't know. [Her giggle is a bit fuzzy, like the rum has shot straight to her head.] Did you really think it was going to be me chasing you instead?
[Well, this is cute of him, and the bridge of her nose crinkles ever so slightly.]
[Ah, he's giving her That Look, but it always only makes her smile spread.]
Well. You did pursue one, didn't you?
[She teases him, and boops him on the nose to emphasize her point several times, but she'll answer his question for real this time.]
I was terrified at the time... when I realized I had feelings for you. I didn't really know what it was, or what it meant, but it was just... overwhelming. I think for a while, I was afraid of falling in love with you, and so I thought I'd try pushing you away instead.
[Tifa laughs, and she bumps her forehead against his.]
[He only continues with That Look before he listens and it softens a little in amusement.]
Mm...well it's understandable in your position. It gave me time as well.
[If you've held a candle for someone else for so long to suddenly find yourself starting to lean towards someone else, he can imagine it being difficult. It's why he was willing to be patient, let them take their time.]
But you pulling away... Heh. [A small laugh.] I guess it must have triggered my hunting instincts.
[A low grin as rests his finger beneath her chin, tilting it towards him while holding her in place.]
Unfortunately for you, I always catch what I want.
[And that's the crux of it. Expectations aside, once he determined he liked her and that there was a potential opening, that little bit of greed grew and he wanted to have her by his side. He could be patient and slow, that was fine. If he had to pull away, it would be lamentable but he would. But it was still with the intention of "winning" her over. Once he sets his sights on something, he seeks a successful completion one way or the other.]
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flamekthunder) wrote2025-04-07 09:12 pm
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Marry me.
[Yep. Just gonna drop it just like that.]
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... Okay.
[Tifa presses their lips together into a tender, lingering kiss, one that makes her feel fuzzy as a wave of warm happiness washes over her, only made more violent by the alcohol that's making her blood run hot.
She remembers that night on the terrace, and how they had been just like this. Close, overcome with feelings, but now, she's no longer confused and conflicted. Her heart no longer wishes to go to him, but he holds it in his hands now.]
I'll never get tired of hearing you ask.
[And just like that, more starflowers bloom around the log they're sitting on, and even some of the dogs lift their heads up to watch them spread outward.
There's a pause as she captures his lips again for another.]
I know that you're worried about the wedding... and making sure it all goes right. That it's perfect, but... [She smiles against his lips as she nuzzles their noses together.] I just want this. This is enough.
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And I'll never tire hearing you accept it.
[How could he? He could say it again right now, and just like before there would be that giddy ripple, an emotion that he only ever feels around her and no one else—not even the dogs. Tifa, his precious, treasured beloved. Who else would he show this side of him other than her? He can't imagine it. He doesn't want to.]
But even if this is enough... I still want to give you more.
[Give her everything and anything she could ever want. Not in the sense of luxuries (but he would damn well try), but just to keep her happy and smiling. His beautiful light, his radiant sun.
His spring.
With his lips brushing against hers, he says it again, his voice lower than before.]
Marry me.
[This time he follows it with a deep kiss, his words carrying more of that sincere weight than the more playful one from before.]
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Which will be never, but she has to compromise with herself somewhere.
It's only when she's slightly out of breath that she frees him from her, but she doesn't go without a small nip to his lip first.]
I wish... we could get married tomorrow. That I didn't have to wait to be your wife...
[But she knows better than that. She knows that there's plenty of preparation they still need to do if they want to have the wedding they deserve. To celebrate the love between them with those who have stuck at their side even during their toughest times...
It doesn't mean a girl can't wish, though.
She can hear the rustling of some of the dogs getting up as the flowers continue to spread, and in the corner of her eye, she sees Eria move in the direction back to the house.]
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When she eventually pulls away he wants to pull her back, only half mindful how the dogs are disappearing. He can vaguely hear the clicking of Eria's tongue and the soft mutters and giggling whispers of There they go again, but he doesn't care. It was inevitable. So as they quickly become more alone, he smiles faintly at her cute complaints.]
I thought you already were.
[His wife. He's called her that a few times already, partly in jest, but at other times more symbolic of how he already considers her. So there's a light gleam as he whispers softly, breath warm.]
My wife.
[A teasing nip of her lower lip as if in return for the one she gave.]
My precious mate.
[And then he pulls her into another sweet kiss before murmuring against her lips.]
My only love.
[How many more things could he call her? Better yet, how much more can she stand?]
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Tifa could listen to him call her all these things a million times and she would never grow tired of it. Each one sends a shiver rippling through her, heightened by the kisses he embellishes them with, her mind already dizzy and drunk from the combination of his scent filling her head and the rum that's swimming in it, and she can only breathe soft laughs on his lips before it's her turn to kiss him.]
I guess I am.
[All of those things. It's said both with a sweetness and appreciation to it, but there's an air of possessiveness and pride to it as well, drowned out in another kiss.]
And I'm the luckiest girl in the world.
[That she's somehow managed to find someone like him... Someone so supportive and loving, so gentle and caring... He has sharper edges, but there is a softness that she knows is reserved only for her, and that she is the only one that can see that part of him? She feels on top of the world to be that girl. The one that he chose to give his whole heart to the way she did with her own to him.
She smiles on his lips, and Tifa has practically wrapped herself around him on his lap.]
... Can I ask you something?
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So am I.
[The luckiest man in the world to find someone as loving, caring, and supportive as her. Someone who has saved him from his old hollow shell countless times stuck with him despite the hells they've had to suffer through. Reminded him of the potential he had, the potential future he had. Someone be could truly open up and give his fragile heart, knowing no matter how many times it breaks she can help mend it. As terrible as the whole noctaere ordeal had been, it had also been the ultimate test to prove...they really are for each other.]
But what is it?
[His lips have moved to her chin and to her checks, soft little pecks as he slowly moves down to her neck.]
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[Tifa's thoughts are broken up when his lips find that tender little spot between her chin and her throat, and she tips her head back, allowing herself to savour in the feeling first before she's seeking out his eyes with her own.]
... When did you know for sure? That you wanted to marry me, I mean.
[There's no reason for her asking besides out of pure curiosity, but all of this talk about the wedding has made her wonder.]
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From the moment I decided to enter a relationship with you.
[Of course he knows how that sounds so he continues, pulling back to look at her properly.]
I'm not someone who would date or seek a partner carelessly. While I was aware things could change and it might not work, the intent to remain loyal to only you was a factor in whether to pursue or not.
But the real moment that I knew I wanted you as my life partner...it was during our "first night" in the Romeo and Juliet dreamscape...and remained even after. [When they officially ended their song and dance and committed themselves to each other.] I know it seems rash and I sometimes wondered if I was given how quickly we fell into it, however...
[His gaze deepens as he meets her eyes, a hand rising to gently brush against her cheek.]
I just knew you were the one who moved me to this point...and the only one who ever will.
[Call it a gut feeling or some primal, ancient erune instinct, but he just knew. Knew that she was the one... That she would be his mate for life.]
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It isn't the answer she was expecting, but after her initial surprise, what comes next is shock that she was even surprised by it at all. That night had been a tipping point for both of them and their relationship. It hardly had a definition back then, but she knew that those things she felt for him in that dreamscape were her own. They weren't scripted or written into her, but she felt them in every bone of her body, and her heart pulsed it through her with every beat until her blood was saturated with it.
With him.
Tifa doesn't say anything, but she practically falls into him, her lips crashing against his because he has rendered her completely speechless and breathless again that she kisses him like she needs him for air to live.
...]
That was before you got your memories back.
[Which is why it astonished her at first... but in all the good ways.]
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Yes.
[The hand at her cheek rises up to thread through her hair, thumb roving over her ear.]
Even without them I still fell in love with you... And had things been different in Camelot, I would have gone down the same path.
[Back there... They were still in the beginning of their (at least there) ill-fated love, too short for him to have decided how far he wanted to go with her. Far enough at least to enter the relationship, and he knows if they had had a little more time together...]
...No, I already knew even then.
[A small, rueful smile as he looks at her.]
On that last night... When I felt the regret of leaving you... I realized then that I was truly in love... And wanted to stay with you.
[He didn't want to leave. He had tried so hard because he really didn't want to part from her. Not when they had just started to be together, caught that sweet glimpse of a brighter future. Even if it might not have been appropriate given the situation... He didn't want to lose it. He wanted to take it.]
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She can feel her eyes growing warm with the tears that line them at that bittersweet memory, and she closes them against his touch, sighing when she feels one streak down over her cheek. She remembers that letter and how she read it a thousand times, and how cold the bed felt when he was gone. How much she missed his warmth and wished harder than she's ever wished for anything that he would come back. By the time either of them realized just how far and how hard they had fallen, it was too late in that world.
...
But then... this place gave them that second chance.
She laughs quietly under a shaky breath.]
I still wonder sometimes if that was what brought us here. Those feelings, the wishes...
[She can't say how many times she wished, but it was more than she could ever keep count of.]
The timing's a little funny but isn't everything around here? I wonder if maybe we wanted it so much that we put ourselves here.
[Until there's another, better explanation for their timely arrival, she chooses to believe it.]
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[He gently smiles as he brushes the tears with his thumb before leaning in to kiss her right beneath her eye, tasting the salty water.]
It would be nice if true... To know that we will somehow always find each other.
Like how I returned to you.
[When he had unexpectedly disappeared yet still somehow saw her in his dreams. That despite being from different times, different worlds, at least in one lifetime they could meet and be like this. That perhaps in another lifetime, they could share the same story same love. Even if it's not all the time... As long as he can have her at some point, that's enough. And as long as he has her here, then that's all that matters.]
Or maybe this is our only chance... So we need to make the most of it.
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[They already are. They do every day, and that's exactly what they're doing right now. Something as simple as curling up together with cider near a fire means so much more to Tifa than she could ever put into words. The dogs, and perhaps others, may scoff at them for being far too into one another, barely able to keep their hands off each other, and maybe their tree is covered with too many flowers, but to Tifa, it isn't enough. It isn't enough when this could very well be their only chance and they need to take advantage of every second they have together to make it the best they can be.
If she didn't, she could never forgive herself.
Regardless of if it is or just one of the million chances they might get, she isn't going to let any of it go to waste.
She leans in to kiss him again, this one a touch more bittersweet, but still tender. Loving. Just another moment seized by her to make the most of it.
When she parts, she lets her eyes remain shut, and she can feel the lingering tingle of where he'd pressed his lips to her cheek as she takes in a trembling breath while she sorts through the memories in her heart.
...]
I think... the day I realized I had feelings for you was... that night after that dream. The first one, a year ago...
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The one when we were in it together? Of your hometown?
[Thinking back, he remembers how even then he had already noticed his feelings and how desperate he was to not allow them to even grow. Things were still complicated, and yet...]
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[Funny, how she hasn't stopped to look back on those days often enough until now. They're faraway memories, tucked away for safekeeping but never really taken out to observe and think about. It's not a bad thing, but she's a bit surprised at herself.]
I think maybe... even before then. When we met at the riverbank, but that was the night when I knew for sure. Which is probably why it made it so hard for me after the fact.
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Truthfully...
[...Haaa.]
...If you want to know when my feelings for you first developed, I don't know the beginning. But the lake...
[A small pause as he glances away, as if drawing upon his memories. It's never a good memory for him, what happened. But...there were the other parts. The ice skating before and then after...
...]
I realized I cared for you very strongly then, but I tried to ignore it. I couldn't say for sure what it was and there were other reasons. It wasn't until that night after we exchanged gifts and I walked you home that I realized I was attracted...had deeper feelings towards you.
[By then they had become more aware of each other, especially after what happened in the Christmas dreamscape and the box. And that night how he felt the various temptations and the final pull when he reached for that flower in her hair... How he had wanted to kiss her then, an impulse he had never felt before. How he had also realized that she was possibly feeling the same kind of attraction.
He then looks at her, his expression wistful, gaze deep.]
And on the night of the dream... I was already wrestling what to do, especially after hearing about Cloud. I didn't want to push anything knowing it was a complicated issue so I tried to draw a line out of respect. But given how things later turned out...
[Ah ha. Even now he can't help but feel a little ashamed that he allowed it to happen. Sleeping with him when she was emotionally compromised.]
Sometimes I wondered if you ever regretted it at the time.
[Even if she had consented, the fact that he even offered... What had he been thinking? Aside from seeing her so upset and wanting to gather her in his arms, to kiss and hold her. Such a strong desire that he had never felt before and then things escalated and took over. Even if it's not really unusual for two healthy adults, it was still unusual for him.
He might not think about it much anymore, especially given how things turned out. But he still remembers how he felt at the time, the concerns he had.]
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[Her answer comes swiftly and immediately, firmly, leaving no room for any other interpretation.
There had been times before that when Tifa had questioned her feelings—if it was just another bout of loneliness that she would seek him out so that she had someone to fill the void. If it was just familiarity, something that she already knew from not this world, but another one, that had her clinging to the idea of him so hard. But there had been those two weeks in the winter where it all came to a head.
He brings up the night they exchanged gifts, and how she had hoped that he would kiss her at her door before he left for the night. How, before that in the factory, being in such close proximity to him in that box made her feel things she isn't sure she's felt before.
When they met at the riverbank that first night and she recognized him, even if he didn't remember her, she was sure that she felt something even back then.
It's difficult for her to pinpoint the exact moment because she carried her memories here from Camelot, but...
Her fingers brush through his hair, and she kisses him gently, as if to seek to reassure him.]
I felt weak... scared that night... Embarrassed that you were there to see it all. But...
[Her eyes shimmer with admiration for him when they connect with his.]
You still stuck by me. You stayed with me and comforted me when I thought... when I was scared you would run instead. No one's done that for me before... It made me realize that... the safest place I felt was with you.
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...I'm glad then.
[That he could provide her that support and comfort. That...he could be needed by her.
As his hand drifts up to lightly touch her jaw and then brush against her lips, he gives a small laugh.]
I guess our little "routine" started then, huh?
[Comfort sex.]
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... I guess it did.
[Although, that was where it all started, too—that desire that still forever remains unsated, that overcomes her every time he so much as lets a finger graze over her skin. That lights her whole body on fire whenever he's near. That want to always, always be close to him, and that no matter how close they become, it's never enough, and she'll always be seeking more.
Tifa squirms a little in his lap, feeling that heat already starting to pool where their bodies meet, but she takes in a staggered breath and holds it back just a little longer...
And steers the conversation back on course before she no longer can.]
It was during the play that I realized that maybe I really did want something more out of this. I just never knew how to say it. Though, I guess I kind of did back then, huh?
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Yes... [His lips brush over her skin.] Through song.
[And then a small laugh.]
Why is it that I was the one who had to chase and convince you both times? I would have thought I would be the one to be more resistant...
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I... don't know. [Her giggle is a bit fuzzy, like the rum has shot straight to her head.] Did you really think it was going to be me chasing you instead?
[Well, this is cute of him, and the bridge of her nose crinkles ever so slightly.]
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You tell me. Did I look like I would have been that interested in pursuing a relationship at the time?
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Well. You did pursue one, didn't you?
[She teases him, and boops him on the nose to emphasize her point several times, but she'll answer his question for real this time.]
I was terrified at the time... when I realized I had feelings for you. I didn't really know what it was, or what it meant, but it was just... overwhelming. I think for a while, I was afraid of falling in love with you, and so I thought I'd try pushing you away instead.
[Tifa laughs, and she bumps her forehead against his.]
Look how well that worked out for me.
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Mm...well it's understandable in your position. It gave me time as well.
[If you've held a candle for someone else for so long to suddenly find yourself starting to lean towards someone else, he can imagine it being difficult. It's why he was willing to be patient, let them take their time.]
But you pulling away... Heh. [A small laugh.] I guess it must have triggered my hunting instincts.
[A low grin as rests his finger beneath her chin, tilting it towards him while holding her in place.]
Unfortunately for you, I always catch what I want.
[And that's the crux of it. Expectations aside, once he determined he liked her and that there was a potential opening, that little bit of greed grew and he wanted to have her by his side. He could be patient and slow, that was fine. If he had to pull away, it would be lamentable but he would. But it was still with the intention of "winning" her over. Once he sets his sights on something, he seeks a successful completion one way or the other.]
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FIN